Flowers of Algorab - Session Zero

 

We’re underway with The Flowers of Algorab. We held a Session Zero a fortnight ago, and followed it up with the first session last night. I’m using Role as the VTT and Owlbear Rodeo for the mapping as it integrates nicely into Role. By nicely, I mean fully - you have OBR showing in the Role interface as if it was running in a browser. I’m still on a learning curve with it, but I think that I have enough understanding now to do the basics.

Session Zero

Session Zero went well, with everyone available (although one player was dangling at the end of a very dodgy 4G connection in a chalet at a gaming convention). We all met in Role, and took the time to introduce the VTT interface as several people hadn’t used it (certainly in recent times). I’d built sheets (which I shared in a previous post) and also a simple tracker. The idea behind that was that the player could use a form-filled PDF character sheet and only have essential tracking on Role. I think Role’s current sheet interface is like Marmite; it’s one long and narrow column and people either love it or hate it. The development roadmap does show a wider, pop-out-able sheet, but there have been no updates in recent months so it may never appear. 

I’m using Role as it puts the AV of the players front and centre. The OBR integration adds many of the missing native tools. I want the AV prioritised as my experience of playing other games (for example Eternal Lies) made me value that face-to-face contact above the ‘table’ part of the VTT.

I’m blessed with five players in this campaign, several of them regulars and others who I’ve met through the various gaming circles and conventions. They’re all great players so I’m certain that this should be a good experience so long as I deliver my end of this. 

Prior to the session, I shared key background information on the setting via our Discord channel, mainly drawing from the QuickStart released at the time of the crowdfunding. In effect, it was a set of teasers.

We worked our way through character, crew and bird generation during the session. 

We have:

• Arda Qamar, a Guild Surveyor and Traveller who came from the Far Colonies from a Mining Combine operation. She’s the bird handler and Scout for the team. (Played by Hattie).
• Meristo Koulas, an Esoteric Coriolite Seer who grew up in the Fog of the Haze, and has ties to the Black Toad. (Played by Paul).
• Lieto Miesma, a Scholar specialised in Builder Archeology who came from deep inside the Factory City of the Turbine Halls, with a background in the Machinist's Guild. (Played by Graham)
• Fassour Faradi, a roughneck deep miner who also came from somewhere the eternal fog of the Haze, and - like Merits - has ties to the Black Toad. (Played by Simon)
• Rashid al-Masri, a scoundrel Hull Cutter who came from among the hulks and wrecks of Hull Town, and has connections to the Gardener's Guild. (Played by Andy).

The New Seekers (Corvus, Arda, Meristo, Fassour, Rashid and Lieto)
Image by Hattie using a variety of LLM tools and more.

Together, they are The New Seekers crew. Yes, everyone liked the name when they were throwing ideas around, despite it being a late 1960s/1970s British pop group.

Their Bird is a specter called Corvus, cobalt blue, with a long beak, always observing.

The final thing covered in Session Zero was Owlbear Rodeo - I gave a quick tour of what it can do, but as I'm new to the tool, it was very superficial. I anticipate that my understanding will grow over the next few months!

19 February 2026