For the last several weeks, I've been doing a survey at Woodfield Mall that takes place at 4:00 PM. It finished about 5:00 PM. I got home around 6:30 PM. Eat and it was 7:00 PM. At this point I've been awake since 4:00 AM so yeah, I wasn't going to run any games and to be honest, didn't even leave my house.
But I did have time to catch up on some stuff. I've been reading the whole series over to try and get a better feel for things. I've also been making some 'internal' notes if you will. Kingmaker has a lot of situations that assume the party is going to negotiate with the enemies they're fighting. For example, in the first book, the kobolds are one that the party can opt out of fighting. In the second book, lizard men and a hill giant fall into those categories.
I'm reading this like "Really? Unless the party is severely getting stomped, I can't imagine the party leaving either of these two encounters without wiping out the opposition. They are flesh eaters. They kill people and eat them. In the initial encounter with the lizard men, they're torturing a child. "Well, you know, they were just going to eat it and that's okay." Wha? I get it that 'neutral' is often used on monsters to indicate that hey, if you happen to be made out of meat, they're going to try and eat you, but at the same time, when you apply such alignments to thinking creatures who KNOW that the things they are eating are sentient, well, you've got a problem.
And the hill giant? Yeah, I can't see the party doing anything but pumping that guy for information before fighting him to the death or retreating. "No dude, it's perfectly okay that you attack wandering humans and elves because you're a hill giant and want to eat them. No, go along now."
While I've been doing that, I've also been trying to hunt down a copy of the map folio. I initially started buying the map folios when the Adventure Paths started but wasn't impressed with their actual use. Reading the reviews of this one though, seems like it's actually useful. So of course it's out of print and the Amazon sellers are crazy in the prices they're asking. Damn internet making people crazy with that stuff.
I've also been painting up some miniatures. While 5th edition doesn't require them and I've run several combats without them, I always enjoy using them. It also gave me an excuse to start hitting up some old and new miniatures and get some paint on them.
So outside of that, what's everyone else been up to? Any good deals you picked up for X-Mas? I ordered miniatures from Miniature Market and FRP Games. I've already painted a boxed set from Miniature market and still haven't got my order from FRP Games. Sigh. I was supposed to have that order sometime last month and well before X-Mas. Problem with ordering stuff on sale I suppose although I'd rather someone just go, "We have to hold this for four weeks or we can ship it now and you can cancel the backordered stuff or cancel the order." Several contacts by me later and it's finally shipped. It'll be here after X-mas.
Outside of that, things are moving at the same clip as they have in the past but I myself may have to rethink the whole role playing on Friday nights. I hate to say it, but waking up so early and trying to play with the guys on Friday, a day when I've worked, isn't really working out for me. And I hate saying that because I know a lot of the other people come from far away and also work. I guess my bum factor is kicking into high gear or something.
Oh well, happy holidays everyone! Enjoy your Christmas and have a great New Year if I don't post again till then!
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