My Gamehole Con II Experience (part 1)

I was going to blog about my entire GameHole Con experience in one post but that would get too lengthy.  So, here's my Friday night write-up.

For me, gaming conventions are not a vacation, nor are they just another weekend full of roleplaying in my responsibility-free life.  No, I have a growing family.  Therefore, a certain amount of convincing, pleading, horse-trading, and general spousal complaining surrounds any two consecutive days I'm not around the house for extended periods of time.  So, cons are something of a luxury item to me - not in terms of money but time.

Anyways, Friday night I played in a Dungeon Crawl Classics that +Michael Curtis was running.  It was a playtest session for The Third Phantasmagoria (no idea if that's what it'll eventually be called). He did a great job, standing there, towering over his GM screen as he described a plethora of weird dreamlands type stuff.

He had a good selection of pre-gens.  I've run DCC many times but have never played.  As such, my version of it has always been a hybrid between DCC rules-as-written and a stripped down, house-ruled version of basic and advanced D&D.  But that mercurial magic system is one of my favorite things.  So, when the PCs were presented, I jumped at the chance to play a wizard.  Unfortunately, Michael doesn't use the mercurial table for one-shot con games.  Oops.

I played a purple-robed wizard from a noble house named Pompei (yeah, just one "i") whose patron was Sezrekan.  Finally having a chance to play, I remembered the little descriptor selections from Dungeon World a player could choose upon character creation.  Stuff like "wild hair", "haunted eyes", "thin body", etc.  DW only gives a paltry handful of options per class and race, which is a shame because I think every RPG could do with those.  Sure, players can come up with their own but in the heat of the moment, many don't take the time to do it or feel self-conscious (especially in front of strangers) about taking their character's appearance and mannerisms seriously. After all, this is a wargame with bits of roleplaying (So you can actually feel the war cutting into your hands and singing your eyebrows!), not some kind of sword & sorcery drama club.  Personally, I prefer the latter.

Fortunately I got to see how the spell-burn and mighty deed concepts worked.  Very enlightening.  Next time I run DCC, I'll try my best to incorporate them into the game.  The deed die still seems a bit clunky to me.  Why can't every character do out-of-the-ordinary maneuvers and stunts that are still within their class purview?  You know, kind of like VSd6 (also included in The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence) or this.

Michael took the time to describe this slumber world with the possibility for lucid dreaming.  Though I watched a few attempts (which usually went very poorly), I'm sorry I didn't try it.  After all, lucid dreaming - like manipulating shadow in The Chronicles of Amber - is something I'd really, really love to do in real life.  For me, that's kind of what roleplaying is for.

Apparently, Pompei is a bit of an arrogant, anti-authoritarian asshole.  The party encountered this really interesting and strange "creature" consisting of three mirrors (two small, one big) on the wall.  It communicated with me when I investigated it (the rest of the party, aside from the thief) were cowering in a hallway just outside the chamber.  After a few pleasantries, my wizard asked for a boon - some kind of aid, artifact, knowledge, or power.  Pompei was asked what he was willing to give (I think) or else shot down by a condescending statement.  Pompei tried yet again to make some kind of deal.  "Perhaps I might serve you.  Ask me to perform a service."  Now, Pompei wasn't necessarily going to perform anything for this mirror entity, he was more interested in finding out what it wanted.

Well, the creature asked me to cut out one of my eyes.  Fuck that, Pompei thought to himself!  "I attempt to shatter the large mirror with my sword."  I told the GM.  I don't think Michael expected that.  Long story short, I taught that entity a lesson and for my trouble caught a fair amount of broken glass shrapnel.  The GM said there'd be a small chance that one of the shards got me in the eye.  I smiled in agreement that such a delicious irony was worth rolling.  Luckily, it missed and the rest was healed easily.

Cutting to the end, Pompei was sucked down into the floor by some kind of dungeon Sarlacc.  He almost died except for luck and the quick actions of his comrades.  I've never felt more like Boba Fett than that moment.  So, I was actually ok with dying.  I really didn't expect to survive that... but I did.

Finally, we entered a flaming dog skull chamber and there were wraiths and masked humanoids and I didn't think there was a chance in Hell our 1st level party would survive.  Especially since we already lost our thief (expertly played by +Brendan LaSalle).  Somehow, with elven sorcery, flashing blades, and my own spell-burn fueled magic missiles, we survived!

Michael signed a couple books for me and so did +Doug Kovacs who was lurking around our table.  I got to talk to them both (albeit very little) outside the game and it was a real pleasure.

So, that was my Friday night.  Tomorrow, I'll post about Saturday afternoon where I ran an uneven session of the Purple Islands (with map).  Should be interesting if for no other reason than I wasn't thrilled with my performance.


VS

Post-Con Debriefing

I'll be posting about my experiences at Game Hole Con tomorrow, but tonight I'm wondering how gamers feel after a convention.  What's the takeaway after it's all said and done?

Both players and GMs must have some aftermath insights to share.  Tell me something about your most recent convention experience... it can be anything, really, but I'm especially interested to read about actual gaming sessions.  Anything memorable?  Was there a lesson learned?  Did you prove something to yourself?  Were there high-fives all around?  TPK within the first 30 minutes?  Think back for a moment and give us the good, bad, and ugly.


VS

Convention Game Preamble

Question for GMs: What do you start with?  Before the game session even begins, I mean.  Do you preface your con games with any particular words of wisdom, special rules, expectations, hopes, encouragement, warnings, introductions, anecdotes, jokes, questions or questionnaires?

Question for players:  Is there anything that has stood out to you over the years (good, bad, or weird) that a GM has said or done before a con game actually started?

That's it.  Please comment with your answers below.  Thanks!

VS

How I Met Your Mother: Transcendent TV

While this is trying to be spoiler free-ish, I can't guarantee anything.  You've been warned.

It's been a long road.  Yeah, nine years.  You don't stick with a TV series for that length of time if it sucks.  Obviously, How I Met Your Mother doesn't suck for many of us.  In fact, it's a great show.  If you've never seen it or dropped off somewhere in the middle, I definitely think it deserves another go.

The wife and I just finished watching the last episodes of season 9 last night.  Whew!  An emotional rollercoaster ride.  I got sucked in and now that I've seen the entire series, I feel (as cheesy as this is probably going to sound) transformed.

The DVD has two endings.  Only the last 4 or 5 minutes is different but you get a choice.  We watched the ending broadcast on TV first, and I'm glad we did.  That's the one everyone (I'm exaggerating, of course) is all up in arms about.

In fact, I didn't even want to watch the alternate "safe" ending because it pulled punches, it chickened out.  HIMYM deserves a legendary ending because it was a legendary show.  Anyways, below are more of my thoughts about season 9.

The review I just posted on Amazon...

Now THAT was a series finale! A perfect combo of... everything. You had the dumb humor, smart humor, drama, romance, great characters changing (while still mostly staying the same - just like real life), mystery, suspense, tragedy, and introspection. We got to see the past, present, and future.

I've seen the last few minutes of season 9 criticized for turning the tables or pulling out the rug or something. I don't see it. Because of the ending - that's why Ted is telling the story. That's why he's been reminiscing with his kids about his journey and the journey of his friends. Knowing what happens to the mother doesn't ruin the show's premise - it reveals it!

Six years is a long time. I would have preferred his making a move earlier than that. Oh well, that's my only quibble. The entire series, especially season 9, sowed the seeds of Robin and Ted. It felt right, it still feels right.

All in all, I can't recommend season 9 strongly enough if you're a fan of How I Met Your Mother. Want to know what the dream is? Creating a nine-season epic of television storytelling that transcends sitcoms and whatever kind of show "Friends" is. That's it. That's the dream.


And here's my comment to an Amazon reviewer (one of many) who panned season 9 because of the finale...

It's fun to lift up the hood and take a look at the inner workings or to imagine what might have been.  But that's not the point of the show.  It's about the journey, and that journey was inspired... nay, forged by the events of the future.  What happened to Ted's wife is the reason he's narrating the past - because it leads to his future.  Life happens.  Season 9 felt real, was real.  It showed us a deeper truth and transcended the whole "Hey kids, here's a bunch of stories about my troubled youth when I was single and looking."



VS

Physical Fitness (monthly progress report)

Most of you probably aren't aware of this, but throughout my life (on and off) I've been something of a bodybuilding geek. Not to the extent of my scifi/fantasy/RPG geekdom, of course.

"Bodybuilding" might be too strong a word.  Though I idolized Arnold Schwarzenegger just as much as Conan the Barbarian, I've never competed in a bodybuilding competition, nor even attended a show.  So, perhaps it's more accurate to describe my interests as weight training and nutrition.

Regardless, I'm interested in getting back into shape (on again).  Not just my prior heights but something greater.  Specifically, less fat and more muscle.

I'll be posting a progress photo along with my current weight each month.  Not only does this keep me honest with myself, I'm held accountable through the magic of the internet.  Some will see this as over-sharing or just plain annoying as it has nothing to do with RPGs.  Oh well, I say.  It's my blog.

I actually forgot to weigh in this morning but yesterday's weight was 187 lbs.

Questions and comments are encouraged.  I've been lifting weights since I was about 15.  I've been paying attention to proper bodybuilding/fitness nutrition like intermittent fasting for over a decade.  Now's the time to get into the best physical shape of my life.  Especially since I'll be 40 at the end of this month.


VS

Temple of Elemental Evil continued

I'm just going to put all these stray thoughts into bullet points.

• I'm almost finished reading through Dungeon World.  I'm sure I'll write an actual review of it soon.  My overall opinion: interesting.  One thing I like is the rolling 2d6, adding ability score modifier, maybe a +1 or -1 depending on miscellaneous factors, and comparing the result with 10 and above success, 7 - 9 partial success or success but with some additional drawback, and 6 and below yielding failure.  This might trump my roll 3d6 vs. ability score and VSd6 for efficiency and simplicity.  
• Even though we're all enjoying FH&W, I think we might switch over to 5e when the DMG finally comes out.  The extra HD of healing for short rests, PC abilities/do-dads, and everything else a monster RPG franchise can bring to the table will probably be worth the extra 10 minutes per player at character creation.
• Instead of giving out inspiration on a per roleplaying per scene basis, I've been giving everyone a point of inspiration (just a re-roll, actually) at the start of each session.  If they don't use it, they can add it to next session.  Personally, I think any kind of inspiration or action point should accumulate.  
  
• However, I did grant Sir Basil an extra point because of his elaborate and daring maneuver of jumping over a pit, kicking in an open door, and slashing at the enemy with his sword.  
• By now, I'm sure the players have realized that much of the campaign is driven by percentile dice rolls.  Well, guys, here's the secret.  If there's an unlikely but possible chance of something awesome, terrible, and/or interesting happening, then I'll roll.  If the result is between 01 and 33%, that unlikely possibility occurs!  That's pretty much it.  Solves a lot of the background probability grey areas that can wear a GM (or campaign) down.
• I seem to fall into a pattern.  Every other session, there's a deluge of magic items.  Those alternating sessions, hardly anything at all.  Does it just work out like that or am I subconsciously making it happen?  In any case, see below...
• Scroll of mirror image, ice storm, and slow.  Ring of fire resistance (5 points).  Evisceration dagger +1 that does exploding damage.  Wand of illusions (12 charges).  Axe of regeneration (doubles the normal rate of healing for the wielder).  Ring of free movement.  Lightning Javelin.  Yeah, I added some cool loot to the temple.  A couple gamers warned me it was a bit stingy on the magic items.
  
• Speaking of that last one, when badass magic items are first acquired, caution goes out the window.  Luckily, X'fritl only killed the high priest!
• NPCs started dying like flies.  One was planned, the other three happened by accident.
• The party's elf died.  Moloch was an eldritch archer by trade.  Mostly an archer.  I think he only cast one spell in two sessions.  Yeah, it was a good day for Kaazor.  
• Gnolls and human guards were pedestrian enough that I felt the need to break out TWO different demons from Fiend Folio.
• Roleplaying and subterfuge won the day rather than brute force.  Well played... and sorry about your untimely death, Grog Barg (one of the unlucky NPCs, a half-orc).
• The first dungeon level of the temple has been cleared out and now the PCs have a key which probably unlocks the bronze door to level two.  
• Everyone leveled and I think the next session on Nov. 15th will be epic!
• Oops, one last thing... Ben created a new character to replace his assassin.  This session, he started playing a wizard named Zar.  The name was remarkably similar to his tiefling (half-demon) warlock Zatar here, so I asked if the two magic-users were related.  His response was: "Maybe, but not that they're aware of."  That led to us theorizing that Zatar's father was a demon while Zar's father was human and they were separated at birth - Zatar sent to Torth and Zar to Greyhawk.

Ok, that's about it.  Will be running Purple at a local con this Saturday.  Wish me weird!

VS

Hall of Fame d20

I haven't seen any lately, but there was a time when dice shaming was a thing... popular, even.  Whether a timeless geek meme or fashionable flash in the pan, certain dice got shamed on the internet for rolling poorly.

I can't be the first tabletop gamer to lavish praise upon a certain die but such posts definitely seem to be in the minority.  I've had my set of translucent purple with white numbering dice for years now, and they've always rolled pretty well...

When I rolled to see if the Purple Putrescence was about to drift noxiously overhead with tentacles wavering and mouth-holes slavering, I rolled a 6.  When I needed to roll damage on the PCs, I rolled 8's, 10's, and 12's.  Indeed, those trying to liberate the demon slayer got exploding dice all over their faces.  Dark priest and monster saving throws?  Yeah, they made more than a few.  However, it's the number of natural 20's that really brought the pain and keeps on bringing it.

Earlier today was the 3rd session (2nd for Temple of Elemental Evil) of my new home campaign.  Everyone at the table was rolling well, but I was critting left and right.  The final battle of the session with a Guardian Daemon from Fiend Folio resulted in yet another player's demise.  That's probably a devil's dozen deaths indeed!

While I don't revel in such tragedy, I gotta give that little purple d20 its due.  Let honor and fame be heaped upon its name!  Speaking of which, I should give him a name...  I think I'll call him Kaazor.


VS

Temple of Elemental Evil with FH&W

So, this past Saturday, continuing from last week, I decided to bring out the big guns - one of the awesomest dungeons of old school D&D.  Yes, The Temple of Elemental Evil!  A little history first...

The first time I played this, I really can't remember much - just bits and pieces.  I was probably in 6th or 7th grade and my favorite non-paper and pencil RPG was The Bard's Tale.  It was just the DM (who was more experienced with D&D than I was) and me over the course of a couple weekends (days and nights).  I was playing at least six PCs and my magic-user had some kind of demon familiar like a Quasit.  All the characters were high level and though there were dangers faced, I don't recall any TPK moments or even getting close to that.

The second time was about 15 years ago.  For some strange reason, the DM decided to soup everything up, beefing the encounters and generally making all the monsters nigh unkillable.  In exchange, he gave our characters a plethora of "resurrection moss" (patent is most definitely not pending).  This moss allowed our characters to pretty much get right back up after being slaughtered over and over again.

As I explained to Daniel before Saturday's session started, if your PC only died once per session in that game, you were doing something right.  After the 4th session or so in The Temple of Elemental Evil, all the players had had enough.  Eventually, we just started attacking each other because then at least we had a fighting chance of surviving the combat!  After the inter-party brawl, we all had a long talk.  The upshot: our DM got all butt-hurt because we wanted him to adopt a different style of running ToEE and the entire gaming group broke up.  What I remember most about that trip to the Temple was the archaic and grim descriptions at its start.  Reminded me of H.P. Lovecraft meets The House of Seven Gables or something equally 19th century in language.

I had never run ToEE myself and I knew that would have to change.  Especially since +Frank Mentzer signed my copy about this time last year at the first Game Hole Con in Madison, WI.

As I worked on getting the new player up to speed with his character, I asked each of last session's players (except for Ben, who was out enjoying one of the few really nice days in this accursed state) to come up with the following...

• a motivation - basically, what's their reason for adventuring.
• an allegiance - who or what do they care about or owe, specifically.
• one unique thing about their character - something special about their PC that is theirs alone.
• and a henchman, follower, apprentice, or some other traveling companion.

X'fritl wanted revenge on the witchlings who abandoned her to the monks.  She also wanted to find out about the magical event that caused her parents' disappearance.  She planned on a physically impressive bodyguard to protect her.  But X'fritl also wanted a magical bow that was not readily available in the town.  So, she made a bargain with the bowmaker, agreeing to take his son along so he could "learn the ropes".  

Sir Basil had been a knight for 5 years, a member of the Order of the Red Tower.  They recruit and promote knights based on skill rather than noble birth or money like most orders.  The Order of the Red Tower fights unnatural magicks, demons, and otherworldly creatures.

Sir Basil has had his squire for only a short time.  His name is Milo.  Milo served a knight that was killed in the line of duty and then Milo stole his dead master's coin purse before running away.  Sir Basil didn't want a squire because of the burden, the responsibility - he really didn't want Milo because of his dishonorable conduct.  However, Sir Basil was impressed with Milo's ability to elude capture for so long.

Verdilo is a cavern gnome with pale skin.  He's extremely handsome with a wild, unkempt black beard.  His motivation is pleasure... wine, women, and song.  He used to be a circus performer and his "henchman" is his baby's momma (Olive) along with her sister (Charlotte).  On the verge of ridiculous, but then that's Verdilo and his player, Harold, for you. 

The new player decided to play an elf eldritch-archer.  Probably not the best class considering the party was about to embark on the world's oldest mega-dungeon.  I told him to let me know if he wanted to swap the eldritch-archer for any one of the dozens of character classes in Fantastic Heroes & Witchery.

As Daniel's knight of the Red Tower was so strongly drawn, I used Sir Basil and his backstory as the adventuring hook.  He received a letter telling him about the possibility of evil growing anew within the Temple.  Also, the Order of the Red Tower sent one of their own, Lord Gregory, to guide the party.

As for the first session of ToEE, the boxed text did most of the work for me.  The leprous grey exterior, the croaking of unwholesome toads, vegetation looking either withered and lifeless or unnaturally bloated and grotesque, leering demonic faces, bas reliefs depicting vile acts... I just can't get enough of it.  Straight out of Lovecraft!

Anyways, they freed some human prisoners and fought off a bunch of undead.  Not much else happened besides wading through debris - debris that tells an awesome story all on its own!  I'm biding my time before cranking things up to 11.  This coming Saturday should be very interesting.  Haahahhaaahaaahaaa! I'm going to throw a few surprises their way.  Rather than waiting until a couple hours before, I'll dig deep early, allowing stray, mutant thoughts to coagulate and seep into my  fevered subconscious.  

When I suggested running an abridged version (just the hits) of ToEE, Daniel made it clear that I should do the whole thing.  No shortcuts!  So, there you have it.  More session reports of ToEE for weeks to come.

VS

p.s.  A week from this Saturday, Nov. 8th, I'll be back at the Game Hole Con running The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.  On sale now, actually.  It'll be my first time running it since the book was published.  Can't wait!

Aryd's End revealed

Jeff Brown did an absolutely terrific job bringing the city of Aryd's End to life.

Aryd's End is one of the largest cities in Torth - a world that's still paying for the grave mistakes of its past... whilst anticipating the apocalypse yet to come; a treacherous realm of sword, sorcery, and darkness on the very precipice of wizard-fueled draconic domination!

Behold, your desert metropolis illuminated by the seven demon-moons of unspeakable pleasure and misery...


VS

p.s.  Oh yeah, I was almost taken out by a falling tree Saturday afternoon.  Luckily, I made my saving throw!