What’s Keeping Me Up Late?

Honestly, the answer could be so many things, but in particular it is a book series called Spells, Swords, & Stealth, by Drew Hayes. The first book, NPC’s, was published in 2014, but I just stumbled on it a couple months ago.

See, for the last few years I have tried to read more books by femme authors and BIPOC authors (typically also femmes), and this is definitely written by a white dude. However, my husband read the book and strongly suggested that I would enjoy it and now I am halfway through book four and he has just finished book two!

I keep staying up well past bedtime to read.

Imagine a AD&D style world, like Krynn or Faerun, and imagine if even when you are not playing a campaign in it, the NPCs are going about their lives. Now, imagine your party is in a tavern when you experience a TPK. On your end, you are likely a bit frustrated, but you roll up new characters and move on. However, now the NPCs must deal with the fall out. And, thus a handful of NPCs become adventurers.

Of the four (then five) main characters, only one is female, Gabrielle, which is disappointing, but they encounter a few interesting female NPCs along their adventures, so it is somewhat forgivable. The main party also has a very eloquent and intelligent Half-orc, Grumph, and a disabled gnome, Thistle. Oh, and then the one human dude, Eric.

As their adventure progresses we learn more about the contrast between the world as experienced by NPCs and how adventurers seem to be a odd sort who live by their own rules and to whom bizarre events just seem to happen. Everyone in small towns is used to being harried by unexpected monsters just before adventurers show up and everyone shrugs off the fact that the encounters rarely seem to be more than the adventurers can handle and just as quickly as they breezed into town, the adventurers breeze out.

The story becomes even more interesting because we start to learn more and more how the PCs influence the world. And, we learn that someone or someones have learned the extent of this influence are are looking to harness it, but who and why currently remain a mystery.

And, we learn what happens when we PCs are done adventuring with one of our characters.

If you are fan of TTRPGs, and especially D&D, give this series a try. Four books are currently out, but more are expected (I hope soon!). There are loads of nods to the typical player types, ridiculous game mechanics, and a lot of “You know, if you REALLY think about…this is pretty whack.” It will definitely make you think about NPCs, worlds, and PCs differently.

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