Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 200 Adventurers Character Race Class Description Ainsley Human Ranger level 1 An older gentleman with a groomed moustache and a wooden pipe in his mouth, covered in dark green cloak. Astrid Hunnisdottir Dwarf Fighter level 4 A dwarf with burning hair and a belt fashioned from harpy scalps as a reminder of dangers of friendship and singing. Aurella Elf Fighter level 1 / magic-user level 1 Exiled and chased out of her tree commune, she now wanders the Wilderlands. Bragi Twinefinger Hobbit Fighter level 3 A stout strong hobbit. As a devotee of the Great Tailor he is always smartly dressed (under his armour) and overly fond of multiple breakfasts. Hedwig Hogwarts Elf Fighter / magic-user An always alert owl masquerading as an elf. Helmuth Mithaft Human Fighter level 2 A bold mercenary with glorious red beard and pearly facial hair. Herbaecious Roncule Human Druid level 3 A sun tanned, grubby, dried-berry-looking fellow dressed in green cloak. Chews a large cigar. Ivor Human Cleric level 2 A young, soft-spoken worshipper of Umannah with thick black beard. Kenso San Human Fighter level 2 An arrogant and self-assured sell-sword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. Siora Qiwarin Half-elf Fighter level 6 / magic-user level 6 / cleric level 4 Recognisable by her flame fluted helm of brilliance, and her dazzlingly ice blue eyes. At the beginning of battle she is known to usher a prayer to the Lords of LAW and cause her broadsword to burst into flames. Due to this, many call her the flame maiden. She despises Dwarves. Syd Grundy Human Fighter level 3 Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. Volkard Human Ranger level 1 Bushy hobo from the wilderness. Warmund Abendeurer Human Fighter level 2 A burly blonde barbarian; Wilbalt's older brother and the stronger of the two. Sweetrain 19th, Fireday Adventurers gripped their weapons, holding their ranks. Pumped with adrenaline, their ears still bleeding from the shriekers they have aggravated, they awaited the onslaught to come. Under the veil of night Warmund and Helmuth reinforced their ranks. Wild barking and baying resumed, as a pack of wild dogs tore into the front ranks. They initially hesitated to bite into the guano covered folk, but soon changed their mind and went only for those caked with white delicacy. The fight was brutal, with large, wiry dogs biting into the shins and sides. Syd and Helmut managed to kill one, while Kenso and Ivor killed another one. The adventurers were split in two fronts, separated by an empty cave. One half of them were holding the tunnel to south-west, while the rest held the east tunnel. Their positioning allowed them to funnel the beasts. As the battle raged, they barely noticed the arrival of the Flame Maiden. She held her Flaming Sword up high in one hand, and a wand in the other. She waved the wand at Syd, and he grew to the size of an ogre. All the dogs on his side went for him. “Thanks!” he quipped, already half-chewed to death. Alas, the growth was naught for an illusion, so he had not benefited from it. A gang of uproarious pig faced orcs stormed from the south-west tunnel, splashing against the adventures with fury. The largest amongst them wore a giant snake skull. Siora changed her tactics and cast Sleep. Dogs and orcs went to sleep. And so did Astrid, Drokh, Bragi, Syd, Herbaecious, Helmuth, Volkard, and Ainsley. Orc snake leader snarled and stepped forth to duel Warmund and Kenso. Self-titled sword bastards terminated him with extreme prejudice. “Oh what should I dooo, I am so small!” Hedwig cried. Them he tippy tapped over the sleeping adventurers. He woke no one. The fight was far from over. Orcs continued coming from the darkness. Warmund and Kenso held the line while the rest slapped others awake. Siora used her wand to create phantasmal undead orcs. With their leader gone, the fighters massacred them en masse, killing at least a dozen. Few survivors fled deeper into the caves, and adventurers gave chase. Siora had to walk slowly, for she was concentrating on the wand and phantasmal illusions. At this moment the party was spread out nearly two hundred feet—from the original cave they fought in, to the junction where the orcs fled. “Siora, watch out! There is a piece of brittle shale you should not step on!” Due to narrow passage to the sides, it took adventurers some time to carefully walk around. “Agh!” Drokh cried out as he was swarmed by another gang of orcs that came from behind! He fell to the ground. Adventurers reciprocated by killing half of them. Astrid claimed one, Kenso as well, while Warmund and Bragi each killed two. The remaining six fled north. Simultaneously another dozen orcs arrived from south, clashing with those that crossed the shale trap. They were brutally slain within two rounds. Bragi tried to chase the northern survivors, but they were faster. A trail of nearly forty dead pig-faced beastmen and ten wild dogs spanned three tunnels and two caves, measuring almost three hundred feet. Adventurers reconvened beyond the trap, among a dozen dead orcs. Drokh was alive but wounded, much like Aurella. Siora decided that she would use her scroll to Commune. Astrid, Ivor, Herbaecious, Helmuth, Kenso, Warmund, and Ainsley formed a defence perimeter around her. Syd, Aurella, Hedwig, Bragi, and Volkard looted the corpses. Siora was consumed by fire. She became Nothing in the presence of Radiant Death. “Oh Ummanah! What is the best route to the greatest treasure in this cave system?” “Down and north.” the light pulsed in ten thousand hues of orange. “Oh Ummanah! What is the safest route to the orc lair?” “Same.” the light pulsed in seven million hues of yellow. “Oh Ummanah! What greater threat exists in these caves?” “Mess no with the stone head that roll.” the light pulsed with a trillion hues of violet. “Thank you god!” And she was birthed by fire, landing in the damp caves once more. “Down and north?” “Well there is a long tunnel leading down just here, around the corner. Astrid said she senses it to be at the river level, maybe lower.” Company of thirteen descended down and down and down a curving tunnel. Every ten feet the air grew colder and colder and colder. Finally, they landed in an irregular cave, some thirty feet wide. The ceiling was tall and concave, spotted with thin stalactites and carpeted with hanging mosses. Two tunnels to the south led further into the darkness. Horrible stench of dried faeces emanated from the west tunnel. Adventurers opted to follow the bad smell. A large cave opened up in front of them, ceiling beyond the range of their bullseye lanterns. A layer of horrible muck—almost like diarrhoea with sporadic solid chunks—covered the cave floor. Shining the light around revealed two boulders of packed faeces. They quivered and shook, standing up. Three filthy, muck covered tentacles separated from their rotund bodies, revealing gaping maws full of razor-sharp teeth. They burped and belched noxious gases and shambled towards the adventurers. Although not particularly fast, nor sneaky, they managed to get an upper hand due to the adventurers' indecisiveness. The vile creatures tore into the party, slapping and biting with glee. Woe to those who were bitten, for the creatures' teeth were caked with faeces, and who knows what else in their saliva. Bragi and Astrid harmed one, and then Helmuth finished it with halberd. The other Was whittled down by Ainsley, Kenso, and Bragi, with Herbaecious delivering the killing blows by repeatedly stabbing it into the anus as deeply as possible. Both faecal-mounds shuddered and spurted foul liquids as they died. Besides filth and refuse there was little of interest in this large cave. Or so it seemed until one of the adventurers spotted a low tunnel to the west. But will any of them be brave enough to crawl through the muck? Filthy, battered, tired, and cold, they contemplated their options as muffled sounds of horns blaring echoed. Meme by Lord Jubalon Flux. Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum. #Wilderlands #SessionReport Subscribe to get the latest post in your inbox. No spam. rootring Prev · Random · Directory · Next https://attronarch.com/conquering-the-barbarian-altanis-session-200?pk_campaign=rss-feed #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

The Long-Term Campaign episode went live a month and half ago on The Classic Adventure Gaming Podcast. Gus invited us to share more about our Conquering the Barbarian Altanis campaign. This Monday we celebrated our 200th session. Since the episode went live I have received a number of questions via Discord, email, and in-person. I have collected them all (as much as I could remember) below. Feel free to comment if you have additional questions. You can listen to the episode here and find my summary here. The questions are sorted in order I received them. Question Do you have a marked up map of Barbarian Altanis showing your campaign's travels? Or more zoomed in maps of the sub regions? Answer Yes, of course. What I don't have is the historical evolution since I haven't been taking snapshots: Note: don't study the above screenshot if you are playing in our campaign. First 50 sessions were around Antil region (center left area). From then on, most of the action has been around the Hara region (centre south area). Adventurers fled Antil on a merchant vessel and disembarked in Hara. Furthest north they went is up to the Eyestones Jungle; furthest south by the south south of the Ghinarian Hills (where they got smacked and enslaved). They just begun broaching over the hills north-west from their new base in Ironburg. I wrote high level summary of sessions 50–120 and 120–180, but no maps since they contain a lot of Judge facing information. Question Excellent episode guys. Hats off to you Attronarch in particular. Stellar. Some questions I have: Did a group of mover&shaker PCs establish? If yes, what character levels are they at? In what ways (generally or specifically) have the affected the greater setting? Answer Thank you! With close to 200 sessions a lot has happened, exactly because of player characters interacting with the world. I've been publishing regular session reports, but it would be quite a feat to read them at once. I summarised most important events from sessions 50 to 180 in the following two posts: 50—120, 120—180. Did a group of mover&shaker PCs establish? Yes, several times. So far it has mostly resulted with them being shaken out and driven away. There is a lot of political instability in the Barbarian Altanis, civilisation is scarce, and wilderness is well, wild. If yes, what character levels are they at? Most recent “mover & shaker” PCs are: Gomm, a thief level 6, who established his own hideout in Ahyf, as well as a new, disguised persona of an old sage which he used to convince the Elders to follow his lead. Since Ahyf had been conquered by Wizard-King Racoba his current whereabouts are unknown. Dalkanarion, a fighter level 6. He made a name for himself as heroic and just warrior, slew a dragon, and was appointed the Castellan of Cedarwade Keep by the Red Queen. After returning from an expedition (which was Cauldron 2025 session) he was defeated and enslaved by the Bull God tribe. He was rescued with great effort from his fellow adventurers. Unfortunately, he found a Chaotic sentient sword, got dominated when he was weak, killed a fellow adventurer (a hobbit!), seized his ring of invisibility, and fled. His current whereabouts are unknown. (This is being resolved in private play-by-post, in essence 1:1 with player.) Ambros, a cleric level 7, was the most influential adventurer. Over several years he became the Patriarch General and Justice Supreme of Kingdom of Hara, and a loyal subject of the Red Queen. On one of the adventurers he had recovered the Golden Gavel of Justice, and became a High Priest of Forseti. This triggered “name level” forces to arrive, in essence his crusading army. Players used to conquer the Cedarwade Keep, pacify some of the area around Midway, and bring Hara back under control. When Dalkanarion was captured, Ambros made the hardest choice in his life. He left Hara, despite intelligence that Racoba is marching with great force, assembled a team of finest adventurers, and went to Ghinarian Hills. Dalkanarion was rescued, but Hara was lost. In the process adventurers lost their vault, reputation, and pride. A bit more: Kingdom level: The Indomitable Wizard-King Racoba has subdued eastern Altanis, having crushed the traitorous Red Queen and her incompetent forces. Suffering an embarrassing defeat, her armies fled in all cardinal directions. Racoba is currently exercising his megalomania and dreams of a City-State of his own to eventually challenge the World Emperor himself. Adventurers grovel and plead at his feet, hiding like mice in a mining thorp at the northern border. The mightiest among them, former Patriarch General and Justice Supreme of Kingdom of Hara, and a loyal subject of the Red Queen, was subjected to painful humiliation ritual. Paladin of Justice carved the Traitor's Mark on his forehead; his life now rendered worthless; and was exiled from the kingdom. Local level: As if their humiliation was not sufficient, the newly appointed baron treats them like petulant children. He is trying to recruit the most promising among them and get rid of the rest. He is happy to point them in the direction of trouble he deems unworthy of his men. But the baron is a former career mercenary and warlord, and is inexperienced with any meaningful governance. It remains to be seen if he delivers what the Wizard-King expects... In what ways (generally or specifically) have the affected the greater setting? In so many, and all the ways. At this stage, setting and characters are interwoven. Characters, through their interactions, keep generating encounters, sites, NPCs, etc. Read summary reports above to get an idea. But perhaps one of the most interesting developments has been the Wizard-King Racoba himself. It is a character that absolutely all the players hate. They never met him. When they arrived to Hara for the first time, they were hired by then current castellan to break up a suspected spy ring. While searching through the undercity they found maps and evidence of foul play, plus Racoba's sigil. At that time Racoba was the Headmaster of Wizard's Guild. He fled, and has been persistent nuisance ever since. Adventurers, over the years, ignored all the bounties on his head, no matter how lucrative. Even when merchant families tried to contract them to hunt the wizard down, they opted not to get involved. But Wizards are megalomaniacs, and this Wizard returned with force, three years later. And (still assuming) did at any point conflicts of interest between particular PCs arise, as far as influence on the world is concerned? There have always been disagreement about what to do, which direction to take, whom to align with, but nothing that would split the party. We maintain strict no PVP rule so maybe that contributed. I ask players to discuss and commit together. Question Attronarch I read the post im genral above the current major movers before, are these the highest lvs or just the strongest of the current stable? Does the campaign shift geographic focus necessitating changes in stables? Are these the “next gen” of previous PCs? Answer Highest level; Ambros is strongest among the clerics, followed by Tam o' Shanter and Tarkus the Promising. Dalkanarion, Balarus, and Beorg the Gravedigger are among the strongest fighters. Ignaeus is the highest level magic-user, but is an elf. I am not sure I understand the second question. Players choose where their characters go; they are the ones choosing geographic focus. After Hara fell and they lost their army they spent few sessions collecting PCs across the kingdom and getting them to Ironburg. Nobody created any progeny, yet. Dalkanarion has been most interested in achieving that, got himself a wife and everything, but fate had different plans. Question Thanks for the answer and sorry for the confusion. I was confused that after 180 sessions the highest level was 7 so was wondering if it was because multiple people were in multiple parties/tpks/characters getting retired, etc Answer I think it is due to a combination of factors, but at its core it boils down to simple numbers stemming from open table. I don't have all the notes with me at the moment, but I would estimate that between 150 and 250 player characters have participated in the campaign so far. All of them took some XP. Most frequent players are also levelling up their whole stable, so XP disperses. Maybe I crunch all the numbers one day! But not today. Question I finally listened to the latest episode and it was great and fun to listen. There was just one thing I’m interested in and it was probably mentioned but I missed it. Attronarch what System do you run? I tried to find the answer on your website but on there you’ve listed OD&D/S&W, AD&D/OSRIC and B/X. Do you use all of these? Did you start with one and it evolved into another? Do people use characters from whatever they like and you convert on the fly to match your world? Like I said it was probably mentioned but I don’t know 😅 Answer Sessions 1 thru 134 were B/X with Judges Guild house rules; sessions 135 and onwards are Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised with house rules. My plan was to begin with Basic for a year and then choose between OD&D and AD&D. I chose the former. Then I thought I would just take lbbs and a supplements and arrange them a bit so players can reference them easier. Two years later I had nothing except a ton of research notes so I decided to use Swords & Wizardry with house rules and work on the aforementioned for next couple of years. Question Cool. Thank you for the reply. May I also ask why you chose S&W over AD&D? Is it because it’s more flexible due to less rules? And it’s nice to hear that S&W is capable for this kind of campaign. It’s the only real OSR game that I own (the German translation of S&WC). Answer I chose OD&D over AD&D. I fell in love with it via early Wilderlands and Judges Guild material. That's all. Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised is a compromise until I finish what I had initially planned. (As an aside, when you collate all OD&D books and Strategic Review it is over 600 pages. There are a lot of rules in there.) Question I have another question. How do you manage when all PCs at that particular session are in different places on your map and in different activities? Do you jump back and forth or do you play with one group then the second group and so on till the session ends? Answer The first question is for the players to resolve, not myself. If they want to adventure together, and are so far apart, then they have play-by-post between the session to organise that. It is rare that there are individual characters scattered around like that. They are usually in groups. When that happens, players that show up on any given session decide which group they play. We play on discord. For each session I create a discord event for which players can sign up for. It is not mandatory, but is useful to signal who will be playing. On the day of the session I ping all the players and ask them what is the plan for tonight. This is more for them than me. Over the years I have been very consistent with my expectations—when we show up to play, you (players) have to have an answer to “what are you doing next.” If they don't, they get a ten minute timer. If they need more time they spend in game time (turns, days, weeks, depending on situation). They come ready. Question Awesome podcast, fellas. I really enjoyed it! There's a wealth of great, practical advice and reminders on running a solid game that I think extends beyond just online gaming. Really enjoyed it. Usually I listen to these a few times and this one will definitely be in the rotation, one of my favorites. Couple questions... with a totally open table: How do you handle it when a new player joins or an existing player misses, but you are in the middle of something and maybe there's not a seamless “entry path”? Just ignore it – the PC pops in/pops out? Practicality/gamism over “realism” ? Also, what happens when new player joins or new PC joins (after a death) when everyone else is higher level? Still starts level one, but advances quickly if he can stay alive? Answer Thank you, we appreciate your kind words! I tried to focus on practices that worked for us, and which I think can be acted upon. How do you handle it when a new player joins or an existing player misses, but you are in the middle of something and maybe there's not a seamless “entry path”? Just ignore it – the PC pops in/pops out? Practicality/gamism over “realism” ? These are two different scenarios, with slightly different emphasis. If a new player is joining our campaign, then the goal is to throw them into action as quickly as possible. If they happen to join a session which resumes a previous expedition, then I decide the exact moment of introduction on a case by case basis. Are we resuming during a combat round? If I believe it will conclude within 3 rounds, then new player will be rolling for monsters. More than 3 rounds, I work them in. Are we resuming during an underworld expedition? As long as it isn't some hyper-exotic alternative plane of existence or antediluvian place, we will work you in with a simple “What are you doing here?!” When existing players cannot make a session, and there is a party that is one a expedition, then two things happen. If at least half of the players whose charterers are on the expedition are joining, then it can resume. Character whose players can't make it do not vanish, but are delegated to carrying light sources and similar. Their players designate another player for decision making. Any rolls that might result with their death are mine to roll. If less than half can show up, that expedition cannot resume. Players have to pick another character they have and figure out what to do with them. My operating principles could be summed up as shortest time to action, we will work you in, there is no vanishing out of danger. Risk, consequences, and all that. So far no has attempted to “game” our system. Also, what happens when new player joins or new PC joins (after a death) when everyone else is higher level? Still starts level one, but advances quickly if he can stay alive? Every new player get to roll three characters with zero experience. They pick one and introduce them. Then they start playing. Players can write in-character session reports. Each nets their character 300 XP. After they have written 20 session reports (or created drawings, memes, poems, whatever), all their new characters begin with 5000 XP. Once a character has been introduced to the game, player can freely choose which one will go on an expedition, engage in downtime, etc. This is helpful for sessions when only two to four players show up. Then each player usually controls two of their characters, plus whatever retinue they have. This enables them to assail bigger dangers. It also backfired several times when they gathered big numbers, stormed a dungeon, and then had to divide experience into twenty shares... Decisions, risk, reward, consequences, and all that... Yes, exactly. Old player from three months ago drops in, his PC is 300 miles away from the others. He uses a fresh level one PC maybe, that's popped into the main group? We have that frequently. Some players travel the world for their work and can only play sporadically, or during specific months. I have locations of each character. When they show up, I look up how much in-game time has passed since they played last. Usually enough time to judge they would have been able to travel to where ever action is right now. It hasn't really been an issue so far; we were always able to work out something that has satisfactory verisimilitude. Question Hello Attronarch, I just listened to the CAG podcast's episode on your open-table sandbox campaign! Fascinating! I am preparing to run an (in-person) open table campaign, so it is really useful to listen to your advice and your players' feedback. Could you please expand on something that you touched upon towards the end of the episode)? Unfortunately I can't join the campaign to learn by experiencing it (its time conflicts with my work schedule). I would love if you could address it via Discord on or a blog post. What I am referring to is how you handle c https://attronarch.com/resource-on-the-long-term-campaign-play-qanda?pk_campaign=rss-feed #gamingpodcast #adventuregaming #classicadventure #barbarianaltanis #campaign #yes #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Blogging: The comments are back Earlier this year the commenting system I had been using died without notice. Alas, all the comments were lost to the void. Since then I hadn't really had the time to look into finding a suitable replacement. Two days ago, by good luck and fortune, I had noticed a nicely integrated commenting system on the Vorpal Mace blog. Imagine my joy as I learned that yes, it is compatible with my platform! Two days later, and it is fully integrated. You have in essence two options for commenting: Without an account. You simply put in your name and email. That's it. With an account. You register your name, email, and homepage (optional). This allows you to always comment with the same profile, plus you can upload an avatar as well. Use postimages to upload your avatar and then use direct link in your profile In both cases you will receive notifications from [email protected] so make sure to check your spam folder and to whitelist the address. Markdown is supported so you can use bold, italics, and lists in the comments. Moderation is on, and I have to manually approve each comment. You can give it a try, right below the post. With gratitude to Edeldhur, Charlie Brawn, and kublaibenzine for testing the system before going live. #Blogging Subscribe to get the latest post in your inbox. No spam. rootring Prev · Random · Directory · Next https://attronarch.com/blogging-the-comments-are-back?pk_campaign=rss-feed #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 199 Adventurers Character Race Class Description Ainsley Human Ranger level 1 An older gentleman with a groomed moustache and a wooden pipe in his mouth, covered in dark green cloak. Astrid Hunnisdottir Dwarf Fighter level 4 A dwarf with burning hair and a belt fashioned from harpy scalps as a reminder of dangers of friendship and singing. Aurella Elf Fighter level 1 / magic-user level 1 Exiled and chased out of her tree commune, she now wanders the Wilderlands. Bragi Twinefinger Hobbit Fighter level 3 A stout strong hobbit. As a devotee of the Great Tailor he is always smartly dressed (under his armour) and overly fond of multiple breakfasts. Drokh Human Monk level 3 A tall, lean human monk with piercing eyes, weathered skin, and a warrior's poise—calm and charismatic, he speaks with purpose and strikes with precision, wielding spear, bow, and blade. Hedwig Hogwarts Elf Fighter / magic-user An always alert owl masquerading as an elf. Herbaecious Roncule Human Druid level 3 A sun tanned, grubby, dried-berry-looking fellow dressed in green cloak. Chews a large cigar. Ivor Human Cleric level 2 A young, soft-spoken worshipper of Umannah with thick black beard. Kenso San Human Fighter level 2 An arrogant and self-assured sell-sword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. Syd Grundy Human Fighter level 3 Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. Volkard Human Ranger level 1 Bushy hobo from the wilderness. Sweetrain 19th, Fireday Adventurers dragged the paralysed Kenso, Syd, and Tarkus to the cave with a poorly concealed pit trap. They rested there until the trio had recovered. During that time they were joined by another group, led by Astrid Hunnisdottir. The dwarf came here on the rumours of dwarven vault in the depths of the gorge. She was joined by characters known to others: Drokh, Hedwig, Ivor, and Bragi Twinefinger. Now counting eleven souls, they discussed at length where to go next. Astrid was here to find dwarves, others to find orcs. Eventually they settled on briefly inspecting the eastern caves. This resulted with them rolling in stale bat guano, being covered by fresh bat guano, and then mucking through the bat guano as well. No valuables were found. A cave with rotted remains of orcs, humans, and other unfortunate creatures was more generous, with a handful of copper pieces and one grime-encrusted wooden shield with an iron rim. Reluctant to cross the field of black, crooked, spindly vegetation which gave Herbaecious vivid dreams, the party backtracked to the chamber with mineral deposits. Astrid confirmed that the small person corpse was not a dwarven one. They went further south, reaching a curious chamber. The floor was recessed a few feet, compared to the tunnels leading into and out of it. The floor was smooth rock, as if polished by water. Most of the central area was carpeted by subterranean clover. Herbaecious inspected them, and took a handful. Following the south-west tunnel led them into a spacious cavern. Then, at the edge of light, what they had been looking for! Two pig-faced orcs, leaning on their spears, staring north. They were assaulted with fury unknown, with adventurers shooting missiles as if fighting the Titan of Black Monastery itself. Arrows broke! Orcs did not react! Few brave souls came closer. The orcs were petrified! “Basilisk! Cockatrice! Gorgon!” “Get out! Let's get out! OUT!” The party bravely backtracked north-east, north, north-west, west, around the pit, north-west, and out on the ledge. “You know, I think they might be across.” “Yeah, but we can't see up there, and no path connects to it...” Indeed, they were now on the south side, some ninety feet above the river. The ledge on the north side was approximately hundred and twenty feet high, without obvious access points. And so they went further west, to explore the cave mouth. Astrid took the lead. She noticed a flat stone on the cave floor and stepped on it bravely. She, and Bragi right behind her, were rewarded with a rain of heavy rocks beating on their heads. Gently concussed, but alive, adventurers pushed on. Narrow tunnel splintered, with west fork leading to a cave mouth overgrown with brambles and thorns. The south for led to a tunnel connecting to the overgrown mouth and leading deeper in to the caves to the east. Somehow Ivor ended up being at the front of the group checking the east side. As he turned around the corner the light of Umannah blinded six pig-faced orcs who stood at ready with large, petrified tree trunk. They swung it at the adept. They missed! Overcome with absolute joy, the adventurers stormed the cave with righteous fury. Ainsley decapitated one of the orcs with a perfect shot, Kenso cleaved another in half, Syd hacked third, Herbaecious penetrated the fourth, and Bragi kebbabed the last two. The cave they were in now spanned some fifty by thirty feet. Besides the narrow tunnel they came from, there were two more, wider ones. The one leading to the east slopped downwards, while the one leading south-west widened into a junction. Adventurers chose the former. With a dwarf in the party, they knew they descended some fifty feet. The slopping tunnel varied in width, terminating at barely five feet wide. Beyond was a damp cave spotted with purple and violent shrooms. Party turned around and returned to the cave above. This time they went for the wider passage. This was a well trodden tunnel. After eighty feet or so it split south-west and south-east. The former led down a narrow tunnel, while the latter led to another junction. Astrid spotted that a portion of tunnel was smooth rock, like a rectangular piece of shale. They opted to descend down the narrow tunnel. This led them into a sun-bathed, spacious cavern. At nearly hundred feet wide and tall, the final rays of sun shone down an opening in the ceiling. A lush moss and lichen garden flourished under these condition. Light-coloured toadstool dotted rotting tree trunks, and tiny geckos slurped the rainwater puddles. Adventurers carefully investigated the cave. They found no treasure nor any secrets. It was late in the days. Perhaps an hour or two of daylight left. They backtracked, stepped around the smooth rock, ignored the south tunnel and stopped in another large cave. The cave narrowed and twisted towards the north, slopping down heavily. It narrowed into a tunnel to east. North they went. The descent was long. The air turned colder with each step. Astrid was unsure how deep they went. A hundred feet perhaps? Either at, or beneath, the water level. Adventurers turned around and went back up. East tunnel it will be. Alas, it led them to the other side of the petrified orcs. They discovered a third one as well, all three facing north. One of the brave souls borrow a mirror from one of the other, less brave soul, and went on, north. The tunnel narrowed. Then it turned left. Narrowed again. Right. Left. Opened up—into a cave with violet and purple shrooms! Now everyone lined up behind. Only one tunnel was left unexplored, the one to north-east, where fungi were concentrated. “IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!” Horrible shrieks pierced the eardrums and the silence, reverberating throughout the cave system. Five fat, three feet tall, wide capped, mushrooms quivered and trembled as they produced the ungodly sound. Those who dared storm the fungal cave were rewarded with pierced eardrums, and bleeding earache. It took them quite some time to hack all five down. With fungal screamers eliminated, the adventurers were left with a tiny ringing sound, a tinnitus, and slightly disoriented. Tiredness began to set in. It had been a long day of hiking and delving. Aurella and Herbaecious persisted, and foraged the edible fungi. Elf promised to make a nourishing mushroom soup to lift the spirits. Suddenly ferocious barking and baying echoed from south. The sounds were distant but most definitely louder by the second. And they got only louder as adventurers discussed what to do. Party decided to go up, and hold their ground in the tunnel leading into the cave where they killed six orcs. By this time the barking sounded like it was coming from all directions. And whatever produced the howling and baying did not sound exactly small. Volkard and Astrid broke off, positioning themselves in the narrow tunnel where Ivor dodged the tree trunk. Barking stopped. Adventurers readied themselves. The night has fallen. The caves shook as bull horns blared. Meme by Lord Jubalon Flux. Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum. #Wilderlands #SessionReport Subscribe to get the latest post in your inbox. 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Overlord's Annals Zine: Volume 5 Issue 10 A zine chronicling the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis D&D campaign. This issue includes sessions 122, 123, 124, and 125. Adventurers recover the Golden Gavel of Justice and satisfy Poseidon. You can download the issue here. Overlord's Annals zine is available as part of the Ever & Anon APA, issue 16: #Zine Subscribe to get the latest post in your inbox. No spam. rootring Prev · Random · Directory · Next https://attronarch.com/overlords-annals-zine-volume-5-issue-10?pk_campaign=rss-feed #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 198 Adventurers Character Race Class Description Ainsley Human Ranger level 1 An older gentleman with a groomed moustache and a wooden pipe in his mouth, covered in dark green cloak. Aurella Elf Fighter level 1 / magic-user level 1 Exiled and chased out of her tree commune, she now wanders the Wilderlands. Herbaecious Roncule Human Druid level 3 A sun tanned, grubby, dried-berry-looking fellow dressed in green cloak. Chews a large cigar. Kenso San Human Fighter level 2 An arrogant and self-assured sell-sword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. Syd Grundy Human Fighter level 3 Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. Tarkus the Promising Human Cleric level 5 Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. Volkard Human Ranger level 1 Bushy hobo from the wilderness. Sweetrain 12th, Waterday “Uh, huh” Syd panted, all knackered and sweaty as he poked inside the cave, looking for his friends. What a sight! Five dead ogres, barely alive Ainsley, and a bunch of beat up adventurers. Herbaecious went ahead and explored adjoining caves. First one was an extinguished fire pit, flanked by some petrified logs, discarded bones, and offal. Next one was a dank and foetid cave with five piles of dry leaves and animal skins. Nearly ten thousand yellowish and orangish coins were piled up on a flayed boar hide in the final cavern. Crude wooden crate was empty, disappointing many. Adventurers sifted through the coins, and packed only electrum and gold pieces. Then they left for Ironburg. It took them longer than usual given the hilly terrain and wounded ranger. Sweetrain 19th, Fireday Party decided to wait for Ainsley to fully recover before returning here. During that time a massive amount of adventurers have gathered in Ironburg, called forth by Patriarch Basequin of the Lady, preparing to follow him into the Black Monastery. Volkard took the lead this time. Party was intent on accessing the southern ledges. Therefore, they hiked all the way upstream, to the source, then crossed to the other side. During their travel they spotted a long ledge leading down, which they took. It varied between ten and fifteen feet of width for most of its length. After an hour or so, they now reached a ledge opposite the one they have explored last week. Sturdy wooden catwalks connected ninety feet high ledges. Aurella went first, checking their sturdiness. Planks did not give in underneath her. Heavily armoured folk followed. The planks bent but did not break. On the central ledge, which was three hundred feet wide, they found two cave openings. One to south-east was covered with vines and vegetation, while the one to south-west was completely open. They spotted yet another ledge opposite them, on the north side, but since it was at a higher elevation they could not see more than that. Exploring the south-east cave led them down a tunnels slopping downwards at least fifty feet. It opened up in a large cave. Aurella and Syd stepped forth and fell through the cave floor, landing on assorted and sharpened rocks. Adding insult to injury, the stone sheet, which they fell through, fell on their head. Aurella was properly banged up and nearly died. She was taken out of the pit and tended to. Although she survived, she was now in such a poor shape that any strenuous activity might spell her doom. Adventurers moved on carefully, bypassing many stalactites of varying sizes. Naturally forming columns of variegated dripstone lined the north wall of the next cave. Tunnel leading east split north and south, while the tunnel leading south bent east. They decided to follow the latter. This led them into another curious cave, filled with several dozen millipedes milling about the floor. Chalky mineral deposits were formed in the northern portion of the cave. Herbaecious was brave enough to investigate the bloated, mouldering corpse lying behind the deposits. It had to be some sort of dwarf or hobbit or gnome. It was long dead, with little of value expect a gold ring. Now that too was taken from it. Two tunnels led out of this cave, in addition to the one they came through. They ignored the south-west one, opting to explore the south-east one instead. Adventurers soon reached a junction carpeted with black, spindly vegetation, like some sort of crooked stalks. Herbaecious the Druid attempted something with them, causing them to release numerous spores. He took a really good whiff and went horizontal. Others quickly pulled him back. He was still breathing, but was otherwise entirely unresponsive. They backtracked to the chalk cave and waited there for quite some time. Herbaecious opened his eyes. He was lying on his back in an absolutely beautiful garden. There were thousands of different flowers, blooming and releasing their sweet nectars. Natural spring fountains fed the trees, and their water was refreshing and rejuventaing. Lifelike marble statues adorned the garden, as if in supplication. Herbaecious blinked and opened his eyes once more. He was lying on a dank, damp cavern floor, with lantern light stuck up to his face. At least he was alive. Adventurers returned north, and went for the east tunnel, splitting norths and south. They turned south, passed a column, and could see the patch of black, spindly flowers at the edge of their bullseye lantern. More worryingly, a disgusting worm-shaped creature with numerous dangling tentacles was next to it. It was nearly ten feet long, roughly two feet high, and otherwise abhorrent in all dimensions. With two rangers, the party was not surprised by another such specimen approaching from the north-east. Volkard and Herbaecious cut into its slimly, soft exterior, as it slithered all over Tarkus. The cleric fell, paralysed. The monster threw itself at Syd, lashing him with its numerous tentacles. He too soon laid prostrate. Herb continue goring it with his ash spear, preparing the groundwork for Volkard brutal execution. The ranger side stepped the monster, and then cut its front clean off with a single mighty swing. Alas, it managed to take Kenso down with it, injecting just enough of its juice to make the warrior limp. By now the other nausea-inducing horror had joined the fray. Aurella used all her remaining strength to chuck a javelin at it. She missed. Ainsley delivered a powerful slash along its tubular side. Herbaecious pinned it down with his ash spear, killing it. Ainsley, Volkard, Herbaecious, and Aurella stood. Syd, Tarkus, and Kenso, laid at their feet, paralysed. Two foul creatures oozed vile ichor all over the cave floor, summoning vermin to the feast. “Guys, I think we are in the wrong cave. There are no orcs here!” Indeed, there were no snake-tongued orcs here. Yet. Meme by Lord Jubalon Flux. Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum. #Wilderlands #SessionReport Subscribe to get the latest post in your inbox. No spam. rootring Prev · Random · Directory · Next https://attronarch.com/conquering-the-barbarian-altanis-session-198?pk_campaign=rss-feed #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 197 Note: this was an in-person session at the Cauldron convention, played by 23 players from 22:00 to 02:30. Adventurers Alberich of Seven Tongues, human magic-user level 4. 5’1” / 1.55 m, 155 lbs / 70 kg; white hair; brown eyes; milky white skin tone; 5” scar. Cautious, disturbed, fussy. Alellion Urdithhilemir / Greenhickory, elf fighter level 4 / magic-user level 4. 5’1”, 100 lbs; horned hair; tan eyes; pale grey skin tone; pentagram-shaped birthmark. Bloodthirsty, impish, rakish. Apad Barneman, human cleric level 4. 5’11” / 1.8 m, 185 lbs / 84 kg; black hair; grey eyes; pale grey skin tone. Clean, careful. Attalaeon of Tiberon, human fighter level 4. 6’1” / 1.85 m, 220 lbs / 100 kg; black hair; light brown eyes; dark tan skin tone. Rebellious, shady, charming. Boria Mennisdottir, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’8” / 1.42 m, 160 lbs / 73 kg; golden hair; yellow eyes; medium brown skin tone. Jovial, thoughtful. Carmea of Tiberon, human cleric level 4. 5’6” / 1.68 m, 135 lbs / 61 kg; brown hair; violet eyes; dark brown skin tone; 1’ scar. Enigmatic, arrogant. Eivind Freeland, human fighter level 4. 5’1” / 1.55 m, 140 lbs / 64 kg; blue hair; brown eyes; black skin tone; 8” scar; pentagram-shaped birthmark. Carefree, introverted, mature. Eri Dragon, human magic-user level 4. 6’6” / 1.98 m, 225 lbs / 102 kg; dark blonde hair; aqua eyes; grey-green skin tone; ¼” scar. Sensuous, grim, unlucky. Erling Ironpan, hobbit fighter level 4. 3’8” / 1.12 m, 120 lbs / 54 kg; blonde hair; bronze eyes; medium tan skin tone. Loquacious, hotheaded. Fair Penton, human cleric level 4. 6’6” / 1.98 m, 225 lbs / 102 kg; black hair; green eyes; amber skin tone. Poised, weird. Feacyn, elf fighter level 4. 5’1” / 1.55 m, 100 lbs / 45 kg; horned hair; tan eyes; pale grey skin tone; pentagram-shaped birthmark. Bloodthirsty, impish, rakish. Gottri Smallbaily, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’6”, 150 lbs; light blonde hair; purple eyes; dark tan skin tone; no belly button. Obedient, callous. Halvord Foskew, human cleric level 4. 5’4” / 1.63 m, 150 lbs / 68 kg; silver hair; gold eyes; pale grey skin tone; square-shaped birthmark. Approachable, punctilious, dignified. Hargrim Kazransson, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’6” / 1.37 m, 150 lbs / 68 kg; white hair; bronze eyes; pale blue skin tone; very hairy. Observant, dependable. Horaticus, human cleric level 4. 5’6” / 1.68 m, 160 lbs / 73 kg; brown hair; tan eyes; black skin tone; 8” scar. Unbending, neurotic. Ilatea Steelplate, human cleric level 4. 4’11” / 1.5 m, 125 lbs / 57 kg; black hair; light blue eyes; dark brown skin tone. Curious, lively. Ithsee Belina of the Irongrip, human magic-user level 4. 6’4” / 1.93 m, 210 lbs / 95 kg; white hair; grey eyes; caucasian skin tone. Lecherous, lively. Jared the Wise, human cleric level 4. 5’9” / 1.75 m, 165 lbs / 75 kg; dark blonde hair; bronze eyes; caucasian skin tone; 6” scar. Detached, unenthusiastic, weary. Karelia Tolfind, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’9” / 1.45 m, 150 lbs / 68 kg; dark brown hair; brown eyes; dark brown skin tone; 1’ scar. Educated, fretful, vain. Laranne, human magic-user level 4. 5’11” / 1.8 m, 210 lbs / 95 kg; bald; aqua eyes; milky white skin tone; eight-point starshaped birthmark. Forgiving, seductive. Lilidon Farstote, hobbit fighter level 4. 3’6” / 1.07 m, 110 lbs / 50 kg; black hair; copper eyes; milky white skin tone. Sentimental, aristocratic. Merrord Strongplate, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’7” / 1.4 m, 155 lbs / 70 kg; roan hair; light brown eyes; black skin tone. Self-serving, intolerant. Oberd the Hopeful, human cleric level 4. 5’10” / 1.78 m, 180 lbs / 82 kg; golden hair; light brown eyes; pale silver skin tone; 1 ½” scar. Sensuous, bloodthirsty. Ome of the Howling Hills, human fighter level 4. 6’2” / 1.88 m, 195 lbs / 88 kg; grey hair; yellow eyes; grey-green skin tone; hermaphrodite. Tactless, athletic, intimidating. Orastelius Goldenrod, human magic-user level 4. 6’2” / 1.88 m, 155 lbs / 70 kg; golden hair; light brown eyes; light brown skin tone; 7” scar; eye-shaped birthmark. Ignorant, optimistic, noble. Patriarch Basequin of the Lady, human cleric level 9. A bearded fellow of serious disposition. The most notable thing about him is his intense stare, bright clerical vestments, and his shield painted with the Weeping Lady. He has a habit of shouting, “So the LAW be written!” Robin Fatfoot, hobbit fighter level 4. 3’6” / 1.07 m, 105 lbs / 48 kg; light blonde hair; light green eyes; light tan skin tone; 7” scar. Arrogant, garrulous, bold. Rylorla, human fighter level 4. 5’6” / 1.68 m, 180 lbs / 82 kg; black hair; silver eyes; medium brown skin tone; fang mouthed. Noisy, overbearing, voracious. Sabirah Kesose, human magic-user level 4. 5’0” / 1.52 m, 125 lbs / 57 kg; light brown hair; bronze eyes; light brown skin tone; all double joints. Devoted, proud, weird. Sam Valebelly, hobbit fighter level 4. 3’6” / 1.07 m, 110 lbs / 50 kg; orange hair; silver eyes; ochre skin tone; 1 ft long tail. Pious, late. Sigrid the Pure, human fighter level 4. 6’3” / 1.91 m, 185 lbs / 84 kg; auburn hair; amber eyes; medium tan skin tone. Lunatic, afraid of commitment. Storri Grundisfind, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’7” / 1.4 m, 155 lbs / 70 kg; orange hair; light blue eyes; milky white skin tone; 2” scar. Guilty, giving. Tilith, elf magic-user level 4. 5’1” / 1.55 m, 125 lbs / 57 kg; yellow hair; hazel eyes; milky white skin tone. Curious, ambitious. Tyri, elf fighter level 4. 4’11” / 1.5 m, 100 lbs / 45 kg; orange hair; amber eyes; pale grey skin tone. Genial, wary. Ulla Valmasniz, dwarf fighter level 4. 4’5” / 1.35 m, 145 lbs / 66 kg; silver hair; copper eyes; amber skin tone; snake-shaped birthmark. Quiet, humble. Vurum the Milky, hobbit fighter level 4. 3’6” / 1.07 m, 110 lbs / 50 kg; dark blonde hair; hazel eyes; striped milky white and light tan skin tone. Available, unconcerned. Warnald The Blameless, human fighter level 4. 6’0” / 1.83 m, 205 lbs / 93 kg; black hair; light green eyes; yellow white skin tone. Honourable, curious, inquisitive. Wilbalt Abendeurer, human fighter level 3. A burly blonde barbarian; Warmund's younger brother and a better swordsman of the two. Meadowlark Patriarch Basequin of the Lady gathered a large company of adventurers in order to strike at the evil heart of Black Monastery. Twenty three adventurers from all over Wilderlands arrived in Ironburg, and joined the High Priest of the Weeping Madonna. Return adventurers included Wilbalt Abendeurer, Greenhickory, and Gottri Smallbaily. The rest were all new recruits. Company marched half an hour north east of Ironburg, atop one of the smaller bluffs. There they formed a circle, with Basequin in the centre. High priest began reading the scroll. As he read green flames engulfed him and his eyes turned black. The flames lunged out of his, setting fire to the whole company. Opening their eyes they found themselves in front of massive Black Monastery, one thousand and five hundred feet wide, six hundred feet long, and roughly thirty feet tall. Two towers, one in north-east, one in north-west corner, stood over hundred feet tall. The monastery looked blasted, charred, and incredibly damaged. All the windows were bricked shut. There was nothing but dark soil. Not a single tree, bush, or sign of life. Everything was illuminated by an ominous pale green moon. The company spent two hours walking around. They found little in terms of entrance beyond the Gates of Fear at the front. Lilidon drank a potion of flying and scouted from above. She saw the inner courtyard, some five hundred by two hundred and fifty feet. Within it were a dried fountain, a large fenced garden, a mausoleum surrounded by a stone fence, and a large black statue crouching on a pedestal. Twenty three souls found the courage needed to march on, and they passed through the Gates of Fear. Walking down the seventy foot long gatehouse led them into the massive courtyard. It looked different than how Lilidon had seen it from above. First, the fountain was absolutely stuffed with rotting corpses. Second, the statue was much more massive than it seemed from above. It was a titanic figure, twenty five feet tall, with a wingspan of at least fifty feet. It held a large sphere on its shoulders, like Atlas holding the world. Its physique can best be described as a strongman's. Two large sapphires were its eyes, its fangs of sharpest jade, and the rest, including its massive horns, of blackest stone. Too afraid to proceed, the company retreated back through the Gates of Fear, and then fire balled the fountain. Many felt icy, skeletal fingers choke them. Patriarch Basequin dispelled evil, alleviating the oppressive feeling. From now on, the company was marred with indecisiveness. Which way to go? How to approach this courtyard? There was at least a dozen doors, in addition to the large garden and fenced off mausoleum. Ultimately, they decided to follow along the north wall heading east. Many pulled out their swords and asked them to detect secret passageways and doors. Nothing, nothing, nothing! As they explored, they noticed that the moon shone brighter and brighter. As the it changed its phase, so did the statue change its pose. From kneeling under the weight of the dark sun, to holding it upright, and then to holding it on a palm. They decided to check the first doors they have encountered up close, in the south-west corner. Before them was a long corridor, illuminated by candles burning along the floor. “Over here! Secret doors!” Indeed, there were secret doors along the south wall of the courtyard. Lilidon and Attalaeon took the lead exploring the dark passage. It turned, led past a door, and then narrowed into a shuffle space one would have to take off their backpack to pass through. “Look! Look!” Fountain spewed fire, vomiting out a fire elemental. One of the certified quick thinkers cast phantasmal force to create an illusory waterfall. The elemental did not move out of the fountain. Company fled through the secret passageway, cramming all twenty into a fifty foot long corridor. During that time Lilidon and Attalaeon had traversed the narrow shuffle space, found another sliding secret doors, and entered a room most peculiar. To the south were large double doors, barred, and bolted with two iron pitons. Above the doors, atop the vertical split, was another iron bolt. Hobbit and human heroes ducked as the monastery shook. Their ears ringed from the explosion behind them. Smell of charred flesh permeated the air. Feacyn, Merrord, Eri Dragon, Storri, Carmea, Greenhickory, Orastelius, Laranne, Gottri, Erling, Alberich, Warnald, Oberd, Hargrim, and Ome were dead, reduced to nothing but burn remains. What had happened is as follows. While packed in the secret corridor, three of them attempted to force open the single doors in the middle of it. They did so at the same time. Two failed, meaning they fell face first into the chamber, and triggered whatever there was to trigger. Weeping Madonna, ever gracious and generous, supplied Patriarch Basequin with many more men, all willing to adventure on another plane of existence. Our High Priest will whip himself accordingly when the time comes. And so were Tyri, Horaticus, Boria, Ilatea, Robin, Vurum, Sabirah, Apad, Sam, Jared, Halvord, Fair Penton, Karelia, and Tilith summoned. The company was now spread out, from the chamber that exploded everyone, to Lilidon and Attalaeon who ignored the barred double doors, and squeezed through another shuffle space, eastwards to a large junction. Beginning from the latter, they found a secret chamber of triangular shape within which a fat idol of demonic figure, cut from red stone, rested atop a plinth. Its belly hung over the edge, its forehead hung over its eye-line. It had two wings, one small and atrophied, one large, wrapping around its bulk. Along the plinth were hooks, and upon most of them were skulls of varying races. Nothing good came to those who investigated and studied this chamber. The former peeked into chamber from where an explosion came. Not a single trace of charring! In front of them were neatly folded black robes, atop which were assorted bones. The chamber was illuminated by the green moonlight shining from above. The room had no ceiling at all! Several adventurers dared enter to investigate further. An elf among them heard weird sounds, as if fleshy wings were beating, far, far away. Up they looked, up at the obese horror blocking the moon. It flew in circles, with one crippled and one large wing. Adventurers left the chamber at once, and slammed the doors shut. The company regrouped at the large junction. They formed a security perimeter around Patriarch Basequin as he communed with his Lady. He found himself naked, kneeling on sharpened stones. Next to him was his lady, weeping alongside him. “My dear child, this hurts me more than you. Speak. I am listening.” Basequin wanted to know where is the closest hoard of gold and magical items. “In the north east tower, my child.” Next he wanted to know where is the closest valuable item to them. “Thirty seven feet north of you, my child.” Then he asked about the statue in the courtyard. “That is the Titan of the Black Monastery. It will roam free when the moon is full, my child.” He followed up by asking for the true name of the demon flying down. “You will have to weep harder for that knowledge, my child.” Basequin took off his rosary, spread it apart, and flagellated himself. “My dear child, this hurts me more than you. Bug'nz'khon.” she wept as her cleric whipped himself silly. Next he asked if the demon is the same as the idol. “Yes it is, my child.” And finally, he asked which device could destroy the evil titan. “You, my child.” Patriarch Basequin opened his eyes, blood streaming down his back and leggings. Straight north were doors. They broke through and ransacked the ruined library. They found a single gem worth one hundred and fifty gold pieces. Several of the intact scrolls detected as magical, but contained nothing but insane ramblings of obviously demented authors. Finally, one of the adventurers had found a leather-bound tome hidden underneath a flagstone. He read it, felt more dexterous, and the tome vanished. Company returned to the courtyard, Fire elemental was still by the fountain, unmoving. They followed the east wall, into the north-east corner. Little did they know that several of the members—Robin, Vurum, Ilatea, Boria, and Sigrid, had been lost in the gardens for quite some time now. They had separated way back, and were crawling through the ploughed dark soil for who knows how long. They found fleshy, veiny tubes buried several feet deep, but had been avoiding them. Robin was especially exasperated, feeling lost and disoriented. Tilith and Sabirah coined an ingenious plan. They would fly up, towards the tower, check it for windows, and if there were any, then they'd tie a long rope to some anchor and throw it down. The moon was nearly full. The titan held the black sun with a single finger. And so they went up. The tower had four floors, each roughly twenty feet tall. Each floor had a small gangway, gargoyles, and similar. All the windows, sans two, were bricked shut. South windows on the second and fourth floor were not bricked, but blocked with some kind of dark and opaque substance. Two magic-users proceeded with the plan. They picked up five hundred feet of rope, flew, tied it near the second floor and then threw it all the way down in the courtyard. This below had to scale a thirty foot wall, then traverse nearly two hundred feet on steep rooftop, and then climb another twenty or so feet to reach the window. Basequin had drunk potion of diminution, climbed on the shoulder of one, and hopped on the window bench. He poked his itsy-bitys-tiny-little face through. He could see am iron-frame bed in the south-east corner, several iron cages, some torture implements, and a large iron chest with a padlock. More importantly, four carnivorous apes in the chamber sniffed him out. Outside, Tilith and Sabirah flew in the air. Moon turned completely green, irradiating the courtyard with blighted jade light. Titan of the Bla https://attronarch.com/conquering-the-barbarian-altanis-session-197?pk_campaign=rss-feed

Convention: Cauldron 2026 Game Reports Few days ago I returned from the Cauldron, “an OSR Euro Con,” a four day celebration of old-school Dungeons & Dragons. Below are the reports from all the games I played in and run: Thursday Block I Temple of Doom Sidekick: EOTB's Convention Dungeon Thursday Block II: Halls of Viridian Mist Friday Block I: Abattoir of The Impotent Idolater Friday Block II: Palace of the Eternal Autocrat Friday Night Block: Sunken Redoubt of the Serpentine Lich Saturday Block I: Temple of the Gnoll God Saturday Block II: Return to the Storm Giant's Castle Saturday Night Block: Conquering the Barbarian Altanis Sunday Block I: Darkness Beneath Megadungeon These reports are strictly focused on what happened in each game. Some are written from the perspective of characters I played so should be treated with scepticism. I share my reflection on the con here, and my preparations here. Thursday games Thursday Block I Temple of Doom Sidekick: EOTB's Convention Dungeon Game EOTB's Convention Dungeon System AD&D 1e Judge EOTB Player Characters 9 In the first game of the con I ran a well oiled, barely dressed Kalinikos of Athena, a double axe wielding swashbuckler armoured with nothing but bracers of defense and cloak of protection. Adventuring party numbered nine in total, with three straight fighters, one ranger, one assassin, one cleric, one magic-user, one fighter-thief, and one fighter-magic-user. Humans dominated and we had but a single dwarf and an elf. We begun our adventure with a descent down a long shaft leading into a third level of a sprawling complex. Several statues of warrior women greeted us. Those with nimble fingers explored them, finding little of interest. It did not take us long to find action, or rather for action to find us. Upon penetrating the sanctity shadows befell us; as did the newly animated statues. They had proven to be most impotent in our presence, and Kalinikos crushed three of them. Our cleric made the shadows flee, weeping and wailing. They left a sticky, dark residue on the doors they fled through. One of us caressed it, and was promptly drained of their strength. Moving on we encountered a despoiled and beheaded corpse suspended in the air. If it was suposed to be a warning sign or deterrent to discourage us from moving on, then it failed miserably for we touched it, read the plaque hanging around its neck stump, poked it, and ultimately, moved on. This led us to an irregular chamber. Our superior senses and wicked wonder meant that we managed to ambush the ambushers whom had tried to jump us from beyond the secret doors. We had slain these pathetic mongrel-men in seconds. Their chamber was completely bereft of anything. This arouse suspicion, for surely they couldn't have just been here all the time. We failed to find secret doors, but speculated there must be something here, perhaps a ceiling trapdoor. We returned to the main chamber, found a penetrated skull that wanted to scream. Turned out it was head of the beheaded cleric. Moving about we discovered another ceiling trapdoor, went up, surprised more mongrel-men and exterminated them with haste. We kept one alive, but its limited communication ability meant it was of limited use to us. We learned they serve the shadow masters, there is an altar nearby, and yes, there is some treasure. At this moment we were confident we have ascended into a separate complex, perhaps a small cult area. Thus, we roamed the chambers, removing all threats. One of the rooms had bedrolls and blankets; the floor trapdoor led into the secret chamber we had previously explored. An octagonal room with a summoning circle and charred walls was just the place we sought. A long corridor, with alcoves every ten feet, joined it. At the end stood a grotesque altar, with statue so foul we knew there must be something there. Given their infravision, the dwarf and elf could see bars of heat cutting horizontally across the pathway. Our hobbit drank the potion of climbing, crawled up and above the heat bars, and then dropped down. He learned that the statue is trapped, that there is a secret compartment, and that something black is leaking from its eyes. As statue rose to its unlife, he spidered back to us, and we left the chamber to regroup and prepare for this demon. I chugged the potion of speed, while one of kind souls cast protection from evil. Then we opened the doors, hacked the demon to pieces, and drove its summoned shadows away. Seeing that the treasure was now unprotected, and that I was still lightning fast I called out to others: “Leave the chamber! I will grab the treasure at once!” Alas, others merely repositioned themselves within the area, instead of leaving the octagonal chamber and long corridor. I sprinted to the end of the corridor, breaking all three beams. The first one triggered a loud alarm. The second made me weak like a newborn calf. Third one did nothing. I quickly poured acid on the trap rune, smearing it. Then I pulled the compartment open. Inside were a robe dotted with countless stars, and six magnificent, silvery tubes. As I turned to inform the colleagues of this great find, fireball exploded from within the summoning circle, kill three adventurers, and wounding the rest. “Why didn't you step outside!” I cried out, whilst recovering treasure. We picked our dead, valuables, and left for the surface. Great success. Thursday Block II: Halls of Viridian Mist Game Halls of Viridian Mist System OD&D Judge Attronarch Player Characters 11 A party of eleven adventurers tumbled down a gigantic pit trap. They tumbled and rolled, until the landed into a foul pit full of refuse. Green chocking mist burned their eyes and obscured their vision. In order, they were: Carmea of Tiberon, a human vicar; Cig Akgahnte, a human hero; Dacyniel, an elf hero theurgist; Ira Thorncreek, a hobbit hero; Jaki Wittyleg, a dwarf hero; Lefno Gaithh, a human theurgist; Menar Chigun, a human theurgist; Nacyn, an elf hero theurgist; Trasir Wisestorm, a dwarf hero; Ulla Valmasniz, a dwarf hero; and Zarah the Wicked, a human theurgist. Rancid mist made everyone gag, and thus with some quick thinking everyone fashioned face covers of cloth. Their eyes were teary; torches and lanterns penetrated barely fifteen feet ahead. Quick-witted Nacyn suggested a marching order where everyone holds onto a rope. That way, even if they cannot see each other, at least then can hold onto the same object. Milling about, they were confident that the pit was roughly rectangular, natural cavern, some forty by forty feet. Refuse poured downwards, in the south-east direction. A heart-rending, finger-curling, blood-freezing scream cut through the fog. Cig, Ira, Zarah, Trasir, Ulla, and Lefno felt courage and talent leave them in equal measure. As if that wasn't enough, three ghouls jumped them from above, landing amongst them. Desperate melee ensued, with adventurers screaming in equal measure as the living dead. Zarah succumbed to horrible ghoulish paralysis, right after slaying one. Trasir and Nacyn each disposed of one ghoul as well. Motivated to move quickly, the party asked Nacyn to take the lead—she was at the front of the rope. Thus, she slid down the foul refuse, then turned left. She could barely see the tunnels ahead, so she chose the one closest to her left. This one led them up, towards the screaming. In the commotion, paralysed Zarah was left behind in the refuse pit. Unable to move, unable the see; but able to feel, able to think, and able to weep. She felt every claw, every bite, every second the ghouls had feasted on her flesh. Nacyn followed the right cave wall, but led the adventurers into a dead end! More ghouls ravaged the back rank, but were quickly driven back. Dacyniel, elf who was at the end of the rope now found himself at the front. “Right, right, follow the right wall!” Indeed, they tapped the right cave wall, reached another split, and then took the right turn, climbing up. This led them to a portcullis. An attempt to discuss was cut short by intermittent screaming and fleshy footsteps echoing through the cave. Jaki Wittyleg drank the potion of giant strength. Then he held up the grates while others came through. Stair leading up to their immediate left were enough to make them abandon the “right-hand” strategy. The dwarf tore straight through the doors, then placed them back as the elf cast hold portal on them. They were now in a proper, hewn chamber. Flagstones were covered with gold pieces strewn all about. Viridian mist was ever present, making exploration rather difficult. By all accounts, the chamber was forty feet long and thirty feet wide. Three wells were lined along the east wall. These wells perplexed the adventurers to no end. The water was fresh and potable. Whatever they dropped into it vanished at the same depth, at all three wells. They tied a small sack of coins and lowered it. It vanished. They pulled it back up. It was still the same sack, soaked and filled with their coins. Finally, Jaki and Menar dared take a dive. Both were surprised to emerge on the other side, their heads pointing up. They went down and were back up. And then down and back up again! The whole party agree this is the way forward, so they all took a dive in the same well, emerging into the chamber on the other side. This one was much larger, and of angular geometry that cannot be described. It spanned nearly 6 000 square feet, most of it cloaked with the fog. It too had three wells—one in the south, one in the south-west, and one in the north-west. Doors were to the east, north-east, and north. The last ones were chosen. Jaki the Doorbasher did his duty once more. Before them was a hundred foot long corridor, of slope noticeable only to the dwarves. The dead end had been seen through as merely a mockery for the inexperienced. Elves quickly found not one, but two secret doors. One leading further north, and one leading east. Doorbasher took care of the sliding doors. They led to chamber unmolested by the mist. This twenty by twenty room was quite spartan, but comfortable, with a framed bed, and a large desk with attached drawers. Rummaging through the latter revealed 1 000 gold pieces, and a scroll with magic missile, wall of iron, control weather, and lower water. Lefno claimed the scroll. Jaki proceeded to completely break the secret sliding doors leading north. The corridor split left and forward. Jaki went for the left doors, pulled on them, and a scythe severed both of his hands. The dwarf cried out in pain as others dragged him backwards. They cauterised his stumps, and used cure light wounds to stop the profuse bleeding. Cig and Ira made fun of him. Six ravenous ghouls charged the adventurers from behind. This time the party was ready, and thus dispatched them within minutes. Doorbasher, tears streaming down his rosy cheeks, was unwilling to abandon hope. Thus, he soldiered on. Adventurers moved further north, entering an octagonal chamber dominated with a blood stained stone platform attached to chains leading into the ceiling. A massive iron ring was drilled into each corner. A spoked wheel was in the centre of west wall. It feel out when adventurers tried to interact with it. While the dwarves investigated it, Dacyniel levitated upwards and Ira climbed one of the chains. Up and up they went, until they decided to descend sans they fall and die. “This is the way out, for sure!” Alas, dwarves had sad news to report—gears that the wheel was connected to were damaged. They could fix them if they had the right tools and materials... The party continued exploring the corridors. They found another doors, Jaki kicked them and jumped back in time before another scythe took his leg. Dead end. Portcullis blocked the advance into the cave system. They made a circle—the corridors looped around the octagonal chamber. As they discussed what to do, three minotaurs had charged them. A brutal skirmish broke out, with adventurers squeezed from both the front and the rear. But they did not give in, and they did not give up. They fought back, tooth and claw. Nacyn leaped upwards, and decapitated one of the horned beasts. Trasir bust the kneecaps of another, while others chopped it to pieces. Cig gutted the last one as Jaki punted it up in the air. Then he Chopped its horns off, and offered them to Jaki as “new and improved hands.” Adventurers had a choice to make, namely which way now? West-most corridor they said. What a great choice, for the elves had soon detected a secret chamber with an assortment of gears. Dwarves picked up several they thought would fit best. Whilst dwarves worked on repairing the platform, others watched guard. But this was a horrible spot, with four different ways to approach it. They could hear the ghouls moving around, obscured by the mist. Nearly two hours later, the dwarves reported they fixed the problem. Exhausted and bloodied, everyone rushed to the platform. Alas, a new problem had appeared. Who will operate the wheel? “I have levitate. I can get you up, and then fly after you!” Lefno volunteered. He cast the wall of iron to block off the northern approach, sealing them off. Then they cast invisibility on him. The wheel was heavy to operate, but the theurgist managed it. The platform slowly rose upwards, with a loud clang. Lefno turned the wheel. And turned the wheel. And turned the wheel. He turned as he heard the wall of iron retract, having now completely smashed through the portcullis. He turned it as he heard the grunts, the retches, and the howls of the dead come closers and closer. He turned as he heard the footsteps all around him. He turned until his friends were safe; he turned until he felt them right behind him; he turned until he could turn no more. Lefno. Illustrated by Darnok. Friday games Friday Block I: Abattoir of The Impotent Idolater Game Abattoir of The Impotent Idolater System OD&D Judge Attronarch Player Characters 13 Eleven adventurers had been hired by the loyalists of the Broken Empire to recover the famed regalia of Legio IX. In order, they are: Aegiliel, an elf hero theurgist; Astrid Hunnisdottir, a dwarf hero; Cig Akgahnte, a human hero; Fenna Redbulk, a dwarf hero; Gromonicus, a human hero; Ira Thorncreek, a hobbit hero; Karelia Tolfind, a dwarf hero; Larana Lightstep, a human hero; Mezeth the Uncanny, a human theurgist; Uta Almonger, a human hero; and Vida Pilter, a human vicar. The party followed the trail into deep in the woods, leading to a cave mouth ninety feet wide and sixty feet tall. Beyond it a large cave stretched further north and south. Broken branches, trampled bushes and leaves, and large, elephantine tracks suggest high traffic. Adventuring party decided to back off and establish camp several hundred yards away from the cave. They ordered their men-at-arms to find suitable branches to sharpen for the palisades. At the same time they tended to their animals, staking them in the centre of the camp. At the third hour, horrible screams pierced the air. The voices are well known, for they are of their own men. Battle positions are taken, facing north-west. The ground shakes, the trees scream as they are shattered under the bulk of oncoming monstrosity. It comes at the adventurers, flailing, cackling, and charging. Large, elephant-like body covered with warts, boils, and scabs. Seven deformed horse heads atop long tubular necks, adorned with yellowed square teeth, greasy, lanky long hair, and eyes of pure madness. Gromonicus the Brave acknowledges no such horrors, as attested by him counter-charging the abomination. He was promptly trampled, but lived. The horror continued its mad charge, reaching Aegiliel. The elf dodges and parried three of the seven heads. Alas, other four bit into him—one into the left shoulder, one onto the collarbone from the right, one bit into the right leg, and one the left foot. The heads pulled all in different directions, ripping the elf apart and showering the survivors with gore and guts. One of the theurgists cast phantasmal force and created a swarm of mice. The abomination cared not. Mezet cast sleep, and slept Uta, Vida, Gromonicus, Cig, and himself. Others closed in, bravely fighting the monster. Slashing it made them recoil with disgust, as pus and blood oozed from the horror. Gromonicus, now asleep, was put to perm https://attronarch.com/convention-cauldron-2026-game-reports?pk_campaign=rss-feed

Convention: Cauldron 2026 Reflections Last week I spent four days (October 8–11) playing old-school Dungeons & Dragons at Cauldron, “an OSR Euro Con.” Once again, organisers did an absolutely stellar job. I know they call it a con, but that label does not fully do them justice. This is more like a really large club of hundred people, who have gathered to play in a rather intimate atmosphere. The food is home cooked, labour is volunteer-based, we all tend to the venue, we sleep together, and we game together. In this post I share a bit more about my experience. See this post for reports on games I either played or hosted; and this post for how I prepared. Arrival Don't change a winning strategy. Or something like that. I took a night bus to Frankfurt, slept most of the way, arrived in the morning, had a walk, and then boarded a train to Marburg. Shuttle picked me up there and took me to Hofraithe Rosenthal. I arrived too early to check in to the room, so I went for a walk around the village, returned to have some cake, and contemplated about games to follow. By the time check-in was open, roughly two thirds of participants had arrived. As last year, the first thing I did was make my bed, so I can crash into it after midnight. Thursday Since Thursday was also the arrival day, there were only two games, with the first being so called “Temple of Doom Sidekick” block. Regular blocks are four hours, night blocks are, in theory, unlimited, and this one was just three hours. The first game I played was hosted by EOTB. The table was packed with talented players, pregenerated characters were distributed, and we went to work. EOTB ran a tight game, with quick answers and no-nonsense approach. I loved it. The map was exciting, with verticality, secret doors and passageways, and just enough things to interact with and get into trouble. I expected no less, since he did mention he would use a map from the Twisting Stair zine. As we ran out of time, I asked other players to take their characters outside of the current chamber so I can just grab the treasure, screw traps. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but most stayed inside. We got the treasure, I triggered all the traps, three characters had died. Great success. Lunch was lovely. I did my best to avoid snacks and sodas, since I had a game to run. It was great to see so many friends and acquaintances, as well as to meet people whom I had been chatting with over the years via discord and forums. I hosted my game in the night slot. I like those the most since they are open ended. I was assigned the same room as last time, Linde, but this time they limited it to two games instead of four. Same chunky tables as last time, same immovable pillars. I rearranged the tables to form a large square, with me taking the side by the wall. This left three sides for eleven people to sit relatively comfortably, and up to eight more in the second row. The module I ran was Halls of Viridian Mist, a megadungeon level I had written for the Jennell Jaquays Memorial Game Jam, published in the Return to Perinthos. Ten players joined, and it was an adrenaline rush from the beginning to the end. I am continuously amazed with how players adapt and adjust to the unfolding situation. In this case within few turns everything goes tits up, and rest of the session is a mad dash for survival. One character is lost to the ghouls, one sacrifices himself so others can flee, and one retires after the adventure, having lost both of their hands. I don't remember how long it took us, but I think we were done by midnight. I took a walk around the dining hall where Chainmail battles were raging. My good friend Dreadlord was playing, playing to win! Joking aside, it was fascinating to watch, witness Settembrini ruling, and see Sarisa in action. Friday Nothing like a good morning game hosted by yours truly! I ran Abattoir of The Impotent Idolater, a location from our Conquering the Barbarian Altanis campaign, now also published in the Beneath the Black Pyramid con zine. We ran the game in the dining room, which was this year used as a game room as well. Last year I had to use it for one of my sessions that attracted 17 people. That also meant we had to wait until breakfast was over, and that we had to finish a bit before the time, so the room can be prepared for lunch. That was no problem. Eleven players joined, got the main, hook and begun planning. This site depends on the time of day. Once they told me they approach at day, I rolled to determine where are the key monsters. Horrible abomination was determined to be hunting outside, to return in three hours (18 turns). Players decided not to enter the cave, but fall back, make camp, and observe. I handed them the battle map and asked them to position the horses, their characters, so on and so forth. I gave them a timer of ten minutes—when time runs out is is what it is. I cannot stress how important the timers are to maintain the pace. Most relevant ideas will surface within first few minutes, everything after that is just spinning the wheels. The timer's main purpose is to allow space for those good ideas to bubble up, and for everyone, or most of the players, to articulate and internalise them. Of course, the monster returns by trampling the camp, killing men-at-arms, two player characters, and causing mess in general. Players adjust their goal to seeking revenge instead of looking for what they were paid to find. When I design sites, especially natural ones like caverns and similar, I love playing with elevations and light. They go deep into the cave, constantly down (they have dwarves so I give them lengths, angles, everything). But they never attempt to look beyond their own light. Another thing I often play with are rooms that are mostly empty, and depend on a wandering monster. In this case, the harpies were one of the factions, which are mostly not present because they wander around. But, if they are, then they have a special place or tactic. Either way, the players pursued the monster, slain it, and then were charmed by the harpies. Well, technically, not charmed yet, but beckoned to come to them, so they can claw and charm them. Just four character make their save, but I leave it up to the beckoned players to control how they attempt to approach their most desired targets. I have said it before, and I will say it again—player skill at Cauldron is very, very high. The amount of intelligent malicious compliance was just insane. For example, Tamás had their hobbit attempt to gift their sentient sword to the harpy. This is perfectly aligned with the in-game logic—the harpies desire wealth, treasure, and adoration—and adventurer gives his most treasured belonging. But the player knows that grabing sentient swords causes damage to creatures of different alignment. His character is lawful. The harpy is not. The players work their way out of it, recover the object they were hired to find, and then nearly lose it as another pack of harpies sings to them. Now another player with a sentient sword pulls off a stunning manoeuvre by asking his sword to teleport it right next to the harpy. Teleporation is an insanely dangerous spell, but here, within sight, it was all but guaranteed to work. We finished on time for lunch, with most of the characters alive. After having some hearty food, I played in an awesome game hosted by Gabor Lux. He ran three co sessions of the Palace of the Eternal Autocrat, with each group exploring a portion of the complex. We were the second group, with one character from the first group joining us. He brought a map with him. It was useless. Photo by Gabor Lux. To clarify, not because of him, but because we decided to step through the above ground teleporter so we get into real action. I already mentioned the player skill. What I want to add is that players at Cauldron are quite proactive as well. They establish their own goals, they pursue them aggressively, and they are not afraid to take risks. This game was no different in that regards. Gabor's adventuring locations are always a blast to play, and he is such a fun fellow himself. This was an enjoyable romp with an unexpected ending. Ignatius Umlaut, editor of the Fight On! zine, decided to gate us all into none other than Attronarch's Barbarian Altanis! A dozen adventures, loaded with treasure, and a burning desire to live. Next up was suckling pig and sauerkraut for dinner, followed by a high level adventure by Ignatius himself. This was a continuation of an adventure that he ran for the Hungarians years ago. Apparently, one of the player characters had betrayed them, stolen some artefact, and then teleported away. Now he was rumoured to be a lich. There was eleven of us, and Ignatius ran a very entertaining game. Night dragons, dark trolls, dinosaurs, it had it fucking all. I recognised the area from the legendary Darkness Beneath megadungeon, but luckily I did not remember the specifics. I was thoroughly impressed with how Ignatius managed all the moving parts, especially since we were in essence doing an underworld wilderness adventure. During the day a word reached me that Jan, one of the players in our ongoing Wilderlands campaign, is actively lobbying people to stage an assault on the Wizard-King Racoba. He also approached me to check if that is OK, worried for what I had prepared for the session. As usual, I told him, and everyone whom had asked, to decide as they wish. I shall be ready. Saturday This was the day. At night slot I would run the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis session in the night slot. Last year I had seventeen people, over the span of six or seven hours. But this year everyone was talking about it. I was unsure how many people would join. Either way, I was committed to run for whatever number of people does show up. But first I had some games to play in! Keith Sloan ran an awesome game. He had this relaxed style which lulls you in, and then he blasts the whole party with fire trap, slaps you with eight ghouls, and throws you down the pit. What I especially appreciated it how he crafted the adventuring location. He told us it is a gnoll temple. We are playing AD&D 1e. Gnolls are described as lazy, as using slaves, as worshipping a deity which is also worshipped by ghouls, so on and so forth. By paying attention to cues, based on the knowledge of not just the rules but also the implied setting, we were able to make informed guesses on what to do next. More often than not, our assumptions had proven to be correct. That felt immensely rewarding! Keith gifted us an elegant dice for winning at D&D. Next game I joined was by Ignatius Umlaut again. In retrospect, I realise I had mostly prioritised Americans—EOTB, Ignatius, and Keith—since they might not attend every year. Ignatius ran another high-level game, and I brought my character from the previous night. We fought and defeated Satan's minions, and won D&D for the second time that day. No really, it was a crazy adventure, go read the report. Dinner and auction followed. I skipped the latter, opting to go for a walk, drink some tea, and mentally prepare for what is to follow. Photo by James Knight. Since our big game was in the dining hall, we had to wait for the for the organisers to complete all the transactions. I already had a whole set-up on my mind, given experience last year, and an experiment I suggested to Ignatius earlier in the day. Players jumped in and helped me arrange everything. We had 13 tables in total, which was still not enough to have everyone sit by the table. So we had a second row of sitting too. I think we took around 3/5 of the dining hall. Twenty three people sat down to play. Some people later told me they gave up because the game filled up really fast during the sign up. I would have welcomed them! Photo by James Knight. Despite size of the set-up, one side was just for me. Not to power trip, but because that way I keep everyone within eyesight, and everyone can see and hear me best. I went around table handing out pregenerated characters, taking down names, and admin detail I need to ran a game at a furious pace. Once we had that I divided the players into four teams, and asked them to nominate the caller. Table layout works its magic, and we had four teams of nearly identical sizes (6-5-6-6). Two teams gave me a name, while two teams gave me a colour. I guess I need to work on my pronunciation. With teams and callers in place we were ready to begin! I presented the in-game information, where most of the adventurers currently are (Ironburg), and what intelligence about adventuring sites they have (Castle Yukanthur, Midnight Goddess Hills, Spire of the Divine Grape, The Black Monastery, Tomb of Ochandra the Earthshaker). Then it was up to the teams to discuss which of the options (or alternative) they would like to pursue. To clarify, I ran this as a usual session of our open-ended sandbox campaign. There would be no teleporting back and forth. Anything is on the table, as long as the majority commits to it. All the options I offered were from the game, and I did my best to present them neutrally. Regular players that joined were free to share information as they see fit. First round ends up with a draw between the tomb and monastery. Second round ends up with a draw again, but different teams. Some call for a roll. As I throw the dice, one time changes their vote to the monastery. In less than thirty minutes, twenty three people agreed on where to go, what to do, and with which characters. From Judging perspective, the Black Monastery was by far the worst out of the available options. Super-complex map with mapper that loves angles, eighty pages of two column 8 pt. font of dense paragraphs, with bad editing and crucial information hidden in all the wrong places (e.g. a four paragraph description of a bedroom, with third to last sentence being that here is an 10HD shadow waiting to ambush those entering; thanks). I prepared the map on a separate page; this is a challenge for players not me. Keys I printed two pages on a single landscape page, to have four columns at glance. In general, I knew I had time to look them up whenever players ask for discussion time. I am repeating myself with the player skill, but they did all the right things initially: scout the environment, use magic to fly over and take a look inside the monastery. They hesitated a bit to enter it proper, but once they were in, we started rolling. Photo by Alex. It was mostly cautious exploration, with me tormenting the team mappers with my descriptions, sizes, angles, points of reference and similar. A single fire elemental scared off the whole company, and they fled into a tight secret space, triggered a trap, and wiped out half of the characters. Luckily, I had prepared seventy characters for the con, but now I was running dangerously low. That meant that clerics and hobbits began entering the game en masse. Exploration continued with brisk pace, with me giving specific timings, switching between asking callers and asking everyone what their characters are doing. This switching is an important attention-resetting technique, because it was already midnight, and a third day of intense gaming. Mind wants to play, but body wants to sleep. So to keep it playing we need to give it something to do. One thing I noticed was that the attendance was different compared to the last year. Then we had people coming and going as they became too tired, or they lost a character. This time 2/3 of the players had played until the very end! The pace, and complexity, exploded once Titan of the Black Monastery came to life. It began wrecking the monastery and players. Two things I wish to point out here. OD&D (lbbs) worked brilliantly once more. Since its charts top at 10+ HD, this 20 HD titan still had 25% chance of missing heavily armoured characters. Second, Toby, the youngest player at the table, played with absolute balls of steel, leading the charge on the titan. “What do you do?” I ask him. “Charge the titan!” he answers without any hesitation whatsoever. His character proceeds then to actually deliver the killing blow as well, which causes a spontaneous applause around the table. This raw, genuine, kind energy is absolutely awesome, and part of the Cauldron magic. Judging-wise, from then on, I basi https://attronarch.com/convention-cauldron-2026-reflections?pk_campaign=rss-feed