I had a great run of The City at Slay Beyond Slay yesterday. The City is a steampunk drama about what we do to fit in. Slay Beyond Slay is a series of roleplaying nights at the Stockholm Technical Museum. Four players joined and portrayed the main characters, Pontus, Leon, Iris and Thelma.
The choices of the characters decide the fate of the city
Inspired by Ancient Athens, the game sets players at pivotal moments to choose for their characters either to do as the city expects them to do or to break with norms and tradition. As players make their choice, they return either a white or a black stone to the bag from where stones are drawn as the story proceeds. Two stones are left as the story ends, these then decide the fate of the city.
If everyone follows their own ideas, the city descends into chaos. If everyone follows norms and tradition, the city fails to evolve as times change. With one white stone and one black stone, the city prosper and evolve in an ever delicate dance between the norms of the past and the needs of the future.
In last night’s game, Pontus and Leon both subjected themselves to the norms of the city. While Thelma and Iris broke with tradition. All faced the consequences of their choice and while there were no truly happy outcomes, the city and its inhabitants kept grinding on like cogwheels in a machine.
Updated version now available
The game is available for free download under a Creative Commons license. I have updated the text to make it easier for someone other than me to run based on yesterday's session. I have offered the game for LinCon in May 2025 and Viking Con in October 2025 so there is a chance to join a run. Or you can host a session with your play group at home. Yesterday’s session clocked in at exactly 3 hours which requires some good editing skills. Which by the way Jason Morningstar has written a great essay about.