Post by ogrestamp on Aug 28, 2015 8:08:24 GMT
Hello all. I thought I would create a profile here since I've been lurking for awhile now. I have recently started playing DND after taking a few years off. One of my friends mentioned that this new system, which is similar to the old system (sorta), called Pathfinder was out and it looked intriguing. I was slightly skeptical at first since we started playing a few years back when 4e came out and it went for awhile but tailed off entirely. What hooked me and the other "old-timers" is that two of their sons are now starting to play- and it has worked wonderfully.
My best friend and I were talking about when we first started playing. It was back around 1981. His first DMing was the classic module, B1 and my first DMing experience was the next one, B2 (Keep on the Border Lands- which I still have). Back then we had some one inch graph paper and a large piece of plastic to put over it with a bunch of grease pencils and even more elbow grease when the map got too full. When we started playing when 4e came out, I loved the maps they gave us but I didn't like the idea of everyone knowing the whole layout at once, the whole thrill of dungeoneering is exploring for me. So I actually started a fool's quest of trying to recreate that map on one inch graph paper and then cutting out all the rooms and corridors. It was misguided but I was on the right track.
Now when Pathfinder came out, it looked good but I was constantly searching for ideas on how to create a good layout without the hassle of drawing (you can feel the enthusiasm getting sucked out of the game when the party has to sit and watch you draw a large and intricate room). That's when I came across DM Scotty's work and the heaven's open up and I saw the holy grail.
The first thing I did was to start collecting material around the house like cardboard and card stock and my tea bags I use because I am not a coffee drinker. I used the tea bag itself, rolling it up and gluing it to create scrolls, which looked rather well. Some are long in scale but then paint them white and you have long bones from some creature for dungeon dressing
My best friend got into the act and has created the modular walls that DM Scotty came up with and you cannot believe (well, you all probably can) how much that little thing has affected play. Instead of being a bean counter, I, the DM, have become more of a story teller (I love that), and the players are finding it's rather fun to jump on a bed to fight that rather large scorpion in the corner of the room. In one gaming session, I had laid out a rather simple 60 foot corridor with a door at the end (I also made a couple doors as well) and one of my friends placed his character at the head of the hallway and while looking down the same hallway he commented on how he never realized how creepy a long hallway in a dungeon could be. Yes, they are hooked. And slowly but surely we are building up a gaming arsenal of really cool playing aids.
Right now, I am running my friends through the old module B4, The Lost City. I loved that story and its potential and I have updated it for Pathfinder and remodeled a few things to create a rather interesting campaign. Oh, the ideas I have. Anyway, it's good to meet you all.