Daniel (@dungeondive) concludes the solo RPG series with the campaign’s climactic battle and a philosophical reflection: was he playing Shadows of Brimstone, or hex crawl?
The narrative reaches its peak as Eli and Cornelia track the possessed preacher through multiple towns. In Alderville, a mining town exploiting mutant slaves, they can’t spark a revolt but plant seeds for a future return. In Fringe, the Chains of Mephistopheles begin glowing — the spirit is near. Cornelia recruits a mutant henchman by promising to liberate Alderville’s slaves; Eli gains a tribal ally from the Indian Trading Post in exchange for a future favour.
The final battle in Fringe’s streets plays out like a Dark Tower gunfight — four heroes against the possessed preacher (as a void sorcerer), a corrupt sheriff, and three deputized bandits. Eli’s Hellfire Ring blasts most of the bandits, Cornelia’s Gravedigger lands a double-crit, and after the sheriff falls, Eli casts the exorcism spell on a clutch six.
Daniel’s verdict: in seven and a half hours of play, he entered exactly one dungeon. The vast majority was hex crawl — towns, travel, NPCs, story-building — and he didn’t miss the dungeon crawling at all. He announces he’s boxing up his map tiles and miniatures, condensing Shadows of Brimstone into a narrative experience that fits on a small table. Two cliffhanger quests remain planted for future campaigns.