by maho

Related Item: Herald's Call

Sending healing vibes to you Rachel :geek_heart:
I really know how it is when several illnesses don't go away or are just alternating for weeks.

Here, we are still struggling a bit with remnants of norovirus from Christmas time last year!

by Damdael

An item RPG Item: Book 02: The Citadel of Chaos has been added to the geeklist Gamebook rankings by Damdael

by PzVIE

Great to hear from you again - sending good vibrations to you!

by vnemecek

mnickoloff wrote:

vnemecek wrote:

I see a fair number of folks listing the condition of their items as “great.” Does “great condition” have any sort of objective criteria here on BGG, or is it just a completely subjective description that could mean anything?

Ask them for a picture or clarification.

I mean, I could. But it’d be a lot easier if folks would just use the descriptive terms BGG already defines.

(Honestly, my bigger issue is with sellers calling dinged/dented games “new” or “like new.” But people are people, which is why I tend to ask about damage before buying anyway.)

by Yugblad

This adventure has the whiff of A.I. about it.

by Karkared

VolcanoLotus wrote:

It was well overdue. I teach a high school level film class, and we’re doing Throne of Blood next month. Last year when I showed Dersu Uzala, I told them it was “my favorite Kurosawa, but I haven’t seen Seven Samurai, so that’s kind of like telling you my favorite Lucas is American Graffiti if I’ve never seen Star Wars”

Seven Samurai, lile Rashomon, is quite a one-shot viewing. Watched it once, then twice, loved it but won't come back often. Dersu Uzala has a lot more replay value.

by vnemecek

apaneto28 wrote:

vnemecek wrote:

I see a fair number of folks listing the condition of their items as “great.” Does “great condition” have any sort of objective criteria here on BGG, or is it just a completely subjective description that could mean anything?

I assume great means very good or at least good. Just a synonym for good but I could be wrong.

That’s probably a safe assumption.

by IronJawa

Previously in middle earth

Bree, 2965 TA1, Spring

A man, a dwarf, a hobbit and two elves walk into a bar…

Tildo Hornblower-Took, a hobbit from The Shire with an independent streak and a penchant for cooking, busied himself tuning his lyre and trying to sell pipeweed to anyone who made eye contact with him.

Next to Tildo sat the elves Laurelin, who hails from Mirkwood, and Lirion, who hails from Rivendel. The pair, veterans of the Battle of Five Armies, are in conversation with another who fought that day, albeit in a different army: Bruni Brokenshield, a dwarf from Erebor, who was puffing on this pipe, only half paying attention to what the elves were saying.

The group had been summoned to the Prancing Pony, at the behest of Gilraen the Fair, by Minastir son of Bergil, a man of the north better known to the folk of Bree as…

“Walker.” The Dúnedain ranger feels someone kick the leg of his chair and looks up into the disapproving face of Barnabas Butterbur. ”Someone here to see you. Calls himself Rupert the Hunter.” The barkeep gestures towards a timid looking man in a cloak. Minastir opens his mouth to say something but…

“You wanna buy some weed?” Tildo asks.

“We talked about this master Hobbit.” Butterbur grumbles. “I told you, you’re not to sell your weed here.”

“I sold you some yesterday!”

“And you said you’d keep that on the down low.” Butterbur shuffles away mumbling under his breath about annoying hobbits.

“I was told to give this to you, Minastir” Rupert retrieves a sealed envelope from his cloak and hands it to the ranger.

“Sealed with a kiss?” Laurelin’s player asks, inadvertently suggesting that Minastir is having a relationship with Aragorn’s mum.

The letter is from Gilraen the Fair and is addressed to all the fellowship. In it Gilrean explains that she heard about Rupert’s disturbing story and it has left her deeply troubled. While pondering the tale she thought of the fellowship and asks that they investigate and destroy whatever evil they find there. She finishes by expressing her belief in the fellowship.

“Alright, Rupert, quess you’d better tell us your story.” Bruni says.

“It’s like this, sirs…” Rupert launches into his tale: Three weeks ago, while hunting in the North Downs, Rupter was caught in a storm; seeking shelter, he stumbled upon a stone circle atop a hill; the top of the hill was covered in tracks Rupert did not recognize, but all lead to a pit in the centre of the stones; as he investigated the pit a mist rose, obscuring the moon and Rupert felt as though he was being watched by a malevolent force; in the mist he heard the growl of large creature and fled the hilltop.

Unsettled by reliving his experience Rupert looks to take his leave but Bruni has a few follow-up questions. To help settle the Hunter's nerves Tildo offers to play a song with his lyre, an action his player describes as “singing some random shit”, which is interpreted as some kind of free style jazz skat performance. While unconventional, it is effective - between the music and the drinks Bruni buys they're able to get enough information for Minastir to identify where Rupert had his encounter.

“I know of this hill.” The ranger explains “It lies to the north north east, near the hillfolk settlement of Crom. We should take the old Greenway Road and head east once we're in sight of Dead Man's Dyke”

Burni shook his head. “I know travel and the quickest way is a straight line through hill and forest. What say you Rupert the Hunter”

“Well..” Rupert hesitates and takes a drink from his ale. “If it were me.. I'd take the old Greenway Road and head east once we're in sight of Dead Man's Dyke.”

“Great idea!” Says Bruni as he enthusiastically slaps the table. “We’ll use Rupert's plan.”

Travel in The One Ring isn't just a line on a map, or beautiful panning shots of New Zealand, there's a full on mechanics attached. As the group begins working out who will fulfill what role Rupert's confidence begins to wane. Perhaps it the fact no-one knows how the group met (leading theories are: Bruni, Laurelin, Lirion and Minastir are all old enough to have met at the Battle of Five Armies and Tildo hangs out with them because he’s Bruni’s drug dealer and; they met on the road when Tildo got attacked by brigands) or Laurelin complaining about how he has a girl's name.

As the doubtful hunter turns to leave, Minastir places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “This is an introductory scenario Rupert. You're not going to get Aragorn or Legolas turning out for this. Don't worry: We're appropriately leveled for the task at hand.”

The fellowship sets out the next day. Bruni will be acting as the guide; Laurelin will be the hunter; Minastir the scout and; Lirion is the lookout.

The group sets off in good cheer. “Play us a tune, Dildo.” Tildo is quick to obey Bruni’s request, but no sooner has he done so than the dwarf follows up with a second. “Shut up, Dildo.”

Bruni rolls a great success, which means that the fellowship travels a full 80 miles before they run into trouble: as they near Deadmen’s Dyke (or Fornost as it was known in the days of the Kingdom of Arnor) they discover a landslide, caused by the recent storm, has obscured the path forward. It falls to Lirion to find the way. Thankfully his elf eyes are as sharp as legends suggest and the journey continues.

“My parents wanted a daughter.” Laurelin explains as the fellowships walks amongst the rolling hills of the North Downs. “That’s why I have a girl's name.”

Tildo trots alongside the elf. “Did they make you wear dresses and stuff?” he asks from atop his pony.

Laurelin nods. “They raised me as a girl.”

Bruni’s next travel roll is a feat success and the group arrives at last at the stone crowned hill Rupert the Hunter told them about. The 180 mile journey takes 9 days. Every journey exerts a toll of fatigue on its participants and travel in The One Ring is no exception. Characters with a horse can offset some of this penalty. Laurelin and Minastir are too poor to afford horses, so they take a point of fatigue. “This is bullshit.” Minastir’s player grumbles.

“You’re rich, Bruni. Why didn’t you buy us a horse?” Laurelin asks.

“Bloody elves always expecting the dwarfs to pay for everything. See to your own finances. I’m not made of money.” Bruni scoffs. “Ignore the fact my armour is covered in gold.”

“That dragon sickness vaccine you got is really paying for itself.” Minastir notes dryly.

“Damn right.”

The hill Rupert told the fellowship about stands on the southeastern edge of the North Downs, where the terrain flattens out into woodland, as if the other hills are slightly ashamed that it counted amongst their kin. Steep rocky walls covered most of its slopes, leaving only two narrow paths up. Visible on the summit five standing stones just skywards like a clawed hand grasping for the heavens. In the centre of the stones lay a pit. Cautiously the party climbed the hill.

The elves immediately take up positions overlooking the paths up to the summit while Bruni and Ministar begin to investigate. Bruni wants to head straight for the pit, but Minastir persuades him to look at the stones.

“I asked you to help for a reason.” The ranger explains, when Bruni questions why he was asked to help look at the stones, “and this will sound racist, but dwarfs know stone, so I thought you might have a valuable insight.”

“I’m bored.” Tildo announces and wanders off and begins cooking something to eat.

The stones are old and the carving which cover them of hill folk origin, at least by Minastir’s reckoning, but they’ve been defaced - crude markings daubed on their surface in black paint.

“Can you make any sense of it?” Bruni asks.

“Difficult to say: It’s orcish, depends when it was written. It relates to something called ‘The Fang of the North’,” Minastir scratches his chin. “Which is either a mighty queen of the night to be praised, or if this was written before the fall of Angmar, a restaurant without enough meat on the menu.”

“Okay, nerd.”

The pair turn their attention to the tracks still present on the ground: orcs, goblins and something that is either wolves or wargs. Whatever made them did so after Rupert’s visit to the hill. Finally they have no options but to investigate the pit.

As they approach the pit they are assailed by the same feelings as Rupert the Hunter: the feeling of being watched by an unknown evil; the menacing growl of a creature both up close and yet far away. Both pause. Minastir’s hand seeks the hilt of his sword. Bruni mutters to himself. “Shoulder this hardship and endure.”

The pit has been the centre point for ritual sacrifice. Filled with layers of ash and the remains of orcs, humans and other large animals, the most recent kill is a horse with a fine bridle. Minastir determines the bridle to be either elven or dunadine in make, although he has not heard of any missing rangers on a mission important enough to warrant having a horse. Based on the injuries, large bites taken out of it by some unknown creature, the horse was killed three days prior.

“Attack!” Lirion's voice rings out from the western trail up the hillside. An odd way to warn of approaching danger. He’s spotted a group of orcs and goblins making their way up the hill. There’s a group approaching along the trail up the opposite side of the hill as well, but Laurelin hasn’t noticed them. The orcs are unaware of the fellowship until Lirion heaves his spear at the orc. A volley of arrows is exchanged between the sides as battle is joined…but the result will be determined in the next session.

by tommynomad

Take care in your recovery, Marion, and remember: motion is lotion!

by mnickoloff

vnemecek wrote:

I see a fair number of folks listing the condition of their items as “great.” Does “great condition” have any sort of objective criteria here on BGG, or is it just a completely subjective description that could mean anything?

Ask them for a picture or clarification.

by Karkared

Related Item: Numenera

Possessed supersoldier dwarves high on cocaine boost!

by Jay_D

Related Item: Herald's Call

Yayyy that's great!! So many more stories to come ❤️