Monday MtG: Artisan Commander

To meet my goal of three posts per month, I've decided to resurrect an older feature of mine, Monday MtG.  As before, it will focus almost entirely on the Commander format and today is no exception.

It seems there is a format called Artisan Commander, where only cards that were printed at common or uncommon at some point may be used.  In theory, building these decks ties in with my desire to reduce spending on MtG, but we shall see.

Happily, much of the best removal and card draw show up in these rarities, so that shouldn't impact my deckbuilding too much.

The big change is that most of the combo-related wins and all of the alternate win cards are no longer options, leaving damage and mill as the main threats, perhaps the only threats.  Frankly, this is a wonderful thing for me, at least.

-----

Honestly, I suspect it's the limited commander choices that will stymie me.  Then again, Scryfall kicked back just under 400 Common and Uncommon legends.  Subtracting the Universes Beyond (I refuse to run such cards - if I want those IPs, I will play those games/watch those shows), I end up with 300ish options that are mostly one or two colors, with very few three-color outliers.  30 of these have Partner, and 20 allow for Backgrounds, opening up more options.

Still, that is too many options for me to absorb, so I will break it down by color and theme. 

Hearkening back to my Away Decks, I will go with two color pairs and a monocolor deck, to keep things interesting.

I think I want GW, BR, and U for my decks. I know that RW allows for several strong equipment-based commanders, as well as usable equipment and Boros Charm, but that seems too easy.  

-----

Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar is draw in the command zone, which is always welcome.  Yes, it is conditional, but that condition is easily met with cards that add +1/+1 counters, Giant Growth and Anthem variants, and equipment.  While I doubt I can go all-in on cat tribal, that won't stop me from trying.

I'm wondering how many hatebears I can find in these rarities.  Hopefully more than I can call to mind.

-----

Tor Wauki the Younger is a deck I have tried in the past, but it didn't gel.  With Firebrand Archer, Guttersnipe, Thermo-Alchemist, and Josh Lee Kwai's decklist as a start, this should be a playable spellslinger deck, quickly built out of what I have lying about.

That said, my favorite B and R (and BR) instants and sorceries tend towards rare, so maybe not.

-----

Callaphe, Beloved of the Sea effectively gives my critters Ward while encouraging me to go heavy on the devotion.  While I love the devotion mechanic, this deck will force the most research as my go-to heavy Blue devotion cards are all rares and mythics.  

To be honest, though, I am looking forward to it, if only because it gives me the best reason to run Thassa's Rebuff, as well as all the U enchantments that render opposing creatures harmless. 

-----

All that said, I don't know how these will fare against non-Artisan decks.  I guess only time will tell.

To the card boxes and binders!

Dwarves: Clan Steelbeard

Some time back, I wrote a post about the Source of Dungeons.  Among other things, it posited one or more clans of Dwarves that specialized in digging dungeons for wizards that lacked the ability to magic one up themselves.

Here is one such clan.

-----

History

Clan Steelbeard dug its first dungeon for a human wizard several centuries ago, in exchange for services rendered.  Enjoying the challenge of the construction, as well as the wizard slaying a dragon for them, the Dwarves' leaders began hiring themselves out to other wizards wanting dungeons dug.

Within a century, Clan Steelbeard became the go-to diggers, generating much of their wealth and fame through these projects.  As might be expected, they also developed a series of best practices, as well as standardized offerings for complexes.  Between dungeons, the Clan contracts out to dig small tomb complexes for nobles and temples.

While Dwarves never turn down gold, mithral, or mead as payment, they know that most people - even Wizards - do not have enough to pay them in full.  This being the case, the Dwarves accept (and perhaps prefer) services in exchange.  These services being completed either before or during or after the contract, depending on negotiations.

Early on, and maybe once a century since then, some Wizards have attempted to renege or otherwise cheat the Dwarves.  In those situations, the Clan has collapsed the entrance(s) of a dungeon until payment is made in full.  Clearing the blockage is an extra fee.  If the offending Wizard still doesn't pay up, the Dwarves send someone to collect.

Dwarven Demolition Team by Kev Brockschmidt

Being Dwarves, the Steelbeards keep records of all the dungeons and tombs they have designed in a hidden, secure, guarded vault.   After all, integrity is something that Dwarves in the business of working with Wizards need.   Attempts to steal or purchase this information has so far failed.

So far.  

-----

Contracts

Contracts are drawn up by teams of skilled negotiators and barristers, and address all aspects of dungeon building: planning, siting, digging, procuring supplies (such as dressed stone or iron-bound oaken doors), provisioning the diggers, protecting the diggers, stocking the dungeon (with either caught wild beasts or the semi-tame dungeon beasts that the Dwarves raise for this purpose, like mimics and carrion crawlers and a wide array of fungi, molds, and slimes), found mineral rights, etc.

For planning purposes, the Steelbeards start with a decade per level of a complex, adding time in yearly increments from there. As might be imagined, Clan Steelbeard never has more than three or four projects going at one time.  The wait list is long and rumors suggest that for the right price, construction might move up (or down) the priority list.

When it comes to any discovered veins of ores or gems, a new contract is drawn up to dig them out.  The same goes for any ruins or caverns discovered.  Standard Clan Steelbeard practice is to block those areas off and continue around them until a mining or exploring contract is drawn up.  

Understandably, the more the Dwarves do, the more it costs the wizard.  

Given the nature and length of time to complete these dungeon-building contracts, the Clan often negotiates payment - in full or at least partially - in services, such as monster slaying, retrieving a specific item from elsewhere, item creation, or collecting debts from wizards that reneged on their contract.

Truth be told, the Dwarves especially enjoy the latter service, as it provides an unsubtle hint to the negotiating wizard about what happens to those that renege.  Incidentally, the negotiating wizards don't mind collecting these debts for the Dwarves, as they often score some potent arcane treasure for themselves in the process.

Having built these dungeons for centuries, Steelbeard Dwarves have an excellent idea of what some wizards are capable of, and as such, suggest to them that using certain specific spells may reduce costs and time of construction.  Veteran Steelbeard negotiators keep a list of known helpful Wizard spells and will suggest them in the course of negotiations.

Note that the Steelbeards will subcontract certain parts of its negotiated tasks to other Dwarf Clans and adventuring companies once the contract start date is reached.

All things considered, negotiating a contract can take months, but once it is locked in, it is locked in. 

The contract complete, the Dwarves celebrate with ale and song, as Dwarves do.

Dwarven Song by Dan Frazier

-----

Call to Adventure

PCs might be engaged to clear a discovered cavern, protect Clan builders and property, run or guard supply caravans, acquire plans to a different dungeon or tomb, dig out a closed dungeon, capture monsters for use in a dungeon, relocate or create undead for a dungeon, spread rumors about a new dungeon, convincing Clan leaders to move a specific dungeon up or down on the priority list, acquire prizes to bait a dungeon with, to test parts of a dungeon, or to clear a dungeon entirely. 

All for the sake of Wizards wanting to farm magic items and monster parts.

While the Steelbeard Clan (or one of its negotiating teams) might be a solid patron to PCs, the paying Wizard or a rival Wizard might also hire PCs on for any number of tasks.  

Of course, a rival Wizard will be hiring to disrupt the construction, so planting monsters, sowing dissension among workers, reducing or poisoning supplies, or outright attacking the Dwarves might be on the table.  Crossing an entire Clan of Dwarves that have several allied Wizards as business partners may not be the smartest thing PCs do, but PCs aren't known for exercising high wisdom scores outside of spell bonuses for specific rulesets.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Happy New Year, everyone!

To commemorate it, I'm trying a new method of goal-setting, inspired by this post at The Dododecahedron. 

While I had no specific goals for 2024 beyond game more (a wash) and spend less (I spent more), I feel that for 2025 I need to set some more specific goals.  Therefore, I present these:

1. Write at least three blog posts per month.  Today counts, so only 35 to go!

2. Publish a free adventure - I have several in varying stages of completion, tied to published posts, but this year I want to share examples.

3. Game more.  While I'd love to get more than 8 sessions of RPGs in, I suspect that this will be another year with more Magic than RPGs - it is far easier to squeeze in pick-up games of Magic.  Regardless, more gaming means more substantial topics to write about, even if they are only session logs and play reports.

-----

All that said, it looks like I'll be taking classes this year, cutting back on available game time, but we shall see.

If nothing else, I can content myself with occasionally spending an hour or two at a local Game X Change store sifting through boxes of poorly sorted Magic cards in a never-ending quest to find treasures, or at least playables.   

I do this because I get a thrill when I pick up a dollar card for ten cents. Not that it matters, as I don't sell the cards and only rarely trade them away.  The endstate is that I hoard cards, but only the best cards, for a somewhat refined hoard.  

A cardboard hoard.

A cardhoard.

Dragons have hoards, and I have a hoard, so that makes me a dragon (but not like Eustace; as an aside, here is a great read about Eustace's un-dragoning).  

2025 is looking up already!

Rapacious Dragon by Johan Grenier - lovely art and somehow fitting.

Summer Games: Session Seven

Even though summer is over and we finally have some blessedly cool weather, I will be calling this the Summer Games until we no longer meet.  My hope is that it lasts until next summer, at least.

Earlier logs: one, two, three, four, five, six.

It has been several weeks since our last session because we're adults.  Still, we finally met and it was both productive and fun.

-----

Covered in gore, the party wanders the first level, seeking the exit to the surface they know exists.  Perhaps this gore will tempt them to bathe in whatever pools they may discover, regardless of possible consequences.

DM Note - After all, they once heard a rumor about how bathing in a pool changed someone, so odds are good one (or more) will bathe in or drink from discovered pools.  I'll need to have a water feature table ready, if only for inspiration.

Orcs slain, our heroes found themselves at a four-way intersection and opted for the left-hand corridor over the double doors in front of them or the right-hand corridor.  Still, they dithered enough as they scouted down the corridor that a wandering monster appeared.

The PCs heard a chittering sound heading towards them, and while some ducked into a side corridor, TruggleDave stood his ground and readied his bow.  The chittering and skittering grew louder as a long greenish multi-legged horror moved towards them, its many tentacles writhing and dripping, along the ceiling!  DM Note - It turns out that two of the PLAYERS are freaked out by spiders and were visibly moving away from me as I described it heading their way - I need to get with them to see if I need to not use spiders, as we meet rarely enough as it is.  

Dave got off one shot, hitting and rolling max damage, but it wasn't nearly enough to slay the carrion crawler!  It closed with him, hitting with multiple tentacles, paralyzing Dave (for 12 turns) in mid-shot, leaving him looking like an awkward ugly cupid! 

Initiative was tied, so the other PCs responded as best they could, with Varda casting her lone spell - a Magic Missile that dealt near-max damage, and Brother Frank finishing the beast off with a crushing blow from his mace.  Roro missed, Alistar missed, and Dack the Boar ran about helplessly as he couldn't reach it.

DM Note - I've been wanting to use one of Toren Atkinson's drawings for some time now, so I am thrilled that the random table brought me a hungry Carrion Crawler.

Paralyzed Dave was dragged into the side corridor, itself quickly opening into a room featuring yet more corridors and a fountain in the corner, featuring a mannish-lionish face spewing water into a shallow bowl.  

The PCs then spent some time trying to unparalyze Dave, first by pouring fountain water on him, and then trying to get him to drink said water (neither worked).  Enough time that wandering monsters were indicated, and the party heard what sounded like large doors opening.  Bracing for the worst, they were shocked when a giant face appeared in the opening asking if they wanted the dead Carrion Crawler because "that's good eating with orc sauce."  A goblin joined the ogre, bree-yarking at the party until it was realized that Roro spoke Goblin, then I dropped to English.

The Goblin wanted to verify that his friends (presumably the visible ogre and maybe another making noise in the corridor) named Smash and Grab could have the dead things for a meal.  Satisfied, they dragged the bodies away, and a door was heard to close.

Combat averted, Varda began examining the fountain itself and discovered that the eyes appeared to be buttons of some sort.  Pressing them both dropped a fancy jeweled key out of the fountain's mouth.

Art by Jim Holloway from Dungeon of Dread, pg 79.

As Varda examined, and then pocketed, the key, Roro tossed a coin into the fountain and made a wish for the party to return to the surface. To everyone's amazement, smoke started billowing out of the fountain mouth, quickly taking the shape of a balding, goateed, blue man on top and smoke on bottom.  

He introduced himself as Djinn Carrey (because L1's Djinn Belushi was a dated reference) and after negotiations, the wish was granted - and as the smoke cleared, the party rejoiced because it let them skip the taxman at the main entrance!  At this point, they noticed the shrieks of fright and calls for the guard - Djinn Carrey had teleported them into the center of Skara Brae's market, so our heroes scampered off to the Green Dragon Inn to split loot and bathe.

Djinn of Wishes, by Kev Walker

-----

MVP for the session was TruggleDave for his bold portrayal of a cupid statue for much of the session.  

As DM, I'll let the group know how much they earned and let them split it as they see fit.  Some of them might level up.

Next session will be in Skara Brae, so I need to revise the rumor table, if nothing else.  That said, Frankie Breakbone will likely send an emissary once word is out the PCs have returned.  If they're smart, they'll pay off their debt for some more carousing to continue the cycle!

Still Contributing

I despair of ever getting to play a seventh session in our summer game.  We've decided on a day (Wednesdays) but have yet to be able to play due to everything else in an adult's life.

Still, I want to write.

Therefore a small post today, inspired by How to Contribute, written by Papers and Pencils (a fine blog worth mining for ideas and downloads). While I am too new to have spent time on Google+, I am old enough to remember people discussing the high-quality discussions and games that went on.

So I try to contribute.  

That said, today I want to talk about others' contributions, specifically the podcast Between Two Cairns.  

I've been listening to it for several weeks now,and have so far successfully made my saves vs. buying the adventures they speak highly of, as well as the other publications they mention in passing (like A Rasp of Sand and The Valley of Flowers, among others).

It's not so much the reviews that pull me in, but the banter and question-answering at the start of each episode.  The hosts, Yochai Gal and Brad Kerr (and occasional guests), engage in wide-ranging conversations in the opening 30-45 minutes, often spurred by whatever question they're answering.  These discussions never fail to keep me entertained, and often have me researching whatever books, blogposts, or names are mentioned.

The reviews themselves are thorough, addressing not only content, but art, layout, and usability.

All that said, give Between Two Cairns a listen.   

Try not to buy anything.

Summer Games, Session Six

We got to play again!  We were told our laughter could be heard down the hall through two closed doors, something I consider a win.  Once classes start back up, we may need to tone it down a bit.

Earlier logs are here: one, two, three, four, five.

Summary: met a new NPC, went upstairs, met three more NPCs, then killed them.

-----

Chesire Cat

The party stood in front of a statue of a wizard, right arm extended and hand upright (waiting for a high-five, perhaps), and the left holding a large book, a book that is chained to the statue's waist.

Before the PCs (Varda, mostly, with an assist from Daffyd) could do much investigating, they heard a voice, followed by seeing a smile, then eyes, then the rest of the Chesire Cat appear and a conversation ensued.  The major question asked by the players being "is this the cartoon or live action Chesire Cat?"

Disney's cartoon, of course.

As the Chesire Cat disappeared, it implied it would be watching the party, as they were so very entertaining.

It gone, the PCs got back to the important business of examining the statue and looting it of hidden treasure.

Part of the examination involved high-fiving the statue, so as I held out my hand (roleplaying the statue, naturally) I planned to describe a mild electric shock.  Instead, real life intervened and when our hands touched, there was audible static shock, derailing all of us with laughter.

That done, the PCs determined how to open the cover of the book, which was basically a stone box.  Within it, they found a leather-wrapped candle in the shape of a wizard, with the wick poking out of its pointy hat.

 As they agonized over what to do with the candle, Dave's ring pulsed upon his finger, and he suddenly had the idea that he should light the candle (which he didn't do).  DM note - the ring is a Ring of Uffish Thought, and when the players are dithering, it pulses and the wearer has a DM-provided idea about what to do next; not necessarily THE answer, but a possible answer to their dilemma. There is no requirement they follow through on the idea.

Now possessing a Little Wax Wizard, Varda tucked it away in her pack rather than light it.  It's like the players don't quite trust me! 

Finished with the statue, the explorers moved to the staircase heading up.

But again, failed to search it.

Alas...

-----

Upstairs

At the top of the stairs, the party found themselves on a landing, with a stone wall to their left, a heavy curtain to their right, and another staircase headed down in front of them.  They sent Dack the Boar with Daffyd the head under the curtain as a reconnaissance team of sorts.  Hearing no combat, the rest of the team joined them in a large chamber, with a single large heavy curtain concealing the stairs landing, and a pair of large double doors to the north.

Varda's infravision revealed what appeared to be three moving heat sources on the far side of the door - she could see it through the crack between door bottom and floor.  With this information, the party hatched a plan.

One of many fine minis from Otherworld Miniatures - if I had the money, these are what I would use!

Opening the doors let the PCs, led by Varda, see three pig-head orcs (porcs?).  The orcs, on the other hand, only saw her and a few others (DM note - I didn't consider what the orcs would see with their infravision).  The reaction roll was middling, so the orcs were willing to talk, but since Varda is an elf (whose player doesn't know the lore involving Gruumsh, Corellon, and an eye), they weren't particularly kind.  Negotiations broke down when bribes/tolls were demanded, and the fight was on!

It was a terrible fight, with many rolls on both sides below 8.  Eventually, the PCs prevailed, with Dack the Boar charging the lead orc and knocking it prone and Dave charging a second, grabbing an arrow out of the door (from a botched ranged attack) all Legolas-style and stabbing the orc with it.  Roro finished the prone orc by driving the Cutlass Sierra through its face and head, then spent the rest of the fight throwing brain matter at people.  Varda and Alistar double-teamed an orc, and the last orc standing traded blows for several rounds until Dack put it down.

The orcs passed morale checks throughout, to their demise.

-----

Brains!

The brutal assault on the orcs finished, Roro found herself with a handful of orc-brain left, so she threw it at Brother Frank, rolling a natural 20, which resulted in Frank catching much of it in his mouth, mid-praising Avrae.  This in turn caused Brother Frank to start puking his guts up and our laughter to be heard waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the hall. 

After recovering, Brother Frank pointed at Roro and gave her an angry glare.  It's a good thing first- level clerics cannot cast spells in BX, or Roro might have caught one!

While the brains were being thrown about, the orc corpses were looted, using a repurposed random table.  Not much of value was found.

-----

Treasure recovered this session was minimal: the wizard candle, a scroll (actually a map, but they didn't open it), a large full wineskin, and three orc scimitars (Alistar kept one) - I won't be using that random table for loot again.  Maybe I can find that die-drop loot table I printed from Run from Kelvin's Brainsplurge! (Dyson reformatted it) before next session.

MVP for the session was Roro, for the natural 20 when throwing brains at Brother Frank.  We laughed LOTS at that.

Describing what Varda sees with Infravision makes things interesting.  It might be time for me to do research beyond my very fuzzy experience with thermal cameras from years ago.  Thermal cameras are fun - I ended up down a rabbit hole of watching videos of people farting, belching, and peeing through a thermal lens.  Humans generate lots of heat.

I also found this (italics and boldface mine) online, here.  That said, its original source is likely the AD&D DMG: 

"Creatures with infravisual capability of unusual nature, such as those which see infravisually to 90', are actually emitting infrared radiation from their eyes and seeing what is within this visual range by receiving the reflected radiation. Such creatures can easily distinguish floor, ceiling, wall, and other areas, as well as furnishings within an area. The eyes of all such creatures will appear as very brightly glowing red when observed by any other creature with standard infravision. Most monsters inhabiting underground areas will have this form of infravision."

Next time, I will be more deliberate in my use of infravision.

 

Summer Games, Session Five

I think this is the most consistent gaming I have experienced in years.  NOT having alcohol during the game actually makes it better, at least for me.  Who knew?

Earlier logs are here: one, two, three, four. 

Summary: no deaths, no treasure (beyond a mundane spear), stairs up discovered

-----

We picked up where we left off, in the crypts.  Dave slipped the ring onto his finger, finding that it slipped onto it easily, but then he felt it tighten around the base of his finger.  He has no idea what it yet does, but his gut tells him its magic.

After a brief debate, they checked the crypt across the hall and found it differed substantially from the first three.  Mounted upon the door was a metal plaque (made of orichalcum), with swirling letters that, when they finished swirling, read in a language each could understand (the literate ones and those tall enough to see it, at least):

It would be best

To let them rest

Heed this request

Or become Death's guest

(DM note - I promise my next rhyming riddle will be better.)

After comments about how the lich they suspect is an incarnation of Shel Silverstein, the group opted to skip the remaining three crypts and try the chamber at the end of the hall, so Dave and Daffyd investigated.  (Note that TruggleDave's player is convinced a lich-king is behind all of it).

Approaching the opening, Dave could feel a slight caustic bite in the air. At the entrance, the light from Daffyd's eyebeams revealed a short flight of stairs leading into a large chamber with a high ceiling, a set of stairs leading to dark openings in the other three walls, what looked to be a large pool in the center of the room, and a pair of large skeletal legs attached to large humanoid skeleton holding a large nasty-looking club.  

From HERE - looks like it's sold out...

Said large skeleton (with horns on its skull!) started approaching him as the light panned across it, so Dave retreated, guessing correctly that it was too large to fit through the entrance.

Sharing the news about what he saw, the party discussed several plans, ranging from Roro being sneaky, to throwing Daffyd's head as a distraction (Daffyd was not amused at this plan).  In the end, they decided to tie Daffyd's head to Dack the Boar-Thief's arse, facing backwards, and have the skeleton chase Dack in a circle, while the others raced to the nearest set of stairs.

The plan worked, but to their chagrin (and the DM's joy) the hazard die came up a 1, so the skeletons in the alcoves in the new hallway stepped down and advanced upon the PCs.

Lim-Dul's High Guard by Anson Maddocks

Seeing the mail-clad, spear-wielding skeletons, initiative was rolled and the teams tied.  Brother Frank announced his actions first, holding aloft the fuzzy dice of his deity and calling upon Avrae to turn the walking dead.  

It worked! Three of the four skeletons stepped back into their alcoves, while the fourth lunged at Dave, missing him.  Roro stepped through the legs of the front line and swung the cutlass Sierra, missing.  Varda also swung and connected, learning that skeletons only take half-damage from edged weapons in this world.  Brother Frank then stepped up and rolled a natural 20 with his mace, crushing its skull and ending the threat.

The party hesitated, knowing there were skeletons along the hall and a giant one behind them.  Dave picked up the fallen spear before everyone opted to leave well enough alone and move down the hallway into a rectangular chamber notable for having a pillar in each corner, and an open passageway in each wall.

Studying the pillars, the party saw that they were covered with carvings of people in combat and that - after the entire group failed saves - the carvings began moving faster and closer until suddenly, a plate-armored shade with glowing red eyes stepped out of each pillar!

(DM note: PCs may have evacuated bowels and voided bladders, but players made comments about Ringwraiths and minions of the Lich-King were made.  As a veteran DM, I am not one to let such comments go unheeded... - but just not this session.)

Ihsan's Shade by Christopher Rush

The sudden appearance terrified the party, resulting in all of them backing together in the center of the chamber.  Circumstances allowed for Daffyd's light to shine directly upon one, causing it to momentarily disappear!

Bolstered by the result of Daffyd's light making one shade briefly blink out of existence, Dave's player forgot the game's genre, suggesting that the armored shades were merely holograms, and tested his theory by trying to walk past them.  While they moved menacingly closer, they did not engage, so he was able to use Daffyd to make cursory examinations of the other openings, revealing other passages, to include one that appeared to end in a statue - so the group headed that direction, unmolested by the illusions of shades.

With Daffyd harnessed to his torso, Allistar took the lead and off they went to the statue, crossing another passage in the process.  Shining Daffyd's eyes to the north revealed a set of stairs heading up and to the south revealed more corridor.

Thus we ended, around a statue in a dead-end chamber.

-----

Brother Frank was voted MVP for his successful turning of most of the skeletons AND the natural 20 that crushed the skull of the one that didn't turn.

No treasure was discovered (beyond a mundane short-spear), but stairs up were, so escape is now theoretically possible within the next few sessions.

Overall, the group being effectively stuck on the second level means the potential for exploration XP is high - even if they find the shortest route back to the main entrance on level one (and the tax collectors at the top of it).  Presuming they make it back to Skara Brae, some might actually level up.  

Roro's player has been mapping the entire time and it is glorious! Several sheets of notebook paper with nothing to scale - I know the plan is to sell it to Ebeneezer Hardbottle, but until then, it is being used in game and is awesome.  I'm hoping they'll make use of it to determine potential hidden areas.

As an added bonus, if the mapper's PC falls, that map becomes an excellent treasure for the next explorer! Add a mapper to your games - you won't be sorry!

Dungeon Map by Aaron Miller

I definitely need to incorporate encumbrance with all the running and carrying heavy things they are up to - and warned the players as much.

At one point, the session became focused on my and Varda's character jointly reciting Jabberwocky, after a rambling story about White Rabbit and drugs (brought on by the pillar-shades appearance being compared to an acid trip), so I am thinking a vorpal blade that goes snicker-snack is kicking around in the dungeon.

Somewhere.

Probably some custom monsters too: the Manxome Foe, the Bandersnatch, the Jub-Jub Bird, and the Jabberwock itself.  Luckily, most of these, if not all, already exist in one form or another, so my homebrewing is limited to merely cherry-picking what I like best from the Google.

Note that the Chesire Cat is more NPC than actual monster and will also be making an appearance - multiples, probably, because recurring NPCs are fun.

As an aside, I'm excited for Andrew Kolb's take on Wonderland, so I can loot it of ideas.    His Oz and Neverland books are excellent, so I have high expectations. It should be available in November, just in time for Christmas!

Speaking of Jabberwocky, here is the Muppets version - which is awesome, and here is a telling (with music) by Omnia, which is also awesome.