Pocket Sized Perils Issue #7 is here!
It's been a hot minute since I posted here and even longer since I put out an adventure but here it is:
Grotto of The Golden Gargoyle
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clicking the pic above will take you to my page on itch.io
This is the 'G' entry in the Pocket Sized Perils series (there's an alternate one hidden in the recesses of my drive that may join it someday). I've made quite a few changes to the format and general approach this time around...
1. It's system agnostic (not 5e)
2. It's less pocket sized (a longer PDF or print on demand book, as opposed to a fold'n'cut zine)
1. It's system agnostic (not 5e)
2. It's less pocket sized (a longer PDF or print on demand book, as opposed to a fold'n'cut zine)
3. It's more heavily OSR inspired than previous entries
Why not 5e?
Like a lot of people, 5e was my entry point into TTRPG's and I have a lot of affection for it as a system. However since first cracking open the PHB I've discovered there's a very, VERY, big world of games and gaming styles out there. I've dabbled with a bunch of different systems and in particular find myself gravitating to simple rules that facilitate creative play. That is to say; simple characters doing unique stuff together in the fiction rather than complex characters, (mechanically speaking), doing the same stuff, most of the time, regardless of the fiction. I'm not dogmatic about it though. Fun is fun and different ways of playing have different strengths.
Why the longer format?
In exploring other modules and writing connected to ttrpgs I've really enjoyed the rich world building and detail some adventures or settings offer. Consequently I wanted to build more environment focused adventures, where parties could explore more and decide how to interact with the world rather than follow something like a three act arc.
The work of Jennell Jaquays and Justin Alexander's writing about it was a particular inspiration.
The work of Jennell Jaquays and Justin Alexander's writing about it was a particular inspiration.
The Grotto was designed with loops (maybe too many), secrets, factions and verticality in mind. It's still a smallish dungeon but all those elements are present in some form.
This is my 'goblins in a cave' adventure
I just wanted to do it once - 'there are many like it but this one is mine'. Much like my soft spot for 5e I have a soft spot for trad fantasy tropes. I came to table-top games pretty late, so I still have a an itch to play with elements I've seen in fantasy in other media through my childhood. I'll definitely move on to weirder stuff from here but I can't go past G and leave 'Goblins' on the table.
As a teaser for the adventure itself here is the goblin npc generator included in it:
As a teaser for the adventure itself here is the goblin npc generator included in it:
