Dank D&D and “The Fellowship of The Bong.”

The Fellowship of the Bong is an original 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons adventure for 4-6 players.  I have run this game several times and it always both entertains and amazes.  I wrote about these games as Dank D&D or NY-style infused gaming.  My blog received some traffic, and I received some hilarious feedback.  After a few months the traffic for that blog died down but, amazingly, never went away.

After repeated requests for the adventure itself, I published the first version of “Fellowship of the Bong.” Then it happened again, and again, and more people wanted my dank adventure.  The demand has become so consistent that I felt it was important for me to rewrite the adventure and add vital information that was missing.  I have now posted a new and improved version of “The Fellowship” and will be sending a copy to anyone who purchased the original PDF.

The updated adventure has an index explaining how the Sacred Bud is used and the power it gives each member of the Fellowship.  Also included is the index on how to use action points and how they apply to each character.   I removed the clunky character sheets and replaced it with just the information you need to play each character.  Now each member of the Fellowship has personal motivations and abilities that will shock and entertain the dank gamer.

In the adventure you get to play one of six 5th level D&D favorites:

·         Sir Landrew Vert- Human Paladin and herald

·         Brother Soulforge Morganson- Dwarven Priest and representative

·         Lothloriana- High Elven Wizard and Emissary

·         Hew Van Bluntson- Gnome Representative and entertainer

·         Trenchmon Roll- Rock Troll Warrior and honor guard

·         Ander Goldenbong- Lightfoot Hobbit council member and the last guy with the map

If you’re interested in taking a look and ordering your copy, the link is https://www.roll-a-bong.com/dankdandd.  Purchase the adventure today and join the Fellowship of the Bong!

Dank D&D: A New Vision

Amazingly, Dungeons and Dragons has become hot and part of pop culture.  I enjoy seeing the new energy and interest in tabletop RPG’s, including D&D.  I am also extremely excited by the legalization of cannabis in New York.  I’ve always mixed my two favorite hobbies, RPGs and getting stoned, when I gamed at home.  Unfortunately, you had to be a secret stoner when gaming in public and it was mostly frowned upon by the powers that be.

Things have changed recently and the idea of playing D&D and getting high isn’t such a big deal anymore.  I wanted to craft a pot-themed adventure where the player characters gained magic powers from smoking sacred buds.  So, I created the world of Svartzwyld, a place where the quality of the cannabis you smoke has dramatic effects on both the body and the mind.  Then, I created the most powerful relic, “The Golden Chalice.”  Folks that smoked out of this relic with the highest quality buds would gain magic powers.  The original six smokers of Svartzwyld all formed their own tribes.  Over time, these tribes changed to have unique physical appearances and abilities, but they always worked together. Each of these tribes also held a piece of the relic needed to complete the ultimate ritual.

·       The stockpile of all the cured sacred buds are protected by the Longfellow Hobbits

·       The Glistening Bic is protected by the Wyldlings (Men)

·       The Golden Tube is protected by the Gnomes.

·       The Golden Orb is protected by the Rock Trolls

·       The Feminized Sacred Seeds are protected by Elvenkin.

·       The Golden Pipe of Smoking is protected by the Dwarves.

  “The Fellowship of the Bong” is a cannabis infused D&D adventure for 4-6 players.  The Golden Chalice has been stolen.  The six dank tribes of Svartzwyld have joined forces and assembled an elite Kine force.  Each member is Iree and powerful in the magic of the Sacred Buds.

A giant Ogre and his dastardly minions stole the relic pieces from each of the tribes holy shrines. Each tribe has sent emissaries in peace to work together.  Included in the Fellowship are:

·       Sir Landrew Vert- Human Paladin and herald

·       Brother Soulforge Morganson- Dwarven Priest and representative.

·       Lothlorian- High Elven Wizard and emissary

·       Hue Van Bluntson- Gnome Representative and entertainer.

·       Trenchmon Roll- Rock Troll Honor Guard and warrior

·       Ander Goldenbong- Lightfoot council member and the last guy with the map

Grondarr’s lair is a maze of barracks, traps, ditch weed, loot, secret passages, and lots of stolen magic buds.  The loyal minions are ready to defend their master’s home in fear of death.  Players will be expected to, with the help of their skills and abilities, find their way through the hellish gauntlet to retrieve all six golden pieces of the relic.  The game will include dungeon tiles, miniatures, tricks, and treats in each room, and lots of fast pasted hard-hitting action. This two-hour RPG experience will satisfy the most experienced game and be easy enough for a first-time player to get a taste of the game from “The Big Bang theory” and “Stranger Things.”

“Fellowship of the Bong” will leave you breathless and buzzed!

Are We In It Together or are We Murder Hobos?

I had been playing D&D for more than 30 years before I heard the term “Murder Hobos.”  A player in one of my games said that most adventure groups are like bands of murdering hobos that kill everything in their path and take what they want.  OK, I’ve played games where each encounter yielded treasure of some kind and it was the focus of the game.  Getting gear is one of the best things about adventure gaming and most video games have this element of collecting gear as you go along.  So, a group of heavily armed warriors come in to your town, kill a bunch of your friends, and leave with your gold and valuables.  Yes, it might be a town of Orcs that worship an evil Demi-Human deity and they might have live sacrifices every full moon, but today they are farming and feeding their families.  Then armed warriors for some weird Human god show up and slaughter the guards protecting your village.

Was he right? Was I thinking I was a heroic knight when, in reality, I was an invading enemy?  This idea changed the way I play and run games.  No more wandering adventures, to the ire to those who hate “Railroad” games.  I would brave the slings and arrows of the “Sandbox” crowd and only run games of higher purpose and with moral clarity.  My games focused and each scene and made each player problem solve during combat.  I wanted a cinematographic feel like an action movie, and I did my best to create dramatic lairs and fully developed adversaries.  Needless to say, most gamers hated my games, they wanted to be murder hobos, not peace makers or holy warriors. 

The 30-something gamers hated my “Railroad” approach, they wanted to be bad, but pretend to be good.  They would spend days crafting a heroic character with a well-defined back story and then throw it all away at the first chance to kill and take treasure.  They liked the idea of a good character, but when they played only chaos and evil came out.  I explained that I only run games of good characters because I dislike the themes of violent games where evil is being portrayed.  I explain that the action isn’t affected by my style of running a game, but the idea of being told what to do is infuriating to them.  They fight with me just to fight, I’m the enemy.  The fight is never face to face and always after a long lag. 

I feel the same way about why people march.  From a distance, marchers feel empowered to part of a movement and rush to join the crowd.  I ask the same question: What have you done to help the problem? What do you think marching will achieve? I’m told about how “the cops” or “the government” must change their policies to help those in need.  I like that idea, but like the “Murder Hobos” they come to town, take what they want and leave, never to act again.  From “Occupy Wall Street” to the protest marches against the police, individuals feel compelled to march for a cause.  The problem is that from local elections to a national Presidential election where Donald Trump won, minorities are not voting. More importantly, I’ve yet to hear about boycotts or support for businesses that are aligned with a positive world view.

And let’s be clear - marching in the streets at night allows the evil element of every city to thrive.  No longer are you supporting those in need of support. That crowd is there to punish and exact revenge.  Each protester and each marcher has a great backstory and a great character concept, but that ends when the hard work begins.  It turns ugly when someone in authority asks for respect and civil order for all citizens, not just the police or the protesters.  All hell breaks loose and out comes chaos and now calm supporters of a good cause became an angry mob and that turns law enforcement into armed guards protecting the town.  Are they Murder Hobos?  Maybe not, but the chaos allows the villainy to take place.  And the opportunity to get something for free that you could never afford could cause a normal person to become an opportunistic thief.  Now home with your new Gucci bag, aren’t you a thief? It didn’t start that way, but opportunity and events have allowed you to be able make off with a $500 handbag.  Do you question why you marched, or do you return the bag when things calm down?

Marching is a great way to show support, but it’s only the start. It is vital to have a focus, a goal, or an act.  To just show up and to never do anything in support of the cause makes you the equivalent of a “Accidental Murder Hobo.”  Take it from an old white guy, it only seems like a “Railroad” because of perception, and that a “Sandbox” still needs you to take a direction, so in the end you’re following a path.  If you understand the cause and you have a great desire to help, then do it! Focus on the act that make peoples’ lives better, not on getting revenge or justice.  Most times your vote is more influential than your presence in protest, so have an end game, and then act with purpose and intelligence.  Trust me, we can change the world! Please join me!