Dealing With Disappointment

Bloodfall Bust 

I mentioned at the end of the last post that the coming Bloodfall session was ripe with opportunity. Thorgal's plan to exact vengeance on Kirk's behalf was inspiring! However, just like Appendix N, not everything goes according to plan.

I wish I could tell a tale of righteous flame consuming soulless elven heathens. I wish could talk about the way the dastardly ambushers tried and failed to strike down our glorious viking forces! It is not to be.

Elfless

We fumbled the ball. There was a miscommunication on who was running the show (lack of leadership/calls), what resources were available, and other details. This was not helped by my own rolling of an Elf in the "session where we kill the elves."

Expectations and Responsibilities: The Ebb and Flow of RealD&D

 Last week I talked about a small, but specific instance of play involving RealD&D, TNB, and the FoW. The response within the Urf clubhouse was mixed: lots of elbow nudging and "you got me good" with a few "this might as well be cheating." There were frustrations and miscommunications; everyone is invested in our games. What sets Urf apart from the conventional is Brotherhood. Lines were drawn, expectations managed, and none of it is personal! The health of the Campaign(s) and Club are paramount!

Unfortunately, events that transpired right after that post left Stanson in an odd spot. That's a possible discussion for another time.

Ebb and Flow

It's a lot of fun to talk about the high points in a game and build excitement, but those highs would not exist without the lows: the Ebb and Flow of RealD&D. Some sessions are fairly by-the-numbers affairs; hit a dungeon, hit a lair, do some exploration. What sets the Real apart from the Fake is the mindset. Why are you aiming for that score? What will you do once you have it? The leveling treadmill can only be satisfying for so long, and nobody cares about how you gained 3 HP (or are stuck at Lv3)!

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.