LARP Thoughts

Much of my free time lately has been consumed by thoughts of LARPing.

We haven't had much luck drumming up recruits so I have been pondering changes to make the group more appealing. One thought is to change the setting from Byzantines to something more fantasy oriented.

I posted some of my thoughts on my LARP blog.

• Inspirations - I talk about a couple of LARPs with ideas I like
• The Chimera Legion's Empire - an idea for a new setting, a fantasy faux-Europe
• The "New" Chimera Legion - how the Legion fits into the new setting.

As a preview, here is a map I drew for our new setting.

Dragon of Icepire Peak Stinks

No, not the dragon itself. But the adventure is really bad.

I've been playing through this adventure solo and have found it extremely lackluster.

Now some of that has to do with soloing. For example, the Gnomengarde scenario involves a lot of diplomacy, which is not much fun for a solo game. Honestly, however, I would have been bored with it even if doing it with a group. I like combat, and there is very little.

But what set me off on this rant is the Logger's Camp quest. It seems logical enough. Deliver supplies to a logger's camp deep in a forest. But when I looked it over for just a few minutes, I realized...

IT'S JUST UTTERLY STUPID!

Let me count the ways.

1. The adventure assumes that the party travels directly to the camp, through dense forest, instead of taking an easier route by skirting the forest.
2. The party carries the supplies in an ox cart. Try getting that through a forest!
3. But maybe there is a road or path through the forest? No!
4. Why is the camp getting supplies from the little village of Phandalin when the city of Neverwinter is closer and is down river? Ship supplies by boat instead!

This just makes no sense!!!

Meeples of Might

I've been in a kind of doldrums lately so no battle reports. However, I made a recent gaming purchase.

Ever since I picked up Battles of Medieval Britain,  I've been pondering ideas for quick games I can set up and play during lunch. A bombing run game is one candidate. Another is a dungeon crawl game.

After my rather disappointing experience with D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure, I began investigating dungeon crawl ideas. That's when I stumbled on Meeples of Might and Meeples of Menace.

I figured they'd make excellent resources for a dungeon crawl game, so I picked them up. I haven't completed my preparations but so far I think they will work well.

One nice thing about the set is the box. It is about 4" x 5.5" x 1.5". Perfect for a quick grab-and-go game. From the meeples, I picked out some to form a dungeon party and others to act as monsters. I put them in one of the boxes, along with a small board painted like a dungeon floor. I just need to add some dice and rules and then I can do a trial game.

Gromengarde

From the Tales of Ser Killian

Spoiler alert - This is my (brief) account of the published D&D adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak. Turn back if you wish to play this adventure for yourself.

Following their expedition to the dwarven ruins, Ser Killian and his compatriots take on a new quest. This time they seek allies among the reclusive enchanters of Gromendarge, a small settlement a couple of days from Phandalin.

Note: Once again I am changing things. This gnome village is now a human settlement.

Ambush!

As they ride along, the ground begins to shake. A huge, horrid insect-like creature erupts from the ground.

It grabs Squire Haiden's horse and pulls it below ground. The party escapes without further mishap.

And Another Ambush!

They make it to the settlement of Gromengarde, which is inside a series of caves. They meet some workers in one of the caves. The workers tell them that they can find the settlement's leaders in the workshop.

On the way to the workshop, a crossbow-wielding guard ambushes them. They escape and return to the workers.

Parlay

Angry that the workers directed the party into a trap, Killian returns and confronts them. They apologize and explain that one of the guards is a bit crazy. Skeptical, but not willing to draw blood, Killian takes one worker as a guide and locks up the others.

Again, the crazy guard shoots at them. Killian asks if there is a different path.

The Guard Room

Guided by their hostage, the party leaves the caves and returns via a different entrance. They encounter some more guards. These accuse the party of being shapeshifters. Killian scoffs at the notion. If they were shapeshifters they would have just disguised themselves as workers and caught the guards unawares.

The guards agree to take Killian to their leader. To defend against treachery, Killian leaves the rest of the party behind with the hostage.

The Director of Gromengarde

The guard leads Killian to one of the elders of the settlement. After some discussion, Killian and he come to an accord. The elder explains that recently there had been some unsolved murders in the settlement. Their leader, the Director of Gromengarde, accused everyone of being shapeshifters. He then locked himself and his wife in their room.

Killian goes to the Director's room and questions him. He just learns that a shapeshifter is loose and the Director will not come out until it is gone.

Search for the Shapeshifter

The party rounds up all the settlers, checks them, checks the workshop, and then locks them in that room. Next, they search the rest of the compound, poking everything in sight.

Finally, in one of the storerooms, Brother Winston pokes a chest. This supposedly inanimate object suddenly moves!

The mimic lashes a pseudopod at Winston, knocking him unconscious. The rest of the party then manages to kill the creature.

Aftermath

Winston is severely wounded. The settlers agree to take care of him while he recovers. In addition, the Director pledges to aid Phandalin. He offers one of their inventions, a heavy repeating crossbow.

Thoughts

For solo play, this was a REALLY BORING adventure. It features a lot of diplomacy, which is just really dull for solo play, and only one monster (aside from the wandering ankheg). I am losing interest. Perhaps this is why it's been 5 months since I last played. It may be another 5 months before Killian returns. :(