Thursday, August 31, 2023

#RPGaDay2023 #RPGaDay Days 29-31


 
29) Most memorable ENCOUNTER

Back when 3.0 first came out I had a couple campaigns going, and in one there was an evil wizard who wanted to take out the party. It charmed a hydra, slipped a ring of regeneration on its toe, and sent it after the party as they were down for the night. They killed it, moved camp (who wants to sleep next to the corpse of a hydra?) and bedded down. The hydra regenerated, and the wizard sent it at them again. They killed it again, burned the body, took the ring, and moved camp again. The wizard raised the hydra as a zombie and sent it at them a third time, just before dawn. They managed to kill it... just. And revive the party members who dropped in the fight.

That was so much fun...


30) OBSCURE RPG you've played

I played a home brew Highlander RPG based on the Vampire system. I think that's the best I've got.


31) FAVOURITE RPG of all time
 
Rules Cyclopedia D&D. Pretty sure it's a case of first love, but it makes me happy still, and decades later, I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

#RPGaDay2023 #RPGaDay Days 22-28


22) Best SECONDHAND RPG purchase

I have to pick finding a first printing DCC core book for $25.

While a nice deal, maybe not the coolest, I hear you thinking... Except the first printing has a list of OSR blogs to check out, and they included mine!


23) COOLEST looking RPG product / book

Nobilis was beautiful. A coffee table art book.
Planescape with DiTerilizzi art was otherworldly.
Mork Borg is metal!

But for absolute coolness, I have to go with Alternity. It's got a very late 90s, Lexx, Farscape, proto-Matrix type vibe that just both grabs me and also really shows off my age.


24) COMPLEX / SIMPLE RPG you play

Well, currently only playing my Rules Cyclopedia(ish) game, so it's kinda both, depending on what rules we actually use.

The simplest game I've ever played was probably Fate? The most complex was...D&D3.5 with way too many extra books.


25) UNPLAYED RPG you own

3 different Star Trek systems.
Last Unicorn Games
Decipher
Modiphus

I haven't even read the newest one yet.


26) Favourite CHARACTER SHEET

My own 3x5 note card character sheets!


27) Game you'd like a new EDITION of...

I'd love to see an update of Tales from the Floating Vagabond.


28) SCARIEST game you've played

I can't think of a scary game that I've played. I've played games with scary monsters, I've played games as scary monsters, but I've never myself felt scared.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Stonehell: Clearing the Troll Halls, pt 2

Session 207 was played on 10/2

Borumar, Thief 9 (Josh) & Fido
Morgana, Magic User 8 (Rob)
Blotto, Goblin (Lanse)
Karl, Dwarf 8 (Julia)
Gimble, Mage(Scott)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf (NPC)


Returning to the main hallway, Blotto walks up to the fancy fountain and pees in it.

At the next door, Borumar tries to pick the lock, and fails. Blotto then makes an attempt, and fails. Karl tries to bash the door down, and fails. Morgana casts Knock on the door, and it opens. The 4 mountain troll elite guards were however ready for them after all the noise. At least they thought they were ready. A pair of crits from Aroon and Morgana, plus the usual amount of violence from the rest of the party ended the troll’s lives faster than it took the party to open the door.

Poking around further, they find some more slaves, and send them to join the fellows. Then, while attempting to open another door, the party is hit by a fireball. The troll king, and his hag mother have come upon the party armed and ready. Blotto uses his rod to hook the hag’s head out of the basket she carries it in, and reels it in. Gimble returns the fireball, though it’s a disappointing one, but Morgana makes up for it. Karl and Borumar tag team the hag, while the 3 amigos pile into the troll king (his housecarls all fallen, burned to a crisp).

As the hag and king fall, the party pauses to tend their wounds, and loot the bodies, when a massive 3 headed troll rounds the corner, ⅔ heads foaming at the mouth. Morgana drops an ice storm on the mutant troll. Blotto tries to trip it, but his line gets tangled. Borumar crits with his bow, and then Morgana hits it again with another ice storm just before it makes it into melee range.

Gains: various coinage and gold treasures, Beard Bane (king’s magic ax)
Kills: Mountain trolls, ountain troll hag, mountain troll king
Losses:

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

#RPGaDay2023 #RPGaDay Days 15-21



15) Favourite Con MODULE / ONE-SHOT

I've talked about it before, but the one Nobilis game I got to play. Great characters, great scenario, and the GM just nailed it.
Aside from that, since I don't want to repeat myself, FT0 Prince Charming, Reanimator for DCC by Daniel J. Bishop. I love a good 0-level funnel, and especially love one that mixes in fairy tales, and even a dragon to fight! 


16) Game you WISH you owned

I wish I hadn't sold off my copy of Nobilis. Beyond that, I have more games and game books than I get to use already. There are a couple of 4e books I'm missing, 2e Planescape could be cool to have... But no big white whales for me. 


17) FUNNIEST game you've played

There have been so many laughs over the years it's hard to pick one. Having the party thief run off into the dark of Stonehell alone because of a fear spell, get lost, bump into some Berzerkers who strip him, and put him on an elevator down, and then get electrocuted by some cybernetic monkeys was up there.


18) Favourite game SYSTEM

CLassic D&D. Kinda obvious. It isn't the perfect system, and doesn't do everything, but it's a system that really lets me tinker under the hood without really breaking it. I appreciate that a lot. 


19) Favourite PUBLISHED adventure

Stonehell! Or maybe that's a campaign setting? For 3e, the Sunless Citadel was great. DCC, the Chained Coffin... although that's again more like a campaign.  


20) Will still play in TWENTY years time

Seems highly likely.


21) Favourite LICENSED RPG

D6 Star Wars. Hands down. Solid system, so much stuff written for it, and it's all so characterful. I mean it's so good they've mined it for both the novels and the new shows and movies. 

Friday, August 18, 2023

#6MMRPC Mid August Check In

July wrapped up ok, and August started off with knocking out some Walls of Thorns and Stone for the Reaper Challenge League followed immediately by diving in to ReaperCon prep. I was planning on bringing 3 minis to enter into the contest. 

Fungal Queen for painters


Kornovik the Outcast for Open


Mining Mech for Ordnance. 


And then I got an idea as I was digging out minis to enter into the merchants categories... a diorama. And then I realized that the mini for it wasn't actually from the manufacturer I thought it was, so... 


Needless to say, I'm scrambling to get things wrapped up by the 29th.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Stonehell: Clearing the Troll Halls, pt1

Session 206 was played on 9/18

Borumar, Thief 9 (Josh) & Fido
Morgana, Magic User 8 (Rob)
Blotto, Goblin (Lanse)
Gimble, Magic User (Scott)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf (NPC)


While Morgana and Boris worked to banish Morax, the rest of the party spent some time carousing around town and training, mostly unsuccessfully.

Once Morgana wrapped up with the demon, and sobered the rest of her party up enough, they headed back to Stonehell, pausing in the swamp long enough to dispatch 3 ogres who tried to sneak up on the party from under the causeway.

Going through the front door, they are immediately set upon by a trio of giant frogs. They were also quickly dispatched, and their legs butchered for lunch. They then make their way down to level 5 without further incident.

4 hill giants were guarding the main door of the hall. Morgana hit them with a fireball, which didn’t quite kill any of them, but then the rest of the party charged in and hacked apart the badly burned guards. In their pouches were 5,000gp worth of freshly minted gold bars.

 Passing through the main door, they find a sleeping troll maiden resting just within. Apparently the doors provided good sound insulation, and Borumar quickly dispatched her before she could raise an alarm. Now inside the troll hall, they begin to explore the areas that showed up on their magic map. First they find a smithy with 2 trolls and a bunch of gnome slaves working away. They quickly overwhelm the trolls, and unchain the gnomes. The gnomes tell them about what’s been going on, and a little of the layout of the hall. The party sends the gnomes to the front door to wait for them, and promises to free the rest of the gnomes.

Gains: 5,000gp in gold bars, 100 gp gold earrings
Kills: hill giants x4, mountain trolls x3
Losses:

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

#RPGaDay2023 #RPGaDay Days 8-14

Part 2 of the RPG A Day 2023 prompt!

RPG a Day prompt image


8) Favourite CHARACTER

9) Favourite DICE
My custom painted Stonehell Dice! 

3 hand painted d6 grey dice with the 6 replaced with a doorway carved as an open ogre mouth



10) Favourite tie-in FICTION
Keith R.A. DeCandido' s Articles of Federation. A very West Wing style look at Star Trek. 

11) WEIRDEST game you've played
Tales from the Floating Vagabond. 

12) Old game you STILL play
Classic D&D, Rules Cyclopedia version. 

13) Most memorable character DEMISE
Killing off half the party with some swamp gas... including the dwarf. Then doing it again cause they couldn't read the map! 

"There's a note on the map for that door... can anyone read that?"

Then they opened the swamp gas door… Faerendril dies. Joho, Daton, and the barbarian cough themselves bloody, but survive.


14) Favourite CONVENTION purchase

For an RPG purchase? Maybe custom dice... Or the big stack of D&D Birthright setting stuff I got out of a discount bin.
For non-RPG related items, these com badges.  

pic of 4 star trek com badges from TNG, DS9, PIC, and DISCO (S4)