Friday 30 May 2008

Shadows of Yog-Sothoth: The End, part 1/2

Easter Island sure is an interesting place. After we talked to the last priest of the birdmen and learned all kinds of interesting stuff, it fell to Jack, the only proficient swimmer of the group, to undertake the ancient test for prospective priests and swim three miles from the main island to a smaller one. He didn't do it for kicks, but to retrieve a crystal that was supposed to help us in the climactic battle against the cultists (of whom we haven't heard a peep yet). Now, Jack did have a mask the priest loaned us, which let him breathe underwater, but he still had to swim there and search for the crystal cave 50 feet under the surface.

A full day's work already, but Jack got into an underwater fight with a deep one who was either guarding the crystal or looking for it, too. He was badly clawed but managed to get a Tarzan-like grip on the monster and cut its throat. He even made it back to the main island without passing out. Barbarian king material, obviously.

The next day Jack stayed in bed to heal while the others found the cave complex where the deep ones had taken their prisoners. Much fighting ensued, and they managed to rescue all the humans the found. We didn't have time to celebrate, though: a Star-Spawn of Cthulhu attacked the Chilean warship anchored nearby and sank it. It suffered grievous injuries but still managed to take flight, only to fall to the concentrated fire of the Chilean marines. The gigantic corpse fell on the village, killing dozens if not hundreds. We ended the session with this widescreen action ending. The next one should be the very last - maybe the real Mr Cthulhu will show up!

Oh, I almost forgot to add that we finally got around to continuing the Neverwinter Nights campaign.

Game Count: 31/52

Gaming Weekend II: the outcome

Turns out there were only two games: my WoD: Vice City and then a freeform urban fantasy story set in Rovaniemi. I was quite happy both as a player and a GM. We wouldn't really have had time for a third game, so things worked out fine.

Vice City was mostly style and little substance. Rolling in fancy automobiles and frequenting the Malibu Club were the characters' most important activities, and since they were trying to infiltrate the illegal street racing scene it was par for the course. The best action scene was the big Friday night race between one of the PCs and a prominent local racer. The hero had a Lamborghini Countach while the other guy drove a 1971 Boss Mustang, but some good rolls on the NPC's part kept the race tense to the last straight.

The big drug deal and subsequent gun battle & arrest at the end went so thoroughly according to the plan that it didn't feel as tense somehow.

Game Count: 29/52

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Gaming Weekend Part II

This upcoming weekend me and a bunch of friends will again retreat to the countryside for Saturday and Sunday to play RPGs. The first such undertaking was highly enjoyable. As far as I know, the other GMs are prepping something Changeling: the Lost-related and an almost systemless freeform thing I know little about.

My concept aims higher. I hope to be able to run a little thing called World of Darkness: Vice City. Basically, use the city as a setting (the console game comes with a nice map and tourist guide), rip off Miami Vice and 80s action movies as much as I can, and use the new WoD rules for a system. How can it fail?

I may not have enough time to prepare a scenario properly, that's how.

Saturday 17 May 2008

Roleplaying resumed

As you can see, it's been quiet for a while. But 1920s Cthulhu continued this week and we sailed to Chile and eventually Easter Island. Jack is in Crusade Mode now and was very disappointed when the Chilean occupying forces confiscated most of our firearms. A single revolver just doesn't cut it when the final confrontation is approaching! At least we weren't shot as spies or thrown in jail.

We are trying to finish Shadows of Yog-Sothoth in May, hopefully that works out as planned. It is currently my only steadily ongoing game, so I better get working on those summer gaming plans one of these days. I am not holding my breath while waiting for Buffy or Delta Green to resume.

Game Count: 27/52

Wednesday 14 May 2008

A big pile of Chaosium

Our April Fools Sale package finally arrived from Chaosium. Actually it had already arrived in the country in late April, but I don't have the energy to recount the story here. I got it in the end, so everything's cool.

My share of the spoils consisted of:
  • H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham
  • Mansions of Madness
  • Secrets of Los Angeles
  • Secrets of New York
  • The Yellow Sign and Other Stories (fiction by Robert W. Chambers)
  • Trail of Cthulhu (the new Cthulhu RPG from Pelgrane Press)
  • a set of Pallid Dice to go with the fiction

It's going to take me a good long while to digest all that.

In other news: GTA IV is still awesome at 35 % completion. It is not a roleplaying game as such, but feels more like an RPG than many supposed CRPGs even without the character development system that San Andreas had. I tend to feel Niko's anger when he is unjustly treated (which happens often), and the action scenes get the adrenaline pumping.

"Nobody fucks with my family!"

Thursday 1 May 2008

Halfway there!

Since the last update, I ran Tatterdemallion (one dead PC, one insane, two somewhat okay) and played one session of the 1920s Cthulhu. That takes me to 26, two months ahead of schedule.

I also bought an Xbox 360 with Grand Theft Auto IV - now there's an impressive game. The best open world I ever saw.

Game Count: 26/52