They Gotta Want It

After reading Maze of the Blue Medusa, I got too excited and roped my girlfriend Jess into a one-on-one trial session. It was a good way to re-learn a lesson I thought I'd already absorbed: "I've got this sick new book that I want to force on you" rarely works, unless maybe everyone at the table is equally excited about said sick book. It takes away player agency right from the start, which is a recipe for frustration. See this review of Death Frost Doom for proof.

Jess had fun, but I could tell that she regarded most of the stuff she found with growing annoyance and impatience. I gave her very little information upfront because I love the sense of meta-plot discovery this dungeon provides, and I didn't want to ruin anything for her. But instead of fostering curiosity, I think I just made her feel like she had no objective and no reason to put her character through all the opaque strangeness and danger.

So lesson learned. Even if I think the book is the best thing I've read this year (and I do), I should always give the players a choice and some kind of hook to draw them in. These are all the reasons I can think of off the top of my head players might want to enter the maze (SPOILERS, DUH):

• Discover the truth behind the Nyctocaust.
• Discover the fate of the Triarchy.
• Get the Gulper, Norah Twain, to inhale something.
• Get some Tears of Time.
• Use the Heart's Orrery.
• Use the Grimspindle.
• Awaken Tiktaalik.
• Complete the dead wedding.
• Use, recover, or destroy the Golden Engine.
• Use the Orrery of Spells.
• Use the Mappa Mundi.
• Find, free, or kill any of the prisoners.
• Kill or negotiate with the medusa.
• Aid or prevent the growth of the Neonate Empire.
• Prepare the way for the coming of the goat messiah.
• Stop Ashen Chanterelle, Cadamosto, and Dogon.
• Steal any of the works in the Gallery.
• Something with Torcul Wort. He's gotta be useful or dangerous to somebody.

In the future I would just seed the campaign world with these hooks, connect them somehow to the painting, and give the players some idea of what they're getting themselves into. Besides, there's plenty in the maze that only really works with a sizable party with some history.

Oh and here, have a spreadsheet of all the NPCs in the maze listed by faction and color-coded by where you can find them.

Junkland Blues Gear

Players start with 3d6x10 barter points. These are used to buy starting possessions, not counting a set of traveling clothes. PREACHERS start with a holy book or symbol. Prices are in Town price/Junkland price format. Assume Town prices for starting possessions.

There is no more hard currency. To get new things, you must exchange goods worth equal barter points. These are guidelines, and some people may set their own prices.

You have 25 slots of inventory, not counting worn items. Bulky items take up 2 slots and small items take up slots in units of 25. Movement is reduced after 10 slots are full, and again after 15 and 20 slots. After 25, you can't move.

Slots	Turn	Round	Run	Day
0-10	120 ft	40 ft	120 ft	24 mi
11-15	90 ft	30 ft	90 ft	18 mi
16-20	60 ft	20 ft	60 ft	12 mi
21-25	30 ft	10 ft	30 ft	6 mi

Armor	Price	AC
Leather jacket	25/50	+2
Junk armor	100/200	+4
Ballistic armor	800/1,000	+6

Mechanical	Price	Notes
Blowtorch	200/400	Used to make structural mods or major repairs
Car battery	20/80	Lasts up to 3 years
Gasoline, 5 gal can	10/40	-
Gas generator	100/200	Burns 1 gal/hr
Toolkit	50/100	Used to make minor or medium repairs
Motor oil, 1 qt	5/20	-
Radio	50/100	Receives signals and transmits up to 5 mi
Scrap, 1 unit	1/1	Used for repairs and mods

Adventure	Price	Notes
Batteries	5/10	-
Binoculars	50/90	Objects appear 10 times closer
Canteen	2/4	Holds 4 DRINKS
First aid kit	7/14	Used to dress wounds at ≤0 HP
Grenade	8/10	Thrown, 3d6 damage, 10 ft radius
Landmine	6/9	Explodes on contact, 3d6 damage
Matches	1/2	50 matches
Molotov cocktail	3/4	Thrown, 2d6 damage, 10 ft radius, burns 10 rounds
Net	5/10	Entangles on failed BODY save, range 10 ft
Pots and pans	1/3	Used to cook meals from raw ingredients
Rope, 50 ft	3/6	-
Shovel	3/6	-
Sleeping bag	1/2	-
Tent	5/10	-
Watch	10/10	-

Light	Price	Range	Lasts	Notes
Flashlight	5/10	60 ft narrow arc	24 hrs	Requires batteries
Floodlight	30/50	90 ft wide arc	-	Requires ext power
Lantern	3/5	30 ft circle	24 hrs	Requires oil
Oil flasks, 2	1/1	-	-	24 hrs/flask
Torches, 5	1/1	30 ft circle	1 hr	-

Food	Price	Rations	Notes
Beer, 6 pack	6/12	6 DRINKS	BODY save or drunk for each after 2nd
Cricket chips	1/1	1	-
Fried lizard	3/3	3	-
Liquor	5/2	0	BODY save or drunk for each swig after 3rd
Raw meat	1/1	1	Must be cooked
Real vegetables	5/8	2	-
Spam	1/1	1	-
Skewered rat	2/2	2	-
Twinkies	1/1	1	-
Water, 1 gal	16/32	16 DRINKS	-

Melee Weapon	Price	Unarmored	Leather	Junk	Ballistic
Brass knuckles	10/10	+2	+1	-1	-2
Garrote*	5/5	-	-	-	-
Mancatcher**	20/20	-	-	-	-
Spear†	5/3	-2	-1	+1	+2
Staff†	5/3	+1	+1	0	-1
Weapon, great†	50/80	-2	-1	+1	+3
Weapon, medium	20/30	+2	+1	-1	-1
Weapon, minor	5/5	+3	0	-1	-2
Weapon, small	10/15	+2	0	0	-2
Whip	10/15	+2	0	0	-2

*Requires a successful grapple to do damage.

**Hit opponent must succeed in an INSTINCT save or be caught.

† Two-handed.

Ranged Weapon	Price	Range	Accuracy	Capacity	Jam
Boomerang*	10/10	150 ft	-1	-	-
Bow	30/30	600 ft	0	-	-
Crossbow**	30/30	150 ft	0	-	-
Longshot†	300/500	2700 ft	0	1	1-2
Revolver	60/80	90 ft	-1	6	1
Rifle	100/200	900 ft	0	5	1-2
Shotgun	80/120	120 ft	+1	6	1-2
Shotgun, sawed off	80/120	30 ft	+2	6	1-2
Uzi††	300/500	600 ft	0	50	1-3

Arrows/bolts/ammo - 0.5/1 each, not interchangeable.

*Returns to thrower after a missed ATTACK.

**Ignores 2 points of ARMOR.

† -4 to hit at less than 150 ft.

†† Automatic: 3 ATTACKS/round, uses d4 ammo per ATTACK.