markcsigs.bsky.social
He/Him. Retired dad, husband, grandpa. Board games, #ttrpgs, 5e apologist, #Shadowdark afficionado. Occasional anarcho-socialist. Prog rock fan. Proud New Englander.
If you're interested, ask about #Schadengard, my online Shadowdark West Marches campaign
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Yeah, that video sold me at least one book I've been waffling about. And now I've got my eye on about a half-dozen others that weren't on my radar before lol.
But yours I've already got!
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Jingles?
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Also, keep in mind that you are probably more experienced with RPGs than the author of Steading of the Hill Giant Chief was in 1978.
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The first published adventure module; G1 The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief was released by TSR in 1978 with a cover price of $4.50.
I think the fact that we can get professionally published supplements nearly 50 years later *for exactly the same price or less* is absolutely amazing.
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3 Dragon Ante from D&D
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I really need to pick this up before it starts disappearing!
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Nice.
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At least the Basilisk Warrior and Thief had the presence of mind to flee, so it wasn't a TPK. Just an HPK (half party kill).
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Sold!
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I ordered the GM companion today!
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Downside of being a Menagerie Press fan ... when they put a bunch of their products up on sale but you already own most of them LMAO
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To be honest. I wasn't impressed with the Players Companion, and that kept me away for a while, but I've liked everything else of his I've seen since, so I've come around. We use his "To Die For" treasure tables in literally every session
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The biggest problem? Having to stop myself from constantly referring to Shadowheart as #Shadowdark.
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A paraphrased reenactment:
Adventure writer: "Real-life colonialism was a bad thing and may make some players uncomfortable"
Reviewer: "AAUGH WOKE MIND VIRUS!"
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Now I'm Birthday Cake IV (Mary's, not Mine)
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And you get XP!
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We have two Warlocks in #Schadengard. Both started out as other classes, characters encountered incredibly powerful extra-planer beings and pledged their souls to switch classes.
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I've read where the designer said the intent was for patrons to reward warlocks with additional small boons beyond talent roles. As a I love this kind of open ended design I can play with. But with a gm who isn't enthused by that kind of thing they'll be very bland
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It's 100% GM dependant. If your gm isn't enthused about role-playing patrons and including their inscrutable machinations in the campaign then they are bland.
But then you have GMs like me who keep introducing new patrons into the campaign without enough players to sell their souls lol
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I've been meaning to do a better job of codifying mine (other than just a discord post and word-of-mouth).
I'm curious about one of yours - shield sundering is tied to a specific kind of shield found in Cursed Scroll 2, but you're applying it to all shields. What's behind that decision?
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As the worm fled ... as the survivors hid ... the wizard made one last focus check on Acid Arow.
The beast was out of sight, but not out of range.
The wizard succeeded.
The worm had one hit point left.
I fucking love this game.
(No dice were fudged in the making of this story.)
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Barricaded in a room they finally healed the Priest and Pit Fighter and began mourning their lost friend, when the door busted open. It was Hjalmar the Sea Wolf.
"But Mark, how?!?"
Shh, let me finish. (9/10)
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Pouring the degreaser on the worm did no damage, but I ruled it played havoc with the mucus membrane that allowed it to stay out of the water, so it turned tale and fled for its pool. With the sea wolf still inside. (8/10)
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The wizard kept up focus round after round on his acid arrow spell, while cleverly using doors and corners to keep the worm just out of reach. The priest ran back to the supply room down the hall and grabbed the barrel of industrial strength degreaser I had cheekily described being in there. (7/10)
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"But Mark, how could they have survived that?"
"I'll tell you. It was all thanks to the 3rd level wizard and 2nd level priest. Yes, really." (6/10)
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Several rounds later the 7th level priest lay dying, so was the 5th level Pit Fighter who somehow managed to fail like five CON checks in a row. And the 4th level Sea Wolf? Being digested alive deep in the worm's belly. (5/10)
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Despite correctly deciding they shouldn't mess with the fetid bathing pool with rotting body parts floating in it, the wizard just had to poke his staff in. Tentatively, of course. Just checking. (4/10)
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The adventure includes an original monster called the Tyrranabyss (pictured). Rather than try to convert it to Shadowdark stats I took the purple worm and watered it down (literally!) into this amphibious creature. Less HP, less size, no burrowing, but all the other nastiness. (3/10)
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Running the adventure "The Keep at Koralgesh" written by Robert B. Giaccomazzi and Jonathan H Simmons for Basic D&D in Dungeon Magazine #2, 1986. My wife's Priest of Ord, Whisper has been leading forays into this ancient keep since the #Schadengard campaign began. It's been her life's work. (2/10)
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Then I had them confront a dangerous path through an Ammonia Bog, and had them roll their first attempt at Surviving the Night.
Next they'll stumble on the body of Willem, a teen who ventured into the forest to pluck a Beedlesprout to impress a young lady, but now a Volatile Cadaver! (6/6)
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We had a great time creating a dozen characters, fleshing out their stories and picking the ones they want to play now, with a few others in the background to step up if (when!) we lose anyone along the way. (5/6)
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But things go awry as the horde arrives much sooner than planned! Desperate to avoid slaughter, or captivity and slavery, they risk crossing The Böserwald - a forest of dark mystery and chaos where none dare tread, and those who do rarely return, and those that return are never the same. (4/6)
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Our heroes represent the most capable of the village, last to leave making sure nothing of value is left behind for the horse lords to take, and fleeing with just enough time to flee to Kriegerstadt, the great walled city several days down the road. (3/6)
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So in actuality last night's game ended up being more of a session zero. The players made up multiple characters fleeing their home village of Teufelheim, as horse riding barbarians from the steppes lay waste to all, and claim slaves from the survivors. (2/6)
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My intent - outline some neat possible encounters, make some pre-generated characters and get right into it.
My reality - spend multiple hours writing cool lore I'll never get to play out, and the rest of the time over fixating on making the exact perfect hex map. lol (1/6)
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But yeah, I don't run TotM, but all I need for Shadowdark's abstracted distances is a sketch pad, markers and my box of numbered and colored tokens.
Player: "How far can I move?"
Me: "I don't care. If you're moving off the paper let me know."
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That player's not even bringing clothes!
But as a Shadowdark GM, yeah ... the bulkiest thing I bring are the two oversized hourglasses I use as torch timers. But even those aren't necessary.
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Although it's about to be English Muffin IV in a few minutes
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Pizza IV