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Yes, that's right, version six. After I promised y'all I'd drop this crazy project.

Best iteration yet, though. Incorporates just about everything I liked in previous versions, but with much more streamlined rules with a lot less dice rolling. Two mechanics (Group Hazards and Torches) have simple default rules as well as more elaborate options relegated to appendices.

If you haven't seen my previous versions, my goal has been to create a system for exploring underground areas in the spirit of TOR. That is, allow the LM to focus on important story elements, and not have to draw every twist and turn of a massive dungeon, but without losing the epic grandeur and...more importantly...the fear evoked by these places.

Interested in feedback and especially play testing. Also, as always, would love to have suggestions for the re-naming of just about anything that I've attached terminology or titles to. Except "Delving". That's probably non-negotiable.

'Nuff said. For your reading and gaming pleasure, I present Delving version 6.

(At some point in the near future I'll bribe zedturtle to turn this into a more professional looking PDF. Maybe even try to hire Jon for some art.)

Looks really good. I'm swamped at the moment, but I'll try to find some more quotes for you soonish.

I'm a bit leery of some of the complexities... I wonder if a hard-and-fast rule that represented what was more likely to happen wouldn't be better than conditional modifiers. That will have to wait until tonight, I fear.

zedturtle wrote:
I'm a bit leery of some of the complexities...

Me, too, and I've weeded out a bunch of things, but I've really struggled to reduce it any further without losing some of the richness. As it stands it would be the 2nd most complex subsystem, with the 2nd most dice rolling, after Combat but ahead of Journeys and Encounters. I'd peg it at about 2/3 as complex as Combat.

I also think that it looks more complex than it is because I'm doing a poor (but improving!) job explaining it, both in the language and the structure of the document. Especially with this layout and typography, it's hard to distinguish core rules from side notes and exceptions, so it just looks like a ton of rules.

At its heart it's just:
- Let several heroes roll at once, using a cocktail of skills.
- Compare successes to failures, with different results depending on whether the successes are all, more, equal, fewer, or none.
- Check for Hazards, Torch consumption, and Corruption
- Repeat

Any suggestions very welcome.

I'm still reading it, so I haven't got a grasp of everything, but I'd say that what might feel more encumbersome in the rules are the different modifiers to the tests (Delving and Torch tests, I think). I like the flavour they give (specially the ones related to Traits and Virtues), but maybe they could be simplified to something like the bonus and hindraces of Combat (the moderately/severely hindered):

If the company has some guidance (indications, ...) or some personal advantatge (aplicable Trait or Specialty, same Culture as the builders of the dungeon...), modify the Delving chech TN by -2.
If they have a significant advantatge (detailed map, been there before, local guide,...), reduce the TN by -4.

Falenthal wrote:I'm still reading it, so I haven't got a grasp of everything, but I'd say that what might feel more encumbersome in the rules are the different modifiers to the tests (Delving and Torch tests, I think). I like the flavour they give (specially the ones related to Traits and Virtues), but maybe they could be simplified to something like the bonus and hindraces of Combat (the moderately/severely hindered):

Yes, that makes sense.

[/quote]If the company has some guidance (indications, ...) or some personal advantatge (aplicable Trait or Specialty, same Culture as the builders of the dungeon...), modify the Delving chech TN by -2.
If they have a significant advantatge (detailed map, been there before, local guide,...), reduce the TN by -4.[/quote]

So maybe this is an example of layout being the problem. If I make it a table of "TN -2 modifiers" and "TN -4" modifiers perhaps it will be easier to understand at a glance, rather than burying the modifiers and the values inside prose.

Thanks...good feedback.

Ok, I did manage to discard a couple more rules regarding lighting, and I re-wrote the delving modifiers into a different structure.

....and I re-wrote that section again.

It's remarkably hard to write something somewhat complex and non-linear in a completely clear way. I swear the rules aren't as complicated as it looks.

Maybe I should move all the delving modifiers (except the cooperation part) to later in the document.

Anyway, it was good feedback. Keep it coming.

Ok, I ripped out all the modifiers that accrue to a single hero. The "cultural affinity" thing was just wonky and superfluous (thanks, Zed), I broke my own rule about giving mechanical advantage to traits by including Tunneling, and the description of Durin's Way has absolutely nothing to do with navigation.