D&D: Kalistryx and the Council of Spiders!

After a year of Dungeon Mastering D&D Encounters, I will be stepping down and playing as a character in the upcoming Encounters season, Council of Spiders. I will be playing a female Drow Hexblade (or Feyblade, as mine is more commonly known) named Kalistryx. However, she has a lot to prove!

My Most Esteemed Matron Baenre, 

It is with a disappointing heart that I write thee of my youngest daughter, Kalistryx. Her lack of prowess and ability as an acolyte Priestess of Lolth is most disconcerting. I did have high hopes that Kalistryx would follow in my footsteps, but that is not to be. Still, through some means of which she will not confess, Lolth has seen fit to bestow upon her some skill of that which may be still of use to you. It has become evident that Kali does indeed possess some arcane power, though its manifestation is quite...beneath a daughter of House Baenre. In simple terms, Kalistryx has embraced the powers of the warlock, and seems determined to prove her worth. I know not from where, but she has aquired a totem of power that summons to her a fiendish imp. Dreanix she calls him, and he seems to be the conduit for Lolth’s blessings. But her time has come. I shall not have a daughter of mine dally with such base magics without confirming she is worthy of Lolth’s graces. 

To this, I ask of thee, leave to set her upon a quest. A trial to prove her worth to Lolth, House Baenre, and to herself. It has come to my attention rumors are spreading within the City of a shift in power. As one Menzoberranzan’s founding families and ruling House, I find it an essential imperative to investigate and substantiate any such threats to you or our House’s position within the City. Normally, I would assign such preliminary tasks to one of our men or trusted slave, but in this case, in fact, I feel this would be an ample opportunity for Kali to prove to herself and to House Baenre she is worthy of her lineage. Should she fail in this, I will see her put to death. 

I humbly await your wisdom and guidance in this matter. 

Until then, your faithful and devoted daughter I remain, 

Andruzhun 

Kalistryx of House Baenre

More Badlands Battle Reports!

(This comms intercepted from Col. Von Shenk!)

"Do NOT Disseminate -- Destroy After Reading

* Eyes Only *
              

Region 7 Action Report
NSF 1950,7,17 -- #24

Attn: 

Col. Williams
Deep Desert Defense Coordinator
Region 7, Barrington Basin
NuCoal Security Forces

As previously stated in the initial report (see NSF 1950,7,13 -- #16), Southern Belligerents were detected using space borne networks approximately 260km SSE ( 138.14.3 W, 11.2.4 S) of Nineveh.  A PAK interdiction squad was operating in the local area and was dispatched to deal with the threat.  Upon initial contact, it became clear that the Southern forces were attempting to knock out a hidden NuCoal defense communications relay station.

The South consisted of a 4 man Fire Support Squadron led by a King Cobra and a general purpose squad with 3 stripped down Jagers led by an Iguana (see NSF 1950,7,14 -- #23 for full details Southern forces in this engagement, analysis on Southern naming conventions, and suspected deployments).  Our forces consisted of an Urban Combat Squad (Chieftain, 2x Desert Vipers, 2x Hunters) and a HT-72 Firebolt.  There were additional forces associated with this patrol that were still en route when the on scene commander, Maj. Rico, engaged his forces to prevent loss of our communications assets.  The PAK forces initially engaged the Southern forces and the HT-72 destroyed one member and severely disabled another of the fire support squad.  That Heavy Tank was then targeted by the entire Southern Task force, and was crippled, with the loss of 3 crew members  (SSgt. Jack Turney, Cpl. John Tiner and PFC Johnny Reed.  Lt. Rick Buller survived in the turret).  Subsequently, 2 stripped down Jagers were destroyed by indirect fire from our Desert Vipers.  It is suspected that our incoming reinforcements (2x LHT-71, 2x LHT-67 and 2x HC-3A) were detected and the Southern forces withdrew, leaving the installation intact.

The success of the operation was evaluated as PAK 4, South 3.  (See NSF documents 'Force on Force Evaluation Criteria TN 1948' for standards on how this engagement was evaluated and NSF 1950,7,16 -- #19 for the details of this evaluation)

Two members of the South were killed during the engagement and one member of the Southern military was captured after the engagement.  The captured pilot was in a stripped down slave Jager and is currently being held by NuCoal Intelligence and is will be evaluated for a political amnesty claim.  Access to this prisoner is restricted.

The results of the engagement left 2x salvageable light gear power plants and various weapons and ammunition for slated for the NuCoal Salvage Korps (see NSK 1950,7,14 -- #4 for full list of salvage).  The HT-72 was damaged, taking a direct hit in the body, killing the three crew members.  With the power plant and weapons out of service, it was moved back to Port Arthur by Hover Ship.  The tank is listed for refit and is estimated to be ready for action by 1950,7,27.

A full inquiry into the action was entertained on TN 1950,7,16 and the engagement was necessary and the actions by Maj. Rico have been deemed commendable by PAK high command, despite the loss of three patriotic PAK soldiers.  Lt. Buller has been removed from service due to severe injuries, and is slated to be put on desk duty if he recovers.  He has also been nominated for a merit award as have the 3 deceased posthumously.  Maj. Rico and his gear squad have been nominated for a unit award.  For the full inquiry, including interviews, see NSF 1950,7,16 -- #19.

Forces are being maintained in the region until the relay station can be relocated as it is obvious the South is aware of the location of the station.  It is unclear as to the detection method or if they have intelligence.  Espionage is suspect.  NuCoal Intelligence has been contacted.

Rspt:
Col. Von Shenk
Rapid Reaction Force
Port Arthur Korps
NuCoal Security Forces
                               
* Eyes Only *Do NOT Disseminate -- Destroy After Reading"

Reports from the Badlands: Heavy Gear Battle Reports

These comms have been intercepted and confirmed factual.

From Richard:

"This is a couple of pictures from me and Addisons 500tv game a few weeks ago.

 

Addison's CEF won the day over my SRA units in a hard fought engagement.

 

During the conflict Maj. Toht, the political officer in a Jeager moved too far into the front in a brave attempt to recon a cowardly CEF force hiding behind a hill. He was ambushed and engaged in hand-to-hand combat; a melee he would have obviously won; when a volley of mortors rained down from above striking both he and his opponent. He was heavily damaged, but survived. His opponent took a hit and was stunned. Toht saw an opening and struck with his vibro blade and penetrated the CEF Flail's torso, killing the pilot instantly.

 

The volley of mortor were fired by an SRA pilot. Sam Trainer, the pilot of a Spitting Cobra saw his chance for some payback to that bastard Toht. Six months previous Maj. Toht had cited Davian Trainer, Sam's brother for not following regulations and had him tranfered to a post in the Badlands. Davian was killed a week later in a battle with Northern gears. Sam fired the mortors at the CEF flail and SRA Jeager secretly hoping the mortors would take out both. There was a 50/50 shot. Maybe today wasn't his day after all. At the last minute the Jeager went low and was shielded from most of the damage. Maj. Arnold Toht had survived and was probably wondering what idiot had almosst killed him.

 

Crackling with static from damage or volume, Toht's voice came through the com. "Who the frack fired......"

His rant was cut short as the Flail's comrade fired his weapon at point blank range and found its mark.

Toht didn't even see the kill shot coming.

 

Sam's Spitting Cobra now had a clear shot  on the Flail and the enemy pilot knew it. With hand signal of non agression to the surviving Flail, Sam piloted his gear to the west as the call came through to fall back and wait for reinforcements. Davian was avengend and that snake Major Toht was surely on his way to hell."

Year of the Gear update!

So I have completed assembling my initial obligation to our Year of the Gear gaming concept. My two Hussars are done and ready for painting. I began with my General Purpose squad to get a good idea how the new paint scheme will look. Using the Army Painter method, this army should paint up nicely and rather quickly. Here is a sneak peek! More to follow.

Strength and honor,

-Wicked

Second Look: Pathfinder Starter Box

When my buddy Tom moved back down to New Orleans from his brief hiatus, one of the first things on his To Do list was to get back into role playing. I was running a Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition campaign with him, Adam and Mike before Tom and Mike took advantage of a career opportunity and moved to Seattle. We met on Sundays after work at +1. It was a blast and gave us something to look forward to on Sunday nights. However, I have been running D&D Encounters every Wednesday night for almost the past year, so when he suggested we get a new campaign going, I did not have it in me to run another D&D4e game.

Enter Pathfinder.

With all the new changes coming to the D&D world, I felt it prudent to step away from 4e a bit and choose a system I've not played before. I remembered how fun Pathfinder was when I ran it for Jason and Henry, so I thought I'd give it a go again. Now, I know Pathfinder is D&D 3.5+, so it did feel intensely familiar, but it was different enough (or in my case, refreshing enough) to feel like a whole new game. This time around, I took Tom, Adam, Matthew, and Davide through Raven's Gate in search of the dreaded Black Fang and it was a lot of fun. First, it was Davide's first time playing a traditional pen-and-paper role playing game, so it was great that I was using the started box. And I must say, Paizo has done an excellent job on making the components easy to read/use for first time players. The premade characters are well done, the sheets easy to read and very "how to". The game play text on the margins is a particularly brilliant idea. The two rule books (a Game Master Guide and a Hero Handbook) are easy to read, flip through, and very good at explaining core rules and concepts. The intro dungeon, ten rooms, is just challenging enough for new players. I did have to cut corners a bit for the sake of time, which I think made for a more "generic" feeling game, but we got through it in just under three hours. The Pathfinder starter box does its job of giving new players  a snapshot of what role playing is and gets their feet just wet enough to leave them wanting for more.

The refreshing thing I found about Pathfinder is that I find it less constrictive than 4e. In essence, I get to role-play and tell a story and the PCs get to do what they like. The difference is really felt I think during combat. Combat in 4e boils down to power management and timing. When to use my Daily or Encounter, or which Utility power to use. It focuses on the use of the powers instead of simply doing something a player may find interesting or cool. While this does indeed speed up combat, an argument can be made that it restricts game play. Personally, I do not find 4e that restrictive, but it was neat to hear players come up with neat things they wanted their characters to do instead of focusing solely on power card management.

However, this is something that Wizards of the Coast is addressing in the new D&D play testing. I look forward to what they come up with. While I will always be a true, died-in-the-wool Dungeons & Dragons fanboy, it is nice to see what Paizo has done with the 3.5 rules.

Our campaign starts in one a month, so once I get a few more games in under my belt I'm sure I will be singing the praises of Pathfinder, too.

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

Heavy Gear Blitz League!

With the success of our Heavy Gear Blitz tournament and the recruiting efforts of some dedicated Pod Squad members, we have attracted some new folks to this great miniatures game. We now have enough players to run a small League over at Big Easy Comics and we have put the first week of it behind us. It takes place in the Badlands, where players fight over the resources found there. After nine weeks of play, the players with the most resources will fight one another in a single elimination play-off style tournament. There will be official prize support from Dream Pod 9 and a Painting Award, awarded to the player judged to have the best painted army.

I find small leagues like this are good and fun to participate in. For this play group, it gives us focus and a goal to work towards. The rules are simple enough and accommodate most everyone's needs and they provide some structure and narrative to what would otherwise just be pick up games. A league also fits in with our Year of the Gear concept and continues to showcase the game and expose even more people to Heavy Gear Blitz. Steve has a few starter sets in just in case someone else wants to take the plunge.

(Come October, I will be running my infamous Mordheim campaign!)

I am enjoying learning many nuances of the game. Indirect Fire and Target Designators really make my NuCoal Chevaliers and Jerboas shine. The game has many subtle layers. Discovering how those layers interact with your faction is part of the fun of Heavy Gear. Speaking of, I just love the NuCoal models. I really lucked out by choosing the New Coalition as my faction for Heavy Gear. Fun to play, fun to paint, and they look just awesome!


I hope I fair well against my opponent for this week. Jason and his Northern army is a tough nut to crack. I'll let you know how I do!

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

A Fourth of July to Remember...

I had a great day celebrating the birth of our nation by spending time with my family. Everyone met at my brother's house and we enjoyed a delicious barbecue, beer, and swimming in the pool on a very hot day. Before the party was over, Britt and I played a game of Memoir '44. He played the Allied Forces attempting to storm Sword Beach while I took command of the Axis powers and tried to repel the invaders. However, my defense was short lived, as my left flank collapsed under his unrelenting Armor and Infantry assault and he quickly turned the tide of battle. While the dominating presence of my twin 88s Artillery in the center forced him to the right flank, my own Tiger tanks were not enough to repress his advance there, and soon my right flank fell as well. He was able to clear a path to the occupied towns and claim a Victory for Allies on D-Day.

I was very happy to get a chance to play a board game with my brother. We play online FPS games a lot together, such as the Call of Duty series and Battlefield 3, but we do not get to play "analog" games all that often. Hobby gaming is more my thing, though Britt is an accomplished Fantasy Football mastermind. A few weeks ago we did play a game of Magic: The Gathering with a Duel deck I happened to have with me, but mostly our gaming kinship is through the Xbox. Not that there is anything wrong with that at all, but I appreciated his willingness to play one of "my" games. In fact, I think it was the first time he and I have ever played one of my hobby games. It was really fun and very cool to play with him. I'm just glad he enjoyed it, as he said he wants to play again. But next time, we will up the ante with a more challenging scenario!

So thanks Britt for making this year's 4th of July truly memorable for me!

Strength and Honor

-Wicked