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| Dragon 43 | - | - | - | Dragon |
GenCon XIII, if notable for nothing else, had the largest single
AD&D tournament yet staged.
In the 4 days it ran, the tournament
became an endurance test for players and judges alike, as 9-character
teams battled their way past euroz, jebli,
gnolls
and other perils
to discover the secrets of the powers of the slavers of the
Pomarj in
the World of Greyhawk. 5 first
rounds were required to narrow the
contestants down to a mere 135 semi-finalists which in turn became
only 45 finalists, To do all this required 5 different 1st-round scenarios,
a semi-final round, and a final-round design.
The tournament scenarios which were used form TSR's new "A"
series modules. Of the 4 modules of the series, 1 has been released
and the others will appear in the months to come. Released Now is
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity,
while coming in the future will be A2:
Secret of the Slavers Stockade,
A3: Aerie of the Slave Lords, and
A4:
In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords.
Each module contains 1 or
2 of the scenarios which were used, plus further information and
encounters for use in a campaign.
Briefly sketched, the modules deal with the
Slave Lords and their
ring, an organized band of raiders. A1
starts the characters in a port
city of the wild Pomarj, a regiion
overrun by humanoids, there to
destroy the denizens of a ruined temple && gain information
leading
to the next step. From the information gained, the characters travel
to
A2, a deserted fort used as
a stopping point for caravans of slavers.
Here they must discover the secret which the leader of the stockade
<link=leader>
holds. After this, led on by clues, the party must enter the secret
town
of the Slave Lords (A3)
and find and destroy the slavers' council. The
final module leads adventure in the hidden dungeons of the town,
and here, in A4, the characters
will be tested to the utmost of their wits
and skills.
The following sections will give both the players and judges of the
first module in the series (A1: Slave Pits
of the Undercity) some advice
and suggestions for good play, based on the experiences of
players and judges in the GenCon tournament.
During the 2 sessions of tournament play presented in A1
(the
temple and sewer sections), it soon became obvious what made a winning
team. Several of these qualities have been printed before, but in
some cases it was obvious that the lessons had not been learned. The
most important factors for the teams that did well were organization
and decisiveness. Organization shoed in many ways. Since players
were working under a 4-hour Time limit
and their time began the
minute they were given the character sheets, long set-up times hurt
the party, cutting into the actual amount of time they had to actually
play.
Therefore, quickly deciding who should play what character and listing
(either on paper or a blackboard) the HP,
class, level, and
special items of each character helped to quickly get things under
way. The choice of caller was also important; a strong, quick-thinking
caller whom the others obeyed often pulled a mediocre team into the
upper ranks. Quick decisions about what to do and bold actions usually
succeeded in pulling a group through a tough situation. No party
was helped by the Magic-User who
said, "I think I'll cast this spell--
no, maybe I won't -- well, I don't know." This type of play only slows
down the game, frustrates other players, and allows the
DM more
time to plan his or her actions.
Players entering A1 should not
be afraid to fight. In some ways this
module is a hack-and-slash piece, although there are some surprises.
The sewers and the temple are well guarded and players will have to
take on several defenses that are designed to kill intruders. At the
same Time, several situations will require
the players to stop and think
and some (especially the non-tournament areas) are best handled by
running away. When fighting, characters should also do their best to
distribute the damage among the party members, rotating the point
position when necessary. Nine somewhat wounded characters will
prove to be more more useful than 4 or 5 fit characters.
When playing the tournament, as in all tournaments, it is important
to always advance. Players who ignore an obvious route because it
looks too dangerous or impossible or characters who waste time
searching dead ends when there is someplace else to go are not going
to win. Speed is important in timed situations. One should never go
back when there is a way forward. Again, this applies to being ready
to
attack, make quiick decisions, and act. Players should always have
one
eye on the clock, watching the amount of time they have left.
The spells and special items of characters hvae been chosen
specifically for those characters given in the back of the module.
Certain encounters in the sewers and the temple have been designed
to make the best use of these spells and items. The character who has
a Wand of Fire should realize that it was intended that he or she use
that item in the module. Therefore, spells and items should not be
hoarded and never used, but should be saved until that moment when
they can do the most damage to the enemy. This is a tricky guessing
situation for the player and a good team will show its talent in using
its
powers well. Those characters with spells and items should be sure
they understand these thoroughly, including ranges, areas of effect,
durations, and limitations. In tournament play, spellcasters often
managed to kill or severely injure more members of their own party
than monsters. Many situations in the module can prompt a panicked
reaction -- casting a Fireball without thinking about space, or a Color
Spray from the center of the party, were two of the examples that
occurred. Such errors will quickly serve to reduce a party's chances.
When judging Slave Pits of the Undercity, it is important that
the
monsters act to the best of their ability. For example, orcs and half-orcs
are intelligent and will know a great deal about fighting and how to
survive. Aside from the instructions concerning how to handle monsters
that are given in the module, certain other tactics may be normally
followerd by intelligent monsters. In corridors and constricting
spaces, the greatest number of attacks will be made against leaders
--
those in front, obvious spellcasters, and those shouting orders. In
large
spaces where combat is more general, intelligent monsters will attempt
to surround and isolate party members, increasing their attacks
on weaker-looking members unless the instructions giiven say otherwise.
One option not stated in the module that an enterprising DM might
want to consider is attempting to capture the party. Several areas
--
the false slaves, the final area of the tournament sections -- would
have more than enough figures to attempt to overpower a weakened
or small party of characters. Should such an attempt succeed, the
slavers will try to learn how much the characters know of the operation
-- either through trickery, spells, or torture. Once any information
has been gained, the characters would be treated as slaves to be taken
to the main stronghold of the slavers and from there sold into slavery
(an adventure in itself). Of course, proper precautions would be taken
to prevent thieves from escaping., Clerics from praying, or Magic-Users
from regaining spells, and all equipment would be taken away (never
to be seen again?). However, if the DM does not want to go to all this
trouble, it might be just as likely that the slavers would cut the
throats
of the party as a warning to other foolhardy adventurers of the risks
they take.
There are two corrections to be made on the map of A1, both of
which should be obvious to those DMs who have already read the
module. The first is in the upper section (temple) at area 16. This
should be lettered 16A, 16B, and 16C; not 16, 16A, 16B. The other is
on the key to the module -- a circle indicates a trap door in the floor,
A1 is fun and tough, a good challenge for a band of hearty adventurers
of mid-level. As one player in the tournament said, "I'm
going to get this module and inflict it on my friends." If he did,
they
were sure to have some challennges.
| The Winners!
Out of more than 800 players who competed,
Michael Lang (also named Best Adventurer)
Also honored as Best Judge of the 40-plus
Dragon offers its congratulations to David
|