Game recap

Friday

Margie was off playing D&D. I was busy creating cardboard stand-ups a la Steve Jackson Games Cardboard Heroes for my Spycraft campaign (since they’ve not reissued the Modern CH yet). That should make the next session a bit easier, especially with the horde of security robots I … er, never mind.

Saturday

Jackie started her long-awaited module, wherein I play Hanthor the H’Flahmp. And I learned something very interesting, to wit:

In a module designed for high level characters, assume that all or nearly all encounters will factor in that level and be a threat to you, logic be damned. Bad guys, even in obscure little towns, will all effectively be 12th level, too, and be ready to deal with 12th level characters, even if that makes no sense. Consider yourself 1st level, and be appropriately cautious.

So, for example, you’d assume a 12th level, Large, anthropomorphic elephant barbarian, weighing several hundred pounds, with a Fortitude save of +13, could drink a flask of wine doctored with almost anything that wouldn’t outright kill, dissolve, or detonate the average human slob who would be offered same by some shifty merchant in some podunk town, with little or no effect. At least, if you were me, you would. And you’d discover that you were dead stunned wrong, and sit out the ensuing (but quite entertaining) melee.

We still had a lot of fun. And I eventually did get my bath, even with the giant crocodile to contend with (see lessons learned, above). I look forward to the next installment.

Sunday

Doyce ran his first post-split Nobilis game, wherein we’re now two groups of four, rather than a single group of seven (one extra body having been brought in … so far). A little rough getting started, as we had to do some metagaming design work (new Chancel, new Imperator — sort of), and then we were each off on separate tangents, meaning the “take turns” style of game play ensued, which has its plusses and minuses. (The main plus is that folks keeping character logs can catch up during the interval, though it’s a bitch for folks keeping the session log.)

I’m hoping we’ll do more paired and group activities, both to build unit cohesion and so that we can have shorter downtime, but it’s going to be tough: the personalities/realms involved do not lend themselves to easy groupings (insert easy jokes about clumps of mold here), at least voluntarily — either lack of common interest (besides the boss and the chancel) or actual antipathy, at least from the get-go.

We’ll see how it goes.