Friday, December 18, 2009

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Friday, December 04, 2009

The Japanese...




...you know I love em'....

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

lets see...

... whats new these days. Not too much actually.

Had an enjoyable Thanksgiving vacation (despite the 12 + hours of driving it entailed). Stayed with my sister and her family this time. Arrived late Wednesday night. The rest of the family came over for Turkey Day and we had a nice visit. My nieces are 100% teenage girls, but they are so much fun. Friday was a lazy day of relaxing. Just watched movies and played Wii with my niece all day (and ate lots of leftovers). Saturday I drove to Central PA to visit some family there. Got to see my grandmother, which was nice, I see her very rarely and she is the only grandparent I have left. Then that night some of my other friends that were in town (I was staying with Dave, my cousin and life-long friend and gaming buddy) so we got together for some war-gaming. The Hordes MkII rules were just released last week and we were anxious to try them out. Had some good games, and just a great time hanging out.

Despite having my Xbox back and working after the R.R.O.D. (actually they sent me a replacement xbox) I still haven't gotten back into Dragon Age. It just requires a large time investment and the time has been escaping me. I did get to play a little ODST (it actually works on the replacement xbox, yay!) and its easily the best of the Halo series. I borrowed it, and am looking forward to finishing it up.

I went to see Amanda Palmer in concert the week before the holiday. It was in a little club called the TLA (Theatre of Living Arts) on South Street. Went down to meet my friend Jason, then we took the subway over to South Street. neither of us had seen Amanda Palmer live before, and neither of us have ever been to this venue. It was quite small. The was maybe 300 people there, not crowded at all. The opening act was a band called Nervous Cabaret, and they actually came back on later and served as Amanda's back-up band. They were pretty good by themselves, and were really good as her band. Amanda was awesome, she really puts ona good show. She even did a "Ask Amanda" segment where she took questions from the crowd. She also gave away 20+ tickets to followers of her Twitter account. She was a great live performer, she even showed up in the balcony for her encore, playing the ukulele and singing right there with the audience. The below picture was taken with her and the band right after the show in Philly. If you have a chance to see her perform, don't pass it up.

There are also lots of YouTube videos of the concert... here's a couple good ones (including an awesome cover of the Ting Tings):



Tuesday, November 17, 2009

SSF4 - New Character run downs



Juri and THawk both look pretty cool. DeeJay.. well, he looks like DeeJay, what else can I say?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Very Cool.

If you have not played/finished Bioshock yet... don't watch. Spoilers.

Friday, November 13, 2009

some things this week

Well, its been a quiet week here. I was totally enthralled by Dragon Age : Origins. Its a fantastic game, and lives up to the pedigree that precedes it. Let me explain it this way...The only thing better than KOTOR was Mass Effect. The only thing better than Mass Effect is Dragon Age. Which leads us to infer.. the only thing thats going to be better than Dragon Age is Mass Effect 2. So, in summation, Dragon Age has made me more excited for Mass Effect 2 than I was before. Bioware is awesome.

That being said... Monday evening, as I prepared to continue my journeys in Dragon Age.. my 360 gave me the Red Rings of Death. So now my console is in Texas being repaired. Hopefully it'll return next week and I can continue to protect the world from the foul Darkspawn. In the meantime.. I am going to get a bunch of painting done... and get some work done on Earthynn. I bought Campaign Cartographer 3, and have been fiddling around with it. Its a complex program, but not unusable. My biggest hurdle is getting used to the very non-Windows control scheme. The tools it provides are very cool though, and I cant wait to get my map done. I also need to finish up prep work for our next adventure.

On the plus side... I contacted Xbox Support and they said they will ensure that all the problems with my console are fixed. So the problem with Halo 3:ODST that I (and many others) have been having may finally be rectified. So at least I can kill two birds with one stone. Also, I will say that Microsoft made it really easy to get a repair done on my console. I have had it for 3 years with no problems, and its still under warranty. So after three years of use, I can still get it repaired and shipped back for free. They certainly had some issues with their hardware, but at least they do a good job of taking care of it.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

SSF4



The new modes look really cool. Team battle especially.

Friday, November 06, 2009

ha ha.. cool.

Awesome



I am gonna be very sad to see David Tennant leave the role of Dr. Who.. but at least we have a few more episodes before he calls it quits.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Avatar



hmmm... now I see what all the hooplah is about...

Plastic Warjacks!!


Starting in January with the release Warmachine Prime MkII, Privateer Press will be releasing Plastic Warjack Kits for all of the factions. I knew they would looks awesome because Privateer Press makes everything look awesome, but wow! They outdid themselves this time. The only thing that makes me sad is that it makes my old metal warjacks look puny. Only one of these warjacks is new (the one above, the Decimator).. the others are plastic versions of the original metal ones, but I may have to buy some just because they are so cool. (even though I already have duplicates of some of the metal ones) I also don't play Khador as my main faction anymore.. I just have specific armies within the faction that I play, so I don't really need a bunch more warjacks.. but man.. they look so cool...




Monday, October 26, 2009

from cleric to cleric...

Well, yesterday was another Pathfinder RPG day down in Philly. Had a great time as always... however.. my character died. I was playing a cleric of Sarenrae (Goddess of the Sun)... and in perfect "bad omen" form... he died stumbling around in the dark. We were exploring a cave of a Medusa.. and only a few rooms in we encountered a room filled with Deeper Darkness, and none of us had enough powerful light spells to counter it... and this dark room was full of Grimlocks... I don't think further explanation is needed. I will say this... Jal Chavali (my character) probably had it coming.

No other character I have ever played has dropped to negative hitpoints more than this one. It took the DM quite a while to get the job done... our gnome sorcerer made a valiant attempt to save me.. he reached my body (mind you this is all happening in pitch blackness, during combat), and find my Wand (Cure Light Wounds). Though at this time at was at -8 HP. So he had two attempts to make his Use Magic Device roll... the DC was 20. He had a skill check of 10, so he had a 50/50 chance... and failed both times.

So now I need to create a new character. Since I was the cleric, and the only healer for the party, it seems I will need to fill that roll again. So my choices would be... Cleric, Paladin, Bard and Druid. I have ruled out Paladin, since there are many melee fighters in our party already (we have 2 Fighters, a Barbarian, and a Sorcerer) and I am leaning against Bard right now as well.. just don't have a good Bard idea at the moment. (and it also takes Bard's awhile before they become good healers). So that leaves Druid and Cleric. And in actuality.. I think I am just gonna go cleric.. but maybe multi-class a bit as Rogue. One of the main gods of Pathfinder is Desna, and she is the goddess of luck, Travel, Stars and Dreams. I thinking a Half-Elf who grew up in the city with his human family... the levels of Rogue represent his city life, and Cleric represents his chosen path... still have to hammer out the details...

Thursday, October 22, 2009

transformers!!




Can't stop... watching.. it...
Can't stop.. smiling...

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Earthynn continues...

So, last weekend we got together to continue our Earthynn campaign... much fun was had by all. I tried a couple new things in this one, mainly I wanted to incorporate more skill challenges to the adventure. They worked out pretty well (one was out-smarting the ogre, and the other was opening the magical door) I also built the dungeon beforehand using my Dwarven Forge pieces, and then photographed it so I could remember how it went together. It was a really cool way of creating a dungeon. That combined with the awesome online tools that WotC provides, and the ever useful Google Documents.. writing stories for 4e is a breeze and quite enjoyable. :)

Earthynn Adventure Log 2 – The Rescue of Thri Flamebeard

A Brief Breakfast

The party enjoyed a tasty breakfast of fish muffins and squid bacon , rested and recuperated from the previous trials… when a grizzled man and his large grizzled companion entered the tavern. The man introduced himself as Charleston, the finest archer, and lead hunter in Seaburgh. His aged features and stern countenance lent the news he brought carry more weight. The body of Liara was found along the river bank. He lightened the dark mood with news of hope. Thri Flamebeard may still be alive… oh, and the Ogre is still out there… Charleston offered to lead the party to the Ogre.. they set out post haste.

Hostile Wildlife

The travel had been fairly uneventful, the lack of bees and wildlife was disturbing, and made for a quiet walk. The party had at time, felt to presence of eyes watching them, following them.. but saw no sign of anyone. After close of two days of travel, the party set up for camp. Maresk Thorntongue drew the last watch, and just before dawn… heard a tremendous amount of rustling in the bushes. The party arose and scouted out the scene… Flying mosquito-like bug/bat/bird things (stirges) circled a struggling kenku who was all tangled up in some horrible blood-craved plants. After some preliminary attacks the party decided to team of with the Kenku to best the evil foliage and the opportunistic stirges. The Kenku was far sneakier than his brethren, and after the plants were subdued darted behind a rock to hide. The party spotted him, and the interrogation began…

Bird Brain

The Kenku was tied up and the questioning began.. the chaotic finger of Nowhere and the draconic lungs of Tannim were enough to sway the bird to speak. He cackled out his name in his bird language and revealed he was ordered to spy on the town of Seaburgh and later his orders changed to spy on the party. When asked who gave him the orders.. he simply said “She did”.. He did not know her name, or refused to speak it. There was a bit of fear behind his eyes when mentioned “her”. He caw’d to be let go, that he would stop following them.. he was no threat to them.. His whimpering and cawing was too much for the mighty Goliath whose frustration got the better of him and he wacked the bird of the noggin. Now fearing for his life, the kenku became even more loud and annoying.. and readied himself for battle. Before more needless blood was spilled the soothing tones of Dyrge brought everyone back to a more reasonable state. The party was then able to glean a bit more information.. the location of the hidden rebel base…Dantooine. I mean… Murasha… their roost was in a ruined watchtower outside the ruins of Port Murasha. But there were still Ogres to defeat and dwarves to rescue.. so the bird was released and the party continued on.

At the Court of King Drooj

They reached the clearing where the Ogre was said to be residing.. and they quickly spotted him. He sat atop an old overgrown dwarven Gate Hold. The Gate Hold was a squat solid stone structure sticking out of a large hill. The Ogre had made himself at home, fire, piles of hides for sleeping.. and looked settled in for a long haul. The party decided to split up and have the Dyrge approach him and speak with him. The others followed him under the tree cover, or went around to take position above the orge on the hill. Dyrge Warsmith approached and engaged the Ogre in a dialogue.. or sorts. The Ogre seemed proud and defiant toward the dwarf, proclaiming his kingship over the “dwarf castle”. King Drooj was his name.. and he stubbornly refused to allow Dyrge to enter his castle. Dyrge’s diplomatic skills only got him so far in the negotiations with the self-proclaimed king. It became obvious to the others that Drooj seemed to be under the effects of some kind of charm… not fully himself. Drooj told of the others who were inside with their friend, and that he was unsure if the dwarf was alive. Then, a bargain.. Dyrge offered to play a song from the mighty king. Then.. the music.. oh the bagpipes! The pipes, the pipes they were a blowin’! Drooj was intrigued at first.. and then sat down to listen to the dwarf’s piping…enthralled. The bag pipes seemed to due the trick, the ogre allowed Dyrge to enter the Hold as along as he promised to play again for him on his way out. Dyrge, alone, entered the Hold. After some quick scouting the Dwarven forged hold the sneaky dwarf stepped on a rat, and seemed to alert the current residents of the structure… fleeing, he made it to the door before being discovered. Warily, he exited, played his pipes for Drooj , and once again asked to enter, this time with his friends. The Ogre agreed, as long as the dwarf agreed to owe him a “favor”. The party emerged from their hiding and entered the Gate Hold.

Intruders at the Gate

The inner hallways of the Gate Hold were adorned with ancient heraldic shields that depicted the symbol a tower breaking in half. The party’s historic knowledge told them this was the Gate Hold of the Tower Breaker Clan. The explored the hallways.. and came to the room where Dyrge was almost discovered.. the door was closed… so the mighty Dragonborn Tannim walked up to it… and knocked. The startled residents turned out to be gnomes. One wearing dark armor and a wielding a short sword; the other wore a long trench coat and brandished an evil book… or sorts. The short conversation and survey of the room left no doubt of the pair’s foul intentions.. they wanted the great ornate door at the far end of the room, and had tried to use Thri to open it. Battle ensued. Strange motes of shadow detached from the seeming “normal” shadows to hinder the party. The gnome in the trench coat turned out to be quite a spellcaster and his Curses and Eldritch Blasts, combined with his illusion magic, made him a formidable foe. The gnomes exchanged some words.. “she sent us help” and on cue, three fell taints appeared.. firing beams of pure hate at the party.. their writhing twisted forms floating in the air. The battle was long and fierce, but in the end the roguish gnome was captured.. the other foes all dead.

Interrogating the gnome revealed he was hired by the gnome arcanist to open the large door. So far, they had failed. He also did not know much of the mysterious “she” that had been mentioned. The two gnomes also both had matching tattoos on their chests… that of a 7-pointed star. The arcanist’s book revealed that they were attempting to open the door as well, but were not getting anywhere. And on the inside of the book, was the same star symbol, but modified to have two wavy lines across the star image. (the book also contained a ritual) The roguish gnome would not reveal the origins of the tattoo.. saying he would rather die first.

The Almost Final Resting Place of Thri Flamebeard

The party scouted out the rest of the Hold, discovering a room which was an old barracks… and a painting adorned the wall of an a band of dwarves storming a tower and bringing it to ruin. In another room, an old armory, they found Thri , diseased and unconscious lying on the floor… they came to his aid.. and after exploring the room, found a hidden vault in the wall containing a few magic items, a shield with a saying scratched onto the back of it, and lots of rats. The rats were easily dispatched. Thri’s fever was bad, but it was determined Thri would pull through.

The Gate Opens

Through various extrapolations.. reviving Thri for info, studying the door, examining the painting, and the shield with the saying scratched into it (“the clan rises”) the party determined a pass-phrase was needed to open the magically sealed door. The pass phrase needed to contain four keywords spoken in the correct order to open the door. Through some trial and errors, the examining of some arcane energies surrounding the door, the party determined the pass phrase. “As The Tower Crumbles, the Clan Rises” The ancient stone door of the Tower Breaker Clan Gate Hold swung open.

Inside was simple room, with no other doors. A pair of finely crafted dwarven statues stood vigil across the room, a pair of stone Tower Breaker legionnaires. Upon entering the room a stone of floor revealed itself to be a door going down into the earth. However; before they could reach it, horrible spears erupted from the ground.. a trap had been sprung! And at the same time.. the statues stepped off their pedestals and engaged the party. The statues were simple, yet stalwart foes.. and the spear trap was an troublesome hazard. In the end, the statues were reduced to rock and the spears stopped. The portal in the floor revealed a dark opening into the earth. The group opted for prudence over blind bravery, and closed up the door in the floor. They licked their wounds, sealed up the magic door behind them, gathered up their sick friend and their gnomish prisoner, and headed for home.


This picture right above was the final room of the dungeon.. the statues were actually old Chainmail models from my old Mordengard faction. They were Dwarven legionnaires. I found them in my bits box and re-painted them to look like statues matching the stone of the dungeon. The Mordengard emblem was a tower breaking in half, and since these models had it on their shields already, I decided to use that symbol as the symbol of the old clan that used to work in the dungeon.. the Tower Breaker Clan. (I knew there was a reason I kept those old Chainmail models around)

Monday, October 12, 2009

Dragon Age!



It soothes the pain of ODST...

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Super Street Fighter 4!


from 1up.com today...
It seemed abundantly clear that we were witness to an impressive hoax or simply an early look at a new Super Street Fighter game after a leak surfaced over the weekend. Screenshots showing, among other things, a returning T. Hawk led us to believe it was real and now we have confirmation of Super Street Fighter 4. Despite the popular theory that the new game would be released as downloadable content for the existing Street Fighter 4 game, GameSpot reports that Super Street Fighter 4 will be released in the form of a disc next spring for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 -- and it won't be a full priced release.

The very immediate and obvious question that springs to mind is just why Capcom made the decision to make this a disc-based released, as opposed to simply doing it as DLC. Producer Yoshinori Ono explained that this was due to the fact that Street Fighter 4's code wasn't designed with this sort of expansion in mind, and the game simply wouldn't be able to support the features being added in SSF4. A downloadable release was considered but ultimately ruled out due to these technical constraints. To ease the minds of SF4 owners, Ono promises that there will be some sort of bonus given to SSF4 buyers who own a copy of SF4, but just what that bonus might be is unclear at this point. You'll definitely want to hang onto your copy of SF4 if you plan on playing online with non-upgrading fans, as the two games won't be compatible with one another.

You can expect to see "roughly" eight new characters -- though that figure could still change -- in addition to the 25 that Street Fighter 4 shipped with. Among the additions are T. Hawk and the brand new Juri, who may not be the only new character added to the mix, as Capcom is looking to add both new and retro characters alike. Other changes include various balance tweaks, new ultra combos for the existing cast of SF4 characters, and an enhanced online component (no specifics on just what's being improved here, except a hint of a potential lobby system).

More details are sure to emerge as we approach the game's release next spring. At least now we know that we can firmly file this rumor as "fact."
I am, of course, excited... I love SF4... can't wait!

Update! Footage of T Hawk and Juri! T Hawk looks awesome :)



from Shoryuken.com:
Some of the information was listed as two new characters, Juri, and Hakan (Hakan being a Arab grappler associated with lots and lots of oils), and EIGHT returning cast members from other Street Fighter games. Dudley, Ibuki, and Makoto from the Street Fighter III series. From the Street Fighter Alpha series, we have Cody, Adon, and Guy, and from the Super Turbo series, we have T. Hawk and Dee Jay. We will have to wait and see what Capcom reveals to see if any of these rumors turn out to be true.


Saturday, September 26, 2009

some quick musings...

Wow.. amazing eh? Two blog posts in two days.. and no YouTube videos in sight! (though if you haven't watched the cat one I have a few posts down, go do that now)

I am glad that Fall is here... though sometimes I feel like I missed summer. I spend a great deal of my time indoors in air conditioning that the summer sun never really makes itself known. But I miss the days of sitting or walking in the sun, its just not as fun anymore when you have no one to walk in the sun with. So, I stay indoors. But Fall weather is always enjoyable... "sweatshirt weather"...

The other good thing about Fall is the return of regular TV shows.. heh. (yeah, I know, I have silly priorities...) With Torchwood and BSG done for good, and David Tennant's Dr. Who done as well, I need shows to fill the void. The first episode of Dollhouse was this weekend, and I enjoyed it much. And in a couple weeks the new episodes of Clone Wars start... new Myth Busters and Legend of the Seeker soon also... So, regular good programming is on the horizon! I started watching True Blood by way of DVD (Netflix) and its quite good. I think Rome was a better HBO series... and Game of Thrones is gonna be amazing... (pilot episode starts filming next month). They also have revealed the Star Wars live action show will be on air as of 2012. Seems so far away... but I hope they take all the time they need to make it good.

Have a couple friends coming over tomorrow to play some wargames.. gonna play Infinity and try out the new MkII rules for Warmachine... looking forward to it. As of this post Halo ODST is still not working... driving me a but nutty really. Bungie has said in their forums that they are working on it... but a solution does not seem to be coming quickly... maybe I will get some Asassins Creed play time in after all.

I need to read more.. the new Landover novel is out. I will have it on my Christmas list.. my mom always buys me the latest Terry Brooks novel for Christmas each year. But my book back-log is pretty long right now... I need a book club or something to make me get my reading done... heh... I do greatly enjoy reading, but with so much other media competing for my time I find it hard to get much reading done. Once I get started in a good book though, I find it hard to put it down... its just getting started that is hard for me anymore.

If it wasn't for my geeky hobbies... I'd be lost.

Friday, September 25, 2009

A real post this time!

Well, haven't done a new honest to goodness post in quite sometime...so how about we do one now? Eh?

So, in the tabletop gaming scene... there's some cool stuff going on. We have played a couple more games of Pathfinder, now using the official release rules. I do not own the book yet, but since the game is written using the Open Gaming License the rules are available online via Paizo's PRD. We just finished a cool story arc involving a "haunted" mansion, and now we are moving on to the big city... we are playing through one of Paizo's published "Adventure Path" modules (a series of published modules all linked together) Apparently there is a fight at the end of this current module that is the most difficult one in the entire adventure path... can't wait. :) So far, my cleric has dropped to negative hit points every adventure...(never said I was good at playing clerics...heh)

My Earthynn campaign got started at GenCon, and our next game is coming up in a couple of weeks. We were trying to get some online gaming done via MapTool; however, we have been having server issues, and at least one of the party is not very computer literate.. so it has been difficult getting it set up. We are still determined though, so it'll happen eventually. But the up coming game looms, I still have some work to do on the story... it is going to be kind of a mini dungeon. They will be trying to free an old abandoned Dwarven Gate Hold from the hands of an Ogre and rescue the poor captured Thri Flamebeard. These are just level one characters so they not meant to fight the ogre... I am setting that encounter up as a skill challenge. Ogres are stupid so talking/tricking the ogre should be fun. Also, I wanted to make sure I had a dungeon-y adventure so we could take advantage of our Dwarven Forge terrain! woohoo! And to make the night even more geeky... I ordered a 12 pack of Dungeons and Dragons Soda for us to guzzle during the game! (see how nice of a DM I am?)

Also, in another great move, Privateer Press has released the official Warmachine MkII rules online for FREE. They are very stark, just the text, no artwork or diagrams.. but they are free, and available months before the rulebook actually comes out (January) The rules are great.. streamlined, cleaned up, clarified.. I can't wait to try them out.Again, a great company who thouroughly support their game. They also now sell art prints in their online store, and just announced the Iron Kingdoms RPG books (which have been out of print for some time) are now available in PDF. Awesome. Oh, and you can now follow them on twitter: @privateerpress

In the electronic gaming front.. I have really been enjoying GameFly. I have gotten to play several games that I normally would not have bought. Currently I am playing Prince of Persia. Its a fun game with some cool mechanics.. the world is also really beautiful... although it hasn't been able to hold my attention. Its basically a big 3D platformer.. you jump around in a complex environment collecting glow-y orbs, and then there are interspersed combat segments, which basically play out as quick-time events. I also have Assasin's Creed, but I have not played it yet. The big news however, is Halo 3 ODST. I ordered it up from Amazon and it came on Tuesday.. I had been waiting a long time for this game and was really excited. But sadly, the damn game doesn't work. The disk keeps giving me "Disk Read Errors" every time it goes to load a cinematic or I attempt to load up the Firefight mode. I can't even get past the second mission without this happening. So Tuesday night I contacted Amazon for a replacement. They sent me a new one right away, and it arrived Thursday. Sadly, I got the same problem... so after a quick internet search.. I discovered it wasn't just me. Turns out the problem is with the game itself and not the disks. A trip to Bungie's own forums yields a thread over 30 pages long with lots of people reporting the same problem. No solution as of yet, and Bungie and Microsoft have yet to say anything "official" about it. And it seems to be a random occurrence, and mainly striking people with older 360s. Like me. So, I have a brand new $60 game that I can't play. (and man, I really want to... the little bit that I could play was awesome...) A game of this caliber.. having this kind of release problems? Someone dropped the ball...

Lets see.. what else... After a long boring slow summer at work, this past month has been crazy busy. Which is great for business because our numbers have been pretty low. We had one employee laid off, and run the store on a bare bones staff (3 people total, including the owner).. but at least the days are flying by now and I'm getting a little bit of overtime. (and I am gonna need it to buy the Retribution models coming out next month)

Think that gets me caught up.. will hopefully be blogging on a much more regular basis soon...

Friday, September 11, 2009

funny cat post

every blog needs a funny cat post every now and then...

Saturday, September 05, 2009



Quick Post... here is a pic from our last Pathfinder game.. Dwarven Forge in action! It was certainly a worthwhile investment at GenCon. At the end of the tunnel a Barghest awaited...

Friday, September 04, 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

Retribution of Scryah

The first of Privateer Press' Force of Warmachine Books released at GenCon this year. This is big for two reasons...
#1 - First Book using the MkII rule set.
#2 - First official new faction for Warmachine since the game launched.

And, unsurprisingly, the book is awesome. The fluff/story was very cool, and the Iron Kingdom's elves have one of the coolest and most interesting back-stories of just about any campaign-specific elven race. The models have a very unique look, and their playstyle is really interesting. I won't be buying my eleven models until October, but I can't wait!

Found a few YouTube videos...(very short vids) Is there anything that's not on YouTube these days?



Sunday, August 30, 2009

Earthynn Adventure Log

Here is the first adventure log for our Earthynn campaign! This is the story we played at GenCon. I am planning on writing up a log like this for each adventure. Provides a memory refresher for the players, and creates a story we can read later. (though I am not much of a writer)

Earthynn Adventure Log 1

Explorers Needed - Apply Within

Dinner by the Bay
The quaint little town of Seaburgh doesn't get many visitors, most of its population are regulars and residents. The town sits alone on the coast of a large bay full of fish. The people know it is full of fish, because that's pretty much all they do... fish. And all they eat...fish. However; on this very night there were visitors. In fact, there were eight. Some had been around for a bit, others just newly strolled into town. This was an opportune time for visitors, as the mayor of Seaburgh had need of explorers.

The eight visitors gathered about in the tavern, awaiting the arrival of the mayor (whom the townsfolk say is a tough woman to track down). The meeting room of the tavern held a long wooden table about which sat a menagerie of people. Some were big, some were small, and some jolly and brimming with laughter and spiked helms. A human wanderer named Maresk Thorntoungue, who seemed as much at home in the wilds as in the city. A Dragonborn named Tannim who shined like brazen brass inside and out. A stoic and complicated Tiefling who travels anywhere and everywhere and is known as Nowhere. A Dwarf named Dyrge Warsmith with copper eyes and top-knot whose spirit could swell a crowd as intensely as his bagpipes. A rogue-ish halfling who revealed little about himself, not even his name. A Golaith that towers over the others with his tower-sized hammer, revealed little of himself but his name, Rothak Bataar. Thri Flamebeard's dwarven laugh and red beard drew much attention during the dinner, but his good nature soothed all. Liara, the Eladrin mage; however, took great care not to draw attention to herself, but rolled her eyes a lot at the uncivilized nature of the motley dinner party. The eight strangers conversed and enjoyed the taverns hospitality. Outside through the window of the tavern's meeting room, the waves crashed upon the coast and in the distance the ruins of the great port city of Murasha stood like an conglomerate of shadowy sentinels reeking of foreboding doom. They group was eager to explore said city of ruins.. though it would not be their destination this night. A halfling waitress shuttled in large trays of drinks and food, sliding each onto the table with effort, but always cheery, un-phased even by the pats on the butt from the dragonborn. After bringing in the final round of drinks, the waitress removed her apron and hopped up on a chair at the end of the table and introduced herself as Clara Clove, mayor of Seaburgh (and part-time waitress at the Bayside Tavern).

Her dark auburn hair was pulled up revealing her aging features. Her eyes sparkled and her green-gemstone earrings glittered as she recounted a tale of the stagnation of Seaburgh... The town has been stifled in its growth due to lack of outside contact. In order for the town to grow and prosper a reliable and ready trade route needs to be established.. new residents, industry, commerce, and contact from other towns and cities is needed. This is where the explorers come in to her plan. A visitor had shown up in Seaburgh a while back claiming to be from a town north along the river, maybe about 5 days travel. Using the river as a trade route between the two towns would allow increased commerce for both, and allow a ready waypoint for further trade with the great city of Gerhbonne to the north. They devised a plan to send some sailors up river to find this town, sadly, those sailors never returned. The new plan is to have these explorers travel up along the coast of the river by foot and scout out any hazards and dangers, map trouble spots, find the town, and return to Seaburgh with the information. Seeing as there was conveniently eight explorers in attendance, Miss Clove divided them into two groups of four, each taking a different bank of the river.

West Bank Excursion:

A Walk in the Park
The early legs of the journey were pleasant. The spring breeze blew at the backs of the stalwart west-bank exploration party and the gently soothing sound of bagpipes filled their footsteps with glee. A Tiefling, a Dwarf, a shifty Human, and a Dragonborn strolled up the river unaware of the dangers looming ahead...

Parliament of Crooks
It was on the second day that during their travels they encountered the sound of familiar laughter... a loud raucous dwarven laughter coming from the river up ahead. Upon investigation... there appeared to be a dwarven sized lump bobbing in the water just on the edge of the river. Dwarvish laughter mixed with gargling river water is odd enough, but when its supposed to be on the other side of the river it becomes even more alarming. The stalwart Dragonborn Tannim rushed to his aid, but upon closer inspection.. the dwarf was just a log doing a grand job of impersonating a dwarf! Gads! Foul log! But then the scaly, talon-ed feat of the real perpetrator vaulted it atop a log near at the river side. The crow cackled from behind his hooded cloak, revealing his black feathers and long spiked chain. His skills at impersonating dwarves was uncanny and his trap was sprung. Many others of these dark feathered men (later identified as Kenku) sprang from the trees.. some wielding stout clubs, others brandishing pairs of wicked talon-esque daggers. A quick and hard battle ensued as the explorers closed in to meet their avian adversaries. The Kenku's ringleader caw'd orders to his birdly soldiers, directing them during the battle, all the while cawing and cackling at the party. They were; however, no match for the four explorers who combined their skills and brought about the deaths. The Kenku and their chain twirling ringleader were defeated.

Bugs from Below
Traveling ensued and after a some distance was covered the land beneath their feet, the weather and the river itself, all took a turn for the worse. The land became as swampy and deeply muddy as they approached the wetland area of the river. The weather also turned soggy, as the sunny breezy hours gave way to gusty rain filled hours, making travel a little less enjoyable and little more slow. But the river made the most direct change, and the once easily sail-able river put forth a rapid-inducing waterfall. Not one of great height, but one that would lead any northern going vessel to take to disembark and travel by land to pass it. This was indeed the case for the Seaburgh excursion as upon closer investigation, a river gong boat was found out of the water and and appeared to have been hastily dropped near some trees and left in a seemingly non-water-worthy state. Peculiar.

It was during the mulling over of said peculiarity that the bug emerged... no ordinary bug, for it was huge.. a large ant-like creature with multiple legs, mandibles, antennae, and a hunger for humanoids. It attacked from some bushes with alarming speed and snatched up Maresk in its acid-dripping mandibles and dragged him away from the party towards the shrubs he emerged from. The startled explorers came to their senses and regrouped to slay this new foe. The Ankheg brought Maresk to the bushes, where there awaited several of the bug beast's larvae, awaiting their dinner with gaping acid soaked mouths. The party rallied together to defeat this foul insect and its kin, surviving the gripping mandibles and sprays of burning acid. A much needed rest was needed, but the inquisitive instincts of the group took hold. A hole was found, a tunnel leading below the ground...

Moldy Food
The short tunnel led into the earth and opened into a long cavern, obviously dug by the Ankheg as a brood nest. The first thing found in the nest was the smell... a sort of rotty, decaying smell. The remains of some giant bug eggs slurped in a pile along one wall, some partially eaten and decayed "food" (the remains of some poor Seaburgh sailors and other poor saps) were piled in the far corner amid various pools of sliminess and mold... and it was this very "sliminess" that attacked the poor dwarf who had crawled in to investigate. Two pools of grey colored ooze sprang into attack, as did a Green slime that was hanging out on the ceiling. During the fevered battle that ensued, some rocks came loose in the wall and a landslide became a slight complication to the battle. The durable explorers bested the grossness and shrugged off the rocks that pelted them.

Investigation of the "bodies" revealed the remains of the seaburgh river expedition and a poor lonely half-orc adventurer (who happened to have been very well equipped before he died.) The devout Dragonborn buried the remains of the fallen folk and the party gathered up their spoils of battle and moved on.

Something Weird this Way Comes

Further into the swamp they ventured.. occasionally spotting tracks of Kenku scrambling about in the mud. Late in that day a clearing was stumbled upon and flocks of crows picked at the ground and hopped about. At the far end of the clearing a group of Kenku gathered, huddled up and discussing their foul works. Dyrge looked off to his side and saw a lone crow hopping and pecking about, it looked up him inquisitively. Dyrge, being the good-natured animal-loving dwarf he is, tossed s bit of food down the the scroungy bird. The bird was delighted, so delighted that he caw'd and caw'd with glee. The Kenku at the far end of the clearing turned around at once and spied the gathered explorers. They assumed an attack formation, their flock instincts serving them well. Strange blurs in the air floated between them as another more sinister Kenku stepped up. He had white feathers mixed in with his black, his robes clung to his avian form and he shook his wicked staff in anger. The blurs in the air solidified some, but not wholly, and they appeared as strange masses of floating tentacles... but they were far from the wost thing that was seen that day. A huge floating, fleshy orb rose among them, it had one great huge eye and a gaping mouth dripping with hate. The tentacles about its head flitted about, each containing it own eye. All its eyes fixed on the exploration party.

A mighty battle ensued. Nowhere matched wits and arcane blasts with the foul Kenku Wingmage who had taken flight into a tree. The rest of the party sprang to action and began to dispatch the foul birds and their tentacled friends. The Foul Taint floating in the air wounded the minds of the party, their foul caresses chilling their souls with dark emotions. These creatures provided nuisances to the party as the Behold floated in and rained eye-rays down upon the party. The Beholder was wise enough to keep the large Dragonborn at bay with immobilizing eye-beams while it directed its more nefarious rays on the others. The battle drug on, but in the end our heroes were once again victorious. They bested the foul aberration and his lowly lackeys.

The Great Goblin Emancipation
The clearing was not made by chance...as it happens there was a collection of simple mud hovels gathered not far. They sat on an island in a ring of mud, a simple reed bridge spanned the mud, but had been trampled down by heavy avian feet. Most of the huts were rooted out, torn up and filled with black feathers, bird dung, and the leaving of flocks of nasty bird men. One hut however, was a goblin prison. A small group of goblins huddled in fear, tied up in the back of one of the huts. Some, lay still on the dirt floor. The explorers freed the wretched creatures, a small mercy to such pitiful creatures. The goblins told their tale of captivity, speaking of the sudden arrival of the Kenku. They spoke of a "bigger bird" who led them, one much scarier than the others. Beyond that they knew little beyond the confines of the prison.

The party traveled on, secure in the fact that their destination was not far, s the goblins had also informed them the town they sought was only a day travel by goblin feet. Though a goblin with said feet also decided to follow the party, and was found out quite quickly. He nervously told the party of the treasure he had buried to hide it from the Kenku, and he gave it to them as reward for freeing his people. The belt he pulled from the mud was indeed a magical treasure... After some more time, the welcome signs of civilization appeared, as did sheep.

Arrival in Sheep-town
The town of Munstown was a small agricultural town. They were known for raising livestock, mainly sheep and some other grazing animals. They were quite excited to see the adventurers and hear the tale of Seaburgh. Trade between the towns would indeed be a boon for the lives of all the citizens, and the head of Munstown, a Mr. Jonn Muston II, was ready to commit to the project. The party rested, but as of yet, the other expedition of explorers from the east side of the river had not arrived...

---

East Bank Excursion:

Pleasant Wanderings
The goliath, the halfling, the eladrin, and the dwarf were ferried across the river by Seaburgh's finest. They set out to begin their journey. A rushing river. Rolling hills. Fluffy clouds. These were the sights that were seen by the intrepid east bank expedition on its first couple days out. The spring breeze was warming and the dwarf's tales were invigorating. Thri told tales of his journeys from here to there, from hill to vale, and everywhere in between; he even told them when no one was listening. As a traveling companion, few could be equaled. The party ventured on, some birds circled in the distance, crows flying in to scavenge some food no doubt. Nothing to worry about...

A Murder of Crow-like Beings
During their third day along the river, the land turned much more wooded than earlier, follow the river became a less direct a route. Paths were taken between the trees and underbrush, all the while staying as close to the river as they could. At one point they were forced to travel inward a ways from the bank due to some large hills strewn with rocks. The passage around the hill was difficult, as the ground seemed to reject visitors with roots, rocks and weeds. This hill also proved the perfect place to launch an ambush. The odd black feathered creatures sprung down from tree branches ready to reap the rewards of the stalking, but the brave travelers were not to be caught unawares. They braced to meet the ambush, their keen senses preparing them for such eventualities. The battle ensued... most of the bird creatures were simple ruffians, using crude clubs to bludgeon their foes... but the odd creature that came after them was enough to give pause to the party. A seemingly translucent ball of tentacles hovered in the air and glided down the hill, its foul presence corrupting the very air if wafted in. It writhed as tiny eyes opens in random spots and fired beams of pure emotional anguish upon the party. The mighty Goliath rushed to meet it, but his hammer passed though it s if it wasn't even there... The halfling flitted among the Kenku awaiting the opportune moment to strike a deadly blow, while the stalwart Thri took on all comers. Liara stood back and sent waves of arcane energy into the foes. The distraction worked - with their attention on the foul thing on the hill, no one saw the Kenku stalking from behind. This one brandished a wicked sword and struck out from the shadows, nearly crippling Liara with one blow. Thri rushed to her aid just in time, leveling his axe against the sneaky Kenku's chest. The battle raged on, and the party bested their assailants. They rested afterwords.. and odd realization was discovered. The body of the back-stabbing Kenku was nowhere to be found. Nothing could be done of it; progress must be made. The party set out to continue the exploration.

Signpost to the Past
As night approached, the explorers moved into the trees to secure a campsite for the evening. It was then that Liara noticed the strange bit of terrain. There was a odd stone obelisk in the area they chose to camp at. It stood about 4 feet tall, old, cracked, and covered with moss and age. Thri's eyes lit up when he gazed upon it. he explained that it is a road sign, and ancient road sign pointing the way to one of the Gate Holds guarding the entrance to one of the Vein's of the Earth (dwarven underground "roads") Thri's explanation was that this was an ancient one that had long been closed off.. but the Gate Hold may still be standing. Thri was ready to head off in search of it immediately, but the party talked him out of it and kept him on task.

Ogres in the Mist
The next morning found them back along the river's edge, continuing the trek northward. The rain had began to fall during the night, and the ground remained hilly, wooded and rough. A thick mist drifted in along from the river. The morning walk brought them upon some disturbing tracks in the mud. Tracks that could only belong to a huge humanoid creature, and they were fresh. The dwarf and goliath were on edge immediately, both having knowledge of giants. These were tracks belonging to an Ogre. Just as the team was about to debate their next course of action a huge rock flew from out of the brush and struck Liara in the chest. her limp form tumbled into the trees. Thri instantly sprang to action and despite warnings from his fellows, charged into the bushes. He then immediately flew back out of the bushes as the Ogre's club/tree trunk smacked into him. The Ogre strode out of the bushes laughing.. "HA.. Little Dwarf! Your dwarf castle belongs to us now! *grunt*" A battle ensued and it quickly became apparent it was a losing one. The party tried to regroup and flee, but the Ogre pressed on. Soon it became an all out run. The halfling sought out Liar's form, but she was no more, her body broken. Thri urged the others to flee and took up a position in the rear of the party and at one point turned to slow the Ogre's pursuit... it was the last time the others saw him. The mighty Goliath and the cunning halfling ran for the rest of the day and into the night. The Ogre gave up pursuit after a while, and when the party finally stopped to rest, they found they were deep in the woods, and lost. It took most of the following day to regain their bearings. They searched for a bit to try and locate Thri's body, but were unable to. So they hit the river bank and continued the journey, hoping to find civilization and regain their strength and lick their wounds. Later the following day, they found their way to the river's bend, and crossed over to arrive at Munstown battered, bloody and tired.

---

The Return to Seaburgh
The six explorers gathered together and made the journey back to Seaburgh along the west bank of the river. The return journey was uneventful other than some rainy weather. Upon arriving back in the village the explorers settled in for some rest. It took some time to locate Clara Clove, asking about, looking in the usual places, but word is eventually sent that she would meet up with the party back at the tavern. Dinner and drinks were free that night, as well as lodgings in the Inn for all of the surviving explorers. Clara also provides each member of the party with 5 Gold and 20 Silver. handed over to each in small bag. She also presents each person with a necklace... the necklaces are simple silver rectangles with an odd dark green shard of a gemstone set in the center. they are attached to a leather thong and Clara, standing on a chair for some, hangs it about each person neck. The gemstone shards are really odd, they are an odd dark green and seem to soak in the light. There is very nice etching along the silver taking the form of waves. Clara explains that they were crafted by a local artisan with a knack for jewelry. The gemstones however, have their own little story she explains. The town has taken to calling them Seaburgh Stones, and several have been found over the years since the town's inception. Always found by the town's hunters and usually near the ruins Murasha. They became kind of a peculiarity among the townsfolk, and would get passed and traded all over the town. Some saw them as good luck, other bad. The inquisitiveness of the party always takes over, but after studying various properties of the stones, they are not magical. They seem to contain an almost faint touch of magic, more like a residual faded aura of some long lost enchantment. (They have no magical in-game properties that you can discern, and they do not count as taking up a neck slot item. Everyone should write Seaburgh Stone Amulet on their character sheets) Clara expressed her undying gratitude, and her excitement for Seaburgh's future was palpable.

Friday, August 28, 2009

can't wait for ODST!



One of the only "must have games" of this fall.. since most of them got pushed back until next year...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Some history on Dice...

very interesting... maybe I should get some new dice...






I should check my dice more closely....

Friday, August 21, 2009

GenCon Flu

I plan on putting a GenCon recap post up, but I have been horribly ill the past few days... hopefully I will be better after this coming weekend.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Pre-GenCon - the calm before the storm

Well, Tomorrow evening I depart for GenCon, will be staying the night in central PA, and then our group will depart for Indianpolis Wednesday morning. We'll make our annual stop off in Columbus, Ohio to visit with my friend jason's sister (who has lived there many years) and eat Hound Dog's Pizza (Pizza for the People!) Sooo.. for the fourth time since I left Columbus, I will be there and availble for a quick visit if anyone wants to show up...considering no one ever showed up the past three years!... buncha jerks :) Anyway.. we are usually there between 5-7. After the pizza, we head out and usually get to Indianapolis sometime around 10 PM. After that its mainly, check in time and relax a bit.. sometimes we have walked over to the convention center.. opens up Wednesday night sometimes for some early gaming..

This year I am prepared.. I have actually made a little list of stuff I want to investigate/demo/try-out/explore while I am here.... not necessarily purchase... but there are numerous things I'd like to learn about. (of course, I'll buy some things.. it is GenCon after-all.)

Here's my list (in no particular order): (some of these companies/things might not even be at the Con... but if they are gonna be anywhere.. GenCon would be it.)

Dark Platypus Studios - they make tokens and battle-mats, and cheap 3D dungeon walls. I have read some cool things about their stuff... their battle mats are magnetic...

Ninja Magic - They are making (may be finished, don't know) a game called "With Hostile Intent" which is a tabletop war game with space ships. Heard good things... interested to see what the models look like and how it plays.

Wells Expiditions - Arcane Legions. This is a new game hitting the wargaming scene... there is a lot of buzz around it. The preliminary info did not impress me, but gonna check it out in person.

Spartan Games - Uncharted Seas. Fantasy naval war game.. resin and metal models that look cool.. wanna see how it plays..

Rio Grand Games - Dominion. This is a card game (and also a board game I think) Again.. heard good things... supposed to be pretty awesome... and not a money sink-hole like most card games.

Dwarven Forge - oh my... I have drooled over this amazing dungeon terrain every year I have went to the Con... this may be the year that I actually buy some... maybe...

Otherworld Miniatures - They make really cool miniatures based on the classic versions of D&D monsters.. pig-nosed orcs, dog-faced kobolds, and really awesome gelationous cubes!

Campaign Cartographer - Earthynn needs maps... this could be the program I need to make them..

Privateer Press - no brainer, the Retribution of Scryah book comes out... and they are also supposed to be making a big announcement on Friday. The announcement revolves around Warmachine, and they said there are "special guests"... the current rumors are: novels? videogame?

Infnity - Second Edition of the core rulebook is out.. and I want to pick up a few new models.

Other than "the list"... we are playing in a 2-man Warmachine Team Tournament. Heading back into the True Dungeon (cannot wait!)... trying out the Battlestar Galactica Board Game (supposed to be awesome)... going to the movies to see District 9... going to watch the RiffTrax version of Plan 9 From Outer Space... and we are going to start our Earthynn campaign! (finally my little world will come alive!)... oh, and I will probably buy some new dice...

See ya at the Con!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Friday, July 24, 2009

D&D 4e Question?

Asked this question in Twitter and got mixed answers. A question mainly about bonuses to damage when using a power.

Here's the deal... Lets say I am playing a Fighter and I have a Power that says I roll 1[W] + STR for Damage. This Power uses a weapon and has the Weapon Keyword in it. I understand the [W] is the weapon dice... that's not the issue. The issue is the STR. Is the STR added twice to the Damage? Once because its a melee weapon (and melee weapons use STR for hit/dmg) and again because its say to add it in the Power? What other bonues are applied to the roll? Proficiency? Feat bonuses? Untyped? Enhancement Bonuses for the weapon being magical?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

HALO!

Really great vidoe.. hard to believe its been 10 years...

D&D Weekend

Had a splendid weekend this past weekend. Went to State College Friday night to stay with my good friends. Not everyone could make it this time... but we had some great Warmachine battles Friday night, and some awesome role-playing Saturday.

My friend Rob, who is fairly new to D&D, wanted to try his hand at DMing and had prepared a one-shot 4e story for us to play through. There were 4 PC's and 1 NPC, all 12th level (also cool because this gave us a chance to try out higher level 4e play). I played an Eladrin Invoker (I love them Controllers), and had a great time. This was actually my first time actually playing 4e... all the other times I was the DM. (actual pictures from our game, taken with my crappy cell phone camera)


Rob's story was really cool, and we found out after the game, it was actually based on an old Dragonlance short story called "The Best". (Rob is a huge Dragonlance fan, his collection of books is astounding) It involved a group of dragon hunters that were summoned by a local town to deal with their "dragon problem".. they explore the dragon's lair with the town's "sheriff", battle their way inside, only to have the "sheriff" be the dragon in disguise... it was a cool story and had some neat encounters. The dragon encounter was not as difficult as I thought it would be.. our 5 12th level players thouroughly trounced that poor red dragon. I think the dragon could have been a few levels higher than it was, I think Rob said it was level 13. But man... 12th level characters are tough...


We also used an awesome method of creating the battle mat.. it was actually projected onto the surface of the table by way of a uniquely mounted projector connected to a laptop.. We were then able to just project each room onto the table with the grid. Saved a lot of time and looked pretty darn nice.


Anyway.. a good time was had by all. Now, all eyes turn toward GenCon... only about 20 days away.. !! I will be starting our Earthynn campaign at GenCon, even though 2 players will not be there. I still have a lot of work to do on that...

Read an interesting article today concerning Role-Playing and Miniatures. Over at the clawclawpeck blog. Basically, the point is that heavy, miniatures based tactical combat in DnD ruins role-playing in those situations.. I understand the point and can easily see it happening. The blogger's point is well made... I am in agreement. Role-playing is only dead if you let it be. Sometimes all you need is the tactical challenge of the combat to have fun (4e is good at this and encourages great teamwork) but playing a character with ideals, passions, and motives is what sets DnD apart from straight up wargames. Any thoughts on the subject from the peanut gallery?

Friday, July 17, 2009

RolePlay Rap

You may have seen this over at Topless Robot.. but I feel the need to share it with you yet again...

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Pathfinder RPG

If I did not like 4e... this would be my system of choice. Hands down the best version of 3.0-3.5-3.75 Dungeons and Dragons there is. This book comes out at GenCon... 576 pages!

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Earthynn on Obsidian Portal

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/earthynn/wikis/history

Well, my full write-up is up on Obsidian Portal now. The complete history of Earthynn (still in a very rough form) is there for your perusal. There are some other bits filled out as well; a little bit about the gods. The history might not all line up perfectly... but the general idea is there and I am happy with it. It is quite long, thats why I didn't post it all on here... so grab a drink and some snacks, and enjoy some amateur campaign world ramblings! Question and comments welcome.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

FEZ

This really cool indy game is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in early 2010! I love it when they bring these "experimental" games to the Arcade. :) Much better than some of the old re-tread crap the shovel onto there...

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

BLOODWEAVERS!


Man, Privateer Press is overflowing their website with new previews! Tons of new Retribution stuff has popped up there... and now... Tharn Bloodweavers!

Awesome.. I had been waiting and waiting for them to finally reveal these models.. my Circle army has been waiting for them since Metamorphosis released.. and they do not disappoint!

Tharn women practicing the rites of the Bloodweavers are true masters of bloodletting. Their devotion to the Devourer Wurm is absolute, and they kill with the visceral immediacy of sacral blades wielded in their own hands. As their blades taste flesh, primal power causes a victim’s heart to race frantically before the blood suddenly ignites and vaporizes into an expanding mist.


Monday, June 29, 2009

Mage Hunters Strike Force



More new Retribution models revealed! These guys are just awesome... and some of the best models yet... (click on the picture of the unit to see it bigger... really great sculpts...)


Sunday, June 28, 2009

Gaming Weekend Complete

A nice long gaming weekend wrpas up... went to my friend Mike's house for the weekend as did 4 of my other good gaming friends. Got there Friday night and spent some time with Mike (while we waited for the others guys to arrive) playing Rez HD and Street Fighter 4 on his giant screen. Then when the the othger guys got there we payed some Warmachine!

It was late so we did a small team game, Circle and Cryx agaist a team of 2 Skorne players. My Circle performed brilliantly, and we won the game without my army even taking any damage. We didn't get to sleep until close to 3:30.. but at 10 Am we were up and ready to play some more... I faced my friend Josh's new Skorne army, led by Zaal.. and 3 terrible Ancestral Guardians... but my Epic Kaya army managed to pull off a win.. it was a great game, a real slugfest on both sides. The next two battles did not go in my favor as much... my Khador (Zerkova) lost to Cryx (eDeneghra), but it was a fun battle. Saturday night we spent the time watching Dr. Horribl;e and Robot Chicken Star Wars on Mike's giant screen, and watching a bunch of game trailers... and again.. didn't get to sleep until 3-ish. Today (my birthday) was spent playing one more game, in which I again lost with my Morvahnna Circle Army being destroyed by Legion of Everblight. But even when I lose, I still have a great time.

We also talked about the upcoming 4e campaign we are going to start soon. We discussed some things in my game world, Earthynn, and we actually have the characters for the party chosen. I was pleased with how the character choices panned out, everyone got to play the character they really wanted, and we still ended up with a balanced party. Here's what we ended up with:

Dragonborn Warlord
Halfling Rogue
Shifter Druid
Goliath Warder
Tiefling Sorceror
Dwarven Bard

We may actually get to start playing this campaign next month.. heres hoping!

All in all, it was a great weekend of good food and gaming.(and very little sleep) I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday than with my friends... only thing missing was being able to see my family.


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Garryth, Blade of Retribution


This guy is the third warcaster that is going to come out for the new Retribution of Scryah army.. comes out in October. Man, he is just awesome... a really beautiful sculpt. He is well deserving of being on the cover of the next No Quarter Magazine. :) One of the best models I have seen or the new faction so far... you can see a 360 degree view of him at Privateer Press' Gallery page.



Friday, June 12, 2009

adventure writing advice??

(If you are one of my players.. please don't read.. hehe)

So I working on my one-shot Earthynn story that I am running at GenCon. Its going to pre-gen charcters.. probably level 12 (wanted to try some higher level 4e). It involves a wizard's tower, a mysterious city and a gold dragon. I have lots of col ideas for it.. the adventurer are going to start with "amnesia" and there will be a long running skill challenge throughout the story involving them regaining their memories... there are some cool puzzle rooms in the tower... the city itself is full of illusions... there is an Eye Tyrant at work behind the scenes... I have lots of cool ideas.. but when I actually sit down to assemble them into a concrete adventure... I get nowhere...

How do I start, where does it go from there... basically I am just looking for tips on structuring the adventure.. should I start just by writing up encounters? Does it benefit me to draw out maps first? should I detail all the ideas I have as individual encounters then find ways to tie them together? Do I write up an outline and stick to it?

The gaming group I will be running this for (and the one that will eventually be the long-running Earthynn campaign) are a varied lot... some are new to DnD, some are very casual players, and others are very hardcore players... so I am trying to be prepared for all fronts...heh

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

wow!