Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 147 Location: Brisbane, Australia Karma: 7
Ant's OD&D at Gencon Oz 08 [Completed!] « Thread Started on Jul 5, 2008, 5:16pm »
Phew! Well, yesterday afternoon I ran my first con game ever -- OD&D running B2. I'll go into some more details later but I just wanted to let you all know that it turned out really well. Better than I had hoped, even.
I think I got lucky as the group of six players was excellent and they made it a real joy to DM.
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 147 Location: Brisbane, Australia Karma: 7
Re: Ant's OD&D at Gencon Oz 08 « Reply #4 on Aug 1, 2008, 7:12am »
Well, it took a bit longer to recover than I anticipated but what will follow over a few posts is my tale of trepidation, excitement and amusement ...
Not only was this my first time at a Con but was also the first GenCon in Australia. "What better way to celebrate than to be a volunteer DM?", I thought.
It took me only a moment to decide what game I wanted to run -- late last year, just as my interest in OD&D really started to fire, I took my friends into B2 Keep on the Borderlands. It was a lot of fun and I thought the free-form nature of OD&D would be perfect for a Con game. Additionally, with D&D 4e being the darling of the Con I thought that at least someone should represent classic gaming, Save or Dies and all.
Anyway, after navigating the tortuous online registration (I'm sure this will be much improved next year), I was locked in. My session blurb stated simply that I'd be running the classic module using the Original rules from around 1974. I honestly had no idea if I'd get any players as there was a screaming amount of would-be Con-goers keen to play 4e. Would I pique the interest of any grognards? Would the young' uns join out of curiousity or morbid fascination?
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 147 Location: Brisbane, Australia Karma: 7
Re: Ant's OD&D at Gencon Oz 08 « Reply #6 on Aug 3, 2008, 8:12am »
D-Day. My friend and I arrived at Gencon Oz in the morning with me toting my bag full of old D&D goodness. My game was running that afternoon so I had some time to kill. After the initial buzz at being at Gencon wore off I entertained myself by taking photos of the cosplayers and scouring the vendors stalls for any bargains. After gatecrashing an excellent seminar with Robin D. Laws my moment had suddenly arrived.
Nervous? Me? Maybe just a little.
I actually went to my designated private gaming room about 15 minutes early, as per Con recommendations. And, as expected, the Shadowrun game prior to mine was running over. So I loitered outside the door and watched the RPGA 4e games until another gent arrived. I asked if he was here for the OD&D game. He said yes and I introduced myself. I had my first player and, if he was any indication, I was off to a good start.
By the time the Shadowrunners had packed up and left, 4 of the 5 registered players (I'd designated a max of 6 players for the game) had arrived. One player (likely the truest grognard of the group) had proudly brought his own copy of the OD&D white box set. I was suitably impressed and told him so. The other gents were a little younger in years but didn't lack for enthusiasm. Most of those gathered had cut their teeth on BECMI D&D and were keen to relive some of those glory days. As I would later find out, one chap was also a collector and has some D&D items that I could only ever dream of owning.
As we settled in the 5th and, I presumed, final player arrived. He apologised for being a bit late and immediately stated his excitement about playing. He was warmly welcomed and took his place as he started reminiscing about the red box set.
It looks like I was lucky indeed as all 5 lads at the table seemed very cool and, while not all had played OD&D, they all had a real keenness that was a pleasure to behold. I felt my tension ease ...
With all assembled I started to close the door, but then a voice cried out and a distinctly female arm was thrust through the door jamb.
"Don't close the door on me!" my unexpected 6th player said as she slipped into the room and sat at a nearby chair. She was surprisingly young and immediately picked up some dice that I'd laid out on the table, held one up and proclaimed, "Someone may have to give me a hand to use these things!"
What's that, you say? A girl at an OD&D Con game? Yes, gentle readers, true indeed. How would this surprising change in demographics affect the newly-bonded group? And when the hell is the actual OD&D game going to start? All in good time (or possibly the next post)!
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 147 Location: Brisbane, Australia Karma: 7
Re: Ant's OD&D at Gencon Oz 08 « Reply #9 on Aug 4, 2008, 8:01am »
And suddenly a dark shape came lumbering out of the inky blackness of the cave mouth! Taller than a man, it was, and twice as wide! Your first thought is, "Ogre!" The silhouettes of its thick, clawed arms seem to stretch out as the thing wails a strangely high-pitched cry of "Bree-yark!"
There's nothing like jumping into the action. I really only had a few plans for my Con game and the first was to get to the mayhem as quickly as possible.
To achieve this I'd rolled up a whole mess of pre-gen chars (2 of each class including thief). My players were happy to jump in feet first (though I think one guy was keen to make a paladin but he was content to play an elf -- very, very well, I might add). No-one seemed to blink when we were joined by our only female player so without further adieu I let everyone pick their characters. With these selected, names chosen and equipment examined (the players broke out in nostalgic grins when the thief discovered he was carrying a 10' pole) the adventure began.
I quickly summarised the B2 intro, told how they gathered at the Travellers Inn, were promptly hired by the Captain for their obvious skill and then set out on horses to the Caves of Chaos. There was a merchant's daughter to free, after all.
I quickly informed them that the journey to the Caves of Chaos was uneventful (though the jovial cleric and his two silent acolytes that were also traveling with the party began to grate instantly). They arrived at the caves just on dusk and I threw it back over to the party.
I think they had all of two minutes before I set my insane goblins pushing the war wagon containing the fake ogre upon them!
(Did I mention that my second planned item was that I had to mix it up a bit, guessing that at least a few players would have been through B2 before?)
Next post: our valiant heroes have their first combat!
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 147 Location: Brisbane, Australia Karma: 7
Re: Ant's OD&D at Gencon Oz 08 « Reply #11 on Aug 5, 2008, 8:25am »
For having only just met (in real life) the player's fought like a well-oiled machine. Mostly ...
But just before we leap into the fray, here's the line up so you've got an idea of party composition -- Shamus the magic-user (and party leader, played by my first arrival), Ys the elf (and cartographer, played by the grognard), Cecil the thief (played by our lady friend), the dwarves Karma Barrenwarden (played by the D&D collector) and Flint (the player was somewhat fatigued from an all-night Arkham Horror session) and finally Cubisia the cleric (devoted holy man, played by a young chap who was just really pleasant).
All characters started out at level 3 with a few minor magic items and either a magical weapon or armour (+1 only).
With the party was the NPC cleric and his two acolytes (as per the information in B2). I named the cleric Felonius, after a friend's OD&D cleric.
Now, back into the fray!
Cubisia, Ys and Cecil immediately established themselves as the party's artillery (a trend which continued for most of the session) as they launched a barrage of sling stones and arrows at the ogre-shaped thing trundling out of the shadows towards them. Shamus blew his first magic missile on the thing and he groaned as it came into view ... a large mannequin of sacks, straw and thick branches perched precariously on top of a wooden wagon powered by at least a dozen nasty yellow-skinned, goblins!
Shamus, unperturbed, immediately cast sleep on the goblins on one side of the wagon. His roll was superb and all of the nasty critters he targeted crashed to the ground in slumber. The wagon immediately lurched to one side and furrowed the ground. It started to turn steeply as the goblins on the other side of the wagon stupidly continued to push with all their might.
Upset by the sudden movement the ogre dummy vaulted into the air, somersaulted and exploded on the ground in a shower of sticks and straw.
Ys and the dwarves went into action at the sight of these hated foes. Still on his pony, Flint rode out in a wide arc, hoping to catch some goblins between his charge and the side of the wagon. Karma hefted his axe, let out a blood-curdling war-cry and charged forward under his own steam. Ys' aim was deadly and the first goblins started to stain the ground red.
Cubisia continued to sing the blessings of his god as his sling stones flew true, striking goblins smack-bang in their foreheads.
Cecil shot lots of arrows into the air and then decided his twin short-swords would be a better idea.
Soon the battle was joined. Goblins crashed into party members using swords, teeth and fists (and occasionally pausing to cackle insanely or sit on the ground and sulk when they got hurt). Karma was death on (short) legs, his axe hewing left and right. Ys and Shamus went for their melee weapons but were in a spot of bother given the sheer numbers. Cubisia kept his distance and provided covering fire. Cecil's blades flashed with amazing skill. Things were looking dangerous but not insurmountable.
And then Flint's pony went down as it was hamstrung but the little brutes. All saw the dwarf, warhammer in hand, fall under his screaming mount and then get piled-on by a horde of gobbos!
"My brother!" screamed Karma as the red mist settled behind his eyes ...
Oh, drama! Stay tuned ... more OD&D Gencon goodness awaits (and I promise I'll try and move things along a bit quicker ... didn't intend for this to devolve into a blow-by-blow recap! )
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