Hello everyone and welcome to Realms of High Adventure!

First off, introductions are in order. My name is Shane and I will be your DM for this game. I have been playing one version or another of D&D on-and-off since 1984 when I was first introduced to D&D during the summer vacation between 6th and 7th grade. I have played many different RPGs over the years, but always come back to D&D type games as fantasy captures my imagination more than any other genre. I am knowledgeable about and enjoy all editions of D&D, but tend to prefer less rules crunchy flavors of the game.

That is part of the reason I wanted to run a Basic D&D game, which I have never done in PbP. Well, that and the fact this was the first RPG I owned (not the first I played though...that honor goes to 1st edition) and it holds a special place in my heart, even though I barely played it. Everyone wanted to play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons back then.

I am 44 years old, married and have two kids (ages 9 and 8). I am coming up on 20 years in the United States Air Force and currently stationed in Hawaii. Aside from RPGs, I enjoy playing guitar and ukulele, riding bicycles, camping, body boarding, hiking and reading children's literature. Yes. Children's literature!

Ay any rate, just wanted to take the opportunity to get to know each of you while we set up characters and get ready to launch this game.

Thanks,

Shane
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:06, Sun 11 Sept 2016.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 1):

Well met, adventurers, Game Master!  I'm playing Aldara, your adventuring party's Magic-User.

I got into RPGs when I was, ohh, eleven?  My sister, a friend of mine, and I embarked on an ill-fated adventure with the Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition beginner's set, and hoo boy did our lives change!  Of course, as we got older, Real Life began to happen, and after a while I turned to play-by-post games.  The first one I got into was a Labyrinth Lord game that taught me to love playing Clerics, and after that I began to take a liking to the less-crunchy stuff, like our GM mentioned.

I'm from the Midwest, but grew up in Florida, and now live in another state.  I've got more Florida in me than any other state, though, and whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, well, that depends on how many Florida Man and Florida Woman stories you've read!  Right now, I'm twenty-seven years old, and currently a second-shift janitor.  When I'm not throwing funny-looking dice and pretending to be something fantastic, I'm "writing!", playing Hearthstone, or doing readings for people.  I collect clocks with Audrey Hepburn on them, love the Highlander franchise, and also like Scooby-Doo.  The only other thing I have to say for myself, is that I always have some decaffeinated coffee in my apartment, and love cats and appreciate spiders.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:16, Sun 11 Sept 2016.

Been playing about as long as Shane and started with the red basic book and actually still have the dice (now heavily worn) that came with the boxed set.  Played a number of different games and genres throughout the years including Classic Traveller and Lords of Creation.

I enjoy games that are more than just hack and slash that allow characters to go off the rails to do what they think is right rather than what they're "supposed" to be doing.  I also prefer to avoid the metagaming and keep the game in character.

Currently living in Central New York but I've lived as far west as Fort Huachuca Arizona with some time working on a dude ranch in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming and a real life job in Boulder, Colorado.

I've been looking for a game where 1st level characters are realistically "1st level" and not really all that heroic, yet.

In reply to Aldara (msg # 2):

Florida Man and Florida Woman are no joke! They get into the craziest chicanery and skullduggery.

Second shift, that's usually ~3pm to 11pm, right? We call them swing shifts in the Air Force (AF). I tried my best to avoid that shift and usually volunteered to work mid shifts (11pm to 7am) to get off of swings. I worked about 5 years straight of mids in my early AF years just to avoid the dreaded swings.

Wow! Clocks with Audrey Hepburn?! I did not even know such a thing existed (Google just revealed how in-the-dark I am about such things...)

At any rate, welcome to the game!

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 3):

The dice I had from that Mentzer Basic set turned up missing over the years, but I remember them well. The powder blue soft plastic d20 got so worn out and rounded it would roll and roll and roll and roll...right off the table nearly every time. :)

This game will be a little more structured than an open sandbox, mainly because the structured short adventure format works a little better than the latter. In my face to face games I generally let the players decide what we will be doing on any given night, but need a little more structure in PbP. I am a flexible DM though and roll with whatever the players want to do. There is no "right" way to approach the challenges (roleplay, puzzle, combat, problem solving, etc.) I throw at you, so I think (hope) you will enjoy this adventure.  Admittedly, this game will start out as a bit of a "railroad" to get straight to the fun.

Is there a local language that all of us should have or will it be just Common?

And just to make clear for those of us having more recently used other systems, 0 hit points or less is time to make a new character?

 Hail and well met.
 My name is Bernie, I live in south western Ohio, and have been a gamer longer then I care to remember.

 Back in 1977, yes, there where Dinosaurs roaming around my neigh hood, I had a friend tell me about a new game, Dungeons and Dragons. I thought it was the most stupid thing I had ever heard of. I wanted to play Avalon Hill’s Gettysburg or some such. He convinced me to try it, kicking and screaming. But once I played, I was hooked, and here we are today, a middle aged man that likes to pretend he is other people likes to kills things and take their stuff. In the real world, that would get you locked up. Ha..HA

 On a personal note, I am proud to announce I have a granddaughter, a four month old cutie I am a proud grandpa.   Hold crap! I am a grandpa… Gets depressed, and asks for his prune juice and rocker.

 P.S. I think I am funny, but my wife will tell you, I am the only one that does. :)

Common will suffice. There is probably a more formal name for it, but such things are only discussed by serious linguistics sages. :)

Yes. 0 hit points = dead :(

I am ambivalent on the "hard-coreness" of this particular rule. We can play it by the book or use another option, e.g.,

The common unconscious at 0, bleed out 1 per round, dead at -10.

Variant of the above where as soon as a character reaches 0 or less hit points, they make Death saving throws each round. Accumulating 3 fails = permanent death. Accumulating 3 successes = stablized but unconscious

Up for discussion either way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:54, Sun 11 Sept 2016.

In reply to Marklin (msg # 7):

Welcome Bernie. My wife is originally from Dayton, OH, which I think qualifies as southwestern Ohio.

I played quite a bit of AH's Panzerblitz and Panzer Leader when I was younger. I really enjoyed both of those games.

Congrats on your granddaughter by the way and welcome to the game.

Shane

Hello everyone.

I started playing 1st edition in the early '80s; by the time Unearthed Arcana came out we had "graduated" to other games, including the original version of Runequest and Rolemaster, although we continued playing AD&D as well (sans UA, the existence of which we denied).

I was "out of gaming" for a long time after college, but started on RPoL when my youngest son graduated from high school.  This has forced me to dabble in 2d Edition, just to expand my opportunities.  I haven't gotten much further (although I have played other games here and there).

I never did much with Basic; we proceeded straight to 1st edition, so I will (as I have already) spend much time looking around for a rule for something, only to discover that there is no such rule in Basic.  I beg for everyone's indulgence whilst I work such silliness out of my system. :)

I live in Kansas City, and I have the kind of job/life where I often have more time to post during work hours than I do on weekends.

In reply to Sarah (msg # 10):

Hello Sarah. Good to be playing with you again!

My friends and I graduated to Rolemaster in 1988 and that was pretty much the end of AD&D for us. The critical hit/fumble charts and the mechanical complexity of the game appealed to our sense of wanting the game to be "realistic". Loved that game.

Looking back on it though, there is no way I would play that game again!

***

Speaking of posting times, it would be helpful for me to know when you guys will typically find free time to post. I am on Hawaii time (GMT -10) and can generally only post Monday-Friday in the evenings (cannot post at work), which is going to be super late for most of our U.S. based players. Weekends are a little bit more open for me, depending on what I have going on with the family.

I usually figure out the player's posting rhythm after a couple of weeks and can gauge when everyone has had an opportunity to post, but figured I would ask up front.

Thanks,

Shane

 I am EST, I can post daily most times, perhaps more then once depending on events of the day.

Question: when do you see the game starting?

~ September 14th (will likely be the 15th for most of you, due to my timezone being much later than everyone else and my usual posting times). This is assuming everyone has their character sheets squared away, etc.

 Herr GM, are we using the basic or advanced  Labyrinth Lord rules?

Basic. You may use either Basic Labyrinth Lord, Moldvay Basic or Mentzer Basic, whatever you have access to.

Thank you.... Can Marklin have a pet Dragon? ;)

That's a good question about the dragon.  When I used to play way back when, we subdued dragons and had "A-Team" like scenarios where we had time to prep a village for defense before being attacked.  And of course all of our traps worked as designed.

I'm EST and can post daily in the morning evening, and sometimes in the afternoon.

Greetings, all.

Born and raised in Arizona, I live and work not far from Ft. Huachuca, Tombstone, and the Mexican border, and must confess that though I have traveled often on the west coast I have yet to go east of El Paso! Ohio? There be dragons! ;-)

I started gaming in the early 1980’s as a player with the Mentzer edition, and like Shane, I moved to AD&D in rather short order.

Recently I ran a game of Basic D&D using the Moldvay edition (the original dice are candy-red, soft, and very edge-worn) and was reminded: a) of what an excellent job T.M. did distilling the scattered brilliance of OD&D into something actually game-able; and b) of the beautiful conciseness of the Basic ruleset.

More recent still I have been playing Mouse Guard [2E] which is a simplification of the Burning Wheel game engine. It’s been a struggle to wrap this grognard’s mind around such a different gaming paradigm, but definitely worth the effort. It’s not a replacement for the old school games, just scratches a similar itch.

I am mostly GMT -7 — As non-Navajo Arizona does not recognize daylight savings, my effective timezone swings between Mountain Standard in the winter and Pacific Daylight in the summer.

I cannot post at work, but try to post something well-considered daily (including weekends), usually in the very early morning, or late evening/night.

For what it’s worth I think character death at 0 HP is very much in keeping with the clarity, simplicity, and deadliness of old school D&D. Our DM’s house rule of max hit points at 1st level is ample concession to modernity in my humble opinion.

I look forward to gaming with all of you.

— Alec

P.S. Congrats on the birth of your granddaughter, Bernie, and do not lament the passing years. There was a time no doubt when simply living to see one’s grandchildren would have been a remarkable feat in itself. May you live to see many more!

In reply to Yhus the Musing (msg # 18):

Welcome to the game Alec!

I love the desert southwest. We spent 3 1/2 years living in southern New Mexico (Alamogordo) and I really enjoyed my time there. My wife missed the green but we could always drive 30 minutes and be in the high alpine forest, which were lush, green and cool.

I think the powder blue dice I remember were from the Expert set now that you mention the red dice.

I've always wanted to check out Mouse Guard as I enjoyed the Redwall book by Brian Jacques. I do play Mice and Mystics (dungeon crawler board game) with my wife and kids though, so that kind of scratches my little mousies itch.

:)

I think my character is all set to start.  Let me know if you see anything odd.

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 20):

Character looks good to me.

Whoa - I better get with the program. I just logged in and found I already have some serious catching up to do!!!

I will be playing Valthur, the short stubborn one.

Just got back in town. Excited to play. Will get character details filled in tomorrow.

In reply to Valthur Ironhelm (msg # 22):

No. You're fine. Nothing has happened in the game yet. We're still setting up characters and getting to know one another.

Game won't start for a couple of days yet, so there is still plenty of time to get your character squared away, etc.

I am also very conscious of the "New Game" effect, whereby posting is fast and furious at the outset until it settles into a more predictable groove. I do my best to ensure it doesn't move along too quickly at the outset, because this can be difficult to keep up with.

Pacific Standard Time, here.  Most likely to post between around 00:50 and 05:30, with Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays being "hot" times.  Sooner or later, I'll get hours that don't require me to live like a vampire.

Wunnerful meeting you all!

EDIT: Also, on the topic of player character deaths...



I like either, but here's a possible variant for the softer rule.
-You could make the "dead" number equal to the die you roll for your class.  -6 for Clerics and Elves, -8 for Dwarves and Fighters, -4 for Halflings and Magic-Users and Thieves.  I guess you could pad or trim the number by the Constitution bonus or penalty?  So a Fighter with a Constitution of 17 would be dead at -10, while one with a Constitution of 11 would be dead at -8.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:42, Mon 12 Sept 2016.

It would be nice to have an unconscious and dying window to add urgency to a fallen comrade's plight.

-10 seems a bit much as it exceeds the character's original hit points so Aldara's resolution or the 3 Death saves sound good.

We would also need to house rule on how another character can stop the bleeding.  An action to stop the bleeding and another round to secure a bandage?  If they don't have a bandage then they just have to maintain pressure until someone arrives with a bandage.  And, of course, magical healing automatically stops bleeding.

Also, if there are no objections, I'd like to claim Rose for Eoni's speech.

Anything that increases the chances of me and my d4 hp surviving is good with me. :)

But if it's not to be, then that's good to.  My character is well-suited for hiding in the back anyhow.

And if we're claiming speech colors, I would like to put in a bid for blue

Hello, everyone, from St. Paul, Minnesota (GMT -6). I work day shift, so will most likely be posting evenings (19:00 to midnight CDT).

Like many of you, I got my start in D&D in the early 1980s, then got away from it at college and have recently returned thanks to PbP. How delightful to find that the world is still filled with nerds people similar to myself who still love to play!

Regarding death, I'm up for whatever. I agree with the "compromise" ideas. I think a few points into the negative sounds fair... 10 maybe too much. It's always a big risk at first level, especially for the thieves and MU's of the party, where one lucky poke from an enemy dagger can do you in. But I will happily defer to what the majority thinks. If I meet my demise early in the game, I will consider it an opportunity to end with a lengthy, melodramatic final post!

Okay, let's put the death issue up for a vote. In the event of a tie, I will provide the tie breaking vote.

Option 1 is the classic -10 = death, roll to stabilize each round rule. This is a pretty standard house rule.

Option 2 is the Three Strikes and Your out option (discussed above), cribbed from 4th edition D&D.

Option 3 is the Death Save rule from Rules Cyclopedia, which hasn't been discussed yet. In this version, when a character is reduced to 0 hit points or below in combat (or from death spells), he or she is not yet dead. He's unconscious and mortally wounded; if left untended, he will die. The character makes a death ray saving throw every the first round he/she drops to 0 or below, additional death ray saves if he/she incurs addition damage while mortally wounded, and another death ray saving throw every 10 minutes. If the character ever fails any of these rolls, they are dead. Mortally injured characters can be stabilized with a successful WIS check (-5 penalty) or administering a healing potion/spell (no check required).

Option 4 is Dead at 0. No saves. Nothing. Brutal. Merciless. Harsh. Keep those 6-siders at the ready! :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:04, Tue 13 Sept 2016.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 28):

Rules Cyclopedia and I get along really well.  Friendly Mage is up for 3!

I vote for option 2.

I'll vote option 2.

I cast my vote for living forever. But if that is not possible, then option 2

OF those, I endorse option 2.

Looks like Aldara, Eoni, Sarah and Valthur have completed character sheets. Yhus is pretty close to being complete, just needs to purchase equipment. Marklin's sheet is blank.

Let me know if either of you need help getting your character squared away.

Thanks!

Shane

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 34):

Shane, my character sheet is now complete and ready for vetting...

As for the question of death threshold, Option 4 is the truest of spirit (page B6) and is my preference as stated, but failing that, Option 3 has my vote as officially sanctioned (RC), and the second tensest mechanic. (The uncertainty of both options gives a great feeling of risk to every encounter.)

Alright, I'll keep you in mind while I research lichdom.  Once I'm all settled in, I'll go make friends with a vampire - one of the cool ones, like Varney - and we can go from there!

Nothing to see, here.

Four of you like option 2 (Three Strikes method), one likes option 3 (Rules Cyclopedia) method and one likes option 4 (0=dead).

Group consensus has option 2 coming out on top, but was just thinking this doesn't necessarily have to be an all-or-nothing situation. What I mean by this, is I am fine with each player choosing their own death rule. This is relatively easy to keep track of and gives each of you some agency as far as how fragile your character might be with regards to death.

One thing I should note is I am the kind of DM who rolls everything in the open and does not fudge dice rolls. In face-to-face games I don't use a DM screen. The players see every dice roll I make. For this game, you will be able to see all my rolls in the dice log, none of which will be fudged (which is actually an option). I truly let the dice fall where they may.

At any rate, I am fine going with stated player preferences with regards to how we resolve death for their character. Everybody gets what they want for their character. Some characters are just a little bit more resilient than others.

Thoughts?

Character sheet looks good. Thanks!

***

Waiting on Marklin to complete his character sheet and we will begin shortly thereafter. I posted a Chapter 1 placeholder thread and will finish up the intro text and hopefully we will be underway soon!

Good luck all!

:)
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:57, Wed 14 Sept 2016.

I'm fine with folks staging their own death scenes.

 I am still here and will have my character sheet done ASAP TODAY! sorry for the delay.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 37):

Thanks for the option of having it my own way, Shane, but we went into it as a vote with majority rule so I'm fine falling in line with Option 2.

What's wrong McFly? Chicken?  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdjaKpT_vpU

Sorry. Been watching Back to the Future a lot lately. It's a comfort movie for me. :)

I updated the House Rules thread with the proposed Death rule for this game.

Similar to other death mechanics out there, character death should be relatively rare unless it is a TPK situation or another character cannot get to the mortally wounded character in time. In my experience, this rarely happens because the party mobilizes to make sure they take care of whomever goes down.

Using these types of rules makes it so character deaths typically occur due to save or die situations (which are common in earlier editions of D&D) or a party wipe.

Like our Pelorite friend, I'm going with Option II as well.  And for the record, I am chicken.  And self-interested, catty, vindictive, and sort of annoying.  Good thing this is a roleplaying game, though, where you get to act like an entirely different person!

Yhus: Please select a character portrait when you get a chance :)

Hope you guys don't mind me dropping you on the doorstep of adventure. I don't particularly care for long, drawn-out getting to know you tavern scenes in PbP to start off games. That's a good recipe to put a game to a quick end with a cast of six players.

Don't worry though, this adventure does feature roleplay opportunities :)

It was unique and I liked it.  I don't miss the standard tavern scene one bit.

 Tavern scenes are over done,overused,and otherwise best avoided. Now a starting scene in a Brothel, well, Marklin is all for that. :P

I hear ya.  Armed and dangerous adults, sharing drinks and getting ready to bound into dangerous situations without even knowing each other?  Pah!

  Sorry about the long winded post. But it seemed appropriate.

Your characters know each other, but the awkward getting to know you scene was handled off-camera. Besides, the best way to judge a man or woman's character is by observing their actions as opposed to their words. No better test of character to thrust them directly into a situation where they are forced to act.

:)

 Are we having fun yet? :)

I am, except it's too hot in the forest. I think we should move underground.

And yes, kudos to skipping the introductions at the tavern. Sure, it gives us all a chance to post a few colorful posts, and no doubt one and all would've been enamored with Valthur's irresistible wit, but why not just save that material for the adventure itself?


P.S. "irresistible wit" was sarcasm. Valthur in reality is about as witty as he is good looking, which he isn't.

Sarah: Go ahead and roll your own Hear Noise check (d6).

For this game you will roll all your own checks. We're all mature adults here and can separate player knowledge from character knowledge :)

Besides, rolling your own dice is fun. Even virtual dice.

Thanks, and I agree. I would rather see character personality and relationships develop through action rather than spend several weeks with back and forth small talk while tossing back virtual mugs of ale.

:)

I disagree.  There is something about the tactile sensation of the dice in your hand.  Plus, the RPoL dice roller hates me. :)

Use one hand to hold the corresponding die and the other to click the "Roll the Dice" button.

You can even roll both at the same time and see which does better.

:)

 I know,I know, I can get a bit windy in my posts at times.

Perhaps a "Spoiler" text section could be used when not everyone is aware of something.

Folks can still read and enjoy it but it would remind everyone when only someone with dwarven sight can see something.

1. If there is a way to do it, I'd support it... or I'm fine by playing by the honor system too, where characters play based on what they know IC even if their player knows something more OC.

2. "ancient sarcophagi"? Eoni, that's literary gold there! The best I could come up with was "rotten tree trunk"!

3. Do you think we should light a torch?

Someone could suggest a torch in character but I don't think the dwarf would even think of it.  He can see just fine.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Stupid humans...

---

 My mistake, I thought we could see in the interior. I misunderstood. :/

I wanna say to use the Private/Secret tags.
Say Eoni is aware of something that pertains to the Avandrite faith, that somebody's slipped into a sentence.  Click the menu, then "Private To... Eoni Daflin", and call it a day!  Like, "Hey, this person made a reference to something that a Matriarch of Avandra said two undred years ago, that you read about.  This could be relevant to your quest!".
OR, say everybody is aware of something (probably some poor people thing), and Aldara isn't - "Secret To... Aldara".

This is especially useful when handling other languages.  I think you can make a language group tag, too, if I'm not mistaken.  So people that speak, say, Neutral, can all be grouped together.  And, in Aldara's case, people that speak Halfling.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Sun 18 Sept 2016.

I'll probably end up using the Private function for these sorts of situations. I normally don't like using it and prefer to keep everything out in the open with the assumption players will only act on information their character is privvy to, but I am open to using this feature if it makes it easier for you and enhances your playing experience.

I haven't set up language groups yet, but will do so shortly.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 64):

I hear ya, language groups are your call, I just saw another GM do it, and thought "Hmm, this one might like it!".  For my part, and so it's out in the open, Aldara speaks Common, Halfling, and Neutral.
As for why somebody who's seen better days speaks Halfling and not, something higher-and-mightier like, say, Elven?  Your guesses are as good as mine!

In reply to Aldara (msg # 65):

I've used language groups in other games, I just forgot to set them up for this one. I normally have a process to set up games, and this is one of the items I accomplish, but failed to do so this time.

I blame it on throwing the game together on a whim and in a relatively short period of time.

:)

Kudos to you for "throwing the game together" so quickly so we can already be playing!!!

Now that we're being attacked, I'm much more interested in my movement rate:
Going straight by the Labyrinth Lord rules, it looks to me that I have a combat rate of 40' (no penalty for being a dwarf in the basic rules?) per round. Is that correct?

If we are using the optional encumbrance rules (page 44 of Labyrinth Lord), then my rate is significantly lower (because I'm carrying 83lbs of stuff). Also, I thought there was a rule for being able to carry more based on strength, but I couldn't find it. Perhaps that was in something other than the basic rules.

So long story short, my combat movement is somewhere between 40' and 10'. If it really is 10' and I survive this first encounter, you can bet I'm emptying the backpack to make myself a little speedier!

Since we're in combat and the players are up, we're looking for each player to state their actions.

Do we have a cut off for response time?  24 hours?

Sometimes folks get sidetracked in real life and I'd hate to hold up the game if someone won't be able to post for a week.

The rule for being able to carry extra weight due to high Strength is from AD&D. This rule does not exist in Basic D&D.

We'll be using the optional rule as found in Labyrinth Lord p. 44, Moldvay p. B20 or Mentzer p.30. They are basically the same.

The expected posting rate is 1 post every 1 to 2 days, with the realization real life sometimes gets in the way. Communication is key here. If you know you're going to be out-of-pocket, please let me know so we can ensure the game continues without wondering what's going on.

In combat situations I will generally give a player about 24-36 hours before I post on that character's behalf to keep the game moving. If this becomes a trend (i.e., having to post on non-communicative player's behalf), I start looking at whether this game is a good fit for a player's posting availability and act accordingly.

I usually have a pretty good sense of when it's time to NPC someone's character, but try to give player's the benefit of the doubt they will log in and post.

I do start to get a little bit miffed though when I see players logging in several times without posting, either OOC or IC, and this can accelerate a possible decision for looking to phase out a particular character.

I believed myself to be at the entrance and not in, because I never entered or went past the entrance.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:42, Mon 19 Sept 2016.

 Sigh, disregard. My mistake

No biggie.  There's always a 50/50 chance I'm wrong.

It's a common problem of figuring out where everyone is.  The diagram does show her inside the trunk and I don't remember seeing any posts saying where else Sarah wanted to be.

Is Sarah where she wants to be based on the diagram?

Close enough.

I tried to place your characters where I thought they would be based on your stated actions. Sara, Yhus and Aldara never posted any actions indicating they went inside the tree, so I put them at the entrance and called it good.

The map is not absolute. It's main purpose is not to determine exact location. It's there to provide relative location and to give players an idea what the area looks like.

I'm good with where you put me.  I mostly feared Marklin (and perhaps others) thought I was wandering around somewhere in there. :)

I was hoping you had already sneakily stolen a bag of mushrooms and were back in the doorway :)

 We just have to light a couple torches, so we can see where the beggars are.

I've got six to spare.  When I get home, I'll belt out a post that might have an idea... Posting from my phone right now.

Technically, Yhus is already musing beside the entrance with a lit torch.

 Then we shall have three. :)

 I missed his post of having lite a torch,in all honesty. But better to have more then one in case someone drops one, etc.

Looks like we're ready now.  Lay on Macdwarf.

Waaaaaaah. I am going to be out of town until Sunday. Just when things are getting interesting! There is a slight chance I will have access, but feel free to NPC me as needed.

If it helps, Valthur is lawful (if these are actually talking mushrooms, he probably wouldn't just take a bunch of them unless they were aggressive to him), greedy (he would still be tempted... after all, 250gp is some serious coinage), and impatient.

Hopefully I can log in from the road. If not, will catch up on Sunday!!!

Thanks for the heads up! Travel safe!

Yhus, it doesn't seem like anyone else is stumbling over themselves to be the party mouthpiece so go ahead.  If anyone wants to speak with you about it, they can do it in character.  I think everyone else is the quiet type or a little too rough around the edges for making nice nice.  Aldara might be your only competition.

I second this.  I, for one, am too meek and mild for the role.

Or, more precisely, Sarah is too meek and mild. :)

In reply to Sarah (msg # 88):

I can if you guys absolutely, positively want, but I'm sort of roleplaying Aldara's tragicomic Wisdom score of 5.  More than happy to charm person as needed, party face or no, though!

Valthur is too rough around the edges, so I say anybody but me!

Waiting on someone to lead the way.

Uhm, unless I misunderstand, there is no "down" from the ladder.

That's correct. The rope ladder leads up to a ledge 30 feet above the ground.

 I have bad eyes, sue me.

LOL

So lets climb the stupid thing then

Just to make sure everyone is clear on the physical description, because there seems to be some misunderstanding...

The rope ladder, in the northeast section of the tree's interior, leads up to a ledge some 30 feet above.

The fungal shelf, located in the southwest section of the tree's interior, is also on the ground level of the tree. Not atop the ledge, which nobody can what might be up there anyway. At least not until someone climbs the ladder.

PLease refer to the map in the Adventure Maps thread for additional clarification, if necessary. I think the map is pretty self-explanatory, but let me know if anything is unclear.

Apparently I do too. :)

I thought that the fungal shelf is on the ledge because it is behind the line marking the ledge.

 Well, we are going to find out whats,what up there.as Marklin is acting as the G. pig.

Hah! I beat you to it with an in game post.

Wait... I guess I didn't. Oh well, I thought I posted but I must not have. How cowardly of me. Well get out of my way - I'm going up the ladder now.

The dashed line indicates an upper level. The bottom of the ledge is visible, but not whatever might be on the other side.

 Beat ya to it, Dwarf. Eat Marklin dust.

Now I'm re-confused . . . the fungal shelf is on the other side of the dotted line, suggesting the fungal shelf is on the ledge.

 Climb,climb,climb

In reply to Sarah (msg # 104):

The fungal shelf is located on the ground floor. Just ignore the dotted line. I guess I need to either do a better job at describing details and/or drawing maps because obviously the map was not as clear as I had thought/hoped.

The fault could lie with your audience.  I actually liked the map . . . right up to the point where I misinterpreted it. :)

And it does a good job of illustrating the hugeness of this rotten tree trunk...

As for the fungus, now that I'm half way up the ladder I wonder if we shouldn't have checked that out first.

Well, one thing at a time. Right now the most important thing is for Valthur to prove he is every bit as brave as Marklin by climbing up to the shelf immediately after him.

 I wish everyone a good night

I don't know if this helps, and at the risk of meddling (for which I apologize in advance should this be deemed to be meddling). . .

I'm not sure what the -2 on damage is for.  If it's a strength modifier,

1.  Does that apply to thrown weapons?

2.  Even if it does, the strength table assures us that "All hits will do a minimum of 1 hit point of damage."

Also, I thought daggers did 1d4.

In reply to Sarah (msg # 110):

Bah, yer not meddling, you're...well, something synonymous with "helpful"ing.
Wasn't sure if we were using variable damage.  GM?

No strength modifiers on thrown weapon damage. I believe this may be an AD&D rule, but it does not apply to Basic D&D.

STR modifiers apply to bonus to hit and damage on melee attacks.
DEX modifiers apply to bonus to hit on missile attacks (to include thrown weapons).

All weapon hits will do a minimum of one hp of damage.

Yes. We are using variable damage by weapon type rules.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 112):

Alright, thanks for the clarification!

Just a reminder, a natural 20 on an attack roll deals maximum damage. I know most players roll attacks and damage at the same time, but just keep this in mind when you are describing your actions. I will usually catch this and adjust the combat tracker accordingly, but I have been known to sometimes miss things.

:)

This sounds different than the "normal" damage range assigned to the weapon, so I will display my ignorance and ask: What is this?

variable damage by weapon type rules???

The Moldvay version of Basic D&D assumes all weapons deal 1d6 damage asa default; however there are "optional" rules in the book that break out the familiar variable weapon damage (aka normal weapon damage) rule. In other words, daggers deal d4, short sword d6, long sword d8, etc.

Apparently in Original D&D (little brown box) and Holmes Basic D&D, all weapons dealt d6 damage. Moldvay brought this forward but provided DMs the optional variable damage rule in the same book.

I didn't know about the "all weapons do same damage" origins.  Interesting.

(Variable is an improvement in my opinion.)

Yeah. It's a much better option.

I have heard many of dagger armed fighters in the early days of the game, because it was a huge advantage to use short small weapons in melee due to weapon speed issues. Basically the dagger armed fighter would strike before somebody with the iconic long sword, etc. Since all weapons used d6 damage, there was no advantage to using a sword...except the fact it is more mathematically possible to find a magic sword than it is a dagger. But until that happens, might as well be a knife fighter.

This was before my time though, but old grizzled gamers can be a fount of knowledge about the early iterations of the game.

A friend of mine gave me a book called "Of Dice and Men."  It is a very interesting book that discusses the origins/history of RPGs generally and D&D specifically.  Interspersed are discussions of his own gaming experiences.

It doesn't get into the wonky rules; it's more about the evolution of the games.  I enjoyed it.

In reply to Sarah (msg # 120):

Yeah. I picked that up from my local library about a year ago and also enjoyed it. It was a fun, breezy read that did a good job of talking about the game's history.

Yep, there was a Holmes game I was in recently, annnd that's where the confusion came from!
I'll have to find that book, though, Of Dice and Men.

  Now I understand about the weapon damage matter. Gods, you are taking me back to like..1977, when I first played D&D. We all wore Plate mail, Walked long distances in Plate Mail, Slept in Plate mail.. etc. And everything from a rock to a catapult stone did a six sider in damage. Ahh, the days of yore.

In reply to Marklin (msg # 123):

You'd think they would have added a die and a plus or two to the big stones being flung at people!

I think those stones were kind of soft on the inside, so they only did D6.

Good to know (hah - as if I'll ever roll a 20 again).

There were a lot of curious design choices about early editions of D&D, but they weren't operating from the standpoint of 40+ years of RPG design history.

But yeah, I would say a catapulted boulder should probably do a bit more damage than a knife-wielding fighting man in plate mail armor.

:)

Eoni is concentrating on Sarah so waiting to post her action until Yhus gasps or someone shouts that Yhus needs help.

Just to clarify as there has been some confusion of our surroundings before.

Marklin is going to go through, destructively, the original mound of mushrooms where the creatures they just made a deal with live and aggressively defend with ranged weapons?

Edit: Aaand, too late.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:00, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Sorry guys, but the combination of Marklin hearing and seeing one of ours was in trouble, made him want to get there ASAP. that combined with a 8 wisdom..well.....
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

I am looking for something that describes the range(s) for missile weapons and have been unsuccessful.  Can anyone help?

Missile Weapon Ranges
Short Range (+1)/Medium Range (0)/Long Range (-1)
Axe (thrown) Up to 10ft ⁄to 20ft ⁄to 30ft
Bow, long Up to 70ft ⁄to 140ft ⁄to 210ft
Bow, short Up to 50ft ⁄to 100ft ⁄to 150ft
Crossbow* Up to 80ft ⁄to 160ft ⁄to 240ft
Dagger(thrown) Up to 10ft ⁄to 20ft ⁄to 30ft
Dart Up to 15ft ⁄to 30ft ⁄to 45ft
Holy water Up to 10ft ⁄to 30ft ⁄to 50ft
Javelin Up to 20ft ⁄to 40ft ⁄to 60ft
Oil Up to 10ft ⁄to 30ft ⁄to 50ft
Sling Up to 40ft ⁄to 80ft ⁄to 160ft
Spear Up to 20ft ⁄to 40ft ⁄to 60ft

Labyrinth Lord, p. 54
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:03, Sat 01 Oct 2016.

thank ou.  stupid me didn't turn the (virtual) page.

In reply to Sarah (msg # 133):

You're welcome. On the plus side, Basic D&D is a game you very rarely need to consult rule books for, so at least we have that going for us!

:)

Ye gods, I'm sorry, Sarah!  I was going to get a post out to try and help you break the fall, but left for work early.

In other news, I'm going to be starting another custodial job in a couple of weeks!  It'll be more or less the same schedule, but I just thought I'd let my dungeon crawling pals know, just in case.

Thanks Aldara.  Just as well; it might have ended up hurting both of us. :)

Greetings all. At a Con with my son. Will post actions when I get back to my computer this evening (GMT -7)...

In reply to Yhus the Musing (msg # 137):

Okay. Thanks for the heads up.

Have a great time!

 Hey GM, what can Marklin do right now?

Marklin became drowsy when he ploughed through the Moonsong mound and has arrived into the melee feeling quite tired. See the notes section of the combat tracker for specific effects.

Marklin may take actions during the PCs next round.

All PCs except Yhus have already resolved their actions for the current round.

Done. :-)

BTW, what convention did you go to this weekend?

Can any violet (violent?) fungi fronds be targeted without risk to friends?

Yes

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 142):

It was RinCon in Tucson.

Despite the folks from Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista, and Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson to bolster our numbers, we were still under 500 people -- a very manageable size.

It was a really great time overall, but not as much Old School gaming as I would have liked. ;-)

In reply to Yhus the Musing (msg # 145):

One of these days I will make it to a gaming convention, as I have never been to one. Maybe use it as a chance to play some games, since I very rarely get to play. Most of my gaming time is usually spent as DM/GM.

Did you get a chance to play anything, if so what? Did you make any cool purchases?

BTW...what does the term Old School gaming mean to you guys? Is it merely playing old games, or can you play new/in-print games and still be "Old School"?

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 146):

To me, it means appreciating the older systems.
It used to mean "oh, look, one of the kids I went to school with went rummaging through storage and found their old Nintendo Entertainment System and it still worked", buuut yeah.

It looks as though the DM is subtracting damage from the previous round recap as he sees it appear in posts.  Folks don't have to look at the other posts and keep track of the round damage themselves.  However, if someone logs in before the DM subtracts new damage, it could be confusing.

Perhaps add the character name for the last damage tabulated?

HP: Dead (Marklin), 6/10 (Aldara)

So I think there's still a fungus upright after Aldara's dagger damage.

I split my time between boardgames, minis, and RPG’s, though I am more into latter than the former two. My son really likes the minis…

The con-theme was steampunk so I took the opportunity to play several manifestations of the 80’s steampunk property Space 1889 including Temple of the Beastmen, once as a boardgames, and then again as an RPG using the Savage Worlds engine and not the original GDW mechanics.

I rounded off the Space 1889 with Sky Galleons of Mars, which is a tactical ironsides naval combat games in the sky's over the red planet, replete with broadsides, boarding, and fiery crashes!

Sadly I didn’t buy anything.

 I have always admired the Space 1889, but have never played it. Perhaps someday.

Lots of ways to come at it, and as Aldara points out (msg # 147), it can mean different things in different contexts…

At it’s most fundamental I would say that "old school" game design is about character improvement with a high degree of randomness in the resolution of actions taken.

"New school" design is more about character development, and places highest priority on advancing the narrative in the resolution of actions taken.

In an old school game like D&D Yhus can quite fairly die on a single bad role whereas in the new school games I have played he would be highly unlikely to do so unless it were agreed upon by the participants to advance the story being told.

Both styles can be tactical, but old school games are definitely closer to the wargame mindset from which RPG’s sprang with their emphasis on precisely tracking many statistics.

Just my one thoughts...

(Edited for grammar.)
This message was last edited by the player at 14:06, Mon 03 Oct 2016.

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 148):

Yes. I will generally update the tracker as I log in to check on the game. I can usually tell whose online by looking at the last logged in time in the cast details and have a pretty good feel for who may be composing posts. I will try to keep things clear for you guys.

I try to keep combat moving at a good clip because otherwise the game bogs down and have found this method of combat resolution works pretty well for keeping it lively and giving players everything they need to resolve their turns.

Hah - I read this post without looking at the first line and came to the conclusion that Marklin had somehow died!

...really need to start reading these things from beginning to end instead of just starting with the bright colors.

 Marklin points his legs and arms staight up and said. " I am a dying Cockroach."

Hold up a sign... Help!

Does rendering aid (binding wounds) to dying folks help with death saving throws? Regardless, I suppose it's a good idea to render aid, even if it's just for looks.

Yes. Administering first aid (Wis check) is a wise choice.

:)

Aldara. Roll a d20 for ability checks please.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 158):

Alright.  I thought we were using 3d6, for some reason.

In any case, d20s seem a little more agreeable, anyways.  Pity our mage's got the Wisdom of a doorframe, I was one off from being able to help you, Yhus!

Not sure how many rounds will pass before Yhus can collect himself, get back inside, and heal Marklin.

They should probably continue with the bandage fumbling until he arrives.

Thanks all for coming so swiftly and vigorously to the aid of Yhus despite his bad fortune and seeming poor judgment.

@DM: D&D b/x doesn't allow clerical spells at first level (thought strangely AD&D 1E did) so I hadn't chosen a spell for Yhus. As they seem to have been (thankfully) house-ruled in, I would also take Cure Light Wounds and return the favor to Marklin if such back action has your blessing.

In reply to Yhus the Musing (msg # 161):

Some of the Basic rulesets do allow 1st level clerics to cast spells. I think Labyrinth Lord does for example. I believe Mentzer or Moldvay does not. I can't remember the specifics right now.

But by all means, if you wish to be the 1st level spell casting variety of cleric, go for it.

:)

 In the best tradition of the Warner Brothers cartons, Holds up sign. "Thank you...but still  ouch."

 Take Marklin over to the "hole" and toss his unconscious body on the soft spot. It Marklin goes bye bye, yup, it's a hole.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Thu 06 Oct 2016.

 Tough audience

The Thursday night crowd is always a tough one.

As a note to my fascination with light sources, Yhus' torch is probably lying on the ground with his club next to the red fungus.

Liamm has the other light source outside.

 GM.more please. :)

 GM.more please. :)

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 167):

Wait...who all had torches?

Liamm, Yhus and who else?

Presumably, if Yhus was carrying a torch when he went down somebody picked it up at some point, rather than let the flame rest on the ground for too long. The good news is the mulchy ground is very moist and does not catch flame easily, although some areas of the tree might.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:34, Sun 09 Oct 2016.

Strictly speaking, Yhus lit a torch and kept it himself.  Marklin lit two torches and Liamm was holding both of them at the time.  So I suppose Liam is still holding two torches.

 Gooood Morning! This  is fast becoming my favorite game on here,for the few I participate in. I really like the game world she is using.

Fey are incredibly fickle and difficult to understand...at least the way I use them they are!

My kids hate/love anytime fey show up in an adventure. They have no fear of running into dragons, but throw a group of fun-loving pixes at them and they start to get nervous.

:)

***

Program note:

Just a quick heads up, I will be flying over to Kauai on Tuesday and be visiting the island with my family through this coming Sunday (October 16th). I will have internet access throughout but my posting availability will be limited. Lots of stuff to see and do in six days!
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:26, Sun 09 Oct 2016.

Equipment note:

Yhus' club and torch lie on the ground near the red fungus in the now off limits tree trunk.

 We can get them latter. Marklin feels he spent the night ina  cement mixer,currently.

Heya, sorry I was late to post!  I'm at GeekGirlCon with my sister and brother-in-law right now.

Buncha con-goers, us.

No worries. Have a great time!

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 177):

Oh, we did.  The panels were all great, and really informative.  It was a very welcoming space, compared to some of the gatherings I'd been to in the past, and some swordsmiths selling things there had a very interesting story to tell!

There was somebody brandishing one of their products around, right?  Well, he decided he'd throw it in the air, and caught the weapon by the blade.  It landed in the ground, and he said, "oh, it only cut me a little bit!"; opened up his hand, and it turns out the sword cut him down to the bone.  I immediately thought of the Cautionary Tales of Swords web series.

I also managed to pick up a copy of Slugfest Games' The Red Dragon Inn.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:13, Mon 10 Oct 2016.

Could we get an updated hit point count after everyone's d3 of sleep?

Yhus and Eoni can pray for healing if anyone is still quite low.  We just need to know who that is.

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 179):

I'm still at 4/4.

In reply to Aldara (msg # 178):

Catching a sword by the blade? That was not done with wisdom.

I think Yhus might be the only low hit point target now.

Marklin, what is your total after rolling your d3 for the overnight rest?

I haven't seen any d3 rolls in the dice roller for Marklin or Yhus.

Valthur, Sarah, and Eoni only needed 1 each so they're topped off.

2 points for the first heal, 3 points for nights rest, and 2 points for  the second heal. He is up to 7 now

Actually, both of the heals were for 3 points each.

Please note that I think the GM didn't mean that we all got 3HP back for the overnight rest.  I think he meant that we all get to roll a d3 to see how many (1,2, or 3) HP we recovered.

18:41, Today: Eoni Daflin rolled 3 using 1d6+1.  Cure light wounds, Marklin AM.

10:31, Sat 08 Oct: Yhus the Musing rolled 3 using 1d6+1 with rolls of 2.  Spell -- Cure Light Wounds on Marklin.

In reply to Eoni Daflin (msg # 179):

I'm at 5/7, and have prayed for Cure Light Wounds but think I should keep it in reserve against any misfortune the day may bring us...

Agreed. Nice to have a CLW in our back pocket for what's to come.

Then Marklin is up to 6/8

 I blew out my ankle yesterday,and here I sit, ankle swollen with most of the colors of the rainbow. I might be off work the rest of the week.  Cue the self pity... Whaaaaaaaaaa!! :**(

Sorry . . . frustrating as all get out, I bet.

Ice, ice, baby.

slow day

 Here GM, here GM. If you make a post, you will feel much better. :)

Sporadic wifi at the beach cottage. Kauai problems ;)

I think I could learn to live with sporadic WiFi if I were there.

At least, I'd like the chance to find out. :)

Yes, I hope you'll forgive me if I don't feel too sorry for you.

It's pretty nice here. Kauai is, I think, the image most people have of what "Hawaii" will be like before they come to visit the islands. I have now been to Oahu, Big Island, Maui, Molokai and Kauai...and I *think* Kauai is my favorite.

There's a nice chill vibe here and while all the islands are very scenic, Kauai is really nice because it doesn't seem to be overrun with tourists. Granted, we are here during the off-seasons (by choice), but the locals we have talked to have pretty much all said it never gets crazy the way Oahu does.

At any rate, the sun has now drifted off to the west, the stars are twinkling in the sky with the low hum of surf crashing into the sandy shore just 100 feet distant. And oh yeah, our wifi connection seems to working again, so I will go try to get a post in.

Thanks for your patience and understanding these past few days :)

Speaking of coastal regions...I might be getting battered by that storm pestering the Pacific Northwest.  No power outages where I live, yet, but.  Well, but.
Posting schedule's going to be different for the next couple of weeks, too, since I'll be going to work at 06:30 and getting off at 15:00.

Batten down the hatches! Hope everything turns out okay for you and you emerge unscathed from the remnants of Super Typhoon Songda.

And thanks for the heads up on your schedule change/posting times. This is helpful information for me to know to give everyone an opportunity to post before pushing the game forward. Due to my posting availability not being until everyone else is either thinking about sleep or already sleeping, it's not really an issue. But still helpful :)

***

On a completely unrelated note, last night I watched an interesting documentary on the guy who builds all those Dwarven Forge dungeon tiles, Stefan Pokorny, "Dwarvenaut". It was a well done documentary on a neat aspect of the tabletop RPG hobby. It's available on Netflix for those interested and I thought it was a pretty neat look at the artist's life and work.

For those of you who still play tabletop RPGs, do you use miniatures and terrain? Theater of the mind? Something in between?

When I run tabletop RPGs I do whatever the players want. If they want to use miniatures, I have a decent collection of metal (painted and unpainted) figures, plastic pre-painted, and homemade cardboard counters to round out the stuff I don't have. I use vinyl battlemaps, as I am too cheap/frugal to buy the really nice Dwarven Forge stuff.

I am perfectly fine playing D&D without miniatures, but I know many players like the tactile nature of them so I keep them at the ready.

I've always been interested in trying miniatures, but never had. The DM in our current game doesn't like them because he contends the game bogs down too much with analysis when miniatures are used.

 When I used to GM a game, I used miniatures off and on. But most times,if I needed to display a tactical situation in a game, I used difference dice for the characters and Monsters/Bad guys,

The DM who ran the very first D&D game I played, circa 1984, used miniatures and little square wooden blocks to represent the dungeon tiles. After that first game we bought a few miniatures here or there to use during our early years, but all the people I played with were like 12-14 years old at the time and we barely had money to buy books and dice, so miniatures were low on the priority list.

As a case in point, shortly after that first game, one of my friends heard that the actual books could be found at a train modeling store about 3 miles from our apartment complex. The lot of us scrounged together loose change and whatever money we had and rode the city bus to the store. I lugged this big sack of pennies, with very few nickles dimes and quarters all the way there. I ended up using nearly all my change buying the 1st edition Players Handbook...and then not having enough money for bus fare. So I walked home, victorious, book in hand.

As a result, we never used miniatures in those early days. Fast forward to 2000, when 3rd edition came out, and the game pretty much assumed everyone would be using miniatures. I had plenty of disposable income, so I bought a lot of the little toys I had always wanted as a kid, but couldn't afford.

Your friend is mostly correct though. The use of miniatures can be a crutch during play, but they are very helpful for complex battles. As an example, the last tabletop session I ran featured an assault on a small castle, involving 5 players and well over 50 NPCs. It would have been very challenging to run without using tokens, etc. We were able to get through the entire siege in one 5-hour session. It would have definitely taken longer without the use of miniatures.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:47, Sat 15 Oct 2016.

Here is a funny story from days of yore. Back in a 78, in my first AD&D game, we had to storm a tower, and we were like second level. The bad guys had a catapult, so my Fighter had the "honor" of being hit with a catapult stone. There were no rules for such things back then, so the DM rolled two 20's and a 19 to see if the stone actually hit the Fighter. After that, he gave me two chances to roll my Dex to dodge the thing. I blew both rolls, so I asked the GM if I needed to roll up a new character. He looked at me oddly, and rolled the damage, and with great fanfare, announced the damage to be five points...I Was like. Five points? FIVE? There I was, convinced that my character was a smashed jello, and he tells me five points. But we must remember, ALL damage was a six sider.. GOD! I LOVE first edition!!!!

A glancing blow!

Yeah, in original D&D (white and wood-grained boxed sets) and the Holmes version of Basic Dungeons and Dragons, all damage was handled via d6. 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons introduced variable weapon damage as a core rule.

I never played Original D&D. That edition was a few years before my time. I didn't even know about those versions of the game until about 10 years ago.

Thinking to wait until Marklin's vignette is finished.

The People will grant your request
But honor must be put to rest
Select a digit
Perhaps something rigid
And we will slice off your ...

 Thy jest falls flat, M'lady.

When I started playing in the early '80s, several of my friends enjoyed painting miniatures as a hobby.  So, of course, we had to use them.

We had a chalkboard, and frequently the DM would just draw the room, obstacles, etc.  One in our group also took an old pingpong table and stenciled hexes on it, so we could use it for larger-scale activities.

HAH!  Everybody hyped this up to be the biggest thing since sliced bread, but it's nothing.  I lived in Florida for Hurricanes Gabriel, that one after Gabriel, Charlie, and Katrina; this thing is Gabriel's polite younger cousin, and I think it saw enough posts about it that it decided to bring chips, dip, and some extra pop with it!  Slept through Charlie like there was a white noise generator parked right next to my head!
But yeah, after about three weeks I should be back to living like a vampire janitor.

As far as miniatures... I remember using pills I'd coated in nail polish, little pieces of cardboard, et cetera...never had the actual things.

I enjoy painting miniatures as well and am actually quite good at it. The problem is I get bored with it quite easily, because it can be a major time sink. Of the metal figures I own, I would say 60% of them are unpainted and likely will never be painted...unless one of my kids takes an interest in it. Then they can do it. I probably have close to 200 metal miniatures.

I bought a large amount of the pre-painted plastic miniatures Wizards of the Coast produced several years ago, most of which were on the order of 25 cents to $1 each. $1 was my breaking pointing for what I was willing to pay for a miniature. I bought about 100 miniatures this way.

I also have a large collection of homemade cardboard counters. These are my favorite because they are easy to store and I can find the exact image I want and make my own figure on demand.

In reply to Aldara (msg # 206):

Glad to hear you emerged unscathed! :)

Re: using anything at hand to represent figures, this approach works too. Basically anything to show spatial position gets the job done.

 I have about three hundred lead figures,that I bought decades ago. Some are still in their boxes. Has anyone ever heard of a company called Ral Partha? When I was a teen, they used to hold gaming on Friday nights,in thier factory. They would sell as many as you could buy. I am of course from Cincinnati.

I do remember Ral Partha.

I used to make plastic models as a kid, and got my fill painting things in that hobby.  So, while my friends had a lot of miniatures (including some made by Ral Partha), I kept my money for important things.

Like video games.

Yeah. Ral Partha are/were legendary in the fantasy miniatures world. Some of my early miniatures were from that company. I might still have a few of those floating around in a box somewhere. Most of the metal figures I purchased were other companies though.

I remember Ral Partha, too, but never bought much because I figured I'd need about 300 figures to get the collection up to what I wanted!!!

Not so PM to Sarah - don't forget to check out that Halfling skeleton's pouch in the game. I think you're the only one who saw it otherwise Valthur would be all over it... maybe some goodies for us in there!!!

:)

[Private to DM Pawn: Sarah will inspect the pouch when she thinks she can do so without being seen, because she believes she got it without anyone seeing her and she is a thief.  If that means she has to delay her gratification, so be it.]

Quickly closing in on 500 posts for this game - good job, us!!!

 Haazaaa!

278 in-character posts since this game began, 36 days ago. That's ~39 posts per person, so good job everyone on posting within the recommended posting frequence, i.e., 1 post every 1 to 2 days.

Games are more interesting when everyone contributes regularly, so thanks for that!

 Did I ever mention the fact that I HATE the dice roller on here?

Hard to say. I am accustomed to hearing players complain about the dice roller. It all bleeds together for me. For my own part, I have never noticed it to be an issue. It seems to roll random numbers pretty well.

 Yeah, random numbers, I want high numbers. I say it's unfair to players. :P

 Enjoying the game, greatly. Rabid Ferrets?? LOL

Yeah. Giant Ferrets of the rabid variety. This adventure features several non-standard low-level monsters and challenges. It's not just another kobold and goblin smashing crawl in an abandoned mine, etc.

:)

Ahh, so you're a believer in the "500 Posts and the game's golden" theory, too!

Yes, this is a very fun group.  Makes posting easier!

In reply to Aldara (msg # 222):

Glad you are having fun in this game. This is a good group of players. Player selection is never easy because I don't operate on a first-come, first-served basis. I screen players pretty heavily to try to fill the cast with players and characters I think will make a good fit for the game.

Re: 500 posts = golden theory...As I mentioned in the original ad for this game, I have never not completed a game and I don't intend on breaking that streak with this one. So stick around and you too will get to say you've actually seen 1st characters level up and completed an actual adventure in PbP.

Hopefully you've been able to accomplish this already, but unfortunately many of the games out there go belly up shortly after launch. This game WILL run to adventure completion. This I promise :)

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 223):

I've seen characters get quite a few levels in PbP, it just takes time.  There are house rules that can speed things up, but since I like to use systems like Warrior, Rogue, & Mage for my own games, I don't need those house rules!

And yes, first-come, first-served seldom works out, in my experience... It's tricky, maintaining interest until you've collected enough applications.  Sort of like wrangling cats.

 What I never got on here, was when the GM stops posting for days,then weeks, etc. But they still sign on from time to time. When I,as a player see this, I hope the game game might continue.  It would be nice if they would just admit the game is over,so the players can move on.

Re: the dice roller.  I have felt that it sometimes goes on streaks, despite the logical part of my brain knowing that it's all an illusion.  Yet, the logic sometimes falls prey to that feeling.

I've had DM's offer to "flip" the range; for instance, say that rolling low is good instead of rolling high.  I have always voted against such tactics, believing it si folly to "chase" the die roller's whims.

In reply to Marklin (msg # 225):

That's a peeve of mine on either side of the virtual table. To me it is just a matter of simple courtesy. If you have time to log in, you have time to let people know what's going on. A simple: "sorry guys, life has me up against the ropes right now..." type message goes a long way toward showing basic consideration for other players.

From the DM side of the equation, I think a lot pf people start games not realizing that it will take actual work...or they overextend themselves with too many games, etc. Same is probably true on the players side.

Heads up that my internet connection has been super sucky the past few days. Its been going on for about a month, but now its reaaly bad. Hopefully swapping out mod4em tomorrow will help.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:31, Sun 23 Oct 2016.

Uh oh - do I get to make death saving throws against rabies or should I start working on my melodramatic final post???


If the latter, which do you like better:

1. Lying there in a cold sweat, the proud dwarf mutters his final words, "tell my father I died bravely, fighting the good fight."

2. The darkness begins to encroach on the fallen dwarf, but he sees the light from the great dwarven halls of the afterlife. He stirs one final time in the material plane while he considers his future. "Do they drink ale there? I hope so. Yes, they're dwarves. They must still drink ale, right?"

3. With his final breath, the dwarf raises a clenched fist in the air and cries, "You gotta' tell them, soylant green is people!!!"

There is just something . . . wrong, about a dwarf failing vs. poison.

But if this be your fate, I vote for #2.

 I loved 3,but vote for 2.

In reply to Valthur Ironhelm (msg # 230):

Valthur is in no danger of dying due to rabies, yet. :)

The effects of rabies are not instantaneous. You have plenty of time to work up a death post, should it come to that!

Death by rabies...how very unheroic.

;)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:02, Sun 23 Oct 2016.

Eoni: please make a first aid check (Wis). Thanks!

Eoni Daflin rolled 2 using 1d20.  First Aid Check.

Success

Wait, I have a few more possibilities:

4. The world starts to spin around Valthur. He stumbles, then falls to the ground. The poison's  victory over him is now nearly complete. The venom of the rabid ferret only moments from ending his life. He looks to the sky and utters his final words, "Et tu, rabies."

5. Lying on his back with eyes closed, Valthur removes his helmet and places it on his chest. His cloudy eyes open for a final view of the world around him. In his final breath, he mutters a single word: "Rosebuuud."

6. Valthur drops his sword. The clatter draws the attention of the others, but the dwarf does not apologize for his sudden loss of grip. The reason he doesn't apologize is that he has just died, and as a dead dwarf, no longer has the ability to speak. He also no longer has the ability to stand, so he collapses on the ground next to the sword he dropped only moments ago. Were he alive, he'd have been quite embarrassed about all the dropping and collapsing, but since he was already dead, it didn't bother Valthur all that much.

"Et tu, ferêt?"

I now pronounce you Valthur the Fatalistic!

:)

 Do I need to make a roll  for attempting to clear the barrier?

No. Given enough time, anyone could clear the barrier.

 That being the case, dig.dig,dig. pry,pry pry.

 It is a +5 Crowbar of intrusive entrance.

Waiting on the Dwarf,I see.

YES! A title - the recognition I so richly deserve!!

 It's nice to have friends. Marklin falls over,and everyone bolts. A true band of others. ;)

/begin lame rationalization

If we die, we can't help you.

/end lame rationalization
This message was last edited by the player at 14:10, Wed 26 Oct 2016.

 Marklin seems to be the goat for gas in our esteemed GM's game.

If any of us survive, maybe we can buy you a respirator back in town.

 I'm beginning to feel like daffy duck in this game. "Shoot me, shoot me,I like it, I love the smell of cordite and burnt feathers in the morning.!"

Marklin's definitely taken the brunt of damage in this game's short span, but that is kind of to be expected when you play a fighter. That's what they do. It's in the job description.

Super roll on your Turning, Yhus.  Just what we needed.

Should I edit my post as it looks like the staff blow didn't take down her kobold after all?

Sorry. I saw a 1 when it was actually a 4 for damage. You crushed that kobold zombie.

Agreed with Eoni. Well turned, Yhus!!!



I just re-read this post and chuckled... noble work indeed!!!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 Hey GM, does Eloni get XP for beating Marklin with her stick? ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:41, Fri 28 Oct 2016.

Good ta see ya  Yhus. :) Just curious, why did you take a club for your character? I had Marklin take weapons not usually used by Warriors. Spear, Javelin and a mace.

In reply to Marklin (msg # 257):

Because the club could seem makeshift and so better fitting with my image of Yhus as a farm boy and hedge-cleric rather than a trained and well-equipped crusader-priest.

At its best it can be as formidable as a hickory baseball bat, but the Moldvay rules have it inflicting the same damage as a torch. :-( At least I don't have to feel bad about dropping it and keeping the other... :-)

I chose a sword for Valthur instead of a battle axe because in the basic rules (at least in Labyrinth Lord), the axe must be used with two hands, making a shield impossible.

In retrospect, I kind of wish I went with the axe. Seems much more dwarven to me. So I say kudos to you guys for picking a weapon based on character instead of based on what works the best.

On the flip side, I spent gold and 5 lbs of encumbrance on a helmet that is strictly for the sake of character, so it isn't like I'm totally metagaming...right?

Maybe if Valthur doesn't die of rabies, I'll trade in his longsword and shield for a battleaxe.


...that reminds me, I need to continue working on my final melodramatic post!

On an unrelated topic, how do we figure out what the red liquid is (found by Valthur and Aldara)? Can we take a sip and see what it is or do we have to have it identified by a local expert back in town.

I'm personally hoping it's a healing potion, because I'm down to 4 hp. I presume our clerics have both used up their healing powers for the day, right?

Correct.

In reply to Valthur Ironhelm (msg # 260):

No, Yhus still has a Cure Light Wounds in reserve.

Speaking of pretty things.  Did Aldara want to "keep track of" the ring by wearing it?

Uhm. . . . does correct mean his first suggestion, his second, or both?

I was thinking sniff it, and see if somebody could recall something... Maybe have Liamm give it a whiff, what with his boss being an alchemist!

In reply to Sarah (msg # 264):

Correct on both accounts. The only way to identify magic items in Basic is to try them out or find a magic user capable of identifying it...for a price.

Liamm is not the guinea pig.  Give some to Marklin.

Did anyone want to wear the pretty ring that Valthur and Aldara found in the ferret den?

Or has someone already surreptitiously slipped precious on?

  There is only one attack for a missile weapon per round, in this system. Yes?

I am not opposed to a system whereby we figure out the "owner" or "possessor" of magical items when we are at rest.  In other words, the finder is the custodian on behalf of the group until it is convenient for us to discuss its fate.

Yes

I think we hit on an 11 for their AC 8.

I also assume that Aldara moved up to take Eoni's place behind Valthur and Marklin in order to get her throw off.

Eoni retreated with Liamm.

Get your healing whatevers ready! I've got a bad feeling about this.

I was tempted to throw a hand axe from range, but I figured Valthur wouldn't be smart enough to sit back and fight from range, so what the heck?

Remember to bury him with his helmet... it's a family heirloom.

Yeah. The To-Hit chart and monster AC is listed in the combat tracker to enable players to resolve their own attacks. 11's do hit AC 8. Good eye!

I sometimes miss stuff like that so it's nice having a second pair of eyes.

Just bound and determined to get that death scene, aren't we?


:)

Yep.  Just sorta "moved within range", I did.

And thank both yer gods, priests, we've only got two more zombies and then the kobold to deal with!  I am so glad zombies don't resist blunt and piercing damage like in 3rd Edition!

Argh!

It'll be dramatic. Not a dry eye in the game will there be!!! I'm just trying to figure out how to work in his pet dog that he rescued as a young dwarf that later saved his life from a pack of wild goblins...

Nice one,V

 We are locked in battle, get your posts of whacking in. :)

I've not disappeared; I have communicated with our friendly neighborhood DM.

It looks like we're just waiting on Yhus, then.  He hasn't posted since the round update and it seems Sarah has taken care of her action.

I will give Yhus a couple more hours to post. If he hasn't posted before I turn in for the night, I will post on his behalf so we can keep the game moving.

Thanks!

Shane

Sounds good!


Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to get back to dying.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 282):

Working up a post now...

*cue up Bill and Ted sound byte*

"Excellent!"

He could remember mean things she said in high school and go from there.   :(

Yeah, but he will misremember or misinterpret any of those mean things she said in high school as being a sign she really does like him! Otherwise, why would she even notice him?

High School Drama...the RPG

 I can't wait until the next round,so Marklin can get his third strike. By the way, where is the dugout down  here? ;0)

Batter up!

Speaking of dug-outs and strikes, excellent World Series this year! Not much of a baseball fan, but definitely glad I tuned in to watch this best of seven series. A modern sporting classic that will go down as the one of the greatest championship series in history. Lots of drama throughout!

I'm from around Chicago, so all of my sports-minded family is thrilled beyond being thrilled about that.

Yeah. I bet. I did not have much emotional investment in this game. I was happy to see the Cubs win, but was really more into the contest between the two teams.

But yes, a great victory for long-suffering Cubs fans.

 Four misses in a row! That's it!! Throws away his useless mace, and to hell with spears and javelins. Pulls out his power saw and goes all Texas chainsaw massacre on em.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:11, Thu 03 Nov 2016.

Great series and even greater game 7! I'm from Minnesota, so everyone here is comparing it to game 7 of the '91 World Series. And while that will always be the greatest one in our provincial hearts up here, the '16 version had a little bit of everything: lead off home run, grizzly catcher homers in his last at bat of career, starter in relief, three run rally in the 8th, wild pitch that scores a guy from 2nd base, a rain delay, extra innings...

My stomach was in a knot and I didn't even care who won - can't imagine what it would've been like for fans of one team or the other!

 Hey GM, I am ready to miss again. :)

It looks like Valthur has more time to work on his final death post. The Great Dwarven Halls of the Valorous and Remembered will have to wait for another day.

Valorous and Remembered. I'm going to have to remember that for my next death post!

I've got a good feeling about this round. I think Aldara will convince Scrunge to call off his badger and Marklin and Eoni will polish off the other two zombies.

 I think Kord heard his prayer.  :)

I hear ya, loud and clear!  My uncle LOVEs the Packers, as do most people where I'm from, and I live in Seattle...so if those two teams go against one another, there's bloodshed on my Facebook home page.  I don't really like sports.  Dunno if professional wrestling's a sport, but it's physical, and it's something I like watching, so...


Kord and Moradin and Ioun, working together!

Aldara, there is one left for your dagger attack.

I'm holding my post, to see if the last one on Eoni is dispatched by someone else.

Aldara to the rescue!!! Well done.

Let's finish off the last zombie and continue with our interview of Skrunge... of course by let's, I'm referring to someone besides Valthur, since he's been unconscious for almost this entire melee.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Sat 05 Nov 2016.

Ooh, thank you!

Oooh, I like a bit of mystery in these adventures. Skunge is proving a good source of information!!! Is it legal to ask questions in the OOC thread while your in-character character is unconscious?

If so, who are the Scalebrothers? Are they some higher threat that we have to deal with?:

Checking in...

Waiting for Yhus to regain consciousness, and grateful for your ministrations, Eoni.

Yes. You may ask questions.

Since Valthur speaks kobold (sadly, I think the only party member who does...) he would know Scalebrothers are how kobolds refer to one another. Unfortunately, he is unconscious and can;t relay this information.

As far as higher threat...well, that part you'll just have to figure out through play. But there does appear to be something else going on. I wonder what it is?
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:20, Tue 08 Nov 2016.

Is it possible that Skunge, thanks to his "works", has alienated himself from his fellow Kobold brothers (Scalebrothers)? Maybe by making zombies he creeped out the rest of the kobolds and they gave him the boot.

Aldara, don't be shy about taking the lead in this interview with your new friend.

I don't think Valthur or Yhus are waking up without some kind of magical healing and Eoni is out for the day.

I'm just trying to work him down, he's got...he's got interview jitters, it looks like.  He came unprepared, his résumé jammed in the printer, and he expected to interview with just one person and now he's got to talk to seven people, except for the ones his friends knocked out.  Poor Skunge!

I love the analogy, but now I feel kind of sorry for poor Skunge!

...I guess it'll be good experience for him in the long run.

Waiting on Aldara to continue her interview.

 In stand by mode.

In unconscious mode...


...but happy that others are attending to me!!!



P.S. I'll be out of town this weekend. Hopefully will be able to connect, but not sure.

NPC me as needed, but be sure to start with a "Moradin's beard! what happened?!?!?!" if/when I regain consciousness.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:04, Fri 11 Nov 2016.

Is Skunge trying to tell us something? Why is tree spirit dying? Does his "work to do" have something to do with creating zombies out of bodies?

Good thing Valthur is unconscious or all these questions would give him a headache!

Waiting for Skunge to reply to Marklin before Eoni follows up on any chance to save the tree.

Hopefully it won't come to this, but if I have to be revived by the Kobold necromancer in order to survive and stay in the game, I'll do it. Sure, I'll probably walk with a shuffle and moan a lot and say things like "braaaiiiins..." in a slow stupid voice, but sometimes a guy has to make sacrifices!

Still here... :-)

For game purposes and to bring all players back into the mix, I will throw you a bone and let you know the rose-colored potion you had previously found is a potion of healing. It could be used in two does to bring your unconscious members back into the fold.

The "potion" Skunge just handed to Aldara remains a mystery however.

:)

As a note, Aldara is the only one aware of the potion.  At least the only one conscious.

The potion made it's appearance in Chapter 1: Into the Witchwood - The Adventure Begins msg #309.

It seems as though Valthur proposed telling the others of what they'd found but never got around to actually doing it.

Aldara knows about the rose-colored potion, too, so at least SOMEBODY who's conscious could bring it up.

Keep probing this Skunge character for answers. Just because I'm not posting doesn't mean I'm not watching intently. I love a whodunit, so let's keep trying to find out.

 Let's just kill the Gnome,sack everything we can, then set fire the tree. That should about cover things. :)

Why do I think that would somehow backfire?

I don't think there's any reason why Aldara can't retrieve her daggers from the bodies now.

Skunge just lined them up against the wall.  They're still accessible.

Because you're a Dwarf, and Dwarves know Kobolds.

That we do. Know 'em all too well. I could tell you a story or two about those nasty little buggars... if I was conscious.

For now, you'll have to settle for some occasional mumbling from me and maybe an twitch every once in a while.

Did Sarah just find the Crone's Ear Morel?

I didn't see it in any of the posts.

This message was deleted by the player at 02:45, Sun 20 Nov 2016.

The crone's ear morel was in the laboratory.