Adventure Site Contest: Review #2 The Tomb of Rassanotep

By: Jeff Simpson of Buddyscott Entertainment Group (Canada)

Ruleset: Seven Voyages of Zylarthen

Recommended Levels: for character levels 2-3

The Gist: Jeff gives us a quick hook/intro that presumes the party camps at a particular oasis in the desert - which, all things considered, is very likely to occur in desert exploration so a smorgasbord of hooks isn't really necessary.  Of course someone waking up in the morning to their partially sand-buried host's skeleton pointing in a particular direction is going to check it out.  This is a product for adventurers, not weenies.  The entire tomb shouldn't take more than an hour of play (if that) however.

Exploring in the pointed direction eventually leads to a cliff face with a tomb.  This area is the equivalent of a batting cage pitch straight up the middle that's intended to make it easy for a party to get solid contact.  While we all enjoy the novel and the innovative, the dirty secret of long-playing D&D campaigns is a lot of the weekly content looks just like this.  DM burnout happens when everything needs to be a "whoa" session, and player flaking comes from people unable to enjoy simple locations like these where there's a sense of satisfaction from finding something like this non-descript tomb, checking it out, pocketing some loot, and checking the next hex.  Marriage is not like a rom-com; campaigns aren't going to be an endless succession of G3s.  They're held together by people who enjoy gathering together, and there's going to be nights where this straightforward location is all most of the group can handle because everyone is tired, but no one wants to break the rhythm of meeting, bullshitting, having a beer, and playing some D&D.   

So as to area specifics, we have ten rooms that hit all the standard desert tomb tropes.  You have:

• the secret-in-hieroglyphics that must be sussed to open the real entrance to the tomb
• a simple hallway trap  
• the long-dead skeleton (inanimate) with a document having basic location info
• one dangerous automaton
• a throne that's unwise to sit upon
• the gratuitous flooded chamber containing the lootable corpse of some Satipo stand-in (probably)
• The room with long-dead skeletons (animate) standing guard and ready to attack
• fake treasure room serving as a decoy to the real treasure room
• The tomb of the titular character, who will rise from the grave if its rest is disturbed.

You might pish-posh or be non-plussed.  I would ask you: how many times have you been to Waffle House and how long do you think it will be until you go there again?

There's a few imaginative flourishes - the inanimate skeleton homes several normal poisonous spiders that the DM can describe as spilling out of its cranial orifices and the hieroglyphic messages likely invite speculation. 

Monster Roster: The monsters are all mentioned above, there's nothing new or novel - well except perhaps the level-draining leeches?  7VoZ apparently doesn't mess around with its leeches.  I don't have a copy of the monster roster to check and see if that's vanilla or an upgrade.

Treasure: 7VoZ is on a silver standard, so for that system 7,100 sp in sellable treasure and a +1 sword (with other powers if the GM wishes to detail same) is very acceptable for a 10-room romp.  There's also a "bejewelled scepter and crook" with the body of Rassanotep, without any values listed.  So if a DM wants to up the reward ante those two pieces can be given any value felt appropriate.

Do I think this will work:  Yes, there's nothing complicated in here to fail.  But if you're looking for "whoa"-level creativity this won't scratch your itch.  It's designed to give people a reason to sit down and JUST PLAY, nothing more or less.  For contest purposes I would say this is less on the inspirational side and more on the grounding side for DMs still getting their feet behind the screen.

Do I like it: Yes, but I'm also confident that I can amplify the very simple play loop here during a session with my own DMing pizazz.  This site isn't going to make a DM more than they are without it, it would be the other way around.

Nitpicks:

1) Room 4 describes the cat-statue guardian as falsely-gilded so as to present as valuable, but since no one here (presumably) is a descendent of the tomb occupant it also will attack as soon as its location is entered.  A delayed attack when they leave the room (possibly after being put inside a sack or pack carried by a character) would allow all the detail to work together

2) Secret doors in rooms 3 and a secret corridor in between rooms 6 and 7 aren't mentioned in the description.  This might be because of space or perhaps they were missed in quickly putting together an entry.  But these would have been areas where more tropes could be detailed that would give the location an even stronger flavor.

3) There's no random encounters in the tomb - and its small enough this probably isn't needed - but the skeletons in area 7 could stand doubling in number with some activation written in that would send half of them on patrol, so that there's at least a minor element of passive danger

4) One trap is said to slice off a finger if it is triggered, reducing a character to the lesser of 15% of their hp or 5 hp total - whichever is less. 15% seems harsh for losing a finger, although perhaps this is some form of Canadian inside joke; I've still not watched Strange Brew so anything is possible.  But I'd probably change this to whichever is more, instead.

5) Since this is carried by being entirely straightforward and faithful to the tropes, putting the main tomb/sarcophagus so close to the entrance where it's likely to be found almost immediately deflates the rest of the content.  Lean into the tropes, make it only accessible by some winding secret hallway that begins somewhere far from the entrance.

Adventure Site Contest: Review #1 Olglias’s Folley

 Why does one keep an old blog around?  Because it might be needed someday.

Today is such a day.  Ben Gibson of Coldlight Press, author of the esteemed NAP module "Tower of the Time Master" has emceed an adventure site contest with a very respectable 18 entries, which I'm reviewing to provide feedback and highlight content fitting with the classic adventure gaming style of play.

The rules of the contest were two pages of space for writing the adventure site proper, the goal was to provide a location suitable for putting into a hex map for players to encounter and explore, taking up to perhaps a full session of game time but not much more than that (and possibly less).  

I'm pretty lax on process so my review order is alphabetical by file name as submitted, which may differ from the name of the entry proper - easier to keep track of progress down the folder.  

For review criteria, my main two are very simply: 1) do I think this will work in play as written or with very minimal customization, and 2) Do I like it?  #1 is much more important than #2, as there are many things that work quite well for other people but I wouldn't run myself because it zigs where I zag, and that's no penalty.  But it's also impossible to avoid whether you personally like something or not when reviewing it.  So if you've submitted something that I think will work at the table but that isn't quite my bag - that's nothing to be worried about at all.  If you like it and would run it, that's what matters, and also why I didn't come up with any bullet points of criteria to try and influence how people converse with their own muses.

And with those explanations out of the way, on to review #1 "Olglias’s Folley" 

By: Kevin Conyers of Flooded Realms Adventure Press

Ruleset: Old School Essentials Advanced

Recommended Levels: 7-9

The Gist: an odd couple consisting of a cloud giant and his human MU buddy set up a lair of sorts around a ravine-pond fed from magically translocated "water" - mostly normal-ish H2O of the variety Bobby Boucher could appreciate, but with some extra-planar sources possible as well.  What lives in the pond depends upon the liquid du jour, and so offers some encounter variety to go along with the fixed locations in the small lair map.

Both of the fishing buddies are no longer around to maintain their elaborate fishing hole; its decaying status quo can be explored (and looted) although in their absence some other dangers have moved in.  While its possible (unlikely, but possible) for the party to come to understand what became of the giant, the fate of the MU is incredibly unlikely to become known.  For most parties, both members of the odd couple will be hidden depth that never gets explained - which is fine, good even, for minor spots such as these.  We get along just fine in the world without ever knowing the "why" of circumstances around us, and our speculations are sometimes more entertaining than the truth.  If you desire players to understand a location's backstory however, you'll need to come up with something having more visible threads to pull on than the site text itself provides.

Monster Roster: a good mix is provided by the author of treasure, some vanilla monsters, and some specials.  If the players can rotate the pond water and want to go fishing for an extended period of time, they could hook some memorable fish stories of their own.  I suspect this part will also remain hidden depth, however, unless random rolls provide something that hooks the players into wanting to burn more time here.

Treasure: for the land portion, which is much more likely to be interacted with, there's some likely-to-be-found art objects and jewelry that most players, even at these levels, will consider worthwhile for what amounts to a quick exploration of a few rooms.  If they manage to unlock the hidden depth, better treasure awaits them including an insane "fishing pole" destined to become a cleric or druid's favorite weapon.  For the time investment, treasure is good.

Do I think this will work: a qualified yes.  It has a high floor - I don't think this will fail for any DM.  But the best parts of the module are a bit too clever in that the author puts a barrier between each instance of what unlocks the best parts of the module and players either obtaining the clue at all, or understanding those most likely to come into their hands. Something as simple as not having the human MU write his diary in "phonetic giant" could make the difference. I could see players saying "we'll put this in our backpack and get it translated later."  Once they do that, will they want to come all the way back here on the info its given them?  Maybe.  But maybe they'll have new fish to fry by then and it will go into the "if we're back that way again someday" pile.

Players simply don't have a great batting average at making non-intuitive connections in real time, if they don't know what they don't know.  A DM has to be a bit obvious with at least one instance where the players can understand this place is different than all the other more mundane hex locations even if they don't know why, yet.  Otherwise I think its quite likely a party trapes through this as another decaying hex-ruin with one obvious lair monster and associated treasure, quickly moving on oblivious to all of the gems the author's put in.  Is that a fail?  No, not by any means.  Most lairs are just like that.  But is it what the author and any DM excited by the contents is hoping for out of it?  Also likely no.

Do I like it: Yes, I think the imagination here is great and it's the sort of change-up pitch campaigns need periodically where everyone can just have some fun and some whimsy.  There's potential for player memories and stories here, especially players who enjoy fishing IRL.  It does a great job of being memorable without overstaying its welcome or trying to be more than it is.  A lot of DMs don't know when to stop writing, and Kevin puts the pen down at just the right moment.

Nitpicks: 

1) Underwater treasure hoards using the book rules (at least in AD&D) generally don't include scrolls, and this one has two.  Sure, you can handwaive in "water proof tubes" (not mentioned here specifically) but I think it's best to allow environment to dictate treasure types.

2) The crumbling bridge seems a tad arbitrary in how its set up and executed.  Something necessary in cause-and-effect - even if just something that makes sense in hindsight - is missing.

3) It's only the type of water that changes out magically (?) so I'm not sure why pond-floor monster hoards would switch in and out as the monster roster does.  This seems like a hole in the design (or perhaps just the text) that doesn't do anything good but has the potential to take players down theoretical rabbit holes for no payoff.

4) This isn't to Kevin per se as I'm picking at a bog standard gamer culture convention, but can we please retire the "surprisingly lifelike" description of petrified creatures?  If we want players to understand they're seeing some formerly live creature whose been petrified, then just decide that stone to flesh produces obviously not-statue statues and put that right into the description given to players - "the stone form of someone who's clearly been petrified by magic is 20 ft to your north".  Because "Gee that statue is surprisingly lifelike" and the ensuing entirely pointless verbal dance (that burns time for no useful reason) that occurs between player and DM is so, so tired.  This fools no one and serves zero purpose.

FWIW, IMC magical petrification produces a "statue" that looks entirely similar to normal statues and not distinctive in any way.  It's not amazingly lifelike, it's in whatever style of sculpture would be baseline common/normal in the culture and time of the person being petrified - whatever stylistic flourishes those may be, lifelike or very un-lifelike.  

Review - The Palace of Unquiet Repose by Merciless Merchants

 Start with the Conclusion: 

The Palace of Unquiet Repose (POUR) is a top-tier adventure, meeting or exceeding all the promises made on its kickstarter - including projected schedule, something that separates those who can from those who wish.  I'm not sure what the retail price is giong to be, as of this writing the module isn't for sale on DTRPG.  I've paid $20+ for modules that I feel have less value than this module - I plan on shamelessly stealing some aspects of its presentation/formatting that work in ways I've struggled with too much/too little.  If you like intriguing NPCs, well-thought encounters, cool magic, monsters that will leave an impression, and ambitious scope - this module is for you.  If your players can handle danger, risk, and likely some loss, there is a play experience here I'm confident they will remember long after the last session wraps.

There are some hiccups.  To be fair to Merciless Merchants, on their kickstarter update this was acknowledged and patrons were encouraged to submit suggestions for final tweaks until Jan 10.  I treat my email like a red-headed step child, and my funded kickstarters with even a magnitude less investment of time and attention, so I did not see this until after the date had past.  So any or all of the small issues I note could already be corrected.  I'm glad they published rather than endlessly polishing in any case.  And to be clear, none of these hiccups sufficiently detract to ding the adventure even a half-star (if I gave star ratings).  Everything I don't mention specifically is well-done indeed, and as long as the review is, I don't dive into the specifics of most of the content.

A brief analogy before I get into the meat of the review.  As I was reading through the module, the mental comparison popping up over and over was POUR to D&D adventures what Mercyful Fate is to rock music.  You, as the DM running a module someone else wrote, are something like a karaoke singer.  As you belt out "Living on a Prayer" after two stiff long island iced teas, the point of the evening is to be together making merry; in your exhibition the group is for you, not against you, cheering your effort and contribution to the evening.  Very few people, however, ask the DJ to pop on Mercyful Fate before taking the stage -  even if a fan of the band few could hit the notes.  And those who could nail the performance might still have a stunned audience when the music stopped.  

This adventure is loud, fast, intense, unforgiving, and full-flavored; treading the boundary of whether your elfs-and-orcs D&D player might feel exhausted of that flavor by the time they manage to escape and take their leave.  It is not languid.  It has a singular vision.  It is *tight*.  It demands the DM has chops, while still doing more than its share of the heavy lifting in bringing about the play experience the author aims to deliver.  If you normally call up "Old Time Rock n' Roll" by Bob Seger when its your turn at the mic, you might need to detune this module into your range before session 1.  That's neither a slight on the module nor any DM choosing to do so.

On with the review (Warning, numerous minor spoilers ahead)

SETUP

The first thing a DM should consider is whether they have a city prepared/available similar to Iotha; a vaguely Moroccan-flavored desert trading city, and the module's jumping-off point.  While a DM could paper over the getting going without any real depth, it would miss a chance to ease into the tone when POUR gets rolling.  Good stand-ins candidates for walking-around detail, if a DMs needs quick and ready-made, are Xambaala from AS&SH, or The City of Vultures from Melan's Echoes From Formalhaut #6. (Until, I suspect, Iotha is detailed in a later accessory from Merciless Merchants.) 

SECTION I

Multiple entry hooks each look fun to arrange in play; most of the best set-ups feels like it should be a session in its own right (DM effort required).  The rumors will perk interest, and the roster of hireable NPCs give DMs easy platforms for memorable roleplay, many of whom offer concrete advantages to players making the effort to keep them alive in what is to befall them.  The standard journey-to-the-adventure-location immediately challenges the PCs with one of the new monster types, requiring them to think beyond "I attack" for success.  

SECTION II

Arriving at "X marks the spot", two different means of ingress to the main complex exist.  Each path has some of the few areas of the module that didn't seem to quite stick the landing.  One path - a secret shaft hidden in a sphinx* recently uncovered from the sands - is deadlier, but also more informative and rewarding.  I like how the setup rewards the use of common divination many players neglect.  Note to DMs - make sure you use the text description here instead of relying on the map, as this is one area where the mapping symbols available for use didn't exactly match the descriptions.  The area is protected by trope-appropriate cave-in, burial, and gas traps, and it rewards with hints and some treasures useful for NPCs or further information gathering. The gas trap is another area where the DM needs to chose between the text and the map - although either choice will work, but the situation shown on the map is deadlier than the situation in the text.

The second path forward is a fissure opened up by earthquake leading to a natural cavern which opens out into the next area.  The cavern is a simple lair for a local beast and offers less risk and reward as compared to the other path - but it is easier to find.   As a DM I always appreciate not having to blatantly manufacture PC success in finding a way through a single knothole.

Review suggestions for Section II:

I understand working with a limited symbol selection in making the map - it's always a hassle.  The risk is a fully-loaded DM misdescribing the scene, requiring verbal backtracking.  This might be a case where the fee for a custom symbol is a worthwhile investment, or even a crude amateur sketch (overhead view) ported into the CC3+ mapping style using the menu commands.  There are a few other visually misleading map symbols used later in the adventure which this suggestion could also apply to.

The sand trap takes 20 minutes to fill and I'm not clear as to why the players can't just climb the filling sand up to the top?  There doesn't seem anything in the room keeping them "on the floor" as the sand creeps up around them.  Unless a turn in LL is not 10 minutes?  I'm not super-familiar with LL or B/X, or if there are any differences between an turn and an AD&D turn - presume they're the same, because if a turn is a minute than a trapped PC would only have to hold their breath for a minute to survive.  My provisional "fix" is adding spigots flooding ichor from the tree in the vitrified garden on to the floor before the sand hits; roll surprise or save (will ponder the preferred math) to notice/avoid.

For the fissure entrance, would suggest an X instead of a black shape NW of area 1.  In other maps the black solid is standard for a rock column; it took me a second to realize the NW alcove was the intended entrance point

The statues/doors leading out of the fissure entrance seem off with the rest of the area. Unlike the sphinx area I have no idea why they invested that ritual effort in this otherwise empty natural cave that only opens to the outside world due to natural disaster.  As a player I'd waste time searching for unseen context that isn't there to find.  I will probably fill this area with the traces of an old supply depot, or something.  Or perhaps make the exit to the lake a natural fissure also.

SECTION III

The players exit out into a challenging environment compounded by the first hint of faction play, as the players consider how to cross a toxic lake.  A DM can play up the low visibility environment, switching to describing sounds as the players enter the fog (presuming they don't split the party to leave some outside the fog, who'd then risk being picked off by temptation!).  Thoughtful players can learn more information here, if inclined to divinations, that my produce light bulb moments later on.   

The potential fight or parley with the Sial-Atun is nicely arranged, with sensible tactical advice if players itch for a fight.  Note that as written, the hindrance of the fog is not applied to their view-radius since the text describes spotting PCs examining the barge.  This feels like an oversight; the DM should move the barge or just simply ignore the risk of discovery there (the players almost certainly will explore their way into view anyway).  

SECTION IV

"Rising from the lake like some pelagic horror, the necropolis is a replica of Uyu-Yadmogh’s city in life, recast in terracotta and basalt. Doorways are skewed, angles are jagged and rooftops and towers are slanted. Every inch of the city is covered in hieroglyphics and sculpture, layer upon layer upon layer. There is a psychotic beauty to the place, a reflection of the madness of its inhabitants."

This section has a lot of moving parts.  3 different factions run around this area, along with multiple (nasty) guardian monsters; many of whom track and ambush.  A DM will want to avoid "ruined urban area" pitfalls here - primarily overwhelmed players blankly stating they start exploring the nearest (empty) house.  The setup helps the DM in two ways, here: 

1) in two of the three entry points (gates) the first couple of layers of houses are smaller than normal size and it doesn't really make any sense to struggle with them.  It's a batshit crazy detail that makes no sense, but works.  You as DM will want to steer players from wrestling with this as a Meaningful Detail or mystery to solve, however, because it isn't.

2)  Three areas are visible from anywhere - the tower, place, and amphitheater.  Use your narration to emphasize these if players don't the hint.  I'd probably make the tree and statue visible very quickly if players are anywhere near their vicinity.  That leaves one faction's hideout in the ruins, and the otherwise unremarkable building with the secret passage.  The latter really depends on how the players handle the tree, so needs no telegraphing; the former may be more of an issue if the players have (otherwise smartly) eschewed exploring generic areas in detail.  Just be aware you should breadcrumb trail a way over to the faction hideout; the easiest intel drop comes as an outcome of going to the amphitheater.

One area to highlight for tweaks is the tree.  On the chance the players are exploring it as opposed to being led there, the DM will need something resembling the gardens of Versailles. The map is more abstract, and if taken literally shows something akin to the parting of the red sea with a clear path to the tree.  So grab a photo of some aristocratic topiary and make a mini-map prior to use.  Another area I'd consider before play is how to handle the paranoia of the locals juxtaposed with the peace-enforcing atmosphere of the tree.  This is one area where all the details seem to work against each other instead of with.  To make all the narrative parts true, I may substitute the insta-calm of the tree with a thematic save vs maze spell for anyone holding hostility in their black hearts. 

A last topic for the DM to consider a touch of further investment is in the Nine.  You're given more than enough to play them as opponents, but a bit of thought towards the details of why they're teamed up, why the various individuals want the goal sought, and the fracture lines of a likely inevitable infighting, will make the roleplay with this faction smooth.  As an example, one of the Nine is a possible hook/recruiter of the PCs back in Iotha.  If the DM used that, some prep in how to play out a reunion the players wouldn't expect, is effort well-spent.  My initial thought is a different illusionary appearance for her in Iotha, but her distinctive verbal tic a clue the players might use to connect the two after meeting her true self in this damned necropolis.  Pair that with some weakness/phobia revealed in Iotha as part of playing out the hook, which the PCs can remember to use against her here, and the seeds of legitimate player pride in good play are laid.

SECTION V

This is the castle proper, and the meat of the adventure.  It is an exceptionally well-envisioned pit of rebellious depravity.  Your players will have to think.  Pigs are well-fed but hogs are slaughtered. Some highlights and points to be aware of:

The artwork for the main entrance is superb.  Show that to the players and the tension for how this section plays out will, I expect, be palpable.

In area 9, a bit of map tweaking should be considered so that the # of alcoves match the # coming out of them, since the monsters are described as 1 per alcove.  Or just tweak the description to multiple per alcove.  This is in no way a big deal, but as DM you might as well avoid the "wait a minute" conversation with the mapper.  

Just north of the throne room there's a large circular room showing as filled with debris on the map, that isn't otherwise described in the text (that I noticed).  Decide ahead of time if this is impassable or merely a terrain hazard.  Your decision will affect what are the best ambush points and escape routes - monsters in the dungeon are either patient or inexorable, and you need to be prepared to play both situations well.  Examples of good ambush sites are outside the areas of 6-7, 10, 15-17, 18-19, and perhaps 23.

Bonus points for the sentence clause "...,triple that to an anthropophage or affluent ghoul."

The master of ceremonies is a great encounter; in fact, I'd tweak his communication to telepathic/instinctive, so as to avoid the possibility PCs can't understand him.  A memorable combat could erupt here if some patient guardians used this moment for ambush!

The treasure room is everything greedy players hope for, and more.  Follow-up adventure seeds abound, and could springboard your campaign for many sessions to come.  One item mentioned is a map, and DMs should have a map prepared to hand out (could be as simple as grabbing an interesting map from anywhere online before play, if a DM doesn't dig making treasure maps).  

A likely interaction is in #23, with a death mask.  The text seems inconclusive as to whether its a single death mask with 3 sides, or 3 separate death masks.  Either works, but the DM should pick one to use in narration.

Again, prior to making my main constructive criticism it should be emphasized how well this, the cornerstone area of the adventure *works*.  It is a triumph of evocative, sensical, memorable design.  PC exploits here will be discussed over leftover pizza for so long as your group endures.  So it may seem odd that I would suggest to DMs running it to tone the narration down in some instances.  Everything is "vast", "alien", "incomprehensible", "every square inch", etc.   The same adjectives going up to "11" are repeatedly used in the module, and 8 times out of 10, that language is absolutely valid.  But it does run past the line of mental fatigue in places.  If a monstrous statue is vast, and a bed is vast, and a 30'x30' room is also vast...the statue looses some oomph.  The art is fantastic, capturing the applicable scenes in ways beyond my expectations - but even the artists declined to truly grasp the secondary detail in the narrations of most of the scenes presented.  If the narration often outkicks the artist coverage, it will almost certainly outkick the mental imagery spun up by the players in the heat of the moment while they are dividing their capacity between that and how to deal in real time with the complex, well-conceived environment, and become so much water running off a saturated sponge.  The higher you take the players, and the more often, the more necessary it becomes to intersperse some mental parsley so their palette is ready for the next mindfuck.

SECTION VI

The piece de la resistance; the big bad; what has defied heaven and hell to its own regrets.  The artist outdid themselves and every DM should absolutely print out this piece to pass around the table.  The combat (if taken) will be a satisfying conclusion.  The repercussions could linger forever.  Well done.

FINAL RATING

 

VTT maps for the Lizard Man Lair in Saving Throw — a fundraiser fanzine to help James D. Kramer

Late last night we got word that the fundraiser 'zine Saving Throw had gone live on DTRPG.  It's goal is supporting Jim Kramer and his family in their fight against brain cancer while acknowledging in some small way all of the support he gave the OSR when it was a much tighter circle of content creators.  Everything that sparks into a sustained fire needs a generous helping of "right place/people at the right time", and OSRIC and Knockspell hugely benefited from a pro knowing digital publishing and cheerfully offering his layout services (among other talents) to bring old school gaming back to a wide audience.

The cadre of contributors who answered the call are exceptionally talented, and I'm honored that my homages to Jim were included.  For those of you who haven't had the chance to check out the contents yet - I feel it is no puffery to state this much quality playing content is well-worth $13.  Everyone wanted those supporting the fundraiser to get several nights of great gaming out of the mix, and that bar was, in my opinion, surpassed.

One of my contributions is a "super-lair" of sorts; a tribe of lizard men transforming from tribal primitives to a more advanced society under the shepherding of dark powers.  While it's placed on one portion of a treasure map also included in the 'zine, it serves just as well in any swampy marsh on a DM's world if party choices lead towards encountering a large group of the beasties.  Both DM and player maps are included, but the player maps still contain compass directions and a map title.

As more groups adopt VTTs for their weekly play, I'm providing a no-frills version, and a 10' hex version,  of the player map here with all text and symbols cropped out to ease throwing the lair up on your VTT of choice (and also to more easily reorient the whole towards other cardinal directions if desired).  The lizard men have lured many previous (and overconfident) intruders deep into their village only to grind them up against their makeshift stockade - will your players recognize the envelopment and defeat it?  Or will they become the latest batch of slaves worked until they drop into the meat cauldrons of their own accord?

Happy gaming!

New rules for clerical strongholds

I've been making notes for a few years on a monotheistic campaign world I'm building in my copious (ha!) spare time.  These are some ways I'm expanding the clerical stronghold rules:


When a cleric reaches 8th level, the place of worship described must be built within the civilized realms of <the main continent> at a location consented upon by the church. This may be an area of expanding population, the re-establishment of a church previously abandoned or ruined, or other reason as defined by the DM.  Success in this endeavor gains the character the ecclesiastical title of Bishop.

If the character previously developed a patronage relationship with a noble of the appointed realm, the place of worship must be at minimum 2.5X as large (5000 SF Main Floor) and is expected to be of a greater magnificence as well; ideally, a structure of cultural significance similar to many of the great medieval churches. The patron defrays between 51%-60% of the total cost of the building (overall maximum patron contribution subject to DM discretion). 

A place of worship deemed culturally significant by the DM raises the minimum hit points of those worshipers to a floor of 2 hit points, after having dwelt within its diocese for an uninterrupted period of at least 3 years (if they leave they must start the 3 years anew). Any worshiper attending the location a minimum of once a month for an uninterrupted period of months gains a 2% cumulative "miracle" bonus to their chance per month of a cure of any existing chronic diseases and/or parasitic infestation. A culturally significant church will triple the number of pilgrimages made to the location.

Culturally significant buildings also attract 50% more followers to the cleric than otherwise normal; all followers arriving over a period of 12 months. Should a cleric call for a Holy War (see below) as the prelude to building a religious stronghold at 9th level then 2-8 first level paladins - younger sons of lesser nobility or other worthies as determined by the DM - will join to help lead the forces to Holy War on the presumption of forming the core of the new Archbishop's court. (Note: a cleric may call for Holy War regardless of the type of place of worship built at 8th level, but paladins only assemble if it is culturally significant.) 

A religious stronghold built at 9th level must be in a location not currently under the titular power of another if the cleric wishes the recognized rights of a Sovereign Archbishop. Unlike the place of worship at 8th level, a location of a religious stronghold is chosen solely by a cleric, although if sovereignty isn't desired the stronghold may be built in another noble's realm as per a place of worship, above, but this does require consent (which is usually welcomed). Religious strongholds built in either the Near or Far Wilderness grant the cleric the right to call for Holy War. This involves expending between 500 - 1,000 gp per month (1d6+4) for a year on messengers, advertising, travel assistance, and other costs as determined by the DM. 

Holy War results in the accumulation of the following groups at the previously-built place of worship, or alternate designation advertised by the cleric during the proclamation period: between 100-600 families of farmers and other trades useful in virgin settlements (each family having between 1-6 people); 100-400 untrained men recently gaining their majority; and 100-600 experienced mercenaries seeking long term employment (which do expect pay if retained). Lastly, calling a Holy War means certain availability of at least one prospect (and possibly several) of any specialist hireling type of the cleric's choice that they wish to retain, so long as that type is at least occasionally available generally.  In all cases, those assembling expect the cleric can provide for their needs during the journey and afterwards for one year or until the first harvest comes in, whichever occurs first.

While military failure in a Holy War isn't necessarily disgraceful, an inability to provide for prospective settlers during this initial year is.  Such prospective archbishops may lose all ecclesiastical titles and suffer permanent reaction penalties that double with the lower classes.  If the failure is especially great or neglectful, personal atonement may be required from above. 

While a cleric isn't absolutely required to relinquish their bishop title to the previous place of worship if becoming sovereign elsewhere, most appoint a functional under-bishop and retain the title only ceremonially - perhaps a small stipend taken from the church's revenues.  The consenting noble may insist upon nominating a replacement to this first title otherwise, unless relations remain friendly or the noble is under church censure.  However it is not unknown for such revocations to spur a conflict which can end in a noble's loss of title and rights to the cleric instead; but given the great disparity in resources between the two, and the church's natural desire to intervene in such cases, this outcome is rare. 

The farther away an intended new realm is from the civilized lands, the greater the cleric's likelihood of beatification after death (assuming the stronghold was successfully established, in most cases).

My Personal Rules as a Player

1) I do not hoard my wow-bangs. If I die with a sheet full of magical items or spells, then I played in vain. I am not here to advance a character, I am here to make fun memories with people I enjoy spending time with. Regular battles of attrition are slightly more interesting uses of my time than a 3rd grade math pop quiz.

2) Getting somewhere depends on rudimentary time management. Pixel-bitching for 45 minutes on something that isn't going to change the curve is wasting not only your time but everyone else's. I know there are one-way doors in the game, but most of the time you can come back with better information if it seems like you're missing something, rather than OCD on not-immediately obvious Q or A.

3) I surprise the DM - I do not find the margins and color inside of them. I find the weak points not considered and blow up the best-laid plans of my adversaries like the dudes walking away with their backs to the explosion. I am not concerned about dramatic tension; I am looking to dominate, bypass, confound, and neutralize. Moments of sheer panic will happen regardless but my goal is to have none.

4) Help other players have big moments - I know I'm a strong personality who will end up in a caller-like role whether consciously or unconsciously. So if leading a party, be a leader-servant. When other players are all looking at each other unsure of what to do, break the silence. When other players have an idea, help them make it happen. When you see a way for them to shine that they don't - put them in that position and try your damnedest to make everyone the party's X factor from time to time. When you all get together over beers afterwards, no one wants to hear stories about one person's character.

5) Spend your damn money - buy information, rumors, contacts, hidey-holes, strongholds (name-level or not), small armies of mercs, church support, adoration from the masses, and anything and everything else that gives your DM a lever to move your world. Whenever I look at a player's character sheet - presuming they have all of the basic game necessities met (training, maintenance, whatever) - and there's some ridiculous amount of gold scratched on there I feel like I'm sitting with a middle-manager only capable of following someone else's plan. Help them see the possibilities.

6) Have a short, medium, and long term goals that have zero to do with whatever the DM is cooking up - tying in with the above, adventure seeds are great - I'm always hunting for this stuff. But surely you know something you want to do that's intrinsic to yourself. Are you a fighter that wants a magic sword? Don't pine for it, drop out-of-game hints, or anything else. Start hunting for it; make it known within the world what you seek (at least to those who might point you in that direction). If you're a thief - make contacts way before you're thinking of setting up a guild in a few levels. Look for one ripe for takeover. Cleric? Where doth the church need extending its reach? Etc.

7) Contribute to the game world - make custom spells, items, and prayers. If you're a fighter, don't just found a stronghold - find a good natural harbor and start a new city.

8) Pay attention - be ready to roll. Don't be the guy saying "huh" every time. Speak up. Move things along. Write down stuff.

9) Be versatile - every time I see a player whine because they had a specific idea for a character in mind and must have that or their time isn't fun, I get flashbacks to every high-maintenance girl I've ever stupidly dated anyway. The warning signs are always there early, and they always come true.

10) There is no arc - embrace setbacks. This is not a novel. At this point there's nothing more boring than saving the world except a nice steady progress from week to week where my character consistently waxes in power. I don't invest in the bond market, and I'm not looking to play D&D to meter my progress through the level names. You're not really winning at D&D if you never lose. Gamble. Take big risks with the equivalent of monopoly money. If you're a character-driven roleplayer, seek the admiration that comes from a populace that sees your character rise from the ashes to become even better than before the tumble. Laughing off real adversity is the role most D&D characters should be playing, not the guy who always hits their scratch off ticket for $1 more than it cost.

YAR to "The End of the OSR"

I've been meaning to start writing on this thing again for several months, and like most meanings this too was elusive.

Melan's post discussing the end of the OSR, and Anthony Huso's response, offered a chance to have -if for a small moment shared by only a few people - that sort of chained conversation that kicked the whole mess off and running.

I say "mess" with mixed feelings ranging from fondness to good riddance.

I was a lurker in the first years of the OSR, but it was the OSR that gave me a reason to lurk.  For the first time since the earliest days of rolling dice, suddenly there was more to read than I had time to consume - and being stationed on jobs for long periods of time away from my home, I had a lot of time to consume.  It was beyond heady.

Like all things, the seeds of its destruction were sown in its early period of success.

The OSR confirmed something few believed - that there was a market for old school material.  And boy was there a market.  Determined to support the home team, the earliest days were an avalanche of sales and support regardless of quality.  It didn't matter if what was offered was a fantastic new adventure such as Mythmere's Spires of Iron and Crystal, or an utterly redundant rewriting of the paladin class for Labyrinth Lord - it got cheers.  And sales.  And noise.

In many ways RPGers are a captive audience.  The hobby is time-consuming if pursued to any degree of "seriousness"; and while running an engrossing campaign is harder than it looks, writing material that allows someone else to do so easier than if home-brewing is harder still.  Most DMs simply do not have time to tend their creative garden well.  Life calls with more urgency and frequency.  So they buy, and buy, and buy some more.  DMs read for inspiration; isolated players often read for the daydream of games not found and characters not played.  The hobby pulls so strongly on unmet or unmeetable desires of our subconscious that, even if only vicariously, consumption of its offerings takes precedent as much as our bank accounts allow.

So when the noise of celebration grew loud enough across the internet to be heard above the din of masses disaffected by either 4th edition's rules or the arrogance of its propagators, a relative stampede occurred.  THIS was the spice long missed, the seasoning slowly overwhelmed across years by new ingredients.  A flood of 25 years worth of yellowed notebook pages poured forth in sparkling PDFs and print-on-demand; and the masses said yea, verily, The Man doth suck with a mighty sucking.  Perhaps we never really needed them after all.  The cafeteria that always served meatloaf on Tuesdays suddenly had both an entrance and an exit.

And revenue in any noticeable amount always, always pulls in those seeking it however they can obtain it.  Gamers are not the dungeon delvers they imagine, they are the dungeon treasure; the gold pieces.  Some who buy $500 faux leather-bound deluxe versions of what everyone else buys for $50 are the jewels whose value are bumped up repeatedly beyond the base.  The rumors had reached the tavern, and the writers-for-hire were fresh out of in-print OGL games under which to ply their wares.

These points have been made before as the fruit of sour grapes from those whose offerings didn't catch fire while watching the flames grow.  But this is not that sort of essay.  It is recognition and proper tip of the hat to the semi-professionals who entered the scene at this time and kicked it up a notch in presentation with diligent, sustained raw effort translated into playable page count.  A good content provider is not found befuddled as tastes move and shift.

But here's the thing - no tribe has ever prospered in the long run by relying on mercenaries.  They come for the pay, not because their heart is engaged to the same degree as the volunteers.  The OSR tearing itself apart was as inevitable as gravity pulling down an escaped helium balloon as the molecules eventually pass back through the latex.  When you have no other options, you write what other people want.  When you have clout, you persuade people to buy what you really want to write.

As more people with contrary desires all flew the same flag, the flag meant nothing in comparison to the specific captain flying it.  Everyone still mingled together, but more and more it was as agents for their chosen champions as much as it was members of the same tribe sharing the same interests.  Whenever captains contended with each other, we saw what came first for many people - personal allegiances and interests; i.e., their friends. 

The clock continued to turn, the tent continued to grow, and nearly anything popular writers wanted to include under its roof was enthusiastically accepted as OSR.  Gamers love the idea of community and hate the word "no".  And for a long time, everything could co-exist in this dramatic scene of ever more varied offerings that attracted even more people who only tangentially enjoyed undiluted early styles of play - but were observably creative even so.  Momentum only slightly slows right after people stop pushing in similar directions.  It takes a while for anyone to notice.

5E, and then G+, made this all much more plain.   Semi-professionals were again flying the flag offering the highest pay.  Hasbro had made several homages to the game's roots, often sufficient to entice gamers wanting a seat at any table both full and offering familiar names on the menu.  And most importantly, it was OGL.  More and more people were grumbling that stuff they bought no longer easily dropped into their campaigns, and it didn't feel so much like real old school play, but like an airline who convinces you that the two fewer inches you have in a coach seat this year was never that important, complaints were shouted down.  Again the choice was given - community or what you really want: take your pick.  Just like it had been given before; in 1989 and 2000.

Many new-ish and younger members of the OSR had never given games they didn't quite like the finger and rode on; I don't think they either expected or noticed the grumblers pulling away and taking a teensy bit of that momentum with them when they left, along with a large part of the live-and-let-live mentality for a wide gamut of personal choices that gamers of many decades experience have almost always had by pure necessity, if a full table was any sort of goal.

All that was left was the pure primordial chaos of general creativity born from overwrought personalities who couldn't get along.  There was no single other factor tying everyone together except a social media platform.

Which went poof.

And that was it.  Many had joined something already running, and the choice was: join or not.  This is where the tent is.  Selecting new ground for a tent, and who will be allowed to come in this time, is an entirely different matter.  The captains of course could not agree because most of them had been trying to get one or another kicked out of the tent for years, and their individual followers also didn't care to unify; they had nothing in common with those other people except an acronym no three people could agree on the meaning of, and even the use of that was now subject to feud.

This dynamic has played out thousands of times across thousands of scenes.  Everyone wants to think that people join something you consider yourself part of because they're just. like. you!  Conversely, people joining a scene in progress assume everyone else in it is just. like. them!  Nobody wants to believe that their needs are truly only served best in a small segment, or that in a big tent they're mostly seen by the popular captains as a dollar sign.  Our egos cover our eyes.

So is the OSR dead?  Yes.  If you consider the OSR to be mainly the good memories of possibly hundreds of responses to a conversation started over lunch.  That illusion is dead; and it was always as illusionary as the tip of an iceberg seeming the whole of it.

The simple truth is that our fantasies are deeply personal and only partially compatible.  The more people you try to fantasize jointly with, the greater the tug-of-war over where it goes.  And the less it satisfies all involved.  It will seem most vibrant while its cracking at the seams; the point in time when receiving the most communal energy in unspoken desires to mold its final form.

So is the OSR dead?  No.  I've found the most enjoyable material has come after the mercenaries have left and the volunteers have persevered.  Once again I have more material than I can possibly use, but which drives me to my own creative heights just in the reading.  I continue to have full tables of younger gamers at my convention games who hang on every roll of the dice.  I no longer get daily updates on the latest round of insults between the captains.

Harmony reigns once again and even in the diaspora, the old OSR did a yeoman's work - I don't think anything as jarring as 4E will ever again see the light of day.  Too many people gained a taste for something different, even if applications vary.

So I do not mourn the splitting of the OSR any more than I mourn the setting of the sun at the end of the day.  It is a cycle which will repeat over and over again.

I throw dice still, if temporarily by candlelight.  Which is the warmest light of all.