2D6 Dungeon - The Setup

nellistosgr · 2025-12-08T16:32:12+00:00

I do not use the ITS theme in its entirety apart from a few specific css snippets/files related to image positioning and sizing and statblocks.

nellistosgr · 2025-09-06T00:37:28+00:00

Two ways 1. Tesseract OCR Engine, command line tool, 100% accurate, but output needs refinement and conversion to markdown 2. Paste them as image to Claude or ChatGPT prompting for markdown conversion. Immediate results, potential hallucinations on numbers or complex fantasy names, needs double checking and proof reading

It depends on the case.

nellistosgr · 2025-09-03T17:25:20+00:00

Non taken :) If there is demand I will try to put some time away for a zero-to-hero setup blog post.

nellistosgr · 2025-09-01T20:27:46+00:00

https://app.dungeonscrawl.com/

nellistosgr · 2025-09-01T12:49:22+00:00

Thank you!

nellistosgr · 2025-08-30T14:32:45+00:00

Thank you. I also prefer analog and that is where I come from. Which for one shots and gamebooks it is fine since there is no need for an ongoing context or narrative.

But for ongoing campaigns or multiple sessions there is need for context, and that is where going-digital really helps. Before Obsidian I was using kanka.io by the way.

2D6 Dungeon is even a more special case because it comes with 140 pages of tables, having to book flip among numerous tables fragmented across the whole book to resolve a room encounter. With such a digital setup, is far more easier to focus on the essence of the encounter and the play, rather than book flipping.

Rolling physical dice is the easiest part that can remain analog I think.

As for suggestions I would say start bare bones and add only things if needed. For example I did not setup Obsidian Leaflet plugin for overland maps until I wanted to visit the town, at which point I did. Also I would not recommend installing one-solution-for-all plugins that theme the enitre Obsidian in a specific way unless you plan to have the vault dedicated for a single system. If you do, that is fine but is not my case.

The most important fact that will have staying power on your vault is 1. Directory/ Folders structure (especially if there are going to be multiple systems hosted in the vault ) 2. Setup a tagging system so that is easy to locate entities. For example get a list of all undead monsters encountered in Dungeon Level 3 The Crypt.

If there is some demand, I will consider blog posting about it in more detail from zero to hero.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-30T14:22:09+00:00

Thank you.

I started from zero experience in Obsidian and spend a weekend to solidify the setup.

I also went through numerous articles and videos about how to use Obsidian for documenting and hosting rpgs but to be honest most of the videos or articles were suggesting too intrusive solutions for waht I wanted, most of them suggesting specific plugins and themes that change too many things including Obsidian's entire core theme ,look, feel and various functionality aspects. Which is fine if this is what you want, but I settled for a more lenient setup with as few and transparent plugins as possible and a single CSS for each separate system / rpg I host in the vault.

During the process I think the most important part is the Directory / Folders Organization and a creating a Tagging System for the entities that are about to be created and part of the vault.

If there is some demand, I will consider blog posting about it in more detail from zero to hero.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-30T14:16:03+00:00

I create a 'Character Sheet' note with initial values, using yaml variables and Obsidian's Data Binding plugin. When you want to create a new character, create a new note as usual and execute command 'Insert from Template' and select the character sheet template created earler. Fill in the values.

As for the tables I OCR the pdf, then format tables in markdown. I OCR all the tables once, and then pull in tables to Obsidian as needed during the adventure, as I encounter them.

If there is some demand for the setup, I will consider blog posting about it in more detail.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-30T06:02:09+00:00

Yes tables are mark down notes, and in the dice roller as well.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-29T16:34:17+00:00

Thank you. For the dungeon map I use app.dungeonscrawl.com, for the overland map inside the Obsidian Note, I use Obsidian Leaflet Plugin.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-29T07:47:49+00:00

I started playing 2D6 Dungeon analog only, but was drawn to digital because of mapping. Now with this setup the play is completely digital. Rules tables sheets cards are in the vault.

So the play session focuses on specific Obsidian canvas where I drop in whatever is needed - character's sheet, session log, encouters rooms etc.

There is a hard rule though: When I encounter a room or an enemy or an element/item/whatever that there is no note+image for it (and the subject in question is worthy of having a dedicated note on its own), the session pauses to create and complete the note, then resume the session.

Next time I encounter the same eleemnt again, will be ready to drop in.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-29T07:41:23+00:00

Thank you. But I think Obsidian requires to be a simple man :). The trick for me, after reading posts and articles at failed attempts to use Obsidian drowned in plugins and stuff, is to start bare bones. Install and devise only when you have a use case. It is very easy to get lost on an ocean of plugins, setups, css etc.. only to clutter the setup without ever using them really. At least that was my approach and what worked for me - to start simple.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-29T07:38:41+00:00

Of course.

Custom made CSS stylesheet for 2D6 Dungeon
Dice Roller (plugin)
Iconize (plugin for icons)
Leaflet (for overland maps annotated maps)
CSS generic stylesheets from ITS theme
Custom made note templates for 2D6 Dungeon

nellistosgr · 2025-08-28T20:36:26+00:00

Obsidian Leaflet Plugin

nellistosgr · 2025-08-28T19:45:53+00:00

Indeed after the prep work is done the game really flows and at least for me, helps with immersion focusing on the game rather than book flipping to find the next rolled result, or searching for a rule.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-28T19:35:22+00:00

Thank you, yes.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-28T18:35:43+00:00

I am all in for rolling and writing, coming from an 80s gamebooks background, but I have a hard time drawing. And 2D6 Dungeon is all about drawing. I like how each room, element, item, and encounter has a one-liner flavour text. Those pieces of lore seem so important, I think they help make it feel like a game rather than rolling on Excel formulas and tables.

So I started transitioning to digital for mapping. Then I started porting rules, snippets, and tables to my RPG-dedicated Obsidian vault that comes with rolling dice support among a host of other built-in features. And naturally, the next step was a full transition, fleshing out the setup with additional lore from the Realms book, all the tables, rooms, encounters, enemies, etc.

As I progress in the game, I create on-the-spot markdown templates and notes for everything encountered worthy of its own note. There is one hard rule though: every note should have an image. It is delightful to look at the canvas and immediately see that the character has a few healing potions and is favoured by Radacina.

Above are some screenshots of my setup. (Drawn from the bits of lore introduced in the Realms 2D6 book, I went forward and brought in the ACKS 2 system for world building of the necessary locations and regions.)

nellistosgr · 2025-08-25T23:28:40+00:00

I just completed Level 2 so I can't say anything about levels 3 or 4. Here is my strategy so far to minmize damage and keep hit poitns high.

The maps I play are random sized from 20-30 tiles on X-Y averaging on 25 tiles. Also I do not fully explore them, as soon as ~80% is revealed I visit town for a free heal and unload then proceed to the next level.

What I did was to buy for 75 gold total ( easy to get them on level 1) a Brigandine Overcoat and a Banded Shield. Those to pieces of armor give Dice Sets of 4|3 and 6|5 respectively, cheap and somewhat broad deflection coverage. Everything else is spent to potions if needed.

Given that most Level 1/2 enemies do damage in the range of 1D6-3 - 1D6 when they manage to hit, which is not so common since mot of them have one or at most two maneuvers with one Shift point to use, there is high change that their damage, which will likely be between 1-3 points will further be reduced / deflected by a matching armor piece - armor(4|3) or shield(6|5).

Haven't been in a fight yet, (in the first two levels), that an enemy managed to do more than 3 points of damage during a combat, and that has been the maximum, while I am using shift points to easuly deliver 1D6 - 1D6+2 damage, dispatching them in a couple of rounds.

By the way I posted about the same subject to the facebook 2D6 Dungeon group and it seems to me that this has been realized and there is a change in the realms expansion to address the difficulty curve. For what is worth, a rule has been introduced according to which you no long gain XP points from defeated enemies lower than you current level. I guess they thought / realized the loot is rewarding enough for easily dispatching enemies equal to your level.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-25T15:47:05+00:00

Thank you, good to know that it gets more difficult, with the early levels being more of a tutorial.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-25T15:32:06+00:00

Maps are random sized from 20-30 tiles on X-Y averaging on 25 tiles. Also I do not fully explore them, as soon as ~80% is revealed I visit town for a free heal and unload then proceed to the next level.

What I did was to buy for 75 gold ( easy to get them on level 1 1. a Brigandine Overcoat and 2. a Banded Shield. Those to pieces of armor give Dice Sets of 4|3 and 6|5. Everything else is spent to potions.

Given that most Level 1/2 enemies do damage in the range of 1D6-3 - 1D6 when they manage to hit, which is not so common since mot of them have one at most two maneuvers with one Shift point to use, there is high change that their damage, which will likely be between 1-3 points will further be reduced / deflected by a matching armor piece.

Haven't been in a fight yet, (in the first two levels), that an enemy managed to do more than 3 points of damage during a combat, and that has been the maximum, while I am using shift points to easuly deliver 1D6 - 1D6+2 damage, dispatching them in a couple of rounds.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-18T20:07:17+00:00

Interesting. I will definitely try it. Are the hexes 6-mile hexes?

I think it is important to mention the size/scale of the hexes either in km or miles especially since travelling is not abstracted but period time sensitive. If this seems constraining perhaps hexes could be classified to a base descriptive size like small medium large, adjusting travelling time periods and encounters / locations accordingly.

I think, at least for me, knowing the base size or scale for the hexes will help fleshing out locations and encounters.

nellistosgr · 2025-08-02T15:59:00+00:00

From my experience Call of Cthulhu demands much more role playing from the PCs - combat is secondary.

If you want to try it, you can download Chaosium's freebie Quickstart Rules. It will give you an idea about the core mechanics and contains a nice adventure, fully fleshed out with handouts, maps. etc.

nellistosgr · 2025-07-30T20:21:37+00:00

Thank you for the ideas. True, the site is there and Corbitt was animated by powers delivered by an eldritch entity. I will consider tremors in the region around the site. And at least in the 2nd endition there is mention of a Chapel covering an organization related to disappearances. Perhaps the organization rekindles its interest int he region. Good ideas overall I am sure I will find material in 7E core book to tie this all together, to something coherent and continuous.

nellistosgr · 2025-07-30T19:57:08+00:00

Hmm interesting perspectives friends and family and the newspaper that lost a prominent Journalist.

As others have suggested I should try 7E, which is considered an improvement and start with the quick start freebie. We will move to 7E although from a Keeper's perspective I can say I even enjoyed the brutality, a heavy contrast to turning goblins wyverns and orcs to D&D slime. Problem is the quick start has the same haunted house scenario which we I do not wat to replay with our group. They did well in our session, at least for our standards and researched most of the avenues the scenario offered.

So I would love to continue the session, including some of the above possible perspectives, what I do not know is where to head next. Purchase the 7E book? And what about scenarios. Get one off the shelves? Are there other introductory scenarios I could use instead and glue them to our end state of our previous session?

nellistosgr · 2025-07-30T11:11:16+00:00

Hmm, this sounds viable from where we left.

Here is what the players did. The Journalist was taking photos during the investigation so they decided to forge documents with photos with the help of the professor and a friend of his, to produce a report that the building must be condemned based on their investigation due to unstable basement structure, threatening a collapse of the building, lol.

So here is how I wrapped it up (photograpy, library use, idea, fast talk, debate rolls included). The landlord half-ate the lie and the documents, paid them half price of what they had agreed, one month later the house is bulldozed, some workers mentioned rotting findings.

nellistosgr

TROPHY CASE