Monte Cook's new Dungeonaday.com?

[lmpjr007]

Seriously, though, thanks for you interest, guys, and I hope you'll check it out when the site launches next week. There will be lots of free content for you to preview before becoming a member, a few different subscription plans, and maybe even a few fun surprises.

Just a couple of quick questions:

1) Will there be new maps everyday or one big map on Monday that you fill in over the week?
2) With all that content I assume you will be collecting it in PDF and/or book form. Will that be done every monthe, quarter or whatever?

Thanks!

 

[Noumenon]

One thing about dungeon "a day" I don't get is that you obviously can't play along every day. Will there be a program to get people to design all week and then play that week's content on the weekend? It'd be like book club and you could all discuss the adventure the next week.

 

[PeelSeel2]

I am an Old School DM. I DM 4e. The only other version of D&D I would consider running is the Moldvay/Cook (Basic Fantasy, Labyrinth Lord). I hate 3.x, never liked DM'ing it. My perception was that it was not 'Old School DM friendly'. I ran a 4 year campaign in it too.

The fact that Monte is putting this product out for 3.5 is no bother to me. I am buying because of the reason I buy alot of adventures, I want ideas so I can plunder them ruthlessly. Like Goodman Games, I know from Monte I am going to get quality ideas, plots, NPC's, and Monsters.

$7.00? Great value. I have risked more for less return

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

The one thing I'm surprised at in this post, unless I missed it, is no one mentioned how Monte keep's 'leaving' the gaming industry.

Next up for Monte: Professional baseball!

I don't even understand why anyone would want to play a game traveling from room to room battling monster after monster for no real reason or with no link.

Remove the struck portion and you've just described D&D.

One thing about dungeon "a day" I don't get is that you obviously can't play along every day.

That's interesting. I hope Monte looks carefully at the pacing of his releases. One week's worth of content needs to be at least one weekend session's worth of play-- and (although some may disagree) no more than two sessions' worth of play.

If I were Monte (and I am nowhere near as clever) I would make certain that my pace of releases was not so great as to give the impression that there is more content than I could ever use. The greater the backlog of content you create for the players, the more stale their current experience is going to feel.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Next up for Monte: Professional baseball!



Remove the struck portion and you've just described D&D.



That's interesting. I hope Monte looks carefully at the pacing of his releases. One week's worth of content needs to be at least one weekend session's worth of play-- and (although some may disagree) no more than two sessions' worth of play.

If I were Monte (and I am nowhere near as clever) I would make certain that my pace of releases was not so great as to give the impression that there is more content than I could ever use. The greater the backlog of content you create for the players, the more stale their current experience is going to feel.

That's an interesting observation (that might lead off-topic), and I see that I actually experience this problem with the current WotC adventures - due to no fault but our groups DM "shift" system.

I am half-way through H2, but I already have H3, P1 and P2 lying around. I can't wait to get there.

And I had similar problems when I DMed a homebrew game - I had created a general "plot outline" on what the NPCs where planning and how the PCs might interact with it. And it sucked knowing that there was still so much material and I was still "stuck" with my current adventures. (Despite me being very happy having those completed and finding that story important, too.)

 

[tankschmidt]

This quote illustrates very nicely a point I'd like to make.

And I'm not sure I get this whole "old school" vibe thing ppl talk about. But I can't see spending any amount of money for a basic dungeon crawl. I don't even understand why anyone would want to play a game traveling from room to room battling monster after monster for no real reason or with no link. Maybe this isn't what MC meant.

From what you read on the internets, it seems like a lot of d20 and 4E players don't get or simply aren't that interested in the idea of an old school megadungeon. On the contrary, adventure paths seem to be the order of the day as far as published modules go.

On other side of the spectrum, a lot of the followers of the "old school" movement are more in tune with the do-it-yourself aspect of the hobby. I'm sure Monte will turn out a polished product, but it just seems like this portion of his target audience would be more willing to cobble together pieces from the blogs I mentioned earlier, from James Maliszewski's exciting new project, or from Fight On Magazine's megadungeon. The fact is that rules do matter to a lot of old school players. A lot of things that are more prevalent in old school play - like managing retainers, quickly resolving fights with wandering monsters, avoiding combats altogether, and rolling up characters more frequently to replace the fallen - are handled in a clumsier or more time-consuming way by the newer systems. I'm not saying that d20 or 4E isn't fun, but those games more naturally handle a different style of play. Moreover, even if old-schoolers are not turned off by the d20isms in the rules, why wouldn't they look to more authentic old school sources, like RJK's El Raja Key products or his upcoming Original Castle levels? At least until we wait for Castle Zagyg to arrive in full glory.

So what exactly is the target market we are talking about here? Gamers who are interested in old school traditional play, but don't have the time either to design their own dungeons or dress up someone else's, and who are not turned off by an unfamiliar ruleset? Sounds like a niche of a niche.

 

[Sammael]

Remove the struck portion and you've just described D&D.

Really? I must be doing something wrong, then, as neither of my two ongoing campaigns features PCs traveling from room to room battling monsters.

During my last session, the PCs investigated a case of teenage girls being abducted from a refugee camp, which had caused mass paranoia in the nearby town (rumors have it that drow are behind the abductions). They also encountered an odd wizard who hides behind mechanical contraptions and tried to cheer up an old drunken soldier (didn't work). One PC spent a good part of his time repairing and improving the well in the refugee camp. Another had a brief and nonlethal melee with a fellow mercenary. All in all, no traveling (except between the town and the refugee camp) and no monsters. Still felt like D&D to me and to the players, with a lot of the usual tropes. Oh, and I don't anticipate much traveling or monster slaying during the next session, either.

 

[Maggan]

from James Maliszewski's exciting new project

It is interesting to read JamesM's thoughts, but I've decided I'll be excited about that when the project is actually started. From my reading of it, it's being talked about as something that might happen, but I wouldn't peg it as a "project" just yet.

Too many grand plans have been drawn up by gamers, only to simply fall into the well of forgetfullness, for me to get excited just after two blog posts.

JamesM knows this, and is being cautious about the whole thing, so I think it is prudent to let him work on maybe getting the project going before we saddle him with expectations or even hopes that he will match Monte Cook ... and likewise for Monte of course, although I believe he has a project that's been planned for a while and has probably written a lot fo stuff already, so he's got a head start here.

why wouldn't they look to more authentic old school sources, like RJK's El Raja Key products or his upcoming Original Castle levels? At least until we wait for Castle Zagyg to arrive in full glory.

Then we're in for a hell of a long wait.

So what exactly is the target market we are talking about here?

Gamers probably playing or having played D&D3rd edition, interested in large dungeons. That group is so big that WotC had them as the primary demographic for the launch of 3e.

Of course, it being subscription limits the appeal to many, and it being an internet subscription cuts down the numbers even more. So I agree that it's probably a niche of a niche.

But that describes the target group of everyone except WotC and maybe WW. Even Paizo is going after a niche of a niche, and are hoping to do good business from that.

I have my doubts about the financial viabiity of Monte's project, but if anyone is in a position to try it, he's one of those few with a following and a name.

Interesting times.

/M

 

[tenkar]

So what exactly is the target market we are talking about here? Gamers who are interested in old school traditional play, but don't have the time either to design their own dungeons or dress up someone else's, and who are not turned off by an unfamiliar ruleset? Sounds like a niche of a niche.

The niche is those that have enjoyed the products that Monte has published in the past. If he gets Ptolus sales numbers to subscribe to this he is in a very profitable position. It will most certainly NOT be for everyone, but it will certainly be on my list of things I subscribe to. A movie ticket in NYC is 10.50 if you are lucky. 7 bucks for a month of Monte is a bargain from my point of view.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Really? I must be doing something wrong, then, as neither of my two ongoing campaigns features PCs traveling from room to room battling monsters.

During my last session, blah blah blah blah...

I would commend you on transcending the core D&D experience, but not at the expense of feigning ignorance of the roots of the game.