So thanks to an old friend (and Killer DM), it looks like I will have a chance to play in a True Dungeon session. I’ve never been in one before, and it sounds like the session I will be playing in will be in Hardcore mode (whatever that means.) I’ve gone on to the website of True Dungeon and read the Player’s Guide, but I’d like to know more. Can anyone tell me more about True Dungeon, and how it works? And assuming that I’m bad at both hand-eye coordination and memorization, what’s my best bet of what to play?
Thanks in advance!
I’ve only been through it once, at GenCon SoCal, so use a shaker of salt. That said…
From the classes I saw played, you can’t find a class that doesn’t require either hand eye coordination or memorization. You can muddle through without good skills at either; picking the wrong symbol for your spell just results in a lower “die result” for its damage/ effectiveness. The games of skill allow you to do OK, even if your hand/eye coordination’s not the best.
So pick whatever class you’d like to portray and ham it up for your companions and the GMs.
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That helps a lot, thanks Scott. I’m a bit worried because the slot I’m filling sounds like it’s an experienced hardcore group, and reading the descriptions I was worried that my poor memory/shaky hands would doom us all. Maybe I can just be the bard, so not much is expected of me.
Or maybe I should engage in a Rocky-esque training montage involving playing shuffleboard a lot… and then be saddened when I end up with the Bard anyway.
Or…you should let someone with awesome hand-eye coordination and similarly crappy memorization skills take your place.
Like me.
Perhaps they’d let us do it two-headed ogre style? Or I can just sit on your shoulders and wear a really big shirt…they’ll never know, and if they question we can nail them with ridiculously tall person descrimination charges.
Hardcore your first time through? Good luck. 😀
Bard might be a good choice, depending on what year it is. I played a bard the first three years, then decided True Dungeon wasn’t worth the time or money for me.
Most of the time, the bard has just sung a lot and thrown some shuffleboard, occasionally using a spell or two. So, you should be able to sing (or rap, like I do), and your combat skills won’t be a burden if they suck. Just try not to knock anyone else’s weapon off the monster. 🙂
Tokens are a waste of time to purchase, in my opinion…they’re fun, but rarely useful unless you get healing potions.
Dying sucks, as your $30 is over, often times due to a poor DM and not your own actions.
It can be fun if you get into the “Big Event” aspect of it, but the experience just hasn’t been worth it since about Year 2. Perhaps that means your first year will kick ass no matter what. 🙂
Have fun!
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I have also played bard (twice) in True Dungeon, and I have to agree with Propagandroid. Sing a couple of songs, shuffle a little shuffleboard, not so bad. There is some memorization, but it’s not stuff that gets used often.
It’s usually fun and exciting. Don’t worry too much about it, and you’ll have a great time!
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I’ve been in a few True Dungeons and I can tell you that your ability to master your class abilities (whether its shuffleboard or memorizing things) is far less important than your ability to recognize clues and solve puzzles. Even in the more combat orientated true dungeon this is true and I’ll tell you why. If you can’t solve the puzzle in the room and complete it to exit out in a specified time, EVERYONE takes damage. After 1 or 2 times of this the cleric is going to quickly tap out of heals and I guarantee the potions are going to be burned up real quick if the party has any. The puzzles used to be ridiculously hard but have been tempered in the combat oriented dugeon now. I haven’t done the puzzle oriented dungeons lately so I can’t speak to that.
Have fun, think fast, enjoy the ambience, be daring and at the same time be paranoid of everything. Just like a real player. 🙂