In Which The Warlock Lauds the Commendable...

So, last post was something of a downer, no?  It's easy to criticize, easy to point out the negative.  By nature, I tend to be a bit cynical--then again, who among my generation isn't?--but there's a lot to love within the pages of today's roleplaying games.  Let's pull some of my favorites!

The Doom Pool!

Roll that Doom Pool!

Chalk one up for Margaret Weis Productions' Marvel Heroic Roleplaying for an absolutely fantastic mechanic.  Even the most experienced GMs sometimes balk at having to make a judgement call on complex environmental actions, and even the most worthy of players sometimes chafe at the concept of 'GM fiat'.  For me, the Doom Pool mechanically addresses this difficulty in a simple, but effective manner.

Making your way through a burning building?  Roll against the Doom Pool to avoid falling debris or smoke inhalation.  Weaving through girders while flying?  Roll against the Doom Pool!  Need to make that super-science device extra-fast?  Doom Pool!

While it's not a be-all, end-all device, the Doom Pool serves as a quick outlet for all those times where a GM might be stuck.  It keeps play at the table moving and keeps the GM with his players, rather than referencing a rulebook.  Really, any mechanic that provides a quick resolution fits here:  the Savage Worlds "common knowledge" roll, the WEGS "frozen roll".  They're great!

In Text Fluff!

Now, this one's a spot of divisiveness.  Some gamers love the atmosphere and mood that in-text fiction brings, while others tend to loathe it.  While I tend to view rpg books more as instruction manuals than fiction collections, the occasional bit of in-character fiction really hits home the ideas and themes behind the game itself.  Plus, it pushes those archetypal ideas that form the core of a setting.

While I have issues with their fundamental rules-set, the Fantasy Flight Games' publications of Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/Deathwatch really capture the essence of what it means to live in the Warhammer 40K universe.  While they have a ton of material from which to generate this setting info, the tone and descriptions in these books blend the world and the mechanics together beautifully.  If only the rules themselves weren't such a mess...

Focus!

This, above all else, is something that I've been reveling in.

Burned spies kill vampires?
There's a game for that...

So many games for so long have been about "universal" mechanics.  d20, GURPS, even Savage Worlds, all try to wear so many hats that they fail to focus on one particular sort of game.  As I mentioned last entry, Savage Worlds makes for a great system for pulp and action, but I'd never want to use it for a horror game--it's just not built for that genre.  But GURPS?  What's the purpose?  Why this system?  Yes, I'm sure you could run a horror game, a sci-fi game, and a fantasy game with it, but why would you?

The print-on-demand and PDF era of publishing has granted us not just the freedom of choice, but also the ability to enter new genres and tell new stories using systems built specifically for genre-emulation.  Want to run a game about down-on-their-luck boxers?  There's a game for that.   Want a game that focuses on the backroom dealings of Japanese samurai families?  Yup, a game for that, too.  Want to be a former CIA agent hunting vampires?  Yes, you're covered.

The Kickstarter Revolution!

Yes, print-on-demand and PDF are great.  But, as I'm finding out more and more, getting a product off of the ground takes start-up capital.  Kickstarter and other crowd-sourcing sites like it have become great ways for rpg designers to not only come up with said capital, but also to publicize their works.

That'd be great in and of itself, but what's best comes right alongside the Kickstarter revolution:  the discussion and analysis of an industry that, for a long time, really hasn't had any intellectual critique at the marketing and distribution level.  Now, it's a daily occurrence, through Facebook groups and message board discussions aimed not just at the design and development end of role-playing games, but also how to take a game and make it into a clean, published product in a cost-effective, efficient manner.

It's that type of discussion that really pushes forward revolution and innovation.  While I can't say that every product has benefited from these discussions, they're a massive benefit to any would-be developer.

In Which The Warlock Decides to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle...

You’d normally figure that, with the holidays coming up and New Years’ on the horizon, I wouldn’t be focused on the upcoming convention season. That, my lovelies, would be folly. Rather, the pseudo-downtime’s been nice to start planning out some of those scenarios to be prepped and ready for WittCon, FOPCon, Origins and all the others.


One thing I have noticed, though, is a tendency that runs amongst the great gaming groups throughout the area—the idea of the “multi-purpose” group.

Check out ABGames' "Blobcast"!

Let me give an example. Every year since its release, Amorphous Blob Games has been running Dark Heresy at Origins. In those games, a set group of PCs is put to the test year-after-year. The PCs are, needless to say, fairly unique—one need only look at the further adventures of Bazziti Comcast, pyromaniacal Imperial Psyker, to see that!—but they’re repeat offenders. Usual suspects, if you will. While the circumstances around them might change with the given scenario, the characters are the same.

Writing scenarios with this in mind has several benefits. As a GM, it certainly reduces the amount of prep-work necessary for any given scenario. Rather than creating new characters for each module, you can simply use the same ones in multiple ways. Having put together six Deadlands characters by hand last night, I can tell you, it makes a big difference. Having done the same thing for Heroes Unlimited last year took me no less than three days of work! Being able to avoid that amount of prep is a massive benefit!

But, beyond the simple prep-work, it also allows the GM to gain a better handle on each character’s abilities, tendencies, and gear. There’s a bit of a learning curve with any character—PC or NPC—that both player and GM need to overcome to play a character ‘effectively’ from both the mechanical and roleplaying standpoint. When the GM is able to eliminate his section of the learning curve, it frees them up to be able to help the players with mechanical questions and table-related issues.

Bazzati's bestest friend!

So, what’s key in all this? First off, the characters must be interesting. If the characters are without some degree of uniqueness, the GM will become bored with them, and they’ll be just as unappealing to the players. Again, AB Games has always had a stranglehold on this quality, with such luminaries as Rubella, the love-stricken tiefling paladin, and the aforementioned Bazzati and his mechanical owl familiar.

Similarly, these characters must each have a unique niche.  Each character should have their own unique abilities, which echo their unique personality.  Bazzati was so unique as a character, because his mechanical abilities--his utter mastery of fire-based powers--reflected his own chaotic stance on life, and his tenuous (at best!) grip on sanity.  Rubella's power choices reflect her nature as a 'nuturing protector', particularly one set for motherhood with a certain noble in the party.  Nearly all of the AB Games characters work this way in some sense, which is a masterful stroke in providing hooks for one-time players on the convention circuit.

So, what do I have in store?  Well, I'm glad you asked (hypothetically speaking)...remember those Deadlands characters I mentioned earlier?  Well, I've finally decided on a full party of members.  Enjoy this brief preview of what's in store!

• Nigel Worthington-Smythe--an India-born British big-game hunter, Nigel's spent his life with a high-calibre rifle in his hands, searching out the most elusive and dangerous prey.  He's taken down elephants near the Bay of Bengali, lions in the Serengetti, and wild boar in the Rhine forests.  However, with tales of Mojave rattlers and California Maze Dragons lurking out in "the Colonies," Nigel packed up his belongings and made for the Weird West!
• Ricky "One Armed Bandit" Parker--A former riverboat gambler, Ricky Parker made one bet too many with a black-hearted desperado aboard a steamboat on the mighty Mississippi.  One thing led to another and Ricky took a slug in his left arm.  The sawbones had to amputate, but that only made Ricky's drive to be the best grow.  Since then, he's learned a few new tricks...
• Benjamin Three-Bass--A Union-educated scion of the Lakota tribes, Benjamin served for a time as an ambassador and delegate before the Dakotas became their own nation.  However, with war on the horizon, Benjamin has left his tribe, seeking to bring peace--one way or another--to the West, atoning for his failures in the Dakota territories.
• Shawna McClintock--If you can ride it, rope it, or drive it, Shawna's already done it.  And damned if she can't do it better and faster than you.  Shawna would still be racing across the Weird West, delivering for the Pony Express, if not for the Texas Rangers that have been pursuing her ever since she made that one delivery...
• Melissa "Miss Meliss" Garrett--It ain't easy being a "soiled dove" out on the plains.  Melissa could sure tell you that.  But, if nothing else, it gives you a chance to get real close to a mark...close enough to relieve him of that fancy gold pocketwatch, pocket a letter from someone 'connected', or even slide a switchblade between some ribs.  Miss Meliss has done it all, and damned if she's not going to be a survivor.




Morgan Arringon looks over his schematics...


• Prof. Morgan Arrington--A Massachusetts-educated professor of...well, some science, Morgan's got a bit of an obsession with ghost rock.  Ever since he built that "mist projector", he just hasn't been the same.  If he can't build it, Morgan can definitely fix it, and has a knack for tools.  Just don't get the idea that his ideas aren't really his...Morgan's just a touch possessive of his work!

So, which would it be, fellow gamers?  Intregued by any of these?  Any that strike your fancy?

In Which The Warlock Reaches the End...




The usual end to one of my games..

 I feel like it's been ages since I've actually reached the natural conclusion of a campaign.  Both "Pirates of the Underdark" and my Wittenberg Eberron game fizzled out before reaching their true ending.  Even before that, there was my defunct Expedition to the Demonweb Pits game, and the TPK that pre-empted our Dark Heresy adventure.

In truth, to reach an actual end was really satisfying for me.  For once, the story could come full circle.  For once, all of the plot hooks and threads that had emerged over the course of the campaign had managed to reach their natural end.  For once...there would be a worthy end.

Something of a tangent:  my favorite character from The Lord of the Rings isn't Aragorn or Legolas, nor is it even Gimli (though, I'm pretty sure that my dwarf-loving tendencies started with him).  Rather, it's Theoden of Rohan.  This is a guy who truly rises up, facing each challenge set before him, even though it costs him his life, his kingdom, his family, and all that goes with them.  Theoden sets the bar for 'heroic speeches', and sums up my feelings on endings par excellence:

Theoden of Rohan, being inspiring!

 "Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance."

It's that mentality that I took into mind when I designed the final battle of the "Tear of Ioun" saga.  After fending off the siege of Morgordal Keep, our heroes found themselves venturing once more to the source of both the corruption in the area, and their own adventure--the Forlorn Tower of Wellspring.

Ia! Ia!  Fhtaghn!

At the top thereof lurked Volarn--the Opener of the Way--and several of his corrupt, degenerate fleshlings.  Energy streamed from archaic runes etched on the tower's face, pouring forth into a corrupted symbol of Ioun.  Beyond that symbol...Zalgo.  The Render of the Veils.  The Hunger with a Thousand Eyes.  The eternal, the ever-dying.  That which waits beyond the walls.

Our heroes leapt into battle as the energies poured forth.  Charging forward, Guf was so unnerved that he tripped, face-planting into a stream of putrescent water tainted with unholy eldritch energies.  As soon as Martook and Lupin managed to join the melee, they were snatched up by Volarn, being dealt horrific woulds by his claws and writhing tentacles.  Shantira cast bolt after fiery bolt, doing  her best to stem the tide of energy that poured into their world.  Aster and Elladan skirted the flanks of the battle, firing arrows and slinging daggers into the cultists, while the enigmatic Blink charged after Volarn.

In the end?  Victory!  As the battle raged on, Elladan raced to cut off Volarn's escape, hamstringing the creature and casting it down in eternal defeat.  As the Forlorn Tower finally collapsed, and the waters of the nearby river ran clear and clean for the first time in decades, the party escaped in triumph.

As we put away the minis for the last time in this game, I provided a brief vignette for each character, summing up their actions, as they parted ways in pursuit of their own epic destinies:

• With Morgordal's new alliance with the Doomguard, Clan-Father Russell of IronVictor was able to lead his combined clan into a new era of prosperity and unity.  Morgordal became an important planar and Underdark trading up, with the Doomguard establishing their first ever Prime Material armory.  Russell rebuilt the temple of Kelemvor, providing a new era of law, order, and peace for the dwarves.
• Lupin, with the assistance of High Templar Wesley Baracus of Blackfall, established a chapel to Bane within Russell's temple.  Lupin also married Shantira, in a Banish ceremony that...well, it probably looked more like an S/M rave than a marriage, but that's life!
• Shantira joined with the enigmatic invoker Belzadi Riftember to create a new school for fire mages, within the halls of Morgordal.  Their combined expertise broke new ground in elemental research, as well as new opportunites to scorch their foes.
• Guf, still delveless, joined the IronVictor/Riftember clans as their sergeant-at-arms, reinforcing and rebuilding the keep outside, and training a new generation of dwarves in the arts of war.
• Aster, still seeking vengeance for Lord Criswell's "betrayal", joined with the assassin 'Cruel' Seirrah and infiltrated the Blackfall Opera House, where Criswell was in attendence.  As Seirrah snuck up on Criswell, Aster fired a single arrow which exploded with fantastic force.  Both Seirrah--who had maimed Aster's ear--and Criswell were slain in the blast, while Aster left, retiring to Gloomwrought.
• Martook, however, was not granted a peaceful retirement with his family.  His pact with Mighty Bane meant that he was once-again a full-time soldier, being recruited to the eternal Blood War.  While his family moved to his massive manor in  Morgordal, Martook soon found himself returning only to an empty house.

And, from here?  Well, we're taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, but after that, we're back in action.  The exiled Prince Actorios of Theleb Orethia will make his debut, in Chaotic Frederick's Dark Sun game!  Until then, fellow gamers!

In Which The Warlock Puts the Wraps on Origins 2010...

Man, oh man! I'm almost glad for the fact that things are starting to calm down a little now, with both Origins and the 4th of July weekend behind me. While both were a blast, they aren't exactly "relaxing" endeavors by any stretch!

I had intended on pumping out this entry last week, but didn't get the chance, as I was unpacking all of our swag (to be detailed in tomorrow's entry!) and re-packing for my first trip back to Pennsylvania since Thanksgiving. Plus, I had something else on my mind...more on that in a bit, though!

On our final day at Origins, Karl, the PlatinumChick and I ended up skipping Attack of the Mutant in favor of a little extra sleep, but did manage to wake up in time for a trip through Red Dragon Inn with the amicable Geoff, from Slugfest Games. Little did we know, though, that Geoff is, in fact, their head-gaming-guru. Spiffy, indeed!

I'd heard good things about RDI before, but none of us had any experience with it. Lucky for us, the rules were quick for us to pick up--even with us playing preview classes with the soon-to-be-released second expansion pack! I took up with the Troll Alchemist, while Karl and the PlatinumChick took on the Pixie and the Gnome Artificer, respectively. By the end of the game, Karl was able to snatch away victory from another of the players--another Dayton native, no less!--then rolled a Natural 20 on his swag check, walking away from the table with a brand-new board game!

Even nicer about this, I got to talk to Geoff a little about submissions and the like. While he wasn't that interested in Dungeon Slam!, the idea behind SunnyVale Acres seemed to really intregue him. With any luck, I might just have a buyer for SV Acres, once I get some playtesting in!

From there, we set out for one last go-round in the Dealer Hall, with the PlatinumChick making her yearly mini purchases. Man, if nothing else, we walked away with a ton of minis! That'll all be in the swag rundown pics, coming tomorrow.

After saying our goodbyes to El Willy and his crew, we headed off for a brief lunch at BD's...only to see Willy the 2 and Donnie once more! We palled around for a while over Mongolian Barbeque, then split up, heading back towards Dayton.

On the trip home, though, I got to thinking, as I usually do after our yearly geek-pilgrimage...

• Running Games at Origins is FUN—No, really! I had a blast running players through Survival of the Fittest, and despite my horrid dice luck in WEGS Plume Mountain, the game was a laugh riot. I’m actually contemplating running 6 games, rather than 4, next year.

• Minis are Heavy!—Ugh. This was the one downside about running games that were miniatures-heavy. Between my maps, minis, dungeon tiles, and more…that was a load. I’m really not sure how EEE managed to survive, carting his massive Ninja Nuttiness castle back and forth.

• Anything with Cthulhu in the name sells—This one blew my mind. EEE’s CthulhuTech games all sold out. The PlatinumChick’s CoC games…all sell-outs. As I mentioned to some of my WEGS players, I’m thinking about writing a new scenario: “WEGS + Cthulhu = WEGSthulhu!”. I’m pretty sure that I’ll sell that one out next year!

• There are a TON of games I want to run—This is a big one. I came away from Origins with lots of ideas, ranging from a Wild West-era Cthulhian cattle-drive, to a horrific trip through Castle Glamis (of MacBeth fame), to an Icons version of “The Near Orbit Mass Driver Blues”. As always, once I get them written up, I’ll be test running them at the various conventions around Dayton.

• This year’s WittCon should be a blast—I had a ton of players in my games from the Columbus/Cincinnati/Dayton area, all of whom seemed to show some real interest in a local convention. Plus, I was able to get some information from a Cincinnati-area game store, which sells Ral Partha miniatures, especially the “bulk” minis, sold by the ounce. With a solid core of gamers and a lot of great prospects for support on the horizon, this year’s WittCon may be the biggest one yet!

The Warlock's Origins 2010 "Live" Blog--Friday!

Note: While this entry is going up today, it was written just following the day listed. Stay tuned throughout the week for my day-by-day coverage of Origins 2010!


Another day of Origins has already passed us by, and it’s been a glorious run so far! Now to head towards finishing the con with a bang!

Today started with some Cosmic Encounters, as hosted by Game Base 7. GB7 is Fantasy Flight Games’ happy demo-team and, while I can’t really complain about the service, the youth and relative inexperience of the team members is a little concerning. While Zoe, our GM, was quality, many of the others were somewhat immature and not very experienced on the games they were running.

Cosmic Encounters was quality, though I’m not sure it’s something I’ll pick up personally. The premise is simple—your alien race must conquer the planets across the galaxy by wheeling, dealing, and terminating with mass prejudice. Some rules, however, were a little fiddly, and the GM’s race was incredibly overpowered in comparison to some of ours.

Afterwards, it was time to gather our dwarven clan and head off to the RPGA room. This was a real treat, as it was in the brand-new Battelle Hall ballroom. Gorgeous scenery and locale made for a quality setting for what turned out to be a solid game. The group really had fun, and we picked up Chaotic Fred and The Professor just in time for it.

The biggest problem I had with Sibilant Whispers was not the game, the GM, or the RPGA. Rather, it was my dice! Ugh, once again, the Pwn Andy rule was in effect. While the first encounter went well, I spent most of the second encounter dominated and floating through the Elemental Chaos, and most of the third stunned. I hang my head in shame—once again, my dice fail me. Jules, however, won the MVP award and, with it, a free set of GameScience dice courtesy of GAMA. Woot!

After another quality dinner at the Japanese Steak House (man, we eat well in Columbus!), we got ready to set up our games for the evening. Friday brought us another round of Survival of the Fittest. I was a little worried about this game, as I had thought that only 2 people had registered for it. To my excitement, 5 showed up—more than enough to run, and run well. After something of a slow start, the players really started rolling as they explored Xanthippus Ral’s swamp-borne abode. Unfortunately for them, their troubles were only starting!

One of the nice things today was being able to hang out with some of the other WittKids who have come in for the weekend. BLoff, Chaotic Fred, and The Professor are some of the better gamers around, so it’s nice to be able to share in the spectacle with them, as well as with the new blood. Great times, indeed.

But, with two more days of hot gaming action, I’m not done yet!! Game on!!!

The Warlock's Origins 2010 "Live" Blog--Thursday!

Note: While this entry is going up today, it was written just following the day listed. Stay tuned throughout the week for my day-by-day coverage of Origins 2010!

I must say, I’m glad that today was a little slower than yesterday, or else I’d definitely be wiped for this weekend. Luckily for yours truly, fellow gamers, your friendly neighborhood Warlock took a slightly easier schedule for today, which let me relax a little and enjoy the actual convention itself.

The Enigmatic Mr. Ebbs and I started off the day on the right side of the bed, heading off to hunt down some heretics in Rescue of a Lifetime, Part I. There was a short moment of drama as EEE’s badge went missing, but the GAMA staff was quick to give him an assist, getting him a replacement. Lucky for him, he had his tickets still, which served as proof that he had paid for his badge in the first place.
If it’s one great thing that I can depend on, it’s the quality and the hilarity coming from Amorphous Blob Games. GM Rich—who had GMed our previous forays into the Calixis Sector—took us through another hearty adventures, with my Arbitrator Moric drinking everything in sight and EEE’s psychotic Psyker Bazziti laying down flame in the name of the Emperor.

EEE actually ended up being honored with the MVP of the session, gaining a set of custom dice, with yours truly picking up the Origins swag. You see, all of the Origins events this year—in honor of the 35th anniversary of Origins—have full prize support. Later in the day, I swung by the RPG Headquarters and was allowed to roll for my prize: a set of GameScience precision dice. Not bad at all!

As I mentioned in my previous schedule, I dropped my previously-scheduled Giant Settlers of Catan game in favor of some extra time in the dealer hall. This was a pretty prudent decision on my part, as I had quite a bit of shopping to do. After picking up the necessary minis for tomorrow’s Sibilant Whispers RPGA game and a set of minis for Karl’s D&D game, I swung by the WEGS booth to hang with their crew for a tick. Naturally, I also made some time to check out the other vendors, talk to the Con on the Cob people about possibly doing some demos for them, and hit the Steve Jackson Games booth to pick up Delta Green: Eyes Only as well as to raid their 3 for $10 table. Naturally, though, I’ll cover all of the swag in my post-Origins report!

After picking up the PlatinumChick and finding our way for a quick dinner at Buca di Beppo, we headed out for our evening games. On the plus side, EEE, L-Train, and Karl all sold out of their games! On the downside, though, I was left with a mere one player: the old school WEGSHog Minnesota Steve, with whom I chatted for a while, before he joined Karl’s game. While I was left out in the cold, it was exciting to see the rest of the WittCrew fill the seats so early in the con. I snapped some pictures before heading up with the PlatinumChick for a relaxing evening of reading and movies.

With a full slate on deck tomorrow—Cosmic Encounters in the morning, Sibilant Whispers in the afternoon, and another venture into Survival of the Fittest tomorrow, I’m sure to be picking up the pace tomorrow. As always, I’ll keep you posted on the geeky goings-on!

The Warlock's Origins 2010 "Live" Blog--Wednesday!

Note: While this entry is going up today, it was written just following the day listed. Stay tuned throughout the week for my day-by-day coverage of Origins 2010!

Whew! Origins has come, my lovelies, and your friendly neighborhood Warlock has been busy already! On the plus side, though, since GAMA has sponsored a free Wi-Fi spot outside of the open gaming hall, I can keep you updated on all the glorious action.

After a bustling trip up, and a quick shot over to the airport to pick up Karl, we were ready to rock and roll on Wednesday.
Karl and I actually started the day together, with a round of The Stars are Right!, a relatively new production from Steve Jackson Games. Fundamental premise: you’re all cultists of the Great Old Ones, rearranging a 5x5 grid of stars and constellations, hoping to be the first to summon forth a sanity-devouring horror.
It’s a neat little game, though the spatial reasoning aspect of it was a little outside of my typical comfort zone. The gameplay, once we got through the ruleset, was really solid.

From there, we hit North Market—my absolutely favorite lunch spot while in Columbus—where I swung by Barry’s NY Deli for a sandwich and some matzo ball soup. No pastrami this time, though—I was too early! Rather, I settled on a (still very tasty!) corned beef on rye, with their glorious deli mustard.

After lunch, I joined the Enigmatic Mr. Ebbs for some Stargate SG-1 action, with the Matinee Adventures group. While I was a little disappointed at the number of people around the table—there were 8 or 9 of us in on one game, the Savage Worlds system was able to handle the number of players, where the d20 rules did not. The GM was particularly solid, as well, as our team attempted to find the long-missing Major Cromwell on a barely-explored world. Our party was more than a little trigger-happy, though, leading to some rough times for yours truly, playing the only diplomat!

Dinner at Barley’s went quickly, before we had to prep for our first events of the year. Mine-—my first session of Survival of the Fittest—-was sold out, with a solid crew of gamers from Columbus and the surrounding area. They eagerly set about the task of hunting down Xanthippus Ral, only to have their party cohesiveness break down as they were surrounded by the Fydae Zombies. However, they jumped full-on into the PvP spirit, and went down in a blaze of glory! I'll admit, I was a little nervous when starting to run this game, being on the "big stage" and all, but it turned out to be a total blast, as the players really grabbed the intent of their characters.

For once, after I managed to pack up my minis and battlemat, I actually managed to head down to the “Big Bar on 2”—-the Hyatt’s own bar—-to hang out with El Willy, his wife, and Kain (of TableTop Gamers) and his wife. It’s been ages since we’ve had a chance to just sit down and shoot the breeze, so this was really a welcome change, and a much needed break to wind down the day with.

Tomorrow? The PlatinumChick finally arrives in town, EEE and I will root out some heretics in Dark Heresy, and I’ll have a glorious time checking out this year’s sold-out dealer hall! Pics are forthcoming, my lovelies! Stay tuned!

In Which The Warlock Assesses His Schedule...

With Origins less than a week away, it's now that happy time to show off what I'll be doing during the week!

Last year's Origins, while a ton of fun, had a massive flaw for me. With few exceptions, I ended up playing mainly D&D, WEGS, and Call of Cthulhu. While I love all three--collectively, they make up my three favorite game systems--there is, as they say, "too much of a good thing". I actually ended up envying the PlatinumChick's schedule, which broke up her favorites with other cool games, like a Watchmen-based "Mutants and Masterminds" game.

This time around, though, I vowed to change it up a little! On the whole, I tried to limit myself to one board game and one rpg per day, in addition to the games that I'll be running myself. So, without further adieu....let's take a look!

Wednesday, June 23

The Stars are Right--#4984--9:00am-11:00am
I figured that if I'm going to start Origins right, it's got to be with some tentacled-goodness! Plus, TSaR is an Origins-award nominated game, from the eponymous Steve Jackson Games. I was really pleased with Cthulhu Dice (and have similar hopes for Zombie Dice), so this one should be a winner.

Matter of Time--#6794--1:00pm-5:00pm
The first convention game that I ever played in was a Stargate d20 game, at our first Origins. That game was utterly miserable. However, I have high hopes for this one. Will (the ManMan!) spent quite a bit of time converting SG-1 over to the Savage Worlds system, and it looks like he wasn't the only one with that idea. This one definitely has me excited.

Survival of the Fittest--#7085--7:00pm-11:00pm
An old favorite from WittCon VI, I'm excited to be running this one. Plus, even more exciting, it's sold out!

Thursday, June 24

Rescue of a Lifetime--#6895--9:00am-1:00am
As if I'm not going to get enough heretic-smashing fun, I joined a Dark Heresy game joined by the good folks at Amorphous Blob Games. This one's unique, though: you see, it's a two-table affair! This one should be interesting, no doubt.

Giant Settlers of Catan--#3977--2:00pm-4:00pm
Don't get your panties in a twist, fellow gamers. I'm not actually going to play this one. I joined this as I had thought that our WittKids would be joining it en masse, but such wasn't the case. Besides, I have some shopping to do in the Dealer Hall during this time!

WEGS Plume Mountain--#7197--7:00pm-11:00pm
After throwing down this module at both FOPCon and AnCon, it's ready for its Origins debut! Hopefully my dice will cooperate this time, Ctenmiir will stay out of the mud pit, and BiBBle won't go down like a punk! I still have slots for this one--come on out and Spante up!

Friday, June 25

Cosmic Encounters--#3523--10:00am-12:00 noon
I honestly have little to no information on this one. I know it's a board game, I know it's relatively new(-ish), and that it's based on an older board game which has since been revamped. Aside from that, I have no foreknowledge whatsoever. Surprise!

Sibilant Whispers--#6469--1:00pm-5:00pm
I've already noted my excitement for this 4e scenario in my last entry. Our dwarven clan is almost ready, complete with Hamish (my avenging paladin!), a mighty Invoker, the PlatinumChick's war-skald (a Bard, wielding a two-handed hammer!), and Karl's star-pact Warlock. Very exciting indeed!

Survival of the Fittest--#7084--7:00pm-11:00pm
See above, only this one still has slots! Come purge the unclean with us!

Saturday, June 26

The Clue of Cthulhu--#7111--9:00am-1:00pm
Earlier, I mentioned the difficulty of the PlatinumChick and I actually gaming together. Well, we decided to end that right quick. This game--run by our good friends at Rogue Cthulhu--will be our first one together!

I AM William Wallace--#6803--2:00pm-6:00pm
I know very little about the Might, Magic, and Lore system, but I couldn't pass up a chance to "kill the English" here. Bonus points, if I can get a hold of the actual Hamish, Wallace's hairy friend from the movie (and many of my D&D characters' namesake!).

WEGS Plume Mountain--#7196--7:00pm-11:00pm
See above, and Spante up some more! Slots still remain for this one, too!

Sunday, June 27

Attack of the Mutant--#4924--10:00am-12:00 noon
We decided to end out this year's Origins on a laid-back note, with a little bit of board-gaming. This one, a riff on the old '50s monster movies, should be a lot of fun...

Red Dragon Inn (Play with a Creator!)--#4571--1:00-3:00pm
Okay, so I had an ulterior motive on this one. I'd heard good things out of Slugfest Games' brainchild, so I've been wanting to give this a roll for a while, but being able to play with a creator is a unique experience. Plus, if this helps get me an in for "Dungeon Slam!"...all the better!


Well, cats and kittens, that's it! Come on out and see us in Columbus, starting next week!

In Which The Warlock Runs Down The FOPCon...

Whew--I'm still recovering from the carnage at FOPCon this past weekend. The WittWeggers showed up in force, for what turned out to be a really great time.

The Front Hall at FOPCon 2009


FOPCon was held at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Huber Heights, which was really a fantastic venue for it. While the minis/card events were held out front with the vendors, the rpgs (and my WEGS demos) were in the back, in a comfortable room complete with massive corner couch around a TV showing classic gamer flicks.

While my Dark Heresy game didn't go off as planned, I had just enough players to fill out WEGS tables for demos of Dingbitt's Dunge-o-Doom! In both cases, the Arks managed to weave their way through Dingbitt's cavern, finding ancient and powerful artifacts as they went.

Round 2 of Dingbitt's Begins!

Particularly the second group. Ugh!

Okay, so in Dingbitt's, players have a chance to find "trove" equal to 11% times the level that they're on. Level 1 = 11%, Level 2 = 22%, and so on.

I kid you not--they marched through the first four levels, finding trove on each and every floor they went through! By the time they hit floor 8, I had to beef up the encounters, just to keep up with their power! The final encounter--with two massive Double 88s--speaks for itself!

All smiles after finding some Trove!

The final room--Dingbitt's Sanctum!


One neat thing of note, though. Since I didn't get to run Dark Heresy, I instead jumped in on Jules' version of "Sharn's Eleven". This was kind of a neat experience, as I co-wrote this module and, in fact, re-did all of the characters for 4th edition. However, playing through the module as Stark--the Warforged Fighter--was really a unique experience, as I hadn't forseen his natural conflict with Asa, the Shifter Druid, played by Kat. It definitely made for a unique twist!

Happy players in "Sharn's Eleven"



All of this is just making me look forward to our next convention even more! After a "week off" for Labor Day--during which my parents are coming into town for the PlatinumChick's bridal shower!--I'm back in action, running WEGS demos at Springfield's Champion City ComicCon!

"Dwarf Walks" anyone?

In Which The Warlock NARCs Out!

It's certainly an exciting time to be a WittWegger out here. All of the college kids are back, ready to start new campaigns. Their Student Activities Fair is set to bring in a whole new crop of gamers. And, last but not least, the Ren Faire is on the horizon!

However, that's not what has me so jazzed right now. Instead, I've got FOPCon fever!

FOPCon is a new convention to the Miami Valley, being hosted by the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police. It's an all-day gaming affair, chock full of board games, rpgs, and more, and the WittWeggers are pulling in, in style!

Jules will be running two of her classic modules: "Sharn's Eleven"--a 4e Eberron game, and "Welcome to Zendik Farms"--a Call of Cthulhu scenario. Lionel's pulling out his d20 Modern "Zombies" game, while Ebbs is rolling out some CthulhuTech, and I'm giving another go for my Dark Heresy one-shot "Survival of the Fittest".

But the most exciting part? The WEGS offerings! This year, we're spreading the WEGS love by demoing it in all three sessions: Ebbs is pulling out our Easter classic "Return to Castle Von Yum-enstein: the Revengening!", while I'm taking on two sessions of a WEGS classic: "Dingbitt's Dunge-'o-DOOM".

If you're out there in gamer-land, and are free this Saturday (August 29th), come and join us at the John C. Post Lodge 44 in Huber Heights. See more info at www.fopcon.com.

Origins 2009 Live Blog!--Wednesday and Thursday

I must apologize on the delay, but things have been so hectic out here in the Big O, I haven't had a chance to type up anything yet, aside from captions for my first set of pictures. To be honest, Origins is going by in a massive blur of dice, chaos, and loads of fun...but that won't stop me from covering the action!

With no offense meant, I'm going to leave Tuesday off. We ended up with something of a late start, and arrived just in time to...well, stand in line and wait patiently for our badges. Not a whole lot to do, but contain our nervous excitement and try to get some sleep for...

Wednesday

The majority of us started our Origins experience with something entirely new to us, the Origins Premiere Track. Basic premise is that you come in, a publisher arrives with some product in beta-testing, and you play through it. I can't say too much about what we actually played, aside from that it was by Bucephelus Games (those snarky buggers that keep Lionel entranced with "Oh My God, There's An Axe In My Head") and that it dealt with (of all things) the Bill of Rights. Tons of fun, even if we did break the game somewhat...

But with the Origins Premiere Track, came a visit from an old friend: Emily! We hadn't expected her to swing in, but it was great to throw down with her again, as well as reminisce about "old times".

From there, we slipped off for North Market--one of my favorite places for lunch. The sheer variety of great ethnic food is fantastic, and you know I'll never turn down a curry!

After a hearty lunch, our corps roamed around the still-being-set-up areas, eyeing up the visual feasts to be had. One thing that immediately caught our eye was a new addition--a VR BattleTech simulator. More on that, on Saturday, though!

If it's one thing I can say about Origins--we eat well! A North Market lunch was followed by a dinner at Columbus's famous Japanese Steak House. Reservations definitely pay off in this respect! I love teppanyaki style cooking, and the steak that I got was tender beyond belief. Will's whitefish filet, too, looked amazing. And that's to say nothing of the show!

After the dinner/show, we putzed around the miniatures room--eyeing up some of the set-ups that Will would be playing at for his Stargate SG-1 Miniatures battle game, before we all separated and I headed off for Dark Heresy: The Hunt for Heretics Continues.

Another great thing about Origins is the fact that you see the same people from year to year. And, lo and behold!, our GM and another player were ones that experienced Ebbs' psychic rampage last year. This year's scenario revolved around a shipment of "ale", which just so happened to contain a series of spores that prevented the dreaded Orks from spawning. Eldar were trying to get their mitts on it, and it was up to the Inquisitors' Acolytes to save the day. Wanting a change from the tech-priest I played last year, I took up the mantle of Flair--a heavy-bolter toting Guardsman.

I tell you, there's nothing more satisfying than rolling for Emperor's Fury on a head shot from a heavy-bolter. Eldar brains everywhere!



Thursday

Thursday had me up early to set off for my first D&D game of the con--A Dead Man's Party. Run by a tag-team duo of husband and wife, I was pleased to find out that this (as well as my Dark Heresy game) were being run by Amorphous Blob Games. ABGames are a really quality group of gamers, and I really can't recommend their games enough. That said, I guess I have an ulterior motive for saying so--at the end of each game, the players vote on the best role-play in the session and that person gets free swag. Lucky me, they rather liked Malic the half-elf's exploits (pants-theiving and all!), and I walked away with a copy of 3.5e's "Expedition to Undermountain".

Thursday also brought about our first session of the WEGS Power Play! As we settled around the table, talking trash with El Willy, his wife, and Wt2, the heat got cranked up past 11, as Wt2 tossed down a huge selection of massive baddies. Ebbs' poor sage, nearly doomed from the start, ran off the board in the third inning....only for him to bring in a ranger that flung death and pudding from the rafters! A great session, and we really got the word out for a good group of clustered observers.

Again, we eat well at Origins. After WEGS, we headed off for our reservation at Buca di Beppo's--a family-style Italian joint, where we manged on a filling lot of great, garlicky goodness.

We ended out the night splitting up once more, and I headed off to a game of two great flavors that tasted great together: another ABGames production--Stargate SG-1: White Plume Mountain.

Let me set the record straight. WPM is one of my favorite "old skool" D&D modules. It's such a wacky dungeon, and it has some of the most iconic magic weapons in the game hiding away in it. And Stargate? Don't get me started. One of my college catchphrases was an inside joke with another Gate-junkie that was simply, "So...Teal'c has hair."

This game was a blast, with really great, friendly gamers. We set out after the Wave halberd....with an SG-team that absolutely couln't swim! After Jack O'Neill nearly got crushed by a chuul, saved only by Sam Carter's grenade-throwing, we were about ready to pack it in. However, we held out, and took down "the beast in the boiling bubble" garnering the Wave for ourselves.

Man. That's a lot. I've got more to come today, as I'm about to set out to demo Chrononauts, then to head into Ravenloft for 8 hours. And that's to say nothing of tonight's WEGS Midnight Madness session. It's going to be a mad dash to the end, fellow gamers!

(Please note: Pictures are forthcoming!!! Please be patient, as I try to desperately catch up from behind!)

In Which The Warlock Runs Himself Ragged...

I swear, WittCon has the tendency to come around at the absolute worst times of the year.

You see, March is not only right in the middle of spring IEP/MFE renewals for my work, but is also the month in which all my weasels at school take their OGT exam. Needless to say, the stress level is a little high, particularly as WittCon nears, and I prep myself to run games like a madman.

Is it any surprise that I typically try to take the day before the Con off of work, as a personal day? Further, is it any real surprise that I didn't get to do so this year?

But, WittCon VI has come and gone, with a mass of great gaming memories for all. I must say, though, the dice were running more chaotic than usual as the weekend went on!

We began the weekend hitting up Rudy's Barbeque in Springfield with El Willy, before shuffling on over to Shouvlin to throw down my latest completed project: WEGS SuperZ. I was honestly pleased to see how well the thing came out--no doubt, running a reskin of an indie game for its creator is a little unnerving, but a great time was had by all. The party crawled sloughed their way through my intro adventure: "The Terrible Island of Doctor Crab-Clops!", slinging Plasma Blasts and Mental Bursts all the way. While I still have quite a few revisions to make--not the least of which being the 5 SuperZ races!--the game was strong and ran quickly around the table.

The day of WittCon, I started off by running the day's D&D Game Day adventure:
A Dark Night in Weeeping Briar for some of the Guild regulars. This was made even more interesting by the appearance of a Witt Torch reporter, requesting to play with us! She may have gotten more than she bargained for with our group, but it seemed like she had a great time, as the players bounced between encounters, generally breaking the game.

The second encounter of the game took place in a mill. Fire damage, naturally, caused bad things to happen. Naturally, with my luck? Natural 1 on the enemies' first attack roll...with a fire attack. The mill explodes in a fireball. I hang my head.
The third encounter involves several tough demons, led by a Mezzodemon. The party, thinking quickly, layers him down with status effects--dazed, blinded, and then Dominated. Naturally, this led to one drowned demon.

Hanging my head and carting off my minis-swag, I headed to my next game, my much anticipated (and filled!) Dark Heresy game: Survival of the Fittest.

I originally envisioned this game as something of a cross between honest-to-God-Emperor Dark Heresy and Paranoia, as the various Acolytes plotted against one another on the war-world Thanatos IV. Nick's Imperial Psyker, though, had other ideas.

Not once, but twice, he caused warp energy to burst out, incinerating himself and the party. The game was over in a matter of an hour, as the party descended into bloodied in-fighting. I laughed, but simultaneously hung my head. All those hours spent building characters and backgrounds...poof. Alack, alack.

By the time the third session came around, I was ready to kick back. And there's no better way for this gamer to relax than with some WEGS. In a matter of minutes, Nordling VI was well on his way to Arkeation.

Some explanation, I suppose, is in order. Ever since my first game of WEGS, I've nearly always run the same character--a Humz Lucky Trickster named Nordling. Nordling's had an unprecedented survival rate. Despite the lethality of WEGS, he's never died...not once! Even facing down the vicious mummy KlattaBarraBoo, he escaped. This time, he managed to weasel his way away from a RingReaver in El Willy's classic "Over the Reaver and Through the Wyrds".

By Sunday, we were all exhausted and ready to relax. Hitting up Jeet India and Bookery with Karl, Lionel, and El Willy was a welcome relaxation. Kudos to El Willy for getting Bookery aboard the WEGS train!

Oi. Stress and all, this whole con experience just makes me want Origins to come all the more! It's looking like another massive experience this year, cats and kittens!

In Which The Warlock Inadvertently Causes a Mess on Interstate 76...

I am sad. No bones about it; I am disappointed.

My Monday night Heroes Unlimited game--"Shadows of the Cold War"--has gone up in flames. The remains of it are strewn across the north side of Pittsburgh (sorry, Keystone City).

My illustrious players were all set for a pre-planned road trip off to the wild locale of Centralia, Pennsylvania, after being led there by a mysterious message found in the sundry items of their fallen foe, Mr. Kisses. After some horrific happenstances at the Shining Stars Bar, Grille, and Restaurant (run by the always enigmatic Stephen Alzis), they were ready for a new change of scenery.

Unfortunately, they never got that far.

For whatever reason, my players have the horrible tendency to roll miserably when it comes to any Driving test. Regardless of system, every time that they seem to enter a car, their luck seems to fall down an abysmal shaft leading to certain doom. Last night was no different.

In Dark Heresy, a few months ago, my players died in a massive conflagration as they ran their transport into a bar, trying to escape from some gangers on their way to investigate a corrupted morgue. Only one escaped, running panicked through the hive being chased by chain-gun wielding gangers.

This time around, Lockshanks was the one to fall first. Falling asleep at the wheel after a long night of DJing, he skidded CheapShot's van/arsenal into a guardrail, then overcompensated, driving it into a jersey-barrier along I-76, on the northwest side of Keystone City. Two more crashes later, the van's fuel tank blew, with three of the four heroes inside. By that point, the fourth was nothing but a grease smear along the highway.

I must say, I'm really disappointed by all this. While the group has been a little bit off-topic, game was genuinely fun. People were truly into their characters and really heavily role-playing through scenarios. Makes me wish that I didn't "let the dice fall where they may"...

As such, we're switching gears for a tick. For the remainder of the WittKids' semester, we're going to run a few one-shots and give them some shots to GM. It gets them some experience and some more confidence behind the screen.

I'm just going to miss my Monday supers crew. :(

In Which The Warlock's Dice Fall on Natural 20!

So, with a few exceptions, everything's been coming up Aces out here in Witt-Wegger land, which leaves me barely able to catch my breath, with all the madness that's ensuing. While work's been a bear recently, with multiple in-services and a massive state-qualifying debate tournament to judge, there's been a lot to celebrate out here!

First off, WittCon VI: "Have you Hugged an Orc Today?" is officially a WorldWide D&D Game Day premier site! We've already received the downloadable registration pack, complete with the scenario, characters, and even a trivia pack. While I haven't read the info thoroughly, I'm looking forward to busting out this scenario on some hapless adventurers on March 21st!

Further, I've finally decided what I actually want to run at this year's WittCon. While I've been tempted to run another session of Dungeon Slam!, I've been doing a lot of playtesting on the weekly game nights, which makes it a little less...well, novel. I had kicked around doing straight up 4e, perhaps with a Ravenloft or Planescape twist, but with the WorldWide D&D Game Day info coming through, that option's already covered. I had kicked around doing Stargate or Conan d20, but...eh. Nothing was coming to mind. And with Jules already planning a trip to Zendik Farms for her Call of Cthluhu game, what was left?

Oh yes...Dark Heresy! Indeed, we return to the depths of the Warp with a wicked little scenario I'm calling "Survival of the Fittest". Players will be in the role of Acolytes, searching for missing Inquisitor Xanthippus, who disappeared on the war-ravaged world of Thanatos during an Orkish invasion. But, as always, things are not as they seem...

On the plus side, my Monday Heroes Unlimited game has been utterly rolling. Our first session was spent getting the group together, as they investigated a mysterious warehouse housing a crime scene, which seems to be off of both the mob's and the polices' books. Kat's psychic, based on Scheherezade of the "1001 Arabian Nights", is slowly losing her grip on Sanity, as she delves into Object Reading and the like, while Will's Austrian strongman Manifesto utterly devastated some nosy dockworkers...

And oh, I can't wait for the arrival of my villain....they call him Mr. Kisses... :D

The only real down-side to recent events is that last year's WittCon vendor, Bob "Don't Call Him the Diceman" Kindle, was unable to make it down for this year's event. Hopefully, as the dread date nears, we'll have someone out for all your gaming supply needs!

In Which The Warlock Fails to Deliver a Climax...

So, our much lauded Dark Heresy game has reached its end. And, if I may say so, it was something of a letdown.

I often joke with my players about my record of PK-ing. To say the least, I have a pretty lethal record in my games. To my credit, prior to Friday, I've only had one "true" TPK--one of my Ravenloft games, during college. Sure, my one-shots typically end out with a higher-than-average body count, but in campaign terms, there's generally a pretty high success rate.

As such, my joking was taken in stride as I set up a massive map of a quarantined morgue that the characters were set to investigate. I had anticipated that, if I was in fact going to kill them that night, it would probably be in there, fighting Daemons. Instead, they died in a car crash.

Let me set the stage for you, O Gentle Reader. Fred's Guardsman, Karn (better known as Karnnold, when he's talking like the svelte Austrian), has all of two actual skills to his credit--Drive Land Vehicle and Survival. So, Fred jumps on any opportunity to use these skills with both feet. Figuring that Drive might be useful here, I ask him for a Drive check, thinking that a success would lead them straight to the morgue without incident, while a massive failure might lead them through ganger territory.

Massive failure ensues. The characters start noticing thugs, armed with miniguns and the like, start to surround their ground transport.

Now, Chris, playing the Imperial Psyker Sigismund, works the same way as Fred...only he has psychic powers. He immediately jumps into action by casting Aura of Fear. He succeeds in high style, forcing a Willpower save from everyone around him--including the party, locked in the transport with him.

At this point, I should note that Nick's Cleric (the leader of the group), has a Willpower score of something close to 60.

Massive failure ensues. While Jule's Scum and Karn succeeds, both Will's Psyker and Nick's Cleric fail. They watch as phantasmal insects and snakes stream out Sigismund's mouth and start covering the floor and walls of the transport. Nick, notably freaked out, attempts to shoulder-block open the back hatch...and succeeds with a critical success.

With Nick's cleric now rolling on the ground, and the door flapping open, I immediately ask for a Drive roll from Fred to keep control of the vehicle.

Massive failure ensues, again. The transport ends up clipping a light pole on the passenger side and another Drive roll is asked for.

Yeah, you guessed it. Massive failure and all that jazz. The transport bounces off of the light pole and swings, ass-end first, into a nearby bar, croweded with patrons. The transport catches on fire, and everyone takes (as I roll) 30 damage.

Let me enlighten something right here. Dark Heresy isn't quite like D&D in terms of hit points. In DH, 8 points is a severe wound, and 12-15 wounds will take you right out of the fight and make you a greasy smear. 30 damage? They're cleaning you up with a sponge and a mop.

As such, it's Game Over. As the players found out, Imperial Planet Scintilla is later destroyed by the Tyrant Star, summoned by their mysterious decohedron.

And now? Well, it seems that my campaign world might just be getting some exercise. Jules has volunteered to start up a 6th level 4e game, using my world, and we spent the rest of the session writing up characters. My Dwarven Rogue is ready to jump into action!

In Which The Warlock Updates Randomly and Catches Up With the GrimDark...

I received a complaint recently from fellow Witt-Wegger Nick that I haven't talked much about our weekly Dark Heresy game on here. He's been really excited about his Cleric, who's become the de-facto party leader, and I've been so wrapped up with Origins and searching for a new job that I really haven't had the time to devote to the GrimDark of the far future.

So, Nick, this one's for you.

When we last blogged of our intrepid adventurers, they had managed to crash-land the ruined hulk of the Emperor's Ship Persephone on the planet Scintilla, capital planet of the Calixis sector. They were arrested almost immediately by the Adeptes Arbites, but were shortly sprung by High Inquisitor Globus Varaak--a mechanized husk of a corpulent man, who ran the library-fortress of the Tyrantine Cabal Inquisition.

Varaak immediately took on the group as his new Acolytes and set them about the task of finding out exactly why the Persephone crashed. This led first to the still-flaming, charred ruins of the ship in order to retrieve the logs of the late Captain Nestor Sammael. Sammael's log did little to build their confidence in their former captain, but it did provide several leads and the names of the bridge staff...the most intreguing being High Enginseer Praxilus, one of the Red Priests of the Machine God.

Having seen a red-robed figure escaping the ship as they were arrested, the Acolytes immediately turned to Hive Tarsus' temple to the Machine Lord to find out information. There, they not only found Praxilus, who was in a massive underground foundary, building new weapons for himself, but also a quest to seek out a missing tech priest--Iacton--who had disappeared into the northern wastes along the route of the walking city of Ambulon. After confronting Praxilus, the Enginseer provided him with his encrypted vox recorder, which included his own ship's log, then left for parts unknown.

Tracking Iacton through the wastes proved difficult, but the Acolytes soon found their way exploring a short cavern complex beneath Iacton's desert manor. Breaking into the manor, they soon found that Iacton was not all he seemed to be--using forbidden texts and heretical knowledge, the tech-priest was building himself an insectoid carapace in devotion to Nurgle, the Chaos-Lord of Flies. Terminating Iacton with extreme prejudice, the investigators found themselves in possession on a strange black gem, which radiated warp energy.

Upon returning to Varaak's fortress, our heroes found the Cabal in chaos. After debriefing, they soon found out that a high-ranking mole in the Adeptus Mechanicus was eliminated. Worrying that Iacton was the aforementioned mole, they reported on their activities, but were shocked to learn that the mole was a completely different tech priest.

After hacking into Praxilus' vox, our heroes did their best to piece together their new leads, and began investigating a new tech priest that had emerged--Praxilus' second-in-command Walpurgis. However, more successful avenues lead them to dig out Incarceratrix Cainye (and her relationship with First Mate Acutus), as well as an Adeptus Arbites Lieutenent who had gone through Academy alongside Comptroller Xephyron. Gaining the favor of two feuding Arbites Lieutenants, the group found themselves in possession of the necessary warrants to investigate the quarantined morgue where the found bodies from the Persephone were being kept. With that, the mystery continues next month...

Oh, and on a random note--Laura (of Life is Not Boring and Reviewing Everything)--nominated me for a blogging award! Thankee, Laura!

Oh, and on one more note--I've stared playing in a 4e game! Lionel has started us off at first level, in the 4e intro adventure "Keep on the Shadowfell". I'm now currently playing Ignatius, a rather anti-social Dwarven Warlock who holds a pact with Dispater, Lord of the Second and Master of the Iron Tower. With luck, our party will make it through the kobold defenders and win the day!

Origins Blog 2008! Entry Five--The Swag!

No con is complete without the Swag! I was good, and kept to my vow of not spending more than $100. I even came under budget this year, spending only about $90. But that said, I was more than pleased with my purchases.

(Koplow Dice Tray)

I said I was going to get it, but this ended up being my last purchase. No surprises here—I’ve needed one for a while, and now I have it. The pleasant thing was seeing Bob (Don’t Call Him The Diceman!) at the booth. He seemed rather receptive about coming back to WittCon, which is a great positive—it’ll be great to have him in our corner again!

(Ironwind Metals—Fantasy Miniatures)

With the advent of 4e, and the tactical feel of combat, I set out for the Origins auction to look for some used minis that I’d be able to use when running the game. While the auction didn’t have what I was looking for, Ironwind did! At $2.00 an ounce for loose minis, I was able to pick up quite a selection (including a Cyclops, which is the spitting image of Craig T. Nelson’s monster in Flesh Gordon). Not too bad at all, particularly for $18.00 total.

(Sorting Chips—250—Multi-Color)

If it’s one thing I’ve noticed in many of the games I’ve been running recently, it’s that status conditions are getting more and more numerous. WEGS has its “Lost Action Phase”, and that’s to say nothing of Sure-Shot, Catlike-Tread, Magic/Mystic Sense, and more. D&D 4e, in addition, has “marked” targets, Warlock curses, “Hunter’s Quarry” targets, and much more. Having a way to keep track of these seems like a good way to go, and this was a cheap way to do it. At $4.00, you can’t beat the price—it’s great!

(Hex Hex; Smirk and Dagger Games)

Demoing this game with Curt Covert, while talking shop, may have been one of my most favorite sections of this year’s Origins. Hex Hex is a fun little game of backstabbing, which really runs when you’re sitting around with some good friends, just having a good time. It’d make for a stellar drinking game, too…but that’s another story. I was so impressed that I picked up the expansion, as well, Hex Hex Next, which has some even more lethal cards to toss in.

(Mutants and Masterminds 2e, Green Ronin Publishing)

Free is absolutely the best price, but this was an unexpected find. While I still love Palladium’s Heroes Unlimited, quite a few of the Witt-Weggers (Ebbs, for one) are all about the M&M. Reading through this, I can’t say I blame him too much—it’s a sweet little system. It may never replace my nostalgic favorite, but it’s a solid rules-set, with a lot of support behind it. None too bad at all.

So, I guess that, if you’re reading this, you’re wondering where are my reviews on Black Industries’ Inquisitors’ Handbook and the Kingsport Expansion for Arkham Horror. Well…I bought neither. But, this is for two different reasons.

I didn’t really find a good deal on Kingsport, and Bookery Fantasy is still offering their 15% off sale through the summer. I’d rather support my FLGS and get a sweet discount than simply get the expansion at a con, just for the experience of buying it there. I may even hold off for a tick, as Kingsport will be there for a while, and we typically play AH over at Lionel’s, so my set would go unused.

As for Inquisitors’ Handbook? Well, it’s a matter of cost. I paid $45.00 for the Dark Heresy core rules, which are in full-color and a beautiful matte hard-cover. Expensive for a book, but not unheard of. The Inquisitors’ Handbook, concurrently, is the same price, but is a soft-cover and only in black and white with red-borders. While I’d love to have it and use it, I just don’t think it’s worth it right now. Particularly when one considers that Fantasy Flight Games is expecting to put out their version in July, which will be in both hardcover and full-color. Thanks, but I’ll wait for that.

Origins Blog 2008! Entry Four

Alert! Blog Entries this week were written one week prior, on Saturday, June 28!

Whew. Origins is winding down, and the Witt-Weggers’ trip out here is about to come to a close. We head out tomorrow morning, to head home and actually get some sleep for once!

After El Willy’s Midnight Madness game, I got only about 4 hours of sleep before waking up (an hour early! Gah!) for my two seminars of the convention. The first was more of an informative session, dealing specifically with the ins and outs of getting a game published with a small-press. Michelle Nephew was particularly informative, and the setting was really casual. I took something like 5 pages of notes, and am slowly realizing that my game needs a ton of revisions—time to get back after the playtesting!

The second seminar, on 4e with Mike Mearls, was really a pleasant indulgence. Mearls really is a receptive guy, who knows his audience in and out. He was eager to ask just about any question we put to him, which was nice, as I was really curious to see his input on the new cosmology. While I still miss my beloved Great Wheel, I can see why the design team went the way they did—the idea being that, if you’re going for a setting-less game, why include a specific setting to muck things up? Again, Mearls was really a stand-up guy, and I was lucky enough to get to thank him for the earlier (near?) encounter over with Amorphous Blob.


A very sleep deprived Andy, with Mike Mearls, creator of D&D 4th Edition

Meeting up with Lionel after the game (and a purchase of Hex Hex, from Smirk and Dagger), we swiftly tried to make it over to North Market to grab some lunch…only to be interrupted by Columbus’s Annual Pride Day Parade. Thwarted by fate, we settled for the overpriced convention center food and relaxed with Jules and Ebbs while playing the aforementioned Hex Hex.


The Columbus Pride Day Parade...keeping us from North Market!

We did manage some time at the dealer-room today, which was fantastic, as I was able to finalize my purchases. More on those in a later entry.

Dinner came swiftly, and along with it came Lionel’s parents and cousin, in from New Jersey. As such, we headed to Buca di Beppo, a homestyle Italian chain.

Let me tell you this. I don’t think the ball of pasta that was my Gnocci de Telefone will ever leave my stomach. The walk back was hard enough. Making it to our final game—“Fallen Angels” done in Dark Heresy—will be just as big a challenge.


Lionel and Ebbs around the table, in the GrimDark of the far future...

With that, I’m out! Our happy next entry will be from the wondrous comfort of our apartment, as I wrap-up my con coverage and this year’s purchases.

Origins 2008 Blog! Entry Two

Alert! Blog entries this week were written one week prior, on Thursday, June 26!

Last year, I promised myself that I wouldn’t wake up so damned early for games. That…well, doesn’t seem to be the problem. Last night was a long one, and after today’s sessions, I’m utterly bushed!


Burn the heathens! In the name of the Emperor!

Dark Heresy last night was an absolutely pleasant surprise. I had somewhat been expecting something of a heavily tactical, minis-driven firefight, but the investigation elements of DH really came to the fore. Playing a Tech-Priest for the first time, as well, proved to be interesting, particularly when I managed huge successes on Tech-Use when trying to open our “mysterious device” and access its contents.


The mysterious device...oooh!


The device finally opens!

The highlight of DH, though, was Ebbs’ transformation: using his Psyker’s “Firestorm” ability, he rolled heftily on the warp chart…and became a Daemonhost! The game ended with him annihilating most of the party in warp-flame, amidst much Chaos. Tons of fun, all around.


Guess who likes the warp effect chart!


Tech-Priest Celadon stays to the rear...

From the end of DH, Lionel and Ebbs retired, as Dan and Jules joined me in waiting for El Willy and his crew for some Dungeon Slam! Only problem was…we didn’t count on the tornado! Herded by security, we were herded into the lower levels of the convention center where we waited out the storm.


"Dungeon Slam!" at Origins 2008


Watching the chaos as the WegsHogz throw down...


Turning the tables on Jules and the WegsHogz

By the time El Willy and his crew wrapped up, it was nearly 2:00 am, so our session with the Mad Mage was an utterly short one. I do think, though, that a reprinting will soon be in order—my cards are getting pretty well marked up!


"So, let's add that Luck bonus in..."


The Mad Mage's tower is tiring at 3 am!

The morning today began with a quick breakfast with a compadre from Wright State’s Adventurers’ Guild and a trip off to play Hell Rails. Unfortunately, I was the only player! As such, the organizers sidled me into a game of Union Pacific—a rather bland, PvP railroading game. I ended up winning the game, but I felt like it had much less to do with strategy and much more to do with simple utter luck of the draw.

Immediately thereafter, I trucked on over to the Rogue Cthulhu room for Beyond the Sea, a 1960s investigation, where I played Police Detective Dom “The Bug” Coccinello, who was looking into some mysterious murders surrounding a new casino opening. I love the style of the Rogue Cthulhu games, and this was no exception.


The Rogue Cthulhu Banner


The Great Cthulhu rises from the RC room floor!

Our GM—an old vet, Jennifer—ran us through a fantastic story, which ended in full Cthulhian style…with my character insane, and his private eye counterpart both insane and dead (by my hand, no less!). Fantastic session, made only better by the familiar Rogue Cthulhu faces.


"How much Sanity am I losing?"


Smiles from the Rogue Cthulhu game--"Beyond the Sea"


"We're stranded, going crazy, and probably going to die...there's nothing like Call of Cthulhu!"

Dinner was rushed, though I can’t help but mention North Market. It’s so easy to get sick of the fast food in the Convention Center Food Court, and the freshness at the Market is such a wonderful difference. I was running pretty ragged by the end of CoC, so a quick curry was really refreshing for me, before heading back to Hommlet in 4e.


Dan, Rachel, and Emily in the dealer room


Andy and Dan, being fabulous


The crew at North Market--Dan, Emily, Maranda, Lionel, Ebbs, and Rachel

After my earlier difficulties with the RPGA, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Return to the Moathouse, since it was being coordinated by the same people. That said, my first impressions of the game soon dissipated as we delved into a new version of the Temple of Elemental Evil’s Moathouse. The throwback was really fantastic, and the guys around the table were much more sociable than the last RPGA group that I had run with at Origins. I did feel a tic out of touch—all but one of the other players was from the Arlington area, in Texas—the jokes were flying and good tactical suggestions were offered on all sides. I’m not sure if this will cause me to re-evaluate my feelings on the RPGA—there’s still way too much paperwork and bureaucracy—but it’s a start, at least.


Fireball!

That said, playing my Tiefling Wizard was an utter blast, and my earlier opinion on 4e stood up to a higher-level game. Flaming Sphere is sheer fun, rolling around a boulder of fire across the battlefield, running over enemies. Brilliance!

As for tonight, I’m ready for a long nap. I feel like I have a long day tomorrow, with two games of WEGS (including the Friday Midnight Special!) and another Rogue Cthulhu journey, but I’m not the only one. Within two hours, Dan, Maranda, Rachel, and Ebbs head off to Mutant Academy…from 2:00 am till 5:30! Oi! They’re troopers…I’ll be sleeping by then.


Lionel feverishly sorts his new cards

Till tomorrow, fellow gamers…stay tuned!