Recently I embarked on a little self-imposed Challenge. With some of the previews of the Dolmenwood Materials available to Backers, I noticed that the Monster descriptions had a Lair Chance. I always loved this but figured it might be a bit tricky for some Referees to come up with some of these “on the fly” as it were, should it be the result of a Random Encounter or such. So, over the last several days, I resolved to put together a quick Lair/Dungeon/Adventure Location for some of these Monsters on a Daily Basis.
I often find myself slapping together a quick Dungeon or Site-Based Adventure at the last minute (usually when I’ve been procrastinating on Prep and have a Game coming up in a few hours!) and sometimes a time constraint actually helps get the ideas flowing. It can be a little stressful (in a good way!), but I find that the process of “Discovering” a place through creating it helps me focus a little more on the lens I need for conveying this to Players. By leaving the stocking largely up to Random Rolls, I’m also letting myself “Experience Surprise” and forcing myself to brush away some of those accumulated cobwebs that might be clogging up the parts of my brain I use for Improvisation and Providing Descriptions. Sometimes it helps put me in a frame of mind that ends up being very similar to the act of Play itself, or I stumble across interesting and inspiring ideas I never would have considered or would have cast aside with a more leisurely approach.
So here are the fruits of this little experiment: A Dozen One Page Dungeons, Lairs, Points of Interest, or other Adventure Sites for Dolmenwood, all compiled together in a convenient document. If you’re a Player in a Dolmenwood game, you might want to avert your eyes in case your Referee decides to use one of these! For each, I tried to limit myself to around twenty minutes or so for each to replicate that “left it to the last minute” experience. Of course, there are some that necessitated breaks or other interruptions during their creation (I didn’t exactly click a stopwatch on each!), and as I was compiling them together I couldn’t help doing a little bit more editing or expanding once I found some free real-estate by consolidating the formatting. I’ve also included a bonus: A Peek into the Production Process for these that might help other Referees who want to give this a try. The end result of this little Project is available below:
Very much appreciate this sort of Dolmenwood material. Big enough to engage a party for a session (Or more knowing my friends general terror and caution) But small enough to insert anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThis was beyond helpful! I fully intend to use these 12 in Dolmenwood and add as many more as my own creativity can muster. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteSweet
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome & beautiful
ReplyDeleteYou’re a gem
ReplyDeleteThis a really help to drop in as a random encounter. Love it. Thank you. First time to this blog and it is excellent!
ReplyDeleteRecipe for Blessed Breadcrumbs.
ReplyDeleteBread of course.Yet not any bread will do!
Bread prepared by the hands of a virgin praying forth St. Benester’s Word.Wrap in a clean linen cloth.
Place it in earthenware with a loose-fitting Sweet Monkswood lid in a place of prayer to the OTG. The place should be cool and dry. Dampness of the devil is the greatest enemy here….
Random notes about crafting blessed breadcrumbs on a larger scale….Drawings of a Sweet Monkswood large breadbox.
It must remain in the place of prayer for three days. Prayers of St. Benester’s shall be offered on the daily. Further experimentation with a cool oven in a place of prayer has yet to be conducted. But would seem promising and lessen the timetable, I would surmise.The moisture within the bread shall make a pilgrimage to the crust, making the whole loaf firm as a knight’s handshake.
The crust must meticulously be sliced off. Any brown speck of crust shall cause flaws in the Blessed Breadcrumbs of the OTG. But we shall not commit the sin of waste! He details many uses and recipes for what to do with the crust… Coloring gravies… Coating Hams… Soup Thickeners.He finally returned to the recipe.Place crustless loaf in a clean cloth bag and add a mixture of dried Spirithame then have at it with a trusty rolling pin.And now you have yourself Blessed Breadcrumbs to keep the nasties forbidded.