The Childrens Crusade
Following are the annals of the adventures of my kids player characters as we try out Castles and Crusades for the first time. Niether of them have played any sort of formal RPG, though making up stories and playing board and card games is something both are very familiar with.
Feel free to ask questions or give feedback. So far the kids love the game and we are having a blast. Ideas for improvement are always appreciated.
The Players
Olivia 9 year old girl
Lucas 6 year old boy
The Characters
Lilly the Wizard First level human female wizard played by Olivia
Robert the Snake First level human male thief played by Lucas
Session 1
(NOTE: I am running B2 The Keep on the Borderlands with a few modifications. Basically, Im reducing the amount of treasure and monsters so that a small party of PCs run by my kids will have a chance to succeed and not get slaughtered in their first fight.)
The session begins with Lilly and Robert arriving at The Keep. They speak to the guards at the gate and learn they must pay one silver piece to gain entry to the Keep. Both have only the clothes and equipment on their backs along with a few silver and copper coins, but they reluctantly pay the gate tax and enter the Keep. After a few minutes of exploring, they learn the location of the Inn and the Tavern as well as the Trader and the Provisioner. They talk with a few locals and settle down to a meal at the Tavern. Lilly orders soup and water. Robert gets soup and a beer. (Lucas thinks its pretty cool to be able to order a grown-up drink! We had a talk after the game about kids, adults, and beer. )
After their meal, Lilly and Robert chat with a few of the Taverns patrons. They make the acquaintance of a human female named Myra Black. Myra indicates she is a warrior and has been looking for other adventuring types to explore a nearby location she has learned of the Caves of Chaos. (Myra is a first level human female fighter) Meanwhile there is some commotion outside the Tavern. The PCs and Myra go outside only to learn that a traveling merchant who just arrived was set upon by goblins in the wee hours of the morning. He lost four pack horses and the furs and skins that were strapped to their backs. He is willing to pay 50 gold coins to anyone who can bring back his horses, skins, and furs.
The PCs and Myra decide to give it a try and Myra tells the PCs shell get her friend Brother Claudius to join them. (Claudius is a first level human cleric) They decide to meet at the gate in an hour. An hour later, the four meet up at the gate. They are surprised to learn that it costs one silver piece to get out of the Keep as well as get in. (Lucas observes that this is a rip-off. Indeed it is.)
After following the road back several miles as the merchant instructed them, they find the location where the goblins had ambushed the merchant caravan. The party follows the obvious tracks into the underbrush. Robert scouts ahead for the group, looking for signs of the goblins.
Suddenly, an arrow flies past Roberts head. A lone goblin has spotted them and fired its bow at them! Robert leaps forward to attack the nasty creature. With one shot, Robert removes the goblins head! (Lucas won initiative, rolled an 18 to hit, and then rolled 6 hit points with his short sword!) The headless goblin falls to the ground.
After liberating the goblin of several copper pieces and his short bow, the group moves forward, approaching a thickly wooded area. Robert notices just ahead there are four goblins sitting around a campfire, eating and drinking. The four PCs fan out and rush the camp. After a couple rounds of fighting, including Lilly bashing a goblin with her staff, two of the goblins are down and Robert and Myra have taken some minor damage.
The remaining two goblins surrender. They promise to run away and never do anything bad ever again if they are allowed to live. Robert wants to kill the goblins since they are obviously bad guys. Lilly doesnt agree with Robert since the goblins have given up and asked for mercy. In the end, they allow the goblins to run away after making them leave their spears and coins.
The party finds three of the four horses and the skins and furs. The forth horse has been killed and partially eaten by the goblins. Once Lilly learns this, she decides that perhaps they should have killed the nasty goblins after all. The party heads back to the Keep.
Once they arrive, they meet the merchant, deliver the horses, skins, and furs, and ask for their reward. The merchant doesnt want to give them anything because they didnt bring back all four horses like he asked. The PCs are very annoyed at this and raise a bit of a ruckus outside the Tavern. Once a couple locals learn what is going on, they tell the merchant he ought to give them some sort of reward. Eventually they agree to 40 gold pieces.
End of Session One
The Children's Crusade
EXCELLENT!
If you were my next door neighbor, I think we would have all our kids in on a game like that! I'm thinking of running a game for my sons birthday this weekend, but am not sure how some parents will feel about that. It beats having them tear through the house. We'll see...
Questions...
- Did you use the C&C rules as is or have you house rulled anything for your kids?
- Did your son and daughter actually debate if they should kill the goblins or was it just a quick decision based on some persuasion from the DM? It's interesting how at a young age they are suddenly put on the spot to determine the morally correct thing to do.
- How long was the session?
If you were my next door neighbor, I think we would have all our kids in on a game like that! I'm thinking of running a game for my sons birthday this weekend, but am not sure how some parents will feel about that. It beats having them tear through the house. We'll see...
Questions...
- Did you use the C&C rules as is or have you house rulled anything for your kids?
- Did your son and daughter actually debate if they should kill the goblins or was it just a quick decision based on some persuasion from the DM? It's interesting how at a young age they are suddenly put on the spot to determine the morally correct thing to do.
- How long was the session?
Jynx wrote:
Questions...
- Did you use the C&C rules as is or have you house rulled anything for your kids??
I am pretty much using the C&C rules as they are. I think the only thing I have done is add a critical hit and fumble rule for rolling a natural 20 or 1 in combat.
Jynx wrote:
- Did your son and daughter actually debate if they should kill the goblins or was it just a quick decision based on some persuasion from the DM? It's interesting how at a young age they are suddenly put on the spot to determine the morally correct thing to do.?
The kids pretty much sorted that out between themselves. I try to only have the NPCs jump in when the kids don't seem to know what to do or can't imagine what sort of options they have. For example, Lilly took Read Magic as one of her two 1st level spells. She decided after the first session that she should have taken Magic Missile or Sleep instead. - Live and learn...
Jynx wrote:
- How long was the session?
That game session lasted about 1:30 to 2:00. That is about how much time we have to play on a weeknight.
Thanks for the questions!
Session 2
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The PCs rest at the Keep for a couple days, regaining their full hit points. They then set out again, this time heading for the Caves of Chaos. Myra Black leads the way and the four adventurers arrive with little difficulty after a day of overland travel.
They locate the Caves of Chaos and decide to explore the first cave entrance on their right. As they slowly approach the cave entrance, five kobolds spring from behind trees and attack them. In the ensuing battle, the five kobolds are defeated, but all four of the adventurers are wounded, especially Lilly who is knocked unconscious. The little band decides to return to the Keep to rest.
After a couple days rest, the little band sets out again, this time determined to enter the cave and confront the vile little kobolds. Once at the Caves of Chaos, Robert decides to scout ahead and enters the cave before the rest of the group. Once inside, he sees that the hallway ends in a T, requiring them to go either left or right. He motions for the rest of the group to enter the cave. They do and he and Lilly decide they should head to the right.
As they enter the intersection of the hallway, they trigger a pit trap. Robert is able to leap quickly to his right, just clearing the edge of the pit. Myra falls into the pit as does Lilly. While Lilly only takes two hit points of damage, Myra takes five, dropping her to one hit point.
Robert is now across the pit trap and in the right-hand hallway. He is immediately confronted by three kobolds with spears. He sees a fourth kobold run further down the hallway, presumably to summon his fellows. Things are starting to look grim. Claudius uncoils a rope and drops it down to Myra and Lilly while Robert tries to hold off the kobolds. After a couple rounds of fighting, Robert is wounded and has dispatched one of the kobolds. Myra and Lilly are out of the pit and Myra is able to take a shot with her light crossbow, dropping a second kobold.
The third kobold retreats down the hallway and the adventurers hear the sound of more kobolds coming their way. Robert makes a daring leap across the pit trap and clears the hole without a problem. The four battered adventurers, retreat from the cave and head for home.
(NOTE: This was a difficult session for Olivia. She learned the hard way that a first level wizard shouldnt wade into combat. She also learned that while Read Magic may sound neat, it doesnt have much application in a fight with kobolds. She is a bright girl and it didnt take her long to re-think her spell selection after this session.)
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The PCs rest at the Keep for a couple days, regaining their full hit points. They then set out again, this time heading for the Caves of Chaos. Myra Black leads the way and the four adventurers arrive with little difficulty after a day of overland travel.
They locate the Caves of Chaos and decide to explore the first cave entrance on their right. As they slowly approach the cave entrance, five kobolds spring from behind trees and attack them. In the ensuing battle, the five kobolds are defeated, but all four of the adventurers are wounded, especially Lilly who is knocked unconscious. The little band decides to return to the Keep to rest.
After a couple days rest, the little band sets out again, this time determined to enter the cave and confront the vile little kobolds. Once at the Caves of Chaos, Robert decides to scout ahead and enters the cave before the rest of the group. Once inside, he sees that the hallway ends in a T, requiring them to go either left or right. He motions for the rest of the group to enter the cave. They do and he and Lilly decide they should head to the right.
As they enter the intersection of the hallway, they trigger a pit trap. Robert is able to leap quickly to his right, just clearing the edge of the pit. Myra falls into the pit as does Lilly. While Lilly only takes two hit points of damage, Myra takes five, dropping her to one hit point.
Robert is now across the pit trap and in the right-hand hallway. He is immediately confronted by three kobolds with spears. He sees a fourth kobold run further down the hallway, presumably to summon his fellows. Things are starting to look grim. Claudius uncoils a rope and drops it down to Myra and Lilly while Robert tries to hold off the kobolds. After a couple rounds of fighting, Robert is wounded and has dispatched one of the kobolds. Myra and Lilly are out of the pit and Myra is able to take a shot with her light crossbow, dropping a second kobold.
The third kobold retreats down the hallway and the adventurers hear the sound of more kobolds coming their way. Robert makes a daring leap across the pit trap and clears the hole without a problem. The four battered adventurers, retreat from the cave and head for home.
(NOTE: This was a difficult session for Olivia. She learned the hard way that a first level wizard shouldnt wade into combat. She also learned that while Read Magic may sound neat, it doesnt have much application in a fight with kobolds. She is a bright girl and it didnt take her long to re-think her spell selection after this session.)
Very excellent, ironbull!!
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte
"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte
"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte
"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth
"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth
Thanks, Rhuvein!
Hey, I thought I might share a few things I have tried that have worked well for the kids and me in our C&C campaign.
Tokens - I have a variety of tokens that I use in the game. I made up some tokens for gold, silver, and copper pieces. All I did was create a Word document with a large table that fills a regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. In each square I have a circle about the size of a nickle. Above that I have text that reads "1 Gold Coin" or "10 Silver Coins" or whatever. I used metalic colored pencils to color in the circles (gold, silver or copper). When the kids find 20 silver pieces, I give them 20 silver in tokens. When they have to pay the gate keeper one silver to pass through the gate at the Keep, they just hand over a "1 Silver Coin" token.
I also make tokens for arrows and hit points. I just used cheap, plastic poker chips and a Sharpie. The white poker chips have an arrow drawn in the center. The blue poker chips have an arrow with the number "10" to show they are worth 10 arrows. The red poker chips have a heart drawn on them. Each one represents a hit point. The kids have no problem keeping track of their stuff this way. You want to shoot an arrow? Sure, just turn in an arrow token. That Cure Light Wounds spell healed three hit points? Here are three hit point tokens. etc.
Spell Cards - I bought a couple packs of 3 by 5 index cards in a variety of colors. To help Olivia decide on her spells for the day, I wrote the name of each spell she has in her spell book on a pink index card. Near the bottom I made a note like "1st Level". All she has to do is look through her cards and pick the four 0-level and two 1st-level spells she needs. She has two copies of Magic Missile and Detect Poison since she sometimes likes to take those spells twice.
Also, the kids each have their own set of dice, a cloth dice bag, and a wooden treasure chest to store their coins in. I also made a dice rolling box for each of them so they can keep everything together and not have their dice flying around the room. So far, this all seems to be working...
Hey, I thought I might share a few things I have tried that have worked well for the kids and me in our C&C campaign.
Tokens - I have a variety of tokens that I use in the game. I made up some tokens for gold, silver, and copper pieces. All I did was create a Word document with a large table that fills a regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. In each square I have a circle about the size of a nickle. Above that I have text that reads "1 Gold Coin" or "10 Silver Coins" or whatever. I used metalic colored pencils to color in the circles (gold, silver or copper). When the kids find 20 silver pieces, I give them 20 silver in tokens. When they have to pay the gate keeper one silver to pass through the gate at the Keep, they just hand over a "1 Silver Coin" token.
I also make tokens for arrows and hit points. I just used cheap, plastic poker chips and a Sharpie. The white poker chips have an arrow drawn in the center. The blue poker chips have an arrow with the number "10" to show they are worth 10 arrows. The red poker chips have a heart drawn on them. Each one represents a hit point. The kids have no problem keeping track of their stuff this way. You want to shoot an arrow? Sure, just turn in an arrow token. That Cure Light Wounds spell healed three hit points? Here are three hit point tokens. etc.
Spell Cards - I bought a couple packs of 3 by 5 index cards in a variety of colors. To help Olivia decide on her spells for the day, I wrote the name of each spell she has in her spell book on a pink index card. Near the bottom I made a note like "1st Level". All she has to do is look through her cards and pick the four 0-level and two 1st-level spells she needs. She has two copies of Magic Missile and Detect Poison since she sometimes likes to take those spells twice.
Also, the kids each have their own set of dice, a cloth dice bag, and a wooden treasure chest to store their coins in. I also made a dice rolling box for each of them so they can keep everything together and not have their dice flying around the room. So far, this all seems to be working...
That sounds like a lot of fun!
I've tried to envision how I would do certain things like that but haven't played enough with the kids yet to actually implement any new ideas. I just usually pull out a few minis and slap together a quick story. I've been to a few stores where I've seen cheep 1$ things that I would like to use in game - such as nice wooden boxes for coin storage, tiny plastic tokens for coins, cards for treasure and spells, small draw sting bags for use as backpacks (whatever you carry in your backpack is in the bag), etc... . I've even thought about purchasing some of PAIZOs item card packs. Whatever to get the kids to enjoy having something in their hands besides dice. I just wonder if it's all just a little too much so I end up not trying it myself.
I've tried to envision how I would do certain things like that but haven't played enough with the kids yet to actually implement any new ideas. I just usually pull out a few minis and slap together a quick story. I've been to a few stores where I've seen cheep 1$ things that I would like to use in game - such as nice wooden boxes for coin storage, tiny plastic tokens for coins, cards for treasure and spells, small draw sting bags for use as backpacks (whatever you carry in your backpack is in the bag), etc... . I've even thought about purchasing some of PAIZOs item card packs. Whatever to get the kids to enjoy having something in their hands besides dice. I just wonder if it's all just a little too much so I end up not trying it myself.
Session 3
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
After resting from their second run-in with the kobold tribe, the little band of adventurers heads back to the Caves of Chaos determined to finish off the evil inhabitants. They arrive at the Caves of Chaos and end up fighting several giant rats, a few kobolds, and the kobold chief and his body guard. In the end, they are battered and bruised, but manage to leave with some treasure and their lives.
(This is the first session wherein Olivia decides to try her Sleep spell. She was very pleased with the results!)
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
After resting from their second run-in with the kobold tribe, the little band of adventurers heads back to the Caves of Chaos determined to finish off the evil inhabitants. They arrive at the Caves of Chaos and end up fighting several giant rats, a few kobolds, and the kobold chief and his body guard. In the end, they are battered and bruised, but manage to leave with some treasure and their lives.
(This is the first session wherein Olivia decides to try her Sleep spell. She was very pleased with the results!)
Session 4 September 17, 2007
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
* Tom Zero level human male guard NPC
* Bob Zero level human male guard NPC
For this adventure, the PCs decide they need a bit more muscle. They recruit two soldiers who had served as caravan guards in the past Tom and Bob. Both are zero level NPCs with 4 hit points, studded leather armor, a helm, and a sword. The two men are willing to join up for a half share of the treasure and some much needed equipment. Robert buys both of them a shield and the deal is sealed.
The party returns to the Caves of Chaos and decides to try their luck at another cave. The PCs choose cave D. (This could be a potentially bad thing as that is the cave with the Ogre. I decide not to have any of the NPCs warm them off. If this ends as a TPK, then so be it. Important and sobering lesson for my fledgling adventurers.)
Robert decides to slip in to the cave by himself. Once inside, Lilly is supposed to cast her Light spell on a rock and throw it into the cave. (The kids reason that this should allow Robert to surprise whatever is in the cave.)
Robert slips inside the cave; Lilly casts her spell and throws the rock in. In a flash Robert sees a large sleeping bear in the back of the cave. He leaps forward to strike down the beast! In a few seconds, the rest of the party charges in to the cave only to learn that Robert has struck a large, mangy bear pelt draped over a pile of leaves. The party turns around to find an enormous Ogre blocking the exit to the cave!
Robert, Claudius and Myra charge forward as Lilly casts her Sleep spell. Lilly quickly learns that a Sleep spell doesnt do much to an Ogre, but she does manage to knock Claudius unconscious. Robert, Myra, Tom, and Bob exchange a few rounds with the Ogre. The PCs quickly learn that a thump from an Ogre club can be enough to knock any of them out in one shot. Lilly manages to shake Claudius until he wakes up. The brave cleric attacks the Ogre only to be hit with the huge beasts club and knocked to negative two hit points. Lilly casts her Magic Missle and ends up spending the rest of the fight, binding wounds so her friends wont bleed to death.
In the final two or three rounds of combat, the Ogre is down to a few hit points and Claudius, Myra, and Bob are all knocked out. Lilly attacks with her staff, trying to help Robert and Tom finish off the Ogre. Robert is struck down by the Ogre and Lillys final blow with her staff drops the Ogre to negative one hit points!
Lilly remembers the Potion of Cure Light Wounds that Brother Claudius is carrying. She manages to dribble it down Roberts throat, bringing him back to two hit points. Lilly, Robert, and Tom search the cave for treasure, wait for darkness to fall, and sneak out of the cave, heading back to the Keep.
The party manages to heal up and divides several hundred gold pieces worth of coins between themselves. Also, Robert gains five magic arrows (+1 to hit and damage). Lilly gains a Potion of Invisibility. Myra gains a Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
The adventuring party consists of:
* Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
* Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
* Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
* Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
* Tom Zero level human male guard NPC
* Bob Zero level human male guard NPC
For this adventure, the PCs decide they need a bit more muscle. They recruit two soldiers who had served as caravan guards in the past Tom and Bob. Both are zero level NPCs with 4 hit points, studded leather armor, a helm, and a sword. The two men are willing to join up for a half share of the treasure and some much needed equipment. Robert buys both of them a shield and the deal is sealed.
The party returns to the Caves of Chaos and decides to try their luck at another cave. The PCs choose cave D. (This could be a potentially bad thing as that is the cave with the Ogre. I decide not to have any of the NPCs warm them off. If this ends as a TPK, then so be it. Important and sobering lesson for my fledgling adventurers.)
Robert decides to slip in to the cave by himself. Once inside, Lilly is supposed to cast her Light spell on a rock and throw it into the cave. (The kids reason that this should allow Robert to surprise whatever is in the cave.)
Robert slips inside the cave; Lilly casts her spell and throws the rock in. In a flash Robert sees a large sleeping bear in the back of the cave. He leaps forward to strike down the beast! In a few seconds, the rest of the party charges in to the cave only to learn that Robert has struck a large, mangy bear pelt draped over a pile of leaves. The party turns around to find an enormous Ogre blocking the exit to the cave!
Robert, Claudius and Myra charge forward as Lilly casts her Sleep spell. Lilly quickly learns that a Sleep spell doesnt do much to an Ogre, but she does manage to knock Claudius unconscious. Robert, Myra, Tom, and Bob exchange a few rounds with the Ogre. The PCs quickly learn that a thump from an Ogre club can be enough to knock any of them out in one shot. Lilly manages to shake Claudius until he wakes up. The brave cleric attacks the Ogre only to be hit with the huge beasts club and knocked to negative two hit points. Lilly casts her Magic Missle and ends up spending the rest of the fight, binding wounds so her friends wont bleed to death.
In the final two or three rounds of combat, the Ogre is down to a few hit points and Claudius, Myra, and Bob are all knocked out. Lilly attacks with her staff, trying to help Robert and Tom finish off the Ogre. Robert is struck down by the Ogre and Lillys final blow with her staff drops the Ogre to negative one hit points!
Lilly remembers the Potion of Cure Light Wounds that Brother Claudius is carrying. She manages to dribble it down Roberts throat, bringing him back to two hit points. Lilly, Robert, and Tom search the cave for treasure, wait for darkness to fall, and sneak out of the cave, heading back to the Keep.
The party manages to heal up and divides several hundred gold pieces worth of coins between themselves. Also, Robert gains five magic arrows (+1 to hit and damage). Lilly gains a Potion of Invisibility. Myra gains a Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
Session 5 September 22, 2007
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
Tom Zero level human male guard NPC
Bob Zero level human male guard NPC
In this session, the kids explored the goblin cave complex. They did very well, making use of Lillys Sleep spell and retreating once, when they were badly beaten up. In the end, they cleared out the goblin complex with very little trouble, made off with some treasure and a bit of equipment, and returned to the Keep.
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
Tom Zero level human male guard NPC
Bob Zero level human male guard NPC
In this session, the kids explored the goblin cave complex. They did very well, making use of Lillys Sleep spell and retreating once, when they were badly beaten up. In the end, they cleared out the goblin complex with very little trouble, made off with some treasure and a bit of equipment, and returned to the Keep.
Session 6 September 25, 2007
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
(Tom and Bob decided to leave off adventuring and signed up as caravan guards for a local merchant.)
The PCs rest up at the Keep for a couple days and then prepare to set out for the Caves of Chaos again. They learn that Tom and Bob have decided to leave off adventuring and have signed on as caravan guards for a local merchant.
The party spends much of the day talking to other people in the Keep, trying to find replacements for Tom and Bob. Eventually, they decide no one must want to go with them, so they set out for the Caves. Myra comments that leaving late in the day will require them to sleep outside as the trip to the Caves takes several hours. The PCs decide to go ahead.
After making camp, the PCs decide on shifts for the watch and settle in for some sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, while Lilly is on watch, the party is suddenly awakened by the low groans and the stench of rotting flesh. Zombies! Six zombies have spotted the campers and have decided to attack. The three characters who were sleeping (Robert, Myra, and Claudius) must fight without benefit of their armor. This battle turns out to be very difficult with Claudius missing his turn undead roll at the start of the fight and Lilly learning that the undead dont sleep after casting her Sleep spell. In the end, the party is badly beaten up and decides to return to the Keep.
A few days later they set out again, this time in the morning. Once at the Caves of Chaos, they investigate cave complex B an Orc lair. Once again, Lillys Sleep spell puts several Orcs into a slumber. Eventually, the party manages to defeat all of the Orcs in the complex, including the large Orc Chieftain. In the final battle with the Chieftan, Claudius is knocked out as is Myra leaving Lilly and Robert alone to face the brute. Lilly is knocked out and Robert is reduced to two hit points before he can finally eliminate the Orc Chief. Robert uses Myras Potion of Healing to restore her to health and the two drag Lilly and Claudius out of the Caves along with a bag full of coins, a couple gems, and an expensive gold ring taken from the Orc Chief.
Robert finally earns enough experience points to advance to second level.
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 1st level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
(Tom and Bob decided to leave off adventuring and signed up as caravan guards for a local merchant.)
The PCs rest up at the Keep for a couple days and then prepare to set out for the Caves of Chaos again. They learn that Tom and Bob have decided to leave off adventuring and have signed on as caravan guards for a local merchant.
The party spends much of the day talking to other people in the Keep, trying to find replacements for Tom and Bob. Eventually, they decide no one must want to go with them, so they set out for the Caves. Myra comments that leaving late in the day will require them to sleep outside as the trip to the Caves takes several hours. The PCs decide to go ahead.
After making camp, the PCs decide on shifts for the watch and settle in for some sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, while Lilly is on watch, the party is suddenly awakened by the low groans and the stench of rotting flesh. Zombies! Six zombies have spotted the campers and have decided to attack. The three characters who were sleeping (Robert, Myra, and Claudius) must fight without benefit of their armor. This battle turns out to be very difficult with Claudius missing his turn undead roll at the start of the fight and Lilly learning that the undead dont sleep after casting her Sleep spell. In the end, the party is badly beaten up and decides to return to the Keep.
A few days later they set out again, this time in the morning. Once at the Caves of Chaos, they investigate cave complex B an Orc lair. Once again, Lillys Sleep spell puts several Orcs into a slumber. Eventually, the party manages to defeat all of the Orcs in the complex, including the large Orc Chieftain. In the final battle with the Chieftan, Claudius is knocked out as is Myra leaving Lilly and Robert alone to face the brute. Lilly is knocked out and Robert is reduced to two hit points before he can finally eliminate the Orc Chief. Robert uses Myras Potion of Healing to restore her to health and the two drag Lilly and Claudius out of the Caves along with a bag full of coins, a couple gems, and an expensive gold ring taken from the Orc Chief.
Robert finally earns enough experience points to advance to second level.
Session 7 October 8, 2007
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The adventurers return to the Caves of Chaos and investigate a new cave entrance. This time they have entered the lair of a small tribe of bugbears. Robert is successful in sneaking ahead of the party and locating a closed door. He uses his listening skills to learn that there are several non-human creatures in the room behind the door. He and the rest of the party kick the door in and surprise the four bugbears.
This battle goes rather poorly for the adventurers. Lilly plans to cast her Sleep spell, but after I explain to her how it operates (and the fact that it would probably knock out her friends as well as the bugbears), she decides not to use it. The children are surprised at how tough the bugbears are, but eventually they defeat all four after taking serious damage and Brother Claudius being knocked unconscious. Robert takes a quick look around the room and rifles through a few pockets as the ladies prepare to carry Claudius out.
Once the party exits the cave complex, some of the bugbears charge out of the cave entrance to seek revenge. Robert uses his bow to tremendous effect scoring three hits with three shots. This wounds two of the bugbears, one severely, and they decide not to pursue the party any further. The group returns to the Keep.
As they rest up and split up the treasure Robert was able to grab, they discover a silvery metal tube. After some fiddling, Robert manages to figure out how to open the tube. Inside is a rolled up piece of paper. Lilly casts Detect Magic on the paper and it registers as magical! The next day Lilly decides to prepare Read Magic. She casts it on the scroll and learns that there are four spells written on the scroll Arcane Mark, Floating Disk, Hold Portal, and Shield. Lilly spends the next several days copying these spells into her spell book. (She is very excited about the Shield spell!)
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The adventurers return to the Caves of Chaos and investigate a new cave entrance. This time they have entered the lair of a small tribe of bugbears. Robert is successful in sneaking ahead of the party and locating a closed door. He uses his listening skills to learn that there are several non-human creatures in the room behind the door. He and the rest of the party kick the door in and surprise the four bugbears.
This battle goes rather poorly for the adventurers. Lilly plans to cast her Sleep spell, but after I explain to her how it operates (and the fact that it would probably knock out her friends as well as the bugbears), she decides not to use it. The children are surprised at how tough the bugbears are, but eventually they defeat all four after taking serious damage and Brother Claudius being knocked unconscious. Robert takes a quick look around the room and rifles through a few pockets as the ladies prepare to carry Claudius out.
Once the party exits the cave complex, some of the bugbears charge out of the cave entrance to seek revenge. Robert uses his bow to tremendous effect scoring three hits with three shots. This wounds two of the bugbears, one severely, and they decide not to pursue the party any further. The group returns to the Keep.
As they rest up and split up the treasure Robert was able to grab, they discover a silvery metal tube. After some fiddling, Robert manages to figure out how to open the tube. Inside is a rolled up piece of paper. Lilly casts Detect Magic on the paper and it registers as magical! The next day Lilly decides to prepare Read Magic. She casts it on the scroll and learns that there are four spells written on the scroll Arcane Mark, Floating Disk, Hold Portal, and Shield. Lilly spends the next several days copying these spells into her spell book. (She is very excited about the Shield spell!)
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gideon_thorne
- Maukling
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- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:00 am
- Contact:
Re: The Children's Crusade
Quote:
So far the kids love the game and we are having a blast.
Well, my only feedback is this. As long as the above continues, there is absolutely no advice I can add.
_________________
"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven
Peter Bradley
"The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout, 'Save us!' And I'll look down, and whisper 'No.' " ~Rorschach
Session 8 November 5, 2007
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
For this adventure, the intrepid party sets out again for the Caves of Chaos. En route, they are attacked by three stirges. Between Roberts bow and Lillys magic, the stirges are knocked out before they can do any damage.
With chests swelling with pride from their first fight of the session, the little band proceeds to the Caves. There they enter cave F, a hobgoblin lair. Robert sneaks ahead of the rest of the group and tries to surprise a room filled with six hobgoblins. Unfortunately, Robert isnt as quiet as he thinks he is and the hobgoblins spot him as he enters the room. Three of them fire their heavy crossbows. One shot strikes Robert in the chest for six points of damage!
Undeterred, the party charges the room. After two rounds, four of the hobgoblins and Myra Black are knocked out. After two more rounds of fighting, the last of the hobgoblins are dispatched. The party quickly casts about the room for any valuables. Robert finds a coin pouch on the belt of one of the hobgoblins, grabs it, and the party flees the cave complex. They return home battered, but pleased.
(We only had a little over an hour to play tonight.)
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
For this adventure, the intrepid party sets out again for the Caves of Chaos. En route, they are attacked by three stirges. Between Roberts bow and Lillys magic, the stirges are knocked out before they can do any damage.
With chests swelling with pride from their first fight of the session, the little band proceeds to the Caves. There they enter cave F, a hobgoblin lair. Robert sneaks ahead of the rest of the group and tries to surprise a room filled with six hobgoblins. Unfortunately, Robert isnt as quiet as he thinks he is and the hobgoblins spot him as he enters the room. Three of them fire their heavy crossbows. One shot strikes Robert in the chest for six points of damage!
Undeterred, the party charges the room. After two rounds, four of the hobgoblins and Myra Black are knocked out. After two more rounds of fighting, the last of the hobgoblins are dispatched. The party quickly casts about the room for any valuables. Robert finds a coin pouch on the belt of one of the hobgoblins, grabs it, and the party flees the cave complex. They return home battered, but pleased.
(We only had a little over an hour to play tonight.)
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Julian Grimm
- Greater Lore Drake
- Posts: 4573
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ironbull wrote:
Thanks, Rhuvein!
Hey, I thought I might share a few things I have tried that have worked well for the kids and me in our C&C campaign.
Tokens - I have a variety of tokens that I use in the game. I made up some tokens for gold, silver, and copper pieces. All I did was create a Word document with a large table that fills a regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. In each square I have a circle about the size of a nickle. Above that I have text that reads "1 Gold Coin" or "10 Silver Coins" or whatever. I used metalic colored pencils to color in the circles (gold, silver or copper). When the kids find 20 silver pieces, I give them 20 silver in tokens. When they have to pay the gate keeper one silver to pass through the gate at the Keep, they just hand over a "1 Silver Coin" token.
I also make tokens for arrows and hit points. I just used cheap, plastic poker chips and a Sharpie. The white poker chips have an arrow drawn in the center. The blue poker chips have an arrow with the number "10" to show they are worth 10 arrows. The red poker chips have a heart drawn on them. Each one represents a hit point. The kids have no problem keeping track of their stuff this way. You want to shoot an arrow? Sure, just turn in an arrow token. That Cure Light Wounds spell healed three hit points? Here are three hit point tokens. etc.
Spell Cards - I bought a couple packs of 3 by 5 index cards in a variety of colors. To help Olivia decide on her spells for the day, I wrote the name of each spell she has in her spell book on a pink index card. Near the bottom I made a note like "1st Level". All she has to do is look through her cards and pick the four 0-level and two 1st-level spells she needs. She has two copies of Magic Missile and Detect Poison since she sometimes likes to take those spells twice.
Also, the kids each have their own set of dice, a cloth dice bag, and a wooden treasure chest to store their coins in. I also made a dice rolling box for each of them so they can keep everything together and not have their dice flying around the room. So far, this all seems to be working...
Very nice. I may adopt this for my games which now include my five year old daughter. The game has become a family event and has been very rewarding for myself as well. I will be trying some of this!
_________________
The Lord of Ravens
My blog
Lord Skystorm
Grand Knight Commander KoTC, Member C&CS
Donner Party Meats: We're here to serve YOU!
AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06
Grand Knight Commander KoTC, Member C&CS
Donner Party Meats: We're here to serve YOU!
AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06
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Julian Grimm
- Greater Lore Drake
- Posts: 4573
- Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 7:00 am
- Location: SW Missouri
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Very cool I'll Pm you my E-mail addy
_________________
The Lord of Ravens
My blog
_________________
The Lord of Ravens
My blog
Lord Skystorm
Grand Knight Commander KoTC, Member C&CS
Donner Party Meats: We're here to serve YOU!
AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06
Grand Knight Commander KoTC, Member C&CS
Donner Party Meats: We're here to serve YOU!
AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06
Session 9 January 1, 2008
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The adventurers decide to rest up for a couple days at the Keep. Robert does his usual routine of heading to the Tavern and ordering a beer. This time he decides he is going to get drunk. He orders six bottles of beer and proceeds to drink them as fast as he can.
In short order Robert is drunk and Lilly has to help him to the Inn. She manages to pay for a room for the two of them and starts to head upstairs. Lilly has a hard time getting Robert up the stairs as he trips and falls in his drunkenness. Luckily a fellow there at the Inn appears and helps Robert up to his room. Between the two of them, this fellow and Lilly manage to get Robert in to bed. Lilly is not too happy with her brother and decides to draw on his drunken face with her lipstick.
The next morning Robert wakes up with a headache and red lipstick smeared on his face. He also notices that 25 of his gold pieces are missing. When he and Lilly go downstairs to talk to the owner of the Inn, they ask about the worker who helped Robert to bed last night. The Inn Keeper informs them that only he and his wife work at the Inn. The Inn Keeper has no idea who Roberts mystery helper was. Robert and Lilly decide the man must have robbed Robert. Robert is not happy, but learns an important lesson about getting drunk.
The pair meets up with old friends Myra and Claudius. The four decide to head for the Caves once more. Robert has been wanting to return to the Hobgoblin cave to learn where a particular set of stairs leads to. He convinces the party to go that direction. Once inside the cave and up the stairs, Robert finds a closed door. He shoves the door open and bursts into the room! Five hobgoblins confront him and the rest of the party!
During the ensuing battle, the five hobgoblins are dispatched. While this takes only four rounds of fighting, it does result with Brother Claudius knocked unconscious and reduced to negative four hit points. Even with the party cleric knocked out, the rest of the group decides to explore just one more room. They find a prison or torture room of some sort with two hobgoblin captors and six prisoners. The party makes quick work of the two guards, though Lilly is reduced to two hit points, Myra to one hit point and Robert knocked down to three.
The group quickly loots the guards and frees the prisoners except for a crazed gnoll who snaps and bites at Robert as he tries to free him. One of the prisoners, an orc, runs out of the room trying to make his escape. The other prisoners are a merchant, his wife, and two guards.
The group heads back to the Keep without incident. The merchant rewards the party with 100 gold coins. His wife gives the party a potion of cure serious wounds and a potion of haste. The two guards promise to fight for the party for the cost of equipment and room and board.
At the end of the adventure, the party splits up the loot with Robert taking the potion of haste and Lilly taking the curing potion. Lilly has just enough experience points to make second level.
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 1st level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
The adventurers decide to rest up for a couple days at the Keep. Robert does his usual routine of heading to the Tavern and ordering a beer. This time he decides he is going to get drunk. He orders six bottles of beer and proceeds to drink them as fast as he can.
In short order Robert is drunk and Lilly has to help him to the Inn. She manages to pay for a room for the two of them and starts to head upstairs. Lilly has a hard time getting Robert up the stairs as he trips and falls in his drunkenness. Luckily a fellow there at the Inn appears and helps Robert up to his room. Between the two of them, this fellow and Lilly manage to get Robert in to bed. Lilly is not too happy with her brother and decides to draw on his drunken face with her lipstick.
The next morning Robert wakes up with a headache and red lipstick smeared on his face. He also notices that 25 of his gold pieces are missing. When he and Lilly go downstairs to talk to the owner of the Inn, they ask about the worker who helped Robert to bed last night. The Inn Keeper informs them that only he and his wife work at the Inn. The Inn Keeper has no idea who Roberts mystery helper was. Robert and Lilly decide the man must have robbed Robert. Robert is not happy, but learns an important lesson about getting drunk.
The pair meets up with old friends Myra and Claudius. The four decide to head for the Caves once more. Robert has been wanting to return to the Hobgoblin cave to learn where a particular set of stairs leads to. He convinces the party to go that direction. Once inside the cave and up the stairs, Robert finds a closed door. He shoves the door open and bursts into the room! Five hobgoblins confront him and the rest of the party!
During the ensuing battle, the five hobgoblins are dispatched. While this takes only four rounds of fighting, it does result with Brother Claudius knocked unconscious and reduced to negative four hit points. Even with the party cleric knocked out, the rest of the group decides to explore just one more room. They find a prison or torture room of some sort with two hobgoblin captors and six prisoners. The party makes quick work of the two guards, though Lilly is reduced to two hit points, Myra to one hit point and Robert knocked down to three.
The group quickly loots the guards and frees the prisoners except for a crazed gnoll who snaps and bites at Robert as he tries to free him. One of the prisoners, an orc, runs out of the room trying to make his escape. The other prisoners are a merchant, his wife, and two guards.
The group heads back to the Keep without incident. The merchant rewards the party with 100 gold coins. His wife gives the party a potion of cure serious wounds and a potion of haste. The two guards promise to fight for the party for the cost of equipment and room and board.
At the end of the adventure, the party splits up the loot with Robert taking the potion of haste and Lilly taking the curing potion. Lilly has just enough experience points to make second level.
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Buttmonkey
- Greater Lore Drake
- Posts: 2047
- Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:00 am
ironbull wrote:
Thanks, Rhuvein!
Hey, I thought I might share a few things I have tried that have worked well for the kids and me in our C&C campaign.
Tokens - I have a variety of tokens that I use in the game. I made up some tokens for gold, silver, and copper pieces. All I did was create a Word document with a large table that fills a regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. In each square I have a circle about the size of a nickle. Above that I have text that reads "1 Gold Coin" or "10 Silver Coins" or whatever. I used metalic colored pencils to color in the circles (gold, silver or copper). When the kids find 20 silver pieces, I give them 20 silver in tokens. When they have to pay the gate keeper one silver to pass through the gate at the Keep, they just hand over a "1 Silver Coin" token.
Thanks for this thread, ironbull.
My son got a bunch of fake coins for his pirate-themed birthday party back in September. We've not gamed in a while but I believe I will use them from now on to help him understand money.
Quote:
Spell Cards - I bought a couple packs of 3 by 5 index cards in a variety of colors. To help Olivia decide on her spells for the day, I wrote the name of each spell she has in her spell book on a pink index card. Near the bottom I made a note like "1st Level". All she has to do is look through her cards and pick the four 0-level and two 1st-level spells she needs. She has two copies of Magic Missile and Detect Poison since she sometimes likes to take those spells twice.
My late wife played an elven wizard. With her husband owning multiple books that contained spells across three editions of (A)D&D, she found using index cards to be a great help in using and selecting spells. She put them all alphabetically in an old phone number/card box for easy reference by spell name. Her cards will be passed onto the next wizard that plays in my group.
_________________
AD&D, Amish Dungeons & Dragons.
"Galstaff, ye are in a cornfield, when a moustachioed man approaches. What say ye?"
"I shun him."
-----
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
-- E. Gary Gygax
Psalm 73:26
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
"Rules not understood should have appropriate questions directed to the publisher; disputes with the Dungeon Master are another matter entirely. THE REFEREE IS THE FINAL ARBITER OF ALL AFFAIRS OF HIS OR HER CAMPAIGN."
-- E. Gary Gygax
"Knowledge, logic, reason, and common sense serve better than a dozen rule books."
"Rules not understood should have appropriate questions directed to the publisher; disputes with the Dungeon Master are another matter entirely. THE REFEREE IS THE FINAL ARBITER OF ALL AFFAIRS OF HIS OR HER CAMPAIGN."
-- E. Gary Gygax
Buttmonkey wrote:
Darn it, make your kids play some more so we can get an update!
Ha ha! Ok, ok! I'll tell them some guy named Buttmonkey says they have to play some more 'cause he wants to know what is going on in the campaign.
Seriously, we played last night for a bit. I'll have an update shortly.
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Coleston the Cavalier
- Unkbartig
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Coleston the Cavalier wrote:
Ironbull, this thread is awesome!
I understand about the flying dice - got 3 boys (ages 4, 6, & 8)!
I was going to ask how your 6 year old knows about getting drunk, but he paid a good price for it.
Long live the children's crusade!!!
Oh, he's seen me drink a beer now and then. He wants to know why I can drink beer but he can't. The discussion that follows goes something like - I explain about how some drinks are for grown-ups and not for kids. That leads him to ask "why?" so we end up talking about how a little beer is okay, but a lot can be hurtful, etc. After several "why"s in a row I manage to satisfy his curiosity and the discussion stops (for now).
I've always tried to answer my kids' questions as straight-up as I can. For some reason my son is fascinated with beer. Other things he could care less about. Who knows?
I thought the in-game lesson about getting drunk worked out well. During the last game, Lucas stated he was going to buy 100 bottles of beer. He no sooner got that comment out of his mouth than he stopped and said he wasn't going to do that. It was kinda' funny. It only took him a second or two to remember getting fleeced the last time Robert the Snake got drunk!
Session 10 January 15, 2008
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 2nd level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
Since Lilly reached 2nd level, she got to select a new 1st level spell to add to her spellbook. She picked Summon Familiar and immediately set about casting the spell. Her spell casting produced a raven familiar she named Moe.
The intrepid band set out again for the Caves of Chaos. Upon arrival, Lilly and Robert had a disagreement about which cave they ought to enter first. Eventually Liv and Lucas had to roll a die to decide what to do. They ended up entering Cave C one of the caves with an orc tribe.
As they entered the cave, Robert decided to sneak in ahead of the rest of the group and investigate a bit. He managed to sneak in undetected and make it all the way to a hallway that ended in a dead end. After several minutes of searching, he found a secret door and managed to trigger the opening mechanism. Once inside, Robert found an uninhabited room with some minor furnishings. (For those who have a copy of or remember module B2, this is the secret room between the cave complexes of the two orc tribes.)
A quick investigation found an old wooden bucket under which were two drawstring sacks. As Robert investigated the two sacks, he was bitten by a giant centipede. While the centipede only caused one hit point of damage, it was also poisonous. Robert made his saving throw and survived the poison. He then quickly killed the two giant centipedes and collected the 50 gold pieces and two gems from the sacks.
(I took the time to explain how the poison saving throw worked. Both of the kids were shocked to learn that failing one die roll could result in the death of a character.)
During this time, I was rolling a die periodically to determine if and when an orc would wander down the hallway and notice either Robert or his friends who were just inside the cave mouth. About this time an orc from a nearby room wandered out to check on things. He saw the party (minus Robert) and yelled for his friends. Lilly sent Moe to retrieve Robert and the other three characters formed up to fight the orcs. After two rounds, Robert joined them. Luckily the party managed to dispatch this group of nine orcs rather quickly. In fact I think it only took them about five rounds to do it. The star of the battle was Lilly who fired off both of her magic missiles and then waded in to fight with her staff. In three rounds of close combat, Lilly hit every time and did at least four points of damage with each shot. She was on a roll and the orcish horde trembled with fear.
After fighting the orcs, Liv and Lucas couldnt agree if they should retreat or press on. Lillys combat spells were gone as was the one Cure Light Wounds that Brother Claudius carries. It took the kids several minutes to argue about what to do. (They were having a hard time getting along tonight.) After three or four minutes (real time) of arguing with each other, a second group of six orcs came to investigate.
They ended up beating all of the orcs even though all four characters were seriously wounded. Both of the kids were unhappy with me for having the second group of orcs attack them. I talked to them after the game about the need to reach a decision when they are in a dangerous place and that the rest of our make-believe world goes on whether they are ready for it or not. They seemed to be okay with the discussion, but only time will tell. Im anxious to see if they are able to make decisions together a little more quickly when they are in a similarly dangerous point in the game.
After I totaled up the experience points, Robert had just enough to make third level.
The adventuring party consists of:
Lilly the Wizard 2nd level human female wizard, played by nine-year-old Olivia
Robert the Snake 2nd level human male thief, played by six-year-old Lucas
Myra Black 1st level human female fighter NPC
Brother Claudius 1st level human male cleric NPC
Since Lilly reached 2nd level, she got to select a new 1st level spell to add to her spellbook. She picked Summon Familiar and immediately set about casting the spell. Her spell casting produced a raven familiar she named Moe.
The intrepid band set out again for the Caves of Chaos. Upon arrival, Lilly and Robert had a disagreement about which cave they ought to enter first. Eventually Liv and Lucas had to roll a die to decide what to do. They ended up entering Cave C one of the caves with an orc tribe.
As they entered the cave, Robert decided to sneak in ahead of the rest of the group and investigate a bit. He managed to sneak in undetected and make it all the way to a hallway that ended in a dead end. After several minutes of searching, he found a secret door and managed to trigger the opening mechanism. Once inside, Robert found an uninhabited room with some minor furnishings. (For those who have a copy of or remember module B2, this is the secret room between the cave complexes of the two orc tribes.)
A quick investigation found an old wooden bucket under which were two drawstring sacks. As Robert investigated the two sacks, he was bitten by a giant centipede. While the centipede only caused one hit point of damage, it was also poisonous. Robert made his saving throw and survived the poison. He then quickly killed the two giant centipedes and collected the 50 gold pieces and two gems from the sacks.
(I took the time to explain how the poison saving throw worked. Both of the kids were shocked to learn that failing one die roll could result in the death of a character.)
During this time, I was rolling a die periodically to determine if and when an orc would wander down the hallway and notice either Robert or his friends who were just inside the cave mouth. About this time an orc from a nearby room wandered out to check on things. He saw the party (minus Robert) and yelled for his friends. Lilly sent Moe to retrieve Robert and the other three characters formed up to fight the orcs. After two rounds, Robert joined them. Luckily the party managed to dispatch this group of nine orcs rather quickly. In fact I think it only took them about five rounds to do it. The star of the battle was Lilly who fired off both of her magic missiles and then waded in to fight with her staff. In three rounds of close combat, Lilly hit every time and did at least four points of damage with each shot. She was on a roll and the orcish horde trembled with fear.
After fighting the orcs, Liv and Lucas couldnt agree if they should retreat or press on. Lillys combat spells were gone as was the one Cure Light Wounds that Brother Claudius carries. It took the kids several minutes to argue about what to do. (They were having a hard time getting along tonight.) After three or four minutes (real time) of arguing with each other, a second group of six orcs came to investigate.
They ended up beating all of the orcs even though all four characters were seriously wounded. Both of the kids were unhappy with me for having the second group of orcs attack them. I talked to them after the game about the need to reach a decision when they are in a dangerous place and that the rest of our make-believe world goes on whether they are ready for it or not. They seemed to be okay with the discussion, but only time will tell. Im anxious to see if they are able to make decisions together a little more quickly when they are in a similarly dangerous point in the game.
After I totaled up the experience points, Robert had just enough to make third level.
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Coleston the Cavalier
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Buttmonkey
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Today we are going to spend the day at my brother Craig's house. He has a daughter (Kate - 7 years old). Craig emailed me yesterday and told me that Kate asked if Uncle Brad could bring "that adventure game" her cousins were talking about. So this afternoon Kate and Craig will roll up characters and join Lilly, Robert, Myra, and Brother Claudius in their quest. Ought to be a good time.
My brother and I grew up playing AD&D 1st ed. I found the Holmes basic D&D box set at a hobby shop one day. Not long after we moved to AD&D. So Craig and I have been playing off an on since 1980. Ought to be a fun time today. I'll have a write up in a couple days.
My brother and I grew up playing AD&D 1st ed. I found the Holmes basic D&D box set at a hobby shop one day. Not long after we moved to AD&D. So Craig and I have been playing off an on since 1980. Ought to be a fun time today. I'll have a write up in a couple days.
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Buttmonkey
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