Yuletide Loot

Today is Christmas ~ the most 'gamerish' present I got was from Marc who gave me a starter box for Axis & Allies: War at Sea.

We're both a bit burnt-out with regard to collectable games but War at Sea looks like it will be fun with just a little investment, I don't think either of us will dump loads of cash into booster after booster hoping to pull power rares... unlike other collectable games we have indulged in!

From memory Ace Comics in the city have a sale on Boxing Day so I might grab a few boosters if they are cheap, but unless we both think War at Sea is the best thing ever the collection probably won't go much further than this.

It's a good idea for a present - something casual and fun we can have a muck-around with.

Other interesting presents for the gamer-inclined included a Hellboy comic and a book about Tanks. There was other stuff including engraved pens, chocolate, cacti, bonsai, Mighty Boosh and loads of other loot but these are less directly related to gaming and I should remind myself to remain true to the purpose of this blog; to report gaming.

However before I sign off I'll indulge a little further in the world of non-gaming if you'll allow; Emily and I became engaged on Christmas Eve! I have suggested a "Napoleonic" theme for our wedding (perhaps just for the groom's party) although this is still a long way off.

Overall a rather nice haul of goodies for Yuletide 09

(World of Warcraft) Malpheus: Random Dungeon Finder

I haven't updated in a while because despite continued gaming not much *new* has happened. Malpheus has delved into Gnomeregan and Scarlet Monastery since I last wrote, adding more blues to equipment slots.

Gnomeregan was more enjoyable than I remembered. I have a faded memory of grinding it with an understrength party which resulted in slow progress and frustrating wipes - this time it was smooth and fast. I was able to navigate everyone back down to the Alliance rest-stop (after the party took a left turn to follow the breadcumb trail of mobs) and we played with the washing machines for a while. Otherwise the only turbulence was losing our tank and healer to an internet disconnection seconds before the last pull! Fortunately they were back within a few minutes.

Scarlet Monastery was also faster than I remembered, we did Graveyard and Library. Graveyard has always been easymode and Library is a good tutorial for line-of-sight pulls, fleeing mobs and debuffs. After our run and my difficulty keeping the debuffs dispelled from our party I installed Decursive add-on... it's fantastic!

To test Decursive I queued up with the new Dungeon Finder (a feature of the latest patch). To my delight I was able to replay Graveyard over and over, however once I dinged 33 the 'random' dungeon became Library. I don't mind Library although when playing with overenthusiastic strangers who race ahead refusing to wait for mana (me!) and who don't mark anything for focus fire we suffer more party wipes than we should. Where possible I try to apply Mind Flay to anything I see running into the next room, but with the big crowds of mobs and every dps working on a different target it's not possible to catch them all. Nothing new for those of you who remember pick-up groups (or PUGs for the uninitiated) but an unpleasant reminder for me - I haven't played with strangers for a long time!

Still, Dungeon Finder is a much needed feature and it is well designed - far superior than earlier attempts to implement a 'looking for group' tool (we can now choose a party role when signing into the queue). A nice part of the design is that party members are drawn from everyone queued in your battlegroup rather than just your server, increasing the speed that groups can form.

To add to the fun everyone who finishes a run provided by the Random Dungeon Finder gets a supply bag with loot inside! Sadly the random blue it holds doesn't usually have the stats you need - but you can always vendor it. Malpheus ran enough randoms to eventually score some gloves with Sorcerer stats which are very nice.

Tomorrow's scheduled run is postponed due to real life. Sadly there are noises being made that the following week may be off too ~ although only because the date falls between Christmas and New Year's. Hopefully the group will be keen for a run after a week's delay...

(World of Warcraft) Malpheus: Razorfen Kraul down

This weekend I purchased a new widescreen monitor - not because I needed to (the old 15" crt was working fine) but because I felt that I should. Why not have a bit of extra space around the sides? I'm still tinkering with the settings and layout but so far it has made gaming easier (no more frantic swishing the mouse from side to side in an effort to have peripheral vision when flagged for pvp!). Of course the old monitor is ready to function as a second screen but after a bit of play I decided I don't really need to... although keeping an eye on Farmville on the old monitor while raiding on the big monitor is amusing...

Speaking of raids (well, low level instance runs) our gang cleared Razorfen Kraul this morning with no wipes. After Wailing Caverns it was nice to have a run that was a bit shorter and much less of a maze! Readers will note that I claimed Shafowfang Keep would be our next run but looking over our characters we decided to skip ahead to something that would be a bit more challenging - sadly RFK was easymode for us too. I did get a chance to Dispel some debuffs (after a much needed reminder that "the priest can get rid of those" :P) and a little healing although the majority of my time was spent spamming shadow dots and drinking water.

To my dismay I'm coming 4th on the damage meter (only the dedicated resto druid who spends the majority of his time healing and getting the odd Moonfire off is ranked lower than me) although I did get the much coveted Shadow Weaving talent after the run so perhaps that will help? Maybe it's too early to worry about it - the group is flying through encounters as it is. I suspect the Shadow Priest will slowly creep up our dps rank with levels and talents - although to be fair I'm competing with a hunter and rogue!

Malpheus at 27 hanging around Splintertree Post
(Click on image for a larger version)

I gave some awful advice during the run based on faded memory rather than one of the many run-throughs I should have read. The worst was to suggest that we clear the lower run first - only to get to the goblin escort quest and realise the dungeon was designed with the intention that players would do this bit last! Not that it mattered as the goblin needed to head back to our intersection anyway... only because it's near the entrance/exit :O

My other blunder was to confuse the fence which keeps Roogug (objective of a Warrior quest) separate from the rest of the run with the field that holds Agathelos the Raging (aka The Bigpig) back - insisting that it was worth the effort of trying to get through, which it wasn't as Roogug doesn't drop anything. Ooops.

((Oh, and a gopher I set lose for giggles just before a pull may have triggered another group of mobs to add to the fun, but it seemed to be agreed that this made the current fight 'almost a challenge' so no harm done. However it was a newbie mistake to be sure and one that I shouldn't have made given my experience with WoW.))

Next weekend is Gnomeragen at level 28. I haven't run Gnomer from the Horde side (well, not properly anyway) so it will be interesting to see how much I remember. The rest stop will be no good for Hordies, they don't give coffee and biscuits to the likes of us!

BTW during the week we managed to organise ourselves into a guild "Ye Olde Skoole". The name honours our real life ages and our dedication to running old content. I suspect linguists may raise an eyebrow at our use of Ye but we're thumbing our nose at the error as much as we are celebrating it.

(World of Warcraft) Malpheus: Wailing Caverns await!

Just so there's no confusion, Malpheus is not the most attractive character you'll meet. When I play Undead I like to go "all-out" with the customisation, so he has no lower jaw. Hey, if you want pretty - play an elf :P

Malpheus at 20 with Staff of the Sun and Darkcloth Shoulders of Concentration.
Mounted on his black skeletal charger whilst loitering at The Crossroads.
(Click on image for a larger and less attractive view)

Ragefire Chasm was easier than I expected... with the benefit of hindsight this shouldn't have been a surprise given that we were rolling through with a well balanced and full team. No wipe. As I've mentioned before I've been into Ragefire Chasm many times - although this was the first time I was with a level-appropriate group.

Having cleared it with ease we were filled with confidence - so off we charged to Ghostlands to take on Dar'Khan and grab an easy blue... with the benefit of hindsight I shouldn't have described him to the group as "easy" :P

We almost wiped on him although Kevin quickly changed to bearform to pick up the adds once Russel hit the floor - while I fumbled with the off-heals and (I think?) Michael finished off Dar'Khan. It was all rather chaotic and quick although I'm glad we had a gentle wake-up call here. Whilst we didn't wipe our Pallytank and Hunter died before I noticed they needed heals (more dots! ...no more dots!) and midfight I stupidly shielded myself rather than the Beartank due to hitting the Alt key by habit.

Food for thought: Even as a shadow priest I need to keep an eye on the party's health so I can quickly change from concentrating on dps to adding off-heals ~ rather than waiting until the Druid turns into a bear and the Paladin is lying motionless on the floor! Healing is clearly my secondary role, but when it's needed it has to come quickly.

Next weekend is Wailing Caverns and possibly Shadowfang Keep depending on how our confidence sways. Wailing Caverns is a loot train and I don't think I've ever finished Shadowfang so I'm looking forward to it. I've heard rumour that Cataclysm is November 2010 so we have twelve months to work our way up through the 'classic' instances before they are altered, or lost, or wrecked by a river of lava running through the middle, or whatever is going to happen to the old content.

Warhammer RPG: Adventures in Zhufbar and surrounds

Usually I would be in bed by now, but I have had too much caffeine - so I must type!

After a brief stint in Sylvania our company has moved upriver to the dwarfen city of Zhufbar. This has proven to be quite satisfying as we have a number of nearby hotspots that can be used for adventures; Karak Varn, "Laketown", the Black Lake, the many unnamed valleys and mountains surrounding the area and of course Zhufbar itself.

In our vision of the zone we have large enemy forces occupying the interesting areas - a squabbling mass of goblin tribes in and under Karak Varn and a swirling horde of chaos marauders that refuse to be drawn into warfare with anyone other than the goblins (who they periodically displace onto the dwarfs). Skaven have recently been introduced as mysterious manipulators of the goblins although what they are up to remains to be seen. Add to all this the machinations of rival dwarf nobles and the whole place is ideal for adventurous mercenary types... such as the player-characters!

We have agreed that next week will be a special session which Ken will run for us where we gather the materials and reputation required to have a Master Rune inscribed on an item of our choice. Personally I would like to see each of us use a Fate Point during the adventure so that the rune really means something - rather than just being another piece of loot (as magic items tend to be in 'other' roleplay games). The feeling is that we have reached 6000 xp and we deserve something special for it (other than the many advances those experience points have paid for of course).

Speaking of 'other' roleplay games I haven't been back to the RPGA since Gencon Oz. On balance it seems better to play frequent and regular ongoing games with the same characters and the same players using the same game system (ie Warhammer RPG) but I still have Grognard the Cleric in his folder ready to go if no other gaming is available and I feel a great urge to go back to an RPGA table for 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

(World of Warcraft) Malpheus: Ragefire awaits!

Two weeks ago an old friend of mine grabbed a cheap copy of Warcraft to see what the fuss was about. As news spread of his arrival some other old friends dusted off their deactivated accounts and rerolled new characters with him on Proudmoore. Not being one to miss out on a new team I joined them with an Undead Priest: Malpheus.

Malpheus at 16 wearing a rather striking 'Day of the Dead' mask and sporting Tranquillien reputation items.

The plan is to slowly level up our characters to keep pace with the natural progression of our new player as he explores the world. I'm opposed to rushing him as I feel it's important not to race straight to the endgame but rather enjoy the ride, see the sights and have casual fun... it's not supposed to feel like work after all!

We have agreed to wait at level 16 for him to catch up - at which point we'll be running Ragefire Chasm as lowbies! I'm quite excited by this as we'll then be visiting each of the instances as our levels become appropriate and we won't be doing it with an overpowered escort (as would usually be the case for the typical loot-runs we've come to expect).

So far the line-up is:
Blood Elf Paladin (Tank)
Tauren Druid (Heals)
Blood Elf Rogue (dps) <- the 'new guy'
Undead Shadow Priest (dps) <- me
Troll Hunter (dps) <- a friend from work who has recently joined the team

This gives us a good 5-man mix that will see us through a lot of content. If we need off-heals I can help, or if we need more dps the druid can add some damage to his rotation. Hunters and Rogues have excellent control tricks which will help with the big pulls. Paladins make excellent (and popular) tanks - and if we need an off-tank the druid can change to bear form... although this will leave me on healing duties *shrug*.

This Sunday morning looks like it will be Ragefire, let's see how we go playing it at the correct level wearing nothing better than greens :)

Warhammer RPG: Captain

I felt obliged to publish an update given that it has been a month since my last post. Usually that's a very bad reason to write anything!

Today we played a few sessions of Warhammer Roleplay which resulted in my character finally reaching his destination; Captain. This is a deep career that has many advances which will occupy my xp for a long time. He's already a competent fighter although with Captain he'll slowly evolve into something quite impressive.

Today also saw the return of Suzy and her Wizardly character to the table - once we applied her backlog of xp she landed squarely in Journeyman Wizard (or should that be Journeyperson Wizard...?). It's interesting to see how the flavour of games change slightly when someone has Magic Sense, Magic Points and a handful of spells that are useful, effective and reliable. We only had one miscast and despite being gruesome (blood flowing from nose, ears and eyes) did not result in any player deaths!

...and now for some sleep...

Uncharted Seas: Snake~Eyes Saturday

Uncharted Seas
Yesterday was a much needed day of games - our intention was to play Uncharted Seas, AT-43 and Munchkin Quest before the AFL Grand Final at 2pm... as it turned out we only had time for two games of Uncharted Seas, and even then we missed half the football match!


Game One
Marc - Shroud Mage starter fleet
Troy - Iron Dwarf starter fleet

This was the first time we had enough ships to be able to play with a full starter fleet on each side. It was also the first time I could try my new watery playmat; a square of blue marble cloth purchased for a few dollars on eBay.

Iron Dwarf fleet in the foreground sights enemy Shroud Mages on the horizon.
It's only now that I realise there is still a fine layer of yellow dust on my iPhone from the recent dust storms
(Click on image for a large version)

Marc's view of the above scene from his side of the table.
His iPhone does not suffer from a thin coat of yellow dust as mine does, hence the lack of sepia!
(Click on image for a larger version)

Our first match was over very quickly as I rolled snake eyes on a critical against Marc's battleship; the resulting Magazine Explosion destroyed all of his cruisers and half of his frigates. To Marc's credit he took it in good spirits although I was a little dismayed at how quickly the game was over due to a single (lucky) dice roll.

Remnants of Marc's fleet make a run against the Iron Dwarf battleship
(Click on image for a larger version)

Game Two
Brad - Shroud Mage fleet; Battleship, 3x Cruisers
Marc - Shroud Mage fleet; Battleship, 3x Cruisers
Troy - Iron Dwarf fleet; Battleship, 3x Cruisers

As Brad had arrived just in time to see the spectacular demise of Marc's battleship we decided to play again with three fleets.

In this second game I didn't draw any repair cards, and having foolishly maneuvered into the middle of the table I drew fire from both Brad and Marc. My intention was to circle into the rear of Brad's battleship while his cruisers were busy with Marc, but with a lack of expected repair cards I couldn't weather the storm of gun shot from two other players and my ships were slowly worn away.

Shroud Mage battleships exchange fire; the unpainted white resin of Marc's ships seem to make them easier to hit :P
(Click on image for a larger version)

This left a showdown between Brad's Shroud Mage battleship and Marc's unpainted Shroud Mage Battleship. The power of painted miniatures prevailed and Marc's battleship slowly sunk beneath the waves (with a short rendition of Jeff Wayne's "Thunder child").


It was good to have Brad over for games, I don't see enough of him (due to my slackness). As he was so busy at Gencon he didn't get much of a chance to play games so I'm glad he got to roll some dice and push some toys around the table a week later.

Of course it's always good to have Marc over too and we both agree that a third player adds a welcome dynamic to the table.

GenCon Oz: Sunday

Gencon Oz: Day 4 (final day)
I decided to come in 'early' for the final day of Gencon Oz rather than sleep-in. Soon enough I signed on for Jungle Hunt, an RPGA module designed for players that share an adventuring company (in our case the Westgate Adventurer's Guild). I liked some of the ideas in the module, such as choosing a local guild to sponsor us and give us their power-up.

Our DM for the session was Corey who has qualities I like; positive, patient and polite. I'm getting a sense of which Brisbane RPGA DMs run good games that I enjoy and I'm starting to develop tricks to make sure that I sit at their tables (such as lingering until I know who is running what rather than sitting at a table before I know which DM will be there - it's a little uncomfortable saying "Oh you're running this one? Well, I'm going to a different table"; much easier to just wait until they have sat down first so I can either avoid them if they are abrasive or pounce on an empty seat if they are gold!).

Grognard the Cleric is now level 4. Kevin and I discussed the possibility of getting along to another RPGA game day over at University of Queensland next weekend so the extra level will be handy.

Preparing to face a Green Dragon,
my character is backed into the corner!
(click on image for a larger version)

After the game I met up with Marc for lunch and we bumped into Nat whilst discussing the merits of using a Telosian Tank Droid from the Star Wars miniatures game for anything other than what it is (I don't care much for Star Wars these days). Nat took an amusing photo of us pointing and pondering at said miniature in a cabinet... well I found it amusing.

Edit: I pinched a copy from her Facebook album

Marc and I crouch on the ground and giggle like schoolgirls at the Telosian Tank Droid

With Marc off to play Shadowfist I lingered in the Trade Hall until my final session; a "promo" game of World of Warcraft miniatures. My understanding was that it would essentially be an extended demo - to my dismay I found that it was actually a sealed event where players open a booster pack and take the two best figures from it to play competition matches! I was considering taking the miniatures I pulled from my booster (featuring the epic High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind and a slashdance loot card, not bad for the $6 session fee) and dropping out but I soon learned that of the ten players who had signed up only two had played before; and they only had a single game to their names. Given that we were all newbs (and I had an epic!) I decided to hang around.

I have sympathy for the event's organisers who had to scramble amongst us trying to teach how the game ran while keeping the pace up so we could get playing before the convention closed. As it was we only had time for a single 20 minute match so I can't say I know very much more about the game now than what I did prior to the "promo". But hey, you can't complain when you pull an epic and a loot card out of a booster :)

With moments to spare before we were herded out of the convention I grabbed a discounted Dungeons and Dragons miniatures booster from the Fastbreak stall ~ if only to satisfy my self-imposed obligation to buy something.

So here I am at the end of the second Gencon Oz. It was great to see everyone again and I'm glad I went. The first two days were under a cloud of sleep-deprivation and I think it was a mistake to try to push myself so hard at the start - but it's only one weekend a year so I might as well go hard.

Next year I might try to get some more miniatures events into my schedule. I didn't feel particularly competitive this year so I'm glad I mostly played cooperative roleplay events.

GenCon Oz: Saturday

Gencon Oz: Day 3
As expected there was no L5R action for me due to the anticipated lack of key cards from eBay. Granted, I probably could have put something rubbish together with my existing collection (maybe even adding the best bits of a starter deck to pad it out) but I decided I didn't feel like being beaten up all day. I've done that at conventions before and to be honest it does help you learn the game you are being flogged at; but it's less fun than competing properly.

Today I put my hand up for a little more RPGA - this time the "convention special" which featured avoidable fights! Yes, just like a real adventure the players are given opportunities to avoid conflict. This impressed me greatly and was a much-needed departure from the tragic rail-roading that is found in all the other RPGA modules that I have played, seen or heard of. Bravo! I can only hope that The Powers That Be continue to publish this kind of thing for RPGA'ers in the future.

I was joined by Kevin and Gareth - two friends of mine that were looking for something to do and James - an RPGA'er who (by chance) I have shared a table with at all of my RPGA events, even those at Fastbreak. We worked together well, moving quickly through encounters and promptly defeating those monsters which we could not avoid. Despite having a team of four our decision to go with the classic roles of Defender, Striker, Controller and Healer ensured we wrapped things up in record time. This was the first session I can remember that had a Controller at the table...

Everyone except the Paladin lingers in the doorway,
not long after this shot I move forward to heal the Paladin :)
(Click on image for a slightly larger version)

Grognard the Cleric is now only one adventure off hitting level 4 and there is one adventure left that I am able to take part in, so tomorrow I'll be back at the roleplay arena.

I managed to spend enough time in the Trade Hall to get a good look at everything on offer. As expected I didn't find much that excited me despite feeling obliged to purchase something. Well, tomorrow is the last day of the convention and traditionally sees the best prices from vendors as they try to avoid bringing all that stock back home with them - so there's hope for me yet!

GenCon Oz: Friday

Gencon Oz: Day 2
I survived the 48hr march of work/convention/work/convention with only a few hours of sleep between each long step... I write this post after a deep recuperative slumber :)

Friday was Part Two of the RPGA mini campaign The Scent of Perfumed Swords. We only had four at our table but they were all the same players from yesterday's Part One so I was happy to be with everyone again (and it feels right to have the same characters and players together for what is supposed to be a campaign).

The party scrambles across difficult terrain to
slay the big beastie and save the would-be sacrifices.

(Click on image for a slightly larger version)

I'd like to give a special mention to our DM Vince who was positive, friendly and a pleasure to play with. He brought the session to life and happily worked through difficult/confusing parts of the module rather than complain bitterly and blame the writer, a quality I admire in an RPGA DM. Most notably he agreed that the job of a DM is to make the game "more fun" rather than to impartially adjudicate a dangerous world. Hats off!

Around the con I bumped into more people-what-are-good for chatting and catching up. I had enough time for one patrol of the Trade Hall but wasn't able to linger long enough at the stalls to see what was on offer. I'll have to correct this soon!

There was another attempt to get a good team together for the Ultimate Dungeon Delve but it looks like the stars will not align this weekend. Perhaps we'll still roll through with a less-than-elite team but given that it's a hardcore difficulty dungeon where each encounter is strictly timed to 45 minutes (with an immediate end to the session if any encounter is not cleared prior to time being called) I think we might not bother. Still, I'll make sure I head in soon so that I'm in the area if I'm needed.

Day three (today, at the time of writing) was going to be my big Legend of the Five Rings competition but with thanks to slow-moving ebayers mentioned in an earlier post I didn't get the right cards together in time. I suspect they will arrive on Monday, just in time to be useless! The positive is that I am able to sleep-in, update my blog, have a real breakfast and wander down to the Convention Center without needing to rush. Perhaps some more RPGA will be available for continued levelling of Grognard the Cleric (who is now level 3 btw).

GenCon Oz: Thursday

Gencon Oz: Day 1
Thursday was day one of Gencon Oz 2009. Oh, I'm so tired... so very, very tired. But I love it!

Something I enjoyed about last year's inaugural Gencon Oz was the number of old friends that I bumped into over the weekend and I was hoping the same would happen this year. To my surprise as I approached the registration queue I immediately saw some of my oldest friends (who to my shame I have failed to keep in touch with). Sadly they were lamenting their lack of blue wrist band which would allow them access to the convention, more on this later.

Whilst chatting with them a few other friends from different circles began to wander past and soon enough I was carefully maneuvering to maintain conversations with each pod (and facilitate introductions as best I could). It's not so much a claim of popularity, more a reflection of gamers who like each other clinging together - and with my poor friendship maintenance I have managed to accumulate sticky with a few different circles of gamers as I pass in and out of other people's games.

Speaking of casual gaming my event for the day was a double session of RPGA; part one of the "mini campaign" on offer: Stirring the Embers.

Preparing to beat up some rowdy halflings who are
speedbumping our access to The Next Bit of The Module
(Click on image for a slightly larger version)

Our party consisted of a Swordmage and Dragonborn Paladin on the frontline followed by a Bladeling Monk and Dwarf Artificer. In the backrow was a Sorceress and myself playing the Dwarf Cleric mentioned in an earlier post. The balance worked better than I expected; two protectors, two healers and two strikers - this gave us the option of either sticking together or splitting into two mini-parties to approach bad guys from the flanks. From memory the Dragonborn's breath weapon and Bladeling's burst attack made for impressive minion-sweeps - as did the Artificer's wall of acid!

The players were all polite and worked together well. There was a minimum of player fuss and most of the focus was kept on the game itself. Overall I would love to play with these players again - and at least three are signed on for part two of the "mini campaign" scheduled for Friday (day 2) as I am. We may not be playing together at the same table but I have my fingers crossed.

And now for some negatives :P

I was a little surprised to see that there was no carpet this year. It seems like a minor detail but I was immediately reminded of someone telling me that if you want to change the clientele of your pub you change the carpet. I'm not sure what bare cement with black tire marks from countless forklifts/cherrypickers/trolleys suggests to others but it made me feel like I was in a Titan shed and Fight Club was about to start (perhaps it is a deliberate attempt to extend on an "arena" feel). As far as costcutting goes it makes sense to skip the presumed additional venue-imposed price of carpet rather than lose something more important such as interesting guests. A minor gripe but something that stood out and was noted by many other than myself.

A more frustrating gripe follows. As mentioned above one group of my friends, who had not realised Thursday was an extra day only for those who had pre-registered before deadline, arrived with the expectation that they would be able to buy their blue wrist band at the door and enter. Sadly they were told by the volunteer staff that there was nothing that could be done to let them in - this is harsh but perhaps reasonable enough, after all it is a bonus day that functions as an incentive to attract early registrations and if we "just let anybody in" it stops functioning as an incentive. However I would prefer it if everyone that made the effort to come over to Gencon on Thursday be permitted to pay at the door and come in to play a game, particularly when those people are my friends (yes, I'm biased), particularly when the space needed more people to fill it out and particularly when other people who had not pre-registered were allowed in. It's something that I could otherwise let slide, but when a few hours later I learned that other people in exactly the same situation as my friends were allowed access to the convention - after my friends had been turned away - I'm sure anyone reading this could appreciate my frustration.

To further rub salt in the wound (if I may!) one of the events they had in their sights was the RPGA "Ultimate Dungeon Delve"... for which two tables of players did not show up - leaving DMs idle!

I appreciate that technically they shouldn't have had access - but when exceptions are made for others on criteria that my friends equally met it builds negativity.

Still, the lack of carpet and unfair treatment of friends aside, I did enjoy my Thursday at Gencon Oz. Today (Friday) promises to be better with more players in the space, more buzz and having the Trade Hall set up and running ~ time for some shopping!

As I have just come off my nightshift after very little sleep yesterday I am going to pass on this morning's game "Shield Wall". This is disappointing as I like the game that is used in this session (Feng Shui) and it was the only non-RPGA roleplay event that I had signed on for. As it is I've got just enough time for a few hours sleep before I dive back in.

Mercifully the lovely Emily has offered to pick me up tonight, so no walk home for me :)

(World of Warcraft) Dogfish: Ding 80 (/woot!)

After many long breaks I finally got around to getting Dogfish to 80 this weekend. Now I need to decide if I am going to keep going with him for the engineering mounts that I haven't made yet or move on to my next project, a druid.

Dogfish Dings 80, courtesy of the aptly named Vile.
(Click on image for a larger version; although it's a bit hard to see what's going on)

eBay frustration

A week ago I ordered (and paid for) a bunch of Legend of the Five Rings cards to build a goblin deck for Gencon Oz; $20 from someone in the US and $50 from a guy in Spain. The timing is a bit tight for International post *but* if the sellers are quick I have a good chance of getting them just in time. Instead...

US Seller: Has not marked items as sent yet, has not responded to my question regarding this.

Spanish Seller: Took almost a week to provide an invoice for combined shipping and only answered my question regarding expedited shipping yesterday (thus negating any advantage of it being expedited!). As if that wasn't bad enough - today I received an email advising that he has run out of stock of about half the items I ordered and offered to provide either Spanish language copies or a refund. Perhaps it wouldn't bother me so much - but I have now run out of time to find an alternate source thanks to all this slackness.

What's with the chain-dragging? Have eBay sellers become suddenly slack or are my expectations too high?

To be fair I may be more sensitive to slow action due to the looming Gencon Oz and the reality that I won't have my cards in time for it... my reason for starting to play L5R was so I could play the game at Gencon Oz (not necessarily after it, although this is still an option of course) and due to the stuffing around I won't be able to play with a competitive deck.

Result: Fail.

RPGA: Grognard the Cleric

I've been known to be critical of the RPGA in the past. Having been drawn in some years ago during 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons I played at a few events and conventions before deciding that overall the experience was less rewarding than playing with friends at home in the privacy of my own lounge room. This conclusion was supported at the time by observing members in the organisation that just wanted to "get through the block text" to the next fight and quickly reach the end of the adventure for their experience points and treasure (tangent; a similar environment to Warcraft players who have long since stopped getting any enjoyment from playing the game and just grind through dungeons for the loot <- why spend all that time getting your character geared up for a game you're not enjoying anymore!? Presumably there's a social/status aspect that they still enjoy even if the game itself is no longer satisfying).

My last experience with the RPGA in those days was a session that I convinced a group of my non-member friends to attend whilst at The Big Weekend (local gamer convention and precursor to Gencon Oz) with a view to showing them how good the organisation can be. As it turned out we were allocated a DM at the last minute who grudgingly obliged to descend from his ivory throne to run a low level adventure for us. Clearly he had some celebrity in the circle as a member of many years whose history stretched deeply back to 'the original books', a badge of honour amongst other RPGA'ers perhaps but not quite so impressive for most of our group (who despite falling short of his experience still have clear memories of playing his beloved first edition; yes, we were there too). The result was a session run by someone who had "not bothered to learn third edition because it hasn't really changed that much since first edition" complete with an insistence that the elf and dwarf in the party must argue with each other at all times, that each character match the gender of their player "so that it's not too weird" (followed by ignoring much of what our female player/character contributed to the game) and adjudicating all rules and game effects "in the spirit of first edition". Things went from bad to worse quickly and what began as open-mouthed dismay plummeted to frustration, boredom and a complete absence of fun for everyone other than the DM. Twenty minutes into the game and most of the group had left the table and the room in a huff; and so ended my first tour of duty with the RPGA.

So how is it that I found myself at an RPGA game day yesterday!?

Looking over my Gencon Oz schedule I could see a few big gaps; the most obvious of which was on Day One (otherwise considered Day Zero by some as it's only for those who have purchased a Multi-day Pass). By chance or design the only events on offer were RPGA (4th ed D&D) and Pathfinder (3.x ed D&D) games. Ignoring Pathfinder (I gave up on "3.5" edition a long time ago and do not feel sufficiently nostalgic to return) left me with two options; RPGA or nothing! ...and so it came to pass that the seed was sown afresh in that parched field.

Choosing to play the two-part "mini campaign" on Thursday and Friday I created a fresh RPGA character; a dwarf cleric. Clerics are a fantastic support class in 4th edition and I've always gotten a kick out of playing a dwarf (particularly since developing a bald spot and growing a beard in the real world!). Of course this immediately created a terrible temptation - if I can get three adventures under my belt I'll be able to start the mini campaign at Gencon Oz as a second level cleric! Thus yesterday's journey out to Fastbreak Sports in Nundah to get my hands on the much-coveted experience points and loot that I will need to give me a boost for the convention game... and to dip my toe into the modern pool of RPGA players.

This is the miniature I use but I don't think my character looks like this. It's one of the few dwarf miniatures I own which isn't an over-armoured fighter or a viking-ish lunatic!
(Dwarf Wizard, 4/60 Angelfire - D&D Miniatures)

Of course I found them to be a friendly lot, much to my relief. I obviously had some apprehension given my previous experience with the organisation (which I feel is justified) but this time around they were casual, comfortable and likable. They were genuinely interested in meeting a 'new' player and (most of them) were able to comfortably talk about topics not immediately related to D&D or gaming. The game sessions were enjoyable and the choices I made during fights were not criticised, this was possibly the biggest surprise of all! Although to be honest you can't go too far wrong spamming Astral Seal and dropping the occasional Astral Condemnation on monsters :P

To some extent I think that 4th edition has been a help for the RPGA. It's the most boardgame-like version of D&D to date and given that the RPGA is essentially a gathering of players with varying skill levels it makes sense to use a roleplay system that tends deeply towards gameplay on a tabletop with miniatures, maps with grid squares and power cards to keep things running smoothly. Furthermore RPGA adventures are intended to run for no more than 4hrs so anything that avoids confusion or arguement is to be applauded.

Of course it's not perfect and there's nothing stopping me from having the same experience that I had with them years ago - but for now things are positive, friendly and enjoyable. There's a casual social aspect to the organisation and a feeling that putting levels on your character is an investment in something that will last... oh dear, I'm being pulled back in again!

Samurai training: L5R @ Ace Comics

On Sunday I finally made it along to Ace Comics for a session of Legend of the Five Rings - actually it's probably the last meeting prior to Gencon Oz so I'll need to commit further if I want to get enough practice before "the big game"... which means Wed nights at Annerley.
For the sake of those who live in Annerley I don't have a problem with the place (the steep hill up from the station is annoying, although this can be avoided by catching a bus) my concern is that I usually have a nap in the early evening so I am refreshed and awake for my 2am nightshift start - this of course clashes with meeting up at night for gaming. To extend the tangent further I lived in a sharehouse on Chester Road in Annerley during the mid-90's which left me with (mostly) positive memories so I don't hate the place, although the closing of Two Faces of Eve cafe has left the area without a soul <- at the risk of sounding DRAMATIC... anyway, back to my story:

Sunday saw me trot out the clumsy Crab deck that has been highly modified since it was a starter pack from Glory of the Empire a few months ago. Against Mike's Scorpion deck they seemed to be able to maintain tempo for the early and mid game but they lost steam and were overwhelmed - covered in poison counters! For the second game of the day we faced the Unicorn and managed to keep up a good pace until two of my Hida Yumiya could hit the table and save the day for the Crab clan. Lastly we had a quick play with the learner decks from Imperial Gift 2.


During the day we spotted quite a few cards in my deck that had become obsolete in Celestial format. Sadly many of my beloved cards were relics from the previous edition and had found their way into my deck via the above mentioned Crab starter or from the generosity of other players. Once I got home I painstakingly went through the deck removing anything not legal for Celestial and to my dismay lost most of my favourite Crab personalities! Whilst disappointed I can understand bouncers like Hida Daizu and Hida Kaoru (Exp) becoming obsolete; they are rather good.

The result of all this? Well... I'd been considering shifting my budding loyalty from Crab to Spider - both of these clans can put out some heavy hitters in military decks. In the Crab clan I was able to find big beefy berserkers, in Spider it's big scary Shadowlands monsters such as Furu no Oni and the gargantuan Akuma no Oni (Exp2)... did I mention I like BIG CARDS?


Coupled with tricksters such as Daigotsu (Exp 3) and Datsue-ba (for when I feel like less of a thug) supported by a horde of undead the Spider look like a very tempting new loyalty for someone who has found their previous clan a little deflated.


Of course Hida Yumiya has the Shadowlands keyword so he'll be in my Spider deck as a nod to my previous clan (although I'll be paying full gold cost for him).

...and now to eBay to look for cheap Spider cards!

Warcraft: Cataclysm

I'm sure that anyone who is interested in WoW has already heard the news, but I'm so enthusiastic that I have to add to the noise regarding the next expansion (apparently it's coming around to that time again).

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm adds two new playable races; Goblins for Horde (yay!) and Worgen for Alliance (/meh). Also a few new race/class combinations are now available as outlined in the table below:

^ Click on image for a larger (readable) version

The Troll Druid is appealing as I haven't played a Druid at high level before... the idea of leveling would usually put me off a bit - but a feature of the Cataclysm is that some old zones have been reworked with rivers of lava, new towns and new quests, so grinding up from 1 will feel less like autopilot :P

As for my inevitable Goblin I'm not sure what class I'll choose - I already have a belly full of Warlock, Hunter, Mage and Shaman (this also excludes the Dwarf Shaman which is very tempting). I find Warriors too fiddly with all the stancedancing which only leaves Rogue and Priest as remaining options for my Goblin. Who knows? ...maybe I'll just roll another huntard.

In other Cataclysm news we'll finally be able to use our flying mounts in Azeroth!!! Old rumour holds that the reason we didn't get this feature with Burning Crusade was because there were graphical errors in Azeroth that could only be seen from high above the ground ~ so we weren't allowed to fly there (because that's easier than fixing them). Perhaps the Cataclysm has smashed up all these erroneous old graphics and replaced them with chasms and pools of lava that will look fine from high above?

Anyway, enough excitement about things to come - time to get back to the game as it is today.

GenCon Oz: What I'm doing

GenCon Oz: 17 September - 20 September 2009
Brisbane's big gamer convention is on again

Some folk have asked what games I'm playing this year so we can all be at the same table. Rather than retyping the answer each time the question is asked I've decided to post here for everyone. When you're searching for an event you can use the ID number provided to make sure you're in the same session as me. Note that these are sessions that I've booked and paid for so compromise will be tricky ~ however there are still many gaps in my schedule.
https://registration.genconoz.com/


02/09/09 Update: Note that I have dropped my seat in Friday's RPG00069 "Miser's Run". I'm not sure that anyone reading this is worried but if you were hoping to share a table with me for "Miser's Run" you should know that I just dropped it for an RPGA session (yes, I'm going to try RPGA again!).

05/09/09 Update: Added L5R Main Event to Saturday

{Changes in Red}


Thursday (17 Sept):
2pm-11pm RPGA00025 "Stirring the Embers"

Friday (18 Sept):
9am-12.30 RPG00028 "Shield Wall" ~ I'm always up for Feng Shui
12.30-2pm {gap}
2pm-11pm RPGA00028 "The Burning Scent of Perfumed Swords"

Saturday (19 Sept):
10am-6pm CCG00003 Legend of the Five Rings CCG "Main Event" ~ with Swiss Pairing you eventually find players of your skill level :P
6pm+ I'd like to do something here but may have to wait and see how much energy I have left after a day of cardplay; perhaps Space Hulk if I can find Mike and/or Russel.

Sunday (20 Sept):
9am-10am SEM00002 "Publishing your own RPG in Australia"
10am-2pm MIN00029 "Reaper Miniatures Demo"
3pm-5pm CMG00203 "World of Warcraft Minis Promo"

^ I don't think the Sunday demo/promo games will run as long as advertised - it looks more like eager exhibitors grabbing a large block of time... although I could be wrong - it may be a very long pitch!


♦ I wanted to play Chris' "Valley of Diamonds" so I can see how it looks now (having playtested it months ago) but I've managed to block myself from all of his sessions. You kids should play it though - it's 4th ed D&D but don't let that put you off.
♦ I was hoping for Munchkin Quest but this may be something that I'll have to bring myself for friends.
♦ I'd like to have a look at the Classic Battletech tables (for old time's sake) and the 40k Apocalypse tables (to see if anyone brings a Titan) but there should be plenty of free time for that.
♦ Oh, and Steve Dee has promised something to do with the new edition of Warhammer RPG although I suspect this may be left to the last minute :P

Munchkin Quest

We had another go at Munchkin Quest tonight; I spent most of the game as the anathema of powergamers everywhere - a Dwarf Wizard while Emily scored a Half-Human/Half-Halfling Super Warrior (I dub thee Quaterling).

Click on image for a larger version... if you dare!
Emily (green Munchkin) faces the wrath of the Floating Nose.
Meanwhile I prepare to ransack another room (yellow Munchkin).

We almost got to the endgame before Emily gave up for bed. I played an extra turn to see how I'd go against the boss (playing Emily's hand in her absence) and faced the Enraged Armored Big Brother of Mr Bones - the short combat ending with three of my levels drained! Deciding that Emily was right I too retired.

I expect that our next game will be played to completion... given that after packing up I found Emily in the computer room checking eBay instead of sleeping in bed ~ oooh!

Munchkin Quest: First Impressions (Positive)

I convinced a very tired Emily to play a few rounds of Munchkin Quest last night (after having received it in the mail on Friday). It's quite straightforward for seasoned gamers, although we discovered it's a little trickier for those who are newer to dungeon delving. To be fair the rules are very clear and simple enough to digest quickly - although I'm glad I read through them a few times before setting things up.

I was a little unsure about the movement rate and how this could reveal three rooms per player per turn (if they move through open doors, don't stop to search and if they overcome each monster revealed) although after a few rounds it starts to make sense as it allows the players to either steamroll ahead if they are feeling confident or settle into a pattern of searching, moving and searching to minimise the number of monsters they face while gathering loads of gold and the occasional item.

We stumbled a little as we flicked through the rules to decide if we wanted to use our colour base or our opponent's colour base on new monsters who roll a colour that isn't being played but we worked out fairly quickly that the answer was yes as it has the potential to provide more DxM (event) cards.

Emily started as an Elf with a Health Club and I was a Human with a Dirk of Dauntlessness and a Stabbity Spear (held in one hand but benefiting from the two-hand bonus thanks to the Cheat card!). We had the Big Brother of a Frost Giant we worked together to kill on turn one show up on turn two and pace across the middle of the dungeon while we explored elsewhere. Sadly Emily was too tired to continue and we packed everything up (but not before I could become a Wizard).

It's just the sort of game I've been looking for; casual dungeon-tiling that doesn't require a GM and is simple and fun enough that non-roleplayers can enjoy it (while old grognards can giggle at the in-jokes). It is quite humourous and the cartoon illustrations really help maintain the silly tone so nobody feels like things are serious - even when they are adding up their bonuses and concentrating on which potion to use and what their odds are... it's clever game design to trick non-gamers down into the dungeon!

Warhammer RPG: Sergeant

After a long break (caused by a holiday in Melbourne) we had a game yesterday. Attendance and spirits were high - although we have lost a member due to a timetable clash with Uni classes. Sadly she is our healer!

My character had his first chance to use the extra Attack he picked up prior to the break; I forgot how much of a power-up that extra swing is! As he's equipped with spear and shield there are plenty of opportunities for miming "300" hoplite moves (lol). As he will be moving into a "Mercenary Captain" role we have hired a few of the local peasants as axemen/slingers/torchbearers with a view to forming a professional unit of soldiery types - although the lack of Command ability makes things suitably confusing in the heat of battle :)

It's good to see players back at the table with a sparkle in their eye - and everyone describes their character in terms of what careers they want to move into - so hopefully my earlier lamentation regarding a game that has died will not be justified for a long time yet!

Warhammer RPG: Shieldbreaker -> Sergeant

The Warhammer group seems to be running out of steam with attendance dropping below the minimum of three required for comfortable gaming. Chris and I spent the session chatting, catching up and eating cherries (which was nice) but with only two of us roleplay was not desirable. I anticipate the project being grounded. My character just made it to Sergeant prior to what seems (at the time of writing) to be the end of the campaign.

I prefer Warhammer RPG to 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons so even if this group has faltered hopefully a fresh campaign using the system can be sifted from the ashes. There are some mumurings of interest in Hackmaster (lolwut?) with a copy being brought to a previous session and discreetly pointed at people with enthusiastic prodding but I must say I DON'T find the idea of retro roleplay appealing.

Arrival of the Shroud Mages!

As I'd hoped the package waiting for me at the Post Office was the Shroud Mages starter fleet for Uncharted Seas that I have been eagerly waiting for.


Sadly the tips of the battleship's smoke stacks have been chipped during the long journey to Australia - however I seem to have been given an extra frigate (although it is missing a turret, so its inclusion in my box is probably a mistake rather than an intended bonus).

...now my Iron Dwarves have a fleet to sail against - no more maneuvers!

Work in progress: Uncharted Seas terrain

A few items from Eureka came in this afternoon. Actually today saw the arrival of many small packages and letters, although only these items are of immediate interest to miniature wargamers :)

This is the 6mm "Stone Tower Windmill" (RU43) made by Irregular Miniatures. Strictly speaking the scale is too large for Uncharted Seas but given that we are playing in a fantasy setting I don't think it will be too obvious. Besides, popular opinion is that 2mm scale buildings don't look right next to Uncharted Seas ships. Dwarf cruiser included for size reference.


I also grabbed a tiny 6mm "Seven Headed Hydra" (CR18) by Irregular Miniatures at the same time. The plan with this little guy is to use him as dressing for an otherwise empty island; he won't be used in the game as a monster that can affect play (let's assume he can't swim and try not to work out how he got on his island!). The island will be larger than the base you see him resting on in this shot. Dwarf cruiser included for size reference.

Now I have to paint them up!

Warhammer RPG: Smuggler -> Shieldbreaker

Friday was our weekly meet for the round-robin Warhammer Roleplay campaign. Having finally acquired enough skills and talents from Smuggler (and having purchased all of the required gear) my character progressed to Shieldbreaker. Finally, a career that is competent at fighting! To be fair, lingering in low classes has the benefit of providing useful skills such as Secret Signs (Thief) and Gossip ~ but it's nice to move onto a 'combat career' now that I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Honouring our sportspersons agreement to avoid increasing our Attack attribute for as long as possible I instead chose Strike Mighty Blow and Dodge Blow to buy with saved experience points. During my character's downtime I will be working for the local Dwarf as a "soldiery type" (to justify the career of Shieldbreaker) and meeting up with the other player-characters on weekends for our adventures.

Saturday Gamesday

Yesterday was Games Day at my place with both Uncharted Seas and AT-43 on the menu.

Uncharted Seas #1
We started with a replay of an Uncharted Seas match from a previous meeting; Three Frigates and Two Cruisers per side. As Marc has yet to buy (or scratchbuild) a fleet we shared my Iron Dwarves again. Much fun was had and the rules came back to us quickly despite not having played Uncharted Seas for a while.

The game ended with both fleets being whittled down to only one cruiser each - Marc managed to put just enough damage on mine to take a close (and exciting) victory.

Uncharted Seas Game One: A mess of Iron Dwarves!
Click on image for larger version

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Uncharted Seas #2
For our second game we decided to see how three cruisers (150 points) would go against one Battleship (120 points). Marc insisted that I take the Battleship as the models belong to me. I wasn't sure how it would go up against the linked fire from the cruisers - as it turned out it did very well (much to Marc's dismay).

The Battleship is painfully slow but has the advantage of armour, firepower and range (!!!) so the opposing dwarf cruisers have to come into it's deadly 13 AD Band 2 (or worse: 16AD Band 1) to have a realistic chance at penetrating it's thick armour and to avoid being pinged to death from a distance.

Victory for my side of the table, although in hindsight an unfair fight (despite being at a 30 point disadvantage).

Uncharted Seas Game Two: Three Cruisers attempt to bring down one Battleship
Click on image for larger version

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AT-43
Our last game of the day was AT-43. Marc played Karmans and I played Therians (no surprise for anyone that has followed this blog... not that anyone has!). After building 1000 point armies we rolled a Seek and Destroy mission - victory is determined by destroying as many of the enemy as possible before the 6 turn time limit is up.

I managed to get off a Creation routine on turn one to spawn a Succubus Golgoth (this would have gone on for turn after turn but I only own one correct model for spawning and the rules explicitly state no proxies for this routine!). Marc made a blunder early in the game placing his unit activation cards in an undesirable order - then promptly followed this up by forgetting to put an Overwatch drill on one of his units. This put him on the backfoot for the rest of the match (in my defence I asked him a few times if he was sure that he had done everything that he wanted to do before ending his turn - so no takebacks for him!).

Marc spent a turn or two playing defensively (seeking cover and putting everyone on Overwatch) giving him a chance to catch his breath and refocus on the battle. In the meantime I maneuvered my Therians to set up an overwatch firezone and pinged one of his K-Warriors (finishing off the unit two turns later). Having recovered his spirit Marc pushed his trike forward and destroyed an Incubus Golgoth (proxied by my Babylon Zero model).

The remaining AFVs plugged away at each other doing a little damage but scoring no further kills. By turn 6 it wasn't quite enough for the Karmans - being beaten by only one victory point.

Marc: 2 VPs - Kills: Incubus Golgoth (Overseer Alpha)
Troy: 3 VPs - Kills: K-Warriors with Mentor
Result: Therian Victory

AT-43 Afternoon Game: Karmans move into the Therian killzone!
Click on image for larger version

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Conclusion:
We had a fun day of gaming!

I need to continue to work on my terrain (as the last photo clearly shows). We're remembering the rules for both games now and we're still excited by both games so more matches will be had (and the battles will be resolved faster as our experience with the rules continues to improve).

AT-43: The Birthdaying

Yesterday was my birthday and (amongst other events) I had a visit from Marc in the morning. The plan was to have a few games of AT-43 and a few games of Uncharted Seas but sadly we became distracted by phone calls and small cakes so we only got a single game of AT-43 in before Marc to head home.

As we were starting early I had just enough time to open the many boxes of Therians waiting in the lounge room and have a quick look through the army book before Marc arrived.

Marc designed his Karman army using the Nova sub-faction which allowed him to negate actions that require me to spend Leadership Points by spending the same amount! As he was careful to keep 4 LP handy at all times this meant that I couldn't get my Creation routine off and create a free Succubus... however Nova's disadvantage gave me initiative each round. So despite not being able to use my best Therian trick I could always count on taking the first action ~ which as we discovered is a huge advantage when you have more units than your opponent (as I did).

I went with Therians (of course) and chose the Cyphers subfaction. This gave all my overseers access to both infantry and AFV routines but a disadvantage that I couldn't wager Leadership Points to win initiative (as it turns out: not so bad when Nova's disadvantage would automatically give me initiative anyway *GRIN*).

The match went well for my side of the table; my Storm Golems kept Marc's infantry suppressed while my Incubus Golgoth concentrated on his trikes. The trikes managed to immobilise my Golgoth although this effectively forced me to use the Nucleus Cannon's Sniper ability every round as I wouldn't be moving anyway; the result being trikes with weapons that were promptly pinged off before they could seek cover.

The match ended with Marc's impressive decision to run over my Storm Arachns [sic] with his last remaining trike in the hope of crushing them before they had a chance to explode. Whilst he managed to kill two his movement stopped in the midst of the remaining four who were about to activate... and explode!

Overall a fun morning. On balance I still feel that Uncharted Seas is the more enjoyable game however AT-43 is fun too. We are still flicking through the rulebook for AT-43 during games although this may be due to long breaks between matches. More games must be had and I discussed the possibility with Marc of organising a regular meeting time for miniature wargaming ~ possibly at the library...

In more important news our hot water system has failed so the only showers on offer are COLD. Sadly this is the time of year when warm and/or hot showers are desired :(

AT-43: Therian Deployment

The huge shipment of Therians arrived yesterday although I still haven't had a chance to open up the boxes and play with them ~ so for now they are piled up in the lounge room. I might be able to get a game or two tomorrow (as it's my birthday) *fingers crossed* I can get a few AT-43 and Uncharted Seas games in although I may be pushing the emotional leverage a bit :P

...argh so tired! I'm going to catch a few hours of sleep before heading down to the city for Warhammer Roleplay at midday (Chris has booked a room at the library so we'll be playing in comfort).

Warhammer RPG: Bone Picker -> Smuggler

Another one of my many gaming commitments is a weekly meeting for Warhammer Roleplay. For the uninitiated; the word "Warhammer" is usually associated with the miniatures wargame (either the Fantasy or Science Fiction versions) however in this case it refers to the tabletop Roleplaying game - so cooperative play with only one character each rather than competitive play with a whole army each. I won't go into much more detail as I'll assume the majority of this blog's readers will require or desire no further clarity.

We agreed at the start that we would only play 'lowest class' starting careers. I rolled a few nice starters such as Soldier and Marine but passed on them until I finally hit a suitably low career: Bone Picker! The other players have started with Peasant, Charcoal Burner and Hedge Wizard. Yeah that last one is 'a bit good' but the character concept is of a midwife that lurks amongst (and is a fellow member of) the lowest citizens; she'll be moving up through healing careers rather than Wizard careers - although we'll see if she's not tempted away by more magic points :P

We've been playing multi-adventure sessions for a few weeks so the characters are just getting ready to finish their starting career and move into their second. Our Peasant will be having a wash and becoming a Servant (with a long term view of going through Valet and Squire to Knight) our Charcoal Burner will continue to develop his outdoor/wilderness skills - from memory he has Woodsman lined up as his next career. I plan to go from Bone Picker to Smuggler which will line me up for Shieldbearer and access to the warrior careers. I don't have my rulebook next to me so I'm not sure that I've used the correct career names in this paragraph; but you get the idea!

For this campaign we have revisited a format that I championed a few years ago when we were playing the science fiction version of this game (Dark Heresy). Each of us takes turns in a round-robin fashion of running a short adventure for the other players. Usually one member of the group commits to being the Games Master for the whole campaign and they are responsible for much of the story - but in this format the hat is passed around the table and the duties of 'world building' are shared.

We had problems making it work with Dark Heresy as each GM fell back on old habits and started running "arc" adventures that continued from their previous adventures; the result being that characters would suddenly find themselves back on Mudworld for part 2 of "Mudworld adventure" despite having just completed part 4 of "Deathworld adventure"; then they'd jump back to another continued adventure before coming back to Mudworld 3... as that campaign progressed the warping became too jarring and the whole thing crashed. After careful consideration we concluded that the trick is to ensure that adventures are short, sweet and have just enough hooks to spawn new independent adventures. Ideally each adventure is comparable in structure to a mid-season Buffy or Dr Who episode; nothing too major happens but characters can still develop.

Having said that it has been suggested that we may move from our collaboratively designed village to a town when our characters become middle class citizens. Perhaps we could consider this the end of Season One? ;)