Athagio of the Cephates Herd of the Perry Fields

Missing a player so we did a session 0 / set up characters for the next game. This time around I am playing a centaur who shapeshifts into a sugar glider. And this is the reason for his journey. In the Perry Fields, the centaurs have the age of transition. This transition occurs in early puberty and reveals what they can shapeshift to. Athagio, one of the largest colts (he is basically a Clydestale Centaur) had great expectations of his new shape. Would it be a lion of the plains, a rhino, or even one of the mountain gorillas? Much to his shame, he ended up a small sugar glider. And to make matters even worse, his gender would often switch as well. While his mere told him he was special, his father took a much dimmer view and from then on, would have nothing to do with Athagio. It was only a matter of time that Athagio left the Cephates Herd to wander the world, looking for a cure to what he considered his affliction. His mother got his a fine coat of mail, to protect him from the dangers out there. He learned to cook for himself on his journeys, and ended up in the city of Talmar. He made friends with Diego, the Squirrelkin, and Cyrus Budro-Budro, a large Gatorfolk. They have yet to see him shapeshift, and if Athagio has anything to say about it, they never will. 

Je m'appelle Athagio de Champs Perry du Troupeau Cephates. Why yes, French is close to what his herd speaks. 

Athagio of the Cephates Herd of the Perry Fields

Centaur Shapeshifter, Mystic Folk

Centaur                    Sugar Glider

Strength:    14    +2      11  

Dexterity:   14    +2      17    +3

Mind:        14    +2      14    +2

Hit Points:  21

Armor Class: 12 + 5 (Chain) = 17

Initiative:  1D20 + 2Dex + 1 lvl = +3

Abilities:

• Shapeshifting - can turn into a wee sugar glider. 50% chance of either gender. Character has ability to change body or body parts to an animal or other race. Costs 1 HP to transform (unless considered Mystic Beast). Bonuses or immunities may change based on new race
• Sacrifice Protect - When an ally within 20 ft is under melee attack, character can choose to intercept damage (with additional 1d4 damage). The character moves to replace ally. Ally rolls 1d2 to see if they are knocked to ground for no damage
• Favored Weapon - Select one specific weapon (e.g. short sword, flail, crossbow, etc.) as a favored weapon. It does a critical hit on a natural 19 or 20 (that would otherwise hit). Once per combat round if using this favored weapon and you miss, you get reroll.

Background:

• Chef +2
• Scout +3
• Wandering Minstrel +2
• Tunnel Scout +1

Specialties:

• Weapon master - Choose one weapon to get +3 to hit and damage or choose to get +1 to all weapons (+1 all weapons)

Feats:

• Because I am a good chef, I have an eye for plants for a variety of usage both good and ill; a keen sense of smell to detect the ingredients of many dishes
• Being a minstrel, I am adept at convincing people. And if sheer size does not work, perhaps a small, innocent sugar glider gaze may change an opinion?

Equipment:

• Chain mail (+5 AC)
• Horse bow (favored weapon) - 1d6 + 1 (Weapons Master) damage
• Strong Pack
• large tarp
• crowbar
• hammer
• shovel (leave no trace and he is a horse...)
• iron pot (scrubbed clean after each meal)
• block and tackle (he can really haul things!)
• craftsman tools (useful for keeping his musical instruments in tune and repaired)
• Scroll case
• 2 ink pens
• bottle of ink
• 5 parchments to write his heroic songs on
• 10 days of rations
• waterskin
• flask (for the finer things in life)
• lyre

an over-compensating Athagio

Solo Traveller, Where Art Thou?

It has been a while since my last post for my solo game of exploration in MTU. I do want to get back to it but as I am also currently running 2 games (the Apex game and the Fantasy Trip Game) I really don't have the time to work on that game much. Add in that work is getting pretty busy for an end of the year deadline (you may think that is plenty of time but we're migrating a complex system from one platform to another, and both are very complex. And we don't want to break the existing processes, nor have people have to do double data entry. So it is complicated.)

But in reading through some other blogs, I found this post from the Role Play Rescue site (which as he does some Traveller posts that look good, I'm adding to my blog list; I got this one via alea iactanda est site which has my site linked. It is always interesting to see who visits and where from. Blogs are the new web rings in a lot of ways (and I miss the Traveller web ring and all the really interesting sites it used to have. The web was supposed to be a decentralized system but it is now mostly in the hands of a few large corporations. And all the sites look the same for the most part. But I am just being curmudgeonly...)

That post, to get back on target here, added luck points so he could override the rolls. As the last few games have have that sort of mechanism in it, I think I'll allow myself some of those points as well. I think it will make the story telling a bit more flexible. Which brings up a question: would I do something similar to other games I run that don't have that mechanism in place already?

And the answer is no: The Fantasy Trip & Traveller can be cinematic, but that was not the original intent of the games in my view. They are meant to be deadly, for the players to track their resources and not do stupid things. And for games like that, I like that approach. I still need to print up and play an even more grim game, The Blackest of Deaths. It is even more deadly. Somewhere on one of the blogs I read it was mentioned to play your characters like a rental: go fast & go wild. Or something to that effect. And for TFT & Traveller, it is pretty easy to generate characters. Integrating them into the current game can be tricky, but there are always ways. Gamers, we're very creative!

(and I just realized I have some scenery that looks just like that tree!)

the Runt in his dreams, riding the zombie werewolf

And it turns out that we're down a player for the Monday game, and the Sunday group can't make it today. So suddenly I do have some time! But sadly I will catch up on a couple of other things, such as making the battle map of the German encampment. I do have a 3 day weekend coming up, and plan on taking at least part of a day off soon as I am reaching a snark level that may get me in trouble (one of my sisters takes snark days off on occasion. I feel I am nearing my limit as well!)

A note on the Monday game: we were down a player 2 weeks ago as well but that was during a travelling session: not a whole lot was likely to happen so I felt it was okay to press on. We're now at the Nazi base near the temple, and the missing player is the German doctor. Seeing how Ilsa would probably have an outsized role here, I was not comfortable with running her character through the session. And this session would probably introduce the big bad. I think it will take 2 more sessions probably to finish this current arc.  

I did give a few things we could do:

1. play anyway, and either I or another player take up the good Fraulein's role
2. play anyway, but throw in a side mission / distraction so that the meeting of the Germans is postponed a week (i.e., the Nazon, which turned out to be really close to Nazi as pointed out by the players & entirely missed by me! but that does potentially lead to some other ideas. Regardless, I just pictured in my head as the group is watching the Nazis. Isla, being a Raider and never surprised, looks over to see a Nazon or two sitting back with their dinosaurs, watching the Nazis as well.)
3. roll up characters for the next game, which has yet to be decided
4. do a 1 shot. Either another Brass Rings adventure of sorts, or another GM steps up (and there has been volunteers)
5. entirely skip and take an evening off.

Anyway, off to make a battle map!

Apex Session 7: It was a bumpy road

 Deciding to avoid the Nazon (and they have no idea that this is even a thing but hey, it was a fun thing to write up and I still may use them somewhere) our heroes head more northward, avoiding the path and taking to the hills towards the main crevasse. They really cannot get lost even though compasses don't work well: once they hit that crevasse, head east!

They got the the crevasse and headed towards the volcanic escarpment to the east. The crevasse seems bottomless: there is a mist a few hundred feet down that they cannot see through.

 The first bridge posed a problem: it was more than 40 feet across, and not in good shape. And with Jungle Girl's dinosaurs, it would not hold. They decide to hike a bit more along the ravine, hoping for a more narrow or safer passage. Alas, the ravine skirts the volcanic mountains that are comprised of a lot of obsidian and very sharp. There would be some torn up clothing and ripped dinosaur feet, not to mention Jungle Girl's bare feet (though after almost 2 decades of being barefoot, are probably pretty tough by now).

They could also spot, about 60 feet or so below the lip on the other side, a cave that had columns at the entrance. There was a path down the crevasse that lead to that cave, and it was indicated on the map as well as the symbol for crystals. However, at some point (and it may have been then) a small Nazi jet engine had flown overhead to towards the temple. Deciding that the fate of the world may be more important than their curiosity, they decide to continue to the temple. They do have to come back this way, but they are thinking they may be able to fly back instead of this hike.

Back at the bridge, Archie gets as far as he can to make a leap with his sprinter boots. While normally the leap is automatic according to the rules, what with the height and the condition of the bridge I decided he should roll for it. And he makes a horrible roll. Then failed his save roll. Then failed the luck roll based on his class as a Gadgeteer.  Then failed the grit roll which is a bonus roll the game has. Fortunately, he was tied off, but swinging like a pendulum slammed into the cliff. Fortunately his leathers protected him some. Getting hauled back up, Isla, who is a medical doctor among other things, wrapped up his wounds and there was a lucky roll there that fully healed him.

Shaken (and perhaps stirred), Archie rests a bit while Ace attempts the same feat. Adventurers have an acrobatic trait, and he did manage to get across with the rope. Tying his end off to a sturdy scrub tree, there was now a rope to help others get across. Tong wraps his legs around the rope and gets across safely. Fraulein Ilsa also manages to get across. leaving Archie, Jungle Girl and her to dinosaurs. I decided a reaction roll would determine if she followed them or not. And as she is getting at least used to Archie and the others, a small advantage. She decided to cross, and after Archie gets to the other side, she deftly manages to cross that chasm as well. Her dinosaurs gave some plaintive cries as the group heads futher east into the mountains.

The next bridge was in better shape, and no longer hearing the cries of the dinosaurs left behind, they cross that bridge and start the climb to the escarpment, the sun starting to set at their backs.

Once at the top, they can see the experimental jet has landed next to a troop cargo blimp. Isla was somewhat alarmed that they had finished at least that much of this jet and that it flew here. Knowing that they were planning on converting the engine to be able to use the crystals of Apex Island, she grew more alarmed that progress had apparently been made. 

And next to the plane was Ilsa's co-worker, Dr. Sybille Mader.

And of course a typical German squad which consists of a captain and 9 soldiers. And this is where we left the adventurers, another cliff-hanger!

So we had some pathos leaving the dinosaurs behind, and some fun with Archie's failure to get across the first bridge. The player & I tend to roll badly, but hey, we roll with the rolls! It is all about the story and he did not die or even maintain anything significant other than perhaps hurt pride. But being English, we will never know how he feels. However, the fact that Jungle Girl is still with them seems t help.
 

Apex Session 7 Preparation (and a Traveller Society/Contact)

We last left our adventurers watching what appeared to be a triceratops herd being watched over by dinosaur riding herders. So, I'll see if we can get some back story, and also translate it out into Traveller terms so that I can use this in a  Traveller game at some point. It would be a TL-0, perhaps a TL-1 society (stone age, early bronze age).

Jhosteel standing watch

The Nazon, as they call themselves. roam the badlands. They have small herds of what look to be either triceratops or chasmosaurus. These herbivores, named ritkoa,  roam the badlands and eat the scrub grasses. Their society is primarily based around the herd: they have domesticated them well enough to be able to ride them and use them as pack animals. They live in temporary camps they call bruacs. A central large tent, made of cured hide and impervious to the rare drenching rains named hidols as well as the blistering sun above. Smaller family units, traditionally 1 male and 1 female but other combinations do exist, circle around the vorro, the central tent where foods are prepared for the whole tribe, and shared amongst all the people. The vorro is where tribal business takes place, and strangers are greeted. 

Generally, there are one to three herders, or jhosteels, that keep an eye on the herd. They ride their rerkis, a bipedal carnivorous dinosaur that appear to be actually several species. The rerkis are trained from the moment they hatch, and form a bond with their riders. They will fight to the death to protect their riders. There almost seems to be a symbiotic link between rider and rerkis but it is really just exceptional training and very subtle signals between rider and rerkis. The jhosteel are more than just herders: they are also the guardians of the tribe as well as the herd. The jhosteel tend the herds for days at a time, though they do switch off at irregular times so that there is usually at least one person who is relatively fresh. While most Nazon ride rerkis, some prefer the ailah. These "death birds" are faster and have a better endurance, but not as strong as the rerkis.

Socially, it tends to be a patriarchal society. The leader, the osah, rises through the ranks. If one of the Nazon feels they can do a better job, there will be either a fight to the death, or the current osah can pass on the leadership. The rite of tsiver is rare, though. While not unheard of for females to initiate tsiver, it is not a common occurrence. There is a hat that signifies the osah. It is worn when making official decisions or acting for the tribe. 

Osah, riding a ailah

They carry stone weapons. The bhomgook is a spear-like weapon used for both stabbing and like a whip on the tough hides of the ritkoa. They carry obsidian knives that are as sharp as a scalpel. They do fight in an organized capacity. This stems from their herding techniques: it takes more than one jhosteel to turn a stampeding herd. In fact, against larger carnivores, they will often incite a stampede. It is not difficult to start, but much more difficult to stop. And few single beasts can stand up to tons of stampeding ritkoa between the sheer weight and their horns. 

The ritkoa are also venerated. A single one will feed the tribe for weeks, along with the other foods they forage for. Older bulls will often have their horns carved in a faint scrimshaw-like pattern. This pattern is distinct per tribe, or falnah. When that bull dies, it is burned rather than eaten.  The skuki may take days and is their only holy activity. No tribe will attack while a skuki is taking place, and will often actually send gifts. The horns is removed and is placed outside the vorro as a kind of archway. Older tribes may have a veritable entrance hall made of ancient horns. 

Different falnah treat strangers differently. There are several inter-tribal rivalries as well as alliances. As a tribe ranges from a few dozen to almost a hundred members. there needs to be some cross-breeding to keep the Nazon a healthy species. There is a bi-annual ghoko where the tribes forebear any rivalry and meet. These meetings are to allow members of one falnah to move to another, as well as trading ritkoa to improve their herds. Husbands and wives need to be approved by both families, and marriage can happen at an early age. How they meet non-Nazon also varies from falnah to falnah. Some are welcoming (and often seen as potential breeding stock if they appear to be the same species [e.g., humans. While this works for Apex, in Traveller how they would react to aliens such as Aslan or Vargr would best be determined by a raw reaction roll]). 

Their language, Nazon-eh, is fairly simple. There is barely a past tense: most verbs are all present tense. Even for events happening in the future, it is the present tense but modified. Something like: The meeting is occurring three suns before us. Or for the past, similarly: The meeting is occurring three suns behind us.

Apex game  notes

There is only 1 tribe above ground in the badlands. The mosa falnah found there way up from a volcanic shaft. Finding the ritkoa existing in this strange land with the burning orb high in the sky, they moved their tribe from the sub-surface world with its constant light. They do go on raiding trips back down to lurthi (the real world) to get more tribal members to join them in the luthno (the sky world). As such, they know secret ways back to the "center of the earth". 

Traveller game notes

For Traveller, this will be a TL 0 or TL 1 world. 

• Starport - any, probably E or D though seems most likely
• Size - 4-8. Smaller may be better for lighter gravity, but not sure how that handles as for large creatures, you really need a heavier oxygen mix (well, from what I remember from some documentary explaining why the dinosaurs got so large)
• Atmosphere: 6-8. Standard would work, dense (with a higher oxygen content?) may be better, The standard tainted would also work, and could be something as simple as heavy pollen. And it may only tainted in some areas - perhaps high or low elevations only?  And hey, the Traveller Wiki has some nice icons for the atmosphere entry!
• Hydrographics: pretty much anything other than 0 or A, but probably lower is better. I did posit badlands for the tribes.
• Population: probably low, 3-6 for the natives (1000 - 9,999,999). 
• Government: 0. 5 or 7. See the wiki (again, nice icons - I need to visit that site more often!) for descriptions
• Law Level: probably 0, maybe one. The Nazon can't do anything to restrict things. Whether or not the local port decides to stop anything is up the world you plop this on.

Play notes

The ritkoa could be a delicacy on other worlds. Hunting trips could be arranged. For some this could be a photo safari, others may want to use native Nazon guides and even use native, low tech weapons for the hunt. Note that doing so, they would be hunting wild ritkoa, not any in the herds.

Or a ship may have crashed and the adventurers are hired on as a rescue party from the port. Being a provincial port, there may not be any vehicles available so they will have to deal with the Nazon directly for transportation to the site.

Safari ship flying to a herd of ritkoa

Vocabulary

Ailah - bird-like dinosaur. Looks like a "death bird" or vicious ostrich.

Bruac - temporary camp site

Falnah - individual tribe of the Nazon

Ghoko - biannual inter-tribal meeting

Hidol - rare and very heavy storms. Often can cause flash flooding.

Jhosteel - herder, guardian

Lurthi - the "real" world

Mosa - currently the only tribe living above ground

Nazon - name of the people as a whole

Osah - leader of the tribe. Based on mostly physical merit

Rerki - riding dinosaurs. Several different breeds but all bipedal, carnivorous and loyal to their riders

Ritkoa - the large dinosaur-like herbivores they herd

Skuki - the burning celebration of the passing on of the bull from the herd

Tsiver - battle for leadership

Vorro - the main tent, used for cooking,eating and carrying our tribe business

Traveller: Patron Encounter - The Package

1 - 4 Players

Corporate Agent    

Required Skills: None

Required Equipment: None

At the high port at a system at the edge of the Imperium, the adventurers are approached by a tall gentleperson of indeterminate gender (not uncommon in this system). Offering to buy the adventurers a meal at the Redonkously Expensive restaurant, they will tell their tale.

"My employer had me send a package via X-Boat to the neighboring system. The boat is currently docked in the Scout Bays. I found out that the package was switched by an agent for the Ine Givar and will cause the Imperium and the neighboring polity to possibly go to way. The Scout Service won't allow me to retrieve the package via the normal channels as it is already locked in the mail vault. Perhaps you could manage to retrieve it? The boat is in bay 1 undergoing routine maintenance before getting towed to the jump point. I can pay Cr5000 each for your services."

Some notes: the Xboat Service takes data and package delivery very seriously. Once a package is consigned to the mail locker on the boat there should be no retrievals. So this is definitely an illegal theft even if the owner of the package wants it retrieved. But hey, we are on the edge of the Imperium.

Even though Xboat Tenders tend to do most of the work, sometimes in busier systems that have a high port, the boats will get towed to the station and moved to the Xboat docks. This allows the pilots more space to stretch their legs while the boat is serviced, as well as being a convenient location for those small packages that they can transport for a significant fee to the next stop on their route. Additionally, the tender will restock their supplies from the port as well. 

1. All is as they said: the package is already locked into the mail vault of Xboat 334-A and they are who they say they are if any intelligence gathering is made.
2. All is not quite as they say: they are  in fact the agent of the Ine Givar and want that package removed to prevent the Imperium from considering annexing the neighboring system.
3. As per 1, but the package is actually in the cargo bay area and not yet loaded.
4. As per 2, but the package is actually in the cargo bay area and not yet loaded.
5. The "corporate" patron is in fact Scout security: there have been rumors that packages are not as secured as they are supposed to be, and Scouts may be taking bribes to part with physical mail and fix the data trail. If the players balk at illegal activity, they may reveal themselves and give them a temporary warrant to try to get the package.
6. the package is actually a remote detonated device and the Ine Givar or local terrorist group wants to make the Imperium look bad. The players are to be victims of lax Imperial safety precautions.

The Xboat docks are from Yet Another Traveller Blog that has some excellent resources. This link takes you directly to the geomorph post. 

My backgrounds rotate through my deck plans directory, and when this popped up, it really made me want to use it for something. And it has been too long since my last actual Traveller post on what was ostensibly a Traveller blog (as noted before, I really don't see a reason to create blogs specific to my games even if they are free. One blog to rule them all for me works)

Apex Session 6: Tower Fight

We were missing one player, so I played him as best I could for the evening, and managed not to get him killed. And he even got to eat (there is a running joke about his food as he does keep missing meals). 

The adventurers sleep well in the tower, after moving the remains of the skeletons to one of the rooms. Sleeping on the 3rd floor, they shove that huge table to block the stairwell doors. They keep watch, all except Frau Ilsa, as these are gentleman in these perilous times. And she is not complaining about getting a full night sleep. There is something flying overhead during the night, but it was too distant to tell if it was natural or not, though they are pretty sure it was something natural.

the tower

Next morning, with the sun shining, they leave the tower, only to be attacked by a flock of juvenile pteradactyls! These were from those nests in the stable level of the tower. They are the remnants of those creatures who used to be ridden by the guardians centuries past (which is sort of assumed by our adventurers based on the remaining tapestries and that one bronze sword with To Guard The Worlds engraved on it.

attack!

A fight ensues, and Ace got bit while protecting the expert shot Ilsa. A monkey wrench is almost as effective as some guns but does require to be a bit closer! As the fight is drawing to a close, a screaming Jungle Girl (who really has no name that she can at least recall. Other than Ungawa) comes charging up on her dinosaurs. She leaps to "Arkie's" defense, but despite her high agility, I actually rolled badly and she missed her prey. She turned her overshot into a graceful flip however; the pteradactyl she was attacking was put out of its misery by a round to the head from Archie. I also rolled really bad for all of Tong's shots, so he never hit anything. Fortunately for our team, I rolled equally bad on the attacks: only that 1 attack on Ace succeeded. And I think we forgot about that later - we can go with he bandaged up his arm and we'll restore a point of damage from first aid at least. I need to read the healing rules.

Jungle Girl's dinosaurs gorge themselves on the fresh meat. Having run most of the night, they are a bit famished. While Archie tries to ask JG if the adventurers can eat the meat, she casually tears into one of the dead dinos and starts eating the raw meat. She has quickly adapted to using that knife Ace gave her the previous day. The team decides if she can eat it (with blood dripping down her face) then they can. They strip some meat from the downed dinosaurs to take with them.

Having been reunited with Jungle Girl (who followed that ornithopter on her dinosaurs, and she apparently is popular with the boys at least) they resume their trek to the volcanic region with the temple.

Tong's map

Ace, adventurer that he is, uses Tong's map and they follow the vague trail that is there. About midday the two dinosaurs find some shade in a butte and decide that resting and digesting is more important than walking across these badlands. Jungle Girl agreed and napped against one distended belly.

the badlands (actually the Badlands Park)

After resting a bit, they start back up. Travelling almost to the oasis, they spy what looks to be a herd of triceratops in the distance. Looking through the binoculars, they see what appears to be a herder or something overlooking the herd. A while later, he is replaced by another and he leaves, leaving a new watcher in place.

Despite the differences in the images, they appeared to be similarly dressed, though they were riding different dinosaurs. They somehow managed to get Jungle Girl to look through the binoculars, and she seemed indifferent to seeing other people riding dinosaurs. 

And that's where we left the game. Part of the fun for me at least is poking around for images: so many cool dinosaur things to pick and choose from. I also brought back our jungle girl as I did want an NPC in the group so that I can have a bit of interaction with the players. It helps that she only knows the one word (gotta love old Tarzan movies!). Currently there has not been too much of a rush to get where they are going: they have water, and fresh meat now. But I will be throwing something in there to speed things up and give more urgency to this foray. 

Hard to believe we're 6 sessions in already. There are a few turning points ahead, so I am not sure what the players will actually decide to do. I like big sandboxes and try to have a lot of options open. This is a new game and the players are basically going where the overall plan was but that could change at any time. Particularly as not everyone's motivations are the same. Tong has a map that may lead to the center of the Earth, Ilsa wants to keep the Nazis from taking over the world, and Ace & Archie are basically following her as they want that as well, but they are in it more for the adventure, though saving the world is important as well. And Archie is hoping those crystals will be able to power his toys. 

And this world may be part of a larger set of universes. While it is (at least in my head!) in the same universe and time as our vigilante game, there may well be access to my Fantasy Trip world, and the Traveller universe as well. Way back in college one of the Traveller games I was playing in misjumped, and we ended up in a D&D world. Those were the ways we played back then, and as I've been playing perhaps a bit too linearly and by the rules the last few years, I do want to play outside the lines a bit more. Have more memorable games. Fun games for the players as well as the GM! And oddly enough, the PDF of Wex's Drift showed up and there are power crystals there. So another potential overlapping world. I am not sure if Wex's Drift exists or not in my Fantasy Trip world; I do have other fantasy RPGs where it may fit in better.  And it is always fun translating characters between game systems - sometimes it is pretty easy, other times a bit twisty.

Lamia's Labyrinth Session 2 - A Death or Two

After barely surviving the great trap revival, our heroes start back where they came from. A glimmering light around the corner spooked them, and our werewolf was sent forward to investigate.  Finding their guide had come down to see if everything was okay, the went back to the ladder, and took the dragon egg up so as to not be encumbered by that. I also added the NPC as I was concerned that the temple adventure was going to be harder on them than I thought. And it did turn out to be more difficult.... 

Following the curving hallway, they got to the front room and found the statue of the abada. The abada is a shy herbivore of Central Africa, and its horns are purported to be the antidote of all poisons. A bit of prodding and the adventurers do find two vials of universal antidote in the horns. The Runt is the only one small enough to squeeze through the remains of the front door and into an adjoining room that was once a library of sorts. He found the decayed and ruined remains of scrolls, and one still intact scroll written in a strange language that appeared quite uniform and linear (I was thinking a computer printout I think when I stuck that in there, no idea where I was going). He stashed the scroll in his potato sack clothing and returned to the group.

Just around the corner was a dead snake in front of a door, the blood still fresh. Our Goblin mage, still hungry, pops out and eats the eyeballs. And, the player, being a father with 2 sons playing, decided fart jokes were quite applicable as the Goblin's digestive track is apparently quite, err, noisy. I did not make the others roll against nausea. The room inside looked to be the dining room: long tables, stone utensils and glazed pottery everywhere with images of the abada. They heard some noise in the next room, and on searching found two of the missing people: a young girl, Wendy, and her older sister Yvonne. Yvonne was holding a bloody rapier, snake blood still dripping, as she guarded her younger sister. Nova stepped forward and calmed them down. Through sobs they found that the other two had been separated at the snake attack, and the boys had gone north. A quick check of the remaining room showed casks, most broken and dried out. Those that remained only held what could be be described as vinegar or worse. That did not stop the Goblin from taking a swig. 

Heading north, they encounter a trap that the scholarly werewolf actually found. Crut disarmed the trap, and as they were about to enter the next chamber, they saw the 4 giant scorpions! And of course, the scorpions saw our adventurers as well. With a roll of the die, the lead scorpion attacks Crut. Even with his blur ring on, I rolled really well and the giant beast managed to grab ahold of our rogue, and with another good roll, the other claw as well. Though Crut had lost his enchanted dagger, he was still wearing ensorcelled armor. As the scorpion does 1d6 damage, and his armor takes 6 points of damage, unless I roll double (4) or triple (3) damage on 3d6, Crut is safe. And because of these 2 hex creatures, blocking the others from getting attacked. Agaric turns into a werewolf and their trusty NPC guide, with her 16 adjusted dexterity, gets to shoot twice per combat round. Crut and his foe were blocking the door, so it was a matter of slow attrition as arrows slowly took the life of one of the 4, and bit by bit Agaric and Crut managed to beat the scorpion down. Eventually Runt also attacked, having a 2 hex range with his staff. In the midst of this almost slow motion battle, a fighter came out of the back room and attacked a scorpion. The defender of the boy, he was wielding a sword and leather armor. His attacks did not go unnoticed, and the next turn that scorpion turned around to attack. Just like Crut, he was grabbed (which makes his attacks at a -4 DX to hit) but his armor protected him from most, but sadly not all, of the damage. During the melee, Crut, Agaric & the Runt managed to kill the scorpion holding Crut (I never rolled a critical in those attacks), but the guard was killed as I did roll a critical for that attack! The adventurers see the unknown soldier crumple in a giant scorpion's claws and start to get devoured. Our guide (whose name I keep forgetting!) continued to shoot arrows; while none missed, several just glanced off the mighty creatures hard carapace! But eventually she too managed to kill one of the beasts. Leaving just the two, one busy devouring our dead guardian, and the other moving in to join the feast. The crew though made quick work of the remaining scorpions as they could surround the beasts better now.

Nova, Wendy and Yvonne rush to Billy (and yeah, I should have prepared a bit more with actual NPC names. I have so many resources for names that there is no excuse!) Seeing as he was poisoned by the sting of a scorpion tail, our master physicker works her healing and the universal antidote to bring poor Billy almost back to his normal self. Just frightened and sad to have lost their guardian.

They retrace their steps, careful to avoid the traps, and get the children out of the temple and into the waiting arms of the lamia. Deciding that they had not yet explored the room to the south of where they came in, they go back down and explore the dorm room. And then they are attacked by yet another giant scorpion! Rushing in, Agaric decides to fight as a human: that -3DX meant as a werewolf he rarely actually hit anything! Crut also runs up, secure in his enchanted armor and a helm they found that grants him yet another -1DX for attackers. Rolling for who gets attacked, it was Agaric who is grabbed by the giant scorpion, a larger cousin to the ones they had already killed. Somehow I managed to roll a critical hit, doubling damage, and bringing Agaric down to a single hit point! Crut was swinging his dagger which was slowly causing damage, and the guide was again shooting arrows. While the arrow-filled beast ignored the others and was still trying to kill Agaric, Runt and Nova moved up to be behind the scorpion to get a better attack angle. Agaric, knowing that his werewolf form heals a point every other turn, starts turning into a werewolf. Sadly, he gets killed the next turn, and that same turn the others finally manage to kill the scorpion. Using the zombie ring from the trap room, the Runt now has a werewolf zombie!

So, we managed to kill off another player character. And it was the same player. I'll be breaking out the official cause of death stamps, and I'm painting up a zombie wolf which can suffice as the zombie werewolf.

Agaric and Friend (WIP for the skelly)

As they have the rule book, and I gave 250 XP for this adventure, they are busy updating their character sheets, and in 1 case, making a new one. Going to let him make a 34 point character just so he is close to being on par with the other players. 

But as a recap: the Lamia will give them their pouch of 50 gold for the children's rescue. They have a couple of maps and scrolls, and that last chest I should not have made it a detect roll. So will give them what they found under the hidden bottom:

The other chest is empty, though a 5D INT roll (and 3D with trap detection) will note a false bottom in the chest. Below the false bottom is a map of the Phantom Isles. The characters may have heard rumors of these isles, near a city where it always rains. 

The Phantom Isles is were I am placing the Rainy City, a city where it always rains. Another Kickstarter that has had a couple of supplements since the first supplement. They may never visit there, but I am throwing out things that I have just in case. World building or random stuff, you be the judge!

 And here is the link to the not exactly complete PDF as I was re-arranging things. If there is a demand I can finish it up and maybe organize it better. One of these days I may try to do a zine Kickstarter with some friends. One being a talented artist so that would be pretty cool. 

And the background of the temple, which the Lamia will tell our adventurers (except for the adventure part):

This temple was once at the edge of the mountains centuries ago, and was starting point for travelers heading north through the desert. A temple dedicated to Tona, Goddess of the Lesser Cretures, and often linked with healing. Centuries ago, there was a fight with Mim the God of Rains, who felt that his Dwarves were not shown the proper respect. In fact, the Dwarves were trying to steal the Chalice of Mintrailia, which flows with perfect mead once a day. Upon discovering the theft, the priestesses sent an abada to retrieve the chalice, but he was killed by the Dwarves. In retribution Tona had the Dwarves eaten by a myriad of centipedes and had the chalice returned. Mim in his anger, moved the temple dozens of miles into the desert, hours from the northern route, and buried the temple in the sands. The battle raged on, and this marked also the end of the city of Tuvano, for the Wizard King Kalinore’s wife was bit and cursed by a poisoned millipede. Seeing the damage she and Mim caused, they ceased their battle. The temple has not been heard of in centuries since, and Tuvano has since fallen to dust (see The Fantasy Trip Adventures, the Tomb of the Wizard-King).

 

Apex Session 5: The Tower (a mini-dungeon crawl)

See my session prep here for images and background.

Session 5 started with our heroes getting to the tower. Using his sprinter's boots, Archie managed to leap over the 20' or so of possibly rotten bridge with a rope. Using that. the others managed to cross with only a foot or too finding some rotten spots on the wooden bridge, but no one fell to the 150' chasm below them.

After getting everyone in the entrance room, they started to explore the tower. Archie heard noises from the stairwell and a brief trip down the stairs revealed riding gear and what did appear to be stables, though with human-sized doors on the inside that matched the much larger outside doors they noticed when approaching the tower.

I did my share screen thing and just had the maps displayed: there was nothing really "hidden" and it was easier for everyone I think to have an idea of the actual space. I did use various descriptions as worked up in my notes (and when we're done with this I'll post a link to the semi-organized PDF in case anyone wants to use it):

The Tower

Located at the edge of the badlands surrounding the temple, the tower sits in a ravine, a long bridge connecting it to the badlands. The ravine is where the river flows out and down to the Atlantic. The tower is ancient and the bridge somewhat treacherous. A relatively easy 2+ action check to cross.

Entry room

Inside the characters are at the ground level. A 20x30 foot room, light only by the setting sun streaming through the door, shows a room with scratchmarks on the floor made, and a broken double door at the far wall and a smaller door on the right wall. In the far corner is what looks like a pile of rags. This is the skeletal remains of an ancient guardian; there is a bronze sword with Minoan script down the blade reading To Guard The Worlds There is a painting of what appears to be pterodon riders on the left wall, what was once a magnificent mural but is now faded. Sounds can be heard from the broken double doors ahead.

Staircase room (2)

A 20’ square room with a spiral staircase in the middle. From below you can hear something, or several somethings, stirring about. There is nothing blocking the stairs in either direction. It is dark below as well as above.

First room the right (3)

This triangular room is about 20x20. Rotting desks are against 2 walls. One desk holds a leather-bound volume, written in Minoan. Inside are maps that no one recognizes. There is a map that looks like the area around the temple and what appears to be a door or gateway down a chasm. 6+ action roll with wisdom and class bonuses to apply.

There is also another book, oddly enough in what appears to be ancient Hebrew, with the pentacles of King Solomon described. One, the Fifth Pentacle of Mercury, when the page is opened one of the characters who have not yet noticed a coin, will feel a warmth in a pocket and upon searching, will find it. The other coins will also glow, and each character will get one of the remaining coins (as they seemed to have entirely forgotten about them).

So I finally got the coins for all the users in place, though I may scatter more coins around after reading some of the "spells" and things they have. I also generated a couple more maps, one fairly mundane, the other unknown and strange. They did pick up that it well may be a map of other worlds or realities. The mundane map does show a hole in the chasm they need to cross along with a crystal marker. 

It ended up basically a dungeon crawl mostly: I had encounter tables for the barracks rooms, and they managed to defeat 3 skeletons and pick up 3 crystal power stones that seemed to charge the 3 (or was it four?) crystal swords that they picked up. I did not go over the mechanics but will here, as per my notes:

Crystal Weapons. These are crystal powered weapons. In general, they are a d8 usage die. To recharge you need to find a power crystal and let the weapon stay in contact for 5x1d10 combat turns. They are also, when charged, considerably more dangerous than expected: they ignore armor.

I sort of ignored that recharging info during game play (note to self: read the actual established notes!)

And the tower exploration took most of the game night. I do need to bring in some NPCs soon to have a bit more interaction. I may bring back Jungle Girl, who I did finally work up:

Though I do think perhaps in the morning there well could be a pteradactyl attack as they leave what is now a nesting ground for these flyers.

Fantasy Trip - Lamia's Labyrinth Session 1

So after more than 18 months, finally got back together with my Fantasy Trip group (okay, it is a dad & his two boys). We are all vaccinated, which is important to him as three in his family have pretty bad asthma, and get sick all to easily as it is. And important to me as my wife is immuno-compromised from barely surviving cancer a few years back. But they showed up at my house (after a frantic house cleaning!) and we got to play for about three hours. And we only made it to the 3rd room...

So, playing with live people who don't know what is going to happen is a lot more fun than a solo play test. The Lamia shows up towards the morning, and the person on guard is our very paranoid werewolf scholar (he is paranoid as the player had a previously killed in battle character, so is a bit more cautious now) The Lamia asks for help and at first he refuses, but does wake up his companions. But when "missing children" were heard, Nova stepped in and made the decision. Nova is now an NPC/2nd character played by a player, as the original player had a hard time with the game (she is about 11, and keeping a game exciting for teenage boys and a pre-teen girl was a juggling act I could not maintain. Though we did have a good dragraff that we rescued).

Anyway, they get to the hole in the sand, and the Runt Gubler, our Goblin Mage, was oddly the first one down there. The others showed up and they search the room. A golden cockatrice statue to Crut's attention, and a successful search for traps showed him the trap, but a failed disarm got Agaric, our werewolf scholar, hit with a poison dart! Fortunately Nova is a master physicker so the damage was immediately bandaged up and healed. Then there was a lot of discussion as to what to do, too much discussion so that a wandering yellow slime dropped in on them. The Runt made his dodge roll, and as slimes are not fast, they went on to the next room.

The next room had the giant spider. Crut, with his blur ring and enhanced armor, first backed away while Nova attacked and Agaric turned into a werewolf. In the Fantasy Trip, the werewolves double their strength but decrease their dexterity and intelligence. And you need to roll under your intelligence to turn back from a werewolf! However, in the previous adventures, he had gotten the werewolf ring that allows him to keep his admittedly high intelligence. It is that -3DX to hit that causes problems!

Meanwhile, the Goblin mage, realizing that their only exit was now blocked by that yellow slime, manages to blow him up with a lightening blast from his staff. Oddly, there was a smell of fresh cinnamon after this occult attack. The werewolf claws at the giant spider and misses, as does Nova. The spider managed to bite Nova, but with her armor and a successful parry, no damage, so no roll against strength for poison! Crut decides to attack, and somehow, with his enchanted blade, rolls an 18. So that he not only drops this wonderful enchanted blade, but it breaks! Normal daggers do not do a lot of damage...he still retains his enchanted leather armor but without that blade he is no longer quite as formidable. The battle with the spider lasts a fair amount of time: the Runt has limited power left, so remains watching as the three finally kill off the giant spider. After eating an eyeball, the Runt is ready to move on. Nova collects some spider venom and blood, and they enter that long corridor.

Crut takes the lead, checking for traps. Alas, he actually missed the first one but makes his save roll, doing a graceful flip over the now revealed spiked pit. Using his labyrinth kit, they use a rope and the other safely cross. The next trap he finds, and they manage to walk safely around that.

They enter the large circular room, and the Goblin mage grabs the book before the thief can stop him. Several traps suddenly re-engage, including a bladed pendulum that manages to cut into Nova and Agaric. And the room starts to flood as the main door closes. They all scatter to the 3 different rooms with the water coming up fast. The mage tries to run back & put the book back, but that has no effect. And being of a small stature, the water is soon above his head! Unfortunately, he does not know how to swim. Fortunately, he has the clean air spell, so manages to walk to the room under water. 

By now the water is close to head level for everyone, and after some pointed hints, they finally shut the doors, and the water no longer flows into their 20x20 foot rooms. Another couple of turns and the water recedes. And they start poking around the rooms they are in. Crut heard the voices in the room he was in via small ducts in the walls; Nova and the Runt found the wolf summoning crystal and the zombie key, having to fight the skeleton. Agaric got Crut to his small chamber, then went to check up on Nova and the Goblin mage, but hearing stone sliding on stone as Crut started poking into the three tombs.

The fight against the skeleton was successful, and though Nova got cut her master physicker skills healed her right up. Getting back to Crut, they started poking into the 3 raised stone coffins. Crut, despite the mage's warnings, used a knife to pry the green jewel from the staff of the mage's coffin. It did two points of damage that was easily absorbed by his leathers, and he now has that gem. They also picked up the dragon egg, and our scholarly werewolf knew that it was a dragon egg. To hatch it would require a dragon's fiery breath or the magical equivalent, something they could not do. But they also realized it could be worth some real gold. Noa took the egg at that point, her being a vet and animal lover. Not sure where they will go with the egg yet. Crut also pulled off the 4 rings from the final corpse. One is a ring of detect life, and will glow when there is life, other than the bearer, is around. Not sure how to exactly handle that when they are part of a group and so yes, there is life nearby!

And that is where we left them. No lasting wounds after healing, but the mage is out of spare power and the thief lost his prized enchanted dagger. Hopefully we'll be able to continue next week. Though the temple is a bit more dangerous than I thought, especially as they are basically 1st level characters. I'm going to have to generate their guide and probably have her join the group. For a cut of the 50 gold the Lamia offered for her charges' rescue.

Apex Session 5 Preparation

We last left our adventurers safely landed just inside the badlands, heading to the tower as a hopefully safer place to sleep. Poking around, I did find an image of a tower in a ravine. There was another image I also liked, but the ravine version had some interesting ideas that jumped out at me. And additionally this is apparently an adventure or something published as I also found maps. And you know me and maps!

I really liked the style and almost picked this one

But this one was at the edge of a ravine, where the river flows far below. Not sure how that actually works our geographically, but they did barely make it over the mountains guarding the badlands.

There is also that long bridge they have to cross which, after hundreds of years, may not be in the best shape. And I've spent a fair amount of time just browsing images - its amazing what can spark your imagination. 

I'm going to introduce a few more pulpy things: they have not gone back over that coin in Tong's pocket, so there will be a book, written in ancient Hebrew, about those Pentacles from King Solomon. And at that point they will have the coins. I've also decided on some of the game mechanics. For Tong, all attacks against him are at a disadvantage as he has the Sixth Pentacle of Mars. Below is the list of the coins, with a spare so not sure what to do about that. These coins are from a Kickstarter that used this archive.org for the text. I will also use the usage die, though these will all start with a d12, so should last a while. Recharging could be as simple as getting it back to a crystal power shard, or actually drawing out the appropriate pentacle and performing the correct incantations. Which are in this book. In ancient Hebrew, which I am not sure any of the characters know. But hey, there can be NPCs for hire or something. Or I may look to see if one of those coins can give knowledge and allow that for a cheat such as the 4th Pentacle of the Moon.

Fifth pentacle of Mercury: commands the Spirits of Mercury, and serveth to open doors in whatever way they may be closed, and noting it may encounter can resist. This may be used once a day. Not only mundane doors (similar the the Fantasy Trip's Lock/knock spell) but also those doors between the worlds. That are scattered on Apex Island.

Second Pentacle of Mars: this pentacle serveth with great success against all kinds of diseases, if it be applied unto the afflicted part. May be used up to 5 times a day and will cure all diseases. Also works for toxins and poisons.

Sixth Pentacle of Mars: it hath so great a value that being armed thereith, if thou art attacked by any one, thou shalt neither be injured nor wounded when thou fightest with him, and his own weapons shall turn against him. This gives all attacks against the bearer a disadvantage.

Seventh Pentacle of Saturn This pentacle is fit for exciting earthquakes, seeing the power of each order of Angels herein invoked is sufficient to make the whole universe tremble. Usable once per day, allows for tremors - make saving rolls against falling down for everyone within 100 yards except for the caster. Not recommended underground.

Fifth pentacle of Saturn This pentacle defendeth those who invoke the Spirits of Saturn during the night and chaseth away the Spirits which guard treasures. Used against guardian spirits, such as the skeletons guarding the crystal weapons. Guardians will not attack the bearer of the coin, but neither will they just let them take what they are guarding.

Fourth pentacle of the Moon This defendeth thee from all evil sorceries, and from all injury unto soul or body. Its Angel, Sophiel, giveth the knowledge of the virtue of all herbs and stones and unto whomsoever shall name him, he will procure the knowledge of all. Allows for advantage on all lore rolls.

I've got a broad outline of the tower and the rooms based on the maps, and rolls per room. And the lowest level in the adventure was for buzzard riding knights it looked liked based on the images and the map. But instead of buzzards, the Apex knights rode pteranodons. Which:

Pteranodon is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with wingspans over 7 meters (23 feet). They lived during the late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present-day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. More fossilspecimens of Pteranodon have been found than any other pterosaur, with about 1,200 specimens known to science, many of them well preserved with nearly complete skulls and articulated skeletons.

I still need to come up with the maps to the doors. That chasm they have to cross will have the doors to otherworlds. But I also need to track where the Nazis are behind them. They probably need to catch up and have the big fight at the temple. And I am leaning more into that UFO like ship from Iron Sky. Powered by the crystals: in the book they give a few options for the ancient cities, one being the remains of a technologically advanced alien race. I've yet to decide, and perhaps will let the story play out in a quantum approach: we won't know until it is observed! I'll let the character conversations come up with possibilities, and benignly nod (well, I would if we were at a table, or if we used video chat. But with just voice chat, a few well placed "hmm-hmmmms" will have to suffice).

And hey, today my Fantasy Trip group is coming over - we are all vaccinated so finally get back to a face to face game! So I should have a game recap for that later as well. Finally get to the Lamia's Labyrinth with real people!

Apex Session 4: To the Tower

Session 3 started a bit early as I was not in a meeting or anything, so when the siren call of Skype gaming came, I managed to answer.

We last left our group camping at the edge of the river, sleeping in the boat. The first shift noticed nothing other than the normal jungle sounds. The second shift had a trio of brontosaurus come to the river to get water. Dr. Tong, with his camera, managed to get a good picture of the great beasts. However, the flash terrified them into spitting a mouth of water on Dr. Tong, ruining the flash bulb and almost ruining the camera. They then made breakfast, collected more wood for the boiler (and there was plenty of wood from the stampeding brontos!). The wood collectors all failed perception checks, so were unaware of being watched. One of the things in the background that may or may not come to fruition. 

Puttering up the river was mostly uneventful until they got to the 3 falls below Fort Shone.

I added the boat and the fort outlines to my map, and generated some rules based on the Apex mechanics. See my previous post for those rules. Running the river, they made the first falls just fine in terms of making their rolls. Except for Dr. Tong, who managed to slip and then fail his saving roll. And fail again using his grit point to re-roll. Dunked in the river, Ace hands the tiller to Ilsa, grabs a rope, and jumps in after our floundering academic. He manages to rescue him, and they both return to the boat, wet but otherwise unharmed. Tong basically ties himself down and is not watching the next falls, and it takes two attempts to get past. With very successful rolls, the Apex Queen takes no damage as Archie keeps the boiler in good shape and Ace pilots the boat upriver. Seeing that they are being watched, Ilsa stands and gives the German salute to two soldiers watching the Queen putter up river. The final rapid also goes well, but the Germans at Fort Shone are gesturing for the crew to pull over. Ignoring this, they pour on the steam. Fortunately, I rolled quite horribly for the two rounds they were in range, and no bullets came near the boat. In hindsight, I forgot that the generic Nazi soldiers get a +5 with rifles. Still, only 2 of the 6 shots even with that bonus would have hit, and they would have hit the boat. I need to remember the bonuses for hitting things!

Not too far up the river on Tong's map is the whirlpool and the "giant creatures". As they get closer, they can see the water moving in strange directions on the port, and what looks like giant webs hanging over the river off the starboard bow. 

Choosing wild water over possibly giant spiders, they veer closer to the left and manage to get caught up in the whirlpool through a series of not particularly good rolls. Which worked out to my plot advantage for a few reasons - one does not simply sail to the tower. Though they were coming close!

I found a quick whirlpool map, and through 4 turns they managed to take some damage to the prop. Archie finally got to use his powered boots: he made a heroic leap 30 feet with an anchor to get the boat stabilized against the current, then leapt back in. Unfortunately, using the usage die, he rolled a 1 moving him to a d6 I think. The usage mechanic is interesting and I believe I mentioned it before: an abstract way of tracking ammo or usage. His boots started with a d8, and every time he jumps, roll that. If he gets a one, and he did, go to the next die down. So he is getting some wear and tear on his jumping boots. I again used a variation on the chase mechanics, boat versus whirlpool.

Getting the boat to shore, then managing to use ropes and a counter pulley, they see that the prop is missing a blade, one is horribly mangled, and the other somehow pristine. Getting late, they set up camp again for the evening. Our first watch again hears nothing other than the sounds of the water and jungle. Archie wakes up to find a feral child, or rather a young woman, hanging upside down from a tree & watching him. I found this picture and just wanted to bring this character in...I still need to generate her characteristics as she will possibly be seen again. After all, they do have to get back! And she may be following that ornithopter she led the group to, which proved useful to getting to the tower. Dr. Tong tried to learn her language, comprised of ungawa alone (hey, I did say I wanted some Tarzan vocabulary in the game!). Despite rolling really well, and having an advantage due to his academic status, the short amount of time spent with Jungle Girl proved to test his mettle in learning a new language. Part of this is the background: she is a true feral child and has no real concept of language. Her vocalizations may not be a language at all. If she spends more time with the group, Tong will surely be able to teach her a bit. She also has a pair of dinos, and Tong almost lost a hand in trying to feed them. If she shows up again, Tong can keep trying to learn her language or teach her one of his. 

The ornithopter had a Mercedes engine in it: Archie's background included some notes about how those engines started him on his journey. He managed to get it running, and as Ace gave Jungle Girl a knife and Tong some food, they managed to fly as far as the tower before the limited fuel ran out. Ace made a perfect landing, rolling a 6 on the action roll on a d6. 

They backtracked a bit to the tower they had just passed, and could see a couple miles off what looked to be a walled village. And the scent of apple pie. And that's where we left the game.

I need to figure out what is in the tower, and plan on having something for Ilsa and Tong, and perhaps Ace & Archie. Some hints of things around where they are, so probably yet another ancient map, and perhaps some tome of obscure and occult design. And oddly, the coin has been entirely forgotten...perhaps I'll leave them out to be found. Hmm, in fact, I could link specific coins to specific places on the map. Yeah, I do love maps! Sadly the group can only see the digital version. I'd rather give them the physical handout so they can look. Well, I'll send them the image when they get it in the Skype chat. 

There are things they have not managed to notice, so still out there to be used or not in the current game. I am hoping that we will return to this game, either with me still running or someone else running the game. I figure we're about halfway through my original over-arching plot, but the map to be found in the tower should open up several possibilities. And I've yet to get the Nazi's to catch up. Their steam ship was a day behind but faster, so they are now at Fort Shone, and will be taking a faster transport to the temple from that fort. Not sure just how or what yet, we'll see what random WW1 and WW2 German planes and things show up. I may even try & put in the saucer from the oddball Nazis on the moon movie Iron Sky...

Finally, I need to do more NPC interaction with the group. While not particularly good at it, the only way to get better is to practice. Next session there may be some NPCs involved. I'll have encounters set up for either direction they pick: back to the settlement or forward to the temple. I've some ideas for the badlands they have to traverse, both in terms of terrain and potential encounters. And I still need to work on the actual temple, and what I hope to be the confrontation with the Nazis and the mythical power crystal. 

I've asked over on COTI and read far too many blogs and sites and still can't get myself to play NPCs well. Going to try to add some notes about behaviors and perhaps a movie role that I can use as reference.