Mystery Easily Solved with 3rd Level Spell

“We all forget about Speak with Dead at least once."

The newly fledged Hardy Dormitory game was brought to an abrupt end this week thanks to the campaign’s primary mystery being easily solved with available spells. The campaign, while only being in its fourth session, was scheduled to last the entire semester. The early conclusion leaves the group’s leader with a predicament. “I’m not really sure where to go from here,” says the group’s dungeon master, Eve Mansfold. “I was counting on getting around 50 hours out of the content I made. But thanks to Speak with Dead, we got about 12. It really feels like I wasted that 3 years I spent writing it.”

While the adventure may not have been what Mansfold expected, most of the players seem happy with the result, if only because they don’t believe it to be the true end. “I really thought the mystery would be the crux of the campaign,” Geoff Silvers tells The Dungeon Tribune. “It was quite the twist to reveal it was just the beginning. If it started out this great, I can’t wait to see where we go from here.”

Only one player suspects the mystery’s conclusion wasn’t planned. Former dungeon master for the group, Amanda Finnees, was immediately aware of what had transpired. “I could see the dread in (Mansfold’s) eyes,” say Finnees. “I’ve felt it myself while running games.” Far from a the unforgivable sin Mansfold believes it to be, Finnees sees the oversight as a right of passage for dungeon masters. “We all forget about Speak with Dead at least once. (Mansfold) is new, this is her first time. But if it didn’t happen now, it’d happen eventually.” Despite the mistake, Finnees is still excited about the game. “Honestly I’m just glad to get a break from DMing for once.”

Expert dungeon masters have weighed in with advice since the discovery. Many have recommended writing a new campaign based on the developments, or pivoting to a more sandbox style game. Some have even recommended moving toward a pre-written module. “It wouldn’t be difficult,” notes author and celebrity dungeon master Jake Lanning. “All you have to do is make one NPC a vampire and boom, you’re in Curse of Strahd!” For those not interested in converting to a published solution, Lanning does have one alternative. “Have you even seen the movie ‘Goundhog Day’?”