Ocean D&D 16
Session Date: 10/14/2026
Players:
Polpo Ultimo - Me
School Locker - Bubblegum
Jimmy the Polyp - brwagr
Scaly 2 Dope - Idraluna
Honse - Theo
Elmer - Rain
GM - Spuk
Recap:
The reefers awoke to a swarm of herrings that barged through the reef. No one was harmed but all food stores were stripped clean!
There was no point in seeking revenge, the only thing to do was to find more food. So the reefers made their way to the giant clam outside the reef. Once the reefers made it to the clam, they devised a plan to empty it of its contents (it's flesh). Polpo pried it's mouth open and used his fork to hold it agape, while the rest of the reefers hacked away at it's flesh and extracted its pearl.
With that work out of the way they slowly moved back to the reef, encumbered by their haul. They encountered some mackerel who were thankfully uninterested in them. While resting for the night they bumped into a lost nudibranch who wanted to get back to the reef. Since it was so close the reefers offered to aid it and made their way back in the morning. They shared their haul with the reef who were grateful for the aid.
After resting at home, the reefers decided to go out exploring. They wanted to chart more of the area by the NW kelp forest. While there they ran into some nasty nautiluses who were territorial. The reefers stood their ground and fought them off, slaying 3.
The next day there was a light rain but a low swell, which aided them in exploration. The reefers were able to cross and chart most of the area by the kelp forest. Most of it was empty but eventually they found a promising discovery. There were some coral growths where some Buffalo Sculpin were settling. They wished to start their own community here. Despite being predators they were open and welcoming of other fish, only seeking to feed on the small non-sentient fish.
They rested with the Sculpin for the night and continued their exploration the following day. They encountered a cloaked octopod accompanied by a long tentacled creature whose body they could not see. They had to evade this duo twice as they encountered them the following night as well while out in the wild.
The next day the reefers made their way back home and rested, gathering their strength. Seeing that School Locker was getting a little big for his current shell, the reefers decided it was time to get him a new one. They swam to the known whereabouts of a Triton snail (a formidable beast) and challenged it in battle.
With their combined efforts and no small amount of luck, the reefers killed the snail and stripped it of its shell. They were able to return it to the reef for when School Locker eventually grows into it.
Thoughts:
I liked that today began with an immediate problem that needed solving (no food). It was the result of a fortuitous roll, but it was exactly the motivation that the party needed to get going. With sandboxes the last thing you want is aimless wandering. Ocean D&D has a counter to this, which is crossing and charting new hexes, but it is still nice to have an immediate goal beyond that.
The world continues to provide small factions and potential patrons. I'm curious to see who the group as a whole resonates with. So far the factions have been smaller, there aren't major organizations we have encountered, but even the small groups provide plenty of opportunity to go questing for certain rewards.
My final note would be on class design. It is fun to see how these sea creatures are essentially riffs on OD&D classes, but I think that the physical limitations of their bodies are easily the most compelling aspect of playing these characters. I like being the one with a lot of 'hands'.