Heavy Metal

UPDATED Oct 28

I've been shopping around for stuff to make a paladin kit and found some metal armor at really decent prices.

A simple helmet for $60

10/28 update - I emailed the supplier, asking for the weight of the helmet. They responded that it is 3.8 pounds. Seems a bit heavy; I think I will stick with plastic.


Greaves for only $27

The question is do I really want to go with metal? Interestingly, metal is cheaper than either plastic or leather, but it is heavier. Still, I could use it with Dagorhir (can't use plastic for Dag) and I get extra armor points in Amtgard. Hmmm.

10/28 update - At yesterday's Dag battle, I tried out some metal greaves and bracers. The greaves felt fine; I wore them all day and barely noticed them. The bracers, however, were very uncomfortable. I may get the metal greaves but will definitely stick to plastic or leather for the bracers.

By the way, I really like this gambeson (only $49)

10/28 update - this gambeson is still on my wish list.

There are a few other things I have my eye on, but the above are my highest priorities.

More Paladin Wish List

I previously discussed some purchases I want to make to change my outfit to a paladin-y look,

Last weekend I went with a paladin look. I like how it turned out.

A few points about this kit:

• My aluminum chain really sells the knight in shining armor look. I'll have to wear it more.
• However, there is no armor coverage from the bottom of the hauberk to the knees. I can rectify that with a chainmail skirt (e.g. this).
• The tabard really makes the kit pop. I borrowed this from Artemis. I wonder if she'd be willing to sell it.
• Another upgrade would be silver or white greaves. I should order a pair from Alchemy.
• The coif is OK but I still want this one. Also, I could really use a helmet to top it off. I'm now leaning toward a simple spangenhelm.

Assault on King's Landing

Battle of Blackwater Bay - Part Two

Despite taking severe losses from Joffrey's wild fire (as accounted previously), the forces of Stannis Baratheon managed to land at the gates of King's Landing.

They rushed up the beach to the gates and began to batter them down. Joffrey's men sallied forth. There began a brutal fight under the walls of the beleaguered city.

But Stannis's troops proved too strong for Joffrey. The gates fell and the way into the city was open.

But then a trumpet sounded from the west. The struggling soldiers all turned to look. A new army, bearing the colors of the Lannisters and Tyrells, had arrived!

OOC Notes

• For the second part of the Game of Thrones scenarios, we played a castle battle. There were 2 entrances into the city. Stannis's troops had to annihilate their opposition.
• The scenario was intended for Stannis to win. His troops had unlimited lives while Joffrey's forces had 5 lives each. The goal was to eliminate the defenders as quickly as possible. I let each team be the attackers and then compared times. The second team (I forgot who was captain) won handily.
• This scenario was merely a set-up for the final scenario, which will be a fight for the fate of King's Landing pitting the reinforced Lannister/Tyrell forces vs. Stannis. We did not get to play it last weekend. If permitted, I will run another Game of Thrones day where we complete the battle.

Battle of Blackwater Bay

Part One

The navy of Stannis Baratheon, true heir to the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, slid into Blackwater Bay, preparatory for an attack on King's Landing. King Stannis was determined to end the reign of the bastard Joffrey, who erroneously claimed to be the eldest son of the late King Robert Baratheon. By taking the capital, Stannis would ascend the Iron Throne and gain the honor he deserved.

The vanguard of the fleet was met by a few paltry ships of the bastard. But then disaster struck.

A hail of wild fire struck the fleet, obliterating it in seconds. Although Ser Davos Seaworth was thrown from his ship, he was quickly rescued by the second wave and took command. He tried a flanking maneuver but was driven off.

Then, Sallador Saan led the remainder of the fleet in a mad rush across the bay. The wild corsairs under his command swept the enemy from the shore, establishing a foothold at the base of the walls of King's Landing. King Stannis landed and prepared to storm the city.

OOC Notes

• As I mentioned in my last post, the Kingdom of Neverwinter is doing a Game of Thrones themed reign, so I have been running GoT scenarios. Today we did the Battle of the Blackwater.
• The first scenario, described above, involved an amphibious landing. Stannis's army had 4 boats (sticks of Frost King foam) and had to make its way through the bay (the battlefield), land on shore, and seize a control point. To prevent them, Joffrey's force had 2 boats, and wild fire (fireballs). 
• I let each team take a turn as the invaders. In the first run, Xhorja (playing Davos) and his force was wiped out by fireballs in their first attempt. Later, Xhorja managed to make it to shore, but was quickly killed.
• In the second run, I limited the wild fire because it was too overpowering. I guess that was true to GoT. Also, the second team (led by Hollywood) tried a different strategy. They made a mad rush to the shore. Quickly overpowering the defenders, they seized the objective for the win.
• Next time, I will make the boats move at a walking pace. Hollywood's mad rush kind of broke the scenario, although it was good strategy.

A Quiet Time

From the pen of Brother Rufus of Freehaven.

For the most part, it has been a quiet time for the Shrouded Isles. We have heard of fighting between the Maakan and Me'owtzlan in the jungle of Tloth, but we have seen no sign of either the Undying or the Faedwyr. I suspect that may change someday, but for now we are enjoying the respite. I have returned to Freehaven where the Wardens are busy building up our settlement. We are building a new Heron Hall as well as a new fleet. We have abandoned the original Heron Hall, although we restored the chapel, which a small contingent of priests maintain. We have rebuilt and man Wyvernwatch Tower as well as Castle Kessog. For now, there is peace in the realm.

OOC Notes

• It has been a while since my last post. We're still playing but we haven't been advancing any lore. This is primarily because the Kingdom of Neverwinter is doing a Game of Thrones theme so I have run a few GoT scenarios. I didn't bother writing lore for them.
• We tried out Amtpocalypse a couple of months ago. Ember Shoals's current monarch is not particularly fond of post-apocalypse so we haven't tried again. I must admit that I'm OK with that. While it was an enjoyable change of pace, the presence of firearms greatly changes the dynamic. I'm more of a sword guy so I prefer the more melee-heavy dynamic of the medieval setting.
• A couple of Sundays ago I ran an archery booth at my church's Family Fun Day carnival. It was well received. I hope this will open the door to a LARP group at my church.

Wardens of the Wasteland

In a fit of madness, mankind ended the world.

But not all perished in the hell that mankind unleashed. Some animals and people unluckily survived. Over the years, their descendants tried to eke out a living in the vast wasteland. In this brutal landscape only the fittest survived. You became predator, or you became the prey.

However, some of us refused to degenerate to such levels. We banded together, tried to help each other, and began to form settlements scattered throughout the land. This attracted the attention of human predators - gangs of robbers and murderers who had no qualms about taking from others. They attacked travelers between the settlements and raided the weakest villages. We realized that we needed a band of warriors who would defend the settlements and protect the people.

And thus the Wardens of the Wasteland were born.

OOC Notes

• Soon our park will begin experiments with an Amtgard variant called Amtpocalypse. It is Amtgard in a post-apocalyptic setting, adding nerf guns to the weapons mix. I'm already thinking about lore for this new setting.

The Jungle of Tloth

Lying in the far south of Ember Shoals is the jungle of Tloth, a steamy expanse of dense foliage and strange creatures.

Tloth is the home of two sentient species, who have been battling for control of the jungle for generations. Then, mysteriously, both races seemed to disappear from Tloth.

Me'owtzlan

Most well known of the two sentient races are the Me'owtzlan, or cat-people.

Maakan

The Maakan are the bitter rivals of the Me'owtzlan. They are snake-like beings with arms like a human.

The Battle of the Zcrat Xeen Pozt
The Me'owtzlan reappeared when the Benevolent Antiquities Lodge (BAL) began excavating Me'owtzlan sacred sites, including the obelisk known as the Zcrat Xeen Pozt. Since then, they have been rebuilding their civilization.

The Maakan, however, remained in the shadows. Until one day . . .

The Me'owtzlan priests were at the Zcrat Xeen Pozt, preparing for the Midsummer celebrations. Suddenly, out of the jungle slithered a band of Maakan. They attacked the priests and put them to the sword. The survivors fled into the jungle, calling for help. A squad of Me'owtzlan warriors rushed to their aid.

One of the priests pleaded, "Do not let them defile the sacred Pozt!"

The warriors advanced into the clearing and engaged the Maakan. Alas, they were no match for the Maakan's poison. Soon they retreated from the site. The Maakan leader slithered up the Pozt. As it coiled its body around the obelisk, it lifted its head and jeered at the retreating Me'owtzlan.

"The jungle isss oursss, kittensss!"