This comic serves as a little bit of audience information for the set-up of Sam’s first Dungeon Run event. It should be no surprise that he is using Karthun as his setting of choice. He’ll be reading this to the group and audience once things begin but I wanted to give all of YOU a better look at things to come.

As for the rules of the Dungeon Run, they are pretty streamlined but here is the basic overview of how this event will run:

  • 20 player characters (runners) are created using Karthun rules: warriors, mages, priests, and thieves (5 of each)
  • Runners begin with limited spells and resources but earn more as they cross checkpoints located throughout the run (such as crossing from zone to zone)
  • Runners are randomly divided into four groups of five and placed in the starting areas.
  • The Grand Marshal of Mayhem may oversee each table or (as in this case) use four Run Watchers (assistant GMs) to speed up play with the Grand Marshal making final rulings if needed
  • The first 10 runners to cross into Zone Two advance to the next round of play while any runners left behind are instantly slain by a death mechanic in the active zone (for example: the magma flow in Zone One: Blood of the Devil Wyrm fills the caverns to the ceiling, killing runners 11-20)
  • The first 5 runners to reach Zone Three advance to the final zone and encounter (the same instant death rules apply for runners 6-10)
  • Runners MAY attack each other
  • If all runners are slain before reaching the final encounter, the winner is chosen based on proximity to exit and/or number of encounter defeated/runners slain

We’ll see more on how the run itself is handled in the strips to come. As you read, there are twenty Dungeon Runners in this event but do not worry, we will not see every single action they make. This arc will be surprisingly fast-paced once we get into it.

More on Friday!