#249

Jun 25, 2023

Books

This week I read:

Roleplaying Games

The Halls of Arden Vul

The players are deep, deep in the dungeon. But they’re only level 1!

I started this session with a bit of meta-talk designed to increase their chances of survival. I pointed out that they had found a shortcut to get deep into the dungeon, far deeper than the well-known entrance, and that dungeons get tougher the deeper you go. I also pointed out that the NPC adventurers they’d seen down here outclassed them, and that those NPCs were in turn dramatically outclassed by the trolls. I reminded them to use their class features, such as dwarven infravision, to gain an advantage where possible.

And, you know what, it worked!

The players immediately changed tack from walking down dungeon corridors with flaming torches held high, to having a dwarf or two scout ahead in darkness and report back. They managed to avoid an encounter that would have almost certainly killed at least one PC, and took precautions to not be disturbed while they were investigating a promising location. They managed to find the tomb of a significant, named, historical figure and grab a bunch of treasure: enough to level them all up, pay for training, and still leave enough in the bank to be one of its highest value clients.

But they know they were pretty lucky, and I think they’ll probably head off to a safer part of the dungeon next time.