benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 30, 2013 14:32:21 GMT -6
Neat! I like the map flow!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 30, 2013 11:25:44 GMT -6
Looking at sh!tty player maps makes me smile every time and reminds me how much of the game is played inside our heads, (99% ?) , not only that but everyone at the table is seeing something different that works for them. This is a game that is played in one's mind, and yes, everyone will see something slightly different. That's actually an advantage of a game relying on one's imagination, rather than being a passive spectator of say, what someone else has already imagined for you on a computer screen.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 29, 2013 12:21:41 GMT -6
Great discussion. Grodog, I think everyone would love to see a comparison of player maps versus DM maps - I would like to see that from anyone's game! Very cool! Please do so if it is not too much trouble. Good idea. Alright, I'll start. From our game session this week end, running an intro module for the Hobby Shop Dungeon Ernie and I came up with. Player map: DM map section concerned (from the draft of the map):
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 26, 2013 14:07:23 GMT -6
Dang, Benoist. That is a nice map. Thanks Library Lass! The first map is my map of Dunfalcon, which blends Yggsburgh and the East Mark with Greyhawk, among other things, and the other is the Hyperborean Labs that can be found described with tons of advice for use at different tables with different sets of rules in AFS Magazine Issue #3.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 25, 2013 12:03:36 GMT -6
My style has been influenced by cartographers like Darlene, classic dungeons like Tamaochan or Tomb of Horrors, the compact and play-driven style of game masters like Gary Gygax (the original maps you are talking about in your OP), Ernie's, Rob Kuntz's, and I'm sure a bunch of other sources, but I think my style is my own, whether we're talking wilderness or dungeon maps. If I had to describe it I would say it's hand-drawn and textured, suggestive rather than photo-realistic, and generally uses a mellow, water-colored type of palette. Examples:
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
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Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 19, 2013 19:50:22 GMT -6
Great stuff, benoist! I haven't chewed through all of it yet, but I'm hoping you'll turn it into some kind of a consolidated pdf or something once you're finished. Thank you! The plan is indeed to collect everything and edit it, add some cool original illos and stuff and publish it afterwards as PDF and POD at least. It's too early for me to give a time frame or how exactly that's going to happen, but what you see here will remain available as you see it as well, so that everyone can use it to his or her own heart's content.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 19, 2013 19:23:55 GMT -6
My question is why the game evolved away from the classic dungeon. Some say megadungeons arent easily published, but I really disagree with that idea; I think they lend themselves to a modular approach; ie don't try to publish an entire megadungeon, but rather individual levels that the buyer could put together in whatever way they wish. My guess is that most people don't really grasp the map exploration dungeoncrawl game, or if they do grasp it, they simply don't like it as much as they like the other things they can do with the roleplaying concept. One of the things is that the experience of playing in a mega-dungeon campaign is actually hard, if not impossible, to replicate on the page, because so much of it is an organic process that is spawned by the campaign itself as it is played and developed and things are getting winged a lot from terse map keys and so on. One thing you can do with the printed page, for instance, is give a picture of what the environment looks like at a moment "M" in time, along with the tools to play out the dynamism of the place, and really keep repeating to the prospective DM that to replicate the actual feel of the dungeon in play, he/she's got to make it his or her own, to actually twist and tweak and "own" the place as an extension of his or her campaign. It'd be absurd in that sense to claim to be "faithful to the original dungeon experiences" just by taking a module and running it "as written", because the actual experience was anything but. You see what I mean? The modular approach can really help in giving an idea on how you can make the dungeon your own and plug whatever levels and content you want into the framework, because that's all the printed work can actually be: a starting point. A framework. Not the script of the campaign, and not the "end product" itself, which is the campaign as it is played and evolves and changes over time.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 19, 2013 19:17:31 GMT -6
I have a silly, weird, naive question. What's a "megadungeon?" Is that what we used to call a "dungeon"? As in, "Greyhawk Dungeon has ten levels?" Hi there, Mike! That is indeed a post-2000 gaming term that showed up to mean pretty much exactly that: dungeons spanning levels upon levels a la Greyhawk and Blackmoor, with the potential to serve as the main focus of the exploration, though that's not automatically the case (i.e. you can have a mega-dungeon that functions as a vast network of levels and is an adventure setting of its own and just adventure through it from time to time, like you could go adventure in say, Blackmoor from the Lake Geneva campaign and so on).
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 10, 2013 10:25:08 GMT -6
Awesome! Thanks for all of these tips. Gonna keep this handy for my designs. You're welcome, and thank you for your feedback. We have quite a few things to go through, still. The thread's not over yet.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 4, 2013 13:03:52 GMT -6
I had the chance to read the issue as well. I enjoyed it very much.
Loved the ogre slugs, the descriptions picked from CAS and the ideas Jason Zavoda shared with them, which I found very inspirational, the list of treasure will certainly save some time and sprung a few ideas for more in my game, I liked the ambiance of Into the Black Kingdoms quite a bit, the cult of silence gave me an idea for a spin-off deity for my campaign, and the were-shark totally would see some use in some isolated cult of a Hyperborean jungle island populated with forlorn descendants of the indigenous people of Polynesia (links with Mu and Lemuria come to mind).
It was totally win-win, and I loved it. Thanks and well done everyone!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jul 4, 2013 9:40:42 GMT -6
I am thoroughly enjoying Kusu's Cove and the Hyperborean Laboratory. For whatever odd reason, I have never read much REH, but I am a huge fan of Lovecraft and weird tales, so I'm able to follow it pretty well. This dungeon is well-done, well-organized, appears quite playable, and the layout and room descriptions are really enticing. In other words, this dungeon was worth the price of the magazine alone! Thank you very much, Keith! Glad you liked the issue and the Laboratory! If you or anyone has any question or comment or wants to share what they end up doing with it in their own games, by all means, shoot.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 30, 2013 13:33:24 GMT -6
Lone Wolf is awesome. BIG BIG fan here.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 28, 2013 9:20:32 GMT -6
Sure Benoist, what I mean is that your work is full of energy in the sense that you've put in so much detail, thought of so many interesting and creative things, and even sprinkled your posts with good art/imagery to bring your vision more clearly into my mind. It's an awesome effort. Thank you very much, inkmeister! I appreciate the compliment!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 25, 2013 20:31:19 GMT -6
Thank you very much, inkmeister! Could you explain what you mean by the energy you felt reading it? It could mean a number of things (all good sounding to me, rest assured), but I want to know what made you come up with that qualifier, if possible. Don't sweat it, we're between friends, here.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 25, 2013 20:24:10 GMT -6
Received my copies. I am very satisfied with the way the piece on the Hyberborean Laboratories came through. Scott made the right calls, in particular choosing between a map separate from the magazine and one bound to it (which defaulted to the latter): the loose map would have been lost by many. Such as it is, it will stay with the writeup, and that's the good call, ultimately.
Now I have some reading to do! Can't wait to find out what the other contributors came up with!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 25, 2013 12:03:26 GMT -6
Q: How big do I make the dungeon?
The short answer for me is "however big you want it to be". I don't define my campaign with a specific set of "protagonists." I don't construe my games as stories in the making. To quote E. Gary Gygax, "The adventure is the thing, not 'a story.' If you want stories, go read a book, If you want derring-do, play a real RPG and then tell the story of the adventure you barely survived afterwards. The tale is one determined by the players' characters' actions, surely!"
The fantasy games' milieu(s) exist(s) independently from a specific set of characters or party. The dungeon is a place that exists in the wilderness, and whoever wants to explore it can. The general expectation isn't to clean up entire levels to get to the bottom of the dungeon and "win the campaign", it's to explore what you can, one expedition at a time, probably investigating this set of stairs down or that strange idol you spotted the last time you were down there, to act on a bit of research you did when you were back in town, and so on. It's basically the Player's Handbook p.107+ (section "successful adventures"): the players' characters drive the game, set their objectives, and attempt to fulfill them during the expedition. Things can go awry or get badly sidetracked in the process, of course. Different players will have different characters and parties they belong to. Over time, the veteran players will create secondary characters to adventure with the newbies. Players will upgrade their henchmen to PC status, their hirelings to henchmen, and so on.
What I basically try to explain is that my campaign milieu is a live place, not a stage for a somewhat linear story line to take place.
From there, the expectation that the dungeon should be "as big as a specific set of players would care to explore" doesn't enter into my picture. I'm fine if the players decide to completely ignore the dungeon to venture in the wilderness for some time, or decide to make this or that town the center of their characters' activities in the world.
So the dungeon really can be as big as I want. If the party feels interested in this or that bit and keeps digging, cool, I'm ready for that. If the party wants to move on and do something else for a while, I'm cool with that too. As far as keeping the attention of the players focused on the dungeon, I find that if the dungeon is this sort of nexus of adventure and mystery in the immediate wilderness region around the PCs, if the each level is interesting in its own right, and each particular zone is made of interesting areas and cool dynamics, it's enough to get most players going for months and months of gaming back and forth, to and from the dungeon.
It's cool if you are running dungeons with a particular set of characters and have an expectation to "finish it through" with a kind of storyline progression or whatnot. I understand that can be fun too. It may depend on the time, commitments, however you enjoy the process of creating the environment in the first place, and so on, as well. It's just different strokes for different folks.
Remains the question which I think is just as important, if not more, actually:
Q: How small can the dungeon be?
I think the answer to that is in OD&D volume 3, The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures: "In beginning a dungeon it is advisable to construct at least three levels at once, noting where the stairs, trap doors (and chimneys) and slanting passages come out on lower levels, as well as the mouths of chutes and teleportation terminals."
Even though "a good dungeon will have no less than a dozen levels down, with offshot levels in addition," as it precises thereafter, I think we see in this quote the basic logic that sustains the creation of the gaming environment: it should be big enough to allow for a wide variety of exploration routes. It should involve many ways in which the game can unfold, in other words, so that the actual choices of the players, whether they decide to go left or right, up or down, actually matter and result in different game plays thereof. If no matter what you do the session ends up unfolding the same way, albeit with "encounter sequences" shuffled in a different order, then something's amiss. There should be more dynamism than that in the dungeon, because the players' agency in choosing where they go, what they do and how is ALL THEY HAVE. It's the reason why they play the dungeon exploration game in the first place.
So surely, one doesn't have to take this advice literally as "three levels or nothing". You could have one gigantic level with a dozen different entrances from the surface instead of three with chutes, stairs and slanting passages in between: Greg Gillespie's Barrowmaze comes to mind, on that score. But the essence is there: give the players' agency in the way they explore the place, make sure that different paths of exploration result in different game plays, and make it all interesting, intertwined, organic, and non-linear. The rest follows from there.
How ultimately small can a dungeon be? As small as it can without sacrificing exploration agency.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 23, 2013 15:36:57 GMT -6
BANDIT LEVEL MAP KEY, PART 4100 – Chasm and webs. This large area has collapsed a long time ago, and now leads to a very large and deep chasm reaching into the depths of the underworld. Thick spider webs can be seen covering the chasm, stretching from stalactite to stalagmite, between the natural pillars of stone of this place. There is also a smell of sulphur in the air, like a bitter, acrid, persistent, very obvious scent of rotten eggs all around. Torches and open flames carried by the characters will flare and burn slightly more brightly as they approach this area. These webs will not burn naturally, not like you might expect of usual spider webs, in any case: if exposed to a nourished fire (standing for more than a couple of rounds stubbornly trying to set the webs on fire despite the warning sparks such an action would spawn as a result), they will suddenly burst and create a chain reaction that is comparable to an exploring fireball (5-30 damage on a failed saving throw, half on a successful one) that will engulf the whole area in flame and smoke for a brief moment. These webs are strong, however, and can easily support the weight of men as they travel at half speed through the area over the chasm from one side of the cave to the other (roll a Paralization saving throw once to see if people trip and get entangled in the webs as they proceed through the area). Such an action will of course warn the Giant Man-eating spider of the presence of preys for her to feed on... There is a hole in the webs over the SE corner of the chasm, as though some heavy weight had fallen through at torn the webs apart at this particular location, which leads to a little opening large enough for an unarmoured man to squeeze through on the side of the cliff bordering the abyss below. This passage leads to area (101), which was used some time ago by a fleeing prisoner to try to escape from this place, but he died there instead. 101 – Chimney up to the surface. After stretching from the edge of the chasm under area (100) in a general south-eastern direction for about 20-25 feet the passage mentioned above turn sharply upward, leading to a small ledge where a prisoner of the goals once found refuge to die there. Only his skeleton remains, along with bits and pieces of his original equipment. [Equipment carried] Upwards beyond the ledge where the characters can find the skeleton the passage becomes incredibly tight. No normally constituted man could possibly squeeze any further. 102 – Lair of the Man-eating Spider. This area completely covered by webs to the point of looking like a giant tunnel, or funnel made out of webs. This is where the Man-eating spider can generally be found. This specimen is a beautiful, hairy arachnid of a general earthy, brownish colour that is reminiscent of the general appearance of the Goliath Bird-eating spider that can be found in the jungles of South America. www.youtube.com/watch?v=klHDzIIrsjYLike its Earth equivalent, this specimen can kick her back legs to project clouds of hair around her as a mean of protection. Treat her as a Giant Spider (MM 90) with the additional special ability to project 30' radius clouds of hair around her instead of biting. A saving throw against poison makes the effects of the cloud bearable (-2 on attack rolls nonetheless due to an immediate irritation of the eyes, nose and throat), whereas the alternative is crippling (severe irritation, crying, sneezing, coughing, -4 to attack rolls, half movement). 103 – The Spider's Eggs. This cavern is completely obstructed by thick spider webs. Hacking and slashing through, the party would find a large, 10-foot wide white bundle near its eastern wall. It is a bundle of spider eggs . Slashing the bundle open will release the eggs and trigger the premature hatching of a number of tiny hairy spiders, the offspring of the Man-eating spider at area (102) (20-120 hatching, treat as 1 HP, 1/2 HD critters doing one point of damage on a it, or as a group of little swarms 2-3 HD each, 1 HP representing a tiny spider within, attacking for 1-4 damage for each 6 HP it possesses). The skeleton of a man is glued to the webs behind the bundle (ripping it off would surely break the egg bundle apart): it carries 1-3 scrolls each inscribed with 1-3 spells of level 1-3 (determine randomly), 2-12 gems of 10 GP base value in a purse, and a strange, fist-sized pink crystal in the shape of a heart (the Good Heart of Zuun, see area 112 below). 104 – Muddy Cave. This area is perpetually wet. The mud here goes up to the waist and acts like a suction cup, making movement through it very difficult (MV reduced to a quarter speed). A number of undead are concealed by the mud. They will try to grab the legs of those who dare walk through, and will try to pull their victims down into the mud with them to suffocate (victims killed in such a fashion would be digested by the cursed muck and ultimately become skeletons themselves). Skeleton, MM 87. Consider this area a lair, with 3-30 present. 105 – Antechamber to the Harpies' Nest. Characters venturing there might be noticed by the Harpies at area (106) 2-in-6. The monsters will call the party in such an event (save versus magic, or approach them). 106 – The Harpies' Nest. This is the lair of a number of Harpies (MM 51, 2-12 present, AC 7, HD 3). They use the ventilation shafts at areas (107) and (108) to get in and out of the level. The nest is located on a rock protrusion hanging from the ceiling, right in the middle of this natural chamber. In the nest, 56 GP, 324 SP and a whopping 45,302 CP may be found. There is a potion of levitation (as per the spell) located there as well. 107, 108 – Ventilation Shafts. These vertical, natural ventilation shafts connect to the convoluted cave system above the level. This cave system eventually leads to the level 1b the Troglodyte fort and the surface beyond, and also connects with areas (112) and (14) on the level. 109 – The Grimlocks' Excavations. This area is where the excavations of the hobgoblins' grimlock slaves occur. There is a sinkhole right in the middle of this area leading down to mines where the grimlocks search for crystals necessary to the alchemist's experiments – see areas (58) and (59) for more information about Xaelaandder Bey the alchemist and his experiments. There is a 2-in-6 chance to meet a group of 1-10 Grimlocks and a leader (HD 3, AC 4) along with them come to or from the mines below. A small party of 1-4 hobgoblins might be there as well (referee's discretion). The mines form an isolated part of the waterworks sub-level below. All grimlocks actually hide valuable in their undies, or ... even more private places. For each individual roll d3. 1 = K Treasure (3-18 SP), 2 = L Treasure (2-12 EP), 3 M Treasure (2-8 GP). The leader will carry all three treasure types – same goes for the grimlocks at areas (110) and (111). 110 – The Grimlocks' Cave. The hobgoblins control 30 grimlock slaves who all live in this area and area (111) when they are not down the mines through the sinkhole at area (109). If no grimlocks were encountered at (109), there are 3-30 grimlocks along with 1-2 leaders present here. If grimlocks were met at (109), there are instead 2-20 grimlocks here and just one leader. The Champion of the Grimlock is present in this area 2-in-6. The grimlocks here as either worshipping the Hydra of area (112), fighting amongst themselves, playing cruel games, or eating scraps given to them by the hobgoblins. 111 – The Grimlocks' Lair. Those grimlocks who are not currently in the mines or present at area (110) will be here either resting or mating violently (not a pretty sight: These creatures are ugly, sadistic and worse than animals). 1-2 leaders are present here, depending on the number met at areas (109) and/or (110) previously (the grimlocks have a total of 3 leaders). Their Champion is present here 2-in-6. Treasure in lair: 112 – Levitating Stone Face and Hydra. This area is the bottom of a huge cylindrical shaft running all the way up to a cave system which ultimately emerges in level (1b Troglodyte Fort) and the surface beyond. The ventilation shafts of areas (107) and (108) connects with this large natural chimney, as well as the tunnels up the cracks in the dome of area (14). The bottom of this shaft is entirely flooded but for a roughly 30 feet by 40 feet natural rock protrusion. A large block of rectangular stone levitates over it. A gigantic face has been carved on one of its sides, and under it, a hole where its heart ought to be. The face in the block of stone is ancient, and may be awakened. It has been built by the Ancients of Mu, and was placed here aeons ago by the Sorcerer Kings who created this advanced location and the Troglodyte Fort above (level 1b). Placing one of the Hearts of Zuun with bring the face back to conscience. Its alignment will depend on which heart is placed in the socket, and its goals will vary accordingly, from giving the players information about the Sorcerer Kings, their experiments, the search for the magics of the Builders that preceded them, even parts of maps to different locations in the dungeon (Good Heart from area 103), to wanting to break free from this place, potentially charging the party with this quest which could potentially lead them to different locations in the dungeon (Neutral Heart from area 116), or just manipulating them so that it can take over the whole complex, as a sort of evil patron or semi-deity (Evil Heart from this area). If the face feels Magic Users around it (by the pool of water around the rock protrusion, for instance), it might push its conscience to make its heart socket throb and shine with an obviously magical aura. A five-headed hydra (MM 53, HD 5, AC 5) lairs in the waters around. It is worshipped by the grimlocks, who seldom approach it, but for their Champion, who is the representative of the Hydra amongst them, and may be here imagining itself entertaining some form of dialog with the monster (the Hydra is semi-intelligent and just leaves the Champion alone because he brings it food in the form of the various sacrifices performed by the grimlocks for their multi-headed “god”). The Champion (HD 4, HP 27, AC 3) is present here 2-in-6. He carries with him the ruby-coloured, fist-sized shard of crystal known as the Evil Heart of Zuun (which he recuperated from the depths of the waters around the levitating block of stone), has a potion of water-breathing, and 3 gems of a base 50 GP value each. The Hydra's treasure hoard is located deep underwater. It contains thousands of pieces of copper and silver, a few hundred pieces of gold and electrum, 1-8 gems of a base 100 GP value, 1-4 pieces of jewelry and a full suit of magical armor +1 that used to belong to one of the Sorcerer Kings. 113 – The Hobgoblins' Lair. There is always at least 10 hobgoblins in this room. 2-in-6 chance to meet 1-6 more and a sergeant with two assistants (HP 9, see Hobgoblin in MM 53). Determine individual treasure randomly (types J and M). 114 – The Hobgoblins' Cave. The hobgoblins' common area. 2-12 individual present, plus 2-12 of the Chief's bodyguards. They might be in the process of roasting one of the bandits who insulted Oldebert the First of area (47), or just about to start. A fight might already have broken out to determine who will get the first cut once the man is well done. 115 – Chamber of the Hobgoblin Chieftain. This area is the hobgoblin Chieftain's domain (AC 2, 22 HP, 1d10+1 damage, fights like a 4 HD monster). Those amongst his 15 bodyguards who are not at area (114) will be present here. They will each have personal wealth (J and M). The leader will carry 2-8 gems of a base 50 GP value, 1-4 gems of a base 100 GP value, 1-3 gems of a base 500 GP value, and one gem of a base 1,000 GP value. Note the boulders separating the hobgoblins' areas from the caves of the grimlocks at area (110) and beyond can be removed by a number of humanoids going at it for one full exploration turn, something the hobgoblins do twice a day to lead the grimlocks down to the mines and back. 116 – The Hobgoblins' Loot. The hobgoblins' stash is located here. Roll randomly for a treasure hoard type D from the MM. It also contains the Neutral Heart of Zuun in a locked chest with a poison needle trap. 117 – Prismatic room. See area (30) for more information. Key Complete. Next time: We are going to finish the discussion of this sample level with a wandering monster table, the discussion of the group dynamics and possible evolutions of the level throughout the campaign, as well as a set of possible objectives and adventure hooks that could get a party of adventurers involved here. The levitating stone face of area (112).
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 17, 2013 19:36:20 GMT -6
Awesome! Please let us know what you think, arokh!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 13, 2013 12:53:08 GMT -6
Looks great!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 9, 2013 12:14:55 GMT -6
I too used to house rule my games a lot. Now I prefer to not modify the actual framework of the game I use*. I may add some sub-systems, come up with spells and items of course, even add a specific character class or whatnot, and will use rulings over rules all the time, in some instances house ruling something organically, when it comes up time and time again, but I'm in a phase right now where I don't feel the need to revise a game from the ground up, or come up with one entirely of my own, for that matter.
Maybe that'll change in the future. I don't know.
* I did house rule OD&D a lot in one of the campaigns I ran with it and came up with an economy of actions based on equivalences in Men and damage given up for special maneuvers and the like. I'd still like to flesh that out thoroughly and publish it as its own "Supplement", with an associated setting and the traditional men and magic, monsters and treasures and underworld and wilderness adventures sections, one day.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 9, 2013 12:07:58 GMT -6
Yeah I riffed off the Vikings in AS&SH as well. The PCs in my game have taken over a mercenary Viking ship with a crew that doesn't like the worshippers of Ullr and identifies strongly with the "Old Faith". They cry "FOR ODIN!" when going into battle and so on. The Viking dynamics in my Hyperborea are actually a possible venue of discovery and developments for the PCs, if they choose to care for it. Likewise, I embrace the pulp of AS&SH. Some historical bits or details are fine, but I'm not about to make a history lesson about Horned helmets when the same Vikings could hold laser guns and have their brains stolen by the Mi Go, if you see what I mean. Actually, the clichés are really part of the pulp feel of the game, to me. Now, I also detail a lot of stuff, like the Half-blood picts being kind of my fantasy version of the first nations living around where I live, on the Central Coast of British Columbia, but I also embrace the pulp feel of it all, and don't want it to actually be historically "correct", on purpose. There needs to be a place for one's imagination in this game, and it is there in part because of its pulp affiliation. In spades, actually.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 9, 2013 12:00:51 GMT -6
Hey! Somehow I missed this! I love villages on stilts - I got one in Kusu's Cove, it's basically where the bandits lair within. Anyway: I really like the map. It's clear and I can "see" what it looks like in the game. Very nice! I'll go for hand drawn over electronic every time! I just love how you can "see" and feel the drawing as you look at it.
When is Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes coming out? I need to get myself an actual print copy of Taken from Dunwhich too at some point too!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 9, 2013 11:00:59 GMT -6
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 8, 2013 11:56:58 GMT -6
Though these laboratories were used in my AS&SH campaign, I wrote it intentionally with very little stats and number crunching, and with loads of ambiance and details on how to plug this dungeon into your own game however you want. It would work great in most fantasy campaigns, O/AD&D, Hackmaster, DCC RPG, 3e, 4e, Next, etc. It could work with completely different games too. As long as you have the potential for a cabal of bad or neutral guys to investigate supernatural forces or technology beyond their understanding, with the PCs coming in much later into the picture to explore the place where these experiments were conducted, it can be plugged into your game. A few examples coming to mind: RuneQuest: the labs were used by either the Wyrm Friends or the God Learners in Ages past. They meddled with hero quests, the hero plane, runes, those kinds of powers, and it backlashed into their faces, corrupting the area around the labs. Call of Cthulhu and/or Delta Green: these could be labs from the FBI post-Innsmouth raid in the USA. The US government meddled with Cthulhu forces, studying various artefacts in that locale. The whole program was shut down after a backlash and the place shut down, hoping the public wouldn't ever become aware of its existence. Cyberpunk 2020: A corp made some technological experiments involving really futuristic technologies like space bending, evolved AIs and the like (could be some work on the seed AIs which could later plug into an Eclipse Phase future for your CB20K game). The PCs are hired by a competitor to steal the secrets locked up there after the experiments were shut down, or even if they are still taking place in the complex. Add a net layer on top of the labs, so that the physical location and its net counterpart can be both interacted with by the PCs, including netrunners. Shadowrun: Mix CB20K with the fantasy setting, netrunners for deckers, make the corruption both technological and magical, tempering with the forces of nature and its spiritual reality both. The Shadowrunners are hired in a similar fashion than CB20K, to bust into the place, retrive the data, and give it to their employer when everything's said and done. Star Wars: this was a temple of the Sith built within the cavern networks of a gigantic asteroid. Holocrons have been taking a life of their own, and the influence of the Dark Side of the force has taken a hold over this whole area. Connections with other dimensions or worlds could become access to Holocron memories, or Virtual realities. The Jedi have tried to gain control of the place but failed. They fell to the Dark Side as well. Deathwatch: Get to the labs of the Chaos worshippers. Kill everything inside. Retrieve the data and whatever fueled the experiments which unleashed the forces of Chaos on the planet/in the asteroid field/whatever. For the Emperor! And so on.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 7, 2013 19:46:58 GMT -6
The Perrin Conventions, which inspired RuneQuest's combat structure, were OD&D house rules.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 7, 2013 19:07:09 GMT -6
I for one really like the new layout!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Jun 7, 2013 19:01:28 GMT -6
The print and the cover look awesome! Jeff has been a great sport and I thank him for his help when putting this adventure setting together! Can't wait to see this puppy in the hands of the AFS readers to see what they're going to do with it! Thanks so much Scott for managing the whole thing. The mag is a blast. I've been enjoying it a lot, used stuff from it in my games, and I'm both honored and thrilled to be able to share some of my stuff on its pages. Namaste!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on May 14, 2013 11:56:16 GMT -6
Very cool card!
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 5, 2013 10:22:12 GMT -6
This looks amazing. I haven't been on K&KA for a while, so I guess I missed any discussion there, but I'd certainly like to know more about the project. Looking forward to these developments, Ben! Thank you, guys! System? ~Scott "-enkainen" Casper We are using 1st edition rules, as per the original keys. It should be fairly easy to use with other versions of the game.
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benoist
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
OD&D, AD&D, AS&SH
Posts: 346
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Post by benoist on Apr 4, 2013 20:58:53 GMT -6
I shared a picture on facebook and G+ about the project we are working on with Ernie Gygax. I just posted this same post on the RPG Site as well as the Knights & Knaves Alehouse. So here it is, along with the general "map description" I posted elsewhere: "This is the map of the Hobby Shop Dungeon's Surface Level as drawn by yours truly, and presented to the players during the games run by Ernie Gygax at Gary Con V, March 14-17, 2013. This classic, large dungeon at the roots of our game and favorite pastime was played at the Dungeon Hobby Shop of Lake Geneva during the late 70s. Since then, a thousand or more players have plundered its depths and/or met their doom within over the years! Soon, we hope you too will be able to take part in this shared experience and do with this module as you will. Ernie and I are now working hard to bring this quality, time-honored, old school adventure setting to your own game tables. No release date yet. We will let you know. We just couldn't resist and had to share this photo with you all!" I can't go into spoilers and details and the like, but if you guys want to talk about it, or ask some general questions or whatnot, here's the thread for it here. I hope to post some updates on here when they become relevant and the like. I'm getting busy now (and have been for a while, you might have noticed), so excuse me if I'm not answering questions right away.
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