D&D Starter Set Start…Sort of, Part I

Due to various scheduling issues and being down to two players, we haven’t really played an rpg since, oh, I think something like late May. Rachel, RJ, and I have been playing some Pathfinder Adventure Card Game which has been fun but it just isn’t the same as an rpg. This past weekend we had a couple of things align just right to start playing an rpg again…we were joined by a new player, Muse, and the D&D Start Set (plus Basic D&D pdf) had come out the week prior (Secret Headquarters is one of the stores that got the early release). I haven’t given this new edition as thorough of a read as I should but I liked what I saw when I skimmed through it. So we got together to start playing Lost  Mine of Phandelver (the adventure included in the Starter Set) but, in true Fat Rat Games style, we’ve already jumped the rails so to speak.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the Starter Set adventure, Lost Mine of Phandelver, but they are very minor as we didn’t get too far into it. There are also spoilers for the old Dungeon Magazine (#28) adventure, Night of Fear, but we didn’t get too far into it either. This write-up is from yours truly as I didn’t make sure any of the players would be doing a write-up.

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Looking for Players

Long story short, we’re looking for some players to join our gaming group as jobs, marriage, and moves have taken their toll on our numbers. We typically play on Saturday evenings from 6pm to 11ish in the Myers Park area of Tallahassee. Our favorite genre is fantasy but we dabble in others. Our favored system is Savage Worlds but we also are open to others (especially D&D retro-clones) and will give the new D&D edition a try when it comes out. We’re not really big fans of scripted campaigns, rules lawyering, or powergaming. We’re pretty much just a group (of slightly older gamers) that likes to have fun gaming, letting the play tell the story, and, as the website’s tagline suggests, sharing a few craft beers as we do. Beginners are welcome!

If you’d like to learn more, just post a comment here.

A Savage Return

As I mentioned previously, our Conallglen campaign came to an end (a pause?) because one of the three players, Todd, had a change in work schedule and so wouldn’t be able to play for awhile. We also took a bit of time off for the holidays. When we started back up again, RJ had recruited a new player, Dustin, and we started a new campaign using my DIY D&D rules. The campaign was set in the Lonely Coast mini-setting from Raging Swan Press. The central adventure revolved around one of their adventures as well, Retribution.

We played four or five sessions before we had to take a bit of a break again. Dustin got married and for some strange reason thought that attending his wedding, having a honeymoon, and then spending some time with Kirsten should take priority over gaming! Really?!? I mean Kirsten certainly seems like a very nice person but to ditch gaming for…sheesh (you all know I’m just joking here, right?).

In our last session before the hiatus, the topic of other games came up and we got to talking about Savage Worlds. A bonus Benny to anyone who sees where this is going. 😉

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Conallglen Session 15

Sadly, in our last session, Drogar died a rather unheroic and pointless death at the hands (or I suppose hand) of Maeve as she inhabited the body of Hannil. Hannil was also slain by Bryn but Maeve’s spirit fled out of the temple. The party started to head back to the home of Glenis but noticed that they were being followed by goblins riding wolves. As it became more apparent that the goblins where herding the characters, possibly in preparation for an attack, our heroes looked for a defensible location. They found one when Romulus tripped over a root and tumbled to the bottom of a ravine. Built into the hillside was an ancient looking door with a rose motif.

This entry is from Todd.

RJ’s new character is Gareth, a human fighter.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the classic module, X2 Castle Amber. Very minor spoilers at best as we did not get to far into the module (and, of course, I made modifications).

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Conallglen Session 14

Our heroes, the last time we looked in on them, had returned to the ruined temple with the healing fountain in the hopes that it would heal them of the “Blight.” They found the temple to be re-inhabited by goblins and spent much of the session clearing it out. Oh, they also realized that Maeve was about as both Hannil and Romulus had been fed upon. After clearing out many of the goblins, they reached the entryway to the inner temple to find even more bad guys hunkered down…orcs with ballistae! Grabbing a makeshift door made of logs as a tower shield, Clarissa was making her way into the fray.

This write up is from RJ.

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Conallglen Session 13

In our last session, the party continued their investigation of the source and potential cure for the disease that was infecting not only the people of Conallglen but the heroes as well. They had visited an old wise woman in the woods and then proceeded to the ruined temple with the fountain of healing. Although the temple had been empty when they last visited, it looked to be occupied now. Bryn had sneaked up to the one of the temple’s walls and was peering over. A mangy dog lounging on the other side of the wall noticed her.

This write up is from Rachel.

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Conallglen Session 12

When last left our heroes, they had sought out the wise woman Glenis in her wooded home with the hopes that she might be able to cure Drogar of whatever plague he was inflicted with and perhaps learn of a cure for all so infected. The old hag’s home was found and she was more than a little on the difficult side of dealing with. Eventually, she agreed to heal Drogar in exchange for his sight.

This write up is from Todd.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the adventures, “The Crucible of Freya,” from Necromancer Games (although a heavily modified version) and there are also elements of Goodman Games, “Legacy of the Savage Kings.”

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Conallglen Session 11

In the last session, our heroes had finished exploring Ednowain’s Tower, encountered a diseased dragon, disposed of a pesky imp, and realized that Drogar was infected with (and already suffering the from symptoms of) whatever disease that had infected the now slain dragon. They were planning on heading back to civilization (i.e., Broadwater) to visit Tamuril to see if she could help cure Drogar.

This write up is from RJ.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the adventures, “The Crucible of Freya,” from Necromancer Games (although a heavily modified version) and, “The Mysterious Tower,” from Goodman Games (also a heavily modified version). I also drew from Weapons of Legacy from WotC for some ideas and images I used. There are also elements of Goodman Games, “Legacy of the Savage Kings.”

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Conallglen Session 10

A dragon! Yep, after finishing their explorations of Ednowain’s tower, our heroes were preparing to leave and to see if the imp would live to his end of the bargain. Instead, the ended up ambushed by a dragon as they tried to leave the tower (as well as some goblins). They defeated the beast and it seemed quite ill.

This write up is from Rachel.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the adventures, “The Crucible of Freya,” from Necromancer Games (although a heavily modified version) and, “The Mysterious Tower,” from Goodman Games (also a heavily modified version). I also drew from Weapons of Legacy from WotC for some ideas and images I used. There are also elements of Goodman Games, “Legacy of the Savage Kings.”

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Conallglen Session 9

In our last session, the party was busy exploring Ednowain’s tower. They eventually reached the top level where they found what remained of Ednowain and survived.

There are potential spoilers below the break for the adventures, “The Crucible of Freya,” from Necromancer Games (although a heavily modified version) and, “The Mysterious Tower,” from Goodman Games (also a heavily modified version). I also drew from Weapons of Legacy from WotC for some ideas and images I used.

My players remained slackers so I wrote this up after they failed to do so. Slackers!

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