Rival Adventuring Party #1 didn't last four turns in the dungeon! I thought that facing the fire beetles one or two at a time would give them a clear advantage, but apparently not. The dice weren't on the party's side, for one thing, and the GFBs had decent armour and attack values. Their greater overall movement rates also gave them an edge, apparently.
Anyway, how did I do with my objectives for this little endeavour?
1. Competition
This remains to be seen, but when I mentioned to some of my players that they aren't the only ones delving the mega-dungeon recently, they seemed intrigued. Time will tell if it has the desired effect.
2. Stories
The main takeaway for anyone hearing Lyonors' account is that the dungeon is a very dangerous place and low-level adventurers should avoid fights whenever possible. This will probably be a key doctrine for future rival adventuring parties, making it much more likely that they run away when encountering hostile creatures, if at all possible.
There was an inscription on the guardhouse wall that Lyonors might remember if pressed. The other areas explored by RAP#1 should already be familiar to the PCs, though the fire beetles will be news to them.
3. Customisations
Very few of my changes to the source material were documented; RAP#1 just didn't get that far into the dungeon. Better luck next time.
4. Refinements
I made several mistakes in applying the combat procedures, which I've since corrected with a few post-publishing edits. The changes didn't alter the outcome, of course, but they highlighted a few weaknesses in the ruleset that need shoring up in the next version.
I kept forgetting that movement rates should be halved in mêlée unless retreating. Conditionally dividing MV by two on-the-fly just doesn't feel intuitive. I also forgot to give the beetles +2 on attack rolls against injured party members (not that they needed it). When I find myself repeatedly forgetting a rule or part of a procedure, that seems a good indication that it should be revised or removed.
Instead of halving MV, the next iteration of dB/dX will instruct the referee or player to roll 1d12 rather than 1d8 when activating units in mêlée (unless those units are retreating). It isn't identical mathematically—two thirds rather than one half—but it'll get the job done. The bonus to attack rolls against injured creatures felt unnecessarily harsh in combination with its other effects, so I'll drop it. In fact, the same goes for the attack roll penalties for the hungry and thirsty conditions. Sorted.
The helmet rule never came up, so it remains untested.
Movement rates are key to combat in this system. I wonder if there should be a way to boost MV temporarily, perhaps by taking a hit point. The same pattern could be used with AC, AT, and TH, opening up some tactical options for the players. That could be interesting, but it'll require considerable playtesting.
5. Restocking
The only significant change was that 1A20—formerly an empty room—now contains a giant fire beetle nest of some kind: a hatchery and/or larvae crèche, perhaps. Depending on how soon the PCs (or another RAP?) return to that area, they might find some of RAP#1's possessions. I doubt that much else will be left of them.
6. Prep
Solo play was more laborious than I'd expected, though it was a useful exercise. It certainly made me pay closer attention to the source material and I noticed several things I'd missed on my first read-through. I just hope the players don't do a double-take when their characters "remember" a more intact ruined building (the one with the statue) in the gorge where there wasn't one before. Heh.
As usual, I find myself pondering ways to automate some of these procedures. Even my somewhat simplified take on B/X-style combat can be time-consuming in solo mode, depending on the number of units involved. I'd be interested to see whether a "battle forecast" tool is feasible if full automation turns out to be a step too far.
One can only hope that Rival Adventuring Party #2 will do better than RAP#1.
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