tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post6667240301901823528..comments2024-03-28T04:29:32.814-04:00Comments on The Lands of Ara: Session 1, One Year Later: A Labyrinth Lord's ReflectionsCarter Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8038823840472916624.post-73910171453623020302011-01-28T03:56:23.345-05:002011-01-28T03:56:23.345-05:00Indeed, a good year, and I think the fun factor is...Indeed, a good year, and I think the fun factor is still increasing as folks get more used to the mechanics, and we play though more situations where strategy and collective zaniness succeeds in carrying the day. It might actually be accelerating in the last few sessions. We might be in a Revolver-esque or White Album-esque phase, depending on how one views those collaborations.<br /><br />Some other Innominus-inspired comments by item number.<br /><br />1. Yes, we left the great swamp and the western lands pretty quickly. And we also still own a farmhouse in Vedik (with Larry the Caretaker), even though now most folks seem interested in settling around Minoch (certainly the dwarves).<br /><br />2. I thought that part of the reason to switch Hazel to a fighter was the fact that the original party (or the first 3 sessions or so) was 2 bards, a Rodian Duelist, a cleric, a sword cleric and a magic user. I seem to recall that Hazel's player recognized early on we were under-powered, and that we just didn't have a dedicated fighter (maybe after the first troglodyte wilderness encounter?). At that point the cleric was the most potent in melee. But of course we still don't know Hazel's real backstory, so who knows what the real motivation was.<br /><br />But: Hazel (in apparent contrast to her player) is a bloodthirsty bitch that insists on skinning most foes and wearing their skins whenever possible. That's a timeless theme of this campaign: orcs, bears, hobgoblins, whatever, she's got a skin to put on. She's just not bard material anyway.<br /><br />3. Death. Unclear whether we were even thinking in terms of raising dead at the time of BB's death, but that was all first level, as you note. Also, since we couldn't even buy all the goats we wanted for a suicide oil-bomb brigade in Vedik, I'm pretty sure they couldn't raise any dead there either. We had loot from DFD and Stonehell and access to high level clerics for UJ and Inn in Minoch.<br /><br />4. Yes we are getting better about thinking outside the box (and making good non-combat plans). But in the Session before the Stone Giant negotiations, remember that Hazel was wearing a hobgoblin skin OVER her famous bear skin OVER her chainmail while UNDER the rock troll's cloak of invisibility. The skin-wearing thing is a fixture that goes back to Session 2, and seems pathological.<br /><br />5. I'm not sure what you want from the "Lore" section, but having the "Missile Weapon Range" chart on p54, and "Saving Throws" opposite in p55 of the core rules, and then attack matrices over on p. 60 is irritating. These all show up (plus variable weapon damage!) within two columns on pB26-B27 of the Moldvay book, which is well-creased in my copy. But I never made a core rule book, so F me, I say. <br /><br />Death before and after dishonor!Spawn of Endrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10431848914619887998noreply@blogger.com