At the Origins Game Fair 2011 in Columbus, Ohio The Origins Dungeon 2011 was being hosted by NERO Chicago and run by Steve Cecchin.
So this was my first attempt at a Live Action Role Playing game. On Saturday, to get a feel for it, I partially watched an earlier group start their run and, after some strong goading by my spouse Barb, thought "What the heck? I'll give it a go!" I signed up for the next round at 2 pm.
This was a larger group than I watched earlier. While the earlier group had 6 players, This group had 13. After some quick organizing, we ended up with 7 fighters, 3 Clerics (healers), and 3 Wizard. I was a Wizard.
The basic plot to this story was that the evil necromancer Xerxis has kidnapped a princess and we were to rescue her. The GM (Game Master. He is the referee) followed to "assist" if we all got in to "to much trouble".
So, with lots of undead encounters we made it through the entrance of the mine/cave to the rune-riddled-triggered-secret-door-boss-encounter entrance. One of the riddles referred to a wise person standing at one of the rune stones. Apparently, my gray hair made me the wisest person there. Which seemed to settle the GM ruling and the door was eventually opened. After which, we had some fierce fighting to the Boss chamber.
In the Boss chamber was Xerxis, his main minion (quite a fierce looking skeleton with a very big sword), and all the other minions, re-spawned for our slaying pleasure. Oh, and the Princess was, looking quite kidnapped, tied up in a corner. Xerxis froze our 2 lead fighters at the entrance leaving the rest of us trapped behind them in the hall. The ruling was that the players were frozen while within sight of Xerxis. Xerxis then started to monologue. He started by pleading for the case against our invading his home and destroying all that he had built there. Then after getting the leading players to stop and chat, he started to negotiate a ransom from the players. Some gold coin, and some of their weapons.
Suddenly, a stone was thrown hitting Xerxis. Someone shouted "One point normal!". Everyone stopped, stunned, and Xerxis shouted out "Who did that?!?". He sounded very angry. A wizard's hand shot up from the back of the players and, after a path was quickly cleared, I answered "I did!" One of the players commented "I thought you were wise!". It was at this point, Barb, who had been following along, watching and taking pictures started to laugh her behind off. Continuing... "I was wondering if you could show me the way to the rest room? I didn't have a chance to stop before we came in, and I really have to go." Still shock and stunned silence. the GM leaned over and and asked "Do you really have to go?". Out of the corner of my mouth I said "It's called 'guile' man!" To which, he leaned away, rolled his eyes and said "I don't think he would have gone for it."
Finally, the fighters freeze spell wore away, and we were in the final battle. After overcoming the Xerxis' main minion, the battled went back in to the tunnels. Most of the fighters went off to chase Xerxis leaving a few of us left in the Boss room. Oh, and the princess was there, unconscious and tied up in the corner. Recognizing this I found a cleric and we healed her, untied her, and got her a weapon. She apparently likes her sword, but grudgingly took an axe that we had.
As the Princess started down the tunnels toward the entrance, the cleric and I were attacked from the rear by a re-spawning skeleton. The cleric cast a disarm spell. Upon the skeleton dropping the sword, the Cleric grabbed it, and I charged. The Skeleton stood there dejected and said "This is going to suck...", as I reduced him to a pile of bones with my dagger. "One point normal!" (a few times), and the cleric got in a blow too.
In one attack from the rear I was incapacitated. A skeleton attacked me twice "Ten points normal!" each. I though I was dead. One of the players came up to heal me. I told him I though I was dead. I told him, while holding up a little white card, that the GM had previously given me a ring of resurrection to be used on some player, "not yourself." The Princess, standing there, made a motion with her hand, stright fingers to thumb in a sign to shut-up, and told me "You're dead!" I think she was just testy from the whole kidnapping, tied-up, unconscious thing? So I lay there. The GM Ruled that I don't know how to count health points and armor vs. damage and ruled that I was alive and that the healing worked. Hooray, I survived!
But somewhere in the mix Xerxis tricked us and was able to casually stroll out and excaped!
Naughty evil necromancer!
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