tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post4877828802956293314..comments2024-03-26T02:03:33.336-07:00Comments on Mazirian's Garden: Downtime Activities at Underworld Adventurer: Carousing and Finding the Right BuyerBen L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04568198881628052274noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-16060785639550861052020-11-11T06:54:06.014-08:002020-11-11T06:54:06.014-08:00I hear you. My experience is, though, that players...I hear you. My experience is, though, that players rarely use carousing if they have other options. They're too into pursuing their idiosyncratic projects, responding to pressing game opportunities, and so on, to care enough about spending a downtime action on an XP bump. Mainly when players do it is when their character is within a stone's throw of going up a level. But I'll think about what an alternative downtime action would be that would allow XP acquisition through other means. It's fun to think about these things! Ben L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04568198881628052274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-29235090743213376442020-11-10T13:58:58.957-08:002020-11-10T13:58:58.957-08:00I am asking because I tend to play characters who ...I am asking because I tend to play characters who don't carouse as a matter of personality but if this is the only way to get a substantial amount of XP, such method would leave such characters in a disadvantage in regards of class prowess.Kyanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992025061183651850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-31192135282461017382020-11-10T12:01:45.983-08:002020-11-10T12:01:45.983-08:00Good point! I am wary as well of making the base t...Good point! I am wary as well of making the base town too interesting and which tempts the players to hangout there as opposed to going back to Castle XyantillanWarren D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05634722785917786420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-57549438907155971742020-11-10T07:45:04.483-08:002020-11-10T07:45:04.483-08:00My instinct is that it depends on how much of a mi...My instinct is that it depends on how much of a mini-game you want selling off goods to be. If you want it to be a small mini-game, then Nick's single approach probably work. If you want it to be a larger part of what players think about, then having a separate table for blackmarket/thieves guild would work well. Anyway, it sounds like a fun direction to take things!Ben L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04568198881628052274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-61312729943678976922020-11-10T07:18:03.741-08:002020-11-10T07:18:03.741-08:00What does everyone thing about the advantages of a...What does everyone thing about the advantages of a thieves guild or blackmarket is vs. finding a buyer?<br /><br />I've always had any sort of fence be good for doing something: Quietly, Quickly, or Max Value<br /><br />Pick 1 or 2 depending on the size of the cut the fence takes. Would this be better moved to the blackmarket?Warren D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05634722785917786420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-89517918525761793802020-11-10T06:51:51.754-08:002020-11-10T06:51:51.754-08:00It's the only way to double dip on experience....It's the only way to double dip on experience. Originally I had tithing to a church and so on, but now I've subsumed that under spiritual exercises and building an institution. Looking at it again, without the 1d6 roll, it's a bit extravagant. Let me amend it a bit.Ben L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04568198881628052274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-13411925279560445492020-11-09T14:19:02.806-08:002020-11-09T14:19:02.806-08:00Is carousing in Mazirian's Garden the only way...Is carousing in Mazirian's Garden the only way to get this amount of XP during the downtime?Kyanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992025061183651850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-18245189768597989792020-11-08T11:37:52.813-08:002020-11-08T11:37:52.813-08:00Oh simpler is good - I suspect when I right up a C...Oh simpler is good - I suspect when I right up a Carousing table for Crystal Frontier I'll end doing something much smaller - because opportunities for carousing are less in a single dusty frontier town, but I bet that's the key, using carousing and haven actions generally to build setting and encourage engagement. One really wants to do a specific one for anywhere that needs a bit of life.<br /><br />Festivals, feast days and such seem especially important for big urban centers, so yeah that's a good move.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-62828769278951547992020-11-08T10:47:35.290-08:002020-11-08T10:47:35.290-08:00Thanks, Gus! I think the sales rules are one of my...Thanks, Gus! I think the sales rules are one of my favorite things I've made for the campaign.<br /><br />I looked at all of those different carousing rules when I made mine. Those three tables are great! I choose to keep mine a little simpler because I am constantly experimenting with unique carousing rules for festivals, holidays, and funeral receptions. Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09073293176525195996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202612634352350608.post-38670094864451159682020-11-08T09:58:42.999-08:002020-11-08T09:58:42.999-08:00The sales mechanic is nice, I really enjoy haven a...The sales mechanic is nice, I really enjoy haven activities that are little mini-games, quick to resolve, interesting and add complexity. One doesn't really want to play out the events as each PC is likely up to something different and one usually wants to retain focus on the adventure. <br /><br />I'd also point out that I modified my carousing table/procedure since 2013 - simplifying and expanding the table. For HMS Apollyon I used this:<br />https://dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com/2014/11/carousing-tables-hms-apollyon-players.html<br />The key changes are that A) There's always an XP gain, but it's level capped B) There's always a complication - good or bad C) The player gets a choice of what broad category (Debauchery, Lust, or Violence) draws the PC's interest with unique tables -- though for a less compressed town I think neighborhood carousing based on expenditure might be a worthy substitute. <br /><br />It's so good to see these ideas on haven/downtime play, an underappreciated part of dungeon crawl/classic games that can be surprisingly tricky really. I suspect that Ultan's Door 4 may be about haven play/urban life?Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.com