Chapter 507 - 320: Miss Elsa, You Wouldn’t Want Your Boss to Know You Skipped Work to Play a TTRPG, Would You?

Chapter 507: Chapter 320: Miss Elsa, You Wouldn’t Want Your Boss to Know You Skipped Work to Play a TTRPG, Would You?

Elsa had no idea what kind of tabletop game they were playing in the Dungeon’s tavern.

But that didn’t stop her from jumping right in.

She had always been confident in her gaming skills.

After all, she was just as terrible after studying the rules, so it made no difference.

Especially since it was a game about defeating Zog.

’I can’t take on the real Zog, so getting my kicks in a game is the next best thing.’

So when someone said they were short one player, she raised her hand without hesitation and called out, "I can! I’m a complete newbie who’s never played before. Can I join?"

"Of course, we welcome all newcomers... Elsa?"

The group looking for another player to start their game was none other than the tabletop game’s original trio: Ben, Dean, and Craig.

Although Ben had forgotten to get their contact info, he managed to find them through social media.

Craig was a minor internet celebrity, you see. During his "young and reckless" phase, he’d posted a lot of content flaunting his wealth, accumulating a small following of people who were there for the laughs and others who were genuinely envious. In any case, it made him easy to find.

He had since deleted all that silly content, finding it incredibly embarrassing now that he was a few years older.

Unfortunately, while he could delete his own posts, he couldn’t get rid of the content others had reposted.

Every last bit of his cringey past had been recorded by the internet.

And in high-definition, no less.

Of the three, only Dean didn’t know Elsa.

Ben was her colleague, and Craig knew her even better. Back when Elsa was the manager of a toy store, she’d made her first big score off of Craig.

And the next few, too.

Dean, who was out of the loop, wasn’t particularly excited after learning Elsa’s identity.

He was already jaded.

He never used to think big shots were so common, but he’d already met three in the past few days.

’Zog’s assistant? No big deal. At this rate, I might even run into Zog himself later.’

As for Elsa, she asked curiously, "So you’re the one who designed this tabletop game?"

"Yes, I just finished the first draft not long ago," Ben replied.

"Then why are you looking for people to play with in this tavern?"

What Elsa really wanted to ask was why he wasn’t following the corporation’s official process for tabletop game design and publishing.

’Or is Ben trying to go independent with his own brand?’

’An assistant’s intuition!’

Ben, completely missing Elsa’s probing question, answered honestly, "I just wanted to find people for a playtest quickly, so I wasn’t too picky about the place. The current design still has a lot of flaws, and getting player feedback will help me make revisions."

He showed them a notebook by the table, which was filled with all sorts of potential adjustments, player suggestions, and new ideas he could add.

The vast majority of the content recorded in it would never actually be implemented.

That’s just how design works. Ideas aren’t rare; it’s common to sift through a hundred bad ideas after repeated evaluation just to find one decent one to implement.

As for the type of person who thinks every single one of their ideas is brilliant and starts implementing them without a second thought—they’re usually called "idea guys."

"So my plan is to fine-tune it until it’s more or less ready, and then submit it to the department for the later testing phases. Going through the official process right away is too slow. The wait is killing me," Ben said.

"I see."

’It seems the current process needs to be adjusted to resolve the conflict between designers’ growing need for player feedback and the slow, inconvenient testing procedures.’

’The professional mindset of an excellent assistant!’

After making a mental note of this, Elsa said, "Alright then, explain how to play this game."

Ben gave a concise explanation of the rules. After guiding so many newcomers recently, he was quite practiced.

He also mentioned why their group was short a player.

Their previous teammates’ vacations were over, so they had to go back to work. Adventurers must always return to reality—an adventure that isn’t necessarily the hardest (some people are born in easy mode, after all) but is definitely the most complex.

But Dean and Craig’s school term hadn’t started yet.

They got antsy if they went a day without playing a session.

After hearing Ben’s explanation, Elsa’s brow furrowed slightly. "I get it. So, this is basically just playing make-believe?"

A muscle in Ben’s cheek twitched visibly. "It’s an adventure filled with fantasy."

"Really immersive make-believe?"

"It has rigorous rules, a rich story, and exquisite props."

"High-level make-believe?"

"That’s... Fine, it’s make-believe."

Ben gave up the struggle.

"Ha," Elsa laughed heartily. "I’m not just bragging, you know. I was amazing at make-believe back in the day. Finally, a game I’m good at."

Brimming with confidence, Elsa officially began her first tabletop RPG experience.

Ben began to narrate in a deep, sonorous voice.

"This is Feilin, a land of fantasy, filled with boundless wonders, untold treasures, and ancient evils lurking in the shadows, biding their time.

"The intelligent races of Feilin have conquered many wildlands with their cities and civilizations. But outside the cities, countless lost ruins and deep caverns of unknown origin still exist, harboring both unknown dangers and immense wealth.

"The followers of the Deities wield the power of Magic, constantly changing this world. But no one knows if their actions will ultimately lead to a bright future or to ruin.

"Our adventure begins in the most brilliant pearl of the southern Continent, a Melting Furnace of diverse cultures: Twin Tower City.

"The City of Commerce, a place where wealth congregates. And such a place will inevitably attract the greediest, most evil of creatures—an unprovoked cataclysm, the Ancient Red Dragon, Zog!"

Elsa listened with rapt attention.

It was so immersive.

’But they used too few words to describe Zog. Greedy and evil? That’s not nearly enough.’