Paint Table Saturday

Various blurry adventurers

Generic henchmen/hirelings

Secret project

Those bloody skellies!

Easter Means It's... Dino Egg Hunt!

This seems a long time ago...

It being Easter, I'm taken the plunge to dust-off and redraft my old Egg Hunt rules (now more 'Tooth and Claw' than 'Pulp Alley').  What's more, I'm taking them out in public!

In a fit of boredom, last night suggested to the gaming chums that we try them out.  Accordingly, we may be booking slot at The Games Table next week.

We shall see what happens...

Old-School Essentials Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/necroticgnome/old-school-essentials

Readers of my recent posts on the RPG campaign I've been taking part in, will see that we've been using the B/X Essentials system (now renamed Old-School Essentials to make it less niche) produced by Necrotic Gnome - and indeed have been lucky enough to be involved in the play-testing of new material.

Well on Friday evening Necrotic Gnome (otherwise Gavin Norman) launched its Kickstarter for funding to produce the revised rules in high-quality hardback format (previously they were sold as print-on-demand).  And it was fully funded in the first two hours.

I owe four of the five current modules, but I've signed up to upgrade - these are lovely products and worth having.  The stretch-goals already reached include the  publication two more rules modules - Advanced Fantasy: Genre Rules and Druid and Illusionist Spells, both of which I've used in draft form and would also recommend.

The rest in the words of Necrotic Gnome...

Rewards
We'll be producing two things for this Kickstarter:

1. The Black Box: A luxury box set containing 5 slim hardcover rules modules covering all aspects of the game: Core Rules, Classic Fantasy Genre Rules (your classes, equipment, strongholds, etc), Cleric and Magic-User Spells, Classic Fantasy Monsters, Classic Fantasy Treasures.

1. The Rules Tome: All the Old-School Essentials rules in a single, fat hardcover. 

Details:

• Quality: All books will be produced as luxury, sewn-binding hardcovers.

• Covers: Book and box covers by Andrew Walter and Peter Mullen.

• Complete B/X clone: Both products form a complete retro-clone of the beloved Basic / Expert rules from 1981!

• Limited edition Rules Tome: A leatherette-bound, foil-stamped edition of the Rules Tome, only available in this Kickstarter!

• High-level rewards: Very limited rewards include your name in the credits on the title page of the books, and your face in an illustration!

Barrowmaze #5: Cupboards and Statues

This may be obvious but these AARs contain spoilers for those wanting to go into the Barrowmaze.  The message is that if you're going to, don't take advantage of them.  They're called spoilers because they spoil the fun.  DON'T BE A DICK!

OK, here are the write-up of the second and third delves we had last Sunday (the first is here).  Enjoy!

Barrowmaze – 7 Apr 2019 (Second Delve)

Player	Character	Class	Notes
John	Dungeon Master
Ash	Kull	Fighter (Lvl 1)	First ‘Maze delve.
Edwin	Ginfu	Cleric (Lvl 1)	First ‘Maze delve
Jacob	Glamar	Dwarf (Lvl 3)
Laura	Petel	Druid (Lvl 1)	Hirling: Theown Smith (Lvl 0 Fighter)
Lizzie	Natalia	Acrobat (Lvl 4)	Hireling: Esme Walden (torch-bearer)
Sophie	Sorlof	Moss Dwarf (Lvl 1)

Pre-Delve

Eight days had passed since the previous delve.

Two new party members were admitted.  Kull (fighter) had picked up one of Galmar’s fliers in the Brazen Strumpet, whereas the party had been recommended to Ginfu (Cleric of King ‘Shroom) by Hendon the Miller, local leader of the underground worshipers of the Old Gods.  Ginfu took the mushroom ring by Gerran’s bivouac as a sign from ‘Shroom.

The pre-delve plan was to return to the Room of the Three Pools, to harvest a sufficient quantity of ‘water’ to further Galmar’s researches into the Chaos Potions, and then to play by ear.

The Delve

The route across the Wilderness was dryer, though the party was plagued by flies.  The journey took four hours.

The party entered the ‘Maze via the Throne Mound and then moved on to the Long Gallery.  As they were moving passed the first pile of rubble they were attacked by four giant rats. 

 As Ginfu went to examine the rat-hole, two fire beetles attacked.  These were defeated (Theown showing her mettle in both encounters), but Kull was seriously wounded.  It was decided to leave Kull in a place of safety – the ‘cupboard’ between two secret doors being decided on.  A message to him was scrawled on the wall in fire-beetle blood (should he wake up and be able to read it in the dark).

The Reward

Back at the rat-hole, Ginfu searched a badly-gnawed corpse, recovering a bloodstone.  He was all for going further into the mound and rummaging through the nest, but it was decided that the danger of collapse was too serious.  The hole was blocked up.

Here again...

The party safely crossed the Trap Room and made our way to the Pool Room.  As they entered, four mutated rats emerged from the pools.  Three were immediately killed in a hail of arrows and sling-stones, the fourth in melee.

They come as mutant too...

At this point it was realised that one of the gallon-jars was in Kull’s backpack.  The others and a mismatch of odd flasks were used to collect a gallon of each liquid. 

It was debated whether to go on or to return.  The later was decided on.  Unexpectedly, Kull was found to still be alive, and he was carried back on an uneventful return to Helix.

Post-Delve

The bloodstone was valued at 200gp and sold to Huffenpuff, the proceeds being added to group funds.

Group Funds

	Income	Expenditure
Wages		22gp, 1 sp
Gallon jars		3gp
Bloodstone	200gp

Encounters

Location	Nature	Casualties	Notes
Long Gallery	Giant Rats (x4)
Long Gallery	Fire Beetles (x2)	Kull severely wounded.
Pool Room	Mutant Rats (x4)

Treasure

	Where and how acquired	Value	Notes
Bloodstone	On corpse in rat-hole	200gp

Score: 274

Barrowmaze – 7 Apr 2019 (Third Delve)

Player	Character	Class	Notes
John	Dungeon Master
Ash	Kull	Fighter (Lvl 1)
Edwin	Ginfu	Cleric (Lvl 1)	Killed by Crab Spiders
Jacob	Glamar	Dwarf (Lvl 3)
Laura	Petel	Druid (Lvl 1)	Hireing: Theown Smith (Lvl 0 Fighter)
Lizzie	Natalia	Acrobat (Lvl 4)	Hireling: Esme Weld (torch-bearer)
Sophie	Sorlof	Moss Dwarf (Lvl 1)

Pre-Delve

Sixteen days had passed since the previous delve.

Galmar had continued his experiments with Chaos Potions.

The pre-delve plan was to go back to areas south of the Front Door explored by B’Loxi in the early days of delving.

The Delve

The journey through the Wilderness was uneventful, taking four hours.

The party entered through Five Finger Mound and the Front Door.  It proceeded to the Damp Room, which was as expected, and south through there.

Just a statue.  Obviously.

In this next room were two unexpected 7ft marble statues of women holding up the ceiling.  Experience with Living Statues, and knowing these weren’t one B’Loxi’s map, the party was cautious.  When Natalia entered the room, the statues did animate, and a hard-hitting encounter took place.  The defeated statues’ swords were looted on the off-chance.

The party carried on south, through two doors.  A bricked-up archway (not mapped by B’Loxi) was noticed, and Kull spent some time working on it with his crowbar.  It was resolved to return with better tools.

The party turned to the west and entered a room with two doors on the diagonal.  While noting that the dimensions of this room were another failing of B’Loxi’s map (his lustre was beginning to fade) we were surprised by Crab Spiders.  The party managed to make a fighting retreat out of the room.  Ginfu was to close the door behind them, but was struck down as he did so.  His cry of “To the next one!” in their ears the surviving members fled.

The exit of the ‘Maze and the return to Helix was uneventful.

Group Funds

	Income	Expenditure
Wages		22gp, 1 sp

Encounters

Location	Nature	Casualties	Notes
S of Damp Room	Living Statues? (x2)
Pointy Room	Crab Spiders (x2)	Ginfu killed

Loot

	Where and how acquired	Value	Notes
Large swords (x2)	From the Living Statues	tbd

Score: 1,114

Barrowmaze #4: Three Times Unlucky

This may be obvious but these AARs contain spoilers for those wanting to go into the Barrowmaze.  The message is that if you're going to, don't take advantage of them.  They're called spoilers because they spoil the fun.  DON'T BE A DICK!

We had three short, ultimately frustrating, delves into the 'Maze on Sunday.  The write-up for the first one is a little longer, so I'll post that today, and the other two together tomorrow.

Barrowmaze – 7 Apr 2019 (First Delve)

Player	Character	Class	Henchmen	Notes
John	Dungeon Master
Ash	Grump	Fighter (Lvl 1)	Beatrice Swinn (Lvl 0 Fighter)	First ‘Maze delve. Died by misadventure.
Edwin	Kindroleth	Elf (Lvl 1)		First ‘Maze delve Killed by skeletons.
Jacob	Galmar	Dwarf (Lvl 3)
Laura	Petal	Druid (Lvl 1)	Theown Smith (Lvl 0 Fighter)	First ‘Maze delve
Lizzie	Natalia	Acrobat (Lvl 4)	Esme (torch-bearer)
Sophie	Sorlof	Moss Dwarf (Lvl 1)

The Rainy Season

Six months had passed since the last delve due to the rainy season flooding the Barrowmaze.  We have now entered 843CR.

Galmar (Ranger) had gone to Ironguard Motte for research in the archives to see what lore, maps or other information could be found on the ‘Maze.  He had written back that the lore-masters kept their secrets close, but that he had met a disreputable ex-archivist who was going to sell him some maps.  Nothing more has been heard from him since.

Moonwhisper (Mage) and Blake (Cleric of St Ygg) had gone off to a newly-opened pyramid in search of the fabled lost city beneath it.  There they had partied with Grump and Kindroleth and seduced them with tales of the riches to be found in the ‘Maze.  A third new member of the party, Petal (Druid) had seen the posters Cedric had put up around Helix and joined along with her potted plant.

Natalia has built a house in Helix: 60x60ft made of stone, and with an attached gym, it is much more substantial than Galmar’s House.  Galmar keeps furtively disappearing into his cellar with a shovel.

Galmar has developed an interest verging on obsession with the liquids recovered from the room with three pools which form Chaos Potions.  He has been mixing various combinations and recording the results.

Pre-Delve

The Silver Standard Caravan Company’s base in Helix is now closed.  To the party’s surprise, Merg, their former hireling, has returned with his family.  He has realised that delving is a mug’s game and that the true wealth will be made by the middle-men and service-providers.  Accordingly, he is now running Merg’s Mercenaries, introducing hirelings and henchmen to adventuring parties.  Merg couldn’t provide a discount, but would advise his people that the party were a reputable one.

Good old Merg!

The party recruited three hirelings:

Esme Walder of the Wold, a non-combatant torch-bearer (11sp per delve)

Beatrice Swinn, somewhat venerable and ill-equipped fighter (2gp per delve)

Theown Smith, a former member of the Ironguard Motte garrison (21gp per delve)

The Delve

The pre-delve plan was to go back over some old territory and fill in the gaps in the maps – several options for further exploration were discussed and it was finally decided to go through the ‘Front Door’, to proceed to the room where Ranya was killed by the giant snake and then head north (possibly joining up with other, known territory to the east.)

The journey through the Wilderness was uneventful.  Due to the season it was hard going (4.5 hours).

 

Five Finger Mound

Reaching Five Finger Mound the party entered and found the familiar tripod over the hole in the floor. 

Kindroleth and Esme examined the mound for surprises while Natalia checked the integrity of the tripod.  As expected the rope, having been underwater during the floods, was slippery.  As Natalia began to fix her own rope up, Grump, our barbarian-like fighter, lost patience and attempted to climb down with a lantern.  He immediately lost his grip and fell, smashing the light.  There was no answer to our shouts to him.

Natalia finished fixing her rope and descended the 40ft to the ‘Maze proper.  Next to a pool of burning oil she found Grump’s dead, broken body.

She was suddenly attacked by two giant centipedes.  Having been bitten, venom took effect and she collapsed.  The rest of the party used ranged weapons to kill the centipedes from above.

Having seen her employer killed and Natalia attacked, Beatrice lost courage and refused to enter the ‘Maze.  She declined the suggestion that she stand guard at the entrance and return to Helix with the rest of the party, instead heading off on her own.

The party went down into the entrance room, tried to assist Natalia and stripped Grump’s body of anything of use. 

As those members who hadn’t been in the ‘Maze before were acclimatising and examining the wall carvings, they heard a sound from the corridor and were attacked by six skeletons.  These were defeated, but not until Kenroleth and Galmar had both been severely wounded: Kenroleth, it turned out, fatally.

With two members dead, one severely wounded, one poisoned and a hireling having deserted, the party had no choice but to call it a day and attempt to return to Helix safely.  Nobody thought to examine the skeletons’ remains.

Post-Delve

The return journey took 6 hours but there were no encounters.  There was no sign of Beatrice.

Natalia was taken to Brother Othar for healing, but he prescribed bed-rest.  She and Galmar healed-up over the next 8 days.

The gold recovered from Grump’s body was added to group funds.

Group Funds

	Income	Expenditure
Recruitment		10gp
Wages		24gp, 1 sp
Recovered from Grump’s body	14gp

Encounters

Location	Nature	Casualties	Notes
Entrance room	Giant Centipedes (x2)	Natalia poisoned.	Only Natalia in melee. Centipedes killed by ranged fire.
Entrance room	Skeletons (x6)	Kindroleth killed. Galmar severely wounded.	Skeletons defeated.

Treasure

	Where and how acquired	Value	Notes
None

Score: 90