Some of my co-workers asked if I would run some games this summer, and who am I to pass up an opportunity to have my fragile ego stoked?!
So this summer, I am running another series of one(ish)-shots for some coworkers and their families. The ruleset we are using is ye olde Moldvay Basic, because I own 4 copies of the book (yet only 1 copy of Cook Expert). Table Rules come from this lovely download from Technical Grimoire - a great site.
We played our first session of Hole in the Oak Thursday night, and it was every bit as fun as the various reviews promised. There will be spoilers in these session logs for those who have somehow missed this adventure since it was first released in 2019. You have been warned!
Our PCs - a circle of friends and acquaintances from the outlying areas of Skara Brae:
Gil, Fighter, deceased
Calicar, Magic-User, deceased
Ro-Ro (and Leonardo, her inner monologue), Halfling, deceased
Armina Ironfist, Dwarf
Lyrial, Elf
MacDuff, Fighter
Victor, Fighter (Gil's replacement)
Wo-Wo, Halfling (Ro-Ro's replacement)
Galicar, Magic-User (Calicar's replacement)
Shorny - charmed sheep-headed faun minion of Lyrial
My players have a mix of 5e, 3.x, and no experience, with the exception of Ro-Ro's player, who played a similar halfling with a similar name a few summers back - she said she has a type and I am not to judge her.
I am disappointed in myself as DM because I failed to make any Shakespeare references about MacDuff. Next session, though, I am prepared!
The only houserule we used this session was the Big d30 - where each player (NOT PC) gets to substitute a d30 for another die - in tonight's case it was entirely for damage. More on this later.
Next week, I plan on introducing Trollsmythe's Shields Shall Be Splintered rule. Note that link travels into the distant past, all the way to 2008. I feel old.
This explains my dotage.
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The session kicked off with the PCs gathered around the titular oak, staring at the hole. After trading rumors, they tied a rope to Ro-Ro and bravely let her poke her head and lantern into the hole to see what is what. Declaring it safe, our intrepid explorers descended - each rolling to see if they fell, but all kept their grip on the notoriously loosely seated tree roots. Once on the bottom, they observed a mix of boot and hoof prints in the sand. They also saw that someone had carved NOLLY'S KINGDOM one a particularly thick root. After some brief discussion about who Nolly might be, they moved forward.
DM Note: the rumors they started with drove much of the role-playing the rest of the game - if you don't incorporate rumors in your games, you totally should! The rumors they heard involved a slave-keeping mutant ogre, delectable night-tomatoes, a water dragon, and something that I forget. Sorry. Note to self - take better notes (I had a pencil and should have just checked the rumors each PC heard).
Reaching an intersection, the band made use of Lyrial's and Armina's infravision and headed towards the warmth (in contrast to the sound of water or wind), finding slowly writhing roots blocking their path, but also able to see that after a bit, the path opens up and continued.
After some debate, the group attached a lantern to a 10' pole using rope and an iron spike, thrusting it into the roots. The roots replied by yanking the pole from the hands of Arminia, pulling it into the soft earthen walls the roots spring from. The PCs decided a better plan involved oil and fire, which forced the roots to withdraw into the walls. DM Note: I guess none of my players have ever cleared brush - a sharp blade (like all the swords the PCs carry) would have forced the roots to retreat quickly. Xin loi.
Once past these roots, our bold explorers found themselves in a chamber with the walls made up of mossy faces - faces that spoke in unison (and now in stereo!). The faces spoke the following rhyme:
Give us gold and truth be told/Give us threats, there'll be regrets!
As the faces spoke, roots pushed out from the earthen walls, looking all the world like gnarly hands cupped together - presumably for gold.
After some experimentation, the PCs determined that 5gp buys one piece of information. 26gp later, the PCs learned the following:
A silver sword lies hidden in a pillar of stone.
Do not meddle with the hunter. His presence still haunts these caverns.
The horned ogre owns a treasure whose value he doesn't understand.
The gnomes are guardians of a secret god with great power.
Forgotten treasures lie buried by the river.
No longer willing to spend gold, the PCs forged ahead.
Moving forward, the PCs found themselves in a small chamber with two exits - one leading to an ammonia smell (which kicked off a discussion about what dragons breathe, and then chlorine gas, and then a bit of WW1, but we got back on track) and the other to NOT that smell. They opted for the no ammonia and found themselves in a curving, cobblestoned path. Stopping at a series of alcoves, the PCs boldly looted a key from a coat pocket, matching red fezzes, and cut a portrait of a gnome out of its frame. Note that this portrait led to continuing confusion and jokes about gnomes and halflings and how they are the same, minus shoes. Ro-Ro was not amused.
Looting successful, the PCs found themselves in small chamber featuring a table, stool, and a bell. They rang the bell (but surprisingly didn't take it). A distant voice called out, "I'm coming, please wait."
They waited and soon a ram-headed faun appeared, sporting a fancy tweed jacket and majestic curved horns. MAJESTIC. He introduced himself as Ramius and offered tea and crumpets. Of course, the PCs followed him deeper into the complex, ending in a kitchen.
Waiting in the kitchen were Ramius's two wives: Docile Ewely in a polka-dot dress and matching hair bow, and suspicious Shorny in a black lace dress. The PCs sat down around the kitchen table and at Ramius's request, his wives brought tea and crumpets, alongside the finest cream and butter made from sheep's milk. The FINEST, I tell you!
The only PC that took the bait drank the tea was Arminia, who made her save and didn't fall asleep. Visibly frustrated, Ramius excused himself to get 'something awesome' and then returned with FOUR rune-carved sheep skulls with wickedly barbed horns floating above him.
Of course, they attacked, but the PCs won the initiative (by 1 point on the die) and were able to dispatch Ramius before he could connect. His skulls, though, wreaked havoc. One skull, in particular crushed the chests of Calibar, Ro-Ro, and then Gil before Lyrial charmed Shorny, who in turn called back the surviving skull (DM Note - that skull leveled up).
The battle itself was a slugfest, with MANY misses and deaths before Lyrial decided her spell was mightier than her sword.
Blank-faced Shorny called back the sole skull, then revealed (under questioning) that Ramius's corpse held a key to the larder in the bedroom. Some of the PCs followed the cobblestones back to a room featuring a bed large enough for three AND a massive chest. Opening up the chest revealed a variety of loot, some recently butchered (human) meat, and - most importantly - three living humanoids that were bound, gagged, and wearing naught but loincloths.
DM Note: Surprisingly, no gimp, BDSM, or generic Pulp Fiction jokes were made. The DM may need to turn in his game-master card....
While the others were looting the larder, MacDuff ripped a horn from Ramius's head, in order to make a shofar. There is no way that this shofar won't end up with some interesting magical quirks, given its origin.
The Gnome trader took in the carnage in the kitchen, particularly the blood-spattered 'heroes' sitting casually around the kitchen table. After a moment, he then offered to trade something good for the bodies.
Good being a magical sword. A magical sword in the possession of a terrible ogre - the same ogre the PCs had heard rumors of. Those same rumors suggested the ogre was a slaver, and that (plus bloodlust, who are we kidding) was enough for the PCs to agree to follow the Gnome body train (two gnomes to each corpse) back to the Gnome headquarters.
Once there, the PCs met King Grimm and Witch Gribbl of the Gnomes. Gribbl charmed MacDuff, and he followed her behind the curtain, where he got into a shouting match and then a fight with an Evil Tree Stump god. With that door open, everyone in the throne room could hear the exchange, and Galicar charmed the King Grimm before the king could force an issue with his troops.
Heading behind the curtain to help MacDuff, Galicar pledged himself to Evil Tree Stump god. In return, ETS commanded Galicar to kill MacDuff. As might be imagined, things got complicated as players tried to follow the charms while minimizing how much damage they might do to fellow PCs.
Ultimately, it was a great time as players tried to keep each other in the game without breaking the story of the game (all the charms).
In the end, the solution (besides a high damage axe attack) was placing a glass vial of lantern oil in the sole remaining skull and forcing it to slam into ETS. It hit, and the oil went everywhere. Lighting it was a challenge, due to all the single digit attack rolls trying it. Finally, Wo-Wo fired a crossbow using a d30 for damage, shattering the oil-soaked skull over the oil-soaked ETS with a flaming crossbow bolt.
So, ultimately, setting things on fire IS the solution to problems.
Their god slain, the Gnomes offered a bedroom to rest in. MacDuff was excited until he learned that a 'full rest' doesn't heal all HP. Still, 1 hp is better than 0 hp.
We ended for the night at this point.
DM note: these Gnomes whistle a marching song that sounds suspiciously like the Seven Dwarves "hi-ho" song. The Gnomes also have a certain cartoon mouse's verbal tic of going "huh-huh". This was a good idea at the time, and is now canon in my world. Blasted Gnomes.
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Ultimately, MacDuff's player was most happy to leap from his chair and act out whatever his fighter was up to - typically killing or fighting something. If I could hand out MVP xp, it might be to him.
Everyone laughed lots and are eager for this week's session - an ogre is definitely in the offing, and we shall see what else they get up to (without revealing spoilers).
I am certainly happy that we are playing this summer - it's the joy I didn't know I needed.
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