Gaming in Dec 2022

COVID at the start of the month and other illness in the second half of it put paid to any gaming in Nov 2022, but I got back into the saddle for December.

• 11 Dec - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
• 20 Dec - Grimbo Chrimbo (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
• 29 Dec - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
• 31 Dec - Stonehell (OSE) - face-to-face RPG

The Beast of Errinsford

The group at our LFGS that I DM for are currently playing The Beast of Errinsford, loosely based on the module The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford by Chance Dudinack. 

• 11 Dec - Session 3

Having successfully looted the barrows for the magical weapons necassary to defeat the Beast, I thought I would throw in a little something extra to show that there are consequences to PCs' actions.

Since the beginning of the campaign, the party has had several tussles with Goatmen, and have had a habit of stealing their kit (fair enough) and desecrating their bodies (one of the party in particular has chosen to start a collection of teeth).  As a result, I had the Goatmen do a raid on the villages, beat up some favorite NPCs (who had difficulty telling the story with no teeth of their own) and taking hostages.  The Authorities (Constable "Beefy" Ward) expected the party to sort this out and, with a NPC knowing a secret way into Goatman HQ, we were all set up for a 'Die Hard' rescue.

Then the party decided to go in through the front door and negotiate!  (Due to natural wastage of PCs, only two of them could be linked to the massacres, and they stayed in hiding.)  Reaction rolls were remarkably high but, even so, the Leader insisted that "blood called for blood" and demanded the perpetrators be delivered within 48 hours.

And now the party got creative.  They decided they could deliver bodies and claim to have meted out justice.  But where to find a dead dwarf and 14-year-old girl?  Let's just say ...that they managed it.

• 29 Dec - Session 4

Now there was nothing stopping them going out, defeating the beast, collecting the reward and finishing the campaign.

Kitted up with magical weapons, a salve that gave some protection against breath weapons, and a newly-formed alliance with the Goatmen, they set out (hastened only by the declaration by one PC that he was only a few days from retirement).  A well thought out ambush was laid out, back-stabbing attacks and potions were used to good effect, and the beast was vanquished.

Home for tea and medals.  Next stop, Illmire!

Christmas One-Off - Grimbo Grotto

• 20 Dec

As a seasonal treat, I GM-ed the "Christmas farcial horror adventure" Grimbo Grotto by Goblin's Henchman.  I'd run it for my Discord group back in Dec 2020, but never for a face-to-face session.  It was a blast!

Attempting to rescue a kidnapped Ent, the Party battled Diddy-Men, Candy Golems, the Giant Putrid Gravy-Spewing Undead Turkey, Mimics and Cloakers, and (last but certainly not least), an evil cult of Werereindeer.

Stonehell

• 30 Dec

To round off the year, I got to sit on the players' end of the table for a session in which we entered the Stonehill mega-dungeon (a campaign that scheduling doesn't normally allow me to attend).  No loot was recovered, but some decent mapping done.  And my Gnome proved himself adept at hiding in giant mushroom forests while others did the fighting.