Design Crawl 1

— William Strang, late 19th century

Castle Kelpsprot: 119 rooms keyed as of February 3.

Design Crawl

This Design Crawl offers learnings from my experience playing and engaging in a close reading of Brad Kerr’s The Sinister Secret of Peacock Point. Unlike a typical review, I won’t discuss art, layout, presentation, or writing. I’m interested solely in what design lessons I can glean from the adventure. You’ll need a copy of Wyvern Songs for reference during this room-by-room analysis.

Random Encounters

There’s a nice mix of monsters to run away from, people to talk to, opportunities, and hazards. The insect swarms are great because “I hit it with my sword” isn’t an effective solution. The players must devise tactics.

For me, the balloon is the highlight of the table. It serves double duty as a hazard and resource. If the players pop the balloon, they’ll not only get hit with a sleep spell, but the noise may attract monsters. Imagine getting TPKed by a balloon. Ingenious players, however, may leverage the balloon against the insect swarms.

Telegraphing the effect of the balloon requires some cleverness from the referee. I’d probably describe colorful gas swirling within, and a similar detail included in the text might have improved the encounter.

Lessons

• Not all random encounters should be immediately dangerous.
• Include monsters that demand tactics.
• Include hazards that clever players can turn against their foes.

The Lighthouse

The lighthouse contains several clues:

• The coat and open book imply the lighthouse keeper didn’t abandon the lighthouse.
• The graffiti indicates the presence of the thieves.
• The bugs telegraph the primary danger.

Requiring players to uncover a secret door and solve a simple puzzle to proceed into the dungeon strikes me as a risky and unconventional choice. I think that it works in this case for several reasons:

• There’s another entrance.
• The puzzle is intuitive and simple.
• It makes sense that the main entrance to the thieves’ den would be disguised.

Lessons

• If overcoming an obstacle requires a specific item or tool, place that item or tool nearby. The coins in the coat are there for a reason! Players won’t be stymied if they happen to not have any pocket change.

1. Guard Room

More graffiti offers clues to avoiding a trap and repelling the insects.

Lessons

• Use relatively empty rooms to convey important information. Not only does doing so elevate the room but players won’t be distracted by other details.

2. Great Hall

This room tells a story. From the graffiti, corpses, and infested couch, players can piece together that a gang of thieves once occupied this place but were devoured by the insect swarms.

Lessons

• Allow the history of the dungeon to emerge through environmental details.
• If a monster has a specific weakness, provide the tools necessary to exploit that weakness. The musical instruments are here for a reason!

3. Ferret Cages

This room telegraphs the presence of another monster.

Lessons

• Telegraphing not only helps the players make informed decisions, it also introduces tension. The cages raise the question: what the hell else is down here?

4 & 5. Training Room & Archery Practice

These rooms offer more details about the dungeon’s occupants. The secret door here doesn’t unlock a hidden area of the dungeon but rather presents a new path through it. I can imagine characters using this secret door to escape an insect swarm.

Lessons

• Give players a reason to linger. The six locked chests prompt a risk-versus-reward decision: spend the time opening every chest or keep moving and miss a reward?
• Secret doors can create new loops and serve as escape hatches.

6. Bedroom

I may be missing something, but I don’t understand why the insects haven’t eaten these ferrets. I think there’s a missed opportunity here to include a monster that’s fiery or constantly exuding smoke. This would both explain the monster’s survival and telegraph one of the insects’ weaknesses.

7 & 8. The Brig & Cell #1

Very clever telegraphing of one of the insects’ weaknesses here: clever players should ask themselves how this prisoner survived and why the insects avoid this area.

Lessons

• Provide clues to a monster’s weaknesses, but leave it to the players to put the pieces together.

9. Cell #2

I can only speculate regarding Kerr’s intentions, but as a referee, I view this room as an invitation to place another prisoner in the dungeon—perhaps a friend of the party or someone who can provide a hook to another adventure. There’s also an odd dead-end corridor past this cell—perhaps an opportunity to append additional material.

Lessons

• Leave blanks that help the referee incorporate the adventure into their campaign.

10. Loot Overstock

This hub connects to four other rooms and contains a ton of stuff. Not including values for much of its contents reinforces an idea that’s explicit in the text: the characters won’t have an easy time selling this stuff.

Lessons

• Include inconvenient treasures that are difficult to remove from the dungeon, transport, and sell.
• Don’t write empty hubs. Rooms the characters will revisit often should have a lot going on.

11. Mud Room

This room indicates the existence of another entrance to players who approach the dungeon through the lighthouse. The fossils present a risk-versus-reward consideration like the treasure chests in A4.

Lessons

• Simple context clues can provide information about a dungeon’s layout.

12. Boat Storage

The absence of one boat should indicate to players that it’s only a matter of time before more thieves return.

Lessons

• Don’t allow the characters to leave and return to the dungeon at their leisure. Include a clock: a clear indication of the consequences of taking too long to clear the dungeon.

13. Flooded Cave

In my playthrough of this adventure, the first thing my group did was repel down the cliff. Discovering the sea cave entrance was satisfying as hell.

Lessons

• Include multiple entrances that reward reconnaissance and exploration.
• Consider including entrances with limited accessibility.

14. The Night Gate

Oh, there’s a freaking fairy road in this dungeon? Hell yeah. When people write about the joy of discovery in OSR games, they mean stuff like The Night Gate. And there’s a nice visual gag in this room as well:

Graffiti reads: “DO NOT LEAVE THE NIGHT GATE OPEN.” A large portcullis of black steel is open to the south

Lessons

• Include something wondrous and unexpected for the players to discover.
• Consider including a connection to other adventuring locations.

15 & 16. The Pit & Bespoke Latrine

What’s the deal with this pit? Why did the thieves guard it? Why not empty bedpans into the pit?

Lessons

• Include something weird and unexplained. The best dungeons leave the players with a few unanswered questions.

17 & 18. Another Bedroom & Shrine

These rooms provide additional insights into the dungeon’s inhabitants. The shrine presents an excellent opportunity for interaction and diegetic advancement.

Lessons

• Environmental details help a dungeon feel lived-in.
• Include rewards other than experience and treasure.

19. Kitchen

I do like goblins, and these skunk goblins do have a couple of characteristics that distinguish them from stock-standard D&D goblins (though just barely). That said, my principal criticism of this adventure is that the monsters are mostly familiar—with the notable exception of the Skitterlord. The giant toads and giant ferrets in particular strike me as missed opportunities to include something a bit weirder.

Lessons

• Get weird with your monsters. If players can’t immediately name a monster, that’s a sign that it’s weird and original. (The Skitterlord passes this test).

20. Climbing Wall

This room presents an NPC trapped by a monster—a classic dilemma. And rescuing Pillsbury presents a new dilemma: how will the party manage this capable but untrustworthy halfling?

Lessons

• Consider including NPCs who present complications and dilemmas: capable but untrustworthy characters such as Pillsbury, or perhaps a potential ally who’s as unsavory as they are powerful.

21. Mirror Maze

This is a very clever trap. The mirror maze only becomes a hazard when characters move through it with haste, such as when fleeing from room 23. Not only do the pit traps then pose a danger, but there’s also potential for the party to become separated. Smashing the mirrors seems the obvious solution—except the noise might trigger an encounter! Great stuff.

Lessons

• Include traps that introduce complications rather than simply inflicting harm, such as hampering retreat or splitting the party.

22. Vault

There’s a lot to appreciate here. First, there’s a nice well-telegraphed trap. Second, the multiple keyholes encourage players to explore the dungeon thoroughly. Third, the vault presents the classic problem of lots and lots of coins. And finally, the Mektaur is just fantastic! It functions as a trap of sorts, but it also offers a method of reviving a dead with a unique class. How fun is that?

Lessons

• Introducing a set of items to collect encourages exploration.
• Retrieving a heap of coins from the dungeon can be a fun logistical challenge. (Don’t over-rely on this, though—it’ll get stale for the players quickly).
• The opportunity to reincarnate as a unique class is a killer reward.

23. Captain’s Quarters

This room presents an excellent OSR-style challenge: retrieve the music box and key from the very midst of a massive insect swarm. Also, note this room’s unique shape (and that of room 14).

Lessons

• Place the things the players want most from the dungeon behind formidable challenges with no obvious solution but many possible solutions.
• Use distinctive shapes to highlight key rooms.

24 & 25. The Guildmaster’s Boudoir & Hobby Room

Sure, the magic boomerang is a nice weapon, but you just know some player is gonna find an incredibly specific and ingenious use for it. And yes, you should absolutely include a bicycle in your medieval fantasy campaign.

Lessons

• Unique tools make for great rewards. Just as a good challenge should have no obvious solution but many possible solutions, a good tool should have no obvious applications but many possible applications.

Conclusion

I had a blast playing The Sinister Secret of Peacock Point and gained an even deeper appreciation for it through a close reading. It’s an exemplar of sound, thoughtful design and among my favorite adventures. My only real criticisms are that it might benefit from weirder monsters and something else for players to experiment with in addition to the shrine and the Mektaur, which is likely one of the last things they’ll find.