Dungeonscape

[Farcaster]

So Dungeonscape comes out this week. Looking over the Table of Contents, it looks like there might be a little meat on the proverbial bones. All told, it is 157 pages. I'm always a bit wary of supplements these days, since a lot of them seem to be padded with prestige classes and new variations on spells. I supposed that is the DM in me that sees that sort of material as gristle. But, now that I am looking over the page break-down, there are about 112 pages of good DM content. So, I'm thinking that I'm going to have to add this book to my ever growing collection. Here are the page counts as I tallied them:

• Chapter 1: Dungeon as the Enemy (23 pages)
• Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade (13 pages)
• Chapter 3: Character Options (17 pages)
• Chapter 4: Dungeon Design (28 pages)
• Chapter 5: Dungeon Encounters (22 pages)
• Chapter 6: Traps (23 pages)
• Chapter 7: Dungeon Features (16 pages)

So, anyone picking up this book? Amazon lists it as coming out tomorrow. I'm interested to hear any reviews or comments on it.

[Farcaster]

Okay. I got this on order, but being a confirmed cheap-skate, I'm doing the Super Saver Shipping, so it's going to be a week probably before I get my copy. So, if you've already gone and picked up a copy, I'm definitely interested in hearing what your thoughts are on it.

[Skunkape]

I'll just check it out in the local store I frequent before I decide to buy it. I've been going to them for so long, that if I can buy something off the shelf, I usually buy it there rather than order it online. Yeah, it might cost me a little more, but they also let me get my hands on things to look them over and decide before I buy!

[Farcaster]

Well, I got my copy last night. I haven't had more than a half our or so to flip through it, but I can say already that I like the idea of encounter traps that get the whole group involved in disarming them, and aren't simply bypassed by a single roll of the roguish dice. I have often had this problem in my games. Things get bogged down with the rogue looking for and disarming traps, which is his opportunity to shine, but meanwhile the rest of the group completely disengages in the trap disarming process. Having more complicated traps that drive team participation is a great idea.

I have a game to prep for this weekend, so I have limited time, but hopefully I can give a better assessment soon.

[RealmsDM]

please do... i want the inside scoop on this one....

[Grimwell]

Yes, please share more. Your comments on traps already takes this book from 'not interested' to 'interest piqued' !!

[RealmsDM]

I gotta say... very disappointed... very.

nothing insightful, very little useful, and all together mundane. Not worth the cash.

[Ed Zachary]

I can say already that I like the idea of encounter traps that get the whole group involved in disarming them, and aren't simply bypassed by a single roll of the roguish dice. I have often had this problem in my games. Things get bogged down with the rogue looking for and disarming traps, which is his opportunity to shine, but meanwhile the rest of the group completely disengages in the trap disarming process. Having more complicated traps that drive team participation is a great idea.

It's cheaper to hire expendable door openers, then to split the treasure with a Thief.

But a Thief saying "I think the trap is disarmed, who wants to go first?" can definitely add to the drama.

In my opinion, playing a Thief who isn't Evil would be useless and boring. In one of my finer moments as an evil Thief in an evil party, I fictitiously reported a magical trap that nobody else could detect. It was late in the day, and I claimed to failed to disarm it, and would try again the next day. This non-existent trap was protecting the lair of some creatures we just killed, and our party was down on HP and spells. During my night watch I snuck in and took some of the treasure for myself. The next morning, thanks be to the gods, I was successful in removing the trap!