NergalCon 2020

NergalCon replaced Tobcon this year, an online event run via a Discord server. It was my first online convention, like many online firsts this year. I ran two small games, with people I already knew from the physical conventions and played one game with a mixed group.

I enjoyed the games I ran and was happy with the way they worked online. Mostly I’ve been focused on structured freeform games when I’ve been playing online but I have started using shared online spaces to collaborate having seen other people using Google Sheets, Jamboard, Miro and so on. The game I played used Roll20 which mostly seemed fine (even if I did manage to create two copies of my character on the map at one stage).

During the Roll20 game one of the hardest aspects for me as a player was trying to stay focused on the game and following what was happening when other people were doing things. The scenario involved investigating a Slann pyramid as treasure hunters but then discovering some kind of magical stasis field or time loop and deciding what to do about it. At it’s heart it was probably simple with a Slann versus Chaos fight being slowed down for eons due to the corruption of a priest while a previous treasure hunting expedition had become trapped and maybe had eaten one another.

What I learned was that its probably to have a few simple ideas spread over a few strong scenes where characters can collaborate to overcome shared challenges. Creating a shared sense of what is going on can be tricky over voice and elaborate plots require explicit consolidation scenes to remind the participants about what is happening and what the shared narrative currently is.

Roll20 did do a good job of handling the dice rolls and character sheets but I’m still not in love with the 4th Edition rules and I felt throughout the convention that there must be some lighter rules system that has a Warhammer feel that is easier to use. Even the original Warhammer Battles system is probably easier to use online.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the con was the fact that those regular attendees who live outside the UK were able to attend more easily and while I think I may have missed the social session the opportunity to catch up with people and what they have been doing since the start of the pandemic was great.