Edge Ov The Twilight Queen's Domain: GM Intermission/Delve #4
They finally allowed me to rest this weekend at work x3
So! 4 Sessions of Dungeon Crawl in the halls of Mvrkmaal's Tunnel have gone by! A campaign has been secured, and some new Houserules/Homebrew Content in the works to go for the world of The Twilight Queen's Domain!
I've had loads of fun so far, even though only 10 rooms on the first floor have been explored. As we've moved forward, more players have joined each session. By the 4th delve, we had 4 PCs and 8 Hirelings for a total of 12 Party Members!
The dynamic of multiple players, each with their own unique personality coming to the table... Putting on the Mask of a Fantasy Character, engaging in the collective hallucination of Tabletop Gaming Sessions. It brings me euphoria to be able to create a space for my friends to be able to shed the skin of the Everyman and the stress of our Proletarian Lives.
Takeaways from running OD&D By The Book, and Letting Go of Needing Every Game to Be The Perfect Game
In the past i've struggled with the need to chase The Perfect, Ideal Session every session which would culminate in intense burnout. This time around, i'm building the world as we go. No more than I need at any given moment, but with some decent framework building when the inspiration oozes from my orifices. ;3
This campaign marks the first (Yes, first! lol) where i've actually kept track of torch/ration consumption. Who knew that it would actually make the game better! I'm finding that players will self-organize by their role in a Dungeon as well. My first player, Dylan (Dyl Pickle! x3), is our group's mapper and also Leader(?) of the group. He drives the party forward and is usually the first to ask what the others think about proposed actions.
His friend Ben, and CyberDarl1ng make up the Pokers and Schemers of the group. They propose many ideas, some as jokes and others serious. They ensure the party always has options at any given moment, whilst also being at the forefront when it comes to Roleplay/Non-Combative Encounters. They are also willing to be the guinea pigs when it comes to testing traps. :3
Our 4th player, Willty, appears to be more of an audience member. They fill out the Party's Number of Leveled Characters in Combat, serve as another vote/tiebreaker during decisions and add their own personality to the gaming table during moments of OOC Camraderie.
One of the things that's been awesome to witness is the progression of the player map. Dylan screen shared it last session, which meant that I could utilize it also when Precise, Specific Details and Distances were needed. Giving Clear Descriptions was a weak skill that i've since been learning to improve, as the first Delve of Mvrkmaal's Dungeon was slowed down a bit by both my time away from the hobby and the unclear directions I was giving.
Dylan's Map Progression x33
The Party encountered a pit trap where the Green X is, CyberDarl1ng's character was tied to a rope which was held by the rest of the party whilst she tested out the safety of the floor. She fell in and slammed against the side, whilst a Robotic sounding voice from below stated in Dwemer "You have 30 minutes".
Everyone freaked out and decided to waltz towards the Portcullis marked as P before the hallway going North/South. This was another trap! With dropping caltrops that downed one of the PCs, who had to be carried out by 3 hirelings in order to not Permanently Die.
The upper most room on the left connects to the door 2nd closest to the 30' Staircase on the Western section of Mvrkmaal's tunnel Proper.
Homebrew Content and Dungeon Restocking/Building in Preparation for The Oncoming Campaign Events
So! An Underdark Mass Migration will be rising towards to the surface in waves, beginning next session. They'll be the 3rd major Faction in the world along with The Twilight Queen's Empire and Gortsy. I have to begin re-keying some of the first level to show signs of the Underdark Dweller's Presence.
Graffiti and signs marking off places that will be reconstructed, fixed or altered. Probably some removed door, some already replaced/upgraded stuff. I'm thinking a large Steel Portcullis will appear now closing off that 30' Staircase in Mvrkmaal's tunnel, which will be Keycard Activated. Some of the rooms will then also have to be either looted, or had loot/shit put in.
I already updated the Encounters Tables for Level 1, and now the process of slowly keying the portions of Level 2 that may come into play this Tuesday may also commence! Much work to be done... :3
I'm going to have to draft up some of the Underdark specific Equipment, armor, weapons etc. My plan is for the Deep Dwarves, Orcs, Kobolds, Goblins to be akin to Modern Humans in look and culture. They'll be using Modern Construction Equipment and technology such as water pipes/HVAC/Electrical lights. I want all these things to be available to players eventually, along with the ability to play some of these races.
So far, i'm thinking the Deep Dwarves will be a variant Cleric Class with Thief Skills whilst the Orc will be a Fighter+ sort of deal with AD&D's Exceptional Percentile Strength. Not quite sure if i'll allow the other races to be playable. I did away with Dwarves and Halflings, so there is a spot for a small statured PC race... :3
The plan for all of this is that the Underdark Denizens will be moving into the Dwemer Dungeons/Ruins/Tunnels that run throughout the whole Death Mountain Range. They'll slowly be rebuilding/renovating/expanding the whole structure over the course of the campaign. The vibe i'm going for is encountering Deep Dwarf and Goblin construction crews grinding down floors with large industrial machines, tearing into walls to install water pipes/electrical wires/HVAC into the dungeon, and applying modern materials onto prepared sections (Epoxy Flooring, Rebar Reinforced Concrete, Windows, Push Bar Doors, Fluorescent Lights).
Some areas will slowly turn into Residential Zones, Hospitals, Colleges/Education Centers/Workspaces/etc.