Design

  • Rules Sketch: Surprise Part 2

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon series, there’s an index here. I’m going back over some complex subsystems and reconsidering them in light of my new version of hit points. General principles: If either anyone encounters someone else unexpectedly, they roll for surprise. The surprised group has disadvantage on Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Vision Part 2 – Darkness

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the advanced fantasy dungeon series, there’s an index here. I’m the light of reimagining HP as a source of inner strength, I’m considering reimagining vision. Consider darkness as an aggressor: If travelling in darkness, when your journey ends or is interrupted by an encounter, spend 1d4 damage Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Reaction and Reputation

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the advanced fantasy dungeon series, there’s an index here. There is almost nothing talking about the “Social” pillar of play in second edition. There are no ability checks to change peoples attitudes references at all. All we have is references to “starting reactions” and some rules in Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Initiative, Attacks and Morale

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon series, there’s an index here. The core text attempts to make combat chaotic, dynamic, vivid and simple. How do the existing systems facilitate this experience? Initiative is random, grouped, and with simultaneous declaration in second edition, aiming to induce chaos while maximising simplicity. Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Defences Part 2

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the advanced fantasy dungeon series, there’s an index here. The core text attempts to make combat chaotic, dynamic, vivid and simple. This doesn’t describe a war of attrition. Given there’s no definition of HP in second edition, let’s define it as energy, taking inspiration from Oh Injury. Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Defences Part 1

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the advanced fantasy dungeon series, there’s an index here. The core text attempts to make combat chaotic, dynamic, vivid and simple. How do the existing systems facilitate this experience? Saving Throws “save you from certain destruction, or at least lessen the damage of a successful attack”. This Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Ability Checks and Groups Part 4

    If you’re walking in on the middle of this series, there’s an index here. As I was writing Surprise, I realised (although I decided to scrap) there are rules for group checks in second edition. This is something that really needs to exist, and if it did it would simplify a bunch of checks like Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Surprise

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon series, there’s an index here. Surprise and ambush are simple in second edition, so general principles: If either anyone encounters someone else unexpectedly, they roll for surprise. The surprised group has disadvantage on defence. The unsurprised group has advantage on fleeing and attacks, Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Vision

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the advanced fantasy dungeon series, there’s an index here. Vision gets a lot of time in second edition: Visibility by size and distance in optimal conditions outdoors Visibility by weather condition Visibility while moving Light source radius, direction and speed of exhaustion Fighting with mirrors Light reducing Continue reading

  • Rules Sketch: Timekeeping and Random Encounters

    If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon series, there’s an index here. Timekeeping basics in second edition are quite straightforward and iconic, although it’s obscured in intent compared to earlier editions. Combat rounds of 1 minute, and dungeon turns of 10 minutes, with encounters every hour. Days measure overland travel, Continue reading

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Threshold of Evil Dungeon Regular

Dungeon Regular is a show about modules, adventures and dungeons. I’m Nova, also known as Idle Cartulary and I’m reading through Dungeon magazine, one module at a time, picking a few favourite things in that adventure module, and talking about them. On this episode I talk about Threshold of Evil, in Issue #10, March 1988! You can find my famous Bathtub Reviews at my blog, https://playfulvoid.game.blog/, you can buy my supplements for elfgames and Mothership at https://idlecartulary.itch.io/, check out my game Advanced Fantasy Dungeons at https://idlecartulary.itch.io/advanced-fantasy-dungeons and you can support Dungeon Regular on Ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/idlecartulary.
  1. Threshold of Evil
  2. Secrets of the Towers
  3. Monsterquest
  4. They Also Serve
  5. The Artisan’s Tomb

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