A home for the Untold Stories Project streaming network. Show information, cast bios, and blogs!

State of the USP 2025

State of the USP 2025

Hello heroes! I hope you had a restful and joyous holiday season. I certainly enjoyed the rest and recharge that came with my break from running games and I’m so excited to be back this month telling stories with people I love. There’s been a lot of change behind the scenes here at the Untold Stories Project as we’ve been working towards finding our voice and strengths and improving our work for you wonderful folks.

I’ll start with announcements, we have a lot of awesome new projects spinning up here including the new Titan City Serials podcast. This show releases on Thursdays and features short adventure arcs with a rotating cast of players and characters from across Titan City. Each Serial is a fun injection of noir, pulp, horror, fantasy, and/or action and I hope there is a story for everyone there. Episodes are around 30 minutes and are available anywhere you get your podcasts so I hope that makes it accessible to more members of our audience.

Tuesdays starting next week see the return of City of Destiny! Our cast of disaster bisexuals are still protecting Emerald City and will soon make their way into universe-spanning danger. I can’t wait to come back as Crucible with some familiar friends and new faces.

Freedom League Dark is also back and we’re diving into the final act of the Multiverse of the Master Mage! We’re starting with a pit stop in the zombie-ridden mall of Dead Rising and only going up from there. Tune in Wednesdays to see if our heroes can stop Eldritch’s nefarious scheme.

We’re also bringing back the weekly blog posts and Aunt Puppy has so many amazing things for our social media presence. As for conventions, we have GMs scheduled for conventions all year round. We’ll be at Buckeye Game Fest, Origins, Gen Con, Pittsburgh Gaming Expo, and U-Con with thoughts about some other shows.

As always keep your eyes here for updates. Next week’s blog post is a fun one where I break down an exciting new game design concept called Emergent Mystery! Until then play a game and we’ll see you soon.

Character Descriptions for USP Presents: Shadow War

Character Descriptions for USP Presents: Shadow War

This is a list of all of the characters who will be available for play for “USP Presents: Shadow War,” the Mega-Event being hosted by the Untold Stories Project for the 2024 Origins Game Faire. The heroes for this event are broken up into seven teams. Each team will begin the session together. Note that during this event, the teams will be broken apart during the event. If two characters’ names are in the same color, they will remain together during the second part of the event. The AEGIS team will not break apart, although they will interact with the other teams.

Freedom League Dark (PL 12)

The Freedom League Dark were formed to respond to the magical threat of the Netherwar. They are among the world’s most pre-eminent heroes, and operate out of Freedom City. Everyone knows of them – their exploits are the sort of thing that happens on the nightly news, even if a lot of their specific missions are more secretive.

  • Bowman – A legacy hero, he is the third Bowman. Masterful archer with a wide variety of arrows. Has a teen sidekick (Bolt) who is a member of the Next-Gen.
  • Centuria – The universe-displaced daughter of the world’s greatest hero, Centurion. Centuria is the classic Paragon archetype.
  • Gatorman – A refugee of the Silver Storm, Gatorman is a humanoid gator with vast physical power and incredible tracking skills. Before becoming a hero, he clashed with members of the Stormbreakers.
  • Mortis – The Guardian of the Crossroads, Mortis is a living conduit between the world of the dead and the world of the living. Magical in nature, Mortis is the expert on all things involving the other side of the veil.
  • Overdrive – The fastest man alive, Overdrive is a speedster without match..
  • Resonant – A gem-mage from the world of Leifandi (see the Gemstars), Resonant is a flexible mage whose powers are just as well suited to supporting her team as they are to direct action herself.

Stormbreakers (PL 12)

The Stormbreakers are the West Coast’s premiere superteam, debuting shortly after the Silver Storm. Though relatively new to the scene, they are rivals with the Freedom League in power. This group is probably the most straight-forward “comic book” team.

  • Bulwark – One of the most resilient people ever, Bulwark was an old man before the Silver Storm. He is still old, but is possessed of new vitality, and puts himself as the shield between innocents and those who threaten him. He is super-strong, but his strength pales behind his resilience.
  • Crucible – The “office intern” of Magnetism. Crucible is straightforward, honest, and self-sacrificing. He is dating Khione, and is best friends with Tommy Moore. (see AEGIS).
  • Doctor Irons – A Brick/Tank from another alternate Earth. In a relationship with her (sort of?) husband, Professor Cephalopod, and is kind of the mother of Remote of the Next-Gen.
  • Khione – Mystically-originated ice elementalist. A bit too prone to violence. Dating Crucible.
  • Portal – A teenage felon turned hero (and a graduate of the Claremont Academy), Portal is a teleporter who uses portals for transportation, to protect others, and as a weapon. Portal is very overtly pansexual and polyamorous, and is currently in a relationship with Tommy Moore (see AEGIS).
  • Professor Cephalopod – On the surface, he’s a Giant Pacific Octopus in a mech suit. Beneath that, he has the mind of a brilliant scientist trapped in the octopus’ body, and his deceased wife was this universe’s version of Doctor Irons. His son, Remote, does not approve of the secrets that were kept from him.

Guardians of Haven (PL 10)

Operating primarily out of Starhaven, the Guardians are a team of rogues and ne’er-do-wells with hearts of gold. Although they have a veneer of being only interested in their own wants and needs, they’ve risen to the occasion as heroes more than once.

  • Ailynn – A femme fatale who can separate into three different versions of herself. Ailynn is the Second Mate of the Marian, and carries several big guns.
  • Captain Flynn – Obsessed with all things swashbuckling from Earth, Flynn is a space pirate and the Captain of the Marian.
  • Chimera – An inhuman construct capable of growing to great size, Chimera is a piece of Preserver technology with the remnants of a human consciousness inside it.
  • Ersa – The telepathic twin, Ersa is the more power-hungry of the two. The twins are the rightful rulers of Luna City, and they want the Moonstone from Lady Lunar.
  • Elara – The telekinetic twin, Elara is more concerned with her family (both her original family and her found family) than she is with power or regaining the Moonstone.
  • Ogg & Gruk – A pair of technicians from Stahaven. Ogg is nearly seven feet tall, possessed of great strength, and can fix almost anything. Gruk is a space goblin who carries a BIG gun, and whose skill at scavenging tech is unparalleled.

Gemstars (PL 10)

Hailing from the Gemworld of Leifandi (an alternate version of which is the home of Resonant from the Freedom League Dark), these six “Magical Girls” each have powers supplied by a mystic gem. They have saved their homeworld from the threat of the Shadowqueen and Shadowfall, and as a result, Leifandi now orbits Earth as a second moon.

  • Alexandrite – The Gemstar of Magic, Alexandrite is native to the Shadowfall. Her powers concern the raw stuff of magic.
  • Amber – A shapeshifter whose gem allows them to transform not just into other creatures but into elemental forms. Amber is actually a Grue, something that was kept secret but is now known to their teammates. (Note that Amber is genderfluid).
  • Emerald – The Gemstar of Luck, Emerald is able to manipulate luck and inspire her teammates to greatness. In a relationship with Ruby.
  • Morganite – The Gemstar of Healing. Her brother, Cassian, is a member of the Next-Gen, having been transported from Leifandi to Earth years ago. 
  • Ruby – The Gemstar of Strength and the team leader of the Gemstars. In a relationship with Emerald.
  • Sodalite – The Gemstar of Psychic Power, Sodalite is mysterious and stealthy, and was an assassin before becoming a Gemstar.

Next-Gen (PL 8)

Students at the Claremont Academy, these heroes mostly have connections to other heroes and teams. They are young and filled with potential.

  • Bolt – The teen sidekick to Bowman, Jason uses trick crossbow bolts to emulate his mentor. He is dating Cassian.
  • Cassian Quinn – A refugee from the Gemworld of Leifandi (see the Gemstars), Cassian can absorb kinetic energy and redirect it either as physical strength or projected outward as fire. He is dating Bolt.
  • Dr. Henry Barrister/Eddy Bear – Jekyll & Hyde if they were teddy bears. Henry is brilliant, compassionate, and an inventor. Eddy is super-strong and sociopathic. They came into existence as a result of Toyboy’s actions during the Netherwar.
  • Remote – The sort of son of Professor Cephalopod and Doctor Irons (see the Stormbreakers), Remote is a Silver Stormer whose power allows him to control a series of nanites in his bloodstream as well as other technology. He also has a pet robotic velociraptor.
  • Speed Demon – A teenage speedster whose lack of control over his powers manifests as flames (which Speed Demon is learning to control as well).
  • Wild Card – The child of a Greek God (they are unsure which one), Wild Card is an illusionist. Their powers are far greater than they normally have access to, having been partially depowered by their Aunt Eris. (Note that Wildcard is Aesexual and Agender)

ARCADE (PL 8-10)

There are things that go bump in the night, and ARCADE exists to stop them. These magical-based heroes are troubleshooters for a secret government organization. Unlike the Freedom League Dark, the things that ARCADE deals with almost never make it to the nightly news – which is for the best.

  • Babel – Larry Raynes is a priest who has a dark passenger – Babel, the spirit of conflict. Both are masters of language, but Babel is also capable of doing a lot to incite conflicts and violence.
  • Harper Graves – A monster hunter who is bonded with a demon (inside a plastic duck). They kill monsters, usually with their bare hands.
  • Marcus Moon – A dimensionally displaced supergenius with a disdain for magic.
  • Muse – The Master Mage of Mathematics and Music, Muse is a wizard whose powers manifest through the mixture of music and hypermath. (Note that Muse is nonbinary.)
  • Orpheus & Eurydice – The figures from mythology, Orpheus and Eurydice share a body with a twist (specifically, when Eurydice’s body is present, Orpheus is driving and vice versa.) Orpheus is a bard, with extensive knowledge and the power to inspire and influence through his songs, Eurydice is a nature-nymph, with powers over animals, plants, and the weather.
  • Professor Daffodil Carrie Pembroke – A ritual magician and inventor who is also a potent telekinetic. Daffodil is paralyzed from the waist down, and as such rarely puts herself on the front line, preferring to send drones out to monitor the field of battle and operating from afar.

AEGIS (PL 6)

Secret Agents and Superspies, AEGIS is the shield between the world of superhumans and “normal” humanity. This team is made of regular AEGIS agents and freelancers, each of who has a connection to one of the above teams.

  • Agent Harrison Jones – An AEGIS Agent who was stationed at Starhaven. Agent Jones is dating Captain Flynn. The most “traditional” AEGIS Agent of the team. (See Guardians of Haven)
  • Borvis Gore – A superspy from Leifandi, Borvis is charming and charismatic and clever. (See the Gemstars)
  • Duncan Summers – A retired superhero (he was once the Raven), and the Headmaster of Claremont Academy, Duncan Summers remains smart and capable. (see the Next-Gen).
  • Sam Laurant – Friends and employee of Resonant (see Freedom League Dark), Sam is a budding artificer and mage who carries a wide variety of mystical tools for protection, defense, and information. 
  • Thomas Rhymer – A mystic troublemaker. No one is ever happy to see Thomas Rhymer, but most people know that when he’s around, it’s probably because he needs to be. Thomas is a ritual mage and the world’s foremost expert on the Fae. He has worked with ARCADE in the past.
  • Tommy Moore – Good friends with Crucible, and dating Portal, Tommy was the “guy in the chair” for the Stormbreakers, until Professor Cephalopod built him a supersuit. Now Tommy uses his tech skills to assist AEGIS.

 

USP Events for Origins 2024

USP Events for Origins 2024

Hello heroes! Origins event registration is just about a month away and I wanted to give you all the first glimpse of the events we’ll be offering. This is our biggest Origins yet! We are offering 58 events from 14 Gamemasters across the whole con in a bunch of different game systems from our tried and true Mutants & Masterminds, Deadlands, AGE, Cthulhu Awakens, Crash Pandas, and many others. We’ll have something for you no matter what kind of game you’re looking for! I’ve broken down the events by timeslot, making sure to note which Gamemaster is running which and what system they’re using. We hope to see all of you at the convention!

Special Note: Andy is running his events under an amazing group of GM’s called Matinee Adventures. I highly recommend any of their offerings as well, and have included Andy’s submissions here in case you want to play with him!

Wednesday 12pm

Heroes of the Magic Kingdom

  • A group of teenagers are tasked with saving the magic of Walt Disney World when the characters become real and Maleficent attacks. Part 1 of 5 (you do not need to play in the other parts)
  • GM: Aaron
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Crash Pandas: Trashed Santa

  • The Raccuzza have kidnapped Santa. The players are a group of whacky raccoons who must win his freedom in the Christmas Eve race. There will be cartoon hi-jinks, ridiculous shenanigans, and maybe even a little Holiday magic!
  • GM: Wiccy
  • System: Crash Pandas

Justice League: Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

  • After a near miss with Hush, the junior members of the league continue their mission to infiltrate the Gotham’s newest crime syndicate. But how do you find people who can be anyone and no one all at the same time?
  • GM: Chris
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Legends of Tomorrow: A Little Less Conversation

  • The Legends must track down a time-displaced Elvis during an Elvis impersonator contest in 80s Vegas.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Titan City Chronicles: The Dragon of Parkhurst Manor

  • Titan City, 1936. The students of the Silverthorne Academy must help a baby dragon return to its mother when they rescue it from monster smugglers outside Titan City.
  • GM: Isaac
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Wednesday 1pm

Castlevania: Divergence of Fate

  • Light and Dark have long played a game with the world, each side offering up champions for their cause. Now, a third entity is making a play for the game, in an attempt to seize control. In order to preserve the world, Light and Dark summon forth champions to fight for the fate of reality itself.
  • GM: Andy
  • System: FATE

Wednesday 6pm

Return to the Magic Kingdom

  • The Heroes of the Magic Kingdom return to prevent Maleficent’s resurrection while dealing with threats facing the actors behind Disney’s Descendents. Part 2 of 5 (you do not need to play in the other parts)
  • GM: Aaron
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Rent-a-Capes

  • When the heroes of Emerald City are needed elsewhere, they hire a bargain bin hero team to hold down the fort in their absence.
  • GM: Claude
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Marvel’s Avengers: Frenemies-Giving

  • The Avengers are looking forward to a peaceful holiday season, but a coded message from a rival-turned-ally changes what’s on the menu. Can the Avengers assemble in time to solve their latest dilemma affecting the very fabric of reality…not to mention dessert?
  • GM: Chris
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

ZomDnd: A Fantasy Undead Survival Story

  • Four days ago the city of Mulmaster sent out a distress call before going dark. Two days ago a platoon sent to investigate the city disappeared. Your party must now teleport in for a recon mission. Your only clue as to what has happened is the original distress call…”The dead won’t die”
  • GM: Cammy
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Titan City Chronicles: Smoking Gun

  • Titan City 1938, The Titan City Sentinels must defend the city when a demon breaks free from its prison.
  • GM: Isaac
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Rocketeer Corp: The Archivist’s Tomb

  • Intelligence confirms that Axis powers are making a move towards the presumed location of the lost library of Alexandria, searching for powerful relics rumored to be there. The Rocketeer Corp is once again called into action to ensure that the Thule Society and its allies do not gain the upper hand.
  • GM: Andy
  • System: Hollow Earth Expedition

Thursday 8am

Farewell to the Magic Kingdom

  • The Heroes of the Magic Kingdom are called upon again as a new threat arises, one that will change the very nature of Walt Disney World. Part 3 of 5 (you do not need to play in the other parts)
  • GM: Aaron
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Night of the Living Robots

  • Teen heroes unite to face an animatronic army of chaos!
  • GM: Claude
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Titan City Chronicles: Extracurricular Activity

  • Titan City 1937, The magical students of Silverthorne Academy are challenged to an intramural tournament against their counterparts at the Titan City Institute for Monster Excellence.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Thursday 9am

A Growing Disquiet

  • After a long winter, your group of sellswords are hired to travel to the neighboring nation of Eltaris to discover the whereabouts of several missing caravans. Note to Players this adventure contains horror elements.
  • GM: Jonesy
  • System: Fantasy AGE

We Now Return You To…

  • Senior year is almost over, a blur of memories and experiences you only tangentially recall. Somehow you’ve made it almost to graduation, a feat that seems almost unreal to you and your friends. But it shouldn’t, so why can’t you shake the gnawing sense that something isn’t right?
  • GM: Andy
  • System: Things From the Flood

Thursday 10am

Crash Pandas: Trashtown Blitz!

  • Players are a group of street racing raccoons out for glory by working together to drive a car and win a street race in this game of cartoon hi-jinks and ridiculous shenanigans!
  • GM: Wiccy
  • System: Crash Pandas

Justice League: Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

  • After a near miss with Hush, the junior members of the league continue their mission to infiltrate the Gotham’s newest crime syndicate. But how do you find people who can be anyone and no one all at the same time?
  • GM: Chris
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Thursday 1pm

Cyberpunk 2185: The Seacrest Run

  • A ragtag group of cyber gutterpunks are on a mission to deliver merchandise to a local boss but something is up and too many people are after it. (No previous experience required) Events of this game will be mentioned in the second installment and can play the second event with same character and loot. Premade Characters provided.
  • GM: Gaylan
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Gotham City Misfits: The Invitation

  • Killer Moth has to get his group of D-list degenerates to War World when they receive an invitation to participate in a grand tournament from Mongul himself!
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Up Around the Bend

  • After getting away from the horror of the City of Yulcaipa, the posse has hopped on the last train to Lost Angels. The workers of the Wasatch Railroad working the engine are very curious as to what happened in the town and want answers from a confused Posse and the lone little girl they brought with them. Yet the fear that pervades the town may also have hopped a ride too.
  • GM: Deuce
  • System: Deadlands

Redacted Rangers: Assault on Wondertainment World

  • The conscripted villains of the Redacted Rangers are called in to rescue a VIP when fantasy monsters start to attack a theme park.
  • GM: RC
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Honey Heist

  • You know you want to be a bear, in a hat, stealing some honey. We all know it. So let’s rob a Queen and get THE BEST HONEY EVER!
  • GM: Jo
  • System: Honey Heist

Thursday 4pm

Marvel’s Avengers: Frenemies-Giving

  • The Avengers are looking forward to a peaceful holiday season, but a coded message from a rival-turned-ally changes what’s on the menu. Can the Avengers assemble in time to solve their latest dilemma affecting the very fabric of reality…not to mention dessert?
  • GM: Chris
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Thursday 6pm

Before the Magic Kingdom

  • The Heroes of the Magic Kingdom find themselves forced to unravel a threat against the very history of Walt Disney World. Part 4 of 5 (you do not need to play in the other parts)
  • GM: Aaron
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

ZomDnd: A Fantasy Undead Survival Story, Part 2

  • You and your party are tasked with teleporting to the last known location of a recon squad sent to investigate the strange goings on at Mulmaster. The previous squad was able to send only one patchy message calling for aid and that they found only one survivor, the necromancer at fault.
  • GM: Cammy
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

The Great USP Bake Off

  • Hey there, bakers! Today, we’re welcoming some of our favourite USP characters to the tent for a rollicking good time. Get ready to watch them rise to the occasion and tackle some of the most delicious desserts around. But hold onto your aprons! This isn’t your ordinary baking showdown. Though we may not be in a physical kitchen, we’ve added a dash of Mutant and Mastermind to the mix shall imbue this delightful homebrew with challenges aplenty, so expect some wild and wacky challenges. Just like in the show, our celeb bakers will whip up signature bakes, tackle technical challenges, and create show-stopping sweets that will blow your taste buds away. Will Khione keep her cool under pressure? Will Wildcard pull off an illusion to save the day? Can Eurydice’s sugar flowers make us swoon? Will Gatorman’s treats be worth the calories? Or will Sodalite’s knife skills slice through the competition? Join Paul and Prue as they judge who is the ultimate Star Baker in this celebrity edition.
  • GM: Aunt Puppy
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Thursday 7pm

A Growing Disquiet

  • After a long winter, your group of sellswords are hired to travel to the neighboring nation of Eltaris to discover the whereabouts of several missing caravans. Note to Players: This adventure contains horror elements.
  • GM: Jonesy
  • System: Fantasy AGE

Thursday 8pm

Titan City Chronicles: Brass Templar

  • Titan City 1926, TCPD’s special monster division, the Brass Templars, must discover the connection between a spree of monster attacks throughout the city.
  • GM: RC
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Friday 8am

Titan City Chronicles: Extracurricular Activity

  • Titan City 1937, The magical students of Silverthorne Academy are challenged to an intramural tournament against their counterparts at the Titan City Institute for Monster Excellence.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Nightmare in the Magic Kingdom

  • Our grand finale, as the Heroes of the Magic Kingdom come back one last time to save Mickey and the rest of the Fab Five from their greatest threat yet. Part 5 of 5 (you do not need to play in the other parts)
  • GM: Aaron
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Titan City Chronicles: Far From the Tree

  • There is always someone down on their luck and looking for help. You come across a man who seems to be drinking heavy and broken. He certainly tells you a tough story but can you put aside who he is to help?
  • GM: Deuce
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Friday 10am

Crash Pandas: Raccoon vs Raccoon

  • Players are street racing racoons out for glory! Teams will go head to head as they work together to drive a car and win the big race! This is a PvP game of whacky cartoon hi-jinks and ridiculous shenanigans! Prizes will be awarded!
  • GM: Wiccy
  • System: Crash Pandas

Friday 1pm

Wacky Racers Goblin Quest

  • The Wizard King is hosting his annual race and anyone can enter. Get your clutch mates together and race to the finish line to leave your mark on goblin history forever.
  • GM: Isaac
  • System: Goblin Quest

Pros & Cons

  • A team of ex-con supers are the city’s only hope against a would-be cosmic dictator!
  • GM: Claude
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Cyberpunk 2185: Wraith Crisis

  • A ragtag group of cyber gutterpunks are on a mission to find who destroyed a local restaurant and killed its patrons. Something tells us it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen. (No previous experience required). Premade Characters provided.
  • GM: Gaylan
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Get the Horns

  • It’s up to the heroes of Highwind City to protect the citizens when genetically modified barnyard animals take a farmers market hostage.
  • GM: RC
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Tales From The Corner Coven

  • When night falls in the city, the greatest magical guardian come forth to protect the neighborhood: Bodega Cats! Imbued with sassy arcane knowledge, your small pride will take on whatever evils try to defile your precious corner stores.
  • GM: Jo
  • System: Tales From The Corner Coven

Friday 4pm

Voyage of The Enduring

  • Five days out from Kingsport, the crew of commercial fishing vessel The Enduring comes face to face with long sunken secrets.
  • GM: Jonesy
  • System: Cthulhu Awakens

Friday 5pm

Power Rangers: Convergence

  • A call for help from a Promethea research facility will lead the Rangers on the most important mission of their lives, as they deal with the machinations of Rita Repulsa and her new allies. But what happens when the power of the Morphin’ Grid isn’t enough to stop her? This is a crossover event with a GI Joe and Transformers event at the same time. We’ll share more info when we have it!
  • GM: Andy
  • System: Essence20

Friday 6pm

USP Baking Contest/Social Hour

  • Come eat baked goods and meet the cast and crew of the Untold Stories Project actual play network!
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Special Event

Friday 7pm

Titan City Chronicles: Last Rites

  • Titan City 1928. Magic-users across Titan City hear an ominous portent from a dead wizard claiming that if he isn’t restored to life within 48 hours, all will suffer.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Up Around the Bend

  • After getting away from the horror of the City of Yulcaipa, the posse has hopped on the last train to Lost Angels. The workers of the Wasatch Railroad working the engine are very curious as to what happened in the town and want answers from a confused Posse and the lone little girl they brought with them. Yet the fear that pervades the town may also have hopped a ride too.
  • GM: Deuce
  • System: Deadlands

Titan City Chronicles: Taking Stock

  • Titan City 1927, a group of Club Tartarus employees are sent to recover a patron who gets lost in the nightclub’s mysterious depths.
  • GM: Isaac
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

ZomDnd: A Fantasy Undead Survival Story, Part 3

  • Your party is the back up to the back ups. The mission is now dire as the last message from Mulmaster mentioned hordes of undead. Your mission is to extract whomever is left along with the necromancer by any means you can and teleport back with the use of a special scroll.
  • GM: Cammy
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Saturday 8am

Titan City Chronicles: Last Rites

  • Titan City 1928. Magic-users across Titan City hear an ominous portent from a dead wizard claiming that if he isn’t restored to life within 48 hours, all will suffer.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

“Haunted? Always has Been.”

  • The heroes of UNION Alpha Squad are called in to investigate when contact is lost with a secret moon base.
  • GM: RC
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Titan City Chronicles: Far From the Tree

  • There is always someone down on their luck and looking for help. You come across a man who seems to be drinking heavy and broken. He certainly tells you a tough story but can you put aside who he is to help?
  • GM: Deuce
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Saturday 9am

Bears in Refrigerators: The Kidnapping of Gail Simone

  • Gail Simone is NOT a bear, but she has been kidnapped! Deadlines are looming and social media needs trolling. Why was she taken and who could be behind this dastardly plot?! Deadpool is gathering a team of fan favorites to find the answers and save his favorite redhead! Expect plenty of 4th wall breaking and reality blending in this silly, metatextual super-powered adventure!
  • GM: Wiccy
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Saturday 1pm

Steel Hearts

  • You are awoken warforged who have just unveiled you are different from the others, you have a soul and don’t want to abide by the Warforged Mandate anymore. This one shot is set during the Last War of Eberron when the warforged was created. (No previous experience needed) Premade Characters included.
  • GM: Gayalan
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Girl By Moonlight – At The Brink of the Abyss

  • Mecha pilots struggling against extinction at the hands of the Leviathans. This short adventure is about heroism and redeeming a broken world, changing it for the better. (For fans of magical girl stories like Sailor Moon and Steven Universe.)
  • GM: Jo
  • System: Girl by Moonlight

ZomDnd: A Fantasy Undead Survival Story, Part 4

  • All attempts at extraction thus far have failed. You and our party have been sent in to reclaim the city. Your only request is to verify the fates of the previous squads and the necromancer. Should there be any survivors, assist them as best you can.
  • GM: Cammy
  • System: Dungeons & Dragons

Saturday 6pm

USP Presents: Shadow War

  • The Untold Stories Project is back with another massive mega event – this time facing off against the forces of SHADOW. Once again, we’re going to be bringing the characters from all of our shows together into one, five-table immense story. Please contact us on our website if you would like to pre-register for a specific character or group of characters.
  • GM: Everyone!
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Sunday 10am

X-Men: Pariah

  • The X-Men must band together to rescue a new mutant with a mysterious new ability.
  • GM: Alex
  • System: Mutants & Masterminds

Orc vs Lovecraft

  • You are legendary Orc Heroes who defend the world from great evil, however something has come through the World Scar that we never anticipated. Cthulhu has come with his army and we are the last wall of axes, tusk, and spells to defend the world from Insanity. No previous experience needed. Premade Characters Provided.
  • GM: Gaylan
  • System: Cypher System

Gnomesteaders

  • “A Hero Is a Hero. No Matter How Small. You are a seven-inch-tall Gnomish Hero, called by your fellow gnomes to lead them from tragedy to a new land of promise. Only you and your compatriot heroic gnomes can create hope from the loss in a world that towers over you.”
  • GM: Jo
  • System: Gnomesteaders

Delegating and Why It’s Important

Delegating and Why It’s Important

(or “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Loved Asking For Help)

This one is kind of going to hit on both a meta- and gaming-specific level. Because one thing I’ve often noticed is that awesome, creative, ambitious people tend to be really bad at asking for help. Which is a shame. Because awesome, creative, ambitious people often make the best GMs, and the best people to go into business creating a streaming network with. But then, you find yourself getting frustrated because they promise a lot of amazing things, and then aren’t able to deliver on all of them.

And of course they can’t! No one can. These people usually have ideas and thoughts that, while amazing, are far beyond what any human being has time and energy (or spoons) to accomplish.

Case in point? I wasn’t the one who was supposed to write this week’s blog. Today’s topic came from a list that Alex had laid out at the end of 2023 as a road-map for 2024, designed to make sure that we had new content on both the blog and on our Patreon (are you supporting our Patreon yet? You can, at patreon.com/UntoldStoriesProject.) If you know Alex, you’ll also realize that he had filled out topic ideas for the first six months of the year, week-by-week, and that he had the first four or five posts ready as of January 1.

You also know that Alex is the Line Developer for Mutants & Masterminds at Green Ronin Publishing, and they’re in the middle of a pretty significant project (namely the Kickstarter and launch of Valiant Adventures, which I’ve heard a few people call Mutants & Masterminds Third-and-a-Half Edition). He’s an author, working on the next book in his Titan City Chronicles series, and several other projects related to Titan City. He runs one of our weekly shows here at USP, and runs the stream and plays in another. He also has a day job, and a wife, and several other side gigs.

In other words, he literally doesn’t have enough hours in the day to do everything he wants to do. But he’s ambitious and creative (and awesome) and wants to do it all.

The problem there is that when you promise a bunch of stuff, and then realize you can’t carry all of it, you end up dropping things. And then you have people wondering why the thing was dropped, when they would have been happy to carry it for you.

All of which is why I jumped in to write this blog post. And you’ll see that across USP – we want to give you much more than we’re able to do. And occasionally we need a reality check. But we could also ask for help from other people.

But this is also good advice around the gaming table, for GMs and for players.

Most GMs (me included), want to make our campaigns as immersive as possible. We have ideas for maintaining calendars, and maps, and information about all aspects of the campaign world, and lists of loot that the characters have gathered, and information about all the NPCs that they’ve met (or know). And it’s way more than anyone can maintain – especially in the middle of the session where you’re running a game.

We can delegate to our players. If I (Aaron) am running a game for Brandon, Calvin, Deuce and Everly, rather than trying to do everything myself I can break the work out.

So, a traditional awesome, creative, ambitious GM might look at the division of work as such:
A – Write the game, run the game, prep the stat sheets, keep notes on all NPCs, maintain in-game calendar, keep track of party loot

B – Have fun playing!

C – Have fun playing!

D – Have fun playing!

E – Have fun playing!

All of which works for one or two sessions, and then the GM burns out and doesn’t want to run another game for six months.

Perhaps a healthier model might be one in which the division of labor is:

A – Write the game, run the game, prep the stat sheets and have fun running!

B – Keep the campaign journal with an overview of the sessions, and timekeeper, noting when things happened, and have fun playing!

C – Keep the list of all of the loot and figure out each person’s share, and have fun playing!

D – Keep notes abut NPCs the party has met, and have fun playing!

E – Coordinate who is bringing snacks, work on art resources for the campaign, and have fun playing!

But this idea can also apply for players and how they can delegate to the other players. In some games, especially superhero games where characters can be hyper competent, there can be a desire to make sure your character can do something about any given problem. These are the characters with variable powers, huge skill lists, etc. On the one hand, these characters are rarely completely unprepared, but one thing they can do is make the other heroes in the party feel redundant.

This is a place where a Session 0 can be incredibly helpful. Make sure when designing your character, you don’t have to figure out how they can do it all. Figure out the things that your character is completely unprepared for, and talk with the other players and make sure everyone has a niche.

In a typical fantasy adventuring party, you don’t want five fighters, or five wizards, or five rogues, or five clerics. Ideally, you want a mix of a front-line fighter type, an arcane magic specialist, a divine magic/healing specialist, and a trap-finder/disarmer, and then the fifth character can either double-up or be a pinch-hitter for one or more of the other roles (perhaps a bard). And while you can perhaps have a competent party with five bards, you still really want those bards to specialize their focus.

Gaming is fun and a great pastime and a way to stretch your creative muscles. And we all want to enrich that experience for ourselves and the other people at the table. But if we’re willing to delegate some of that work to the other people engaged in it, we can accomplish a lot more for a lot longer.

Happy gaming!

GMing for People Afraid of GMing

GMing for People Afraid of GMing

How do you introduce a show that is about so much? Well there’s only one way to eat an elephant, one bite at a time. Or something like that. We are using that same kind of logic when it comes to this show. AuntPuppy has always felt incredibly intimidated by becoming a Game Master so she tried to learn, but there were so many resources that felt like they were more designed for relatively established Game Masters. AuntPuppy was basically starting at ground zero with what she needed to know. As a player she’s not afraid to ask questions but how does one not drag the room down while still feeling welcome.

Then it hit her, there should be a show that’s for people afraid of Game Master-ing. That idea was presented to Alex as a vague concept that they basically start at zero and work their way up in small chunks. Thus GMing for People Afraid of GMing was born. The working angle for the show is bite sized episodes breaking down larger concepts with a newbie, AuntPuppy, and a seasoned pro, Alex. This allows for the small small things to be discussed, that are sometimes overlooked by seasoned gamers while not making anyone feel small.

Each month there will be an overarching theme they will tackle in small bites. This could range from a vocabulary episode going over common words or abbreviations to big topics like advanced game play techniques. But instead of just jumping straight for 3 hours on the big topic and getting on tangents those tangents will be how they get to the big topic. So maybe you don’t need the vocabulary lesson but still want other parts of the overarching theme that you don’t quite understand, this show will allow you to sort through it more easily and cleanly.

Alex and AuntPuppy’s goal is to show that no matter how terrifying starting is, the best thing you can do is start. They are working through building episodes through the month of Feb and some of March with the hope of a release date no later than April 1st. Because what better way to start a new show than to start on April Fools Day!

They hope that you will join them and bring your questions for them to answer. The hope is to have live check-ins where they answer peoples questions and introduce guest GMs. AuntPuppy will be GMing for her first time at Origins and will use the skills she learns through these videos there. What could possibly go wrong? Roll for initiative.

USP New Year’s Resolutions 2024

USP New Year’s Resolutions 2024

Hello heroes! It’s the start of a new year and that means a lot of people are making resolutions for the months to come. Things like exercising more, spending less, being more productive, finally getting those squirrels out of the crawlspace, we’ve all been there. I thought it would be fun to get everyone together to ask them about gaming specific resolutions and our cast and crew did not disappoint.

Alex

I want to spend more time this year supporting Gamemasters. I want to take some time to step away a little bit from running my own games in order to lift up others in the art of GMing. I also want to try out a few of the solo RPGs I’ve heard so much about. I’m curious how playing by yourself even works and how it differs from writing fiction. I also want USP to publish its first RPG products this year and I want the new Titan City book to drop before Origins.

Gemmy

It feels silly but I want to start dipping my toes into the gaming world with some friends (and/or to stop killing men in my backstories.)

Jo

I have graphic design goals attached to mine and Gaylan’s games at Origins, but that’s a surprise for June!

Jonesy

Get more Compendiums on Roll20 and publish an adventure under the AGE Creators Alliance program.

Kat

Make at least one new friend through gaming.

Deuce

Try at least one new system I haven’t played before.

Brandon

Stop talking so damn much in games.

Andy

Get my book finished and ready for publication. Work on stories and scenarios and look for ways to get those published for TTRPGs. Finish one of my challenging cosplays.

Aaron

Get Nobody’s Hero into publication. See one adventure published. Submit at least one more piece of writing to an RPG publisher. Allow myself to feel confident in my skills as a writer and a GM.

We’ll check back on these at the end of the year and see how everyone did, although I suspect some of these will be fulfilled much sooner than the crew thinks 😉 Happy New Year to you all and I hope you find time in 2024 to play some games and expand your creativity!

Happy Holidays from USP!

Happy Holidays from USP!

We wanted to take a moment to say happy holidays from all of us here at USP! We hope you are enjoying a time of rest and rejuvenation in whatever way suits you best. This is a time of peace and reflection and a time to recharge from the scramble of the last few months. We are sending you all healing energy and good thoughts as we take time with our loved ones and prepare for the new year. Thank you for all your support and see you in 2024!

State of the Untold Stories Project 2023

State of the Untold Stories Project 2023

Hello heroes! It’s nearing the end of the year, which means it’s time for my annual reflection on everything we’ve accomplished as a group. 2023 was a massive year for USP and I am so proud of the growth we’ve undergone. I feel like we are in a position now to really make 2024 a great year for the network and that couldn’t have happened without our dedicated viewers, our talented players, and our passionate Gamemasters. I am always proud and grateful for the community we’ve built here and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of us.

I personally have spent a lot of time this year growing and healing as an individual. I’ve taken strides to control my health, my mind, and my self-esteem, which has led to a number of improvements for myself and the network. I’ll talk about this some more in our New Year’s Resolution blog post in a few weeks, but look out for an increase in the quality and frequency of our uploads from Twitch, to Youtube, to the podcasts, this blog, and our Patreon!

We fulfilled a lot of our goals this year. Here are some of 2023’s highlights:

  • The Untold Stories Project Earth-Prime Tabletop Universe continued to grow. Our GemStars crossed over into the Prime universe and Leifandi is now a second moon for Earth-Prime—I’m going to have to remember to comment on that as Anson next time we get together. We started a new podcast in the form of Heroes of Tomorrow showcasing a class of teen heroes at the Claremont Academy. The Freedom League Dark returned and delved into the Multiverse of the Master Mage and we found out that ARCADE might be trying to stop Something in the Dark… This brings our total shows in the connected universe to six! (NetherWar/Freedom League Dark, City of Destiny, Guardians of Haven, GemStars, Heroes of Tomorrow, and Something in the Dark) We have a few more ideas for a few miniseries in 2024 and even better crossovers. We’re even adding some new players into the mix for an upcoming Freedom League game called Ghost in the Machine that will feature everyone’s favorite Sophie!
  • Conventions! I specifically want to call out Origins 2023 for being a watershed moment for us as a company. We had a ton of GMs running events this year, exposing us to more and more players. On top of that we had our massive multi-table Hades Invasion! I am so proud of the work we put in for that crossover and even now I’m hearing that it was the highlight of the con for a lot of people. We already have plans to bring that back for Origins 2024 so keep a lookout here for more information as it comes. We also made appearances at Gen Con, the Pittsburgh Gaming Expo, and U-Con as well. We have some new GMs joining the roster for our Origins excursion and we’ll be meeting some of our friends in person for the first time ever next year. If you’re a fan of the network you do not want to miss Origins next year.
  • National Novel Writing Month! We put together a team for NaNoWriMo this year and that was a ton of fun. We even had one person go all the way and finish their manuscript in the month of November—congratulations Aunt Puppy! But those of us who didn’t make the 50,000 words still got a lot out of the attempt. We had write-ins together, we got to share writing advice, and we got to spread our creative wings in an arena that we don’t usually get to spend a lot of time in. I’m excited to do this again next year.
  • Holiday One Shots! We continued our tradition of the holiday “one-shots” with a bunch of great offerings from Cthulhu Awakens, Street Fighter the Storytelling Game, Lancer, Mutants & Masterminds, Power Rangers, and Star Trek Adventures. Some of them even finished in one episode instead of being dragged out into special mini arcs. I think we’ll probably plan to have each of these take up two weeks for next year, just to be on the safe side. This is one of my favorite things that we do because it gives us the chance to shine a light on RPGs that don’t get nearly as much attention as they should and encourages some of our players to take on the role of Gamemaster!
  • Patreon Actual Play! This is recent, but we had our first Patreon Actual Play, where members of our Patreon got to play in a Legends of Tomorrow scenario run by me. It was a ton of fun and I already have plans for more of those in the new year. I want to be able to provide a fun reward like that for the people who support us most.

I would say that the Untold Stories Project is in a great position after 2023 to leap into the new year with renewed energy and excitement. We have a few amazing projects in the pipeline that I can’t wait to share with you, but until then I just want to say thank you from myself and everyone here at USP. This network exists thanks to the energy and love of a lot of people and I am always amazed that you dedicate your time, creativity, energy, and support to us. Thank you for everything and we’ll see you in the new year!

NaNoWriMo 2023 Reflections

NaNoWriMo 2023 Reflections

Hello heroes! I just wanted to check in with everyone now that National Novel Writing Month is behind us. NaNoWriMo is an amazing challenge that comes up every November. The goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days, and it is a lot more difficult than it looks. I personally have attempted it five times so far and I’ve only won the first time. Turns out working professionally as a writer means you get your attention split a lot of different ways. Even though I didn’t win, I always appreciate making the attempt. This was our first year attempting it as an organization and I’m very proud of everyone who spent time writing this month, whether they made the goal or not. The pure task of writing is so vital and empowering that I truly believe everyone should attempt it, whether they do it for money or just personal exploration. We hosted several write-in streams as a group which provided space to share writing tips, triumphs, and to commiserate the challenges.

I may not have finished the project I set out to do, but I did get a ton of writing done and I got to share some of my wisdom and experience with my friends. It was a great time! I am hopeful that we will put together another team next year and maybe I’ll even win this time! I am planning to write a hilarious project that I’ve had on my backburner for a while; a novel involving a vampire named Gary who has to search the post-apocalypse for fruit farms to feed upon.

We did have one person who won this year! Aunt Puppy went the distance and finished the rough draft of her first ever novel! A story she wrote about her new character from our Something in the Dark stream: Dr. Carrie Pembroke. I asked her if she would write up some of her thoughts about the experience, which I’ve included below.

“Well first off I want to start by saying it was hard, but dammit did this girl win! As someone who is a completist and a collector the best fuel I had was me vs me. I collected badges and steps like a champ. Then it hit me, the holidays and SAD all at once which dropped my productivity.

Overall I enjoyed it. I was a writer of poetry when I was younger and this really helped to feel the spark again. I loved the community that it introduced me to, with this being my first experience I still had some anxiety about meeting up or participating in any live events but I think as I try again I will get braver and participate in more events. As the month went along I learned that short bursts, or what the group called a sprint, was the most effective. The sprints were done in our local Discord group and were done in 20 minute increments. I really enjoyed the feeling of competition and encouragement those brought on, if it weren’t for that I would have never finished.

I can see how people can become easily disillusioned with everything very quickly. It feels very daunting when you start to fall behind. I think if I would have stayed the path and hit my goal each day I would not have felt so overwhelmed but there were some days that the creativity just didn’t hit me. I will say some great advice I got from some of our USP veterans that have participated in NaNoWriMo before was to not edit, which goes against my nature but if I had gone back and really edited I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I did.

In conclusion, would I do it again? Hell ya and you should too!”

I don’t have anything more to add other than to second her last statement. Hell yeah you should give NaNoWriMo a chance. The world needs more stories and all of you have at least one in you.

USP Thanksgiving Blog 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello heroes! We wanted to use our blog post this week to talk a little bit about what each of us is thankful for in regards to tabletop roleplaying games. All of our lives have been enriched by this hobby that brings us together. We are thankful as a group for all of you who tune into our games, join us at conventions, and support us as we give our stories to the world. Here are some of our thoughts below:

Alex:

I am thankful for the friends and family I have cultivated through RPGs, for the creative outlet they offer, and for the life-changing career I have pursued in this industry. Mostly I’m grateful for the connection gaming allows me to keep with my father even though he has passed on. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if he hadn’t introduced me to roleplaying games. It’s a magic I get to capture every day!

Jonesy:

Gaming has brought me so much to be thankful for. I have forged lifelong friendships and found my family while repelling alien invaders, hostile dragons, machinations of elder Kindred and other crises. Of all the blessings it’s given me, the thing I am most thankful for is the community that welcomed and embraced me when I came out. To this day that group of Garou and Kindred that supported and loved their ST unconditionally was more than I could have ever dreamed possible.

Chris:

40 years allows for many things to be thankful for…the friends I’ve made, the places I’ve been able to travel to and see, the opportunity to improve as a person and be the accepting inclusive person my home environment would never understand or have allowed. For all of my faults, of which there are many, my strengths have been developed and nurtured at the gaming table. THANK YOU.

Brandon:

I’m thankful for the friends!

Jo:

I mean…. Can I be supremely sappy? Because I wouldn’t have my partner, I wouldn’t have come to terms with parts of my sexual identity/relationship styles, and I would not have found most of my NeuroSpicyFam without ttrpgs….So basically much of my happiness and foundations for self-care is rooted in collaborative storytelling and interconnectedness of collective pretend.

Aunt Puppy:

I’m grateful for getting to live lives I’d never get to in the real world with people all over the place. Allows for escapism of everyday stuff for just a short time.

Wiccy:

I’m thankful to have a completely normal outlet for all the voices in my head.

Deuce:

I’m thankful for the people who have shared all the stories over the years with me. Whether in the game or around it, I always find those moments as the fondest of memories shared with people who have made this life such a beautiful thing. Also thankful for all the poor unfortunate souls who have to put up with my bad jokes and still find the strength of will to come back. Don’t know how you do it but glad you do.

Andy:

I’m thankful gaming gave me an outlet in which to be creative. I’m thankful it gave me a way to connect with different people, and connects us even though we’re not always close.

Teegan:

I’m thankful for an outlet for the wild insane stories I come up with.

Gemmy:

I think the amount of adventures and stories I’ve been able to have and share because of these games, and how many friends I’ve made by getting to ramble back and forth about chaotic stories from different sessions we’d had with our friends.

Aaron:

  1. I’m thankful for the OGL. Despite the recent ruckus caused by the changes to OGL, OGL did create a new landscape for tabletop RPGs. Without the OGL, we never would have seen Pathfinder when D&D 3.5 went away, we never would have seen the first edition of Mutants & Masterminds, and in general our hobby would be much poorer.
  2. I’m thankful for all of the family, teachers, and friends who didn’t make fun of gaming, or fall to the “Satanic Panic.” Because of their encouragement, I’ve been able to meet some of my closest friends, and have had countless hours of enjoyment and entertainment.
  3. Modern dice makers. When I got into gaming, dice were hard lumps of plastic that required you to color the numbers in. Now there are so many beautiful and customizable dice that it just makes gaming more fun and colorful. I love it when a player comes to the table with their Pride-colored dice, or their latest metallic dice from Norse Foundry, or whatever other bizarre dice they have.

Kat:

The amount of people I’ve met through ttrpgs that have made my life infinitely better.