Thursday, August 3, 2017

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The Colony - Turn 32 - Discoveries

The weather and terrain turn against the party, forcing the group to take to higher ground. As they traverse the hills south of the river, they find a ancient ruin tucked into a narrow valley.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

The Colony - Turn 31 - A View From Above

Start Date: August ?, Morning
Start Status: Not all who wander are...
Start Location: Lost

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe

The Turn

After discussing their options during a rest break, the party decides, over Mendel's objections, to backtrack and start following a stream, hoping it will lead them (eventually) to the coast. The clerics also use some of their healing spells to relieve the various wounds people suffered during the short fight.

Monday, July 24, 2017

The Colony - Turn 30 - Lost

The main party is definitely, positively, completely unsure of where they are.


Start Date: August ?
Start Status: Which Way?
Start Location: Lost

Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe

The Turn

After quickly checking their gear and making sure everyone is up and about, the group starts checking out the area. Aaron uses one of his ink vials to take a sample of the bubbling black water and reclaims his map without touching the head. Jinx and Maarek keep watch while Xon, Rennard, and Mendel start exploring the cavern. The place proves to be a circular cave about 100 feet across. There are about a dozen of the tree-like pillars supporting the roof. A single passage leads out of the chamber. Careful searching reveals no secret doors or traps, nor does the party find any footprints or drag marks.

Monday, July 17, 2017

The Colony - Turn 28 - Corpse Town

The party is still exploring the countryside, and they've stumbled across an abandoned village.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

The Colony - Turn 27 - Beach Party

With potentially valuable, but fragile, scrolls in hand and no way to protect them from rough handling, the party decides to make a fast trip back to town.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Colony - Some Items

The party in my PBEM game, The Colony, started at 3rd level, and to my mind, characters that have gained that much experience should have a magic item or two. Here are a few of the starting items from the game. We're using Labyrinth Lord, so most of this still should be easy to translate to other D&Dish systems. I've included the character names with each item  for people reading along with the game.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Thursday, June 22, 2017

The Colony - Turn 22 - Reports

The party makes it back to civilization with time to spare on their mapping contract. Time to report in and see what the loot is worth.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

PBE Games - Dungeons in Blue Update

It's been a while since I've put out an update on PBE Games products, but that's OK, I've been pretty non-productive during the first few months of the year. Here's a quick look at recent (and not so recent) releases.

Entries and Exits Revisited is a set of 16 quarter-sized tiles, each depicting either a surface entrance or a stairway leading to a new level within the dungeon.

Three new Small Dungeons, geomorphs that can also be used as stand-alone maps, are also available: Small Dungeons #19, Small Dungeons #20, and Small Dungeons #21. You can also pick up all three at a discount in Small Dungeons Map Pack #7.

All geomorphs are ready-to-use PNG-format files compatible with most virtual tabletops. Use them as-is, or combine them into larger maps using your favorite image processing software.

Here are one-third scale previews of some of these packs.

Entries and Exits Revisited

Small Dungeons #20
I hope you'll check out PBE Games's maps and other products and find something that enhances your game. Thanks, as always, for reading.

Monday, June 19, 2017

The Colony - Turn 21 - Homeward Bound

The poisoned party members threaten forward progress. The group pauses to reassess their plans outside the dangerous confines of Black Needle Forest. Also, a brief update on those back at the White Tulip in New Kavlin.

Friday, June 16, 2017

The Colony - Turn 20 - Forest Parkour

A pleasant lunch turns ugly when tiny spears rain down from the branches overhead. Black Needle Forest has a nasty reputation, so the party errs on the side of caution.

Monday, June 12, 2017

The Colony - Turn 19 - March On

After searching around and testing the obelisk, the party continues their mapping expedition.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

The Colony - Turn 18 - Look, Squirrel!

For reasons that are opaque to the GM, the party has decided to leave the cave complex, leaving several areas unexplored. On to overland exploration.

Monday, June 5, 2017

The Colony - Turn 17 - It's a Dirty Job

With the lizard dead, the party turns their attention to looting and further exploration.

Friday, June 2, 2017

The Colony - Turn 16 - Look! More Bloody Footprints!

The party descends into the lizard's cave, ready to finish the beast off before it can hurt anyone else (or them).

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Colony - Turn 14 - Descent into the Den

The party has accepted a contract from the colony military to explore the area northeast of the colony and produce a map detailing what they find. The first thing they come across is a big ravine strewn with bones.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

The Colony - Turn 13 - Mapping

The party begins their first outdoor excursion. With a time limit on their contract, they've decided to head out immediately rather than take advantage of the Oakfell foreman's limited hospitality.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

The Colony - Guns

It may not be apparent yet, but my PBEM game, The Colony, includes black powder weapons. We're using Labyrinth Lord as our core ruleset, but, as usual, I've tweaked a few things. Here's how black powder weapons work.

Monday, May 15, 2017

The Colony - Turn 12 - Road Trip

The party switches things up and heads into the great outdoors. They hope to earn some quick cash and, hopefully, determine the fate of Maarek's and Kessel's parents. They, along with several other workers from Oakfell, vanished into the woods several months ago.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

The Colony - Turn 11 - The Return

A relatively short turn, as the party is approaching their deadline to return to the White Tulip.

Monday, May 8, 2017

The Colony - Turn 10 - Peace in the Shade

The group has reached an accord of sorts with the mysterious humanoids they encountered in the old city beneath New Kavlin. Exploration continues in a new direction.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

The Colony - Turn 9 - Conversations in the Shadows

The party has stumbled upon an encampment of... something. Brigg the monk tries to talk to them, while Smoke warns the other about the possible threat.

Monday, May 1, 2017

The Colony - Turn 8 - Creeping

The party continues their explorations in the Old City beneath New Kavlin. Sim, Maarek, and Kessel return to the White Tulip after their excursion outside the city and tell the party what they've learned.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

The Colony - Turn 7 - Tunnel Crawl

Having secured the permission of their landlord to open the grate in the cellar of the White Tulip, the main party spends some time exploring the tunnels and chambers of the old city. They hope to find whatever is troubling the hostel's owner and guests.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Colony - Turn 6 - Descent

Man, there are a lot of players in this group! Chicken herding at its finest! The party plans and executes its first descent into the so-called old city, the ruins beneath New Kavlin.

Monday, April 24, 2017

The Colony - Turn 5 - Breakfast

After encountering a pair of deadly rats in the cellar, various party members seem to think they've solved the problems plaguing the White Tulip. The owner, Mosk, is a bit skeptical about this conclusion.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Colony - Turn 4 - Night Watch

The party has split up for the night, and those staying at the White Tulip plan on patrolling the place all night to see if they can figure out who or what is causing problems for the hostel's owner. They suspect something is either climbing out of the well or sneaking through the bars leading into the Old City beneath New Kavlin.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

The Colony - Turn 3 - In the Inn

Start Date: July 18, 1027, Evening
Start Status: Dinner at the Spoon
Start Location: The Tipsy Spoon

The Turn

After dinner, the party splits up. A large contingent heads out to find the White Tulip (after the day's scouting, a few people know where it is). Others divide up and start looking for rooms. Before leaving the Spoon, Mendel and Smoke ask the barkeep about the various houses for rent around the city. He suggests they inquire at the Landowner's Partnership, an organization that represents many of the smaller landowners in and around the city. Everyone agrees to meet again at the Spoon tomorrow evening for dinner.


Wednesday, April 12, 2017

The Colony - Turn 2 - Cruisin' the City


Early turns are long and filled with information, but they do lack in the action department. In part, this is people getting their game legs back, but it's also people getting familiar with the setting and figuring out where to go/what to do.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

The Colony - Turn 1 - Docking Maneuvers

And we're off! The first short turn to kick off the game and get players back in the groove of PBEM gaming.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

The Colony - New Kavlin

After a long delay, we're finally starting up! If you're wondering what the Colony is, here's the intro post to the campaign. The first turn *should* go out tomorrow, and, as usual, I'll be sharing them here. Theoretically, we'll be doing two turns a week (Monday/Thursday).