Some Thoughts about D&D 5e

 

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition was released on July 15th, 2014 and has since released countless supplements and books that changed how various systems or procedures work and ret-coned various aspects. Fifth Edition came off the heels of 4th edition that was met with mixed opinions (regardless of what side you were on, 4th Edition was a completely different game then its predecessors) and the success of Pathfinder. 

I was ecstatic when 5th Edition was released and I felt like it really streamed that what the game was in the 3.x era. It made things across the board easier and was a better polished game compared to most of the editions. 

 

Now, the years have gone by and the varnish has worn off. Now before I go into my issues with D&D 5e, I want to discuss the things it has done well.

• Bounded Accuracy (Proficiency Bonus)
• Magic Users (Cantrips and such have made spell casters viable across the board)
• Streamlined Mechanics 
• Accessibility 
• Good Dungeon Master's Guide
  

I do not know if this has anything to do with the actual game of 5e or marketing but Dungeons and Dragons as well as other role playing games have became popular and mainstream in a sense. This can be seen in its accessibility, the Critical Role effect, how various Hollywood stars have publicly talked about or played Dungeons and Dragons as well as other games. Regardless of why, I think this has been a positive situation with the hobby for countless reasons and gives me hope people who role play will not have to deal with another Satanic Panic.

Now, with that being said, it is time to discuss the issues with it. I have not played 5e in over a year and really did not do anything in the table top realm. Now, I have been playing in a 5e campaign and just catching up in general including a deep dive back into the 5e books and my experiences. These are not going to be in any particular order...

1. The rules are not as streamlined as I initially thought. It is true that 5e has came a long way since its 3.x days but it is not enough. 5e has required countless Q&A "Sage Advice" for answers how rules are suppose to work. Even with this, there is still debate among players but at least there is a Compendium for the most common issues which acts as a living errata document. Though, language as not been updated in subsequent printings. Now, errata being what it may and there is some expected instances of "editing missed that" this is ridiculous. Things should not be so poorly written or convoluted that they need consistent sage advice or a living errata document. In addition to even after sage advice, it still causes contention between players. 
2. After what? 45+ years there is still a consistent struggle of created a viable Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, and to a lesser extent Rogue class? It took Pathfinder a years and a whole supplement Unchained to hammer out common issues and attempts in Unearthed Arcana were made to revisit the Ranger but the minor changes helped the class but it still was not enough and other classes have not been revisited at or or barely touched upon. In addition to spell casters get the most support out of all of the other classes across the board. The frosting on this cake is Unearthed Arcana is unofficial or play test material so Dungeon Masters across the board do not have to allow it.
3. Just because 5e is popular, does not make it a good intro RPG for new players or DMs and #1 supports this greatly. 
4. Feats have obscenely different power levels and usability. 
5. One of the Sacred Cows that WOTC seems to be holding on to is Challenge Ratings. This creates a lot of complicated math for trying to build encounters even with the formulas given. There is also the additional issue where Challenge Ratings do not always match the creature they are attached to and there is even fractions! This places a ton of extra work on the DM for no reason at all. D&D needs to bring back using HD and special abilities for encounters and get rid of all the extra math and matching issues with CR. 
6. Another Sacred Cow is Vatican Magic, there are better more intuitive ways to handle magic.
   
7. Since 3.x tactical combat and combat in general is a consistent focus which makes using fists to solve every problem a common tactic which is systematically supported. 
8. Yet another Sacred Cow is the 9 point alignment system.
9. Adventure Paths have been consistently poorly written and require a lot of work from the DM. They should work right out of the box with minimal effort by the DM - that is the whole point of adventure paths. 
10. There are huge differences in what classes have better use of the action economy (standard, reaction, and bonus actions) and a lot of times, actions are unused. This also relates to #2.
11. Skill resolution is tired to the same system as combat and both of them are meant for different types of outcome ranges. The attempt at a unified mechanic falls short here with skill points. 

I think that is everything off of the top of my head for now.

Ok, I lied. there is one more point I already mentioned but I want to reiterate is that 5e is not a good game for beginners as people do not want to sit through hours of rules or how to play discussions. This is also includes spending entire sessions on character creation and reviews. I think people who are interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons or any role playing game for the matter do not want to sit through rule and how to slogs and just want to get into the game, the character, and start playing. Even me (being a veteran player) tends to role their eyes when people start discussing rules or the entire game is put on pause when the DM or another player has to bust out the rule book. These points right here is where I think we lose a lot of new people and frustrate a lot of veteran players. I believe we should strive to get people in the game as quickly as possible, keeping immersion deep as best we can, and then keeping the game moving without rule breaks. 

Once again, I have ended up with more to say when I thought I was down. I guess that is why I rarely post things as soon as I am finished so I can let them simmer for a day or two but I digress...

To begin, Wizards of the Coast has released their publishing schedule for 2024. The biggest title on the list is the new Players Handbook... From there it looks like there is going to be 48 sub classes? And a return to rules bloat! WOTC's habit of turning RPGs into a commercial product for mass consumption have driven the game as a concept and an art into a money grab that leaves little room for quality control. It has been a long slide since at the release of 4th Edition into fully devolving the game into a cRPG/MMO model. A game played on a character sheet with players looking to hit character sheet “buttons” to solve problems and waiting for the next seratonin hit from the next level, magic item, spell, or whatever else they earn. Creative problem solving, exploration of procedurally generated places, rolep laying, and encounters has waned. It seems that WOTC continues to hammer nails in the coffin of the idea of neither the DM nor the Players knowing which way a session will end.

With that being said and what I have seen of all of the current and past play test materials the New Players Handbook is going to bring a lot of positive mechanical changes to the process of character creation, races, classes, feats, and so on. Though a lot of these changes have already been seen in Pathfinder 2e and other places. I also believe the book is even going to be re-organized to make it more intuitive and user friendly. Even with all of this, The Monk, .Barbarian, and Ranger still need work.

This is in addition to I have yet to see any reworks of important subsystems like Challenge Ratings, role play focused abilities, backgrounds, and so on. Though, I am sure we are going to see a revised Monster Handbook and Dungeon Masters Handbook at some point. Regardless of all of this, it is rounding back to my original point. 5th Edition did not go far enough and neither is D&D One going far enough to file off the burs and really adjust things that need to be fixed. I have zero faith that the new players handbook is not going to need official sage advice to clarify things and adventures will be good to go out of the box...

FKR Simply Defined

 

In my initial "Definitions of FKR" post there is a lot of flowery language and great explanations of ideas which I think it is great. Though, re-reading it and after more experience it all sounds way to theoretical and may be confusing. I am going to list various aspects but they are not in any particular order.

The first thing is that playing games FKR style or FKR games are designed to be high trust or played with an high trust mindset. This roughly translates that the players trust the Referee to be fair, knowledgeable, and that the Referee is going to make clear consistent rulings. To condense this further, the Referee has a lot of authority to make unilateral decisions without necessarily failing back on any published rules. 

The second thing is that the Referee tracks a good amount of the player focus stuff. This could be magic points, hits, gear uses, and so on. By doing this, the referee creates an environment where the players spend more time immersed in the fiction.  

The third thing is that generally, the style is played with little rules. No 600 page rule books to be found as far as the eye can see. 

The forth and final thing tends to cause a lot of discussion and is something that causes a lot of confusion. FKR style games tend to be rules light and the players do not have access to whatever rules or ruling they are out going to experience during the course of play with the minor exception of what is needed for character creation (and to make meaningful decisions during that process). So, with that being said, it is possible to run Pathfinder, 5e, or even GURPS in an FKR style but I do not know why a Referee would want to do that to themselves. 

Here is where the confusion comes in. People will argue that Dave Arneson (and others) did not have rules when he ran his games but that is not the case. It is well documented that Arneson handed over 18 pages of rules to Gary Gygax that would be used to help design the original release of Dungeons & Dragons. Though, whatever rules or rulings Arneson used, he kept to himself and there was no players handbook that the players had access to. Hence, this is where the high trust aspect comes into play and the ye olde reference to the invisible rulebook.

Another point of contention that this forth aspect causes is that there is a lot of rules discussions regarding this style of game or play and it tends to frustrate the veterans and other people who have a lot of experience with this style of gaming. This has caused some of the veterans to step away from those conversations and those spaces. 

This situation just comes from a lack of understanding of the play style and a lack of comfort from people who have little or no experience of the play style because they want guidelines or sets of rulings to help them on their journey. That is where the barrage of rules questions come from. It also does not help that a lot of FKR products do not offer much in referee guidance outside of resolution mechanic and some character creation. There is no problem with people seeking rulings that they can use for their games or to use until they are comfortable to create their own. 

Circling back to the high trust aspect of FKR and the higher responsibility of the Referee I am going to try to smooth out the misunderstandings, wrinkles, and try to assist new Referees wanting to run games in this style. 

So, as a Referee for this style of game, you are in charge of creating a high trust environment, conducting research, and separating the players from the rules so they can be as immersed as possible in the experience. So, the referee should come to the table prepared with some baseline rulings, campaign information, and their handy dandy notebook. Depending on the comfort level of the referee will determine how much rulings they bring ready to go in their notebook and how much on the fly rulings they will make during the course of play. That is why it is important to have the notebook and to MAKE SURE TO WRITE IT DOWN so the Referee can make the exact same ruling or call the next time and the time after that. Consistency is key - hence the high trust aspect.

For an example, in a game that Arneson was running someone decided to throw a fireball and the response was what? The answer to the what was well, I am a wizard and that is what wizards do. So, on the spot the ruling for a fireball was decided and was written down in the notebook. 

As for research? Yes, it is important as the referee to take time to research things the characters in the game talk about, are interested in, or discuss. I am reminded of a story where Gary Gygax was running a game and there was a 16 year old high school kid at his table. During the session, the 16 year old announces that he hits the opponent with ??? (I do not know what the word is - but it was some fancy word for some fancy polearm) and Gygax had no idea what that was, but he did not let the 16 year old kid know that. So Gygax gave it a damage rating, wrote it down in the notebook, and then the next day Gygax went down to the library and read through a historical book on medieval weaponry. This is probably one of the reasons why there is a listing for every can opener on a stick in some of the books. Regardless, the point still stands. Referee's need to do their research and use their notebook to make sure their rulings and how they handle situations stay consistent.

That is the style of and how to run it on the referee side. The players responsibility in this is to trust the Referee and let go of all modern gaming sensibilities.

Legacies of Exera: Sessions 11 & 12

 

 Session 11

The party awakens in the inn in Arduine only to discover that Sir Harl and Stephonocles have left.  Harl saw the apparition of his fiancee again and chased it, leaving a note for the party saying he would return as soon as possible and if Harl and Stephoncles misses them, they will catch up in Sirabutler. Stephonocles followed Harl.  

The party began investigating the town to locate the werewolves.  The party discovered that one of the werewolves was the shop keep at the general store.  There was one more, who they discovered lives in a cave outside of town.  They battled them both as the shop keep called its alpha when he was attacked.  They learned that there had previously been a third but it died earlier.  The party then continued their journey, encountering a hill giant in one encounter and three ogres in another.  They came to a crossroad where the road continued on to the Dwarven city of Sirabulter and a path went left up Giant Mountain. They decided to take the road to Sirabulter to get some rest and restock on supplies before continuing to Giant Mountain.

Session 12

Before arriving at Sirabulter, Vladimir departed from the party to go find Harl and Stephonocles to let them know they had gone to Sirabulter.  The party then arrived at the mountain pass into Sirabulter.  After paying the entry fee of 1 copper piece each, they entered Sirabulter through Sharindlar's Acres, Sirabulter's northern agricultural district.  Here they purchased a wagon from human Hans Arstel at Arrowstar Wainwright.  Afterwards they purchased four draft horses (two brown, one black, and one white with black spots) from dwarf Magtharn Hammerfall at Hammerfall Stables.  They then traveled to Bubbling Cauldron in the Gloryview district of Sirabulter and got baths, laundered their clothes, and got massages.  They learned from some Dwarves in the bath that there was some kind of threat from the "Roots of the Mountain" in the Grand Mines of Sirabulter (located in the the Cloudy Peaks district).  They learned Underdark spiders, Duergar, and even Drow had been spotted in the mines near ancient tunnels that had previously led to a now abandoned ancient Dwarven city in the roots of the mountain.  The party then purchased rooms and meals at Ye Olde Ponies Inn in the Gloryview neighborhood.  They then sold weapons they had looted at the Fabulous Blade and sold looted armor at The Wandering Mountain, both shops in the Bonderbreaks.  They also sold gems and art at the Lonely Pantheon in the Gloryview district.  

 

__________

PLAYER NOTES: Due to series of unfortunate events I was not able to be present for Sessions 11 & 12, I received the summary reports from the Dungeon Master. 

Garvangr (Harl's Spear) - Gained +1 enhancement bonus

Goujian (Prince Claren's Sword) - +1 enhancement bonus.

Bag of Three (Gareth's Belt) - Bag of Holding Qualities 

Shadowgrumble (A'nari's Crossbow) - Enhanced Critical Hit: On a critical, this eapon deals an additional 2d6 piercing damage.  

Pia's Belt (Enama's Belt) - +1 to saving throws & DC's to Ki abilities. In addition, a bonus action can be utilized to regain Ki points equal to the roll of the Martial Arts die, this feature cannot be used again until the next dawn. 

Feyshadow Boots (Helenista's Boots) - The footsteps of the wearer make no sound and the wearer gains advantage on Stealth Checks that rely on moving silently.

SoA: Development Log 1

 

One of the the first things I wanted to tackle with this project is decide how to handle character creation. From my research and conversations I have had character creation processes tended to be more free form that what is commonly seen today. This fact still held true even with the release of the Original Dungeons and Dragons. 

So, now I am left with two options. The first option is to go full free form character creation that includes the players answering questions and making some choices such as equipment and vocations. The second option is to still include the free from prompts but also add in some type of basic attribute stats to give the players and the Referee a numerical option to work off of. 

There was a long period of time where I was playing around with the second option but then I had a conversion with James Spahn and he brought up a point that made me stop in my tracks. Long story short is that the point of the conversation when looking at game design, take into account what is just habit. What ideas or sensibilities are you falling back on? That conversation reversed my thinking and I decided to focus on the first option. 

With the decision out of the way, now it is time to get to work on setting up the questions. The questions need to be personal, be descriptive enough (without becoming a tedious process) to bring a character to life, allow the player to see potential in the character's growth, name, choices for equipment/vocation, and bonds outside of the player characters. These choices need to make the player feel like the character is connected to the world. This connection will allow greater immersion. 

The most difficult part with the character creation is I need to make sure that the questions and number of the questions provide enough detail that new players are able visualize their characters and give them something solid to interact with the world without the process becoming a slog. As I have stated previously, I want Secrets of Arn to be easy to grasp for people who have never played this style of gaming before or even new gamers in general. 

My first couple rough drafts ping ponged back abs forth between 5-6 questions to 12-15 questions. During these drafts, I also went back and forth between allowing the players to choose a special ability for their characters or magic or both. In Bob Meyer's games he allows players to select special abilities for the purpose of uniqueness and to help keep magic out of the game because it does not matter what game, what idea, what system, magic tends to be a headache. 

After screaming endlessly into void, I decided the special ability character creation prompt is going to allow both options. So, a player can decide if they want their character to have a special ability or they want their character to be magically inclined. Special abilities are designed specifically for the character with the player and the Referee working together and can range from being exceptionally skilled at a certain task or aspect, turning the characters arms into tentacles, or even something that may be considered more magical or obscure in nature.

This decision is going to lead to more work down the road as I will have to figure out how magic is going to work and how I am going to limit it.

Though, figuring out magic is a future me problem. For now, I have finalized 8 prompts for the character creation process and I am happy how they turned out. At this point, I feel like the character creation process is done and the page could be handed out to get things rolling with little effort.

Review: Swords and Six-Siders

 

This is a review that has been a long time coming and the game has an interesting history. I want to discuss some of the history of this game before I get into the review. 

In 2015 I discovered Sword and Six-Siders by happenstance and I do not have a date when the game was first made available. It was originally designed by a user known as Vanquishing Leviathan and the rules that turned into Swords and Six-Siders evolved from Vanquishing Leviathan's house rules for Tunnels and Trolls.

"Yes, what eventually became Swords & Six-Siders started out as my houserules for T&T. I'd say S&SS is one part T&T, one part BX, and one part modern innovations to my own taste." - Vanquishing Leviathan

The original author offered the game through his website (which does not exist anymore) where the author produced the books himself (print, art, cutting, stapling, etc). The original game was offered in a box set and included three booklets (players guide, DM's guide, and an adventure) and a small stack of yellow character sheets. What was great about the three booklet offering is that it had some fun nuances - one of my favorites was that the back cover on the DM's guide had a graveyard tracker where the GM could keep track of how and when the characters died. It was a fun way to honor the death of a character. I have had the chance to interact with the author during this time and it was refreshing to see an author that truly believed in the game.

"The box is a candy box with an adhesive label attached. The way I can afford to produce this game is by doing everything by hand. I did the design, writing, layout, art, all the folding, stapling, trimming. I think this is a great game, the best at what it does, so I invested my own time and money in it. This isn't a kickstarter, where you wonder when/if you'll ever receive your product. I figure if I believe in the game, why should I put the financial risk onto the customer?

I am so confident in the game, I made it available for free, the full rules, with art, as a pdf fully loaded with bookmarks. That way, you can try before you buy, and you don't even need to buy if you don't have the money." - Vanquishing Leviathan

The game is designed to operate with a single d6 (I will go into the system more during the review) and to allow the players and the DM to focus on the story over mechanics. The game itself also went through many revisions and adjustments before becoming the product that was offered.

"Earlier versions of Swords & Six-Siders were more T&Tish, where you advanced by increasing your stats. At one point, there weren't any classes, you could build your PC however you wanted by distributing your gained stat points, unlocking various abilities. The downside was that it is even harder to achieve balance that way, and it created an enormous amount of choices at every turn.

That is when I put in the class system. The classes in the basic game are really more archetypes: someone who is good in combat but not with spells: fighter, someone good with spells but not combat: wizard, someone who is sneaky and skilled: thief, someone who is a little of everything: myrmidon. That pretty much covers the basic archetypes in fantasy, and streamlines character creation.

Everything about this game is intended to speed things up, so you spend more time playing and having fun and less time wrestling with the rules. I've run convention games with strangers, people who have never played S&SS before, and in a 6 hour game, we spent maybe a total of 5-10 minutes looking at the rulebook (to check spell effects; spell descriptions are a single sentence). The comments I received were to the effect of "I can't believe you could do so much and have so much fun with such a simple game." - Vanquishing Leviathan

 

With that being said, we now fast forward to circa 2018. The rights of the game were sold to Precis Intermedia Games. This move spawned a (mostly combined reprint), a Companion book, and eventually a complete "expanded edition". This is in addition to play test science fiction offering called Lasers & Six-Siders. Precis Intermedia Games have given Swords & Six-Siders a lot of support including a Compatibility License, various adventures, and conversion guides. I tried to track down a press release of the acquisition but my google fu failed me and I could not find anything.

 

There was also a limited run adventure titled "The Circle of the Yawning Void" (I think only twenty five zines were produced) and I believe that this title was also sold (along with The Castle that Fell from the Sky) to Precis Intermedia Games and Scribes of Sparn who converted and expanded the adventure for 0e. Though, I have not seen any release or heard of any plans to release and update The Circle of the Yawning Void.

 

Alright, the history lesson over, it is now time to get into the actual review. As a disclaimer, I was provided a physical and digital copy of the Swords & Six-Siders Expanded Edition for purposes of review. This review is going to be with the Expanded Edition Hardback. 

Presentation: This book clocks in at 213 numbered pages that are wrapped in a full color hardback. There are also a few extra pages that include the character sheet and advertisements. The game uses an easy to read font in a single column format with black and white art. The pages have a black border as well. The page count approximately breaks down to the following:

• 17 Pages for Core Rules/Character Creation
• 11 Pages for Spells
• 7 Pages for Action and Conflict 
• 5 pages for traps
• 27 Pages for Monsters 
• 15 Pages for Treasure
• 11 pages for Optional Advanced Options 
• 93 Pages that include a sample adventure and setting
• 12 Pages of Appendix's
• Handful of pages for licensing information, character sheet, advertisements 

Character Creation: Character Creation may feel familiar to some and characters start at level 1. Players with guidance form the Game Master will follow these steps:

1. Choose a Race (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human): Note Attribute Modifiers.
2. Determine Ability Scores (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma): Roll a d6 three times and on each result record the number that is showing and the number opposite from the number showing. This will give you six different scores that are placed wherever the player wants to place them. A score of 1 gives a -1 penalty to rolls involving the Attribute and an score of 6 grants a +1 involving rolls with the Attribute.
   
3. Choose a Class (Cleric, Fighter, Myrmidion Pathfinder, Thief, and Wizard). The Myrmidion is a hybrid between a Fighter and a Wizard where the Pathfinder is something akin to a Ranger.
4. Choose Alignment (Law, Chaos, Neutral) and note languages by race.
   
5. Determine Hit Points by rolling a d6. Anything result under 3 can be bumped up to 3 and starting HP can be modified by Race and/or class. 
6. Select Armor, Weapons, and Starting Equipment. 
7. Choose Spells for Myrmidions and Wizards. 
8. Calculate and record armor class and damage reduction, bonus and penalties to attack, damage, and saves per class and class. It is important to note that damage and attack modifiers are applied to both melee and ranged weapons unless a specific weapon is not available per class. 
9. Name your character something cool. 

As you go through the character creation process I find it important to note that Shields and Helmet increase armor class or the difficulty to be hit and "armor worn" provided damage reduction. Players are allowed to pick whatever equipment (including weapons and armor) that is within reason and makes sense for their character. No prices are listed for armor, weapons, and other adventuring gear. There is gold in the game, but that is more used for services and leveling. 

 

Resolution: All mechanical resolutions systems use a single d6! That is right, a single d6! The game states this at the beginning of the Action & Conflict section:

"Most of the game is handled through narration, whether by the gamemaster describing s scene or other players describing their characters actions. Dice rolls are appropriate for situations related to combat, accomplishing great feats, and resisting harmful effects and hazards."

These checks are broken down into the following ways:

• Ability Check: A catch all for any action as it relates to a single ability. 1d6 + Ability Modifier (if any) vs. a target number of 6. 
• Class Skills: This is something described in their class and it follows a 1d6 + Ability Modifier (if any) + 1/2 of class level - rounded up vs. a target number of 6.
• Saves: 1d6 + 1/2 level vs. target number of 6. 
• Death Save: When a character reaches zero HP, they are considered alive but unconscious and must make a Constitution save every round to stay alive. If one of the saves fail the character perishes. 

When characters enter combat, this formula is followed:

1. Determine Surprise for both sides of the conflict if necessary (1-2 on a d6)
2. Initiative is determined every round by rolling for the groups or individual on the PC side
3. Characters can move and attack in the round. Movement is determined by range bands (contact/reach/close/far/distant/yonder). Each of these have ft. measurements associated as well. To make at attack roll, toll 1d6 + to hit modifiers vs. Armor Class.
4. Determine Damage: If the attack hits, roll damage (most weapons deal 1d6, two handed weapons deal 1d6+1) and subtract damage reduction (if any) from the opponents armor. Regardless of damage reduction, a successful attack will always deal 1 point of damage.

Initiative is re-rolled every round and there are some additional modifiers/rules for things like cover, prone, etc.

There is one major caveat to the core resolution mechanic. This is something that is important to remember and may get forgotten when new people are playing this game. The caveat is that a natural result of a "1" is always a failure and a natural result of a "6" is always a success. 

The final thing to mention in this section is about Advancement. Character's level max out at level six and various bonuses are gained at certain levels. Characters acquire gold to count for XP but the gold only counts when the characters can transport it to town.

Final Thoughts: When I first read this game back in 2015 I thought there is no way that a game that uses a single d6 could have any legs but once I played a few games and ran a play by post game for over a year, I was proven wrong. This game proves that you can get a lot of mileage out of a single d6 and the auto fail "1" and auto pass on "6" rule can create some hilarious moments. This allow players to succeed at ridiculous odds or humble powerful characters, in addition to being a good balancer of the system as even obscenely armors foes (or characters) can be hit (and hits always result in at least 1 point of damage regardless of damage reduction). 

What Swords and Sic-Siders does well is creating a high immersion and high trust environment where the experience does not trip over the rules. The game does sport a lot of standards and habits from old school games. Though, with that being said, the Expanded Edition has a section of optional rules that effect action and conflict, spell points (alternate spell system), beyond levels (advancement after level 6), monster focus, abstract movements and ranges, a conflict action map, and paper minis. 

This game is also a great way to get a Tunnels & Trolls like experience without Tunnels and Trolls or the tongue and cheek aspects.

 

Since the Precis Intermedia Games acquisition, Swords and Six-Siders has spawned a conversion of The Misty Isles and an adventure called Smuggler's Bane. The adventure The Castle that Fell from the Sky is included in the Expanded Edition along with the setting Blackmarsh,

You can find it here:

• Precis Intermedia Games
• Drivethrurpg 
• Amazon
• Character Sheet 
• Compatibility License
• MeWe Group 
  

 Additional Discussions:

• Youtube Review of the Original Box Set
• Youtube Review (Expanded Edition) by Look at the Book Episode 30 
  

 

Legacies of Exera: Session 10

 

After a half a day spent creating a campsite, building a smoker, and a successful hunt the party settles in to ease their aching bones, nurse their injuries, and actually enjoy some fresh meat that did not feel like chewing leather. Once again, watch rotation was established and it seemed like the night was going to pass without incident until Anari's watch. About halfway through the watch, Anari notices what appears to be some glowing red eyes that blink in and out of apparent existence. With a squint Anari realizes that the eyes are attached to a shadowy body that the darkness of it stands out against the black if the night. The next the eyes vanish a few more pairs appear in its place before one of these shadowy creatures appear right next to Anari! With a yelp and almost tripping into the fire to create space from the creature Stephonocles is woken from the sleep as makes haste in rousing the rest of the party as everyone starts to stumble out of bedrolls and tents in all manners of undress. 

The shadow creatures attack and the party responds in turn but it does not take long for the party to realize that the creatures vanish and reappear to avoid ranged attacks. This new found realization causes the parties strategy to change and the battle ranges on until dawn, the sun seemingly causing the remaining shadow creatures to vanish. 

An exhausted party consults of the maps in the first rays of sunlight and decides to travel as fast as possible on the main to road to a farming village called Arduin. The party reaches the village as evening falls and they are met with suspicious looks as people of the village quickly enter their homes and the distinct sound of bolts being thrown to lock doors and windows almost echo throughout the streets. The party quickly decides to head to the general store but find in closed and Helenista points out appearent claw marks on some of the doors and the sides of some of the buildings as everyone starts to head to the Inn. 

Stephonocles knocks loudly on the door and is met with a loud voice explaining about how there are monsters that come out of night that take people away and devour them. The voice on the other side of the door gets into an argument with Stephonocles about being an Orc and how do they know that this is not a trick to let the monsters inside for a midnight snack. The argument becomes more heated as the voice yells that the monsters are probably werewolves and can look like anyone, even orcs. Prince Claren finally has enough of this nonsense and in a powerful commanding voice declares himself as prince that included Claren's long list of titles and a sampling of the history of Claren's bloodline. 

After a long pause, the party hears the sounds of multiple locks being unlocked and the dooris finally cracked open revealing a short portly fellow with a ridiculous and unkempt mustache. This portly fellow quickly ushers the party inside and spends time locking every bolt before turning to face the and apologizing profusely as the Arduin would never ignore royal orders or hinder the duties of the Prince of Rylos. During the subsequent discussion, the party learns that the attacks started four or five months ago and at first it was just livestock vanishing but then then people started to notices scratches on doors, carts, buildings, etc. Then about two months ago, people started to vanish.

The party is offered free room and board as well as baths and to laundry their clothes. The party smiles and makes some jokes as this has been their best treatment since leaving Rylos. 

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PLAYER NOTES: Alright, this session was brutal. The combat with the shadow creatures took almost three hours! Between their abilities and the ire of the dice Gods, it was atrocious. Though after that, it was a huge relief to reach the village and the argument and role play between Stephonocles and the Inn Kepper was top notch. It was also really cool to see the prince announce his royal status and use it as leverage. This is the first time it happened in game and I think it saved the day. Without it, I do not think we would have been welcomed in the village until dawn and it would be a rougher welcome. The villagers paranoia and fear is sky high and the sense of dread in the village was felt. Good job on the Dungeons Master's part for sure.

Secrets of Arn

 

It is no secret that I prefer rules light games and the FKR style of play. I may not get chances play or run in those types of games often but my research into the history of the hobbit, how it affects what I want out of the table, how it effects my own Referee style, and how it effects my game design continues. 

The research and deep dive into history has also sent me into an archival mode so to speak. There are games, play styles, and history that has been lost to the sands of time or are close to it. This has created a drive to attempt to preserve things where I can. 

But I digress, last week I re-watched Secrets of Blackmoor and I came across this video about a week ago:

The above video was the tipping point that sent me into a creative spiral. I am harnessing this creative energy to create something that will capture the style of game Bob Meyer describes above, how Blackmoor was and continues to be played since 1975, and for an archival purposes as well. With all of that being said, here is what I want to accomplish with Secrets of Arn:

• Players should only be given (will have access to) the character creation process
• Character creation will be in a free form manner where the players answers various questions/prompts/and make choices 
• Players will experience the rules as the play the game in an emergent and immersive way
  
• Include the "secret" rule book for referees so anyone (even those that has never played this style of game before) has everything they need to share this experience with their players 
• Straight forward rulings and "how to use dice" guidelines for the Referee to use as the story unfolds
  
• Capture the DIY/Print it at home vibe

 It all seems like a lofty goal but I am hoping to create something that will stand the test of time, expose players and referees to a new gaming experience, and a game that the Twin City Gamer's would be proud of.  

The writing continues in earnest and I have received the cover art from Inked Gas! His art never fails to impress.  There will also be some art at the start of the Referee Guide and maybe some for the Referee Tools. There also may be some spot art included. 

Regardless, Enjoy the sneak peak at the cover!

 

Legacies of Exera: Session 9

After a few days of travel in the early morning some of the party members discovered large boar tracks and the hope for bacon had most of the party crashes through the woods tracking the creature. Harl and Gareth stayed on the road for lookout in uneasy silence. 

It was not long before yells and the sound of battle alerted Gareth and Harl and instances they rushed to the sounds drawing their respected weapons as they ran. It does not take Gareth and Harl long to find their comrades but the scene before them caused a pause. Their fellows were fighting a grotesque hybrid of man and pig! The battle was fault cautiously as all were trying to avoid the tusks but it was Enama or leaped from the trunk of a close by tree and connected with a flying kick ended the creatures life with a sickening crunch of the skull. 

A lively discussed was had over the dead body about the creature being a wereboar and the ethics of eating it as bacon was strong on some minds. In the end, it was put to a vote and the side stating that it was unethical to eat the wereboar due to it being to close to cannibalism won. 

In late afternoon the party came across a group of strange looking green creatures with four legs, a long body, and an oversized head. These odd creatures were feasting on the remains of bodies from a small caravan. Helenista noticed the part of the caravan looks like it was burnt and there was a large black smear in the middle of the road. Enama raises a hand up to lips and motions for the party to try to walk around and avoid detection. In a whisper, Enama explains that she has not seen these creatures since leaving the homeland but they have an unique ability to explode, which can cause a lot of destruction. The rest of the party nods but once again, Stephonocles lute gives the party away and the strange green creatures give chase. Enama yells, "Try to keep distance if you can, you don't want to be caught in the blast zone." 

The creatures closed in as everyone tries to keep them at bay with arrow, stone, and magic. It was a futile effort as some of the creatures survived the onslaught from afar and closed in. As Prince Claren slays the first creature up close and personal, Prince Claren notices that as the creatures perish, they let out a "poof" from the undersides of a strange black powder that creates a pile. Before Prince Claren can even think the next thought, one of the green creatures charges directly into the parties formations and explodes in a cloud of gore and fire. This explosion sends Prince Claren and Valdimir flying backwards to land unceremoniously on the ground some ways a way. This explosion creates a new desperation in the rest of the standing party members and the rest of the creatures are dispatched without further explosions. 

After helping Vladimir and Prince Claren to their feet Enama explains that the powder they leave behind is highly flammable and can be packed in small containers to create explosions. Enama, Gareth, and Vladimir take some time collecting the piles of black powder in pouches before everyone moves on. 

The party eventually finds a suitable place to camp as the last rays of sun vanish over the horizon. Anari sets up the fire as watch orders are discussed and every snacks on some rations. As the light of the fire dwindles, Harl screams out in pain as an new arrow is found to be sprouting from Harl's shoulder. Before Harl could stand up, a group of bug bears rush the party and Vladimir cries out, "AMBUSH!" 

During the ensuring bloodletting, Enema falls and as the last bugbear is sent to meet its maker, everyone is left with injuries. Harl quickly comes to the aid of Enama and announces that she still lives, but barely. Harl calls about his divinity to heal Enama and everyone else Harl can before Harl becomes exhausted with the efforts. Other wounds are tended to and it was quickly decided that the party needs to find a settlement to rest in and get some much needed sleep. 

________

PLAYER NOTES: I will have to say that the in character discussion regarding the ethics of eating the wereboar was hilarious and highly entertaining. There was good arguments on both sides and the vote ended up being 3-5. The Creepers from Minecraft became an interesting and unexpected encounter which was refreshing as it took awhile for some of the players to realize what was going on in a meta-gaming type of way. Though, the Dungeon Master's son runs his own campaign set in a Minecraft adjacent world with all of the trappings. There was some good role play between the characters and the player playing Stephonocles sang us some road worthy ballets to easy dust covered feet and life the ye old spirits.

Superstitions of Math Rocks

 

So, as a gamer and a table top role player specifically I have acquired multitudes of dice. These multitudes include polyhedral sets, sets of d6's in various sizes, sets of d10s, and some odder and more unique dice thrown in for good measure. Many moons ago I took a bunch of bags and organized all of my dice (at the time) into these bags by what type of the dice they are. Though the cubes of d6s and other sets that come in their own containers are kept in said containers still.

Since then, I have obviously acquired more dice and in my old age I have become more superstitious about my dice. I have a favorite sets that I use consistently but I will occasionally switch out a set for another one of my favorite sets. As I do not want to travel with a dice bag that is overflowing. In addition to becoming more superstitious with my dice, I have become a lot more careful/picky/discerning when I choose to acquire new dice. This can be hard for me as sometimes it takes some serious self control. Though, I think that might be because I am part dragon and lust after "shiny". What I look for now are dice that have better contrast, maybe slightly bigger then standard, and a set that I can acquire an additional d20 and 3d6.

Regardless, there is a ritual when it comes to my dice and when I acquire a new set. This is in addition to how they are treated at the table and at home.

• New dice are cleansed in various ways. This is to remove any negative mojo
• Dice are then stores in my currently preferred bag/box for travels (assuming they are one of my favorites and in the rotation of use)
  
• No one is allowed to touch my dice 
• I keep my dice with the highest value facing up at the table, even in roll under systems
  
• I have a three strike and your out rule for my dice - this mostly pertains to d20s but others can carry the same rules. Usually a strike is earned when the dice roll really low. After the third strike, the dice is placed into a dice jail and will remain there until the next session or for an extended amount of time (like a week or more). 

That is really it. Though, I will add that is someone touches my dice at the table I will not use that dice and then re-cleanse them all.  

Now, do I have any statistical evidence that this improves anything? No. Does it give me hope and make me feel better? Yes. Do I think it appeases the Dice Gods? Yes.

Are the dice still little traitors? Possibly. 

In my travels, I have heard some pretty great superstitions or things that other players do with their dice. A person I knew would take his misbehaving dice and put them in the freezer. Others have made a mojo bag for their death and used candles and other things. Some stores I have heard is doing a lot of test rolls and bringing to the table only those dice that passed. 

I am curious what other superstitions are there. I find these stories interesting and fun. Please, drop a comment and let me know. 

Legacies of Exera: Session 8

 

Harl awakes in a bed surrounded by his friends and feeling like he just came off a week long bender. The rest of the party immediately barrages Harl with questions about what happened and some of these questions are not exactly friendly. 

After some breakfast with a Mug of dark strong ale in Harl's hand, Harl recounts a part of his past that has not left his lips in years. 

Harl explains that when he was younger to make money for himself an his family, Harl worked as a Mercenary with a band called the Vikings. A member of the Vikings, Harl traveled on occasion to capture bounties.  While he was away on one such expedition, his fiancee, Galadriel, was accidentally killed during a robbery by a thug named Liam Ehman.  Upon returning and finding Galadriel had been murdered, Harl investigated her death and discovered the identity of her killer.  He then went to this low-life's home to seek vengeance.  However, Harl was surprised to find the home occupied not only by Liam, but his wife and young teenage son.  Given the surprise encounter, Harl killed them all.  When this was discovered, the Vikings banished him from the City of Hammarburg. Harl did not stop there and continued to explain that this senseless murderous act has left him haunted and how Harl wishes that things could have been different but Harl was overcome with grief and blinded by vengeance.

Harl's story left a lot of the party members speechless but Prince Claren left the room in disgust as Gareth states coldly, "you straight up murdered a women and a child...I don't know if I can trust you" as Gareth follows Prince Clarens lead. The rest of the party gets home to give Harl some peace but as Helestina gets to the door she says "There will be a discussion. Come downstairs in awhile. I do not know who is going to be understanding of your actions, regardless of the reasons." Harl eventually makes it down around noon to the table everyone else is sitting at and a frank discussion is held regarding Harl's past actions. It is made clear that there is some trust issues and Harl's past has created the biggest rifts between Gareth and Prince Claren. It is decided that Harl can remain with them on their mission, but it is now a more probationary type of situation. 

After an uneasy night, the party resumes their journey towards Sirabulter and what appeared to be a calm morning on the road did not end up calm at all. As the party traveled along with a jovial attitude that was broken with the obvious sounds on conflict and yelling in the distance. Before anyone could determine the direction a well dressed Orc and Leonin but haggard looking burst forth from the shrubbery and once the two interlopers see the others, they yell "Help Us! We are being chased by a band of orcs." No sooner did these words leave the newcomers mouths, multiple Orcs from a few different directions burst forth and with a war cry, charged everyone! Everyone in the party broke leather and confronted the band of orcs as now it was more of a matter of personal defense then coming to the aide of others. The battle is fierce and decisive in the favor of the party. As the party drags the orc bodies off of the road the new Leonin introduces himself as Vladimir and his orc companion as Stephonocles, the voice of the marsh. Stephonocles and Vladimir both explain how Stephonocles is a traveling bard and was hired to entertain one of the local settlements of Orcs but well, the Chief did not appreciate the satire in the Bard's choice of lyrics and both of them were chased out of the settlement; then hunted.

Stephonocles and Vladimir both continuously thank the rest of the party and offer to help them in any possible as they do not feel safe with an angry Orc chief that obviously cannot take a joke. After some delegation the party notices soft music playing and Stephonocles explains that it is his lute and it never stops playing. 

After a quick lunch on the side of the road, the party along with their new companions continue on down the dusty road. It is late afternoon as the party realizes the strange sound they have been hearing are wing beats and they make out the noise just in time to dive into cover.  Though, Stephonocles lute kept playing which alerted the Chimera who quickly changed directions and unleashed a gout of fire where the sound was coming from. The fire burnt away the parties concealment and singed some clothes. The Chimera landed in the middle of the party which caused everyone to scatter to avoid being squished. The party surrounded the Chimera and after a fierce but decisive battle, Prince Claren delivers the final blow as he removed the burden of two of the Chimera's heads from its body. 

The weary and bloody party traveled on looking for a safe place to camp for the night and get some well deserved rest. As night fell, the party set up camp under an out cropping of stone a good distance away from the main road. Everyone decided on watches and the party talked with their new found comrades.

As the party starts settling in for the night, they are approached by a group of cloaked ratlike figures that explain how they are wardens of the road and demand tribute. Gareth greats them warmly but with caution as Gareth motions to the everyone else to be on the lookout for trouble. Gareth explains that they do not have much coin to speak of but they are more then welcome to share the fire and some food. The ratlike beings did not take kindle to this offer and the demands became more insistent. Gareth along with Prince Claren and Stephonocles joined in adding that Stephonocles would happily sing them a tune as Stephonocles motioned to the lute by the fire and continues to play. This seemed to enrage the ratlike figures even more and they choose violence - attacking without warning. The sounds of the clang of steel and rat screams woke up the others and the party was able to put down the rats suffering only a few bites to the flesh.

These bites were washed thoroughly as the bodies of the ratlike beings were buried. The rest of the night seemed to pass without incident....

 ____________

PLAYER NOTES: I think I mentioned this previously, but I am really enjoying how the Dungeon Master is using things from the characters backgrounds and is creating trails for them like what Harl has experienced in the last couple sessions.  These trails are acting like a mini quest of sorts and are revealing about the characters past, mine was just up first. From what the Dungeon Master explained, that each character is going to have a couple trials along the way. I also really enjoyed how the some of the role play happened with the other characters (but especially Prince Claren and Gareth) in regards to my characters sordid past. It has been a long time since I have had any serious PC conflict and I was kind of worried that my character might have got voted of the island so to speak. I think it is going to be interesting how the trust issues are going to be played out and the shift of the new dynamics. 

Session Zero Character Profiles have been updated with the two new characters... 

The Items have power have been updated to reflect Stephonocles and Vladimir's items as well as everyone's 3rd level increases to their items...