What was your best game session ever?
Actually, I have two, but for now I'll just tell you about the first one.
I had been gaming with four guys for over 5 years. The characters in the group was a thief, Zedar, a mage, Cyron, a druid, Arlina and a fighter, Galdor. After many years of adventuring they were all level 25+ (0D&D) and we had long since turned from hack-'n-slash to more 'drama'-like roleplaying.
We had lots of fun exploring the depths of the characters' personalities and eventually the players were more into portraying their characters like actors would than accumulating XP. Thus, I was constantly trying to come up with interesting situations that called for tough decissions and high morals. They truly led their individual kingdoms through shining examples.
Now, the fighter, Galdor, had long been cursed by a demon he slew, that he would never find love and would some day die alone and miserable. Although he had achieved much as a warlord, an adventurer and as a king, he was never truly happy. Until he met a young priestess - Fabienne - and she became his queen and pregnant with his child.
Everything seemed perfect. Galdor dared to let the sun into his halls long dark and gloomy as his mind and the palace echoed with laughter and song.
Then one day Fabienne gave birth. Galdor and his three companions waited outside while the midwives and the court wizard Fistetilus attended his wife. Suddenly, everything went quiet inside. With a frowned forehead Fistetilus opened the door and asked his king inside. In the bedchamber of his queen time stood still because of the wizard's spell.
Fabienne had given birth to twin boys. Right then and there, Fistetilus - who always served the nation before the man - gave his king a choice. Either you keep both sons and face a civil war between them that will tear the kingdom apart when you are gone. Or I walk out of here right now with the youngest and place him in care where you shall never see him again.
All four of my players literally wept for Galdor's cruel fate. In the end Galdor's player decided to let Fistetilus take his child away and he never saw him again. Of course, Fabienne never forgave him and the choice he had made caused him to start drinking.
Eventually, at the end of our epic campaign, Galdor and Fabienne managed to live a fairly normal and happy life, although the emotional wounds left severe scars.
Anyway. That night, when I actually made my players weep at the gaming table, I think that definetly qualifies as one of the best game sessions I have ever experienced!
:-) Jesper
I wish I was gifted with such a party/DM at my time...
=Me
=my playersI was running a game one evening and I had done no preparation whatsoever. This in itself wasn't unusual, my notes generally tend to be sparse at best, but I usually have some kind of gameplan in mind. However this time I really had nothing.
So I decided that it was the birthday of one of the characters and there was a carnival in town. We spent the evening roleplaying a night out on the town, with bar brawls, tests of strength, wrestling matches, archery etc - anything to keep the players busy until I thought of something for them to do. By the end of the night I'd managed to work a small mystery into the game revolving around a love triangle and murder amongst the carnival performers but roleplaying a rowdy night out on the town is what the players remember.
Originally posted by Richard Hannah
By the end of the night I'd managed to work a small mystery into the game revolving around a love triangle and murder amongst the carnival performers
Interesting. Can you share some of the details of the plot? I am always looking for plots that require more than just a strong sword-arm or a fireball to solve.
Right now my group is playing Pharao - the first of three 1st edition AD&D modules called Deserts of Desolation, which I have converted into 3E and placed in Ylaruam.
It's great. There's puzzles, clues in forgotten languages, a very unique storyline and a maze that required the characters to come up with a whole new mapping system just to find their way out!
:-) Jesper
I think it went something like this - names have been changed to protect the innocent - and because I can't remember what names I gave em.
Marina the Acrobat is found murdered - her husband Sergei (also an acrobat) is utterly distraught and accuses Bobo the clown of the murder. The circumstantial evidence against Bobo is fairly damning - he was seen arguing with Marina earlier by one of the characters and the murder weapon is found in his caravan. However when the characters investigate they find that Bobo and Marina were in fact having an affair, and Bobo was trying to get Marina to leave her husband. They can find this out from the carnival owner who knew of the affair. Suspicion then duly falls on the jealous husband Sergei. However the mystery goes deeper than a mere love triangle.
Unbeknownst to the characters Bargle the infamous has been conducting experiments into lycanthropy amongst the carnival performers (later in the campaign he succeeds in creating a mutated form of the disease which turns people into a kind of demi lycanthrope). He has the carnival owner under his spell to keep his secret. Marina was one of Bargle's experimental subjects who got out of control and had to be exterminated. Bobo and Sergei know nothing of this of course and blame each other for the murder, just as Bargle planned. Eventually however the Carnival owner confesses and Bargle is uncovered. He has a caravan in which he conducts his experiments and the characters may find him there.
The party confront Bargle and battle ensues - during the fight bargle blows up his caravan showering one of the party in broken glass from vials containing the lyncanthropy formula he has been working on. This character immediately transforms into a werewolf due to the concentrated and unstable nature of the formula Bargle was working on and the party must then deal with this new threat. During the confusion Bargle escapes to harass the party another day.
I think thats how it went - although my recollection of events is somewhat hazy. I actually got the idea from watching a movie called Trapeze with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, which is well worth a watch if you can manage to track it down.