the sky is gray, the tea is cold...

I'm moving my blog, well, I'm gunna blog on two sites until I've converted all my followers. This was Mondays!

Happy Monday everyone!

Here’s the plan, I am trying to do a new blog every monday about my weeks activities or stuff I like and every Friday I will post another Clog episode which will be something game/craft/review related. This Friday it’s a review, to find out what of you will have to tune in 

Anyway, today’s topic is a game I have had fun playing all week called Gloom. http://www.atlas-games.com/gloom/

Wil Wheaton has done it on Tabletop which is why I shalln’t be doing a tutorial, for how to play watch his show, it makes it easier;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0artLwe87I4&list=PL4F80C7D2DC8D9B6C&index=24&feature=plpp_video

Today I am simply gunna tell some stories about the Gloom universe that have appeared in games I’ve played this week, first off meet the families.

This is Castle Slogar; we have Melissa Slogar – The Cadaverous Child, Lord Slogar – Brain in a Box, Professor Helena Slogar – Eccentric Inventor, Grogar – Work in Progress and Elias E. Gorr -Itinerant Gravedigger.

Here is Blackwater Watch; The Old Dam – Murderous Matriarch, Willem Stark – Disturbing Handyman, Balthazar – the Unfaithful Hound, Cousin Mordecai – the Red-headed Stepchild and Angel – Starry-eyed Serial Killer.

Hemlock Hall; Butterfield – the Lurking Butler, Lord Wellington-Smythe – Dumbfounded Duke, Goody Zarr – Nefarious Nanny, Lola Wellington-Smythe – Wild Child and The Twins – Adorable Tots.

And the last family: Dark’s Den of Deformity; Samson O’Toole – the Bearded Man, Elissandre DeVille – the Illustrated Lady, Darius Dark – Sinister Ringmaster, Thumbelisa – the Diminutive Diva and Mister Giggles – Creepy Clown.

Now each player has a family. I’m gunna play with the Den of Deformity as they’re my favourite to mess up. And here goes.

So, Thumbelisa is a small singer in the circus. But like every girl she wants t go to prom, she wants the dress and the dancing and the handsome man on her arm. So she’s on her way when she bumps into some people from school. They’re what we call midgets, and although she tries to walk past them without them noticing they spot her. They start to laugh at her gown which she thought was lovely. The laugh at the lace along her chest and laugh at the sleeves she’s wearing. So she was mocked by midgets!

Thumbelisa doesn’t give up, she goes to the dance where she waits by the punch bowl. Her date said he’d meet her there, although she had no idea who he was yet. She was stood waiting a while when all of a sudden the punch started to bubble. It grew like something was emerging from within. After an agonising minute of staring it burst. It flew all over her dress that had been mocked. As she turn away in sodden shock she saw the schools local heart-throb watching her with the group of midgets all around him. They were all throwing their heads back laughing. So she was disgraced at the dance!

So her prom plan had failed. Thumbelisa slowly made her way out of the dance hall. She moved though the corridor with tears and make-up streaming down her face. She stopped just outside the school and sat against the wall crying. After a few minutes she stated rocking. To and fro, to and fro. She thought about those who had laughed and as their faces flew through her mind she felt he sanity leaving her. She went mildly mad!

She managed to pull herself together for the short walk to the train station. Boarding the late train she took a seat in the corner of the room and sulked. No sooner had they got out into the country when the train let out a huge metallic screech. The whole train lurched forward and ground to a halt. Looking out of the window into the darkness, Thumbelisa started to cry, her night was getting bad. She was trapped on a train!

She sat silently. Fog looming through the darkness. The train was creepy and black. Nothing moved. Nothing could be heard. Thumbelisa stared into the blackness, not only of the train but also of her life. |She’d been laughed at and completely disgraced in front of her peers. She had no idea how to get through this. As she lay her head against the seat she closed her eyes. As she did she could feel consciousness leave her.

Thumbelisa died of despair!

See this can be so much fun. I got loads of pathos points for that death.  Now to my next; I was gunna do all five but it’s a little pic heavy already. So Darius Dark;

So Darius Dark, pretty well off guy. He owns his own circus, and named it after himself. Unfortunately its a complete flop. He has a bearded man and a illustrated lady who is so modest she doesn’t show any of her skin other than her eyes. No wonder it was going so badly. Darius kept putting money into his dream but just wasn’t making money. One night he was walking back from the bank, they’d just refused another loan. He strolled through the local graveyard that made a shortcut to the big top when he stopped and looked around.

Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. He sprinted back to the tent and yelled for Mister Giggles to come help. Both men hurtled back to the graveyard shovels in hand. When Darius stopped and pointed. With a nod both men began to dig at a grave. After about 45 minutes of digging they struck gold. Literately. Darius held up a huge, slightly dirty, golden goblet. Grinning the two men exchanged looks as Darius stashed the cup in his jacket. Darius stole from a stiff!

 Now, being a small village, the word about Darius’ new-found wealth had got out. He was becoming wealthy and powerful. So naturally he became an MP. Within a few short months he had become the most popular man in the kingdom. Darius was popular in parliament!

Now Darius was on top of the world. He would often take a horse and carriage around the village, just so people knew who it was riding through. He would enter a room with such presence that everyone would stop and stare. One morning Darius came out of his caravan and took a deep breath of air. He looked across the moors where the early morning mist was rising. He looked toward the village and decided a morning walk was in order. He set out at a slow pace admiring the scenery as he went. He was barely into the graveyard when he heard movement. He stopped and listened hard. After a minute of not hearing anything he carried on.

All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. The blow sent him cascading to the ground. More blows followed. Through the commotion of wooden bats, limbs and flailing to get out of the way, Darius saw his attackers were dressed in the ugliest, dirtiest clothes he’d ever seen. He was being beaten by beggars!

The attack didn’t stop when Darius lost consciousness. He was aware of movement and sound as his hearing cleared. His eyes fluttered as he realised he was propped up next to a tall wooden pole. It reminded him of his circus ring and all of a sudden Darius was filled with a poignant sense of remorse. He wanted his old life back, no money, no fame. As he came to this realisation he decided whatever happened to him would be relief.

The last thing he thought was about his life when he started the circus. How happy he’d been. How happy the group of them were, laughing and drinking together after shows.

The last thing Darius felt was the screaming agony of his arms and legs protesting as the joints popped like chicken bones. Before he had time to scream his eyes blurred and went dark, he lost reality and with his final strength he smiled. Darius was torn limb from limb!

So that’s my post on Gloom. Gotta say I did get distracted by the story telling. I’d be great at writing to pictures, I need an artist friend.

Hope that wasn’t too morbid for you all, it’s only a game after all.

Tune in for the Clog on Friday. And have a fab week.

Love to all

xx