Dungeon Grind

 As gamers, we have all been faced with a playing session where one or more of the participants can not attend due to something unexpected.  It could happen for any number of reasons.  In some of these situations, there are other options that will allow the game to continue - DM can control the character, another player can control the character, the character could sit out for a session, or the remainder of the group could pull out a board game or something else.  Under any of these circumstances, game night can continue on.

There are also other times that an absence or two can have a tremendous impact on a game session so it would be best to just cancel.  Maybe the campaign is at an important crossroads?  Maybe several players have to cancel for the night?  Regardless of the reason, game night is officially cancelled and you are left with some new free time for recreation.  Sure, you could pull out a video game or a movie but that is not going to satisfy the itch.  You are really in the mood for some fantasy gaming, so what do you do in this situation?

My solution for this problem is a proposed game I call Dungeon Grind.  Admittedly, the experience will be different from playing a role playing game with a group of people and closer to something like a rogue-like game.  Although the experience will be limited in scope, it will still offer the basics of the role playing experience. 

The Concept Explained





The game rules will allow a single player to take a party of characters on an adventure through a dungeon, maze, etc.  Creating the party of adventurers is the first step in playing.  The player will have 4 slots in the party to fill with warriors, mages, priests, thieves, etc.  It is entirely up to the player how the party is made up.  Something similar to the characters produced in Searchers of the Unknown would be ideal; in fact, SoTU will serve as a great blueprint for many of the features of Dungeon Grind.  After the characters are created the party is ready for adventure. 

The player now sits down with dice, pencil, graph paper, party sheet, and rules to play the game.  The party always starts at room one on level one of the dungeon.  Using charts and tables in the rules as a guide, the player will generate the rooms and corridors of the dungeon.  The rules will also help determine monsters, treasures, and stairs down.  As the game progresses, the map gets drawn out on the graph paper.  You can keep playing and keep going further down in the dungeon for as long as you are alive or until you get bored.  If you got tired of drawing the dungeon as you go, you could swap a dungeon with another player and play through theirs.  A site that shares all of these dungeons could also be set up; people could download and play them. 

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I do not know if I would ever get around to doing anything with this but I might someday.  The idea just came into my head and I needed to get it out.  There is the basic idea. 

[Old Gaming Notebook] Fantasy Board Game Project II

I posted my initial thoughts for this board game design here; the original name of the post was Dungeon Crawl  I have not added to that initial post in a while but after posting the video for Hero Quest, Dark Tower, etc. I got the itch to expand upon the idea.

Name
This design will be temporary known as the Fantasy Board Game Project.  Yeah, I know that is real creative and all but I just need something to call this project for the time being.  That name pretty much sums up my intentions so that is what the name will be.  I originally wanted Dungeon Crawl but there is already a similar product with that name.  I also wanted Dungeon Delve but I believe that is taken as well.  I know there is another product by the name of Dungeon Quest so that is out too.  Maybe I will come up with something in the process of designing this thing...

Modes of Play
The ultimate goal is to provide a satisfying play experience in several modes of play:

• solo: single player sets up the game board with monsters, treasures, etc. and goes through the adventure alone.
• group:  multiple players - either cooperative or competitive - play through the adventure.
• quasi -RPG: an almost full on role playing game with a GM and a group of players.

Task Resolution
I think a simple, easy to follow universal task resolution method would be the best fit for this game.  I think the Action Result Table detailed in this post could serve the purpose well.  The ART could be put on a corner area or some other convenient spot on the board.

Characters
Characters will be defined by a simple set of statistics such as Melee, Ranged, Move, and a few others.  The character class will also have a special ability such as a thief being able to find and remove traps or a wizard being able to read magic scrolls found in the dungeon.

Game Components
In addition to the rule book, there would be a game board or several game boards in the initial core set.  These game boards could be mocked up pretty easily by using some of the boards found in the chess or checkers sets at any of the dollar stores.  Everything else in the game would be represented with a counter.  Each character would have a counter to use on the board while there would also be a matching character card with an illustration and game statistics for the player to reference during play.  All monsters, traps, treasures, etc. will be represented by a counter placed on the board.

Expansion Materials
There is a potential for a lot of expansion past the basic game.  There could be solo sets based on avoiding a  minotaur in a twisting maze or something similar.  Any expansion would include the necessary boards, counters, and rule information included.

The above is just some initial ideas.  More later...

20 Quick Questions

It seems that many of the blogs I follow are answering these questions, so I decided that I may as well play along...

1.  Ability scores generation method?

3D6 in order.

2.  How are death and dying handled?

At 0 or lower Hit Points, a character is considered to be at death's door.  A successful Save vs. Death restores HP to 1 and the character survives with scars, wounds, etc.  Of course, if the saving throw is failed then the character is dead.

3.  What about raising the dead?

It is possible if you can find someone that can do it and you can afford the price.

4.  How are replacement PCs handled?

I encourage the players to tie the new character into the story or the party by making them a relative, friend, or some other connection.  Any new characters joining the party will typically be one level lower than the current lowest level PC in the party.  

5.  Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

Individual: roll D10 + Dexterity each combat round and the highest total acts first.

6.  Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

Yes.  They both work on my judgment call.  A critical hit might do extra damage or inflict a serious wound.  A fumble could be a dropped weapon, a broken blade, or something similar.

7.  Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Hmmm....is it a magical helmet?

8.  Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Oh yes you can.  Silly is silly and has consequences even when it could harm your friends.

9.  Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

If you know what is good for you!.  That is part of the fun, right?

10.  Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

No.  I have never liked the idea myself.

11.  Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

Yes!  I want PC death to be a real possibility.  I do not "go after" the characters but if they die, they die.

12.  How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

I am not too concerned with resources.  I ask that all characters do spend the money on a few rations, a quiver (if it applies), and other essentials.  I do not keep strict track of them but there are times when some resources get depleted.   As long as a player is not trying to carry everything under the sun, I do not worry too much about encumbrance.

13.  What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? 

Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

All experience is on hold until the characters go back into a town, settlement, etc.  Leveling up will be done at that time if it has been reached.  Training and new spells are done at this time also.

14.  What do I get experience for?

I use a reward system inspired by and closer to the one found in Palladium Fantasy.

15.  How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

Either - it just depends on how the players approach it.  If they described actions that would probably detect a trap, then it happens.  It they do not describe any actions, then their fate is left to the role of the dice.

16.  Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

Retainers are neither encouraged or discouraged.  Morale is checked after tight spots and any time a character treats a retainer "badly".

17.  How do I identify magic items?

Attempt to use it correctly OR bring the item to a sage, high priest, etc. to help with identification.

18.  Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

At certain times but there is no fantasy version of SEARS or ACE HARDWARE located in my campaign world.

19.  Can I create magic items? When and how?

Probably not.  I do not like magic items to be so common that people can just create a large supply of them.

20.  What about splitting the party?

That is entirely up to the players and what they *think* is the right course of action.

Deltora Quest clip

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I have caught a few assorted minutes of Deltora Quest. D&D immediately came to mind when I saw it. I am just passing the word along in case someone would be interested in viewing it themselves. Hey, if anyone happens to regularly watch this show and can shed further light on the quality and content then feel free to speak up.

RESIDENT EVIL 5 Retribution Trailer

Oh Hell YES!  Consider me one happy Resident Evil fan.  I had heard that it was in development, but now it looks like the fifth Resident Evil movie, Retribution, will be released this year.  I have seen all of the others and, in fact, own all of them on DVD.  Usually, I would voice my opinion that the source material - in whatever format - is typically much better than any adaptations.  I find Resident Evil to hold a unique spot on my list of favorites because I have enjoyed every form of the franchise that I have been exposed to.  Of course, I began with the first game back on the PlayStation and thought it was amazing.  Over the years, the games would continue.  I went into the first movie wit great skepticism because I thought it would probably be just another wretched attempt at a money grab riding a wave of popularity for quick cash.  I liked it and have liked all of the movies so far.  Finally, I borrowed several of the novels from my cousin and read them.  I enjoyed them so much that I bought the missing books in his collection.  Yeah, I am a Resident Evil junkie and I can not wait to see this installment of the movie franchise.    

[TAG] The Answer Game

I have been tagged and now so have you...

This is just part of the 2012 Blogging from A to Z challenge.  It is a simple copy and paste event with a minimum of questions.  The concept is pretty simple.  I answer these questions in my blog.  Those that choose to play answer them in their blog.  Without further delay, my answers are posted below:

Are you signed up for the A to Z Challenge? 

Yes, I am.

What is your sign-up number? 

My sign-up number is 34.

Are you ready? If yes...explain yourself.

Yes, I am ready.  I have a topic - Gaming in the 1980's; more specifically it will be the experiences of my gaming group and myself in the 1980's.  I have a draft started for each letter.  I have begun pulling images and videos to use in the posts.  There are a few topics I am still trying to iron out the details on but I am ready to go.

If you’re not ready...what’s your excuse? 

See the answer above.

There are my answers.  If you choose to play, just copy the questions in your blog, answer them, and leave a reply here.  

Kobold Quarterly

I just wanted to take a moment and give a recommendation for Kobold Quarterly.  Yeah, I know it is not exactly OSR material but if you play Pathfinder then it is definitely good stuff.  I do not have  a subscription and  I have only browsed through the issues that my cousin has purchased but this magazine reminds me of the good old days of Dragon magazine.  Simply put, if you are looking for a print magazine devoted to role playing then check it out because you might find something worthwhile contained within.

On Writing and 2012 Goals

Well, well, well...this is post number one hundred on this blog.  I reached this point much quicker than I initially believed I would.  I know I speculated in my first post that I would probably post just once or maybe twice a week.  I guess I did not stick to that schedule but that is a good thing.  I enjoy writing and doing it about subjects that I am interested in makes it even better.  The fact that writing is something I enjoy was not always the case.  There was a time when writing was not enjoyable for me at all.  

It seems I have always been able to write once I got going.  When I say, "once I got going", I mean it used to be quite a struggle just to get started on a writing project.  I could come up with vague ideas that I would be highly interested in expanding but I just could not pull the trigger.  This all changed during my freshman year of high school.  The English class that year also included a creative writing notebook that we turned in to the teacher every so often.  I was not real excited about this but it was not part of the grade and all of the freshman English teachers had it in their class so I just figured it was something else to muscle through.

One of the things we were required to do with that notebook was write for 20 minutes after looking at a picture in the front of the class.  The picture could be anything chosen by the teacher and all of us had to write about the same picture.  I did not like being forced to write and I especially did not like to write about something of my choosing.  Then I saw the picture we were required to write about and that changed everything.

On the chalkboard at the front of the class was the inspirational picture; it seemed "normal" enough.  There was a car on the side of an empty road, a family outside of the car, and a police officer speaking to them.  The whole group was standing by the rear of the vehicle with the trunk closed.  My first thoughts were about my lack of enthusiasm over this mundane scene were were required to write about for 20 minutes.  As my dissatisfaction grew, I suddenly knew what I was to do.  If the teacher was going to make me write then I was going to make the teacher read something that she would not like.

I weaved a tale about a a rental car that the parents had picked up.  Actually, there had been a problem with their reserved car and the rental place let them  use this other car but they had to take it right at that moment.  They had gotten pulled over because the car matched the description of a car used by a serial killer that was on the loose.  The cop had asked them to open the trunk and there was a boat load of money and a body inside!  Put simply, my story was over the top and I knew it.  I turned it in at the end of class with the satisfaction that I had showed her (the teacher) what would happen every time she asked us to write.

This continued all year long.  She would put a picture on the chalkboard and I would come up with some outlandish story to go along with it.  I was - and still am - an 80s slasher movie fan so there was plenty of that type of stuff plus aliens, leprechauns, and all sorts other strangeness.  I expected her to say something but she never did.  At the end of the year it was revealed that the creative writing notebooks were a part of our grade but not in the traditional sense.  If any of us were in the position where we were close to the next higher grade for the class then the notebook would come into play.  Basically, if you participated then you would be considered for the higher grade but if you did not participate then you could forget about it.  That is how I finally "got it" when it comes to writing.

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What was the purpose of all of that and how does it relate to role playing games?  The purpose was to do something different for post 100 and look back at how I started writing.  I have written a lot of stuff since that time.  I definitely know that writing is a skill that needs to be trained.  Some people have a natural gift for it and others have to train on it pretty intensely to get some results.  I seem to be at a comfortable spot on writing.  I can generally come up with an idea and just run it through my head for a bit and then start writing.  I make no claims of grandeur or expertise, just that I am comfortable with writing.

The second part of the question was how does this relate to role playing games?  The most direct connection is that I happen to write about role playing games in this blog.  Some of the subjects - presented in no particular order - that I plan to write about in 2012 include:

1. Complete my read through and do an actual play report over Perilous Journeys.
2. Participate in the A to Z April Challenge.
3. Continued development of the 2D6 role playing system.
4. Complete my read through and do an actual play report over Adventures in Fantasy.
5. Actual play report over Far Trek.
6. Continued development of the games from The Old Gaming Notebook.
7. Continued development of my campaign world.
8. Assisting Eric at Back to the Dungeon! complete the Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game.
9. A look at any new products I may purchase in the coming year.
10. Miscellaneous jibber jabber.

There is my plan all laid out in a nice, easy to read list.  Of course, we all know how plans change so this is by no means set in stone.  I am sure I forgot to include something on the list and I am also sure that there will be things to grab my attention forcing me to write about them.  Without further delay, I am posting thing and going to catch up on some of the blogs I read.
 

    

Dark World

In contrast to HeroQuest, I do not recall hearing of Dark World at all.  Maybe I did or maybe I did not.  I was pretty much stuck on A/D&D during my youth so who knows?  Again, does anybody have any experience with this game?  How about with Dark World and HeroQuest both?  How do they compare with each other?

HeroQuest - A Missed Opportunity

HeroQuest, like Dark Tower, represents a missed opportunity for me.  I remember seeing it as a youth but I never did buy it or even get a chance to play it.  Since then, I have seen a few tattered separate rule books and a few old boxes in various states of disrepair.  The prices for these items were not in my "let's take a look" range of purchases so I did not get them.  I wonder if I made a mistake?  Obviously people enjoy the game since the used copies I have seen got a lot of play due to their condition.  I also have a recurring desire to design a board game with many of the same elements.  Does anybody have any experience with this game?  I am always up for a good tale...