Report - D&D on Google+: Session 1

Nancy Petru

This series of blogs about the recent Google+ Basic D&D game I've been running was primarily written by Nancy Petru, one of the players of the game who kept some rather excellent notes about the game as we played it so that the players could be kept up to speed on the story, so full credit for these blog posts go to her and her fine attention to detail.

Over the last few weeks I've been running a Basic D&D game for some of the members at the International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club, a smashing little organisation that allows ladynerds to contact each other all over the world via snail mail. It's a great idea and some fast friendships have been created.

My wife Lisa joined a long time ago and she suggested to some members that they should try roleplaying and she asked me what game I would choose should I run a game over the video chat of Google+. Little did I know that she had volunteered me for the DMing duty, so I had to design and run a game for ladynerds, some of whom had some experienced with RPGs and some who had no experience whatsoever.

Challenge... ACCEPTED!

So, below are the players and characters that the ladies and a bloke created for the game. I was pretty loose with the race/class system so that's why there's some Dwarf Clerics and such:

Arielle: DWARF- Alistina Wyrmsbane - MAGE - Lawful Good
Lisa: DWARF- Kezia Anvil Gray - CLERIC - Neutral Good
Brandon: HUMAN - Ballamin Graveltoes - THIEF - Neutral Good
LisaH: HUMAN - Ridley - THIEF - Chaotic Good
Lara: HUMAN - Nessa - Neutral Good
Morgan: ELF - Velora Taleth - Neutral Good
Danica: ELF - Rowan - Neutral Good
Nancy: HALF-ELF - Evadne Wingfoot - FIGHTER - Chaotic Good
Amanda: ELF - Liramorel Dawnbreaker - CLERIC - Neutral Good

THE ADVENTURE: 'The Cup of the Crooked King' - Session 1

Our band was summoned by King Ulfred (the Crooked King) of the prosperous kingdom of Kingshold in the Forgotten Realms for a private audience. Once inside the audience chamber, we saw the throne in the middle of the hall, illuminated by a shaft of light. It’s empty. A man (Wolfgang) exits the chamber by way of a small side door. He does not beckon us to follow. We dithered about, discussing the possibility of a trap. After all, no one has seen the Crooked King in years, and Kingshold, while historically wealthy, has started to look a bit worn, and has had several skirmishes with its enemies on the Stone Coast. There is no way of knowing if the King still lives, or if this summons is just a trap. Two giant metal axes attached to sturdy chains hang crossed over the doorway. It seems that if they are triggered, whomever is unlucky enough to be underneath will be sliced to mush.

Kezia cast Detect Evil, and found nothing. Alistina cast Shield on Evadne, who walked underneath the axes into the hallway. Nothing happened. Thankfully.

We approach the gigantic four poster bed where King Ulfred reclines, surrounded by healers and attendants. The Crooked King - it’s an apt title indeed, because he looks like the Elephant Man, covered in grotesque boils that ooze pus. The burly man we saw earlier, Wolfgang, is near the King.

It’s hard for the King to see us through his twisted eyelids, let alone talk, but he reveals his quest for us; We are to take a magical artifact, the Cup, and return it to it’s rightful resting place deep in the Stone Coast. As Kingshold and the Stone Coast are bitter enemies, we - a band of travelers that cross borders - are the perfect group for this task.

Evadne succeeded with a Charisma roll and asked if the Cup and the King’s affliction were related - the King would only say that that they were indeed related. When asked what would happen if the quest failed, the King told us that the entirety of Kingshold would wither away. (In other words - no pressure).

The King promises to reward us with wealth from Kingshold’s renewed coffers if we complete this quest. We accept. He tells us that first, before we take the cup to the Stone Coast, we will actually need to fill it up with dust from a dragon’s bones. He says that he knows of a dead dragon in the Blue Mountains, and that if we were to go there first, we’d have the hard part of the quest (arguably) out of the way. Tracking down a live dragon and slaying it would be monumentally difficult. We are given provisions, and Wolfgang gives us a box containing the Cup and a tiny key on a silver chain that fits the box’s padlock. After a quick decision, we are off for the Blue Mountains.

Along the road after a few days, we spy a fire well off the main road. Curious, we ask the thieves Ballamin and Ridley to investigate. They creep close, and discover Hobgoblins, who are toasting a human torso over the fire, and have three peasants tied up close-by. There is a gigantic crate with something inside. The hobgoblins feed one of the peasants to the creature in the box. Ballamin’s foot slips where they are hiding, and one of the hobgoblins hears the noise and turns around, exclaiming “Fresh meat!”

TO BE CONTINUED...