Credit Where Due and Starting Anew

 Roll Credits

My last couple of posts have been rather grounded, and I have to admit to trying to see the positive in them despite my own feelings. I've said before that RealD&D hits harder than any conventional table's poorly play-acted drama; it is wholly unlike emotionally stunted adults and their parasocial audience. RealD&D, real emotions, real respect, real bonds.

Our final session of Svarthold/Gulleyja was a proper finale. Our group was out of time, Gulleyja and all we loved (or invested in) was about to be swallowed by the ocean tides; stolen by strange mecha-dwarves! Now was the time for action. To take back, in game and out, what is OURS!

We blitzed through the Svarthold streets with a mind to reach the docks and steal a CrabSub from the MechDwarves. Along the way we found some desperate warriors and guards in the heat of battle. Our heroic intervention and leadership soon created a mobile force to strike back against our enemies. So it was that we fought brutally, as vikings do, and reached our target. We loaded up a prisoner High Crusade style and headed into the maelstrom of Gulleyja.

After a rough landing, we found ourselves cornered by enemies. Our Elf friend Herren, wrestler and all around badass, hit a square fireball and blew open a hole that all but annihilated one of the enemy units. This bought us time to form up and prepare for our assault. Meanwhile, Stanson skirted the battlefield and took the fight to the enemy general!

King Stanson Makes His Stand

It was a bloodbath. Man after man fell as they met on the sinking island. Sprays and salty splashes from the maelstrom stung our eyes and wounds; shook us to our core in a battle that filled Odin himself with envy! Herren split open a fissure to Faerie and summoned Elven Warriors to assist as our numbers dwindled, and Stanson's heroic foray held off the enemy general and an entire unit BY HIMSELF! As his consciousness faded, he glimpsed the charge of his good friend Egil; the unit that would soon decimate the enemy and claim their riches.

Our session wrapped up with an accounting of the rescued and treasures, but wait, how did we get off the island? For many sessions we'd been waiting and hoping to join one Captain Haarlock on a ship to explore other worlds and plunder riches. We did not find him, but we did find his ship: The Dark Odyssey. With its black masts and winged sails, we flew out as the whirling ocean collapsed upon us!

It was quite the sight.

This was a great finale, easily streamlined with Chainmail Units and AD&D. A proper pulp epic in our hands and all our own. However, we must give credit where it is due. J had a vision that hit a wall, and despite that, chose to give us a proper send off. He deserves the utmost respect, and is a prime source to learn from when it comes to RealD&D and more. 

The closing of one chapter means the opening of another. A healthy clubhouse has a healthy roster. A united system strengthens those bonds and retains flexibility. To wit: Two of the players in Svarthold/Gulleyja have stepped up and offered to continue running adventures: Herren and Egil, our stars of the show will be running Monday and some Wednesdays. The adventures of the Dark Odyssey and King Stanson of Gulleyja can continue! 

 

Starting Anew

That's Monday done, but what about Tuesday? After last session's Elf situation in Bloodfall, I took some time this week to fill out my stable and read more of the 1e AD&D PHB and DMG. As frustrating as it is to bounce around two books, especially in a tiny space, there is a lot to love. Even if you don't play or run 1e, the books offer insights into the expectations of not only D&D, but of adventure.

I've said before that I will attach myself to a player or faction at the outset. This serves as a touchstone to help get the character moving and can serve as a reference for deeper goals. It also has the benefit of offering ideas and hooks to the party and game master. To wit: I created a fighter (16? Didn't know they could be so young!) with 2 of his friends ("men" at arms). They were witness to the events at Svarthold and arrived in Bloodfall guarding some refugees. 

Simple, right? The other major benefit of this is the ability to disseminate information in-character. 1:1 rumors! Tying myself to Broderick, Paladin of Heimdall (uce) and his crew gave me the chance to play up the "You guys are local heroes!" angle and ask for their aid in taking my home back. All this took like... 5 minutes. It really is that easy, and it only gets better as more of the campaign world is fleshed out!

As for the session, we scried the local dragons and found they were out on their honeymoon and away from their GnollHole. Our heroes determined that this was the time to strike and shave some of their numbers down, and popped into the glacier to say hello. Rune went down very early, but the existence of the mercenaries and his guardbros allowed me to continue to participate in-session. We mounted a tactical withdrawal after a hefty battle and took a prisoner back to camp.

Ojisan, our strange nerd from another world, used his mastery of language, Charm, and ESP to konami code gently retrieve information. A plan was formulated to bait the gnoll leader and his contingent into a bloody battle that would give him Broderick's head as a prize. We skipped camp, and with some more magical intel, headed back inside to raid the place.

Within the glacier was a hoard of treasure and items, but Broderick's priority was rescuing the captive we'd seen in scryings as well as from Thorgal, who had been imprisoned with him. Turns out Broderick's instincts are profitable because we shattered some seal and Thor himself thanked us for our service! The omens in our favor, we hit up the loot and scoot. There was a short argument here about encumbrance and the importance of sacks, backpacks, and containers. Never leave home without your sacks! We then dodged the furious Gnoll force and made it back to Bloodfall with our rubies.

Stories are fun, but mean little to those outside the game. What's the lesson here? You can just do things. Pick a faction, a story element, or a rumour and just hop right in. Play the game, adventure, build those bonds! Sure, the last few sessions have been disappointing, but opportunities do (and will) show themselves. Adventure is yours! Take it!

I want to wrap up with a thank you to our boy Brigadine for running Bloodfall. The club has a lot of games in the latter half of the week during my work shift, and Svarthold/Bloodfall were the only ones I could participate in. I know we waffle on sometimes, whine about a lack of rubies, and become frustrated when we feel like we're spinning our wheels and getting nowhere; or scare you off with treasure arguments. Nonetheless, the game has continued to serve its purpose as a place of learning and adventure. For that, I am thankful.