A play report for 1000 Statues. (We broke that **!)
This will be an overview of my one game (so far) with Mr. Mann in his final 1000 Statues game.
(Note to readers: this document is currently a work in progress. As it's read by my Co-players and DM I will likely make changes or edits.)
DM/GM: Mr. Mann
Players: * Oldhawkeyes as Ulash the Half-orc Cleric from an Ardun Vul campaign;
* warenunförmig / spuk (நவீன்) as Uale X the synthetic elf CEO from the Ultra Violet Grasslands;
* and myself as Glower a Magic-user.
I've been on the Gay Beholder OSR server for over two years, and I had heard good things about Mr. Mann's Dungeon Mastering/GMing. I had also heard the others on the server talk about playing in his 1000 Statues game. Mr. Mann had a European time session for OD&D that I saw (it was very early US time), and since I'm an insomniac I was able to join.
At this time my old Laptop (which I inherited from my Dad) had died a couple of days before the game. I only had access to a cellphone during this time, and my paper notes (laugh if you want) of my characters. Since I don't take notes of every character I play, I only had one complete OD&D character, Glower a Ninth Level magic-user. My other option was to roll up a new, first level character for the game, and my friend's asked me to bring Glower.
I played Glower in a past Super Adventure - - The Tower of Collage, and he had the Hulk (The Avenger) charmed. Glower had gotten some insane items from the Super Adventure, but (fortunately) I could not find that sheet of paper (I think the items would have been over powered).
We started in the town of Blip (I don't remember much about Blip), and we went immediately to the Dungeon. A massive amount of the Dungeon was already mapped out, and Mr. Mann didn't hit us with any encounters until we got to the last mapped out area (the Dungeon was a Huge 22 levels). I wasn't taking notes much, and I didn't screen shot the maps we made in TL;Draw of the Dungeon so I can't be very precise in my recollection. I think we started on level 19 of 1000 Statues (?). Each time we descended, or ascended a level a Chorus would sing out.
We pretty quickly encountered four Chimeras, and Ulash used a Quest spell on one (the Chimera was Quested to assist us until we finished the Dungeon). Glower used a Charm spell on another Chimera. We got lucky and both were under our control. We asked the other Chimeras to join us all in getting to the end of the Dungeon, and they conferred among themselves. The other Chimeras agreed to join our group as well.
This was both tactically and strategically a massive win for our party. We were able to fly riding on the backs of the Chimeras (so our speed increased) and the Chimera's breathe cones of Flames. We would probably not have finished this Dungeon if this had not occurred this way (likely we would have made another level or two at best).
We had to pass through a room with a gaseous fog, and Mr. Mann asked all of us to save vs. poison/death. The three of us, and the Hulk made it. We didn't know one of the Chimeras had failed the save, until two to three complete turns later when it dropped dead from the poison. We wanted to save it with magic, but Mr. Mann ruled the poison had been active for too long. I think this was our first, and only major loss.
I believe (here I'm a little muddled) that the next level we encountered a Gothrog (Balrog), who wanted us to look in a large mirror. There was zero chance we were going to fall for that, however as we talked to the Gothrog one of my co-players guessed that in life (this seemed to be his afterlife) he was Henry Ford the Automobile baron of the US. Though we learned this information we were about to fight the Gothrog when Glower was able to Charm him. The Gothrog missed his save vs. spells, and was under Glower's control. Again a major win for our team, the Gothrog (Balrog) was a powerful monster and now a major ally.
We continued to the next level (we heard the Chorus again), and if I recall correctly the stairs terminated into a room with no floor. I think we sent the Hulk across with a rope. Thank goodness for Flying Chimera steeds! Later on this same level (if I'm correct) we encountered a sleeping Elder Dragon, perched right over the down stairwell we needed.
Ulash to the rescue! As the Dragon awoke Ulash addressed it (him/her?) in Dragonic. Ulash reminded the Dragon of the Pact of Dragonis, between men and Dragons, and he charged the Dragon to honor it. (I really figured we were going to have to fight our way out of this one.) The Dragon rose and allowed us and our allies to use the stairs down to the next level. The Chorus sang as we descended.
If I recall this next level had no proper floor in the first room either, I think it was hot lava instead. Deeper in we had to fight some humanoids of some sort (I don't remember which kind), and Ulash had to pull a lever on an isle to open a portcullis to another room. In the next room there was a Cyclops, he wasn't interested in being bribed so we would have to fight him. Killing him revealed the stairs to the final level, we descended to a Chorus singing again.
On the final level there was a child's doll (Creepy) and a tapestry. We looked around for while, and Uale X searched for secret doors (we were hoping for treasure, we hadn't found much). No luck though and we were coming up on time for the session. I had Glower pull the head off the doll, and...nothing happened. However as we ascended levels there was no Chorus singing. We figured we had missed something. We exited the dungeon, and that was when Mr. Mann told us we saw the Dungeon sort of folding in on itself.
We returned to the town of Blip, and ended the game. We didn't earn a ton of experience (compared to say a Super Adventure), and we didn't get much in the way of treasure (some gold, and Uale X got a ring of regeneration).
We all stayed around and talked for a while, except Mr. Mann who had to leave briefly.
When he returned Mr. Mann told us a bit about his experience running 1000 Statues. He also told us about some big things we had missed (a whole hidden level).
Oldhawkeyes, Spuk, and I took a day to change our screen names and boast about it.