Street Craps Rules | Craps Verdict Street Craps Rules

21 year old Preston Bolden's body was found near railroad tracks in the vicinity of 419 Nolan near the 600 block of North Walnut Street in San Antonio, Texas on May 8, 1953 around 6:00 a.m. Preston's body was found by [name redacted in the Department of Justice's closing memorandum] who was walking along the railroad tracks that morning and saw Preston's body laying between the tracks with his head pointing west and wearing a shoe only on his right foot. Thinking Preston was asleep at first, [name redacted] tried to wake Preston but then noticed he was dead so [name redacted] used a neighbor's phone to call the police. The memorandum noted that [Name redacted] was not acquainted with Preston.
Two officers [both names redacted] arrived at the scene and filed a report. They found Preston without a hat and on his back near the Southern Pacific Railway tracks. Preston's left two-tone brown and white shoe was missing and his shirt was pulled up. The officers noted that Preston had been struck in the front of the head as his face was covered with blood. They found a pair of dice and $2.30 in cash in Preston's pockets which led them to believe robbery was not the motive. Other witnesses in the area reported hearing an argument in the area but an investigation later showed that the participants in the argument were in no way related to the circumstances surrounding Preston's death. Another officer, whose name was redacted, reported that he saw an old model Plymouth with a canvas top near the railroad tracks around 3:30 a.m.
Justice of the Peace M.D. Buck Jones ruled that the cause of death was "murder at the hands of some person or persons unknown.” According to the police report, Dr. G.D. Boyd said Preston's neck was broken at the third vertebra and an autopsy found that Bolden’s spine was severed at the base of the skull by a blunt instrument. The autopsy also noted that Preston died at about 2:30 that morning.
1953 San Antonio Investigation:
The San Antonio Police Department along with the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office investigated Preston's murder. Several witnesses who were acquainted with Preston told police that Preston, nicknamed Mullins, was in the company of friends the night before and was gambling with them. Their description of the night before are summarized below but contains a number of redactions:
Interview No. 1: On the evening of May 7, an acquaintance, whose name was redacted, saw Preston being followed by several men who were asking him for money. The acquaintance believed Preston had won a craps game which is why the men were asking to borrow money. There was an ongoing conversation which the acquaintance joined where one of the men in the group suggested that another group member [name redacted] should ask Preston for money since Preston liked this man more than the others in the group. This group member, following the group's wishes, asked Preston to honor one of the other men's request for money; Preston suggested that the group member lend the 50 cents requested and Preston would repay the group member once he obtained change. The group eventually all stopped at Four Hour Cleaners where Preston pulled out a wad of money and straightened up the bills on the store's counter. Preston then gave his money to the group member so he could get change. The acquaintance then saw Preston get into someone's Dodge and drive north on Chestnut Street which is the last time the acquaintance saw Preston.
Interview No. 2: [Name redacted] was with the acquaintance in Account No. 1 when he saw Preston and a group of men on the street. Preston was in the lead followed by two men [both names redacted] who were asking him for money. [Name redacted] heard the men say they had been in a craps game and Preston had "broke the other two." Acquaintance No. 1 left [name redacted] to join the group. [Name redacted] then watched the group walk to the Four Hour Cleaners after which he did not see Preston again.
Interview No. 3: [Name redacted] was a woman who knew Preston for approximately a year. On the evening of May 7, she was asleep at home but was woken up by noise outside her home. She saw a group of men shooting dice outside and recognized Preston and five others plus two soldiers in uniform. She told the group to not gamble there or else she would call the police. After the game ended, she spoke to Preston who told her not to call the police because he "had broke the rest of the fellows and he pulled out a big handful of bills." She thought there were at least several hundred dollars in his hand. She then saw him go down the street with others and never saw him again. She learned of Preston's death the following morning.
Interview No. 4: [Name redacted] told investigators that Preston came to his shop, Four Hours Cleaners, around 6:15 to 6:30 the night before. 2 men [both names redacted] followed Preston to the doorstep of the cleaners and one of the men grabbed Preston by the wrist and tried to force Preston to go with him, saying “Come on man.” When one of the men tried to stop the other from forcing Preston to go, the other man then said "you have everything you need and you don’t want anybody else to make anything.” The two men then left Preston and Preston came inside the cleaners where he told [name redacted] that the others wanted his money but he "wasn't going to be fooled into letting them have his money." Preston wanted to buy a shirt and pants from [Name redacted]'s business but he did not have enough money partly because he owed his lawyer money. Preston then asked one of the men in his group for a ride so he could get some money that was owed to him. After 15 minutes, Preston returned to the cleaners but looked like he had had a “shot of something” because he was falling asleep. Preston did not buy the pants he originally wanted to purchase but picked up his dry cleaning. Preston stepped outside as the business was closing and [name redacted] alerted one of the men in Preston's group to look after him. Preston was then observed standing in the middle of the sidewalk but sound asleep. [Name redacted] closed his shop for the night and then drove home. He did not see Preston again.
Interview No. 5: Another acquaintance of Preston's, whose name was redacted, told investigators that between 4:30-5:00 p.m., he observed Preston and a group of men shoot dice in the kitchen of the E. Commerce Bar and Café for about one and a half hours. One of the men broke even but another lost $14 by the time the game ended. Some time after, [name redacted] saw Preston and others walk towards Chestnut Street so he followed them so he could play dice as well. After 5 minutes, the woman in Interview No. 3, yelled at the men to quit playing or she would call police. [Name redacted] determined he lost $3 as Preston walked away from the game. [Name redacted] then saw Preston standing alone at a taxi stand on E. Commerce Street and did not see him again afterwards.
According to the police report, the men interviewed were booked on a vagrancy hold and one was scheduled to take a polygraph test. Due to the number of redactions, it is hard to determine which men were booked or scheduled for the polygraph test. No further information was provided about the results of the polygraph test or any further developments about the investigation.
2009 Federal Investigation:
In 2009, the FBI initiated a review of Carrie's death pursuant to the Department of Justice's Cold Case Initiative and the Emmett Till Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007. The initiative sought to investigate violations of criminal civil rights statutes that occurred no later than December 31, 1969 and resulted in death. As part of its investigation, the FBI looked at contemporary newspaper articles concerning Preston's murder along with records from the Homicide Unit of the San Antonio Police Department. The FBI also contacted the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety but none of the agencies had any records on Preston. The FBI also posted public notices on the internet and other media seeking witnesses as well as relatives but no one has responded.
Four newspaper articles from the San Antonio Express provided information not reflected in police reports. Police Lieutenant W.J. Robitsch theorized that Preston had been beaten somewhere else and then transported in a car to the railroad tracks, where his body was dumped on the ground. According to one article, an “old model car” had been parked at approximately the spot where the body was found at about 3:30 a.m., and tire marks were observed near the body. Two of the articles referred to Preston as a part-time narcotics informer for the police. One article says the police arrested an unnamed suspect within an hour after Preston's body was found. The suspect reportedly heard Preston giving information to Lieutenant Robitsch.
Another article quotes Police Chief Joe Hester who said that Preston operated an “unusual racket” in that he sold keys to “gullible and amorous servicemen that would supposedly unlock doors behind which eager women were waiting." Chief Hester said the keys were “junk" and theorized that one of Preston's “suckers tracked him down” and murdered him. Police Lieutenant [name redacted] noted in one of the articles that other than the broken neck, there were no other marks on Preston.
The FBI located the former Police Lieutenant whose name was redacted but he was unable to recall Preston's murder. The FBI determined that Lieutenant Robitsch died in 1986. It is unclear if the FBI was able to find Chief Hester or interview him.
The Department of Justice closed Preston's case as there was insufficient evidence to establish that Preston's death was a racially-motivated homicide. Accordingly, the FBI declined to investigate further.
Preston's murder remains unsolved.
Links:
Department of Justice: Preston Bolden-Notice to Close File
Digital Journal: November 19, 2009-FBI Continues to Probe Civil Rights-Era Racial Murders
Discussion:
I came across the Department of Justice’s cold case initiative (Emmett Till Civil Rights Act) while reading an article discussing journalists’ efforts to install a billboard on an Arkansas highway aimed at solving the 1954 lynching of Isadore Banks. The Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice launched a website (linked above) to make information about the department’s investigation of cold cases from the Civil Rights Era more accessible to the public. As a result of the initiative, the Department of Justice has prosecuted and convicted Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi (the "Mississippi Burning" case); he is the eighth defendant convicted. The Department has also been able to charge and convict perpetrators of the 1963 Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama and secured a life sentence for James Ford Seale for the kidnapping and murder of two teenagers in Franklin County, Mississippi in 1964.
Unfortunately, many cases which were submitted to the Department of Justice remain unsolved due to the passage of time resulting in evidentiary and legal barriers. In each case that is not prosecutable, the Department of Justice wrote a closing memorandum explaining the investigative steps taken and the basis for their conclusion. To date, the Department of Justice has uploaded 115 closing memos. I hope to be able to post on all of the closed cases as I share in the belief with the Department of Justice that “these stories should be told [as] there is value in a public reckoning with the history of racial violence and the complicity of government officials.”
Other posts from the Department of Justice's Cold Case Initiative:
1. Isadore Banks-unsolved murder in Marion, Arkansas-June 1954
2. Willie Joe Sanford-unsolved murder in Hawkinsville, Georgia-March 1957
3. Ann Thomas-unsolved murder in San Antonio, Texas-April 1969
4. Thad Christian-murdered on August 30, 1965 in Central City, Alabama
5. Silas Caston-killed on March 1, 1964 by a Hinds County Sheriff’s Office Deputy in Jackson, Mississippi
6. Clifford "Clifton" Walker-unsolved murder in Woodville, Mississippi-February 1964
7. Jasper Greenwood- his badly decomposed body was found in Vicksburg, Mississippi in June 1964
8. Mattie Greene- killed in a bomb explosion in Ringgold, Georgia on May 19, 1960
9. Samuel O'Quinn-unsolved murder in Centreville, Mississippi-August 1959
10. Ladislado Ureste-unsolved murder in San Antonio, Texas-April 1953
11. Carrie Brumfield-unsolved murder in Franklinton, Louisiana-September 1967

Remember When V1ce wasn't good, but at least it was funny? I don't, but here's the famous article about how to give drugs to strippers

Most people think the way to a stripper's pussy is with money, buying lap dance after lap dance, throwing stacks of singles on stage as they dance, and surprising them with expensive gifts. Those people are idiots. "Marks," as the girls call them. Someone to be siphoned until not one drop of cash is left.
There is only one surefire way to pull a stripper and it has nothing to with personality or money (although those things don't hurt). The secret is DRUGS.
Contrary to what many pro-stripper films and documentaries tell you, 9 out of 10 strippers are on drugs of some sort.* Be it coke, dust, weed, pills, booze, if a girl's job is to climb up on stage and spread her gash for a bunch of sweaty, over-weight mutts in ill-fitting work clothes you'd better believe it takes a certain type of courage that can only be had from illegal substances. Knowing that, the key to making a needy young sex kitten your slave for the night (or the week) is to always be holding. But you have to make sure you're carrying the right stuff for the type of stripper you're trying to bang. It just so happens that this whole thing can be broken down racially. Along with the genetic yarns that make a woman a certain color go these little strands that decide their drug proclivities. Don't freak out—I didn't write the rules here. God did. I just follow them.
WHITE STRIPPERS (BLONDE) White chicks love coke. It's as simple as that. Any stripper worth sticking your dick in is between the ages of 18-28, meaning they were born between 1976 and 1986, which makes their moms either 70s disco coke whores or 80s yuppie coke sluts. Either way, the coke slut gene has been inherited by their daughter. When she asks if you'd like a lap dance, respond: "No, I want to get out of here and do some blow. What time are you done tonight?" That's usually enough to get you in, but for added emphasis it helps to pull her to the side, dump some powder on your fist and give it to her to prove you're for real. (Don't buy beat shit. Strippers who love coke know coke. You're not getting anywhere with shit that's been stepped on ten times.)
WHITE STRIPPERS (TATTOOED AND/OR WITH PUNK HAIRCUTS) This is a somewhat trickier bunch to read because they like pills and saying someone "likes pills" is like saying someone "likes music." You've got to either roll the dice on a narrow spectrum of possibilities (uppers, downers, psyche, or pain) or you can be smart and invest in a smorgasbord of pharmaceuticals and have all your bases covered. There's nothing worse than sparking a girl's interest only to learn she likes Xanax and you've got a pocket full of Ritalin. Pretend that you're going fishing and you've got an empty tackle box. You're going to need a little of everything: lures, bobbers, hooks, etc. Pills are inexpensive ($5-$8 a pop), so see if you can work out a deal with your man on a variety bottle. At that price you shouldn't think twice about pissing them away. Offer a blue to the first girl you see. If she takes it, she'll go and tell the other girls. Give 10mg to each and every girl in the club. 10 strippers = 10 pills = 50 bucks. No big deal. If you have enough to get each girl high on the job, one of those girls is going to have enough brains to realize you've probably got more. She'll be the one to ask you, "What are you doing later?"
BLACK STRIPPERS The black stripper is difficult to snare, especially for a white male. Their drug of choice, weed, is the cheapest drug on the market and easiest to obtain. This makes them the most affordable fuck, but you're white and you have to compensate. That's where things get expensive. Don't freak out, it's still completely doable. First, start by tipping. Don't go crazy. Just a dollar or two here and there to let her know you're interested. This will automatically put you ahead of any black patrons in the club because it is well documented that black males do not tip at strip clubs.** Your next move is to have better than average weed. Like flowers, girls like weed that smells nice. It helps to tell them that it's from your boy's crop, and has been featured on the cover of High Times three times and it's Redman and Snoop's favorite weed. It's important that this lie and the two following lies be convincing: "Yeah, I know Snoop," and "Next time he's in town, I'll introduce you." That should take care of it. For added effect I like to lie and say I make beats and ask them if they want to go over to my studio after they get off work. This helps to both sell the con and save money on hotel rooms. Be sure to know where a local recording studio is. A cheap one is between $75 and $150 an hour, which is cheaper than taking her to a nice hotel. Be sure to bring the new Usher CD and when her favorite song comes on tell her you made the beat. Then turn one of the knobs on that big mixing board thing in front of you.
OTHER STRIPPERS That is correct, I am going to lump together all Asian, Latin, Paki, Euro strippers, along with anything else that might have just come off the boat and amputees. This category is really your best bet, especially Euro girls, because all they want is to be loved and taken care of and what drug emits more love than Ecstasy? The reality is you could give them mescaline and they'd take it without caring.*** A key with foreigners is to make them feel welcome in America. This is accomplished by telling them you don't detect an accent, that they speak great English and that you basically understand and agree with whatever they are saying regardless of the fact that you can only make out every fourth word. To do this convincingly, you must practice. Go to your stereo and put on some rap music that you can't understand the lyrics to (most any rap will work), turn up the volume just slightly, then go into your bathroom and shut the door. You should not be able to easily hear more than reverb and bass. Stare dead in the mirror, strain your ears and try to decipher the lyrics without looking unsure, without creasing your forehead and pursing your eyes. If you can convince your mind that you know every lyric to that Ghostface song, using only your eyes and facial expressions, you'll be able win any foreigner over, completely negating their self-consciousness. Using drugs as bait, of course.
Before you go running to your phone to cop there are a few more things you need to be aware of when trying to run this kind of game. First, and most importantly, is that you don't ever do the drugs. If you're an addict don't even bother because you'll always take the drugs over the girl and might even get arrested for beating a girl for touching your shit without asking. You can get high all you want when she's gone but while you're with her you have to pretend to inhale, go take a piss when your turn to bang a rail comes around, throw the pill over your shoulder and pretend to pop it. Sounds lame but you need to have full control over the situation. I'm telling you from experience, strippers are cunning, any sign of weakness and you'll wake up without your pants, your wallet and your drugs. Secondly, realize you only get one shot of pulling them out of the club. If it doesn't happen that night, it doesn't happen. Don't play yourself by giving your number and don't take a number. Consider it a failed attempt and go home and get high. Lastly, and I can't stress this enough, don't let them know where you live. If you can, take them to a hotel (or the studio). If you've blown all your money on the drugs and are forced to take them back to your place, take the most ridiculously fucked up route ever to get there. Then after you're done with them, give some more drugs to fry their brain a little more and put them right in cab and send them on their way (instructing the driver to use an alternate, more confusing route.). As a child you had a great many dreams of things you wanted in your lifetime, and I'm pretty sure that a drug-hungry whore knocking on your door at 4 in the morning was not one of them.
CHRIS NIERATKO
*All research conducted and collected solely by Nieratko and proven to be 100% accurate.
For every gem like Nieratko's missive above, we get ten clunkers that are entertaining in an entirely different way. (It's fun to read pieces where retarded people try to think.)
We just so happen to have a "Not Fit to Print" piece here on exactly the same topic as the above article: How to fuck a stripper. Prepare to barf, because this is totally unedited...
YOU ARE NEVER GETTING IN
By Gloria Glory
One of the greatest things about dewds is their ability to assume every woman wants them. The greatest things about dewds are that they continue to believe this in places such as Strip Clubs. Let's get one thing straight as far as we dancers are concerned it's a JOB - period. Part of the job is finding your stories about eating a hot dog and then going home to take a crap the most fascinating hunk of conversation ever shared.
Well guess what you're as sexy as a weather report, not a poet laureate; you are your own poetic justice. You would have a better chance screwing Queen Elizabeth after regaling her with your hair gel stories. Ergo, for the men who act like they are doing us a favor or tey bringing roses to a strip club because there was a "connection", here's a few reasons why you are doomed.
PLANNINNG TO GO TO THE CLUB:
Let me guess: You find yourself going alone or with all male jock friends who are horrible with women...
Solution: JUST STOP! Call your mom and explain that you are horrible with women, start to cry and then go to bed. It's better than accidentally overhearing us mention that you are a gorgeous example of an unattractive guy.
YOUR ARRIVAL SUCKS
What you do: Apparently you haven't called your mother yet so you think you are still in the game. SIT DOWN!
What you do:
Guys who come in and make a "mother fucking ruckus" translates into a "mother fucking fuck us - financially". It pisses of everyone including the guy jacking off at his table. He even feels superior to you.
Gynecology row is a Gynecology No! Maybe sitting right in front the stage impresses a girl at a Sting concert but it a peeler bar it tells the girls you think went to a Sting concert.
Just do this: Sit to the side of the stage in the shadows like a sexy Vincent Price. DO NOT make a seen. How impressed do you think we'll get you're in a peeler bar for fuck sake.
HYGIENE
The smell of a guy can be amazing if you're into him but if not (ie you) your personal odor is as welcome as a waft of a stranger's pepperoni belch. Cover it up with something, but before you do
ask yourself this: "Did I use a judicial amount of cologne or do I smell like I should be wedged between the pages of GQ? If you reek of shitty cologne go down the street to Planet Hollywood and find your wife.
Why we hate cologne:
The fact that I'm explaining this is making me furious! It REEKS and after smelling 40 different carefully chosen "scents" we've done more damage to our nasal cavity than the blow we just did. All your doing is effectively telling the girls that you have the expectations of a horny ten year old and you actually believe hip hop music videos are self improvement tapes.
ORDERING A DRINK
Make it short and sweet. The longer you take ordering while the waitress is there causes a log jam inhibiting you from being the man you think you are.
Complaining about drink prices in a strip bar is like complaining about not getting across the border American in a pot leafed "legalize it" shirt.
Why we hate it:
If you are losing your bald coconut over a $1.50 you're not exactly going to be peeling out the dead Prime ministers for my perfect ass.
CONVERSATION
This is the deal ender is almost every case. You are in a strip club. Do you walk into a grocery store expecting free food cause your bragging about how much you eat?
Your cock, sex stories and financial success stories are BORING. If you somehow pull a David Copperfield they will figure it out on your date, in fact even Coppefield couldn't hypnotize Claudia into staying with him.
The solution:
Nothing. If you're a human yawn there is little you can do in a five-minute conversation while "Shock The Monkey" is playing. Go home and shock your monkey.
WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!
Actually I want to stick with conversation. Let's face it this is where men rule. They may have been wired to be aggressors and are individually convinced they would bring home the most from the hunt. Thanks to the implausible lessons of pop culture combined with their equally clueless friends, most guys think they are sexual warriors. Here are some golden moves courtesy of my last month at work.
Anyhow, check out how out of control it's become.
VIP GUY
1 - This line is from a guy in a VIP lounge whispered into the ear of Erotica " If I told you who I actually am you would cum.. You have no idea how much I can do for you if we get along"
WHAT does that mean? Why don't you just put on a cape, twirl around and throw a smoke bomb on the floor captain enigma?
HITLER LOVER
2 - Here's a line from a guy who was wearing a suit that looked and smelled like it was "stolen from a rotting corpse"
"I may be Chinese but I love Hitler. Followed by a Zieg Heil. This was his idea of casual conversation. Saying you love Hitler is rich enough but thinking a Zieg Heil will seal the deal is at least 4 Ice Ages ahead of its time.
I'LL BAKE YOUR MOTHER
3 - This one happened during a strippers birthday at a club We brought a home made cake to the club for a dancer(yeah we can be right fucking classy)
Guy: Can you bake me like you baked that cake?
Dancer: I'll bake your mother.
Guy: What do you mean by that!? (Actually angry.)
SENSITIVE MALE
4 - And Finally, just last night I got:
Guy: Inever get dances. Can I get your number? Or you want to come by my place.
Me: Look buddy, I'm not going to fuck you.
Guy: (self righteous) Who said anything about fucking? Maybe I just wanted to TALK and have some coffee. (then he made this ridiculous "upset" face.
(It was 3:30 AM)
SEE YOU NEVER
Well, good luck. If you can get your shit together and you do pick up, prepare for a life of work stories from your sweet heart about a thumb being squeaked up her ass at work when she wasn't looking.
It won't be me.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OC Tournament #5 - Round 1, Match 2: Peter VS Markus

Well, the last match was a deathmatch, but this second one is what is known as an objective match. This, for the uninitiated, means that the match’s main point isn’t, necessarily, who would win in a fight, but to complete a certain specific mission better than the opponent.
At the time of this match going up, though, after the strats for this one are posted, though, you can still vote in match 1 for over a full day. Check out (and influence) the brawl between a man and a bird in an airport hangar!
Scenario:
Waterfront District - One of Many Fish Markets
Morning
“What do you mean you don’t have anything?”
*Markus was having his patience tested, certainly, by this particular supplier. It was hard to find someone in this region who could provide high-quality fresh fish at a reasonable price (especially considering that some of the fish the people of Los Fortuna considered "high quality" seemed to be overpriced, constantly out of stock, and of incredibly dubious quality from the rare few glimpses he had gotten of them), but this wasn’t the first time now that the boat he had chosen to be BADD GUYS’ regular ‘guys’ had turned up with absolutely nothing one morning.
“I dunno what to tell you, Mark,” a young man in a bandana and sleeveless striped shirt said, hanging by an empty stall he was never told not to man, “sometimes, when the captain heads off to celebrate a great haul, she just disappears for days on end, and then without her, we just don’t always have what it takes to actually catch enough to turn a day’s profit.”
“That damned Captain Moonshatter…” Markus didn’t get it. The crew of the Marquise was supposedly able to accomplish such things, yet still the captain wasted her time gambling instead of leading them to their potential? Leading them towards all these amazing fish? “Where is she, man? I’ll give her a piece of my mind.”
“A casino, probably, but… Ya know how many casinos are out here? And she never tells us where she frequents! If she did, the boys and I woulda dragged her out a long time ago!”
“I know where you can find her.”
A man in a dark rain poncho, pretty typical attire for this district, spoke, eyes obscured but some of his dark hair cascading out from underneath the thing. The hapless sailor and Markus turned to him, looking quizzical but expecting, before Markus broke the silence.
“There is nothing that isn’t shady about you, sir, but.” Markus smirked. “I think shady is what I need right now. What have you got?”
Fwup!
Before Markus knew it, the stranger had flicked his hands, and a stylish business card was in between Markus’ fingers. He looked at it, then, and read the name embroidered upon it. “Heartache Casino… Interesting.”
“She likes to go around in disguise on her gambling trips, sometimes as elaborate as a fat suit and a fake beard so nobody recognizes her. Only surefire way you’ll have to get her out of there is to get everyone out of there. If she’s there, she’ll get pissed off and blow her cover, for sure.”
Markus wasn’t an idiot, even if what he caught onto being suggested didn’t bother him. “…someone wants me to mess with this casino, huh? Well, none of my business, as long as she’s actually there. If not, I’m kicking your ass, got it?”
“You have my word.” The man nodded his head, and then disappeared into the bustling fish market.
That afternoon…
Sound’s Garden Eastern Strip - Heartache Casino
Arriving at the casino, Markus took a look around, taking in the bright lights, expressive designs, and loud sounds. There were so many people strewn around the casino, and just about any one of them could be the captain… Clearing them out was going to take time.
He needed a drink.
One irish coffee later, Markus was ready. He sat at a table in the lounge area, viewing the various (mostly drunk) casinogoers, trying to suss out which ones could end up being the captain. He was mostly unsuccessful. It seemed as if he would have to get his hands dirty and start actively kicking people out if he wanted to get anywhere.
More importantly, over the course of his stay, Markus had noticed something - one of the waiters at the bar had begun eyeing him, always keeping watch of him for some reason. He was planning something, souring Markus’ mood. With a dissatisfied grunt, Markus got up and started making his way towards the slot machines to get a start on kicking people out, and the waiter seemed to follow in his steps.
No matter the pace at which he went or where he went, the waiter seemed to be right there, a couple of steps behind him. Markus’ brow furrowed in anger. He’ll see just how far that waiter was willing to go to follow him. Even near the ATMs, far away from the bar area, the waiter seemed to be constantly following him. He even tried going to the restroom for a few minutes, and the waiter was still there when he-
For all of his thinking about the waiter following him, something, or someone had crashed into him, and found himself knocked down onto the floor from the impact, covered in… water? Beer? Something. He looked up and saw another waiter, a worried expression on their face as they profusely apologized.
A glance to the right, back at the original waiter, revealed that he was… smirking? Markus couldn’t quite make the waiter’s expression out, but one thing was for certain - he was taking joy in watching Markus stumble into the other waiter, and he had likely planned this.
That asshole.
Markus quickly got up, ignoring the apologetic waiter and began quickly making his way towards the other waiter, ready to give him a piece of his mind. He didn’t know why he did what he did or what he was planning, but he sure as hell was going to grill him until he told him that.
Upon getting close enough to the waiter and coming up from behind him, Markus firmly grabbed his arm to keep him from running away again. “Hey, you. What do you want from me? Why were you following me, and what exactly do you stand to gain from doing this, huh?!”
The waiter turned around, only to seem… entirely confused? “Sir, what are you talking about? I didn’t do anything - I don’t even know who you are, or why you’re here! I- I don’t want to make a scene, if you have any complaints you can bring them to my supervisors, just- I need to go back to the bar and bring food to the customers, you know? I-”
“Bullshit. I noticed you! You were constantly keeping watch of me, following me- hell, I went to the fucking restroom and you were still there when I came out! Don’t give me these crocodile tears, I know you want something from me!”
Just as the argument between Markus and the waiter began, someone else found their way into the casino - Peter Bequasimodo.
Earlier that afternoon…
Downtown Los Fortuna - Hotel Delmano
Peter had stopped a fair few crimes in his day, not to mention done some less than legal things in others where the rule of law was the real crime. It was certainly strange, though, that someone had thought to send him a handwritten letter at some point… It seemed someone had realized before he could stop a crime, he had to find his way there. He read and reread the text again.

The Heartache Casino will see a tragic failure today… Nobody can do a thing to prevent it, so kiss everyone who sets foot in it goodbye! Think you can get everyone to leave by X:XX o’clock?!

Great, Peter thought to himself. Someone wants to play some stupid game with me… Just perfect. Just what I need when things are starting to heat up more. Despite his immediate thought of annoyance, though, he couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this… Who sent letters in 202X? Who would send them to him? Peter was usually pretty careful to cover his tracks, and his usual mode of transportation made it so that not even the snoopiest detectives could track him down.
Usually, he was able to use his more than capable skills to hack into the odd police database or private server, or simply use his stand to cut through so much crap, but with a letter, he couldn’t do any of that easy stuff. It would take some footwork to track down the source of this, let alone the location of this ‘Heartache Casino…’
Or, as an ally pointed out, he could just search up the letter’s return address online.
“…urgh, what am I thinking? Of course they wouldn’t actually give where they were sending this from if they wanted to stay this mysterious! This damn place they wrote down is just…” He blinked, looking at his screen. “The Heartache Casino. That settles it, alright. I’m being baited.”
Even if the threat was fake, just designed to get him to the casino, he would have to look into whoever had this much information on him… Seriously, who could have this level of knowledge when he’d barely done a thing in this city?
Beyond that, in the off chance it wasn’t an empty threat, there was a serious danger to other people there. He needed to minimize the chances of that if he could. That time was less than an hour away. He walked over to his bed and grabbed his gauntlet and pack. In a flash [Running in the 90s] appeared on Peter’s face and he disappeared into the information superhighway. It was time for Treagon to take care of business.
“You know,” Peter said, the mood he’d tried to psyche himself up for blending into the chill attitudes of the casino evaporating quickly, “it might not be much my business, buddy, but when I see people being shitty to service staff… That kinda thing really isn’t cool, yeah? Let the man do his job.”
“Stay out of this,” Markus answered tersely, shoving the waiter away as the man backed off, returning to ordinary business, “you think I don’t know that sort of thing? I’m here as a favor to people like that.”
There was a certain impatient entitlement to this guy that really bothered Peter, especially as he spoke like that. All the more, he was finding himself with reasons to kinda want to leave this guy crying and begging for mercy. “You’re really annoying, you know that?” He said, bluntly and with a sort of lax tone, grinning with malice as he stuck his hand in his pocket and leaned back. “I got business of my own to take care of, but don’t lemme catch you acting up like that again, yeah? It’s hard enough just scaring people off so I can look this place over… Shit! Barely half an hour left!”
“Wait, you mean to say you’re also trying to-”
The waiter happened to slink by, and after that moment, Peter was gone. Markus gave a confused look, but then, felt his own phone vibrating. Curious, he moved to open it up. “SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!”
“Ffuck-!” He couldn’t help but fumble his device in alarm at the strange face on the screen, which vanished soon after, and as he looked up, Peter was standing around again, and so Markus grit his teeth. “You..!”
Peter, on his end, found the antagonism hilarious, and it was easy enough to accomplish that he felt good about the efforts therein. Now, anyway, it was time for him to get to work on finding a way to force everyone out of here…
He’d been spending these few minutes searching, but couldn’t find any sign of any sort of electronic tampering, or security footage of someone stealthily dropping any bombs anywhere, or whatever else might make him able to solve this problem in any better a way than this…
It was now exactly thirty minutes to the mystery time. He’d just have to get as many people to leave this place as possible, even as more constantly poured in.
Markus had also heard Peter mention a half an hour, and though he didn’t know of any sort of vague threat, he had a feeling that that created a sort of ‘deadline’ for this. Well, he didn’t know what to look for, so may as well go for quantity over quality, right? He’d force these people out of here.
Though both had the same end goal, the immediate shared contempt they held for one another, both immediately understood, had made this a contest. Never mind that they were far from the only two people who would see it as such, their prides were at stake here, and they resolved to completely show the other up as priority number one.
Open the game!
Location: The First Floor of The Heartache Casino, one of the many which dot the Eastern Strip of the Entertainment District.
The area is 50 meters long and 105 meters wide with each tile being 5 by 5 meters and the ceiling being 5 meters high as well. The green square represents the exit and the gray square is the way to the second floor, currently it is being sectioned off by bouncers who are only letting VIPs enter and exit. The players are represented by the circles of their respective team colors with Markus near the top center and Peter near the bottom center.
The grey circles around the center are ATM machines, and the white circle is a reception and transactions desk where you can buy or redeem chips. The two sets of blue tiles are restrooms, men’s restroom on the left and women’s restroom on the right.
The left side is the lounge area with a bar, denoted by the brown shape, tables represented by green circles, pool tables represented by the purple rectangles, poker tables represented by the red circles and roulette tables represented by the light blue circles. In the top left is a netted off area represented by the hollow blue rectangle where people can play darts and to its right are two rows of vending machines with water in the blue squares and sodas in the purple.
The blue rectangles, red triangles, and yellow hexagons are all rows and sets of slot machines. The blue ones are traditional slot machines, and the yellow and red ones are virtual slot machines. The blue slot machines pay out in chips and the yellow and red ones pay out in receipts that are redeemable at the reception desk, but all of them only take in money.
There are chairs around the slot machines, tables, and bar where appropriate and the place at the moment is mostly full with gamblers, loungers, and a number of roaming security guards and employees. In general if you are looking for a free spot at a table or machine you can probably find one with a bit of looking.
Someone has already disabled the floor’s sprinkler systems, and literally nothing will make them function. Curious.
Goal: Over the course of thirty minutes, cause more people to leave the casino than your opponent! It can be taken for granted, for balance’s sake, that there will always be people present to disrupt so long as a location isn’t completely rendered unable to function.
Make sure to have some subtlety with it, though, as the guards are as watchful as one would expect casino guards to be. Being too blatant or repetitive would run the risk of getting you in trouble.
Additional Information:
Patrons have 2 in strength and agility, 5 in endurance, 2 in gambling (in general they know how the games here work, but that doesn’t make them any more likely to succeed at them), and 2 in tenacity; in short, a mere mild inconvenience won’t be enough to completely send a person away, but they probably won’t tolerate repeated annoyances too long before at least moving somewhere else in the casino or outright leaving once they get fed up. They carry cell phones, wallets, and assorted amounts of casino chips. Ones on the West side of the floor can be assumed to be carrying food or beverages with them, according to the kinds of things one could expect to find at a casino.
If your actions cause significant risk of harm or death to patrons, rather than simply getting them to leave through various means, police will be contacted to provide further support to the guards, quickly becoming wise to your tactics and arresting you; the owner is rich, so the cops will arrive extremely quickly. If you are arrested for assault, manslaughter, murder, public indecency, and/or accidental homicide, you will no longer be able to gain points.
As wanton slaughter on casino grounds isn’t what your contact had in mind, murdered or otherwise slain patrons do not count towards total score, even if, yes, their souls have exeunt; paramedics will be under specific orders not to remove the bodies until after the time limit has passed, specifically to spite the attempt. And also you’re still arrested.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
Baker Street Rat Pack	Peter "Treagon" Bequasimodo	“I’ve heard that in Kansai, if the Yakuza who run Cee-lo Games catch you cheating, they shove two of the dice in your eyes and dump you in the river.” You really don’t like this guy much at all. If this man intends to undermine your protections, then you’ll teach him a lesson. Identify and find ways to interfere with your opponent’s strategies in favor of your own!
BADD GUYS	Markus Ness Mathison	“Nobody makes a fool out of Kishibe Rohan! I know you’re laughing at me in your head right now and I can’t stand it!” You really don’t like this guy much at all. If he thinks he can be so self-important all the damn time, he has another thing coming! Identify and find ways to interfere with your opponent’s strategies in favor of your own!

T5 Teams and Character Spreadsheet
T5 Match Schedule
Interested spectators, feel free to ask judges via PM to a link to our tourney’s official Discord server!

In the Trollshaws. Ep01.

blog link
So I'm back into MERP, but this time with another twist. I might be using parts of the Harnmaster Campaign tables. For the Oracle, I will be using a modified MUNE/RECLUSE Hack, similar to the one I used in my Dash Kile episode. I'll follow up on my rule of player driven game. So I have three premade characters, which according to the MERP game, have the following motivations.
Leowyn: Rohirim shield maiden. She wants to find her lover's murderer. Camthalion: Sindarin archer. He wants to find what happened to his missing twin brother. Dwalin: He wants to recover a magic hammer, as a life-debt to a fellow dwarf.
Now I could try to run a dialogue for these and see who persuades the other, but instead I'll go with some metagaming here. If these three characters were played by three different players, it would be the players discussing what they would want to do next. So, in terms of where they are and how I want the adventure to go forward, I'll choose Dwalin's objective as the party objective. Some more details for the reader: The hammer was lost in the fray on a fight with Hill Trolls in the Coldfells. Bain, the dwarf to whom Dwalin owes his life, believes the hammer is in a troll lair somewhere in Rhudaur.
Here comes the meta knowledge. There is a sample adventure in the MERP core rulebook, regarding the Trollshaws in Rhudaur. Maybe I can combine the two. I'll have the party move north to Rhudaur in search for the hammer, and then they will visit the inn where they will learn about the sample adventure. That is if the Oracle and the random encounter rolls allow it...
I'll start off by using the Connections from BOLD, to create an overlay for some interesting discussions between the part members. I roll the following:

action	gerund	subject
impart	avoiding	allies
ponder	divulging	a love
scrutinize	avoiding	a posession

Continuing from the previous session the month is Hithui, the location is the Inhyrst keep in north Eriador. The party is in the inn, having breakfast.
Q: Is everything as expected? A: Yes
I'll get some information from donjon to generate the Inn. The inn is called the Hero and Flask. Location: On Iron Side, southwest of an outcrop of carved stone. The street outside is strewn with debris from a broken barrel. Description: The inn is a simple wooden shack, with a single salvaged stone wall and only a few crude tables and benches. Accomodations consist of a single large room with wooden cots. The inn is unusually noisy, as a company of dwarven miners sings drinking songs. Innkeeper: The innkeeper is a timid female human named Finde. She has an identical twin, who works opposite shifts.
I'll stop here since the rest of the information might or might not become relevant.

Dwalin clears his throat as if to make an announcement. Then, with as much seriousness as a dwarf can muster, which is a lot, he speaks to his companions. "I saw how you fought those goblins in the tower. I could use your skills in my quest. We... we make a good team together, wouldn't you say?" "And what exactly is your quest, master dwarf?" Camthalion asks. "I'm seeking a legendary hammer. It's said to have slain a Dragon! I believe it's a bit to the north of here. In Rhudaur, and have reason to believe it's... in a troll lair." Dwalin answers anxiously. "In a troll lair?" Leowyn asks astounded. "I mean, sure we made short work of those goblins, but trolls aren't to be toyed with." Dwalin stresses himself. "Help me with this and we shall split any other reward." Camthalion shakes his head. "No. Not good enough. In addition, you will help us in our quests." He sends a side look to Leowyn, who averts her gaze and looks to the floor. "I'm sure that a Rohirim shield maiden wouldn't be so far from home if there was no reason? right?" "You are correct Camthalion." She quickly changes the subject and turns to Dwalin. "We split the other rewards and you help us afterwards." "Alright. Seems fair." Dwalin agrees. The party pays rent and breakfast and sets off towards Rhudaur.

Now here I believe that Dwalin managed to 'impart avoiding allies'. He spoke of his quest (impart), but avoided the part of how it was a life debt to his ally and friend Bain. One connection complete! There should be some bonus Experience Points here.
So, as I have said in the past, MERP is a game of serious bookkeeping. Let's see how much did b&b cost. 3 light meals (18 tin pieces) and 3 poor lodgings (3 copper pieces) for a total of 4 cp and 8 tp
So I'll start having a party pool. They had earned 10 sp and 12 cp in the last adventure. This leaves them with 10 sp, 7 cp and 2 tp.
Weather: Standard temperate weather. 30F = -1C. It's cold!
Q: Is Rhudaur far away? A: No, and, it's very close I'll call it and say it's one day's ride. (8 hours, slow ride=30 miles). They can probably walk it within one day if they walk for 12 hours. Leòwyn has a horse but since the other two walk, I'm taking their speed as the lowest. So I'll use the Harnmaster Encounter tables.
First Watch: Day: No Encounter Second Watch: Day: No Encounter Third Watch: Night: Encounter So it's Night and Lawless. It's a Forester: Camping/Seeking Lodgings/etc. I roll 1d100 on the friendlyness: 46: He's distant.
I'll go with the flow here.

The long winter night has caught up to the company as they still are on the road. Far in the distance they can see some glimmering lights, and they hope it's an Inn for travelers like them. As they drag their cold freezing feet, suddenly a figure jumps in from the woods right onto the road. It's a sturdy man, with a hatchet resting on his shoulder and a bow worn along his chest. For a moment noone speaks. The sudden event has caught them all by surprise. They eye each other carefully. "I'm heading to the inn" The man finally says. "So are we." Leowyn replies. "Will there be any trouble?" She asks as she slowly rests her hand on her sword hilt.

I'll roll on the Interaction and Influence Table. They just want to avoid any combat, but things are tense. Yet the other side doesn't have the advantage so, I'll give a +30 Routine Bonus. 50+30=80: Partial Success. Your audience is still listening. 11+30=41: Failure. So, they won't walk together, but there is no fight either.

"Move on, move on and keep your hands where I can see them" the man says. The party grumbles, and they feel uneasy walking forward with the man behind them, but he doesn't immediately follow. He leaves a safe distance between them and then starts walking in a slow pace. Soon, the lights are closer, and the walls of an inn are distinct to the fair night vision of the dwarf and the elf. Leowyn only sees it when she comes much closer.

I realized that when I rolled on the Highway Encounter tables and got the Reroll on Wilderness/Rural result, I should have chosen Wilderness, but instead rolled at 50/50 and got Rural, hence the roll on the Rural table and the forester. Retrospectively, the Wilderness result would fit better, but maybe to the south of the inn, Rhudaur is Rural instead of Wilderness, so that would make some sense. Anyhow, when the group starts searching around in the Trollshaws it's going to be Wilderness fullly.

The inn stands on the eastern bank of the river. "That's Mitheithel. The waters are cold through the entire year, but it never freezes." Camthalion tells his group. "The Last Inn". Leowyn reads out loud the sign at the inn entrance. She guides her horse to the stable, while her other two companions get inside.

Q: Is everything as expected? A: Yes, and, it's business as usual.

A young man comes quickly toward Leowyn. "Go inside ma'am. I'll take care of your horse. It's very cold to stay outside. Warm yourself by the fire. Have some mead. My mother makes the best mead in Rhudaur." Leowyn smiles softly. "Take good care of her." She says, as she gives the reins to the young man. Inside, the fire is burning, and several guests are spread around the common room and bar. As Camthalion and Dwalin head towards the bar, followed by Leowyn, the innkeeper turns to them. "Rubb Grumm. Food and lodging?" "Yes, get us some warm meals. We'll be seated near the fire if possible. We'd also like to arrange for some accommodations with separate bedding." Dwalin tells the innkeeper. "Get yourself seated, and we'll come to you shortly. Something to drink? Mead perhaps?" Rubb adds. "A pint will be good." Leowyn replies before Dwalin gets a chance.

So, the adventure states that the first time traveller will notice a gloom in the air. Since my question 'if everything is as expected, was a 'Yes, And' I'll consider this readily available information, and not roll Perception or something similar.

A younger woman, probably Rubb's daughter, from the resemblance, serves them the mead, as soon as they are seated. Her eyes are throbbing. Leowyn asks. "Are you alright?" "Haven't you heard?" she asks. "Of course not, how should you? You just arrived. My brother, Leddon has gone missing a week now, in the trollshaws." She sobs. Dwalin just looks at her. He knows trolls rarely mean good news. She composes herself. "Forgive me. My name is Minna. You look like you can handle yourselves. If you care to, my parents are giving a reward if you find my brother. 2 gold pieces." At the sound of gold, Dwalin's eyes shine. "That's a fair amount. How would we know who your brother is?" "He... he has a distinctive ring made of bone, carved in the shape of a calf rearing in its hind legs. And... and a birth mark on his hind leg. I hope you can find him." She answers, as soon as her mother yells at her to get back to work.

Okay, now I want to see if there are any of the regulars at the inn. So, there are Turlin, Goldang and Grepp. Maybe other people are around as well.

"We should ask around to see if we can learn anything more about this Leddon fellow. Who knows, maybe if trolls have gotten him, maybe he has seen my hammer!" Dwalin proposes. "But.. let's have some food in our stomachs first."

So, I'll roll on the Interaction table, once for each one of them to see if they can gather any more information. Leowyn: 77 Camthalion: 45 Dwalin: 35 I'll apply their Presence Bonus and give an additional +20 for an Easy task. Since there is no generic skill to gather rumors or anything, and I don't think their missing Influence skill fits the bill, I won't apply the -25 penalty for not having the respective skill. So, considering the above, only Leowyn succeeded, having a partial success at 50%.
With that in mind, I'll give the group knowledge of the generic rumours and about Grepp the drunkard.

At the end of the night, they have filled their bellies and set up in a room on the 2nd floor. "What did you find out?" Dwalin asks. "It's dangerous. Hill trolls are wandering south from the Ettenmoors. People are disappearing every now and then. I believe Leddon is just another one of many. Hillmen and Orcs regularly patrol the forest. I think we're in the last safe place in this part of the land." Leowyn tells them. "Anything else?" Dwalin asks. "Yes, my ears caught a conversation with allegations from a man named Grepp. He said can procure a map to the castle where bizarre lights have been seen lately. He says there is a lot of treasure to be found there." Leowyn adds. "Then let's get the map!" Dwalin said! "He... seemed quite drunk, and also asked for 1 gold piece to sell the map." Leowyn cuts him off. "Maybe we should find this Leddon fellow first." Camthalion adds. We'll have helped this torn family and also get a nice reward to set us up for this map. "What do you say?" Dwalin and Leowyn nod.
Leowyn doesn't sleep easily through the night. As Dwalin snores heavily, Camthalion turns to her. "What bothers you? Us elves are light sleepers, but given how tired we are, I'd expect you to sleep as heavily as our dwarf friend over here." "I'm thinking about my lost love. Argulf. I miss him" Leowyn says, still looking outside the window. Camthalion doesn't speak, to allow her to finish her story. "He was murdered, in Gondor. I will find his murderer and bring justice for Argulf." She adds. "This road has led you away from Gondor though." Camthalion points out. "I know. Orc raids blocked my passage and I had to flee north. That's when I met you. Maybe with the strength of our number, once we're finished in Rhudaur, you will help me." Leowyn replies. Camthalion nods. "You seem honorable. I will be glad to join you."

So now, I'm scratching off the second connection from BOLD. ponder divulging a love. Only one is left.
Some bookkeeping for the gold spent.
The party pool is at 10 sp, 7 cp and 2 tp, and they drunk a pint of mead (5 tp), 3 normal meals (1 cp each), 3 lodgings with separate bedding (2 cp each), and the stable at 2 tp. The cost total is at 9 cp and 7 tp. This leaves them with 9 sp, 7 cp and 5 tp.
Q: Does anything happen during the night (UL) A: No, and the night goes on very quiet
So we head off to the Trollshaws to scout for troll lairs for the legendary dragon slaying hammer and Leddon. But before that, Leowyn must buy some rations She will buy 1wk worth of trail rations, which cost 1bp. And I realize I have missed the bronze piece in the economy So I'm correcting the values from yesterday, and removing the additional 1bp for the 1 week of trail rations The party pool is at 9sp, 8bp 7cp and 5tp
Dwalin; Tracking: 41+11: 52: Failure. May not try again in the same area in the same day. Encounters in the first watch: Activity: -10 (Forest) +25 (Hostile): Roll: 67 Avoidance: +30 (Actively Searching for Something): Roll: 90 No Encounter 2nd watch: Activity: Roll: 26 Avoidance: Roll: 62 No Encounter
They will set up camp 3rd watch: 86-51=+35: sighting by another group I will roll up Harnmaster's encounter tables here: Tracks/Spore/Sounds/etc: I choose Sounds: Mutiny/Dissent/Argument/etc. Q: Is it an Orc patrol fighting each other? A: Yes, but, they have seen the party Q: Are they many? A: No, and it's only 2 of them (weak). Q: Who is standing watch? A: Leowyn
![orcs](https://penpaperanddicehome.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/img_20200726_213900.jpg)

After a whole day in the winter, searching for troll tracks without success, the party finally camps at dusk. Leowyn takes the first watch. The night progresses uneventfully, until suddenly, a ruckus grabs her attention. Rough, wild, barbaric language reaches her ears. She wakes up her companions, just in time, to see two orcs, their blades gleaming in the night, their eyes staring at them.

Q: How do the orcs react? A: 10: Unfavorably to the characters

The orcs yell something in their language, and charge at the group.

Q: Distance? A: 60'-300'= 1d6*50'= 60' Oh crap Q: Does Dwalin wear his armour? A: No+Intervention: Advance plot: A hill troll from the group that caught Leddon heard the fuss and is heading this way.
So, in MERP, sequencing is fixed So, first goes Camthalion, he shoots his bow. Since the bow wasn't loaded, he suffers a -35 to OB. Range is Short. Roll: 64+48 (OB)+10(IB)-25(Orc DB)-35=62: 0 Damage Orc1 Moves 60' Orc2 Moves 60' Dwalin Holds Leowyn Holds Camthalion Moves 10' back.
Camthalion shoots again: Fumble: 23: Fumble ammunition: Lose this round. -50 to activity next round. Orc1 attacks Dwalin: 91+35(OB)+5(IB)-30(DB)=101: 15C: Minor Forearm Wound. +4 hits. 2 hits per round. Stunned 1 round. Orc2 attacks Leowyn: 34+35(OB)-5(IB)-40(DB)=24: 0 Damage Dwalin: Stunned Leowyn attacks Orc2: 98+60+38(OB)+15(IB)-25(DB)=186: 30E: Blow to Upper Leg. +8 hits. 2 hits per round. Orc2 is dead due to hit points loss.
Camthalion Loads his bow. Orc1 attacks Dwalin: 55+35(OB)+5(IB)-30(DB)= 65: 0 Damage Dwalin attacks Orc1: 95+51(OB)+15(IB)-25(DB)=136: 21E: 100: Blow to Jaw. Drives bone into brain. Dies instantly.

Despite the obvious noise, Dwalin had no time to don his armor. The enemy is too close. He grabbed his mace and his shield, while Camthalion grabs his bow and quiver. In a hurry, Camthalion shoots an arrow and misses. Within moments the orcs are breathing down their necks. Camthalion steps back a few feet and tries once more to hit the enemy, illuminated by the moonlight and the weak camp fire, and misses again. One orc is locked in combat with Dwalin. It's scimitar finds his forearm and delivers a nasty gash, causing some serious bleeding. Dwalin can't counter as the pain has gotten him stunned. The other orc tries to attack Leowyn, but the shield maiden blocks with her shield and slashes at him back, thrusting at its leg, a serious wound, bringing the orc down. Camthalion takes a moment to load his bow now, as the Orc tries again to hit Dwalin. Dwalin, has recovered, and with fury blocks the scimitar with his shield, ducks, and brings his mace up in a circular motion, hitting the orc straight in the face with such strength, that the orc drops down dead at once.

It's time for the intervention. The hill troll appears from: NW
![troll](https://penpaperanddicehome.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/img_20200726_222515.jpg)

A huge moan is heard, and three branches from the tree fall, as a towering figure appears in their rear. In all the fuss, they didn't pay heed to their surroundings.

Camthalion shoots his bow at the Hill Troll: 96+91+48(OB)+10(IB)-20(DB)= 225: 26E: 66: Fine Leg Strike. +18 hits. 5 hits per round. -20 to activity. Stunned 3 rounds. Dwalin Moves 40' Leowyn Moves 40' Hill Troll is Stunned (2).
Camthalion Loads his bow. Dwalin attacks Hill Troll: 62+51(OB)+15(IB)-28(OB)-20(DB): 80: 4 Damage. Leowyn attacks Hill Troll: 98+67+38(OB)+15(IB)-20(DB): 198: 22E: 68: Fine Leg Strike. +18 hits. 5 hits per round. -20 to activity. Stunned 3 rounds. Hill Troll is Stunned (4).
Camthalion shoots his bow at the Hill Troll: 73+48(OB)+10(IB)-20(DB): 111: 13B: +10 Hits. The Hill Troll is down!

'A Troll!' Leowyn shouts. Camthalion has his bow ready. He aims, and with skill, the arrow pierces the troll's hide, in the right leg, hitting a tendon. The troll screams out in pain. Who could think such creatures could feel pain. Leowyn and Dwalin were about to flee, but seeing Camthalion's hit and how the troll is disoriented, they close up on both sides. Camthalion takes another arrow from his quiver. Dwalin tries to hit the creature, but his mace barely manages to bruise it. Leowyn has positioned herself to its flank, and while the troll is busy countering Dwalin, she slashes at the troll's other leg. The hack is strong, and the troll screams once more. Black blood pouring from both its legs. Camthalion shoots another arrow, which finds the troll in its chest. The creature tries to grab itself from the tree next to it, but its wounds are too many, and it falls to the ground.

Need to calculate EXP. For the Orc1: Dwalin: 242
For the Orc2: Leowyn: 200
For the Hill Troll: Camthalion: 600 Dwalin: 0 Leowyn: 150
Dwalin is wounded at 15 Hit Points.

The company looks at each other, in disbelief. Orcs they had met before, but it's the first time they faced a troll. They apply a quick bandage and compress to Dwalin's forearm. "It's too many hours to daybreak." Leowyn says. "The forest is dangerous, but we can't risk finding a new campsite at this time of the night." Camthalion counters. "Let's search our foes for signs of Leddon. Maybe you can scout a bit before we go to sleep again." Dwalin proposes. "Alright. Let me try to provide some aid to you first." Camthalion says.

Camthalion casts Heal: 96: RR(-55-70): Success: 10 HP healed! Risk Factor: 76: No Risk
Q: Is there a sign of Leddon? (UL) A: No, and, the troll doesn't carry anything but a huge club

"Maybe we can follow the troll's tracks in the morning. It won't be hard to do. Maybe we'll find its lair." Dwalin proposes after their search comes up in vain. "Rest now child of the mountains." Leowyn tell him.

4th Watch: 105/87: +18: No encounter 5th Watch: 47/28: +19: No encounter 6th Watch: 27/106: -: No encounter
Dwalin has healed 12 more HP. He's at 37 HP.
The group is following the Hill Troll's Tracks: I declare a +30 Routine Difficulty, and also there is a +20 bonus since the scout is looking for a specific thing. 18+50+11: 79: Partial success: You gain some information but you're not aware that you missed something. You may not try again for 1 hour. 1 hour later: 13+50+11: 74: Failure: You may not try again for 1 day. So the group missed the tracks.
I'll end my session here.
The rest of the Experience for the session: Camthalion: 100 for Spellcasting
Idea Points: 646. I'll split it in half between Dwalin and Leowyn for using the BOLD connections. They get 323 each.
Each party member also gets 15+24= 39 Experience points due to travelling. Adding up the experience points from the previous adventure, I have the following totals:

Name	Experience Points
Camthalion	1548 EP
Leowyn	1337 EP
Dwalin	1219 EP

I'm quite partial to the resolution mechanics of MERP. I'm not quite happy with them. Lots of rolls, and results are quite meh. I'll keep on to it, but on the back of my mind I have the possibility of converting to Harnmaster (and Mythras last after Harnmaster). Further delving into d100, it is evident that the rolls aren't that robust as in D6 with the dice pools probability curves. Modifiers play a huge role here, and even then nothing is guaranteed. I was so lucky against the troll, but couldn't follow some simple tracks. Since these games are old-school (not even OSR) there is no player currency. No success at a cost. You fail - the end. You can try again tomorrow. Until then, keep rolling to see if you survive the Trollshaws. But that fight! I was certain a TPK was imminent, but Camthalion showed his prowess as an archer. In general, both against the orcs and the troll I was quite lucky. I noticed I made a mistake on my encounter against the orcs. The activity detected by the MERP table had to be an animal/beast, so since the Harnmaster table wasn't contradictory I should have had animals fighting each other. All in all, it moves slowly, is crunchy, but since I am in a similar mood right now, I enjoy the process. With summer holidays closing in, I don't know if I'll be able to continue my adventure soon, since it's not digital friendly, but I'll be coming back to it later on.
Now to the side tools. Using miniatures and quick battle-hex-map was very refreshing. So much faster than theater of the mind, when you have the right tools available. Using the hex grid also helped a lot with distances. I took the liberty of not asking how far away the troll was, and I just added it to the edge of the map. Another added bonus. With regards to the BOLD connections. I like the way I have implemented them in solo gaming. It's meta, but it makes me create bonds within the party. And it's a nice way to give some additional experience as rewards.

It's not our fault - tales of the guild team that really should have stayed at home

Also known by my players as "Everyone is a dragon..."
One of my longest running campaigns that I ran for nigh on 3 years which one of my players kept a running adventure log on the forum on Giant in the Playground. There are many stories regarding this group but I've got a few of my favourites that I would like to share.
To begin with; the party
Jaune Dupree – human ninja. This is the guy who made the adventure log that I am cribbing from so a lot of the stuff was written from his perspective. Bit of a power gamer despite having very little experience prior; I suspect a lot of his game playing knowledge came from optimising sites where the best characters were optimised builds. In terms of the crunch he was very book smart, and could (and still does) know game mechanics to a degree that I don't think I can match. But his only previous experience of playing was one other game.
Ocelot – human gunslinger. My IRL brother and at this point was one of the only players with any previous roleplaying experience.
Yurion – a female human lore oracle. Player is a bit more hands off than some because of social anxiety problems IRL, and so didn't want to (initially) play a front line fighter. Statted more for roleplay rather than combat which caused some issues occasionally when the rest of the party turned out to be somewhat murderhobo... Became the groups tactician and planner as the player is stupidly good at cunning plans, and would tend to hand me notes from time to time asking "Would it be possible to do this?" because of not wanting to announce to the group and possibly look foolish.
Sim (with an E) - a female human druid with a cheetah animal companion. Solid player with reasonable normal aspirations and goals. Became the party front liner and occasional spy when she would become a rat and sneak into places. As far as the 'E' in her name - to this day I don't know where it goes in the spelling... The players for Yurion and Sim were IRL partners so they kept it going in to the game as well. No objections - made things neater.
Draspher - human sorcerer focused on summoning and the only good aligned character (everyone else is neutral in some way) which considering how things turned out for him makes it even funnier as time went on... Took no offensive spells at all, other than the spells dedicated to summon monster, and statted his build into boosting those aspects. Many of the funniest stories regarding this group involved Draspher. His player had no prior experience of roleplaying (which was fine) and he was taking hints and tips from the player for Jaune (the afformentioned power gamer) who barely had experience himself.

Setting is a semi steampunk esque homebrew setting that I made up the framework for. The players were part of a guild of adventurers that would be hired out to paying customers which would usually allow me to slot in standalone modules as their 'jobs'. This was with the intention that as they became higher level there would be an underlying story thread that would permeate throughout.
Because of the relatively high tech and high magic setting, I wanted to instill some level of control into the setting to ensure that players couldn't run roughshod over the populace with their abilities. So magic is known and accepted but also has safeguards that are easily accessed - i.e. a player with invisibilty couldn't just walk into a bank and clear out the vault with a bag of holding. Sensible things mostly that would come up as and when the situation required it.

So in this instance, a set of thieves tools is a controlled item that you can purchase if you have the correct paperwork and authorisation. Jaune Dupree had neglected to purchase a set prior to this and they were tasked with breaking into the local mob headquarters to find evidence that the local crime lord was working with a guy looking to overthrow the local government.
I'm very open ended when it comes to giving players freedom, so they had any options they could think of on the table. They could have kicked in the door and taken the info, they could attempt to get the information by diplomacy/bribery etc.
They elected to break in - sensible idea. So part of the team (Yurion and Sim) elect to find the building plans for the hideout that the don is using to get the best intel for entry. After a frantic Oceans 11 style heist which turns into a scene from Benny Hill (including Yakety Sax featuring a cheetah...) they had the building plans which thanks to some good local knowledge and insight rolls using these plans pushed Jaune in the direction of "I should get some thieves tools so I can crack the locks quicker."
The local blacksmith tells them no can do - he needs authorisation from the local guard house for that. So off he trots, with Draspher along because "You've got a high CHA stat and social skills, and you aren't currently being sought out for an incident involving a cheetah". Yurion clearly being the other party face character.
They start chatting with the guard and tells them he needs some "thieves tools" and hands over his guild credentials. "No problem" says the guard "that'll be 3-4 weeks".
"Oh... I kind of need them now. I'm going to be leaving town in a couple of days to go tomb raiding and I don't want to let my party down"
"Sorry boss. I have to check these credentials aren't forged, and that's going to mean getting confirmation from your guild HQ"
Their guild had no office in this particular town - it was one of the reasons they were tapped for the job as they weren't locally known.
Draspher at this point pipes up, "I can handle this." and proceeds to dump a bag of about 500 gold pieces onto the desk and says "I think this should cover it"
At which point Jaunes player turns to Drapher's player and yells "The fuck?!?!?!"
Masterwork thieves tools are only 100 gold as it is, but that wasn't what was bothering him. It was how Draspher had 500 gold to throw around. Turns out that Draspher had a lot LOT more than that. He hadn't spent any gold on anything, and was still wandering round in his basic adventuring clothes that he had from the day we started playing - which was a wizards robes, staff, hat etc (remember this - it will be important), he hadn't bought any wands, scrolls, staffs etc. IIRC the players were level 7 at that point and I had stayed pretty close to the Pathfinder reccomended gold by level listing - so his total character wealth was supposed to be about 23,500 gold. Because he'd never upgraded his stuff, he had most of that gold on him in his pack (I believe he did have a handy haversack so it wasn't weighing him down carrying all that gold)
Jaune - being the typical murderhobo - had spent pretty much his whole allotment of gold that he got on improving his gear. Very rarely did he keep any spending money more than a few hundred gold for inn trips and occasional expenses and he never bought anything that he didn't think he would use - hence only now buying thieves tools.
So before I could stop them I told them that the guard took a very surprised look at the money, pocketed it, and then put it into his cloak.
"If you lads come back later, I'll have something for you"
Jaune's character "Aww crap... Can I roll sense motive?"
Me: "Of course you can"
Rolls - "Shit... Draspher - you roll it" (Didn't even tell me his roll. Presumably it was a skill he put no points in as it didn't involve killings"
Drasphers player rolls - "So I got a 10 on the dice? Is that good?"
Jaune "No, remember you have to add your sense motive score too"
Draspher "Oh... Okay, I got a 9 then"
Jaune - HEADDESK.....
So I tell them you detect no falsehood from him. He seems pleasantly friendly.
... So in actuality he's working for the mob... And he's seen the absurd amount of cash that Draspher just pulled out of his pockets and the superior quality of the gear that Jaune is wearing and figures them for well off marks.

Because the other members of the party are still potentially being looked for by the local guard, it's decided that they will come with, but they will follow a little ways behind. Draspher and Jaune turn up to the guard house, and the guard comes out and motions for them to follow him.
He leads them on a merry chase across the town a short ways before heading into the slum area of the town. The other party members are following behind but maintaining a reasonable distance and relying on Sim's perception score to keep them in sight (Sim had a really good perception score, and they were exactly difficult to spot with Draspher in his robes)
The guard moves down an alleyway, and the pair follow dutifully onwards. He reaches the end of the alleyway and turns and he's flanked by 2 other guys, and 2 further people move in to the back of the alley to cut off escape. There's also two more gentlemen that appear on the roof of the buildings either side, one with a crossbow, the other with some sort of grenade weapons.
"Give us the rest of the money, and we might consider letting you live"
Jaune "Funny, I extend to you the same courtesy" - knowing that the rest of the party is not far behind.
"Listen boy, there's 7 of us..."
At which point Jaunes player announces "I turn invisible using my ninja vanishing trick"
So I give him the surprise round and he turns invisible. Meanwhile poor Drasphers player is like
"Motherfucker abandoned me!!" so I ruled that because he wasn't expecting it, that he would have to take his turn in the normal turn order.
We rolls initiative - he rolls really high and gets first action.
"Two can play at that game!", and he casts invisibilty on himself.
"Cool, okay. Do you want to do anything else?"
"Nope"
It was months later I find out that he didn’t know that he could move. He had only cast summons up to that point and so had no idea that not every spell is a full round action
"...Okay..." And so the bandits go.
Now these guys have names - I have a tendency to do that as a DM when forming organisations; I don't give every single NPC a name, but if there is a local mob, or blacksmith, or a person of significance I tend to put a little effort in.
So you had bandits like Sammy the stab, or Tattoo McGee etc,
....and Arnold the arsonist...
Arnold the arsonist likes fire. He likes it so much that his weapon of choice is alchemist fire. He's been told by his boss that he is not to 'burn the merchandise' but if they try to escape he can throw some fire to keep them boxed in.
Suddenly turning invisible threw out his thinking a little bit, so he immediately throws two bottles of alchemist fire (I gave him a couple of attacks because of it being 'his thing'), one at where they were and one further down the alley behind them.
Jaune has headed backwards towards the two guys, but then has to pull a fairly sharp U turn to avoid being burnt by the fire.
Draspher takes a jar of alchemist fire to his head and promptly catches fire.
So the bandits and their leader cheer at Draspher being revealed by the flames on his cloak, and jeer at him "Dance piggy! Some nice bacon smell wafting over here". In reality I'm not going to attack the on fire dude.
So Drasphers next action is to cast a spell. I remind him that he will need to make a concentration check to cast while he's on fire. He rolls a crit!
"Beautiful move. What spell are you casting?" Expecting him to call a summon/multiple summons
"I cast grease!"
"Umm... Okay.. Are you sure?"
"Yeah, and I want to cast it at that guy on the roof that molotov'd me"
"Oh... Okay. Clever idea. It'll make it unstable terrain for him and I'll need to roll his reflex"
So Arnold rolls his reflex save....
1....
Aww fuck.... So Arnold falls off the roof...
So the thing is - Arnold doesn't have any extradimensional storage for his accelerants. He wears them in bandoliers across his body.
He's got about 20 different flasks of oil, alchemist fire, and other flammables, that all smash open when Arnold hits the ground...
I describe as a thirty foot fireball engulfs Arnold, the alleyway, and destroys the two buildings alongside, as Draspher is launched bodily out of the alleyway by the shockwave into the hands of his awaiting teammates, while Jaune (still invisible) is launched in the other direction past the very surprised guard/bandit leader.
But wait! There's more!
So bless him Draspher solo'd a group of bandits on his own with no help, but the situation is less than ideal. They've sent up a massive explosion that was heard across the city, and their is no sign of their rogue/ninja.
As Yurion is trying to heal Draspher to positive numbers (he took a lot of damage from what I treated as a fireball spell for the purposes of damage), the other party members are checking the bodies of the bandits. They're at the wrong end of the alley for any significant info, and as Draspher regains consciousness the local guard have mobilised and are moving towards them to investigate.
They don't want to have to deal with the local guard and explain this so they make plans to pull up a manhole cover and escape into the sewers. Draspher pointedly asks me at this point.
"Am I still invisible?"
I think about it and tell him "No, while grease is not technically an attack that would break the invisibility spell, I would have to rule that your invisibility spell dropped when you were thrown out of the alley"
"But I didn't make an attack, surely it would still be active"
"Yes that's true. But if you want to be still invisible then we'll have to rewind to before Yurion healed you, and see whether she can find your invisible body before you bleed out..."
D: "Oh... Good point. Can I cast it again?"
"Do you have any more level 2 spells today?"
D: "Yes I have a few more"
"Then yes you can."
D: "Okay, I'll cast that then"
Meanwhile the other players are working out how to get into the sewers. They get the manhole up easily, but then reason that if they leave it to the side it will look really obvious as to where they've gone. So they come up with a plan to use Yurions levitate spell to lift the cover and then replace it so that it looks undisturbed. Clever solution to solve a problem that I hadn't even thought of.
Now I should explain another gameplay rule I added early on - Wisdom rolls. It was always an issue in previous games I have played that I found where combats would grind to a halt when players would discuss strategies and tactics in the middle of combat. So I put a stop to it, and as a DM I take whatever is said at the table as "I am doing this action".
However as my game was made up of several new players I gave them a set of 'training wheels' in the form of a Wisdom roll. If they tried to do something that as a DM I thought was a bit too much of a stretch, they had a takeback option as long as they could roll above a 5 on the dice, plus their Wisdom modifer, so it accounted for a characters common sense.
So the other characters start piling into the sewer - Draspher looks thoughtful for a second.
Draspher – can I roll wisdom?DM – Sure? Wh..?
I don't get chance to ask him why before he rolls... Another rule I have at the table - you roll for something; you are committed to that action. I should note that players are always aware of these rules going into my games and at this point they've been playing for a good few months at this point.
Draspher – *rolls* (gets a 1 on the dice) "oh never mind"
Me: "No. You know my rule. You rolled. You're committed. What did you get?"
Draspher – "I got a 1... With my WIS modifier that gives me 0..."
"....what were you rolling for?"
"I thought it would be a good idea to try and explain to the guards what happened, and to see if we could help with rescuing any civilians"
Again, bless his heart - he was the only character with a good alignment. But I said
"Look you know my rule. You think this is a great idea"

At which point Sim the Druid says to me, "I grab Draspher and throw his ass in the sewer" trying to save him from himself. At which point Drashper's player says
"But I'm invisible? You can't see me"
Every player round the table bar one facepalms...

So with no other options left, the rest of the group abandon the sorceror and disapear into the sewers.
The guards turn up and start investigating. Suddenly they hear a voice from no-where.
"Oh thank goodness you came when you did! I was just minding my own business when this fight broke out. I turned invisible to hide, there was an explosion, and the culprits all ran off down the sewers!"
At which point there's another round of facepalms as Draspher essentially throws the rest of the party under the bus by telling the guard where they went...
Now as the DM, as far as this guard is concerned there has been an explosion, that may or may not have been magical in nature that has destroyed a big ol chunk of the street. There is most likely a spellcaster who is in close proximity to the area, who is invisible. It might be someone who isn't a caster but has natural abilities to turn invisible, but his duty is pretty clear that he needs to bring this person in, regardless of whether they are telling the truth.
I try to give him an out... I talk in my most sarcastic tone.
"All right young man, we're here now and it'll be all okay. We just need you to drop that spell you are using so we can take your statement and send you on your way..."
"I roll sense motive to see if he's telling the truth" as he rolls his dice
The rest of the table, "He's clearly fucking with you!!! Oh for fucks sake"
D - "And I get... oh... shit I need new dice..."
Face in my hands, "You think it's a great idea"
So Draspher dispels his invisibilty. It take literally half a second for the guard to identify Draspher as a spell caster from his wizards robes and pointy hat (told you that would come back didn't I), and not just that but from the burns he's still got on his face and clothing, he's immediately coshed on the head, gagged and cuffed to prevent him casting, and loaded into the paddy wagon to go down the station.
Now you may think that would be the end of our hapless sorceror, which is exactly what the player thought, the table thought, and I thought at first. I had to step away from the table to work out how the hell to get out of this...

So I think of some way to get him out of this...
Next scene, he gets debagged in an interrogation room. They ask him what happened and he blurts out the truth, only just remembering not to tell the guards he knows who we are. They don't believe him for a second. They think he's a psycho who followed a guard, killed him and bunch of other innocent people in a massive fireball. (The guard/bandit got caught by the blast...)
I announce that his lawyer enters, and I stare at the party and ask "Who wants to represent him?"
There's a little back and forth - Yurion is the obvious choice as the second highest charisma in the party. That plan is shot to pieces when Jaune's players suddenly announces:
"Oh god"
"what?"
Jaune - "None of us can do it..."
I'm looking confused, and he continues...
Jaune - "Well I was seen with him talking to the dead guard. We were both seen around town with Ocelot. All three of us visited the blacksmith to get armour for a raccoon and a cheetah. The only cheetah in the city was seen at the trashed library, accompanied by a druid and an Oracle. Don’t you see, we have all been implicated with him at one point or another..."
Me inside my own head - "Fuck... He's right..."
Don't you love it when the players sabotage their own story...
Sudden brainwave!!!!!!
"If you guys don't want to step in, I have another option"
The rest of the party shake their heads.
Then I introduce Jose, the local half orc crime boss as Drasphers legal representative.

So instead a man in a fancy suit walks in. He clears the room out and starts explaining himself. When one of his men turns up at his place of business covered with burns and telling him that several of his associates are dead, he was initially furious. But as the story unfolded he became curious instead of furious. When he heard what happened he decided he would come to see Draspher for himself, as we might be useful to him.
“That was one heck of an explosion, do you think you could do it again, say with a bank vault”.
Draspher doesn’t get the message....
He furiously starts denying it was him, and is thinking that I am trying to get him to admit to the crime and for the third time that night the rest of the party is facepalming at him.
"So you are saying that wasn't you?"
"Yes! Why does no one believe me?"
"That's a shame. Because someone who can do something like that might be useful to my organisation. But if you are saying that wasn't you, well that's too bad... I give you about 24 hours before someone turns you into their personal wank rag..."
Jaune's player "DUDE!! HE'S GIVING YOU AN OUT! An 'out' of prison, and an 'in' with the guys we were trying to infiltrate in the first place!"
Now he got the message...
"Oh... I see. I thought you were trying to get me to admit to something. As far as the explosion, you should understand it's not something I can just do willy nilly. I have to be in a special mood for it...." And he starts rolling for bluff and praying to any god that will hear him.
The half orc smiles at him
"I'll be in touch"

And that is how Draspher started his stint as "The Mad Bomber", which survived into many more sessions as a source of continous problems, and sometimes solutions for the party. I would write more about his exploits but this took me almost 3 hours even with my notes.
I'd be happy to continue the story if anyone wants to hear more
Edit: Thanks for the gold stranger! I'll get my notes together for you. Watch this space.
2nd Edit - for those wanting to continue the story - I've put part 2 here

Unkillable GM Char.

So, the whole thing happened many years ago, i try to piece it together.
We were all in our equivalent of highschool, it was early summer, and we hung out together via school somehow.
Time for some Shadowrun, in this convulted web of teenager hormones.
Dramatis Personae:
Me - Night Elf/Dark One - Male sneaky Ki-Adept
My soon GF - female human Witch, we came together during this whole ordeal, so some good came of it.
Steff - female Rigger dwarf i think, weirdly wanted into Tortes pants, (ex)bff of GF.
Franky - female elven Street Mage - Bi Daughter of his highpowered Mage whom he played in a 1 to 1 with Torte.
Danny - female human Street Shaman - GFs Ex, the "darkly poet type", Weirdo.
Torte - GM - Rules layer unless its against us
I might note that Torte & Frank were playing before, a 1-on-1 Shadowrun campaign in wich his female bi, character "Foxine" basically fucked the whole Shadowrun world including being intimate friend with multiple great dragons... yeah that type.
He insisted his char in this campaign was the daughter of this mystical Uber-runner, so allways prone to bring in "mommys" help / money
So, the campaign was running, and basically the RP wasnt bad, we insisted on having more RP & interaction between the characters, that side was fun.
We learned very fast that Torte loved to needlessly torture us with small crap that just made the chars miserable, like:

The group travels overland in the sun, in Steffs rigged camping van, its day in the desert. the vans AC unit fights against the desert heat... someone mentioned AC units CAN fail. Torte hears that: "oh they can?"... Guess what happened very soon...
We sleep on a cruise ship we are are supposed to guard...Dark Ones have sun allergy so "of course" my character "moved during the night" pushin his blanket off, and the sun fell on him in the morning, sun allergy triggers, "you feel like shit for the day".
My char & GFs ride the subway. 2 trolls come in and molest a lone orc mommy & kid. I ask them friendly to let the woman go, they attack, i hold them off.... the two flee next station but leave a gas granate with puke-gas "before you can jump out too" No save cause its a tight subway.. happy puking.
Dannys & Franky getting sexually molested by trolls (ok Frankys char insisted on fucking them all) and saved by a GM char we should fear soon: "Seeker". Arrogant Hitman Elf - GMs Char

Etc etc etc.
We learned to not make little remarks like "AC units CAN fail" in fear of catching the next gutpunch.
Torte forced his GM-char into the group "cause someone has to make sure you wont get into problems". Apart from magic (but with his low essence hard to cast at), "Seeker" was the most minmaxed char i ever saw in a shadowrun game, including super cyberware systems that gave him a super godmode initiative score of 4D+ (that system "Move-by-wire", according to the rules book, could kill your char within months from constant seizures, but of course HIS system was the highest grade deltaware made for him, and free of everything negative).
Did i mention the char was also an arrogant prick constanty berating us for all the things he could do better: "Ups and I AM faster again you loose".
Meanwhile the campaign went on, and RL time switched to summer.
Torte insisted we play in his room, in the dark, cause "its cooler" and use a flashlight for dice rolls... in 35 degree celsius in the afternoon, HIS parents flat didnt have an AC.
Anyway, something brought the group to an end:
We get a new mission to get some execs daughter who crashlanded "in the wild" with her private plane. The group is supposed to get airdropped near the location by the questgiver. We drop.. and its over "Bug City" Chicago, basically one of the deadliest areas in Shadowrun, full of insect spirits and basically walled off by the military.
The search was... annoyed by "Seekers" "oh im just better" attitude, dragging out everything.
The group decided that "Seeker" will die in Bug City.
So, during a rest, my char sneaks about 250m away, "on recon", aims his sniper rifle at "Seekers" back who sits in the dark towards a fire, and fires, so i think.
Torte determines i should roll initiative, as "Seeker has seen him"... in the dark, a Ki-Adept made for stealth, 250m away... Of course, the victim to be fired at, has the higher initiative, turns around and shoots first, with his special super handgun... into the sniper rifles barrel, jamming & destroying it... before i can shoot.
And berates me, to "not be such a shitty child"...
Being speechless by this rulebending, unkillable, a-hole GM char, i am silent the rest of the evening.
It was the last time this group came together.
In the aftermath Torte played on with Steff, Franky and Danny, and celebrates for an hour how "Seeker" kills my character chancelessly, and plays the campaign for a few sessions before it fizzles out.
GF & Me meet Steff & Torte, now a couple, a year later at some LARP con, but did avoid to play with them, my LARP-Char then, was a healer not a killer.
Edith says: Gods that was cathartic to write. Thanks for reading.

My first ever Shadowrun game, using 6E - A Game Report (LONG Post)

Hello everyone! There's a TL;DR at the bottom in case you just want to skip to the point.
Before launching into my post, I feel the need to say that while I'm aware of the (understandable) frustration over 6E, I'm not going to be fueling the fire here. In fact, my friends and I actually had a blast...despite the rules.
A little about me: my relationship with Shadowrun is mostly based on the Harebrained Schemes games. In fact, I actually made some content for Dragonfall years and years ago (the UGCs "Habits, Poetry, and Nuyen" and "Random Access Memories). I'm absolutely in love with the setting, but even though my friends are big fans of pen and paper roleplaying games, the sheer complexity of the rules put anyone off of playing. Now, my relationship with roleplaying games is that rules are nice guidelines; when I run D&D, for instance, I don't run 5E or 4E or any-E--we just get D6s, roll up some stats, think of character skills, and go.
Rewind to two weeks ago: I'm in a game store in Staunton, I see the 6E beginner's box. It has purple on it. I love purple, and I love Shadowrun, so I buy it. Then without looking at reviews I buy the core rulebook and Cutting Black the next day. *Then* I read the reviews. Woops. I read through character creation twice and can't make heads or tails of it. Then I start thinking: how would I do character creation?
It turns out that rolling some D6s and assigning them to the stats you want works just fine. So is just arbitrarily deciding that everyone gets 3 level 1 good qualities and 1 mandatory bad quality, giving everyone 20 skill points, and figuring out how much nuyen everyone has based on where the story starts. As for starting equipment I doled out some of the basic stuff in the deck of cards that came with the beginner's box. And as for cybernetics, well...
Turns out that a Redmond Barrens chop shop cyberdoc with a nasty novacoke habit doesn't exactly do the best work. More on that in a minute.
----------------------------------
Our Cast
Mordekai, the Street "Samurai" - A native of Tourist Ville, born and bred; he's just lost his job and his home at the Black Rabbit Lounge after accidentally killing a handsy guest. Remember those shitty cybernetics? Well, he got them because he wanted to be cool and strong, and sometimes they glitch. His negative quality? Bad Luck.
"Brick," the Rigger - So-called because his jury-rigged rotor drone crapped out during an intense gang fight between the Brain Eaters and the Crimson Crush (who both vie for control of Tourist Ville). He was then thrown out of the Brain Eaters, a laughingstock, and is struggling to find work. His negative quality? Bad Reputation.
-----------------------------------
The Story
I wanted to start the party off at absolute rock bottom, which naturally meant starting them off in the Redmond Barrens. The story begins with the two of them trying to find some biz in The Gentleman Loser, a "secret, exclusive" bar / club where kids from the Belle go to slum it for the night. The problem is, gangers have been shutting them out of any potential deals; Mordekai begins this campaign having just spent the last of his nuyen on a stiff drink, and Brick hasn't had any luck either.
Through the pounding music and dim lighting, Mordekai spots a Crimson Crush Ork struggling with a young Human woman. Naturally, words are exchanged (including "Hey! Keep your hands off her you dumb Ork!") and the situation escalates into punches: the Ork lands a solid hit on Mordekai's cyberjaw, but he responds with a swift kick to the chest. Before the ganger's friend jumps in, Smiley, the Troll bouncer, fires a shotgun blast into the roof to break up the fight. He points the gun at them and tells them to take it outside...or take it downstairs.
The basement of The Gentleman Loser has been turned into a makeshift underground boxing arena. I came up with a chart to determine the number of interested betters (based on the combined Body + Strength of the fighters) which became a dice pool that determined how much money was at stake. After the dice were rolled, it ended up being 200 nuyen--a good chunk of change for someone who literally has nothing. Just before Smiley finishes up collecting the credsticks, Brick chimes in that he wants to put 50 on the human (it should be noted that their characters don't know each other yet).
A microdrone descends from the ceiling, and Who--the owner of The Gentleman Loser--introduces the fighters. Everyone cheers! The Ork, more sober now, rushes forward and once again connects a solid hit on Mordekai's face. It's worth saying here that I completely ignored the unarmed rules for combat as written in the book, mostly because they don't make much sense. Instead, I substantially reduced the dice pool, and unarmed combat does stun damage only--at least, it was supposed to.
"I want to headbutt him with my cyberskull."
Mordekai gets several hits. The Crimson Crush ganger rolls a glitch.
Blood erupts from the ganger's head as Mordekai's cybernetics unpredictably overclock (just as they did a week prior at the Black Rabbit Lounge). The Ork slumps to the floor, his face a slick crimson concave. Another week, another accidental murder.
The room falls completely silent. Money exchanges hands amidst the murmur of conversation. The Ork's Crimson Crush friend yells obscenities as he drags the body away.
Back upstairs, Brick and Mordekai exchange their sob stories over drinks, and decide that it'd be better to stick together than go it alone against the gangers in town. The girl who was being harassed earlier comes over to thank Mordekai for intervening, but chimes in that he probably didn't need to kill the guy. She introduces herself as Erin; accompanying her is a young Elf male named Florian and a human male named Sherman. It's clear from looking at them that they've never stepped foot in the Barrens before, because from the way they're dressed they may as well have a neon sign hanging around their necks that says "ROB ME." Florian, however, insists that he comes here "all the time," and he "knows all about the business, babe." Sherman stands to the side, quietly looking out for his sister.
Turns out these Belle kids want some novacoke, and who better to supply it than Mordekai's jumped-up cyberdoc, Squid? They accept Florian's offer of 200 nuyen for a protection detail, and set off into the night.
The next part wasn't boring to play, but it's not exactly a highlight reel in retrospect: the party realizes they're being followed by the Ork's friend and a couple other Crimson Crush gangers, thanks to Brick's ever-present drone. Florian's mask of confidence begins to crack as he and the other Belle kids realize they're in deep shit. As they make their way into Brain Eater territory, Brick uses his Urban Environment Knowledge Skill to stay off the main roads, but as the Orks close in he decides to risk stepping out into the open (not before taking Florian's fez hat and Erin's scarf, as a "disguise"). Unfortunately, they step right into a Brain Eaters toll road. After some failed charisma checks, and with time running out before the Crimson Crush arrived, they hurriedly convinced Florian to pay the toll. They duck into an adjoining alley, and not thirty seconds later hear the sound of gunshots.
Squid makes his residence in an abandoned pay-monthly storage facility; he's soldered together several of the units into a makeshift living space. Once biz is mentioned, he takes Florian away to "sample" the goods, leaving Sherman and a visibly shaken Erin with Mordekai and Brick in the main living space.
Some time goes by. Then, there is the scraping of metal, as if someone were dragging a bike chain across the steel compartments outside. Brick realizes he stopped tracking the Crimson Crush, assuming they'd been too preoccupied with the Brain Eaters to keep following them (this info never had an opportunity to get mentioned, but Florian's astral presence is like a Christmas tree, so keeping tabs on them was super easy). Rigging into his drone, he spots the three gangers making their way towards them.
In a truly fitting manner, Brick attempts to scare off the Crimson Crush by amplifying his voice through the drone's sound system, but rolls zero successes; the sound comes out as garbled noise. Sherman pulls out a holdout pistol and hides with his sister behind the sofa.
And Mordekai--bless his little heart--just can't seem to escape his own bad luck.
Heroically ("like Morpheus," were the exact words spoken), he steps out of the storage shed with a katana in one hand and a pistol in the other. He takes the lead Ork by surprise. Perfect! He rolls to attack.
Glitch. The cybernetics malfunction, and his katana arm locks up mid-strike.
He uses another action to shoot (yeah I changed the base rules so players have two major actions). He rolls to attack.
Another glitch. His shooting arm locks up as it's raised; he can take a shot at the Ork's foot, basically. I feel bad, and let him take the shot.
His gun jams.
The round proceeds with less comedy: the Ork engaged with Mordekai wraps the bike chain around his katana arm and kicks him savagely in the chest. Brick's drone takes a bullet from the farthest ganger, then unloads a full Uzi clip into the poor sap; the Ork falls to the ground and begins to bleed out. The third and final Ork tries to duck into the storage facility where Erin and Sherman are hiding; a glitch results in an attack of opportunity for Brick's drone, which barely manages to clip the ganger in the ankle, causing him to fall. Sherman, thinking of his sister's safety, runs up and points his pistol right at the guy's head...and misses terribly. Understandable, considering this is his first time handling a gun and he's under duress.
Back to Mordekai. The Tin Man.
"I want to bite him in the neck with my cyberjaw."
Another roll. Another glitch. His jaw locks up. He begins cursing Squid's name for his shitty hackjob. The Ork he's engaged with keeps on hitting him, but thanks to his Dermal Deposits and his positive qualities (Built Tough, High Pain Tolerance), Mordekai holds his ground.
Meanwhile, the Crimson Crush ganger inside pulls Sherman down by the ankles; the pistol clatters away, out of reach. He beats the shit out of the kid. Brick's drone has one more burst fire, but he doesn't want to risk hitting the Belle kids.
Then before anyone realizes what's happening, Erin has the pistol pointed at the Ork's face and pulls the trigger. Blood splatters her expensive dress.
By this point, Mordekai's katana arm is working again, but the Ork in front of him wants nothing more to do with this fight and runs away.
Erin starts crying. I point out to the party that even though Knight Errant's presence here is sparse, they will still respond. A quick survey by Brick's drone and they determine the heat will arrive in twenty minutes or so. What to do with the body?
Also, Florian's disappeared. Squid, now high as a kite, says he went to find more novacoke. Quite enthusiastically, he offers to take care of the Ork's body as well.
The end of the adventure sees Brick and Mordekai first escort Sherman and Erin back to The Gentleman Loser so they can make their way back home. Then, because they want to get paid, they go searching for Florian, who ends up being stuck on the top of an abandoned Stuffer Shack, stripped down to his underwear, running in circles, and cheering. He leaps from the roof into Mordekai's arms (no shit), and gives them 400 nuyen for a job...done. He asks them if they think Erin likes him. No one answers. Mordekai and Brick share one more drink, then Brick invites him to stay at his place until he can get on his own feet.
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Why did I make this post? (TL;DR)
I wrote this game report because I really believe in Shadowrun as a setting, but not necessarily as a ruleset. Make no mistake, I think the rules for 6E are at times incomprehensible and often contradictory, but like I stated at the beginning of this post, the rules for any roleplaying game are just guidelines. I suppose the real question is: wouldn't it be a shame for Shadowrun to disappear because of the community's negativity? These games are supposed to be an exercise in collaborative storytelling, not a mechanical puppet show.
Something doesn't make sense to you? Change it! Think a rule shouldn't exist? Delete it! Can't remember exactly what attributes to use? Pick what makes sense to you in the moment instead of breaking the scene and flipping through the book. There were countless times I just made a split second judgement during our first game, and it turned out fine. Good, even.
Yeah, the rules suck as written. Strength isn't used in anything. Unarmed does as much damage as a shotgun for some reason. Rigging and the Matrix are overly complicated. Bad luck makes doing anything really hard (as we learned in our first session). The community deserves better, certainly, but don't let it stop you from having great games and memorable moments with your friends.
What if I had read the reviews, watched the videos, seen all the negative feedback and went, "eh, maybe I'll wait for 7th?" That's a whole lot of time not playing Shadowrun. I imagine there are many people who ended up not getting into it because of the negativity surrounding the rules.
You know what I say? Fuck the rules. We make the shadows ours.

AITA for refusing to share my money with my step sister?

Beware the DM’s Cousin Part 1; Thy Cousin’s Keeper

Cross-posting from AllThingsDND
Warning right up front: This is a long one... so long it cannot be told in one part. Still, here we go.
I must admit, D&D was something I wished was a bigger part of my life growing up. The big problem was being raised in an area near no adventure leagues, the closest game shop being over an hour away by car when you don’t have a driver’s license, and knowing few people who actually wanted to play but no one wanted to be the game master. When it came down to it, one other person and myself were decent story-tellers and could fit the bill but it was a group decision that my buddy, (who actually was coming off another game) be the one to take the proverbial reins of the campaign. If I had been better at math or were as good at keeping notes as I am now, I am certain I would have been propped up as a fledgling Dungeon Master instead of him. Sure, I might have ended up as one of one of those, ‘Forever DM’ types but I’m certain the stories I had to share would’ve been, while still as exciting, a heck of lot more positive than the exasperating, teeth-grinding sessions they would become.
Before I continue onto why this game became a Sisyphean task among friends, I just want to preface this with one bit of advice: never have an, “Everyone Sees Everyone Else’s Dice Rolls” Rule. Yes, on the surface of things that sounds completely fair but there’s a darned good reason the DM has a privacy screen. And to put it simply, that is so the DM should have the ability to fudge rolls at their discretion if need be without argument; if not for the sake of preserving the story and game then to the emotional fairness of the players! You see, if everyone sees those dice all the time then one must be prepared for a lot of headaches to follow as those dice cut like a double-edged sword.
So many headaches...
While I was unfamiliar with the term, “Session Zero” at the time, that first session indeed proved to be the litmus test of what I could expect out of this group of players. In hindsight? I could honestly say the four of us together could’ve been a great lot. We had a DM, (a good friend) that, as mentioned before, was an experienced Third Edition player from a previous group and had wanted to share his own fantasy world with his three good teenage friends who were all ready and raring to learn the ropes of tabletop RPGs! But there was one glaring issue... we were forced to take on another player by the Dungeon Master’s mother.
The DM’s cousin.
And right here is where I wish to preface you readers with my second bit of D&D advice. Unless all family members involved in the game are players or everyone in the game is family outright, never, EVER split relatives up between player and dungeon master roles. If it’s not obvious enough why that’s a terrible idea off the bat... trust me, it will. Especially when combined with a, “Everyone Sees Everyone Else’s Dice Rolls” Rule.
Hearing that her son was doing a, ‘group hobby’ the DM’s mother was overjoyed and brought it up with her sister, who was more than happy to volunteer her own boy to get him out of the house to do activities with guys his own age. And thus, for us to have a room to set up shop and game, the DM’s first cousin had to be involved. Initially, he seemed to be friendly and excited for this as much as we were so nothing seemed off at the time; just that we had one more player than expected. And so we had our cast of players.
DM – Best Buddy; Dungeon Master.Thanagar Coal – Me; Chaotic-Neutral Human Male, Lvl. 3 Rogue.Corbin Dunimloff – Friend 2; Lawful-Good Human Male, Lvl. 3 Paladin of Pelor.Marsha Whisk aka “Whisky” – Friend 3; Chaotic-Good Elven Female, Lvl. 3 Sorcerer.Fork N. Knife – DM’s Cousin; Chaotic-Neutral Human Male, Lvl. 3 Bard.
...And Kravaz Thrillcorl – *ALSO* DM’s Cousin; Chaotic-Neutral Dwarf Male, Lvl. 3 Barbarian. Trust me, this will make sense in a bit.
The DM opened up with us as an already established adventuring group for hire. Nothing special but we were all Level 3 and each had a special item of our request within reason, two-hundred gold apiece, and other miscellaneous travel gear. We were on a visit to the Capital City on the look for work, only to find the visit was of most fortuitous timing. We had arrived just as the Prince had been born and there was quite the merriment and festivity among the populace in the streets. People were singing, drinking, laughing; the castle grounds open to allow everyone in for a great feast and a chance to have a peek at the newly born heir apparent. During the time, we learned some of the kingdom’s culture and story and some of us, myself included, were packing our sacks full of wine bottles, bread, and dried meats for later consumption. Marsha, bless her, was able to sneak an entire cheese wheel with Mage Hand. It was an amazing time to be had in the Kingdom of Carealot...
...
......
...Okay, descriptions and detail of people, places, and things were something the DM was absolutely amazing if not truly gifted at. Naming, not so much...
But yes, it was a wonderful time, the raucous celebration going well into the night in-game, with Thanagar getting drunk and hitting on Marsha, Corbin making certain everyone thanked Pelor for the bountiful feast we enjoyed as well as for the health of the baby prince, and Fork was doing as Bards are want to do and gathering all the ladies... and then one of the palace’s armed guards came running into the royal gardens, screaming his head off.
Security Guard: “The Princess has disappeared!”
Insert sounds of horror and worry amongst the royal family and populace. I was excited. All right! Here was the true start of our campaign’s plot!
However, remember how I said the DM gave us all a special item within reason? Fork N. Knife’s Lute was made special because it had the added effect of, ‘Harmonizing’. A harmonizing weapon accompanies the player in song or speech if drawn, granting a +2 competence bonus on Performance checks. With his Lute in hands and plucking away, the Bard came right up to the distraught king and queen.
Fork N. Knife: “No worries, my royal Highness and his beautiful Queen! I just put her young Ladyship to bed! This is her little brother’s day and she felt it okay to retire early. Now come! Calm yourselves and let’s continue to party!”
All of us looked at the DM’s cousin in surprise. Not only was that rather ballsy but nothing good would come from bald-faced lying to royalty. I could only wonder what the heck he was thinking.
Then without being asked, he rolled his d20. A Nat 20 that became an unnatural 22.
Still, to his credit, the DM wasn’t just going to let this go without challenge! So in return, he had the King roll for insight... and the dice came to a stop at a Nat 1.
King: “AH! I see! Well this is a rather rambunctious party and she is quite the delicate flower! I could see it clashing with her sensibilities. Now come, come! Everyone! All eat, drink, and be merry this evening!”
Even as he kept his tone a positively-charged one, the DM looked like he’d bitten into a lemon.
And so the first session ended up simply being one big party with the Bard constantly trying to take center stage as he hit on all kinds of NPCs and build a harem for his character to enjoy come nightfall. As the first game night came to a close, the DM asked his cousin if he realized what he was doing; my friend admitting to all of us outright that the Bard had derailed the initial plot he had in store for the campaign. His cousin just smiled and explained that he wasn’t stupid and that, yes, he saw where it was going and HAD purposely thrown off the plot hook. When pressed as to why he would do such a thing, the cousin’s answer was a phrase I would learn to come to dread.
Fork N. Knife: “It’s what my character would do.”
Still, despite the jarring meta-gaming towards the end of that first session, we all had mostly a good time that night. Yet despite this feeling of accomplishment, there was this smugness that hung in the air around the DM’s cousin that was equal parts frustrating and nauseating. I could tell from how my friend picked up a trio writing-filled papers he picked up from behind his DM screen only to tear them in half that something big was going to go down.
My intuition was proven correctly correct the following weekend. When our next session began, we were told it was taking place three months later in-game time and that our group, minus the Bard, were bound in heavy irons and chains as we were marched down the gang-plank of a prison hulk, (think a Noah’s Ark for criminal containment and transport). The Captain of the Ship took out a scroll from his coat and read us our rights; we were told we were hereby banished from Carealot and that to return to our homeland would mean a death sentence. We were now officially Exiles. As the Captain rolled his document, the guards that had escorted us off the ship then unlocked our manacles and left us there on the docks of the Western Continent, minus not only the food we had picked up at the party but our weapons and/or special gear as well the DM had gifted us at the start of the campaign as well.
You could bet we were all confused by what was happening; fortunately the DM went into ‘Narrator Mode’ to explain what happened. While the party celebrating the Prince’s birth had been a fine one indeed, tragedy struck when the palace guards eventually found the Princess dead the next morning. I’ll save you fine readers the gory details; let’s just say her death was less than pleasant and our DM was quite imaginative in explaining just how malicious and brutal the sight the guards came across had been. Now how did this involve us?
The Bard was considered the last person to see her alive as he poignantly told the royalty he sent her off to bed. As such he was assumed to have been an assassin and as since he was part of our group, we were accomplices or at the very least, co-conspirators, in their eyes. According to the DM, with the exception of the Bard, it took over two months of in-game time for trial and jury to clear ourselves of having a hand in the murder. However, while we were found us innocent of his crime itself, we were still considered complicit as accessories to the murderer of the King’s daughter due to having the Bard in our party, even though we weren’t involved at all!
So the Bard got his head on a pike and we were exiled due to the mounting, ‘suspicious circumstances’ and we were warned that we would likely have trouble finding work as word of the royal tragedy had made it far West. Word of the princess’ murder had made it this far long before we were released from captivity. So what should have been a band of adventurers starting to come into their own were now stigmatized with a crime they didn’t commit. Immediately, the first thing that popped into mind was, “The A-Team” and the three of us knew things were going to be tricky to prove our innocence and make a new name for ourselves...
...Or so we thought. Almost immediately upon being abandoned by the correctional officer guards, the DM told us not to worry, that someone had watched the spectacle of us being released from the Prison Hulk and–putting two-and-two together–realized what was going on and figured we would be desperate enough to reestablish ourselves that we could be of use! A Barbarian Dwarf who would best be physically described as your typical Battle Armor He-Man action figure from the 80’s with the exception of long brown hair and beard, the latter from which a smile pointedly shone; perfectly pearly white teeth with the exception of a pair of prominent gold teeth where his upper left primary and lateral incisors would have been. This Dwarf had been at the port looking to hire some sailors to form a new group of capable combatants to replace his former members who had, ‘perished due to not being up to the job’ and lo and behold, here one was already built!
And before you ask, yes: this Dwarf was the DM’s cousin. Not only did he get to roll up a new character, new gear, AND get to request a new specialty weapon but as we would quickly come to find, ALSO didn’t suffer from a reputation penalty we did within the Port Town of...
...Port Town...
That’s’ right. Bad naming aside, the three of us were punished for his ass-hattery the last session and he comes out smelling like roses due to getting a new character who is already aligned with the area. And due to being a local, he could go to shops and get fair prices while these same places would charge any of us double if not TRIPLE because we were seen as criminals. This lead to us having to give his cousin our gold to get us restocked with weapons at a fairer price... and no, not fair, but fairer. He would tax us for his aid, called it, “Paying your Union Dues now that you’re part of the ThrillCorl Corps.” So instead of paying double/triple prices, we paid 50% extra, with the Dwarf pocketing that last third of cost for himself.
And it only kept snowballing from there as because we had to depend on him so much initially in the game, the DM’s cousin soon developed what I would later learn was termed by the D&D community as, “Main Character Syndrome”. Because of our reputations to start out with he became the face of the party and got to talk with and interact with the majority of the NPC’s, the cousins doing 80% of the role-playing with each other with us getting an occasional nugget of interacting with/investigating the environments. Other than that, we were basically forced into combat rolls to support the, ‘Almighty Kravaz Thrillcorl’.
At this point, I feel I should reiterate to you dear readers, we three only had to deal with such punishments because of the BS this player’s previous character pulled on his own accord! He committed the crime and we were the ones serving his sentencing while he got rewarded. It was incredibly frustrating and dealing with the DM’s relative got even more difficult as time went on. Over the course of four months, two level gains, and two campaign arcs, it became painfully obvious the Dwarf was the sort that would take joy in making a mess of things rather than achieving the actual end-goal.
One good example of this: the group came to a Cliff-face but rather than transverse back and trek downwards, I brought up the fact I had two levels in the Skill “Rope”. I could secure ropes with grappling hook using a simple Rope check (d10 + 2 for every 10 feet of distance). It was a forty foot drop and I had 150 feet of rope. Enough to create a rope harness for three people. I figured I’d save rope, create two of them, and have the team take turns. With Thanagar’s overseeing, (my rolling) Corbin and Marsha reached the base of the cliff without a hitch and then Thanagar sets himself and Kravaz for the next round and I begin my rolls. A Natural 10 with a +2. Perfect. As I was the one controlling the ropes, we were off to a great start to descend...
...Or should’ve been. The DM’s cousin decided then and there that I’d been, ‘hogging the spotlight’ long enough and makes a roll himself. He comes up a two and says he grabs onto me to keep himself from falling,
DM: “Make a roll to see if you dislodge from the cliff-face.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
DM: “Kravaz rolled terrible and his harness is barely holding together and his added weight might throw you off.”
Me: “The rope only needs one set of hands to control the pulley aspect and I already rolled for that. Rolled perfectly in fact.”
Kravaz: “Hey! Don’t ignore me! All rolls count, you know! No take-backs!”
DM: “Yeah, yeah... we know. Well, since Kravaz also rolled I’m going to accept it as an action. So now you gotta roll with the punches.”
I grumbled irritably and... rolled a 3. Fortunately with the +2, I was able to get to a modest 5. It was enough that I was able to take control of the pulley system after we went into free-fall for nearly half the distance and upon stopping suddenly, my character Thanagar finds himself damaged from getting squished between a literal rock and hard place as the ballast of the Barbarian Dwarf slams into my Human Rogue like a wrecking ball and crushed him firmly against the stone surface of the cliff. Upon coming to the ground, I’ll never forget what he said.
Kravaz: “See! Wasn’t that more entertaining than another perfect climb down the mountainside? We can’t have this game get boring.”
And if you think hurting us was the only way he got his kicks... oh no. The DM’s cousin liked to ‘role-play’ all right... the kind that would get Therapists telling parents that their child is raising some serious red flags. He would hurt if not kill NPCs, (particularly story-important ones to detail the plot) and then he would loot their bodies. The group was uncomfortable with this but when we tried to bring this up to the DM, his would then try to do our characters in as the DM allowed a level of PVP for, ‘realism’. And oh, how the Dwarf loved to threaten us with it death: as he often justified...
Kravaz: “It’s what my character would do.”
As such, we were being abused and weren’t getting much reward for our characters while the DM’s cousin’s PC was pretty much the center of attention; making money and items hand-over-first in-game and garnering reputation and favors from the locals. If we tried to reason with him or even attempted to role-play in ways that he felt threatened his stage presence, the prat would just start to bully us... in particular, the jerk kept singling me out to pick on: both in-game AND into real-life. Again, the previously mentioned rope incident was a good example of this.
It was a real friendship strainer, especially since I didn’t know the guy in any way but as my friend’s cousin! I hadn’t any previous interaction from him to have such animosity and I had no idea why he would be such an a-hole to the three of us. After the first arc ended terribly around the two month mark, I told my parents I wanted to quit. Rather than let me they wanted to know why, so I had to explain to my folks what was going on and told them outright I didn’t want to go over anymore, that I was having a terrible time of it and was tired of being treated like crap. Sadly, this was a time in America when the powers that be absolutely PUSHED social interaction as politically correct and introversion as the devil’s training ground for creating school-shooters and they weren’t about to let me quit my one major social gathering. They called my friend’s parents and inquired about their nephew’s actions. They promised my folks that things like that wouldn’t continue under their roof.
The next time we got together, the DM’s cousin made sure to give me hell for ‘snitching’ on him... and that personal hell wasn’t just for the following session but for the next two months to follow as well. The harassment was intensified twice over as his Dwarf Barbarian would now also criticize and humiliate my Rogue in-game down to the smallest detail.
One of the things that he would always, and I mean ALWAYS pick on me every session for was the fact I preferred having my Rogue use daggers rather than a short-sword for its weight and capabilities both inside and out of combat. His Dwarf with act all big and tough, calling them, ‘butter knives’ and try to use this insult to make my character seem unmanly in the worst situations.
And that was just in-game. The real-life stuff was more than a little hurtful, as he chose to go after aspects related to my asthma.
“Why are you so fat?”
“No more chips for you, tubby.”
“Why are you breathing funny?”
“Stop breathing that way!”
“A Rogue? Please! Overrated! But I guess you want to play something fast because you’re so damn fat!”
“Friggin’ butter-knives. I’ve heard of compensating but man you gotta be small if THAT is enough to ease your ego, dickless.”
There was a lot more but that got truly, truly family-unfriendly and I do not feel like revisiting it. But of course, he also tormented me with the ever-childish...
Me: “Would you please quit it?”
DM’s Cousin: “Would you please quit it?”
Me: “...Wait.”
DM’s Cousin: “Wait.”
Me: “What?”
DM’s Cousin: “What?”
Me: “Stop it.”
DM’s Cousin: “Stop it.”
I explained this ramped up at the two-month mark. After reaching the third month, a full thirty days of this extra-abusive behavior, I was emotionally spent. He would literally drain any excitement I had every damn session and took obvious delight in it. It got so bad that I didn’t care if it pissed him off, I needed adult help so I went to my friend’s mom directly and told her what was going on with nephew and that I needed someone to just make him STOP!
What did I get? I was told, “Now, now! Boys will be boys!” My pain was ignored and the bully ripped on me even harder for tattling on him. Worse still, if before he had been picking on me twice as bad for talking to my parents, now he had ramped it up to a full ten times. The verbal abuse in and out of game was unbearable and he kept getting away with it because his family members allowed him to.
After we ended the second arc of campaign around month four, (and what a shocker, the Barbarian Dwarf f*cked things up again) I was ready to go come hell or high water. If it came to it was literally willing to fight with my folks to make this stop because it would hurt less emotionally than the verbal lashing I took weekly from this asshole. Yet the DM insisted I stick around. When I pressed him as to why I should stay, he admitted to me that he wasn’t blind to the situation. He could see what his cousin was doing to me and he knew as soon as someone quit, this was over... the other two were just hanging on by a thread and if I left, they would to as to not become the new target of his cousin’s ire. As much as he disliked the way his cousin treated his friends, he was getting enjoyment honing his skills as a DM.
So he asked me if there was anything he could do in return for me in-game to keep me playing with the group. Anything at all, I merely had to name it, he would make attaining it part of the main focus of the next story-arc. And I would admit, there was indeed something I wanted out of this game. I wasn’t getting a boost in power much with the level gains and was tired of the Dwarf mocking this fact so I honestly wanted a species change to get a quick power-up to shut him up.. I wanted to be some form of lycanthrope, preferably a werefox.
I had the monster manual, I’ve seen the stats. Imagine that with a Rogue background!!!
Now Werefoxes, (or Foxwomen) were a beast from the Second Edition of D&D. Third Edition did away with them, (and much more as it tried to streamline the Lore) but he promised me that he would do it, that he would put together something for a male Werefox.
Little did I realize the fate that awaited me in trying to get this benefit.
To Be Continued...

Iron Gods: Silverdisk Hall games

My party just visited Silverdisk Hall in my Iron Gods campaign; I had created three different games for them to try out, and they seemed to have fun, so I thought I'd post them here if you want to spice up that encounter:
Game #1: Torched Sevens - A craps-lite game that's thematic to Torch and should be easy for the players to grasp.
The game uses 2d6. Each round, the players place their bets (minimum 1cp, maximum 50gp). The roller, one of the players referred to as "The Smelter", is then given the dice by the croupier, and rolls them. Bets are won or lost based on the result of the dice.
The possible bets and their payouts are as follows:
Roll is a 2: 29 to 1
Roll is a 3: 14 to 1
Roll is a 4: 9 to 1
Roll is a 5: 13 to 2
Roll is a 6: 5 to 1
Roll is a 7: 4 to 1
Roll is an 8: 5 to 1
Roll is a 9: 13 to 2
Roll is a 10: 9 to 1
Roll is an 11: 14 to 1
Roll is a 12: 29 to 1
Lower than a 7: 1 to 1
Higher than a 7: 1 to 1
Pits (any 1 on the dice, representing the torch fire pit): 2 to 1
Carts (any 6 on the dice, representing the carts that carry materials to the torch): 2 to 1
The last bet that can be placed is the Torch fire bet (maximum 1gp). This bet can only be placed if the previous roll was not a 7. The bet stays on the table until a non-7 is rolled, or if four consecutive rolls are 7, at which point the bet is taken off by the dealer, and the highest applicable payout is awarded. Payout of the Torch fire bet is as follows:
Two consecutive 7's: 30 to 1
Three consecutive 7's: 200 to 1
Four consecutive 7's: 1000 to 1
When two consecutive 7's are rolled, onlookers and players commonly say "The dice are on fire!" When four consecutive 7's are rolled, onlookers and players yell "TORCH!" and it's customary for the winners to give a free drink to the Smelter, or for the Smelter to buy a round of drinks for the table if the Smelter placed a fire bet. After at least two consecutive 7's and upon completion of the Torch fire bet, a new Smelter is selected.
PCs can attempt to cheat by past-posting, or by rigging the dice. Either attempt requires a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check to fool the dealers and the boxperson (The Ropefists are in charge of the game, but they have to watch all of the players as well as the PCs).
Past-posting requires no additional check; on a successful past-posting attempt, a PC can move a bet any PC has placed on the table to an adjacent spot (a bet on 6 can be moved to 5 or 7, for example). For every 5 that the PC exceeds the DC, they can either move another bet to an adjacent spot, or move the original bet two spaces away. Consecutive attempts to past-post increase the DC by 2 per consecutive attempt (and goes down by 2 for each subsequent round the PC does not attempt to cheat), and may require Bluff checks to act dumb in front of the dealers.
Rigging the dice requires the PC to be the Smelter and pass a DC 15 Disable Device check, and the check must be made before the dice are rolled. A success means the PC can reroll one of the dice after the roll is made. If the PC exceeds the DC by 5, they may set one of the dice to any face after the roll is made. If the PC exceeds the DC by 10, they may set both of the dice.
If three consecutive 7's are rolled, all eyes are on the Smelter and the table to see if the "torch flares up". Any attempt to influence the dice must attempt opposed Sleight of Hand checks against the three Ropefists controlling the game, and against Garmen Ulreth (make this roll secretly).
If a PC fails a Sleight of Hand check to rig the dice, or if that PC fails three past-posting attempts, then some time during the night, one of the Ropefists appears to escort the PC to the "VIP room", promising fine wine, girls, etc., located in the back of the hall. Waiting for that PC in the back room is four more Ropefist thugs ready to rough up the offending PC. If the PC is knocked out, the thugs strip them of their chips, and kick the PC out the back door into the streets.
At your discretion, the dealer can attempt to introduce loaded dice into the game once three consecutive 7s are rolled. The PCs can spot this with opposed Sense Motive or Perception checks. If these dice are rolled without being tampered, reroll any result of 7.
PCs can also come up with their own creative ways of cheating the game. Determine the effects, risks, rewards, and consequences for these.

Game #2: Burning Cards - a Hold-em variant with a press-your-luck element
Rules: The object of Burning Cards is to forge the best 5-card poker hand from your two hole cards and the community cards. Rounds consist of Burns where new community cards are dealt, while the dealer adds rolled dice to the Torch. If the sum of the dice in the Torch ever exceeds 21, the Torch flares up, and all players who are not Standing at a safe distance forfeits the hand.
Ante: To ante, each player Pushes one chip into the pot. Each player is then dealt two hole cards. Starting to the left of the dealer, each player decides to either Fold or Push one chip into the pot.
1st Burn: After the ante, the dealer rolls three dice. These dice and all subsequent dice rolled by the dealer make the Torch. The dealer then places the three dice in the corresponding spots on the board and deals three community cards face up below the placed dice. A betting round then takes place.
Betting Rounds: Starting with the first active player to the left of the dealer, each player must do one of the following:

Fold: The player discards their hole cards facedown and forfeits the hand.
Push: The player puts one chip into the pot.
Stand: The player places their personal marker below the card of the current burn, and places one chip into the pot. That player is now a Standing player; they may not use any community cards beyond where they have placed their marker. Each burn, they MUST place one chip into the pot on their turn. Standing players are not at risk from the Torch and are not considered active.

Subsequent Burns: After 1st Burn, each burn will start with the dealer and all Standing Players rolling a die. The dealer adds their die to the Torch. If a Standing player rolls a 1, they also add their die to the Torch, placing it above the dealer die for the current burn. The dealer then deals one more community card to the center. A betting round then occurs, after which more Burns are played until the hand ends.
Ending a Hand: A hand can end in one of two ways:

All players stand: At the end of a Burn where all players have decided to Stand, every standing player reveals their hole cards. The player with the best five card hand using their hole cards and the community cards they can use takes the pot. In the case of a tie, the pot is split evenly between the tied players.
The total value of all dice in the Torch exceeds 21: All Standing Players win immediately and split the pot evenly between themselves. All other players forfeit the hand. At the end of the hand, players discard their cards and the dealer button passes to the left.

NOTE: At this point, the Hall takes 5-10% commission from the pot.
Running out of chips: If a player runs out of chips in the middle of the hand, that player is forced to Stand upon placing their last chip. A side pot should then be made with all chips placed into the pot starting with the next Burn. If that player wins the hand or ties for winning the hand, they are only entitled to chips in the main pot (which is split separately from any side pots if necessary). The side pots are awarded among remaining players as normal.
Up to six players can play, but to simulate a game, the GM should control the opposing players' actions. Any PCs involved in the hand can make opposed Bluff/Intimidate/Diplomacy checks to influence the actions of their opponents (with secret modifiers/penalties depending on how good/bad the target's hand is). Sense Motive can also be used to gauge the strength of an opponent's hand. Only one check can be made by each PC per burn (to expedite the hand. You may allow the PCs to make more checks if you want).
PCs can cheat by marking the cards or manipulating the dice (Sleight of Hand + Disable Device), or by signaling to each other (Bluff to pass a secret message). PCs can find other creative ways to cheat, with checks and DCs as determined by the GM.

Game #3: The Strange Machine - spoilers: it's a slot machine
The machine has instructions written in Androffan, but fortunately, there's a helpful sign nearby that provides a translation of the instructions.
To play, the PC puts in one chip/coin (denomination determined by GM, but we'll assume a silverdisk). The PC then rolls 3d10, and 1d20. The payout table is as follows:
Any 7: Pays 2
Any two 7's: Pays 5
Any 3 odd numbers: Pays 5
Any 2 odd numbers AND one 7: Pays 10
3 of the same odd number: Pays 10
2 of the same odd number AND one 7: Pays 20
2 7's AND one odd number: Pays 40
3 7's: Pays 200 (adjust the jackpot as you see fit)
Weighting: if the PC rolls a winning combination, check the d20. If the roll is below an 11, change one of the d10s so that the winning payout falls at least one step (optionally, change the d10s so that there is no payout). Change the weighting value at your discretion: currently, the weighting at 11 and downgrading winning combinations will produce a house edge of around 2-5%.
PCs can cheat by using Disable Device to trick the machine into giving a winning result. The DC is 15 vs. a technological device (no E-pick imposes a -5 penalty). On a successful check, the PC can set one d10 before the roll. For every 5 the PC exceeds the check, they may set another d10. In any case, a successful check also negates the d20 roll. The PC must also succeed at an opposed Sleight of Hand check vs. onlookers, including Garmen Ulreth.

What ended up happening: the android in our party (who was only awakened less than a week prior) got drawn towards the strange machine and started putting silverdisks in from his 100gp voucher. To his delight, the machine kept spitting silverdisks back out! In all, I believe he made over 200gp in profit.
The others (aasimar Dawnflower Dervish, human Arcanist, aasimar Oracle) did a few games of Torched Sevens. The Oracle and Arcanist were losing, so they both decided to put it all on LOWER. Imagine their delight when the smelter rolled pits, putting them both to even!
Then, the Dawnflower Dervish and the Arcanist both played one hand of Burning Cards against three NPCs with a 5gp ante, and the Arcanist won with a royal flush! Everyone who saw the hand applauded as he raked in his winnings totaling over 100gp.
Sprinkle in appearances from other notable NPCs like Wrennie of the Marrymaid and Sanvil Trett, and I'd say that's a successful session of Silverdisk Hall.
What do you guys think?

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Today, street craps is a version often played in less-than-legal conditions, however there are circumstances where this isn’t the case. In general, however, players could face fines when playing street craps. The gameplay style is different in the sense that players bet against each other, and without the presence of a banker – a person who handles the money and ensures that players receive their winnings. Street Craps Rules. Players must first identify the player who will be shooting dice – the shooter. The shooter will then need to make a bet followed by the rest of the group in the clockwise direction. Each player can cover a portion of or all of the shooter’s bet. Craps Rules for Shooting Dice. The player must use only one hand when throwing the dice. Do not hold the dice under the table. Keep them in the line of sight of dealers and other players. The dice must hit the wall on the other side of the table when throwing the dice. Usually, there's a designated surface the dice have to hit. In casino craps, the dice must go all the way to the back wall of the table for it to count. This is why most street craps games are played against walls. Generally, you'll be a few feet away and roll against the wall, or some other kind of backdrop. House rules are in effect when it comes to street craps. In some cases, rolling a 2 or 12 on the first roll is a loss but the player keeps shooting. In other house rules the player must pass the dice after any losing roll. Just like in a live casino, street craps is a fast-paced game. Street craps, also called "shooting dice," is a simple gambling game that can be played wherever dice and a flat surface are at hand. Although a relative of the casino game craps, street craps is simpler and faster. Players bet on the likelihood of one player (the "shooter") rolling a certain target number before they roll a 7 on two dice. Dice. As the rules of street craps stipulate, gamers need two regular dice to play with. Keep in mind that some cheaters may use trick dice to make sure the bets of the players lose. Shooter. This is the player who throws the dice. According to the rules for street craps, there can be only one shooter at a particular time of the play. It’s standard practice for the shooter to pass the dice to another player if a round ends with a 7, and to stay as shooter if the round ends with the point value being rolled. This is essentially all there is to the basic rules of craps. What makes the game more complex are all the different bets that can be placed. If the point is rolled, the "pass" bet is paid and the shooter starts his turn over. If a 7 or 11 is rolled first, then the "pass" bet loses and the shooter's turn is over. Pass the dice. After the shooter's turn is over, the dice are passed to the shooter's left so that the next person can have a turn. Soundtrack Source: original article “Street craps, also called "shooting dice," (transposition: shooting c die) is a simple gambling game that can be played wherever dice and a flat surface are at hand. Although a relative of the casino game craps, street craps is simpler and faster.

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How to Play Craps - Casino Craps Rules - YouTube

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Video and rules on How to Play Street Dice: A Simplified Craps Game

Video and rules for How to Play Street Dice: A Simplified Craps Game

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