53 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
53 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
<h1>IS THIS DUNGEON IMPORTANT?</h1>
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<p>
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Some locations in your game will naturally be more important than others. The
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evil sorcerer's tower in which he hides the Crystal of Balance? That's
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certainly more important than the sewers connecting the capital to the
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countryside, and yet both might be turned into dungeons.
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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If a location will be a key part of your session and you know about it in
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advance, simply decide the style of exploration (scenes, detailed, or
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interlude) and prepare accordingly (see next page).
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</li>
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<li>
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If a location is important and you have to improvise it, only mention the
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most important details and cut to the chase. Interlude scenes are your best
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friend, and you should focus on the core reason the Player Characters are
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here: if there are obstacles in their way, ask for a Group Check and use it
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to determine whether the PCs reach their objective unhindered or must
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overcome a challenge. Keep things short and maybe end the exploration with a
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challenging battle against a Villain!
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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Still, if you feel like this location deserves more attention, you can pause
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or end the session and explain that you need some time to prepare.
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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If a location isn't particularly important and you have time to prepare it,
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carefully consider whether you should do so. You will often be fine
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describing how the heroes traverse the location (a) and maybe calling for
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one or two Checks — failure might mean getting lost (especially important if
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the heroes are in a hurry) or encountering some hostile creatures.
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</li>
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<li>
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Finally, if a location isn't important and you have to improvise, you should
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keep things as simple as possible. Just describe the place and have the
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heroes confront a challenge — a mechanism, a negotiation, or a battle — in
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order to reach whatever is hidden here.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>As you might have noticed already, the core elements of a dungeon are:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Its style and aesthetics — what it looks and feels like.</li>
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<li>What can be found inside — an objective or a threat.</li>
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<li>What obstacles must be overcome in order to traverse the dungeon.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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This is true regardless of the chosen exploration style; the difference lies
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simply in the level of detail and complexity.
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</p>
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