Weekly Game Summary & Key Points
Session Overview
The session opened with the DM’s check-in as everyone joined about 15 minutes late. The DM recapped our objectives from Madame Eva’s briefing:
• Primary Mission: Acquire four rich scarves and four wolf head pendants at the Trade Discal (with clues pointing to Madam Kulp’s Silks and Va’s Lucky Amulets).
• Secondary Mission: Investigate a feud between the Xungoon family and the Taynmo family—a dispute causing unrest that may affect trade.
The party was split into two groups:
• Group One (Xotchil and Zanath): Focused on investigating the family feud.
• Group Two (Larry, Irabi, Balamo, and Ric): Tasked with gathering the items at the Trade Discal.
The DM detailed the traveling route on our shared maps, explaining the giant crystal, the sprawling trade districts, inns, and the ever-changing environment of the night market. Important instructions included:
- Currency and Weight: Money is exchanged upon arrival to a universal currency, and coins are too trivial in weight to worry about.
- Map Scale: The maps aren’t exact to scale – the Trade Discal is far busier when zoomed in compared to the 30,000-foot overview.
- Pog/Token Movement: Players were asked to verify that they can move their tokens on the shared map.
Detailed Narrative & Player Contributions
DM’s Recap and Instructions
- Objective Reminder: “Get the four scarves, four pendants, and sort out the family feud!”
- Map Operation: Repeated instructions to move tokens on Map 1-1 as the group navigated from the inn toward the Trade Discal.
- Encounter Setup: The DM elaborated on bar interactions at the inn, shared descriptions of vendors (Madam Kulp’s Silks, Va’s Lucky Amulets, Xangoon Seafood Market, Taynmo Noodles) and outlined the possible black market hidden in the northwest.
In-Character (IC) & Out-of-Character (OOC) Highlights
- Group Decisions & Route Choices:
- DM (OOC): “Everyone, please confirm you’re here. Let’s review our route to the Trade Discal!”
- Players (OOC and IC): A lively discussion ensued about splitting up or sticking together, with one player jokingly asking about “being mentally, physically, and emotionally present” before everyone settled on a course.
- Bar & Vendor Interactions:
- Xotchil & Zannath (IC): Began investigating the feud while chatting with a local. Xotchil asked a vendor about rumors between the Xangoon and Taynmo families.
- Larry (IC): At the bar, questioned the barkeep about where to find the best scarves and wolf head pendants. His inquiry prompted the barkeep to recommend Madam Kulp’s and Va’s Lucky Amulets.
- DM’s Information: “Madam Ava didn’t answer your currency question—just figure it out
- Humorous Moment (OOC): One player mimicked a “John Candy disguise as a big yellow bird” when commenting how he’d approach Madam Kulp, causing laughter among the group.
- Exploration of the Trade Disco:
- DM (IC narration): Detailed the ambiance of the Trade Discal as dusk fell: “Candles, torches, suspended hexes—this is like a giant fairground at Christmas time!”
- Irabi & Others (IC): Decided to split points of interest—some moving toward the Xangoon Seafood market for clues about the feud, while others head toward the amulet vendor.
- The Giant Crab Ambush Encounter:
- DM’s Start of Combat: As the group advanced, chaos erupted when giant crabs were released from shattered cages—a moment punctuated by frantic screaming, hysterical OOC commentary (“we’re all gonna get pinched!”) and confusion over token placement.
- Player Actions & Rolls:
- Larry, Xotchil, Zannith, and others each took turns attacking, casting spells (Infestation cantrip, Mind Sliver, Eldrich’s Blast, Chaos Bolt, and throwing daggers) and using class features like Rage.
- Notable Instances:
- A visually dramatic moment when one giant crab clutched a woman in its pincers; sadly, the DM narrated that “she was torn in pieces.”
- One player dramatically exclaimed they were “raging and diving after that Kobald thing” (referring to a mysterious, suspicious-looking creature spotted by Xochitl) leading to plenty of amused and tense exchanges.
- The DM humorously struggled with technicalities (map glitches and token disappearance), prompting exclamations like “Where’s everyone’s pog?!” and humorous quips such as “I’m on the wrong fucking screen!”
- The use of Inspiration to retry a sneak attack was both chaotic and entertaining, as the DM quickly explained that inspirations must be declared ahead of time, sparking a fun debate.
Memorable Moments
- Technical Hiccups & Laughter: Between dropped tokens and maps that only fully shared with some players, our digital disarray added a layer of absurdity to the session. One of the highlights was the DM discovering the “rolling-out” settings for NPC initiative, followed by lively banter about moving tokens.
- Madam Kulp’s Silks Negotiation: When a player attempted to flatter the gnome shopkeeper to reduce prices, the banter and switch between in-character compliments and OOC side comments (“I heard the wife at home wants me to check this out!”) had everyone laughing.
- The Crab Chaos: The giant crab ambush became an epic brawl featuring creative spell-casting, daring aerial maneuvers (characters flying above the melee), and intense grumbles about the damage. Noteworthy was Xochitl’s alert on the suspicious “Kobald character” darting off—a detail many missed, igniting discussion and friendly ribbing afterward.
- Group Coordination Through Chaos: Despite the frantic environment, the party managed to share information seamlessly. As voices overlapped and technical glitches threatened chaos, the collective “are we all here?” and “I’m back” in chat kept us on track.
- Humor Amidst Danger: Even as characters took heavy damage or grappled with giant crabs, comments like “you’re a bird, squawk all day long” and the humorous descriptions of the bar scene (a throwback to a famous movie bar scene) provided comic relief.
Important Information to Remember
- Mission Recap:– Primary: Collect the highest quality scarves and pendants using all leads from Madam Eva’s briefing.– Secondary: Uncover the mysterious feud between the Xangoon and Taynmo families.
- Currency & Trade Reminder:Money exchanges upon entry ensure you’re using a universal currency—ignore minutiae about coins and weight.
- Map Navigation:When moving your token (or pog), check your settings if the map suddenly “resets” or drops tokens. Make sure to experiment with zoom settings (using “Zoom to Fit” may help).
- Combat Mechanics:Future encounters may involve individual NPC initiative rolls. Declare inspiration or advantage before roll attempts to avoid mid-roll confusion.
- OOC Protocol:Clearly state when you’re speaking as your character versus chatting as yourself (names versus character names) to keep the narrative clean.
We wrapped up the session with a break call (“Let’s come back at 40 after”) as the epic crab battle raged on. The group’s energy remains high, despite technical glitches and intense combat. Keep these details in mind for the next session and bring your best tokens—and your sense of humor!
Happy adventuring, everyone!
– The DM
(OOC: “This was insane—thanks for kicking ass with me, and see you next week!”)
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