"So, what do we have to do?" Lisa asked.
"Well, right now, we're waiting for Paul to direct us. He's the one who's running this scenario. What's called the GM or Game Master," Rich explained.
There was a bit of small talk as Paul continued his paper sorting and busy work.
"So, Paul, when are we going to start?!?" Sharon looked a bit antsy.
Paul flipped through a small stack of papers. He looked up at Sharon, smiling, and replied sweetly and sarcastically, "We're starting right now, honey."
Paul started passing around the character sheets.
Cindy and Lisa took one look at theirs and they almost immediately regretted joining the game.
Paul noticed their wide eyes, saying, "Don't worry about the amount of information there. A decent amount of it is based off of other stats, so the sheets fill up pretty quickly. Plus, you'll have a lot of experienced players around to help you out and explain things to you."
He finished the paper passing and sat back down.
"You will catch on very quickly, don't worry. In fact, if we finish off the character creation tonight early enough, we might do a small little campaign just to give you new players a chance to try them out."
Crystal chimed in, "Plus, after the sheet is filled out, the GM usually just asks for info from your sheet and tells you what happens. Much of the game's workings are random, using dice to help determine the numbers. It's all really pretty easy to begin, and can get harder as you try to do more complex things."
Lisa still looked a bit worried. "But that still doesn't make this character sheet any less complex."
"You expected people to be simple in this game?" Rich replied. "Remember that this sheet is the full cheat sheet for your character. Imagine how large a sheet you might need to describe someone like you."
"When you put it that way, that's very true." Lisa smiled. "Plus, I like complex people. More fun that way."
"Well, that explains a lot," Kevin replied.
Lisa gave him a quizzical look.
"It explains why you like Mikey so much. He's the hardest to figure out of all of us."
The Richter students chuckled at that appropriate observation.
"So, anyways, how do we fill these things out? And why is my character already named Rich?" Scott asked.
"Well, normally, character creation is pretty simple and mostly random," Paul started. "But you experienced players are going to be interested by this turn of events. This is how we're going to make characters this time:
"Each of you has another player's name written on your sheet. This was deliberate. I paired you up, with one group of three because we have an odd number of players. Each of you will get together with the other person in your pairing. Chat with them for a while. Then, fill out their character stats to what you think they should be for that person. So, if you're paired with Crystal, for instance, try to figure out what you think her main statistics might be and put those down on the sheet for Crystal. Then add the special attributes and other characterizations. Finally, when you're both done, call me over and we'll add the remaining parts to the sheets. Then, exchange sheets. Each player will then have a character that is very similar to themselves."
Sharon looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "I'm assuming you paired experience with inexperience?"
Paul nodded. "Yep, for the most part, I made sure of that. Plus, I also tried to pair people who didn't know each other before this trip."
"Sounds like this could be interesting, Paul," Crystal said, scratching her neck. "But isn't the whole point of role playing to take on a new character, one that you're not used to?"
Paul chuckled. "Yes, you're partially right. And that's why someone else is making your character for you. Other people might notice something about you that you hadn't. Or, they might get something wrong or add something to your character based off of a trait they noticed. Either way, the character should be different than yourself. Plus, because the other player determines your alignment, race and all that, you'll probably get an interesting character."
Crystal nodded hesitantly.
Paul added, "Plus, how often do you in real life get to swing weapons around, cast spells, and hurt and maim things?"
"Depends on if Brad is around or not," Kevin quipped. "He seems to have a lot of practice with hurting and maiming." He rubbed his head as if it was hurt.
Tony, showing little sympathy for Kevin, replied, "You make it sound like you don't deserve it."
"Wish I didn't." Kevin chuckled.
"Also, I should mention something about the game engine we're going to use. It's based on the one I normally use, but is set in a different realm. In this realm, there are many different races of beings."
"Races?" Cindy asked.
"Yeah, essentially, different types of people who are very similar physically. For example, there is a race in this world called the minotaurs who are similar to Tony." Paul pulled a book out of the pile he had next to him, flipped to a page titled "Minotaurs." He showed the group the picture.
"Yep, looks like Tony," Lisa commented, looking at Tony and back at the picture in the book. "Only Tony has better taste in clothes," she added, noting the minotaur in the picture only wore a loincloth.
"Thanks, Lisa." Tony chuckled.
"So, anyway," he continued, "the main race in this world are the humans."
Tony and Kevin looked at each other, each knowing a bit more than they probably wanted to about humans. They glanced at Cindy who was obviously equally surprised. Lisa, who had no experience with humans, asked the obvious question, "Humans? What are they?"
Paul opened the book to the pages describing the "mythical" human race. He added some explanations of his own, sounding quite knowledgeable on the subject of humans. Tony, even though he didn't need to listen, did so anyways, and was surprised at how well Paul was explaining these apparently 'mythical' beings.
After the explanation, Scott asked Paul, "So, what's this have to do with us?"
"Well," he replied, "most of you should end up being humans in this campaign, so I wanted to let you know about them. You should have a majority of humans in your party so that the people in the towns don't get too freaked out. They might not feel comfortable about a party that's dominated by the minor races."
"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to play one," Lisa commented. "They seem just like the rest of us, just a bit different physically."
"Pretty much, yes. So, are there any other problems, questions, et cetera?" Paul paused and scanned the group. "Seeing none, feel free to spread out and create yourselves."
The pairs scattered all around the cabin, chatting and enjoying the job ahead of them. Kevin, Scott, and Rich, being in the group of three, set off for the third floor. Crystal and Lisa stayed in the kitchen, occasionally sneaking a cookie from a bag on the counter, before finally just stealing the bag and bringing it back to the table. Sharon and Cindy worked in their bedroom, periodically laughing about curious observations one made about the other. Doug and Tony stayed in the living room with Paul. Neither had played before, so Paul helped them figure out numbers, stats, and attributes that might fit.
About two hours later, the players reassembled in the living room with completed character sheets in hand. Some laughs were heard around the room as players looked at how they had been evaluated by their partners. One could tell where reality had been set aside or stretched and where someone had hit something on the mark. At Paul's suggestion, each shared his or her sheet with the group.
Tony ended up being a very strong minotaur warrior with low charisma. Doug obviously hadn't been feeling too creative when making Tony's character, because the character pretty much fit Tony perfectly, except for the warrior part. Doug apologized for his lack of creativity, but Tony replied, "Don't worry. Just hurting things will be change enough from my normal disposition."
Kevin's character was a feline thief with high intelligence, low wisdom, and, as the sheet said, "A tendency to say things that infuriate others." Rich explained the thief part, "You didn't seem like you'd be a good magic user, so I gave you the next best. Plus, you probably can't even lift most large weapons."
Scott was profiled as a mighty human warrior and had the interesting ability of lycanthropy. As Kevin, who had created the character, told Scott afterwards, "You almost have to be part wolf with all the women-hunting you do."
Scott chuckled and said, "Yeah, can't disagree with ya there."
Lisa's character, not surprisingly, was a human monk with a very high charisma and dexterity. As Crystal explained, "Those tackles I hear you do to that Mikey were obvious monk traits to me. You definitely don't need a weapon to inflict damage."
Cindy's sheet claimed she was a elven cleric with a high wisdom and strength. Cindy was curious about the elf part, to which Sharon responded, "Well, you're slim, elegant, and very levelheaded. Seemed like a classic elf to me. Plus the pointy ears didn't help."
Rich's character turned out to be a very intelligent, tall and ominous-looking feline wizard. "Finally, a change from his normal tall, ominous-looking cleric," Paul joked.
Rich chuckled and retorted, "Well, at least Scott got the tall and ominous part right."
A nearly physically perfect human berserker was how Tony had described Doug. Doug laughed at the idea of him being a berserker, but decided that it might be fun. "I would have preferred a powerful magic user, but this should do," he said. Doug grinned at Paul, who glared back. Something in that last statement obviously bugged Paul, but he continued, undaunted.
Cindy had filled out Sharon's character to be an intelligent human elementalist of fire. Cindy explained, "Sharon's special interest in Chemistry classes I've been in with her seems to have been fire and explosives. Now, she can do it for a living."
Lastly, Crystal revealed that Lisa correctly profiled her as an expert swordswoman. When Crystal asked Lisa to explain how she figured it out, Lisa just shrugged and replied, "The way you were jabbing the air with your pencil while you were thinking gave me that idea."
Crystal giggled. "Darn, I thought I'd be harder to figure out. Yes, actually, I have practiced some swordplay before, but I'm not very good yet."
Paul looked around the group. "Everyone happy with your characters?"
All nodded or voiced their affirmation.
"Okay, I hope none of you are tired yet. I'd like to try a small, simple campaign just to get the new players ready for tomorrow. So, only the new players will play in this little campaign, but I would like you others to help them out and guide them along."
"Sure, no problem," Crystal spoke for the other experienced players. "Should be fun to get them up to speed."
The scenario Paul set them on was a simple dungeon/treasure run, enough to get them involved in some simple combat, exploration, and problem solving. After a few combats, the Richter residents and Doug were engrossed in the campaign and starting to feel comfortable with the game play. Lisa and Kevin really developed their characters' abilities pretty well by the end. Scott had a bit of fun with the lycanthropy ability Kevin had given him, at one point smashing his way through a bunch of skeletons in wolf form. Tony, despite his initial hesitation to violence, was starting to mold his minotaur character into quite a formidable and confident fighter. Doug's berserks came in handy at times, in spite of the occasional attack on a friendly party member. Lastly, Cindy's healing was a heaven-sent ability to the party, giving her the quiet respect she liked having.
Around three hours after they started, the party finished their quest.
"Wow, Lisa. You really got into your character, didn't you?" Kevin was rubbing his shoulder where Lisa had accidentally punched him during the final fight.
"I'm sorry, Kevin. Sometimes, I don't even know my own strength, I guess."
Kevin quipped, "How could you not? It's right there on the sheet in front of you."
Lisa looked at her sheet and laughed. "For once, Kevin, you're right."
Rich glanced at his watch and yawned. "1:30 already? No wonder I'm tired."
"Time to get some shuteye," Sharon declared.
Most everyone agreed, and started wandering up to their rooms, chatting about their exploits or characters from the night.
Paul, Kevin, and Scott stayed around in the living room, stretched out on the couches.
"You enjoy your first time playing, you two?"
Kevin spoke first, "You bet. That was a lot of fun. I really can't wait for the big campaign tomorrow."
"Yeah, if tonight was a simple campaign, I'm almost afraid of a large one," Scott said. "You're a good storyteller, Paul. That really kept us engaged."
"Thanks much," Paul said. "I pride myself on the storytelling aspect." He idly flipped through one of the many books that were lying around. "Yeah, I think you guys will enjoy the campaign a lot. It's significantly different from anything else you might have heard about or experienced before." Paul smiled slyly. Again, Kevin noticed the possible malevolence in that smile, but dismissed it as a trick his mind was playing on him this late at night.
Kevin stretched and yawned. "So, anyway, I suppose I should head up to bed." Kevin hopped off the couch and stood up. "You coming?" he asked the still-sitting form of Paul.
"Yeah, I'll be up in a little while," Paul said. "I just want to clean up this area for tomorrow morning. Plus, I have a little setting up of the room to do for tomorrow."
"Ah, and you want it to be a surprise, huh?" Scott said as he stood up and stretched.
Paul nodded. "Yep. So, I'll be up in a little while, okay?"
Scott and Kevin started towards the stairs.
"Okay, no problem. See you in the morning," Kevin called back.
"Yep. Good night, Kevin." Looking up at the others talking outside their rooms, he called up, "Good night everyone! See you bright tomorrow morning!"
Various calls of "Good night!" and "Thanks, Paul." rained down from the top two floors.
Within a few minutes, the cabin was quiet. Paul finally stood up and pulled out a large number of candles and candle holders from a duffel bag he had hidden in the living room.
Kevin was having some trouble getting to sleep, thanks mainly to his excitement over the role-playing both this evening and tomorrow. It was almost half an hour since he had lain down. He sighed and turned over, glancing over at Paul's bed.
That's strange, he thought to himself. Paul's not in bed yet.
He sat up in bed and listened carefully. While he could hear someone snoring lightly in one of the nearby rooms, it was the very faint voice he heard talking that piqued his curiosity. He listened more carefully, and was able to discern the masculinity of the voice. It sounded very similar to Paul's, in fact.
I wonder who he's talking to at this hour, Kevin thought. Disregarding the old teaching, "Curiosity killed the cat," Kevin slipped out from under his covers and cracked open the bedroom door. He peeked out the crack in the doorway.
The scene on the first floor was one he wasn't expecting to see. In the middle of the kitchen, where the dining table had been moved, an intricately patterned circle had been drawn in what looked like chalk on the wood flooring. At regular intervals around the circumference of the circle were candles of varying shapes, sizes, and colors, each obviously having a purpose in its placement to the whole configuration.
Paul was in the center of this circle, concentrating deeply and chanting something Kevin couldn't make out. As Paul's voice crescendoed and decrescendoed slightly, the flame of one of the candles would similarly rise and fall. Soon, each chant would cause the rise and fall of multiple flames at once.
Kevin watched this for a few seconds. What the heck is Paul doing? It's a ritual of some sort, but for what, I haven't the faintest, Kevin reflected. Should I interrupt him or just watch it?
Before he could make a decision, Paul stopped chanting. He raised his arms towards the ceiling. This motion pulled up the flames from the candles, most rising almost a foot above the top of the candle. Kevin watched in wide-eyed awe as with a slight flick of Paul's hands, the flames began to rotate in concentric circles with Paul in the center. At first, the flames rotated slowly, but it was obvious that they were quickly picking up speed. Soon the flames separated from the candles. The small smoke trails from the previously lit candles merged with the ring of flame gyrating in the kitchen.
Kevin just watched in amazement at this pyrotechnic display until the circle on the floor suddenly gave off its own light. It was a very bright pure white light and one that blinded him temporarily. He covered his eyes for a moment.
That moment seemed to take forever to pass, though. Kevin felt as though he was traveling somewhere; it felt as if the whole house was moving.
As abruptly as it had started, the bright light faded. Kevin uncovered his eyes. Paul was still in the circle, but looked exhausted. He continued kneeling and breathing heavily. Kevin shifted slightly. This miniscule movement attracted Paul's eye. Paul looked up and saw Kevin staring down at him from the crack in the doorway.
Paul grinned wickedly, and started chanting again. Kevin realized that Paul had seen him, and stepped fully out into the second floor hallway.
"Paul!" Kevin hissed, trying not to wake the others. "What the hell did you just do?"
Paul finished his chant. "Nothing much, really."
Kevin suddenly felt very drowsy and collapsed to his knees.
Paul continued, "Just a little bit of setting up for our campaign, remember? Good luck, Kevin. You're going to need it." Paul laughed evilly. The laugh seemed almost otherworldly, unrealistic.
Kevin could barely keep his eyes open. "What's he mean by that?" Kevin said to himself as he fell forward in the hallway, fast asleep.