All right, nothing has been posted on this game as of yet, so I thought I'd fill the niche.
First off, I really enjoyed this game, so many thanks to James for dming, and to everybody who came and participated. It was a great night. We got to see a couple of great mechanics that hadn't previously been used.
First off, my favorite part of this particular session was the use of the bear-back riding, (hah!) and the use of the mounted combat techniques. It didn't see a whole lot of play, but what was there was fun. The charging Lance is a great image, especially on teh back of the bear. I told Aubrey about this, and she was quite pleased that people were using the monster manual for animal training, which is a big part of what it was built for, and is relatively under-used. I think it played well. Rock.
Second, Reed's pyromancer was fun. He had a hard time getting spells off, which was a little concerning, but he did well enough, and he had a good time. I'm glad it worked out that way.
Third, Matt's Tank. Matt's Tank was the epitome of slow. He did, however, get the job done. This made me wonder what would happen with some really solid teamwork, involving the use of displacement effects or "tophing" characters around. Matt really needed to get where he wanted to be. It would have been wonderful if he had an effect or a team-mate with an effect that would put him there at the right time. The armor mechanic works, and I have no interest in changing it, having used it myself on several occasions, but maybe Athletics could be a little bit more effective in countering those penalties. Deciding whether to make a move action faster than normal versus having armor is a much more comfortable question than deciding whether to move rediculously slowly or moving normally. Athletics as it is makes armor easier to use, but it takes until very high level to really see that effect. Or, it could be fine the way it is.
Fourth, Chris's Soul Thief. This didn't get enough play, I think. He didn't use the ability, but I don't think he really intended to. Chris wanted to play social skills, I think, but it wasn't really a social activity, and the Succubus we met was not about to allow for that kind of play anyway.
Last. My Tinek. OKay, I went a little gung-ho with this, and maybe a little overboard. I apologize if I was prima-donna-ing with this character, and I probably took too much screen time, contributing to limited activity by the Soul Thief and the Druid. I'll try to watch that a little better. Mechanically, the Tinek played well. Too well. The spine mechanic needs to more closely mimic the weapon-techs, and I need to come up with another mechanic to add to it. I am, however, very hesitant to add a "roll in a ball and spin around," sonic mechanic. I'll take a closer look at this and see what I can do with it. Apart from that, I loved the quill throw and explosion. It was neat, and I was able to use it without hurting the party.
James's Torture Demons: Okay. James had a character here too, several in fact, and while the image is wicked, (really, very wicked,) I am not sure on the practicality of so severely maiming a PC. As a player, I don't mind getting killed or injured, but let's take stock: Tim Lost 1 eye, 2 hamstrings, 2 arm tendons and a back nerve cluster, and could have lost more that I'm just not remembering. I know the mechanic was laid out to be wicked, but honestly, it felt much more like a DM vendetta than it did a game mechanic, and there is a reason we count arbitrary "damage," rather than specific injuries.
At that level of permanent incapacitation, If I weren't retiring the character anyway for the one-shot, I would have had to stop playing this character altogether. Having people need Medic checks is one thing, and a single serious injury might actually be interesting, but when I have a long list of specific, crippling injuries and no way to reverse them, that might be a little different.
Anyway, just food for thought. Thanks for playing folks, We'll see you next time.