CthulhuDreams Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 8 hours ago, David Brawley said: Given how much XP you get for combat vs how much you get for treasure, and how fragile low level PCs are, it's actually far far better to avoid combat. With hindsight, this is something that was lost in the switch from B/X -> 2E -> 3.5E but that is badly needed. Along with morale rules. I have a broad thesis that this transition is one of the biggest issues with the game. B/X is about smart resource management, 4E is a tactical grid based combat engine, 3.5 is way more generally simulationist but has internal issues with its work day. They are fairly different games, all lumped together under the banner 'D&D.' Which creates weird expectations. If I told you I wanted to get a D&D game together, you and I are going to have completely different expectations about what that game is going to be like. You can really see the problem in the adventure designs coming out. I often feel like a lot of adventure designers are prosecuting the 'last war' in some of this stuff. I just read the new Storm King AP out from WoTC and I don't see how it's compliant with the 6-8 encounter adventuring day balancing mechanism behind 5E at all. It's like it's been written for a completely different system regards to pacing. I actually wonder if a lot of the 5E stuff wouldn't be better played with the 2E rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I am thinking that I may inflict a toned down version of Rappan Athuck on the kids.... Not what I had originally planned, but... I have not run a massive dungeon crawl in a long time.... Tonight, they begin the trek to whatever dungeon I am inflicting them uon, after they gather the last bits of the map. The Auld Grump - and I have the Bones figure of Orcus to use in Rappan Athuck! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loim Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Love me some Rappan Athuk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargs Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 On 4/24/2017 at 4:26 PM, TheAuldGrump said: And... the other day, I realized that I really want to run Kingmaker for the kids game, when they are old enough... which presumes that I will still be running the kids game in two years time, or so.... Megan was absolutely correct that running a kids game again would be good for me. Believe it or not, kids are more goal oriented - and spend a whole lot less time duffing around. There are scenarios where the kids solve the problems in less than half the time the more experienced players need to do the same tasks. They have less of a grasp on battlefield tactics - but have no problems with things like opportunity attacks. I can hardly wait until my own little one is old enough to start rolling dice! The Auld Grump - she already has three sets of fuzzy polyhedral dice. Kingmaker is a fantastic AP (am running it now for several grognards) and it sounds as though it should be particularly entertaining for those kids. I mean, what kid doesn't want to be King? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Young players or old - one thing never changes.... The game never begins on time! In this case, a new player - who is generating a Witch, giving the party a much needed boost in combat magic. On the other hand... we are now up to ten(!) players.... That is a lot of geese to herd. (I have run a kids game at a summer program with sixteen players... but....) So, while she is working on her witch, pizza is making its weekly migration to Park St.. The Auld Grump - the witch is a fairy princess, because... why not? She has a quest for a pair of wings.... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Oddly enough, adding another player seems to have helped the party start working together, or at least in smaller teams within the party. (In particular Witch-Ranger-Rogue, Wizard-Ranger-Rogue, and Barbarian-Fighter-Paladin-Cleric - two ranged wings and a close combat element in the middle.) Thinking about recruiting Molly (the Younger) as a combat assistant GM - ten is a bit more than I am comfortable with - but with a co-GM I might be able to give the PCs a bit more flexibility. (Not all that likely, but if I can phrase it in such a way that it addresses her inner combat wombat....) The party had another meeting with the dragon, gave him the wee men, and collected the pieces of the map - and got the signal honor of being invited back to visit. The dragon told them a bit about the dungeon they are going to, why he would not go ther, and a last piece of advice - Don't Go Down The Well. They still have two petrified rogues - the other PC rogue talked the party out of trying to trade either of the others to the dragon - and will need to go to town to de-petrify them. Going to be nice, and give the evil rogue a talisman that matches ones that they saw on the members of the thieves guild. Mind you, he keeps it hidden, so they will have to look for it.... The Auld Grump 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargs Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Well, at least you warned the kids not to go down the well. :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loim Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 With the group I run with they would absolutely go down the well after receiving a warning not to. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 32 minutes ago, Loim said: With the group I run with they would absolutely go down the well after receiving a warning not to. Any good group would!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargs Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 13 minutes ago, David Brawley said: Any good group would!! I mean, what kind of scaredy-cat adventurers heed warnings? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Our group would go down the well, trigger the ambush, fight our way bloodily until someone would use a magic item in an unintended but unique way, roll well on a random table or two, and leave the DM shaking his head saying "what the elf just happened???" Good times! Damon. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargs Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 23 minutes ago, Lars Porsenna said: Our group would go down the well, trigger the ambush, fight our way bloodily until someone would use a magic item in an unintended but unique way, roll well on a random table or two, and leave the DM shaking his head saying "what the elf just happened???" Good times! Damon. Sounds like the groups I run/have been part of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clearman Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Gargs said: Sounds like the groups I run/have been part of. Absolutely! Since I've been warned not to go down, then there MUST be something there, right???. Why else even mention it? Edited April 26, 2017 by hdclearman 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 1 hour ago, hdclearman said: Absolutely! Since I've been warned not to go down, then there MUST be something there, right???. Why else even mention it? That's where all the rich stuff is... Damon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargs Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 4 minutes ago, Lars Porsenna said: That's where all the rich stuff is... Damon. Plus, clearly the ancient, super powerful lich who runs the dungeon won't show up until the bottom of the dungeon, by which point we'll have earned numerous more levels and thus, be adequately equipped to defeat him! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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