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How to GM a huge ruin?
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<blockquote data-quote="Nebulous" data-source="post: 7244018" data-attributes="member: 31465"><p>Do you have any kind of DM map that gives YOU yourself a rough idea of the layout? I think that would be immensely useful for storytelling purposes, and to keep it straight in your head, at least so you can relate details to the party.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I know you said it would be a pain, but I used to have this thing where I'd buy these BIG sheets of grid board at the grocery story, it's like $2, a pack of them about 3 feet by 2 feet, with small squares overlaid for like architecture drawing, and I really would have a player MAP out their progress. Now granted this was a dungeon, not a wide open sprawling complex of miles, but I still think you could do it from a macroview, not microview. Hell, it could even spread to different sheets, and it would be a new experience for the group probably. The dedicated "mapper" in my group loved it, it was her job and she did it well. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sounds like you got that part figured out. You don't know WHAT the players will do, so you got to plan for everything and be ready to roll with their actions. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think this will be the most challenging part for you and the one that will take the biggest chunk of your notebook, just brainstorming stuff to happen. You could also dive into rich history of D&D modules and just steal encounters and transplant them. Dig into Undermountain, or World's Biggest Dungeon, or Rappan Athuk, or steal scenes from movies, like the bridge crumbling under the Balrog, or trapped in a room with a cave troll and goblins....</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I do wonder how hard it will be to navigate horses through a crumbling ruined city? Of course, as DM you can make paths navigable, but I still keep envisioning steep precipices that even people can barely traverse. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Speaking of steep precipices, how about having the bad guys and good guys on opposite sides of a particular wide chasm, where a combat challenge is not ideal, but they can still shout and talk and communicate back and forth? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sounds to me like you already have some solid ideas, a mix of combat and non-combat. As I said before, and I think you know, this is going to take a good amount of work on your behalf to round the place out and make it feel alive.</p><p></p><p>EDIT - Just saw your post of Moria map, that is perfect!!!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nebulous, post: 7244018, member: 31465"] Do you have any kind of DM map that gives YOU yourself a rough idea of the layout? I think that would be immensely useful for storytelling purposes, and to keep it straight in your head, at least so you can relate details to the party. I know you said it would be a pain, but I used to have this thing where I'd buy these BIG sheets of grid board at the grocery story, it's like $2, a pack of them about 3 feet by 2 feet, with small squares overlaid for like architecture drawing, and I really would have a player MAP out their progress. Now granted this was a dungeon, not a wide open sprawling complex of miles, but I still think you could do it from a macroview, not microview. Hell, it could even spread to different sheets, and it would be a new experience for the group probably. The dedicated "mapper" in my group loved it, it was her job and she did it well. Sounds like you got that part figured out. You don't know WHAT the players will do, so you got to plan for everything and be ready to roll with their actions. I think this will be the most challenging part for you and the one that will take the biggest chunk of your notebook, just brainstorming stuff to happen. You could also dive into rich history of D&D modules and just steal encounters and transplant them. Dig into Undermountain, or World's Biggest Dungeon, or Rappan Athuk, or steal scenes from movies, like the bridge crumbling under the Balrog, or trapped in a room with a cave troll and goblins.... I do wonder how hard it will be to navigate horses through a crumbling ruined city? Of course, as DM you can make paths navigable, but I still keep envisioning steep precipices that even people can barely traverse. Speaking of steep precipices, how about having the bad guys and good guys on opposite sides of a particular wide chasm, where a combat challenge is not ideal, but they can still shout and talk and communicate back and forth? Sounds to me like you already have some solid ideas, a mix of combat and non-combat. As I said before, and I think you know, this is going to take a good amount of work on your behalf to round the place out and make it feel alive. EDIT - Just saw your post of Moria map, that is perfect!!! [/QUOTE]
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