Aaron's bad-ass sword-wielding elf had killed (almost) every damned opponent I'd put on the table in ONE HIT. Son of a bitch.
The Dwarven Traitor to the Troll Warlord...one hit.
Fuck that.
His brother, the Raven King of the North, was being choked, hung from the rafters by a whip that was held by He Who Rules by Whip, Sword and Spell, the biggest, baddest Orc in the campaign, an NPC listed in the back of the book.
They fenced for a little while, circled, parried, let their armor do a little work for them and then, at the same moment they went for the Great Strike, the most brutal hit possible in the Burning Wheel system. When Aaron and I saw what we had in store for one another, we high-fived, knowing full well it could be the end of his character.
Great Strike allows the player to either add to the power of the hit or add to the hits ability to penetrate armor. They both went for the armor penetration.
And they both got it.
Aaron got lucky, he was just maimed, sword stuck through his chest.
He Who Rules was not so lucky, his sword arm was chopped off and the blow continued on through his chest, stuck in his sternum.
Aaron's elf, The Herald of the Dawn, collaposed in his brother's arms and his brother called for a healer. It took him four months to recover from his wounds, one iota short of death.
It was a good fight. I realized right then that I need never see an elf fight an orc at my gaming table again. It will never be cooler than that for me.
I'm satisfied.
How about you? It can be a joke that happened at the table, a snack, a game event, whtaever. What happened at your table this week that reminded you why you love this hobby?