Best game I ever ran, no regrets.

[Steampunkette]

So when I was younger I was huge into Magic the Gathering and D&D. Eventually I decided to combine my love for the two games by stacking a magic deck as a way to describe the adventure in as prophetic and stylistic a manner I could.

The game started out with the heroes (at level 2 because I wanted them to have a little history in the kingdom) being summoned by the vizier to serve the king. The Royal Kjeldoran Guard brought them to the castle.



The king, a kindly old man, had a rare disease that hadn't been seen for over 500 years. One of his ancestors had the illness and it seemed to run in the family. But he was saved by a bargain with a doctor from the Eastern Lands called "Tober".

The heroes were asked to seek out the doctor, Tober, and his medicines and tinctures to try and heal the king. For surely the man took on apprentices who would carry on his work. And if he did not it was up to them to find his notes and what remnants they could of his life to piece together the cure themselves. Their reward would see them given title and land.

And so the heroes set out. And as they set out I turned over cards to describe their adventures. They fought the Kobolds of Kher Keep in their search of the ancient ruin where Tober had once stayed while living in the Westlands when he aided the king.



And went on to fight against the Balduvian Bears in a pit-fight on behalf of a Thieves Guild for information on Tober.



Ever eastward they went, learning more and more about the strange and wonderful doctor Tober. Eventually, around level 16, they made their way into a land where a powerful, and fairly benevolent, red dragon lived high in the mountain peaks. He even allowed people to hunt on his lands, so long as proper deference was paid on kills and a yearly delivery of glass was made.

The heroes learned, in due time, that the dragon's name was Ortoberius the Learned. And that the dragon walked in human guise as the man "Tober"! They had found him! And so they went to his lair and beseeched the mighty dragon to give them the cure for the king...

But Tober, while seemingly benevolent, was not willing to part with the cure for free. In the guise of his human self he lead the heroes into his grand hall of learning! And there they learned of what he needed the glass for.

Massive Formaldehyde Jars with dissected humans, ogres, horses, and other beings in them. His collection was vast, his true hoard he called it. In the ancient times when he helped the king, his demand of the cruel tyrant was 100 ill humans that Tober could dissect and study. For that is how he came to understand disease and illness.

Horrified, the heroes confronted him about the price. And he demanded that one of the party sacrifice themself upon the altar of science. That they let him infect them with a horrid disease, and then snuff their life to cut them apart and put them in a jar on display in his hall.

Needless to say, the group refused. Battle ensued. And in the last moments of battle the enraged Tober saw his work destroyed when the Rogue taunted him into using his breath weapon and setting off a fire in the formaldehyde jars.

After his defeat, the heroes sought the cure in his vast library, and then raced back to cure the king. Patents of Nobility were doled out and I gave the players a while to enjoy their victory. And then I unleashed it.

The Pun.

The entire campaign had been designed, from day one, as a pun. Months of playing. Great memories. Awesome battles. All in preparation for a joke. The Magic Cards were a ruse. An interesting way to convey the meaning of what was happening, and give people a visual reference for how close we were to the end of the campaign, to their success.

The king, now well, during a final celebration in honor of the heroes, arose. And he said: "Let it be known! That these men and women will be known, forever, as heroes in this land and welcomed into the castle for their roles in the Hunt for the Red Doc Tober!" And then I hit the CD player for the Royal Choir to sing to the heroes.



Stunned silence reigned. Then some groans. Laughter. Annoyance...

That was the last game I played with several of the people at the table. I think I ruined a friendship or two...

Spoiler: For those too young to understand:

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A major blockbuster movie released in 1990

[NRSASD]

Boooooooo! Well done! That's quite terrible haha

[DigoDragon]

This pretty much sums it up for me.

Spoiler

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