well that just happened

Planned Recaps

Tim MaidmentLeave a comment

The last three or four episodes of ‘Well That Just Happened have seen my usual introduction spiel and recap take a more fluid feel through the simple change of my actually writing it out in longhand in my DM’s journal ahead of schedule.

Before this last month or so I’d just been winging it with the occasional glance at my notes from the previous session to remind me of names and places.

It’s the only part of the show that is scripted. I welcome viewers to the show and now include the regular introduction:

“Hello, and welcome to Well That Just Happened: a very queer adventure; where a tired and geeky polycule makes dad jokes and plays some Dungeons and Dragons.”

I then quickly go round the table to let people introduce themselves and their character (and mention what food and snacks they have) before making any announcements and then launching into the recap – a sort of ‘Previously On’ segment as described above.

I started doing it on a whim one afternoon when bored, but have found it a good structured way to get the session ready and players in the right frame of mind – hopefully it viewers find it useful to.

Games Report

Tim MaidmentLeave a comment

Last night’s game dipped into more pulp and espionage elements after the side trip taken the last couple of weeks. A long-bubbling subplot regarding a missing artificer and artificially produced narcotics came into focus with a bit of a bang.

The session started gently with the identification and sale of various treasures recently recovered. This allowed them to have a bit of a shopping spree to update some of their equipment, and so everyone’s mood was high.

The courtesan Belle, last met in the Undercroft on the arm of Lord Harm, arranged to meet Valenia at The Brazen Hydra, the tavern just down the street from the group’s home.

Valenia brought everyone along, so they were all there when Belle revealed herself to actually be Sobrein d’Phiarlan, an Agent of House Phiarlan who specialise in entertainment and information brokerage. The House was concerned about the potential damage the drug could cause and so wanted to help point the group in the right direction.

Before they could move somewhere private to discuss it further, an assassin launched a fireball from an alley across the street, and struck Sobrein down. Iron Ryan, who has become Kerne’s companion, stayed to stabilise the fallen Bard while the group raced in pursuit.

It wasn’t destined to be a long chase, as Caeluma and Kerne both discharged spells in response. Caeluma’s eldritch blast clipped the fleeing assassin, but Kerne’s spell melted him into little more than a pile of gloop, much to the alarm of bystanders and a local guard patrol. Sobrein suggested that he might have been an agent of House Thuranni, bitter rivals of her house in spycraft.

Eventually they were able to get Sobrein to their house and complete their discussions. She was able to describe a conflict between the lowlives of the Dhaask gangs and the extensively connected Boromar Clan in the city of Sharn. House Phiarlan was concerned that if either group was successful they would wreak havoc in different parts of society and so wanted it taken out of both their hands.

The clue that she could offer was that Lord Kemsler had been to a meeting with someone at Casino Tanja. If they could find out who it had been with they would find it easier to track where the artificer had gone.

And that’s where we left the session. It’s probably just a coincidence that House Phiarlan’s symbol is a hydra.

Oh, The DDC…

Tim MaidmentLeave a comment

For those who haven’t caught up with Sunday’s streamed game, well where have you been? I knew it was probably going to be a bit random but I wasn’t expecting them to end up in a BDSM club.

On the one hand it was perfectly plot driven and was kept on the tasteful side, but it’s a stark reminder to DMs that any throwaway line can and will be used as a plot hook against you.

In this case it came from some abandoned and near ruined diaries found while investigating a deserted and haunted house. I was establishing the back story linking the owner of the house with another character that had previously been mentioned. A previous throwaway line of that character being a fugitive chemist and drugs being involved segued into the two mentioned characters being lovers.

This then led to a throwaway line of the DDC finding some erotic poetry between the two while searching through rubbish, and mention of some clubs that they’d frequented together. Having had a glass of whisky at the time I then made up some risqué sounding names.

This week, having rescued Coal, the DDC decided to go searching after the missing alchemist, and went looking for his previous haunts. This was where everyone produced their notes and said the name of the club they wanted to visit.

So instead of hunting after Warforged terrorists as I’d expected, they went clubbing, leaving Coal and Kerne behind to protect innocent eyes. Caeluma compared knitting and knotting techniques with a semi pro rope rigger, Thorin found his burgeoning pit fighter career made him a bit of a celebrity, and Valenia shmoozed for clues.

I have a vague plot now writing itself, but who knows where it’ll all end up…