What a blast! C&C Rocks!

[Willy Rat]

Hey folks, I've been lurking and asking a few questions on the forum over the past year but this is the first time I've taken a moment to introduce myself and my small gaming crew. We've been playing C&C for about 2.5 years now and I was just so envigorated by our gaming session last evening that I felt I had to share it with you.

I'm a 50-something gaming fossil who has been at it since the early '70s. I had been playing historical miniatures almost exculsively until I got the itch to slip back into some ol' school RPG'ing that I had given up quite a while ago. Looking at all the alternatives, I picked C&C as my rules of choice and conned my two teenage god-kids into giving it a try, thinking it would give them a chance to actually communicate and cooperate instead of being spoon fed by computer gaming. So along with their father (my best pal) I set them off on the road to "adventure in the first person".

Though slow to 'warm up' to the idea of speaking as a character or immersing themselves into their roles, they've finally got the hang of it. Even their dad, a first-time role player, has come out of his shell and found his "inner angry dwarf" on the gaming table. Some gaming evenings have been less than stellar (cell phones and texting are the bane of a CK) but there have been quite a few good ones and that was enough to keep their interest piqued. I find they're a lot more 'invested' in a character of their own creation and imagination than something they cook up on a computer game or MMRPG. They don't know it, but they're learning a whole bunch of 'adult' soft skills at the same time that will serve them well in years to come.

I've been leading them a merry chase through a couple of modules and a home-brew setting so far. But last night saw them (3 characters & 3 NPCs) trapped atop the mountainous Castle Aucherwich (The Golden Familiar Module from the C&C Screen), beseiged from front and rear by angry bands of hlobane orcs and goblins. After an all-evening running battle amid a flaming tower, the death of one of their favorite NPCs and the whittling down of the party to just a few remaining HP - they wisely and begrudingly pulled their wounded off that bloodied mountain to regroup and regain their strength for another assault on another day. The collective sigh around 2:00am let us all know that we had done enough for one evening.

Even though they have been thwarted in the mission thus far, the consensus was the this was the most intense and enjoyable evening we've had yet. Plenty of combat, lots of crucial decisions, opportunities for role play and a sustained tension as the plot developed. There was deep emotional investment in their characters and their role playing showed it. The loss of the Barbarian NPC even evoked a few tears from my god-daughter as she had grown to like and trust their companion of the past 2 years. I felt rewarded and validated as their Castle Keeper. Not for having made a teenage girl cry, but for having produced such a satisfying and immersive experience that really existed only within their imaginations. What more could a humble CK ask for?

Anyway, I just thought I would like to share this with you folks and send out a big 'thank you' the the Trolls for providing these great products that keep the 'soul' of traditional RPG'ing alive and well.

[Go0gleplex]

Way to crusade dude!

[Breakdaddy]

Very nice!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing! Welcome to the Crusade.

[CKDad]

This is an awesome story. What a great experience you're giving them (and yourself)!

[Treebore]

I love hearing things like this, and like it better when my group has such experiences!

[serleran]

Have fun with the game.

[Lord Dynel]

Sounds awesome, Willy. Glad to hear you're having a good time!

[Troll Lord]

Even though they have been thwarted in the mission thus far, the consensus was the this was the most intense and enjoyable evening we've had yet. Plenty of combat, lots of crucial decisions, opportunities for role play and a sustained tension as the plot developed. There was deep emotional investment in their characters and their role playing showed it. The loss of the Barbarian NPC even evoked a few tears from my god-daughter as she had grown to like and trust their companion of the past 2 years. I felt rewarded and validated as their Castle Keeper. Not for having made a teenage girl cry, but for having produced such a satisfying and immersive experience that really existed only within their imaginations. What more could a humble CK ask for?

Welcome aboard! Sounds like your guys are having a blast. It also sounds like the running battle I ran in that adventure. They got hammered at the upper gates and some of the party died. Todd, one of my players, got obsessed with just getting into the castle that he climbed walls and managed to get all the way in the inner courtyard. The end was predictable, but he has bragging rights that he made it there! ha

Steve

[Rigon]

Very, very cool. Here's to more such sessions. Crusade on, brave crusader.

R-

[tylermo]

I could see Todd doing that. Damn. It's been at least two(?)years since I've played in a Todd Gray game.

[Willy Rat]

Thanks for all the support, Crusaders. These forums are great for keeping the flame alive.

Now if only I could get my nearly-frozen fingers on a copy of the CKG.
It's only going down to -31*F with the wind chill tonight.

[Omote]

Canadians don't use farenheit! I call shenannigans!

~O

[Willy Rat]

Jus' keepin' it real for all my southern neighbours [note spelling]
Remember that we're all bi-lingual up here, mon ami.
If you want the Celcius, then it's actually gonna be -34*C. I just didn't want to scare anybody.

[Omote]

Canadians don't scare me. Your avatar scares me! -34C is EXTREME! Eastcoaster, eh?

~O

[Relaxo]

With any luck, Willy, you won't get to where the C and F scales match!
(-40)

Glad your game is fun! Welcome to the boards!

[Willy Rat]

Then my luck must have run out two nights ago when it dropped below -40C (and F for that matter). At that point the number no longer matters, it's just "too frikkin' cold"!

Sorry Omote, not an eastcoaster. I'm from 'central' Canada and that means right in the middle - Winnipeg.

[Omote]

Gah, I hedged my bets there that you might be a Newfie! But thank you for pointing out that central means in the middle. I needed that clarification. haha. Saskatoon crusaders 4 life!

~O

[Willy Rat]

I'll leave all things Newfoundland to our resident expert Lord Seurek.

I felt that I had to define 'center' because our Canadian bretheren in Toronto see themselves as the center of Canada. Historically, politically, and in all things cultural. There's Toronto and then there's the RoC (the Rest of Canada).

Nice try, though.

[serleran]

There is a Canada outside of pretend France and Ontario?

[Mark Hall]

I maintain that Canada is a myth, fueled by northerners who want to seem "cool" by having another nation border their state. There is no empirical evidence of Canada existing.

[Willy Rat]

You may be right. One of the great debates in Canada is the definition of ourselves. We can easily describe what we AREN'T but have a tough time with our actual identity. Maybe we're superheroes!

As far as being 'cool' goes, its -33F with the windchill right now. Thankfully it's only going to drop to -38F overnight.

[Breakdaddy]

FEH! I lived in Alaska for a few years. I scoff at your 38 below!

[GameOgre]

I just found out The Queen of England is also The Queen of Canada so it must be real! The only Queen we get is that guy down the street that puts on a dress and keeps dropping things and bending over to pick it up all the time.

No fair.

[Mark Hall]

I also have my suspicions about England.