D&D General Jennell Jaquays Appreciation

[Ralif Redhammer]

Spinning off from another thread, let's talk Jennell Jaquays and why her work is awesome!

Though I have become a big Judges Guild fan in the ensuing years, my first experience with her work has to have been the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide. This was the first really good advice I came across about DMing. The advice in past editions had some good stuff, sure, but it was still very much rooted in the adversarial approach to gaming. This was advice that was predicated on the idea that the game was supposed to be fun, that different people enjoyed different things. It talked about DMing as an art and a skill. It talked about dealing with the problems that come out. And the solutions weren't just "kill their characters with a no-save trap."

 

[Sacrosanct]

I am extremely grateful to her for her work in the Dungeoneer, because it set the path for adventure construction. And I love her art. As a bonus, she's a genuine great human being as well.

 

[Retreater]

I'm always here to show appreciation for her. That Catacombs and Campaign Guide was my first teacher to be a DM.

 

[Lyxen]

First encounter with Jaquays, very very scary in Runequest.

 

[Reynard]

I didn't know who she was by name before that thread and I am super happy I do now. As an aside, Art & Arcana treats her well and does not deadname her.

 

[jdrakeh]

Dark Tower remains one of my all-time favorite adventure modules. When I think of the quintessential adventure module, my thoughts go immediately to Dark Tower. Also, as noted above, she's a great person whose contributions to the hobby have been largely positive (and, when they weren't, she took ownership of those issues and made living amends).

 

[Lyxen]

Dark Tower remains one of my all-time favorite adventure modules. When I think of the quintessential adventure module, my thoughts go immediately to Dark Tower. Also, as noted above, she's a great person whose contributions to the hobby have been largely positive (and, when they weren't, she took ownership of those issues and made living amends).

I remember playing that and having a blast, but for me the best contribution is to this absolute masterpiece, one of the greatest TTRPG supplement ever, and the Cult of Thanatar has always been one of my favourite one - although one of the most terrifying ones as a player:

 

[Filthy Lucre]

Spinning off from another thread, let's talk Jennell Jaquays and why her work is awesome!

Though I have become a big Judges Guild fan in the ensuing years, my first experience with her work has to have been the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide. This was the first really good advice I came across about DMing. The advice in past editions had some good stuff, sure, but it was still very much rooted in the adversarial approach to gaming. This was advice that was predicated on the idea that the game was supposed to be fun, that different people enjoyed different things. It talked about DMing as an art and a skill. It talked about dealing with the problems that come out. And the solutions weren't just "kill their characters with a no-save trap."

I've studied her work a lot in pursuit of designing highly engaging and playable dungeons. Has she ever thought about publishing her thoughts on dungeon/map design??

 

[billd91]

Jennell's Dark Tower, published by Judges Guild, was my major introduction to her work. I was the primary DM in our group, but one of my players (Stuart) had gotten a copy of it and offered to run it. Stu not only gave me a much appreciated break, but I also thoroughly enjoyed playing in Jennell's adventure.

 

[aco175]

I thought this one was Ed Greenwood, but I see it is Jaquays.