Adventure Walkthrough: The Hideous Halls of Mugdulblub!

A walkthrough for The Arcane Library's newest Shadowdark RPG adventure for 1st-level characters: The Hideous Halls of Mugdulblub!
Get your copy here: www.thearcanelibrary.com/prod...
What the heck is Shadowdark RPG? It's an old-school rebuild of the 5E rules, bringing it back to the original style of the game while keeping the elegant innovations of modern RPG design.
Download the free Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set, which supports gameplay up through 3rd level: www.thearcanelibrary.com/page...
Sign up to get notified when the full Shadowdark RPG Core rulebook launches: mailchi.mp/thearcanelibrary/7...
For converting this adventure to 5E:
1. Double the HP and damage of any monsters with 6+ hit dice.
2. Replace Shadowdark spells with their 5E versions, or a similar spell from the same level ("tier" in Shadowdark).
3. Change checks to avoid negative effects into saving throws.

[@russell_cox]

I just read through Shadow Dark. It's awesome! You simplified D&D into the most intuitive and easy to understand game I've ever seen. This will be the game we play anytime I'm the Dungeon Master because I like to save my brain power for the creative parts of the game, and Shadow Dark keeps the mechanics simple and easy. Thank you for making this awesome game.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

This absolutely made my day! Thank you, Russell! 😃

[@calvinyoung6900]

Really interesting to see how you've "jaquayed" the dungeon as well as how you make use of multiple factions, plus plenty of weirdness!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much! I hold all those concepts very dear, and I appreciate you recognizing them in the design! :)

[@SmallStepsNesh]

Always love to see your storytelling! And congratulations on getting more and more of your work out there in the published world.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thanks so much! :D

[@fourtrees44]

I have just received the ShadowDark book and I am looking forward to getting the cursed scrolls!! I have played lots of different TTRPG, this is one of my favorites. 😊😊

[@RyeBreadGangster]

Always negotiate with the golden catfish. Nice map by the way!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! It was super fun to draw. :)

[@JoshCanVideo]

Very cool, I always enjoy your use of dark fantasy themes.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thank you so much! :)

[@patrickclapp9898]

Running the zine and this dungeon today! Should be a very fun time.

[@francoisdumont4105]

It's interesting to learn about the decisions that you made while designing this dungeon.

[@armyofmeh]

Preordered the zine as soon as I got the newsletter. You're the best!

[@alantesser1645]

I’m running this in a few weeks; can’t wait!

[@RadiantPathGaming]

Hey Kelsey! I know you like to know when someone is using your content. I wanted to let you know I started this channel to record my RPG sessions of Shadowdark. We are finishing up the The Hideous Halls of Mugdulblub tonight. Excellent adventure and my players had a blast. Some real funny and epic moments. I'll be moving on to The Lost Citadel next! Keep up the great work!

[@sojournersawake]

Wonderful Adventures, as always, Kelsey!

[@seanfsmith]

The map is amazing! I thought it was one of Paths Peculiar's for a mo!! I'm similarly a huge fan of the melty stone motif. It's too easy to forget that all parts of the module can carry the tone. "Empty" rooms are among my favourites for this reason

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I wouldn’t be able to draw maps at all if it weren’t for Paths Peculiar! His walkthrough are so great!

[@PyramKing]

Wow...these are just incredible. I look forward to them, once I finish my Curse of Strahd campaign. I am also writting some Gothic Horror 5e rules that would fit well into these. Thank you.

[@luisenriquesalastobias6610]

i wait for see in your page the option: avaible for buy. Great work, cant wait!

[@andreiplayz2467]

This is awesome!!

[@dunmwarupreachan4567]

I'm always late to the party. I love shadowdark. I love cursed scrolls 1. It's got a spooky, Halloween feel. It's so awesome.

[@deaneb-w4852]

i giggle more and more everytime you say Mugdulblub. I'm definately keeping the name Mugdulblub. Thank you!

[@CharlesStacyII]

Sounde like a great story, very creative!

[@randomsleepyness]

Great job on the map

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thanks so much! :) It was super fun to draw!

[@hexchad765]

Now I want to play it

[@RayOtus]

I picked up the ShadowDark zines at Gary Con and I'm impressed. I say this as someone who has read dozens and dozens of rules-light fantasy adventure games and retroclones, have run quite a few, and have designed some games of my own. Yes, ShadowDark is, as you say in this video, 'just old school D&D' but the choices you made are really wise IMO. You maintain the simplicity, focus on the core experience, and maintain the cool factor. I regret not sitting in on one of your hallway playtests! I didn't read the zine until on the plane on the way home. I will be podcasting about it soon on Plundergrounds.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

This means a lot to me, Ray, thank you! I'm a huge fan of your work (the Gygax 75 Challenge is legendary), so this absolutely makes my day to hear coming from you. Thanks so much for giving the game a look and for giving it some air time on Plundergrounds, too!

[@RayOtus]

@@TheArcaneLibrary You are too kind! I’m surprised that you’ve heard of me. :) Good luck with the rules. I didn’t see any typos or unclear grammar on my read through so I don’t think you need another proofreader, but I’m here (rayotus at Gmail) if you do. I have relevant degrees and credits in things like OSE for editing/proofing. And if you ever want to chat on the podcast that would be awesome.

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

@@RayOtus Thank you so much!! And I would love to chat on the podcast (also very excited to hear how the rest of Gary Con went for you on there). That is very kind of you to invite me on. :) Drop me a line at [e-mail] if you have an opening in your recording schedule coming up, I would be honored to come on the show!

[@DaveFallows]

I think we need three more 'zines!

[@Brian-rt5bb]

I love saying "Mugdulblub" 5 stars

[@couchchannel]

Mugdulblub!

[@joshuaselesnick7614]

I'm really intrigued by your move from 5e one-shots to a sprawling OSR dungeon! How long have you been into the old school? Is this new inspiration?

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I appreciate your intrigue! :) I'm still definitely going to be doing 5E, but the style with OSR material is different and kind of a refreshing change. I started playing during second edition and had a much more "old school" upbringing with the game. So this (and Shadowdark RPG) is a mixture of nostalgia and the desire to see more exploration-focused gameplay!

[@joshuaselesnick7614]

@@TheArcaneLibrary that’s awesome! When we follow our passion and play those chords of nostalgia, rich works arise. I’m glad to see you branching out and exploring other genres. You’re encouraging me too as well! Ps. I ran Snow Stalkers last night and it was exhilarating! More than half my players texted me afterward to tell me how much they enjoyed it. What incredible writing!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

So awesome, I'm really happy to hear that! :D I loved writing Snow Stalkers. There will definitely be more adventures like that in the future!!

[@Gondor80]

ohhh a new campaign nice...looking forward that you can make a full campaign in the future more power to you

[@Deniz-bg8no]

This looks really exciting! Do you have an idea how well this can be played with OSE? Though, I will definitely give Shadowdark a try, too!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Thanks for asking! :) I think this would be a pretty easy transition over to OSE -- the only major change might be multiplying the value of the treasure so it's commensurate with the OSE experience point system. Edit: I think just multiplying the treasure value by 50 would generally get you in the right range!

[@mjolasgard2533]

Is writing for the OSR or for 5e more fun? I think they're very different gaming stykes with different types of adventure almost baked into the rulesets. What do you think?

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

I completely agree with you that both gaming styles are very different! That's ultimately why I wrote Shadowdark RPG -- because I wanted to have a custom framework for writing OSR adventures. :) It's hard to say which is more fun to write, because they both have their benefits! But I'm going through a season right now where I prefer the OSR style and feel like there's a lot to explore there.

[@couchchannel]

I love the whole premise and the setting of the adventure. One question: is the 1d100(!) damage from „wrath bolt“ (room 5) a typo or international extreme deadliness? 😱

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

It is meant to be 1d100, haha! Thankfully there's no insta-death at 0 HP (although I did have a player roll a 99 damage on this with a 2 HP wizard... and so we put his death timer at 1, since that only makes sense, haha). It's a not-quite-save-vs.-death trap, and a verrrry interesting item if the characters manage to take it!

[@couchchannel]

@@TheArcaneLibrary thank you very much for taking the time to respond (I imagine you aren't exactly short of things on your mind within all the kickstarter craziness :D). I hadn't taken into account that however high the dmg it's not an insta-death situation. Good to know that while the 1 HP wizard won't get the dagger, they at least have a little bit of chance to live, if taken good and immediate care of by their party members. ^^

[@ralphbrown6636]

Love your game and have ordered it (I have my own old school house system though). My question is what was your justification for giving fighters +5 to hit ?(if I understand that correctly...I have only skimmed so far). I like the way you reduce level maximums, reduce overall to hit bonuses (unless a character is lucky on the chart). But why then add +5? In old school essentials, for example, a martial class is +2 better than a semi-martial class, and +4 better than a non-martial class. 5E is different, and although I don't like the end result of 5E, I actually thought the cap on skill bonuses at +6 initially did a good job at keeping modifier escalation to a minimum, until the dizzying range of special abilities, powers and odds and ends became undesirable for an old schooler who wants less modifiers so that to-hit rolls achieve what you want your system to reflect (whatever that may be). Not a criticism, it is just the main thing keeping me a bit skeptical about tossing my home brew for your cool and comprehensive system.

[@faerae666]

How many times can you say Mugdulblub? 5 times fast? 😎 Love it!!!

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

It's a hard one, hahahaha! I was laughing at how many times I said it while filming this 😂

[@dreamleaf6784]

Is this the first cursed scroll zine?

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

Yes! :) Second one is in the works!

[@mAcChaosCh]

How long would you say the playtime is of the adventure?

[@TheArcaneLibrary]

If the players want to clear the entire dungeon, it's probably about 6 hours!

[@mAcChaosCh]

@@TheArcaneLibrary Thanks for the quick reply! One more question! When you gain an ally in carousing, what does that mean? Do they give you a favor? Are they a party member? Something else?

[@gilsonrocha1396]

Hi. I sent some messagens in 'contact form' in the website and in the Twitter. I will be waiting. Thank you!