Dungeons and Dragons ("DnD"): Phase 1 Completed Adventure #5
Date of Session: May 25, 2019
Number of Players: 4
Legendary Hero Menos (Dragon-born Paladin)
Kai-tick, the Kin-slayer (Aarakocra Rogue)
XerX / Kenji, the “X” Archer (NOBLE Elf Ranger)
Bubby, the God-Child (Aasimar Cleric)
NPC Party Member: Vin (the Water Genasi Druid turned Genie in a Orb plot device)
I AM DUNGEON MASTER
This session was pure dialogue. Everyone wanted to get together to talk about what went wrong both in-game and out-game. So, the team role-played as their characters and also interchanged into themselves to discuss what exactly went wrong. So, let’s get started on what we learned that night. It was another late night one, but we just talked, picking up right after Mas O, Mirna, and Overlord left with two Dragon Eggs.
Kai-tick and Menos had serious trust issues / miscommunication. As I listened to them argue, I realized how far the problem lasted. The point of Dungeons & Dragons is to work together as a cooperative team to solve puzzles, fight monsters, and explore dungeons for loot. I began to see the overarching issue once I simplified the main purpose of the world’s greatest role-playing game and compared it to everyone’s concerns.
Kai-tick is not a team player. It’s as simple as that. I began to see it once he repeated his reasoning over and over again: “because we’ll get caught!” The exclamation is to express how he stressed how much he believed in it. He doesn’t listen to Menos or XerX because he thinks (subconsciously most likely… it’s definitely not on purpose) their ideas will not work. His way is the only way to not get captured. As Dungeon Master, I questioned why he thought this.
Then, he meta-gamed reason. I spotted issue #2. He was also paranoia playing the game thinking I was going to throw monsters at them if the team wanted to do it their way. So, I think his character Kai-tick’s and player’s paranoia mixed to create something that was desperate not to get caught. Now, I think he’s forgetting the point of the game is to have fun even if you run into danger… that it’s all part of the adventure, and to not try to think for everyone.
It’s like Robin from Young Justice Season 1 when he didn’t let his team in on his plans. It seems Kai-tick is at least aware of the problem, and hopefully, he stops trying to burden characters to give him a reason to stay. He ultimately stayed because Bubby granted him two wishes, and a third will be given to him if / when they defeat the prophecy / Dragon Queen. Kai-tick signed a magic-bounding contract (terms of service) without reading it. Now he’s stuck.
Kai-tick easily could’ve just stayed to get his revenge on Mirna. The NPC betrayed the team to Mas O after all. But, he is a hired Assassin so I understand that he would want some compensation. Again, it was late at night and I wanted this resolved quietly. Kai-tick needs to become a team player soon because trusting your teammates is supposed to be automatic in D&D, and the whole point in playing the game is cooperative work.
Next is Menos. The main issue with Menos is connected to Kai-tick’s issues. I learned this for the first time, and couldn’t believe this was a problem from the start. Menos wanted to be a good Paladin, but to stay on the adventure, he was forced to compromise his morals in order to stay with the group. Now I’m seeing Menos differently (in-character), and the struggles he must’ve gone through with killing Gundren. Menos truly admitted he didn’t want to kill the dwarf, the man who hired him, Kenji, and Drip-tin to deliver the wagon to Phandalin.
Menos is also figuring out his character. We learned his backstory (fleshed out) for the first time. Nobody at the table knew this whatsoever, as we were under the impression that his background was unknown (there are different Menos running in the multiverse). Apparently, our Great Menos has the Naruto backstory.
Menos’ parents fought in a great war (Mas O is automatically involved by default), and he was born on the battlefield. Afterwards, Menos grew up and trained to become a Paladin like his parents. He is also over 500 years old, which connects to Mas O’s 900+ years in the First Hell. I will be talking to the Great Menos during this next month to see how I can get more Mas O story out of this. I WAS HONESTLY SHOOK at how well this connected to the Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign book.
Ultimately, Menos is ready to commit (Redemption Arc) to his original vow (The Oath of Vengeance) and promises to stop Mas O because he wants to protect the innocent people from getting killed in Mas O’s pursuit for the Dragon Eggs. Now, this sounds like the Hero Menos.
This put Kenji in tears. The ghost not XerX.
Like Gundren, Kenji’s spirit lingers and haunts Menos, forgiving him and Kai-tick in a dick-ish way. Kenji is waiting in line to enter Second Hell but is not looking forward to working the 9-5 in the Underworld. This leads to more story development in-game as nobody knew how he was resurrected a second time.
Mas O brought Kenji back to life a second time and had him transformed eight (Bruce included) prisoners left for dead on the road into Berserkers too. With Kenji and Bruce officially deceased, there are seven Berserkers out there. Kai-tick wanted to bury Kenji, but sought his Berserker trait. Vin (the cursed Water Genasi) suggested merging Kenji’s spirit with someone else’s to inherit the trait.
XerX happily accepted the burden because he did not wish to see Kenji suffer in Second Hell and understood his need to work the 9-5 job. XerX was sworn to protect his brother figure Bubby, but wishes to help ease Kenji’s pain. Bubby, approving as always, makes a wish to merge XerX and Kenji’s souls.
This causes XerX to inherit all Kenji’s memories and feelings to a certain extent. The role-playing is actually elevated as the player behind XerX and Kenji had a hard time with the current group’s dynamic. This merge ultimately gives resolution to Kenji and justification for XerX to act the way he wishes similar to Kenji.
Bubby is a new player, so the issues are not issues per say, more like “I’m still learning how to play” type thing. This is okay, and I feel grateful this didn’t scare him away from playing the game further. However, the trio make the decision to make the 11-year-old God-Child their leader as Bubby was the one who officially put the team together to face-down the prophecy. This was a huge moment that I didn’t see coming.
This also ties into Bubby’s in-game reason to adventure with XerX really nicely. Bubby, like Bran the Broken, knew he had to be the one to step up and take command because nobody else is ready to take charge yet.
The Enforcers, deciding this as a team, plan to follow Mirna and Mas O to Greenest to retrieve the third Dragon Egg before them. They are also inspired because they learn Vin’s “lamp orb” is a disguised Dragon Egg.
XerX and Bubby are surprised at this development. XerX is astonished that he is trusted alone to guard Bubby and a Dragon Egg without his Elves Knights. He apparently has an army of elf knights wherever he’s from. He let “Kenji” slip a bit, which was humorous and in-character moment. Role-playing moments are the best.
Plus, they want to rebuild Cragmaw Castle from scratch (using a wish once they know the design) to use as their headquarters.
Thus, there are three known ones in-game right now: two are with Mas O, and one is with The Enforcers. Vin is forever cursed. So, the one hiding in Greenest would be the “fourth” technically. Hopefully, they don’t slip-up in conversation that they have one Dragon Egg already in their possession because…
Mas O clearly doesn’t know they have it. The race is on for the 9 Dragon Eggs. The end of Phase 1 let’s call it. If I count this session, it would be our 10th session overall since we all started playing Dungeons & Dragons. I’m honestly proud of how far we’ve come in these last few months. Thanks for letting me be your Dungeon Master.
I’ll see you all in July to play again.