NOTE: I wrote this after the game on May 1st. I thought I had it scheduled to publish... BUT NO. So here it is with a delay.
Having survived the deadly events on the ships, we made landfall. But that provided us no security. The type of work changed from Day 1 whereas we now had to cooperate as a team to tackle the island itself. All thirteen of us.
Yes. The ominous number proved prophetic...
The first combat was BRUTAL with the monsters scoring a critical hit against a player that left him dead.
ON THE FIRST ATTACK.
*Squelch* Ouch.
We were on-notice and things did not really look up from there for us. We left the beach having lost a few people. One was rescued by a great bit of teamwork, one I am really looking forward to seeing how the final cut will look like. If you ever saw "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (the funny part at the start of the movie), well... it was a little like that. You know when you wince in pain when something really bad happens?
Yeah. That.
Now just for the record, I wish to state that my natural halfling sense was to get provisions, reload the boats and leave this accursed place. I was, of course, outvoted but I just want to put that here. So my (inevitable) ghost can haunt the others for not listening my wisdom.
We were not so gung-ho for the second scene. What started as a fun time in the jungle ended up with screams of panic, body parts getting thrown left and right, showers of gore, and the frantic fleeing of adventurers through the forest.
That's glossing over many details, ranging from hilarious to scary to nervous chuckle-able to odd to flat out worrisome. I was on the edge of my seat for most the encounter, scrambling through my sheet for find what the best option for myself and for others It was glorious and memorable. Shouts of joys. Animal screeches. War cries. Squeals of squeamishness. All broke the deceptive tranquility of the jungle.
No wait, that last one, the squeals were all me.
Not everyone made it. Instead many shone bright and then got squished on the forests of Black Glass Island, often with memorable squish (there weren't as many notable quotes for the ending.).
I am surprised and very happy to report that Figjam "Jim" Hawkins made it through. This time. I'll be back in two weeks to see where this goes. As a halfling, I curious to see what is coming up next...
The scenes set are simple but extremely effective, not requiring extensive descriptions or specific elements to paint the picture. It allows the players to tweak or add to make the scene work: A beach, a ship, a jungle-covered island. Their maps served to enhanced the picture, creating an effective and clear picture of what is happening without having to over-describe everything. I cannot say how much I appreciate that. (I will write further about my thoughts regarding creating these sort of scenes in a future post)
I admit that I am growing increasingly curious to see the finalized product. How it will look when everything is put together and finalized? Really building my interest in it... and I never watch/ listen RPG podcasts and web series, but this one I'll want to see what everyone did.
The game flow was much improved as not only the GM and DI crew, but we players got used to the formula and upped our game. Perhaps it was due to there being fewer players? As a player, I felt much more involved in the game as it seemed it was my turn more often. It is always fun to feel like you are in the thick of things at the heart of the action and get to act and react based on what is happening. I felt there was much more interaction and cooperation between players all around the room this time, not just in small nearby groups. This also added to the dynamism of the game.
One thing the crew did that was pretty cool was to bring guest-star GMs to run the monsters, allowing the Main GM (Roscoe IIRC) to focus on herding the cats and added to the flow. A great idea.
I will provide more insight after the next game. "Jim" Hawkins the ship's cook made it to round three!
Halfling's luck.
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