The Posters of Our D&D Journey
Three years ago, my unexpected journey as a Dungeon Master for D&D 5e began. It started with the adventure Lost Mine of Phandelver and a promise to my players that this whole thing would only take up 5 evenings of their lives. Well, 80+ sessions, 350+ hours of playtime, and 400+ hours of prep time later, I can say: it turned into a lot more than I ever expected.
For my birthday in 2021, my players surprised me with a poster illustrated specifically for the campaign, depicting our first big battle. Just like the campaign itself, what was originally meant to be a one-off turned into something of a tradition. At regular intervals, we've asked our friend and illustrator Albert Mitringer to immortalize certain moments as a movie-poster-style piece.
After three years, a total of six of these masterpieces have accumulated — three for each of the two campaigns that have taken shape over the course of this overarching legend. In this post, I want to share these posters along with a bit of background on each.
If reading through this post sparks your interest in Albert's fantastic work, check out his portfolio at studiostoneage.com!
#1 The Black Echo – Terror of the Night
This is the first poster mentioned at the beginning. It shows the three characters Vistra, Aaron, and Sofya (left to right) in a fight against a nothic. The battle took place in the crumbling ruins of Tresendar Manor, as part of the published Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure.
Each character is depicted with their signature weapon. Vistra holds the Spiritual Weapon spell in the form of a blade-studded orb. Aaron holds his magic bow, Lichtbringer. Sofya casts her signature Fire Bolt spell, which is ultimately what ended the fight.
This scene formed the finale of the first battle, which spanned several tense sessions. By that point, two players had already lost their characters. Several beloved NPCs had met their end as well.
It was the moment when all of us first felt the magic of D&D and got a glimpse of everything this game makes possible.
#2 The Black Echo – Light in the Dark
This poster shows a gathering of past enemies (on the outside) and friends (on the inside) that the players had encountered. The first poster hadn't included the two deceased characters — that was made up for here. (The dark-skinned elf Sovellis with the book, and the grim, bearded dwarf Dhuran with the jagged mace.) A new player also joined our campaign around this time. Her character, an elf named Vandrare, can be seen in the left foreground.
You could also say that this is the point where the campaign slowly started to open up — moving away from the handful of settlements the published adventure provides, toward a cohesive world with its own history, creatures, and conflicts. You could feel the players increasingly enjoying the process of bringing light into the dark.
#3 The Black Echo – Caught in the Spider's Web
The final chapter of our first campaign, and with it the true conclusion of the original Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure. With the final battle against the two antagonists Nezznar, the Black Spider (center front) and Daren Edermath (center back), this campaign came to a close.
The finale took place in a petrified forest, where Nezznar had retreated. Shortly before, the group had learned that their supposed ally, Edermath, had betrayed them.
The symbolism of the characters being trapped in a web — with the fight itself not being depicted — reflects the fact that the antagonists' motives were understandable enough to the group that it plunged them into deep conflict. In the end, both antagonists met their deaths. The feeling of having made a mistake stayed with the players.
#4 Soulbreaker – Found Enemies and Lost Friends
The new campaign also marked, geographically, the beginning of a journey into a larger world that I first had to invent myself. Previously, I had been modifying and expanding pre-written content. Now, going forward, I had to create everything from scratch — and it was, and is, fantastic.
A new player joined the group for a short time. Her character, Amafrey, is pictured in the upper left. Several new NPCs left a lasting impression on the group. Funny moments, like "the naked halfling with the flaming sword," were immortalized here too.
This chapter focused heavily on the backstories of the characters Vandrare and Aaron. The plan to put a stronger focus on character backstories in the next campaign was very welcome.
Due to scheduling circumstances, the core group shrank to three people. As a result, we gave Vandrare a fitting send-off, letting the character live on within the world. Going forward, the story would center on Aaron.
#5 Soulbreaker – The Grand Stage
And so it did, for Aaron. Over the course of a torture sequence, he first lost an eye, was forced to watch his home village burn, and learned that the count responsible for his parents' deaths was on the verge of being reborn as a god.
Eventually, the group found themselves in an arena, using the winner's golden ticket to get closer to the count. In the tournament's final match, they faced off against a golden knight who demanded everything from them, until they were ultimately forced to yield in order to save their own lives.
#6 The Pseudo-God
Vistra had to leave the group to fully answer the call of her deity. As already visible in the previous poster, she had been struggling with her waning magical power. But Sofya and Aaron didn't have to wait long: a deserter from the count's forces joined them.
Over time, the group managed to learn more about the count's ambitious plans. Everything came to a head in a spectacular finale. They managed to stop his transformation, and as a result found themselves fighting a hybrid form — half human, half draconic deity.
During the fight, they unfortunately lost several beloved NPCs who had accompanied them for a long time. Once the dust of battle had settled, their memory was honored in an emotional funeral.
That's what we've experienced so far — in broad strokes. With this post, all I really wanted to do was give these posters the kind of tribute and attention I'm able to give them. They shouldn't just hang on a wall in an apartment, visible only to people who happen to visit.
And the journey continues! Our current campaign is called Göttermorgen and is just picking up full speed. I'm sure another poster will come out of it eventually.