Roll For Initiative

Session one of my new campaign with a bunch of new players really couldn't have gone better. I was not as well prepared as I probably should have been, but I couldn't be happier with the way things went.

As I said in my last post I used a super-ultralite ruleset I made partially for this contest, but also for this occasion. I made it available here. As you can probably guess, character generation was a trivial affair. Everyone rolled pretty excellently for their ability scores. These being their first characters, I elected to have the team roll 3d6-and-place-wherever-you-damn-well-please. Not that it would have mattered much, because there is only a single -1 modifier among them. The reluctant cleric rolled an 18, a 16, and four 15s, the lucky bastard.

Dramatis Personae

Ethan's character: Gotrek Starbreaker, Lawful Dwarf. Warhammer dorf Slayer expy. Rolled high Strength, and 6 for Charisma. Hates: water, socializing, elves, not being drunk enough for this shit.

Brian's character: Friar Jerkins von Cranberries, Lawful Cleric. Weirdly atheist cleric that is the most reluctant murderhobo ever. Rolled high everything: an 18, a 16, and four 15s, the lucky bastard. Collects all the weapons for some reason, which is fine because he put that 18 in Strength.

Britni's character: Patches von Schweets, Chaotic Gnome (really a halfling rules-wise, but whatevs). A female with a full beard that sparkles, because why not. On a search for her lost unicorn which may or may not be a phantasm. Wants to be a sneaky sneaky stabby bitch, and I like that.

My wife Erin's character: Seylin, Neutral Elf. Truly, the character with the most thought-out backstory, which is one of my favorite things in new players. Pretty standard Tolkienesque elf in most regards. On a quest to find a lost uncle, I think. Has a pet fox that never seems to come up in play.

Session One

To start with, I threw them on a boat bound for Tøtenwäld and we started things a little bit differently (but not really because I stole it wholesale from Logan Knight).

After an eerily similar shipwrecking to the above (fog, tentacles, only survivors), they wash up on the shore and pick up the refuse that forms their starting equipment. I altered the shipwreck-debris equipment list a little bit to suit my needs but not much. Gotrek ends up with a couple grenades, among other things, which makes him happy. Most of them got a means of starting fires and some rations. Friar Jerkins got some iron spikes and a mallet, so his immediate next step was to find fabric and rope to fashion a tent.

Down the beach about a mile lay the walls of the small fortified town of Seevers Mill. The drenched adventurers immediately take stock of the few shops and amenities, which weren't much, and try to bunk for the night at the edgiest (and only) tavern in town, the Snake and Skull. Within the town they notice that snakes seem to be a running theme, as they are everywhere in the streets and shops. Some villagers are complaining about them, while others praise them for eating the mice which plague the mill town's grain stores. The river has had a foul smell to it for some months now, just as long as the snakes have been around, and the local clergy were tired of treating snake bites. Things were strange. No one knew about the sea monster, apparently.

After the dwarf almost get thrown out by the 18 Strength barkeep Oliver, they manage to finagle getting rooms in the crowded inn for only 1 copper a night. The team overhears an old man raving about the haunted ruins to the north and how a detachment of soldiers from the lcoal garrison never returned last week. Patches the gnome makes friends with a guy from the local Guild of Explorers and Delvers. She breaks into his room thinking that she could just kill some hapless villager to take their room for the night, because I guess that's the chaotic thing to do? But after seeing he was anything but some helpless old lady, she decides to break down crying in an attempt have him let her sleep in the room I roll a 6 as a reaction roll, even with a -2 penalty because she just busted in on his nap, but she rolled a natural 20 on the Charisma check, and he just couldn't help but listen and accept her sob story. The Guild member, Virgil, offers her a contract outlining her obligations should she need a hireling. After that we ended the session.

Didn't get a whole lot done, but that's okay. It was the first game, and character creation always eats up the most time. I have learned that my players like to discuss things, and tend to never go off half-cocked, and a slightly slower pace leaves my breathing room to create content and ad lib.

Next time: Off to the Dwarf Caves

Ethan always seems super excited when we play, and my wife just bought her first dice ever, so I think this might be a long-term thing now. We can only hope.