Exchange of Realities

Short one this week. Game ran late, and I almost couldn’t run this due to how long it took to introduce one of the elements.

Earlier this week, I talked about collaboration, and how useful it can be when coming up with new plans. Now, what kind of example would I be if I didn’t use this sort of advice?

I’m heading into a nice, combat-heavy segment, featuring a lot of undead weaponry. Now, I have trouble coming up with this stuff myself. But I have a friend by name of Pete. We met at my college; known each other three years, gamed together in three or four campaigns. Didn’t seem too interested in playing in my online group, but kept in touch with me anyway when I graduated.

And we got to talking about this plot arc. It was really helpful. He designed me some high-powered cannon fodder (zombies with lasers, as one of my players puts it) and made some suggestions about their designer (heh, heh, heh…). Discussed a few battle plans, and managed to talk me out of some things that probably weren’t feasible. I get a little overenthusiastic sometimes, and it’s probably just as well he told me the plan with the undercoats was likely to be too dangerous before I implemented it.

The group went to investigate a battlefield. What they found were some undead siege engines of my own design, which they decided to destroy. Decently easy for them, with their absurd stats…. until, after the inevitable explosions, they heard an off-key humming that rose in pitch. And rose. And rose…

Until the next round, I finished the night’s session (I couldn’t keep going on the combat, more’s the pity. Rounds take ages online) with “From the building from which you heard the humming pour zombies. But instead of making a shambling charge, they kneel down in ranks, raise their arms, and open fire…”

It was quite possibly one of the highlights of the second half of the game, and I couldn’t've done it alone.

So here’s to helpful friends and zombies with lasers!