Encounter Party: A Tapestry of Tourism

May 23, 2024 4:03 PM - Season 1, Episode 7

Paths begin to intertwine as players chase answers to personal questions. From the theatre district to a totally legitimate restaurant, their journeys take them to some of Baldur's Gate's most outlandish locations.
posted by Saxon Kane (3 comments total)

"I can't talk to you, I've gotta go bake some bread!"

Landree really picks some great NPCs for Asher to interact with. The old man introduces one of my favorite recurring gags: "My niece is into the theatre"

He may have been out-cooled by Andrew (which is understandable, Andrew is pretty cool!), but DM Brian totally killed me as Simian the goofy snake:

Dryddian: "Just put one foot in front of the other I guess."
Simian: "I don't get that."

I'm trying to recall what else happened in this episode (I watched it back-to-back with the next one, so I'm having trouble separating details...) I think DM Brian had the funniest bits, what with the twin Goliaths and the NPCs. I do love that we get to see Flik getting a little cocky about his skills. Always bet on Blue!
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:42 PM on May 26

The running niece gag and the goliath and Simian bits were great! I also suspect that Landree picked an old man so he couldn't outrun Asher's need to speak with someone. :)

It felt like David was honestly devastated by the condition of the Longstriders HQ. Although the reputation still seems to linger, and we end with his being recognized in the Pineapple Surprise.

I confess that the graffiti reminded me of a subway station sign at first, but I could see the resemblance to an eye after Dryddian revealed his cloth. It's fun to watch the wood elf navigate the unfamiliar big city. But hey, he's totally unfazed dealing with an adder climbing up his leg!

Overall I really loved delving into each character's reason for coming to Baldur's Gate and discovering how their stories have interwoven touchpoints. And it looked like each player was equally interested in listening and learning about what the others were up to, although it felt in character for Flik not to say hi when given a chance.
posted by thataway at 5:09 PM on May 27

Oh yeah, I sort of forgot about Vinh's storyline -- I sort of grouped it all in the previous episode, even though it was split. Yeah, great performance there by David -- clearly he (and probably to some extent Brian) put in a lot of effort to building the Longstriders before the campaign. I could see someone else getting frustrated at the DM ("Dude, I spent all that time creating the backstory, and they are all just dead?! No fair!") but clearly David trusts his DM to make it meaningful and rolls with it.

Chaad and "The Pineapple Surprise." Too good.

the graffiti reminded me of a subway station sign at first
Totally!

I also liked Flik's reaction to seeing Dryddian, it felt very in character; going back to my idea that Flik seems somewhat coded "neurodivergent," I can totally see myself in that situation: "Hey, I know that guy, he seemed pretty cool, but, hmm, do I really want to interact with him right now and explain what's going on? Yeah, that's too much, I'm gonna duck down an alleyway here."
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:21 PM on May 28