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Coffee With The Princess!
4 years ago
Coffee With The Princess!
Kicking Off The New Year!
**Giggles!**
Happy New Year, y'all! I do hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and New Year or however you celebrate this most wonderful time of the year! For me, this is the first year in many years where I was able to get the most out of the holiday season. I was able to help out more around the Firm with the decorating and the enjoyment of the time plus hang out with the Saturday Night Tabletop Group, which was an extras blessing that I have sorely missed. If you had read the previous journal ... I think it was the previous one ... I ran the New Year's Day Saturday Night Tabletop Game. This is the one where originally the Bionic Forearm, who wanted to go out drinking the night before and celebrate his wife's birthday, sort of sucker-punched me into this. Now, I'm being a bit rough on my good friend, but it's typical of him. He's worn out with running a game that he was so excited about playing and then discovered that with seven people, that was too much for his nerves. So, he calls in The Marshmallow Dungeon Master, which is me. Oh, but to further add the comedy to the moment, he did not tell his grandfather, the Bearded Lantern, what was happening until Christmas Day, which gave the Bearded Lantern and myself a week to get set up. Oh, and before I forget, the Security Officer decided to invite another person! So, the Bearded Lantern is frustrated and I'm laughing and shaking my head!
Now to be honest, I have run huge groups before. Back at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, we often ran Teenagers from Outer Space games with at least twelve people. If you have had the fun time in playing this game, you know how outrageous this can get. If you are a bit lost on how this works, check out the cartoon, "Galaxy High!" It's not a long series, but it wraps up nicely and ends very well. It's one of the few 1980s cartoons that actually closes out the series nice and neatly without leaving the fans hanging. Back at Cumberland College, I used to run at least 10 people through various dungeons and high adventure games of both Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition, Villains and Vigilantes 2nd edition, still the best version, and even Ghostbusters too! All of these games were lots of fun, lots of work, and yet I had the most fun setting them up. The difference between SCAD and Cumberland settings is was I was drinking a bit and seriously strung out on caffeine at SCAD, so my games were wilder and farther outside the norm, at least for me. Also having my place out off of Dean Forest at Nassau Woods meant that we could have over lots of people and make all of the noise possible!
At the garage of the Bearded Lantern, we can still be noisy and rambunctious, but I have to be careful as I discovered. Two of our older members are former soldiers who react poorly to lots of loud noise. It hadn't been a problem in the past, but a I was told by the Security Officer, he said that there had been times he bit his lip and dealt with my exuberance. Big Jay, one of the four new-comers, got really shaken when I pounded the table to surprise the audience with the Hellknights knocking on the door. Wow! I still feel bad about this, but Big Jay, after collecting his wits, told me not to worry about it and just try better next time.
Oh? You are asking about the Hellknights? Well, y'all ... I'll started to explain.
The adventure path for New Year's Day's game session was the "Council of Thieves!" which is the fourth or fifth adventure path for Pathfinder, which you should be aware of how much this group prefers Pathfinder to Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. And to add a bit more of my dislike for Wizards of the Coast because of their 4th Edition which I spent a fortune on, they are working on a 6th Edition! Now, I get it. They make games to make money, but dammit, you fools! You took forever to release 5th Edition after the train wreck of the 4th Edition, further cementing my dislike for the newer games. Now, after ... I'm not sure how long, but they are about to release a new one?! Pass ...
Anyways, Council of Thieves does the same thing that Skull and Shackles, another one of my favorite adventure paths does, and drops you right in the middle of the excitement. A meeting at Vizio's Inn with concerned citizens starts innocently enough with Janiveer explaining about wanting to get the city of West Crown back to better security and less corruption. Very treasonous to be sure! Talk like this somehow has attracted the attention of the Order of the Rack, a maniacal mass of malevolent members of this anti-rebellion Hellknights, who kick in the doors and try to put this gathering to an end. Eight players who are running a wide range of classes and races and three NPCs, Janiveer the organizer who is a ranger, Morrisario, a youth who wants to help, and Tana Kayla, my mysterious maiden of magic who runs the local bookstore and has been having problems with the Dottarri, the local security forces, and the Hellknights as well. So fifteen of these knights bust through the front and back doors and a few windows too to squash the rebellion! Two of our members run to the back door to escape, but are cut off by the knights and the rest are collared in the main room. So, there's the start of the game ... one of my mainstays of gaming: find a tavern or inn and get involved in a bar fight! Good times!
However, Janiveer and Morrisario take off for the hills, leaving the rest to deal with fifteen very eager Hellknights!
Well, knowing about running big groups, I got help from the Security Officer to keep up with the various combat for me so I can stand there and continue to weave and orchestrate the battle. He's a good fellow, but he often gets bored with the big groups ... as does a few of the players as I was reminded and even discovered. I get it ... this many people is quite the crew to keep moving forward. So, I had reminded them that the reason I stand is to get around to people and make sure that they are aware that all of this is happening within six seconds! When I ask people what they are doing in the surprise round, I made sure to remind them that I will get to everyone, so please be patient with me.
Mm ... so, who started the fight? Well, let me take a moment to explain. The Left Fielder and Lady Dark, the daughter of Mr. Scott, had tried to run out the back door, only to be stopped by the knights breaking through that entrance and read to kick ass. Most of the others were trying to play it cool since they were sure that they had not done anything wrong. That is when I told them that the two who had gotten them into this mess ... Janiveer the organizer and Morrisario who warned them what was coming by a few seconds ... had beaten feet and got the hell out of there. So now, the knights are sure they hit the right place! Well ... to answer the posed question above, I wonder how many of you would guess correctly. The Security Officer is the usual culprit! But you would probably not have guessed the Bearded Lantern, right? Well, as cleric of Thor, Hans Icelander is not one to shrink from a fight ... so he throws a lightning bolt at the leader, knocking her on her ass!
And the fight is on!
Now I'm going to pause here and let the madness sink in. A cliffhanger journal entry? Oh, I haven't done one of these in a while ... I think back since the journal entry of The Trouble with Hard Headed Halflings!
If you don't tabletop game and are interested in one, look around. There are a few of us old schoolers who run one in a very social gathering. Personally, I have invested a lot of cash over the past forty years into tabletop gaming and have mostly enjoyed it. Like with like, you have to take the bad with the good ... meaning you are going to have problems with players, especially the ones who are attention-whores, anti-social beings, or the over-achievers. But, when you run into a groovy crew like we have had at the Bearded Lantern's Garage, where I have been a member off and on for twenty years, it is more than worth it!
Until the next journal, BE Happy!
Love and Kisses,
Loonia
Kicking Off The New Year!
**Giggles!**
Happy New Year, y'all! I do hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday and New Year or however you celebrate this most wonderful time of the year! For me, this is the first year in many years where I was able to get the most out of the holiday season. I was able to help out more around the Firm with the decorating and the enjoyment of the time plus hang out with the Saturday Night Tabletop Group, which was an extras blessing that I have sorely missed. If you had read the previous journal ... I think it was the previous one ... I ran the New Year's Day Saturday Night Tabletop Game. This is the one where originally the Bionic Forearm, who wanted to go out drinking the night before and celebrate his wife's birthday, sort of sucker-punched me into this. Now, I'm being a bit rough on my good friend, but it's typical of him. He's worn out with running a game that he was so excited about playing and then discovered that with seven people, that was too much for his nerves. So, he calls in The Marshmallow Dungeon Master, which is me. Oh, but to further add the comedy to the moment, he did not tell his grandfather, the Bearded Lantern, what was happening until Christmas Day, which gave the Bearded Lantern and myself a week to get set up. Oh, and before I forget, the Security Officer decided to invite another person! So, the Bearded Lantern is frustrated and I'm laughing and shaking my head!
Now to be honest, I have run huge groups before. Back at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, we often ran Teenagers from Outer Space games with at least twelve people. If you have had the fun time in playing this game, you know how outrageous this can get. If you are a bit lost on how this works, check out the cartoon, "Galaxy High!" It's not a long series, but it wraps up nicely and ends very well. It's one of the few 1980s cartoons that actually closes out the series nice and neatly without leaving the fans hanging. Back at Cumberland College, I used to run at least 10 people through various dungeons and high adventure games of both Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition, Villains and Vigilantes 2nd edition, still the best version, and even Ghostbusters too! All of these games were lots of fun, lots of work, and yet I had the most fun setting them up. The difference between SCAD and Cumberland settings is was I was drinking a bit and seriously strung out on caffeine at SCAD, so my games were wilder and farther outside the norm, at least for me. Also having my place out off of Dean Forest at Nassau Woods meant that we could have over lots of people and make all of the noise possible!
At the garage of the Bearded Lantern, we can still be noisy and rambunctious, but I have to be careful as I discovered. Two of our older members are former soldiers who react poorly to lots of loud noise. It hadn't been a problem in the past, but a I was told by the Security Officer, he said that there had been times he bit his lip and dealt with my exuberance. Big Jay, one of the four new-comers, got really shaken when I pounded the table to surprise the audience with the Hellknights knocking on the door. Wow! I still feel bad about this, but Big Jay, after collecting his wits, told me not to worry about it and just try better next time.
Oh? You are asking about the Hellknights? Well, y'all ... I'll started to explain.
The adventure path for New Year's Day's game session was the "Council of Thieves!" which is the fourth or fifth adventure path for Pathfinder, which you should be aware of how much this group prefers Pathfinder to Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. And to add a bit more of my dislike for Wizards of the Coast because of their 4th Edition which I spent a fortune on, they are working on a 6th Edition! Now, I get it. They make games to make money, but dammit, you fools! You took forever to release 5th Edition after the train wreck of the 4th Edition, further cementing my dislike for the newer games. Now, after ... I'm not sure how long, but they are about to release a new one?! Pass ...
Anyways, Council of Thieves does the same thing that Skull and Shackles, another one of my favorite adventure paths does, and drops you right in the middle of the excitement. A meeting at Vizio's Inn with concerned citizens starts innocently enough with Janiveer explaining about wanting to get the city of West Crown back to better security and less corruption. Very treasonous to be sure! Talk like this somehow has attracted the attention of the Order of the Rack, a maniacal mass of malevolent members of this anti-rebellion Hellknights, who kick in the doors and try to put this gathering to an end. Eight players who are running a wide range of classes and races and three NPCs, Janiveer the organizer who is a ranger, Morrisario, a youth who wants to help, and Tana Kayla, my mysterious maiden of magic who runs the local bookstore and has been having problems with the Dottarri, the local security forces, and the Hellknights as well. So fifteen of these knights bust through the front and back doors and a few windows too to squash the rebellion! Two of our members run to the back door to escape, but are cut off by the knights and the rest are collared in the main room. So, there's the start of the game ... one of my mainstays of gaming: find a tavern or inn and get involved in a bar fight! Good times!
However, Janiveer and Morrisario take off for the hills, leaving the rest to deal with fifteen very eager Hellknights!
Well, knowing about running big groups, I got help from the Security Officer to keep up with the various combat for me so I can stand there and continue to weave and orchestrate the battle. He's a good fellow, but he often gets bored with the big groups ... as does a few of the players as I was reminded and even discovered. I get it ... this many people is quite the crew to keep moving forward. So, I had reminded them that the reason I stand is to get around to people and make sure that they are aware that all of this is happening within six seconds! When I ask people what they are doing in the surprise round, I made sure to remind them that I will get to everyone, so please be patient with me.
Mm ... so, who started the fight? Well, let me take a moment to explain. The Left Fielder and Lady Dark, the daughter of Mr. Scott, had tried to run out the back door, only to be stopped by the knights breaking through that entrance and read to kick ass. Most of the others were trying to play it cool since they were sure that they had not done anything wrong. That is when I told them that the two who had gotten them into this mess ... Janiveer the organizer and Morrisario who warned them what was coming by a few seconds ... had beaten feet and got the hell out of there. So now, the knights are sure they hit the right place! Well ... to answer the posed question above, I wonder how many of you would guess correctly. The Security Officer is the usual culprit! But you would probably not have guessed the Bearded Lantern, right? Well, as cleric of Thor, Hans Icelander is not one to shrink from a fight ... so he throws a lightning bolt at the leader, knocking her on her ass!
And the fight is on!
Now I'm going to pause here and let the madness sink in. A cliffhanger journal entry? Oh, I haven't done one of these in a while ... I think back since the journal entry of The Trouble with Hard Headed Halflings!
If you don't tabletop game and are interested in one, look around. There are a few of us old schoolers who run one in a very social gathering. Personally, I have invested a lot of cash over the past forty years into tabletop gaming and have mostly enjoyed it. Like with like, you have to take the bad with the good ... meaning you are going to have problems with players, especially the ones who are attention-whores, anti-social beings, or the over-achievers. But, when you run into a groovy crew like we have had at the Bearded Lantern's Garage, where I have been a member off and on for twenty years, it is more than worth it!
Until the next journal, BE Happy!
Love and Kisses,
Loonia
-2Paw.
I like to think of my characters are the three aspects of my personality, honey. I don't think you and I have spoken about this, but let's start the new year off right. The tigress or Israfel, depending on the story, is my core. The person I think of myself these days. Now, there's the Mighty Caitlynn Wildfire, who is my strength and force of will, either as the PlastiCat or the Changeling. The person who steps up and takes on the task without hesitation. And then, there's the Princess ... she looks pretty much the same from both stories. She is that person who does as she wishes, damning the circumstances, but also having that wild freedom that we wish we all had.
Now, having said that, Taffy is adorned with the Robes of the Dungeon Master ... and she's ... or I are running the story. I did get teased by the Bearded Lantern that I was like the Security Officer who screwed us in a Traveller series over and over again, prolonging the misery. And we tease him to this very day. However, I reminded the Bearded Lantern that HE was the one who started the fight with his lightning bolt.
I'll do my best to get to the second part of the journal entry at some point, but there was a reason that I didn't go further: I don't have all of the names of the player's characters. I know mine and the Bearded Lantern's, but I'm not entirely certain about the rest. I will do my best to get that taken care of tomorrow and resume the journal tomorrow morning.