Dark Sun Game Notes 8/5/13

 

 

Dark Sun Game Notes 8/5/13

 

BAROK

The caravans were headed back to Tyr. With food, water, and being able to ride in the back of the empty wagon Dahn Gen was doing much better, but Mak’ti was not. She needed medicine and care very quickly.

Just outside of Freedom the caravan came across 3 carts with 30-40 people, some walking, some in the carts. Barok greeted the new group and they informed him that they were new spears being sent to meet with the Crimson Legion, General Rikus’ army outside Urik. They asked Barok if he would go since he was the Colossus of Tyr, the champion of the people. He said he could not, since he had to get his friends back to safety. The soldiers informed Barok that real champions rode north toward battle, not south away from it. Though this chaffed Barok he continued on.  

The caravan stopped in Kled where Barok had a midwife look at Mak’ti. The old dwarf woman gave her medicine and herbs, but said she needed to be taken to a real healer as soon as possible or she would not make it. Instead of waiting to do some trading, they just pressed on for Tyr, to get her to safety.

When they arrived at the warehouse, Zarnian had Rhiannon waiting. The healer had the same assessment, which was Mak’ti needed constant care or she would not survive. Rhiannon could not spend her time in the warehouse because her mission was to heal the people of the warrens, so Mak’ti had to go stay with her. Zarnian sent two guards as well, because the warrens are in chaos. Men wear sashes of various colors and claim to have the dispensation of the king to keep the peace. They rough people up who break the law.

BAY

Zarnian asked Bay if he could get information of the templar’s sister who was sold into slavery. Bay went down to the pottery district of Tyr and met with some members of the Tyrian Potter’s Guild. The girl’s name was Dhala and she was sold for 50 ceramic to House Stell. He also got a description of her. However, in exchange for this information, he agreed to transport 1 unit of pottery outside Tyr to another location.

CAEL

Cael went to Urik to find the Azure Lady. She started by looking for signs that were similar to the ones used by the Veiled Alliance in Tyr. She flew around and a kestrekel and wandered around as a human, but did not see anyone. Finally, she went to the Elven Market. There, she found an elf who was selling some spell components. A few were real, many were fake. They exchanged some words and he conned her into buying a 9 ceramic necklace then another woman showed up. She tried to look casual in her window shopping but it was very obvious that she was waiting for Cael to leave. Cael left then turned invisible where she saw the woman whisper an order and pick up a satchel of components. Cael then followed her to a strip club. Cael grabbed a drink and waited for the performance. Soon, the Azure Lady came out (possibly named for her bright blue lipstick) and started to do a strip. Cael went to the bartender and asked if the Azure Lady was available for ‘private showings’. He said she was, and would come out later.

In a few, she did come out. Cael asked to see her and flashed her the bag containing the wands, which caused the stripper to have a great and immediate headache. She ushered Cael into a back room where they could talk. To show her wealth and value to the bar, her door even had a real metal lock and key. Once behind closed doors she accepted the wands, but was still upset they had been shown in public.

ZARNIAN AND BAY

Zarnian went to House Stell. After being introduced she was ushered over to a waiting side area in the shade where a young dune trader started talking to her. There was another man standing in the doorway and Bay noticed that he was being telepathically prompted during the discussion. Once Zarnian said she was there to broker a deal against House Vordon, she was ushered into the House where she met with the leader of House Stell in Tyr. He had two girls serving him. One was Dhala. While Zarnian could not forge an immediate truce, the lead trader said if she could bring him more current and valuable information on House Vordon troop movements he could make the House of the Painted Eye’s life a little better on the road.

Zarnian said she needed a few porters and a servant girl for herself. She bought Dhala and, after being shown the stock downstairs, bought three Urikites. Though currently porters, she had plans to train them into guards. She took her purchases back to the House.

BAROK

Now back in Tyr, Barok went to the warrens to recruit more people, but found that only the dregs of the dregs were left. The others had been recruited by House Vordon and House Stell. He offered employment to a few to sort through them, but while he was recruiting, Adamicus Thawk found him. He told Barok that King Tithian had put a tax on the school of 5 gold. Barok knew this was because he had not taken care of the speaker in Shadow Square. He went looking for the speaker and found that while he was not currently there, he was supposed to be back at dusk. People were already arriving to get good seats, and they had drinks of alcohol. Finally, the speaker got on the lip of the old dry fountain and to Barok’s surprise it was Aristophaneles. Barok kept looking for the speaker against the king, because he did not realize it was in fact, Aristophaneles himself. People listened to the message of the people having a conscience and voice, and offered the great teacher drinks of alcohol as gifts while he spoke.  

BAY

Bay went to speak to Flynn. He found the toothless man who did ally work for alcohol that Flynn used as a mouth piece. The man asked Bay if he wanted ally work and wet his lips. When Bay frowned at the implication and said that he needed the entrance to under tyr the man turned around and dropped his pants. Then, he spoke in Flynn’s voice. Bay left the booze for the man, and was led down into Flynn’s lair by a herd of cats. Once with Flynn, Bay pointed out that since Trakas was gone, Flynn needed someone new to help make procure the ingredients with which to make dust. Flynn thought about it, and agreed but not until Bay brought him the first things he needed:

1.       Cinnamon from Draj

2.       Dung from a mekilot

3.       A rug from Raam

4.       High Quality Psionic Crystals

5.       The Brains of Id Fiends

Bay left, noting the old man was drinking from the bottle as if trying to wash some horrible taste from his mouth. Horrified, Bay left to start getting ingredients.

AKKADAIAN

Akkadian had every intention of leaving with Denning and Talmeza, but Zarnian told him through Bay’s telepathic relay that the two cilops teams that went to the mines were probably tracking down the miners. It was very important to find the miners and kill the cilops teams, because without the miners, Vordon would have a hell of a time getting any iron out. Akkadian did not like this, but went with Denning and the gladiators to fulfill orders. Talmeza gathered the others, including the little girl they rescued and set off for Freedom and Tyr.

Akkadian and the group arrived at the mountains by the village just before morning. They noted that the village of Iteriuk was occupied by 150 Vordon troops with kank and crodlu pens. They watched from the distance as two cilops teams headed in opposite directions.

The group went to intercept one team, and noticed that they were being followed by a band of Lyrr. A minor scuffle broke out while they tried to disengage. By the time they got back on the trail they found the cilops team dead, with a clutch of Thri-kreen. Akkadian judged them to be aggressive, so he shot their leader with an arrow ad ran away back toward the ruined fortress. There were 50 Vordon soldiers there. They ran across two people, Hakkar, one of the miners, and Hal, a guard. Hal explained to the group that Vess ran into the mountains and had not been seen, but most of the people of Iteriuk were hiding in the ruins, but would be out of food and water soon. They needed help being rescued. Denning and Hal talked off to the side and then he told Akkadian to find Vess, that he would go help the others escape. Akkadian accepted the orders and left, while Hal and Denning disappeared into the small, hidden entrance.

 

 

 

Stila - A Dark Sun Very Short Story

                Anger danced up and down Timmuth’s spine like an air elemental, picking up flecks of resentment as it blew along. When would Zarnian see that he was no longer a child? She treated him like he was still at House Naggarath, tugging on her armor and asking to be a gladiator. Life had changed – he had changed – and he was not helpless. Yet, instead of leading a caravan to Urik, which he should be doing, he was ordered to go start teaching Stila how to fight. He resisted the urge to break something. That was what Bay would do. The realization of that filled him with conflicting emotions to immediately do that very thing and avoid it.

                Stila was where he last saw her, in the corner of the warehouse near the kitchen with her knees drawn into her chest. Zarnian had given the girl new clothes to replace the tatters she arrived in, and even a bowl of water to wash with, but those gestures did little to erase the girl’s hollow eyes or the bruises that peppered her thin body. He knew her from sight in the village and even exchanged a few words when Zarnian had him help her family harvest their crops last year. She handed him a few carrots, fresh from the ground before walking away.

                Seeing the shell of her now, his first thought was how was he supposed to teach such a weak creature how to fight? Athas was for the strong! But, orders were orders and Zarnian would never give him more responsibility if he did not go the simple tasks she assigned.

                Approaching her, he asked, “Stila?” the girl flinched at the sound of her name. She locked eyes with him. The room melted away. He was not himself, but in the village, there were soldiers all around, screaming and blood. Hands on his shoulders, his mother (not his, hers) telling him to run. Running, turning back to see mother disappear in a sea of men, then hands grabbing, and being crushed, hurt… Timmuth fought to break contact, to stay calm. They were her memories, not his. He could escape her mind… tied to the bed. Hungry. The crushing man laughs when they eat and toss scraps on the floor… Gathering what focus he could, Timmuth pushed her mind away. But he knew it all, and she knew that he knew.

                It looked like she was going to cry, which made him horribly uncomfortable. Timmuth was reasonably sure he was allergic to his own tears, and positive this included the tears of others. He had to say something that would help. Bay had a wife, so he must know how to talk to women. What would Bay say? “Life is hard. You have to be strong to survive.” Stila nodded once, as if in agreement, then burst into tears. She buried her face in his shoulder Ah, the tears burned! and wept. Bay’s approach did not work. What would Zarnian do? He reached out and smoothed her hair. “He’s dead,” he said quietly. He did not have to explain who. “He can’t hurt you anymore. No one will hurt you here. I’ll protect you, but I’ll also teach you how to fight. That way, you can protect yourself.”

                She sniffled, pulling her face from his tunic. Wiping her face with the backs of her hands, she said, “You’ve changed. You used to scare me, when we were smaller. You’re different now. Better.”

                Her words made him horribly uncomfortable. Instead of answering, he nodded. “We should go get you a spear so you can practice.” Rising, he held his hand out to her. He was different now than the spoiled noble, the weapon of mass destruction, the slave, or even the protected merchant prince he was supposed to become. He was his own creation now. That freedom was a gift from both his adopted parents. A gift he would pass on to this damaged girl.

Pirate Warhammer Game Notes from 7 31 13

Edward Sabastian was in Salt Marsh. We had rescued him last session. Jacque, Rubio and Hugo had kidnapped the prostitute he was in love with, named Amelia, and hid her in Scara’s room. Also in Scara’s room was Black Margaret, one of the Saw Soup’s gang who had been trying to kill Edward. The group needed retrieve Edward’s missing trunk, but before they started that quest, Jacque went to the captain to explain what happened with Amelia. When Captain Francisco learned the Jacque, Hugo, and Rubio (but mostly Jacque and Hugo) had kidnapped a prominent prostitute out of her room, placed her in a barrel, and hid her on the ship against her will he grew quite incensed.

 The captain told the group they had to make up for being dumbasses by getting themselves into a longboat and going after the trunk. Scara was included in being ordered to go out. Right before they did, Jacque looked in his enchanted mirror and got a vision of fish like creatures that walked like men. Meanwhile, when Rubio went to hide his stein in Scara’s room, Black Margaret gave him a ‘come hither’ look and offered to trade sexual favors for her release. Rubio informed her “there are a lot of whores in the ocean” and left, but got a look of death from Mark, Rubio’s girlfriend disguised as a boy.

 Once everyone left, the five of them (Edward included) rowed for Salt Marsh. The sky was covered in gray clouds. They rowed to a small island that had several ruins like an old crumpled fortress. Everyone was uneasy. Once the longboat was beached a few noted there were webbed footprints around the beach.

 The trail was small and they could only walk two at a time. Jacque and Hugo went first with Edward in the middle and Rubio and Scara in the back. There was little of note until they came to a crumbling staircase in the ruins. Edward said he left his trunk at the base of the stairs, so everyone started heading down, but they noticed that the stairs had been swept.

Further down the stairs, there was even more evidence that someone was living there including old graffiti and finally, the most obvious sign – torchlight around the corner. As the group approached they heard voices talking about Harold’s Gang and worry that they would come back. Finally, the group from Myrmidia’s Spear got even closer. There were three normal looking people in a large common chamber. On pegs were robes of red and green stripes. When the trio saw the pirates they started invoking “Blood for the Blood God of the Sea!” and “We don’t want no trouble”. One cultist peeked around the corner at the group, but the group continued on to a dirty room where Edward Sebastian opened a secret door.

But before going on, the group went back to where the cultists were. They now had their robes on and one had a shabby pistol. They had scabs on their necks from where they had cut into their necks to approximate gills. They explained that they got attacked by Saw Soup and his gang, and he is the one who took the trunk. In the back, there was the sound of a woman who was moaning, gut shot. Scara went back and healed her, so she would live. The cultists explained they hoped to change soon, to be part of the army of the Blood Goddess of the Sea. They want to mean something.

They also explained that the symbols from around town were symbols for various chaos cults. The group started to leave but they saw 15 fish men, some of which were armed. Since Scara healed one of their own, she asked them to vouch for them. They did, but did too good of a job, and gave a blessing of Khorne to the group and Scara got partially corrupted. While they were leaving, they saw battle sharks wearing leather studded battle harnesses. Deciding they shouldn’t stick around, they rowed back to the ship.

On the ship, when Scara went to her room she saw Baldemaro flirting with the two women tied up there. He was gambling and moving the cards for them. Scara was rather disgusted and grabbing some blankets, she slept on the floor of the hold. She was awoken a little while later by Edward and Amelia getting in a huge fight. He discovered her on board and went to talk to her. She rejected him and he got incensed. Scara and Jacque tried talking him down, and he did eventually leave but not before shooting his gun into the ground.

The next day, everyone woke up around noon. Scara talked to Black Margaret and offered to make her a member of the crew. She converted to a member of the crew and offered to help, so she was untied and accepted on. She said that she worked for Saw Soup, who was working for the Young Wolf. The Young Wolf had offered 5 gold for Edward Sebastian. Other members of her former crew included Amanda, Jacob Jacobs, Imperial Otto, Fish Face and Just Plain John. They stayed at Van Hausen’s, but Saw Soup stayed at Chauncy’s.

 The group cleaned up and headed to Chauncy’s, an inn and bar. Rubio went in as a high stakes gambler with Scara as his arm candy. Edward and Jacque headed in as a gentleman and servant, and Hugo played at the bar.

Once inside, Edward and Jacque got a room upstairs, using that as cover to go upstairs and raid Saw Soup Harold’s room. Rubio and Scara saw him at one of the gambling tables and headed over. Rubio chatted and lost in a non-obvious way, then won. Finally, he gambled his prized gold dwarven beer stein, which forced Harold to put up his piece of 8, a prize that Edward had stolen from the Young Wolf and Harold has stolen from Edward. Unfortunately, Rubio lost the round. He got up to leave and Scara engaged Harold in Liar’s Dice, winning back the stein but not the piece of 8.  

Meanwhile, upstairs, Jacque snuck into Harold’s room and discovered the Edward’s trunk, but it was locked. No matter what he did it would not become unlocked. Finally, after innumerable tries Edward asked what was taking so long. When he found out, he handed over the key. Inside was a necklace, a pile of silver, and some ledgers.

Back at the bar, a beautiful woman slapped him and called him by the name of his older brother, Colorado. He chased after her, but a bouncer started dragging him away. He did manage to learn her name was Bella and he pledged his love to her before being dragged away.

Jacque also found some letters. One was a message from the Young Wolf describing the Piece of 8 and offering a 5 gold reward for Edward’s death, but a 10 gold reward if he captured Edward, sawed his limbs off, made of soup of them and forced him to drink that soup.

Disturbed and grossed out, the group headed back to the ship to drop items off and get ready to raid the warehouse where Saw Soup Harold and his gang were.

Dark Sun Gaming Notes 7/29/13

CAEL

When the game began, Cael had to find a way to rescue Mak’ti and Dahn Gen by bringing the Vordon soldiers to the Gaj. She went down to the Vordon camp and after spying discovered their kanks. After turning invisible she went down and managed to get four of the kanks lashed together. While she was leading them away (while still invisible) when she was spotted by the Vordon Troops. All they saw was four kanks trotting away in a perfect line. They jumped on their own mounts and started riding after the errant kanks. The Vordon troops caught up with Cael and the kanks right at the entrance to the cave where Mak’ti and Dahn Gen were hiding and the Gaj popped out of hiding. He immediately destroyed the mind of one solider while Cael started helping Mak’ti and Dahn Gen escape. The other solider ran. Then, the Gaj attacked Dahn Gen’s mind, almost destroying him. In that moment, Cael understood that her bargain would not be honoured, so she created a storm of fire that burned the Gaj badly. After being burned, the Gaj decided to go after easier prey and ran away. Cael loaded Mak’ti and Dahn Gen up on kanks and rode off to meet with the others in Freedom.

 

BAROK

Barok and the wagons were riding toward Freedom when they noticed a dust cloud coming toward them and quickly realized to their horror that the dust was being kicked up by kank riders. About 20 heavily armed Vordon soldiers were racing for them. Barok quickly looked for an outcropping where he could assemble his forces into an ambush. Sending the wagons ahead with the drivers he arranged his gladiators and Akkadian’s Urikite crossbowmen up on the ledge. The Vordon soldiers were also armed with crossbows, and a volley of arrows went back and forth. Then, Barok raised his rainbow sword and gave the order for melee. Barok then cut off a man’s head while he was giving orders, so the head with the open mouth landed in the lap of another Vordon soldier, creating a horrifying and socially awkward moment.  Finally, the forces of the House of the Painted Eye drove back the forces of House Vordon, only losing two of their own men and killing almost half of the House Vordon troops. Barok led the effort to round up the kanks of the fallen, and bring them back to Freedom.

ZARNIAN

Zarnian set out of ‘rescue’the dune trader that was captured by Gahaz. He had been kept in the Under Tyr entrance under the old warehouse of the House, so Zarnian ordered him moved down the street to another random entrance. Then, she and a few guards ‘killed’ his captors and rescued him. Taking him back to her warehouse in the merchant district, she ordered him cleaned and for him to have food and water. She learned his name was Jago and he was grateful. He said the ‘House Vordon’ troops had captured him and kept him blindfolded for three weeks. He said the slaughter of their caravan was horrible, that the bastards even granaded women and children.

Zarnian agreed that House Vordon was unreasonable and she would see him back to Fort Ianto. The next day she traveled with him. Once they got the gates a little girl ran up, yelling ‘Daddy, Daddy!” she still had a bandage on her cheek. Fort Ianto was still a sizeable holding with 150 guards at least. Zarnian asked to talk to Strabo Ianto who was grateful, since Jago was his nephew. After some negotiating they brokered a deal where House Ianto could use the warehouse in Tyr, the House of the Painted Eye could use Fort Ianto, and they could carry goods for the other for a percentage.

When Zarnian got back to Tyr she discovered a representative of the Consortium was in the marketplace. She sent a member of her espionage group to arrange a meeting. The representative, a member of Agora (who specializes in paper, vellum, and other goods) came. Zarnian informed her she was still interested in joining. Areki Agora said she would try to secure a way for Zarnian to speak before the meeting of the consortium houses in two and a half weeks. The women exchanged gifts and then Areki left. Afterwards, she met and talked with someone, but the beggar had no idea who she was speaking to.

AKKADIAN

Denning and Talmeza were hiding in a well stocked cave outside of the village. Akkadian took a team of Barok’s top gladiators to the location where they were met by Denning. After sneaking inside and securing the entrance again, Denning told the rest that a cilops team was hunting down the remaining villagers that managed to escape. The leader of the cilops team was especially cruel, torturing those he found. Akkadian reiterated his orders were to bring Denning back, but Denning refused to leave until the team had been eradicated. While all the villagers who could work had been sold into slavery, by taking down the team he hoped to save a few, and kill the butcher of people he knew. Akkadian reluctantly agreed.

The team snuck down under the cover of night and found a cilops pen at the edge of the village. There were guard patrols, and even a few roving snakes, but the gladiators managed to get close without being detected. The team quietly took down a patrol and hid the bodies, then went down to the house of the torturer. After taking out a few of the guards at the mouth of the house with crossbows, the team was finally spotted. With haste, Akkadian used his telekinetic ability to brick up the back door with stones, then everyone rushed the front door. There were about 6 guards in there, plus cilops wrangler who had a young girl tied to the post of his bed. The Dray pounced on the handler and ripped his throat out, as the rest took out the others. The Dray rescued the girl and grabbed the cilops wrangling equipment before taking off. As the team ran away, they killed the cilops itself. Then, everyone went back to the cave to reconvene with the others and start the journey to Freedom.  

Fernando - A Very Short Story

Hi everyone! Our gaming group has a new ongoing writing challenge. Once a week, we pick a theme and write a minimum of 250 words on the topic. This week was write about an NPC. I was not sure what to write about, but then in the pirate game my character, Scara, found one of her missing crew members, Fernando. I'll let you read about why that was special, but I knew immediately what I wanted to write about.

I encourage everyone to have these types of writing challenges within your gaming groups. It has become a way to take notes almost, because it is just a few words. Still, those few words capture a moment in time for your character and let the rest of the group know just what that moment meant to you.

So here is my entry to this week's challenge.


Fernando - a Very Short Story

                “You’re here,” Scara whispered as she wrung the majority of the cool water from the rag. Gently as possible, she slipped the dry rag off Fernando’s feverish forehead and placed on the cool one. She didn’t want to wake him, because he needed every moments rest, but his eyes fluttered open. “Shhhh” she gentled, but he reached up for her hand.

Clammy and weak, his hand trembled slightly in hers. “I cannot believe you are alive,” he mumbled with his thick country accent. Turning his head, he coughed, a rasping thing that shook his body pitifully.

Scara reached over to a nearby desk grabbing her tea pot and pouring a hot cup. She pressed it into his hands, before helping him tilt it to his lips. Thick and green as the jungle around them, the herbal concoction smelled only slightly better than the unlaundered clothes that sat in a rumpled pile in a corner of the hold. He tried not to, but the boy grimaced slightly from the heat and aroma, yet managed to get some down. “Thank you,” he croaked. Closing his eyes, he leaned back into his cot.

Suppressing a sigh, she rose. A step took her to an area she spread with medicine, herbs, and jars of prepared salves. Perusing them, she turned and scrutinized Fernando. He had scars, old and new. Bruises of various ages peppered his body with all the hues of the rainbow. The sight made the girl cringe. She had always been sheltered from such things in her former life, but now she was confronted with brutality every day. Still, it was different when it was someone that she cared about.

But how did she care? Looking down at Fernando, peaceful in his sleep, she marveled at him. When she got on Myrmidia’s Spear everyone was either cruel or indifferent toward her, except for him. He had given her attention and kindness when no one else had. Just when she began to wonder at her feelings about him, they were captured and he was ripped away from her. During her own imprisonment she thought about him almost every moment- wondering if he was alright, what he was going through. Now, a quick view of him confirmed that no matter what she had imagined it was not enough.  He had suffered and was barely alive.

The question of exactly what she felt about him remained. He was so young, but so kind. And then there was Baldemaro. She’s started developing a crush on the older man, but when he did not pick up on her invitation to dinner she’d been disappointed. When Jacque convinced him that he was a ‘tornado’ she was irritated. The new Baldemaro was irritating, but there was some trace of her old feelings there. Looking down at Fernando, there was more than a trace of her feelings about him. It was all very complicated. Finally, she selected a balm and kneeling next to him, started carefully soothing it over a cut on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open, he smiled at her, then slipped back into unconsciousness. Though he could not see it, she returned her with her own smile. There was time enough to decide on everything later. Right now, she would savor this victory. Tonight she had started reassembling her crew.

 

 

Rubio and the Great Blue Crab - a Very short story

Hi Guys! This is a short story about my Pirate Warhammer character, Scaramuchia. I sent this out to my immediate gaming group, but thought that I would post it here, as well. It gives some insight into her mind at the moment of the game, and is part of a new writing challenge that Gregory and I made. :>

Though smaller than a dragon, the crab towered over Scaramuchia. Shards of cyan, azure, and indigo glittered off his carapace where the sand, water and sunlight converged. It was easily one of the most beautiful things Scara had ever seen, and one of the most terrifying. Its mouth was a twisted line of shell and could easily bite off her head or one of her limbs. This thought froze her mind and movements just as she heard, "Ha Ha!" The sound of Rubio's cry of triumph broke her reverie. A look of concentration fell across the Estalian's face, then his arms became yellow pincers, the size of the creature's. The crab, irritated, began to dance his disdain for the small beast with the large claws. Taking notes in her book of every gesture, the young Estalian girl was responsibly sure that she had just discovered the crab signal for 'Screw your mother. Go away'. Rubio repeated this signal which the creature recognized as an insult. Just when she feared seeing Rubio's life ended horribly before her, he shot stars of bright light ahead of the crab's eye stalks. It thrashed and complained, then Rubio was at its side, his hands struggling to find purchase in the shell. At first he slipped and slid, but then he managed to haul himself up onto the creature's back.

With a smile the shone ear to ear the young wizard surveyed the world from the beast's back. Seeing his triumph, she felt her heart soar. She shot her fist into the air to celebrate his victory with him. He had achieved the impossible. Of course, this was not the first time. Rubio was the Slayer of El Toro Rojo. He was a wizard who had survived with her when their older crew members were killed. He was her closest friend. Once again, he had shown her the way.  

Instead of being afraid of being eaten, Rubio knew no fear. He acted. Scara looked down at her book of observations and the up at Rubio. The wizard was a man of action, not words. Most of her words had been silenced recently. Perhaps there was a reason for this, Myrmidia had her ways of showing those who believed. Action was the path forward, paved with brave adventure. Life was passing her by, and she was allowing it to do so.

For a moment, she turned her eyes from Rubio and his new mount out to the sea. Out there, in the vast waters, her crew waited. Out there, her teacher was in slavery. She could do something, anything to help. But first, first she had to learn how to be brave. She had to learn how to seize the moment. With this realization she nodded, and went back to writing. This was not her moment. This was Rubio's moment. Her moment would come.

Ron Burgundy's Lady Gamers

I wasn’t going to write this blog. I really wasn’t, because I didn’t want to get listed as ‘the angry feminist gamer blogger’. Then I decided, ‘Screw it’. Someone has to say something.

It all started because a local gaming convention posted a picture on Facebook. On a table was a display of Bare Minerals make up samples saying they were so there was something for the ‘Lady Gamers’. I sat there, staring at my screen, wishing it were a mirage. Was this person deliberately channeling his inner Ron Burgundy or just being clueless? Did it matter?

"Hey Lady Gamers. Wanna see my dressing room? There are makeup samples."

I believe that this man was trying to reach out to the female gaming community at large. Call it a Charisma check or Fellowship check depending on what system you play. Whatever you call it, it was an epic fail.

Something similar happened with another local convention last year. They posted a ton of promotional pictures for their upcoming convention. Around 90% of the pictures had barely dressed female cosplayers. To make it that much more uncomfortable most were barely legal. A few pictures here and there I understand but making that the crux of your promotions does a few things that might not be intended. A majority of female gamers start feeling uncomfortable. When women choose to make themselves objects, that’s ok. It is their choice. By only showing them with no other content you invite all females in that event to be treated as the same. Again, 95% of gaming guys are great, and won’t see this as an invite, but it only takes that 5% of guys to start coloring the convention experience.  I know that promotional campaign made all in my group uncomfortable, including the men. Have some pictures of local cosplayers as part of your promotional campaign, but I would recommend maybe 5-10% while you focus on games available, local retailers who are helping support the con, etc.

"A gaming convention full of mostly naked lady gamers? I'm there!" 

If you want to have a convention that is open and inviting to female gamers as well as male gamers, there are just a few things to do.

1.       Post Zero Tolerance policies for discrimination on base of gender, race, or sexuality. Make it easy to repot. Pathfinder Society does this and some people have been removed from games for using hurtful words or being unwelcoming. I see tons of women in Pathfinder Society when I check in, and it is no coincidence.

2.       See us just as other gamers. I don’t like being singled out. This can go bad, quickly, just like saying you have the sports stations on for male gamers. I know some male gamers that love sports, but when they are at a convention, they are there to game. Just like that, I can get makeup samples at Sephora or Ulta. When I am at a convention, I am there to play.

3.       Offer childcare for everyone. I know fathers that love introducing their kids to gaming, too. At the very least a few games marked ‘all ages friendly’ or even a few dedicated tables would help everyone feel welcome.

The local game shops get these concepts quite well. I feel comfortable and welcome walking in. I am just another gamer there, free to play, buy, and have fun. I am not ‘a girl’ any more than Jason is a ‘boy’. However, our local conventions can take a few pages from our game stores, and take a lot fewer pages from Ron Burgundy.