Exilon Game Session & EMO Rule test

Ran emo house rules game as a playtest of new rules and setting which went well. Oddly ppl turned up early and 6 players made which is good result. Got given a goat mini and a player shouted me turkey bits and tater tots and soda.

System wise the game runs smoother and simpler which is good. Im doing basics in a 32 page a5 booklet at the moment and trying to look pretty with a more info design look/ A bit harder to min max and stack abilities than older versions.

Made a change to my alignment track but players interested in the system of number scores on alignment by taking oaths to bet bonus cantrips and later on spells. Basically start rating two alignment elements as zero and cross out others initially with chance of increasing zeroes as levels go up.

Character rolling system worked well with weaker stats more like old dnd with most players having a single +1. Basically 3d6 in order with only one stat below 9 possible raise others to 9. Then can change prime requisite to a 12 in less than that score which had 3 players choose class to raise terrible stats. A bard had a dex of 4 which became feature of back ground (sent out of temple on the road as had broken some relics).

Skill selection and spells went quickly. Need to get my shopping lists sorted as ive changed money quite a bit 1 gp = 36 sp = 360 cp. Linked to living expenses to the castes. So 1gp will feed and house a commoner for a year. A silver will support a comfortable merchant and a noble will spend a gp per day. I need to jig my price lists accordingly. It did encourage players to live within means and to blow cash. Most chose barbarians but spell casters were civilized which kept up one of key game themes.

Fighter came off as more martially skilled. Beastmen were tough, Rogue was sneaky. Bards were singing inspiring songs and reciting obscure lore.

So using my mostly new Exilon setting which I realised has become quite detailed in the last three months. My bronze-stone age monument building civilizations vs barbarians post a thousand years of necromancers post four thousand years of monsters ruling an age of nightmares went well. Ruins and remnants of wicked empires everywhere. Plenty of evil threats and ambiguously tainted peoples to provide threats. Players got to choose starting city territory and the chose the Snake city countryside near some ruins. Adderville had two local ruins and a tradition of treasure hunters. Local kids and adults were used to hiring onto adventurers. Some adventurers

Blackhorn the GoatmanChaotic beastman abhuman barbarian from south whose clan long ago was abandoned by evil masters and now looked for mercenary work, over clans anti technology above stone age stance. Had a nanny goat follower and was an expert at climbing and leaping. Culturally like most barbarians of the great wastes.

Jag the SharkmanChaotic nuetral beastman abhuman pirate who served a monster overlord on the inner sea islands and was familiar with the city formerly ruled by fish people. Was mostly barbaric but could read and speak the ancient script of the monster empire. Fled masters as disliked paperwork and orders. Actually very smart an very strong willed. Might become a priest later.

Jericho the the RogueNuetral wandering rogue who wandered land giving lip service to the five cities of the Free City League. Stole mostly for pleasure and thrills. Liked to sneak up on enemies ambush then crack jokes while next to them distracting them while party over ran failed ambushes instead of back stabbing.

Nepsu the BardGood arcanist bard, expert in occultism and summoning. Had a scarab familiar, a cattle dog and liked to summon giant ants. Liked to party and investigate forbidden lore and spend money. Tradition used spell books and wizardry in service to the Ishtar Ziggurat of the Amazon city. An expert archer and did best to avoid melee. Played the lute and happy to entertain common folk to make friends and gain information. Is sickly and unhealthy.

Tatiana the BardChaotic nuetral temple bard of Geshtianna Ziggurat of Snake city and wanderer. Played cistrum in various rituals and as was very clumsy asked to go on pilgrimage across land, healing, learning and making influence. Had healing skills and spells, a numerate scribe, a canny judge of value and manners. Good at dealing with officials and nobility and merchants. Used a spear and expert with unarmed attacks even though fairly weak. Has a eunuch groom servant to pamper her. Carries incense, drugs and beer on donkey across land trading.

John the WarriorBalanced nuetral barbarian of the wastes looking for work. Expert axe man and quick shot with composite bow. Expert tracker and swimmer happy to explore civilization and find work. Arrived with stone and bone and sinew weapons and keen to loot metal and learn new fighting skills. Arrived with black horn from wastes curious about civilisation and their arts of war.

From Adderton they stayed at inn and Tatiana hired 3 boys while locals told of the necromancer hill tombs and the wasteland desert fish folk ruins seasonally exposed from sand by winds. Set off to desert and John identified tracks as a party of bipedal camels and a party of leather moccasin wearing humans. Explored a ruined stable and dug into a fish cult monster breeding menagerie ruin. Fought the front half of a desiccated lion-snake beast sacred to old snake cults. Found some old weapons and a magic copper headband. Went home for night to heal and recover,

Next day saw a stone fish man colossus fifty foot aver sand burred waste deep and a large fishman traders guild temple. Chose the colossus and as got closer saw shift robed figures retreat inside ans something look out the statue eye windows. Jericho sneaked ahead and saw 4 diseased and scarred camel men awaiting party inside  doorway (once a balcony where fish priests looked down on bloody sacrifices of humans formed in the monuments hands).

Jerico warned others with hand signals and crawled among camels undetected. As party almost entered he popped up and joked with camels distracting them and ruined their attack as Nepsu made all inside fall asleep with a spell. Tied and interrogated camel folk demon cultists and heard about their master on the top floor before executing them. While most party went up five flights of stairs, Jericho and Blackhorn leapt and bounded up the statue making it seem effortless.

Jerrico went through the window and surprised the wizard reading a tablet in a ritual making him drop it. As the wizard and his four demon camel men attacked Blackhorn lept in, Nepsu summoned giant ants an a crimson cinnamon scented cloud. During the tense fight the wizard took out three wounded heroes with magical missiles. Tatiana turned tide reviving Jag and the wizard and camels fell. Killed the camels and bound wizard for return trip. Took his demon conjuring brazier of his patron  home. Found a chest with a snake in it so the dis a shake n bake on the snake killing it. Chest worth more than silver inside. Went back to Adderton for feast.

Next day tracked path to great guild house and killed a bunch of lesser cultists and robbed camp but obviously missed their leader. Returned to village where nepsu hired a militia man. Next day returned to collosus and went into the legs burred deep under the area. Motivated by missing leaders notes got workers to clear way through blockage. Found underground canal way where John dived in to explore passages and search silt and water and blackened bones. Found a sacrificial well where a giant albino fish tried to swollow him. Whole party struggled and barley won. Carried fish away for later and left note and priests robes with a taunting note from Jericho. Took two backpack loads of tablets and smashed rest when they heard the missing priest with cultists clearing tunnel to get in.

Back to Adderton to sell weapons and party the greater loot they took to city and handed wizard to magistrate. Had criminal casters face locked in a cruel iron casket and listened to party testimonies. Sentenced wizard to burning and party trained up. Tatiana befriended magistrate and went to a dinner party. Several learned to speak fish folk. John improved his axe skill. Tatiana learned holy lore of the gods from ziggurat, Nepsu studied techniques of quick corpse looting. Jericho learned terrible taunts to enrage enemies and start fights better as not that into fighting or back stabbing. Blackhorn and Jag had wandered off by this stage and will see what they learned later.

Went well and set up campaign themes and antagonists worked well. The fish fight was challenging and funny as everyone struggled to save unconcious John who only just was saved. Should get a few more games in while I'm in sydney for month. New year will see if i can get extra work (booked 14th-25th) or go busk with art in Newtown and do legal shit. 

Working on mutant book NYE, need to update bard class song abilities and get basick rule booklet ready. Have bulk of text done and some graphics.