DM Summit II--D&D Encounters Hoard of the Dragon Queen @ Urban Plates

Nathan & I meet at Urban Plates this week to discuss this weeks D&D Encounters at Comic Quest.

The guy who worked the counter brought Heidi the Dog a glass of water

I also got some water--it was a very hot day in Southern California; but, the Urban Plates patio had a nice cross breeze. 

It was a nice environment to discuss D&D Encounters Week Four.

I got a cheap pizza that was a nice snack.

Nathan went big with some serious food porn--I think that there was a cookie somewhere in there as well!

Here are my notes

Recap of Last Week
1. DM David ran the Sally Port & the Last Dragon Breath--party had no problem
2. DM Nathan ran the Tunnel & Ambush--party struggled.

Rules Review
1. Difficult Terrain
2. Healing
3. Death Saves

Guilds Update
1. Not really using the Guilds yet.

Plans for this week
1. Continue being awesome.

2014 Tuesday Season Premier

Most of the Tuesday Crew showed up for the Season Premier. The bikes were leaning against the bushes

The back packs were piled in the hall way

And the boys were at the table

Derek

Matt

Preston & Andrew

I said, Preston & Andrew

Jack

Cards were flying

Alexander showed up a little late--and was unable to get his Orinthopter deck online

We had several blazing rules questions.

I took the boys mug shots

Setting up for a photo shoot with eighth graders is way harder than most people can imagine

While preparing Ramanush ran to school

Which at least got all of the boys out onto the patio.

Signal 21: The Road

This is another great episode of the Ennie Award Winner.

I really love the creativity of this podcast--it is the Ed Greenwood's Numenera with fantastic flavor. Now that he has started including other people's ideas it has gotten even stronger.

This episode has a traveling merchent, a traveling hut, and a traveling man--all fantastic architypes and all done very very well.

If you are playing Numenera you really need to be listening to this.

Saturday Night Magic.

 A little late night Magic with Jack & Alexander

Started off with my WW Deck playing Alexander's Orinthopter deck--we rolled 11 four times!

 His deck took more thought then one would think--even after the mulligan to 4

He had some early excitement, but I was able to win in the end!

Next I played Jack who was all in!

A double Thought Seize is never ever fun

But I was able to win that one as well--a good night for my White deck!

Lennithon -- Hoard of the Dragon Queen

This season of D&D Encounters, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, has a bunch of Dragons in it. Here is my custom paint of the first one Lennithon. And a quick background on my thinking of the Three Adventure Themes:

  1. Evolution

  2. Escape

  3. Mana

Evolution
I am changing the Dragons a lot at the table. 

Basically, the Cult of the Dragon [who have always been obsessed with Dracoliches] are trying to bring back Tiamet & I plan to build on the themes of metamorphism & evolution which are occurring within the Cult of the Dragons objectives--and also with Tiamet herself. 

Specifically, I am looking to have the Dragons in the adventure be slightly different than normal--for example, Lennithon is a Blue Dragon in the Adventure, but I have made her a Blue/Black Dragon who has been transformed by the spell plague or something similar. She is bored and she is bruised [black and blue--get it?]. Other Dragons & members of the Cult of the Dragon will be similarly modified...

Escape

Another Tiamet related theme that I plan to build on is Escape--in her case from the First Level of Hell, but in the story I am not really sure how I am going to apply this.

Lennithon is trying to escape her responsibility of helping with the attack, but I think other NPC's embody this theme more clearly.

Mana

And the third theme, that I am still researching, is the idea that the Five Heads of Tiamet are the same colors as the Magic: The Gathering Color Pie [White, Black, Blue, Red, & Green] which I plan to introduce some how as well...