Erie Day of Gaming was a success!

I managed to run both planned sessions. Both featured the players taking 20 minutes to generate character and both used rules from my project.

The first session had Tim from Gothridge Manor, Al from Beyond the Black Gate, and Joe from my hometown of Meadville. We playtested Tim's modules using S&W with the rules from my project. Tim played a Elven Cleric of Silvanus, Al a Mage from the Order of Thoth, and Joe a Skandian Berserker.

The adventure involved finding out why the village was being stricken by a unnatural pestilence. The players quickly found out it was being contaminated by something in a local mine. One of the local stream had it's source in the mines. The players entered along with another villager a big brute of a fighter named Clemmons.

The party encountered a variety of undead and eventually fought their into the chamber that had the source of the stream. There a priest of the demon Be'ellon had sacrificed a Oytugh and had it's carcass in the spring that was the stream's source. The party won the day but not after a narrow fight that included Tim's Elf being flatten by trying to pick up a demonic magic item of the priest, Clemmons Morale breaking and winding hugging the wall crying out for his mother. The battle was tipped when Al's mage managed to smash the magic item ending the darkness. He was able to rally Clemmon and the three of them were able to take down the priest.

The second session used the Ruins of Ramat. I also set in the Wilderlands as a monastary of Mitra ruined in the religious wars that brought down the Dragon Empire. As a special treat I used my newly acquired (for free!) Passageway Mastermaze set.

As it turned out Ramat's used of a lost dog as a hook proved perfect. Lee brought his daughter Sarah, 8, and a friend's son David 9 to play D&D for the first time. Lee made Colins a 1st level Cleric. David made James the Dwarf a 3rd level Fighter, and Sarah Angel a Elven Fighter/Magic-user 4th/4th level. Tim also sat in as Sir Kellington a 5th level Knight.

Running the adventure was a real treat thanks to the help of Lee and Tim I was able to really bring the kids into the adventure. The best moments were David cries of glee when he smashed two skeletons in a row with a single blow. Sarah when she casted a light spell into a big room that illuminated two tentacled demons within. The next round the light spell went out. She look a bit disappointed and I said to her "You know that it shouldn't do that. They put it out." I could see the gears click in her head and she said quite seriously. "I don't think we should go in there. Let's leave."

While they didn't manage to complete the dungeon (they had to leave early). they did find the dog and made the Duke's daughter happy. It was a lot of fun to see the wonder that kids have when playing D&D for the first time.

Not only I had fun DMing I felt I got some solid work done as well. Tim's Modules got playtested one more time and more importantly he got to see in action. I got to put all the elements of my own project in to action and was able to get a better feel how everything hanged together.

One result that for my Ability resolution I am going ditch the modifiers and just go with targets. During play I was just saying OK roll higher than a 20, 25, or 30. Other than that it worked pretty much as I thought it would with S&W.

The character generation went smoothly. I think I am going make up cards with the various class info on them for the next set of con games. Chgowiz 's S&W Reference Sheet worked not only for me but in the abbreviated four sheet character generation version I made. (Price List and Spells).