Prompted by this thread: (OSR Gaming) Trying to Capture an Old-School Feel, I figured I would post the following as an example of play.

A little history. Back in November/December of 2013 I was rummaging through on of my 'lost' boxes of RPG paperwork. I found a small cardboard box, about ream-sized, filled with notes from a quick campaign I had run years earlier. I love reading story hours, and I was going through a lull in my writing, so I figured I'd write up a little story hour.

This one is different in that it is not so much about the characters in the game, but about the players at the table. It is a first draft--I haven't even edited it for tense agreement--, but it should still be readable. I'd written close to 14,000 words so I'll post until I run out or there is no more interest. Enjoy.

SESSION ONE, PART 1
After a short lull in role-playing gaming, I was able to get some of the old crew together for some dice throwing. It was difficult due to our collective burnout after the end of our long-term 3e game, but I promised something different. Inspired by many of the story hours in the OSR blogosphere, I challenged myself to bring back something of the good old days; time to take off the rose-colored glasses and see if the scene remains the same. Luckily the group was willing to indulge me. I think the multiple failures of board game night helped persuade the group to try something different.
 
So one night, about two hours in with nothing productive to speak of, I gathered everyone at the dining room table with their dice, a pad of graph paper, and enough pencils for everyone and asked them all to sit. I don't know what possessed me; I just had this compulsion to fly by the seat of my pants and see where it led. I asked them to roll 3d6 and assign them to: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma in that order. They looked at me, then to each other, and finally passed the pad of graph paper around the table taking a sheet each. It seemed that they rolled in unison six times, a collective sound that I don't remember hearing within the past ten years or so. I may have smiled while I stood at the head of the table.

Bentley ended with: Str 12, Int 15, Wis 7, Dex 10, Con 9, Chr 14 and a groan. Bentley hates playing magic-users. With a passion. With him, the more twenties he gets to roll the better, so I may allow him to roll for creatures' saving throws if he becomes a spell caster. Although I still hadn't decided what system to play, I knew it would be some sort of early or TSR D&D and with his only bonus coming from Intelligence, I thought he would be dumb to play anything else. At worst he could see it as an interesting little exercise. My hope was that we all would do a little thinking outside the box over the next couple of get-togethers.

Jasper rolled: Str 14, Int 7, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 11, Chr 13. He seemed fairly well-pleased with his rolls. He is a little older and tends to go more with the flow. Plus that seven in intelligence would allow him to spend a little more time with the bottle of wine than discussing the players' next course of action. As if he needed any more reason.

Mika rolled: Str 9, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Chr 7. She's the youngest and has learned the fine art of pouting. Seriously. Not the exaggerated overturned bottom lip, no she has learned how to give that pleading look with her eyes. Bedroom eyes. I walked over and stood behind her. I had to. How can anyone look down at their paper and still look up at the same time? Even before I decided on what rule system I was going to use, I debated making my first house rule. Then I stopped. And smiled. Looks like a good wizard or elf I said. She shrugged, and I wondered if she could even play a seven in Charisma.

Then as I returned to the head of the table, they looked to me and I forget who asked, but the question was raised, what system. I said race as class. One of the most important decisions had just been made.

But what I had expected and feared would happen did. Bentley said that it looked like he would either be a Wizard or an Elf, Jasper said that he would either be a Cleric or Fighter, and Mika said that she would almost have to be a Elf. A discussion ensued as they started listing all of the possible compositions of the party and mentioning all of the different deficiencies they would have with every combination.

I said quiet. Everyone, without another word, pick your class now. Don't worry about anyone else. Pick the class you would like to play. Bentley grimaced. You can always hire others I said. You even may not survive the evening I said. A small smile formed on Bentley's face. Prick.

Everyone wrote down their class. Bentley chose Magic-User, Jasper chose Fighter, and Mika chose Elf. I was surprised that Jasper didn't choose Cleric and I think he saw it in my face. He sighed, looked at me, and said that maybe he could multi-class into Cleric. I said maybe. I really didn't know yet.
So the three players had the following characters:

Bentley: Magic-User with an above-average Intelligence and Charisma and a below-average Wisdom.

Jasper: Fighter with an above-average Strength and a below-average Intelligence.

Mika: Elf with a below-average Charisma.

After everyone announced what they had chosen, I noticed a change across the table. The best description I can give is one of "collective relief." One of the most laborious aspects of starting a game or campaign with this group was over within fifteen minutes.

But then I was screwed. Bentley asked what book to use to choose his spells; Jasper asked how many dice to roll for money, where to look for the price list, if plate mail was available, and if he had to choose proficiencies or feats; Mika also asked about her spells. I had to make a quick decision.

I turned to Bentley and reminded him that he has seen wizards in every game and knew what spells they could choose to start. I said that because of his intelligence he could cast two first-level spells. I turned to Jasper and said that he could start with plate mail, two weapons, and a shield if he wanted. And finally I turned to Mika and said that in Lymdonshire, elves were more like ranger/druids. She could have a sword and bow and cast one spell. Did she remember any druid or woodland spells that she liked? She mentioned spells that had been useful in the past: Entangle, Speak with Animals, and Goodberry. A moment later she added Summon Animal. I smiled.

Bentley chimed in that he could take Sleep, Charm Person, or Color Spray. I asked about Magic Missile, and he said that it was a lame spell. I said it could be useful as an automatic hit spell if they should face another magic user. He shrugged his shoulders and said that most every other spell was more useful. Did I smile again? I don't know but he chose Sleep and Charm Person. For someone who hates magic users, he had paid attention to spell-casting in the past, and his PC had the makings of an enchanter. I began to wonder if he might have had some sort of hidden desire.

After Bentley and Mika finished with their spells, Jasper asked about what kind of pantheon there was. I said that in Lymdonshire there was a single god/avatar for the majority society but there was also an ancient nature/Celtic deity for the elves and barbarians. The majority god/avatar was a priest-king that had sacrificed himself against the demons that had invaded a thousand years ago. Jasper asked if a fighter could be something like a crusader or Templar for the church. I had to have smiled.
Mika asked if she liked Jasper. I shrugged.

Bentley asked if there was a guild he could belong to. I said no, actually arcane spell casters are not highly regarded. Before the demons had arrived—they had been summoned—the lands were ruled by arcane spell-casters and despised. Some had used their unholy magic to extend their lifespans, some ruling for more than five-hundred years. They were eventually overthrown by the warrior-kings who would eventually form the current monotheistic church devoted to justice, sacrifice, honor, and defense against the Outsiders. There may be small cabals scattered throughout the lands, but not in the open and certainly not advertised. You probably learned your magic as either a sorcerer or under the secretive tutelage of a patron wizard. Your choice.

Collectively they asked how they knew each other. I said I didn't care. Maybe they were all part of a caravan guard that had just arrived in Lymdon, a walled, small town and were currently spending their earnings in an inn or tavern. Did they have a better idea? Not really they said.
To help them come up with something to do, I gave each of them a rumor that they had heard recently:

Bentley: Humanoid monsters have been harassing caravans and locals near the village of Salmonberry about a day's travel to the east. The village is the furthest east settlement and has been plagued by all manner of attacks. A caravan guard had said he always hated going there because every once in awhile a Black Dragon had been sighted flying in the hills to the south.

Jasper: A monk from the monastery several hours to the south mentioned that a burial mound complex had been discovered in the hills about three miles to the west. Negative energy infuses small areas and causes the undead to rise and something there may be why animal skeletons and zombies have been rising.

Mika: Dwarves, mortal enemies of the goblinoid races, are in desperate need of warriors to help patrol the mountains about a day's travel to the south. Goblin raids have been increasing into the dwarven and human lands.

So after about half-an-hour we were almost ready to go. This evening would be an interesting exercise, for all of us indeed.

SESSION ONE, PART 2

After a quick potty break and opening another bottle of wine, I returned to the table with a printout of the adventuring gear price list from my Players' Guide to Lymdonshire and asked them to write down everything they wanted within reason of course. I said that I was not worried too much about encumbrance but would not let it get out of hand. They laughed because I don't think I ever gave out more gold than they could carry. I figured though I would have to try and go a little more by the book—whatever book I decided to go with that is.

Once settled, Jasper asked if anyone thought they needed to find a Cleric. Bentley said yes but reminded the table how I like to run Clerics as Lawful Asshole. Because the church plays such a big role in the world I figured that I could have some type of mendicant or travelling cleric available. I filed the thought away after they asked what the tavern they were in was like.

The tavern/inn was one of three in town and was the mid-level that catered to traveling merchants and more well-to-do trades- and craftsmen, but it was smoky, loud, and smelly. A traveling bard was setting up on a small raised platform in the far corner.

Mika asked if they should ask the barkeep for any rumors or information. Jasper said to let him ask since he had the better Charisma. The conversation led to an offer for the party to clear out some rats in the inn's basement. This drew a collective groan. Their loss because I figured that the basement would be one of the ways the PCs could reach Netherlym, the mostly unexplored ruins below the town. Maybe I could have made the offer a little more enticing, but I really want to get away from those railroading aspects that always seem to creep into my games.

The barkeep said that if rat clearing was beneath them, then maybe a friend of his, Vendredi a gnomish collector in town, may have something else for them.

They also asked if he knew where they could hire anyone for a quick excursion. He said they could ask around here, but they would do better by going to the lesser tavern in the poorer area of town. They thanked him, ordered some more drinks, and left a more than fair tip, but not one that the bartender would think "arrogant." I said don't worry and cross those pieces off your sheet. Bentley reluctantly scribbled something near the bottom of his paper, but he didn't use an eraser. He's generally meticulous with his notes so I assumed he didn't deduct any silver. Eh, he rarely does anyway. They returned to their table and waited to listen to the bard's tale.

At this point I had absolutely nothing prepared for the tale and offered them a chance for a smoke break. I have since quit smoking but knew that would give me about ten minutes to go check my notes and come up with a quick adventure. It was either that or start a stupid bar fight. I resolved there to come up with some sort of random bard's tale generator.

So when I returned, I totally punted on the bard's tale and said that it was nothing more than a sentimental love story and didn't appear to have any useful information. Jasper grunted and said he always hated the more high-falutin taverns with their Shakespeare-types and hoped that the next bard was more useful.

I offered for them to discuss what they wanted to do next. They mentioned maybe looking for a proclamation board or some sort of adventurer's guild. I said that they would know about the Delvers' Guild that specialized in exploring the ruins underneath the town and the surrounding wilderness. The guild is always looking for information on the region's history.

Interestingly enough we were approaching our normal time for ending the evening and Bentley got up and opened another bottle of wine before realizing it was just a hair past 11pm. Oh Crap, it's after eleven he said and I said don't worry, we can keep going. He smiled as he poured himself a large glass of wine.

Jasper spoke up and said that he would like to get some experience tonight and that maybe they should just go kill some rats for the rest of the night. Everyone agreed and their characters got up and went to talk with the barkeep.

I was pleased because I figured this should be real easy, but finishing Bentley's bottle and opening another before calling it an evening made my brain hurt. Although it could very well have been pulling the following "quick" adventure out of my butt that made my head hurt the following morning.

SESSION ONE, PART 3

So the Fighter, Elf, and Magic-User made their way to the barkeep and offered their services for clearing out the rats from his basement. He offered the group fifty silver each and one room for a week to both clear the rats and determine why they keep coming back.

They agreed and asked if they should start now or wait until the morning. The barkeep suggested they wait until the morning so they decided to turn in early. The next morning brought them more than they bargained for.

Now to refresh your memory, I had absolutely no dungeon or adventure planned but there are some techniques I have learned throughout the years. One of the first is to start off with raising either the stakes or tension very fast. Maybe its psychological, I'm not sure but it seems to be that dividing line between the normal world and the mythic world. Generally I will start with some kind of fight against a common enemy even before the characters have a chance to introduce themselves to each other.

In this case though I figured I would escalate the tension by not starting with a combat. The PCs were entering a dark and possibly confined space where they expected to find a number of rats. Well good on them. They are already concerned for their low hit points and the lethality of the early editions. How about a cellar that is bigger than their light source, and broken up into smaller rooms for separate storage. Maybe the rats won't come to them; they may have to flush them out. Maybe they won't move until they can surround the PCs.

A second major technique I like using is Johnn Four's Five-Room Dungeon. I like it because in a very short space a well-designed dungeon can challenge both the players and their characters regardless of what mechanical abilities they may have. So this basement could take the place of the first room as both the first combat with the rats and the first challenge with finding how the rats are continuously infesting the basement.

So the PCs descended the stairs, Fighter in the lead with sword and torch, Magic-User in the middle, and the Elf wielding her sword and dagger. The main area was much larger than the light from the torch cast, but Bentley alertly asked if there was anything on the walls. Luckily there were unlit torches in wall sconces. At the foot of the stairs Jasper promptly lit the first two he saw.

I pulled a piece of graph paper from the pad and drew the area that the party could see. In an instant I was reminded why early dungeons were generally built in more easily described measurements. See the next picture and figure out how you would describe it. [Author's note: The original map ended up with all sorts of marks where I drew rat and cat movements and such so I redrew the map for this story hour.]

The room was full of crates and boxes so that there were two separate paths to the western edge of the room. Jasper looked down the southern path with his torch, Mika moved to the northern path, and Bentley moved to the door to room number 2 and listened.

Mika asked if her infravision allowed her to see any more of the room. Unfortunately Jasper's torch interfered with her seeing any further. Bentley didn't hear anything beyond the door, but Jasper saw some small creatures scurrying just outside the view of the torchlight. They were quick but keeping their distance for now.

Mika moved around the north side of the room while Jasper and Bentley looked down the southern corridor and several small creatures rushed past the two areas beyond the archways. Mika saw that the west corridor appeared to open into another room with many smaller heat sources that quickly scurried behind casks and crates. Back in the main room she saw two archways in the southern wall that seemed to lead into a smaller area cluttered with sacks and boxes. Again many small heat sources poked their heads out from behind the clutter and quickly ducked back behind.

Unlike previous games where the monsters often coming to the party made determining actions easier with this crew, they were unsure how to proceed. They realized that they might not be able to kill the rats with simple combat.

They debated for awhile and Mika came up with some of the best comments. First she said that they would need to get a better light source so they could see as well with or without her infravision. They agreed but said that was the least of their concerns. Their biggest problem was how to deal with these rats even if they could see them. Mika sat there and started sulking. It normally works for her but I wasn't budging; I would not give them any hints. Quite frankly I was playing off of them and figured that I would give any of their plans a fair chance. But then I saw the light bulb above Mika's head brighten as she looked up from her sheet. Hey guys, I'm kinda like a druid she said. What if I convinced some neighborhood cats that there was a smorgasbord down here? Fucking Brilliant!

So while the boys went to get a lantern and some oil—uh oh, I saw more light bulbs—she would try to round up some cats. Bentley being considerate wanted to get approval from the innkeeper and that is where I thought I could shake things up a bit. The innkeeper said that he already had had several cats, but they all disappeared. I figured that the same literary technique I use—whenever something good happens, throw up a bit of a roadblock or add new information that changes the situation—could be used to increase the tension.

Mika found a half-dozen cats willing to check out the basement, but they told her that word was getting around that the inn was a bad place, that something was really wrong there. Many of their kind had disappeared around there. They only agreed when she promised to protect them if things got rough. I tried to play against her character's bad charisma, but she wasn't really having any of that. I didn't think she would. One note though, because her charisma was so low I figured she would really only have one "hireling" and the rest of the cats followed him. But in any case, she wouldn't have any real control over the cats.

I gave all of them another chance to look at the item list, and both Bentley and Jasper wrote down some more items on their sheets. Then all three of them looked to each other and said let's do this. Imagine that marching order: a fighter in plate mail, a magic-user in adventuring clothes—magic-users in most of my games do not go around announcing themselves if they want to survive for any great length of time—, and an elf followed by a pack of feral cats making their way through the inn's common room and down the stairs to the basement.

The party made their way down the stairs tentatively until they were all at the bottom. Mika asked the cats to check the door to see how easy it would be for the rats to go under it. Three of them moved to the door and the other three spread out along their northern flank. Two of the cats waited on either side of the door while the leanest calico—Mika asked what breed—looked under the door. He turned around, meowed to the other two, and said to Mika that nothing but the smallest critter could fit under the door. She thanked him and I almost expected her to throw him a Scooby snack. Don't worry calico, there are enough treats here for you she said. He said his name was Flash thank you very much. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself properly before, my name is Alice she answered back. Jasper snickered.

They quickly debated whether to check out the room behind the door but decided to clear the main area first. Jasper and Bentley said they would guard the corridor with two archways while Mika cleared it. Flash took two others and followed Mika down the corridor.

Mika carefully looked in the first room. It was filled with sacks and she heard the skittering of feet. Bentley and the other three cats watched the main area while Jasper kept sword and torch at ready. Flash charged into the room and a pack of five more than foot-long rats jumped out. Mika chopped one in half with a critical hit. Fitting way to start this little experiment. Three rolls later and three rats in the jaws of the cats. The last rat tried to race past Jasper. He swung and missed almost hitting one of the other cats, but his swing forced the fleeing rat straight into the waiting jaws of the cat he barely missed. Mika quickly checked the room and the party's first combat ended as quickly as it had started. The last two cats joined the feeding as the characters looked on helplessly as the cats made quick work of the rats.

Bloodlust in Flash's nose led him down the corridor as he flushed out another group of rats five rats. Several rolls later and five more rats filled the cats' bellies. Unfortunately, one of the cats took a nasty bite on one of its forepaws. Mika asked its name and if she may see the wound. She responded Scrapper, presented her paw, and thanked her. She said she knew the risks. The cats went back to devouring the rats and a fat tabby dropped one at Mika's feet. Mika picked it up, put it in a small sack, and laced it up tightly. Flash came back to Mika and reminded her of her promise. She said she would take care of them.

Jasper asked if he saw anything from the main room and I said that he saw a lot of movement near the edge of the light but nothing moved close. The cats moved to Bentley and Jasper but Scrapper limped slowly. Flash and Scrapper conversed for awhile and then she walked past Jasper and slowly climbed the crates in the center of the room and looked as if she were standing guard.

The party gathered back in the main cellar area. The cats minus Scrapper fanned out in a semi-circle around the humanoid members of the party. Jasper's lantern light licked the southern rooms and everyone caught glimpses of movement. Mika asked Jasper to shutter his lantern and after a minute or so scanned the area past the southern arches.

The cats closest to the western room began growling like a slow moving thunderstorm off in the distance. Mika reported movement from both the south and the west. She saw at least half-a-dozen creatures crawl out from behind the sacks and crates from the southern archways and another half-a-dozen approach from the western corridor. They approached slowly and the cats began inching backwards. Jasper asked Mika if he would be able to see them if he opened the lantern again. She looked at me, I nodded, and she said yes.

Jasper slowly opened the lantern to reveal more than a dozen rats creeping closer. The light did not slow their advance.

The party slowly pulled back to leave about a ten-foot front between the wall and the bric-a-brac. Mika told Scrapper to watch the north side of the room and let her know if any rats tried to scurry around them. Bentley asked how far away they were; they were 10-15 feet away. He smiled then let loose a sleep spell.

The sleep spell knocked out all of the rats they could see, but the cats took no chances. They slowly advanced on the now slumbering rats and while a few kept watch on the corridor to the west and the rooms to the south, the rest pounced and made quick work of the rats.

Scrapper growled and faced towards the western corridor. All of the cats quickly moved to either side of the opening and waited. Flash turned towards Mika and growled. No one needed a spell to know what he wanted so they took their cue and moved towards the corridor with their weapons at the ready even though they could see nothing in the room.

I smirked and Mika asked why. I took a moment to compose myself and said, "Wow, some start."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You all just took orders from a cat. Very brave of you."

"Oh, shut up. Flash knows who's boss."

Bentley snickered and said to Mika, "Be careful, Flash can kill you in one shot. Hell, he probably has a better chance to kill you than you him."

"Yeah, well maybe my next character will be a cat."

"Good, then you can be my familiar." Bentley actually sat back in his chair, smiled, and crossed his arms.

I had to call a quick five minute break before anyone lost control and allowed the in-game tension to defuse. It didn't help when Jasper started laughing as soon as he walked out of the dining room.