WHO IN THE HELL IS MONTY HALL?

I got to thinking about this recently when I saw someone on G+ comment that they are a bit of a "monty haul" DM. To my knowledge, the first place Monty Hall is mentioned by TSR in writing is in Tim Kask's foreword to OD&D Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976): 

Monty Hall DMing his first Gen Con game

This volume is something else, also: our last attempt to reach the "Monty Hall" DM's. Perhaps now some of the 'giveaway' campaigns will look as foolish as they truly are. This is our last attempt to delineate the absurdity of 40+ level characters. When Odin, the All-Father has only(?) 300 hit points, who can take a 44th level Lord seriously?

What about previous attempts?

First, in light of the above, in OD&D Supplement I: Greyhawk, Gary Gygax was quick to change the original XP numbers for monster slaying calling the 100 points per monster level in OD&D "ridiculous" (the XP numbers in Greyhawk would carry through to both Basic & AD&D). Next, consider this from Tim Kask's Foreword to OD&D Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry (1976):

As originally conceived, D&D was limited in scope only by the imagination & devotion of DMs everywhere. The supplements have fulfilled the need for fresh ideas & additional stimulation. But somewhere along the line, D&D lost some of its flavor, & began to become predictable. This came about as a result of the proliferation of rule sets; while this was great for us as a company, it was tough on the DM. When all players has all of the rules in front of them, it became next to impossible to beguile them into danger or mischief. The new concept pioneered within these pages should go a long way towards putting back in some of the mystery, uncertainty & danger that make D&D the unparalleled challenge it was meant to be...

From Kask's words, in addition to running "giveaway" campaigns, it would seem a Monty Hall DM took the mystery, uncertainty & danger out of the game. It isnt hard to see how this term would stick around 1976ish. As the game sold & snowballed they were seeing another type of game appear, a predictable version they didnt like, run by, what one would assume, was a specific type of DM, who among other things, gave out treasure & advancement w/o any true risk to players, i.e. a Monty Hall, now your hosting Let's Make A Deal, the home version.

As it is more commonly seen today, the term has morphed into "monty haul" & when one mashes up the meaning of the British term, "full monty" (likewise could be assumed by some a Monty Python reference, depending) w/ "haul", it sort of makes sense even if you've never heard of Monty Hall.

PS: I remember Let's Make A Deal, as well as Monty Hall's hosting it; however, I never knew his name, like Bob Barker. Perhaps Bob Barker DMs will be the new thing...

SESSION 8 - TALBOT GAMBLING HOUSE

So the consensus within the party was that Leif needed to be rescued. Goody Threeshoe said that most likely Leif was taken by some militia & was underneath the Gambling Hall. They all took a break. Amadi was tempted to begin work on copying his sleep scroll to his spell book, but knowing it would take some time, retired w/ Gnolan & decided to peruse his new found book on Mathematics & got about 1/3 through; Djarel read a bit of his book about Cult of the Black Dog; Magus & Telal both took a load off & caught a few Zzz's... The five eventually regrouped in the bar area & discussed their plan for rescuing Leif...

They got to the Talbot Gambling Hall around 5 PM & were surprised to find Goody Threeshoe inside @ the only table being used, in the center of the hall, where a roulette table was. Also @ the table was Delly Hammonds, the stonecarver, they first met when Magus was looking for work, & also they are introduced to Sam Gugs, the master brewer @ Mineral's Brewery. Surprised that the party already knows these fellows is the MC of the gambling hall, Shadow Jask, a buffed out brother, who is anxious to make his presence known. Other than those four are six other folks around the table: three farmer lookin' men & three shady lookin' mates w/ hoods, all eyeing the party suspiciously. Though everyone seems a bit questionable about Gnolan, they realize that Amadi is in control of him, the way he follows him, & they start in w/ Shadow about seeing Leif & letting him go free. Shadow restates the crime Leif is suspected of: accosting & robbing Lyla Dimmings (the Baron's daughter) of valuable jewelry while on her way to a formal gathering. Shadow asks if they have an alibi for Leif for a day & a half ago. They all speak @ once, saying they were in Crackenmore. Leif was w/ them. Everyone's jaw drops. Shadow says, "Crackenmore?! Are you kidding me? What were you doing in Crackenmore & how do we know you were really there?" Djarel steps up w/ Kinchen's shield & brandishes it proudly, pointing to the inscription reading Kinchen Forever. "Found in Crackenmore, my friends," he says. Those around the table are quite impressed. "But how do we know that the elf was w/ you?" asks Shadow. "Hey," says Goody, "can you spin the wheel already? & then we can deal w/ this." Rattled, Shadow asks if any of them want to place a bit before he spins & gambling addict Magus reaches deep & places the 18 gp he gained from Crackenmore on black. Shadow rolls. RED 7. Oh well, no one ends up winning. Shadow scrapes up the coins & pockets them. "By the way," says Shadow, "you all will need to deposit any weaponry you are carrying into the bank." There is a bit of resistance, but as the three fellows w/ hoods stand & circle the party, after noticing Telal trying to sneak closer the door on the north wall, things get more serious & Shadow presses that they must deposit any weapons they have in the gambling hall. He leads them to a door in the SW corner of the hall & then they watch as he takes their weapons one-by-one as they hand them to him. "Now can we get Leif out?" asks Amadi. "You may have that shield, but nothing proves that the elf was in Crackenmore. The bail is 650 gold," says Shadow. Gulps can be heard around the room. The party presses Shadow about going down to @ least see Leif, but is shot down. "Can ya'll go down?" he asks the 3 hooded folks & they promptly exit the door on the north wall. As everyone is back around the roulette table, Shadow included, Djarel & Magus get into a verbal fight of some sort, about gambling Magus' money away when they need it for bail, & Amadi grabs Shadow for discussion, bringing him over to the side; in the moment, Shadow lets it slip, "I have no call in all of this, the thieves guild are the ones w/ the control," then before Shadow knows it Amadi is subtly casting Charm Person on him & as the argument dies down, Shadow is now asking what he can do for Amadi & the party. "How much money do you have, Shadow?" asks Amadi. "I think about 1200 gold," says Shadow. "I would like to use your 1200 gold to free the elf," says Amadi. Shadow heads toward the bank door & then comes out lugging two large bags of coin. "What the hell?" says Goody. "I been gamblin' here how long? You never loaned me nothin' like that." He looks to the others still there, who also look a bit confused. "Can you take one of those bags & get Leif?" says Amadi. "Sure," says Shadow, "that shouldnt be a problem." Shadow heads out the door on the north wall, where the hooded fellows had disappeared to. The party then moves toward the bank room where they realize Shadow left the door ajar. Goody, Delly, Sam & the three yokels decide to gather their stuff & follow the party to the door where everyone grabs their weapons, them included, & then the party moves back to the center of the hall as the others leave the establishment. They wait. Shadow has not returned after 30 minutes. They decide to go through the door, w/ Magus leading. They pass through the door & go down a stair. They come to  room lit by torches in wall, a table in the middle w/ cards & some coin atop as well as a number of doors about. The party notices a body laying to the NE of the room, in front of a door. It's Shadow & he's dead. The sack of gold is nowhere to be found. Telal tries to unlock the door but is unable. Amadi then steps up, twirls & kicks it open. Inside they find Leif sitting on a dirt floor w/ his hands tied behind his back in a nasty knot, wearing only his simple clothes, all of his major belongings taken. Telal cuts him free & searches the room, but finds nothing; the party regroups in the room, & swipes the coinage from the table, eyeing the other doors about. They decide to try to door north of where they are.

Amadi tries to kick it open but fails. Telal then steps up, pulls out his tools & quickly has the door unlocked. They ease in & see that the room is split into to different openings...dirt floors like Leif's cell...as they get further in they first notice a figure hunched in the NW wing - nearing the figure they see that it is a gnoll w/ hands tied behind back. He begins speaking w/ Gnolan & Leif translates for the party. The gnoll was captured up north near the Enchanted Waste & he says that if they free him, he knows where as stash of 2000 silver is that he can pay them. The party frees the gnoll. They move to the other wing of the room where they evade a bear trap of some sort & against the wall find two coffers w/ 15 platinum pieces each. The party moves back into the main room & discusses their options. There they stand, 550 gp & 30 pp richer, now a party of seven individuals: a magic-user, a thief, an elven ranger, a half-orc cleric, a dwarf & two gnolls. Shadow's dead body crunched in the corner of the room. Amidst the discussions of whether to stay or go, & what to do about Leif's possessions, the freed gnoll adds that somewhere down here, supposedly, under the gambling house, is an entryway into what many gnolls refer to simply as the Old Tunnels.

7:00 PM

WHAT ABOUT MY BOOK ON COSMETICS?

Know what annoys me most when playing a fantasy "RPG" video game? The story element of the game & the huge learning curve that comes w/ its plethora of lore... Coincidentally, it seems that the most successful video games of the day are those that allow players to wander away from the story for long stretches @ a time: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim, etc. These games lean more on the strengths of modern video game technology, but are also limited by the trappings of the robot's mind: whether you or I enter Riverdale when we turn on the game, the NPCs will say the same things & act the same ways & all of the items are in the same places, etc.

When it comes to old school pen-and-paper D&D though, my views on story are quite the opposite as it's actually one of my favorite elements of the game. It's an organic & creative process that develops as multiple human brains play off of one another. You never know what will happen, or what someone may decide to do or create. That, to me, is the strength of a true role playing game & it cannot be duplicated by a computer.

That said, it bums me out when my character finds a book in a video game & I am expected to actually sit there & READ THROUGH six pages of generic fantasy fiction to obtain some nugget of player knowledge about the game world, etc. Why cant my act of opening it just tell me what my character now knows? Or what I need to know? Or how my character is better @ carpentry now?

So, what about that book your character found on cosmetics? The character can read it when they have time. A high intelligence will speed up their reading/comprehension. If what they are reading is a specific history topic, the character will be given the specific information they learn from reading the book. If the book is a general topic, like cosmetics, or say, taxidermy, then reading the book would be noted on the character's sheet for future negotiation leverage w/ the DM, e.g. the character is trying to work up a disguise ("also, remember a week ago I read that book on cosmetics?"), or perhaps trying to embalm a slain creature. Their having read each book respectively will aid them in the appropriate task. In a way, this adds skills to the game w/o adding a skill mechanic.

ERIC TALBOT & THE GREAT CHURCH

The town of Talbot was originally referred to as Talbot's Fee & was land given to Dagwood Talbot by King Stamos after Dagwood's admirable leadership during the Shadow War in NW Furthermoor, which ultimately led to human victory.

Dagwood Talbot

Dagwood, along w/ his wife Gesturine, had seven children: 2 sons, Zimbo & Kinchen, & 5 daughters, Relay, Chimay, Light Heart, Lucky & Golden Bough. Zimbo being the oldest, was about nine years of age when Gesturine died from unknown causes. A few years later, Dagwood married Ellie Fintup, the eldest daughter to the Lord of Moor's End, & they had one child, a son, named Eric.

Zimbo & Kinchen Talbot

By the time Eric was 12, Zimbo & Kinchen were adventuring in foreign lands & almost done w/ an underground structure, built by orc slaves, called Crackenmore, that was just outside of Talbot's Fee on the northside (back then there was not much other than the Talbot's Estate, other than a small store & a few other houses). Eric, by his mother's influence, became quite involved w/ the Great Church, & after visiting Furthermoor City, decided to start a church in Talbot's Fee. Though after one month he only had five regular churchgoers, @ the same time, he began to venture out into the nearby lands, specifically up around the Enchanted Waste, where the Shadow War took place. He became a paladin for the Great Church & @ one point, helped save Talbot from a goblin attack when Zimbo & Kinchen were far away. 

Eric Talbot's Crest

But then something happened: some strange folk appeared one day outside the wood building that Eric had set up for his branch of the Great Church. They were looking for Zimbo. "Why didnt you join us?" Eric asked, as the other churchgoers trickled out, about fifteen of them... Eric was left alone w/ these hooded folk, five of them. "We need Zimbo," they said, "We need Zimbo now." This is the last thing that anyone (one of the churchgoers heard this as they watched from behind a tree) heard of Eric. The same person saw Eric welcome the hooded figures into the church, then left.

No one knows what happened to Eric, as he was never seen again. Some say the hooded folk were werewolves & that the Black Dog is in fact Eric Talbot (even though some stories of the BD date earlier than Eric's disappearance). Then there are those that believe that Eric learned something beneficial to himself & went w/ it. Many other ideas exist, but either way, the Great Church @ Talbot ended up in a large blaze by many of those that thought Eric's demise was witchcraft. It took some time to sell the land, but eventually, many years later, Tyler Jenson built Talbot's Gambling Hall in the spot. As they cleared the land & built, rumors rolled that a few tunnels were found that led below the ground... Some search was done, & some rooms were found below the ground, which served the militia for some time in regard to regulating for the town when certain characters appeared... That said, it is well known that there is a door down there that leads to places that no one - @ least no one that talks openly - has been...

SESSION 7 - CRACKENMORE

So the two gnomes seem extremely interested in Gnolan, & Magus begins speaking w/ them, first asking if they know Common. They do not, as they come from an area far from those that speak Common. They go on to explain that they teleported here from their home, not "here" but nearby, to a place they cannot devulge; they explain that they heard of this rock from others that have ventured here & returned w/ great powers & treasures. They have been examining the rock now for 3 days, but have yet to figure it out. The party begins focusing on the glowing rock, & Leif begins rubbing it a bit, slowly, feeling a bit of tension in a small area, he breaks off a chip. The party debates about what to do w/ the chip until they have Gnolan put it in his mouth. Everyone watches as Gnolan just shrugs a bit, but then speaking to Leif, Leif notices that Gnolan's voice is slightly different slower, sloppier... A great debate arises about what to do, whether they should simply leave the rock alone, etc. The gnomes, however, who agree to guide the to an exit they know of, say they will not leave until they figure the rock out. So more chips are chipped & passed around. One by one, they decide whether to put it in their mouth or not, but ultimately all succumb to the temptation & realize how the magical rock affects them: Magus will eventually realize his CHA has lowered by 1, Amadi feels a surge that would heal all his HP, but he is already @ full, so just feels good all around, Leif eventually realizes he is stronger than before, +1 STR, Telal notices no effect whatsoever, & then Djarel is suddenly blind. The gnomes on the other hand, as far what the party can tell visually, one of them shows them a beautiful pearl gem that suddenly appeared in their hand once they put the stone in their mouth. Magus can tell it is of some value, @ least 500 gp. The gnome is extremely excited & seems fulfilled in his mission. The gnomes agree to guide the party out of the dungeon, mentioned that though they did notice some Troglodytes, they should be able to get past them. The party is eager to get back to Talbot. They follow the gnomes & within an hour & a half they are inching out of of a crevice into a field that is directly north of the Talbot Cemetery.

As the party collects themselves, they turn to find the gnomes gone. They talk about returning to town, but Djarel, still blinded, begins speaking of his warhammer left in the statue. The party agrees to guide him there to retrieve it. They move west & then down to the cemetery gates where they enter & move to where the statue of Dagwood Talbot rests. There in his left hand, he is gripping Djarel's warhammer. Someone guides Djarel's hand & when he grips it & pulls, it comes free, & a creaking can be heard from behind the statue where the door to Crackenmore is closing, rock rubbing rock. Subsequently, as the party heads back out of the cemetery, Djarel begins to perceive from his eyes, until he can fully see once back into Talbot proper. The party moves to the Green Lantern. It's 5 AM. Full of excitement, the party doesnt really wish to go right to sleep. Djarel retires to a room to worship for a while, refreshed w/ Detect Magic, he steps out & finds the others already into heavy conversation & cups w/ Goody Threeshoe. Djarel has them pile up all of their booty & casts Detect Magic on the pile. As it turns out, the shield that Djarel found, Kinchen's shield, is a magic shield (+1). Amadi, inspired & excited to study the scroll he found, insists on buying for everyone, round after round... It is quite a scene, the party slowly blitzed around the table now around 7 AM. Leif decides to venture out for a toke on some Hallowed Hash, comes back in, more drinks are had by everyone... But then, heading back out, Leif is accosted by about five men, & in his state, doesnt really catch it all, until he cant really fight back... Next thing he knows, he is in a cell of some kind & he can hear the men down a hall speaking of catching the person that robbed Lyla Dimmings. Apparently she told people it was an elvish type, that carried a bow. Otherwise, back @ the Green Lantern Inn, Djarel has a strange dream: he sees Dawnbringer, the Great Tulip, silver & yellow, wide open in the sun, & from out of it, orcs clad in black leather. He is standing behind a stone, & watching sees that they have a prisoner they are bringing out, a human prisoner, who is not moving, but whose eyes are wide. The prisoner is wearing a red vest & also has something in front of his eyes, on his nose that Djarel has never seen. As the prisoner is finally taken out, Djarel watches as he is set down & a number of orcs circle him. He reaches into a tube & pulls out a scroll of some sort & begins to unroll it... It is @ this moment that Djarel is awaken by Telal, "Djarel, get up, get up, did you hear about Leif?"

3 PM

MONKS OF THE GOLD MOUNTAIN

Three Monks of the Gold Mountain spotted early this morning in bustling Furthermoor City.

The Gold Mountain is said to be in the Far East of Furthermoor, much further east than the current map shows. A renowned, wizened sage is believed to live there in a cave @ the top of the mountain; known simply as "The Old Man", he is said to be the oldest human in all of Furthermoor.

OLD SCHOOL MAPPING IN THE ONLINE AGE

Been thinking about mapping a lot as I began a G+ campaign using an old school module where the task of mapping is a lot of the challenge & though at first I felt some responsibility in aiding the players in finding an "online" mapping solution, I finally had to step away... Mapping should be the players' responsibility, not the DM's.

As the players started getting dazed & confused in the dungeon & mapping became of ultimate importance (we've been walkin past this same freakin doorway for three hours now, wait, is that the same door? is that the iron spike i left?), it became clear: if one provides instant mapping for players (reveal-as-you-move mapping, etc.), a key element of the game is being nixed. All of those old school dungeon tricks to confuse the mapper(s)? Out the window. You're now holding your players' hands through the dungeon.

You may be using reveal mapping if you do not consider this bit from Mike Carr to be sage advice:

"...allow them to draw their maps from your descriptions as they wish - but make certain that your verbal descriptions of the areas they explore are accurate... avoid the considerable temptation to correct their maps once they have drawn them. It will not be uncommon for players to show you their map (especially if they're confused) & ask you, 'Is this right?' In most such instances, you should avoid correcting any mistakes there, unless it would be obvious through the eyes of the adventuring characters. Encourage good mapping skills & an attention to detail rather than falling into the rut of continual player map questions."

P.S. We do use Twiddla, though not for actual mapping (was initially a disaster for the players). We use it for situations like battles, deeper explanations of a room, etc.