I really appreciate the "didactic mechanics" Sersa includes in his adventures. By that I mean things like the "roll in the open" instructions for certain traps or featues, which really help ratchet up the tension for the players and makes the moment more memorable.
Great discussion. I'm only about half-way through it, but I've been jotting down new ideas almost non-stop. Some are direct from what is said, but most are tangents triggered by the discussion. Good idea, guys.
Dude, Sersa is so modest and humble. This was such an awesome interview because there is so much good advice, really good video to use for reference. Thanks for putting this out there and also thank you both for letting us peek into your process!
Wow! Great video. I learned so much. Thanks for this. And yeah, the Shadowdark / Arcane Library community is so chill. I love everything that's happening.
Some great practical guidance here - thanks Kelsey and Sersa. In my own writing, made the mistake of restricting spells / powers if they got in the way of plot - in the 'King's Evil' adventure (I wrote for Malady Chronicles), the PCs had to infiltrate a leper colony in order to rescue a dwarf - I had an antimagic rock under the colony to suppress healing and teleport spells. Going forward, will try and avoid that pitfall. So glad I've persuaded my players to have a pause in our PF2e campaign to try out some Shadowdark - already had a blast writing the adventures with this system for my group. Through not a particular fan of pure dungeon crawl (like to write village mysteries where the PCs have to knock on doors and fall for red herrings - and then a dungeon at the end) -will certainly check out some of Serra's adventures as they look serious fun. The only tip I would add to this guidance is determine atmosphere first (is it a undead grave yard crypt adventure, is it a feral beast folk adventure set in a dark wood, etc). Choosing atmosphere first is a great starting template and how I write.
It can be super tricky to grapple with the advanced spell stuff! But I think we eventually build up a bag of tricks as game designers for working with, rather than against, those things. It really can be challenging!
I enjoy using prompted role playing. I first learned about this in Trophy rpg, which also has OSR roots. I like the point Sersa made about how it can give the players some agency in building the world.
I think he might! I'd definitely check out his itch.io page, or else scope out the classes he offers that have a ton of those resources included as part of the curriculum! :)
Hey, where did you get the original yellow cover of SotJP? I don’t remember seeing an option on Itch. Either way I’m stoked for a deluxe edition this holiday season!
I think it might be a collector's edition at this point since the cover got an update. But Sersa said in the livestream that the whole module is getting some additional material in the near future, so it might be worth seeing what new stuff gets unveiled in that version! :D
We started the Shrine of the Jaguar Princess just before this streamed. Great to hear from the author Sersa between sessions. I am super curious which parts he would have done differently. We are five rooms deep, and three PCs down. It truly is a deathtrap dungeon. The players really enjoy the vices and greed mechanic! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really appreciate the "didactic mechanics" Sersa includes in his adventures. By that I mean things like the "roll in the open" instructions for certain traps or featues, which really help ratchet up the tension for the players and makes the moment more memorable.
Great discussion. I'm only about half-way through it, but I've been jotting down new ideas almost non-stop. Some are direct from what is said, but most are tangents triggered by the discussion. Good idea, guys.
Dude, Sersa is so modest and humble. This was such an awesome interview because there is so much good advice, really good video to use for reference. Thanks for putting this out there and also thank you both for letting us peek into your process!
i’ve played 3 of sersa victory’s adventures and they were all incredible. lots of fun :)
Cheers Kelsey.
Great to see and hear Sersa. Enjoyed your informative and lovely chat. Good food for thought.
Wow! Great video. I learned so much. Thanks for this. And yeah, the Shadowdark / Arcane Library community is so chill. I love everything that's happening.
Some great practical guidance here - thanks Kelsey and Sersa. In my own writing, made the mistake of restricting spells / powers if they got in the way of plot - in the 'King's Evil' adventure (I wrote for Malady Chronicles), the PCs had to infiltrate a leper colony in order to rescue a dwarf - I had an antimagic rock under the colony to suppress healing and teleport spells. Going forward, will try and avoid that pitfall. So glad I've persuaded my players to have a pause in our PF2e campaign to try out some Shadowdark - already had a blast writing the adventures with this system for my group. Through not a particular fan of pure dungeon crawl (like to write village mysteries where the PCs have to knock on doors and fall for red herrings - and then a dungeon at the end) -will certainly check out some of Serra's adventures as they look serious fun. The only tip I would add to this guidance is determine atmosphere first (is it a undead grave yard crypt adventure, is it a feral beast folk adventure set in a dark wood, etc). Choosing atmosphere first is a great starting template and how I write.
It can be super tricky to grapple with the advanced spell stuff! But I think we eventually build up a bag of tricks as game designers for working with, rather than against, those things. It really can be challenging!
I enjoy using prompted role playing. I first learned about this in Trophy rpg, which also has OSR roots. I like the point Sersa made about how it can give the players some agency in building the world.
Every video by Kelsey starts with the words "Is this live?"
1:05:00 That's a really great question!
Really looking forward to reading the Art of Failure. Also purchased the Sun Shattered Tears! This was a wonderful live stream to hear.
I enjoyed this conversation about game design and hope this may be a continued series of sorts. Thank you!
Sersa makes me feel bad about my basic-ass dungeons, but in an aspirational way.
Me too! 🤣
Thanks for sharing your amazing creativity and unique dungeons!
The beasts on the cover of the book and the special edition book will you talk about them
wow what a dope conversation, applicable to creativity of all kinds
does sersa have those "moment charts" available for purchase somewhere?
I think he might! I'd definitely check out his itch.io page, or else scope out the classes he offers that have a ton of those resources included as part of the curriculum! :)
Hey, where did you get the original yellow cover of SotJP? I don’t remember seeing an option on Itch. Either way I’m stoked for a deluxe edition this holiday season!
I think it might be a collector's edition at this point since the cover got an update. But Sersa said in the livestream that the whole module is getting some additional material in the near future, so it might be worth seeing what new stuff gets unveiled in that version! :D
I'd love to see that peice of paper on 0:17:40.
We started the Shrine of the Jaguar Princess just before this streamed. Great to hear from the author Sersa between sessions. I am super curious which parts he would have done differently. We are five rooms deep, and three PCs down. It truly is a deathtrap dungeon. The players really enjoy the vices and greed mechanic! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mute YOUR speakers?
I was the 300th like does that get a like from the Shadowmaster herself...?
29:45 Jesus, the dog scared me 😧Please edit it out next time, I was using headphones
Right?! That was so bad! I had to wait for RUclips to finish processing the file overnight, but I was just able to edit the barking out.