Wild Hunt Studios

An homage to Undermountain and the mega-dungeons…

On an exposed outcrop high on a stony mountainside there is a broad pit. The pit is ringed by a low stone lip carven with all manner of gargoyles and obscene figures; swaying over it is a heavy black bucket large enough to fit two men, suspended with thick cables from a sturdy-but-worn wooden frame. A great, iron winch carven with skulls beckons. None know who maintains the apparatus, only that it is.

To those few mountain-dwellers of the area, this place is called the Well, but no one draws water forth from its depths. Only evil.

Were a brave or foolish soul to descend in the bucket (as some have), they would find someone–something–has carven rooms and burrowed tunnels through the casement all along the descent into the nethermost-depths; each entry along the way down leading to new complex of rooms: some small, some large, and some sprawling. The Well holds level-upon-level of cursed dungeons and cavern lairs, each holding horrors independent of the others. And at the very bottom…

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When I was ten, I probably wouldn’t have imagined my go-to character in computer role-playing games would end up being a woman.

Back in the late 80’s, a cRPG called Pool of Radiance was put out by Strategic Simulations Incorporated (SSI for short). The game used the rules from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG, and was the first computer game to do so. I played it on a green-monochromed Apple IIe screen.

In those days, there was a limited “story line”, and virtually no interaction with NPCs, so a great deal was left to the imagination. Nor were there pre-crafted characters to pick from who joined your party, instead you created each member of your party from a large set of options, exactly like you would in the tabletop game.

One of the characters I created was a red-haired female paladin of Tyr, the daughter of a noble house, whom I named Brinna D’Vere.

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Keith J. Davies was running the RPG Blog Carnival again about a month ago and invited me to toss my hat into the ring, but I ended up waffling on writing an entry because I’d been unable to decide what makes a creation “fantastic” when one of D&D’s basic tomes is full of examples of “fantastic” creations: swords, rings, books, potions, dusts, oils and paints, even machines, and so forth. All of which have amazing effects and powers. (Referring, of course, to the Dungeon Master’s Guides and their treasure lists, particularly in 1st Edition.)

Perhaps what we are looking for is, instead, a solution to +1 swords and [things] of [spell effects]; that is, to the problem of magic items being perceived and treated like eminently disposable accoutrements.

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While working on Niflgap for Robin Laws’ Hillfolk game, I’ve also devoted time to reworking and cleaning up At the Dawn. It’s become more than a game, it’s become something of an art project as well. I’m seeking feedback on the current iteration, as well as deciding how I want to proceed with it. Get in touch with me if you’re interested in being a part of that.

Dead*Space may finally be seeing the light of day, at least a form of it is. Robin Laws’ recent Kickstarter for his Hillfolk game included solicited pitches for different settings to use the game system with. My accepted pitch was based heavily on the ideas I’ve been developing for Dead*Space over the last eight years, though this iteration has its own unique twist.