The Anthology folder is updated.

The Anthology folder is updated.

The Anthology folder is updated. I have reorganized things a bit, with an emphasis on the various regions of the world. I still need to update the Questions and Mysteries, as well as a few minor details within the documents, but I have added data for some of the games we have most recently played: Runequest, In a Wicked Age, and Our Last Best Hope. 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByS4_7KbXro_Q2NuaGd2NzRscGM&usp=sharing

No photos from last night, but we played Don’t Rest Your Head and Monster of the Week.

No photos from last night, but we played Don’t Rest Your Head and Monster of the Week.

No photos from last night, but we played Don’t Rest Your Head and Monster of the Week.

MotW is really working for me right now. We played a few sessions last year and came away a little non-plussed. But, for whatever reason, I decided to revisit it and I’m really glad I did. The difference this time, I think, is we are really embracing what the game is supposed to be about: a bunch of outcasts and weirdos getting into fights with monsters. Previously, we were playing it as an investigation-heavy game, and that’s not really its jam. It’s really more about light investigation combined with campy, monster-bashing fun. That said, I think you could make it into an investigation game, but the key is to keep the fun of the investigation focused on the colorful characters and minions, and not so much on the gritty detail of what the players do or do not find. I have some thoughts about AW games and investigation, but I will expand upon them later. 

As for Don’t Rest Your Head, I’ll let either Russell Benner or Daniel Lewis chime-in on that one. It’s a game that has been on some of our radars for awhile, so I’m sure a little write-up would be appreciated. 

I can’t figure out if this is real. It’s not funny enough to be satire, but it could be some sort of performance art?

I can’t figure out if this is real. It’s not funny enough to be satire, but it could be some sort of performance art?

I can’t figure out if this is real. It’s not funny enough to be satire, but it could be some sort of performance art?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegameofpolitics/the-game-of-politics?play=video_pitch&ref=search

A part of me dies when I’m at Dragon’s Lair and overhear a conversation about how much someone loves Munchkin.

A part of me dies when I’m at Dragon’s Lair and overhear a conversation about how much someone loves Munchkin.

A part of me dies when I’m at Dragon’s Lair and overhear a conversation about how much someone loves Munchkin.

Some pics from tonight’s Anthology game of Vincent Baker ‘s In a Wicked Age.

Some pics from tonight’s Anthology game of Vincent Baker ‘s In a Wicked Age.

Some pics from tonight’s Anthology game of Vincent Baker ‘s In a Wicked Age. I am really loving this system the more I play it. It has a bit of a learning curve (a gentle one), but it really sings once you get the hang of it. I’ll post story details in the Anthology folder at some point. In the meantime, I can’t wait to play this one again!

Some pics from Friday and Sunday.

Some pics from Friday and Sunday.

Some pics from Friday and Sunday. 

On Friday we had enough people for two games, so Rob ran Apocalypse World and I ran the regularly-scheduled Anthology game. I can’t speak to the details of the AW game, but I can say that our DW Anthology game was AMAZING! It was probably one of my favorite DW sessions ever (and that’s saying a lot, considering how much we play it). The party had to battle their way through a rampaging hydra; the followers of the rat god, Reekeesik; and the Three Wicked Kings of legend – Old King Mermeron, Old King Abradon, and Old King Celadon (and yes, longtime Gauntleteers, I know this is a sort-of “greatest hits” of my DW villains). We ended the session with a cliffhanger (which we will pick up in a few weeks) that saw our elf mage being possessed by Old King Celadon and the halfling thief climbing a mooring chain into the mist-shrouded sky to a spelljammer ship.

For Sunday, we played another session in the Anthology series (I have a lot of notes to catch up on, haha). This time it was Derek’s hack of Our Last Best Hope. We told the story of the dysfunctional Umberbill clan, “destined” to save Kingsburg from the demonic rift that has opened up beneath it (see Anthology Timeline – The High Dale). Unfortunately for mankind, the Umberbills were all horrible people and were utterly incapable of working together well enough to save the world. It was a lot of fun, but Our Last Best Hope really shows its spots when you increase the number of players past four (we had six).

I don’t have any pics, but last night (contrary to my earlier post today, Daniel Lewis ) we did not play a game about talking fish, but instead burned-up some Burning Wheel characters for a proposed “Adventures in Kingsburg” thing. I was reminded last night that, despite that game’s many flaws, few things in RPGs are as fun as making Burning Wheel characters. We ended-up with some really cool ones. Our characters are all agents of a powerful thieves guild boss. Mine is a cross-dressing, cannibal brothel owner (like a cross between Dr. Frank-n-Furter and Littlefinger); Rob is playing a former street urchin who is now a powerful judge in the pocket of our criminal benefactor; Russ is a bored, sadistic noble who works in the criminal underground for fun; and Daniel F. is a dwarven oathbreaker with a gambling problem. We may or may not ever get to play with these characters (since we were just doing this in the absence of two our regular players), but I hope they get at least a little play time at some point. 

Thanks to Rob Ferguson Daniel Fowler Nathan S Scott Owen Russell Benner Jacob Densford Nicki Khan Derek Grimm James Melott and Gary Wilson !

Last night we were short a couple of people for our regular Monday night game, so we played a session of Archipelago.

Last night we were short a couple of people for our regular Monday night game, so we played a session of Archipelago.

Last night we were short a couple of people for our regular Monday night game, so we played a session of Archipelago. Our setting was talking fish living on a coral reef. I played a sexy angelfish with a Southern accent called Angela Brinebottom; Daniel Fowler played a hammerhead shark engineer called Tool Time; and Russell Benner played a psychotic, serial killer clownfish called Chuckles. Rob Ferguson decided to go outside his box a bit and played  a steampunk seagull revolutionary with amazing gams called Ché Gullvara. It was a lot of fun!

My copy of Grim World came in! My personalized move and illustration are pretty sweet. This is a gorgeous book!

My copy of Grim World came in! My personalized move and illustration are pretty sweet. This is a gorgeous book!

My copy of Grim World came in! My personalized move and illustration are pretty sweet. This is a gorgeous book!

Ok, folks.

Ok, folks.

Ok, folks. Here is a snapshot of our public Gauntlet calendar for April, May, and June. Formal event invites to some of the later ones will be coming soon. 

04.04.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Dungeon World

04.06.14 – Story Game Sunday – Our Last Best Hope: The Rending. This is Derek Grimm  ‘s hack for our Anthology series. 

04.09.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

John Dingman  will be running 3.5 and I will be running Monster of the Week.

04.11.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Dungeon World

04.16.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

A continuation of 04.09.14. 

04.18.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – In a Wicked Age

04.20.14 – Story Game Sunday – PSI*Run

04.23.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

04.25.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – In a Wicked Age

04.27.14 – Story Game Sunday – 1,001 Nights

04.30.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

05.02.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

05.04.14 – Story Game Sunday – Lasers & Feelings

Rob Ferguson  will be running this one. 

05.07.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

05.09.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

05.11.14 – Story Game Sunday – Classroom Deathmatch

Daniel Lewis  will be running this one.

05.14.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

05.16.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

05.18.14 – Story Game Sunday – The Society of Dreamers

Dan will be running this one.

05.21.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

05.23.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

05.25.14 – Story Game Sunday – Dying Earth

Doyle Tavener  will be running this one.

05.28.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

05.30.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

06.01.14 – Story Game Sunday – Annalise (Session 1)

Jessica Scott  will be running this one.

06.04.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

06.06.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

06.08.14 – Story Game Sunday – Annalise (Session 2)

06.11.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

06.13.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

06.15.14 – Story Game Sunday – Fiasco: Los Angeles 1936

06.18.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

06.20.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

06.22.14 – Story Game Sunday – Remember Tomorrow

Dan is running this one. 

06.25.14 – Wednesday One-Shots

06.27.14 – The Gauntlet Anthology – Game TBD

06.29.14 – Story Game Sunday – The Farm

Doyle is running this one. 

That’s a lot of gaming! #HailSatan