That's not an accidental error in the title: during the most recent Delve playtest, the player of the Bard decided that he was the Brad, whose name was Brad. (There was some drinking going on this time.) Reset button hit, we find ourselves at the entry to a new dungeon, with the Bard, Dwarf, and… Continue reading [Delve] The Brad Is Down!
Tag: delve
[Delve] The playtest gets a reboot
With some of the rules tweaks lately, let's hit the reset button on the ongoing playtest session. Rewind to the beginning: in this alternate universe, the players pick the Bard, the Elf, the Thief, and the Viking. We start at 4 Adventure Points in the Pool as usual. One of the things that still needs… Continue reading [Delve] The playtest gets a reboot
[Delve] Character advancement (?)
The question mark is in parentheses because I'm not sure if I want it in Delve. One of the initial assumptions I latched onto and have maintained through the writing process has been the idea that the adventurers are each unique archetypes, fixed in their defined state. There is only one Swashbuckler, who has always… Continue reading [Delve] Character advancement (?)
[Delve] About dice, critical hits, and narrating fights
I'm normally not a fan of "critical hit" mechanics in games, per se, although it's not easy for me to articulate why, because I do like having a method for player characters to be exceptional, and that may (indeed, often) includes exceptional talent at combat. It probably stems from my dislike of over-reliance on randomization… Continue reading [Delve] About dice, critical hits, and narrating fights
Delve: the ontological crisis of points
Points: where do they come from? I'm attempting to wrestle with how to get the Pools in Delve just right: they're semi-closed systems but not entirely, because while they start at a fixed level, they go up. While most of the expenditures are a matter of give-and-take between the adventurers and the gamemaster, there are… Continue reading Delve: the ontological crisis of points
Delve (meta-)playtest: the Adventure Pool
One of the linchpins of the Delve system is the economy of Adventure Points, which is proving to have a lot more kinks in it than originally anticipated. The basic premise is that players get rewarded with AP when they make the game more perilous for their adventurers by pushing further into the dungeon and… Continue reading Delve (meta-)playtest: the Adventure Pool
Delve Playtest pt. 2: Delve Harder.
Recap: the adventurers (in marching order) are the Thief, the Swashbuckler, the Shieldmaiden, and the Elf. The Thief picked up a Fog Flask after destroying an animated skeleton, and the Elf dispelled a magic sigil to gain an Ancient Grimoire.AP: 8 HP: 6Does this storeroom have exits? It does if any of the players say… Continue reading Delve Playtest pt. 2: Delve Harder.
Delve playtest: entering the dungeon
Test run of Delve with 4 adventurers, in marching order: the Thief, the Swashbuckler, the Shieldmaiden, the Elf. I picked these four because they all move pretty quickly, so we won't get stuck in hallways for long periods of time.Starting AP: 4 HP: 4(This may not be the final rule, but currently, the Adventure Pool… Continue reading Delve playtest: entering the dungeon
