Hmm, I just finished my second adventure session in my new Birthright
campaign and I have yet to award a magical item in an adventure. There was
one magical item (a potion of extra-healing) in this last adventure, but the
players (foolishly) defeated the monster upstairs (a wight) and then ran
back down the stairs to check out what was in the other direction. Not a one
of them asked to search the room in which the wight was located...

Of course, they might have intended to go back and search the tower later,
but once they completed the quest and left the building, the building simply
faded from existence (it was a creation of the shadow world and was tied to
this world by a powerful artifact encased therein; the artifact was
destroyed by a herd of rust monsters the players accidentally released).

In any event, it turns out that the rust monsters weren't really rust
monsters, but fifty knights from the old Anuirean Empire (Michael Roele's
bodyguard!) polymorphed into rust monsters, and the rust monsters'
consumption of the artifact reversed the transformation (not to mention
started a war, although the players don't know that yet....this, of course,
is due to a five hundred year old prophecy that the return of the emperor's
bodyguard will precede the new emperor).

My players aren't slated to receive another permanent magical item for two
more adventures, assuming they find the item on that adventure. I did start
the players with one or two magical items each, depending on level, but I
drained them of seven +1 arrows and two potions of healing on this adventure
(not to mention the fact that the mage lost his spellbook and most other
goods when he accidentally sank the canoe in which he was travelling *tsk
tsk* Daggers and canoes don't do well, but he did kill the snake that had
fallen into the canoe. Shame it wasn't a poisonous snake...).

I agree with James Ruhland's statements that I've quoted below. I was always
baffled by official products that included a magical item in every room. I
think the author's assumed that the players would miss most of the magical
items and consequently put a lot of magical items in to compensate, but I'm
of the school that if the players miss something it's their own fault. IMO,
if they don't search, they don't find; I don't just give things away (well,
ok, I just give them monsters).

Jonathan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Ruhland [SMTP:jruhlconob@sprynet.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 1998 1:11 PM
> To: birthright@MPGN.COM
> Subject: Re: [BIRTHRIGHT] - Least Favorite - FR
>
> very bad example. People, especially beginers, often take "official"
> publications as their guideline of what is appropriate "see, TSR has it so
> there's a magic item in every other room, so that must be the right
> ammount."
>