Cry Blue Murder

More Smurf adventuring? You bet your smurf!

Sorry for the delay. I have some difficulty creating or finding images I liked. I just can't put up a post with no art when the game is about something based on an Animated Series or a Comic Book.

The first half of Session Two contained a lot of exposition, problem-solving, and role-play and I want to make it clear we had a lot of fun with it. In addition, it moved a lot faster than it may have seemed in my previous post. I felt the need to explain some of the details that we in-game kind of took for granted or got through osmosis. I hope I didn't over do it. If the prior post didn't bore you too much and you're sticking with me, thanks. I promise that this half of the session is waaay more action packed. 

Once again, thanks for putting up with my style of recap. Anyway...

Season Two, Part 2:

Our Smurf party had made it into the Palace of the Silver Princess thanks to the mystic powers of the Whistles of the Protectors of Haven (an idea that Suave first came up with). Entering invisibly thanks to one of Smurfcornflower's potions, the effect was fading and the group of Smurfs were quickly becoming visible. We begin the session with the team hiding inside a wooden Guard Post located just inside the the castle's front gate. Skeletons dressed in the armor and tunics of Haven Soldiers walked the halls adjacent to the entry way. 

As soon as the invisibility wore off completely and the Smurfs could see each other, Brash and Smurfhoneysuckle peaked out to check for Skeletons and which direction to go in next. They determined that the hall heading Northwest was their best chance. They took off, Brash in the lead and Honeysuckle in the rear.

Nonetheless, the Smurfs came across and had to avoid two Zombie-like undead warriors and one Skeleton. They recognized rooms further down the hall as likely to be a pantry and kitchen and so they dashed for them and ducked in to catch their breath. After a few moments, they looked around to see if there was anything useful they could use. Honeysuckle and Cornflower noted that if this castle has been trapped like this for a decade, any food in the pantry had long gone bad. Just as the others nodded in agreement, a plate fell from the counter above them spilling chunks of old cheese, slimy ham, and stale bread. 

The group looked up to notice Goeblins! There were two of them, rumaging through cabinets and boxes, drinking from jugs of wine, and eating food they must have found or foraged. The Smurfs - quietly and carefully - grabbed what they could and prepared to leave when suddenly...another Goeblin came around the counter and tried to stab Apathy with a fork! Yikes! There are three of them?!

Brash grabbed a Meat Tenderizer he found on the floor, though he could barely lift it. Honeysuckle came over to help him. Sort of. Great interaction of the two of them humorously competing/cooperating to be the 'lead' on smashing one of the Goeblins. The Goeblin in question quickly scooped both of them up in a bowl of gruel porridge. The two Smurfs fell over into the thick, cream broth and...didn't come back up. The Goeblin was perplexed, squinted, and moved his face closer and closer to the bowl until - BLOSH! - the Smurfs popped out of the gruel, thrusting the Tenderizer forward and bashing their opponent right between the eyes.

The Goeblin dropped the bowl, spilling two porridge covered Smurfs onto the countertop.  

Apathy reached out his hand towards Cornflower, who just looked at it, then at his face, and said, "What?" Apathy, in his bored and bothered manner asked her for a potion and she informed him she was fresh out. The Invisibility Potion was the last of her concoctions. Apathy made an, 'Of course' expression.  The two of them noticed a shadow looming over them and turned to see another Goeblin coming at them with a frying pan.

Four?!? Yes! There were four Goeblins in total. How did the Smurfs not notice that? As it turned out, the Goeblins have a special Advantage of their own called Sneaky. If the GM spends a Thorn, a Goeblin can appear or disappear into the shadows or behind things in order to escape or surprise enemies. Remember all that Smurf Power the PCs used in Season One, Part 2? Well that gave Stephen at least two Thorns. He spent them here to have two extra Goeblins come out from their hidden hidey holes. 

Back to the action...

The frying pan came down on the two Smurfs and they did their best to scatter. The horrible sound of metal-on-Smurf-on-stone caused Cornflower to spin around, shouting as she saw the fairly flattened form of Apathy. "Get away from him you Monster!", Cornfower called at with both anger and fear in her voice. Swinging the frying pan again, this time like a tennis ratchet, the Goeblin sent Cornflower flying through the air. She landed in the Pantry atop a bag of flour. Badly hurt and trying hard to stay conscious, she noticed a shelf above her with numerous spice and jars of herbs. Fighting her aches and pains, Cornflower climbed up onto the shelf as the Goeblin creeped towards her. 

The remaining Goeblin caught Suave, lifted him into the air and then tossed him onto a plate. He landed softly [for the most part] in a pile of mashed up small potatoes and bit of spoiled butter. The Goeblin leaned over him with a fork and knife, licking its lips. Suave Smurf's eyes darted about, landing on a fancy bottle. "Red wine? With Smurf?! Oh no, no, no. That simply won't do. Are you a culinary barbarian?" The Goeblin was completely dumbfounded. He put down his fork, took the bottle in hand and gave it a swig.

"Ez good wine. Wat you know?", asked the Goeblin.

"It's not the vintage Mon Ami, its the type of wine. Of course its good but Smurf pairs better with something lighter or perhaps a rosé. Yes! A rosé. And these potatoes? Garlic, a bit of black pepper, and a dash more salt and Mwah! Magnifique!". As Suave Smurf went on the Goeblin was practically drooling. It wiped its mouth, nodded enthusiastically and reached for the salt and pepper, garlic, a grater, and then turned around to search for a bottle of rosé. Suave meanwhile hurriedly assembled a fork, a spoon, and the pepper container just so. 

"Ah-ha!", exclaimed the Goeblin with excitement. He turned back towards Suave with a wine bottle in hand. Suave Smurf then proceeded to jump on the prong end of the fork, launching the pepper into the air - spending a Brawn Effort and Smurf Power - and sending the pepper right into the Goeblin's face. The nasty cretin proceeded to sneeze uncontrollably, dropping the bottle of and allowing Suave to get some distance. 

Brash and Honeysuckle got up and made a break for the opposite side of the counter table, catching up with Suave and finding themselves between a rock and hard place, as well as quite high above the floor. Suave had an idea and pointed to ragged cloth napkins. A whispered plan and both Honeysuckle and Brash grabbed one each. Suave leapt onto Brash's back ("My apologies. So undignified!") and after a few spent Efforts and Smurfberries the three Smurfs 'parachuted' off the countertop, angling back towards the door to the kitchen (the door they used to enter this room). Mere inches from escaping into the hallway, the three heroes turned around to look for their friends.

Apathy was behind them, running towards the Goeblin with the frying plan, who was himself heading to the pantry to squash Cornflower no doubt. As the loathsome thing stuck its head through the doorway, Apathy lept up on the Goeblin's trouser leg and started crawling up the creature. The Goeblin was distracted only for a moment, as suddenly something sprayed from out of the pantry and the bogey dropped the frying pan and yelped in pain. It rubbed its tearing eyes to no avail and Apathy took advantage of the creature's misfortune. He pulled the cretin's hat down over its eyes and than slide down the Goeblin's coat. Leaping off to the ground, he rushed to the pantry where Cornflower had herself slide down the aforementioned bag of flour. 

"What was that?", asked Apathy as he watched the Goeblin flail around and whine in agony.

"I call it Pepper Spray! (It had black pepper, dried spicy peppers, onion powder, and vinegar)", replied Smurfcornflower, too proud of herself to think about how terrified she was. 

"Nice", Apathy started, "I was...worried. I was worried about...*throat clear*...about you." He said this last part looking directly into Cornflower's eyes and she darked a much darker shade of blue. Her mouth hung open for a moment, completely flabbergasted, and it only then occurred to her that Apathy had basically admitted to caring about something. Someone! Wait..gulp...me?

"HEY! You two! Come on!", Honeysuckle called out, waving the pair over. Apathy took Cornflower by her suddenly cold and sweaty palm and the two ran to join their friends. As the Goeblins cried, sneezed, tripped, and bumped into each other in the background, the Smurfs ran out into the hall and raced to find another open door. There was a large dining room on the right and what seemed to be a library to the left. "Library!", Cornflower called out, pointing at the room. Everybody double-smurfed it to the door, squeezed through the thin space, and then leaned on the inside of the door to close it behind them. 

As the team tried to catch their breath, their eyes darted about the huge room and its seemingly endless collection of books.  "Oh my Smurf!", said a panting Cornflower, "I think we're right where we need to be..."

To be continued,

AD

Barking Alien

Blue Green Red

Continuing my telling of the tale of our Smurfs RPG  mini-campaign, 'The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess', here is Session Two, Part 1. 

You can find tour party of Smurf Adventurers here:

Blue Smurf Group

You can find the recap of Session One here and here:

Part 1: Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Part 2: Singing The Blue

I would like to point out, as I should have on my previous posts, that these recaps are obviously not a play-by-play of every moment in the game. I have edited out most of the 'rules talk', many discussions both in and out of character, and some of the finer points of world-building for the purposes of retelling the key parts of the adventure within a reasonable amount of words. 

If you dear reader have any questions about anything I have potentially glossed over, please feel free to ask me questions in the comments. 

Onward...

Our band of Smurf adventurers now stood on the damp forest floor facing a trio of green clad warriors an apple taller than themselves. They all carried swords, though the fairy in the center had a larger and fancier one than the others.

It was she who spoke first. "We are The Protectors of Haven. Who blows the Protectors' Whistle who is not themselves a member of our order?"

"I do! Brash Smurf!", exclaimed Brash as he quickly stood up and tried to achieve a heroic stance. Unfortunately his balance was more than a little wobbly, still in pain from being flung by the rat they'd encountered. Smurfcornflower came in his aid, subtly helping to keep him upright. 

Suave put his hand on Brash's shoulder, smiled at him and Cornflower, noddled reassuringly, and stepped forward. He removed his hat and bowed low with a deep flourish. "Enchanté! My name is Suave Smurf. These are my companions - Brash, Smurfcornflower, Apathy, and Smurfhoneysuckle. We have been sent here by our elder, Papa Smurf, who received a vision from...well I assume from you. We, the five of us, also had visions...dreams really...and we want to help. We want to aid Haven and The Princess Argenta. How may we serve?"

The First Fairy whispered, "Smurfs...so these are Smurfs."

The Third Fairy squeaked with joy, "Ah! Of course! It worked! The Mistress will be pleased."

The Second, Middle Fairy, spoke up with clarity and calm, "Well Smurfs, we are very happy to have you in our land. Follow us; we'll take you to the Mistress Knight Commander."

With that, the three Protectors stepped off the ground and floated a dozen apples or so over the Smurfs' heads, proceeding westward, trailing faint sparkles of pixie dust that twinkled in the late afternoon sun. The Smurfs exchanged glances and then proceeded to accompany the green fairies.

After some time, though it was impossible to say how much, they all arrived in a tiny clearing surrounded by small mushrooms and lit by hovering fireflies. There were a good number of Protectors in and above the clearing, all looking practically identical except for one:

With the kind of pomp and circumstance afforded royalty but abridged for time due to the dire situation, the Smurfs were introduced to The Mistress Knight Commander of the Protectors of Haven. She was in turn introduced to them, far more humbly, by Suave Smurf. While regal of bearing and disciplined in demeanor, the Mistress Knight Commander smiled warmly at the Smurfs. 

She spoke softly but clearly, "Long ago, when I was a Protector in training, I met a young Smurf who was wise and kind and we became fast friends. We were only in each others company for a short time but we connected. We shared dreams and formed memories. Sadly, it has been a tree's age since last we saw each other." 

"Papa Smurf?", whispered Suave to the rest.

"I guessed, and rightly so it seems, that if I called out to him he would hear my plea. I can not thank him, and all of you, enough for coming all this way to help us", the Mistress said sweetly. This was followed by her motioning them all to sit down on rocks or the forest floor. Other fairies, less armed and armored, brought tea and water to the assembly. Once everyone had settled and felt as comfortable as possible, the Mistress Knight Commander began to tell her tale...

The story was a sad and tragic tale; when Princess Argenta announced her pending marriage to Sir Ellis, The Dragon Rider Knight, the Dwarfs of Thundertop Mountain were so happy for her, for the couple, that they gifted her a spectacular gem. They called it the 'Lady's Heart', a round ruby the size of a large plum. What they didn't know is that the jewel already had a name...The Eye of Arik. 

Once used to replace the right eye of Arik the Vile, a powerful and terrible giant who terrorized these lands many centuries ago, the ruby 'waited' until the day of the wedding before it struck. It released a spell of dark magic that trapped all within the castle inside a crimson glow. Anyone trying to escape would be drained of their life essence, either driving them mad or transforming them into the undead. The same is true for anyone from the outside trying to enter through the deep scarlet veil. 

Well...aside from those with ill intent. 

Based on what the Protectors have witnessed, Bandits, Goeblins, and other nasties have been able to come and go as they please. Perhaps the purer of heart you are the harder it is to pass through the jewel's curse? Uncertain.   

"We faced a rat with a red glow in its eyes. It seemed more angry than hungry. When Brash blew your Protector's Whistle, it lost that glow and appeared confused", said Apathy quite plainly. 

"Hmm", Suave contemplated, "honored hosts, have you tried to blow those enchanting whistles near the castle? Perhaps if several of you sounded in unison it might weaken the barrier."

The Protectors (and Stephen the GM!) were taken aback by the Smurfs' idea. The Fairies admitted they had never tried that before but they were aware of their whistles' ability to free animals from madness and even drive off evil spirits and undead. 

"May I...may we...keep this one Protector's Whistle Mistress Knight Commander? It could be of great use in freeing of the Silver Princess and her Palace", asked Brash, trying to rein in usual bravado. Many of the Protectors glared at him. Others, including their leader, gave a faint smile as they were impressed by the Smurf's bravery and cleverness. 

"Very well", the Mistress Knight Commander began, "You may."

The Smurfs, the Mistress, and a good number of her Protectors discussed the situation further and made plans to head to the palace at dawn. The Fairies invited the Smurfs to stay at their camp for the night. 

Honeysuckle was able to restock some provisions. The Protectors' Healers shared some of their medicinal herbs and mosses with Cornflower. Brash talked fighting styles and tactics with the Mistress' Second-in-Command. Suave filled in a captivated audience of Green Fairies on the finer points of Smurf Culture. Apathy was there as well (Haha!). *

As evening became night, all assembled had a meal together and then the Smurf party had a good night's sleep inside a surprisingly spacious tree trunk.

The next morning a troupe of Green Fairies from the Protectors of Haven escorted our Smurf adventurers to the Palace of the Silver Princess. Upon arrival our heroes prepared for the plan they devised the day before. As several of the Protectors took flight and positioned themselves near the portcullis at the castle's entrance, the Smurfs stood in a straight line, one after another. The front gate was raised half-way, giving anyone ample access were it not cursed by evil magics. 

Cornflower pulled out her last alchemy bottle, a Potion of Invisibility! I convinced the GM to let me have five uses of it instead of our agreed upon three at the cost of spending extra Mind Effort. Instead, the other players offered to pay 1 Heart Effort from each of their Smurfs so that I needed to spend only 3 Mind. Stephen loved the idea of the team working together like this that he approved it. The result was each PC was given one splash from the potion, rendering them Invisible** but only for half of the usual duration (in this case 5 moments).***

As coordinated beforehand, a half dozen Protectors plus the Mistress Knight Commander blew on their whistles, the high, clear, piercing sound causing the red glow at the entry way to waver. It rippled like a pond with a stone dropped into it. After a moment or two, a hole opened up, a portal through the crimson barrier. The hole wasn't large and it wouldn't hold long (since the Fairies would run out of breath) so the Smurfs ran through the opening, immediately scanning the entry to find a good place to hide. They saw soldiers coming down the hall towards them but as they came into the light it turned out they were Skeletons! Apathy whispered a "Psst!" to the group and ran down a separate hallway and tapped on a wooden door. The other raced toward the sound and hide instead a small Guard Post. 

The whistling sound faded and the red glow sealed the hole like it never was. 

The Smurfs were inside The Palace of the Silver Princess. 

Season Two, Part 2 coming soon...

AD

Barking Alien

*While the rest of the gang each did their thing, Apathy Smurf investigated the Protectors of Haven camp to learn more about them: the members, the structure, what they protected exactly, how they protected it, etc. It was Apathy's questions and observatiions that really got the team to accept the meta-context/world-building of an organization called 'The Protectors of Haven' that didn't seem to be able to protect Haven. If that paradox was on your mind dear reader, trust me it was discussed and explained and it made sense.

To summarize it, the Protectors guard the natural world of the Haven region and at first did not get along with the Humans there. The fairies resented the civilizations of Humanity and how they treated their surroundings. Eventually, when Princess Argenta became ruler, she took great strides to be conscious of the environment and work with the Fairies. She was very kind and generous to the animals of the woods, the fairy peoples, and in general how a good heart. 

When evil befell the Silver Palace and its residents, the Protectors were not present at the wedding but were ensuring the safety of local wildlife, plants, and the travel of people to the castle. They weren't at the wedding itself. After the Red Glow erupted and enveloped the palace, the fairies found the dark magic of it was more powerful then their own overall. After several unsuccessful attempts to penatrate the curse, the Mistress Knight Commander went out on a limb (literally! Haha!) and sent a vision to Papa Smurf and by accident the members of the party. 

**The party was only invisible in the first one or two Moments after getting the Potion of Invisibility poured on them. For the next two Moments they were essentially transparent, as if clear like glass but they wre not impossible to be seen at all. For the final Moment they were barely semi-transparent, perhaps best deescribed as colored in camoflauge matching their surroundings.

***Moments are a vague measurement of time in the Smurfs game largely defined by and dependant upon the narrative of what is happening at the time. I love it.

Singing The Blues

Recapping the first session of our Smurfs RPG mini-campaign - based on the classic Dungeons and Dragons Module B3 Palace of of Silver Princess - our party of Smurf adventurers walked the path to the Western Lands Beyond and got to know each other a little better.

Session One, Part 2:

We open with the party leaving Smurfy Grove, home of the Smurf Girls, where Smurfhoneysuckle and Smurfcornflower picked up some extra supplies and other things they thought the group might need for its trip to the Kingdom of Haven in the Lands Beyond. Afterwards they walked for some time before the day wore on and the Sun started to go down, coloring the land in shadows and the hues of twilight.

The group decided to set up camp with simple tents and plans to cook dinner. Brash decided he would start the fire and Smurfhoneysuckle said to let her do it as she'd probably do it better. Suave Smurf diplomatically stepped in to get them to work together, though they still tried to outdo each other in the cooking prep. Honeysuckle had some ingredients from her Barn, while  Smurfcornflower helped with some herbs and spices from her Ingredients pouch. Apathy wasn't really hungry so he made sure the tents were sturdy. 

The team ended up making a vegetable soup and discussing the adventure ahead. After some much needed camaraderie and laughter, the group went to sleep. The party members traded watch duties like any typical D&D group but with Honeysuckle reluctant to switch with the next Smurf to prove she could stay awake and sharp longer than Brash had.

The next day, the party found out their path lead them  to a Human made road. As they continued along their journey, Honeysuckle joked about singing a travel song to make them go faster; the idea being that the act of singing such a song actually accelerates you through time. Without further preamble, Cornflower started humming and then suddenly broke into singing*...

"Smurfy Road,

Smurf me home,

To the Cursed Lands,

Where I belong.

Mushroom Village,

Smurfy Grove,

Smurf me home,

Smurfy Road."

Out of know where, as the group walked between hills on the left and a dense forest to the right, a half dozen Growlers jumped the PCs, likely attracted by Cornflower's offkey singing.

Growlers are hairy, blue-black 'monkey-goblins' who have plaqued the Forbidden Forest of the Cursed Lands for a very long time and can be found in other deep forested areas as well. 

Growlers of the Northwestern Woods

Suave Smurf stepped forward to reason with these uncouth creatures only to discover the Growlers don't speak and aren't quite as intelligent as Smurfs, though clearly smarter than animals. Apathy suggested a plan might help but Brash declared that "Plans are for wimps!" and dove right into the gang of Growlers, knocking some over and startling the rest. Unfortunately he ended up completely surrounded by the angry beasties. 

Honeysuckle shouts, "If he can do that, I can knock'em all down!", and leaps into the fray too, tackling at least four of the creatures. Cornflower rolls her eyes, steps back and searches her bag of potions. Meanwhile, one of the Growlers holds Brash down and tries to pound him with his fist but Apathy grabs the critter's wrist. The Growler turns to look at him and growls loudly in Apathy's face, causing him to let go, stumble backwards, and land on his butt. 

"OK fine. Whatever", grunts Apathy. 

"Found it!", exclaims Cornflower as she holds up a bubbling hot pink potion. 

"Oh Smurf! Everybody get clear!," Honeysuckle yells as she dives behind a rock. All the PCs roll Quick to jump away from the Growlers. Everyone makes it, though Apathy rolls exactly what he needed, indicating a Success with a Complication. Smurfcornflower hurls her Boom Juice bottle and it shatters on the ground amid the Growlers, resulting in a fuchsia explosion that threw them all a good dozen apples away in all directions, their fur steaming with pinkish smoke. Dazed and sniffing themselves, the Growlers run for it, disappearing into the woods. 

Everyone pats Cornflower on the back or shoulder, congratulating her on her great move. All but Apathy, who approaches sniffing at himself. "Hey, does any Smurf smell..",Apathy begins but before he can finish the rest of the group backs away from him holding their noses. 

"By Smurf my good Smurf! What is that atrocious stench? It is as if Smurfberries went sour and were then set ablaze!", cried Suave Smurf, putting a silk hankerchief over his face. Apathy looked very cross and Cornflower very embarrased. 

"Sorry Apathy and...well...everyone. My Boom Juice Potion sometimes has side effects. At least you didn't turn pink. That can happen do to the inclusion of...", Smurfcornflower gives a nervous smile, looks at her feet, and rubs the back of her neck. "Again, really sorry Apathy."

While Apathy might have still been annoyed, he appeared nonplussed. He told her it was fine and the group got back on track with their mission. The Growlers popped up a few more times, each time in greater numbers, yet our heroes managed to always stay ahead of them and eventually escaped their territory.

The party walked for another full day and a half before hitching a ride on the backs of a small group of wild boar. Dropping off of the boars' on a rise overlooking the valley beyond, the team could see the ruined front gate of the Palace of the Silver Princess in the distance. The was somehow bathed in a dull red glow and at the same time it seemed to emanate from within. The party proceeded with caution, even Brash, though he'd describe it as 'confidence rather than 'caution'...

Rain clouds rolled in. The sky darkened and a cold wind picked up. Before long a full on storm seemed to be upon them, making walked down the rain-soaked hill extremely difficult. Brash, Cornflower, and Suave slipped and tumbled down to a muddy trail, while Honeysuckle darted after them. Apathy continued steadily at a failed casual pace, neither hurrying nor slowing. When they all got together, Apathy noticed a hollow log that might serve as a shelter from the downpour. 

"Excellent!," exclaimed Suave, "I must change into something clean and dry. It just won't do to continue on in these filthy clothes. It just won't do I say!"

Waiting out the storm in their impromptu shelter, Cornflower and Honeysuckle passed around bowls of leftover [and cold] vegetable soup and Smurfberry Dry Biscuits**. All sat quietly, eating and listening to the rain, save Suave who was busy changing in a tree stump right next to the log.

That's when Brash heard a strange hissing squeak and the snap of a twig. He reached for a mossy rock and walked to the opening of the log, increasing his pace as he went, startling everyone. He than swung the green stone just in time to have it connect with the nose of a massive rat! The huge rodent reared back in pain before letting out a snarl.  It recovered quickly, staring at Brash with glowing red eyes and diving at him. For a brief moment everyone else froze, then Honeysuckle's eyes darted around frantically for a stone or something else to throw. Apathy looked to Cornflower and said sharply, "You have another potion, yes?"

Cornflower was startled back into the present, nodded, and reached into her potion sack. She pulled out a bottle with a slimy, milky, gray liquid. Cornflower held the potion up and shook it a bit, "I've got this! It's Web Water!" Apathy gave her a blank look with tired eyes and one raised eyebrow. "It's really sticky", she offered with a shrug. 

"Good enough", said Apathy. He called out to Honeysuckle and grabbed the Web Water flask. "Throw this." He tossed it to her, she caught it, and as she wound up for the throw she saw Brash go flying by, tossed like a ragdoll by the raging beast. Apathy rushed forward to distract the rat and used his Smurf Power, a Smurfberry, and Effort! Taking her que, Honeysuckle waited until the foul creature snapped at Apathy and then chucked the potion also using her Smurf Power, a Smurfberry, and Effort! 

SPLORCH! 

The bottle shattered and thick, quickly hardening webs spread from wall to wall and rodent to floor. Its head was still free and nashing chaotically but the creature itself was otherwise immobile. Honeysuckle and Apathy quickly made rope out of some roots and vines. Cornflower saw to Brash's injuries. Just then, they heard a noise behind them and everybody spun expecting trouble. Instead, Suave Smurf stepped into the log from the other end that was up again the tree stomp where he'd been changing. "What in the smurf is all the commotion?!" When he looked at the trapped beast and wounded Brash he gulped and whispered, "Oh. So I see."

As it turned out, Suave had not been dressing all this time. Nor had he been idle. The interior of the tree stomp was odd, with some clues that lead Suave to think someone had been there before him. As he looked through some disgarded cloth of a most unusual nature, he found a green whistle made of leaves and lacquered wood. He showed it to his friends as he explained where he'd found it. 

Brash reached out to it and asked if he could see it. Suave handed it to him and Brash turned it every which way as if searching it for some secret wisdom. Then, being Brash Smurf, he blew the whistle. The sound was like the wind blowing through the trees but higher, clearer, and it echoed within the log and somehow from without as well. It lingered, fading slowly. All the Smurfs were silent and remained motionless for a few seconds. It was Cornflower that broke the moment by pointing towards the rat and saying, "Hey, look at that..." The rat no longer had red eyes and it seemed so much calmer. "I wonder if..."

Before Smurfcornflower could finish her thought, the rain outside seemed to ease up considerably and the late day sun shimmered off of the remaining water droplets. A green light came into view, getting closer and brighter as it seemed to float down towards them from above. Honeysuckle rolled up her sleeves and very carefully cut the webbing where it was driest and most brittle. Freed from its sticky bindings, the creature ran into the woods as fast as it could. Not a heartbeat later, the green light landed several feet in front of the opening of the hollow log. Looking to each other for support, the party of Smurfs walked out of their shelter to see what the emerald glow was all about. 

In doing so, they came face to face with three green fairies, The Protectors of Haven. 

End of Session One.

To be continued...

AD

Barking Alien

*Yes, I did come up with and sing that song impromptu during the game. Obviously it's a parody of 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', the 1971 Country/Folk classic by John Denver. Thing is, I love that sound but I am by no means a great singer. Or even a good one. Or even a singer. I used to but only for fun and long ago. 

Heather on the other hand...

After the game was over and it was just Andrew, her, and me left on Discord, Heather asked me to sing it again. I did and towards the later half she joined in. Then she sang. She, unlike myself, is an amazing singer. Her voice...WOW. I was like, "What the heck? Are you a 'ringer'?A professional singer or something? Am I gaming with Reba McEntire and no one told me?"

**Smurfberry Dry Biscuits were invented by Heather and are essentially Smurf hardtack. If you've never seen the Youtube Channel Tasting History - first, you are missing out - you might not have seen the episode on Hardtack and the re-occurring gag where it pops up in other videos. I highly recommend checking out the channel if you are interested in Food and History. Very useful for learning about what different people ate in various places at points throughout history. Great for world-building.

Blue Smurf Group

Before I get any further into how the first session of The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess went, I'd like to introduce the cast:

We (all the players and the GM) met up online a day before the first session to create our characters; a sort of Session 0. Most of us already had an idea of what we wanted to play, though I made one fellow change his mind (Heheh). 

Character Creation is very easy and quick in Smurfs, even going mostly rules-as-written as Stephen wanted. There were some tiny tweaks here and there and a few concessions/decisions needed for PCs with unusual abilities (like my character's Potion Making). 

In addition, we were each allowed to come up with one starting Room in our Mushroom Cottages (the Smurfhouses I've discussed in prior Smurf and Base posts). 

Left to Right: Smurfhoneysuckle, Brash Smurf, Apathy Smurf, Smurfcornflower, Suave Smurf. 

Apathy Smurf (played by Andrew) 

I actually created Apathy Smurf as a background gag NPC in one of my earliest Smurf RPG runs. Andrew thought the idea was so funny he asked if he could write him up and play him and I said of course! He was amazing!

Apathy Smurf couldn't care less. He just isn't that interested in what you're doing and can't be bothered to put on his shoes to join you. Eventually you might get him to come with you on an adventure by pointing out that he really has nothing better to do. 

Andrew's portrayal is hilarious. There is a nuanced sense of melancholy and ennui to Andrew's version of the character that I didn't expect but very much appreciate 

Apathy is noticeably shorter than a typical Smurf, with a face that says 'I don't care' and 'I'm tired of this' simultaneously. He wears a short sleeve shirt, short pants, a standard Smurf [Phrygian] cap, and often goes barefoot (Andrew says it's because he can't be bothered to put his shoes on or remember where he put them).

This fellow's special Advantage is to reduce the Difficulty Level of an action or situation by audibly, verbally dismissing the obstacle as uninteresting, unimportant, or irrelevant. 

His starting signature item of Equipment is a pillow, which he usually sits on when bored (which is often) or places behind his head when leaning on trees, walls, etc. 

Apathy's Smurfhouse has An Old Couch +2 where he can rest before or after an adventure. It's worn out and most find it hard to get comfortable on it but Apathy doesn't seem to mind the lumpiness.

Apathy Smurf and his Smurfhouse

Brash Smurf (played by Brandon)

Don't worry about potential threats or dangers on our journey; Brash Smurf sure doesn't! He is the first one in and the last one out and never the one to make or follow a plan. Brash is brave, bold, more than a little reckless, and perhaps not the sharpest smurf in the smurf shed. He means well though, that's undeniable.  

In some ways Brash is the least peculiar and most traditionally Smurfy of the PCs and that was exactly what Brandon intended. He wanted what he saw as a 'Classic' Smurf. At the same time, Brash is distinct because Brandon portrays him with gusto and is focused on keeping the game exciting and constantly moving forward. 

Brash has a long sleeve shirt, pants that end above the ankles, a distinctive red 'cape' tied around his neck, and red shoes. He often has a determined look in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

This character's Advantage is to decrease the Difficulty Level of a challenge by charging in head first without a plan (or by ignoring the one presented) or by (at the very least) by going first. Brash is the 'Leeroy Jenkins' of Smurfs.

Brash's starting piece of Equipment is his Cape, which he can use in a variety of ways such as carrying things in it, waving it as a distraction, or using it to block water, wind, or dust. 

Brash Smurf's Smurfhouse has an indoor Obstacle Course +2 which can temporarily improve his ability to overcome troublesome terrain, scale walls, or jump a chasm (and other similar hindrances). 

Brash Smurf and his Smurfhouse

Smurfcornflower (played by me!)

Smurfcornflower, or just Cornflower, is a Smurf Girl from Smurf Grove. She is very focused on the study of magical ingredients and the brewing of potions. She'd be happy to make some for you to take on your adventure if...what's that? You want her to come with you? Er...hmm. You think she'll be helpful in the field? Um, well gee, I don't know...who's going to dry the Mandrake Root and powder the Snail Shells? Besides, Smurfwillow might need my help. 

*Smurfhoneysuckle rolls her eyes and yanks Cornflower out of her Smurfhouse*

I had some much fun playing Smurfcornflower and I'll be honest, that's pretty amazing. I rarely play, prefering to GM. I practically never play a female character (for fear of not quite doing the role justice). It often takes a bit of time to get the charactetr's voice, literally and figuratively. This was a totally different experience: Got the mindset and voice right away. Love her design. Loved playing her. 

Cornflower is a Smurf Girl with oddly large hands and long fingers. She is a little shorter than normal height for a Smurfy Grove Smurf but has pretty bad posture which makes her seem even smaller. Her hair is a lighter, slightly aqua blue color than her Smurf blue skin. She wears a tan dress and often no hat, instead keeping her hair in a bushy pony tail. Cornflower has aqua blue eyes. 

Smurfcornflower's Advantage covers her skill at brewing potions. Her Difficulty Level in making a given potion is lowered by -1D6. The Advantage is also useful in finding the right ingredients for a given potion, as long as she knows what she's looking for. 

As far as Equipment, Cornflower is a special case. Her standard item is an Ingredients Pouch +2, that gives her a really good chance of having the component she needs. She also carries three Potions, each having only one use unless she spends a Mind Effort. Even then, she can't spend Mind Effort on a Potion noted as having the bottle emptied or thrown. Once all three are used, Cornflower needs to stop and spend time brewing three new ones. 

In the first session I declared that Smurfcornflower had:

Boom Juice (aka Potion of Bad Brewing): When a potion is brewed very poorly it has a chance of exploding. Cornflower realized she could make potions wrong on purpose to create a throwable bomb. It often has side effects if you are hit or even too close to the resulting explosion, such as turning your skin yellow with red pokadots or causing you to lose your voice.

Invisibility Potion: This potion can be poured over an object, Smurf, or other creature causing it to disappear from sight. The recipient is still there of course but it can not be seen for 3D6 moments. 

Web Water (aka Web Fluid): A gray, milky potion that is liquid until exposed to air. Once it touches the air it thickens and hardens, turning very sticky and gummy. It has several uses, the most basic of which is as a glue. It the container is shaken, the cork removed, and the container 'whipped' towards a solid object, a long and thick strand will come out forming a 'Web Rope'. The person holding the bottle can then swing on the web-like cord. Finally, the bottle can be thrown as a 'Web Bomb' that covers an area in gooey clumps and strands. Those caught are trapped like flies. (Spider-Smurf, Spider-Smurf, Does Whatever a Spider-Smurf can!)

Smurfcornflower's Smurfhouse has a Potions Room +2 with a [Smurf scale] medium-sized cauldron and firepit in the center of the room. There is a small alcove in the room with an open pantry, it's shelves covered in bottles, jars, and boxes of magical ingredients. 

Smurfcornflower and her Smurfhouse

Smurfhoneysuckle (played by Heather)

Honeysuckle wants to be the fastest, strongest, toughest Smurf, though there may be more to it than simply a strong sense of competitiveness. The only thing she won't try to compete with is potion brewing and spellcasting. She knows full well that she doesn't have any magical talent. This might be one of the reasons Smurfcornflower is her best friend; they're not in competition. Other than that she'll pretty much go for the gold when it comes to showing the world which Smurf is the most capable at, well, almost everything.   

Her life and job back in Smurf Grove is that of a rancher/cowgirl type. She has a small barn next to her Smurfhouse with 'Hen House' of small bird nests and a 'Stable' for riding Martens. As she is always carrying a Pail one has to wonder...what animal is she milking?

Heather (Smurfhoneysuckle's Player) and I hit it off pretty much immediately and it didn't take long for us to determine that Honeysuckle and Cornflower weren't just friends but the very best of friends. Heather is full of surprises; a native of the Southern Mid-West of the USA, she naturally has a regional accent that is fairly light usual. When speaking as the farmgirl/tomboy Honeysuckle she cranks the accent up to 11. She's positive, funny, and she can sing! (More on that in the next post). Apparently, the character is based on tales her grandmother told her about her mother as a youth. There is something about this that gives this Smurf PC another layer and I am here to find out what that is.

Smurfhoneysuckle is a little taller than average for a Smurf Girl from Smurfy Grove, with platinum blonde-white hair, blue eyes, a red and black checkered flannel shirt, cotton blue jeans, and dark brown leather boots. She wears a traditional Smurf cap as well as a white apron. 

Honeysuckle has an Advantage that Stephen allowed for giving the very specific parameters regarding its use. When competing against another Smurf, Smurfhoneysuckle can add a +2 to either her Brawn or Quick stat as is appropriate to the challenge. Usually you would pick only a single Stat capable of receiving a bonus. Here, Shephen allowed this PC to Brawn or Quick because of the limitations in her use of the Advantage:

The Advantage only works in response to another Smurf's actions; i.e. Honeysuckle can only take an action with a bonus after another Smurf has taken an action. Smurfhoneysuckle must perform [essentially] the same feat as the Smurf she's trying to best. 

Honeysuckle can also get the Advantage bonus if she challenges another Smurf to compete with her and the other Smurf accepts. 

The Advantage can't be used to do things she can not physically do, such as breathe underwater or fly for example. However, if Scuba Smurf goes underwater in his scuba gear, Honeysuckle can attempt to hold her breath (Brawn) in order to swim submerged as long as Scuba Smurf can. 

Based on her nature, Honeysuckle often attempts to challenge and/or compete with non-Smurfs and so far she still gets her Advantage but at only +1, indicating she doesn't care as much about besting non-Smurfs. Once again, she can't use it to do exactly what her rival is doing if said rival is using a special ability she does not possess. 

Her equipment is a Pail+2 that she always carries around. It is can be used in several ways, most notably carrying items in it, using it to boost a Smurf's height (like stepping up on a box), and wacking someone upside the head with it. 

Honeysuckle's Smurfhouse is located right next to a Smurf Barn. The Barn +2 is her special 'room', enabling her to obtain food supplies before a journey, like Eggs, Grain, and Milk. 

Smurfhoneysuckle and her Smurfhouse and Barn

Suave Smurf (played by René) 

This guy. I mean seriously, THIS GUY! My sides still hurt from laughing. 

Suave Smurf is dashing, debonair, charming, and of course impeccably dressed. 

His manners, his sense of chivalry, it's all so that people will think highly of him. That doesn't mean he isn't truly a sophisticated individual but he is definitely in it for the optics. It would appear Suave owe alot of his charm and 'proper behaviour' to his item of Equipment, a Book of Etiquette (See below). 

So far this character is the most comical of the bunch, played almost totally for laughs by a very charming fellow in his own right named René. Like myself, he is a Smurf fan since before seeing the 1980s cartoon. This is because René was born in Belgium and is of French descent. Funny enough, his family moved to the US just before 1980 and therefore saw the same Smurfs cartoon we [here in the States] did at the same time. René's comedic timing is naturally impeccable and he had some of the best lines and moments in the game.

Suave Smurf is slightly taller than most Smurf's, though it is unclear if that is natural or the result of his perfect posture and having thick soles on the bottom of his Smurf shoes. He dresses in white ruffled shirts like those common in the mid-16th to 17th centuries and his pants and shoes are usually black. He changes clothes fairly often, though keeping the same style the details vary. He has a black Phrygian cap but several others as well as likes to wear different ones for different occasions. He has a small tuft of white hair grown from the top of his forehead 'Charlie Brown' style. 

The special Advantage of Suave Smurf is to reduce the Difficulty Level of swaying another's opinion or outlook by -1D6 simply by speaking with them like two (or more in some cases) civilized men of the world. He is extremely charming and convincing. The Advantage is limited to beings that can converse of course and he must face off against the other individual's convictions. A Knight sworn to an oath is must harder to sway than a Mercenary who doesn't like his employer for example. 

Now, Suave Equipment item is very interesting and different; he carries a Book of Etiquette +2 that gives him the protocols for dealing with a wide range of situations. Having dinner with a Witch from the Lands Beyond the River to the Sea? Here's some things to say and some to avoid. Negotiating trade with a Western Ogre? Never show fear and lie if you have to. They appreciate that you'll go that far to make the trade.

Now here's the really cool part - the book is in excellent condition but not 'perfect condition'. It is extremely old and some of the writing on the cover has faded. Suave doesn't know who wrote it and apparently neither does Papa Smurf! It is a very thick tome, Smurf sized, and written so Smurfs would understand it but no Smurf Suave has ever met is familiar with it. It's origin is quite the mystery. 

As far as his Smurfhouse, Suave lives in a 'fancy' Mushroom Cottage, almost a townhouse, and his special room is his Wardrobe +2. It's a walk in clost filled with all manner of ruffled shirts, pants, stylish hats, shiny shoes, and other articles of clothing to ensure Suave Smurf is almost properly dressed for the occasion, whatever it might be. 

Suave Smurf and his Smurfhouse

Well, that's our party. Pretty interesting group, huh? Next up, a recap of the first session of the adventure itself. 

Smurf you then,

AD

Barking Alien