I’ve described the Labyrinth as ‘an ancient prison of a dreaming god’. But so far, I haven’t really gone into detail about who or what this ‘dreaming god’ might be. So let’s do it!
Building a New Campaign, Part 6: Weather and Encounters
Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Image Credit: Tom Fisk It’s been a while, but this is the sixth post in an ongoing series: my plan for a new campaign based around a West Marches open table for Old-School Essentials. So far, I’ve sketched out the home base (Greyhold), the megadungeon (the Drowned Labyrinth), and the hexcrawl (surrounding lands), … Continue reading Building a New Campaign, Part 6: Weather and Encounters
Reading the Bones: How to Embrace 3d6-down-the-line
Years ago, I wrote an article about rolling ability scores in 5e which did surprisingly well. Having lately been getting into OSR-style play—specifically, Old-School Essentials—I thought the topic was worth revisiting.
Fortune and glory: a review of Outgunned Adventure
If you like Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Lara Croft, or Uncharted, this book is for you. But is it as rules light as it wants to be?
The Unfinished Halls: a new adventure for Old-School Essentials
I'm delighted to share that I have now completed the first keyed zone of the Drowned Labyrinth, the megadungeon at the heart of my new West Marches campaign.
Bold but bewildering: my year with Level Up 5e
We're about to wrap up our first campaign using Level Up 5e. Here's how it went.
Building a New Campaign, Part 5: The Unfinished Halls
Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 This is my fourth post in my new series: an open-table West Marches campaign for Old-School Essentials. So far, I have sketched out the home base and the surrounding area. Today, I want to get started with mapping the first few passages of the Drowned Labyrinth, the primary megadungeon. For playability reasons, I should … Continue reading Building a New Campaign, Part 5: The Unfinished Halls
Building a New Campaign, Part 4: The Drowned Lands
Today, I’m focusing on the town’s immediate environs and how I can turn a loose sense of place—northern frontier with fortified outpost—into a concrete, usable hexcrawl.
Building a New Campaign, Part 3: The Drowned Labyrinth
Ten miles west of Greyhold, a maze of sea caves leads into a sprawling network of flooded halls and corridors. Few who dwell there or plunder its treasures know the truth: that it is an ancient prison of a dreaming god.
Building a New Campaign, Part 2: the Starting Town
Part One Every West Marches campaign needs its own Keep on the Borderlands: a place where sessions begin and end, where plans are made, and where rumours circulate. Above all, it needs to be a safe location with useful, player-facing options. It is not an adventure site in itself; adventures always happen elsewhere. In this … Continue reading Building a New Campaign, Part 2: the Starting Town