Alrighty then

Ok, more people are reading this than I thought. So I will definitely continue to write about the group's adventures through (creepy voice)The World's Largest Dungeon.(/creepy voice)

I just wanted to make sure that more than a few were reading this thing. The people I knew who were reading it were mostly people I talk to nearly every week anyway. But it looks like there are enough are reading my ramblings.

So thanks to everyone who sent an e-mail to me.

Now as for what people would like to see on this blog...

#1) More boobs.
Sorry not a chance there. There's only guys in this group. And although many of us guys probably could (or should) wear a bra...well that's just nasty.

#2) How long will we be playing in the WLD?
Until there's a TPK or we get bored of it. Both are entirely possible. We stopped my other game to play this, plus Dale's getting itchy to run a game. There's a chance that we'll start alternating campaigns on a semiregular basis, but I want to see if the current region is much improved over region A. (So far the answer is yes)

#3) Do you have any other websites for your group?
Not for D&D. We have a Yahoogroup that we use to help with e-mails and such (like links to Jack Chick's "Oh no! Not Blackleaf!" page). I would like to have one, but that costs money. And I'm a tad cheap.

#4) Stats for the PCs.
I've been meaning to get around to this. I'll put up a quick note about each PC and their basic info sometime in the next couple of weeks.

#5) About the webcamera idea...
Yeah that blew. But I tried. It didn't work out all that well. Now I know. "And knowing is half the battle." ...or... "The moral is, never try."

#6) Can you give some tips on running the WLD?
Absolutely.
First is that region A had some last minute trouble during final stages of its release (at least that is my understanding). So it gives a lot of people who run the WLD a couple sessions of fun fighting goblinoids, fiendish rats, fiendish darkmantles, and fiendish stirges but those get boring by the fourth week. So change it. Make it more to yours and your group's liking. Not everything you have read in this blog is 100% pure WLD. I changed many things around to make the module more fit to my style of running (I am a bastard DM - my players will back me up on that). I had to change Longtail around because Joe was playing the WLD with another group for awhile - so I made Pwok and his buddy Deltin. I also used E-tools to create a few more fiendish critters just for some variety.
Second, let the players screw things up on their own but be ready to help them. If they stick around in a fight that is obviously not going to end well for them, that is not your problem. Don't pull the punches. The WLD gets harder and harder with every region. Now I know I made the hellwasp swarm weaker, but I also pushed the parties buttons (I believe my actual rant referred to them as "candy-assed pansies"). But I also let the party know their about to change regions.
Third, don't read too much into the book unless you have an eidetic memory. I am only reading as much as is needed to allow me to focus on that region alone. With 100+ rooms per region and multiple factions acting within a region, I'm not about to spread myself too thin. Now that doesn't mean I won't skim over a few other regions just to help with foreshadowing and whatnot.
And finally, delegate some work to the players. Aaron helps me out by keeping track of time in the dungeon and laying out the map on the table. That probably saves 1/2 an hour a night. When you only play about 4 hours a night, 3 nights a month, that adds up.

#7) What's with Dalron? Why does he keep getting clobbered?
That's just Dale. Dale has three bad things going against him.
First off, he is an old school D&D man. He used to have the 1st edition AD&D DMG memorized. But he still has trouble going from 1E AD&D to 3.5E D&D. It causes some indirect problems when it comes to game mechanics.
Second, Dale loves his ideas but doesn't quite think them through or doesn't give them the time required. When the ogre pounded Dalron to jelly in region A, it was because he didn't want to spend a whole extra round to safely get behind the ogre. So he decided to run past the ogre's nice, long weapon reach. Say hello to my little club (2d6+7).
Third and most importantly; the dice just hate Dale. Actually he just has some major hot and cold streaks. He can roll 20 after 20 and then he'll think he's on a roll and starts taking some risks and pays the price. Other nights his die rolls will "suck-diddly-uck" and he'll be afraid try anything. It kind of creates a cycle.

#8) Are you that long winded?
Yeah. But at the moment I'm at work and I can't concrentrate, I'm having some trouble with a task, it's Friday, and it's the holiday season. So I'm just piling it on. Ok, no one actually asked me this question, but I felt it was needed.

#9) This question was asked by someone who I believe was only 12-13 when he was attempting to watch us play on the webcam. I didn't have time to answer him then. What do you say when people ask you about playing D&D?
I'm honest with them. I say, "Yes I play Dungeons & Dragons." I don't say it with any special emotion. They usually follow it up with a "why do you play it" or a "how do you win it" kind of question. My response is pretty much along the lines of "It's simply a reason for guys to get together and do something. When 6 guys get together and watch a football game on TV and yell and scream and such, they could just be doing it alone. But the game itself is the excuse most guys need to socialize."
Now if you have a religious nutbar asking you the question...well good luck. I've had no luck changing the opinions of people who have already made up their mind about the game even though the only stories they've heard is from a friend-of-a-friend-who-knew-this-kid-who-did-something-evil. You could have all the proof in the world to refute their claims, but that never matters. I'll stop there before I start ranting.

Now all I ask of all of you is to let me know what you like, what you don't like, and most of all, that you're still reading it.

As always, send your e-mails to Sean Nester at seannester@hotmail.com
I like receiving the e-mails & comments.