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Post by grodog on Feb 14, 2009 14:47:51 GMT -6
Hola folks---
Here's the masthead for my column in KS#1:
The first article was about "One-Way Doors, Variable Stairs, and the Accessibility of Sub-Levels" and I have several more columns completed or nearly-completed. What topics would you like to see discussed in future columns?
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Post by grodog on Feb 28, 2009 10:24:31 GMT -6
Any thoughts? I'm working on the next few columns as I'm on vacation through Tuesday.
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Post by Zulgyan on Feb 28, 2009 10:54:51 GMT -6
I really enjoyed the article!
I would love to see a close up on tricks and traps based on illusions. I have already studied this subject for "The Pallace of Eternal Illusion", to be submitted to FO! as part of THE DARKNESS BENEATH megadungeon. But I would love to read what the master of all things megadungeon has to say about them! I'm sure I'll have things to learn.
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Post by ragnorakk on Feb 28, 2009 17:23:58 GMT -6
Is the subject of searching for secret doors/searching in general overdone? In terms of 'role-playing vs. rolling'... I think that I share a weakness with my players when it comes to this. I don't want to roll for secret door/trap/whatever detection, I would rather play it out - but have largely just ended up frustrating my player (and myself). I ask if it's overdone because there's been a lot of discussion about it recently in general - still I thought this might fall under your purview - and I'd be interested to read it! Thanks
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mythmere
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 293
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Post by mythmere on Mar 1, 2009 10:35:49 GMT -6
Is the subject of searching for secret doors/searching in general overdone? In terms of 'role-playing vs. rolling'... I think that I share a weakness with my players when it comes to this. I don't want to roll for secret door/trap/whatever detection, I would rather play it out - but have largely just ended up frustrating my player (and myself). I ask if it's overdone because there's been a lot of discussion about it recently in general - still I thought this might fall under your purview - and I'd be interested to read it! Thanks That might possibly get covered obliquely in this next issue, which will have a fair amount of "game theory" discussion about thieves and thieving abilities. In general, I use dice to determine whether the party finds a secret door, player skill to figure out how to open it. Some secret doors, the simple ones, are thus handled with pure die rolls. The interesting ones involve more thinking.
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Post by Random on Mar 1, 2009 14:23:04 GMT -6
Personally, I think secret doors should be... a) Found and opened with a die roll. (This is for generic secret doors.) b) Found with a die roll and opened with description (This is for when the mechanism is described in a module or in your notes.)
Occasionally one might be found with description as well, but usually not. I like to role play searching specific objects (like a chest) but not simple searches of entire rooms.
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Post by philotomy on Mar 6, 2009 23:22:35 GMT -6
I use a mixture of methods.
Hollow spaces, which might be secret doors, can be detected by tapping. This requires no rolls, just spending the time (and making the noise). Secret doors can also be found with a more thorough search, which typically uses a die roll. Identifying the presence of a secret door may or may not also identify the means to open it. If not, that is usually done through descriptive play.
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Post by francisca on Mar 13, 2009 13:52:49 GMT -6
I was looking over Wiz-War the other night, and thought the autowarp used in 3 player games might have some application in dungeons created by a devious DM.
;D
Here is the BGG entry for Wiz-War for those of you unfamiliar with it.
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Post by Lord Kilgore on Mar 17, 2009 8:22:09 GMT -6
Personally, I think secret doors should be... a) Found and opened with a die roll. (This is for generic secret doors.) b) Found with a die roll and opened with description (This is for when the mechanism is described in a module or in your notes.) Occasionally one might be found with description as well, but usually not. I like to role play searching specific objects (like a chest) but not simple searches of entire rooms. This is how I do it, as well, with the addition that I give NPCs a chance to discover either type on a roll. If an NPC is assigned to search a location ("Hey, send the halfling to search for doors over by the bookcase while we loot the bodies!") I roll. If a PC searches the same area, I make him tell me what he's doing to see if he discovers it or not.
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Post by grodog on Mar 19, 2009 22:27:23 GMT -6
I really enjoyed the article! Thanks! ;D I would love to see a close up on tricks and traps based on illusions. I definitely have some thoughts along those lines, though I hadn't considered them for the column: more for a stand-alone article, but I'll talk to Matt about it. I have already studied this subject for "The Pallace of Eternal Illusion", to be submitted to FO! as part of THE DARKNESS BENEATH megadungeon. Have you dug into the Dragon 66 articles? Good stuff therein. But I would love to read what the master of all things megadungeon has to say about them! I'm sure I'll have things to learn. Thanks again zulgyan: I'm certainly not the master, given the Greyhawk Construction Company megadungeon brain trust board of directors membership, but I'm happy to have a seat at the table from time to time
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Post by grodog on Mar 19, 2009 22:28:24 GMT -6
On secret doors, I'm not sure that there's sufficient meat there for a full article, but I'll give it some more thought.
Thanks for the input everyone!
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