TOPIC: First Time True Dungeon

This is my second year at gencon and my first true dungeon. I got a ticket for the saturday 502 time slot. The Sable one. What do I need to know and do to prepare before I go to it? Any advice is welcome. I'm partial to fighter types in my larps. So please reccommend any builds you want also!
Thanks!
Chad

Welcome to both the forums and True Dungeon in general. If you havnt already i would highly suggest browsing through the how to play and resource links above the threads on any page in True Dungeon.com. I would also browse through and look to see if someone has started a thread for your run. Its a great way to see who else will be joining you.

If you have any specific questions feel free to browse/search the forums if not enough of us are around to answer them for you.

-Matt

I had a lot of fun the first time I played, and I did no prep ahead of time. I think it would have been even better if I'd done a little, like you are.

Look for TD 101 and try to attend, or come hang out in the story scape and talk to folks. It'll be time well spent.

Jeff designs the game so a party of ten can swap around their free tokens and stand an excellent chance of surviving to the last room on normal. Odds are you'll play with some folks who bring a few tokens with them. So, don't worry about buying a lot of tokens ahead of time, unless you're sure you'll love it, which you probably will. Everyone here does. But people who don't like it don't hang out here much.

Matt wrote: I would also browse through and look to see if someone has started a thread for your run.

I took a look for you and I don't see any thread on your run, so you have no idea who you will run with. However this is how I did my first six runs or so and things generally go well.

I also went into my first run knowing nothing at all and made it out OK and had fun too. My 30-second pitch for a fighting class (as you mention) is in combat rooms you slide a puck to try to hit the monster on the highest number, and in puzzle rooms you work with the other members of your party to solve the puzzle. That's pretty much it.

As others have said, you don't need to buy any tokens before your run as you'll get a free 10-pack of tokens for each player, however I did order a couple of 10-packs from here before my first run and it was neat to get a feel for them beforehand and have somewhat of a build worked out. Either way works for you.

Again, no need to buy tokens ahead of time, but if you want to get a head start the fighting classes (especially Fighter, Dwarf Fighter, Paladin, and Barbarian) can share many tokens. This means that if you do decide to create a build in advance for, say, a Fighter, and somebody else in your party really wants to play Fighter, you can play one of the other classes with usually little or no issues.

Finally, I strongly suggest showing up 30min before your start time, especially if you have a specific class in mind. In most cases if you show up and pick your class first then that is the class you'll play. It is also good to get to know your group a bit since you don't know who else will be running with you.

Welcome


Teamwork is the most important part of the game. Second is not wasting time. Third, be careful of what you touch, there could be traps or curses.

Everyone's right you don't need to get tokens before your run.

Since your posting here I get the feeling you're going try and be as prepared as you can. So while you don't have to buy extra tokens, I'm going to guess that you will. In that case, my advice is to buy a couple packs from the TD store at GenCon. There's a 1 in 100 chance you'll find an Ultra-Rare token in one of your packs. Enjoy the excitement of exploring what you open.

There are lots of different "slots" like hands, feet, neck, stones that magically float over your head, that you can equip tokens to. (equipping your character is done in the first room before you enter the dungeon, by placing your selected tokens on a special character map/mat and then a coach records your stats on the party sheet)

You don't need to have something in every slot available.

If you feel you need to fill in some slots, there are some token venders that are normally in the story-scape or nearby TD. There's also some booths in the exhibitor hall that sell TD tokens. It can be fun wading through the tubs looking for tokens to upgrade your character.

For your intended class the three tokens I would most focus on is:
1) Melee weapon - There are some great rare weapons this year.
2) Ranged weapon
3) Armor


If you are lucky to open an Ultra-Rare, but it's not usable by your class, I would recommend trading with the community vendors for another Ultra Rare over selling it.

Go into the dungeon with the mindset that you will probably die in the last room. Beating the last room is the challenge.


Hope some of that helps.

For what it's worth, dying isn't that big a deal, esp in room 7. You still get full loot, and XP is based on the last room you walk into alive, not which room you survive. So, live until room 7 and you "win" from that perspective. But even if you die in room 1 (never happens on normal, btw, unless you try to really hard to die) you can still tag along as a "ghost" and see everything, though you aren't allowed to fight or help with the puzzles. (This is meant to lower any stress about your first adventure.)

And while I said you don't need to buy anything ahead of time, many do anyway. The main problem is you can't be guaranteed what class you'll play as a newbie, unless you work it out here ahead of time. It would be sad to tool up with a lot of Barbarian-specific (for instance) tokens and get stuck with something else that can't use them. So yeah, you won't go wrong with a couple of packs from TDA. If you buy any individual tokens, I'd focus on flexible ones that can be used by many classes. Holy Synbols and Thieves Tools and plate mail are must-haves if you KNOW you're playing the appropriate classes, but not necessarily a good investment for newbies doing mostly pickup groups.

On tabletop I always loved playing Paladins and wizards. In TD, I play mostly cleric. Once you get into it, you may find you hate sliding and would prefer to be a wizard or something. That's another reason not to invest too much in class-specific tokens until you've played a few adventures; TD is based on D&D, but it most certainly isn't D&D.

Unless you recently won the lottery, then have at it

First time True Dungeon? One hundred years dungeon!!!!!!!!!!

Brad Mortensen wrote: For what it's worth, dying isn't that big a deal, esp in room 7. You still get full loot, and XP is based on the last room you walk into alive, not which room you survive. So, live until room 7 and you "win" from that perspective....

... I'd focus on flexible ones that can be used by many classes. Holy Synbols and Thieves Tools and plate mail are must-haves if you KNOW you're playing the appropriate classes, but not necessarily a good investment for newbies doing mostly pickup groups...

...That's another reason not to invest too much in class-specific tokens until you've played a few adventures; TD is based on D&D, but it most certainly isn't D&D...

What Brad said.

I just suggest if you're looking to pickup more tokens, first look to putting something basic in the three slots I suggested. You should be able to get something for a buck or two.

For what it's worth. I died in the last room my first year against a dragon. Still getting full XP and treasure!! So I didn't loose anything. It's really great that they set the game up that way. The next year I got to fight the undead version of that dragon and beat him! It was awesome! And gave me a sense of accomplishment. I keep a dragon claw token as a trophy of that accomplishment.

Outside of TD I normally play a wizard. In TD I play a Dwarf Fighter which is the exact opposite.

I agree you should wait until you've played once before you start picking off tokens. Then If you've enjoyed your run you can decide where to go from there. Also you can get on the wait list to try and get into another run. Sometimes people don't show, and you can get in on a run.

If you decide to splurge on a few things now, look for stuff that works for all classes. Maybe a +2 Cloak of Resistance, Ioun Stone Beryl Prism, etc. If you think you want to play a melee base character, any of the Ogre Strength stuff is nice and not super expensive.

A Lenses of Fortune wouldn't be a bad choice, unless you fall in with some tokenholics. Getting an extra treasure would probably pay for itself after a run or two.

I have no idea on the value of Lenses but I was wondering. I didn't transmute any thinking I could pawn them off cheaply (~$5) to new players at Gen Con but the more I think about it the more I think it is not worth my time.

I still have a few 5 to 8 but thinking they may just become darkwood planks....maybe. Anyone else have thoughts on the value of the lenses?

jedibcg wrote: I have no idea on the value of Lenses but I was wondering. I didn't transmute any thinking I could pawn them off cheaply (~$5) to new players at Gen Con but the more I think about it the more I think it is not worth my time.

I still have a few 5 to 8 but thinking they may just become darkwood planks....maybe. Anyone else have thoughts on the value of the lenses?

I think lenses are an odd slot and rarity. For most tokenholics its not worth burning the slot in dungeon and we usually have better. For a lot of serious casual id think they would be worth more than scrap. I know id be interested in them for more than scrap.