The View From Drew

 So, we gathered online last night and not only was it the first time playing in some time, it was also the first time the whole gang played together in some time.  Skype was a little futzy, but I think that had to do with both myself and themadadmin  being on wireless connections.  There weren't that many encounters, one in fact, but it proved difficult as the party was already injured.  Five giant ants and four aspis drones from the Slave Lords series made them retreat back to a nearby town.  I'm moving the plot along by drugging them and having them wake up in the Slave Lords' dungeons where they'll have to fight their way out.

I hit highs and lows when it comes to my enthusiasm with the campaign.  Moving this along has got me motivated again. 

 So, the past two nights have been fun with Skype.

Thursday night was spent with my D&D campaign, sending them off on a new adventure.  It's actually not a new adventure; in fact, it's quite old, but they don't realize it yet as they kind of stumbled into it.  It was fun though and I'm looking forward to playing in two weeks time.

Last night was another recording of The Chronic Rift.  We played Match Game with two of our listeners and I think we managed to live up to the old show and then some.  You can determine it for yourself by listening to the episode when we release it this Monday.

Sue will be glad to see me tonight as I've been hooked into a headset for the last two nights.  ;)

It was one year ago today that four adventurers became embroiled in the affairs of the citizens of Caldor Major in the realm_of_correu .  We played our 19th session last night which saw the death of O'Van Hauk as he was consumed by a Bag of Devouring after the party battled and nearly lost to a vampire.  It's been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to another year as the players move to new levels and the inhabitants of the realm must unite to battle for their survival. 

We played tonight, the first time in quite a while.  I was worried that perhaps this was losing steam, but tonight's session put those fears on the back burner.  The group had to help a village of people who worshiped Silvanus, the god of the druid in the party.  The village was being subjugated by lizard men who were trying to capture a little boy who is destined to be the druid king.  They need to get the boy away from danger, but at the same time take out a nest of the lizards who appear to worship a dragon beneath their cave system.

The game ended with the characters chasing after the noble ranger who decided to just follow after the lizard men's high priest after he had fallen through a trap door that appeared to have a fifty foot drop.  No ropes, no ladders, nothing.  He just jumped after him and all but popfiend , playing a thief, followed after him.

I'll be posting the full details in the realm_of_correu  shortly.  I'm really looking forward to two weeks time.

The characters are basically trapped in their own version of Night of the Living Dead.  Fortunately, they have a cleric with them who is able to curb some of the attacks by turning the zombies.  But a fog has rolled in and it looks like night is falling.


He.  He.  He.   He.

Anybody interested in trying the play-by-post D&D game? If I don't hear anything by this weekend, I'll take correu_online down.

Eddie's latest exploits in D&D are now available at the realm_of_correu.

Is it the first time your child speaks?

Is it the first time he hugs you?

Maybe it's when he graduates from high school?





















How about when he levels up for the first time?  And he rolls new hit points?  And he gains new spells?  Am I disturbed?

The first half of Eddie's first successful adventure as Elfie the Elf, Version 2.0, is now available for your perusal at realm_of_correu.

I have had a chance to look at the new editions of the DM Guide and Player's Handbook. I must admit, I've only glanced at the second edition rules and I don't think I've ever laid eyes on any of the third, but I've heard much about it. This was the content of an email to my realm_of_correu group after looking through the fourth edition books.

Bloody hell! This system is just a simplification of the nonsense rules of the third edition. Armor classes of 19! Multiple modifiers to determine to hit rolls! An overall generic chart determining level status, so a cleric levels up as a thief as a fighter as magic-user does. What's the point of choosing a class with the potential to become quite powerful, like a magic user, if there is no struggle to advance in levels?

Now these comments are based on cursory readings of the two books, not intense study. The artwork is beautiful though.

Oh, and John McCain's minions are silly poopies, aren't they?

I cross posted this at realm_of_correu.  Considering not everyone checks it out, I thought I'd offer it here for first edition D&D fans.  I've been doing some research and have discovered these links that offer resources or forums for first edition rules.  I haven't explored them all yet, but I've managed to put some people off with my first edition snobbery.  ;)

http://www.thedelversdungeon.com/

http://www.mjyoung.net/dungeon/

http://osu.proboards40.com/index.cgi

http://www.acaeum.com/

http://home.flash.net/~brenfrow/index.htm

http://www.usherwoodadventures.com/

http://penandpapergames.com

Check out realm_of_correu to read the latest.

After a slow start because my laptop was acting up and everyone was having difficulties connecting, we finally got the show on the road. I needed it.

I just joined this forum for role players and it asked for a brief bio.  I wrote that I played my first game when I was nine.  I mentioned that the other day in another blog entry here, but it only struck me just now.  I've been playing D&D for THIRTY-ONE years!

Now, say it with me - OOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDD!

So, I was on the Wizards of the Coast website and discovered that they are developing their own platform to allow people to play their campaign online. According to themadadmin, they've been talking about this for two years now. Indeed, the videos I saw on You Tube date a year ago and the website only proclaims that it's coming soon. My only reservation is that it says it's for the fourth edition rules, but we manage to play our game currently on the Fantasy Grounds system and that's set with the d20 rules, so I think we can adapt. What I love most about what I see is the more virtual environment they offer. I always loved playing games on a table with figures to move. You can do that here. On Fantasy Grounds, we move a flat token piece with the character's face on it.

So, Eddie and I just finished his first D&D game. He's a little younger than I was when I played for the first time, (I was nine. He's seven.) but the result was the same. Eddie lasted a good while, thanks in part to a number of NPCs that accompanied him. (I never was given that luxury when I played.) In the end though, he was overcome by the Orc leader who managed to kill each of the characters one by one.

Fortunately, like myself when it happened, Eddie was only slightly discouraged and wanted to know when he can play again. He wants another Elf named Elfie, but he wants to re-roll the stats. He picked up quick.

Last week's session of the realm_of_correu is now available for perusal.  The group has a new member, a cleric named Miss Kit Tay.  (What was that about letting people name kids whatever they want?)

So, Eddie just rolled up his first D&D Basic character.  He's playing a chaotic Elf.  I'm going to come up with a few NPC characters for him to start out and if he likes the game, we'll invite his cousins to play with him.  He's not the swiftest Elf, nor is he the strongest.  And to make matters worse, I asked Eddie what his character's name is - Elfie.

Elfie the Elf.

Sigh.

Well, if he gets into this and has dorky D&D friends, he'll never tell them the story of his first character, I'm sure.

Then again, who knows?

Eddie has started developing an interest in fantasy.  He will shortly play his first game of Dungeons & Dragons, albeit modified for his age range.  I was wondering if there are any book series for second graders that have such fantastical elements, or if there were ever any Dungeons & Dragons prose produced for his age.  He currently loves reading The Magic Tree House series.  Thanks.