Luke, you've shared a few Melf tales, but what about Otis. Any memorable adventures you can recall with Otis after the ToEE campaign?
Well, I am not able to write much at this moment but yes I have a few stories. I playtested the Giant series with Otis as well as the Drow and even a Tomb of Horrors run - which I don't care to talk about very much. In fact that was the last time I played Otis. I switched to Melf after that. Luke
Reading stories of Melf’s good deeds in the other thread reminded me of stories Gary told of Luke playing in the ToEE campaign. If my memory is correct, Luke was erratic on the alignment scale, robbing people, but then feeling bad about it and giving them loot, etc. Gary used Otis to help set the tone for alignments. Otis started out as an NPC, the original Elmo, but then Luke took him over. This was the origin of the name Otiluke, I believe.
Actually you have mixed a couple different characters together. I was playing a solo adventure with my Dad in the World of Greyhawk- in the Bandit Lands as I recall. I was playing an assassin (chaotic evil) and I was trying to infiltrate the city guard somewhere in order to get some information as I recall. It was probably the summer of 1982. I was captured and thrown in the dungeons- likely scheduled for execution once they tortured a confession out my character. I managed to figure out a way to escape and freed a group of unsavory fellows from the cells with me. We escaped and started making a living as bandits. We approached a small village under the pretense of being a band of mercenaries looking for work. The village was poor and had little to offer other than several flocks of sheep. My lieutenant (an NPC also of evil alignment) recommended putting the village to the sword and taking the sheep to feed our motley band. Unfortunately, I was a kind0hearted young man (11 or 12 maybe). I was unable to bring myself to do something so evil as slay the unsuspecting villagers and raze the community. I vigorously protested the idea of attacking them. I ordered the men to leave the town and I ended up buying some sheep from the village to feed the bandits. My Dad got a big kick out of the chaotic evil assassin buying sheep from the villagers and giving them advice to guard themselves carefully because there was alot of banditas in the area. I believe Dad changed my alignemt and I lost 2 levels and became a straight thief. I was teased for years afterward for my lack of ability to play evil characters. I don't believe I ever played that character after that instance. So that is the tale of my evil assassin. I started playing Otis back in the early 1970s. I was probably 4 years old and wanted to play with all the big guys. Dad allowed me to roll for the NPCs sometimes. The party had just entered the Village of Hommlett and had hired a number of men-at-arms to help then explore the keep int he area. One of the men-at-arms was actually a 1st level ranger sent to spy on the group and see what their intentions were- Otis. The party did not know this right away and only discovered it later during the adventure. I don't recall who was at the table, but I imagine it was Ernie, Rob for sure and perhaps Mike Ratner, Jim Ward, Mike Menard and others that escape my memory. I played Otis as a "tank" in today's terms, which was perfect for a young player. I played Otis in the Giant series, Drow series and even made an excursion into the Tomb of Horrors. I retired Otis as a 10th level Ranger Lord. Shortly thereafter I switched to Melf. Otiluke was just a cool name and I never played a character by that name.
Hey Luke, hope summer is treating you well. If you don't mind, I've got some questions regarding your Dad's DM style. I'm assuming this was AD&D, or was your Dad running OD&D, or some mish-mash of the two? How did he handle casting times and initiative? Was he using weapon vs. armor adjustments? The reason for the nitpickey is because he is on record as saying he preferred a simple d10 roll for inititative and didn't like the weapon vs. armor adjustments. I'm just wondering if he had given up on them by 82, and of course, I like others, are always trying to get some insight into how the creator of the game ran it himself. Please forgive me for asking such niggling questions, and as always, thanks for sharing your old man with us!
No problem francisca. I am glad that you are asking the questions and I get to talk about my Dad. Let's see- I always played AD&D with him. I don't remember playing OD&D except on rare occaisions usually at someone's request (at a con or visitor to the house). Initiative was a d10 or even a d6 sometimes- he wasn't that worried about following the rules exactly if it impacted playing. He did not use the weapon speed factors or any of that. We played for fun and excitement primarily. Strict adherence to rules was not as much of a concern. Luke
I'm not a big fan of the weapon vs. armor adjustments - they just don't make sense to me, but the speed factors are something that I use. It doesn't impact play if the adjustments are made on your character sheet before play begins. What's annoying is if that's not done and people are constantly referencing the PHB during play - that kills the fun and turns it into a math test and in that case I will just roll a d10 (I like the 6 second segment).
Luke, What about casting time with spells? Were those rules droppd too? Was it initiative + casting time? Something else?
Casting time was considered when necessary. So yes there were times when I was glad to be wearing my displacer cloak as Melf. Since you lose your spell if you get hit. Dad hated that cloak. He managed to destroy it in Tsojcanth. I was furious!
Tsojcanth was one of my all time favorites. I still have my original module from when I was a kid of about 11 years old. It has pencil scratchings in the margins and throughout. Nice little trip down memory lane every time I open it. Total EGG brilliance at work in that adventure. I need to run it again eventually . . .
I'd say run it at Gary Con- but it is a huge adventure that would take days to complete! I think it is my favorite module.
Hmm, well, GC2 is 3 days long. And we do have 24 hour gaming access. Let's see, 9am Friday until 5pm Sunday, carry the 1, add a zero, equals 56 hours of gaming!! How many Mountain Dews (or Red Bulls) does it take to run a 56-hour Tsojcanth game?
Only a few - so long as you've brought enough cocaine! [[ 'TIS A JOKE! I engageth in jocularity!! ]] ANYWAY - if Tsojcanth is one o' Luke's faves, I'm thinkin' I might hafta try it ....
If Luke *were* to run it- nobody would die. Flashback to Gary Con I: In the history of D&D we sent a new record when the entire party survived the Tomb of Horrors. :shock: //Sorry Luke, had to razz you just a touch. We got as lucky as you did in the Circus Maximus game.
Hahaaa .... nice try - we survived what would more accurately be described as "a MICROCOSM of the Tomb of Horrors." :lol: We got booted outta the hall afore we even put a DENT in that fell tomb! BOO!!! And I ... SO ... shoulda gotten that autographed copy!! I was a CONTENDAH!! DRAT!! (what was that supposed to be a copy of, Luke? ~lol~ I know I wanted it, I just can't remember what it was!) :?
If this is true, then the rules of gaming should prohibit Luke from ever running the Tomb of Horrors again. I suppose we can let him play in it, but such a softie DM as he is, I think I have an old D&D/Care Bears crossover adventure he can run next year.
Betrayed! Betrayed by those I thought friends and boon companions! Dale, you were part-way through the ToH, but no where near the end. The party naviagted the Tomb skillfully- whether the skill was due to gaming prowess or an unnatural foreknowledge of the challenges posed in the ToH, I can't say. Unfortunately we will never know...... And I can see that Mr Hoffner needs to sit at my gaming table at Gary Con II to allay his fears that I am not a fit Dungeon Master. I assure you sir- you shall not find me wanting!
That's the problem with the classics. Most of the gamers I know have been familiar with them since grade school. What are the odds of being able to run one of Gary's classics at Gary Con and not have most of the party know the adventure as well as the DM? I have two adventures I worked on with Gary, and another I wrote for him. If I make the con I'll try to run one of them.
