Darran Sims

So I thought I would start up my Midweek Character posts again.
Here is another great player character, this one is from the greatest TV sitcom of all time, Dad's Army.
The few games I have run have been very intense role playing experiences though very funny at the same time.



Captain George Mainwaring.
"Just testing you, Wilson."
"There's no chip on my shoulder. I'll tell you what there is though, three pips and don't you forget it."
George Mainwaring is Captain of the Walmington-on-Sea platoon as well as manager of Shallows Bank, Rotarian, and pillar of the community.
Considered pompous and overbearing by many, even referred to as ‘Napoleon’, he is a stickler for protocol. He wants things done his way but gets irritated with any hold-ups to his plans.
His wife Elizabeth constantly plagues him on the phone, he fears her more than the imminent Nazi invasion, though he will not let his men know that!
It is a bone of contention that Sergeant Wilson had the benefit of a private education though it is often Pike that gets his umbrage, "Stupid Boy!"
107 words

Goals
Keep men in-line and disciplined.
Win one over on Wilson
Earn the respect of the men
Maintain dignity in all situations
Impress the Top Brass with the Platoon

KeyWords
Captain 15M
Bank Manager 10M

Abilities
Bone of Contention 17
Constant Phone Calls 13
Cover Up Mistakes 13
Detests being Referred to as ‘Napoleon’ 15
Do It My Way 1M
Easily Irritated 17
Fears Elizabeth’s Scolding 5M
Fears Imminent Nazi Invasion 10M
Feels Under-Privileged 17
Hates Hold Ups & Delays 14
Hides Fear from Men 16
Jealous of Wilson 1M
Likes to Plan 17
Natural Leader of Men 19
Over Bearing 17
Pillar of the Community 19
Plagued by Elizabeth 5M
Pompous 5M
Rotarian 13
Stickler for Protocol 3M
Unleash Umbridge 15
"Stupid Boy!" 10M

Here is a small Youtube presentation of the 'Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes'.

This is where my Supernatual HeroQuest games takes place tomorrow at Dragonmeet 2009.
I am in the Upper Foyer right near the lifts.
The game runs from 14:30 until 18:00.

Just who will survive at the end?
The Winchester Brothers? Bobby? Will Ruby get dusted? Will Bela get the loot?

0 Dragonmeet 2009. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 28th November 2009.
http://www.dragonmeet.co.uk/

This is the HeroQuest game I am running at Dragonmeet 2009.



'Cropcircles and Lights Out' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Supernatural: HeroQuest 2.0 adventure for 5 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.
Based on the TV series.

"Police reports are coming in from Fulton County, Georgia of cars driving at night without their headlights on. When helpful members of the public flash their lights in courtesy to warn the drivers they become victims to the drivers.
All that seems to be left are the abandoned cars with their headlights smashed out. No trace of the occupants have been found. Forensic reports do confirm that the blood found in the broken headlights is canine, not human.
Are these incidents related to the gang tags found in the recent spate of crop circles that also plague the area?"

This is one of my player characters when I took part in a HeroQuest playtest last year.
No 100 words but rather a quick character generation system that allows the players to get into play straight away.

He is a Sartarite Hunter in Pavis - set in Glorantha and a worshipper of the lightning aspect of Orlanth.

No a bad character actually and I had fun playing him even though I am not keen on being a player as I would rather GM.



Furnit Many-Feather
Sartarite Hunter – Zavor initiate Rubble explorer and Gorp killer/fryer.

Keywords
Sartarite 13
Hunter 13
Zavor Initiate 17

Goal
Fry Gorp

Flaws
Can’t kill anything but Gorp 5M
Big Bar Tab 13

Interviewed for a special scroll on Gorps by Gorgoria [PC]

Abilities
Burning Lighting 5M
Married to Doug & Dinsdale’s Sister 14
Hates Grita Many-Need [wife] Golden Arches 14
Lightning Bow of Gorp Kill 18
Flirts with Yolanta 14
Shiny Metal Armour 13
Light Darkness 19

Reaching Moon Missionaries

Reaching Moon Missionaries is the official organisation sponsored by Moon Designs for HeroQuest Core Rules demonstration narrators and game masters.
The volunteer game masters will help promote HeroQuest Core Rules and other Moon Designs products at conventions, game shops, game meets, etc, by running games and talking about HeroQuest.



Reaching Moon Missionaries will be a global organisation and will provide help, support and encouragement for its members, whether experienced veterans or new to the game.
Benefits will include a points awards scheme to reward the members that will give discount on Moon Designs products and to get new play-test material and sneak-peeks at works in progress.

Interested HeroQuest game masters should contact Darran Sims
darransims AT gmail DOT com

Or visit the website:
http://heroquestdemos.ning.com/

Posted from the Moon Design Development Blog, vingkot .


Moon Design is proud to announce that the HeroQuest Core Rules are now available for sale from www.glorantha.com or www.heroquest-rpg.com!

You can directly order copies of the new HeroQuest Core Rules book and download pdfs from the website. We regret to inform you that our current eCommerce vendors do not support bundles of books and pdfs. We are exploring options to fix that in the future but until then, comfort yourself with the knowledge that the money will be going to make sure we have more money to pay for art and writers!

BTW, we are still working out the kinks with Plimus (our PDF vendor). If it takes a little while for you to get an email with the download link - be patient. They are still checking to make sure that we aren't some sort of nefarious international outfit! The first dozen or so PDF downloaders are likely to get some initial weirdness (for example, you may get a phone call from Plimus just to make sure that you really ordered the PDF). Just be patient and we will make sure that you will get your PDF!

But without any further ado:

Anything you can imagine, you can play…

HeroQuest is the innovative, dynamic, and flexible rules engine by Robin Laws, suitable for play in any genre or setting. It present a simple and flexible system that allows Game Masters to make decisions the way authors and screenwriters do when creating novels, TV episodes and movies. HeroQuest encourages creative input from your players, resulting in an exciting, unpredictable narrative created through group collaboration. Its resolution methods and scalable character levels make it equally suited for any genre, from epic fantasy to satirical soap opera. Whether your next game idea draws on horror, war, westerns, martial arts, pulps, cyberpunk, cliff-hangers, giant robots, super-powered heroes, space opera, cop action, corporate intrigue, furry animals, swashbuckling adventure, Greek tragedy or even drawing room comedy, HeroQuest can handle it! You can even use HeroQuest to emulate a musical – although it won’t do the singing or dancing for you.

Completely rewritten by the Robin Laws, this new edition opens and details running the core system for any genre.

What’s in this book?

This book contains everything needed for play:

• Character Creation – describe your character and get playing in minutes.
• Overcoming Obstacles – handling conflict, be it with swords, words, magic, superpowers, guns or armies.
• Playing Stories – how to vividly run your adventures in engaging and creative ways.
• Narrating - the secrets for balancing the give and take between narrators and players.
• Followers and Support – how your sidekick, followers, horde, army or community help you.
• Creating Genres – details for creating and detailing your game world.
• Gaming in Glorantha - a separate section on applying this system to Glorantha.
• Quick Reference – so you don’t have to hunt for the information you really need.

However, the new HeroQuest Core Rules are not the only new thing for sale on the new and upgraded glorantha.com website! We will have much of the Stafford Library up and for sale in both book form and as downloadable pdfs, including:

• Glorious Reascent of Yelm - THE Dara Happan background book
• Arcane Lore - Greg's notes on the development of his thoughts concerning heroquesting and Gloranthan magic
• The Middle Sea Empire - THE background book for the God Learners and the Jrusteli Empire
• History of the Heortling Peoples - THE background book for the Orlanthi of Sartar and Heortland, as well as the Arkat Wars, Harmast and the EWF

We will also have a number of older books back in print and for sale in both book form and as downloadable pdfs, including:

• Dragon Pass: Gazetteer of Kerofinela
  
• Imperial Lunar Handbook, volumes 1 and 2
  
• Blood Over Gold
  
• Men of the Sea
  
• Masters of Luck and Death
  

With the exception of Dragon Pass: Gazetteer of Kerofinela (which is statless), these books were written for First Edition HeroQuest but can easily be retrofitted for the new HeroQuest Core Rules.

Check out the website and maybe buy yourself a book or download. Or two. Or three (or four, five, six or more!)

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of heavy game criticism,
Or to take arms against a sea of system backlash,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
Of a lack of players, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream of a great home group: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of no games to GM what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off to a convention for games?

So I am having a little bit of a crisis at the moment as far as my GMing games goes. I seem to have lost faith with my ability to GM at conventions as I have fallen under some heavy criticism

I am really struggling to keep my home group together. I have had some excellent players join over the last couple of years yet they seem to find excuses when to next session is scheduled not to come.
Now I am a good host – I provide a cooked meal and snacks as well as a full fridge of drinks [beer and soft drinks], I run a reasonable game with a good story, I am well organised with nice maps and handouts. The setting is fairly cool though I do know that many people do have an issue with Glorantha as a setting.

I do also know that many people dislike the HeroQuest system, but I didn’t expect it to the point that several people have condemned my games on the RPG con circuit here in the UK. This is just not an attack on HeroQuest but my games in general. Now it could be just rumours but having heard this from two different sources is troubling. Bad-mouthing my games seems a little bit cruel and vindictive and the rumours are appearing to spread by word-of-mouth.

It is now getting to the point that I may have to give up GMing games at conventions all together.
I plan to run a few HeroQuest games at Tentacles Omega, a RPG convention that takes place in Germany at the end of May this year, and get some detailed feedback from those games.

I may just attend less RPG conventions in future; I’ll just concentrate on help organising some conventions that I am involved with instead.
At Furnace I'll not run any games for instance.

I am just not sure what else to do?

A couple of years ago, after much convincing and demonstration, I got my wife Jenny to play in one of my role-playing games. She had expressed her displeasure about role-playing games before but on seeing that my friends from my hobby were more reliable and were ‘better’ friends than other acquaintances I have she relented. I did write this report at the time but didn’t post it anywhere as I didn’t have my blog up and running at the time.
Unfortunately the group at the time finished due to illness so that was the last session. When I restarted the campaign with a new group, Jenny was a little bit reluctant to join in from the start but for the last session she has now rejoined.

 

From September 2007

I had planned that HeroQuest session at the time, to take place with my home group, to be a skirmish-type game based on the Battle Of Dwarf Ford. However, my wife Jenny expressed an interest in taking part, something she had normally refused to do in the past. On the few occasions I had asked her to play or even if she was interested in learning what it was all about, she had said no. I hadn’t really pushed the issue; she had come with me to a few RPG conventions but looked on them as a trip away rather than joining in with the hobby itself. I had a smaller group for this session so Jenny did feel a little more comfortable with that for her first time. Jenny joined the other two players, my brother Russell and our friend Mick, people that she knew very well.

 

( Read more... )

 

 

 

Jenny did seem to play well though did need some prompting to contribute to the story. She later told me she wasn't sure whether she could interrupt me or the others while they were talking. She was happy to play her role and was content to take part in the decision-making parts of the story.

With the change of the campaign and the restart of it she wasn't confident in joining the game. But now I have my kid sister, Amy join in on the new campaign my wife Jenny has also joined in the game again. 

 0 Conception 2009. Naish Holiday Village, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, UK. 
Wednesday 28th January - Sunday 1st February 2009. 
http://www.conception...

Here are my games that I'll be running at Conception 2009.

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Thursday 09:00 – 13:00 Slot 2
'Street Urchins of Ancient Pavis' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims. 
Glorantha: HeroQuest adventure for 6 players. 
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred. 

"Abandoned by Family, Ancestors and the City itself, the street urchins have a very hard existence in the shattered remains of Ancient Pavis. They live on the discarded scraps from the city dwellers and *other* denizens of the Rubble, a place where life is very, very cheap. 
The only future they have to look forward to is a quick death somewhere in the unforgiving ruins of this once splendid city. 
The River Flock has a nice hidey-hole under the Sculpture Garden, a safe haven in this deadly world. Yet many of the street urchins are turning up dead, their bodies discarded.
Now a stranger in red is poking around the upper entrance. 
Just what is he after and is he responsible for the deaths of the other urchins?"

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Friday 19:00 – 23:00 Slot 7
'Cropcircles and Lights Out' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims. 
Supernatural: HeroQuest adventure for 5 players. 
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred. 

"Police reports are coming in from Fulton County, Georgia of cars driving at night without their headlights on. When helpful members of the public flash their lights in courtesy to warn the drivers they become victims to the drivers.
All that seems to be left are the abandoned cars with their headlights smashed out. No trace of the occupants have been found. Forensic reports do confirm that the blood found in the broken headlights is canine, not human.
Are these incidents related to the gang tags found in the recent spate of crop circles that also plague the area?"

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Saturday 09:00 - 13:00 Slot 8
'Rocks and Hard Places' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims. 
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players. 
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred. 

"Why do my gorram jobs never go smooth? 
So we’re on a scavenger hunt in the biggest scrap yard in the ‘verse.
Gettin’ to the place was slow and troublesome, gettin’ past the guards was a flip and findin’ the needle in the haystack was shiny.
The trouble is we have competition for our prize and our rivals ain’t playing fair. 
Also the boss, a particular Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep, ain’t happy with us either.
To top that there seems to be another bunch of Feds on our tail and we’re stuck - a certain turn of phase come to mind."

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Sunday 15:00 – 19:00 Slot 12
'We are the Boys...' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims. 
Dad's Army: HeroQuest adventure for 6 players. 
Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred. 

"Excuse me, er, attention men. If you kindly all fall in, that would be rather nice. Thank you."
"Right men, GHQ has organised a series of military exercises, under the watchful eyes of Colonel Pritchard, to test the Walmington-on-Sea platoon’s ‘fighting fitness’ and to see if we can use diverse tactics and strategies in the field. 
"Well, that is a given of course with my experience, but there is a little nuisance in that we are paired off against the Eastgate platoon. We must deal with their Colonel Blimp mentality..."
"His name is Captain Square, a Rotarian you know?"
"Thank you Wilson!
"Well men, I think that you will not let me down? Corporal Jones get the platoon to fall out. Wilson, WILSON come with me!"

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What another great convention!
It seems so short but sweet.
For the first time in a few years I didn't run two games back to back only running a single game in the morning slot only.
I spent most of the afternoon attending the seminars or catching up too briefly with people.

It was an early start with catching the 05:00 AM train to London but I was able to get to Kensington Town Hall without getting swamped in the crowds. Most of the traders got to the venue early so it didn't take long to get them all loaded into the main hall. Pushing a few trollies in and out is one of my ways of giving back to the con. Also stuffing the Goodie Bags with the programme books and other goodies was a big help.


The Main Trade Hall

I then set up my table, located on the upper floor in a little sealed off area, ready for my game. The sign-up sheet was filled in very fast as soon as the doors opened!

I ran the latest episode in my Serenity: HeroQuest saga titled 'Rocks and Hard Places'
It was the first time I had ran this episode and I hadn't really finalised the plot. I was hoping that the players themselves would direct where and when the action would take place as I would follow their lead more.
I started the game in Deadwood, just as in the HBO series of the same name as I think it would fit in the 'verse no problem. Channelling Al Swearengen proved to be a problem, possibly due to the early morning, and the start of the game floundered a bit. Also I did expect there to be a shoot-out in deadwood but the players [with one notable exception] seemed to want to avoid any violence at any cost.
There was a lot of role-playing in character which over-ran a little so I had to rush the ending a little. The addition plot points and distractions worked well with the players getting paranoid over the conspiracies. All the players were very surprised by the big reveal and manufactured their own surprise ending involving the whole crew leaving Johner behind to have a shootout with all the Feds at his insistence.
I did record this game so expect it soon to be podcast on One Man and His Dice.com.

I spent the afternoon attending the seminars.
I walked into John Wick's Seminar halfway through so I was unable to record that one. Very interesting and it seems I share similar GM style and theories. I will have to look up his 'Houses of the Blooded' as only then was it explained to me what it was about despite asking on a few forums.


John Wick

I then spent the next half hour wandering about the whole complex taking photos of the gaming groups. There were some fantastic looking games. The Phoenix Games club had a great looking Dungeon game in action, the Shadow Warriors had a Great War biplane battle game that just simply gorgeous, there was a very detailed Camelot diorama, a BattleStar Galactica board game that looked cool, and many more excellent models and games.

I then went to the Robin Laws and Kenneth Hite seminar that I did manage to record. It didn't have an overall theme, just an open Question & Answer session and didn't suffer for it. Some excellent questions were answered and there was some great discussion that was very interesting.


Robin Laws and Kenneth Hite

That was followed by a Guest of Honour free-for-all seminar. At first there was only Robin Laws and John Wick but then Kenneth Hite and James Wallis each joined later.
A great seminar that by accident seemed to focus on the fantastic work of Greg Stafford.
We also learnt how each guest started off into this hobby of ours with some funny results.
Again I managed to record this and it will be podcast on One Man and His Dice.com.


Kenneth Hite, Robin Laws, John Wick and James Wallis

So a very good convention where I got to catch up with a few people though unfortunately far too briefly and run a good game. I do have a few recordings that I hope to get up over the next couple of weeks.

More photos at:
Dragonmeet 2008 photo set on my Flickr Site

0 Dragonmeet 2008. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 29th November 2008.
http://www.dragonmeet.co.uk/

He's my game that might run depending on the Seminar timetable:



'Rocks and Hard Places' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Why do my gorram jobs never go smooth?
So we’re on a scavenger hunt in the biggest scrap yard in the ‘verse.
Gettin’ to the place was slow and troublesome, gettin’ past the guards was a flip and findin’ the needle in the haystack was shiny.
The trouble is we have competition for our prize and our rivals ain’t playing fair.
Also the boss, a particular Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep, ain’t happy with us either.
To top that there seems to be another bunch of Feds on our tail and we’re stuck - a certain turn of phase come to mind."

So I have been playing and running HeroQuest [and Hero Wars before it] since the turn of the century. 
I have ran it at home, at clubs, at game meets and at RPG Conventions and not just set in Glorantha [the default setting at the moment] but also converted to Firefly, Dad's Army, Battlestar Galactica, and Heroes.

I am a one system kinda guy.
I am very happy with HeroQuest, I can run it fairly well and I just love the way it allows me to convert to different settings yet keep the flavour of the setting intact. 
I also love non-stat characters. I like being able to make up characters as they are without any compromises to the concept.  

Trouble is two of my players in my home group have just let me know that they do not like it, nor the setting of Glorantha.
They like my GM style and would like to have me run games for them - just not with HeroQuest.
I had to cancel my last session as no one could make it though normally my brother and sister are able to. I also have a few players out of town that would love to join my games and sometimes they can make it. My last session was a complete blast as I had to run the game in two sittings as I had too many players.


So is there another game system out there that would suit me and the two players?

Should I try to run something new or should I stick with what I use and say good-bye to the two players and keep the others players still?

So I have set myself a little art project to do.

Produce colour pictures of the different people in the setting of Glorantha in the style of the Osprey Soldier type paintings.

This one is my first, a Yelmalion warrior in Dragon Pass.

Based on a Greek hoplite with Sun and Yelmalio runes on his armour and shield. Out of the people in Dragon Pass the Yelmalions as a group are going to be the most heavily armed and armoured.

The painting itself was coloured in Adobe Photoshop but I am not quite happy with it. 
I may do it again with ArtRage once I get more time after Continuum.
This is in the SOLAR Book that will be sold at Continuum 2008.

The next one?

Probably the player characters in my home HeroQuest game so Orlanthi or Yinkini.

So this is the cover I have done for Newt for the first issue of 'Hearts In Glorantha'.

I am pleased with it, especially the letters in the main title as they are my own design from many years ago. I hope to make them into a proper font once I have found a font making software package for the mac.



I am by the way the un-official Art Director for HiG so I will be producing more artwork and trying to source new artists for the future issues.

0 Continuum 2008. John Foster Hall [also known as New Hall], Leicester University. UK.
Friday 1st - Monday 4th August 2008.
http://www.continuum.uk.net

Continuum 2008 is a three day convention for 250+ attendees held in a modern conference centre at the University of Leicester Halls of Residence, Oadby, Leicester, UK.
Freeforms, Call of Cthulhu, HeroQuest, RuneQuest, BRP, Savage Worlds, Indie games, and plenty of other game systems will be played at this convention.

A colour Convention Book will be produced and given free to all attendees on arrival.
As well as information on the convention, venue and games programmes there will be articles on gaming and role-playing.

We are looking for contributions for this year's Convention Book, whether it is artwork, maps, articles, non-player characters, scenarios, encounters, gaming or GMing advice, settings, stories or anything else you can think of.

We can not pay you but all contributors will receive the heartfelt thanks from the Continuum Committee, the joy of seeing their work in print and a free copy of the Con Book.

All copyright of any material we use in the book remains the authors or artists, so you can use it again elsewhere.

If you can send all submissions to darransims AT googlemail DOT com.

Thank you for your time.

I have recorded my HeroQuest Air & Motion game from Sunday 27th April 2008.

The first part of that session is up on my website in the form of a podcast.

HeroQuest: Air & Motion Session 1 part 1

Worth having a listen?

Part 2 will be posted up about this time next week.

Here are the links to a Podcast of an Actual Play that took place at Tentacles 2008.

The game is HeroQuest 2.0, the yet unreleased new edition of HeroQuest. The setting is Pavis in Glorantha.
There were eleven players, some of the big movers and shakers of the Glorantha publishing and gaming.
It does get a little noisy especially when all the beer bottles are opened!

Jeff's Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest Game part 1

Jeff's Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest Game part 2

Jeff's Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest Game part 3

Character Sheets

Here are my games that I’ll be running at Tentacles Déjà Vu, Catle Stahleck, Germany on Friday 9th - Monday 12th May 2008.

A centrepiece part of the convention in the form of a multi-player Freeform game as well as three different HeroQuest games – one Gloranthan, one a Firefly plus Alien: Resurrection hybrid and one based on the Sit-Com Dad’s Army  [the HeroQuest games are under the cut].

 

Gloranthan Freeform

This game draws upon one of the oldest stories of the Holy Country and an on going theme of Gloranthan mythos , the Tournamet of Luck and Death. Even before the game RuneQuest, there has always been the Masters of Luck and Death, mooted as a boardgame, It has also been the title of TWO Gloranthan supplements and the official name for the HeroQuest demonstration team.

Now it is back, using Greg Stafford’s original notes as reference as well as a strong hint of <<cough!>> X Factor.

I am really looking forward to running this with Simon and Colin though this is only the second time I have ran a freeform game. Freeforms seem to run very well in Germany. It most be the fact we actually play inside A CASTLE!

 

 

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'The Masters of Luck and Death'

by Simon Bray, Colin Driver and Darran Sims

A Gloranthan Freeform Game.

 

The God-King is dying, his corporeal body falls into decay, but do not fear - instead rejoice!

From across the Holy Country come the greatest heroes of the land, fiery warriors from Caladraland, wise earth-women of Esrolia, stormy and passionate Heortlings, sea-blessed islanders of Pelaskos, the soulless sorcerers of God Forgot and the dark and brooding trolls of the Shadow Plateau. Each comes to take part in the greatest challenge in all Glorantha, a series of contests, trials and quests that stretch across this blessed land. They shall be watched by the God-King's fearsome judges and tested by their gods, friends and enemies alike. The victor will receive ascension to the hero plane - they will be worshipped and loved, whilst their useless flesh shall give the glorious God-King new life. So come one, come all to the Masters of Luck and Death!

 

( HeroQuest games under the Cut... )

 

 

 

 Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest game on Saturday 8th March 2008

As part of The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group March Monthly Meeting I will be running one of my Serenity:HeroQuest games as detailed below. The meet up starts at 13:00 on Saturday 8th March 2008 at the Brunswick Inn, right next to the Derby Railway Station.
Anyone interested should reply or PM me.

The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.


“Money, money, money!”


“I got the Gatling gun!”


Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest.
The game is based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The crew will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship. Each game is a one shot with pre-gen characters. There are seven player characters and the game should last four hours.





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Saturday 8th March 2008 @ 14:00.
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like taking candy from a baby.
"Just don't use sensors as you approach," he said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science' on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

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Past reports of the other games

For a report on August's game click here and and for September's game click here for details of this months game and RSPV click here.
_________________

0 Conception 2008. Naish Holiday Village, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, UK.
Wednesday 30th January - Sunday 3rd February 2008.
http://www.conceptionuk.org/

These are my games that I am running at Conception 2008.

HeroQuest:Heroes
Using some of the cast of the TV show Heroes as player characters set right after where season 1 ends this game debuts at Conception 2008. This setting was voted the winner in a poll here, beating Ultraviolet [the Channel 4 TV Series], The Shield [The channel 5 TV series], Battlestar Galactica [the new TV series], More and newer episodes of Sereinty/Firefly, and some old fashioned Glorantha gaming.




Slot 3 - Thursday 10:00 - 14:00
'Double Ascension' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
A Heroes HeroQuest adventure for 5 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

With Nathan’s self sacrifice to save the city, Peter gone for good and Matt taken to hospital in an ambulance; the survivors look to one another amongst the aftermath of Kirby Plaza. With the remnants of the nuclear explosion drifting down on New York City, in the sudden dark after the brightness of day, there hangs a question.
A blood trail leads to an open manhole cover and the body of the boogeyman is missing.
All that is left in the wake are a few scribbled sketches of what has past, what is and what is yet to come.
So why does everybody feel that they are being watched?

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Serenity/FireFly: HeroQuest
These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.



The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run twenty times now at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.

The sequel, 'The Quick and the Dead', has only been run seven times and has now been extended with extra dilemmas.

The second sequel [or is that threequel?] debuted at Conception 2007 and has only been ran once more at Dragonmeet 2007. I am running it again especially for Conception 2008. 'Dead Reckoning' is the third in the series of Serenity:HeroQuest games and is completely brand new [though certain parts of the plot my be similar to the other games!]. It still uses the crew of The Betty but puts them in more perilous and immoral situations. Included with more silly props!

Debuted at Furnace 2007 and only ran once so is completely new is the fourth in the series called 'No Power in the 'verse'. This is payback time and the Alliance and Blue Sun will suffer when the crew of The Betty discover the darkest secret yet and will try to bring an end to their evil plots.

Due to the popular demand of these games a seventh player character has been added to all games. The games can be played in order to experience the full epic narrative arc but each game is also complete in itself and can be played as a one-off.

+

Slot 6 - Friday 10:00 - 14:00
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like taking candy from a baby. "Just don't use sensors as you approach," he said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science' on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

+

Slot 12 - Sunday 10:00 - 14:00
'No Power in the 'verse' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Well, they have hurt me jobs, hurt my pay, hurt my ship, hurt my crew and now they are hurting my head.
Well I say 'no more!'
I ain't sitting back on this one, no sir. I am goin' to take it to them. Hurt them hard. See how they like that! I coming at them straight and true.
No power in the 'verse can stop me!"

+

'We are the Boys...'
This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. This will not only stretch my scenario writing ability and my GM style but the HeroQuest games mechanic as well. Very much a 'beer & pretzel' game played for some laughs. I hope that it goes well.



+

Slot 9 - Saturday 10:00 - 14:00
'We are the Boys...' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea!

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0 Dragonmeet 2007. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 1st December 2007.
http://dragonmeet.co.uk

These are my games that I am running at Dragonmeet 2007.

Serenity/FireFly: HeroQuest
These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by
Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The
Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit
crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.



The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run twenty times now
at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.

The sequel, 'The Quick and the Dead', has only been run six times and
has now been extended with extra dilemmas.

The second sequel [or is that threequel?] debuted at Conception 2007
and has only been ran once. I am running it again especially for
Dragonmeet 2007. 'Dead Reckoning' is the third in the series of
Serenity:HeroQuest games and is completely brand new [though certain
parts of the plot my be similar to the other games!]. It still uses
the crew of The Betty but puts them in more perilous and immoral
situations. Included with more silly props!

Due to the popular demand of these games a seventh player character
has been added to all games. The games can be played in order to
experience the full epic narrative arc but each game is also complete
in itself and can be played as a one-off.

+

Saturday 10:00 - 14:00
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's
easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away
from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like
taking candy from a baby. "Just don't use sensors as you approach," he
said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science'
on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this
caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

+

'We are the Boys?'
This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. This
will not only stretch my scenario writing ability and my GM style but
the HeroQuest games mechanic as well. Very much a 'beer & pretzel'
game played for some laughs. I hope that it goes well.



+

Saturday 14:00 - 17:00
'We are the Boys?' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang
over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade
this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the
last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the
country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea!

+

I have now finished writing up my 100 words for the player characters of my new HeroQuest game. I am quite pleased with them as it has taken me a while to capture their characters. I will be using the 100 words to get most of their abilities as I will just use the keywords of rank as a broad ability rather than break them down into lots of related abilities.


'We are the Boys…' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea! 

( See the dad's Army Characters )

 
So what do you think?

September's EMD&DMUG Monthly Meet Up Report.


The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group September Monthly Meeting
Saturday 8th September 2007
The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.

So this was just my second meet of the EMD&DMUG monthly meets and again I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

A few problems at the start as traffic coming into Derby was all snarled up so quite a few people were late arriving, though strangely enough the centre of Derby was very quiet. During my walk from the Assembly Rooms to the Brunswick through the city centre I noticed that there was hardly anyone around on that Saturday afternoon so most of the trouble would have been outside the city.
At the Brunswick we were told that the upstairs room would be used for showing the England football match at 5pm, so we all hightailed it to the Family Parlour before anyone else got in.

As we were still waiting on the GMs of the other games to turn up by half past two I decided to start my game and rope-in some of the players waiting around. I managed to get six players [though I can take a total of seven], more than enough for my games.

 
The players of the HeroQuest Serenity games ‘The Quick & the Dead’.


A great game with some great players!


More photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darran/sets/72157601417033593/

And
http://dnd.meetup.com/700/photos/?photoAlbumId=213265 

As part of The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group September Monthly Meeting I will be running one of my Serenity:HeroQuest games as detailed below. The meet up starts at 13:00 on Saturday 8th September 2007 at the Brunswick Inn, right next to the Derby Railway Station.
Anyone interested should reply to me.

The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.

Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest.
The game is based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The crew will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship. Each game is a one shot with pre-gen characters. There are seven player characters and the game should last four hours.
 


Saturday 8th September 2007 14:00 – 18:00.
'The Quick and the Dead' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis'. We have lost all power, our engineering team is incapacitated and we are adrift in space. Any available craft please respond. Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis' ... ... ..."
<Sometime later>
"Oh thank the gods! How shiny you look. Civilian vessel, ... err? ... 'The Betty' please dock in our main hanger deck, you may be able to assist us in restoring power to our engines. Do you have an engineer on board?
"It is fortunate that you are in this empty, quiet sector of the black, we thought we were lost for good. Hello? Hello? Are you there?"

+

For a report on August's game click here and for details of this months game and RSPV click here.

 

So here are the games I will be running at Furnace 2007. There are a couple of new games that are debuting at Furnace plus one game that hasn't been played too often. If there is time and demand I may run one of my other Serenity games as well.

'We are the Boys…'
This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. This will not only stretch my scenario writing ability and my GM style but the HeroQuest games mechanic as well. Very much a 'beer & pretzel' game played for some laughs. I hope that it goes well.

+

'We are the Boys…' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea!

+

Serenity/FireFly: HeroQuest
These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.

The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run nineteen times now at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.
The sequel, 'The Quick and the Dead', has only been run six times and has now been extended with extra dilemmas.
The second sequel [or is that threequel?] debuted at Conception 2007 and has only been ran once. I am running it again especially for Furnace 2007. 'Dead Reckoning' is the third in the series of Serenity:HeroQuest games and is completely brand new [though certain parts of the plot my be similar to the other games!]. It still uses the crew of The Betty but puts them in more perilous and immoral situations. Included with more silly props!
Debuting at Furnace 2007 is the fourth in the series called 'No Power in the 'verse'. This is payback time and the Alliance and Blue Sun will suffer when the crew of The Betty discover the darkest secret yet and will try to bring an end to their evil plots.
Due to the popular demand of these games a seventh player character has been added to all games. The games can be played in order to experience the full epic narrative arc but each game is also complete in itself and can be played as a one-off. 

+

'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like taking candy from a baby. "Just don't use sensors as you approach," he said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science' on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

+

'No Power in the 'verse' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Well, they have hurt me jobs, hurt my pay, hurt my ship, hurt my crew and now they are hurting my head.
Well I say 'no more!'
I ain't sitting back on this one, no sir. I am goin' to take it to them. Hurt them hard. See how they like that! I coming at them straight and true.
No power in the 'verse can stop me!"

+

I’ll take you through the way I have used the cards at my last game to see if that sheds any light. Now I wanted a way to use the more unique weapons and equipment that we have seen in the Firefly setting, Mal has his special pistol, Zoë has her Mare’s Leg rifle and Jayne has his major gun fetish. Also in other Sci-Fi settings there is a focus on the ‘big guns’ that they use. Another problem I had was the weapons are listed on the character sheets but they had no further details about them. Also at points during some of the scenarios the characters are meant to hand over their guns [or try to smuggle them in]; or swap them between themselves, and with seven PCs that gets difficult to keep track of. My solution was to make Gun Cards, the size of credit cards nicely laminated, and hand them out to the players along with their character sheets. The games I run are fairly prop heavy anyway with printed money, Multipass name badges, full colour character sheets, computer screen handouts, and the like. 

 
The M41A Pulse Rifle as seen from Aliens. 

 
The Newtech Assault Rifle as seen from Alien:Resurrection. 





More will follow!

Over on the MoLaD forum on this thread, I was talking about giving key or special items of equipment abilities. This would to some degree follow the sidekick rules.

Well I have decided to follow this up and make some equipment cards [mainly weapons] up ready for my Serenity:HeroQuest game this coming Sunday.


I have used pictures of the weapons along with some brief information like range, weight, nuber of loaded bullets, rate of fire, etc.




I have made a few more up than this and I have a few more to go as well so expect further postings.

Thoughts and comments?

As part of The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group August Monthly Meeting I will be running one of my Serenity:HeroQuest games as detailed below. The meet up starts at 13:00 on Sunday 12th August 2007 at the Brunswick Inn, right next to the Derby Railway Station.
Anyone interested should reply to me.

The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.

Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest.
The game is based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The crew will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship. Each game is a one shot with pre-gen characters. There are seven player characters and the game should last four hours.
 


Sunday 12th August 2007 14:00 – 18:00.
'The Quick and the Dead' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis'. We have lost all power, our engineering team is incapacitated and we are adrift in space. Any available craft please respond. Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis' ... ... ..."
<Sometime later>
"Oh thank the gods! How shiny you look. Civilian vessel, ... err? ... 'The Betty' please dock in our main hanger deck, you may be able to assist us in restoring power to our engines. Do you have an engineer on board?
"It is fortunate that you are in this empty, quiet sector of the black, we thought we were lost for good. Hello? Hello? Are you there?"

Here are my Serenity/Firefly keywords that I have used in my games.
Over the next couple of months I hope to expand this list and add some more equipment, weapons and spaceships.

Alliance Officer
Abilities: Alliance Regulations, Close Combat, Exert Authority, Follow Operating Protocols, Follow Orders, Issue Orders, Spot Suspicious Behaviour, Use Newtech Small Arms.

Specialisation Abilities: Modify Alliance Officer Typical abilities based on specialisation.
Command – Assess Situation, Exert Authority +5, Battle Tactics, Disciplined +3, Use Newtech Assault Weapons.
Engineering – Assess Function, Disciplined –3, Identify Deficiency, Machine Maintenance, Meticulous, Repair Machine, Use Tools, Work in Hazardous Environment.
Science – Calculate Formulas, Distracted, Science Knowledge, Science [Specialisation], Use Science Equipment, Use Sensors.
Medical – Administer Drugs, Assess Patient, Disciplined -3, First Aid, Resuscitate Dying, Self-Confident +3, Treat Injury.

Typical Personality Traits: Arrogant, Brave, Callous, Disciplined, Loyal, Self-Confident.
Typical Relationships: to Commander, to Comrades, to Unit, to Training Officer.
Typical Followers: Junior Officers, or a squad of Troopers, or a Personal Assistant.
Standard of Living: Good [17].
Typical Equipment: Dress Uniform, Ident Card, Newtech Small Arm, plus specialisation equipment.
Command – Body Armour, Knife, Newtech Assault Weapons.
Engineering – Assorted tools, Hazmat Suit, Schematics.
Science – Personal Computer, Science Equipment, Sensors.
Medical – Battlefield Dressings, Medical Bag, Pharmaceuticals, Stethoscope.


Alliance Soldier or Trooper
Abilities: Alliance Regulations, Carry Heavy Load, Close Combat, Follow Orders, Identify Foe, Make Camp, March, Scan for Danger, Scouting, Swear like a Trooper, Use Newtech Small Arms, Use Newtech Assault Weapons, [Unit] Traditions.

Typical Personality Traits: Brave, Loyal, Obedient, Resilient.
Typical Relationships: To Commanding Officer, to Comrades, to Unit.
Typical Followers: Greenhorn Troopers.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Body Armour, Dress Uniform, Ident Card, Knife, Newtech Assault Weapons, Newtech Small Arm.


Alliance Spaceship Pilot
Abilities: Alliance Regulations, Evade Hazard, Employ Countermeasures, Follow Operating Protocols, Follow Orders, Go Faster, Know Ship’s Capabilities, Perform Risky Manoeuvre, Pilot Spaceship, Read Sensors, Space Navigation, Spaceship Maintenance, Think Quickly.

Typical Personality Traits: Conceited, Impetuous, Rash, Relaxed, Superior.
Typical Relationships: To Other Pilots, to Support Staff, to Commanding Officer.
Typical Followers: Co-pilot or a Trainee Pilot.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Dress Uniform, G-suit, Ident Card, Newtech Small Arm, Pilot’s Licence.


Bodyguard
Abilities: Blend in Background, Block Attack, Close Combat, Conceal Weapon, Evaluate Surroundings, Intimidate, Scan for Danger, Search Person, Secure Area, Shadow Client, Swift Reactions, Take a Bullet, Tough, Use Small Arm, [Other Weapons] Specialist.

Typical Personality Traits: Brave, Loyal, Grim, Unflinching.
Typical Relationships: To Client, to Fellow Bodyguards, to Employer.
Typical Followers: Other Bodyguards to watch their back.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Body Armour, Concealed Weapons, Dark Sunglasses, Personal Comms.


Bounty Hunter
Abilities: Ambush, Close Combat, Dodge, Hide, Intimidate, Keen Senses, Know Quarry, Know Target Area, Plant Surveillance Gadgets, Recognise Quarry, Restrain Prisoner, Track, Urban Survival, Use Small Arm, Use Stunner, Use [Other Weapon-type].

Typical Personality Traits: Avaricious, Patient, Solitary, Tenacious, Wily.
Typical Relationships: To Employer, to Bail Bonding Company, to Contacts, to Underworld.
Typical Followers: None usual but may have a Lookout or Admin Staff at home Head Quarters.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Body Armour, Restraints, Small Arm, Stunner, Surveillance Gadgets, Warrant Papers.


Mechanic
Abilities: Bypass Safety Protocols, Carry Heavy Loads, Engine Maintenance, Enhance Performance, Gauge Operation, Jury Rig, Locate Fault, Modify Technology, Repair Machines, Spot Engine Trouble, Understand Function, Use Tools.

Typical Personality Traits: Instinctive, Meddler, Methodical, Patient.
Typical Relationships: To Employer, To Customer, To Junkyard.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Toolkit, tool belt, oily rags, overalls, engine manuals, spare parts.


Mercenary Soldier
Abilities: Avoid Pursuit, Carry Heavy Load, Close Combat, Dirty Fightin’, Follow Orders, Identify Foe, Ransack, Make Camp, March, Scan for Danger, Scavenge, Scouting, Swear like a Trooper, Take Cover, Throw Grenade, Use Assault Weapons, Use [Other Weapon-type], Use Small Arms, [Unit] Traditions.

Typical Personality Traits: Avaricious, Callous, Fearless, Self-Confident, Undisciplined.
Typical Relationships: To Commander, to Comrades, to Unit.
Typical Followers: Fellow Greenhorn Soldiers.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Assault Weapons, Body Armour, Knife, Loot, [Other Weapon type], Small Arms.


Interpol Investigator
Abilities: Alliance Regulations, Analyse Evidence, Countermeasure Enemy Surveillance, Close Combat, Exert Authority, Infiltrate, Interrogate Prisoner, Issue Orders, Plant Surveillance Devices, Pursuit Tactics, Spot Suspicious Behaviour, Undercover Tactics, Understand Criminal Tactics, Use Newtech Small Arms, Use Newtech Sonic Rifle.

Typical Personality Traits: Assured, Brave, Deceptive, Inscrutable, Loyal, Meticulous.
Typical Relationships: To Commanding Officer, to Interpol Squad, to Informants.
Typical Followers: A Squad of Troopers, or Fellow Investigators.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Body Armour, Ident Card, Licence, Newtech Small Arms, Restraints, Surveillance Devices, Undercover Indent Cards, Warrant Papers.


Smuggler
Abilities: Avoid Detection, Bargain, Bribe Official, Bypass Security Measures, Carry Heavy Loads, Close Combat, Conceal Contraband, Dirty Fightin’, Evade Pursuit, Evaluate Market Value, Hide, Know Black Market, Know Customers, Lookout, Persuasive, Use Small Arms, Use [Other Weapon-type].

Typical Personality Traits: Callous, Cunning, Devil-May-Care, Greedy, Self-centered.
Typical Relationships: To Fellow Crew, to Black Market Contacts, to Underworld.
Typical Followers: Fellow Smuggling Crew, or a Fence back home.
Standard of Living: Common [13].
Typical Equipment: Fake Permits, Knife, Loot, [Other Weapon type], Small Arms

Tentacles Untapped 2007 Con Report.

0 Tentacles Untapped. Castle Stahleck, Bacharach, Germany.

Friday 25th - Monday 28th May 2007.
http://www.tentacles-convention.de/

Well I had a complete blast!

What a fantastic con. And the usual problems that have plagued this con in the past [things not under the control of the convention organisers] have been resolved.

All the guests were approachable and very talkative, the freeforms just looked amazing with almost every player being in costume, and all the games I ran had international players of very high standard.

The Friday went well and did seem to start earlier with the Opening Ceremony going well. The Moon Design Seminar was good, Rick Meints and Simon Bray explained about the new products and about the completed manuscripts they have lined up. Authors Greg Stafford and Jeff Richards also added further insight.



There was plenty of new product released at Tentacles, ‘Blood over Gold’ the 154 page trader princes campaign book, ‘Champions of the Reaching Moon’ the Lunar Hero/Hero Band book and ‘History of the Heortling Peoples’ one of the Stafford Library unfinished works. All look fantastic and it is good to know that Rick will stick to doing the larger page counts rather than splitting books down that has been done in the past.
Interesting to hear that they have a number more books in the pipeline, an Elf Book, a Prax pack, two books about the West, the Great Argrath Campaign by Greg Stafford, and of course the new setting-less HeroQuest core rule book.Though there are plenty of works ready to come out there was a call for more.
Any idea will be considered though there will be a contract issued with deadlines and a project leader will be required – any interest contact Mark Galeotti.

The rest of the evening was more of a social gathering, drinking beer and chatting with friends new and old. Also had a good talk with the 'Smart Party', a group of players from Nottingham who were Tentacles Virgins though regular convention goers. We even played the pub quiz as one of the teams and didn't do too badly considering the other teams had the creators and writers of the games we were being asked questions on!



All day Saturday I ran my Serenity:HeroQuest games for 12 hours and had a good time. The first game was with the Smart Party and a couple of others joined in as well. A very good game though I did have problems putting on the blue rubber glove under the table, which spoiled the surprise some what. The players managed to get me in a fit of giggles at one point. I was annoyed with myself that I didn’t take a photograph of the group though.
The second game was also a hoot with the players really got into the characters and hammed it up a little even though some did not know the setting that well. All the players were surprised by the big reveal at the end.



The last game ended up being a player verses player as the player of Johner accepted the bride and turned on the rest of the team. All the players were up for this, all played like they weren't expecting the double cross and we did run with it; putting us all on the spot as I had to make it up as we went along.



One thing I do love about running games at Tentacles are the international players. I had English, German, Dutch, French and American players in my games and was a nice mix to have. I am just sorry they had to struggle with my Derby mumble.

On the Sunday there was a little mix up with where the group photo would be taken due to the rain. The tried to fit everyone into the main hall but due to sheer numbers they wouldn’t all fit in! Luckily the rain had stopped in time for us all to file out and get into position. I wore my silly Jayne hat that is bright orange so that I would be stopped easily. The mess about with the group photo delayed the set up for the freeform so that ended up starting a little later than hoped.

The Serenity/Firefly freeform 'You Can't Take the Sky from Me!' that I helped to write and run went very well. I was very nervous as this was the first freeform/Larp I had run and GMed and I wasn't sure if it would go well. Once we started the game none of the GMs were need for about the first hour; all the players just carried on playing and staying in character, getting twisted deeper and deeper into their plots. So good to see.
I think part of the reason it went well was the support of Simon, Colin Driver and Bazz Hoftijzer as the GMs and the quality of the players.
I think I will do another again now that I have caught the bug!







Sunday ended with sitting in the auction and the closing ceremony where I had won a prize [and a cool tentacles badge] for running games. It is good to have a convention that rewards the GMs.
I did witness the ‘Daughters of Darkness’ book burning that I am always in two minds about though it was funny to see Daniel Fahey spill a drop of his drink on the burning ashes to see them explodes in a great gout of flame! 



 

So the highlights were winning a set of duck miniatures on the tombola, being declared having the loudest snore, getting excellent players in all my games, laughing so much over the whole weekend and meeting old friends and making new ones. The lowlights were being declared having the loudest snore, going up and down the stairs of the castle and the fact that the weekend is over.

So special thanks to Fabian and all his team for organising such a fantastic convention. I do appreciate all the hard work that goes into running a convention from my experience with Continuum and Furnace but I do not think that I could do it each year!





Cheers and here’s to Tentacles 2008, Friday 9th to Monday 12th May 2008.

To see photos of this year’s Tentacles go to my Flickr Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darran/

Tentacles Untapped photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darran/sets/72157600285540891/

Nick's Tentacles Untapped Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23016277@N00/