So, as I begin to write the Goblins of Mord Mar tournament module, I am reviewing some early design decisions. Most have held strong through the year plus of design and playtesting. The 'Meave' has not, however. I find that it has to be abolished. It is counteractive to what a megadungeon is supposed to be. It gives the players a distinct advantage, and needs to go.
It simply didn't exist. I'm not sure what ramifications this will have on the playtest. I don't think any players will be slighted by this decision. Even if they are, this is the nature of a playtest.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
So, I asked my players this weekend a fairly simple question:
What do you imagine when I say 'you see a goblin coming at you, describe what he looks like'
There were 5 players, and all of the answers were similar. Here's what was the same:
Short (although this varied from 3'-5')
pointy teeth/beady eyes
low quality equipment
green (with one player saying green-brownish)
4 of the players included some form of "bad hygiene" as well:
dirty and smelly and messy
greasy hair (if any)
poor hygiene
and my personal favorite: very Tolkien-esque
Now, I asked this question with a specific goal in mind: to give the goblins of Mord Mar a distinctive flavor and description. But, it brought me to something deeper. The game we play and love is mostly inside of our imaginations. We don't all see the same thing from a description. Let me give an example:
Two humanoids are walking down the corridor toward you. One is wearing heavy armor, with a helmet covering their face. The other is dressed in all black and wearing a fedora type hat. Both are carrying weapons, sheathed but ready. The stop at the edge of your torchlight and wait, seeming to stare at you.
What weapon is the 'heavy armor character' carrying? What does his helmet look like? Do you imagine the fedora wearer as a rogue type character? Or a mage? What type of weapon is sheathed at their side? What sex are each of them? Please feel free to answer any of these questions in the comments, if you want.
Description makes and breaks an encounter. It is probably the most important skill of a game master. Therefore it is important to get any description right. With this in mind, here is the first official description of a Mord Mar goblin.
Goblins in Mord Mar are short, nimble creatures, standing about 3 1/2 feet tall. They have gray skin and small heads, which are barely humanoid. Their ears are small and pointed, similar to a cat's. Their armor and weapons are of low quality, usually scavenged from a corpse, or fashioned from primitive materials. Their stench radiates around them, a mixture of stale sweat and foul breath. A goblin's teeth are small razors that jut in crazy directions, and their mouths look much to big for their faces. Most goblins in Mord Mar have small, angular noses, with tiny nostrils. This makes them breathe through their mouths.
Goblins live in tribal units called 'warrens.' Life in a warren is chaotic and brutal. Most males live short lives, and are destined to die at the hands of their kin. Females are treasured prizes which are frequently gambled with, or fought over. It is not uncommon for a female to be killed by someone who just won her. Goblins fear anything stronger than themselves, and will flee, leaving behind anything they are not carrying when confronted with something more powerful.
Warren hierarchy is strongest to weakest. A leader only stays a leader as long as he can win battles. Most leaders will use poison to keep themselves on top of the warren. They will often employ the poison before a troublemaker can challenge them.
Feel free to comment about this description as well.
What do you imagine when I say 'you see a goblin coming at you, describe what he looks like'
There were 5 players, and all of the answers were similar. Here's what was the same:
Short (although this varied from 3'-5')
pointy teeth/beady eyes
low quality equipment
green (with one player saying green-brownish)
4 of the players included some form of "bad hygiene" as well:
dirty and smelly and messy
greasy hair (if any)
poor hygiene
and my personal favorite: very Tolkien-esque
Now, I asked this question with a specific goal in mind: to give the goblins of Mord Mar a distinctive flavor and description. But, it brought me to something deeper. The game we play and love is mostly inside of our imaginations. We don't all see the same thing from a description. Let me give an example:
Two humanoids are walking down the corridor toward you. One is wearing heavy armor, with a helmet covering their face. The other is dressed in all black and wearing a fedora type hat. Both are carrying weapons, sheathed but ready. The stop at the edge of your torchlight and wait, seeming to stare at you.
What weapon is the 'heavy armor character' carrying? What does his helmet look like? Do you imagine the fedora wearer as a rogue type character? Or a mage? What type of weapon is sheathed at their side? What sex are each of them? Please feel free to answer any of these questions in the comments, if you want.
Description makes and breaks an encounter. It is probably the most important skill of a game master. Therefore it is important to get any description right. With this in mind, here is the first official description of a Mord Mar goblin.
Goblins in Mord Mar are short, nimble creatures, standing about 3 1/2 feet tall. They have gray skin and small heads, which are barely humanoid. Their ears are small and pointed, similar to a cat's. Their armor and weapons are of low quality, usually scavenged from a corpse, or fashioned from primitive materials. Their stench radiates around them, a mixture of stale sweat and foul breath. A goblin's teeth are small razors that jut in crazy directions, and their mouths look much to big for their faces. Most goblins in Mord Mar have small, angular noses, with tiny nostrils. This makes them breathe through their mouths.
Goblins live in tribal units called 'warrens.' Life in a warren is chaotic and brutal. Most males live short lives, and are destined to die at the hands of their kin. Females are treasured prizes which are frequently gambled with, or fought over. It is not uncommon for a female to be killed by someone who just won her. Goblins fear anything stronger than themselves, and will flee, leaving behind anything they are not carrying when confronted with something more powerful.
Warren hierarchy is strongest to weakest. A leader only stays a leader as long as he can win battles. Most leaders will use poison to keep themselves on top of the warren. They will often employ the poison before a troublemaker can challenge them.
Feel free to comment about this description as well.
A difficult choice
The party dealt with simultaneous attacks on the city. The druid attacked the place where the most people were, namely the PC's knighting ceremony. Meanwhile, the Old Man attacked where his nephew was held, the Clerical Apartments.
The motivations of the enemies robbed the PCs of some of the choice. The druid, who wants blood for his ceremony, attacked where the PC's were, making him the more immediate threat. He also brought a dragon (a young adult red) to the killing frenzy. In all, 40 city folk lie dead. Although they encountered the Old Man, the druid was more in their face. This almost robbed them of choice.
As I begin to prepare to put my notes into a printable format, I find myself facing a similar dilemma. Boxed Set or Source Book? Both formats have some merit. The boxed set allows for separation of GM/Player info, poster sized maps, and the addition of things like player hand outs. The Source Book is the standard today of RPGs everywhere. It probably has room for more information overall. The source book would be easier for converting to PDF.
The party followed after the druid and his dragon, again plumbing into the depths of Mord Mar. Making a lot of noise, they attracted some were-bears. While fighting the were-bears, the Menagana attacked as well. A few party members were turned to stone, but all survived. The stats for the Menagana:
Init +6, Senses: All around vision, Darkvision 60' Perception +22
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +9 natural, –1 size)
HD 12 HP 75 DR 5/
The motivations of the enemies robbed the PCs of some of the choice. The druid, who wants blood for his ceremony, attacked where the PC's were, making him the more immediate threat. He also brought a dragon (a young adult red) to the killing frenzy. In all, 40 city folk lie dead. Although they encountered the Old Man, the druid was more in their face. This almost robbed them of choice.
As I begin to prepare to put my notes into a printable format, I find myself facing a similar dilemma. Boxed Set or Source Book? Both formats have some merit. The boxed set allows for separation of GM/Player info, poster sized maps, and the addition of things like player hand outs. The Source Book is the standard today of RPGs everywhere. It probably has room for more information overall. The source book would be easier for converting to PDF.
The party followed after the druid and his dragon, again plumbing into the depths of Mord Mar. Making a lot of noise, they attracted some were-bears. While fighting the were-bears, the Menagana attacked as well. A few party members were turned to stone, but all survived. The stats for the Menagana:
Init +6, Senses: All around vision, Darkvision 60' Perception +22
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +9 natural, –1 size)
HD 12 HP 75 DR 5/
Speed 40 ft., swim 20 ft.
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks charming song (DC 20 Will/ Cha based), petrification gaze (DC 16 Fort/ Cha based)
Spells Known (CL 7th)
3rd (5/day)— Fireball, Dispel Magic (DC 16)
1st (7/day)— Cure Light Wounds, Magic Missile, Summon Monster I
0 (at will)— Daze (DC 13), Bleed, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Mage Hand
Friday, December 13, 2013
Faction Interaction
So, this morning, I found this. It is a fair point that must be made about Megadungeon design, and philosophy. And this is not something I have used too much thus far. Back in the early days of the development of the campaign, Ludos <wants to eat> Goblins <wants to sack> City <wants real estate back> was about as far as it went. The 'Old City' level had goblins, and rats, and well, that's about it. Nothing that really had a structure of co-operation or of antipathy towards one another. The early stuff is eat or get eaten, about as simple as it gets for interaction between groups.
Since then, there has been a coven of hags added to the 'Old City.' In the playtest, the party destroyed this coven (and the goblins for that matter). As they didn't co-exist in real time, I hadn't thought about how they would exist in game-time either. I will rectify that right now:
The 'Old City' houses a few different groups that have eked out power bases. From weakest to strongest these are:
Black Ants on the verge of extinction from Red Ants
Dire Apes able to secure a single home inside the 'Old City' Their number is small (5) but they are more physically dominant than most of the surrounding factions.
Goblins (in the Old Citadel) winning the numbers game at the beginning of the campaign
Orcs (Black Heart Tribe) badly equipped and unable to hold territories for long.
Orcs (Black Eye Tribe) split from the Black Heart Tribe, due to 'weak leadership' Took the strongest warriors with them.
Gnolls (unknown name Tribe) able to hold territory due to shrewd negotiations with neighbors.
Red Ants aggressive and nearly destroying primary competitors, the Black Ants
Baen's Circle are 9 Hags bent on bringing the Glabreazou back to (life? this plane?)
Gnolls (Smash Tooth Tribe) another Gnoll tribe who holds territory due to cunning deals. Also have ogres, orcs, and a troll in their tribe.
There may be more on that first level, but those are the ones that the party has heard of. Here are some interactions between the groups:
Black Ants only interact with Red Ants, and are losing their war for survival.
Dire Apes keep to themselves, and are satisfied with the basic necessities.
Goblins attack all who enter their home (the Old Citadel). They are generally killed when stepping foot outside of their small area.
Black Heart Tribe attack goblins on sight. They avoid Black Eyes as much as possible.
Black Eye Tribe attack Black Heart Tribe on sight. They blame the 'Hearts' for the Orcs not being the most dominant group in the city.
Gnolls (unknown tribe) negotiate with anyone who they can. They trade information for necessities.
Red Ants avoid most other social groups. They are attempting to become the primary carrion eaters in the area.
Baen's Circle will charm any humanoids they come across, and use them until they are dead. Otherwise they avoid contact to remain unnoticed in the Old City.
Smash Tooth Gnolls have been feeding the Red Ants carrion, and generally interact with everyone else as Neutral reactions.
There you go, a short list of how the groups interact with each other in the Old City. There are individuals too, that can change these balances (hydra, dragons, etc.) Those are singletons though, and are easily able to overpower all except the Hags.
Since then, there has been a coven of hags added to the 'Old City.' In the playtest, the party destroyed this coven (and the goblins for that matter). As they didn't co-exist in real time, I hadn't thought about how they would exist in game-time either. I will rectify that right now:
The 'Old City' houses a few different groups that have eked out power bases. From weakest to strongest these are:
Black Ants on the verge of extinction from Red Ants
Dire Apes able to secure a single home inside the 'Old City' Their number is small (5) but they are more physically dominant than most of the surrounding factions.
Goblins (in the Old Citadel) winning the numbers game at the beginning of the campaign
Orcs (Black Heart Tribe) badly equipped and unable to hold territories for long.
Orcs (Black Eye Tribe) split from the Black Heart Tribe, due to 'weak leadership' Took the strongest warriors with them.
Gnolls (unknown name Tribe) able to hold territory due to shrewd negotiations with neighbors.
Red Ants aggressive and nearly destroying primary competitors, the Black Ants
Baen's Circle are 9 Hags bent on bringing the Glabreazou back to (life? this plane?)
Gnolls (Smash Tooth Tribe) another Gnoll tribe who holds territory due to cunning deals. Also have ogres, orcs, and a troll in their tribe.
There may be more on that first level, but those are the ones that the party has heard of. Here are some interactions between the groups:
Black Ants only interact with Red Ants, and are losing their war for survival.
Dire Apes keep to themselves, and are satisfied with the basic necessities.
Goblins attack all who enter their home (the Old Citadel). They are generally killed when stepping foot outside of their small area.
Black Heart Tribe attack goblins on sight. They avoid Black Eyes as much as possible.
Black Eye Tribe attack Black Heart Tribe on sight. They blame the 'Hearts' for the Orcs not being the most dominant group in the city.
Gnolls (unknown tribe) negotiate with anyone who they can. They trade information for necessities.
Red Ants avoid most other social groups. They are attempting to become the primary carrion eaters in the area.
Baen's Circle will charm any humanoids they come across, and use them until they are dead. Otherwise they avoid contact to remain unnoticed in the Old City.
Smash Tooth Gnolls have been feeding the Red Ants carrion, and generally interact with everyone else as Neutral reactions.
There you go, a short list of how the groups interact with each other in the Old City. There are individuals too, that can change these balances (hydra, dragons, etc.) Those are singletons though, and are easily able to overpower all except the Hags.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
A Crossroads
The Mord Mar playtest is at a crossroads. There are 2 major plot lines coming to a head: The Curse of the Old Man and the Druid Assassin.
For a quick recap, The Curse of the Old Man is the storyline of the party's ex-wizard (and Paladin and Rogue) who was attempting to recover the Ring of Xygan (and did). Now he is after the body of his dead nephew, Ezekial.
The Druid Assassin started when a player didn't enjoy his character, Cerulean. She was assassinated by a druid, and I thought that was the end to it. Fast forward 6 months or so, and a new player decided to play her brother (a Paladin) and track down her killer. I'm always up for a challenge, so I allowed it. Now, several sessions into the mystery, they have found she was killed for her sorcerous blood, so that some coven of ancient druids may raise an "elder god."
The coven's time grows short. They have 4 days in-game left to collect enough blood for the god raising ritual. They are desperate, and are considering making a raid on the town.
Meanwhile, the Old Man is planning on recovering Ezekial's body. That's when all hell breaks loose. 2 separate attacks on the city, both from within. It looks like we are in for an interesting week of gaming come Saturday.
This week illustrates a great thing about 'sandbox' games. There will be meaningful choices without illusion. Whichever attacker the party decides to deal with, the other will accomplish their goal. One of the 2 party goals will become significantly more difficult after Saturday. We shall see which one.
As this blog is about upcoming events, I don't want to spoil what is upcoming with a preview. Instead, here's a feature within a 2 hour walk of the city. Inside the old city is a time bubble. This time bubble is locked outside of time. Inside is an Angel locked in timeless mortal combat with a demon. The battle looks like it has turned against the Angel.
For a quick recap, The Curse of the Old Man is the storyline of the party's ex-wizard (and Paladin and Rogue) who was attempting to recover the Ring of Xygan (and did). Now he is after the body of his dead nephew, Ezekial.
The Druid Assassin started when a player didn't enjoy his character, Cerulean. She was assassinated by a druid, and I thought that was the end to it. Fast forward 6 months or so, and a new player decided to play her brother (a Paladin) and track down her killer. I'm always up for a challenge, so I allowed it. Now, several sessions into the mystery, they have found she was killed for her sorcerous blood, so that some coven of ancient druids may raise an "elder god."
The coven's time grows short. They have 4 days in-game left to collect enough blood for the god raising ritual. They are desperate, and are considering making a raid on the town.
Meanwhile, the Old Man is planning on recovering Ezekial's body. That's when all hell breaks loose. 2 separate attacks on the city, both from within. It looks like we are in for an interesting week of gaming come Saturday.
This week illustrates a great thing about 'sandbox' games. There will be meaningful choices without illusion. Whichever attacker the party decides to deal with, the other will accomplish their goal. One of the 2 party goals will become significantly more difficult after Saturday. We shall see which one.
As this blog is about upcoming events, I don't want to spoil what is upcoming with a preview. Instead, here's a feature within a 2 hour walk of the city. Inside the old city is a time bubble. This time bubble is locked outside of time. Inside is an Angel locked in timeless mortal combat with a demon. The battle looks like it has turned against the Angel.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Going different ways
So, this week's playtest did not go as planned. The party decided they needed to rehash some old areas. Not a big issue, but they didn't let me know until Wednesday that was the plan. C'est La Vie. We actually had one of the most fun sessions in a long time. It had a lot more RP and less combat than normal.
A lot of the time, I skimp out on the RP aspect, as we only have so much time to play every week, and I am more interested in having my dungeon challenges tested and less about the personalities of the characters. Its a conscious choice, but not one that I love.
All in all, going back to old areas was good for me. I had to plot and place on the fly, and think I did a reasonable job (although the players may disagree.) Ask them about the Spellsap Golems. They may be less than happy.
Now, a highlight from last session:
A headless undead mind flayer bumping into walls. The party killed it months ago, but it had been re-animated. They also took its head to decorate the Adventurer's Guild. That'll teach 'em to go back to old areas (heh).
A lot of the time, I skimp out on the RP aspect, as we only have so much time to play every week, and I am more interested in having my dungeon challenges tested and less about the personalities of the characters. Its a conscious choice, but not one that I love.
All in all, going back to old areas was good for me. I had to plot and place on the fly, and think I did a reasonable job (although the players may disagree.) Ask them about the Spellsap Golems. They may be less than happy.
Now, a highlight from last session:
A headless undead mind flayer bumping into walls. The party killed it months ago, but it had been re-animated. They also took its head to decorate the Adventurer's Guild. That'll teach 'em to go back to old areas (heh).
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
A new goal
I've recently read through about 80% of a great blog. Michael Curtis has inspired me to help generate some buzz for this hobby we love. I'm not a professional writer, but I do believe I have some things to say to help keep our hobby thriving. So, I am going to endeavor to blog at least twice a week.
I also finished Of Dice and Men last night. I know a lot of people don't get into history like I do, especially the geeky history of Dungeons and Dragons, but this book is worth a read to D&D fans. It is amazing how screwed both Gygax and Arneson got screwed over. It makes me ashamed that I really started playing in the 2nd edition era.
And finally, back to the subject that started the blog: Mord Mar. For those of you who don't know, Mord Mar is my Mega-Dungeon, ran under Pathfinder rules. Someday I hope to publish it in module or boxed set form. Here's a link to the beginning. Since I started the blog, we have adventured probably 20-25 times inside of the halls of Mord Mar, and the biggest drawback I have found is it feels modular, not Mega-Dungeon-y.
I think this is due in large part to the "teleporter highway." Although it serves its purpose, it has taken something away from the Mega-Dungeon feel. Maybe its because the players aren't going back through parts already explored. Or maybe its because they don't get lost as easily. Maybe its because I can move them to any part of the mountain without issue. Maybe its a combination of all of these, and more.
The worst part is: I love it. For all the drawbacks, it makes sense in the city. I imagine in Mord Mar's heyday, all these merchants traveling to and from bazaars, shops, farms, feast halls and other points throughout the city. It makes it easy to avoid GM hand-waving, saves time in game, and allows the players to go anywhere in the mountain.
I have a couple of solutions to the problems of Teleporter Highway kicking around in my head. Maybe they should consume gems upon use? Sort of a toll that pays the city for their use? Maybe they should have waning magic that doesn't always work as intended anymore. Anyone in the blog-o-sphere have other ideas?
And a recent encounter from last week:
A red dragon statue made out of rubies, pearls and mithral. It is worth over 1 million GP, with no single gem worth more than 500 gp. If anyone attempts to take a gem, the statue turns and breathes fire (d6 per level of character.) The second gem it does 2d4 per level of character. The third gem initiates a 2d6 breath (per level) and each claw opens to reveal a sapphire which deals 3d4 (per level) cold damage each. (so 3rd gem theft deals 3d4 + 2d6 + 3d4 per level of thief.) Save vs. BW or DC 17 Ref for 1/2 damage on all these attacks.
This trap quickly can kill a greedy party.
I also finished Of Dice and Men last night. I know a lot of people don't get into history like I do, especially the geeky history of Dungeons and Dragons, but this book is worth a read to D&D fans. It is amazing how screwed both Gygax and Arneson got screwed over. It makes me ashamed that I really started playing in the 2nd edition era.
And finally, back to the subject that started the blog: Mord Mar. For those of you who don't know, Mord Mar is my Mega-Dungeon, ran under Pathfinder rules. Someday I hope to publish it in module or boxed set form. Here's a link to the beginning. Since I started the blog, we have adventured probably 20-25 times inside of the halls of Mord Mar, and the biggest drawback I have found is it feels modular, not Mega-Dungeon-y.
I think this is due in large part to the "teleporter highway." Although it serves its purpose, it has taken something away from the Mega-Dungeon feel. Maybe its because the players aren't going back through parts already explored. Or maybe its because they don't get lost as easily. Maybe its because I can move them to any part of the mountain without issue. Maybe its a combination of all of these, and more.
The worst part is: I love it. For all the drawbacks, it makes sense in the city. I imagine in Mord Mar's heyday, all these merchants traveling to and from bazaars, shops, farms, feast halls and other points throughout the city. It makes it easy to avoid GM hand-waving, saves time in game, and allows the players to go anywhere in the mountain.
I have a couple of solutions to the problems of Teleporter Highway kicking around in my head. Maybe they should consume gems upon use? Sort of a toll that pays the city for their use? Maybe they should have waning magic that doesn't always work as intended anymore. Anyone in the blog-o-sphere have other ideas?
And a recent encounter from last week:
A red dragon statue made out of rubies, pearls and mithral. It is worth over 1 million GP, with no single gem worth more than 500 gp. If anyone attempts to take a gem, the statue turns and breathes fire (d6 per level of character.) The second gem it does 2d4 per level of character. The third gem initiates a 2d6 breath (per level) and each claw opens to reveal a sapphire which deals 3d4 (per level) cold damage each. (so 3rd gem theft deals 3d4 + 2d6 + 3d4 per level of thief.) Save vs. BW or DC 17 Ref for 1/2 damage on all these attacks.
This trap quickly can kill a greedy party.
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