Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Ballad of the Pigeon God #30: It's a Wonderful Reunion

For a month, the occupants of Chateau d'Echelon were in quite a pickle. The moneylender who financed the purchase of the estate and its expansion called in the loan in full, due to an "Act of the Gods" clause in the agreement.

Echelon - Peculiar cleric of an eastern god of the sea and expert on raising pigeons.  He had acquired a charmed telepathic wolf, Pathfinder, and fell into the estate by the sheer talents of his hirelings.
Talis Makolin - Bard and lover extraordinaire.
Count Zabty - NPC-  half-orc fallen paladin of Akana who had been trapped in stasis for hundreds of years by the spider-people who have infiltrated the kingdom.  Acting ruler and protector of Eding and the surrounding villages, after a complete collapse in government over the second half of the year.
Carthon, Jenny and Timmy D'Echelon - NPC-  Carthon was Echelon's hireling who established the Chateau.  He married Jenny, a sergeant on the village militia and together they adopted lovable orphan/torchbearer/animal handler Timmy, age 10.
Dew Xyclone - NPC -former noblewoman suffering a similar fate to Count Zabty.  Upon her rescue she has become the matron of the Chateau, keeping the household running as the others run the farm.  Great cook.
Heirylat - NPC -former brigand and father of the famed Lady Iris, Red Knight of Crosedes.  Also rescued like Zabty, working as farm hand on the estate.
"Baron" Felix - NPC - Another spider-person kidnappee.  Former Baron from Ras-Prythax hundreds of years ago, now farm foreman at the estate.
Mohammad - NPC -  former mentor of Echelon.  Man from the near-east who had lost his legs in shark/catapult pirate escape years ago.  A recent powerful burst of divine power turned him near catatonic, spending most hours meditating in a kitchen broom closet.

30 DecDec, 1070 - Chateau d'Echelon, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Talis: "A letter was delivered today from Velandro saying he and the Dag Family of kobolds were returning from training just in time for the five-day Yule holiday which ended the year!"

36 DecDec, 1070 - Chateau d'Echelon, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
The due date to make payment in full on the Chateau arrived, but Talis and Echelon could barely cobble together 1,200gp of the over 12,000gp outstanding balance.  Mr Tinpenny did not make an appearance to foreclose.  It was decided to continue to empty the contents of the wine cellar, as only items they could carry on their persons and on one mount per person was permitted once the Chateau was surrendered.  But drunk Echelon and Talis continued to expand on their not-so-secret plan to secretly kill Tinpenny... his men... and probably government officials/sheriffs overseeing the foreclosure.

1st Day of YULE!  1070 - Chateau d'Echelon, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
The first morning of Yule opened to a very hungover Talis and Echelon, all the while Timmy threw a fit because Carthon and Jenny refused to let him out of the Chateau to explore in the rain and mud in the woods.

Early afternoon, Count Zabty made an appearance to inform them that he would not be part of their diabolical plan to kill Tinpenny.

Talis:  "Wait, how drunk were we that we told a paladin about our murder plot???"

In fact, Zabty also advised them that he was leaving. Torm and the remaining leadership would be fine to oversee and protect Eding, even if the heroes of the Chateau were missing or drunk.

Once Zabty left, the rest of the friends and staff in the Chateau pledged to follow the heroes lead, whatever that would be.

Before dusk, Velandro and the Dag family finally arrived for the Yule festivities.  The entire Chateau company greeted them warmly, save Mohammad, who could be heard in the closet, talking to his god, Tshang Kai Shing.

Talis and Echelon tried to inform Velandro of their trials and tribulations over the past few months, but before they could find a place to hang four small kobold cloaks, they were interrupted by twenty-three of the locals, who noticed the beloved kobolds' return.

Again, warm greetings and warm food was exchanged, until another knock at the door was heard.

This time it was Kane the monk, Ashe the Ranger, and a very pregnant red-head, Babette.  All three look tired and road-worn and bloody, as they had encountered a number of wolves on the way from Hydincall, plus a steady snow had caught up to them on their final stretch home.  Little was discussed of where Maloran's cousin's brothel went, where Rolf was, or why Ashe's hair was stark white, although they were able to tell everyone of Maloran's heroic demise.  Slightly shocked but honored, they poured a toast to their fallen comrade.

More peasants arrived at the Chateau.  Some with holiday food, some with bottle of alcohol they had stowed away during all the disasters of the year prior, and a few of the surviving elders brought small carved toys or blankets to the kids (as is part of Yule tradition).
Through the chaos of the party, a snow-covered dwarf appeared in the main room, walking a pony behind him.  Norm Dingleberry had returned! Those that knew of the failed mushroom farmer that only spoke Dwarven were amazed that he now spoke Trade Common perfectly, although he did have an outrageous French accent.  Baron Felix offered to take the pony, named My Lil, to the barn, but Norm steadfastly refused.

Five more new adventurers arrived, claiming to be former associates of Carthon.  One was Kyrill, the dwarf that had aided Echelon in ridding the halfling villages of spider-people. The leader called himself Benvorho, Ambassador of the Little People.  Most people found them stranger than Echelon, but they brought wine for all, so they were allowed to stay.

Finally, the fur-clad moneylender, Nebuchadnezzar Tinpenny arrived with an entourage of six guards plate mails and a pile of very official documents in a large box.  Confusion swept over the Chateau as he offered Talis and Echelon one final chance to pay in full before he used his authority from the King to kick everyone off of the estate, even if it was the first night of Yule.  

Talis and Echelon froze, wondering what would happen if they assaulted the crooked man in front of a crowd of innocents?  Would they live? Go to jail?  Spark a revolt that would get put down by the King's knights?

Fortunately Norm flipped open some chests strapped to the back of the pony still standing in the room, that somehow had thousands gold and jewels inside...

The Chateau d'Echelon was saved!  They kicked the money changer and his men out of the house and hailed Norm a hero!

Another knock at the door was answered to a group of kobolds, ("drinking friends" of Velandro's from the Akana monastery outside Lansluck).  The were dressed in the style of a Mariachi band and a very stirring rendition of the kobold holiday classic "Fleaz on My Bod."

Yet again, someone else banged on the front door.  It was a cold and somewhat annoyed Rolf Wolfsblood.... wearing Tinpenny's fur coat.  The barbarian took the floor and was the first to explain the story of how Kannex teleported a brothel to another world and the adventures that took place there.  Those included the one that started the obvious series of tattoos that were now covering his body, as well as the dent that was in Norm's rear.

Norm dropped trow to prove it.  It did not dissuade most party-goers.

As stories were trade and more logs thrown onto the fire, there was one last knock at the front door. It was a group of obvious city-folk, along with Lady Iris, Red Knight of Crosedes.  After a moment of relief once they were allowed to warm up beside the fire, one of the group read a royal proclamation...

"A proclamation of his majesty King Nevin IV the Ogre-Slayer, of the Great and Royal Kingdom of Crosedes, on the Twenty-Ninth day of DecDec, One Thousand Seventy in the calendar of the Ancien Empire."

"In reference to the following acts, as reported by Lady Iris, Red Knight of Crosedes,  County Zabty of Halfwater, Crown Prince William of Arinka, heir to the Crown of Aragain, and His Lawful Holiness, Adolphus, Archbishop of Hydincall: 
  • For dutiful and never ending service in the reclamation and return of the Ancient and Holy Bell of Chardastes for the Faith of the Kingdom.
  • For the rescue and escort of foreign dignitaries from areas of outright rebellion.  
  • For the rescue and safe return of watchful agents of the Crown and innocent peasants alike from kidnapping, murder, and outright brigandry. 
  • For prompt and ever-vigilant protection of the village of Eding from evil men and the enemies of man, both material and otherworldly. 
  • For rallying forces to uncover and destroy plots to threaten the rightful lineage of his Royal Majesty and all vassals swearing allegiance to him.  
  • For the general care of welfare, regardless of boon or despair, of the all the Kingdom's citizens who reside in the general area known as Eding. "
"Echelon Riemann, born of Omsjik, resident of the Chateau d'Echelon, has been granted the title of Baron in service of the King of Crosedes, controlling and protecting the villages of Eding, Lowdale, Welldale, and Elmshire and their surrounding environs.  "

From the Journal of Baron Echelon of Eding...
"It was a great time had by all as the party drew into the night.  Oh Yeah, I almost forgot.  I was also declared Baron and given two women whom  I have to pay for their services.  I think their duties are more administrative, which is good because I don't want to take too much time from training my pigeons....."

DM Notes:  I've mentioned in previous blog posts the dynamics of this particular session, but I will do my best to explain it here.  

This was the first session with college back in session.  We ran this game in the evening of Fall Move-In Day.  It was semi-live-action, with Talis and Echelon's players pacing the basement common area (or normal playspace), and a cast of half-informed players waiting on the other side of the door to the unused TV room.  Talis and Echelon were quite sure they were going to be force to kill Tinpenny, but as things calmed down enough to review their plans, there was another knock on the door.  Not only did all the characters return from their travels far and wide, but I kept adding villagers. tradesmen, and established NPCs to make their visits to the Chateau and their heroes for the last half-year of crisis.  

Finally, when Tinpenny arrived (me), things were in a state of chaos, because no one really knew the whole story of what was transpiring.  Between chests and bags of holding full of treasure that most of the Talislanta adventurers had forgotten about, Norm was able to save the day.  Everyone was surprised, but relieved that the next knock at the door wasn't Rolf, but the "fun" Kobold mariachi band.  

The appearance of the tattooed Rolf wearing Tinpenny's coat (he waylayed them out simply out of spite and took just the coat), I initiated the storytelling phase, where everyone tried to tell there part of story, a "What I Gamed Over My Summer Vacation" if you will.  

Once we were halfway done with that I dropped the Royal Scribe and his assistants on them.   Despite Talis and Echelon feeling like they were all alone combating the fates of Hell from descending onto Eding, King Nevin had received correspondence of their efforts.  Heck, their first mention in reports to him was by (spider-person) Lady Iris, who thought them as easily controlled chumps back at the lizardman raid of Eding back in episode #4.   The real Lady Iris extolled their virtues in her rescue, and post-wedding clean-up.  Prince William had taken control of Eding more out of diplomatic ploy than benevolence, but extended his appreciation for all the efforts in keeping the peace.  Heraldists were confused by Count Zabty's ancient credentials, but still accepted his reports on the heroes of the latest Chateau, the true protectors of Eding.  Of course, the Archbishop appreciated the return of the Bell and their combat with inter-dimensional pseudo-deities.  

With Lord Athelstane dead for nearly five months, and no other proper landowner with valid claim to the land grant, it was simple to bestow a title onto one of the heroes.   Baron would force the person to look into the halfling villages, long neglected by Athelstane, and the owner of the Chateau, a man who must already know how to organized a staff, seemed wise to be granted that title.

We're moving onto a chapter in the campaign, complete with new characters. (Yes, Mellandria the Mage was part of this scenario, but I'll give her a proper introduction next episode).

EDIT: Of course, Echelon's player, Steve would just happen upon a pile of campaign papers that force me to tweak the campaign episodes.  The actual royal proclamation is the only thing that affects this episode, and outside of a reminder that the old Feraso Empire is referred to the Ancien Empire in royal correspondence, the ret-conned announcement is far superior. 

NEXT #31 - Mage Trap!

Happy Halloween 2017!


Monday, October 30, 2017

These Kids and Their Technology!

So, my daughters are pretty close to crisis addiction level when it comes to scouring Youtube looking for blindbag videos.  In gamer-speak, a blindbag is the equivalent to opening up Heroclix singles on video, only for kids they're opening up a wide variety of collectibes from a wide-range of brands.

If you know what a Shopkin was for the last three years, you know what a blind bag is.

However, this whole concept isn't just relegated to kids toys.  There are plenty of videos where gamers crack open new product for the world to see.  And, of course, there are people ripping open packs of Beta Magic: The Gathering cards, only to find a Purelace as the rare.

With Millie (GnomeGirl #2) at a karate party *shudder*, I took a few moments with Maja (GnomeGirl#1) and we finally opened up the My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria - Curse of the Statuettes Boxed Set that I ordered on Amazon a few weeks ago.

First take, no editiing, no scripting, and some whining and gnashing of teeth and it's on Youtube.

I'm keeping my day job, and I'm certainly not advancing into the realm of professional vlogging any time soon.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Gnome Wars Events for Fall-In! 2017

Despite my best effort to wait for the last update of the Preliminary Event List (PEL) before pre-registering for Fall-In this upcoming weekend, I must have missed a final update, for, lo and behold, we have Gnome events!

F:405:14 Gnome Wars: The Vilage of Tulgas 
Friday, 2:00:00 PM, 4 hrs, Players: 8 GM: James Stanton Sponsor: None, Prize: Gnomes!! Period: Other, Scale: 28mm, Rules: Gnone Wars On November 11, 1918 elements of Hodson's American Infantry, 10th Highlanders, and a battery of Swiss Field Artillery were positioned in the Village of Tulgas. Suddenly, they were assaulted by the 96th Saratov Infantry regiment, part of Trotsky's newly raised Red Army. Heavily outnumbered and low on supplies, the allies had two cards in the hole - Mr. Browning and his friend Mr. Vickers.

S:406:13 Gnome Wars: The Vilage of Tulgas 
Saturday, 1:00:00 PM, 4 hrs, Players: 6 GM: James Stanton Sponsor: None, Prize: Gnomes!! Period: Other, Scale: 28mm, Rules: Gnome Wars On November 11, 1918 elements of Hodson's American Infantry, 10th Highlanders, and a battery of Swiss Field Artillery were positioned in the Village of Tulgas. Suddenly, they were assaulted by the 96th Saratov Infantry regiment, part of Trotsky's newly raised Red Army. Heavily outnumbered and low on supplies, the allies had two cards in the hole - Mr. Browning and his friend Mr. Vickers.

D&D Going Hip and Hipster

As much as I love some Andy Borowitz satire, I cringed at the initial though of the recent New Yorker article covering the resurrection of Dungeons & Dragons.

Upon reading it, my head hurt, I felt a little dirty, and after fears of a clueless hipster wave overtaking my logic center made me empathize with Middle Americans who thought the coasts "didn't get it," I feel a little dirtier.

D&D is booming.  The Fifth Edition books have all hit the Amazon 100 and stayed there for months.  Podcasts and streaming video channels with diverse and telegenic tables of players with at least capable improv ability are entertaining tens of thousands. Even game cafes in Brooklyn are suffering waitlists and trendiness among the "Games Workshop Moms" that is usually reserved for Pokemon, Beanie Babies, Wine Memes, and fashionably comfortable footwear.  Plus, their push for inclusivity of all types of players and characters has pushed upon the doors to let other people into a hobby dominated with socially awkward white dudes, even if the stereotypical character tropes are simply wrapped in a rainbow banner.  We're not really breaking new ground, simply expanding upon a well-prepared base.

On top of all that, I've been through 18 years of mainstream articles touting 3rd/4th/5th, the same old list of celebrity gamers, and whatever the trendiest video site is for games (with an even more judgmental nod to video games).  They are really not hashing anything new I haven't seen in the local paper, or a copy of USAToday many moons ago.

A couple critiques on some of the actual writing in the article:
Calling Gygax Magazine a "once defunct" magazine in the same paragraph that mentions its launch party is confusing to anyone with half a brain cell, and insulting to everyone with more than base knowledge in gaming history.  (Dragon Magazine is discontinued... Gygax Magazine tries to take up the mantle, shenanigans ensue, and while the new TSR is barely alive, Gygax Magazine could most certainly be described as currently defunct.)

Really, I don't when this whole "D&D (and RPGs in General) are Great for Autism" thing went viral to the mainstream, but did anyone look at gaming groups in the 70's, 80's, and 90's?   At least half of the players in them would probably land somewhere on "The Spectrum."   Of course, it can be great for many different groups of people!  It's not kettlebell pilates, naked paintball, or a Gerard Depardieu fan club, it's an imaginative social activity with friends.

And finally, I don't care what your style guide demands, the trademark is for "D&D," and has been for decades, so you don't need to plaster the obnoxious and migraine-inducing "D. & D." throughout the article.  It's the moniker for the brand not the abbreviation some short line railroad in eastern Idaho.

I guess in the this post-media world we're now fully entrenched in, any media coverage truly is a positive for any entity, but I can seriously say, with my nearly thirty years of general gaming, industry news, retail and manufacturing experience, and hobby history, that I had no clue where the author really wanted to go with the article after the first read-through.

And regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the angles and directions of the article, if I can't figure it out, I have concerns that the regular readers of the New Yorker will be even more flummoxed. 

Friday, October 27, 2017

(Kickstarter) The Ruins Of Glendale Village

Nord Games has recently launched a Kickstarter for their Ruins Of Glendale Village line of terrain.

Twenty-five dollars gets you one of four unpainted sets of village ruins in a gray plaster that you could easily give a wash and set on the table.  

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Apathy of the New Releases (Nov '17)

Every month, when the latest issue of Game Trade Magazine (GTM) becomes available from Alliance Games Distribution, I peruse the solicitations, make up the list of the items my imaginary store would probably order, make a few comments, and simply reaffirm my logic for naming the monthly post, Apathy of the New Releases.  Not that there isn't an immense selection of games, mind you, but that I'm so far away from the target demograhics that even the coolest item ever that they're promoting that month usually makes me go....

Meh.

Issue #213 of GTM should be covering November/December releases, ergo the last big push to put things on the shelves before Christmas, and the vast catalog of puzzles, novelties, and CCG supplies adding 5-6 pages to the regular-sized pdf, certainly shows.

But within those pages, I came upon a stunning realization: There's some pretty cool stuff that I actually want!

... and I'll probably still find something to complain about.  It's what I do *Yells at cloud....*

ViscountEric's Want List
Looney Labs
Doctor Who Fluxx .......................................................... $20.00

Ninja Division Games
My Little Pony RPG:  Bestiary of Equestria ...................  $29.99
My Little Pony RPG:  The Festival of Lights Adv ........... $15.99

Reaper 
Bones - Anarctic Explorer ................................................ $2.79
Bones - Hillbilly ............................................................... $2.79
Bones - Jake Ryan, Hero Explorer ................................... $2.79
Bones - Pulp Professor ..................................................... $2.79

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Issue Want List
The Design Mechanism
Mythras RPG: Mythic Constantinople .............................. $34.95

Fantasy Flight Games
Star Wars the RPG: 30th Anniversary Edition ................. $59.95

The Imaginary Store (The Pegleg Gnome) List
Asmodee 
Breaking Bad: The Board Game ....................................... $30.00

Atlas Games
Squirrel or Die .................................................................... $10.00
The White Box ................................................................... $29.95

Chaosium 
Heroquest Glorantha: The Red Cow Vol II - Eleven Lights .. $34.95

Czech Games
That's a Question? ............................................................. $20.00

Days of Wonder 
Ticket to Ride Maps Volume 6: France and the Old West .. $44.95

Devir Americas
Dungeon Raiders ............................................................... $17.95

Fantasy Flight Games
Battle for Rokugan ............................................................. $39.95
Star Wars Armada: Chimaera Expansion .......................... $49.95
Star Wars Armada: Profundity Expansion ......................... $39.95
Star Wars Destiny: Dice Binders ....................................... $14.95 ea
Boba Fett, Darth Vader, or Princess Leia Covers

Star Wars RPG: Force and Destiny: Unlimited Power HC . $29.95
Star Wars RPG:  Roleplaying Gamemat ............................   PI
Star Wars X-Wing: Alpha-Class Star Wing .......................................... $14.95
Star Wars X-Wing: The Last Jedi - Resistance Bomber ................. ..... $39.95
Star Wars X-Wing: M12-L KIMOGILA FIGHTER ............................. $19.95
Star Wars X-Wing: TIE SILENCER ..................................................... $29.95
Star Wars X-Wing: PHANTOM II ........................................................ $14.95

Gale Force Nine
STAR TREK ASCENDANCY: BORG PLAY MAT 36” X 36” .... PI

Games Worksho
p
Adeptus Mechanics Codex (HC) ........................................ $40.00
Chaos Space Marine Death Guard Codex (HC).................  $40.00
Not getting into the $7 for a core figure in a boxed set rant.  Not today...

Mantic Entertainment
Terrain Crate: Battlefield Crate ........................................... $75.00
Terrain Crate: Dark Lord's Crate ......................................... $75.00
Terrain Crate: Dungeon Crate ............................................. $75.00
Terrain Crate: Town Crate ................................................... $75.00

Osprey Publishing
LANCASTER BOMBER POCKET MANUAL: 1941-1945 ... $14.00
SPITFIRE POCKET MANUAL: 1939-1945 ......................... $14.00

Paizo
Pathfinder ACG: Occult Adv Character Deck 1 ........................................ $19.99
Pathfinder RPG: Adv Class Guide (Pocket Edition) .................................. $19.99
Pathfinder RPG: Bestiary 3 (Pocket Edition) ............................................. $19.99
Pathfinder RPG:  AP - Ruins of Azlant Part 6 - Beyone the Veiled Past ... $24.99
Pathfinder RPG: Player Companion: Disciple's Doctrine .......................... $14.99
Pathfinder RPG: CS - Ruins of Azlant - Post Map Folio ........................... $19.99
Pathfinder RPG: Flip-Map - Dungeons Multi-Pack ................................... $24.99
Starfinder RPG: Flip-Map - Urban Sprawl ................................................. $14.99


Q-Workshop
Call of Cthulhu Dice ............................................................  PI
Q-Workshop is ridiculously expensive for what you're really paying for, but tis the season for people demanding overpriced stuff.  

Reaper Miniatures
Two waves of the Bones 3 Kickstarter is solicited this month so IF one of my FLGS gets some in, I might be inclined to actually buy something there!  

Rio Grande Games
Dominion: Nocturne ............................................................................. $44.95
Power Grid:  Fabled Cards ................................................................... $15.95

Steve Jackson Games
Munchkin: Hidden Treasure Special Edition ........................................ $19.95
Munchkin: Playmat - The Flower of Love ............................................ $16.95
Munchkin: Valentine's Day Monster Box .............................................. $29.95
Super Kitty Bug Slap ............................................................................. $ 6.95
Munchkin: Collecticlbe Card Game Starter Sets.................................... $24.95 each
Starters:  Cleric/Thief, Ranger/Warrior, Wizard/Bard 
Munchkin: Collectible Card Game: Boosters

Ulisses-Spiele
Torg Eternity RPG: Core Rules HC ...................................................... $49.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Day One HC ......................................................... $29.99
Torg Eternity RPG: GM Screen ...........................................................  $24.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Dice Pack .............................................................. $ 9.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Drama Deck .......................................................... $19.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Delphi Missions - Rising Storm HC ....................  $24.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Poster Map ............................................................ $14.99
Torg Eternity RPG: Possibilities ........................................................... $19.99

Ultra-Pro
Tons of stuff for Ixalan.  Despite its price, Magic players seem to love official stuff.  

Vallejo
Tons of restocks or paints and new products.  Not my favorite paint, but the displays are space conscious, the paint quality, and the modelling tools don't require a lifetime of debt like GW.

WizKids
TMNT HEROCLIX: UNPLUGGED GRAVITY FEED DISPLAY
TMNT HEROCLIX: UNPLUGGED FAST FORCES .............. $16.95
TMNT HEROCLIX: UNPLUGGED DICE & TOKEN PACK  .... $9.99

Z-Man
History of the World .................................................... $69.99
Kingsburg ................................................................... $59.99
Majesty: For the Realm .............................................. $39.99
My First Stone Age: The Card Game ......................... $14.99
Pandemic Rising Tide ................................................. $49.99

Zvezda
GERMAN TANK MAUS .............................................. $4.95
SD.KFZ.173 Jagdpanther Germand Tank Destroyer...... $4.95
Soviet HQ Winter .......................................................... $4.95

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Battle in a Box Contest

From http://www.bucksurdu.com :

"The Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers (HAWKs) are hosting a contest to identify the best “battle in a box” miniatures game. The basic idea behind this contest is to challenge game masters to develop the best looking and most fun miniatures game that can fit in a single box, one that could fit in the overhead bin of a standard passenger airplane. Often it is helpful to have a battle in a box to take on vacation, have on hand in case a club event finishes early, or is cancelled, etc. It is easy to develop a battle in a box that has poor aesthetics, but fitting a very nice game into a single box should be a bit challenging. "

I like a contest where the goal solves a common problem, and doesn't involve me spending tremendous sums of cash. With a deadline of Fall-In! 2018, I have some time to think about some options with my current collection (and to procure the specific case in mention).

The full rules of the contest can be found here.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Ballad of the Pigeon God #29 From Bad to Worse...

A group of adventurers were running down the main road of Eding toward the estate of a certain M. Echelon.

Talis Makolin - Bard and Lover Extraordinaire
Prince William the Scarlet - NPC - Paladin of Akana, Knight of the Spiral Hawk, and Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Aragain.  Given absolute power of the Village of Eding and environs by the King of Crosedes, and promptly failed to act after successive disasters, suffering the loss of a manor house by a currently marauding group of peasants.
Rurik Bloodblade - NPC-  Viking warrior from Wyrmnal.  Former adventuring companion of William
Fiame - NPC - Cleric of Akana and an adventuring companion of William.
MacKay - NPC - Hardened myrmidion and adventuring companion of William

22 OctDec 1070, Chateau d'Echelon, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosdes
The group reached their destination, the Chateau d'Echelon, where their reinforcements had start just mustered together to embark towards Eding.  Echelon had raised Count Zabty half-orc fallen paladin, Carthon d'Echelon and his wife Jenny, Heirylat, ex-gladiator Brutus, and former soldiers Aetex and Cilito for the ensuing melee.

Their increased numbers secured  victory over the revolting peasants.  They persued a retreating pack of them escorting the traitorous Rogard back to town.  Back in the village green, they finally caught up to Rogard, as he surrendured in an exhausted heap.

At this point villagers innocent in the revolt came out of their homes to warn the party of "many, many horses"  riding towards town from the north.   They took refuge in Argus the Blacksmith's shop.  Using one of the blacksmith's hammers as an interrogation tool, Talis questioned Rogard.  He admitted to killing Barrak and conspiring to overthrow Prince William. He also said that "they" were coming and that the party was as good as dead.

Black armored cavalry arrived in town, along with some large, rubbery nasty humanoids who had kept up on foot.  Echelon and company emerged to confront them.

The "Defenders of Eding," along with Argus fought the well-armed horsemen, and things quickly went poorly.  Employing the Echelon School of Battle Tactics, they scrambled back to the Chateau.

After regrouping at the Chateau, they prepared to fight them again, further aided by Mohammad, two village militiamen,  Baron Felix, and Pathfinder.  They fought valiantly, knowing that if they lost there the chateau and everything they had would be taken by this force of raiders.

The battle was looking bad, when suddenly Mohammad called down the pillars of fires of his godincinerating the monsters.  With the rubbery monsters taken out by the fire, they were able to defeat the knights.

Talis:  "Fires of the god of the sea?  I ain't a theologin, but that ain't right."

They interrogated the surviving knights and discovered their leader was the mysterious DREAD LORD!  All they knew of him was that he was somehow related to the king, and he had a long-planned campaign to usurp the throne.

A detachment of Crosedean Royal Cavalry  oddly arrived in short order.   The leader of the Cavalry happened to be Prince Cervinal, brother of King Nevin!  He refused to believe a word the Defenders of Eding said, because "Foolish peasants, I AM the Dread Lord...  The King would not believe a word you said."

Then a woman rode up to the meeting.  She shed her hood, revealing Celeste, the girl they had encountered in Alasku... and Talis had courted back in Hydincall.  Her appearance only escalated the arguments with the Dread Lord and Royal Cavalry until she apparently cast some spell and everyone was knocked out.

When the party woke up, the Dread Lord and the Royal Cavalry were gone.  It appeared that the Dread Lord and County Zabty were, in fact, unaffected by the spell.   Zabty protected all the fallen, forcing the Dread Lord and his daughter to escape.  As the royal cavalry woke up, Zabty attempted to smooth things other with them and prove their innocence.

23 OctDec 1070, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosdes
Aetex, Cilitio, and Brutus left after breakfast, heading for fame and fortune in Hydincall.

24 OctDec 1070, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosdes
The Chateau awoke to Prince William and his adventuring friends missing.  They had left sometime during the night and stole enough horses to get out of town quickly.

27 OctDec 1070, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Mohammad had not been himself after his giant flamestrike stymied the Dread Lord's men.  He moved less and less on his little scooter, and on this day, the others found him in a closet, in a deep meditative trance.   He would occasionally take a few moments to come slightly out of the trance to eat and drink, but otherwise, he was not responsive to anything else.

35 NonDec 1070, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosdes
For over a month the Chateau did what they could to reassemble the village, and partaking heavily in any wine stores that they could get their hands on.

Zabty still had some clout and respect with the remaining villagers, but there is no guidance from Hydincall.  Carthon and Baron Felix distributed the surviving grain stores among the villagers and had firewood cut for a long, cold, and bleak winter.

1 DecDec 1070, Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosdes
The Chateau received an unexpected knock at the door.  A man calling himself Mr Tinpenny visited, escorted by four well-armed guards.

He revealed that Carthon had actually taken out a loan to purchase and improve the Chateau, using the money from Echelon's sold off possession as meager collateral.  With the general collapse of order in Eding, mixed with horrendous weather, Tinpenny was executing a little-noted clause in the loan contract recalling the entire balance of the loan.  The party had until the end of the month. to pay back the full amount of 12,800 gold pieces or he would seize the property and all the possessions inside.

Even if the missing heroes had returned, they couldn't amass enough gold to pay off the debt.

But after several days of drinking, Echelon and Talis come up with a plan...

DM Notes:  Things in the second part of the special session with Talis and Echelon's player went from bad to outright horrible.  Eding is in shambles, Prince William was proven to be a horrible leader, the rumored Dread Lord is in a position of power that they can't touch and the Chateau, which Carthon had purchased only a year ago, was going to be taken away from them.  

I half expected Talis and Echelon, not the most heroic characters in bunch, to pack up and run before the peasant uprising.  I was impressed that they toughed it out.  Salvaging most of the wine in town for personal use probably helped that decision.  

Let's see here....
*Barrak and hundreds of villagers?  Dead.
*Count Zabty and Torm Touchberry - Desperate and despondent leaders of the Eding shadow government.
*Rolf, Ashe, Kane, Kannex, and Maloran?  Missing for months.
*Velandro and the Dag Family?  Training in Ispatlia, completely unaware of the chaos.
*Carthon, Jenny, Timmy, Dew, Heirylat,  and Baron Felix?  Simply exhausted from working at the Chateau and trying to help the villagers.
*Mohammad? Stuck in a healing trance in a closet.
*Aetex, Cilito, and Brutus?  Deserted the Chateau for fame and fortune.  
*Prince William and his cohort?  Ditched town when things went bad. 
*Cervinal and Celeste Silvershield - The Dread Lord and his daughter.
*Mr Tinpenny? About the foreclose on the Chateau...
*Talis and Echelon?  All their fame and glory have afforded them failed responsibilities, and a daily mission to reach the bottom of as many wine bottles as possible each day.



... but they have a plan.

NEXT #30 - YULE!

Monday, October 23, 2017

Playing at the World: Vintage Ad: Why Women Don't Play Wargames

The blog Playing at the World recently posted a picture of an ad that TSR used to "lure" women into the burgeoning fantasy role-playing hobby.   Vintage Ad: Why Women Don't Play Wargames:
From Playing at the World

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pittsburgh Gnomes

Hopefully, I'm recovering from the busiest day of the year at work, so to fill in today's session, here's a picture of some oddly placed gnomes in the Kidszone at the Pittsburgh Zoo. 

Friday, October 20, 2017

(Kickstarter) Midlam Miniatures Garden Gnomes!

Midlam is at it again with another Kickstarter that hits my demographic like a sniper:  Common (or Garden Gnomes)
A forty dollar pledge (with shipping from the UK) will get all thrteen of the sculpts.  The miniatures are between 24-28mm head to foot.

WizKids and Games Workshop Sign Mysterous Pact of Darkness

Press Release from Wizkids.com

WizKids Announces New Partnership with Games Workshop

Reveals Plans to Release New Games set in the Critically Acclaimed Warhammer 40,000™ Universe

October 19, 2017 – Hillside, NJ – WizKids, the leader in high-quality pre-painted miniatures and established board games, today revealed a multi-year partnership with acclaimed fantasy miniatures company, Games Workshop. The new partnership will extend the Warhammer 40,000 universe IP across multiple categories, including, Dice Building Games™, board games and more!

“We’re thrilled to be working with Games Workshop and the Warhammer 40,000 license,” said Justin Ziran, president of WizKids. “This beloved franchise is known the world over and our partnership will allow us to create amazing products and experiences for fans everywhere.”

The multi-year deal will span numerous categories and include the most iconic Warhammer 40,000 characters and more. WizKids will create two new board games, along with dice games based in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, with additional plans to republish classic board games Fury of Dracula and Relic.

WizKids will begin rolling out the new product lines in mid 2018.

For more information on WizKids, visit: www.wizkids.com.

About WizKidsWizKids/NECA, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NECA, is a New Jersey-based game developer and publisher dedicated to creating games driven by imagination. WizKids first pioneered the Combat Dial system featured in HeroClix, the leading collectible miniatures game on the market, with over 750 million miniature game figures sold worldwide. WizKids continues to produce new proprietary game platforms and properties including the award-winning fantasy board game Mage Knight, the groundbreaking Dice Building Game engine used in the critically-acclaimed game Quarriors! and Dice Masters, as well as its widely hailed execution of Attack Wing. For additional information, visit www.wizkids.com.

About Games WorkshopGames Workshop® Group PLC (LSE:GAW.L), based in Nottingham, UK, produces the best fantasy miniatures in the world. Games Workshop designs, manufactures, retails, and distributes its range of Warhammer®: Age of Sigmar® and Warhammer® 40,000® games, miniature soldiers, novels and model kits through more than 460 of its own stores (branded Games Workshop® or Warhammer®), the www.games-workshop.com web store and independent retail channels in more than 50 countries worldwide. More information about Games Workshop and its other, related, brands and product ranges (including our publishing division ‘Black Library’ and our special resin miniatures studio ‘Forge World’) can be found at www.games-workshop.com.

So what does this mean?  What it doesn't mean there will be an availability of cheap clix-style orks, tyrannids, and eldar. It doesn't say it can't happen eventually, but a focus on board games and dice games means the clix-focus most grognards are still associate with WizKids is getting pushed further into other endeavors.  I anticipate them filling the licensing requirements for board games like Fantasy Flight had previously done. 

Thursday, October 19, 2017

(RISUS - IOU) The Culligan, Man of Mystery

Another day, another billion dollars from student loans at Illuminati University.

Rayne Firewyrk, Bottled Water Hating Fire Samurai, spotted the Culligan man pushing a hand truck across campus. Knowing the horrible things that could be in the bottled water ("You don't know what's in bottled water? THAT'S THE PROBLEM!), he tried to sneak across the Pent, with a tiny bush, cartoon-style.
Yes, this is a real thing... check out Youtube.

Keith Stone sees him poorly trying to sneak across the wide-open Pent and intervened with a Keystone Light. Easily comprehending that bottled water was much more dangerous than beer, he joined the investigation. Looking for muscle to help them take down such a threat, they recruited Pepe the King Prawn and Huggy Bear, a 6'6" black mother *shut your mouth* Care Bear.  
Huggy Bear, sans his leather trench, black turtleneck, and cool hat

The Culligan went through a service entrance of cafeteria and Rayne almost made it through the closing door before suffering an asthma attack. Using his video game connections, his gamer buddy MONGO, let them in, so long as they had some sweet potato pie and come back to hang for a bit. 

"Mongo psyche filled filled with black swirling darkness."

Once they posted the discussion on Mongo's ennui, they caught a glimpse of the The Culligan dragging his hand truck down a flight of stairs. 

They finally caught up to The Culligan, who was taking his five gallon water jugs and installing them directly into the campus water supply!

Pepe attempted to dislodged the water jug and succeeded, only to have a low-lying fog seep out of the connection, knocking him out.  Huggy Bear lifted him out and Keith Stone tried to revive him with yet another Keystone Light.... in the Beer Cozy of Satan. 

Pepe woke up, mysteriously wearing thick glasses, his turtleneck and chain replaced with suspenders, his Latino accent replaced with a rare Chicago twang.

"Did I do that????" 

Pepe Urquel wanted vengeance and chased after The Culligan.  He managed to circle around him, and catch off guard, but failed to do anything.  Huggy Bear stared down The Culligan, but The Culligan whipped out a '50s style ray gun and knocked him out AND disarmed Rayne's katana.  The Culligan threw his last 5-gallon jug at a unsuspecting Pepe Urquel.  Keith Stone slid into the jug's path.  The jug hit him with a resounding thud, and Stone's body still slammed into the king prawn.  Gathering their senses, Keith's pride was the only thing wounded, and Pepe was back to his Latin Lothario ways....   

Rayne recovered his katana and disarmed The Culligan, forcing him to flee.  Another chase through the pipe-strewn basement confirmed to Rayne that he really need to work on cardio.  The Culligan was ultimately trapped in a dark and dingy break room.   In one last act of desperation, he pulled down a vending machine, which cracked open, sending dozens of 16oz bottles of water everywhere.

When the others finally caught up to Rayne, they found the floor covered with water and sliced open bottles, the cover to an air vent lying against the wall, The Culligan gone. 
A friendly delivery man, or a secret warrior of a mysterious society?
When they finally get to the surface, The Culligan's truck was gone, but a license plate vanity frame was left in it's spot...  "H2O to GO..."

...but first it was time for sweet potato pie and friendship.

GM Note:  Another online D&D session was cancelled, this time our DM was available, but the main character who was central to the storyline had a family medical emergency.  

Time to whip out Risus.  

The entire session was based on the first question I asked Jeff (Rayne's player),  "What does Rayne see as he's chilling on the Pent?"  

"I see the Culligan man delivering water.  I need to exact vengeance."

Game. Set. Match.

I will say that I need to make/post a few more NPCs for IOU.  I'm running a bit low after relying on them for these last two games.  

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

(IOU) Huggy Bear

Huggy Bear - Righteous Care Bear with Attitude
"Damn Right" (4)  - Able to persuade most people using his coolness.  Where applicable, three ladies jump out of no where, and a funk riff plays and they "Damn Right..."
CareBear Stare (3)
"What it is, Mother F'er" (2) - Intense Observation
"What is in there?" (1) Can reach into his Afro and pull random items, not always what he intended

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Ballad of the Pigeon God #28: Meanwhile, Back at the Chateau...

12 HexDec 1070 - Hydincall, Kingdom of Crosedes
As the green mist surrounding Duane Alberhold's brothel finally dissipated, the entire building disappeared, leaving parts of the root cellar.  Talis Makolin, bard and lover extraordinaire, had just been chased out of the brothel by his irate barbarian travelling companion, Rolf Wolfsblood, but now he stood in the middle of the street with the party's new purchases in a wagon, and their new friend dim-witted ex-gladiator Brutus, leaning against it.

"Crud. Brutus wanna go up to Eding with me?  I guess there's plenty of room at the Chateau."

"Sure Dallis, let's go..."

With the bulk of the party missing, and many of Hydincall's wizards, alchemists, and magic shops looking for the pilfering Talis, consulting with Echelon, Carthon, Mohammad, and County Zabty sounded like the safest option.

20 HexDec 1070 - Chateau d'Echelon - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Talis and Brutus finally brought the wagon up to the Chateau and immediately informed the other party members of the situation.  Assuming that their missing companions were fairly experienced adventurers, and there were no clues as to what happened, they assumed their friends were smart enough to find a way home.  Those at the Chateau decided it best to stay there, work on improving the estate, and help Eding when needed.

The simple village of Eding...
29 HexDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
The village and its surroundings were subject to days of horrible storms, plus a few tornadoes, flattening crops and causing  significant damage.  The citizenry were frightened, and many families began packing up and fleeing to Omsjik.

31 HexDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Barrack, former owner of the Blue Wizard, and disgraced militia commander, spoke to Prince William about resuming his duties as community leader, as he had under Baron Athelstane.  Prince William outright refused and their vociferous debate on the village green was the talk of the town for day.

35 HexDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Barrack had continued his campaign to help lead the rebuilding process in Eding, until one of his daughters discovered him dead in a privy behind the Inn, a dagger sunk into the center of his chest. The captain of Prince Williams' "baronial" guard, a chap named Rogard, launched an investigation. 

Echelon took up where Barrack left off and began to immediately petitioned Prince William to formally acknowledge the cleric as a leader of the village, to coordinate tending to the crops and keeping the peace.

Talis launched his own investigation into Barrack's death, but found little.

21 SepDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
The weather over the past month had been most erratic, the day scorching hot, even for late summer, and the nightly storms extremely fierce, pounding the town.  The storms must have stretched up into the mountains, because cascading waters then swelled the river.  Many areas are flooded, including Lansluck, many halfling villages and Eding itself. Echelon dispatched the other residents of the Chateau to the village and the halfling towns (but not as far as Lansluck) to help as many people as possible.

Needless to say, many crops were failing at a critical time.

8 OctDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
After the flood waters subsided, a plague, probably caused by the mosquito infestation, swept through the valley.  The only man with enough true healing powers to fight the sickness was Mohammad, and he was working night and day to combat the illness.  Still more people escaped Eding.  Words like "accursed" would come out of their mouths during their farewells.

14 OctDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Echelon and Talis continued to seek audience with  Prince William about community leadership.  He had rejected every proposal presented to him, preferring to stay within the walls of Athelstane's old manor, surrounded by Athelstane's old guards.   Some of his old friends were coming to aid the village, and they were more powerful that the Chateau's roster.

22 OctDec, 1070 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Echelon went up to the see Prince William yet again and found the townspeople revolting and surrounding the manor house.   Echelon ran back to the Chateau for reinforcements and Talis went to help William.

Talis tried not to harm the villagers too badly as he fought his way to the Prince.  Rogard was leading the revolt and the only factor keeping them from seizing them was that William's allies had just arrived they seemed better organized that Talis' group, but they had already lost two of their own to the peasants.

Talis used his magic and his blade valiantly to help save William.  The villagers torched the manor house as Talis escaped with the Prince and his surviving friends, Rurik Bloodblade, a viking warrior from Wyrmnal, Fiame, a cleric of Akana, and MacKay an aging Mymidion.

DM Notes:  Welcome back to the past in Crosedes, from the moment the brothel disappeared.  I had a few sessions with Talis and Echelon's players the week before finals and well before we started the Talislanta summer sessions.  The best part of all was that everyone kept their part of the story secret over the Summer, so when our heroes might get a chance to reunite, the updates will finally hit them like a ton of bricks.  

Prince William has been granted absolute power to control Athelstane's land around Eding by the King of Crosedes.  He might be a great paladin, but the idea of making decisions in a crisis affecting thousands absolutely petrifies him.  

William's friends, Rurik, Fiame, MacKay (and the recently deceased Billo and Travis) were the party that the Archbishop sent to recover the Bell of Chardastes after it appeared our heroes failed in their mission.  

Next #29  From Bad to Worse

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Magic: The Gathering - Arena of the Planeswalkers Board Game at Five Below.

Outside of helping Maja write an actual graphic novel using Rory's Story Cubes, it's been very light gaming-wise this weekend. 

With the kids off to an amusement parks Halloween festival with family, my wife and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary a day late, with childless lunch at TGI Fridays and an exciting hockey game between the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and the Syracuse Crunch. 

Unfortunately, even in our relaxed state, we're so efficient getting out the door and eating that we had 90 minutes to burn before puck drop. 

Working on a rumor I got last week, I suggested the chain Five Below, which, if you don't have girls under 13 in your house, is effectively a store where everything is five dollars or less, and 80% of the merchandise drives young girls into madness.

No need for Shopkins, cute t-shirts, and forty horrible shades of nail polish, but my wife confirmed the rumors by pointing out this before I could find it:
This is Magic: The Gathering Arena of the Planeswalkers board game.    Over two years ago this was solicited through the hobby store channels , and I asked two questions:  How much was it, and how deep was this getting distributed, because the company was listed under Hasbro rather than WotC.

Two years later, it's on clearance at Five Below for five dollars, well under the $30.00+ retail price I've seen on FLGS shelves. 

To be honest, even before reading the rulebook, it's not a bad deal.  Thirty plastic figures (ten of them with a "speed paintjob" from China), some battleboards, some dice akin to BattleMasters, and a shiny black d20 equals an impulse buy that might be useful. 

For five bucks, I'm surprised I only bought one.   Sure, it's toy company quality sculpts that might be a smidge small for 30mm, but I can think of nowhere else where $15 would net you six hellhounds and a vatload elves, phoenixes, and various warlords and beasties. 

I'll even try it out to see if it plays okay...

It's no Kay-Bee Toys deal for Star Wars Figures and D&D modules from the early 90's, but I'll take it.

FYI:  No Five Below in your area, I did find it online at Target for a little over $17.  Still not a bad price....

Steelstacks Gamecon - Saturday, November 11, 2017

Live in the Lehigh Valley and can't make the hike up to Mepacon?  Don't fear, Steelstacks Gamecon will take place that Saturday, November 11, 2017 in Southside Bethlehem from 12-4pm.  

Although it is $8 admission and only four hours long, it appears the organizers are focusing on as many 20-30 minute games that they can get their hands (and there are a ton!).


Friday, October 13, 2017

300K For the Gnomies!

With the help of bots from Italy, the Ukraine, and Russia, plus the views of thousans of real people, Gaming with the Gnomies just hit 300,000 page views.

I already provided by plans for world domination this year a mere two weeks ago, so not much has transpired.  My crazy busy season at work and the kid's activities have kept me from the basement, but I have gotten some time beyond my two-hour online RPG sesion in the office to work on a slew of projects.

I did take a minute to go through the blog journal, just to make sure I still had all my plans were still in the queue.

  • Adventures in Gulluvia:  The relaunch of the old weekend group on an online platform is progressing slowly, but I think I have enough options for them, plus a few scenarios from some peculiar sources.
  • 5th Edition D&D: Oh what fun it is to play a mixture of Robin Hood and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.  Falgor the Barbarian rocks!
  • My Little Pony:  Reviews of the Core Rulebook and Curse of the Statuettes are pending.  I have a little administrative work to do, but the multiple sessions at Mepacon are ready!  
  • Fall-In!:  Finally registered, room reserved
  • Pulp Alley:  It took a few days of digging through my junk mail, but I did find my Pulp Alley Lost World of Lemuria PDF that they sent directly to me.  Still planning on Season 3 of the Pulp Game to be back in "Egypt," but it's a fun campaign to run for future sessions.
  • Risus: Going through the Blogging Journal, I re-discovered the previously shelved "Planet Mirrorball."  With the cancellations of the 5e game, Risus - IOU will make a comeback after attacking the water plant.
  • PROJECT ZERO:  Super-secret project I can't discuss at all.  Only thing I'll mention has been missing my nightly writing goals of a 1,000 words a night.  Getting that corrected ASAP.
The furnace needs to be serviced, so I'll be downstairs shortly.... and revisit the painting bench.  

"The Weekend" is Moving

"The Weekend", the annual small convention held at the Continental Inn in Lancaster, PA is moving in 2018!

Calendar-wise that is.

The location and activities are still the same, but the convention will be moving from June to April 11-15, probably due to either date availability, or the grand impending return of Historicon to the Lancaster Host this July.

It doesn't affect my season hockey tickets, so color me intrigued.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

A Reaper Mousling Ad in White Wolf Magazine

Flipping through the Halloween issue #48 of White Wolf, circa 1994, I come away with a few things.
  1. It was chock-full of edgy, pretentious BS back in the day.  It's pretty tame compared to the wackiness at the ends of the spectrum we're dealing with today.  That is neither a compliment towards their writing, nor of the current situation.  
  2. $3.95 for a magazine was an acceptable price for a guy who just had gotten a job for minimum wage ($5/hr) at New Frontiers in the Phillipsburg Mall selling Magic cards.
  3. Ken Carpenter was one of the only reasons I read this magazine at that point.  A Fantasy scenario and a review for Legions of Steel? Totally Sweet. 
  4. A note that issue #45 had an editorial about the movement to remove lead from minis.  Oh the barbarity! 
  5. The current reviews I post from time to time or little better than the schlock review for TWERPS Space Cadets 2nd Edition in the capsule reviews.  
  6. The #3 best selling gaming product for that August was Jyhad Booster Packs.  The only two products in the top 20 that weren't Wizards, TSR, Palladium, White Wolf or FASA?  R. Talsorian's Castle Falkenstein.  I may post that list later.  
  7. It was the glorious early days of Reaper Miniatures as they had commissioned Terry Williams to sculpt some of the original Mouslings (and the long forgotten Verminites).
Dollar minis.... oh the memories....
7. The dude reviewing TWERPS Space Cadets 2nd Edition was me...

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Ballad of the Pigeon God #27: Talis Makolin EXPOSED!

Talis Makolin was born in Omsjik to Yalina Makolin and an unknown father.  Yalina was an "employee" of Lady Alania's Pleasure Palace.  She was a fairly neglecting mother, and Talis, being an only child, spent most of his days around town learning a variety of skills.

Talis learned early on that he was not too keen on many physical pursuits, but enjoyed some mild academics.  He learned the rudiments of magic, but didn't put in enough time to be a full mage.

Talis has a love of gambling and women, not necessarily in that order.  There are more than a couple of children that will be born in a few months that look remarkably like Talis.

Talis loves to play the flute (especially to empress impress women).  He has a silver tongue and a clever wit, he is fairly lazy though, and will take the easy way out whenever possible.

Talis' urge to leave Omsjik is helped by the fact that his mother died last year and there are two fathers and one angry husband after him because of newborns who bear a striking likeness to him.


DM Notes: Ever since the Journal appeared and we started posting about the campaign, we've gotten a steady stream of recollections and some old material for the archives.  Back in May of this year, when I was on vacation, the very first email I got when returning from my cruise was Talis' player, Hoyce, sending me his background sheet.   The top portion above his picture was always consistent, but as the campaign progressed, he would write up Talis' opinion of the situation and his opinions on his travelling companions.  Below is his opinion of the group just after Palace of the Silver Princess.  In the next few episodes we'll be covering what's going on with Talis and Echelon while the rest of the group has disappeared to Talislanta, so this is a great place to post this.  I also have three updates that I'll be integrating into later episodes.  

Talis is remarkably happy to be alive, and greatly please to be able to cast a few spell, they will probably help him soon (Rolf won't be bursting in on him any more).  He truly wanted to stay in Haven to be a court minstrel and enjoy a life of academics, women, and pleasure.

After traveling with his companions for awhile, he has formed some definite opinions of them:
Rolf: A sneaky bastard, Talis doesn't trust him any farther than he can throw him.  Useful in combat, though.
Malorin (edit: Maloran): Talis doesn't know what his problem is.  He seems to be okay but has a poor personality. Besides, a drunk woman in bed isn't as good.
Kane:  Talis likes him.  He's a strange little man, with a bizarre culture, but overall an okay guy.
Echelon: Despite his rather pungent aroma and poor fashion sense, Talis is rather fond of Echelon. He is brave, has good sense of humor, and is a gifted priest.  If he could only loose his bizarre fixation on animals he might be alright.
Velandro: He takes that whole religion thing a little too seriously, but overall a good healer and an okay kind of guy.  Talis tries not to hold it against Velandro for getting him killed (See Episode #5).
Dag:  Talis isn't quite sure why we agreed to bring him and his family along, but at least he and his family have learned hygiene.  The Dag family is a turn off for chicks, though.
Musupo (edit: Meudsopu): Talis is amazed the old drunk didn't buy the farm earlier.  When he was sober he was useful, but other than that he was just always drunk.  Tails is upset he died before Talis could play cards with him and take all his money.

Next #28 - Meanwhile, Back at the Chateau

Monday, October 9, 2017

(Hackmaster) Burning Trogs Redux #0.3 - Prelude Baroness Cecelia Darkspruce - Twelve Years Later

GM Notes: No major progress on a relaunch of our Hackmaster game of old, but I have "updated" a few PCs to reflect the twelve years past.  There are some suprises in store for some PCs/NPCs, but "Baroness" Cecelia is pretty straightforward and common knowledge

Baroness Cecelia Darkspruce of Teleorman, 7/7 Half-Elf Fighter Cleric of Sif
circa 1148
Alignment: NG, Ht: 5'6"  Wt: 123lbs  Class: LUC, Age: 34
Homeland:  Agenmoor
Birthdate:  10 Hexdec 1113
Birth Rank:  2nd  Siblings:  1 (sister-dead)  - Parents assumed dead.
Right-Handed
Blonde hair, blue eyes
Base Movement: 12
XP: 92,757/92,757
STR   14/ 52
DEX   10/72
CON  11/77
INT    10/62
WIS   12/98
CHA  13/48
COM  16/77

Hit Points:  58
AC:  -2
Total Combat Bonus:  +3/+4 using Sonya Jr.

PP: 871
GP: 8,645
EP: 2,180
SP: 6,498
CP:  0

Weapon Prof
Longsword (Specialized)  2/1 Attacks, +1 to hit/+2 damage
Quarterstaff
Spear
Medium Horse Lance

Talents
Acrobatic skill suite
Sword Bonus

Weapons
Longsword +1 Sonya Jr
Normal Longsword with Continual Light Cast Upon It
Dagger of Flesh Devouring

Armor
Plate Mail +1
Leather +3 (for day-to-day operations)
Medium Shield

Magic Items
Oil of Slipperiness
Potion of Flying
Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals
Mushrooms of Delusion
Leather +3
Plate Mail +1
Dagger of Flesh Devouring.

Skills
Animal Handling            22%
Art of Seduction             22%
Astrology                        20%
Bargain Sense                 22%
Blacksmith Tools            17%
Civil Administration       37%
Clever Packer                 23%
Current Affairs                13%
Customs: Agenmoor       25%
Customs: Marakeikos     20%
Customs: Vlachia            23%
Dancing                          35%
Diplomacy                      28%
Divine Lore                     17%
Graceful Entrance          19%
Groin Punch                   18%
Healing                           18%
History, Local                 19%
Idle Gossip                    19%
Knowledge of Courtly Affairs  21%
Leadership: Basic          51%
Leadership: Committee  50%
Leather-working             18%
Military Battle Sense      14%
Parley                             25%
Religion: General           98%
Religion: Norse              19%
Riding: Land                   42%
Social Etiquette              27%
Survival: Desert              18%
Swimming: Dog Paddle  35%
Shaving/Grooming
Weapon Maintenance.

Languages
Elf                               100%
Trade Prythax             100%
R/W  Elven                    45%
R/W Trade Prytahx        20%

Flaws
Glutton
Right Eye Missing (no depth perception)
Right ear missing
Stutter
Tone deaf
Temper tantrum
Low pain threshold
Loud boor

Property
Baroness of Teleorman, an agricultural barony taken from the Kingdom of Vlachia in 1138.  Cecelia was named Governer-General to the territory in 1138, as she had been named in Vadevincsky, and subsequently name Baroness of Teleorman in 1143.

Aiden-Teppe in Trebeizond, an estate granted to her by the Emperor of Barthey for services to the Empire during the War with the Master. Forfeited when granted a title by the Queen of Marakeikos

The Burning Trog's Original Headquarters: a two-story structure in Celsior, now deemed a historical structure by Duke Desmond.  When full-status Trogs are in town, it is opened as a hostel for adventurers.

Awards/Honors
Rood Pegasi Arin: Norse holy medallion and cross chest ribbon, for those honored to have fought alongside the Valkyries. 
Phalera Tetracross (Giant medallion from Barthey Empire), attached to her Plate Mail +1
Civic Crown of Barthey (Gilded wreath of olive branches)
Obsidian Medal of Barthey (for heroism during the siege of Akorros), inserted inside the Phalera Tetracross
Knight of the Three Suns 1st Degree
Sylvan Sunblades 4th Order

Sunday, October 8, 2017

(Humor and Theory) D&D Group Overthrows DM

Social media has directed me to a satire article on Hard Times:

"D&D Group Overthrows Dungeon Master in Favor of Dungeon Democracy"

It's one of those items that's supposed to make me chuckle, yet part of me just goes, "You fools, you'll ruin it for all of us!"

I've never gotten the whole "Evil DM vs the players" angle, yet, at the same time, I feel the whole kumbuya Cooperative Role-Play full of nothing but "Yes-ands" is nothing more that an emotional variant of the Monty Haul (RIP).  In fact, for every "Yes-and..." campaign podcast with a cast of professional improv players where freeform play works around the plot points, there are one hundred games that are the gaming equivilant of "everyone gets a participation trophy."

Despite a very overt GM vs Player angle, Hackmaster 4th Edition did not attack the players, it focused on punishing poor logic or negative gameplay.  Even the idea of the grunge monster wasn't a punishment to over-successful players, it was a balancing act against overpowered PCs who had ransacked an underwhelming and ultra-rewarding campaign.

That's not to say that GMs should be portrayed at absolute monarchs behind the screen.  Even the filthiest despot knows how to play their populace, giving them just enough to placate their measely desires, all the while aspiring to achieve their own campaign goals.

And sometimes, the easiest way to prevent your players from grabbing pitchforks and torches is to ban pitchforks and torches from the campaign.

As graduation approached, the days of my college campaign were wrapping up, and with the ensuing release of D&D 3rd Edition, I used my GM dictatorial powers to appoint my replacement for the next on-campus campaign.  I chose Nate (Norm and Dr Millheim from the actual plays), got him set up with the rules, and some extra material.  Like a Venezualan dictator, I could fade into the next realm, confidant my successor would have some success.

It was an unmitigated diaster, no matter how much fun the players had.

I'll chalk it up to inexperience with DMing and the new system, but a fairly low-key campaign soon followed the adventures of a delusional character who believe that his wagon was a pirate ship, the steeds were his dolphin protectors, and the land the vast sea....

It was Steve (Echelon, Ozark, and O'Hara from the actual plays).  Nate gave his ideas carte blanche.

Never give carte blanche rulings on Steve.  Give him the rope, but make sure he knows it's around his neck before letting him loose.

And on the opposite side of the equation, in a future Risus IOU session, I let the entire group go wild after the asking one new player one simple question to start the session "What does your character see in the field."   Chaos ensued, but the answer allowed them to run rampant in a fish bowl while the ocean surrounded it on all sides.

Now that this sad little rant is over, back to our regularly scheduled programming.... hopefully.