Ghoultunnel

A new venue, an increased number of participants – the stakes were high for our third OSR Euro convention. Again, we were rewarded with a crowd of enthusiastic attendants from all over Europe and far beyond, who came to play a variety of games (nobody may claim we would single-mindedly play one system only): AD&D, OD&D, B/X, Ransack, The Seven Voyages of Zylarten and Chainmail. All 80 tickets had been sold, and gamers travelled from Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Danmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the UK and the USA to a romantic timber-framed former forestry office building hiding deep in the Hessian outlands.

(c) Viral, music: Pyrsch.

Game on! Friday afternoon, the first sessions of OSR-D&D were taking place, while I was still setting up the display of auction items and later saw to that the 200 sausages delivered from the neighbouring farm would find their way to a hot BBQ grill.

Friday night, after opening the inscriptions for the games of block II and joining the rear of the impressively long queue, I was lucky: I still got a slot in one of the tournament sessions!

Again, BX Blackrazor had prepared a tournament module specially for Cauldron Con: Rivers of Blood, Death, and Glory!

As we were only 4 players in a tournament module designed for 6-8 participants, DM yandere handed out two characters for each of us: I chose a 8^th level cleric and a 7/7/7^th level bard.

Despite some blunders, like losing an unnecessary amount of hiptoints early on and only one of two clerics having prepared any healing spells, we headed instinctively for the secret doors and the greatest treasures of the dungeon. When it was clear we already had the best part of the available loot, there was plenty of time left so we skimmed whatever we could find in the lesser promising parts of the dungeon. Result: 2 characters out of combat and 1 dead. Our retreat from the dungeon was secured some reconnaissance, as we knew there were enemies lurking, too powerful to take on in our weakend state.

At the same time, Settembrini’s revival of the Chainmail Battle of Emridy Meadows was taking place. There, the unimaginable happened, late past midnight: victory for the Temple of Elemental Evil!

(c) MK Ultra.

Saturday: After many years in my closet, it was the edgy little module Bad Myrmidon’s turn to finally get DM’d. To my horror, three under-age players had inscribed to my game, which I lightheartedly had failed to mark as R-rated. Well, the group avoided the one Raggi-designed hex on the map, and explored other, weird but less tasteless hex fields. Some trouble ensued as the PC assassin was wearing an Achilles-style disguise, the halfling PC constantly feared being eaten, and there was some hazardous intercourse in the tree-tops, earning me the title of naughtiest DM of the convention. The players even found and half explored the temple of Achilles before time of the gaming block was out. The assassin, alas, had to be abandoned by his comrades, trapped between a dead-end and a portcullis. It was fun, and I hope the teenagers did not experience anything arousing their parents‘ ire.

In the afternoon, I played some Matt Finch module run by DM AndrewW – a strange crystal structure filled with electricity engineered by space aliens. My druid had preparde all the wrong spells for this environment, but my animal friends, a tiger and a giant eagle, saved the day.

In the evening, our traditional auction took place. It is rare to behold such rarities as were brought by attendants, found in the dissolved archive of Nexus club, or donated by our most generous sponsors: Gamer’s HQ (tons of miniatures and minature game boxes) and LotFP (copies of their most exquisite books). Some of these treasure were auctioned live, others in the „silent“ auction mode, and mayn found their way into mysterious „dragon bags“ which could be purchased for a ridiculously low price.

There were some notable bidding battles up to €100 over Andrew’s original pieces of art, i.e. illustrations for Dolmenwood, E.M.D.T. and Fight On. A copy of the original Greyhawk booklet changed hands for about €350 I believe, and an original D&D White Box (6^th or 7^th printing) made €750. A huge Mystara collection found a new home, as well as an original DSA (The Dark Eye) Havena box. But above all, the auction was pure entertainment: HELL YEAH!

Auction logistics and organiser team duties prevented my from playing in the Saturday night block or the Sunday morning block, but I hear not many hard-bitten gamers found much sleep.

True trophy gold.

Trophies were awarded on Sunday morning:

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Valez

Best DM: Grützi

The Cup of Demise: to MK Ultra

Blackrazor Cup bronze medals: Grützi’s group

Blackrazor Cup silver medals: TacoJr’s group

Blackrazor Cup gold trophies: to yandere’s group (including me!)

Note & honourable mention: We should also think about a special price for DMs who defy all categories – This year there was DM Attronarch, who in true grognard judge style – believe it or not – awed us by demonstrating how to run OD&D for up to 18 players!

See you next year, about same time, same place!

(c) Eria.

Further, longer and even more exciting accounts of Cauldron III, can be found here:

B/X Blackrazor 1, 2, 3

Der Oger

Ludic Ghoul

Prince of Nothing

Attronarch 1, 2, 3

Terrible Sorcery 1, 2, 3

Dreadlord 1, 2

Grützi

Vorpal Mace

CAG Podcast