RealD&D, Total NonStop Braunstein, and the Fog of War

Point of Order

Interested in cutting edge gaming, clubhouses, and brotherhood? Now's your chance to show off your tenacity and join the BroXT.

You'll notice the challenge is writing After Action Reports (formerly Session Reports). If you want an example of what not to do, just look at most of my write-ups: long, excess play by plays with little of substance that would interest anyone but maybe the players. They were good practice and got me into the habit of scheduling time to write, but that's about it.

What should the purpose of an AAR be then? Thoughts, even simple ones. Did you like the game? How was the experience? Any pitfalls or frustrations? These are the pieces that drive the discussion and experiments that lead to better gaming. For myself, I've found that I can't be assed to write anything up unless I feel like I have something to say; and that was true of the current challenge until today.

RealD&D, TNB, FoW

My commute to and from work takes about 40 minutes; that's a lot of time to ponder and listen to music. I got to thinking about my last few months playing with the Living Urf Gaming Club, stumbling through AD&D, and the variety of different skillsets and interests the club brings forth. Specifically, I got to pondering what I could even say about my recent games (Bloodfall and Svarthold being the primary two) that anyone would find valuable. Or Hell, that I even had a strong opinion on. That's when it hit me.

In my time in Bloodfall, I've hit TNB hard. Kirk of Forseti (Cleric 3; yes still 3) has been as involved in Bloodfall's political situation as he could be. The discovery of a Golden Idol with Plant Growth or whatever was the first big point of conflict: lots of gold and XP or tilt the scales for those vying for leadership and earn favors? This lead to Kirk wrestling a Dwarven Fighter to settle the dispute of the sale... and he won! This was the catalyst that eventually lead to the Siege of Bloodfall. 

IDDR: Shagduk & Ursula of Ulm

I Don't Do Reviews

I've gone from not reading to exploratory reading over the last couple years. I don't have the skill, vocabulary, or experience to write reviews beyond "This was fun" or "Yo, that was pretty cool." Call it a lack of communication skills. Nonetheless, I do like to log my experiences from time to time- typically a result of recommendations or circles I've stepped into.

With that said, before Jeffro Johnson (of BroSR and Dancing fame) disappeared, one of his must-reads was Shagduk. Having received it for Christmas, I was hit with a suggestion to read each entry day-to-day as the novel is written as a diary. This suited my schedule and added a fun layer since the books' (Shagduk and its sequel) focus on the Occult.

Quest Accepted

BroXT: Sons of Loki

 A new challenge has been issued! We are to make a mid-level faction for Braunstein potential and intent on dropping it into a RealD&D campaign (Living Urf, Bloodfall). You can find the rules over on BDubs blog if you, too, want to give it a try!

I've been learning AD&D alongside the Bros in Bloodfall, a Norse-inspired game with your classic town + dungeon starting setup. I've had a lot of fun seeing how things shake out, and Brigadine is doing solid work. I even had the chance to wrestle a Dwarven Fighter for the right to sell a golden statue! Holmgang! 

While the challenge suggests leaning on Appendix N for inspiration, and I do have some ideas I want to try on that front, I find myself more interested in the boots on the ground. I've already got the pieces lying about from previous challenges so why not use them?

BroXT: A Final Assignment From the Man Himself

During one of the previous BroXT challenges, Jeffro left the fields we know and passed across the veil to Elfland. Prior to his departure, however, he had assigned me one last piece of reading. It has taken some time to get to it between my Gods of Pegana order being cancelled, Shagduk daily reading (still truckin'!), and dealing with IRL responsibilities. I finally caught a break and powered through it!

Rumours say he's been sighted near the standing stones during the full moon.

The Dragon Masters

 I've read very little of Vance's work; only a few short stories in Living Urf's required reading. Dragon Masters is what I think of when someone describes "80s Fantasy" to me: Monsters, Dragons, a variety of not-quite-human races all at war for dominance or survival in an alien landscape with armor, swords, lasers, and explosions!

Wolves of Vasquel: Song of Silver and Steel

 The Setup

Lord Blood, alpha of the werewolves, has been slain by his nemesis Marquess Ourdenarde! Ourdenarde did not, however, come away unscathed: Lord Blood left his calling card as rows of gashes in the man's shoulder and torso. As the wolves lead by Blood make their retreat, the Marquess is faced with a decision: become a creature of the night, or die as a man.

Ourdenarde rallies his fastest horsemen to pursue the wolves and quickly takes stock of their remaining silvered weapons: a few quivers of arrows, a handful of daggers, and his own trusty blade. "This shall serve." Prior to their departure, an advisor informs Ourdenarde that Lord Blood's second in command may hold the key to preventing his transformation. Is this hope?

 This scenario, somewhat embellished by myself and @bluehosscat, was provided by Mighty Urf of the Living Urf Gaming Club for use in the BroXT.

Legacy of Adventure: The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth

Sowing the Seeds

Lord Dunsany has many wonderful writings, my favorite so far being the Chronicles of Shadow Valley. His works are rife with dreamlike imagery and strange magic, a cascade of imagination and inspiration. Don't believe me? Check out the chapter in the Chronicles where Rodriguez meets a wizard, sees the horror of humanity's future, and nearly loses his life to the cosmos! Alas, I'm here to talk about D&D; and with it The Fortress Unvanquishable.

Taken down by a man with a will and magic sword.

The adventure begins as many do with a legend about the atrocities suffered by villagers at the hand of an ancient wizard, and a prophecy on how to end it. Our hero, Leothric, steps up to fulfill the first part of the prophecy by taking on a mechanical dragon-croc whose spine contains a legendary sword: Sacnoth (the adventure setting is probably Australia). Its weakness? Getting booped in its snoot made of lead for three days and starving to death. This first test is one of endurance, as Leothric fights for three sleepless days against the man-eater.

The dragon-crocs' carcass is smelted and eyes harvested; Sacnoth must be sharpened in both blade and sight. The instincts of this semi-mindless blade provide Leothric the guidance needed to navigate the dangerous marsh that hides the wizard Gaznak, leading us to the Fortress proper.

In true Dunsany fashion, this fortress is a work of wonder, both inside and out; immense metal doors only Sacnoth can hack through, tall halls filled with unseen vampires and other horrors, a talking monstrous spider, decadent princes and queens, inhuman concubines that attempt to prey on Leothric's good will, and mechanical dragon-like servitors to spare. Even Gaznak himself is a dreamhaze horror. Despite all the obstacles, Leothric pushes through and finally ends the wizard's dream.

A final note leaves us with the rumour that there was never any Leothric, Wizard, or Fortress; it was all some fever dream. Perhaps the weaver of the tale was Gaznak himself?

Plentiful Harvest

While this is only a single piece of Lord Dunsany's work, it is rife with adventure material used and re-used through years of D&D and its derivatives; ancient legends, horrific monsters, magical craftsmanship, temptations, and terrible wizards. It is myth made manifest.

The Power of Archetypes: Angel of Vengeance

Angel of Vengeance

I just finished reading the Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, a gift I received this past Christmas. I'm still new to the various Appendix N authors and slowly branching out as I find things from used bookstores (I prefer paper to digital), and Kane is right up my alley.

For real, buy it.

 

You see, my favorite book to date is the Count of Monte Cristo; a classic about loss, tenacity, and vengeance. Edmond Dantes is crafty, and you follow him through the layers of intrigue, setups, and payoffs until his enemies have received their just desserts. Kane, however, is more direct, animilistic, and primal. Howard describes near everything about Kane as inhuman: steel, iron, or wolf-like. Everything, that is, except his righteousness.

Rotvalan Reveries Ep23: Logistical Concerns

Run Date: November 24, 2024

PCs
Lysalia: Lv4 Witch
Francisco: Lv4 Fighter

Hench
Julius: Lv1 Fighter
Hurriya: Lv1 Explorer
Leighann: Lv1 Bladedancer
Phaoros: Lv1 Fighter
Dhaivol: Lv1 Ruinguard
Bellara: Lv2 Fighter

Logistical Concerns

This is hardly worth calling a session, but due diligence requires me to report it nonetheless.

The party, such as it was, had a couple wounded henchman. The thinning of the front line and general lack of numbers resulted in hesitation to venture out of town. Instead, the players discussed logistics and used the time to build up their core of information, connections, and adventure opportunities.

The first point of discussion was assisting Lysalia with building her repertoire to be more useful in combat scenarios. Given Rotval’s hatred of witches, this would be a difficult task. The group began by hitting up the cathedral and inquiring about available stock. The players rolled out the scrolls and spells, discovering that a “Monster Scroll” (22 spell levels) had a lot of things they wanted. Such an item was outside their current fund, but Francisco floated the idea that they may be able to pay for that single spell instead of the whole scroll. Would the church take such a deal?

Rotvalan Reveries Ep22: Opalescent Investments

Run Date: November 17, 2024

PCs
Lysalia: Lv4 Witch
Francisco: Lv4 Fighter

Hench
Julius: Blacksmith
Hurriya: Lv1 Explorer
Leighann: Lv1 Bladedancer
Dhaivol: Lv1 Ruinguard
Phaoros: Lv1 Fighter
Bellara: Lv2 Fighter

Foreword

This session used Sharpbone Opal Mine from the Delightful Dungeons Competition, a two-page dungeon project and competition to encourage the creation of smaller adventure sites useful for sandbox play. I used the hook of a Merchant who’d won the deed to the mine in a game of cards, but was unsure if it was even still viable or functioning. She put out a 100gp bounty to adventurers who’d head out there to recon, and potentially secure, the place. For the shrewd adventurer that demanded more, she offered a stake in the mine’s profits; once it got up and running again, of course.

Rotvalan Reveries Ep21: Semi-Solo Play

 Run Date: October 27, 2024

PCs
Lysalia: Lv3 Witch

Hench
Julius: Master Blacksmith
Hurriya: Lv1 Explorer
Leighann: Lv1 Bladedancer
Dhaivol: Lv1 Ruinguard

Semi-Solo Play

Only one player today. I left it up to Lysalia whether or not we’d run something or skip the night. We ended up running wilderness exploration and doing some stocking.

Lysalia set out from Rotval (the city) to explore a hook from a local merchant about an opal mine. The cash on offer was something like 100gp for information and clearing it out if there were issues, and a 10% stake in the mine. However, the merchant didn’t quite note its exact location.