World's Largest Dungeon in actual play [Spoilers!]

[Bestopheles]

How I plan to start.

Okay guys,

I'm starting the campaign on this thursday. Of course, my book hasn't yet materialized in the mail yet, which means it will probably be here on Tuesday (curse you Christopher Columbus!), so I'm having to set some things up based on what spoilers I've read here as well as what I've been able to glean from leafing through it at my FLGS. I'm planning on the characters coming in at first level with a 32 point buy. So far the players are 1 wizard, 1 cleric, 1 barb, 1 fighter, 1 monk. So heavy on muscle, decent on spells, not so heavy on trapfinding. Several players are making back up characters, and I've let them know that without a rogue there will be a high attrition rate, so when somebodies dies, we'll get our rogue. I'm setting the campaign in Eberron, near the Xendrik mountains ( a land of darkness and evil, don't ya know.) I'm including a few rules from unearthed arcana, like craft pool point. (each character gets 100 craft points per level, and can spend 1/10 of an objects gp cost in craft points to make it "instantly". They still have to spend all normal costs, like gp and xp, and they have to be ABLE to create the item having appropriate feats needed, etc, but they don't have to take any time to do it (key if you're going to be making things in a dungeon).
I'm using some of Arholly's Random Encounter table, and adding the Carcass Eater, from Libris Mortis, pg 91, A dire maggot or two from LM page95, and maybe a bone rat swarm from LM pg 89 (which could be especially fun if they're attacked by a living rat swarm earlier, then have to fight their remains later...)

Any thoughts/advice will certainly be appreciated. I'm very much looking forward to getting things started!

Jason

 

[twofalls]

I wonder how my wife Katy is going to feel about knitting booties for a little CrimsonScribe in a few years...

 

[Bestopheles]

As an aside, I'm trying to come up with a World's Largest Dungeon sound track. Anyone have any suggestions?

Jason

 

[enrious]

Of course, my book hasn't yet materialized in the mail yet, which means it will probably be here on Tuesday (curse you Christopher Columbus!), so I'm having to set some things up based on what spoilers I've read here as well as what I've been able to glean from leafing through it at my FLGS.

Heh, I'm in exactly the same boat.

I'm going to be setting the WLD as Undermountain, under Waterdeep. I'm going to have a 28 point buy and the party will be 1st level.

I'm going to be running it somewhat tongue-in-cheek (the PC's will have to fill out hold-harmless waivers before entering) and will have it set as an annual dungeon spellunking event.

My premise is that there's a lottery for 1 person to recieve permission to enter with a party; one of the pc's will have won the lottery and basically randomly selected the party. Should the party leave the dungeon within 180 days, they will recieve land, title, money, fame, etc.

The lantern archons will be able to keep those above ground informed as to the party's progress and usher in a randomly selected replacement as pc's die. Replacement characters will be 2 less than the party average.

I also am going to be using DMGenie to keep track of things (jim, thanks a lot for providing electronic versions of the maps - anyone who uses an electronic aid will find them very useful).

As I won't be starting for a few weeks, hopefully the player maps will be out. I intend to spread bookeeping out among 4 players - 1 Cartographer - basically this person will have to look at the map section I show and copy it into the player's map pack. 2 Monster death scribe - this person is responsible for keeping track of monsters encountered and the results. 3 Treasure scribe - This person will be responsible for recording treasure found and the location where it was found. 4 General scribe - this person is responsible for keeping track of time passage, player deaths/serious injury, ration useage, and anything else I designate.

I'm also going to run with the Lantern Archons as Tron Bits (thanks to the above who suggested this), even to the point of using a text-to-speech program.

 

[CrimsonScribe]

Well I just got my modified copy of Region A printed at the local PrintWorks in Colour A3 on glossy paper (not film) and I must say it came up well. It's a good size and everything is readable (as compressing A2 to A4 makes text a nightmare). As an added bonus the slight "smudge marks" from my photoshoping aren't even noticable - especially if you don't know where to look.

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

For those who are following the RPGMP3 story and don't want to miss anything, I've posted an update thread in the Story Hour forum.

Hal has promised session #3 online soon. Session #4 is due to be recorded tomorrow.

Paul

 

[toddbanister]

Also a longtime lurker but just had to chime in on this one.

Let me get this out of the way first - Thank you Jim Pinto for creating such a wonderful book! We haven't played DND in years but after running across this book in the gamestore, I just knew I had to give it a shot. The price did make me initially balk but after reading this thread and the wonderful reviews, I plopped down my $100 and I couldn't be happier.

I'm currently reading up on region A and I think I've run across an error. It might have been already covered in another thread but I haven't run across it. Also checked Arholly's site but didn't see anything listed.

On page 34 (room A33) it mentions that there are 2x troglodytes in each alcove (marked as area B) but also one each in the doorways to rooms A31 and A32 (as well as providing listening checks for A31 and A32). Shouldn't this be A33 and A34 (or at least something else) instead as A31 is the room with the feindish Stirges and A32 is the hidden torture chamber.

Again, can't say thanks enough for creating such an excellent product.

Todd B.

 

[Soul]

Yes, thats correct. Also, A33 is listed twice once as the room and once as the encounter.. which I thought was somewhat confusing when I first came upon it.

 

[jim pinto]

As an aside, I'm trying to come up with a World's Largest Dungeon sound track. Anyone have any suggestions?

Jason

i thought you'd never ask.

Region A. Anything from the Smith, or Cure. Depressing 80s british rock.
During climatic scenes, switch up with Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force.
The soundtrack to Last of the Mohicans also works well during the later parts and of course, the Midnight Syndicate makes great mood music. I also love a perfect circle's second album while writing, so it might be ideal when gaming.

Region B. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Duh.

Region C. Switch it up from Peter Gabriel to Black Eyed Peas to Slayer (their more recent material) to Garbage to the Aliens soundtrack to Skunk Anasie.

Region D. Heavy metal and anything with a slow, heavy beat. Trent reznor also works. Judas Priest British Steel is a must.

Region E. Industrial music. Ministry, KMFDM, NIN, and a host of others. People with more knowledge of industrial music can help on this. The soundtrack to Strange Days was okay. Tank Girl was good as well.

Region F. This is a tough one. Anything discordant and confusing works best. Tori Amos, Bjork, Fugazi's later work, Dilinger Escape Plan, Fake Train, and Queens of the Stone Age's R album. Hindu music and chinese folk songs are really distracting as well.

Region G. Classical music, chants, operas, and so on. The sound track to Lord of the Rings works. I'm especially partial to Rimsky-Korsikov, Liszt, Schubert, Tchiakovsky, Dvorak, Vivaldi, and Biset. Ludwig's work when he was deaf is perfect here too.

Region H. Nature music, with hints of dark undertones. Anything by Danny Elfman. Vivald's four seasons works here.

Region I and M. Soundtrack to Halloween. Also gothic music. There are about 800+ bands that want to wallow in their own self-pity. Pick one.

Region J. Again. Heavy metal (real metal, pre-83) and sounds of hammers and anvils are great. Grindcore and thrash metal are good here as the PCs should always be afraid. Husker Du's landspeed record.

Region K. Eiree sounds here. Because the region is built around the dragon, there should be moments of sheer panic. Danny Elfman's slower songs. Perhaps soem grunge. Alice in Chains has some darker pieces as does Soundgarden and Tad. Mudhoney's less humorous songs might work. The cranberries, pixies, frank black, bob mould, firehose (not firehouse), primus, a perfect circle, iron maiden's seventh son of a seventh son, tears of the sun soundtrack, plattoon soundtrack, miracle mile soundtrack, kill bill soundtrack (the final fight scene) and anything by rush are also good additions.

Region L. The soundstrack to Patrick Stewart's version of Moby Dick, the score to titanic, abyss, and movies where isolation and mood outweigh action. I didn't see the movie, but perhaps Master and Commander had a good score.

Region N. Punk. Black flag (w/ Rollins), the exploited, husker du (new day rising), minutemen, tool, boltthrower (if you can find it), old bad religion, old fugazi, old pennywise, minor threat, rage against the machine, bad brains, and anything from the DC hardcore scene.

Region O. I wouldn't play much music in Region O, except perhaps something scary during key moments. Black Sabbath's Mob Rules is a good album here, though.

you may notice the lack of emo, pop, rap, r&b, country, adult contemporary, and hip-hop.

with the exception of jazz and marvin gaye, i don't know much about these genres. i really don't see nelly or blink 182 as good mood music, anyway.

as i understand it, hal mangold (at green ronin) is the most knowledgable music fan in gaming and he might create a better list of bands that none of us has ever heard of.

 

[Arholly]

Nwn

To those who asked, I've already started a NWN module for the WLD. I've got a basic starting point for the players (ye ol' inn or something like that) and then they go to the dungeon. Once there, no turning back. I'm hopeful to have Region A done and playtested by the 1st week in November, if things allow.

There are some serious things to change for the module though and that's been the hard part (death & dying, darkmantles [ugh!], equipment, etc...).