First... picture time!
I am ECSTATIC at how it came out! I can't wait to get this on the table at GaryCon and see people play on it.
I am going to do a post after GaryCon of how I built it and lessons learned.
There is one more playtest for the rules. Members of NIFMA (Northern Illinois Fantasy Miniatures Association) are coming to play - there's room if you're in my local area!
Here's a link to the rules if you'd like to check them out. These are more delta's to OD&D/Chainmail than a coherent set that merges the two; guidelines and approaches for how we'll run the game. I've also created "character sheets" for the dramatis personae, here's a link if you'd like to see what I did.
With the moathouse and scatter terrain to represent the bog surrounding it completed, it was time to move to my AD&D game at GaryCon - "The Heist of the Century!"
It's an easy enough job: Get into the Royal Palace, steal the King's Secretary's Seal and return with it, for a reward worth ten years' wages. But nothing is ever simple, is it? Especially when you interrupt something far, far worse, and the opportunities may be far, far bigger. Come experience the world of Etinerra, a campaign ten years going!
The adventure is written, but if you're willing, would you please help me playtest it?
I'm looking to do online playtest sessions last week of February/first week of March. Ideally in the evening US Central time. If you're interested, especially if you're not coming to GaryCon, please reach out: chgowiz@gmail.com. Thank you!!
So why am I playtesting this particular adventure? It is like no other adventure I've written or run before!
Dungeon crawls? No problem, I've been writing/running those for years! Outdoor adventures? I'm your guy! In-town, social adventures? Uhhh.... (needle on the record scratching sound)
When I came up with the idea, I was picturing "Ocean's Eleven" or "The Italian Job" in AD&D. Sounds great, right? Then I sat down to write the damn thing and realized I had zero, zilch, nada experience at such an adventure! How should it be paced? How should I provide clues? How do I get the players to plan and execute a heist? So. many. questions!!!
So, I set out to do what I usually do - get inspiration (aka. steal) from good sources. I poked around on social media and got some great tips and pointers to modules, articles and what-not. And boy, inspiration was to be had!
I don't want to give too many spoilers away, but I focused on a couple of primary resources to help me and over the course of four days, roughly about 16 hours total, I banged this thing out. Once I get past GaryCon, I intend on reviewing those primary resources and sharing how I came up with this adventure.
I'm excited! This adventure and the GaryCon session has HUGE POTENTIAL for affecting my campaign world! Obviously the blurb hints at that, but we'll see how it goes. I always have my one-shots affect my campaign world - it's been so much fun to see how the players react to a dynamic world.
Of course, after all is said and done, with trying to run a game style I've never run before, I may be tearing what little hair I have left out and cursing myself "what was I even thinking?!?" We'll see...
