Norwich Board Gamers

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

Game Night – Chaos, Codemasters & Crystal Skulls

Sexy Minis
🕑 8 min read

Another cracking evening at Norwich Board Gamers, with a great turnout and a HUGE mix of games that really delivered - from tight cooperative play to full-on mind games and table-wide confusion.

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun night. And of course, a big shout out to the ever-enigmatic Lewis, ring mastering the whole affair with his trademark energy and personality. The man who keeps the wheels turning.

Here are the games I managed to play...

Wednesday, 25 March 2026

Game Night at the Prancing Pony: The One Ring (RPG)

🕑 12 min read

It’s been a while since I last sat down at a table to properly roleplay - dice in hand, character voice ready, and expectations somewhere between chaos and storytelling magic. So when the opportunity came up to play a one-shot of The One Ring, I was in.

What followed was an evening that was equal parts promising, rushed, chaotic, and - ultimately - fun.

The Setup

We had four players and a Loremaster (GM), running their first session of The One Ring. Experience levels varied: one new player, three experienced (two of us having run games ourselves).

The plan? Fit an entire adventure into 2.5 hours.

Ambitious.

I went in expecting:

A quick narrative arc
Limited encounters
Maybe one meaningful combat

To the Loremaster’s credit - we got a lot done.

The System: A Pleasant Surprise

Before diving into the story, it’s worth touching on the system itself.

The One Ring is refreshingly intuitive once you grasp a few core ideas:

🎲 Core Mechanics

You roll a Feat Die (d12) + a number of Success Dice (d6s) based on your attribute
The goal is to meet or beat a Target Number (TN)

⭐ Gandalf & Eye Symbols

Gandalf rune (on the d12): automatic success
Eye of Sauron: can mean trouble, especially under pressure or corruption

💪 Hope & Shadow

Spend Hope to boost rolls using your attributes
Accumulate Shadow through fear, corruption, or despair
Too much Shadow leads to… problems (great for roleplay)

🧭 Journey System

Travel is structured into roles (Guide, Scout, Hunter, Look-out)
Rolls determine how well (or badly) the journey goes
It’s designed to make travel itself meaningful - not just filler

⚔️ Combat

Stance-based (Forward, Open, Defensive, Rearward)
Fast, decisive, and surprisingly fluid
Encourages narrative over crunch

The system clicked quickly for all of us, which is no small achievement for a first session.

The Adventure (At Speed) ::SPOILERS::

We began, as tradition demands, in a tavern - the Prancing Pony.

Our group had apparently been travelling together for years under a shared patron. No real discussion, no character-building moments - just a narrative drop-in and a hint of an incoming quest.

And then… we were off. Or rather, ushered.

There was little room to breathe. Roleplay opportunities were minimal, not by design, but by necessity. With a strict time limit, the group (sensibly) chose momentum over flavour.

I did not.

Axes are 'easy-mode'
The Dwarf Who Wouldn’t Shut Up

I played a dwarf loosely inspired by a more mercurial, opportunistic archetype - quick-witted, slightly self-aware, always ready with a line.

Or several.

I tried to:

Spark conversations
Draw out other players
Inject humour

But the table dynamic leaned heavily toward:

“We’re on a mission. Let’s move.”

Understandable - but it did mean that much of the roleplay I enjoy simply didn’t have room to land.

So I adapted.

Badly, perhaps.

Leaning into the chaos, I began flirting with the edges of immersion - borderline fourth-wall humour, observational commentary, and a steady stream of dry remarks.

Not my most refined performance - but I was entertained.

Encounters on Fast Forward
SPOILERS!!

The structure of the session became clear quickly:

Travel roll
Arrive at encounter
Resolve quickly
Move on

We encountered:

Rangers (briefly, and then not at all)
A dead horse in a circle of stones (intriguing, but fleeting)
Goblin ambush (fast, efficient combat)

Combat, to its credit, was excellent:

Quick
Clear
Satisfying

The Loremaster made a conscious effort to push outcomes forward, even stepping in to accelerate resolution. It broke immersion slightly, but kept us on track.

Given the time constraints, it was the right call.

More Spoilers...
The Final Encounter

After effectively “skipping” several potential encounters (again, to save time), we arrived at a goblin cave.

Stealth failed spectacularly.

Combat began.

This time, we knew the system - and it showed. The fight was efficient, coordinated, and decisive.

Then came the boss:

A massive she-wolf
Big presence
Strong introduction

And… she went down fast. Very fast.

I landed the final blow - clean, decisive, satisfying.

And just like that, it was over.

What Was Missing?

Not through fault - but through time:

Exploration
Character development
Meaningful decisions
Looting (apparently no one robs corpses anymore?)

There were moments that could have blossomed:

The circle of stones
The dead horse
The rangers
The wolf’s speech

But each was trimmed to keep the session moving.

The Loremaster

For a first-time run?

Impressive.

Strengths:

Well-prepared
Confident with pacing
Open to feedback
Kept the session moving

Areas to grow:

Delivering rules in-world rather than stepping out
Letting scenes breathe
Trusting player-led moments

At one point, I suggested:

“Let us describe what we want to do - then you handle the mechanics.”

He took it well. The game improved immediately.

That alone speaks volumes.

The Fellowship
Final Thoughts..

Was it rushed? Absolutely.

Was it enjoyable? Yes.

Would it have been better over 2–3 sessions? Without question.

But that’s the reality of modern gaming:

Too many systems. Not enough time.

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Friday, 14 August 2026

Formula D – A Love Letter to Corners and Dice