Lark's Landing, Episode 40

Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.

You can find the previous episode here.


21st of Waxing Fall - 37th of Waxing Winter, 0AL

The 3rd Watch are home from their latest journey, and are expecting to remain there for some time - especially now that they're planning to build an adventurer's guild. However, there are still some problems remaining that they need to deal with - such as T'Zaric still being wanted for the murder of Balasar.

So Stor heads off to speak with Hargrom, hoping to arrange a council meeting to talk about the plans for the guild hall and to see if he can get T'Zaric's name cleared. Luckily, there's a meeting scheduled for the next meeting that he can attend.

He sits through the meeting's primary subjects - talking about initiating a taxation system that will allow them to pay the militia and improve the settlement, as well as the need for a smaller council and plans for an election - and then broaches the topic of the guild hall. He explains that there is only a small group of them currently doing the long-range scouting, and that they've come close to death several times. If anything were to happen to them, no one would know, and there would be no one to carry on their work. A guild would remedy that situation. The council discusses the idea, and they approve of it, though they say it will have to be a private operation as the council will be unable to fund it.

Then Stor brings up the subject of T'Zaric. He explains about Balasar's evil past working for the Somvidian Empire and how, while exploring his memories, T'Zaric had witnessed Balasar giving the order for his childhood home to be burned - with his father inside. That had led to hem seeking revenge against Balasar.

The council makes it clear that this is not an acceptable excuse for murder. Furthermore, this was the first crime the settlement has seen, so it needs to be dealt with - otherwise they'll be inviting trouble. If Stor knows where T'Zaric is, he's instructed to hand him over to the guard so he can be put on trial.

So, Stor returns home and reports this to the rest of the group. T'Zaric surprises everyone by saying he's willing to hand himself in and be put on trial. They then plan out how they will defend T'Zaric's case, and they agree that complete honesty is the way to go.

Stor takes T'Zaric and hands him over into the custody Hargrom and the militia. A public trial is quickly arranged for the next day, with five of the council members sitting as judges. The story of Balasar's life before losing his memory is told, with an emphasis put on the fact that he was being controlled and forced to do this by the Somvidian Empire. Then the tale of his death is told, and it is made clear that Balasar was trying to kill himself anyway - and his suicide note is presented as evidence. Stor speaks on T'Zaric's behalf, expressing that T'Zaric has been trying to make up for his crime, and that his help is needed. T'Zaric speaks as well, expressing his remorse for what he's done. Finally, Extang makes a suggestion that T'Zaric should be put into the custody of the 3rd Watch, and that his share of the income they get from adventuring should be given to the council for funding the community.

The five judges consider, and then agree with Extang's suggesting - adding that, while not out adventuring, T'Zaric will be required to work in the community - once again, with all earning going to the council - and that his sentence will last for five years. T'Zaric accepts this sentencing, as do the members of the public who are watching - though many of them, especially those who knew Balasar best, aren't happy about it. T'Zaric is set free, and everyone returns to their regular lives.

Staying in the settlement for longer than they ever have before, the 3rd Watch settle into new routines. Hammer finds himself struggling to find a place to belong after Feryon gives up on figuring out how he works. At first, Hammer joins the militia, as it's the only life he's ever known. Then he comes to the realization that he can do whatever he wants now, so instead he goes to help work on the mill, apprenticing under Angro to lean how to be a mason. Extang is also working at the mill, having convinced the carpenter working there to continue his carpentry training.

T'Zaric, after a grueling day of his assigned work at the mill, appeals to the council for a new assignment more suited to his abilities. Through his charm, he finds himself as an apprentice jeweler.

Meanwhile, Logan sets out on a seemingly hopeless mission to find people he can train to be paladins. Fiaeorri tries to convert people to worshiping Pagslas, but she has a hard time of it because most people already worship her as one of the Four. So, Fiaeorri hires a  dragonborn to teach her to speak draconic.

Stor turns his attentions to making as much rum as he can, as Wyatt's tavern is getting close to completion. He also suggests to Wyatt the idea to build the adventurer's guild onto the tavern, rather than following the original plan to renovate the 3rd Watch' home base. Wyatt loves the idea, as adventurers will have great stories to share, not to mention they tend to drink a lot.

Over the next couple months, children make the rounds of the settlement to conduct a survey on what services people feel they would be willing to pay taxes for. There is also an election held to whittle the council down to three members. T'Zaric, Stor, and Hammer all run, as does their former companion, Gilligan. However, when the votes are counted, the remaining council members are Duchess Kelenia, an elf with hundreds of years experience as an ambassador, Takyev, a human noble who led his people to safety after being defeated by the Somvidian Empire, and Foddyn, a popular halfling who has plenty of time to commit to the community as there isn't much call for his locksmithing skills yet.

The 1st of Waning Fall brings the Fall Festival, a celebration committed to Pagslas, the goddess of autumn, disease, and inevitable decay. Fiaeorri is particularly excited for it, as she was brought up as a devout follower of Pagslas, but she finds herself a little disappointed and confused. The festival is largely a dance and music festival, with a strange morose, yet joyful feel to it. The focus is on how everything eventually comes to an end, but it seems more like a celebration of everything leading up to the end.

Even the service Triena, the Priestess of the Four, performs at the shrine to Pagslas Fiaeorri built is a surprise to Fiaeorri. The sentiment is about the natural end of things, and allowing and accepting theses - nothing about actively bringing about said end, like Fiaeorri expected.

Those more familiar with the festival note an interesting addition to the entertainment - a pageant being put on by children telling the story of the Mutiny Aboard the Noble's Lark. After all, it was during this festival one year ago that the original members of the 3rd Watch - practically strangers at the time - had saved everyone from the pirates who were planning to sell everyone on board to the Somvidian Empire.

Upon arriving home after the festival, Fiaeorri is surprised to find a cryptic note in her pocket, saying that it is interesting to find one of the faithful here and that she will meet someone soon.

A month later, the 1st of Waxing Winter, brings the Final Harvest Feast - which is just what the name says; a feast. The temperature is certainly getting cooler, but this far south the feast is more symbolic as it is likely crops can be grown through the winter. Hammer has a particular interest in this feast, as he has bought the first clothes he's ever owned and is very proud of them, and has been working to alter his features to appear more human. He's even given himself a mouth so he can eat, though there is no need for it.

On the 5th of Waxing Winter, the mill is finally completed. Extang moves back to working on Wyatt's tavern with his original teacher while Hammer continues working with Angro on his list of projects until he is available to work on the new guild hall.

On the 37th of Waxing Winter, Wyatt's Tavern is finally completed, and there is a huge turnout as the doors are open for the first time. Stor tends the bar, selling the rum and grog he's made, while Wyatt performs and T'Zaric gambles.

With so many people drawn to one place, outside someone pulls Fiaeorri aside - it is a voice from the past, though the face has burn scars making it nearly beyond recognition. It is Meglin, one of the elites from the cult Fiaeorri was raised in. Meglin seems suspicious, though, asking how Fiaeorri escaped. She seems skeptical when Fiaeorri tells her that Gregor told her to run before the battle that wiped out the cult. Meglin walks away, stating that they will see if Fiaeorri is still loyal to the cause. Fiaeorri calls her back, saying she still has questions, but Meglin continues on as if she never heard her.


And that brings an end to this game session. Check back next week to find out what happens in Episode 41.

Turtle For A Day

            This week brought a fun little adventure to our house. On our way home during our morning walk, Colleen and I came across a very adorable baby snapping turtle, who was unwisely crossing a road. So, we decided to help the little fellow out.

            He was very friendly, though he certainly wasn’t fond of being picked up by his still-soft shell – he used his little legs to push at the fingers holding him until Colleen decided to let him stand on her hands for the rest of the walk home. This led to him walking with us, in a manner, as he began walking on his own as well – with Colleen putting one hand in front of the other for the determined little guy. And he always seemed to want to go in the same direction – towards the sun. To us, this validated our decision to interfere with nature, as his path would have taken him across the road, into a farm field during plowing season, then across a far busier road into another farm field which he would have to cross before reaching something that vaguely resembled safety.

            We got him home and made him a temporary tank to live in until we could safely relocate him. There was some small desire to keep him as a pet, or to keep him around for a few days before returning him to the wild, but he clearly didn’t like his enclosure and he nearly constantly tried to escape. We also decided that he was too young for us to keep him very long without risking harming his ability to survive in nature – he was so young that he still had his egg-tooth and a small amount of whatever the egg-equivalent of an umbilical cord is. Plus, he was an at-risk species in the region, so we needed to get him back out into the wild as soon as we could.

            So, as soon as we had a moment of time, we took him out to where we’d decided he would have the best chance at survival. We considered taking him to a nearby park which had ponds, but we decided that the high-traffic and fishing in the area might not be good for such a little turtle, so instead we took him to part of the trails we walk on where there is a nearby stream, figuring that it was roughly the direction he was heading in and about halfway between the ponds and where we found him – so if his instincts were taking him to the pond, he would have a much shorter journey, and only one infrequently used road to cross.

            We deposited him on the side of the trail, pointed in the direction of the stream, and here his movement stopped. All this time, he had been moving fairly consistently – either walking along Colleen’s hands or trying to escape his makeshift tank, though he never hissed or bit at us, or showed any sign of aggression. He just stood there, his neck stretched out so he could look over his shell at us as we loomed above him, waiting for him to walk off. It was an interesting moment, as he seemed more curious than anything. I couldn’t help feeling that he had some small amount of understanding of what we were trying to do for him, or at least that he was exceptionally confused as to why we were letting him go.

            After this had gone on for some time, we finally gave up on him and lifted him one last time to move him directly into the underbrush where he would be safer, should he decide to continue being statuesque.

            We have no way of knowing if what we did actually helped him, or if he will survive. We very much hope that his interaction with us hasn’t taught him that he has nothing to fear from predators. However, we do believe that what we did gave him a far better chance at survival than his plodding course across busy roads and farms would have. We’ll probably never know – but, on the other hand, perhaps someday we’ll come across a much larger snapping turtle on the trail. Then he’ll let us know what he really thought about our little rescue operation.

Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Lark's Landing, Episode 39

Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.

You can find the previous episode here.


15th-21st of Waxing Fall, 0AL

Though we left the 3rd Watch in cramped quarters, battling kobolds, as we resume our tale, they are met with a surprise as the remaining three kobolds surrender. Our heroes make their way into the command cave, and the seeming leader of the remaining kobolds demands to know what they are doing here and what they want. T'Zaric explains that they've come for a fly idol, which the kobold begrudgingly gives up, saying they'll just have to steal it again.

Fiaeorri doesn't take kindly to this, as this is an idol used to represent her goddess. At sword-point, the kobold is convinced to promise not to go after the fly idol again. Their prize in hand, the 3rd Watch make their way back to the bar where they regroup with Hammer, Dugg, and Stor's mother. As a number of them begin discussing what to do next, Extang takes the time to tally up the money they found - however, upon attempting to get some of the smaller coins converted into larger ones with Bardroy the bartender construct, he discovers that Bardroy doesn't keep that much money on hand, as it is sent to a vault.

Upon hearing this, Fiaeorri and T'Zaric instantly find their eyes drawn to a metal slot behind the bar. Fiaeorri Tries to access the money inside with a magically summoned hand, but comes back with nothing - so she distracts Bardroy while T'Zaric casts a spell, turning himself into mist and squeezing through the opening. He follows a metal tube down until it opens up into a large, muddy chamber with a pool of murky, muddy water at the bottom. He looks on in dismay and disappointment as he turns his attention up to the jagged, broken, and rusty tube of metal. He returns to the bar, where he gets a strong drink - watching dismally as Bardroy feeds his coin into the slot.

Ready to move on, the 3rd Watch make their way out of the bar and the ancient sewer system, back up to the lizardfolk village, where they return the fly idol to the shaman. The shaman thanks them and sends them off - with a warning to not enter the swamps without permission, but a promise that the guards on patrol will know that people of their description are permitted an audience.

The same two lizardfolk who led them in show them the way out of the swamp. However, as they are nearing the edge, the path is blocked by a pair of eight-legged, blue lizard-like creatures with red spikes on their backs. The lizardfolk take up fighting stances and warn the 3rd Watch not to look in the eyes of these creatures, as they will be turned to stone. Then the murky swamp water beside the path begins to bubble, and the lizardfolk look at each other in fear.

"It's Rog!" they shout, and run back up the path into the swamp.

Recognizing that the lizardfolk had been willing to fight the creatures on the path, but were terrified of the bubbling water, Stor clicks the heels of his boots of waterwalking together and runs out onto the water on the opposite side of the path, casting a spell that outlines the two lizard-creatures that T'Zaric has identified as Basilisks with faerie fire that will make them easier to hit - especially for people who are trying not to look at them.

T'Zaric follows close behind, diving into the water while pulling up the hood to the cloak he found which allows him to breath and easily swim underwater. He isn't a moment too soon, as from the bubbling water emerges the huge body and five snake-like heads of a hydra, snapping at the remaining members of the 3rd Watch.

Extang grants extra speed to Fiaeorri and Hammer while he retreats up the path. Fiareorri rushes up to meet the basilisks, keeping her eyes averted, while the others all focus their attentions on the hydra. Logan and Hammer take on the hydra head-on, while T'Zaric pops his head out of the water to cast spells and Stor and Extang attack from afar. The battle seems hopeless, as the more they injure the hydra, the more heads it grows, gaining more power until at last Extang takes it down with beams of fire flying from his fingertips.

Fiaeorri, however, is in rough shape. She stumbles away from the basilisks, barely alive - but her efforts were not in vain. She had kept the basilisks from her companions while the hydra was dealt with, at which point they are able to step in and finish the creatures off.

The 3rd Watch regroup and spend over an hour harvesting bits of the creatures. Stor insists on taking the hydra's head - which is bigger than him - in keeping with Kordak's tradition. It is dark by the time they are finished, but they continue on until they get out of the swamplands before making camp.

In the morning, they continue on their way home. They arrive late in the evening on the 20th of Waxing Fall. There, before going into town, Dugg departs with the corpse of Laverne, heading off into the jungle. T'Zaric also leaves them, explaining that he's still wanted for murder and probably shouldn't be seen - he tells them to find him at his house, then casts a spell turning himself into mist.

The rest head into town, after assuring the guards that Hammer is friendly and welcome here. Fiaeorri leaves to check on her shrine, and when he hears about Feryon, Hammer - who is horrified by the crude construction of the settlement - makes a beeline for the swaying bamboo tower, assuming that if there is a wizard here, he must be in charge. Stor takes his mother home to his father for a tearful family reunion, and Extang returns to the 3rd Watch's home.

T'Zaric actually doesn't go to his home, making instead for Feryon's tower, thinking to blackmail the wizard into allowing him to hide there. Feryon, however, is having none of it - pointing out that he could easily summon the guards and, when T'Zaric disguises himself with magic, dispelling it. As it seems like there is about to be a magical duel, there's a knock on the door. Feryon sends T'Zaric on his way, saying he might want to be gone before the guards arrive, and opens the door to meet Hammer.

Feryon is fascinated by Hammer, and pokes and prods at him until Hammer informs him that he is sentient. Hammer is surprised that Feryon isn't in charge, to which Feryon says it's too much work to run the place, so he's had no reason to interfere with the people who have been doing an adequate job so far. Hammer eventually agrees to let Feryon study him, and Feryon allows him to sleep outside his tower - an offer Hammer gladly accepts, offering to guard the place as well.

In the morning, Stor gathers the members of the 3rd Watch - minus Hammer, who is busy with Feryon - and proposes to them that they start an adventurer's guild. Thus far, they have been solely responsible for scouting the land and eliminating dangers - and if anything happens to them while they are away, as it nearly has on many occasions, no one would ever know. The idea is accepted, and...

A knock comes at their door. They open it do find a distraught bronze dragonborn who begs them to help her find her husband, who has been missing for over a tenday. The guards haven't been able to help and pointed her in the direction of the 3rd Watch. Upon questioning further, they discover her husband is a blue dragonborn and an apprentice mason. He was last seen on the same day that T'Zaric murdered Balasar.

Fiaeorri, who just happened to kill a random blue dragonborn on that exact day, does a remarkable job of hiding under a blanket and seeming like she was never there. Stor and T'Zaric immediately start making connections. Remembering there being a body Stor had taken from the fire-and-lightning-struck boat, the disguised T'Zaric heads out to the ocean for an underwater search.

Stor, remembering the same body, has the woman sit down (on the hidden Fiaeorri) and explains to her that he believes her husband is dead. This is obviously upsetting to her, as she has a child who will hatch soon, and she has no idea how they'll be able to survive on her own. Stor gives her 100 gold coins and ushers her out, assuring her that they'll let her know if they find his body or any more information.

Then Stor rounds on Fiaeorri - or attempts to, but it takes a surprisingly long time to find her, given the small, barren room. Once she's uncovered, he demands to know where the body is - as he knew the body had Balasar's possessions, which Fiaeorri had returned to the group. Fiaeorri lies through her teeth, convincing the others that she has no idea where the body is, claiming it must still be out in the ocean somewhere.

Stor heads out to fruitlessly search along the shoreline for a sign of the body, while Fiaeorri goes out - claiming to want to recruit others to her faith. Where she actually goes is to the grieving dragonborn's house, knocking on the door. When it is opens, she tells the woman that she's heard about her loss, and is very sorry - then goes on to invite her to hear the word of her goddess Pagslas, explaining that every that every death happens for a reason. This does not go over well - resulting in a resounding slap and a door slammed in her face.


And that's where this game session comes to an end. Check back in a week to find out what happens next in Episode 40.

Psychology, Sociology, and the Art of Manipulation

            Whether you are creating a book, a D&D campaign, a video game, movie, or any other type of game, there’s a particular skill set you need that is often overlooked: you need an understanding of psychology and sociology, and you need to have a knack for manipulation.

            Psychology and sociology are fairly self-explanatory. If you want to accurately represent people, and groups of people, you need to understand how people think. You also need to know how they behave when in groups, not to mention how groups as a whole act in various situations. You don’t have to study or research these in-depth, but at the very least you need a general understanding – be it an innate understanding, or one gleaned from study – or your characters and interactions won’t be believable.

            Manipulation, though? That sounds a bit strange, particularly since manipulating people is rather frowned upon. Yet, at the same time, it is essential – even expected by consumers – for a creator to have this skill, because it’s the ability to manipulate people that draws them into the story.

            An audience needs to be connected to the characters, which means the creator needs to know what buttons to push to get people to relate to the characters. From the very beginning, the story needs to draw people in – and this is done through manipulating people by instilling curiosity or some other emotion that will prevent them from turning away. And, throughout the plot, you want the audience to feel certain things at certain times – it keeps them interested and makes everything seem much more real. And all of that is done through manipulation.

            It puts a whole new spin on creators when you look at media from that perspective. Entertainment basically becomes the art of manipulating people. In many cases, this manipulation has been honed to a science, refined into a simple formula – but at some point, someone sat down and decided how best to manipulate people – for their own enjoyment, of course.

            I also feel like it puts a new spin on the connotations we have around manipulation. We look at it as a negative word, yet nearly all of our entertainment relies upon it. It’s almost as if there is nothing inherently negative about any particular skill – it is merely the use it’s put to that defines if it’s good or evil.

            Either that, or the entire entertainment industry is trying to control our brains for their own personal gain. I’ll let you decide for yourself.

Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Lark's Landing, Episode 38

Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.

You can find the previous episode here.


15th of Waxing Fall, 0AL

In spite of the tragic death of Dugg's badger, Laverne, the 3rd Watch decide to press on through this strange game they find themselves in - as the next room is the seventh room, and, to their knowledge, the farthest anyone has gotten before. So they follow the nudge in their minds coming from the outside game controls and move through the next door.

In this room, they find themselves in a room that looks a lot like a field outside a castle. In front of them, side-by-side, are two creatures of stone and metal, both with towering shields strapped to each arm. At the far end of the field is what looks like a dragon-headed ballista. Stor charges in to attack the two in the middle of the field, but backs away when not only does his first blow not connect, but the second is blocked by his target's companion.

When the ballista launches a bolt that explodes, hitting most of the group, Stor and Extang circle around the enemies and focus on it, while the others slowly take down the two hard-to-hit defenders. However, they do win, and - after finding a grimacing shield and ring on the one skeleton in the room - decide that they'll try just one last room. They proceed through the next door - and instantly regret it.

In a gloomy, castle-like room, they see four dark, spiked, evil-looking suits of armor that look remarkably similar in design to one that the 3rd Watch had fled from back in the ancient ruin they fell into. Stor, T'Zaric, and Extang are all instantly concerned as these enemies march and fly into battle. It's the biggest challenge they've faced so far in this game - the suits of armor prove to be incredibly difficult to damage, and they fight quite well. Stor and Fiaeorri take hits that nearly take them out of the fight while Extang casts a spell slowing these deadly foes for a little while.

Operating the controls from outside the game, Stor's mother mercilessly directs the damaging effects of one of the buttons at Dugg so it will switch to its healing property so she can save her son with it. Another button causes a healing potion to appear out of nowhere, which T'Zaric feeds to Fiaeorri.

After much bashing, beating, and blasting, the suits or armor are all defeated. Searching the room, they are surprised to find a few skeletons - they had believed no one else had made it this far before - with some treasures. They move on through the next door, hoping this was the last door in the game - but they are once again in the transition room with the two unlabeled doors. They immediately feel a tug towards one of them, and Stor waves his arms in the air, trying to indicate that they don't want to go on and they all feel a tug towards the same door. Extang and T'zaric make illusory words requesting an exit, and once again they feel a tug towards the same door. Knowing that the message shows up really small, they aren't certain if the message was recieved. However, they reason that they think Stor's mother would want to get him to safety outside the game, so they follow the tug...

And reappear outside the game, where Stor's mother throws her arms around him and tells him to never go back into that game - which now has a reward of 10024 gold coins. The bar is also very full now, and they are greeted by cheers and jeers from the various creatures who were drawn in to watch their adventure.

The 3rd Watch, in spite of having just slept little more than an hour ago, decide they really need to rest and recover. While doing so, they examine and identify a number of magic items they found. Once they are sufficiently recovered, they decide it's time to move on. First, they need to find the fly idol that the lizardfolk requested of them.

Stor suggests that T'Zaric ask one of the kobolds he befriended where the fly is. Overflowing with charm, T'Zaric not only learns that the idol is in the kobold's command room, but he also gets directions on how to get there.

Leaving Dugg and Hammer behind to guard Stor's mother, the 3rd Watch head back out into the sewer system. Following the directions, they find themselves back in kobold territory. Suddenly, from narrow tunnels dug into the walls, kobolds spill into the tunnel both in front and behind them. It looks like a nasty fight is about to start, but T'Zaric calls out, claiming that they aren't enemies. This causes the kobolds to pause long enough for some of them to recognize them from their time in the bar's game. The kobolds disperse, with a few hanging back to get a better look at the 3rd Watch, and then the group moves on - after getting new directions to the command room.

The tunnel to the command room is so narrow that only Stor can move through it easily. The others have to squeeze in behind, single-file. In spite of all attempts to remain quite, there is no way to conceal the screeching of Logan's armor on the cave walls.

There's a branch off the right side of the tunnel that opens up into a room containing a dozen kobolds. Stor and Fiaeorri move to the other side, hoping they've avoided notice, but something does seem to have caught the kobolds' attention. T'Zaric turns himself invisible, then walks into the room, keeping his eyes open for the fly idol - which he doesn't see. Wishing to aid his friends by distracting these creatures, he goes to the far side of the room - near a second narrow tunnel - and kicks a stone.

One of the kobolds casts a spell in his direction, missing, but now there's no doubt that something is happening. The four who have wings fly up onto shelves near the ceiling, while a couple head for T'Zaric and the others move towards the tunnel entrance. Inside the tunnel, there is a great deal of confusion, as there is very limited mobility and Stor is the only one who can see in the dark.

Realizing that he needs to buy more time for his friends, T'Zaric drops a fireball that explodes at his feet, filling the room with an explosion of fire that kills half the kobolds. He gets scorched as well, but he knew he would either be hitting himself or his friends.

In the cramped and narrow tunnel, the rest of the 3rd Watch is able to make their way to the blocked tunnel opening, but, though they take down some more of the kobolds, the going is slow and they can't stop getting in each other's way.


And that is where this game session abruptly ends. Come back next week to find out how the battle ends in Episode 39.

It's All The Same

            You would think that, given the opportunity, the majority of people would try to improve life – at least to the best of their ability. However, for some reason this doesn’t appear to be the case. There is an element to this related to the fact that those with the ability to bring about change don’t see the need for it, while those who want change the most lack the means. But, if this is the case, why do we see the same thing reflected in our fiction?

            With few (at least, comparatively few) exceptions, our fictional worlds tend to function remarkably similarly to ours. Oh, the names of everything changes, but there’s almost always some form of monetary system and a hierarchy of who is in charge – be it a democracy, meritocracy, theocracy, monarchy, or one of any number of other types, there is the familiar leadership structure.

            Now, there are reasons for doing this. Familiarity is important to help people be engaged with the content. If it isn’t an integral part of the story, having a consumer learn and figure out a whole new structure for a society is tedious and unnecessary. So, what people already know is what gets the most representation, which is fair – but I’ve noticed something else, as well: if people are given the option in a factional setting to make things different, they still choose to go with the familiar.

            The first example I have of this is the Dungeons & Dragons campaign I’m running. It’s set in a world I created with the specific intention of allowing the players to have a lot of control over how their society would develop. They were put in a situation where they were building up a civilization, where they were some of the most influential people around, and where there was no monetary system because everyone was struggling to survive. Did they try to influence their government into taking a new, potentially better structure? No. Did they try to create a new system of bartering? No – in fact, they specifically wanted the familiar monetary system and, through actions based on assuming it would resurface, accidentally caused it to re-emerge.

            Now I’m seeing the same thing again in Chronicles of Elyria. This is a game designed to be almost entirely within the control of the players – they run the governments and control the economies, laws, and the research. It is perfectly set up for people to test new ways of doing things, and yet... All these people who are setting up governments are setting up the familiar governing systems (to be fair, these are partially built into the game’s feudal system), planning for the same familiar capitalistic monetary systems, and planning on law systems that reflect our own.

            I don’t fault them for any of this – it’s all very practical – but I can’t help seeing these scenarios and thinking, why are we just doing the same things over again? Why are we reusing material that, while it works, we know it doesn’t work well? In the real world, I understand – change takes a lot of time, investment, and risk in the real world. On the other hand, in a game, when given this much ability to build and design how the world will function, there is far less risk. Why do we fall back on the same old dysfunctional systems?

            Familiarity is the key, I believe. It’s familiar, comfortable, and easy, so that’s how we choose to do things. We know it isn’t perfect, but at least we know what to expect. It’s all very sensible, of course, but we’re missing out on trying to find a better way of doing things. If we can’t be bothered to find a better way in our fiction, how can we expect to find a better way in our reality?

Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Lark's Landing, Episode 37

Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.

You can find the previous episode here.


15th of Waxing Fall, 0AL

While the 3rd Watch, along with Stor's recently recovered mother, rest in the cellars of a collapsed temple - with kobolds chipping at the stone overhead - Stor takes some time to examine the strange metal rod with a button on the end that he'd found. Upon pushing the button, the rod releases a blast of magical cold energy, nearly hitting one of his friends. He is excited at the possibilities for this new and magical weapon.

When they wake up, they head back to the bar's cellar, arriving just in time to see Fiaeorri coming down. They introduce her to Hammer and Stor's mother, and catch her up a little on their adventures. However, as they're talking, Fiaeorri spots Dugg trying to follow her down the trapdoor a moment before he's caught by the bar's alarm system and teleported away. The group realize that they can get Dugg to help them sneak back out and Fiaeorri sends him a magical message asking him to buy a round of drinks for the bar.

After a few minutes, Stor peeks out of the trapdoor and sees Dugg attempting to find enough money to follow the instructions, so he tosses some coins over. With Bardroy distracted, everyone sneaks out into the bar - though it takes Hammer several tries. Hammer is very unimpressed with the quality of construct Bardroy is.

They briefly discuss what to do next - they've saved Stor's mother, but they still have to retrieve the idol for the lizardfolk. However, led by a suggestion from Dugg, they decide that first they would like to try out the strange game again.

Logan volunteers to stay outside and run the controls - keeping anyone else from causing a problem - and the other six insert their coins and vanish, entering the game world while out in the bar the few early-morning patrons cheer and call for the big screen to be lowered.

Aided by Logan - who wasn't given the already known information about the game's functions, so he has to experiment - they begin fighting their way through the rooms. In the first room, they fight the same spindly, round and rectangular metal creatures Fiaeorri and Extang had faced on their first time in the game, which are quickly dispatched by a fireball from T'Zaric.

The group moves on to the transition room, where Logan, from outside, uses the controls to show them which door will take them forward in the game rather than exiting it. During the transition to the new room, those outside the machine watch as, drawn on the parchment, a little figure with a broom sweeps up the debris from the previous room.

In the second room, the 3rd Watch find a castle-like room with two suits of armor, each holding two swords, stand on a rug in the middle of the room. Fiaeorri tries to take one of the swords, but it seems firmly set in the armor's grasp. Slightly concerned by this, Dugg fires two arrows into the suit of armor - which crumbles to the ground, but leaves the swords hanging in the air. The swords - all four of them - then attack of their own accord, while the suit of armor marches into battle. Even the rug comes to life, wrapping itself around Fiaeorri and trying to smother her. They manage to blast and smash their way through the enemies, though Fiaeorri comes out of the rug looking a little rough from sharing the damage that was done to it - luckily, Logan manages to heal her a little with one of the game's buttons.

In the third room, they face more - and tougher - creatures similar to the ones in the first room. Hammer appears to develop a competitive need to prove his superiority to all these constructs they're fighting. In the fourth room, they face a golem made of clay, which nearly kills Dugg's giant badger, Laverne, in one blow - luckily, the badger is able to escape.

In each room, they pause to collect the money and items that remain amongst the skeletons of previous challengers of the game. After this room, they try to take a brief rest to heal up a little, but move on when writing appears around them to inform them that the game will kick them out if they continue to be inactive.

In the fifth room they face down another golem, only this one is made of stone. Outside the game, Logan quickly explains the controls as he understands them to Stor's mother, then presses the green button to enter the game himself, joining his friends. Though the golem places a spell over the group, slowing several of them, it is soon dispatched and the 3rd Watch move on to the next room.

In the sixth room, they face two cobras made of iron and four bronze bug-like creatures, all nearly as big as humans. The constructs are once again defeated, but during the fight one of the bronze creatures releases a blast of electricity into the group - most of them shake off the damage, but poor Laverne, just barely clinging to life, is instantly killed by the blast.

With Lavern's body in tow, they move on to the next transitional room. They're beaten and battered, and they're running low on spells, but Bardroy had told them that the farthest he'd ever seen anyone get in the game was the seventh room. The group is determined to beat that high score, so they prepare to move on.


And that's where this game session comes to an end. What new danger will these adventurers face next week in Episode 38?

Choose Your Story

            It’s easy to think of stories as universal concepts, because a story is a story. Isn’t it? But it really isn’t that simple – because it’s become clear, as we’ve developed more mediums for telling stories, that the enjoyment we get out of any particular story varies depending on the platform used to deliver it.

            Pick a book that’s been turned into a movie. Any book. With very few exceptions, the book s always considered to be better than the movie. This generally comes about in one of two ways: either the movie as accurate to the book, and just doesn’t measure up, or the movie is actually quite good, but is rife with inaccuracies that make a well-read viewer furious.

            The same can be said while translating into other mediums. Audiobooks are common now, but even still, there are some stories that are preferable to be heard aloud – in particular, those told skilled storytellers. Video games also need to have the story adapted for them to be enjoyable – and even within that sphere, there’s variety in what the story needs to be like based on the type of game delivery.

            This means that those who create stories must be aware of the needs of the delivery they intend. A book can be extremely detailed and complex – with an added depth granted from being able to see characters’ thoughts. A story designed to be told aloud requires simplification and a pacing designed to hold the audience captive, because they can’t go back to re-read details they missed. A movie can have much of the complexity of the book, but it needs to be paced faster – and the depth of knowing what characters think is limited to what can be shown in facial expressions. Video games need a story that is simple and interactive, as the focus is more on the journey through the story than the details themselves.

            For each medium, the story must be crafted carefully to meet the requirements of the audience. Does this mean you can’t present the same story on different platforms? Not at all. However, it does mean that you can’t pull a story from one medium and plug it into another and expect it to work – it needs to be altered and adapted to fit the appropriate style of storytelling.

            Keep this in mind whenever you are crafting a story. If you find it isn’t working out the way you thought it would, consider switching the medium before scrapping it.

            As for when you’re enjoying an adaptation of a story you love, remember that sometimes changes are necessary for the sake of entertainment. Besides, you already know the story – isn’t it better to have a new story? Sit back and enjoy the entertainment without the expectation that it be exactly the same as the story you already know; treat it as a new story and you may find yourself more satisfied with your entertainment.

Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Lark's Landing, Episode 36

Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.

You can find the previous episode here.


14th of Waxing Fall, 0AL

Free of the strange and dangerous game located in the weird bar that, for some reason, exists in an ancient sewer system, Stor turns his attention to the mission of rescuing his mother. The trapdoor that leads the way to where he believes she is rests behind the bar, but Bardroy - the mechanical barman - informs him that only employees are allowed behind the bar, and when he's asked to check in the cellar for them he says he isn't allowed to go into the cellar unless to bar's owner asks him to.

T'Zaric turns himself invisible and tries to sneak behind the bar, but as he lifts the trapdoor, Bardroy notices him and the room's lighting turns red. T'Zaric blips out of existence and the lights return to normal. T'Zaric finds himself standing outside the Bar's entrance. He magically alters his appearance and walks back in. He's surprised when Bardroy welcomes him back.

They continue seeking a way to get into the bar's cellar. Through questioning Bardroy, they learn that the bar was built in year 25 of Gnerstic Reckoning, 3739 years ago, and that the bar's owner hasn't been seen in well over 3000 years. After a few tries, they give up on starting a bar fight, realizing that even though all the patrons are at war with each other, they know there's no point in fighting in here. They attempt asking Bardroy if the bar needs any new employees, but the construct insists he's been fine on his own all these years, and that the bar will post a sign when help is required. Extang talks to Bardroy about a bar-wide competition, but gives up on the idea when he realizes it won't get Bardroy out from behind the bar. Logan pulls out his warhammer and takes a swing at the bar, only to get teleported outside. T'Zaric, having returned to his original appearance, manages to convince Bardroy that the old owner of the bar is clearly dead and he, T'Zaric, is the new owner - however, Bardroy requests the appropriate paperwork before T'Zaric is permitted to take charge.

Frustrated, the group - minus Fiaeorri and Dugg who are happily drinking at the bar - consider leaving in search of another way to get below the sewers. But first, Extang attempts to cast a spell on Bardroy to slow him down long enough for everyone to sneak past - but gets teleported out right before the spell finishes. They're just attempting to reorient themselves in the sewer when T'Zaric notices a group of Kobolds entering through one of the bar's other doors. He goes back into the bar and befriends them and convinces them to try to convince someone else to play the strange game by the wall - but no one is interested.

Extang follows T'Zaric back in to ask some lizardfolk about other ways to get into the tunnels below the bar. Most of them don't believe there is anything further down, but one had seen someone sneak through the trapdoor behind the bar before. He thanks them and shares this information with T'Zaric, who asks his kobold friends about other paths below ground - they say that they had some access through their temple, but that it had recently collapsed and they were working to dig their way in. The give general directions on how to get there, but warn that one of their tunnels recently collapsed as well and that the whole army is up in arms.

The 3rd watch realize that the path behind the bar might be the only way to get below, so they return to figuring out a plan to get past, but can't come up with any ideas until T'Zaric asks the lizardfolk how the person who snuck past Bardroy before had done it, and learns that it was done while the mechanical man was distracted getting drinks.

Eager to save his mother, Stor immediately pays a large amount of money to buy a round for the entire bar. While Bardroy is shuffling to and from the counter, filling drinks, they sneak over the bar and down through the trap door - though Logan gets spotted and teleported out a couple times before he makes it in.

Down in the cellar, they find a massive hole in one wall and rubble filling most of the room. Pressed up against the rubble is a very large stone chest. T'Zaric tries to open it from a distance with his summoned magical hand, but the lid is too heavy for it. Stor, having determined that there were no traps, joins him in opening it.

Inside there is a tall figure made of metal on wood, with empty eye-sockets that begin to glow red as the figure comes to life, demanding to know who they are and where this is. They talk for a while and learn that this is a sentient construct named Hammer who had been made during year 555 of Gnerstic Reckoning to help defend a city of Copperspire during a rebellion of the less intelligent lower-classes against the highly-intelligent ruling elite. An explosion was the last thing Hammer remembers, and he would like to know who won during the rebellion.

The 3rd Watch don't have any answers for him, other than telling him how long he's been asleep, but they suggest that he may find answers if he joins them. He does so readily, insisting that he take the lead to protect those behind him, as was his job with his squad.

With a new member in tow, they head off through the tunnel, which leads them to another rubble-strewn cellar. The hole continues through the far side, and there's also a much smaller tunnel of similar design on the right wall. Stor, who is the only one who can easily fit through that space, makes his way through to scout ahead. He finds another rubble-filled cellar with three green-brown worm-like creatures almost as big as him. He quickly retreats, guessing that they probably made these tunnels and worried about what made the bigger tunnel.

The group continues on until they reach a fork in the tunnel. They continue to the right, down a long winding tunnel, until it breaks through into another cellar - this one with another big worm-thing in it, though still not big enough to have made these tunnels. It charges at them with alarming speed for such a creature. It's tough to fight, as striking it causes a spray of acid, but they manage to take it down. Seeing where Hammer's metal plating has shined up from the acid, T'Zaric uses a simple spell to clean up the rest of his metal plating.

Feeling a bit worn down, they decide they need to take a short break, but they don't feel entirely safe here. They retreat to the first cellar to rest and treat their wounds, before returning to the worn-corpse. In the cellar beyond it, Stor finds some coins and a strange metal rod with a button on the end that Extang believes is magical.

The tunnel goes through another of the cellar's walls and continues on, so they follow it until it comes to another cellar that it seems to have sheered the corner off of before continuing on, widening just at the end of their vision. Seeing the cellar as having a hallway and doors, they head into it, believing they may have found what they're looking for.

They head into the first room and find a hollowed section of a log filled with coins and gems. They are immediately suspicious of it, but can't find any traps. T'Zaric uses his magical hand to lift some of them from a distance, but nothing seems to be hazardous. So, they dump the treasure into their bag of holding and take a look around the room to see if they can determine who put this treasure here. They find clawed footprints on the floor and surmise that this must be the treasure troves of one of the swamp's warring factions.

They move on down the hall to the next door, which reveals a pool of a green slime - now they're certain they're on the right track, as they were told that the kobolds grow their green slime below the collapsed temple. They move on around the hallway's corner and head down to the end of the hall - where there's a closed door on their left, and an open doorway on their right.

Stor goes on ahead to peek through the open doorway, but as he arrives, a spiked tentacle grabs him and pulls him into the room. The others rush in to help, and find themselves fighting either a garbage mound, or something within the garbage mound. They cast their spells and hack away while the creature bites at them with a massive mouth and lashes at them with tentacles - or, when someone is impaled upon the spikes of its tentacles, bashes them against the wall.

The monstrous creature is felled, though many wounds were taken in the process. However, they feel they must press on. Extang ties his light-producing gem to his forehead and opens the last door into a larger room with a huge pile of rubble in the middle. As he enters, a dark figure drops behind him from above and puts a knife to his throat, demanding to know who they are and what they're doing here.

Thinking he recognizes the voice, Stor calls out, "Mom?" and hears in reply a very surprised, "Stor!?" The knife is lowered from Extang's throat, and the group move on into the room. Stor expresses to his mother that they have much to talk about when they get home, making it clear that his memories of his past are restored, but there is an element of the past that others in the group insist upon talking about immediately - finding Stor's mother to be alive has sent T'Zaric into a crisis, for he had experienced her death in Balasar's memories - the same place where he'd seen Balasar give the order to burn down T'Zaric's childhood home with his father inside. It was why he's killed Balasar - but if Stor's mother was alive, could T'Zaric's father be alive, too? Had he killed Balasar for nothing?

Once her memory is drawn to the time when she and her husband had sent Stor on ahead to the Noble's Lark, she explains that they knew they were being tracked by an assassin - and a very good one, at that. Because they needed to survive to reunite with Stor, they had befriended a couple on the road, fed them a story, then made them up to look like themselves and left them at the inn. Then Stor's parents had made themselves look like they had been disguised as themselves and had made their mistake.

This seemed to coincide with their experiences in Balasar's memories, but it made T'Zaric realize he hadn't actually seen his father die. His remorse earns him some forgiveness, at least from Extang.

With one of their missions complete, they make camp there for the night so they can recover from their wounds before heading back to the bar. They fall asleep to the tap-tapping sounds of the kobolds that are working to dig into the collapsed temple from above.


And that brings an end to this game session. Stop by next week to find out what happens in Episode 37.