tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post5126674916205731310..comments2024-03-28T06:26:03.040-07:00Comments on Howling Tower: Lessons (Re)Learned at NTRPGConStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11677895164302972957noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-37009445297919340082012-06-20T20:24:57.645-07:002012-06-20T20:24:57.645-07:00Awesome, thanks for the info!Awesome, thanks for the info!Guy Fullertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034114718540912559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-31655355521117881462012-06-19T11:08:06.687-07:002012-06-19T11:08:06.687-07:00The two adventures are related only in that they b...The two adventures are related only in that they both take place in the Milenian Empire and they follow the exploits of the same group of pregenerated heroes. Even those links exist only because that's how I ran things in Dallas. In a different setting, they could stand entirely alone. The Lydia link pleases me to no end, but so far it has no other significance.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11677895164302972957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-76742713819155442242012-06-18T22:53:13.945-07:002012-06-18T22:53:13.945-07:00Cool! I could see a sequel to that adventure and i...Cool! I could see a sequel to that adventure and if I may suggest that a tie in with a Chainmail battle would be a hit flavor of ice cream!<br /><br />I have 'The Dark Abbot of Kos' but did not get to play it yet and therefore have not even read it (just in case I can play it!). Do these two modules work together?<br /><br />Lastly, should some incredibly lucky circumstance allow you to be in Southern California in late July you would certainly be welcome for two days of gamin' fun at our mini-con!<br /><br />Thanks again!Cimmerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613839760282695583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-40085257757294559142012-06-18T22:50:47.658-07:002012-06-18T22:50:47.658-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Cimmerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613839760282695583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-56488940741767947062012-06-18T20:58:31.591-07:002012-06-18T20:58:31.591-07:00Steve thanks once again for showing up to our litt...Steve thanks once again for showing up to our little con for some gaming. It was great having you and Zeb talk about the origins of 2E (always good to get the facts from the horse's mouth) and once again you ran more than your fair share of games! Hope to see you again next year in our new awesome digs (quite a step up from this year, check out the forums). And it was great finally meeting Zeb although I fear I was a little awestruck and just ended up mumbling a bunch of nonsense everytime I tried to communicate with him during the con!Badmikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06199830751033032585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-36130808188735908992012-06-18T16:54:20.970-07:002012-06-18T16:54:20.970-07:00If you're referring to the medusa (my memory&#...If you're referring to the medusa (my memory's a little fuzzy about all the events leading up to the climax, as the party started splitting off on separate missions) -- yes, that was always planned to be part of the adventure, but it played out much differently from how I envisioned it, and much better IMO. The real lightbulb moment occurred when I realized that she could be Lydia from 2010's adventure (<i>The Dark Abbot of Kos</i>) and could slither away with that little note from the Emperor. That's been dancing around my mind a lot lately ...Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11677895164302972957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-30191344767161010912012-06-18T16:32:03.200-07:002012-06-18T16:32:03.200-07:00Yes, there definitely was a conscious attempt to c...Yes, there definitely was a conscious attempt to change the way AD&D functioned at higher levels in 2nd Ed. It wasn't motivated by pressure from outside. Zeb and I both felt that 1st Ed fell apart as characters climbed into the mid-teens. <br /><br />Not everyone agreed. I had a conversation with Frank Mentzer at the convention, for example, and Frank has been running a high-level 1st Ed. campaign (level 20+) for years without trouble. Frank's an exceptional DM with a crew of exceptional players, so his track record can't be considered typical.<br /><br />The problems were mostly mathematical; the numbers just stopped working the way they were meant to when characters had access to 25-30 spells/day and bags of holding filled with magic items accrued over 15+ levels of rolling on the magic item tables. There's no good solution to the problem of generous DMs, but we tried to rein in some of the institutionalized excesses of the game. <br /><br />The H-series adventures didn't highlight any problems we weren't already aware of. It was more like they reveled in them. Their approach was along the lines of, "Oh, you like this sort of thing? Well then you're gonna love <i>this</i> ..."Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11677895164302972957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-25475533503677519042012-06-18T00:32:42.102-07:002012-06-18T00:32:42.102-07:00Steve! I enjoyed finally getting to game with you...Steve! I enjoyed finally getting to game with you after just passing you in NTRPG hallways the last few years. I played in Emperor's Doom and the Star Frontiers games & you watched Zeb trounce my tactics in Chainmail.<br /><br />I really enjoyed "An Emperor's Doom," it had all the mythic elements tied in with a Greek multiple task like quest. <br /><br />Without spoiling the story for anyone else, was the 'element' that two of us split off the party to go acquire for our cause in the end game a written part of the module or was that one of the spur of the moment situational changes? <br /><br />I must agree...those were the worst DM rolls I have ever seen at a table. If only I had a trophy for you at the end! Huzzah! (The trophy would be a D20 with all 6's on it!)<br /><br />Thanks for the fun! Chris.Cimmerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613839760282695583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-14556855603802759552012-06-16T14:00:37.257-07:002012-06-16T14:00:37.257-07:00Dang the more I hear about this, the madder I get ...Dang the more I hear about this, the madder I get that I didn't have a chance to go there. Hopefully, they'll do another Con down in San Marcos like last year.Chuck Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504993519381629140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-8450883424350682432012-06-16T06:23:20.607-07:002012-06-16T06:23:20.607-07:00Ha! Yes, my wife and I have suffered at the hands ...Ha! Yes, my wife and I have suffered at the hands of the [i]Chain Mail[/i] morale rules in recent weeks. Biggest change we have made is to only allow the losing side to suffer the consequences of the post close combat morale calculations. Still, a fun game.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05646247954542936623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-43805406565192248782012-06-15T22:09:43.637-07:002012-06-15T22:09:43.637-07:00... I just finished watching the youtube videos of...... I just finished watching the youtube videos of that Q&A and a ended up with a question about the 2e subject:<br /><br />Some aspects of 2nd edition AD&D make it appear to be designed with higher-level play in mind, compared to the typical level range that 1st edition campaigns achieved. Specifically, I'm thinking of 2nd edition changes like higher (or non-existent) racial level limits, introduction of damage caps on various spells, more powerful dragons, and more powerful giants.<br /><br />Was there an intentional decision to change the way very high level play worked, and if so can you talk a little bit about what motivated that change? Was there external pressure from players about that level range? Did experiences with the various high level modules from the mid/late 1980's have anything to do with it? (Offhand, I'm thinking of the H-series Bloodstone modules; there may have been others.) Or perhaps feedback from players using the Companion / Masters sets?Guy Fullertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034114718540912559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-541900589888293585.post-66730710416260061602012-06-15T20:54:13.030-07:002012-06-15T20:54:13.030-07:00Hey Steve, thanks for participating in the 2e Q&am...Hey Steve, thanks for participating in the 2e Q&A session (and any others you did). I'm watching it the video of it on youtube right now, and enjoying the anecdotes. I never noticed the 1e Anhkheg -> 2e Ankheg name change, lol!Guy Fullertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034114718540912559noreply@blogger.com