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Showing posts with label DCC Day 2026. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DCC Day 2026. Show all posts

Friday, 31 July 2026

[DCC Day #7] Pestilence at the Peak of Law

As well as contributing to Free RPG Day every year Goodman Games also has its own ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day’. The day is notable not only for the events and the range of adventures being played for Goodman Games’ roleplaying games, but also for the scenarios it releases specifically to be played on the day. For ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day 2026’, which took place today on Saturday, July 18th, 2026, the publisher is releasing not one, not two, but three scenarios, plus a limited edition printing of Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters. Two of the scenarios, ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ and ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’, appear in the duology, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack. ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is written for Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World, ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is for use with Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, which combines Dungeons & Dragons and World Wrestling Entertainment, turns it into a blood sport, televises it, and throws in celebrity culture in an alternate dystopia shot through with a knowing black humour. Lastly, both Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters and DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law are written for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics.

—oOo—

High in the Acherak Mountains there is a Dwarven Monastery that sits above the Dwarven kingdoms far below and under the ground. It is dedicated to Daenthar, but the monks there have a secret purpose in addition to worshipping Daenthar, the Dwarven lord of the mountains as close to his realm as they can get, and that is to protect the world against a servant of Chaos known as the Matron of Pestilence. In years past, as an agent of Nimlurun, the Chaos god of filth and pestilence, Matron of Pestilence unleashed a plague upon the kingdoms of Acherak, but having imprisoned it, the monks have long worked to ensure that it would never be free to unleash its scourge of contagion again. However, what the monks could not do is destroy the Matron of Pestilence, for that requires the Hammer of the Mountaintop. Sadly, that great weapon is long lost and the monks never thought it would be in their possession. Fortunately, it has been found and perhaps the long-hoped for dream of ending the threat of the Matron of Pestilence will come to pass… Unfortunately, agents of Nimlurun have found a way to infiltrate the monastery and work to free the Chaos god’s servant. They have not managed to do so yet, but it is only a matter of time.

This is the set-up for DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law, the offering for DCC Day 2026 for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. It is designed for group of four to six Player Characters of Second level, one of which should be a Cleric and another should preferably be a Dwarf. The ability to read Dwarven will be very useful in the scenario and either the Dwarf or the Cleric should be an adherent of Law rather than Chaos. The scenario can be played through in a single session and includes different hooks for the various Classes in Dungeon Crawl Classics.

In true Dwarven fashion, the Acherak Monastery is an austere place, with polished floors and bas reliefs on the walls. Equally, it appears to be quite a simple place, with a single archive, dormitory, sacristy, and so on. However, there is more to the monastery than meets the eye. As well as worshipping Daenthar, the monks are known for the brewing of a very fine mead and there are signs of it throughout the monastery, including some broken and empty casks. There is also a black slime that coats the walls and floors of the monastery. The oily, viscous substance adheres to everything it touches, can soak through clothing and leather, and worse, seeks new victims to infect. The scenario includes a ‘Rotting Corruption’ table to determine its effects upon any poor Player Character so infected and this adds a sickly, putrefying feel to the scenario. Make no mistake, this back slime is unholy, but DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law does discuss numerous ways of treating the symptoms and ultimately, of finding a cure, but in the meantime, the Player Characters are in for a sweaty, virulent experience.

Ultimately, there is a puzzle at the heart of DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law—one poisoned by agents of Nimlurun before they arrive—that the Player Characters will have to solve in order to defeat the Matron of Pestilence, save the Acherak Monastery, and save themselves. Given the timeframe for the scenario, it is not too challenging a puzzle and there are clues to be found that will reveal what has happened and what needs to be done next. This should lead to a climatic confrontation with the Matron of Pestilence and her servants in her secret prison. It will be a tough fight—especially if one or more of the Player Characters is infected with the corruption—but again, several means of slaying her given.

Physically, the DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law is as well done as you would expect for a release from Goodman Games. It is lightly illustrated, but the artwork nicely captures the foulness that the Player Characters will be facing in the scenario. The cartography is perhaps a little plain, but is serviceable enough.

DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law should have the feel of cleanliness and sharpness of the air of high mountain peaks, but instead, it has a vile, smeary, fungal, and viscous feel, which also contrasts with the austerity of the monastery. There are some enjoyably oozy, oily, odious encounters along the way to overcoming a great evil in DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law and this is a deliciously repulsive scenario.

Friday, 24 July 2026

[DCC Day #7] DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack

As well as contributing to Free RPG Day every year Goodman Games also has its own ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day’. The day is notable not only for the events and the range of adventures being played for Goodman Games’ roleplaying games, but also for the scenarios it releases specifically to be played on the day. For ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Day 2026’, which took place today on Saturday, July 18th, 2026, the publisher is releasing not one, not two, but three scenarios, plus a limited edition printing of Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters. Two of the scenarios, ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ and ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’, appear in the duology, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack. ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is written for Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World, ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is for use with Xcrawl Classics Roleplaying Game, which combines Dungeons & Dragons and World Wrestling Entertainment, turns it into a blood sport, televises it, and throws in celebrity culture in an alternate dystopia shot through with a knowing black humour. Lastly, both Dungeon Crawl Classics #112: Mother of M0nsters and DCC Day #7: Pestilence at the Peak of Law are written for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics.

—oOo—

As in past years, the
DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack contains two adventures. The first and longest of the two is ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ are written for use with Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic, the spiritual successor to Gamma World. It is designed for a party of three to six Player Characters of First Level and begins with them in the jungle on the back of a fast-flowing river on the other wise of which is an island with some pre-disaster ruins on it.

The Player Characters—or Seekers—have been sent by their respective tribes to rescue a much-fabled artefact, called AESOP, from the ruins. AESOP is rumoured to be a learning device from before the disaster used to teach children. If it can be brought back, it will be a great asset to the confederation of local villages. Unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and a series of storms has led to widespread flooding and the rising waters threaten the buildings in which AESOP is located. Thus, the Seekers have to survive the environment and the weather, explore the buildings, find AESOP, and then haul it back! The dangers of the floods are represented by a ‘Deluge Effects’ table which is triggered when a natural roll of one or twenty is rolled. The waters can swell and surge, the winds rise, wildlife flee, and more, plus some effects also increase the die size by a step for subsequent rolls. Which means that as the scenario progresses, the effects of the storm get worse and worse. Then if a Seeker gets caught in the waters, then is a ‘Fighting the Flood Waters’ table to be rolled on, the greater the strength of the Seeker, the less likely he will be swept away.

The ruins on the island are those of Pennsville Learning Academy, so the Seekers are exploring the ruins of an ancient school. As you would expect, there are classrooms dedicated to different subjects, including history, science, and art, a cafeteria, and so on. Each location contains a mix of things to experience and lots of things to loot. For example, in the history classroom, the Experio5400 is a teaching device that beams a holographic, immersive experience straight into the eyes of nearby pupils. One experience is given, but the Judge can be inventive here too, adding her own historical scenes, whether from actual history or the history between now and the events of the disaster that led to Terra AD. However, it is loot where the author gets to be inventive. Items to be looted include a Cheat Lens that when worn provides answers to written questions; a chemical cabinet in the science classroom full of ingredients to be mixed for various effects; school lockers containing things such as a Jet Board, a Dysfunctional Robotic Playmate, Acks Body Spray (incites attacks from nearby feral creatures!), and more.

Finally, there is AESOP itself. It is a A.I. with a pleasing personality—though for entertainment value, the Judge could readily change it—that the Seekers can talks to and ask questions of. The Judge has a list of questions and answers to facilitate any interaction. AESOP is easy to find, but rather than challenging to deal with, it is challenging to move! The seekers must find a way of transporting it out of the ruins, across the island, and then over the river with its raging waters. ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is a good mix of exploration and combat, twisting a familiar location and making it a dangerous and rewarding in equal measure, before escalating the danger with the weather. The result is an excellent, entertaining scenario for the Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game.

The second scenario is ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’, which is designed for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game and for party of four to six Player Characters of First Level. Their Agent informs them that they have been invited to participate in a new gig—an Xcrawl designed by a first-time Dungeon Judge. Not just any first-time Dungeon Judge, but Tiger Silva, the world’s most famous and accomplished pro-golfer, who wants to try his hand at a different sport. Apart from the fact that it being organised by one of the most famous sportsmen in the North American Empire, it is meant to be a low-key affair. It is a chance for the Player Characters to pick up some new sponsors, look good in a celebrity-driven event, and perhaps move into the orbit of the rich and famous by association.

As you would expect, this Xcrawl is entirely Golf-themed and that starts with the sponsorships on offer, which include the Ultra Whack Golf Clubs and Golfing Gear and Super Aid Sports Drinks. It continues with the individual locations in the Xcrawl, a giant miniature putt-putt golf course, which include woad-painted Goblin Picts which attack to the sound of bad bagpipes being played (and unfortunately the bagpipe-player is a non-combatant, so cannot be attacked and the Player Characters will need to find another way to stop the playing) reflecting Golf’s Scottish origins; a giant sand trap and a even bigger windmill with deadly spinning blades; and a battle with a giant gopher! All of which is confronted whilst attempting to whack a giant Golf ball through the dungeon and into the cup at the end of each room. Being a dungeon for the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game, the adventure is straightforward and linear, that feel exacerbated by the need to drive the giant Golf ball from one end of the dungeon to the other, room by room. However, it is ever so tongue-in-cheek and fits with the absurdity of the world of Xcrawl.

The absurdity of setting and the scenario are made all the more so by the satirical elements worked into it. These dig at the theme of Golf and at the contemporary politics surrounding Golf. These are likely to amuse or irritate in equal measure, but given the theme, it is no surprise they are included. ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is a silly, but fun adventure and there are notes too if the Judge wants to add it to her campaign.

Physically, the DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack is as well done as you would expect for a release from Goodman Games. The artwork is decent, but a little cartoonish in places—which actually suits the Xcrawl Classics Role-Playing Game.

The
DCC Day 2026 Adventure Pack delivers two good scenarios for two different games, but of the two, ‘The Temple of Fluttering Terror’ is the most inventive and interesting, but ‘The Crawl is Not Always Greener’ is sillier and more immediately entertaining. Both are fun to play and both are easy to add to a campaign as they are to run as one-shots.