Friday with D&D

I was back at the Extended Stay America hotel at about 1AM, showered, got in my PJs, coughed for a while, and then drifted off to sleep on Saturday morning. I had left Clint’s and Annika’s house after midnight. I had DM’d from about 7 to 11:20 and spent some time chatting about the Dungeons and Dragons games before heading across Nashua, New Hampshire.

We played with eight players, all pre-made characters at seventh level for 5E. I downloaded them from D&D Beyond, and Clint printed them out. From what I saw, all the premade characters were powerful and legal. They did include items from various exotic books, but they were still, I believe, legal for the regular 5E version of Dungeons and Dragons, with all the basic magic items supplied to make the character playable. All the numbers and special rules for the character were printed on the sheets. All ready-to-play versions.

We started playing with me explaining the simplified ‘convention’ system I use (learned from Matt V), which made the game flow smoother (all the players go, and then the DM runs the bad guys) and that we go around the table starting on the left with any sequencing issues being resolved (i.e., Clint’s bard supplies support out of sequence as needed). The armor classes of the pre-made characters were higher than I prepared for, but I had enough bad guys that I usually hit every round with something. This adventure deals punishing levels of damage, which soon creates a feeling of danger that makes everyone pay attention. A critical hit from the bad guys would knock most player characters unconscious!

The story came from an adventure I wrote a few years ago (about the desert tomb of Rath), and I had removed about 1/2 to finish in one play. I also dropped two encounters as the night went on–we did not have time for a complex puzzle-monster encounter, which might turn deadly if misplayed. The adventure is designed for four to five tenth-level, well-organized, powerful characters, equal to eight seventh-level characters. But the 7th was more fragile, and I would have one character or more unconscious in my battles that night. As this was a one-time shot adventure, clobbering characters was acceptable.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and they liked the process and how I put them each in the spotlight before moving to the next. They also felt the risk, and though it was a hack-and-slash adventure, a poem they had acquired from a disreputable used camel salesman made it more of a puzzle. It warned them of what they would face.

I also gave an advantage to the players. A spell blocked my mummy-creating hallway. A natural 20 meant no damage for a player. When searching the desert, they should avoid the monsters. Good ideas and attempts to solve problems are granted outsized results. It was essential to provide agency to players; it meant it was more fun for everyone. For example, one player’s character had nothing to throw at the scorpion swarm, but on a lucky roll, she found that the used camel dealer had slipped a practical flask of oil into her character’s pack. A note suggested that it would be useful to prevent the scorpions, “no charge for such great customers.”

The final encounter was rough, as it should be, and they learned a few new rules about bad guys in their lair and legendary actions. Soon, half of the characters were unconscious or paralyzed with fear. But the weight of numbers soon worked to their advantage, and the main final bad guy was quickly running out of hit points (their two heaviest hitters delivering back-to-back punishing damage to the bad guy). They finally knocked out the bad guy and won the adventure with only four of the eight characters still functional; perfect!

It was fun, and everyone seemed happy (and relieved) when they finished about 11:20.

Before this, dinner was a bit of Shepard’s pie, except the kids don’t like to have foods touching, so this was a make-you-own version, meaning I put my mash on my meat and veggies for a more classic experience. It was excellent.

Before this, I played Pandemic Cthulhu with Clint and a second game (Clint and I lost the first one) with Clint and Hope. This is a re-themed version of the cooperative game Pandemic but with mechanisms that hammer the player characters and exotic artifacts from the Lovecraft Mythos. Hope reminded us of a few options, and together, we managed to close the gates in time and save the world (for now). It is a fun and challenging version, and I have a copy (all the figures painted). It plays well for any player count (there is no solo version).

Before this, I met Clint, Annika, Glenda, Gene, and Hope’s kids for lunch at Uno’s, and Clint and I split the cost. I wanted to try their pan pizza with meatballs. It was good. We also got a cheese appetizer. Annika and Glenda got salad combinations. The kids had pizza and spaghetti.

Before this, I stopped by Staples and got some pencils and Post-its for the game. Next, I stopped by the local gaming store and got some dice sets (one going to Hope–cheaper but easy-to-read versions) and a scoop of twenty-sided dies that I often use as DM. Later, I gave some away, but most of the gaming supplies will remain with Clint and friends.

Before this, I talked to Deborah and wrote a blog. I went, again, to Bagel Cafe and enjoyed more salmon on my purchased breakfast.

Thanks for reading.