Army of the Damned (Part 5)

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In this episode, we at last have our spooky times in the haunted house and dig up some dirt on necro-alchemy.

What are skaab? Why is that a word, WotC? Do we exist only to suffer?

Regardless, info here: http://innistradmythos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Skaab. And here, look at all the skaab cards you want: http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=+[skaab].

Asa makes a reference to the “Illuminaughty” in this episode. I think that’s probably worth listening to the episode for. Unless Daniel cut it . . .

There was a music puzzle! I don’t know if the musical section was actually confused, but we were confused at least. Maybe someone can illuminate us on this point. In any case, here is the music in question:

I don’t know if solving the puzzle is necessary to complete the adventure or not:

  • If not, props to the writer.
  • If it is necessary, that’s something you want to avoid.

Also, I think a good rule for puzzle is:

  • give the group a couple minutes to try out a solution or two
  • and if that doesn’t work, agree to work on it in downtime
  • or have a few people noodling away on it while the rest of the party resumes the action.

We didn’t do that, and thus I cut out a bunch of really boring radio.

The remainder is only mildly boring.

Hosts

DM

Players

Ep image modified from Peter Claesz, Vanitas Still Life with Self-Portrait, 1628: http://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/claesz/vanitas1.html.

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Army of the Damned (Part 4)

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Jim joins us as we go sightseeing in Shadowgrange and investigate an abandoned alchemist’s shop that holds plot-related secrets!

We’ve actually got a recap in the episode I think!

This is a continuation of our playthrough of the indie 5e module set in the edgiest of Magic: the Gathering’s universes, Innistrad: Army of the Damned.

Hosts

DM

Players

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Image of Shadowgrange courtesy of the module.

Army of the Damned (Part 3)

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We make it into town, get the rumors, chat up the locals, level up.

Really short ep this time. Next ep will be the start of a new session and be the normal length, with Jim jumping in.

This is what a hawthorn tree looks like.

Hosts

DM

Players

 

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hawthorn tree image from Wikimedia Commons

Army of the Damned (Part 2)

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Last time on gg no re:

We (the inquisition) traveled to an edgy land with vampires and stuff, looking for a girl who might know where the angel Avacyn might be. Angel-chan’s absence has been causing problems in the realm.

Along the way we met a sketchy weirdo who gave us holy bling (the arm of the faithful) and points us to Shadowgrange, the town where our contact resides.

Before long, an encounter on the road! Skeleton-bat-balls! But we #rekt them and carried on.

In This Episode

Someone rolls a 20 on a death save:

Rolling 1 or 20. When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 hit point. (5e rules)

Pops up with 1 hp like:

Hosts

DM

Players

We encounter strange creatures on the road and try to talk to them, but they don’t want to talk to us :*(

We make camp for the night. Asa takes first watch.

Our rest is interrupted in the second watch when Ava gets attacked by a shadow and gets a cool shadow scar of fingerprints around her neck.

I think Tim cheated to keep us alive. I’m waiting for my revenge IRL.

We continue to Shadowgrange when we hear an explosion in the hills. Smoke is billowing out of a cave. We investigate, find suicided culty folks arranged around a hole in the ground, the source of the smoke. Naturally, when we get close, baddies pop out, roll initiative.

After an abortive interrogation, we loot the corpses and carry on toward Shadowgrange.

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

53 – gg no re:view: Deep Carbon Observatory

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Our discussion & review of Deep Carbon Observatory, text by Patrick Stuart and art by Scrap Princess. MAJOR SPOILERS.

tl;dl: it’s a work of superlative imagination. It refreshes the underdark and specifically the drow, and contains some structural/mechanical experiments you can lift for other purposes. It’s a no brainer purchase. However, needs a second edition that focuses on the “presentation layer”—how the ideas are to be communicated to the players, both in the maps and in the room contents.

Here’s the character generation episode we did for the module, and here’s the first episode of the module proper.

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud player background image by Scrap Princess, from the module.

52 – Let’s Play Deep Carbon Observatory (Part 13) – Last Session

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We wrap up the campaign.

Our next episode is the recap & review, here: https://ggnorecast.com/53.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (aff link): get it on Amazon

ggnore052_ep_img

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud player background image by Scrap Princess, from the module.

51 – Let’s Play Deep Carbon Observatory (Part 12) – Cover Yourself in Those Tiny Little Doors

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We continue to explore the observatory.

A comedy of errors.

Situations grotesque, risible, & fantastical—all for you.

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud player background image by Scrap Princess, from the module.

50 – Let’s Play Deep Carbon Observatory (Part 11) – Supportive Play Culture

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Bickering and exploring. Mostly bickering.

A quick note here from Daniel re: module design: don’t have multilevel treasure tables for generating finite treasures. If there are going to be XdY treasures of properties that you need to generate by rolling yet further, save the DM the trouble and pre-generate the most interesting ones. You’ll see what I’m talking about in this episode. I could have pre-rolled them, but why not save the end-user some work?

Update: our confusion over “Sense Nearby” was just cleared up by the writer of Into the Odd. The character starting package doesn’t indicate that you can “sense nearby” (whatever that means) and also get an Arcanum. “Arcana” should be read as the object of the sensing: “sense nearby Arcana,” like detect magic. I (Daniel) hadn’t looked at the entry until now, but I see that its being split up over two lines is what caused the confusion for us.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Pixelland” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud player background image by Scrap Princess, from the module.

49 – Let’s Play Deep Carbon Observatory (Part 10) – The New Meta

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We enter the observatory and behold its wonders.

Follow dungeon SOP, achieve expected results.

This didn’t go as planned or desired at all, but ya gotta kill yer darlins. Or have them exploded.

Thank you, bone magnet. 

Also, I (Daniel) am not sure at all that I ruled correctly re: the climactic moment here. I think I was interpreting metaphorical language in the text too literally. But it was a magical anatomy judgment made the heat of the moment. Perhaps Patrick can find it in his heart to forgive me.

“Lewis and Dekalb” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Soundcloud background image adapted from Scrap Princess’s illustrations for the module.