Soul Matters

I almost got him down to less than 10 hit points for a hitherto overly confident slashing machine. The most recent MERP saw the party show down and slow down against four screaming wights. More to the point that the previously mentioned Tom Cruise/Mage (that is in fact a dual character class) went in first levitation style and lowered himself down a burial tunnel into a crypt. Very rapidly he discovered that he was both being clawed at as well as having his power points drained by non corporeal spirits.

Fortunately the Dwarf and then Animist lowered themselves into the fray, narrowly avoiding a situation where the Mage was considering ascending back through the entrance as the others were coming down. Being in a crypt this is as close to a near death experience as I have seen them in yet. With an hour of nail biting combat as well as plenty of healing spells the party have kept their spirits intact and I have to presume they are a little wiser also. It is also worth noting that the location is not yet necessarily done. The other Mage remains outside clutching the Book trying to stay out of harms way. Whether clutching an evil spell book is better or worse than fighting undead spirits in a crypt I have no idea. Guess we'll find out.

How close does death get in MERP ? Well there is a little wiggle room actually. After a character passes zero, they pass out. However they can continue to lose hits if bleeding or on fire etc, until a negative number equal to their constitution. After that, the soul departs over a 6 round period. As the soul begins to wend its way it is an opportunity for it to do other weird and wonderful things, like be captured in an item, held indefinitely by magical means, astral project or potentially be taken to the negative plane as an undead of some description. This is where Animists are worth their weight in herbs as they can preserve the body or soul until suitable animation or healing is applied. Systems vary enormously and some are a mater of fact but I like the more ethereal options in MERP.

With regard to the 13Age update from GM Bill I am informed that his NPCs are more fashionable than mine. Well I say that beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.

 

 

Naked Orc Wrestling

Last club meet I casually enquired about GM Bill's 13th Age game. When engrossed in planning and running ones own session its easy to forget that other things are going on. Whilst we were all catching up over a pint before the games I gainfully asked after the other players as to what had been transpiring and found to my delight that a fight had made its encounter with their party. Even more amusingly it transpired that some orcs had taken the opportune moment to attack the party whilst they were having a bath. Genius. Orcs are not stupid creatures for the most part but often aggressive and spontaneous, but it borders on genius to ambush  a group of people while they are wearing thongs and olive oil.

 

Now from a mechanics point of view this opens up a whole new avenue of combat possibilities. I can imagine the issues now... How much damage does a soap on a rope do - hits like a morning star but leaves you refreshed and lightly scented ? How fast can I move in flip flops ? What AC is a towel ? How many attacks a round does a loofer have ? On it goes.

 

I must admit I wish I had been there - there's probably an expansion module just for kitchen and bathroom scenarios. So it would seem that the 13th Age game is well on its way and I do hope they don't slip up any further.

 

 

On the MERP side I can report that the Animist narrowly escaped summoning a Penguin as a familiar to do some scouting for him. They have also realised that an ancient and mysterious book they have seems to be raising undead nearby - as the party are based in Minas Tirith and operating from Osgiliath it is also just occurring to them that both cities have several old, large cemeteries. I sense a country trip coming on.

Dispatches

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 25th March 3436 Orodruin

The great eye bears down upon our Alliance beyond the Great Gates but as we set forth we know He now has nowhere left to go. We will see it done.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 4th April 3436 Barad-Dur

Last four days in deployment after a long march. Whilst the men already carry the scars or Orodruin they bear steadfast determination to see the day out. The Siege of Barad-Dur will begin. All units are in position and we expect for our part to assault the Southern Tower at sunrise.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 10th April 3436 Barad-Dur

Heavy and prolonged fighting. This will be no short order. We have been denied all week but at the cost of the Enemies defences. Orc ranks are thin and the gate shall not stand another week, we are sure of it.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 17th April 3436 Barad-Dur

Heavy losses and full retreat. I have never before witnessed such a thing. Our banners marched forward through the shattered gates, no quarter was spared and the walls ran black. Broken Orcs lay in our wake and victory was at hand. But the bodies did not lay. As our first blow fell upon the doors of the second tower the very dead awoke about us. All rank and file arose and pressed upon us with a fell savagery. We lost half our force in retreat and even our own slain turned upon us. What can we do against such evil?

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 18th April 3436 Barad-Dur

The men did not sleep and their spirits are spent against the nightmares. Force of Arms cannot bear against such an army. I have dispatched to Alliance command. We need the Dwarves and their siege engines. We will not underestimate Him again.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 3rd April 3438 Barad-Dur

For a year gone the southern walls have withstood the dread rain of Dwarven missile but no longer. Now is our time.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 8th April 3438 Barad-Dur

Rubble now lies all about where once stood the first tower. No movement. In and about what remains we have come across a keep of manuscripts, a library of devilry and fell craft. Put to the flame we have destroyed the foul pit for all except a Tome that resists unscorched by way of our purge.

 

Field Log- Cpt Aranor 12th April 3438 Barad-Dur

Its writing shifts and its secrets it withholds. It brings me dark thoughts and vile knowledge. I cannot sleep and have ordered it secured from the field. It is a weapon wrought not for men and will not serve our means.

Flying theives

Its not the fist time I have had a mage go rogue in a game. Its often the case, particularly at mid levels that you pick up enough spells of diversity to accomplish a range of tasks and when given a small goal to accomplish a wizard can quickly piece a plan together that he feels can be executed without aid - power can be dizzying. In the last MERP for example the mage decided to do some scouting inside a formerly abandoned building on behalf of the party and even though Nick is relatively new to roleplaying, he quickly pieced together a solo plan - fly over to the roof, open a skylight, cast a landing spell to jump down safely onto the first floor, and throw up an earth wall to obstruct the corridor so his back was covered and  finally shrink himself to keep out of sight. 

This reminds me of those fiendish garden puzzles constructed for squirrels by people who couldn't get on a proper Phd to see exactly how clever nuts are. Or likewise give a crow or magpie a twig and see if they cant work out how to pick a lock, assemble a small shed or indeed set a trap for the aforementioned squirrel. Either way fortune favoured the special forces magic user and despite the fact the first floor nearly broke under the weight of a ton of earth, the day was won. What exactly they have won remains to be seen however but it can go to show what is possible when the dice roll on the upside and a plan comes together.

 

There are costs and dangers however - magic users in MERP have a fixed number of power points to spend each day and whilst one can use them to get mops and buckets dancing to tidy the tower, it can be the case that there aren't enough left when the Balrog pops in for tea. Needless to say that mages are also glass cannons and behind enemy lines, glass remains just as fragile as anywhere else.

So I have got the measure of the party now both in axes and staffs but as they are doing the equivalent of bargain hunting in Mordor, interest in their activities may well be in the rise.

It also appears the at 14th Age is on the cards as GM Bill reopens his world of bronze age myths during the Great Fall... I played in this one last time and its a shame I am running as its great fun.

Myth, merp and magic

Like many Tolkien fans who are also roleplayers its always an extra pleasure to be involved with, let alone run, a Middle Earth Campaign. Whilst I do love  hack and slay in most of its forms and really appreciate the accessibility of something like DnD the sheer scope, detail and depth of Tolkien's world give not just an enormously rich background of content but also in many cases a reminiscence to part of an adolescence buried in his books. I very much suspect I would have got into much more trouble as a kid if it wasn't for keeping my idle hands busy turning the pages of the Middle Earth. But the formality and detailing of the myth can potentially create a rather dry experience for the players, and it is the experience of the players that count. Above all a game must, by definition, be fun. In this respect I will always bend the rules and this is never more evident than in magic. I do note that Vincent brought one of the most recent sourcebooks which seemed to me to deliberately lack a lot of the fantasy side of things whereas I am happy enough wallowing in 2nd ed.

 

At about about 5th level the spell lists do actually start to get quite powerful with Mages picking up fire and ice bolts as well as levitation. Flying and teleportation are not much later in the lists and the mentalist spells of the Bards as well as the healing of the Animists can out balance against a non magic using Warrior. As such I tend to give a fighter a couple of extra levels in compensation and a magic weapon.

 

Of course hubris and power can be balanced against a party's enemies easily enough but also against the culture of the world - basically throwing spells around in towns is likely to get you burned at the steak so it good to have an inherent respect for invocation. Magic is also generally portrayed as being ultimately destructive for Middle Earth in that most magical creatures that inhabit the land are, generally speaking, not supposed to be there. This is typified by the wisdom of Gandalf; given his enormous power, it was tempered by his physical form of an elderly man and where his influence is seen it is often subtle and very gentle - with the exception of the Balrog of course where I just think he lost his temper and needed to blow off steam after a few thousand years.

 

Anyhows the initial gateway drug for the game are the films of course so I hope its accessible enough for anyone who has seen them but for anyone else wanting to scratch the surface, you can get an glimpse of the incredible depth of the world through an amateurish but surprisingly intricate set of six videos in 'The History of Arda'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JupPs_QVy0&list=PLlFZNs3eLW7phi9esFDH6uyvPVsaqOTh1

Don't meet your maker

One of the fun aspects of our club is the wonderfully long preamble we get as role players sitting around and having a catch up before the games begin. Some of us wander in as early as 7:30 and others a little later but as often is the case in scenarios, our adventures start in the bar, literally. Now for those who are early there is the occasion when one will manage to squeeze in an extra drink to fuel the wonderfully bizarre conversations we tend to have. More in keeping, when a group of imaginative and lightly inebriated role players get together we seem to continually generate ideas for games that are clearly magnificent. Sadly much of our Gnome like ramblings have been lost to the mists of sobriety over the following week but I successfully recall that we concocted the best card game in the world yet again by the name of  "Don't meet your maker".

 

This is a game where you play an extremely old character in a nursing home and have to contend with the day to day challenges of survival, gaining privileges as you go, such as navigating short corridors, avoiding wheelie trolleys and eating all of your food without spilling it. There are boosters you can use in the way of medication and nurses to help you achieve your goals but of course Doctors, stern administrators and visiting family members, trousers and confusing toys are all foes to contend with. Life span can be given out as a reward as tasks are accomplished and the odd fall may mean you don't make it to the end of the day. Its all about getting to bed safely and on time.

 

OK, so its only a fuzzy outline like many things on a Thursday but the sheer million dollar ideas we generate should at least get us onto Dragons Den and we do know how to deal with dragons.

 

 

Anyhow, this week sees the MERP continuing and I believe GM Rob is forming a Numenera, a sci fi world of possibilities which balances our offering nicely between Fantasy and Sci Fi. Get yourself along!