KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE: THE BAG WARS SAGA

Who knew storage could lead to an all-out war? The Knights of the Dinner Table collection The Bag Wars Saga collects the varied strips revolving around a Bag of Holding (for those non-Dungeons & Dragons players, a Bag of Holding is a magical device capable of holding massive amounts without getting full or heavy), adding new material and modifying the original work to make a cohesive story.

In this story, collected from several periods in the KODT issues, the Knights (rules-lawyer Brian playing mage Black Lotus; whiny Bob playing thief Knuckles VI; jock Dave playing warrior El Ravager -- with his Hackmaster +12 sword; Sara playing diplomatic cleric Justina) have gone from solo adventurers to military leaders, amassing an army to kill the dragon Rhautghut ("Rot Gut"). When the dragon is slain, gamemaster B.A. explains that Rot Gut kept all his treasure in a Bag of Hefty Capacity, small and easily moved. Brian, cheap as always, decides to dodge paying their army by getting the army, led by Sergeant Barringer, to enter the bag, then simply not letting them out. Brian then figures the best way to avoid getting penalties for their one million gold pieces in dragon loot is to spend it all, buying everything they could ever want, and storing it in the Bag. (The Bag Wars Saga contains several long lists of items.)

When the Knights eventually need something from the Bag, they make a discovery: Sergeant Barringer and his men are still alive, and they used the Knights' goods to create a fortress and large weaponry. (Several characters who look in the bag get nailed in the face by a catapult.) What follows is a long saga where the Knights engage in all-out wars (Sara: "There was a third war??!! How'd I miss that one?") to try and get their goods back. Along the way are a mysterious HackMaster item called the Jackson Document, some of the worst miniatures ever ("He's got two left hands and no face"), the proper way to treat NPCs, and how to dispose of troll parts.

The Bag Wars Saga is, pardon the phrase, a mixed bag. Since the Knights are, by definition, a party of four adventurers, it's strange to see them spending so much time with an army under their belt, planning complex military maneuvers instead of dungeon-crawling. All the typical KODT humor is still here, though, from Brian's constant rules-lawyering to in-group squabbles and planning (at Tic Tac Taco) to coming up with every loophole possible to get their own way. "Lotus' Journal" gives Brian's character's view of the epic struggle ("We will go in and take back what is OURS -- by FORCE!! Every last man in Barringer's Bag will be put to the sword abd made to pay dearly... Addendum: Add merchant who sold us fake map to list of asses to kick") and there's both a preview "Cries from the Attic" explaining what changes and additions were made, and a "Bag Wurld Cast of Characters" giving the history of the important figures here. The Bag Wars aren't my favorite KODT storyline, but The Bag Wars Saga is still a pretty funny read.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch