Longcon 2015

[Hermes Serpent]

I just spent the weekend trying out a new format of convention. A number of people chose to play games in multiple sessions' over a weekend. There were two games that ran the whole weekend (giving about 15 or 16 hours of gaming) and five (I think) that used a one day format (about 10 hours of gaming).

I played in a One Ring campaign sent in Eriador that took us from Rivendell to the Trollshaws, then Fornost, the Barrow Downs back to the Anduin Valley to battle foes in the upper reaches of the river then finding a long-lost Dwarven Ring of Power before returning through Rivendell and heading to Carn Dum to defeat the Witch King.

A truly epic game and a format I'd love to repeat. There's no having to spend time on a recap before starting each session so it can be full on gaming. We had the time to develop the characters as in a regular campaign but had the equivalent of say 5 to 7 sessions packed into two days. The lack of the urgency imposed by the usual 3-4 hour convention slot meant that character development could proceed as for a campaign and made the whole experience so much better.

Thanks to Paul (Dr. Mitch) for GMing, and my fellow Companions, jordie, Steve, Nick and John for making a great weekend even better.

[Andrew]

It sounds like a great format for a convention - and an even greater game! I'd love to hear more about it - hopefully Paul will be post a bit more about it!

[Hermes Serpent]

Steve Ellis has already posted (an elf-centric) a report on G+ and other social media. Orni the Stout, Dwarven Ring-bearer, will give his rebuttle of Elvish propaganda on G+ and I'll post a note here as well.

[zedturtle]

Steve Ellis has already posted (an elf-centric) a report on G+ and other social media. Orni the Stout, Dwarven Ring-bearer, will give his rebuttle of Elvish propaganda on G+ and I'll post a note here as well.

Where's that report on G+? I hadn't seen it on The One Ring community...

[Hermes Serpent]

And now the truth (as seen by Orni, son of Dim).

The dwarf-lights dimmed a little in Orni's chamber as the old dwarf's chest rose and fell while his stentorian snores echoed through the rooms deep in Erebor. Grunts and half-cries punctuated his sleep and every now and again he'd mumble something about his family's heirloom jewel being lost. Orni's time in Arda was soon to pass and he still had to finish his magnum opus, telling the story that the bard's would sang when the feasting halls were opened for high days in the calendar.

At the grand age of 273 Orni had outlived many of his contemporaries and all the companions of his youth had fallen to age. Brought up and schooled in smith-craft Orni had laboured long and hard bringing things of beauty to the world and tramped the roads of Middle-earth trading goods and his skills for bread and coin before arriving in Rivendell with a commission. On being summoned by the Elven leader Elrond Orni had wondered, "Why me?", but on hearing that Elrond had been expecting a dwarven scholar named Loni who had gone missing he willingly joined an ill-assorted company to find the dwarf. After hearing that the dwarf had hoped to locate one of the missing Dwarven rings Orni had enthusiastically agreed to help. Faced with two Elves and two Men (although one of the Men was female and of the blood of Numenor) Orni kept his cards close to his chest being suspicious of the intentions of the others if they knew what a powerful thing that Dwarf ring was.

Heading west the company soon found an ambush site where trees had been felled and signs of a struggle showed where a group of dwarves had been taken by trolls. Not one to avoid a fight I, Orni, took the lead in guiding the group to the place where they found a bedraggled dwarf chained outside a door in the earth. Breaking the chains I released the dwarf whose mind was disturbed and then had him cared for by the Man who actually was a man, and a healer of note, while I proceeded to bang on the door stirring the trolls inside. One troll was turned to stone when the ill-built wall of their hovel was brought down by the elf named Gildor, the other soon succumbed to our blades even though he retreated into the darkness under the hillside for safety.

The rescued dwarf told of Loni being given to the Troll Queen as a tithe so the company made speed to the place where the evil creature abode. A tower jutted from the earth, an old Arnorian ruin no doubt but the daylight would soon fade and foot prints marked the presence of orcs as well. Our two most light-footed companions entered the tower through a gap I made and aided the bound Loni to escape. The company decided that the Troll had to die and proceeded to deal with her in her sleep. Fleeing the tower we returned to Rivendell. Master Loni was soon able to complete his research and told Elrond where he though the Dwarven ring was located but before we could attempt to secure that artefact Master Elrond asked us to warn the encampments of the Men of the Dunedain about the forces massing to overwhelm them. Loni had heard tell of these plans while being held captive and had hastened to acquaint Elrond with these facts.

The Company returned to the road and I led them west to Bree where we warned them of the forthcoming events and then took the Greenway North towards old Fornost. Almost at the old capital there arose a red hued tower that seemed to have arisen almost overnight. Swiftly dealing with the wights and an incorporeal wraith caused the tower to collapse into the mists. Pressing on we found the Dunedain hard-pressed and much oppressed by an evil miasma. A large force of the enemy massed outside the ringfort but with words of wisdom we inspired them to aid us in our attack on the evil creatures. Killing the leader of the Hillmen and his troll bodyguards caused the rest of the rabble to break and run.

We had learned of Halbarad, a Dunedain who had gone north to challenge the Witch-King of Angmar for his crown hoping to regain the position of the great leader of the Men of the North. Caution advised us to build our strength before taking that same path and turning south our Company returned to Bree and while there the other elf (they all look the same and only the fact that one carried a bow and the other a spear allowed me to tell them apart) spoke of his parent's sister who had gone West and become lost around here while seeking Iarwain Ben-adar, who is called Forn in the dwarven tongue.

Our Company (who, it seems, will help anyone who thinks they need someone to find something or someone) agreed to help him in seeking his lost relative. Talking with the innkeeper he mentioned one Old Ostley who the elf then spoke with while I listened (the man was obviously mad but the elf was so desparate for news that he grasped at straws). Setting off we strode south to the old burial grounds of the kings and princes of Arnor wher the mists grow strong and the hills sing songs. The Dunedain nearly succumbed to one unsleeping creature before we found the prophesied hill of yellow flowers. A evil spirit came forth which we drove back to it's dark master and took up the elf maid who had a dagger in her breast. Removing the blade the Elf begged the healer to aid her. He responded in a very odd way but these late comers to Arda don't have the guiding hand of Mahal to lead them. He sealed the wound but the elf maid did not draw breath so we made a bier and took her to Elrond.

Master Elrond had gathered more information from Loni about the lost Dwarven ring and said that we had to cross over the Mirty Mountains to the Anduin Valley before heading north to the ruins of the City of the Eotheod, once held by the people of the Northern Vales. At least I thought all this travelling about had hardened up some of my companions and they no longer need to be aided to stop them collapsing after a short walk of 200 miles or so across rough terrain. Heading over the High Pass the Company came shortly to the Anduin and turned to the north. Making sure we had a nearby refuge if things turned bad (as they often did) our band soon reached a group of Northmen who it seems had some feud with another group of Northemen who they called Hillmen (really these folk have no idea how to conduct a feud there is no emnity between them based on anything but greed for land and all they do is grow vegetables and graze their pigs on it). Anyway with kind words and some little urging the two sides agreed to share this Mahal-forsaken area of mud. The Hillmen had told us of an army of evil goblins who dogged their steps and took their women and children but with sweet words we talked them into defending a ford and proceeded to kill a few wargs and Goblins making to the rest run away.

This battle (well skirmish really, but the spear-armed elf later made up a song that lightened our load and you'd think we'd slaughtered thousands by the way he told it) gave the Company great renown and so we took the paths to the north and the old city. Searching amongst the grass covered lumps we finally found the old city treaury guarded by the skull of Scatha the worm (I saw that many of his teeth were missing and I remembered that one of the dwarves who still scraped a living near the Greydelve had a tooth round his neck to remind him of the loss of treasure our people had taken by the worm. I saw the token many times when the dwarves petitioned Dain to retake the Greydelve from the goblins) where I soon located a Dwarven banner taken from my people and luckily picked up the adamant surmounted ring that had been forged many years ago. Quickly pocketing the heirloom I showed the others the banner to cover my find of a much more valuable item.

In searching the Treasury the Dunedain had found a sphere of crystal that when gazed upon shewed details of the past or future and many other things I was later to find out about. She anounced that the ring which we had all been looking for was very close and the healer, one Roderic, spoke some words of wisdom that convinced me to expose the ring as if I had just located it. Still keeping it close to my body as befits a Dwarven Ring of Power we left that forsaken place to the wind and birds.

Our jouney back to Rivendell was easy enough although we saw a large force of goblins and wargs in the High Pass before our evasive steps took us clear of them and safe to Rivendell. Reluctantly leaving the Ring of Power with Lorrd Elrond and loni so that they could ponder the correct way to deal with it (very reluctantly I might add but where we were going it might fall into the wrong hands).

Marching forth we took the East Road and Greenway past Fornost into Arnor to find Carn Dum. Seeing the fortress and the deep chasm before it sent shivers down my spine. We descended into the chasm as we need to find Halbarad and rescue him before he could tell all the secrest of the Dunedain under torture. Negotiating a particularly tricky slope of scree I slipped and injured myself rather badly and thought that things were not going well so early in our mission.

Finding a passage into the interior we came across a beast that was ll claws and armour but despite causing us the fright of our lives it was soon despatched as the thing had a soft underbelly that was soon punctured. The spiders (why does it have to be spiders) were another things entirely. Quickly we despatched most of them with missile fire but one jumped to attack the bow-armed elf and one pierced the weakest point in my armour causing my muscles to slowly freeze into immobility. The others finished off the two last creatures and dragged my slowly stiffening body to an empty cell. The Dunedain chose this period to recovery to make use of the Seeing Stone she had found in the ruins. This rather rash act caused her to see that Halbarad had finally cracked under horrible torture and she saw the Witch-King gloating over his triumph and he saw us hiding in his dungeons!

As his army marched forth we forced ourselves to regain the bridge and the elf Gildor called upon the Witch-King to submit to a test of combat. We had little that could hurt the foul creature but stood shoulder to shoulder blocking the bridge.

The struggle was terrible as his blows rained down on our small band. Time and again I thrust myself forward to save Gildor Inglorion from a killing blow, my dwarf-forged armour preventing his blade from penetrating. Lagordir's Stinging Arrows tore into the corporeal figure and the Troll-slaying spear of Gildor Inglorion penetrated the robes time and again but the creature continued to hack and stab all the while sending forth waves of evil that sapped our resolve. Finally one vicious attack with sword and morghul blade stabbed through my armour and I passed out. I'm told that this saved Gildor Inglorion allowing him to take the final blow that caused the form of the Witch-King to dissapate. Our choice of Roderic to accompany us was prescient as his skill and some athelas gathered in Rivendell by Gildor Inglorion helped me to recover from that knife blow (although on the anniversary of the strike my ribs ache and spasm in memory of that battle).

With that phrase Orni laid down his pen and closed the book leaving the rest to history and the singers of songs. You can see, young dwarves, the tomb raised by his fellows deep in Erebor where it is inscribed

'Orni, Son of Dim - Elf Friend and Ringbearer'

An epitaph no doubt dictated by the dwarf before he drew his last breath.

[Hermes Serpent]

Steve may have posted his very biased report to a closed group rather than the One Ring page as he's not a regular here or on the One Ring G+ page.

[Hermes Serpent]

Stewve's elf-centric report of the weekend long game.

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?760 ... i-campaign

[Majestic]

What an awesome format for a convention!

I got the chance to do something similar a few years ago at Gary Con. Bill Willingham (you may recognize the name, he's the fellow who created, wrote and drew The Elementals comic, and he is also the creator and writer of the award-winning Fables) had a hankering to do an entire 'campaign in a weekend', similar to what he'd done decades earlier when serving in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. So about ten of us (which included the two creators of the game we played - a supers RPG called Villains & Vigilantes) got to play in a game that went all day Friday and Saturday, as well as more on Sunday. It was a ton of fun and a great experience.

I'd love to see more of this type of thing!

[zedturtle]

What an awesome format for a convention!

I got the chance to do something similar a few years ago at Gary Con. Bill Willingham (you may recognize the name, he's the fellow who created, wrote and drew The Elementals comic, and he is also the creator and writer of the award-winning Fables) had a hankering to do an entire 'campaign in a weekend', similar to what he'd done decades earlier when serving in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. So about ten of us (which included the two creators of the game we played - a supers RPG called Villains & Vigilantes) got to play in a game that went all day Friday and Saturday, as well as more on Sunday. It was a ton of fun and a great experience.

I'd love to see more of this type of thing!

The whole thing sounds great... I'm not sure I have the endurance to handle much more than 12 hours or so per day anymore. My days of 24-hour gaming are long in my past.

[Hermes Serpent]

Our schedule was to start at 10 AM run for about 3 hours, stop for a leisurely lunch, run another couple of hours and have a break, three hours and a dinner break and finish with three more hours. Sunday was a similar start, two and a half hours, lunch break, with a final push of around three hours to the end. Not very arduous at all. Most players were in their late thirties/early forties, while one had his fiftieth birthday that weekend and I'm over sixty so no spring chickens, just about two hundred hours of collective RPG experience between us.