Referee Journal: 11/05/25
I guess this blog fell off pretty hard, huh? It's still a place to scream my thoughts into the void, though, so I might as well use it for that.
I'm starting a new campaign. I haven't run a consistent table in about 4 years. The last one fell apart for...a lot of reasons, and I struggled to enjoy the hobby for a long time after. But this is a crew I've played with almost all-of before (in small doses, no more than a few sessions in length) and I know them all to be generally chill and amicable people, so I'm hoping we can dodge some of the prior pitfalls.
Without further ado, here's my reflection on our character creation session from last week.
# Metadata
Game: OSE (modified)
Campaign: N1: Against the Cult of Reptile God
Session: 0
Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 1800-2100
Primary Goals: System introduction & character creation
Attendees:
John - Close friend & previous player
Kaden - John’s son & previous player
Lilli - Close friend & previous player (different campaign than John & Kaden)
Harley - Close friend & previous player (different system and campaign than anyone)
Nate - New friend & new player (little-to-no TTRPG experience)
Emelee - Fiancee; observer
# Lead-Up
Prepared a rewrite of the module, referencing the original text; the B/X Blackrazor conversion; and Matt Colville’s presentation. Prepared VTT for all areas of Orlane.
Still haven’t prepped the actual dungeon, yet, but we’ve got time for that.
# Session Notes
Formalities and introduction went well. Players took to setting primer and information organization very well. Some items missing, but shortcuts added and extra links posted in Discord. During character creation, players were referencing information from primer documents not previously mentioned by me, showing proficiency in accessing information through the player-facing documents folder. Players were well-communicative and respectful throughout process; worked together well to balance inventory loads and keep speeds about-even. The longest lull was during shopping for equipment, which feels appropriate given that we’re using the Basic Fantasy Equipment Emporium--I’d be more concerned if it wasn’t overwhelming, though I tried to mitigate that using Equipment Packages.
I was initially planning on having them generate level-0 commoners. I refuse to run Ramne as a DMPC, but I’m planning using Skerples’ version of the Naga, which weighs in at a whopping 11HD but removes a lot of the more-problematic elements of the fight (namely fireball, as Sphere of Invulnerability is not in OSE or something I truly wish to add to the new spells document). I was swayed by my fiancee to take mercy on the group and start them at level 2. Saves and THAC0 are unchanged, but they’ll have a bit more HP to help give them some breathing room through the earlier encounters. This will also help give me some leeway for establishing an adventure hook, I think.
Four of five were eligible for demihuman characters; all of them chose Dwarves, despite the setting. This will be. . . “particularly interesting,” shall we say, given the context of the module. I will need to add more detail to the Dwarven moneylender in the village before the next session, as I am certain that they will be spending time there. On the bright side, that adventure hook is certainly shaping up. It’s looking like Harley & Nate will play Orthodoxy Clerics, and maybe like Kaden will wind up being the mouthpiece of the group (between having the highest CHA and being the only human).
I had them sign a Party Charter under the Greyshroud chapter of the Seekers’ Guild. Reidar and Tolken opted for half-shares of all loot (and thereby slower XP gain) in exchange for an increased obligation of protection by the other party members. Reidar being a thief, and thus having a lower XP ceiling, this won’t likely be significant, but Tolken might be taking long stretches to level up--will have to keep an eye out.
After conclusion, John, Lilli, and Harley stayed for appx. 45min to discuss further setting details, predominantly queerness in Dwarven culture.
These are the final results of our efforts:
Next week, I will introduce them to the city proper and set them on the road to Orlane.
# After-Action
Things I missed:
Secondary Skills
1st level loot, group dynamics (Notable Novices & Notorious Newcomers)
Level titles
Didn’t ask John about his favored weapon - marked on sheet with “?” for him
Didn’t remind Lilli about her backstab ability - marked on sheet for her
Lilli should have rerolled both hit dice (2d4=1,2) in accordance with the Rerolling HP 1s & 2s optional rule.
Things I modified post-session:
Applied Dwarven racial modifiers. This literally only affected John in any meaningful way (brought him in range of the -1 penalty).
Rerolled Reidar’s HP from 3 to 7.
Backdated charter signatures to 08/07/309 CE.
Things I need to do before next session:
Adjust the timeline in my notes.
I had the module set up for the group arriving on 11/5; they likely won’t even be setting out until 11/19, and it’s at least a 5-day journey from Endon to Orlane.Finalize adventure hook.
I’m thinking that they’ve been chartered by the Orthodoxy through Greyshroud, to do some maintenance on the Memory Columns in Orlane (essentially metaphysical anchors for the entire area). This will tie some of the deeper lore into the game, and force them to interact with it, without being incredibly overbearing, I think. It will also serve as a useful distraction during downtime.Update Guild chapter notes.
Comb through to make sure the content is up to par.Pad out the road to Orlane.
At least have a scaffolding for each settlement the road will take them through (Definitely through Vengeance Hill, but will pass near several currently-unnamed locations).Prepare contacts in the village.
Contemplate the Clayborn household (Farm 23 in the module) and the Dwarven moneylender. Considering having one or both be Seekers’ Guild contacts, in addition to Misha at the Temple being their contact in the Church regarding the Memory Columns. This will give them several places to jump off of, and having one of them be a “poisoned well” seems like fun.Validate Dwarven names’ syllabic structure, integrate roots into dictionary file.
Things I need to do during next session:
Announce sheet updates
Secondary skills
1st level loot, group dynamics
Level titles
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