{"id":5698,"date":"2012-05-28T19:00:40","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T02:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/?p=5698"},"modified":"2012-05-29T10:44:11","modified_gmt":"2012-05-29T17:44:11","slug":"tweets-of-horror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/2012\/05\/28\/tweets-of-horror\/","title":{"rendered":"Tweets of Horror"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-in-reply-to=\"206799486834581505\">\n<p>@<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\">robdaviaugamer<\/a> LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU SO HARD RIGHT NOW<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matthew Baldwin (@matthewbaldwin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/matthewbaldwin\/status\/206803865872510976\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T17:47:38+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Over the Memorial Day weekend, Rob Daviau ran an epic game of <em>Tomb of Horrors<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Lest the names ring no bells: &#8220;Rob Daviau&#8221; was previously mentioned on this blog as designer of the excellent <a href='http:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/2012\/01\/25\/risk-legacy\/'>Risk: Legacy<\/a>, while &#8220;<em>Tomb of Horrors<\/em>&#8221; is the legendary (and notoriously lethal) 1978 adventure for Advanced Dungeons &#038; Dragons, the playing of which was <em>de rigueur<\/em> for anyone who dabbled in the 1st edition of AD&#038;D. <\/p>\n<p>Throughout the month of May, Daviau sent a number of tweets about his preparations for the big game. Finally, over the Memorial Day weekend, he inflicted the dungeon on his friends, and kept his Twitter followers appraised of the carnage. <\/p>\n<p>Here are his tweets, reprinted with permission:<\/p>\n<p><u><b>Prologue<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Going to run people through 1st Edition Tomb of Horror in a few weeks. <\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/198396351556485120\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-04T12:59:10+00:00\">May 4, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Oh yeah. Found in my basement. Blank yellow sheets for each character class inside. Bonus: I feel like I&#8217;m 12 again. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/qI3Q7JqP\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/198493132839583744\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/198493132839583744\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-04T19:23:46+00:00\">May 4, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Generating PCs for a 1st edition AD&amp;D romp through Tomb of Horrors. Lots of fondness for that edition but it really makes no sense.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/202927885307228160\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-17T01:05:52+00:00\">May 17, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Also shocked at how many things I remember, like HP bonuses for a 16 CON and damage for a long sword.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/202928050730573825\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-17T01:06:32+00:00\">May 17, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-in-reply-to=\"205368148994699265\">\n<p>@<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jbrinkmeyer\">jbrinkmeyer<\/a> That can be arranged. We also have the &#8220;die quietly like a bitch&#8221; option as well.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/205368667746205698\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-23T18:44:40+00:00\">May 23, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>Day One<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Tomb of Horrors begins. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/BGWN9IoX\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206449211313627136\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206449211313627136\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-26T18:18:25+00:00\">May 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Real entrance to tomb of horrors found. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/N9ozVYBD\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206452977756672000\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206452977756672000\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-26T18:33:20+00:00\">May 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Ten foot poles came in handy. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/Zu3lct5o\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206457976876306432\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206457976876306432\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-26T18:53:12+00:00\">May 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Tomb of Horrors update. Two mauled by a gargoyle. Two dead. 18 PCs now left to finish.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206470572786466816\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-26T19:43:15+00:00\">May 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>The dead. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/im91ox2t\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206470710791647232\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206470710791647232\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-26T19:43:48+00:00\">May 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>Day Two<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Excited to kill more hapless PCs today in Tomb of Horrors.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206729281777311744\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T12:51:16+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Coffee, donuts, tombs, and death. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/P3127B2s\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206745161097691136\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206745161097691136\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T13:54:22+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Secret door maze. Tomb of Horrors. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/1Bq5nc28\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206780372313317376\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206780372313317376\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T16:14:17+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Second great hall. Need to kill someone soon. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/rGIZwsoT\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206783724648529921\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206783724648529921\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T16:27:37+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Giant skeleton in the chest failed to kill. Disappointing. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/6iw6ZDy0\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206792307599618049\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206792307599618049\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T17:01:43+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>First character to be spat out nude from the tomb. Effectively a kill. 3 down. 17 to go.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206818527162793984\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T18:45:54+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Room 14. Chapel of Evil. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search\/%2523tombofhorrors\">#tombofhorrors<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/xQwm3zAq\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206823231313805312\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206823231313805312\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T19:04:36+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Someone touched the altar. One more dead. 16 left.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206823988314386433\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T19:07:36+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>People fall in pits. People miss poison spikes. Sad. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search\/%2523TombOfHorrors\">#TombOfHorrors<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206829579074146304\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T19:29:49+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Hallway of pits. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search\/%2523TombOfHorrors\">#TombOfHorrors<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/E9JCiFHe\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206830798249275392\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206830798249275392\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T19:34:40+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Fighting the false lich.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206842185491021825\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T20:19:54+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Done for the day. Fatigue all around (and time to be a dad). Will finish in AM.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/206854297227505664\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-27T21:08:02+00:00\">May 27, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>Day Three<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>The Tomb hungers! (But I don&#8217;t, because I had pancakes.) <\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207098356558856193\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T13:17:50+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Man, I love this Dwarven Forge stuff. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search\/%2523tombofhorrors\">#tombofhorrors<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/V1OdfoBu\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207106820148432896\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207106820148432896\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T13:51:29+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Totally fast forwarded past the Siren and rolling elephant. They are about to enter the Pillared Throne Room. <\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207126872356691968\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T15:11:09+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>The Pillared Hall. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/LmISISHO\" title=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207129925843566592\/photo\/1\">twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207129925843566592\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T15:23:17+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Acererak sucked out one soul. That feels good. <\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207150096201154561\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T16:43:26+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Tomb of Horrors done. Satisfied and tired.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207155134722093057\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T17:03:27+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>Epilogue<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Final count. Two mauled. One electrocuted. One burned. Two fled. One sacrificed. One soul devoured. <\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207155799984832512\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T17:06:06+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p>Rewrote the lyrics to Jim Carroll&#8217;s &#8220;People Who Died&#8221; to commemorate the Tomb of Horrors victims. Just don&#8217;t know where to post it.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; robdaviaugamer (@robdaviaugamer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/robdaviaugamer\/status\/207210188468531202\" data-datetime=\"2012-05-28T20:42:13+00:00\">May 28, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<b><u>A Point of Clarification<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Says Daviau:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The victory condition was &#8220;steal the demi-lich&#8217;s treasure and leave,&#8221; not &#8220;kill the demi-lich&#8221;. The first is possible; the second is not. Careful reading of the text shows that you can rob him blind in the final room as long as you don&#8217;t touch his skull. If you do that, you die. Once my players figured out &#8220;don&#8217;t touch the skull&#8221;, they won.<\/p>\n<p>The things you need to do to kill the demi-lich are so obscure, non-intuitive, and bizarre that no one would think to do them. And the adventure doesn&#8217;t give any clues to it so you&#8217;d have to work it in to the campaign ahead of time.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>Q&#038;A<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<p><b>Matthew<\/b>: Do you play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons?<br \/>\n<b>Rob Daviau<\/b>:  I did as a middle school kid, then off and on since then. I play when I can, but finding a regular campaign has eluded me since about 1999. Either I don&#8217;t the time, or a group is too far away, or, as often is the case, the group just doesn&#8217;t feel right. Being in a D&#038;D group is like being in a band. If the vibe is slightly off, it&#8217;s just not the same.<\/p>\n<p><b>M<\/b>: Why 1st edition <em>Tomb of Horrors<\/em>?<br \/>\n<b>RD<\/b>: I&#8217;m 42, so 1e is the way I&#8217;ve played 85%+ of my D&#038;D experiences. As I got older, I didn&#8217;t have the time I did when I was 11-15. So there&#8217;s a certain fondness for it. I&#8217;ve also been playtesting the <a href='http:\/\/community.wizards.com\/dndnext'>D&#038;DNext<\/a> rules for <a href='http:\/\/company.wizards.com\/'>Wizards of the Coast<\/a> since November and I wanted to go back and see how 1e rules felt as an adult&#8211;how much was nostalgia and how much still held together.<\/p>\n<p>Playing <em>Tomb of Horrors<\/em> came after reading <a href='http:\/\/www.readyplayerone.com\/'>Ready Player One<\/a>, where the 1e Tomb has a prominent role. After finishing the book I went back and read the module for the first time in 30 years. It seemed unfair, biased, and kind of crazy. My guess is that future editions make it more &#8220;fair&#8221;, so I wanted to go back to Gygax&#8217;s original vision.<\/p>\n<p>I have to say that the experience, both the system and the module, were far better than I expected from the prep work. I scared the hell out of the players and they really did take their time to think things through, resulting in a far lower death rate than anticipated, and hoped for. Also 1e, for all its useless parts, really puts things in the hands of the DM. You only use about 5% of the rules since the rest don&#8217;t really make sense. What I discovered is that a lack of rules results a lack of rules lawyers. Its as simple as that.<\/p>\n<p><b>M<\/b>: I&#8217;ve never played <em>Tomb of Horrors<\/em>, but isn&#8217;t 20 PCs an insane number of players?<br \/>\n<b>RD<\/b>: It would be if that were a player count, but it was a character count. I was at a friend&#8217;s home convention, where there was going to be over 30 people, with perhaps 15 or so D&#038;D players. But I didn&#8217;t want people to have to commit to the whole adventure (it took about 8-10 hours), nor be disappointed if they died in the first minute, so I recast the adventure as a sort of puzzle. Five players would play at once, using characters from the pre-gen pool; when a character died, a new one could be brought in. This way players could come and go, and also not feel bad if they character they were playing died suddenly.<\/p>\n<p><b>M<\/b>: At one point you mention Dwarven Forge. What is that?<br \/>\n<b>RD<\/b>:  The company that makes the <a href='http:\/\/www.dwarvenforge.com\/'>incredible 3D dungeon walls, floors, etc.<\/a>, that you see throughout my pictures. My friend has just enough money and just too little willpower, and ended up buying a tremendous amount of it about 10 years ago. We had a lot of fun building these rooms. Grown nerds just look for opportunities like this.<\/p>\n<p><b>M<\/b>: May I post your Jim Carroll &#8220;People Who Died&#8221; rewrite?<br \/>\n<b>RD<\/b>: Please do. I wrote it because there were people still at the convention who had spent the weekend actually jamming in the garage. I threw it at them as a challenge to learn and record it. The results are below.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<u><b>All the PCs Who Died<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nFodder the Fighter, he was 8 levels high<br \/>\nGargoyle hit him, ripped out his spine<br \/>\nAryk was next up on the gargoyle\u2019s list<br \/>\nThrew him in a pit but Aryk can\u2019t fly<br \/>\nDavin entered an arch of smoke and mist<br \/>\nSprung out naked and started to cry<br \/>\nHe was a friend of mine<\/p>\n<p>Those are PCs who died, died<br \/>\nThey were all my friends, and they died<\/p>\n<p>Karl was astonishing, a gnome of some reknown<br \/>\nTouched a lightning altar so they put him in the ground<br \/>\nDravin got the shakes from a gas of fear and dread<br \/>\nFled the tomb of horrors, with our gold but he\u2019s not dead<br \/>\nThey were two more friends of mine<br \/>\nTwo more friends that died<\/p>\n<p>Those are PCs who died, died<br \/>\nThey were all my friends, and they died<\/p>\n<p>The Mincer ran in fear and took a bad left turn<br \/>\nSlid down a polished slope and started to burn<br \/>\nNo-name 12 was a wizard who the group agreed to kill<br \/>\nTo find a secret door that was invisible<br \/>\nAnd No-name 12, I miss you more than all the others<br \/>\nAnd I salute you brother<\/p>\n<p>Those are PCs who died, died<br \/>\nThey were all my friends, and they died<\/p>\n<p>Howard Hughes the cleric had just found his groove<br \/>\nEnded up some jelly on the demi-lich roof<br \/>\nCringar of West had been there longest<br \/>\nBut someone knocked the skull and Acererak kills the strongest<br \/>\nBut Cringar didn\u2019t cry, Cringar died<\/p>\n<p>Those are PCs who died, died<br \/>\nThey were all my friends, and they died<\/p>\n<p>The rest grabbed the loot from the last little room<br \/>\nMade their way out of this filthy little tomb<br \/>\nThey got some bitchin potions, a rod, and some gems<br \/>\nSo the others didn\u2019t die in vain,<br \/>\nAnd No-Name 12, I miss you more than all the others<br \/>\nAnd I salute you brother<\/p>\n<p>Those are PC who died, died<br \/>\nThey were all my friends, and they died\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div align='center'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X2dReTheNGs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>@robdaviaugamer LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU SO HARD RIGHT NOW &mdash; Matthew Baldwin (@matthewbaldwin) May 27, 2012 Over the Memorial Day weekend, Rob Daviau ran an epic game of Tomb of Horrors. Lest the names ring no bells: &#8220;Rob Daviau&#8221; was previously mentioned on this blog as designer of the excellent Risk: Legacy, while &#8220;Tomb of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,46],"tags":[61,58,60,59],"class_list":["post-5698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-games","category-tweets","tag-dd","tag-dungeonsanddragons","tag-rpg","tag-tombofhorror"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5698"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5748,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions\/5748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/defectiveyeti.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}