| Some folks have been asking, what's this year going to be like? What should we expect in the dungeon? What kind of challenges lie ahead? Without the ability to peer inside the mind of Jeff Martin and the directors, it isn't possible to know exactly what sort of things we face this year, but by taking a look at the tokens, I believe we can take some guesses. The first thing to do when looking at a token run, if you're seeking clues, is to find out what is different from the previous years. Spreadsheets, pictures, handwritten notes, whatever works for you, find the changes! To help you along with this step, I've created this list of token changes from 2006 to 2007, covering what's new, what's gone, what's come back, and what's shifted. The next step is to differentiate between changes that are relevant, and those that are not. Irrelevant changes (in so far as we are trying to determine what will be in the dungeon this year) include some obvious things, and some not-so-obvious things. Ultra-Rares for example, give us absolutely no clue as to the dungeon - they are designed as bonuses, not standard-use items, so I don't even pay attention to them in my analysis below. Here's my take on changes that do not give us hints about the dungeon for 2007: -We all know inflation is occuring. With the successful introduction of Artisan Tokens and Combo Tokens in 2006, and the resulting creation of a new collector's market for gold pieces and gems, the demand for high value gold tokens went way up. Players voiced great disappointment at having low value GP show up in bags, and were even more vocal about having Uncommon or Rare slots taken up by anything less than a 50GP item. The creators have listened, and have begun removing small change from the mix. The lowest GP is now 5 (up from 1) and the lowest gem is now 10 (up from 5). Also, mid-range GP dropped in rarity, with absolutely no GP items remaining in the Rare category. Several new high value gems and jewelry items have shown up in the Uncommon and Rare category, both upping average "cash" value of those slots, and placating players who like the idea that perhaps specific gems will have game uses, while plain old gold won't. -The removal of unpopular items is basic business sense, not a clue. There are certain items that, for one reason or another, just didn't get much use. The Heavy Crossbow and the Weighted Net are two examples. These weapon items were not just useless, they were actually counter-productive to use, causing more harm to the party than the monster. They both resulted in use of a turn without causing damage, and with the time pressure of TD ever-present, every good party knows the key to fighting is dealing damage for a quick kill, not drawing out combat. Other items were perfectly practical, but just didn't jive - I feel like Animal Hide armor is one of these. It showed up in 2006 as a replacement for leather, and is now gone again, with leather back in place. Likely it was brought in to accompany the Druid class, but I don't imagine that it fit the mental image most players had for themselves if playing other classes. The majority of dungeoneers picture proper armor, not loose hides, so I think it was shunned a bit for that, as well as its low AC. Finally, some items lack popularity not for lack of coolness, but simply impracticality. See Invisibility, for example, has dropped. I daresay the reason is that it would be nearly impossible to create a scenario where it would be fully useful, but which didn't require it, and we all know that requiring specific tokens is not something TD can do right now. -Speaking of practicality, I would say that is the third category of items whose changes we don't need to concern ourselves with. Some items are dropped because, despite years of service, they begin to become impractical from an Admin perspective. The hallowed Potion of Darkvision has vanished this year - why? Not for lack of demand, that is certain. It remained until the end one of the most sought items. No, this year there are Token Reading Lights for every individual player. While they may be only small lights for tokens, they will doubtless (and unpreventably) be used for exploration as well. The party having that many lightsources begins to get out of hand, and the dark moodiness of the dungeon gives way to cartoony light-shows. Other items simply become redundant, as is the case with the +1 quarterstaff. Even the ancient Amulet of Armor and Bracers of Defense have yielded to a new generation of +1 AC items, both freeing slots traditionally earmarked for AC, and compelling players to make new choices and keep their tactics fresh. "Enough about what doesn't mean anything!" I hear you cry. "Tell me what does have meaning? What will the dungeon hold!" Now we come to it - the tokens that we should be paying attention to. To start right off, note the sudden removal of both Scroll - Feather Fall, and the Ring of Feather Fall. That, right there, tells me we're not likely to be facing many height-based challenges like the ledge in 2005, or the bridge in 2004. They would never get rid of such a basic D&D spell if it were going to have an obvious use this year. Of all the removals in the 2007 run, I think that is the most telling. Few, if any, of the other absences seem to indicate quite so specific a shift. One might point to the loss of the Rings of Fire and Frost Resistance, but I do not believe their disappearance indicates a lack of those elements. Remember, we are on a three-year story arc, and their introduction in the first year (and minimal use for the Frost ring in 2006) makes me feel pretty strongly that the ideas of Hot and Cold will definitely return this year or next. This feeling is compounded by the addition of the Potion of Fire Resistance, a consumable item that screams for situational use. In addition to Fire, I anticipate Water showing up this year in a big way. I expect at least one room where the best solution involves being underwater for extended periods of time. This is suggested not only by the presence of the Potion of Water Breathing, and the Ioun Stone - Iridescent Spindle, but also by the return of the long absent Bone Scroll Case (previously called Bone Map Case). That case protects scrolls, and could be used against both fire and water. Look for a situation where you must retreive something in an airless environment and pass with it through a hazardous area, this year or next. I expect many more traps and magic effects this year than years previous, with a veritable explosion of Save enhancing items and attribute boosting potions crying out for use. Also, the spider-based theme is in full swing, and we are absolutely certain to feel the sticky tendrils of their webs. The Universal Solvent and Boots of Free Action weren't added just because they're cool. I guarantee you right here and now that, before you're out of that dungeon, you'll find yourself glad to have those (or wishing you had them!) at least once. Rolling won't be restricted to the combat table this year - I feel like it is going to be something that happens early and often, when least expected. That isn't to say, however, that there won't be combat... I feel like combat is going to be bloody this year, too. Last year, 2006, was probably the most survivable year TD has had. While there was one exceedingly lethal monster, and the final room's puzzle was definitely rough, the majority of the dungeon was set up to intimidate and amaze, rather than kill. I feel like this year we'll see our body count climb back up towards 2005 levels, with casualties avoidable, but not unusual. The addition of the ghost rules, and items for ghost interaction, removes some of the fear of the Admins about killing off paying customers and leaving them feeling gypped. Looking at the tokens, and seeing magic weapons such as the Sleep Arrow, weapon enhancers like the Oils, and enchanted items like the Amulet of Thorns, says to me that TD wants us to really get creative in combat. They want us to think things through, plan different methods for combat, and move beyond the basic "Slide, Slide, Cast, Cast" of the past. They want combat to be interesting, and interesting combat usually equates to bloody combat. The other thing that makes me think that we'll be seeing an increased body count is the addition of new healing items at every rarity level, without the removal of any. While this could be looked at as catering to the demands of the players, who perpetually want anything to do with healing, the TD staff has never yielded to this cry, nor have they ever before introduced new, additional healing items (with the exception of restoring a previous item that had been removed - the 8 point CLW scroll that was gone in 2004). To introduce multiple new items at once seems to betoken great need. Please note: while I am a full-time TD volunteer, with such limited "inside knowledge" as that provides, this article is based upon only what is publicly available, and contains nothing but my own opinions and analysis. I do not, nor do I wish to, imply that anything here is "official."
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| -J. Lionheart |