Something Wretched This Way Comes - Wretched Darkness 1st Edition Rpg Solo Role Playing Session Report 2 - Webs & Spectres

 So last night I had another opportunity to do a bit of solo Wretched Darkness rpg action with my magus PC Clive King. And I headed back to my appartment for some needed rest after staking the vampires last session. 

 

I knew I ws going to encounter something nasty after working on the random encounter tables in Wretched Darkness second edition. Yes I'm using both editions to run Something Wretched This Way Comes. the Red Room has updated and upgraded. So getting back to the appartment was uneventful but once I was there the door was unlocked. Cautiously entering the room the appartment appeared to be empty. It wasn't! 
There was incubus in there that had taken the form of a giant spider. Combat proceeded and there were lots of shots fired.  I ended up setting the place on fire and with some very lucky rolls electrocuting the horror with a main line! And I haven't even found the missing kids except for the graves last time. I had to leave the area before the authorities arrived. 

So dodging traffic & my PC reached his warehouse bolt hole. And I managed to recharge my rituals and ammo. After of course a goodnight's sleep.  I had two more days before the demonic circuis slips away. And I had very little to go on. Two attacks but no evidence for my clients. 

   So I decided to buckle down and do a bit of reconnisance with crystal ball into the astral. A few rolls and a ritual later I was in the field just outside of the circuis. And there were guardian Hellhounds just outside of the property. But the circus wasn't what I was interested in. It was the shallow graves in the Potter's field just outside. 
I had a white candle burning to keep me anchored to my PC's body. And examining the bodies I was grabbed by one of the victim's ghosts! The thing demanded vengence. I had to end there because of several family commitments but that ghost has a tale to tell! 
There are five things that I've learnt with Wretched Darkness solo adventures: 

1. The random tables are there for a reason in Wretched Darkness especially second edition.
2. Monsters are exceeding deadly in this horror game in Wretched Darkness 
3. Solo adventuring takes some very loose dedication 
4. Monsters can think and the dice reflects this. 
5. Death is going to come swiftly if you as the player are not careful. And have a few backup PC's. 

Something Wretched This Way Comes - Wretched Darkness 1st Edition Rpg Solo Role Playing Session Report

 "As the title so obviously implies, this scenario is heavily inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked this Way Comes. Just like in Bradbury’s dark fantasy novel, there’s a mysterious travelling troupe arriving in a small town and granting people’s wishes. As in the source material, making the townsfolk’s desires come true is just a ruse for evil beings to feed upon their life force (and maybe a little more than that). Of course, the events will not be the same, the carnival is replaced by a European circus troupe, and this adventure allows the players to take the roles not only of children but also of the adults being tricked into submission or even the evil circus people" 

So it's Sunday and everyone is away today. My  players are doing family dinners and commitments. Even my wife has Halloween themed family  commitments. 
So what's a dungeon master to do?! Well one of the ways is to take a PC through the Wretched Darkness rpg campaign that I've been working on. I roll up a second level PC called Clive King whose a magus. Some equipment, a few finishing touches and we're off to the circus. 
The Red Room has updated and upgraded Something Wretched This Way Comes. And it's free for download at the moment. 
The demonic circus of Something Wretched This Way Comes stops by the little town of Hudsonville New York. My Wretched Darkness PC Clive King agent for the Legacy is on a mission to locate some missing children. Hudsonville has one of the largest missing kids problems on the East coast of the United States. 
This play session takes place during the early Eighties. I go to the circus grounds at night as the spectle is in full swing. 

My magus encounters a corpse just outside of the circus grounds buried in a shallow grave. The horror springs to unlife and then it's a matter of destroying the horror without alerting the circus. I knock the thing's head off with a lucky roll and the corpse falls. 
Plying deeper into the circus I come across a vampire clown feeding on an unlucky victim. And without even batting an eye we move on. There is no way that I want to take on a vampire at second level even if I've preparred rituals. And next I come face to face with workers who are milling around the bordello tents. A successful sneak roll and I'm around them. I note the chief of police, two city councilmen and one woman, and the mayor's assistant all attending the bordello. 
And this time I might be in deep trouble in between the trailers is very large spider monster feeding on a cop's corpse. He or she can't tell is incredibly brazen about it. And it's noticed me. I decide to run and that's when the webs hit! Three strands take my PC! 

Can I cut the webbing?! A couple of very lucky dice rolls says yes! 
And without thinking I blindly run and keep running until I'm at the end of the circus trailers. Did the thing see me?! 
And that's when I find seven or eight shallow child sized graves in the field. 
And I keep running back to my car which was parked a mile and a half away. And after a pain filled jog back. I run straight into the clowns there are four of them. 
They are armed with baseball bats and then the first one hisses at me revealing fangs. My PC has prepared two Daylight globe rituals and on my intiative I cast the first one rending one of the the things helpless. The second one doesn't take any mind & goes in for a quick hit. He misses because of the globe being at at -2 because of the globe. My next action is too shoot the third one which will distract and a hit! The second clown the  one who isn't gettin fried is trying to club me again. And hits and it hurts! And I can't take another hit like that. So my next action it try and remain conscious. Next round that third vamp is going to be back up. And my next round is another quick shot. And a hit! This isn't going to keep him down at all. And so I bring out a party favor in the form of a grenade and roll to stay conscious again. And destract the two with the fake grenade by dropping it. The first clown losses his action panicing as he sees the grenade. And that's my opportunity to hit with the second daylight globe.  Clown three is back to full strength as his buddy pleads with him to help him because the daylight globe is burning so bad. 
At this point I want to end this badly and roll to stay conscious and make it. Grabbing the gasoline from the back seat of the car I pour it on the ground from the three vampire clowns and then light the whole up. And then grab the hammer and stakes from the back trunk. Three vampire clowns staked out for the Sun! And that's that. 
Here's five things I got out of this session : 

1. I've got to tighten up the encounters and make the monsters far more agressive. 
2. The clues need to be creepy and have a mundane as well as supernatural meaning
3. The circus has to have ringers who are going to lure in the patrons into the special circus encounters.
4. Monsters have to be able to let go certain victims go. 
5. Modern OSR games require modern solution. 

Using Dragon Magazine Issue #68 - For Solo Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Adventuring

To amuse myself after work today I began to think about old school solo Swords & Sorcery role playing. Yes I know all about Tunnels & Trolls solo dungeons . Instead I wanted to go in a completely different direction. So while swilling down a beer, I began the task of looking through my bountiful collection of Dragon magazines. Finally I spied it. Dragon issue #68 which according to Wayne's books site;  "Two weapon fighting; Dawn Patrol; Ice Age adventuring; Aquatic encounter tables; High-level magic user spells; Weather in the World of Greyhawk; more.

December 1982 ... 96 pages". In case your wondering get a hold of this issue its a classic for a reason. 

I was looking around for a solid resource for running some Ice Age adventures in Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. While the game contains some really solid leads on creating & maintaining adventuring upon Hyperborea I've been looking into creating some actual on the ground content for adventurers. Fortunately I don't have to spend a whole lot of money in order to get the maximum outta of the game. Dragon issue #68 contains an article by Arthur Collins called 'Thrills & Chills'. It describes setting up a clan and how much time must be spent on survival alone. Suddenly,  you've got a great resource for playing at & going at it alone between adventures. Be sure to use the rule of AS&SH when creating your character!

 To me Hyperborea has always seemed like Ralph Bakshi Fire and Ice film . In fact this is my go to film to put me in the proper mind set to run the game.  In fact Arthur Collins article 'Thrills & Chills' plugs right into the sort of background that I see for AS&SH.  

The film 'Fire & Ice' has this Age of Giant Mammals & Prehistoric dinosaur survivals that mashes so well with the background elements of AS&SH. The film gets the blood pumping to run some AS&SH! Throw in a bit of Clark Ashton Smith & your ready to go! This is a classic issue that has some real gems of articles in it for both OSR & old school play. The card stock centerfold of the "Weather In The World Of Greyhawk" article  is the true gem  of this issue! It makes Greyhawk just that more dangerous! 

But back to AS&SH solo adventuring. I'm thinking of using the guidelines from  Arthur Collins article 'Thrills & Chills' to set up my clan, create some tribal support NPC's, & then expand into blackadder23's Hyperborean Encounter Tables II Bookmarked pdf that you can find on the OD&D proboard forums here. If you haven't grabbed these & your an AS&SH fan then I would! These are excellent & black adder 23 deserves an exalt! And your pretty much ready to go!

Keep track of experience points, check with your DM on using this method, & keep on moving & exploring for your clan until your party comes to get you! This method could have you go up a level or two in no time plus it familiarizes you with the AS&SH system.