Airecon 2023 Session Report Compendium

Session 1: The Marauders of Wheppersnade Cove (1st iteration)

This was my opening session at Airecon, and the only game that hadn't sold any tickets in advance. Happily, three players keen to try something new (and with slots available!) joined the table. None had played Talisman Adventures before, and one might not have been familiar with the board game. I handed the players a selection of pre-generated characters, gave a brief overview of the key concepts: making 3d6 Tests, players make the rolls not the GM, many familiar elements from the board game except no vicious PvP action please. How Tests and so forth actually work were then explained in play as they occurred.

The Cast:

Magnar, the Ghoul Assassin.
Amethyst, the Troll Warrior.
Bob, the Sprite Druid.

Our heroes were heading to the seaside for some R&R [Game note: this was a player suggestion right at the outset, and I'm happy to go with such]. Amethyst hoping to eat seafood, Magnar looking forward to building sandcastles.

As they approached the coast, they saw bill posters signed by Magistrate Cannock, declaring:

Any hero who Drives the Loathsome Marauders from Wheppersnade Cove will be Richly Rewarded.

[GM note: I have an optional scene with Magistrate Cannock ready as a potential start or for later - as the heroes were on their way to the seaside anyway, seeing the posters and mentioning the name felt like enough. The Magistrate appears briefly in session 2, and more prominently in 3]

Interest piqued.

Rescuing Fair Betsy

The heroes see a loathsome, armoured creature, with a cow slung over one shoulder. A feisty young woman is whacking the monster with a stick, but her blows are no more than a nuisance. [This is a scene I've used as an encounter in one of my earlier Talisman adventures. The creature is a Fomorian. The Fomorian is a pretty tough foe, and can inflict significant damage, but 1st level heroes (especially with a Troll Warrior) can handle one on its own. More important in the scenario concept (although it didn't really feature as a big element of this particular play) is that Fomorians are stupid and gullible.]

Amethyst strode over, grabbed Betsy the cow, and wrestled it from the Fomorian [Resolved as a straight Melee Test, great success rolled].

While the monster was occupied in tug of war with Amethyst, Magnar circled round behind it and skewered the foe with his rapier. [I treated as a surprise attack as Magnar had previously successfully sneaked. The roll was a great success anyway, and a 6 on the kismet die triggered the Rapier armour bypass. This turned out to be the player's first and last decent roll of the game!]

Bob then fried the Fomorian with a Lightning Bolt [The rules don't specify (I think), but I allowed this to also bypass armour. Spells available to players right at level 1 in Talisman are strong - balance comes from the GM judiciously applying those Failures and Standard Successes - or putting the heroes themselves up against spell-casters (see the first session report for D.A.N.G.I.T.I.D.O.I.D. for details!)]

Amethyst hit the frazzled Fomorian with her axes, destroying its armour.

Magnar struck again, mercilessly. [With armour now gone and all the previous damage this was almost enough to finish it off - Fomorian on 1 Life]

The creature turned and ran off. [The players enjoyed their victory, and were already having fun with the system. This probably took us about 15 minutes into the session, or possibly a little longer including explaining how Tests work. I give players at the beginning of sessions a very basic overview to let them know that they'll be making 3d6 rolls as Tests, that only players make rolls and their outcomes largely determine monster responses as well as their own successes, and that they can learn more when they first need to roll one. A combat is definitely one of the best ways to teach the system, and this encounter served that purpose perfectly.]

Bob sent his Pixie Follower off Scouting to see where the Fomorian went.

The heroes were thanked by Sally Blackbrow for saving her cow, Betsy. In response to their questions, she explained that she had been taking Betsy to graze at a nearby meadow (Thripsey Dingle) when the monster attacked. She said that there were many such creatures hereabouts ever since they invaded and took over Wheppersnade Cove.

The pixie returned and reported that indeed, the Fomorian had headed straight to Wheppersnade Cove. And that as soon out of sight the creature had sobbed and wailed the rest of its sorry way home.

The heroes determined that they would certainly go see what they could do about the Marauders of Wheppersnade Cove [After all, that's the title of the adventure, so they better, right?] First though, they accompanied Betsy to Thripsey Dingle, to see her safely there.

A Door is Closed at Thripsey Dingle

The heroes noted that Thripsey Dingle had a magical and peaceful aura. Bob determined that the meadow was certainly a Fairy Glade, but that for some reason the way through to the Faerie Realm was sealed. Sally told Bob that she had often seen that "funny little fellow" Mr Sprindlestep here, but otherwise no, nothing unusual. Betsy just so loves the grass here. What did she know about Mr Sprindlestep? Oh, he's a fine gentleman, but a funny little fellow. He has a house somewhere hereabouts, where Sally has been for tea and scones, but strangely she can't quite say where it is... [Of course, the players rightly conclude that there is definitely something suspicious and fae about Mr Sprindlestep, but this is a sub-plot that doesn't come back into play this time around. See sessions 2 and especially 3 for the fuller story here. I think by this stage I had at some point let Bob know that the Mauraders were Fomorians, that Formorians are Dark Fae, in service to Queen Mab].

At Wheppersnade Cove

The heroes now made their way to Wheppersnade Cove. The fishing village is in an oval bay, entirely hemmed in by overhanging cliffs. [As such, it was easily observed by the heroes from above.] There's one road into the village, which follows a stream down a gulley and enters the centre of the cove. The village stands to the left of the stream mouth, and consists of several huts and cottages, a tavern, and a wooden Moot Hall fashioned as an upturned fishing boat. There are animal pens in the market space between Moot Hall and Tavern.

The right side of the road, across from the village, is a shingle beach, with a lonely chapel huddled up against the cliff face, and surrounded by a ramshackle iron railing.

The heroes could easily see that the village was swarming with loutish Fomorians, and the pens were filled with unhappy fisherfolk. Three longboats were moored in the bay. One band of Fomorians stood guard where the road enters the cove. [I didn't have a map to hand before play, but had it pictured in mind. Village with Moot Hall, Tavern, villagers in pens. Lonely chapel off by itself, three longboats, everything surrounded by high cliffs. We took a brief break when the players reached Wheppersnade Cove (maybe an hour and a half into play?) and I sketched out a quick map on a whiteboard, placing some pawns to show where the groups of Fomorians stood. Each pawn to represent about 4 or 5, showing 20 to 30 Fomorians total. The players spent some time discussing possible strategies and asking questions about what they could see.]

Even though they had taught the single Fomorian a stern lesson in manners, dealing similarly with two dozen or so might prove more challenging. The heroes decided to climb down to the chapel - Bob had noted that the railings were made of iron, and that Fomorians were certainly averse to that metal; Magnar had spotted movement there. It was away from the village and a good point to contemplate stage two. With a stout length of rope, Magnar and Amethyst began the perilous descent, while Bob flitted down with his wings... [I let the players know that they could get down easier at other points, but that to climb down directly into the chapel grounds, they'd need to make a climb Test. Wherever possible in such circumstances, rather than have each player roll individually, I encourage a single Assisted Test by the best climber, which I think is what we did here. The result was a Standard Success (if I recall correctly), which I ruled meant that they got down safely, but attracted the attention of the Fomorians guarding the cove entrance...]

The Sacred Chapel of the Blessed Samuel

The heroes readied themselves in the graveyard, while a gang of angry Fomorians ran over. One was the Fomorian whose hide they'd tanned earlier (hanging at the back, pointing, demanding the others get retribution). It was clear that the foul creatures were indeed reluctant to approach the iron fence. Amethyst jeered at them - and a barrel of fish heads crashed onto the Chapel roof behind her.

With the Fomorians looking around for boulders to throw, the heroes wisely decided to take shelter in the Chapel. There they were welcomed by a worried Priest, who soon decided that his visitors were saviours sent by the Blessed Samuel to deliver the village. He told the heroes that they were surely safe here because the holy aura of the shrine's sacred relic would keep the Fomorians at bay, and that the heroes' arrival was certainly a Sign From Above. Hoping to get some mystical aid, Bob examined the wondrous relic reverently presented by the Priest - the Sacred Scourer of the Blessed Samuel (a sponge on a stick). [We Lore Tested this one, because why not. Yup, it was confirmed by Bob to be no more than a sponge on a stick. He kindly refrained from challenging the Priest's belief.]

The heroes decided that they would take out every other iron railing, and then use those as spears to attack the Fomorians. They would deal with the ones outside, then (seeing that the commotion on this side of the bay hadn't attracted any attention from the Fomorians in the village) carry as many as they could back up the cliff, and bring them down after night fall to the pens, arm the villagers, and drive out the rest of the invaders. First, deal with the Fomorians outside.

Amethyst threw an iron spear - she missed, and the Fomorian responded by hurling another barrel of fish heads that landed a hefty blow on the troll [Failure on the attack roll for the Troll, who has fewer adds without the Focus that she benefits from in melee combat with her axe. The 2d6+6 damage (I spent Dark Fate to make this a Boulder Throw - not strictly in accordance with the creature description but in the spirit and appropriate to the circumstances - including as a timely warning that the earlier success did not mean that the Fomorians would be a walk over in combat]. Magnar's own attack was similarly ineffective. Bob considered the overhanging, rocky cliffs, and flew up, leaving his comrades. Taking his staff, he unlodged a boulder, which went careening down below, and rolled off into the sea. He unlodged another - and started a rockslide that engulfed the Fomorians. Just one remained standing - the one who'd tried to steal Betsy the cow. Amethyst leapt over the railing, and mercilessly finished it off with her axes. [The Sprite-engineered rockslide was clearly improbable, but the scenario was deliberately set up with potentially overwhelming odds. Bob's player made two checks in two rounds of combat, and the second was a Great Success. I removed a Fomorian pawn from the whiteboard.]

The heroes considered a similar approach to dealing with the Fomorians in the village, but generously decided that such might not be greatly appreciated by the villagers in the Fomorians' midst. Seeing that all this commotion had not attracted a whit of attention from the other Fomorians [they are, after all, stupid creatures], they proceeded with the original plan.

The Liberation of Wheppersnade Cove

Under cover of darkness, Bob flew over to the Fomorian longboats, flint and tinder at the ready. Magnar and Amethyst went back up the cliffs with the spears, and climbed down again behind the village, lurking in the shadows. Bob set fire to two of the longboats. The Fomorians panicked, many running to the ships. Amethyst and Magnar ran over to the pens and armed the villagers with iron spears. Inspired, the fisherfolk drove the confused and fearful Fomorians out of the village, such that only their leader remained in the Moot Hall. [This sequence was resolved with a number of key sneak, intimidate and persuasion Tests, which ran very smoothly for the heroes, apart from the odd hiccup. We were approaching session end, and things moved with great pace to a climax.]

Magnar sneaked in the back, Amethyst burst through the front, accompanied by villagers. Inside the Fomorian leader Balor sat, on a ramshackle throne built with a ramshackle assortment of common objects - a broken lobster pot, a wagon wheel, copper kettles, broken bedsteads, and other junk. Balor was huge, even for a Fomorian, with a single, terrible red eye. Undaunted, Amethyst attacked! Magnar snuck up to backstab! Bob arrived with Lightning Bolts at the ready! [I made Balor a tougher, Threat 17 Fomorian, with eye blasts that would basically stand in for a limitless source of "boulder throw" level damage. However, with the other Fomorians dealt with, this was really just a re-run of the first fight, and with a very similar outcome. Balor was soon finished off, with a very satisfying Great Success from Amethyst].

Balor lying dead, an axe buried in his single eye, the heroes stood triumphant. The other Fomorians had been chased from the village. The priest was delighted that The Blessed Samuel had brought deliverance, and the fisherfolk were deeply grateful, rewarding their saviours with a well-deserved fish supper.

* * *

This was my first ever run of this adventure, though I'd used the key element of Fomorians holding a village captive, and the opening scene with Sally and Betsy in a previous convention game. I'd characterise the way it played out as a daring commando raid; the tone was light and action-filled, and everyone seemed to really enjoy playing the characters they'd chosen. There was a very stark mix in success on rolls - the Ghoul's player had notably poor luck, whereas the Troll was blessed by Fate throughout, but that didn't spoil anyone's game.

I ended up running this scenario twice more, for which see below. Magnar's player also took part in a run at the Dread Wyrm Egg Hunt.

It was a flying start to the convention: a really enjoyable game. Deepest thanks to the alter-egos of Magnar, Amethyst, and Bob!

Session 2: Death And Neverending Glory In The Infamous Dungeon Of Inescapable Doom (1st iteration)

The second session of Airecon, and the first evening game. I am always finding evening games a bit tougher than the rest, even on the first day of an event. People are always more frazzled in the evening after a full day of gaming - I certainly am, anyway.

I had a lot of hopes for DANGITIDOID. Putting my games into play though really put into perspective some issues. My concept for this was an epic dungeon crawl in three hours. I never quite managed to get the sense of scale (in time and distance in the vastness of The Dungeon) that I was looking for, but I think it worked very well, probably thanks to the enthusiasm and inventiveness of the players. There were some really epic moments.

I pregenerated some 3rd level heroes, and provided a few magic items and followers. Also handouts with all of each heroes special abilities, and reference cards for each Follower and Magic Item. Very handy - but also a lot of text to be distracting players with. In later sessions, I would try out handing out the references only when they were relevant in play. It kind of worked, but I think the best option (for a one shot) is a brief description of a special ability on the character sheet, and the GM keep the ref sheet with the full details. TARPG is a simple game to play, but the special abilities tend to have rather wordy descriptions. If you're playing a campaign, it's nice to have a bunch of unique and particular abilities - but there's a risk of information overload if its all there on day one.

The Cast:

Sikorax the Ghoul Assassin
Morag the Vampire Minstrel
Mug the Troll Warrior
Kristoff the Dwarf Tomb Robber
Grumbledoor the Minotaur Priest

The Dungeon is a vast, immeasurable underground realm, which many claim reaches to the furthest extent of The Land, and that its deeps open into the upper halls of Hell. It is told that within its chambers and caverns are wondrous treasures and ancient artifacts of great power - lost Talismans (Talismen?) of the Great Wizard, glowing crystals and orbs and all manner of fabulous whatchamacallits. There is echoing darkness and emptyness - and there are corridors that teem with foul and malevolent life: hobgoblins, liches, all manner of dragons and wyrms.

Rescuing Fair Betsy

Our heroes sought one such entrance to this legendary place. At last, after many weeks searching, they approached a great brass door set in a cliff face. The door stood ajar, and before it a weeping maiden.

"Please help me, kind adventurers," she said (drawing not entirely obvious conclusions from the party's appearance), "those awful creatures have stolen my poor Betsy!"

[Yes, as in Wheppersnade Cove, we begin with a vicious Cownapping, that event most assured to motive heroic response]

The heroes briefly conferred, some moved more than others by young Sally's appeal. Mug the Troll decided things by heading through the Dungeon Door, and descending the stairs beyond, racing ahead to pursue a distant clatter and mooing.

[We started out with a roll for the pursuit, which was a Great Success]

"Well fought!"

At the bottom of the stair, the heroes reached a chamber with three exits, saw Betsy's tail disappearing into the darkness of one, wile three Zombie Knights stopped to face the heroes. Morag blasted one with a Psychic Assault - and won the undead foeman's loyalty! [Thanks to a 6 on the Kismet die and the special feature:
"Well-fought!": The character so impresses the zombie knight, that it immediately breaks free from its sorcerous compulsion and swears its sword arm to the character's service.] Mug hacked at a second, and it to dropped to its knees [Another Kismet 6]. The third Zombie Knight saw its end in the more usual fashion.

With their newly-acquired followers, the heroes readied themselves to continue the pursuit. They were curious about the other routes available though. Sikorax sent his Spirit Familiar on a scouting mission; the ghostie returned with the information that one route led to goblin territories, one to unknown dangers [to my mind, a dragon's lair], and the route that Betsy had been taken down was into a realm of the dead.

There was some discussion about priorities including whether they cared at all about Betsy's fate, particularly against the opportunity of slaying a bunch of goblins, but at length they decided to proceed, and set out into the crypts of the dead...

[I explained to the players that mechanically, we'd proceed with Exploration tests, that one player would make a Guide Test, and one a Watcher test, and that players could resolve in the order they chose. I can't recall exactly, but I think there were two tests of each. The first Guide was a Great Success, the Watch Test a standard.]

The heroes made their way through echoing chambers and deeper into the dungeons, the Minotaur Grumbledoor picking a route, the Dwarf Kristoff looking for traps and ambushes. Betsy and her captors always ahead, but the heroes confident they were on the right path.

Now You're Cooking (Dwarf) With Gas

Kristoff warned of a trap ahead. The problem was that it blocked their route. The wily dwarf took a look to see if he could disarm it. Some nozzles and a mechanism here which... Mug looked over Kristoff's shoulder to take a look at what the dwarf was doing. The flame of his torch sparked a sudden, flaring explosion of flame. Kristoff should have been fried, but made an unbelievably agile back flip, grabbing the dwarf and entirely shielding the Tomb Raider from harm.

[Kristoff failed his disarm Test, and a flame trap was triggered, with Kristoff and Mug in range. Kristoff failed the necessary dodge Test, but Mug's player rolled a holy 666. I asked in what particular fashion did he want the holy of Test result holies commemorating, and the player generously asked that his save also include protecting the dwarf from his own failure. The least I could do.]

The Pit of Bones

After surviving the trap however, things went astray. Grumbledoor led his companions confidently onwards, deeper and deeper, before the realisation grew that they had gone astray somewhere, lost Betsy's trail. Bones crunched underfoot, and more bones, and more, until they were wading in bones, wading through a vast pit of bones. The heroes stopped. They could sense a malevolent evil. Seeking to redeem his failed sense of direction, Grumbledoor prayed, and cast Augury. He was overcome by a sudden vision: There was a terrible, ancient evil present, and that evil would help them achieve their quest, or perhaps it would utterly destroy them. Armed with this vision, they pressed on amongst the bones. Then stopped again, though the crunching and swirling of bones continued, until they saw rising before them a towering giant of bone, and felt its awful, malign presence angering at them.

Morag prepared to blast it with a mind bolt. "Wait!" cried Grumbledoor, "don't fight it, speak to it!"

Skeptical, Morag reached out, opening her mind, the minstrel felt that they shared a common enemy - The Lich King, who had stolen Betsy, and who had slain all the creatures that now made up the Giant of Bone.

"Aid us, and we will aid you: we will slay the Lich King and give you release!"

The bones changed shape, they shifted and swirled and formed a precarious staircase rising higher and higher. With only a moment's hesitation, the heroes ascended.

[The preceding arose and developed as a result of various Tests, questions and suggestions from the players. I had in mind that there would be factions in the dungeon that could help or be set against each other, and this tied in with that. If they'd wanted to fight it instead, there's stats for a Bone Giant in Myths & Monsters, and Pit of Bones is a Hazard in Tales of the Dungeon.]

The Lair of the Lich King

The heroes climbed, the bones took them to an ancient crypt corridor: bones still rolled around and ahead, leading the way but getting fewer and fewer, until there was one final finger joint, pointing straight ahead. The Ghoul sent his spirit guide on one final scouting mission and, pact fulfilled [and Loyalty spent] the Spirit departed. What the spirit told them they crept forward and saw for themselves - the corridor opened into a high gallery of a vast, sunken cathedral. Down below, large numbers of Zombies and Skeletons milled about. And towards the Nave, before an altar, stood the awful Lich King. Betsy the cow was being drawn to the undead monarch, for clearly malign purposes. Our heroes quickly conferred.

[There was some discussion between players about how best to proceed, and I let them know how those suggestions might work mechanically. We were now approaching the end of our time slot, and clearly at the climax of the adventure. I explained that they could chose the order of executing each part of the plan (and the relevant player's Test) - but to be aware that they might need to respond to failure or success of this or that part of the plan.]

Morag was to disguise herself as a zombie and mingle below. She was undead anyway, so surely it would be easy to be accepted amongst them. She'd try and turn the zombies against the Lich King, or at the least create a distraction. Meanwhile, Mug and Sikorax would swing down and try to take out the Lich King. Grumbledoor would be above ready to help with a handy spell or two, or possibly to Banish undead (even to try it on the Lich King if necessary) - whatever was required. Kristoff would set up a flaming oil trap.

Morag, faux-zombfied headed down. She used her minstrelly charm and vampiric strength of will to ingratiate herself with the zombies... [Great Success: so far so good, the zombies like Morag and are being swayed. We're late in the game, and it's fun running with the idea that zombies can be persuaded and agitated.] Morag seizes the opportunity to rouse the zombies against the Lich Lord [Standard Success] - they're on side, but the Lich King notices. He howls in outrage, and sets the skeletons against the zombies. All hell breaks loose. This is fine by Morag, as it certainly classes as a distraction.

The hit squad swooped down! Mug struck with incredible precision, and the Lich King was hit and grievously damaged [Great Success, and at Threat 22]. Sikorax strikes too, but misses! The Lich King turns, eyes blazes, unleashes a spell in a crackle of green energy: and Sikorax is turned into a Toad!

[A tough call on Sikorax, but this is a one shot and its near the end. The player takes the misfortune in good humour, and I handed him a Toad Card. I also had "You are now a G-g-g-g-g-ghost" cards prepared for any unexpected termination, but those weren't called for. The players are now all too aware just how high they need to roll and that even for Mug this will be a risky proposition]

The skeletons battled the zombies, and Kristoff's trap failed! Grumbledoor was wary of wasting a Banishment on the mighty Lich King, and instead turned his holy power on the Skeletons. A bunch of them crumbled - leaving many more standing, but more importantly swinging the odds strongly in favour of the zombies, who now overwhelmed the skeletons.

[Some discussion about banishment. The Priest can banish one foe, then additional foes at a cost of one Spell Point each. For each of those, the priest then gets 1d3 spell points back. I allowed that these points can themselves immediately be spent on banishing further undead, but don't chain again after that. The priest was able to banish 8 this way, and save 1 Spell Point for an emergency Marked For Glory. That spell had proven very useful at an earlier juncture (although I've forgotten exactly when that was) - it can be cast as a reaction, and change the result of one die to a selected result. This is pretty powerful in TARPG]

Morag now incited the zombies again against their overlord, and Morag's argument is assisted by the fervent croaking of Toad Sikorax [A Toad can still assist, right? Should strictly only be on a 1, but the player rolled a 2, and I figured that Sikorax must surely be a very Resolved Toad]

The argument was almost convincing enough - and then with Grumbledoor's prayers [and Marked For Glory], Morag succeeded, the zombies swarmed over their former master, overwhelming him, turning a zombie to a Toad as a final defiance. The heroes could now escape with Betsy, but Mug had unfinished business: leaping into the air he struck with awesome precision, and the Lich King's head was separated from its shoulders!

[The player wanted a final shot and, wouldn't you know it, rolled 555, his second triple of the game, and a very fitting final roll - second time I've had this happen in a convention game, and very satisfying for all concerned, 'cepting the Lich King].

Betsy was saved, Morag contemplated the power vacuum left by the Lich King in this underworld realm of the dead, and the eyes of a Ghoul Toad and Zombie Toad met and they looked at each other with... love?

***

Some of this adventure followed a course resembling what I had in mind from the outset. In particular, the dramatic and entertaining finish really delivered on what I hoped would result. But I still have some work to do to get the mechanics right of how I want the epic 3 hour dungeon adventure to work, and Rescuing Betsy is surely a placeholder for something with a little more weight. Wonderful session though, and yet again, very responsive and creative players. Morag had a lot of great lines which I wish I'd written down: the character of the Vampire Minstrel was very well-realised. My description of the plot and action only captures a dim reflection of the game itself.

Session 3: Return of the Cabbage King (Marauders of Wheppersnade Cove take 2)

The Cast:

Grog the Dwarf Priest
Urlas Goodleaf, Elf Scout
Drak the Troll Warrior
Murghu the Ghoul Assassin

(Grog's player was happy to choose spells for this session rather than go with my preselection. More on this later...)

Our heroes were a-rambling and a-roving out in the Realm, seeking fortune and glory. Nailed to a tree was a poster, signed by Magistrate Cannock, which read:

"Any hero who Drives the Loathsome Marauders from Wheppersnade Cove will be Richly Rewarded"

Fortune and glory for the taking!

Rescuing Fair Betsy

Cries of alarm were heard and responded to. Cowherd Sally Blackbrow was seen beating a loathsome Fomorian with a stick, as it tried to make off with her beloved cow Betsy slung over one shoulder.

Our heroes cheerfully charged to the fray.

(Some banter about whether to rescue the Maiden or the Fomorian. The battle went fairly smoothly for the heroes.)

Drak delivered the killing blow, and caught Betsy as the Fomorian threw her up into the air on expiring.

Grog immediately set on Sally with missionary fervour, and converted Sally to the Faith.

(Great Success on a persuasion roll. Sally is now a loyal Follower of the priest, with Betsy tagging along as a bonus. Some great roleplay went along with this, for the character of the ruthlessly proseletyzing priest.)

The heroes questioned Sally, who told them that this foul creature is one of many infesting the area, having taken over the nearby fishing village Wheppersnade Cove

Urlas the Elf spoke to Betsy the Cow. Betsy replied to thank Urlas graciously. To everybody else, the conversation was just moos, and they were certain that the elf was a bit tapped.

Sally told the heroes that she had been on her way to Thripsey Dingle to pasture Betsy. The heroes headed there to check it out.

Mr Stepsprindle

They found it to be a very peaceful and beautiful little meadow, lying amongst woodland. All felt its magical aura: the Elf could tell that this was a fairy glade. He attempted to commune with the Fae, but found that the way through to the Realm of the Fae was somehow closed or blocked.

At that point he noticed a little man in a green waistcoat and hat, with fine leather boots, angrily staring at the heroes from the edge of the woods. "Be off with ye!" shouted the little man, "you aren't welcome or wanted here!"

"Why, how odd," said Sally, "Mr Sprindlestep is usually quite happy to let Betsy graze here."

The heroes try to talk and reason with Mr Sprindlestep, but he insists that they leave his land, and refuses to answer any questions. When they suggest that he might want their help in driving off the marauders, Mr Sprindlestep said that they were the only marauders he wanted to be rid of.

Suspicious, but nonplussed, the heroes decided that they would go and check out Wheppersnade Cove, and see what could be done about the Marauders.

Wheppersnade Cove

From the cliffs above, the heroes could see down into the occupied village.

(The fishing village is in an oval bay, entirely hemmed in by overhanging cliffs. As such, it can be easily observed from above. There's one road into the village, which follows a stream down a gulley and enters the centre of the cove. The village stands to the left of the stream mouth, and consists of several huts and cottages, a tavern, and a wooden Moot Hall fashioned as an upturned fishing boat. There are animal pens in the market space between Moot Hall and Tavern. The village is swarming with loutish Fomorians, and the pens are filled with the unhappy fisherfolk of the village. Three longboats were moored in the bay. One band of Fomorians stands guard where the road enters the cove. The right side of the road, across from the village, is a shingle beach, with a lonely chapel huddled up against the cliff face, and surrounded by a ramshackle iron railing.)

The heroes discussed the situation, and asked further questions of Sally. Grog dimly remembered a legend of how the Fomorians had once before invaded hereabouts, and were driven off by the Goblins of Jabbersnatch Gulley. He couldn't recall exactly how, but that it was odd because the Goblins of Jabbersnatch Gulley are known to be peaceful cabbage farmers.

(This played on a piece of background I had in mind, and came out in response to the Priest's player asking if they could recall any relevant lore or history about anything like this happening in the past, and getting a success on the resulting Test.)

Grog, Urlas and Drak decided to head to Jabbersnatch Gulley and find out the secret of how the Goblins drove the Fomorians back to sea. Murghu would stay behind and continue to spy on the Fomorians.

(The players asked how far Jabbersnatch Gulley was and if they could travel there. I explained that it wasn't in they immediate vicinity, but they could reach it in a few days, and that we could resolve the journey by the exploration rules. They rolled Great Successes for the Guide and Watcher tests, so reached it without incident. I like to "zoom in and out" with Exploration Tests - sometimes a single test represents part of a day's journey, sometimes it covers days or weeks or more - really, whatever suits the session and the story. In this case, it was clear that Jabbersnatch Gulley was going to be a side-quest, and we wanted to see if the village could be rescued in a three and a half hour session.)

The Grand Cabbage Wallah of Jabbersnatch Gulley

The heroes reached the damp and misty Goblin enclave at Jabbersnatch Gulley. They could dimly see goblin farmers toiling on the sides of the gulley, and the giant Jabbersnatch Cabbages growing there. There was one stone building in the village of clay huts: residence of The Grand Cabbage Wallah Hurvle Tranglewhang. The heroes approached the burly Goblin standing guard at the door.

"We're here to see the Grand Cabbage Wallah."
"On what business?"
"On cabbage business."
"Obvs"
"The cabbages are in great danger!"
"The cabbages are in danger! The cabbages are in danger! Sound the alarm!" yelled the guard.

A bell started ringing loudly, and Goblins ran around screaming in alarm and distress. The door opened revealing the dignified and almost tall Hurvle Tranglewhang.

"What is all this? Why has the bell been rung?"
"The cabbages are in danger! The cabbages are in danger!"
"Yes," said Urlas, "and we're here to protect them."
"They're here to protect the cabbages! Bring them the green robes of the Honorable Order of the Warden of Cabbages!"

Goblins swarmed over the heroes, and pulled green robes embroidered with the ubiquitous cruciferous vegetable over their heads.

(I instructed the players to add Cabbage Warden Robe to their character sheets.)

"Now," said Tranglewhang, "tell me about this great danger that you are here to protect us from."

"The Fomorians,"

"Fomorians? Fomorians? Ha! Stop the bell! Silence the alarm! Remove the robes!"

The bell stopped clanging. Goblins swarmed over the heroes and removed the robes.

(I instructed the players to remove Cabbage Warden Robe from their character sheets.)

Hurvle Tranglewhang scoffed at the idea that the Fomorians represented any kind of threat at all. In response to the heroes' questions, he explained that Fomorians are incredibly stupid and gullible, and that his ancestors had driven them to sea with a simple trick.

"What trick?"

"Oh, we made an effigy of the Cabbage King, said he was angry and - I don't know - with some lights and cheap tricks scared the Fomorians witless. Yes, they're no threat to Jabbersnatch Gulley, no threat at all. Fomorians! Pfaugh!"

The heroes returned to Wheppersnade Cove, armed with this vital piece of information.

Back at the cliffs, Murghu had been keeping careful watch, montioring the movements of the Fomorians. He had noticed that there was someone hiding in the chapel across the bay.

Murghu had also seen but completely forgot to mention at the time that he had seen Mr Sprindlestep visiting the village and going straight to the Moot Hall to visit the Fomorian Chief.

(Ok, it was me who forgot to mention at the time, but I told the players later and blamed the Assassin. The players correctly assumed that Mr Sprindlestep was somehow behind everything that was going on - though the details only really came out at the third play through - see later. While the heroes were visiting Jabbersnatch I was conscious that we had one player out of the action, but he was OK with that decision, and all the nonesense with the Goblins only covered about 10 minutes of play. I allowed for the time spent observing to count for a use of the Assassin's Preparation special ability - which I would be flexible with and allow him to say at a later time that it was this particular Fomorian whose habits he had been carefully studying, to be able to get the extra die on an attack roll against him. If it's OK with the player, it's quite useful and thematic for the Assassin to be able to spend some time just lurking and spying.)

The heroes started to formulate plans. If they could fool the Fomorians into thinking that the Cabbage King had returned, might they repeat the Goblins' success?

The Sacred Scourer of the Blessed Samuel

They decided to first check out the chapel and see if any assistance could be found there.

Between the Troll and the Ghoul's efforts, the heroes (and Sally, and Betsy the Cow, and various other followers) were able to safely climb down the cliff - well, almost safely. Grog's unnamed servant plummeted to the Discard Pile "Pleasure to be of service..." he cried as he fell.

Yup, Standard Success for an Assisted Climb Test - what better way to mark it?

Banging on the chapel door, the heroes roused a timid little priest, who ushered them quickly in to the sanctuary of the Blessed Samuel.

Theological debate ensued with Grog, who announced himself to be a follower of The Greater Samuel. The Wheppersnade Priest wouldn't be shaken in his own faith, particularly as his Chapel was home to a wondrous relic: The Sacred Scourer of the Blessed Samuel. The heroes were unimpressed by the sponge on a stick.

The priest was excited by their presence however, and certain that they had been sent by the Blessed Samuel ("The Greater Samuel," corrected Grog) to deliver Wheppersnade Cove. The heroes finalised their plans. Using banners from the church, and iron railings from the fence, and with a giant Jabbersnatch Cabbage on his head, they would dress Drak the Troll up as the Cabbage King. He would ride down the road on Betsy into the village, flinging iron spears at any Fomorians who dared face his wrath, while the two Priests would lead his way declaring the wrathful deity's return.

Meanwhile, Murghu and Urlas would descend the cliffs - the Ghoul would approach and arm the penned villagers with iron spears from the Chapel fence, and Urlas (assisted by his Pixie follower) would sneak around the Moot Hall and ring the village bell, hoping to distract, confuse and panic the Fomorians.

Unfortunately, Murghu's and Urlas's parts of the plan had mixed results. The villagers were alarmed by the Ghoul who emerged from the darkness urging them to rise up. Urlas was spotted by a nearby group of Fomorians who attacked him - one picking up the elf and hurling him against the cliff face.

The Return of the Cabbage King

All turned on the arrival of the Cabbage King! Down the valley he lumbered - and the effect on nearby Fomorians were immediate. As the priests cried doom and repentance, the Cabbage King hurled spears, and Betsy snorted menacingly, Sally swinging a censer and gleefully joining in with the charade. The Fomorians who had been on guard screamed - some ran into the sea, some ran into the village, some ran straight into the cliff face and knocked themselves out. All spread the panic wherever they went, and the Cabbage King and his doomsaying retinue pressed on into the heart of the village.

Urlas was able to fight back and shoot deadly arrows at the Fomorians, his pixie set the bell a-ringing. At last the villagers realised that all this tumult was their means of rescue, and the grim Ghoul their saviour. They grabbed the spears, rallied behind Murghu, and started to drive any remaining Fomorians into their boats and back off to sea. The little priest ran around waving his Sacred Scourer, certain that this was the instrument of the village's liberation. No one paid him much mind.

With the villagers routing the main force of Fomorians, our heroes headed into the Moot Hall to confront their chief.

On a throne built with a ramshackle assortment of common objects - a broken lobster pot, a wagon wheel, copper kettles, broken bedsteads, and other junk sat the Fomorian chief. Balor was huge, even for a Fomorian, with a single, terrible red eye. He roared defiance at the heroes. Before him, Mr Sprindlestep stood looking very shady and unsure of himself.

Grog whipped out his prayer book, and cast Sleep.

Balor yawned, closed his single eye, and toppled over, crushing and pinning Mr Sprindlestep to the ground. The villagers bound him in ropes, and Mr Sprindlestep too, and the two were thrown into the last longship before it departed.

Two bags filled with gold and treasure were found, that Mr Sprindlestep had been carrying. The heroes deduced that the little villain had clearly been getting the cream of the Fomorians' marauding, and leaving them the dregs. The rest of the Fomorian loot was junk. The heroes declared that they would take no reward themselves, but one bag of gold should be given to the Cabbage King, the other could go towards the chapel's roof (and now fence) restoration fund.

The grateful villagers feted the heroes with a fish supper. They even allowed Drak the Troll to join them, who turned up after the Cabbage King had departed. He was much mocked by the villagers for not daring to take part in their liberation.

After saying their farewells, the heroes set off together, with the bag of gold recovered from where the 'Cabbage King' had stashed it. They set off to find Magistrate Cannock, and claim their reward for driving off the Fomorians.

They found the Magistrate at the Hark to Bounder Inn. When they tried to claim the bounty, he angrily dismissed them. How dare they try to claim credit for delivering Wheppersnade Cove, when all knew that the Goblins of Jabbersnatch Gulley had tricked them with their hoary old Cabbage King routine? Besides which, the Grand Cabbage Wallah had already been and collected the reward...

***

This was a delight! Much arose from the inventiveness of the players and their willingness to run along with ideas. The casting of Sleep on Balor was a very dramatic moment. I told the players how I had once before run a game and learned how string Sleep could be in Talisman when a player had kept casting Sleep on the Dread Wyrm and rolling over its Threat... At that point, the Priest player told me that it was they themself who had pulled off the Scandalous Wyrm-Sleeping of Expo 2021 - and that they had deliberately chosen Sleep and saved it for that moment after what they had learned in the game two years earlier. I was hoodwinked by a sneaky return player!

The session was enormous fun, with some highly entertaining interactions between the heroes, Strangers, Followers and Foes. Many thanks to all players: but your card is marked now Jo! Fool me three times? Surely not.

 Session 4: The Dragon's Lair (D.A.N.G.I.T.I.D.O.I.D. take 2)

 Saturday afternoon at Airecon 2023 and time for the 4th session of Talisman Adventures, and second take of Death And Neverending Glory In The Infamous Dungeon Of Inescapable Doom!

In the dim corners of my mind, DANGITIDOID is intended to be an epic dungeon crawling experience distilled into about three hours of play. The intent is to use Talisman's Exploration mechanism throughout: the players will state their intent over where they are heading, make Guide and Watcher Tests, and the outcomes (Failure, Standard Success, Great Success, Extraordinary Success) will determine just where they end up, and whether they encounter monsters, traps, or special locations.

First and foremost though, I want to provide a fun experience for players. This meant that as with the first run through, I ended up calling for fewer tests, and letting the narrative and player choices play a bigger role.

I had put together some third level characters as pre-gens for DANGITIDOID, with some fun combinations including new classes from Tales from the Dungeon. Vampire is a great fit for the Minstrel class - and allows for a nice (or rather, not-so-nice) synergy between acquiring and consuming Followers. In previous sessions, I've occasionally found players to be disappointed with the Dwarf Priest, that he wouldn't be smiting foes with the Holy Hammer of Dwarven Justice, and because of the general reluctance to play a character that seems to only have a support role. There really are some good spells available for the Priest - Marked for Glory allows a rare option to affect Tests after the dice are rolled without spending Light Fate, and Sleep can work against high Threat foes as long as the Test is rolled high enough. So far, I've not seen any complaints from people choosing the Minotaur Priest. The Minotaur Ancestry allows options to pitch into combat with their horns, without having to break the weapon taboo, and a Holy Cow is surely fun to play.

I learnt from last session and didn't hand out all the cheatsheets straight away, but passed them on during the session when the powers were actually in use, or for players to look at during breaks in play.

As the adventure is really just a set of potential encounters that might occur in any order, it turned out that I used a completely different set of encounters from the first session. I ditched Rescue Betsy the Cow, and instead kicked things off with a variant on what I had originally planned as the opener for Wheppersnade Cove. Thus, this was an entirely different adventure. The great thing about running three work-in-progress adventures is that I can chop and change and Frankenstein as need or whim drives me...

The Heroes

Axel the Minotaur Priest
Ghary the Ghoul Assassin
Dirk Doomhammer, Dwarf Tomb Raider
Clemmy the Troll Warrior
Vlad the Vampire Minstrel

***

Crime and Punishment

The heroes were dragged in shackles before a bad-tempered Troll Magistrate, who glowered at them sternly. A crowded gallery of assorted goodfolk looked down in fearful fascination, murmuring at each other at the sight of these horrendous villains.

"What a sorry bunch of miscreants you are. Pass me the charge sheet, sergeant!"

The Troll received a scroll from an armoured guard. He unfurled it, squinted, and read out in a voice trembling with indignation...

(I had each player roll 3d6, and call out the result from each die, to determine the charge their character faced. A piece of random silliness, which the players went along with gamely. I particularly enjoyed their responses to the crimes. If I had prepared sufficiently, I would probably have handed a copy of the table itself to players, mocked up as a charge sheet. It feels in the spirit of Talisman.)

"You Broke the Warlock's Mule? Outrageous! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"He was asking for it," replied the Dwarf, quite unrepentant.

Angry shouts from the gallery.

"Dear oh dear! Such a callous disregard for property and a poor beast of burden? Who's next? You, you shady-looking Ghoul. Stand before me and face justice. What was your crime, let me see. Good grief! You Stole the Black Knight's Daughter?"

"Only her heart," said the Ghoul with a smile.

"Impudence! And you, you long-horned Priest, who surely should know better. Let us see the charge here... Disgraceful! Scandalized the Warlock's Daughter! This is unheard of! No words for your shameful deed eh? Next!"

Cries and swoons in the gallery.

Clemmy stood before Magistrate Cannock, who fixed the younger Troll with an even steelier glare still.

"You Doubted the Black Knight's Mule? Doubted the Black Knight's Mule!"

"It was no better than it should be."

Loud boos and shaken fists from the gallery.

Magistrate Cannock was at a loss for words. The Vampire Minstrel was last to stand.

"Let me see, let me see. Oh, horror! You Broke the Queen's Grandfather?" gasped the Troll.

"I thought the old man was a bit more robust," replied Vlad casually.

Shocked cries from the gallery. A scream and thud as someone fainted.

The Magistrate banged his iron mace on the desk before him, silencing the court room.

"Enough! Enough! Never in all my days have I heard such a list of terrible crimes, and seen such churlish lack of remorse. However-"

Here the Magistrate paused dramatically before proceeding.

"However, be that as it may, I am a firm believer in the principle of redemption for even the most miserable of sinners. And surely you are a miserable bunch indeed. Be that as it may, whilst I am ready to dispense immediate, painful, and final punishment, something moves me today to leniency. I am prepared to offer you all a path to absolution. Will you take it?"

The prisoners looked at each other, shrugged, and decide sure, why not.

"Redemption is easy. Getting soft in my old age. Recover The Chalice and your sentence is quashed. Fail, and you will have cause to regret it! It was taken by, let me see, ah yes, taken by a Dragon. Just the one apparently. Recover the Chalice, and all is forgiven. Simple. Now, if you will please just go on through and see the Portalmeister, they will put you on the right path. Well? What are you waiting for? Clear out, the lot of you."

The Portal of Blue Doom

The accused were ushered through to a chamber where an aloof Leywalker stood, preening its horns.

"How's this supposed to work then?" asked Clemmy, dubiously.

"Simple," said the Leywalker, "I will open a portal, it will carry you to the approximate location of the Chalice within the Dungeon of Inescapable Doom. You just need to locate the Dragon, which ought to be easy enough to find. Grab the Chalice, whack it with this here Runestone, and you'll be carried back. Job done. Simple, really."

Clemmy took the Runestone and eyed it suspiciously.

Not waiting to hear any further questions, the Leywalker weaved its hands, and a disc of blue light appeared.

"Hurry up now, step through. I've got a party off to find Devil Dolls in the Jungles of Quoth in five minutes."

Clemmy leaped into the magic portal. The others followed, with only the slightest hesitation.

And found themselves tumbling through space, as weird energies crackled around them, for what might have been an age, or a moment. Vlad sang a ballad to keep everyone's spirits raised. Dirk hoped that either the tumbling or the singing would soon end.

(Vlad's player suggested that while they were falling through Portal space he would sing a song to inspire and unite the group. I liked this as an action that could influence the effect of how well the portal delivered the party to the Dungeon, so had an Entertain Test rolled at Moderate Difficulty, resulting in a Standard Success.)

In the ethereal portal-space, Vlad's song tapped into the weft and weave of legend, and like a lodestone drew the heroes to the right path. The portal opened delivering the heroes to a vast flooded chamber, with rickety wooden walkways and gantries criss-crossing it, and tunnel openings here and there at all levels.

Unfortunately, the portal delivered the heroes about thirty meters up in the air. They plummeted toward the dark waters below!

Goblin/Hero Relations and Collective Bargaining

(The Troll's player asked "As we fall, can I get a rope out, tie everyone together, and lasso it onto one of the walkways?" Why not? Test at High Difficulty: Great Success.)

In an act of impossibility-defying dexterity, Clemmy managed to unravel and throw out a rope for her companions to grab, and to lasso one end of it round a walkway as they fell past. The rope caught, the party held on, and the whole lot found themselves swinging from the creaking walkway, with Dirk at the bottom end of the rope able to dip his toes in the surface of the subterranean lake.

Spinning slowly on the rope, they were able to look around, and notice that on the shores of the lake, and from most of the dozens of various tunnel entrances - including at either end of the walkway from which they were suspended, were gangs of Goblin miners. SOme ignored the heroes, others shook their tools menacingly.

"I don't fancy taking a swim and finding out if there's anything worse than Goblins in this lake," said Dirk. "Get climbing gang!"

The heroes scrambled up the rope, and started making their way towards a gang of Goblins who blocked the far end of the walkway.

About a dozen Goblins faced the heroes, scowling, and fingering pickaxes and hammers. Vlad stepped forwards, with Vampiric charm and ease.

"Have you fellows heard of the Dragon hereabouts?"

"Nyergh, 'course we know ver Dragon."

"Indeed, smart fellows like you. And I imagine you're tired of its tyranny, and lusting after its gold, eh? Who's the leader here?"

The scrawniest little Goblin jerked a thumb at his chest.

"Ok, I'm sure none of you want to die here and now, and all of you'd like to be rich. Let's see if I can help you with that."

(It didn't make any sense for the Goblins to just attack and die, and the players were willing to parley. We used the Stranger Attitude chart to set an initial difficulty (Disliked), and a Persuasion roll followed with a Great Success. Tests in Talisman can cover the broad outcome of a situation, so it often works to have a little bit of roleplay and see where that goes. We then pause and discuss objectives for the players, and then decide on the Test, and who might be Assisting. Here, the heroes found out from the Goblins that they knew where the Goblin was, and that the Goblins didn't much care for it. They were able to persuade the Goblins to join them.)

Heated negotiations followed, in which the Goblins agreed they would help to find the Dragon and get its treasure. The Goblins would get all of the treasure, except one or two (unspecified) items. The Goblins insisted on this being put in a Contract, which they were very pleased with. They assured the heroes that they would definitely help, and that this would be easy. Not entirely filled with confidence in their new allies, the heroes asked them to lead the way.

(Ten Goblins are acquired as a group of Followers. The players understand that the Goblins are trying to get the most out of their contract, and they expect to be double-crossed. They aren't too concerned about keeping any of their own end of the bargain anyway.)

With the Goblins' assistance, Axel led the heroes through the mines and into ancient crypts. At length, a large set of double doors blocked the path ahead.

The Ghoul summoned his Spirit Follower.

"Ssssss?"

"Tell us what lies ahead, and part of your bond to me is paid."

The spirit passed through the doors. A few moments later it returned.

"Ssss. A ssstatue. No foessss. Another door ahead. Ssssss."

Dirk gave the doors a careful examination.

"No problem folks," he said as he turned the handle, "definitely no traps he-"

The floor opened up and Dirk disappeared from view. The others looked down and saw that the dwarven tomb raider had narrowly avoided being impaled on a vicious set of spikes, and was looking up sheepishly.

"Little help here, please."

The Brass Robot of Doom

At a second try, the doors were opened without further mishap. In the chamber beyond stood an enormous brass statue: an armoured colossus with both legs wide apart, and a huge brass mace raised above its head.

Another door was visible on the far side of the chamber, a short walk between the statue's legs.

"OK Goblins, you're up."

"Nyergh, check ver Contrack. Goblins Never Go First!"

Sure enough, a new clause had somehow appeared at the bottom of the Contract. Heated discussion and speculation ensued. Finally, the Ghoul broke away, and strode towards the statue. With a grinding and clanging of gears, the statue began lifting its Mace a little higher.

"It looks very slow, anyhow," said Ghary. He took another step.

The mace swung down with lightning speed, the Assassin was grazed as he leapt to one side, the mace crashing down and sending splinters of stone flying. Now fully animated, eyes glowing red, the statue engaged the Assassin in deadly combat!

Clemmy looked at the giant brass automaton, and looked at the door. Clemmy noted that the statue was a lot bigger than the door. The Troll nimbly dashed through the chamber, and out to the corridor beyond. The other heroes and goblins looked at each other, then swiftly followed. The Ghoul leapt aside as the mace crashed down once more, and scrambled for the exit too.

(I had riddles and a big brass robot fight all lined up. Sensible choice from the heroes here: just get the hell out of there, and the devil take the hindmost. Ghary's player did not take it personally, and was able to escape without taking too much damage.)

On they passed through dungeons deep. The Goblins had clearly exaggerated their familiarity with the route, but were confident that the Dragon's lair was close. The air grew warmer. Ahead was a dim red glow. Dirk raised a hand in caution, and the party halted. The dwarf got out his tools, and started poking and prodding at the stone work. A loud ticking started.

"Everyone run," he said, and sprinted towards the glow. The heroes, Goblins and assorted other followers scrambled in his wake. The floor began to tremble.

The floor suddenly dropped away below two Goblin stragglers, and the Priest's faithful Servant.

"Pleasure to be of service sir..."

His voice trailed away, lost in unknown depths below.

"Ah well. What's ahead?"

The River of Fire

The corridor opened into one side of snaking fissure, down which a river of lava flowed. The corridor continued on the other side of the molten rock.

"Nyergh, sposed ter be a bridge ere, innit?" commented the Goblin leader.

Clemmy smiled, took out her trusty rope and grabbed him and the next smallest Goblin.

"Don't struggle," she warned as she bound the two together.

Clemmy then hurled the goblins across the fissure, with the rope trailing behind. Crunch. Yaaargh! Fsssshhht. It was a good shot, and almost made it to the tunnel entrance. A little more to the right next time. Clemmy hauled back the remains of the rope, the end still smouldering. She grabbed two more Goblins.

"Ey! Dats not in ver Contrack!"

Clemmy looked down at the smouldering flow of lava.

"Was the Contract written on asbestos?" she asked. "Don't worry. Your share of the hoard just went up. Plus, you're the boss now!"

"Yarr! Me ver Boss!"

Wheee. Crunch. Yaargh. Fsssshht.

Third time was the charm. The two recently-promoted Goblin pioneers high-fived each other andsecured the rope on a precarious-looking jutting piece of rock. One by one, the party shimmied across. Safely, for the most part, though as the rope sagged lower with each crossing, some got a trifle singed. The Goblins congratulated each other on their vastly increased share of the soon-to-be-acquired treasure.

(How they crossed the lava was entirely up to the players. They could also have looked for another way round, or gone hunting for bridge pieces. The Priest's player wondered if she could cast Black Ice and them all dash across - improbable, certainly, but I would probably have let it work. The Troll's player's decision to just start hurling goblins across with a rope attached was a fun solution (well, for the table, if not the Goblins - I had to let go of my Goblin union rep character at the first Fail. No room for sentiment in Talisman). Rather than make each player roll a Test for the crossing, as in general for this type of situation, I prefer to let one player's Test stand for the whole group. It was a Great Success - Standard would surely have said goodbye to a bunch more Followers and a bit of burn damage for a few heroes at random. Failure could have been interesting. Regardless of the Great Success, I did singe a few of the heroes for a couple points of damage - important that there be some consequences to shimmying across a rope over a river of lava.)

The dungeon ran deeper, the halls becoming grander, with tell-tale signs of Dwarven craft, proudly pointed out by Dirk. Axel pondered runic portents of Doom...

"Over dere!" whispered a Goblin dramatically.

Double doors stood open to a vast chamber, with towering columns and arches, and mounds of gold coins and all manners of fabulous treasure. And sleeping atop, unmistakably, a Huge Dragon. Smoke curled lazily from its nostrils.

The Dragon's Lair

The heroes cautiously backed up, and entered into whispered discussion of what to do next. Ghary sent his Spirit to look for the Chalice.

(We have reached the climactic Dragon's Lair. Anything goes here. The heroes decided on yer classic Hoard burglary.)

The Spirit returned.

"Sssss. It liessss by the belly of the beasssst."

The Ghoul made sure that he was aware of the exact location of the Chalice.

"Your debt is paid."

The Spirit dissipated. Ghary flexed his fingers.

"I'm going in," said the Ghoul, "I've got this."

He practically melted into the shadows, and crept into the chamber, treading softly over the piles of gold. The others watched, holding their breath, as Ghary crept closer and closer to the Dragon.

(The Ghoul Assassin is equipped with a Shadow Dagger, which allows for some serious sneaking. I'm needing a very high roll for Success however.)

There was the Chalice, almost within reach. Ghary reached out, slowly, slowly.

(The player pantomimed this slow reaching out, nicely adding to the tension while the group waited to hear the outcome of the Test. With adds it was a high roll... but not quite high enough. I generally make Test targets open knowledge, but not at this instance. Strictly for dramatic purposes, of course.)

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

The voice was ancient, terrible, and accompanied by a sulfurous crackling.

"Ah."

The Ghoul grabbed for the Chalice, but the piles of gold swirled as the Dragon rose up, and the Chalice slipped out of his reach.

"Oh dear."

There was a blast of blazing Dragonfire. The Assassin somersaulted backwards, nimbly avoiding the flame.

"Let's see how this turns out," muttered Clemmy as she charged in, swinging a pair of axes and leapt at the Dragon.

(Dragon fight! How do 3rd level heroes stack up against a Dragon in Talisman Adventures? Something I was curious to find out. As it turned out, not terribly. I used the Dragon stats from the Core Rulebook (toyed with the idea of throwing in one of the Dragons from Myths & Monsters, but I think that would have been a bit much), which has Threat 20, 21 Armour, and 30 Life. The Troll's attacks were at +8 to hit, so getting a Success was about an even chance. The Ghoul was next best in combat, with a +6 using the Rapier (and a 1 in 6 chance of bypassing armour, which could be handy). Of course, the problem is the damage that the Dragon can dish out, which is going to be inflicted for every Standard Success (halved) or Failure (full). 2d6 +8 for bite, 1d6+8 for claws. I had a stack of Dark Fate built up through the session, and no qualms about spending them touse the Dragon's Flame Breath: 4d6 damage - on average not as effective as the bite, but better than the claws, and much more impressive.)

Clemmy hit and her axes bit deep, but the Dragon blasted her with flame in retaliation.

(Clemmy's armour soaked up the damage. She can take a couple such. But the outcome on a Success gave pause for thought.)


Ghary struck, but his rapier bounced off the Dragon's hide. Ghoul roast!

(The damage is much more serious for the Ghoul, who had missed, and only has Leather Armour. This results in tactical reconsideration for the players.)

"Keep the Wyrm occupied," the Priest bellowed to the Troll, "and I will call on the High Powers to aid you. You others, find the Chalice!"

Flames roared! Clemmy's axes struck and missed, struck and bit. Dirk yoohooed for the Dragon's attention, as he shovelled gold and treasures into his magical Bottomless Haversack. Each of the others scrambled and sought to grab the Chalice, hoping not to get fried. Axel drew on the High Powers, Goblins screamed and ducked as flames spread in all directions.

Clemmy threw down her axes and leapt at the Chalice. Axel spent the last drop of Holy power to aid the Troll. Clemmy seized the Chalice, and drew out the Runestone! The others piled on, grabbing a hold of the Troll.

"Hmm, strike the Chalice, or perhaps I should throw both down the Dragon's maw, see how the Magistrate deals with that..."

"Strike the Chalice!"

The Runestone struck the Chalice, and the heroes vanished in a blue flash.

"Nyergh! Is all ours, all ours!" chanted the two surviving Goblins as they danced on the piles of gold.

"Ahem," said the Dragon.

A Job Well Done

In the courtroom of Magistrate Cannock, the aged Troll was contentedly sipping a cup of tea, resting one huge gout-ridden leg up on his desk. It had been a long day.

There was a flash of blue light, and out of the ceiling dropped a very badly singed Troll, Vampire, Dwarf, Minotaur and Ghoul (and assorted surviving Followers).

Clemmy strode over, and banged the Chalice down on Cannock's desk. The five heroes stared grimly at the Magistrate. Then they turned and left the courtroom, Dirk distributing handfuls of Dragon gold from his haversack amongst them as they went.

Alone once more, Magistrate Cannock looked at the battered and bent object before him. I don't suppose I should point out that this might be a chalice, but certainly isn't The Chalice, he thought to himself. He sighed, grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment, and started to write out a Warrant...

***

This was yet another hugely enjoyable session. My report does nothing to capture the witty banter that flew between players throughout: my note-taking was limited and memory questionable (though the responses to the criminal charges are verbatim). The players did a great job of getting stuck into the spirit of the game. It was really rewarding to see a group of complete strangers come together and turn some very sketchy notes and dubious GM scene-linking into a rollicking adventure enjoyed by all. They kindly allowed me to take a photograph of the group, which was the only time I had my wits together enough to ask for it, but unfortunately a fumbled my photography Test, so my distorted memories are all that remain.