Darkest Hour Actual Play

[blackheart]

So after a holiday-induced break from role-playing I convinced my group to give FC a try for a fun casual gaming night.

I handed out the pre-gen iconic characters and let them pick. The saurian burgler, goblin priest, and dwarf explorer made up the group.

Because it was all players that had zip experience with FC, I played it fast and loose with the rules for a fun time.

So the group is at the Wyvern tavern (no one tried filrting with the serving wench, but the goblin priest asked to cast his blindness curse on her), when the NPC comes riding up and everyone goes out to check.

GM: Ok, he colapses to the ground in front of you.

Matt (Saurian): What's in his pockets? I look for his coin purse.

GM: (pause)... He's badly wounded and may die without help.

Chad (Goblin): Is there a goblin funeral rite I can cast before we strip him of everything?

GM: Mmnmm... Ok Leather Armor, crossbow.... looks like he's a scout.

Matt: Money?

GM: I can see where this is going. OK down the road from where he rode in is a deep fog and the sound of rushing footsteps. A large group is coming at you, they don't seem friendly.

Rick (dwarf): Bolt the doors!

Matt: Allright, fine. I've got Medicine, I'll roll to help him.

GM: I'ts an involved task. Three rolls and two rounds each to help him.

Matt: How far away are the bad guys?

GM: At full charge, they'll be here in two rounds.

Matt: Sorry, buddy. You die. I'm going inside to prep the Alamo.

GM: (pause).... Right.

So the dwarf and goblin go up to the newly installed second floor of the inn to start taking potshots and lob moltov coctails at the zombie siege army. After some truly horrible rolls (a running theme for the night) the suarian tries to make a break for it.

Matt: I've got both Acrobatics and Athletics. I'm gonna scale the courtyard wall and run for it.

GM: Make your roll.

Matt: Um.. 18.

GM: You get to the top of the wall this turn. Before you make it over, you can hear the patrons and inn staff in a panic, trying to fight off the attack from the common room. There are cries for help and screams of horror.

Matt: This is one of those "Hero" thing moments, isn't it?

GM: Yep.

Matt: [censored for family standards] OK, I go back.

Chad and Rick: Yeah!

After dealing with the attack, the crew find the next plot device and go to the village.
They make handy work of a few zombie attacks and make it to the church.

Chad: OK, let's look for a way in.

Matt: Can I crawl up a wall and sneak in through a window?

Rick: It's a church, not a score!

Matt: Hey! Church's have like gold relgious icons and stuff!

After failing a few easy sneak and B&E rolls, I throw another attack at them to get things moving.

Chad: Fine, we tried it the hard way. I go up to the main doors and pound on them.

GM: No response, but you hear a panic whimper from inside.

Rick: Good job numbnuts. They think we're zombies.

Chad: I politely knock on the door and ask to come in.

GM: (NPC) Who is that?

Chad: (slight pause) Land Shark.

After the "what's going on" plot telling, the group goes to find the previous adventures and the mayor's house.

As they are leaving I spring the NPC treewalker on them.

GM: Everybody give me a perception check.

Matt: How hard?

GM: Just don't fumble.

Chad: That easy?

GM: Well, it's kind of hard not to notice a huge frickin' tree in the middle of the town square that wasn't there when you came in.

Matt: RUN!

Unfourtunatly, due to a series of bad rolls and a complete absence of action dice, the goblin priest gets splatered all over a nearby wall by the treewalker. Like -20 damage splatered.

Chad: Dammmit!!

GM: (Hands over the pile of pregen sheets) Pick your next character.

Rick: Yeah, we're gonna need a meatshield.

Chad: The only reason I'm not pissed is that I didn't actually roll up this guy.

So the (rest of the) group make it back to the church and find the orc captian.

Chad: (Orc) It looks like you need some help.

Rick: First a goblin and now an orc. Where's the hot elf mage babe?

Matt: She had the sense to stay the hell home. We're all gonna get killed.

After some recap and getting Spirt the undead killing sword, the party goes to the cemetery for the final confrontation.

After going through a half-dozen zombies dragging fresh kills to the tomb, I hit them with the grave wyrm.

Chad: Holy (explitive deleted)! It's a graboid from Tremors!

Rick: Throw an explosive down it's mouth!

Chad: If I chuck the dwarf in it, can I choke it do death?

GM: (evil smile) Make your roll.

Rick: WHAT?!

So after the first round of combat, the saurian tries something different.

Matt: I'm going to the tomb.

Rick: Where the hell are you going? This is the Boss Battle.

Matt: There's that guy we read about from the journal. He's got the control stone or whatever.
GM: Soul Stone.
Matt: Right. I get that and we can take control of the worm thingy.

Chad: I'm staying and killing this thing. I'm gonna graple it.

GM: It's the size of a wagon and horse team with a mouth bigger than Jaws. You sure?

Chad: So what if it bites me. I can kill it from the inside. It'll be just like Men in Black.

So Matt makes it to the front of the tomb. I reveal the Master.

Matt: What the...? I thought this guy was an old necromancer. You know... robes and maybe a staff?

GM: Nope. Plate armor and a massive twohander sword. Roll initative.

Matt: Aw crap. Goblin priest, here I come.

So after a few rounds of GM rolling more natural 20's than should be allowed by the Gaming Gods, and quite a few 1's on behalf of the players, the orc captian falls in glorious battle against the forces of evil.

Chad: (good humored) I'm sensing a theme with this game. We're playing something else next time.

Rick: Don't worry. I'm following next.

But to the surprise of the table, and with ONE wound point left, the dwarf finishes off the mighty wyrm.

Matt and Chad: YEAH!!

Rick: I didn't think I was gonna live.

GM: You've still got a chance to get killed by the Master.

Rick: (pause) And thank-you for that chance.... ass.

GM: What was that?

Rick: I'm drinking my healing potion.

GM: Right.

Matt's saurian was doing suprising well against the Master, with a defense score of 17, lot's of trip attacks, and a stilleto attack with AP8. Plus I couldn't roll worth a crap against him. When Rick's dwarf tag teamed him and a bull rush attack to knock the Master on his butt, it was all over.

Matt: I finsh him off with a stilleto in the eye slot of his helmet.

GM: (checks the description) He's not wearing a helmet.

Matt: Even better. I slit his throat from ear to ear.

Rick: Are you sure you're not playing the assassin?

Over all fun was had, which is the benchmark for all games. The group was happy with the adventure and thought the system had some nice tricks and turns.

[Gentry]

It's immensely gratifying to know that a good time was had.