Solo Session: Deadline

A solo play example of the map-making and news-chronicling game from Wanderer's Tome.

Sep 19, 2024

Welcome to Solo Sessions, a solo play example from one of the game’s covered in The Soloist. In this session, I’m playing a preview version of Wanderer's Tome’s Deadline, a news-chronicling and map-making RPG where you play a journalist in a city of your own creation.

The Establishment Phase

In the first phase of the game, you generate facts about your city through a series of random tables. Each prompt has a question or two to add detail.

For city environment I roll (6) canal city

I imagine a steam-age, Venice-like city, built on top of ruins of an ancient empire. The city has a network of waterways with buildings, streets, and bridges designed around the canals. I start my map by drawing 8 distinct islands divided by canals.

For political climate I roll (5) democratic republic

Citizens elect representatives with power distributed through different branches of government. I imagine that the system is unjust with the definition of citizenship being restricted to those who own property. On my map I add the capitol building “The Hall of Equals.”

For power source I roll (6) arcane

Arcane magic flows through the city. I conclude that the city taps power that flows through the canals. It is collected at an industrial scale and stored in magical glass containers. The glass is blown by hand with sand dredged from the surrounding sea beds. It’s essential to the economy and in short supply.

For primary industry I roll (6) weaponry

Warships powered by steam and armed with traditional munitions are built here. Arcane explosives are also manufactured, but the sale of these to foreign powers is against the city’s laws.

For arcane influence I roll (8) whispers in the dark

The veil between this world and the spirit realm is thin in the city, allowing spirits to move freely among the living. Spirits and residents generally keep their distance. The spirits appear more often under moonlight. Some powerful spirits have their own motives for working with a few citizens.

Notable Features

Next I’m instructed to add 5 specific elements to the map with questions listed for each.

Place of worship: The Cathedral of Sant Mal. This is the temple devoted to the worship of the sun and moon gods. All residents are expected to attend services.
Town square: The Grand Square. This is the commercial hub of the city, full of merchant’s shops and food stalls.
Aristocratic dwellings: Lusso. This is a self-contained island with small palaces and private security. Access to the island is limited to residents, their servants, and people on official business.
Slum dwellings: Le Malerie. The city’s poor live in the ruins of the “Old City” that is slowly sinking into a marsh.
Residential dwellings: Corte Gentile. These tightly packed, two and three story row houses line the canals and small squares.

Now I roll 8 times on the Landmarks table. I place each on the map and answer provided questions to fill in the details.

I roll (15) academic

The Poloetecnic is an esteemed institution where students and professors come to study modern science, engineering, and the classics. Study of the arcane is not permitted at the university.

I roll (14) industrial foundry

The Arsenal is the shipyard where the world’s most sophisticated warships are designed and manufactured. Arcane weapons are also produced in limited quantities for the city’s protection.

I roll (41) library

The Library houses one of the greatest collections of booksfrom around the globe. The city’s archive goes back 1000 years. A special room without a physical entrance is maintained for visiting spirits.

I roll (62) postal system

The Gondoliers are the city’s official postal service.

I roll (45) fighting arena

The Old Arena is the remains of the city’s ancient colosseum. It’s located in the center of the slums. While not sanctioned by the city government, residents of every rank attend the fights.

I roll (65) castle

Fortezza Maree is an active fort that sits across from the capitol building. It is an ancient citadel that has been upgraded over the centuries. The fort has an underground dock where the Polizi maintain their steam-powered speed boats.

I roll (32) lighthouse

The Lighthouse stands at the top of The Rocks, acting as a beacon to trading vessels.

I roll (13) guild hall

The Guild of the Canalmancers houses the scientists and their apprentices who manage the arcane power of the city’s waterways. Entry to the Guild is merit based — as long as your family has citizenship.

Welcome to Lunicia

With the map complete, I name the city Lunicia.

My completed map of Lunicia and its eight island districts.

The Chronicling Phase

With the facts of Lunicia established, I move to the role of journalist for The Moonlight, Lunicia’s primary source of news. In this phase I will be playing one news cycle. Each cycle consists og generating an arcane headline, four minor headlines, and a major headline. Each headline type has its own tables. There are many tables to roll on, so rather than go through each, I’ll present the results…

The Moonlight

Major Headline

Hidden camera captures Tidecaller rituals.

New Cult Rises: The Tidecallers Unearth Ancient Power

15th Lunaris, 1802 - Enigmatic group forms around mysterious relics found beneath Le Malerie; city officials express growing concern over arcane practices.

Other Top Stories

Diggers working in temple ruins discovered in the slums.

Lost Temple Rediscovered Beneath Le Malerie

27th Nocturn, 1801 - Poletecnic archaeologists unveil ancient temple and odd relics; discoveries may reshape our understanding of Lunicia's past.

Lunicia and Albion Forge Historic Alliance

9th Marellia, 1801 - Mutual aid treaty signed to enhance trade, share arcane technologies, and strengthen defenses against common threats.

Diagram of a submarine vessel developed at The Arsenal.

Submarines Dive into Service: Revolutionizing Undersea Mining

22nd Umbra, 1801 - Innovative vessels launch to explore the depths, promising a new era of arcane sand extraction and economic growth.

Economic Boom Sweeps City: Prosperity from the Seas

4th Silvaris, 1803 - Submarine mining yields abundant resources; businesses flourish as sand markets soar.

3D photo of new species discovered by submariners.

Underwater Mystery: New Species Discovered

18th Lumina, 1803 - Submariners encounter luminescent creatures; scholars excited about potential links to arcane waterpower.

Reflections on Deadline

I’m a fan of world-building games and have played my share of both good and bad. Deadline works because of its focused theme (low-magic, steam-era cities), rich prompts (with questions to generate interesting details), and accessible journaling format (short headlines). I had a blast making my map and newspaper. It was a fun creative exercise that I can imagine expanding to become a setting for an RPG like Blades in the Dark.

Deadline is crowdfunding on BackerKit until October 1.

Note: all images used in The Moonlight are in the public domain and CC0. These were taken from the Getty Museum collection, which recently made 88,000 artworks CC0, and the Library of Congress.