Live-action Nethack - GM's notes

NB "I" here is the player.

Props

Some walls and a door, which the player can try and get through and which monsters can be introduced through.

Some orange rocks, for throwing.

Envelopes marked "chain mail" and "plate mail". Could be cursed.

The Recombination hammer.

The ever-handy bicycle trailer box, a chest. Contains a scroll or potion or two?

Scrolls:

• 2 x DUAM XNAHT (== identify, suggest you give the players one early and one late and see if they work out the description => function thing)
• ELBIB YLOH (== teleport, somewhere awkward)
• JUYED AWK YACC (== fire, damages the player, might burn scrolls, also can damage surrounding monsters)

Potions: one brown, one red, one blue, one clear. The last "tastes like water", and it is. I will complain about the vile flavour of the others; I hope I will be lying. Suggestions, although clearly you can wing it on potions:

• Full healing (heals all damage), if you're feeling kind. Else, extra healing.
• Restore ability, for players poisoned by killer bees (especially, if they read a SoID, ID PoRA then give them a bee).
• Levitation. You can't pick up objects while levitating. However, if you were burdened from Strength loss, levitation gives you maximum carrying capacity.
• Acid. "This burns!"
• Gain level (if not preidentified). _Cursed_ gain level. "You rise up, through the ceiling". A reset.
• Cursed oil. If you say while I'm drinking, I'll "fumble" it and get slippery hands. Dropping my weapon. ("Your weapon slips from your hand.") And I can't rewield it.
• Confusion. I misinterpret move instructions.
• Poison Resistance (not really in NetHack, who cares?) Out of generosity, I suggest multiple killer bees after the player quaffs this one.

Don't forget drops from dead monsters to give out goodies.

Scenarios

Suggest running through a few common stupid deaths and resetting. e.g.

Floating eye, paralyse the player, have a grid bug come up and nibble them. When nearly dead, let them loose - see if they have the sense to avoid it or throw rocks.

Self-immolation with scroll of fire / potion of acid especially when already hurt.

Fight with a dwarf, who's hard to hit, but drops the plate mail. Not fatal (unless they've got the healing potion IDed but don't drink it). I expect you to call out HIT or MISS when I "attack" - most attacks should be HITs except in this circumstance, and most monsters should be quite easy.

Killer bee; poisons the player, reduces their Strength, "Burdened". See Potion of Restore Ability.

If we get a gain-level reset, start the player by a door, surrounded by beasties. If they don't fight in the choke point, kill them. Especially good with multiple slow manes.