The Black Crystal (Campaign logbook :P)

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    • The Black Crystal (Campaign logbook :P)

      Hey there folks!

      I just want to show you the progress of my little campaign that I make for me and my friends.
      I will show you what happened - hopefully session after session - for you to take part by giving me some inspirations by sending some ideas for the story that I could use via PM - and for me and my friens to have an overlook on the whole campaign.
      Have fun!
      The first session was an intro for the system - nobody except me have read the rulebook so far - but I must say, they've learned the system very quickly.
      The Characters:
      -Ligatok (the name was taken by combining the reversed first letters of "agility" and "kot", which in the polish language means cat) a cat anthro, very curious and having some interests in alchemy.
      -Dudu, a bear thug having some troubles with his former bandit group in Ratnam "The Shaggy Faces" with their leader "White Fang" (Cliche - I was part of the player to make up the details)
      -Ajada, a very phlegmatic kangaroo guide, having a episodic role in the campaign.

      The first session started when Dudu needed a guide leading him out from Ratnam to Suta. The fate (sure:P) wanted that Ajada took the role of the guide. They left the city after a little chat with the guards - and soon they met the third character Ligatok lying on the ground - as he revealed he was a self-taught herbalist, who have just tried a new kind of fungus (which had some kind of hallucinogenic effects) they helped him up - and in that moment they fell into a trap - the guardsmen were bribed by "The shaggy faces" - so as they left, the city the information about the travelling direction was given to the gang members. The fight was short Dudu bashed one of the 3 thugs to the ground,with the assistance of Ajada, leaving him unconscious. In the same time Ligatok striked the enemy down with two bashes (the oppontent had not the needed actions to block his attacks), taking his consciousnes, but he was not so kind with his life - with a kick he crushed his larynx. The last one escaped in fear of death. They took a break after that attack and made a camp after the dusk of Lokaynu and Edu. Dudu took guar since he knew that he always had problems with getting up, so he wanted to stay alert as long as possible. In one momet he heard a noise - he took up alert that somebody is attacking. Well, it was nothing dangerous - a giant rhinoceros beetle showed up - as Ajada revealed it was completely harmless - however, Dudu attacked it. The rhinoceros beetle was a equal opponent for the bear. In a moment the beetle shot a substance to Dudu (he couldn't move for a while) grabed him, and tried to fly away. Ligatok took the initiative just in the momet when the enemy wanded to fly away with Dudu. He jumped on the back of the 26 foot monster, shredded a wing to confetti so the monster landed with Dudu and Ligatok. Finally - Ajada who wasn't interested in fighting but sleeping - threw a stone to the beetle angry about the noises. The stone penetrated the chitin carapace of the beetle, killing it. (That was a very funny situation, but the best will come).
      Dudu was hurt during the battle and needed some healing. Ligatok knew something about herbs, so he tried to find something to help - a healing herb. Well he found a healing herb (but I rolled for him the dices - and only one dice showed a success (partial)).
      Laying the herbs on the wound not only stopped the bleeding but also changed for a certain amount of time Dudu's orientation (just think about a bear trying to catch Ligatok for about 5 miniutes :P - we all ROTFLOAO'ed :D).
      Finally Ajada played only a episodical role in the campaign (the player isn't available all time) so I had to speed up the time a little bit - they reached Suta, ready for a new life - now all they needed was work and citizenship. But all that in session 2 which we already played, in which I'm slowly introducing to the campaign... I'm just preparing myself for the 3rd session, so I will write about the second and third one later...

      The post was edited 1 time, last by RennardFuchs ().

    • RE: The Black Crystal (Campaign logbook :P)

      Session 2
      Dudu and Ligatok found out that they are running out of money. Looking for work they are going to a tavern (don't remember the name). The barkeeper told them that Vastar - a curious and a little overconfident racoon was looking for some people. After that, Dudu told somebody about his strong stomach - so he participated in a drinking challenge (yeah we know that from other RPG's :P). He took the strongest alcoholic drink and drank it instantly. With only a partial success he managed to stay on his own feet, but till the next day he had a lot of dexterity tests :D However they managed to get to Vastar. He told them he is looking for bodyguards because (he is a crystal sculptor) he haven't got any delivery from his own crystal cave (not even an information - he have already sent somebody to check that out, but that person haven't come back). With improvisation I told Dudu's player to take a will test - he failed, so I told him that Dudu have a strong need to... release himself. So Vastar gave him a key (to the storage room of his neighbour :D), but he wasn't quick enough. He have failed a dexterity test - so he fell down and released himself in the backyard. Next morning they started to travel by cart to the crystal cave. They realised that somebody was following them. A dynamic cart race with a boarding started (the most interesting moment was when the driver of the attacking cart almost fell down the cart). After a little interogation they made a camp and waited to the next day. Ligatok who, have taken guard, saw that somebody tried to steal there two carts - so he tried to wake his companions (failed on Dudu - he is a very strong sleeper), so he tried to stop them by himself. During the action he kicked down one of the drivers under the cart's wheels, the second thief was also very quickly knocked out. Lokaynu rises - session three begins - revealing the most important object in this campaign - the Black Crystal.
    • RE: The Black Crystal (Campaign logbook :P)

      Your game sounds quite exciting so far! And it sounds like your players are having a great time!

      I love the fact that you often have the characters reacting to a variety of different world-specific little details, like the herbalist who is introduced to the party sprawled out on the ground after eating a strange fungus...and the lasting effects of the strong drink consumed by the bear...

      These little touches add a lot of life to your campaign, and your battles with suthra sound really exciting!

      Keep up the great work!

      Scottie ^^
    • Session 3
      Vastar, Dudu and Ligatok arrived the crystal mine the next morning - a single small mountain and on the higher levels a skyship. The mine looked abbandoned - they tried to sneak into it through the main gate (I left the option open to use the vetilation chambers of the mine - but they haven't thought about it). Ligathok took the point and checked the situation. A small guarding room with 2 Vajrah, he went back to Dudu and Vastar. They decided to attack them. Before they could even land a single strike I told them to make a will test - only Dudu managed to roll a success. Vastar and Ligathok were attacked through the Dream World - a unknown Sirbahasi have choked them, they couldn't move - Dudu surprised by the situation was attacked by the guards and lost consciousness - he only saw himself and his friends dragged down the mine, often hitting with the back of his head the wooden stairs during he was dragged down. He finally woked up a couple of ours later in a chitin cell next to Ligatok, and the in agony fighting for his life choked Vastar. Just a moment later Vastar stopped to scream. 3 guards looked on them - they was amused by the spectacle and knew that they would die as horrible as the mine workers - pointing at one of the 3 cells in the room (filled with corpses). They sat down next to a table. Dudu broke down the cells door falling down. Ligathok took the initiative and jumped high in the air trying to kick one of the guards so that the guard would break his backbone on the table (just like the bunny hop in the game "Lugaru"). The guard managed to evade the attacked but Ligatok had not so many luck - a partial success... he managed to dodge the worst (a painful nutshot with the table edge) but he rolled over the table. After a fight with the guards (even under the table :P) they tried to interrogate one of them he revealed only that his chief serves Amusei a powerful Sirbahasi - Dudu in his anger smashed the wolfs head against the bars of the chitin cell. They took the weapons of the thugs, and moved upstairs - a hard fight with the chief and two bandits started (On the way up Dudu recognised that the blood trail on the floor was left by him). The chief was a angry looking Rhino that guarded a wooden gate (Vastar told them that this room was his office). Revealing the whole fight would be a bit long, just like the previous one (too epic epicness :D). In a short conclusion the Rhino seemed only in Dudu a good fight, it was really hard for Dudu - he finally fell down on the edge of the stair - Ligatok finished with the other guard gave the "bunny hop" a second try - the chief rolled over Dudu fell down the long stairs and lost his legs (they were crushed by a water mill). The heroes rushed into the office room knowing the had little time, a horde of thugs moved from the "baracks". Dudu tried to attack the Sirbahasi who was in a ritual - in the last moment Amusei disappeared. The characters saw a very unusual object in the ritual room - a black floating crystal under a glas dome. Ligatok took the crystal and they all rushed upstairs to the sky platform. The skyship "Mahjibh" seemed to be the only chance to escape. Dudu also tried to take as much crystals he could take in his kilt (the player wanted a kilt for his character so I granted his wish - with consequences in the next session :P). The rest of the thugs tried to board the skyship before it could set sail - a lot of them departed with a little help from Dudu xD The last one, a hog named Natak, lost his legs in the fight - the characters decided to help him taking him to their destination point (they decided to go to Gajanah to the Great Isvar, asking him for advice. Finally they heard something in a barrel on the ship screaming for help.

      Session 3 was quite amusing - it is impossible show you all the epic moments in the game - the players told me that the mechanics of the game are more fluent than other systems like D20. To be honest I think the same. I'm now preparing for session 5 - sorry that the log is not regular :P
      BTW Thanx Scott - yeah we had a great time :)
      P.S. Give me some ideas I could use in the game via PM of course :)

      May your crystal never shatter
      Rennard

      The post was edited 2 times, last by RennardFuchs ().

    • Session 4 was just a plain - have fun in the City and getting a new Job - session...
      In a nutshell - they arrived at the city Gajanah by skyship seeing the huge forrests of Kutta. After they desembarked at the port tower Dudu quickly had an argument with the local guard (the reason was his kilt :D ).
      They helped Natak to get out of the ship. They moved to the palace to meet the Great Isvar, a german shepherd Inathus. After shareing the story of what happened, Inathus ordered to take Vastar's mine, but offering a job as a crystal carver in his palace. He also wanted the characters to hand over the crystal, giving his word that the scholars will try to find out what it is, then they would become it back. Ligatok tried to give the Crystal to Aslamir, the advisor of the Isvar (a wolf), but a invisible force couldn't let hit touch the glass dome. Dudu and Ligatok walked with the advisor to the rutual chamber of the palace, showing the botanical garden, library and ancestors memorial.
      After they came back they got a new job, the archeologist of the Isvar, a stuttering Russian Blue, wanted to explore the ruins of an old building discovered a week ago. The guards he should have get for security were patroling a near village after several attacks of bandits. They agreed to move next morning. Till that moment they had a drinking contest...
      Edu and Lokaynu falls, the day ended.
      Insider info: I always start and end a session with the rising and falling of the two suns... I just like that, it gives it more closure.
    • Session 5
      Dudu and Ligatok moved to the palace making only a short stop at the shops. Dudu of course buyes himself a barrel of a strong alcohol and a net that figures as a backpack (no backpack fitted the size of a bear, so he bought a net). I also explained Dudu's player that he should add a drawback to his character... alcoholism. The players and Gernusahr moved to the ruins ambushed by Makri... after a fight and exploring the blank walls of the (some sort off) small chapel, they found a trapdoor that led then into a secret basement... a few makri later they managed to find ot that they trained martial artists and sirbahasi... Gernusahr used plank sheets of paper and coal to make copies of the carvings on the walls... he tried to decypher the letters and art on the walls and found out that this place was a Daru Temple...
      They moved deeper into the dungeon and managed to get into some sort of altar room. On the floor were carvings that led from the altar to a waterfall behind it... on the altar was a bloodred crystal knife. The archeologist told them that some kind of Daru worshipers used to have ritual fight to become priests... the beaten enemy was sacrificed on the altar with a ritual knife... and that explained why the lake next to the ruins was called the Red Lake.
      Suddenly they were attaked by a Kotha - that propably lived there, eating makri flesh. After a truly epic fight Ligatok was knocked down the waterfall (to be honest he slipped), Dudu used all his strength, and finally landing the final blow with the ritual knife... the blood from the Kotha filled the carved canals once again. Dudu took the Kotha head as a trophy.
      They came back to the Isvar, became theyr dalans and a new job.
      After a party in they favourite tavern they went to bed.
      Lokaynu and Edu falls, the session ends.

      We are actually 2 sessions ahead and I'll write what happened soon...
      the next session was TRUELY EPIC... they told me that they won't forget that session for a long time

      May your crystal never shatter
      Marc a.k.a. Rennard Fuchs

      The post was edited 2 times, last by RennardFuchs ().

    • It sounds like you and your friends are having a great time with your campaign. I sure hope that ours goes as well as yours once it actually kicks off. We're still in the middle stages of character creation since both of my friends who want to play just received their PDF copies of the book and are still reading through it.

      We also need to find time when we are online for a longer amount of time together so I can help them with details and questions they have.

      I do have a sort of vague idea on what our campaign will be about now that I know what types of characters they want to use, but I am waiting until they are finished before preparing too much for a first session. I just want to be sure that one of them doesn't suddenly change their mind and present me with a character I was not ready for. :P

      To help demonstrate how to make a character and round out the group a little, I have also created a character who may be used as an NPC companion or whenever someone else wishes to join a session but does not have time to create one themself.

      Anyway, please do keep posting the info about your sessions when you have time. It's fun to read what others are doing and it does give me some ideas for our own campaign. :)

      Thanks,
      -=Targath=-
    • I LOVE that you made use of a Kotha as a part of your adventure Rennard!

      I scared the HELL out of my players the first time I introduced a troup of kotha that they had to deal with... They were especially terrified of the whole "pick you up by the feet and bash you against a cliff" kind of attack they sometimes do...

      When I watched the Avengers recently, and saw the Hulk do essentially that same attack against Loki,...I was forced to giggle a little bit!

      Keep up the great work,...and keep having FUN!

      Scottie ^^
    • Oh belive me we are having lot's of fun...
      And to my surprise the rules are that easy that you can create such epic moments without rule checks (bad memories of rule-lawyers in DnD :/)
      Also the setting is very amusing... me, my friend and brother are just stunned how fluent and uncommon this RPG is...
      I'm also planning to make a review on YT, since I'm so impressed by the game, and I hope that my players will take part the Video since they are seeing the Dardunah world from the player perspective - I can only judge by rules and setting possibilities...

      I made myself a promise - when the new books will come out (fingers crossed) I'll buy them... this setting is so magical, it's hard to describe ^^

      In my opinion NPC companions that are constantly walking with the group are in my opinion a mediocre idea... as a sidekick for a quest they are fine... but all the time... I don't think so. The players will think that you want to guide them. Sometimes it is better to let the story move on their own, you'll see funny, epic and tragic moments will come on their own. I'm preparing a story for about an hour, just a shape, some NPC's and a MacGuffin. That's really all ^^
      Happy gaming
      May the Devah smile upon you
      Marc a.k.a Rennard Fuchs

      The post was edited 2 times, last by RennardFuchs ().