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<blockquote data-quote="Templetroll" data-source="post: 3126551" data-attributes="member: 2201"><p>I started gaming in '79 with a group at Temple University (Hence Temple Trolls as the group name, and thus, my handle). There were about 15 pretty steady players and at least 8 DMs with none using published material. There wasn't a lot around then and everyone had their own ideas on how a world should be.</p><p></p><p>It was in the Fall of 79 that I think someone suggested that I run a campaign; the one DM with the strongest personality told me I had two weeks. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> First thing I did was draw a map of a world, then chose a section and named it and the surrounding areas. My first adventuring area was a small island with a village and a dungeon.</p><p></p><p>I had a basic outline of the history, with some odd things like common phrases "As steady as the Pole Star" or the derogatory "As stubborn as the Pole Star" which was a bright star in the sky that was used for navigation as it didn't move like other stars seemed to. Players found out why years later. Another phrase was "Where the Boney Horseman rides is death." He was an ill omen, in game terms it was a Death Knight on a Nightmare so it really fit the phrase. I also made a point of resolving some problems I had with D&D worlds - why there was so much magic scattered all over the place and the Common language. I did that by following bits in the DMG about there once having been 10+ level spells and that now there was 'only' 9th level. I set up the ancient empire based on great magic equipped armies that spread throughout the world; then the 'Decline of Magic' occurred. This mystic event cause magic to drop in power across the world and made most of the magic equipment of the armies fail. This allowed the conquered peoples ot rise up and free themselves. Along the way the few still magic items got into various hands or were lost in the wilderness; heavily fortified defense installations suddenly became lost dungeons. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>When I had first gotten the three tan books I followed the directions for designing a dungeon and had a massive multi-level thing outlined... with a lich on the first level. When it finally came time to actually be a DM I realised how bad that was, then decided to still use it. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> I set up a lower level wizard, 3rd level I think, with a wand of conjuration, that could mimic a high level spell (PRismatic Wall) and he told the nearby kobolds that he was a lich. They didn't know any better, just that he could apparently kill them and it helped keep them safe to have a lich to serve who didn't ask for much.</p><p></p><p>The party had a nice fight with kobolds, didn't want to try to take on the entire tribe, found the entrance to the 'lich lair' and one of them died to explosive runes reading a 'guest book' in the anteroom. They decided that the lich was at least smart enough to have set that up so they left that dungeon and decided to explore the world. Suddenly, I had to create the rest of the land.</p><p></p><p>I outlined the types of terrain and used the random encounters tables in the 1e DMG to populate it, then expanded on the various encounters later. It ended up making for a nice little world. I've run several groups over the years and I'm still working on fleshing it out as new things show up in the game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Templetroll, post: 3126551, member: 2201"] I started gaming in '79 with a group at Temple University (Hence Temple Trolls as the group name, and thus, my handle). There were about 15 pretty steady players and at least 8 DMs with none using published material. There wasn't a lot around then and everyone had their own ideas on how a world should be. It was in the Fall of 79 that I think someone suggested that I run a campaign; the one DM with the strongest personality told me I had two weeks. :) First thing I did was draw a map of a world, then chose a section and named it and the surrounding areas. My first adventuring area was a small island with a village and a dungeon. I had a basic outline of the history, with some odd things like common phrases "As steady as the Pole Star" or the derogatory "As stubborn as the Pole Star" which was a bright star in the sky that was used for navigation as it didn't move like other stars seemed to. Players found out why years later. Another phrase was "Where the Boney Horseman rides is death." He was an ill omen, in game terms it was a Death Knight on a Nightmare so it really fit the phrase. I also made a point of resolving some problems I had with D&D worlds - why there was so much magic scattered all over the place and the Common language. I did that by following bits in the DMG about there once having been 10+ level spells and that now there was 'only' 9th level. I set up the ancient empire based on great magic equipped armies that spread throughout the world; then the 'Decline of Magic' occurred. This mystic event cause magic to drop in power across the world and made most of the magic equipment of the armies fail. This allowed the conquered peoples ot rise up and free themselves. Along the way the few still magic items got into various hands or were lost in the wilderness; heavily fortified defense installations suddenly became lost dungeons. :) When I had first gotten the three tan books I followed the directions for designing a dungeon and had a massive multi-level thing outlined... with a lich on the first level. When it finally came time to actually be a DM I realised how bad that was, then decided to still use it. :) I set up a lower level wizard, 3rd level I think, with a wand of conjuration, that could mimic a high level spell (PRismatic Wall) and he told the nearby kobolds that he was a lich. They didn't know any better, just that he could apparently kill them and it helped keep them safe to have a lich to serve who didn't ask for much. The party had a nice fight with kobolds, didn't want to try to take on the entire tribe, found the entrance to the 'lich lair' and one of them died to explosive runes reading a 'guest book' in the anteroom. They decided that the lich was at least smart enough to have set that up so they left that dungeon and decided to explore the world. Suddenly, I had to create the rest of the land. I outlined the types of terrain and used the random encounters tables in the 1e DMG to populate it, then expanded on the various encounters later. It ended up making for a nice little world. I've run several groups over the years and I'm still working on fleshing it out as new things show up in the game. [/QUOTE]
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