12 March 2025

D&D Story 15: Castle Mistamere

 The audio recording of this interview can be found here I have since talked with my dad again about this adventure recently because i was goin over his old maps of level 3 and 4. I wont reveal all the details here, but basically there was numbering discrepancy and my dad had drawn 2 different version of level 3 and also a mirror image version of level 2 and there were some teleporting dimensional shenanigans involved. And also at one point I drew my own version of level 3 and 4 with bargles final lair and a red dragon. I may up load all these maps at some point in a future post or I may not . .  .





Lance Duncan

OK. We're finishing up the last few modules/adventures. We're going back to the basic rule book from 1983. The DMS guide with Castle Mistamere. The sample, your first game adventure. In the very beginning of the book, we're starting at page 4, right before the adventure, there is a pregame checklist. Did you use that checklist?

Bruce Duncan

Sometimes.

Lance Duncan

It has. It tells you to go through the solo adventure, have all the players do the solo adventure.

Bruce Duncan

Which I did not always do.

Lance Duncan

And have you read the book up to this point? Have you Looked through the rest of the booklet?

Bruce Duncan

Oh yeah, always.

Lance Duncan

What else is on there? Oh, did you give the players the basic background of the adventure.

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

The who, Why, What, where, When

Bruce Duncan

Right, I did. Yes. Always.

Lance Duncan

And then it tells you to set up the, Make sure the characters are ready to go with their equipment, and then choose a caller and a mapper. Before doing this, did you set all that up?

Bruce Duncan

I tried to set a caller and a mapper, but generally speaking, when we were doing this, was when you guys were very young. And so Cassie got nominated for both. Most of the time she did pretty good, but in the later years when we come back to this several times with other people, she wanted them to do it rather than her. And they were never as good as she was, for either.

Lance Duncan

Right. Yeah, I know later we didn't really . . . Cassie did do a lot of the mapping early on. I still have some of them. But yeah, we didn't really do a caller later. As far as I remember. Did you keep an adventure record sheet? Cuz It talks about having an adventure record sheet. Like characters and . . . and anything else.

Bruce Duncan

I did not I, at that time, I was still technically learning how to be a good dungeon master as opposed to what I had been before, and because it was my children I figured, nah, no one’s gonna want to keep the record of this, you guys aren't gonna want to know and all that stuff so I didn't.

Lance Duncan

OK, into the actual adventure. The adventure background. As players did we learn about Gygar, King Gygar, the one who built the castle?

Bruce Duncan

A couple of times I went over brief information about him, But basically, That it was a powerful guy that died years ago.

Lance Duncan

We didn’t never try to find out about him.

Bruce Duncan

One time when you had other people with you, yes you did. But it didn't go very far. Because the information was old and As such, you guys, It wasn't pertaining to anything you did because anything he had was already looted, Mostly. Any loot that would be in there would be from adventurers going in and then getting killed.

Lance Duncan

Right. Did you ever have, like a developed background about him? Some idea?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. I had one, but like I said, we weren't really interested in it at that time. What I had developed was that He was trying to settle the area and he had a friend Who was a Magic-user who thought that he was doing too much and eventually he just left.

Lance Duncan

Well, I think Gygar is supposed to be a magic-user. Yeah, he's “a magic-user named Gygar”.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, but I have the other guy as the Magic-user.

Lance Duncan

Oh OK.

Bruce Duncan

This guy was just a kightish type person who wanted his own kingdom.

Lance Duncan

Right. Or are you mixing this up with B1. Robilar and whats his name.

Bruce Duncan

I am.

Lance Duncan

Or was it Robilar?

Bruce Duncan

Yes, I know what you're talking about, but yes I am mixing the two up.

Lance Duncan

LOL . . . we already talked about That adventure

Bruce Duncan

 we did.

Lance Duncan

No, this is. This is king gygar, it says he had a long and peaceful rule, never named his successor, and so eventually the castle Fell into ruin.

Bruce Duncan

No. Then I never gave you guys background.

Lance Duncan

You know, you know you never came up with something in the back of your head or . . .

Bruce Duncan

No, no. Basically what you said is what I said.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, cause it's just right there, It's like one paragraph and that's it. Did you ever connect the name Gygar to Gary Gygax?

Bruce Duncan

No.

Lance Duncan

Have you up to this point?

Bruce Duncan

Now that you mention it Yes. But I never, I never made that connection.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, it's Frank Mentzers ode to gary gygax. “Gare-Guy” just switched the order, the first syllable of each name. You never connected that.

Bruce Duncan

No, I never did. I can tell you just . . .

Lance Duncan

Oh, So it's so obvious. But you got to know Gary Gygax  is DnD.

Bruce Duncan

Yes

Lance Duncan

He is, He is in the credits here.

Bruce Duncan

Yes, he is, but that, That's a little bit farther stretch than I went with. Yeah, I didn't pay that much attention To it.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, there's a lot of other things like that, like Gary Gygax name gets twisted around So much in these modules.

Bruce Duncan

I’ll bet.

Lance Duncan

Oh, and then it says we meet at the Gold Dragon Inn.

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

So I don't think we mentioned. I don't think we ever went over this. So was the gold dragon inn in luln or threshold because You did have this Adventure next to luln, but Did you Have, did You specifically have the gold Dragon inn in luln

Bruce Duncan

I had the Gold dragon inn in luln, among a few other places that are noted in that module. I had all my adventures start in luln.

Lance Duncan

Yeah at first. Yeah, after a while we started doing threshold, but.

Bruce Duncan

Right. No, no, no. One started in threshold.

Lance Duncan

No, We had a couple players in threshold BCS.

Bruce Duncan

I don't remember them. The ones I remember are down in The city with an “S.”

Lance Duncan

Specularum

Bruce Duncan

Yeah

Lance Duncan

“Spectrolum” LOL . . . maybe I should change the name to Spectrolum, just to make fun of it

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. Yes, good idea.

Lance Duncan

But Specularum has, What was it? Greek roots? No Specularum is roman. it's karameikos that’s Greek . . .

Lance Duncan

We were talking about The name of Specularum.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. So Karameikos is literally. You change an A to an E somewhere in there. I forget where, but it's literally a pottery district outside of Athens, in the suburbs of Athens.

Bruce Duncan

Cool.

Lance Duncan

There's some interesting history behind it. But Specularum Is a Latin word. Comes from the same root Where we get spectacles, for glasses

Bruce Duncan

Oh really?

Lance Duncan

Yeah. So it's Specularum, depending on what translation you go with, can mean watchtower

Bruce Duncan

That would be a good name for it at that location.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, exactly. But it would be a funny  to change that to spectrolum because you always mispronounce it.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, that would be fun.

Lance Duncan

As far as names of other places Luln, I could never find, I've never been able to find anything. Never seen anything on the Internet of where the word Luln comes from. It May have just been made-up.

Bruce Duncan

I remember reading An adventure somewhere and it started in the town of Luln and I thought that would be a good name for an adventurers town.

Lance Duncan

I don't think any official adventure starts in luln

Bruce Duncan

What was the name of the town where the elf?

Lance Duncan

I know I’m saying it wrong too.

Bruce Duncan

Where, where the elf and the Sword of truth?

Lance Duncan

That's farstead.

Bruce Duncan

farstead OK. No, but there was an adventure that started in the town of Luln and I just don't remember What adventure it was.

Lance Duncan

I'd have to go through, it might be in one of the Dragon Adventures or dungeon. I don't think there is because I, I don't know. And I know I'm pronouncing it wrong. It's supposed to be like “luuuln” or something because it's L U L N.

Bruce Duncan

Now that might be. right

Lance Duncan

And I just say “luhn” because it's.

Bruce Duncan

Because it's what you were brought up with.

Lance Duncan

Well, I don't think you ever. I don't remember how you used to say it.

Bruce Duncan

I always called it “luhn”.

Lance Duncan

Did you?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, you know, me and pronunciations and spellings and.

Lance Duncan

Well, yeah, well, well, also I see L U L N. I’m Like how am I supposed to pronounce that?  I'm just going to say “luhn”.

Bruce Duncan

You darn American.

Lance Duncan

Yeah I'm american I can say whatever. So gold Dragon inn is in luln and I can use that, I can make that another company for the adventuring Guild. so it’d be the Gold Dragon Company . . .

Bruce Duncan

Well, The thing is, in luln, the people there don't know about . . .

Lance Duncan

Well, when I'm running that adventure, there 'd be the Gold Dragon Company centered in Luln. The Green ale Company Central in the Imperial City.

Bruce Duncan

OK. Right.

Lance Duncan

And the shady dragon, cause there's a shady dragon inn, in threshold.

Bruce Duncan

OK, yeah.

Lance Duncan

And as far as other places, I haven't decided yet. But that gives me a minimum of three. I need more.

Bruce Duncan

The drunk dragon is this in Dragon City.

Lance Duncan

Well, no, they all, so they all have a base in the Dragon City, but they also have a main base of operations in a specific city. They Each have a claim to a city and it's environs. So Luln, threshold, the imperial city, Specularum, Ylaruam . . .

Bruce Duncan

OK. Yeah.

Lance Duncan

I just don't have names for some of these other places and I have To figure out which places have places, you know.

Bruce Duncan

OK.

Lance Duncan

Like I haven't decided if they’ve gone out to Glantri yet or not.

Bruce Duncan

No, I don't think so.

Lance Duncan

Well, this is in the future

Bruce Duncan

Yeah But nothing in what I did.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, but this gives me a name for the one in Luln. And a reason to have one in luln. OK, on to the adventure on page five. The carrion crawler. I know we kind of talked about this in other times, We mentioned this, but just Going over it.  Were we always surprised by the carrying crawler?

Bruce Duncan

There was one time you guys weren't. The surprise check came out that you were not surprised and so the way I narrated that up was. You guys could see that there was a hole underneath the door. And one of you was suspicious of a hole underneath a door that's laying on The ground. And so you had someone go up and check. Tap on the door and around the hole, but the rest of you were at ready with all your weapons. And there was enough damage that he didn't get to do anything other than show His face.

Lance Duncan

Right. Anyway, Did we, when we encountered the carrion crawler, did we usually kill it or put it to sleep? because it mentions that we can use a sleep spell to defeat it. ever did. Of us ever die from the carrion crawler.

Bruce Duncan
No one ever thought of the sleep spell, ever
Lance Duncan

Did any Of us ever die from the carrion crawler?

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

Because it's got eight attacks a round, Paralyzes you, And then just eats you.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. Someone did die once. Luckily, it was a npc that went along with you guys.

Lance Duncan

Yeah.

Bruce Duncan

So no big loss.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, I killed a whole party at least once with The carrying crawler.

Bruce Duncan

A whole party with just one carrion crawler!

Lance Duncan

Yeah. It's got 8 attacks a round, dad!

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. Generally speaking, it goes after one at A time, though.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. And other times I was nicer and I had it, once The first person was down it started eating that one person and ignoring everyone else.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, that's normally how a carrion crawler would work.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, it depends how experienced the players are.

Bruce Duncan

That too, yeah.

Lance Duncan

you know, the, I had already run these players, they were still first Or second level. I think they might have all been second or third level, I don't know, but, so I was like, well, this isn't your first adventure, so. Here's what, the carrion crawler kills you off. You know, paralyzed, paralyzed, paralyzed . . .

Bruce Duncan

Ohh, you're worse than, you're worse As far as killing people than I was as far as giving things away.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, yeah, it depends who I'm playing with.

Bruce Duncan

Ohh! Prejudiced, I see

Lance Duncan

Yeah, I mean It's not like it was smart or anything, its Just like, you know, someones hitting me, I’m gonna hit them back. You know?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, yeah.

Lance Duncan

You know, I mean, if they had left it alone, they would’a just eatin’ the one person that Was left there,

Bruce Duncan

which is what I Normally have it do

Lance Duncan

you know if everyone else runs away. Then it's, You know, it's got its meal, It's not going to chase you. But you know, if you keep attacking it, what do you expect? You know. And how can you compete with eight attacks a round? LOL

Bruce Duncan

Send one dummy in to check it out and the rest of you are armed.

Lance Duncan

Again, you've got to be smart for that

Bruce Duncan

No, you gotta make your surprise check.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, OK. So did the party usually try to go through the main gate that was Shut, or tried to go through the hole in the wall off To the side?

Bruce Duncan

most of the time you guys went through the main gate, or tried to. But as always, the main gate.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, the kobolds are supposed to be holding it shut. But like, did we try, and then not do that.

Bruce Duncan

Well, a couple of times you guys tried to bash through the kobolds and were able to. But in doing so, the kobolds back aways were Able to start, They had their first shot at you guys. But only a couple of times Did you guys actually make the effort to go check out the holes along the wall before you went inside

Lance Duncan

Yeah. Then there's the peep hole too, where we can look through before we go through the big giant hole.

Bruce Duncan

Right.

Lance Duncan

Oh, and did you have, while we were discussing how to get in, did you have time pass? Like it says if, Oh yeah, it says, One minute of talking equals one round.

Bruce Duncan

Right, I did have that.

Lance Duncan

Did you sit to that strictly, or just in general?

Bruce Duncan

Just in general

Lance Duncan

OK. Cause that's an interesting way to interpret it. If people are making plans, you go OK, its Been a minute, Well, now it's been a round of combat.

Bruce Duncan

Right

Lance Duncan

Yeah, if you stick to that in game rules specifically, that'd be interesting.

Bruce Duncan

 After you kids were More experienced in how to play the game, If I felt you were taking too much time talking with each other, that's how I played it. This one, We never played it with everybody being of a Experienced level. There was always someone that was not experienced in the Game.

Lance Duncan

Really?

Bruce Duncan

Yep

Lance Duncan

because I know we did this several times, more than probably anything else.

Bruce Duncan

Yes, You did. And that's why I kept introducing new stuff in it. Like dust bunnies and other things of that nature.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. So when we got through the hole or the gate, was anyone ever killed by the kobolds?

Bruce Duncan
No.

Lance Duncan
I've had people killed by the kobolds. Not, not . . .

Bruce Duncan
the kobolds!?!

Lance Duncan
Yeah, usually only one person. It's really the carrion crawler thats the deadly thing.

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

But yeah.

Bruce Duncan

Kobolds?

Lance Duncan

Yeah exactly. The kobold are,

Bruce Duncan
theyre lame

Bruce Duncan

 They're pathetic. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, usually I wouldn't even roll hit points for the kobolds. I mean, well, I think it has the hit points listed here, but other times when I have people encounter kobolds I usually Don't roll hit points. Did we ever capture one of the Kobolds?

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

 OK. So it goes through a little scenario of if we let him go to show us where he is, he'll run off and run into the castle.

Bruce Duncan

Actually you scared most of them most of The time back into the castle, only once did you get one, and that was when you guys had scouted around And tried to see where everything was, and rather than go through the big hole, you guys threw a grappling hook up on this on this edge at this corner

Lance Duncan

We went over the wall. The right corner

Bruce Duncan

On this edge, and were able to come along the wall And shoot down At everybody, and one survived. Just one. And you guys interrogated him before you dispatched him.

Lance Duncan

OK. Yeah, cause, if we're careful. He's supposed to lead us to some treasure. His little treasure spot

Bruce Duncan

He said he was gonna lead you to treasure, and when he led you there, the treasure was booby trapped. That's how I did it different.

Lance Duncan

And then at the end of the, because you know at the beginning, it's like a step by step thing like a choose your own adventure, and then it says, after they go through once then you can have them go back and do the scenarios

Bruce Duncan

Right, right. Yeah

Lance Duncan

Did you do that for each group?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, kind of sorta.

Lance Duncan

or did you just explain what could Have happened?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, I explained What would happened if you'd have done this. But that was Like you guys first couple of times through this. Each time having a Different person that had never played before. So I explained if you'd have done it this way, this Could have happened. that kind of thing.

Lance Duncan

Okay. So on page nine, which room was this? I Think it's this one?

Bruce Duncan

The bedroom?

Lance Duncan

Yeah, Well, there's two bedrooms. The number’s 25. Yeah. So this, the first bedroom room, room 25. You have to make a save or Else you go to sleep on the bed.

Bruce Duncan

Right.

Lance Duncan

Did anyone ever fall prey to that?

Bruce Duncan

Yep.

Lance Duncan

And then in room twenty six, you can wake up on the other bed.

Bruce Duncan

Right. But then I had.

Lance Duncan

And also I remember there were dust bunnies in some of Those bedrooms.

Bruce Duncan

Right, depending on how you guys were playing, that would determine which bed had the dust bunnies,

Lance Duncan

Right. Well, it has. I think it's this one. Yeah, if you. If if you're tickled on the bed, the bed will magically sneeze and it causes the mold to fly into the air And I think that's where you have dust bunnies.

Bruce Duncan

Yes. The thing is, with the dust bunnies. As long as you did not disturb them They were not a threat. and Spraying water or liquid on them Only slowed them down, But if that liquid was flammable. good news. As long as you weren't in the room when they were. Because once you start a dust Bunny on fire, they begin to run all over the place, leaving burning bits all over the place.

Lance Duncan

Right. I think I'm going to skip the harpy room or the dining hall for now, because that's something you're not supposed to do until your second level.

Bruce Duncan

OK. Right

Lance Duncan

So, Which room was it? Let me look at the map. So 27 is dining  hall, so 31 would be the Trap room. Yeah. So the trap room, there's a . . .

Bruce Duncan

Which one? I need to see the map . . . Oh yeah.

Lance Duncan

So there's a log Tied on a rope and pulley system above a treasure chest, which the kobolds haven't disturbed cuz they're afraid that they're gonna you know, open the treasure chest and get hurt. but it's a fake trap, The trap isn’t actually hooked to the treasure chest at all.

Bruce Duncan

Actually, I had it hooked to the treasure chest. But you guys were so Alert that you could see how the trap worked. And anybody with half a brain could disarm it.

Lance Duncan

Right, right. Yeah.

Bruce Duncan

Sometimes though, when I had you doing that, I had it stuck. And you guys think it was safe and you go closer and then it unstuck.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, because how its Set up. There's a large log in the center of the room. One end is on the floor, but the other end is held up by a strong rope which runs through Hooks in the ceiling going to the floor tied to the chest, So the rope is tied to the chest, which is on the floor directly below the upraisedlog, If the rope is cut, the Log falls smashing the chest and scattering the contents. But the lid of the chest is not held by the rope and it can be opened. So as long as you leave the rope alone, you can open it and the kobolds see the log and the rope and they just stay away from it. But a smart adventurer,  you can do like, “um What?”

Bruce Duncan

Exactly! But . . .

Lance Duncan

Yeah. But you had it actually connected to it.

Bruce Duncan

No, I had it connected as this says.

Lance Duncan

Oh, OK.

Bruce Duncan

And you guys, you know, it might be an old rope, It might give way at any minute. and You guys would try and go up and disarm it so that no matter what you’d Safe, but sometimes I’d play a little trick on you and it was fun.

Lance Duncan

Right. Yeah. And it's only like five hundred. it's not even any gold.

Bruce Duncan

No, it's not.

Lance Duncan

Then. There is fifty gold,  five hundred silver, fifty gold and a gem.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, but The gem is what you guys were after.

Lance Duncan

Yeah,  it must be apretty small chest. That's got to be like. Maybe less than a foot wide to each side.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. what I used to call a Pound chest.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Realistically Treasure chests aren't ever that big. I mean to hold realistic coins.

Bruce Duncan

No, I would, in modern day I would call it a jewelry chest.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, exactly.

Bruce Duncan

And it's not a chest, it's Jewelry Box.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, yeah. So the statue room 32. where is that on the map? . . . The one with the statue.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, into the dining room.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. So 32 . . . Has the statue that spins and will hit you. did anyone fall prey to that?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, usually. The thing is Once you saw it spinning the once, you were pretty much aware of it and all You have to do is duck LOL

Lance Duncan

Yeah. Just stay away from it. And then there's Zombies. So there's two rooms of zombies, 35 and 34. I remember, I'm not sure, I'm pretty sure it was this dungeon, but I'm not quite sure. I remember a situation where there were zombies chasing us and we couldn't get them to stop, like we cut off their arms and their arms would still chase us. And so like, we like barricaded the door and the zombies were pounding on the door and stuff. And we were scared because these were the type of zombies that have the maggots and stuff, right? Which I'm going to ask more about later, but. Like was this this dungeon? You remember that situation?

Bruce Duncan

On one of your times through. Yes, most of the times through, No, they weren't Those type of zombies.

Lance Duncan

Because I remember, I was pretty sure it was this one that I remember that specific situation. where it was like we were running through different rooms trying, because we were faster than the zombies, but they wouldn't stop, no matter what we put in Their way. Like eventually it would get through the door too.

Bruce Duncan

That might have been our last adventure in here. Which is why you might have remembered it. And. I also remember in that adventure you guys knew about the kobolds in the watch room, down the stairs, and you were able to adjust your running so that the zombies then saw the kobolds.

Lance Duncan

Right. Well, maybe that was it.

Bruce Duncan

And that's how you got away from them.

Lance Duncan

Well, cause your special zombie, with the bugs and maggots and all that. Like We didn't want to get up close because then we'd get infected,  Arrows didn't really do anything because arrows to a dead body, really.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah.

Lance Duncan

You know, and we didn't have any Special weapons like holy water or flammable things, and so we couldn't do anything. We probably didn’t Have a cleric either so we couldn't turn them. Otherwise we would just turn them, right?

Bruce Duncan

No.

Lance Duncan

So yeah, so, I mean, I remember we specifically didn't have the right tools to fight zombies. And So that's why we were scared of them, and we were running.

Bruce Duncan

And especially those zombies.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, yeah. But that was this one probably.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, it was. Like I said, it was probably the last time you guys had ventured into that adventure.

Lance Duncan

Sure. OK. So let's talk about the dining, now that we've talked about the first level.

Bruce Duncan

OK.

Lance Duncan

We can just go.

Bruce Duncan

The harpies.

Lance Duncan

OK, so the dining room, so the harpies. So I know we mentioned this before, but you're not supposed to be even be able to open the doors to the dining room. Until You’re second level. Did you stick to that rule?

Bruce Duncan

Yes.

Lance Duncan

Strictly? like there was no way we could outsmart the second level rule?

Bruce Duncan

There had to be at least one person that was second level. Generally speaking, if one person made it to second level, there were at least two others.

Lance Duncan

OK. Right. But if we were all first level, you just, there was no way we could Open the Doors. OK, cause Last time I ran this, they took the log from the from the trap room and used it as a battering ram.

Bruce Duncan

Well, that would do the job, I never Thought of that

Lance Duncan

Yeah. And so I was like, well, yeah, that'll open the door, I’m Not gonna . . .

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, no one ever thought of that.

Lance Duncan

But we never tried something like that, like burning down the door, or something creative.

Bruce Duncan

No, you guys never did. No, no.

Lance Duncan

Or using wizard knock

Bruce Duncan

Yeah.

Lance Duncan

We didn't do that.

Bruce Duncan

No.

Lance Duncan

So we were all second level, So then we probably had, well second level doesn't even, you never get better Saves at second level either anyway.

Bruce Duncan

No you don't.

Lance Duncan

So how did we deal with the harpies? Cause the same situation where they battered the doors down, they all failed their Saves. Well, all except for one. And he didn't have much choice By that point

Bruce Duncan

yeah. Several different scenarios happened. the Very first time you guys came in there. You had enough girls in the group That were, it was easier for Girls to save on harpies than it is for guys. So because you had the girls, you had three girls. They were actually able to dispatch the harpies.

Lance Duncan

Even though the guys were charmed?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, well the girls saw the harpies and immediately went into battle mode. And the guys were just kind of going uhhhh… You know, decide what are you going to do, and by the time they had actually made a decision which both of them had failed, The girls had already taken care of the harpies.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. OK.

Bruce Duncan

That was the first Time.

Lance Duncan

That was the first time.

Bruce Duncan

And after that I kept making the harpies a little stronger because the players were a little stronger.

Lance Duncan

right.

Bruce Duncan

So the last time, Which was right after you guys figured out About the Treasure chest and that there was a door that way into the room with the harpies. And you guys Specifically made the girls go first. Because the girls were elf, thief, And cleric.

Lance Duncan

well elves are immune to it anyway, aren't they?

Bruce Duncan
 right

Lance Duncan

Elves are immune to  . . . or something, or they get a plus to save, I don't know.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, they get a plus, A big plus.

Lance Duncan

Right.

Bruce Duncan

So anyway, the last time you guys went in from the treasure Room in there, and The elf was able to put an arrow in Both of them. Not killing blows, but definitely it hurt them enough where they would not be able to affect the guys and the guys then came in and slashed them to pieces.

Lance Duncan

Oh and did they, cuz I think the Harpies have an escape right up the chimney. Did They ever run away?

Bruce Duncan

They do if they’re fast enough. If they see that they're not going to save it.

Lance Duncan

Right. Did they ever actually get out?

Bruce Duncan

They started, on one adventure They started going that way, and as they were going up the chimney, someone got underneath and started shooting arrows up the chimney, and killed them that way. They did not escape. Ever.

Lance Duncan

And, right, so after the harpies are dead. There's the yellow mold on the Dining table. Were we ever tricked by the yellow mold?

Bruce Duncan

Two times. Yeah, the first time, And then you guys always remembered the yellow mold

Lance Duncan

We always knew what yellow mold was. So we were always careful . . . because I remember always being . . .

Bruce Duncan

But It was always the new person that did not know.

Lance Duncan

Yeah, I always, Yeah, it's like every time we see gold goblets or plates or anything. I was like, no gold, no matter what it was, where we were. Yeah. We never actually carried ten foot poles with us, but from how we played, we should have.

Bruce Duncan

No. Yes. It would have been a lot safer.

Lance Duncan

I mean we always had quarter staves and Spears, or whatever that we used or the end of our bow or whatever. But yeah, we should have carried a ten foot pole with us. So the yellow mold . . .

Bruce Duncan

Well, Picking up a coin and throwing it Worked a lot.

Lance Duncan

Yeah. So the lower levels, so basically it just gives you a list of monsters and the map and you can place it however you want. And I've lost your key. I Thought, you know I had saved it and I saved it on purpose, And I have no idea what happened to it now.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, the first of the lower levels.

Lance Duncan

It gives you a list of monsters to place and stuff.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, and I placed every single one of them and Some rooms were empty.

Lance Duncan

And sometimes we changed it. It wasn't always the same key for the same level.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, that's true. But that was my first time in developing a preset dungeon, and I did it several different ways. Each time it was different

Lance Duncan

And I've still got your maps for the lower levels for like three and four.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah. Lower than this . . .

Lance Duncan

But Again, I lost the key.

Bruce Duncan

Oh darn.

Lance Duncan

So on That, that's the map with a Blue Dragon on it.

Bruce Duncan

Right.

Lance Duncan

Did, but, it suggests putting a red dragon in the bottom. Did you put a blue dragon on purpose, or?

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, because they aren't as bad As a red dragon.

Lance Duncan

Oh, so you made it a little less strong, cause blue Dragon is still pretty strong.

Bruce Duncan

It is, but at least the Blue Dragon is not ready to kill you immediately.

Lance Duncan

Right, because they're neutral.

Bruce Duncan

Right. And also because I did not have an adult blue dragon.

Lance Duncan

Oh, you put it in as a . . .

Bruce Duncan

It Was an adolescent. And He had been deposited there when he was a baby and you guys were able to actually help him get out.

Lance Duncan

Right, It also suggests putting, making the lower levels bargle’s lair, you know from the from the solo adventure Bargle, the Magic user, who kills Alena. It also suggests putting him down there. Did you ever do that?

Bruce Duncan

I did once.

Lance Duncan

I don't remember meeting him.

Bruce Duncan

Well, I didn't do it for you guys, but I did it Back in Claremont with our other buddies, My other buddies, and they were able to actually track him down, Take him out.

Lance Duncan

So he's dead.

Bruce Duncan

Well, he's not just dead. His body was taken back to the city.

Lance Duncan

But again, that was another, That was the other group Before, so not playing with us, so I can change that.

Bruce Duncan

Right, right.

Lance Duncan

But we never actually met Bargle as far as that . . .

Bruce Duncan

No.

Lance Duncan

I mean outside of us doing The solo adventure.

Bruce Duncan

Right.

Lance Duncan

Which I don't think all of us did anyway. I don't know. So that's pretty much all my questions, Do you remember anything else about the lower levels or anything else?

Bruce Duncan

There was a rust monster in there that you guys seem to always have a problem with.

Lance Duncan

Well there’s a rust monster in the solo adventure.

Bruce Duncan

Yes. And because you always had a problem with the Rust Monster, I always put them in there. To see, if you guys could overcome him, and more often than not, you guys would just run away. But there was one time you were actually able to dispatch him. But it was from magic arrows and magic spells, That you were able to do that. And it saved all your weapons Because of that. Always before you guys would start losing your weapons and would have to flee because you didn't have anything to play them with.

Lance Duncan

I guess, unless you have anything else to say, I guess that covers it for today.

Bruce Duncan

Yeah, I think the Rest Monster was the most fun for me.

Lance Duncan

Awesome. LOL All right, till next time.

 

 

 

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