tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post5578172012226962617..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Dwimmermount, Session 45James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12870496963702992692011-02-03T23:47:58.073-05:002011-02-03T23:47:58.073-05:00Rereading these sessions. I like that Dwimmermount...Rereading these sessions. I like that Dwimmermount has all these portals to other places. Kind of like Ninguable of the Seven Eyes' caverns. And a very good device for dropping in other settings, genres (touches of sci fi..) and beings. Great campaign. Inspiring.jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18211315901727175049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-5057327038849315842010-07-22T17:49:42.172-04:002010-07-22T17:49:42.172-04:00when multiple strands of the campaign all intersec...when multiple strands of the campaign all intersected and wove an interesting tapestry. I suspect, in the weeks to come, this session will be viewed as a major milestone<<br /><br />I've written in my blog a lot lately about how my games as a youngster evolved away from regular dungeon crawls and into a more character and location drive high fantasy where cliched dungeons were infrequent. Lots of NPC and city dealings, plus travel quests and such, started to make up large portions of my scenarios as I got older (I had no experience with 2nd edition on, so my path evolved separatly from that). <br /><br />Your quote at the top, plus the vampire dealings in the city, make me feel that you might be headed that way too. Not a bad thing at all, just more character juice to utilize. As long as you have a cool city for things to happen in, you're game will stay more Lankhmar than LOTR high fantasy like mine kind of stayed grounded in as it evolved. Hey, I have refound my dungeon love though lately, as my last few blog posts make clear...<br /><br />I have to say that PC's coming home to find "visitor" from their past, friend or foe, was something I did a lot in my games of the past. It's cool and can be kind of epic. Also let's the players know "nowhere is safe."Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-55987388213953754952010-07-22T17:49:03.582-04:002010-07-22T17:49:03.582-04:00when multiple strands of the campaign all intersec...when multiple strands of the campaign all intersected and wove an interesting tapestry. I suspect, in the weeks to come, this session will be viewed as a major milestone<<br /><br />I've written in my blog a lot lately about how my games as a youngster evolved away from regular dungeon crawls and into a more character and location drive high fantasy where cliched dungeons were infrequent. Lots of NPC and city dealings, plus travel quests and such, started to make up large portions of my scenarios as I got older (I had no experience with 2nd edition on, so my path evolved separatly from that). <br /><br />Your quote at the top, plus the vampire dealings in the city, make me feel that you might be headed that way too. Not a bad thing at all, just more character juice to utilize. As long as you have a cool city for things to happen in, you're game will stay more Lankhmar than LOTR high fantasy like mine kind of stayed grounded in as it evolved. Hey, I have refound my dungeon love though lately, as my last few blog posts make clear...<br /><br />I have to say that PC's coming home to find "visitor" from their past, friend or foe, was something I did a lot in my games of the past. It's cool and can be kind of epic. Also let's the players know "nowhere is safe."Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76532798511076720512010-07-22T16:43:21.289-04:002010-07-22T16:43:21.289-04:00@James: No worries, I wasn't accusing you of g...@James: No worries, I wasn't accusing you of going high fantasy, at least not by intent.<br /><br />I was much more interested in the fact that if the campaign does take that turn it's not because of "plot" or "story" or any of those things that are "new school" in design.<br /><br />It would be as an organic result of the choices your players made with the world as presented. Had they chosen otherwise the Turmaxians would have succeeded or failed without them, but the campaign would still be about what the players wanted not what the GM imposed.<br /><br />I just see it as an amazing demonstration that you could have LotR result from actual play or the characters could continue their lives as they wished while that occurred in the background (as much of Middle Earth probably did) and have it all <i>come from player choices</i>.<br /><br />After decades of being told "that's impossible" it's refreshing to see theory run aground on practice.Pulp Herbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02486803457210325703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-47362738006137917712010-07-22T16:23:24.611-04:002010-07-22T16:23:24.611-04:00Herb,
I can only say in my defense that there is,...Herb,<br /><br />I can only say in my defense that there is, as yet, no suggestion that, if the Termaxians <i>do</i> get through the barrier and free Turms -- assuming it's even possible -- that the world will end or a new Age of Darkness will descend. In fact, no one even really understands what Turms is or how the stories about his supposed ascendance to godhood played out in the real world. <br /><br />So, bear with me: I haven't yet abandoned the S&S fold :)James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29876204831869424062010-07-22T16:14:16.213-04:002010-07-22T16:14:16.213-04:00James, my first thought was "so much for S&am...James, my first thought was "so much for S&S over high fantasy and saving the world."<br /><br />But then I had a flash of insight about how high fantasy a la Tolkien works in D&D and what most people have missed.<br /><br />The players are now involved in "saving the world" because of adventures they undertook for completely personal reasons. Their involvement in the saving is both incident to their adventures and voluntary. <br /><br />It's kinda like one of them had found a magic ring in a dungeon and left it to his heir. His heir could then get rid of it or save the world. Man, that would be an awesome novel.<br /><br />Anyway, let's assume your players become "The Fellowship of the Azoth" or something it won't because of cool character hooks you built in at the beginning that trapped them. It will be as an organic development of their prior playing. No matter how fated it may seem in retrospect it will have been as unknown as Frodo's missing finger was the morning Bilbo overslept.<br /><br />And I think it'll be much more satisfying for the same reason.Pulp Herbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02486803457210325703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34791802663043945042010-07-22T15:35:41.154-04:002010-07-22T15:35:41.154-04:00Very dramatic, the the final revelation of a mid-s...Very dramatic, the the final revelation of a mid-season cliffhanger. I'm enjoying these write ups immensely. I have to admit, the prospect of the party hiring a mercenary company reminded me of the "Bag Wars" saga in KoDT. They should be careful to pay their men well. :)Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01254215329246851683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76075993792142792432010-07-22T15:34:45.760-04:002010-07-22T15:34:45.760-04:00for future reference, i just want to say right her...for future reference, i just want to say right here that the entire first season of our show was filmed BEFORE I read this session report.<br /><br />any similarity is strictly coincidental.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13048967639310943072010-07-22T15:29:45.443-04:002010-07-22T15:29:45.443-04:00I must say it's been quite a saga so far, and ...I must say it's been quite a saga so far, and quite a pleasure to follow along. By my count, that's a year and a half of fairly regular play under your belt, averaging slightly better than once every two weeks, and 2 changes of the base rule set (S&W -> OD&D -> LL + AEC). I just went back and read the <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/01/dwimmermount-begins.html" rel="nofollow">Session One</a> post, and its interesting to see how far the campaign has come.<br /><br />Your mention of the level loss by the henchwoman, and the players reaction to it brings up a question that I don't think I've ever seen you talk about which is: who does most of the decision making for NPC party members? e.g. moving them in combat, deciding who scouts ahead, who pulls the mysterious lever, etc.<br /><br />Specifically I'm wondering if perhaps each player has certain henchpersons/minions that they typically control as sort of a secondary PC, if/how often you as the GM intervene to dictate NPC actions, or how that all plays out at the table. As intriguing as the narrative of Dwimmermount is, its the occasional insights into the procedures of play as they develop at your table that I am most fascinated by.Rafialhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077298546098373938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28190938660373668192010-07-22T15:25:16.411-04:002010-07-22T15:25:16.411-04:00I'd love to read a book about your campaign, i...I'd love to read a book about your campaign, in the same style as the Maze of Peril. Now that would be fun!Dan of Earthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957424338566461756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66940232957282629672010-07-22T15:19:19.739-04:002010-07-22T15:19:19.739-04:00Sounds like a great session! Thanks for another em...Sounds like a great session! Thanks for another eminently readable report. I enjoy reading well-written session recaps, especially because I am slowly cooking up campaign plans of my own, and I like to hear about what other GMs are doing. Many people say they don't like to read session reports, but I think the reason for this dislike is because few such reports are well written. Please keep it coming!Anthony Simeonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04312134763577949405noreply@blogger.com