Roll For Initiative (Canterlot, Open)

[SteelEagle]

Gaffer yawned loud and proud over the emptiness of his store, taking the time to declare that a nap would have been preferable. In his younger days he was a bit of a morning and night colt, sort of dead in the afternoon when he wasn't full of cheap soda. Now he was a bit tired all the time and a bit excited all the time, rising and falling with his customers. They ranged from the older and subdued to the young and excited but all shared one of a few passions together. Where did you go if you were a fan of the many superhero comics? The place where the gent with the photographic memory would argue with you about power creep. Where did you go if miniature gaming had a grip on you? The place where the stallion with an order list a mile long held sway. Or if you were a passionate fan of O&O? Well, there was quite literally not a better stop than Heroes and Ogres.

More than two dozen tables were filled to the brim with models and dice, statsheets, rulebooks, and cheap food and drink. The thick smell of head-lightening enamel hung in the air, seemingly dripping from the white walls which were adorned with everything and anything involving miniatures and gaming. In the center of the room were four racks, on both sides comics adorning them in neat rows by title and publisher. The wall had a single rack for new comics, and besides that was a bookcase full of graphic novels. Up front was his own personal collection, or what few had decided to have display, as well as his vast array of collectibles. If you wanted to buy a limited edition Daring Do bobblehead or action figure, if it was a collectible quality piece, he had or could get it. Gaffer loved his business, and business loved him. The only problem was that he had no time to do the fun things- game and game and game.

But he did have time to paint.

"Come on, stop being so fidgety, Gaffer," he mumbled to himself as he levitated a small brush, trying to get the blue in the miniature's mane just right. Who knew thirteen attempts would be far too few to get it just right? The trials and tribulations of a nerd perfectionist knew no bounds. He shot glances to the door- nopony coming in? Good. Now get it right, Gaffer. Get it right. You've done it before! Do it! Do it! Just do it! No!

"No, come on! Uggh, are my eyes going? That's not blue. Is it blue? That's not blue. Why is there a blue paint blotch near the brown?" He sighed in exasperation, levitating the whole setup out of view and into his little businessroom behind the front desk. Was he losing his touch? Of course he wasn't. Was he? Probably.

"A thousand campaigns with no flaws and now I can't even paint miniatures right anymore. I need to step up my game. But first, let's step up business!" He cracked his hoof against the table and stood up, ready and excited to get his mind off of less successful ventures. Besides, he needed to work on his unicorn spellsword later.

[Gerrard]

The winter Canterlot morning was as pristine as one might have expected from the capital of pastel colored ponies. Cool winds swept through the softly lit morning streets of the town, greeting all the citizens in town with an icy touch. A cloaked figure stood defiant in the streets, searching the city for a specific building and quickly pinpointing a hobby shop that was nearly devoid of life at such an early time in the morning. The cloaked figure was a well traveled courier who often found herself delivering important items between the neighboring griffon and pony countries. While working small time deals was not something the serious pony found herself doing very often, she could sometimes tack them onto her work to squeeze a few bits out of an existing job. These small transactions covered a wide variety of topics, but more often than not, involved hobbies she was either unfamiliar with or lacked a substantial interest in.

"Buying one hundred sided dice from whomever can get them from the griffon empire. Will pay a fair market price to help improve the Heroes and Ogres gaming experience," the classified in the newspaper had requested a few days earlier, or at least that is how well her memory remembered the fairly open ended request. Normally a small shipment of dice wouldn't be profitable on it's own, but if you were in town on other business, a quick trip to one of their specialized clawcraft stores would be a great way to make a handful of bits. Lucky for Gaffer, a keen eyed unicorn had a 'business' meeting in the griffon capital and was standing in front of his shop a few days removed from her private work with a collection of finely crafted dice that would be the envy of nerds across the country. Now all she had to do was convince him to buy the glorified lottery balls.

A pair of fiery red eyes scanned the facade of the store and its immediate surroundings with a sense of paranoia before disappearing as she blinked, only to reappear as she gazed out from beneath her hooded cloak. The door to the hobby shop was quickly enveloped in a crimson aura as the unicorn carefully opened the entrance to the gaming store and took a firm step into the business. A cursory glance at the cloaked unicorn would have revealed a jet black coat and her deep red eyes, and a more keen eye would have noticed her surprising stature and stoic gaze peering across the room at the store owner. "Hello stranger, are you Sir Gaffer? I am Asteria, honored to meet you. I saw your advertisement in the newspaper for a set of one hundred side dice and I was wondering if the offer still stands," the mare asked politely in a vaguely formal tone before bowing politely before him. Her cloak gently pressed against the floor as she lowered her body but managed to keep her long legs safely tucked away beneath the sturdy cloak she returned to her normal posture and glanced across to her potential client.

[NeoExlucky]

Octavia trotted through the streets of the cold canterlot morning. It had surely been quite the ride from ponyville to here, what with the managing of her new music store and all, but now Octavia was back home, in canterlot, where the coffee was sweet, and the weather was bitter. Octavia enjoyed her musical life, although she had taken up a few new interests in ponyville. Life there was different, what with so many different ponies with different back grounds and different hobbies, the amount of which surprised the young musician in more way than she could have imagined.

The hobby shop didn't look all that enticing to Octavia. She was sure that inside were some ponies of...interesting backgrounds. The idea that there might be somepony in there with some of the old hobbies that were from her other town, made Octavia feel kind of sad for leaving it. Maybe visiting the hobby shop wouldn't be such a bad idea. So with a hop in her step, and an inquisition in her mind, Octavia trotted into the hobby shop, and was surprised to find the boards, and pieces of heroes and orges, a game of which she knew nothing about, all around the area. She couldn't help but study the objects and took to looking over a few.

[SteelEagle]

Gaffer had decided before anypony new had entered into the shop to jump right into the most fruitful of all business stages: The ordering stage. Months in advance at times he put in his ordering forms so his distributors would deliver exactly what he needed instead of their no-brained normal shipping. He didn't need two of everything, it never worked out that way. He needed ten of some things, zero of some others, and maybe one of most. Same went for the games, too. Nopony bought some of the dust collecting board games, so please don't send more. Send some of the successful ones, please. It was a little bit fun working with a set budget and trying to get just enough to please everypony! He knew he could get devastatingly cheap deals for O&O, so that left him a little bit left over. Maybe it was writing a thousand upon a thousand more successful campaigns, but there was something fun about mapping out fate and destiny with numbers and a little bit of bravado as your guide. Also, the day was slow.

It picked up rapidly though as his door was opened and out from the cold came two mares in quick succession. The first was in a heavy cloak that obscured much of her but what he could see was a bit odd, especially from the perspective of a life-long devoted dungeon master. Red and black? He normally didn't allow that color combination from his player characters as he reserved them for villains. Some barrelached about it but rules were rules. More importantly, this roguish individual tossed a hundred sided dice onto the table and asked if the deal was still in play. Ah, so this was going to be a die from the Griffon empire? Not bad. He had a few of them already but his distributors only ever sold six sided or twenty sided dice from the Empire. A hundred sided die was much rarer and thus more valuable, both to the hunter of slightly rarer items and to him as a shop keeper. He knew a few ponies who would pay a good price to complete collections.

"Well, it sure is! Let's take a look at the little bugger and see if it comes up genuine, eh?" He said, producing a magnifying glass and inspecting the markings closely. The way the numbers were laid out matched, "I see..." and the slightly off centering which favored a few numbers over a few thousand rolls due to spacing issues was present, "Uh-huh..." the material looked pure Clawifax, who made their things uniquely and with less precision, "yeah, looks right..." he rolled it a few times and it had that distinct rock-wood sound as well as feel so that lined up, "sounds really good to me..." he put it away, smiling as he opened up a locked case behind him with some spare bits. Yep, it was genuine and worth buying.

"That is the real deal and true to my word, fair market price. Considering the quality and rarity of the dice, I think thirty bits is a good price. Pretty good, yeah?" Gaffer offered excitedly, rolling the bits one by one out of the bag and into a new one using telekinesis while he opened up his cabinet and started making room for the dice. He then came back up and looked over at the next entrant into his store, a fancy looking unicorn with a musical symbol on her flank. Not a bad cutie mark to have and definitely a cool talent to have. the only music Gaffer could play was on an accordion, despite Shining Armor's attempts to teach him the flugelhorn. She looked a bit lost but also mixed with excitement and curiosity, boy, did Gaffer know that look well.

"Welcome to Heroes and Ogres! Is there anything I could interest you in, Misses...?"

[Gerrard]

The courier had learned over time that many clients preferred to see the faces of people there were doing business with, and decided that this stallion was probably not the exception to the rule. She enveloped her cowl in magic and lowered it to show her face to the business owner. She nonchalantly wore her utilitarian scarlet mane and her eyes almost seemed apathetic to the plethora of interesting games that almost threatened to envelop her. The long horned mare watched as he inspected her bounty for authenticity, saying nothing as he mused over the score that was brought into his shop. Asteria knew next to nothing about specialty hobbies and had to rely on her familiarity with the distributors to avoid getting scammed with shoddy mark offs. The odd dice obviously took a lot of expert work, but she was pleased to hear that he found them satisfactory.

"I will accept your terms Sir Gaffer," she simply replied in an unchanging tone while she deftly scooped up the coins in the faintest magical aura imaginable before slipping them into the dark void of her cloak. She paused for a moment and thought over the situation closely and decided to take a more objective view on hobbies. She knew it was unwise to deal in goods that were beyond her knowledge and familiarity, and decided to see if this store owner could help dispel some of her ignorance. "Now that I have conducted business with the store owner, perhaps he will be more willing to explain his craft to me," the overly controlled mare thought to herself, completely missing the point of hobby stores. It was clearly in his interest to help his customers, but it never hurt to give him additional incentive to trust her intentions.

Before she could ask for an overview of how all these advanced board games worked, another pony entered the store. She looked like a professional of some sort, possibly out of her element as well, but concrete determinations would need to wait until she had a discussion with the probable musician. The seemingly aloof unicorn mare decided against disturbing the other patron and politely waited for Gaffer to finish introducing her to his store. "I am admittedly unfamiliar with with the content of your store Sir. Would I be able to ask for an overview of how your game systems operate? Perhaps it may allow me to make more informed decisions in the future or locate other rare objects for your store," she asked humbly of the multicolored store owner while making sure that there was a clear incentive for the store owner to follow up on. Her numerous dealings with griffons had taught her that a quid pro quo approach to business was the safest way to work with strangers, even though this unicorn didn't seem like a threat to her. "When you are done helping the other customer of course," she politely added, trying to stay in the good graces of all parties involved.

[NeoExlucky]

"I'm just browsing..." Octavia mumbled to the clerk as she studying a piece from the game with care. These things were quite interesting, they had slightly peaked her interest back in ponyville, but not like this. These pieces and boards were much more detailed, and much more colorful, then the ones she met before. In fact these pieces looked as if they were painted by a professional. When the other customer had mentioned an overview of the game, Octavia's head perked up and she listened in to the conversation. An overview of the game would give her quite the insight, maybe she could actually get into this game, what was is called? Heroes and Ogres...? Whatever the case, Octavia was interested in this as well.

"Actually..." The grey mare began as she approached the two. "I would like an overview of this game as well. I have seen these items before, and I have to say, I am quite enthralled. So I humbly request for a tutorial in these items and in the game itself." She didn't want to step out of her professional manner, especially now that she was back home in Canterlot, but she did want to ask about the game.

[SteelEagle]

Wow, talk about a twofer. The overly formal unicorn accepted his rate with haggling, a low charisma score probably sealing that skill tree off for her. On the plus side she had asked for a tutorial on some game system for a pen and paper game, which sent his heart aflutter. He rarely ever demo'd systems and games anymore as the vast majority of his clientele were nerds on the same order as he was. If someone asked about a game system, it was normally followed by a fifteen minute rules clarification followed by a longer playtesting session to hammer it home and then a quick check with his parents for extra clarification from the source itself. The smug party came afterward and was attended by he, himself, and Gaffer after work when nopony could see him busting a set of very sad moves. But his joy was nearly doubled when the attractive music mare asked for the exact same thing, a double dose of delight for the night.

Of course, that was a simple question to ask but not one to answer easily, The world of pen and paper as well as miniature gaming was one of absolutely stunning detail and time devotion, nights upon nights of some of the most imaginative works and mental drain focused on literal flights of fancy that existed in between the folds of the mind and the pages of the book. Sure, many systems existed trying to put boundaries and create sense out of it, but any true gamer understood the truth nature of a good roleplaying game with friends. It was vaguely organized chaos with dice, where a good dungeon master and a set of players told stories and kept their characterizations on target as the dice played the hand of fate. There were so many game systems out now that the old O&O sets looked absolutely silly in comparison, only a few hundred pages instead of the many thousands that made up a normal release of a new system. But within the complexity of the question and the mystical nature of the answer, a few truths were self evident and easy to point out.

"Well," Gaffer began with a smile as his horn lit up. Behind the desk, an old leather lock was opened and a few pristine books were lifted out, complete with sheets and dice. As much as he wanted to say, "Game on!", he knew that he had as much chance of convincing them that these games weren't for rejects if he tried that as he had convincing Iron Writ to go out on a date with him. It just wouldn't work. But he had selected these materials for a good reason: they presented a relatively common foundation for the majority of systems, and that made it an easier sell.

"I would be more than happy to tell you two fine ponies whatever it is you need to know and show you what I'm talking about. To start it off very simply though: there are literally hundreds of games and almost as many systems, each one unique in its own way of doing things. What I'm showing you is just one simple system from one of the older 'editions' of Oubliettes and Ogres, the games that started it all," he laid the materials on the table in front of the, gently flipping through the book as he talked in an even and clear voice.

"All of these games share a few common denominators. You have character sheets, which you as the player use to create your character in the game. Attributes- in this game, strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. You roll a twenty sided dice to decide these, though some players in some games are allowed to pick their own within reason. This forms a basic stat-line for your character and all of these attributes impact your skills and dice rolls throughout the game. Higher numbers are better, obviously. This is something that all of these games have in common, with a lot of variations on the base idea. Any questions so far?"

[Gerrard]

The 'uncharismatic' mare listed to him closely, the courier examine the wide variety of games his store seemed to offer. While it seemed like her attention was lackadaisical, her keen ears followed his every word precisely. She wasn't too interested in the fun she could personally have, but in the motivations of her more eccentric clients.

He tossed a substantial amount jargon at the pair of mares, most of it easily decipherable in the context he had given them. When he had brought out his supplies and presented the most basic of overviews to the pair, Asteria nodded in understanding before deciding to reply with her perspective on his lesson.

She knew that giving your own interpretation of what someone had said was a great way to show that you actually were paying attention. "These games allow us to emulate an alternate reality in the identity of an original character. Our initial goal is create the best character possible with the numbers your dice generate. If I were to make an analogy to reality as we perceive it, I would believe that your highest attribute would be charisma, the skill you would most often use in a sales position," the black unicorn asserted simply towards the store owner in a clear, if not slightly assuming display of understanding.

"In a game where I interact in an imaginary world, it would seem in my best interests to create the best character possible. I could adapt my character to their attributes or take a more direct course of action," she guessed calmly to him in a widely open manner, her last words hinting at an alternative strategy to adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of her potential character.

"Perhaps it will be easier for us to understand this process if we have a working example to work with. I hope that you don't mind me borrowing your dice for a demonstration, " the dark unicorn politely remarked before plucking six twenty sided dice out from the display behind her with magic and her memory of the store layout. She carefully examined the dice and arranged them similarly before throwing the dice out on the table. The dice awkwardly hit the table one at a time and gently slid across the smooth table before coming to rest before the storekeeper. "The goal is to create an excellent character, have I succeeded," she asked calmly as the dice all seemed to read 20 in clear defiance of luck and reason.

[NeoExlucky]

"That seems like a really good roll!" Octavia said happily. "I think I'm starting to understand this a bit more. I want to try some rolls too." She turned around, looking for another set of dice, and made her way over to them, scooping them up with her front right hoof. She returned to the table and started shaking her her hoof. "Alright...here...we...go...!" She rolled the dice and expected to see similar results to the other mare, but was met with horrid results. The dice landed on horribly different numbers. 8, 7, 11, 18, 16, and 14. "Erm...." She said staring at the seven. "That doesn't seem like a very good roll..." She looked at all her dice, then looked at all the dice that belonged to the other mare. Then looked back at the her dice. She shook her head a bit before returning her gaze towards the stallion. "What happens next?"

[Hippo]

A white unicorn stallion made his way down a road of commerce, where several ponies of all types were selling their wares. Canterlot, being a very civil town, not only provided some of the more interesting pony merchandise, but also made way for some of the most expensive items in town. Shining figured he should purchase something for Cadance for when he returned to the Crystal Empire. It was the least he could for being away for the purpose of spending time with his family. But, he couldn't find the jeweler that used to be the on the corner of Fetlock Drive, or the chocolate expo that sold specials on Bridleway. But what's this? Heroes and Ogres! Ah, Gaffer's ol' store. I wonder if he's still open for the day, I haven't seen him in over a year. With complete disregard of his original errand, Shining walked into the store and decided right away to greet him in the normal way they would have in high school. "I enter the room! And I tell the store keeper what a great store he has! Roll for Charisma!"

​

[tacobob]

Pocket Change’s heart had been broken when news came that his favorite mail order service for his role-playing needs, the same helpful service he had been a faithful costumer since his days in elementary school, had changed their business model. They went from role-playing books, comics and novelties to self-help books! The horror! Thankfully his old school-pal Whiz Kid pointed out there was still a place in Canterlot that sold supplies for an assortment of role-playing games, including his favorite. While his old gaming group had broken up over a year ago, the unicorn knew he had to at least get updated O&O rulebooks so he could at least learn the new rules before his new group formed. And not only did he need to get new rulebooks, he also had to snatch up the updated versions of his favorite modules like 'Rescue at Midnight Castle' and 'Temple of Elemental Evil'. He was also curious about the new player races, although he wasn't sure what a 'Breezie' was.

As he entered the store, the unicorn felt the sting of the stinky oil-based enamel smell that filled the room, and after failing his saving throw, he let out a few coughs as he scanned the room. While it was still rather early, there were a few customers already lingering about. There were two mares, a stallion with a gaming dice on his flank, and Captain Shining Armor himself, or was he a Prince now that he had married a Princess? While he was curious why such an important pony was doing in a hobby shop, Pocket Change decided to continue his quest for find the updated rulebooks. Was the latest edition 2.5, 3.0, or did they go back to calling it 'Advanced O&O? Not wishing to interrupt the conversation that was going on, the stallion slowly made his way through the shop hoping to find the new rule-books.

[SteelEagle]

Well, talk about a roll. All twenties? That was exceedingly rare for many simple mathematical reason and one even more important and game-critical reason: it made the game incredibly unbalanced and not very fun. Of course, he couldn't come right out and crush any form of play to two new potential players and customers, even if they were unlikely to become customers of his own. There were many legitimate forms of play and, yes, min-maxing was one of them. He disallowed it as having party members that were basically perfect tailored the game to their desires and little else and made rest of the party superfluos. The game had ways to mitigate that, but there was little one could really do. Oh well, at least she seemed happy.

"Yes, that is quite the roll. One way of looking at it would be that you have one of the best possible characters as, when mixed with your species and class, you have the ability to do so much more than other players and do it all so well. But I think actually a 'perfect' character is really very boring, as the challenges you will face are, well, less challenging. As a member of a party, you would either be so much more powerful than the quest for your party would otherwise be prepared fpor, or the challenge would have to be intense for you and that would leave the other members of your party in the dust. And since this is a social game, I would suggest you re-roll- I personally try not to allow characters that start off above 15, as you naturally get better as your campaign- or series of games and quests," he explained, motioning towards Octavia's rolls.

"Her's are a bit more balanced and I'd even slide and let the 16 pass, but I'd prefer the 18 re-rolled. Now you can pick your species- there are many different kinds," he floated over a specialist book full of many dozens of classes and species, "and class. In all honesty most people start with the species before anything else, but there is rarely a wrong way to go about this. Between your attributes, your class, and your race, you will have access to either skills and abilities that come naturally or ones you may choose based on fulfilling the requirements of attribute, species, or class-" he began before a familiar voice rung out, catching his attention quickly. Really Shining? You didn't roll for Charisma, you rolled for either Flatter, Seduce, or Charm in that scenario!

"Well, your roll for Flatter," one single twenty sided die clattered around until it stopped on a three, "is a critical failure," he tilted his head and eyebrow at the Prince, "and the shop keep thinks you're a tool. You're probably going to end up paying ten percent more," he held his stern gaze for a second before breaking, trotting over to his old friend with a wide smile.

"Shining! It's been a while, esteemed leader of the pony protection party. Or was it the Royal Guard? or the Crystal Empire? Hard to tell with you! How have you been?" He asked excitedly, hugging him and thinking silently to himself that if only 8-Bit and Pointdexter were here, they could start a decent game. Oh well, wishes were fishes and in the sea of hopes and dreams the little minnows would be forgotten and small mercies found on hooks. He ruffled Shining's mane a bit as the newest customer came in. He had the look of a reporter about him, which didn't shock Gaffer any. Gamers were of all profession and journalists needed to pass the time in a semi-utopian society somehow. Shining was welcome to tag along as he helped the new customer. After all, he knew a lot about the subject as well. The two mares had a tome of interesting species and class to peruse together. He could spare a moment.

"Hey there! Is there anything I could help you with?" Gaffer asked genially as he ambled up to the unicorn. It certainly was a magical day at the shop. Hey-o!

[Gerrard]

Getting such a roll bordered on the edge of impossibility, assuming that the roll was allowed free reign to be random. The unicorn listened to the store keeper explain that perfect characters were boring, unrealistic or even overpowered. It did make sense in that she knew nobody who was perfect in every regard, something she didn't take into account while rolling her dice. "I understand Sir Gaffer. Perhaps I would be better served rolling lower numbers? Should I aim for a lower roll, or allow natural variance into my dice rolls. The likelihood of making an overpowered character with naturally occurring numbers would be surprisingly low numbers, that seems appropriate," she explained to the hobby store owner, almost seeming to admit to fixing her rolls to be all twenties. While she did in fact do such a thing, the odd unicorn didn't seem to grasp variance in dice, at least not initially while she further took in the process.

When he mentioned her choosing a species, and a class, the black mare was stunned for a moment, finding the idea strange. She had no experience in being a species beyond herself and the entire idea of impersonating another seemed strange to her. "I have the option to emulate another species? My lack of familiarity as a species may turn my portrayal into a caricature of reality. I am most familiar with the ways of griffons, perhaps that would be the least offensive species for me to emulate?" she mused aloud, clearly trying to avoid offending everyone. Her admission of familiarity was strange, but she didn't go into any further, the black mare's ear shaking as she heard the arrival of another patron.

Her fiery red eyes drifted over to the white stallion guard as he proudly entered the store. Upon hearing his name announced and matching his description with the ones she had heard over the years, the cloaked courier realized the specifics of his identity, deciding to treat him in accordance to his title. "Hello Prince Armor, it is an honor to meet you," she politely remarked, doing a polite bow before the unicorn before returning to her previous posture. Her focus remained on the three ponies in front of her her, but she did notice another white unicorn slinking into the store in search of items unknown. She made no overt comments towards him as she tried to respect his seeming desire to remain fairly anonymous.

[Hippo]

Shining didn't flinch at all when Gaffer gave him a straight look after a roll for flatter, which at the moment he figured made everypony else in the store feel a bit awkward. However, the friend's warming to Shining's entrance and ruffling of the mane made it clear. They were a couple of old friends, who understood each other's mannerisms and personality almost as well as they do of themselves. Gaffer wasn't sure which end of the military spectrum Shining was on anymore. "Yeah, I've been all over the map the last year and a half. And as long as Cadance isn't around, you can just call me Lord Seageon. Today I decided to take a stroll to get Cadance some kind of souvenir from Canterlot. She misses this place a lot you know, and she might not visit Canterlot again until the next Princes Summit that gets scheduled outside the Crystal Empire. But it looks like that old jewelry store closed down and I don't even know what I could buy for her. I mean, this was her home for so long. How do you get a gift for someone from a place where they are so accustomed to?" Shining stared a bit at the comic rack, a natural reaction he had every time he walked in. He could not resist browsing the selection. It was always exciting to see how the issues progressed, and Gaffer was well stocked.

Shining saw the mare Gaffer was helping bow to him and politely greet. He preferred to respond in low key with these types of situations. "It's nice to meet you, too. Are you new to gaming? The community could always use more players. Even if some of those players are too busy to actually play anymore." With intentional irony, Shining was talking about himself.

​

[NeoExlucky]

Octavia was quite surprised to see Prince Shining Armor stroll into the gaming shop. She had met royalty before, but she couldn't quite recall ever meeting Shining Armor. This would certainly be a treat, she would learn how to play a new game, and she'd get to make some nice friends. She smiled towards the prince and gave a small bow. "Ah, Prince Armor. I am quite surprised to see you here." She said sheepishly, before she cleared her throat and tried to contain herself. "My name is Octavia Melody, I'm a fairly famous musician in Equestria. I believe I have met your wife, at least once before." Her words were somewhat small, as if she was whispering. This was an odd thing for Octavia, she wasn't one to be quiet amongst famous ponies. She had been shocked of their arrival and surprised by their activity, but normally she was able to keep herself calm, why was Prince Armor any different?

[tacobob]

"Hmm?" the white unicorn was so busy checking out the store he did not hear its owner until he was standing just inches away, "Wanted to see if you have the updated player's rulebook for O&O and a few of the updated classic modules.", he gave off a friendly smile before adding, "The name's Pocket Change. My old gaming group is supposed to be reforming next month and I want to be sure I know all the rules before this happens. Wow.", his eyes returned back to the shop, "Didn't this place used to belong to some-pony else? I remember going to a shop like this when I was really little with my cousin Buster. I just remember all the books, the cool figures and its owner, a rather scary looking pudgy fella that did not like kids one bit. Maybe it was here. Maybe it was on Amble Road."

(Insert Gaffer's reply here.)

The stallion's ears perked up as he overheard Prince Shining Armor speak of gifts, "If you'll excuse me your highness. I've been also acquiring a few gifts for my special some-pony as well.", there was what appeared to be a small framed painting or photo with its image covered, along with a small bouquet of tea roses which rested in his saddlebags along with a few other bagged goodies, "Considering you're from a kingdom that's just filled to the brim with crystals, gems and other sparkly doodads, have you considered getting your sweetheart a little something closer to the heart as a gift? Maybe a little something to remind her how it all started?", he smiled politely at the new prince.

[SteelEagle]

Lord Seageon, Scion of the Sea of Sorrow, Sorcerer Supreme of the Holy Temple of the High Tsar? Heh, it had been one of Shining's better characters. He always played a good leader, even if his roleplaying skill lagged behind Gaffer's and notably even 8-Bit. From his showdown with the Demon of Danesbury and the Sultan of Suave and the Dragon Dog God, Seageon did have quite the eclectic collection of exciting fights under his cap though. Too bad he was being jobbed out as an NPC in some of Gaffer's settings since his charisma and intelligence scores weren't all that great so he kept on being ripped off by would be adventurers! Maybe a bit of Gaffer was just upset that yet another friend of his wandered off to do something and left their world of fun behind...not to mention Gaffer, who rarely saw the old group anymore. Alas, he supposed they all had to get lives at some point and it wasn't as if Shining was completely wasting his time. He was bound to make some beautiful foals with Cadence at least.

"Well, I wouldn't have much to help you with. The last time I had a special somepony and I tried shopping for him, I got Hard Rock some chocolates but...I forgot he was allergic! Ahhh, good times...said no one," he chuckled, imagining that any advice he could give his friend would backfire tremendously. He shrugged, "but for a pony like her who misses Canterlot, you could try...some sort of gift shop or novelty store. Seems odd but she would never have gotten anything from those sorts of places before since she lived here. Would be new, silly, and fun, and she seems like she likesfun. Does she like fun? Speaking of, did you buy the newest Triage set? What comics are you reading? A special Lord Seageon sale, twenty-five percent in addition to cover price just for you," Gaffer added evenly as his attention was stolen by Pocket Change. He had to think back. What store was he referencing?

He gave thought to the question as he trotted back behind the counter.

"Hmm, well, it wasn't here. I've owned this place since day one, and the space was a run-down pawnshop before I bought the lease. Was it...was it...Heroes of the Lance? Was it Heroes of the Lance that had that big angry stallion own- no, no. Shining, was it Dodger's Comics? It might have been. He was a salty old bird for sure. As for O&O, I have it all and I have it all a good price. The newest edition is 3.5 and it comes out in less than two weeks...I have a few advance copies however. It is going to be a great edition, a lot of good balancing. I have every edition ever released as well as all updated and revised rulesets, modules, campaign settings, manuals, and basically anything you can imagine. And if I don't have it in stock currently I can order it, guaranteed," Gaffer offered up confidently, and for good cause. His parents still held all the older materials in a storage he helped pay for and had access too. For a nominal fee he could authorize an individual reprint, and he offered that same service to other stores- at a higher cost, anyway. It worked out for all sides.

Back to the unicorn, she seemed a bit out of sorts regarding the possibility of playing another species. That was a problem, but only just.

"Well, if you don't feel comfortable- and some never are comfortable playing species besides their own, so no shame there- playing species outside your own, no problem. You can play a unicorn, which comes with certain benefits and drawbacks for the sake of game balance," Gaffer said as he flipped the pages until he reached Unicorns, "as you can see, there are a lot of different species based stat adjustments and abilities alongside with other useful information. And for Unicorns, pages 412-440 detail all the spells a Unicorn may use in the base game. As for die rolling, allow then to fall naturally. That is how everyone does it."

[Gerrard]

Asteria's ears intently listened to the words of the other ponies around her. She found their fascination with the prince interesting. They seemed eager to forge alliances with the prince, the dark courier trying to decipher if their intents were harmless or insidious grabs at power. She didn't have the evidence to make any claims and decided to focus on the game she was learning.

"Sir Gaffer, I will emulate a griffon. His name will be Gerrard Grayfeather. He will be an architect who has gone on adventure for gold and glory," she replied calmly, seemingly dismissing the idea of remaining a unicorn. She decided to emulate her friend, knowing a surprising amount about a 'character' she just came up with.

She nodded in understanding of the dice rule, grasping her collection of dice before rolling them out to create her numbers. Asteria then looked at the rulebook on unicorns and flipped back a few pages to find griffons. She glanced over the pages and scanned it thoroughly, looking over the artwork as she read the statistics. "Griffons get a penalty in this statistic? That seems to form their species into a caricature of reality," she commented in a completely calm manner, not really grasping the idea that games paint the world in broad brushstrokes.

[Hippo]

Octavia address Shining quietly. "I'm Shining Armor out there, but in here," he puffed out his chest and put a front leg up, "I'm Lord Seageon, Scion of the Sea of Sorrow, Sorcerer Supreme of the... of the... um. I can't remember."

Shining was so confused. He turned to Gaffer. "Hey wasn't my palie the defender of the heartland at some point?"

Back at Octavia. "Yeah, Cadance is in the crystal palace doing her work. She and I work really hard to give to that Empire. We're very proud of it."

The other white unicorn started talking to Shining freely, mostly noticing his dilemma in buying a gift for Cadance. He suggested that for a Princess who lives in a castle, something shiny and valuable probably isn't going to cut it. "Yeah," Shining chuckled, "imagine trying to outdo the gift of a castle made of crystals every year for our anniversary. But yeah, something about Canterlot is exactly what would make Cadance happy, I think."

Shortly disregarding whatever it was Pocket Change had to offer, Shining was very much intrigued on the products Gaffer was always ready to sell to him and anyone else currently in that store. And why wouldn't he be good at it? He pretty much stood by anything that existed for purchase in the store, and included himself in the games whenever he could. He was truly a pony who walked the talk. Few salesponies could really do that.

And as Gaffer started talking to Pocket Change about his questions about gaming, Gaffer listed off all the things he had acquired in the O&O line. Version three point five!? Shining started breathing a little heavier. Updated and revised rulesets!? Shining bit his lip. Modules!? Shining's face lit up and blurted out. "That's it! Oubliettes and Ogres! I should get the latest version for Cadance, and we can get a game going! She'll love it!" Shining's eyes showed signs of blindness as he looked up at the ceiling daydreaming.

​

[Bellosh]

Heroes and Ogres, huh? A beige middle-aged unicorn mare wandered the streets of Canterlot, looking for a store that typically wasn’t associated with older adults like the magic counselor from Celestia’s School. But Ingrid Marie was here on a favor, to purchase a present for one of her nephews in time for his birthday. According to Immie’s sister, her boy wanted some of “supplement book” called Saddle Arabian Knights, and the only place to buy from Heroes and Ogres, a store in Canterlot.

Ingrid Marie had the good luck of knowing well the district where Heroes and Ogres was based, so getting there was not the problem. The real figurative challenge came once she entered the building, and noticed a weird paint smell. There were a few ponies at a table playing some sort of game (was that Pocket Change from the Magic Guild with them?), but nopony at the front counter. And the racks Ingrid saw in the room’s center were comic books, but the mare felt pretty sure her nephew present wasn’t meant to be a comic.

The unicorn wanted to not delay more than she needed to. Rather than scour every rack for her nephew’s gift, she instead hesitantly made her way to the front counter. Next, she pressed the call bell on the counter, hoping that whoever was working here could be summoned. Hopefully, they could enlighten Ms Marie after the prize she seeked.

[tacobob]

The white unicorn nodded his head as Gaffer spoke. 'Dodger' was probably the name of the unsightly mound of a pony that ran a similar shop in Canterlot back in the 'days'. "That was probably him. As for the new rulebooks, I really hope they fixed the paladin class. The last change nerfed the heck out of my ever dependable holy warrior of the light. They took away half his useful skills and gave him crab-apples for talents. Turned my 'Vince Charming' from a leader to a supporting character!", the stallion sighed dramatically, "Then they over-powered the barbarian class like there was no tomorrow. And if that wasn't bad enough, they had to introduce those garbage classes, like the 'Anchorite' and the 'Dandy'. About that time, we all decided to switch over to collectable card gaming, which just killed me in the pocketbook."

After trying to help the good prince come up with a fun gift for his wife, the stallion noticed a familiar face as she entered the store. "Oh, hello Miss Mare." It was Ingrid Marie, member of his magic guild, friend of his beloved Moondancer and guidance counselor for 'Princess Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns'. While he had spoke to her in the past, there was so much he did not know about the mare. Was she married? Did she have any kids? He hated to assume things, after all, she could be into RPGs, but he wanted to be safe, "Looking to do a little gift shopping?"

(OOC: He wasn't offering, he was just showing some of the goodies he had purchased, hoping to give the stallion a few ideas..)

[moonshineTheleocat]

JavaSun had finally managed to find the time directly after work to stop by his favorite comic book and game store on his way home. He was wearing his typical wear, a dark gray vest, that was immaculate. Completely void of any wrinkles and lint, minus a few small torn threads here and there from minor damages of recent events. He still had his saddle bag of tools tied to his back, and wristlets of more common tools on his forelegs. As always his mane had been a mess, and so was his fur. The other peculiar note about him was that he had a pair of badly cracked goggles hanging from his neck.

He tore through the door in an excited gallop, having to slow down to a hault. However, he was still bouncing up and down enthusiastically as his eyes rifled through the shelves.

"Is it here? The new rule book!?" The young scholar asked like a happy foal on Christmas morning. He continued to dance about as he navigated between the shelves. "Oh I hope the Rogue got a boost! I got a fun little Zebra named Mi'Quto. BUT OOOOHHHhhhh the rogues need some love! You need to exploit more loopholes than a crooked lawyer to be useful in combat! Like... right now, he can sneak attack twice in one attack, almost always crit, and lay down some nasty effects! Don't forget the uncanny ability to teleport in the shadows..."

[SteelEagle]

This unicorn had a character on tap, which was always helpful. Gaffer found himself having to often create a character for the well-being of his interested customers and they seemed to have ideas and opinions on his creativity. That was all well and good but beggars can't be choosers and whiners shouldn't be critics. It was also good to see she thought of it quick- and a griffon to boot. Very creative mind hiding behind a somewhat drab appearance and speech pattern. She then made the statement that they were facsimiles of their real life counterparts, which was very much the idea. Besides, game balancing and characterization aid demanded it and the success of the game was all the proof he needed.

"Yes. They get a penalty to some statistics as well as a bonus to others. That does three things. First, it allows the character to be a little in-tune with their real life doppelgangers. Secondly, it help balances the game- everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. If certain choices were better than others it would make the game far less engaging and creative. Third, it helps people characterize a bit- you learn to play to your character instead of treating it like just a stat difference. And adventurer griffon Gerrard- sounds really cool! Turn to page sixty for the class description of adventurer, if that's the one you want to go with!" He offered up excitedly, transitioning to Shining and the inquisitive reporter pony.

"Defender of the Heartland? No, that was one of 8-Bit's characters. Lord Seageon, Scion of the Sea of Sorrow, Sorcerer Supreme of the Holy Temple of the High Tsar! geez, I knew you were too busy up north trying to look very impressive at all times for your little Princess and everything but after all those thousands of gaming sessions we had I think you'd remember your one character that was worth the time we took to paint the mini for him," Gaffer laughed, the excitement of Shining and Pocket Change infectious. The new edition and associated modules were going to be fantastic. He should know- he playtested many of them. It was always good that his parents still kept in touch with the user base how they did while still keeping an eye to the greater meta at play.

"The Paladin class needed some nerfing, if you ask me. Ever since one point five they were the most popular and protected class in the game. Too many ponies playing t and the characters started to become the centerpiece of a lot of campaigns because of the number of oaths they could take to the various temples. Though I do agree- they were nerfed rather greatly in three as a response. I expect them to be a little better this time around but I don't think they've gotten anywhere near how talent-laden they were before. Same thing with Barbarians- too weak before, too strong last edition. I expect some slight nerfs but they'll work wonderfully as a class on the new caribou characters. A lot of the mediocre classes are getting reworked or cut, but I know Dandy is still in there. They'll have some really nice fencing abilities in combat and social abilities outside and will be less of a comedy character," Gaffer said in defense of his parent's work before bringing out some extra pre-release editions- one for him, Pocket Change, and Shining.

"As for Cadence, I'm sure she would love to spend all her free time playing a tabletop RPG-" a lie, but it didn't hurt him to tell it, "-so feel free to buy all the things. I have a few different packages, like the Complete Third- all books released that are playable or useable for version three. For a discount you can get everything you'd ever need. All those cold evenings spent by the warm fires up north, cuddled close with the one you love, nibbling on her ear while she reads about all the talents for her class...boy, I don't know what could be romantic!" he sighed contentedly, his personal fantasy shattered only by speech of a third party. This one wished for more rogue action as he had to constantly find loopholes for the Rogue. Gaffer smiled, "yep. And that is the way the Rogue is meant to be played, constantly at the edges. Otherwise, it plays a bit too similarly to the Ranger or Adventurer. It is cool you're able to do what you can, though. A lot of Rogue players misplay the clas-" he began before the call bell...called. He made his way to the front counter.

It was another unicorn in a city full of them, this one full of all the aura of a teacher. He had seen plenty of them in his day and his clientele included ponies from all walks of life. More than a few small-time nobles made the trek down here, even minor nothing nobility with no stature such as Shining Armor! Gaffer couldn't believe his friend had achieved so much with a few flutters of the heart. Better to think of him as minor instead of a co-ruler of an Empire. Only Tyrell the Terrible was a co-ruler of an Empire. The dice said so.

"Hello there! Is there anything I can help you with?"

[Gerrard]

Asteria listened to the store manager as he spoke on her character and explained the necessary evil of racial statistics. They accentuated certain things and steered choices in specific ways. The adventurer class had a wide array of skills and seemed a close approximation of his skillset. "The adventurer class seems appropriate. Gerrard is an irrigation architect and has a wide variety skills. Her crimson eyes noted all of the appropriate skills, but decided she had enough information for now.

"Thank you for the assistance Sir Gaffer. I think you have given me enough information for now. Farewell for now everyone. Out of respect for your time, I will refrain from addressing all of you properly. Please forgive any rudeness my actions may cause," the black unicorn calmly remarked as she gathered her belongings and left the store and exited the scene.

[Bellosh]

"Oh, hello Miss Mare. Looking to do a little gift shopping?"

Just as Pocket Change didn’t know much about Ingrid Marie, the middle-aged mare knew precious little about the stallion’s personal life beyond a few scattered facts provided by Moondancer. “I am Mr. Change, as a matter of fact,” she told her fellow Spellbound member; “There’s something from here my nephew wants for his birthday, and I hope they’ve got it in stock.” Forming an obvious conclusion, Ingrid asked next; “I take it that you’re a uhhhh... what do ponies who play games like these call themselves again?”

When Ingrid Marie was finally attended to by the pony running Heroes and Orges, who happened to look like an agreeable unicorn fellow, Ingrid smiled and dug out her list; “Hello good sir, I’m looking for a hmmmm…” Immie had to glance down at the piece of paper for a few seconds; “Saddle Arabian Knights, it’s supposed to be some sort of supplement book, or so my sister tells me. Do you happen to have that book in stock?”