The Maztica Campaign: The Prisoners are Revolting

 (What Has Gone Before)

The captured kobolds had cast down their weapons and wooden shields and lined up against the wall, along the walkway opposite the still smoking bodies of their fallen, flambéed comrades.

Taking Captives

João Afonso the Ranger and Esparelda the Cranky Gnome had debated the kobolds' fate. Against Esparelda's instincts, they had agreed to release their prisoners, provided they left the sewers immediately.

"Anyway" said João Afonso "We don't have anyone to guard them."

The kobolds had heard enough. Buoyed by the revelation that they outnumbered the filthy surface dwellers by two-to-one, the kobolds decided to make a break for it..

(DM's Note: Finally, Derek rolled a "1" on his Intimidate challenge. Alea sterca est!*)


The kobolds turned on their captors almost as one, striking with claws and fangs as João Afonso and Esparelda were driven back and apart on the narrow ledge. There were two kobolds on each PC. 
 
João Afonso cut his down with his halberd, while the other squeaked, turned and fled. The ranger swung at the retreating, scaly back and missed. 

Esparelda was having trouble. "Nasty, dirty Gnome!" hissed a kobold as it raked at her throat. "Nothing but THIEF!" screeched its partner, punctuating its words, and simultaneously, the leather protection of her arms, with a series of snapping bites.

Prisoner Revolt

João Afonso sank his halberd into one of the kobold's backs. "Urk?!" it said, dying, as its companion, yipped, leapt the channel, and ran down the passage.

Esparelda considered throwing her short sword at the fleeing kobold, thought better of it, and sat down with an audible squelch. Blood ran down her fore-arms.

"Nice," she said. "I've been looking forward to contracting rabies..."

*The die is crap...

Post Game Thoughts:
Credit to Derek for playing his character as Good, if perhaps a bit more Lawful than necessary. The kobolds probably changed his mind about taking prisoners (at least kobolds) but he gets extra XP for the effort.

Also, credit to Megan for her growing antipathy toward an allegedly already hated foe.

Both characters were a bit banged up, especially the gnome. I think they're planning to go back to the surface and hire some help. Time to roll up some NPCs.

To be continued...

TerraClips for Dungeons and Sewers

Over on The Miniatures Page, I was asked what we used for the sewer/dungeon in our "Wastes of Athkatlos" mini-campaign.

Some years ago, I picked a box of TerraClips "Sewers of Malifaux" by Wyrd Games. There's no link provided, because Wyrd Games have stopped production on TerraClips. I'm not terribly surprised.

Upon opening the box, I was underwhelmed. It seemed pretty obvious to me at the time that I was not going to be able to create the cover illustration, despite what Wyrd Games might have claimed.

Also, the box doesn't include the necessary clips. That was a Marketing stroke. Literally.

Here's a few reviews, addressing my complaints, taken from Amazon:

"Cheap cardboard, no connectors, 40$. You do the math."

"Seller was fine, the actual product is not. They don't tell you that you need multiple sets to make what is on the box art, or that just to utilize the tiles that come with it that you will need two sets of the connectors. The boards are nice-ish, but they get damaged by the connector far too easily, and there is not enough of the kind of tiles that you need, and more of the ones that no one is really going to use. I'm gonna save my money next time and just buy some random supplies and make my own terrain."

"It is utterly absurd that the clips are not included. It's beyond absurd. The company and all involved should be ashamed of themselves. They are called Terraclips and the buildings and structures come minus the clips. They actually have the nerve to print in tiny type on the box, "don't forget the clips." ugh! I'll go get the clips, but I don't have to like it. There is zero excuse. Nothing anyone could write or say could sway my opinion. The owner could send me a truck filled with clips and I'd still be annoyed they were not in the box."

So, small wonder Wyrd Games dropped this product - I'll wager the plastic clips were cost prohibitive.

Now, that said, the assembled tiles look pretty good, especially digitally. The look of most paper terrain is generally improved as a photo. I noticed this last year, for a Call of Cthulhu game - the results from the game pics looked pretty good.

1970s Investigators search a Haunted Cellar...from blog Tempests in a Teapot

In the photo above, the flooring itself was digitally scanned, printed, and fixed to foam board. The walls were cut with shears and glued in place. This was the first time I'd found a use for Terraclips - and, except for the central arch, mostly ignored the clips - so I had little regret in altering the basic build pieces.

Fast forward a year, and I was contemplating an introductory sewer-crawl for a new D&D campaign. Remembering there is a sewer channel printed on the reverse of the tiles, I was able to assemble a two-part sewer/dungeon. Furthermore, using printed floors on foam core/board, I could create rooms that could be dropped into gaps in the construction.

In fact, the ability to deploy multi-part "reveals" makes the Wyrd Sewer a bit more useful, and I un-ironically ordered a duplicate set from eBay, recently. (NB, I searched on multiple sites and couldn't find any of the clips, so there will probably be more scanning and fastening in the near future). 

Final rating?  Two Stars out of Five. If the reader is willing to do some DIY stuff, you can add a star... 

 

The Maztica Campaign: Never so Bold, as a Kobold Cold...

"Now We've Got Them!"

(What Has Gone Before)

Continuing their plunge into the depths of Athkatlos' storm sewer, João the Ranger and Esparelda the cranky Gnome have found a secret door...

"Right where I said it would be!" said Esparelda, eyeing João for confirmation.

The Ranger grinned, then pointed. "Is that a lever?"

Nestled against the wall, opposite the door, was a yard-long lever, mounted onto a honking great gear, half-set in the floor. Painted in faded white letters on the stone wall, above the lever, was the legend "Storm Gate Lever 2".

"So, there's another lever and gate somewhere..." said Esparelda.

"Or, possibly, the first lever broke, and this is a replacement." Said João Afonso, dryly.

The pair pulled at the lever, and were rewarded with the a rumble and metallic scraping sound from the main passageway. When they looked around the corner, the left-hand water-gate had opened.

"Presto!" said Esparelda, then motioned for quiet and cocked her head. The sound of scampering feet and muttered hissing issued forth from the newly opened doors. The Gnome peered down the passageway, looking for heat signatures.

Faint grey silhouettes, under a yard high, could be made out, against the darker background. "Kobolds..." said Esparelda with audible disgust. "Four of them."

The Kobolds approached the door with a hopping, bounding gait. Balancing his spear in his right hand, João Afonso drew it back above his shoulder and let it fly at the lead kobold. The throw was surprisingly accurate - it caught the hapless kobold square in the face and penetrated out the back of its head.

"Garl's GONADS!" exclaimed Esparelda. "Bulls eye!"

The lead kobold died noisily. The other three shrieked, then ran away howling, down the passageway.

(DM's Notes: Once again, Derek rolled a 20, with maximum damage. The surviving kobolds' morale collapsed like a cheap lawn chair...)

As the barks and yapping receded down the passage, Esperelda laughed. "They're calling you 'Far Slayer' - you certainly impressed them."

"It was a good cast..." agreed João Afonso, retrieving his spear with a little difficulty and giving it a quick wipe-down.

The sound of a gong carried up the passage, from the direction in which the kobolds had fled. They were massing for another attack.

João Afonso was peering down the tunnel. "They've stopped running."

The kobold-rout had been stemmed by a sub-leader. Esperelda could hear the Kobolds down the passage, there was a lot of them. They were whipping themselves up, chanting "Kill the smelly Human" and "Fat, dirty, Gnome thief!" they bayed.

"Bunch of mongrels..." she muttered as she handed an oil flask to João Afonso.

The kobold pack was advancing up the passageway, somewhat more cautiously than before. Esperalda could hear the leader, in the back, egging them on. They advanced in a semi-crouch, shields raised to better cover their heads and upper torsos.

The Kobolds Advance a Second Time

"Now We've Got Them!"

Esparelda held the lantern, while João Afonso used its flame to light the tallow-soaked rag that wrapped the neck of the ceramic flask. The Kobolds were getting nearer.

"Kill the white-skins! Kill the surface-runners!" they chanted.

"And kill that fat, dirty Gnome in the back!" yelled the leader.

"Motherless scum..." hissed Esparelda. "Let 'em have it, João!"

João Afonso threw the flaming flask of oil, more with a side-arc curve than an overhead shot. It flew over the head of the lead kobold, shattered on the stone wall, and sprayed the following ranks like fiery judgement.

"AAaaaiiiieeee!" Shrieked the middle three kobolds, as the blazing splash struck the leader full in the face.

"Blind!" it screeched, clawing at its eyes. Turning, the leader ran into the wall, then fell backwards and disappeared into the grey-water.

"Smells Like Burnt Dog Hair"

The surviving Kobolds had quite enough. "No more burning!"

João Afonso raised his arm, as if to throw again. "Do you yield?" He was answered by the clatter of weapons and shields being thrown to the pave-stones.

Ranger and Gnome advanced to secure their prisoners.

"They're kind of pathetic..." said João Afonso. "We shouldn't just kill them..."

"Vermin!" said Esperalda. "They deserved to burn..." 

Post Game Thoughts

The kobolds each had 2 hit points - it was just easier to track. This made the splash damage of the flaming oil more effective. Once again, hot dice from Derek helped make the difference, and taking out the leader is a great way to shatter a kobold's morale.

When the PCs decided to use flaming oil, I had some trouble finding the mechanic. The ranges and saving throw were easy enough to locate, but the Throw procedure wasn't anywhere I could find it. Eventually, I settled on the Chaosium percentile skill check.

Kobold Cam

Heritage Goblins were used as stand-ins for the Kobolds, though I do have some Heritage Kobolds somewhere, in their wee shorts and vests, they look like bell-hops. Some packs of Reaper Bones Plastics (Ewww, filthy Humans) arrived today, so I'll have proper Kobolds painted up for our next session.

It was interesting seeing how João Afonso/Derek played his character's Chaotic Good alignment, vs Esparelda/Megan's Chaotic Neutral. Derek had asked whether his character should be concerned with Esparelda's alignment. I answered that, broadly, both characters agree on the principles of individual liberty and personal responsibility - the Gnome just has a tendency to do what is "expedient".

"So, you'd better keep an eye on her..." I said.

He agreed...

To be continued...

The Maztica Campaign: Waste Management

"Now I know what they mean when they say 'Forbidden Wastes'!"

(What Has Gone Before...)

Early the next day found João Afonso Villalobos, Ranger and Esparelda Ragosa, cranky Gnome Fighter/Thief, opening a storm drain access grate with a key given to them by Voil Guldi, merchant and member of the committee on public work for the local Jeweler's Association. The faint reek of stagnant water grew stronger as they descended the sweaty stone stairs, accompanied by the vague odor of urine.

"Someone likes to pee down their drains..." said João Afonso.

"Eww!" said Esparelda, "Filthy humans..."

They both paused on the stairs. Below, they could see a stone-flagged chamber, about 30' wide, with a 10' wide channel, running down the centre. The channel was brimming to over-flowing with frothy, brownish water.

"There's got to be a better way to get some gold." muttered the Gnome, as she prepared to light the lantern Guldi had provided. She fidgeted with her flint and steel, awkwardly holding her sword beneath her arm.

"Maybe put your sword down?" remarked João Afonso, helpfully.

"I'm not putting anything down..." said Esperelda crankily. "All we need is for my sword to get dropped in that pool o'shite..." She jerked her elbow toward the effluvium below them. 

"Anyway, the wick's alight" she said, as the sputtering flame caught and grew brighter.

"That's your sleeve..." remarked João Afonso, again helpfully.

"Fornication!" yelled Esperelda, batting at her flaming sleeve with a leather-clad hand, simultaneously dropping the lantern, which João Afonso deftly caught.

(DM's Note: Esperelda's player, Megan, had rolled a 1 on her Dex check, while João Afonso's player, Derek, had rolled a 20 on his. The suggestion to put down the sword, and the rejection, was genuine. The impulse to protect the lantern, the loss of which to be taken from their wages, would grow in importance as the game progressed. Players are funny.)


Descending the stone stairs, both characters were able to step over the dreadful grey-water and alight with a wet slap upon the walkway, which ran on either side of the channel. Both assessed their situation. The channel sluggishly flowed to a "T" intersection, then diverted both left and right, before each arm passed around an elbow curve and then underneath a large metal gate on either side.

"We have ourselves a pair of floaters..." said João Afonso, indicating with his spear three brown, foot-and-a-half long torpedo shapes in the water.

"They're moving against the tide.." Esperelda said, "and coming straight for us!"

Three "waterbugs" attacked, trying to latch hold of soft leather while attempting to burrow into the tasty pink meat beneath. João Afonso stabbed the first one as it clambered out of the water, looking aghast as the skewered insect hissed at him from the end of his spear.

Esperalda hacked at another with her sword, missed with a clang and another curse. "That's gonna leave a ding..." The beetle bit her ankle, partially penetrating the thick leather boot. "Ow!" she howled. "So is that!"

The Beetle Battle

João Afonso had meanwhile driven his spear down into the water at the edge of the walkway, trying to dislodge the dying "waterbug". The spear lodged in a crack, left his hands with a wrench, and stuck shaft up, a foot or two out of the water. A third "waterbug" bit at him, but gained no purchase. João Afonso unlimbered his halberd from his back, and cut the thing in half.

Esperalda had been busying herself by cutting the legs off her own personal insect opponent, and as it ran about in a semi-circle, she stabbed it behind the head. It died with a hiss.

(DM's note: Basically, three Fire-beetles from MM1. I made them a bit small, with fewer hit points. I wanted a small challenge, but nothing too dangerous. The PC's also harvested the glowing glands, to sell, and made themselves vomit whilst doing so. Gad, they're desperate for money...)

A short while later...

Esparelda is surveying the steel doors on the left-hand channel.  "These can't be picked from this side. There's no lock to pick."

"Maybe there's a lever..." remarked João Afonso, helpfully tapping with his recovered spear.

Esparelda began to tap with her sword-pommel along the wall by the base of the entry steps. "If I were a Civic Engineer, I would put my lever behind a secret door, as close to the entryway as possible..." she stopped. "Nothing" she said. "Maybe the other side."

João Afonso reached past her shoulder and pressed a stone that looked out of place, helpfully. A section of wall about 3' across swung inward, a darkened recess beckoned.

"Presto!" he said.

Post Game Observations
Nothing particularly earth-shattering happened during this encounter. Just before the beetle attack, I made some "bubbling" noises, which caught the PCs attention and had them tense up a bit. Most players are a bit pessimistic, so it usually pays to let them sweat for a moment, fearing the worst, while the unknown approaches...

To be continued...

The Maztica Campaign: Pre-Season Training

Our first session of AD&D 1E was hosted this past Saturday. Only half of the intended party was included, as only half of the party hadn't played in at least a decade and, like the DM, were sorely in need of a refresher.

The Characters
João Afonso Villalobos: 1st Level Human Ranger, the younger son of a poor-but-proud Imnescar landowner.  Chaotic Good adherent of Tymora.





Esparelda Ragosa: 1st Level Gnomish Fighter/Thief. Second daughter of an itinerant Gnomish tinsmith. Neither of her names is particularly Gnomish, suggesting she's using an alias. Chaotic Neutral and Tymora will do. A bit shifty...



Part 1: Introductions

The scene opens at the capital city of Amn, Athkatla. The PCs have been conducted there by commissioned recruiters, to join the company of reinforcements, gathered for service in Maztica (The Nu World).
Unfortunately, the company they were supposed to rendevous with had already sailed (several days ago) and the PCs were forced to take lodging in the city to await the next levy.

Prices in Athkatla are high, even in the poor River District, rents are nearly double the book rate, and the PCs have spent most of their starting money on their armour, weapons and other kit (one player decided to buy a spear to save money, rather than the sexier sword).

With resources dwindling,  the PCs decide to look for work. Visiting the Shrine of Tymora, after making a donation ("When a coin to Tymora drops in the coffer, a seven-fold return she will surely offer.." the dæconess assured) they were rewarded with a referral to speak with Voil Guldi, a Dwarven merchant in the Jeweler's District.

After a short, confused interval, when Heer Guldi mistakenly assumed the PCs where there to wash down the coal cellar, the Dwarf, reading the clerical referral, offered a job: inspect the stormsewers beneath the market plaza and determine what's blocking the street drains from properly draining. The job pays 50 gp each.

Despite their financial straits, the PCs decided to haggle.

João Afonso: "It sounds dirty..."
Voil Guldi: "It IS dirty. That's why I'm hiring scallywags like yourselves."
Esperalda: "I'd hate to ruin my good clothes..."
Voil Guldi: "Just as well you're not wearing them, yes?"

Both parties finally arrived at a final sum of 75 gp each, plus two scrips, each redeemable for a Cure Disease casting, should either of the PCs need one upon return. Also included were some rope and a lantern - Guldi also threw in an old set of boots the Gnome could use as hip-waders.

"Of course, you may keep whatever loot you may find."

The PCs then asked for an advance, which after some more haggling, the Dwarf agreed to advance 25 gp, providing they left some articles as security. João Afonso's Tymora medallion and Esperalda's good boots were left behind, to be reclaimed on return.

That evening, as the PCs retired to the upper garret of their jointly rented shack, having dined on some roast poultry, purchased by their advance, Esperelda was melting tallow candles to waterproof Guldi's old boots.

"Are we missing some candles?" she asked João.

"Well, we've been frying bread in them..." he remarked, removing a chicken leg from his pocket as a pre-bedtime snack.


Post Game Observations
I haven't run AD&D in 30 years, Call of Cthulhu and Traveller having dominated my RPG world. It was rather amusing how these other games informed my decision-making: Starting the PCs off at near-penury (as Derek phrased it) is an old Traveller device, making doing a job a higher priority than simple "adventuring". The PCs are believably "pushed" where the DM wants them to go.

Also, the PCs knew each other, albeit casually, for some years - Esperalda's father would occasionally sharpen the pruning bill hooks on João Afonso's father's farm. I can't stand when new PCs awkwardly tiptoe around each other on first meeting - there's something to be said for piling your PCs onto a boat and then wrecking them onto a strange shore, "Lost" aside.

Dangling the conspicuous commercialism above their heads also seemed to drive home the message that the PCs were running out of money, and therefore time.

For some reason, I couldn't find the data on stat checks (the 1E books, while chock full of data, are atrociously organised (speaking as a former Technical Writer - EGG's kids should have bought him an Index for Father's Day) so I fell back on Chaosium's mechanic for Call of Cthulhu - multiple the stat by five to obtain the percentile range of success, 96-100 being a critical failure, anything under 20% of the necessary amount indicates a critical success.

Next time: Descent into the Depths of Waste-Water Management...

Welcome, Adventurers

This is the newest of several gaming-oriented blogs I have, which are listed in the sidebar. My general blog "Tempests in a Teapot" is mainly for Sci-Fi and Modern gaming, while "The Burning Sands of Syrtis Major" is dedicated to Space: 1889 and Victorian Gaming. Finally, "Dagorath Arthedain" is dedicated to Middle-Earth gaming, and that's very much it's own niche as well.

Dungeons and Dragons was my first RPG. As a young lad, the Basic D&D Rules fell into my hands, and a new hobby was borne. AD&D would follow, but I didn't stay with it for long, lured as I was with promises of more "authenticity" by Chivalry and Sorcery.  Factors and calculators and matrices, oh my!

Traveller soon followed (along side flirtations with Space Opera) and then Call of Cthulhu (which became and remains my favourite game, due in part to atmosphere and the ability to scare the pants off adults).

As time goes by, one becomes aware of how little time is left, and a desire for something simply fun becomes important. So, some 30 years later, I've come back to (inter alia) Dungeons and Dragons.