Dungeon Run: Running Man
Chapter: Comics, Season Five
It’s like Phillip F. Dove just asks for it.
The sprint away from the lava flow should be interesting. What’s that line about not being the fastest…
If you’re wondering about the mechanics of how Trevor’s character discovered the trap but the others did not, it was a note passed to him from the GM at the table. I am saving a lot of panels by keeping those little interactions out of the spotlight and it moves the story along a little better.
“I don’t have to out run the lava just out run you”
That only works for bears.
Lava will defintely keep chasing you after you throw it a sacrifice.
You may, however, use the sacrifice as a limited surfboard or stepping stone, as seen in previous comics.
you are forgetting it’s not the Lava that you have to worry about it’s the thing IN the lava
Quite, for all the comments. At some point, I’m looking at a rogue who dies last, with a slightly contented look on his burning face. Enter the deus ex machina in the form of a chandelier?
*steeples fingers*
Excellent. Can’t wait for more. 🙂 I’m enjoying this.
While I appreciate the fact the Dovehdouche deserves this, not sure how I feel about the DM giving away info like that. If it was a deserved spot check, ok, but I don’t like unfair play.
Actually you see the exact same style trap get someone elses group earlier so I am guessing that he had passed a check to find the trap, hence why you see him tapping the floor and looking down in the second panel, I think that is where he found the trap and just set it off fourth panel.
From what I’ve experienced my GM typically copies down our modifiers for skills like that pre game and tends to roll spot/perception/notice checks on his/her own. Having a player roll a check like that gives away a lot of immersion because it alerts the player to the likelyhood of something being there anyway if the check fails and there aren’t immediate consequences.
Also, depending on mechanics, he may get an automatic Perception roll when in proximity to a trap. I remember in Pathfinder, straight Rogues (No archetypes chosen) get Trapsense which gives them an automatic Perception check when within 10ft of a trap.
GM could have rolled the Perception check as well, notified him of the result via note, and Trevor could have simply not told anyone else.
Oh, I remember that. I also remember the rogue complaining when he set off a trap that he had trapsense. Now I picture how to use this with them rolling the spot check themselves. Tell them to roll a spot check and if they fail then they have a feeling the trap is there… they just have no clue where it is or how to set it off. Further searching can result in the trap being set off. This should really increase the paranoia.
… oooooh, that is EVIL… I like it. XD
Y’know, being a semiprofessional villain, Dove should know better than to be caught monologuing.
P.S., “No capes!”
It’s okay. This game apparently includes the rule that talking is a free action. Like, a lot of talking.
Hah.
Meanwhile, there are some GMs who rule that a certain amount of talking is a free action. (I have one such GM; he enforces that stringently, especially during combat.)
Ooooh… sick BURN!!!
I see what you did there. 😀
Nice to think that smug expression may be permanently wiped off by some good, honest, searing lava 😀 On a side note about Dove’s monologue, it’s “appalling”, not “appauling” 😉
You know, I just noticed that Dove looks like one of those frilled lizards. …I hope he runs like one. That would be great. On a different note, my local library runs a small D&D thing every Thursday, and I would really enjoy trying D&D out, for I have never actually played it myself, but I suffer from extensive social anxiety, so I can’t really get up the nerve to participate. Can anyone give me any advice on the matter?
Its dnd not a highly exclusive club just go there and try to get some friends there or maybe talk some friends into after all it will not even be a flesh wound
Anxiety is anxiety no matter the trigger. It sucks and shouldn’t be dismissed.
I love you for this. Thank you.
I know a lot of folks who live with anxiety issues and I will be honest, it can be a little tough at first but here is the good news: it gets easier. I do not mean in a magical 80’s movie finale kind of way but when you sit down at the table with a group and start rolling dice, the background noise and crowd seems to fade a little until it is just you and the group.
I think you should go, say hello to a GM, and try your hand at it. If you let the GM know ahead of time, they will probably help ease you into the chair and the flow of the game. I think you will really enjoy gaming and if I was a local, I would run a session for you. I love introducing folks to games.
Keep us posted on your progress!
Thank you for the advice. It is much appreciated. Also, I do suppose that it would get a lot easier after the first time I sit in.
Ask the GM if you can just watch for a while, or maybe roll the dice for some NPCs if you want to dip your toe into the waters.
I’ll echo Brian’s suggestion. If you can find a way to the talk to the GM first and let them know of your interest and your hesitation, they can help you ease into it.
Most GMs (that I’ve dealt with) are pretty open people and just want everyone to have a good time. They put a lot of work into a thing so all involved can enjoy it. I’d bet they’d love to have the change to show the game to a new player.
One thing I recommend to is to introduce yourself to the DM and ask if you can watch a session first. Most DMs are more than happy to accommodate a spectator. (Ours seems to enjoy the attention it brings to his table.) It lets you scope out the type of players they are and a bit of how an average game runs without feeling pressured to interact yourself. Two of my friends have found this approach very helpful.
And as someone who took the plunge a few years ago and is now about to be a DM, I can say that it is worth doing.
Do what I did when learning Magic the Gathering; stand back and watch for one game. You’ll see how it works, get a feel for the process, and learn a lot if you’re paying attention. If anyone asks why you’re standing there, just tell them that you’re interested, but don’t want to participate yet. They will likely offer bits of insight, and will likely answer any questions, such as, “why did that happen” or “what does that mean?”
Gamers tend to be very friendly and welcoming people, and often (a little too) eager to share their knowledge and preferences.
If you live in the Middle Tennessee area, I’d be glad to show you some tips. Our local game shop owner is a quiet, awkward, socially reserved gentleman as well, but such things tend to fall away around like-minded people.
Doesn’t a note from the DM lend credence to Dove’s accusation of ‘Dragon Den Darlings’?
He totally deserves it of course, just wondering.
I assume the note would have been from Trevor having some kind of trap finding ability.
You actually see him trap checking in the second panel to which is where I guess he found it.
For those wondering about why the GM was passing Trevor notes, take another look at the second panel.
At a guess, I’d say that Trevor’s tapping around is indicative that he was looking for traps, and had surreptitiously let the GM know about this… the note would have been passed once it was confirmed that he’d found something. Obviously can’t say for sure, since I’m not Brian, but I strongly suspect this is what happened.
Ordinarily I would say absolutely but in this case the Dungeon Run is actually every gamer for themselves so skill checks like trap detection are handled on the sneak with notes from the GM. Out of gameplay, Trevor asked and the GM made a roll with his bonuses and responded.
Thank you!
Any chance a script of this event will made available with all of the side and “little” interactions? It could just be text not graphic.
That could be verrrrry interesting!
I’m curious what class/profession Trevor and Phillip are playing. Mostly so I can hope Phillip fails his dexterity check easily and gets melted.
Then Brian can use the pun “This is what it sounds like, when Dove’s cry.”
Dove has been said to be playing a Mage. Trevor… I don’t think was told? If I had to guess, some type of rogue.
Oh DAMN, even the GM hates Dove. Rock on.
cheers,
Phil
OMFG *Lights cigarette*
That was glorious.
I’m really beginning to like this lava fellow.
Spelling errata: third panel, “appauling” ought to be spelled “appalling”.
We’ll just retcon Webster’s and change the spelling as if it had never been spelt any other way 😀
I’ll correct it once I make home from work. Thanks for the heads up, all!
(New reader here, just thought I’d mention you apparently never got around to this! :P)
GAH! I didn’t! Let me fix that. Thanks for the heads-up!
Reminds me of a joke:
Two guys were on Safari filming some lions. One of the lions turns his head and starts growling at them. After some time the lion stands and roars at them, then walks towards them.
One of the guys slowly takes off his walking boots and puts on a pair of Nike Air running shoes. The other guy steps back and says, ‘You’ll never outrun a lion in them.’ The guy stays, ‘Fuck the lion, as long as I outrun you, I’m okay…’
I believe Trevor chose the correct skills/class to survive in this run. THis can be a run that needs some brute strength (for fighting other players). But knowing you are in a dungeon, being a rogue/bard class type helps because you’ll be able to find and search for the traps tha tyou KNOW are there, unlike some other blowhards who are power players and over look the subtleties (spelling?) of dungeoneering.
Go Trevor!!
Hey, JohnD.
Make yourself go, but only to observe. Maybe get there a little early and tell the DM you’d like to watch and get a feel for the game. If she or he is cool with it, keep close and pay attention. I bet you’ll notice most of the players are only there to have fun, and are in almost all cases open and inviting to anyone who wants to play. Don’t be surprised if one of the players encourages you to jump in — and if they do, try to shut down every part of your brain that’s not connected to your mouth so you can say “yes.”
If you can’t make that jump, don’t — and don’t feel bad for not doing it. Stick to your observing if that’s where you’re comfortable, but I sincerely hope you feel the urge to play and give in to it.
It’s fun as a game, sure. But it also allows you to be someone else while you’re playing. And trust me on this — that’s the best part. JohnD and his anxiety fades away when you’re using your staff of power to blast hordes of gnolls to flinders.
It’s gonna be tough. Just convincing yourself to leave the house will be difficult, but initiating a conversation with the DM will be your biggest challenge. Fall back on the old standard, “Hi, my name is JohnD, and I’d like to learn about D&D.”
One last thought: A lot of us playing the game have the same issues with crowds of strangers, sweaty palms, saying the wrong thing and feeling exposed when out in public. Someone in that group may even know exactly how you feel. EXACTLY. Take comfort in knowing they got past this first step, and you can too.
I’m pulling for you.
PaulF
This is a really good idea. If you talk to the GM before other players get there you can ask to watch or play a little but not be put in the spotlight. That way you can start to feel like “part of the group” without having a lot of pressure put on you from the start. Once the dice start flying it should get better.
Best of luck!
Thanks for the advice/encouragement. It is very much appreciated. I do actually know a couple guys who go basically weekly, so maybe I can go with them and just kind of, you know, hide in a corner and observe. Oddly enough, my bigger worry is making THEM uncomfortable with my presence. When you look like a 6’3 lumberjack crossed with a brick wall, you have a tendency to make people anxious.
When I started getting into MtG, I was working at a prison. I was really bored, and some of the inmates played on a daily basis. I started watching, mostly out of curiosity. I think I made them a little uncomfortable at first, but when I started asking to look at the cards or have one of them explain a mechanic, they quickly realized that I was “cool” and there was nothing to fear.
Ooh sweet buttery Jesus, I’m loving Phil’s face in that last panel; for all his talk of being a master gamer, that sure as hell isn’t an “I have every confidence that my superior gaming skills will allow me to outrun this lava flow” face he’s making. I get a feeling that the following strip(s) are going to be very gratifying on a lot of levels.
Dammit, Phillip is going to be tied to a fire elemental isn’t he? I just don’t see him going out in the first round.
I don’t really see his outfit screaming fire elemental. It would be a douchy move (fitting to the character), but seeing his reaction… I don’t think he chose fire.
Even if Phillip is a fire mage (which I also doubt based on his robes’ colouration), it likely won’t help his meatshields.
Well this comic answers the main question I had last comic.
Incidentally, for those keeping score at home, half of the dungeon run has already been eliminated:
– all 5 members of group 1 (Dustin’s group)
– the 3 sexist members of group 2 (Amy & Dallas’ group)
– 2 members of group 3 (Mel & Tamina’s group)(the casualties are pantless rogue man and Mel’s priest, leaving Tamina, the dude Mel was speaking with in “Dungeon Run: Pants on Fire”, and the dude sitting in between Mel & Tamina in the last panel of “Dungeon Run: Accords”)
It remains to be seen how many of group 4 (Trevor & Phillip’s group) will survive, although I’m guessing it will be one or both of Trevor and Phillip.
Now hopefully we’ll get to see if Charlie is in on this and, if so, who he got grouped with.
We’ve seen all four groups at this point and all the players. It doesn’t look like Charlie was in one of them, unless he was a casualty of Dustin’s group.
“- the 3 sexist members of group 2 (Amy & Dallas’ group)”
I read that as “the 3 sexiest members of group 2” and was scratching my head trying to remember any sexy characters that got killed off…
No joke? Then why did I laugh? Laugh loudly, that is.
This makes me want to do a Dungeon run with my character GroK KroG. He is a Lawful Cleric that doesn’t say much. Pretty decent rolls for stats wise too, I’d hate to eventually re-roll him because I know he will never be as great. Str: 17, Con: 15, Dex: 13, Wis: 18, Int: 18, Cha: 12.