“Winter Winds Blow; Darkness Looms Falls Sooner . . . The Dungeon Gates Rattle!” That was the title of my post Nov. 11, 2016, before the start of Season Three of Gorefest Dungeon . Today, Nov. 1, 2018, storm clouds again gather overhead. The icy-chill wind of winter blows through rustling limbs, tearing autumn leaves from branches, painting my yard first yellow, and later red beneath the sugar maples. I can smell their pungent fragrance, just as I can the sweet aroma of hay bales in a line along the row of pines behind my pasture. My horses and dogs are growing thick coats of fur. Nightfall comes soon and sudden. When the temperature isn’t cold and clammy, it whips rapidly from sunny and warm to crisp and clear—there’s no mistaking that fall is upon us. Winter gnashes at its heels. Tonight, After confirming that Chris will return as the sinister Adversary we love to hate, I conducted the first round of interviews for our fifth and upcoming season not knowing if we would have enough returning players to fill all five available chairs. All the players who were present at the last session of Season Four were given a chance to reclaim their chair at the virtual tabletop. Sadly, we’ll miss David , who played Mandar the Wizard , and Jerek , who played Gorefest Dungeon’s first and only Thief, Harlan . Neither could commit to Sunday games, so we wish them the very best in their other role-playing endeavors! Returning from last season is Carl , who played Tembei “Blacksword” the half-ogre (stylized as “half-oni”) Swashbuckler . We’re very glad to have him back! Also returning is ArchonShiva who last played Menrenuithiel , elven Scout . It’s hard for me to imagine anyone else taking that treacherous out-front role, but we’ll have to wait to see what template he uses beginning this season. Next, I’m very pleased to reintroduce Cal Godot , who returns from Season Three to again delve with us here in Gorefest Dungeon ! Cal’s style of role-playing is very entertaining, and I look forward to seeing him in action again. Last, but certainly not least, everyone please welcome our first new member of the bunch, Kevin , who will join us this season. He's no fresh meat, though! Kevin came recommended both by Kyle , who runs Dungeons on Automatic , and also by our Adversary, so we look forward to getting to know him. That’s four players, which means there’s still one chair left vacant at this precise moment. There are others here who either played last or other past seasons who are more than welcome to return should they be interested and willing to dedicate foreseeable Sunday evenings from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time (-6:00). At the same time, I’ve received a few other recommendations from outside the group. That spot won’t be hard to fill, and fill fast! If you’re reading this and want a shot at the fifth seat for the fifth season, let me know pronto! Private message me immediately in Discord! After speaking with everyone, it looks like we’re on track for a Nov. 18 start. Then, we may have to take a two-week break half in part because of American Thanksgiving. So, like last season, we’ll try to make the Nov. 18 session something of a self-contained “pilot” episode. While you guys may have continued playing elsewhere, I’ll be rusty as all get out, so I can use an intermission to make adjustments if needed. Regardless, I’m confident we’ll have a great time! I’m looking forward to role-playing and dungeon delving with everyone! — Richard D. Sharpe, Game Master
