Barrowmaze: 1st ed D&D mega-dungeon

[Spearmint]

I would like to join if there is room.

Thank you for the interest. I have responded with a private message inviting you to peruse the game forum and background threads and roll a new character using the Dice Roller forum.

[Spearmint]

It all begins in a tavern ...

In this case usually The Brazen Strumpet, a large and welcoming establishment, framed in timbered beams of dark Oak and blizzard white plaster. Offering varied seasonal fayre from homebrew honeyed meads, flagons of frothy ales, rat-on-a-stick nibbles (marinades of barbecue sauce or mint optional or just dipped into the cheese fondue bucket), Yesterday's Stew or 'all in' celebratory Hog roasts.

A raised stage is home to resident bard, Bublé who croons penned melodious tributes and waxes lyrical to laud brave adventurer's tales. Niches display the many trophies and momentoes of grave goods grabbed and trinket trove retrieved from the fabled Barrow Mounds. Invariably Alastar, imbecile beggar-knight, brings his own forlorn testimony of shattered dreams and Barrowmaze banes, offering you his wit, wisdom and a view of his buttock tattooed map in exchange of an overflow of copper pieces into his tin cup. The coins rattling as loosely as his fragile sanity.

... and so it began ... three years ago, I started to furnish the background to the Barrowmaze campaign, an 'open world sandbox' adventure with its labyrinthine mega-dungeon as the overarching theme.

To date we have had sixty characters enrolled in the rogues gallery of foolhardy bravehearts. Currently we have thirty-one active Player characters spread across nine concurrent expeditions in urban, wilderness and dungeon settings.

As Scripture says, "the Grave, the Barren Womb and a Man's eyes are never satisfied". As a father of seven I cannot speak to the second but certainly the latter's search for gold, glory, arcane enlightenment and divine favour has caused many an adventurer to purge himself of all life-blood and soul in the pursuit of wealth and prosperity. And The Grave has an open throat to swallow the unwary, the heroic, the ill-fated and those unlucky few whose dice rolls just don't roll high enough! Too late to mourn the Cleric not tithing for a +1 blessing, the Rogue fumbling the trapped lock with rusty rather than artisan keys, dismissing the burden of spider silk bandages, unpaying mercenaries who lack the steadfast loyalty to fight to the last man, thereby turning tail and fleeing to leave other comrades to grim and certain fates.

As we move to our 3rd Anniversary (and some bonus blessings from the campaign cake) let me give a big shout-out and "Thank You" to all my great Players, without whom this game would be a bland, linear funnel.

My greatest joy to see Players customise their avatars from base fledgling beginners to veterans with unique storylines; having experiences heroic and tragic, learning new spells, crafts, traits; influencing the world around them. All under the watchful eye of new Gods and Old, demon entities and a few lurkers on the Unseen forum.

And those Gods, demons and lurkers in Moor and Maze are ever awakening to take more than just a passive interest in those who wander were angels fear to tread.

We have had some recent Player withdrawals and a spate of new interest; the campaign is geared towards assimilating new characters at any time meaning that if any new or veteran forum members are provoked into rolling those [4d6]'s and tempting their own journey into the Barrowmaze delves, we can accommodate those aspirations.

For those who have joined in this last year and to those who have ventured together from the very first tentative steps beyond. A salute to you all.

I will randomise an anniversary trinket and gift each player at the end of the month.

[Leitz]

Spearmint, thank you for running Barrowmaze! I really enjoy being able to send new members to your game, knowing they will be welcomed and have a great time.

How you manage it is a mystery to me; I've been gaming since 1978 and most gaming groups combined I've been in can't handle the numbers you routinely deal with. Kudos!

[subaltari]

Random anniversary gifts in our inbox? That reminds me of MMOs

As one of the newbs, I am tantalized by the stories & lore of this campaign and eager to be a part of them... hopefully on the less tragic side!

Though there do seem to be some fits and starts with the other new joins, I have plenty of patience to wait for a proper party to assemble (or for a seasoned one to return ). The throat of Sheol (the grave) will be sure to stay open and thirsty.

[Straither]

For myself, I only play in this one campaign on the forum. It has been a fun year though in game, my story only covers barely three days.

My steadfast dwarf Wrathbone surviving being swooped upon by predatory pteranodons; constricted and swallowed by the python, nibbled and gnashed upon by ghouls and ghasts, stood in the bonfire to fight the juju zombies, chased cultists through the catacombs, raised the Mummy to life then razed him to the ground (sorry we actually immolated a godly knight under an illusion ), traded with the Harpy, got shafted and frozen by impish gargoyles and have just seen the Daemon snatch a comrade off to the Abyss.

I have sworn oaths to Moradin for temporary blessings, gained a sack full of medicinal study bones, a polished skull with a bloody hand print (I named him, Wilson) and a waxwork candle figure that becomes a nightime vigilant.

There have been tricks and traps, mysteries and challenges; each overcome or faced by a good group of excellent players. And I think that last point is what keeps the game experience flowing well as even if the team characters have different ideas, actions and objectives, we seem to pull sacrificially together to succeed as a whole.

As to the 'stories & lore', I was very gripped by this testimonial of the rescued mercenaries regarding the area we explore.

"The devout Orcus cultists wear robes and garments as priests, bearing shields with goat heads and pentagrams. The ground floor of the shaft is a sort of crossroads. One came by and chanted over the dead bodies here and they all stood up to follow him as undead thralls.

After Friar John was spit roasted and feasted upon by the Harpies, the priest tormented him further. He animated his zombie carcass and they cooked him all over again. Breaking his ribs off to marinade in honey and sucking his marrow dry. The apple in his mouth stops him screaming ... he may yet still live ...

Some of the dead do not know they are dead, they act as if still living. A 'grisly scholar' stalks those western hallways seeking books and tomes not tombs.

We did not ventured far, we were kept here to do unspeakable things ..."

Ben n Jake: mercenaries kept as brood stallions to the Harpy flock.

[Edeldhur]

I have only recently joined this game - my first character died faster than lightning, and it almost drove me to quit on the spot

However, and after having more time to take in the game, absorb the different threads, and reading through a good portion of them, I have to say this is one of the most impressive games (PbP or otherwise) I have seen in my gaming life. And that made me want to stick around, delve into the mysteries and try harder!

A big kudos to the players, and to the amazing work by Spearmint in truly bringing to life this little corner of this Fantasy world! Simply amazing, and I am very thankful for being allowed to be a small part of it.

Skål!

[rredmond]

I have only recently joined this game - my first character died faster than lightning...

Sounds very first edition!
Glad all you folks are having fun!!

[BaltoBruiser]

Wrathbone and Bhelnus are delving together and I have to say that our party and Spearmint are fantastic! After a 30 year hiatus, I returned to role playing and found Unseen Servant this fall. Barrowmaze was the first campaign I signed up to play and it was a great decision.

Thank you Spearmint you do such a good job of keeping all of the story lines moving forward and your players engaged. Great game play!

[Valdus]

Tempted so very tempted.

I haven’t looked in a AD&D book in over 30 years.

Are we as crunchy as I remember it being?

(Glory to the days when I had all of THAC0 & Unearthed Arcana memorized. Now I can barely roll for initiative!)

[Leitz]

Not crunchy at all. I tend to play fighters, and it's very easy to keep the little bit needed in my limited mental repository. If you played a mage it might take a little bit more, but still not at the level you were at.

[Valdus]

Now rather interested. I am thinking a mage of sorts, but my go-to question is "What does the party need?" Though from the looks of things, it seems that everyone adventures on different terms.

Dang old-timer players. I'm just happy they don't print the tiny tiny print in the AD&D books anymore. When did I get so old (What do you mean I'm not 15!?!)

[Spearmint]

Hi Valdus

I responded to an initial enquiry from you in January of last year here:

Hi Valdus. Thank you too for the interest. That looks quite an 'old School' character sheet. You can keep those attribute stats if you wish or roll again following my Character Creation thread guidelines and generate a new incarnation of Kuakare. If you want to play a mage or cleric then please check out the Of Gods & Magic thread in the Barrowmaze Campaign as this details the pantheon of Gods and certain boons each faith gives or for the arcane vocations, how we are using magic in the game.

You will need to 'create a character' using the Dice Roller sheet so that we can link any rolls to the campaign archive.

As noted, all new characters can start with +100xp bonus and I allow that 1st level characters all start on maximum hp.

The differing expedition parties swap and change members all the time as characters follow up various threads and plot hooks of interest. So in effect, every class and race is equally in demand and for buffing teams out, players can hire additional aide through the Mercenary Guild.

I am not sure what 'crunchy' means. I have adapted some House Rules which I hope brings a little balance and flavour and for mages in particular, makes them more playable and survivable as low level characters.

[Valdus]

Well, that’s embarrassing.

My inbox has betrayed me yet again!

[subaltari]

I take 'crunchy' to describe (whether for good or bad) various rules-heavy game systems like Rolemaster and WFRPG. In the context of AD&D 1e it tends to refer to the more disjointed and unpopular rules, e.g. btb initiative, weapon v. AC, helmet rule, training costs, d100 unarmed combat, and morale; and as far as I know, Spearmint, we are only using the last item on that list at this point.

[Valdus]

Yes, that’s what. meant. My tastes (and abilities) have moved away from Rules-heavy.

I’ll review character creation and may come back with an adventurer or two.