Castle Ravenloft

So I made the purchase.  Bought WoTC's latest sojourn into the board game market.  I was actually pretty excited about this. I recently purchased Descent and I loved it, one session dungeon crawl.  As you may have noticed in my other posts, I want to cooperatively play with my group as I am usually the GM since our resident expert of Dungeon Mastering left to Bellevue.  While Descent is an awesome and fun game, where the Overlord challenges a group of Players, it still doesn't hit the spot for being able to be the player.  That's where Castle Ravenloft comes in.  I have thought that D&D4E would lend itself well to a boardgame, more so than an RPG.  Its tactical and skirmish based, but because of its focus on the tabletop it loses some of that essence that makes a Role-playing game what it is.  That freedom to do as you please, and the options to do just about anything doesn't translate well into the powers concept utilized by 4th edition.  I did try playing the latest edition and I am definitely not going to start a hate thread about 4E vs. Pathfinder, but I think each game appeals to a completely different play style and with work any player or DM can find enjoyment in either game.

Well with that out of the way, I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of Castle Ravenloft.  I just ordered it yesterday!!  I read some reviews and there were some complaints, but nothing that steered me away.  Can't wait to get it.

Obsidian Portal and now a facebook page ?!?!?!

FACEBOOK GROUP The GM even created a facebook. So know we can discuss in posts over there.

Dallen Yadrwick's History

Dallens History

Shackled City Ideas

I am a player in an online Shackled City Campaign.  The DM has changed some of the plot from the standard adventure path and added some side adventures.  But I am going to post for the rest of the group some of the thoughts on loose ends and some of the organizations and people I have questions about.  So below are some things for the other players to think about.

Kazmojen
Where did Kazmojen's resources go.
What happened to the guy we locked in the cell?
Who Did he work for?
Not The Beholder and the Vieled Lady
The boy, (Terem)The Beholder and the Vieled lady make their appreance.
Lathenmires hosts party and are weapon importers(building weapons below town)
Last Laugh and JIL are involved in ruffing up the Priest investigating children.
The Last Laugh ran the Hillfolk and Alleybashers out of Cauldron.

The Blue Duke?
Who did Drakkar work for, middleman between Xoden and The Blue Duke.
BEWARE - The Thirteen, the Shackleborn and the Prince of Madness
Orak Stonehaven – Owes us for the bathhouse incident
Does Orak keep records of his clients?

Jenya has made 2 “prophecies”
That the wands were beneath the city.
-other was a sending spell that lead us to Lucky Monkey
Why don't the churches make the wands anymore?

Who is Fellian, Farios, and Shensen's Mentor?

Who are the Cagewrights?

The Mud Slaad and his treasure in the Kurpo ruins

Skaithen is the fire giant

THE EBON TRIAD
The Ebon Triad have only attempted to stop the Flood Festivals

Ebon Triad:
Alleybashers – possibly recruits
Hillfolk – possibly recruits
Werebaboon and friends
Skaven(killed Seoni)
Triel(cleric)
Tarkilar
Mentions The CAGEWRIGHTS, Our masters and The Ebon Triad being betrayed.

The Ebon triad had spawns of Kyuss with them in the dungeon.


NOTES ON THE NOBLES OF CAULDRON:

Jil is with Lord Valhantru and Lady Thrifane at the Ball. She works for the last laugh.

The Blue Duke employs the mercenaries.

Lord Valhantru is the sculptor

The Stormblades
zachary Aslaxin II
Cora Lathenmire
Annah Taskerhills
Vanderboren guy.
-Given credit for our liberation of the Wands
-Explore Lava tubes
-Last adventure a month ago

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Spellweavers

Kyuss had a tower in the jungles.

Demonskar
Demon lord still alive.

Hookface
Red Dragon
Hasn't left his lair with mate.

The Perfect RPG for me

I mentioned earlier today I was looking to make a hybrid RPG/Skirmish game.  I've been reading a few different games to draw inspiration from.  Warrior Heroes, D&D miniature rules, Descent: Journey in the Dark and Mythic GM emulator.  Each of these games has something I really love that draws me and it makes me say that is a brilliant concept.  Now I just need to figure out how to hammer them all together and get the most out of my favorite parts.

Warrior Heroes has the artificial intelligence of NPCs that I love.  With this system encounters will have their own flow and outcomes completely random.  I also like how simple character advancement is with raising and lower reputation.

D&D miniatures has everything D&D 4E and 3.5 has reduced down.  Which are the systems my group are most familiar with.  My only complaint is damage does set amounts.  My players love to roll dice and all of the varieties, not just d6s.  Damage in D&D is where the majority of your dice are rolled.  D20 for everything else, every other dice in the damage category.

Descent: Journey in the Dark is a great game.  Being able to be pull no punches as the GM and having that GM vs. Player mentality is worth it.  I don't have to help them succeed, as a matter of fact I am trying to kill them.  Love that.  The part I think would do great in this game I am trying to make is the magic items, skills and treasure cards.  Which after a little research I found out Paizo also makes magic item cards.  Developing a characters base stats, as simple as those on the D&D miniatures cards and then adding to those powers with a few skill and item cards would limit record keeping and make the game more manageable.  Which is one my biggest complaints about the newest generation of games, MONUMENTAL amounts of record keeping.

And finally Mythic GM emulator to help develop plots and over arching campaigns without anyone really knowing the outcome, so everyone can play together as an adventuring group.

Those are my ideas are wandering around in my brain.  I just need to make them cohesive.  I also need to check out this Barbarians of Lemuria game.

The First Post

Well this is my first post.  I was busy linking up my Obsidian Portal Campaign info and my buddy Hank's Obsidian Portal Campaigns.  I love that site, I just wish I could justify spending the money for the premium features.  Currently we are playing Shackled City via maptools(as you can find in the links below).  The actual gaming group that meets up has been playing AT-43 and as of last session, Descent: Journey in the Dark.  My actual dice (which I have far too many of) are collecting dust and have been sitting for far too long.

I've been playing RPGs longer than wargames or boardgames(excluding the obvious games you play as a kid).  I love playing RPGs.  I GMed Shadowrun and MERPS a few years ago and had tons of fun, somewhere over the years the fun of GMing has been lost.  Its a bummer.  I've been experimenting with different rules systems hoping to find one that will reignite the spark of GMing.  Savage Worlds, the new D&D 4E, Pathfinder and most recently I've been reading through Warrrior Heroes:  Armies and Adventures.

I am hoping with the more random and out of my control elements of games such as Warrior Heroes and the Mythic GM emulator, I can breath fresh life into my GMing experience.  I have even kicked around the idea of group storytelling and creating my own hybrid miniature skirmish/dungeon exploration type game.