Out-of-character (OOC) chat

[Spanningtree]

Great game! I've really enjoyed playing this sandbox. Life for me has been hectic too, this year just seems out of whack for some reason. Not a bad thing but not really great either.

[tumblingdice]

The girls are getting older, and demanding more attention, which I'm only too happy to give. The house needs more attention, which sucks. We've had 4 retirements in the past year at work, so goof-off time there is at a minimum. Not that anyone checks their games from work...

I'm glad you've enjoyed the game. While it is a sandbox in that it encompasses a huge wilderness area, as written it also felt a little railroady at times. This being only my second game, I didn't have the experience to recognize that, or recognize it as undesirable, when we first got started. Also, the adventure is so long, it locks you in. So many other adventures, and other games, have piqued my interest in the four years (Night's Dark Terror bachelor's degree, anyone?) that we've been playing this game. I even tried running a few at Unseen Servant, but couldn't handle two at a time.

I really like Paul's classic killer dungeons campaign, and when time allows would love to try to run one of the old school modules, like The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan or The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. I also wouldn't mind going back to The Lost City for something a little more juvenile. While the game can handle wilderness adventure, like that seen in Night's Dark Terror, or what I started with Master of the Desert Nomads, I think dungeon crawls are really where the game feels the most comfortable and enjoyable. On the other hand, maybe it wasn't the wilderness aspect of those two adventures so much as the heavy-handed plot, that made them less fun than dungeon crawls, where the players supply most of the plot.

On the other hand, I really dig that Brandon started us out with a module, then made up his own adventures after we exhausted it. And now you're doing your own sandbox completely from scratch, which is great!

Going forward, I think I'll stick to short adventures when time allows. If people can join them, awesome! If not, then they can join the next game.

[kipper]

No worries, it was a lot of fun and that's all I ask!

[saalaria]

Agreed with all the abbove sentiment.even joining relatively late it was easy to join in and have fun. Would never have guessed only your second DM stint TD - nice work!
Oh and I am happy to pick this up again in future if it happens tho I am more regularly found on Unseen than here.
Sam

[kjc]

Thanks for a great game T-dice! I enjoyed playing the big, dumb barbarian. You wrapped it up nicely. Thanks to my fellow players as well, you guys were entertaining and fun.

[tumblingdice]

Thanks, everyone! You guys did a terrific job with this adventure.

kjc, Jorg was a riot, as far as filthy Traladaran peasants go. I'm glad Kuzma could cure him of his lycanthropy.

Salaaria, you're a good sport for putting up with all those bad dice rolls from Tethir. There was a whole side adventure involving the Vyalia elves and the Lake of Lost Dreams. Maybe we can play it sometime as an outtake/deleted scene.

Kwll, Meringered's timidity was well played. At first I thought it was you, until I met your characters in other games. How silly of me. Here's hoping he matures into a fine cleric of the church of Traladara.

Kipper, while Jorg gets the distinction of being a riot, Anja was a hoot! Her non-traditional spell-casting methods were fun to read about, as was her attitude. And Renardius, may he rest in peace, is forever my favorite stick in the mud.

Greyarea, as much as I wanted to dislike Tret, I just couldn't. His interplay with Jarek, may he also rest in peace, feud with Soldath, and general mopeyness was quite dramatic and entertaining. I hope he never has to return to the Black Eagle Barony, except as a liberator.

Badams, we never saw Athelstan's face, but what a character! My favorite trait of his was how he would flip his cape to show the ducal crest. A true Thyatian. The emperor would be proud. And let's not forget the goblin-taunting.

Spanningtree, I've known Soldath longer than my own kids! We first met him outside the gates of the wretched port city of Sura-Man-Raa during my first game here on the forums. He's endured the mind-poisoning effects of Thanatos, the death of his friend Marion, the attempt on his life by Tret (by private post), and now lycanthropy. Not even a tax collector deserves all that.

I'd wanted to play this adventure ever since I bought it back in '86. TSR UK put out some real quality modules back in the day. To give you an idea of what the rest of the module entailed, without spoiling too much:

Golthar was a member of the Iron Ring, a crime syndicate based in the Black Eagle Barony, as were all the people with manacled tattoos you met in the adventure. An elf they captured to sell into slavery had information on the Hutakaan tapestry, its approximate location, and the ancient civilization and treasure behind it. The first tapestry Golthar found crumbled to dust, but he learned that another tapestry existed somewhere in the Traladaran homesteads. Golthar and his hobgoblin lieutenant Vlack rallied the goblin tribes of the Dymrak Forest to conquer the Traladarans and find the other tapestry at any cost.

The rest of the adventure was a race between the party and other members of the Iron Ring to get to the Lost Valley, stopping at several villages along the way. What they find in the Lost Valley I won't tell you, in case we pick this up again sometime. Suffice to say, the title Night's Dark Terror describes more than just goblins and werewolves...

[Spanningtree]

Thanks again!! This was a really great adventure and playing a pretty damaged mage is/was a lot of fun. Good times!

[greyarea]

I enjoyed playing Tret. Quite a different character than I usually play, but still fun.

From the get-go I envisioned him as a traitorous s.o.b., it's even in his name: Tret Renegats: Renegade (Spanish) Traitor (Haitian Creole). Never got the chance to betray anyone, although tried to kill Soldath for sleeping him. heh

[kwll]

Hey thanks for the game, I enjoyed it even if I joined late. Meringered is a little bit of myself, of course, like all characters I guess. I don't usually plan a lot ahead when creating characters but rife from the situation, thus why they can end up being quite different.

Thanks for your time and commitment to run an enjoyable game. It is interesting to learn it was one of your first online games. Makes me want to try to jump in myself...

Time for family is the one thing for which one should not compromise. Maybe you are playing with your daughters anyway?

[tumblingdice]

Thanks, kwll. If you want to give it a try, I say "Go for it!" The great thing about pbp is that you have time to think, as well as look up the rules.

My 3 year old likes playing with my small collection of minis and my bag of dice. Just last night she tried to claim my purple translucent d30. Not sure why I argued with her. Haven't had a single occasion to use it in 30 years.