Shadowdark: Trolls are Dangerous Again

 If you were paying attention to this blog (unlikely) then you know that both of my Dungeons & Dragons campaigns stopped abruptly a little over three years ago. The two groups were using 5th edition D&D, one group in a homebrew world, transitioning to Ptolus, and the other already in Ptolus. I am now preparing to start a new campaign using the Shadowdark RPG. 

There is an interesting mechanic for driving activity in the game by giving light an even greater importance to survival than in many other games, especially 5e D&D. Torches burn out after about an hour of real time, with variance and depending on other factors. Delving is risky in the light, but becomes terrifying in the dark. Characters have limited encumbrance and space meaning choices of what to carry and how much can be the difference between life and death. Characters in Shadowdark do not have darkvision, unlike almost all of the species in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. When they run out of light sources the real fight for survival begins.

This is where trolls enter the discussion. We all know that fire is one of two certain ways to finish off a troll and prevent their regeneration. Acid is the second method, but it comes with the risk of exposure and damage if the vessel it is carried in breaks. Fire is therefore the most likely resource at hand for combatting trolls. Using up torches battling trolls depletes that very valuable resource. Now trolls aren't just deadly in combat, they're deadly afterward as well. 

Many of the creatures inhabiting dungeons will make an extra effort to douse light sources and trolls have more reason to snuff torches. So, when your players chuckle at the thought of trolls, smile and watch their expressions when the light goes out.

 

The MCDM RPG

 https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mcdm-productions/mcdm-rpg

I recommend checking out this in-development game on Backerkit. The designers are top notch, well respected, and known for delivering what they promise.

While it won't be a giant killer (who the hell has the money to take on D&D) it is gaining a significant amount of grass-roots support with over 20,000 backers as of this writing.

Spend the 51+ minutes watching the intro video, you'll know what this game is being designed to do and have a good solid idea if it is something you would want to play.

I just backed it since I feel this deserves to be supported. Sure, it isn't expected to release in full until June of 2025, but the makers clearly state why - they want it to be great in all ways.

Bob's Your NPC aka Name Stealing

I, like many Dungeon Masters have a hard time naming non-player characters. The struggle is real when your players decide to talk to someone that you had not expected them to pay attention to. Naming an NPC Bob when caught unprepared is its own trope in RPG history.

That's a reality, but what can be done about it?

About 20 years ago I became increasingly frustrated by my seeming inability to come up with names, not just on the spot, but during preparation for the game and creation of adventure scenarios. My solution came not from RPGs, but during a space combat board game. Desperate for ship names I stumbled on some horse racing forms while randomly browsing the web. Conveniently the list had a dozen or more appropriate sounding military and noble titles with the names. That was the revelation I needed. Existing resources are everywhere and mine has most often come from my junk email folder.

Don't limit yourself to racing forms or junk email. Use NPC names from adventures you're not going to work into your campaign. There are thousands of free or inexpensive adventures on the internet. Fan sites often host a catalog of resources to borrow from. 

One friend of mine used to name members of ship crews or combat squads in computer games after people he knew. I don't know how many times characters with my name got slaughtered during his game play, but at least he had his resource for NPC names.

If you're watching streaming shows keep a notepad handy. You can write down actor and character names to smash together later to form new names to use in your game. Keep that notepad handy at the table and cross off the names you use as it comes into play. Make a new note to remind yourself of just who and what that NPC is because player characters will return to people they've met for more information or other needs. That notepad will be a great time saver.

It's also perfectly fine if two NPCs share a name. There might be two people named Alexander or with the same last name. Real life is full of instances like that and we muddle through mostly ok.

So the basic advice here is to steal names. Steal them from anywhere and everywhere. At least the NPCs won't all be named Bob.

Bob the Limner