“However, I wanted to let you know that there seems to be a problem with your RSS feed — I keep trying to add it to my Google Reader, and it keeps coming back with no items in the feed.”

I think I’m behind a version or two in WordPress. That might be the problem.

“What happens when a group ventures into an area that’s way too tough for them? Do you just mercilessly TPK them in the first hour and then go home?”

Ideally it shouldn’t be a surprise. As I get into in part 4, the game world has to be consistent enough that players can make good decisions. When you find huge claw marks slashing tree boles and not a sound in the forest, you may want to start thinking that you’ve wandered into owlbear territory. Time to go!

Running away was a popular and often very wise pastime in West Marches. Plus it gave the wolves exercise as they chased you across the Moors.

“What about if one group goes into say, the Sunken Fort, but before they finish clearing it out, another group calls you up and says “let’s raid the Sunken Fort” and they clear it. Do you pick up with the first group standing in a deserted dungeon? Do you let them both clear the dungeon separately and both take credit?”

It would depend more on the timeline the game world than the real world timeline. All scheduling was on the email list so we tried to avoid games that would lead to complicated in-game cross-over (“we played for five days, but on day two you would have passed through our camp…”) — if a party was still stuck someplace, other groups would usually avoid the area unless they were launching an actual rescue mission (which did happen).

“Speaking of ending mid-dungeon, do you make them hole up somewhere before quitting time, or just suspend animation?”

See more about the returning to town rule here. If they couldn’t get back to town, we usually tried to end with camping, even if was while barricaded in the cellars of the ghoul-infested monastery.

“This idea has really captured my imagination. It’s kinda like a MMOTRPG (Massively Multiplayer Offline Tabletop RPG).”

Yep, it really is. The “many players in the shared world” really goes all the way back to the grand old campaigns like Blackmoor and Greyhawk.

What happens when a group ventures into an area that’s way too tough for them? Do you just mercilessly TPK them in the first hour and then go home? I can think of what I might do, but I’m really curious to find out what worked for you IRL.

What about if one group goes into say, the Sunken Fort, but before they finish clearing it out, another group calls you up and says “let’s raid the Sunken Fort” and they clear it. Do you pick up with the first group standing in a deserted dungeon? Do you let them both clear the dungeon separately and both take credit?

Speaking of ending mid-dungeon, do you make them hole up somewhere before quitting time, or just suspend animation?

This idea has really captured my imagination. It’s kinda like a MMOTRPG (Massively Multiplayer Offline Tabletop RPG).

I’m really looking forward to part 4. Cool!

Dave