H is for Humanoids

I missed the April A-Z Blog Challenge this year, so I'm doing my own...in June. This year, I will be posting one post per day discussing my AD&D campaign, for the curious. Since 2020, this is the ONLY campaign I run. Enjoy!

H is for Humanoids...orcs and such.

"Humanoid," when used as a noun, means "a being resembling a human in shape" (the -oid suffix is the "resembling" bit). So, you know, two arms, two legs and a head. An xorn doesn't really fit the bill, nor does any creature that walks on four legs.

And yet there are many creatures in the Monster Manual that resemble the "human shape" as much as an orc or goblin that are not defined as "humanoids." Sea hags, for instance, or yeti. Why not? Doesn't a minotaur have the same number of limbs as a gnoll? 

But if I look to the definition of the adjective form of the word (i.e. to describe a "humanoid creature"), we see a little something extra: "having an appearance or character resembling that of a human." Ah...now that's something to consider.

There are plenty of D&D creatures that have a vague resemblance to the human shape: faeries of all stripes, giants, various aquatic creatures, even animal hybrids like harpies and centaurs. But they lack the character of a human, character being defined as "the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual."  Personality-wise, humanoids resemble humans. These other monsters? They don't.  Even if they are sentient, even if they are tool-users, their psychology is alien compared to a human. You cannot use the same line of reasoning with a lizard man or mind flayer that you would to resolve a conflict with a human adversary (humans don't haggle over how many brains we're going to devour).

So, yeah...bullywugs and crabmen? Not humanoids. Neither are the giant-folk (who operate on a scale well outside of human experience) nor the faerie-folk (who are fey and whimsical and often...as with dryads and nymphs...quite alien) nor the various extra-planar/dimensional beings (djinn, devils, night hags, etc.). In fact, there are only EIGHT critters that count as "humanoids" in my setting; they are: bugbears, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, ogres, ogre magi, and orcs.

These eight species count as humanoid because they resemble humans both in terms of form and character. They are sentient and aware. They possess language and technology. They have social structures, traditions, "laws" they follow (though these are pretty meager with regard to bugbears and ogres). They are mortal and possess lifespans and biological cycles roughly equivalent to humans. They eat the same foods; they want the same things. They share many of the same fears and ambitions. They are reasoning creatures.

Of these eight, orcs are the closest in resemblance to humans; this is why they are available for play as a PC species. As I've written before, I do not have "half-orcs" in my game; the term is us used to describe an orc who has joined (or attempted to join) human society, adventuring with humans and their allies (elves, dwarves, etc.). To normal humans, such individuals are (perhaps mockingly) referred to as "half-orc," acknowledging that while they are definitely not human, they're not quite the same as a member of their own community...and to that orc community, these beings are (often) seen as betrayers of their kin, and the orcish word for such rogues roughly translates as "half-orc," but in terms of being lame or crippled, albeit in spirit.

1st edition orcs. Note: NOT Mexican.

But orcs do not breed with humans...or any other non-orc species. My campaign setting is not the magical hybrid-land of Piers Anthony's Xanth books. Other than the objective data of hit dice and AC and whatnot, I choose to presume the information in the Monster Manual are something akin to field descriptions by an amateur (and somewhat racists/xenophobic) biologist-anthropologist. Similar in nature to the writing of 15th and 16th century European explorers attempting to describe the civilizations they encountered in the Americas and elsewhere. Not factual but, instead, based on subjective impression and misunderstanding due to poor translation and inexperience with different cultures.

[we call such descriptions "racist," because the person doing the writing has a presumption of the superiority of their own race (in this case, I mean the human race, i.e. species). But this racist orientation does not always or necessarily result in poor treatment or relations towards the perceived "lesser" species...but often enough that it's not considered a practical assumption to take; see my previous post on alignment]

Orcs are ubiquitous to my setting; they have small villages and communities on the (Olympic) peninsula, around the Puget Sound, and on the east side of the Cascades, as well as along the Columbia. You will also find them in the region of Okanogan County, near Winthrope

The non-orc humanoids fall into three groups: the ogres, the gnolls, and the goblins. As with the orcs, these all have an antagonistic relationship to humans (hence, the "evil" alignment designation), because they have a long history of competing for the same food supply, resources, and territory of humanity and (especially) the humans' main allies...dwarves and elves...both of whom have a much longer history on the planet of my setting. However, each of these groups (including the orcs) compete with each other as well as the "good races," and should not be seen as any kind of unified "horde" of antagonistic creatures. In fact, it is their lack of unity...in comparison to the human-elf-dwarf alliance...that has led to the humanoids leading a meaner existence, relegated to inhospitable corners of the wilds.

When totaled, the goblins are the most numerous of all the humanoid groups, but their species is divided into four distinct types that have complicated relationships with each other. The basic "goblin" is the standard of their species, but are diminutive, leading to a disadvantage in inter-humanoid warfare. Their warriors, however, are large, fierce, and well-organized...these are the hobgoblins (so called because of their proclivity for hobnailed jackboots)...unfortunately, they are far fewer in number than than the orcs, and (still) smaller in size than both the gnolls and the ogres. The kobolds are despised "runts" driven out of goblin society and forced to live an even meaner and cruder existence in abject squalor...they hate their own (goblin) kind only slightly less than they hate other species. And then the bugbears, true outsiders of the goblin race, these huge hairy, mutants are prone to violence and insanity, and "do not play nice with others;" driven from goblin communities (much like the kobolds) they sometimes form small bands in the wild where they survive via banditry. Many human communities place a bounty on bugbear scalps.

My kobolds are more pale, 
scrawny goblins than the
mailed dog-men of the MM.

Some enclaves of goblins can be found in the (northern) Cascades, but the bulk of their kind congregate in northern Idaho. However, bugbears tend to live in the forested parts of western Washington, while kobolds can be found farther south (near the active volcano of Mount Saint Helens). Goblins do not build boats and are not found on the water.

The ogres are the strongest and most intimidating of the humanoids, but they are also the fewest in number; they have a "society" in only the most loosest of terms. Once, perhaps, this was different, but ogres have been hunted almost to extinction by the other peoples of the setting, and they are now only found in out-of-the-way places, sometimes selling their services to other humanoids as muscle in exchange for food and coin. The ogre magi are exceedingly rare and bear witness to a civilization that "once was," passing on a tradition that most ogres feel unnecessary to the survival of their race. However, there are some among them who dream of of seeing ogre-kind rise to prominence again...perhaps a looming threat on the horizon?

Once we were kings.

The vast majority of remaining ogres hide among the mountains of northern Idaho. 

Finally the gnolls, the hairy mongrels of the humanoid tribes. Gnoll-ish society is perhaps the least understood of all, as they are a nomadic people who refuse to set down roots. They live by raiding and pillaging, and selling their services as mercenaries...generally other humanoids...but have shown a propensity for turning on masters who show signs of weakness, or when offered a more lucrative deal. 

Gnoll society is matriarchal: they have far fewer females than males, and gnoll warriors are expected to earn glory and gold in order to woo the hands of unattached gnoll maidens. Leading warbands and acquiring followers and pillage is in aid of building family structure and having children...it is less about legacy and more about biological imperative. Gnolls respect strength, because strength leads to survival of the tribe...a chieftain cultivates followers by showing that he can be a provider, but a weak leader will be challenged and (if defeated) devoured. The females, for their part, appear just as fickle in their loyalty, for they are pragmatic...their decision making is based on the good of the community. They are also the spiritual leaders (and spell-casters) of the species. The women command; the men obey, and the gnoll king is the mate of the highest-ranking female of the village.

Gnolls are found throughout the peninsula, and on both sides of the Cascades (though on the eastern side, they stay closer to the mountains), as well as along the length of the Columbia (where they will sometimes engage in piracy, but more often ambush travelers who come ashore in vulnerable spaces). Gnolls are also found in bands in northern Idaho, but not in great numbers...they are more prominent farther east (in Montana).  However, their nomadic lifestyle means they can appear anywhere they find easy prey.

All right...that's enough for the day.

DF 34: Just the Facts, Man

Mmm-mmm-mm. A lot to talk about, and not sure where or how to begin.

Fortunately, I was already able to “decompress” a bit with Tim (with whom I rode to and from the convention yesterday). Otherwise, this might just be a spewing of random, unconnected thoughts into the cyber-verse. Let’s see, where to start that will express my thoughts and capture my feelings?

Hmmmm…

Dragonflight ran from Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon. Due to my regular obligations (work, family) I was only able to participate Saturday and Sunday. I signed up to run games in every available four-hour time slot during those two days…a total of five. Unfortunately (or not) I only ended up running in a couple of slots. I’ll give folks the briefest of briefs regarding WHAT happened, then I’ll dig a bit more into my impressions and analysis of events as well as “what I learned.”

Saturday I rode in early enough to set-up for 9am time slot in which I planned on running 5AK. This was to be a demo and I had a bunch of books in a suitcase for sale. As per the last Dragonflight I attended (2010?) the show was at the Bellevue Hilton and the (non-Pathfinder, non-indie) role-players were put down one particular corridor, waaaay off from the rest of the convention (war gamers, board gamers, dealers, etc.). This hallway has a couple conference rooms (with tables) attached to it, but also tables in the hallway itself…my table (where all my events were scheduled) was one of the ones IN the hallway, the second table from the very end of the hall, in fact. Geographically speaking, I was one table away from being the farthest away from the action of anyone there.

By 9am I was set-up. After a while of no one showing up at my table (no one had registered on the sign-up sheet either) I pulled my laptop and started making notes for Sunday’s game (specifically some pre-gens for 5AK , which I would be running a second time in the 9am time slot). I did not go out hawking players or stragglers to the table. I did not sign up for anything else myself. It is possible that someone was off-put by my laptop use. Whatever the reason, no one showed up for the game.

Around sometime between 10 and 11 I went upstairs for a coffee and breakfast sandwich from the Tully’s in the Hilton lobby. I then reviewed the other RPGs going on and decided to instead hit the “Story Game Lounge” where Ogre was again facilitating the a slew of various indie-RPGs for the malcontents that don’t want to play GURPS or Dungeons & Dragons. We played eXXXtreme Street Luge where your character has ability scores based on his comparison to Vin Diesel. That was fun, if pretty light-weight.

In the 2pm time-slot (might next one) I was scheduled to demo Cry Dark Future, and I had three people show up for the short adventure I’d written up. Unfortunately, my print-out of CDF is in an extreme state of disrepair at the moment, being a jumble of loose pages, notes, and edits as I work through the publishing lay-out I want (this was something I hadn’t even considered when I was putting together my “prep” for the convention…I was just like, “oh good; I have a copy of CDF in this binder, already printed,” but didn’t bother putting it into a reasonable shape for playing). Despite the lack of organization on my part, the game went off with very little hitch and the players appeared to enjoy themselves. One of the players wanted to know if CDF was available yet for purchase which of course made me realize the stupidity of demoing a game that’s not ready for sale.

[later that day, I would receive unsolicited feedback from another one of the players purporting to be game designer with 15 years of experience. In a nutshell, he would ask why I was bothering with such a project. More on THAT conversation in a later post]

My 7pm time slot was slated for the B/X adventure I had just written and play-tested Thursday. As with my 9am time-slot, no one showed up. There seems to have been some confusion because folks had been looking for a B/X game and instead ended up at the single table running Labyrinth Lord (and there were double digits worth of people at that game)…perhaps because that table was in one of the well-lit conference rooms while I was still down the at the end of the hallway (though now with dimmer lighting since the sun had gone down).

This actually turned out to be a mixed blessing because our babysitters flaked out and my wife was able to pick me up early, rather than dragging the toddler out to Bellevue after 11.

Sunday I was back at the convention early again, and hit up Tully’s first. Even though folks did not come to my B/X game the night before, I had had the chance to talk to several people…about both B/X and 5AK…and drum up a little interest. This time I did NOT pull out the laptop and (instead) had a nice display of books and such to entice folks. However, the 9am spot was pretty darn slim (for ALL tables in the role-playing hallway) and in the end only one individual took the plunge, enjoying the game enough that he was interested in buying it, save that he didn’t have enough cash on hand (and I didn’t have a phone app to run a card). I did get his email info, so that’s probably at least one sale.

Having only one player to run for (and having used pre-gens to boot), the adventure didn’t take all that long, so I was left with time on my hands to play. Again, I checked out the other games being run (including Shadowrun 4E, and more GURPS) and decided instead to head to the Story Games Lounge, where I got involved in a pretty beefy game of The Dresden Files.

[I have no experience with Dresden…neither the fiction or the TV show nor the game, but I have played Spirit of the Century before, which uses a similar version of the “Fate” system].

The game was going well and around 1pm I decided to cancel my last game of Sunday. That was my Star Wars supplement for Bezio’s X-Plorers, which I had planned on demoing at the con. There were several reasons why I decided to cancel. Firstly, after my CDF experience I realized it was pretty frigging silly to demo a game that was neither published (by anyone!), nor in any state ready to sell/give away. Second, I had done the least amount of prep-work of any of the games I’d scheduled to run (no pre-gens, for example). Third, I’ve only even PLAY-TESTED the rules once and the results had been, well, mediocre. Finally, I’d seen a ton of Star Wars games (RPGs) at the con already…using GURPS, D20, and other designers’ original systems…and had seen the lack of response most received, so I figured this would end up being another event with an empty table.

So I excused myself from Dresden to go write “cancelled” on the sign-in sheet. This would be the first thing written on ANY of my sign-in sheets (since even the players who had showed up to the other two games hadn’t bothered to register before sitting down). Or, rather it would have been the first thing…except that four people had already signed up for the game!

So I had four players (none of whom were anyone I knew) out of a six seat table, no pre-gens, nor print-outs, and only about 45 minutes before the time slot started. So I sat down at a quiet table with my lap-top and copy of X-Plorers with the determination to “make it work.” Or at least the intention.

That’s when I found my computer was dead.

Which I still don’t understand: I had charged it all night and it had held its charge fine the day before (from its Friday night charging). Hell, I’d just used it that morning (at around 5am) to print up the 5AK pre-gens I’d written (at the con!) the day before.

Frankly, I figured my 2008 laptop had simply “given up the ghost,” but when I brought it to an IT guy he did indeed confirm the battery was dead…and later Sunday night when I had it plugged directly into a power cord it turned on (that was the reason for my “test post” yester-eve).

However, at the moment I didn’t have a power cord. I had brought one the day before, but had used my computer so infrequently (there was no wireless access for convention goers) that it hadn’t been necessary…plus I had charged it the whole night. I had decided not to bother packing my cord…and since I use an older Mac (and all the folks with laptops at the con appeared to be using PCs), I was SOL.

And so were my players. There was NOTHING printed of the game…it is, entirely, stored electronically and was thus locked into a device to which I had no access. And so I was forced to cancel my game anyway, except NOW I was left with the embarrassment of apologizing to the players for being a complete dumb-ass.

Which I did. The four guys all showed up…punctually at 2pm. Young guys (certainly younger than me…I’d put them in the 20-25 year range) of exactly the type I’d like to expose to some “old school” style gaming. And me with nada to show ‘em. In hindsight I probably should have broken out another game to see if they wanted to try it…but I was so disgusted with myself and embarrassed by the incident that I just wanted to bring the whole thing to a close. I think they ended up playing 4E Shadowrun.

So, having (unsatisfactorily) resolved that, I went back to the Story Games lounge, where Dresden was still going on (I’d been absent for an hour or more) and helped resolve the story and its climax. That was fun. After Dresden, I helped Tim pack up his stuff and then hitched a ride back to Greenwood where the rest of my day was fairly mundane…though I was completely exhausted from the experience.

Let’s see…I want to read back over what I’ve written so far…

[okay, yes…a lot of pathetic parts to the story, but at least it’s honest]

So THAT is what actually happened at the con…I’ve left out a few things (like my wife and child taking me “off-campus” to lunch at Chipotle which turned into an absolute cluster) or anything non-convention related (like our current nightmare houseguests that decided to “invite themselves” into our lives this week). And, oh yeah: I completely forgot to mention my awesome score at Sunday’s auction (said score taking place between my one-player run of 5AK and my adventures into the world of The Dresden Files)…but that’s one that really deserves its own post, too.

But otherwise, that’s all the (basic) stuff that happened to/for me at this year’s Dragonflight. Over the next couple days, I’ll try to post up my thoughts and feelings on the whole deali-o, as well as my encounters with a number of game designers of various stripes and what I learned from them and about them and about the business of marketing one’s game in this kind of venue/setting.

Later, gators!

Respecting Ogres - 5AK Combat (Part 2)

Don’t you want YOUR ogre to be tougher?

For me, in designing 5AK (or D&D Mine or whatever you want to call it), the ogre was one of the “baseline” monsters in designing the game. Ogres are a part of the D&D tradition, sure, but they show up so often in fantasy folklore…representing the large, bestial, BULLY of the human psyche. The abuser. The monster that is O-so-human, and yet a hulking fiend of destruction, too. How do you represent that, and do it justice?

In the end I gave ogres HD 4+2 and the equivalent of light (chain) armor.

Now, granted, that may not seem like much difference compared to the usual AC 5, HD 4+1 ogre found in D&D, but rest assured those numbers mean far more to MY game than your run-o-the-mill, B/X equivalent. In fact, it’s closer to the 700 pound bruiser detailed in Alexis’s recent post (no, his point is something very different from mine…I just like it as an illustration of what an ogre should be like).

Assuming a party similar to the one Alexis describes (of course, there are no halflings or burning hands spells in 5AK, and I don’t have a “ranger” in my game for obvious reasons, though we can assume something equivalent to an archer or temple knight), the outcome in 5AK might have been pretty close to the same. My thief’s “bushwhacking” ability only extends to “living, humanoid targets of roughly human size” specifically so that you don’t find ‘em backstabbing giants and jinn, but it’s really up to the individual DM to determine whether or not an ogre is close enough or not. I’d probably rule “not,” but the character would still have a good 75% chance of doing damage (if not higher based on the creature’s position sleeping).

Then, assuming the monster was awakened and combat ensued we could expect the killing to begin. Average HPs for such a group would be, mmm, 22 for the fighter, 17 for the thief, 9 for the mage, 7 for the cleric, 4 for the “ranger.” A HD 4+2 creature in 5AK is bigger, faster, and stronger than just about everyone in the party, and would likely crush the cleric or ranger with a single shot (average 7 damage, hits the cleric 86% of the time or the ranger 92% presuming heavy armor)...though if this was their first fight of the day that might be mitigated by other factors.

Meanwhile, the chance of the PCs actually harming the ogre would be pretty slim with the exception of the fighter. The high level thief would have a 42% chance of damaging it (actually pretty close to the 45% chance a B/X thief of the same level would have against a “normal” ogre) with a 3% chance of killing the creature outright with a lucky attack (the dagger in the eyeball attack). The 5^th level hero would actually have a 67% chance to injure the creature (better than a standard B/X fighter unless you're including high ability scores) with a 17% chance of killing it outright (the same chance a hero in Chainmail has of killing such a monster). The other party members would have a lot smaller chance to even scratch the beast (17% for the cleric or ranger, 28% for the wizard assuming he wants to mix it up in melee)…but then fighting monsters IS an activity best left up to heroes. Non-fighters would do better to use the tried and true method found in folklore when dealing with ogres: trickery.

In point of fact, a group of non-fighting PCs venturing into an ogre’s den with the intention of slaying such a creature in hand-to-hand combat deserve to have their heads handed to them. I mean, what are you thinking of? Sure, David was able to slay Goliath with a rock…but he had the power of God on his side (and/or it was a one-in-a-million shot...you decide). When your PC doesn’t happen to be the divinely chosen king of the divinely chosen people, then you better be the rough-and-tumble equivalent of Beowulf…otherwise, what are you doing except getting in Beowulf’s way?

To write D&D Mine, I’ve been deconstructing the game of D&D and looking at it piece-by-piece and you can see where there’s stuff that’s been broken. I mean, the reason that so much of D&D game play is treated like “our many different ways to kill a monster” is precisely because the rules are written in that fashion. An ogre should just be a walking sack of hit points waiting for a few low level characters to down him with half a dozen arrows…what kind of adventure is that? It cheapens the whole thing, in my opinion.  At the same time, it’s not enough to simply assign bunches of extra HPs to monsters. Didn’t I just read that WotC’s research shows players enjoy SHORTER combats? No shit, Sherlock…shorter combats mean more time spent adventuring (which might include a lot of things besides rolling dice and tracking damage).

That’s why “hit dice” in my game have been returned to their proper place as the number of “hits” a creature can suffer before going down. For example, a four hit dice ogre can take four human-incapacitating wounds before being brought down (which is what a successful attack roll measures…the ability to apply a man-incapacitating wound to a target). Yes, I realize that’s less than the six wounds needed in Chainmail (so my ogre is still less than the Ogre of Gormely Keep), but quite a handful for your average adventurer to deal with…like an intelligent bear.

And it’s quite a bit stronger than even an AD&D ogre. Oh sure…an average superhero equivalent in 5AK will put one down pretty fast (exactly as fast as a superhero in Chainmail at 9^th level, actually), but it’s never for-sure-for-sure. And it’s nothing like AD&D. I remember converting my old AD&D bard to 2^nd edition (and for those who don’t know, there’re major differences between the 1E and 2E bards) in order to solo-test the 2E adventure Return to White Plume Mountain, which is practically filled to the brim with ogres dressed in +5 armor (to give them an AC of 0). It was a pretty silly exercise, but in some ways it’s a pretty silly adventure, and the point is the character could still handle the creatures pretty handily. It just necessitating rolling a LOT of dice to get through the war of HP attrition.

ANYway… point is, as I was saying, that THAT type of game is pretty soft. As far as our adventure gaming goes, we have been coddled a bit…the RPG equivalent of everyone getting a juice box and a trophy at the end of the season. As with sports, part of the whole purpose of playing the games is THE PLAY ITSELF, not the accolades that may (or may not) be deserved for the playing. And if you make the fighting the centerpiece…and the fighting too easy…then the game starts to lose its luster, becoming less of an adventure and more of a…well, I don’t really know what you’d call it.

Actually, I guess that wasn’t really my point. My real point is that I like ogres. I need to mix some in to my next 5AK play-test. I wonder if I put them on-board a ship? Ooo-oo…maybe the PCs travel by ship to the Isle of Ogres. Oh, that sounds good!

; )

Respecting Ogres - 5AK Combat (Part 1)

I was actually going to write something completely different in defense of my non-B/X posting of late, but eh…that’s boring. Or, at least, it will take more mental power from me to make it at all interesting to read. So let’s talk about ogres.

Any of you folks follow college basketball?

I don’t (well, I did keep an eye on my sister-Jesuit school, Gonzaga, till they got knocked out of the tournament…go Wichita State!)…but I do listen to the “sports talk radio,” often. I used to be a big NPR guy, but a lot of the stories tend to be big bummers (or worse, get me really, REALLY worked up and angry), so the sports talk is much easier to have droning in the background. Plus, I can turn it off once football season officially ends and not feel like I’m missing a whole lot.

[I know, I know…this is sounding really random. Just bear with my weird-o brain, please]

So anyway, there’s this coach name Mike Rice who was recently fired from his gig as basketball coach of Rutgers. And while being fired from a coaching job isn’t generally a big deal, this one has drawn news because of the reason he was fired: namely, that he was abusive to his players. Interestingly, (well, interesting to me) some people have taken issue with this as yet another example of the “wussification of America;” how “soft” we’ve become as a society with regard to our children compared to “the good ol’ days.”

As opposed to how evolved we’ve become as a culture.

Now that’s not to say we’re NOT soft…that we’ve become permissive in some ways, hesitant to criticize, slow to discipline, all to our own detriment. But there’s a difference between discipline and abuse. There’s a difference between making a kid do laps or push-ups for goofing off and throwing a basketball at their head. As I’m sure most folks will agree.

So what does that have to do with ogres? Ah, so glad you asked. Going “soft” is a term that can be applied to certain gaming circles…especially of the “fantasy adventure” variety. I’m not sure I’ve had the chance to sling this particular epithet myself in relationship to later editions of Dungeons & Dragons (if I didn’t, I’m sure I’ve thought about it)  and I think that in some ways it’s an apt term to use. We’ve let players “slide” a little too much in recent decades (yes, decades); we’ve been too easy on our adventurers, we’ve allowed them to “win” just a little too often…and by doing so, have soured a bit the tasty savor of victory.

And it starts with the ogre.

I love the ogre. As a monster, as a concept. No, not Schrek…I’m talking about the straight-up D&D ogre. Burly, ugly, nasty. I’ve had a love affair with this monster since I was a kid…ever since that TSR Endless Quest book, Mountain of Mirrors (published 1982). Ogres figured prominently in that one. Ogres that killed a LOT of elves (as a veteran DM of Moldvay’s Basic by that time, I’d seen more than my share of friggin’ elves, and could really appreciate a good “elf-slaying”).

Hell, I even included the Ogre Noble in my B/X Companion as an homage to the Ogre King toy produced by TSR (a toy that I never owned, but one that I was endlessly fascinated with…where was MY plate-armored ogre lord?).

Why are ogres so cool? Well, for one thing they are something that I think are easily imagined. A GIANT is really a mythical creature…I mean, they’re as big as mountains in some stories, the kinds of things fought by Thor and the Norse gods. You can’t really imagine a group of human-sized adventurers fighting such a creature (at least, not without a certain degree of ridiculous absurdity, unless you “shrink it down” to a manageable size). But an ogre is something you can look at with a degree of perspective…they’re like Beowulf’s Grendel…they’re the troll under the bridge of the Billy Goat’s Gruff.

And funny enough, they first started out as “trolls.” It’s only that Poul Anderson monster of Three Hearts and Three Lions that screwed up the whole concept of the Norse troll (I’ve written before how I feel the stat-line for the bugbear is more appropriate) giving us the rubbery, regenerating monstrosity found in every edition of D&D and most of its knock-offs (Warhammer Fantasy, for example). In CHAINMAIL, where they first appear, it is under the heading of “trolls;” the description states the following:

“What are generally referred to as Trolls are more properly Ogres – intermediate creatures between men and Giants.”

An ogre in Chainmail attacks as six heavy footmen, which is to say they deal out damage like half-a-dozen chainmail clad Vikings. While they’re not quite as tough to kill as a “true Troll” (Gygax’s term for the Anderson monstrosity) they can still soak up the hits and keep coming, unless cut down by a hero-type…and unlike true Trolls, they can fight in formations (meaning you can encounter a unit of ‘em as opposed to a single, lone opponent).

In D&D, they lose quite a bit of this badassed-ness once you move to the “alternative combat system” provided in the LBBs. Oh, they still pack a punch (doing two dice of damage with successful attack, unlike most weapons and monsters), but they only get one strike per round. And while their thick hide still makes them the equivalent of chainmail with AC 5, it doesn’t take six simultaneous hits to bring one down (as in Chainmail)…heck, any first level character has a 35% chance to hit AC 5 with a D20, and three or four solid hits will do enough damage to “whittle one down.” Sure, in Chainmail a “hero” can “one-shot” an ogre…but only with a roll of 10+ on 2D6. That’s only a 17% chance…and the ogre’s probably going to get his licks in before that happens.

By AD&D and B/X the ogre’s been even more “wimpified.” Oh, sure, he’s got D8s for hit dice now, but so do fighters (or D10s in the case of the AD&D fighter), while in both editions his damage output has been dropped to 1D10. Whereas previously that two dice of damage meant an average of 7 per hit, now he was down to 5.5 with a chance of a glancing bitch-slap of 1 point? Fie on that! Hardly worth the bonus gold that had been included in the ogre’s treasure type since OD&D (possibly originally included due to the sheer toughness of the creature under the “default” Chainmail combat system, if not a reference to Puss in Boots).

Still, I’ve always loved the ogre, even the “wimpy” B/X ogre that I started play with (and the original Monster Manual ain’t any different). There’s no denying that it makes for a nice little “boss monster” for 1^st level PCs to encounter, as evidenced many times in running B2:Keep on the Borderlands. It is still vulnerable to the 1^st level magic-user’s usual sleep or charm person spells (assuming they’ve retained that arrow in their magic quiver by the time of the encounter), and encountered singly, they are a fightable encounter, giving players the kind of “rah-rah,” team-up moment they really seem to relish. At the same time, the damage output of 1D10 is so random in its application (a crap-shoot, feast-or-famine roll with every successful hit) that it keeps the adrenaline pumping from danger…even if such damage is only imaginary.

Because it IS imaginary. Oh, sure, I’ve killed plenty of PCs with Ye Old Ogre encounter, but not nearly as many as you’d imagine. Especially with regard to Keep on the Borderlands, far more PCs have met their end on the point of a well-thrown goblin spear than by the club of the O So Terrible ogre. The fact of the matter is this: in low level D&D play (of the first few editions), survival IS a crap shoot, only somewhat mitigated by the inflation of character HPs and ability score bonuses found in AD&D. And when survival has a high degree of randomness, the thing that decreases survival rate the most is running into a large number of dice rolls: one ogre is less dangerous than six goblins…who themselves are far less dangerous than eight or nine kobolds (or a dozen giant rats). It’s why B/X troglodytes (or ghouls) with their three attacks each are so superior in numbers, despite the “low damage” done with each individual hit. It’s not the POTENTIAL amount of damage, it’s just the rolling of MORE DICE; thrown out more grenades, and eventually the shrapnel’s gonna’ tag something.

[to be continued]

My First Gaming Convention - Day 3

Today was the third and final day of the Dragonflight XXXI convention. I had nothing scheduled to run today, and before Friday was not even sure I would bother attending. After all I wasn't sure I was going to even enjoy myself...which of course I did.

And Saturday night, I was even feeling a might angsty about the whole role-playing thing. I had called my buddy, Kris, that night to tell him some of the hinky feelings I was starting to get (on which I will elaborate in a future post)...not vibes given off by the con or the con-goers themselves, but negative feelings I was starting to have in reaction to some of the things I was seeing. Though it wasn't enough to deter me from going back after the fun I'd had. In fact, today I even showed up early (around 11:00).

All right, all right, I'll spare you the suspense: today was the best day yet.

Really. Perhaps not as many different subjects of blog posts came to mind, but that might be because I was too busy enjoying myself. After learning of the live auction that would be going on from nine to noon, I really wanted to get down there early, though I promised myself I would not buy anything. And I didn't, but oh man...they had this un-painted 1979 Ral Partha miniature set: an anatomically correct balrog with four nubile slave girls that I could've have for $10!...but I was light on cash today anyway and they weren't taking cards, so I was able to keep my vow. Oh...and the stack of 1st edition AD&D modules that were going as one lot got sold before I made it to the auction, which is the only serious temptation I saw.

Still, I love auctions (much to my wife's chagrin)...they bring out my competitive spirit something fierce...I want to win!...and it was fun to watch the collectors and the hoary old grognards and the dealers all compete with each other. Having a little knowledge of how Gary's buys and prices used games, I could see the vendors' minds working as they judged whether or not they could recover their money and net a profit...on eBay or on-line. Most of the stuff went for bargain basement prices. One lucky chap bought a bin of board games that got bid up to $70, I'm almost sure because of the 3rd edition Blood Bowl set that was included with it (I was tempted to bid myself). I snuck a peak in the box when he was perusing it and it turns out he got a score, as there were minis from not just the set but also several boxed teams (I saw undead and skaven) as well as multiple "big guy miniatures" (at least one ogre and a troll), all primed and un-painted. That's over $100 to a BB collector (like myself) right there...plus the other board games in the box.

Anyhoo, that was great fun but after realizing my resolve was strong enough to resist temptation (and thus I was just being gleefully masochistic hanging around) I decided to move down into the gaming depths.

Before I did, though, I found a whole ballroom of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K that I had completely missed prior. At the time, most appeared to be packing it up, but I spent several long minutes admiring the love and care the players had put into their armies for the convention. If I'd known about THAT, I may have been tempted to bring my own minis down...ah, well...

Today, I also brought the new digital camera and took a few (blurry) photos which I may post to the blog in the coming days. I loved the giant battlescapes and wargaming set-ups, the Circus Maximus chariot track someone had lovingly constructed, the huge ocean map that featured hundreds of miniature sailing ships in some sort of armada on armada action...

And then I got down to the nitty-gritty: gaming.

I went straight to the shadowy corner where the freakish role-players had been sequestered from the rest of the Con and went to the sign-in sheets to see what was being gamed and what was open for sign-ups. I was actually anticipating trying to get into a Savage Worlds games to see what all the freaking fuss was about. Yesterday it appeared that SW had sucked more than half the non-RPGA role-playing attendance into some huge-ass game, and while it hadn't looked very interesting to me, it might be worth learning about. I know next-to-nothing about Savage Worlds.

But there was no SW going on and nothing else really that interested my attention, save the "Story Lounge" running indie-games which had been on the agenda for every time slot of every day so far. This time I looked a little closer at the sign-up sheet and saw that Story Lounge was being presented by Emerald City Gamefest, those nice folks from Greenwood with whom I'd played PDQ on Saturday. I decided to give this a shot.

And promptly spent the next 20-30 minutes looking in vain for their table/room. Apparently, I thought, one must pass some sort of mandatory IQ test if you want to play indie games at the convention...those arrogant bastards!

Finally, I realized that the maps posted to the walls were not only NOT to scale, but were completely inaccurate. The Story Lounge was in one of the board rooms down a DIFFERENT shadowy hallway from the other RPG tables. Sequestered from the sequestered.

Well, at least I didn't have to go play in the parking garage like the LARP people.

Having finally found the board room that was the "Story Lounge" (a very nice, private room with a long wooden table and plush office chairs...a real lounge, completely unlike any of the other RPG tables), I was able to observe the end of some crazy-ass RPG about insane people fighting their own dementia and inner demons (or something). It was the type of weirdness one might expect.

After they finished, the two players went back to working the convention (they were Con volunteers) and I and two new people settled in to play Spirit of the Century...a game I HAVE heard a lot about, but have neither owned nor played. It's one of those games where availability of money and availability of product have yet to coincide for Yours Truly. Needless to say, I was stoked and the game was a blast...the best time yet.

I'll write up a full game report review later.

While the guy running the indie demos was not a member of the EC Gamefest, it does turn out that he lives in Greenwood as well AND lives about 2 blocks from me (!!) AND he's unemployed...which means he's available for gaming on Fridays. Sweet.

He gave me his email address...he seemed very normal.

Finally, one of the other players in the game, a nice young lady from a different indie-type gaming group told me that her group runs a game at the same Greenwood coffee shop as ECG every other Saturday...why the hell have I not met any of these people before?! However, the name of her group (she's from the Capitol Hill neighborhood) completely slips my memory at this time.

Still, that's plenty of contacts made for this weekend. And they all seemed like very nice, very happy people.

As for me...well, I went home after that. I do hope to see these folks again, if only to get my game on. It's funny that I seem to live smack-dab in the middle of some sort of Seattle Gaming Mecca...completely un-wittingly. These are not youngsters, nor are they aging grognards, but rather folks about my own age, give-or-take a decade. I suppose I've just had my head buried in the sand...or buried in the blog, perhaps.

Which reminds me...I did absolutely no self-promotion at the convention. Whether this was due to bashfulness or distraction...well, who knows. However, while I had my B/X Companion on display at the table when I was hoping to run a game (Friday and Saturday) I did no hawking of my goods while playing...hell, I didn't even mention I'd recently completed work on a game book. And, no, I did not mention I have been blogging for fifteen months and over 600 posts, either. What am I...some kind of narcissist?

; )

Mmmm...anyway, it's getting close to midnight and I'm well enough to go back to work tomorrow which means I need to be hitting the hay. I'll write more later this week...well, probably tomorrow. So stay tuned.