INTERROGATION
OF THE REALM
How do I make a Realm
design?
Why
are you doing this?
In what order do I play the games?
How much will there be when it's finished?
What changes are there from the original modules?
Why do all the games start out with zero experience?
What's all this about Find Traps spells?
All right, I'm looking...Where are all the new items?
What's wrong with searching?
What do I do with the items in my inventory?
Should I map?
How do I know when I have finished a game?
Are there any pre-made parties available?
Why
are you doing this?
My original idea was
that UA was going to be five years old in 1998, and that this would be a great
anniversary tribute, going back to its roots in standard AD&D. Of course,
Since it is only roughly one-quarter done, The Realm might be a better ten-year
anniversary tribute.
In what order
do I play the games?
My first answer is,
in whatever order you want! When finished, that will be part of the glory of
The Realm, you'll be able to piece together a UA campaign just as you would a
pen and paper one. There is a more structured routine available, though, since
I am making the games by region. If you check the list at the top of each
region as I complete it, there is a suggested order of modules. A lot of
thought went into the placement of these modules, and care was taken that
sufficient items are available to be successful throughout (for instance, near
Guidio's Fort, which is plagued by hobgoblins, is the Lost Tower of Castanamir,
where you may remember an encounter with stranded hobgoblins in the
kitchen...).
Also, though, I have reserved the most challenging
adventures for the final series, which will be completed last. As Introduction
explains, demons, devils and huge bands of giants plague the northlands, where
only the bravest may tread.
How much will
there be when it's finished?
Just like any other
ongoing campaign world, The Realm may never be completely finished. Currently,
I have finished only one of the four regions, the Eastlands. Next I will be
working on completing the Westlands, and then the Southlands. Finally, I will
convert the Northlands. After that I will likely make a stand alone design that
uses several of the cities I have made in those four regions, a new adventure
that spans The Realm. When all is done, I will work on what I call the
"Final Diamond" adventures, which take the party through Nightmare
Keep, Death's Ride, The Endless Stair, Dragonspear Castle and, ultimately,
Against the Giants! But I imagine Acererak would be upset if mere
second-edition fire giants could be the climax of The Realm....
What changes
are there from the original modules?
Naturally, there are
some encounters which could not be dealt with perfectly in UA, but I assure you
that I did my best to incorporate the majority of those encounters regardless,
one way or another. Most, and I do mean most, of the events are exactly as they
appeared in the original text. Only two major changes have been made:
1. The maps have been redrawn where necessary to both fit on the map grid and
compensate for UA's thirty-foot line of sight. Sorry, not much I could do for
those round rooms, but at the same time I hate big, empty rooms that are
supposed to be crowded.
2. To avoid a Monty Haul campaign, I made a catalog of every magic item in
every module I own. While this was partially for use in the items files, it
also served to give me a perspective of whether a magic items should remain in
a given location. The two factors of such a decision were, Does the magic item
fit here, and, Will the party have another chance to find at least one of
these?
Why do all
the games start out at zero experience points?
All Realm games, no
matter how difficult, start out with first level characters with thirty-five
pieces of gold in their pockets. There are two reasons for this, as well.
1. This is meant to be a campaign world. In my pen and paper campaign every
character starts at first level, despite the fact that we have a 21st level
cleric among our ranks. This allows every character the same opportunities to
develop.
2. There is no way to determine what magic a party will have at a given time.
It is possible that the only weapon a third-level party carries is a +2
longsword; but that weapon would be very important in a battle with a lone
gargoyle. By the same token, to make a party with all +1 equipment given them
at start would be the opposite extreme.
What's all
this about Find Traps spells?
One of my greatest
pet peeves in UA is when a designer is too lazy to put in the extra events for
a Find Traps spell. While The Realm is not perfect to say the least, I was
adamant about use of this spell. If you cast find traps, I feel safe in saying
it will alert you to the presence of every mechanical trap and MOST magical
ones. Sometimes, I have to admit, the magic falters when trying to detect
glyphs and the like. Such things could, I suppose be warded against detection,
though.
Where are all
the new items?
In case you haven't
noticed, the emphasis in The Realm is to create a coherent, sensible campaign
setting. Reading the Game00, Introduction does more than provide a backdrop, it
clues you in to important notes on the setting in general. Along the same
lines, some items can only be found in the proper locations. Not many warriors
in Hommlet know how to use a war boomerang, and armorers at the Keep on the
Borderlands are hammering out platemail, not fine-tuning suits of full plate.
Look around, use forethought, and you'll do well.
What's wrong
with searching?
The
Realm actively discourages a party from constant searching. First of all, it
doesn't make sense. If monsters are lurking around every corner, not many
parties want to spend ten minutes to travel ten feet. The following is taken
into account in The Realm:
1. Searching takes ten times as long. Ten minutes pass with each step, making
you ten times as likely to encounter a wandering encounter (if there are such
in your location).
2. Searching involves actually searching. Most town watchmen and the like do
not appreciate strangers poking around in their business.
BUT
3. In some locations you will find that you simply need to pass time. Most
notably is the first day in the city of Specularum in Game05, The Veiled
Society. Your party has one full day to purchase equipment and find its way
around the city, but hours are likely to remain. Searching in that instance can
be seen as 'walking around, shuffling your feet.' Of course, there are other
ways to waste time in the city.
What do I do
with the items in my inventory?
In
Realm games, inventory items generally fall into three categories. First, and
most commonly, are items that are automatically used by your party. UA checks
to see if you have a given item, and then uses it if your PCs have acquired it.
These items require little effort on the part of the player, the challenge is
mostly in finding or acquiring them. Some designs use a second sort of item,
though, the treasure item. This is an item that represents a treasure that your
party has found during the course of its adventures. Take such items to a shop
to sell them, but be sure you take the proper items to the proper shops! Third,
and most rare, are items which require direct player action to be used. These
items appear relevantly in the conversion of Realm Game 25, WG4 The Forgotten
Temple of Tharizdun. Be careful when typing in item names that you type the
name exactly as it appears in your inventory.
Should I keep
a map?
Mapping is a process
that can seem boring and tedious, but is often the hallmark of a serious
player, either in an actual role-playing game or in a computer game such as UA.
In a "live" environment, mapping can save PCs from starvation or getting
lost once all the monsters are defeated. In UA, mapping can prevent the boredom
that results when a dungeon is cleared and the party must find its way home.
Keep in mind that these are conversions made as loyally as possible to the
original products; there are no extra monsters thrown in to keep the party
moving. If all the monsters are dead, all that remains is to pack up and go
home. Adding such random monsters would make The Realm more an emulator of
Gauntlet than one of classic AD&D.
How do I know
when a game is over?
With rare exceptions,
each Realm game ends with a clear statement that the adventure is over. Most
often, bonus experience is awarded based on individual objectives met during
the course of play. Sometimes even minor heroic deeds can bring about a
positive experience award in the end. However, as part of a campaign series,
Realm games almost never eject you from play after this message is delivered.
Your party will be left on an overland map, free to walk the four regions of
The Realm until you find your next adventure hook. Ideally, an entire Realm
campaign could be played without ever leaving UAShell.
To date only two
Realm games do not have such a "lingering ending." They are Game 01,
A1-4 The Aerie of the Slave Lords; and Game 25, S4 and WG4 Tsojcanth and
Tharizdun.
Are there any
pre-made player characters?
To promote campaign
play, The Realm originally did not provide any pre-made parties for gaming use.
However, many and frequent emails have persuaded me that the majority of
players would appreciate a set of six pre-made characters. One gamer has stated
his intention to upload a pre-made party to giga's UA site, thus making at
least one option available. Additionally, Realm games designed for the
Southlands campaign will be presented with a pre-made party that can be used
throughout the campaign, whose stats will increase with each adventure.
How do I make
my own Realm game?
Anyone is welcome to
make a new Realm design. Just download the basic worldhack files that appear in
every Realm design, and feel free to mess around with any other file in the
game to give it a distinctive appearance flavor unique to your design.
Here are some things to keep in mind when designing a
Realm game, in order to maintain the same feel that exists in the current
designs that are available:
1. Realm games are written in the second-peron singular tense, so the
game speaks directly to the person at the keyboard as if he is the leader of an
adventuring party and calls all the shots. Gender-specific terminology should
be avoided whenever possible when referring to party members, to allow for
female PCs and gamers. When using gender-specific pronouns is required for some
reason, however, existing Realm games are written to a male audience.
2. When referring to the PCs, the Realm routinely refers to them as a
group of friends. The terms party or group are impersonal and desensitized, and
appear only rarely, usually in verbatim boxed text.
3. In creating new items, be careful not to add any item that the party
will not be able to take from one adventure to the next. The goal is 100%
compatibility.
4. One of hallmarks of The Realm campaign is its careful use of find
traps. While no one is perfect, a concentrated effort has gone into rewarding
gamers for careful play. If you use traps, please enable the Find Traps spell.
5. Don't assume that a party will have a certain powerbase. Any group
of any level should be able to play any adventure. If someone wants to walk
through a first level adventure with his twentieth-level group, it would be
very frustrating to read text stating that his group is overpowered by four
dozen kobolds. There should be a melee involved, which any low-level group
would lose, but high level characters would win.
6. Be careful in event structure. If there is a chest, use a quest
event to ensure that the chest remains until it is opened, and consider using
that same quest to then trigger an event stating that there is now an empty
chest. Try to give the semblance of a real, functioning world whenever
possible.
