Rat entered slowly behind the others and gave a paranoid look.
--
Geth, roll 2d6+3 for Trap Expert with the Cautious advanced move.
Order of my questions...depending on how well I do.
1. Is there a trap here and if so what activates it?
2. What does the trap do when activated?
3. What else is hidden here?
The holes in the wall likely have some form of trap in them, but also the area between the wizard's statues is trapped. Handling anything in this chamber without care is likely to start the whole malevolent device in motion.
"Your wish has been granted.." The form slid back into the lamp. Ravas felt something in his hand.
Some type of machine, both advanced and highly ancient. It flickered with motes of blue, black, green, and purple. Ravas feels an innate pull to the Southeast.
Ravas, this machine can unlock several different potentials. It has told you this. Each potential can only be unlocked once before the machine must be recharged.
Manipulate the blue part of the machine to gain the ability to cast and control Spheres of Annihilation. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the black part of the machine to gain the ability to see the unseen, and gain the powers of others by consuming them. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the green part of the machine to gain the ability to create magic items by exuding your own residuum. You will also learn the secret of converting other metals to gold. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the purple part of the machine to gain the ability to Command, and dominate the will of monsters. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Matev on
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
In the center of the Fortress, a presence awakened, having finally noticed all the annoying little mortals skulking about. Oh, and Death was here too, so that was a thing.
From a massive pile of Treasure, a horn etched in the shape of a skull out of pure jade floated into the air, then began blowing
The wind formed into one skeletal rider on a dead horse, then another. And another. Soon, a whole company of spectral cavalry were arrayed in the central chamber.
"Ride forth, slay any you find in these walls." The guttural, ethereal voice commanded.
***
With the speed of the wind, and powered by centuries of built up Arcane might, the Spectral Cavalry swept through the fortress like a reaper's scythe. The Ramrods were the first to fall, cast into the chasm of the Wind Magi's Tower, or left as disemboweled snacks for the Zombie Sharks.
The Grim Company were next, shoved into the dark holes of the Devourer's Door, or cast into a growing blackness in the center of the room.
Finally, the Jolly Rogers -Ravas and Helter- were found in Djinn's Shrine, trying to decipher the ancient machine they had been granted. The hour had grown late, and the Ur-Mage tired of guests.
Death themselves traversed part of the fortress, but was soon harried back into their Black Kingdom, accompanied by all the slain Crusaders. There, they would know the peace of Death. Meanwhile, the Ur-Mage still reigns over this Sundered World. Perhaps one day, you might travel to his terrible Fortress, and cast him down.
True, I’m surprised Helter lasted that long, though I’m saddened I didn’t have time to reveal that Helter was the undead wife of the Ur-Mage with memory loss because I’m terrible.
True, I’m surprised Helter lasted that long, though I’m saddened I didn’t have time to reveal that Helter was the undead wife of the Ur-Mage with memory loss because I’m terrible.
Was this always the case or did you get a message from Matev at some point?
I just made it up on the fly when Helter and Nimue got connected. Matev could have dismissed in the final confrontation in some way, I was just throwing it out there.
I was wondering if Helter was the skeleton I was supposed to murder.
Honestly, I think he/she/it was also on my hit-list as well. Honestly, I think anyone from another team would have been sufficient, but Helter's undead form would have made for an easier reason for my pally for PvP.
Ugh, this game was fantastic, and I was so annoyed that my work schedule changed in ways that limited my ability to contribute as much.
Ramrods were really driving at the very start, but we kind of hit a wall with a couple of us slowing down and that really slowed our pace. Super curious about the scoring and how it works. I'm guessing the deaths must be a big penalty, we had two, and Grims had (I think) 4, so I'm guessing thats why our groups lost.
First off I wanted to say, thank you everyone who showed up to play and participate. I hope you had at least much fun playing and following along as I had running. It's been a great couple months and no matter the outcome, you're all excellent adventurers in my eyes.
Next up, my thanks to DungeonOracle and all the fine folks over at DDEAdventures for making this adventure and other wonderful gaming experiences. If you liked this adventure, check out their other stuff as they have a unique style that is always at least interesting to see if nothing else. I am fortunate to be in touch with them regularly via social media and they have been incredibly supportive of this endeavor, for which they again have my thanks.
Things I learned from this run:
High risks yield high rewards when done properly. It's fun to watch people explore and experiment with various widgets to see what they do. Suggestions from the players are always fun to fold in, though do require some set up to do in some cases. When doing PbP, expect attrition. There are ways to introduce danger without immediate damage. Players will do some wild things if they think it'll solve a puzzle.
Things I would like to learn:
Was the time limit too short? What did everyone like about the dungeon? What was most difficult/frustrating thing about the dungeon? Were the maps helpful? Would you play a dungeon like this again? What would you change about the dungeon or your playstyle knowing what you know now? Would you want your friends to play this dungeon/style of dungeon with you?
I could go on but I'm not going to. You are absolutely free to try this dungeon again with your prior knowledge, as (to be honest) you only scratched the surface of it's contents and potential. I would love to run this again for any of you, whether pbp or as a much more compact and intense online live session. I'm happy to discuss this run further with anyone.
As for what's next, I've got time off from work, so I'm working on a few things, but I'm certainly working with an eye towards another large scale game soon, as I love the chaotic elements bouncing off each other, so keep in touch to see what happens.
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
-- Arguably, yeah. Speaking from the perspective of a player who's accustomed to games that last until they're done, rather than having a specific cutoff point beyond which the game just stops.
What did everyone like about the dungeon?
-- I thought the challenges were really imaginative and interesting!
What was most difficult/frustrating thing about the dungeon?
-- I wasn't fond of the disposability of characters. Challenge is good, but I found the whole, 'aw you rolled a 6, make a new character' thing that happened sometimes really inhibited me from being daring. This is less a criticism of the game than it is an observation of how I interacted with the game. I've never been into throwaway characters that just come from nowhere and that I don't care about...and it seemed like that's what was encouraged for this.
Were the maps helpful?
-- Oh yeah, nigh essential really!
Would you play a dungeon like this again?
-- Eh, probably not.
What would you change about the dungeon or your playstyle knowing what you know now?
-- I don't think I have the moral high ground to demand a change to the dungeon, and I don't really want to change my playstyle. Hence my answer to the previous question.
Would you want your friends to play this dungeon/style of dungeon with you?
-- The dungeon itself, maybe? Not the style though. There's a pretty high chance I'd make a character, play it until that character died or became untenable, and then I'd just opt out rather than make a new one. That was my plan for this game, as it happens.
My real regret about this game wasn't the game itself, it was just the incredibly awkward timing of real-life issues that caused me to miss a big chunk of this...which might contribute to my lingering petulance over the time limit as well. No one's fault really, but a bit of a bummer.
Anyway, it was fun while it lasted! Thanks for running!
Thanks for running Matev and for all the effort you put into it. You really created a great atmosphere.
I feel bad that I was on and off in the beginning , I wasn't quite sure what was gonna happen with a lot of the team being awol- but @Endless_Serpents 's perseverance brought me back in more fully And I found the dynamic of a merc and a skeleton to be pretty amusing.
I wouldn't have minded a bit more time, but our team got off to a rough start. Would have loved to see Helter- Bride of Ur-Mage : D
What did everyone like about the dungeon?
I thought the theme and atmosphere was great. Kind of reminded me a bit of Irenicus's dungeon in Baldur's Gate 2 or like that Prison you go to later on (I forget the name of it).
What was most difficult/frustrating thing about the dungeon?
Uncertainty if we had the tools to address a specific puzzle.
Were the maps helpful?
Yes, though I read a bit too much into them at times.
Would you play a dungeon like this again?
Yes, though I'd probably prefer something with more of an overarching story (more than a competition) since I thought the bits of lore we saw were pretty cool.
What would you change about the dungeon or your playstyle knowing what you know now? Would you want your friends to play this dungeon/style of dungeon with you?
I'm not sure re: the first part, since our experience was a bit odd. Definitely would play with friends where timely communication wouldn't be an issue (which I think slowed our group quite a bit in the beginning) .
----
Anyway thanks again for the hard work and time you put into this Matev. I thought it was cool. And to Endless for being a fun dungeon companion.
I figured Helter was going somewhere in that direction, and I would've totally rolled with it once it came out, because personal stakes are great. I admit I was slightly worried when you went down to a duo, but it ended up working well, which again proved the versatility of Dungeon World to me, and I'll keep it in mind going forward.
Timewise, I figured a couple months would be enough time to approximate the real run time of the dungeon, which is about 3-4 hours of real time depending on actions taken therein. I will say at least one team could've given everyone in the dungeon more time, albeit at a cost.
Some of the puzzles had multiple solutions. Sometimes the only way forward is to experiment, or to move on and come back later. The only times people were restricted in leaving a room were locked doors, meteor showers and when the Rogers were trapped in the Cyclops tower.
The maps were to reference key features of the room and give you a spatial relation to the rest of the fortress. So long as they did that, they did their job.
The good news on the dungeon front is that Fortress can be played as a one party dungeon just as easily as a head to head competition. There is some story to it, but a lot is what you make of it. DungeonOracle, the lead designer on this particular adventure, is working on translating a 10 level dungeon about challenging 3 malevolent gods over to Dungeon World, and when that gets out into the wild, I might see about putting together another thing for it.
Live play is definitely my preferred method as well, as it keeps the action moving quicker, which is crucial in a game like this. For what it was though, there were some good beats and I liked what everyone had to show.
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
@Egos was on point in their post. I share much the same views as them. Particularly concerning if we had the right gear to tackle a puzzle, but for the most part we were overthinking them.
From our own experience if I was running a few parties at once through a dungeon (in Dungeon World) I’d now actually consider 2-3 party members to be preferable for sanity’s sake and lower the challenge accordingly. We seemed to do okay, perhaps we were lucky.
Maybe all I’d add to this particular adventure is more item options at the start, I think at least 4 of us chose the Echo. It’s not as though any of them were all that effective or necessary, it’s just nice to have different stuff.
I've got a table of about a hundred treasures for people to get a hold of once they get into the fortress. It's just the nobody recovered any their efforts. (Each team had at least 1 chance to do so)
With regards to multi-partying running, smaller teams in a pbp might work better. In the live version, each party has it's own DM, who communicates with the other DMs regarding whether unique items are claimed, traps set, etc.
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
The only thing I would recommend is making it more obvious at the start that characters are temporary.
I don't think I really had all that much issue with a character that was basically throw away (even though he never died) but it certainly would have likely changed either what I ran, or how I ran him if I had known in advance. With no breaks for rest (which makes sense thematically), clerics have a portion of their skills that either won't be used or can't be recovered, so it would have led me to a different build possibly, or different choices along the way.
I do wonder if everyone knows that upfront and accepts it if it wouldn't cause more risky play, which also is more entertaining.
Otherwise, thanks for running @Matev ! It was a lot of fun, and I just wish real life hadn't intruded there at the end or else Ramrods might have kept pushing to be as entertaining as possible
Posts
Grim Company: @Nips @Rezari @saber_of_black @SalmonMax
Rat entered slowly behind the others and gave a paranoid look.
--
Geth, roll 2d6+3 for Trap Expert with the Cautious advanced move.
1. Is there a trap here and if so what activates it?
2. What does the trap do when activated?
3. What else is hidden here?
The Jolly Rogers
The Djinn nodded.
"Your wish has been granted.." The form slid back into the lamp. Ravas felt something in his hand.
Some type of machine, both advanced and highly ancient. It flickered with motes of blue, black, green, and purple. Ravas feels an innate pull to the Southeast.
Manipulate the blue part of the machine to gain the ability to cast and control Spheres of Annihilation. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the black part of the machine to gain the ability to see the unseen, and gain the powers of others by consuming them. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the green part of the machine to gain the ability to create magic items by exuding your own residuum. You will also learn the secret of converting other metals to gold. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
Manipulate the purple part of the machine to gain the ability to Command, and dominate the will of monsters. This potential cannot be unlocked here.
In the center of the Fortress, a presence awakened, having finally noticed all the annoying little mortals skulking about. Oh, and Death was here too, so that was a thing.
From a massive pile of Treasure, a horn etched in the shape of a skull out of pure jade floated into the air, then began blowing
The wind formed into one skeletal rider on a dead horse, then another. And another. Soon, a whole company of spectral cavalry were arrayed in the central chamber.
"Ride forth, slay any you find in these walls." The guttural, ethereal voice commanded.
***
With the speed of the wind, and powered by centuries of built up Arcane might, the Spectral Cavalry swept through the fortress like a reaper's scythe. The Ramrods were the first to fall, cast into the chasm of the Wind Magi's Tower, or left as disemboweled snacks for the Zombie Sharks.
The Grim Company were next, shoved into the dark holes of the Devourer's Door, or cast into a growing blackness in the center of the room.
Finally, the Jolly Rogers -Ravas and Helter- were found in Djinn's Shrine, trying to decipher the ancient machine they had been granted. The hour had grown late, and the Ur-Mage tired of guests.
Death themselves traversed part of the fortress, but was soon harried back into their Black Kingdom, accompanied by all the slain Crusaders. There, they would know the peace of Death. Meanwhile, the Ur-Mage still reigns over this Sundered World. Perhaps one day, you might travel to his terrible Fortress, and cast him down.
But that is another story, for another fire.....
The Time Limit has been reached. All parties are slain and the delve ends in a victory for the Ur-Mage
Leaderboards
The Jolly Rogers - 125 Points - Unseen Servants
The Ramrods - 75 Points - Unseen Servants
The Grim Company - 50 Points - Unseen Servants
Play Again? Insert Credits to continue
2018 ME Productions, in association with DDE Adventures
fin?
The Rogers, Deceased
I did not think we were getting the most points. Well played everyone!
But not well enough.
Well, how many respawns did you have? I think we had...four? Five?
Sadly, @saber_of_black I think took the brunt of it for us.
Way to win in spite of those of us who disappeared early, you two. Nice job.
Was this always the case or did you get a message from Matev at some point?
I was wondering if Helter was the skeleton I was supposed to murder.
Honestly, I think he/she/it was also on my hit-list as well. Honestly, I think anyone from another team would have been sufficient, but Helter's undead form would have made for an easier reason for my pally for PvP.
Ramrods were really driving at the very start, but we kind of hit a wall with a couple of us slowing down and that really slowed our pace. Super curious about the scoring and how it works. I'm guessing the deaths must be a big penalty, we had two, and Grims had (I think) 4, so I'm guessing thats why our groups lost.
First off I wanted to say, thank you everyone who showed up to play and participate. I hope you had at least much fun playing and following along as I had running. It's been a great couple months and no matter the outcome, you're all excellent adventurers in my eyes.
Next up, my thanks to DungeonOracle and all the fine folks over at DDEAdventures for making this adventure and other wonderful gaming experiences. If you liked this adventure, check out their other stuff as they have a unique style that is always at least interesting to see if nothing else. I am fortunate to be in touch with them regularly via social media and they have been incredibly supportive of this endeavor, for which they again have my thanks.
Things I learned from this run:
High risks yield high rewards when done properly. It's fun to watch people explore and experiment with various widgets to see what they do. Suggestions from the players are always fun to fold in, though do require some set up to do in some cases. When doing PbP, expect attrition. There are ways to introduce danger without immediate damage. Players will do some wild things if they think it'll solve a puzzle.
Things I would like to learn:
Was the time limit too short? What did everyone like about the dungeon? What was most difficult/frustrating thing about the dungeon? Were the maps helpful? Would you play a dungeon like this again? What would you change about the dungeon or your playstyle knowing what you know now? Would you want your friends to play this dungeon/style of dungeon with you?
I could go on but I'm not going to. You are absolutely free to try this dungeon again with your prior knowledge, as (to be honest) you only scratched the surface of it's contents and potential. I would love to run this again for any of you, whether pbp or as a much more compact and intense online live session. I'm happy to discuss this run further with anyone.
As for what's next, I've got time off from work, so I'm working on a few things, but I'm certainly working with an eye towards another large scale game soon, as I love the chaotic elements bouncing off each other, so keep in touch to see what happens.
-- Arguably, yeah. Speaking from the perspective of a player who's accustomed to games that last until they're done, rather than having a specific cutoff point beyond which the game just stops.
What did everyone like about the dungeon?
-- I thought the challenges were really imaginative and interesting!
What was most difficult/frustrating thing about the dungeon?
-- I wasn't fond of the disposability of characters. Challenge is good, but I found the whole, 'aw you rolled a 6, make a new character' thing that happened sometimes really inhibited me from being daring. This is less a criticism of the game than it is an observation of how I interacted with the game. I've never been into throwaway characters that just come from nowhere and that I don't care about...and it seemed like that's what was encouraged for this.
Were the maps helpful?
-- Oh yeah, nigh essential really!
Would you play a dungeon like this again?
-- Eh, probably not.
What would you change about the dungeon or your playstyle knowing what you know now?
-- I don't think I have the moral high ground to demand a change to the dungeon, and I don't really want to change my playstyle. Hence my answer to the previous question.
Would you want your friends to play this dungeon/style of dungeon with you?
-- The dungeon itself, maybe? Not the style though. There's a pretty high chance I'd make a character, play it until that character died or became untenable, and then I'd just opt out rather than make a new one. That was my plan for this game, as it happens.
My real regret about this game wasn't the game itself, it was just the incredibly awkward timing of real-life issues that caused me to miss a big chunk of this...which might contribute to my lingering petulance over the time limit as well. No one's fault really, but a bit of a bummer.
Anyway, it was fun while it lasted! Thanks for running!
I feel bad that I was on and off in the beginning , I wasn't quite sure what was gonna happen with a lot of the team being awol- but @Endless_Serpents 's perseverance brought me back in more fully
As for the "questionnaire" : I wouldn't have minded a bit more time, but our team got off to a rough start. Would have loved to see Helter- Bride of Ur-Mage : D
I thought the theme and atmosphere was great. Kind of reminded me a bit of Irenicus's dungeon in Baldur's Gate 2 or like that Prison you go to later on (I forget the name of it).
Uncertainty if we had the tools to address a specific puzzle.
Yes, though I read a bit too much into them at times.
Yes, though I'd probably prefer something with more of an overarching story (more than a competition) since I thought the bits of lore we saw were pretty cool.
I'm not sure re: the first part, since our experience was a bit odd. Definitely would play with friends where timely communication wouldn't be an issue (which I think slowed our group quite a bit in the beginning) .
----
Anyway thanks again for the hard work and time you put into this Matev. I thought it was cool. And to Endless for being a fun dungeon companion.
Timewise, I figured a couple months would be enough time to approximate the real run time of the dungeon, which is about 3-4 hours of real time depending on actions taken therein. I will say at least one team could've given everyone in the dungeon more time, albeit at a cost.
Some of the puzzles had multiple solutions. Sometimes the only way forward is to experiment, or to move on and come back later. The only times people were restricted in leaving a room were locked doors, meteor showers and when the Rogers were trapped in the Cyclops tower.
The maps were to reference key features of the room and give you a spatial relation to the rest of the fortress. So long as they did that, they did their job.
The good news on the dungeon front is that Fortress can be played as a one party dungeon just as easily as a head to head competition. There is some story to it, but a lot is what you make of it. DungeonOracle, the lead designer on this particular adventure, is working on translating a 10 level dungeon about challenging 3 malevolent gods over to Dungeon World, and when that gets out into the wild, I might see about putting together another thing for it.
Live play is definitely my preferred method as well, as it keeps the action moving quicker, which is crucial in a game like this. For what it was though, there were some good beats and I liked what everyone had to show.
From our own experience if I was running a few parties at once through a dungeon (in Dungeon World) I’d now actually consider 2-3 party members to be preferable for sanity’s sake and lower the challenge accordingly. We seemed to do okay, perhaps we were lucky.
Maybe all I’d add to this particular adventure is more item options at the start, I think at least 4 of us chose the Echo. It’s not as though any of them were all that effective or necessary, it’s just nice to have different stuff.
With regards to multi-partying running, smaller teams in a pbp might work better. In the live version, each party has it's own DM, who communicates with the other DMs regarding whether unique items are claimed, traps set, etc.
I don't think I really had all that much issue with a character that was basically throw away (even though he never died) but it certainly would have likely changed either what I ran, or how I ran him if I had known in advance. With no breaks for rest (which makes sense thematically), clerics have a portion of their skills that either won't be used or can't be recovered, so it would have led me to a different build possibly, or different choices along the way.
I do wonder if everyone knows that upfront and accepts it if it wouldn't cause more risky play, which also is more entertaining.
Otherwise, thanks for running @Matev ! It was a lot of fun, and I just wish real life hadn't intruded there at the end or else Ramrods might have kept pushing to be as entertaining as possible