Google & Campaign Communication

Our current gaming group has been meeting about every other week.  To maintain communication with our group members, we're using a handful of Google products.

Scheduling with a Google Calendar -- We have a calendar for our group on which we mark the next scheduled session.  It's working fairly well for us.

Email Communication with a Google Group -- We created a Google Group and included everyone's email, so with one quick address, everyone is included in the email communications.

Campaign Notes with a Google Site -- Thanks to a post from a fellow blogger a few months back, I discovered how easy and how useful Google Sites can be when keeping track of campaign information.  We have a page with the group calendar, as well as a page set up with a list of PCs and NPCs (perfect for keeping track of that one guy whose name you can't remember).  One of the best features of our site is our Files & Journals page, where we keep in-character journals (many are linked Google Docs), our session notes file that everyone can update, and a party fund file where we keep track of the loot we've accumulated.

With a smallish group (five of us total), it isn't usually too hard to keep everyone informed, but these tools have certainly made it easy.

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire

Dante & I watched the premier of Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire last Thursday.  I had high hopes for this show based on the commercials and the preview from ComedyCentral.com.  And my expectations were more than met.

ONLY VERY MINOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!

The opening is classic: we are introduced to the group in... a tavern!  Kröd needs to get the keys to the dungeon to rescue his mentor, General Arcadius.  And the adventure begins.  The good guys strive to overthrown the bad guys.  The bad guys randomly kill people that get in their way.  And periodically, Kröd's sword is enveloped in flames.

There were moments while watching this that reminded me so vividly of fond memories of old campaigns.  The crazy plots to break someone out of prison.  The random NPCs who help out along the way.  The occasional (usually accidental) shooting of a party member with a light crossbow.  The overwhelming revelation that your party will have to save the world as foretold by the prophecy.

But if I could make one change... I would change the character of Aneka a little bit.  In my opinion, she's a little too much.  I feel that she's a bit too in touch with her sensual side.  I think it's great to have an female character who isn't a damsel in distress, but her habit of having relations every man she encounters is a little too much.  I'm sure there are some out there who will disagree with me, but if you take a look back at what I said, you'll see I started with "in my opinion." :)

So far, it's a very entertaining adventure, and I will be watching again next week.  Because the best part of an adventure is continuing it next week.