number one

july 26, 2010

destination unknown a zine about role-playing games

To the center of the city in night, waiting for you.

I had thought about changing the sub-title to “a zine about tabletop role-playing games.” That, of course,
would be silly. I don’t feel the need to clarify the kind of role-playing being discussed in this zine just
because MMOs have run off with the concept of an rpg and have turned it into, well, something else.
I haven’t written in a long time, so I hope you enjoy this new single sheet. I was really missing the proc-
ess of zines. I like the ritual and routine of writing, editing, printing, stuffing envelopes and walking
them to the mailbox. There’s a familiarity to it that’s been lacking in my life.
Regarding content, I imagine this zine will be like my others. A little of this and a little of that. This
time, however, the format will remain consistent. I think that maintaining an 8.5” x 11” page size will
facilitate archival and storage. Please be sure to visit unknownzine.blogpsot.com to download a .pdf of
this issue, listen to the supporting podcast and to follow the zine on Facebook.
Until next time,
Christian

The Column By The Spire

d&d 3.5 in monte cook’s ptolus

At the time of writing, a D&D 3.5 campaign looms. Despite my misgivings

about the complexity of the rules, I’ve long wanted to explore the 668 pages that
comprise Monte Cook’s magnum opus. Given the fact that Ptolus is so grand, I
wanted to start things off a little differently.
Borrowing from my experiences playing in the World of Darkness (where
beginning characters often have plenty of resources), I thought I’d start the play-
ers off with a few options for their base of operations. In a Ptolus campaign, DMs are encouraged to be-
gin play with the PCs having somewhere to call home. Monte Cook refers to such a place as a
“Touchstone.” While the Ghostly Minstrel in Delver’s Square is one option, I thought I’d go with some-
thing(s) of my own creation.
On the back page is a map of a city block in Ptolus. I took the liberty of placing it at the corner of
Abel Row and Rachen Street. This will allow me to tie in the first adventure—The Murderer’s Trail—
rather nicely, since the PCs must save a young woman named Phon who lives at the “3rd door wesatrn
[sic] side of Crispin Street.” (page 591) Some of the buildings are unmapped, while others are detailed.
The detailed buildings are where the PCs will live/work. Some buildings are rather modest, others less
so. I thought we’d roll to see who lives where when play begins to start things off with a bit of random
fun.
Because the buildings are all found on the same block, I will assume the characters got to know one
another due to the fact that they are neighbors. Perhaps they all recognized the adventuring spirit in one
another and joined the Delver’s Guild en masse. For your campaign, perhaps the block can simply be
used as part of an adventure of your own making. Instead of the PCs owning or renting the buildings,
they can be inhabited by NPCs that your players have to do business with. Brief notes on the domiciles
can be found on the next page.
 a) Small Home Abel Row a b
with Loft: This small
house is comprised of
a living room, kitchen/
pantry, a ground floor
bedroom and a loft
that can function as a
master bedroom. The
loft overlooks the liv-
ing room. Two fire-
places provide plenty
of heat. Because the
house stands on its
own and is unattached
to other buildings, it is
rather quiet. The char- c
acter who lives here
pays 7 gp/month in d
rent.
b) Warehouse:
This warehouse was
inherited by a charac-
ter from a relative who
was a retired Delver.

Rachen Street
The warehouse was
used to store adventur-
ing gear and oversized
trophies that had sentimental, rather than monetary, value. The
addition of a cot, brazier and chamber pot results in an affordable,
albeit drafty, home. The character pays 12 gp/year in property second floor of building d
taxes. It is worth 2,000 gp.
c) Ground Level Flat: This two storey building has been di-
vided into two apartments, one on each floor. The character pays
3 gp/month for a large living room/kitchen and two bedrooms.
The tenants upstairs are a married couple given to the occasional
drunken argument followed by loud lovemaking.
d) Former Tavern with Apartment: This building once
housed a tavern on the ground floor and a spacious apartment
upstairs. There are also stairs leading down to a large basement.
(The basement is not mapped.) Because of the building’s size and
usefulness as a tavern, the rent is rather high at 50 gp/month.
The tavern features a kitchen behind the bar and a fireplace to
keep patrons warm on cold nights. There are two good-sized bed-
rooms upstairs, in addition to a living room and two large closets.

destination unknown c/o christian walker 9903 santa monica blvd. #245 beverly hills, ca 90212
unknownzine.blogspot.com