Journal of Forgrim Battlehammer Date: 7th o' Harvestmoontide (June)

Once mair, the village o' Brandonsford beckons us wi' its familiar embrace, a sanctuary o' knowledge and guidance as we continue our resolute journey. The fellowship that stands united, a blend o' auld an' new comrades, seeks solace an' answers tae aid us in our mission—a quest tae quell the dread that has befallen this land, brought forth by the shadow o' a fearsome black dragon. Oor ranks hae swelled, wi' Varg an' Randy bolsterin' oor strength, an' the addition o' Sibeal, Doch'en, an' Fallon bringin' diverse skills an' unwavering spirits. Oor purpose is clear—to gather wisdom from the villagers, tae uncover the vulnerabilities o' the vile dragon, an' tae liberate this land from the clutches o' its fearsome reign. As we converse wi' the townsfolk, tales o' terror an' turmoil unfold afore us, paintin' a grim picture o' the dragon's destruction. Yet amidst the despair, a glimmer o' hope emerges—an enticin' 1,000 gold piece reward promised tae the brave souls wha daur tae face an' slay the beast. This reward, a beacon o' incentive, fans the flames o' determination within oor hearts. Whispers o' an enchanted blade, ance wielded by the valiant knight Sir Brandsford, echo through the village. Buried in a lang-forgotten tomb, this blade is rumored tae haud the key tae the dragon's downfall. Wi' each word spoken, the tapestry o' oor mission expands, its threads weavin' tales o' courage, legacy, an' a future yet unwritten. Venturin' beyond the village, oor steps lead us tae the enigmatic witch Vivian. Her words dance wi' ancient wisdom, revealin' a potential solution—a magical sap that may lull the dragon intae slumber. United by a common purpose, we heed her advice, embracin' the notion that even the maist perilous foes can be tamed by the mystic forces o' nature. In pursuit o' this magical sap, we find oorselves amidst a confrontation wi' ethereal Fawn creatures. Swords were drawn, tensions flared, until Richard's wisdom prevailed, offerin' the Fawns the soul-catchin' ring as a gesture o' goodwill. Tempers cooled, an' the Fawns shared wi' us the coveted fairy wine—the magical sap that holds the key tae oor daring plan.

G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief

A return tae the village brings preparations for a perilous task ahead. We secure goats for oor strategy, an' wi' Doche'en's cunning finesse, a trapped cleric is freed from a giant's hoose, a glimmer o' light in the midst o' adversity. 

Wi' a plan set in motion, we ensnare a goat wi' the fairy wine, ensnarin' the giant in a slumber that has been lang overdue. The triumph o' oor teamwork resonates in the stillness o' the giant's abode, a testament tae the strength o' oor fellowship an' the power o' unity.

The journey is far frae over, but wi' each challenge overcome, we draw closer tae the ultimate showdown wi' the black dragon. Oor spirits remain unwaverin', oor hearts aflame wi' purpose, an' oor resolve unshaken. Taegether, we shall bring honor tae oor fallen kin an' restore peace tae this land, nae matter the trials that lie ahead.

~Forgrim Battlehammer

2023 Review

2023: A Year in Review

So, 2023 was a big year for me with regards to gaming. I’ve fully embraced RPGs as my true hobby. I tend to over do things when I get into new hobbies, and this was no different. I got back into the hobby around 2018 playing 5e like most people. It was my niece that got me back into the hobby. I started going to local game stores and found a lot of AL games. We were hooked and started play with 2 different groups on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This led to acquiring all the books that were out at the time for 5e as well as a collection of mini’s. Soon I started painting and we went to our first convention at Genghis Con. Playing in the epic got us both hooked on conventions.

Fast forward to 2023. My niece moved to New Mexico, but I continued gaming. Our Wednesday group moved to online using Fantasy Grounds. At the end of 2022 I started collecting Kobold Press books and started a campaign Empire of the Ghouls. This was a fresh change from the WOTC stuff. By the start of the OGL I was ready to make a change. This was easy for my online group. Our campaign shifted to only using the KP books, still 5e though. My Saturday group continued running the same stuff. I loved playing with those guys but it was becoming stagnate, so I decided to leave. Even though I heard about the OSR I had yet to find anyone to play with.

 

Highlights of 2023

·         Genghis Con February. Got my Saturday group. It was their first Con and I really wanted to show them the Epic.

o   Mainly played a lot of AL and Gooey Cube. Was really let down on the AL epic. Very small crowd.

o   Highlight was playing Hazard Quest 1984 Cartoon.

o   It was fun playing with my game shop group. My niece came up to play.

 

·         SaltCon June. First Con outside of Colorado.  Went with my Buddy Mike and signed us up to try all sorts of new games.

o   MÖRK BORG – Very fun and easy to play.

o   Weird Frontiers – Best game we played. It was a blast with a great group of players.

o   OSE – terrible DM. Moved the game with out notify us to the large conference room. It was too loud and we couldn’t hear so he had Mike read the adventure. Possibly the worst game I’ve played in.

o   Shadowdark – Another great game. I had already backed the Kickstarter.

o   Winters Daughter using Cairn – loved the setting/adventure. Also liked the system.

 

·         Free RPG Day Played at Night Owl Games

o   Got to play Alien Operation Quite Catch. First YZE game I got to play.

o   DCC game with a mix of seasoned and new players. Probably the funest sessions of DCC I’ve played to date.

·         Ship of the Dead Meetup group. Meets 1 day a month. Run by Limithron at Night Owl Games.

o   Of course, Pirate Borg. Great game and love the book.

o   Vast Grim. Really enjoyed this setting. Easy to learn like the other Borg games.

o   Scum and Villainy- First PbtA game I’ve tried. Not sure I’m a fan.

o   Black Sword Hack - Lots of fun. We did have a Player vs Player ending. Half the group was Lawful and the other half Chaotic. I'm usually against this but this ended up being fun.

 

·         Tacticon . August 24^th-27th in Denver CO.

o   Bolt Action - I had a full schedule starting with my first miniature wargame:  Tank Battle at the Arc de Triomphe 1944. Lot’s of fun.

o   Delta Green Convergence – Played with Ross, Drew and Bill. Great game. I think I really want to try to run this.

o   Alien –  DM was no show. I hate when this happens. It would have helped if he tried to notify us.

o   CoC Dare – Ran by DM Drew. Fun playing kids in a haunted house.

o   Shadowdark – Fun game. I wanted to get the mechanics down before I ran my SD game.

o   Achtung Cthulu – Fun but not really my cup of tea.

o   DCC – My first time running anything at a CON. Black Pearl was easy and fun to run.

o   Shadowdark – 2^nd CON game I ever ran. The guys from Old Warlock channel played at my table. I got a shout out on their video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSMv1NEEbjM . Great time with a great group of table.

My First Experience at Gamehole Con 2023

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”  -- Helen Keller

Well, I’m back home. The initial excitement and adrenaline have subsided. Now I can look at my recent trip to Gamehole Con.

First Impressions

I guess the first thing I noticed was how well this convention is ran. Alex Kammer and team did a fantastic job. It was everything he said it would be. It’s a larger RPG con at around 6,000 attendees but feels like about 600. It’s spread out so it doesn’t feel cramped. Will Call was a breeze with no line, and I love how they had food trucks, so you don’t have to travel offsite. The other thing is how many people in the industry attend this con. I met up with some of the folks I follow at the Hobbs and Friends of the OSR booth. I got to meet Victor Raymond, chair of the Tekumel foundation. During our conversation the subject of the old TSR days came up. Just then Victor tells me why we don’t ask someone who was there as Tim Kask walks by and joins our conversation. The whole experience was surreal.  

 

What did I Play

Thursday

• DCC - Wide-Eye Terror Zine. Nice game to start the Con. Fast paced and lots of fun.
• CoC – Great Keeper and a great group of players. Loved the RP.

Friday

• Hack Noia – One of the highlights ran by Merle Rasmussen.
• Shadowdark – Had to support my friends at HazardQuest.
• Vaesen – Another great table with awesome RP.

Saturday

• TOV – Even though I backed this, I’m losing the desire to play 5e.
• TSR Marvel Superheroes- Can’t believe I still have the table memorized after not playing for 30 years.
• Aliens – Another great DM and group of players.

 

TSR Marvel Superheroes

Shadowdark by HazardQuest

Who did I meet

It started Wednesday. We got to hang out with the guys from Pirate Borg, Luke and Tyler. I’ve played with them a couple of times at a local game shop in Denver. They invited me and my buddy Mike to a Dopapod concert at the Majestic that night. Great show. I also got invited to hang out at the Hobbs and Friends booth. I’m a big fan of the Gaming and BS podcast. I finally got to meet Sean but Brett didn’t make the con.  Sean introduced me to the most famous personality in RPG podcasts the man himself Jason Hobbs as well as a bunch of other BS Gamers, sorry I didn’t remember all of your names. I finally got to meet up with the Grumpy Wizard aka Travis Miller. I’ll keep an eye out to join one of your S&W games at the next con. Lastly, I got to talk to Doug Kovacs and Brendan LaSalle in the dealer hall both nice guys.

 

Loot

I picked up some DCC and Hyperborea modules as well as the Swords & Wizardry and Tome of Adventure Design.

 

Final Thoughts

As I look back my friend Drew said it best that first day, “I’m walking around thinking …. I don’t know anyone, but I know everyone!” I totally had that same feeling. I listen to the Podcasts, watch the YouTube videos, and read the blogs. All these content creators share a little bit of themselves in their work and you end up feeling like you know them. To some up my first Gamehole Con experience I’d have to agree with Travis “I think I found my people”.