After conducting Session Zero and having in-depth character discussions, we finally began our first session last night. Part of our goal with this game - other than having a good time and telling some exciting, memorable stories - is to create actual play transcripts that we can share with the community.
Since the very first time I read (if I remember correctly) the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide back in the 80s, I was enraptured by the example of actual play therein, a script showing how the DM and players interacted as the characters explored some dungeon or another. While today we have an interweb and sites like the YouTubes and such packed with videos of actual play, there's something to be said for a written transcript which makes for a good reference and a touchstone for discussions about roleplaying techniques we can learn from one another.
So here is the transcript of our first game in PDF: Summer at the Lake - Session One (239 KB).
Golden Lake
Bump.
Transcript is worth reading. I'll also point out something - spotlight share. We were recently talking about this (debating it) on the DM forums. You can see, if you're looking, how seamlessly and organically the spotlight moves, and how characters come in and out of it.
You can also see when and how non-spotlit characters support the people IN the light.
I can't say whether this was intentional for any other player, but for me it is. Maybe they can weigh in.
Having never played in any kind of VTT environ, previous to last night, I gotta say I had a blast.
I felt engaged and empowered. Though I must admit I'm itching for some action. Can't wait for next session.
Brad,
I try to be conscious of it as well.
Just finished reading the transcript...what a cliff-hanger! 
That guy is definitely acting a few arrows short of a full quiver in the head...
Nice start on this... 
I will need to take a gander at it after work. I might actually observe next session since I may actually have the time. I'm glad you guys met your quorum!
Wow. What a gripping read! Text-based play certainly has its advantages.
Nice going guys. This is a great project.
Did you run the game all text based/everyone types? Years ago when I used openrpg and map tools for campaigns we typed in character and I have to say (as a player) it really got me to immerse myself into character.
I have to spend a little more time finishing my read of your transcript, but so far I love it. I'm looking forward to your future sessions too.
Fantatastic, great read!
I'd love to RUN something like that online!!!
Very cool.
dungeondude wrote:
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
Akeisha wrote:
iserith wrote:
Iserith, I really dig your maps.
1. Do you make your own maps?
2. What program do you use if so?
Thanks. In some cases, I grab maps I find online and modify them. The Golden Lake map is a town map I found and then labeled. In other cases, such as with my short-form scenarios, those maps are made by me from scratch on Roll20 using bits taken from the image gallery tool therein. For example, the map in "Dust in the Wind" is comprised of four cracked mud background tiles, a wet mud image, some rubble and stone images, and a catcus. Done and done.
Your question is a great segue for a map I was going to post here this week so I might as well do it now. Below is the opening scene for this week's game, framed by the cliffhanger in Session One. If you look closely at the Golden Lake map above, you can see this is meant to be the area around the Church. I've highlighted the protagonist in green and antagonist in red.
Good stuff everyone!
josephhawk wrote:
iserith wrote:
So Iserith, most of your close up maps are crafted in Roll20? Interesting. Is it difficult to make?
josephhawk wrote:
I kept meaning to ask, but forgot:
If anyone reading these transcripts is good at text layout and such, I'm open to suggestions on how to make the transcript easier to read. My only request is that what is suggested can't be too onerous as it's already something of a time sink for me. I'm currently just copying the chat log from Roll20 into a Google doc, then editing it, and printing it to a PDF. I'm not particularly well-versed in products outside of MS Office.
If you have any ideas, I'm all ears. Or eyes. Or... you get the idea.
Game is on for Thursday! (Observers welcome.) Transcript will be up Friday or Saturday.
The tension is nigh unbearable. Can't wait to see what happens.
You gotta save them, Casei!!
Ah hell...and I don't have any "Hold Person" prepared. 
Casei's gonna have to think quick...
Thanks for the transcript. So glad you are doing this.
As to the layout, I would love it if you replaced the characters' full names with something shorter (e.g. either "Badger" or "Bagdolin" instead of the whole name). This is a quick find/replace, and would make me happy. Also the paragraph spacing could be a little wider. Other than that, I think it's perfectly acceptable, and a great read to boot!
distal wrote:
Picking up right where we left off in Session One, our next session focuses chiefly on the pillar of combat with some exploration and social interaction. This was a hectic game. In addition to everyone getting used to the interface, there were two scenes running simultaneously as the players (once again) split the party to deal with different priorities. This was a little difficult to manage, but I think that it came off rather well as we flipped back and forth between scenes at a decent pace. If anything, Casei got a little more spotlight than some, but this is offset by not having any spotlight in Session One (since he was unfortunately absent that game).
Here then is the transcript for our second game in PDF format: Summer at the Lake - Session Two (203 KB).
I think the main thing I want to highlight in this session is an interesting twist on the difficulty of the encounters on paper and their actual difficulty during play. In the scene where we see the adventurers dealing with Drabat Finch, this is only a CR 3 enemy and the PCs are 10th level. Yet he menaces the PCs quite well and puts up a good challenge by focusing on goals that cause the players to have to make really tough choices and tradeoffs. By contrast, the main source of trouble at Sigil Hearth is CR 12, but we see the adventurers involved there do a good job of neutralizing at least the immediate threat through the use of good tactics. It was very interesting to see this play out in real time and I hope the transcript does it justice.
Kanati and Aeralad Arrive at Sigil Hearth
Well, there was definitely non-stop action from start to finish in this session! Very nice...
Wow. Session #2 was epic! I really wish I could play in one of your games, iserith. The main issue for me is the time difference. In the meantime, I'll just have to do my best to learn from your style via your transcripts.
distal wrote:
Oh, my. That was an exciting read. Great job everyone. The split party really works to enhance the tension. Slaying the innocent is also powerful and provocative. Very evil, Iserith. Cool.
iserith wrote:
Lol, yeah as I sat in there watching some of the more tense parts of the battle, I really wanted to come to aid with my paladin. Not necessarily because the players were in over their heads but because the action was pretty enthralling.
Heh.... I should have read the Session 0 and Character transcripts before the action. Background is helpful. 
So.... an 'under the hood' question: Everytime Drabat hit, he did enough damage to kill the target peasant. Did he just get lucky, or was that a plot device?
(And he also managed to hit everyone he swung at, but at his level, their AC10... makes sense)
Akeisha wrote:
For the "Nobody's Perfect" file, I recently learned that you can't cast anything more than a cantrip of 1 action after casting a bonus action spell on your turn. Tyrestina used a misty step to get away from Kanati's grapple, then cast banishment on him. That's not rules-legal. So I promised to make it up to bawylie next session.
I don't mind though. I'more worried about the Elf - he (or she - I'm not sure which, actually) has a gargoyle and an archmage to deal with.
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
pukunui wrote:
No. 18 hours ahead means 6 hours "behind" if you go the other way. So 10pm-12am there is 4pm-6pm here, which isn't a good time for me. It gets even worse when we go off DST and you guys go on it, in which case the same time there becomes 2pm-4pm here.
(I'm originally from Philly and still have family on the east coast so I'm intimately familiar with the intricacies of the time difference).
On the edge of my seat! Can't wait for next week's!
pukunui wrote:
Finally had a chance to read the Session zero and Character development. Interesting interplay.
The entire concept of playing these really short campaigns is very foreign to me. Pretty much every game/campagin I have ever pleyed was intended for an indefinite amount of time, never 8-10 sessions or whatnot. Hmmmm.... does change some things....
Anyway, had an idea for you. Seems like this place has been a pretty happy, pretty idyllic existence for a long time. Living off the money of tourist and just diong well in general.
Now the lake is drying up, and people are dying....at the same time strangers are 'taking over' the town. Not that the New Lords are doing it....but for some of the supersittious townsfolk, the PCs may be viewed as a Bad Omen, Bad Luck, or maybe just a Harbinger of Doom. I could see townsfolk being (or becoming) distrusting of them, even trying to avoid them, or making religious signs when they are around to try and ward off the bad spirits that *obviously* follow them around. Or not.... whatever works for you guys.
The first of the murders happened a few days before we arrived, but I can definitely see that as a possibility. "First murders, now these new people?! Coincidence?! I think not!" style attitudes from some. Might be in store, we'll have to wait and see.
Dougan_Axehammer wrote:
iserith wrote:
Synjin wrote:
T'was fun to be sure. But I'll say this...
I noticed, at least once during my combat-y portion of the night, I either got moved along before I was sure my turn was done, or I didn't get a chance to do something else before things advanced past the point of it being worth trying to take things back.
I guess I felt a little pressure (not saying it was external) to really hurry thorugh my turns when they came up. Maybe it's the short window of game time? Or not wanting to feel like I was holding things up? But I definitely felt hurried a few times.
Synjin wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
For me, some of the lack of typing could have been due to my unfamiliarity with the Roll20 interface. Trying to find stuff on my character for reference, or which macro to click and where, etc.
When it comes to non-crunch issues, I'm pretty fast and furious with my typing (as evident by the first session and the non-combat parts of the second). It's getting used to the VTT interface stuff that's making me lag a bit.
I'll second the rush notion. But I'm not sure that it was a function of actual design, or just my own frantic internalization based on the crazy choices Casei was being forced to make because of Drabat's actions. LOL
Chris, did you feel I was being rushed? I can't recall thinking you were. It may just be a product of "Ah crap, NOW what am I supposed to do?!" in our own heads. There were a couple times that I felt that way and had to re-think on the fly, because Drabat's movement caused me to scrap what I was originally planning on doing. The axiom "No plan survives first contact with the enemy" definitely holds true.
1.) Feeling rushed is a function of well-presented urgency and tight table management. This is good.
2.) Concern yourself more with the fictional action than the system-implementation. What matters is what your adventurer does. If push comes to shove, Iserith will make the system work.
3.) We should probably add (end of turn) to our posts.
bawylie wrote:
All concerns duly noted and accounted for in next session. Thanks for bringing them up. For any future concerns of this nature, let's throw it in the Roll20 campaign forum since some of this may be a bit "inside" for those just following the transcripts.
So you're saying not to show the public how we make the sausage?
Copy that.
Sorta. I'm up for delving into gory detail about what's in the transcripts (it's lips and buttholes, right?) as anyone who has read the transcript can be a part of that discussion. The meta stuff - macros and handling turns and whatnot - is something that most readers won't be able to chime in on so it doesn't foster much discussion outside of the people playing the game. For that, we can use Roll20.
Speaking of going into gory detail, I spotted a missed opportunity on my part in the scene with Drabat. When Casei dramatically fires his guilding bolt at the rampaging murderer - and misses by 1 - I could have made an offer of "Success at a Cost," from DMG page 242. If I remember correctly, the damage roll was hefty, over twice what would have been needed to fell Drabat. At that moment, Drabat and Bagdolin were engaged in melee. I could have said something like "As the bolt of blessed light flies toward Drabat, Bagdolin can see it will miss him; however, if Bagdolin takes half the damage, he can push Drabat in the way of the bolt right now. Up for it?" Then ChrisCarlson could have decided if he wanted to take the damage so Drabat would go down.
I'm going to try and keep "Success at a Cost" in mind going forward. Has anyone else used this in their games?
iserith wrote:
Setting me up to die, eh? Dastardly.
Cuz taking half that bolt, then a 50 point fireball, immediately on top of it, would have spelled near certain doom!!!
I haven't deliberately used the Success at a Cost rule in my 5e games yet, although I may have done similar things in the past. Thank you for reminding me about it, though. I will endeavor to remember to use it as the opportunity arises.
Some good exchanges tonight with Casei and the people, Kanati and his grandmother, and a rumble in the archmage's tower.
Unfortunately, Roll20 went down right in the middle of the action which cost us some time off our session and a bit of flow. I'm also going out camping Fri-Sun so our transcript won't be up till Sunday night or, more likely, Monday. Stay tuned!
Glad things went well. Have fun camping.
Great game last night, but slightly truncated due to server issues.
Personally, I think it's me. Roll20 has problems dealing with how freaking great I am. 
What I want to call out is a couple of character development scenes threaded into the action. You'll see what I mean when the transcript goes up. But basically, using the opportunity to explore world/campaign plot, develop character, and drive action. All at once. Don't separate your 3 pillars.
bawylie wrote:
Synjin wrote:
I read the Transcript for this game, looks like a crazy scenario for sure and a really good story.
Hey Chris! Too funny about finding you participating in this game. I read the character descriptions and saw your name and wasn't sure it was actually you or just someone by the same name. We'll have to get together and catch up soon.
Jaxom wrote:
iserith wrote:
Okay, okay... enough with the camping, get with the typing.... Sheesh, some people and their 'personal lives'...
I really like the improve warm ups in the beginning, I might try something like that with my group one of these nights while waiting for the stragglers to show up.
josephhawk wrote:
Thanks for your patience - I'm back from camping and in between nursing a sunburn and multiple mosquito bites, I have edited the next transcript:
Summer at the Lake, Session Three (210 KB).
There are a couple of highlights in this one. First, as bawylie already mentioned, there is a great deal of social interaction and characterization on display despite the hectic nature of the unfolding scenes. Rather than bog down the scenes with chitchat and posturing, the players enhanced them by focusing on their relationships amid the chaos. Another good highlight is on the tactics the players used as they dealt with the situation at Sigil Hearth. Splitting the party continues to pay off for them so far. Final highlight: Badger crit twice in one turn. That's badass.
As I mentioned to the players after the game, I think that now marks the turning point in the action. After having done well at quelling the craziness of Sessions Two and Three, I imagine that we'll start to see our heroes being more proactive rather than reactive in facing this threat to Golden Lake.
Thanks again for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback!
It's more than just doing what he does. You've gotta see why he's doing it. In this recent game, we reviewed our bonds and flaws, etc, and then they featured more prominently in play.
So the exercise you pick should relate to something you're trying to express, explore, or introduce.
bawylie wrote:
Archon007 wrote:
Coredump00 wrote:
Transcript updated in post 1.
iserith wrote:
I love reading these transcripts. It looks like so much fun!
Akeisha wrote:
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
I like to think bawlie had no idea, but Kanati knew exactly what to do through some old legend of his people
Pompadour64 wrote:
bawylie wrote:
Pompadour64 wrote:
Pompadour64 wrote:
...And another session in the can - transcript will be up tomorrow. Answers revealed and more trouble in Golden Lake... plus another tense cliffhanger.
Spoiler: Decent chance Kanati is dead.
Nah, bro. I'm almost there. I'll save ya!
Reading the raw transcript now. I'm peeved I couldn't make it! 
Damnit...Casei even has the 'Control Water' and 'Banishment' spells prepped. :D
bawylie wrote:
Here is our latest transcript of play!
Summer at the Lake - Session Four (271 KB)
There were a lot of different interactions going on simultaneously over a few hours time in the opening scene. Later, when trouble came calling, it coalesced to one scene that has some very exciting moments. Some great character interaction here, plus we get to see Istbor introduce the party's paladin, Tarandir Wren this session.
As always, thanks for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback!
Bagdolin, Kanati, Marshal Haldon, and Tarandir confront otherwordly horrors emerging from the lake:
Badger! Wrecking dretches left and right. And I love that triple hit on Kanati followed by a triple miss.
That was one intense fight at the end there!
iserith wrote:
Some really good stuff! Kanati has a periapt of wound closure so his hp recovered from a HD are doubled (14 instead of 7). And the resistance to B/P/S damage really helped.
Kept big ugly busy while the rest of the group dealt with the dretch threat.
Here's to hoping Kanati survives! For how long can he hold his breath?
3 min 30 sec
Akeisha wrote:
iserith wrote:
Session Five goes live one hour from the time of this post. Both our alternate players - Istbor and Alex K. - are standing in for Reius and Synjin. Thank you, guys!
Meanwhile, tonight we continue with the horrors that have beset Golden Lake. What will our new lords do about it? Will they stop reacting and start acting to stop the forces of evil before another tragedy strikes?
This session I hope to show you something of a "skill challenge" in D&D 5e and with any luck we'll also see a good mix of combat, exploration, and social interaction. Observers are welcome, but be advised I won't be checking this forum from about 15 minutes before play till we're done with the game tonight.
Wish our heroes luck!
Session Five transcript is ready!
Summer at the Lake, Session Five (265 KB)
This session mostly involves the social interaction and exploration pillars. See if you can spot the "skill challenge" in this session.
The party explores an unsettling chamber.
Most interesting, and quite different in character from the previous episode. The "skill challenge" seemed to work well and I get the feeling that each of the possible outcomes would have led to a significantly different situation in the village for the players to deal with so, yes, the players were able to influence events and that's as it should be. If I have a criticism, it is that the episode of Kanati and Awahili was too brief, too "untheatrical", given the significance of the information that was imparted. If it had been played as a more prolonged "peaceful" interlude to contrast the dynamic of the the rest of the episode, the orchestration of the episode as a whole might have been more satisfying (to me). But, it's easy for me to say that afterwards. My hat off to you all 
"If I have a criticism, it is that the episode of Kanati and Awahili was too brief, too "untheatrical", given the significance of the information that was imparted."
well, it's just 1 spell and we were 1 hr 20 min into a 2 hr session. So I dont know how appropriate it is for a single spell to take much time. Especially since we were kind of "behind" schedule. So it was in line with my expectations. But I see what you're saying - and maybe Awahili will resurface if I have another chance to cast the spell.
iserith wrote:
Akeisha wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
Another great read. One thing: I've finally grokked who all the PCs are, but I'm still having trouble keeping track of all the NPCs. Could you please provide a rundown of who all the various named NPCs are? I can't remember who Dallen is, for instance.
Thanks! Dallen Styne is the reeve of Golden Lake - the headman prior to the PCs arriving to take over.
There are something like 40 NPCs that have been introduced (features or extras). I don't know if I'll get around to making a list, but I'll take it as feedback to add context to remind who they are in the upcoming transcripts.
Maybe just a quick list of names and 1 sentence descriptions. I do this in my home game - Contacts list.
There's six of you and one of me - a combined effort by the players would take the workload off my table and take less time individually. 
I'll even set the landing page to the town map where all the NPC tokens are. Let's test your recall!
1.) The kids that didn't die. Pug. Jia
2.) The fanatic who exploded. D-something
3.) the archmage Tyrestina who was possessed but maybe now isn't.
4.) Dallen the mayor.
5.) The angry woman who smells like fish.
6.) The drunk naysayer.
7.) 6 or so apprentices (one of whom Kanati has some kind of relationship with)
8.) the scalped couple
9.) the dude who died on the docks
10.) a blacksmith who maybe exploded
11.) an adversarial cleric
12.) a loyal congregant
13.) 3 sheets
14.) An orc who isn't so bad
15.) those kids' parents Kanati danced with
16.) uh a warrior who helped the apprentices.
17.) temporary archmage replacement who can cook well but who's husband doesn't like us.
bawylie wrote:
Look at this guy!
bawylie wrote:
Ha! I did alright - and I have no head for names at all.
That helps a lot. Thanks!
I agree with pukunui on that. It can be pretty rough trying to remember all the names, especially when the names are so unusual, and especially for someone who is notoriously bad at remembering names (Seriously, I forget the names of people I've been acquanted with for years. It's bad. Luckily I'm exceptionally good with faces, so I think they take the place of names in my mind). But you're pretty good at making the characters fairly distinct, so I can usually figure out who is who through context and how they interact with the PCs.
Lol I remember my first session sitting in for someone the warm up was talking about NPCs and what we know about them, and I was sitting there going....crap... Ultimately I think I did okay but I was worried I was going to act the fool. Looking forward to tonight.
Istbor wrote:
Good luck, us!
Bagdolin: Just to be clear. I don't like this place. Not one bit.
...
Marshal Haldon: Let's continue. This room is distasteful. The less we stay in here, the better.
Bagdolin: You really think it's gonna get better the further in we get?!
Marshal Haldon: ....no.
Haha!
Wonder if we should have pulled the lever...
One of my faves from last night...
Casei touches Badger on the back of the shoulder as he examines the door, and casts Prot. from Evil (Fiends).
…
Synjin: ((Attacks from Fiends vs. Badger are at Disadv. Badger can't be charmed, possessed, or frightened. 10 minutes. Concentration required.))
Bagdolin looks over his shoulder to Cas, “Stay focused, yeah?”
ChrisCarlson wrote:
Session Six sees our heroes battling foes they previously faced, exploring deeper into the dungeon, and coming across a threat that could easily spell their doom!
Summer at the Lake - Session Six (277 KB)
Much like the battle at the docks, we really see the players come together with their tactics in this session. They know what each other can do and those who can support the efforts of another do so. We also continue to see fun banter between the characters even in dark circumstances. This is a team that is coming together for sure.
Facing the Inquisitor
All I will say is that, the Inquisitor hurts. A lot. :p
Whew! What an intense session! Sucks that you had to stop in the middle of a combat. I guess keeping track of where everyone is and all that is pretty easy with roll20, though, eh?
pukunui wrote:
Hey guys,
I love the social interaction and the way the transcript reflects the use of skill checks. I think that's a great help for new DMs.
As I read, I remember the campaign I ran using chat typing rather than voice. It is an awesome experience that I think everyone should try, especially if you're a good typist. Creating dialogue and interacting through typing really helps me focus on character and story. I hope that people who are reading your transcripts see how that works to encourage more of it in their games (if that's what they are after, of course).
Another think that the chat points out is that the DM really is just a facilitator. You do this very well, iserith. You describe the situtation and let the players banter and react in character. I remember when I was running my chat campaign. My entire goal as a DM was to throw stuff out there so that I'd encourage the PCs to interact with the world or the other PCs. At the height of my campaign I had 7 or 8 players so every so often (to save my sanity and give me a chance to catch my breath) I needed a break from responding or reacting to the PCs, so the best strategy was to get them to respond to each other. Again, this is an experience all DMs should have.
I'm only on page 13...still reading.
Thanks for all your efforts DM and players!!
Nice Cliffhanger! (Chris, you called it)
Cheers.
iserith wrote:
Just finished reading. Holy cow with that iron inquisitor. What's the f-ing plan guys?
Just wanted to chime in and say that I've been reading along and thoroughly enjoying the transcripts.
It's given me some real inspiration when it comes to my home game.
For example: While trekking across a desert with some NPC survivors in tow, I had the players do the warm-up exercise of giving them some traits. (we'd already named everyone)
Later on the heroes returned to camp to find that slavers mounted on giant lizards were trying to kidnap the NPCs. This was in part inspired by the massacre in your Session 2 (i think). The party had to decide whether to save the innocents or fight the slavers. It ended with our Ranger chasing down some of them from the back of one of their own lizards (she charmed it) but ultimately having to turn back because the rest of the party couldn't keep up. Only three of a possible 11 NPCs were captured in the end.
Keep up the good work everyone. It gives me things to aspire to!
bawylie wrote:
Synjin wrote:
Rhenny wrote:
Akeisha wrote:
Varden_Khol wrote:
Wuddid I do? I did something right?
I'm looking forward to next session (assuming Brad can make it). I want Kanati to wrassle that big metal lummox to the ground and choke it out!
ChrisCarlson wrote:
Tonight's crew will be Aeralad, Bagdolin, Kanati, and Marshal Haldon. No cleric, no paladin... no healing!
<cough> <cough> Oh dear. Looks like I've suddenly, and without warning, come down with something... <cough> Gosh, guess I won't be able to... <cough> <cough> make it tonight after all. <cough>
Healing is for weak children and milk drinkers!
Istbor wrote:
Live in less than 30 minutes. Observers are welcome.
Blasting the Rolling Stones into the game for the players' enjoyment at the moment...
ChrisCarlson wrote:
Another session in the can! Unfortunately, the chat log I pulled on Roll20 is strangely out of order and doesn't match the actual play session. It's going to take me a while to sort through 23 pages of text to get it back in order, so I can't promise the PDF will be up today. Stay tuned though!
iserith wrote:
Did we all die horrible deaths? 
At last, the transcript for Session Seven is ready!
Summer at the Lake - Session Seven (259 KB)
A good balance of the three pillars in this episode, starting with a terrible battle between the adventurers and the dreaded Iron Inquisitor! While some of the conversation seems a bit disjointed and truncated because of transcript errors, we started the session talking about the stakes of the battle, what success and failure looked like. This is a way of securing buy-in from the players so that everyone is playing for stakes they enjoy. As well, during the short rest, I showed that it is a good time (in addition to doing paperwork on healing and such) to encourage interaction and reflection on traits, ideals, bonds, flaws, and character ties in the preceding scenes. Finally, I like how we get to see some interaction between people who don't often interact directly with each other when they split up to explore. And of course, we end on another cliffhanger...
The Aftermath
This dungeon is getting pretty creepy. I'm kinda curious what the significance of the "bleeding" fonts is. (Personally, I'm thinking some sort of capillary action fed by the deaths during recent events, but nothing concrete yet.)
And I see Aeralad is letting out his inner Vulcan. :D
It reads well - it's not noticeably disjointed. It's also quite a gripping read. Bravo !
Another riveting installment. Kudos fellas. The battle with the Iron Inquisitor presented unique challenges to each team member and kept me in suspense the whole battle.
The eggs remind me of Alien again. Iserith, you seem to be strangely attracted to the looming horror trope. I like it! Ridley Scott would be proud.
Awesome, thanks for the insight into your games. Can I ask how the transcripts were recorded, was there a recorder, by cell phone, etc? Was it text to talk or did it have to be typed out?
valde002 wrote:
Dougan_Axehammer wrote:
In this installment of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the gang squares off against a formidable enemy: the dreaded Krang!
iserith wrote:
Pompadour64 wrote:
iserith wrote:
If this looming encounter has any cheese, guess I'll just go with an omelette...
ChrisCarlson wrote:
iserith wrote:
Synjin wrote:
Synjin wrote:
I've been enjoying the transcripts immensely. In the most recent session, I liked the improvised bonus action and reaction after the iron inquisitor's chest opened up.
There were four mechanical points that confused me a bit, though.
1. The Iron Inquisitor attempts to break Kanati's grapple, then makes an attack against Badger. In our game, we've been playing that the rule "A grappled creature can use its action to escape" means the whole action. Are you playing that attempting to escape the grapple is equivalent to an attack (just like grapple) rather than an action unto itself?
2. Kanati dropped his shield for free. The equipment chapter lists both donning and doffing a shield as requiring a full action. It's one of the big downsides to using a shield.
3. Kanati makes two axe attacks and then attempts to grapple. That's three attacks, none of which is a bonus action. How's he do that?
4. Kanati made some unarmed attacks. An unarmed strike, unless you're a monk or a tavern brawler (I don't think Kanati is either), does 1 bludgeoning damage. His strike does 7 points (additional damage for strength and rage). Then he crits with an unarmed strike for 14 points, but there's no damage dice to double. So, are you using a houserule for crit damage?
I'm looking forward to the next installment to see what dropped that feather....
Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying the transcripts!
1. I've been having an escape attempt eat up an attack. So if the creature has multiple attacks, it can make an escape attempt instead of one of those attacks. That's not RAW, but I'm not too concerned about it as it has had very little impact on gameplay.
2. I wasn't aware of that rule and I doubt bawylie was either.
3. Likely he thought he was entitled to a bonus action grapple as a result of the Tavern Brawler feat even though to qualify for that bonus action, an unarmed or improvised weapon attack must be made. I noticed it during play, but said nothing. It would take too long to play reversies for no real benefit. In a voice chat game, it'd be easier to correct.
4. He's got Tavern Brawler.
Kurhi_al_Sid wrote:
I think it goes to show it's not terribly important to follow the rules exactly. Sure, it's a goal to get it mostly if not totally right, but a mistake here or there just isn't going to impact the game experience all that much, depending on the error. As another example, bawylie hasn't been remembering to roll an extra die for Brutal Critical (Barbarian 9th-level class feature). This hasn't significantly impacted anything.
I am grateful for having these things pointed out, however. I learned something new!
I think it's clear that seppuku is my only option here.
Edit: Wait until next session when I MetaGame and break the guillotine 1st action bc I know the DM wants to de-cap our wizard.
I'm almost outta spell slots.
I can't recall offhand...have we had a Long Rest yet since starting? I missed a couple sessions so I'd have to go back and re-read.
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
Looks like I cast
• Control Water (4th Level)
• Cure Wounds (Using 2nd. Level Slot)
• Protection from Evil (1st Level)
• Guardian of Faith (4th Level)
bawylie wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
bawylie wrote:
feartheminotaur wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
Pompadour64 wrote:
Finally got a chance to finish reading the latest transcript. Iserith: I really like how you handled the knowledge check about the feather. I'm going I have to try that. Out of curiosity, how did you settle on a DC of 18? I ask because, unlike 4e, there are no established DCs for finding out what you know about monsters.
pukunui wrote:
Ah OK. Thanks.
bawylie wrote:
Some fun battles last night that continue to escalate while Badger acts a little less fearless than he's done before. His good friend Casei counsels him once again. Good stuff.
I'm pretty busy today and tomorrow so transcript will be up probably on Sunday or Monday. Sorry for the delay!
B'CAWK!!!
It was a VULTURE, damn you!
If this were a less "serious" game, the yolks would have been flying.
Which came first? The Vrock or the Mane?
Synjin wrote:
Live from the Demon God's Fane it's...
Summer at the Lake - Session Eight (291 KB)
Well, I guess it's not live since it's a transcript, but anyway... Lots of excitement in this episode as the adventurers do battle against horrid dungeon denizens in a continually escalating conflict with no rest. Some exploration is undertaken when there is a quick breather and there is great character interaction through and through. What's gotten into Badger? What's going on with Kanati's odd sense of humor and his endless rage as he drags the group deeper and deeper into the fane...?
Badger and Casei race back downstairs... again:
Hey! Was just looking for this!
Good stuff once again!
iserith wrote:
Uh, oh, another fowl beast approaches...
Question: Shouldn't the Vrock's damage to Kanati be halved due to the Rage's DR? Or is that something you have the players, and not the DM, adjust?
feartheminotaur wrote:
bawylie wrote:
I love how the eggs break open as time passes and how each ghast has a name and fiendish dialogue.
I love Vrocks too. The image of Kanati grabbing the Vrock and dragging on the stairs and through the dungeon is priceless.
Great entertainment.
feartheminotaur wrote:
iserith wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
feartheminotaur wrote:
Yeah. Maybe the fact that those cultists were once people, cacooned and transformed inside those demonic eggs, weirded him out. That shocking revelation must have weakened his spirit, somehow, in the moment.Yeah, that's the ticket...
It's an interesting dynamic, for sure. Just as Casei's "coming out of his shell" so to speak and being more aggressive, Badger goes the opposite route.
Cleric kinda lost it for a second and snapped into uncharacteristic violence on that Ghast. I think he's somewhat uncomfortable living a life outside what he knows and can do. He wants a calm, peaceful life, but trouble seems to find them wherever they go.
If anyone watches The Walking Dead and is up to speed on the show, Rick & Co are experiencing the same thing right now.
"NEVER SAY DIE!"
Sorry for not saving you with Counterspell. I didn't realize it was a spell and that I could counter it until it was too late. I was prepared to leap on that thing's back and start wrestling it myself if I had to, though.
Oooh, this sounds exciting. Can't wait to read the transcript.
Reius wrote:
Argh, I need to get down to you guys and lend aid with my Aura of Protection with all these saves going on.
I think Badgolin is currently in the throws of showing just how he got his nickname...
Cuz if ya tick off the badger, ya jus' might get the fangs!
ChrisCarlson wrote:
I think last session and this session was like when Maverick lost his nerve in that volleyball movie and had to be talked back into engaging the MiGs. So last session saw Badger kind of hanging back and being cautious and this session he was leaping around, killing vrocks, running headlong through the dungeon, setting off traps, and finally laying into the glabrezu.
Now it's time to buzz the tower.
I missed a Glabrezu?!?! Damnit!!!
I'm gonna read the raw transcript right now.
iserith wrote:
F*ck, I'm Goose.
At least you play(ed) a mean piano...
RAW question.
Can a PC use their Inspiration when casting a spell to cancel out a creature's Advantage on saving throws against that spell, making it a straight d20 roll on the creature's save?
RAW? No. DM's prerogative? Sure. Yes. Why not.
Hmmmm...ok so RAW is a no regarding Inspiration and casting. However DMG Page #239 says:
Consider imposing disadvantage when:
• Circumstances hinder success in some way.
• Some aspect of the environment makes success less
likely (assuming that aspect doesn't already impose a
penalty to the roll being made).
• An element of the plan or description of an action
makes success less likely.
So it's possible for the DM to rule that a creature's Advantage is taken away, if they feel certain conditions are met. In focusing on that last bullet point, if the party can stop splitting up, and hit a mofo en-mass and at once, it's possible that the creature would be so distracted by 4 people assaulting it at once, that it can't bring it's full attention to bear on a saving throw from a caster.
How'd I do on my Persuasion?
Always split the party.
Yeah? How's that goin' for ya?...
Synjin wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
iserith wrote:
Synjin wrote:
After much anticipation and rumors of demise, the next transcript is ready!
Summer at the Lake - Session Nine (260 KB)
In this session, we picked up with the vrock battle, fading Casei to the background and bringing Tarandir back into play. A split battle unfolded with the party choosing to keep it that way. The old adage of "Never Split the Party" is good advice in some situations, but in this case, it raised the stakes and made for a more interesting session. There's exploration in this one in the form of dealing with a trap (which is telegraphed!) and a little bit of social interaction. And, of course, a cliffhanger!
Tarandir Battles Bulustres Solo in its Lair:
Wow, what can I say? That was spellbinding. I love splitting the party. It adds much more excitement.
Again, great pc dialogue. The banter is immersive and dramatic.
From these transcripts it is clear that terrain, positioning, and interaction with traps or terrain features make for exciting combat encounters. I like how pcs and foes move around rather than crowd up and pummel each other until death.
I'm hooked. Ready and waiting for your next session.
Thanks! Next session is actually our last session, at least, as originally planned. We're not near done with the module, but we officially set the length of this game to 10 sessions during Session Zero. We'll have to discuss what we want to do in this regard. I know some of the players have said they're interested in continuing.
This is the dungeon explored so far, zoomed out in descending order of depth (though the ghast chamber and vrock lair are lower level than the Iron Inquisitor's chamber.
iserith wrote:
Epic stuff! You can't stop now. We need to know how it ends!
iserith wrote:
A string of unfortunate last-minute cancellations has caused us to postpone Session Ten of "Summer at the Lake." So no transcript this week, but stay tuned!
In the interim, then, iserith, perhaps it's time to update the first page with the most current installment.... Missed this for a few days because I had been trained to look in the first post for the updates!
Huh, could have sworn I did that. Thanks for the heads up - it's fixed.
And that session was a doozy! We've wrapped up our 10th session of Summer at the Lake. This was our planned stopping point, but there's so much more to be done. I'll have the transcript up tomorrow for everyone to read. I'm also going to conduct a discussion with the group on our Roll20 forum to see what to do about continuing, retooling, getting feedback, and such. That's probably something worth posting as well to show how to get good feedback from players by taking the temperature of the group from time to time.
Stay tuned for the transcript on Friday!
iserith wrote:
Akeisha wrote:
There was a concensus that we should continue on, even if it meant a few more sessions. :D
The climactic resolution of the battle with the glabrezu plus trouble descending upon Golden Lake!
Summer at the Lake - Session 10 (244 KB)
The rest of the fight was pretty exciting, full of dialogue and desperate maneuvers as each side pulled out all the stops to defeat the other. Note the resolution of longstanding ties between the player characters and how each player played to character type. There isn't much exploration in this session, but good engagement with combat and social interaction pillars. Even as things wind down in the moment, the next challenge is clearly foreshadowed.
Thanks for reading and we welcome your constructive feedback!
As riveting to read as it was to play.
Agreed.
One small conversation "typo". When the demon accepted my challenge he told me he could not lose. I then tell him how I haven't got anything to lose. But that little part of my reply is showing as being before his comment.
No biggie. But the order made it sounded a little odd when I read it just now.
Fixed it. For whatever reason, the transcript gets stuff out of order quite a lot. That often happens with bawylie's chat and only sometimes with others. One session it was so terrible it took me a really long time to edit. Must be a Roll20 thing.
Thanks. I think Badger just has a thing about getting in the last quip. He's a bit of a sarcastic little bugger. Not sure where he gets that from... 
Terrific stuff! You guys really must do some more sessions
You should think about dropping in, BI.
bawylie wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
Omigosh that was intense! What an ending!
Great ending. It froze my blood.
Thanks for the feedback! I started the discussion on our forums about how to proceed with "Season 2." Synjin (Casei Vax) will be stepping down from the regular lineup and either Istbor (Tarandir) or Alex K. (Aeralad) may take his place.
I'd like to bring on another alternate player in the meantime. Such a player would join the campaign with the understanding they have a chance of taking a regular's spot if a regular can't make it to a gaming session. This is done on a first come, first served basis - a regular player posts that he can't make it and then whichever alternate responds first gets the spot. If anyone has interest in this, please let me know. The games are every Thursday night, 10 pm Eastern to midnight. Alternates are welcome to lurk in the game during play as well and kibbitz.
Must complete adventure!
Okay, we are moving forward with Season 2! Next session is this Thursday at 9:30 pm Eastern. Lurkers are welcome and we're still looking for an additional player who is willing to play on standby when a regular can't make a session. If you're interested, please let me know.
Dang. If it didn't work out to 2:30pm in my part of the world I would be all up ons.
One of the drawbacks to living in Middle-Earth.
Varden_Khol wrote:
Drats. I'd also make myself available for this if it weren't for work and the other game I'm in on Thursdays.
iserith wrote:
Update: I'm working on some fun stuff to post on Wednesday (4/1), so the transcript for last Thursday's game will be posted on 4/1 or 4/2.
Season Two kicks off in:
Summer at the Lake - Session 11 (234 KB)
Much like the first session of Season One, this one sets up what will follow and is heavy on exploration and social interaction rather than the combat pillar. But there were conflicts for sure as the party tried to figure out what to do in the face of the looming chaos the ghost-demons are sure to bring about. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
Programming note: We have a player out of town and another still in the process of moving, so we may hold off on this week's session. I'll know for sure by tomorrow morning.
Foolish halfling. Not wise to split the party right now...
Nice cliff hanger.
Bah! I'll split tens if I want!
Tragedy befalls Golden Lake, and for one of the new lords it hits very close to home indeed. Drama ensues in the Fane.
Transcript on Friday! Stay tuned!
Oh no...
*Bites nails*
iserith wrote:
And so we bring you:
Summer at the Lake - Session 12 (225 KB)
In this session, we do some collaborative storytelling in the form of a montage to advance time. This might be a technique you can use in your games to skip over periods of time while still adding context that might be useful later. One thing that's apparent here is that even though the players had a lot of narrative control in this situation, they actually used it to make things worse, not better. This is a phenomenon I see quite frequently when encouraging players to add details on their own. They almost always choose to make things harder than easier.
Later on, you'll see a little of each pillar - exploration, social interaction, and combat. And of course, a cliffhanger!
Thanks for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback.
Isabella's Boudoir
D&D shouldn't have an Easy Button.
I like the cut-off/end.
Bad day for Kanati Uwohali all around though.
It was quite the gripping session. I think Tarandir is going to be very useful in the fight to come. Go Go Pally Auras! *plays theme song from power rangers*
Great story fellas. You are my heroes. I'm really enjoying the weekly read.
Hey thanks, Rhenny!
Istbor wrote:
Rhenny wrote:
iserith wrote:
If you ever wondered what a battle between four adventurers, ten wights, and a succubus is like, be sure to read the transcript for Session 13!
I'll have it posted tomorrow.
iserith wrote:
Prepare to have your life drained:
Summer at the Lake - Session Thirteen (256 KB)
This session was two hours of straight combat as the adventurers did battle with wights and a succubus in the demoness' bedchamber. While a common complaint with games (and with particular editions of D&D) is that "combat lasts too long," my argument has always been "I don't care how long combat lasts as long as it's cool." I think this session is a good example of that. The battle changes up at several points, there are highs and lows, and multiple criticals. In some cases, I edited out a bunch of repetitive mechanics (lots of the same monster, for example) in favor of a single line of actions and results, but I left in the good stuff.
The encounter is an adjusted XP value of 24,300 XP and for a 10th-level part of four adventurers, it's well beyond Deadly (11,200 XP). Give it a read to see if the numbers tell the story.
The Aftermath
It didn't seem too long. I didn't count the rounds, but it felt like fast and furious action as I read it. Never a dull moment!
As for the difficulty, well, it could have gone badly for the players if the dice had been unkind but it turned out well, and one PC down after a deadly encounter seems fair. The way it reads, the players were stretched to the limit, but not gratuitously overwhelmed. Is that how it felt at the time?
Adjusted XP doesn't tell the whole story. There were 11 monsters which gives x3 but if four of them are held up behind a door, maybe it should only be x2 which is still deadly, but not unreasonably deadly.
Can we have a change of pace for the next session? I don't think I can take another one like that
Whoa? The dice weren't unkind?!
I suppose a lot of wight hits did miss, but man did it seem like the party (aside from Bawlie a.k.a. critzilla) was throwing some major whiffs.
Still I thouhgt it was pretty exciting.
Again, your transcript does not disappoint. Well done.
The players made some pretty high Con saves - lucky for them.
Since the playtest, I've always found that the life draining undead have been pretty frightening for all level of play. Even when they miss, players cringe, and when they get multiple attacks on a single PC, ouch.
Succubus kiss is great.
My players recently battled wraiths and wights in our last game and it was really scary. Although the wraiths only attack once, they pack a punch, and against my 6th level pcs it only took 2 hits to knock them down. And, if they failed their Con Saves say goodbye to life.
Metal as #&@%!!
Just curious. The bit near the end where Tarandir gets a crit and smites. It didn't seem like he did much damage with that smite. Istbor, did you not double your smite dice for the crit, or did you just roll really low?
Thanks for the feedback! Aeralad was definitely unlucky with the succubus. I made him an offer to stand there and hold the door to impart disadvantage to the trapped wights' Strength checks, but that took his sneak attack out of the game for a time. I figured Isabella wanted the extra wights in the fight, but charming an elf is dicey. Even so, he totally flubbed the saving throw. Then he aced the thieves' tools check despite Bagdolin's best efforts. Then he failed his Con save and took the full 32 damage. Nasty downward spiral. After being taken down by the wights, he's at 10 out of 17 max hp... and there's plenty more dungeon to explore!
I think Istbor was so shocked he actually hit something that he forgot his extra damage on that crit. He was rolling really bady all night. Usually he missed (and AC 14 isn't hard to hit) and when he did hit, he'd roll terrible damage. Speaking of rolling badly, Chris didn't crit all night and neither did I. With all of Badger's attacks and all the monsters I was controlling, I'd have figured we'd get a couple.
I imagine the battle would have been wrapped up a lot faster if the party would focus fire. Wights only have 45 hit points and three out of four PCs have multiple attacks, plus Aeralad's sneak attack is nasty. I bet they could have dropped two wights a round. But it still worked out to a success for team PC, short of Aeralad's draining - it just took a while.
Next session we'll start with some exploration unless the players want to chase after Isabella. With the succubus' ability to go Ethereal, they are very slippery. When things get too hot, it's easy for them to slip away and come back later to harry the party.
While I enjoy reading the transcripts (the gameplay and story telling is quite gripping), I was a little confused near the end. First, while we saw the successes and failures for the encounter, there was no "roll-play" to tell us why. Second, at on point Aeralad was having his life sucked away by Stavorech, and then later it was Kanati: did it switch at some point? When?
Also,
5 crits in one night!!! Don't know if that's a record, but that is flippin' awesome Kanati!!!
Dougan_Axehammer wrote:
A confluence of events has several of our players out for this week, so there will be no transcript on the morrow! We will resume next week. Thanks for following!
My friend, this last one was epic.
iserith wrote:
There's no use battling the confluences!
All the best until next time - the audience is listening.
josephhawk wrote:
iserith wrote:
pukunui wrote:
iserith wrote:
pukunui wrote:
Ha!
No update yet 
Working on it now. It'll be up today.
One of the adventurers takes a dark turn in:
Summer at the Lake - Session Fourteen (246 KB)
In this episode, we see a mix of combat, exploration, and social interaction including everybody's favorite "Guy Who Talks Everyone Else Out of a Fight." I've also shown a way to handle a rogue picking a lock that is trapped without making it a "gotcha." Further, it becomes apparent that perhaps not all the demons and the like in the Fane are necessarily on the same side... and that the PCs can take advantage of this if they're smart about it.
Thanks for reading!
iserith wrote:
I didn't get that pursuasion check part... It looked to me like Kanati had succeeded on the roll, getting a 19 and a 1 from inspiration. And then had to take a cost to get the success...
Maybe I was reading something wrong, but It was a bit confusing.
Other than that, another excellent adventure. Bill and Ted would be proud.
Varden_Khol wrote:
Ah, right. And I'm guessing Kanati doesn't have a CHA bonus.
Question for bawylie: What does "Alisdayvdi" mean, and why did Kanati keep saying it?
pukunui wrote:
Varden_Khol wrote:
pukunui wrote:
iserith wrote:
pukunui wrote:
bawylie wrote:
pukunui wrote:
Just wanted to throw some praise for that last session on the whole cast.
Thanks, man! We're playing again tonight, but the next transcript won't be up till Monday on account of a busy weekend ahead for me.
I believe I'm part of this busy weekend coming up my friend.
josephhawk wrote:
Awesome!
Get a room you two!
ChrisCarlson wrote:
Fine! We'll take it to Twitter and then you'll be sorry you're not invited!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you:
Summer at the Lake - Session Fifteen (238 KB)
We've got all the pillars in this session as the adventurers deal with Inferna, the fiendish fire giant. There are several things of note from a DMing perspective that have been topics in other threads of late. Here you'll see improvised actions, potion tasting, and adjudicating automatic failures. I think the action scene comes off as quite cinematic and there is tangible reward for exploration.
Enjoy! And as always, we welcome your constructive feedback. Thanks for reading!
Stuff starting to haunt the adventurers, now.
Lol, I like the ominous ending statment you have in the transcript that you did not say to us that night. Wonder what fresh new Hell we will find topside?
This continues to build up in a most interesting way! Looking foward to the next transcript!
Thanks for the feedback. It's meant to be a dark campaign, so I think things get worse before they get better. If they get better at all...
Wow...just wow. Great stuff!
Mm that sweet lurker-praise.
Oooh-wee. I just caught up on your exploits. As usual, I loved reading it all.
Rhenny wrote:
Oh my. Things just got darker for one of the characters. Plus a good cliffhanger. Transcript will be up Friday!
iserith wrote:
evilinside wrote:
evilinside wrote:
It's still Friday, technically... so here is:
Summer at the Lake - Session Sixteen (237 KB)
All exploration and social interaction in this session. The players seemed keen on interacting with each other quite a bit, playing up their feelings about how things were proceeding and the changes going on with certain members of the party. One player remarked this was a lot like Darkest Dungeon (?) which I understand to be one that explores the stresses that go on with adventurers. This is certainly reflected in this session.
Four sessions remain till the end of this season. Because one of our players is having some spotty internet issues with Roll20, I am very eager to find someone who will take the fourth spot in the game. This means you'd be in for four games, every Thursday night, 9:30 pm Eastern, for two hours. If you can make it and want to get in on the big climax to come, please let me know!
Thanks for reading and I welcome your feedback.
It's good. The role-playing is interesting - it turns out the characters don't have the personalities I had been imagining for them before, so that must mean that they are getting expressed more clearly now and that's good. Maybe it does take a whole session without combat for that to develop. If so, that's interesting in itself.
And another cliff-hanger
BoldItalic wrote:
bawylie wrote:
I think what we're seeing is character development in the form of change brought on by the grim events of which they've been a part. Aeralad is more withdrawn now. Tarandir more zealous. Bagdolin seems hesitant and Kanati unhinged. These are less like the characters we saw when they first came to Golden Lake because of how things have unfolded. Who knows what they'll be like in the next four sessions as things slouch toward the undoing of the miracles that saw the cult of Baphomeshk laid low seven centuries ago...
iserith wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
Epic burns on Kanati and Badger this session.
I still think this is taking on the feel of Darkest Dungeon for sure.
"We are the flame! And darkness fears us!" Is how it begins for the intrepid adventurers.
But then... slowly over time.
"We are NOT the flame!" They will cry out. "We are but moths and we are doomed!"
Update: We have found a player to take up the role of Aeralad for the final four sessions. Said player is apparently a lurker on these forums - not sure who it is though. I just hope it's someone who, with however few posts he or she has made, has given ChrisCarlson a hard time.
iserith wrote:
Of note - the Holy Avenger was teased in season one, foreshadowed in early season 2, and now a Quest for next Episode.
If youre running longer games, learn to plant a seed, tend the sprout, and let the fruit get ripe and juicy.
Presenting:
Summer at the Lake - Session Seventeen (252 KB)
In this session we have been joined by a new player, Agham, who has taken over the role of Aeralad. There is good engagement with all three pillars in this session, plus as bawylie has mentioned above, there is now a Holy Avenger up for grabs. We end with the return of a familiar face which sets up some interesting situations for the next game. Of note in this session are how the party dealt with their predicament in the cage and how what amounts to an exposition dump plays out as a conversation. Also, I think Agham really brought it, so thanks and praise for our new player!
Thanks for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback!
I finally caught up on the last two sessions. I love the pacing.
Great work players. Your dialogue in character is so immersive and brings those PCs to life. Like I mentioned before, the transcript format is terrific for developing the story/characters the way you are doing it.
Tally-ho!
Thanks for the feedback! The players really are doing a great job. *applause*
Rhenny wrote:
bawylie wrote:
Rhenny wrote:
WRT DCs: I tend to say "easy, moderate, or hard" instead of the number.
Players seem to be okay with that. Younger players always want the exact numbers: HP, AC, DC. But I like to lean more or narrative than on math because I get more mileage out of the imagination that way. So I'll say an opponent is heavily armored, well protected, whatever. Or that they're fighting strong. Same info, different presentation.
bawylie wrote:
Typing is an artifact of the medium we're employing. Can't have a transcript without some typing. So it can't be helped.
But as far as that goes, some suspension of disbelief is a choice. We must employ our imaginations to play the game at all. And likewise to turn mechanics into narratives and back. So I don't feel that there's anything inherently disruptive to the immersion or suspension of disbelief in playing or typing or knowing the reasonably probable outcomes of proposed actions.
Maybe some people will be rubbed the wrong way, sure. But I think it's more that they're used to playing one way and another way is odd.
Like when I go to a church that uses a King James Bible or hymns written after 1920. That's weird to me. But not inherently weird.
For me, I like to offer the DC as a number. This allows the player to more easily decide whether to expend resources on the roll such as Inspiration, bardic inspiration dice, etc. If I have a +2 to Charisma and the DC is 15, I might decide that now is the time to burn some resources to get a better chance at succeeding which gives me a measure of control over the outcome outside of what fiction I offered. A narrative descriptor for that DC is fine, but is just one more step for the player ("Okay, 'moderately difficult' means a DC 15.") Both approaches are okay in my book because it gives the player some idea of the difficulty so he or she can make an informed decision.
As a game, we're dealing with numbers quite frequently - just look to any combat. So I don't see how it is less "immersive" to share DCs when there are plenty of other numbers being bandied about during a typical game session.
As far as the typing goes, if you look to any PbP communities or the communities on Roll20 that prefer to do text games over voice, you will undoubtedly notice how much they say that text-based games make for more immersive game experiences. I don't really give a flumph about immersion as that is something I feel is under the full control of the individual, but it's interesting to see everyone laying claim to their way as being immersive and other ways as not. In my games, you're in control of your own immersion and, if you aren't, learn how to be.
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
My group consist of entirely new players, with 3 out of four having never played a tabletop game before.
Up until now I have been narrating the difficulties, but being the only one of us who has read any of the handbooks I don't think easy, moderate, and hard are as easily interpreted by my players.
The issue came up in that one session because more often than not I've been setting DCs at Easy/10 and somewhere along the way it became expected that ALL checks were DC 10...
Oh boy, some really close calls tonight.
Transcript will be up on Friday!
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
It's Friday since almost nineteen hours here in Sweden! [joins the eagerly waiting audience]
Alright, alright, I'm working on it, sheesh!
It's 23 pages, unedited with no line-spacing...
EDIT: The length and real life issues will probably mean I get this thing posted late Eastern time if not Saturday. Sorry for the delay.
I guess we can cut you some slack,
Not cool. Hopes shattered.
Sorry for the delay in post and I hope it's worth the wait. I think this is a good one:
Summer at the Lake - Session Eighteen (282 KB)
Combat, exploration, and social interaction pistons all firing in this session as the PCs forge a questionable alliance and delve to the lowest depths of the Demon God's Fane. There are some pretty big dynamic scenes happening, plus something of a travel montage. Bear in mind when you're reading it that Kanati and Tarandir are low on hit points after the fight with the flesh golems.
If you've been following along, you should know we're approaching the final two sessions for the campaign. We sure would like to hear from those who are following the campaign up to this point. Drop us a note to just say hello. Thanks for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback.
I just about **** myself when the dodge action paid off.
bawylie wrote:
Kanati: She smells needy and fearful.
Bagdolin: Why ya think I got it for her so bad...
Another great episode, guys.
The twists and turns are so unexpected, anybody would think you were making it all up as you went along.
No, wait ...
bawylie wrote:
distal wrote:
ChrisCarlson wrote:
I liked the bit about Badger's poetry. Nice one there, Brad.
Straight up awesome! Iserith, I love how you offered the use of inspiration to change fate. I also love how you prompt players to describe results at times - excellent player participation.
Now, an edition evaluation question. Is 5e working to facilitate story telling? Is it making it easier to DM?
Rhenny wrote:
Dex is definetly not Tarandir's thing. He learned that the hard way.
bawylie wrote:
Istbor wrote:
iserith wrote:
Rhenny wrote:
Istbor wrote:
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
If you die, I call dibs on the sword!
I've been at this whole D&D thing for a while now, some 25 years... and tonight was the first time I saw this one weird thing happen during the game.
But I don't want to spoil it. Transcript might be up on Friday, but is more likely to be up on Sunday.
Your 1wT must be awesome. Can't wait
The end is nigh!
Summer at the Lake - Session Nineteen (269 KB)
While combat featured heavily in this session, there was still plenty of space for exploration and social interaction. Without giving too much away, some hard choices are being made by the group, especially as it relates to their character archetypes. Sometimes the exigencies of saving the world require heroes to make choices we don't expect.
We're drawing close to the end of the campaign and the pressure is on. Thanks for reading!
The Mummy-Priests of the Profanity
The Lair of the Mistresses of the Night
I had to cut out about an hour into the session due to a family emergency. So the bit with the hags is new to me. And holy schmow! I see why some of you readers wait with anticipation on these things!
iserith wrote:
FYI: At this point, everyone in the party is going into the final scenes at 11th level.
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
I don't know if I'd have called it weird; seemed like a very logical, rational decision to me. Definitely a rare, if not unheard of act, to see. Not sure if any local DMs would have supported it in previous editions. Interesting use of the new rules though.
Yes, bravo Tarandir!
Next (and possibly final) session is this Thursday. It may spill over into a 21st session, depending. If it does, the final transcript will be delayed until we're completely done.
Once the dust has settled, I'm probably going to set about consolidating all the session transcripts into one PDF.
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
This has definitely gotten to the best/juicy part of it all so far! Really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out!
Varden_Khol wrote:
Rest assured I have confirmed. It is crunch time around here so yeah.
iserith wrote:
Wow...talk about sitting on the edge of my seat reading this.
So it got even darker than it's been. Some really hard choices being made. And some approaches to the climactic scene that surprised me. It's going to be very interesting to see how it turns out for everyone...
We couldn't finish this session, so we're going to have that bonus session next week. We'll be releasing the "feature length" transcript with both sessions included at that time. Stay tuned!
iserith wrote:
* Scripts look-ahead add-in for browser *
* Reads next week's version of this thread on the wayforward machine *
Hey! Great final session! I especially liked the bit where you guys polymorphed the BBEG into a scroll and read it. so that it crumbled into dust. That was neat. And who would have thought that the succubus was really Kanati's grandmother? Didn't see that coming. Pity about the lake, though.
BoldItalic wrote:
BoldItalic wrote:
Teaser:
Final session this Thursday!
*Old-timey faint from excitement*
It is finished.
And... scene.
A fitting end for the campaign was had tonight. Many thanks to Agham, Alex K., bawylie, ChrisCarlson, Istbor, Reius, and Synjin for an excellent campaign. It was their characters that brought the show to life. Through our collaboration, a fun time was had by all and an exciting, memorable story was created. Goals of play - achieved!
Final transcript up by the end of the weekend at the latest.
*curtains*
bawylie wrote:
iserith wrote:
Long stressful hours at work makes for an interesting outcome while playing DnD.
Here it is, ladies and gentlemen:
Summer at the Lake - The Final Session (377 KB)
I think it speaks for itself. If you've been following the exploits of Aeralad, Bagdolin, Casei, Kanati, Marshal, and Tarandir, please throw up a post to give their players the applause they so well deserve. Thanks for reading and I welcome your constructive feedback below.
I'm still a little bummed that my line of all lines never saw the light of day. When we had finished off the hag sisters, and Kanati was getting ready to do the third ritual, I wanted to have Badger help him (just as I was building up in the transcript by joining him there and asking if he was sure about doing it). I was hoping Kanati had to be actively subjected to fire in order to trigger the "burn" pentagram. So I was getting ready to post...
Bagdolin pulls a torch from his pack, lights it, then holds it up towards his friend standing in the pentagram.
Bagdolin: "Put your hand in it," Badger says with a sardonic smirk.
I think I need to read the transcript again before commenting sensibly. So much happens and there are so many twists and turns in the story that I'm feeling punch-drunk. I'll post again tomorrow. Meanwhile - awesome finale guys.
That. Was. Epic!
Well done, you guys.
All of muh feelz.
Wow! What a finish! It is a pity that Badger and Kanati both "perished", but one can hope that both their souls found peace afterward. I even found myself hoping that somehow Isabella found some mercy and peace as well.
Great job all on the adventure!
bawylie wrote:
Terrific. Imagine my smiling face and clapping hands.
I love the story and the way you all played your roles. Kudos to all.
Heartbreaking finale to an awesome spring campaign. Thanks for your efforts, and for sharing. i have truly enjoyed your escapades, though the horror and tragedy shines through.
Standing ovation from the distant north.
- Regin Vargtass
Absolutely fantastic.
That was some pretty heavy stuff. Well done everyone.
And thank you SO much for the transcripts! I guess I'll have to find a new favourite thing on the forum now...
Thank you so much, Iserith and players. What an incredible ride this has been. I have looked forward to your adventures every week and loved every minute of it. I will certainly miss these characters and their heroic adventures. Truly a great job by the players and DM. And I must add, what a riveting and emotional ending, pulled together masterfully by DM and players.
Iserith, you certainly achieved your goal of creating an example of play, and indeed what a great example it is. This is a masterpiece example of great role-playing by players and DM work in running a game, and in creating a shared story with players.
Players, thank you for all your efforts creating such memorable characters. CC evolved Badger over the course of the adventure making him such a rich and deep character, one we were sad to say goodbye to. bawlie added so much detail, color and depth to the story through Kanati. Istbor played Tarandir with so much feeling and compassion, shining brightest in the final scenes and after the final fight had ended. Aeralad added so much with his dialog (not to mention actions). And we have not forgotten the earlier characters as well who also added much.
Thank you, all, for sharing this magnificent adventure with us. Please know how much we appreciate it.
Badger - so metal. He's on this balrog, stabbing the crap out of it as he burns to death (the thing deals fire damage each time you stab it). He's got 2 HP left. Another attack means certain death. What does he do? Flee? Save himself? He could use his rogue bonus action to disengage and run. But not Badger. "2HP? I can attack again."
Damn.
Aside from that, if you go back to our session zero, you can see that we asked for a dark game, a la Game of Thrones, for mood/tone. And Jaysus how we stuck to that. It was gut-wrenching to play, and cathartic to end. And I'm glad it's over. Not bc I didn't have fun, but I got my fill of tragedy for a while. It's great stuff, don't get me wrong, though the next thing I do will be beer & pretzels or outright comedy.
I also thank and praise Iserith for DMing, particularly, and each of my fellow cast/players. From start to end, if you were there the whole time or a part.
It was legit an honor and privilege to play with such talented and creative people.
Thanks also to everyone who read the transcripts. I signed on bc I wanted a body of work in text to demonstrate certain rulings, styles, and techniques. It's as much academic (sort of) than anything else. In addition to being very entertaining, I hope you can sort of see it as a reference. Essentially, apart from having a good time, I wanted to help create something for you, and if you've read our "work" and take anything from it at all, I am grateful to you.
Thanks for all the kind words. I truly enjoyed playing the Badger. I will very much miss him.
As I will miss the game and all the awesome people playing it alongside me. Kudos to all.
Agreed. I too want to thank Iserith for allowing me a back-up spot and eventually a regular one, I respect and appreciate any DM willing to lead such a game and especially one who did so well as he did. I also greatly enjoyed playing with the others. Always adding twists (and twisted) elements to the story as we played through, one cannot help but join in.
Also as Bawylie loves to comment,
"Lurker praise is the best praise."
Seeing you guys enjoy the campaign as much as we did really made it extra special.
Thanks to all for the kind words, to the players who made the game what it was, and to those who have read our exploits and kept us enthused with your support. I hope we achieved our goals of creating an actual play transcript that is both entertaining and educational, one that showed how a group of people who don't really know each other can come together with a game and a shared set of expectations to have a good time and create an exciting, memorable story.
My next step at some point is to make another pass at editing these transcripts and consolidate them into one document. I will post it when it's done. Meanwhile, I'll continue to post the odd short-form scenario here and there for fun.
Thanks again!
Man, that ending made me roll a tear.
josephhawk wrote:
Baaaadddgggeeeeerrrrr! Nooooooooo!
josephhawk wrote:
I read the finale. I smiled.
iserith wrote:
Miladoon wrote:
distal wrote:
sniff
That was a good ending. Honorable, and heroic. I felt both pain and pride at Kanati's sacrifice as well as awesome fatalism with Bagdolin's attack.
Great game dudes.
Hey guys,
Sorry to cast Resurrection on a month-dead thread, but I've just finished reading through the transcripts and wow - incredible performances all round, thanks so much for sharing this!. Circumstances are going to force me to move an in-person game online in the not too distant future, and I've been inspired by just how immersive you managed to make the game in a text-only medium. I did have one question about how you ran the game on Roll20 - I noticed that you had cool maps for a lot of the scenes: did you play out all movement on the grid on Roll20, or did you just use the maps as a visual aid and run the combats in a more TotM fashion? The transcripts are quite descriptive and also quite fluid, which suggests that people are thinking abou the combat imaginatively, but the screengrabs suggest that you might have done things a bit more formally....
Also, what did you use to do the maps? They look great!
Cheers,
Hey, Brad...
If lurker praise is the best, what is necro lurker praise? Ambrosia of the Gods?!
Thanks for the kind words, Psy.
I'll let iserith field the maps question. It was his baby.
Psyragorn wrote:
From time to time, when position was critical, we did count squares. But it wasn't routine. Generally it seemed to me to be a matter of organization vs absolute position.
Necro-lurker praise!