I'd just like to chime in here and say that the very first 3e campaign I ran was based off of Sean K. Reynolds' Against the Giants: Liberation of Geoff. (You know, the silver anniversary addition.) That remains one of my favorite D&D products ever, and one of my best campaigns ever. No place to share war stories, but I just wanted to thank Sean for the great ideas and all the memories.
Issue #120 arrived in the mail yesterday. It is my favorite issue since Dungeon was 'unleashed.' I thought #114 would be hard to top because of the nostalgia rush I got from the Isle of Dread back drop and adventure.
However this issue tops it, starting with a phenomenal cover. Erik's "Return to Castle Bristol" had me remembering my own home-made modules. I haven't read the mid-level adventure "Forsaken Arch" yet but the art, cartography, and inclusion of the Kenku have me excited about it.
The high-level adventure "Lost Temple of Demogorgon" is frightening (in a good way)! I can hear player 1 saying "I wish we were going to Candy Apple Temple instead." Player 3 replies, "Candy Apple Temple. What do they have there?" Player 2 answers, "Primates, but not as big or evil." Plus, the pictures of Tellax and Lord Khayven are incredible.
But the best adventure is the low-level "The Obsidian Eye." I love the background, the imagery, the new undead from the forthcoming Sandstorm book, the villain organization, and especially the NPC Mio the Scorpion. She has to be one of the coolest bad guys I've seen in your magazine! I can't wait to run this adventure.
All of the Campaign Workshop articles in this issue will be helpful to my game, especially "The Adventure Begins" and "Stopovers." The cartoons and columns were all good.
Finally, the third piece of the beautiful World of Greyhawk map was enclosed. This was a great issue of Dungeon.
I voice one disappointment and one request in closing. I'm disappointed that the map only includes the very tip of Hepmonaland and does not label where the Forbidden City of the classic 1st Edition AD&D (1981) module "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" is located. The module itself states "the Forbidden City is located... in a small group of unexplored mountains just south the Pelisso Swamp in Hepmonaland." Sean K. Reynolds, in the 2nd Edition AD&D (1999) supplement "The Scarlet Brotherhood," hinted that the Forbidden City was once known as Xuxulieto, and was built in a rift in one of the Xaro Mountains just south of the Pelisso Swamp in Hepmonaland. Since the Yuan-ti are my favorite villains, and "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" is one of my favorite modules I had hoped to see it listed on the World of Greyhawk map along side many of the other classic modules.
My request echoes Jens Kaufmann's from this issue's Prison Mail. Give us a new Dungeon adventure set in the Forbidden City! While you're at it, give it a Campaign Backdrop article similar to the one the Isle of Dread received! And since there has been more and more acceptance of psionics in WotC gaming material, go ahead and use the Psionic Yuan-ti found in the Expanded Psionics Handbook! If you can pull this off, and I know you can, that will top #120 as my new favorite issue.
Thanks and keep up the great work.
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I also now have issue #120. For me it came today, January 26th. Eight days after it was sent out to subscribers, but still well before it appears on newstands. I originally took out my subscription to Dungeon when the whole "subscriber content" travesty occurred. I enjoyed supporting my local game store (coming in for Dungeon would assure that I at least looked for other products), but this would be sufficient motivation to subscribe, and it certainly doesn't seem unfair. Actually, after I first subscribed, I would often get my magazine after my FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store), and it was always difficult to resist the urge to pick it up, knowing that mine should appear any day now.
Strange how I hadn't noticed this decided improvement until it was spelled out in Prison mail. Anyway, discussing the magazine section by section -
Cover art looks pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing more by Steve Prescott. I'd still like to see a cleaner cover, but as a compromise, a text strip on top and bottom isn't too bad.
I always enjoy "From the Editor". Of course, the subject of my first written adventures is somewhat painful to me. I've kept my notes through a half-dozen moves, printed up on an old dot-matrix printer in an obsolete, obscure, gray font. I'm glad I've improved. (More on this later...)
I always read the letters, and I'm sorry you haven't been getting the volume of mail that you're used to. I'd like to think that the majority of your readership are pleased with the changes that have been implemented, and have few suggestions for improving the magazine. At this point I really feel that improvements are simply small tweaks in the general formula. Maybe a smidge more of this, and a little less of that, but all-in-all the three adventures each month is a winning formula.
The adventures come one after the other, and I think that putting them up front is great. All of the adventures this month were quite good. I'd like to second Torpedo's opinion that "The Obsidian Eye" is actually the best. If I have any suggestions for the authors (Nicholas & Brendan) it would relate to NPC reactions. Despite the primary opposition coming from a group of lawful opponents (monks) they really don't seem to coordinate well. I understand that better coordination might easily overwhelm a party, but I can't see any reason for Harbinger to sit and wait for the party to come to him. My only other complaint is that little information is provided about the artifact the adventure revolves around. However, I can be patient and fully expect to see it appear in an upcoming issue. I may very well use this adventure, but it won't be for awhile yet, so I don't mind waiting. I really think the adventure includes a good mix of PC-NPC interaction, combat, skill-use, and an interesting trap, too. Very well done.
I didn't read "The Forsaken Arch" in quite as much detail, but I like what I've seen. The village of Shoalbury is pretty detailed, and I might use that for another town before I have a chance to use the actual adventure. I do like the temple quite well. As long as there is something approximating a tactical map (page 51 - The Forsaken Arch Topographical Map) I would have liked to see a notation regarding the location of the "Assassin Vine" mentioned in the "Bandit Ambush" section. I'd also like a notation regarding how far away Shoal bury is along the road to the South. Actually, is there any possibility that for such maps a fine grid could be laid down? Even 20'x20' squares would help judge distances more accurately, particularly if either side attempts to retreat.
On a nearly unrelated note - when 4th edition is released (I don't know when, and hopefully not soon, I do hope they'll switch from squares to hexes. I understand some of the limiations, but it has advantages also.... Calculating distances along a diagonal, for instance....
Since I'm trying to go in order, I'd like to specifically mention the Portent (page 60) located at the end of the adventure "The Forsaken Arch". In my personal opinion, this is the way I'd like to see comics. The portent is rather short, and it doesn't get it's own page. It fills an empty spot, providing a little humor, without feeling like anything is being sacrificed. I like comics generally, but if anything I'd like to see more comics in smaller sections.
The Lost Temple of Demogorgon has quite a lot going for it. I particularly like the introduction of "demontaint" and a new artifact. The adventure is a little "combat-heavy", but I'm actually fine with that. Some of the most memorable adventures are simple Dungeon Crawls. Still, all three adventures have a substantial Dungeon Crawl component. I'd like to see a little more variety in the pages of Dungeon. I think Dungeons are important, and the majority of adventures can safely include them. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing if you could provide an adventure where the dungeon doesn't feature as prominently. Most of an adventurer's time (at least at low- and mid- levels) is spent travelling to the dungeon. Adventures that can occur between crawls would be a welcome addition.
Which would dove-tail nicely into the campaign workbook section, but I'd really like to say I truly appreciate Monte Cook's articles on Dungeoncraft. Much of what he says is stuff I've thought about, and generally know. Still, he is insightful, and he delineates things carefully, allowing me to consider whether I'm achieving my objectives well. I know that I have a propensity to turn the game into a "Player Vs. DM" style (in my defense, the players generally start it) and everything he says helps me think about how I present the game and whether I can make improvements.
Regarding the "Campaign Workbook" there are a mix of useful and less useful. The "Bounty Hunters" are well done, but I don't really imagine many will transfer into a game. By the time I realize I need them, I'll likely not have the Dungeon issue at hand. What I'd like to see is a little more "tie-in" to the adventures that appear this month. The inclusion of a desert-guide and a sailor might have been useful in the adventures presented earlier. Likewise, a traveller for "Stopovers" would have been nice. The Adventure Begins does have some useful ideas, but they'll be better used by incorporating them into my "city design" folder, that includes a print-out of the DMG web-enhancement....
Dungeons with Dimension doesn't have much use to me. While such dungeons can be created (I knew that) there aren't really much in the way of guidelines to help in the matter. For example, if I was inspired to include a trench dungeon, what keeps the "monsters" in? Lurking in the low ground would certainly provide them a disadvantage in terms of being surprised... I'm not sure if I'm being clear here, but I hope you see what I mean.
I do like Stopovers. This is something I would love to photocopy and have with me at all times. However, I refuse to do that because that would be a violation of copyright law. Is there anything that can be done about that? Something indicating that we can photocopy small sections for our personal use? I haven't been to law school (and if I do go, I doubt copyright law will be my primary interest), but I'd like to know if there is anything that can be done to alleviate the problem that I know I have.
I'm not a big fan of Downer, partly because it takes up a full 2-page spread. It is its own feature, not a supporting feature the way Mount Zogon is.
I'm also opposed to Wil Save. I've expressed my opinion pretty clearly in a thread specifically dedicated to that, and I'd rather keep this thread free from a debate on the relative merits of that column. However, I think this particular column is the least enjoyable of all those he has written. Particularly, I think it lacks something in the continuity between issue 119 (part 1) and issue 120 (part 2). I find the change in styles to be disconcerting, and I think many of his statements are unclear (met Andrew in a tavern, though he already arrived in the hotel...) I also would like to think that Mr. Wheaton can include more information about Dungeons & Dragons, and less on products released by Steve Jackson games. The magazine, after all, does support DMs of D&D, not role-playing games in general. And although I think every DM should at least experiment with other systems, I want this magazine to support D&D, not any of those other systems...
Sorry for the length. I'd love to hear other's comments as well.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Great Monkey madness!!! You were right Erik SKR did make a helluva good adventure... Not too often you see the majority of your opponents are Awakened animals.
I do like Stopovers. This is something I would love to photocopy and have with me at all times. However, I refuse to do that because that would be a violation of copyright law. Is there anything that can be done about that? Something indicating that we can photocopy small sections for our personal use? I haven't been to law school (and if I do go, I doubt copyright law will be my primary interest), but I'd like to know if there is anything that can be done to alleviate the problem that I know I have.
Are you kidding Dead? As long as you're not posting the contents up on a website or selling them on the street feel free to make a copy for your own personal use... that is why you buy this wonderful magazine. No Fed is gonna come busting down your door for xeroxing a copy.
If they do I'll eat my d20's.
-I am a Vrock, I'm a Tanar'ri!!!
My only disappointment with "Lost Temple of Demogorgon" was the lack of any locational setting information or map. I realize that we just got a Greyhawk map, but a little more info on Irongate and a local level map ala Istivin adventure arc would have been welcome. But hey I am a greedy Greyhawk player so I will live.
The Steve Prescott cover is great! His use of non-standard "fantasy" color in his artwork is particullarly eye catching and his style is remarkable. Please, let's see more from him.
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Are you kidding Dead? As long as you're not posting the contents up on a website or selling them on the street feel free to make a copy for your own personal use... that is why you buy this wonderful magazine. No Fed is gonna come busting down your door for xeroxing a copy.
I’m philosophically opposed to breaking this law whether I’d be punished or not. If the law is bad, we should change it. If I misunderstand the law, having it explained to me would be appreciated.
The government provides PDF files for various laws, including copyright law. Although a difficult subject, there are likely a variety of copyrights associated with the magazine. For example, the page layout can be copyrighted, and the text appearing can also be copyrighted. Thus it could be illegal to use a page layout even if the text is entirely different.
The law does say the following about Fair Use:
§ 107 · Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use³⁸
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment,news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use),scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of acommercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
I think it is pretty obvious that my personal use does not fit any of the definitions of "fair use" that are expressed clearly. However, the purpose would be (1) not-for-profit, (3) use a small fraction of the entire copyrighted work, and (4) have no effect upon the potential market for the copyrighted work.
I think that I could avoid criminal prosecution on those levels, but it does not change the fact that I would be commiting a crime. It renders what should be a guilt-free operation into something clandestine. I'd hate to be told at the neighborhood Kinko's that I can't make my copies there.
So, I won't do it. But I will lament the fact that reproduction in any form appears to be illegal.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Are you kidding me??? Were you one of the poor schmuck's that got prosecuted for downloading music or something?
There's law abiding and then there's fear of the sky falling... again I'll eat my d20's if someone hassles you for a photocopy of a magazine you bought. Any judge who finds you guilty of that needs to be defenestrated.
And as for the kinko's guy, that's what the self service machines are for. It'll take you all of 10 minutes to get the hang of it. I should know I damn near lived in one for about 3 years in college:)
There's no money changing hands (other than for pizza and snacks) at a gaming table... thus I'd say that's pretty "acommercial." D&D has also always been touted as a good way to teach simple math skills (THACO was a function after all!) like addition. Thus your game could easily be considered a "nonprofit educational purpose."
--I am a Vrock, I'm a Tanar'ri!
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Hey, just wanted to throw my two cents in on the reproduction issue. I'm in law school, though I haven't yet taken copyright, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
The primary thing to remember is that copyright is a matter of civil law for the most part, meaning that the government isn't going to bash your door in and prosecute you for reproducing the magazine. What that law does is create a cause of action, which would enable the publishers of the magazine to sue you for copyright infringement in that case, like the RIAA is suing the kids who download music. While that might mean that the Kinko's guy won't copy your stuff, that's just because his company wants to be absolutely free of liability. Assuming you're just using the copyrighted material for the enjoyment of yourself and your friends, the publisher would probably have no desire to sue you, although theoretically it would be within their rights to do so.
The only thing this doesn't account for, that I can think of, is the FBI warning before cassette tapes and DVDs, which threatens with criminal prosecution for duplication. I'll take a look at the law in this area and let you know what I come up with.
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Another quick update: after some very, very basic research on the topic, it appears that federal law does allow for criminal prosecution based on copyright infringement, but only if it is done for a commercial purpose, which the infringement in this case is decidedly not. You might want to check your state laws just to be absolutely certain you're not culpable there, though.
You might want to check your state laws just to be absolutely certain you're not culpable there, though.
Business 101: If DeadDMWalking's copying and distribution of Dungeon magazines costs Piazo $1,000 in lost revenue, Piazo will spend up to $999 to stop him. Thus, if DeadDMWalking distributes roughly 150 magazines to would-be buyers, Piazo would be incented to take action, assuming a lawyer could prove effective in under 4 billable hours.
Conversely, if DeadDMWalking copies some material for his players, costing Piazo nothing, one should not expect the Dungeon Legal Department to be lifting a finger (which would cost roughly $25 per finger per hour) in response.
Unless I'm entirely mistaken, you're allowed to photocopy a certain percentage for personal use under "fair use" policies. The number I seem to remember is 10% or so. Keep in mind that anything you get from the government is going to be an extreme summary of the law, and law is further supplemented by any amount of case law. As you yourself have pointed out, you're quite safe in that it's not-for-profit, it's a small portion of the total work, and it'll have no effect whatsoever on the market for the work (if anything, it'll increase the market because of it'll increase others' perception of the utility of the magazine). You're not violating any laws on that point.
If you still need reassurance, keep in mind that you're trying to do is create a backup copy of the work, which is *definitely* protected. Photocopy places tend to be overstrict in what they copy for people because they don't want to give their employees any room to screw up and copy something they shouldn't and open the company to legal liability. Making legitimate backup copies of work is perfectly acceptable, normal use of the product, but since the photocopy shop can't be positive that that's what you're really doing, they don't want to take the risk.
The fact that I spelled it "Piazo" discounts anything that I've said here. Good night.
Having just picked up issue 120, a few more thoughts on the issues content, and more heaping spoonfuls of praise for Obsidian Eye.
Firstly, the issues editorial was absolutely first class - not only did I really laugh out loud at the "watch out for explosion dogs" ending, but the editorial really set the tone for the rest of the magazine and of Dungeon in general these past months - all that's best from the New School of D&D with a dose of respect and love for what made the game great in the first place. I for one wouldn't mind seeing Return to Castle Bristol show up in the pages of Dungeon (or maybe just an explosion dog statblock in a web enhancement?). I'll certainly use the stairway made from permanent Tenser's Floating Discs in my campaign :-)
Obsidian Eye was one of the best adventures I've seen in the magazine; i particularly loved the amount of simple detail given in the NPC descriptions - the merchant's "bad for business" quote immediately told me exactly how to run the character. I also liked the suggestion that the Half-Elf Wizard could be a romantic interest for one of the PCs; this kind of thing rarely comes up in D&D adventures, but often becomes a backbone of my campaigns. Speaking off which, the whole adventure is laden with extra hooks, and I think could provide a springboard for an entire campaign. The only issue i had was the villains - both Harbinger and Mio were cool, but Harbinger is the one built up most throughout the adventure, yet the players are likely to defeat him first, then face a greater threat in Mio, who seems more like a henchmen, or to borrow a video game term, sub-boss.
More when i get round to reading the other adventures. Meanwhile, I'll be pondering whether I can set Obsidian Eye in the Bright Desert (and maybe have Rary and his minions on the trail of the Eye as well) or put it on the back burner for a campaign in Ket...
M
I'd like to add my voice in praise of The Obsidian Eye, as well, and for basically the same reasons as sad_genius. The NPC character details were really great, and the whole adventure sparked campaign ideas all over the shop.
I have a slight beef with the cartography for the adventure, which could have done with less photorealism, and more practical utility. Pretty, but not terribly useful.
Seconded. There's no grid, and no scale at all. So, how big are the rooms? Other than that, an excellent module.
Please, Erik, make sure that there's a grid for all maps, or at least a scale, so us poor working GMs can figure out how big a room is!
Squid
Thirded.
I'll be harsh though - the maps for "The Obsidian Eye" were absolutely horrendous. No grid? No thanks. (And not even a scale.)
Who screwed up?
I just got finished reading Forsaken Arch, and I found it to be a nicely done piece of work. In the early stage, when the PCs are playing detective, I started getting the suspicion that the cleric on the town council was in cahoots with the bad guys somehow. There was a hint that the kenku were lead by a cleric, and there was that huge head shot of him with his goatee looking sneaky. This is not explicitly stated in the module, but DMs that like to throw in red herrings might consider casting some shadow of doubt about this cleric, something suspicious, so that the players are not really sure Seacrust is the baddy until they contfront him and witness his madness and paranoi first hand. As written, it's almost too obvious that Seacrust is dirty.
I liked the fact that the kenku lair was in an old kua-toan temple. Nice touch. I also liked the fact that it was explicitly stated how the PCs were being monitored, and how they could slip by the alarm spells. This way, good tactical play by the PCs has a real chance of avoiding the ambush and altering the rest of the game. All too often, the PCs are being watched by "an agent in town" or some such ,ethod (scrying spells, etc) and the resulting ambush is a foregone conclusion. Not this time.
In conclusion - Nice Job!
Thirded.
I'll be harsh though - the maps for "The Obsidian Eye" were absolutely horrendous. No grid? No thanks. (And not even a scale.)
Who screwed up?
You gotta blame me, and not the Dungeon staff. Sorry guys, I am a notorious "eyeballer" when it comes to discerning distance as a DM. I'm actually wanted for it in two states. I promise I won't let this happen again though! :)
Glad you guys enjoyed the rest of the adventure besides the maps. Again, my bad. :(
DeadDMWalking,
Yeah I agree the tactics weren't perfect. Brendan and I just didin't want to blow all the cool baddies on one encounter. We like showdowns and entrances for the cool villians, and often times our flair for the dramatic gets the better of our villian's common sense. You should totally alter the tactics to suit your group. If your players are real "special forces" in their style of taking on the bad guys then by all means have Mio and Harbinger jump in the fight early. Glad you dug the rest of the adventure though. Brendan and I are putting the finishing touches on our manuscript for the sequel and sending it in to Dungeon in a week or two. If they like it, it may see print.
Creative Director
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I can't let you take all the blame on the maps, Nick. We should have put grids on them before they got into the magazine. I think the maps LOOK really nice, though... blown up to miniatures scale (whatever that might be) and used as battle mats, they'd rock!
As for the scale on the maps of the Black Obelisk, it's about 40 feet to the inch.
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Creative Director
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As for bad guys not using the best tactics in a given situation... I'm of the opinion that not every bad guy needs to be a Green Beret. Sure, it's fun to throw a group of highly organzied NPCs at your PCs, but at the same point, it adds a level of realism to a campaign to have some bad guys make bad decisions, tactics-wise. Adding Mio, Harbinger, and the three jackalweres to the initial battle with the monks outside the Obelisk is gonna get you a TPK real quick. If your group's a bit high level for the adventure, this might be a better solution.
Still, having bad guys underestimate the PCs, make bad decisions based on personality flaws, or otherwise not function like number-crunched robots is a good thing for the game, I think.
Leave the number-crunching robotics to the PCs.
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I recently bought issue #120, and I've read the first two scenarios and started into the third (The Big D's Lost Temple).
I've already given Nicolas Logue his props recently for The Winding Way, but he and Brendan Victorson produced another fine adventure in this one. The Obsidian Eye should work perfectly in the Haunted Lands of Zakhara, I think, with a few name changes.
In addition to the scenario itself, Nick and Brendan scored with Ramon Perez's illustrations. That overhead shot of the three jackalweres in the desert is fantastic, Harbinger is made so much more menacing by his portrait, and Mio -- I don't want the PCs to kill any of them!
Mio's braid blade is inventive. It's difficult for me to picture someone actually using it, but in a fantasy setting, it's cool. The Scorpion's Grasp feat, though, I don't much like. I think I get the point of it, but it takes an already complex rule (grappling), and adds special exceptions to make it even more complex.
I had some rules questions about the adventure, other than the non-existent map scale issue. For one, the Disguise skills for the jackalweres don't appear to include the +10 alternate form bonus, at least definitely not for Mahlmet. (I haven't actually counted up Khalogo's skill points.)
Also, the ELs for Harbinger and Mio seem to be off. The encounter with Harbinger is listed as EL 5, but he's listed with 6 HD; however, his BAB, class features, etc. match up to 5th level. I'm guessing the HD is off. And the encounter with Mio is also listed as EL 5, but it looks like it should be EL 6.
BTW, I dug the Old Skool glassee reference. :-)
Timothy Haener also did a nice job with Forsaken Arch, which I think I'll try setting in Kozakura. It'll require some hefty modification, of course; for instance, the Pazuzu demon cult think will have to go. But I think it'll still work surprisingly well without that.
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Wow, what a great issue! I just finished reading it, and while I thought "The Lost Temple of Demogorgon" would be a fun read (gotta love Big D), I didn't expect to be able to make use of it. After reading it, though, I think it'll fit perfectly in a campaign set in the Malatra that I have in mind. I'll replace the trogs, probably with primen (from Mongoose's Dark Bestiary) for all-ape action, and I might replace references to Demogorgon himself (oops, that's twice I've said it!). But still, that means I have plans for all three adventures in this issue! Woo-hoo!