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TOPIC: Tips for play - open forum

Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #13

  • Gary Aswegan
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Great comments everyone! That's what this thread is about hearing it all.

So my quick thought for the day before I get burried in work...

Does anyone have a Thief strategy they want to share?

I thought I read on some string that someone ran up to the first thief challenge and just opened the box and took the damage to save time or something. I guess the thief challenge could also be totally avoided if it is not part of the way out of the room??? Thoughts here?

Is there sort of a priority list of tasks for the Thief or any given character in a room?

Gary
Gary aka: Grimwood, Cleric of the Western Woods CLERIC for life - I have the character card to prove it! Former owner of a Ring of Three Wishes and Jeff's finger!

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #14

  • Douglas
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As a DM I can tell you, when it comes to healing, DO IT NOW. Most of the kills that I had were because of running out of time and a party takes 4-6 points of damage as they are pushed to the next room. If you take damage in combat and are low on time, it will get you. ;)


Baldamir,

If 4-6 points of damage killed someone, then they were already in the DRZ ;^)

I think what you are saying is that groups shouldn't under estimate the amount of damage they could receive in any given room and to use heals when appropriate.

Care to share what you think the worst-case "realistic" damage and then typical damage each character might face in an average room?

Thanks,
-Douglas
TD Cleric
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #15

  • Gary Aswegan
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Perhaps it is time to generalize the DRZ a bit - it was already discussed that the room or style of dungeon dictates the actual numbers so depending on the room type or if it is standard TD or hardcore I can see the following:

Combat room 6-10 points

Puzzle room 4-6 points

Combat/puzzle room 8-14 points

Any room not solved and party pushed out: +4-6 points

Standard TD damage above - hardcore figures to add either 50% or who knows how much additional damage.

Busy day at work - but wanted to throw that out.

Gary
Gary aka: Grimwood, Cleric of the Western Woods CLERIC for life - I have the character card to prove it! Former owner of a Ring of Three Wishes and Jeff's finger!

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #16

I thought I read on some string that someone ran up to the first thief challenge and just opened the box and took the damage to save time or something. I guess the thief challenge could also be totally avoided if it is not part of the way out of the room??? Thoughts here?


Gary,
I had one or two thieves try that. It can work, depending on how the trap and damage is laid out. For instance, if the trap is localized, and of minor damage, then it might not be a bad strategy for a thief with full HP to just take one for the team and bypass the trap disarm to save time. However, if the trap were larger in effect (e.g. lightning or fireball) the thief might well take damage and also cause others in the party to take damage as well (had that happen once or twice, too).

Sometimes DMs grant some leeway for player effort (and this is something the players do not often understand or know about). So if my thief is trying hard, and being supported by the group, and fails the trap, I might minimize the damage and apply it only to the thief. However, if the trap has an area affect, there would be nothing stopping me from saying the entire party took damage and the thief being at ground zero, so to speak, took the most. This again depends on the room, the trap, and now the room's governing DM to decide.

So yes, I can see some strategy in getting past the trap by having a sacrificial lamb, but there may not be absolute benefit for doing so. Lets say (just for discussion) there was a fire trap at the entrance to the cavern/bridge room this past year. Setting off the trap on purpose might make the fireball catch the bridge on fire... you see where I am going with this.

Many times I saw players discussing marching order, which is another thing I would suggest each party work out in advance. It hasn't always been important in the past, but may indeed be important in the future. Do you send the member with the most HP, or the one with the best Dex??


Good discussions guys!

Dave
You should know better than to pick up a duck in a dungeon....

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #17

  • Gary Aswegan
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Let's hear about marching order strategies from parties and DMs alike.

I can tell you this much the SOCAL 04 group I was in had marching order in the back of our minds most of the time...and we were really lucky a few times.

I would throw out that without range weapons in the game (so far anyway) perhaps it is best for the fighter types to be in the front with maybe one fighter type and the cleric in the rear???

Gary
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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #18

Marching order is probably one of the most overlooked things for most parties. Marching order can be very important and a few examples from the last module would be:

If no one crawled in the empty crypt, the last person in the party to enter the chasm room would be abducted.

In the spider liar, usually only the first two or three players who entered the room were attacked by the spider.

Lee
bur BUR bur BUR<br /><br />PS I can't spell, don't be suprised when you read my posts...<br /><br />Head D.I.N.O.

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #19

... In SoCal the biggest problem our party experienced, consisted in the simple fact that we met as a random group and chose character classes almost by lottery. We didn't have the time to really become familiar with one another as players, knowing one anothers strengths and experience in playing the game, etc. I think everyone had some experience with D&D, but none of us had been in a True Dungeon before...

... When we get to Indy, we'll look for others to form a group, so we can spend some productive time in the tavern actually planning battle strategy, healing, problem solving, etc.

... I think planning in the tavern or town before entering that first door, as I imagine a dungeon party would, will be a major part of our quest, AND in a lot of ways, I think that will be some of the best fun.


I couldn't agree with you more Widseth. This was part of a major discussion in another thread that prompted Gary to start this one.

Getting to know your fellow party members when the party consists of other strangers (as in people you've never met, not strange people ;) ) is very important. Everyone will want to be comfortable within the group so that everyone feels open to offer input. Last year I could tell when some parties didn't have this comfort level. These groups suffered/struggled more than others from not getting the fullest creative thinking from all members, especially when it came to the many puzzles.

Besides, it is also just more fun when everyone is fully involved! Using the expanded Inn this year will be a big plus for groups.

:arrow: The bottom line: Get to know your party members during pre-game time!
Cheers, Stuart O.  + Thats the short haired, short statured, no beard, Indy Stu ...+ "Nemo saltat sobrius"

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #20

I agree with getting to know your party members!
Last year they almost decided to leave me behind in the spider's web until one party member had sympathy for my plight!

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 2 weeks ago #21

[qoute]Last year they almost decided to leave me behind in the spider's web until one party member had sympathy for my plight![/quote]

LOL, sadly yours wasn't the only party that tried to do this, infact if I remember right I think we had a group or two that actually did leave a party member behind...
bur BUR bur BUR<br /><br />PS I can't spell, don't be suprised when you read my posts...<br /><br />Head D.I.N.O.

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 1 week ago #22

  • Gary Aswegan
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What about a birdwalk into a discussion on Tokens...my favorite thing in the world - muh hah hah hah.

I think one of the reasons my SoCal 04 group did so well was we all pitched in and got a dungeon pack of 10 pouches.

We ended up mixing around all the tokens and gave them to each respective class as best as possible. No-one really cared where the thief tools went after the game nor any of the other rare items...

Now I am not saying this is the ultimate strategy (nor a necessary one since you can easily pick up rope and flint at the tavern) - but those tokens were all we had and brought into the dungeon. Needless to say they were really handy.

Also there was the possibility that if someone were to have died - we easily would have been able to retrieve his tokens (if that was allowed). Luckily we did not have to find out - but the point here is we used healing and scrolls like there was no tomorrow and it helped.

So what say anyone - is it a good idea to pool party funds for a few bags of tokens which become party property??? Perhaps trading away the good ones left over for gold or items that can be split up???

Gary
Gary aka: Grimwood, Cleric of the Western Woods CLERIC for life - I have the character card to prove it! Former owner of a Ring of Three Wishes and Jeff's finger!

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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 1 week ago #23

For the most part, you can scavenge tokens off of the dead unless there is some game related reason that you couldn't. For example if a party member was blown off the bridge, or if someone died because you didn't complete a room and the lizard men caught up to to (you would be too busy running from the lizard men to pilfer corpses). Basically if you have access to the body you can pick it over.

Lee
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Tips for play - open forum 19 years 1 week ago #24

  • Gary Aswegan
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Lee - you make it sound so vulture-like! :shock:



I LOVE IT! :lol:

I bet not a player in the game hasn't had the "loot the body" idea! :twisted:

OK, so anyone have thoughts on how much time to allow a party to trade between each other or obviously BUY from the tavern if one of more of the party are short on items??? I think there may be a need for strategy this year - perhaps even sending pairs of the party around to get certain items and even see what is out there to be had.

I have a feeling that the INDY dungeon could have some serious token burning tricks/traps that if we are not careful we could lose some nice "permanent" items.

Gary
Gary aka: Grimwood, Cleric of the Western Woods CLERIC for life - I have the character card to prove it! Former owner of a Ring of Three Wishes and Jeff's finger!

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