Merge pull request #6 from phf/fixes

Various fixes for my two articles

issue02/halloween.tex

@@ -4,39 +4,41 @@
 
 \section{Halloween at the Barrowmaze}
 
-I wanted to spice up our Selina's Harbor Barrowmaze game a little, so I decided
-that all games in October 2022 would be ``Red October'' games and that October
-31, 2022 would be a ``Halloween Special.'' It was important to set up
-``Red October'' first to prepare players for the \emph{really} weird stuff that
-was to come, so here's a summary of both. Feel free to rip this off if you also
-have players who are generally amenable to occasional silliness.
+I wanted to spice up our Barrowmaze game a little, so I decided that all games
+in October 2022 would be ``Red October'' games and that October 31, 2022 would
+be a ``Halloween Special.'' It was important to set up ``Red October'' first to
+prepare players for the \emph{really} weird stuff that was to come, so here's a
+summary of both. Feel free to rip this off if you also have players who are
+generally amenable to occasional silliness.
 
 \subsubsection{Red October}
 
 Every year in October, the sky over the Barrowmoor turns red and stranger than
 usual things go on below. I used the moderately terrifying ``Pit of Chaos''
 table from the actual module, but you can substitute any super-dangerous ``what
-terrible monster gates in'' table you have handy.
+terrible monster gates in from the depths of hell'' table you have handy.
 
-Before each session roll d6 to determine how many things gate in: 1--3 only
-one, 4--5 two, 6 three. Then place whatever it is in a random location; I simply
-rolled d100 for a room but I only allowed rooms that had previously been
-explored; if the room had not been explored before, I divided the room number
-by 2; and if that room didn't make sense, I picked the next lower room number
-that did.
+Before each session I rolled a d6 to determine how many things gate in: 1--3 only
+one, 4--5 two, 6 three. Then I placed whatever it was in a random location; I
+simply rolled d100 for a room but I only allowed rooms that had previously been
+explored; if the room had not been explored, I divided the room number by 2; and
+if that room didn't make sense, I picked the next lower room number that did.
 
-For the October 3, 2022 session I rolled a 1, so only a single roll was required;
-4 ghouls gated in; I rolled room 80 but that wasn't explored; room 40 didn't
-make sense (behind a secret door ghouls wouldn't know how to operate); so room
-39 it was. Interestingly room 39 already had a large group of tomb robbers from
-a previous restock roll, so I conducted that fight to see who'd win; the tomb
-robbers barely survived. In game I had the players stumble into the tail-end of
-the fight which meant the tomb robbers were ``on edge'' and almost attacked the
-player characters, accusing them of ``sending'' those ghouls their way.
+For the October 3, 2022 session the d6 came up 1, so only a single ``gate'' roll
+was required; 4 ghouls gated in; I rolled room 80 but that wasn't explored; room
+40 didn't make sense (behind a secret door ghouls wouldn't know how to operate);
+so room 39 it was.
+%
+Interestingly room 39 already had a large group of tomb robbers from a previous
+restock roll, so I conducted that fight to see who'd win; the tomb robbers barely
+survived. In game I had the players stumble into the tail-end of the fight which
+meant the tomb robbers were ``on edge'' and almost attacked the player
+characters, accusing them of ``sending'' those ghouls their way.
 
 Other ``Red October'' sessions added even more ghouls, a banshee, and a ghast
 to various rooms; those ghouls are actually still haunting a section of the
 Barrowmaze to this day, but the ghast and the banshee have since been taken out.
+Luckily I never rolled 1--4 bone devils\dots{}
 
 \subsubsection{Halloween Special}
 
@@ -109,8 +111,7 @@ them roll once on the table below.
 
 What's with the ``Marshmellow d66?'' In our game, a player can \emph{once per
 session} make a d20 roll with a d30 instead; this d66 allows the player to use
-a d66 instead of \emph{any other dice roll} after their main character consumes
-it. Pretty tasty!
+a d66 instead of a d20 once, after their main character consumes it. Pretty tasty!
 
 Somewhere on each item there's a \emph{tiny} note saying ``Provided `as is'
 without any express or implied warranties. Best by October 31st.'' Yes, of
@@ -122,16 +123,20 @@ will work until it doesn't.)
 
 \subsubsection{So\dots{} What Happened?}
 
-Of course the players bought only a few tickets, suspicious of the entire thing.
-Once they were downstairs and had gotten a bunch of items, of course they wanted
-to go back for more tickets. But they got the hint and didn't push their luck.
+Of course the players bought only a few tickets, being suspicious of the entire
+setup. Predictably, once they were downstairs and had gotten a bunch of items,
+they wanted to go back for more tickets. But they got the hint and didn't push
+their luck.
+%
 Down in the Barrowmaze I had added some sound and light effects: Instead of the
 usual silence, there was a constant ``screams and evil laughter'' background,
 complete with more ``haunted house'' illusions. But there were also lighted
-signs pointing the way towards magic items and large treasures. The players
-started carefully, but after a few successful ``fights'' using their
-\emph{Wand of Cold} and other items they became more confident. Until they
-followed a lighted sign to the old temple where a Banshee held court. They
+neon signs pointing the way towards previously undiscovered magic items and
+treasures.
+%
+The players started carefully, but after a few successful ``fights'' using
+their \emph{Wand of Cold} and other items they became more confident. Until
+they followed a neon sign to the old temple where a Banshee held court. They
 debated what to do for at least 40 minutes, but in the end they ``chickened''
 and left. Despite the fact that they could clearly see a \emph{huge} pile of
 gold.

issue02/sessionform.tex

@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
 
 \section{Barrowmaze Session Form}
 
-I use this form to track the two-hour Barrowmaze sessions I run for our little
-multi-DM D\&D-ish open-table campaign around Selina's Harbor. I print them two
-to a page, four to a sheet. So what's what here?
+I use this form to track the two-hour Barrowmaze sessions I run.
+I print them two to a page, four to a sheet. So what's what here?
 
 \textbf{Date:}
 %
@@ -64,7 +63,7 @@ pits, but I am flexible if players \emph{insist} on walking next to each other
 %
 The middle column is for free-form notes of \emph{any} kind; I usually track
 hit points of monsters there, but also reminders of treasures found and other
-changes the party makes to the dungeon.
+changes the party made to the dungeon.
 %
 There is also a \emph{round tracker} but I only use it when I have to, for
 example because a monster they just killed will get up again or because a