One way to get new players more comfortable with Old School Type Games

 

To help with bringing new players in 

A lot of people feel lost when coming over from Modern TTRPG's to OSR Games. A good way to solve this is to stop talking in rounds and turns. Instead say for the next 1/2 minute my character is doing this. A Player or GM could say for the next ten minutes or half hour my character is doing this.

It seems to be nothing but it makes a nice change.

Session 6 – 8/9/20 It’s a Spa Treatment

 

Session 6 – 8/9/20 It’s a Spa Treatment

Felix Darklight the Catian – Greg

Steve the Elf – Tony

Hathyra (Haffie) – Tim

Vaelana from Minrothad - Arkathenia

Gunnar Hallkel – NPC

Young Heroine Vaelana from the Minrothad Islands was just rudely wakened from a nice nap in her warm relaxing bath. Troubled as she does not remember getting in the bath. She remembers sneaking around in the dark stinky dungeon. She was trying to find a book and some other trinkets. There was a lot of screaming, roaring, and banging of metal going on in the next room.

Then a Gun Shot! All of a sudden a giant horrendous beast came rushing and screaming into the room followed by some men and an elf. One of the men said something about finish the troll off. The others then attacked it and the troll was soon finished.

Introductions where made and the party of Gentlemen decided their duty was to see the young lady to the surface. She got out of the spa tub. The others called it a cooking pot. A strange spa with onions & carrots. She quickly got dressed and was able to find all her gear. With that they proceeded out of the room / troll den.

Down the hall was a door that had not been opened yet. Turns out a witch was inside along with a big teleportation circle. The New Girl Vaelana was able to blind the foul creature with a Light Spell in the Witch’s Eyes. The Party was able to subdue the blinded Witch. Haffie questions the Witch asking for the location of Lost Fernando. The Witch seems not know who Fernando is. Before Haffie can slit the throat of the witch. The others ask the Witch for the location of the Girls in the Bottles. The Witch tries to lie and is caught. She then confesses and gives directions to a room. Haffie smiles and does what he does. The Witch is dead. Vaelana is somewhat shocked by this, but she comes from Minrothad a Land once famous for it’s viscous survival of the fittest.

They march out into the hallway. Now with a map to one of the Girls in the Bottles they have sworn to save. They search the door and find a trap. They are fortunate and able to disarm it and open the door. Big dark room with several columns in it casting shadows. Right in the center of the room they see the big glass bottle and a girl inside it. At that same moment they hear a sound and see a Blue Worm. This is the younger larval form of the purple worm. It is a long vicious battle. Although just a larval blue worm this is the most dangerous opponent the party has faced yet.

Young Vaelana collects her wit and cast Unseen Servant. She directs the servant to open the giant bottle and get the girl out. Meanwhile the rest of the party takes a beating from the monster. A few rounds later the girl in the bottle charge attacks the Blue Worm. Killing it with Cause Critical Wounds. She introduces herself as Lady Alicegouza Knight of Amazonia Paladin of Kythria. With the worm dead there was a mad rush of spellcasters over to the desk and bookshelf in the corner of the room. The Cleric Gunnar was busy with healing the wounded as the true battle over the small library of books had begun.

On the desk they found a opened letter.

Letter from Bakalgu of Ethengar to Daughters of Alicearaina

The Spell Works. The Old King of Vestland is now our undead slave. I'm keeping him in the Temple of Tssathagoa in Heldanne.

The Heldanne Barbarians have proved most useful. We will soon have a ritual to unlock the power of the Sorona Crown.

Reading this letter did not sit well with the party. In addition they found another unopened door in the room.

Upon reading the letter the Paladin who was freed from the bottle suddenly says, “I have work to do thank you for freeing me.” Then she teleports away.

The party works up the muster to go open the remaining door in the room. It opens in to a small room with a door at the end. They open this door. It has a door behind it with a warning. Very carefully they open this door. Carefully peeking inside they see a full grown adult manticore. It sees them and roars.

The manticore is very fast and overtakes the fleeing party and blocks their way. Seeing their way blocked by the mighty beast the party reverses course and runs back the way they came. The manticore sighs and opens a previously unopened door and steps inside. Then locks the door behind him.

Carefully noting the door down. The party goes back to the room they found the beast in. They find two more doors. One of them a secret door. They decide to open the secret door first. Apparently it was a secret vault. It has two more secret doors and a lot of coins. Huge piles of riches.

They decide to open the farthest away secret door. It opens in to a large room lit with torches in a circle around a pentagram on the floor. Inside there is an insect man, pile of coins, backpack, girl in a bottle, coffin, and a note on the floor. Some of the party helps free the girl in the bottle, while others collect coins and search a backpack. The insect man appears peaceful and helps with freeing the girl. Insect man tells them their friend was here. They find a note from Fernando. He says he has gone off to Teagora’s Manor ahead of them with some new allies he has made.

The girl that was rescued from the bottle tells them she is Princess Alicema of Castle Greyhawk Councilor to the Duchy of Ten. They show her a map they found earlier of a land called Greyhawk. She verifies that is her homeland. During all this Young Vaelana snoops around the coffin. The coffin suddenly springs open and a monster jumps out swinging a sword. Vaelana suffers a viscous attack.

Soon the whole party is in combat with the monster. This beast is strong but it is not long before it is recognized as an unholy undead. The Princess Alicema of Castle Greyhawk tells everyone to move away she will turn the foul wretched undead. Instead she turns it into a dust. The Cleric Gunnar is most impressed with her power.

This is the End of Session 6

OSR Must Have Documents for the GM

 OSR Must Have Documents for the GM

Beasties by Thomas Denmark

Ford's Faeries 

Cthuloid Bestiary

Varlets and Vermin

Terratic Tome

Thousand Thousand Islands

Creatures of Near Kingdoms 

Fire on the Velvet Horizon

Session 5 – Oh No Trolls and More Trolls

Session 5 – Oh No Trolls and More Trolls

Felix Darklight the Catian – Greg

Steve the Elf – Tony

Hathyra (Haffie) – Tim

Gunnar Hallkel – Conrad

Before going down to Level 2 the boys change their mind and decide to check out the two unopened doors on Level 1. First Door has a bunch of Undead Skeletons behind it. They make quick work of them.

The room was some kind of armory and was full of fun useful stuff. Overloaded again with loot they go back to the main entrance and drop off the stuff. On the way to the staircase down to the next level they pass the last unopened door on Level 1. I guess the temptation was too much? It opened up into a huge cavernous room. They carefully enter. Find some piles of coins. Do a little exploring and find more piles of coins. Aren’t they lucky?

Really excited now they explore a little deeper into the room. They find more coins? No they found a big hungry troll! Huge battle and lots of carnage latter. Some came close to their deaths. They eventually overwhelmed the said troll. Only to just catch a glimpse of another bounding towards them. The party has it’s most fierce battle. Amazingly they dropped the second troll. More piles of coins where found and other treasures.

The party heads topside to recover and look over what they found. In the morning they part with the NPC camp topside and head back down in the dungeon. On their way to level 2. Level 2 is initially chaos. The Cleric somehow stepped through a door (Still not sure how Roll20 glitched and let him inside the room with the door shut). (however it was hilarious)

Inside the room was a Fairy Dragon with rainbow butterfly wings. Who instantly released a hallucinogenic gas cloud on the cleric. At this same time Haffie walked into a Gelatinous Cube in the hallway. Luckily the other party members got him out alive. The Fairy Dragon comes racing out of the room he was in.

Runs into the rest of the party. Words where exchanged. Talking instead of fighting? It turned out the dragon just wanted to go home. The witches caught him and where trying to tame him into a familiar. The party let him go.

Now the fun was over as they realized that Level 2 was no joke. The party settles down for some serious and careful questing. They open a couple of more doors. Then they open a door and Trolls.

Session 5 Comes To A End

Session 4 Deep In The Dungeon With A Leashed Witch

Session 4 Deep In The Dungeon With A Leashed Witch

So after all that teleporting around and fighting. The team spends some time mapping things out and trying to get back to where the teleporter fun started. They still had to find where the surviving ratmen and frogmen had gone. It was not long before they found the entrance again. They said goodbye to the surviving sacrifice girl they rescued from the witches.

They then went to the Teleporter Room and begin checking out the doors they never got a chance to open. Some more combats ensued. A memorable battle with a Giant Spider. After a while they found the Frogmen.

The frogmen had a new friend with them. A Witch of some power and dark evil. The Cleric Gunnar Hallkel moved into battle the Witch. The rest of the party prepared to battle the Frogmen. Gunnar was able to use his Staff of Hold Person on the Witch. Unfortunately the Witch used the Spell Command on him. She ordered him to Flee. The rest of the party finished off the frogmen after a couple more rounds.

They took the Witch as a prisoner. They made her give up some secrets. She took them to a room with 3 crypts. Inside one of them was a ring of keys. They make the Witch take them to a room with some treasures. Feeling they had gotten all the use they would out of her. Haffie then slit the throat of the Witch.

This Ends Session 4

Session 3 Sunday 7/12/20 Down the Rabbit Hole They Go!

Session 3 Sunday 7/12/20 Down the Rabbit Hole They Go!

Characters

Felix Darklight the Catian – Greg

Steve the Elf – Tony

Hathyra (Haffie) – Tim

Yggdrassil – Malaekah

Gunnar Hallkel – NPC

Fernando Le Vey – NPC

The party goes down into the earth. They follow the stairs down and come out into a foyer where there are some doors. They select a door and open it. It appears to be a hallway. They walk down and there are more doors. The esteemed gentlemen open a door. There are some screams as they have interrupted two women bathing with their pet giant frogs. The said giant frogs rush towards the party. They appear mean and vicious.

The party backs up and prepares to fight them in the hallway. The plan is the greater frog numbers will not overwhelm them this way. At this time a new face appears. He calls himself Yggdrassil and is a Human White Warlock. He worships the Elf Immortal Callarii. Her people founded the Paladins of Karameikos. Yggdrassil tells them that he is sent to help them. Princess Zyta Popika’s Father who is the Lord of Threshold in Karameikos sent him.

The party does not have time to worry about introductions and suspicions as the Giant Killer Frogs begin their attack. Our heroes see some big buff Frog Men seem to be directing the Giant Frogs. This is going to be a hell of a fight. Steve the Elf decides to fire his Arquebus and misses. However the flash and smoke from the gun routes the enemy. They run in fear.

The Adventurers search the Witches Underground Pool Room. They make an interesting discovery. There is a glowing circle with strange glowing writing on the floor. While pondering the circle and what it could do Fernando Le Vey suddenly disappears.

The rest of the party back at the pool figures out the Teleport Circle and uses it. They find themselves in a much crowded smaller room with a book case and desk. The two women from the pool are here. Fernando is not present. One of the women attacks with a Staff. She summons a Giant Cobra from the Staff.

The other woman moves to a position so that the men may better see her. All the men looking except Felix make their Save vs Paralysis. She has enchanted snake tattoos that writhe and move about her body.

The snake having just been summoned is sluggish and the gentlemen who made their saves vs enchantment get attacks on it. During this distraction the women make a dash for the door and the one with the snake tattoos falls to her death in a pit trap.

The other women prepares to fight to the death but first she prepares a spell. The snake does not survive another round. The Party seeing a witch in action takes her down.

The party finds themselves in the book business as they discover several rare and exotic titles on the bookshelf and the desk. Carefully they search more rooms and find several piles of various coins. They open a door to the West and discover three women in what appear to be jail cells. This room is lit with magic stones and there is another pile of coins.

After much begging and pleading with the party the women in the jail cells talk them into releasing them. Then bad things happen. One of the women must have been skilled as a locksmith. What with the way she practically flew through the locked doors. Suddenly the heroes find themselves in a fight with Giant Rats and Ratmen.

Yggdrassil shows Wisdom and uses the Staff he picked up earlier to summon a Giant Cobra. Felix with a look of pure joy and ecstasy attacks the rats without hesitation. The ratmen and giant rats faced with two natural predators to their kind begin to retreat. Suddenly the men hear the loud death scream of two women. They wandered off down the hall and opened the wrong door.

The gentlemen rush over prepared to fight and see two demonic looking monsters. They are munching down the remains of the two ladies. Wisely they shut the door and lock it. Looking about cautiously as they are unsure where the ratmen and giant rats went. The party searches about.

What luck they found a room with a large glowing chest in it. How fortunate could they be? While the other party members are discussing what traps and how best to disarm them. Yggdrassil wanders over to the glowing chest and opens it. Immediately he is enclosed in a poison gas cloud. The Cleric Gunnar Hallkel is able to revive Yggdrassil.

Inside the large treasure chest they find an assortment of wonderful treasures. The party needing some time to recover and eat. Members begin to inspect their findings during all the rushing about. Steve the Elf is most interested in the strange black rune stones. As he ponders the runes suddenly one of them explodes. Steve is alive although his pride is damaged from such a trap.

This Ends Session 3.

Ye Ancient Shoulder Fired Cannon

Still working on rules for something like this.

https://youtu.be/ARbTJkjnprw

and http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~dispater/handgonnes.htm

Oh and Grenades'