May-be-days?

Due to typically accursed scheduling issues, April’s sadly a bust, so let’s move along to far away May…

9am start so I’ll have around four hours to set up.

Saturday the 3rd of May

Sunday the 4th of May

Saturday the 10th of May

Sunday the 11th of May

Sunday the 18th of May

Sunday the 25th of May

Saturday the 31st of May

Just for the sake of game momentum, I’d prefer earlier in the month rather than later. I’ve already written the opening scene!

Thanks for all the speedy-ish responses.

Let’s lock down Saturday the 10th of May before we lose all hope.

I’ll start planning in Ernest now…

Semi-Soft Reboot

Return of the Demon

Sadly, no new arty-farty fake module cover this time, as my old AppleMac died a year ago and I’m totally unwilling/unable to spend any money on a new one. So it’ll be just a new module masthead and the start of the next chapter of the game. Maybe a roughly drawn doodle and some expository text though, if I can bring myself to use my uncooperative right hand.

I’ll also need from you, some character change rational posts. Liga Bur’s spiritual enlightenment. Fortu’s interest of skills beyond those for killing. And an entire (7th level) history for whoever/whatever character Assif’s introducing.

Let’s pretend I’ve already written beyond the title though and propose some weekend morning dates in April. An actual session deadline may provoke me into literary action!

Below are the April weekend dates I’ve still got available. Check if you can do any of them and let me know here.

Failing that I’ll suggest some May ones.

9am start so no-one has to skip breakfast.

Saturday the 5th of April

Sunday the 6th of April

Sunday the 13th of April

Saturday the 19th of April 

Oh Noe’s! May dates to follow…

Out of Option A or B, you choose C?!

It was nice to get a unanimously positive response to my ‘Shall we play or shall we go’ post, albeit with an odd caveat. I hadn’t even remotely considered the option of restarting afresh with a new campaign.

Character creation is (as David pointed out) a fun element of the game. So many choices, so many possibilities! That said, the story is what captures my attention. It’s no secret that my frustration with the (multiple DMed) University game was that it lacked a cohesive plot. That’s almost certainly why I ended up DMing the majority of the final 3.5 sessions.

I wanted the disparate threads to somehow weave together. I needed a sense of purpose and completion! As such, considering the already ‘half-baked’ plot in our current adventure and the myriad of lovingly named NPCs, I don’t think I could bring myself to start over. Better to just let the current story wither and die on the vine than to (in all probability) fail twice. 

New character creation however, is an entirely different proposition. Scott wasn’t enjoying playing Liga Bur. He liked his character concept and backstory but felt (and justifiably so) that he was being totally outshone in ranged combat by Arowe and in melee by Fortu. After a short conversation, we reached a class swap compromise. As a Ranger, he was already shining with his animal summoning tactics and it wasn’t a huge leap from there to full Druid. 

A subtle alteration of your existing characters would be my ideal solution but, despite my attempts to tie in some of your histories to the plot, your characters are absolutely yours to control. It’s not under my remit to refuse you. I’m against needlessly killing characters but I’ve never really believed in ‘plot armour’ and if bad planning, bad luck or Player boredom lead to their deaths… Fair enough.

Assif; if you want to retire Arowe or have him die heroically mid-battle, that’s fine by me. I’m sure we can work out how your new character (whoever and whatever they are) would mesh into the ongoing campaign. Would the currently All-Fighter party end up with just Fortu acting as, heavily armoured, meat-shield?

David; if you also want to ‘point-buy’ a new seventh-level character, that’s also fine.

If I have truly failed to enthral you though and you really don't care about or want to continue the son vs father, Sir Briefadel vs Lord Urdurel story arc, I think our adventure in Fissa is finished.

Unless one of you three is feeling the urge to claim DM godhood and total dominion over our shared world? I do have a character concept or two that I’d like to play with.

Do we play or do we go now?

It’s been nearly four months since our last online session and over a month since my last overblown Orange-inn expositional post. I’ve hopefully managed to wring every relevant bit of campaign backstory out of my head and into our shared consciousness and allowed myself a small respite from my own compulsive madness. Now though, we need to make the group decision whether we want to continue forward together with this campaign or not? 

Will the stoic, ex-gladiator; Fortu be prepared to continue putting his newly found freedom and life on the line in the aid of the small ‘g’ goddess; Estrid, whom he still doesn’t entirely trust?

Is the phenomenally skillful, Elvish archer; Arowe’s high-drama desire for fame and adventure still not satiated, or is he now content to return home to his noble Mother and wastrel of a Father in Glendorne?

Does the now, ‘older but wiser’ Halfling; Liga Bur take his recent Druidic vow to the ‘Circle of the Scale’ to mean the end of his commitment to his friends and their shared mission?

If so, will the vengeful and ambitious Sir Briefadel manage to raise his demon army and swarm through his Father’s kingdom and the lands beyond unopposed? 

If the three of you are still feeling the itch for adventure, let me know here, so I can start planning ahead and, if so, do we want to continue playing on-line or in-person? Three-hour, regular monthly, Saturday morning blocks, sat at our own home desks or quarterly game weekends down at the ‘Cottage of Doom’?

If you collectively, all actively want to continue, let me know how you’d prefer to proceed? I’m more than happy to carry on, as I’m (after my brief sabbatical) still enjoying the game and am eager to know what happens next? 

Who is the mysterious and powerful, demonic benefactor that the Hag; Hetzabah is going to petition to help her son?

Is her erstwhile husband; Lord Urdurel still sound enough of mind and body to realistically command a force to oppose her?

It’s entirely up to the three of you, both practically and figuratively. If you go there will be trouble, if you stay it will be double. So come on and let me know…

DMs Run the Game they’d want to Play in

Congratulations! We finally (after a few false dawns) finished the ‘Givrad Void’ module! I hope you’ve all enjoyed playing this adventure as much as I did running it. 

Like the title says though, I think Dungeon Masters, Dungeon Master because they get frustrated as Players in other Dungeon Master’s games. Assif, I know is just there for the ‘kick-in-the-door’ combat. Scott enjoys devilishly circumventing or disrupting my carefully contrived plans and Cousin David’s probably just there out of love and loyalty. 

For me though, it’s all about the story. Everything has to make sense within the internal logic of the fantasy setting and common sense and reason must always be able to be applied. Villains will behave as smartly or as dumbly as their stats state and monsters will exploit their own environment and physical advantages to the full. Henchmen and associates will behave in a way depending on their own agendas and as a reflection of how well or poorly they’ve been treated. Actions will always (well usually at least) have consequences.

That said; everyone finally gets to Level-up to 7th level! (Even Rifkin and the lesser Henchies!)

Fortu: 24,763 xp (7th!) 

Arowe: 24,558 xp (7th!)

Liga Bur: 24,331 xp (7th!)

Rifkin: 15,009 xp (6th!)

Henshaw: 6,271 xp (4th!)

Barbella: 6,271 xp (4th!)

Doberman:  6,271 xp (4th!)

At this point, I’ll also give you all an opportunity to have a little tweak of your characters, if you want. No changing race or class (apart from the new 7th level cross-class level if desired), but if you want to replace a previously chosen Feat that never came into play or you want to rearrange your skill points a little; fine by me. 

This is all under the assumption that we all want to soldier on with this campaign? Even though we’re occasional players rather than weekly grinders, a long-form D&D game is still a time consuming commitment.

I’m going to try to take a break from compulsively thinking about it until the new year, aside from possibly/definitely posting up some videos and the last of my background stories. Despite the routinely depressing ‘No comments’ underneath each posting, I still hope that you read and enjoy them all.

They’re chock-full of clues and reminders of what’s happened, but hopefully entertaining too. If we are to continue, I’d urge you to spend some of your free down-time to read back through them and take a few notes to remind yourselves what’s been happening, why it’s been happening and who it’s been happening to?

After you’re latest decision, I’m already wondering what’s going to happen next? I wasn’t sure whether you were going to charge into the lower levels of Hell after Hetzabah and Sir Briefadel or return to Fissa to face the potential wrath of the (small ‘g’) goddess; Estrid and the hulking Druid; Thornberg? Now though, wIll the seven (and a dog) of you try to seek out and warn the eyepatch wearing, old Lord Urdurel that his errant son is coming to get him?

At the end of yesterday’s session (as Scott’s full-time back in England), I suggested that we perhaps just drop the online sessions and revert back to the quarterly ‘Cottage of Doom’ weekends?

David though suggested that we might instead do a combination of both? 

Either way; Fun, fun, fun!

Octoberfest or Novemberbest?

September brought a shortened (one encounter) session. Let’s see if we can do better in October… or maybe November?

Thanks again Scott for your uninterrupted Googlemeet membership. Sorry for missing the initial code you sent. 

Are we all free for four hours on any of these mornings?

Saturday the 26th of October 

Sunday the 27th of October 

Saturday the 2nd of November

Sunday the 3rd of November

Saturday the 16th of November

Sunday the 17th of November

I promise that I won’t make any rash; ‘This’ll be the end of this module’ promises this time.

Edit: Thanks Boys. Saturday morning on the 2nd of November it is! (Almost exactly a month away.)

Why Should You Care?

Assif asked the question after the last session; 

“Why should we care about Sir Briefadel?”

It’s simultaneously a fair and unfair question.

As a Party, you were sponsored by Sir Briefadel to find Estrid’s magical pool/portal. You were doing that for the sake of adventure and promised coin. (Coin that he was never going to pay.)

At the moment of your success however, Sir Briefadel betrayed you and magically transported (with the aid of Madame Morgana) himself, his lackey Egrow and about thirty soldiers to your position. After which, you fought a bloody battle, where you swapped sides and found yourselves fighting back-to-back with Magritte the Satyr and the other Fey creatures against Sir Briefadel’s troops. 

You won the battle and captured the ‘Wizard’ Egrow but Sir Briefadel and his phenomenally intelligent Hawk; Sephony, managed to get to the pool and escape through the dimensional portal. 

It was at that point that Estrid, the goddess of the pool pleaded for your help to pursue Sir Briefadel and stop him doing whatever he was attempting and to prevent him, at all costs, from returning back through her pool.

It should be obvious by now, that beyond just being an evil dick, Sir Briefadel is consorting with actual demonic creatures and is attempting to raise an army of the damned to destroy his father; Lord Urderal, along with a huge chunk of the continent.

Individually, it’s a slightly more difficult question. Why should a Halfling, a Human and an Elf risk their lives and chase a whinging, vengeful Aristocrat through the void between worlds?

Arowe’s introductory story, painted him as a flamboyant, drama seeking Elf, desperate for fame and glory.

Fortu’s was about brutal death, a lack of autonomy and the anguish of not knowing his own past.

Liga Bur’s dealt with the mystery of his Orcish upbringing and the loss, of not just one family, but his unknown Halfling one too!

It’s my ‘job’ as the DM, to try to tie these three backstories into the thread if the overarching adventure story but it’s also your responsibility to actively engage in it.

Is travelling into the Fey realm, battling living trees and werewolves before passing through multi-world dimensions, not enough of an adventure for the drama hungry Arowe?

Is the recognition that Liga Bur felt, as he saw the Hag’s eyes flash ‘demonic’ red like the ‘Red-eyed’ Orc clan that slaughtered his Orc tribe, not enough to drive his urge for revenge, or at least, his curiosity to find a link between these two events?

Is Fortu’s heart not filled with a desire to learn more about the magical, indestructible, seemingly symbolic sword he now possesses? An enigma, that’s perhaps more solvable than the frustrating mystery of his own personal history?

I’ve tried pretty hard to create an enticing world for you three to explore and a hopefully exciting adventure. Ultimately though, it’s down to you as the Players to choose to engage in the story. All I can do is offer, hopefully fun/interesting plot hooks; it’s up to you three to bite. 

Should you continue to chase Sir Briefadel into Hell itself? The only reason you caught him the first time, was because he (overconfidently) waited around for several days, just in an attempt to recruit you. Perhaps you should return to Fissa to warn Estrid or even Lord Urdurel that his son is raising a fiendish army for vengeance and conquest? Or you could disentangle yourselves from this responsibility and look for another cause or adventure.

Ultimately, you can decide that you’ve seen enough of the world(s), that adventuring isn’t for you after all and just retire. You’re all certainly rich enough now. It’s entirely up to you.

Carpe DM!

Thought of the fantastic header above and considered myself a true genius. Sadly, after checking online, I found that this joke had been made by so many people, so many times before, you could even buy it on a mug or a T-shirt. Instead, I transformed my adventure binder into a Mimic and stuck it on the cover.

David pointed out to me the other day, that we've been playing this online campaign for over three years now.

Three years?!

Hopefully you're all still enjoying our irregular on-line campaign though. I'm still getting a great deal of joy and distraction out of it, but ultimately your enjoyment is paramount.

I think you're having fun but I'm self-aware enough to realise that I'm far from the perfect DM. Despite trying to create challenging combats, in which death is (almost) always a possibility, I know that I tend to lean into 'comedic' rather than 'method' roleplay.

This 'comedy' gameplay though 'might' be being enhanced by my in-between-sessions silly posts. And I know that I've posted up a lot of these over the last few months.

Since the beginning, my plan was always to try to post something each Saturday between games to keep the momentum going and the interest up. You guys posting your character's thoughts or views of things though, really helps me with the story. Interaction is everything!

I like my own posts but I LOVE yours!

David's and Assif’s recent posts were great! Raw emotional responses to the current predicament, tactical reactions to an imminent threat and philosophical musings regarding the purpose of self, gods, luck and destiny. Nice.

 
I suppose though, the real question is; are you enjoying these stories, animations, puppet shows and silly clips? Obviously, I get a lot of pleasure out of making/writing them but they're meant to make you laugh, as well as function as clues of things to come and reminders of what has happened previously.

I guess I tend to think in terms of a movie rather than a book, with cut scenes and flashbacks. I'm not a massive opponent of Meta-gaming and I've no problem with you having an inkling of what's happening behind the curtain.

You're responses have been often muted though and a post with zero responses is always a little disappointing. If you're not enjoying them, they're concerning you, or even worse, you're not bothering to read them, please let me know and I'll stop.

Most of the story development and hints given in these posts could be given in game but that would drastically slow down our actual sessions and push combats further apart. Sessions that are short enough as they are without more of my terrible accents and clumsy attempts at actual role-playing.

That said, I'm happy to try. I actually enjoy my terrible/comedy attempts at accents. Doing exuberant Whackeem; the 'French/Arabic' salesman of Magical artefacts (Jazz hands) was a laugh!

Hopefully though, you're 'eyebrow raising' is meant in fun and I understand how busy you all are. Do me a favour though and throw me a response now and then. they really help motivate me and let me know I'm not just wasting my time.

Finally, I find organising the schedule stressful and would prefer not to do it. Scott, I'm handing this responsibility completely back to you as you're the busiest of us. If we play, when we play is up to you.

Thanks and see you all on Saturday.