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Post by S☆E on May 17, 2018 20:30:49 GMT -6
With the last of the messages sent out, Ernest arranges the last of the chairs he'd borrowed from the bar around the table. "Don't go hurting the furniture, okay Ernie?" Lisa, the bartender chimed. "I don't mind fronting the bottles but these chairs were expensive. If they come back with any scratches you'll have to work off the damages."
"Thanks, Lisa. I'll make sure the kids behave." Ernest replied with a wink. Taking a seat at the head of the table, he unfolded a four-section screen that depicted a great snakelike beast sailing through space as a wizard with a flowing beard and an armored woman with a large sword rode on its back and stood it up in front of him. "Been awhile since I've done something like this..." He picked up a small briefcase and did a count on the contents. "This should be enough sets, plus I've got some extras in the spare bag. Yeah. This'll be good."
He poured himself a scotch and waited for his adventurers to heed the call.
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Post by Charredgp on May 17, 2018 22:30:35 GMT -6
Classic gaming, huh? Gabe wasn't entirely sure what to expect from that, since as far as he knew, it could be anything from some old game from a decade ago to some board game from the pre-colonial era. He didn't know Ernest's tastes too well, but he liked the guy to at least give it a shot rather than just shoot the guy down.
"So classic gamin', huh?" Gabe said as entered the commons, looking over the table. He frowned, completely unsure of what he was looking at. He recognized the d6, but the rest? Who even needed all those weird shapes?
"So is this some kinda weird board game or somethin'?" He dropped himself into a chair next to Ernest, picking up an orange d12 and inspecting it between his fingers.
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moo!!
Cosmic Kiddie
Posts: 63
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Post by moo!! on May 18, 2018 13:30:20 GMT -6
Like a moth to a flame.
Ernest was terrifying, but also – classic gaming. There were butterflies fluttering inside her, and a nervousness that made her linger in the areas just around the commons. Meandering, but observing. Acting nonchalant, but attentive. Considering how there was only two entrances, however, she couldn’t peek into the room without being spotted, and therefore could not assess this ‘classic gaming’.
From what she could glean from several glances, it involved a table with a lot of chairs. A boardgame? Probably.
Eventually working up the courage to head in, Lin stopped when she could see what was on the table top. That screen…
“That’s… a DM screen, right?” She had her phone in her hands, looking from Ernest to Gabe and back again. “… could I… take a picture of that? I—I would like to show it to my dad. He’s a big fan of tabletops.”
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Post by S☆E on May 18, 2018 14:35:28 GMT -6
"Something like that." Ernest replied. "It's the granddaddy of all fantasy games. Dungeons and Dragons. I used to play with my old unit as both a tactical exercise and for fun." He pulled out a bunch of different sets of dice, setting them on the table. "Here's the rest of the dice you'll be using. Go ahead and pick a color."
He looked up as Lin came in, her curiosity and trepidation written all over her face. At her request he couldn't help but chuckle. "He's got good taste. Go ahead and snap a pic. I got this a couple years back from a specialty shop on Terra II." Ernest took another sip of his scotch, laying out some papers behind the DM screen. "I take it you're familiar with what I'm planning then, Lin."
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Post by fen on May 18, 2018 14:43:28 GMT -6
"Tactical exercise?" Came a voice near them.
Though he had only just walked in, and was actually buried in a book as he had entered the room, Cain's curiosity was piqued by the exchange. Of course he hadn't seen anything about Ernest advertising this, whether unintentionally or not. Still, he approached the table, idly shutting his book and ultimately taking a seat near Ernest. He reached over and snagged a gray d12, inspecting it for a second, before turning to face the others. "I'll have to admit though, I don't really have any experience with this sort of stuff."
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moo!!
Cosmic Kiddie
Posts: 63
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Post by moo!! on May 19, 2018 5:48:10 GMT -6
The picture was snapped almost immediately, followed by a few others at various angles, including pictures of the dice sets. Lin admired them for a moment, making sure she’d gotten some good ones. Before she could respond to Ernest, Cain answered out of nowhere. She blinked at him as he sat down.
“Eheheh… well, kind of.” She smiled a little as her gaze went back to Ernest. “I would imagine this game is going to be… definitely beyond the level of an average game.”
It was a bizarre sort of excitement, mixed perfectly with fear.
She sat down on the farthest end of the table, on the side Gabe had sat on. She looked at the dice on the table and withdrew a small wooden box from a pocket of the jacket she wore, setting it down directly in front of her. Inside was a set of translucent-looking blue, green and gold dice nestled in black velvet.
Lin looked over to Cain and Gabe, nodding excitedly. “It's a game that's relatively easy to pick up, depending on the system. The main thing is that you settle things through dice rolls, so it's more or less up to chance and then you learn to roll -- hehe -- with the outcomes. Usually this particular system involves roleplaying and characters and stats, though, so it's a little more involved than, say, Monopoly.”
It was clear she was all too happy to talk their ears off.
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Post by S☆E on May 19, 2018 14:19:26 GMT -6
"Well look at you, Bambi. I'm impressed." Ernest said to Lin with a smile. "Those dice look like they've been around the block as well. I take it you've played before." Leaning back in his seat he nodded at Cain. "Tactical. Yes. The game at hand involves a certain amount of strategy. Analyzing your opponents, making use of your surroundings, traversing dangerous locations, all the while ensuring the survival of your allies and yourself. It's good practice of concepts on the battlefield."
"It's not all combat homework though. If you're into fantasy stuff or RPGs at all, something which I've been a fan of for years now, this is adventure in its rawest form." He leans forward, suddenly quite serious. "Your character is your window into another world. A world of magic and dragons, kingdoms and beasts. A world where imagination roams wild and indomitable. It truly is an experience unlike any other."
Sitting back up he takes another sip from his glass. "Plus, we're going to be spicing things up further," he says, nodding towards the bottles lined up behind him.
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Post by montywonty on May 20, 2018 18:04:35 GMT -6
"Forgive me for being laaaaate~!" Lana chimed while jogging over to the group, the crisp sweat still fresh on the towel around her shoulders. The sweat was quickly tackled with the cloth before it could cause any greivances for any of her crewmates. She kept an eye on the table that Ernest had set up while she opened her water jug, glugging away. The menagerie of dice were to be sized up, from least to most colorful. By the time she emptied her tin she claimed a seat between Gabe and Lin, flashing Ernest a beaming smile as she politely grabbed a handful of glittery pink dice.
"Thank you for inviting me! What are the drinks for, and how do you win this 'classic game' with dragons and kingdoms?"
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Post by S☆E on May 20, 2018 23:23:43 GMT -6
"How do you win?" Ernest repeated incredulously. "You should be more worried about dying than 'winning'. It's the journey, the experiences. Geez Bubblegum, it ain't so black and white." He sat for a moment, clearly wanting to go on but then shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I can't fault you too much if you've never played the game before. You'll see what I mean. In any case, you asked what the drinks are for."
He took a bottle of whiskey in his hands, twisting the cap on and off slowly. "In this room these bottles will make or break you. If you fail an important die roll, which means your character isn't able to do what they were trying to do, you can take a shot of your preferred poison to make it a success instead. You can do this as often as you like, but if you black out in real life then your character dies."
"A little alcohol should loosen y'all up a bit as well. Get you more into what's going on. If you've ever been to the movies or an arcade while tipsy you know what I mean."
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Post by Captain Ameijin! on May 21, 2018 0:18:31 GMT -6
“I know exactly what ye mean,” Sean interjected. He had only walked in at the tail end of their dungeon master’s explanation, but he was already intrigued by his quirky set of house rules. It sounded downright unfair to the other players, he thought.
“Haven’t had the chance to do any tabletop gaming since my university days… wonder how much of it is left in the ol’ noggin.” He took a seat at the head of the table– or the ass, depending on how you looked at it– and nabbed a spare set of dice from the center. The translucent cobalt d20 caught the reflection of the overhead lights as Sean held it up to his eye.
“Expect today’s session to go any farther than character creation?”
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Post by S☆E on May 21, 2018 0:40:00 GMT -6
"I reckon so considerin' I already made the characters." Ernest leafs through a few papers in front of him, sliding one towards Sean. "We're still two players short but I think we can manage for now. Here ya are, Red. Barbarian." He proceeds to pass the rest around the table.
"Cain: Archer."
"Gabe: Sorceror."
"Lin: Warlock."
"Lana: Martialist."
"A decent balance of melee, ranged and magic. Go ahead and look over the sheets. I even wrote up summaries for the stuff your character is capable of. Figured it'd help wrap your head around things. For example, Sean's character can go into a barbaric rage to do more damage but it lowers his defense. Lana's on the other hand is dexterous enough to catch an arrow mid-flight and can use her acrobatic skills to dodge attacks." Ernest sits back, clearly pleased with himself. "I did a little research on y'all to see what you'd be comfortable playing."
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Post by fen on May 21, 2018 0:54:21 GMT -6
"Archer?"
Cain looked over the paper, frowning ever so slightly. He sat back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, reclining, really. It was the first time playing such a game, and it was clear from his mixed expression. Still, he didn't seem all too upset, instead simply nodding as he scanned the sheet, before slipping it onto his book.
"And what, I can shoot arrows really well?" There was a tinge of... Annoyance, in his voice...? Yet if he was annoyed, he seemed to let it slide after a few seconds, shrugging.
"I'll allow it."
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Post by S☆E on May 21, 2018 11:14:33 GMT -6
"You make it sound boring. Well, actually, pass that back real quick." Ernest takes Cain's character sheet and amends it. "There we go, upgraded from Archer to Hunter. Now in addition to being an ace shot you can set up traps and you get bonuses against notorious enemies."
"Anyone have any questions before we kick this off?"
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Linkyu
Cosmic Kiddie
aaa
Posts: 47
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Post by Linkyu on May 21, 2018 12:09:19 GMT -6
"Hey."
Kara waved from the entrance, carrying a heavy-duty metal box, the likes normally seen in the hangar. She had waited there for a short moment, until she could say hi without interrupting. She looked at the table from there and noticed the screen and dice. Huh, she thought. Haven't seen this kinda game since the academy. I'm kinda missing out there.
"Sorry, I'm just passing by. Kinda in the middle of something at the moment." She readjusted the heavy box and looked at Ernest. "Maybe next time, yeah?"
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Post by fen on Aug 3, 2018 14:51:42 GMT -6
"Yeah, I got a few." Cain had been buried in the details of his sheet, scouring up and down to affirm everything he had said about what his character could do- as well as what he had just added. His face was hidden behind the paper, though he was hiding nothing more than a smirk. Was he really that easy to typecast?
"So you made our classes... But do we decide on everything else about our characters? Race, backstory, appearance... If this is some sort of collaborative story telling game I'd guess we have some sort of control over that stuff..."
As he put the paper down, you could tell there was some sort of glint in his eyes. As if he had discovered some sort of terrible, awful secret.
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