Dragon Warriors, The Watermill - Session #13

Copyright © 2021 M.Kelly

Dragon Warriors is a fantasy role playing system dating back to the 1980s. It's the first system I've ever run consistently with a regular group of friends / players.

I took a rather long break from running a regular game session - it used to be every Sunday evening without fail, kicking off at 1800hrs, sometimes earlier, depending on the routines people had for the following Monday. We'd normally end a session around 2200 - 2300hrs, accordingly.

I have to say, those are some of the best memories I have of my life; friends gathered round my table, laughing, joking, sharing adventures together and forgetting the outside world for a while, as their alternate egos / characters, travelled over hills, through forests, villages and towns, exploring the dark, dank depths of a dungeon or crypt, daring to enter the larger, more densely populated cities, whilst seeking to earn fame and coin for deeds untold, some even heroic.

Dragon Warriors ~ Sellat Port Town.

PART 2 ~ ' You Never See It Coming. '

Ulak grunted as he leapt across the gap between the buildings, the moonlight illuminating his chosen point of landing. As the young Naran's boot hit the rooftop, the tile beneath it slid away without effort, skidding off into the dark of night. Only the young sorcerer's fast reflexes saved a plunge off the rooftop and into the undulating sea of fog below and the waiting predators gliding through it, as his hand grabbed hold of the chimney stack's edge, halting his potential slide to doom.

The stone work groaned in response. "Don't you even think about it," growled Ulak quietly, carefully easing himself to the ridge of the rooftop. Below dark figures gathered expectantly, hungry for their elusive prey.

Dragon Warriors ~ Sellat Port Town.

PART 1 ~ ' No Deed Goes Unpunished. '

Arriving as the fog fastened its hold throughout the weather-worn and storm-battered Port Town, the figure crouched with a feline grace, sinking deeper and deeper until the surface of the flowing fog washed over them and they were no more.

Fingers gently outstretched, both hands tenderly stroked the ground and although blind by both darkness and fog, the finger tips read every passing boot, shoe and bare foot as if they were illuminated words upon parchment.

A slow smile crept across the covered face. Their prey had passed this way. 

Shuffling forward like an insect under the cover of fog, they reached their first important point of contact where one of the targets was rumoured to have stayed. The information supplied by the contract holder was, so far, proving accurate.
A shiver of pleasure ran through their spine, as fingers stroked the rough wattle and daub exterior, once more gaining information important to the hunt. The thought of closing in on their quarry elicited a trickle of drool to escape their lips. A less than human tongue flicked out, erasing the errant fluid.

Dragon Warriors: An Old World with New Friends.

Copyright ©. Mark Kelly 2021.
All Rights Reserved.

 There are times when the things you love to do, be they physical, mental, spiritual, or creative, fall by the wayside for one reason or another. A day passes, then two, then a week, and before you realise it has been a month - and the time still rolls by. Life has you by the scruff of the neck, dragging you along, dropping distraction after distraction into your lap.

And then it's gone. That thing you loved has now become a memory that upon recall elicits a wry smile served with a measure of regret. The cycle continues. The danger being you've become that person for whom several years have now passed you by and you no longer feel the desire to reconnect with your once-upon-a-time passion.

But, sometimes the universe decides otherwise, and events are set in motion that pull the strings of fate together, all tied in with that one passion you've deemed as 'no more'. And here you are. Once again looking over words, images, plans, notes, sketches, objects - the things that, when combined with your passion, energy and enthusiasm, come together like the components of a formula and the chemical reaction is once more brought to life, igniting that flame within you.

Well, so has it been with Dragon Warriors. 

My work has placed me with like-minded folk - and friends - who have the flame of desire within them to explore the worlds of heroic adventure, mystery, danger and (yet to be had) treasure, and possibly develop a side-passion for dice collecting - yeah, it's a thing with role players, trust me.

As a group, they have begun to shake-off those early, nervous, tentative ways of the newbie. Their interactions with the NPCs they encounter are more confident and assured (most of the time), and their dice selection, when a roll is required, is less hesitant and more decisive. They are now more excited about 'crits' and dread the 'fumbles'. Two have already been laid low by severe injuries, and our newest member has even experienced the drive to kill an NPC due to said NPC's distasteful personality and mocking words. As session #10 is baking within the cooker of my imagination, the party of companions are already talking about their characters 'training' in order to better equip themselves for the challenges presented before them... and also better equipment.  Some are even growing to like certain friendly NPC characters with whom they interact with, maybe even slowly bonding with them?
They have come to realise they are not invincible, and that to retreat is often the best option available to them. And they still opt to talk instead of act when confronted by the unknown, although that may change, who knows?

As the DM I seem to be on track, so it would appear.  My passion for creating plots, twists, colourful non-player characters (hopefully), and villains, along with floor plans, dungeons and locations, has been reignited and burns steadily within my creative heart.

So it would seem the universe has drawn me back to one of my dearest passions, and also given me a golden opportunity to pass on the torch that is RPG gaming to a new generation of (potentially) future life-long gamers and DM/GMs. And who knows, maybe after I've long gone they might reunite and recall tales of the games I ran for them, the exploits I put them through and relive those moments with a warmth and a glint in their eyes, and some may even continue on their RPG journey by passing on the torch to others.

I hope so.

Reconnecting Past and Present.

Copyright.© Mark Kelly 2021.
All Rights Reserved.

This was a post I never thought I'd ever write, but a recent turn of events has reignited the urge and desire to post once more.

Much time has passed us by since I last posted on my blog - 2018 to be precise. 

In all honesty, I'm not really sure as to how I feel about it? Ambivalent, maybe? Overflowing with enthusiasm? No. Tentative? Most definitely. But here I am regardless. To any reading this - I hope life finds you well, that stress is not dominating your waking hours, and the zest for life has not been soured by the crappy previous twelve months and everything they brought with them.

Moving on. My reason for posting: a re-connection with a love affair I presumed to be laid to rest, never to see the light of day, or night, ever again. And how wonderfully wrong I was.

I have returned to running a role playing group using the (for me, a very much beloved) Dragon Warriors role playing system. I have been fortunate enough that life has brought me together with several kindred spirits, for whom the role playing game genre holds great interest, but had yet to experience it first hand. And this is where I enter, as their guide and DM / GM (Dungeon Master / Game Master, to the uninitiated among you).

There is nothing more rewarding, nor challenging, than having a complete group of newbie players want to join the role playing game hobby. These bright, enthusiastic and fledgling players have once more stoked the fires of my imagination that had lain for so long as mere smouldering ashes within the brazier of my mind.

But this is also a new experience for me, as this is being run via Discord and the use of webcams and microphones. I cannot lie, I felt daunted by the prospect of running a game via this medium, but as the proverbial dust of our second session now settles as I type, I am filled with ideas, images, plot lines, villains, and interactions reminiscent of old. For that, combined with the wonderful people (and friends) I have as my new group, I really do feel so grateful, and my mind, once more, feels alive. Mere words cannot convey how fantastical that feels to me, especially in the environment within which I work several days of the week. Which, I have to be honest, could be worse, as it could be five or more days of the week, so I really shouldn't complain. Much.

As for my group, I shall leave them nameless, as I do respect their privacy, but as characters I can say this: to 'Datu', 'Mari' and 'Dorcha', I thank you from the depths of my being for breathing life into the fire of my imagination, and for the warmth of good companionship, laughter and adventure. May it long continue.

EDIT: Since the writing of this post, my online 'family' of stalwart Dragon Warriors has now grown; initially to four, with the addition of 'Morrin', a fine addition to the mix, but now they are soon to be five, with the imminent addition of 'Ifriel'.

Welcome to the family. Enjoy the journey, embrace the friendships, pull together through the darkness when it falls, and most of all, stay loyal and faithful to your group. To that end you shall overcome all.

Tarl & Grudge: Part 2 - the story continues.

Having gone through various character sheets, maps and other past related rpg 'stuff', it would appear that my memory has been sorely affected by the passage (and ravages) of time.

The scenario concerning Tarl the Mystic and his stalwart companion and thug, Grudge the Barbarian, would appear to have included several or more NPCs.  I also uncovered a note delivered to Tarl and Grudge by  Seth's nephew.  This I had written on blotting-type paper and sealed with wax, then handed it over during the game session.  A scanned image of the letter is below, and for the sake of squinting, I have typed out the full content of said message.

Tarl & Grudge: RPG mechanics breakdown

That's the funny thing about role playing games, in the planning phase as a DM you have all these little scenarios and threads mapped out (either on paper or in your head), and what happens?  It all goes tits up.

Dragon Warriors - The First Encounter

So, Tarl and Grudge (a.k.a. Neil (Cat) and Steven respectively) had been trawling about a number of small hamlets and the odd village, when our two erstwhile heroes stumble across a remote farm.  In dire need of provisions, and severely short of water, the companions take up a vantage point near the farm to discuss the next plan of action.

Dragon Warriors - My Game of Choice.

Dragon Warriors was my first ever rpg system for DM'ing.  It was basic, straight forward - a critical hit meant instant death - and easy to get into.  But the best part?  It was all contained within 6 paperback book volumes ... sheer bliss!

It's now twenty-plus years on from the first time I thumbed through the Dragon Warriors book set, and the books are decidedly delicate looking, and in need of some hard earned TLC.  The spines on two have been reinforced with sellotape; each volume has relevant sections tagged for quick and easy access - not that I really needed them, but in the heat of battle when a player would ask a question regarding a certain ruling, there it was at the tip of my fingers.