Free RPG Day - The Mappa Mundi Experience!
Hello, Chroniclers! George here, creator of Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG. The penultimate weekend in July saw the inaugural Free RPG Day taking place in friendly local game stores and TTRPG groups and communities across the world, and we at Three Sails Studios were no exception. In this blog, I’ll be covering our contribution to Free RPG Day, what we got up to, and where. Let’s do it!
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Free RPG Day - Two Groups Journey into the Wilds
Saturday July 22nd saw the celebration of the very first Free RPG Day in game stores and TTRPG community spaces all around the world. Clearly inspired by initiatives like Free Comic Book Day and Record Store Day, Free RPG Day saw players and customers able to pick up free samples of games from a variety of publishers, most large and some indie. I personally saw a bunch of games being given away, with Rowan, Rook, and Decard’s new (successfully funded) game of epic boss battles in a shattered world, Hollows, being a particular highlight!
While we at Three Sails Studios weren’t able to give away any free physical products (though, if you didn’t know, you can download the Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG Prerelease Guide for free right now!), we didn’t want to not be involved. So, I partnered up with one of my very favourite friendly local game stores, Buzzin’ Meeples, in north Manchester (Prestwich, to be precise, if you’re planning on visiting), to run two sessions of Mappa Mundi’s ‘Root and Branch’ prewritten adventure for two different groups over the course of the day!
The storefront at Buzzin’ Meeples, Manchester, shortly after opening on a beautifully sunny Free RPG Day!
So, bright and early, at 1pm (…), I sat down with my first group of Chroniclers, all prepared to journey out into the Wilds of Barbecia, seeking out the elusive and enigmatic Root and Branch Monster. This group were lovely, made up of frequent visitors to the store and a keen bunch of TTRPG players. Unlike the last session I ran at Buzzin’ Meeples, back in May just before the UK Games Expo, this group was primarily comprised of players, rather than GMs. Over the course of our three-hour adventure, the group investigated the village of Gascar, forged through the Wilds of the Azura Wood, and encountered the Root and Branch monster. But while they successfully tracked their target, locating missing persons along the way, Fate had other ideas in mind for the Root and Branch Monster, and the Encounter wasn’t quite as successful as their Research and Journey Phases.
Nonetheless, fun was had by all, and it was a great session to kick off the day!
After a much-needed rest and an early dinner with some friends, I sat down at 6pm with our second group, this time a very experienced team of TTRPG players and GMs whom I had met at the UK Games Expo. Showing incredible commitment and a deep desire to play Mappa Mundi, this group came all the way over from Liverpool and navigated Manchester’s tram system to find Buzzin’ Meeples. Those prepared to Journey are always welcome in the world of Ecumene!
This group was a dream to play with. They leaned all the way into Mappa Mundi and its non-violent mechanics. We had rigorous research and investigation, beautifully creative Shaping out in the Wilds, a run in with a bear trap or two (remember: Mappa Mundi rewards player skill as much as character abilities!), and a confrontation with Root and Branch’s equivalent of a Big Bad. Finally, the group encountered the Root and Branch Monster and systemically uncovered 6 of its 8 unique Behaviours. Upon their return to Gascar, they conclusively proved that the Monster was no threat, saving both it and the village from certain ruin!
Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG Prerelease Guides out in the wild!
A Fine Day for a Journey
So, our Free RPG Day adventure came to an end at around 11pm. I got home around an hour later, having been out of the house for more than 13 hours and got some well-deserved rest. But I woke up the next morning on a high; Free RPG Day was a success for all involved, and Three Sails Studios was very happy to play its part!
For next year, Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG should be funded, printed, and delivered by Free RPG Day, so we’re planning more sessions (hopefully, with the aid of our wonderful community, in locations all over the world!) and to be able to release a free product of our own, likely one of our Chronicles of the Wilds adventures, as a free to download PDF.
Until then, thanks so much to both our groups of players, to Alan at Buzzin’ Meeples for his incredible support, and to all of you for reading. If you want to take part in helping shape Mappa Mundi as we move towards release, come and join us on Discord (click here) and Facebook (click here). We’d love to have you with us!
Until next time, Chronicler!
George, Mappa Mundi creator.
