A Savage AfterWorld Retrospective: Looking Back On 2016

And another year in The Savage AfterWorld comes to a close...

Every year since starting this blog, I like to close out the year by looking back at what gaming accomplishments and contributions I've made. I encourage you to do the same, as there's nothing like a bit of year-end introspection to make you appreciate what you've done and where you've been, as well as to energize you for the next year's gaming goodness. So let's take a look back and see what The Savage AfterWorld brought to the gaming community in 2016, shall we?

** Last  year with I lamented that my posts here at TSAW was a bit light -- only 117 posts for the year. This year beat that record with a paltry 47 posts. What is the cause of my fall-off of regluar posts? I guess I could chalk it up to the typical personal real-life distractions or perhaps that my Google Plus activity supplanted it. Or perhaps I just got lazy. I'll make a concerted effort to get more material placed here for your perusal in the coming year.

** In spite of the lack of posts, The Savage AfterWorld reached Post 1000 in 2016! So even though this year was a bit "shallow", there were enough posts made this year for this little piece of the blogosphere to reach a momentous milestone! Thanks to all of you who have stuck around over the years to see this blog hit that number of posts!

** The long-awaited Apes Victorious RPG was released by Goblinoid Games. I contributed a few things for this fantastic game of "astronauts stranded on a world of intelligent apes", and I'm very pleased to see how well-received this new game has been! I have a few ideas for adventures that I'd like to put together, so perhaps we'll see something in 2017.

** I've been trying to get some reviews up on the blog. I really do enjoy pointing out and discussing some games -- both new and classic -- that I've come to enjoy. Some of the stuff I've reviewed over the past year include Evenings of Terror for Chill 1e (with Elvira!); Quill: The Letter-Writing RPG;  Wayward: Adventure Board Game; The Fungus Forest; and The Advanced Mutant Companion for Mutant Future. I've got some new reviews already on the docket for 2017 including The Cthulhu Hack, Four Against Darkness, Riders: A Game About Cheating Doomsday; and Salvation Road and Last Friday board games. Look for these -- and others -- in the coming year!

** I offered up several new Cryptworld THINGs for use in your home horror games, including the Mirror Dweller, the Murdermatronic, and the Diabolic Structure. Some of these new creatures found their way into The Sketchbook of Grotesqueries -- a free-to-download compendium of new Cryptworld monsters! I used to offer this on an irregular basis, but now it's always available! Go grab it if you haven't yet!

** I entered the 200 Word RPG Challenge. My entry for Rule 1-2-3 was selected as a semi-finalist by one of the judges! I didn't make the cut to the final round, but it was a fun experiment and rewarding that my entry was chosen. Think YOU can write an RPG in 200 words? Try your hand at it next year!

** I'm still getting out to as many gaming events as I can attend over the year, and 2016 saw me get to two conventions. In June, I was able to return to North Texas RPG Con where the classic gaming folks meet to game and drink and game! This year, I decided to run only gonzo funny games, so I ran Ghostbusters and TOON for two crowded tables. Then, in October, the pendulum swung to the horrific end of the spectrum as I drove out to North Carolina for AVL Scarefest -- a convention that focuses on horror-related gaming! I introduced those folks to Cryptworld, which was VERY well received. Enjoyed it so much, I have plans to return in 2017!

** I've had some success with my Classic RPG Map cloth pattern I've had for sale on Spoonflower for a while. (Folks typically use this for dice bags and such.) Late this year, I decided to use this pattern (of my own design) to create a coffee mug for myself through Zazzle. Turned out so nice, I offered it up for sale on a new storefront. Then I created a tie using that pattern. And a T-shirt. And a notebook binder for gaming materials. And some wrapping paper for those OSR RPG gaming gifts you're givin'. And color me stunned, but these all seem to be a big hit! So thanks to everyone who's picked up one of these items!

So that's a wrap for 2016. As we head into 2017, I wish all of you the best in the coming year! See you at the gaming tables!

A Savage AfterWorld Retrospective: Looking Back On 2015

Excuse me while I conduct a bit of year-end navel-gazing...

As the year 2015 winds down, it looks like The Savage AfterWorld will close out the year not with a bang, but with a whimper. It looks like I'll end this year with 117 posts -- the fewest number of posts in one year since I began this blog back in 2009. It appears most of my gaming discussion is on G+, and this little corner of the Interwebs has been sadly ignored, upon first blush.

However, in actuality I see that this blog's content and my contributions to the OSR community over the past year is surprisingly robust.

** My biggest achievement for the year would be the release of Monsters Macabre -- Cryptworld's first official supplement. I created and wrote a considerable amount of material for it, and acted as the project developer and editor. Monsters Macabre has been very well-received and it's the first of more new Cryptworld supplements to come. Speaking of which...

** I also created a released Creepy Comic Conversion Issue 1. Folks really liked this Cryptworld-supplement mini-zine, and there are two more currently wrapping up for release soon!

** Meanwhile, continuing with the Cryptworld support, October became The Month of THINGS! Monsters Macabre was released to the public, I ran Cryptworld at conventions I attended, and new Cryptworld creatures were posted each week culminating with The Sketchbook of Grotesqueries (only available on All Hallow's Eve).

** My Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook for Mutant Future was upgraded one final time as I compiled my various convention-run scenarios and inserted them into the text. Everything I've created for Thundarr games is now found between those two covers.

** Over the year, this blog featured a ton of stuff for your home games including new material for Mutant Future (Arachnobull and Great White Stallion), Labyrinth Lord (Boon/Bane Coin, Blood Imps, Seacrush, and The Temple of Divine Sight) and Cryptworld (About 13 new THINGS, as well as the new monster-hunting society known as Hansels and Gretels). And I continued to create new Mutant Future material for Korgoth of Barbaria, which may one day find its way into a special supplement, much like my Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook!

** I enjoy pointing people to new (and older classic) products I think they may enjoy, so I've posted reviews of some of my favorite games both modern and classic, including Mayfair's Encounters, Toypocalypse RPG, and the Gamemaster's Apprentice Base Deck. More reviews are on the docket in the coming year of toys and games both popular and obscure!

** I introduced a new series known as "Gamehacks" where I create a new prop, card, or rule for my favorite games. I made some new cards for Monty Python Flux and some new zombie figs for Escape: Zombie City. I'm currently working on new Gamehacks for Hot Rod Creeps and Ghostbusters: The Board Game.

** The entire month of August was taken up with the RPG-A-Day challenge. I'm not normally a fan of these, but it was fun to rise to the challenge and give my own RPG habits and preferences some introspective.

** I'm still happily providing editing and proofreading services for any RPG author who like a bit of help getting the punctuation cleaned up and their words in the right order. At last count, I have 35 projects under my belt and I'm always available to assist with Your Great Work. Drop me a line if interested!

** Convention attendance was expanded, as I attended Gamicon Omega in Iowa, Origins in Columbus, Con on the Cob in Hudson, and U-Con in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I ran more than a dozen games and played in even more at these events. Next year, I have plans to attend just as many conventions, plus add a couple of new ones to my itinerary.

So, in spite of light offerings at The Savage AfterWorld in 2015, I'm pretty pleased with what I accomplished and what I've provided to the community. My hope is to give The Savage AfterWorld a bit more attention in the coming year, and I hope you'll stick around!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 31: Favorite Non-RPG Thing To Come From Gaming...You Folks

31. FAVORITE NON-RPG THING TO COME OUT OF GAMING...

Playing RPGs in junior high and high school introduced me to several strangers who became my closest friends. Even now, decades later, we still stay in touch and hang out. When I got back into gaming and began this blog, I again met many strangers who became good friends. When I attend game conventions and run sessions of Thundarr, Mutant Future, Cryptworld, or whatever, I have several players who have become "regulars" who seek out my games to play and hang out with me for a few hours. Again, these folks have become friends as well. I would say that, through RPGing, I have made many, many friends over the years -- folks I never would have met or gotten to know without the "social glue" of sitting down at a table and tossing dice. So what's my "favorite non-RPG thing to come out of gaming"? It would be you folks.

OK, enough shmaltz. Let's go kill some orcs.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 30: Favorite Gaming Celebrity..."Wil"

30. FAVORITE GAMING CELEBRITY...

I found it amusing that this was even a category, until I began to realize just how many celebrities are now flying their "geek flag" high. Steven Colbert is a well-known Tolkien fiend and he has made it known that he loves tabletop gaming. Robin Williams was also a well-known gamer and collector (and he even named his daughter "Zelda" after the classic series). And, of course, Vin Diesel's penchant for D&D is well-documented. But I suppose my favorite gaming celebrity would be the one who brought his love of gaming into the mainstream...Wil Wheaton.

Yup, Wil has turned his love of gaming into a cottage industry. His web series Tabletop is wrapping up Season 3 with a Season 4 just announced. His new series Titansgrave spawned a new RPG and setting that he co-created and co-wrote. Wil's presence at gaming and pop culture conventions across the country is virtually assured, as he can be seen shopping, gaming, and generally geeking out just like everyone else gathered.

Wil's also my favorite gaming celebrity for one other important reason... He and I geeked out over Thundarr the Barbarian back at Gen Con 2012. Anyone with a working knowledge of Thundarr trivia is aces in my book!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 29: Favorite RPG Website/Blog...Google+

29. FAVORITE RPG WEBSITE/BLOG...

Hmmm...this one is tough because my website/blog feed is huge. My "Other Blogs You Gotta Check Out" over there in the right-hand column has 130 entries at last count, and this doesn't even include the various RPG forums I frequent. Honestly, I love each site I visit, and it's hard to single out any one of them as my favorite. However, there is one site I visit several times a day that has become my de facto "favorite" as far as RPG news and conversations....Google+

Google+ appears to have become a global gathering place for gamers and RPGers worldwide. Whenever I visit, I can always count on finding an interesting conversation taking place about a gaming issue I'm interested in. Breaking news of interest is always popping up in my feed. Reviews of old games and announcements of new ones are usually popping up, and -- of course -- every blogger I follow also has a G+ presence, including yours truly. G+ has become my Daily Worldwide Gaming Resource, and I'll bet it's the same for most of you too.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 28: Favorite Game I No Longer Play...Tales From The Floating Vagabond

28. FAVORITE GAME I NO LONGER PLAY...

The game I no longer play is also one I only played once -- and that I would dearly love to play again. The game is Avalon Hill's Tales From The Floating Vagabond.

I bought the game from my FLGS back in the 90s when I first saw it on the shelf. I was already a big fan of Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon series, so a comedy RPG that takes place in a wild, weird sci-fi bar setting was one I immediately latched onto. The trouble was that my home game group had zero interest in the game or the setting. Plus it was an Avalon Hill RPG, and a previous bad experience with Lords of Creation soured them on anything from AH that wasn't a wargame. So the game sat on my gameshelf, unplayed.

A year later, I attended Origins Game Fair down in Columbus and I stumbled into a game of Tales From the Floating Vagabond being run. I recall playing a singing cowboy ("Tex Warbler") with The Roy Rogers Shtick -- I could make amazing trick shots, but I could never actually shoot another person. We also had a smooth-talking cyborg janitor, a fast-talking mop salesman, and "Buck Naked" -- a time-travelling nudist. The Bartender (i.e., "GM") ran us through a fast and furious madcap romp that had us breaking into Area 51 to steal a technological artifact to stop the horrific "Genghis Prawn" -- a world-conquering shrimp (yes, the despot of the game was the actual size of an actual shrimp). It was "Monty Python: The RPG". It was funny and weird and crazy and madcap. I had a great time. And...that was it. Although my home group enjoyed my recap of the game I played, they never became interested in the game.

Yes, I'm aware of the upcoming second edition of "Tales..." and -- one day -- I hope I get to play it again!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 27: Two Games Into One...Gonzo Western

27. FAVORITE IDEA FOR MERGING TWO GAMES INTO ONE...

Interesting question. I do enjoy games that combine two genres into a brand new category of game. For example:

Horror + Western = Deadlands
Victorian + Sci Fi = Space 1899
Sci Fi + Fantasy = Spelljammer

All good stuff. 

But one of my favorite genres (if it can be described as such) would be Gonzo. "Gonzo" is defined as "crazy, madcap, anarchistic". In other words, games that have a more comedic bent to them. I've even written at length about my love affair with gonzo games. I love games that have a gonzo attitude about them. Paranoia is my "gonzo sci fi" game of choice. Stuper Powers! is my "gonzo supers" game of choice. Ghostbusters would be my "gonzo horror" game of choice. There seems to be a "gonzo" version of pretty much every genre of RPG, except one -- The Gonzo Western.

There are a ton of "gonzo westerns" to illustrate my intent. Just off the top of my head, there's Support Your Local Sheriff/Gunfighter, The Three Amigos, Evil Roy Slade, The Villain, A Million Ways to Die in the West, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Maverick, and They Call Me Trinity/They Still Call Me Trinity.

And, of course, Blazing Saddles.

So the two game genres I'd love to see combined would be the gritty old west action of Boot Hill with the zany antics of Blazing Saddles. I even have a title for it:

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 26: Favorite Inspiration For Your Game...

26. FAVORITE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR GAME...

I play so many different games in so many different genres, that's it's impossible for me to narrow down my "gaming muse" to just one. So here is a pictorial list of what media inspires me when I'm playing or writing up an adventure:

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic...Pacesetter Action Table

25. FAVORITE REVOLUTIONARY GAME MECHANIC...

There have been a lot of revolutionary game mechanics introduced to RPGs over the years: dice pools, player-directed narrative, THAC0, etc. But my favorite revolutionary game mechanic would have to be this little table:

When I first began playing Pacesetter's Timemaster and Chill back in the 1980s, I thought the Action Table was amazing. Rather than thumbing through a rulebook for every situation, everything you could do in the game could be determined by using one all-encompassing table. Skill checks, hand-to-hand melee, ranged combat, fear checks, ability checks, everything was determined using the Action Table. And since all Pacesetter games used the same Action Table, every game they produced was inter-compatible. So you could have space rebels from Star Ace time-travelling with Time Corps agents from Timemaster to fight The Unknown from Chill. (It was GURPS before GURPS.) I'm also fairly certain other table-based RPGs (TSR's Marvel Superheroes, for example) were inspired by the original Pacesetter Action Table system as well. And with new Pacesetter RPGs like Rotworld, Majus, and Cryptworld, the Action Table continues to run many of my games to this day.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 24: Favorite House Rules...The Bogie Table And Order Of The D30

24. FAVORITE HOUSE RULE...

I have two house rules that I've loved to use at the table over the years -- one from my younger days and one that is currently in play.

The Past: The Bogie List -- Back in my AD&D days, my friends and I were total munchkins, always looking for ways to max out our characters and give them every advantage. We were also horribly unimaginative, as all of characters had zero quirks, traits, backgrounds, or personalities. One of our gaming group had Fantasy Wargaming and within was a "quirks table" -- a list of various personality traits, minor mental and physical abilities, etc. Taking that as a basis, he wrote up his own d100 table which was dubbed "The Bogie Table." Upon rolling up a character, you were allowed an optional 1d4 rolls on The Bogie Table. There were benefits (Freakishly Strong -- Add 1d4 to STR); there were penalties (Clumsy -- Permanent -2 to all To Hit rolls); and there were role-playing prompts (Wanted to be a gardener instead of an adventurer; talks about plants and lawncare all the time). The Bogie Table was a fun way to prompt us into more role-playing and less die rolling. We also, surprisingly, looked forward to detrimental quirks as it gave us something fun to act out.

The Present: The Order of the D30 -- Nowadays, with any d20-based game I play, I always have a d30 on hand as well. Spearheaded by Richard LeBlanc, The Order of the D30 encourages use of the oft-overlooked die. The d30 houserule The Order introduced to me is as follows: "Once per game session, a player may choose to roll the d30 in lieu of any other dice roll. This cannot be used during character creation, however, nor for hit point rolls." I use this at convention games all of the time, as everyone loves the chance to roll 1d30 for dagger damage. Or perhaps using it for their To Hit Roll, knowing I multiple any damage done for every number over 20 they roll. (I once had someone roll a 28 to hit, so I let them roll 8X damage. That 10 hp sword hit became an 80 hp critical OMG hit. Many epic games have hinged on the devastating roll of the d30!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 23: Perfect Game For Me...

23. PERFECT GAME FOR ME...

Today's question is simple. What's the perfect game for me? Well, my gaming time is so limited, that the "perfect game" is any game I happen to be playing. 

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 22: Perfect Gaming Environment...NTRPG Con's Boardroom

22. PERFECT GAMING ENVIRONMENT...

I initially thought this question was a no-brainer. Of course the answer is "a rec-room and/or finished basement". I believe most of us played our first RPGs in what passes for the modern-day equivalent to a home's "dungeon." My first games were played in Roger's basement around an old dining room table. It was dank, dark, and dusty, and we LOVED it down there. When you think of the classic "gaming environment," this is probably what comes to mind.

However, the question asked for the perfect gaming environment, and so -- upon reflection -- I came up with a better answer. When I attended North Texas RPG Con in June 2014, my games of Timemaster and Cryptworld were scheduled for one of the boardrooms. I didn't have to share this room with five other games going on. It was all ours. And it had EVERY amenity you could want in a gaming room:

• A large rounded table with plenty of room for eight players and a GM
• Big comfy leather swivel chairs
• A monstrous erasable whiteboard on the wall for mapping and sketches visible by everyone
• Wait staff stopping by every hour to bring us sodas, snacks, and food
• Privacy, so there was no need to shout over other games in progress
• Best of all, OUR OWN PRIVATE BATHROOM

The games I ran in that room were two of the most comfortable games I've run, well, anywhere! So, in the spirit of the question, I must say that the boardroom at North Texas RPG Con was indeed the "perfect" gaming environment!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 21: Favorite RPG Setting...Post-Apocalypse USA

21. FAVORITE RPG SETTING...

Truth be told, I've never had a favorite RPG setting -- at least from a "commercial" standpoint. None of the classic gaming worlds and settings ever appealed to me. Didn't care for Dragonlance. Didn't like Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. Thought the world of Ravenloft was kinda neat, but I wouldn't call it a favorite. There have been other RPG settings that I enjoyed, such as Paranoia's Alpha Complex, Planescape's Sigil, Dark Sun's Athas, DCC's Shudder Mountains, and Middle Earth (of course).

So, to stretch the definition of "favorite RPG setting," I'm going to name a genre setting instead -- post-apocalyptic Earth, specifically the ruins of the U.S. years after The Big Whoops. Ever since seeing the rusted remains of the Statue of Liberty in that final iconic scene in The Planet of The Apes, I've been enthralled by seeing the ruins of famous landmarks and cities. Heck, Thundarr the Barbarian traveled to a different region each week, and I always thought it was cool recognizing the remnants of Las Vegas, Washington DC, San Francisco, etc. When I run a game of Mutant Future, I always center it in the ruins of major metropolitan area, just for the reaction of the players as they suddenly realize WHERE the game takes place.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 20: Favorite Horror RPG...Pacesetter Chill / Cryptworld

20. FAVORITE HORROR RPG...

Pacesetter Chill (First Edition) / Cryptworld

Timemaster was my first Pacesetter RPG. Once my group got the hang of the Action Table, we fell in love with the simplicity of the system. Wanting to cut our teeth on some horror gaming, it was only natural that we picked up and began playing Chill.

Chill's theme struck an immediate chord with my group. Rather than fighting creatures we were never going to defeat (Call of Cthulhu) or becoming the monsters ourselves (Nightlife), Chill put the players in the roles of monster hunters who might actually be able to WIN versus The Unknown. Chill's THINGS were also familiar horror tropes -- vampires, werewolves, mummies -- rather than undefinable Lovecraftian horrors, which was great for my non-Lovecraft-reading friends. For years, our brave team of secret SAVE members fought back the evil encroaching upon the living world.

When Chill 2e by Mayfair came along, I never really got into it. I think primarily it's because the Action Table was abandoned (sacrilege!), but also that the feel and theme of the game moved away from the "movie monster horror" genre I so dearly loved. So I stuck with classic Chill 1e, collecting all of Pacesetter's products and modules, and running games at conventions over the years to keep the classic horror flame alive.

Nowadays, those players who love the Chill RPG -- either 1e or 2e -- have even MORE horrific gaming choices. There's a new third edition of Chill that picked up where the Mayfair edition left off. And, of course, Pacesetter Action Table horror gaming has been revitalized by Goblinoid Games with the release of Cryptworld -- a game I'm proud to have had a hand in.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 19 Favorite Supers RPG....Villains & Vigilantes

19. FAVORITE SUPERS RPG...

Villains & Vigilantes

As I explained on Day 15, Villains & Vigilantes was the second RPG I ever played, and it became a very well-played and well-loved game for my group. Everything just "clicked" with us: the straight-out-the-Silver-Age comic book artwork and a system that encouraged "play as yourself" PCs. V&V also had amazing support, as there were a TON of modules released for the game. (I should know -- we played them all.) And while my other players wrote new monsters and adventures for D&D, I was busy designing supervillian bases to infiltrate and new evil overlords to overthrow. And after nearly 30 years, I still have my original V&V rulebook from my teens -- now signed by Jeff Dee.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 18: Favorite Sci Fi RPG....Timemaster

18. FAVORITE SCI FI RPG...

Timemaster

I love the pulp space opera-ness of WEG's Star Wars, and classic Traveller has some sci-fi crunchiness to it I enjoy, but time travel RPGs scratch a certain "itch" of mine, and none does it better than Pacesetter's Timemaster. The concept of travelling through history and policing the timeline is one that sets my imagination afire. Been a fan of the game since the 1980's, so I'm thrilled that it's traveled through time itself, to be returned to duty by Goblinoid Games.

In fact, I've run a few games at conventions over the years and have written up a couple of adventures for Timemaster. Here you go:

The Day The Sky Fell -- It's 1979 and Topeka, Kansas, has been burned off the face of the Earth. Surviving victims claim they saw the Sun itself cut a path of destruction through the city, killing tens of thousands. Tensions between the U.S. and USSR have never been higher, and World War III is imminent unless Time Corps agents can determine what happened and stop it before it ever occurred!

Postage Due -- An undelivered letter in mid-1800 America has thrown the timeline into chaos. What does this single piece of correspondence contain that makes it so critical to future events? Time Corps agents will be dispatched to the point of incursion to ensure the mail goes through!

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 17: Favorite Fantasy RPG...Adv. Dungeons & Dragons

17. FAVORITE FANTASY RPG...

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
My first RPG. My longest single game. Decades of memories, adventures,and fun.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 16: Longest Game Session Played...96 Hours Of AD&D

16. LONGEST GAME SESSION PLAYED...

During summer break of my junior year of high school, my D&D group met every weekend to play. Sometimes Friday night, sometimes Saturday, sometimes overnight...1983 was a banner year for dungeon delving. At one point in the campaign, we reached the "endgame" -- our final confrontation with the evil anti-paladin who had been the bane of our games all summer. (Who was based on Frazetta's Death Dealer, per 1980's RRPG gaming cliches.) Since it was getting late, we ended the night's gaming at that point, and made plans to get together on a Thursday afternoon to start The Grand Finale. On Thursday, we gathered at Roger's house, around the game table in the basement. We had brought many 2 liter bottles of cheap store-brand cola, a dozen bags of chips, and 40 cheeseburgers from Burger King. We had all made arrangements with our respective parents that we wouldn't be home until the Bad Guy was dead. Oddly enough, all of our parents were fine with this.

And the dice began to fly.

We stormed his castle defenses. We slaughtered his undead army. We defended the village at the foot of the mountain. Sometime Friday afternoon -- after 24 hours -- we all crashed for about 4 hours and slept. When we got up, we took our places at the table and began where we left off.

We fought his second-in-command -- a lich necromancer. We traversed the Negative Material Plane to retrieve a magical artifact to defeat him. His ghoul legions fell at our feet. We blew up his tower fortress. We ate cheeseburgers, and we crashed again for a few hours.

We woke Sunday at 5 am, and we drank soda and rolled dice and yelled and gamed and shouted and IT WAS EPIC. It was Gaming Nirvana. It was fighting the good fight. It was hanging out with good friends. It was the end of an awesome story.

By Monday morning, we were half-crazed with sleep deprivation and malnutrition. But we put an end to the anti-paladin once and for all, as he dissolved into a sticky puddle upon the final blow. (Though there was an eerie laughter floating on the breeze, hinting that we'd only banished him until a future showdown.) I think I slept for 3 days afterward, but that gaming session will never be surpassed for sheer concentrated awesomeness.