This Past Weekend in the DolmenStein
After Action Reports on several play session during Turn 2 of the Dolmenwood Braunstein Campaign
This past turn in the Dolmenstein produced two major in-game events across three separate play sessions: a face-to-face docketed battle between the Drune and the Nag-Lord’s forces, a ducal summit run as a session Braunstein, and the mass-combat aftermath of that summit when everything went completely sideways.
Some knowledge of the Dolmenwood setting helps here.
Friday night was spent resolving a docketed battle between the Drune and the Nag-Lord’s forces in a face-to-face game. All units but one had some spells or magic attack. It was a knockdown, drag-out, no-holds-barred event. The Nag-Lord and his minions seized the standing stone they sought, but at the cost of most of the troops he brought.
Who would have thought?
Earlier that week, Ross, as the Duke of Brackenwold, suggested a ducal summit in the form of a session Braunstein.
This is the stuff the clubhouse is made for, and it’s the stuff the clubhouse makes.
Self-organizing, player-driven, seat-of-our-pants play.
Now, I had not actually run a session Braunstein before this. But I didn’t worry. I’ve played with the best of ’em. I’ve been told by BDubs that Joshua shot my guy and beat him to death. Been killed by Dunder Moose. I’ve had Wesely tell me I’m staring down the barrel of a musket and must roll to survive. Been killed by Dunder Moose. I’ve had Ken Shepro try to sneak into my facilities and take what he can get, something perhaps only Gary and I share. And one time I even killed Dunder Moose!
I then promptly forgot about this and did not nail a date and time down until the day before.
That day rolled around, and I expected maybe four guys. To my surprise, the majority of my patron players showed up. Even the Aussies showed up. They were a lot of fun.
I set some rooms up as voice channels in Discord, told everyone that all but the Duke had to travel through one of the two hallways to enter any other room, and let them play.
The Breggle goatman noble houses were present, some of them being manned by other players because their main players were unable to attend. Side note: all of the Breggle goatman houses are being played by Australians.
Much to ponder.
Once the main relevant factions were filled in, I allowed anyone who could show up for the game to bring their own. They may not be invited into the keep, but they can certainly show up at the gates. This led to a Thieves’ Guild Master showing up as the “Duke of Cornwall” and David Bowie, King of Goblins, showing up disguised as Baron Hogwarsh.
These things are a blur when you’re playing in one, and more of a total whiteout blizzard when you run one. I have no idea what most of the players were talking about for half the game. It was very fun to see these NPCs I’ve been running for players in conventional sessions for years come to life.
I think this was the first session-stein for a lot of these players. It seemed like all players spent their time in one room together for the most part. Not what I have come to expect, but it was the players’ choice, and I have not yet heard that any players were unhappy with their choice. Perhaps I should have pulled each player into a private room occasionally to check in with them and see if they had anything for me to adjudicate.
The main event of the night would not be a political summit to redraw borders. I knew this going in.
At the beginning of this two-week turn, an order was submitted to kidnap the Duchess. This could have simply been a roll to determine the outcome and a SEEN post. But now we had all of these factions in one place, and more importantly, all of these PLAYERS at one time.
Around the time I felt things were slowing down, this order was fulfilled.
In the worst way.
A woman’s screams interrupted the conversation, and heavy footsteps were heard down the hall.
The Duchess had been kidnapped!
But it wasn’t a clean job. A goblin lay dead on the floor. Percival, the Church’s player, cast a spell to detect an item she had on her person, and at once all players decided to go and track her down.
Now, for some reason, I was surprised by this. Somehow I did not consider the players acting upon this. With slight dismay, I adjudicated the chase. It was in a walled city, and the fleeing party was slower than the pursuing party. They had no issue catching them.
I have seen good Braunsteins devolve into PvE, and I was determined to avoid this. I pulled each player into a room for them to declare their actions for the next ten seconds.
Sleep was cast by Lord Malbleat on the Crookhorns carrying the Duchess. They were, in fact, polymorphed goblins.
All other declarations were overshadowed by David Bowie the Goblin King’s. He let loose a rune, summoning about 100 goblins in the middle of this walled city, and commanded them to seize the Church official Sanctus Primus.
No idea why he was picked.
It was about 11:30 at that point. I was tired, and this scenario showed no sign of slowing down. I decided to docket this battle to be played out at a later date. I fear if I hadn’t stopped it then it would have spiraled so much that we would never be able to end the game.
Docketing is great. It’s been used at least once a turn in this campaign so far. But this wasn’t the usual scenario. This was mass combat with half of the faction leaders caught in a melee at the center of it. I expressed concern about this, and Percival and Glen, David Bowie’s player, stepped up to play it out the following day. To my surprise, the illustrious Knight Penitent showed up as well.
As Wesely before me, I left with mixed feelings. The night was a lot of fun, but the ending left me feeling uneasy. But the players insisted it was cool. I’m sure they were uneasy as well, their characters surrounded by goblins and all.
The battle was much more difficult to run than the Braunstein that precipitated it. Each player was pulled into a private room to declare their actions for the turn, all to be played out simultaneously.
Nobles ran. Goblins chased. Goblin wolf riders were faster and engage the Nobles.
David Bowie’s player decided to make things even more complicated by casting Wish, turning some chambermaids in the castle into ogres.
The Duke’s men fought ogres. Malbleat was paralyzed by David Bowie. Lord Murkin lunged into the sleep cloud and failed his save. The rest huddled around Sanctus’ protection from evil spell radius, which does not protect from missile attacks.
A PC aligned with Malbleat was killed protecting his liege. Good timing, because that player is moving away and will not be able to make regular sessions anymore.
Right around the time this all kicked off at the end of the Braunstein, the REAL Baron Hogwarsh showed up with his retinue of dancers and musicians. David Bowie, disguised as Hogwarsh, proceeded to bludgeon the Baron to death.
What’s a Baron to a King?
Guards guarded. Knights knighted. Dozens of goblins made for Sanctus, and dozens more stood with bows ready, surrounding half of the faction leaders of this campaign.
A tense situation.
By the end of this skirmish, David Bowie the Goblin King, Sanctus Primus, and Baron Hogwarsh lay dead, along with a handful of retainers and house guards. The finer details escape me, probably for the better.
The Duke’s player’s intention for this Braunstein was supposed to be a ducal summit to redraw borders. Instead, the capital was invaded, the Duchess was kidnapped, Baron Hogwarsh was murdered by a (star) man wearing his face, a senior Church official died in the streets, and half the great powers of Brackenwold watched it happen. Whatever this setting was before this, it is not that anymore.
At this point, I noticed it was about 1:30 a.m., and I had to work the next morning. So much fun You’ll play all day.
Whew.
What a weekend.