Initium!
Quest's newsletter
vol. 86 - May 3, 2011
Highlights in this issue:
Events:
Upcoming events
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Sunlight and Shadow - a full-day event set amidst the Continuing Game's current crusade (May 7, in Middletown, CT)
And don't forget the "bring a friend" discount — bring a new player to any game and get $15 off!
Open game slots
Interested in running a game this summer or fall? Got an idea, but need some help? Contact the Events Committee at events!
Board of Directors:
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Carlos Laureano has accepted the roles of both Treasurer and Props Manager. We welcome Carlos aboard, and thank him for his contributions!
If you are interested in being on the Props Staff, please contact him at props-mgr.
Rules Committee:
Experience Points
Previously, Quest gave more XP to players than to staff, because players' characters were at risk of dying during a game, and thus could end up getting less XP. By contrast, the staff did not have their PCs at risk, so their reward was lower.
However, once we implemented Resurrection Trauma instead of an XP penalty for a PC dying during a game, this no longer made sense. Accordingly, the Rules Committee has decided to award all participants the same XP. That means that staff now get full XP, just as PCs already did.
Technically this rule doesn't take effect until 2012, but the RC has made it retroactive for 2011, so you can start counting on it immediately, including at this Saturday's event.
Errata and other updates
There is a minor, but unfortunate, error in the 2011 handbooks and supplementals. On the Weapons table (p.13), the maximum length of a Long Sword was incorrectly listed as 48”. The correct length is 46”. I apologize for the error, and new versions of the handbook and supplemental are available at the Downloads page.
For those of you who like having a printed handbook, be sure to check out the 2011 version! It's been updated with new material, new art, better fonts, and other handy stuff. Best of all, it's been formatted for 8.5x11 paper so that it prints out easily at home.
Finally, the online Character Builder has also been updated. I've fixed a few bugs, and added new & improved support for mahiri and dwarves.-Jeff, your Publisher
Director of Operations:
The GMs for our upcoming game assure me that they are serious about its tone being "dark and very dangerous", and as it is possible that tempers may fray over the course of such a day, I would encourage everyone to refresh themselves not only with the Rules but also with our Code of Conduct, particularly the expectations "to act as responsible adults, to maintain a calm and cool head, and to adopt a courteous manner", "Quest participants are expected to treat all other participants with respect" and especially "we're all here to have fun."
Please be mindful of these and we should all have a great time on Saturday!
(In addition, please refresh yourself on Quest's rules before the game, and if you can, try to get in some combat practice before it too.)
Continuing Game News:
May 3, 1011:
Alsoria, Steinlands:
Recognizing that the manifest power of the divine is perhaps the most potent weapon against an unholy foe, Queen Catherine of Chardreau convened her clergy in February and encouraged them to begin initiating novitiates into their faiths wherever they can find those of a clerical bent. "We cannot expect these acolytes to be able to act with full ability," commented one bishop, "but perhaps if they were able simply to channel the heavens to repel and avert the unholy, we might gain an advantage."
Inspired by this tactic, the regent Prince Edmund and the Allondine clergy began a similar recruitment program among their ranks. The newly-minted clergy are earnest in their new mission, but without any regular study in a seminary, most remain poorly trained.
Veneza:
Citing "the need to defend the righteous and holy," Prince Alonzo of Veneza declared for the Crusade on March 14. He called his vassals to arms, and ordered supplies from the merchants in the island's ports. The Venezans departed their Delonan island for the Allondine port of Renham, then traveled up the Felsen river and into Kislevia, where they were granted the right of travel through to the Steinlands.
Castagna:
Not to be outdone by her Delonan rival, Princess Francesca declared for the crusade on April 4, also departing first for Allondell.
Alsoria, Steinlands:
With the last of the snows fading from the mountain passes in mid-April, anticipation spread among the crusader armies. Messengers began moving between the Allondine and Chardrois tents, as well as to the camps of the religious orders and the newly-arrived Delonans. Rumors say that Queen Catherine has developed a plan to engage Emilian's forces, then pull back to a defensible position where the crusaders can hold out until dawn, when the unholy will be weak or forced to take cover from the sun.
Gameworld news comes from GMs, story authors, and other Quest participants, not from the Game World Committee. If you have material to contribute, please email it to cg-chair.