Mega-Dungeon Mondays - Hitting the Monsters Hard and Book-Keeping in the Dada Dungeon

Henry and I played in his "Dada Dungeon" again on Saturday.  We explored less, and hit two big targets after our previous mapping rereconnoiters:  a young white dragon (blissfully asleep on its treasures) and two ogres.  The dragon we had discovered in the previous session, but we found the ogres only after exploring further in the vicinity of the dragon's lair.  

The updated map; our play focused in the NE and E zones of the level:

Henry's Dada-Dungeon -
Level 2 Player Map by Allan Grohe

Based on our previous session activities, we had befriended the (normal-sized) badger family in the dungeon (they're located in the top-center in the oddly shaped room with the sloping northern wall), and the druid PC was a bit concerned that the dragon might decide that they'd make a good meal one day, given their relative proximity.  So after some prep and consulting among the characters (which didn't take too long, since Henry and I are playing this game just the two of us ;) ), and warning the badgers about our plans (in case we TPK'd...), we attacked the sleeping white dragon and killed it in the first first round of surprise attacks.  Even level 1 PCs attacking with the benefits of bless, faerie fire, and a charge bonus against a sleeping dragon is no guarantee for victory, since two of the four attacking PCs missed (one with a natural "1" which didn't result in losing his weapon).  The dragon's hoard included:

• 1200 cp
• 684 gp
• 5 potions:  animal control (reptiles, fish, and amphibeans), extra healing (2 doses), fire resistance (2 doses), polymorph self (2 doses), and speed
• and a ring of invisibility that we found in its stomach!

Quite the nice haul!

The two ogres were equally profitable but substantially less lucrative.  We surprised them as well, but only for one round, and the PCs all missed.  The second round the MU/thief successfully slept one of the two ogres, and we killed the first one in the third round of battle.  They only netted 500 cp and 80 gp in coin, but they also had a suit of chainmail +1 (don't know its size yet), and another potion (of hill giant strength).

At that point we called it quits and exited the dungeon.  The rest of the session was spent tallying up monster and treasure XP gained since 17 August 2019, so we didn't return to play in the afternoon (and, in fact, didn't complete the calculus either given the need for previously-postponed homework to be completed as well ;) ). 

A fun time.  My hunch is that at least a few of the PCs will level up, and we'll need to sell some of the more-powerful magic items that we've found in order to pay for training costs.  Whether that'll end up being the gem of seeing, or some of the spell scrolls, or the chainmail +1 or the shirt of protection +2 remains to be seen....

Allan.

The Dada Dungeon and Wichita Greyhawk

Henry has been DMing me through his "Dada Dungeon" since mid-August 2019, and we picked up our game again yesterday afternoon over the long weekend.  (Well, a long weekend for Henry and his older brother, anyway ;) ).   

Since August I've spent a lot campaign time dealing with machinations, assassins, and attacks on the town of Scortop (located in South Province hex #N2-87 on the Darlene Greyhawk map, which is 3 1/2 hexes up from the D in Rieuwood), which were only "resolved" recently.  I still don't know the identity of the mysterious and seemingly-ancient Octarius---of the long-lost Archbarony of Ilgelgoron, east of Blackmoor (mentioned in a letter dated 319 CY, over 257 years ago!)---or of his possible agent Frengier and his long-distance-writing magical quills (they seem to act like longhand telegraphs).  That has allowed a return to the abandoned dwarven gem mine dungeon, which we hadn't revisited since the start of the school year:

Henry's Dada Mega-Dungeon - Level 1 Player Map by Allan Grohe

Henry completely improvised the upper caves level, as well as most of the resulting escapades in town.  I had previously only discovered a well (visible in the upper left of the above map in the "dog with pointy ears" cave") as a possible lower entrance.  I think that the surface plottings had grown a bit beyond what Henry originally intended, and he was happy to return to the dungeon itself today.

We played for about 4-5 hours, from before and through lunch, until about 4pm.  The PCs spent time exploring the level rather than engaging everything encountered---we didn't open any doors, and were really just trying to get the lay of the land.  Nonetheless, several encounters found us:

• avoided an ochre jelly---we'd previously observed its trail in the caves above, and they descended the stairwell we found today into the second level (or the first dungeon level, depending on how you think of it)
• befriended a family of (normal-sized) badgers via Speak with Animals
• discovered a sleeping white dragon in its lair (and backed away quietly)
• we slept 7 of 8 members of a squad of orcs (the eighth surrendered), tied them up, looted them, and escorted them out of the dungeon with dire warnings never to return
• we traded information with a dungeon merchant (there's a dungeon town to the south that has a subdued red dragon!), who is also selling a magic longsword for 1500 gp (we can't afford it until after we hit the white dragon, perhaps...)
• we avoided another group of 8 orcs, but were ambushed by 3 others and we killed them

This is where we left our explorations off today:

Henry's Dada Mega-Dungeon - Level 2 Player Map by Allan Grohe

I'm very-much looking forward to exploring Henry's dungeon further! :D

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

In other Greyhawk news, I'm launching my local Wichita Greyhawk campaign this coming Sunday, 26 January 2020, in honor of the roughly 46th anniversary for the publication of OD&D.   Some friends in Austin are holding a local meetup game on the day, which inspired me to put my stake in the ground for kicking off my local game too.

In case anyone is local and interested in playing, I posted this notice to the Wichita Dungeons & Dragons group on Facebook:

New in-person Greyhawk campaign to begin on Sunday, 26 January 2020 at Hero Complex at 1pm! Estimated stop time 5-6pm.

In honor of the upcoming 46th anniversary of the first publication of Dungeons & Dragons, I'll kickoff a new AD&D 1st edition campaign set in the World of Greyhawk. Previously discussed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/111904705646730/permalink/958413074329218/ and with some introductory steps taken at TsunamiCon in October 2019, this session will mark the campaign's official start.

No previous experience with AD&D 1st edition or the World of Greyhawk required.

Allan.

grodog in Greyhawk---a Summer Raining Multitudes!

It's been a busier summer than usual this year, in part because I've got lots of Greyhawk going on, which is a wonderful "problem" to have =)

Here's what's been cooking:

• I'm continuing to play in Bill "TheDungeonDelver" Silvey's ongoing Greyhawk AD&D campaign, which is heavily-focused at present on the exploration of his version of Castle Greyhawk!  Let me tell you that it's a treat to explore Bill's Greyhawk and its Castle, not knowing a thing about it =)
  
  Here's where we are, after spending most of this year clearing out the upper ruins of Bill's version of Castle Greyhawk:
  
  
   

  

  Bill Silvey's Castle Greyhawk - Ruins Level
  Player map by Allan Grohe

  
  
  

  Bill Silvey's Castle Greyhawk - Ruins Level
  Player map by Allan Grohe

  
  
  We just began to explore down the central well last week, and will likely pick that up again this week.
  
  I began playing in Bill's game since July last year, and have enjoyed it immensely!  Thus far we've remained in the vicinity of Greyhawk City and the Gnarley Forest---not counting a demi-planar/extra-planar holiday adventure at Christmastide.  My high elf, Svert, is now a 5/5 Fighter/Magic-User, about to level up to 6th MU (but I've hit my level limit in Fighter unless I'm able to permanently gain two or more points of Strength, alas...).


• My 11-year-old son Henry has been running an on-and-off again AD&D campaign for some school friends, his older brother Ethan, my wife Heather, and me (although both Ethan and Heather have largely stopped playing D&D in general save for special occasions here and there).  Set in his Underground Mansion dungeon, situated on an island in the Nyr Dyv.  While Henry's game is nominally set in Greyhawk, he doesn't know much about the setting itself, which is fine because he crafts a great mega-dungeon.  This is what we've explored of the first level to date, before moving into the second level over the summer:
  
  

  

  Henry's Underground Mansion - Level 1
  Player Map by Allan Grohe

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  


• Henry, not quite having enough AD&D in his life already (!!!, to quote Andy Markham), began to craft a new mega-dungeon earlier this summer as the primary forus of his game for just me and him to play in.  (Which is pretty darn sweet, isn't it?).  We've played once thus far over Labor Day weekend, and I'm looking forward to getting back in there to see what else I can find:
  
  

  

  Henry's Dada Mega-Dungeon - Level 1
  Player Map by Allan Grohe



• And, since I'm clearly not having sufficient fun in the World of Greyhawk already (!!!), I am in the process of starting up one or perhaps two groups of new players in The Flanaess locally here in Wichita.

I've also been continuing to work on some of my levels of my version of Castle Greyhawk for publication next year, and have made good progress on The Iounic Caverns, The Heretical Temple of Wee Jas, Diamonds in the Rough, and The First Landings Level.

More to come on that front as things continue to develop!

Allan.