Round again?

 

My old job!

It's kind of sad to see my old job coming around on LinkedIn for what must be the third or fourth time in the five years since I left. I stayed in the role for too long, but the rotation of people through this says that there's something wrong in the business. Sad to see, because it should be a great role if you're into safety, health and the environment.

31 July 2022

First Impressions - Abilities Considered Unnatural (Mothership RPG)

Abilities Considered Unnatural is gorgeous, except for that slight grey print at the top right that keeps on making me thing I've dog-eared the cover. 

This is the second Mothership scenario created by the team that wrote "Desert Moon of Karth", the module that convinced me that Mothership offered more than one-shot thrills. It's presented as a 56-page (including covers as all pages are used) staple-bound full colour zine with decent weight & quality paper. Layout and illustration are gorgeously done; it's clean, well edited and has good use of colour. It's compatible with the forthcoming Mothership 1E rules.

The scenario is set on a remote mining colony on the rim, a corporate world owned and dominated by Sharpe Co. Except an uprising occurred against their oppressive control a number of years ago, when a group of miners got religion and brutally took back control using their proton augers against mine security, management and pretty much anyone supporting the old regime.

For proton auger, think lightsaber with a power pack. Sharpe have tried to retake the planet several times using mercenaries, but failed. They have an uneasy control over the surface facilities and close on absolute control over access to the system as they dominate this sector of space.

The characters are offered a big payout to recover the anomaly that the miners found that brought them religion. Sharpe will even cancel any corporate debt. The catch is that it needs doing quickly, as they plan to bombard the mine & colony to destroy all resistance and close down operations in the system. And there's the complication of a schism in the Kaadar order, a faction of whom have kidnapped kids from town as hostages and potential recruits.

The setting is a sandbox which splits into two distinct areas - Sable town itself and the former mine, now Temple, controlled by the Kaadar. The maps are done well - some of them are illustrations (for example the town) and some more traditional. Key characters are described with bios, desires, fears and potential jobs.

There's plenty of opportunity for interaction, making money on the side, being heroes and crossing and double-crossing the various factions. There are opportunities to extend the play beyond the immediate sandbox if the players feel like it, and take the right hooks. As a setting, the scenario could easily be used for other systems such as Traveller. It's dangerous, but it doesn't have the suicide mission feel typical of Alien, some Call of Cthulhu, or other Mothership modules.

Overall, Abilities Considered Unnatural presents a fun sandbox with plenty of opportunities for adventure and interaction. It isn't a rail road, and has plenty of interesting characters to meet. The style is fresh and distinctive, leaving me no hesitation in recommending this module.

PDF available at DriveThruRPG.

31 July 2022

First Impressions - Gregor's Guide to Gates (OSR)

Probably the tiniest RPG book I own!

Gregor's Guide to Gates is a tiny hardback book produced by Philip Reed. It's 64-pages long, and is an OSR compatible mini-sourcebook on portals. Produced as an experiment, the project had some troubles due to a poor quality print run which led to reformating and a change of punter. Philip Reed lost money on the project, but brought it to completion. If you like the idea of what it covers, then please consider picking up the PDF. Initial issues aside, the format and feel of the book is delightful. Interior pages are 3- colour; blue, black and white, with evocative art by Dean Spencer.

Each page describes a portal to another world, with what you may find on the other side. They really serve as inspiration for your own game; I doubt you'd necessarily use them exactly as written. But that's half the fun!

There's a huge variety between the portals as described. The book rounds out with a d66 table that describes extra-planar strangers who you may find exiting a portal or perhaps on the other side.

It's a fun mini-supplement in a delightful format, with little snippets of entertainment. Recommended.

30 July 2022

With pint glass for scale.

First Impressions - Dark Nation RPG

Dare you take on the System in Dark Nation?

Dark Nation was a recent Kickstarter to create a roleplaying game to explore life in a dystopian future where the charades come into conflict with the system, Wwhen their search for truth or justice exposes them. This is conspiracy and terror, but the monsters are humanity and the social structures that it establishes. It's a game about small victories; the characters may never defeat the system, but they can achieve small successes against it, probably tainted by compromise.

TL;DR: Dark Nation is extremely well put together and gives sound guidance on how to explore an oppressive dystopia. I was particularly impressed with the guidance for the GM on how to establish both the setting and the scenario. Aspects of the game's focus could make it hard to play because it leans too close to reality. But maybe that's all the more reason to actually get the game to the table? Recommended.

The game was delivered through DriveThruRPG and I have the hardcover print version, which is 92-pages long with clean layout. It is illustrated throughout using black and white photographs which capture the feel of the game very well.

The game uses the Cthulhu Dark engine, which I had read a long time ago, but had forgotten. It's a simple but effective game engine. Play starts with the definition of the nation and system that the game will be set. Somewhen in a timeline between 1930 and 2030 is recommended. If you set the game in a real time and place, it's recommended that the questions are used to define the truths about the setting rather than expecting everyone to become an expert. Alternative timelines work well for the game.

The questions explore aspects of the system; symbols, the loyalties expected, its size, enemies, any resistance, victims and the form of control. They also explore the weaknesses in the system.

Characters - investigators - are defined simply by name, occupation, life, character and ambitions. Bonds are established - there will be another character that you trust completely. Likewise, someone will have leverage over you. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is just something that provides a link and a hook for roleplaying.

Each player defines how the system exerts control over them, overtly or covertly. They also define a useful contact. Finally, a safe space where they can all meet is agreed. The game mechanics are simple, using d6s. You get one die if the task is in human capabilities. You get another die if it relates to your occupation. You can get a final die if you are willing to defy the system. This is your disillusion die, and there are consequences if it's the highest dice rolled.

You take the highest die rolled. If it's a 1, you only just succeed. On a 6, it's a brilliant success. If the administrator (GM) decides that it would be interesting to have failure as an option, they roll a die. If they roll higher than you do, you fail. If not, you succeed as normal.

If you used your disillusion die in the roll, you can chose to reroll all the dice (except for the failure die). You can also choose to add your disillusion die and force a reroll (but you can't do that if a failure die has already been added).

Cooperation is addressed by everyone rolling their dice and the highest result being taken. Competition is addressed by highest result winning. On a tie, the person with the highest disillusion wins. If still tied, it's a reroll.

Investigation rolls never fail; the result gives the quality of the clue found.

Contacts are used by rolling a die is the number of times you've used them so far. If you roll higher, you get help. Roll lower, and you risk the system becoming involved. Violence is handled in a simple way; you cannot directly fight the system. You will die, or be captured, if you don't escape before things escalate.

Fighting other opponents is managed through the usual mechanics.. If either side uses weapons, the consequences increase. If you're prepared for violence, a roll of 6 will kill, 5 will incapacitate for months, and 4s will impact for days. Use of violence is liable to trigger an extreme response from the system.

Disillusionment is a key factor. It represents whether your character can cope with living under the system. Your disillusion starts by being rated at 1, but every time something makes you think you can't live under the system, you need to check by rolling higher than the current score. When it reaches 5, you can suppress it by taking action such as losing yourself with distractions, avoiding finding out more, suppressing evidence & so on. If your disillusion rating ever reaches 6, your investigator burns out and must exit the adventure.

There's solid advice on how to investigate and be successful. It also covers the perils of reaching out to the Resistance, if that's a thing in your setting.

The Administrator section is excellent; It establishes a basic plot structure which you flesh out to make the investigation. It reminds me a little of the progression from sins in "Dogs in the Vineyard". It's effective, and reading it made me start to think of plots.

The guidance then discusses safety tools and how to set up and begin your game. There's sound advice on asking questions to engage the players more deeply, and on how to handle the System's response (up-to and including Interogaton and torture). There's also a sensible suggestion to take time to decompress and recover postgame.

There's a handy roster structure for giving the Administrator an overview of the player characters during the game.

The book rounds out with four Dark Nation examples; USA 1938, after a coup to prevent Roosevelt's New Deal; Britain in 1985 after a limited nuclear exchange in the 1960s; Germany in 2038 after climate change, pandemics & economic turmoil lead to isolationism; and finally, Italy in 1982 following a military coup in the late 1970s. All the Dark Nations have distinct flavours. Each has an example list of names for contacts.

The Dark Nations are followed by seven example scenarios. Some will fit better with certain dark nations but they're all compelling starts for a game.

The book wraps up with designer's notes and further reading (both games and more serious works).

Dark Nation is extremely well put together and gives sound guidance on how to explore an oppressive dystopia. I was particularly impressed with the guidance for the GM on how to establish both the setting and the scenario. I was having ideas throughout my read through of the book.

Unfortunately, those ideas were a little too close to home. It's too easy to imagine a UK which has slipped further down the populist Johnson/Trump slope, with an ongoing loss of civil liberties and compassion. I think this could make it hard to play because it leans too close to reality. But maybe that's all the more reason to actually get the game to the table?

Recommended

30 July 2022

Curse of Strahd - S5E6 - Tsolenka Pass

 

Our heroes returned to Vallaki and prepared for their expedition to the Amber Temple. 

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Paladin, from a knightly background, with two human retainers and a priest), played by Paul (dr_mitch). Lawful Good. Married to Ser Alys.

Kelwarin (Kel) (a half-elf Sorceror flush with the powers of wild magic, an outlander), played by Graham (First Age). Chaotic Good.

Gaddock Teeg (a halfling wizard and former prizefighter), played by Alex (Doggetay), Neutral Good

Ser Alys de Adon-Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Fighter with a soldier background, currently the leader of the town militia of Daggerford), played by Tom (Guvnor). Lawful Neutral. Imagine a slightly greener take on Grace Jones... Married to Ser Adon. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

and introducing:

Muriel Vinshaw (a member of the Keepers of the Feather, travelling with the party to repay them for rescuing her),  a wereraven upgraded to a sidekick (yes, I know that breaks rules as she started at CR2 but frankly I don't care)!

All characters and sidekicks are level 8.

__

15th December, 6 days to the Solstice.

The party swiftly gathered supplied and two mules to carry them up into the mountains to the south. Setting off, their first stop was the Vistani camp, where Kelwarin met with Kasimir Velikov and convinced him to guide them to the Amber Temple. Kasimir didn't really need much persuading - despite Kel's eloquence about the opportunity to have retribution and the opportunity to end the nightmare that Barovia faced - and it was noticeable that he didn't bother with all the cold weather gear that the rest of the party had. He packed some supplies, his spell book and set out out light footed with the party on the road to the west. 

Travelling on the path, Ser Alys spotted an animal snare that had been laid into the road, narrowly missing being pulled from the ground by it. Soon after, she noticed a group of four men waiting in ambush on the road. They cockily stepped out and asked the party to pay the toll, a silver piece each. and after some banter were rewarded with a payout for their cheek. Kasimir had words, and they were persuaded to help the party dig a hole at the crossroads to bury Baba Lysaga's blackened heart. As it was lowered into the ground, Ser Adon said words over it

May your heart stay forever hidden. Should your spirit come here, may it wander forever, lost and powerless, as harmless as a light breeze. May the Morninglord and Kelemvor see that you rest forever and more.

The earth was stamped down, and trees blazed so they could find the heart if they ever needed to again. The Vistani highwaymen's leader, Tarek, warned them that they'd seen the spoor of at least two of the Devil's spawn, and that the evil in Barovia seemed to be on the move. Ser Adon was convinced that it was his retainers that they faced and this was Strahd's revenge for their defiance.

As they came clear of the woods and reached the first foothills of the mountains ahead, the sun was momentarily obscured by the flight of a huge bird. Most of the party saw it as a shadow, but Kel and Ireena saw it for what it was, a giant Roc. Muriel, Kasimir and Ireena discussed it, mentioning that the old stories said that it was the familiar of the Seeker, one of the three fanes.

They turned into the pass on a switchback, realising that there was a risk that they'd loose the heartening sight of the beacon of Argynvost and the cheer that it brought. The next four hours passed with no more discomfort than increasingly bitter cold (it was heading below freezing), more snow and an increasingly biting wind. They reached part of the pass where the road was above Luna Lake, lying frozen far below. There was a smell of woodsmoke, so Muriel modestly stripped from her armour and clothes with Ireena's help and transformed into a raven. She flew to search for the cause of the smoke, not realising how much her black feathers showed against the snow. 

The smoke came from a fire which had gone out, beside a shredded leather tent. The whole party investigated; there was evidence of a fight, with an adult and teen facing off against one or two creatures on foot, with what looked like vicious claws. Was this a lycanthrope or a vampire spawn? Quickly, Gaddock found the path and headed down, despite his dislike of children.He quickly a trail plunging down towards the lake. Yomping ahead, Ser Adon and Gaddock rushed downhill, calling the rest of the party, Kasimir stayed with the mules but everyone else headed down to frozen lake. As they reached the bottom, they found  fully drained body of a woman hanging over a tree-branch. They suspected that this was the child's mother, but thoughts of further investigation were halted when they realised that there was a cry for help coming from one of the closest islands.

They made it across, gingerly, as the ice was not as solid as it first looked and there was a very real risk of falling in. Gaddock and Adon pressed on, not waiting for the others. They soon saw a boy, perhaps ten to twelve years of age, climbing out on a branch over the lake away from the feral vampire that was threatening it. A second vampire was feasting on a younger girl, red headed and limp in its arms. Gaddock responded by casting a spell to temporarily blast the creature out of this Demi-plane. He'd planned to grab the girl as she fell from its grasp, as the spell could only take one creature. Unfortunately she went with him which could only mean one thing; she had lost enough blood to die. Thwarted, he reversed the spell bringing the creature back. Instantly, he lifted it into the air with a levitation spell; it hung there struggling ineffectually as Kel and Gaddock slowly burned the creature to death with fire bolts, and Ireena peppered it with arrows, not missing a single shot. Kelwarin finished the creature off with sustained witch bolt, slowly destroying the creature in agony. It was converted into ashes, giving a desperate wail as it died. 

Adon started after the other one on the tree, which dropped perilously towards the ice as weight shifted. Alys counterbalanced the tree and Adon laid into the creature with Deva's redemption. Three strikes later and it was destroyed completely, consumed by the radiant holy fire on the blade. Adon forcefully indicated to the child to come down and comforted him. Ireena and Muriel helped with their limited understanding of the dialect that the child spoke. The boy broke the end off his short spear and grizzly staked his sister through the heart before indicating to Alys to take her head off. Ser Adon respectfully recovered the mother, and the act was repeated. They buried them together in a grave on the island, a lonely but peaceful spot. As they headed back, Ser Adon wondered if the vampire spawn had been his retainers; he didn't think so, but he fully expected to encounter them because Strahd seemed to have a penchant for nasty revenge against those who thwarted him.

Once they'd climbed back up to the top, they found Kasimir waiting for them. They decided to set a camp where the family had fallen, with the boy - Kaldur - staying with the two half-orcs. He'd told them that his mother had taken them hunting to get supplies for the rest of their extended family who had found a shelter by the 'old place'. This was further up the trail. They suspected that this may be the Amber Temple. Gaddock created his magic hut, and they created a shelter for the mules, settling in for a surprisingly comfortable night.

16th December, 5 days to the Solstice.

They rose early after the hut faded away, leaving only a snow-covered tarpaulin and the embers of a fire to keep them warm. The weather had drawn in, and it was snowing more. The wind cut into their ears and found its way to any gaps in their clothing, biting deeply. Kasimir was strangely unaffected, still wearing lightweight clothing. He led them over the edge of a ridge, and ahead they could see a chasm with a gate and lonely tower guarding a bridge over to the other side where the road continued. On their right was a shear drop to the river below, to their left a steep scree covered slope. The gatehouse had two winged gargoyle-like creatures on it, and the tower had several gold statues of knights. There was a portcullis that the boy said would open if you came close enough, but behind it there was a sheet a green flames that you'd have to pass through. The only alternative was to climb up and around. Kaldur said that the winged demons would attack you if you didn't have a stone from the old place; he showed them a polished amber stone, very like the one that Roscoe Tosscobble had on an amulet. 

A plan was needed; Kasimir said he could take care of himself; Muriel could fly over like a bird too. Gaddock and Kel conferred and realised that they could use their Dimension Door spells to cross ahead. There was a small copse of snow-covered trees they could open their exit in which would provide cover from the gatehouse. The only problem is that they'd have to leave the mules behind; they stripped off the equipment and supplies and shared it between them, suddenly feeling heavily laden. Muriel transformed into a raven, and Ireena took her clothes and equipment for safe keeping. Kasimir started to lift off the ground and faded from sight.

Surprisingly, the plan worked perfectly. They arrived in the snow-covered copse safely. Ahead was the windswept bridge, with small guard-posts at each end. Gaddock's suggestion of checking them out was rejected; they were just going to run for it across and get clear of this place. Several of them used the shadowdust that they'd got from the Carnival to make themselves invisible.

They all set off, seeing Kasimir appear on the rising path ahead. As they reached the middle of the crossing a huge shadow loomed! The Roc! It swept in, with the buffet from its wings knocking Muriel into the side of the guard-post. She hit the floor hard, transforming back into a broken naked human, lying awkwardly in the snow. The party rushed off the bridge as the Roc swept past and over the tower. The terrifying thing was that aside from the force of wind from its wings, it was nearly soundless, ghosting through the valley. They took cover by the gate-house while Ser Adon laid hands on their companion; she gasped, coming back from death's door. Hastily, Ireena helped Muriel back into her clothes and cold weather clothing. She looked weak and not quite with it. As she staggered to her feet, the Roc swept back around. For a moment they all started to panic, then they realised that it had their mules, one in each claw. It swept past, a force of nature, heading back up towards the heights of the mountain.

The path continued up, and the weather worsened. It's likely that they'd have met their dooms there if it hadn't been for the indomitable nature of Ser Alys. She roped them together, held them tight when Ser Adon slipped and tumbled over the edge, taking Kel and Ireena with him. Battered and hurt, with the blizzard getting worse, they decided to take shelter. Ser Alys found a safe spot, almost sheltered, and Gaddock cast his spell to summon the shelter. They huddled together in the tiny hut as the wind whistled around outside.

GM Notes:

I'd wanted this session to feel like the Amber Temple was remote and dangerous to get to. Weather needed to be a threat, and I also made the party roll encounter rolls every hour and used them. The family being attacked was a riff on a build from Dragnacarta, but aligned with our game and with elements of the MandyMod remix I want to use for the Amber Temple. The vampire spawn were a reminder that there is a very real threat, and time is critical.

I loved the way that the party worked their way around the obvious fight route through Tsolenka Pass. I also loved the way that the Roc was a force of nature and suitably terrifying. I was fully prepared to kill Muriel Vinshaw as an example had the dice fell that way, but the damage landed exactly to put her on a death save. Ser Adon's quick action saved them.

Ironically, Ser Alys' skill set meant she had a lot of spotlight time in the session, but her player couldn't join us. No doubt those skills will be important in the next session too.

They nearly crashed out in Tsolenka Pass

It was a bit disconcerting that one of the players fell asleep mid-game thanks to a very hard and exhausting day. Initially, I thought they were taking the Mickey about the length of time another player was taking over options in combat, then realised they were genuinely away with the fairies! 

We ended with a skill challenge from DragnaCarta, demonstrating the force of nature. The falls and cold did around 20hp to those that slipped; that's nearly half the hit points of the weaker characters, which meant a rest was a sensible option.

Next session will be delayed as I can't game next week (and another player is away), but I look forward to them arriving at the Amber Temple. I must give Jag a yell to agree what happened to Roscoe Tosscobble before that happens.

14 July 2022

First Impressions - Svilland Campaign Setting and Untold Sagas Lore Book

The heart of the Svilland setting for D&D 5e

I was tempted by Svilland when it first came out, but decided not to get it. When the publisher went to Kickstarter to raise funds for an adventure campaign book to go with a reprint of the core book, I decided to dive in.

This is a quick look at the Svilland Campaign Setting (the core book for using the setting with Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition) and the Untold Sagas Lore Book (an expansion from the kickstarter that collects together a selection of lore and ephemera to provide some deeper background). Both are lovely hardcovers with a bookmark ribbon. The core book is 225 pages long, and the lore book is 101 pages long. The layout is 5E adjacent; it's close enough to resemble the trade dress used by Wizards of the Coast to show it's designed for that line but still be its own thing.

I'm quite impressed. Overall, it intrigues me. There's a very workable Norse game here which could also be lifted and used in another setting. It's well illustrated and makes solid modifications to the 5E rules that are thematic and different. Sorcerers in this setting are especially interesting. The setting itself is interesting with plenty of spaces to explore and play in, and rivalries ready to open up. However, it didn't give me that 'run me now' feeling as I read it, more a gentle urge to explore it further. I think the choice on whether this gets to table will depend on the supplements that I have left to read.

Overall, a decent Norse game for 5E with great art, good quality proofing and clean layout. There are odd bits where the language jars (but is still workable) and the English used is better than some UK and US produced games I've played (as the design studio is Turkish, this is commendable).

Untold Sagas is the lore book for Svilland. This is a deep setting book which provides lore and history across the three ages of Svilland. It's good that they didn't put in to core book, as it would have bloated it with an extra hundred pages that it didn't need. A useful resource though for both DMs and players. 

Raised eyebrow at the recipe name.

Bizarrely, it has a collection of weird recipes throughout including the bizarrely named Whore Soup. All the recipes have bizarre names and I can't tell if it's humour or language differences. Most of them look like they could be made, but I don't think I'll be experimenting.

I think that this will be of most immediate use where it describes the origins of organisations in the third age (the default setting), but the history and legends serve as good sources of inspiration to draw upon for adventures.

Still not sure if I want to run this, but I do want to read more of the books.

I shall go Vikingr and raid the other books to see if they draw me in one way or another!

9 July 2022

Curse of Strahd - S5E5 - Things which were broken have been mended

 

The body of Baba Lysaga has been burned and only her blackened carbonised heart remains. Alexei has been put to rest by his people, so now our heroes turn to closing out the remaining loose ends following the death of the witch who referred to herself as Strahd's mother.

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Paladin, from a knightly background, with two human retainers and a priest), played by Paul (dr_mitch). Lawful Good. Married to Ser Alys.

Kelwarin (Kel) (a half-elf Sorceror flush with the powers of wild magic, an outlander), played by Graham (First Age). Chaotic Good.

Gaddock Teeg (a halfling wizard and former prizefighter), played by Alex (Doggetay), Neutral Good

Ser Alys de Adon-Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Fighter with a soldier background, currently the leader of the town militia of Daggerford), played by Tom (Guvnor). Lawful Neutral. Imagine a slightly greener take on Grace Jones... Married to Ser Adon. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters  levelled up to 8th level, including the one remaining sidekick. 

13th December, 8 days to the Solstice.

The party were up early, with Gaddock grumbling about the number of breakfasts that he'd had to skip in Barovia, so they congregated at the Blue Water Inn to plan their next moves. They had three things that they wanted to achieve; laying Argynvost's skull to rest at his former manse, returning the magical gemstone to the Wizard of Wines vineyard and finding the Amber Temple in the hopes of establishing how they can restore the Fanes, taking their powers from the Devil Strahd.

A debate opened up on the best thing to do first; the winery or Argynvostholt. In the end, they prepared to take the skull to Argynvostholt, a journey of perhaps four to five hours in the blustery snow. A biting wind was blowing from the mountains to the south as the set out with the cart. It was slow going, perhaps no faster than on foot, but it did give them the advantage of not having to carry the weight of the skull. The weather did its best to break through the layers they had on, but they'd prepared well. In their pouches, each of them carried a seed cake that would heal them, according to Jeny. She'd slipped them to Gaddock as he'd left her shop in the early hours. 

They knew they had to get up to the beacon tower on the roof of Argynvostholt when they arrived, but were nervous about encountering the revenants again. They'd proved exceptionally dangerous the previous time they'd been there. As they rode, they could feel eyes watching them, and movement in the forest, but nothing ventured near. They worked through a stratagem to get the skull to the tower as quickly as possible. 

Arriving, the manse was quiet; Gaddock and Ser Adon prepared beside the statue of the dragon on the gravelled driveway outside. First of all, Gaddock shrunk the skull in size using the Enlarge/Reduce spell he had transcribed from Baba Lysaga's spell book some two days before. Prepared, a dimension door was opened, and they stepped out onto the roof directly, immediately beside the tower. There was no immediate danger, so they started on opening the door. As they did, Kelwarin heard a noise in the building, sensing the Revenants had awoken and realised someone was desecrating the corpse of their former master. He used a messaging cantrip at the limits of its range to warn his friends.

They quickly entered the tower; it was as before, the bones of the dragon curving around the walls of the staircase. They followed it up, having to bypass a section of the next landing with the use of a Mistry step spell. On reaching the top of the tower, Gaddock released the skull from its magical enchantment, and it grew back to its full size. Ser Adon placed it respectfully back into place, saying prayers to his god and the Morninglord for the safe repose of the dragon's skull, talking of the dignity of the dragon. As he did this, an orange-silver light came up through the stairwell, and the ember-born ghost of Argynvost came out, and settled over the skull, growing in size and form until the phantasmal form matched the skeleton. The light became brighter, to an intensity that almost hurt the onlookers eyes, and then a great pulse of silver-orange light burst forward from Argynvost's skull. It swept the lands around, lighting the clouds like lighthouse sweeping a stormy sea. Each member of the party heard a voice in their head; whenever you are within sight of my light and essence, you will be protected and you should hope.

Heading downstairs, the party searched through the building, taking the now dead bodies of the revenants to the graveyard and lying them to rest with faith and dignity. As Ser Alys lifted the leader of the revenants who had almost killed her, its eyes opened and it handed her its great sword, then sighed and closed its eyes once more. The blade proved to be powerfully magical. Ser Alys promised to do it honour.

After that, early afternoon, they headed back to Vallaki, arriving just as the sun was setting and realising the impact that they'd had. Once a minute, the pulse of light swept the sky, even reaching the mountain upon which Castle Ravenloft was built. The people were noticeably uplifted and perhaps there was a faint hint of hope.

14th December, 7 days to the Solstice.

The party were up early, again, as the journey to the Wizard of Wines would likely take them nearly six hours. While they were taking breakfast, their friends Rictavio and Ez came down. As they were served breakfast, Rictavio observed that they had done well, but they must be careful about provoking the devil. Ser Adon was clear; they were setting events in motion and intend to provoke him further with the aim of bringing him down. Rictavio smiled and Ez laughed. She looked at the older man, commenting that 'she knew they had it in them'. Rictavio fretted that burning the witch outside the town gates was risky as Strahd was bound to associate Vallaki with this defiance, and the beacon of light was a provocation. Adon looked him straight in the eyes and directly asked Rictavio if he'd aid them. The old ringmaster agreed. "When the time comes, we will join you at the castle. But for now, we'll keep Vallaki safe in case the Dark Lord tries to strike back."

Urwin loaded up the cart with empty wine barrels, and they set off again into the cold landscape of forest, mists and snow. Somehow, the regular pulse of light made the land feel a better place. They reached the Wizard of Wines without any trouble, arriving around lunch time. Adrian met them, looking up with his wine stained smock. He was surprised, but happy to see the party and invited them to eat with the family. he told his older brother than he could join them too as they had guests, but not to provoke dad. "You know how he is". Urwin could barely resist a smile and frustrated his brother by refusing to tell what was amusing him. Lunch was a simple, but splendid feast, with wine. Dimitri arrived, and quickly took affront to his estranged son being present. Kel, Adon and Alys tried to calm him down, with no avail. It was like his was spoiling for a fight. It looked like fisticuffs would ensue, but in the end an outburst from Ser Adon stopped the argument, and he revealed that they'd killed the witch. Urwin grinned and opened the cloth that he had the gemstone wrapped and Urwin stopped, shocked. 

"Is that...?" 

"Yes."

"The witch stole it."

Dimitri realised that he had wronged his son for the last decade. Had Urwin realised the witch was there, he'd have likely died. He went to his office and pulled out some the last bottles of 'Champagne Du Stompe", saying that they'd may as well enjoy this now as they'd be able to make more next season. The afternoon descended into frivolity and drinking as everyone celebrated. 

Kel gave an inspiring speech that a dawn was coming to Barovia and the Dark Lord's power was in retreat. Things that have been broken are being mended and relationships reforged. That it was a time for fine champagne to celebrate. Everyone agreed.

Adon and Gaddock ended up in a drinking competition, which Gaddock just edged out, his prizefighter background paying off. 

"You win" said the knight as he slid to the floor. 

"My friend, we're all winners here" said Gaddock as leaned back against the warrior. 

Ser Alys threw blankets over them and went to bed.

15th December, 6 days to the Solstice.

The next morning was a morning of hangovers. Ser Adon used his laying on of hands ability to banish headaches and refresh his colleagues. As they departed, just after the daylight started to hint through the permanent clouds overhead, Urwin promised that he would help the party when they went against Strahd. He'd also ask his friends and family if anyone would join them. As he said them, the party had a funny feeling, like something had just fallen into place. They recalled the Tarokka reading and prophecy that Madame Eva made when they arrived in Barovia.

Raven (Queen of Clubs)
This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. Find the leader of the feathered ones who live among the vines. Though old, he has one more fight left in him.

Muriel Vinshaw set off with them too, saying she owed them a debt of honour for her rescue so she would travel with them for a while. 

The journey was undisturbed until they reached the bridge by the Luna River near the Vistani camp. There was a fresh grave there. Concerned it may be a vampire spawn, Ser Adon insisted that they dug it up. He was proved right; a feral vampire launched at him, confused and starving. Coolly, the knight dispatched it in two strokes of his blade. It was only when he came out of his battle frenzy he recognised the face. It was his cook, Jorun, who had been left back in the Graenseskov to be in a place of safety. Instantly, he feared for his other retainers Wilhelm and and Theobald. What had Strahd or one of his servants done to them. Instinctively, Ser Adon knew that this was aimed at him.

Arriving in Vallaki about an hour later, they prepared to set off to the south, collecting cold weather clothing and supplies for a journey of several days. They hoped to return to Vallaki in time for the Solstice.

GM Notes:

First of all, this ended up as a fun roleplaying session. I loved the use of dimension door to bypass the revenant threat. It was great when the players realised they'd just made a significant play against Strahd by allowing the light of Argynvost to shine forth.

How to set global AC and saving mods.

Adding the mods into the sheet.

The beacon gives +1 AC and +1 to saving throws, which is really useful. Alex explained how we could add this to a character sheet in Roll20 without having to manually hard code it. That was really useful to learn (see pictures above).

The greatsword Ser Alys was gifted rolls 4d6+4 damage base and is +2 magical.

We had comedy gold with Kel 'The Face' rolling a one on a persuade check, followed by everyone else blowing their rolls with Urwin. Fortunately that ended well. I loved the interplay between Gaddock and Adon - it was a moment of light in the darkness.

First Age is doing great speeches with Kelwarin; I only wish I could note them down quickly enough, especially as they often sway the day.

I was deliberately nasty at the end of the session. Dr Mitch had mentioned his retainers back in Graenseskov, and I decided to turn the knife when they rolled a random encounter of a grave. Of course, he paid it back to me when I realised he'd taken a Vampire Spawn down in two blows before it could do any harm. The sting at the end was a reminder that Barovia is still dangerous and that a lot of people could be collateral in their way with the Dark Lord.

Roll20 continues to be completely stable for AV, which is excellent, and we seem to have escaped First Age's headset woes.

We press on. The gloves are off, but hope rises.

8 July 2022

Frustrating changes at Goodreads

 

Goodreads no longer?

I used to track my reading on a spreadsheet, but a couple of years ago ended up using Goodreads which has been a good experience in the main. However, as of 20th June 2022 they've changed policies which means I may well end up heading back to a spreadsheet.

Goodreads is excellent for mainstream press, but much weaker for roleplaying games and small press, which usually means that you have to spend 5-10 minutes adding a book. It's not that much of a faff if you know how to do it, but you do see bad examples where people have added books which are done badly.

The new policy is that you need to request that a Goodreads Librarian add the book, and there are two pre-requisites which mean that smaller press books are unlikely to get in; you need an ISBN and a link to a publisher or author page that has the cover on. There are a limited number of other sites you can use (Amazon for example), but most aren't likely to have the kind of book that probably accounts for a third of my reading. DriveThruRPG and Itch.io would both be out, as they are seller websites.

It would be good if Itch.io and DriveThruRPG came to an agreement with Goodreads so they can validate books there and source cover images.

I understand why the policy has changed but it frustrates.

3 July 2022

Hit Goodreads Target for 2022

Helped by the Worlds of Aldebaran graphic novels, I've met my Goodreads target for the year, which was a surprise (in the sense of getting there this early).

2 July 2022

Curse of Strahd - still trying to find the perfect VTT set up

Back with twin screens

I'm still experimenting with the best VTT set up for Curse of Strahd, even after 45 sessions! The most significant recent change is a shift to Roll20 for audio and visual (rather than the audio through Discord). In a big difference to the situation at the start of the campaign, Roll20 is remaining rock solid for AV. Of course, I do wonder how much that is due to general jump in connection standards brought about by the pandemic.

I'm running a couple of scripts in Roll20 now; Combat Tracker (which takes a lot of faff out of big combats), Aura (which puts a colour code around tokens representing damage - only done this for PCs) and conditions. The latter links to combat tracker but I'm struggling with it a little as I can't always remember what the icons mean. Finally, I have GM Sheet. This is useful as it summarises key information about any token you select when you click and run the script. You can see Aura and GM Sheet on the image below. 

Roll20 scripts, and yes, that is a fireball burst radius...

Since I went back to the MacBook, I have tended to run single screen, popping out handouts and monsters onto different tabs. Two sessions ago, I started using my DnDBeyond account (which has the core books and Curse of Strahd on it) as the main reference tool. This was mainly as it felt much less of a faff (and it also avoided me losing everything and having to reopen it if I had to reconnect Roll20 for any reason) and feels faster.

I put the second screen back on; it felt small when I first connected it, but then I remembered you can change the rendering size in a browser which made it nice and useful.

I'm still using the Jabra conference call unit for audio; it is connected through a virtual set up I built with Loopback which also lets me feed in audio from apps. I'm experimenting with Farrago (a soundboard) but really need to find a decent source of sound effects. Music I mainly play via Roll20 (as I've uploaded Travis Savoie's excellent Curse of Strahd soundtrack).

I tend to prepare for sessions by reading the core book, then the MandyMod and Dragnacarta remixes and deciding what elements to draw into the plot. I'll scribble notes on the reMarkable and annotate maps if I need to. I am - increasingly - using additional battle maps when appropriate, but also feeling very free to go theatre of the mind when needed.

I'm sure that this will develop further still as we head towards the conclusion of the game. If anyone else has decent scripts they can recommend, please feel free to share!

2 July 2022

 

Curse of Strahd - S5E4 - Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead!

 

In the aftermath of the battle with Baba Lysaga, our heroes - battered and sorrowful - started out of the swamp dragging two bodies and the seriously injured woman they rescued from the witches hut, Laura, with them.

Our dramatis personae:

Ser Adon de Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Paladin, from a knightly background, with two human retainers and a priest), played by Paul (dr_mitch). Lawful Good. Married to Ser Alys.

Kelwarin (Kel) (a half-elf Sorceror flush with the powers of wild magic, an outlander), played by Graham (First Age). Chaotic Good.

Gaddock Teeg (a halfling wizard and former prizefighter), played by Alex (Doggetay), Neutral Good

Ser Alys de Adon-Rouge of House Starbright (a half-orc Fighter with a soldier background, currently the leader of the town militia of Daggerford), played by Tom (Guvnor). Lawful Neutral. Imagine a slightly greener take on Grace Jones... Married to Ser Adon. 

also featuring: 

Ireena Kolyana (a human warrior, daughter of the Burgomaster of Barovia, Twice-Bitten reincarnation of Strahd's unrequited love, Tatyana) - upgraded as a sidekick.

All characters  levelled up to 8th level, including the one remaining sidekick. 

10th December, 11 days to the Solstice.

They soon realised that it wasn't practical to travel all the way back to Vallaki during the night, dragging two bodies (Alexei and Baba Lysaga) and the seriously injured woman who they suspected to be one of the fanes. Even at night, the insects and flies were biting, making it almost impossible to rest properly. It was a long mile, wading through water up to chest deep, to get to the higher ground on the track above Old Berez. Swiftly, Gaddock used his powers to summon a magical shelter which they all took refuge below. Healing wounds, cleaning up as best they could, they rested. Gaddock had to resist peeking for too long at the spell book which he'd recovered from the ruin of the witch's hut. There were some many interesting and powerful spells. Skimming through, he realised just how close they'd been to death, before Ser Alys' blow had felled the witch as she swooped low over the swamp intent on killing Kel and Ireena.

11th December, 10 days to the Solstice.

The party - with the exception of Gaddock who had pulled a tarpaulin over himself - woke to the chill of soft rain and mist coming down in the early hours of the morning after the spell faded away. Breaking their fast, they prepared to travel north towards Vallaki. 

Muriel Vinshaw, the wereraven they had rescued from Baba Lysaga' cage confirmed that the gemstone (the size of a large pine cone) that Ser Adon had ripped from the hut was one of the missing ones from the Wizard of Wines vineyard, without which the vines wouldn't grow in this blighted land. She believed that this was the gemstone that was associated with the Champagne du Stomp wine, a sparkling wine which had brought much joy to the people of Barovia over the years. She offered to take it back, but Ser Adon declined, saying that he would do it later.

Laura Stoneheart was in better health, but still not healed full. She was very quiet and withdrawn, which was hardly surprising following the trauma that she had been in for perhaps hundreds of years (if she was indeed an embodiment of one of the fanes as they suspected).

There was something different when they started up the river valley; the feeling of being watched had returned, something that had been absent since they received the invitation to dinner at the castle. Things were definitely moving in the undergrowth parallel to them, and they could sense a dark presence watching them. They reached the cross roads and the bridge over the river with no more incidents than wolf howls in the distance. As they reached the turning to the Vistani camp, they decided that it was time to take Alexei back to his people, so that he could be laid to rest properly.

Meeting Luvash and Arigal, they told the sad story of what happened. There was much sorrow in the camp; Luvash crying out and apologising to Alexei that he shouldn't have exiled him. There were public tears and mourning, with everyone coming to where the body was laid out and apologising. Ser Adon soon realised that this was part of a ritual to prevent Alexei returning as restless spirit. The young seeress Arabelle was in genuine tears, crying that if only she hadn't run away when Alexei was guarding her, then he wouldn't have been exiled. The party were invited to stay and join in the funeral service, which they gladly agreed to.

The camp was full of bustle; a pyre was assembled and his body escorted to it, with a group of Vistani playing happy, joyful music as they escorted him. Everyone had changed into bright clothing, reds and whites around. Arigal begged forgiveness to Alexei's mother. She asked for people to tell tales of Alexei so that he could be properly remembered. Gaddock told of Alexei's bravery, scouting ahead in the Stygian Library, his skills in cracking locks and exploring. Ser Alys talked of his loyalty, and the way that he had never once grumbled about his exile. Ser Adon told of the battle in the Vineyard, where Alexei had helped to save him from the swarms of needle blights. Kel finished for the party, telling of Alexei's fearlessness in the last battle despite the horror of facing Baba Lysaga, of him standing firm to protect his friends. There was general approval, and the party asked to light his pyre as the friends who were with him when he died. 

The flames roared upwards, defiant against the overcast skies. Music played, much was drunk and people came closer together, celebrating and embracing life in this land of darkness and death. It was likely that any child born in nine-months time would be named Alexei in honour of the fallen Vistana.

12th December, 9 days to the Solstice.

They reached Vallaki without further incident. The number of howling wolves increased, and there was definitely a feel of the land awakening against them again. Rain drizzled intermittently. They entered through the west gate, with visible relief from the inexperienced but brave town guards, and stopped shortly after as they reached the Church of St Andral. A swift conversation ensued with Father Lucien, and it was agreed to - with the blessing of the Ring - burn the body of the witch publicly on the ground where the carnival had stopped to the north of the town near the lake. The priest hurried to make preparations and looked up rituals to protect against the servants of Mother Night.

Heading into the centre of town, they next stopped at the Blue Water Inn. After nodding their respects to Ez and Rictavio, they started to talk to Danika. They started to persuade her to take up their offer to join the Ring again, explaining how much influence that she had and how the town needed her for stability. Kel made a very compelling argument, following Ser Adon's more military plea, and somehow won her around. There were cheers in the pub when the news of Baba Lysaga's death was announced but nervous looking faces when they heard the body was in town and to be burned that afternoon. Would this bring retribution from Strahd?

Turning, Ser Adon, handed Danika the gemstone, wrapped in a cloth to hide its glow. She gasped as she opened it, calling for Urwin. Her husband had been driven away from the family by his father Dmitri who blamed him for losing the gemstone. "Now we can show the Old Crow he was wrong; there was no way you could have prevented that witch taking this." Excited, celebrating, Urwin gave those in the pub a round of the house. This time, his wife didn't reproach him. Instead her eyes widened and she smiled as she noticed that Kelwarin and Ireena were much closer, holding hands. Something had happened the night before at the funeral, bringing them closer together. Ser Adon and the rest of the party congratulated their friends as they realised. Adon told Kel that if he ever needed a best-orc, he'd be happy to oblige.

Gaddock, Laura, Kel and Ireena headed over to Jeny's shop. The sign said closed,  but when Gaddock called out Jeny enthusiastically responded, telling him to come in. Seeing Laura, she let out and excited squeal of 'Sister mine!" and wrapped her in a warm hug. Tea and cake was forthcoming, and Jeny introduced Kel as 'the one that got away' and Gaddock as 'an enthusiastic and energetic bedwarmer who I'll lend to you when you're better'. Kel explained what had happened when Jeny asked after Alexei, Adon and Alys, and he asked her to watch out for the town. She looked at him a little blankly, agreeing but not really understanding why he was asking this of a shopkeeper, before whispering to Ireena that if she needed anything 'special' for the two of them, that she'd be happy to help. The change between Kel and Ireena had not gone unnoticed.

Ser Adon and Alys called into the Wachterhaus and were almost met by another woman. Lady Fiona was positively joyful. They had come in trepidation, as the Martikovs had indicated that Kurt was back up and around but always wore dark glasses, even at night. Lady Fiona introduced them to 'her husband and love of her life', Lord Nicholai Wachter. An older man - they suspected that the age difference from his wife had closed when he had been dead the last decade - he looked distinguished. However, they noticed his eyes were bloodshot and the tear ducts stained with blood. Kurt came into the room, surprised by the guests, he pushed his darkened glasses on but not before Ser Alys and Ser Adon both noted his eyes whites were now completely black. Sensing for evil and undeath, Ser Adon found nothing. He reflected, and realised that the dark powers of this land may - perhaps - taint resurrection. Lord Wachter was completely affable, albeit a little distant and confused. Kurt had lost the arrogance that he'd shown before.

A discussion ensued about the Ring and how they needed to rely on Lady Fiona to protect the town, especially with the forthcoming solstice and imminent burning of Baba Lysaga as an act of public defiance against the dark powers of the land. Somehow, Ser Adon swung the argument[1] and Lady Fiona happily agreed to help.

The afternoon came and a nervous crowd gathered on the common, hypnotised by the building of the pyre. The body of the witch was revealed to gasps, and then Father Lucien said the prayers over her. The flames licked upwards, swiftly consuming the pyre. They turned green as they touched her body, and there was a smell of sulphur as the witches' flesh caught. Dark clouds gathered, and the rain started. It was as if the land was trying to put out the pyre. Thunder rumbled, and the crowd looked around nervously. Lightning ripped through the sky in the distance, clearly outlining the mountain behind which Castle Ravenloft was located. 

Coming from the west was a terrifying, swirling cloud, lightning striking all around it. The rain became a downpour as the body burned, and then the cloud was upon them in the unnatural darkness. It was a huge swarm of bats which swooped and scared the populace of the town; they started to panic and run. Standing firm, the Ring called out to calm them, managing to stop the mass stampede but people were still running into town. In the distance, against the thunderclaps, the party were sure they heard a cry of 'Baba'. 

The party stayed at the field until the pyre burned down. Within it, there was a strangely blackened and calcified heart, which they decided needed to be buried at a crossroads outside town...

GM Notes:

[1] Opposed roll with Lady Wachter critically failing. As an aside, Kel made at least three persuasion rolls this session and every one was a 19! He's running a +9 mod now, so the minimum roll will make DC10.

I was less prepared than I wanted to be, but I'd pulled together some notes for all the key next steps that the party had identified last session. I wanted a proper send off for Alexei, and I loved the way that the players leaned into this, telling stories of him. 

Graham suggested that this was a good opportunity to bring Kel and Ireena's romance to a conclusion; this seemed right, as we are definitely heading into the endgame of the campaign.

They still need to return the gem (which will unlock part of the prophecy) and inter Argnvost's skull in the beacon tower. After that, the Amber Temple in the mountains to the south beckons. But the clock is ticking as they get closer to the solstice and the blood tithe becoming due to Strahd.

Overall, a good talky session.

2nd July 2022

Game Count - End of June 2022

 

June was disappointing, as there should have been five more games on this. Unfortunately, the better half's brush with COVID means that I missed North Star and games of Star Trek Adventures, Alien and Blue Planet. Curse of Strahd continues as my main outlet for gaming.

2 July 2022

First Impressions - Old-School Armory

Old-School Armoury - very orange!

Old-School Armory (OSA hereafter) is a softback, perfect bound 204-page black & White book, kickstarted back in December 2021 and fulfilled via DriveThruRPG.

Its concept is simple, but the stretch goals somewhat expanded the final product. I'd have been happy if the final stretch goal had been released standalone, as 82-pages of adventure significantly increases the book size of what was meant to be quite a tailored product.

That tight focus was all about gear. It gives fast options for equipping player characters for a game, the aim of which is to speed entry into play. There are a variety of levels of load out (to reflect the different levels of cash characters may have) and higher levels are also considered. The author has carefully referenced different editions of Basic D&D to bring this together.

OSA also has a simple encumbrance system; easy to track, and easy to work out exactly what the consequences of trying to carry out all that loot are. Now, I was only really into this when I first started with D&D, but a traumatic experience in the One Ring RPG has made me rethink my apathy about such things. There are definitely times having such systems helps, and having a simple, graphical and effective one is a big boon.

Gunpowder weapons make an entrance with decent rules but the most interesting addition was the sentient sword as a class. There are two versions - an independent weapon which can fly, and a wielded weapon which relies on someone to swing it. It's an interesting new character class, and done very well.

The book rounds out with an 82-page adventure, "The Clockwork Armory". The characters have travelled to a famous gnomish emporium to buy equipment, but things have gone wrong. What follows is an adventure of weirdness, clockworks and corruption. It didn't really float my boat thematically but I think it would work fine as a one-shot as characters try to survive, make a profit and avoid corruption. The maps were functional but uninspiring, but the artwork is good.

Overall, I like the first 127-pages more than the last eighty-two, and I can see myself using them with Old School Essentials when I next bring that to the table. A good, useful supplement.

1 July 2022