NTRPG Con Day 3: Cthulhu Takes Over The World, And Thundarr Meets President Lincoln

 

Hi folks, and welcome to Sniderman's World Tour to the North Texas RPG Con, Day 3. I'm a hurting cowpoke today, as the days of screaming and shouting and running games and playing games are starting to catch up to me. So I'll stop by my room every so often to update today's post until I drop from exhaustion:  

* Hung out in the bar with some fellow bloggers last night, and it was like every bar-based BS bullpen, wherein the subject matter ecclectically changes every 5 minutes. We discussed Pathfinder Society, gothabilly music, and why Killer Klowns From Outer Space is mankind's crowning cinematic acheivement. Oh, and why everyone should have his or her own Blackrazor.

* Got back to the room at 1:30 a.m. and was up at 6 a.m. to run my traditional Saturday morning Thundarr game. When I woke, I felt like someone had spent the night beating me with a sack of washers. Every joint aches. Fortunately it's not a hangover ache. Sadly, it's "old guy" ache. (...sigh...) Plus my voice is nearly at an end, but I screwed up the fortitude for...

* My Saturday morning Thundarr game seemed to be yet another Animated action achievement. (And you can download the adventure I ran in the previous post from earlier this morning.) And some of the highlights in the lands of "Dee-See:"

---- Ookla the Mok threw a car at the ghostly form of the wizard, and the vehicle passes through him. There was some cringing that the pen of captured humans on the other side would be crushed. (He missed 'em.)

---- Shara the Barbarian, a new character, stood on the back of her charging horse, activated her Skull Mace, launched herself off her mount, and took out TWO Carrocs in one fell swoop!

---- To banish the evil wizard Thraxx, the team needed to get flames from the "Fire of Forever" -- imbued with the heroism and nobility of the Ancient warriors entombed there. The looks on their faces when they saw the sign read "ARLING" was priceless.

---- While on the hallowed grounds, Ookla wrestled one python-like Serfent into submission while Ariel pinned it with magic. During all of the excitement, no one saw Shara dragged into the swamps by the Serfent's twin. Thundarr lept into action, pulling the teen barbarian to safety.

---- With no time to waste, the village tinkerer "Wilbur" arrived with his "helioplane" to airlift the team back to the village of Smithson before Thraxx could return. Ookla missed a DEX check and tumbled off the plane, dangling from a rope around his ankle. Using telekinesis, Ariel LAUNCHES Ookla into an high arc, and he landed on the bat-riding minions who were coming to stop the team. One headbutt and a yank of the reins and Ookla and two surprised Carrocs took to the stratosphere.

---- An arial fight ensued with Thundarr throwing his Sun Sword at the enemy; Oosoo (another Mok) batting a large rock with his club, knocking another rider off his mount; and Ookla (again) finding himself in danger of falling. But when the pilot was knocked unconscious, Thundarr heroically took the wheel. (They ended up crashing into The Mall.)

---- The final fight was joined as Thraxx animated Lincoln's statue from the Memorial. As the team fought the marble juggernaut, Oosoo grabbed the giant around the ankle and, with a powerful shove, toppled the behemoth. Ookla grabbed a nearby stone slab and proceeded to pound the statue. Once Thundarr exposed Thraxx to the cleansing flames, the wizard was banished and Dee-See was safe again! Demon Dogs, it was epic!

* After Thundarr wrapped up, I had a chance to try out Sandy Peterson's "Cthulhu Wars" boardgame. It was kinda hard for me to grok the nuances, so I came in dead last. Sorry World, but you won't be bowing to The Black Goat. Cthuhlu himself now owns your souls. Great game and incredible production values! (But I do suck at strategy games, so my failure was inevitable...)

* After lunch and killing an hour eating Halls lozenges, I whipped by the infamous NTRPG Con raffle and auction. Many items of incredibly rarity were auctioned off, as well as trophies given to the con's Gladiator and Circus Maximus winners. Speaking of awards...

* This year's Three Castles Award was presented to Richard LeBlanc of New Big Dragon games for the module "Valley of the Five Fires" Richard and I had earlier spent some time discussing gaming and the glory of the d30. I was very pleased to see him and his company win the award. Congrats!

* There was also talk of a special "midnight auction" tonight for items and collectibles of a lesser monitary value. It was tempting to power through the night to attend, but with my flight in the wee hours of the morning and me already feeling like Orc-crap, I'll have to miss out.  

* By this time, my voice was at a hoarse whisper as three days of non-stop shouting, talking, and blathering (not to mention a lack of sleep and general body malaise) had taken its toll. The last event I had scheduled was a game of Mike Curtis' Shiverwhen -- a game I've been looking forward to playing for 2 years since Mike and I discussed the concept and setting at Gary Con IV. I tracked Mike down and gave him my disappointed regardsas I relinquished my seat. Next year...next year...

The time is now 11:35 pm, and I fly out at 8 tomorrow morning. I haven't packed yet, and a good night's sleep is necessary before I start my travelsback to Ohio, so this post will wrap up my trip. I want to thank the hosts and organizers for a fine, fun old-school time. I'm glad I finally got to get to NTRPG Con and it was great seeing my con gaming pals yet again. So, signing off from Texas, this is Sniderman saying, "So long, and thanks for all the dice!"

And, here are my last few photographic offerings from the event: