23 October 2016 Game Log: Sick of the kobolds yet?

Dramatis personae

Mayhem, barbarian
Caleb, wizard
Ash, squire
Kim, thief
Kôštē, cleric (NPC)

Quid occurrit

Lord Méldon came up to the gang after the fight, still in his bedclothes. He was unimpressed. “It wasn’t a whole lot worse without you guys."

Set up for the fight at the mill.
Instead, they just torched the place.

Caleb shrugged. “It could be worse. There could still be ogres."

Lord Méldon yielded on that, then walked off after learning the gang was going to track the kobolds to their lair when day broke.

That morning, Kôštē healed Mayhem, who woke up. After breakfast, Mayhem followed the tracks of the kobolds. Not long after midday, they followed the tracks to an an old mill on the edge of a cliff, whose water was flowing uphill.

Kim snuck up to the mill, and signaled to the others there were kobolds inside. The gang slipped to the side of the mill. The mill went over the edge of the cliff, and tresses on the side held it up. Caleb cast a big (6d) Blast Ball at the tresses, setting them on fire. Ash took Caleb over his shoulder and the whole crew went back to its horses.

Little folks at the gate.

The gang loaded up and took off. Ash looked into the river to make sure kobolds weren’t in it. They weren’t. Instead, kobolds were rushing out of the mill before it fell over the cliff. The kobolds, not being utterly dumb, went to Kerváron after the heroes. The heroes made it back to Kerváron shortly after sunset, and let the guards know the kobolds were coming.

This time, everyone manned the North Gate. The guards brought their two giant toads to help with the fight.

Kim saw kobolds first, and took pot shots at them as they made their way to the North Gate to ram it down. This time, guards and heroes alike held the kobolds at the gate. The kobold shamans came this time, and lobbed Fireballs at Caleb. None of the kobolds could lay a scratch on Mayhem and Ash in their heavy armor. The only losses for the villagers were the two giant toads. After losing 25 kobolds, the rest ran.

Res aliae

We needed lots of kobolds.

This time, I used Speedy Horde Combat from GURPS Zombies for the kobolds. If anything, it made them too easy. I had the whole lot of them run after 25 down as it was getting boring, and they couldn’t get through Mayhem’s and Ash’s mail hauberks. The tougher kobolds were in the back this time, though since Mayhem and Ash didn’t try holding the line last time, they wouldn’t have realized they were the only ones who could get through.

I want to get some kind of idea as to where the players want to go next. Right now, they’re lacking in skills to dig up rumors. They rolled Current Affairs at default, and only Caleb made it, giving them only one rumor: a wicked cleric has thrown goblins out of their home in the Eldalîvā Woods.

Stop me if they’ve heard that one before.

Still, they have options: the cleric in the woods, the dungeon under Dībités Rock, the dungeon in the Zúbrās Mine, or taking a week off in town in trying again (which will cost $750 for a week's Cost of Living). Not being good at something has its downside.