Thursday, April 8, 2021

Favorite Links for FB Information Requests

I spend too much time on Facebook, mostly posting and responding in All Things DnD, D&D DMs Only, and Dungeon Craft, although I also belong to several other groups.

Mostly though, I just respond.

Often, those responses are links to the same sites, time and again.  I see myself as some sort of proselytizer for old school thinking.  Maybe I am more like a Sage; if so, I should start charging.  I think the going rate is 25gp per day?  I can live well on that.

Sage of Lat-Nam, Pete Venters, 1994

Anyhow, here are the top links I provide other gamers, mostly 5e-only gamers, around to a better way of gaming (how arrogant of me).

Dungeon Checklist - for when people ask about crafting a dungeon or adventure.

A Comprehensive Guide to Secret Doors - this is more than secret doors; it addresses player agency.  There are several links (in)directly addressing player agency over rolling dice.

Planning a Campaign as a Series of Decisions - sometimes fledgling DMs (or veterans that have yet to homebrew their own campaigns) ask for advice on this front.  They get this link.

The Alexandrian's Game Mastery 101 - lots of new DMs (and older ones) seeking ways to improve their game.  I'll be adding Advice for OSR DMs to the links I provide.

Cascading damage dice and "I know a guy" are some of my favorite house rules, and I preach them accordingly.  Threads about favorite house rules are regular enough that I discuss these.

Traps 1, Traps 2, Traps 3, Traps 4, Traps 5 - it is amazing how many people ask for help designing traps.  I leave Grimtooth references to others, and have yet to be disappointed.  

On occasion, hexcrawls come up in discussion, typically alongside West Marches campaigns.  I share this, this, sometimes this, and this, and then this lovely document from d4 Caltrops, with the caveat of checking the blog for more, so very much more.  If you like random tables and terrain-based hexes, go explore the blog d4 Caltrops.  Along the way, I am likely to suggest Hexenbracken as a sample of a hexcrawl.  d4 Caltrops often gets referenced alongside Papers & Pencils advice on Structuring Encounter Tables.

Other occasions see people asking about megadungeons, and I smile.  I typically start with Dungeon Fantastic (solid advice, despite being for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy), then follow it up with the Dragonsfoot and Knights-n-Knaves Alehouse Megadungeon forums, because these three sources are what primarily motivated me to craft my own megadungeon.  Sometimes, though, people want examples, so they get this from Kuroth's Quill.  

Telecanter's random tables (primarily the werewolf and creepy commentary ones) and Dyson's extras (primarily the uniquely undead one) come up often enough in discussions on lycanthropy and undead.  The tables on d4 Caltrops that don't involve hexes, may be referenced as well, particularly the magic item related ones.

Speaking of Dyson Logos, most folks know him for his free mapsParatime Design has Friday Freebies maps that have inspired (and continue to inspire) my meager attempts at dungeon design.  Jog Brogzin's aren't free, but are worth mentioning.

Even before the release of Candlekeep, people have wanted to run adventures in libraries, to which I suggest the Stygian Library (and its automated generator) and this list of magical books.  Those wanting adventures not in libraries get sent to Ten Foot Pole, home of the best reviews on the internet.  The last actually caused someone to block me, as they asked the group to review their stuff, and I suggested letting Bryce do so.

Other bits and pieces are referenced now and again, courtesy of memory and Google.  Topics that may get links involve xp for gp, carousing, curses, druids, familiars, interesting treasure, and crafting a brand new campaign from nothing.

All that said, there was a brief point in time where lots of folks were planning archmages' and lichs' lairs and plans.  They got this and this as references.

Maybe it is the teacher in me that wants to point folks towards better explainers than myself.  Whatever the reason, these can be incredibly useful posts.

The point of this post is to both provide resources to my few readers and to provide me a reset point when I inevitably get a new phone and my saved bits all go away.  I know that it seems I am a Goblin Punch fanboy, but I promise it is only a little bit.

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