tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post661512216607114782..comments2024-03-14T05:16:34.494-04:00Comments on The Lands of Ara: Session 25: Hobgoblin Camp Raid!Carter Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-36690025708323219412011-01-14T05:24:48.502-05:002011-01-14T05:24:48.502-05:00LL initiative sucks a big one. In my humble opini...LL initiative sucks a big one. In my humble opinion, anyway. Rolling initiative at the beginning of each round and keeping track of a different initiative order each round is a suckfest. And d6 is not very much granularity - especially without modifiers. <br /><br />My two cents? One thing 3e did right was the d20 initiative roll modified by Dex bonus. I use that once at the beginning of combat.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07648499022366444265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-28922142553339977872011-01-07T15:59:41.477-05:002011-01-07T15:59:41.477-05:00Yes, it is a straight d6 for each party (LL p. 50)...Yes, it is a straight d6 for each party (LL p. 50). The LL rules state that initiative should be re-rolled each round (!) -- something we could consider, though I tend to favor rolling once at the outset and sticking to that.Carter Soleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-70639386049301056042011-01-07T15:35:12.919-05:002011-01-07T15:35:12.919-05:00Wut-Whoa Emily! You're right, I don't thin...Wut-Whoa Emily! You're right, I don't think we ever looked closely enough at that table. What's the alternative initiative system, just a straight d6 for each party?Spawn of Endrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10431848914619887998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-48656385633804946722011-01-07T09:33:27.820-05:002011-01-07T09:33:27.820-05:00How can Hazel have a +3 DEX bonus for Initiative w...How can Hazel have a +3 DEX bonus for Initiative when the highest possible Initiative modifier in Labyrinth Lord is +2? (See LL p. 6 or AEC 4.)<br /><br />In fact, now that I look at it, that Initiative bonus is only supposed to apply if we're using individual initiative, which we're not. So it may be that the days of DEX-based Initiative bonuses for the party need to come to an end.Carter Soleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-69715686225163077462011-01-07T02:08:05.485-05:002011-01-07T02:08:05.485-05:00Other McDetailios:
Hazel has +3 DEX bonus for ini...Other McDetailios:<br /><br />Hazel has +3 DEX bonus for initiative, and Innominus was wary of the southern canyon not out off fear, but because it's a big waste of time for present purposes because the next time Innominus goes there it will be on a devastating mission to eradicate every living and non-living being there, which could take a while.Spawn of Endrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10431848914619887998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-8202486831195292982011-01-07T01:45:42.923-05:002011-01-07T01:45:42.923-05:00So it IS a Stone Giant camp! Thanks for the heads ...So it IS a Stone Giant camp! Thanks for the heads up ...<br /><br />One thing worth mentioning is that it took probably 3.5 hours of gameplay to get to the point of pulling off the Hold/Sleep/Paralyze gambit, which went off pretty quickly after that. Much of the early session involved folks gathering information in town, acquiring new maps, and so forth (plus a fair amount of non-game chit chat). Then it was the trek to the mountain and up the mountain, general Skype communication issues, and then once it was all in place BANG! things went quickly. And it was really fun and gratifying to have all the tricks and ideas from everyone (of all levels of gaming experience, too) come into play there at the end. <br /><br />I'll also note that I had the inspiration for using the d30 instead of the d4 for Hold Person while sitting on the toilet during a bathroom break. I recommend this for anyone planning to attack a humanoid army camp.<br /><br />And it was utterly PRICELESS to sit back at the table and propose the d30 plan, and watch Carter on my TV roll back in his chair and gaze up at the ceiling while shaking his head as the grandeur of the plan sank in. I could telepathically hear him saying "You sneaky little mother fuckers, there goes my Skullface Occupation Army".<br /><br />But even as it was going down, I did feel like we could really get screwed, especially since we could both end up rolling 1s in the middle of the camp and then be surrounded by 40 hobgoblins. And so there was still a lot of risk involved. So it was tense, which made it really fun when things worked out. <br /><br />It was also fun to have what Carl called a mini-solo adventure with Hazel, where once we were in there we had to make our decisions quickly as we saw the results of our actions, without the input of the whole party and without prolonged debate (which is why I kept trying to cut short everyone else's input during that part, since they were hiding up the hill). I always like those sort of ensemble stories -- I guess I really mean comics -- where two characters of a group that work together or know each other tangentially are forced into a situation and then their specific synergy develops/becomes apparent. I guess that particular 10-15 minutes before the cavalry arrive felt like a 'special issue' of the Ara campaign.<br /><br />Super fun, good play, and honestly more of the REALIZATION of the potential of the 'Sweet Spot' of the campaign, rather than the misguided and aimless (and sometimes dis-unified) sessions we've had since escaping Stonehell the first time. I think we all felt that things weren't working, and this time we were all in the right head space to do things differently, with really surprising results.<br /><br />Good play, players, and good work, Carter, for DMing!Spawn of Endrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10431848914619887998noreply@blogger.com