Next session up, a belated Halloween session

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log

The flying black shadowy snarls are my own creation, Dhar Worm Swarm %%%

Based on bat swarm but then modified, they are flying manifestations of dhar energy, found in areas where dhar energies have long pooled. Tales among necromancers and warlocks speak of capturing them and using them to power dark magic.

The PC's are actually in an area of 'dhar taint' but no magical sight has been used, the reference to channeling and "oily film" reflects one of the effects. No one tried any Knowledge or other checks to figure out what they were.

Next session up

We complete the belated Halloween undead sidetrek in which I use some Paizo cards and old D&D miniatures (skull lord etc) as well as GW tomb kings ones.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/in-the-orgil-caverns

This also sees the set up for the epic 8 week voyage to the Southlands.

We see the 3rd permanent wound appear. Now both the humans have mobility-related permanent wounds. Obviously if surviving the jungle means running from a predator, the elves are safe!

Next session up, we skip next week.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/voyage-of-the-silver-drake

Players very focused on "roll playing" this session rather than "role playing".

Culmination was marching up to Governor Baerfaust and immediately asking him questions about his life's great career-ending failure - no fortune dice on that roll!

Next session up.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/sudenburg-to-goudenport

Only one minor fight, more roleplaying and planning. An Expedition Card using WFRP group rules (Stability and Agenda/Profit) set out and rules for trade (at a narrative level no managing coins) introduced.

The "curse of the scarab" was impromptu, I just had to do something when Korhadriel's player rolled double chaos stars, back to back in checks when examining the ancient wall. This is where having done my typical "hyperoverprep" of Southlands background work really started paying off - what does that mean, a curse like a Nekharan tomb curse of course and some of those tasty undead scarabs!

A Player Death occurs.

Though in the Southlands armour not so favoured that did not play a part - To3 PC with leather armour, stayed in fight after hit once, then once again for an amount could not take again... at 2 crit wounds, final hit was with attack that also did 2 crits, so plus falling put her at 5 crits - well and truly dead.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/goudenport-to-secunda-curva

The foes' bodies were thrown overboard without being searched at all (they have moved so far from being D&D players, at times a little too far ). Well at least not by PC's, one of their underlings was not so quick to miss a chance to snag something that looked shiny - that will come back to haunt them.

As I play through and use material thinking of ways to improve my Southlands work.

Oh, I should mention, none of the players seemed to cotton on to the fact that "they are are heading up the river into the jungle to the station of Herr Kurtz, who has done wonders with the natives". Hee hee hee.

Timely arrival at Puesta del Sol session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/time-arrival-at-puesta-del-sol

Sergeant Jurgen is the replacement PC for Elke, replacement PC's being generated out of the NPC's in expedition. One of the Averland mercenaries starts to shine dealing with squabbles among hirelings and leading soldiers ashore to relieve a trade post under attack.

The tribal champion is warrior with "hero template" and it was when I invoked his once/session "auto success/boon" result that I narrated that as him calling out something specific, which turned out to have a Nekharan god's name in it.

I notice there is not much activity in this section as of late and encourage others to post play reports or links to them.

"River Perils" are, like "Marsh Perils" and "Sewer Perils" a deck of random events for an environment - in this case "what happens on the jungle river" events PC's draw from at least once every "leg of the trip" which I then interpret mostly to foreshadow coming events or give exposure to things that will come into play again (e.g., meet generic giant wasps before meeting them as mounts for biloko). This time it became "how much of a poor lighting penalty will there be in the fight at end of day".

The Players were very happy they hired mercenaries as this fight played out.

We broke with discussion of going on or not (that's whether the PC's expedition continues on the next day not whether we keep playing!). I did think it interesting that their reflexive course of action was to plan to leave the next day (great to have prevented you being overrun, good luck, perhaps you'll still be here when we come back?) though they were thinking more about it when the direct request to evacuate was made.

Next session is up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/in-it-together

Sabotage and jungle warfare.

It was interesting that they decided to put more guards on the boats after the sabotage, but not on the workshop where the two ships' engineers are working to build a replacement part.

Next session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/victory-and-mystery-at-puesta-del-sol

I was quite prepared to see the station overrun - never put a risk on the table to be game out if it's not really up for grabs! Was actually sort of disappointed that didn't happen.

And wow, yes Swordmasters are overpowered! It was a wounded, more easy to take out dinosaur but still it was a dinosaour (irzima, triceratops in my southlands work in progress file linked in that thread). Going to be thinking about strategies to stop him "starring" too much without nerfing him. Lots of individual weak foes is one (sure, every PC drops a foe with a successful hit, 18 damage not required)

I've also updated houserules and rules lists for spell casting noting penalties for being without hands etc. Have used these before and the critical wound to mage's hand in session reminded me needed to keep them available.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

Next session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/high-oceanic-ruins

Fling Poop custom action sees some use.

A player with PHD in some natural studies remarks that apes also like peeing on people "for fun" - ooh a secondary special attack to be created for the khar yana!

Next session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/apes-and-snakes

The 4-armed ape and creeping vines were both 'tricked out' to be suitable "solitary foes" given the ability generally of PC's to swamp a single foe (even without a sword dancer).

Random weather card draw delivered nice effect for climbing a pyramid.

A bit more editing to my southlands document to come (rejigged 4-armed ape mainly).

Next session up:

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/posts/exploring-the-pyramid

Oh and I realize now why I was inspired to create fling poop actions, I'm Canadian:

http://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/technology/canadians-lead-world-in-using-smiling-poop-emoji-report-1.2338128

Spectral lizardmen were a very non-canon addition as guardians of the site against corrupt intrusions. I created them specifically because the elf wizard does have a dhar taint from a curse and I figured lizard folk wouldn't like dhar in their pyramids. A few lizardmen voluntarily sacrifice selves to become spirit warriors etc. is the idea.

Session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/greenskins-at-fort-adventure

A nasty fight with savage orcs almost sees a character death. But ouch, the wizard permanently looses a hand, which means if holding a wand or staff, can't gesture invoking serious penalties (my houserules on spellcasting requirements linked in the post - this is supported by Liber C.' s permanent wound rules which note hand loss can hurt spellcasting ability).

The players finally decide to make use of the master surgeon who is in a nearby jungle station rather than see when next the elf mage suffers the 4th killing critical etc.

Two weeks before we play again.

Another session post:

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/under-the-dead-city

The "fall into dungeon" was taken from old D&D adventure (the players really set that up by announcing they were tapping on the ground etc. to check for chambers after being told site was unstable).

The "dungeon" was not a map but a series of challenges and dangers inspired by Paizo's dungeon chase cards (Maze, Chasm, Collapsed Wall, with chaos stars leading to Boulder, Glowing Mold - I used my own game effect meanings for what the cards suggested).

My Southlands document is being updated to reflect more about Hakhara, including a map of it as it was (the one mentioned in post), and to explain the period of limited traffic with nearby Asur settlement thus explaining how some of its Tomb Kings could speak Eltharin.

Overall I liked session, lots of flavour, but I didn't handle some technical things well. Forgot my own rule of "never set up gaining conditions that recover at Rally and not have anything where condition matters happen before Rally - everything must matter at least once!" We had another demonstration of how one normal creature is never a match for bunch of PC's.

The player of Serjeant Jurgen, who used to play the Witch Hunter who died, remarked "good thing there is no witch hunter here" as the PC's chatted peacefully with what were presumably undead. I was prepared for a fight but it would have been gruesome - PC's running of air fighting creatures that don't need it. The PC's recognized the situation. Had there been a fight, unlike the "manticore pile on" it would have been two big bads with 2 squads of covering henchmen warriors each.

I've been working on the next "big fight" with one critter (Episode climax) and really it's two but still need to add in "swarms" etc. to create more distraction/chaff protecting the big bad. I've already got Giant Spider/Swarms of Spiders/Ghost lined up. Suggestions about good combos always welcomed.

Another session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/onward-to-the-cliffs-of-insanity

This was mostly fights and travel rolls, no big exposition or discoveries.

Last week's session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/posts/the-vault-of-the-effigy

The daemonic entity was really two creatures "under the hood": a chaos sorcerer (the corrupted Feir) inside the column which was effectively a Disc of Teenztch which has to be destroyed before any attacks affected the sorcerer part. This was necessary (along with the location card effects of chamber) to make a "single big bad" tough enough.

Similarly I intentionally put the ghost in with the giant spider and swarms of spiders to create a 'combo encounter' that would be tougher as well as informative (I love to have ghosts attacks involve visions, mad ranting etc. that provide clues).

The timey-wimey bending to contain warpstone also allows lots of stress effects and visions to "deliver some plot coupons" explaining what has happened and hinting at who was involved.

The humans have had visions hinting that Templeman was killed because he betrayed the witch by taking the elf's gold. The elf??? How are elves involved with all this? What vengeance of their's was manipulating the witch's desire for vengeance? This is all about revenge not simply some chaos plot? Revenge for what?

Time will tell.

And now this week's session

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/into-the-ruins

The PC's are discovering the real danger of exploring such places as the 2nd permanent insanity is gained.

I like how when they figure out there may be an elf involved in shenanigans they immediately start thinking it might be one of their relatives with them on the expedition. They don't even have a paranoia insanity yet.

The ruins are the "lost city" of TSR era redone as an abandoned temple city.

The image from this page is the one I used to speak of 'collosal' pyramids

http://warhammerfantasybattle.wikia.com/wiki/Lizardmen

The one in foreground is the size they found before, the one in background is the largest artificial structure any of them, human or elf, has ever seen. Awesome I emphasize. "Mind-shattering" I really mean - there are things mortals are not meant to know.

Another Session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log

The Players are "swallowing the serpent's tale" hook line and sinker. Korhadriel has "remembered" Int check that the lizardman he saw in the menagerie in Averheim looked more muscular, less lithe, squarish-headed more than the triangular head. His recollecting no peaceful dealings was indirectly also telling him "so no stories of a lizard man scouting for humans".

They would have penalties using Intuition to judge his statements, given racial differences, but didn't try it.

Ssathlis, of course, is not a lizardman - for those who have perused my Southlands work it might be evident what he is - and his interests here in the valley are more sinister than the PCs could possibly imagine....

Ignoring the Ebonians was also "not wise for the explorers". Of course the "more advanced explorers" always think they know better than the superstitious natives.

Another session up:

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log

An epic trek across seas and jungles in order to shoot your brother! Didn't see that coming, thought there would be more effort to "reach the real Borgir", but no this is Warhammer - just as Borgir recognizes Gunnar, "bam".

I am again fortunate in having mature players. No one quibbles that they have no chance of fighting past the horde of newtwarriors. They get out by some other stratagem or it's "crits from unconsciousness due to wounds all round and we find out what newt warriors do with people they're very very angry at". Amazingly they manage to get out!

Jurgens' player emailed his nightmare post session, good stuff and yes you should be feeling something amiss....

We likely won't be playing for a bit as summer schedules interfere.

After our summer break we resume, another session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/terrible-truths

Meta-game, PC's are trading critical wounds for insanities.

Next session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/run-through-the-jungle

Gunnar is nearing the "past point of return" fate of madness in terms of acquiring too many.

Next session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/revelations-and-treachery

I use an interesting correlation of symbols in the High Elf Army book and the Lizardman WFB book to suggest Asuryan is really the elf version of Chotek (though PC's don't know Chotek's name).

Gunnar is indeed at max-insanities.

I say you let him go completely batshit insane and then let the other PC's kill 'im!

By max it is "one more and he's a goner". If he does go "completely bonkers" we'll see how his insanities add up and give him some "insane insights to spout" - whether he "goes off" right there (effectively another Act after he fails to recover from temp insanity) or later we'll see. He might continue to be a PC on understanding "the GM can hijack you any time" (and will as soon as narratively-speaking it's a fun time to do so).

Another session up, we're playing every 2nd week now

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/horror-in-the-basement-blood-on-the-water

Gunnar's character used saved up advances to buy off an insanity to get some breathing room.

I expected the Eagle to be a tough fight but "the luck of the dice" has made it a possible turning point indeed by dictating they are practically unable to manoeuvre their boat - though without a brink of destruction how can we ever know if the PCs are really those epic heroes.