The Great Custard Conundrum

Unmask monsters to save the annual custard festival!

When the prized neon custard recipe is stolen during the bustling town festival, the adventurers are thrust into a comedic chaos of monster-hunting and pie-eating contests. The whimsical inhabitants, a mix of humans and elves, are counting on them to identify the culprits—a group of disguised monster-elves intent on using the recipe for their own culinary takeover strategy. As the adventurers pursue these tricky thieves through the charmingly chaotic medieval city, they'll engage in zany investigations and face absurd culinary challenges, all under the threat of a food fight that could turn into a full-blown custard war.

Campaign Image

The World

Context

In this whimsical medieval world without magic, technology struggles to keep up with culinary inventions. The urban environment is home to humans and elves, where monster-hunting has become a lively profession. The quest for culinary excellence often leads to humorous conflicts, with the town's prized custard recipe at the center. Here, humor and absurdity reign as adventurers unravel the mysteries of identity and culinary subterfuge among deceivingly humanoid monsters masquerading as townsfolk, all for a shared love of food and festivity in this medieval setting where no magic exists.

Concept

Invention and culinary creativity replace magic in this medieval world.

Impact

Culinary inventions lead to quirky conflicts; food is central to social and political life.

The Plot

Summary

In the delightfully chaotic urban sprawl of Custardville, the adventurers are tasked with unmasking monsters disguised as townsfolk. The annual custard festival is under threat, as mischievous elves plan to swipe the town's secret recipe for their own gain. With the clock ticking and a promise of a lifetime supply of custard on the line, players must navigate a series of bizarre challenges—ranging from custard catapults to slippery pie stations—and use keen investigative skills to reveal which townspeople are not as human as they appear. Their discoveries lead them to an underground Elf-bar where the final custard caper showdown awaits, all under a 24-hour time limit. Players must outwit the elves and restore order before the festival faces complete ruin, and the Custardville reputation is left soured.

Complication

Elves plan to use the recipe for their own festival hoax.

Hook

Retrieve a stolen recipe for lifetime custard supply.

World stakes

Custard festival chaos; town's culinary pride shattered.

Personal stakes

Reputation as hunters and promise of custard at risk.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

The adventurers arrive in Custardville at the peak of the annual festival, where it's revealed that the secret custard recipe has been stolen. They're hired by the exasperated Festival Overseer to identify the hidden elves using this culinary chaos as cover to sabotage the event. The players must navigate various carnival attractions, engaging quirky townsfolk and suspicious vendors while distinguishing real people from disguised monsters. They gather clues about the elves' plan to replace the recipe with a disgusting substitute, leading to an underground elf bar where they're rumored to gather.

Location:

Festival Square, featuring whimsical custard catapults.

Challenge:

Identifying disguised monsters among eccentric festival-goers.

Objective:

Identify monster-elves hiding at the festival.

Set Back:

Accusations of being monsters themselves delay the party.

Revelation:

Monsters plan to swap custard with snozzberry paste.

GM's Guide:

Stress the festival's lively, chaotic atmosphere. Use colorful NPCs with exaggerated quirks. Encourage creative, humorous strategies for identifying monsters, such as engaging with bizarre attractions. Use the time constraint of the festival's climax to build urgency. Allow players to interact with various townsfolk, each providing suspicious, humorous interactions.

GM's Move:

Elves deploy more crafty disguises, further confusing hunters.

Act 2

Summary:

With new information, the adventurers infiltrate the elf bar hidden beneath the city, a hub of culinary mischief and elf-exclusive cuisine. Here, they must engage in bizarre elf traditions and navigate a feast filled with suspicious dishes. They'll face a comedic challenge of eating spiked elf food to fish for information. After piecing together the chaotic cue cards of the recipe-swapping scheme, they must race back above ground to determine the precise players in this monstrous masquerade.

Location:

Underground Elf-bar, serving bizarre dishes.

Challenge:

Survive and learn through elf food contests.

Objective:

Uncover elf conspiracy to take custard recipe.

Set Back:

A critical clue is lost in the chaos of a food fight.

Revelation:

Elves intend to replace Custardville's signature dish.

GM's Guide:

Highlight the humor in cultural culinary clashes. Use the elf bar's whimsical, visually quirky design for immersive details. Create interactive, comedic social encounters with the elves to gain intel. Encourage players to indulge in humorous role-play, negotiating the social intricacies of this culinary underworld.

GM's Move:

Attempted ambush by elves disrupts investigation.

Act 3

Summary:

With their newfound intel, the adventurers must rally back to Custardville's festival, confronting the final act of sabotage orchestrated by the marauding elves. They must untangle the convoluted strands of the elves' plan, culminating in a wild, citywide custard chase that uses the whole town as their stage. The final encounter pits the adventurers against the cunning elf leader attempting the ultimate confectionary heist, and they must use the city’s features, allies they've made, and their wits to stop an interspecies culinary coup.

Location:

Custardville streets, home to the grand finale chase.

Challenge:

Thwart elves' organized culinary coup.

Objective:

Stop the elf leader’s final act of sabotage.

Set Back:

The festival grounds are plunged into pandemonium.

Revelation:

Elf leader’s blend causes custard-hysteria.

GM's Guide:

Focus on high-energy confrontations and using known locations creatively as the chase unfolds. Balance comedy with focused action as players utilize the alliances formed with townsfolk or festival machinery in humorous ways. Pressure builds rapidly as events converge, requiring strategic thinking across the cityscape.

GM's Move:

Elf leader unleashes anarchic custard catapults.

Climax:

Elves are unmasked, custard recipe returned. Festival proceeds with much revelry.