Morandir's page

The Contest

Dungeon Master submits their favorite adventuring parties. Includes stats and background history and why this party is worthy of honor.

A new adventuring party drawn randomly each month. None are discarded, as this will build a larger pool.

Winning party gets an art spread in magazine like those done for the Cauldron Adventure Path series.

Player(s) interviewed to tell of their most memorable heroic adventure and other events.

The Rewards:

Tangible:

Monthly winners receive print or digital copy of the adventuring party artwork suitable for framing.

Annual Grand Prize drawing of the year's 12 parties, selected by reader poll, to get free tickets to GenCon for players and Dungeon Master.

Intangible:

Players receiving accolades in being interview.

Dungeon Master honors players.

Winners become OGC usable as noteworthy NPC parties, similar to the "Stormblades" of Caldron, for other campaigns.

WoTC gets positive feedback from gaming groups as more are entries selected in an event unheard of in the industry.

Paizo gets more readers waiting to see the next group.

A Win-Win contest.

I have run a homebrew since '79.

I read every article and glean what I can. Then just like all the other products that don't fall simply into place I twist, hack, and gut them as necessary to fit my world's aura and mysticism. Those that are irrelevant are I cast aside like so much chaff. My players reap the benefits I have sown and in return breathe life across my world. New players are greeted with a living history portrayed against the backdrop I created.

I do this in the time it takes to read the article. I know my world backwards and forwards (in timeline). The same should go for any DM. You are the ultimate referee. DMing takes painstaking time and effort. In the end, your world and players are worth it.

Sidebar:
I, however play in FR. I have changed the face of the Realms. I have engineered a canal from the Vilhon Reach to the Lake of Steam to provide Cormyr and the Dales sea travel to Halruaa and Waterdeep. Nevertheless, you have never read of this and I am sure it would never exist in any other’s world the quite the same way if you did.

I’m still tinkering with some thoughts about aspects of Eb.

I agree! When was the last generic WoTC adventure published. Many of the adventures I have bought have come from OGC sources. My favorite being Necromancer Games. They definitely live up to their motto.

Sword & Sorcery is another good line of adventure products.

Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane and Slayer's Guides provide new prospectives.

Go full page and replace the "Coup de Grace" which is 0-2 in value.

The 1st edition Dungeon Masters Guide had a wonderful series of appendices, which I continue to use. These tables could easily be incorporated into an article on giving sustenance to campaign substance.

2nd edition's "Ruins" box sets also had some fine tables.