Behind the Screen #15
Against the Odds
Inside This Issue
RPG HQ Meetup V Details
Thriving In the Dungeon
November Event Calendar
Game Runners
RPG HQ Meetup V Details
If you haven’t already made your RSVP for next weekend’s play session, there’s no time like the present! This week we will be hosted by the Wayzata Library. This begins our month’s long focus on Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. Check-in opens at 10:50AM, with gameplay beginning at 11:00AM. Play concludes at 3:00PM. As always, no outside materials are required to purchase in order to participate. This week and there couldn’t be a better opportunity to jump in! RSVP here to secure your space at the table next Saturday!
Thriving In The Dungeon
Ancient ruins, strange monsters, and huge piles of gold! This is the awesomeness promised by Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC). Before you venture into your first funnel, here are a few pointers to keep in mind to maximize your experience— in no particular order.
What You Already Know (Even If You Don’t Know You Know…)
The point of the adventure is to experience how the mechanics work while playing instead of just reading or being told. Like any other TTRPG, you and your friends play the heroes (or, at the start, the zeroes!) while another person, called the Judge (or GM), will be the narrator and monster-controller. Your character(s) have Ability Scores, Hit Points, and Equipment. The players will all have a very clear objective that the adventure focuses on, making this type of game more focused on actually playing rather than roleplaying.
Managing Many Characters (The Funnel)
In this adventure your heroes start as absolute nobodies— each one level 0. This play format is called a Character Funnel because it “funnels” your many weak characters down to a few true survivors. Try to keep these three things in mind while preparing and playing:
Roll Many Characters: You will likely make 3 or 4 characters right away. They’ll be farmers, millers, rat-catchers, or other ordinary people with 1 to 4 hit points (HP), and improvised equipment and weapons.
Don’t Get Attached: Your characters are probably going to die. This is normal and part of the fun! Think of them as disposable. The ones who survive are the ones who were truly destined for greatness.
Know Your Sheet: Your character sheet has important numbers:
Ability Scores (Strength, Agility, etc.): These tell you what your character is good (or bad) at.
Hit Points (HP): How much damage you can take before you die.
Equipment: What weapon you have (maybe a pitchfork or a staff) and your trade goods.
Understand the Dice
DCC uses lots of different dice, not just the usual six-sided one. You’ll use dice with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sides (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20). Sometimes, you might even use weirder dice like a d14 or d30! Your Judge will help you understand which ones to use when, particularly where the Dice Chain is concerned. Here are three helpful pointers for the game’s mechanics:
The Main Roll (The d20): Most of the time, when you try to do something risky—like swinging your weapon, dodging a trap, or convincing a monster—you will roll a d20.
The Goal: You need to roll the d20, add a modifier (from your Ability Score, like Strength), and try to beat a target number set by the Judge.
Critical Hits and Fumbles:
A roll of a natural 20 (a 20 on the die) is an automatic success and a Critical Hit (YAY!).
A roll of a natural 1 (a 1 on the die) is an automatic failure and a Fumble (BOO!).
Action and Roleplaying
The Judge will describe a scene to you. It’s up to you to decide what your character does next.
1. Tell the Judge What You Do
Be creative! Don’t just say, “I attack.” Say, “I use my long staff to poke the giant rat in the eye,” or “I try to quickly tie a rope around the shaky bridge before we cross.” It’s always a good rule of thumb to keep these statements open, since they aren’t guaranteed.
2. The Judge Tells You to Roll
If your action is simple (like walking across a room), the Judge might just let you do it.
If your action is risky, the Judge will call for a check (a dice roll).
3. Combat!
When a fight breaks out, the Judge will set up the order of who goes first (this is called Initiative).
Attack Roll: To hit a monster, you roll a d20, add your attack modifier (from your character sheet), and try to beat the monster’s Armor Class (AC).
Hit: You roll your damage die (like 1d4 for a staff) and subtract that damage from the monster’s HP.
Miss: Your attack fails, and it’s the next person’s turn.
Taking Damage: If a monster hits your character, you subtract the damage from your HP. If your HP drops to zero (0) in the funnel, your character dies! Grab your next zero-level character and jump back into the action!
Step 4: The Power of Luck (And Losing It)
Every DCC character has a Luck score. This is one of the coolest parts of the game!
Spend Luck: When you really need to succeed at a roll, you can tell the Judge you want to “burn” or “spend” some of your Luck points.
For every point of Luck you spend, you add +1 to your dice roll.
Example: You roll a 9, but need a 10 to hit. You can spend 1 Luck point to make your total a 10 and succeed!
The Price: Once you spend a Luck point, it’s gone for the rest of the adventure. Use it wisely, as it could save your life later!
Ascend!
The goal of the Funnel is to survive. If one of your poor zero-level characters makes it through the deadly dungeon, they become a Level 1 Hero!
Your survivor will now get to choose a proper Class (like a Warrior, Wizard, or Thief).
They’ll get more HP and much better abilities, making them a true adventurer.
The most important rule in Dungeon Crawl Classics is to be bold and have fun! The Judge will describe crazy things, and you should react with big, creative ideas. Don’t worry about the rules—just tell the Judge what your character is trying to do, and they’ll tell you what to roll.
Good luck! You’ll need it!
November Event Calendar
Did you miss our last meetup?
RSVP for one of our upcoming dates!
Saturday November 8th (Wayzata Library)
620 Rice St E, Wayzata, MN
Saturday November 22nd (Plymouth Library)
15700 36th Ave N, Plymouth, MN
**December Dates Soon To Be Determined**
Game Runners Needed!
If you are willing to assist with running a session of any system for peers in the coming weeks, please email the editor at editorbehindthescreen@gmail.com with “Game On” in the subject line.