tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563348041191484780.post4917563781088715547..comments2024-03-28T20:32:09.834-04:00Comments on Welcome to the Deathtrap: Planning for a Mystery or Exploration - Driven Campaign Brian C. Rideouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472432141274369511noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563348041191484780.post-4342270620642289452021-10-21T16:22:27.592-04:002021-10-21T16:22:27.592-04:00This is great stuff - strongly aligns with what I ...This is great stuff - strongly aligns with what I do, salting the local environment with hooks and then following where the players lead. Kudos for the map-work, I usually just sketch out something by hand in a hurry, great to have something like that to hand out and let the players fill in.<br /><br />I have only recently started trying to formalize the plots in the background in the clear stages of progression like you have hear, to date it has been 'faction X has goal Y' and I've had them improvise their actions according to local news at the time. Makes more sense to plan out what they would do undisturbed like what you have written along with dice-shifts, must try it out.Xaosseedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16921003959109753612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563348041191484780.post-57227729545647982532021-10-20T13:30:14.415-04:002021-10-20T13:30:14.415-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16643068716051266308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563348041191484780.post-23220437207326440022021-10-19T20:33:00.267-04:002021-10-19T20:33:00.267-04:00This is so cool! Thank you for sharing it with me....This is so cool! Thank you for sharing it with me.Brian C. Rideouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04472432141274369511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3563348041191484780.post-9455107792633575482021-10-19T02:27:15.745-04:002021-10-19T02:27:15.745-04:00Tangentially related. I don't really think in ...Tangentially related. I don't really think in 'rooms' so much as 'scenes'. I write novels, so that's probably why. <br /><br />One thing I'm working on is die dropping small dungeons. Tossing down a bunch of differently colored d6's, with each color representing a room type, and the number representing the specifics. So, green for challenge room, yellow for treasure/trap, red for combat encounter, etc...draw rectangles or circles around the dice, list what's in there from your chart, roll up some room dressing if you want, connect nearby rooms/scenes with lines, lock/block/hide a few doors, maybe list a theme appropriate wondering encounter, and there you go. <br /><br />You get a dungeon a bit like the original Rogue. I used to program roguelikes many moons ago, which is where I get the idea. <br /><br />That way, if I have NOTHING I can roll up a little group of scenes, that look much like those flow charts from XDM. It's a bit too random to be super interesting, but you can quickly put together the bones of a mystery dungeon. <br /><br />Example Chart I whipped up, a greenskin cave lair:<br />Red: Mobs<br />1. 2d6 Goblins playing cards. <br />2. Same, guarding a bunch of starving human prisoners. <br />...<br /><br />Green: Environmental/Cave. <br />1. Raging underground river. <br />2. Narrow passage. Armor will squeak (roll for 'noise', ie roll the encounter die)<br />3. Cliff to climb, 15 feet. <br />4. Slippery moss. <br />5. Sulfuric acid pool. 1-3: Bubbling, 4-5: Still, looks clear, like water, 6: Geyser!<br />6. Ye old 10 foot chasm and rope bridge. <br /><br />White: Entrance<br />1-3. 2 sleepy goblin guards. <br />4-5. with dire wolves. <br />6. Chained up owlbear. <br /><br />Blue: Boss<br />1-3: Ogre with 2 hobgoblin guards and 2d6 goblin buddies. Small chest/treasure. <br />4-6: Same, but large chest! <br /><br />You can get a couple of quick exploration jaunts just from that before replacing some things, adding a few. I've not gotten to use it yet, my players haven't gotten too curious on the road yet, but I think it'll work. Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09866329313708655247noreply@blogger.com