Thursday night/ Friday morning at work, I had an inkling that it was going to be a good weekend. As for paying attention to my job versus just being good conversation with my patients, it just wasn't going to happen. Luckily it was an easy enough night and I came home to find that Peryton had packed up everything and had it ready to loaded up, so I just spent the morning keeping myself awake and packing my own things. I made the conscious decision leave my PC at home and just work from pen and paper, and the quick notes that I had made at various times over the last couple of months. Instead I paid attention on having a different shirt to wear each day of the event. Then just before noon I packing up the car; and just a little after noon I was picking up the old woman and we were headed to the wilds of central western Ohio, in search of the source of the mighty Sandusky river.
Gamecasters play-testing game of his rather furry science fiction game Quantum started around 7:30pm. The man showed his raw talent for the table-top arena in keeping up with a rowdy group of would-be gamers on track for his game. I probably wasn't the only person who was a little loopy with a bit of alcohol in me and a definite lack of sleep. I mean everyone had a quick joke or long story, and the Monty Python quotes flowed freely. To the man's credit he was able to keep the story going, work with impromptu rules discussions of his system AND keep up on the jokes as well. Afterward, he reminded us that this was first time ever GMing an adventure. And my Space-Goat character rocked, not to be overly immodest.
Lunch was at McDonald's, and JerryTel and I had a bit of fun with a political discussion on the way back. I think we scared the hotel staff at the front desk, but him and I were actually finding out where we could give on our respective ideological positions, not throwing rhetoric at one another. It was a conversation not a debate or polemic exercise.
JerryTel began his "Feast or Famine" A Game of Thrones session just after 3pm. And once again I was drawn into his apt storytelling. The guy would be a great TV writer if he put his mind into it. And I don't mean TV as anything superficial, because it is my opinion that the writers for that medium understand what appeals to people in their art and culture but have a very limited time frame to express the bits and pieces that they have to offer. I am not familiar with aGoT, but I have seen at least three medieval-toned movies with Sean Bean to get the grit, and read enough Roger Zelanzy's Prince of Amber series so I think I did well enough. Who excelled was Brock, who's real name is Jeff mentioned earlier. But it during this session where Jeff found his character Brock Oath-Breaker, and he ruled the session. And from there on out, the man will ever be Brock of Brockville, home of Brockweisser, where they only grow wheat and barley, and import hops to have a beer worthy of Brock Day celebrations, roughly every Thursday. The man was in the role-playing zone.
Before Peryton's Dr. Who scenario, "Dreams of Cybermen" , we ordered the "Saturday Night Pizza Delivered!." These two 16" pizzas not only came from Anthony's Heavenly Pizza, the boxes were adorned with the proverb John 3:16. The pizza itself was rather tasty. Once again suggested by the evening manager at the front desk.
Though we gripe about the Friday sessions of Troll Hoots being the worsts, for the last two we've had great Friday night sessions, as everyone gets there earlier these days and we get caught up earlier as well. So Fridays are becoming one of the better slots to run a game. What hasn't changed throughout the four Hoots that we've had is the fact that the Saturday night slot is a grill session. Not saying Saturday night 7pm-Midnight is a bad slot, just a demanding slot. Peryton's "Dreams of Cyber Men" was an ambitious project, not only in her quest for doing homage to the Dr Who stories that she loves so much, but in her task before her as well.
The scenario itself was an awesome Dr. Who story. Peryton got its Torchwood characters from 2040 to my character Dallas Rugby, third, maybe 5th, string quarterback of the 1976-79 Denver Broncos in the year 1976 and from there we ended up on Sarkis, which my PC was amazed was not a Greek Island. And then we ran into representatives of the GCE mega-corporation where Pery's Corp-Speak of the future rather knocked our socks off-- she hinted at a whole galactic arm ran through Item Lists and waivers of responsibilities. Caed's Torchwood representative proved as ruthless as any granddaughter of Captain Jack Harkness would be. And Gamecaster's Mister Magoo homage took technobabble to higher levels than I have seen in six years of delving into space opera. Brock pulled radio watch. JerryTel's "dope-pusher from the future" biochemist added a criminal element to the tale giving the whole session a rather new angle on a rather traditional Cybermen yarn. I don't want to give away too much, but there was a multi-faced blob with tentacles... I am serious this plot was worthy of any Dr. Who fan's notice. Pery's Dr. Who fixation is paying off in creative role-playing in dozens.
A little after midnight, things wrapped up and everyone was indeed tired. JerryTel stated that drinking at 6pm was a bad thing. I countered with that we should've turned 6pm-7pm into a cocktail hour and gotten some air. Brock was ready for bed, and Gamecaster was packing like the cops would be showing up soon (he had to work the Sunday AM). There was a definite energy ebb there at the end of things.
Once at home, Pery and I promptly crashed for seven hours after first trying to wade through a French I-Hate-Women "science fiction" flik from the 60s. And then found out Gamecaster left his toiletries with us, in rush to avoid the cops. All and all, I'd call this weekend a success in the scheme of life.
2 comments:
Yes, it was a wonderful thing to be had. I did not wish to return to the Real World as I was driving back to Northwestern Ohio. I cannot wait until the next one or another such event. Will, hopefully, have the entire Quantum game and to run a Liasha World session. The Liasha World will be after your T&T game, of course.
As always Tom, you are masterful at your summaries...thanks for the memories!
JT
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