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Thoughts and Review
Dolmenwood - Old School Essentials (B/X) OSR Hexcrawl, a playlist on
the 3d6 Down The Line Update, 4/20:
Follow 3d6 Down The Line on Twitter!
@3d6DownTheLine
After the publication of this article, Jon found me! So I
pass the savings on to you - for updates and intel on the goings on at 3d6
Down The Line, at least one avenue of social media is available.
YouTube channel refereed by Jonathan Britton - a
talented referee and an active member of the
Dolmenwood Facebook page, as well as other venues.
It follows the misadventures of a party of
randomly-generated misfits (see, the name of the show!) who arrive in
Dolmenwood - the fairy-tale mythic campaign setting so far incrementally
released by Necrotic Gnome via
Patreon,
but
soon to be consolidated into a campaign book, and very rapidly become entangled in webs of fantastic and deadly
intrigue.
What I Like
Jon's voice.
The first thing that I absolutely adored about this actual play is the low
gravel pouring out like a stardust waterfall cascading over the moon: a
smiling stream of tears from the man therein as the song of creation pulls his
heart-strings,
dissipating into the night sky such that merely a mist can quietly lite on the
cheeks of snug sleepers like autumn's first snowflakes on a brightening
broad-leaf hickory.
Also his presentation.
It's kind of unfair to give too many kudos to something biological in that
regard - so instead, I'll likewise give him kudos to his presentation: wherein
he guides the stream, his listeners and his players alike, with maps,
hand-outs, and other media (presumably, some of which is visible to the
viewer, but not to the player, as it contains relevant stats to a monster or
location that the party is encountering. So - in addition to the voice that
it's presented in, the ref - Jon Britton - has experience or expertise
enough with the recording platform to provide incredible context and
supporting material for the interested viewer, helping to ground them in the
game and setting, Necrotic Gnome's
Dolmenwood.
Speaking of Dolmenwood, we come to the next trump card in the 3d6 Down The Line's hand: its handling and exposition of the incredibly deep, detailed, and rich setting as under construction - revealed piecemeal in zines, Patreon posts, and sneak-peaks over the course of years by the Necrotic Gnome organization. Larger things - towns, regions, factions, and major players - are intermixed seamlessly with smaller things - different types of local beers, styles of clothing or mannerisms common to different townships - to produce a rich world: one that almost comes alive as the world might come alive in a well-shot film. The innovation of such a world, its development and publication, of course is at the hands of the writing: but 3d6 Down The Line puts those words, takes those concepts, and weaves them into a narrative, wafts them into the nostrils like a scented candle artfully lit and placed innocuously to cast its warm glow.
This ambiance includes both published products and preview or Patreon products: noting, if you were considering but on the fence about whether or not the Necrotic Gnome Patreon would be for you - 3d6 Down The Line is a great decision making aid on that regard. The actual play shows off the publications, themselves, gives a hint as to the contents therein, and shows off how those publications flow, how they contribute in a real game: information invaluable to the budget-constrained referee.
Wondering if Dolmenwood is right for you?
Jon Britton can help.
Lastly - while not the last of 3d6 Down The Line's net virtues, the last I intend to highlight - the first episode in the Dolmenwood playlist is a Session Zero.
But CWR, haven't you spoken on other platforms against session zero? Yes. Yes I have. However - that's in relation to its application to your home game: so while you - playing in a campaign run by me - should not expect a session zero, in the context of the campaign actual play, 3d6 Down The Line provides one, illustrating the utility of a session zero and what you, as an aspiring referee, should plan on if you are going to run one. The purpose of a session zero is - or, should be - the creation of characters, the discussion of house rules (rule zeroes), and the establishment of the setting and tone of the campaign. In his session zero, Jon actually has the video broken down into these various steps and segments! So not only does he illustrate the utility of bringing the party into the same page, but also he makes it easier for the viewer to navigate, finding the pieces that they are curious about.
Want to see abilities rolled? Go here.
Want to hear about the town and people the campaign will involve? Here, instead.
Additionally, it serves to illustrate the process of rolling stats, deciding
on a character based on the stats and - the main reason I bring it up - it
features players being convinced of the viability of a character with poor
rolls on the character abilities. Spoiler alert - one of the characters rolls
a 5 for his Constitution. Constitution. Admittedly, I would have a hard
time playing cautiously with a 5 Con character - hoping for a quick death and
a re-roll before I got too far behind the rest of the party on earned XP for
my mulligan PC - but the character survives! The character moves on. The
player opts to make him into a Fighter and will then go on to role play the
character in a manner in line with his limitations: he uses more diplomacy,
more guile, than a more robust character would - both as a point of mechanical
necessity (it's hard to engage in fights when you have 2 fewer hit points per
hit die than average) and also as a role-playing opportunity to develop the
character's personality, machinations, and method: something that can serve as
a lesson for fledgling refs and players alike, coming down off of games where
ability scores are more important,
What I Don't Like
Ascending armor class? And you call yourself OSR! Bleh!
(Not really. They do use AAC, but I'm not one to make a scene about it. You
do you.)
Really - I only have one complaint against the Dolmenwood hex crawl actual play as presented by 3d6 Down The Line in the linked media: and that has to do with the degree of role play and the resultant impact of that role play on the pacing of the action. From an accessibility perspective - the table is unabashedly (as they should be - playstyle doesn't dictate merit) big role-players: spending a great deal of time in town - on occasion out of it, role-playing between one another - having dozens of conversations with and building complex relationships with dozens of NPCs littering the campaign setting. A night in the tavern can be as important to the narrative that emerges as a battle with the denizens of the deep forest might be. Random encounters - wandering monsters in the wilderness - are an opportunity as much to talk as they are to fight: which, though typical of OSR style gaming (see: reaction rolls), can - when taken to the extreme - preclude the adventure itself. Speaking not lowly of intelligence gathering before a mission - which is a great idea! I love that this AP does that - it takes four whole sessions (so, almost 7 hours of watching) before the first combat sequence: and that combat, though fast, furious, and exciting (as OSR combats at low level can and tend to be), is then followed by more sessions and more episodes of role play.
As a consequence - while this Dolmenwood playlist does an exquisite job illustrating the surroundings, the setting, and telling a story developing the characters (some situations serious, most situations erring to the side of humorous), the long stretches of role play prevent it from efficiently showcasing mechanics. It has a hex map - and it does showcase hex travel - but the travel is less impactful than the people they meet on the road. It does have dungeons - but the time spent in inns, taverns, and courts dwarfs the time spent around the namesake of the game that Old School Essentials seeks to emulate.
To that end - if you are not put off by role play (and typically I am not put
off by role play) - this isn't a drag on the experience of watching the
stream: however, if you are trying to learn the rules, specifically, or if you
are trying to get a bead on what a game might run like were you to try to run
it for your friends - the experience illustrated by this party doesn't provide
a well-rounded expose of what that experience can (and likely may!) entail.
For Further Listening
There are - on the 3d6 Down The Line YouTube channel - two additional playlists:
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Technically, the Blades in the Dark "playlist" is several playlists: each detailing one "episode" of the series, containing videos that make up the episode. Additionally, the channel has several videos that are not organized into a playlist - which appear to chronicle D&D 5th Edition Adventurer's League.
I have not watched these playlists, so I cannot speak to them, personally: but
some references are made to these adventures by the players during the
Dolmenwood adventure, which makes me think that the party - or at least some
of it - is consistent. With that in mind - if you like the Dolmenwood playlist
for its non-Dolmenwood merits (entertainment, narrative, immersion, etc.) -
then I would anticipate you would likewise like these.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, 3d6 Down The Line is a brilliant and immersive expose of setting and atmosphere, eloquent in its presentation and evocative in its depictions: even when the players bring the beer and pretzels. It is slower than a lot of actual plays - encumbered by the weight of detail - but for a viewer interested in that detail, it becomes akin to Melville: in that one would consider it less a shortcoming and more a style - a selling point to a particular buyer. It does display the rules of the game - though due to the pacing, the rules fade to the background: something that is fine when used by a Dolmenwood enthusiast or a connoisseur of fantasy YouTube channels, but can become a hindrance for someone who is actively trying to learn how to play the game. Under that rationale, I rate 3d6 Down The Line's Dolmenwood - Old School Essentials (B/X) OSR Hexcrawl (that's a mouthful!) Leather.
It does what it sets out to do. It tells a good story. And as such, it's worth the watch time for someone interested in the story being told and invested in the adventure - without letting the rules get into the way of the viewer's experience.
Delve on, gentlemen - and best of luck in Prigwort and beyond!
Logos and imagery for 3d6 Down The Line (formerly Brittonica) are property
of the 3d6 Down The Line organization, as utilized on the 3d6 Down The Line
YouTube channel. ClericsWearRingmail does not lay claim to any of them or to
any of the content linked to by them: including images in this critical
review for illustrative purposes and clarity under US Code, Title 17,
Section 107.
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