classic encounters?

[devadasi]

firstly, as I have stated before, I never did alot of solo play. I remember my brother having Arena of Khazan as a kid, and fooling around with being a gladiator in the arena, but thats about ALL i remember.


Clearly I have been missing something, because so many of you seem to have been enjoying them..... multiple times..... for years.


which, in a roundabout way brings me to the question.

given that i am about to start running a GMed traditional old school dungeon crawl.... with the gonzo characters from my "grown-ups" game

What are the rooms, encounters, traps, set-ups, monsters, treasures or events, that stood out for you as a player in your favorite solos?"


i would dearly LOVE to take some "classic TnT moments or battles from the solos.... especially ones that YOU remember enjoying them, and letting my "ape with a brain in a jar" and his crew encounter them. If you would, please describe them enough that i can run with the details you've given and recreate are fairly similar room, event, or encounter.

i promise in return to transcribe all that happens in cringeworthy detail.

[mahrundl]

You want to talk to order99. His group are truly strange and wonderous, and his tales are generally side-splittingly funny.

[order99]

My ears are burning....

And sadly, my Group is on Hiatus and scattered to the Four Winds on various Real-life Solo Adventures.. but the memories, they keep me alive..well technically in a state somewhere between life and death...and to be honest it's usually the Coffee injections that keep me animate, but you know what I mean...

I Guess I can Cut-n-paste a few examples though...

(flashback dissolve)


My Guys with MS&PE...
To be honest, I always used the CN as an MR rating when the issue arose, so the CN 62 T-rex had 7D+31 in combat. Anybody who didn't use ranged weaponry or really good SR stunting died pretty quick..

(and yes, the issue arose. It involved the theft of a fossilized T-rex skeleton, a Raid on the Vatican's Black Library for one of the legendary Lost Books of Paracelcus and an active volcano...mind you, by the time my Players were done it also involved aerial bombardment of said poor dino involving a man-sized kite, a shell-shocked vet with a suicide complex and a dozen sticks of dynamite-some days I really think my players and I are on completely diffent frequencies, you know? At least they didn't go with Plan B involving the Circus Animal Trainer and his Semi-tame Monkey Swarm..)


-Wherein Machfront suggest I GM a Horror game...

... And a serious game Machfront? MY raving brood? I tried a Masque of the Red Death game with these guys once. Their idea of Fearless Vampire hunting involved 'adopting' youngsters from a local orphanage, booby-trapping each with enough dynamite to level a building and sending them into the suspected Vampires' lairs as an irresistible snack......

Mind you, it did make for some interesting situations once word got around:

Lost Child- Mister? Have you seen my Mommy?

Vampire- (backs away slowly, turns and runs for his Unlife)


-a trip with the Chaos Kids...

.. Three years ago I and two old friends (later to become the core of my Gang) scraped up enough money to drive to Stellarcon for the weekend. We grabbed a modest bargain or two in the Dealer's room, ate sparingly, listened to some great panels and played a few RPGs. I got to play my first ever game of 7th Sea(where I apparently blew the GM's mind by creating that world's only swashbuckling Escrimador, but that's another story)-

Naturally, we started a T&T game and got three strangers interested. I kept things fairly friendly and low-key, and my buds were on good behavior so as not to scare anyone off. I did however make the mistake of trying out my new Random Treasure table for the first time, so one perplexed Wizardess is now wearing a thick scarf that lets her breathe out poisonous fumes once a day and the Dwarf had an MR=15 Jack-in-the-box on his belt...yeah, that table needed some work.

During a soda break I rolled some random stuff for later (yeah, totally winging it that night) and noticed the room had filled up with three sets of wargamers with these gorgeous minis and terrain. They were measuring and snacking, rolling dice and seemed to really be enjoying themselves...

...and roughly twenty LARPers dressed up as Vampires. Now i've got nothing against LARPs or Vampire RPGs but-they were all college-age young adults, dressed in the gothiest of Goth styles-you know, the ones real Goths look at like Elvis looking at Liberace? And they were taking it so seriously, posing and glaring and fake British accents and, and...and they settled conflicts by shooting Gang Signs at each other! Yeah I know what it means now, but back then I just kept seeing West Side Story in my head, y'know?

Aaannnyway-sodas were quaffed, the game resumed...nasty, brutish Apemen and their oddly-human Warlord were cut down by the glorious Delvers, gold was had, along with the enchanted helmet used to control the Apemen and assorted spears and axes. In real time, I was trying to ignore a heated argument between two lace-encrusted boys who were air-slapping at each other and getting genuinely angry. One of their Refs went over to adjudicate and, well, I was distracted-it was my fault...

Human Wizardess-the helm definitely radiates magic of some kind.
Dwarf Warrior-magic helmet eh? And a spear...
Hobb Rogue-a spear and magic helmet eh?
Human Warrior-what's so special about a stick and a hat-
Dwarf- Fool! It's a Speaw and Magic Helmet!
Hobb-a Spear and Magic Helmet?
Me-I swear, it looks like two Kung-fu Mimes going at-er, what?
Dwarf-Speaw and Magic HEL-mut!
Hobb-Spear and Magic Helmet?
Dwarf-SPEAW and Magic HEL-mut!!
Elf-waitamin-
Me-Use your Indoor Voi-
Hobb-Magic Helmet?
Dwarf- MAGIC HEMET!!
Hobb-Magic Helmet?
Dwarf-(sings at the top of his voice) MAGIC HEEEEELLLLLMEEEEEEEEEEETT!!!!!!!
(beat)
Hobb-(sneering) Maaaaagic helmet.......feh.

You could have heard a pin drop. When I finally dared to look around, the Wargamers were quietly breaking up. Our Human Warrior player was too young to get the joke and just sat there blank-faced, our Elf Wizardess player(closer to my age) was shaking so hard she nearly bounced out of her chainmail chemise(not that I was staring or anything) and-

The LARPers, to a figure, were frozen in place with their mouths in great big Os. They were shocked, SHOCKED I say, at our brazen frivolity....

And then I saw one of the Angry Young Men glaring at me-and he made one of those weird Signs at me like it would actually DO something and i just...lost it. I literally hit the floor so hard my knee left a mark in the tile and I couldn't breathe, and when the players tried to figure out what set me off all I could do was snap my fingers and choke-

Then, in the back of the room, a winsome young lady in a top hat clapped her hand to her mouth, then started snapping her fingers and belting out "ONCE YOU'RE A JET,YOU'RE ALWAYS A JET..." then she waved an imaginary knife at her boyfriend and they started slash-dancing at each other...

And just as it was about to wind down, some guy dressed like Max Schrek started Moonwalking. Game Over man, Game Over. All of them.

We we all went to the bar for juice, booze or caffeine as it suited us, saw the midnight showing of Blade Runner and called it a night....


-On a discussion of Freeform vs Planned Adventures..

Me- (Sets up sandbox. Thinks of a good storyline or two, maybe three.)

Players-( Dive into sandbox shrieking. Declare war on the kingdom. Make friends with the Dark Man. Teach the Dwarven Kingdoms racquetball. Have a yard sale. Switch the Wizard's potion with Folger's crystals and see if he notices. Impersonate an obscure deity. Introduce Fusion Jazz to the Elves and sell the Trolls Bongos in the most bizarre Culture War ever. Give out "Best Death Ever" awards in place of funerals, seek out those oddballs who got 'rat' on the language tables just to learn it, use a magic carpet to invent waterskiing. Build a chocolate factory and lure unsuspecting Hobbs to their doom.)

Me-(holds on for dear life and shouts 'WEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" a lot).


(From a discussion on rolling dice secretly or openly as a GM)
I used to roll in the open too, but one dark and stormy night...


Players-three Goblins? CHAARGE!!

Me-(empties every D6 he owns onto table)

Players-AAAUUUGH!!! Run for your LIVES! ( party flees Goblins and jumps headlong into chute at the other end of the tunnel)

Me-okay, i'm done sorting by color and style...the Reds will be for Combat, the Yellow Skull dice are for SRs, the Blues are for Traps and Hazards and the Greens will be in case you need new PCs and- Uh, guys? Why did you all just dive into the castle's Midden Chute? I hope you all left your torches upstairs, this Midden hasn't been mucked in years-

Player2-OhGodtheFlamingSwordBobsheaththeFlaming

Me-SIGH. Gimme a LK SR...Whoah. Okay, I didn't think we'd need THAT many Green dice at once, you'll have to take turns...

[order99]

(More Flashbacks)

...On playing Non-T&T games with The Idiots-
We tried Paranoia once-they used up every single clone they had in the Briefing Room...took about 15 minutes. So we played Battletech that night instead, and watched one very confused Atlas forget it had NO jump jets and hurl itself 500' into the thingypit of an enemy Battlemaster and (of course!) set off a reactor core explosion that the Atlas somehow survived! The battlecry of The Electric Mayhem was officially changed to "Don't make us pull out the PEOPLE'S ELBOW!!!"...

Sigh. At least they didn't build a Lance of giant Wicker Men and expect them to work as Decoys...again. I'll be the first to admit the Radio Transponders were a nice touch, but really, Mech sensors are a LITTLE more sophisticated than that!

Remember, these are the people who decided to play Bandits, Peasant Farmers, Hedge Witches, Pit Fighters and Defrocked Clergy...in my Pendragon campaign. Excuse my while I set this Module on fire, we won't be needing it, EVER...

As a group of Fearless Vampire Killers in my Masque of the Red Death game, their weapon of choice was a cute little apple-cheeked toddler they had just rescued from the Workhouse and given a shiny new coat filled with dynamite-

-"See that fella right there, with the rich clothes? That's your new Grandpa! Now run up to him, light this Birthday Candle and sing 'happy Birthday' to him. We'll be right around this corner, so we can jump out and yell 'SURPRISE!' when you finish your song, okay?"

Argh.

My short-lived Land of the Pharaohs adventure (set in Mythic Egypt, right?)where Every Single Player created Phoenician sailors wandering around Egypt getting into trouble...did I mention none of them spoke the native language?

PC1-I don't see why they keep chasing us! All I did was offer to buy that ugly bird-headed statue...

PC2-You must have insulted them with your opening price. Still, an extreme reaction!

PC3-Five bags of salt for a twenty pound Ivory statue is a GREAT opening bid where I come from!

Me-GAAAAHH!!! That. was. a. temple. to. Thoth. You gave their god a rich offering of salt. Then you...kidnapped. him. The priests are. NOT. amused.

PC2-Let's ask that young maiden to explain on our behalf! I think i've got the hang of this language by now..."Halt, Infidel! Lend us your eyes! We must purchase your sky!"

(maiden flees the gibbering madmen)

Oy.

Then there's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game where they all played-yep, human-sized Chickens. With Commando training. And vast psychic powers. Too bad they didn't have enough points left over to buy human speech, or hands, or anything like that-

Me- and as the hapless Bike Messenger clutches her case and retreats before the muggers, she looks for a hero-

Ceasar- (glides from nearby rooftop) AWK! BWAK BAWK BRAAAKKK!!!

Mugger1- What in the name of SCORPIONSSCORPIONSINMYBRAINOHGODGETEMOUTAAAAAhhh...(faints)

Aristotle- Awk.

Mugger2- I can't move. Why can't I move? Why is the Giant Chicken looking at me like that?

Messenger- Giant Chickens. Again. Why me? WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?

Tesla- (picks up Bike wrench in beak, tries to change tire, wishes he had hands)

Marconi- (pecks at wall) y o u r f a t h e r g a v e u s t h e g i f t o f l i f e a n d s o w e a r e y o u r p r o t e c t-

Policeman- Hands in the air, NOW, and take off those stupid-hey why can't I move?

Ceasar- (shrugs wings, gives signal to fly away)

Messenger- Oh, Daddy, playing in God's Domain again. First the Rabid Sheep and now this..



-an example of Falling Damage, Illustrated by My Lunatics..
Example- Edgar the Unwary (IQ 8) walks across an illusionary bridge and falls 150 feet to the ground below. He has Armor rated at AR 14, a Shield at AR 6 and an unnatural bronze skin worth AR 6 ('effin Demonic Gameshow hosts and their 'effin Roulette Wheels...). Since this is T&T and not Marvel Comics, Edgar cannot bounce off the ground Shield first-the AR won't count. The kindly GM tells the Player that Edgar's unnatural flesh will count at full AR (he's just nice that way). Edgar's total AR is 6+(14/2)=13. Rolling dice, the GM gets 52, about average.

Edgar's DX is 15-being Unwary has forced him to rely on Fate a great deal though(LK 20) and so he trusts to it again. His SR total is 26 and no botches, so 52-(26+13)=a mere 13 points of damage! Being Unwary has really toughened Edgar up(CN 22) so he is left with 9 CN. Let's hear it for heavy armor and Demonic Bronze Skin!

Dazedly looking for his shield however, Edgar fails to notice the Animated Leather Toy Doll (MR 17) which wraps itself around his head and begins to squeeze. Rendered blind, Edgar goes Berserk and attacks his own face with a rock, damaging both the Doll and his own head. Let's see who goes down first...

Far, far above the chasm, Edgar's Wizard companion, Selek the Incredibly Patient, shakes his head sadly and casts a Fly Me...


-Player Wizard trying out a new Spell..

Wizard-Do you hear a whistling sound?
Rogue-High pitched, over to the Left a bit?
Wizard-Yeah, about right-

(large crate with airholes and a 'This End Up' arrow plummets through glowing portal and smashes to flinders...fully-armored WARRIOR bounds to his feet ready to hurt someone...)

Warrior- WHAT THE(censored) IS (censored) GOING ON HERE? One minute I'm asleep at the Inn, next thing I know some(censored) IDIOT jams my helmet over my eyes, someone's all 'Open Portal!' and 'Fire Trebuchet!' and WHERE'S SOMETHING I CAN(censored)KILL???!!!

Rogue-Well, we needed some serious reinforcements here, and you're the closest thing to a One Man Army we know of Carl, so-
Wizard-Steve and I had you Faxed. Sorry about that.
Warrior- Frank, Steve...and I mean this from the bottom of my generous and practical heart-WHATEVER you were facing pales beside the FURY you are about to receive at my capable hands-

(The reinforced door splits asunder. A Shoggoth flows into the room.)

Warrior-Okay, point taken...but you owe me a KEG of Ale! Ready...
Wizard- Go, Go, Little Feets!!
Rogue- Go. Go, Weapon Whammy!!
Warrior- Engaging Supreme Death-Blossom Twirling Chainsaw Kata!! YAAAAAHHHH!!!!

(mayhem ensues)


-from a discussion of SR Levels on Player Tactics...
Sadly, I don't think there will EVER be charts for:

Launching a Platemail-armored and Two-hatchet wielding Hobbit out of a Trebuchet and into a Giant...
Launching barrels of Hundred-year-old Brandy from a Trebuchet and exploding them with Blasting Power in midair (who needs a Dragon?)...
Three separate castings of Little Feets and three separate castings of Vorpal Blade(yes there were two Wizards and four Rogues present) which effectively turned the Greataxe-wielding Warrior into the Tasmanian Devil for a round...
Using a protesting, bound Goblin as a Shield (fantastic AR until it stops moving!)...
Juggling Shuriken to distract a Troll while the Birthday Clown backstabs it with a Scythe, then speed-throwing all the Shuriken into the Troll's face at once...
Interrogating the Necromancer with a Seige Weapon( "Does an Arbalest HAVE a Safety? Do you REALLY want to know?")...
Casting Zombie Zonk on the dead Medusa, giving it a loud shirt so that Monsters will be drawn to stare and sending it ahead to "soften up" the Dungeon...
Pretending to be "Official Dungeon Inspectors"...
Using a Curse You spell to target a Monster's SPD instead of MR("Of course it has Speed, how else could it be CHASING us?")...
Dropping Candy laced with Hellbore Juice to both distract and poison pursuing Monsters...
Loading up the Leprechaun with the biggest barrel of Gunpowder they can find and having it Wink-wing into the enemy encampment, light fuse and Wink-wing back out...
Casting Zombie Zonk on the Enemy Commander (slain in combat earlier) and marching it into the Enemy encampment wearing women's lingerie and lipstick to "demoralize the Troops"...
Replacing the Archmage's Deluxe Staff with a cunningly-fashioned replica, containing a small core of Meteoric Iron inside...
Filling a Wicker Man with enemy corpses, casting Zombie Zonk on the whole mess, set the thing on fire and have it march on the castle(with the PCs in the forefront screaming "The Great Volcano God demands the Surrender of Castle Burliegh!!!")...
Setting a whole swarm of Rats aglow with Wil-o-wisp spells and making the sleepy hamlet evacuate the "fast approaching army-can you not SEE all those torches?".

My Players, Lords and Ladies...Chaos Theory made manifest! Chart those idiots if you can..

-PCs metagaming Missle Adds as a Bar Bet...
WIZARD-and I say it can't be done, so put up or shut up, Carl!
WARRIOR-Okay Frank, don't say I didn't warn you...go ahead, Sir.
ROYAL KHAZANI ELITE HUNTSMAN-Ready?
(holds thumbtack up to the light)
(casually tosses thumbtack at Inn Door)
( door EXPLODES as thumbtack penetrates six inches of ironbound Oak. Thumbtack pierces interior wall and vanishes)
WARRIOR-Okay Frank, pay up. I believe that was a Hundred Gold Lions-
(ROGUE appears from shattered doorway, holding a large wooden mug with two tiny holes in it. Drops of ale hit the clay street)
ROGUE-Someone. Spilled. ALE. Someone. MUST pay-
(pulls out Rubber Chicken with slow malice)
(KHAZANI ELITE HUNTSMAN pales-stories of the Rubber Chicken Incident have reached the highest ears...)
WARRIOR-Whoh, Steve-just settling a bet here, no need-
ROGUE-to spill Ale is Blasphemy to the Gods, this Blasphemy must STOP!!
WIZARD-Hey, LOOK!!! A hundred Gold Lions to buy more Ale! C'mon Steve, let's go get some Barrels and restock the Inn-oh, we'll need a new door too..
ROGUE-Rage...Abating....
WARRIOR-There we go. I'm sorry about that Mister, Steve's been really STRANGE since that random encounter with some Tekumel Refugee Monsters awhile back...
KHAZANI ELITE HUNTSMAN-er..yes. Yes I understand completely, hehehe, ummm, I really must dash haha been nice settling that bet and all but BYE!!!
(runs)
WARRIOR-we'd better find a Dungeon to explore I guess, we're just not FIT for Civilian Life anymore...sigh.



(end Flashback)

I miss them so much... Have fun with your nutjobs while you can!

[ragnorakk]

There are not enough smileys and lols to even begin to cover this! I hope you get time in again with you group - they sound... inspiring!

[mahrundl]

You see what I mean, Devadasi? ;D

Order99, have your regularly scheduled Exalt for that collection of hijinx!

[devadasi]

Agreed! that was totally kewl! My idiots and your idiots sound astonishingly like the SAME idiots! (hmmmmmm.)