Category Archives: Gaming Sessions

At the Table: Rifts: Let’s Get This Party Started! (Session 1)

This is my first gaming log to actually be completed and posted! We’ve, unfortunately, never been able to commit to a campaign for very long due to a variety of reasons (i.e., schedule conflict, falling out, loss of interest, etc.) But now we’re actually scheduling time to play on a biweekly (hopefully bumped up to a weekly) rate! This is the first time I’ve had a chance to play in more than a year, and we’re introducing a new player to Rifts!

You may also notice that I’ve changed my gaming handle from “CheekyFnPirate” to “TheDungeonRat”. I created my old moniker back in my teenage years, and since then my play style and personality have changed dramatically (as is wont to happen after becoming a parent). This change is to reflect that; new blog color, new layout and setup, fresher content, really, it’s a whole new blog, just as I am a completely different blogger. All old links within the blog should be working, but please feel free to let me know if I need to make any adjustments.

Game: Palladium Book’s Rifts RPG
Dungeon Master: Scott
Players: Myself, Garrett, and Paul (hoping to add a couple more players next session). More info on Players/Dungeon Masters here.
Session Date: 03/28/2016 (Monday)
Session Duration: 3 hours; 2 hours of character and setting prep, 1 hour of play.
Setting: Possibly Rifts Earth, England -unclear as of yet.
Characters:
Battle Magus Controller: The Seeker (Me)
■ German Shepherd Dog-Boy Vagabond: Dean (Garrett)
■ Human Wilderness Scout: Ander (Paul)

Gaming Log: (Bold parenthesis indicates dice rolls, out of game moments, important character notes, etc.)
We were a bit sidetracked by character creation, so we jumped right in with the tried but true (oft read: lazy and/or desperate), “So, you all meet in the tavern…”

Dean the Dog-Boy’s reason for traveling was just that – traveling – and therefore loved meeting interesting people and visiting new places, like this rather small town in the middle of a forest. The Seeker and her large Earth Thunder Automaton (nicknamed Jo) had stopped in their search for lost automatons (her reason for leaving the Magic Zone) to resupply. Dean was captivated by such a strange, obviously magical golem (to most, it is mistaken for an Earth Elemental), and so pestered the Seeker with questions and observations. She good naturedly allowed Dean to sit with her at the bar.
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RPG a Day: A Whole Month’s Worth of Gaming!

A bit late to post, but a similar family emergency as detailed here has cropped up. While we are all shaken, we persevere and make the necessary changes to our life as needed. I will not be putting my weekly posts on hiatus as I dearly need this hobby of mine for stress relief, but I cannot cast aside any chance of troubles meeting my schedule in the future. Things happen, and while we are making every preventative effort we can, more may yet happen.

That being said, this was a delight to take part in and to share and relive my personal gaming stories. Much is copied from my personal posts on Google Plus, which you can still find on my profile, but there is much that was lost or not included that I stuffed in here! I hope you enjoy and find yourself reminiscing upon your own gaming (mis)adventures!

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One: First RPG Played
That would be Rifts by Palladium Books, and I was 17. My Dad was the DM, he had just gotten honorably discharged from the US Navy and he was looking to spend some time reconnecting with me, so he dug out his old copies and we spent about 4 hours going through character creation! My fiancé (now my Husband) was there, too, and while he had played Dungeons and Dragons throughout school, he’d never heard of Rifts and got sucked into it, too. I played a Freeborn Dog-Boy (played in the style of an Operator O.C.C. who specializes in mechanics), and my fiancé played a human Wilderness Scout.

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The campaign stretched on for a few weeks through nightly sessions, we’d gotten to level 14 or so, until finally Dad devised a player killer ending. We were up against an army of Coalition skelebots, tanks, towers, deathhead transports, SAMAS suits; it was very much meant to end the campaign. While my fiance and the rest of the party were taking down a good amount of baddies with some well timed explosions and great shots, I climbed up a tower with my gigantic wrench, taking pieces off as I went along, until I finally reached the point where I could hack into the terminals. Dad is the type of DM who operates on the belief that anything is possible, even if it’s incredibly unlikely (I got this DM style from him.) I had to succeed at two separate pencentile rolls (with a maxed out skill) and roll really well for both of them.

I somehow managed to do it. Then I used the tower to destroy the other defenses and take out droves of baddies, paving the way for a surprise success with my other powerful party members. Dad ended the campaign there because he was not only sick of the campaign itself, but also because he didn’t want to figure out experience. We went out and ordered a book from our local game store within the week and we’ve been playing ever since.
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