Beer & Pretzels & BEAN!
The Town Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire May 12/13 2012
Sunday - BEAN!: Doctor Phaseolus' House of Delights
BEAN! The D2 Role-Playing game.
After the joy of playing BEAN! on the Sunday last year, I was once again given the task of producing an adventure for Jeff Freels' fabulous rules lite RPG. This year I opted for a T & T style of dungeon crawl with the emphasis on entertainment - for both me the MoB (we've decided GMs should have the title 'Master of Beans') and the players. Certainly, I had a good time as the magic users spells went awry and most members of the party were flushed over a shallow cliff into a pool containing an electric eel. The players seemed to be equally engrossed so hopefully they were having fun too.
Jason M, Boozer and Darrgh Jnr ready to take on anything BEAN! can throw at them.
Having had the experience of running a game here last year and at the one day event in the Autumn plus writing a second BEAN! solo, - keep your eyes peeled for the pdf release - I felt I had now developed a style and some confidence that meant I was assured and even slick in the way I managed to move the action along. Even so, by the time Dekh and Ramsen had to be thinking about heading off to catch their trains, barely a quarter of the complex had been explored.
Dekh and Jason M pose for their portraits.
I thought all of the intrepid beanfolk did a great job of roleplaying but especial mention at this point must go to Boozer's portrayal of his character; 'Ichabod Hynz', demonstrating a striking Fred Dibnah impression as well as a believable urgency to strip his colleagues of their possessions even before they had become victims of whatever monsters and traps they had encountered.
Jason M getting a bit over enthusiastic in his BEANING. Jason it's rude to point!
Darrgh junior shows off his Tavernmaster T-shirt.
And so the second BEAN! day at Beer & Pretzels had come to a successful conclusion. From a purely selfish point of view the best part of the day was watching my little lad get stuck into fantasy role-playing. He must be one of the most experienced BEAN! players in the world, certainly in the UK and Europe. And his old man is king of the MoBs - at least in his own mind.
The dungeon map of this year's BEAN! adventure.
At last I must say one more huge thank you to Mr Jeff Freels: Artist and Game Designer extraordinaire. His brilliantly simple D2 role-playing remains a superb way to introduce young people to role-playing and can be enjoyed by old hands like the TMG crew as well.
Darrgh Tarrrho (Sid Orpin)
May 2012