Monday, April 10, 2006

Nationals 2006

Got back from the Nationals in Sheffield yesterday and I'm on my way back to Dundee for the first time in 4 months, but I thought I'd pause to tell you about how it went.

This year I didn't play Open Fantasy or D&D, I went for Myths and Legends, an excellent category that better damn well be there next year!

Apparently there is quite a large cross-pollenation between Leicester Uni's fencing and roleplaying society. One chap I met on my first week of fencing was there playing Bloodbowl and the quiz guy from the Ratbar was playing White Wolf. (I play with DeMontfort Uni as I actually know folk in that society).

Proving its an amazingly small world J... from the 2004 flashback was in our group and was in good form, as was the girl with the t-shirt. Also joining me was another J..., a chap from DeMontfort Uni (my current club), Di from Stirling and a lass from Manchester.

First of all Sheffield has a lot more women in it than I remember. Not just women roleplayers but babes judging by the tavern we ensconced ourselves in on Saturday night.

We were staying at the Grosvenor House Hotel about 20 minutes away from the uni. I thought the morning walks were quite pleasant but the hotel itself was pretty pretentious and while it tried to be posh reminded me of a certain cheap working man's hotel in Nottingham. Maybe it was the kebab thrown in the corridor late on Saturday night, or the fact neither of us could get our room open without shoulder barging it, or the fact they insisted on taking my credit card so I could order from the bar and yet refused to serve me on Saturday night.

Minor accomodation issues aside it was quite pleasant, the drink was good and the food we had both days made me feel -very- full. But how were the games I hear you ask? Or is that the voices in my head...?

Day 1 - Pendragon

Pendragon, for those of you not in the know, is a game set in the idealised Arthurian mythos. It's a time when men were knights, women were damsels (often in distress) and it was a time of High Adventure(tm). As we're all knights everyone is subtly different (some a Roman, some are Christian, some are devout, some are not so devout).

The character I played was kind of like Mulder from the X-Files. I was a Pagan (i.e. worshipping nature, goddesses etc.) which meant I believed in faeries at the bottom of the garden, abductions and so forth. The rest of the party were Christian, and unlike most 6th century Christians seemed to feel the urge to act like the Spanish inquisition. They were cynical at best when I tried to persuade them our party had been abducted by Faerie whilst on a mission to rescue some peasants but eventually my superior knowledge and the sheer weight of evidence convinced them.

We jousted fey knights for possession of the peasants, trounced the rogues valiantly as befits Arthurian knights and returned to the land of mortals with glory and renown. Only by pulling a comely wench could the game have gone better.

Day 2 - Robin Hood (7th Sea)

This was interesting, a stripped down version of the 7th Sea system where heroes are so tough they can take on 5 men in one go (I did). We were playing Robin Hood and his Merry Men. I so desperately wanted to play Rob but being a gentleman/idiot (delete as appropriate) ended up as Little John instead.

The scenario was set 20 years after Robin's pardoning and was a brilliant idea for a movie...

Robin Hood vs. Dracula

If they can do Freddie vs. Jason they can do this surely!

Anyroads, muttering about Robin had gone soft and things weren't like the old days we went to Witby to stop a gathering of goths... I mean vampires... from taking over the world. And won. Huzzah. Though at times it did feel the other characters were there to make Robin look good the game was definitely cinematic.

I have photos. Mostly of people wearing bunny ears. Coming soon.

Next year - Edinburgh apparently. Bradford won it again but this time gave it to relative newcomers GEAS to host.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually it'll probably be a joint Edinburgh / Stirling effort... You turned up late on the Friday and missed all the politics!

Egor.

Stuart said...

Can't say I'm amazingly ecstatic about the precendent set by politicking rather than actually winning it.

Stuart said...

Not the only one to think this way

SixFoot Hobbit said...

I've just finished reading your posts to the Leicester board. If there is any shadow conspiracy we're (DURPS) not in it. I don't mind going to Glasgow next year it must be said, but then again we'd have gone to Bangor, Leicester, Manchester, Bradford, Glasgow....

We don't mind where it it, so long as it's on and the hosts put on a good show, or at least an effort. You're quite right, If you don't want it, don't show, or go small. Every year I live in dread that it'll be back in Dundee again, but that doesn't stop us sending a crack team of gaiming specialists, I've even won a few awards myself, so I've only myself to blame if we do. The thing is if we win, we're not looking to get rid of it, it's OURS, it's the PRIZE and our chance to provide everyone with a better game than that shower last year someone always gets a bad game). Despite my grumbling if we win, hosting is a privilige, not a duty and should be embraced as such.

Not that I'm encouraging my lot to win next year, you understand, and I'll deny all knowledge of this post if the contents are leaked.

Stuart said...

Given no-one in the "shadow committee" decided to invite Dundee you were pretty much exonerated in my book. :)

Stuart said...

On the other hand if the ALGAE thing pays off they win next year can we get Dundee to host the Nationals 2007 for us? It'd be real convenient for me. :) :)

Anonymous said...

As someone who really doesn't care, get back to interesting gossip, monkeys.

And at the end of the day does it matter who hosts the bloody thing as long as they can organise and run it well?

Anonymous said...

Well just so you know, I've posted on the thread you linked to Stu, and cleared up many of the inaccuracies involved.