I CAST LIGHT ON 2024: Reflections On The Year Behind & Ahead

Image I made at the beginning of 2024 with the idea of making
and running an OD&D dungeon with a dragon in the middle

I don't have a very clever angle to this post other than reflecting on my 2024 in terms of Dungeons & Dragons. A reflection appropriate given it was D&D's 50th anniversary.

I CAST LIGHT!

I'll end this year with about ~37-38 posts. Slightly down from previous years (~44/year), but IRL work got much busier and took some energy away from creating. However, I did happen to do a fair amount of creating for my own Nightwick Abbey campaign and I think if that material was posted I'd have hit my average.

In all I'm very appreciative of the readership here at ICL!. Its been wonderful to see that a few posts resonate with the large D&D hobby and also nice to have connected with a few of the "celebrities" I used to read about in the G+ era (RIP) when I was learning in those circles. But I'm just as pleased that posts here have also helped other DMs to just run games. A driving force of this blog as always been to put play above all else.

Of the posts written in 2024, here are the three that seem to garner the most interest:

• What Is Interesting About Basic Dungeoneering
• You Can Keep Your Borderlands
• As The World Turns

NIGHTWICK ABBEY

Certainly, no other RPG material has cast a shadow over this blog than Miranda Elkins' Nightwick Abbey megadungeon. And that will not change in 2025, when those hell-haunted halls will continue their horrific howling.

The Weeknights in Nightwick group completed their 100th delve in October of 2024! A milestone, I think, in the modern age where old-school megadungeons are still a rarely glimpsed coelacanth.  Our Weeknights party earned an important distinction too this year, as the first group to travel to Level 4 of the Nightwick Abbey. In the ~13 years that Miranda has been running it this was a first. On a more individual level, my magic user, Mayfly, reached 6th level (warlock) and might have also sold his soul (positive). Our group is still strong at 9-10 players and shows no signs of flagging- so here's to 50 more delves in 2025!

Flipping to the other side of the DM screen, my Where Hell Comes To Prey campaign reached its 24 delve in 2024. Very respectable and even some of the PCs have made it to level 3 and 4 at a pace similar to what we experienced in the Weeknights group so I am pleased. I find that running a campaign, even one I play in, has been good opportunity for me to generate material for running a game much of which I've not yet put on this blog. In running Nightwick I've had to think about:

• If 100-minute megadungeon sessions are enough to run a consistent campaign
• How to transform random encounters into noteworthy villains
• Alternative forms of carousing beyond "orgies, inc"
• What is needed to make a "boss" monster threatening
• Where do all these cultists come from and what do they want?
• Secret societies from materials and treasures in Nightwick
• How do you run a megadungeon setting as a 3-hour one-shot at a convention?

And you know what? Even with playing and DMing Nightwick, I still get excited to run/play more! Deepest bow to Miranda's horrible (good) creation. 

And if you want to learn more about the world of Nightwick from Miranda? You can follow her blog here and the ongoing development of Nightwick Abbey at her Patreon here. And even play here at Start Playing.

CONVENTIONS

I attended two conventions in 2024: Reaper CON and GameHole CON. I DM'ed at both I think a total of 21 hours of Nightwick Abbey. It was interesting to come up with a scenario that hopefully showed off the Abbey, provided some of the same choices that would naturally be made exploring a megadungeon, and was an exciting 3 hours of old-school play. Over 7 games, the forces of Law were able to escape with the vicar 3x while the Abbey racked up 4 TKO of most of the party (not a TPK, but 85% death).

I enjoy running games at conventions, but it is really exhausting! DMing takes energy and there is a little bit of stress the comes along with hoping complete strangers are having fun with your style of D&D. And while each con certainly has its own flavor and vibes, running con games is a very similar experience no matter which con I go too. I think in the long run, I might favor more local cons over traveling too far. But who knows, I'd like to hit up GaryCon.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025

Post more "good-enough" adventures here on ICL!. I am far too precious with my creations. And would like to work toward writing stuff for myself, not publication, and getting interesting ideas circulating among the hobby.

Finish Serpent Psalms to compliment The Serpent Song Hymnal. Having the Hymnal when I run games has been fantastic, so I'd like my players to have a complimentary version.

Run a game with friends and family who have expressed an interest in D&D and are always curious about exactly what I am doing. Its hard deciding on how I want to do this. Maybe an OD&D campaign using my dreamlands material? Maybe a Dolmenwood campaign? Maybe just a BX dungeon with a dragon at the center?

Running Daisy Chainsaw which seems like a ripping good time.

Learn to pain miniature better and run more minature skirmish games like Brawl Arcane 

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People Session 106

 

I'm giving a bit shorter report these days for Nightwick in an effort to make them more timely. If these horrid halls of Nightwick Abbey call to you, then please join Miranda Elkins' Patreon! (Um, maybe not this time because I forgot to post!)

Blossom (Rogue 6)
Sir Uein (Fighter 6)
Mayfly (Magician 6)
Liminal Space (Changeling 5)
Thekla (Magician 5)
Krupe (Cleric 5)
Pataki (Rogue 1)
Cohrwhnk (Fighter 1)

AT THE MEDUSA'S HEAD...

On the 9th of Uno-December, Cupsday, the party assembled once again at the best bar in Nightwick Village to plot and plan a descent into the worst place near Nightwick Village. The group is joined by a fighter from Volgury (a new player, how exciting!) seeking fame and fortune in the halls of Nightwick. With the new member, the party decides to focus on (1) finding Great King Death and (2) re-mapping Level 3 post-shifts.

...DOWN IN NIGHTWICK...

• Once again the PCs are met by a strange man when they reach the edge of Nightwick Village, "BEHOLD! Nightwick Abbey!" he shouts hitting a somewhat musical note. Then, he disappears into the treeline. In an effort to show Cohrwhnk around, the party seeks out the graveyard where mysteriously a number of freshly dug graves equal to the party shows up every time they arrive.
• The players enter the Abbey through the mausoleum entrances and almost get themselves covered in acid were it not for Blossom's keep thieving skills. Now it is not a stuck door, but a wide 10' pool of acid blocking the party.
• The PCs turn around, head north, but have to pause to cross-reference their map with Sir Uein's. Fortunately, no encounters with the Abbey faithful occur and the party is able to get back on track when the turn east. Mayfly also consults the gold skull to find the location of the cranial caster's long lost spellbook.
• After some wandering, the party turns north from the "pelvis room" to confront two double doors; as the party starts working on opening the doors,  a pack of beaked ghouls charges into the front rank! The party is surprised!! And the ghouls are hungry!!!
• Poor Cohrowhnk is shredded by the sharp talons and vicious claws, and then the rest of the front rank collapses to the paralytic and hallucinogenic venom in the ghoul talons! (PC EDIT: We had a surprise round followed by losing initiative- terrible situation...)
• The remaining party is quick to pull themselves together and form a last line around Mayfly who is able to immolate the pack before the ghouls finish everyone else off.
• When binding wounds and tending to those in the throws of ghoul venom, the party is approached by cultists in robes covered in purple flame and all with pale visages, the party cuts a deal with this never-before-seen group to live and let live. The cultists withdraw.
• Once inside the room with the double doors, the party is able to find multiple bags containing silver which maps this delve a successful one! Well...save for the one dead member (PC EDIT: But to be fair dying in your first session is classic Nightwick) 

AT THE MEDUSA'S HEAD...

After a hastily gulping down a drink, the party takes stock: 320xp each and 200 sp gained, well, we've certainly had more PCs die for less.

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People Session 41

 

Previously in Nightwick...

Since Sotar did not delve this session, Mayfly has put pen to paper once again to recount the adventures in Nightwick.

The party awakens once again in Nightwick Village

Von Snorly (Frogling 2)
Mayfly (Magic-User 3)
Grolmes (Fighter 1)
Anston (Fighter 2)
Cherwe (Cleric 3)
Liminal Space (Changeling 2)
Mechtild (Fighter 1) 
Blossom (Rogue 4)

Hirelings: Ticze (Changeling 1), Gerung (Magic-User 1)

AT THE MEDUSA'S HEAD...

A little deep discussion is had with regards to the Abbey other than how to loot it. This is fine with Mayfly after recently purchasing a home and losing all of his money by throwing a party for Grolmes' safe return from the Abbey. On a more positive front, Cherwe's philanthropic efforts impressed the local community so much, she gained a devotee. 

PC NOTE: Carousing is basically performed by rolling 1d8 and multiplying it by 100 sp which is money spent and equal XP gained. However, Mayfly rolled an 8 and only had 600 sp, so he lost all his money and only gained 1/2 the total XP-- so 400 XP.

PC NOTE 2: This is a long one, so appologize if some details are fuzzy or names incorrect.

...DOWN IN NIGHTWICK...

WEST TOWER: Becoming experienced at navigating Nightwick's hellish halls, the PCs are able to consult numerous maps about the quickest way to the second level. The goal is mainly exploration. Once the party has a better understanding of what's there, future delves can be made with purpose.

The Cult of the Lady
sable four blood drops gules in full

DINING HALL: The party is brought up short of its goal by a group of cultists! Their wavy short swords and blood-drop adorned cloaks signify they are the cult of The Lady. Blossom kills one with a bow, Liminal is able to hypnotize one and walk them into a trap, and Mayfly blinds another. But unshaken, the cultists press their attack requiring one more round of combat before the party finishes them off; 488 SP is found.

THE BLEEDING ROOM: The party is able to make it to their destination, the stair descending to the 2nd level. However, they note something new. A goatman has been ritualistically hung-up, throat slit, and blood dripping into a wooden bowl. This is new-- previously only deermen have been encountered.

WALL LICKING: The party pushes east past previously explored routes and tries a door on the north wall. Opening it, Liminal steps in wearing the cult cloak of the Lady, to see two figures with the same cloak-- one is licking blood streaming from the wall while the other seems to be writing down something while watching the licking occurring. Liminal and Mayfly attempt to look at some of the pages on the floor and discover the following:

The Lord's wife will give birth this month and then again next month.

The Pestilance man will be Father Winter.

A recount of Hoppin' in the Hood's exploits.

The White Lady will send one of her princes to kill the Bishope.

Liminal also licks the wall and receives a horrific vision of suckling a skull-faced matron figure, but no other illumination. Any lasting effects...? 

EMPTY ROOM: Party turns north and tries the first door eastern door-- nothing save for an archway that leads to a scab.

THE NIGHTWICK SHITTER: Continuing north the party hits two doors: east & west. The east door opens into a horrid Nightwick latrine. Could treasure be there? Maybe. Will the party dig through crap? No, everyone is not that desperate.

"UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT": The party is confronted with two lines of magical text below a symbol of a devil sitting on an orange. Using a Read Magic scroll, Mayfly learns that two lines say:

Under rennovation. Under new management.

Peaking in the room, the party is confronted with a monster composed of a maddingly assemblage of parts, not like a manimal, but something where mouths give way to arms that terminate into squawking beaks. It's big and looks far too deadly for the party to tackle. The gold skull lets Mayfly know it is a Knight of Armadeus. A lower demon.

BLOOD BOWL: Further north, the party opens an eastern door to reveal a mess hall of blood-drinking cultists. "Why do you have light?!" one demands. Liminal again steps up with a mostly plausible explanation as the party gently closes the door.

art by Chris Huth

THE MANGLING MASS: Turing west, the party opens a door on their first problem-- a swinging cage containing an amalgamation of undead bodies fused into a grabbing mass. The thing begins to swing the cage furiously toward the party who "nopes" out and closes the door.

A beat later, the party hears the *snap* and the tinkle of a broken chain hitting the floor. Fuuuck.

As the door is ripped off its hinges with a spray of Nightwick goo, the party bolts west!

TORTURE CHAMBER: In this room, there is a rack and iron maiden with gleaming gold spikes ($$$), but given the semi-animate nature of Nightwick's inanimate objects that has to be a trap. More scraping at the door! The party bolts through the west door, down the hallway, and through another door.

COMFY COUCH: This time the party happens upon a room with a singularly preserved luxurious couch. Sure, we'll take that. The hireling MU casts their one spell, Floating Disk, and the party plunges through the next western door trying to outrun the terrible mass of bodies chasing them.

PC NOTE: Several "weak" MU spells only seems that way because many, many adventures are written in such a narrow way as to never need them. Floating Disk is one of those spells. Its not really useful until you are trying to haul out some bulky treasure like multiple large chests, a fine couch, a tesla coil, and/or a giant juicer (all examples from Nightwick). Floating Disk is essentially an invisable mule that monsters won't target.

TORTURE CHAMBER (TOO): This time the party stumbles into a room with a devilman triplet torturing a goatman (hmm... again a change). The party asks what's in the next room to the west and describes what they are running away from.

"Oh yeah you don't want to go west," they all smirk, "that contains the same thing you are running from."

Fuck. Boom! Boom! Goes the door as the horrid mass is trying to break in. Mayfly offers up a precious soul coin to each of the devilmen to hold the eastern door while the party figures out what to do about the western door. "Deal," say the devilmen in a way that makes Mayfly feel like he didn't bargain hard enough.

The party also grabs the tortured goatman: "This should be a distraction."

THE MANGLING MASS (TOO): The party tosses the tortured goatman into the room with the second abominable amalgam and dashes south across the room as goatman blood confetti fills the air: "How quickly one embraces the path to hell..." remarks Anston. 

The party hits a three-way junction: doors east & west and an eerie blackness south. The sound of a chain breaking fills the air. Fuck.

Those of the party that are magically attuned, which is about half, know that night is falling on Nightwick Abbey, and its really best not to be caught once the sun drops. So the goal now is to somehow travel south and east to hit the exit to the first level and since that is well-mapped-- escape.

PC NOTE: Basically we try to stick to roughly ~3-4 hour sessions in & out of the dungeon. Otherwise if we are not back to the surface, we have to roll on a dungeon escape table. Not good. While initally people balk at this idea, I think a time limit, like actual maping, works really well in dungeon exploration because it enhances the meaningfulness of decision-making.

SPIRITUAL TRIAL: The party favors eastern directions, so that is the first door Luminal peers into and sees some sorta spectral trial playing out. Relaying this to the party, Blossom's eyes go wide: "That must be the grandmother who's haunting Nightwick Village's most sought-after maiden (PC NOTE: A thread from like all the way back to Nightwick Session 05?). Still no exit!

INTO THE BLACK: With few options, Cherwe & Aston plunge into the black and call the party forth. The party is in a white room. A sense of calm can be felt by the cleric. An archway west leads to more black and a door east seems safe. Mayfly tests the black by poking it with an arrow. No change-- seems clear. The party heads through the east door. Exit? 

The sun is dropping lower...

FOUR REVERSE SIGILS: The party stumbles into another white room. No exit. But there are four sigil impressions on the southern wall. Anston grabs at his chest pulling out the silver medallion taken from a Death Knight-- a match for one of the impressions! An exit! 

He puts it to the wall, gears grind, and... nothing happens. Must need the other three. Damn it! 

The night begins to stain the sky...

INTO THE BLACK (AGAIN): The party reverses course, plunges through the west blackness, and emerges in another hallway: door to the north (no), pool of blood with meat chunks to the west (eww...no), and hallway south (...fine). The party moves south finding a wall of blackness eastward. Exit?

Somewhere farmers start putting up animals for the night for safety...

INTO THE WHITE ROOM (AGAIN): After plunging through the black, the party emerges in another, or the same, white room. Whatever. Not an exit! Luminal has a gnawing sensation that in the room with the spectral trial, there was a secret door found previously. However, the party is nervous about disrupting such an event and risk the wrath of the dead to find the secret door.

Outside, the last drops of light are slipping away...

Monster won initiative;
Grolmes had 1 hp.

A SIMPLE SACRIFICE: Desperate, the party decides that Mayfly should pay off the triplet Devilmen again for safe passage out with more soul coins. The party returns to the hallway with the second caged abomination: "But how do we avoid it?" Mayfly grins:

"Grolmes, my brave fellow, what does your sword think of that beast?"

Before Grolmes even can speak, his eyes flutter, as the will of Dhinron, whose sole purpose is the destroy the undead, grabs his mind and sends him hurdling toward the horror.

The mangle-of-corpses, perhaps sensing the sword's intent, quickly strikes Grolmes. The crushing blow cavitates the chest of the hapless hero. The magic sword skitters into a dark corner.

The rest of the party is able to slip past back to the room with the diabolical triplets.

A SIMPLE PAYMENT: Mayfly stipulates payment will be made when the entire party arrives safely and alive at the stairs to the first level. It is done. And with no more encounters had on the first level, the party escapes the jaws of Nightwick Abbey... for now...

PC NOTE: This wasn't "teleporting" out. The DM was rolling both to see the location of the monster on the 2nd level as we were escorted and rolled encounter checks for the distance crossed on the 1st level.

...BACK TO THE MEDUSA'S HEAD 

The party divides up the silver and sells the nice couch. 

"More treasure for the rest of the party being one person short", Mayfly observes.

"This is why you are evil"

"But aren't we all glad we're alive to have this conversation?" 

Ahh Nightwick...

We are at about a 40% PC death rate in Nightwick;
hirelings is a solid 50%

PC NOTE: If you have stayed this long reading I really appreciate it. I do hope my and Mycelium Mischef's recountings help illuminate megadungeon play from a player perspective. As well as spark interst in the playstyle!

Mayfly is currently at 8,597 XP which puts him within 1,403 XP of Level 4 (10,000 XP) which might be 5-7 delves more of not dying.

Nightwick Abbey as a whole continues to be a great campaign. I look forward to playing it every week and hate when a miss a session. Enviously looking at the discord messages that pop-up during the game. I think its also a very worthy addition to the very few megadungeons out there and look forward to it being set upon the world.

Here's to 2023!

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People, Session 8

 

FIRST POST OF 2022: While I wanted to cap off 2021 by catching up to my Nightwick posts, I think it is only fitting that I start 2022 with a game I really look forward to every week and that I hope continues strong in the new year. This post also epitomizes what I want this blog to be about-- the *playing* of old-school games. The thoughts and principles of "classic play" when put into practice do work and yield engaging games.

In Nightwick previously...

The Party

Blossom (Rogue 1)
Bertol (Rogue 1)
Mayfly (Magic-User 1)
Sumac (Changling 1)- our first!
Hirelings: Red, Curly, Pavel, Assmus, Kunrat

(PC Note: Our DM, history expert, offered some great pre-game history facts that have, in part, informed the conception of Nightwick. This one involved a graduate from the famous school of Necromancy in Toledo Spain who was contacted by a bishop to summon the devil in order to cut some other Christian cult out of the miracle business. Its funny that despite being evil, it seems a lot of Church figures had the devil on speed dial.)

At the Medusa's Head...

Another two weeks pass since the last delve into Nightwick. The party has been mainly resting and trying to figure out how they will overcome the giant roadblock that is the Butcher of Nightwick. Review maps and plotting courses, the party decides to try to see what is on the second level of the dungeon. The rogues are feeling especially confident after perfecting their craft just a little bit more. So all is good except for the mysterious itch Blossom picked up after a long week of drinking...

(PC Note: So our Rogues leveled up by creeping ~100 XP over the line after some carousing. The thief class is often seen as weak in BX, but having the lowest progression, 1200 XP to go from 1st to 2nd, is quite meaningful when risking life and limb for every 100 GP. At the current rate, my MU Mayfly has to survive ~6-10 more delves to get to the 2nd level. This is not a knock against our DM nor old-school play mind you, but I think a demonstration of how XP differences among classes is a good constraint vs. 5e's unified progression.)

Nightwick, Right Tower, Level 2
(purple is recently explored)

A RAPID DESCENT TOWARDS 2nd LEVEL: With all haste, the party pushed into Nightwick's right tower and to the stairs located where four hanging bodies were found and the very nice silver bowls. Now replaced by wooden bowls-- the cheapskates.

FURTHER DEPICTIONS of THE LADY: At the bottom of the staircase were two columns each again depicting The Lady, prophetess of the Church of Law, in a lurid manner. However, for these columns, her eyes are hollowed out allowing a red fluid to drain out of them and pool below. North from the stairs is a single door.

A HALLWAY ENDING IN ABSOLUTE DARKNESS: After hearing nothing through the door, Blossom waves Red forward to due the honors of crowbarring the door open. Moving into the hallway our Chaingling Sumac takes point and reports the west direction terminates into absolute pitch blackness that even their dark vision does not penetrate, while the east contains two doors and extends further beyond the torchlight.

Mayfly is puzzled by the darkness, but before a solid theory about what it can be is formed based on years of academy training, Bertol sends one of the hirelings through. Without a rope tied to their waist. The hireling reports its really really dark and (amazingly) walks back out seemingly unscathed (sus -.-). Mayfly casts Light about 2 fit inside the darkness. Instead of eliminating it, the light seems to be surrounded by darkness. Two silver pieces later, another hireling walks through and reports it is just all white and too bright. With other avenues available the party decides to come back to it later.

BLOOD SCRIBBLING: Cautiously moving down the hall, the party checks the north door. Hearing nothing they quietly pop the door open and peer insights. One cultist is licking the red fluid off the wall, hood back, and feverishly whispering. A second cultist is on the ground apparently transcribing those words. The party quietly closes the door, but Mayfly thinks those writings might be very valuable.

A PACT OF DEVIL MEN: The party opens the door directly south and finds themselves face to face with four devil men! The party freezes in horror and anticipation of what might come next as they gaze upon the pointy horn and beards of this group-- three of which are virtually identical. The incongruous one speaks, "Clearly this is not a room you are invited into."  The party, "...uh..." and Bertol quietly closes the door.

And since both doors open inward, Sumac had the idea to tie them shut with a rope running between the pull rings ("---" above on the map). Might not hold forever, but certainly by the party time. Very clever.

BLOOD ORANGES: Not quite knowing what to make of all that, but knowing they still have empty pockets, the party turns north with Sumac bravely scouting in the dark. Sumac reports back there is a metal container (like a modern dumpster) set into the floor. In it are moldy orange peels. To the right of this container is a door and to the left, stairs leading down and a hallway continuing west.

The party checks out the door to the right and enters a room containing a large machine. A puddle of milky orange fluid on the ground. And five crates of bones and five crates of ...oranges?! Mayfly realizes that these are an incredibly valuable delicacy and certainly would fetch ~100 SP per crate! The party, experienced in knowin' when the gettin' is good, gathers up the oranges and absconds with them for a total haul of  500 SP . The biggest haul yet out of Nightwick.

...After a night's rest in Nightwick Village...

Bertol peeled off from the group, happy with his orange-tinted gains, but the rest of the party wanted to quickly go back to see if there was more to be purloined, especially from upper areas of the Abbey that had not been as well explored. This proved to be potentially a mistake...

Nightwick, Right Tower, Level 1
(purple is recently explored)

WE CAN'T STOP HERE, THIS IS (DEER-MEN) COUNTRY!: Entering the northeastern door, the party is brought up short by a goblin barricade. Mayfly tries a 2 SP bribe to see if the party can get any information about the stone vulture archway to the north. All they learn is that's where deer-men reside and the goblin don't go there.

Feeling bold, the party forms ranks with Red and Curly in front and march toward the archway. As they pass under the arch, Sumac spots a formation of deer-men and shortly after their bleating cries are heard! Their attack is swift! Arrows fly toward the party, several striking Red, dropping him, and severely wounding Curly. The party leaves Red's body behind in order to make sure they don't join him in repose.

Just before leaving, Sumac throws a few silver coins at the foot of the statues and notices that while the goblins want to grab them, they dare not move-- at least for that amount.

...back to The Medusa's Head.

Mayfly thinks it is time to visit this wizard "Half-Dan" and maybe brokering some information with the strange blood of the mixed-up beast he found in Nightwick.

 (PC Note: Well that last little bit did not go well at all. I think we certainly have reached a point where solid preparations will have to be made to move through Deer-man territory or make it past the Butcher. One advantage of all the map-making that has been done is that is easy to review where unexplored hallways and doors are. I think I need to draw everything together to see what options the party has. One of our new players also made a good risk assessment that the easiest stuff in Level 2 might still be less risky than the hardest stuff in Level 1.  So exploring Level 2 might be more worthwhile. Of course, there is always the Left Tower, but the hoards of deer-men there too pose a problem. Maybe it is time to sell a soul or something?

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People Session 98

 

I am going to attempt to be more brief in these play reports. I think after 98 sessions, the dungeon-crawling aspect of play has been well documented. If you are still reading (thank you!), I'm sure you're a little more interested in the highlight hijinks of the party. And speaking of long-time readers, we are close to 100 sessions! Time to do another "Nightwick at X" infographic like I did for 50 sessions.

Previously in Nightwick Abbey...

Want to learn more about the world of Nightwick from Miranda? You can follow her blog here and the ongoing development of Nightwick Abbey at her Patreon here.

19th of September, 1390

Blossom (Rogue 6)
Mayfly (Magician 5)

Liminal Space (Changeling 4)

Poppy (Fighter 4)

Thekla (Magician 4)

Krupe (Cleric 2)

Hexcrawling in the Dark Country

The party saddles up once again to head toward the metropolitan Lychgate. To what end? Ehhh... something about getting Liminal a title and Mayfly trying to get his hands on someone's wand.

• A strange fog follows the party for a majority of the trip, first obscuring a 50-person strong caravan of the VanCrisco (Frogling Merchant family) heading toward Nightwick Village and then almost causing the party to run into a pack of dire wolves (pooping- seriously); conflict avoided twice.
• Arriving at the Village of Vollage right before the sun drops low and notices a lot has changed since the battle: the village is smaller, the forest seems to be winning in its slow overtake of the village, and the formerly ruined keep has been rebuilt and flying a panner of a black disk on a field of white
• While in staying at the Wanton Wench, the party tries to inquire as to what is going on in Vollage. Four men deep in their cups only respond that they were once part of the proud Order of the Elk, but its now nothing after a pyrrhic victor to keep Lychgate free from invading forces. In fact, several of the companies well-known to the PCs have suffered similar fates. The party invites them to join on the next delve into Nightwick Abbey as a way to regain honor and purpose
• The arrival in Lychgate involves coins and crushed skulls; the party does some banking with the VanCrisco frogling family that has displaced the VanToads; as the PCs step into the city they are forced to trample a drunk would-be-thief of their horses this happens again as they cross into the inner city after a nights sleep

The session ends right as seeks an audience with the bishop regarding installing Liminal as the new head of Nightwick Village or some title. Maybe sheriff? 

WHERE HELL COMES TO PREY: Running Nightwick Abbey 01

 

ill: Fernando FJL

Ill-met and hell-wrecked are these haunted halls of Nightwick Abbey. And now after years of wandering its menagerie of hubris, I too sit in one of its many seats of power and govern the machinations of the denizens and dead within.

In other words, with Miranda's blessing, I've started DM-ing Nightwick Abbey now that Levels 1-3 are out on Patreon and I have sufficiently delved into those levels enough that I won't spoil anything for myself.

To differentiate these posts from the Weeknights in Nightwick, I am going to try to concentrate a little on the prep of Nightwick. Try to provide insight on how I run a megadungeon campaign and more specifically how I am going to do that 100 minutes at a time at my local FLAGS.

Also, I have decided to dub this campaign Where Hell Comes To Prey in a similar vein to different runs of Spiderman or how anime series have different offshoots.

CAMPAIGN PREP

Campaign Binder: The first thing I did was prepare a 3-ring bind split into three sections: character generation, The Dark Country, Nightwick Abbey, and a separate denizens section. I threw in a copy of my DMing pamphlet to help with the running of the game- which I will hopefully markup in response to the particular needs of this campaign.

Campaign Format:  It is typical to think of a D&D campaign as being an 8-hour per-game affair that demands/requires everyone to show up for every game. This doesn't have to be the case. I think megadungeons in particular lend themselves to open-table games and I want to show that off.  In particular Nightwick Abbey, unlike Arden Vul and even well-known dungeons like Barrowmaze and Forbidden Caverns of Archia, is written and laid out with high DM-utility in mind. 

So I settled on running a "100-minute game"- really 120 minutes because of two 10-minute breaks. My aspirational goal is to make a regular habit of showing up at my game store on Sundays at 2:00 PM and run if 3 players will participate. Furthermore using BX D&D will help reduce some of the overhead.

Pre-generated Characters: Since I will be running a more brisk game, I wanted to get to the playing of D&D ASAP and to do that I turned to pre-generated characters. What is interesting about this is that its actually a bit of advice from OD&D: 

"Prior to the character selection by players it is necessary for the referee to roll three six-sided dice in order to rate each as to various abilities, and thus aid them

in selecting a role." 

Miranda has some pretty great classes in the Nightwick Abbey package. Notable to me are froglings and changlings which are this setting's "elves" but are humans stolen at birth by the fay. Miranda also has given the fighter some enhancements like cleave and ODDs two attacks with ranged weapons if the fighter has not moved. A couple of classes also have "half-class" extras if you roll properly.

So here were my starting 8 PCs: Graverobber, Magician, Fighter x2, Frogling, Cleric, Changling (Fair), and a Rogue.

What I Should Have Prepped: Jumping ahead. Okay given that I have been playing for two years now in the Miranda's Nightwick game and I thought I had a lot of the lore down, but I felt like when I ran the game I didn't quite give the start the "oomph" it required. But we were down in the Abbey soon enough.

WHERE HELL COMES TO PREY

Our Sunday Congregation: 

Steve, Graverobber

Colin, Cleric +follower

JP, Rogue

Down in the Abbey: Through the Fogbound Forest, the party treks deeper and deeper until the trees close in and the light wains further. Each Bogdani they pass instantly knows the direction they are heading and makes a small sign of protection.

BEHOLD! Nightwick Abbey!: When the treeline breaks, the party is confronted by an expanse of erry purple vine blanketing the ground around two ruined towers- the only visible portion of the dread abbey's ruined upper works.

West Tower then East Tower: After investigating the two towers, the party flips a coin and attempts entry through the West Tower trap door. Stuck. After a couple of futile attempts, they break their shovel off wedging the West trap door shut. East door it is!

The Toll of the Great Goblin Kingdom: The party turns southeast and after creeping through the dark hallway are hailed by two sets of luminous eyes in the dark: "50 silver to pass this way!" The party, having about 30 silver between them, is reluctant to empty their pockets. Negotiations end with the party promising to return with the proper and amount and creatures requiring an additional 10%.

(DM NOTE: The barracde is actually somewhere else and I transposed it here, but no worries with little slip ups like this because by its fictional nature, the Abbey can shift)

Sweet Leaf Room: The party doubles back and enters a northwestern door into a ransacked, sour-smelling room: Sweet Leaf was smoked here. The party turns north.

Hunting Wolves: In the flicking torchlight, this columned hall appears to show riders on horseback hunting women who run screaming in the woods. The party moves east and as they draw close hear piercing cries of what sound like deer. The party's graverobber and thief slip up on either side of the archway. The cleric and follower take cover behind two columns and call out a challenge to the accursed creatures. With the snort 3 deermen charge into the room! 

ill: Huth

With nice planning the PCs are able to backstab two deermen and the cleric + follower take down the third! Their effort is answered with arrows fired from the dark, one striking the cleric deep in his side. The players decide to beat a hasty retreat south with a deerman head.

Sweet Leaf Room: Back in the musty room, the party turns east and enters a room burned beyond recognition with two charred corpses lying in the middle of the floor. As the party steps close, the corpses jerk up as if pulled by marionette strings, and burned lips emit a wet cackle!

ill: Huth

The party is almost caught off guard, but the cleric is quick to brandish the holy symbol of the God of Law... to no avail! The floating corpses laugh in mockery. Swords and knives gain no purchase either given the unnatural movements of the foul foes. In response, one corpse lashes out at the cleric with preternatural speed and removes the poor soul's throat! (DM NOTE: Nat 20 & 6 for damage vs 4 HP). Horror turns to resolve as the devout follower follows up with a smiting blow of her own and the combined efforts of the rogue and graverobber bring down the other mockery of life. 

For their efforts, the party finds a mysterious vial of power and a jade rosary with lurid iconography.

Hasty Retreat & Return: Having survived two encounters, the party decides to retreat from this cursed place. The body of the cleric is left behind...

They figure Halfdan the Black would be interested in the two items and is rewarded with 300sp for their efforts. 

POST-MORTEM

Nightwick Abbey is a pleasure to run. As Nova pointed out in this nice review, what one might lose in description is made up for in high utility. Especially in a dungeon that is made to shift. And with 3 levels at my disposal I know (through experience) it will be enough to keep going.

Love the Cause of Death Stamp

Total exploration was 6-7 rooms and 3 encounters which included 2 combats. One character died out of 3 which matches the death rate of the Abbey overall. Two of the players were folks I have gamed with before, but 1 individual was someone who just looked over at what we were doing and decided to join-- no prior experience with BX D&D but they easily slide right into the game.

The pre-gens really helped and I'm gonna stick with that. It allows me to ensure folks are starting with viable characters and into play quickly. I like to think this was also aided by a half-page character sheet I designed to reduce the feeling this is going to be a complicated experience. Honestly, if I could reduce a character to a monster-style stateline I think that would be ideal for an online generator.

The 100-minute format worked too. Now on the whole 2 hours might be short. It does require people to be focused as you can go stretches without finding treasure. But the exchange is that its a time that works for me and I (hope) will encourage more spontaneous sit-downs and returns. Well see.

If these horrid halls of Nightwick Abbey call to you, then please join Miranda Elkins' Patreon!

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People Session 26

Another Nightwick double-header mainly so that I can catch up. 

Previously in Nightwick...

The party awakens once again in Nightwick Village

Brother Breagdoir (Cleric 1)
Grodsworth van Snorly (Frogling 1)
Ianthi (Changling 1)
Luminal Space (Changling 1)
Mayfly (Magic-User 3)
Sotar (Cleric 2)

Hirelings: Assmus, Bartel, Elger, Fidgety, Grolmes, Heyno, Ticze, Mach, Ticze

AT THE MEDUSA'S HEAD...

Having returned from Lychgate every so slightly richer by retrieving the bounty on Hoppin-in-the-Hood and selling the location of the lost shrine of Richard the Pryor (PC NOTE: Basically Session 25) the party makes plans to plunge once again into Nightwick Abbey. The goal is to refind the stairs to the second level of the Abbey and potentially more of its treasures. Mayfly quickly grabs this "heretic" as described by Sotar: 

A peasant, Hartnid is branded with a strange sign (a # inside of a square, making a 3 x 3 block of nine squares). The clerics among you know this is a sign of the Xagygian heresy, which states that alignment is not a line but a quadrangle spectrum. Hartnid claims to not even know what a quadrangle is. 5sp per outing

...DOWN IN NIGHTWICK...

WEST TOWER: In a rare break with tradition, the party descends into Nightwick and quickly travels back to the (former) Butcher's domain. 

PC NOTE: The interesting bit of procedure here. If we could post a map to our Discord, the DM is happy to move us near the room we desire in Nightwick; rolling of course for any random encounters. I think it is a nice way to reinforce the value of mapping. And cuts down on having to walk through rooms one by one.

LEVEL TWO: The party descended down into the second level and after some stomach-turning sensations, arrives in a room with two columns and 3 standard Nightwick doors. Having a couple of Changelings on hand, the party fans out to listen at each door. At the north door, a shuffling can be heard; at the south door, the crying of infants (that can't be good); at the east door...nothing (perfect). The party moves through the east door with van Snorly in the scout position. Two doors, north and south, in this hallway which continues east and turns south.

SIGIL ROOM: The party listens at the door and hearing nothing, opens it. The room is filled with a pulsing red and blue light. Mayfly asks Hartnid to enter and scout around...for 5 SP. The new hireling agrees, walks in, and calls more detail about the strange symbols on the floor. Then he screams and runs back out, slamming the door behind him. The party immediately pelts him with questions, but he can only stutter back something about walking plants.

The party readies themselves and peaks in to see three large ambulatory plants with hunched "bodies" but large pitcher plant-like heads. Through the bizarre sensory organs, the vegetation makes a move toward the party. The party backs up and readies themselves to strike!

Several slow seconds later, because those plants ain't fast, the plant emerges. The party was quick to set up oil across the threshold and construct a trip wire. The rest of the party let loose with slings and arrows. One of the strange creatures goes down! A second steps through the door. Mayfly fumbles the torch, missing the oil, and having it extinguish on the floor. The fearsome flower lashes out at Luminal with a barbed-tipped stinger from its large flower, hit!, but Luminal pass the save throw and avoids being poisoned!

The next few rounds go toward the party's favor and the abominations are dispatched. Luminal and Mayfly make quick work to remove a stinger from each of the vegetative beasts.

Mayfly investigates the sigils and notices that one contains what looks like the drawings of stairs. Thinking it a way to level 2, he presses it with his foot. A hum, then a crack and flash of lightning occurs behind the door to the south. A cacophany of animal noises is heard from the southern room and a stampede of shuffling misshapen bodies bolts out of the door and to the hallway west.

LIGHTNING ROOM: The party of course decided to investigate. Upon entering the room they found a metal column topped with a sorta thick metal wheel that was anchored to the floor but appeared to be moveable. They also discovered 3 charred corpses of the animal-folk. Oops. Rooting through the burned bookshelves and bodies, the party discovers 3 red potions and 200 SP.

SOIL ROOM: Returning to the SIGIL ROOM, the party moves east and turns north in a small room with really nothing in it.

THE SHACK: After a walk up a short flight of stairs, the party is struck to find a shack built on top of a dirt floor. About to investigate, the party hears a barking cry: "Halt! Who goes there?" And fading into view is another animalistic figure arising from the ground. Quickly and just as mysteriously others fade into view. After a quick negotiation by Luminal, the manamal group agrees to lead the party to the garden. As they march down a western corridor, they promptly fade from view.

What?

Luckily a new group of manamals showed up. The second time around the party has no luck in convincing them to lead, so the group turns west and proceeds down the hallway. Mistake. Immediately, the group is set upon by 6 man-sized creatures, undead assuredly, but with large puff-ball-like heads. The skirmish does not go the party's way. Solid hits are struck, but those blows bring more trouble as the head bursts open with a cloud of spores. The front rank passes their save! Snorly then leaps into the action in an attempt to disrupt the undead grouping. Snorly's spear is driven home, killing another spore-head. But the party could only watch in horror as these horrible creatures pummeled Snorly to death!

The party could only do one thing... RUN!

...BACK TO TOWN.

Oof. Well that could have gone better.

NIGHTWICK ABBEY: The Purple Eater of People, Session 12

Summary of Session 12, far more productive than 11...

Previously in Nightwick...

The Party

Blossom (Rogue 2)
Charwe (Cleric 1)
Mayfly (Magic-User 2)
Sumac (Changling 1)
Hirelings: Pavel, Tizche, Elgast, Grolmes, Ernko (MU 0)

At the Medusa's Head...

A new year in Nightwick Village! Praise be to St. Gax and the Holy LAW! Specifically, it is the 3rd of Primes, 1391 when we join our "heroes" (who first entered Nightwich Village on Shocktober 14th, 1390). A new year was dotted with new faces in the party including the cleric, Charwe,  and several new hirelings. Though only two peasants and a supposed magician, Mayfly scooped them up and outfitted them with the best he can give the rural location. The total layout is ~110 SP on gambeson, shields, spears, and clubs for the lot.

(PC NOTE: Hirelings are cheap sure, but outfitting them is more about being able to hold the line and have a sustained engagement in Nightwick Abbey.)

The group has decided to return to the Pool to retrieve the body of Handel and recover the treasure on its person. Even if they have to put "Handel" in the grave for a second time. Nightwick has a tendency to give new (un)life to dead adventurers.

(PC NOTE: Awesome mechanic.)

...once at Nightwick Abbey...

RIGHT TOWER: Like last time, Mayfly and company descent into the darkness of the right tower. Once down they head toward the southeastern door to reach the Pool.

THE POOL: After telling the goblins to leave us alone, the party carefully opens the door to the pool room looking for the body of Handel. Sumac is first to lay eyes on the poor soul now twisted into a hideous undead form crouched in the corner. The unHandel does not move as Sumac readies an arrow.

Then Blossom steps into the room. Upon seeing an old friend who left them to be twisted by the Abbey, the monster leaps clawed hands outstretched! unHandel's preternatural ferocity is far quicker than the party who has trouble organizing themselves. Charwe feels the cold that emanates from those claws. But responds with a holy rebuke!

Suddenly, loud groans and the tumble of rock are heard throughout the Abbey! As if a great sleeping beast rolled in its sleep.

The unHandel (upper left) and our
rightfully fearful party (lower right)

The holy words are not enough and with a scream, unHandel assults the party further. The party's spears seem to bounce off of iron-hardened skin. Desiring treasure and the life to enjoy it, Mayfly throws his vial of holy water at his former friend-in-a-loose-sense-- hit! The creature's iron skin as well as the stone Abbey floor bubble and char as if burned.

Once again, the rumbling of moving rock is heard all around...

The party finally gains the upper hand with the classic oil flask-plus-torch combination. The creature, now on fire, stumbles into the pool...unHandel dead for a second time. After probing the corpse just to be sure, the party gathers the 1000sp worth of torture tools, divides them among each other, and looks at the surprising changes in the Abbey's architecture.

Pardon the spelling, the torchlight
makes it so difficult to write.

THE FUCK ROOM: The south exit from the pool now gives way to a large scribe's area complete with two large desks against each wall. Mayfly is initially excited about the possibility of scrolls or spellbooks. But instead just finds a giant collage of paper and dark blood spelling out "FUCK".

Not today Nightwick Abbey. Not today! Enough exploring.

...back to Nightwick Village...

The party returns to the village so as to bank the treasure recovered and resupply. After resting up, they decide to try and head back to the FUCK Room and poke around in the new areas.

THE FUCK ROOM: With little incident, the players were able to make it back to the FUCK room and investigate the single door to the south. 

ODD VIBRATIONS: The southern door leads into a hallway the players explore. To the west, the hallway continues with a door on the south wall and a turn north which leads to the former dance hall. Further south from the southern door is another door which a faint thrum could be felt. To the east, the hallway leads to a scabbed-over dead end.

THE ANTE-BATSHIT-ROOM: The party carefully opens the door to an empty room where the thrum gets stronger. Almost a somewhat regular pulse- more felt than heard. There is one door to the south here and leaking out from behind it is piles of bat guano!

The party converses about this situation and after further investigation establishes a few things: (1) the guano is value able as a spell component; (2) there is most likely a giant bat behind the door; (3) simply opening the door and throwing a torch behind it would incinerate the bat--- maybe also blow up the room.

The party decides to explore further and come back to it later.

THE NINE-PIN DEN: Once it is established by Blossom the turn north leads to the Dance Hall, the party opens the west hallway door to another surprise-- a 9-pin bowling den and eleven dredges, one of whom was in mid-throw. All eleven heads swivel to fix angrily on the PCs. 

And if records had been invented, then the needle-scratch would have been loud. All rush the door, eerily silently, with daggers drawn! Despite overwhelming numbers, the drudges are dispatched with only the new cleric almost being killed in the process.

While investigating the room, the party finds a pile of 15 black stones. When Grolmes is prompted to pick one up he stiffens then drops the rock, babbling about seeing his dead mother. Sumac's keen eyes notice that Grolmes eyes have appeared to have gained a few years...

..back to Nightwick Village.

As the party is leaving, Ernko pipes up, "Now is the time for my magic!". Waving his hands, he declares, "These stones are magical!". Thanks, Ernko. Thanks. Looks like a visit to Halfdan will help clear up what they are for.

If this all sounds fun, come join this devil-besotted delve! 
Information here in this link.