Wow! There are over 500 GMs playing through Tales of the 13th Age organized play program right now, and an average of 5 new GMs joining us every day! At 5 players per group that is 3000 people. GMs are running games in every corner of the globe, from France to Russia, from the Philippines to Australia, in small American towns to big cities. In Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain. Everywhere! Nobody is playing it in the Antarctic, but that is only a matter of time.
As games are run in stores and more people learn about 13th Age through playing it, more groups will join us. It is very exciting!
So far our intrepid characters have braved the Necropolis to steal a crown from out under the nose of the Lich King, and are currently trying to escape a rapidly mutating Wild Wood.
Each 6-week adventure takes place at a certain level, and all other adventures at that level occur simultaneously. So even as the brave survivors of Darkskye fight off monsters and dire beasts in the Wild Wood so there are a group of heroes in the labyrinths under the Necropolis, and a set of pilgrims on a quest in the cathedral, and yet another group of shadowy reprobates lurking around Shadow Port.
Naturally we’ve written the adventures in such a way that players can join at any week. At any point a new player can join a Tales of the 13th Age game and be able to join in the action without having to be caught up on reams of backstory. This means that certain things (like NPCs that last from week to week) we’ve not written in. We felt that the focus of the story should be the player characters and their adventures. Of course if you want to have a reoccurring NPC for your home group, go for it.
You are also going to start noticing that adventures intertwine. Events that happen in one adventure will be reflected in events that occur elsewhere at the same time (for example as your pilgrims climb the cathedral in Santa Cora they will witness Darkskye crashing into the Wild Wood).
Any character who took part in a prior level’s adventures can be leveled up to join in an adventure at the next level. A character who helped to steal the Lich King’s Crown at later levels can delve beneath the dwarf city of Forge, march with the crusader, fight epic monsters at the side of the Archmage’s elite wizards, and finally take part in the 10th level adventure. The adventures that your character takes part in are important, as you can take one item of treasure from that adventure and bring it forward as you level up – or forgo that treasure and gain a story-related benefit.
The 10th level adventure we plan to make something special – an epic 13 week long end-of-age adventure. And I have no idea what it will be like! The decisions you make in the adventures you play and GM will impact the adventures at all higher levels – so the 10th level adventure will be shaped by what you did and the feedback you gave for earlier adventures. I’m keen to see where you take the story!
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Stay Legendary
– ASH