"Hey, Grogar sir, don't you think we should try to get everyone to work together? Perhaps by playing a game or something?"
"Like what?"
"Golly, there has to be something you like to do! You could try to introduce the rest of us to it!"
And then Grogar remembered a game he used to play in his youth...
Join us as we watch Grogar's League of Villainous Evildoers attempt a tabletop RPG.
Keywii_Cookies55 is responsible for this because he created the cover image.
Tierk is a top tierk villain.
It's a good thing she clarified it was normal, just like normal persons do. Otherwise I might think she- ahem - her character was crazy!
Big talk, Sombra. How's being Luna?
Was it anything like the dreaded gazebo?
This was a fun story. Good choice to bring Sombra back for this, since I'm feeling like the show won't. Evil fam is the best fam. Of course, it seems like they devolved into murder hobos by the end, but they were murder hobos with purpose!
Alright, I need more of the villains playing this game. More! If you'd please.
This was brilliant. I loved Sombra being Luna so much that even if they never brought him back again in the show, it would've been a crime not to include him. Cozy Glow's line about learning creepy things about friends was classic too, we already need more stories about this "legion of doom".
...yet.
Though the fic need a little editing here and there, it was a very enjoyable tale :D.
Really well written. I love how the characters interacted with each other and I hope there will be more stories about this and maybe something similar in the show as well. Have a like and fav.
Well, still went better than the previous games when Discord was still in.
s.mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1620958-2-153271__safe_discord_g1_artist-peachiekeenie_grogar_tirek.jpg
Hopefully not stating the obvious, but:
League of Villainous Evildoers = L.O.V.E.
Aww.
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You are my new favorite for noticing that.
-GM, master of L.O.V.E. M.U.F.F.I.N.
Why is Grogar so attractive on the show? I think it's the horns.
A role-playing story about Team Grogar, just a day after the premiere? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Cozy Glow is every bit as entertaining as she is in canon. Sombra deciding to play as Luna (and getting her character completely wrong) caught me off guard, which is always a good thing in comedy. Chrysalis getting really into character because she's reminded of infiltration practice at her old hive makes a surprising amount of sense, and Tirek's reluctant attitude and monosyllabic responses are on point.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I'd love to see these five play more Equinera eventually, but I could also see why it'd probably work better as a one-shot.
Wheres the bonus chapter where they argue over the pizza?
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I...
Geez, this is awkward. This fic can't really have any other cover art, since that IS the image that inspired the whole story.
Should I have delayed publishing it? How long, though? I don't know, really.
I've already seen a couple other stories pop up, that spoil stuff as well...
...Regardless, the image above is actually shown early in the first episode, so not much was spoiled. You can rest easy that the rest of the episode is still unknown to you. ...Although if you READ the story, there are more spoilers.
If I get more complaints I'll consider changing the cover image. Or, more likely, just remove it entirely since it wouldn't be fair to Keywii to replace it with something else.
-GM, master of oops.
EDIT: should have just removed it the moment I saw this. I'm inconsiderate, and I apologize for trying to dismiss it out of hand.
I would picture Sombra saying "It's all right, my best friend went through the same thing," except the IDW version of him isn't canon, unfortunately.
Ahhh... Finally, MLP has given us true perfection in the union of these villainous goofballs. Very nice little story, man, it was great! God, it almost makes me wanna start up my own fanfic with this League Of Super Evil, but I have other plans...
Well, maybe a few chapter down the line won't hurt!
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Meh, I was expecting more like this
mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-3428163-1-img-2858569-1-1397513893512.png
this was pure gold
This was hilarious and I completely agree that Chrysalis has gone completely insane.
I really like how you still made Chrysalis crazy in this story like she was in the premiere
The ending was very nice.
9552204 Or where Grogar punishes the other players in the next game because one of them took the last slice?
9551891 Good times.
Tune in next time as our heroes face their greatest threat - Twilight Sparkle, Rules Lawyer!
Amazing work, I've got to say.:D
I'm a bit confused by the story's description. There's a spoiler warning in text, so clearly there's some effort to let people know what's going on, but then the picture gives away a big plot point of the episode. And, granted, you're right, it's only the opening scene... but I at least would consider that a spoiler, because my preference is going in as blind as I possibly can, and even if it's just the opening scene that's spoiled, that's a moment of mystery and suspense that would be ruined if I knew what was going on. The shock value of 'oh my god, Sombra's coming back' would be gone, and that's something I value.
But what puzzles me is that there's a spoiler warning in text, but a spoilery cover art, when I would argue that the picture is much much much worse in terms of accidentally spoiling people, since it's easier to be seen from a quick glance--and, especially in the featured box, might very well be shoved in someone's face when they log onto the site, whether they're looking for it or not. I get that the story's inspired by the image and you want to show it... but could you not also put it in the author's notes section instead?
9552255 I don't think it's ok to use that cover art, especially now the story is in the feature box (which isn't your fault, I appreciate). Especially as it still has the MLP and Discovery Family logos on it, so it's obviously an official screenshot rather than non-canon fan art. It gives away Chrysalis' return, Tirek's, Cozy Glow's, Grogar's appearance and the villain team up in general, so, yeah, the image spoils five different things I'd prefer not to have spoiled. And having the spoiler tag even as the first thing in the description means it's only seen too late, as the eyes are drawn to a story's artwork first.
I think the crucial question is this - would you enjoy the episode more without that spoiler, or with? It may be the opening scene, but that scene made my jaw hit the floor, and it wouldn't have had half that effect if I'd known it were coming.
I would, at a bare minimum, wait for download links to be available for the episode before posting this. At the moment streaming links are there, but not download, which aren't great if you want to download the episodes to view on a TV rather than a computer. But waiting at least a week would be nice.
I'm really glad I avoided the site until I'd managed to see the episode, or I'd be fuming right now.
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Image removed and sent to the author's notes section, as suggested. I honestly hadn't thought of that, which is completely on me.
Honestly, I really should be blamed here - it had occurred to me that the image was a spoiler as I was hitting submit, but I managed to convince myself it was fine, publish it, and then didn't think about it again until I got that comment.
Probably should have removed it the first time I got that comment, so I do apologize. I'm also sorry for just trying to dismiss it out of hand.
To be safe, I won't put it back for a week.
-GM, master of images.
*Applause* Very nice! It definitely gives a solid method to bring the four bad guys together.
I liked how you managed to give the great image of an entire game with so few words. You get a good feel for all the non-written parts of the plot just through the selected moments offered here.
Now Grogar just needs to get one of those motivational cat posters and learn some business one-liners like, "Teamwork makes the dream work" and he may be able to really get the four villians to work as one instead of for their own gain.
Oh, I like this story, and it was entertaining.
My only real critique?
We don't know a lot of these characters. In other stories, we know the mane six and others, so we know their facial expressions and we can imagine the picture in our heads.
But this is new character setting for them, and most of the story is dialogue. It's hard to picture how some of these characters would want to react. Example:
""I'm not really an adventurer..." Butter said, looking at the ground despondently.
"We have our own mission!" Luna declared. "Begone, plane, and let us return to our devastation of the gods themselves!"
A shovel head fell from the sky and cut off Luna's ear.
"You're being restrictive," Sombra muttered."
All of this happened, and no reactions. The reader is not sure if everyone in the game is ok with this, or if everyone is doing their thing. We know Sombra muttered a response, but we didn't know if he was upset, mad, amused, or anything else. A few facial expressions described would help the reader picture things better.
So he wants to use a tabletop RPG to reduce shouting.
Yeah, good luck with that.
In any case, brilliant fun from start to finish. Thank you for a most entertaining read.
Then Spike challenges them to an Equinera off with him having to whip the Elements of Harmony into table top gaming shape.
I've been playing DnD for over 20 yrs, and I've never seen a session go THAT smoothly! Kudos on a great story. Kinda want more
One thing I don't get.
Does Sombra ship Luna with Tirek, or himself?
9560569
Not even I know the answer to that arcane mystery.
-GM, master of rice.
This story is great! Grogar, Cozy Glow, Tirek, Sombra and Chrysalis fit perfectly as a Pen & Paper RP group! And I was surprised by the ending, since it's a comedy fic, I thought they would just be at each other's throats in no time and that the game will end with a huge fight.
Nice choice with actually letting them succeed with growing together as a team! This story makes me curious for what Grogar will actually do to improve their teamwork.
There is only one small mistake here, that you have Cozy Glow revealing to be an adult and just a small mare. To Grogar, she was answering "Eh, I'm just a kid!" and that confirmed that she is a filly.
Also, any chances you will write more stories about them playing Equinera? This has potential.
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If you hope for the official comics to be canon, then you can rest peacefully, because they are. Claims of them showing an alternate universe always only come from people who can't read the official comics properly or who deny certain events seen in them because they don't like what transpired.
Sombra's appearance as evil in this episode is also not a contradiction of the comics and makes sense if looked at it closely and examined:
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/852899/the-beginning-of-the-end-review-analysis-prediction-why-season-9-will-have-the-greatest-ruse-in-equestrian-history
That was great
Very entertaining. Bonus points for basing the game on Numenera.
We need a sequel!
I love it. The idea of using something like O&O as a team building exercise is really fun. Good way for people to get to know each other.
9560597
Can you add more adventure?
This story just reminds me of a CD drama for the OVERLORD anime, where Ainz attempts to make the guardians not be completely horrible to humans, by making them play a TRPG, playing as humans
Huh, That's a complaint that's specific enough to be an opinon of the author.
Or Maybe O&O is in 4E (cue Seinfeld Theme)
Am I the only one who thought of this?
Ironic, isn't it
And the Sombra x Luna ship continues!
Very amusing. I wish there was more.
Then I wouldn't have to stop reading.
lol! I can't stop laughing!
9576030
I concur.
I just noticed the foreshadowing of Gander and Luna
Sombra said this right after meeting Gander, implying physical attraction, and
This line implied that they grew closer in their travels, calling him Dear. The fact that this was all done through Sombra's dialogue as Luna makes it so that it was Sombra doing all the set up for the relationship himself, which makes perfect sense.
I also like how Cozy subtly managed to steer Grogar into becoming a better DM. She said she was unnerved by the excessive detail he put into the descriptions of gore, which he took to heart. She also managed to get him to stop hassling Sombra about the direction of his chatacter directly.
It's like a guy busting in and saying he's a golden great wyrm who chose to disguise himself as a sorcerer.
And the the golden great wyrm gets brutally nerfed by the gods.