A new gift and a (riddlish) game
Do you remember a while ago when I shared a post that started with this bizarre image? Well, I’d like to revisit that topic: unfortunately, the Death by Dungeon project, after a brilliant initial launch, seems to have slowed down, and now many participants are wondering what the future of the project will be. Some members have asked for permission to publish or distribute their individual work.
I had the honor of creating level 7 of the dungeon, but it’s not among the lowest levels, so I foresee a low chance of it being officially published… I believe I find myself in a similar position to several other members. In the end, since I had already completed my level, I asked for permission to publish it… and here it is!
A dungeon level designed and created using the usual KUP model, however it suits the B/X sytems, the most adaptable to any type of retroclone or OSR.
I’ve published The God Towers of the Elophant on DriveThruRPG in digital format with a PWYW (Pay What You Want) pricing, meaning it’s free (if anyone wants to leave a tip, I’d be sincerely grateful, but it’s absolutely not required). I’m including the download link below. If you like the module, please consider sharing this post and leaving a rating or a review on DriveThruRPG!
My kudoi go to the exceptional fellows who helped me to complete it as a final product:
, and ! If you're curious, here’s the blurb:In the murky night of the past, none now can recall the dire events that led to the demise of Elophant and the onset of the epoch of incivility, wherein wisdom, wellbeing, and happiness were supplanted by fear, hatred, and ignorance. The few survivors who witnessed the impious assassination managed to erect a sanctuary, that Elophant might not fade into oblivion, nor the virtues it embodied be forgotten.
In such an underground sanctuary, a balance has long existed that allowed coexistence between two incompatible social groups. The place provided both groups with the resources to survive without conflicts. Recently, this balance has been weakening due to the natural consequence of areas with limited resources: one of the two groups has increasingly fewer means of subsistence, bringing the situation to a critical level.
Then, then, then…
Riddlish tavern game
It all started from this inspiring post by
:
While reading it, a memory came from the mists of the forgotten past… and I had been able to recall one of the most ‘clever’ challenges I found in terms of riddles within RPGs. I will simply offer it (and its solution at the bottom) despite I had already posted in a note last week (apologies for the 2nd-time readers!).
In this tavern, there is a dice game called 'The Petals of the Rose'. It is played with six regular dice.
There is only one enigmatic rule: 'Fallen petal, half the due'. The two players agree to gift each other an amount of gold coins equal to the score resulting from the roll of the six dice. Of course, whoever rolls the lower score wins the difference.
The other day, as I was passing by, I saw two people playing. The first rolled: 6, 6, 1, 2, 3, 3. He shouted aloud: ELEVEN! His opponent rolled: 4, 4, 5, 6, 1, 3. The latter shouted: THIRTEEN! And the first one won two gold coins.
Based on the enigmatic rule, the name of the game, and the example, would you be able to figure out how the scoring works in this game?
For anyone willing to solve the riddle, 2 more rounds of game and results:
Round 2: First player 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 = 14 / Second player 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 6 = 7
Round 3: First player 1, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6 = 12 / Second player 1, 2, 2, 5, 5, 5 = 14
…and remember: less maths and more fantasy!
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If you look at a d6, specifically at the dots that form the numbers on its faces, the solution should become much easier to figure out. The "flower" is represented by the central dot, which may be surrounded by petals. If the central dot is missing, the petals have fallen from the flower and lie on the ground. When the dot is present, the flower has still its petals. Therefore:
1 = The flower has no petals = 0
2 = Two fallen petals = 1
3 = Two petals on the flower = 2
4 = Four fallen petals = 2
5 = Four petals on the flower = 4
6 = Six fallen petals = 3