Solo Adventuring

 I have had a standing appointment nearly every Wednesday for almost 2 years now.  It is with a group of adventurers travelling a world in order to save it from those that wish to destroy the innocent and bring forth evil.  When people come together to play D&D, anything is possible.

We recently came to the end of a story arc the DM had composed for us.  Without access to his notes, I like to believe we loosely followed his plan and veered away from it only when it was most inconvenient to do so.

During a brief interlude, I thought about my character and what he might do after beating the big boss and before taking on any more challenges.  In his younger days Cordon Lindenbrook had seen his mother killed by hobgoblin forces.  He was unable to help her so he retreated into the shadows physically and emotionally.  So now he returns to a land controlled by his enemies to complete a chore he gave himself.

Before leaving the embattled capitol city of Springhill, he wandered around town until he found a small craftsman that could make a fancier version of his nation's ancient artifact. Cordon describes the belt as he wants it made instead of showing the Belt of Strength to the shopkeeper. He asks for a few additions to the design to draw a wandering eye more quickly. The edge will have silver thread wrapped around it. The buckle will have a circuit of gold thread surrounding it. Instead of an onyx, Cordon commissions a hunk of obsidian to be embedded in the material.

Cordon travels back to the village where he and his mother lived. He uses happy memories to hide the dread he feels. The last time he was here was the night his mother was slain by the hobgoblins. All that is left is demolished forests and destroyed homes covered in weeds. Deep in his former homeland, Cordon is aware of the presence of those watching him. This is no longer a Halfling nation. It is now a wasteland that belongs to the hobgoblin tribes. Cordon isn't sure exactly why he isn't being harassed by the interlopers, but he likes to think his confidence and sure stride is the source of their reluctance.

Upon reaching the outskirts of his former home village, Cordon finds the place he piled some of the larger stones from the bed of a nearby stream. He had run to escape the advance hobgoblin forces after his mother was killed but before they finished torturing her body. Her screams still echo in his mind to this day, more than 30 years after it happened.

Cordon had piled the stones as a marker of where he wished he had been able to bury his mother's remains. A clear spot where the babbling of the stream can be heard and is lightly shaded by leaves high in the trees. He kneels before them and closes his eyes. Over the sighs of the wind weaving through the foliage overhead and the soft twittering of birds in the distance, Cordon imagines hearing her laugh one more time. Before the tears forming in the corner of his eye can become large enough to fall, Cordon places his pack on the ground and extracts a simple box and a shovel. He uses the shovel to dig a hole slightly wider than the box and about two feet deeper than the box is tall.

Cordon picks up the box, his pack, and the shovel, and steps over to a nearby tree. He sits down and catches his breath for a moment. Two apples and a stale slice of bread find their way out of the pack and into the hungry worker. Once Cordon is relaxed, and aware of every set of eyes watching him, he opens the box to reveal it is empty. From his pack, the Halfling pulls out a belt that looks like it has been drawn directly from legends and tales instead of a worn traveler's pack.

With more reverence than an item from a common shop should be given, Cordon carefully folds the belt. The light flickering through the leaves above flashes off the threads of gold and silver embedded in the belt's material. As Cordon lifts the folded belt into the box, the light seems to be completely absorbed by the black stone on top of the folded fabric. The entire forest seems to hold its breath as the belt is lowered into the box and the lid is replaced.

Like a cleric taking an offering to an altar, Cordon carries the box to the hole he had dug. He lowers the box into the ground and uses his hands to shove the dirt over the hole. He carefully spreads the loosened soil around to disguise the former hole. Careful placement of some foliage from nearby camouflages the signs of his work.

The sun gets closer to the horizon and Cordon steps into the growing shadows of the forest. He knows the hidden figures that had been watching him are now more interested in what he has left behind. This is exactly what he had hoped for.

Using the skills he had developed during his recent adventures, Cordon vanishes into the undergrowth. Blended in with the darkness, he watches the area around the piled rocks carefully. An arrow is knocked and he is ready to draw the bow's string in less than a heartbeat if anything moves towards the box he buried.

The sun finally sets and the area grows completely dark. Unable to see anything in the darkness, Cordon stealthily backs away and begins his return journey to Springhill. When he feels like he is safe from any pending attacks, Cordon opens up his cloak. His hand brushes the onyx stone on the belt he wears as he checks the placement of the ancient dagger clipped to the belt.

Cordon knows he will never have a home or family as most people know it. On the other hand, he did have some fun adventures with some recent companions. More chances to kill hobgoblins and gain a little coin will always be welcome. While Cordon has vowed to never become emotionally attached to anyone again, he is aware of the value of his companions and their skills. There is an old adage about new friends, old friends, silver, and gold. Cordon can't remember the exact wording but wants to experience more of the world and collect as much of each of them as he can.

I will admit, some of the details of this story will only be known to the Darling Brothers Entertainment Extravaganza and Friends.  Still, I am hoping this is the first of many tales of their adventures, either alone or together.

Who is among us?

 The game Among Us has blown up recently.  It is a simple game with a deceiver mechanic.  The devs recently announced some lore for the game.  Apparently the impostor in the game is a parasitic shapeshifting invader.  With that in mind, here is a little tale from the view of one of the crewmates.

 

 

Personal Log, Employee #24601

File Code Number 8675309  

For distribution to next of kin only, not for corporate use.

Reviewed by Legal and approved for release.

Just another personal log from another cog in the interstellar corporate machine. Personally, this cog is getting kind of tired of being a part of this particular machine. Sure, the glamour of traveling to other planets and collecting samples and data for later research seemed very attractive. Once you do it though, the grunt work takes a lot of the shine out of it and you just see the dirt and broken machines. You would think a company that could afford to build ships capable of traveling other planets wouldn't let everything be built by the lowest bidder.  They even went cheap on our spacesuits.  Would adding arms instead of forcing is to stretch our the suit itself to perform tasks be that much of an effort?

If I have to reconnect one more set of wires I will snap someone's neck.  It's not just the wires either. I swear we had at least three alerts regarding a reactor meltdown on The Skeld during the return trip from our last mission. To a degree, I can understand needing to destroy meteorites in our path. But there might be fewer of those around if we weren't constantly drifting off course. The navigation computers would pick up a ton of drift every five minutes that we then had to re-calibrate and plot a new course.

I made the mistake of thinking things would be better when we got back to Mira HQ. I don't know why. Just as many broken wires there to fix and a reactor just as wonky. The company is so cheap they can't even install an automatic sprinkler system for the plants in the greenhouse. We have to get a watering can from storage and water them ourselves. A multibillion dollar corporation that reaches other planets and they can't even afford sprinklers. If not sprinklers, at least lights that don't go out every few minutes. Or an air filter that doesn't get clogged by simple leaves. Or a computer network that doesn't require me to walk from room to room downloading data and uploading it again.

The decontamination, at least, works consistently. And that is a bonus as often as we have to traverse it on the way to the lab. There is a fantastic view of the clouds while we sort samples from expeditions and reassemble harmonic crystals. Signs of real research being done at last.

Real research, like what I finally got to do when we reached Polus at last. Not a particularly exciting planet, just likes to shake us all up now and again. Nothing a little rerouting of a ground sensor can't fix. Appropriate for a planetary research base, there are two decontamination rooms to protect the samples we collect while they are being packed up. Can't forget all the temperature sensors to log data from. Such drastic differences between the air over the lava pit and off the cliff edge on the other side of the base.

Damnit, time to refuel the dropship engines again. Even with all this research happe.....glurp. Glooble. Herkar shlep.

Hungry. Must eat. Must spread. Must be more of us.......

END OF LOG.

Game Time

There are any of a number of adventures you can take on a daily basis.  Various universes to explore.  Personalities to experience.  Opportunities to either help or hinder, build or destroy.  With the activity I have in mind, here are just some of the things you can enjoy.

A swarm of dragons covers the sky.  Paths through the clouds appear before them as they swoop high over the ground.  The paths curve and bend through near misses between soaring bodies.  Occasionally unlucky dragons collide or run out of sky, only to disappear entirely.  Until, at last, only one is left to rule the heavens.

Money changes hands.  Land is bought and sold.  Homes are built and upgraded.  Entrepreneurs haggle and try to make their money work hard for them.  They acquire utilities and collect fees each time their associates utilize what they have to offer.  Risks are taken that may cause an individual to end up behind bars until they serve their time or pay to get out.  Ultimately, the victor is the one with the most money at the end.

Monsters are attacking a major metropolis.  They throw buses against buildings and scatter the denizens that live inside.  Walls are toppled by breath attacks.  Unfortunate citizens are consumed by the monsters to fuel their rage.  At times, even the monsters themselves are harmed by the actions of the other attackers.  The final monster standing rules over the destroyed wasteland that remains.

Not every family is happy or particularly successful.  Some are menaced by mice, Others become trapped on a train.  There is even a chance a member of one of these unlucky families might be terrified by topiary.  The only favor someone can do for these suffering families is to help them end their suffering by shuffling off their mortal coils.

A team travels through caverns and castles.  They encounter monsters and collect treasures.  During each battle, members of the team may help their mates to defeat the powerful beast, or slip something to the beast itself to keep their "friend" from becoming too powerful too soon.  Regardless of the result of combat, laughs are shared between the teammates.

All of these adventures are very easy to experience.  Just go to your favorite local game store and pick them up.  Each one is a board or card game.  In order they are Tsuro, Monopoly, Terror in Meeple City, Gloom, and Munchkin.  In these times of digital downloads and electronic devices everywhere, board and card games can still be just as enjoyable.  Just get some friends and/or family together and have an afternoon of games.  

With a little luck, it might become a regular event.

Game Time

Between spending time with my sons, working full time, various writing projects, and all the other things life throws around, I still manage to find some time to myself to enjoy a little time playing video games.  One game I enjoy playing is Final Fantasy XIV.  Adventurers travel all the lands of Eorzea fighting in dungeons and battling foes to protect the citizens from evil forces.

Like other games in the Final Fantasy franchise, this version includes the popular Chocobo.  Usually the large bird is a utility used as a mount.  Very rarely is much of the story told from the Chcobo's point of view.  I thought it was time for this to change.

I see these as being tales told to other chocobos in the stables at the end of each day's travels.

I am so excited. My day has finally come. I have been given a partner to travel and explore this wide world in which we live. I see all the different types of peoples that visit the fields near our home. Tall muscular fighters that nearly have to duck to enter the stables. Short folks that can hide from sight in tall bushes and barely reach my knees. They all travel about protecting others, fighting monsters, and collecting materials for their various crafts. Now I can travel with someone and do all of this along with them. Wait. I hear the whistle made for my new partner. KWEH! Off to start my adventures.

I spent most of the day running through the woods with my new partner. He is a small person that uses mystical energies rather than steel weapons. I could have not asked for a more perfect rider. As we moved between the trees I could see some people fighting smaller monsters. Beasts too weak for my partner to be bothered with. Some people were fighting these monsters to keep them away from the nearby city. We rode to a village filled with people even smaller than my rider. They were so short, their feet didn't touch the ground. They just floated around with their wings fluttering. We crossed through the village and approached another forest filled with larger beasts and walking trees. I will admit I am a little glad my partner dismounted and sent me away before fighting anything there.

My partner got some clothing for me. He calls it “barding.” What I have now is simple and decorated in the colors and symbols of the nation he has been helping lately. He has promised me more barding in different styles and patterns. I can't wait.

Cold. Today was a journey in an area that was very cold. Mountains soared into the sky. Stone towers rivaled them in height. Beasts here come in both large and small sizes. Fortunately, I am much faster than the large lizards that roam the area. Some of them tried to come after us, but I was able to keep us safe until we entered the brick city that had been established a long time ago. Some of the walls of the city looked damaged, but it was still safer than the castle nearby that had been taken over by beasts and dragons.

Today's adventure was both exciting and intense. I was given a treat of gysahl greens. With a gift like this, I expected to carry my partner from one end of the world to the other. However, this time he didn't hop into the saddle for a ride. Instead I fought alongside him to beat many, many evil monsters. It was very scary at first, but I couldn't leave my partner alone when he had so much faith in my skills. KWEH! I learned a new kick to use the next time I'm asked to fight. Despite my fears at first, I can't wait to beat more monsters and learn more combat skills. Maybe I will even learn some tricks to help my partner by more than just fighting.

These last few days has been extremely busy. We traveled from area to area, region to region, and nation to nation. We fought evil troops that came with magitek defensive units, a behemoth, numerous goblins and evil sylphs, and more fish men than I care to count. We traveled to the ocean, visited a region full of giant crystals, and cruised across a giant desert. While I truly enjoy my time with my partner, I wouldn't mind if he got a new mount so I could get a little rest. Maybe one of those flying things with one eye could carry him around for a bit.

Now, where did I leave my controller.  Ramuh has offered up a challenge I can't refuse.

Creative Games

It is 19 days into NaNoWriMo.  There are 11 days of writing left to reach the 50,000 word goal.  While it doesn't look like I will reach that lofty mark, I will continue to strive towards it.  Unfortunately, this means I have to focus on my work in progress, a sequel to my first novel.  Instead of a story idea, here are some games you can play with friends and or family members to improve everyone's storytelling skills.  Maybe have some fun at the same time.


Once Upon a Time by Atlas Games:  This card game contains elements from the fairy tale world.  Players play cards as they use the elements to tell a story.  The winner is the one that ends the story with an Ending Card.  Stories can be interrupted by other players at any time in order to change the tale or reach their own ending.  Variations are available to form tales of the high seas or adventures of knights and chivalry.

Role Playing Games:  Once firmly planted in deep basements and only enjoyed by groups of lonely nerds, role playing games have risen in scope and popularity.  The games are more than just the rolling of dice and the moving of model pieces around a map.  The Dungeon Master, or other teller of the tale, must create an adventure that entertains the players while keeping in line with the rules of the universe in which the game is set.  Individual players must help to keep the story alive with the actions of their own characters in the various situations.

Munchkin by Steve Jackson Games:  On its face, Munchkin is a card game that enjoys making fun of traditional role playing games.  Players take turns "kicking down" doors and fighting the monsters that may appear.  Other players can help or hinder either combatant in the battle.  While gameplay doesn't immediately lend itself to the formation of a story, players can still use the elements of play to come up with a fantastic story.

Gloom by Atlas Games:  Gloom is another card game by Atlas Games. However, unlike Once Upon a Time, this game does not end happily ever after.  Each player has a family of five characters they are responsible for.  The object of the game is for each player to make their family as miserable as possible before killing them off.  The misery comes in the form of playing cards that cause the characters to be Menaced by Mice, Jynxed by Gypsies, Widowed at the Wedding, or Marooned on the Moors.  The game can be played in a simple manner, but using the elements on the cards to tell a story can add a smile to all the players' faces.


These games can all be used to have a little fun while stretching your creative muscles.  If you know of any other card or board games that can be used to tell a story, let everyone know in the comments.