Friend Quest

We get right to the action this time with the crew in the fight for their lives against a horde of creatures of nightmares. They escape with their lives and their sanity, but will it be enough to get out of this seemingly endless slog through time and space? OSLO loses a few years of security patches, Val tests the integrity of the reality they are in, and Henry has a pleasant conversation with a security guard at the cocktail party at the end of the universe.

After falling through a tear in space and time, Val, Henry, and OSLO end up in…well, hell. Or something resembling it. They embark on a journey led on by a mysterious, all-to-familiar figure. Val gets a tattoo, Henry tries to talk his way into heaven, and OSLO finds some baby demons.

Our friends meet an unfortunate end, but fear not! OSLO is able to salvage things and get Henry and Val back on their feet. However, what they discover next tests the adventurers’ resolve and, dare I say, their friendship. Well, maybe not their friendship. But things definitely get a little tricky, even a bit inconvenient.

The crew of the Aboleth makes it mostly intact to the center of the planet where Chester’s castle is, and decide that yes, they would like a spot of tea from the robot that greets them. Peter introduces the group to a new mini-game that is used to flesh out the world a bit and in the end, the group meets an unusual fate.

After making it through the review at TED HQ, our adventurers are ready to deploy on another mission, now with a new intern — Dakota. However, the new assignment is rather strange: the planet where they discovered Chester Electric that they had previously explored (and subsequently destroyed by accident) appears to be in a different location than when they were there last. It also appears to be completely intact. Cue dramatic music.

The crew is back at the home base to face a trial — sorry, “review” — for the recent events aboard the Aboleth. In order to prepare for the tribunal — sorry, “board” — the crew members each take some time to get things in order. Henry does some light reading, OSLO can’t do anything but sync (see what we did there?), and Val drinks and zooms and enhances.

The party pursues Dakota and Seamus through the ship, but are unable to stop them before they evacuate in an escape pod. To add to the already precarious situation, the runaways accidentally fire a signal flare at the Aboleth, which would typically not be a big deal, except that the ENTIRE TED armada was on high alert and registered this minuscule damage to the ship as a full-on assault. Needless to say, things get even more out of hand. Henry is quite dismissive of the whole situation, Val attempts a rescue operation, and OSLO coins a VERY GOOD phrase (see episode title).

After getting back to the present safe and sound, the crew on the Aboleth is forced to deal with yet another problem: Dakota, the woman who they brought back with them from the past, is on the run in the ship. Does she know of a new threat that our friends are not aware of yet? Or is she just running scared because she was pulled through a dimensional rift into a strange place with complete strangers? Val tries to be comforting, Henry bowls a perfect strike, and OSLO just wants to know what the hell is going on.

As mentioned in the episode, here is a picture of the excellent hat that Henry now wears at all times: https://imgur.com/a/QMqO66j

Our friends finally get some answers about what is going on in the strange realm they find themselves in, and it proves to be darker and more perilous than they could have ever imagined. Henry is quite diplomatic and Val is decidedly undiplomatic. Like, lying-under-oath undiplomatic.

The crew finds themselves in a bit of a pickle when the failed experiment takes them way, WAY into the past. But a new (potential) friend may be able to help them out. Val performs a PERFECT tackle, and Henry acquires a flashy new piece of equipment.

Our friends are back home, safe and sound, and they decide to have a crew meeting to decide the best course of action in order to safely investigate the “Book of Knowledge.” The players flesh out some more details around how The Exploration Department and the Aboleth operate, experimentation begins, and everything goes horribly wrong. Because, OF COURSE it does.

It all hits the fan when the Aboleth starts hurtling toward the Elgin University’s gallery, where the controversial “Book of Knowledge" is on display. Can the crew stop this situation from going even more sideways?

The party continues to consult on the security systems at The Elgin University and make some intriguing discoveries. They also get into a lengthy discussion on the ethics of the services they are to offer, as well as what the scope of their assistance should be. It’s a bit much, to be honest.

The crew of the Aboleth sets out to inspect the security systems at The Elgin University. Val searches for escape routes, Henry chats up some of the security guards, and OSLO is grossed out by all the squishy, organic life.

Our friends receive an interesting request from Elgin, a nation on a distant planet: to inspect the security systems in the artifact gallery at The Elgin University and report on any vulnerabilities. Henry gets caught up in semantics, Val tries to be clever, and OSLO may or may not crush some hacky-sackers with the Aboleth; we’ll never really know.

Welcome to another bonus episode of Friend Quest! Peter wanted to introduce some new game mechanics included in the FATE system, so this is a conversation we had at the beginning of the session around this. Feel free to skip this if the metagame isn’t your cup of tea.

The crew gets the ship back under control after the major malfunction that caused the artificial gravity to fail and sets out to investigate the cause of the problem. However, what they find will put their teamwork and resolve to the test. OSLO is adamant that this whole thing was NOT her fault, Henry bullies an intern, and Val goes on an unexpected journey.

After recovering from the WORST vacation imaginable, the gang is back at it again on the Aboleth. But something goes awry in the library, forcing the crew to work together to save countless lives. Or, at least one life. Ok, more like preventing a sprained ankle. But that crap is no joking matter! All the paperwork you’d have to fill out; Henry knows all about that.

The crew gets into a sticky situation while in the escape room and needs to make a daring escape; an unconscionable amount of hot butter is involved. Don’t worry, it’s worse than it sounds. Henry solves a mystery, Val is flabbergasted, and OSLO releases some hot butter for reasons beyond comprehension. Again, it’s a LOT worse than it sounds.

Our friends finally get to take a break from traversing the unknown and having their lives threatened, and are given some much-needed shore leave. Unfortunately, the task of choosing where to go for this mini-vacation is left to Seamus, the hapless intern, who subsequently chooses to take the team to an escape room that his friend from school runs; no one is amused, but they go along with it anyway. Henry seeks a competitive advantage, OSLO gets zapped, and Val is a bit of a snob.

As the title suggests, this episode is mostly character development. Sorry? Not sorry? Either way, there are characters, and they DO get developed a little; do with that what you will. Paula decides that OSLO has a new trouble aspect, Weston decides that Henry doesn’t completely hate the accounting department, and Mikkel pitches a really, REALLY bad idea for TED.

This episode of Friend Quest is a lot like the inevitability of death; it stalks you, silent in its approach, you never see it coming, and it looks a lot like Ed Harris in Westworld...or something. I don’t really know where I was going with this. OSLO has a really weird imagination, Val takes one for the team, and Henry makes it clear that he does NOT negotiate with terrorists or cowboys.

After “dealing” with the manifestation of Henry’s mortal enemy, the brave explorers venture further into the wrecked ship. Henry is thoroughly impressed by one of the remaining survivors, Val gets a pretty bad boo-boo, and OSLO saves the group from rapid decompression. As you do.

Our friends investigate what’s left of the S.S. Kettle and make a startling discovery. Val calls for a quick team meeting in a derelict bathroom, OSLO frantically searches her database for all things related to “alien ventriloquism,” and Henry comes face to face with his greatest fear.

The crew prepares for the next assignment: a search and rescue mission for the S.S. Kettle. There may be another “S” in there somewhere; the jury’s still out on that one. OSLO gets rid of some extraneous ordnance, Val has a heart to heart with Frank, and Henry is a LITTLE too trigger happy, considering their job is to “search and rescue.”

We wrap up this arc of the story with a trip to the center of the planet! On arrival at their destination, the party meets someone most unexpected. Henry finally gets to fulfill his duty as chief diplomat, Val tries to save a life, and OSLO is put in an uncomfortable position.

Our brave friends/lab rats venture forth to chart out the “spaghetti planet.” OSLO just wants to get it over with, Val is absolutely PUMPED for the opportunity, and Henry discovers that he would be a VERY good dad (at least when it comes to driving a midsize sedan).

The party embarks on their first officially-sanctioned-by-TED mission aboard the Aboleth to explore the unknown! OSLO saves everyone’s life, Val wants a beach day, and Henry is in no mood to be adventurous.

Things get complicated when our friends try to rectify the disappearing ship problem, and some tough decisions have to be made. Valerie gets to pilot a drone, OSLO gets re-acquainted with an old friend, and Henry is surprisingly competent at some tricky bits of science.

Here we go folks, the first proper episode of Friend Quest, Season 2! We start off with character introductions: Peter takes on the role as our fearless leader and game master, and sets up the new world that we are entering; Mikkel re-introduces us to Valerie Whitmore, the do-gooder project lead; Paula tells us about OSLO (short for Model # 0510), the ship’s computer who is just fine where she is, thank you very much; and Weston presents Henry Fitz-Maurice, the holier-than-thou bureaucrat representing The Exploration Department, at home and abroad.

It has arrived: Friend Quest, Season 2!

Well, sorta. This is more of an introduction to what season 2 is going to be about. A primer to the world we’re going to build. Think of this as the teaser trailer for a movie, but like, 100 times more epic! Prepare yourselves, because the Friend Quest universe is about to get a whole lot bigger. And more weird. Actually, probably mostly just weird.

Well, friends, this is it: the conclusion of the first season of Friend Quest! Things get just a tad bizarre in the dreamscape as the party completes its mission. Leon slices up some dudes, Talkon smites some dudes, Susan slaps some dudes, and Bea summons a big ol’ monster.

The party makes it through the astral plane and into the dreamscape, but can they successfully invade Barzilai Thrune’s mind and brainwash him? Talkon...is NOT in a T pose! But rather wears an absolutely superb mask to the masquerade ball. Leon goes with the subtle approach of dressing up as a navy Admiral, Bea creates some cognitive dissonance, and Susan makes the GM very, VERY uncomfortable.

In a last-ditch effort to get things set up for the ambush, our friends try some interesting tactics to pull it off. Talkon is still in a T-pose, Bea does a cool party trick, Susan insists she can fly (even though she clearly CAN NOT), and Leon tries out a REALLY bad accent.

Things get complicated for our friends when they are tasked with setting up the Occulus Drift modules at the Loyalty Day carnival. Will they be able to pull off this crazy mission? Talkon comes down with a major case of T-pose syndrome, Bea gets in position, Susan gets ready to fight fire, and Leon makes a seriously impressive cheese display.

Well, this is the beginning of the end. For this season at least. Talkon is in a T-pose, Bea makes a furry friend, Susan joins a book club, and Leon finds his true calling: tainted cheese.

Hey all! As promised, here is a recap of all that has gone on in the story so far. Then after that, we’re going to be heading into the finale of this story and wrap things up. And here…we…go!

The group makes one final effort to extort Kirall, but will it be enough? Talkon (once again) is in a T-pose, Leon makes a rousing speech, Susan plays bad cop, and Bea just kicks it.

Our friends locate their target, Kirall, at the Silver Shield Tavern, and things get interesting. Talkon is still in a T-pose, Leon prepares for the performance of his life, Bea turns into a shadow, and Susan has a real heart to heart with Kirall.

The party embarks on a dangerous mission of blackmail and deceit at a tavern. That’s right, we’re finally getting that classic, bona fide tabletop RPG tavern experience! Talkon is in a T-pose, Peter and Weston draw some pretty pictures, Bea enlists the help of a bard, and Craig/Corinthian/Craggle &lrdquo;The Rock” Johnson makes his debut performance.

Ready for another crazy episode of Friend Quest!? This time, it comes down to the wire. Will our intrepid party be able to rescue Traiven from certain death? Bea is still in a T-pose, Leon gets all huffy and self-important, Talkon is nearly a victim of friendly-fire, and Susan bullies the bailiff.

Welcome back to a normal episode of Friend Quest! We’re picking up where we left off at the courthouse, with the party trying to create a distraction so their friends can sneak in and bust out Traiven. Bea is stuck in a T-pose, Susan is domineering, Talkon is confrontational, and Leon is super judgy.

Things get a little spooky this time on Friend Quest with our Halloween special, complete with zombies, creepy towers, and an evil wizard. Well, ok, it’s not THAT scary. Actually, a fair amount of hilarity ensues. Talkon is stuck in a T-pose, Leon swings from a chandelier, Bea helps coin the phrase for the episode subtitle, and Susan racks up an impressive body count.

This time, we get to hear from Erik and Peter about their history with tabletop games and get some more insight into creating their characters, Talkon and Susan, respectively.

We’re taking a break from the main campaign for now so we can sit down with the players and talk about our feelings. And also hear a bit about their background with tabletop RPGs and some of the inspiration for making their characters. But mostly we just talk about our feelings.

The party continues to create a distraction outside of the courthouse so that their friends can sneak inside and break out the prisoner. Bea is still stuck in a T-pose, Susan gets the crowd pumped up, Talkon gets into a bit of fisticuffs, and Leon goes rogue.

After freeing the prisoners from the makeshift prison at the Morning Wood lumber mill, our friends reunite Rexus and his mother. However, they have little time to celebrate because a situation comes up that requires them to conduct another prison break of sorts. Susan is a real crowd-pleaser, Talkon doesn’t get a chance to do much (but don’t worry, he will next time), Bea is stuck in a T-pose, and Leon finds a really, REALLY nice butt.

This time, Mikkel (the GM) introduces a new mini game-system for the party to try out; not to be confused with a “mini-game system” a la Mario Party (sorry).

The party continues clashing with these demon-worshiping cultists, and a new potential friend makes an appearance. Talkon takes on a superior foe, Susan adds to her fun little army of the dead, Leon gets rubbery arms, and Bea whips it out.

Let’s be honest: we all knew it wouldn’t be long before our friends got into a fight. Granted, they were trying to sneak into a prison camp run by a group of demon-worshiping cultists, with the primary goal of freeing said prisoners. What I’m getting at is, it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt. Talkon and Leon are a bad influence, Susan plans poorly, and Bea uses some fantastic magic.