More on Traps

I'll be going back to add these videos to my Traps Collection post, but I do want to highlight what both discuss.

Overall, the fun in traps is not the math of reducing hit points, but how the PCs/players engage with the trap itself, be that disarming, repurposing, or something else entirely.

In addition, don't just use traps as hit point taxes.  Bandit's Keep discusses other non-hit point results of a damaging trap before launching into a discussion of riddles.  

In addition to Bandit's Keep, Questing Beast tells us flat out to stop hiding traps.  He breaks it down using 5e rules, but its applicable across rulesets. Then he, too, talks about traps that aren't just hit point taxes.

Both videos are worth watching, especially if you are planning a trap-filled dungeon area or participating in the #Dungeon23 event and looking for something more substantial than 'pit trap, 1d6 damage.'

My big takeaway is from Questing Beast, when he plugs Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland and their shared principle of 'the more dangerous something is, the more obvious it should be.'  Which reminds me that maybe 2023 is the year I buy the hardbacks of both those titles.

Of course, creating tells for traps can be difficult, so here are some from d4 Caltrops - A Hundred Clues and Tells for the Tersely Detailed Trap. 

Background for my #Dungeon23 Megadungeon

Historians and bards speak of the great empire of Uraiawakiraia, a true meritocracy, and the wonders its inevitable collapse left behind.  Wonders that are envied and coveted to this day.  

A curious fact about this meritocracy is how the ruling class - the most meritorious of them all - demonstrated and tested their merit through constructing clever gauntlets and proving grounds, filling them with the finest traps, treasures, and creatures that money could buy and magic conceive, then challenging one another (but mostly aspiring sorts) to survive them.

These gauntlets and proving grounds typically ran no more than two or three levels deep, and many still exist on ancient baronial lands, mostly repurposed now that their creators are long gone - a few have become (or were purpose-built) tombs for their creators.  

The greatest of these gauntlets is Askorun - the Challenge.   Constructed during the reign of His Eminence Jumbe, Seventeenth Emperor of Uraiawakiraia.  At his command Mount Gora was hollowed out and rebuilt; potent artifacts of great beauty, wealth, and magical power were crafted; terrible monsters were captured and bred and created to lair within; entire tribes of humanoids were enslaved and forced to populate the dark halls; and the greatest artificers, trapmakers, poisoners, wordsmiths, artisans, dreamweavers,  ghostcallers, demonbinders, spellshapers, beastwranglers, fleshcrafters, and more contributed to the stocking of Askorun, technically by Imperial decree, but also through pride of purpose, because only the best would be appropriate for the Imperial Gauntlet.

Taking over 50 years to construct, Askorun was and still is the pinnacle of the gauntlet-builders' craft.  The parade of the final stocking is said to have stretched over 10 miles, beginning at the docks of the capital city, then winding through the streets past the palace and into the foothills where the massive doors stood open and waiting.  

Songs and tales claim it took more than a year to actually place the final guardians and treasures.  One thing the tales agree on is that final entry to Askorun was His Eminence Jumbe, himself, carrying the Crown and the Ring, proclaiming that whosoever should recover both items would inherit the Simhisana Throne and the Empire of Uraiawakiraia.  The doors sealed themselves behind Jumbe and refused to open, despite the determined efforts of citizens of the Empire and freebooters alike.

But that was centuries ago.

Today, the port city of Skara Brae is built on the bones of the Imperial Capital, and the sewers and hidden passages beneath the city are the streets and buried buildings of the Capital and other cities that rose and fell in this location over the centuries.

Askorun still remains, unconquered, and the Imperial Throne unclaimed, and perhaps lost. The ancient magics of the Empire linger still, sealing the great doors for 49 out of every 50 years, then remaining open for precisely a year before closing for another generation.  

This year is a year of opening.  A temporary city made of tents, wagons, and a few more permanent structures has sprung up around the entrance.  A carnival-like atmosphere permeates this place, and almost everything a delver could want or need can be found here - for a price. What cannot be found here can be found in Skara Brae proper.

Will your adventurers find glory and treasure, or only blood and death?

Erol Otus, Dungeon Stairs

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Over the course of a year, inhabitants of the tent city change, and this post from Iron & Ink is a grand way to go about showing this. In addition to lantern-bearers, there are all sorts of would-be camp followers to be hired from among the riff-raff living among and within the tents.  Like these followers, from Coins and Scrolls, or mercenaries from Meatshields.

That said, you might also encounter less savory sorts, such as these from Elfmaids & Octopi.  In truth, lots of ideas can be mined from the Murderhobo posts at Elfmaids & Octopi, as well as his free pdf from here (Murder Hobo Manual, but they're all inspirational, with Shadel Port, Goblin Mine Zone, and Long Stairs Compilation are worth a quick skim for most #Dungeon23 participants, because you can find inspiration anywhere).

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With an intro like this, I am either setting myself up for success or failure.  Only time will tell.  As might be noticed, I am terrible with names, so had some fun with Google Translate.

What Makes for a Good Dungeon Entrance Chamber?

The only thing more important than the dungeon entrance (be it to the mythic underworld or some place more realistic) with regards to setting the right impression in a dungeon is its entrance chamber.   

After all, that first chamber sets the tone for the rest of the dungeon. But that begs the question, what makes up a good entrance chamber?

Among the many gems buried in the AD&D DMG is this image of suggested start areas for a random dungeon from Appendix A.  The one thing each of these start areas have in common is multiple directions for delvers to choose from.

So, the first thing that a good entrance chamber should have is immediate multiple exit options, be they open corridors, closed doors (locked, stuck, or just closed), or even something else, such as shafts or stairways heading deeper into the hole that eats people dungeon.  Honestly, having this much is a solid start, but there is always more to consider.

The second thing that a good entrance chamber should contain is something for the PCs/players to interact with, such as a pool, statue, shrine, crates under the stairs, or something else (to include a trap).  Yes, this amounts to more options for the players, but options that may eat time as its investigated, but may also provide useful treasure or tangible clues regarding what is to come.

Which leads to the third and final thing that a good entrance chamber should contain: evidence of past explorers and/or current inhabitants.  Veteran dungeon delvers know that information is crucial to dungeon mastery, and this opening chamber provides the DM a legitimate place to provide such information to attentive players.  

What said players do with the information is up to them, but at least the DM has done their job in providing it.

This evidence can be in the form of tracks, graffiti (my favorite), trash, discarded gear, (partial) corpses in various states of decay, odors, sounds, or anything else the DM can imagine - or the dice suggest.  Monsters and explorers leave sign or spoor, just like real animals do.  And just like real animals, such spoor can be used to track or evade such monsters.

For example, I had a dungeon where drag marks and footprints led to an otherwise solid wall, signaling a secret door without actually opening it.  Alternatively, consider the situation where the PCs enter into a chamber to find a shed snakeskin at least 20' long and probably 5'-6' in diameter blocking one of the corridors (the snake used the door jamb as a scrape).  Do they harvest the snakeskin, move it and head down that corridor, or go the other way entirely?

(As an aside, do other reptilian critters like dragons molt and shed skins as they grow?  I think those in my world do.)

All of this shows the players that their PCs are assuredly not alone in the dark tunnels.

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In short, use that opening chamber to impress the players and make them want to return next week to explore more of the megadungeon. Besides, this entrance chamber is likely to be many folks' debut to the #Dungeon23 community, so makes for a fine first impression there.

New Game For Me: Forbidden Lands

Christmas was kind to me, with a copy of Forbidden Lands under the tree (among other things).

For those unaware, Forbidden Lands is a role-playing game from Free League, or Fria Ligan, that is fantasy-themed like DnD, but a different ruleset entirely.  Free League also brings us Tales from the Loop and the Twilight 2000 reboot, so its quality stuff.

The trailer speaks for itself, so take a moment to watch it.

Then maybe spend a lot more time listening to these guys discuss the game and work through the rules.

Outside of actually playing the game, the only thing to do is create a PC or two for it, just to take the character creation rules for a spin.  For those wanting to try this at home, there are some legit free quickstart rules from Fria Ligan.  

So let's get started.

1. Choose your kin.  I'm going with Wolfkin to start with.

2. Pick your profession.  Wolfkin are typically Druids, Fighters, or Hunters.  This Wolfkin is a Hunter. 

3. Decide on your age. Adult, for 14 points to distribute among my attributes.

4. Spend points on attributes.  There are four choices: Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy.  Wolfkin allows Agility to go to 5 and Hunters allow Agility to go to 5, but together allow it to go to 6. My 14 points will be divvied up this way - Strength 3, Agility 5, Wits 4, Empathy 2

5. Spend points on skills.  Adults get 10 points, so I'll choose from the Hunter Skills: Stealth 2, Move 2, Marksmanship 1, Scouting 3, Survival 2

6. Choose your starting talents. I get a kin talent, profession talent, and two other talents due to Adult.  Hunting Instincts (kin), Path of the Forest (profession), Pathfinder, Quartermaster

7. Determine your Pride. I'll take one of the offered ones - I can survive alone in the wilds for weeks.

8. Choose a Dark Secret. Another offered one - I once left a wounded friend to die in the woods to save myself.

9. Define your relationships to other PCs. Uncertain without creating an entire party.  Leaning on the random backstory tables in the Legends & Adventurers booklet will carry me through.

10. Pick gear. Bow or Sling, two items from trade good list, d6 silver, Food d8, Water d8, Arrows d10

11. Decide your appearance.

12. Choose your name.  

No dice needed to 'roll up' a PC.  Neat.  

Now to read carefully through both books and see what I can glean for the #Dungeon23 challenge that formally begins next week.

My next step is to get a copy of Raven's Purge, to go along with my PDF of Spire of Quetzel (Questing Beast reviews Spire). Looking at both the official storefront and Drivethrurpg shows lots of options for tabletop and online games.  Color me intrigued.

At some point I will find a playgroup and time for at least a one-shot.

 

NPC Adventurers in the Megadungeon

Evidence of other, perhaps rival, adventurers in the megadungeon not only gives it a lived-in feel, but also allows for a ready source of rumors to feed the rumor table when the PCs are topside and (somewhat) safe. Encountering said adventurers in the dark corridors provides players the opportunity to do the roleplaying thing, in contrast to the tactical wargame thing.  

Whether or not the DM is actively moving one or more NPC parties around, clearing rooms, finding treasure, or dying in place to leave treasure behind, is game dependent.  Still, fallen adventurers are a great source of unguarded or poorly guarded loot.  Canny use of Speak with Dead can provide PCs with far more than just a coin purse and rusty dagger, while the various Animate Dead spells provide PCs with more sword-fodder.

Even a more mundane analysis of the corpse may provide some clues as to what type of monster may lurk in the area.

Rival adventurers.  With a map! WotC

One of the better forms of loot to find on a fallen adventurer is a map.  It doesn't matter if the map leads to hidden treasure or merely reveals the presence of a secret door or stairs to the next level, a map and the information it provides is worth its weight in gold.

Because in a proper megadungeon, knowledge is power.  Or its at least half the battle.

Granted, some adventuring parties fall prey to TPKs, and in those cases, perhaps one of their hirelings should survive.  This post at Hobgoblinry introduces 'the last lantern-bearer' mechanic, and it is one worth considering for your games. Frankly, all of Hobgoblinry's megadungeon musings are worth reading, so check them out while you're over there.  

PCs hiring these surviving lantern-bearers end up with more gameable information.  

tldr; make use of NPC adventurers, even if they remain off-screen - they are an incredibly useful tool.

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Speaking of rival adventurers and surviving henchmen, my friend Ben (not this Ben) asked me to share his Discord server with the world.  He is also participating in the #Dungeon23 challenge, while serving as a competent online DM-for-hire.  If you're looking for an online game (mostly 5e, but not always 5e), give him a looksee.

Joining his Discord is free, though, as is participating in its various channels.

Gaming 2022 Reflections

Reflecting on the past year is a regular habit of mine.  In addition to the notable life events, though, I added some hard numerical data to the mix this year, and this post is the result.  

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2022 was an eventful year for me and my family, but not so much for my gaming.  Over the course of 12 months (or 365 days), I ran two DnD sessions, and played maybe a dozen MtG sessions.  Compared to how much I have spent on DnD and MtG, I don't know that it was worth it, beyond sating my desire for new things.

First on my image search.

The one New Year's resolution I kept from last year was to maintain a 'hobby budget'.  The Games category is by far the largest chunk of my hobbies (other headings include Books, Stuff for Kids, Alcohol, and Eating Out).  Since I began intermittent fasting, Eating Out has declined (yay!), but I also started a YouTube channel (Ben Buys Beverages) in October, so the alcohol category has been on the uptick, but that is not the purpose of this post.  

The purpose of this post is to accept that RPGs (a mix of DnD and OSR and both-adjacent) ate lots of money, spent almost entirely on Kickstarters and Drivethrurpg purchases.  To be specific, $972 US dollars on these items - with several Kickstarters still awaiting delivery.  I have faith they'll arrive, but not this year.  

Which is different from the money spent on Magic card packs, sleeves, and singles for current or future decks; that rings up to $876 for the year.  About half of this went towards my Away Decks project (for the record, the R and BG decks have won each time played, and the UW deck came in second, so I consider the whole thing a success), and while I have a temptation to do another round of Away Decks (GW, UR, B), that project will definitely sit on the backburner.

Don't misunderstand, I know that I am fortunate to be able to have a hobby budget like this, but overall, nearly $2000 on games that I don't get to play all that much is not the best use of my money.  Looking at the numbers, if I keep away from Kickstarters and only buy Magic singles I have an immediate need for, the costs should be more than halved.

All that said, I did get in some writing in on the blog, both in published posts and partial posts awaiting completion.  Quite a bit of writing, actually, and next year promises much more, as I am planning to participate in the #Dungeon23 challenge.  

Perhaps next year will see more gaming - I certainly hope so!

And I hope your year sees more gaming, too.  

Happy Holidays!

Treasure in the Megadungeon

Ben at Mazirian's Garden is soliciting for more #Dungeon23 blogs so he can collect and share them.  I am thrilled that Thalian Musings was accepted and added.  There are few things like being in the public eye to make a person step up their game!

As such, here is this weekend's offering.

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Treasure is the main reason for adventuring and exploring a dungeon, at least in games where gp recovered = xp earned, like mine.  As such, at least some of the treasure found needs to be memorable, and often the easiest way to make treasure memorable is to make it vast, magical, or at least mysterious and perhaps historical, as Ben at Ars Ludi explains.  

The ideal treasure would be all of the above.

art by William McAusland

Based on the math I worked out back in March, my first level of 100 encounter areas should include (roughly) 8 unguarded treasures, 6 treasures 'guarded' by traps, and 17 treasures guarded by 'monsters.'  That is 31 treasure troves of varying sizes for bold adventurers to discover and recover.

At some point, I read a great explanation of how much treasure a dungeon level should contain for a gp = xp game, and it amounted to the dungeon level x 10,000 x 2, so 20,000 gp value across the first level (I might have read it here or here or here).  The idea being that each level should provide enough to see 4-6 PCs of the same level advance.   

This may seem like too much treasure, until one takes into account that some of it won't be found, and some of it will be 'wasted' when the PC that earned xp off of it dies or the player never returns to the game.  Also, the ruleset does matter here - it takes far more xp to move up in B/X than in 5e.

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20,000 divided by 31 is 645 and change, which will not be 31 piles of 645gp each. Technically, each monster has a Treasure Type to spur the contents of each hoard, and should I make use of this chart from the AD&D Monster & Treasure Assortment - and I will - even the unguarded treasures are unlikely to be easily found or even identified as treasure at all. 

From the Monster & Treasure Assortment, 1977, 78, 80; artist maybe David Sutherland? Can anyone confirm?

In a pinch, I can use the treasures from the same title or those from the homages put out by Pacesetter Games & Simulations (which I can no longer find on Drivethrurpg; I bought the first three and always intended to get the next three, but alas).

Writing this post, it occurs to me that the best way for me to approach #Dungeon23 might be the checklist approach - I need six trapped treasures, so that is six days' worth of write ups.  Approaching the project with this checklist in mind makes it seem less daunting. 

Of course, discovering a treasure hoard and actually recovering it are two entirely different animals.  Yes, bold adventurers could lug it all out themselves, but treasure (especially on the upper levels) is heavy, which makes it difficult to move quickly or run away when necessary - and retreating should be necessary on occasion.

But that is a post for another day.

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As a bonus, a former student of mine is willing to discuss drawing some original art for me for a commission, which is neat, because I have never commissioned art before.  It makes me feel all Renaissance-y.

Gathering Resources for #Dungeon23

This list of #Dungeon23 resources is mostly for my use, but I am happy to share both influences and how-tos.  Several of these links come from crowd-sourced lists on Twitter and Facebook, but not all of them.  

The truth is I enjoy making lists of (somewhat related) links and sharing them.

The Haunted Keep from Moldvay Basic, 1981, by Erol Otus

The nifty part about all of these links is that they run to sites that are packed with usable information.  Furthermore, I am likely to add to this list as time and the project wears on.

EDIT 1: Andrew Duvall has done something similar to this post over on itch.io, but with better organization, better presentation, and more/different links, so go check it out!

EDIT 2 and 3: both Dragonsfoot and Knights and Knaves Alehouse have dedicated megadungeon forums.  Lots of knowledge therein.

Z.W. Garth's Dungeon Architect's Workbook

DiWata's Megadungeon Jam

Permanent Cranial Damage: Brief Brainworms: Megadungeon

Grognardia's Old School Dungeon Design Guidelines 

Missing Manuals at Necropraxis

Semper Initiativus Unum asked back in 2017: Why Build a MegaDungeon in 2017

Beyond Fomalhaut's Anatomy of a Dungeon Map

Roleplaying Tips has the Ultimate Guide to 5 Room Dungeons

Rise Up Comus has Dungeon Seeds, which is free if you subscribe to their newsletter

Traverse Fantasy features Bite Sized Dungeons

Map Crow addresses building a dungeon over several videos

As does the channel Bandit's Keep

All Dead Generations provides a dandy online worksheet and So You Want to Build a Dungeon

Prismatic Wasteland offers Megadungeon Malls & Collaborative Caverns

Goblin Punch's Dungeon Checklist, What is Tested, the last part of Popcorn Leveling, Comprehensive Guide to Secret Doors, and Dungeon Mastery.  Ghosts and Ghost Biology, too.

The Alexandrian has several: Jaquaysing the Dungeon, the Art of the Key, Goals in the Megadungeon, (Re-)running the Megadungeon.

d4 Caltrops also has several: What's at the Bottom of this Pit, A Hundred Clues and Tells for the Tersely-Detailed Trap, d100 This Secret Door Opens..., d100 Instigative Scenery and Interactive Decor, d100 Why is this Door Stuck?, - there are so many d100 lists at this site that I can pull ideas from, but these are the big ones.

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On top of these is my collection of partial dungeon keys, which I shall loot with impunity, and a handful of pdfs and actual books, notably the Dungeon Alphabet, the Monster Alphabet, Dungeoncraft (cheapish copies available used online), and both Artifices, Deceptions, and Dilemmas and Bestial Ecosystems Created by Monstrous Inhabitation. 

When the Monster Overhaul ships in early 2023, its contents will be used, as well. 

For the mapping, I am looking at DungeonScrawl to make transferring to the blog relatively simpler.  Here is a sample of the likely main entrance - I'd love to add a secret door and passage running under the stairs and to the north, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet, at least not in a noncluttered image.

Megadungeon 2023

A fine link popped up in my FB feed, leading me to Mazirian's Garden and the Megadungeon 2023 challenge, and from there to Win Conditions - a substack by the challenge starter.  From the look of things, it is shaping up to be quite the collection of posts across the internet, to include my own.

Long-time readers may recall that I have already done some megadungeon writing in the past, addressing Overall Contents, Specials, Traps, Random Encounters and Wandering Monsters, and Monsters in general for an incomplete megadungeon. I even wrote some Rumors for it. This #Dungeon23 challenge may end up being the impetus I need to continue that ambitious project.

After all, 365 rooms (one each day of 2023) fills about 3.5 levels of my planned megadungeon, or more likely, 3 levels and one or two sublevels.  Finding folks to play through it with can wait until another day.

I demonstrated back in January that while I can participate in a month-long challenge, it quickly turned into a grind that I assuredly dreaded near the end.  I crossed that Character Creation Challenge finish line, but some of it was not my best work.  Dungeon rooms are substantially smaller, and there is no rule that I have to connect the rooms together, just that I need to write them.

If nothing else, I will be left with a deeper reservoir of ready rooms to dip into as needed.

Be warned, there are likely to be bad jokes, obscure references, homages, and statistically outright lifting (but not intentionally, I promise) scattered about my chambers, but that is half the fun. 

To get folks in the proper mindset, here are Philotomy's musings on the Dungeon as the Mythic Underworld, the Greyhawk Grognard addressing Megadungeon-based Game Mechanics and what that implies for a proper megadungeon, as well as some inspirational art.

Dave Trampier, from the AD&D Players Handbook

I look forward to seeing what folks dream up, as well as my own dreamings.  Join us!

New Feature: YouTube channel links

Good morning!

I've added another feature to Thalian Musings.  If you are in web view, there is a new collection of links to the right of screen: a collection of YouTube Channels.

They are a mix of DnD, MtG, and one beverage-related channel that might be my own.  Many of these you might be familiar with, but if not, you should be.

There is also one link that isn't a video link, and that is Blogs on Tape.  It is a collection of audio recordings of a wide variety of OSR blogposts, mostly narrated by Nick Whelan of Papers and Pencils (a fine blog).  It's kinda like mini-podcasts, honestly.  

So like videos, but for ears only.

As such, these links are worth checking out (well, except maybe the beverage one), and watching.  Granted, if you're immersed in the gaming world, you are likely aware of many of these, but if not, you're in for a treat.

If there are any channels you feel I should add, or at least check out myself, please tell me in the comments.

Happy watching!

Keep Watch, art by Fred Rahmqvist, WotC

Monday MtG: Tivit, Seller of Secrets

The urge to build a new deck has overtaken me, so here it is.

Tivit, Seller of Secrets

My limited research suggests that the ideal way to build Tivit involves blinking him multiple times and overwhelming everyone through massive token advantage, especially with the help of Academy Manufacturer, Smothering Tithe, and Anointed Procession.  Sadly, the latter two are in my Linden deck, so currently unavailable.

Time Sieve is a nasty enough trick to merit its own paragraph.  Regardless of how the votes go, Tivit often provides enough token artifacts to ensure another turn.  With solid blink options, this means all the turns, which is pretty impressive for a non-Simic deck.  Reportedly, experienced Commander players presume Time Sieve is in a Tivit deck until proven otherwise.  

Other mean tricks include powering out Exsanguinate, Debt to the Deathless (also a flavor win), and/or Torment of Hailfire with treasure-based mana or letting the Treasure tokens do the winning more directly via Revel in Riches, Mechanized Production, or with a bit of setup, Cyberdrive Awakener.  Less mean and more amusing is one of my favorite Magic cards, Last Laugh.  It's a shame it wasn't reprinted in the last round of Commander decks - it is a great card.

With Council's Dilemma, Tivit suggests that voting cards could be fun, but there aren't all that many worth running - voting cards were among the first I culled from my initial pile.  Still, I own the big ones, so they are in the 99: Magister of Worth, Expropriate, Council's Judgment, and Plea for Power, all backed with Illusion of Choice.

There are also the flavor cards that fit an information broker: Bribery, Cut a Deal, Propaganda, Delay, Identity Crisis, and Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer.  Knowledge Exploitation is not in the deck (yet), but fits thematically and has the Prowl ability, which could take the deck down the rogue tribal path, but one player in our group does Rogue tribal, and I don't want to steal their thunder.

On top of this is the realization that I really don't make use of Planeswalkers all that much, so I busted them out, because Semester's End suggests I should.  So into the 99 went Narset Transcendant; Venser, the Sojourner; Kaya, Ghost Assassin; Teferi, Hero of Dominaria; and Tamiyo, the Moon Sage (as well as her BFF Rewind).  I know, friends don't let friends play Tamiyo and Rewind in the same deck, but this color scheme really ain't about friendship at all.

Typing up this collection of superfriends makes me think I should look into the various Oath cards, Oath of Teferi, especially.  Double loyalty abilities sounds ugly!

In short, I have lots of styles all jammed together, so there isn't much of a tight focus.  Still, I am excited to play with cards that have been languishing unplayed in my boxes for years, in some cases.  Yes, if victory is the main goal, I need to tighten up the 99 and probably drop at least a grand on a better landbase (original duals, better duals, fetchlands, 0-drop rocks), but that isn't what this is about.

Besides, a grand is a grand.  Even I have standards and limits.  To quote Doc Holiday from the movie Tombstone, 'My hypocrisy only goes so far.'

That's it.  Playing it will decide what works and what doesn't.  Happily, I discovered the local gamestore does Wednesday night EDH/Commander games that are not all about racing to combo.  So as time allows, it's there I hope to be.

Decklist - which will change once the mail from Cardkingdom arrives.

Merchant Caravans, Part 1: Safety in Numbers

As players wander across the hexes of Irongaurd, they may very well come across a merchant caravan, which could mean either lots of immediate dice-rolling, lots of ill-formed improv, or both.

Or I can use a premade caravan.

Trade Caravan, by Kaja Foglio, WotC

This site speeds the generation of random caravans, as does this site.  Neither are as much fun for me as rolling up my own.  

Notes on a caravan modeled after the ones found in the AD&D The Rogues Gallery. 

Total Size: this includes all members, also leaders and followers.  All caravans are human, but this does not necessarily mean that a caravan cannot have demi-humans or be made up of only demi-humans.  It will be up to the DM to decide.  For simplicity, we are giving human caravans only. (Remember that the default AD&D world was humanocentric).

Master Merchant: this is the organizer or appointed spokesman of the merchants.  His level is indicated in the parenthesis after his title.  His alignment will be neutral, or one suited to the campaign.

# of Merchants: These are the merchants under the Master Merchant.  They may be associates, underlings, etc. Their alignment will follow the guidelines for Master Merchant.  They will have 1-6 hit points.

# of Drovers: Drovers will have from 2-7 hit points.

# of Wagons/Mules: This is dependent on the campaign and the terrain.  Other possibilities include camels, elephants, etc.

Mercenary Leaders: Level and class are indicated, followed by any magic items possessed (the capital letters). 

Mercenary Guards: There are 7 different types of units, composed as follows:

    Unit 1 - heavy warhorse, plate mail and shield, lance, sword (all first level fighters)

    Unit 2 - medium warhorse, chain mail & shield, lance, sword

    Unit 3 - medium warhorse, chain mail & shield, flail, mace

    Unit 4 - light horse, scale mail, light crossbow, sword

    Unit 5 - chain mail, pole arm, mace

    Unit 6 - chain mail, heavy crossbow, mace

    Unit 7 - ring mail & shield, spear, morning star

Adventurer Followers: These are non-merchants travelling with the caravan.  Those characters below the highest level of the same class will serve as his or her followers. Magic items are indicated in the same manner as with leaders.

All caravans will have a pay chest containing 2,000-4,000 gold pieces, 100-400 platinum pieces, and 4-16 base 100 gold piece gems.  Merchants will usually have types J, K, L, M, N, and Q treasures. Mercenaries will have type K treasure.  Leaders will have type M treasure. 

Looking at the samples provided in the Rogues Gallery, each caravan has at least 100 guards of the various sorts.  This speaks volumes about the dangers of traveling with wealth in the book-standard AD&D world.  It also does a fine job of keeping murderous PCs in line; in 5e, the action economy would assuredly NOT be in the favor of the party.

Speaking of 5e, there would need to be conversion, using mostly the Sidekick rules.  Merchants and drovers being Experts, mercenaries being Warriors, and leveled folks (those with predecided names) using appropriate PC classes.  Alternatively, I can use the stats from the Monster Manual for Veterans and Guards and such.

Despite all the numbers, there are no rules in the Rogues Gallery for actually rolling up the various components of a caravan.  For this information, we need the entry in the AD&D Monster Manual, under Men, Merchant (pg 69).  A highlight:

Only 10% of any band of merchants will actually be tradesmen. 10% will be drovers.  The balance (80%) will be mercenary guards.  

The guards will be led by a fighter of 6th-11th level, with a lieutenant 1 level lower (5th-10th).  These leaders will have 12 guards of 2nd level.

For every 50 persons in the merchant caravan, there is a 10% chance for a magic-user of 6th-8th level.  There is a 5% chance per 50 for a cleric of 5th-7th level.  There is a 15% chance per 50 that there will be a thief of 8th-10th level with 1-4 lesser thieves (roll for the level of each, 3rd-7th).

All the leaders, guards, and special characters are in addition to the numbers indicated by the dice.

It then breaks down the seven unit types by percentage of the 50-300 people that make up randomly encountered merchant caravans.   

While there are no tables provided to determine the actual trade goods, the Merchant entry closes by telling us that each caravan carries 10,000-60,000gp worth of merchandise, broken down to 10 pack animals or 1 wagon for each 5,000gp worth of goods.  This is in addition to the assorted pocket change of the individuals (treasure types J, K, L, M, N, Q).

The same entry for Men in the Monster Manual provides the odds of leveled people having magic items, as well as which type - 5% chance per level, so a 6th level fighter (or cleric or magic-user) has a 30% chance of having one or more magic items. 

That's a lot of math.  Let's roll some dice.

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50-300 is 1d6 x 50 = 5, so 250 base members.

10% of 250 is 25, so 25 merchants and 25 drovers.  That leaves 200 guards.  The suggested percentages are based on the remaining guards, not the full number.

Type 1 - 10% or 20 heavy warhorse, plate mail and shield, lance, sword (all first level fighters)

Type 2 - 20% or 40 medium warhorse, chain mail & shield, lance, sword

Type 3 - 10% or 20 medium warhorse, chain mail & shield, flail, mace

Type 4 - 10% or 20 light horse, scale mail, light crossbow, sword

Type 5 - 10% or 20 chain mail, pole arm, mace

Type 6 - 10% or 20 chain mail, heavy crossbow, mace

Type 7 - 30% or 60 ring mail & shield, spear, morning star (two pole arms doesn't make sense, unless 'morning star' here is actually a flail of some sort).

Caravan Escort, by Goran Josic, WotC

The Guard Captain is a level 6-11 fighter, so 1d6 + 5 = I rolled 6, so the Guard Captain is a salty veteran of 11th level.  The Guard Lieutenant is a one-level lower fighter, so 10th level.  In addition are the 12 2nd level fighters as personal guards.

A pet magic-user is possible, at 10% per 50 people, so 50%.   These merchants have one, of 6th-8th level. 8th level (figure a d6, 1-2 is 6th, 3-4 is 7th, and 5-6 is 8th. I rolled a 5).  Clerics are less likely, at 5% per 50 people, so 25% here.  No cleric.  Thieves? 15% per 50, so 75%.  Of course, there is a thief, of 8th-10th level.  9th level, using the same methodology as for the magic-user.  By the book, thieves have lesser thieves as escorts, 2 in this case, levels 5 and 6.

100 mounted troops.  That's a lot of horses.  Plus, the merchants are all mounted (on swift horses), as are the leader sorts and adventurers.  25 merchants + 14 guard leaders + 1 wizard + 3 thieves, for 43 additional horses.   We'll call it 150 for seven spares.  Then there is the livestock pulling the wagons (oxen make sense, frankly - history suggests six oxen to a team).  Before we can decide how many wagons are in the caravan, we need to determine the value of the caravan's cargo.  1d6 x 10,000 = 20,000gp of cargo, so a whopping four wagons of cargo.  That makes 24 oxen.

200 guards for four wagons strains belief.  I can't help but wonder how many additional wagons would contain food, water, spare parts and gear, and fuel enough to get this party of 268 people, 150 horses, and 24 oxen between point A and B.  Something to make it worth someone or something's while to attack the convoy.

I'll dip into history (in a separate post) to determine how much food and water (and how many chuck wagons!) is needed for a caravan this size, which will expand the number of wagons, oxen, and drovers.  But first, I want to have some fun.

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Let's consider the possible magic items among this lot. Bold-faced type is what the dice say they have.

Guard Captain - 55% armor, shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion

Guard Lieutenant - 50% armor, shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion

Each of the 12 guards - 10% armor x1, shield x2, sword x2, miscellaneous weapon x2, potion

Each of the 20 heavy horsemen - 5% armor, shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion

Magic-User - 40% scroll, ring, rod/staff/wand, miscellaneous magic (plus spellbook!)  

Lead Thief - 45% shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion, scroll, ring, miscellaneous magic

Minion Thief 1 - 30% shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion, scroll, ring, miscellaneous magic

Minion Thief 2 - 25% shield, sword, miscellaneous weapon, potion, scroll, ring, miscellaneous magic

How do these odds compare to possible magic items among NPCs in the AD&D DMG appendices? Specifically Appendix C (Random Monster Encounters) and Appendix P (Creating a Party on the Spur of the Moment).

Appendix C has slightly better odds, but fewer rolls AND item options are limited.  For example, those 12 2nd level fighters would each get a 20% chance for 2 items off table 1, so at best someone ends up with several potions or a +1 item.

Appendix P involves lots of math.  Using those same 2nd level fighters, each has a 20% for a magic shield, 12% for magic plate (but 20% for magic chain - choose wisely), 12% for a scroll of protection, 16% for 1 potion, then pick a single weapon type and have a 2% through 20% chance of having a magical one.

Just eyeballing things (I have an English degree for a reason), it appears that the version offered up in the Monster Manual provides the best odds of items being found.  So I rolled and bolded the individuals' items and have totals for the guards.

Magic Item Specifics (random dice rolls for what items):

6 magic swords - sword +1, +4 vs reptiles; sword +1, +3 vs regenerating creatures; sword +1, +3 vs lycanthropes and shapechangers; sword +2; sword of wounding; sword +1

4 magic shields - shield +2; shield, large +1, +4 vs missiles; shield +4; shield +2

3 magic armor - Splint Mail +2, Scale Mail +1, Plate Mail +1

3 miscellaneous weapons - Javelin +2, Trident (Military Fork) +3, 8x Arrow +2 2-16

2 potions - Gaseous Form, Dragon Control (good dragons)

1 ring - Elemental Command (earth)

1 miscellaneous magic item - Cube of Force

Overall, there are some sweet items that PCs might envy, but are unlikely to end up with, barring an army of their own to take them, although those shields make using the 'All Shields Shall Be Splintered' houserule more difficult.  

Personally, I'm a fan of enchanted swords having names, histories, and quirks, so I will need to have these ready.

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The only thing left to determine is the merchant's pay chest contents: 2,000gp, 100pp, and 12 100gp base gems (100, 90, 70, 100, 100, 100, 140, 100, 1 (costume jewelry), 160, 100, 100).  Terrible rolls for the gems.

Based on the DMG, pages 28-29, paying for all those guards and adventurer sorts (perhaps the Captain and Lieutenant officer the guards as a complete mercenary company) comes to roughly 2,732 gp per month - with the two high level officers eating up 2,100 of that cost.  This doesn't even factor in the Wizard or Thieves (we'll presume they are merely traveling for safety in numbers to make it an even zero cost to the merchants).

Payday is gonna be entertaining if this caravan takes longer than 30 days.  I guess retail doesn't pay even in fantasy land!

Antique Ironbound Strongbox.  Buy it today!

I made use of the Merchants of the Silk Road tables in Secret Santicore 2011 to determine the cargo and a few of the merchants themselves.  The cargo is 5,000 gp in furs, 5,000gp in rugs, 5,000gp in glassware (bound for a potent wizard who will be annoyed if it tampered with), and 5,000gp in silks.  In addition, the silk wagon contains the caravan paychest and a special cargo in its own chest.

That special cargo is also bound for the wizard expecting the glassware.  Rest assured that this wizard will be even more annoyed if this special cargo goes astray.  I have yet to decide that special cargo, but rest assured, it is magical or at least arcane in nature.  

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This post is already quite long, so I'll end it and continue in a second, and maybe third, post.

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.

Johnny Law and Skara Brae

Every civilized place has laws that hold it together.  Sometimes it is through custom, tradition, or taboo, rather than legislation (or fiat), but these rules exist, and woe be to whomever violates them.  

Even today, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.  In DnD-land, punishments might be quite extreme.

Now, it is possible to make a list of common laws that most places - both real and imagined - create: no murder, no rape, no arson, etc.  I would argue that these laws should exist, but don't need catalogued, because they can be easily improvised.  It's the stuff that fantasy gaming brings with it that need specific laws called out.

Spell-casting.  Monsters.  Magic items.  Non-human races (presuming your game is humanocentric - I know mine is).  Competing and allied religions that can do things.  Violence as a solution.  THESE are the things that differentiate fantasy cities from real world cities.  Frankly, most players should suspect such things, and some will actively go looking for them.

So it becomes a question of what are the important laws that will catch players' attention, and perhaps turn into a session or three getting around or dealing with the repercussions of?

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The Code of Hammurabi, inscribed on a 7.5 foot tall basalt stele, a fine way to display laws to the (il)literate populace, presuming they know the specific language.

Many folks gaming today presume that laws and courts and such seen today are common in their fantasy games.  Horsefeathers! I'd think kangaroo courts, mob justice, and presumed guilty until proven innocent would be more likely.

Cribbing laws and rules and ideas from history is a time-honored DMing tradition, and the Code of Hammurabi is definitely worth looting. Another example that plays nice with the typical DnD games set in pseudo-Europe, is wergild, because it deters murder-hoboes by hitting them in the pocketbook.  The Yassa of Ghengis Khan or the Edicts of Ashoka provide additional models to make use of.

Consulting the power of the internet is an option.  This thread from enworld is worth looting, and the subreddit r/DMAcademy has a great discussion on Laws of the Fantasy Lands, to include many laws and questions to consider adding to your world.  

The blog Sword of Mass Destruction makes some solid points about law enforcement in a fantasy world, adds questions worth asking yourself, and this quote:

Basically, from a gameplay perspective I think good law punishment would be something that attacks the character sheet. Remove a limb. Limit their health. Cripple their inventory. Ban them from buying at shops in that city ever again. Cut out their tongue. Cripple their ability to play the game. 

Interestingly, SMD's observation ties in well with several of Hammurabi's punishments - lots of death and injury for those causing it.

Some real-world taboos will also exist, but have their own DnD twist, courtesy of Blog of Holding.  Speaking of which, if a town is ruled by some sort of theocracy, then religious taboos become law.  Taboos like these from d4 Caltrops.

It's the laws and social mores that PCs are bound to run afoul of that are worth writing down and watching for.  Especially if any of these suggestions from the Dungeon Dozen are followed: Who's the Law in this Town?

All of this is because, as question 12 on this excellent campaign questions list from Jeff's Gameblog points out, players may ask where there are 'notable hassles from Johnny Law.'

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Examples of such rules and laws can be found in several gaming products.  The best might be Atlas Games' Crime and Punishment.

My favorite citybook is Hollowfaust, a city ruled by Necromancers.  As might be imagined, there are interesting laws regarding funeral rites (and rights) in that city. 

Another option to look at is Irilian, from early White Dwarf magazines, but compiled for easy use by Kellri. Note that readers wanting to publish their personal fantasy city could use this document as a template.

Another example comes from Runequest's Pavis/The Big Rubble, which contains this short list of rules that PCs are likely to run afoul of.  Especially items 2, 4, and 5.

If you have the resources to acquire them, here is a partial list of city books to loot for ideas.

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Skara Brae is no different than many other fantasy campaign cities, and it has its share of laws and common courtesies that players won't consider, which means neither will the PCs, which means several episodes across sessions as these laws and customs are encountered.

Some Laws (notable hassles from Johnny Law)

Humans, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes, and Elves can walk the streets of Skara Brae freely.  All other races must have a keeper; Goblinoids must be collared, chained, and with owner in the city - those found loose will be killed.

Tieflings, warlocks, and sorcerers are to be executed with extreme prejudice.  Those harboring or defending such beings are considered tainted and suitable for execution as well.

Mages must be licensed by the Mages' Guild; unlicensed casting results in fines, servitude, death, and worse.  Such licenses make great real life props.

If the general call is sounded, all beings within the city are expected to help defend the city.

The colors Red and Purple are reserved for specific people; punished by loss of colored clothing and fines.

Adventuring companies must be registered; those found adventuring without license and registration will be fined and lose recovered items, if not more.  Such registrations make great real life props.

Loosing monsters or bringing other notable trouble down on the city will see surviving troublemakers heavily fined, cursed, and exiled.  

Armor and weapons of war are not allowed to be worn/carried on the city streets unless headed home or out of the city.  Special licenses can be had for a suitable donation.  

Violence against members of the Skara Brae government or those in employ of the Skara Brae City Council will be met with crucifixion.

No one can kill a cat.

Some Customs and Traditions (and Superstitions)

Religious parades have the right of way.

If someone asks for a drink, give it to them; refusing it is an insult.

If you are offered food or drink, consume it; refusing it is an insult.  

Betting on anything is commonplace; refusing to bet is the mark of a social fool.

Cats have a place of honor at all tables.  

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Several implications can be seen in these laws and customs.

These laws imply a Mages' Guild of some sort, and reasons why such laws and customs exist, as well as a place for public crucifixtions.  In addition, a bureaucracy capable of taxes, registrations, and the like exists, and a constabulary capable of enforcing the law.

Note that the stuff about cats comes directly from the Lovecraft story, The Cats of Ulthar. I imagine that Wemics, Tabaxi, and other cat people would confuse the hell out of the local law.

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Of course, breaking these rules has consequences:

Fines.  Weregild.  Ostracism or Shunning. Exile.  Public Shaming.  Indentured servitude.  Slavery.  Branding.  Maiming. Tongue Cut Out. Blinding.  Crucifixion. Gallows. Stocks.  Imprisonment.  Oubliette.  Excommunication from one or several faiths (maybe this means that beneficial spells from clerics of those faiths no longer work on the Excommunicated being), Death (probably in a cruel and public fashion).  If specific ideas of punishment are needed, just browse history - humanity has quite an ability to be terrible to one another.  Just ask Giles Corey.

The Massachusetts Historical Society has a gruesome description of what happened next.

Giles was asked to strip naked and lay down, face-up, on the ground. A wooden board was then placed on top of him, and on top of the board, one by one, Sheriff George Corwin placed large rocks. After two days of this torture, through which Giles had remained silent, never crying out, he was asked to plead. Giles did not want his property to be taken, so he never plead either way. On the third day 19 September 1692 he died from being pressed to death.

His last words were, “more weight.” Corey’s death by pressing ultimately helped change the way the Salem Witch Trials were viewed by locals.

'More weight' is how a classy gent tells a town to go fuck itself.  

Exile is worse than it sounds in a points of light campaign world, which Skara Brae is.  Those not able to survive to the next city or other point of light tend to die horribly.  Note that being exiled from a place typically carries with it an 'if seen in this area again, people can make you dead, no questions asked.'  

In addition to traditional means of punishment, DnD allows the government to use magic, as well.  I suspect that there is a controlled market for drugs/potions that temporarily reduce stats to ensure that saves are failed and spells take effect.  (I also expect such potions to command top dollar on the black market).

Feeblemind.  Enfeeblement.  Geas,  Curse (so much more potential than the basic spell).  Polymorph.  Petrify.  Shrink.   Imprisonment.  Exile - but to another plane!  

Being cast into the Astral Plane or through a portal to an untamed land might be an extreme punishment, but wow, does it send a message to the populace while setting the PCs up for a new adventure! 

Given that there are PCs on the receiving end of these spells, I am leaning towards Geas and various Curses to keep PCs active and players engaged - something that instant death somewhat detracts from.  Note that in 5e, both Geas and Curse seem far weaker than I recall, so I'll use proper a Geas and proper Curses that actually matter at the table.

And by proper Geas and Curse, I mean, cannot be removed with simple Remove Curse spells or other use of the character sheet.

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Some bonus curses to consider.

Monday MtG: Game Day!

It's been some time since I have actually gotten to play Magic with the Citronelle crew; it's been longer since I have played any games beyond mismatched duels using Commander decks.   Mismatched because some Commander decks are better for one-on-one games, and others for multiplayer games.

To be frank, in a Commander duel, whichever player has the strongest start tends to win.  Land into Sol Ring into Arcane Signet is a sweet opening in a 4-player game, but overwhelming opening against one player.  

For today's games, I brought nine Commander decks.  Time allowed for only three games, but I took notes.

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Game one: Obosh, the Preypiercer vs Imotekh the Stormlord vs Marchesa the Black Rose

A slow start for all, but Imotehk does its thing and fills the board with artifacts.  Obosh overloads a Vandalblast and buys less than a turn, as Imotehk Reanimates Technomancer and it begins again.  He then tries for an 8-point Torment of Hailfire, but Marchesa counters it, thankfully.

Obosh comes and goes twice, but at one point gets to do its 'odd cmc' thing, and Underworld Cerberus hits Imotekh for 12.  This is the last time I am able to have creatures in play for more than one turn.  Enchantments, on the other hand, stick around all game, as I am able to land (and activate) Bloodchief Ascension and Caverns of Despair.  

It is the Caverns that keep both Marchesa and Imotekh from swarming either me or each other, so it is logical I need to go first.  

The entire time, Marchesa is doing her thing, mostly through cycling Reef Worm and Iron Apprentice through the graveyard to activate Bloodflow Connoisseur.  Still, all this cycling through the graveyard results in Bloodchief Ascension doing its thing, knocking Marchesa to one life and forcing her to sacrifice some of those tokens to stay alive.  

By this point, Imotekh lands a Darksteel Forge, Conjurer's Closet, and Whip of Erebos, and whips up some trouble for Marchesa, forgetting about the Propaganda she has out, so his creatures are for nought (all the mana gone for a big turn).  He could attack me, but needs the Caverns to stay in play to not die.

None of the half-dozen draw spells in my deck come into play, and all I can top-deck is land.   At an impasse, Marchesa takes me out of game, survives Imotekh's attack, and eventually wins, despite the Whip netting Imotekh more life than he loses for the first few exchanges.

 

Observations:  top-decking - especially lands - sucks.  I was worried about the mana-curve of the deck (too many fun 5 cmc cards in here), but it was the lack of anything to play that got me.  That Imotekh deck is built around the graveyard more than anything else.

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Game two: Torbran, Thane of Red Fell vs Vial Smasher the Fierce/Sakashima of a Thousand Faces vs Daretti, Scrap Savant

It didn't take long for VS/S1K to have four copies of Vial Smasher in play - it was ugly, but awesome to see.  Torbran tried for a sweeper via Chainwhirler with Torbran in play, but Vial Smasher responded with Go for the Throat on T, so all I got out of it was 1 damage on Daretti.  Two turns later, Daretti played Blasphemous Act and popped all four of them - and my second and last casting of Torbran, as well.  

Daretti is building a board of artifacts, and I am swinging with a Thundermaw Hellkite sporting a Basilisk Collar, while Vial Smasher tries to recover.  Being aggressive keeps me from playing the Stranglehold in my hand - something I'll regret later.

I play Structural Assault to clear the field, and Daretti miracles into Reforge the Soul on his turn, sending the Stranglehold in my hand to the bin.  Reforge does give me Brash Taunter, who in turn lets me get Daretti to 6 life, but Daretti recovers from the artifact sweeping with a Kuldotha Forgemaster, which spells my doom, as on successive turns he drops Darksteel Forge and Platinum Angel.  

The best I have is Price of Progess, which puts Vial Smasher out of the game (not a basic land in sight).  I then scoop because I think Into the Core is not in my deck. It turns out it was, but a good 30+ cards deep, so it might as well have not been.

Observations: I should ALWAYS play Stranglehold and other enchantments as soon as possible against decks that are unlikely to have answers.  This is two games in a row where enchantments were king.  Also, Torbran has some cards that are stinkers if he isn't in play - Magic Missile, Pyrotechnics, and Chainwhirler - although the last feeds devotion well.  Structural Assault is a great card, though, and it's always a thrill to see decks do their thing, which both of my opponents' decks did.

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Game three: Xyris, the Writhing Storm vs Empress Galina vs Borborgymos Enraged vs the Swarmlord

The game kicks off with everyone ramping - especially 'Bobby' and Swarmlord - but me.  Atalan Jackal in particular does work for many turns.  What a great card! A crying shame it's got too much sci-fi for my fantasy game tastes, but whatever.  So does the recent Kamigawa set.  

My one-land-per-turn finally allows a 6-point Prosperity, with Xyris in play, netting me 18 snake tokens.  The Swarmlord follows me and sweeps the field of 1/1s.  Bye snakes!

Empress Galina uses Telemin Performance on 'Bobby' to mill 17 cards and score a Birds of Paradise. We laughed at Empress.  Empress followed up with Cyclonic Rift, then laughed at us.

Xyris lands a Pandemonium in preparation for more snake tokens, which goes around the table once before getting zapped when 'Bobby' activates his Nev's Disk, and follows up with Kozilek the Great Distortion.  Koz is promptly stolen by Empress with a Corrupted Conscience.  Xyris can only play a Teferi's Puzzle Box and hope I'm not killed first, but Swarmlord saves us with a Blasphemous Act!

'Bobby' pulls his Disk from the grave and prepares to sweep the board - again - but Empress steals it. Puzzle Box is doing its disruptive thing - it is such a wonderful card for this reason - and gives me Wheel and Deal and Windfall, and I cast both and pass turn.  Swarmlord exiles 'Bobby's' graveyard with a Bojuka Bog, and 'Bobby' scoops, with his Commander never seeing play.  

Xyris lands and is able to equip Lightning Greaves.  Note that Puzzle Box is still in play.  We go around the table and Puzzle Box gives me Cyclonic Rift, which ends up netting me LOTS of snake tokens.

Swarmlord digs up and tries to recast Blasphemous Act, but I have a Voidslime ready. In response, he says 'screw it' and plays Primal Vigor and Doubling Season.  Empress plays something and passes to me.

Puzzle Box gives me Mana Echoes and a Wheel of Fortune, which gives me another wheel which provides Impact Tremors, Purphoros, God of the Forge, and Forced Fruition; I cast them all via Mana Echoes.  We all agree I win with my snake tokens.

Observations: I'd like to think that Xyris would have won, but Primal Vigor ensured it.  Winning or not, it was nice seeing my deck do its thing. I'd forgotten how fun chaining Wheels can be, because I get to at least see much of my deck.  'Bobby' is a well-tuned deck that normally fares better.  Between Puzzle Box and Telemin Performance, he never got to keep his key cards.

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Those two Warhammer decks I played against are strong out of box.  My buddy admittedly made some changes, but not many.  He did say the two I didn't face were not nearly as solid, though.

Overall, I realize that I made the terrible mistake of building my decks around the commander.  All three of today's decks - Obosh, Torbran, and Xyris - are jammed full of low-value/unusable cards if the Commander isn't in play.   Which was the case for these games, and honestly, should be the expectation for all games - the Commander staying in the Command Zone shouldn't impact the rest of the deck.

I partially blame the lack of the tuck rule - without that as a threat, a deckbuilder may forget that a deck's Commander may be kept out of play if their table runs a decent amount of removal - which it should.  The rest of the blame falls squarely on my shoulders - I got caught up in the 'cool card' mindset that doesn't take into account likely opponent actions.

Another mistake is that my graveyard-exiling is minimal in these decks.  I'd forgotten how much the Citronelle crew likes to treat graveyards like second decks.  

The endstate is that now I have no qualms breaking Xryis back into parts (many ear-marked for Nekusar), turning Torbran into another monored deck (perhaps with Torbran in the 99), and putting Mogis back in the Command Zone and Obosh back in the 99, where it belongs.