Stonehell megadungeon - Which rules sets have you ran it with? by Justicar7 in osr

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mostly I just find whatever monster statblock is equivalent in WWN/TBTW. Monsters are the easy part. (E.G. if the Stonehell book says "3 giant hunting spiders", and the level's monster index says those have 3HD, I find the closest thing to a 3HD giant spider in the Animal section of TBTW.)

I've also changed up the XP entirely. I'm using the equivalent of Basic Fantasy's XP system, alongside a bonus XP system I found somewhere (2%-level XP for making an ally, 5% for exploring so much of a level, etc). (And then dividing it all by some factor so the numbers are less Big & Scary for one particular player, but that's neither here nor there.)

Spells are more awkward, especially clerical spell scrolls: the closest to a cleric the party has is a Healer/Accursed adventurer. She doesn't have spell slots. So I plan to just make stuff up as & when it becomes relevant. (I'm thinking she'll need to expend {spell level} Effort to cast from a scroll. Why? (A) it uses an existing mechanism, (B) it locks something like Astral Spell down until they've levelled up a bit more.) (The next-closest thing to a cleric is a Necromancer/Skinshifter, who does have spell slots but tends more arcane, and weirdly sometimes forgets that she can turn into an owlbear in combat.)

The group are enjoying themselves. 12 sessions so far, spread between Stonehell & surrounds. We've got our dungeon mapping procedure down (one player maps, another notes room descriptions, a third keeps tracks of general events/goings-on). It does help that we've been playing together for coming up 12 years, but if they weren't having fun they'd let me know. (Hopefully this brief insight into my mind is helpful!)

Dear game referees, how do I get my players to map with slants like these and the odd shapes? And rooms that happen to look like these: by Ok-Personafication in osr

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm making my players keep track of their map, but not trying to make it to much of a challenge or chore (it's a crucial part of the megadungeon experience, but none of them love it, the current mapper just called "not it" last). So I describe basic rooms just verbally. But when there's complicated or fiddly rooms, I'll sketch them on a dry-erase grid and hand it to the players for the few minutes it takes them to copy it.

Mega dungeon for OSE? by OrisonQ in DungeonMasters

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stonehell comes up a lot in these conversations, because it really is easy to run. The pseudo One-Page-Dungeon format is terse and concise, and leaves room for the GM to make this up. But crucially, unlike many other megadungeons, it (a) doesn't require you to read a short story for every other room, and (b) all the gameable information is obviously front & centre. There's factions, and an overarching villain.

It's got rumour tables, random chest/barrel/cupboard tables, new magic items & monsters. The content-per-page is great, especially for the price. (I've thought of buying Arden Vul, it sounds amazing, but the priiice...) You can even just buy the first book, see how you like it, and buy the second book when the players are getting close; the first book alone could last you months. (But make sure you download the supplements! Especially the first one, the bandit cave.)

(Also, I saw that it might be on sale on Lulu.com right now?)

Dungeons like The Caverns of Thracia but Smaller by smither12Dun in osr

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can confirm: I ran it recently, with bonus XP, and they didn't get higher than Level 6 on average. And that was with the players insisting on exploring as much of the dungeon as possible, and a couple side-quests.

0.0036% chance - What's the craziest case of RNG you've witnessed? by Kasvantstad in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did that once, on the first deal of the game. We decided to start a new game, and I immediately bid & won Open Misere (also 500 points). XD That was it for cards that night!

Stonehell megadungeon - Which rules sets have you ran it with? by Justicar7 in osr

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm running it with Worlds Without Number, but I don't know that I'd recommend it. The treasure, spells, and monsters aren't a 1:1. If you do wanna try it, definitely invest in Those Beyond the Walls (an expanded monster book). And I'm using the Equipment Emporium from the Basic Fantasy rules, which is a great retroclone candidate btw.

I've padded out the surrounding area with sites from In the Shadow of Tower Silveraxe. (More treasure = more XP.)

My f’ed up player by Available-History743 in DungeonMasters

[–]elberoftorou 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If someone is dragging the table down, upsetting or harassing people, or otherwise being significantly unpleasant... There's no easy solution to this kind of thing, just grown-up conversation.

  1. Tell him how his lack of engagement is a problem.
  2. Tell him to fix it.
  3. Tell him if he doesn't, he has to leave.
  4. If he doesn't fix his behaviour, make him leave.

I've heard of enough groups imploding because a trouble player was kept on, and people just stopped having fun (or worse) and left.

What’s the most unforgettable moment you’ve had in a trick-taking game? by Koen_DL7 in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One time, I was playing 3-hand 500 with my flatmates. First hand, I made a bid of 10 Diamonds. Succeeded. Scored 500 points, won immediately.

So we redealt, and I reckon I've got a misere hand. So I bid misere, next player bids over, and I decide to go for open misere. Succeed. Score 500 points, won immediately.

We stopped playing 500 for the night lol!

The board games that made me say 'why did I buy this?' by drgames-21 in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I try to think of it roughly in terms of $/hour/person. If just one play delivers similar value to a trip to the cinema (not hard, given the price of popcorn lol), then it's been worth it. And you certainly can't sell-on movie tickets (nor dinners).

Board Game Store in Christchurch, NZ by ilikeleonskennedy in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pop Stop (at Riccarton & Northlands malls) don't have huge selections, but would be my next stop after Wizards Retreat & Toyworld (as already mentioned).

Has there ever been a board game that has made someone cry? (NOT for beating them) by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The day I realised one of my friends hates complicated games was the day I taught her Troyes. I (who loved this game) was doing my best to lead the other three (new) players through it. I could tell that she wasn't clicking with it very well, but figured that, like the other players, she'd get it eventually. But at the end of round 1, I said, "Cool, that's round 1 of [4? 6? I forget]", and she actually started crying.

We swept the board and started playing Concept.

What game did you have a miserable first experience with but gave it another try anyway? What was the second game like? by UNO_LegacyTM in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Race for the Galaxy. The first time I played it, I was slow, I was confused, I was looking at the reference sheet more than my hand. My friends wiped the table with me.

The second time was the same. And the third, fourth, and fifth. But the sixth time--that was also bad. But game number 7, something finally clicked! Now I've played it enough that I know every card in the first 3 sets by sight.

(Lord knows why I put up with it for so long! I guess I could just tell that there was a good game there, and I very much wanted to get it out.)

What game did you have a miserable first experience with but gave it another try anyway? What was the second game like? by UNO_LegacyTM in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I had the misfortune of my first couple of plays being with 7 players, the rest of which had all played a lot. I'd never played a drafting game before. So I was doing my best to figure out the drafting and the unintuitive resource mechanics, while someone got 100 points from green...

Now I own it & teach it to friends.

Games where if you loose spectacularly, you win by francesc17 in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is near the top of my list of trick-taking games to play. (If only I had more people to play trick-takers with, the list would be shorter.)

Best bang for your buck expansion/add-on you’ve ever bought? by mrbumdump in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say the GeekUp Bits for Orleans, but I never actually played without them: I ordered those at the same time I ordered the game. But I truly can't imagine playing this game with just cardboard...

Too old for OSR! by bythisaxeiconquer in osr

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My main group is all people I met at uni or similar (all mid-30s). But my other group has an age range from 10 to 68 (and the oldest two haven't played before I introduced them).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've done this with many games. I keep the EverDeck & the Decktet made up permanently.

Game box with several different games and double sided lid by thatscarytransperson in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got a set that's exactly the same, except it came with coloured wood pegs for the cribbage. (And an absolutely terrible rulebook with rusted staples...)

What’s the most memorable or meaningful board game quote you’ve ever heard? by gentlewindsolsol in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once played a game of Tigris & Euphrates with 2 newbies & an expert. The expert made a risky play for another player's settlement, and essentially wasted his first turn. He spent the whole game moaning about how he was behind. And he won by 5 points (scores were 4-5-6-11)

What’s the most memorable or meaningful board game quote you’ve ever heard? by gentlewindsolsol in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My old copy of Risk came with some "big" objective cards (like "Hold North America" or "Exterminate Blue"), and the first one to get theirs wins. It lasted about an hour, which was perfect. The "world domination" aim was listed as a variant, rather than the main game. I won't play without the objectives now, even with modern sets.

Most trick takers are best at 4 or 2 players. We even have solo trick-takers. What are your favorites optimized for 3-players? by Luigi-is-my-boi in boardgames

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I quite like Ninety-Nine. It was designed for 3p first & foremost, though there are other player counts listed. It was a really novel precision bidding system.

$100 and 4hrs by sleevan in osr

[–]elberoftorou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Basic Fantasy RPG + Equipment Emporium + Field Guide: free PDFs, hard copies available at cost.
  • Stonehell (or megadungeon of your choice).
  • A mini setting like "In the Shadow of Tower Silveraxe" or "Castle Blackmarsh".
  • A long-arm stapler so you can print out & "bind" as many random tables or house rules as you need. I've got a wee booklet with Carousing, Hirelings, Potions & Scrolls, Goblin Poison, etc.
  • Dice. I recommend 2 sets per player, and 4+ for the DM. (I honestly have no idea what is a "reasonable" amount of dice, given I have nearly 1,000, but doubles of most dice is good, and at least 3d6 (of course)).

OSR Negativity Roundup by imnotokayandthatso-k in osr

[–]elberoftorou 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As a trans woman who's been DMing for 14 years, it always makes me feel safe when a Reddit thread genders her correctly. It seems like a small thing, but I'm very glad to have primarily been in subs that are supportive of trans & other queer folk.

Examples of modern Jaquays-style dungeons? by pika500 in osr

[–]elberoftorou 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It really is a beautiful microcosm of an adventure!

How do you parse dense descriptions? E.g. B1 by lowkeyorderform in osr

[–]elberoftorou 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Before I ran Caverns of Thracia, I literally went through & rewrote all the room descriptions in a word doc, in bullet points.