It was a dark and stormy night (tag gamers) on Library

Ness McLeod

November 05, 2020 9:22 PM

It was a dark and stormy night (tag gamers) by Ness McLeod

It wasn’t like Ness had never sat in this chair before. There had been a few of them who had had a go in it last year, trying it on for size. And Ness probably wouldn’t be its sole occupant this year. Ness would be running the club but not every game. Still, all those times had been trial runs. It had felt like borrowing the space. And whenever Ness had come unstuck, Gary had been at the other end of the table, ready to help out. Now Ness was taking his spot, and it felt weird.

The Aladren had set summer homework in order to make sure things got off to as smooth a start as possible, and had done plenty too to get ready. Following last year, it seemed like there were a few keen DMs at the table, and as the big campaigns took their toll on any single person to plan, it made sense to share the workload. It would also allow them to give new players a go at joining in. The first few weeks would therefore be running through the one shots prepared by anyone who wanted to take a turn - that would give people a chance to settle and for the word about gaming club to spread to any potential new first years without them missing the start of a long campaign, or having to commit right off the bat.

Ness had a premise and an outline for a longer game, and they could plan characters once it looked like they had settled into the rhythm of the year. They could play that up until Christmas, Ness would then have the break to fine tune anything that wasn’t going to plan, and finish it off in the first part of the new year, before winding back down to one shots and maybe just regular board game nights as everyone started getting into exam season. It was a perfect plan. Now it just had to be put smoothly into action…

Ness had set up by putting a few pieces of candy from Evelyn’s gift basket at each place on the table. Something about symbolism and giving back was the official reason in Ness’ head, but mostly bribing people with candy was also just a solid opening move. Ness had more in case there were already new recruits. It didn’t seem super likely that most of them would have found out and bonded with first years over hobbies yet but then there was also Val. Ness hadn’t advertised the first meeting openly. Gary had never recruited like that, and it had always just kind of been a word of mouth thing - the secret nerd cult that met in the library. Ness quite liked that about it, and it suited the style of gaming, which felt like it had limited spots. Though there was always the option for multiple tables, and with so many of them edging closer and closer to graduation perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to swell their numbers. Still, it would be nice to catch up with the regular crew, and maybe get their thoughts on what recruitment strategy should look like, as that was one thing that hadn’t really been touched on last year.

“Welcome to another year of Sonora gaming,” Ness stated once everyone was at the table. Did they hate this? Was it weird? Was it going to be worse if Ness sounded too much like Gary or not enough like him? It felt like there were things that were just inherent to being the DM, and that of course his personal style would have influenced Ness but the sixth year didn’t want it to come off like trying to be him.

“So, the plan for this year is one shots to begin and end the year, with a big campaign in the middle. This gives us a chance to share responsibilities, and to have a few weeks of recruitment, and a few weeks of unwinding around exams.” This was refresher info but it was worth mentioning it just so that everyone knew the plan hadn’t changed, and just in case anyone (Morgan) had forgotten what it was.

“First order of business, let’s get a list of the one shots or shorts we have prepared. Just raise your hand if you made any, let me know how many you have, how many sessions it would take and minimum and maximum party size. I’d also like everyone's opinion on how we want to do recruitment. Do we want to put up posters and try to draw as many people as possible, or do we want to stick with this being a word of mouth, invite-only kind of thing?” There was also the question of whether they could cope with it being bigger. Did they have enough adventure? Did they collectively have enough experience?

Once the admin was dealt with, it was game time. Ness passed round a selection of character sheets, in line with the usual roles taken by the group last year. There were a couple of spares in case there were new people, although as the odds of anyone new being experienced in the game were low (Val had been kind of an exception), these were mostly doubling up existing roles, albeit with a slightly different take or skill set. This way, newbies could be paired with existing players to help them get the hang of what sort of ways they should get involved.

“Arr, so as ye can see, this evening we are a hearty band of… redistribution agents,” Ness began. ‘Smuggler’ was such a dirty word. It had felt like it might be a fun thing to lean into as a theme - there could be silly voices, and lots of swashbuckling. Even if the adventure of ‘get from A to B whilst killing things/avoiding traps’ was fairly basic, it was going to be dressed up in a fun way that they hadn’t done before. And basic mechanics were probably good for opening sessions. Ness had looked into fun things like time travel and they were distinctly messy and complicated. Plus there were some twists and mysteries in here… What was the fun in everything being what it seemed?

“You’re a solid crew, that’s known and trusted each other a fair old while. Whilst others in your industry have a reputation for gathering plunder and working for the highest bidder, you have a reputation for righting wrongs on the high seas,” Ness was pretty sure just killing things for treasure would not have floated Heinrich’s boat. “You’re currently in a small town on the coast of England. Rumour has it that there’s something of interest to you here - a young lady who was kidnapped by a rival band of pirates, and whose family has offered handsome pay for her return. And that’s lucky for you, because for the last week a heck of a storm’s been blowing in every night, and right now, no one’s getting out of town. What do you want to do?”

OOC: Welcome to gaming club. Meep! I hope I am doing it right enough. I figure people now know enough about roles and characters that they can have license to invent appropriate details on Ness’ behalf for what they have been given. It would be in line with their preferences from previous adventures. If there are any new faces at the table, Ness would have gone around and done introductions before getting started. Enjoy!

13 Ness McLeod It was a dark and stormy night (tag gamers) 1419 1 5

Valentine Duell

November 08, 2020 5:39 PM

and there was certainly trouble afoot. by Valentine Duell

Gaming time! Valentine practically bounced on her way to the library. She was excited to see the gaming group again, excited to hang out and play games again! The summer had been a bit strange and not much actual gaming had happened. There had been a little bit, but with everything involved with Aunt Giselle... the normal schedule hadn't quite worked out the same. Oh well, it had been worth it. Now though, it was gaming time!

She found Ness and the table, offered Ness a hug and then found a seat. There was candy! She reached for it, then stopped. There was some at each seat... this might be a 'thing.' Perhaps it would be relevant to the meeting or the game. She slowly pulled her hand back, best wait for instructions. This might be her character's health for all she knew. If she ate it now... she wouldn't be much good to anyone in the game.

As the table filled, it finally struck her that Gary wasn't going to be here, or Parker. It took a mild edge off of her excitement. Parker she hadn't gotten to know very well, but she still missed his presence. Gary had been a little bit of a mentor as she worked on her games last year, plus he had been the driving personality behind the game club as a whole. She wasn't sure what his charisma modifier was, but it must have been decently high.

Ness called the meeting to order and reviewed the plan. She raised her hand when Ness asked about adventures. "I've got an adventure plot outline that I can get ready in a week if we need it. I can make it for anywhere from three to six players..." she bobbled her head a little, "or more if necessary. It'll probably take on.. two..." she remembered how her other games seemed to stretch out, "three sessions?" She blushed a little, "The details are still up in the air."

She didn't have any strong opinions on the recruitment front. She thought it was nicer to talk to people than to make them just read posters, but some people might prefer to read posters. She knew some people, she could talk to them if more were needed for the club. Neither Bonabelle nor Lavender had really shown any real interest in joining. Maybe Philippe, or Wally, or Stanley? She would do what she could to help whatever was decided.

Then the fun began! Val looked over hers carefully and giggled. "I am Francesca Pia Maria Chiara Amato, Fran for short, but..." and she gave a warning look to the players around the table, "only to my close friends and crew mates." She glanced over her sheet again with a smile, "I'm a tall, thin and regal looking Italian woman with sharp penetrating green eyes. Which does not at all match the untamed mop of dark curly hair that cascades forms a messy halo around her head and cascades down her back. Her attire more closely matches her hair than her frame at one point it may have been an elegant and expensive dress, but now it is a strange conglomeration of styles, rags, trinkets, bottles and holy symbols. She holds a gnarled staff topped with a relic that she assures you gives her power. Fran is your conduit to the divine, the one who pleads your cases to those higher powers that may care to send calm waters and swift winds or mend your wounds after fate turns against you."

The description finished, Val pauses just a moment then speaks with her best approximation of a haughty Italian accent. "Well? What are we going to do, we cannot allow this tragedy to continue. This girl needs our help." Valentine did her best to give each one of the other players at the table a meaningful look as though it was coming from Fran before continuing. "I suggest that we begin moving will all due haste. What do we know of these criminals that have abducted her?" Valentine looked around for answers from anyone, making doubly sure to include Ness in that question. Perhaps someone else had some 'interesting information' on their sheet like she did and could answer that question. Otherwise Ness would naturally have to tell them what they knew or whether they were going to need to start an investigation.

2 Valentine Duell and there was certainly trouble afoot. 1490 0 5

Evelyn Stones

November 23, 2020 9:32 PM

Lightning split the sky and a group of devious dogooders by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn was ridiculously proud of Ness for all the things and was very excited to get back into gaming club. She was excited about everything all the time it seemed this term, a sure side effect of a happy summer. She had gone to the library early because she was pretty sure that Ness would both want time to set up alone and would want some extra support before the rest of the crew got there. As a result, she was there to greet Valentine with a hug and offer one to anyone else she was friends with who wanted one as well. She sat herself across from Ness so as to provide the most encouraging looks she could throughout the night.

"I'm happy to run a game but I don't have anything in mind," Evelyn said when Ness gave the all-call. Truth be told, between dueling club and gardening club and prefecting and quidditch and taking basically all the classes she could manage and serving (hopefully) as the COMC assistant and continuing to meet with Professor Wright, Evelyn was starting to recognize that she only had so much she could do. As a result, running a game - something which took a lot of work and a lot of energy - was not a priority for her. She'd much rather play someone else's campaign than run her own, after all. Plus, this was Heinrich's last year at Sonora, and she was actively trying to think of ways to spend more time with him; giving up extra time to build a campaign was not something she wanted to commit to, even though he would undoubtedly help her, and she would be happy to sit with him if he was going to be running anything.

"Word of mouth makes sense to me for recruitment," she added. It wasn't like they were short on people right now, and there was an upper limit for DnD. "We could maybe step it up to be more active next term if no one seems interested?" she added, knowing that there were going to be graduates and that herself and Ness were hardly hanging out with beginners often enough to recruit any of the youngest Sonoran students. Of course, if they were ever anywhere within shouting distance of Valentine, they would probably already have been recruited, and Morgan didn't seem exactly shy herself. Plus there was Gabriel. She wasn't sure exactly who would be joining again this year but it was safe to say they had a variety of ages involved.

Evelyn smirked when she received her character sheet, glancing at Ness across the table. The Aladren had typically made Evelyn's character sheets to be both reflective of her personality, and to give her a hard time, and tonight didn't seem any different. Valentine spoke first, which gave Evelyn time to read the details of her sheet more closely, and then she responded.

"I am Iago Blatchley, a former parrot--" she raised her eyebrow and squawked her best parrot impersonation for the gathered party "--cursed to a human body for the time being. I have red hair, most often adorned with blue and green feathers, and I always seem to have crackers with me. I am most comfortable with hand-to-hand combat and up-close weapons like daggers, and I am prone to berserking in battle as I may panic when I remember that I can no longer fly away; it is my anger at being cursed that gets me through these things." There was also a note that she was pretty sure was meant only for her eyes about which of the other characters Iago liked best and Evelyn had a good guess about which player that one had been assigned to. She curled the edge of her paper enough to make sure she was the only one who could see that bit.

Then, with another quick parrot squawk, she looked over at Francesca. "Yes, we she definitely hurry," she said, apparently motivated by the desire both to break her own curse and to make sure no one else fell to such injustices as having their beautiful visage stripped from them. Still . . . that didn't mean she wanted to bandy about possible former ties to the rival pirate group. Her motives could be kept a bit closer to her chest than that. "I can say that they are brutal and powerful, and not too keen on mercy." She moved to ruffle her feathers, as if she still had any. "I suspect the locals will be familiar with their terrors as well, and may have some information."

OOC: I wasn't too sure if Ness had a game plan for this OOC or if we were yoloing our way through this campaign, so let me know if I need to modify the amount of information that I have suggested about the other pirates.

22 Evelyn Stones Lightning split the sky and a group of devious dogooders 1422 0 5

Gabriel Wilson

December 08, 2020 3:49 AM

Went off in search of information by Gabriel Wilson

OOC: Opinions on Heinrich's knowledge of the Muggle world based on his OF comments. BIC:

Gabriel had to admit, he was sort of nervous about Gaming Club this year, as Gary had graduated and Ness was in charge. He was kind of worried that he'd say the wrong thing in front of the older Aladren. Or if he had a question about something, like if there was Muggle technology in the game and he didn't know what something was. He sincerely doubted that Ness would show him much patience.

And what if it was a tech heavy game? He'd spend half the time not knowing what anyone was talking about and he'd be too afraid to ask-which was odd, given that Gabriel had never been afraid to ask questions about anything before. He'd always been encouraged to do so by his parents, to indulge his intellectual curiosity. But Muggle things...well, had never been an area that he or anyone else had found that necessary to learn about.

Well, maybe he could ask Val or Morgan who were both more knowledgable about those things and far far more approachable than Ness. Honestly, Gabriel hoped to get to know both girls better since they were closer to his age than Ness, Heinrich or Evelyn. Although, he didn't mind asking Heinrich about stuff either, it was just that sometimes the seventh year didn't seem to know much more about Muggle things than Gabriel did. And Gabriel tended to know about things that weren't Muggle.

That said, if he needed a prefect, he'd definitely be willing to ask Heinrich for help. Or Sophia Priory who was a distant cousin of his. Of course, if it was something...well, there were things that Gabriel would most likely prefer to talk about to a male that he knew from Gaming then Clifford Brockert's great-great-granddaughter.

Anyway,he joined the others at the table, appreciating that Ness had put out candy. Not because he was necessarily that hungry or that candy was that filling, but it was a nice gesture. Also, as wary as Gabriel was of the sixth year, he would readily admit that she'd done a fine job DM-ing a fun game last year. Okay, yes, he'd been playing himself rather than an actual character but Gary had been Gary too, and being the same thing as their former DM whom Gabriel greatly looked up to-and sort of missed, more for his own sake, than the anxiety that Ness caused the third year-had been totally cool.

Ness began to tell them about the game. Okay, so they were pirates or something. Gabriel could totally do that. He looked down at his sheet as Val and Evelyn talked about their characters. "I am Olodan, an elf wizard. I prefer to use magic in battle." He was relieved, he'd been a little worried Ness might try to force him out of his comfort zone. "I agree, we could try to find out information about this group from the locals." It was best to just go with what others wanted to do and he really didn't have any other ideas anyway.

11 Gabriel Wilson Went off in search of information 1481 0 5