Tabletop RPG Night w/ Side Quest Books & Games

Join us for an evening of tabletop role-playing games to welcome in the Fall! We have an exciting roster of games, so snag a ticket for your adventure of choice, and we'll see you there!

PLEASE NOTE: This is a 21+ event.

GAMES ON OFFER

Tag O'Keene's Final Rest - D&D 5e
4 players

This spooooky adventure for level 4 characters requires the adventurers to find an appropriate place to bury a corpse before sunrise.

Your GM:

I’m, Tony (he/him), and I’ve been running D&D actual play sessions on the Total Party Kill podcast for a decade. I like my adventures to mix combat, roleplaying, and exploration in as equal quantities as possible.

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Marvel Heroic Roleplaying (2012)
5 players

An alarm sounds on The Raft, New York's high security prison for some of the most dangerous villains the earth has ever seen. The Avengers disassembled months ago. You may not be the heroes the city needs, but you are the heroes that happen to be nearby. Hopefully that's enough. Marvel Heroic is the greatest superhero game ever devised. It's been out of print for years, but tonight is your chance to play. The pinnacle system for Cortex+, Marvel Heroic allows gods to stand side-by-side with archers and everyone is contributing, everyone is a hero. You will roll many, many dice, and hopefully save the day.

Your GM:

Brian Liberge (she/he) is a professional GM, game designer, and organizer for Games on Demand. You may also know her as Sister Brother Freddie, host of Dungeons and Drag Nuns. You can pick up some of his games like Ace Adventure and Warrenguard from Side Quest Books and Games.

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i’m sorry did you say street magic
5 players

iʼm sorry did you say street magic is a GMless game about building a city: filling it with life and vivid detail, exploring its hidden corners, and meeting its strange and wondrous inhabitants. Over the course of play we’ll sketch out the aesthetics of our city, add neighborhoods, landmarks, and residents, and describe events to find out how the city changes.

Your GM:

Gordie (he/him) has been playing and running TTPRGs for over fifteen years. He especially likes GMless worldbuilding focused games, is an occasional game designer, and an even more occasional musician.

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The Blancmange & Thistle - Troika!
5 players

TROIKA! is a science-fantasy role-playing game where you and your cosmopolitan group of fellow travellers explore the ends of the multiverse. You will fly on mystic barges, help dying gods, solve confounding crimes, plunder dead worlds, and meet strange & wonderful people. In this adventure, characters will be tasked with making their way up to the roof of one of the city of Troika’s finest hotels as all sorts of oddities stymie their progress.

Your GM:

Back during the pandemic I (Jack, he/him) pirated the D&D 5e core books and taught myself how to GM so I could continue to have fun with my friends over the internet (nowadays I purchase my books legitimately). Ever since, TTRPGs have been a huge part of my life, I love running weird systems and lighthearted games that let creative players bounce off each other in fun ways.

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One of My Teachers is Secretly a Vampire! - Monster of the Week
5 players

There’s always been something wrong with Eastview High, from the ghost noises in the 2nd floor bathrooms to Coach Marlin’s monthly “professional development” every full moon. But when the wood shop teacher showed up dead in the hallways with a clear vampire bite, it was obvious something had to be done! With none of the adults taking things seriously, it’s up to the students to figure out: which of our teachers is secretly a vampire?

Your GM:

Autumn has been DMing for 7 years and got their start running pop-up games in college for groups of always-changing participants. They run immersive games that are a mix of serious and silly, and specialize in running for new/inexperienced players, with the goal of helping the players tell the best story they can.

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Slugblaster
4 players

Publisher Mythworks describes it as, "An interdimensional punk TTRPG about teenagehood, rebellion, and portal-hopping sci-fi misadventure!"

You were bored stiff in your boring home town until they built the Lab, and strange new tech started leaking out into the world. First you got your hands on hoverboards, pulling wild stunts to impress your friends. Then you realized you could blow through thin spots in reality itself to somewhere else. Now you're Slugblasters, part of the coolest, craziest, new underground teen sport! You explore other worlds and chase fame and glory, while still trying to make it home before curfew. You don't need to know anything about skateboards to play (your "board" could be a bike, laser skates or sneakers) as long as you remember what it's like to be a teenager and make terrible choices with the best intentions.

Your GM:

David (he/him) has been a GM since before the Internet was a thing. He loves running games that foster collaborative play and encouraging new players to take big swings. His games often mix light-hearted moments with more challenging themes.

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Avatar Legends
5 players

Come play as Benders and non-Benders as you foil a plot against Fire Lord Zuko’s life in a Post-ATLA Fire Nation! Avatar Legends is a 2d6 system where the characters have to manage their core conflict’s balance while making hard choices in an evolving world.

Your GM:

Sasha (she/her) has been running TTRPGs for over 10 years and loves running one-shots! She embraces and encourages flexibility and emergent behavior in her games, the player’s actions are a feature, not a bug! When she isn’t cooking up a new adventure, she can be found at most Boston nerdom conventions cosplaying as @saphssquatch

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Liminal Horror
4 players

Play as a group of friends trapped on a subway train. Every 20 minutes the light flicker, the time resets to 11:25 PM, and you find yourself back at the Warren Ave station. The train you occupy has slipped into the liminal space between the shadows of reality, traveling the same segment of track on an endless loop. Work together to get through the train and escape the time loop before you all are lost forever.

Your GM:

I’m Ben Tidswell (they/them), a longtime GM who has run everything from years long campaigns to one- shots. I love finding new systems and running them for people with years of experience and those who are just picking up a pair of dice for the first time.

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Back to Gobboschool - Goblin Errands
4 players

Congrats, Goblin! You’re part of the first class of goblins to enroll at MIT (Mossachusetts Institute of Tallpersons). Only one problem: the admissions tallpeople didn’t consider how you’re going to move in when all the buildings are built for the tallfolk. Solve this conundrum and achieve other errands through the power of magic, heart, or good ole goblin ingenuity! “Goblin Errands is a sweet, light-hearted game about sweet, light-hearted creatures making a mess and having a great time.”

Your GM:

I'm Jamie (she/her), a TTRPG enthusiast, dice goblin, and Somerville-based theater artist who loves running a game that mixes the silly with the thrill of roleplay. At my table, expect silly voices, pop culture references, and giving everyone a moment to shine. I’ve been running 5e since 2019 but dabbling in other systems in recent years and am excited to sample this chaos gremlin game with you!

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A Hundred Thousand Burned Hackers - CY_BORG
5 players

CY_BORG is a rules-light, rage-heavy tabletop roleplaying game based on MÖRK BORG. It is a Nano-infested doomsday RPG about cybernetic misfits and punks raging against a relentless corporate hell. Tonight, you're breaking into a research lab to steal a mysterious piece of technology. What could go wrong?

Your GM:

Lyme is a longtime GM and an occasional RPG designer. He claims to be the true creator of 5e but his evidence is often considered misleading. He can occasionally be spotted at conventions and RPG meetups in the Boston area. After three moshpit-related injuries, he's swearing off metal shows and switching to shanty sings.

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ABOUT THE EVENT

• Games will get fully underway by 6:30, and will end no later than 10.
• Materials will be provided for all games.
• Parking around Union Square can be tough. Please take public transport if you're able — the Union Square T stop is less than 10 minutes away, and there are several bus stops near by. If you need to drive, there is paid parking on Somerville Ave until 8pm, at which point it's free. Please visit bowmarketsomerville.com for more transportation and parking info.
• Upstairs at Bow is the second-floor event space at Bow Market in Union Square in Somerville. To get there, walk up the Bow Market driveway, go to the lobby past Rebel Rebel on your right, and go up either the elevator or the stairs. The entrance to Upstairs is to your right.
• Masks are optional, but please let us know and stay home if you're feeling unwell.
• Drinks are available from Nook, the bar associated with Upstairs. (Please do get a drink, alcoholic or otherwise! We have a minimum to meet!) Food from Bow Market vendors can be brought in.