With the recent download snafus already feeling like distant history, it was time to see how the DDN rules worked with real live players round the table. Given it was a playtest, I chose to use the MAP approach - Mechanics as Presented, meaning no flanking or opportunity attacks. So last evening I arrived at the gaming venue with laptop in tow, handed out character sheets, and explained some basic Next concepts. Everything seemed to be easily grasped by the players, and the session was soon under way.
The PCs crept up on the kobolds, who botched their rolls to spot them, and were quickly dispatched. Two of the players are long-term gamers with 1st edition experience, and they've learnt to be cautious. Therefore, the pit trap was duly discovered and disarmed. Of course, the noise attracted a large group of kobolds who gave the PCs their first decent combat. If the special ability for kobolds is kept, I can see the "Kobold Dagger Ambush" becoming feared by players everywhere. Those flying missiles left the fighter and Moradin cleric in a world of hurt, and after the fight it was time to get acquainted with the hit dice/healer kit mechanic.
The rats were easily cleared out, which led to an amusing interlude where the elf wizard, having become very grimy due to searching through the garbage for treasure, was cleaned by a "rubdown" from the mage hand! I saw the hand in action much more than I have done in 4e games, even though mage hand does much the same thing in that edition. The less malodorous elf and his companions then ventured on into the cave.
The next fight was against a group of seven who'd ventured out of the common room. An old-school lesson was in store for the fighter, who learnt why you don't go charging off down a corridor without your mates. He killed the foe he was chasing, but was now in full view of over twenty kobolds in the common room. Soon there was a mob of kobolds in pursuit of the PCs, who hightailed it out of the cave. Chased out of the dungeon by kobolds - I'm sure that didn't happen in the old days, unless your DM's name was Tucker.
After recuperating at the keep to the southwest (yes, that keep) the PCs returned, this time heading to cave B where the orcs lived. An ambush involving flaming oil and crazy rope-swinging stunts made the fight against a group of orc guards, who the party lured out of the cave, much easier than it might have otherwise been. Encouraged by this, the party tried to persuade more orcs out of the cave, but the next orc band to show up were having none of it, and fired at the PCs with their shortbows. The PCs kept a prisoner alive for interrogation, who mentioned the "big bosses" to the west, and how they were persuading the tribes to put aside their differences in favor of unity. He was persuaded to fetch his chieftain, who arrived with several other orcs.
The chieftain and PCs arrived at a deal, where the PCs would clear out the kobolds' cave for the orcs' use, in exchange for coin. He told the PCs that the chaos cultists were organising an army to take over the nearby keep - something he found far more attractive than living in a cave. That was it for the evening, and the players were definitely interesting in continuing.
So, having been put through its paces, how did the draft ruleset stand up?
Extremely well, in my opinion. The players had no problem getting the gist of the new rules, and had the confidence to try things out. The characters all felt very distinct, and combat was swift and exciting. The rough nature of the rules was shown up a few times (e.g. whether or not Shocking Grasp actually targets AC), but that's easily fixable. It was noted that the game felt natural, and reminiscent of 1st edition.
On the DMing side, the game was very easy to run, even with no grid, which was a deliberate choice to see if DDN could work without it. I found it simple to quickly resolve what the PCs tried to do, thanks to the ability-centric skill system. While I made some mistakes and had to make a few more judgment calls than usual, the game never ground to a halt.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next time we play.
The PCs crept up on the kobolds, who botched their rolls to spot them, and were quickly dispatched. Two of the players are long-term gamers with 1st edition experience, and they've learnt to be cautious. Therefore, the pit trap was duly discovered and disarmed. Of course, the noise attracted a large group of kobolds who gave the PCs their first decent combat. If the special ability for kobolds is kept, I can see the "Kobold Dagger Ambush" becoming feared by players everywhere. Those flying missiles left the fighter and Moradin cleric in a world of hurt, and after the fight it was time to get acquainted with the hit dice/healer kit mechanic.
The rats were easily cleared out, which led to an amusing interlude where the elf wizard, having become very grimy due to searching through the garbage for treasure, was cleaned by a "rubdown" from the mage hand! I saw the hand in action much more than I have done in 4e games, even though mage hand does much the same thing in that edition. The less malodorous elf and his companions then ventured on into the cave.
The next fight was against a group of seven who'd ventured out of the common room. An old-school lesson was in store for the fighter, who learnt why you don't go charging off down a corridor without your mates. He killed the foe he was chasing, but was now in full view of over twenty kobolds in the common room. Soon there was a mob of kobolds in pursuit of the PCs, who hightailed it out of the cave. Chased out of the dungeon by kobolds - I'm sure that didn't happen in the old days, unless your DM's name was Tucker.
After recuperating at the keep to the southwest (yes, that keep) the PCs returned, this time heading to cave B where the orcs lived. An ambush involving flaming oil and crazy rope-swinging stunts made the fight against a group of orc guards, who the party lured out of the cave, much easier than it might have otherwise been. Encouraged by this, the party tried to persuade more orcs out of the cave, but the next orc band to show up were having none of it, and fired at the PCs with their shortbows. The PCs kept a prisoner alive for interrogation, who mentioned the "big bosses" to the west, and how they were persuading the tribes to put aside their differences in favor of unity. He was persuaded to fetch his chieftain, who arrived with several other orcs.
The chieftain and PCs arrived at a deal, where the PCs would clear out the kobolds' cave for the orcs' use, in exchange for coin. He told the PCs that the chaos cultists were organising an army to take over the nearby keep - something he found far more attractive than living in a cave. That was it for the evening, and the players were definitely interesting in continuing.
So, having been put through its paces, how did the draft ruleset stand up?
Extremely well, in my opinion. The players had no problem getting the gist of the new rules, and had the confidence to try things out. The characters all felt very distinct, and combat was swift and exciting. The rough nature of the rules was shown up a few times (e.g. whether or not Shocking Grasp actually targets AC), but that's easily fixable. It was noted that the game felt natural, and reminiscent of 1st edition.
On the DMing side, the game was very easy to run, even with no grid, which was a deliberate choice to see if DDN could work without it. I found it simple to quickly resolve what the PCs tried to do, thanks to the ability-centric skill system. While I made some mistakes and had to make a few more judgment calls than usual, the game never ground to a halt.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next time we play.
