Itching for a dungeon

I think that this coming Sunday that I'm going to try to run throught the prelimiaries as quickly as possible and get right to dungeoneering.   The last two times I DMed, I had to handle above ground events that gre out of Taglac's warlock connections.   Between those sessions, Jason was DMing.  I'm really itching to run a straight dungeon, and to spend as much time as possible running in the dungeon itself.

I think that this is going to have to involve a lot of prep work to shoot through some set up.  Especially since we are likely to have 3 new characters coming in, it may make the most sense to start the "rail-road", as much as I generally dislike that process.

Fargin Netflix and TiVo

I had thought that the combination of streaming Netflix and TiVo was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  But for the past week it just has turned to crap.  It goes into "retrieving" mode every 2 minutes, making it almost unwatchable, and now I find out that Neflix is going to yank "Babylon 5" on July 1st, right after I just got into re-watching the series.  Death to jerks.

Hackmaster Basic

I've been re-reading "Hackmaster Basic" which I got last year.  It isn't all too different from D&D in the big picture.   Hit points are a little different, CON plus either 5 or 10 bonus points plus a die from class.  But, you don't get a new hit die every level, just every second level.

The basic rules allow Fighters, Magic-users, Thieves, and Clerics (with alignment variation) and Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings. 

Spells are similar to D&D but there's a different list of spells each level (so you get 2nd level spells when you get to 2nd experience level).   Magic-users use spell points, but clerics do a straight spell-choice each day.

The main things that are different are in combat:
1) Initiative:  this is the biggest difference, instead of turns or rounds, each action has a time value.  You start the combat at second 1 and count up.  So its much more of a "real-time" emulator.
2) Defense:  the defender rolls a defense roll against attacks instead of having a fixed AC number.  Armor absorbs damage, but makes you easier to hit.  Shields get really complicated to use, but are pretty useful.

Additionally, the game, even in this basic version, has an elaborate Skill System.   I'm sort of put off by complicated skill systems in theory.   It seems to me that a lot of skills you take never get used, and they substitute rolls for coming up with cool plans.

I don't know whether it would be worth it to play this game rather than a D&D version.  They Hackmaster Advanced Monster Book (rumored to be enormous) is supposed to be coming out this summer.  Maybe I'll have a look.

Return to blogging

After several months hiatus (mostly from getting out of the habit during my surgery and its recovery), I am going to start posting again.

He's building a dungeon!

An amazing development of the campaign structure.   Marlon's warlock-summoner is building a secret lair.  It started as a hidden chamber underground to hide his evil cauldron and unholy water font.  However, he's been adding secret tunnels, extra chambers and evil plans to stock it with goblins to do the digging.  It grew organically from his desire to hide his chaotic trappings from the prying eyes of the church and from his desire to get XP from spending cash on his home.  However, what it really is is an honest to goodness dungeon.  One might wonder where dungeons come from, and here, without prompting, one has come into existence.

Portchester News

I won't be putting out a Portchester News this cycle, since we are stopped in mid-travel this time and did not advance to a new month.

Secret Doors

While, I both philosophically and practically appreciate the old school processes of wandering monsters, one thing that I'm getting disenchanted with are secret doors.  The players ending up missing some interesting stuff by not finding secret doors.  My effort gets wasted, they miss out on treasure (since I end up putting hidden treasures in secret rooms more often than not).   It doesn't help that the players don't have any elves who have a chance of sensing them even if they aren't looking.  I also don't really want to have the players spending hours searching every stretch of hallway.   Concealed doors are better, players are more likely to try to check behind pieces of furniture or piles of lumber etc.   They risk finding traps or monsters, but more of the concealed rooms are found.  I think I'm going to drastically limit secret doors to places where the players might have some clue or hint that something is missing or a way out is necessary.