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

[twofalls]

Hay Jim, just wanted to give credit where credit is due, haiiro started this thread and I agree, his idea to avoid spoilers was well considered.

 

[jim pinto]

In regards to your post on the other list, check out Room N223.

Feel free to move that anywhere you like.

 

[twofalls]

Hmmmm. Are there further hints about the nature of this discovery earlier in the Dungeon somewhere? Reading room N223 after only having read Regions A and B leaves me thinking that its unlikely they will undrerstand that the scrolls are anything more than more treasure found, and essenitally adventurers don't arbitrarily destroy treasure.

I reread the spells and I must say, unless I had other information, I wouldn't connect either spell with the consequences outlined in the text. If there isn't any refrence to this earlier on, I think I'll likely write a poem in stone when the times comes that outlines the choice to be made in riddle form so that they recognize when they find them that they portent something momentous and are to be considerd more than just hidden loot.

Also, in room N222, there is a trap that irrevokably destroys a CE character (the lever). My group isn't prone to playing evil characters (I frown on it but didn't disallow it for the dungeon crawl) but as a GM, wouldn't one of your players cry foul regarding that? Particuarly since 3.0+ is very careful to build in saves for most everything?

Er... what is the World Eater? Why does that name remaind me of a certain old Star Trek episode...?

 

[jim pinto]

Hmmmm. Are there further hints about the nature of this discovery earlier in the Dungeon somewhere? Reading room N223 after only having read Regions A and B leaves me thinking that its unlikely they will undrerstand that the scrolls are anything more than more treasure found, and essenitally adventurers don't arbitrarily destroy treasure.

I reread the spells and I must say, unless I had other information, I wouldn't connect either spell with the consequences outlined in the text. If there isn't any refrence to this earlier on, I think I'll likely write a poem in stone when the times comes that outlines the choice to be made in riddle form so that they recognize when they find them that they portent something momentous and are to be considerd more than just hidden loot.

Also, in room N222, there is a trap that irrevokably destroys a CE character (the lever). My group isn't prone to playing evil characters (I frown on it but didn't disallow it for the dungeon crawl) but as a GM, wouldn't one of your players cry foul regarding that? Particuarly since 3.0+ is very careful to build in saves for most everything?

Er... what is the World Eater? Why does that name remaind me of a certain old Star Trek episode...?

the world eater is in room N159

there is no clue to the contents of this room

that's left to the DM in this case, based on how the PCs play
PCs that spend the time to find it, should believe it

was hidden for a reason

the levers are designed to destroy undead that would touch them

if you'd like to allow a save, by all means

i HONESTLY expected people to read at least some of the
dungeon before running it, but in hindsight, that was a bad
call since we designed it exactly the opposite.

reading ahead a Region isn't a bad idea and the material in
Region N should not be skimmed because there's SOOO much
there

i've already done my tips for running Region A
when i get to the higher levels, i'll drop some hints about
Region N

 

[haiiro]

i HONESTLY expected people to read at least some of the
dungeon before running it, but in hindsight, that was a bad
call since we designed it exactly the opposite.

I'd say that's certainly the standard expectation for modules in pretty much any system, and they usually say so right in the front: "read me cover to cover before you start playing." Of course, they're not 840 pages, either.

My intent is certainly to read the whole thing before I try and run it, but realistically that may not wind up happening. In fact, part of me's a bit worried that by the time I've finished it, I'll have forgotten enough about the first few Regions that I'll have to read them again -- in which case, why not just stay 1 or 2 ahead of the party, and read as I go?

In any case, I'm enjoying the suggestions and feedback thus far, and hopefully I'm not the only one -- keep it up.

 

[twofalls]

>>Originally Posted by jim pinto
i HONESTLY expected people to read at least some of the
dungeon before running it, but in hindsight, that was a bad
call since we designed it exactly the opposite.<<

I don't understand this statement Jim, are you being incredulous? It rather sounds more like you had expected GM's to read the WHOLE thing rather than "at least some of" it. I've read Regions A and B and have prepped A for gaming. It was you who brought up refrences to Region N. Between work, family, and sleeping... I have time to squeeze in a little bit of my hobby and it seems unlikly that my situation is atypical for the demographic likely to be able to afford this product. My interest in material like this to save time...

Section N is just about the end of this huge book, and it's stated in the front that it was designed to be modular... so yeah people aren't likely to think that reading the entire manusript to run it is going to be nessesary, I sure didn't. Plainspeaking, if it were needed then it wouldn't have been worth the investment to me as I'd not have been able to complete it in a reasonable ammount of time. As it is, I'm enjoying the book a great deal and personalizing it to meet my group's expectations.

I've been running games for a long time (yes that is grey in my beard) and have seen a HUGE ammount of material (my shelves are larger than any of the FLS in my area) and I've recommended this book to other friends of mine who are GM's. There is no higher compliment I can pay to a game designer than that.

 

[jim pinto]

>>Originally Posted by jim pinto
i HONESTLY expected people to read at least some of the
dungeon before running it, but in hindsight, that was a bad
call since we designed it exactly the opposite.<<

I don't understand this statement Jim, are you being incredulous? It rather sounds more like you had expected GM's to read the WHOLE thing rather than "at least some of" it. I've read Regions A and B and have prepped A for gaming. It was you who brought up refrences to Region N. Between work, family, and sleeping... I have time to squeeze in a little bit of my hobby and it seems unlikly that my situation is atypical for the demographic likely to be able to afford this product. My interest in material like this to save time...

Section N is just about the end of this huge book, and it's stated in the front that it was designed to be modular... so yeah people aren't likely to think that reading the entire manusript to run it is going to be nessesary, I sure didn't. Plainspeaking, if it were needed then it wouldn't have been worth the investment to me as I'd not have been able to complete it in a reasonable ammount of time. As it is, I'm enjoying the book a great deal and personalizing it to meet my group's expectations.

I've been running games for a long time (yes that is grey in my beard) and have seen a HUGE ammount of material (my shelves are larger than any of the FLS in my area) and I've recommended this book to other friends of mine who are GM's. There is no higher compliment I can pay to a game designer than that.

wow.

you said a mouth full.

let me tackle this, point by point

i'm being a little incredulous, if nothing else, because i'm letting
you see into my psyche. 95% of the pre-design of this book came
out of my head and helped to structure HOW we would tackle it.
making it modular, placing the monsters, designing the template for
each Room, etc.

the introduction (with a few key exceptions) was written BEFORE
a single writer was hired.

during the creation process we tried to stay as close to our design
principles as we could. but good ideas, like Room N223 that develop
during the 11th hour of editing, can't be shuffled away simply because
the DM won't or can't read ahead to see what the dungeon has to offer.

yes, i'm sorry i didn't do a better job of tying that room to the WHOLE
of the dungeon. it was unlikely during design that the PCs would find
it. but i kept thinking of all those really bad RPGA puzzles at conventions
that never made sense, when i made it, and i thought.... here's an instance
where if people are paying attention to the clues in this room, they'll realize
that something is afoot and these scrolls are not what they appear to be.

sadly, this too is illogical and as much as i like the room, its not as
cool now in print as it was when i dreamed it up.

but...

at the end of the day, if the DM doesn't like the puzzle i've presented,
he's free to ignore it.

as i stated, my original concept was for the book to be modular.
however, if the DM wants to surprise the PCs with well-placed
foreshadowing, it wouldn't be a bad idea to read 1 or 2 regions
ahead. foreshadowing needs to be tailored to the style of the
group and we really can't do that for you ahead of time.

a fortune teller that says, "Agar will die at the hands of his own death."
is great if the DM can assure the PCs will enter a room with a mirror
of opposition. AEG, however, can't make sure that happens without
a really big hammer.

the real problem is that there are 5 unique paths through the dungeon
and unless the PCs hit EVERY room, it won't matter what's in Room
N223 and all those clues have gone to waste.

luckily, i'm online every day and i hope i can guide people to some
really, really cool adventures .... with a little help from the DMs, i guess.



thanks for the kind words, twofalls

i hope your game goes well

 

[spacecrime.com]

it wouldn't be a bad idea to read 1 or 2 regions
ahead.

That's more or less what I'm doing. Currently running section A, reading section B in detail, leafing through section C. May have to look ahead to E if the party keeps heading north, but as long as I'm looking five minutes ahead then I'm good. My players are a low-on-planning high-on-hacking lot anyway...

cheers,

 

[jim pinto]

That's more or less what I'm doing. Currently running section A, reading section B in detail, leafing through section C. May have to look ahead to E if the party keeps heading north, but as long as I'm looking five minutes ahead then I'm good. My players are a low-on-planning high-on-hacking lot anyway...

cheers,

one of the designers is running a bi-weekly game
and he's just cutting out the doors leading north
into Region E because he WANTS the PCs to go east
into Region B.

pretty shrewed

i'll say this much... Region E is very different from what
people are used to in a dungeon crawl and requires a
thorough read. inevitable stronghold.

Region B is lots of traps, goblins, and bugbears

if nothing else, Rooms B109 through B119 are some of my
favorite in the dungeon.

 

[Demon Gnome]

one of the designers is running a bi-weekly game
and he's just cutting out the doors leading north
into Region E because he WANTS the PCs to go east
into Region B.

pretty shrewed

I am doing the exact same thing. I have remapped most of A by hand so I can make notes and so forth and also because I remvoed some of the rooms and corridors I didn't want (mostly empty rooms that I didn't really want). On my maps there are no routes to Region E as I want the players to go through Region B. Actually there are no routes to Region B either as I don't want them to move on until they are ready. They will just conveniently find a secret door shortly after such time as Region A is finished and they are ready leading to Region B.