Christening the New Lodge ...
Christening the new lodge with a joyful first Pathfinder extravaganza!
Praise be to the clerics of Asmodeus aka the lawyers: after much drama, my family finally moved into our new place in mid-December.
Our first housewarming event, held even while most of our possessions were still scattered around the house in boxes? Hosting the members of our long-running gaming group over the Christmas holiday to christen (see what I did there) the new lodge with a frolicking, rollicking Pathfinder session.
Now, where did that moving box labeled PRIORITY: GM’S BEST D20 DICE end up?
(You may be tempted to ask: “Hey newsletter writer, why are we only hearing about this inaugural session seven weeks after the fact!? Where was this breaking news when you rolled out last month’s skimpy edition?” To which I would reply: “I am a first-time homeowner and lead parent of a four-year-old! I swear to Erastil I am doing my best.”)
On the topic of doing one’s best, please earn yourself a Hero Point by doinking that heart button up top. I have no idea what it accomplishes, but I need it.
So, details details details! Ok, here’s how it went down:
We played the PFS scenario Intro #2: United in Purpose, which takes place in the Blackwood Swamp of Taldor, just outside Cassomir. Pathfinder Society faction leaders send the heroes into a complex of ancient Azlanti ruins to scout the newly discovered site. Nothing could go wrong.
Our pregame musical accompaniment was the same as it’s been for years: the fantasy metal stylings of Led Zeppelin. Once the adventure got rolling in earnest, we switched over to one of my custom Spotify playlists — in this case, the Ambush Shadowhunters mix — to evoke creepy swampiness.
The food spread featured dim sum items like shumai and noodle rolls and dry-fried string beans from Inner Richmond stalwart Hong Kong Lounge, makers of the finest baked pork buns in town. Oh, and Haribo Sour Goldbears, because no session is complete without Haribo. GM’s orders!
Drinks were all over the map of Golarion, from Anchor Steam beer and Gratien & Meyer crémant de Loire sparkling, to Snoop Dogg’s 19 Crimes Cali Red wine and a bottle of Old Durbar Black Chimney whisky hand-imported from Nepal by our halfling monk (who also brought an actual kukri).
Like I said, the decor was minimal given we’d moved in less than two weeks earlier, but one of our players who now lives in Healdsburg and couldn’t make the drive sent along a lovely gift basket full of Sonoma snackies that really made the house feel warmed.
We also had our Christmas tree up — literally the first piece of furniture that I hand-moved prior to the big truck coming over — and a single piece of art on the wall (see “The Mini and the Dice” below).
Oh, and there was one more item of tabletop furniture that made its debut: for years we’ve been hearing from our Garundi magus player about a mythical dice tower constructed for him by his nieces. Well, the dice tower finally showed up! And it was awesome, making a pachinko sound when the d20s tumbled down the chute and even glowing under a darklight.
Having the players in our new space unlocked memories of our previous gaming dens: the Pac Heights Lodge, where we gathered around our glass-topped triangular table to play Hell’s Rebels and begged the elf witch to please use a coaster for his pewter tankard and a placemat for rolling his sharp-edged metal dice; the Russian Hill Lodge, where we cooked rapini pasta and garlic focaccia for our pre-game meals, then lit incense on the fireplace mantel to give the room a mystical feel while we played Serpent’s Skull aka Heart of Darkness.
Now, we’ve launched the Lake District Lodge (which I like the sound of, because “Lake District” reminds me of Golarion’s “River Kingdoms”). And the process of writing new legendary adventures has officially begun. To wit, here are the in-world memories I’ll keep of that inaugural session:
The human magus Joël — rhymes with “noël" — greeting an NPC iruxi chieftan (whom he’d impressed with his rugged charm in a previous adventure) with a Prince-inflected, “It’s been a long time, baby” …
Tenten the halfling monk charging bravely into combat with a flurry of blows that missed the bugbear tormentor, and then — true to a beloved, decade-long tradition — immediately going unconscious …
The djinni-bloodline sorcerer Elysii taking out the bugbear with her own flurry of flowery pink magic missiles, then using Prestidigitation to create a blinking neon sign that humbly celebrated the kill …
Vec Fokag, dwarf cleric of the ascended android goddess Cassandalee, tanking a cinder rat in his fiber-optic full plate and tower shield as the Christmas tree flickered in the irl background …
During the post-adventure Downtime period, enjoying the tavern stylings of dwarf monster hunter Kanun Greythane who rolled a Nat 20 on his Earn Income check to win a pub trivia night …
So there you have it: the Lake District Lodge is officially off and running. And there’s another new tradition specific to this space — the first time we’ve ever lived in more than one story — wherein the adventure was punctuated by stomping sounds overhead as our teenaged babysitter, home from her first semester of college, worked valiantly to put our four-year-old to bed against her will.
Which is a nice reminder that this is the lodge where my kid and her friends will soon begin their own tabletop roleplaying careers.
Can’t wait, baby.
THE MINI AND THE DICE
I mentioned the one piece of hung art during that inaugural game: our homage to the California Republic — UV-printed onto pine boards — is by Canadian artist Parvez Taj.
The minis in the foreground are our familiar friends Elysii, Kanun, and Vec surrounding a cinder rat from the PF2 bestiary pawn box which is a small creature that I mounted on a huge-creature base to remind us of its Fetid Fumes 5-foot smoke aura.
The dice are a lovely gold metal set by DnDnD dicemakers that my OG GM Jason gifted to each of us players who survived his deadly Dragon’s Demand module. By the skin of our teeth.
As for the grid terrain? Well, I’ve begun collecting some of Paizo’s pre-printed laminated mats for PFS play, since the scenarios typically use a handful of recurring maps for combat encounters. This one is from Flip Mat: Haunted Dungeons Multi Pack. More about these and other beauties in an upcoming edition!
LISTEN TO THIS
I confessed my dalliance with a rival tabletop game — chess — nearly a year ago in this space. Well, my friends, the love affair continues to cut into my relationship with Pathfinder! In December, I traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the North American Open chess tournament — it was a lot like PaizoCon, but for knights and bishops instead of cavaliers and clerics.
And dropping later this week wherever you download your favorite podcasts, you’ll be able to listen to my interview with Dr. Kevin Scull on his podcast Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement where I discuss my deep dive into the world of the 64 squares.
Tactical combat comes in many formats, but it’s all good in my book. As long as I’m slaying kings let’s goooooo.
NEW FROM THE WAREHOUSE
I’ve long been intrigued by Paizo’s line of Quests — one-night adventures that are shorter than a scenario, compact enough to be banged out in 2-3 hours — and the latest one, Pathfinder Quest #16: The Winter Queen’s Dollhouse, features a new Paizo content tag called ALL AGES:
What that means to us is that the adventure in question should be suitable for younger players without turning off veterans. It should avoid themes of horror or violent imagery, encourage creative solutions, and also employ nonviolent resolutions wherever possible. If there’s a fight, it shouldn’t be against something too scary or too human. The goal here is that if you’ve got a younger child, student, or sibling who can do the addition required to play the game, you can pull out one of these adventures and feel confident that they’ll have as much fun as you will.
Very cool, especially for someone like me who has goals to (a.) write a Quest for Paizo in 2024, and (b.) longer-term ambitions to get my kid playing Pathfinder in the coming years!
That’s it for this edition, my beloved homebodies. And so, as I say at the end of every Pathfinder module I run: this has been Ambush Tactics. I’ve been your Game Master. I hope you had a fun time.
Adventure!