I second Erik's remarks. All of the suggestions are excellent, though I think DMs shouldn't be looking for ways of inflicting TPK's on their players.
As an alternative, there could be a page devoted to common Dming problems and ways to solve them. The page could also be devoted to printed versions of some of the web enhancements created for previous adventures.
Column Title - Total Party Kill (TPK)
Damn, that's a good title.
Tony M
How 'bout a fluffy article about life as a DM? You know, the balancing act many DMs have to make between a job, family, house, and their games.
:-D
though I think DMs shouldn't be looking for ways of inflicting TPK's on their players.
Dang...there goes my goal in life.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Column Title - Total Party Kill (TPK)
Most of this idea doesn't interest me. The only part that does is TPK Traps. I LOVE traps.
Column Title - The Final Dungeon
Concept - LOVE this idea. Just cause I wouldn't have to draw up the dungeon. Although I think you'd have to have a complete dungeon ready before printing the first article just to have a map of the level to start off with. I'f your going to keep it at 1-page only. I'd suggest bringing it up to 3 pages, if possible.
Column Title - The Media Dungeon
Iffy on this idea. It could go either way for me as I'm not a horror movie fan although I'm a big anime fan and if anime was also used for this idea it would totally rock.
Or How About...?
Column Title - Monster Monthly
Concept - Just a new and interesting monster every month. Have the monster go up in CR to reflect the month that they're in. Basically the January monster is a CR 1 while December's is a CR 12.
just...
KissMeDarkly
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Ok, the ideas are great!
For my part, however, I don't need any more dungeon rooms, or maps. I have so much maps and it's so easy to get more (internet, old material, etc...) that I would rather have somehting like the TPK column.
1) In Dragon (I think it had been in 2001, around issue #288 or #289) there were articles called TAG TEAM TERRORS. Monster duo's to throw against your party. Not intended for a TPK, but to make them think! That would be a great column!
2) How about a monthly LOCATION? Not a dungeon per sé, but somehting like an old shop, with a little map, no big background, but a small descritpion of the owner and some adventure ideas...
3) The column must not be the same every month. We could have a FINAL DUNGEON one month, then a TAG TEAM TERROR next month, maybe a names list the other month, and so on...
4) Maybe a single page with a description of a magical item. Maybe a weapon with story, etc...
5) WAYS HOW TO POWER UP ENEMIES. That would be nice. I remeber an idea taken from a rule book, were there was a giant slug with a single kobold shaman, who had casted stoneskin onto the giant slug. That was a pretty tough fight for my party way back than...
6) What I would like to see (maybe I am the only one...) is a single page like a Bio about Eric, James, the staff. Who is doing what at paizo, how do the working places look like, who's the guy who first reads our submissions, how's life at Dungeon magazine...
Anyway - whatever you choose, Eric, I am sure it will be the right thing (it always have been, since you're in charge) and that the quality will be absoltely ok. Most of all I wish for something which makes this magazine a bit more personal again. Like it had been with Will Save. No, no - no further discussions in this, please!
A few initial ideas - some of thesae infringe on other parts of the magazine, and as I said, they're just my initial thoughts, so take with +1 Grain of Salt:
"This Week In ..."
Take an one of the comics in the issue and expand an idea/plot/theme/item/NPC from it - how to run an Underdark campaign like Downer, stats for a magic item from Mt. Zogon, etc ...
"IMC"
(In My Campaign) - Sort of like the text boxes in Unearthed Arcana, one of the designers talks about a particular event, race, artifiact, class etc ... and how it fitted or was modified to fit into their campaign - could have modified races or subraces, how you put Warforged or Ninja into Greyhawk or whatever.
"Where It All Started"
A D&D regular (designer/staffer/Gygax-style legend) talks about the first time they played D&D, and what got them hooked.
"A Thousand Roads"
Short article discussing how the adventures in this issue could segue into (or out of) previous or future Dungeon adventures. Could also discuss how to use this (or previous) Dragon's material with the adventures.
"D&D Theatre"
Cribbed from Andy Collins website, and from Silicon Sorcery to an extent - grabs something from a film and explains it as a feat, dungeon, NPC, class, race etc ... could also talk about how to play a character similar to one in a popular movie in D&D terms.
"Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap"
One pager describing a group of hirelings the players could recruit/exploit, or a group of mercenaries to bolster a villains compliment of evil minions.
>> "A Thousand Roads"
>> Short article discussing how the adventures in this issue could segue into (or out of) previous or future Dungeon adventures. Could also discuss how to use this (or previous) Dragon's material with the adventures.
Given the popularity of the adventure paths and campaign arcs, this seems like a good suggestion. A nice one page article showing how a couple adventures could be linked up. Over time it might even show you a complete campaign from 1st to 20th.
This is an original idea, directly related to DMing. And Eric already has a proposal outlining one of these. :)
Column Title - Total Party Kill (TPK)
Concept - This column will monthly feature descriptions featuring, singly and in combination, traps, monsters (w/ tactics), NPCs (w/tactics) and environments designed to challenge even the most tricked out 3.5 Edition god-PCs and achieve the ultimate - the Total Party Kill. The emphasis will be on clever design, misdirection and catching the unwary up by their heels - not brute force. Regular columnists will alternate, as possible, with reader submissions. Descriptions can be (usually) specific or (if its good enough) narrative.
I really like this idea. It looks like the sort of column to go to when you're really stumped on how to challenge your PCs in a new and deadly way. I could've used this a couple of times in a long-term campaign I had a few years back. Useful for not necessarily killing everyone, but presenting a challenge that is dangerous enough that the players really are worried about everyone getting killed. I see that subtle difference making or breaking the usefulness of the article.
I'd be interested in a column on something like "Back to life". Suggestions and mini side quests that would allow a DM to provide the opertunity for a character killed playing adventures in that issue to be brought back into play in a manner that maintains the feel of the adventure rather than the intermission run to the local temple followed by "Enter the room. TAKE II".
The APs have so far seemed fairly deadly, and nothing blows more than having a great campaign planned and losing interesting characters to a string of bad die rolls. Or worse yet, losing the characters that have the link to the adventure.
Thoughts?
ASEO out
I like the "Back to Life" idea - Necromancer did a book similar to this a while back ... Would be especially good if it was tied into the adventures in that issue of the magazine, but generic to be adaptable elsewhere (but, as Han Solo once said "that's the trick").
OK, another one, no snappy title as of yet, but a series of ideas on how to bring characters into adventures/settings similar to the ones in the Diamond Lake background; ex. Fighters could work for the local sherrif, be stationed at a nearby military garrison, deserters from a bloody war in the next kingdom etc...
M
A riddle/trap/puzzle encounter that can be easily plopped into a dungeon.
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2) How about a monthly LOCATION? Not a dungeon per sé, but somehting like an old shop, with a little map, no big background, but a small descritpion of the owner and some adventure ideas...
Besides the Final Dungeon, this suggestion is my favorite.
(note: Notes on stringing adventures together, I think, should become a regular sidebar in each adventure, just like scaling the adventure)
I don't necessarily role-play every trip to town, but I can really use that to build "in-character" connections. But it is hard when I have to come up with a new personality for every NPC they encounter. A "generic" potion-shop, a tailor, a general store, etc -. Just something I can have to get the PCs used to in-character reactions.
And along with that they could have suggestions for typical prices, and what kinds of special things a PC can get. Most PCs I've met can't resist getting something tricked out. They'd be happy to buy specific high-quality items, instead of "adventuring outfit"...
2) How about a monthly LOCATION?
We already have this. It's called Campaign Workbook: The City. And we already have a place for traps to be plopped into a dungeon, Campaign Workbook: The Dungeon.
You know, for the amount of space out there in Greyhawk, Realms and Ebberon, there is not enough input for personalities, locale, history lessons or the like. The Realms has done well with Elminster's various articles, Eberron has such a story to tell, and Greyhawk...well I think I'm not the only one that would like to get new info on the area on occassion.
So, one page is all that's needed. We can all build traps, dungeon rooms, and statistical arrays. What we need is colour, glamour, a story.
A Focus On article that details everything from villages, organizations, personalities, events, religions, anything that gives our worlds more flavour. I'd love to see the various fashions for Eberron clerics like they did for the Realms, or a nice history of the war that ended in the Rain of Colourless Fire in Greyhawk (more than the brief summary usually given, I want details).
How about something that we can read, rather than a pretty new way of usuing a Feat or a Trap (isn't that what the adventures are for?)
People have posted a lot of really cool ideas about how to utilize this empty page. If the decision was to be made democratically (and it isn't--thank the gods) I would vote for Dextolen's idea. I think the most difficult part of creating an adventure is trying to make traps, puzzles, and riddles that don't suck.
For me at least, whenever I think I have made a neat puzzle, trap, or riddle, once the players get their, they always figure it out relatively quickly and then inform me that "my cool, unique idea" was actually from an episode of Thunder Cats or GI Joe or something.
"Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap"
One pager describing a group of hirelings the players could recruit/exploit, or a group of mercenaries to bolster a villains compliment of evil minions.
We already have that. It's called Campaign Workbook: The Cast. And it's even 2 pages.
For me at least, whenever I think I have made a neat puzzle, trap, or riddle, once the players get their, they always figure it out relatively quickly and then inform me that "my cool, unique idea" was actually from an episode of Thunder Cats or GI Joe or something.
OK new house rule - none of my players are allowed to watch TV or go to the movies anymore.
How about an illustration of 3-4 NPCs, the background of which you could make up from whole cloth, or they could be used to inspire characters ... a page you could hold up and say "The Dromite priest of Hextor looks like this!"
M
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>> "A Thousand Roads"
>> Short article discussing how the adventures in this issue could segue into (or out of) previous or future Dungeon adventures. Could also discuss how to use this (or previous) Dragon's material with the adventures.Given the popularity of the adventure paths and campaign arcs, this seems like a good suggestion. A nice one page article showing how a couple adventures could be linked up. Over time it might even show you a complete campaign from 1st to 20th.
This is an original idea, directly related to DMing. And Eric already has a proposal outlining one of these. :)
I like this idea as well. Or an article on just using the settings in past Dungeon adventures in an ongoing campaign. Plenty of adventures detail a town or a village that would make a great base of operations with just a little more fleshing out. The maps are already there. Just need to flesh out a few more of the buildings already there. Some of these can be as simple as recommending Campaign Workbook articles that fit the right flavor.
Along those lines, beyond using the one page, for frequent adventure authors who have an interesting place/fixture in one of their adventures, to use it in succeeding adventurers they write. If possible.
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... And don't be surprised if for a few issues what appears on that last page changes from issue to issue for a bit before we settle in to whatever comes next.
I would've no problem with changing the topic of the last page from month to month. It doesn't have to be a named column. Just name it "LAST PAGE" and change the content monthly, bi-monthly or whatever...
But again, this is just my point of view!
We still haven't decided what to do with the last page of the magazine in issue #126, but we're close to making a decision. And don't be surprised if for a few issues what appears on that last page changes from issue to issue for a bit before we settle in to whatever comes next.
I like all of the ideas, although I think 'TPK' and the Undermountain clone sound particularly useful. Maybe some of these could be incorporated into what James is intimating.
More interesting ideas are available in this thread:
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dungeon/generalDiscussion/wilSaveRepla cements
An article detaling puzzle rooms to fit in any dungeon. My players like puzzle room that they figure out without die rolls. Usually I make them either too easy or too hard. Tough to design. It would be great to have an occasional article that would give us one, with a floor plan of the room (downloadable) maybe a quick illustration.
my two bits
If I were running Dungeon Magazine and had one page to fill, this is how I’d fill it.
Caveat: Assuming I already had my Critical Threat and Maps of Mystery goodness between the covers. And with no disrespect to the “humanist” jazzbos who want columns that feature cutey bunnies, warm fuzzies, and New Age reflections on being a celebrity DM.. ::cough:: Wil Save ::cough:: Note for the humorless - that last’s a joke. :-D
Column Title - Total Party Kill (TPK)
Concept - This column will monthly feature descriptions featuring, singly and in combination, traps, monsters (w/ tactics), NPCs (w/tactics) and environments designed to challenge even the most tricked out 3.5 Edition god-PCs and achieve the ultimate - the Total Party Kill. The emphasis will be on clever design, misdirection and catching the unwary up by their heels - not brute force. Regular columnists will alternate, as possible, with reader submissions. Descriptions can be (usually) specific or (if its good enough) narrative.Column Title - The Final Dungeon
Concept - This column will monthly present a set of dungeon rooms (1 to 4, depending on size) completely described for the 3.5 Edition of D&D. While each monthly installment will be able to stand alone, over the course of a year, the monthly installments of The Final Dungeon will comprise a single larger dungeon environment. Included in each monthly installment will be themes that, when a year’s editions are read together, will comprise a “theme” or “arc” for The Final Dungeon in question. Ideally, these may be something akin to a mystery or “brain teaser” that comes together over the course of 12 issues.Column Title - The Media Dungeon
Concept - This column will take for its monthly presentations “dungeons” as presented in various media and look at how they could be translated to D&D. Movies (e.g. The Cube, The Haunting of Hill House, AVP, Rose Red, almost any of the Hammer horror films) may lend themselves most readily to the column, having an immediate visual reference but...
I like the Media Dungeon. That one's got flashing lights all over it.
I had one idea, from another post, how about one page adventure snippets?
I'm bringing up Wil Save again as he brought up THE ORC AND THE PIE, the quickest adventure ever.
Why not have something like that at the end of each issue... a stand alone scenario that allows for inclusion into home grown campaigns, serving as utility for those who like to play their own? It would be kind of like that old Deck of Encounters TSR put out, only more fleshed out.
Chris Wissel recently wrote a descriptive account of a blackguard guarding a bridge, nothing more. Add a few colorful details, a riddle, some interesting feats, or a hoax and we got fun.
"Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap"
One pager describing a group of hirelings the players could recruit/exploit, or a group of mercenaries to bolster a villains compliment of evil minions.
we can always use a quick gang of thugs, or a brace of trainee-paladins, or a pack of arcanist appretinces, couldn't we? the investment would be worth the single page, as well as being something quick to write - good suggestion!
make the gang something non-human, with their own motivations (or three), and you've got some easy-to-fit-IMC / useful content.
i might end up doing something like this and posting it to my website (or maybe CanonFire!)...
Column Title - The Final Dungeon
Concept - This column will monthly present a set of dungeon rooms (1 to 4, depending on size) completely described for the 3.5 Edition of D&D. While each monthly installment will be able to stand alone, over the course of a year, the monthly installments of The Final Dungeon will comprise a single larger dungeon environment. Included in each monthly installment will be themes that, when a year’s editions are read together, will comprise a “theme” or “arc” for The Final Dungeon in question. Ideally, these may be something akin to a mystery or “brain teaser” that comes together over the course of 12 issues.
this idea is really nice, with one wrinkle; how about month 1's page is a map, month 2's page is the write-up for the rooms?
alternating odd/even months with maps/content allows people with subscriptions to slowly build an entire dungeon (which, after a year, could be compiled together for something like 'Paizo's Final Dungeon' supplement).
while waiting for the contents of the room / glade / haunted house, creative DM's can populate the map themselves. if they think they've got more creative content than the original writers, post it to this forum... creating unique content would also be what people who only get the map would do, as well...
those readers who only get the content could look here to the website for the map, or roll their own.
i really like this idea!!
Bump
I second that bump.
An article detaling puzzle rooms to fit in any dungeon. My players like puzzle room that they figure out without die rolls. Usually I make them either too easy or too hard. Tough to design. It would be great to have an occasional article that would give us one, with a floor plan of the room (downloadable) maybe a quick illustration.
my two bits
There where 4 Dungeon adventures dealing with nothing but puzzle type situations. Not sure if you have them or not but if not you might consider getting them. Personaly I never ran the adventure as listed but use each of the challanges as encounters in actual adventures for my players to overcome.
Here is something that has not been metioned. Perhaps it is becuase it would probably be more than one page, but...
Anyone remember the old "Side Treks" adventures? Just little 2-3 page adventures that were easy to throw into any campaign and would usually take a couple hours to play out. I would love to see something like that take up the new slot.
I would like to so a MapCraft, kinda of section. One page may be a bit small, but I could live with it. But it would nice to see it go from an idea to finished product. Even it was a one time series it would be nice. Start with and an idea, tell some tips and tricks, but besure to inculde how to set it up so we could take it a print shop have it printed out to look like a pro did it.
Jon
How about...ambushes?
You can always use a good ambush.
You could use 1/3 of the page for a little mini-map and the remaing part for the ambush description(s) and various
tactic(s) that the ambusher(s) could use. And you could give suggestions on how to run the ambush at different encounter levels with some suggested creatures and or classes.
pro's:
you've got a little mini-map of mystery (which the players will come to dread ;-> )
the online-supplement could contain the player version of it.
Well, let me just say that I just got my latest copy of DUNGEON (#125) and I know that it is pretty un-dramatic…but I really enjoyed the full-page reproduction of the cover art! I have longed enjoyed the reproductions and missed them (especially last issue’s cover) until now!
Whatever is destined to replace that last page, you definitely have my gratitude and appreciation for the unmarked art page! Keep up the great work and Cheers again!
Well, I’m off to compete in the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, at Linville, NC, tomorrow at first light! If you are in the area, I welcome any of you to attend the “Gathering of the Clans”! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Ceud Mile Failte!
For the life of me, I cannot recall the name, but the adventures that were for any level that was just a series of puzzle-rooms? I think these are the same ones that Jeremy Mac Donald mentioned. What were they called . . .
Challenge of Champions? Something like that.
Anyway, I like the idea of having one of those puzzle rooms (usable for any level party) on that "one page to fill".
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I like the TPK idea. My players are really savvy and know how to make nasty PCs and use their abilities accordingly. I also enjoy the 'monster a month'. Something new and unpleasant to surprise PCs with? Yes!!! Another idea could be The Masters. Some of the innovative designers could briefly expand on their creations, much as Mr. Cordell did with the Far Realms a few months ago in Dragon. I loved that article!
I would prefer to see something entitled; "The Art of Dungeon Mastery." This one page monthly article would focus on tips and tricks that would help one elevate from the status of a mere mediocre Dungeon Master to that of a Master Dungeon Master.
All sorts of topics could be covered by one who is both adept at writing and very creative.
These topics might include:
- Use of music in the game including examples and suggestions
- Use of theatrics, props, and miniatures
- Player control
- Organization
- Using books and film for campaign ideas (reviews and examples)
- Plot devices to move your campaign along.
- How to conduct research and use published sources to make your game stronger.
This would be something that many would flip to the back of the book to take a look at. I'd be more than happy to volunteer to write such a column. Shameless plug. lol
The magazine should end with a light tone, so I suggest more comics. An addition page of Mt. Zogon would be great! The last section of Dungeon is dry enough as it is.
Or, if you choose to make it game related, a Map of Mystery. More maps are always good.