I'm in..

I will be arriving in KC on Friday morning, leaving on Monday afternoon.  I talked to Tara--she is flying in on Thursday night, and also leaving Monday afternoon.  I will email Nat and Jen re: schedule; hopefully one or both of them can commit to the weekend.

Cheers,
Kev

In reply to DM (msg # 454):

And weigh in on which of the three scenario options appeals to you most.  You can pick your top two options, and indicate which of those two are most preferable, or just pick your top one.

Cheers,
Kev

In reply to DM (msg # 454):

Ok, I gotta see what I can do to get time off.  Just found out yesterday cause I keep forgetting to check in. I'd really like to do this.

In reply to Aine Cliodhna (msg # 456):

Dammit all to hell.  I have a project release and completion the weekend of June 14th.  I have to be in the office at 2 of the goddamn am on Saturday the 15th. this angers me and makes me sad, but I can't go.

Is Nat able to make it?

In reply to Aine Cliodhna (msg # 457):

Sorry you won't be able to make it, Jen.  We'll have Aine do some work behind the scenes re: the Drow adventure thread, and catch you on the next event.  And indeed, Nathaniel will be making the trek to KC this year.

Cheers,
Kev

So, a little note re: logistics.

I have booked a 2 BR, 2 BA suite in Overland Park for Nat and me, and the rest of us if it looks good.  In theory, it has the living space and kitchen space to accommodate our gaming activities.  We'll see how well theory plays out in reality.  It does offer us some flexibility and dedicated gaming space, if that's something we're looking for.  And I put down a bit extra per night so that we can cancel with a 24+ hour notification if something better crops up.

I will post some background material this weekend, and probably get us right up to the starting point of the adventure.  Definitely have a look before we convene, but we can back-fill if you don't get the chance.

Looking forward to seeing the gang and your characters...even Totmacher...kinda...errmmm...


;)
KOB

Gang, I have some bad news.

My brother is terminally ill. He could have weeks left. He could have days left. There's a strong possibility he will pass sometime before or during our con this year. If this is the case, I'm going to have to go to Pennsylvania for the funeral. I will keep you posted as events warrant.

In reply to Perrato Viatomagne (msg # 460):

I'm so sorry to hear that, Tara.  Extending thoughts and sympathies your way...

Kev

Tara,

I'm very sorry to hear about your brother.  Take care during this time - we'll be thinking about you..

Jason

As always, I had an excellent time gaming with everyone this go-round.  We powered through the last encounter, wrapping up the tournament, the underlying attempts to cheat/throw this decennial's challenge, the return of last decennial's disgraced cheater and her twin sister--both out for revenge--and the triple-crossing brine dragon who had seemingly allied with them.

I'll post some updates to reflect Con 2013, and you guys can level up to 13th.  I don't have access to the internet at our new place yet, and work has started to significantly limit the sites to which we do have access, so it may be a few days before it's all out there.

Thanks again to all of you--I feel like I owe big $$ for lots of food and oceans of beer.  We may have to tweak some of the rules to reflect a less over-the-top approach to damage, but it's all good.

Hopefully Jason made it back safely, and that we all enjoyed ourselves.

Cheers,
Kev

Hey everyone, I had a great time, and I can't wait to do it again, hopefully w/o skype. It was great having Nat there, I hope he'll be a permanent addition, and a big thank you to Kevin for putting the adventure together.

I've given everyone a rough draft of their 13th level character, so let me know what you are going to do whenever you get the chance.

I've reached the stage with Garryn where I can take 2 different routes to broaden his effectiveness. The first is to take Combat Expertise now and Improved Feint at 15th, this will improve his ability to fight toe-to-toe in those situations where tumbling isn't an option. Or I could take Point Blank Shot and then Precise Shot at 15th level, this would allow me to fire into melee...especially with ray based wands, something Aidrin is not likely to be able to do.

I'd welcome anyone's opinion on which route is better for our party.

Hey Gang,

It was great to see you last month (as well as you Tara, albeit virtually!)

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for inviting me to this band of misfits.  I've really enjoyed both the company and the laughs this game has brought over the last 13 years (eg. Leaving Las Borderton, the sad (however, inevitable) demise of poor Ulgo, etc etc etc).

A special thanks to you Kevin, for putting in the time DM'ing us all these years.  Something I know must have been a source of countless episodes of exasperation for you (he types eyeing the unopened PHB collecting dust on his shelf...).

With that said, I've decided to pack up the dice - its time to retire.  Again, thank you for bringing me in to this little family.   I won't forget it.

Best Regards,
Jason

I'm sorry and saddened to see your retirement notice, Jason, but I do understand.  It has been a long time...13 years of on- and off-again email gaming--tapering off since my job changed in 2006--and 8 years of Con events.  Our earlier years were simpler and easier times for me...I could put far more effort into the game.  And the game dynamics, system, and challenge levels have shifted significantly as the years have passed, as well.

Things change, both in a gaming universe and in the real world, not always for the better or happier.  I'll keep the website up, and we'll see how things go from here.

Cheers,
Kev

I'm sorry to hear you're retiring the group, Jason. You've been a joy to game with, and I hope to see you again in some other capacity in the years that come. I certainly will miss you.

As to my own plans, I WILL be at whatever con event we have next year, barring some other family catastrophe. I've been gaming in Arret since 1988, and if Kevin is willing, I'm very pleased to keep gaming there. Perrato, after all, needs something to do.

We've been doing this for some time now, and there has been--on my part--a loss of inertia for the campaign.  I'm not throwing in the towel by any means, but I am attempting to rejuvenate the game.


As such, I am starting up a new, first level campaign set in a very primitive milieu--at least for the initial few levels.  Physical environment is yet to be determined.

If you have any interest, let me know.  Bret, Tara, and Scott are on board, to the best of my knowledge.

I'm not sure we will put together Con events for this campaign, but I am committed to doing the old email/RPOL updates with a new, low level context...to explore the Pathfinder rules and to re-connect with the game.

KOB

In reply to DM (msg # 468):

I'm interested.

I am still working on the milieu, backstories, and maps for this campaign.  If you are still interested, I hope to have everything in place by late April or early May.  If you'd like, you can create characters in the meanwhile, or you can wait until I post a bit more background if it makes it easier.

It is likely that your first adventure cycle will involve the dangerous trek to the taiga forests to collect fuel, but I am still working though that.

KOB

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/...-a-trampier-obituary

A link to a complete collection of "Wormy" comics.

https://sites.google.com/site/wormycollected/Home

Sad.  I always liked the trolls, the sidekick schtick he used, and his Everyman take on monsters in the Wormy series.  His style was a little D&D R. Crumb-ish, to my mind--a pretty good combo in my opinion.

Cheers, all...
KOB

In reply to DM (msg # 470):

I'm still pulling together myth-cycle elements, CC3 mapping, and an adventure pathway.  I don't think anyone is chomping at the bit for gaming in this campaign, but I will be introducing elements of the game in the ensuing few weeks.

KOB

I am continuing to develop background, culture, and maps for this section of Arret.  I will continue to update and post throughout the summer, and I hope to kick off adventuring in a couple of months...August or September as a target start time.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to create a character based on the point system and info I've posted.

Thanks,
KOB

I don't think anyone is still following this, but I'm posting anyway.  I am still developing the part of Arret known as Tukisinangitok (TK), and am putting together culture, technology, spiritual, and sundry parameters.  However, I am planning on changing one central element:

I am planning on playtesting D&D 5 with this campaign.  I've looked at the free pdf the WOTC released, providing an abbreviated version of the PHB.  I like what I see, for the most part.  The concept of TK arose, in large part, because of how broken Pathfinder seemed to me once characters got to just a medium level....10th to 12th.  Skill checks, combat maneuvers, and other game mechanics issues increasingly favored player characters and added (to my mind) an unwarranted complexity to the game, and there seemed to be little capacity to balance the issue without resorting to ridiculous measures--DC checks of 40, 50, or more, or a series of monsters with outrageous maneuver defenses, fundamentally changing how some of these die rolls would work, or changing the outcome of the roll altogether.

I'm not sure how D&D 5 will play out, but I believe it will represent a streamlining of the system and a return to the feel of earlier editions.  I'm not at all sure if any of you folks will want to run with this, but I plan on playtesting this with NPCs of my own and possibly open the game up to other folks (e.g. Nick, Nat) who may show an interest.

If you occasionally check on the site, I will be posting material and beginning an adventure along the lines of what I had previously indicated...I'm provisionally titling it Old Fire Trees of the Wood Goblins.

KOB

Perrato, Totmacher, Garryn, and Thomas Aelbric are going to be in a comic book. I have a short story in the upcoming anthology Death Saves. Contribute to the Kickstarter and get free stuff.

https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...of-the-kitchen-table

I've been shopping for 5E rulebooks online, looking to save myself some bucks.

This story I did for Death Saves has me all excited about D&D again, and I know that Kev has put a lot of time and effort into his new campaign environment. Bret recently moved to Florida, and has more time on his hands for gaming there than he did when he lived in Kansas City.

So, I guess that leaves Scott as the only person yet to express interest in more gaming. What'cha say, Scott?

Kev, we talked before about looking for sites that could replace RPoL for our new gaming sessions, but I haven't been able to find anything appropriate to our needs that doesn't function exactly the same way as RPoL already does. If it's still a live issue, my vote is to stay here.

Got the gaming bug, dammit! I might even be able to bring another player into the mix, too...