X-Treme Dungeon Mastery

i\FEKD.\ttnI. O IERY

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Acknowledgements

ln anticipatioonf thelovingmemoryof GrandMasterFrank

ForJeffGrubb,Dave'ZebC' ook,MarkAcres,DougNiles,AllenHammackT,roy

DenningE, dGreenwoodA,ndriaHaydayB, ruceNesmithB, ruceHeard,Haroldlohnson,

MerleRasmusseTnim, Kilpin,AnneMcCreadyK, imMohan,RogeMr oore,JimLowderJ, on

PickensM, ikePricel,amesWard,SkipWilliamsS, teveWinter,MaryKirchoff,ClydeCaldwell,

leff EasleyL,arryElmorel,im HollowanKeithParkinson*a,ndDaveSutherland."

And especialtlyo E.GaryGygax*andDaveArneson*

And for alltheothercreativpeioneerast TSR,Incfrom | 982 through| 985. I am

gratefuel achdaythatyoulet meworknextto you,playgamews ithyouandwasgiven
--TracyHickmaanndCurtisHickman
f r i e n d s h ibpy y o u .

ForMikeSylvestearndHarryWigleyw, hoplayedDelDwithmewhenI wastwelve.For
Matt Christenseann, dRandyandBillTaylerfor playingDerDwithmewhenI waseighteen.
ForDaveBradyS, andraTaylera, ndRossandTeresaBenedicwt hoplayedRifuwith mewhen
I wastwenty-sixA.nd for TimothyBurgessR,ebeccWa ilsonJ, aredDavisT, im LongwellD, rew
Olds,andlanciOldswhodraggedmeintothelronKingdomwshenI wasthirty-eightO. h,
andfor BobDefendiw, homI knewto beanXDM beforeI reallyknewwhatanXDM was.

.-HowardTayler

*Gonefromusbutnevefrorgotten.

Credits

WrittenBy Editing CoverColors LogoDesign
TracyHickman StacyL. Whitman JimZubkavich lndlgoKelleiglr
CurtisHickman
SandrTaayler ChartsgTables Playtesting
IllustrateBd y loshPeltier MelisaMayhew RoberJt . Defendi
HowardTayler
Interiorl-ayout
SandrTaayler

X-TremeDungeonMasterytextcopyrighTt racyHickmanandCurtisHickman2009
X-TremeDungeonMasteryillustrationcsopyrighHt owardTayler2009

No partof thisbookmaybeusedor reproduceind anymannewr ithouwt rittenpermissioenxcepitn thecaseof reprintsin
thecontextof reviews.Forfuftherinformationseewww.xtremedungeonmastery.com

fsBN978-0-9779074-6-5
FirstPrintingA,ugus2t 009

Printedin China

10987654321

fAnmoFfoNrENrs

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . .6. . Puttinglt All Together: ......55
TheSecreHt istoryof XDMs ..........9 T h eA d v e n t u rTe e x t 55
56
Pu b l iVc e rsi o n ..... OrganizatioTni:mevs.Space
Tricksof AdventureWriting

GettinSg tarteadsanXDM .........15

ChapteOr ne: B e i ntgh eX D M. . . . . . . . . . .5 9

lsBeinganXdmRighftorYou?.... l6 ChapteEr ighfAt ll theGame'sa Stage.........60

X D MC o m p a ti b i lTi teyst.....................I..6...... G a m e p l atyh,eX D MW a y !. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6. .0.

X D M :T h eM o d e r nB a r d .......60

ChapteTrwo:Welcomteo theCult..........18 KeepRollinigntheRole......... ...............61
Do-it-yourseSlef creItnitiationRitual.s.. l8
XDM Levels:WhyYouCan Smelol f theGreasPeaint,
a n dP l a yeCrsa n 't...................2..0...
Roarof theOrcs . . . . . . . . . .6. 5

Ethicso,r "Try Telling

THATto anAngryMob!"............6.6

T h eT h e o royf X D M .................23

C h a p t eTr h r e e :l t ' s a b o u t h eP l a y e r.s. . . . . 2 4 ChapteNr ine:

PlayeTr ypes .... 24 L i v i n gt h r o u g ht h eR e v o l u t i o n . . . . . .6. 8. . . .

FulfillinEglemenosf GameDesig.n.....25 TheJackBaueRr ule......... ....68

Puttinglt AII on thePage ... 26 T h eA u s t r a l i aRnu l e ............6. 9

ExecutinltgAll in theGame: There'As LWAYSAnotherRule,Rule.... 69

P o ll i nagn dJu g g l i n..g...............2.7 T h eX D 2 0R u l e. . . . . . . . . ..........7O

C h a p t eFro u r :S t o r yi s E v e r y t h i n.e. .l. . . . . . . . 2 9 Ultim atXeDM....... .....71
TheCampbelliManonomyth.............3. 0 C h a p t eTre n :A t m o s p h e r e .........72
M y s t e ray n dS u r p r i s e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. .4. . . . . . Sound ................72
HickmaanndSon'sCheapTrick Lights ................73
forSurprisine Storytellin..g..........36 Lasers ................73
R a n d o mS t o r yG e n e r a t o r . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3. .8. . . . . Holograms ..........74
Fog.......... ..........76

ChapteFriveD: esigninfogrStory.............42

HandmeyourNoseRing ChapteEr levenD:evil'Tsouch ...77

(LineaDr esign) ...........42 FlasPh aper .........78

LikeW, hateve(rO! penMatrix)...........43 FlasPh ots! ..........79

NarrativeBumpePr ool A GianItncr edibFleir ebal.l.!.!............8..0.

( C l o seMd a tri x)..... ......44 T h eA r m a g e d d oHne l l s t o r m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I . 1.

C h a p t eSr i x :S e l d d i r ...............46 ChapteTrwelveW: onderosf theGods........83
PhysicaPluzzles . 48 ,
C o n t a cJtu g g l i n g ..................83

It'sa Trap! .......49 Appear anc.e..s......... ...........86

T o oM ucho r N o t E n o u g h..?...............50 CardAs ren'tOnlyCollectabl.e..s.........8..I

DieTricks

ChapteSrevenT:houShalPt repare..!.......51 andOtherPointleMssiracle.s.........9. 5
T h eM a pi sth eT e rri to r.y...............5..l..

ChapteTr hirteenK: illerBreakfatsot Go .... | 0l A d v a n c e dX D 2 0 C h a r a c t e r

A BriefHistoryof KillerBreakfast.........l0l Generation ..125

K i f l e rB a s i c s .......1O2 Stuff:SkillsW, eapons,

DeathTakesPlanning: SupplieAsr,mor ...... .....126

T h e m e sP,r o p sa, n dS t u n t.s. . . . . . . . . .1. 0 3 DoingStuff:MovemenatndActions.....127

K i l l eBr e ats ........105 HittingStuff:CombaRt esolutio..n........l28

R u n n i ntgh eGa u n tl e..t..................l..0.8... ThinkingStuff:

S u r eY o uT h i n kY o u ' r eS m a r.t. . . . . . . 1 2 9

CastinSgpellasndMysticaSl tuff.........l.3.0

K e n n yBa keGr a me.......................I.l.0... Charactelmr provement:

Murderin theDarkGame ...I l0 G a i n i nLge v e l s . . . . . . . .......131

C o n v e r s i of rno mO t h e rS y s t e m. .s. . . . . . . . . 1 3 2

XDM:thePlayer'Ssection ..........l I l

ChapteFr ourteen: ChapteSr eventeeXnD: 20

H o wY o uP l a yth eGa me............l..l2 DungeoMnasterHy andbook......l.3..4.

TheDeadlDy ungeoSnessio..n...........l..l4 I n t r o d u c t i ot on X D 2 Of o r X D M s. . . . . . . . . . 1 3 4

TheBoringLongLifeCharacte..r........I. l4 Theoryof GameRelativiry ...134

ThingsWhichYouCanDo A d v e n t u rDe e s i g n . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. 3 5

to MakeYourGameBette.r.........I.l5 A d v e n t u rTer a n s l a t i o n . . . . . . . .1 3 6

B eC r e a t i v e .......l 16 TargeDt iffrcultDy eterminatio..n.......... 136

C o n c l u si o.n..s.......... ..........1l7 DealinwgithDoingStuf.f........ ........1..3..8

D e a l i nwgi t hH i t t i n gS t u f f. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .l.3. .8

X D 2 0R o l eP l a y i nSgy s t e m ..........19 D e a l i nwgi t hM a g i c( o r n o t ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.3 9

ChapteFrifteenT:heXD2OBasiGc ame....l20 R e s o l v i nt hgel m p o s s i b.l.e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .l. .3. 9

Introductioton RolePlayin.g.............1..20

AbouttheXD20RolePlayinSg ystem...l2l ChapteEr ighteenX: D20CreaturCe odex.....l 4l

WhatYouNeedto Play(SettinUgp) ....l2l

O b i e cot f th eGa me ...........l2l Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . .1. .4 9

P l a y i ntgh eGa me ...............122 OffrciallSy anctioneXdDMMerchandis..e.....l50

XD 2 0En g i n e ....122 X D MC o m p a t i b i l Ti t ye s tS c o r i n.g. . . . . . . . . . . . . . l.5. .l

CreatinYgourCharacte..r....... .........|.22 Answertso Riddles ....152

Glossary ...l54

ChapteSr ixteenT:heXD20 X D 2 0R e s u lTs a b l e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. .5 6
A d v a n c ePdl a y e rG' su i d e. . . . . . . . . . . .1. .2 5
W a i t i n gf o r G y g a x .....l58

Thisain'tyour mama'sorry,saggy therestof us. Takingtheperformancceraft
oldadventurseupplemenWt e'retalking of runninganentertainindgungeotno the
thedifferencbeetween'bad' DMsand veryedge!
'wickebdad'DMs.We'retalkingabout
ukingyoursleepy-eyehdi,t-point-countin', Whywouldanyonewritea book
wait-it-out-in-the-middle-of-thep-lpaayretyrs, likethis?Becauswehenweseea poorkidsit-
grabbinthgemby thefrontof theirstained tingnextto a gamingtablewitha half-painted
T-shinandshakint'heirworld'til theirdicefall miniaturien hishandw, ethinkwhatyouthink.

XDMgoesbeyondtherule ThisroomneedslasersB. iglasersa,ndpos-
book-wabyeyond-withadvicet,ips, siblyfrre.In fact,thenexttimewehear
techniqueasn,dideasdesignetdo take somethirty-somethingguywitha plastic
anycomplacensto, unds-like-a-stock- slipcovecrharactesrheetry andtell
holders-meetrionlgeplayingadventure usthatgamingisallabout"level-
groupandbust heirgamewideopen. ingup," wemayjuststringhimup
T h et e x tc o v e r se v e r y t h i nfgr o m r a d i c a l by hisVelcroshoelaceWs.elivein
theatrictaelchniquetos sleighot f hand anagewherepyrotechnicasn, ima-
andhowto downrighctheatif necessairny tronicsa, ndthegreatesiltlusionisn
thequesot f extremefun.Sometimepsractical,
sometimienssanelryidiculousa,ndalwaysenter- historyarereadyto orderfromour
uiningX, DMistheGameMaster'sGuidefor homecomputers-anwdesayit'stime

to usethem.ThisistheGameMaster's
Guidefortherestof us. And sinceyou

didn'twriteit, wedid.

lNrnonucrroNr

ReadThis EvenThoughYou Don't Want To

BeinganXDMismuchmorethanjustanothekrindof gamereferee(.Wescoffwithhearryderisioant
theveryidea!)lt isa callinga, disciplinea,missiona,nda metaphofror life.lt isnota pathfor everyone.
Onlytheheartiesmt asterosf roleplayinggames-wefew,wehappyfew,webandof XDMs.Gamerselse-
wherewhoshunthiscallingshaltlhinkthemselvaecscursetdheywerenotcountedamongus,andholdtheir
manhoocdheapwhilsat nywhispetrhenameof XDM.

Youmayverywellask"whatqualificationthsesethreehaveto teachmehowto beanXDM?"Theshort
answeirslots.lf that'sgoodenoughfor you,skipto thenextfewparagraphs.

TracyHickmaniaa worldrenownedb,est-selling
fantasayuthorwithhundredosf thousandosf worksto
hisname,Hr eistheadventurgeamedesigneorf such
cfassicassRavenloaftndDragonlancweh2ichwerecre-
atedin collaboratiownithhisgorgeousta, lented-and
XDMin herownright-wife,LauraHickmanH. is
awardwinningeffortsin thegamingcommunityhave
causemd anyto admirehimbothfor hisskillandhis
hygieneH. ehassuccessfuhlluynteddragonisn lava,is
anaward-winnisnagilplanpeilot,anda conductoorf the
DallasCowboyCs heerleaderHs.i3samazintgalentfor
dungeonmasterinhgasshapedthe worldaswe know
it.aAnywayw, hatit comesdownto ishehaswritten
severablooks-includintghisone.Heisalsoa 496th
leveXl DM(aGrandPaladin-loHrdornedDragons).
Lauraisa 99th levelXDM (a GrandLadyPegasufso)r
reasonwshich,wewouldthink,areobvious.

I lf you countindlviduawl ords.
2 Thesetitlesarecopyrightedandtrademarkedby Wlzardsof the Coastiustlikealmosteverythingelsein roleplayingameso, r sothey tell us.Theyare
usedherewithout permissionsinceit is a "statementof fact" ratherthan an "lnfringement." The truth is that we don't haveto put this footnote down
hereat all with thisdisclalmeer xceptthat we'reenioyingusingthesethlngswithoutthe permissioonf Wizardsof the Coastandwantto callattentionto
the fact.
3 No, it's true! Tracy actuallyfound and sawwith hlsown eyesa Komodo dragonin the SurabayaZoo in easternJava;won the ,flour-bombingcontest,
at the ageof seventeeinn Heber,Utahwhilein a traininggliderand-belngscaredstiffat flyingwith the backwindowopen-panickedand droppedthe
sackof flower, hitting the targetout of sheerdumb luck; and once, asa stagehandat the OsmondStudiosin Orem, Utah, leadthe entire DallasCowboys
cheerleadinsgquadfrom the rehearsahlallto the soundstage,promptlyembarrassinhgimselfby gettingstuckin a backdropcurtain.
4 lf by "world" you takeit to meanfiveor moremembersof your localroleplaying aminggroup,
5 All XDMshavea numericLevelof Masterywhichindicatestheirproficiencyin XDM craft.Eachlevelis accompaniebdy a descriptivenameusually
takenfrom an mythicanimalandoften,at higherlevelsc, ombinedwith titles.You'll frndthe XDM levelingsystemon page21.)

CurtisHickmanisa respectemd agician(if sucha
thingexistsa) ndsonof TracyHickmanY. oumayknow
himby hisprofessionnaal met,heAmazingCurtis.You
mayalsoseeanillusionhehelpedinnovatein theMac
Kingshowat Harrah'isn LasVegas.Hr isothermagical
inventionhsavebeenseenin actsaroundtheworld
includinganeffectrecentlyperformedby CrissAngel
for hisinternationtaellevisiosnerie"sMind Freak.H" e
wasa reviewefror a nationaml agicmagazinea,ndhis
writingshaveappeareidn numeroupsublicationsC.2urtis
isa reknowne3d78th LeveXl DM (a GrandMega-lord
T a l o n e dG r i f f i n )w h oh a ss p e n t h e l a s tf o u ry e a r st r a i n i n g
for 379thlevel.s

HowardTaylerhasdrawnover| 5,0004picturesin
thelastnineyearsO. thercartoonistsesyehisunbroken
streakof dailyupdateast schlockmercenary.cwoimtha
mixtureof iealousayndawe.Hehasbeencartooninsgince
luneof 2000, andlatelysen/eusp overa terabyteof data
to voraciourseaderesachmonth.Heisonlya I lOth-level
XDM, but hiscross-traininingwebtoonisatndpublisher
hasgivenhimanothetrwo hundredandthreeeffective
levelsbringinghistotalto 3l 3th level. . . oncethisbook
hasbeenillustratedp,ublisheda,ndhasearnedsufficient
moneyto convinceGrandMasterFrankthatthoselevels
shouldcount.

Whenyoucombinefifteenyearsof magicasltudyandinventionw, iththirtyyearsof fantasygamedesign
andstorytellingw,ithnineyearsof cartooninegxperienceyo, u'reboundto endupwithsomethinagsspectacular
asXtremeDungeoMn astery.

Sothereyouhaveit. Threeguyswholovegameasndwhoaretryingto givebackin thebestwaythey
knowhow,by bringingforththesecretosf XDMgamingI.n thefollowingpageysou'llfrnda seaof awesome
thingtshatcouldmakeyour nextroleplayingadventurae hugesuccesYs.ouwill alsofindthingsthatyou would
haveto becompletelcyertifrablteo attempt.In fact,thepublishetroldusthattheonlywaywecouldavoid
beingsuedwasto issuea greatdealof warningtshroughoutthebook.6

I And really,there is no greaterglory for a magicianthan to seehisbelovedwork vlolentlyslaughterednightafter night beforea drunkenaudienceof
gamblingseniorcitizens.
2 Althougfirn somecasesthe librarywasn'ttoo happyaboutit sincehe wrotein themin ink.
3 Cunlsnotes:I blameGrandChancelloFr rankfor my slowprogrestso level379.
4 Countingindlvlduapl anels.
5 Theyknowwho they are. We shan'tembarrassthem.
6 Waming!Readingcancauseeye fatigueand over many,manyyearsmay evenslightlyaffectyour vision.Papercutsand bruisescould resultfrom
theimproperhandllngof this book. Never readXDM materialsif the book ls on frreor you yourselfare on fire. Also, neverreadthis text while you are
pflotingan alrcraft,disarminga nuclearmissile,or are at a bonfireparty with the Archbishopof Granada.Thisbook cannotbe usedasa flotation deviceor
asanaltematesourceof food.



FOROOT TO "QE7ZLTETZL'S
AFOOORlN-NfHI,VEIB+2LE TAN6LIN6VINE'I@NORES

SKILLENHANCEilIENTS,

JHE$rcnrr flrsronvoFXDMsPusrrc{rnsroN

TheSecresof theSociCtdCe I'UItimel4ai- EarlyFoundationsof XDMs

treshavebeencloselyguardedfor centuries-and Thefrrstrudimentarryoleplayinggameshave
withgoodreasonT! heirprinciplesshattemr anyof beenshroudeidn themistsof ancienSt umeriand
themostcommonassumptionasboutroleplaying B a b y l o ns,t e m m i nfgr o mt h e2 4 t h c e n t u r yB . C .
gamesh,owtheyshouldbeplayeda, ndevencalls Fragmenosf writingsfoundfromthosetimes-most
intoquestiotnheentireconcepot f leveling-up. prominentltyheDM Shielodf Kish.S' omeSocidtd

Manyconsidesruchconcepthseretical. researchebreslievethattheCodeof Hammurabi

Suchknowledgweouldbedevastatinwgere wasoriginallay failedattempto codifythefirstrole
it to fallintothewronghands(see"Rosenbergs" playingame.

below)F. orthisreasont,hetruehistoryof Xrreme It isbelievetdhatsometimdeuringthe l2th

DungeoMnasteryhasbeenguardedby XDM Masters century8.C.,a younggamebr y thenameof Trakasi

downthroughthecenturieasndremaincsarefully stofetheDM Shielodf Kshfromthepalaceof theking

maintainetod thisday. andmadechangetso therulesoriginallylaiddown

Whatcanbetold,howevesrparselyp,aintsa by Hammurabi-thuissthefoundationof Xtreme
vividandtantalizinpgictureof themovemenftrom DungeoMn astery.

itsfoundationinsancienSt umeriaandBabylon,

throughis classicaGlreekrevivapl eriod,itsruthless ClassicaXl treme TragediesGt Comedies
BythesixthCentuUB.C.,roleplayinggames
oppressiounnderRomanlaw,itsadaptatioonf Otto-
manEmpireandMingDynastyphilosophieists, near (backwaradstheywereby today'sstandardsh)ad

extinctiowniththeKnightsTemplaar ndexileamong * Thisfamoussetof threestonetabletsw, hiledamagedand partial,
theAztecstatest,headvenot f roleplayinggames s"fhisotw",srtutsdriomneenr"t"asrtyi"ctko,"hti'ts"pteaabfl,e"asanndd"ahawneda-phoenldsrliosct ckoflninsgisetrin,"goTfhtihselalstet ms
inthe I 97Os,andXfremeDungeonl4astery'rsesur-
item is consideredto havebeena fancifullyimaginedobiect ratherthan a
gencein morerecentimesin theUtahdesert. weaponthat existed.

9

l[sronv

foundtheirwayontotheGreekmainlandK. urkisof gameeverproduceda,sit wasoriginallwy rittenon

lcariay, oungebr rotherto Thespisb,roughtheconcept boundbambooslas.Thethirteenchapterosf the

of theatricsinto rudimentaryXtremeDungeoMn astery bookoriginallydealtlargelywithminiatureasnd

gamesN. o dicewereinvolvedin conflictresolution; simulatiognamingbuttwo of thelastthreechapters

rather,it isbelievedthata formof "Rock,Papyrus, of thework-"TheNineSituations"a-nd"The Useof
Knife"wasutilizedto determineresultsl.f surviving Intelligence"btroughitn moreroleplayingelements.

illustrationasrecrediblet,hoseholdingtheknifealways QuotationfsromSunTzu'sworkareat the

won. philosophichaelarot f allXDMphilosophiaensdthe

sourceof constansttudyto plumbthedepthsof their

meaningF.orexample:

Thereforeonehundredvictoriesin one
hundredbattlesis not themostskillful.
Seizingtheenemywithoutfightingis themost
skillful.

A n d t h eX D M m a n t r a :

AIIwarfareis basedon deception.

Bythe fourthCenturyB.C.,Socratesa,ndlater

Plato-bothinvolvedin whatwasbecomintgheproto- Confuciusa,populargamerafterSunTzu,

XDMmovement-introducaendunconventional chroniclehsisownexperienceinsroleplayingin his
approactho roleplayingoriginallcyalledthe"Socratic Analectosf ConfuciusM. anyhaveconsideretdhis

Method."Thenamewaslatermisinterpretaesdap- workto beConfucius'attemtpot establisahmore

plyingto anotherphilosophyW. iththisnewapproach, free-formdialoguebasedroleplayingsystem.

playerasrguedfor or againsftatesfromthegods. Aboutthissametime-considered

Thesegamecsouldlastfor months. 8AT]! THE "6REEK' theGoldenAgeof Easterrnole
QrcIAL SUSTyPEaQANTS playing-SiddhartGhaautama
ln thethirdCentury8.C.,Euclid tAE+5 TO ?ol9Otl RESfSTANCE,
providedthesolution:the first AN? fiy W)SOOttff@lOtFtER. lefthispalaceat theageof
polyhedradlice,whichXDMsquickly
twenty-ninteo attendoneof

adoptedasbeingfarsuperiotro the thefrrstgamingconventionsH. is
'knife'method. encounterwsith pooranddecaying

gamerdsepressehdimsomuchthat

heabandonehdisprevious

EasternRolePlay:Birth of the lifeto embarkon a iourney
Campaign towardenlightenmenItn.
sodoing,heproducedthe
WhileWesterngamerws ere
firstcampaigsnetting.
s t r u g g l i nwg i t h t h e f u n d a m e n t aol sf

roleplayingg, reatadvanceins theart

werealsobeingmadein theEaswt hich

wouldprofoundlyaffect hefoundationosf

developmentaXl-treme DungeoMn astery.

Theeasternphilosophiews,hichwould

laterbeunifiedintotheglobaXl DMmovement, r Thlschapterls consideredthe first adventuremodule.
foundanearlyproponenitn SunTzuduringthesixth
'tWlsTdholmsc' shuatpistteicrininpgaarmtlclnuglaalrdtheoaulsgwhiitsh the roleof the'lntelligence'or
centuryB.C.Ihe Art of Warisconsiderebdy allSociltf usewasso boundup in eastern
researcshcholartso bethefirsthardcoverroleplaying
philosophythat generalgamersstill do not undentandit's proper usages.

10

l[sronv

The Colloseumof Rome: EarlyLARPs The XDMs Templar

Theriseof theprominencoef theRomanRepub- After thecollapsoef theRomanEmpireandthe

licmeanthatthecenterof roleplayingwasremoved ruleof ConstantintheeGreat,thecenterof allWestern

fromitsphilosophicraolotsin Greece-specificathlley powershiftedto theCatholicChurchw, hoseinfluence

ThraciaSnocieryof Roleplaying-andre-establishaesd overthecourtsof Europewasoftenabsolute.

theWarriorsof theCodexwestwaridn Rome. It wasnotuntilabout1132A.D. thata splinter

As theEmpiregrew,someregionasccepted groupfromtheKnightsTemplaer stablishethdemselves

RPGms orereadilythanothers.T. hisledto theas- asthe"HumbleGamerEs xtraordinaiWrehoDungeoneind

similatioonf otherculturatlraditionisntothegames Mindin theShadowof theTemple"or, moresimply,the

of theEmpireS. ooneveryonwe asplayinglarge-scale XDMSTemplarl.nitiallysanctionebdy theChurchwith

Live-ActioRnoleplayinggames(thefrrstLARPs). anopengaminglicenseb,y l3O5 A.D. PopeClem-

Thesgeeneratesduchinteresat mongthegenerapl op- entV decidetdo rescinadllopengaminglicenseasnd

ulacethatgrandandmagnificeanrtenaasndcoliseumsto consolidaatellgamerulesbackunderthepersonal

wereerectedthroughoutthe Republitco containthe systemO. n Fridayt,he | 3'hof October,1307A.D.,
spectatoorsf theseLARPsU. nfortunatelyw,hilestillin allXDMSTemplawr erearresteadndtheiropengaming
t h e i rp r i m i t i v ef o r m ,t h e g a m e sh a ds o m ee a r l yi s s u e s
withconflictresolutioannddetermininjgusthowreal licensersevoked.
Disenfranchistehdo,sefewXDMsremaininfgor-
to makethecombatresultsT. hiswasespecialdlyif-
sooktheirTemplanr ameasndwentintohiding.They
frculitn the"Christian8sr Lions"LARP,whereearly traveledto theFarEaswt heretheyadoptedthe East-
playtesfsailedto resolvesomeinherengt amebalance
ernX-fremeDungeoMn asterpyhilosophieosf SunTzu.
problems.

Theyhidin Tibet,largelyforgottenu, ntilwellintothe

l 7 0 0 s . O t h e rX D M sT e m p l afri l t e r e dt h e m s e l v ei ns

amongtheMasonicOrderswhosesecregt atheringhsad

VAMPIRESS,KELEOTNS,tAUttt/tt99,,, longbeensuspecteadsmerelya faqadfeor miniature
WE'LLgE FINE, WEHAVEN'TFOUNO gamingrole-playinagn, dcards.

ANYTHINoTHISOOESN'T WORKON,

The Aztecs

Littleisknownaboutearlyroleplayinggames

in theNewWorld.Thosefewexampleosf RPGsthat

havesurvivedtheconquistado(rws ho,it mustbe

understoods,ystematicadlleystroyeadll Mesoamerican

RPGbooksandmaterialfsor beinghereticalg)iveonly

tantalizingglimpseosf thepossibilitiepsresentebdy a

fewcaruingosn thewallsof theirabandonetdemplesl.t

seemcslear,howevert,hattheAztec,Toltec,andMa-

yanculturespracticeda formof roleplayingbutwith-

outa clearunderstandionfgtheconcept.lt appears

* TheRomanmotto atopmanyof its battlestandardrsead"S,P.Q.R." thatcharactedreathwasoftenconfusewd ith player
whichhasbeenhistoricallymisinterpretedto mean"SenatusPopulusQue deathin thesegamesT. rueXDMswouldneyerallow
RomanuoJ"r "The Senateandthe Peopleof Rome."XDM scholarhs ave suchconfusioinn theirgameasndthusweseethat
recentldyiscoveretdhat thisinscriptionfoundon the Arch of Titusjust theseearlyMesoAmericancsannobt econsiderepdart
of theX-tremeDungeonMasterymovement'psrogress
southeasotf the Colloseumof Romeactuallywasinterpretedas"Simulo
PersonaQeuaRegu/ae.S" irnu/o(to makellke) Persona(erole of an actor) throughhistory.
Qua(bywayof) Regula(ea rule,patternor model).Thus,the newand
secrertenderingof S.P.Q.Rk. nownonly to XDM insiderslikeyou is better
rendereidn Englishas'We role playby our own rules!"

[[sronv

The FoundingXDMs "Maitre'd"t andweresystematicaellxycludedfrom
thecourtsandtheirexcessivaendextravagagnat ming
Thefoundingof thecolonieisn theNewWorld partiesT. heSocietyof UltimateMasterosf theGame
by GreatBritainwasa naturaol utgrowthof numerous thenretreatedfromthepublicstageduringthe French
gaming roupswhocameto theAmericancontinenint
searchof lessrestrictivgeamerulesT. heBritishh, ow- Revolution.

ever,wereintenton maintainintgherulesestablished

in Englanadndimposintghemon thegamerisn the

colonies. Riseof the Cons

Thisallcameto a dramatihceadin 1773A.D. Thesecreht istoryof X-tremeDungeonMastery

whentheBritishParliamepnat ssetdheTeaAct.A becomecsloudedwithmysteryat thispoint.Wedo

little-readprovisionof thatact,asit waspassedc,alled knowthatpersecutiondsrovethemovemenitntohiding
for theimpositionof a taxon polyhedradliceimported afterbecominigmplicateidn a titanicseadisasteorn
fromtheOrientby theEasItndiaTradingCompany. April | zth,1914.+Otherunfortunataendunrelated

As polyhedradlicewereonlyavailabltehroughthe East eventksepttheXDMshiddenthroughthe l940ssand

lndiaTradingCompanyt,h" iswasa grievoubsurdento intothe l950s1.Onlyon rareoccasiondsidtheSocidtC

coloniagl amersT.heirbattlecryof "Taxationwithout or theX-tremeDungeoMn asterymovemenbt ecomea
representatioNn?o dice!"wasunfortunateltyoo longto matterof publicinteresTt.heinfamouRs osenbeTrgrials

catchon withthegeneraplopulacaendwassummarily of l95 | alsoinvolvetdhesellingof thesecreat dven-
turemasterintgechniquecsataloguebdy theSocidttCo
shorteneidntoa morecatchyphrase.

No lessprominenatnXDMthanSamueAldams theSovieUt nionbutwasovershadowebdy thelarger

himselsftoodup in Old SouthChurchandsaid", This issueosf nucleasrecrets.T" hisleadto anXDM-gap
meetingcando nothingmoreto savethecountry!" betweentheSovietasndtheWestthatwasnot resolved
Thiswasa secrect odeto theSonsof Liberty-hislocal untillatein the l97O's
gaming roup-togodownto theharborin theirgaming TheXDMundergrounmdovement,hiiavingbeen
costumeasndaddrestsheproblemdirectlyT. heship- oppressefdor decadesd,ecidedto stageprotestsagainst
mentof polyhedradlicehadbeencleverlhyiddenby thegovernmenatndtheother"powersthatbe" in

CaptainRoachof the Daftmoutihnsidebalesof tea.The 1969.Themostnotedeffortwasarrangintghe"anti-

XtremeDungeonMasterygamertshrewthediceover- waragainsXt DMs"marchin Washingtotnhat | 5trof

boardand,for thesakeof expediencteh,eteaalong

withit. f Gamestoresbeingdlffrcult o run and makea profrt(asalways)t,he
XDMsof the Societyof UltimateMastenof the Gameoften rantheir
Soci6td de I'UItime Maitres de leu (Maitre d') gamingenterprisesin coniunctionwlth taverns,restaurantsa, nd hostelries.
TheFrenchMonarchisotsftenindulgeidn role
Thisnot only ledto laterconfuslonof the meaningof maitred but alsomay
playinggames-mostLlyARPsthatwererunon vast helpusunderstanwd hy so manyadventuregamesbeginIn tavems.
countryestatesH. oweverX, DMsof theirdaywere
excludedfromthecourtof LouistheXVI asbeing, f lt wasreponed that the Titanic'senglneroom crew thought FirstOffrcer
by defrnition",radicals.T" hisgaverisetheSocidtdi e Murdochwasjust"playingthat barmygame"whenhe ordered"all back
I'UltimeMaitredseJeu(theSocietyof theUltimate full" from the bridgethusresultingin a delayin their response.lt would
Masterosf theGame)X. DMswerethenknownasthe
havemadeno differenceto the outcome.Still,rumorsthat both Fredrick
* Anecdotalevidencesuggesttshat thesediceacquiredby the EastIndia Fleetand ReginaldLeewereplayingan RPGin the crow'snestpersistedlong
TradingCompanywereactuallymanufacturebdy XDMSTemplarin exilein
the FarEast, afterthecoun of inquiry.

$ Somesaidthat Adolf Hitlerlosta five-daykiegspieiln | 938 and,in
a purple rage,vowedto "prove the gamewasbadlydesigned"by actually
conqueringthe world. In a terriblemiscalculationth,e Wehrmachtook him
up on it and plungedthe world into caustrophicwar.

!f lt wasan ultra-classifiesdecretthat loseph McCarthywasactually
lookingfor XDMs.
* * Accordingto AlexandreFeklisovt,he former Sovietagentwho wasthe
Rosenberg'csont:rct,he had not providedRussiawith any usefulmaterial

aboutthe SociCtodr anyX-tremeDungeonMasterysecres,"[He] didn't
u n d e r s t a nadn y t h i n ga b o u tR P G sa n d c o u l d n ' th e l pu s . "
++ Two guysnamedLarryanda taconamedHal.

12

l[sronv

LEYEL@! N o v e m b e rT.h i su n f o r t u n a t ecl yo i n c i d ewd i t ha n o t h e r
T'I' TT]EK'N6 OF protesttakingplacethatday.'Unbelievabalesit may
soundn, ooneamongthehundredosf thousandosf
TTIEUORLO! peoplethereremembetrhetwo guysin thebackyelling
"Hellno,wewon'troll."

Meanwhilein, Chinat,heCulturaRl evolutiopnro-

ducedthe QuotafionfsromChairmaMn ao-alittleread
bookthatwasa blatanat ttemptby thegovernmentot
stampoutwide-sprearudlesvariantasndself-published
gamesupplementTs.hebookimposead specifiocfficial

setof rules,fromwhichno onewasallowedto deviate.
MainlanCd hinesXeDMswereheavilypersecuteadt the
timebecausoef theirradicaal pproactho roleplaying
gamews hichcontradictetdhedictateosf theCultural
RevolutioanndthewayMaopreferredto playRPGs.

Thiscontinuetsoday.r

TheXDMundergrouncdontinueids unheralded
work,publishinthgeirradicaml anifestoasndmanuals
on mimeograpmhachineasndXeroxsheesuntilGary
GygaxledanAmerican-basteedamto establisthhefirst
economicavlliyableRPGto landon storeshelvesT.he
popularitoyf roleplaying amersenewetdheurgent
callforXDMsto emergefromtheirhidingplaceasndto
champiognreagt amingonceagain.

Butit wasnotto be:by the 1980sandintothe
1990splayerbsecamiencreasingolbysessewdithmore
c o m p l i c a t erdu l e ss e t sl,e v e l i nugp t h e i rc h a r a c t e r s

andacquirinugnprecedenteitdemsto overpowearnd
unbalanctheeirgamesR. egulaorn-the-lingeameref-
ereeswereincreasingblyesiegebdy playerws hotook
overtheirgamews hilestillplayingpoorlya, ndby rules
setswhoseconstanrtevisionasndeditions appedtheir
abilityto runtheirgamews itha singlec,oherenstetof

rules.

It wasnotuntil2005,whenTracyandCurtis

Hickman-thesecrelteaderosf theSociitd-determined
to comeforwardt,hattheXDMmovemenbteganto
emergefromtheshadowTs.hen,in 2009, theHick-
manssoldtheprintrighaof theSociitd'smostsecret

* You canimaginetheirexcitemenat shalfa millionpeopleturnedout...
followedquicklyby gravedisappointmenatndangerat Hal for choosingthe
date.
f lf you havereadthe ENTIREhistoryof the SociCtde I'Ultime
MaitresdeJeu,you haveunwittinglybecomean unofficiallevelrwo XDM.
Congratulationyso, u arenow at the levelof "FesteringNewt." We will make
thisoffrcialateron.



QrrrrNc$rnnrEDASAr{XDM

o

ri::/\'-*]-- c

f,HarrERoNE,[S$uNGAr.rXDRMtCHrFOR]OUr

lsbeinganXDM for you?| knowyou'veasked l. Howmanysidesareon a dodecahedron?

y o u r s e tl fh i sq u e s t i odno z e n s - inf o t h u n d r e d s - ot ifm e s . A. Two

PerhapysousawanXDM recruitmenptosterandfelt B.Four

thestirringosf dutyat thesighot f theuniformP. erhaps C. Six

youknewanXDMpersonalalyndthrilledto their D. Twelve

heroictales.Perhapysousawa movieaboutXDMs E.Doesit matter?

andhowtheyplayeda vitalrolein savingWestern

civilizatiodnuringtheSeconWd orldWar.Perhapysou

wereevenluckyenoughto haveanXDM runa game 2. Mostof theplayerisn yourgamearehaving

for you-andiustknewthatoneday,youwouldbeiust a goodtimebutoneyoungplayerat theendof the

likethem! tableislookingdistractedY.oureact o thisby:

Well,it isn'tthateasyf,riend!Not everyoneis A. Makingfunof himandhumiliatinhgim

cutoutto becomeanXDM.Surei,t &rketsrainingand in frontof theotherplayersin orderto

practicaendlotsof plain,hardworkbutit alsotakesa teachhimcharactearndbackboneth, e

lessdefrnabqleuality-thesoulof anXDM. littlewuss!

lf youwantto knowif youhavethatinner B. Lettinghimplayyourcomputer/video

"somethingt"hatseparateasnXDM fromthemun- gamesothattherestof youmore

daned, rone-voiceDdM of a commonRPG.Thenyou seriougsamercsanstopdragginhgisdead

cantakethissimpletestto determineif youarecutout weighat longin thegame.

to weartheproud,blackt-shirot f anXDM. C. Stoppintghegameandconductinag

XDM CompatibilityTest meaningfuslessiownith all the players

about heirfeelingasndwillingnestos

Answeer achquestiobny selectintghemultiple includeallmemberosf society.

choiceresponstehatyoubelievemostcloselyreflecs D. Attackinghischaracteirn thegameh, aving

yourown.In thecaseof essaqyuestionasn, swears hisenemyengagheimin parleyanddrop

completelayspossiblien thespaceallottedS. coring hins about henextstepin thegame.

resultsarefoundon page| 5l . Donof referto the E. Turningupthefogmachinela, serss,ound

scoringpagebeforecompletinygour responsetos the effectsa, ndpyrotechnics.

test.

ls$rnrcAr.Xr DMRtcurron{our

3. TwotrainsleaveChicagoandNewYorkat 5. A playeirn yourgamerollsa natura2l 0 on

thesametimein oppositedirectionosn thesame histo-hitdiceandyoumistakenlryulethathemisses.
trackwhichpassethsroughIndianapolIisn,dianaT.he Theplayeirumpsup fromthetableq, uotingyouthe
touldisunceof thetrip is828 milesl.t is | 69 miles pageandparagrapohf therulethatsaysthathehis the

fromChicagoto IndianapoliTsh. etrainfromChicago monsterY. ouanswehrimby...

isgoingeastat anaveragsepeedof twelveanda half A. Tellinghimto sitdownandshutup.

milesperhour.ThetrainfromNewYorktravelswest B.Apologizinfgor theoversighatnd

atanaveragsepeedof sixry-threme ilesperhour. immediateclyorrectintgheproblem.

Assuminygouareon theChicagotrain,willyoube C. Tellinghimyou'rea beta-testfeorr the
ableto getoff thetrainto attendtheGenconGame upcominrgulesversionX+ 2 - whichnegates

Conventiobneforeyourfierydeathin a head-ontrain theruleheiustquoted.

collision? D. Tellinghimhischaractehrasiustdiscovered

A. Yes,thetrainswillcollideafterI getto a SECREfTromthegame.

Gencon. E.Turnupthefogmachinela, serss,ound
B.No, thetrainswill collidebeforel getto effecgandpyrotechnics.

Gencon.

C. Neithert,hetrainswillcollideAT Gencon.

D. l'll befrnesinceI alwaydsriveto Gencon

to savemoneyto buyXDM-sanctioned 6. Didyoulookat theanswerbseforetakingthis
merchandise.

E.What'sa Gencon? test?
A. No! Youtoldmenotto at thebeginninogf

thetest!

4. Haveyoueverbeena membeor f the B.I looked-buIt didn'tread.
C. In orderto breaktherulesy, ouhaveto
CommunisPt arty?
A. Never!Whywouldyouevenasksucha knowwhytheyexistin thefirstplace.l'll

question? i u s tt a k et h e t e s t ,r e a dt h e a n s w e rasn dt h e n

B. I neverstoppeddoubtingc, omrade! takethetestagain.
C. I don't remembearnythingfrommy D. HowelsewasI goingto getalltheanswerIs

collegyeears... needed?

D. DotheyplayclassiAcDETDor Second E.Thiswasa TEST?

Edition?

E.Whatisa communist?

17

fHenrEnJWoW, srcoMETroHECurx

Congratulatioonns youracceptancinetoour guardianbsetweenthemundaneplayersandthe
exclusivaendsecrest ocietyN! owthatyou'vepast realmsof powerandmagicinhabitedby theXDMs.r
our rigorousexaminationasn- dhavebeenrecom- (See"ThresholCdrossingo"n page31.) Soit isthat
mendedby a fellowXDMof no Iessthat20'hlevelt, thesecrecoyf theseritualsh, andshakaensdsalutes-
youarenowreadyto beofficiallyinductedintoour
c u l t +( e v e nt h o u g h ,b e i n gs e c r e t i v ew, e n e v e r e f e rt o theverysymboltshatidentifyXDMsto oneanother
ourselveassa cults).
outof themundanreabble-havbeeeniealouslkyept
E.GaryGygaxtookwhatexistedin miniatures fromtheknowledgoef theworldandpassedown
gamingin the 1970s-andturnedit intoa bigdeal. fromXDMto XDM in privateceremoniedsown
Sincethosewonderfuel arlydaysof roleplaying
gamesh,oweveri,t allseemtso havegonestalew, ait- throughtheagesof time.
ingfor someonteo comealongandstirthingsup a Butsinceyouboughthebook,andin theinter-
bit.That'sexactlywhatbeinganXDMisallabout.
estof timeandpersonaclonveniencwe,eareprovid-
Do-it-yourself SecretInitiation Rituals ingyouwiththenew,updateddo-it-yourseslef cret
ritualsandceremoniethsatyoucanperformin the
Everysecreot rganizatiownorthanythinghas conveniencoef yourownhome,hotelroom,or even
theirowninitiationritualsT. heseritualsstandas a largepublicspacefilledwithincreduloupseople!

' Or, in other words, havefinallyfrguredout how to get the bestscore Step1: Completethe initiationfee Newmem-
on the XDM CompatibllityTeston page16.
f Thisrecommendatiornequiremenits alsofulftlledby purchasintghls bersarerequiredto submitaninitiationfeeof twenty
book. dollars($201in UnitedStatescurrencypayable
f A "cult" in thiscase,takesthe commonusageascoinedfrom 1920
onwardreferringto a cohesivesocialgroup and their beliefsor practices, directlyto eitherTracyHickmanC, urtisHickmano, r
whichthe surroundingpopulatlon-orin thiscasegamingcommunity- HowardTaylerdirectlyandin personS. peciaClir-
considersto be ouside the mainstreamY. eah,baby,that's us. cumsfanceHso: wevert,hisinitiationfeelSWAIVED
$ You neverrefer to XDMs as"a cult" becauseit soundstoo much like COMPLETELwYheneveyroupurchasaecopyof this
"occr.rlt"and mostpeoplecan'ttell the differenceevenif you explain bookfromanauthorizerdetailer'.OR by purchas-
it to them until you are blue in the face.They will instantlyinslstthat
you'retellingthemyou'resomesortof demonicworshipersw, hichis how inganyofherXDMmerchandisetorut lingmorethan
Dungeons8[ Dragonsfrgot into that wholesorry nonsensein the frrst
place, f* * Sometimeresferredto as"the Denny'soff Exit38."
Or outof thetrunkof theauthor'csar.

t+ Availabltehroughourwebsitaetwww,xtremedungeonmastery,co

18

Wsrcovrro rHEf,urr

twentdyollar(s$201in UnitedStatecsurrencylf. you conventionosr gamestoresfarfromthepryingeyes
havenotalreadpyurchasethdisbookthenpleasdeo of anunsuspectianngdunsympatheptiucblic.
s ob e f o r ep r o c e e d i n gC.o m p l e t i ntgh e d o - i t - y o u r s e l f
initiatiownithouthavingfulfilledthisrequirement T h i si sc o m p l e t ebdy s i m p l ys t a n d i nugp r i g h t ,
willdoyounogoodandwill not makeyouanofficial feetslightlyapart,performintgheXDM SecreSt alute
(seeabovea) ndthenrepeatinagloudthefollowing:
XDM-.

Step2: Learnthe XDM SecreSt aluteYougive l, (sayyournameheresv) owin a non-
andreplyto theXDMsaluteby performintghefol- bindingway
lowing(a: )FacintgheotherXDM (eithewr alkingor
sundingb),ringbothhandsin frontof yourchesat t To exempliftyheidealosf theSocietoef
abouttheleveol f yourheart.(b) OpenyourRIGHT XDMs,
palmandstrikeit withyourLEFTfrstlevewl ithand
infrontof yourheart.(c) Thenimmediateloypen To runmy gamews ithextraordinary
yourLEFTpalmandstrikeit withyourRIGHTfrstin
approximattehleysamelocationWHILEnoddingyour strengl,hc,ouragei,maginatioanndflair,
headsharplfyorwardy, ourchinpointeddowntoward To mike makethegamefun andexcit-
y o u rh a n dast y o u rc h e s t .
ingfor everyone.
Youwillperformthissaluteat allsecremt eetings To tossout theruleswhentheyarein
ofXDMsat nd in thehallsof sci-fr/fantaosrygaming
conventionwsh,erepeoplewill notconsideirt strange. thewayof agoodtime.

Io tossout dicewhentheyarein the
wayof agoodtime.

Io fossoutplayerws hentheyarein the
wayof agoodtime.

Andto useONLYofficiallysanctioned
XDMgamemerchandise

wheneyesruchmerchandiisseavailable.

IMMEDIATELaYt theendof theoath,you
mustperformthenextstep!

Step4: Performthe secreXt DM Ceremonial

DanceT: hisisactuallnyota dancepersesomuchas

a seconsdalutel.t isalsousedto concludme eetings

of XDMtribes.

Step5: Takethe XDM Oath Havingfulfrlled Theceremonidaal nceisperformebdystand-

therequiremenotfsmembershipit+i,stimeforyou ingwithyourfeetslightlaypart,headup,andhands

totaketheXDMoath.Thisancienotath,originally atyoursides(.a)Youthenraisebothhandsat the

foundona scroldl atingfromthetimeof Hammurabi,sametime,crossinygourforearmascrosysourchest

hasbeencarefullpyreservebdy XDMSdownthrough (leftarmovertherightarm),forminganX withboth

theagesW. hiletheversionof theoaththatweknow handsin fistsa, t theoppositsehouldewr hileshout-

todayhasbeenretranslateindtomorecompatible ing"Xl" (b) lmmediateplyushyourleftarmstraight

modertnermsi,t hasneverthelebsesenunchanged downto yourside,keepingtheleftfistabouta foot

initsessentisael ntimenstinceit wasfirstperformed fromyourlefthip,andshout",D!" (c) Dothesame
ancientlTyo. day,it isperformedat thebeginof all withyourrightarm,pushingtherightfrststraight

XDMTribemeetingosr officiaflunctions-usuaaltly downuntilit isaboutonefootfromtherighthipas

iGliJ-*v .rro r..",r, in curseddice rottsfor an unspecifredperiod of time youshouot ut"M!" (d) Finishthemoveby once
inthefuture.You'vebeenwarned! againraisinbgothhandsin frontof yourchesat nd

t lfyou don'tknowwherethe secretmeetingsareheldlook in the $ lf you actuallyspokethe words"sayyour namehere" ratherthan
programbookofyour conventionor fanusy/sci-fieventfor a big picture your own actualname,you gainone levelasan XDM immediately.
andmapto itslocationC. an'tmissit.
f Inotherwords,havingfrnallyboughtsomething.

QerrrNc$renrEDASANTXDM

performintghesecreXt DM Saluteasdescribeadbove Thismaystrikesomepeopleashypocritical

but,at thenod,alsoiumpingup in theairsothat considerinthgeXDM'sadamansttandagainsptlayers
bothfeethit thegroundat thesametime.
levelinagt all.(See"Charactelmr provemenGt:aining

Levelso"n page| 31.) Thedifferenciesthatleveling
Step5: CongratulationYstouarenowofficially characterisartifrcial;evelingXDMs,that'sreal!
anXDM!Youmaynowclaimasyourstheproud
All XDMshavetwo secrent ameswhichdesig-
traditionof XDMsdownthroughtheagesandknow natetheirlevelY. oucandeterminwehatyoursecret
thatyouareoneof theelitegamemastewrshoarea levelnameisby referringto thefollowingtablesT. o
cut abovetherest.
determinyeourlevelname,findyourlevel'sAspect

XDM Levels:Why you can and firstandthentype.Any XDMbelowlevel 0 uses
players can't the'00'type.Menandwomenhavedifferen(tbut

Unlesisnstructeodtherwisea,.llnewXDMsbe- equalt)ables.

In additiontherearecertaintitlesthatarere-
ginat levelone.Thismeansthatyouhaveiustbegun servedfor thedifferenlteaderosf theSociitCC; rand

on yourpathtowardXDMenlightenmeannt dhave Masterfor exampleisreservefdor thosewhoare

manygloriouysearsof earninagdditionalel velbsased at thehighesltevelsof leadershipn theSocidtadnd

on yourexperiencaendamounot f moneyyouhave thusarecurrentloynlyin useby TracyHickmanand

spenot n XDMmerchandise. CurtisHickmanO.+thertitlesincludeChief,General,

XDMlevelas rea meanosf eitherestablishing NumbeOr ne,EmeritusN,umberTwo,anda few
yoursuperioritoyverlesser-levXeDl Msor of gloat- otherss, omeof whichmayalsobeprecededby the
ingaboutyourpureandhumblestatubs eneatthhe wordgrandor usedin combinationH. owardTayler
sopcuroorurfeedel,elosrjtw,aaXdb-eltirsdehhmiignthehDgeeuirrn-rlgeeefvuXoetMDnal bMalssesto.letc'risasahnol odrdmwewaraeinmkteaoeinnpgingAfdoerrcteehxSrdmaiunmikncepFaeeitlnaieisysnkougnnpeoeTtdowoivtnteaahrnselea.a"v"beGolIrvOaetn0hdsrCeuhetGuiesrifNannuthdmXeDboerMgrOsatn-oe
ourhierarchaleladershwiporldwideL.evelinXgDMs nizationi,t'sa safebetthattheywill remaintheonly
keepstheworld'schaosat bay.
GrandleveXl DMsfor quitesometimeto come.r

* Meaningthat evenasa beginningXDM you mayhaveinadvertently + Thiswill probablyneverchange.
leveledup. f Frankisalsotechnicallya Grandlevelalthoughno oneseemsto
remembewr hy.

20

til/slcoh/ETo THEf,Ur

. l{undrrds Tltle Tenr Dpa Oncs Aspcct
000 00
100 Duchess 10 Newt Wet
200 Lady 20 Pixie Nub
300 Mega-Lady 30 Fae Festering
400 Paladin-Lady 40 Dwarf Lurching
500 * 50 Selkie Flashing
600 * 60 Etf Shining
700 * 70 Dryad Horned
800 * 80 Siren Fanged
900 90 Unicorn Taloned
tf Pegasus Flaming

, Hundreds Tltle Tenr Typc Ones trepcct
000 00
100 Archduke t0 Newt 0 Wet
200 Lord 20 Kobold 1 Nub
300 Mega-Lord 30 Gargoyle 2 Festering
400 Paladin-Lord 40 Dwarf 3 Lurching
500 * 50 Manticore 4 Flashing
600 * 60 Elf 5 Shining
700 * 70 Griffon 6 Horned
800 80 Sphinx 7 Fanged
900 90 Titan 8 Taloned
Dragon 9 Flaming

Levelsabove40O are secretand the exactprogressionof theselevels,the criteriafor advancementa, nd the namesof eachof the levelsis a closely
guardesdecreot f XDMsandmayonly be knownor discussebdy thoseXDMswho attainGrandMasterstatus.It's that or we haven'tmadeup our
mlndsaboutit yet ... but YOU'LL neverknow!

21

QernNcgrenrEDASANTXDM

An XDM...

. Makes an effort to make the game fun and exciting for everyone.
. Tossesout the rules when they are in the way of a good time.
. Tossesout the dice when they are in the way of a good time.
. Tossesout the players when they are in the way of a good time.
. Paints the picture with style! (Show,don't tell.)
. Never cheats the players!
. Makes up the rules when necassary.
. Listensto his/her audience!
. Knows that the better the prep,the better the game.
o Always knows where the exit is,and keeps it handy.
. Usesstagecraft, pyrotechnics, sleight-of-hand, AND lasers!
. Playsout ALL consequences.
. Playsout ethics until the players squeal!
. Knows the difference between a good story and a bad joke.
. And ... usesONLYofficially sanctioned XDM black t-shirts,jeans,

dice,and protective gear.

An XDMNEVER...

o Cavesin to ANY rules-lawyering.
. Backsdown from a call: the'No, pigs can actually fly here'rule.
. Readsaloud from the adventure description text.
. Refersto the rules book ... EVER!
o Makes up the adventure as it goes.
o Starts a fire they cannot put out.
o Sawsanyone in half they cannot put back together.
o Allows players to make simulated damage real.
. Listensto the voices... the terrible voicesin your head . ..
. And ... usesANYTHINGbut officially sanctioned XDM black t-shirts,

jeans, dice,and protective gear.

22

llTJHToRYoFXDM

TSTHAT NO CHEETOS INKEEPH' ASTTHOU

BROCCOLT? UNTIL1 HEARS. OME MOREOF THATELVEN
ACTUALROLE-PUY AftN-PUFFEOCHEOOAR?
FROII THEPARTY,
ANP aEWOF THE

f,HmTERTHRElrE's:ABourHEp,nvrns

EveryXDMknowsin theirheartof hearuthat mastery,oumustfirstattaina zenstatewhilemedi-

roleplayingisabouttheplayersl.f you'reoneof those tatingonyourplayersY. ouwillcometo discovera,s

adventurgeamemasterws hobelievetshatrunninga havesomanyXDMsbeforeyou,thattherearebasi-

gamefor yourfriendsisanexercisien demonstrating callythreetypesof playerysouwill encountedruring

howverymuchsmarteyr ouarethanallof them,how therunningof yourgameT. hesearethethree"Spir-
powerfuyl ouareasa gamerefereea, ndthesmugsatis- is of thePlayer"andfamiliaritwy iththemisthekey

factionthattheyhaveto do whatyousay.. . in short, to achievintgheXDMexperiencineyourgame.'
if beinga gamerefereeisallaboutyou,thenyou'rejust
@8
thekindof guyor galwewantasa playeirn anXDM Warrior Player

gameO. n theotherhand,if wecatchyouactuallytry- "lf it moves,

ingto runa gamew, efeelperfectlyjustifredin taking killit. lf it doesn't
youdownsomebackalleysomewheraendbeatingyou movek, ickit'til

senselewssith a rubberdodecahedron. icmoyesI.akeits

Putmoresimplystill,gamemasterws hothinkthat stuff.Bry bigger

runninga gameisallabouthemselvaersescumthat weapons.Kiilbig-
shouldbebanishetdo whatevedrarkplaneof existence gerthings."
Thewarrior
theyhavecreatedfor thesufferingtormentof their playeirsallabout
haplespslayers.

Powetrrips,selfaggrandizemennet,rdrevenge... combatT. heylove
to pit theircharac-
a trueXDMcaresnot for suchthinp.

Whata trueXDMthinksaboutishowto givethe terandhisarsenal

biggestk,illerperformancoef a dungeontheworldhas * Perhapysou obiectphllosophicaltlyo the gros generalizatioonf all
playen into threetypesasa kind of gamerprofiling.Well, if you do,
everseen!

Player Types thenyou iustlosta level!We workedhardon thlspan of the text, under
an extremedeadlineof our own. And thesearethe typesof players

In orderto transcentdhetypical,dreadfugl ame you're goingto find in games,so iust get over it, And loseanotherlevel
whileyou'reat it.

2+

It's RnoutrHEp,evrns

ofdeathagainsatnyandall monstertshatcometheir weaponsA.dventurers

way.lf yourentirepartyof adventurewrseremade of thistypedo not
upof thistypeof gamera, llyouwouldneedisto put justneeda perceivable

themin theInterplanAerenaof DeathMatchesand goalto win,they

pushatthema never-endinsguccessionf creatures demandit. These
tobashL. ogicneednotapplyoutsideof thecombat gamerosftenthink

rulesS. ettingisirrelevanutnlesist meansmorecom- of themselveass

bat.Dicerolling,cheeringa,ndtestosteronaerethe "true gamersa" nd

primareylementfsor thistypeof game. seemobsessewdith

"gettingon" withthe

adventureT.heyhate

SociaPl layer campaiggnametshat
"lf it movesta, lkto it. lf it doesn'mt ovet,alk
havea settingbutno
ABOUTit. Stayin charactearndspeawk ithanaffected definablgeoal.
voice,"
G i v i n gs u c hp l a y e ras c l e a ro b j e c t i viesn o t e n o u g h .
Theso- Theymustconstantlbyereassuredu, ringthegame,
ciapl layeirsall thattheyaremakingprogressT.heyarealwaysvoted
a b o upt u t t i n gt h e MostLikelyto Ask"What'sNext?"lf youhavean
"role"intorole entiregroupof theseplayersy,ouneedto providethem
playingT.hey witha clearobjectivep,uzzlesa,ndobstacleaslongthe
way. Youhaveto findsomewayto makethemthink
sometimaetstend
gameins costume theyareextremelcylever egardlesosf theintelligence
andmayhavean of eithertheplayeror thecharactetrheyareplaying.

extensiwveard- FulfrllingElementsof GameDesign

robededicated lf therewereonlyonetypeof playeor r another
totheirplayer formingyourgaminggroup,thendesigninygouradven-
characterlfsy. ou turewouldbesomuchsimplerB. ut,asyourmother
probablytoldyou,"life isn'tfair. Evenif yourgames
happetno have haveto bebalanced.Y"'ourgaming roupisn'tgoing
anentireparty
ofthesesociaal dventureryso, urbestmoveisto set to bemadeupof anyoneparticulatyr peof player.
themin a colorfutlavern,getthemallcrlkingto each You'regoingto havea coupleof warriortypes,two
otheirn charactearndthengoout for pizzaO. dds or threesociapl layersa,nda fewthinkingplayersall
jumbledtogetheirn yourgamegroup,eachof them-to
arethattheywillstillbeulkingto eachotherentirely
incharactewrhenyou getback.Campaigsnettings onedegreeor another-wantinsogmethinegntirely
aretheirdreamB. adversionosf old Englisahnd differenotutof theirgamingexperiencCe.omplicating
unrecogniza(balnedfrequentlsyhiftinga) ccentsare thisfurtheristhefactthatno singleplayeractuallyfits

hallmaroksf thesociapl layer. intoanyoneof thesetypescompletelyE. achgamer

willprobablybea compositoef allthreein varying

degrees.t

ThinkingPlayer: In a practicaslensea,nyadventurgeameneedsto

"lf it movesh,owcanI usethatto helpmewin?If addresasllthreeelementsc:ombatr,oleplayinga, nd
it doesnm't oveh, owcanI usethatto helpmewin?The problemsolvingb, othin thedesignandin theexecu-

worldisfullof obstaclebsetweenme andwinninga, nd tionof play.lt alsomeansthatallthreeelementnseed

I'll usewhatevesrtrategIyneedto overcomtehem." * lf your motherdidn't tell you this,thenyou obvlouslyweremissing
Thethinkingplayerisallaboutwinning. somethingin your upbringingM. aybesheiustshortenedit for you.
f There... areyou'profiler'peoplehappynow?Loseanotherlevel.
Thinktype-A,drivenpersonalitayrmedwithlethal

25

JHrJHeonvoFXDM

to beavailabldeuringthegameat anygiventime.Let's SOMETHINGnearbyonwhichyourplayercsanvent
takea lookat eachof thesein turn.
theirphysicafrl ustrationinssidethegame.

Putting lt All on the Page Whatherewill saysomethingto me?

Whenwe'retalkingaboutgamedesignhere, Thisisa lot trickietrhanit soundslt. isn'tlimited
to creaturetshatwill engagyeourplayersin dialogue
we'reactualltyalkingabouthedesigonf theadven- (althoughthatcertainlyfrllsthebill)but canalsobe
tureitself-not herulesby whichyouareplayingthe
gameA. ll decentRPGgameshaverulesabouthowto someaspecot f storythatappealtso theromanceof
yourplayers.
hit stuff,howto damagestuff,howto talkto stuff,and

howto thinkthroughstuff.And, what'smore,all

of thatisincludedin ourveryownXD20RPC

systemat thebackof thisverybook,soyou're

alreadycoveredon thatscore.

And we'renottalkingyetabouthowto

i',i41",.1;organizyeourentireadventureth; at'sadvanced
structurathl eorywhichyouwillnotbementally
preparedto receiveuntilat leastwo chapters 7" v'tA!

from now.Let'sjuststartwiththe basiccontent

of encounteirnsyouradventure.

Therealtrickisdesigninagn adventure

withencountetrhsatmakeproperuseof allof

t h o s ee l e m e n tasn dp r o v i d etsh e X D M w i t h t h e

ammo-l mean,tools-that heyneedto create

killeradventurencountertshatengagaelltypes

of playersN. ot everyencountenreedsto haveall

threeelement(salthougiht'sgreaitf theydo). ----:-
Butallthreeelementnseedto beavailabwleithin

reasonabpleroximity. -: --
Everyencountearreain thegameneedsto

provideananswetro thefollowingquestions:

WhatcanI bashor breakhere? Thinkalsoin termsof somepatronof thearu
standinign anartgalleryandmusingoverwhatthis
lstheresomethinhgerethatI cansmackdown paintin"gsays"to them.lf thereisn'tanyonein the
withmy biggeswt eapon?Youneedto providesome- roomworthtalkingto, thenthereneedsto besome-
thingthattheplayercsanbeatupon,or likelyasnot,
bebeatenup by.Thisdoesnot haveto bepresenitn thingin theareaworthtalkingaboutC. onsiderf,or
everyparticulaerncounterb,uttheopportunityfor it examplew,hatwouldhappenif thegroupfoundlying
on thegroundin a room,a pagetorn froma logbook.
doesneedto exist-eithethr rougha randomencoun- Thepageisbarelylegibleb, ut it tellsof a former
teror wanderinmg onstetrableo; r perhapasnearby adventurewr hosepartyhadcomethiswayandnearly
locationfromwhichcreaturecsanbeattractedby the mettheirdoom.Thegrouplooksaroundandfrnds
soundosf theblunderinagnticsof yourplayers.
thebonesandrustedequipmenotf whatlooksto be
AIso,don'tforgetheimporUncoef suspens..e. thememberosf a long-deaaddventurpearty.Then,in
a successionf roomsafterwardy,oufrndanocca-
sometimethseanticipatioonf combamt akeasnylater sionaal dditionaplagee, achonehastilywritten,torn
andtossedto theground.
combaat llthatmuchbetter.Playernseedto feelthe
threatof doomallaroundthem,evenif thatdoomis Theromanticideaof thispreviouasdventurer-
iustin thewayyoudescribteheadventurleocation. hispastandhisfate-cannot onlysatisffthe needsof

Whateveyroudo, howeverb, esureto include

25

It's erotrrrHEp,evrns

asociapllayerb, utwilloftenresulitn trainingyour ture:Thethinkingplayerasllwantto feel iketheyare
playetros followthebreadcrumbosf thesepiecesof makingprogrestshattheycanputon a chart.

paperrightinto someextremeley laboratterap.

Whichremindms ethatyoualsohaveto learn Executingit all in the game3Polling
theromantipcowerof nottellingyourcharacteresv- andluggling

erythingY.ouhaveto leavethemwithsomemystery All wellandgoodto havethesethingsin your
inordetro keepthemcomingbackfor more.(See
"RomancitnhgeCastleon theDistanHt ill" on page gamedesignbutwhatdoyoudo withthemin the"real
34.) world"of playingthegame?

Well,werecommeniudggling..

Whatherebringsuscloserto winning? In thiscasew, ealsocallthisthe"flyingemphasis"
whichisanX-tremeDungeoMn asterwy ayof saying
Somethiningeachencountenreedtso
$vetheplayertshe feelingthattheyhave "Changwe hat'sgoingon in thegameto keepthe
accomplishseodmethintghatmovesthem playerisnterestedH."ere,bywayof exampleis, how
closetor theendof thegamel.t'slikethose
it works:

longbackandforthqueueast amusement l. Yousilentlypollyour playersby lookingat
parksT. heygiveyoutheillusionthat
youaremakingprogresisn a linethat eachof themasthoughtheywereanaudiencaet
"isn'tthatlong"becausyeoucanseethe yourstanducpomedyact.Don'taskthemwhat
endof it justa fewdozenfeetaway.Nev- theythinkof thegame-thawt ouldbecrasas nd
ermindthatit will takeyouforty-frveminutes
getyoubannedfor severaml onthsfromthe
toactualfayrriveat thatmagicaslpot.Players,
Societdf eI'UItimeMairres-bultookat themand
too,needto feelliketheyhavemadesomesort try to divinewithyourinestimabXleDMpow-
o fp r o g r e si nst h e g a m e .
ersof observatiohnowtheyfeelaboutwhatis
Thisfeelingof progrescsanbeevokedby goingon in thegamerightnow.

mandyifferenktindsof thingsO. vercominogb- 2. Determinewhatkindof event(warrior,
socialt,hinker)will benefityour players
sacleisone. Playeraslwaysfeelthattheyhave
madperogreswshentheygetpastanykind the most. Youdetermintehatyour
playerws homostliketo grabtheir
ofobstructiobnetweenthemandwinning
thegame.(Whatevetrheybelievethaf weaponasndattacksomethinagre

toentail.P) uzzlersi,ddlesa, ndtraps feelinga bit listlesso, ...
areallgoodanswertso thisques-

tionbecaustheeyareobvious 3. Executethe typeof
obstacltehsatmustbesolvedto eventthatyour players
continuoento thegoal.
\\ffirxAu,rbAneed.Suddenlyth, eyare
Sometimethsiscan 'A attackebdy marauding
bethephysicalal youtof piratesS! abercslashand
theadventuriseelf ("We're

nearalymileundergroundW. e thesoundosf battlefrllthe
musbtegettingclose!"O) r some- air...

timetsheenvironmecnat ngiveyoutheseclues("lt's 4. Repeatthe procesasd infinitum.Yourwarrior
gettinhgotterin here.Wemustbegettingclose!"). playersareprettyhappywiththeoutcomeof the
furiousbattlebutnowyoursociapl layersaren't
Adventursetructuredsesignefdor story(see"Narra-
tiveBumpeProol"on page44) cannaturallgyivethe

playetrhsesenseof movementthroughthemedium * No, notthatkindof juggling..a.lthougwheDO
ofplotarc. recommeniudgglinogn page83, butthat'snotthekindof

Keepthisin mindasyouconstrucytouradven- iugglinwge'retalkingabouthere.

lookingasinteresteidn what'sgoingon,so. . .one
of thevanquishepdiratesisonly mostlydead!He
isgaspinfgor air,cursintghedayhebecamae
pirate,andthatdarkdaywhenhewascaptured
whilesailingbackto visithissickmother.Now
thesociapl layerasllareexcitedto hearthistragic
tale,butthethinkingplayerasrewonderinwghat
allof thishasto do withtheirmissionto rescue
theprincesfsromtheseasidteower. Sonowthe
mostlydeadpirategasps".l alonewasentrusted
with knowledgoef thesecreet ntrancteo thesea-
sidetower."Suddenlyth, ethinkingplayerasrein
thegameagain.
Thepointhereisto havealltheseelementast
handandthenemphasizwehicheveerlemenotf the
gametheplayersaremostlackingat anygiventime.By
havingallthreeelementasvailablaen, dbeingwillingto
emphasiesachof themasnecessaryyo, uwillhaveplay-
ersat yourtablewhoarealwaysengagede,xciteda, nd
pafticipating.

28

(\
\./

t__

f HemERFouR$ronv rsEVERYTHTrNG

Tracy'sfrrstencountewr ithadventurewsasback Theonefunctionof ourmindthathelpsusthe

inthedawnof roleplayinggamesI.n thosedays, mostin makingsensoef thisworldof chaoticexperi-

adventusrettingws erelargelyundergrounrduins, encesis narrativceontext.
whosaerchitecturweasverywideandnot particularly Narrativecontexitsa procesws herebyourmind
verticasloi methinogf a ranch-styldeesignin ancient encodeasndorganizethseinformatioinn theworld
architectuAren.d, againi,n thosedaysyoudidn't
aroundusintoa formthatbringsmeanintgo thechaos
havteo delveparticularldyeepbeforeyouencoun- aroundus.NasibTalebin hischallenginagndexcellent
t e r ead m o n s t etrh a tm a d ea b s o l u t enl yo s e n sbee i n g
there. book,Ihe BlackSwanc,allsthisthe"narrativefallacy."
Hebelievetshatwe,ashumanbeingsm, istaketheself-
It wasduringthoseprimadl aysthatLauraHick-
mansuggestethdata gameshouldbebuiltthatmade warpingandPlatonifyinngarrativeweconstrucftor our-
selvefsor thetruth.Heispartiallyright thisnarrative
senset-hiferewasa vampirein thedungeonth, en mapweconstrucftor ourselveisnotthetrueterritory
$ereshouldbea prettygoodreasonwhytherewas of ourexperienceH.owevers,toryistheonlymeanswe
avampirien thatdungeonM.' orethanthat,there haveof makingsensoef thechaosaroundus.
shoulbdea storythatunderscorethdeadventure.
Whatwedidnotknowat thetime-andhave Here'sa littlethoughtexperimenYt:ou'redriving
downtheinterstateS.omeonien anothercarspeeds
sincleearnedasoneof thecentrasl ecretosf theXDM aroundyou,cuttingyouoff in theflowof traffic.
movement-tihsatreasonandstoryareinextricably, Suddenlyy,oubecomethevalianmt otoristb, esebt y
naturallayn, dunalterablliynkedin thefoundationosf theevildriverof theothercarwhohasjustviciously
thehumanexperience.
blockedyourpath.Everyrandomeventin yourlifeis

Narrative:How We Make Senseof the Chaos givenmeaninbgecauseeverythintghathappentso usis
Welivein a worldof chaosM. oreandmore put intothecontexot f story.

complexietyntersintoour liveseveryday.Noiseand Thisisa wonderfual ndconveniensthorthanfdor
informatiobnombardusandconflictingdatasur- us,butat thesametime,if we'reunawareof it, story
roundussat everyturnin our lives.
isoftenusedagainsuts.In theold days,newspaper
reportswentout to getthe"facts."Todaytheygoout

r Thedirectresultof thisparticularconversatiownasthe adventure to getthe"story."Everynewsstoryhasa slant,which

modulenowknownas'Ravenloft.'

29

JHTJHEonvoFXDM

isanothewr ayof sayingthatthereportingisframedas

a storyreflectintgheparticulavriewpoinot r iudgment The CampbellianMonomyth

of thereporterS. incethereporterframesthestoryfor Storyis importanits becaustehisisthe key

meaningt,hatistheonlyinterpretatiotnhatisgivento to connectinwgiththerootsof yourplayersS. tory
us.In a way,framingthenewsprethinktsheeventfor isstructurea,sWilliamGoldmansaysa, ndthisstruc-

usbecaustehereporterhasalreadysortedthroughthe tureisonethatwillbringlifeandmeaninigntoyour

facts,discardewdhatshethinksisirrelevanatndonly gamesW. e'regoingto showyouhowto incorporate

presentrselevanitnformation. storytellinigntoyouradventurdeesignisn chapter

Thisisequallytrueof currenpt oliticsin the frve"Designinfgor Story,"but for nowit isimportant

UnitedStates.Whilewelivein a freesocietyw, hatwe thatyoukeepin mindthebasicstructurefor theepic

thinkandhowwethinkaboutit islargelsyhapebdy storyasquantifiedby JosephCampbeilnl hisseminal
theinformationthatweget.Weallwantto makean booklhe Herowitha ThousanFdacesW. e'vemadea

informed ecisionb,uthowinformedcanwebewhen fewlittlemodifrcationhsererbut essentialiltyremains

allof ourinformatiocnomesfroma limitednumber theCampbemll odel:

of newssourcesP. articularliyf they

allshareinformatiownitheachother

andeachof themismorefocusedon

profitthaninformation?Weareall JHnrsHoro floturcol,trNc JirnrsHorn
f,nossrttc
freeto makeour owndecisions-but TnslhREsHoLD RFTURN
if theinformatioonnwhichwebase BROTHER_BAITI"E
t h o s ed e c i s i o nis c a r e f u l l ys e l e c t eadn d DMGON.BATTLE ROADOF RESCUEFROI\4
presentetdo usin the"pre-thoughftor TRIALS WITHOUT
you" formof a story,thenhowmuch CRUCIFIXION
of aninformed ecisiocnanwemake? WHALE'SBELLY flrreEns RESURRECTION

Thepointhereisthatstoryisa THRESHOLD
powerfuflrameworwk hichcommuni- STRUGGT-E

catesmeaningA. properlypresented

story,evenif it's onlya myth,canbe

f a r m o r ep e r s u a s i vt hea na n yp i l eo f

factsno matterhowcarefullychecked. NTATNTNJHGEpruze
Wewill believethestoryisthetruth
SACREDMARfuAGE FATHERATONEMENT

muchquicketrhananypileof data. APOTHEOSIS ELIXIRTHEFT

Thatiswhypoliticianasvoidfactsas

muchaspossiblaendtry to sellyoua

story,a dream,a visiono, r anythingresemblinmgythol- Call to Adventure
ogy.MorepeoplebelieveOliverStone'ms ovieJFKto Firsct omestheCallto AdventureT.hishappens

bethetruehistoryof the Kennedyassassinattihoann to theheroat home-aplaceof comfortandfamiliar-
thosewhohaveanyunderstandinogf thetruehistory ity. Thisis,perhapsw, hysomanyadventurebseginin
of theevent..Whoevecr ontrolsthestory,controlsthe
people. a taverna, ndl'll makeno furthercommenot nwhat
thissaysaboutgamers.
Or, in ourcaset,hegame.
Hereisyourcrashcoursein thestructureof the Thisplacemaybea Kansafsarmhouseo,r a
pleasanret sidencinetheShireo, r yourUncleand
epicstory.Useit wisely.
Aunt'sVaporatofrarmon Tatooine.

* Historyis full of falsestoriestold to simplifureality.CaptainKidd wasnt Theheroisin a placeof homeostasis-reason-
an infamouspirate.Einsteinwasalwayas goodstudent(especialliyn math). ablycontent-butthensomethincgomesalongthat
changeasllof this.
BenFranklin'skite wasneverstruckby lightning.GeorgeWashing[onnever
hadwoodenteethandnevercut downa cherrytree.The greatpyramids f Our versionwill makepoint fivepastlightspeed.
of Egyptwere built by Egyptiancitizenswho werewell treatedandpaid

(seriously)A. nd so on...

30

$ronv rs EVERYTHTNG

TheMentor

Nexttheheromeetsomeonwe hochanges

everythinagndbringsa catalysftor changeintohis

otherwisheumdrumlife.Thispersonisusuallysome-

whapt owerfubl utnotomnipotent-thehyaveto be

limitedin theirabilitietso someextentor theywould

'.4 justgooff andfix whatevepr roblemwasat hand

i{ allbythemselveasndnot botherwithlookingfor a

hero.

ThispersoncanbesomeguynamedProfes-

sorMaruerloastinghot dogsout of thebackof his

wagono;r somegrey-robewdizardknownmostlyas

atroubfemakweirth greatfireworkdsisplaysoir crazy

oldBenKenobli vingin a mudhutwhoopinagt the Roadof Trials
SanPd eoplelikeanold guytellingkidsto getoff As theherotravelstowardhisgoalor destiny,
hislawnT. hesecharacterbsecomementorsin some
casebsu, tin allcasetsheyprovidethebootin the heisfacedwithtrialsalongtheway.Thesetestscan
pant(susuallfyigurativelyth) atmotivatetsheheroof comein a numbeor f differenftormsm: anvs.man,
ourstoryto getout thefrontdoorandon thepath manvs.machinem, anvs.self,manvs.naturea, ndthe
like.Thesetestsaredesignetdo keeptheherofrom
ofadventure. achievinhgisgoaleitherthroughdissuadinhgimfrom

ThresholdCrossing hispurposed,iscouraginhgim,or barringthat,flatout

Thismentorthenbringsour heroto thethresh- killinghim.
Thesaying"Thatwhichdoesnot killusmakesus
old.Thisisa boundar(yrealor imaginedth) at
separattehsemundaneworldof commonlifefrom strongera" pplieshere.Thisroadof trialsthatour hero
therealmosf magicandpower.Thisisusuallypro- walkscanbeasevidenat sa yellowbrickroador as
tectedbyguardianwshopreventhecommonfolk obscureasthepaththroughCirithUngolintoMordor.
fromwanderinigntotherealmsof magicandpower. It canevenrequiremakingtheKesserlunin lessthat
(lf anyold foolcouldwanderacrostshethreshold twelveparsecasndflyingrightdownsometrenchto
whenevtehreywantedto, whatwouldbethepoint dropa bombdowna thermael xhausptort.Whatever
thechallengeosr obstacletsh,esetrialsforgethehero's
inneedinaghero?)
Crossintghisthresholdfromthecommonworld metalor breakit.

intothemagicaalndpowerfulc, anbeextremely

violenta;sin ridinga twisterup intothesky,or hop-
ingintoa 'pieceof iunk'andhurtlingskywardfrom

TatooineO. r it canbeextremelsyubtlel.n Peter

lackson'TsheFellowshoipf theRingmovie,it isan
importanytet subtlemoment.

SamandFrodoarewalkingthrougha fieldwhen

Samstopsandsays",lf I takeonemorestep,l'll
havegonefurtherthanl've evergonebefore."

It issoimportanthatFrodocomesbackand

helpSs amtakethatnextstep.Togethetrheycross

fromtheirprevioulsivesintotheirnewlives.

Whetheirt iscalmor violent,thisThreshold/

Boundarisyanimportanot nethatseparatethselife

beforefromwhatevehr appenasfterward.

31

JHrJHronvoFXDM

HelpersAlong the Road a phrasaes"There'sno placelikehome."Luke

Heroeson thispathdo notwalkit alone,for there SkywalkedrealswithclassiFcatheAr tonemenwt hen

arealwayhselperasswellaschallengeTsh.esehelpers at lasthesays",l ama ledi, likemy fatherbefore
arenotparticularplyowerfuiln andof themselvbeust me." Frodoultimatelyfailshisapotheosaist thevery

theyprovidethatextranecessasryomethinfgor the lastmoment-althougShamdoesnot.

herojustwhentheyneedit most. Now,a wordof warninghereto youall:in

Helpersarealsodiverseandsometimehsardto recenyt earsa dreadfutlrendhasdevelopeidn movies

recognizeT.heymayevenappeaar senemieast first. andon televisiotno iustendthestoryat thispoint.

Theycanbetin woodsmens,carecrowosr, cowardly I meant,heprizehasbeenwonandsowhybother

lionsT. heycanevenbelittledogsnamedToto.Some- shootinagnymorefrlm?Thecarchaseisover,thebig

timestheytaketheformof droidsor scruffy-look- effects hotshaveallblownup thesetsa, ndallthe

ingnerfherdersT. heycanbeasregaal skingsof the excitinsgtuffhasjusthappenedL.et'siustpackit in
Rohirrimor ashumbleashobbis.Theycanevenbe andgohometo waitfor theboxofficereceipts.

namedSmdagol. Butthestoryis onlyhalffrnished!

Attaining the Prize Considewr hatisotherwisae prettygoodstory:

Assumintghatthetrialsareallovercomaendthe the 1997WolfgangPetersefnrlmAir ForceOne. This
helpersareeffectivein theirassistancteh,enthehero frlmhaddramaandswingisn thebalancoef power
attainstheprize. Butthisprizecanbemanydifferent b e t w e e nt h et e r r o r i s ra n dt h e b e l e a g u e r epdr e s i d e n t
things. HarrisonFord.Theonlyproblemfor mostof thefrlm

wasthatthearguemenotsf GaryOldman'sterrorist

,et1l l. SacredMarriageBe- charactemr ademoresenstehanthoseof thepresi-
comingonewithGodandthe dent. Thentheheartof themovieevolvedA. consti-
knowledgoef God.Thisrepre- tutionacl risiseruptedoverwhetheor r notthePresi-
sentsmasteor f life. dentshouldberelievedof hisauthoritybecaushee
wasunderpersonadluressU. ltimatelyfacedwiththe

possibldeeathof hiswifeandchildrightin frontof
2. FatherAtonementRecogni- him,ourstalwarto,therwiskeick-buttH, arrisonFord
tion by Codor forgivenesTsh. e doescavein to terrorisdt emandsT.hePresidentv'sow
heroreconciletshetyrantand neverto negotiatwe ithterroristesvaporateasndthe
mercifual spectosf a father-like wholepointof the25tramendmentot theUnited
authorityfigureandin sodoing StateCs onstitutioinsbroughtintoquestion.
comesto knowhimself.
Fortunatelya,t thelastmomento, ur heroicPresi-

3. ApotheosiAs chievingthe dent(let'sremembetrhisisa fantasyk)illstheterror-
divineselfor perfectionT.he ist;takesbacktheplanea; ndsavehsisfamilyandmost
of thecrewbeforetheplanecrasheisn a dramatic
hero'sideaof himselifschangedh;isegolostin visuael ffectcompletewithpoeticjusticeasthetraitor
somethingreaterT. hisallowshimto seethe istheonlypersonleftaboard.
worldfroma largerpointof view,allowinghimto
sacrificheimseltfo a greatecr ause. Our heroicPresidenHtarrisonFordissavedand
achievethseprize.

4.Obtainingthe PrizeKnowledgoer powerof the Themovieends.
Godseithergivenor taken.Heisreadyto receive
What?lust likethat?Whataboutthefactthathe
didcavein to theterrorisdt emandsW? hataboutthe
anobiector evenanideaor newawarenetshsat 25'hAmendmenatndtheConstitutionCarlisisW? on't
hesetout to achieveandtakeit backto hiscom- therebeconsequencfeosr thefactthatthePresident
munityto bettertheirlives.
failedin hisdutyto protecthiscountryandtheworld

Theseprizesarequitefamiliatro usif often whentheyneededhimmost?
diverseD. orothyachieveaspotheosiins sosimple Thepointisthatstoriesdonotandmusfnof end

w i t h a t t a i n i n gt h e p r i z e . T h i si s a n i n c o m p l e tset o r y ;a

32

storywithoutconsequenceBse.causiet isanincom- ThresholdReturn
pleteargumenitt, isa lie.lt teachetshatthereareno
largecronsequencfeosr characteras,ctions. Havinggoneto therealmsof powerandmagic,
theheromustnowcrossbackoverthethresholdin
Newsreportsof carchaseaslwayseemtso orderto returnto themundaneworldandthelifethey
endthesameway. The(usuallyoung)perperra- onceleftbehindD. orothyclicksherhealstogether,
Frodoreturnsto theshire,andLukecomesbackto the
torsitsin thebackof a policecar.Thelookon his Ewoks-adifferenht omefor him.
faceisnotoneof angerr,age,or evendefiance-iits
alwayosf shockesdurpriseW. hy?Becaustehemovie Butcominghomeisn,teyerwhatweexpecitt to
didn'et ndandthecredigdidn,troll.Heissurprised bein theepiccycle.
becaustheestorykeptgoing.Howdid hethinkit was
goingto end?Witha gloriouss,omehowliberating,

momenftreeof consequences? WEL'KENAIURE,ANOWE YA) FOR601
Therearethreemorestepsin a completehero,s oo ftla Bt6,HoMECOM\N6' "HAICIFEET,'

journeyW. hentheyareignoredt,heyrobthe SCENESAT THE ENOOF YUS-YUB.
participanosf somethinegssentiainl completintghe n1g EPICF, ACE IT,
cycleandmakingrhestorywhole.XDMsknowthat WE'RETHESAIIE,
thejourneyis not completeuntilthe circleis ctosed.

ReturnFlight

Oncetheherohasachieve(dor failedto
i achievew)hateveirt ishesetout to do, thenhe
ir hasto frnda wayback.lt,snot enoughjustto tossa

buckeotf wateron thewitch,Dorothyhasto drag
herbroomsticbkackto OZ, andthenshestillhas
tofigureout a waybackto KansasS.ure,thering
isfrnalldyisposeodf despitea littlesetbacakt the
endandlosinga finger,but nowFrodoissittingon
thesideof aneruptingvolcanoandit,sa longwalk
backto theShire.Lukefiguredout hisissuewsithhis
black-armordeadd,buttheDeathstamr ark2 iscom-
ingdownaroundhimso,nowwhat?

It isn'tenoughto achievethegoal,youhaveto Homecoming
getbackwiththeprize.Thisjourneycanbea long
one(ponyridesfrom Rohanto theShiretakea long Sothecircleiscompleteandtheheroreturns
time)or a shortone("Thoserubyslippercsanhave home. .ordoeshe?
youhomein twoseconds,b,)u, tit mustbemade.
Theold adagethatyoucan,tgohomeagain
T h e r e 'as no l d s a y i n ga m o n gp e o p l ew h oc l i m b maywellberuer thanweknow.Theheroisoften
M t . E v e r e sTt .h eg o a l changeidn thecourseof hisjourneya, nd,becausoef
thischangef,indsit impossibtleo go home.Therearea
isnotgettingto the numberof possibloeutcomeisn thehero,sjourney:

top.Peoplwe hohave
thegoaol f gettingto

thetopusuallydie 1. Refusaol f the R.eturnTheherohasfoundthat
andremainup there. hereallyfikesit herein therealmsof powerand
Therealgoalisto ger doesn'rteallyconnecwt ithhisformerlifeanylon-
ger.In themovieStargatfeor examplet,he Egyp-
backfromthetop.

tologisDt aniellacksonstaysbehindat theendof

thefrlm.

2. Rescuefrom Wthout Theheroin thiscaseneeds Mysteryand Surprise
to berescuedby forcesfromtheordinaryworld-

eitherbecausteheherohasrefusedto returnon Romancingthe Castleon the Distant Hill
hisown,or becausheisisbeingblockedfrom Therearea fewmorepointsthatneedto be

r e t u r n i n gw i t h t h e b o o n . madeaboutstory. Oneof themistheideathatdis-

tanceiscompelling.

3. Crossingof the ReturnThresholdHerethehero XDMsknowthatyou needto havesomethinogn

doesmanagehisreturnto theeverydawy orldand theothersideof thewall,somethinbgeyondtheho-

mustaccepthatworldasreal.sammanagetso do rizon,somethinogn a distanht illbarelyseenthrough

thisbut Frododoesnot. t h e m i s ua n dt h e f o g .T h a t ' sb e c a u sseo m e t h i nfga r

away-andunreachable-riosmanticN. o, not thatkind

4. Masterof TwoWorldsIn thiscaset,hehero of romanticI. meanthekindof romanticthatiscom-
pellinge, vocativea,ndmysterious.
returnswithanunderstandinagndappreciatiofnor
boththerealmsof powerandthemundaneL.uke ConsidetrhefollowingY: ouandyourwizard
Skywalkeprerhapfsrs thisbill. companioanreridinghorseascrostshehillson your

wayto theking'scity.Youbothcresta hillandstop.

5. Freedomto Liveksentiallytheheroreturnswith At thefarendof a broadvalleyyoucanseea single

theprizeandpresentist to thebettermenotf the toweratopa distanht illwhosewallsappeacrastin

communityD. orothydoesthisin herpronounce- continuaslhadowY. ourcompaniotnurnsto youand

ment. says",ThatistheTowerof SorrowsA. great ragedy

tookplacetherelongago,andis gatesareforever

JosephCampbeplloinsout onemostinteresting sealedW. ewillhonorthememoryof thosewho
foughto keepis peaceN. onegotherenow."
fact:Theheroisoftensopersonallcyhangebdy his

experienctheathe (l ) losesallinteresitn or hopefor Now,don'tyouwantto gothere?Hey,who

thesorrowosf themundanwe orld,(2) sounbalances wouldn't?Butconsidetrhisnext:Let'ssaywedo go

thepowersthatonceexistedthattheyreactsharplyand there,desecratehehonoredmemoryof, like,who-
destroyhim,or (3) returnsto a communitythatmeets ever,andopenthegatesW. ego insidem, apout the

himwithsuchblankmisunderstandaingddisregard brokenwallsc, heckout thecollapsed roofand

fromthosewhomhehascometo helpthathiscareer takea coupleof stonesfor souvenirs.

collapses. Maybewriteournameon thewall

At theendof thePeterlacksonversionof The for someonwe hocomeslater.
Returnof theKing,thehobbishavereturnedto the
Asidefrombeingcomplete
Shireandonceagainsitin thetaverndrinkingale.A jerks,we'vejustlostsomething.

farmercomesin andthereisa greact ommotioanbout Welostthatverysamecompelling

f-a pumpkinF. rodo,SamM, erry,andPippinallstareat desirethatbroughut shere.The

eachother. Thefourof themhavesavedtheworldand romanceof distancheasbecome I

alltheirfellowcitizenasreexcitedaboutisthisoversizedfactandin thatwehavebeen \

vegetable? diminished. I

Thisrealizatiotnurnssombefror Frodountil In theUnitedStatews eoften

eventuallhyehasto leavefor theGrayHavensA.s he harpaboutour"rightto know." i'l

explains"W, esavedtheShireS, am. .butnotfor me." Well,tough,becaustehereare
thingsI reallydon'fwantto know. l l
And...what'syourpoint?

That'sit: Thegreatmythiccycleand,yes,it's To knowsomethinigsto lose l' 1- 1

importanet venin theadventurethsatyoudesign.lt is partof is compellinngatureand

theoveralsl tructurefor thestoryyouaregoingto be itsappeaJl.ustdon'teven

tellingwithyourgame. askabouthowto make

sausage.

3+

$ronvrs EVERYTHTNG

Thepointhereisthatdistantu, nattainabtlheings unlikemagict,hesecremt ustbemoreentertainin(gor
arecompellinagndbringmysteryintotheworldof interestintgh)anthefalsehooidt protects.lt'sinter-

yourstoryY. ourplayersdo not havetherightto estingthatBruceWillishelpsa kidthatcanseedead

exploreeverynookandcrannyof yourworld,and peoplel.t's waymoreinterestintghatBruceWillisisone

itt bettefrorthemif theydon't.Theremustbeunat- of thosedeadpeople.

uinablheorizonasndcompellinvgistasin thedistance
tomakethembelievethatthereismoreto thisworld It StartsWith a Lie
Thefoundatioonf surprisiesdeceptionIn. order
thanwhatison thepage. to createa startlingrevelatioinn yourgameyouwill

Twistingin the Wind: the Nature of Surprise haveto lieto yourplayersT. hisisnothingnewto a true

Anotheirngredienint thedark,beautifuellixirof XDM.Howeverin, steaodf fudgingdicerolls,weare

theXDMgameissurpriseT.hatbreath-stealminog- attemptintgo artfullyveilreality.

menot f revelatiocnanturnanaveragaedventuriento Thereareonlytwo typesof deception:

aroarinignfernoof shockandawe. . or, at leasta, l. ActiveDeception

"neatoe"xperience. 2. PassivDeeception.
Firswt ehaveto understanwdhatsurprisreeally

is.Let'sboilit downto is simplesftorm:Surprisies Generallsypeakintgh,ebestdeceptiownhen

thesuddernevelatioonf anunknownor unanticipatedrelatedto surprisiespassivdeeceptionT.hisisbecause

truthT. hereforeir,onicallyd, eceptionisthefounda- thelieof omissiobny is verynaturelacksevidencbey

tionuponwhichsurprisiesbuilt.Thisisbecaustehe whichto condemint. ThetelevisiosnhowLostisswim-

truthmustbehiddento somedegreein orderfor mingin bothsoruof deceptiobnutespecialplyassive

astonishmteonctometo passA. fterall,if thecorrect deceptionlf.youdon'tknowwhysomethincgrazy

natureosf alleventsat handareproperlyportrayed, ishappeninitgisbecausteheyhaveomittedthekey
thennorevelatioonf unanticipatefadctsmayoccur. informatioynouneedto understanidt. And if they

Onemightthinkthata greatwayto studysur- aredoingtheiriobsthatkeybit of informatioinssuper
prisiesto studythecraftof themagicianT. heyseem interesting.

likesimilafrleldsI.n manywaystheyare,exceptthat Whencreatinogurfoundatioonutof theabove

thebesmt agicisfoundedin theunseeno,r unimag- deceptiontsh,ereisonerulethatmustbeobeyedat all
inedprinciplew,hilein storythesecremt ustbeimag- times.Don'tcheaytouraudience.
inablelt.hasto besomethintghatyouraudiencfeeels In orderto providecredencaendpreventthepar-
isanaturaplartof thestoryandistotallylogical. ticipantfromfeelingcheatedthebestrecoursiesto pro-

Thegoalof surprisein magicisto entertainby videthetruthwithintheframeof thestory.In magic,

meanosf deception. thereareonlythreewaysto makesomethindgisappear.
Thegoalof surprisein storyisto entertainby Youcanhidetheobject,youcanmovetheobiect,or it

meanosf revelation. wasneverthereto beginwith.Interestingelynoughthis

It'sfunny:Somemagicissodevilishclylever. notonlytrueof objectsb, utevenof somethinagsethe-

Socleveirn fact,thatthesecreitsmoreentertaining realastruth.Threewaysto "vanish"truthin a story:

thantheeffectitself.Howeverm, osttricks(like990/o

ofthemr)eleasaewaveof disappointmewnhtenthey 1.Movethe truth.

arediscovered. o Literallymovekeyfacsof anevent o another
"Oh youmeanthatit'sa trickknife?"Either partof thestory,placingthemnon-linearilnythe

wayi,t isof littleimportanceW. henit comesto mag- timeline.

ic,thesecrectanbebrillianot r it canbemoronicl.t o Displackeeyfactsby ascribintghemto truthsnot

realldyoesn'mt atter,becausteheaudienciesnever associatwediththematterat hand.

supposteodknow. o Usetime-shiftintegchniquetos alterthetimeat

Ontheotherhandt,hepurposoef surprisien whichkeyfacshappened.

storyisforthesecrebt emadeknown.Therefore,

2. Hidethetruth. morningN. o, asit turnsoutthemanhadno hidden

o Camouflagkeeyfactswithotherunimportant fortuneandin factwasa lot of moneyin debt. When
facts,redherringso,r othermeans. thingsdidn'tgoasplanneda, fightbetweenthetwo
p l o t t e r se n s u eadn ds h o t sr a n go u t . B u tw e c o u l d n ' t
o Misrepreseknet yfactsasunimportant.

o Ascribekeyfactsasbelongingtoother leavetheoldmanasa witnessN.o, something

eventS. hadto bedone."

Thefrrstassumptiothnattheaudience

3.TheTruthWasNeverThereto Begin makeissthatthebutlerdidn'tdo it-afterall

wirh. therewouldn'tbemuchof a storyhereif he
did.Soweplayoff thatassumptioTnh. en
o Thetruthalludedto islaterrevealed

to neverhaveexisted. wealterthetruthby sayingthatthe

deadmanon thefloorof thekitchen

To understanthdis,let'slookat a i sJ e r r y( w h i c hw ew i l l l a t e rl e a r nh e i s

typicalmurdermysteryplot. not).Finallyw, eincludetheideathat
A wealthyoldmaniskilledin thegunusedcreateas certaingunpow-

thekitchenby hisyoungbutlerJerry derstainon thefingerswhenfrred.
aftera scufflewitha gun. Jerrythen Thisistheunknowntruth.Other
alsoshootshimselfO. ur detectiveS, ir
assumptioannsdalterationasre
WallySmokepipies,investigatitnhge madep: olicemeanregood,the

scenedespitteheinsistencoef thepolice old manwasshotfor themoney,

thatthecaseisclosedA. fter a series andthereisonlyonemanthat

of eventse, achof whichrevealseveral wasin on it.
cluesw, earereadyto beshockedby thefinalrevela- I grantyouthatit isn'tthe

tion. beststory,but it doesillustratethe
point.And if youdidn'tlikeit, that's
"ThemurdereirsJerrytheButler!"Eacheye finewithme.Oddsareyoualready
turnsto SirWallyasif theyweregoingto say,"You're
jokingright?" boughthisbookanyway.

"HoweverrS" mokepipceontinues"t,hisman Theaboveisallfrnein theory.
isnotJerry!No! TherealJerryhasn'ltivedherefor Butnowyou'resaying"How isall
weekshashe?"Theinspectolor oksdownat thebutler. thatnonsensgeoingto helpme

T h ec o r p s ed e n i ens o t h i n g . withthegamel'm runningin like
"Wellhowdo youknowthathedidn'tjustshoot tenminutes.F" oryou,my lucky
procrastinatoIrp, resentthefol-
theblokehimselPA" womansaysk, ickingthecold

bodyon thekitchenfloor. lowingU. seit wisely.

"HishandsY. ouseet,hisparticulapristowl ould
havelefta distinctivsetainof gunpowdeorn hisfingers. Hickman and Son's CheapTricks for
Surprisein Storytelling.
"Butinspector,a"beardepdolicemain the
l . L e a dt h e md o w nt h e g a r d e np a t h .
crowdinterrupte,d"Whywouldanyoneagreeto pre-
Deliberateleyavecluesintendedto causethe
t e n d .". .
spectatotro followa thinly-veileadndincorrect
"Theywouldn'tU. nlessth, eyknewthatsomeone
lineof logic.Welearnthatthekillerleftlipstick
on thepoliceforcecouldhelpthemescapep,erhaps
on thegobletW. ealsolearnthatthekillerwas
promisintghempartof theoldman'shiddenfortune.
wearinga polka-dottebdlouseH. oweveri,n the
It wouldhaveto besomeonneewto theforcethough,

wouldn'tit?" Smokepiptuernsto Cadeltohnny endwelearnthatthekillerwasnota woman,
Goodguya, ndrepeats",Wouldn'tit?" Goodguystaru butwasinsteaBd inkyManlydudea,traveling
to perspirheeavily".Howevern, othingwentaccording circusclown.
to plan.Thekitchenlooksasif therewasa fight,
It'simportantto remembetrheremustbe
buttheoldmancouldhardlygetoutof bedin the previouesvidencteo supporyt ourrevela-

36

$ronv rsEvERYTHTNc

toryclaimI.f in theaboveexamplIesaidthat PRINNN@fiI9 IN
thekillerwastheghostof Timmythedolphin SLACKANOWHffE,YOU
trainerl'.m suremy audiencweouldfeelcheated
to saytheleast. xots ARE60tNo To

2.leadthemoff the gardenpath. HAVE10 PREIENO
Modernreaderasreveryfamiliawr iththe 6REYIS REO,

gardenpathandmostwill notwantto stayon 4. Usetheirknowledgeagainstthem.
it. Onewayaroundthisisto makethefirstand Theothergreathingabout hemovieScream
obvioursevelatioan completefalsehoodT.hisis
l i k es e t t i n gt h eh u s b a nudp a st h ek i l l e r ,a n dt h e n ishowWesCravenusedcommonhorrormovie
revealintghatit's actuallyhisbrother-presenting knowledgaegainsttheviewerO. ur heroinewould
thatrevelatioansthewist. Howeveri,n thefinal backintoa doorwayandtheaudiencweould
h o u r ,w e l e a r nt h a tt h e b r o t h e rc o u l d n ' th a v e cringeat whatwouldbecomingnext.
doneit becausheediedtwo weeksbeforethe
murderP. erhapitswasthehusbanadfterall,or Andthen...nothing.
anothekreyfigurein thestory(or if youwanted Nothingwouldhappent,hatisuntilyoure-
to takeit evenfurther,maybewethenlearn laxedT. hen-BAMY. oushoulddo thisto your
thatthebrotherdidn'tactuallydieandwasnow player'sconstantlyK. eepthemguessingB.utagain,
readyto killagain). do soartfully.Youdon'twantto frustratethem,
youwantto entertainthem.
Leadinpgeopletoo faroff thepathwilleven-
tuallyconfusaendcheathemunlestshereason 5.Timedisplacement.
fordoingsoisamazinglcyleaver. A favoritegimmickof televisiosnhowsand

3.lf youwantto hidesomethinpgaintit red. mysterynovelsisto usetimedisplacemetnot
Sometimethsebestwayto hidesomethinigs movekeyfactsto differentimesin thenarrative
structureM. agiciandso thistoo. A lot. Theideais
to makepeopledismisist asbeingwaytoo obvi- simpleyetcantakea momento understand.
ous.Againyou haveto bea bit carefuhl ereas
youraudiencwe ill feelcheatedout of a mystery A mangoesto thepolicestationto report
if therewasn'toneto beginwith.A greatex- somethreateninpghonecallsheandhiswifehave
a m p l ei s f r o m t h e m o v i eS c r e a mT.h ev i l l a i no f beengettingW. hileheisthere,a callismadeto
thestoryisintroducedrightaway,andheisso 9l I . lt'shiswifesayintghatsomeoniesin the
overthetop thatyoutellyourselhf eobviously houseandistryingto killher.ShescreamsT.hen,
didn'tdo it. Well,hedid.Whatmakeist accept- nothing.
ableisthatit wasn'itusthim.Theaudiencweas
lookingfor onekiller.In fact,thereweretwo. Theyrushovertherebutit'stoo late.What
Thesecondguywasalsodiscrediteadt thestart happenedW? ell,welearnoverthecourseof the
of thefilmfor beingtoo obvious. storythatthefamilyusesaninternept honeservice

A wayto usethisin a roleplayingsituationis
to havethebiggrandentranceintothe Labyrinth
of Mayhema, ndthena littlewaysoff a small
s e c r eet n t r a n c e - aenn t r a n c et h a ty o u ra d v e n t u r -
ersfindto beloadedwithboobytrapsandother
sortsof peril.lt turnsout thatthebestwayin is
bythegiantgate.Of courseyouneeda logical
reasotno do that,otherthanjustto messwith
them.Anywaythisleadsusto our nexttrick.

37

likeSkypeT. hehusbangdoesoff to workthat

morningandcomesbacklaterwearinag skimask. 1. Slowdown.Whereisthefrre?Milk themo-

Beinga techguy,hepreviousrlyiggedthephone ment.Letit dawnon them.Civethemthatone

sothatanycallsto 9 | 1 wouldn'gt othroughb, ut lastclue,andthenaftera shortbeat,someone

wouldgetanswereadndrecordeodn hiscomputer (orallof them)willsay,"Holycrap!"And then

insteadI.t wouldrespontdo hiswife'spleascom- theywillstartto recitetheevidencfeor you.

pletewitha fake"91 I what'syouremergency?" Youcaniustsitbackandknowthatit allplayed
outaccordintgo yourplan.
andrecordeverything.

After thedeedisdone,hesetshiscomputer

(withanhourauto-delay)atoutodia9ll I andplay RandomStory Generator

backherhalfof therecordingH.ethengoesto the

policestationP. restoY! ouhavea murderetrhat Heyfolks,steprightup andhearthewonderosf

seemtso havecommittetdhecrimeat animpos- theamazingt,antalizingin, vigoratingh,ypothesizingp,h-i

siblemomentT. hepolicearehisalibi.Hesimply losophizinRgandomStoryGenerator!G. uaranteetod

shiftedtheapparentitmethattheeventook put thedancein yourdice,thesizzlein yourstory,and

place. themojoin yourmoduleR! eadyto cureallyourwriter's

blockwoesW! hy,Dragonlanciteselfwascreatedwith

The Revelation thehelpof thislittlewondertNl owyou,too,canform
lustasthereisa rightwayanda wrongwayto amazinsgtorieswith this+!

hidethetruth,thereisalsoa rightandwrongwayto Whatwehavehereisa systemfor creating
adventure/stoirdyeasin a matterof momentsl.t's
reveailt. Howevert,hisoneiseasy":Don'tblurtit out, a helpfutloolandfunbesideslf.youareeverstuck
dummyY. oujustspenat lot of timeandenergioyn for adventuriedeasor needsomethintgo do on a
this-don'tkillit now."ThisisthepayoffS. oyouneed Tuesdanyight,turnhere.

to dotwothings:

1. Proveit. lf everyonehasforgottenthatKanako Howit works:

Pickoneof thesentenceinsthe"Storythings"
thebloodmysticisleft-handeadndhatesdwarves. sectionbelowA. ny onewilldo-or if youmust-roll
Thenit won'tmeanmuchif yourrevelatioins
forone.Youwillfrllin theblankbsy randomlcyhoos-
foundedon thesetwopoins.At theendof a
inga wordon thecorrespondinugmberecdhart.
good(andI stresgs oodM) . Night.Shyamalan

filmyouwillseea flashbacak,rapidreviewof F o re x a m p lae s e n t e n cwei l l l o o kl i k et h i s :
evidenceth, atsupportws herethetwistiscoming

from. A 2 I is 6 inga lor 3 witha 5
lf youknowthattheyremembeitr, or other 3 ina/the 5 4 .s

wisefeelthatsucha reviewisunnecessatrhye, n

don'tworryaboutit. Howeverf,or thosesurprises Which,frlledoutmightlooklikethis:
thatarea littlemoreoutthere(soyou'resaying
A power-hungrGynomeistrickinga witchwith a
thatallourcharacterasrein reality,princespsix- floatinghourglasins a mysticaclave.
ies?y) ouwillneedto showby practicaelvidence
* Perhapysou do not feelyou needa storygeneratorY. ou instinctively
h o wt h e r e v e l a t i oins p o s s i b l eH.o wd o y o u d o
thisin a game?TheeasieswtayI knowof isto tell know how to craft brilliantand epic storiesthat will live throughthe ages,
Well,we'll seeaboutthat later,but if you evergetstuck,thenthissystem

themsomethinlgike, maybe all you needto iump-staryt our stalledimaginationR. emember:
"...immediateylyourmindsarefloodedwith randomlygeneratedconceptsareonly dotson the page.You arethe one
who must connectthem into a solidlystructuredstory.

thememoryof recenet ventsh, owtheBartender f No, it wasn't.
f No, you can't.Well. . , we haven'tseenthishappenyet. Butyou
calledyou"miss,"howyoucan'tstandanything couldbe the frrst.

butthetasteof nectare. tc."]usttellthemwhat 5 Justreadingthe numbersthiswaycansounda bit dirty. Try to keepit
together.Besidesit, couldbe worse.We originallyusedlettersinsteadof
theyremembearndtheywillremembeitr. numbers.

38

Or herland.Or perhapssheison thevergeof losingher
Animmortaplrincesisfreeinag gianwt ithan placein immortalitayndsheneedtshegianto do her
invisibslweordin thefrozenvalley.
dirtywork.Sheusesa swordto freehim.Butit,snot
ThereT! woperfectlygoodjumping-ofpflacesfor invisible-noit'smadefromsoulslonglostto herevil
evenbetterideasto sparkfrom.Someof thesentenc- waysA. nd on andon it goesM. anytimesyourfinal
eswon'tquiteworkthefirsttime.Feelfreeto re-pick storyor adventurpelotwill not resemblteheonegiven
anyblankyouwish.Therearenooffrciarluleshere. youby thestorygenerator-antdhatrsgreat.In fact,
Afteryouhaveyourstoryline,thefirststepis that'showit'ssupposetdo work.

tothinkwhywouldthesethingsbehappeningT?he Finallyt,akethatconcepyt ouformedandusethe

seconisdto thenchangetheideathegeneratograve manytoolsin thisbook;andyouhavegotyourselaf n
youto fit your"why" better.
adventurbeetterthanmostyou paygoodmoneyfor.
Soif I gowiththesecondsentenceW. hyisthe Thebestpartis:lt's yours.
princefsrseeinga giant?Maybesheneedshimto save

TheStorythings . 5Tl xTf NS6AAYFSHIEVREE,T'1 'MWSAUNPTTPHOASI ET7OO0 8E
ffiEAN
A 2 l is 6 inga lor3 witha 4
5 ina/the4 3.

"EATINOA PIE,'

Thelongforgotten 5
6 bya 2 |

Thelegendof the 5 andthe

The 4 5 of the I 3 hasbeen 6
bya groupof I s.

The 4 I 5 hasbeen
3.

Of coursef,eelfreeto makeyourownblank
"Storythingtso"usewith the ubles.

JHTJHEonvoFXDM

l. Ranger 16. Void 31. Serpent 46. Sheriff 61. Fairy(Nymph,
2. Rogue 17. Kingdom 32. Queen 47. Gnome DryadSylvan)
3. Knight 18. Hunter 33. Warlock 48. Dwarf
4. Druid 19. Shaman 34. Witch 49. Crone 62. Barbarlan
5. Wlzard 20. Troll 35. Banshee 50. Gypsy 63. Prophet
5. Priest 21, Ghost 36. lmp 51. Wanderer 64. Cripple
7. Magician 22. Thief t7. Monk 52. Alchemist 65. Orc
8. Warrior 23. Creature 38. Traveller 53. Glant 66. Messenger
9. God 24. Devil 39. Stranger 54. Halfling 67. Evil
1O. Spirlt 25. Angel 40. Hero 55. Historlan 68. Plague
11. Phantom 26. Demon 41. Monster 56. Beggar 69. Emperor
12. Vampire 27, Dragon 42. Zombie 57. Easillsk 70. Judge
13. King 28. Gryphon 43. Maiden 58. Satyr
14. Prince 29. Princess 44. Paladln 59. Cleric
15. Peasant 30. Etf 45. Mist 60. ConJuror

1. Unknown 77. Ancient 33. Angelic 49. Possessed 65. Small
2, Forgotten 18. Horrible 34. Dying 50. Haunted 66. Dishonorable
3. Lost 19. Terrible 35. Noble 51. Secret 67. Traitorous
4, Wandering 20. Magnificent t6. Eloodthirsty 52. Melancholy 68. Thieving
5. Cursed 21. Escaped 37. Alien 53. Mischievous 69. Bleeding
6. Diseased 22. Winged 38. Missing 54. False 70. Scholarly
7. lntan€ 23. Apocalyptic 39. Invisible 55, lmaginary 71. Enchanted
8. Powerful 24. Silent 40. Mystic 56. Deceptive 72. Silver
9. Divine 25. Ghostly 41. Courageous 57. Cannibalistic 73. Golden
1O. Fallen 26. Evil 42. Valiant 58. Shadowy 74. Legendary
11. Eeautiful 27. Demonic 43. Weak-minded 59. Ethereal 75. Exiled
12. Dark 28. Undead 44. lmmortal 60. Rich 76. lmmoral
13. Clockwork 29. Cowardly 45. Giant 61. Lying
14. Wicked 30. Dead 46. Mighty 62. Hideous
15. Power-Hungry 31. Weeping 47. Malignant 63, Magic
16. Heroic 32. Damned 48. Deadly 64. Foreign

1. Hell 8. Faraway Land 15, Desert 22. Ruin 29. Clouds
2. Heaven 9. Sky 16. Cave 23. lnn 30. Plalns
3. Crypt 1O. Grotto 17, Mountains 24. Purgatory 31. Oasis
4. Abyss 11. Forest 16, Swamp 25. Valley 32. World
5. Dungeon 12. Ocean 19. Lake 26. Cllffs 33. Nation
6. Castle 13. River 20. City 27. Labyrinth 34. Country
7. Village 14. lsland 21. Tavern 28, Graveyard 35. Continent

40

$ronv rsEVERYTHTNG

1. Shining 16. Burning 31, Redeemed 46. Decaying 61. lmaginary
2. Buried 17. Plagued 32. Massive 47. Dark 62. Putrid
3. Lost 18, Destroyed 33. Small 48. Evil 63. Exotic
4. Forgotten 19. Magical 34. Living 49. Sinking 64. Distant
5. Submerged 20. Lurh 35. Hostile 50. Forbidden 65. Wicked
6. Cursed 21. Damned 36. Charmed 51. Quarantined 66. Ancient
7. Enchanted 22. Uncovered ?7. thadowy 52. Surreal 67. Magnificent
L Dead 23. Desolate 38. Veiled 53. Dismal 68. Fo?eign
9. Ghostly 24. Blessed 39. lnvisible 54. Righteous 69. Beautiful
lO. Haunted 25. Consecrated 40. Dissapearing 55. Distant 70. Demonic
11. Windy 26. Chosen 41. Changing 56. Overrun 77. Misty
12. Abandoned 27. Captured 42. Malevolent 57, Conquered 72. Glass
13. Frozen 28. Perilous 43. Mystical 58. Heavenly 73. Golden
14. Ruined 29. Wealthy 44. Legendary 59. Slumbering 74. Silver
15. Floating 30. Flooded 45. Besieged 60. Enslaved

1. Skull 1s. Ship 29. Tome 43. Tablet 57. Parchment
2. Vial 16. Bomb 30. Orb 44. Coffin 5a. Scroll
3. Potion 17. Sword 31. Tower 45. Storm 59. Fruit
4. Ring 18, Axe 32, Dust 46. F€ather 60. Song
5. Hourglass 19. Spear 33. Spell 47. Rope 61. Key
6. Runestones 20. Dagger 34, Heart 48, Banner 62. Doorway
7. Jewel 21. Meteorite 35. Raven 49. Claw 63. Trinket
8. Crystal Eall 22. Compass 36. Robe 50. Relic 64, Herb
9. Beast 23. Goblet 37. Poison 51. Recipe 65. Wine
f0, Dragon 24. Map 38. Water 52. Ancestor 66, Blood
f 1, Armies 25. Chest 39. lce 53. Glover 67. Quest
12. Fire 26. Necklace 40. 8ow 54. Flower 68. Riddle
13. Treasure 27, Crown 41. Wind 55, Vine 69. Portal
14. Land 28. Wand 42. Lightning 56. Secret

l. Attack lO. Abuse 19. Escapefrom 27. Discredit, 34. Blind,
2, Destroy 11. Bewitch 20. Love Besmirch Desolate

3. Find 12. Control 27. Purify 2A. Deceive 35. Eradicate,
22. Enchant 29. Challenge Eliminate
4. Burn,Scorch 13. Condemn

5. Freeze 14. Trick 23. Summon 30. Exploit 36. Undermine

6. Curce 15. Casta spell on 24, Free 31. Plunder 37. Necrofy

)' 7. Enslave 16. Damn 25. Ransom 32. Flood,Drown 38. vilify

8. Capture 17. Punish 26, Torture 33. Entangle, 39. Disenchant
9. Steal 18. Takerevenge Stupefy 40. Hide from

a ;.
i

+1's*

THI ftIAT lHE AWENTUREUPO4IJ
WIICHWESHALLgE EilBARKINa
EI,ECTRIC-
SI,IDING HASITSBE@INNINaINS A
EOHIPPUS

,.)
)1 ')-

f HerrERFrvE[,EsrcmNcFoR$ronv

In theprevioucshaptery,oulearneadllabout
thestructureof storyanditsimportancaesa tool for
communicatiwngiththerestof thosehumanosutthere.

o-@=O-m-That'sallwellandgoodfor novelistasndfolksingers,
youmaysay,but howdoesthathaveanythingto do

withgamesH? owdoesstoryapplyto adventures? L e a d i npgl a y e rasr o u n db y t h e n o s er i n gc o m e s
And youcallyourselafnXDM! to mind.
Theprevioucshaptewr asn'ct alled"Storyis
In termsof story,thisistheeasiestot control:
Everythingf!o" r nothing. . . €r,somethinlgikethat. Yousimplyplugin yourplotpoinsatvarioulsoca-
Thepointisthatyoucaneffectiveltyella storyin a role tionsdowntheline,andtheplayerhsaveno choice
playingadventurief youhavetherighttools. butto followyouriron-cladscriptfrompredictable
beginnintgo entirelyalltoo predictabelendwithout
Let'sstartby takinga lookat thedifferenkt indsof everhavingto worryaboutthosebothersomiedeasof

basicadventurdeesignforms.

ststaThpbHDohaieaohlgeeaiamaviinnnpsdnscetpeuTentlvoEaidr.pe)hoga"onywTnaecmncncefhdhhmeceir)riieeortseepsnsooeiridtgystncPeeakp.fttsesoovhicblhonatreehuueeitdyanhrgtmroreytntt,etaCaofireoNepmmkdsawxsnreeoeedcetcictisste.rvsdoohiuragtsienmnchctnnitotusieRercaaoolfgtstieftboioantlianlh(nlpneepemaaegged(daonpraeor-ra(idwrginn,pLfoteuatdhptBddicoietniooei.ocfscTienwh-ntnstmhidsaaatmhtAreevbeaor.erma(latleueTa?linatil,n-nhnah"sngtdeigbeidnedly)lyetee-d. )tgtotsgdifsohorhoareetaueahotmcetfrvanclwhuAnTTeaahtkoer-aihhsrltntoNtdteuhmiehihhosifeaiecoseenawetstertthartwesjNhnrishpW,a.utauglfehtioeoollnt,cnatwaranwrpigtpnsymrteugaroieead,rgolxrsaiolvorreioibagalm.ttsdewotrecmermte'irespfhdonuyciyspsnoitenmtonohoisilroagnlengfeteuYioltfa,gazdo.luosrtroinlebidomnrnefrlutofdeaooegm!leysiutsnlcaTk.riehitmiademehngpahavtnedplwniniei]aogstdsaa.lwsigynyreidlinpotlniahsbneeyaumetiegodtnhagperw.neeeentssryoeae-sgmetooglnresraliuufskiaetmncteeweapmwhaetedoauenhe.inrdnoett

+2

pesrcllxcron$ronv

Thedownside-anidt isa hugedownside-itshat keepsexpandinogutwardthefurthertheplayersgo in

youhaveto stripallthefunthingsaboutroleplaying thecampaignc,onstantleyxpandintgheboundarieosf

outof thegamein orderto forcetheplayersdown theirknowledgaendpushinbgackthefrontierosf the

thestorylineS. ure,theymayhavea greatdealof world.

freedominsfdetheindividuanl odesof theadventure, Thisseemlsikea dandyfrnedesigns,ofarasthe

buttheresultisalwaysthesame:there'sonlyone playerasreconcernedlt. givestheplayertsheultimate

exito therestof theadventureF.orgeat bout hink- in freewill;theycan,withveryfewlimits,gopretty

ingoutsidethebox;no boxcanexistin a straight muchwherevetrheywantto goandkeepexploring

line. newplaces.

Like,Whatever! (Open Matrix) Yes,it'sa greatplacefor players. . . anda liv-
ingnightmarfeor adventurcereatorsL. et'ssay,for

Thesecondkindof designisat theoppositend exampleth, atyou'redesigninagcampaigwnorldfor

ofthespectrumth, eopenmatrixdesignY. oumight yourplayers-theRealmof Subar-andyouhaveiust
knowthisby is morecommonnamein roleplaying spenthelastsixweekcsreatinagnincredibldyetailed

c i r c l etsh, ec a m p a i g n . andpoignantlsytoriedundergrounKdingdomof Lost

It'seasyto showthebranchinfgor a campaign Wisheslt.'senormouslt!'sepic!lt'sthebestdesignfor

settingY.oustartessentialalyt thecentrapl ointA. anadventurgeameevercreatedandallyourplayers

Usuallythisisa tavernin a townbecausea,swe haveto do isfollowyourclevertrailof cluesto itsgates

alreadkynow,alladventurebseginin a familiapr lace to makethisdreama realityfor everyone.

thawt ethinkof ashome..Thenthecharactecrsan I canguaranteyeouthatyourplayersf,llledwith

wandeorutsideof thetavernto thestreetat B,or theirownfreewillandchoicew, illeitherstayput in the

tothebakerat C, or to thecooperat D, or to the tavernandtalkendlesstloy eachotherin characteor,r

stablaet E,or to theblacksmiatht F.Wehaven't theywillneverpickup thetrailyouhavesocarefully

travellemdorethantwentyfeetsofar,andwe're laidfor them,or theywillgetthecluesandgoin any

alreaduypto fiveadditionablranchinlgocationsB.ut directionexcepwt herethecluesleadthem.

whaht appenisf wegoa fewfeetfurtherout, past

thestreeot r thebakeror thecooperor thestable?

Wellw, ait!There'smore!Thiscampaigmn atrixjust WECANOO

\ t )c\, AITYU']ERE?7 NEEOA UTTLE
II1OREOIQECIION1HANIHAT, OO gACK10 THE
\F-/eol:*/6-f\f:-rdiPl*/*r \ ={V-} I V)LLA6EANOOPEN

I

. I dorr,tevenwantto beginanalyzinwg hy gameplayersall thinkof a
tavernashome.

43

Whilecampaigdnesignhasanappealinagp-
pearanceth, erealityisnotverysatisfactorfoyr most
playersC. ampaigndso not makefor goodstorytelling

becausteheyhaveno realstructureon whichto hang
theplot.Soif youwerewonderingif thewonderful
campaigtnhatyourplayershavebeensloggintghrough
for thelasttwentyyearswill makea greatbook,l'm

afraidtheansweirsno.Campaignasrenotstories.

Worstof all,campaignrsequiretheircreatortso
designexponentialmlyorewith everypassindgay.You
haveto fightto keepthedesignaheadof theplay-
ers,andultimately ou sfillhaveno story,justevents

withoutstructure.

Narrative Bumper Pool (Closed

Matrix)

Thethirdtypeof designgivesthe illusioonf free

willfoundin theopenmatrixcreatiown hileproviding

thestructureandflowof thelineardesignl.t wasfirst

quantifiedduringtheearlyyearsof designinthgeDrag-

onlanceseriesandhaslargelybecomea lostarttoday.

Wecallthistheclosedmatrix.

Thetruth is thatyou haveprobablyalready

workedsomewhaint thiskindof designalreadyA. ny

"dungeoncrawl"isessentialalyclosedmatrixdesign

sinceyou'reprettymuchlimitedto thehallsr,ooms, theplayerasremotivatedto movein thedirectionof 4
thesolutionT. ravelinagwayfromthesolutionwill
shafu,doors,andstairsT. hisformof designbecomes wasteprecioutsime.Anotherchoiceisthe"option
moreimportanth, owevero, nceyoumoveout of the lock"wheretheoptionsavailablteo thecharacters
getmoreandmorenarrowoverthepassagoef time.
dungeoanndintotheopenair. Thirdisthephysicalol ckwherethephysicablound-
Theclosedmatrixconcepltooksa gooddealmore ariesof thegameiself preventheplayersfromleav-

complicatetdhanit actuallyisin practiceP. layersstart inguntilthesolutionisfoundor timerunsout.
at thebeginninogf theadventurAe (yes,it isprobably ForexampleY:ourplayerasrein a tavern(sigh)
a tavern).Theyhavethechoiceesssentialolyf goingto
andtheyhearthatto theeasthereisa castlewhere
B or C or D. That'sa significanut mbeor f choicesb,ut thebeautifuplrincesMsirandahasbeencruellyim-
prisonebdytheWizardof theBlueBeardandthathis
theyarechoicetshat havedirectionT. heyarechoices
armiesaremaraudinogverthecountrysideE.veryone
thatmovetowardtheendof theadventuraendshow
knowsthattheWizardof the BlueBeardisnever
advancemetnotwardtheobiective. goodnewsfor anyprincesslf. onlytherewassome-
Otherchoicetsheplayerms ightmakeallencoun-
oneto freeher!
ter eitherhardor soft"edges."Theseedgesactlike Soyourplayersnaturallygo wescW. hiletravel-
rubberbumpersr,edirectinogr, "bouncingt"heplay-
ersbacktowardthecenterof thedesignmatrix.These lingwestdowntheroad,theyencountear courier

bumpercsanbeanyof a numbeor f differenktinds whohasbeenwoundedin battleH. eslipsfromhis
of thingsto motivate(soft)or force(hard)playerto horseiustasyourplayersarrive.Gaspingfor breath,
remaininsidethelimisof thegamedesignF.orex- h eh a n d sy o u rp l a y e ras m e s s a gt hea tm u s tb ed e l i v -

amplet,hesebumperms ightbewhatwecalla "time-
lock."Thisistheequivalenotf a tickingbombcount
down.lf doomisgoingto fallat a certaintimethen

+4

eredto theprincestso theeasof r allislost.(Heisa of courset,heplayersarefreeto goanddo asthey
softbumpert,ryingto motivatetheplayertso take pleasaendmakeasmanyof theirownfreewillchoices
thehintandgoeast.)
astheywish. Butnoticethatregardlesosf thechoices
Soyourplayersnaturallycontinuewesf.There made,theclosedmatrixhasa naturaal ndorganicflow
theyencountefrorcesof thekingwhoarefleeing fromthetop to thebottom.Theplayersalwayshave
earfromthebattlefrontT. heWizardof theBlue a sensethattheyaremakingprogressa,ndthelater
Beardf'sorcesareoverwhelmingU. nlessthepowers encountercsanmovethestoryforwardbecaustehe
oftheprincescsanbefreedfromherimprisonment generaml atrixiself isflowingin thedirectionof the
totheEASI,thenthekingdomwill belost.(Thisisa plot.

secondm,oreemphatics,oftbumper.) As theendof thegamenearst,heoptionswillnar-

Theplayersa,sonemightexpectc, ontinue rowuntiltheconclusioonf thegamemergews iththe
tothewestT. heyactuallyftndthebattlefronat nd climaxof thestory.Youmighthaveonlyoneconclu-
discovefor r themselvethsatthearmiesof theBlue sionin yourdesignX or youmighthavetwo or three
BearWd izardare,indeedo, venvhelmingploywerful Y g. Z butit isimportantthatyouhavea finitenumber
andtheirlinesimpassabAlet.thispoint,theplayers of endingtso dealwithsothattherestof thestorycan
havencountereadhardboundarylf. theyinsist flowtowardthem.
oncontinuinwgest,well,theydeseryteo diein
Closedmatrixdesignisa lostart. Butif youmas-
whatevewrayseemtshemostignominiousN.atural ter it, thenyou'llbea trueXDM!
selectiorenallyshouldapplyto heroes.

Withinthedesignepdlayingfleldof thegame,

F'NE! VIE'LL

60 EAgr!

+5

.THRI ry-FVE INlELLIaENCE, YEAHR? OLE-PUYIT,

f,Hamrn$rx$' ErnorR

ScrewYouIntelligenceheckP: uzzletos BewitcthheSenseasndConfountdheStupid.

Thingsthatmakeyourplayerasctuallhyaveto becausteherecan'tbejustonerightanswer.

thinkin a gamearepricelesTsh. ereasonwshyareap- ln magiciatnermsthisisknownas"multiple

parent,anythingthatgesyouawayfromthediceand outs."Yourjob isto interpretheanswergsiven

talky-talkfyor a minuteor two isworthwhileP. uzzles youaccordintgo theknownintelligencwei,sdom,

forceplayersto changegearsandthinkwitha different or streest martesachplayer'csharactehras.lt isthe

partof theirbrain. responsibiloitfytheplayetro comeupwithandjus-

Mostimportantlyt,heyallowa deepecr onnection tify answertso riddles-whatevtehroseanswerms ay

betweepnlayear ndcharactethr atisnotonlyhealthy be.As anXDM,feelfreeto helpor punishthemas

butdoesn'itnvolvea life-sizTehunderdomineyour needed.

backyardF.ora momentt,heplayeirsactualltyhink- A quickexampleT: hepartyreachetsheThree

ingin placeof theircharacterN. o intelligencehecks Doorsof MegaDoomandareconfrontedwith riddle
(atleasnt otusually)J. usthemanda puzzleI.could //R-l,, (seenextpage).
goon about hedualityimbeddeidn a player-character Goaroundyourgroupasking",Whatdo you
relationshiapn, dtheboundsof thatrelationshibpu, t think?"lf theyarenewto thisidea,perhapsspeciff

youwouldn'treadiq youwouldjustskipdownto the by saying",Tellyourpartywhatyourcharacter

puzzlesl.f youhaven'at lreadyO. h, andbytheway thinksyoushoulddo." Thepointhereisto force

Selddiirssimply"riddles"spellebdackwards. themto roleplay.Not to talkamongStht emselves

Riddles whilsot neguygetson hisiPhoneto lookupthean-

swer-nothisisanRPG-iftheydon'tlikeit theyneed
Riddlelsiketheonesbelowhavebeenusedbefore, to goplaya regulaor ld G. Anyway,Princestshe
many,manytimesbeforei,n RPGasroundtheglobe.
Theproblemisthatusuallytheyarepresentewdrong. Barbariasnays",We shouldgoin a differenwt ay-me
hatepuzzlesW." ilikertsheWizardsays",Weshould
Thepoint,asmentionedis, to getyourplayerthinking goin thethirdgate."Therestof thegroupislostin
in placeof theircharacterN. everthelesyso,uaren'task- variousdegreeosf stupor.
i n gy o u r b u d d yE dw h a tt h e a n s w eirs ,y o u a r ea s k i n g
Finalltyheyallagreeto do whattheWizard
hischaracterE. dmustanswefror "PrincestsheBarbar- saysS. onow,askthewizardwhyhercharactetrhinks
ian"notfor Ed.Thismakeist interestinfogrtheDM

+6

thatl.f shesays",mehit'sjusta hunch."Finel,et changeyourmind,youcanstillgointogateone,two,

themgotowardthethirddoor.Theywill hearanevil or three.Whichgateshouldyouchoose?

souncdomefromoneof theothertwo doors.Ask

themif theywantto continuoer changteheirmind. R-2:Twentydoorsarelinedup oneafterthe

lf WilikertsheWizardsays omethinlgike"Let's otheralonga largewall.Abovethedoors,scratched
keepgoing.I wantto kill stuff"Well,thatwasn'ta intothestoneareancienst ymboltshat,whentrans-

veryintellectuarel sponsweasit? Wizardshouldbe lateds, ay:

intellectuaPlu. nisWh ilikers. "Thepathyou desiret,heonethatisright,
lf theplayesr ays omethinlgike,"Well,threeis will leadyouto gold,glory,andlight,

anoddnumbera, ndtheriddlesays...("stillnotthe 19 sonsof evilweretrappedherefirst;

righat nswerF) ine,awesomere, wardher."Wilikers" to freeoneof themisa dark,dreadcurse."
issmarta, ndif theplayeriscreative noughto give Whichdoordo youchoose?

asmart-soundaingswetrhenWilikershouldbe

rewardeodr punisheadccordintgo hercreativity. R.-3A: crazyold manin thestreetstopsyouand

Thkalsomeantshatwhilea playewr ithgreat says omethinagbouta bet. Pullingouta goldcoin,he

intelligenccaengivea relativelwy ronganswear nd tosseist in theairandcatcheist deftlyin hishand.He

stilbl eright,anidiotcharactecranberighton the thenlooksat it secretlaynddoesthesamethingagain.

moneayndstillbetotallywrong-aldl ependinogn He nowlooksat youandsays",One of my
thereasongsivenfor thecharactecromingupwith flipslandedheadus p.Whataretheodds

thatanswer. thatit landedheadsup

Thisisa greatsystemwhenyouhavecreative the othertime?"

peoplien yourgroup.A partyfull of creativepeople,

howeveirs,a rarity.So,if presentewditha problem R.-4:Thatsame

thatyourgroupcan'tfigureout buttheircharacters crazyoldmanthen

defrnitecloyuld..i.t'stimeto rollthedice.Thereisa handysoua pieceof

systemfor thisin theXD20sectionof thisbook. paperthathasbeen

Whatfollowsarea numberof riddlesthatwe foldedup andtells

havenjoyedpresentinogvertheyearsS. omeof you to holdon to

thesaerelateratlhinkingproblemsa,ndothersare it. He saysthat

purelogics, tillothersarejuststupidT. hediffrculty hehaswritten

leveol f thepuzzleissvariedb, uteveryoneisdifferent a prediction

soyoushoulddecidehowhardor easysomethinigs. in thepaper

Someof themarecommonandothersnot andhewill

socommonR. emembeerv: enthemorecommon giveyou2-

puzzlehsavea placeN. aturallyoushouldchange I oddsthat

thecircumstancoefseachriddleto fit yourparticular youcan'tguesws hether

situation(Y. oumayfrndtheanswerisn theAppedi- or notit willcometrue.

cesattheendof thebook.) "lf youthinkit will
cometruewrite'Yes'on it.

R.-1T: hreelargegatesarebeforeyou.Eachgate lf youthinkit won't,write
looktshesamein everydetail.On anold signstand- 'No'." Hehandysoua pen.

ingbeforethegatesa, messagre ads, Whatdo youwrite,yesor

"Behintdwo liesevil. Onlyonethesuregate no? \r,

lustchooswe iththeodds,andnotby fate."

Afteryourselectioinsmade(let'sassumyeouchose R - 5 :Y o u r

thefirstgate)thesecondgatestartsto rattleanddark partyentersa

mispt oursfrombetweenthebars.lt's nottoo lateto secrertoomwiththreechestse,achof

47

whichbearsaninscriptionIn. thecornerof theroom desperatneeedof helpfromtheelvesthatlivethere.

standsa childwithdark,soullesesyesS. hesaysthatin Theyagreeto helpyouon oneconditiont,hatyou

onechesitsa rubyof greavt alueA. notherchesht olds answear questionabout heirforest."Our treesgrow

a diseasea,nothera curseT. hecheswt iththedisease doubletheirheighteachdayuntilafter1OOdays

hasa trueinscriptionth, echeswt iththecursea false theyhavereachedtheirfull heightA. fter howmany

one,andthecheswt iththerubyhasaninscriptiotnhat dayswouldtheybeat onlyhalfof theirheight?"

couldbeeithertrueor falseY. oumayonlyopenone.

Theinscriptionresad: R-11: Onceagainthatsamecrazyoldman

Chestl: Thischesct ontaintsheruby comesup to you,andthistimeheflipstwo coinsin

thufr2,I'trt'inscirpi.ronon chesot neistrue. theair(acoppecr oinanda

Ches3t : Thesecondchesht oldsthecurse. silvecr ointhateachweighthe

Whichchesdt o youopen? samea) ndcatchetshem.You

don'tseewhichhandcaught

R-6:After walkingfor sometime,yourparty whichcoin.Thenhetellsyou

comesto a gardena,t thecenteor f whichstandas thatthesilvecr oinlandsheads

statueI.n therighthandof thatstatueisa swordof u p a n da s k s",W h a ta r et h e

greatpower.ln thelefthandisa bell.Legenhdasit that oddsthatbothlandedheads

theswordcoulddestroyanyfoewithoneblow.How- up?"(TheXDMmaywishto

ever,no onehasbeenableto takeit, for thestatue's remembetrheanswetro R'3

gripuponit isgreatetrhananyforceknownbeneath andaskhimselif thecolorof the

theheavensY.oumayaskthestatueoneyesor no coinsmakeas nydifference.)

questionl.t will ringthebelloncefor yesandtwicefor

no. Thestatuemustgivea trueanswerC. ouldyouask R-12:A crazyoldman-let'ssaythatit'sthe

it a questionthatwouldforceit to releasietsgripon sameonefor consistencreyasons-stoyposuin the

thesword? woodsand,pointingto a fallentree,asks",Thetree

was25 feethighandfourfeetaroundbeforeit fell,

R-7:Yourpartyisin aninn(wow,there'sa new butwascuta footabovethebasel.f thetreehad

idea)anda drunkensailorputsa rarecoinin a bottle, threefeetremovedfromitstop sixyearsago...how

whichhethencorks.Hechallengeysouto getthecoin highwouldit benow?"

out.Youcan'ttakethecorkout,youcan'tbreakthe

bottle,andyoucan'tgetsomeonelseto do it for you. PhysicaPl uzzles

Whatdo youdo? Riddlelsiketheonesmentionedabovearefrne

asanexarnploef howto changethingsup everynow

R-8:Thecrazyoldmanfindsyouagainandshows andthen,buttheyareprobablytheweakesstortof

youa holein thegroundH. estarurantingabouthow puzzleI.n fact,theyareto beusedsparinglyA.lso,

hismathskillsaregreatetrhanyoursH. isquestioins don'teverletyourgrouptaketoo longto figureone

this,"How muchdirt isin a holethatis l5 feetin of thesethingsout. As in goodcookingi,f you add
diameterb,uta merefourfeetin depth?"
too muchof oneingredienyt,ouwill poisonyour
guestsO. kaythat'snotusuallytrue,butyougetthe

R-9:A strangeirn aninntellsyouthisstory:"A point.
fatheraskedhissonto gointoaninnandbuyhimsome Thereisa muchbetterwayto forceyourplay-

ale.Whentheboyenteredt,hebartendetroldtheboy ersto think:thepuzzleP. uzzleasren'thardto make.

to leaveD. efeatedth, eboyIefttheinnandreturned lf youthinkaboutit, mostpuzzleasrenothingmore

homeemptyhandedT. hebartendetur rnedto meand thana handfuol f chaosplusa cluehowto orderit.
said,'Did you knowthatwasmy son?'" Thestranger Theycanbesimple-likethreepoolsof water,eacha
thenasksyou,"How isthatpossible?" differenct olor,andthreeorbselsewhertehatmatch
thosecolorsO. r theycanbea bit moreinvolved,
R-10:Youentera magicforeswt hereyouarein

48

$mnoln

suchasfiguringout whichvillagesr tolethesacred adoptthemasa physicapluzzlein yourgame.

diamonbdy askingquestionsT.hegoalisto provide Thebestkindsof puzzleasrethosethatexistfor a

theplayerws ithsomesomof problema, bit of chaos, purposeP. eopledon'tgoto thetroubleandenormous

anda cluefor themto solveandorderthatchaos. expensoef buildinga teleportmazecoveringanentire

Entireadventurenvironmenctsanbea puzzle. floorof theircastlewithoutgoodreasonl.f thereis

Ofcoursea,nymysteryisessentialalypuzzleT. racy someelaboratme echanismfor placingcertaincolored

oncewroteanadventurcealledTheAnviol f Timefor stonesin certaincoloredbrazierisn orderto determine

theDragonlancsett:ngwhereanentireunderground a sequencoef doorsopeninglikea safecombination

completxurnedoutto beoneenormoums echanism thenthosedoorshadbetterbeguardingsomething

fortimetravelthatrequiredthecharactertos move reasonabvlayluable.

fromroomto roomandlevelto levelto setup the

devicaendgetit to work.Thegeniusi.n thisdesign It's a Trap!

wasin makingthemechanissmobigthatthecharac-

terscouldn'st eethewholethingat onceandcould

onlyunderstanids purposeaftermovingovermul- NO, OEl SOMEBOOY
tiplelevelsandthrougha varietyof rooms.

Likemagicp, uzzlecsanalsoinvolvea consid- ELSETO SAYIT.
erablaemounot f misdirectiolnn.theoldPharaoh

adventurbey TracyErLauraHickmant,hedesigners

wantetdo put in a mazeT. heproblemwitha maze

ina traditionarloleplayinggameis thatthe players

aremakinga mapon theirgraphpaper.Howpuz-

zlingcanthemazebeif themapistherein frontof

themT? heirbrilliantst olutioncamein theformof

atelepormt azeT. heentiremazewascompriseodf

tenfootwideby thirtyfoot longidenticapl assages

withmagicaml ist-frlleadrchesat bothends,andtwo

morefacingeachotheron eitherside.Stepthrough

themistandfrndyourselifn whatlookslikethesame

roomyouiustleft.

TracyandLaurareasonedh,owevert,hatover

theyearsadventurerpsassinigntothemazewould

leavbeehindsomedifference(lsiketheirdecaying Trapsarelikepuzzleos,nlydeadlierP. uzzles

bodiesfo, r examplew),hichallowedsubsequeandt - canbebenignwaysof makingyouscratchyourhead,

venturerssomeadvantagien workingout themaze. buttrapsaremeanto stopyourcharactecrold-or

Youcanfindinspiratiofnor physicapluzzleins killyourcharactedread.Trapsb, y theirverynature,
anykindof procesosr mechanismAn. old family
gamefrom 1962called"HighGear"wouldhave aresupposetdo bea surprises,omethintgo catch
madea reallygreatpuzzlearoundwhichyoucould youcompleteluynawarwe hileyouaretrespassinogn
buildanentireadventureA.+goodsourcefor
someonelse'sturf. Therehavebeenentiredungeons
inspiratiomn ightalsocomefrom T heWayT hi ngs
theexistencoef whichwasiustanexcusefor onedeadly
surprisaefteranother.s

Workby DavidMacaulayw, hereyoucanseehow H e r e ' st h e p r o b l e mw i t h t r a p s :T h e ya r em o s t

anynumbeor f mechanismacstuallwy orkandthen oftenemployedasa weaponby badgamerefereeisn

' Theword 'genius'herewasactuallywrittenby Tracyabouthimself. theirsupposesdtrugglteo asserttheirsuperioritoyver
playersU. nlestsheyareproperlyhandledt,heyare
It isthissortof honestyand integritythat isthe hallmarkof XDMs. primarilypunitiveto players.

t Again,Tracy'sinsertedword reflectingan XDMsaversionto false 5 GaryGygax's'Tombof Horrors'comesto mind.
modesty.
* Why did I iustgivethat away!

49