CON REPORT: GameHoleCon 11 Day 2

It was a fun second day (here's Day 1). I still don't think I have quite a good handle on how to navigate this con, but I did learn that if you run games, your name goes into a random drawing and you can get an RPG or boardgame prize when they draw your name. Saw some Heroquest stuff and a box of Mothership, that went quick, as well as a lot of other neat stuff. The seminars are something I am missing a lot of, which if I go next year, I'll certainly have to add more of. Apparently, GaryCon is where its at.

The other highlights were shaking hands with Zeb Cook and meeting Chris Perkins who is an incredibly genuine person, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to chat a little bit more with him.

NIGHTWICK ABBEY #2

The second group to brave the dread halls consisted of fighters Bonzo, Cadoc, Garath, and Arthur-- spiritually lead by Phylys the cleric and visually lead by Gunnar the dwarf (DM NOTE: 60% fighters so weird, but that's the fun of random character distribution).

• This group saved a carved-up "manimal" from the torture/vivisection/butchery of a large group of human skin-wearing maniacs; alas while the PCs staunched the poor souls bleeding (Really you're stoping my bleeding with old skin torn from those things?)  refused to carry the hobbled creature (Really you're gonna save me but not carry me?) so it went howling down the hall (Each step is pain! OoooOOooo! It would be nice to be carried! OoooOooo!) which earned it an axe in the back via Cadoc

  

  The water has a minty taste with maggot notes

  
  
• The PCs were pretty upset they were not finding more silver in the Abbey except for Arthur who became possessed after drinking from a fountain-- he started to become more worried about voices that were not his own; turning south they had to make a quick retreat when they stumbled upon a congregation of eye-less corpses all standing with swords drawn-- cleric welded the light of LAW and turn back those damned souls!
• Wandering around a little more the PCs were ambushed by maybe more manimals and shut into a room littered with pages of blasphemous nonsense and started suffering claw marks and welts on their arms, legs, and backs; they kicked the door violently in (the one not bricked up) and made their way back to the ruined laboratory where their would-be ambushed had left
• PC finally hit gold or rather a gold skull when they investigate another ruined lab, but become very worried when the dwarf Gunnar starts talking to himself after picking up the skull (Look, at least we can sell it)
• After a little more wandering the PC finally made their way to the Great Hall where they find the tied up vicar waiting to be served to four identical quadrupled-horned men; the PCs will have none of that and plan their attack! A pretty epic battle ensues with PC almost getting the upper hand until the monstrous Butcher fell a lead fighter with two chops from a large cleaver and the group is pincered by 5 floating, laughing corpses that got freed from an earlier scuffle.

  

  Begining of the End:
  Shame I didn't get a picture 5 mins after this was taken

  
  
• With 5/6 PC dead, the Butcher offers to spare the cleric and let him walk free from the Abbey-- if he personally blesses this most auspicious and (un)holy meals! The cleric does so-- and with the holy light of law draining out of him walks free from the Abbey haunted by the howls and jears of the laughing cadavers
• SCORE: Silver Ending 0.5 Safe Vicar Ending 0; technically the cleric carried the gold skull out, but I feel if the Abbey's forces kill 5/6 and make a cleric bless such a slaughts-- its an Abbey "win".

This group covered the most ground in a single con session having visited 11 rooms and still having enough in the tank to battle the Butcher. Well done! And with an epic ending! It was also nice to meet another player who had read this blog and was acquainted with Miranda's Nightwick from the session reports over at Mycelium Mischef (which my group has reached 99 sessions!)

INDEX CARD RPG

As someone who does use a lot of index cards, I was curious about this system. So I rolled up Holly Winterleaf (reusing a PC who previously died in OG Nightwick to green slime and an incredibly classic way). 

• PC creation is quick, the game mechanics are very intuitive
• I'm not sure I enjoy the flat target number that escalates as you move through a sorta 3-act structure; This is pretty opposite how I run games so it was the most jarring for me, but I know its a popular style of DMing
• I don't think it a bad rules-lite system, but encourages the DM to improvise a bit more which benefits more experienced DMs-- kinda the opposite of the intended effect I think for new DMs; I'll have to think on this more
• Did like the encouragement to use index cards to lay out a quick map or battlefield (see the picture above)

In total, I am interested in looking into Runehammer's other offerings our of curiosity I do think he does a good job encouraging creativity and DIY ethos. And playing games you normally would not pick up or run is a great use of CON time, especially since they often are run by referees who do love the game!

CON REPORT: GameHoleCon 11 Day 1

   

I am going to try to make these updates shorter and punchier so I can actually summarize each day's blog. This is my first GameHoleCon since last year I sighed up but live event prevented attendance. 

Its a farsight bigger than ReaperCon that is for sure. And judging from the guest list, more packed with D&D notables like Zeb Cook, Mike Mearls, and Chris Perkins. I am really hoping to run into Steven Jackson to get my copy of OGRE signed and Jon Peterson to shake his hand for a great job on Playing at the World.

FIGHT IN THE SKIES

Speaking of the development of D&D, the first game I participated in was Fight in the Skies. This is a WWI flying aces game invented by Mike Carr. The game is notable not only because its the only game played at every GenCon, but also a game it introduced (1) leveling and (2), despite being a wargame, does encourage you to playing your pilot as a character less a chit.

The game is played using a handful of d6's and d% dice. You roll initiative, highest moves but can't shoot at any plane that's not moved, you have to control speed and altitude, manage the length of time you fire your guns (longer = more hits) against jamming, and there is a critical table to roll on when you get shot.

All made easier by a number-filled, but handy tracker sheet which helps follow your turn by turn. After playing a couple of rounds, you get the hang of it. And its 2d6 format really drove home for me the origin of a lot of Battletech mechanisms-- although Fight has less going on. And I'm also not sure Fight is not easier to learn than X-Wing which seems simpler.

My pilot was Nim Blackcloud, but later would earn the name "The Blackcat" because despite being damaged and smoking (see the picture), I was able to avoid 3 turns of hot pursue and engine criticals roll a "0 00" and "98" to avoid them and in one turn my opponent roll a "6" when they needed a 1-5 to hit it me.

Alas "The Blackcat" died hitting the silks when trying to escape the field.

"Conga Line of Death": An opening common
formation given how close we were

My wingman attempts to draw off enemy forces

Looks complicated, but just contains a lot of useful info
once you know where and how to look

NIGHTWICK ABBEY

I do like running games as cons because I believe it is what helps strengthen them and evangelize the hobby. And also like demonstrating (hopefully) the strength and free-form nature of old-school gaming. 

As such two froglings, Rrrogerr and Hilthorp, along with Pread the fighter (and pig Queen Mab), Brambella the dwarf, Quarl the magician, and Cedrick the gravedigger descended into Miranda Elkins' Nightwick Abbey. Similar to ReaperCon, the goal for the PCs to either find the missing Frogguts vicar OR collect 600sp to pay to the Bishop as, um, a sorta restitution for losing said vicar. 

A murder of rats

So how did they do?

• Pread found a secret door resulting in their first 100sp, but Hilthrop getting his eye plucked out by some of the strange vermin that inhabit the Abbey
• The bang of frogling gonnes attracted the attention of several monstrous people smelling of sweaty groin and rancid meat; the party adopted the stance of being tax-collectors-- it looked bad but Pread was able to get some nice Follow-through actions in downing two of the individuals and the magician took out the last one with a crossbow
• The party turned north and stumbled into a ritual of performed by deer-headed creatures around some golden antlers (!); the party was excited by this potential score

Oh deer...men

• A valent fight, with the party almost being flanked by deermen from the left, but once again the party's fighter was able to pull off some amazing hits felling deermen left and right
• Suffering heavy losses, the deermen's MU put down the the fighter, Pread with a magic missle however the party's magician Quarl used ventriloquism and his diabolic language to force another morale check (DM NOTE: Felt like this was a good, clever combo to warrant the check) to scare off the remaining deermen
• Picking golden antlers, silver candlesticks the party was about to make their exit and almost got everyone strangled by a procession of floating rictus undead with unnerving smiles--- but the just got away (save for poor Hilthrop) via the Death & Dismemberment Table (DM NOTE: Despite the name, those tables generally extend PC lives)
• We don't talk about the pig...eyes too human, lips too soft, legs to, to long, and fingers so many...
• SCORE: Silver Ending 1 Safe Vicar Ending 0 (I'd say that's a win for the Abbey)

The players were a great group and I was happy to see everyone interested in Nightwick Abbey and wanting to know where they could look more into it! The player of Cedrick the gravedigger was even already a Nightwick Patreon member, but had yet to play it- so happy to given them a good experience!

NORTH TEXAS CON SUMMARY 2019

CONVERSATIONS

• Talking with Matt Finch over the differences between old/new styles of DMing. As well as chatting about how he DMs 20+ players in a session after watching him do just that. Best part about said session was:
1. GM Finch asking the group, "Who bows down to the shrunken' halfing head now possessed by a demon?"
2. The 5 PCs that did immediately gained tattoos, teeth, horns, and one person- wings!
3. Then GM Finch started offering 5,000 XP bonuses if the tattooed players would perform tasks for the demon. Not compulsory, just move this person to that staircase or temporarily blind another PC.
   
   
• Talking with Greg Gillespie about Forbidden Caverns of Archaia. That man is very nice✤, low-key on social media, and very big. Like halflings would be an AC bonus in combat with him big. He also filled me in on the next big megadungeon- wizards, floating dungeons, teleporters. I think he has a nice insight about D&D and I hope he does more podcasts in the future.
  
  

  ✤ Update 2023: Its a shame that I have to go back and revise old blog posts. Since meeting Gillespie in 2019, I have learned a lot more about him through his public posts, comments on the RPG scene, and comments from students in his RPG course. The end result is I've reversed my opinion to the exact opposite-- I don't believe his insight into D&D is any greater than anyone else in the scene, nor do I want him doing more podcasts in the future. Instead, listen to these better minds on megadungeons on the Into The Megadungeon podcast. 

  
  
• Talking with David "Zeb" Cook was a real big delight, I also got my bound copy of B/X signed by him. But forgot to bring my Planescape box set! We initially had a short conversation but I met him later in the Dwarven Forge hotel party were we covered:
• Magical realism & Italio Calvino
• Russian fantasy movies on Netflix
• How he wasn't on the team that did Planescape: Torment
• A little of the origins of the Planescape setting

GAMES WHERE I WAS THE DM

• Through Ultan's Door did not really garner much attention, but I did end up thinking of a new hook for it and running it through with my friends. The better idea I came up with is to start the highest CHA PC off as the new "chosen one" in a group of acolytes of the Cult of Sleep on the run after their cult had been smashed. Once through the door, the PCs have to find the demon to re-anoint the chosen one with the God of Sleep's favor. Three players with 6, level two, B/X PCs- two of which died in the first encounter and one that was sacrificed to gain the demon's favor.
  It worked out well and I want to develop this angle better and look forward to continuing using issue #2.
  


• Zjelwyin Fall was the second game I ran, again B/X pre-gens all of level two. This module requires the players to travel to the Astral Plane and infiltrate a lich's phylactery and obtain the Quantum Crown. Each of the modules seven levels is a puzzle. Now, I thought this would be a good con module because its a unique setting, made for low-levels, and doesn't involve combat. However, what I realized is that the meta-problem with puzzle dungeons is that players solve them as players, not as characters. So that might have sapped some of the experience.

GAMES WHERE I WAS THE PLAYER

• LotFP's Grinding Gears --again, a puzzle module that I started playing a player not really getting into it as a character. The DM was one of the folks that run The Long Con which is another small con in Texas. He ran a good game that kept us guessing, but still, I think the problem of puzzle dungeons stands.
  
  
  
• The second game I played was a playtest of a new style of gaming that focused on encouraging RP by handing out tokens as the players attempted certain actions. The idea is that your character starts out with 0 attributes and skills. But as you perform actions the GM awards tokens that you use to buy, real-time, attributes and abilities. The actual adventure itself involved a band of dwarves separated from a war band coming upon a lost keep controlled by four factions guarding an evil power.

THINGS I BOUGHT

• B/X Essentials Magic-User & Cleric Spells: Fantastic asset at the table.
• Big Dragon's DM Screen: Nice heavy cardboard. And really great physical "master" character sheets on cardboard for scanning or copying.
• B4 The Lost City & AD&D Player's Handbook (the demon idol one of course)

OTHER MUSINGS

• Meeting both Larry Elmore and Jeff Easley and learning they are both from KY was pretty fantastic. I also got DARLENE to sign all the original Greyhawk maps I have!
• Watching the Midnight Auction was hilarious- free booze- "Zeb" Cook produced the Honeymooners board game?!
• Looking around you can tell the NTRPG CON is put together with a lot of love, but I do wonder when the old guard passes on to the mythic underground, what will become of it? Can this Con evolve into something new or encourage fresh blood?