Sitting on the Dock of the Bay Watching the Monsters Roll Your Way

April 12, 2022

Dungeons & Dragons/ Game Master Tips/ Previews/ Terrains and Locales

When I am preparing my session material I like to see what new things I can add to the game. Is there a fun mechanic I would like to explore, an amusing hazard I can add or a location I have not used at all or in a long time that will be engaging for the players?

Awesome table displays are no waste of time

In one of the last sessions I ran for my We Live on a Boat campaign the party fought some sahuagin. The interesting aspect of the fight was no one looked over the side of the boat and thus I was able to put new monsters on the board each round. Enemies attacking in waves allowed me to keep the threat high, spread out the battlefield and in some cases separate the party so their area effects wouldn’t be as impactful — at least without hurting their allies. All in all I thought it went very successfully and the party all thought they were going to die.

With this mindset I wonder how else can to explore new enemies appearing on a battlefield without them arriving at a distance susceptible to ranged attackers or simply employing their own ranged attacks. Since my campaign takes place on the open ocean it got me thinking about either fog rolling in or a fight at the docks. New boats could arrive carrying more enemies or even better the battlefield is in a fog bank. The disturbance taking place within the fog draws more enemies to investigate.

I like the dock concept. Docks usually get a bad wrap in many avenues of media. Books and TV shows always talk about shady business going down near the docks so you can easily play into this for your tabletop games as well. Whether adventurers need to investigate the wrongdoing down at the docks or they are themselves involved in a shady purpose this is a great time to set an ambush.

Another reason to focus my attention on the docks is because our friends over at WizKids are back it with their Warlock Tiles: Spelunker’s Docks. This set comes with two boardwalks (one long and one short), three short piers, one rowboat, two six-person rafts and three each of rope, wooden fishing traps and metal fishing traps.

From WizKids’ Warlock Tiles: Accessory — Spelunker’s Docks description: Ramshackle docks and piers that have been cobbled together from scrap wood and only somewhat maintained over years of service at the edge of a vast Subterranean Lake. Moored here are a handful of watercraft: a pair of simple barrel rafts and a surprisingly well-crafted rowboat left by an owner whose luck must have run out. [Image courtesy WizKids]

This set is great for encounters at the docks or anything happening on a river. Having a boat for the adventurers and enemies on the rafts adds excitement. You can easily pair this set with other amazing WizKids encounter sets they have been releasing lately. If your adventures take place on the ocean’s edge feel free to use the same sahuagin I used. On a regular riverbank why not ambush them with an orc war party? A grung war party works equally well in a swamp or jungle setting. Each of these sets are available to build out your collection and come fully assembled and fully painted.

I am super fond of WizKids’ Warlock tiles and love the way these keep building out and expanding what I can do with my home games. You too can join in the fun. Pick up these and other great WizKids products from your local gaming store or help Nerdarchy by growing your collection of miniatures and accessories through Amazon here.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — A series of mysterious murders shakes the downtrodden folk of the Styes — a decaying port fallen on hard times and slowly being reclaimed by the sea. The adventures and additional material contained inside Ghosts of Saltmarsh focus on themes related to life at sea. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]