Friday, October 12, 2007

links totalling five

Fear and Loathing in the Arduinian Wilderness - recollections of session run by Dave Hargrave

Wikipedia's list of self-sufficient webcomics - I was surprised by how many of these I read regularly or are at least am passingly familiar with.

The Halls of Tizun Thane - a 3e update of a classic White Dwarf adventure. I must get the original! Also, go up the local directory for more cool stuff.

Wild West - Free legal HTML version of the old FGU cowboy rpg.

Map Maneuvers by Farrand Sayre - one of them there google book thingies

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:19 AM

    The Hargrave game actually sounds rather annoying, like he was a serious control freak. They were hit by things that they would have no way of knowing.

    Stan

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  2. Er, and why, exactly, should the characters know about everything that potentially might hit them? Did Conan know what was around that next corner? Elric? Even Gandalf got surprised now and again.

    Players these days know waaaay too much about the things that are out there. Hell, even in 3E games these days none of the players even tries to reach for the MM anymore (which is not allowed in my games), as they have memorized everything!

    If your players aren't scared for their character's lives at least half the time on an adventure, it is no adventure at all...

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  3. I love the bit in The Halls of Tizun Thane where it describes what happens if the players decide their characters will disregard the Inn Keeper's warning and leave their window open at night! :D

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  4. Anonymous1:11 PM

    I was being extra brief earlier. My point is that the players seemed to be more observers than actors in the game. The ups and downs were more due to DM whims than their actions. At most key points, they didn't have much choice. There wasn't much plot beyond reacting to stuff being thrown at them - this may not be entirely true though since I'm reading a recounting told much later.

    It's ok to throw the unexpected occasionally, but an unknown brownie king out of nowhere and a low level dungeon door that teleports to a super cave with limited options seems a bit much.

    Plus, Hargrave seems to be the powertripping variety of DM. Brownies with the power to kill/raise at a whim? Demons that can kill with a touch and almost immune to damage except from the mcguffin?

    Stan

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