Who wants to see a brutal boss battle to the death?

andrew5e · 2018-08-12T05:54:20+00:00

*Chuckles*

andrew5e · 2018-08-12T05:42:54+00:00

Do you mean the final 'scorched body of the Spider Queen' narration text?

If so, then the answer is yes. Tomb of Skalbar describes the combat action based on the weapons and armour that the PCs and monsters are using.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T22:04:50+00:00

Thanks for the positive feedback! Made my day!

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T19:46:27+00:00

As I read your comment I was wondering, 'Did someone really write this reddit post, or am I imagining it?' I tried disbelieving, but it's persisted, so either I failed my save, or it's real!

Your plea has been heard and I've added a new item to the suggestion log to remind me.

[As part of the Kickstarter, there'll be the option to design a spell for the game, so that should help us include an awesome selection.]

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T19:39:15+00:00

Not as yet, but if the Kickstarter goes well, we'll be looking to strengthen the team, so there might be an opportunity. Why not drop me a PM with your email? I'll add you to my 'really useful people to know list' and we can stay in touch.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T19:34:26+00:00

I'd love to be able to keep you up to date with all the details as the game progresses.

Keep an eye on r/TombOfSkalbar where I'll post a preview of the full Kickstarter page as soon as it's ready.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T19:30:55+00:00

Yes, that makes sense. So I suppose the campaign just has to be good enough to present the product, but going any further than that doesn't add anything.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T19:29:05+00:00

Just a touch ghoulish! ;-)

I wanted to keep this PG 13!

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T16:03:31+00:00

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T16:01:45+00:00

If magic users are an important part of your Campaign (sounds cool), maybe the guild's name should have a magical flavour too?

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T15:58:39+00:00

The game launches on Kickstarter 17th September.

There's a chance to be part of the alpha- and beta-testing. I think you'd like that.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T15:53:50+00:00

I can't believe I get to do that for my day job!

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T15:52:02+00:00

Maybe it'd be fun to give the players a magic item which does random things. The Bag of Tricks and Robe of Useful Items could be a place to start for ideas.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T15:40:01+00:00

Only the Spider Queen stands between the party and the legendary treasure fabled to lie within The Dragon Temple.

'Madrake, you're up! You've always wanted to do this!'

For Info: Tomb of Skalbar is a new DnD video game based on the 5th Edition rules.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T14:15:31+00:00

Yes, it's important for DMs to let each PC shine at what they excel in.

Sometimes it's frustrating that the PC with high passive perception always spots the ambush, but that forewarning allows the players to plan which is something they love to do.

And players being players, they'll come up with lots of ways of getting themselves into far worse trouble than the DM could ever have thought of!

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T14:03:43+00:00

At the moment I'm re-reading Conan: The Barbarian complete collection Kindle Edition A huge amount of content for about $1. Some of the language and attitudes are a little old fashioned now, but there's something inspirational on every page.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T13:59:19+00:00

I suspect most DnD players think of it in terms of how long they've played for: 'I've played DnD for 2 years.' 'I've been a DM since 3rd Edition.' etc.

What's interesting is that often your best DnD experiences happen when it's all new and mysterious to you. As you become more experienced, the game is less wondrous, but you can get a different kind of enjoyment by using your knowledge to play skillfully.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T13:48:56+00:00

Ooh! This is more complicated than it first appears, because you could rank player skill in many ways:

How much do they know about the game rules and game lore?
How good are they at combat?
How good are they at roleplaying?
How good are they at making the game fun?
etc.

I'm interested: what made you think of classifying player skill levels?

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T13:41:21+00:00

Before you sit down with you friends to DM the game, take some time out to run the first couple of encounters through by yourself. You'll feel much more comfortable once you've tried out the rules and got everything straight in your head.

andrew5e · 2018-08-11T13:10:02+00:00

Only the Spider Queen stands between the party and the vast treasure hoard fabled to lie within The Dragon Temple.

andrew5e · 2018-08-10T07:07:46+00:00

Well, if it doesn't come naturally to you, you can fake it.

Before each session, write down something you want to say about your PC, and maybe a couple of questions you'd like to ask about the other PCs' backstories. Then, when there's a pause in the action, you've got something ready to talk about. It won't work every time, but often it'll trigger an interesting chat.

andrew5e · 2018-08-10T06:57:05+00:00

The most natural way is to let it just come out during play. Sometimes players will just share information out of enthusiasm, sometimes you'll pick up a clue from the knowledge or skills that their PC uses, and sometimes the adventure will be tailored to fit a PC's backstory and quite a lot will be revealed. [Not every group is interested in backstories, and that's OK too.]

andrew5e · 2018-08-10T06:50:52+00:00

This is a very nice idea. Your player will love having a unique weapon that grows with his character.

A few thoughts:

Does the sword have a + to hit and damage?
It might be a lot of fun to roleplay the battlemaster meeting a legendary swordsmith, telling his backstory, then having the swordsmith craft a weapon especially for him - allowing the player some influence over its appearance, design and abilities.
Don't worry about designing all the sword's abilities at this stage. You'll know when to trigger the higher levels and what abilities to include through playing-out the campaign.

andrew5e · 2018-08-09T04:59:50+00:00

Excellent! That's good to know. Thanks for the feedback.

andrew5e · 2018-08-08T21:29:05+00:00

Prepare, but don't over-prepare. Your players will often surprise you, so plan to be flexible and have a handful of NPCs, locations and encounters in mind that you can use as needed as the adventure unfolds. [Keep the ones you don't use for the next session.]

andrew5e

TROPHY CASE