No story or RPG? Check.
A module that is 85% stats and tactics? Check.
A dungeon crawl that’s basically a long deathtrap designed to punch the PCs in the dickhole? Check.
Yup, I’ve played that adventure. (Several of them in fact. Mostly in Living Greyhawk.)
well he did say he was wanting to try and bring some of the feel of the old school D&D modules to the setting. most of those modules did tend towards dungeon crawls filled with deathtraps.
Man, it’s been such a long time since I read the previous Karthun arc that I forgot how much I genuinely f*cking hated Dwayla. The evil I can handle, but her sheer smarminess grates on me like an angle grinder to the nutsack. It’s one thing for an antagonist to break the laws of man or nature, but to so egregiously violate Wheaton’s Law is simply unforgivable.
Sam long ago determined he wasn’t interested in running the game Pops’ way.
Brett, on the other hand, is all upons kickin’ it old school. I mean, sure, he won’t go out of his way to TPK the party, but if they go sticking their appendages into leering green devil faces, they’re gonna get what’s coming to them.
I thought I was cruel for The Corridor of Blades (from a show called Knightmare, which still remains one of my favourites) which is basically a corridor of sawblades with a +15 to hit and 1 per round at a random location out of 4 for 6 rounds. This trap was intended for a level 6 party.
Sure there’s a way to disarm it but it’s not obvious and the master of the place that little gem is found in is rather tied up with a pissed off antagonistic Werewolf God.
I will always give a way to get around the things that will straight up kill the party (I have an encounter that will probably kill them short of the dice hating me and another encounter that will kill someone if they do the wrong thing and they won’t get a saving throw on it) but they need to figure it out and I’m not going to give them more hints beyond what my “Players Guide” will give them.
I also do have a story in the adventure but that’s up to the players to find out through questioning the NPCs that don’t want to straight up kill them on sight.
That escalated so quickly, even Will Ferrell can’t believe it! 😮
I like where this is going though.
The whole “Tomb of Horrors” style deathtrap dungeons can be an amazing experience if done properly, with just enough subtle weaknesses in the traps and monsters to let a resourceful team who work well together scrape through them.
The characters go through hell, but survive to stagger out the other side, battered, bruised, and possibly cursed, but alive. While their players feel like they just kicked vast quantities of asses in epic style and came away with a story they’ll never forget.
Brett’s been a part of the group long enough to know them well, know how they work together and how they play the game (not to mention any Santa-esque magical insight he has on them). So if anyone can run this kind of scenario right, it’s him.
🙂
I freaking love Dwayla. No matter what kind of hell she unleashes on this party, I will root for her. Added to that, I am not an old school gamer, neither is D&D my first pick for a tabletop game, so I have no preconceived notions from an existing campaign/module. Only that this is going to be a wild ride. Brian, thank you for Brett’s growth. Thank you for this return to Karthun. Thank you for bringing this gem-hued goddess back into the game. <3
I’m only peripherally involved with gaming, but I note that some GMs play to be able to tell a beautiful, involved story about people and places, and other GMs come to the table like competitors in a sports event, with the objective being to win against the players, but fair and square.
An old D&D friend I know called someone like this, “A woman I’d invent a shotgun for.” (Probably start with some shotgun cosmetic surgery on her face.)
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Guess thats the Dwayla goes. Cant Dway I saw it coming though theres nothing much they can Dway to change her mind I guess.
Im sorry Brian…..I’ll see my self aDway.
I hovered over the ban button for a full minute before I moved on.
*BUTTHOLE UNCLENCH*
ROFL … don’t forget, that’s a free action, Kitt!
Only if in an unthreatened square.
You’re made of sterner stuff than I am, Matt. God bless you.
And so the TOMB OF an ancient civilisation filled with undead HORRORS begins… Holy hell Brett!
No story or RPG? Check.
A module that is 85% stats and tactics? Check.
A dungeon crawl that’s basically a long deathtrap designed to punch the PCs in the dickhole? Check.
Yup, I’ve played that adventure. (Several of them in fact. Mostly in Living Greyhawk.)
Like I said when this started, Brett’s style will be different than Sam and Jeanie’s style of DMing.
well he did say he was wanting to try and bring some of the feel of the old school D&D modules to the setting. most of those modules did tend towards dungeon crawls filled with deathtraps.
“She does’na want to us again”
I think there’s a word missing here?
There was! It’s fixed now.
Hey Brian, while I always come over to see the comments and such, is there any way you can push the fixes/updates to both here and comic chameleon?
Also, mush love for this arc. Was seriously missing some Brett.
well….shit
Brett is the Gygax-style old-school gamer, and this one-shot shows it LOL I’ve been there too many times.
It’s a great setup for a villain that wants to attempt to get rid of some pesky adventurers though.
If the party succeeds in escaping and play it right afterward, the villain won’t realize it until it is super inconvenient …
Man, it’s been such a long time since I read the previous Karthun arc that I forgot how much I genuinely f*cking hated Dwayla. The evil I can handle, but her sheer smarminess grates on me like an angle grinder to the nutsack. It’s one thing for an antagonist to break the laws of man or nature, but to so egregiously violate Wheaton’s Law is simply unforgivable.
I still want to know who Charlie is going to play. Now I kind of hope he’ll be a dwarf ghost.
He is the magebound, I think?
He is the magebound, I think?
He is the magebound, I think?
Carlos is the mage-bound.
Sam long ago determined he wasn’t interested in running the game Pops’ way.
Brett, on the other hand, is all upons kickin’ it old school. I mean, sure, he won’t go out of his way to TPK the party, but if they go sticking their appendages into leering green devil faces, they’re gonna get what’s coming to them.
Gods, I miss the old tactical dungeon crawls. I seriously wanna be in this group.
I thought I was cruel for The Corridor of Blades (from a show called Knightmare, which still remains one of my favourites) which is basically a corridor of sawblades with a +15 to hit and 1 per round at a random location out of 4 for 6 rounds. This trap was intended for a level 6 party.
Sure there’s a way to disarm it but it’s not obvious and the master of the place that little gem is found in is rather tied up with a pissed off antagonistic Werewolf God.
I will always give a way to get around the things that will straight up kill the party (I have an encounter that will probably kill them short of the dice hating me and another encounter that will kill someone if they do the wrong thing and they won’t get a saving throw on it) but they need to figure it out and I’m not going to give them more hints beyond what my “Players Guide” will give them.
I also do have a story in the adventure but that’s up to the players to find out through questioning the NPCs that don’t want to straight up kill them on sight.
That escalated so quickly, even Will Ferrell can’t believe it! 😮
I like where this is going though.
The whole “Tomb of Horrors” style deathtrap dungeons can be an amazing experience if done properly, with just enough subtle weaknesses in the traps and monsters to let a resourceful team who work well together scrape through them.
The characters go through hell, but survive to stagger out the other side, battered, bruised, and possibly cursed, but alive. While their players feel like they just kicked vast quantities of asses in epic style and came away with a story they’ll never forget.
Brett’s been a part of the group long enough to know them well, know how they work together and how they play the game (not to mention any Santa-esque magical insight he has on them). So if anyone can run this kind of scenario right, it’s him.
🙂
I freaking love Dwayla. No matter what kind of hell she unleashes on this party, I will root for her. Added to that, I am not an old school gamer, neither is D&D my first pick for a tabletop game, so I have no preconceived notions from an existing campaign/module. Only that this is going to be a wild ride. Brian, thank you for Brett’s growth. Thank you for this return to Karthun. Thank you for bringing this gem-hued goddess back into the game. <3
I’m only peripherally involved with gaming, but I note that some GMs play to be able to tell a beautiful, involved story about people and places, and other GMs come to the table like competitors in a sports event, with the objective being to win against the players, but fair and square.
I imagine most are some combination of the two.
The BEST are some combination of the two.
Either of those two options you described, if taken too far, are pretty much the hallmark of a *bad* GM. 🙂
Briannnnn you’re my favorite comic author atm , your stuff is always so damn good DX
Let the Murder-Heaven begin!!!!
“hearty-warty?” More like “warty heart-y”…
An old D&D friend I know called someone like this, “A woman I’d invent a shotgun for.” (Probably start with some shotgun cosmetic surgery on her face.)