“Vanished Lands: Vistel’s Circus” Update 39.1 — “On our worst day, we’re just odd”

Fellow role-players, here is Update 39.1 of my “Vanished Lands: Vistel’s Circus” fantasy campaign, which Brian W. hosted in Newton, Massachusetts, on Monday, 10 September 2012:

In one ancient world, there was a region where demihumans migrated and strange majicks thrived. The “Vanished Lands” were blessed by the gods and cursed by prophecy. Travelers became adventurers, and adventurers strove to be heroes in the face of many perils and wonders.

After various bands of mercenaries and diplomats fought humanoids in the northwestern borderlands, encountered pirates on the Sea of Nagendwa, and wandered the hostile Halmed Desert, another group journeyed across the Plains of Sathendo….

>>Player Character roster for Gene D.’s “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign, using the “Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game,” as of autumn 2012:

“Giacomo the Mysterious” [Beruk A.]-male Hifalendorin human Mage (Gypsy Wizard) and stage seer, embittered by experiences in Hesolin’s Magisterium; NGc, Lvl. 1
“Hamfast Hammerfist” [Brian W.]-male Zeda human Fighter, mountaineer, “barbarian” strongman, and laborer; TNg, Lvl. 1
“Scully Strongbow” [Sara F.]-female albino Gnoll (Flind) Ranger, archer, knife thrower, and scout, with owl “Owlicious”; NGl, Lvl. 1
“Corwin Windsong” [Bruce K.]-male Half-Elf Bard, runaway aristocrat, ladies’ man, and ringmaster with a mandolin; CNg, Lvl. 1
“Elsa Fairbottom” [Rich C.G.]-female Hill Dwarf Druid outcast, cook/brewer, and animal handler with owlbear cub “Oswald”; NGc, Lvl. 1
“Radius” [Jason E.R.]-male Modron Paladin of Primus, lord of Nirvana; exiled to the Prime Material plane; LGn, Lvl. 1
“?” [Josh C./absent]-male Barbari human Monk (Battledancer/capoeirista from outside the “Vanished Lands”), roustabout; CGl, Lvl. 1

>>”1 to 3 February 1228 B.C.E.:” A line of wagons hastens to the village of Androth, seeking shelter from winter winds. New performers have recently joined “Vistel’s Circus” as it crosses the (proto-Western European) human kingdom of Hifalendor.

Giacomo the Mysterious is a prestidigitator anxious to escape the fate of his corrupted tutor. Hamfast Hammerfist and Elsa Fairbottom have hiked out of the Ivory Mountains, and Scully Strongbow is unlike most of her barbaric humanoid kin.

Strange but honorable Radius has been “summoned” across the planes of existence, and Corwin Windsong, the latest addition to the troupe, has offered to serve as ringmaster. Corwin rides with Orlando and Wilhelmina Vistel, founders of the circus.

Mage Giacomo practices card tricks, while Fighter Hamfast and other roustabouts rest in preparation for pitching camp. Ranger Scully practices her archery, hitting a weathervane with an arrow as the circus enters Androth.

Paladin Radius explains to Druid Elsa that he was exiled for his “asymmetry.” Corwin discusses with Orlando the lineup of acts, which includes the following:

Sharpshooting and knife throwing with Scully Strongbow
Escape artist Seamus Feanor (a Saganim human)
Fire breather Amur of the Desert Flames and dancer Tamara the Veiled Wonder (Suthern humans)
Trained animals: Scully’s owl “Owlicious,” Elsa’s owlbear cub “Oswald,” dogs, ponies, and fainting goats
Magic show: Giacomo the Mysterious
Finale: The “Flying Perhutens” — acrobats Carolus and Simona (Hifalendorin humans)

Orlando steps back from being the master of ceremonies to focus on taking admissions fees, and “Mama Willie” is in charge of sewing costumes. The carnival folk also agree to have the following wandering attractions:

Clown: Graham Tervin (Saganim human)
Guess your age: Modron Radius
The fearsome Barbarian: Hamfast Hammerfist
Freaks: Malinzel the Devourer (Zarendo Islander Lizard Woman) and Gnoll Scully
Caricature painting: Alberto Barrowright (Harfoot Halfling)
Singing: Lucille Barrowright (Harfoot Halfling)

Saganim (proto-Celtic) human drover Cerdwyn mab Ardain supervises the camp setup, aided by taciturn rigger Baskor Steadyhand, a River Dwarf who flirts with Elsa. Zeda human Hamfast is happy to be working, unlike Graham.

Statuesque Cerdwyn also sets watches for the night with Hamfast, Baskor, Graham. Those not on guard go to their bedrolls early. Cheerful Seamus tries to engage Radius in conversation, while Giacomo tries sleight of hand with young Lucille.

Elsa cooks dinner with Willie and Miranda Barrowright, a Harfoot Halfling priestess of Yondalla. They plan to go to the market the next morning to buy more food and other supplies. Scully, Radius, and Malinxalxochitl (a.k.a. Malinzel) clean up any leftovers.

Corwin and Giacomo accompany Orlando in visiting the manor of the local lord. A middle-aged woman named Renata answers the door and introduces them to Sir Valerius. He is grateful for an opportunity to entertain his vassals during the depths of winter and agrees to waive any taxes as long as there isn’t any trouble.

At the “Gully Jug” tavern, some of the performers announce their arrival and order drinks. Harfoot Halflings Jacques and Claudia serve the newcomers. Elsa asks Radius to keep an eye on Corwin as she and Elsa leave the village to let their animals hunt.

Giacomo watches peasants Terence and Branwyn argue, and Corwin asks for the rarest beverage available. Jacques gives the Half-Elf Bard a Gnomish cordial, just as Forest Gnome Liskjaf… shakes his head and departs. Soon, Corwin is standing on a table and singing rousing ballads.

Shortly before dawn, Hamfast is on watch when he is hit by a snowball! The tall human looks around the edge of the circus camp and the town square, and he spots footprints leading to a downspout. After getting hit by another snowball, Hamfast spots a Goblin hiding in the eaves of a building.

Bruisefoot begs for help. Apparently, the Goblin’s tribe has been “captured by bad men” across the frozen Aehonir River. Hamfast wakes a few of his companions, and they find Bruisefoot hiding in a chimney. The needle-toothed humanoid repeats his plea for help and says that his people are about two days’ walk away.

Giacomo and Corwin (who is nursing a hangover) are reluctant to help Bruisefoot. Radius and company check with local constable Adelard, who says that the Goblins are little more than a grain-stealing nuisance. Elsa argues in favor of helping the green-skinned humanoids, and Hamfast and Scully agree.

But first, the members of “Vistel’s Circus” have a performance to prepare for….

I hope that all of you enjoyed our first session back in the “Vanished Lands,” and let me know if any of you have questions about the “BFRPG” character-creation and house rules. Josh, I look forward to your Monk eventually joining the party. The next session for this fantasy group is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24.

I also look forward to continuing the FATE 3e “Vortex” space opera telecom team and city and character creation for Josh’s “Mystic Adventures in the ‘Big D,'” using FATE 3e Dresden Files next Monday! Take it easy, -Gene

Bringing out the dead: ParaNorman review

On Sunday, 26 August 2012, Janice and I screened ParaNorman. We enjoyed the stop-motion-animated horror/comedy. Like Coraline, the movie uses familiar archetypes and genre tropes but has a better-than-average script, clever allusions, and a decent emotional heft.

ParaNorman’s all-star voice cast is unobtrusive, and the zombies may be a bit intense for younger viewers. The writers were clearly familiar with the Salem witch trials and how the town has become a tourist destination in Massachusetts.

Without giving away any “spoilers,” I liked some of ParaNorman‘s role reversals and the revelation of the witch’s identity. I could also easily see the story as an RPG scenario using School Daze. I’d give ParaNorman, which is rated PG, an 8 out of 10, three out of five stars, or a B+.

This coming weekend, I look forward to joining Thomas K.Y. & Kai-Yin H., college chum Stuart C.G., and Stu’s family during his visit to the Boston area.

Game changes, late summer 2012 edition

While I’ve been too busy with work lately to do more than post updates regarding my various role-playing games, I realize that it can be confusing to casual readers of this blog who aren’t in my current groups. Here’s some context.

Buckaroo Banzai — A motley but fun group of adventurers

Changing venue

Over the past eight years, my face-to-face groups got used to meeting at my apartments in Needham, Mass., because of their spacious basements. It was convenient to have an area dedicated to our games, with large tables, shelves of reference materials, and miniatures and dice all in one place.

Fortunately, Brian W. and Rich C.G. have graciously taken over hosting duties since my move to Waltham, Mass., this past spring. They both live between my office and home and are still relatively central for the rest of the gang. We may not have as much at hand, but the collection of people is more important than rulebooks or battle maps.

Strange new worlds

The eight or so people who meet on Monday nights have also dealt with the usual seasonal shifts in games. After running alternating crews in my “Vortex” homebrew space opera (using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer and Bulldogs) for the past two years, we’ve been trying one-shots and miniseries through the summer.

I’ve enjoyed playing with different genres and rules sets, including Jason E.R.’s “Glassworks” (superheroes using Cortex: Marvel Heroic Role-Playing), Rich’s School Daze one-shot, and Brian’s Dungeon Crawl Classics fantasy retro-clone demonstration. I also got to run a playtest of Dungeons & Dragons Next (Fifth Edition) and play in Rich’s Way of the Wicked scenario for Pathfinder.

We had more ideas than time in which to explore them all! I held off on returning to my “Gaslight Grimoire” steampunk setting, and we didn’t get to Bruce K.’s conversion of the OGL Conan to Pathfinder or Rich or James B.’s Call of Cthulhu or Arkham Horror game.

Telecom turnover

My Sunday night teleconferencing group has also endured changes in membership. Just as I had been running “Vortex” for the Boston-area people, the virtual teams had been playing in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting.

For the past few months, Josh C. ran his “Spelljammer: the Show Must Go On” swashbuckling fantasy, using FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre. Even though D&D(4e) and Pathfinder are the most popular systems right now, my groups haven’t used them much lately.

Because of busy lives and “gamer attention deficit disorder,” I’ve found rules-light systems such as FATE to be easier to deal with for character creation and running via Skype or Google+. On the other hand, after another break, most of us are eager to get back to longer-term stories where we can develop characters and settings.

The new normal?

We’re dealing with end-of-summer schedule snafus, but we know what we’ll be playing this coming autumn. The latest Sunday night telecom team has picked “Vortex,” with a few Player Characters continuing from the previous face-to-face crews.

On Mondays, I’ll be running the “Vanished Lands” at Brian’s place. This time around, the group chose D20 retro-clone Basic Fantasy Role-Playing and a carnival-themed adventuring party — about the 39th in that world!

Josh’s “A New Beginning: Mystic Adventures in the Big D” (modern supernatural/urban fantasy set in Dallas using FATE 3e Dresden Files) will meet on alternating weeks with my game. Jason plans to eventually run his “Barsoomian Adventures” planetary romance, probably using Savage Worlds.

I’m sure we’ll also try other tabletop RPGs when we have out-of-town guests or when we can’t get quorum for one of the regular games. Nobody can say that we don’t have a rich fantasy life!

The Dark Knight Rises, a belated review

On Sunday, 22 July 2012, I met Beruk A. and James B. at the AMC Loews Boston Common for a matinee of The Dark Knight Rises. Sadly, the superhero sequel was overshadowed by the tragic shootings in Colorado.

We enjoyed the film, which neatly wrapped up director Christopher Nolan and lead actor Christian Bale’s take on Batman. I liked The Dark Knight Rises a little more than The Amazing Spider-Man, if not as much as the four-color The Avengers.

Wallpaper 6 — Nolan and Bale’s Batman comes to a conclusion

Cast: Bale is a decent Bruce Wayne, a tortured soul masquerading as a billionaire playboy. He’s not as fun as Adam West (who once called me “chum”), as slick as Val Kilmer or George Clooney, or as initially odd a choice as Michael Keaton was for the costumed vigilante.

Bale is again ably supported by older character actors in The Dark Knight Rises. Michael Caine is Wayne’s cockney and concerned butler Alfred, Morgan Freeman adds mischievous gravitas as technologist Lucius Fox, and chameleon Gary Oldman is the embattled Commissioner James Gordon.

Newcomers to this cinematic version of Gotham City include Marion Cotillard as mysterious executive Miranda Tate, Tom Hardy as brutal assassin Bane, and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt as idealistic police officer John Blake. Blake becomes the audience surrogate in hoping for things to improve, even as the police as a whole are outmaneuvered.

They all did well in their roles — even if Hardy was sometimes hard to understand through his face mask — but Anne Hathaway deserves special mention for her performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

I had some doubts about the young actress, but Hathaway was properly slinky and cunning as the (never-named) cat burglar and con artist. She was believable in navigating Gotham’s seamy underbelly and its glittering galas, and she brought much-needed femininity and light to Nolan’s grim and gritty universe.

Plot: Batman Begins showed how an orphan could become an anonymous champion of justice, and The Dark Knight depicted Batman fighting grotesque villains (Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face and the late Heath Ledger’s unparalleled Joker). The Dark Knight Rises expands on both those themes and is Wagnerian in showing Batman fighting Bane and a conspiracy for the very survival of Gotham City.

Nolan tries to make the plot a complicated puzzle, but even the trailers for the movie telegraphed some of the resolution. Anyone who has read the comic book storylines of Batman: Year One, The Killing Joke, Son of the Demon, Cataclysm, No Man’s Land, and Nightfall knows what to expect.

I appreciate Nolan and Bale’s somewhat more realistic approach to Batman’s world and motivations, but the pendulum has swung very far from the cheerful camp of West’s 1960s superhero. Even the direct-to-video adaptations of DC Comics are moving to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, another obvious inspiration.

Rich felt that Nolan’s Batman isn’t as majestic or as much of a loner as he prefers, but I agree that the amount of time that passes for the desperate citizens of Gotham (and the audience) is on the long side.

I thought that The Dark Knight Rises‘ political subtext was muddled. Following Joseph Campbell’s hero pattern, the aristocratic hero must wander, reject his father figure, be humbled, triumph over his dark reflection, and then walk away or die. Other than a bus full of orphans, we see very few of the 12 million ordinary citizens whom Batman is supposedly fighting to protect.

On the other hand, there’s a populist “99%” strain to Bane’s Robespierre-style demagoguery — even if he’s just a tool of the League of Shadows. The military and police are shown as impotent, implicitly endorsing vigilantism. Granted, dressing up as a bat to fight crime doesn’t always make sense, but why bring up those points if you’re not going to fully show both sides?

Visual effects: From the opening scene of a daring aerial hijacking, The Dark Knight Rises‘ set-piece scenes were clearly inspired by the James Bond movies, which Nolan also paid tribute to in Inception. The battles of The Avengers were more cosmic and colorful, but Batman’s gadgetry and vehicles are still impressive.

Like some comic book writers and fans, Nolan’s Dark Knight is more of an urban warrior than a stealthy detective or martial artist. Perhaps this leaves room for the next set of filmmakers to interpret and develop different aspects of Batman. Even though I miss the Batman: the Animated Series of the 1990s and even the recent campy Batman and the Brave and the Bold, I look forward to the upcoming animated Beware the Batman on TV.

Soundtrack: Hans Zimmer’s score is appropriately operatic, if not especially memorable. Unlike the Marvel Universe, whose movies include relatively recent popular music, it seems fitting that DC’s iconic heroes such as Batman stick with classical.

Spoilers and ratings: Note that some of the articles I’ve linked to contain “spoilers” about the plot, but I’ll try to avoid giving anything away directly here. I can see a few ways for how Nolan’s version could have continued, but I’m also content with his conclusion to Bruce Wayne’s story.

Since Batman is the single most profitable superhero film franchise, there’s little doubt that Warner Brothers/DC Comics will reboot the movies as soon as possible, not unlike various Marvel remakes. I do wonder if they’ll be able to maintain the quality amid stylistic and cast changes. I’m cautiously optimistic about the Superman reboot Man of Steel, as well as early plans for a Justice League film (for which I’ll have to write up my own ideas). I just hope they’re fun and well-done.

I’d give The Dark Knight Rises, which was rated PG-13 for violence, three out of five stars, a B+, or a 7.5 out of 10. The only upcoming movie that’s getting buzz and I’m excited about is Peter Jackson’s planned trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. In the meantime, keep tuning in, same Bat time, same Bat channel!

P.S.: Here are my Batfilm ratings:

1943: Batman serials — yet to watch
1965: Batman ***/B+
1989: Batman **/B
1992: Batman Returns **/B-
1993: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (animated) ****/A
1995: Batman Forever ***/B+
1997: Batman & Robin */C
1998: Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (animated) ***/B+
2000: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (animated) **/B-
2003: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (animated) ***/B+
2005: The Batman vs. Dracula (animated) **/B, Batman Begins ***/A-
2008: Justice League: the New Frontier (animated) ***/B+, The Dark Knight ***/B+
2009: Batman: Gotham Knight ****/A-, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies **/B (animated)
2010: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths ***/B+, Batman: Under the Red Hood ***/B+, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse **/B (animated)
2011: Batman: Year One (animated) ***/B+
2012: Justice League: Doom (animated) **/B, The Dark Knight Rises ***/B+, The Dark Knight Returns (animated) coming soon

Dungeon Crawl Classics Game 1: the Goblin keep

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for the first part of Brian W.‘s Dungeon Crawl Classics demonstration, which he hosted and ran at his home in Newton, Mass., on Monday, 30 July 2012.

In one world, there was a region where magic and nonhuman races thrived. At the edge of the human kingdom of Hifalendor, the town of Plegmsad (once known as Pledwilt) suffers from raids by barbarians and humanoids.

In the new barony of “Kurick Stormborn” [Dave S.C./Non-Player Character], a call goes out for brave adventurers to help the frontier farmers. The following [zero-level] people meet in the market square:

>>[Gene D.:]

“Nails“-male Hifalendorin human armorer; Alignment: Neutral
“Burdik“-male Hill Dwarf herder; Align.: Lawful
“Lem“-male Barbari human former slave; Align.: Chaotic
“Sal“-male Hifalendorin human grave digger; Neutral

>>[Josh C.:]

“Rayang“-male human gong farmer; Lawful
“Cerban“-male Halfling mariner; Lawful
“Ingsay“-male human guild beggar; Neutral
“Nyhit“-male Halfling glovemaker; Lawful

>>[Bruce K.:]

“Random Happenings“-male human cutpurse; Chaotic
“Dykwyk“-male Elf sage; Neutral
“Joe Jonas“-male human, singing turnip farmer; Neutral
“Oscar the Grouch“-male Halfling vagrant; Chaotic

>>[Rich C.G.:]

“Asura Questinar“-female human astrologer; Neutral
“Axebeard Beardaxe II“-male Dwarf mushroom farmer; Chaotic
“Elijah Rumbletummy“-male Halfling dyer; Lawful
“Hobnar Grudgebearer“-male Dwarf herder and heir to the “Book of Grudges,” with sow “Maisy Dukes”; Neutral

Kurick’s accountant, a strange gentleman named “Val Shriboe” [Brian/N.P.C.], explains that local peasants have been paying a tribute of goats to a nearby band of Goblins. As his Halfling assistant collects the names of those assembled, Val notes that Elmer, the son of innkeeper Hamfast Rabbit, has been kidnapped.

Val offers a bounty of 15 crowns (gold pieces) total for Elmer’s safe return. In addition, he says he won’t levy taxes on any booty found in a raid on the Goblin camp, which is in an abandoned temple about a day’s march to the east of Phlegmsad.

Lem just wants to leave his life of bondage, and Dwarves Burdik, Axebeard, and Hobnar have no love of sneaky Goblins. Rayang’s odor keeps others at arm’s length, and Ingsay and Oscar are eager for any coin.

Dykwyk and Asura are less certain about getting dirty in the wilderness, but Nails and Random are confident that they can rescue the child. Sal expects business no matter what happens.

The large and motley crew hikes across the borderlands until it sees the stone walls around a onetime temple to Urda, lord of the sky. Smoke from the central tower and outbuildings proves that the Goblins have taken up residence.

Goblin fort — Goblins occupy ruined temple of Urda

As the afternoon sun begins to set, the would-be heroes discuss tactics in the absence of heavy weapons or armor. A stealthy squad, including Rayang, Ingsay, Random, Oscar, Asura, and Elijah, will sneak up to the ruined front doors.

Meanwhile, a larger group — Nails, Burdik, Lem, Sal, Cerban, Nyhit, Dykwyk, Joe, Axbeard, and Hobnar — enters through a breach in the outer wall. The brave band circles the central keep, and Joe opens a back door to the chapel. A wooden pew crashes down, but nobody is hurt by the boobytrap. A dozen Goblins emerge!

Nyhit squeezes past the bench and kills a Goblin with his awl. Cerban charges in and smashes another. Axebeard swings a bag of rocks (which normally holding mushrooms) into one humanoid, as Hobnar throws a flask of oil.

Lem pulls out a blackjack and Burdik wields his shepherd’s crook as a staff. Joe and Dykwyk wait for a chance to follow. Axebeard and Hobnar fight back to back until they are joined by fellow Dwarf Burdik.

Axebeard wounds another needle-toothed Goblin, and Hobnar finishes him off. The nasty critters miss Axebeard and Burdik, but they impale Cerban, killing the Halfling. Enraged, Joe spikes and throws a foe with his pitchfork, as Dykwyk’s dagger misses.

Lem almost hits himself with his makeshift club, and Burdik smites a Goblin with his staff. However, more Goblins arrive and start throwing stones from the rafters and balcony. Joe dodges the rocks, and Axebeard is slightly injured. Burdik is less fortunate and is also slain. Nyhit responds by also hurling stones.

The Goblins miss the surviving Dwarves and Halflings, but Dkywyk is also hurt. Axebeard ducks behind a bench for cover, and Hobnar charges the far wall, behind which wait the stealthy reinforcements.

Joe kills a Goblin facing Hobnar while Dykwyk throws rocks. Lem smashes his opponent in the knee, but Sal misses with his shovel. Nails hits another with his hammer. Nyhit and Cerban chase the last Goblins into the stealthy squad, which finishes them off.

The reunited explorers quickly search the chapel. They collect goat hides for armor, clubs, pointy sticks, and a sack of colorful pebbles. Asura retrieves a tarnished brass holy symbol of Urda from the neglected altar.

Axebeard and Hobnar swear vengeance on behalf of fallen comrade Burdick, but Sal and Asura note that there’s no time to properly bury him or Cerban as long as other Goblins — and captive Elmer — can be found in the temple complex.

The 14 infiltrators descend and find a row of monks’ cells. They also find an ossuary and an astrological symbol that Asura recognizes. Rayang urges his companions to leave immediately rather than disturb the graves. They agree.

At a building in one corner of the palisade, Nyhit opens a door and is nearly overcome by the smell of rotting carcasses. He runs, and Random quickly closes it. Rayang, Joe, and Nyhit lead the way to one of the front towers, but the wooden stairs and walkway are rotten and rickety.

In the other tower, the group finds a Goblin that has been dead for a while. Apparently, the squatters weren’t expecting to need to keep watch for attack from Phlegmsad. Rayang is swarmed by fist-sized spiders, and Oscar nearly closes the door on him.

The others brush some spiders off manure spreader. At the main tower, Hobnar finds that the door is trapped with a magical rune. Sal tries to open it from a distance with a chain, but he gets a nasty shock.

While the wounded party members wait outside, the others go up to the second story. They find a workshop and laboratory. Elmer calls from a cage, which Ingsay unlocks. Lem eyes beakers and books but has no idea what they are for.

An evil Wizard named Otto descends from the third floor, carrying a crystal globe. Asura wears a robe with similar stars embroidered on it. The spellcaster smashes the sphere, which emits a green smoke. The gas begins to coalesce into a bestial form, forcing the group back.

Random grabs Elmer, and Sal tries to torch the lab. Nails throws a beaker at the cloud, and Rumbletummy throws a cloth over it. Outside, hordes of skeletal goats and Goblins emerge from the building with the bad odor.

Hobnar calls for a retreat rather than fighting through Otto’s charnel house. Joe stabs the cloud with his pitchfork and sees snake heads and eyes that glitter with dying stars. Otto retreats as his skeletal constructs advance.

Rayang and Asura observe that the constructs have some sort of sack in their ribcages and aren’t “true” Undead. The rescuers head back to the town, avoiding Otto’s automata on the way. Nails, Rayang, Random, and Asura use their reward money to buy equipment and training as a Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, and Cleric of Urda, respectively….

Brian, I enjoyed our first old–school Renaissance session, and I look forward to our Level 1 adventure in just over a week. In the meantime, I also look forward to the next FATE 3e “Vortex” telecom space opera and Jason’s final “Glassworks” superhero game.

Also, don’t forget to reply to the discussions on the Yahoo/eGroups message board about which retro–clone to use for my upcoming “Vanished Lands” fantasy campaign and about Josh and Jason’s proposals. Later, -Gene