ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Sept 22, 2007 3:47:40 GMT -6
I’ve just returned from a special all-day roleplaying session with five other friends. It’s been a long time since any of us could spare a whole day together just to do gaming so we wanted to make it something memorable. The theme of the day was “Old school means you die screaming” and the games slated to be played were OD&D and Dragon Warriors. I was very excited that I was DMing the OD&D session and spent considerable time prepping. I had chosen B2 Keep on the Borderlands as the module to play and, with a great deal of help from the kind folk in these forums, decided to use the 3LBs plus a smattering of Greyhawk, Chainmail and house rules. It was a day of many firsts for us – first time playing OD&D for all of us, first time playing non-3.5 D&D for two players, first time playing KotB for all but two (and first time DMing this module for me). I’m very happy to say that the session went extremely well. Everyone had a lot of fun, enjoyed the game and had a few good laughs along the way. There was, of course, several instances of killing the monsters and taking their stuff. And the day continued to be fun when I got to play in the Dragon Warriors session where we naturally met a dragon and were slaughtered horribly. It was awesome! When I have a little more time I'll post up some more details on the OD&D session, some of my observations etc.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Sept 22, 2007 5:45:27 GMT -6
Not too many players seem to appreciate the notion that dying horribly can be a heck of a lot fo fun! Thanks for sharing your experience with OD&D.
|
|
|
Post by danproctor on Sept 22, 2007 11:19:03 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing! Glad you all had fun!
|
|
jrients
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 411
|
Post by jrients on Sept 22, 2007 11:40:17 GMT -6
Great to hear that your group had fun, Ant! Can you tell us examples when you handled situations where OD&D did not have specific rules to assist you?
|
|
|
Post by Rhuvein on Sept 22, 2007 22:02:46 GMT -6
Hey that's great, ant!
Sounds like everyone had a great time.
Well done. ;D
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Sept 23, 2007 5:51:09 GMT -6
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Great to hear that your group had fun, Ant! Can you tell us examples when you handled situations where OD&D did not have specific rules to assist you? There were a few specific times when players were trying to bluff/intimidate NPCs and other times when they were doing what would be Sense Motive checks in 3.5. I called for an ability check in these circumstances ie roll d20 and get the value of your ability or under (adjusted for difficulty) for success. I used Charisma checks and Wisdom checks respectively. Oh yeah, just remembered -- I also called for a couple of Strength checks when the PCs were trying to pry open a locked chest. There was also some seat-of-pants judgement calls regarding spells and such (like can a sleep spell be cast through a keyhole?), otherwise, for the most part the rules pretty much took care of almost everything.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Sept 23, 2007 6:35:32 GMT -6
There was also some seat-of-pants judgement calls regarding spells and such (like can a sleep spell be cast through a keyhole?), otherwise, for the most part the rules pretty much took care of almost everything. Don't leave us hanging, man! Did you allow the Sleep spell to be cast through the keyhole? In my campaign, I think I would have allowed it just because it's clever. If it got to the point where they did it too often I might change my ruling, but I always want the players to think "outside the box" on things like spells...
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Sept 24, 2007 5:54:11 GMT -6
Don't leave us hanging, man! Did you allow the Sleep spell to be cast through the keyhole? Yep, like yourself I thought it was a cool idea (and it was a pretty big keyhole) so I allowed it to possibly affect all the monsters he could see. Worked like a treat, too. Unfortunately it was a lot harder for the party to actually break the door down afterwards. Now that I've had some more feedback from the players I thought I'd do a bit more of a recap on the game. As I mentioned previously, there was a good mix of players -- some had played AD&D or BECM while the rest had only played 3.x. I gave everyone a warning before-hand that some of the elements in the game may seem a little unusual but nothing would be overly unfamiliar. While we joked about how deadly the game would be I was concerned about PC attrition (and this was just a one-shot session after all). To mitigate the risk of being a little too harsh I used the following rules (some of these probably look familiar): - Unconscious at 0hp
- Death at -2hp (for 1st level characters, -3hp for second level etc)
- Each player had two characters, one of which was standing by in reserve.
- Healing kits were available for purchase for 50gp that would allow PCs to bandage wounds, healing 1d4 hp on a successful Wisdom check. This could only be done once per PC after each battle (until the kit ran out).
However I also wanted death to be a little scary and didn't want everyone to have max hitpoints so I added the following: - Fighting-Men had max hp at 1st level (and received double the usual Con bonus)
- Clerics had 3+d3 hp at 1st level (plus regular Con bonus)
- Magic-users and thieves* had 1d6 hp (plus regular Con bonus)
*Note that I was initially going to disallow thieves in an effort to stick more to the 3LBs but ultimately I figured, what the heck. Anyway, to cut to the chase, the main gist of the feedback is as follows: - Play was fast, frantic and fun.
- We seemed to have lot more combat than usual.
- No-one minded some of the more "unusual" rules (eg all weapons do 1d6 damage).
- Despite only being 1st level the PCs seemed to pack some punch
- That "Death at -2" rule prevented two likely TPKs.
- The game wasn't quite as deadly as I'd hyped it (see previous point) -- only one true PC death (and that was by friendly fire ) but lots of unconscious PCs!
So, overall, what a totally amazing experience!
|
|
WSmith
Level 4 Theurgist
Where is the Great Svenny when we need him?
Posts: 138
|
Post by WSmith on Sept 24, 2007 12:25:35 GMT -6
Ant, excellent write up and some good fun! It is nice to see some of those on the fly judgment calls. I am a little different in that I no longer use ability checks. For the interaction rolls, I would use the reaction table on page 12 of Men & Magic. For the STR check, I would use the same chance to open a door (with maybe a bonus for STR 15+). Someone somewhere wrote up a rule about using the d6 where a 1 or 2 meant the condition changed. However, as you can see, ability checks will work, demonstrating the flexibility that OD&D has as one of its strong points.
If you guys play more, please tell us.
OH! And I am soooooooo envious for you getting to play Dragon Warriors! That is the game I most want to try btut never have.
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Sept 25, 2007 7:08:11 GMT -6
Thanks WSmith. Strangely enough, it never occured to me to use the reaction rolls -- a very cool idea! And in hindsight it probably would have made more sense using the Open Door roll for attempting to open the chest, mainly for consistancy because the guys made many attempts to force open doors so they were well used to making those sort of checks by that stage. Still, doing ability checks does give me a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling. It's hard to explain. If I get a chance I might add to my write-up -- some of the combats were quite interesting and it was really refreshing seeing the player's take on it. As for Dragon Warriors -- it was a lot of fun but very deadly. We had a hard a time hitting anything and when we did we weren't doing a lot of damage. I'm not sure whether the DM made it deliberately difficult or if that's just the way the system works. Of course, it didn't help our cause when we attacked the dragon. Crispy-fried adventurer, anyone?
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Oct 16, 2007 7:39:11 GMT -6
The morning warmed to an autumn sun as the ten heroes, five unlikely pairs of companions, arrived at the drawbridge of the Keep - stony bulwark against the tide of Chaos to the east.
They were hailed by the Keep's guards as they stood on the far side of the sheer ravine and they announced themselves in turn: First, Abacus the elf, strongest of his forest home and Calculus the thief, wielder of a mighty blade. Next, George, proud knight and Clancy, elven archer and brother in arms. Ralph, the stocky dwarf and his friend, Harry the mysterious student of arcane arts, followed next. The pious Felonyus, powerful cleric and his stalwart (and unpleasant smelling) companion, Meshugga the dwarf were close behind. And finally, the creepy rogue, Mallek and his incredibly unlikely elven friend, Ghilgaladwrap gave their names and stated their business.
The guards were in awe that such a band of different souls could all arrive at the same time at their gates. The guards exclaimed that truly this was a great blessing as the Keep could do with these new champions of Law who would help keep the Chaos to the east in check.
At the proclamation of their assumed Lawful persuasion most of the weary adventurers shuffled their feet and looked around nervously. Mallek almost choked on his last bottle of cheap wine.
Ne'er-the-less the drawbridge was lowered and the party shambled and clanked their way into the safe bosom of the Keep. At the cobbled entry yard they were greeted by an over-eager stable boy who was bitterly disappointed to find that they had no horses. He was suitably cheered, however, when he earnt a shiny gold coin for showing the band of travelers to the Keep's Inn and Tavern.
And that's where the trouble really started ...
|
|
|
Post by crimhthanthegreat on Oct 17, 2007 20:44:54 GMT -6
Ant, this is good stuff, glad to see someone, doing the old school thing! I love the die screaming bit! Cheers to you and your friends!
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Oct 18, 2007 15:02:17 GMT -6
Hey, thanks Crimhthan_The_Great! Will post up the next installment soon.
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Oct 21, 2007 7:03:30 GMT -6
Thirsty and hungry, the troope of friends and strangers pushed their way into the tavern. The barkeep gave them a curt nod as they dragged tables together and gathered enough chairs to seat them all. Fortunately there weren't many patrons at this early hour -- only a small band of seedy-looking mercenaries occupied a table in a dim corner.
George, already assuming the leadership role of the adventuring group, called to the barkeep to bring enough food and drink for all and graciously laid a handful of gold coin upon their table.
As the men, elves and dwarves seated themselves jugs of honey mead, ale and small beer were laid out for them. Roast fowl and joint, pies, cheese, bread and stew followed.
Famished, they began to devour the repast. Meshugga and Ralph shared ale, as is the dwarvish tradition. When several bottles of wine were added to the banquet one or two found there way into Mallek's backpack. The elves, Abacus, Clancy and Ghilgaladwrap, sniffed at the meats and satisfied themselves with bread and one of the bottles of wine that Mallek had missed. Everyone ate and spoke little, though Felonyus did offer thanks to his mysterious god during mouthfuls of mutton.
No-one noticed that the mercenaries from the other table had sidled up to our champions. They eyed the feast hungrily. One, dirtier and uglier than the rest, said to George, "Thank you for the generosity, friend" and grabbed a chicken leg.
George's chair crashed to the floor and the knight had his two-handed sword out and raised in a killing guard before the mercenary had taken the first bite. One of the dwarves (it was hard to tell them apart), had his sword in hand and was ready to leap across the food-laden table at the invader of privacy and breaker of table etiquette.
But it was the magic-user, Harry, who took the decisive action. With a burp and an arcane gesture he summoned a glowing arrow from the aether. In a flash the magical missile launched itself across the table and buried itself deep into the mercenary's chest. The mercenary staggered back, bewilderment upon his face, and then promptly died. The chicken leg was still grasped in his hand.
The mercenary's companions looked down in horror. One just kept saying, "But ... but ... but ..." over and over again. This did little to stop the pooling blood that leaked from the dead man.
As the ten adventurers calmly returned to their meals the remaining mercenaries gathered up the body and with threats of, "Seeing what the Captain of the Guard has to say about this!" they staggered outside.
At the bar, the barkeep shook his head slowly.
"We have rules in the Keep," he said in an almost scalding tone. "You lot have just broken many of them."
George approached the barkeep. His hand went to his belt. He produced his coinpurse and laid it heavily upon the bar.
"I apologise for the mess. I hope this covers it."
The barkeep looked at the fat purse and his eyes shot nervously to the door.
"I ... think that will do nicely, m'lord. I never could stand that lot -- freeloaders to a man. And, as they say, life is cheap here on the Borderlands."
George smiled a charming smile, turned back to his friends and poured himself some more ale.
And then the tavern door burst open ...
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Oct 26, 2007 5:17:32 GMT -6
The corporal of the watch strode into the tavern, flanked by two guardsmen. His hard eyes immediately scanned the table of companions, boring into each of them despite their continued feasting. Unsatisfied he strode toward the barkeep and his heavy plate armour rattled as he went. The corporal rested a gauntleted hand on the pommel of his longsword and stared at the barkeep, who met his gaze levelly.
"There's been a report of a disturbance here," the corporal said gruffly as his eyes flicked to the companions and then down to the blood-stain just visible on the dark floor. "We don't appreciate trouble here."
The barkeep rallied admirably, his fingers lightly touching the purse of monies that George had given him.
"Indeed there was, m'lord. That lot of loitering mercenaries, the ones that have already been the cause of complaints from my customers, attempted to steal from these hardy folk. They were dealt with justly."
"Guests of the keep do not deal out its justice!" the corporal growled. Still he had barely got the adventurers' attention. At the table someone belched loudly and the weaselly-looking one was complaining about the lack of wine. The corporal slammed his fist on the bar. With that, a man armoured such as himself stood from the table and turned to face him. The knight, as his bearing seemed to make him, smiled graciously at the corporal and then saluted smartly.
"Good sir," and his smile broadened, "I am George. My companions and I have traveled far and are enjoying the fare of this good tavern and its fine barkeep. We did not wish to disturb the peace of this, your home, but the death of that cur was his choosing, not ours. We seek to bring you aid against the darkness and you will find us more honourable than any mercenary. Well, most of us."
The corporal paused ... he muttered something under his breath, caught himself and then addressed the knight.
"You walk a thin line, friend, but the gods of Law smile on you this day. We are indeed needy of ones such as yourselves. My men are stretched yet we have had word that a merchant's wagon was recently waylaid. Worse still, his daughter was taken to the caves a day's ride from here in the realms of Chaos."
"I would be willing to forgive your transgression," the corporal continued, "if you were to seek out the girl and return her."
George nodded and, after a brief word to the others still gorging themselves at the table, he told the corporal they would be more than happy to assist the Keep on the Borderland.
"Good!" said the corporal. "I have a cleric that I think you should meet ..."
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Oct 30, 2007 7:32:25 GMT -6
The party were satiated and were idly picking through the left-overs when the cleric that the Corporal of the Watch had mentioned arrived.
He was a large, jovial man with a wide smile and an easy laugh. Curiously, his entourage were two sallow-looking acolytes -- their vows of silence only accentuated the cleric's boisterous nature.
Naturally, Felonyus took an instant disliking to the brash newcomer who, he quickly determined, worshiped a weaker god. The two clerics verbally sparred for awhile until Felonyus got bored and walked away while the jovial cleric was touting the merits of his deity.
Unperturbed, the cleric offered his services and that of his silent acolytes to the party, stating that he would be a powerful ally as he had ventured to the Caves of Chaos before.
No-one seemed to mind ... Felonyus was distracted by something shiny so he didn't object when George welcomed the new cleric and his acolytes on their quest.
To celebrate the jovial cleric offered to perform a communion using the remaining dregs of wine. This smacked of effort and the group shrugged non-commitally. Except Mallek the Thief.
"Do ... do you perform these ... "communions" often?" the thief asked excitedly as he gazed longingly at the cup of wine the cleric was blessing.
"Why, of course, my son. As often as you would have them. I even have special wine that I can bring for the occasion."
And while Mallek grinned with unbridled, drunken glee Calculus the Thief gave this new cleric a side-long glance laced heavily with suspicion.
"Splendid! We'll see you at dawn tomorrow then." smiled George.
...
As the sun rose on another chill morning the party found themselves outside the stables. The corporal had arranged for horses and ponies for the troope and had even spared two men to act as guides, porters and extra protection if needed.
The jovial cleric and his acolytes were there, bright and fresh and fully armed and armoured. The cleric, looking splendid in white plate armour, was thanking his god loudly and asked for a blessing upon their journey. Felonyus rolled his eyes, lifted his hands at the jovial cleric and uttered words of holy power ...
"Dingle, dingle, dingle!"
The jovial cleric looked quizzically at Felonyus and then looked at his acolytes, who shrugged. Felonyus smiled and stepped away to talk to George, who was conversing with the men-at-arms and the Corporal.
"It's a day's solid ride," said the Corporal, "so you should get to the Caves just on dusk. Stick to the road. Leave the road and you will die. Do. Not. Leave. The. Road. When you reach the Caves ONLY go to the highest cave immediately on your right."
George smiled and nodded. Somewhere behind him Mallek was asking the jovial cleric if it would not be proper for him to perform a communion before they left.
With a few more parting words ("Remember, the first high cave to your right. And how the bloody hell did you lot manage to avoid getting your names taken by the scribe when you first arrived, anyway?") the Corporal bid them farewell.
The journey was initially pleasant, for the most part. Mallek took communion so many times he had trouble steering his horse but otherwise everyone kept to themselves. Calculus rode behind the jovial cleric, keeping a steady eye on his back.
Just after lunch, as they set off again, Calculus slipped into the Chaotic tongue and spoke to the supposedly Lawful jovial cleric in the hopes of catching him out. No luck. Calculus wondered if his suspicions were unfounded.
And then Meshugga started to sing a bawdy ballad, also in the Chaotic tongue. Mallek soon joined in an off-key harmony. Ralph followed, adding to the deep dwarven baritone.
And Calculus, still watching the cleric and the silent acolytes, suddenly saw the cleric subconsciously mouthing the lewd lyrics. It was only for a moment -- the cleric caught himself and didn't notice Calculus' gaze -- but it was enough. Calculus the Thief smiled a grim smile to himself.
...
And then the sun was setting. The road they had been following for hours had become overgrown and rutted. The forest was now a dark tangle of misshapen trees and long thorns. Things skittered on the edge of vision.
One of the men-at-arms pointed to a wall of thickets just off the road.
"Through there ... we'll need some muscle to get to the valley before nightfall. Let's move."
He wasn't lying. After much hacking and slashing the party slowly led their horses throw the overgrowth. Suddenly they found themselves in a very long, high-walled gash in the earth. Bones were littered about and, all along the valley walls, were various cave entrances -- some crude, some fashioned cunningly.
George looked up and to his right and fetched his great sword from his horse as the last rays of sun splintered the darkening sky .
"So, who wants to stay with the horses?" he asked no-one in particular ...
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Nov 2, 2007 7:58:22 GMT -6
After a few minutes of squabbling George the fighting-man, Harry the magic-user, Abacus and Ghilgaladwrap the elves and Meshugga the dwarf started their way up the steep valley wall to the dark cave entrance. One of the men-at-arms had a quick word with George before he left ... there was a bounty on humanoids so it could be worth their while bringing back an ear or two when they (hopefully) returned to the Keep.
As the sky darkened those left behind to guard the horses huddled together and risked building a small fire. Felonyus the cleric, the thieves Mallek and Calculus, Ralph the dwarf, Clancy the elf and the corporal's men-at-arms watched the first group scale the rocky slope.
The jovial cleric vowed to go with the vanguard force as they delved into the unknown. He commanded his two acolytes to remain with the horses and they both nodded, sat ... and waited.
...
The elves Abacus and Ghilgaladwrap reached the cave entrance first. The humans and the dwarf were making their way upward, noisily and clumsily.
The two elves peered into the entrance, the dim evening light more than enough for their keen eyes to easily discern the features of the corridor. The corridor extended about 20 feet and ended at a T-junction that went east and west. Curiously, there appeared to be many niches carved into the northern wall with each niche occupied by a severed head or skull. Ghilgaladwrap arched an eyebrow at Abacus just as George and Harry reached the entrance and stared inside.
"We need light." said George. Harry was already striking steel on flint to light a small oil lantern the magic-user had retrieved from his backpack.
By the time Meshugga reached them, grumbling and cursing incoherently into his filthy beard, Harry's lantern illuminated the corridor and the far wall with its macabre ornamentation.
Meshugga saw the gruesome trophies, grunted quizzically, picked up a fist-sized rock and threw it as hard as he could at one of the more meatier, orc-like heads. The rock missed, just, and shattered against the wall.
At least three of the companions could have sworn they saw the head flinch in its little hole.
Meshugga tapped one of the elves in the side, Ghilgaladwrap it was, and cocked his head toward the T-junction. The lithe elf barely nodded as he smoothly drew and nocked a long, white arrow and loosed it at the orc-head.
The arrow plunged deep into the right eye. The head snapped back and seemed to fall into the wall. The head disappeared and then what looked like a grey canvas, hanging behind the niche, rustled back into place.
"Oh, good shot!" exclaimed the jovial cleric as he huffed and blustered as he tried to catch his breath.
George gripped his two-handed sword in a low guard and stepped cautiously into the Cave.
"Follow me and take care," he said ...
|
|
|
Post by tgamemaster1975 on Nov 17, 2007 22:57:43 GMT -6
Ant you have something special going on here, I can't wait to read more. Great, great stuff.
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Jan 2, 2008 5:21:32 GMT -6
Wow ... it's been a while since I updated this thread. My, how time flies!
Ok, second New Year's resolution ... finish this tale of heroism, glory and death (and just a bit of greed).
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Jan 20, 2008 6:35:55 GMT -6
The orcs were ready for them.
The rocky corridor that lead north from the entrance was only about 10' long. George glanced to his right as he faced the wall of skulls and heads and, in the dim light, caught the glint of metal and the leering glare of porcine features.
Harry's torch soon lit the entire T-section up in an orange glow. Orcs they were. Dirty and mangy, in boiled-leather armour. The orcs hefted their spears as both parties let out thundering battle-cries.
Orcish spears were hurled into the party and, before he could draw an arrow, Ghilgaladwrap had a spear in his guts and he dropped with a scream. George, teeth clenched in rage, felt a spear bite into his plate armour but he shrugged off the pain.
Abacus loosed an arrow in return that streaked down the corridor. One orc fell with a heavy thud.
George and Meshugga exploded into the room of orcs, followed closely by the jovial cleric. Axe and greatsword cleaved flesh with abandon. Harry flicked a throwing dagger as he advanced to check on the fallen elf as Abacus' keen ears picked up the sounds of guttural shouts echoing from somewhere deeper into the Caves.
"We have company!", he cried over the squealing of their terrified foes.
|
|
ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
|
Post by ant on Jan 21, 2008 6:32:59 GMT -6
This time it was the party who were ready ...
Abacus retreated back into the entrance corridor and those huddled around the horses in the valley could just make out his lithe shape in the growing darkness. He readied an arrow and drew his bow fully as the sounds of the new enemy grew closer. Abacus knew it was more orcs -- he understood well their cursed tongue.
From out of the room of carnage Meshugga, George and the jovial cleric waded. Meshugga was speckled with blood and gore, most of it fresh from the orcs. George's armour rattled as he shifted his wounded arm, working out the pain.
But there was little respite. Heeding Abacus' warning cry George and Meshugga grabbed the fallen orcs' own spears and set them.
Harry, not able to aid the fallen Ghilgaladwrap, took position behind the fighting men and hastily recalled words of arcane power.
The jovial cleric saw the fallen elf and quickly rushed to his aid. He uncorked a small phial and poured a glittering liquid down the elf's throat. Instantly the grievous stomach wound closed and healed. The jovial cleric smiled and joined the second rank, hefting his mace.
Ghilgaladwrap's eyes fluttered open. He didn't let his brush with death dissuade him from meeting this new enemy. He leapt to his feet, found a safe spot and readied his bow, pointing it west.
At that moment the orcs rumbled around the corner at speed and ran headlong into the party and the deadly elvish cross-fire.
Spears, arrows, magic missile, axe and sword -- the orcs were cut down like the animals they were ...
|
|