Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My Favorite "Example of Play" Courtesy of MAR Barker

Player : (After considerable argument) "Person number two is carefully reaching out with the point of his spear. He pushes just one coin off the altar toward himself . What happens?"

Referee : (Laughing fiendishly) "That's all it takes to set off the trap. A great metal cage falls clanging down  over all of you. I believe you were all up near the altar - nobody specified leaving any of the party behind to guard the door, and I thus assume you were all within the 20 foot square area covered by the cage. (Rolling percentile dice, giving the party a 20 percent chance to have had one or more stragglers outside the cage area - none were). When the cage falls, you also see that the idol on the altar begins to arise. What you thought was its metal surface was actually its armour. At the same time secret doors in the north and south walls also swing open, and fifty smaller versions of the idol file into the room expectantly. You have now encountered the Demon Kurritlakal, the Cracker of Bones, Eater of Skins, Father of One Thousand Progeny, Spawn of Great Durritlamish . . . "

- Empire of the Petal Throne - The World of Tekumel, page 102

12 comments:

  1. Wow!

    And nothing more is needed to say.

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  2. By the way, when can we expect the Algol PDF?
    (damn you, blogspot, for lack of edit, damn me for my engrish skill :F)

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  3. I believe you were all up near the altar - nobody specified leaving any of the party behind to guard the door, and I thus assume you were all within the 20 foot square area covered by the cage. (Rolling percentile dice, giving the party a 20 percent chance to have had one or more stragglers outside the cage area - none were).

    Firm but fair. *And* a masterful example of keeping the players too busy to whine about an unexpected outcome.

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  4. It had me at Laughing fiendishly. . .
    :)

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  5. I think this tells much about campaign-design. Really, every DM should build his/her dungeons with rooms for fiendishly laughing

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  6. I love the ellipses to suggest that he continues list the terrible names for this thing that men whisper to others in shrouded rooms.

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  7. In fact, one might say that some proportion of every feature of a campaign could be Fiendish, and depending on that proportion it might incite some level of Laughter ...

    Just beware a cascade effect that results in a Maniacal Laughter Spiral.

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  8. I can't help but wonder if they managed to survive somehow :)

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  9. I'm glad you all enjoyed it ..."Laughing Fiendishly" was a favorite of mine as well :)

    @ Omlet: I dunno, but when are we going to see Underworld Kingdom? ;)

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  10. I just started blogging about it :D
    PDF? I have no idea - putting it together is really painful...

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  11. This is my favourite example of play as well, and it sells the concept of dungeoneering very well indeed.

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