PortCon Maine 2021!

 I am really excited to dive back into this campaign world and tell the story at PortConMaine this year!

The game will run virtually on FantasyGrounds on Friday, June 25, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Register for the Convention at portconmaine.com

Gen Con 2018

I am happy to announce that I will be back at Gen Con this year and running a new installment of A Fine Adventure!

I am switching game systems, though, from D&D to Fantasy Age.  I gave the system a try recently and really like how flexible it is.  It should lead to some really dynamic combat, but it will be the same sort of game aside from that.

I hope to see you there this year!

Here are the listings:

https://www.gencon.com/events/132093

https://www.gencon.com/events/132094

Timeline of Events

The Empire of T'Saleth exists on a small peninsula, inhabited by four Kingdoms.  The four Kingdoms are inhabited by distinct races, who are ruled over and kept in a state of temporary peace by a fifth race known as the Keepers.  Each of the four races have their own long histories, with affinities for and enmity against some of their neighbors.

Timeline (Measured by the Kol'E'Thay Calendar)

350 - United now against the unliving, the four races of T'Saleth are fighting a losing battle against the unliving.  As they lose more and more land to the invading army, the Keepers have called for the Diggers, Kol'E'Thay, Blaggal, and Minden to send representatives to them in order to discuss  how the undead threat can be defeated.

The Keepers call for a conference of the four races to determine a way to fight against the Unliving. At the meeting, the Keepers reveal that they, in fact, are sentient members of the Unliving army who were created centuries before by the Kol'E'Thay. The Keepers attempt to kill the representatives and use a powerful artifact called the Abyssal Orb to curse and doom the four races. The representatives are able to escape with the Orb.

349 - Despite the warnings of the Keepers, the Kol'E'Thay and Minden have done little to prepare for the coming of the unliving army that attacks T'Saleth. Still focused on one another, both races are caught off guard by the sudden attack of the unliving.  The attack comes in from the southern, land-side, border of the peninsula and quickly takes over large pieces of lands previously controlled by the Kol'E'Thay and Minden.

347 - An unsteady truce exists between the Kol'E'Thay and Minden.   Raiding between the two sides continues, but all of it is not condoned by either side.  The Keepers react quickly to many of these intrusions, trying to bring them to an abrupt end.  The Blaggal and Diggers remain mostly separate from these raiding activities, though they each entrench more firmly in their support of their respective allies.  The Keepers warn of the coming of a new threat to the lands, an unliving army that will threaten to take over all of T'Saleth.

346 - Shortly after the new year, with the war fully in action once more, a new force arrives in the Empire of T'Saleth.  Wingless like Minden, they wear masks that obscure their features.  The magic of the Keepers is too much for the Kol'E'Thay or the Minden to deal with.  Instead of attacking either side, however, the Keepers demand an end to the fighting.  Unable to stand against the Keepers, the two forces stand down and the war comes to an abrupt end.

345 - Though the rebellion has been over for years, this does not stop ongoing conflict from happening between the newly formed Minden nation and the Kol'E'Thay.  The Diggers stay out of these conflicts, particularly when the Minden are found to be at fault for the offensive incursions into Kol'E'Thay lands.  In the winter of 345, the Kol'E'Thay attempt a massive assault to bring the Minden back under their sway. The surprise assault deals a mighty blow to the Minden people and they lose a substantial portion of their lands.

340 - After three more long years of war, a truce is finally reached between the Minden and Kol'E'Thay.  All of the labor camps are disbanded and the Minden are granted a large portion of former Kol'E'Thay land to settle.  The Blaggal retain their lands, despite the part that some of them played in the Minden uprising.  With the Minden no longer working for the Kol'E'Thay, the Blaggal become an even more important part of Kol'E'Thay society.  The Diggers withdraw back to their underground tunnels and the Kol'E'Thay take extensive efforts to close off the tunnel entrances.

337 - The Minden in a labor camp within the Kol'E'Thay capitol city of T'Reyen rise up in sudden revolt, aided by a large force of rebel spider-riders.  They hold the city for a week before the arrival of the main force of the Kol'E'Thay army.  Retreating from the city, the Minden fight a perilous retreat.  Within days, they are trapped within the Afareth valley.  A final victory over the rebels seems sure for the Kol'E'Thay when a Digger force rises up from beneath the surface to aid the Minden.  With the Diggers' support, the Minden push back the Kol'E'Thay army and strike an important blow.

335 - Blaggal sympathizers begin to join with the rebel army of Minden.  Though the Minden are still drastically over-matched by the organized armies of the Kol'E'Thay, they manage to stay safe by remaining in motion and making small attacks on outlying communities of the Kol'E'Thay.  With each small victory, their strength grows as they free more of their subjugated people.

334 - The first spider-rider appears within the ranks of the Minden.  She is a ranger named Thallis who inspires the downtrodden people to rise up against their Kol'E'Thay overlords.  She teaches others of her people to bond with the spiders as well and begins to create a growing army of rebellious former slaves and servants.

323 - The Diggers make their first appearance with the Empire.  How long they have existed below the lands is unknown, but at the first meeting, extensive tunnels already exist beneath the Empire.  At first, the sudden appearance of the rat-like Diggers from beneath the Kol'E'Thay is met with armed resistance.  After a few skirmishes, however, the fighting quickly came to an end when the Kol'E'Thay discovered that the Diggers had no aims toward conquest in the surface world.

312 - The Kol'E'Thay have ruled the Empire of T'Saleth for centuries.  The Blaggal control a large area of bogs and swamps.  There is a symbiotic relationship between the Blaggal and the Kol'E'Thay, whereby the frogs are left to themselves so long as they supply warriors to serve the pixies.  The Minden exist as a subculture within the Kol'E'Thay society, working as indentured servants or forced into slavery by the Kol'E'Thay ruling class.  Occasional uprisings by the Minden occur, but are easily dealt with by the armed forces of Kol'E'Thay and Blaggal.

Gen Con 2016 is ready to roll!

Welcome!

The Sunday session at 8am just went live.

Attention Gen Con Attendees!

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the both sessions of A Fine Adventure sold out quickly!  Since this is the first event I've run at Gen Con, it's a treat to see that this idea is a popular one.

I'm not sure how many of the registrants have looked at this blog or are currently watching it, but I'd love to get a little information before the Con about you so that I can be properly prepared.  So, if you are checking this and read this post, please send me an email at wgodfrey73@gmail.com if you don't mind.

I'd like to know:

1.  Your experience level with the game.  As stated in the event description, the rules will be taught, but it would be nice to know how much of that will be necessary.

2.  What you're looking for in your ideal gaming experience.  I've set this one up, I think, to showcase a good blend of combat, roleplaying, puzzle solving, and everything else that makes tabletop RPG so great, but it would be good to know if there are particular experiences that you're looking for.

3.  What was it about this particular event that caught your attention and led to the quick sell-outs?  This one is more for planning sessions for future conventions.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all!

Sincerely,

Bill

Character Creation Process

Character Creation Process

While character creation can be one of the most enjoyable parts of any roleplaying game, running a session at a convention makes it necessary to provide pre-generated characters.  After all, when you only have a short amount of time to work with, you can't spend a lot of it making characters from scratch.

In order to try to bring a little bit of the fun of character creation into the process, I'm using a fairly simple method to allow some character customization.  It will involve a three-step process that can be quickly be used to create more individualized characters.

Step One:  Choose a Race

For A Fine Adventure, there are four available character races.  More information can be found on each of them on their individual pages here on the website.

• Kol'E'Thay - Pixie-like humanoids who are able to fly.  Formerly, they ruled the entirety of the Kingdom, but now things have changed.  After first losing a portion of their lands to the Minden rebellion, they are now fighting a losing battle against the undead armies from the south.
• Minden - The tiny Minden were once the servants (indentured and otherwise) of the Kol'E'Thay, wingless laborers of their betters.  They found their true calling and strength by bonding with and riding giant spiders.  In time, they rose up and fought for their freedom with the help of the Diggers.  Since then, things have not been easy for them.  Only the Keepers stopped the Kol'E'Thay from retaking the Minden, and now he undead armies threaten their lands as well.
• Diggers - Rat-like, tiny humanoids from beneath the lands of the Empire.  They are industrious burrowers who control large sections of tunnels beneath the world above.  They co-exist uneasily with the world above, allied with the Minden and learning what they can from the Kol'E'Thay.
• Blaggal - Small-sized frogs that primarily stay separate from the others.  Many of them serve as hired guards and muscle for the Kol'E'Thay.  Their lands, as yet, have not been reached by the undead armies.  Without centralized leadership, the other races have not been able to convince them to rise in force against the undead.

Step Two:  Choose a Class

Each race has three classes available to it.  You will be playing a 6th level character of one of the following races, with spell cards and all statistics provided.

• Kol'E'Thay - Cleric, Fighter, Wizard 
• Minden - Druid, Ranger, Rogue
• Diggers - Cleric, Rogue, Sorceror
• Blaggal - Bard, Monk, Warlock

Step Three:  Choose a Background

All of the characters in A Fine Adventure represent the chosen heroes of their people sent to meet with the Keepers in order to find a solution to the problem of the undead armies that are attacking T'Saleth.  Each player will select one of the following backgrounds, with specific flavor and game mechanics tailored to each race.

• Hero of the People - Your character is a favorite of the common folk.  While not necessarily working against the established rulers of your people, you have made a name by always keeping your focus on the little people (of the little people).
• Wise One - You are viewed by your people as a mystic or an oracle, someone to whom others turn for answers when difficult decisions arise.
• Leader - You represent the leaders of your people, whether noble born in some cultures or elected in others. 
• Renegade - You exist on the outskirts of your peoples' society, perhaps as a known and wanted criminal or just someone who has shirked responsibility at times.

Custom Fantasy Art By Haclif

Custom Fantasy Art

Throughout these pages and posts, you will see a nice collection of fantasy artwork by a very talented artist for hire.  His name is Hector and he has very reasonable rates for custom work for characters in fantasy settings.  It is, of course, a huge benefit that he's an avid gamer himself and has a great deal of knowledge about various campaign worlds and types of characters.  I found the process of working with him to be extremely easy.

If you're interested, you can find more of his artwork here:

FACEBOOK  OR   TUMBLR

Feel free to mention that you found him through here!