[New Release] Dungeon Fantasy: The Devil's Workshop

[Steven Marsh]

The Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game has seen a slew of new fans in recent months, and we're happy to give them something new to do . . . like exploring The Devil's Workshop.

This adventure by Dungeon Fantasy RPG mastermind Sean Punch is a three-storied story where the biggest challenges aren't necessarily what you think – although clever adventurers can still turn a tidy profit if they survive . . .

Download it today, from Warehouse 23!

[robertsconley]

So I bought this adventure on Warehouse23. I find the lack of interior maps to be disappointing. The hand sketch of the outside environment of the tower is of poor quality for what is supposed to be a professionally produced product.

The condescending tone of this section is not appreciated

Spoiler:  

Still, looters gonna loot. The GM should roll secretly against the highest of Vision, Observation, or Per-based Traps – all at ‑5 – for each searcher.

And the design of this is just poor for a professionally published adventure.

Spoiler:  

Once the battle is over, the adventurers are free to explore. Unfortunately for them, the Demon-Shaper isn’t one to hoard silver, gold, gems, and luxuries. The Devil granted his powers directly and he has Eidetic Memory, so he has no need for the grimoires that the group’s wizards were doubtless expecting.

Also

Spoiler:  

Nothing else here is worth taking.

Here are some of the elements of the Demon Shaper personality that were established;

Spoiler:  

He’s an obsessed intellectual who never sleeps, with demons as housekeepers.

Spoiler:  

Obsession (12) (Impress The Devil with an ultimate weapon);

I can understand, given the nature of the 2nd floor and his personality, that his apartments wouldn't have traditional treasures. But with thought and creativity, details could have been added to flesh out who the Demon Shaper is and what his goals are. Thus providing hooks for further adventures beyond the tower.

This particular adventure is not something I found to be up to the standards that SJ Games has set in the past.

[Kromm]

I can't really speak for the cartography, since my role is text, not visuals, but . . .

Originally Posted by robertsconley

The condescending tone of this section is not appreciated

Sorry you read it that way. It was intended to be humorous, not condescending.

Originally Posted by robertsconley

I can understand, given the nature of the 2nd floor and his personality, that his apartments wouldn't have traditional treasures. But with thought and creativity, details could have been added to flesh out who the Demon Shaper is and what his goals are. Thus providing hooks for further adventures beyond the tower.

My goals here were to illustrate the challenges of actually figuring out, transporting, and trying to sell artifacts that aren't traditional treasures. Those are "adventures beyond the tower." Without a canonical world, it isn't really possible to go much further than that.

Anyway, sorry it wasn't for you. I found it fun to write and the sort of thing that my players would find a welcome break from "kick down door, kill monsters, loot, repeat." In particular, what to do with the treasures would provide hours of fun.

[Kromm]

Posting separately: Please do not quote adventures in reviews. Whether you liked or hated the adventure, someone else might want to run it, and just about any internal text from an adventure could be a spoiler for their players. Thanks!

Since cutting quotes might look like a bad reaction to the review, I have not done that. I have put spoiler tags around them and would warn gamers who think their GM might run this for them that opening the spoilers will, in fact, spoil parts of the adventure. Generally, though, it's better to be vague with discussions of adventures.

[Farmer]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Sorry you read it that way. It was intended to be humorous, not condescending.

I found it humorous, and I'm honestly struggling to see how it could be taken as condescending.

I have posted elsewhere that I think this is a great adventure. Internal maps, VTT assets, and so on would always be welcome, but that would certainly increase the cost of what is, otherwise, a very keenly priced product that I found full of fun and interest. I say this not to suggest that those who don't enjoy it are wrong - clearly to each their own. I don't think that it's fair to suggest that it was in anyway not professional or had an inappropriate tone, though.

I will say that if SJG did publish with included or optional VTT assets, more detailed maps, etc., I would pay for it (perhaps, double the current price as a rough guide? Maybe more - it would depend on exactly what was included). I don't know if that would make it a viable option, but I suspect that there would be interest.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Farmer

I found it humorous, and I'm honestly struggling to see how it could be taken as condescending.

Same, but "the tone of Dungeon Fantasy" (both GURPS and the standalone game) is a divisive subject. I will defend to the death others' right to a different view of it from mine . . . but also the stance that I am writing pure humor with zero condescension or malice, since the brain that wrote this stuff is mine, and I know my motivations without error. I have the right not to let people put words in my mouth or motives to my actions.

Originally Posted by Farmer

Internal maps, VTT assets, and so on would always be welcome, but that would certainly increase the cost

Maps are expensive. They don't play well with short, short adventures like this one. I'm sure that "some company" or "some guy" out there is publishing adventures of this length with fancy maps, but my long experience in this industry is that this usually means someone is doing unpaid labor.

[Farmer]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Maps are expensive. They don't play well with short, short adventures like this one. I'm sure that "some company" or "some guy" out there is publishing adventures of this length with fancy maps, but my long experience in this industry is that this usually means someone is doing unpaid labor.

I don't doubt it. It's art work, and good artwork deserves to be properly paid. I guess I'm offering that I'd be prepared to pay more to get it, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Whether what I'm prepared to pay is enough, I don't know, and you probably do. But maybe it's something to test in a Kickstarter to see what the economic price really is?

[namada]

Originally Posted by robertsconley

The condescending tone of this section is not appreciated

Spoiler:  

Still, looters gonna loot

I don't actually own the adventure, so I can't speak specifically about that thing, but this sort of tongue-in-cheek humorous tone has been a part of Dungeon Fantasy for years...

I'm personally not a fan of that, so I could understand you not liking that, but I know I'm in the minority & again, it's been there for years, so I simply cannot understand how you took it as condescending. Please explain more.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Posting separately: Please do not quote adventures in reviews. Whether you liked or hated the adventure, someone else might want to run it, and just about any internal text from an adventure could be a spoiler for their players. Thanks!

Yup...

Originally Posted by Kromm

Generally, though, it's better to be vague with discussions of adventures.

Yup...

Originally Posted by Farmer

I found it humorous, and I'm honestly struggling to see how it could be taken as condescending.

I'm struggling with it too...lol
I've asked for specifics though.