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!