Finding a forgotten project.

Was cleaning up my writing files a few days back and considering expanding on a prior project when I noticed a rogue document with an April date. Looks like I started working on infesting one of Jackson's map, then dropped it when work got crazy. Appropriately - it looks like one of his "CoronaCon" maps. Forgot where I found it. Welcome to my brain.

So I revisited the map and started revising. Shifted a couple of features about and set up to finalize. And then I noticed three more rooms. Welcome to my brain.

That said, I'd started down a 'four elements' path, so better shoehorn in Air and Fire, since I'd already addressed Earth and Water.  And there's a totally unrelated statue of a jolly fat guy in a red suit... I'm sure it all makes sense...

Original

And of course there are mushrooms.

What's Going on Down on the Priggin's Farm?

Heh, not sure what to say about this one, other than Tim Shorts left a pair of maps on Reddit for just anyone to do with what they will.

Like the last installment here, the maps are a paired surface/underground complex. And the residents? Well, they've seen better days, I suppose.

Spoiler on the underground creature-feature: I read somewhere in the blogosphere not long ago about re-skinning level draining undead, particularly for them-there old-school games, as level loss, especially with slower PC advancement, may be seen as an undue penalty (and a couple of level-drained PCs can quickly lead to a party death spiral). Alternatively, these undead attack ability scores, with death occurring with the score hits 0. While I don't specify if the loss is permanent, a few options may be offered:

1) Yup, permanent. Dammit.

2) Ability score recovers at some slow to modest rate, perhaps 1d2/month.

3) Divine intervention: I'd suggest remove curse as a curative to such unholy drains on a PC.

Anyway, take a visit to the old Priggin farmstead, and have some fun with it. The residents can definitely be played as eccentrics of their kind, and perhaps things will take an interesting turn...

Exploring Dyson's "Old Fort Ruins & Dungeon"

Well, my brain is still mush with a lot of work demands and long hours. And I've found that I'm putting off a lot of exercise, both physical and creative. So this thing has been floating around in my carry-bag since Dyson first posted it in May. Which shows my productivity...

So here's Dysons "Old Fort Ruins & Dungeon," as interpreted by me... 

Not much to add here - no real deep creative process to unravel. I liked the interconnection of the surface space as an indication to the subsurface terrain (collapsed area) and its implications for exploration and geometry, and worked it into the narrative of the hows and whys of the adventure. Statted using B/X-OSE-adjacent methodologies. Or something like that...

Download me here

I hope to get back to a better flow upcoming - looks like I'm over the hump on the current work project (although there are rumblings that I'm taking on a new task). A few friends are discussing a modest collaborative project, and I have a fistful of other maps scattered about to fill with denizens.

Hope this finds you all healthy and finding your own ways to keep creative and connected.

One Page Dungeon 2020 - Eggs for Breznac

So, the 2020 One Page Dungeon contest. An annual context of creative brevity. And with many things this year, the deadline was postponed (July 15 for your last-minute creativity). It had slipped my mind until I checked the site, and then, as a repeat offender, I got a reminder email from organizer Aaron Frost...

Dammit.

Not going to lie - Like many folks this spring and summer has been highly disruptive and emotionally taxing. I have been fortunate to be working straight through. Although I've been stretched with typically >40 hour weeks (construction-adjacent roles). So my brain is not in a creative space.

But I had a few notes. And a scribble in a notebook. So that's what we are going with this year. 

I swiped a simple graphical map style that I utilized a couple years ago, and tried to work out a somewhat faction-based adventure with multiple pathways. I like the idea of a low-level adventure where the protagonists have no chance against the "big-bad" of the scenario. 

And John Large of Red Dice Diaries recently said something to the tune of  "an adventure isn't old school if there isn't a random fungus table." I can abide with that...

And did I mention that the PCs are goblins?

So have at it. There's eggs to be swiped. 

7/11/20: Entry updated based on some reader comments - thanks for the suggestions, hopefully decreased the suck. I appreciate it!

Checking in at the Ruins of Castle Kazza

Sneaking in one more before the end of the month.

Not much going on here, or is it? The locals report that a band of orcs are squatting in the vacation home of a beloved past king. Might as well go see what sort of mischief they are getting themselves into. 

Or not? 

We visit another one of Daniel Walthall's creations, a small castle in disrepair.

I waffled about how to present this space. It seemed to have a few stories or possibilities to it, similar to my "4 Scenarios" exercises. In the end, instead of changing the occupants and scenario, I kept our somewhat anachronistic band of orcs, and, instead, took inspiration from Daniel's signature random table on each map. So, we have several potential objectives for our orcs, a batch of other NPCs to influence the action, and some random pocket change, as it were....

Download the Ruins of Castle Kazza

 

I hope this inspires some play or threads of other ideas. Enjoy, and stay healthy and safe out there.