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<blockquote data-quote="maddman75" data-source="post: 3473420" data-attributes="member: 2673">I've been on hiatus from D&amp;D.&nbsp; I think it was running RttToEE that burned me out, but I wanted no part of traditional fantasy for some time.&nbsp; After playing a few short term All Flesh, WoD, and Exalted games, as well as an extremely successful year-long Buffy season, I'm getting the itch to play D&amp;D again.&nbsp; Plus my girlfriend, who loved the Buffy game, is eager to try some D&amp;D.&nbsp; The rules are more complicated, but she liked the D&amp;D Miniatures game, so I think its all good.I'm a very cinematic minded GM.&nbsp; In the Buffy game I went to a cinematic extreme - I disdained maps and plot preparation entirely.&nbsp; One reason this was possible is that the game didn't have much of an exploratory element - the group was always in the same town, often using the same sets.&nbsp; D&amp;D has exploration as one of its themes, and I really want to explore the basic themes of a D&amp;D game.&nbsp; So what are they?Exploration of the unknown is one.&nbsp; The idea that the brave few can make a difference in the world is another.&nbsp; Part of what inspired me was a post from a 1e fan I think from Dragonsfoot that I think went something like this - don't worry about what the orcs eat or where they sleep or what the ecology of the dungeon is.&nbsp; They're monsters.&nbsp;&nbsp; There's a dark cave full of them, you can see their eyes gleaming, and they can't wait to drag you down into the dark with them.&quot;&nbsp; This is the vibe I want to go for - I really want to recapture that sense of wonder.For my initial setup, I'm going with something like Keep on the Borderlands.&nbsp; Not that module, because most of the group has played it many times over, but my own version of the basic concept.&nbsp; There's a keep out on a wilderness frontier.&nbsp; Adventurers and mercenaries are coming there to make their fortunes.&nbsp; There's a cave not far away full of orcs and other foul beasts.For the orcs themselves I really want to get the idea that these are inhuman beasts.&nbsp; Not faceless hordes, but boogeymen out of a fairy tale.&nbsp; Bizzare behaviour, cannibalism, and so on.&nbsp; As they explore they'll find no orc children or females (so I can avoid *that* debate) and ultimately they are spawned out of a pit of bubbling evil.&nbsp; The ancient caves are part of an old dwarven citadel, and the dwarves dug too deep and awakened an ancient evil.&nbsp; Its stirring again, and may soon erupt in an invasion.Any suggestions on how to pull off this theme?&nbsp; Or for getting that old school yet cinematic feeling into the game?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="maddman75, post: 3473420, member: 2673"] I've been on hiatus from D&D. I think it was running RttToEE that burned me out, but I wanted no part of traditional fantasy for some time. After playing a few short term All Flesh, WoD, and Exalted games, as well as an extremely successful year-long Buffy season, I'm getting the itch to play D&D again. Plus my girlfriend, who loved the Buffy game, is eager to try some D&D. The rules are more complicated, but she liked the D&D Miniatures game, so I think its all good. I'm a very cinematic minded GM. In the Buffy game I went to a cinematic extreme - I disdained maps and plot preparation entirely. One reason this was possible is that the game didn't have much of an exploratory element - the group was always in the same town, often using the same sets. D&D has exploration as one of its themes, and I really want to explore the basic themes of a D&D game. So what are they? Exploration of the unknown is one. The idea that the brave few can make a difference in the world is another. Part of what inspired me was a post from a 1e fan I think from Dragonsfoot that I think went something like this - don't worry about what the orcs eat or where they sleep or what the ecology of the dungeon is. They're [i]monsters[/i]. There's a dark cave full of them, you can see their eyes gleaming, and they can't wait to drag you down into the dark with them." This is the vibe I want to go for - I really want to recapture that sense of wonder. For my initial setup, I'm going with something like Keep on the Borderlands. Not that module, because most of the group has played it many times over, but my own version of the basic concept. There's a keep out on a wilderness frontier. Adventurers and mercenaries are coming there to make their fortunes. There's a cave not far away full of orcs and other foul beasts. For the orcs themselves I really want to get the idea that these are inhuman beasts. Not faceless hordes, but boogeymen out of a fairy tale. Bizzare behaviour, cannibalism, and so on. As they explore they'll find no orc children or females (so I can avoid *that* debate) and ultimately they are spawned out of a pit of bubbling evil. The ancient caves are part of an old dwarven citadel, and the dwarves dug too deep and awakened an ancient evil. Its stirring again, and may soon erupt in an invasion. Any suggestions on how to pull off this theme? Or for getting that old school yet cinematic feeling into the game? [/QUOTE]

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