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The promo in this episode was from Zero to Novel.

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In this episode, Tim and Kim guide you through highlight snippets of an example of actual play of the fourth session of Return to Northmoor, so you can see what when right and what went…different.

We discuss how to use skill checks to bring character knowledge into the players’ minds, and how really narrow corridors aren’t fun for the people in the back.

There are several longer (4 minute) clips in this session that let you see into the problem-solving process the players use to navigate the puzzles in this episode.

To comment on this episode or to share your own ideas, check out our forums at Spooky Outhouse!

You can access the materials from this show from our forums as well.

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In this episode, Tim and Kim go over the scenes for the fourth session of play. In the first half of the show, we go over each scene, and NPC in detail, so that you can be prepared to run this session. In the second half of the show, we give tips on running it as interestingly as possible, and ideas on variations to suit your group. (The next episode covers the highlights of how it ran for our group).

Scenes in this Session, entitled “The Temple of Blood”:

1) Next Steps – Having learned that they are all descended from the noble families of the ancient Bel-Alaquan civilization, the PCs learn that their mentor is being held in an Ancient Bel-Alaquan ruin, the Temple of Art.  But to enter, they need a Blood Key from the Temple of Blood.

2) Entrance – The Bogman rows the PCs to the front of the spotless opalescent Temple of Blood.  They discover that they aren’t the only ones to come here recently, and must prove their knowledge of the gods to continue.

3) The Balance of Knowledge – Another challenging room awaits in the bowels of the temple.  They PCs must use their wits and skills to bypass the pit and continue through the hidden door.

4) Shark Alley – The Shauagin have beaten the PCs to the temple, and left a rearguard to finish them off.   An ambush and a battle in a small dark space follow.

5) Chamber of Keys – The PCs reach the chamber where the Blood Keys are stored, and must discover their secret in order to remove them.

To comment on this episode or to share your own ideas, check out our forums at Spooky Outhouse!

You can access the materials from this show from our forums as well.

e-Adventure Tiles used in this Session:

• Dungeons, Vol 1
  
• Dungeons, Vol 2
• Dungeons, Multi-Level Passages

Handouts created using Google SketchUp 7

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Here are the materials for Return to Northmoor Episode 8.

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In this final Return to Northmoor episode of the year, Doyce Testerman and Tim White sit down with Fred Hicks of Evil Hat (Spirit of the Century and Don’t Rest Your Head), and OneBadEgg, a new venture producing materials for Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.

Fred talks about how his games have evolved from the days of Amber Diceless, to FUDGE, to FATE 1.0-2.0, and the the FATE 3.0 that was used to build Spirit of the Century.

He talks about the burgeoning D&D 4e publishing industry, and the various meanings of OneBadEgg – including one related to WotC.

Fred talks about how 4e has given him a new love of miniatures, and how much work creating a new class for 4e can be. 

Finally, Fred talks about adding Story Games elements to your D&D game using the “Circle of Blame”.

Unfortunately, this audio quality for this telephone interview was far below what we normally produce here at Return to Northmoor.  Rest assured we’ll be back up to our normal standards for future episodes.

If you are looking for new D&D 4.0 products, please check out OneBadEgg.com to see the work that Fred, Rob Donaghue, and a lot of others are putting out.  If you are interested in the subscription model that Fred talks about in the show, check out http://onebadegg.com/bookshelf

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For your entertainment during our holiday hiatus, we present the first Return to Northmoor meta episode!

In this meta episode, Tim sits down with “Nexus of Indie Game Information” Doyce Testerman (creator of RandomWiki and the Firefly Wiki, as well as a published fiction writer and many other things.  

They discuss what Story Games have to offer to the D&D game player, how D&D is really just a diceless RPG, and how you can enhance your D&D game with key Story Game concepts without adding a single new rule.  (Hint: see Episode 1 of Return to Northmoor for one of them.)

This is part one of the discussion, our next episode will conclude it, discussing specific mechanics you can add to D&D to help the system lend support to character development (outside of combat skills).

Here’s Doyce’s massive list of links for your reference:

On ‘indie’ games with traditional roles:
http://www.lumpley.com/dogsources.html – Dogs in the Vineyard

On player narration/negotiation:
Donjon – http://crngames.com/donjon/index
Spirit of the Century – http://evilhat.wikidot.com/spirit-of-the-century
“The Mountain Witch Trick” – http://www.story-games.com/forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=2983&page=1
In a Wicked Age – http://www.lumpley.com/wicked.html

On player investment:
Sorcerer (bangs/kickers) – http://www.sorcerer-rpg.com/
The Shadow of Yesterday (keys) – http://crngames.com/the_shadow_of_yesterday/index

On player world-building
Primtime Adventures – http://www.dog-eared-designs.com/games.html
Mortal Coil – http://www.galileogames.com/mortal-coil/index.html
Constrained: In a Wicked Age – http://www.lumpley.com/wicked.html

Hacking DnD:
TSoY Keys: http://random-average.com/TSOY/Keys
Sweet20: http://files.crngames.com/cc/sweet20/experience.html
YA fantasy keys: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18011.0

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In this episode, Tim and Kim guide you through highlight snippets of an example of actual play of the third session of Return to Northmoor, so you can see what when right and what went…different.

We discuss which D&D 4e rules tripped us up, (yes, skill names, still!), and why encounters don’t always go the way you expected.

There are several longer (6 minute) clips in this session that highlight several of the big reveals from the end of the first chapter of the story.

This episode is the final episode of our first season of Return to Northmoor.  On the break between this season and the next, we’ll be presenting a number of bonus and meta episodes for your entertainment.

To comment on this episode or to share your own ideas, check out our forums at Spooky Outhouse!

You can access the materials from this show from our forums as well.

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