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3 years ago ::
Oct 06, 2010 - 7:58AM
#701
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Daperez was an old account I stopped using.
Any chance you still have transcripts or documentation concerning the adventure? Seeing players interact with the setting was fantastic.
it's possible I'll be using Nyfflas IRL relatively soon.
Good to hear, I've been thinking the same thing lately, undead trees and escaped Bedlam prisoners.
Another thing that would be very appreciated would be if someone decided to revisit that map that was created for the immediate surroundings of the Day. I think it was James_Gaines who did the first few drafts? Unfortunately, the font is far too small to read.
I was thinking the same thing as I read the player guide, James did write the first draft, but I was considering drawing a new one. However as the nature of Nyfflas is so fluid I think it would be productive to produce 2 new maps with distinct purposes.
First the world map, it would include a few of the most well know skerries an a diagram of their approximate "orbits" and a compass rows demonstrating that Dayers use a polar coordinate system with respect to the day for navigation. While the map is not that useful for providing stable locations it does serve to show the most accessible/well known locations.
The second is a much more detailed map of the Day, with defined distances, and reasonable inclusion of interesting features (mills, main offices, major tram lines, etc.) Which would serve to help ground the setting a bit. Idealy a birds eye and "ground" level view.
I also happen to have some artwork I made for this setting if you would care to see it.
Speaking more broadly, to what extent do you feel OOC writing should play in this document?
Would a monster section be welcome?
I have many more questions and comments but I'm out of time and mental energy for now, I very happy to see all this finally coming together.
The game was frozen and archived around last autumn. It came to a stop for a mix of reasons, but it was most definitely a good run while it lasted, and it gave me a lot of ideas about how to remix the setting. None of it is lost forever, but it is considerably harder to find and navigate once the game has been archived. I think I might be the only one with access to it at the moment. When I get some more time, I'll dig in and see.
It'll be interesting to see what ideas I get if I run the game live. I'm currently getting my masters in Library Science, so the players I'd attract would mostly be librarians. I'm sure they'll bring some interesting ideas to the table.
As far as maps go, my only suggestion is to keep it somewhat ambiguous. Not so much a detailed, professionally crafted map as much as something that a particularly well-traveled adventurer with a fuzzy memory might scrawl on the back of a parliament document at the pub. And keep the "Here there be dragons" gag. I love that one.
Any artwork you have, I'd loove to see. The Junk Samurai for the Ep-Hitomi race was actually drawn by one the players on MW, and it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen - made only more awesome because it was created specifically for Nifflas.
I budged on OOC writing pretty early on. I knew it had to be in there somehow. But it's definitely something of a crutch, and too much of it can dilute the magic of the setting. Use it sparingly (more sparingly than I did, ideally) but if you have a great idea that you can't put into IC, post it anyway and maybe someone else will find a way to translate it. Likewise, if something I've written OOC inspires a blurb, put it up, and I'll likely replace the OOC with IC.
A monster section would be awesome, but there's sooooo many monsters already available through the MM's and the Adventure Tools, that it's probably best to keep the guide free of statblocks. A monster section would be more about rumors about specific beasts and baddies. The DM can decide how he wants to tweak existing monsters to fit the fluff. I'd probably end up moving a few entries out of previous chapters in there as well, once we get that section going.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 06, 2010 - 2:07PM
#702
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A monster section would be awesome, but there's sooooo many monsters already available through the MM's and the Adventure Tools, that it's probably best to keep the guide free of statblocks. A monster section would be more about rumors about specific beasts and baddies. The DM can decide how he wants to tweak existing monsters to fit the fluff. I'd probably end up moving a few entries out of previous chapters in there as well, once we get that section going.
On the flip side however, that's asking the DM to do a lot of work, and I'm not sure that keeping stat block, ooc text, and rule information out of the guide on principle had a great deal of marginal value.
I agree entierly that story, history and rumor sould be keep (as much as is possiable) in character perspective. However if a separate section where to be added that dealt with the nuances of the rules, stats etc. that would make the DM's job significantly simpler. And much more palatable if that section does not infringe on the story of history (as much as possible). In essence two different tools for two distinct goals.
I'll start working on the maps, and post up my pics/redraws soon
My original plan was to draw it from the perspective of a field librarian, something you might seen in his/her journal while collecting for the almanac. And naturally the justification for the Day's map being better conceived was the Day would logically have superior(but my no means perfect) maps of it's own districts especially considering the bureaucracy.
Don't drink the holy-water; we don't like it when you drink the holy-water.
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3 years ago ::
Nov 07, 2010 - 9:33PM
#703
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Date Joined:
Dec 29, 2006
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I'm blown away by the campaign guide! I especially love the ways you found to work in so many playable races. (I do miss tieflings being the backstagers, though. Could they be the "Stagehands" to the changeling's "Understudies"?) This is amazing work all around, though. In fact, I guess I can take down the wiki. :P You've taken pretty much everything interesting off of it and put it in a much more accessible format. I'll be distributing your pdf to everyone in my D&D group immediately!
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3 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2010 - 6:22PM
#704
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I'm blown away by the campaign guide! I especially love the ways you found to work in so many playable races. (I do miss tieflings being the backstagers, though. Could they be the "Stagehands" to the changeling's "Understudies"?) This is amazing work all around, though. In fact, I guess I can take down the wiki. :P You've taken pretty much everything interesting off of it and put it in a much more accessible format. I'll be distributing your pdf to everyone in my D&D group immediately!
Like I said, the drawing board is always open, and you're free to twist things however you'd like. If you come up with good flavor text for tieflings that work with that idea, I'll see if I can incorporate it!
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3 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2010 - 6:27PM
#705
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A monster section would be awesome, but there's sooooo many monsters already available through the MM's and the Adventure Tools, that it's probably best to keep the guide free of statblocks. A monster section would be more about rumors about specific beasts and baddies. The DM can decide how he wants to tweak existing monsters to fit the fluff. I'd probably end up moving a few entries out of previous chapters in there as well, once we get that section going.
On the flip side however, that's asking the DM to do a lot of work, and I'm not sure that keeping stat block, ooc text, and rule information out of the guide on principle had a great deal of marginal value.
I agree entierly that story, history and rumor sould be keep (as much as is possiable) in character perspective. However if a separate section where to be added that dealt with the nuances of the rules, stats etc. that would make the DM's job significantly simpler. And much more palatable if that section does not infringe on the story of history (as much as possible). In essence two different tools for two distinct goals.
I'll start working on the maps, and post up my pics/redraws soon
My original plan was to draw it from the perspective of a field librarian, something you might seen in his/her journal while collecting for the almanac. And naturally the justification for the Day's map being better conceived was the Day would logically have superior(but my no means perfect) maps of it's own districts especially considering the bureaucracy.
Well, I'm not really holding onto my opinions here with any conviction - my mind can be changed. I'd rather encourage you to develop what you'd like, rather than stifle creativity with restrictions.
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