Casting Shadows

The ninth day of #RPGaDay2026 sees us bidding farewell to our sometimes general and sometimes specific journey through the game Vagabonds of Dyfed. The game was created as a sort of adaptor which can facilitate the use of old scenarios and settings with a different system and procedures, the result of which allows for the focus to shift onto different information and experiences in both directions, while retaining stable access to the core feel of both. Ben Dutter does interesting work here, perhaps he was born on a Sunday. Today is Sunday and its prompt of Privilege ends this printed calendar week for August 2026 on our infographic. Our modifier today is Blessed and today is the last day we will be taking Intellect as a foundational principle in the responses. Tomorrow we move on to a new game, and a new modifier for the week. Please stay tuned for that, Dear Reader because who knows where all of that will take us!

I have just come in from a cautiously rambunctious game of fetch in the yard. We had to be cautious because of the extended heat wave we have been experiencing. Some parts of the yard were definitely hot enough to cook on, and I prefer not subject my dogs to that. The streets are a nightmare – even in the middle of the night! Anyway, while engaging in cautious 1:1 fetch with Coby, the dashing English Setter rescue, he and I chatted about his lengthy and impactful participation in our 3-year improvisational Call of Cthulhu sandbox campaign called Turn of a New Leaf. He joined enthusiastically (and by surprise) right in Session 1 and maintained a presence throughout the campaign, right up to a very emotional departure where he turned his back on a character he had been following.

I worked out a sort of simple matrix to interpret some of Coby’s behaviors and through that and his actions, he played with us. He decided if he was present in a moment and when he left, he decided how engaged he was, and through the matrix I used, he determined what he did on a more complex level. It was fun, the other players responded to it, and I feel it was a privilege to be able to connect with him and to share him with them.

However, before Coby pushed himself into this blog post, the topic at hand was more to do with Vagabonds of Dyfed. We have looked a fair bit of it over the past 6 days, but there is still more waiting for you, Dear Reader, to dive into for yourself. Most rules sections are a few paragraphs and lists of point on a page. The last part that I am going to share is about equipment. One of the characters we created this week will have the privilege of bearing a particular weapon into the ruin.

Equipment is made of descriptive tags and so, can be as easily defined as just talking about it in common terms and recognizing how those terms connect with the system when/if necessary. A typical weapon might be described as a two-handed sword and that description alone tells us that it interacts with the system like this: sword, heavy: 2h, heavy, step, bane vs unarmored. In other words it requires two hands, has the reach of a step or two away, it reduces speed but increases damage, and against unarmored opponents it is more damaging. Nice.

So, I want to finish this week off with a potent and frightening magical weapon of great power and fame that would feel like a privilege to have bestowed upon you and as such – a tremendous responsibility. Let’s make one that’s going over the top.

Given the terrain which has been filling my mind between posts, there is an open, wasted plain between the campsite and the ruin, the wide streets and crumbled buildings on the surface, and then the catacombs beneath it. For this, the versatility and challenge of a great sword appeals to me. The weapon form itself as described above gives us the tags sword, heavy, 2h, step, and bane vs unarmored. To this I will add magical which typically adds access to a Technique such as are listed for special character abilities. I have selected Pyromancy which will allow the wielder to draw flames from the blade, sometimes to spectacular effect. To cap this mighty sword off, I will add one more tag: Spray. Typically used to represent explosive or fluid attacks, this tag spreads damage around the area, giving both the wielder and their enemies pause. This weapon is not to be trifled with, just as Vagabonds of Dyfed is not a game to discard without giving it its fair due~

Tomorrow is Monday, August 10th and our prompt is Secret. Until then, the next game I will be sharing will be kept a secret. The weekly filter for next week is Associates, and with the arrival of our second Monday, our daily filter will be ‘Fair of Face.’

See you then!