tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post8911946307064241906..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: How to Tackle a Dungeon I - First StepsAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-90192867337567019452017-06-17T10:43:57.108-06:002017-06-17T10:43:57.108-06:00True, but if you build the camp well, any military...True, but if you build the camp well, any military commander will tell you it is easier to fight a defensive war against an enemy than an offensive one. If the orcs rush out and attack you, while you fight in your fortifications, you will sap their numbers even if you are forced to retreat (and a good camp will include means for retreat). They you can return again and mop up.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-56808701844618631972017-06-17T09:38:55.602-06:002017-06-17T09:38:55.602-06:00Awesome post, but I feel like most dungeons have i...Awesome post, but I feel like most dungeons have intelligent humanoids (i.e. orcs of one stripe or another) who are going to want to patrol their territory. Things like dungeon entrances and maybe a day or two march from the dungeon entrance would be regularly patrolled. The amount of fortification needed for such a camp to survive amidst such near-constant attack would be considerable. CaptPocohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15199867473543535234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-4532010881493075312016-02-19T13:20:21.646-07:002016-02-19T13:20:21.646-07:00The skill of tracking might help people find these...The skill of tracking might help people find these dungeon entrances. Provided there are tracks to follow. If the denizens are undead where they don't need to forage for food, then it won't be so easy to "follow the trail to the dungeon entrance."<br /><br />By The Swordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16799389743529116360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-3963960923267104172016-02-12T20:55:09.812-07:002016-02-12T20:55:09.812-07:00Depending on the nature of the dungeon and/or the ...Depending on the nature of the dungeon and/or the nature of the valley, I see a lot of death shares being payed out to widows... <br /><br />Kimbo said: <i>"The Alexis as player perspective is inspiring. "</i><br /><br />Oh goodness, I'd love to run for some ruthlessly clever players (mine are pretty casual and they miss a lot of clues which could help them. They are <i>smart</i> but not thorough). Mujadaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07698839746240695386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-46474551604729207942016-02-11T21:07:28.215-07:002016-02-11T21:07:28.215-07:00I really enjoy this style of post keep up the good...I really enjoy this style of post keep up the good work.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15496674728058467193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-63360860737185047092016-02-11T07:41:57.078-07:002016-02-11T07:41:57.078-07:00Like this. The Alexis as player perspective is ins...Like this. The Alexis as player perspective is inspiring. <br />K kimbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12961382206655820923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-42921894065621481432016-02-10T05:49:48.487-07:002016-02-10T05:49:48.487-07:00Bravo! More of this series, please.Bravo! More of this series, please.Discordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08043118219587453293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-45792824818894740542016-02-09T16:24:36.246-07:002016-02-09T16:24:36.246-07:00Aha, you anticipate me Blaine - but perhaps I stil...Aha, you anticipate me Blaine - but perhaps I still have original things to add.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-39679458568624456162016-02-09T15:17:40.007-07:002016-02-09T15:17:40.007-07:00I love this ! Definitely a behavior I would be thr...I love this ! Definitely a behavior I would be thrilled to see in my players.<br /><br />Ah, they're looking for a place to start building a fortress in the mountains closest to the base city, I should provide clues to old dungeons there and see... <br /><br />More, please! :-)Vlad malkavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14287760654547816927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-13056677858950166542016-02-09T14:54:50.310-07:002016-02-09T14:54:50.310-07:00What you described here in terms of the establishm...What you described here in terms of the establishment of a base camp as the precursor to an adventure is actually what broke one of my groups and laid the foundation for the end of that campaign. Our GM was actually very much on board with this kind of preparation but the the entire group at the table, who considered it to be a waste of their time. They wanted to be the lone heroes camping out in despoiled rooms within the dungeon as heroes in the past have done, from years of playing traditional dungeon crawls and games have taught them.<br /><br />They had a strong mindset towards the 'elite' heroes, that you only needed a few strong hands and able minds to surmount any obstacle. In short, they had been deluded into their own superiority. So the GM, being actually unbias, actually let the two positions develop their proposals simultaneously. We had already been separated from each other and were allowed to work with similar starting resources in a race to crack the tomb first.<br /><br />One went the route of self empowerment; heavy investment in gear and material, a few stout followers and cohorts to make up for missing players. The other went for heavy followers and works, brought on investors to help add more resources in exchange for the return of cultural artifacts of historical significance... it took awhile to find the right backers but the added wealth was worth it, and went in with a camp similar to what was detailed in the post as well as a rather nice nest egg to work with in providing more.<br /><br />The subsequent adventures were... interesting and lead to a rift between the various members of the group... the elite heroes verse what they called the 'managerial' group... who were supposedly not heroes but more oversees and managers for what should have been an exciting adventure... not a methodical deconstruction of the ruins in mechanical fashion.<br /><br />Especially when the heroes bit off more than they could chew and had to be rescued by the managerial group who had established safe zones with heavy security in the upper works of the dungeon.<br /><br />That experiment still lingers actually in some of the members not trusting other members of the group.Blaine H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02634178976628664808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-44415892417248549942016-02-09T12:21:56.789-07:002016-02-09T12:21:56.789-07:00Ha! This is the sort of thing my players like to ...Ha! This is the sort of thing my players like to do (though maybe with a smaller group of slugs running their camp). I let them run with it - they're being smart (or using their long experience) and I like it. Doesn't mean it always work out for them, though. The wilderness is a dangerous place...<br /><br />Looking forward to the rest of the series. I just started reading Dungeon's Front Door. So far a good read.Keith Sloanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319879076978887933noreply@blogger.com