Review: Downtime in Zyan

My favorite part about supporting a successful Kickstarter is forgetting that I did so, then finding something that is equal parts cool and unexpected in the mail. So it was for Downtime in Zyan.

Downtime in Zyan, art by Evlyn Moreau

Written by Ben Laurence, Downtime in Zyan is part of his ongoing Through Ultan's Door series, so if you are a completionist, be sure to pick it up.  If you haven't heard of any of this, go pick them up, if only to mine for ideas for your own games, because there are lots of useful bits to squeeze into your megadungeon.

Physically, Downtime in Zyan is a neatly packaged and printed 36-page book, staple-bound and digest-sized.  Art-wise, I took the prudish approach of the Molerats with Pants.  For those interested in such things, there is a pantsless version of the book, because after all, everyone knows that molerats don't wear pants.

As the title suggests, the book contains 10 different ways for a PC to spend their downtime, each with the basic mechanic of rolling 2d6 and maybe adding/subtracting a modifier.  Rolls below 6 (and sometimes Snake Eyes specifically) are not what you want.  7-9 is some progress, and 10-12 is a success.  

Downtime in Zyan differs from other such tables and rules I have seen in that all the results - good and bad - help build the DM's campaign world, rather than just providing a flat mechanical bonus or item.

It is this cooperative approach to world-building that makes this book so fascinating.  Granted, overly controlling DMs (or the amateur authors masquerading as DMs) probably won't care for player ideas messing up 'their world' or 'their story.'  But for the rest of us, this book is a goldmine guaranteed to not only improve your campaign world, but also to cement player investment in your game.

Given that little can damage the dreaded Scheduling Monster beyond player investment, this makes Downtime in Zyan and its options a valuable volume on the DM's bookshelf.

Having talked the book up in general, a glimpse of its contents seems fitting.

Ben discusses some of these rules on his blog, neatly captured here, for those wanting a deeper look.  Of all of them, though, my favorite is the Spellcraft options.  Not only does this section contain evocative writing (the whole book does, but this part especially), said writing keeps magic mysterious and dangerous, the way it should be.

Being something of a nerd (English degree, reads for fun, maintains a blog and youtube channel, plays DnD and Magic), the Further Reading portion of the book might be my favorite part overall.  It's a one-page listing of games and blog posts that inspired and/or further the concept of Downtime Activities.  

So it seems that after finishing today's tasks, I have some online shopping and reading to do.

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In short, thanks for the book, Ben Laurence, and your team - Evlyn Moreau, art; Lester B. Portly, layout; and Ava Islam, editing (and creator of the game Errant).  I am looking forward to using Downtime in Zyan in my game and seeing where the players take it.