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Originally Posted by philosophyguy
* When going through previously explored parts of the megadungeon in order to get to a new area, how much detail do you put into the already covered ground? There are some suggestions in DF 21 that the already-explored parts of the dungeon can change, which suggests not handwaving away those areas. But, as the party gets deeper into the dungeon, I worry about spending a huge chunk of play time to just get to the new stuff. What advice can folks offer on how to manage this sequence?
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For me, the main thing is to ask about the setting, does the megadungeon reset itself? does things respawn? Does it shift around? Lets say no to all of that. That means that the only thing you need to keep track of are the things the PCs missed the first time going through. To keep things interesting I would also roll for random encounters with each spot they pass that they cleared, making the rolls increase until they it triggers and they run into something.
If the dungeon does shift around, then I would have a map of every room already made and ready, while again keeping track of what was missed. If things respawn, that makes it easier since I only need to keep track of missed stuff (again).
My advise for this is to make sure you have on hand the locations you want the PCs to explore mapped out and fleshed out, along with at least the next area they would get to. If the place does not shift around, and things don't respawn then make sure the PCs understand this so that no one waste time turning over every stone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by philosophyguy
* How much of the (explored) dungeon do you have mapped out, vs just described? In theory any part of the dungeon could become a tactical combat zone, but mapping hundreds of rooms can quickly become overwhelming.
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Personally, I map out everything because I do use tactical combat, even if the PCs don't see the map. I find this helpful because it makes it easier for me to describe locations better and orient the PCs better. You don't have to have everything mapped out all at once, but have enough mapped out so that you don't end up having to cut a session short to go and build the rest. Also, I would continue to build the dungeon non stop to stay ahead of the PCs exploring.
Quote:
Originally Posted by philosophyguy
* Any tips for GMs to manage their notes about foreshadowed clues? I tend to run games with a more defined narrative direction, so I can think about what clues to plant because I have a good idea of what my players will be trying to do in the next 3-4 sessions. With the players having lots of options to explore, I worry that I won't be able to track my clues or foreshadow effectively.
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This is a tough one. It depends on the players really, are they good and looking for clues and following them? If not, I don't bother with foreshadowing, but if I manage to get a group that is inquisitive and notice things, I will add stuff for them to be entertained.
For keeping track of such things, I would personally list all the clues I want to give, label each, and then keep track of where they are placed in each room/location with the same label system. For example, lets say I have 6 new clues that I want the PCs to find (if they look for them) that detail what the next few areas will be like. I would label the clues like "cA", "cB", "cC", etc. with the little "c" standing for "Clue" and the following letter for which one. Then I mark which rooms have which clue, I don't mark where in the room the clue is because I have also not though of what the clue should actually look like at this point. That is because I want the players to be able to find the clue and know it is a clue. So once the players make it there I do some rolls to see if they notice the "Clue", if they do I let them know what it is all that. If not, I either move the clue to another room and make the rolls easier, or I mark that it was not found in that room, leave it in that room, and make the roll HARDER. That clue will only be found if the PCs actually look for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by philosophyguy
* As the game progresses, how do you keep the characters from breaking the economy in terms of the amount of loot they get? At some point, I worry that the party will have so much money that further loot will feel unrewarding. Any suggestions for good "sinks" that characters can spend their money on?
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This is actually easy. Here is my list:
Board and room. They should not be staying at the cheapest place all the time because as they make more money, they should want to stay at better places. I would force this by having their belongings being stolen from time to time at cheap places.
Security and storage. The more loot they get, the harder it will be to sell, merchants don't have infinite money, and they buy stuff at 40% the original price (assuming the PCs aren't filthy rich and have merchant skill) So they will want a place to store their stuff that they know will be safe. Just hiding it under a tree won't work, they will want to take it to a bank of sorts and store it their. Not even an inn is safe from theft after all.
Repairs and replacement to gear and equipment. The PCs should be buying food, water, bandages, and other gear every time they delve. Their armor and weapons should be getting damaged, arrows wasted, etc. The cost to getting new stuff should not be over looked. As GM you declare the prices, and if you got a group that is coming back with loot all the time, you sure as hell know they got the gold, so you will charge them more for the regular stuff.
Loot is junk most of the time. They should not be finding piles of jewels all the time. Really expensive loot should be things they will want to keep and use, loot that they would want to sell should be things that is hard to move around without help.
Help and servants. They should be hiring servants to help carry loot, and to explore. This is expensive but worth it since it means they can bring back more loot.