When The Setting Comes To Life

 

I have an addictive personality.  Luckily, I also have a short attention span.  

Binge watching Rick and Morty put me in the Rick Sanchez vibe.  It worked, not because the role of Rick Sanchez was assumed by me, but Rick Sanchez happened to be an appropriate form for the God running my game.

Aside from stray affectations, I didn't get much from the Game Master persona today, except for this... the GM persona is mostly just a personification of the campaign world.  Being or pretending to be Rick Sanchez, Anton LaVey, Aleister Crowley, John Malkovich, or even Mister Rodgers doesn't change things enough for the players to notice.  If you want to enter that mindset, cool.  But if the game's setting is to take center stage, whatever persona the GM inhabits must first serve the world, it's themes, tropes, aesthetics, and vibe.  

The right frame of mind allows the GM to spontaneously create when the world is personified through him.  As the GM is god of the game, fashioning that god into something that fits the campaign setting should be the goal.  Personification might be the wrong word... deification is probably more accurate.

Anyway, let's get down to the play report business.  I had 2 players in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon, which was fine by me.  Sometimes, the less the merrier.   3rd level, max HP... let's go!   

These are returning players, but only one was familiar with Cremza'amirikza'am (which I didn't remember until after the game when I got his feedback - see below).  

If this was a Netflix show, the three tags you'd probably find would be "Depraved", "Sleazy", and "Infernal".  I've talked about the usefulness of tags before.  It helps to have reminders about what the world is about, how the adventure feels, the way it tastes on the players' lips.

• Shiraz - reptilian cleric of Dagon
• Za'aren - half-demon thief

That's all the detail we needed for a 90-minute session.  The duo began their adventure in the subterranean demon city known as Lex Talionis.  They saw a few weird, sick things on their way to ask beggars for information.  After that, a trip to demon sorcerers in a cave.  The sorcerers were creating a flesh shell for this infernal shadow entity.

Going back a bit, asking beggars if they know of any work to be had wasn't part of the adventure I had planned.  One of the players mentioned that would be a good place to look for tips, hearsay, and whatnot.  I didn't disagree.  But I didn't have anything compelling to add to the encounter... until I decided to do a bit of worldbuilding. 

"Safe passage through suffering on all sides," the beggar said.  I told him it's something he's heard before from demons in Cremza'amirikza'am, basically meaning "have a good trip".  

That player asked if there was a typical response.  You've heard other demons respond with "Cha'alt", I said.  To them, it means more than just the name of this planet.  And if you, dear reader, know the meaning of the word Cha'alt, then I don't have to tell you why that's an appropriate reply.

The demon sorcerers needed more flesh (don't they all?), so the PCs looked for humanoids they could ambush.  Another frequent saying down here is "Don't make long-term plans in Cremza'amirikza'am."  Turns out, there's a reason for that.  No sooner did the adventurers make it up to level 4 when they were ambushed by night clowns looking for fresh prey.

While I love the initiative system I've been using over the last couple years with Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, I decided to try out something new.  I won't go into detail because otherwise this blog post would get too long.  Besides, I need more than a single play-test session under my belt to see if it's seaworthy.  

Combat with the night clowns went well.  It was the thief player's first time with Crimson Escalation.  Shiraz started things off with a natural 20, killing one of four clown attackers with a BBQ fork while Za'aren missed.  

The clowns wielded these massive purple jelly double-headed dongs with nails driven through them.  Two of the three survivors hit the PCs, one rolled a natural 20 for a crit.  Since the PCs were 3rd level, the damage wasn't life threatening.  

Za'aren decides to grab the double-headed dong away from the clown who hit him and "go for the eyes".  He rolled a 19, which was a crit on round 2.  So, he rolled double damage.  That, plus Shiraz connecting again meant there were only two clowns left standing.  I rolled for morale and the night clowns fled deeper into the network of caves.

The PCs decided to follow, which led them into an enormous cavern containing multiple demon factions, more clowns, and some sort of sleeping Old One at the center.  Realizing they were on the precipice of an angry hornet's nest, Shiraz and Za'aren slinked away back to their previous victims.  Two corpses in hand is better than a TPK in the bush... or something like that.

Apparently, you can't even leave dead bodies lying around in Cremza'amirikza'am.  Magenta intensifies!  As the PCs approached, they saw an elf having sex with one of the dead clowns.  Trying to get his necrophilia on, the elf was easy pickings for Shiraz, who smashed the purple dildo full of nails into the elf's skull... killing him.

Now, with three bodies ready for skinning, the duo head back down to the demon sorcerers to get paid.  And get paid they did.  But not before rifling through clothing for treasure, after a little reminder from me.  Something fell out of a clown's pocket...

As an aside, it sometimes surprises me how often players forget to have their characters loot the bodies after the battle is over and the smoke has cleared.  Personally, I like to think that's it not mere forgetfulness, but that the players feel truly immersed in the game world to the point that going through the pockets of a dead guy is the last thing on their minds.  They're too busy wondering... WTF was that?  Wow, we could have gotten killed back there.  Did you hear that noise?  Will I survive the next 24 hours?  What does this thing do?  Why are clowns attacking us outside a city of demons?  Where is that magenta light coming from?

So, the PCs heard a violet, metallic key-card fall out as the bodies were being hefted over shoulders.  Aside from that, they picked up some gold, platinum, embers, and a rainbow hued rabbit-lizard's foot.

After collecting the bounty for skins, Shiraz and Za'aren called it a win and we had to stop there.  

Interestingly, I talked with one of the players after the game and he provided some great feedback, so I'm going to copy/paste what he said...

Hi, Venger, I thought I would give you more feedback while I still had today's game in my head. I've only played in your games twice, but I definitely noticed a slightly different tone and choice of language as we played. I'm not sure if I can put my finger on it exactly, but you didn't feel like the same GM. In the first session I played with you you cracked a lot more jokes, and things were much more quickly paced. This time, the game felt more structured, like you had some hook for us to discover or adventure for us to have. I think there was a definite mismatch going on between the agenda of the players. [The other player] clearly wanted to carry on with the character he's already played and expand that PC's influence on the campaign world. Proselytizing, making contacts, etc. I was in it to play a one shot with a throwaway character and help you test mechanics. So, I was looking for the quickest way to get into trouble. Even if it was dumb trouble, like picking a fight with an evil cultist like a standard-issue D&D mook. It meant that we were pushing for very very different outcomes. In the end, I didn't want to step on the toes of the player who wanted to play his character a second time. I couldn't tell if it was the player dynamics or your gming voice experiment that changed the tone and experience for me.

In response, I told him that Cremza'amirikza'am had a completely different vibe, which called for a GM voice distinct from the usual Cha'alt stuff, even The Black Pyramid; although that's in the same ballpark.  

When running Cremza'amirikza'am, I go out of my way to establish the right tone - shades of nihilism.  I've been trying to personify that vibe when running this particular megadungeon.  Looks like my work is paying off.

If you want to read my previous blog post where I get into the GM persona concept, it's right here.  Ok, that's it for now.  Thanks for reading, everyone!

VS

p.s.  If you want non-stop old-school, OSR, and traditional gaming experiences in Madison, WI - July 2022, consider attending VENGER CON.  Get your badge today!

Crimson Escalation PDF

 

What-ho, droogs?

Tis I, Venger "your weird uncle" Satanis come to do the Lord's work... may His tentacles be forever green and slimy.  By the way, I've been taking cold medicine to keep apace with my symptoms.  Prepare thyself for loopy-ness!  

Anyway, this blog post is about Crimson Escalation.  The Kickstarter is over.  840 backers and over $1,100.  Weeeeee!!!  Thanks for all the halibut, hoss.  And sweet dreams to Rob Couture.  Perhaps that's why Gurdjieff was granted such divine understanding of man, the world, and God - in order to bring Rob and I together so that Crimson Escalation could be.  It's like if Will Ferrell and John C. Riley formed Tenacious D... and Jack Black became the vorpal sword.

Fast, realistic, exciting combat!

As I make my way through fulfillment (Jesus, that's a lot of backers!), the PDF is up on DriveThruRPG.  Buy it, use it, and see your D&D (adjacent) life changed forever... in a good way.

The PDF also includes my Ten Commandments of Immersion!  Want to make your sessions more immersive?  BOOM!!!  I wracked my brain until I came up with the goods.  I didn't phone it in, either.  I came up with stuff that I want to be mindful of in my own games.

What else?  Time for my nap.  Begone, fishcake! 

VS

p.s. fiShhh...

Freeing Slaves To Enslave Them

 

I hope to run a couple more playtest sessions of the Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon that will be featured in book 3 of the Cha'alt trilogy - Kickstarter next month!

Two players in last week's game, both returning - MEMEME (ME3) and Prince of Nothing (check out his blog).

Prince played the same character as the last two times, a lock-picking droid thief named ST-34L.  ME3 played the shameless half-orc priestess as before.  Since there were only two players (a couple of unfortunate scheduling conflicts prevented the others from joining), I bumped them up to 3rd level.

By the time this session got going, everyone was aware of the machine on 2nd level that spews out this lurid magenta-violet light making everyone horny (or thirsty, as the kids say).

Again, the PCs tried to play with the buttons to no avail.  The massive resonator is protected by an invisible force field.  For me personally, that's where the "realism" breaks down.  Can you imagine the strength of will it would take for EVERY motherfucker in the megadungeon to leave the machine alone?  It boggles the mind how much of an impossibility that would be.  A triple-headed Big Bird dragon is literally more likely than the resonator still functioning without some kind of protective barrier.  But I digress...

Dark-elves and slaves were scattered.  ST-34L has an amusing plan for taking out a single drow watching two collared slaves in the huge open cave where everyone was before all Hell broke loose.  

ST-34L told the dark-elf, Stra'ang - member of the obsidian spider tribe in Cremza'amirikza'am, that he was the winner of Globulon-6 Grand Lottery Prize, held only during the alignment of the thousand spheres!  The winner is bestowed immortality and 100,000 chulaks.  To claim his prize, Stra'ang needed the droid to scan the back of his head.  

Wonderful ruse that should have worked.  I gave Stra'ang a 1 in 6 chance to see through it.  Wouldn't you know it, I rolled a 1.  Brandishing his laser-whip, the dark-elf attempted to subdue the surface-dwelling humanoids who tried to trick him.  Except, I rolled a 2.  Miss.

The PCs attacked him back with club and laser, killing the dark-elf.  After looting his body, the adventurers decided to keep the human slaves, allowing them to earn their freedom by guiding the PCs around Cremza'amirikza'am.  The half-orc Yarra wanted to only enslave the dark-elves, not keep the former slaves for themselves, but the droid thief insisted.

ST-34L attempted to fiddle with the resonator controls as another drow showed up, looking to recapture his slaves, but ran when he saw the PCs.  The PCs chased him down a tunnel, running smack into a contingent of skeletal humanoids.

A closer look revealed the humanoids were wearing spandex that made them look like skeletons - something between Scobby Doo villains, glam goth rockers, and Cobra Kai during Halloween.  The faux-skeletons turned out to be minions of a local warlord named K'chava.

One of the minions, named Dra'ak, was about to put slave collars on the PCs when ST-34L shouted, "Fight with us if you want to live!  Slavery is evil and will never be tolerated by decent men.  Kill them, my slaves!" Which was hilarious.

One of many reasons I prefer text-only is that it allows me to go back and see what actually happened, instead of how I remember it happening.

On the 1st round, Yarra missed and ST-34L just barely connected, blasting one of them for decent damage.  Their two human slaves did well, one of them getting a critical-hit.  He went ape-shit, biting a faux-skeleton's ear and plunging his thumb into the dude's eye.

The minions retaliated - a hit on each of the PCs for 5 and 4 points of damage.

2nd round, Yarra, ST-34L, and both humans miss.  Prince decides to use his Divine Favor for a re-roll, but gets a natural 1.  "Story of my fucking life," he says in the chat.

The bad guys attack again with 2 good hits.  They do 2 and 5 points of damage.

3rd round [crits on 18, 19, and 20 as per Crimson Escalation] - Prince rolls an 18!  Lucky break, hoss.  ST-34L wallops the bad guys for 24 points of damage that takes down two enemies.

The remaining pseudo-skeleton begged for mercy in the name of the Demon-God Kor'thalis.  ST-34L collars the poor son of a bitch.  "He's now our slave," ST tells Yarra.  "You will suffer the fate that you reserved for others.  This is what humans call IRONY.  Hah hah hah."

After some light interrogation, the PCs discover that the minion's warlord and former master, K'chava, is a half-demon and there's a human named Torg who understands machines like the resonator.  

During the exposition, the slaves were having sex and then Yarra gets in on the action, too.  ST-34L is livid, warning everyone to behave themselves or else.  "YOU WILL BE FINED A WHOLE HOUR IF YOU PERSIST IN THIS TOMFOOLERY." 

They have just enough time to formulate a plan - impersonate the minions wearing skeletal spandex when the session came to its end.

Prince said, "Man, this was a hoot!" which was nice.  ;)

I'm eager to finish sketching out the rest of level 2 and then onto level 3.  Meanwhile, I'm drawing more maps that will eventually become future levels of Cremza'amirikza'am.

If you want to be kept up-to-date on future games, follow me on Twitter @VengerSatanis, join the Conservative OSR & RPG group on Facebook, the Venger Satanis YouTube channel, friend me on MeWe, or just keep watching the blog for details.  

VS

p.s. I'm trying to get 666 backers (if not 1,000) for the Crimson Escalation Kickstarter, so thanks if you've already backed it!  If you haven't yet, you should.  It's only $1.

More Sexy Cremza'amirikza'am!

 

Here's another session report... three players (one returning) explored the weird and sleazy 2nd level of the Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon.

Even if you hope things go a certain way, you never expect five dark elves to gangbang the willing half-orc priestess of the adventuring party.  That's just not something you see everyday... or at all.  

After taking minimal damage from a landmine, the PCs were undecided as to which direction they should go.  To the northern cave where some great beast slumbered noisily or to the east - a massive cave containing 20 humanoid slaves (wearing high-tech prison collars) and five dark elf overseers.

The slaves were mining little glowing purple crystals called embers.  One slave discretely tried to buy his freedom with the embers he was carrying.  Meanwhile, the half-orc Yarra was cat-calling the dark elves, seeing if they were willing to go to town on her.

Eventually, the half-orc's filtrations proved too much for the dark elves - that accursed magenta-violet light making those susceptible crazy-horny. 

Now that I recall the details, only 3 of the dark elves mounted the half-orc's waiting orifices.  The other two tried to maintain some control over their slaves.  Too little too late.  A slave uprising was at hand!

As the slaves went in all sorts or directions - a few going into the slumbering beast's cave only for one of them to get cut in twain by a gigantic slimy crab-claw - the PCs went to another tunnel and found the resonator.  

The first thing Worm the human fighter did upon reaching the resonator was to fiddle with the controls.  An invisible barrier stopped him, so they kept going.

The final cave contained a trio of pale, bloated cannibals eating humanoid flesh.  Liking those odds, the PCs attacked as the cannibals approached them with hostile intent.  Combat at long last!

As per usual, I used Crimson Escalation.  This time, I had my rough-draft "visual aid" to help me with the extremely easy task of remembering rounds and crit ranges (rounds 1-3 are dead simple, once you get beyond the 4th round, it requires a modicum of mental energy... unless you have a cheat-sheet).

The battle only lasted 3 rounds (which is pretty normal in these circumstances).  The half-orc Yarra teased us with a natural 19 at the outset.  However, this being the first round, it was not a critical, but a palpable hit.  She nearly killed a cannibal right then and there.  The rest of combat, the half-orc healed wounded party members.

One player, whose character was another human fighter named Huck, had never played D&D before.  He hit on round one, missed round two, and got his first crit on round three with a 19, doing so much damage that he killed the cannibal that was on him.

When there was only a single cannibal remaining, it seemed appropriate for him to run away.  Yarra got one free attack but missed.  I think a single parting shot is appropriate when the enemy has to run past foes to escape.  Everyone getting an attack seems like overkill, and no one getting an attack seems like not enough.  So, that's going to be a new house-rule of mine.  Fleeing enemies can be attacked once (per adventuring party)... unless in hot pursuit.

A couple side-benefits to Crimson Escalation which I haven't mentioned yet...

1) It incentivizes larger adventuring parties.  Obviously, Crimson Escalation can go against the party if they are swamped by the opposing force.  Don't give monsters an advantage - go in with a full-sized party.  Use hirelings if you have to... or prepare to use sneaky hit-and-run guerilla tactics.

2) Once crits start flying and the bodies hit the floor (yeah, just try getting that song out of your head now!), it's a great time to roll (or simply adjudicate) morale.  During normal combat, when one side takes five points of damage and the other side takes three, and it just keeps going like that, it's difficult to know when to call for a morale check.  Not with Crimson Escalation, a few rounds in, after that last crit and bodies drop, you'll know it's time.

[This is the link because mobile blogger is a little bitch!]

So, what did the cannibals have in their cave?  Below are the contents...

• The talons of some gigantic hound or bird (11 total).
• Sentient periwinkle slime in a jar (along with some humanoid teeth... for some reason).
• A jeweled dagger with prominently ruby (the ruby has a noticeable flaw in it, but still fairly valuable.
• Half-full bottle of Smoky Jon's BBQ sauce.

Another session won't happen until sometime next week.  Daniel (the noob) said he had a good time.  Mememe who played the half-orc Yarra wanted to be put on the list to be notified of future games.  The returning player, TimeShadows, thanked me, as well.  

As this was the first playtest of level 2, I think it went rather well.

VS

p.s. If you haven't already, back the Crimson Escalation Kickstarter.  It's only a buck!

Crimson Escalation Kickstarter

 

The future of combat is now!

You've heard me talk about it for a few weeks now.  And if you've been in one of my virtual games on Roll20, you've seen it in action...

Crimson Escalation is, in my opinion, the greatest innovation to D&D (and every game similar) since Advantage/Disadvantage.  I believe it will revolutionize combat!  

Find out about this mechanic in the Kickstarter's description.

Only a $1 pledge, 21 days left to back, already 222% funded, $1k stretch goal that you won't believe.  Give it a try!

Thanks for your continued support,

VS

p.s. I'm open to interviews (Rob Couture, who came up with the original idea, might be, as well).  Email me at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Cremza'amirikza'am Play Report

 

I was able to squeeze-in another quick playtest session over this past weekend.

It was all returning players (including Prince of Nothing).  Obviously, my old-school and rules-light version of 5th edition D&D isn't to everyone's liking.  Same thing with the text-only.  However, the people that do like it, really like it... so that keeps me going.

The Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon isn't a cakewalk, so all 4 players started with 2nd level characters.

I'm at the point where I pretty much know everything that's going on in level one.  But running it helps solidify things, new things jump out at me (just writing this blog post, I've got a half-dozen new ideas), and I can feel where it needs more - additional worldbuilding, encounters, loot, interesting decision-points, etc.

For the first 50 minutes, exploration and social interaction were the only pillars utilized.  Between the NPC who really wanted to acquire cheese in order to trade it for the fuchsia malaise drug and Monsieur Froma'aj (dare I base him on Pizza the Hutt from Spaceballs?) who had a lock on level one trade, the PCs barely had time to investigate that otherworldly magenta-violet light (maybe I should create a new weird spell effect table for the first three levels of the megadungeon?) or the giant feathery blueberries.   

It wasn't until the end of our 75-minute session that we got some combat - the PCs got in the middle of a firefight between security droids and devil-worshiping monks.  An interesting aspect of the fight was that the PCs didn't get involved until the 2nd round.

I could have gone either way with Crimson Escalation.  Start the crit range with 20 at round one as the PCs entered the fray or begin their participation with round two so crits range from 19-20 right off the bat.  I decided on the latter.  After all, the battle began when the battle began and this would be the one and only combat of the session.

Prince of Nothing was playing a stealthy lock-picking droid named 13F.  As usual, he rolled abysmally when finally getting to attack from his hiding spot.  I let him use his Divine Favor to re-roll both his Advantage D20s.  And I'm glad that was my ruling because his first three rolls were a 6, 4, and 5.  His fourth and last attack roll was a 17, allowing him to utilize his sneak attack damage to utterly destroy one of the droid guards (the rest of the PCs were attacking the monks).

The monks had blasters.  Thankfully for the PCs, I rolled crappy for damage (an 8 and 5).  Matthew's character Grimm Da'ark the Savage rolled a natural 20 for a crit.

The other two PCs, Borguul the fighter and Murderbell (love that name!) the pixie-fairy fighter, held their own, getting some decent shots in. 

Even though we got to the 4th round where 16 and above crits, the only other crit rolled was another natural 20, proving that even if no mechanical benefit is awarded, combat becomes more thrilling with Crimson Escalation because of the element of surprise and possible danger that goes with ever-increasing critical-hit ranges.

Just as the opposition were decimated, my parents arrived at the house for lunch.  So, I had to stop the game a minute or two short.

So, for their benefit and yours, here's the treasure they looted from the bodies...

• $1,600 in Monopoly money
• 5 blasters
• Security droid spare parts
• 174 talons
• 32 gold pieces
• 6 vials of zoth
• Crystal hologram of Adam Koebel inducing a non-consensual robot orgasm in some livestreamed Alpha Blue game.

Not a bad haul, if I say so myself.  ;)

It was a fun game!  I hope to continue playtesting Cremza'amirikza'am over the next few weeks.  If you want to know when I'll be running another one-shot on Roll20, follow me on Twitter and/or the Conservative OSR & RPG facebook group.  

I'll be Kickstarting book 3 of the Cha'alt trilogy sometime in October, so strap something on for that awesomeness!

VS

p.s. The 3-sentence opener contest has only three more days to go.  Please, consider submitting yours.

Back To The Megadungeon

 

I'm currently playtesting a brand-new megadungeon in the works, that will be the main feature of book 3 in the Cha'alt trilogy.  

The megadungeon is called Cremza'amirikza'am, of course.

The Lost City is a ruin on the surface of the planet.  Below the eroded city walls and crumbling buildings is the entrance.  

After attacking several small, robed humanoids and driving them down into Cremza'amirikza'am, the PCs went in after them.  The staircase went on for what seemed like hours, descending down into the bowels of Cha'alt.

Meeting an ooze along the way, the PCs eventually came to the first floor of the dungeon, an octagonal chamber with a door ajar.  A magenta-violet light saturated the atmosphere and little aquatic insects and jellyfish looking creatures swam through the lurid illumination.

The second battle of the session was with a trio of monks wearing vials around their neck - the vials contained a glowing yellow-green liquid.

In both battles, the PCs came out victorious.  Neither battle lasted more than 3 rounds.  Even though it waited patiently in the wings, Crimson Escalation did not come into play.  Another playtest thumbs-up, in my opinion.  When creating a fresh mechanic or sub-system, you don't want it constantly making demands.  Occasionally, such things should remain in the background.

As mentioned in my latest video, I'm channeling Buffy the Vampire Slayer, From Beyond, and Event Horizon... along with all my other influences and pop-culture references.  Cha'alt is still a gonzo parody, after all.

A couple interesting tidbits of note...

• There was a surprise round where a PC shot an arrow at the diminutive humanoids.  I counted that as round zero for purposes of Crimson Escalation.
• A pixie-fairy sorceress cast sleep on the monks after a couple rounds of combat.  Since casting that spell brought her down to zero and made her unconscious, I decided to give the monks a saving throw.  Only one made it, and he quickly fled out of the octagonal chamber.
• After the first (surprise round) arrow, the humanoids took cover, giving the shooter Disadvantage, unless circumstances changed.  I think that's a good way of doing it, so just wanted to share.
• One of the PCs ate/drank a bit of the periwinkle slime they encountered on the infinite stairway.  I asked for a saving throw, and he did really well, though didn't quite make his 1st level's 19+ threshold.  So, I told him he got lucky, that several periwinkle splotches appeared on his body and face - much better than becoming a slime oneself.
• The monks of Cremza'amirikza'am told the PCs that the megadungeon was an entrance to another world.  When one of the PCs asked "What world is that?"  I immediately replied "Hell".  That's just an example of spontaneous remarks becoming worldbuilding concrete.  Yep, that's set in stone.

Another playtest session tomorrow.  Wonder what'll happen?

VS

p.s.  I've still got luxurious hardcover Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise books for sale right here.  And I'm also running an old-school, OSR, and traditional RPG convention next July in Madison, WI.  It's called VENGER CON. 

Crimson Escalation

 

The full title of this blog post should be Crimson Escalation while playtesting the Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon, but I think that might break the internet.

Speaking of internet breakage, I didn't want to overpromise on this little mechanic until I had properly playtested it.  

Even though I've only tested it once, I believe this could be the single greatest combat-related system improvement since 5e came out with Advantage and Disadvantage.

I'm calling it Crimson Escalation.  In the simplest terms, it's a progressive critical-hit range.  The first round, crits happen on a natural 20.  The second round, crits happen on a natural 19 or 20.  Third round, it's a natural 18-20, etc.

Some optional fiddly-bits could be added, but that's the basic premise.  As I theorized, here are the results...

• Combat was shorter - without it, combat would have dragged on longer.  More misses and lower damage leads to longer combats.  Boring!
• Combat was more brutal - I think we can all agree, watching someone whittle away at the trunk of a tree is less satisfying than seeing it chopped in twain with a battle-axe. 
• Combat was more tense - as combat continued, the stakes grew higher because every round it became easier to hit with a higher probability of greater damage.

I assumed that last one (heightened tension) might be the case, but as mentioned, I didn't want to promise it before seeing for myself.

When I was asking for feedback on social media, a couple people wondered if PCs would delay their action in order to attack later in the battle, which didn't make any sense to me then and still doesn't now.  

Another point was raised about reinforcements - if a couple fresh goons rush into the battle halfway, how do you account for that, regarding crits?  Personally, I'm not going to track multiple crit ranges during combat, so everyone's at the same range.

As soon as the Cha'alt After Dark PDF is released, I'm asking my layout team to include Crimson Escalation in Crimson Dragon Slayer D20.  I'm not going to wait for next year's revision - it's that good.

I'm not going to go into detail about delving into the Cremza'amirikza'am megadungeon below The Lost City, but I'm going for a mix of Stuart Gordon's From Beyond and my Metebelis III interpretation of Lovecraft's dreamlands.  It's still very much a work-in-progress.

However, the session culminated in an epic battle between a local warlord death-priest and his guards versus the two 3rd level PCs (both fighters).  It lasted 5 rounds, which is kind of the max for a routine (but still thrilling) combat, according to my sensibilities.  As you'd expect, there were multiple crits.  It was an exciting battle as we anticipated the outcome - the longer combat lasted, chances increased that it would get exponentially bloody!

By the way, the two PCs won the battle.  They were both injured, but survived thanks to being 3rd level.

A short combat is usually a round or two (usually over in 10 minutes).  Medium combat is somewhere between three and five rounds (somewhere around 15-25 minutes).  Anything more than five rounds is long (at least a half-hour) and considered too much, unless it's some kind of major boss battle.  

A primary reason I enjoy old-school D&D is shorter combats.  That leaves more time for adventuring... and even more battles each session!  Dear God, when I think back to my time running 4e and 60-90 minute combat [shuddering].  Never again.

Anyway, my mind blew-up (in a good way), and this is my life going forward - Crimson Escalation now and forever, hoss!

VS

p.s. Want the deluxe Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise hardcovers?  Boom!  Want to attend VENGER CON next July?  Shazam!