We begin 2016's battle games with Dead Man's Hand, a nifty skirmish game we've talked about before on this site. It will be a vicious fight, taking place in and around Smokefall Ridge. The results of this campaign (and the World of Darkness rpg chronicle) will shape the future of the Territory for decades to come.
So what's all this about a strange Pablo? A terrifying bandit roams the Territory, and the brave citizens and lawmen of that forsaken place have banded together to hunt him down and bring his posse to justice. Check out the Dead Man's Hand section of the site!
The interesting bit of this campaign is the "bonus" rounds every month. These will focus on narrative scenarios dovetailing with the World of Darkness games. This is part of our "nesting" of the games this next year - which we will talk about more at a later date.
In addition, one of the first painting projects of the New Year will be to bring to life our Western miniature collection. We've got a fine set of miniatures, and we'll be adding a few more before the season is out. It won't take very long to finish the entire case, and we're for sure to add more Banditos to the box...Strange will have a large posse, dressed to kill!
These sessions were originally recorded 12/13 and 12/20/2015.
Dec. 13, 8:23pm From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell November 3rd, 1875
We decided to go out to Farmer O'dell's plot. At the farm we found a pile of random half-packed objects in the floor and coins nailed to the trees. Farmer O'dell is not there.
9:20pm
We go out to find O'dell and find him on a path toward the river. Jakey Wales pulled a gun on him and got shot a few times. While we stop to tend to him, Juan chased after O'dell and fought him.
Dec. 20, 5:30pm We went back to town, with the injured Jakey Wales in the cart. We found a place to put him so he would be safe. The group decides to leave for Round Bend just before daybreak the next day.
November 4th, 1875
When we get to Round Bend we find a group of Native American men with a pile of the bodies from town. Kyle Barton is with the men, and they tell us to leave after they have a conversation in spirit babble. I argued with Barton about leaving until a blind shaman-like man came up and said maybe we could be useful and tells Barton that we are sleep-walkers.
We walk for a day's time and camp near the blood pit at Table Rock. The group seems overly calm. Anya and I decided that we would take a walk to see if the calm feeling would leave. While out in the darkness we saw a large, scary creature so we hurried back to camp.
Shortly after that we all fell asleep except for Rusty Shackleford.
After we are all asleep, we find ourselves standing near the fire. Barton says that we should go. We go into the pit. There was a black hole that Juan went into first. We follow and saw a shaman chanting at the stone in the pit.
Juan mimics the man and then we were all separated from one another. We all saw the shaman torturing a man until the man disappeared. Then he took a stone from the place the man died.
I appeared in a different place and a man wearing a buffalo headdress painted red. He was Wrath, and he knocked me back into a pile of dead people. The shaman defeats him with dream animals. Then all the bodies of the dead fell into a vortex. At the botton of the vortex was a giant three-headed eagle as it ate the dead. Then the shaman fought it with werewolves and captured it as well.
After the visions we had, we appeared back at the campfire. We had a conversation about the stone, then head back to Smokefall.
We had a conversation about how the shaman was named Oderinko. We then heard a giant thunderclap and rushed outside to find the giant eagle-monster. We saw the clouds open up and shine on Barton and natives all around. The things disappeared, and Bartons' eyes glowed for a moment. He approached a wounded native on the ground, joined hands with him, then the native died.
A huge wolf-man walked from behind the barn holding a staff. The wolf-man tossed Barton a bag of what he called "silver klaives" to us.
Astute perusal of this site would alert the reader to the fact that a few days ago, a lot of articles were gathered together under a new 'Galleries' section, accessible from the nav-bar above. This has been a feature long requested, but we weren't sure how to implement. There were a few considerations to keep in mind while we deliberated on this, but the end result was we put everything in there anyway.
You'll note some differences in both how things are labeled and (most notably) the variable quality of the photographs. It's been several years since we started this and we've gone through about four cameras so far, but we obtained new equipment not long ago. We considered starting the gallery from this point on, using the newer hi-res photos to make sure it all looked good. In the end though, this wouldn't be right - everyone deserves to have their stuff shown, and putting it in the organization we have allows us to show a timeline of work.
The Galleries are now broken into four sections. The first is the Terrain section, showing the terrain we've managed to catalog and eventually expanding to all past and current projects. We've got a whole new table planned and the materials ready to go for "Grey World"! The miniatures sections are now split between Historical, Sci-Fi and Fantasy to help categorize our seasonal games despite the rulesets we choose to use or the manufacturers we choose to purchase from.
Here's the thing - the Galleries are still seriously incomplete. All the showcase blog articles from the last five years have been included, but what of all the stuff we've been doing that hasn't made it to the site yet? We've done a ton of work that has yet to be photographed, mainly because we play a lot more games than we manage to catalog in this journal. Now we'll have a showcase for the latest Gallery articles on permanent display.
We've almost perfected the process for turning out group projects in a reasonable time. Format has been the largest concern over the last year as we buck the wargaming trends that have been in place for decades. We've found our stride, however. 2015 will go down as a low point in blog activity for the Wargate for a lot of good reasons, all real-life related. 2016 is going to be an entirely different story, however...and we're looking forward to it with much gusto.
These sessions were originally recorded 11/15, 11/22 and 11/29/2015.
Nov. 11, 6:28pm From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell November 1st, 1875
We went to the next town (Round Bend) to notify them about dead bodies. On the way to their town we find another dead body.
Jakey Wales stood over the body and cut himself. A spirit came to him. It said to him that it knew the man was dead and that it found him.
We found another body of a younger woman. A quarter of a mile later we find another dead body.
In the town we found a bunch of dead people (35). There was smoke coming from someplace in the town. As we walked into the town we noticed all the bodies were all face down facing Smokefall. I also noticed there were a lot of blackbirds.
Jakey Wales seemed to be surrounded by a spirit.
We walked into the church and it all seemed to be covered in blood. The group decided to go into the saloon and see who was alive there. In the saloon, we found a man who seemed very disturbed and said he hadn't and wouldn't go outside for days. He said he would make a meal for the group, but we went to investigate the town.
I headed quickly back to Smokefall before they did so.
November 2nd, 1875
After the group returned to town I showed them the picture I had taken of Jakey Wales. There was a mist around him that seemed to suggest a human face.
The Doctor's Office caught fire. Doc ran out of town toward the totem. Juan saw the Doc and followed him. Once they got out there the Doc turned wolf-like and scared Juan away. They both ran back into town.
A man came into town and the Doc told the man about the wolf spirit. The man told the Doc that he could help him. The Doc goes with him and everyone heads off to find items the man told them to look for.
I went with the man and the Doc. Just outside of town the man pulled a gun on the Doc and said to go to the locus barn. I turned to shoot the man, and shot off his hat. He shot me and then the Doc shot him. The Doc and I hopped on my horse and rode into town.
The others went to go see if they could find the man. They only saw a trail of blood. After the group came back, we debated on what we could do to help the doc and he requested to be tied up. The Doc then started to speak in gibberish.
Jakey excused himself and returned shortly thereafter. He grabbed the Doc and made for the locus. In the barn, they say a wolf monster battled an eagle spirit, and in the end the eagle ate the wolf. It then told Mr. Wales to come back regularly.
We went back to the saloon and then the creepy guy from the river, Burke came in. He suggested that he knew what was going on, and we should agree to help him. He explains that in return for the locket, he will give us information on the demons that plague us.
Burke told us when Oderinko the Shaman's tablet was destroyed, it released 7 demons into the world. He said the demons had learned things from their imprisonment. Burke's horse walks around on the boardwalk watching us.
Demons of Table Rock
Lo'khahn the Avenger (Malus Locus at Table Rock)
Kho'al the Warrior (Reverend Revenant)
Voku'ale the Serpent (Burke)
Saskahale the Black Wolf (sent to Hell, was urging the Doc)
Last weekend marked the sixth year we have celebrated our new favorite holiday, and the celebration was grand indeed! Friends old and new pitched in to make it one of the biggest Krampusfests we've ever had, and I want to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to make it so. The girls especially worked really hard at all the grub and presentation and lent a gravitas to the situation that could not be denied.
"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this..."
We marked the festivities with a grand feast, as per usual. This year were the proverbial Indian Tacos (sic) and a plethora of other goodies. There was even vegetarian fare, as has been the custom the last few years. We asked folks to stop by our photo booth, and nearly 200 pictures were taken last Sunday. We'll show a few here, mostly because I'm lazy.
The 'Whovian' Delegation, after swapping super-deformed Time Lords.
This year has been a marker for Krampusfest, not the least of which being the release of a new movie. I haven't gotten to see it yet, but I hear good things. The pop-culture mainstream is catching on to Krampus, and we couldn't be happier.
We're considering putting together a podcast for the community, and right now we're exploring how to best expand our horizons. We've got some definite goals for the near future, and we'll talk about that at a later date, but the short of it is that the format of the club is going to change to something far more dynamic than the hermitage it has been the last year. It's time to branch out!
"In this general direction. Here. Over yonder."
The fun and festivities carried on into the night. There was such good fun and cheer in the air that no one even noticed we weren't playing any games. That's right - nary a single die was rolled this Krampusfest, for everyone could not stop eating (even for one round of combat). That's how you know we're doing it right.
To everyone who came out, to everyone who helped organize, and especially to those who helped prepare the feast, let me give a collective "Thank You!" on behalf of the entire club. Every year you've outdone yourselves and this year is no different. I really felt the energy and enthusiasm welling up in everyone despite there not being any games this Krampustag. I know my own drive to game and complete projects has been ramped up to a new degree, and new projects are in the works!
Though the roster and games may change, Krampusfest is our yearly reaffirmation of our community and club-spirit. It's absolutely essential for the club to celebrate this holiday, and now I think it's more than just a quirky ritual. It's become part of the Wargate tradition. Who knows what Krampusfest 2016 will hold?
These sessions were originally recorded 11/1 and 11/8/2015.
Nov. 1, 6:37pm From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell October 21st, 1875
I set up my camera in the house that I had taken a picture of. We stayed in the house over the night.
We did not see or feel anything strange. We did hear the scream in the middle of the night. We went outside to investigate but found nothing.
The next morning I went out to go take a picture of the men that were working on building at the spirit lodge. The was a very strange aura that we could all feel. Once the picture was developed, it was very disturbing. I took it to the Yellow Rose to show them. It had a blackness behind the people in the picture where the lodge should be.
That night, a few of us decide to stay up and watch the town. We set lanterns and I laid red clay dust along the entrances and exits of town. That night I found the locket from the house in my bedding.
In the middle of the night we heard the scream again and followed it to find a girl in the middle of town. She looked sad, and pointed out of town toward the stream. We went out to the area indicated and found a lit cabin.
We called out to the cabin, and an evil-seeming man came out to greet us. There was a strange horse. He told us there were lots of spirits in the creek. He suddenly asked about the locket that I had. I showed it to him after it seemed to get warm. The man said his name was Burke. He grabbed my arms and tried to make a drinking motion toward it.
Juan punched him and he let go of my arm. We went back to town. There was a trail through the clay dust where the girl had walked.
The next morning, we headed out of town after a nap. We went to investigate the creek. We found an old cabin. In the cabin, under the floorboards we found three bodies buried in the ground. There were two women and a girl. We take them to bury them in the church yard.
The nightly screams cease.
Nov. 8, 6:37pm From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell October 31st, 1875
We decided to have a celebration around the totem and try to raise the spirits of people around town. The kids are going to trick or treat.
After the party is over we hear a man yelling for help. We run to try to help him - he was covered in blood and proclaimed "They're coming!" Then he ran away. We went to see who "they" were. Out of the darkness came a blood-covered woman who was missing half her head.
All the men shot her. She fell to the ground. Just then we heard more shuffling footsteps in the dark. There were more people covered in blood with split heads The things moved in a terrible way, and were upon us in moments.
We shot the men and took the bodies to the house of the Doctor. A man from town panicked when he we saw the bodies and us covered in blood. We all go to get cleaned.
Not long after that we heard gunfire and a terrible roar outside of town.
November 1st, 1875
The sheriff went to find the man that we saw covered in blood The man has left town.
Star Wars is one of the biggest properties around right now. I mean, it's always been a big deal (for at least my entire life) but it's not always at the forefront of pop culture. That has to coincide with special days / events - such as the release of a new movie. The 4th may be with us, but it's not the gigantic festival we've seen lately every single year.
We've seen how the franchise has gained traction in the gaming world over the past few year and a half or so with X-Wing blowing up, but things are starting to get a little crazy since this particular thing showed up on the internet a while back:
I thought I'd take a moment and talk about Star Wars at the Wargate, and our plans for the future. The franchise has some life back in it now, but we've been planning a resurgence of our own for a few years now. We had great campaigns earlier this year, and that just happened to coincide with the release of the new movie.
Most of us have fond memories of Star Wars of ancient times. Playing with action figures with our lil' buddies, watching the movies when they were first released, buying the glass cup set from Lucasfilms' promotional partners, etc. Dropping Boba Fett to his death from the dizzying heights of the swingset slide. I know I was overly fond of watching things fall and hit the ground when I was a child. That's not creepy - I never dropped any of my brothers off a ledge or anything. Action figures were not a protected species, however.
So about four or five years ago, there was a motion to bring Star Wars to the Wargate in the form of a supported season, but at the time the franchise and setting were regarded as passe. People were more in favor of FASA's Star Trek or Dr. Who and showed absolutely no interest in the Force. I didn't really understand all of that, but the focus group had spoken: not only was Star Wars right out, but in a sense we found that the whole thing was an object of derision and ridicule.
For us, I think the biggest reason we hadn't supported the franchise was the failure of Sony's Star Wars Galaxies than the prequel trilogy, which are widely maligned and at first glance you might have assumed that's why Star Wars got a bad rap. Yes, in 2003 we at the Wargate were total Star Wars nerds. Somewhere, it turned sour for us - probably born of that experience with Sony. Lucasarts, if you're listening then take note there. Your licensee was a total failure and cost you big - at least with this small club of gamers.
"Actually, I'm kinda 'meh' about this hyperdrive right now."
Fast forward a decade or so. We got a good deal on a pile of D20 Star Wars books - almost the entire run of the Revised D20 version. Then a peculiar thing happened. X-Wing had just released, and it looked interesting...so we checked it out. Then folks started looking at the D20 books...then we realized there were Star Wars miniatures in the treasure hoard. After that, it was easy - Star Wars was on a resurgence...and we jumped on it willingly.
We even started buying lots of the old Wizards of the Coast prepainted miniatures...something we hadn't done before the Pathfinder Battles line came out and showed us that prepaints didn't have to suck. X-Wing was a dealbreaker - everyone fell in love instantly, even most of the ardent Star Wars detractors. Then I finally started watching The Clone Wars animated series and began to understand what we had been missing this whole time.
I was still on the fence about The Force Awakens at this point in time. The first trailer (above) didn't really titillate me for some reason - maybe it was just the *bleh* of the prequels that kept my fervor from rising for the movie, even as the club's enthusiasm for the setting and, most importantly, the games continued to rise. Then, the second trailer came out. I had been hearing about it for a week, as it had broken the intenet. I avoided it, however...as is my wont with things so...mainstream I guess you might say. Everyone was on that wagon, and you know how that goes. Then, one night very late at night while I was by myself and about to crash out I was browsing YouTube and said "What the Hell?". I clicked the button.
I don't really know how to describe the feelings that washed over me as I watched that, alone in the dark and half asleep, for the first time. I felt an unfamiliar feeling as my face contorted into a grimace, and tears welled up in my eyes. For those of you that know me and know full well I don't even have emotions, let alone cry about things will know that this is highly peculiar, but it's true. I cried tears. It was weird.
It moved me. I was mad about it though, and started combing the internet for the week's worth of information I had missed. I was literally mad that it had touched me in a place I didn't even know existed and I wanted answers.
Turns out, I wasn't the only one. The first thing I found on the internet was this gem. Someone had made that. It was exactly how I felt. I have never, ever felt closer to Matthew Mcconaughey. Not even when I watched Magic Mike.
Turns out, I wasn't the only person this had happened to. It was like that trailer was perfectly designed by mind-control experts to tug on the heartstrings of nerds like me, i.e. brought up on or greatly influenced by Star Wars. And it worked like a charm.
So, we started getting models. We drafted Star Wars stories and began our RPG campaign. We played X-Wing...and loved it. The setting has things that appeal to everyone, even if they don't admit it at first (looking at you, Star Trek guys). What's more, people readily identify with Star Wars. I think the only other setting that's close to the familiarity folks have with Star Wars are the World War II games...and generally speaking are far more familiar with the space opera than the real world history. Star Wars was not only on the upswing for project enthusiasm here at the Wargate, it's picking up a lot of momentum in the mainstream.
A padawan might call this mainstream momentum "hype"...but true Jedi understand that this resurgence in the Force could very well herald the dawn of a new age. The amount of money that's behind this is only thrown at it because of the amount of excitement among it's target demographic is phenomenal. Perhaps even unprecedented. They aren't trying to brainwash you into watching the film, they pretty much already know you will (most likely whether you have any desire to or not). No, all those mainstream TV / product tie-ins are there because the demand is there.
We'll leave all the film speculation to other corners of the internet, as what I want to focus on here is what that means for us as gamers. The Force Awakens was titled conspicuously from the very beginning, in my mind. It long signaled that Disney wanted to revive the franchise long-term. I knew there would be at least six more films, judging simply by the release schedule. 3 films in the new trilogy (part 7-9) and then three stand-alones.
The idea that the franchise would be officially supported by the "hype-machine" helped us make the decision to keep Star Wars on the Wargate schedule long-term. 2020 is pretty much the foreseeable future, and we all want our investments to pan-out. However, apparently there is a lot more in store even than that, and that points our meters to an upcoming golden age of Star Wars gaming, headed up by Fantasy Flight.
Star Wars will be occupying Season 3 of next year's schedule. Next year will be slightly different in format, as there will be 3 four-month seasons instead of 4 three-month seasons. In fact, Star Wars will probably be our Season 3 setting for the foreseeable future, as it titillates us to no end that at the end of each season we'll be treated to a full-on Star Wars movie. December will be full of even more fun here at the Wargate - Krampus at the beginning of the month, and Star Wars movie release at the end!
Don't worry though. We're not going to build any new Death Stars. We'll leave that to Disney, and explore the Star Wars universe outside the immediate vicinity of certain types of artificial moons (i.e. with planet destroying super-lasers).
These sessions were originally recorded 10/18 and 10/25/15.
From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell October 19th, 1874
10/18
We went to greet the men herding the animals, and they were friendly.
We continued to the area that Barton wanted to go to. The area was a pit in the ground. That pit was covered in blood. there was a stone in the center of the pit that had a burn mark near a split in the center. The stone is covered in blood and there is a boot.
There was a cowskin stretched on rack that has some sort of writing near the altar.
There was a trail of blood that looked as if someone had crawled away out of the pit. After a brief argument in the pit about the plan of action to take, we come to an agreement that we should follow the trail of blood. Upon leaving the pit I heard something that sounded like three voices speaking in unison.
"Come back if you ever need anything."
At the end of the trail was a man in a crumbled heap. Barton reached down and grabbed the man and the man said "I have failed, Praxiteles..." - and after that Barton shot the man in the face.
The man's body then stood back up - after being shot - and said in the same voice that spoke in the pit. This time it said "Behold my Testament!"
Then, the Doc shot it again. Barton wanted us to burn the body. We did and we sat to watch it burn.
October 20th, 1875
10/25, 7:35pm
The next morning we had a funeral for the pioneer couple.
A man came into the town that the people seem to know. They greeted him warmly. He seemed somewhat disturbed at the state of the settlement.
Jakey Wells informed us that he wanted to let us know about the events the night before. He told us that the Doc had followed Barton to his house the night before. He watched the Doc and Barton talk to a demon that Barton had summoned from a skull in a bag. Mr Wells tells us that he witnessed the Doc sell a "year of his life" to the demon in return for information about the shrine that we found,.
The group decided to go out to Bartons'. After no answer at the door we notice a note from the Doc saying he is at the Sweat Lodge. When we get there the Doc tells us that we sold a year of his life to teh demon so that he could get the name "Locar the Avenger" - a spirit he claims can save the town from a three-headed eagle demon.
After that we noticed smoke coming from the other side of town. We dashed to the source of the smoke and found a man's body burning on a pyre. I took a picture of it. Just after I took a picture of the burning body the fire flared up and burned blue. The body was burned away in a matter of moments.
We investigated the fire and determined that the person who set the fire probably escaped into the woods. We headed back to the Yellow Rose to discuss what the next move would be.
Barton told us that the totem was attracting things (even him) to the town. We decided to build something from the materials of an old house to surround the totem.
8:53
In the evening we went back to the houses. Late in the night we all wake to the sound of multiple voices screaming. The deputies went to check the town.
We awoke the next day and the deputies went out to build the structure. I went about the town to take pictures and interview townsfolk. Once developed, one of the photos was very peculiar. There was a woman in the window of an empty house.
We went to the house to investigate and found a picture of the girl in the house in a locket. The Doc asked the innkeeper Sarah about the woman. She said her name was Anna Sharp, and she died of fever.
That night I stayed at the Yellow Rose. I heard footsteps under my door in the middle of the night. I screamed, and the owners of the inn ran to see what the matter was.
After finding no one there, I went to go talk to the Doctor. There was a real feeling of unease in the town.
It might come as a shock to you that in Oklahoma, in the center of the United States, it's almost impossible to find a Western game. We went a long way to find a game that fit the genre and our needs, and it traveled across the ocean to get to us. It seems as if the entire countryside full of gamers has absolutely no interest in this genre. Well, except us here at the Wargate.
It really should be natural for us to get into this genre, but although enthusiasm is built up pretty high there's very little actual historical knowledge about this period with most gamers, especially those here. Let me clarify we had everything we need as far as roleplaying games go - what we started looking for was a way to bring the action to our miniature battles!
Since we started the World of DarknessWild West game a few years ago, we've been looking at how to bring it to the table. There's a lot of different game systems out there, but it was difficult to find a new-ish game to help bring the enthusiasm level up. As I said before, our game stuff had to travel a long way to get to Oklahoma.
It took a little searching around, but Wargames Illustrated has some coverage of all eras. In that esteemed magazine, we saw a little about a game called Dead Man's Hand. We searched for it high and low, but were only able to get a copy in from the United Kingdom. This, for a wild west game. We live in OKLAHOMA.
Great Escape Games has done a great job - Dead Man's Hand seems to fill all the criteria we were looking for in a skirmish game. We had a few Wild West miniatures lingering around from various purchases previously, but most were Reaper...and a few of them I've been unable to identify. Not even really sure where some of these came from, but there were at least four different manufacturers in our Wild West case before we started this project.
After looking through several manufacturer's catalogues, we settled on what we were going to use to populate our Weird West. In addition to the Dead Man's Hand range (which is nice and has great sculpts, it's rather limited) we will be using Black Scorpion Miniatures' Tombstone range. There's a wealth of cool miniatures in there, and they are FANTASTIC sculpts. The resin Black Scorpion casts in is also one of the finest materials on the market and I suggest you check some of their work out. With Great Escape, Black Scorpion and Reaper's model ranges leading our charge into the West, we'll have more than enough stuff to keep us busy for this season and the next.
"Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!!"
Yet as any wargamer knows, you can't just have the miniatures without building terrain for the milieu. Lucky for us, 4Ground's American Legends range has the makings of our dusty Territory township. Those are great terrain pieces, and since we intend to build the town square of our main settlement we can expect to see several of these constructions building in Smokefall Ridge very soon. Not only that, but the Blackwater Gulch range has EVEN MORE great kits we're going to grab up to help populate the Settlements.
"Get a rope."
It's not hard to imagine the entire place. Dusty roads, a dirty well and a few facade buildings. Livestock will be kept, and fences. It's almost a model railroad project but for the fact that this is all centered around gaming. There's all sorts of variety.
Whatever the case in Smokefall Ridge that would necessitate the construction of a gallows, one thing remains certain: you're probably going to need one, eventually. And for me that's good enough reason to build one - notwithstanding how cheap it is! Going forward into this project with our group is going to be a blast.
We don't need a HUGE amount of new items, and can afford to focus on the whole thing as a collective. As we build up our model collection and terrain set, the Settlements will become a more solidified place in our hearts and minds. Welcome to Smokefall Ridge partner - in miniature.
From the Journal of Josephine Maxwell October 17, 1875
6:17
We were awoken in the early hours of the morning by a shrieking scream. It seemed to have come from many voices. We rushed across the town to find a horrible crime has taken place in the home of one of the homestead couples.
I was able to deduce that the man murdered his wife by stabbing her and then almost cut off her head with a butcher knife. Then he took the kife and stabbed himself in the neck with it. He has scrawled the word "TESTIFY" on the wall in his wife's blood.
As far as the towspeople knew, this man could not write.
We look around and find a journal in the house. In the journal there doesn't seem to be any English writing. It is covered in pentagrams and seems to be written in some Indian language, with the word "Silence" repeating over and over.
Out side we found all the mans' dogs still in their pens, except for one. It barks at us and then stares until it runs into the darkness.
We investigated thoroughly and then debated what we should do with the bodies.
I took a black male dog with me.
8:09
In the morning light we collect the bodies and apparently the Doctor cut the head off the man. He claimed it was so the devil could not use the body as a puppet. The sheriff and Jakey Wales became enraged and punched the Doctor in the face.
8:30
I was awoken by the sound of a woman singing in the middle of the town. I stayed in my bed. After an ear-splitting shriek, the singing stopped.
I went to the saloon, and there were several other people there. They decided with me after a story from Rusty Shackleford that it must have been a "banshee".
Kyle Barton has asked if some of the townsfolk would ride out to a place that he has been told about. When we get out to the middle of no place, he told us that he is looking for the encampment of his friend Simon Drake. At that point we hear a lot of livestock nearby.
We go to see what the sound is, and we see five to six men with a mixed herd of animals.
I kept up with the development of 5th Edition from the very beginning. Dungeons & Dragons is close to my heart, and I was very eager to see what solidified on this. Veterans and refugees from the Edition Wars will know what I mean. I wanted to wait until I had a chance to play with it to make any rash decisions, and the Wargate just finished a two-season (six month) campaign using the launch materials in the new Basic boxed set, together with the Player's Handbook. Now after all that, and despite all the forebodings and ill omens, I can say without reserve that I very much like the new game.
The physical book is beautiful, as is to be expected. Matte and gloss hardcover, full color interior. Very nice, as all Wizards of the Coast publications always are. The price point is $49.99 MSRP, though that might be stretching it for an item like this - especially if WotC intends to pop a new edition if five or so years. If you are fixed on this, Wizards, see to it that fifty bucks remains the standard for some time to come, and that quality does not diminish. Remember, you are competing with yourselves and the 2000 launch of 3rd Edition.
Anyways, the meat of it. Not a whole lot has changed really. The basic mechanics of the D20 system haven't changed, and really if you break it down it's all it how the information is presented. A lot of rules have been streamlined, and combat isn't nearly as complex. However, a lot of the material we're used to using has been changed or shuffled away. This streamlining limits the system's ability to adjudicate things on its' own and a lot more is left to DM interpretation. I know there are sets of gamers who like this sort of thing but by and large Gatekeepers don't care for it - but this didn't diminish our enjoyment of the ruleset by much, if at all.
Classes always change between the editions. In this volume, there is a single principle that binds all the class mechanics and choices. Each class is well balanced against one another, even as we might rail against spellcasters slinging 1d10 damage at will - but as gameplay progresses you will see that's not really any different from the other classes. As the player classes create the basic game experience for the players, it's important not to downplay this balance - this is a key concept. Under certain situations, something can seem very overpowered, but give gameplay a chance to show you how limited you really are. A lot of things folks would normally scoff at isn't really an issue, as the dice roll.
Gone are the lists and lists of Feats (good luck on those) and most options are built into the class choices instead. There are several variations of each class, and it gives a good spread of the flavors of previous editions, with warlocks making pacts and sorcerers with mystical bloodlines. In addition, there is a big change in the philosophy of how the game should play seems to have changed. The actual gameplay in combat is not a clone of some boring MMO, as 4th Edition was prone to feeling at times.
For six months, we played using only the Player's Handbook and the Basic set. We had one TPK, and the DM did change the scenario for the second party. I'd say that was a pretty good run for the entry level materials, and we're firm believers in 5th Edition now. I can say I'm eager to complete the collection and explore the new adventure tomes.
We might need a few more of these Handbooks for the table.
Smokefall Ridge is beset by fear and paranoia, leading many settlers to vacate the premises. More than half the current population has departed, and arrangements for supplies and commodities may be in danger. The player group meets with the remaining townsfolk and a town meeting at the Lord's Chapel is arranged.
Many of the long-time residents of Smokefall see the characters as "veterans" even though they've technically only been there a few months. At the town meeting, the uneasy subjects of current events are talked about as little as possible, though solutions are discussed. Mrs. Maxwell prods this issue, asking about local supernatural phenomena. In the end, Ignacio is elected sheriff - but the jailhouse has been burned down.
The group meets later, and Don Juan begins to outline his plans for the development of the town. Doc and Ignacio talk with Mrs. Maxwell at length about Smokefall Ridge and it's problems. As the dusk rolls in, the characters depart to their homes to think about their place in the universe and why it's so weird in the west.
We begin our 5th Edition journeys with Reverend Greg at the helm of the new series of adventures, The Rise of Tiamat. The Basic box set has a ton of cool adventures in it, and the DM decided this is where we should begin. Straight from the box set and the new editions of books (as they are released) comes the Reverend's tale of terror and tyranny...of dragons.
The City of Neverwinter, 1489 D.R. In these desperate times, struggles to retain normalcy after so many disasters threatened to destroy it. To this city come our brave adventurers, determined to take on the world and forge their place in it. They come from many backgrounds, but all share one thing in common - reverence for the Platinum Dragon.
Heroes of the Sword Coast is a campaign for Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition. The campaign will utilize the new Basic Set, as well as the Player's Handbook and other basic rulebooks. This season kicks off the new edition with a bang, and heading forward we'll be tackling the first adventures to be published for the new edition.
Heroes of the Sword Coast will dovetail with the club's other Season 1 campaign, Tyranny of Dragons. As players achieve the goals of the battle games, they will be granted boons - various bonuses and boosts that will apply to their Heroes player characters. In this way, our games become "nested" - a trend that will be continuing throughout the coming campaign seasons.
Current Player Characters Total Party Levels: 20
Axelbjart McElfatrick, Lawful Good Human Paladin 4
Raine Copperleaf, Chaotic Good Pixie Monk 2 / Warlock 2
O'thun'udun (Dennis), Good Tiefling Fighter 2 / Sorcerer 2
Axelkirk McElfatrick, Lawful Good Skeleton Cleric 4
Tod, Good Kobold Cleric 4
Deceased Player Characters
Mehmet / Betsy, Lawful Good Dragonborn Monk 4
Grimely Goronorok, Chaotic Good Half-Orc Fighter 4
Zinge, Lawful Good Half-Orc Dragon Blood Sorcerer 4
Boris, Neutral Good Human Druid 4
Gnash Crump, Lawful Good Gnoll Fighter 2 / Cleric 2
Disbanded Player Characters
Lydia, Neutral Good Halfling Rogue 2 / Bard 2
Campaign Log Total Game Time: 55.5 hrs
The Lost Mines of Phandelver (Season 1: 01.04.15 to 03.29.15) Total Session Time: 32 hrs Our characters need hops to brew beer, so head to Neverwinter to sell some Blue Dragon Ale. What this simple, mundane trip leads to is an adventure they weren't really looking for, but managed to find anyway. Seizing the opportunity to both aid others and secure the money they need to get some really good hops, the characters venture out. Where they go, the light of the Dragonfather shines on the oppressed...
The Lost Mines of Phandelver (Season 3: 07.12.15 to 08.02.15) Total Session Time: 9.5 hrs Our characters need hops to brew beer, so head to Neverwinter to sell some Blue Dragon Ale. What this simple, mundane trip leads to is an adventure they weren't really looking for, but managed to find anyway. Seizing the opportunity to both aid others and secure the money they need to get some really good hops, the characters venture out. Where they go, the light of the Dragonfather shines on the oppressed...
Following a failed set of negotiations with the inhabitants of the Lost Mines, most of the adventurers were never heard from again.
Beneath the Lost Mines of Phandelver (Season 3: 08.30.15 to 09.27.15) Total Session Time: 14 hrs This time, a paladin, a skeleton and a gnoll encounter a cluckromancer and a pixie warlock under the sacred Tree of Cocks. The decide to incorporate and create a traveling religious experience, leaving converts to the Truth of Torm all over the Sword Coast.
After a series of failed officiations, all the monsters in the mines are killed and their stuff is taken. For Goodness.
Campaign Resolution
As the players leave the mines of Phandelver and reach the surface, they are greeted to the sight of a blood moon on the horizon. Though they must bury their companion Gnash, they are a lot richer - and have great plans for the future. We'll return next year to find out what kind of hilarity derails thier plans, but for now Phandelver is safe. That's important because our PC's have a 5% stake in the mine there.
Only a few days have passed for our intrepid settlers since the conclusion of The Rough Edge of Night. In those few days, the entire tone of the area seems to have shifted. Folks are leaving the Territory...perhaps for no reason but Fear itself.
It has been four years since we played that chronicle, and it's been a "fan-favorite" ever since. I have been determined that the sequel not let anyone down, and I hope this new set of stories delights and gives the frights to everyone who is going to play. Sequels are always a challenge, but the Territory is ripe with all sorts of great seeds for chilling tales.
Going forward, the games will focus on a Twilight Zone-like mood and set of themes. Investigation and innovation, not combat and exploration, will be the focus of the sessions. While this is somewhat of a different gear than our normal Dungeons & Dragons games (murder-hobos) I hope it will be a welcome change. The difficulty level of the mysteries have been adjusted as well, as I have somewhat of a reputation for plots too convoluted for tabletop gaming.
I should write a book.
As well as the World of Darkness game this season, we'll be adding in some skirmish action in the form of Dead Man's Hand. This will expand the tales of the territory during the season, and we're going full on wild west! In fact, the next TWO seasons will be spent in the Territory...plenty of time for awesome six-gun skirmish action.
So saddle up, vaqueros! It's time to save the settlements from the dark legacies of the Territory. Just remember - the days are short in Smokefall Ridge, and the nights seem to drag on forever.
5:32 We take a rest and eat a meal of dragon meat. As we awaken in the evening we hear the sound of the giant chicken, so we go out to find the skeleton and a wizard behind him. The wizard says that he is looking for his friends. He says his friends made the best Blue Dragon Ale ever. His name is Mal, and he decides to investigate the mines with us to see if he can find his friends and the Black Spider. We discover a goblin after venturing down the tunnel and intimidate him into telling us where we can find the Black Spider. We tell him to leave the mine, but he runs in the direction we are headed. After venturing into another room, we find a wizard who seems to Charm McElfatrick. He tells McElfatrick to leave, and we chase him as he starts to do so. I slap him and ask what he's doing. The party heads back to fight the wizard, who Blinks out and the goblin takes off running. We chase him down and kill him. 6:40 Just then, a bunch of undead come around the corner, followed by the wizard. We battle the wizard and win. We take the scrolls and a few other items we find. We continue on and find a chamber that we enter that is cast into magical Darkness. We are attacked by spiders and the tiefling is beaten down twice, but we revive him. After we defeat the spiders, we see a drow wizard hanging on the ceiling that tries to Web us. We manage to fight and kill the wizard and a doppelganger that showed up. We find a bunch of treasure in the next room.
At one point, I actually read comics. Sometime in the late '80's, before I had gotten into gaming proper, I had a run of X-Factor and Solo Avengers. I didn't collect very many, but the ones I had were some of my favorite pieces of literature when I was about nine years old. Within these hallowed tomes, there were mysterious beckonings from another world posing as mundane advertisements for something I didn't really understand. Those old Advanced Dungeons & Dragons advertisements are what initially drew my attention to this wonderful hobby of ours, and one of the first ones I remember are the old ads for the Forgotten Realms.
Ah, nostalgia.
Despite all those ads and the very real interest they held for me, I wouldn't actually see anything from Forgotten Realms until I got my hands on Menzoberranzan about 1993. From there, it spiraled out of control for a bit. Even though I had cut my teeth on Greyhawk and Dragonlance, the world of Faerun started to gain momentum within my gaming circle - especially after the very popular Dark Elf Trilogy caught on. So, the trend goes.
The revised Forgotten Realms boxed set (with Elminster on the cover) was my first proper setting for the whole line. It's set after the Time of Troubles, and the "Grey Box" is set before said event. Little did we know this would set the trend for moving the setting forward with each edition...but it's continued into 5th Edition - and Faerun is a much weirder place.
The Time of Troubles was used to explain all the differences between 1st Edition and 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. During 3rd Edition, Faerun pretty much had leveled out after this cataclysm and developed into a great campaign setting, one that finally seemed to get its proverbial droppings in the can, but did so by literally reshaping a large portion of the setting. Then...there was 4th Edition.
I'm not going into the Spellplague and all that, as we'll get to it with that part of the story as we progress through the editions...but let's just say it was a retroactive continuity change that significantly alters the nature of the entire setting. If you want a more detailed (and slightly speculative) view of the history of the Realms and how the settings changed within the fictional world, I recommend this thread from Candlekeep. It's a great assessment of the lore, and also showcases how awesome Ao really is.
For the Wargate, the Forgotten Realms is going to be all these things, and possibly more if what Aldrick had to say is even remotely true. Long ago I came to terms with the fact that these settings and games change over time - they have to, for as shared fictional universes they MUST change and grow as all "living" things must. Each setting is it's own theater, and because of how we handle editions here each will have it's own ruleset as well. In the end, this makes for a diverse and rather robust gaming experience.
For myself, I've enjoyed kicking the tires of the 5th Edition and the setting. It's familiar, yet strange at the same time. All the little changes are hard to keep track of. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out, but one thing's for certain - folks have wanted to go back to the original maps and setting for a long, long time. The original box is often hailed as setting the standard for decades within the industry. Among certain OSR circles, it's the foundation and ultimate expression of what this sort of item should be / contain.
I was not happy that the Forgotten Realms supplanted Greyhawk as the "default" setting, but I suppose I'm a holdout. I'm not really a Drizzt fan, nor am I a fan of Elminster - despite going through a phase or two in High School. I'm more of a Mordenkainen sort of guy. Yet, I do have a lingering and honest fondness for the Realms themselves...and more people know about it them than any kingdoms on the Oerth.
Not to mention - the Realms are rife with wargaming possibilities. From Battlesystem itself and the published modules that incorporate it, to the multitude of other rulesets from innumerable manufacturers. There's plenty of good reason for us to use Hail Caesar!, Frostgrave, Kings of War, Saga, Lion Rampant, and that's not even mentioning D&D Attack Wing or Dungeon Command or Chainmail. This is the part that excites me, and once we upgrade our camera equipment (sorry there hasn't been very many miniatures lately) there will be plenty of photos of shenanigans and other projects.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and remember - not every drow miniature that dual wields is Drizzt. In fact - none of them are. None. Zero. Capish?
These sessions were orignally recorded 08/30, 09/06 and 09/13/2015.
From the Journal of a Chicken-Touched Fey (08/30)
7:30 The party goes to meet Gundran after finding fliers looking for help. We find Rockseeker in an inn. He offers gold and a share in the mines to clear the evil from the tunnels. We head off toward the mine and find a town a day away. We find Sildare in the inn. He tells us someone was hired before but they 'left'. We head to the mine to find Nezner, the Black Spider, and clear the minions out of the mine. Outside the mine, we find footprints leading inside. There, we found a large group of bugbears, an ogre and an orc. (09/06)
7:30 Ser MacElfatrick spends the entire session converting two bugbears to Torm. (09/13)
6:11 We sit in a room where we have defeated the bugbears. There are three colored vials, 2 blue and 1 yellow. They smell of flowers, so I put them in my pack. The bugbears have fled, so we head off down the corridors to continue to search for the Black Spider. We come into a large room and see that it is lit with torches. As we are checking to see if this area would be suitable to rest in, one of the torchlights flies up and becomes a flaming green skull. We end up having to battle this magical skull twice. We feed the broken pieces to magical chickens to get rid of it. We head down the hall and find a group of men. We fight with them after a short conversation, and win. One of the men converts to Torm after conversing with Ser MacElfatrick, the other runs off down the hall, wounded. We give chase, and find the other man with a green dragon. After a terrible fight with the dragon, Gnash has died and we are all injured. We collect the treasure and tend Gnash's body.
This season has been kind of slow. Armies are being built, and the tournaments are restructuring. That doesn't mean that we've been utterly idle - in fact, new forces are about to clash as the last month of our 2015 season begins!
So where are we at now, with Western Immoren?
For us, the factions are solidifying together nicely. We've got a large collection of models, and despite our best attempts at marshaling the growth and keeping it in check, it's gotten away from us a bit. Gatekeepers just like the models. It's a no-brainer.
So, like our other games, we'll be focusing on specific conflicts as we grow and develop our armies. The Cygnar Royal Army, the Northern Crusade Army and the Nightmare Army will be the "big three" each made up of , and Retribution will gain the Mercenary forces of the Highborn Covenant as part of the Vindication Army. These armies will form the focus for our club for the next few years as we explore two major skirmishes along the Cygnar border.
Marked on the map above are the incursion zones.
The green area marks increased Cryxian activity. Something horrific is no doubt brooding on the horizon for this area, and rumor has it trencher units are being directed to the westmost terminus of the Twelve Day Road. The proximity of the nearby Garlghast Island has always been a concern, but the goings-on of late have been full of sinister omens.
The purple area marks the area where the Northern Crusade Army finds itself under attack by Retribution forces. These highly disciplined and motivated forces are augmented by Mercenary companies from the Iron Kingdoms - an interesting development indeed. The Protectorate has ordered these supply caravans to be defended at all cost, as they are critical to continued activity further north.
At the outset, the Vindication Army has a foothold in the north - but the Protectorate has yet to mount a meaningful attack on this position. Cryx's outward feeling tendrils have been clipped, but Nightmare Army forces fester all over the countryside, waiting for the right time to attack. It is a time of tense skirmishes, but very soon the entire region will be embroiled in dire warfare.
This season is therefore preparatory time for next year's hardcore tournaments. With painted warriors and a nice terrain set, we will make the Iron Kingdoms just as realized as any other game we've played. It's almost Season 4, though...and the Wargate waits.
These sessions were orignally recorded 07/12, 07/19 and 08/02/2015.
From the Journal of Lydia the Halfling (07/12) Day 1
As we make our way through the mines, a door ahead of us opens and several ghouls come out to greet us. Just as we finish them, another group wanders up ehind us. They manage to hurt us all pretty badly but we manage to dispose of them. We huddle in a room and try to mend our wounds. We aren't doing so well, but after resting a few hours we patch up as much as we can. We head deeper into the mines. After traveling a short time we come upon a room that contained a flaming skull that hovered in the center above a floor littered with bones. We fight the skull and win, but not without injuries. We're not sure what it was. We have to rest again. (07/19) Day 2
The next day we start out down a path that we have not been down. We find a room that is covered in moss and fungus. After much deliberation on if we are going into the cave, Betsy the dragon decides to enter the room iwth a wet cloth on his face. He falls but manages to cross the room unharmed. The wizard burns a path across the room and makes it across unharmed as well. When the rest of us try to follow, I get sick and start to retch and vomit. So does the cleric. We are slightly injured before we manage to make it out of the room. After a few minutes we seem to be ok but the druid cast some spell on us to be sure. We continue to the next room and stumble across a wraith. We defeat the monster, and find a chest full of gems and books. We take the things in the chest with us and rest for a while. We find a room that has a beholder-like monster in it. We defeat it. We head further into the mine and find a room containing three bugbears and a doppelganger. There is an attempt made to charm the doppelganger but it runs off. The sorcerer Zinge goes after it, and we get ready to fight the bugbears.
The halfling throws some ball bearings on the floor in an attempt to throw our enemies off their footing, but after they throw some javelins at us we run up to them and try to hit them and put a rope over their head. We defeat the bears, but there is no trace of Zinge. (08/02) 6:42
We head off to see if we can find Zinge. We find a room with two dark elves. They have a dwarf sitting against a wall.
Last March, we enacted an Embargo on Games Workshop. This was our Spring of Discontent. The club has a strong Anti-GW bent, 16 months later. Today's long-winded and pompous rant speaks (for the first time) about the Wargate's stance on GW, why we have decided on this course of action, and where it has taken us.
In the beginning (for me), GW games were the holy grail of sci-fi / fantasy miniature gaming. It was a graduation to GW from non-miniature table games such as Dungeons & Dragons. I made this transition together with many of you that are with us today as Gatekeepers, and I'll treasure the memories of our adventures through the Imperium and the Old World forever.
It was truly a golden age...but 21+ years later, GW has become a three-headed monster that believes it is king of all gamers. Now, one of those games / settings has literally been destroyed by the company itself. This is completely unforgivable.
GW Sales Rep / Game Designer
The beginning of the end came early for us, but now even the fanbois that hated on us two years ago are starting to get the idea that GW is taking a huge piss on you.
I am happy to say that our club was one of the first ones I know of to move AWAY from GW. it was painful, expensive and it drove some people to quit gaming, period. We caught a lot of flak, but eventually everyone saw the light.
Seemingly happy to vindicate all we've done, GW publishes Age of Sigmar. This isn't our game and I'm so glad we have no part of this. Yet we're not the only ones in the community. GW should see where we are now. You have seen the insanity and resentment toward GW on the internet. It's not just a couple of guys now, but this doesn't matter to the manufacturer of "the worlds' greatest miniatures". No - they still have a lot of folks over the barrel.
Pictured: Top Hedge Fund Shareholder of GW
GW Apologists are out there. Of course you're going to want to defend your investment - we all used to love hearing stories about Space Marines and Witch Hunters. The apologists' think that GW has some sort of master plan, and that it will all turn around. This is all claimed while they watch the communities deteriorate or simply switch to a new game based on the level of investiture they have with GW products and the IP association - and that's why GW knows that they have you. The apologists will buy everything until they wisen up.
We hear that the game is "so cool" but how many of these are shills, I'm not sure. The one demo we watched of the new game featured guys having to invent rules because the ones in the box were stupid and didn't make sense. Thanks for the broken piece of manure, GW. Glad you've not gotten any of my money in a long time.
GW got rid of all the guys we grew up with. Andy Chambers, Alessio Cavatore, Fat Bloke. None of those guys really want to comment on GW's practices these days, but read the subtext of Tuomas Pirinen's view on the subject. Tuomas was with us for a long time in the '90's and '00's, and left GW many years ago along with all the other good developers.
The general vibe seems to be that the hedge funds that run GW are insistent upon strategies that other toy companies use instead of the traditional "game company" model that has to actually provide a good product. GW worked hard and made something of themselves, then they sold out. Plain and simple. And now the faceless financial institutions that are the primary shareholders have turned it into a toy company. There are no more games.
Instead, they've replaced it with watered down and "simplified" versions of the game to appeal to milennials...and to an extent I understand this. For us loyalists, however...it was very obvious that we'd been put on a treadmill of buying re-written textbooks that are only useful for about 1 season. The expense to an individual is incredible, nevermind a collective like ours - and the necessity of owning the material to playing the game showed us that GW considered us to be literal cash cattle. We were in a pen of our own devising - infatuation with GW's IP, which they have latched onto as the only thing that binds their customers to them. So began a campaign by GW to tighten that grip.
The last straw came last year, when we realized that there is no justice and that they only want our money. I had a similar experience with the U.S. Justice system. Call me Mr. Disillusionment, and mail me some hate mail.
So, our final stance on GW is this:
We had thousands of dollars of GW models, both painted and unpainted. There WILL be GW models featured on the website here, but mostly these are models that have been painted already or were bought and thrown into the Hoard. These will be models that we have deemed usable in other milieu, and since we already own them there was an easy leap to make. This mostly applies to old fantasy models, since the 40k models are so heavily IP'd they are completely worthless as anything but what they are.
No matter what models our members choose to paint, we do not support GW. Our chapters can decide to promote whatever they like, and will probably continue to support GW - at least in the form of playing games, because we are making it possible for them to get what they need from the Hoard without giving GW a nickel more. We will support our clubs in whatever they wish.
As for GW...we will not be mentioning them or naming their products - whether or not we choose to feature the models on the site. For us, Attack Wing, X-Wing, Warmachine and Flames of War has taken the hallowed place in our gamer hearts that was once exclusively occupied by GW - and we're very happy.
It's like talking about an ex-girlfriend. It was good for a while...but we were unhappy. We had to break up with GW.
Yet, like Pirinen says - we have never had more choice. And that's the crux of the matter. When GW was good, they were the only kid on the block. It's been a long time, honey. We are never, ever getting back together.
These sessions were orignally recorded 03/15 and 03/22/2015.
From the Journal of Lydia the Halfling (03/15) 6:26
Betsy slaps one of the hobgoblins to wake him. We ask him if he has seen Gundran. He says that he saw him here, alive, yesterday. We tell the two to run away and not return with friends. 7:05
We head into the hold and once more we fight a group of goblins. After beating them, we are attacked by a group of two humanoids and a wolf. Lydia tries to be clever and runs through a door to another room, but gets mauled by the wolf. We manage to defeat the group, and hole up to rest for the night. (03/22) 5:30
The next day we start to search the keep. We find several golden objects anda bloody suit of chain mail. We also found a cask of exceptional Dwarven brandy. Betsy finds a spear that he says fits very well in his hands. Zinge finds a few weapons (swords) and we take them as well. We continue to search. In one of the rooms we hear growling and decide to check that one last. In a room that is close by, we find Gundran Rockseeker. We heal him a little and then go to check what is in the "growling" room. Most of the party waits outside and Betsy and Boris go to let the growling thing out. It turned out to be an owlbear. It fled the keep when they moved out of it's way.
