No, you found everything.

Did we miss any good loot in the general store?

Robbing the Store What gamer doesn't appreciate a chance to burglarize a merchant's shop? It's a tradition that must be as old as the hobby. Molly and Lyra stole some useful loot from the closed general store. Plus, the owner had been killed by the Hound, so it was a bit of a victimless crime. My favorite part of this scene was how Tabitha distracted the local guards by pretending to be clueless about how to use her weapons and armor. Which, in a way, she should have been. She was a jeweler with no real combat training, but her killer instinct and experiences in Sailors on the Starless Sea put her a cut above the average watchman. Just *chef's kiss*. Tabitha and Lyra also had some great RP scenes around this part of the game (see page 18 of the IC thread), where they dealt with Tabitha's grief. I really enjoyed how much effort you all put into playing your characters. I'm pretty sure DCC games aren't known for that sort of thing. The Mad Widow Ymae Ymae was a fun NPC for which I really enjoyed writing scenes. Ymae's hovel was a critical location for investigating the Hound because Ymae alone knew the secret to defeating it. As you know, the Hound had to be bound before it could be killed permanently. There were three ways to do that: The Wolf-Spear of the Ulfheonar The Shackles of the Mad Widow Mortal Strength Of course, you took the Wolf Spear route, and obtaining that spear was the entire second act of the module. That said, you could have bypassed that entire section by choosing one of the other methods. Ymae really did know how to make shackles that would bind the Hound, which she made from the hair of the recently dead. Her price was a little steep, though. She demanded that Bernard marry her of his own free will. Bernard shut that idea down pretty hard, and who could blame him? Still, agreeing to marry Ymae was a legitimate option, and it would have led to some interesting events in the game. I'll leave it at that because I'm not sure that Ymae won't make another appearance in other adventures. The last option for binding the Hound was mortal strength, which was just as simple and difficult as it sounds. In the tradition of Beowulf, an extraordinary PC could have simply wrestled the Hound down and held it while everyone else killed it. The trick would have been to do so without getting ripped apart. Ropes and such would not have worked. The Hound had to be held by a hero's own body. These three options for successfully completing the module took up only a third of a page, but they were a wonderful addition to the game. It is amazing how much depth and player agency was built into the adventure, considering it was only 19 pages long.

Second that notion - really enjoyable recap. Very interesting to see how the story turned with our choices!

Enjoying the recap and trip down memory lane so far. I'd forgotten about some things, like the shopping trip to the blacksmith. As for Helge and Father Beacom, I got lucky with a couple key rolls. At first level the odds of success when casting as a cleric are about 50/50. (It might have been 55/45 for Helge because she had a +1 to the relevant stat.) But if that Lay on Hands hadn't worked, or if the Detect Magic hadn't found the hammer... I can imagine things would have gone in a very different direction.

The Villagers and the Hound With Morgan rescued, you all met back at the Sign of the Wolfspear and met most of the NPCs in the game. They quickly told you the big problem in Hirot which was, of course, the Hound. The Hound actually wasn't an incredibly tough monster, stat-wise. While it was definitely still dangerous to low-level PCs it was almost more of a puzzle than anything. The problem wasn't "how do we defeat this thing" it was "how do we make it stay dead?" Interestingly, The Web of All-Torment, the other DCC campaign I'm running right now, also features an unkillable villain. I'm not sure if that's a common DCC trope or if I just happened to select two modules that have it in common. And that was really Doom of the Savage Kings in a nutshell. It was a setting, a bunch of interesting NPCs, and the puzzle of the Hound. It is such a simple concept but it still led to such a great adventure. It's a triumph of minimalist design. It didn't take you long as a group to zero in on the challenge the adventure presented and you did a good job investigating the Hound and figuring out where to go next. Some highlights of the early adventure included: The Discovery of the Map Lyra found a map hidden in a cloak she claimed back in Sailors on the Starless Sea. That module actually did specify that the cloak had a "parchment" hidden in the lining but left it up to the GM to say what was on it. At the point you found it, I already had an idea for how to move you to Doom of the Savage Kings if you survived the funnel, but I don't like to railroad, so I knew the parchment would be a hook for an optional adventure. I chose Curse of the Kingspire because it looked challenging and awesome, but I had no idea if you'd pursue it or not. Getting Equipped Leave it to you guys to turn a trip to the blacksmith into a memorable part of the game. I loved the RP in this scene, and it was fun watching you guys figure out how to equip yourselves as adventurers after an entire module with only what gear you could find. This scene also provided Helge's first opportunity to cast a spell, and I loved the PC's reactions to that. It would definitely be interesting to see someone you know suddenly channeling the power of a god. A Conversation with a Thegn I added the conversation with the thegn Eadric to show that the thegns weren't necessarily as hostile to your group as the Jarl was, something which the module specified but left up to the GM to figure out how to work in. I tried to take a realistic look at the thegns. They were all sworn to the Jarl, but they were also residents of Hirot, and they'd seen how poorly he handled the Hound. Some were okay with that, and others weren't. Eadric fell in the latter group, but by the time you met him, your group was very clear about where they stood regarding Hirot's leadership. So, that conversation was a little contentious. The Lottery During this investigation, your group also learned about the lottery used to choose the next sacrifice to the Hound. You weren't fooled at all into thinking it was fair (which it wasn't) and you also knew that the time until your names were pulled as the next sacrifices was limited (also correct). For now, though, you left the lottery box in the town square alone. Helge and Father Beacom I loved this scene. Father Beacom was presented in the module as a priest who'd given up hope and had sunk to ordering his followers to physically punish themselves for their sins, but Helge's faith and optimism gave him a path towards redemption and a wonderful character arc in the adventure. Beacom ended up a very different NPC than I'd pictured him becoming. That's the power of role-playing. It's alive and well in the OSR. Helge also found Justicia's Hammer hidden in the temple, which was pretty cool. More in the next post!

Here it is guys: my Behind the Screen recap of Doom of the Savage Kings. I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten! We ended Sailors on the Starless Sea with your band of PCs, along with several other survivors from the funnel, fleeing via longboat from a magical cataclysm. You and your boat were swept along into a tear in the Phlogiston and transported far away. Sailors on the Starless Sea didn't actually include the Plogiston portal. The end as written did involve the PCs being swept away from a return home and into an underground river, but that's as far as it went. I added the Plogiston because your characters weren't really adventurers yet. They didn't have much reason to do anything after the events of Sailors other than return home. So, I transported them very far away. Simply going home wasn't going to be an option. Not a lot of PC agency there, but sometimes that's the way things go. And so, we began this adventure with the elf, Periande finding you all unconscious on a river bank. Periande was, of course, a new PC. I'd recruited another player so that we'd have a Wizard or Elf in the group since DCC is known for its wild magic system, and I wanted us all to get the full DCC experience. We did have one other prelude to the action, however, which was Helge's vision of Justicia. has always done a great job of role-playing Helge, but I thought she really came into her own in this adventure and the vision (or rather Helge's reaction to it) was the start of it all. Also, at the risk of being self-congratulatory, I freakin' loved Justicia's opening line: "Blood is the currency of the righteous." How much? It remains my sig on the Weave to this day. Once you were all awake, your next stop was the Standing Stones of Hirot, where you stumbled onto the attempted sacrifice of Morgan Haverson. This was an absolutely pivotal encounter in the game. It was the first time you encountered the Jarl or his Thegns, and your first chance to make an impression on some of the people of Hirot. Morgan's fate would have a profound impact on the rest of the campaign. Had she died, you would have found her father, Bull Haverson, a broken man too grief-stricken by his daughter's loss to have been of much help to your group. In our OOC threads around the time (late May, 2023) some of you were meta-gaming a bit and trying to figure out what the module wanted you to do. I bring this up because I found Doom of the Savage Kings to be very well-designed in terms of avoiding that sort of railroading. You actually could have taken any action you wanted to, here. The most problematic would probably have been attacking the Jarl or his men, but aside from that, you were free to rescue Morgan or to let her be sacrificed to the Hound. Which you nearly did. But then, Molly circled back and rescued her. So the wheels of fate turn. In all, I thought this scene was another fine example of role-playing from all of you. While you discussed the meta-gaming aspects of the scene in OOC, all of your IC actions were based on what you felt your characters would do, which was perfect. At the time, you didn't have any idea of what was going on in Hirot. Staying out of trouble was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Only that's not what Excior felt Molly would do, which was also perfect. That's the way, guys! Just play your characters. If it messes up a module that's my problem, not yours. On Fighting the Jarl and his Men Your group was in conflict with the Jarl and his men pretty much the entire game. You wisely chose to keep that a non-violent conflict whenever possible, but what would have happened if you'd attacked them? It's hard to say. They were tough and well-equipped, but if the dice had been kind, you might have been able to defeat them out in the open. That said, there was also a good chance that they would have defeated you, which would have brought the adventure to a sudden and unfortunate end. Part One continues in the next post

Yep, I've been working on it, but I still have a ways to go.

are you going to do a behind the screen thread?

ok cool mounts tack and feed for the horses cool.

Yes, page 86.

in ooc?

Just a few posts ago.

I cant remember were we offered equipment horses and the 500 GP?

No worries, I still have my recap to do. Plus, there's not really any reason to close it since you guys are the only ones who can post here anyway.

please do not close this board yet, I need to equip Molly and write all that stuff down so when we do start back up he will be ready.

Hey all, i got sick on Friday. I'm sort of back. Sorry for the absence. Between the coughing, snot, and general lack of energy i just couldn't get online this weekend. Had to take Friday off work. Covid test was negative but also expired so i don't think i can trust it. Oh Well. I missed the goodbye post so I'll just say thanks for the game and we'll see you next time.

Okay so here is what she will try to buy before their trip. Crowbar 2gp Grappling hook 1 gp Iron Spikes 1 sp x7 = 7 sp Flask of Oil 2 sp x2 = 4 sp Days Rations 5 cp x20 = 1 gp Thieves Tools 25 gp Total = 30 gp 1 sp x.8 = 24.08 gp or 24 gp and 8 cp

Either way is fine. If you want things in the book just assume they are 20% less in Hirot.

Do you want us to post items we would like to purchase before we leave town or do you want to handle that later?

Ah yes! I knew I forgot something. Each of you gets a riding horse, including tack and enough feed to get you to Punjar (about two weeks worth. A little more than you'd need.)

I hope we are getting horses and at least a few supplies

Have to ask about horses and supplies for the journey. Are we going forward on foot or riding? Don't get me wrong! Thugnar is ecstatic to get the magic axe (and as a player, I am absolutely delighted too!) Just want to be sure I added everything to the character sheet.

thanks

It would be 3 silver and 3 copper along with the 83 gold.