Our heroes hurried back to the town of Forest Lilly to warn against the actions of the evil Koopa Kompany. They brought a vial of the slime that had polluted the stream and one of the robotic insectoids that had been spraying pesticides. I previewed with 5 year old and 8 year old that this session would be different. There would be no combat – unless they started it – but instead they would need be in a debate and would need to persuade the villagers that their argument was correct. Hours of listening to the Smash Boom Best podcast during COVID-19 lockdowns helped them understand the concept.
Our heroes arrived in town to find a crowd gathered outside the new potion store where Magikoopa is shouting about group’s criminal acts of destruction. 8 year old started shouting at Magikoopa out of character after his barbs about them being criminals got to her and threatened to rip the paper miniature apart.
I placed the miniatures for the townspeople in the middle between the opposing sides. As they made their arguments I would move townspeople between the sides to visually show if they’d made a good point or failed to make their point. Because Forest Lily is Lamima‘s hometown the group got to start with her friend Lymb on their side, giving them a slight advantage.
The debate proper began with Magikoopa‘s boss stepping out from the new potion shop. At the sight, 8 year old let out a shriek and jumped around for several minutes.
Mr. B. Koopa of the Koopa Kompany accused the group of being criminals who vandalized his business and tried to stop him from selling cheap healing potions. Lamima countered that the Koopa Kompany healing potions were low quality and made in a way that destroyed nature, drawing a direct comparison to her own sustainable way of creating healing potions. While rational, this argument openned her up to attack as Mr. B. Koopa accused her of trying to take out the competition and force the townspeople to continue paying higher prices for healing potions. Tigerlily insulted Mr. B. Koopa almost constantly during this argument but it slowly became clear that her furious name-calling was actually causing townspeople to doubt the group.
A series of low dice rolls and bad arguments lead to the group almost losing the battle of public opinion. Mr. B. Koopa even had legal backing for his operations in the forest, showing a signed argument with the neighboring nations agreeing that they had no rights to the forest and that they supported Koopa Kompany‘s development work there. Mom had taken a backseat up to this point, letting 5 year old and 8 year old take the lead, but Caqui did chime in here to note that the Leshy who lived in the forest were never asked. Mr. B. Koopa laughed at this and stated “plants aren’t people.” 8 year old flipped out and threatened again to rip the paper miniature apart.
Mom prodded 5 year old and 8 year old to think about how to persuade the crowd instead of getting lost in arguing with Mr. B. Koopa. Then they remembered the chemical samples and broken robot that they’d wisely brought as evidence.
Lamima, who has the highest Persuasion in the group, rolled a Natural 20 as she accused the Koopa Kompany of poisoning the stream and putting not only the forest, but also the townspeople at risk. Mr. B. Koopa protested that the group were criminals who had broken and then stolen his machinery, but the counterargument failed to land with most of the townspeople.
Lamima then put sang a song about how the forest and town need each other. Mr. B. Koopa tried to sing his own song as a counterpoint but it fell flat. He then threatened to close the potion shop and leave Forest Lily without cheap healing potions. However, he rolled poorly to Intimidate the townspeople and instead made them angry. Sensing that he had lost the argument, Mr. B. Koopa declared that he didn’t need this measly little town’s business when the neighboring nations had already signed business agreements with him and then left with his entourage.
The group enjoyed a well deserved rest after their adventures but just when they were deciding what to do next a Mushroom Leshy burst into Lamima‘s house! “Queen Toadstool has been kidnapped!” The Mushroom Leshy shouted and 8 year old immediately raged that the Koopa Kompany was at it again!