Interview: Matt Robertson's The Golden Idol of En-Tridar
Split The Party Games aka Matt Robertson aka GrapeApe is back with The Golden Idol of En-Tridar! The purple gorilla has been slumbering, and writing!, since 2021. Little known fact, I’d been gaming with Matt for a few months when he launched his first Kicstarter campaign for A Conspiracy of Ravens. I’d even been a player in a playtest. Seeing a regular guy do that and succeed at doing that really helped put some impetus within me and helped me start making writing and published a priority. So in this Thanksgiving season, I’ll give a “thank you” to Matt. If you want to hear more about his latest project then keep reading!
It's been a few years since we got introduced to A Conspiracy of Ravens. I'm curious if you had a sequel in mind back then or if this second story took longer to form in your mind. Did the adventure change much a long the way?
I did have a sequel in mind back then when I wrote Conspiracy of Ravens. Maybe not immediately after, but fairly soon after it was written. This world was created through the online streaming of GrapeApe's Reaver Express. I was creating content for my players to explore, which then became the modules I was writing. If you search through the Goodman Games YouTube videos under GrapeApe's Reaver Express episodes you can find a live play of the module, twice! They had to return to The House of En-Tridar a second time because they had the wrong idol.
The Golden Idol of En-Tridar isn't actually the sequel to A Conspiracy of Ravens! CN2, or the second module after Ravens is called The Route of Wolves. I chose to jump ahead to The Golden Idol of En-Tridar because I was so excited about the writing in the module, which I'll talk about more in the next question.
It didn't change too much from how I originally imagined it. I discovered that the delay was because I didn't have a map, that I was a visual creator, at least when it came to writing adventure modules. I needed that visual index to get excited and get my writing charged up again. After I could see the next room, it was much easier to fill in the details of what I wanted the players to experience.
ACoR was a more of a spooky sandbox through a village whereas this is more like a traditional dungeon crawl. Can you tell us a little more about your favorite elements of the "classic dungeon crawl" that you included in this adventure?
The Golden Idol of En-Tridar is going to be SQ4, which stands for the 4th module in the side quest series. I know you're like, where the hell are 1, 2, and 3! They are coming and are all at least 50% complete. What I want to do with the side quest series is tap into the loving grind of RPG heavy video games. The SQ modules are quests, adventures, and dungeons that can be dropped easily into any campaign or used just as easily as a one-shot with no relation to anything else, similar to the side quests in games like Skyrim or Mass Effect. You don't have to play them to complete the overall goal, but they are extremely fun to do so and sometimes you want a little break from the main storyline.
What I love about The Golden Idol of En-Tridar, and why it jumped the line in front of SQ 1-3, are the traps and the different paths to victory or defeat. In the latest update I shared an absolutely gorgeous piece of art by Davin Kluttz that details a trap of my own creation. I'll avoid spoilers and let you check out the update on the BackerKit but suffice it to say the traps will be very tricky. The first trap the players encounter stumped every playtest group for a good 5-10 minutes. They all tried different approaches, and were ultimately successful, but none of them discovered the most obvious solution (or the one I thought was the most obvious).
The Golden Idol of En-Tridar offers several secret paths to navigate the dungeon. Most will take a skilled eye to catch the hidden clues throughout the flavor text of the module, hidden in the artwork, or only able to be discovered after it might be too late! The module won't force the party to split, like the name of the company suggests, but it will offer many provocative chances for players to want to peak down this or that path.
You can't get more classic than great traps and secret corridors!
The adventure doesn't quite "start in the tavern" but it sure takes place there! Tell us about the titular House of En-Tridar!
The House of En-Tridar is a rival tavern that is threatening the existence of your favorite watering tap. Think of your favorite sports team, your favorite restaurant, or your favorite bar. Now, think about what you would do if someone's actions were going to shut down that place that you love!
The House of En-Tridar is managed by a horrid, gluttonous dwarf named Bentrix, who also has the Golden Idol of En-Tridar in his possession. The idol's creation was brokered in a deal made between a God of Chaos, The Hidden Lord, and one of the greatest adventurers of her time, Radelyn Realms. Forged in the Lost Minotaur Mines of En-Tridar (a location in future module), the idol was molded from six rare metals into the true, graven image of The Hidden Lord. The artifact was then imbued with a secret purpose and the will of The Hidden Lord, it's true iconography lost forever.
Bentrix knows the true history of the idol and the power that it contains to bestow limitless wealth, unmatched notoriety, and ultimate success in your endeavors. He has pushed this addictive opulence to the competing taverns and inns of Whisperwood, giving them each a taste of success before withdrawing the idol, leaving them starving for more.
This is the last chance for your tavern to survive. The magical dungeon below The House of En-Tridar awaits. WE NEED YOU TO SAVE OUR BAR!!
The tavern is "bigger on the inside". Whenever I heard that, my mind goes back to the novel House of Leaves, but it's a creepy aspect that's been used in many different stories. What were your inspirations for the adventure?
One of the things I enjoy doing as an indie publisher is putting that personal touch on the modules and adventurers I write. Things to show my appreciation for the backers supporting my project. For A Conspiracy of Ravens and for the upcoming The Golden Idol of En-Tridar I include Easter Eggs with 25 autographed copies that are sent to randomly selected backers. I grab inspiration from a lot of sources. Street names I'll see while driving, Google or Yahoo news feeds about celestial bodies or discovered underground tombs, movies and video games, etc. Here are a couple that helped to create the module:
The biggest inspiration for the tavern being 'bigger on the inside' was most notably the Tardis from Doctor Who. (Long live The Fourth Doctor!) Stepping through a portal expecting one thing and being presented with something that is mind blowing and impossible is a wonderful place to start a module I think.
There is a Phthalo green statue somewhere in the module, which is a shout out to Bob Ross. I enjoy trying to watch at least one episode of his past shows that broadcast on Twitch every weekend. It's calming and inspiring and Bob Ross was just a cool dude. Some will be easy to recognize, some will be difficult for even the most learned pop culture quiz masters, and some might be so obscure and gnomic that it can only be known if you pass your Luck check and receive 1 of the 25 autographed modules!
Thanks for sharing about your project! Anything else that you'd like to tell folks?
Returning backers who backed A Conspiracy of Ravens will each get a FREE Cyclops jar grip with any print pledge! Again, I like to show appreciation to the people who are helping me write and print cool adventures. Some qualities that I'm proud of are that I'm a loyal person and someone who always does their best to stand by their word, so this is a small way of expressing that loyalty to previous backers for buying-in on another adventure.
Davin Kluttz's art also fits perfectly. The Cyclops' un-dead hand is reaching out to help you with all those stuck pickle jars! These will also be available as an add-on for new backers and new backers have future loyalty rewards to look forward to! There are also some very cool stretch goals, including more than have yet to be identified.
I hope you'll check out the module and consider backing The Golden Idol of En-Tridar!
Will the cyclops jar grip be your most “random” piece of gaming swag? If not, you gotta let us know what is!
What Else Is Going On?
The Conquest of Chaos
A levels 0-5 campaign path for Dungeon Crawl Classics! Six adventures inspired by the classic GDQ series take the PCs from humble beginning to fighting the primal forces of chaos and saving their world from certain doom!
From Out of Gnollwhere Book 2: Gnolledge is Power!
"Gnolledge is Power" is a Dungeon Crawl Classics-compatible adventure for 4-6 3rd level characters.
