Sins of Our Fathers - 2/10 - Final Update

[Old One]

Tremendous!

Destan,

My time has been so limited of late and my own SH updates so lacking that I have resisted the compelling urge to enter yours until today...I have gone from front to back over the last few hours and echo the many comments of those that have preceded me...this is a hell of a SH!

I am glad you are not holding back on the writing or content now...I think your disclaimer at the front is sufficient. Many of us prefer a more "gritty" feel after the sunshine and roses that is Pkitty and Sagiro ! I find your prose both engaging and compelling. I have quickly become attached to the PCs and although I know that one (or more) may soon pass, I am loath to see any fall.

Congrats on the publishing contract, but we need a "Sins" fix soon !

Two somewhat unrelated questions...

(1) Are you still on active duty? Former Army officer here and currently working with the Military Officers Association in Alexandria.

-AND-

(2) Are you still local in the Baltimore-Washington Metro area? Maybe we need to have a DC game day !

~ Old One

 

[Lela]

(2) Are you still local in the Baltimore-Washington Metro area? Maybe we need to have a DC game day !

~ Old One

Now there's a Story Hour that might give me a heart attack to read.

 

[sword-dancer]

or would put George R.R. Martin to shame?

 

[Destan]

My time has been so limited of late and my own SH updates so lacking that I have resisted the compelling urge to enter yours until today...

Old One, your post inspired me to get off my ass - or, perhaps, to get on my ass - and do some reading. I've been writing, writing, writing and haven't sat down with a cup of coffee to peruse the boards in quite some time.

I've read and enjoyed some of Rel's recent tales, and - based on that - have been meaning to do two things for quite some time: 1) Go back and read the earlier adventures, as I've only yet been able to read the few Glory Reborn updates, and 2) Travel to the headwaters, so to speak, and read a story hour from the guy who inspired Rel's campaign (that'd be you, Old One).

If this didn't grab my attention:

I have tried to build a world that combines the best elements of Dark Ages ignorance with Byzantine intrigue into a host of plots and subplots. If you look closely, you may see elements of Celtic, Dark Ages Britain, Carolingian France and Norman Sicily amidst the Ruins of Empire that suspiciously resemble declining Rome.

Then this certainly did:

...pour yourself a cool Guinness Stout...

At one point in my life, I ate Guinness for two of my three meals daily. I've found another drink - dare I say it? - that I like nearly as much: Goose Island Honker's Ale. It's not as dark, but is exceedinly good (and somewhat difficult to locate - though, in Virginia, I'd try Trader Joe's if you wanted to grab yourself a couple bottles).

And I love history - Greco-Roman and the medieval period most of all. Your opening paragraph, quoted above, is similar to one I've placed within the draft I'm working on for my campaign supplement. In its current form, it's currently written thusly:

Historical Counterparts
Many of the lands and peoples of Ostia Prim share historical equivalencies, some more loosely than others: Gordia is derived from Norse culture during the Dark Ages when raids upon English monasteries were relatively commonplace; Apia is modeled after the Roman Empire during its prolonged decline; Basilica upon conquered and assimilated Greek city-states; the Rorn upon the Mongolian Steppes prior to its peoples' westward expansion; Genn very loosely based on ancient Persia and Hindustan; and the Aradeeti Steppes hosts humans socially similar to both Bedouins and Berbers.

The Northern and Central Valus share a Celtic foundation - Scotland and Wales respectively. Southern Luc Valu is modeled after a divided and disparate France during the Hundred Years War, when power was non-centralized and held by a shifting number of magnates.

History gives DM's all they need for inspiration, methinks.

I have quickly become attached to the PCs and although I know that one (or more) may soon pass, I am loath to see any fall.

You and me both. Writing these characters has made me become more attached to them. I generally try to stay away from "playing favorites" with my players' characters, and I endeavor not to pull any punches. It's easier to kill them off that way. But, as we approach a fatal conclusion, I feel...well, sad. If only a little bit.

Congrats on the publishing contract, but we need a "Sins" fix soon!

I have an update finished, but it ain't yet ready to place on the boards. And it's sitting on my work computer, so as to prevent me from spending time on it as opposed to the supplement. It'll soon see the light of day, I hope.

Two somewhat unrelated questions...

(1) Are you still on active duty? Former Army officer here and currently working with the Military Officers Association in Alexandria.

Yep - still active. Until June.

(2) Are you still local in the Baltimore-Washington Metro area? Maybe we need to have a DC game day!

Yep - though I'll be moving out near Reston, VA in a few months. I would love a DC game day, in the same flavor as P-Cat's Boston get-togethers or what Dru & Co. organized near Philly. I just have to wait a little bit. I've already been forced to temporarily bow out of a local campaign run by Cinerarium. If I could play D&D 24/7, I would, but my wife and kids are already close to disowning me.

Thanks for reading, Old One.

And welcome to the Valus, Keia and sword-dancer, glad to have you along!

Happy New Year,
D

 

[pogre]

Happy New Year!
I hope you and your family had a super holiday!

But, as we approach a fatal conclusion, I feel...well, sad. If only a little bit.

What? What? Was someone calling me?

My players have taken to calling me the Reaper after our last two campaigns.

 

[Old One]

Honker's Ale, eh?

Old One, your post inspired me to get off my ass - or, perhaps, to get on my ass - and do some reading. I've been writing, writing, writing and haven't sat down with a cup of coffee to peruse the boards in quite some time.

I've read and enjoyed some of Rel's recent tales, and - based on that - have been meaning to do two things for quite some time: 1) Go back and read the earlier adventures, as I've only yet been able to read the few Glory Reborn updates, and 2) Travel to the headwaters, so to speak, and read a story hour from the guy who inspired Rel's campaign (that'd be you, Old One).

********

At one point in my life, I ate Guinness for two of my three meals daily. I've found another drink - dare I say it? - that I like nearly as much: Goose Island Honker's Ale. It's not as dark, but is exceedinly good (and somewhat difficult to locate - though, in Virginia, I'd try Trader Joe's if you wanted to grab yourself a couple bottles).

********

Yep - though I'll be moving out near Reston, VA in a few months. I would love a DC game day, in the same flavor as P-Cat's Boston get-togethers or what Dru & Co. organized near Philly. I just have to wait a little bit. I've already been forced to temporarily bow out of a local campaign run by Cinerarium. If I could play D&D 24/7, I would, but my wife and kids are already close to disowning me.

Thanks for reading, Old One.

Happy New Year,
D

Destan,

Thank's for the tip on the Honker's Ale and Happy New Year's! I know all about the time crunch...I am essentially working 2 full-time jobs (staff financial advisor for a non-profit + small private practice), spend ~ 16 hours in the car commuting from N. of Baltimore to Old Town Alex. each week and have an 11-month old son at home. Add a non-gaming spouse to the mix and time to write and play is limited. Fortunately, I have stood firm on my 1x per month Sunday game !

I definitely agree that some of the best inspiration can come from human history, plus I am a huge Ancient/Early Medieval history buff.

Joining a Beltway Bandit in Reston or going right seat on a Jumbo?

Hang in there, update when you can and let me know if you are ever free for lunch...maybe we can get together and swap tales...!

I welcome you to check out Faded Glory...it has gotten to be a bit of a long read...I was up to ~ 180,000 words of actual postings at last count...

All the best,

~ Old One

 

[DrZombie]

[LURKING MODE OFF]

Piece by piece I've read this SH, and I must say I like it a lot. I love the "tired" feeling of the world, the general background of hopelessness and darkness. It's good to know I'm not the only one who has a dislike of the simple good/bad "Holywood" fantasy setting.

A few posts ago you asked for comment. Since english is not my first language I'm not a writer myself, but I am an avid reader. As I said before, i love your writing style, the cool, distant descriptions of combat intermingled with in-character observations. The only thing I disliked is the combat scene with the gory description of Baden placing his axe where it really hurt. Not so much because of oversensitivity (I mean, have you ever seen "Braindead", I LOVE that movie (btw, directed by Peter "LOTR" Jackson) so I'm not the most sensitive guy) but because it clashed with the rest of the posts, it was a bit over the top, in my (very humble) opinion.

I'd love to see a post from the vieuwpoint of the beatifully twisted mind of the half-Troll, my favorite char.

One last thing, it might be good to edit the previous pages and erase all the *BUMPS* and the "I love your writing" posts (such as this one), leaving only those add a little something to the story. This would make it a lot easier on a newbie reading your SH for the first time.

Destan,

Thank's for the tip on the Honker's Ale and Happy New Year's! I know all about the time crunch...I am essentially working 2 full-time jobs (staff financial advisor for a non-profit + small private practice), spend ~ 16 hours in the car commuting from N. of Baltimore to Old Town Alex. each week and have an 11-month old son at home. Add a non-gaming spouse to the mix and time to write and play is limited. Fortunately, I have stood firm on my 1x per month Sunday game !

I definitely agree that some of the best inspiration can come from human history, plus I am a huge Ancient/Early Medieval history buff.

~ Old One

I feel for you, My roleplaying has been toned down to nothing at the moment(wife 4mth old son and a terrible job), but I have serious hopes for march.... Aaah well, we'll see. Hang in there.
If any of you wanna come over to Europe to see some history for yourself, let me know and I'll tell you how to avoid the tourist traps and where to see the real deal.


[LURKING MODE ON]

 

[WizarDru]

At one point in my life, I ate Guinness for two of my three meals daily. I've found another drink - dare I say it? - that I like nearly as much: Goose Island Honker's Ale. It's not as dark, but is exceedinly good (and somewhat difficult to locate - though, in Virginia, I'd try Trader Joe's if you wanted to grab yourself a couple bottles).

I often tend to forget that I live in a 'Blue' state, so statements like this always suprise me. Pennsylvania only allows alcohol to be sold in 'state stores', which are only open Monday-Saturday, and beer can't be sold in the same store as wine and liquor, generally. So when I hear of Trader Joe's carrying cool microbrews, it throws me for a loop. (mind you, it also confuses me when I go southwards and find that Yeungling has spread so far beyond it's home, like North Carolina or Florida).

I have an update finished, but it ain't yet ready to place on the boards. And it's sitting on my work computer, so as to prevent me from spending time on it as opposed to the supplement. It'll soon see the light of day, I hope.

[Cracks whip] Back to work! That supplement ain't writing itself, ya know!
Much as it pains me to say it, the story hour can wait until you get to it.....hey, someone has to be the Jiminy Cricket, here.

Yep - though I'll be moving out near Reston, VA in a few months. I would love a DC game day, in the same flavor as P-Cat's Boston get-togethers or what Dru & Co. organized near Philly. I just have to wait a little bit. I've already been forced to temporarily bow out of a local campaign run by Cinerarium. If I could play D&D 24/7, I would, but my wife and kids are already close to disowning me.

The Shorecon get-together was a lot of fun, even if only a few folks were able to make it. Good food, good beer and good games. Of course, I was able to leave the kids at the grandparents and the wife games, so I count my blessings. On a side note, one of my players, Scorch, has taken to running my kids through their own little D&D game using some of our D&D minis, some Mage Knight castle pieces and few six-siders. It's adorable. I keep telling him he should make a story hour.

Either way, make sure and arrange for some down time for yourself. Burnout is a terrible thing.

 

[Lela]

Jiminy Cricket with a whip. . .Hmmm, things have changed since I last saw Pinochio.

 

[Tortoise]

I started reading this story hour a few days ago, thanks to Eric Noah's thread for folks to pimp story hours in, and I love it.

The writing is superb. I'll be studying this story hour to learn technique.