One Big Party

Kent had a heavy wooden table he used for these games. Sturdy, with a low top but with plenty of clearance underneath, octagonal, and with a raised circular portion in the center of the top. Wide, plenty of space for notepads, devices, character sheets, dice, anything the players might put on the table, but from any point most people could reach their hand to the center of the table, most importantly all of his players could.

He tried to provide a good atmosphere for these games, but most of the time the dining room was good enough with a change in decoration and some clever lighting. For this game he didn't think that would be good enough, he needed more space for people and he wanted more control over the atmosphere.

He had moved everything out of the garage and into either another room in his house or to his shed. He dragged this great heavy wooden table to the center of it with the help of a dolly. He set out iron candleholders and draped the walls, hung decorative weapons and shields, and most importantly hung a curtain over the inside of the garage door and its workings that wouldn't interfere with its movement. He set out 9 chairs, 1 for himself and 8 for his players save a space wide enough for Ariana's wheelchair. He set out his own necessary things, and placed a leather binder full of loose paper he had written on in the center of the table, on the rotating portion, with a strange crystal sphere on a pyramid base sitting square on the cover.

This arrangement he set out days before the original date, and later that day came the first postponement. The garage sat like this the whole time since, a full five months and change before finally the time came. The day of, he vacuumed and dusted- though not thoroughly, a little dust he felt was good for atmosphere -and set out appropriate bowls of snacks, prepared for every snack and drink to blend perfectly with the theme. He knew the snacks and drinks shouldn't be necessary if all was right, or that they might not be in the mood for them when they get to them, but just in case he thought. And besides, they're expecting to be here for pretty much the rest of the day, forgetting snacks is just being a bad host.

One by one the players arrived and after the last player showed they all piled into the garage, Kent lit the candles, shut the door, closed the garage door, and turned out the light above.

"Okay, I know we've been over this, but even the logistics of getting us all together aside- and the fact that this took half a year shows us that it really needs to be considered -I still think 9 is too big of a party," Ariana said, "I mean the smallest effective party is usually 3 players, this isn't meant to be a single player game by any means, but I feel like we push it even at 5 players sometimes."

"I don't think this game was made for 9 people to play it at once either, to be honest, but we're all here and we've done all this planning so let's let our GM worry about managing the party size," Daniel said, "Besides, from a story standpoint a party of 9 isn't a great leap, I mean one of the stories responsible for this kind of game even existing featured a party of 13 dwarves and a hobbit, which I admit would be frankly ridiculous from a gaming standpoint, but it worked for the story."

"True," Ariana again, "and anyway if this turns out not to be as fun as we hope, we don't have to keep doing it. I'm glad just to be out of the house."

The conversation turned to the two groups introducing themselves to each other formally, then Kent caught their attention before things got too far off track.

"All right. Everyone is here and acquainted, so we should go ahead and get started. Everyone, put a hand on the pyramid there in the center," Kent said, indicating the pyramid and crystal sphere sitting on the leather binder. The party touched their fingertips to the pyramid, and with each touch a soft blue light appeared in the crystal sphere, one for every member of the party. The spectacle drew gasps and 'ooh's from the players.

Kent cleared his throat before continuing, "from here on the next few hours will feel like months or years, but take only minutes. Your journey will be long and perilous, and it starts in Redfall," he reached out, a slight hesitation before touching his own hand to the top of the crystal sphere.

The sphere filled with a green light, which consumed the small blue ones, and then a blinding flash!