The Darkness Arrives: Making It a Gen Con One-Shot

The Darkness Arrives: Making It a Gen Con One-Shot

Preparations for Gen Con have been underway for weeks (months!?)—but now we’re ready to share a first look at what AAW Games is planning for the game room this year.

Last year’s turnout for Rise of the Drow was a resounding success. Huge thanks to our incredible GMs and players for supporting us as we grow our presence at Gen Con. One of the highlights was a condensed version of The Darkness Arrives, and while most of the feedback was positive, there was one issue we knew we had to address for this year.

“It’s too long!”

The original Darkness Arrives was never meant to be a one-shot. It contains enough content to stretch across two or even three full sessions. A typical breakdown might look like this:

• Session 1: Cathedral scenes, the bell tower (cliffhanger optional)
• Session 2: Post–bell tower, reliquary
• Session 3 (if needed): Dungeon crawl content and optional encounters

The version we ran at Gen Con 2022 attempted to slice the adventure in half, with the goal of fitting it into a single 4-hour slot. Content that didn’t drive the main story—mostly atmospheric encounters inside the cathedral—was trimmed out. In theory, this gave us a leaner, con-friendly version.

But in practice, it didn’t quite work.

Where It Broke Down

There’s a flaw in the original structure that only reveals itself when you compress 12+ hours of gameplay into 4. Just as the Macguffin disappears (in the read-aloud text, no less), players are told to focus on something else entirely. Plot Point A vanishes… and they’re asked to chase Plot Point B.

Players, understandably, didn’t want to abandon the first thread. Many GMs reported the same issue: either they had to railroad the players past their instincts, or they had to skip major scenes. It was a tough compromise, and we knew we could do better.

What’s New for Gen Con 2023

This year’s version of The Darkness Arrives has been carefully streamlined for convention play. Rather than simply trimming content, we restructured the story to maintain momentum and clarity, even under time pressure. Key changes include:

• The Macguffin now goes missing off-screen
• Scenes flow more naturally into one another
• Player agency is preserved without the risk of derailing the game
• Memorable moments from the original are still present
• Dungeon content is sharper and easier to manage at the table

The goal is simple: give GMs and players the full Darkness Arrives experience in a satisfying one-shot format, with zero handwaving required.

One Fun Change

While most changes were made in service of timing and pacing, one new element came from pure creative energy: the Spirit of Shadow and Flame.

This creature wasn’t added to fix anything—it just felt right. It thematically fits the world and tone of the adventure and adds a new spark (pun intended) to one of the more dramatic scenes. Here’s a sneak peek:

Spirit of Shadow and Flame

Medium fiend, chaotic evil

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 17 (5d6)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.

Skills Acrobatics +4, Perception +1
Damage Vulnerabilities cold
Damage Immunities fire, necrotic
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Infernal
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

Fiery Exit. When the spirit of shadow and flame is reduced to 0 hit points, it explodes in a burst of shadowflame. Each creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 3 (1d6) fire damage and 3 (1d6) necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful one.

Fumish Guise. While the spirit remains motionless in an area of dim light it is invisible. While motionless in normal light, it is indistinguishable from ordinary flames.

Regeneration. The spirit regains 6 hit points at the start of its turn. If the spirit takes cold or radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the spirit’s next turn. The spirit dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate. At the GM’s discretion, dousing a spirit reduced to 0 hit points with a gallon of water, or with two hands full of snow also suppresses the spirit’s regeneration until the start of the next turn.

Actions

Shadow Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) necrotic damage.

Gout of Flame. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, range 20 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) fire damage.

Shadowflame (Recharge 6). The spirit exhales a 15-foot cone of shadowflame. Each creature in that area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3 (1d6) fire damage and 3 (1d6) necrotic damage, or half as much on a successful save.

Join Us at Gen Con 2023!

The updated one-shot version of The Darkness Arrives will be in the hands of our GMs very soon—and we’re excited to see it in action at Gen Con 2023. If you’re attending this year, don’t miss your chance to experience the streamlined version for yourself!

🎟️ Sign up for AAW Games events at GenCon.com or sign up to run games with AAW Games.
💬 Join us on Discord to chat with other players, connect with our GMs, and stay up to date on our Gen Con plans.