Greg A. Vaughan Calls Us Out on Our Own Site!

[p]It's not every day that a whiny author calls you out on your own message boards. But that's just what occasional Dungeon author Greg Vaughan did last week. "You keep featuring everybody else's products in your blogs. Why don't you love me? Waaaahhhh!" Well, we got sick of the whining and decided to give in to his little temper tantrums.[/p]

[p]Mr. Vaughan's newest adventure for the Forgotten Realms setting, The Twilight Tomb, was recently released to much fanfare. (OK, really, it was probably just Greg's mom that was excited, but, hey, who's counting?) The Twilight Tomb is a standalone Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed to take four 3rd-level characters from the sun-dappled paths of the Yuirwood into a realm created by the Duskwalker, an ancient and corrupt star elf wizard. And we'll say this much for it: if you look at all of the official Dungeons & Dragons adventures released this year, The Twilight Tomb is absolutely one of them.[/p]

[p]So, please, for the love of all you hold sacred, give Mr. Vaughan's adventure a look. Heck, you could even buy a copy! It's reasonably priced! And if you like it, check out some of his Dungeon adventures. So, Greg, are you satisfied now?[/p]

Yeah, BABY!!!!!!!

Is it that good?

Who could resist such an awesome sales pitch?

Greg's mom plays D&D? Wow. I wish my mom played D&D.

And we'll say this much for it: if you look at all of the official Dungeons & Dragons adventures released this year, The Twilight Tomb is absolutely one of them.

A truer statement has never been written. But you do realize that by giving in to his infantile temper trantrum and demands that you've become his enabler.

So, Greg, are you satisfied now?

Not until Pett and Logue demonstrate a proper level of deference and obsequiousness (Greg let me borrow his word-a-day calendar).

Is it that good?

To hear Greg talk about it is. However, not having seen it, all I can guess is that it involves some sort of tomb, at twilight.

Greg's mom plays D&D? Wow. I wish my mom played D&D.

Actually, her only interaction with the game was to ground us from it as kids when our grades suffered. I'm sure there were days she rued the fact we got that basic set oh so many years ago.

I bought it last night, I haven't had a chance to do more than just glance through it yet. I welcome WotC's return to publishing adventures, and will seriously consider buying any quality game modules they release.

I purchased it Saturday and am halfway through reading it. It's good. Worth the money.

I ran a playtest of this adventure, and the players had a blast. This is a great adventure, and while set in the Forgotten Realms, it can easily be added to any game world.

I know that I rag on Greg for his word-a-day calendar, but I will admit that in reading his descriptions of encounter areas, I can truly picture them. (Now if I can just get him to use dungeon dressing props in his home game). The locations and encounters in his adventure are the things that fantasy gaming is made of. I'll not give too much away (or anything for that part), but I will say that if you have a limited adventure purchasing budget and are as selective as I am when it comes to purchasing products, then join me at putting this adventure at the top of your must buy list. I can't wait to run it again, and the way it is written, I'm pretty sure that as the parties vary, so will the path of the adventure change.

Absolutely great.

ASEO out

lol; ok; will check it out; but if it sucks your sure gonna hear about it :) Anybody who tacks his head to the wall like this is worth a look, but if you end up with egg on your face you probably deserve it.

Btw; how well does this stand alone for homebrew settings?

Lisa, you do realize we are never going to hear the end of this? :)

Yeah, BABY!!!!!!!

I ran out and bought this Adventure today and have read it completely-and hats off to Greg A. Vaughan.

I hate my life.

And so does my wolf avatar...just look into his eyes...

wells of sadness.

ASEO is too kind. (PS the check is in the mail.)

lol; ok; will check it out; but if it sucks your sure gonna hear about it :) Anybody who tacks his head to the wall like this is worth a look, but if you end up with egg on your face you probably deserve it.

Disclaimer: No direct or implicit guarantees, promises, or admissions of liability that this is not actually a well-concealed sucky adventure. (Whew, eggs dodged just in time.)

Btw; how well does this stand alone for homebrew settings?

I think you'll be able to fit it in as a stand alone fairly easily. While it deals with the star elves which are very "FR", they could just as easily be some mysterious offshoot of the elven race on any other world. It does not tie in directly with any other adventure or actual location (it's in a demiplane), and I believe Shroomy commented further on its portability on another thread.

It uses a lot of FR material but does it in very much a stand-alone fashion and is entirely self-contained while leaving a lot of options open for further tie-ins with an in-depth FR campaign as well.

In short, I think it works okay for a homebrew one-shot. Hope that helps.

P.S.-How long did you work the adventure?

I believe I had a 30-day deadline when the project was given to me, if that is what you're asking.

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you liked it.

I hate my life.

heh, heh.

Lisa, you do realize we are never going to hear the end of this? :)

SSSHHHH, Gwydion. You're ruining my mojo.

Nicolas Logue wrote:

I hate my life.

heh, heh.

Oh go ahead, laugh at me, but care you nothing for my wolf! You heartless cur!

Let it be known, Greg Vaughan is a feckless thug of the highest order. My wolf's suffering knows no bounds.

Here...

Look closer into his eye Greg, you'll see his pain, and you'll feel sorry.

Arrgh, Greg. Why FR? We have multiple DMs and FR material is restricted to another DM. I was looking forward to your adventure and now I am just bummed out.

Ah! That is a big wolf eye! Yeah, I guess he's sad, but mainly I'm just creeped out by that huge eye staring at me through the monitor.

Arrgh, Greg. Why FR? We have multiple DMs and FR material is restricted to another DM. I was looking forward to your adventure and now I am just bummed out.

I writes what they pays me to write.

But, hey, maybe your FR DM will take you through it. On second thought, as a player I'd recommend staying very far away from it. ASEO's playtesters still have some grievances with him over wanton violence and excessive party death.

Maybe something lighter, like one of Rich's adventures for instance...

oji040870 wrote:

P.S.-How long did you work the adventure?

I believe I had a 30-day deadline when the project was given to me, if that is what you're asking.

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you liked it.

Did they just hand you a outline and you came up with the rest?

Ah! That is a big wolf eye! Yeah, I guess he's sad, but mainly I'm just creeped out by that huge eye staring at me through the monitor.

Creepy....very creepy

They had a rough idea that they wanted it to be a cursed star elf citadel connected to the Yuirwood and a list of some of the monsters they suggested be featured. Bruce Cordell is credited with the original concept of the adventure on the title page.

I would consider the material they gave me somewhat akin to that provided by Dungeon for the Adventure Path chapters. It makes it both easier (you don't have to come up with the basic premise) and harder (if you're like me and run more on inspiration than talent).

Lisa, you do realize we are never going to hear the end of this? :)

Yeah, that is the general idea. :)

-Lisa

Wow, didn't realize it was yours, Greg. I saw it at Borders today and said "nah, it's set in the realms. I don't feel like trying to adapt it to Greyhawk." If I'd have known it was yours, I would've maybe bought it (it's not like you are Richard Pett or something, who's adventure I would buy just on name alone.).

FH (when does Richard Pett get his own adventure published as a stand-alone book?)

Hee-hee

(when does Richard Pett get his own adventure published as a stand-alone book?)

He actually had one in the Fantastic Locations series by WotC. It was called Fields of Ruin. It came out earlier this year. Nic Logue had an Eberron adventure out earlier this year as well, so I was the lone hold out (had to do some contract renegotiation and whatnot). :-)

Fake Healer wrote:

(when does Richard Pett get his own adventure published as a stand-alone book?)

He actually had one in the Fantastic Locations series by WotC. It was called Fields of Ruin. It came out earlier this year. Nic Logue had an Eberron adventure out earlier this year as well, so I was the lone hold out (had to do some contract renegotiation and whatnot). :-)

So Richard had one in Fields of ruin, and Nic had an Eborrin adventure(does that really count)? Wow, I guess that puts you in the lead of the "who has boards cred" race! I will have to pick up your adventure the next time I am at the bookstore. (start thinking of how best to convert it to Greyhawk)

FH (watchin' the "siblings" fight, and instigating)

Nic had an Eberron adventure(does that really count)?

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ;-)

It uses a lot of FR material but does it in very much a stand-alone fashion and is entirely self-contained while leaving a lot of options open for further tie-ins with an in-depth FR campaign as well.

The "nilshai" left me stumped, I don't have 'Unapproachable East'. You did include a three sentence description of what the players would see in the zombie, but it's significance would go right over my head.

I will have to pick up your adventure the next time I am at the bookstore.

Hey, you know, rumor has it that you can actually purchase it right here at paizo.com!

-Vic.
.

Fake Healer wrote:

I will have to pick up your adventure the next time I am at the bookstore.

Hey, you know, rumor has it that you can actually purchase it right here at paizo.com!

-Vic.
.

Yeah, but I would have to wait until I have a decent list of stuff to buy to offset the shipping cost. I paid $6 extra to get the D&D Gazetteer. I ain't a-gonna do that un agin.

FH

Yeah, but I would have to wait until I have a decent list of stuff to buy to offset the shipping cost. I paid $6 extra to get the D&D Gazetteer. I ain't a-gonna do that un agin.
But yeah I guess I need to just wait until I get some stuff together that I wanna buy.

FH

QFT

Fake Healer wrote:

Nic had an Eberron adventure(does that really count)?

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ;-)

There, there. Now you've gone and hurt the tyke's feelings. It's okay big creepy eye avatar thingy...I think Iron Kingdoms is a great setting, er, I mean Eberron, of course. Or is it Gamma World. You know, the one with all the robots...

(I think Keith Baker just put out a hit on me.)

I actually I ought to shut my big fat mouth since Nic's Eberron adventures have been some of the best to grace the pages of Dungeon. And I think he's got some big projects with Eberron coming up with WotC from the scuttlebutt* I've heard.

*My contribution to "Talk Like A Pirate Day".

They had a rough idea that they wanted it to be a cursed star elf citadel connected to the Yuirwood and a list of some of the monsters they suggested be featured. Bruce Cordell is credited with the original concept of the adventure on the title page.

I would consider the material they gave me somewhat akin to that provided by Dungeon for the Adventure Path chapters. It makes it both easier (you don't have to come up with the basic premise) and harder (if you're like me and run more on inspiration than talent).

The next time Mr. Cordell comes calling tell him you are not going to do any FR adventures until he makes a lawful prestige class for psions. I may talk to the FR DM and see if he would accepting of me using it in Greyhawk. If you could provide some conversions on this site for Greyhawk or Eberron that would be the tops!

I'll be sure and let him know. ;-)

As for conversion to Greyhawk, I think this would be really easy. I'd probably tie it in with the mysterious (and little explained)elven Lendore Isles and say that the demiplane of Sildeyuir is where they retreated to an age ago and only recently returned from to reclaim their ancestral islands once again. Standing stones could easily be incorporated into various wooded areas and hilltops of the region, especially if you have the old maps from The Secret of Bone Hill and The Assassin's Knot.

Perhaps you could even have the quest centered around the search for the Royal Consort of Celene who diappeared in the Moonarch of Sehanine (which could easily be analogous with Sildeyuir and the standing stones in some way). If the nilshai is too FR for you, then it can easily be changed to an aboleth (they are known to exist in that part of the Flanaes--they first appeared in nearby Hepmonaland in Dwellers of the Forbidden City after all).

Other than that I think the FR elements can be easily be converted to Greyhawk with very little work.

Wow, didn't realize it was yours, Greg. I saw it at Borders today and said "nah, it's set in the realms. I don't feel like trying to adapt it to Greyhawk." If I'd have known it was yours, I would've maybe bought it (it's not like you are Richard Pett or something, who's adventure I would buy just on name alone.).

Huzzah!

Charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'occasional' Dungeon author Greg Vaughan

Occasional - oh yeh, oh yeh, that's great I love that Lisa..occasional....arfarfarfarf...

Greg 'Occasional' Vaughn...it could just stick

Huzzah!!!!!!!!!!

'occasional' Dungeon author Greg Vaughan

Occasional - oh yeh, oh yeh, that's great I love that Lisa..occasional....arfarfarfarf...

Greg 'Occasional' Vaughn...it could just stick

Huzzah!!!!!!!!!!

Bout time Pett...you pick'd a hell of a time to go on holiday.

Welcome back Big Scary Eyeball. How was your nap?

Welcome back Big Scary Eyeball. How was your nap?

Very refreshing, especially after a repast of milk and cookies at snack time.