#bought a nice set of dice……. been a while since i’ve gotten something for myself that wasn’t like. food or public transport LMAO

[okthatsgreat]

buying something nice for myself but shaking my head the whole time so my bank account knows that i’m conscious about my spending habits

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 1973

today was good! i finally ran some errands i'd been meaning to do for a while, and game was fun. and for a bit in the middle, i got to spend time with joel. ☺️

so yesterday was AWESOME. i didn't get much sleep because i was up late wrapping gifts and then didn't fall asleep until like 4something in the morning, and chelsea woke me up just before 8, but it was fun. momma was surprised and happy by the contents of her stocking, and everyone enjoyed the gifts i got for them. plus my sister and her husband finally was able to give me the switch lite they got for me, and they also gave me pokémon shield and i'm SO excited because i have my own console!! and pokémon game!!! and i got a bunch of pokémon and magic cards, and a pocket knife and a new shirt and a ONESIE WITH POCKETS, so overall? a+.

and then i got to go to joel's where i was given a bunch of stuff there, too. joel's brothers and their wives were there too, and it was nice to see them. john enjoyed his gifts, lisa loves her scarf, and renee loved the mug i got her, and joel was just kinda floored with my gifts for him. he was like, you know this is gonna be filled today, right? about the decanter. and he was super excited about the dice stones, too. lance and sam and ethan and hayley were also happy - i got both couples an amazon gift card. they were surprised to get something from me, because they're all limited on resources, which i get because lance and sam JUST bought a house, and ethan and hayley are moving soon, so all of their resources are going into housing and moving and stuff like that. but i was happy to give them something helpful.

i was given a bunch of stuff and i gotta say, it was awesome. i got a twelve pack of harry potter socks, a bunch of makeup from sephora (S U P E R pricey), fuzzy socks and some lotion and a fuzzy pen and stuff in my stocking, a pillow that looked like an ordinary dusk over a bridge but had MOTHMAN in one corner!!, tiny mothman plushies, a mothman enamel pin, a really pretty tshirt dress from lularoe, a hand-painted letterman jacket with MOTHMAN ON THE BACK, an applebee's gift card, a nintendo store gift card, and two gorgeous sets of dice from joel: translucent pan pride heartbeat dice, and the sylvan watermelon tourmaline dice i've been wanting for MONTHS. and then lisa gave me two more dresses - the dinosaur one she wore at thanksgiving and a brand new red one with a deep v neck that's R E D and i'm totally wearing it on new years with the red lipstick she gave me. i got to hang out with joel's family and then we went to his uncle and aunt's for dinner and the kids gave me a sephora gift card and i was surprised and happy to receive something. it was very kind of them to think of me. overall: a+

so between giving good gifts and receiving good gifts that honestly made me feel like a really cool fourteen year old, i would say that this christmas has been the best on the books so far. it was awesome.

(and getting that sephora gift card from the kids saved me almost fifty dollars - i wanted to keep my gifts for aubrey and tyler around the same price value, and since aubrey loves sephora and i don't really ever wear makeup, i'm giving her the gift card and i was able to return the gift i had gotten for her and part of tyler's gift to keep them equal-ish value. i got to return them in my adventures today. and i got rid of a bag of stuff for goodwill. and i returned yarn i didn't need. and i got more fabric for dice bags. and i found the wallet i've been searching for for two months at target, and i got myself some more magic and pokémon cards from the store bc treat yo self.)

and then after all christmas day things were done, joel and i sat together and watched chuck. it was a nice way to unwind after the day. his tummy was hurting, and i ended up learning that joel can burp on command. which is mildly entertaining but also gross. i just really love joel. so much. i would do anything for him.

(and while we were watching, i finished my aunt's scarf so i was able to give it to her today completed.)

i'm so happy that this christmas has been so amazing. i always get anxious around this time of year because people and things to do and a lot of stress bc party, but yesterday was relaxing and tomorrow will be busy but good, so i'm happy about that too.

yeah. happy.

[sepiadice]

Tales of Genius Ch. 1: Mystery in North Fort

(8/5/2018)

Thus I return to the Game Master’s screen, bearing a shirt that labels me of such![1]

Which is good, because there’s going to be no further updates with the Fallen Island D&D campaign. It’s, in theory, still running, but I found myself waiting for an excuse to get out, so I decided it’s healthier to just silently leave.[2]

As previously mentioned, I ran a short GURPS session with the Dungeon Fantasy Box set (and its I smell a Rat module), after which the group and I had a nice long talk and it was decided it was best not to return. Still have nostalgia looking through the revised third edition rule book, but it’s not a good fit for me or my players.[3] Too granular.

Which brings us to Genesys, a system I discovered relatively recently. It’s a generic system, has a narrative focus, and was used by a podcast I like and trust![4] Also, it’s not Powered by the Apocalypse or Fate, neither of which I’ve played but I’m just tired of hearing about them.

So, sit down and prepare yourself for the first episode of a SepiaDice Campaign (yet to be named).

CAST:

Eli Roberts: (Played by Lyons) Child of Clio. Doctor, travelling to write an medical text akin to Gray’s Anatomy

Olivia Grayson: (Played by Maddie) Child of Thalia. Apprentice to Eli.

Fromthe: (Played by Jose) Child of Calliope. Military veteran and current mercenary.

(These references to greek muses shall be explained another time)

DATE: WINTER 1911

SETTING: NORTH FORT

The northernmost town of Astree, sitting in The Tines, the mountain range that separates Astree from its northern neighbor Hervarar. North Fort was once a military fortress standing stalwart against the once consistent wars Harvarar inflicted upon Astree. However, a treaty was forged several generations ago putting an end to such conflict. Soldiers were still stationed in North Fort, just in case. Gradually, however, merchants travelled there more, families came to stay, and the fortress grew into a proper town.

It’s during a harsh winter that our story opens.

For there’s been an avalanche, cutting North Fort off from the rest of Astree. The town has been forced to start using their emergency supplies. However, this has revealed a problem.

North Fort’s mayor[5] has summoned three adventurers who happen to be in town for their own reasons.

The mayor lays out the situation: supplies have been going missing, which could spell doom for the town if the rationing keeps being undermined. No one can be above suspicion, which is why the mayor decided to go outside the City Watch. The party arrived after the thefts started (but before the avalanche), hence why the Mayor is choosing to trust them.

Eli accepts while the youthful Olivia and Fromthe distract themselves, possibly with yo-yos.

To help with the investigation, The Mayor supplies the Duty Roster of the guards stationed outside the emergency supply storage (a converted pantry filled with hard tack, potatoes, and probably barrels of water) and agreed to having a town guard meet them at the same location.

The party then immediately ignored this appointment to suspect the general high class and went to question the proprietress of the general goods store, Isabel. Fromthe, who is currently a merchant of undisclosed goods, tried to glean some information, but didn’t get anything new because Fromthe just annoyed Isabel.

The trio reconvene outside, talked in circles for a bit, then decided to ask a traveling merchant at the local tavern, The Public House.[6]

There, Fromthe once again learned it’s a small town without much of an upper class outside The Mayor and the one member of the clergy, both of whom have more social capital than financial wealth.

Finally, Eli takes his subordinates to the store house, where they meet Officier Morty.[7] They investigate the storehouse, and find a logbook with terrible handwriting, which noted Intellect Eli cannot decipher. Olivia could, however.

The logbook showed that initially the vanishing supplies were minor enough to be marked up as a counting error, before gradually becoming more brazen. The only visitors of note were The Mayor, Debra, the local priest, and a few guards.

Next stop: The local church of Polyhymnia!

Once a small, utilitarian chapel for a military base, it’s been renovated and expanded to a full, proper church.

Eli heads in while Olivia decides to scale the side of the building. And falling off. Fromthe catches her, but sprains his ankles, which Olivia fails to heal.  Inside, Eli discovers a detail I forgot to introduce earlier (but I managed to get away with!): townspeople are getting sick, and are coming to Father Brown for advice.

Eli questions the priest, who is quiet and unassuming, and agrees to see a few patients in a side room.  A skilled examination uncovers an unfortunate truth: it’s a mass poisoning with baneroot.[8] Oh no.  Olivia comes in and Eli fixes Fromthe’s ankles, and then sends them out to investigate where the baneroot may have originated.

Olivia, noted druidic sort, walks the streets, but finds nothing in the public places.

Fromthe again goes to The Public House, and finds a travelling plants peddler, who is drunk. The peddler reveals that, yes, he’s sold some baneroot (it’s got a pretty enough flower), but not to whom.

Then the plant seller passes out drunk, and Fromthe and Olivia grab his ledger and jot down notes.  While it does reveal a list of customers, the peddler has segregated the stock count from who bought what. However, a certain priest is included.

Meanwhile, Eli continues to question the sick. Seems that those regularly attending church haven’t gotten sick, and those who started attending after getting sick started getting better.[9]

After the party meets back up and compares notes, they go to the Mayor with their suspicions in regards to the poisoning.

The Mayor isn’t very excited, since he doesn’t really want to accuse such a prominent community member without firm evidence. Also, he hired the adventurers to find out who’s stealing supplies. Also, maybe tell the Guard Captain about crimes?

Now reminded of their job,[10] the party goes to question Debra to see if she knows if The Mayor might be the thief. Specifically, Fromthe is pushed to question her.

Since The Mayor hired them and Debra is likewise innocent, I handed the secretary to Lyons to role-play.[11] It gets awkward and I needed to feed the lack of information, but it was a pretty good exercise.

If your players are up for it, GMs should give them NPCs to play. It’s a good way to keep them engaged in scenes without their characters, and Genesys in particular handles it well since motivation can easily be determined by the social skill rolls, and information is easy enough to feed.

Now having progressed a little on the thefts, the party returns to the poisonings, choosing to just confront Father Brown themselves.  Not wanting to cause a scene, the party discreetly takes Father Brown into the side room to accuse him.  Father Brown attacks with magic. Eli and Fromthe take point while Olivia flees to do other things.

Because it was getting pretty late, I went ahead and ran combat until all three players got to use the combat mechanics (since the main goal was to test the system).

Olivia’s turn was breaking into Father Brown’s room and finding the poison and antidote plants growing, as well as the stolen supplies. It all comes together!

Now shot a little and seeing he’s outmatched, Father Brown is arrested and confesses. He’s a clergyman in a faraway town, and thus has little chance at promotion, so he had hoped to fake a miracle to increase his standing.

Mystery solved! Our heroes are awarded double rations, and all is well.

Except, the only way to the rest of Astree is still blocked by avalanche wreckage, and supplies are running low and are lightly poisoned.

But that’s a problem for another time.

In the end, the players claim to have had fun, and I didn’t feel like I was in a panic attack the whole time, so it was successful. Plus, the system was well regarded (even if we still need to get used to advantages and threats). I’m not ready to move onto the podcast phase myself, and I’m hoping to getting a little more character depth from the PCs, so I’ll just have to keep Game Mastering.

Until next time, may the dice make things interesting!

[1] Actual shirt I have now. It’s neat! [2] Basically, the DM officially lost all my good faith due to external matters, and I no longer wish to humor him. [3] Plus I’ve become disenchanted with Steve Jackson Games. Too much reliance on the Munchkin cash cow, too little support for GURPS and other games, and their use of Kickstarter needs to be discouraged. [4] Well, Campaign uses the Star Wars RPG system, but Genesys is that broadened. [5] Who I don’t think got named. The party named his secretary Debra, though. [6] North Fort are not noted for their inventive naming conventions. Practical people. [7] Named such because Lyons and I inexplicably opened the conversation with spineless voices. He switched when I named the guard. [8] Which I’m hoping is a fictitious plant, for my purposes. [9] This is something I should’ve been more on the ball with, and I should’ve done a better job intertwining the illness into the narrative earlier. [10] To be fair, it’s the same conspiracy, but they failed to connect them yet. [11] He likes playing flirty women.

[thehikingnerd]

Day 117.  (9/11)

We all got up and packed by 7am, surprising considering the later bed time and the beers that had been consumed. Butt'rs’ friend drove us to the same point where he had picked us up the evening before. He was a nice guy and I enjoyed meeting him. We once again took off down the road and walked straight into Hood River. A lady stopped and asked if we needed a ride and in the conversation she told us that we can't walk the bridge to cross the river because it's not open to foot traffic; vehicles only. Discouraged by this news, we went to McDonald's and then Starbucks all while working to find some way we could cross the river without hitching over the bridge. We had come this far without missing a step, it just killed us to think we might have to break the continuous foot path because there simply was no other way. We called everyone imaginable to see if there was some way we could get to the Bridge of the Gods and still be allowed to cross or something… No dice. I even called the local highway police and was told that there was no way we could cross on foot and that if would be extremely dangerous to attempt it and would be arrested if we tried. Then I started calling some of the many wind surfing places along the bank of the river, and finally, one guy called me back and said he would let us borrow paddle boards and we could paddle across the river and all it would cost us is one triple shot mocha from Starbucks. I had already told Butt’rs that I think we could walk to the narrowest part of the river and just swim the 30 yards or so it looked like to the other side. I still think we could have, but without a life jacket, I just didn’t feel comfortable trying this with a backpack on.  Not to mention if I had to drop it to save my life and swim to safety in the event it filled with water and was pulling me down, that alone really would be the end of my PCT journey as it would be near impossible to replace all my gear and regroup all while having enough time to finish before the snow closed the trail. This was our best solution, and ended up being a fun little unexpected part of our journey. It was my first time paddle boarding, and I didn’t feel very confident that I wouldn’t fall off with all the YouTube videos I’ve seen over the years of first timers wabbling and crashing, so I started off sitting on my knees and paddling. This guy’s dog must be familiar and used to paddle boarding and generally like it, because he jumped in the water and swam over to me and got on the board with me. He encouraged me to just take him with me to the other side and he’d just pick him up from us on the other side and drop our packs off to us at the same time (yes, this was bit of a cheat letting him drive our packs over, but again, we feared losing them in the river). I thought the dog was cute and fun, but I insisted that it was my first time on one and I wouldn’t trust myself to not fall off and I wouldn’t want him to get swept away. He finally agreed and called the dog and told me to set him off and into the water. The dog swam back to his owner and I went on my way.  Butt’rs was way out ahead at this point and it wasn’t his first rodeo so to speak. We both stopped half way to swim around for a bit and cool off before going under a bridge toward a bank on the other side in Washington. I saw a salmon in the river as I neared the bridge. We made it to the bank and into Washington! Holy hell, we had made it across without breaking our footpath (as far as we were concerned). We carried the boards up to a taco stand just up the bank and waited for Jimmy (the wind surfing guy) to come with our packs. While we waited a couple of police officers came up and told us that we had gotten off in part of the reservation area and that we could be arrested and fined $500 for the violation, but since we didn't know and there weren't signs on the water that we would just be left with a warning. Guy finally came with our stuff after what seemed like a very long wait. We thanked him and bought him an apple soda from the burrito stand. He totally came through for us and we were immeasurably grateful. We had some burritos ourselves, and then were once again on our way, with no other foreseeable obstacles standing between us and Canada. It was, however, a long, rough day that followed.  We had basically run through what seemed like an endless sequence of tunnels that had no sidewalks to safely walk under next to the road. So we would just wait until we couldn’t hear or see any cars and just run (gimpy leg and backpack and all) as fast as we could to get to the other side and get then get off the road into the ditch or shoulder.  This was dangerous and weighed heavily on us throughout the day. When we were lucky we could walk a railroad track and through train tunnels sometimes rather than the road tunnels because they were somewhat safer we assumed as we figured we could at least hear a train coming. This was a mentally and physically exhausting day. To top it off, Butt'rs had been coming down with a cold all day. We stopped at dog creek falls to cool off and take a break and talked to a couple of locals who offered to drive us across the Bridge of the Gods since it was still open to the locals (only while driving across in a car) but had to decline to keep the continuous walk going and would have had to back track quite a ways and then they would have had to still bring us back across. It was a nice gesture to have offered but it seemed like a lot more trouble than it was worth.  I had already decided that if we get there and they wouldn’t let us walk the bridge back into Oregon and then come back across into Washington that I would just have to come back on day to walk it in the future, but I still was hoping that we talked to the right person and they would allow us to do so. I saw thick smoke plumes across the river. This whole thing was started by a teenager. Some little jerk was throwing fireworks down off of a cliff and set the whole gorge area on fire. Because of him, I had to miss the Eagle Creek alternate I have been looking forward to, couldn’t walk over the last big landmark before entering the home stretch of the trail: the Bridge of the Gods, and added days and hundreds of miles of crappy road walking to our PCT journey.  But, it is what it is and it definitely has made it a very unique route to get through all of the obstacles. We walked on into the night and tried to make it to Sweeney Falls but stopped about 1 and ½ miles short because the shoulder for so narrow on Hwy 14, and in the dark on those winding roads it was becoming too dangerous to continue. We looked at every spot that we came across until we found a road that looked like it hadn't been driven on in a long time and walked down to what appeared to be an abandoned house. We felt like we didn't really have any alternative… and so we set up camp. It was creepy to camp in front of an old, abandoned house (not knowing what squatters or animals may emerge in the night), and we were not real sure about doing so…but without any better ideas we set up camp and hoped it would be an ok spot to sleep for the night. What a day.