Behind the Screen: Badlands Session 3

Observations on our third game session.

Dungeon:   Conceptually, it was the same pagan temple ruins that Dengwur had his first adventure in Return of the Trolls.  I had lost the original map and had to completely re-create it.   My impressions that a dungeon should have around 20 rooms to be cleaned out in one game session played out about right.  I think that there was the right amount of weird stuff to keep the surroundings interesting.

Slow Advancement:  advancement has been going slowly, but that's the way it was meant to be in the old days.   It has been 10 years since I played a game with advancement this slow, and it takes a bit of getting used to.   I do like the idea of playing several sessions at each level.

Hirelings:  the hirelings were invaluable.   The first edition encounter tables were set up with the assumed party size being 9 or so members (4-5 pc's. 4-5 underlings) and there are stories of Blackmoor sessions when the pc's had dozens of berserkers backing them up in the dungeon.   The Lucky Bastards added a lot of spice to the dialogue, and the Stab Squad were the stars of the show.   I'm going to have to work on some more personality for the Stabbers.  Part of the success of the hirelings was from the Shield Wall and Gang-Up bonuses house rules (but that was part of their purpose, so mission accomplished.)

Smooth Mother Truckers:  I was just floored when the PC's backed off when meeting the NPC party.  Eventually, they killed them, but I was indeed stunned by the intial encounter.

Treasure:   I wished they had found more treasure.   They skipped some, they missed other bits, buried some in the woods, but I wish there had been somewhat more there, in total.