Gygax Memorial Game

The game was played, and much beer (thanks, Colin!) and pizza and junk food (thanks, everyone!) was consumed.

We had as best I remember,

• Colin playing Jack the Thief, then Perrin the Fighter, and lastly Snipe the Thief
  
• Phill playing Llihp the Elven Magic-User
  
• Emil playing Eric the Communist (Lawful Evil) Magic-User, then Son of Eric the Communist (LE) Fighter/Magic-User/Cleric, and lastly MacEric the Communist (LE) Assassin
• Shane playing Fang the Inconsequential a half-elven Fighter/Cleric
  
• Matt playing Biffo the Meat Shield, a Half-Orc Fighter, then Durin the Elven Fighter
• everyone was 1st level, and apart from Emil's communists was Chaotic Neutral. Only Durin was female, the rest male.
  

The PCs found themselves in the Village of Bob. Naked but for loincloths and their coinpurses and sharing a free ale - "First ale free to adventurers!" they met in the Inn of the Welcome Wench and decided to adventure together. They went next door to Marx the Moneychanger, who was also Marx the General Store Manager, and got clothes, armour and so on. They were surprised to discover that Engels used a different exchange rate from one type of coin to another than that they were used to (the book said 20SP = 1GP, 10GP = 1PP, while Engels said it was all 10:1), but Moneychanger Marx explained that the people own the means of production anyway so they shouldn't worry about it.
Then they went back to the inn and started drinking, and were met by Mayor Engels. He explained that outside the town was a cemetary, and a great old mausoleum where the notables of the town had been buried for centuries. "But recently a great evil sorceror moved in and set up shop, he's started animating the dead and even invited in some kobolds and reckons he'll build an empire. Apparently he thinks that he's reached "lord level", whatever that means, and wants to build a stronghold and clear the surrounding terrain of peasants."

"Why doesn't your own village deal with him? Marx the Moneychanger has heaps of weapons."

"We tried. This village of 150 people used to be a town of 600. Sometimes people have gone in and then a day later their swords and stuff appear out the front entrance, as though the dungeon - er, mausoleum - ate them and belched up their stuff. Also sometimes we see old family members as zombies and we think it's them as skeletons."

"What do we get if we wipe him and his minions out?"

"Well, the dead are often buried with much treasure. Normally if you take it you defile their graves and are cursed by the Gods, but they're already hopelessly defiled since they're his undead servants, so whatever you find you can keep. Also you will have the everlasting gratitude of the villagefolk, and will be famed and glorified."

"We're not so keen on the everlasting gratitude, but fame and loot sound nice."

So off they went, and into the mausoleum...

But since nobody ever reads these play reports, I won't go on, except to say that five PCs in one session is four more PCs than I've killed as a GM since all this Game Circle business started a couple of years back. Mad stuff.

Kickarse Play of the Day probably goes to Emil, who with Eric the Commie Mage slain by a skeleton, returned with Son of Eric the Commie Fighter/Mage, arriving as the PCs were meeting the mummy, turned the mummy - since he was Lawful Evil, he was thus befriending him - but then on finding the rest of the party was hitting the mummy, flung a flask of oil, then cast Burning Hands, the 1 hit point of damage of which did not do much by itself, but set the mummy alight. Enranged that his "friend" would set him on fire, the mummy swiped at Son of Eric, crushing his chest and breaking his neck. But then the mummy fell over and burned down into ashes.  Thus Son of Eric had a short life but an effective one, he gave his life so that others might loot.