Tag: dnd

Saturday: Halloween 2026

alohawild

I returned home on Saturday after playing games and saw that I had forgotten to leave a light on. You could not see the table and candy very well. My bowl of candy was still full, though it had been reduced; I grabbed a few and went inside. I had a few to celebrate. I had returned from Richard’s in Portland to Beaverton, driving more slowly and with careful attention. Black-on-black costumes are hard to spot at night.

We played the newish cooperative board game Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons and fought some famous D&D villains in a D&D reskin of the fun Horrified series. Richard bought it to play tonight, and soon we were fully immersed in the adventure. It was extra fun for me, since I had played D&D in those locations and run the villains. I knew the villagers’ stories we needed to rescue. I could imagine what they looked like as I ran the matching adventure in D&D during the Pandemic using Roll20. Without spoilers, it was a fun game and not easy. A good balance.

We played the first game, and Richard’s character became “dark” but had to drop an item at the end of every turn. We made it work and managed to almost complete the defeat of the three villains (each a separate puzzle to solve), but the monster deck ran out, and we lost. It is the main timer of the game. Strahd, a famous D&D vampire, takes multiple turns to defeat. I was surprised by how much of the D&D canon they reproduced. I enjoyed the game and recommend it to my graybeard D&D players who remember the vampire Strahd before he became more than a single adventure.

Before this, I was at Lucky Labrador having lunch and playing Plague of Dracula

Before this, I was at Lucky Labrador having lunch and playing Plague of Dracula, as it was Halloween. This is a solo game where you try to stop the vampire playing in a Bram Stoker-like story/game. I had a BLT and two beers (yes, I said salads and water now, but it was Halloween and their BLTs are so good).

I brought my laptop and books in case I found it too tedious, as solo games can sometimes get repetitive. I did manage to fight off the vampires, with one bite from Dracula removed by Dr. Seward infusion work. At the time, I ran out of time; Renfield had escaped, the hunters were well armed, Van Helsing had arrived, and two nests of coffins were eliminated. Attacks on Mina and Lucy had been repelled with no loss. I found the game telling, as you, dear reader, can see, a story as you play. Writing your version of the novel.

I did not get to finish, as, like many solo games, Plague of Dracula takes lots of time. In solo play, the game structure slowly builds the tension and capabilities of the player. The clock, in this case the number of turns, seems slow at first, but then everything seems to happen at once. I will return to the solo game again.

Before this, it was a usual morning: I reheated coffee and rose late from lack of sleep, pushing myself to make the best of the day. I wrote the blog, read lots of church items, and tried to assemble candy for the kids (and adults).

Though out of order, when I returned to the house, I brought the kitchen back to order (while enjoying a few bits of Halloween candy) and bought the current season of Nova on PBS: Store Age Masterpieces (S53, E11). I watched the show about the prehistoric cave paintings from over 35,000 years ago. These are the ones done as 3-D drawings and show movement, of sorts, in flickering firelight. Once again showing that ancient peoples were artisans and very capable.

I fell back on the manual clocks, as it is time change day.

I felt better after my visit to Portland, playing games, chatting with Deborah, and just enjoying the day. It was a good day.

I was a bit sad a few times. It is my 30th year in the house (we got the keys on Halloween), and many memories rushed back. But as I said in yesterday’s blog: Thirty More!

I also missed that I stopped by the Comic Monkey on my way into Portland and got the #2 of the D&D comic. I had ordered it. To park, I did a U-turn, and a big black SUV was annoyed as I cut them off. I read the comic and loved it. Here if you are interested, dear reader.

And with that, I think I will say thank you for reading!

Saturday: No Game and Lots of Tasks

alohawild

On Friday, Richard asked me for suggestions for board games for our usual Saturday night play, and I was hoping to play the newish Fromage game or another game of the same ilk, but themed around baking. On Saturday afternoon, Richard sent me a note that it was just the two of us, so I decided to skip.

I had traveled to Portland that afternoon and was now drinking a beer (just one now, as I am cutting back) and eating a bowl of peanuts. I finished my Dungeons & Dragons paperwork; my character was now 15th level (12th-level sorcerer/3rd-level bard) in M@’s Sunday game. I had to give up a magic item (only to discover, as often happens in 5.5E, that a rule change means I can keep it and had to redo my work again Sunday morning) and correct some mistakes. These were in an area I seldom, if ever, use, and after manually updating a character fifteen levels, a few slipped in.

After talking to Deborah, I headed home, finished my beer and peanuts, and paid my bill. Lucky Labrador’s on Hawthorne was busy, and I had to park on the street for the first time in months. The staff was delighted to be busy. I chatted with Deborah as I crossed Portland and Beaverton, and then we did one of our favorite long-distance activities: watching a show together. Elsbeth gets better each season and reminds me of Columbo and Nero Wolf books. The main characters become settled, and the actors become the characters for me. It is wonderful to see an old formula still work. But underlying currents also become clearer with each season, adding to the story and possibly changing the beloved main characters. This is a newer formula, and I like that too.

We managed two shows, and then it was late, and Deborah said good night and ended her day. She watched the shows in bed with her dogs. I made dinner, a salad (as I promised myself), read, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen a bit.

I was soon in bed, reading more Dungeons & Dragons adventure, The Caverns of Thracia, that I am thinking of using for a new Thursday night game. It would be less work to use premade stuff. I also got that as a Kickstarter, and it would be a shame to leave it on a shelf. Unlike the three volumes the next adventure in the set took, this one uses a one-inch-plus-thick book that includes the AD&D version and is a bit unwieldy. The Kickstarter includes a supplement of player handouts that makes that part easier. It lacks large maps or other cool items like the Beadle & Grimm versions of other adventures (though those are often $400+; I can see why the Kickstarter did not go that far, and B&G usually works on established adventures).

I noticed a flaw in the adventure’s flow, and I think I had that problem when I played it thirty-five years ago. I worked out how to solve it. I will have to start making notes on how to play it. I am also headed toward removing some of the complexity, as it will not add to the enjoyment of the game and will take time. There is only so much time for gaming; it is best to remove anything that doesn’t improve the experience, a lesson I learned from M@.

I purchased The Borgias, an old BBC show from Apple TV, and watched an episode. I did buy a season, but I may have made a mistake. I hope it gets better. I do like this time of history and know the Medici’s story. We will see.

It was soon after 10, and with the time change, early rising a few times this week, and two vaccines (my left arm hurts from the COVID-19 shot), I tire easily and feel like I am dragging all day. I put aside the adventure, turned off the light, pulled up the blankets, and instantly fell asleep. I woke around 3, proved I could rise, and also proved I was hydrated. I woke in the dark before sunrise on Sunday.

Back at the start of Saturday, I rose in the dark, overheated in my 66°F house under too many blankets. I managed to kick some off, but sleep still didn’t return, so I crawled out into the cold house (it would soon heat to 69°F), found my slippers and robe, located liberal coffee already made, and reheated it in the microwave.

Breakfast was just a banana. I need to make more bread for toast. I use a cheap Amazon Basics bread-making machine. I may go back to the old-school way I learned, like many, during the pandemic.

I puttering around the house after the blog and reheated the Indian-style food I made the day before. It is too much food, and next time I need to split this up into smaller containers. I watched more Battleship New Jersey videos and ShipHappens on YouTube. I then headed to Portland.

And that is full circle. Thanks for reading.