This thread is for discussing the Dwimmermount mega dungeon and it's peripheral products. If you wish to discuss James Masilewski or the kickstarter issues, please do so on the already established threads.

https://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?41438-Has-the-Man-Behind-Grognardia-Ever-Re-Emerged
https://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?24039-Backers-pissed-at-James-M-and-Dwimmermount

So I figured I'd buy the PDF version. It was on drive-thru for 6 bucks this weekend, and I see it's still ten after the sale.

I really like the idea of getting xp for "lore", and having it be an advantage in navigating the dungeon.
The art is hit or miss. Most is good but there's one artist who does a lot of amateruish, thick ink lines and everything is in profile so he doesn't have to draw perspective stuff that I really don't like.

The dungeon is intertwined with the history of the setting's world(s), which is great in that it makes the dungeon that much more epic, and bad in that the setting is baked into the dungeon, and dropping this thing into Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms or you home campaign is going to take a lot of conversion work. Better to part it out for ideas and write you own mega-dungeon. (Which is an approach mentioned in the introduction)

For 6 bucks, I found it good enough. I doubt I'll run it as-written, but there are some good ideas, and a dungeon full of inspiration.

The setting is confined to the Outdoor Survival Map so it is a relatively small area. Also a little known fact that it is connected to Blackmarsh along the north. Something James asked permission for and I agreed to when I drew the map.

Furthermore Muntberg is James substitute for the Keep of the Borderlands which he used in the original campaign. It based on  based on Rhuddlan Castle in Wales

Since the Keep was based on a real world castle. So I figured what good for Gygax is good for Dwimmermount

Hope that helps in figuring out how to place it in another setting.

Quote from: estar;1115634Hope that helps in figuring out how to place it in another setting.

But the backstory of the races are specific to the setting. Like Red Elves and the "ancients". Going all the way back to the original gods and other planets. You'd pretty much have to rip out all the backstory and then it isn't really Dwimmermount, is it?

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1115637But the backstory of the races are specific to the setting. Like Red Elves and the "ancients". Going all the way back to the original gods and other planets. You'd pretty much have to rip out all the backstory and then it isn't really Dwimmermount, is it?

We live in a world where the Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians, lived alongside each other. And further afield you had Mesoamerica, India, China, and the Celts.

Might take a bit of elbow grease but there is likely room in Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, and other fantasy setting to make it work.

For example the Dwarves of Dwimmermount may not be the same race as Dwarves described in the core rule set. Although superficially they look the same.

The Elves a forgotten branch with own history of development like the Drow.

The main point in Dwimmermount favor is that geographically it is confined to a small area of around 215 miles by 173 miles. Roughly the area occupied by England from the south shore to York.

I've been looking at placing it in the Wilderlands north of the Dearthwood, with the CSIO replacing Adamas. Wilderlands always has room for another fallen empire! Thinking the Thulean Empire can fit in immediately prior to the rise of the CSIO ca 3000 BCCC. It seems much the same as the 3e Wilderlands' Empire of Kelnore, which I never liked much, so I'll likely associate the two.

I placed my Dwimmermount campaign in the the Red Tide setting, specifically in the Westmark region as that region had low level of government and is on the frontier of civilized regions. Muntberg just became one of the small baronies scrambling for power in the westmark. I use Dwimmermount's background of the gods, ancients, red elves, etc. It wasn't that hard to do since the Red Tide setting is a sandbox without a too detailed bunch of setting information for itself.

Quote from: estar;1115634Since the Keep was based on a real world castle. So I figured what good for Gygax is good for Dwimmermount

What castle was Keep on the Borderlands based on? I remember being told long ago by Gary or one of the other TSR staff. But can not recall what.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1115630I really like the idea of getting xp for "lore", and having it be an advantage in navigating the dungeon.

How does this work?

Quote from: Spinachcat;1115964How does this work?

Characters can sell "facts" about the dungeon, if they collect enough evidence. (Scrolls, books, etc) The value of selling such information is pretty high, and that translates directly to XP. And there's a lot of it to be found in the dungeon.
Players can also sell maps they make of the dungeon, gaining GP and XP, but potentially giving rival faction parties access to such maps.
And most of the lore relates to Dwimmermount. Players can learn about things they may encounter later by putting together the clues they gather.

It's a really great idea that I plan to copy.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1115966Characters can sell "facts" about the dungeon, if they collect enough evidence. (Scrolls, books, etc) The value of selling such information is pretty high, and that translates directly to XP. And there's a lot of it to be found in the dungeon.
Players can also sell maps they make of the dungeon, gaining GP and XP, but potentially giving rival faction parties access to such maps.
And most of the lore relates to Dwimmermount. Players can learn about things they may encounter later by putting together the clues they gather.

It's a really great idea that I plan to copy.

Does it work both ways? Do the rules also specify that characters can buy (or steal) such evidence and maps from other adventurers, along with pricing and guidance on gauging authenticity/accuracy?

Quote from: HappyDaze;1115969Does it work both ways? Do the rules also specify that characters can buy (or steal) such evidence and maps from other adventurers,

Not specifically. There are a few example rival parties, with their own agendas, including some who want to discover the secrets for themselves.

Quotealong with pricing and guidance on gauging authenticity/accuracy?

There's notes here and there about the reliability of maps and information. It's pretty much up to the GM to adjust prices based on how reliable the information is.

Quote from: Omega;1115804What castle was Keep on the Borderlands based on? I remember being told long ago by Gary or one of the other TSR staff. But can not recall what.

I don't recall if it was discovered. However the idea inspired me to hunt for Castles that looks close to the keep thus my use of  Castle Rhuddlan for Muntberg

I've only really read it,* but I do like Dwimmermount. I think a heavy plot hook around the research of immortality would be a pretty important element of successfully running a campaign around the dungeon. There's so much of immortality stuff in Dwimmermount that it would be odd to just ignore it.

*That's not entirely true... I ran the first level as a one-shot for my wife using 3LBB OD&D. She was a Centaur who decided to forego any hirelings. She galloped in the dungeon and within 15 minutes, she was fatally poisoned by a centipede!

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1115966Characters can sell "facts" about the dungeon, if they collect enough evidence. (Scrolls, books, etc) The value of selling such information is pretty high, and that translates directly to XP. And there's a lot of it to be found in the dungeon.
Players can also sell maps they make of the dungeon, gaining GP and XP, but potentially giving rival faction parties access to such maps.
And most of the lore relates to Dwimmermount. Players can learn about things they may encounter later by putting together the clues they gather.

It's a really great idea that I plan to copy.

This sounds cool and applicable for a wide range of situations. I normally hate OD&D XP for treasure GP value rules, since I consider them redundant (treasure is already its own reward; just give PCs XP for achievements if you wanna give non-combat XP) and problematic (XP gains can go over the top if PCs stumble upon a dragon's hoard or something, which was used as a gimmicky quick level up exploit in one of the first adventures I ever played). But I like this implementation of the idea, cuz it involves essentially a product PCs had to put effort into cataloging, and the GP worth of that product seems like a quick and effective way to determine XP gain for the accomplishment.