Demoed Demo this weekend (demo spoiler)

[eruditus]

So we tried out a new version of the demo adventure on Sunday for a great group of guys (including industry writer Ed Cha with a copy of his new book "Hamlet of Thumble" - check it out here - http://www.openworldpress.com/ and if anyone has read this book please post an EN World review).

Anyway, it got ugly FAST! I tried to "tank" my way in and met great strikes directly to my pot helm. With a severe wound to my noggin and down to Reflexes 1 (sheesh) I was down for the count.

A little tussling were making us dread the sinking sun and then a warg showed up to chew on the heroes a bit. Luckily our sorcerer poked his head up enough from the frozen river bed to fry the puppy in one explosive swoop (a nod to the White Fire Fan Club). However, the stress seemed to be too much for our intrepid caster as he promptly failed his Forte test and collapsed into the snow (though he muttered in his unconsciousness throughout the encounter).

The elf rockstar and the mace-weilding knight held their own while the knife fighters hid away but eventually a solid axe hit from the inky blackness dropped the elf (alive and conscious but unable to move - tramatic wound - eek). We all retreated and regrouped.

It was only our ability to set the place on fire and force the orcs into the waning sunlight that allowed us to charge up and dispatch them.
I am uncertain Luke expected his new ickiness to be quite so effective. ;)

I am really looking forward to the coming convention months!

[luke]

Think, don't charge. Think.

[Kublai]

Though Dunif's charge into the black unknown was an abysmal failure, it is nothing compared to one young player that I ran this demo for.

He was playing Gravas, the knight. I had given him a horse told him he was a valiant warrior and that he should not think twice about saving another knight in distress. And soo...

He charges forward. At the house. At a full gallop.

GM: "What do you want to do?"
Kid: "I charge the house!!"
GM: :shock: "Um, do you mean you charge up to the house and then dismount?"
Kid: "No, I want to charge through the door on my horse!"
GM: :( "Ok, but the top of the door barely reaches your horse's head. You might not fit through the door. Are you sure?"
Kid: "Yeah!"
GM: "You are about to reach the wall of the house with the door in it. You are clearly not going to be able to duck through the door while the horse crashes through. Are you sure you wanna keep going??"
Kid: "I break through the wall with my sword as I charge, then!"
GM: "Uh, ok! make a riding test!"
::dice rolled::
GM: "The horse rears up and stops short of the door! You go flying into the wall above the door and slide to the ground in a heap."
Kid: ::giggling:: "I get up and start hacking the door down..."

:roll: good grief.

In his defense, it was his first time playing an RPG. Heck, he had fun and I have a new anecdote. Everybody's a winner! :D