Busy summer leads to......

Damn I have really gotten lax with my blogging the last few months. Summer is supposed to be a time of vacations and relaxation right?

Wrong!

It is a time of yard work, minor home repairs, multiple camps for children and becoming a Pro bono Uber driver for said children.

I have really fallen behind on my looks into monsters for D&D, game reports from Dust 1947, book reports, movie and game reviews. I am actually looking forward to school starting so I can get some extra time to post my inane ramblings.

Some quick hits from the last couple months when I had available time.

 Ant-Man and The Wasp- if you haven’t seen it yet please go! It  is really light and fun. It is a great palate cleanser after the events of Infinity War. Paul Rudd is great being himself in the role of Scott Lang. His character plays so well off the straight laced Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne as the Wasp. Then, toss in Michael Peña to steal almost every scene he is in, much like the first Ant-man film. Finally, add a healthy dose of humor, Walt Goggins, comic book shenanigans , a lot of size manipulation, super science, a great minor role for Lawrence Fishburne (hope he is back in the Marvel movies in the future) and some good old fashioned family love for good measure. It all makes for a damn descent film about a character who I have always thought as ridiculous in the comics. Ant-Man and Wasp= good times!

I also got five games of Dust/ Dust 1947/ Dust Tactics under my belt. They were under the standard 100 points they recommend, but it was a damn good time playing! It is great to get some table top mini gaming in again! I actually painted a few models recently as well.

Diablo III, a new season is up and running. I have bailed from Darkest Dungeon again, but I had much more success before I lost my patience and stopped playing again. Finally trying the Far Harbor expansion on Fallout IV when I get a few moments.

It is also Gen Con Week! I am looking forward to it as usual. I’ll chat more about that tomorrow.

D&D Post Game 7-14-18 Part 2

To the North they go.........
After procuring a trio of horses, one stolen by the rouge and two purchased, the trio of adventurers ride northwards to the inn now known as Harrigan's Last Stop (a trio of management changes have occurred there). The barbarian had purchased two bottles of dwarven rot gut whiskey to continue his drinking binge on the trip northward.


The first day up was uneventful as they passed several caravans, traders and travelers coming to and from Stonekeep. They made camp for the night off the side of the road and had an uneventful rest. The barbarian had finished his first bottle of whiskey and properly passed out.
Day two and the trio continued northward. By mid-day they saw a pair of hunched figures rifling around in the tall grass of the road. The figures spotted the party and rushed off into the woods nearby. The rouge and monk went to investigate. The barbarian took a slug from his second bottle of booze, mumbled something about a trap, swayed in the saddle and urged his horse forward.


Into the forest.....
The rouge and monk searched the area and found two dead human males. They had been stabbed and robbed of their belongings. The pair rushed off into the woods after the figures they saw. Once in the forest the rouge stepped into the shadows and began to track the two figures. The monk walked forward looking for any tracks or clues to where these two figures ran off too.
Soon the rouge managed to sneak around a few trees and discover a trio of armored hobgoblins and a heavily armored human whispering orders to them. The rouge continued around them and then saw a second group of three hobgoblins and another human in heavy armor leading them as well.
The monk was soon to arrive in the area and he managed to spot a pair of the hidden hobgoblins and he quickly rushes them. The rouge sees his chance sneaks up behind a hobgoblin and drives two daggers into its back. A skirmish has begun!
The barbarian mumbles to himself and continued to slowly ride north.

D&D Post Game 7-14-18 Part 1

Stonekeep and our party of adventurers have returned home.


The rouge and monk head off toward their home base, the tower and soon to be finished tavern/brewery. The barbarian heads into the town to drink. It seems facing off against an elder deity has given him some sort of P.T.S.D.


The barbarian makes his way toward his favorite bar, the Hog’s Head a combo slaughterhouse and tavern in the “Old Towne” part of Stonekeep. As he approaches the tavern he is approached by two people holding up a third between them. They say they have been looking for him and his friends. It seems that their associate/ ex-guild alchemist William Clay was attacked at their tower. They rescued him, but not before he was thrown a terrible beating. The barbarian stares blankly and brushes them asides not knowing what they are talking about.


The two men then explain they were once members of the Silver Chalice mercenary company. They fought beside him, a rouge and a monk during the gnoll assault on Kara’s Dale, outside of Cloveshire Keep. They were part of the eleven soldiers that survived that day. They also bore witness to the barbarian claiming the head of their commander Herman “One-Eye” Durand in duel for control of the forces. Their new commander         Salazar had wanted revenge since as Commander Durand was a dear friend. He wanted revenge and now had taken it. He had led the remaining Chalices to the party’s tower looking for revenge. They helped rescue William while two of their friends held off      Salazar and the rest of the mercenaries. They had now fled to town, renounced their former mercenary company, came looking to help in any way possible and even saved a friend of the party before he could be killed by    Salazar and the rest.

The barbarian didn’t stop walking and just ignored what they were saying.


Meanwhile……..

The monk and rouge arrive at the tower and find three dead bodies outside the building. Two men armored in chainmail lying face down on the ground and their man servant Holden Billups lay slumped against the tower door. They investigated the two dead men on the ground. They were both wearing blue tabards with a silver cup on the front. They look to have died from several sword wounds to the chest. Holden Billups looked to have been beaten and then had his throat cut and then a silver goblet was placed in his lap. A definite calling card for who was responsible. They searched the area and found no sign of their alchemist friend. The tavern was also empty and had not been disturbed. It seems this all happened after the dwarves had stopped work for their summer holiday. The monk and rouge then mounted up and rode off toward Stonekeep, knowing they wouldn’t reach there until the next afternoon. All they knew was that two men died fighting a larger group and that the Silver Chalice’s came looking for revenge.
Back to the barbarian…….

The barbarian didn’t care about anything these men were saying. He pushed past them and made for the Hog’s Head.

William Clay raised his head to watch the ½ orc walking away. “I thought you were my friend and a hero? Why are you leaving?!” he yelled before falling into a bloody coughing fit.

The ½ orc just kept walking.

The three men turn to leave and head for the town guard watch house hoping to find safety and aid there.

Battle Chasers: Night War review

Set the Wayback Machine for the late 90’s…..

Joe Madureira ( Joe Mad! ) is the new hotness in comic book art. He has just come off of the Age o’ Apocalypse for Marvel. He even starts his own series called Battle Chasers for Wildstorm Comics. Now Battle Chasers is an amazing looking fantasy series that runs only 9 issues in like four years. Yeah this guy was great at art, but beyond horrible with deadlines. 9 issues? Really. Dude you killed me then and even now still thinking about it! Battle Chasers had the chops to be a fun and very pretty fantasy comic, which was a genre really lacking at that time.

Now jump to 2018 (well it came out in 2017 but whateves…) and Battle Chasers is back, but in video game RPG form. I just found a copy and bought it without a second thought.

Battle Chasers: NightWar

Here the group consisting of…. of Garrison the typical broody swordsman, Red Monika the overly busty and scantily clad pirate/rouge, Knolan the old wizard as fantasy is want to have, Gully the little girl with magical gauntlets (that put ogre power to shame) with lost daddy issues, Calibretto a robot/war golem/ not not the Iron Giant, and a monster hunter Alumon with the whole sacred order meets bounty hunter thing happening.

They all happen to crash on a small island due to a sky pirate attack. This leads them into a plot that involves has them stopping the plans of an evil sorceress while trying to also escape the mystery island. You know that old chestnut, the lost in a strange land fighting an awakened evil chestnut.

Along the way they; battle all the creature tropes, visit familiar locales, collect items, gain levels, craft items and fish because that is a thing you do in RPG games (still and way too often for my taste).

Don't forget Red Monika and her two goons, by goons I  mean bewbs

D&D Pre-Game 7-14-18

As our party of adventurer’s travels the Argenian Wastelands……

The city Wychlight, a bar called the Crocked Croc

A very well dressed gnome sits in a booth off to the side of the bar. The Crocked Croc is full of locals tonight sharing stories, songs and drink. The majority of the tourists and adventure seekers had left town days ago. The halls of healing were still overflowing with the injured and sick, from the perils of the ill prepared travelling and fighting the swamp and it’s many creatures. The gnome sat sipping a fine wine while watching the entrance to the bar. The thrill and excitement of the yearly swamp culling had begun to dwindle, but the nightlife was still very active in town.

Minutes passed as did another glass of wine and then the gnome saw who he was sent here to meet. A trio of human men came walking into the bar. They were dressed in fine leather armor and a blue tabard emblazoned with a silver goblet on the front. They looked to him as military men by their look and movements. Why had he been sent to meet with them? What was his master thinking now? He thought as they approached his booth.

“Please sit .” the gnome said. “Order anything you like.”

D&D Post game 6-24-18

Into the lair of the warlock…..

The party stood in ankle deep warm water within an hallway full of steamy humid air. They moved slowly down the hall until they reached a small room. Within this room was a small stone statue that looked to have been made of tentacles around a circular body with a large singular glass eye and a hallway out of the room. The tentacles on the right held several small objects and the tentacles on the left were empty. The party approached and began to inspect the room.

The barbarian approached the statue and the eye became focused on him. He turned to talk to the party and heard nothing. He stepped forward and walked into an invisible barrier. He and the party were now separated. He investigated the statue and the objects it held: a few spell scrolls, a stone tablet with dwarven runes on it, an elaborate braid made from three pieces of multicolor twine, a small peg game and a piece of sheet music. He read the dwarf tablet and it appeared to be a family recipe for chili. He held the sheet music up for the bard to look at. The bard was able to play the music but the barrier still stood and the barbarian could not hear it either. Frustrated he walked past the statue and then the fighter passed into the room.

They discussed the situation. The fighter investigated as well and like the barbarian just passed by the statue. The archeologist came through the barrier and investigated. All the objects seemed to have a theme, applied knowledge. He removed a small book from a side bag and placed it in an open tentacle. The statue stopped staring at him and the barrier opened again. The monk came through and was told what to do. He removed a treasure map they had found and placed it in a tentacle. The barrier dropped and the rouge passed through. The statue stared at him as he was told about it. He decided to try some sleight of hand juggling. The barrier fell and the bard passed through the statue staring at him. He was informed and decided to preform and old elven song. The statue stopped staring. The party passed on down the next hall where it split into three separate hallways, left, right and forward. (This was a statue of Ug’Bothat and eldritch god who is very keen to acquire any and all knowledge. Any player giving some sort of information could pass freely. Any player not giving info could pass freely but would face minor consequences i.e. extra damage, disadvantage rolls, tougher saves etc. )

Here the party decided to split ( hooray and boo at the same time for the DM). The rouge and barbarian ( now #1 ) went left and the bard, monk, fighter and archeologist (#2) went right. As the two groups move down the halls they were still in ankle deep hot water, had to dodge random tiny geysers and dealt with increasingly hot humid air. Eventually both groups were attacked by large muscled, tentacle armed creatures with bulbous eyes and deranged fanged lipless grinning mouths. These were obviously the grue they were told about. The beast attempted to entwine  people in their tentacle arms and then dive into them with their fanged maws. They proved to be no real threat and more of a nuisance for both party #1 and #2 as they moved about the halls.

More tentacle and less claws for my grue

#1

These two moved through the halls and eventually discovered a 100’ long hallway that was covered by 6’x6’ sheets of copper along the length of the hall. The rouge found them to be trap free and they moved down the hall. As they walked they noticed that it was getting warmer and warmer. Soon they realized their weapons, buckles and money were beginning to get warm. Soon all the metal on them began to glow hot and burnt hem and through pouches and packs. As they exited the hallway their metal objects instantly cooled to room temperature, but not before they took some damage from the hot metal. They moved on to the next hall and discovered a stairway down to a large platform on the edge of a chasm full of steam. As they descended the stairs, they noticed that a pillar of wispy smoke was beginning to coalesce on the platform. It sort of took the shape of a human torso with smoke for legs. It noticed them and began to ask a series of questions.

“Why is the color of though green?”

"What is the meaning of 3?"

"The master of numbers! What is the master of numbers?"

The barbarian and rouge had no answers and everything they came up with only made the smoke creature wail as if in pain. Eventually this wailing turned to pain for the ½ orc and dragonborn. They responded by attacking the smoke creature. It became a battle where their magical weapons harmed it at the same time it’s strange psychic screams torn into them. Soon the dragonborn was unconscious on the platform, bleeding from his eyes and ears. The enraged barbarian continued to launch blows at the smoke creature while struggling to remain standing. It was due to his sheer will and stubbornness that allowed him to survive the psychic onslaught and slay the apparition before him. As the smoke and steam creature dissipated again he dropped to his knees barely conscious. He moved to the dragonborn and noticed he was alive, but  just. They took a few minutes to recuperate before moving onwards.

The platform they were on dropped off into a chasm that wrapped around the interior of the mound, it contained the heart of the geyser Fifty feet below them was giant pool of boiling water and rising steam. About that time the geyser erupted and hot water and steam rushed up past them and out the top of the ceiling above the chasm. Across the chasm was another platform and a hallway. Hanging from the ceiling were three chains the attached to three 4’ platforms swaying over the chasm. It looked like the only way across for them would be to leap from platform to platform.

What followed was a comedy of errors. The dexterous rouge falling into the boiling water. The barbarian doing the same. An attack from a pack of steam mephitis. The rouge remembering that he had a Rope of Climbing from 5+ adventures ago he could use. The rope’s command word becoming “spaghetti” for some idiot reason. Thus leading to the phrase “I’ll spaghetti over to the next platform.” The rouge being talked into trying to tightrope walk from platform to platform. The rouge falling while trying to do this. The climbing back out of the water a 2^nd or 3^rd time. It all culminated with the two of these guys crossing the three platforms and then having to do some minor healing again after just minor healing before the crossing started. It was just ugly.

These two travelled down the hall off the platform and discovered a huge room at the end. This room was in all manner of disarray and had a balcony that opened over another off shoot of the chasm they had just crossed. The rubble, items and trash thrown about the room and the balcony were minor elements. The biggest aspect of the room were the five giant circular portals that were open to what looked like the vast and infinite cosmos. These portals filled a part of the ceiling the right and left walls and two on the floor. When looking into them stars, planets, suns, nebula and all manner of celestial bodies could be seen. There was no movement into or out of the portal either. Objects could be dropped or thrown into them, but nothing was coming out of them. They were open, but for what reason was unknown.

The rouge and barbarian searched the room and managed to find a multitude of hourglasses. The barbarian knew these from the tomb of Zerbaxa. Besides all the broken bits of furniture, strange scribbled notes, piles of books, spell components, and clothes thrown about the room: they also found a small hidden door in the floor. They found it not trapped, so they opened it and climbed down the ladder they found inside.

A giant green tentacle seems to undulate within one of the portals as the pair descend the ladder.

D&D Post game 6-23-18 Part 2

Back into the wastelands……

The party awoke, ate a quick meal, refilled their water skins and took stock of their remaining supplies. Lukas consulted his notes and a pair of maps of the region. He decided that straight South for a day and then in a Southeast direction from then on would take them to the center of the Argenian Wastes and to the lair of Ariahiri the warlock. The now much larger than normal party struck out in the dusty rocky wastes again.

By late day the party had crested their fourth rocky valley and were getting worn down from the dry warm air, blaring sun and climbing up and over rocks. It was then they all seemed to hear what sounded like melodic singing and they moved in its direction. They continued on until they discovered a large area full of bubbling and boiling muddy pools of water and the singing was echoing off the nearby hillsides.

 

Suddenly the monk, fighter and rouge began to stare blankly and slowly say back and forth. Then they began to walk toward the nearest boiling mud pools. The barbs elven resistance to charms, the barbarian’s tenacity (and possibly hatred for pretty music), the archeologist shoved some candle wax in his ears and the holy might of the paladin kept them safe from the alluring song. These three drew weapons and looked for the origin of the music. Above then they saw the origin, six bird women we riding the thermal updrafts while singing their song of charming. The harpies continued to sing as they spread their talons and dove toward the unaffected party members. 

Ranged weapons and spells let fly toward the bird women as they descended. The rouge and fighter continued walking toward and eventually into the boiling pools of water and mud. They began to slowly cook inside their armor. The monk was able to shake the effects of the charm before he entered the scalding water and mud. He too drew weapons and joined combat.

As the harpies dove into the party ranged weapons were swapped for melee. Steel met feather and talon in a fast and vicious combat. As the harpies numbers dwindled so did the effect of their charming song. The fighter and rouge awoke from their haze waist deep in boiling water and mud. They scrambled out as fast as they could, before their first and second degree burns got worse, and joined the melee just as a second flight of four harpies swooped in from the West to aid their embattled sisters. The bird women soon realized they had picked the wrong party to ambush. Without the aid of their mesmerizing song they stood little chance of defeating the warriors before them. They were all cut down even as some tried to flee. After a quick reconnoiter of the area, the party moved on until dusk.

The following day was more of the same; rocks, barren landscape, bigger rocks, scrub brush, lots of sun, geysers and very little in the way of animal life. This truly was every definition of a wasteland. By mid-day they did find what looked to be a possible ancient burial ground. They found a clearing that contained a large circle of standing stones surrounded by many smaller stones. These stones were covered in sharp swirling designs. Within this circle of stones were eight wooden frames or scaffolds that stood about ten feet high. Upon them looked to be bodies wrapped in sackcloth blankets. The party slowly approached the area.

As they got closer the barbarian and archeologist stooped to investigate the designs on the stones. The rouge and fighter rushed in to check the bodies on the scaffolds. The monk, paladin and bard survey the area unsure of what they were looking for or at. The archeologist was able to decipher a bit of information from the marked stones. He knew that these were ritual symbols used by the long dead race of goliaths. The barbarian had never actually seen these markings, but had researched barbarian tribes in his youth. He knew of a noble tribe of goliath wanderers and warriors known as the Grim Boulder Clan. This had to be one of their burial sites for their nobility and holy people. The rouge and fighter were busy searching bodies and finding various trinkets, charms, weapons and elaborate bone armor on the bodies. That and discovering many of the bodies had limbs that appeared to have been surgically removed.

July 4th



No matter what social or political leaning we all scream about these days, can we all just sit back and enjoy today?



Can we just cook out and blow stuff up today in celebration and not act like petulant children for just one day?



Can we do that people of America?
Cane we?

D&D Post game 6-23-18 part 1

Silver Town, just after the battle against the demon infested townsfolk……

Reginald,  (the ½ orc barbarian), Jeffery, (the dragonborn rouge), Ren (the human monk ) and Lukas Fudderer ( human archeologist-/ split level mage-cleric) are discussing options when they see three other figures walking into town. Hands go to weapons as the three approach the four.

 

As they get closer the trio can see their musical elf friend Varis (bard) and a onetime associate Garik and another ½ orc (fighter). The third figure is dressed in fairly clean and shiny scale mail and carrying a shield. This armored human has an air of purity and nobility around him (paladin). The two parties uneasily greet each other.

There have been doppelganger issues in the past so….. the monk, rouge and barbarian are a bit skeptical. However, after a few minutes of conversation (and a bit of scrying) they know they can trust Varis, Garik and take their word that this human paladin Septimus is a standup guy.

Then the discussion began as to what to do next. The paladin, bard and fighter were hired to come to Silver Town to kill a demon in priest clothing. However, that was already accomplished. Then there was the mine where some creature was living and terrorizing the town. There was also the trek into the wastelands to find the warlock lair that Lukas was looking for. They decided to investigate the mine first since they were here.



The Mine

Twilight was approaching as the party arrived at the remains of the small mining camp. The mine entrance was boarded shut. The trio of buildings outside the mine had fallen on hard times. They looked to be a small office, storage and a third that was possibly a flophouse. Time, weather and obviously needing boards to close the mine; had turned the buildings into ruins and rubble. The party split and searched around the outside of the mine. They found no tracks, other entrances or signs of anything. The decided to remove the boards and enter the mine.

Down, down, down they walked into the defunct silver mine. After hundreds and hundreds of feet they found nothing. No tracks. No monsters. No silver. All they found were tracks, mine carts, old lanterns, signs of mining and bits of forgotten gear. The only noticeable bit was that the air was being drawn into the mine. They continued to follow the cart tracks.

Then the tracks suddenly stopped. Sure the wooden ties were still there, but the rails and spikes to hold the rails were just gone. They also found what looked like the wooden pieces for a mine cart, but the metal was gone. Lukas crouched down and grabbed what looked like a handful of brown dirt. He ran it through his fingers and smelled it.

“Damn. Iron oxide.” he says as he lets the material fall through his fingers and back to the ground. He looks to the party. “Only something like a rust monster could and would do this to these tracks. Plus it could explain the loss of silver in the mine. If it got into the silver veins, then it would have on Hell of a snack. Still they don’t normally attack and cause physical harm to anyone. Well unless really provoked. It is doubtful a rust monster was terrorizing the town.”

The party swaps to ranged weapons, stows their valuables, places the paladin at the rear of the group and moves deeper into the mine. After a few hundred feet they turned a corner and saw the rear of a strange propeller tail armored creature. Well they had found the rust monster. Arrows and crossbow bolts flew…..and punched through the creatures’ armored shell. It promptly sat there. A second volley and still no movement. The group approached and found that the majority of the rust monster was gone. The shell was empty and looked to have been “scooped out.” It appears something got the rust monster first.  The party moved onward.