THE CULT OF ROD RODDY

After graduating from Texas Christian University (TCU), Roddy was a disc jockey and talk show host on KLIF and KNUS-FM (Dallas, Texas). He also worked overnights and middays at the Buffalo, New York radio station WKBW AM, a big-signal station covering the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., and at other high-profile stations. Returning to KLIF and KNUS during the 1970s, Roddy hosted a call-in program, "Rod Roddy's Hotline," whose controversial host and topics made Roddy a frequent target of death threats. He conducted a long-running on-air feud with an elderly woman, dubbed "Granny Hate" by an earlier host, who claimed to represent the local Ku Klux Klan.

Roddy announced the situation comedy Soap from 1977 to 1981 (replacing Casey Kasem^{[citation needed]}), where he provided the opening and closing narration: "Confused? You won't be after this week's episode of Soap!" Roddy's first work as a game show announcer was on Whew!, which aired from 1979 to 1980. From there, he went on to announce several other game shows, including Battlestars (1981–1982), Love Connection (1983–1985, 1986), Hit Man (1983) and the popular Press Your Luck (1983–1986). Roddy also voiced a number of national television commercials, including those for Pennzoil and Public Storage.

The Onion: Let's start with your job.

Rod Roddy: It's the best job in the world. I work three days a week, and I give away new cars. Everybody loves you, and you meet everybody everywhere you go, and it's terrific. Everybody watches the thing. It's an amazing show, because all the age-ranges from five years old forward watch it: We're big in kindergartens and nursing homes. We're number one in hospitals and prisons. And there's a tremendous college audience, you know, which is fortunate because they're the best in the studio. It's just amazing to me how many college people come here on breaks, and in groups. Apparently, they all watch it and love to play. And they're terrific in the audience. That makes my job really easy, because I do warm-up and they're already warm. [Laughs.]

DLIKY: Roddy, what about your thoughts on 4e?

RR: Well, I didn't want to participate in that, because Bob wasn't in it, and our models weren't in it, and they made a lot of changes that I didn't think were appropriate. And I really didn't want to participate in it—they asked me to participate in it, and I declined. I'm glad I did, because it didn't do too well. And the reason, I think, that it didn't do well is that people know this show. It is what it is, and if you're going to play the Range Game, they know how the Range Game is played. If you're going to play Plinko, they know how Plinko is played. You can listen to this show while you're getting ready to go to work, and you know what's going to happen. And all of a sudden, if they change the rules of the game—which they did on the nighttime show—people resist that. And they changed the set, they changed the music, and they changed everything about it, so it really wasn't The Price Is Right. And people responded the way I thought they would; they didn't accept it. So I was glad not to be a part of it. And I don't think it helped us any, because a lot of people probably thought, "Oh, they've canceled The Price Is Right." We heard that for a long time, because of the way it was promoted.

RE: MOOR'S END - 1 - GILEEGAN WRITES IN

There has been much speculation in town whether I would be a worthy successor to me Pops, Gilagan. Most of that talk is how I will surpass him as a spender of gold and smoker of smokeweed and nothing else. So when the FAE popped into town with a request to aid a lady cleric in finding some sort of diamond encrusted artifact I jumped at the chance to prove those bastards wrong and get my hands on some lovelies (I am of course referring to the golden, bejeweled, and fair haired variety). We had just had a jaunt around a war torn hill that netted me a little gold and less notoriety. The worst part was that the only damsels were a pair of wrinkled witches who only wanted to take our hard earned gold for some conversation! So I entered the carriage with a tall and serious fellow named Devedos. He only wanted to speak of righteousness and helping others and obviously had no gold to steal but he was not an unpleasant chap and treated me quite nicely. Upon arrival we met Mattie the Mournful. Such a sad and delicate pale flower! She relayed to us her plight and I knew this was going to be a fun little excursion, the hill could wait. We also managed to pick up a stowaway neanderthal, he was this strong simple minded fellow who aided us on the hill and was no doubt looking for adventure as well. Our first outing was nothing short of comical. The townspeople, although hospitable, were strange. The owner of the local store was trying to sell us what he called an orc grenade which contained the remains of an orc child. How it actually worked was beyond me but if I had some extra gold I would like try it! We picked up a mage named Renfro at the local pub and headed out to the caves to seek out the item Mattie so desperately sought. The caves were dark and smelled like rotten flesh and soon we found the reason why. We were set upon by some giant rats...ugh. One of the creatures bit me on the shoulder, I could smell it's rank breath as it sank it's teeth into me. I nearly passed out from the pain but I managed to push it off of me. My companions managed to dispatch of the rest of the rats.  I was liking them more and more. I was about to propose we leave and return when feeling a little better when the fair Mattie produced a vial of snow white liquid. She offered me a sip and I felt the pain in my shoulder disappear. I gave her the patented Gileegan wry smile and she responded with a look so awkward and sad it made me little hobbit heart flutter!

We made our way around the caves for a bit more then entered into what appeared to be a tropical jungle inside the underground caves! As strange as this appeared we soon saw something even stranger, a merchant right in the middle of this odd jungle cave. His voice was like serpent oil and when he asked what we sought Mattie fell prey to his charm. He instantly produced the very item Mattie sought. Now Mummy always told me that if it looks too good to be true then it probably isn't and Mummy is NEVER wrong. I pulled Devedos aside as I knew he was far too prudent to be fooled by this charlatan. Devedos quickly began his righteous speak with the merchant, show off... The merchant disappeared into thin air.

Moving on through the caves we happened upon a group of bandits. My new companion Devedos went into the fray all arms and legs and made short work of these poor fellows. I managed to get in a few arrows myself. After realizing our neanderthal friend Link had taken most of the blows from the bandits we decided to head back to town. I was determined to find out what kind of drink Mattie preferred!

MOOR'S END - 1

[Sorry for the "out of order" here, but finally, here is Mattie's angle on the FAE party's entrance & first day/night in Moor's End]

When they sent out the signal, I wasnt sure who to expect, or exactly how soon, but it was only a few hours until the Furthermoor Adventure Express (FAE) could be seen descending & then gently lighting on the field near the Church, there it pulled up w/ an exhausted Neanderthal hanging by an arm @ its side, which was quite a surprise to the Thief & Monk as they stepped from the conveyance.  The hobbit thief, was named Gileegan, & seemed the questionable sort, while the monk, Devedos, appeared much more respectable. I consulted them about why they had been signaled here, as a recent bandit attack during a procession, had claimed a priceless item from the Church, a foot long, diamond encrusted white widow which most likely is now being transfered through the caves west of Moor's End to potentially end up in the wrong hands. Devedos questioned his involvement, concerned that risking lives for a material possession such as this jewel, was not something he cared to be a part of, but then I explained to him the import: that this was not any ordinary jewel, that it also has magical properties which wielded by the wrong hands, could potentially mean not only the destruction of the Church of the White Widow, but also something much darker in the long run... Devedos agreed this was something the Order of the Guiding Star should be concerned w/ as well, & of course the Thief was ready to get his hands on the diamond spider when I first mentioned it. They asked if I cared to join them, I said I would if I would actually be of help, but first they wished to walk down into Moor's End to purchase armor for their Neanderthal friend they call Link, as well as other general adventuring products therefore I tell them about Oogy's Curiosity Shop that also carries adventuring supplies.

Link took to some leather armor his friends purchased & they bought some other things I wasnt really paying attention. Oogy tried selling them some jacks, as well as something he was calling an Orc Grenade, I felt sick when he said what was in it, they wanted to visit the Forgotten Worm Inn stopped in & they spoke w/ a magic-user @ the bar named Renfro the Regarded. He told us a story of how as a youngster in Furthermoor City he had been observing a battle between two powerful wizards in the street & been struck by a bolt from a Staff of Withering, therefore only 11, suddenly looked 21, & also, began his interest in magic. He also mentioned to the others that he'd heard about a barber in town that had a hair ointment that would increase one's strength. Gilleegan pointed out they were about out of money, so talk turned to venturing to the caves. Renfro was interested in joining us. We left for the Caves, my hopes for locating the Diamond Spider of the Church of the White Widow.

It was around 3 PM as I showed them the secret entrance I knew into the caves, though I had never been inside myself. Naturally, the cave was extremely dark, & narrow, a little less than five feet across, & maybe about eight feet high. Gileegan decided to lead out front w/ his lantern, Link, Devedos, me, then Renfro... The entrance was slow going when after a bit we cut south & then found ourselves rapping around in this thin tunnel until finally I had to stop b/c everything slowed; next thing I knew I heard something terrible, a high pitched scream of some sort & Gileegan was moaning, I was frightened, Renfro moved past me, but then I hastened, another nasty nashing sound & Gileegan clearly hurt, I began to worry, but then I could hear Devedos grunting & a gnarly sound from something... Then I heard Renfro chanting & could see his hands moving in the shadows of Gileegan's dropped lantern & suddenly the screeching of the Giant Rats was no more & a nasty snoring could be heard echoing. We moved into the room & Devedos, after stacking the remaining rats & doing something I had to turn away from. You hear of these Giant Rats, but seeing them is another thing; I hate any living thing to lose its life, but strangely, I felt nothing. Devedos took Gileegan's lantern & began moving around the cave room, examining the walls... In the back of the room, about 10 feet up in a small hole in the rock wall could be seen a small chest. Devedos climbed up the wall & w/ amazing skill both popped the chest out of the hole & then landed on his feet to catch it before it hit the ground. Inside the chest was a cache of silver weapons: a silver dagger & a quiver of silver arrows. On both the sheath & the quiver there was an eagle over a fleur-de-lys w/ some runes written below. I went over to Gileegan & offered him the secret I had brought w/ me, a vial of healing that Brother Lennox had given me. Gileegan drank half of it, feeling much better. Gileegan & Devedos decided to have Link adventure out front & Link seemed honored, we moved out & up a new passage from the room moving west untul we entered another clearing, this time the room was basically bare except for a tall, white stone in the center. The stone was pointed at top & wide & smooth @ it's base. Devedos moved around it a bit but we decided to move on, traveling into a north tunnel then turning northwest we came to a southern corridor - we traveled down it & eventually moved into a small clearing cave room, Link moving the lantern about to reveal silver & gold tossed about the floor in splotches. Happily, we collected the coins & then moved on up out of the other side of the room coming to another tunnel which led us for some time to the NW - eventually coming to a choice, either NW or E, we turned east, soon coming to a south passage into an opening - entering the opening, we found a sizable room filled w/ lush plant life, as if stepping into a jungle... No insects or animals or noises for that matter were about, it was completely still... After searching around the plants a bit, Devedos located 4 green mushrooms w/ white dots. He broke off a small piece & ate it. He said he felt radiant for a a few seconds. He pulled up the mushrooms & we moved back out the room, turning east where again we moved south into another room, this room bigger than any we'd seen, stalagmites about, as we moved down into the large cave room, we noticed someone there, a man @ a table, who greeted us... "Hello travelers," he said. "Can I offer you any of my items? What is it you seek?" I couldnt hold it in, asking if he happen to possess a diamond spider. "Why yes," the man said, "I believe I do have the spider you speak of." He leaned down behind the table. I couldnt believe it, my heart was in my throat. "How much?" asked Devedos. "How much do you carry?" said the merchant, "I believe it will take all that you have, this is a pricey piece." The merchant held up the spider & placed it on the table. Everyone held their breath. I wanted to run up & hold it in joy. But then Gileegan & Devedos began whispering, & then Gileegan stepped forward, "something is strange here, how did you come to gain this spider?" Devedos added, "No, we arent giving up any coin for this, I dont like this." It is then that suddenly, the merchant was no longer there. Disappeared. My heart fell into my toes. What is this place? I thought, where merchants disappear & jungles grow under the earth? We moved back out into the main tunnel & moved east where we soon came into a smallish opening & saw a number of men sitting about... 5 of them... they were surprised to see us enter, & here began the most dreadful part of our adventure. Though we were the ones to leave the cave w/ our lives intact, the five bandits were slaughtered, Link was badly wounded, & we did not find the spider, only more gold coin. Rushing, using Devedos memory, we retraced our steps out of the caves & got back to the Church around 10:00 PM. We brought Link inside & finding Brother Lennox we had him healed; we then moved to the Inn of the Forgotten Worm to split up the treasures we had found.

10:30 PM

MOOR'S END - 2

Treasure is divided from delve into caves west of Moor's End - Certain interest is taken in Clara & her dying dog, Joey & the stunted turnips he is fed - Tales are told to the party about a giant carrot that devoured a farmhand while men were trying to dig it up - Kruger the Blacksmith is met & then later challenged by Devedos to a duel - Renfro & Gileegan try to pick up the pieces...

PARTY CAST:
Gileegan, hobbit thief - MN
Devedos, monk - RM
Renfro the Regarded, magic-user - JT
Mattie the Mournful, cleric of the White Widow - NPC
Link, neanderthal - NPC

ENCOUNTERED NON-PARTY NPCs:
Iggy - barkeep @ the Forgotten Worm
Clara - young girl w/ dying dog named Joey
Mystery - Clara's mother
Cleatus Jeffers - veterinarian
Oogy - owner of curiosity shop
Gil Kruger - blacksmith/armorer

Having returned from caves late @ night the party divides the booty. Renfro gets the silver dagger & Gileegan the silver arrows. All retire for night, Mattie returns to Church of the White Widow.

Next morn, Devedos is watchful out front of Inn, watching the folk of Moor's End begin their day. He takes interest in a young girl carrying a dog up to the building next door. Clara tells of her sick dog, Joey, & soon Devedos is chatting w/ the veterenarian, Dr. Jeffers, about what he uses (herbs) to heal Joey & how often he comes in (once a month - takes a week for him to get better, etc) & asks what Joey eats (turnips & watermelon) & after vet, Devedos gathers the others (Gileegan & Renfro were now outside eyeing Oogy next door the other way who was smoking a pipe, Gileegan was talking about those "orc grenades" & his interest in them - Link is still alseep as his sleep is way off having lately been nocturnal on Horror Hill) & they follow Clara to her home which is a shack up NE from the Inn. There the party meets her mother, Mystery. Devedos examines the small garden plot they have. Strangely, here in the spring, when things should be growing, most of the garden is already dug & gone, minus a few turnips... Looking around, he sees the same in other plots nearby. Mystery tells them a story that her husband, Cujo, has told her: that out @ a farm one day not long ago, a number of men were trying to pull up a giant carrot from the earth, next thing they knew, one of their number was missing & they saw some legs & shoes disappear into the carrot like it had gobbled the man up. Devedos wants to investigate. They leave in search of Randy's Farm where Cujo is currently working. Mystery doesnt know how to get there (Cujo changes farms often).

Party decides to inquire about Randy's Farm @ the last establishment to the east of town as they walk from Clara's home. The establishment is a blacksmith's shop & armory. The owner, Gil Kruger proves to be an S.O.B. & the party clashes a bit w/ him in regard to their questioning. Irritated they take their leave & head back through the shacks up to the Church of the White Widow where Mattie rejoins the party. She thanks them again for the contribution she was able to make to the Church & her refreshed hope in locating the diamond spider. She spent the morning praying for Cure Light Wounds to aid in their adventuring. They head back to the Forgotten Worm Inn, only to find Kruger inside, inhaling his lunch while cutting it up w/ Iggy, the barkeep. Devedos is still hell bent on finding info about Randy's Farm, whereas Gileegan is now urging that their task lie elsewhere, as in, heading back to the caves... Iggy tells Gileegan that it is believed that Orcs of the Black Hole are building up forces in the caves & may soon threaten Moor's End. Seeing Renfro, Kruger asks if he's seen the librarian. He says there's a librarian in town who's known to have some of the oldest known books in all of Furthermoor. Renfro tries buying Kruger a drink to learn more but Kruger refuses & becomes an ass again. Devedos becomes highly irritated & after he's had enough, challenges Kruger to a duel.

Out front of the Forgotten Worm Inn, first, Renfro approached Kruger & tried to sneakily cast Charm Person upon him; however, Kruger just brushed him off, not sure what he was up to. Devedos & Kruger then went @ it. At first, Kruger blunders & Devedos is able to take advantage by dealing some significant blows to Kruger & then, Devedos w/ an impressive kick, not only rids Kruger of his two-handed sword, Delilah, but also, in struggling w/ it, the blade cuts into Kruger & does him damage as well, the blade flying to the ground 3 feet away, Kruger jumps for it... In a crucial moment, Devedos misses Kruger, Kruger pulling Delilah back up, Devedos chops again, but misses & then turns to feel Delilah slicing through his guts. Devedos falls into the dust, dead... Mattie begins sobbing & running over, falls over Devedos. Kruger wipes off Delilah, & injured, stumbles back up & into the Forgotten Worm, yelling.

Leaving Mattie w/ Devedos' body, Gileegan & Renfro quickly work out a plan & running across the street, they work their way behind a number of establishments until they get to Kruger's shop. They end up running around & trying the front door, which is locked, but Gileegan successfully picks it w/o any problem. They move in & relock the door. They search the place locating Kruger's bedroom & behind that the forge room w/ a window. They stake out in the bedroom, waiting. About 45 minutes later they hear Kruger unlocking the front door & stumbling in, tossing stuff onto the table in the main room. Before long he comes pushing the door to the bedroom open & before he even has any idea, Gileegan has backstabbed him w/ a dagger into the doors of death. Renfro & Gileegan find a key on his body that opens a chest near his bed. The chest contains 72 gold, 800 silver & 2 potion vials. They move into the forge room & stoke the forge & then lay out some cloth from Kruger's bedding to start a fire which will trail down & burn the place down... Gileegan moves out of the window & races to the Church of the White Widow. Renfro moves back toward the front door & grabs Delilah...he wraps the two-handed sword in cloth from the bed & then follows out the window, wrapping back around & then crossing the street, back toward the Forgotten Worm. Mattie is still out there in the street, though no longer crying, watching over Devedos. Every now & then, passersby will stop & inquire what happened. They dont seem surprised when they hear that Kruger is involved.

Before long, smoke can be seen on the eastern edge of Moor's End, twisting up from the back of Kruger's shop...

5:00 PM, Thursday, 14th day of the month of the Hummingbird, Moor's End, Furthermoor

WHO IN THE HELL IS MONTY HALL?

I got to thinking about this recently when I saw someone on G+ comment that they are a bit of a "monty haul" DM. To my knowledge, the first place Monty Hall is mentioned by TSR in writing is in Tim Kask's foreword to OD&D Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976): 

Monty Hall DMing his first Gen Con game

This volume is something else, also: our last attempt to reach the "Monty Hall" DM's. Perhaps now some of the 'giveaway' campaigns will look as foolish as they truly are. This is our last attempt to delineate the absurdity of 40+ level characters. When Odin, the All-Father has only(?) 300 hit points, who can take a 44th level Lord seriously?

What about previous attempts?

First, in light of the above, in OD&D Supplement I: Greyhawk, Gary Gygax was quick to change the original XP numbers for monster slaying calling the 100 points per monster level in OD&D "ridiculous" (the XP numbers in Greyhawk would carry through to both Basic & AD&D). Next, consider this from Tim Kask's Foreword to OD&D Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry (1976):

As originally conceived, D&D was limited in scope only by the imagination & devotion of DMs everywhere. The supplements have fulfilled the need for fresh ideas & additional stimulation. But somewhere along the line, D&D lost some of its flavor, & began to become predictable. This came about as a result of the proliferation of rule sets; while this was great for us as a company, it was tough on the DM. When all players has all of the rules in front of them, it became next to impossible to beguile them into danger or mischief. The new concept pioneered within these pages should go a long way towards putting back in some of the mystery, uncertainty & danger that make D&D the unparalleled challenge it was meant to be...

From Kask's words, in addition to running "giveaway" campaigns, it would seem a Monty Hall DM took the mystery, uncertainty & danger out of the game. It isnt hard to see how this term would stick around 1976ish. As the game sold & snowballed they were seeing another type of game appear, a predictable version they didnt like, run by, what one would assume, was a specific type of DM, who among other things, gave out treasure & advancement w/o any true risk to players, i.e. a Monty Hall, now your hosting Let's Make A Deal, the home version.

As it is more commonly seen today, the term has morphed into "monty haul" & when one mashes up the meaning of the British term, "full monty" (likewise could be assumed by some a Monty Python reference, depending) w/ "haul", it sort of makes sense even if you've never heard of Monty Hall.

PS: I remember Let's Make A Deal, as well as Monty Hall's hosting it; however, I never knew his name, like Bob Barker. Perhaps Bob Barker DMs will be the new thing...

SESSION 8 - TALBOT GAMBLING HOUSE

So the consensus within the party was that Leif needed to be rescued. Goody Threeshoe said that most likely Leif was taken by some militia & was underneath the Gambling Hall. They all took a break. Amadi was tempted to begin work on copying his sleep scroll to his spell book, but knowing it would take some time, retired w/ Gnolan & decided to peruse his new found book on Mathematics & got about 1/3 through; Djarel read a bit of his book about Cult of the Black Dog; Magus & Telal both took a load off & caught a few Zzz's... The five eventually regrouped in the bar area & discussed their plan for rescuing Leif...

They got to the Talbot Gambling Hall around 5 PM & were surprised to find Goody Threeshoe inside @ the only table being used, in the center of the hall, where a roulette table was. Also @ the table was Delly Hammonds, the stonecarver, they first met when Magus was looking for work, & also they are introduced to Sam Gugs, the master brewer @ Mineral's Brewery. Surprised that the party already knows these fellows is the MC of the gambling hall, Shadow Jask, a buffed out brother, who is anxious to make his presence known. Other than those four are six other folks around the table: three farmer lookin' men & three shady lookin' mates w/ hoods, all eyeing the party suspiciously. Though everyone seems a bit questionable about Gnolan, they realize that Amadi is in control of him, the way he follows him, & they start in w/ Shadow about seeing Leif & letting him go free. Shadow restates the crime Leif is suspected of: accosting & robbing Lyla Dimmings (the Baron's daughter) of valuable jewelry while on her way to a formal gathering. Shadow asks if they have an alibi for Leif for a day & a half ago. They all speak @ once, saying they were in Crackenmore. Leif was w/ them. Everyone's jaw drops. Shadow says, "Crackenmore?! Are you kidding me? What were you doing in Crackenmore & how do we know you were really there?" Djarel steps up w/ Kinchen's shield & brandishes it proudly, pointing to the inscription reading Kinchen Forever. "Found in Crackenmore, my friends," he says. Those around the table are quite impressed. "But how do we know that the elf was w/ you?" asks Shadow. "Hey," says Goody, "can you spin the wheel already? & then we can deal w/ this." Rattled, Shadow asks if any of them want to place a bit before he spins & gambling addict Magus reaches deep & places the 18 gp he gained from Crackenmore on black. Shadow rolls. RED 7. Oh well, no one ends up winning. Shadow scrapes up the coins & pockets them. "By the way," says Shadow, "you all will need to deposit any weaponry you are carrying into the bank." There is a bit of resistance, but as the three fellows w/ hoods stand & circle the party, after noticing Telal trying to sneak closer the door on the north wall, things get more serious & Shadow presses that they must deposit any weapons they have in the gambling hall. He leads them to a door in the SW corner of the hall & then they watch as he takes their weapons one-by-one as they hand them to him. "Now can we get Leif out?" asks Amadi. "You may have that shield, but nothing proves that the elf was in Crackenmore. The bail is 650 gold," says Shadow. Gulps can be heard around the room. The party presses Shadow about going down to @ least see Leif, but is shot down. "Can ya'll go down?" he asks the 3 hooded folks & they promptly exit the door on the north wall. As everyone is back around the roulette table, Shadow included, Djarel & Magus get into a verbal fight of some sort, about gambling Magus' money away when they need it for bail, & Amadi grabs Shadow for discussion, bringing him over to the side; in the moment, Shadow lets it slip, "I have no call in all of this, the thieves guild are the ones w/ the control," then before Shadow knows it Amadi is subtly casting Charm Person on him & as the argument dies down, Shadow is now asking what he can do for Amadi & the party. "How much money do you have, Shadow?" asks Amadi. "I think about 1200 gold," says Shadow. "I would like to use your 1200 gold to free the elf," says Amadi. Shadow heads toward the bank door & then comes out lugging two large bags of coin. "What the hell?" says Goody. "I been gamblin' here how long? You never loaned me nothin' like that." He looks to the others still there, who also look a bit confused. "Can you take one of those bags & get Leif?" says Amadi. "Sure," says Shadow, "that shouldnt be a problem." Shadow heads out the door on the north wall, where the hooded fellows had disappeared to. The party then moves toward the bank room where they realize Shadow left the door ajar. Goody, Delly, Sam & the three yokels decide to gather their stuff & follow the party to the door where everyone grabs their weapons, them included, & then the party moves back to the center of the hall as the others leave the establishment. They wait. Shadow has not returned after 30 minutes. They decide to go through the door, w/ Magus leading. They pass through the door & go down a stair. They come to  room lit by torches in wall, a table in the middle w/ cards & some coin atop as well as a number of doors about. The party notices a body laying to the NE of the room, in front of a door. It's Shadow & he's dead. The sack of gold is nowhere to be found. Telal tries to unlock the door but is unable. Amadi then steps up, twirls & kicks it open. Inside they find Leif sitting on a dirt floor w/ his hands tied behind his back in a nasty knot, wearing only his simple clothes, all of his major belongings taken. Telal cuts him free & searches the room, but finds nothing; the party regroups in the room, & swipes the coinage from the table, eyeing the other doors about. They decide to try to door north of where they are.

Amadi tries to kick it open but fails. Telal then steps up, pulls out his tools & quickly has the door unlocked. They ease in & see that the room is split into to different openings...dirt floors like Leif's cell...as they get further in they first notice a figure hunched in the NW wing - nearing the figure they see that it is a gnoll w/ hands tied behind back. He begins speaking w/ Gnolan & Leif translates for the party. The gnoll was captured up north near the Enchanted Waste & he says that if they free him, he knows where as stash of 2000 silver is that he can pay them. The party frees the gnoll. They move to the other wing of the room where they evade a bear trap of some sort & against the wall find two coffers w/ 15 platinum pieces each. The party moves back into the main room & discusses their options. There they stand, 550 gp & 30 pp richer, now a party of seven individuals: a magic-user, a thief, an elven ranger, a half-orc cleric, a dwarf & two gnolls. Shadow's dead body crunched in the corner of the room. Amidst the discussions of whether to stay or go, & what to do about Leif's possessions, the freed gnoll adds that somewhere down here, supposedly, under the gambling house, is an entryway into what many gnolls refer to simply as the Old Tunnels.

7:00 PM

WHAT ABOUT MY BOOK ON COSMETICS?

Know what annoys me most when playing a fantasy "RPG" video game? The story element of the game & the huge learning curve that comes w/ its plethora of lore... Coincidentally, it seems that the most successful video games of the day are those that allow players to wander away from the story for long stretches @ a time: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim, etc. These games lean more on the strengths of modern video game technology, but are also limited by the trappings of the robot's mind: whether you or I enter Riverdale when we turn on the game, the NPCs will say the same things & act the same ways & all of the items are in the same places, etc.

When it comes to old school pen-and-paper D&D though, my views on story are quite the opposite as it's actually one of my favorite elements of the game. It's an organic & creative process that develops as multiple human brains play off of one another. You never know what will happen, or what someone may decide to do or create. That, to me, is the strength of a true role playing game & it cannot be duplicated by a computer.

That said, it bums me out when my character finds a book in a video game & I am expected to actually sit there & READ THROUGH six pages of generic fantasy fiction to obtain some nugget of player knowledge about the game world, etc. Why cant my act of opening it just tell me what my character now knows? Or what I need to know? Or how my character is better @ carpentry now?

So, what about that book your character found on cosmetics? The character can read it when they have time. A high intelligence will speed up their reading/comprehension. If what they are reading is a specific history topic, the character will be given the specific information they learn from reading the book. If the book is a general topic, like cosmetics, or say, taxidermy, then reading the book would be noted on the character's sheet for future negotiation leverage w/ the DM, e.g. the character is trying to work up a disguise ("also, remember a week ago I read that book on cosmetics?"), or perhaps trying to embalm a slain creature. Their having read each book respectively will aid them in the appropriate task. In a way, this adds skills to the game w/o adding a skill mechanic.

ERIC TALBOT & THE GREAT CHURCH

The town of Talbot was originally referred to as Talbot's Fee & was land given to Dagwood Talbot by King Stamos after Dagwood's admirable leadership during the Shadow War in NW Furthermoor, which ultimately led to human victory.

Dagwood Talbot

Dagwood, along w/ his wife Gesturine, had seven children: 2 sons, Zimbo & Kinchen, & 5 daughters, Relay, Chimay, Light Heart, Lucky & Golden Bough. Zimbo being the oldest, was about nine years of age when Gesturine died from unknown causes. A few years later, Dagwood married Ellie Fintup, the eldest daughter to the Lord of Moor's End, & they had one child, a son, named Eric.

Zimbo & Kinchen Talbot

By the time Eric was 12, Zimbo & Kinchen were adventuring in foreign lands & almost done w/ an underground structure, built by orc slaves, called Crackenmore, that was just outside of Talbot's Fee on the northside (back then there was not much other than the Talbot's Estate, other than a small store & a few other houses). Eric, by his mother's influence, became quite involved w/ the Great Church, & after visiting Furthermoor City, decided to start a church in Talbot's Fee. Though after one month he only had five regular churchgoers, @ the same time, he began to venture out into the nearby lands, specifically up around the Enchanted Waste, where the Shadow War took place. He became a paladin for the Great Church & @ one point, helped save Talbot from a goblin attack when Zimbo & Kinchen were far away. 

Eric Talbot's Crest

But then something happened: some strange folk appeared one day outside the wood building that Eric had set up for his branch of the Great Church. They were looking for Zimbo. "Why didnt you join us?" Eric asked, as the other churchgoers trickled out, about fifteen of them... Eric was left alone w/ these hooded folk, five of them. "We need Zimbo," they said, "We need Zimbo now." This is the last thing that anyone (one of the churchgoers heard this as they watched from behind a tree) heard of Eric. The same person saw Eric welcome the hooded figures into the church, then left.

No one knows what happened to Eric, as he was never seen again. Some say the hooded folk were werewolves & that the Black Dog is in fact Eric Talbot (even though some stories of the BD date earlier than Eric's disappearance). Then there are those that believe that Eric learned something beneficial to himself & went w/ it. Many other ideas exist, but either way, the Great Church @ Talbot ended up in a large blaze by many of those that thought Eric's demise was witchcraft. It took some time to sell the land, but eventually, many years later, Tyler Jenson built Talbot's Gambling Hall in the spot. As they cleared the land & built, rumors rolled that a few tunnels were found that led below the ground... Some search was done, & some rooms were found below the ground, which served the militia for some time in regard to regulating for the town when certain characters appeared... That said, it is well known that there is a door down there that leads to places that no one - @ least no one that talks openly - has been...

SESSION 7 - CRACKENMORE

So the two gnomes seem extremely interested in Gnolan, & Magus begins speaking w/ them, first asking if they know Common. They do not, as they come from an area far from those that speak Common. They go on to explain that they teleported here from their home, not "here" but nearby, to a place they cannot devulge; they explain that they heard of this rock from others that have ventured here & returned w/ great powers & treasures. They have been examining the rock now for 3 days, but have yet to figure it out. The party begins focusing on the glowing rock, & Leif begins rubbing it a bit, slowly, feeling a bit of tension in a small area, he breaks off a chip. The party debates about what to do w/ the chip until they have Gnolan put it in his mouth. Everyone watches as Gnolan just shrugs a bit, but then speaking to Leif, Leif notices that Gnolan's voice is slightly different slower, sloppier... A great debate arises about what to do, whether they should simply leave the rock alone, etc. The gnomes, however, who agree to guide the to an exit they know of, say they will not leave until they figure the rock out. So more chips are chipped & passed around. One by one, they decide whether to put it in their mouth or not, but ultimately all succumb to the temptation & realize how the magical rock affects them: Magus will eventually realize his CHA has lowered by 1, Amadi feels a surge that would heal all his HP, but he is already @ full, so just feels good all around, Leif eventually realizes he is stronger than before, +1 STR, Telal notices no effect whatsoever, & then Djarel is suddenly blind. The gnomes on the other hand, as far what the party can tell visually, one of them shows them a beautiful pearl gem that suddenly appeared in their hand once they put the stone in their mouth. Magus can tell it is of some value, @ least 500 gp. The gnome is extremely excited & seems fulfilled in his mission. The gnomes agree to guide the party out of the dungeon, mentioned that though they did notice some Troglodytes, they should be able to get past them. The party is eager to get back to Talbot. They follow the gnomes & within an hour & a half they are inching out of of a crevice into a field that is directly north of the Talbot Cemetery.

As the party collects themselves, they turn to find the gnomes gone. They talk about returning to town, but Djarel, still blinded, begins speaking of his warhammer left in the statue. The party agrees to guide him there to retrieve it. They move west & then down to the cemetery gates where they enter & move to where the statue of Dagwood Talbot rests. There in his left hand, he is gripping Djarel's warhammer. Someone guides Djarel's hand & when he grips it & pulls, it comes free, & a creaking can be heard from behind the statue where the door to Crackenmore is closing, rock rubbing rock. Subsequently, as the party heads back out of the cemetery, Djarel begins to perceive from his eyes, until he can fully see once back into Talbot proper. The party moves to the Green Lantern. It's 5 AM. Full of excitement, the party doesnt really wish to go right to sleep. Djarel retires to a room to worship for a while, refreshed w/ Detect Magic, he steps out & finds the others already into heavy conversation & cups w/ Goody Threeshoe. Djarel has them pile up all of their booty & casts Detect Magic on the pile. As it turns out, the shield that Djarel found, Kinchen's shield, is a magic shield (+1). Amadi, inspired & excited to study the scroll he found, insists on buying for everyone, round after round... It is quite a scene, the party slowly blitzed around the table now around 7 AM. Leif decides to venture out for a toke on some Hallowed Hash, comes back in, more drinks are had by everyone... But then, heading back out, Leif is accosted by about five men, & in his state, doesnt really catch it all, until he cant really fight back... Next thing he knows, he is in a cell of some kind & he can hear the men down a hall speaking of catching the person that robbed Lyla Dimmings. Apparently she told people it was an elvish type, that carried a bow. Otherwise, back @ the Green Lantern Inn, Djarel has a strange dream: he sees Dawnbringer, the Great Tulip, silver & yellow, wide open in the sun, & from out of it, orcs clad in black leather. He is standing behind a stone, & watching sees that they have a prisoner they are bringing out, a human prisoner, who is not moving, but whose eyes are wide. The prisoner is wearing a red vest & also has something in front of his eyes, on his nose that Djarel has never seen. As the prisoner is finally taken out, Djarel watches as he is set down & a number of orcs circle him. He reaches into a tube & pulls out a scroll of some sort & begins to unroll it... It is @ this moment that Djarel is awaken by Telal, "Djarel, get up, get up, did you hear about Leif?"

3 PM

MONKS OF THE GOLD MOUNTAIN

Three Monks of the Gold Mountain spotted early this morning in bustling Furthermoor City.

The Gold Mountain is said to be in the Far East of Furthermoor, much further east than the current map shows. A renowned, wizened sage is believed to live there in a cave @ the top of the mountain; known simply as "The Old Man", he is said to be the oldest human in all of Furthermoor.

OLD SCHOOL MAPPING IN THE ONLINE AGE

Been thinking about mapping a lot as I began a G+ campaign using an old school module where the task of mapping is a lot of the challenge & though at first I felt some responsibility in aiding the players in finding an "online" mapping solution, I finally had to step away... Mapping should be the players' responsibility, not the DM's.

As the players started getting dazed & confused in the dungeon & mapping became of ultimate importance (we've been walkin past this same freakin doorway for three hours now, wait, is that the same door? is that the iron spike i left?), it became clear: if one provides instant mapping for players (reveal-as-you-move mapping, etc.), a key element of the game is being nixed. All of those old school dungeon tricks to confuse the mapper(s)? Out the window. You're now holding your players' hands through the dungeon.

You may be using reveal mapping if you do not consider this bit from Mike Carr to be sage advice:

"...allow them to draw their maps from your descriptions as they wish - but make certain that your verbal descriptions of the areas they explore are accurate... avoid the considerable temptation to correct their maps once they have drawn them. It will not be uncommon for players to show you their map (especially if they're confused) & ask you, 'Is this right?' In most such instances, you should avoid correcting any mistakes there, unless it would be obvious through the eyes of the adventuring characters. Encourage good mapping skills & an attention to detail rather than falling into the rut of continual player map questions."

P.S. We do use Twiddla, though not for actual mapping (was initially a disaster for the players). We use it for situations like battles, deeper explanations of a room, etc.