Having just received the new Dragon today, I immediately flipped to the worm food section. Guess I just can't get enough of the Age of Worms.
Anyway... it is a pretty generic hide out and I can't imagine the players staying there for long (why not take the necromancer's place as a base of operations). However, I LOVE the mechanics being presented on what it would take to fix the place up. Works very well and made the whole thing very worth it.
I guess for me though it is representative of the difference between Dungeon and Dragon magazines... Dragon is just something to hold me over until the next Dungeon.
Sean Mahoney
Anyway... it is a pretty generic hide out and I can't imagine the players staying there for long (why not take the necromancer's place as a base of operations).
One problem with the necromancer's place: if Smenk has been using it for people like the necromancer, he probably owns the deed. Using it might put the PCs immediately on Smenk's bad side, and draw combats with Smenk's gangs, or even assassins, at some point. The same reasons that made it easy for the PCs to take out the necromancer at the observatory make it easy for Smenk's people to take out the PCs there.
I guess for me though it is representative of the difference between Dungeon and Dragon magazines... Dragon is just something to hold me over until the next Dungeon.
More and more, Dungeon is becoming the DM's magazine, with Dragon being the player's magazine, it seems. I believe that was the intent, and it seems to be borne out to me.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Dungeon is definitely the DM's magazine, but Dragon is meant to be more than just the player's magazine. Rather, it is the magazine of the D&D hobby. Players are a critical segment of that hobby, but the magazine's scope is bigger than that.
Or, at least, it should be. ;)
--Erik Mona
PS: Balabar Smenk owns the obeservatory and isn't above hiring thugs to kill any squatters. In fact, you might say it's one of his favorite activities.
Heh, cool, I was right about Smenk and the observatory.
As for Dragon, obviously, it behooves a DM well to be familiar with player material. That said, the material in Dragon tends to be more often useful to players (though anything a PC can have, an NPC can, too).
If I could afford them, I'd own all of both. Since I can't, I buy the Dungeon issues I can, and pick up only those Dragon issues I actively need.
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PS: Balabar Smenk owns the obeservatory and isn't above hiring thugs to kill any squatters. In fact, you might say it's one of his favorite activities.Well, that's nice to know!
There was some talk among my group about using the place.
Death to those trespassing adventurer scum! And see if you can salvage any of their gear, bet some of it might fetch a few coppers.
Gear?
They don't get gear!
Didn't you have Alastor's ghost spend all their loot on ale and whores?
LOL
Still forgetting that DM alias Snorter?
And IIRC Alasotr didn't spend much - I don't carry around all my worldly goods with me when I adventure y'know :-)
Balabar scooted for the 'Free City' after things got a little too hot.
The mines and properties of Smenk and Dourstone got divided under those that suffered losses because of them (being the other mine managers hich the players objected but to no avail).
The players got the Observatory, all cleaned up. But they don't want it. :-)