These are three one-shot dungeon delves. Each delve features nine rooms or locations full of challenges and interactivity (for a total of 27). Each delve has only one type of monster, but they are complex, and there are lots of them!
I really like their blog, and I really dig their original art. I’ve just ordered print versions of their adventures, Date of Expiration and Praise the Fallen, and I’m looking forward to not just the content but all of the original art inside.
Also, have you been following the development of AI in visual art and text lately? We’re living through a moment in history that might prove to be a major turning point in what “art” and “culture” are in the future. Are these things going to be original creations from humans, or remixed products from machines (and the companies that own the machines)?
And how is that going to affect us all? What art is “real”? What art has “meaning”? Are machines going to take over making “fun stuff” for humans? Will humans be relegated to merely consuming art, the stories, games, films made by machines?
There are going to be big questions and big consequences, and the saddest part of that difficult process may be that a lot of people don’t care. Or don’t think they care. That’s a lot to think about.
Less thinking, more drawing
But while I was thinking about it tonight, I started drawing. I’ve been trying to figure out what my style is for a while now. Over time, I have discovered that I prefer black-and-white over color now, and that I like ink, and dark blacks, and a certain type of line-work… I’ve been experimenting with so many pens (SO MANY!).
So I tried to recreate that art as a warm-up exercise (left, below). And frankly, I did not do a good job… at all! But then I drew it again, a bit different (center, below), and I started to get a feel for it. And then I drew it again, even more different (right, below), and I felt like I got a really good feel for it. Here’s what I did:
Took about 3 hours to do all of them, throughout the evening. And I’m super happy with where I ended up. I hope to do a lot more art like that third character in future Dungeon Age adventures.
But the thing I’m really sitting here with is… drawing is such an accessible art form! All you need is paper and pencil (pen?), and a little time to practice. Seriously, look at those three characters above. That first one stinks! But I quickly realized what worked and what didn’t, and I got visibly better with practice! In just a few hours!
Exclamation points!
In addition, I had no idea what that third character would look like before I started drawing. I had no goal. I just discovered the outfit, and the hat, and the weapons as I went along. It was a cool little journey of invention and discovery and creation all at once.
And it would be such a loss if, just a generation from now, no one draws anymore and artists just prompt AI to doodle for them. It almost feels absurd and impossible, but I can absolutely imagine a future where kids “doodle” by muttering at their phones to draw things for them. And that feels sad to me. To think that might be coming.
Here’s a quick update on what Dungeon Age materials will definitely be coming out this year.
One-shot dungeons galore!
First up, I have a series of one-shot collections called Wicked Little Delves.
Volume 1 – Levels 1, 2, and 3
Volume 2 – Levels 4, 5, and 6
Volume 3 – Levels 7, 8 and 9
Features:
A set of (mostly) linear 9-room dungeons designed to make solid one-shots, or to be incorporated into a larger campaign. Why do I keep writing these? Because they make for good one-shots, which I play a lot. Also it’s a good format for hammering on one evocative theme. But I know this is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Each delve features just one unique monster. Why? Because encountering one new monster over and over gives the GM time to show off the creature’s complex abilities (a lot more than just “claw” and “bite”!). It also gives the PCs time to learn how best to avoid or defeat the creature. This lets everyone feel more effective while only giving them one thing to deal with (more fun for less mental work!).
Every room/area is crammed with interactive objects and/or weird social encounters.
Monster stats provided for Fifth Edition, Old School Essentials, and Into the Odd.
Status: All written, with playtesting in progress (and going well!), needs art
A big ‘ole fantasy city!
Next up, for those who are sick of my little linear one-shot dungeons, I have a hideously detailed sprawling fantasy metropolis called Titan Rat City (maybe, we’ll see). This is the city of Carcassay, the setting of Lawless Rogues, mentioned in other Dungeon Age stuff (somewhere). It’s basically my Lankhmar or Zamora, a weird city of thieves and magicians inside the corpse of a giant rat.
Features:
Over 90 detailed locations in and around the city, spread across 4 districts, each location offering at least one unique quest hook and weird reward, many of which clearly tie into other locations in the city to help the GM make things happen.
A ridiculous number of factions: knights, mercenaries, Chaos cults, Lawful temples, guilds, foreign embassies, artist collectives, colonizing monsters… there’s a lot.
At least 3 layers of distinct dungeons under the city, the intention being that the GM can continue to place an unlimited number of other dungeon layers down there too.
This is the setting I ran last year for a huge cast of rotating players in an attempt at a West Marches -style gaming group. It was hugely fun, and extremely weird.
Status: Converting notes into a proper document, playtesting complete, needs art
Mere twinkles in my eye!
There is a direct sequel to Witches of Frostwyck in my files, that was written and played ages ago, about vampires and werewolves. It’s very Castlevania. If I have the energy after TRC, this could happen next year.
I have concept notes for a bunch of solo RPGs, but I’m not sure if I’m passionate about any of them right now.
I have notes for a bunch of traditional adventures, similar to the early DA stuff like The Obsidian Keep, that I hope to get to … eventually.
Any questions? Suggestions? Cruel insults that you don’t really need to lob at me but feel the need to anyway?
Some folks express concern about getting XP at an appropriate rate. And look, I get it. Whatever system you play, there are probably rules about how to get XP and how to turn that XP into a level-up for new skills or spells or whatever. Because that’s part of the game. And you like that. I hear you. I do. I just don’t share that feeling. It’s a fundamental disconnect for me.
Here is why XP does not interest me as a designer, or as a GM.
How I see it
When I think about fantasy, or sci-fi, or horror, I think about books and movies first, and then games next. I think about Conan and Ripley, Elric and John Carter, Perseus and Bilbo, Han Solo and Indiana Jones… And they don’t ever “level-up”.
Perseus getting his godly gear on
They definitely make all sorts of allies, and get magic swords and rings, flame-throwers and power armor, Wookies and cats… but they don’t suddenly awaken to new skills or powers during their adventures.
(I realize that in some newer media, the characters absolutely do suddenly awaken to new skills and powers in the middle of their stories. But I didn’t grow up on those.)
As a player, I have very little interest in leveling up. I want to find dope weapons and gear that I discovered and earned. I don’t want a skill bump just because I killed 37 goblins. I want the goblin king’s axe! And his crown! And that funky belt he’s wearing. And his pet wolf! And maybe his boots, what size is he?
This difference in expectations is partly cultural (in both time and space), and partly idiosyncratic.
But what about…?
Yes, of course I level-up my players’ PCs in my campaigns. But I use various other systems that don’t require me (or the players) to do any extra bookkeeping. I’ve used different methods in different situations, like:
Level up at the end of every session. (A less serious method to just keep things moving along.)
Level up gradually. (One session at level 1, two sessions at level 2, three sessions at level 3, etc., which tends to be what you get anyway when you actually do all the math.)
Level up by milestones (after completing a significant quest, feels reasonable and appropriate).
Although frankly, I’d be content to play an entire campaign at one level and just have the PCs grow stronger through their gear and achievements. But that’s just me, so…
So. I don’t believe an adventure can have too much treasure in it.
Some folks express concern when an adventure has too many treasures in it. Specifically, too many magic items. Perhaps they see the loot in each dungeon room, or the list at the back of the adventure, and worry that their players are going to become too wealthy or too powerful.
Here is why a ton of loot does not worry me as a designer, or as a GM.
How I see it
There are plenty of reasons why “too much loot” is not a problem at the table.
(1) They never find it. Let’s say your players enter a room and you describe three pieces of furniture. They search two of them, find nothing, get bored, and leave the room. Or they roll badly. Or they get distracted with planning their next move. Or you describe a vicious dog digging in the corner, and they focus on the dog and not what’s buried in the corner. So for any number of reasons, your players may simply not find the loot. This happens all the time.
(2) They never identify it. Let’s say your players find the glowing orb in the hidden drawer. Cool! But none of them have a skill or spell to identify the orb, and they’re not willing to risk experimenting with it. So they put in their backpack and hope to get it identified later. (After the dungeon. Even though it has a cool use that you planned for this dungeon!) And they might just forget they have it entirely. This happens all the time.
(3) They never useit. Let’s say your players find the bone wand, and they identify that it can mind-control any single creature, once a day, for one minute. Cool! But now they can’t decide when to use it. The alert guard? The scheming magician? The angry ghost? And then they make it to the end of the dungeon without using it, and they all shrug and laugh over their indecision about the wand. Oh well! This happens all the time.
(4) They lose it. Let’s say your players find the blessed dagger, and they identify its powers and rules, and they plan to use it when they catch the villain… But then they find a weird stranger, or a magic fountain, or an eldritch altar, and they decide to sacrifice the blessed dagger in exchange for something else of value. This happens all the time.
But what about…?
Even if your players are good about finding, identifying, and using their treasures, it is still well within the GM’s powers to keep things under control. You can remove the item from the dungeon, or you can nerf its powers, or limit its uses, or give the PCs a reason to give up the item, or have someone steal it. The GM has unlimited power, so…
So. I don’t believe in over-powered, “game-breaking” treasure. There is no such thing.
Some folks express concern when an adventure has certain types of magic items. For example, magic armor that makes the wearer immune to fire… at Level 1.
Here is why this type of item does not worry me as a designer, or as a GM.
How I see it
Let’s say you’re the GM and one of your Level 1 PCs gets their grubby little mitts on an ancient bronze breastplate that makes them immune to all fire-type damage. They will never be burned again at all! Well, here are ten extremely mundane things that can still hurt them:
A rabid dog.
A kicking horse.
A dagger in the eye.
An arrow in the neck.
A diseased rat or mosquito.
A falling tree branch or boulder.
Being strangled with piano wire.
Being held underwater in a bathtub.
Tripping and falling down the stairs.
Getting smashed in the face with a chair at the tavern.
And all of these things are much more likely to happen in my games than having a dragon snort flamey red stuff on you.
But what about…?
Even when you do run up against that red dragon, so what? One member of the party is immune to the breath attack, but everyone else is still in mortal danger. And the one immune PC is still plenty vulnerable to the bite, and the claws, and the tail, and the wing-blast, and the lair effects, and all the spells your dragon can cast. So… I don’t see a problem.
But what if every member of the party has a “powerful” magic item? Well, I’m the GM, so it’s up to me whether they’re all immune to different things, or they’re all immune to the same thing, and then I get to decide what type of dragon shows up, so… I don’t see a problem.
And this applies to everything, from weapons to wands to pets to whatever. Who cares if a PC can do something special? Teleport, time travel, shape-shift, mind control? The GM controls the entire game world, and the GM knows what the PCs can do. The GM has unlimited power. So…
The good folks at Bundle of Holding are currently offering ten (10) adventures from Dungeon Age for just $14.95 (that’s 75% off the regular price if you bought them individually).
The bundle includes ALL of these adventures:
Acid Metal Howl
Battle of Carrion Vale
Desert Angel Fiasco
Kraken Corpse Delve
Obsidian Keep
Orbital Vampire Tower
Ragged Hollow Nightmare
Star Dragon Rage
Witches of Frostwyck
13 Weird One-Shots
There is only one (1) day left before this offer expires, so check it out now!
Hey, remember that solo game I was playtesting over and over? Well, it’s here!
In Reavers and Rogues, you become a classic sword-and-sorcery pulp adventurer. This solo game allows you to create a unique character and play out the story beats of a gritty fantasy adventure in the style of Conan the Cimmerian, Elric of Melnibone, and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Reavers and Rogues is easy to learn and quick to play. The guide walks you through the Scenes of your story, giving you options to choose from, and helping you to interpret your dice rolls. Using random tables, you will create exciting encounters with strange people and creatures in bizarre and dangerous locations. And the combination of tables, dice, and your choices ensures that every adventure is unique and unpredictable.
Play time is 30-60 minutes. All you need is a pencil and two 6-sided dice.
Seriously guys, this game hums. I just played it two more times right before I hit the big scary PUBLISH button, and I had two wildly different adventures that were genuinely fun, and tense, and surprising. I’m really proud of this little game. I truly hope you all really enjoy it. I can’t wait to hear about all your pulpy adventures!
I still write stories! Lawless Rogues (Amazon | DriveThruFiction) is a novella containing six short stories about, well, you’ll see below the cover…
The ancient world of Harth withers beneath a dying sun…but it’s not dead yet. In the foul streets of Carcassay, all manners of merchants and thieves, mercenaries and assassins, magicians and alchemists, clerics and zealots, and tomb raiders carry on the business of the day. This novella features six tales about two of the more fascinating rogues stirring up a bit of chaos in the City of the Rat.
Bazil Mink, a weary occultist from a brutal theocracy, carries hundreds of magical trinkets that he has purchased, found, or stolen all over the world. With these strange and dangerous items, he does whatever odd jobs he can find to pay the bills.
Sarajel Solongo, a skilled assassin from a decadent queendom, enjoys the arts as much as killing her targets and manipulating global politics. She too uses bizarre magical tools and weapons, some taken from her own body, to serve her Domina.
Journey to a world inspired by the stunning works of Jack Vance, nestled between the borders of Tolkien’s high fantasy, Howard’s and Moorcock’s sword and sorcery, and Lovecraft’s eldritch horror. A world of scheming dragons that burst from the ground, mad vampires who fall from the stars, and lost civilizations buried under the corpses of titans.
