I am steadily outlining the interior of Ternketh, the harpy keep, as a proper module. I will be making this project available in a short time.
UPDATE:
As promised, I've taken down the teaser that was in this space. I will be making the announcement on the blog in the afternoon. I am tidying up details. I will keep the reader posted.
I don't think your readers would be upset at seeing more traditional RPG projects come out of you. I do hope you're planning to charge us for this thing though. No sense in compromising your principles without being compensated for it.
It could be worse. You could be stuck in Paraguay.
(seriously)
Consider it a slight evolution of your art. It's still a platform for expressing your views (that folks should be tailoring to their players not buying pre-packaged modules)...hell, you could create a boiler-plate disclaimer or mini-manifesto to slap onto the thing.
Actually, I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better.
By the way, just reading over the pages you've shown here: this looks excellent. For all my support of OSR products, I really don't purchase many adventure modules. Yours, however, is something I'd be interested in buying.
[cloud castles? harpies? that's awesome sauce]
ESPECIALLY considering that I could read it alongside The Dungeon's Front Door as an example of your concepts in practice. That makes it a bit more worth it, no? ; )
The maps have certainly been great quality, and the keep seems to have a good variety of encounters. I look forward to seeing the finished product!
I have always enjoyed your posts about the kinds of adventures different places can contain, such as your recent post in the trading towns series. The series on creating Fallow, the series on creating an island full of adventures (ending in http://tao-dnd.blogspot.ca/2015/03/the-effort.html), and the series on creating tension (http://tao-dnd.blogspot.ca/2014/09/setting-scene.html) come to mind as well. All these had ideas for a series of actions characters could take, but were so exciting because they provided inspiration towards creating a world where these actions are chosen by the players rather than foisted upon them by the DM.
I expect a module from you might be similarly inspiring. Seeing how you design encounters could be helpful to those of use designing our own. And if you provide some information about the motivations of the different entities with a stake in the keep, it could help people think about the implications of raiding the keep beyond "get fights and treasure."
I'm excited to see how your module differs from the usual stuff. Your creativity as a writer and DM (the description of dungeon plants in DFD comes to mind) will surely make for an interesting module.
I remember a previous post, where you described reasons why gamers would purchase so many supplements/adventures/books. One of those reasons was to gain an understanding of "design."
So don't feel dirty. You'll likely be helping people who don't know they need help.
I was asked by a reader who did not want to be published about the text and something that seems odd - I'm afraid that I won't explain the context, I will just give an answer that may appear obscure.
What comes out of a harpy is anyone's guess. Dante put harpies on the 7th level of his Inferno, where they watched after those who committed suicide. I accept that derivation, so I presume that harpies are hell-derived. The Greeks defined harpies having the habit of plaguing the blind seer Phineus by defecating on his food. The effects of defecation out of hellspawn can have all sorts of unexpected results.
Other passages that I did not post do address your question, dear reader.
No shame in writing a module.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your readers would be upset at seeing more traditional RPG projects come out of you. I do hope you're planning to charge us for this thing though. No sense in compromising your principles without being compensated for it.
@ Alexis:
ReplyDeleteIt could be worse. You could be stuck in Paraguay.
(seriously)
Consider it a slight evolution of your art. It's still a platform for expressing your views (that folks should be tailoring to their players not buying pre-packaged modules)...hell, you could create a boiler-plate disclaimer or mini-manifesto to slap onto the thing.
Actually, I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better.
@ Alexis (redux)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, just reading over the pages you've shown here: this looks excellent. For all my support of OSR products, I really don't purchase many adventure modules. Yours, however, is something I'd be interested in buying.
[cloud castles? harpies? that's awesome sauce]
ESPECIALLY considering that I could read it alongside The Dungeon's Front Door as an example of your concepts in practice. That makes it a bit more worth it, no?
; )
The maps have certainly been great quality, and the keep seems to have a good variety of encounters. I look forward to seeing the finished product!
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed your posts about the kinds of adventures different places can contain, such as your recent post in the trading towns series. The series on creating Fallow, the series on creating an island full of adventures (ending in http://tao-dnd.blogspot.ca/2015/03/the-effort.html), and the series on creating tension (http://tao-dnd.blogspot.ca/2014/09/setting-scene.html) come to mind as well. All these had ideas for a series of actions characters could take, but were so exciting because they provided inspiration towards creating a world where these actions are chosen by the players rather than foisted upon them by the DM.
I expect a module from you might be similarly inspiring. Seeing how you design encounters could be helpful to those of use designing our own. And if you provide some information about the motivations of the different entities with a stake in the keep, it could help people think about the implications of raiding the keep beyond "get fights and treasure."
I'm excited to see how your module differs from the usual stuff. Your creativity as a writer and DM (the description of dungeon plants in DFD comes to mind) will surely make for an interesting module.
ReplyDeleteI remember a previous post, where you described reasons why gamers would purchase so many supplements/adventures/books. One of those reasons was to gain an understanding of "design."
ReplyDeleteSo don't feel dirty. You'll likely be helping people who don't know they need help.
I was asked by a reader who did not want to be published about the text and something that seems odd - I'm afraid that I won't explain the context, I will just give an answer that may appear obscure.
ReplyDeleteWhat comes out of a harpy is anyone's guess. Dante put harpies on the 7th level of his Inferno, where they watched after those who committed suicide. I accept that derivation, so I presume that harpies are hell-derived. The Greeks defined harpies having the habit of plaguing the blind seer Phineus by defecating on his food. The effects of defecation out of hellspawn can have all sorts of unexpected results.
Other passages that I did not post do address your question, dear reader.