tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88626134510803981982024-02-18T23:12:17.957-08:00Dark Corners Of Role PlayingNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-21123429896525424402021-03-15T19:31:00.002-07:002021-03-15T19:38:27.255-07:00OSR Review & Commentary On Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan Campaign Setting By Terje Nordin For The Warriors of the Red Planet Rpg <p><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan is a campaign setting for use with the Warriors of the Red Planet Roleplaying Game.</span></span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">New character races: Mutant, Robot, Rogue Formian, Rogue Formiankin, Lizard Folk.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Rules for Psychic Combat and Super-Science Research.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Wyrd Stones, mysterious artefacts that let you manipulate the matrix of Matter, Energy, Time and Space.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> 18 new creatures including Spectral Walkers and Winged Squid.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Seven strange Alien Godlings.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Campaign map with 100 detailed hexes.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The city state of Yankara.</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Vaults of Illumination, a 22 room starting dungeon."</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="236" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUrzR27ydu2l0IpWqRZPOawkfbfAQ_5FbAD8dga4sDx7j3ny1TUwMBIVfwTYUYi3QSpswPyOZAy0ln-bBVz1-Ksfu_96CPKYer1cJ_zB2SPv67DTGUBKKJ2lK2gpqzKGZsEgLCLID0F0/w472-h640/xuhlan.jpg" width="472" /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Its been over a week since <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a>crossed the gaming table & now the piper is coming due. This Sword & planet campaign setting crams in forty eight pages what has been seen in other game systems drawn out over two hundred or more pages. The fact that works with the Warriors of the Red Planet rpg & gives that rpg system an alternative setting to play in. There are so many good things about </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> where to begin?!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkY5GwO921EVyv5ZNIKDZjVyfvfdqxIz1xmaGmIHQUrHrZxTTQZ6TCvoLoc6q5adtUZCZhyT0j9Uw4LVDab_uRL671q7euWB8Td-F91VpjiOC-MHFyF1RAbItzyJ8QfxEdzIjHVFBaMM/s800/171363.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkY5GwO921EVyv5ZNIKDZjVyfvfdqxIz1xmaGmIHQUrHrZxTTQZ6TCvoLoc6q5adtUZCZhyT0j9Uw4LVDab_uRL671q7euWB8Td-F91VpjiOC-MHFyF1RAbItzyJ8QfxEdzIjHVFBaMM/w414-h640/171363.jpeg" width="414" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> evolved straight out of a home campaign morphed into a full on Sword & Planet adventure setting. And it brings the planetary heat straight out by giving us a straight in your face planetary setting out of the gate Xuhlan was the seat of a instellar empire. But the Fall came hard; "</span>Then came the Cataclysm. There are few facts but many myths and
legends regarding the fall of the Primordials. Most accounts are vague
and they seldom agree with one another, but many speak of apocalyptic
wars, entire star systems being destroyed and a plague of madness forever
eclipsing the minds of those few Primordials who survived. Zeenu (or
Xanu or Zano depending on which source one consults), Devourer of
Stars, glorious Conqueror of the Galaxies, Eternal Hegemon of the
Primordials was deposed by his subjects and imprisoned in a black hole
(or went into self-imposed exile outside the common space-time
continuum, again depending on the source).
Mankind, brought to Xuhlan by the Primordials to satisfy some playful
whim or other, fought with many other sapients from across the universe
for survival in the ruins left behind by their fallen masters. Millennia
passed, empires rose, only to degenerate and crumble and come crashing
down into barbarism again. Nearly a thousand years ago the surface of
Xuhlan was under the hegemony of the Celestial Domain, the greatest
human civilisation the planet has ever seen. But as the dynasty of the
Aether Lords declined the domain was torn between the competing
factions of the Guild of Noetic Engineers and the Ascended Masters of
Unspace until the conflict escalated out of control. The human scientists
had but learned fragments of the esoteric secrets mastered by the
Primordials, but the destructive capacity of their technology was enough
to extinguish the majority of human lives on the planet and lay their
empire in ruin." <br />The players start with several major races right out of the gate <span style="background-color: white;">Mutant, Robot, Rogue Formian insect antmen, Rogue Formiankin former thralls of the insect men, Lizard Folk. Then mutations & psychic combat which is cleaned up a bit as well as being a real boon to </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a>. There's superscience research as an add on system to Warriors of the Red Planet & its needed folks. There's really an orginal Dungeons & Dragons feel to </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a>. Then we've got Wyrd Stones which are essentially 'infinity stones' of </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a>. But these stones are more in keeping with the Pulp magazine Sword & Planet stories that inspired this setting. The Beastery is one of the best parts of </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> because you get a real nice smattering of additional monsters. And if you're into the Warriors of the Red Planet rpg's weird monsters these are some fantastic creatures. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The world of Xuhlan is straight up Pulp goodness right from the get go as you get into the hex crawl of the world setting with over a hundred encounters. The cartography is very well done. And this blends right into the city state of </span><span style="background-color: white;">Yankara. And there's even a starting adventure right in </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a> called </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Vaults of Illumination. Theres 22 rooms & its all set ready to go play! <br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Is there any downsides to </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a>?! Honestly no in my humble opinion. You've got everything you need to really blow the doors in for an original B/X or original Dungeons & Dragons Sword & Planet campaign. <br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Gotta say that in addition to Warriors of the Red Planet </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a> would also work as an excellent setting to <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/278089/Bx-Mars">BX Mars</a>. All of the material in <span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> can easily bolt on to BX Mars so that the players & DM have an additional world setting to play with. <br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv0dlsih-JyjtLGNEo7oBoKs1o3NIOOHkpz1cHnWVIpO8gXbb5_bL5wriV_Z2i_liKpPoapggPRQ1u4xXiaW-U4nzCCI4nJuTwgHQsR1EnaB8Fen30cvQQ8KvfDYunlvVuqG2b5acnZ0/s1200/278089.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXv0dlsih-JyjtLGNEo7oBoKs1o3NIOOHkpz1cHnWVIpO8gXbb5_bL5wriV_Z2i_liKpPoapggPRQ1u4xXiaW-U4nzCCI4nJuTwgHQsR1EnaB8Fen30cvQQ8KvfDYunlvVuqG2b5acnZ0/w480-h640/278089.png" width="480" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />And this is really one of the strengths of </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a>. The fact that it can easily be adapted to any number of OSR systems. For example using </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> with Adventurer,Conqueror, King's </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234726/Barbarian-Conquerors-of-Kanahu">Barbarian</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234726/Barbarian-Conquerors-of-Kanahu"> Conquerors of Kanahu</a> allows the DM to bring another instellar planetary setting into their ACK's campaigns. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMkcNrVCHBOKYJT-TONR4yFq94i0tm76Ota-JlIPb_rLAsU4MKQzlWT_TCMGfVAlsm9F_hDmAOU-6BjFIZ2i3bi4FQ3H0COIdad6i1LalyJ52A_PDwn51VpR3E0ppqqBG6ikE-l82VEw/s914/234726.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="689" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMkcNrVCHBOKYJT-TONR4yFq94i0tm76Ota-JlIPb_rLAsU4MKQzlWT_TCMGfVAlsm9F_hDmAOU-6BjFIZ2i3bi4FQ3H0COIdad6i1LalyJ52A_PDwn51VpR3E0ppqqBG6ikE-l82VEw/w482-h640/234726.jpeg" width="482" /></a><br /><br />And this interstellar planet setting could be easily used as a weird science destination for <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2795/Lamentations-of-the-Flame-Princess">Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg </a>or as a Carcosa subsetting. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> does takes its ques from planetary romance, Pulps, & Sword & Planet Science Fantasy. The sum here is far greater then the parts as </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan">Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341448/Swords-and-SuperScience-of-Xuhlan"> </a> stands on its own assumptions. </span></div>Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-67524904408588052272021-03-13T19:22:00.000-08:002021-03-13T19:22:20.099-08:00Godbound Session Report - The Jaws of the Leucrottas <p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> Tonight's Godbound rpg session almost ended earlier then expected. The PC's discovered a major planar wreck or ruin along the edge of the Arizona border. And almost bought it during tonight's game as they were lured into the ruin by what they assumed was the cries of child inside the wreckage. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UhgZ_HnwSDqr1LFmx1LDr74h6MoagBNoukiAHqfQ_10I03-yQfM_FHPYarjhs52gb1cj41yg7zrwEhUR90oBaC7RfFo72HBT0DndylmDdhX7DJgbiEb-ngGzKSBpiy2nKDI6ZWv4bM/s2508/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="2508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UhgZ_HnwSDqr1LFmx1LDr74h6MoagBNoukiAHqfQ_10I03-yQfM_FHPYarjhs52gb1cj41yg7zrwEhUR90oBaC7RfFo72HBT0DndylmDdhX7DJgbiEb-ngGzKSBpiy2nKDI6ZWv4bM/w530-h320/download+%25281%2529.jpg" width="530" /></a><br /></span><h5 class="c-detail__title" style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 25em; padding: 0px 0px 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.deviantart.com/reeves123/art/Spaceship-Crash-Digital-Matte-Painting-702701766">Spaceship Crash - Digital Matte Painting by Reeves123</a></span></h5><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The party very carefully went inside only to find a cache of gems, swords, armor, & bones. Before the party could leave a strange planive cry or cough came from outside. And the party's demi god warrior Thesazu The Mighty saw the horrid vista of a mated pair of <b style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Leucrottas of incredible size. And the whole place sound weirdly like a fun house of horror. </b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TFjOR7PmeIBCm_UWmjbGXLTdbFQgi85HSry6neiNd0-hq77AioSCKTwg9m5ubC_N4XPvk76iFZIpbplcJO-IkIOmiENTvikVwnFMEeuDDI7aux7-qZhsQoQ71spc5L_k72dquB1-PY8/s459/Leucrotta-1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="346" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TFjOR7PmeIBCm_UWmjbGXLTdbFQgi85HSry6neiNd0-hq77AioSCKTwg9m5ubC_N4XPvk76iFZIpbplcJO-IkIOmiENTvikVwnFMEeuDDI7aux7-qZhsQoQ71spc5L_k72dquB1-PY8/w482-h640/Leucrotta-1e.jpg" width="482" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The party inside the craft found a crude shrine to <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Kostchtchie" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Kostchtchie">Kostchtchie</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a;">,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;">Yeenoghu, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a;"> </span><a href="http://pandius.com/demogorg.html">a female aspect of Demogorgon</a>! This messed with the players heads because this wasn't the usual Advanced Dungeons & Dragons aspect of the demon lord Demongorgon. This instead was a strange immortal from Mystara?! And that's when they saw the giant hyenas & their witch riders! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1GYQtVLjcr00l217Duk5oCShYVCOHjY97pmypE0z1gAjiWCfepk9ndI3wFovyk1yw0IgStKPJ0ALw2OPWJFh_D0IHey-c_qivaNbgdwtXMWZ9BDnx0ME0kmgNvi96r01WaPHsDshapY/s800/800px-Short-faced_hyena1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1GYQtVLjcr00l217Duk5oCShYVCOHjY97pmypE0z1gAjiWCfepk9ndI3wFovyk1yw0IgStKPJ0ALw2OPWJFh_D0IHey-c_qivaNbgdwtXMWZ9BDnx0ME0kmgNvi96r01WaPHsDshapY/w531-h480/800px-Short-faced_hyena1.jpg" width="531" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The party didn't even have time to get a spell off before two massive ice & lighning spells came bursting in on them! Then a brace of gnoll warriors were gated nearby each more scarred & battle hardened then the other. The gnolls & witches were chanting & chanting the name <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Kostchtchie" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Kostchtchie">Kostchtchie</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a;">, over & over again. The party has no wish to meet the demon lord of wraith. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCpyA8IGYB71rZL1zKy2WNYDqipSevAOmUIeWROtsiii1zJr1aQNA22H31rjbta2DdOZ9jiy7YKSa-Z0RV0LZzURnH6h9hu7w1qbau32hOD2oe8UGDB0wLwoRmrqa6RIPQUZULIqJh2U/s432/Kostchtchie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCpyA8IGYB71rZL1zKy2WNYDqipSevAOmUIeWROtsiii1zJr1aQNA22H31rjbta2DdOZ9jiy7YKSa-Z0RV0LZzURnH6h9hu7w1qbau32hOD2oe8UGDB0wLwoRmrqa6RIPQUZULIqJh2U/w518-h640/Kostchtchie1.jpg" width="518" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The players were not amused by this turn of events at all. They had their backs against the wall here & only a word of travel got them out of the situation. They were able to gate out fifty miles from the situation deep into the Arizona desert. <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Kostchtchie" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Kostchtchie">Kostchtchie</a> has had it in for the player's PC's for a couple of years now. </span></div><b style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ABHYr6wuH9DsvnASenPn9QqPyF2XlgSuflTC1-HeMMzHeNtC-c1mLn9ldjANB7INNfeQd0FGuAeVJU4J5P0kraKrMUj4jLSA1uRf5gcwbX9BCD26UqGwkQWJTwCctRF5iwH-6AMULj4/s302/download+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="245" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ABHYr6wuH9DsvnASenPn9QqPyF2XlgSuflTC1-HeMMzHeNtC-c1mLn9ldjANB7INNfeQd0FGuAeVJU4J5P0kraKrMUj4jLSA1uRf5gcwbX9BCD26UqGwkQWJTwCctRF5iwH-6AMULj4/w519-h640/download+%25282%2529.jpg" width="519" /></a><br />This began back in 2019 when the players killed a <span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Leucrotta in Nevada that had come through a back alley version of a night road that had opened up within a small town. The party had saved a young woman from the jaws of the monster that was eating through a car door. And then cursed the monster say 'Whomever this horror belongs to we will bring wraith & vengence down upon you!' Tonight the hammer almost came down on the party's collective heads. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Back in Dragon issue#91 in the 'Ecology of </span> <span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Leucrottas' by Ed Greenwood we learned that these beings have very close connections to both </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;">Yeenoghu</span><span style="color: #3a3a3a;"> & </span> <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Kostchtchie" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Kostchtchie">Kostchtchie</a></span><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLp1NIr5uijd3vkxZUlse1SnUgczlfLwWdVqZB0cglVP3ttUihYliwV2CjUc-F9bft83sMXfdr5NVvcmGO9KtCU54a7Hld20mkvnrAENJqgaGi7DhENnAlACoTIqysRouduCxmmIkY1bU/w512-h640/Dragon_magazine_91.jpeg" width="512" /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Is there far more going on here then meets the eye. And why is a major demon lord or lords tracking a party of minor godbound across the planes?! The players are both scared & pissed! They've come across the work of this pack or coven of demon worshipers before in the wreckage of small towns across Nevada.. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With whispers of <span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lost</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Caverns</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">of</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tsojcanth</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> that they've heard rumors of before in their ears things are heating up again. All in all not a bad game when you've got the player's PC's on the run again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcHej9S37uz7qbnlocczLUCQCJ0NZ7aM5rEEwVoPSf42NWBTKQpHi2z5AqvZBSXW2xtAd88xcnYgxQrCmu8ifhEuwENGR6B8vTthehpG_awUoZkst58HeqHHacSmtzYIO1KJOBxC0WR4/s389/S4_Lost_Caverns_of_Tsojcanth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcHej9S37uz7qbnlocczLUCQCJ0NZ7aM5rEEwVoPSf42NWBTKQpHi2z5AqvZBSXW2xtAd88xcnYgxQrCmu8ifhEuwENGR6B8vTthehpG_awUoZkst58HeqHHacSmtzYIO1KJOBxC0WR4/w494-h640/S4_Lost_Caverns_of_Tsojcanth.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div><p><br /><br /></p>Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-11737370418663227252021-03-08T09:56:00.000-08:002021-03-08T09:56:58.775-08:00Review & Commentary On The Sorcerer Class for Labyrinth Lord By James Mishler, & Jodi Moran-Mishler From James Mishler Games For Labyrinth Lord Or Your Old School Games <p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">James & Jodi Mishler from Mishler Games have created an OSR sorcerer class that dips deeply into the mythology of classic Dungeons & Dragon style games with their latest <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349329">Sorcerer Class for <i><b>Labyrinth Lord</b></i></a><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />"The new Sorcerer Class for <i><b>Labyrinth Lord </b></i>includes the following:</span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Class Details, including Spellcasting, Sorcerous Origin, and Evoke Magic;<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The following Sorcerous Origins, each with their own special abilities:<br />Angel-Blood<br />Demon-Blood<br />Djinn-Blood<br />Dragon-Blood<br />Efreet-Blood<br />Fairy-Blood<br />Vampire-Blood<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>New spells for the Dragon-Blood and Vampire-Blood sorcerers, adapted from spells included in the <b><i>Dragonborn Race</i></b> and <b><i>Necromancer Class</i></b> booklets." The Sorcerer PC Class is one of those classes you don't think your gonna need as a player or DM but then it hits you. This is a perfect class for an OSR horror game or even a science fantasy campaign. <br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8NQcaMuULrGkRVawJreBcBvTVBneI3-Sp0VHU8Peumb_JsvflQHN5yDcOmlAXNOocbpupcU-dNwfvfgVDYXN3JmqLw18aj2sR_WjhaLvhENxXuV20visDdTEziuTB4sS3yTm-fpGINM/s2048/IMG_3697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8NQcaMuULrGkRVawJreBcBvTVBneI3-Sp0VHU8Peumb_JsvflQHN5yDcOmlAXNOocbpupcU-dNwfvfgVDYXN3JmqLw18aj2sR_WjhaLvhENxXuV20visDdTEziuTB4sS3yTm-fpGINM/w527-h480/IMG_3697.JPG" width="527" /></a><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />Here the Mishler's do an excellent job of boiling down the PC sorcerer into its OSR roots & this is both its charm. And its dangers; "</span>Sorcerers are humans who possess innate magical spell-casting powers due
to ancient, inhuman family bloodlines, such as through having an angel,
demon, dragon, fairy, genie, vampire, or other magically-powerful
creature in their family line." Why do I say dangers?! Because sorcerers have powerful supernatural or occult parents. Parent can be very protective of their children. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfCEe76wqMoZv7_3u_KRziKxR1nL9DktNT7MdNa3QIrJPwEynvNK85tH8o6fJjGBappkWE6u3DcA_nbW5yhDRthaCk1ZIL1FEf7hkZ5UGaxDm6jOQ9tUlr8ioj83ssqiAtMymiiBiiNA/s750/4dac3dd7ecc7b74af794514c3404377d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfCEe76wqMoZv7_3u_KRziKxR1nL9DktNT7MdNa3QIrJPwEynvNK85tH8o6fJjGBappkWE6u3DcA_nbW5yhDRthaCk1ZIL1FEf7hkZ5UGaxDm6jOQ9tUlr8ioj83ssqiAtMymiiBiiNA/w400-h320/4dac3dd7ecc7b74af794514c3404377d.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />Mishler's sorcerers go to twentieth level & leave lots of room for the players & DM's to have fun with the class in OSR games. The class has plenty of opportunities to take full advantage of the magic infused nature of the class; "SPELLCASTING: Sorcerers possess the ability to cast magic-user spells, but in
a very different way than magic-users gain and cast spells. A sorcerer does
not learn spells, scribe them in spell books, and then memorize the spells
desired. Instead, a sorcerer innately knows a number of spells equal to her
level plus her Charisma bonus. She then use her spell slots to cast the spells
she knows in any combination desired, within her combination of known
spells and available spell casting slots. For example, at 1st level Tiana the
Sorceress (CHA 16, +2) knows three 1st level spells (plus one from her
Sorcerous Origin), which she can cast in any combination of two spells per
day using her two 1st-level spell-casting slots.
At each level, when a sorcerer gains a new spell, she may choose a
spell of a spell level that she can cast (including any newly-gained spell
level from that character level) from the magic-user spell list. For example,
Tiana the Sorceress advances from 3rd to 4th level; she may choose one new
spell of 1st or 2
nd level, as she can now cast 2nd level spells." <br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LbOlpLe4mHc0nGNJATyLjEpkB4FG3i4Ykdrm07ENs3UmqeXmYyKkH9VDyLPuRWnALnxbzNa0NptLTMgi1OKgMuk0lDOK8VZZuq_05ZFshT4Oyg5-mXqEzy5hyr6PvFyaQNIigkvpE0c/s2048/IMG_3699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LbOlpLe4mHc0nGNJATyLjEpkB4FG3i4Ykdrm07ENs3UmqeXmYyKkH9VDyLPuRWnALnxbzNa0NptLTMgi1OKgMuk0lDOK8VZZuq_05ZFshT4Oyg5-mXqEzy5hyr6PvFyaQNIigkvpE0c/w479-h480/IMG_3699.JPG" width="479" /></a><br /><br />The very nature of the sorcerer's magic makes it even more dangerous; "EVOKE MAGIC: Sorcerers do not have any proper training in the use of
magic items that are normally limited to use by magic-users, however, their
natural affinity with magic allows them to try to use such items that require
activation. In order to do so, they must make a saving throw versus Wands
(if using a wand) or Spells or Spell-Like Devices (if using any other item other
than scrolls) each time they wish to use an item that requires active use. No
roll is needed to use passive items that work without activation.
To cast a scroll, the sorcerer must make a Charisma-based Spell
Learning Probability Check (Intelligence Table II), with a penalty of 5% per
level of the spell; even sorcerers who cannot read can try to use scrolls, as
they can feel the magic in the scroll and simply evoke it out of the magical
writing.
However, there is danger in trying to evoke magic out of a magic item
or scroll. If the saving throw fails with a Natural 1, or if the sorcerer rolls 96-00
when trying to use a scroll, Something Bad happens, the nature of which is
at the whim of the Labyrinth Lord." I can think of at least ten or so uses for this class as the basis for an NPC villain or mid level hench villain with an occult parent whose a complete & utter bastard. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6wI3_D0vizyooLhbkA1NLl34D35V2XKW8ZSb7bIBv-waEFok1lMomtOeWtwwxlL851mB0AUz11fx1JWL6LmVxHl9-DgG_zU3GgJF_TnqVmFPj77C2uozmCwPn8FGovIy1kbGCSnp84U/s2048/IMG_3702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6wI3_D0vizyooLhbkA1NLl34D35V2XKW8ZSb7bIBv-waEFok1lMomtOeWtwwxlL851mB0AUz11fx1JWL6LmVxHl9-DgG_zU3GgJF_TnqVmFPj77C2uozmCwPn8FGovIy1kbGCSnp84U/w463-h480/IMG_3702.JPG" width="463" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mishler shifts from the various Angel-Blood, Demon-Blood, Djinn-Blood, Dragon-Blood, Efreet-Blood</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Fairy-Blood, & Vampire-Blood. There ar new spells, advantages, explainations, class advances, & all of this fits into about twenty pages. Not bad for a compact little class with tons of D&D potential to say the least. The two stand outs for my money are the Dragon Blood & the Vampire Blood who have some real potential as possible NPC royals or henchmen for thier parents. Taking the material has been ported over into these sorcerers with spells like this; "Dragon Claw & Fang
Level: 1
st level Dragon-Blood Sorcerer
Duration: 1 turn per level
Range: Self
The sorcerer transforms her hands into dragon claws sharp as daggers, and
her head into that of a dragon, complete with sharp fangs. The sorcerer
may attack each round with a claw/claw/bite routine, dealing the
following damage: 1st to 3
rd level 1d4/1d4/2d4, 4th to 6th level
1d4+1/1d4+1/2d6, 7th to 9th level 1d6/1d6/2d8, 10th to 12th level
1d6+1/1d6+1/2d10, 13th to 15th level 1d8/1d8/3d8, and 16th level and above
2d4/2d4/3d10. Attacks made with the claw and bite attacks are rolled on
the Monster Attack Table rather than on the Magic-user Attack Table.
The sorcerer can cast spells normally while her hands are claws, but
other more detailed work might be troublesome." <br />All in all you get the essence of the sorcerer with all of the backwash of the classes origin. In no way are the Mishler's work being desparaged here. This is a great PC class with some solid bones to it! <br /><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRXL5mvRWMQXype-yb4iGt0yLYMCYKX37U1nMgGwXS3lvZ01Nk8Lfmv81ZJZu8fYS9E_Wpmf1QdjAVCBNmTyjMm4hw9N6vLuhPVEwK-TU58H7M8wt5oGZhVeGwHXGiaa74zarINTiK70/s602/349329.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="390" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRXL5mvRWMQXype-yb4iGt0yLYMCYKX37U1nMgGwXS3lvZ01Nk8Lfmv81ZJZu8fYS9E_Wpmf1QdjAVCBNmTyjMm4hw9N6vLuhPVEwK-TU58H7M8wt5oGZhVeGwHXGiaa74zarINTiK70/w414-h640/349329.png" width="414" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So where can the Sorcerer class be used in old school or OSR games or settings?! The obvious answer is within Adventurer, Conqueror, King's <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234726/Barbarian-Conquerors-of-Kanahu"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Barbarian</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Conquerors</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #494949; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">of</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #494949;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234726/Barbarian-Conquerors-of-Kanahu"> Kanahu</a>. Half dragons check & Science Fantasy check along with Sword & Sorcery. This is a perfect class to slide in the ACK's backdoor. Then there's Castles & Crusades which this class fits right into epecially given the number of elemental or potential god like cosmic powers we've got lurking in the background of Castles & Crusades. Yes I'm talking about the Adventurer's Backpack book here as the basis for a sorcerer to work along side the classes introduced within that book. <br /></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_nNWG8BEHSjQBXfjbosO4tiT9zRD6p9PiASwXegXzekeZ5TegcroFDHNH5tZQw1AxqJxFgYPlsH3wqgy6kNarlQBXxllaqFx7wNr8WF5NrobF5H1a394FSXPGA05pluYEVw3ZHBnAl0/s1775/894148776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1775" data-original-width="1350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_nNWG8BEHSjQBXfjbosO4tiT9zRD6p9PiASwXegXzekeZ5TegcroFDHNH5tZQw1AxqJxFgYPlsH3wqgy6kNarlQBXxllaqFx7wNr8WF5NrobF5H1a394FSXPGA05pluYEVw3ZHBnAl0/w486-h640/894148776.jpg" width="486" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Could the sorcerer class be used with say <a href="https://www.lotfp.com/RPG/">Lamentations of the Flame Princess</a>!? Yes but it would require a bit of adjustment or would it?! Say using the basics of the sorcerer with some of the spells from Lamentations might be fun.. The sorcerer could be a very dangerous & unknown quatity as an NPC or as a PC. <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349329">Sorcerer Class for <i><b>Labyrinth Lord</b></i></a> is well done & serves its niche within old school or even OSR games quite nicely. A very useful class in my humble opinion. </span></div><br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349329"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The </span>Sorcerer Class for <i><b>Labyrinth Lord</b></i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> is <br />Available Right Here. </span></span></a></div>Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-53762637375270060932021-03-06T09:55:00.001-08:002021-03-06T09:55:47.313-08:00Class Matters - The Slayer player character class From Mayfair Games Demon Box set Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st & 2nd edition or Your OSR game Campaigns <p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i> "</i><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH AD&D 2ND EDITION. Eons ago...they were imprisoned in a vast inferno for fomenting a conflict amidst the gods themselves. Now, they're loose and free to prey upon the will of man. Run out of challenges? Try matching wits with the embodiment of all evil. The Demons sourcepack includes: * 48 pages of hole-punched monster descriptions, covering the demons and the inhabitants of their inferno lairs, for your players to add to other game materials; * An 80-page game master's booklet; * The 64-page Infernicum Mallemancia, an ancient book of demon lore that provides your players with all the clues they need to tackle and defeat their diabolical adversaries; * New character classes, including the demon-summoning Thaumaturgist and the demon-hunting Slayer; * Rules for half-demon player characters; * Dozens of new spells and new magic items; * A Full color, 22 "x 34" map; * A complete adventure; and the most powerful spells in fantasy role-playing!"</i><br /><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8WWTzfLgBWidl2CoootDkGbhWkxKvOHUcZIvOPLH3zO_Ovq6gA8fXZZv9DhDjqLNp9LZ8um-DpJSa8AzOB-zWO7QHvKDNeQlNM5WkapDo_RSHIYAqneYblknxXDsv67lrdwTbvwP6eI/s600/pic990208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="445" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8WWTzfLgBWidl2CoootDkGbhWkxKvOHUcZIvOPLH3zO_Ovq6gA8fXZZv9DhDjqLNp9LZ8um-DpJSa8AzOB-zWO7QHvKDNeQlNM5WkapDo_RSHIYAqneYblknxXDsv67lrdwTbvwP6eI/w474-h640/pic990208.jpg" width="474" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Things have been very busy with a full on Hostile & Cepheus Engine rpg campaign ongoing on the other blog. But there's a great deal of player pressure to get back on the Dungeons & Dragons or Advabced Dungeons & Dragons train. So last night out came the Demon box set binder. Started looking into the possibility of using The Demons I & II box set as a sort of backbone with several of our on going campaigns. The demon slayer class is an old favorite of ours & it fits very well with what's an on going series of campaigns where demons play a sigificant part. </span></span></p><p><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_DnzD3VUmvqXNYafS2HfHT77lnRaZb4n5maI3OVfZSwRkg8rmYdyxuXeuoQLVSPDA4uN09OGqgWnx-rNuSv6d9xMwUHJbFVlRqnY255Qk09rmtg71VTU5G3iND6NHp_IYL1MPOv0B0o/s2048/IMG_3691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_DnzD3VUmvqXNYafS2HfHT77lnRaZb4n5maI3OVfZSwRkg8rmYdyxuXeuoQLVSPDA4uN09OGqgWnx-rNuSv6d9xMwUHJbFVlRqnY255Qk09rmtg71VTU5G3iND6NHp_IYL1MPOv0B0o/w464-h480/IMG_3691.JPG" width="464" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So there are several reasons why the slayer class works in a number of areas when it comes to demon hunting, slaying, & banishing demons. The slayer is a fighter subclass. The slayer uses the same skill progression as a paladin & has the same saving throws used by clerics. <br /> They can work as a wandering bounty hunter of demons working the land for their ever going hunt against the Infernal. The fact is that slayers have to be very wary of the infernal or demonic taint that comes with dealing with the powers. And this leads into the lawful alignment aspect of the slayers. They can only be one of the three branches of slayers, white slayers who are lawful good, grey slayers lawful neutral, or black slayers lawful evil. They will work together against any demonic or infernal threat. So this isn't a case of a Sith vs Jedi war or issue unless the DM needs there to be such a war. <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z7awVGzrE2_xJsvqXHhpumdEO0_owgu47Dk0kT8R6r_EjOBad5mTjPzoZD80b8Q8pyPXpNxeVlFhJQEJB8aWCZKEqggoX4TBgpUysWPrbdDSFmHQQqZOwSmPprULVOjd89NoD2bgXK8/s2048/IMG_3692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z7awVGzrE2_xJsvqXHhpumdEO0_owgu47Dk0kT8R6r_EjOBad5mTjPzoZD80b8Q8pyPXpNxeVlFhJQEJB8aWCZKEqggoX4TBgpUysWPrbdDSFmHQQqZOwSmPprULVOjd89NoD2bgXK8/w488-h480/IMG_3692.JPG" width="488" /></a></div><br /></span></div><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Slayers gain several abilities that help them in their struggle against the infernal; Detect demon within 12", Turn demon as if they were a cleric three levels higher then their own has no effect on other undead ( let this slide in several games), & they can cast wizard spells from a list within the demon box set that helps them in their battles. <br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From all appearances these fighter subclasses are a wandering slayer of demons or the infernal. Slayers have very little interaction with the infernal or the divine & those that do Fall. They lose all abilities if they have truck with the powers of chaos & the demonic. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">How do slayers work as a class for old school Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or in OSR games?! Well that's pretty simple actually. The slayer class is good for those players who want to do a rotating guest spot within your home campaigns. The guy or gal who wants to play once in a while for a Gothic or even a modern style of horror game. For OSRIC the slayer class could be used with impunity at the table top. With a game such as Castles & Crusades?! The slayer is going to require a bit of fiddling but its a pretty easy bit of kit to fit them into the mix of a C&C campaign. </span><p></p><p><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Slayers are the PC class that shows up like Jedi knights or Boba Fett in a campaign when that half demonic wizard shows up on his nightmare. The slayer has been tracking him or her for ages & now he or she has shown up in your game. </span></span></p><p><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRW5WC8pcmt7W1tyHV6pANk-TBKPEzXRb6jHZULZ2efEJdmaUCeSF04xyrFxB91WNmpGPLc_DaFWZyrQYSdnbk4uVPUXSKZ-MXSxr57HdCe6iLVpNv_pqULe7c-HccvEu1-CKMLWPwL0/s373/300px-Nightmare_1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRW5WC8pcmt7W1tyHV6pANk-TBKPEzXRb6jHZULZ2efEJdmaUCeSF04xyrFxB91WNmpGPLc_DaFWZyrQYSdnbk4uVPUXSKZ-MXSxr57HdCe6iLVpNv_pqULe7c-HccvEu1-CKMLWPwL0/w514-h640/300px-Nightmare_1e.jpg" width="514" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Slayers should never be used with matters of the gods unless minions or demon lords or ladies show up. They will not be impressed by the gods or by infernal or demonic royalty. Slayers want one thing the slaughter of the demonic full stop. From time to time I've used slayers as villains within games as well even the lawful evil ones intentions or goals are 'good' in a sense. The brutal methods they employ however are nasty & dangerous to the lives of PC's around them. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Slayers at the table top level are a polizerizing force we've found. There are some players who love the 'lone wolf' aspect of the fighter subclass. And there are those players who hate the class with a vengence. The slayer is a very polerizing figure at the table top. <br />Slayers are never going to get their due at the table top level but paired with a paladin of equal alignment. These can be very nasty combinations indeed. The lone wolf nature of the slayer means that eventually in our experience that they will leave a paladin behind. <br />Its too bad that given the storied legal history of Role Aids line we'll never get a slayer PC supplement. There is far more that can be done with this fighter sub class then merely as an NPC murder weapon or plot device. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The slayer class represents a very in niche within a niche PC class but its one that can be used to great advantage with a clever player & DM. </span></span></div><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-6668198552606142312020-07-30T16:00:00.002-07:002020-07-30T16:11:22.265-07:001d6 Random Sword & Sorcery Mystical Treasures Table <span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Treasures fall through the cracks of history & the wily hands of adventurers. The hoard of the dragon gives way to the the leer of kings, taxmen, & even the occasional executioner. Most likely these treasures find their way back onto the pile of another monster. Violence attracts violence & its this blood that calls to the lure of gold & objects of power. <br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="636" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6TZXnWORW925Nc_ZWCxJ8ShuHsucBQ6W4IOWazyRU-5BargneSyLgk4Ru8gXngVpjoflMc964dbiHXkLAoJkjG1q9U6MsZ9IUeatplLIP5DlKLzafIQxq6OedNwEj0iTWzdpOstMWkA/w354-h500/Claude_Vignon_and_Workshop_-_Croesus_showing_Solon_his_treasures.jpg" width="354" /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia;">1d6 Random Sword & Sorcery Mystical Treasures Table </span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOGAuCq5crntqra6uCu5nZUV2D1FguUiSz0rbYg4ZAw1dEfl1kSUsPAZ4FklG7gw96KM13HGpMJpUitQHtxO9zR4Rxx10HpcnUaE-uaRTKtrubRuz4L5JyR-0MxKySTvI-q4n77xF_2E/s485/320px-Deux_soldats_avec_un_tr%25C3%25A9sor_en_1698.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOGAuCq5crntqra6uCu5nZUV2D1FguUiSz0rbYg4ZAw1dEfl1kSUsPAZ4FklG7gw96KM13HGpMJpUitQHtxO9zR4Rxx10HpcnUaE-uaRTKtrubRuz4L5JyR-0MxKySTvI-q4n77xF_2E/w264-h400/320px-Deux_soldats_avec_un_tr%25C3%25A9sor_en_1698.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The chain of destiny - This golden chain worth about three hundred gold pieces has been woven of the finest dreams of kings, madmen, & lawyers. The chain is strange & seems to move of its own accord when no one is looking at it. The chain can be used to link the lives of two people together & is often used by royal match makers to match the royals of certain human, demonic, & infernal courts together. The chain was last seen in possession of an albino adventurer of indeterminate lineage. There is a dragon wizard that wants this chain back. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The fingers of Ibis - These twelve golden fingers have always been a set after they were cut from the hand of the devil king at the end of time. The fingers each have 2 powers determined by the artifact tables in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide. The fingers have a life of their own though moving from person to adventurer and so forth. They seem to want to return to their master but being worth 400 gold pieces for the lot there is speculation that they have an agenda all of their own. A Martian wizard is willing to pay quite the top dollar for them. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Coins of the Khan - These 500 golden coins once belonged to the Great Khan who liberated them from a sacrificial pit of Cthulhu himself. The coins each have their own small power and are worth 1000 gold. The reason is their primary power, the coins as a whole can buy passage into the spirit realms. They will allow one person to escape from the 'realm of the dead' and reenter the physical realm alive. But the coins themselves are then consumed in a thunder clap. They were last seen in the possession of a small dwarf from the village of In who gave them up to resurrect his late wife. She lives to this day but the coins have passed from person to person. The last owner was a black dragon who lives at the edge of the Dismal swamp. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Babe in Waiting - This small gold & wax statue is so life like that many have sworn its real! That's because it is in a way. The Babe is used to heal a sick child or mother as it takes on the illness or malady of the target. The Babe is priceless but is the subject of a plane wide manhunt! The thing was last seen in the possession a group of heretics in the Ul mountains after a massive slaughter by someone known as the woman slayer. The Babe is also said to possess the gift or curse of prophecy. Each new moon it will speak a prophetic poem with flowery symbolism. This poem will reflect the current events in the owners lives. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The golden thimble of Qu - This golden thimble will fit the finger of a powerful man & it can be used with several specially prepared bone needles. The thread used with the golden thimble is specially prepared powered bone thread. The thimble allows the owner to sew tightly the soul into the body of the owner. This gives the owner a bit of the immortality of the undead. They will only age every ten years & they become immune to some mind affecting spells. But food will taste like ash & the owner of the thimble can undo the effects of the operation or ritual. The golden thimble may also be used to poke a small hole in the arguments, policies, or discussions of royals & politicians. The target is at a -3 on all Charisma based actions. The golden thimble while priceless is worth about 400 gold pieces because it appears to be something else but to its right owner it will appear as it truly is. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Crown of the Hole - This ivory & golden crown allows the owner to gaze at the true intentions of the target. The target's reality is as it really is. The target must save vs wands or share in the insight of the Crown of the Hole. The hole itself is the inside of crown and acts as a portable hole but its a 'strange hole'. That is to say that should the crown cover the head of the person the whole head seems to go invisible except for two burning eyes that float in the air. These eyes act as crystal balls but can act independently of each other. The owner can eat, breath, & even feel inside the 'strange hole', but should the eyes become separated from the owner for more then 25 hours they may gain a life of their own. The owner will go temporarily insane from the constant feed back sensory loop. There is a headless arch wizard who is offering a reward for the crown of the hole. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="320" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRigzl2qSiZMkv-IoYKRmQx0RE6Gk1nBenY46nwP39cj1IL_MhV7eNmrGE5dbIQeWE1oMllMtEQEDZrca-VchwMnTTsGa9AMn1UeBdo6jdihG4P5hNel99RZlrx-n4g6h2MOBarhD3Nk/w379-h500/Hinko_Smrekar_-_Zaklad_%25282%2529.jpg" width="379" /><br /><br /></div></li></ol><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is a forty percent chance of a dangerous named & unique marilith with here family of type I & II demons guarding these treasures as a part of demon royal of chaos's hoard. </span></div>Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-43215653935478246362019-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:002019-11-14T09:42:02.672-08:00Review & Commentary On M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne Rules By TSR From M.A.R Barker's World of Tekumel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">"A rich, complex world and a complete set of rules, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Empire of the Petal Throne</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> includes rules for character generation, magic, monsters, adventuring, societies and languages. It is set in the 2,354th Year “After the Seal” – the accession of the first Emperor of Tsolyánu, just before the events chronicled in </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Man of Gold</em></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">, the first of several novels written by Prof. Barker. Included with the rules is a four page set of charts and tables, errata for the original game, a map of the City of Jakalla, a b&w map of the Five Empires, and a citizenship document for Tsolyanu, the Empire of the Petal Throne!"</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="869" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAeQPZQcVZLeFMwJbYH2kaB7FwsAQwmbf4T1ZMZoyblqeZa-QgHTsU63ARzXX5GmhQ10WRLmwTiqJTr9dAEA6n3uxjyShuoTINuHekw-N0o5oubrywqscFJ24piKzL_h0yAXNlLDyuBA/s640/EMP+cover.jpg" width="476" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/PRODUCT/2060/TEKUMELR--EMPIRE-OF-THE-PETAL-THRONE-TSR">Technically speaking Empire of the Petal Throne by M.A.R. Barker</a> is a current game in print due to the machinations of the <em style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.tekumelfoundation.org/">Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne Foundation</a>. The set of rules that I'm going to be talking about today is the original Dungeons & Dragons Style rules set. If you wanna use </em><span style="color: #333333;"><i>Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne setting elements in your favorite rpg table top rules set then </i></span></span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/141869/The-Tekumel-Sourcebook--Swords--Glory-Vol-1?src=also_purchased" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Tekumel Sourcebook - Swords & Glory Vol. 1 for the classic material is the route to go. </a><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjNP50DRPdx7tuTgjif9d1JM2GO-3v7LDpJGaX01Elo_AvMXGgtBFHJpSJwQ8QwVrhb-g4fXWL06cr_NFI6s-AklYqZmi6zLlwFrxm2V0ZCNP5XS9cOirE4cMeCbg7bCllblQ7YbHUv8/s640/141869.jpg" width="494" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The world of the five empires is a complex cultural painting completely different from the high fantasy worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Tékumel</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span> is a setting created from within the fertile imagination of MAR Barker. Its vastly different from the original Dungeons & Dragons settings of Greyhawk & Blackmoor. How this is a quasi Middle Eastern, Indian, Mayan settings & locations with ancient science fantasy overtones. The whole setting makes it clear that at any moment your player's PC's could be sacrificed, murdered, etc. in terrifying different realms of dungeons & ruins. Even though this game uses the familiar character generation, classes, etc. as original Dungeons & Dragons, EMP is vastly different because of its language, principles, & don't get me started on the cultures of the game. M.A.R. Barker was a brilliant weaver of tales, creator of setting, & definer of his world. Those who get invested are in for a ride.<br />For original Dungeons & Dragons players & DM's the trade cities provide a fertile place where you can plunk down your player's PCs. Adventuring means citizenship with lots of minor advantages. Within moments of plunking down in town PC's might wander into trouble or vast ruins that make the Undermount look like a pile of rubble. EMP is a mix of urban & dungeon crawl with lots of monsters not seen by the average Dungeons & Dragons players. They will learn to fear the smell of cinnamon there are vast numbers of alien races, weird creatures, robotic lifeforms & other strangeness left over in the depths of the underworld. Their waiting to say hi & murder your adventurers.<br /><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_reviews_info.php?&reviews_id=181346&products_id=2060">The Empire of The Petal Throne Rpg review</a> on Drivethrurpg by </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u style="text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=2060&customers_id=1352393" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Brit B.</a> brings up a very important point with reference to the monsters;"</u>Simple but striking black & white illustrations are frequent, which is good since I’m pretty sure you don’t know what a Pé Chói is, but you will soon. Each monster has about a paragraph of description for inspiration and a basic stat block. There’s a hex map of the main country along with ungridded maps of the main city, Jakálla, and the five empires to get you started. It is old school in my favorite sense, they give you the basics and let you run with it."<br />Its the sense of flavor that melts like candied Middle Eastern wax of imagination from the annals of Empire of the Petal Throne. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Jakálla has such setting flavor for me as a trade city that it reeks of spices, intrigue, incense, & adventure oozing through the cracks of its flag stones. Sorcerers & priests around every corner with their own sinister agendas. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;">A word on combat, this is a 1975 game & the combat is a lethal affair with players expecting a high mortality rate. The game is more tool kit then actual whole cloth game that modern gamers might not be used to. Expect to die in unexpected & sinister ways of mayhem with monsters & NPC 's involved. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everything you need is contained within this book, so get those character sheets ready! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"> Jakálla or one of the many other trade cities await your PC's! Do I think that Empire of the Petal Throne is fantastic? Yes I do but this is the rules set that I grew up with & so there's a bit of nostalgia on my part. Is it perfect? Not by a long chalk folks but for me & many others its a fantastic entry & exit point for the world, setting, & game of the Petal Throne. </span></span><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiirLHbuDS_SDLD4wLWMDl3s8HpcNQy7E8gwRvtHFXMg5MboHC3qCT7HuPvsTIlXyqq_LAg9Rce5owYmJZjTGOkhJLFkFNkNE9lD9S1KiWJGbnHuUxtzWg1eIOpcWCx2IzRqNiV1nvss/s640/138315.jpg" width="494" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br />So why haven't I reviewed <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/138315/Bethorm-the-Plane-of-Tekumel-RPG?src=also_purchased">Jeff Dee's </a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/138315/Bethorm-the-Plane-of-Tekumel-RPG?src=also_purchased">Bethorm: the Plane of Tekumel RPG from Uni games</a>? Well that's a separate review completely coming up. </span></span></div>
Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-91915410283455944922019-11-13T10:20:00.000-08:002019-11-13T10:20:28.060-08:00Campaign Thoughts With Original Dungeons & Dragons, Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu, & A Side of Cha'alt <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />So I've been going through an original Dungeons & Dragons recon to connect with my roots. I'm taking a vacation from the original Swords & Stitchery blog. Because while I've got lots to say my attitudes lately about the sales & marketing of the OSR have left me very jaded. Rereading OD&D has led me back to my love for <a href="http://www.waynesbooks.com/Tekumel.html">M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne</a>. Empire of the Petal Throne's background leaves a lot of room to play around. I'm sticking with the original Nineteen Seventy Five rules for EPT because these are the rule set that I cut my teeth on. They differ a bit from Original Dungeons & Dragons but not by much. The rules can be used to drop a party of OD&D adventurers onto one of the trade cities scattered across Tekumel surface.<br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="720" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcTe72oKOmwLNAkOCViQgccTvYVwnhwUfew52CCqnXDCnphVmAE5q1xxYzWvcQ3gnldEpqH5cx1EJvrLVWecfLHqTDasIWorOpcCkrDq0_9qKe2nTXfcdWFsVj3S8zXsUA3IcoC2z-RQ/s400/eptboxcont.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />
"Tekumel, the world of fantasy and adventure. The setting for this fantasy campaign game is an alien planet, Tekumel, where a cosmic cataclysm stranded human and extra-territorial invaders eons past. A hostile world of poisonous flora and fauna, with intelligent and vengeful native races! Mankind and its allies must battle for survival with nothing save Medieval technology — but magic aids them . . . and there are certain supernatural powers which may intervene.<br />The game contains three large full-color maps and 8 1/4" x 11" book with a brief history of Tekumel, rules, descriptions of various races and creatures involved, and more. Share in this exciting fantasy world by playing EMPIRE OF THE PETAL THRONE."<br />
1975 ... TSR 1005 "<br /><a href="http://www.waynesbooks.com/Tekumel.html">Taken from Wayne's Books section on Empire of the Petal Throne </a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Avant Garde; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />Now I've been involved with short run ninety day campaigns over the last five years or so due to the demands of work. This means an actual beginning, middle, & end of campaign regardless of the outcome. Over last couple of years since 2016 I've been quietly involved with<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185960/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Deluxe-Edition"> the Godbound rpg.</a> It works best with original Dungeons & Dragons I've found. But it also works well with M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne game from TSR. The good news is that I've got a ton of material sitting in notebooks for this..<br />When I started in on this one of the resources that I originally didn't have were <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/284600/Chaalt">Cha'alt by Venger Satanis </a>nor <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234726/Barbarian-Conquerors-of-Kanahu?src=hottest_filtered">Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu. </a><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="689" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQTKLYvMz2uFOIboUXKUXtidCOsoR1TTGk3y6zC4FRYKhMt-uTbvRnOliQChUFrBzQahu-4tQd3g-iFyS20sLy1Sk0-CozGlEhN8_raRlBSFurVHEFOF32mXga0WZZOOnLRSw4uqBWhk/s640/234726.jpg" width="482" /><br /><br />What I'm going to be doing is attacking this campaign from a totally different avenue. I'm going to be using some of the original time line from Empire of the Petal Throne. So we'll see if the players notice this turn of events as things start getting weirder. </div>
Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-38890976433931332802019-03-12T18:17:00.001-07:002019-03-12T18:20:29.154-07:00A Pipeful Of Trouble Adventure By Bret James Stewart From D-oom Products For Labyrinth Lord Or Your Old School Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"All is not well in Brierfield. The idyllic halfling village has fallen prey to unknown bandits and marauders. These peaceful victims of shattered loves and broken dreams need a band of heroes to save them. Are you willing to help them in their time of needs?"<br /></span><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEiOlUOJu3ByPq9mYXDxhUK5u5DTtlIQmvqgP1ZcrHDSYeJO6WlinjAtdA5lCeqLmCDLXazIqb9ogEpYbvvdZ76wYMVk9oyd5Zlp2e5Ugg9K5frpwqnXfoqZilDPNz29FhKKZTo_PIw8/s640/Briefield+cover.jpg" width="432" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes a dungeon master needs a basic & down to Earth module & that's where <b>A </b><a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble </a>comes in from<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/advanced_search_result.php?author=Bret%20James%20Stewart" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Bret James Stewart</a>. We get a low level halfling adventure with some heart & heat for the player's PC's. The production & layout are straight up too the level of <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/6459/Doom-Products" style="text-decoration-line: none;">D-oom Products</a> expectations. This adventure is packed with back to back old school value at seventy two pages of campaign setting set up goodness. This adventure packs in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> NPCs,nasty opponents & NPC's, lots of dangerous adventure locales,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">twists & turns for the PC's situations, plus a brand new<br />evil monster with its own brand of weirdness.<br />The cartography for Brierfield, & the Merrywood route to the caves, along with the adventure a cave and dungeon maps are very well done<span style="font-size: 14px;">. But I can't help but feel that everything in </span></span><a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> is an old fashioned campaign set up. While the Tolkein flavor is undeniable its not an adventure that talks down the players or the dungeon master. Here the flavor is akin to a fully fleshed out adventure that can be dragged & dropped as a prime introduction adventure.<br />While this is an introductory adventure for beginning characters the entire adventure feels like a European fairy tale mixed in the with strains of Tolkien shifted through the lens of Dungeons & Dragons.<br /></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1600" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLtI1e4FFQ2ZmXB4vOO9aGK9ODLX8t32FSqLDbJS8iJiPOVo-uU9p1oG5qlVo0eQzhg0V-L5tvJ21t1yd5WRqHZXAYxB40tDnUujywahOQsQxV-C-s1K7-668Ma74QDKC1fajXkZuKAE/s400/Mikalojus_Konstantinas_Ciurlionis_-_FAIRY_TALE_%2528FAIRY_TALE_OF_KINGS%2529_-_1909.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FAIRY TALE (FAIRY TALE OF KINGS) - 1909 </span>has some of the magic of <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> adventure ideals. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's something to be said for bringing in a tradition Dungeons & Dragons style adventure with some solid beginnings for lower tier PC's. At this <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> succeeds in spades. The style of this adventure is one with clear goals & roadways of old school campaign ideals. This is a good thing for beginning characters & players in my opinion. The dungeon master is given all of the tools he or she will need to set up a fine campaign to beginning with.<br />There are several ways I can see using <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a>, one is for a set up for a game of <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/177622/The-Heros-Journey-Fantasy-Roleplaying-Swords--Wizardry?src=hottest_filtered">James Spahn's The Hero's Journey Swords & Wizardry rpg</a> . All of the elements are present in <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> to really bring home the Tolkein while grounding a campaign on the dungeon master's stomping ground. The epicness of the adventure's background setting allows the dungeon master to customize certain adventure elements. </span><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGMAmXI5tjRw1zMclj6Y04rlbe9a8p24tuJUkHQ9pWx8lbLwkMRQPj3GPoQPH-Xtq9pPtT3268KKFr6hNLjEZdDCezFwe1Yle_J3R_pJ_QXbO_4XGQD6gQ2VKeCM6s_Ajq2eO80rW1Ls/s640/Hero%2527s+Journey+cover.jpg" width="430" /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the place where <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> really shines is with <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/64332/Labyrinth-Lord-Revised-Edition?manufacturers_id=760">the Goblinoid Games Labyrinth Lord retroclone game.</a> The whole package slots right into LL with no trouble at all & really brings home that old school feel without giving the players loads of horrid worry. That isn't to say that <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> isn't going to kill your PC's dead quite the contrary. But it means that the players can have a solid time with the adventure right from the dice hitting the table.</span><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="250" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JD1MzseqdiZRdY_-GHe5EeZGDzcCg-qv7ft2R_cg7ji6y0yyCVxC_9Fgz_Y5rg57Tr56-QbqdZN1SwXbfZ8_xI3m_Q1MPJomFbfwhC9diXR9ffqwWWQFzMS6OCp5bkp7mLV92HwHkmQ/s640/LL+cover.jpg" width="492" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> does three things at the table top level & does em right. It presents a great introductory adventure, there is some really nasty business waiting for the PC's, & the adventure serves as a prime price of adventure gaming perfect for introducing new players to the OSR & for killing off the PC's of veterans who get cocky with a first through third level adventure. Is <a href="https://www.rpgnow.com/product/208342/A-Pipeful-Of-Trouble" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">Pipeful Of Trouble</a> worth the money?! Yes I think so. The adventure succeeds on two levels, one it delivers on its promise for adventure! </span></div>
Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-22040281814940488692018-04-05T18:35:00.003-07:002019-09-10T13:05:23.026-07:00Review & OSR Commentary On RPGPundit Presents #26: Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun For Your Old School Wasteland Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1eiEvefKI"></a><br /><br />So today it wad great anticipation that I grabbed a copy of<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/238806/RPGPundit-Presents-26-Mutant-Hordes-of-the-Last-Sun"> Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun. </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I asked for this copy of what looks like Rpg Pundit's dip into the OSR post apocalyptic rpg scene with the Last Sun setting. Sort of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth_(subgenre)">Dying Earth </a>meets gonzo OSR rpg style game setting, Dungeon Crawl Classic or Mutant Crawl Classic players are going to feel right at home here as will Mutant Future rpg fans. There's also a good shot of Tolkein's Middle Earth playing to the strains of some weird Eighties sound track here. None of this is a bad thing for the OSR zine presentation of this setting; <br /><br />" In the gonzo world of the Last Sun, human beings are an endangered species. After the Great Disaster, human numbers have steadily declined throughout the world. Although a few areas still contain a human majority (like the city of Arkhome, detailed in <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/232150/RPGPundit-Presents-16-The-Great-City-of-Arkhome">RPGPunditPresents #16 </a>and <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234673/RPGPundit-Presents-20-The-Great-City-of-Arkhome-2?src=also_purchased">#20</a>), true humans are a very rare breed throughoutmost of the world.<br />While humans have been hunted to near-extinction in some areas (like the Middle-Northern Wildlands, detailed in <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/231538/RPGPundit-Presents-15-Gazetteer-of-the-MiddleNorthern-Wilderlands">RPGPundit Presents #15</a>), it was mostly mutation rather than depredation that<br />has apparently doomed humanity. The time of the Great Disaster, when the Dark Ones entered the world of the Last Sun and waged war against all life, caused an enormous amount of ecological damage to<br />the world. The disappearance of the Ancients, crash of G.O.D. into Emergency Mode, and rebellion of the AI Daemons meant that there was no central control. The loss of the Dwarven Machineholds to the<br />servants of the Dark One also meant that all the machinery that kept strict control over the climate of the world was no longer accessible.<br />The war of the Pythian Elves and their allies against the Dark Ones on the surface of the world created devastation, both technological (radiation and other toxic effects) and magical. As a result of all this,<br />not only did many humans die, but many more were mutated into horrific monsters and monster-races, like the humanoids usually described as goblin-kin. A majority were changed into what are now<br />simply referred to as mutants—they are human-like, but no longer human creatures" <br />So basically Rpg Pundit is steadily working on an OSR post apocalyptic rpg and testing the waters of the marketplace with a slick mutant race generator with a strong eye towards the gonzo end of the spectrum. This product clocks in at eighteen pages & is full of random generators for everything from your mutant's tribal factional background, powers, type, color, & potential additional physical qualities. In addition there's a psychic powers system built into the product that can work in a wide variety of OSR products. Finally there's a random mutant quirky qualities & weirdness table. And there's actually a couple of pieces of pretty decent artwork along with the usual quality layout to the product line. <br /><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="213" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-yB_F4xklVmRlztUyHi0QpQptpWuBb-6XrIEr-g7erBeO7ysygHl_oX3SDrlzUAC476c2fPWyqPfZcYeKL9Y-alPPA3NduexxG_8oXVWZoB5ia1EabmufdIwS5YbJTich6cwV6omHyc/s400/Mutant.png" width="340" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mutant generators walk a very fine line when it comes to execution they have to have enough useful information & lots of great random tables without taking away from the tool box nature of the product. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1eiEvefKI">Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun </a>succeeds in that regard. The three dollar price tag means that the dungeon master can roll up a wide variety of NPC mutants without breaking the bank. It also means that the players have addition customization tools right at their finger tips. There's enough meet on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1eiEvefKI">Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun </a>eighteen pages to give a good idea of the direction of the product without boxing the players completely and utterly into the setting. <br />There's just enough guidance to randomly determine if your PC is a mutant, and what kind of classes he can play without strong arming the player into a corner of dead ends & penalties that many other OSR & old school post apocalyptic products have done in the past. Yes I'm looking at you Ares section of Dragon magazines of ages past. <br />There's a lot here that can be done with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1eiEvefKI">Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">from factional NPC mutant characters to full fledged psychic mutant PC's whose presence won't destroy your wastelands. <br />The inclusion of a working psychic powers system is a nice addition for only three dollars & I can see using this generator for creating humanoid mutant alien species as well. This generator would work well for creating mutant tribes & NPC's on failed colony worlds for science fiction or science fantasy worlds. There's enough here to add mutant PC's to a wide variety of OSR games. The three dollar price tag makes this a nice & solid product for use with OSR games. I don't know if the Last Sun setting is for me but the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1eiEvefKI">Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun </a>is a welcome addition to the post apocalyptic Dungeon master's arsenal. So this one is a five out of five in my book! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/238806/RPGPundit-Presents-26-Mutant-Hordes-of-the-Last-Sun">GRAB RPGPundit Presents #26: Mutant <br />Hordes of the Last Sun RIGHT HERE </a></b></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-8489764966511713992018-03-29T11:21:00.001-07:002018-03-29T11:21:23.913-07:00Depravity and Debauchery Las casas de putas de Satanás A New OSR Mega Dungeon Location & Setting <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To me the winds that die and start,<br />
And strive in wars that never cease,<br />
Are dearer than the level peace<br />
That lies unstirred at summer's heart.</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
More dear to me the shadowed world,<br />
Where, with report of tempest rife,<br />
The air intensifies with life,<br />
Than quiet fields of summer's gold.</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I am the winds' admitted friend:<br />
I share those ancient mysteries<br />
They whisper to the trembling trees<br />
Or roar along the heavens' end.</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
And when my spirit listless stands<br />
With folded wings that do not live,<br />
Their own assuageless wings they give<br />
To lift her from the stirless lands.</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
Within the place unmanifest<br />
Where central Truth is immanent,<br />
Lies there a vast, entire content<br />
Of sound and movement one-in rest?</span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I Know not this: yet in my heart<br />
I feel that where all truths concur,<br />
The shrine is peaceless with the stir<br />
Of winds that enter and depart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="header_title_text">The Winds</span> (1912) </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>by <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Clark_Ashton_Smith" title="Author:Clark Ashton Smith"><span class="vcard" id="header_author_text"><span class="fn">Clark Ashton Smith</span></span></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />On the edges of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jornada_del_Muerto">the Jornada del Muerto</a> a number of boom town cities have grown up around the great alien green black buildings, plazas, & step pyramids that sizzle in the deep desert heat. These appeared over night & the world marveled the golden artifacts,strange technologies, & weird glowing auroras that appeared around the skies around the pyramids.<br /> Mutants, adventurers, outlaws, gamblers, & aliens from 'elsewhere' all converge around villages, towns,etc. as fortunes are made and lost in the otherworldly locations surrounding these pyramids. The whole place is known as </span><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Las casas de putas de Satanás or Satan's whore houses because of the number of demons & monsters of myth & legend that have been seen & have killed people. </span></span><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Las casas de putas de Satanás</span></span> is twenty five miles of some the most dangerous extra dimensional alien ruins, dungeons, & weird landscapes that dominate the desert floor. <br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />The local army, authorities, & occasional CIA Vanguard teams try to cope with the mutant horrors, giant irradiated monsters, and worse that comes out of the deep desert & the volcanic lost world jungles. Meanwhile fortunes are made on the weird artifacts coming from the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Las casas de putas de Satanás. Back in the Eastern United States & in South America a technological revolution has been taking place from these artifacts. But some are saying that these artifacts are allowing 'dark forces' to have influence on reality. Hidden alien presences & so called gods have been sprinkling cults throughout the states & beyond. Several joint US/Mexican militery bases have sprung up around the area including St.McCready, </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">Plissken, & Hicks all named after various war heroes. </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="es"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="800" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCLkwy4DNtIvBh83KE0Pz82bavvWwxIzUYz_f765S2B4F1A29tTP_fnukaHY0yN0dGr_CKurtq85OmoC27abecCbxYygXNTY4Zy5-6JH-tBL2dpHI4n9pp6JaYxfuA39GeGXpN87dt3Q/s400/S10.08_Sakkara%252C_image_9948.jpg" width="400" /></span></span><br />So I've been wanting my own mega dungeon for a long ti</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">me now & I'm going to start tackling it with this new project that I've outlined in the last entry on this blog. Personally I think that I'm going to take the Lovecraft Circle approach to the dungeon location & use some of the ideas of Clark Ashton Smith. <br /><br />I'm going to be using a lot of <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/64332/Labyrinth-Lord-Revised-Edition?src=hottest_filtered">Labyrinth Lord</a>,<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/196062/Apes-Victorious?src=hottest_filtered">Apes Victorious</a> & <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/86683/Mutant-Future-Revised-Edition?src=hottest_filtered">Mutant Future</a> in this one along with a good solid core of <a href="http://www.autarch.co/">Adventurer, Conqueror, King'</a>s line. <br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="1600" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguChqe8342tB9dCPRw9P3Z5Q9bopMzlUlys9khpJ4zxu1gGOwaWboc6UGvRnzI9QYH7DZFeZIdEXI5FEFvAf5VEJUOXGQEo5ym9qpvKEUf34dIohfca7RCPJzEt10OYvxHM3mTIhyphenhyphenf3h8/s400/The_Devil_and_Dr._Faustus_meet._Wellcome_L0031469.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />A lurid poster of the play Dr. Faustus being performed in one of the numerous dance hall theaters around El Marro. <br /><br />More to come! <br /><br /></span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-5725402253516281952018-03-26T10:52:00.003-07:002018-03-26T10:52:38.753-07:00VHS Era Old School Post Apocalyptic Gaming Campaign - OSR Commentary <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /><br /><br /><br />I haven't been happy for a while now with certain aspects of my DYI OSR gaming more specifically the lack of post apocalyptic & cult classic horror table top gaming. A work has been taking its toll on my life in certain aspects in a positive direction. We've gotten busier & busier in the home sewing machine repair realm. That's a great thing but its left me with a bit less time to blog & enjoy myself but today I decided to put down some of my thoughts on my corner of the OSR. The fact is that since about last Thursday or so I returned to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_World">Gamma World</a> & <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/86683/Mutant-Future-Revised-Edition">Mutant Future</a>. Yes I love both games go figure. But I like a much softer apocalyse then what's been presented in both of those game systems. Truth be told I add in bits of <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129194/Fantastic-Heroes--Witchery">Fantastic Heroes & Witchery </a>with <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/99123/Adventurer-Conqueror-King-System">Adventurer,Conqueror, King's rpg system</a> to get the right balance of domain level play. Also my players weren't comfortable with the gun rules of Fantastic Heroes & Witchery's gun rules so we went with <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/187776/Guns-of-War?src=also_purchased">ADK's Guns of War.</a><br />
Two things right off I don't care if certain authors or designers don't get along that's not my problem. Second I've paid for these games & under the games terms of fair use I'm going to use them at my table as I see fit. If my players are happy then I'm happy. So don't bother telling me that me that you got a problem with what I'm writing behind the scenes I don't have time for OSR pissing contests. You've got to understand that there's going to be damage adjustments & other system considerations using <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/78523/Advanced-Edition-Companion-Labyrinth-Lord">Labyrinth Lord & Labyrinth Lord Advance</a>d's monsters & also a fair amount of <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/87813/Realms-of-Crawling-Chaos-Labyrinth-Lord">Realms of Crawling Chaos.</a> <br />
So over the weekend I got a chance to view some cultclassic VHS era horror films that I love. Ghosthouse a horror film from 1988 has pretty much almost everything I'm looking for to kick off a campaign. <br />
<i><b>"Ghosthouse</b></i> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language" title="Italian language">Italian</a>: <i><b>La Casa 3</b></i>) is a 1988 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Italy" title="Cinema of Italy">Italian</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film" title="Horror film">horror film</a> directed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_Lenzi" title="Umberto Lenzi">Umberto Lenzi</a> and produced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_D%27Amato" title="Joe D'Amato">Joe D'Amato</a>. It co-starred Lara Wendel and Donald O'Brien.<br />
Its plot focuses on a deserted house where the visions of a ghostly girl and her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_doll" title="Haunted doll">haunted doll</a> wreak havoc on those who enter it." <br />The film is the unofficial sequel to <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Dead_II" title="Evil Dead II">Evil Dead II</a></i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PM_1-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosthouse_%28film%29#cite_note-PM-1">[1]</a></sup> In Italy, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evil_Dead" title="The Evil Dead">The Evil Dead</a></i> was released under the title <i>La Casa</i> (<i>The House</i>), and <i>Evil Dead II</i> became <i>La Casa II. "</i><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bYxHXN7SWUQ" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />So basically this isn't our world at all. About 1920 or so the rise in interest in the occult & the supernatural reached a fever pitch. The occult was a fringe hobby along with a part time religion. The 'Dark Forces' of the world gained a toe hold. Events escalated in the Depression allowing Hitler and his cronies to gain in power but in 1940's both the Axis & Allies employed dangerous time & dimensional continuum shattering experiments. The Fifties saw the first mutants among mankind & the rise the giant monsters. <br />The early Eighties saw the beginnings of the 'Little Wars' small scale atomic & dimensional warfare allowing even more supernatural seepage into our world & the rise of the mutant front organizations. The Cult of Cthulhu has been working its way into the foundations of society opening doorways for their masters. Meanwhile technologies have become incredibly dangerous as the US government & other world powers use agents, adventurers, and others to try curtail the advancing monsters destroying society from within. <br />This is a world with a slightly higher technological level built upon the backs of genetically modified apes & other mutate animal species after finding the secrets to this genetic fount head out in the fringes of reality. <br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiSCIrNyILDTuVc_lc-FIGDPvIdlufnS_3um_x73G0kmUJaJzsgByYBZh_QSiZlW4jx6-wcj_xQa5HknvtLM80yqYikaR4zrD24gtXMn4nSNjj8qyg4YMktvgtA48eYy50G_sS9dFh6U/s320/VHS_casette.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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VHS tape by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tumi-1983" title="User:Tumi-1983">Tumi-1983</a></div>
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<br />All is not well in society as the major religions are calling for the end of the world as NASA & other governmental organizations stock pile caches of technology, relics, and more in bunkers all over the world & the USA. Riots of mutate workers & servants have happened in several major world cities and these are on the increase even as strangely garbed travelers wander into our home towns & other cities from Elsewhere. <br /><br />Much of this came from reading through <a href="http://mutant-future.wikia.com/wiki/Gamma_World">the Mutant Future Wiki Gamma World Entry </a>over the weekend & taking a look deeper into the first Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Gamma World Conversions again for the billionth time. <br /><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="321" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESiIDbrIoo-rU1hnITI0RAJ9AnERpZQnq8-NEdwWHSV_mnVOu2HghHw1CSDV5G_Fe_A_qBs3WXEw_S4-CkVEKe7UfkpyEnIE6dy1W8L6qGG_QMy2Dl_bHeeE79v8776dKsLeI_HveTSU/s640/DMG.jpg" width="502" /><br /><br /><br />More coming up very soon </div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-44564552621592037922017-05-05T12:11:00.001-07:002017-05-05T12:18:36.632-07:00Commentary Running The Outer Presence From Kort'thalis Publishing Using The Silent Legions Rpg System Rules By Kevin Crawford - Actual Play Event <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The
world is broken in hidden ways. The truth is concealed for the sake of
mortal minds. The unendurable reality that boils behind the stars is
veiled by the pleasant blindness that human sanity requires. Yet every
comforting shroud must fall in time, and for these investigators, that
time is now."<br />So let's peek behind the shroud of Silent Legion today! </span></i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />So like a couple of years ago<a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions"> the Silent Legions rpg </a>had its kickstarter. This OSR game by <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?x=0&y=0&author=Kevin%20Crawford">Kevin Crawford</a> was successfully funded then it was put on a shelf someplace along with a myriad of<a href="http://www.geeknative.com/51582/insanely-good-a-review-of-silent-legions/"> very positive reviews.</a> For months now I've had the pdf sitting on the dark corners of my hard drive & its time to do something with it. So what does Silent Legions bring to the table? A number of things that might look familiar to Stars Without Number dungeon masters. <br /></span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tools for creating eldritch gods, alien races, black sorcery,
unique Lovecraftian magical artifacts, fantastic demi-planes of dream,
and unspeakable cults of foulest evil. Make your players afraid of the
dark again- give them an enemy that's a genuine mystery to them!</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Guides
for the creation of horrific monsters, building them from basic
templates elaborated by unique qualities and special flavors of horror.
Use the example templates for a quick abomination or flesh them out to
be a special nemesis for your players.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Region creation tools for building your own sections of demon-haunted Earth, including <i>sixty</i>
location tags to define the special torments of your land. These tags
are largely compatible with the other tags found in Sine Nomine products
such as <i>Stars Without Number</i> and <i>Scarlet Heroes</i>, so you can mix things up for even more dread chaos.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Adventure
templates for quickly producing an investigative adventure suitable for
sandbox use. You can create "blank" templates out of raw plot elements
and then drop them on top of your region; the blank spaces in the
template interlock with the location tags to create an instant adventure
no matter which location receives the template.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cult rules that adapt the popular Faction system from <i>Stars Without Number</i>
for the dark machinations and secret feuding of the malevolent cults
you create. Keep your world in a steady downward spiral whether or not
the PCs are there!<br /><br />So mechanically how cross compatible is Silent Legions with other OSR systems? Well according to the author's comments on Drivethrurpg;"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Silent Legions, Other Dust, Stars Without Number, and Spears of the
Dawn all share the same system, albeit with a few genre tweaks for the
individual games. Scarlet Heroes uses its own system built for
one-on-one gaming, but even there, it remains basically compatible with
the SWN series, trading the skill system for "traits" and using a
slightly different system for saves." <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2014/12/first-impressions-of-silent-legions.html">I did a quick review of the beta rules way back in 2014</a> after a few edits & some tweaks the game was out in the wild for sale by Kevin Crawford. And that's all I've done with the game system. Sigh. The problem has been that players are used to Call of Cthulhu, Chill, Trail of Cthulhu, etc & don't seem to realize the strengths of the game system that make up Silent Legions as an rpg. Its far easier to get OSR or old school players into a game of Dungeons & Dragons then it is to get them into horror game but that's not all there is to Silent Legions. As an OSR source book well that's where this is one of the strengths of the game. It actually works well to enhance other old school & retroclone systems and can be used as a fast replacement system for Call of Cthulhu. But what does this mean? Well it means that your Fiend Folio 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons book just became a go to horror monster source book. </span><br /><br /><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeIhUyluuLCa6DFVf_YuYi-xsBUV2m9O2gs0olzgtHo6cu4l8NAGckhPf0HS1NQ833dqYXJkaiQtCSDECgqOybKqWj_Tmczq-HVPDxhJNZeTeXoY5Qha0Vyqxynqh2IyGGxTUlxF9a1w/s400/Fiend+Folio.jpg" width="317" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I've heard it argued that OD&D & AD&D 1st edition are horror games which to a certain extent is absolutely true depending upon the tone & take away of the campaign setting. But when you incorporate a family of berbalangs who are straight out of Filipino myth into a modern or a Dark Ages fantasy game using the bits that Silent Legions brings to the table well now your onto a full blown horror campaign. Several of the monster from the Fiend Folio are perfect fodder for the dream realms of Silent Legions ala HP Lovecraft's Dream Lands. </span><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5SRwe_XfWhI1zj67B_NGAruIgZy0-ACBKqKUaVNxN2VHRjVLa6koLlBFoVZYo7yjt6JXG__szF1stUV1XXJvmrm0gWv4u4O5bLHFy7vPD5rxlvTf2gpahCS81h_c9qU1Ge3UeYW2PEA/s400/berbalang.jpg" width="400" /><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Just the other week I ran a group of my regular D&D retroclone players through a modified version of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/154781/The-Outer-Presence"><span itemprop="name">The Outer Presence</span> From Kort'thalis Publishing</a> using Silent Legions. The results were both horrific and very satisfyingly from a dungeon master's perspective. The by play went very well as the players dealt with Miskatonic University and quickly headed to Papua New Guinea set during the 1600's. The results were a TPK but things went off very well. The players were very happy but wanted a bit more meat to their PC's then simply the profession rules of the Outer Presence. Sometimes less is not more especially for experienced players. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><div class="grid_12 product-title">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwiHI0wvZQgspS_NvLZXnYsemlayGdzKlmfeTkaOj7eqADwW5CFyUeWGl0932DJ4ZDYXgN34vJlHNf5LpR5fzfUEK093aqazDqY49LYl1zSmo3FiWsi61y_SOcRoBR15_4ZYsnPkbhXo/s640/The+outer+presence.jpg" width="494" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll be back with more commentary on Silent Legions as I get into the game a bit more but it looks like I'm going to be needing a hard copy of this game sooner then later. Well get more into some of the deeper aspects of Silent Legion next time. <br />Until next time keep em rolling! </span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-52776965131470221142016-12-21T22:31:00.000-08:002016-12-21T22:31:22.954-08:00Commentary & Review Of Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Rpg System Adventure AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara For Your Old School Campaign <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Over a millennium ago, when the borderlands were in the dark grip of
the Zaharan Empire, the empire’s sorcerer-priests erected a profane
temple to house the terrible artifact known as the Stone of Sakkara.
Using the Stone, the sorcerer-priests could birth monsters and
abominations with frightening ease and magically command the loyalty of
chaotic creatures. The Stone brought its evil masters great power
throughout the fell empire. "</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clocking in at eighty pages AX1 The Sinister Stone of Sakkara is an introductory adventure for the Adventurer,Conqueror, King system hearkening back to classic TSR era B/X adventures such as Keep of The Borderlands. By that I mean that it takes all of the existing ACK's products within the Autarch lines and puts them into play as a homage to adventures of a bygone era. The idea of the lone Auran/Roman style keep on an Ancient Egyptian/Mesopotamian border that they have conquered is used as the backdrop for a very well thought out adventure. Here the action is centered on the factions of the dungeon & the PC's must deal with the fall out of the evil that slumbers here. There is a bit of everything in this adventure as its meant to do exactly what the Adventurer, Conqueror, King rule book lays out. That is to explore, deal with, get hired, hex crawl, fight, battle, & play while getting an entire feel for the ACK's system with both the players and the dungeon master cutting their teeth on the The Sinister Stone of Sakkara .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTFuCU6o0tITyS1soPJC3sKOC9thu9BbEt7si2v441PveoE2DP4rqGFpL47SLy03SepeRdZ7gf8-HTLfTz_hkCorD3sDcKToR-selbIpVHujvDVMY7dbxUvVeeldfUh9TFqPHED_5Rco/s640/Stone.jpg" width="499" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everything has a pseudo Lovecraftinan sword & sorcery vibe mixed in with the Auran empire setting. Monsters & encounters have that late night Saturday matinee mixed with a Mountain Dew war game feel. There are actual motivations, as well as reasons why the PC's are here in this part of Türos Tem the place is presented as the stronghold of a realm controlled by a
high-level NPC, with its maps, buildings, population, revenues, costs,
and morale score all detailed and provided. This makes modifying and adding it into your own home game campaigns a snap. Many of your standard ACK's humanoids are present but there are far more sinister things lurking as lots of slimes, molds, jellies, fungus, & worse crawl through the AX1. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tepKvNUgneSTT_8aFFdGWm5JtuaHzek1ygxifJRIaaSNA0cnk0eZfq-UbCfxzr_LUDHV9eqR-ez1I8JGbQU2x0MguaSVK24lKfjz_ENQWDQ_nI9tDJlqJ-jeVD2Va-UUh_B0k2lwyEo/s400/Turos+map.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the players are stupid & make poor decisions their going to have their PC's killed in no time flat, this is a great module but parts of it can be very unforgiving as the writing and design is very tight. Its well done and easily modified but you're going to have to think on your feet. Yes your PC's might end up with their own domain but they might end up a victim of the very evils that they're investigating or being killed by one of the multiple factions of this realm. Action is fast, reactive, and the plot moves along. There is a sense and story to the history of the region that echoes bits of Robert Howard, Michael Moorcock, with a blend of Caesar and Rome thrown into the blender of this module. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCTtRBQuJFszVIJLvZPVGl-SkTQxU9QJBKQ5H47Gr6l_Nq1SesNqFa8mw5O31BP054KuL8XfrDm8aq1CPjUhAsy0amvEIdf96hVVhPq4BCJ9EMvktJ5wzPSgBSuTSPfojUcaTjECpzpA/s400/Turos+map+II.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">NPC's function as movers, shakers, possible patrons, or flat out enenmies of the PC's & the ambitions that they bring to the region & your table. This is a place of sand,blood, evil, & flat out mayhem. Expect no quarter if crossing the wrong person or their hidden agendas. The powers that use this region do so with intent and guile. This is because the whole adventure of AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara is a guide as well as adventure intended to take the PC's through the whole of the ACK's system in miniature. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhhAJPAN_WwNtfAVlet8vazpCN6vgAjLJo3JIscGpPFGXIdb-TEQl_DN4JbhQre0KdJR2s8aTet258LNeJEtVzEGyd7PquljacERT8vb4KqkZss7B0Z0smYB4D2uG1giltpVssNAOZ-w/s400/Temple+Map+Turos+I.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once again we've got that classic collapsing empires of earth’s Late Antiquity (250 – 750 AD) as the mirror of the age of Auran that AX1 is set. A
turbulent era in which ancient glories were drowned in a torrent of
violence & murder. So this is a perfect place for the PC's to make their mark as they come to explore the dungeons & environs of The Sinister Stone of Sakkara. I was somewhat shocked by how underpowered the NPC's are in this adventure, well not really. This adventure's NPC's reminded me of Dark Albion's 'anyone can be killed' in the Rose War attitude. Because there's also an almost boom town/end of empires set of circumstance that surrounds the setting of the Sinister Stone of Sakkara. This is so that the PC's can not only make their mark but possibly take over the local domain if their very lucky. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenOvO9pZ6Qy1vwtVrlU4FL-Bhkox9vDWbzzZLUJgB0hA9TpfekaKoZhNuX_pqXZimuTHgM0jb3o-2Cwy7KQcz9gTqv0-LUyp7uc6gtRz3_MNT7FUjBn_H0njlMK8RzICh0W3nrn9m_m4/s640/Gnoll.jpg" width="452" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustration of gnoll diplomacy, requested by Jeff Binder</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Certain things about this adventure stand out such as the fact that it integrates & plays around with Adventurer,Conqueror, King's Domains of War. The aspects of military & trade details is fitted in seamlessly within the adventure but its a weird fit in some respects unless of course you're used to war games being a part of your old school systems. The aspect of the war game as a part of the dungeon crawl hearkens back to the old school roots of OD&D when empire building was part and parcel of the gaming experience. Many independent companies kept this style of table top adventure going even as AD&D took another twist. AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara builds upon & to some degree advances this concept on paper. How? By making the players take their PC's center stage or dying in the attempt. Even the description has this conceit built right in, "AX1 includes a two-level dungeon filled with chthonic horror along with
a friendly stronghold from which your adventurers can explore the
region."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjUlNzrxOD4IRMfgP0XaJmIPxkW-faPqJUP_MsusNOFUr864uxoYeTRByh56iZU3zUai-k3dVipwsKkxvd0eFW1YtugjjRhyphenhyphenaTtEVYZ_rDH0sP_Uhq5njGzUCg03os8yJVVOuzx6UvQE/s400/Illustration+of+a+raven+spying+on+Lady+Valerian+and+Hometri+Socolo%252C+requested+by+Florian+H%25C3%25BCbner.jpg" width="400" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustration of a raven spying on Lady Valerian and Hometri Socolo, requested by Florian Hübner</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara isn't Dwimmermount & for that I'm thankful. Even though I'm an experienced dungeon master there are several systems that Adventurer, Conqueror,King brings to the table that I need a bit of hand holding with. There is also the fact that introducing new players to this system is an added stress but reading through AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara the experience doesn't seem so bad. I really like the Character Motivations table, which adds an interesting twist to the 'reason a PC is this way' and the motive for adventure. <br /><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTdpxY-TF2N8iNkgR2WtHBn8jhQa2x4ddCvzyV46XFGOBjLM_WtMivfRwJ-Ja8rGq8ilDBUZEK6qPn4vS3dYsyw2wxPMIpbZj4yNtmJ90Ywp10vCdjMY-8A4QhafUYu8Nw13zCrCigPY/s400/Entryway.jpg" width="400" /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />The motives for the adventure in part are the war bands of beast men looting, sacking, pillaging throughout the countryside to gather sacrifices to power the
Stone’s birthing pools again. Local farms and hamlets have been laid low and destroyed. <i><br /><span style="font-size: small;">This sets up everything for the PC's to get into the deep end of this adventure & perhaps become entangled in the adventure's plot and weird horror that echoes through out. All in all I did enjoy looking through & reading </span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara. I think its a four out of five for the style, utility of use at the table, an economical use of writing and some fine gaming designing in the old school traditions. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All in all I think that X1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara does a fantastic job of presenting not only a great quality introductory adventure for Adventurer,Conqueror, King. But a great set up for a possible domain and base for the PC's all the while bringing the high quality Autarach standards we've come to expect. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/156763/The-Sinister-Stone-of-Sakkara"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>YOU CAN GRAB AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara here! </b></span></a></span><br />
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-27184765751605957762016-12-15T07:26:00.000-08:002016-12-15T07:26:10.448-08:00A Review Of Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Lairs & Encounters book For Use With Your Old School Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are times when I need to know facts about monsters such as background, where the monster is dwelling, how long the horror has been in its location, the social background of the beast, are there others of its species within a certain number of square miles, & more. All of this material sometimes needs to be joined together in a concise & coherent way. Well that's where <span itemprop="name">Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters comes in. This book breaks down all of these details & more. This book continues the high caliber standard set by the other </span>Autarch titles. The physical book isn't out quite yet but the pdf sells for around ten dollars. Everything in this book is geared toward creating monsters that can deal with PC's on an even footing & then come back for more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReL0SbwY99Cwrjn8V9mSJPglQi4pC3hyphenhyphenABMPNISyjQ_0yC5KcMgsauEuP-_rz-5QEusGx0mWUlEThsKmEa97_W_UxCsZUyPMID2MH4MXH1iWs5wYowO-61APbmRYHOP0Uec1zuxfWeP4/s640/Lairs-Encounters.jpg" width="470" /><br /><br />Some of the highlights of this include the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More than <b>135 ready-to-play monstrous lairs </b>- that's at least
one lair listing for every possible monster lair mentioned in the
Adventurer Conqueror King System. The lair listings are designed to be
used both as domain and adventure plot points that can be shaped to the adventures that DM wants to run. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">New subsystems for sandbox play, including rules for <b>populating 6-mile hexes with lairs</b> based on the terrain and extent of settlements in the region, and rules for <b>searching for lairs</b> in the wilderness factoring in terrain density, aerial reconnaissance,
splitting up to cover more ground (never split the party!), and these are one of my favorite bits of Lairs & Encounters. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Additional mechanics for monsters, including <b>ability scores for monsters</b>, <b>proficiencies for monsters</b>, and <b>young monsters</b>. This takes the monster from simple hazard & a quick encounter to a fully fleshed out NPC. This ties in with the Taming & Training rules which hits & then paves the way for fully fleshed out pets. The system ups the anty for <b>taming and training monsters</b>, complete system details on the lifespan, roles, tricks, trained and untrained value,
supply cost, training period, and the trainability modifier of every
monster in the game. All of this means simply that monsters, animals, pets, even live stock have a fair market value. Another addition to the dungeon that gives players even more trimmings to add to the PC in, out of, and as a part of the dungeon. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These are pretty well done a complete system for <b>creating your own unique monsters</b>.now we bring our same rigorous attention to details, customization, hacking of traditional D&D style monsters for the dungeon and the wilderness as well as urban materials. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are samples throughout the book presenting the types of details on monsters that I haven't seen since the days of the 'ecology of' Dragon magazine articles. There are samples of monster lairs and the details that go with them. There are lots of uses for all of this material and I have to say that it back ties into the Adventurer, Conqueror, King main rule book. This is a welcome and wise decision to the DM who wants to bring the monster goodness to their tables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's a good example of the level of detail that I'm talking about that appears in the Lairs & Encounters book:"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>MEN, BRIGANDS </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A fortified camp, with barracks, tents,
and a large command pavilion, surrounded by a log palisade, is home to
renegade mercenaries from the Company of the Black Thorn. They survive
by raiding towns and robbing caravans and travelers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img alt="Cartography by Simon Forster" class="fit" height="388" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/004/485/939/f7b7f8e4e68704671cb34628dd5551f4_original.jpg?w=680&fit=max&v=1442079137&auto=format&q=92&s=b6b03edb018de118925dea38ad8a3d0b" width="400" />
</span><figcaption><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cartography by Simon Forster</span></figcaption>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are 100 Brigands (AC 3, Move 120’, HD 1, hp 5 each, #AT 1
weapon, Dmg by weapon, Save F1, ML +1, AL C) equipped with leather
armor, shield, sword, and shortbow, and another 100 mounted Brigands (AC
5, Move 120’, HD 1, hp 5 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon, Save F1, ML
0, AL C) with chain mail, shield, sword, and riding horses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They are led by <i>Inthorn</i>, their captain (AC 7, Move 60’, F9, hp 45, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +6, Save F9, ML 0, AL L/C), equipped with <i>spear +2</i>, <i>sword +2</i>, plate armor, shield, and a plate-barded medium warhorse. He wears a red-plumed bronze <i>helm of alignment change</i>,
which has turned him chaotic and led to his band going rogue, as well
as a dragon-hide sword belt studded with hematite (900gp) and a wrought
gold necklace set with thorn-shaped hematite (1,200gp).
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inthorn keeps a war-chest of 7,000gp, which is about one month’s
operating expenses for the band. In a small locked coffer, trapped with a
poison needle, he keeps 7 bloodstones (50gp each), 5 amethysts (100gp
each), 6 amber (100gp each), 3 topaz (500gp each), and 1 sapphire
(1000gp each). He keeps 3 wrought gold goblets (700gp), a gold decanter
(800gp), and gold bowl (500gp) in the command tent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inthorn has 4
lieutenants (AC 6, Move 60’, F5, hp 25 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon
+2, Save F5, ML 0), 5 sergeants (AC 6, Move 60’, F4, hp 20 each, #AT 1
weapon, Dmg by weapon +2, Save F4, ML 0, AL C), and 10 corporals (AC 6,
F2, hp 10 each, Move 60’, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +1, Save F2, ML 0,
AL C), all equipped with plate armor, sword, lance, and warhorse.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Accompanying the mercenaries-turned-brigands is <i>Dairin</i>, a
powerful chaotic wizard (AC 0, Move 120’, M11, hp 22, #AT 1 weapon or
spell, Dmg by weapon or spell, Save M11, ML 0, AL C). Dairin wears <i>elven cloak and boots </i>and carries a <i>wand of enemy detection</i> (20 charges) and a <i>scroll of cloudkill and conjure elemental</i>. His spellbook has the following spells: <i>burning
hands, charm person, detect magic, magic missile, shield, sleep; detect
invisibility, invisibility, knock, mirror image, web; dispel magic,
fireball, fly, invisibility 10’ radius, protection from normal missiles;
conjure elemental, cloudkill; death spell</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inthorn’s new lover is <i>Olyma</i>,
a priestess of Nasga (AC 8, Move 90’, C8, hp 28, #AT 1 weapon or spell,
Dmg by weapon or spell, Save C8, ML 0, AL C). Olyma is equipped with
polished black <i>plate armor +1</i>, a whip, a spiked mace, a shield, an unholy symbol (a silver statuette of a bat-winged woman with a whip), and a <i>potion of poison</i>. She wears a pair of engraved silver armlets (600gp each) and a platinum tiara set with a ruby (1,300gp)." Needless to say that this sort of work is scattered across the board in Lairs & Encounters. This makes Lairs & Encounters a monster path book, that is not simply a source book but a source book that creates within its wake a way of detailing a monster as much as the setting within the context of an adventure or campaign.<br /><br /><br />Where ACK's is designed expressly for the purpose of providing interesting domain-level play, putting the "game" back into the endgame; Lairs & Encounters takes the domain level game applies that concept into the background of the monster. This means that the concept of the monster becomes two things one it becomes the competition, the horror, the mythological concept and antithesis to the PC's within their domains. The second thing it does is makes the animal or being that is being used within a game as much of a resource as any of the other natural game elements to be exploited by the DM. It means that those within your domains are going to be far more <a href="http://muleabides.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/pledge-allegiance/" target="_blank">eager to seek the protection of those more powerful than themselves. </a><br />This gives a whole other aspect to monsters as protection, rulers, etc. within those hexes that parties seem to continue to crawl through. <br /><br />Another thing about Lairs & Encounters that's the 'encounter' part there is the gravity of history in many of the encounters that are created within this book. Many plug into the 'official' ACK's setting but they can easily be applied to your own campaigns for example:"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>SKELETON
</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ground here is torn up by the remains of nine ancient
Zaharan scythed chariots, broken and partially covered by webs, dust,
and sand. Here and there the jagged blades stick up from the scattered
chariot wheels. Each character passing through or searching the area has
a 1 in 6 chance of stepping on one of these partly-buried blades and
suffering 1d3 points of damage. 18 skeletons (AC 2, Move 120’, HD 1*, hp
4 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg 1d6, Save F1, ML N/A, AL C), with rusted mail
and jagged, broken scimitars, litter the ancient battlefield in
clusters near the chariots. They will rise to attack if blood is shed. " This is something to keep in mind when designing your own encounters and this book has the tools, guidelines, and more to help you out with that. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsPtJdQDdBHpY0WEEoX1Jtqi7EIu7mWgq1u9HFKdxonbD7zbCvzHPIXl26IalvX8iXpn2_CJOAHPjCF9M15qCsxqkXRqGyye1Dn6v1ENmmzpsc9IohpsnsAdFPgApaL3pnkHoBdGaYpI/s400/Monolith.png" width="400" /><br /><br />Something else to keep in mind is that Lairs & Encounters plugs into Domains at War, ACKS' expansion focusing on mass combat and how it
relates to all other aspects of the game, from monsters in domain management to
mercenary wages to mercantile supply and demand all centered around the aspects of the monster. By popular demand, they
have distilled just the mass combat system itself to an ~8 page kernel
which they are planning to add as an expansion but Lairs & Encounters slides right into the backside of this material. That means that all of those battle grounds, war fields, places of violence, ancient war sights and more have the real potential to turn into adventure locations unto themselves. This is something to keep in mind when running games after a party has passed through hex '5671' and they're entirely done with looting the bodies and the bandits, mercenaries are dead. Their foes can rise again to cause problems for the locals and you might have to back to clean up your messes. <br />There are several reasons to really get into </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters: </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">When you want a really well thought out lair for an adventure or hex crawl that not only blends into the setting but enhances the adventure material adding in another layer of adventure </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">Sometimes competition is good & monsters can add an entirely unforeseen complication for those domain owners. Monsters domains can also be a readily made domain for PC's to take over(Lairs & Encounters can make that process very wily and interesting as well). </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">Fast set up and lots of prefab encounters that can be dragged and dropped into your own adventure enviroments to serve as bridge gaps when you've got fifteen minutes before your players arrive and nothing written. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">Expanded war game ties for domains of war that make those war games an actual part of the adventure with monstrous tie ins. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="name">This book can be used to enhance, expand, and blow life into the factions and background of existing or classic modules to give new twists on modules or adventures that parties have already played through. Take Keep of The Borderland and suddenly it becomes more then a simple introduction adventure, it becomes an introduction to factional warfare with monsters surrounding a tiny island of humanity in the wilderness on the border of war! Drag & drop in some of the encounters and the entire tone of the adventure changes! </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span itemprop="name">Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters is a very useful book with lots of utility at the table the </span>mechanics to create balanced new monsters, new spell powers, and other enhancements for foes itself is worth the price of admission because it can be applied for any OSR retroclone game with B/X D&D at its heart. Is it worth the ten dollar price of admission? Well in a word yes if you're used to creating your own adventures with in the confines of your campaign world and you want a book with the right tools for the job. <span itemprop="name">Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters ties directly back into the Adventurer, Conqueror, King main rule book making this one very thought out monster & encounters book. <br />Do I think its worth the money for this book? In a word yes! Go buy it and will I be using it! <br /><br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197368/Lairs--Encounters?filters=180_0_0_44499_0">GRAB THE </a></span></span><span itemprop="name"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197368/Lairs--Encounters?filters=180_0_0_44499_0">LAIRS & ENCOUNTERS BOOK<br /> FOR ADVENTURER,CONQUEROR, KING FROM HERE </a></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-50615176723785136442016-12-12T16:20:00.000-08:002016-12-12T16:20:47.937-08:00Review & Commentary On Guns of War From Autarch For Adventurer,Conqueror,King Rpg System, Lamentations of the Flame Princess Rpg, & Your Old School Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I've been gone a good portion of the day & how this review came about is a bit tangled. I've been rummaging around the a great many Adventurer, Conqueror, King titles for the better of a year now. Yes, I have friends of mine who feed my OSR habit quite regularly & I've been off the ranch for a long time now. This means I review what I want when I want as well as how I want. Still there are titles that I don't have access to so I hit up Alexander Macris with an email. Well the gentleman is a very busy guy and all, so I don't like bothering him. At least that's what I thought. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wham two nights later I had a bunch of titles from the ACK's line up sitting in my inbox!? Among them was 'Guns of War', yeah great another 'fire arms' set of rules rattled through my head at about two A.M. <a href="https://talestoastound.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/fallen-world-campaign-lotfp-nineteenth-through-twenty-first-session-or-how-the-lamplighters-found-a-ship-to-sail-to-different-worlds/">Then I was zipping through G+ & came across this Lamentations of the Flame Princess play through. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wait?! There's a whole supplement on black powder weaponry that could be used with both ACK's & Lamentations? Given my obsession of wheel lock weaponry & my love of all things Lamentations colour me interested folks. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexVLGyYB4YVPgGiLa-yECOT3L0FtpOoa2O28kZIESdaltl88Wl1EbE7YjSqM6v-E5GYeMQ8g2snz7nABFW6R3Qj_Qb_vah4kBLIES37sa4ppEjUsJMaIg8c-TPxa4czpRq4Jq8BpXKCc/s640/product_120457.jpg" width="504" /><br /><br />So what does 'Guns of War' bring to the table? Well its a supplement that brings the timeline for ACK's up to the age of black powder weaponry not simply for the humans but most of the major races of the Adventurer,Conqueror, King & Lamentations of the Flame Princess. This adds an entirely new dimension to these OSR games themselves. This brings that setting dynamic into a new light entirely. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Guns of War brings you all the rules you need to add the gunpowder,
firearms, and artillery of the Age of Pike and Shot into your fantasy
role-playing game. This century-and-a-half period was an age of war more
terrible than any that had come before, as the technology of battle
changed more rapidly than it had in any time in the preceding 3,500
years of human history. It was also an age of apparent anachronism made
real, as plate-clad knights battled rifle-armed soldiery, field
artillery fired on pikeman, and swords hung alongside pistols on the
belts of cavalry.
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guns of War is designed for use with Autarch’s Domains at War (D@W)
rules for military campaigns and battles. You will also need a copy of
Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS), Lamentations of the Flame
Princess (LOFTP), or a similar D20-based fantasy role-playing game to
use this book."<br /><br />But is it worth getting into? Well from a dollar stand point my answer is 'yes' it adds whole new aesthetic to these games and it could be used with Dark Albion as well because its going to change events across the board in broad gun powder clouded strokes. The age of powder & shot becomes an entirely new set of dynamics & history stalking changes to the set up of games. This means that the material has a has a vaguely 13th-15th century feel to it in equal measure. Guns of War manages to do all of this in fifty eight pages of jammed black powder packed book. Does this really make a difference in the dungeon? Not really when your wearing twelve hand grenades packed with black powder called the 'twelve apostles'. Because your going to be facing down things like this Ifreet in some God forsaken megadungeon. <br /><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47Nr58MgOAugI1wkdVkt_Tf1NsyW7MNGb843Ev-ekB7mS7v-rAobz7vNlPA-oLZGbZquRXzgbHq64HKcwyJ19qSi74LwDeQTDl44lYwepAUmLIaIjxuqE4Lh12KjdDg_lPh__xgfN1rk/s640/artwork.jpg" width="492" /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Guns of War does the job of taking ACK's from the dungeon into other realms of adventure into things like the a fantasy age of piracy, full on full city siege warfare with cannons, mixing up with the forces of darkness with powder, and much more. I make this book sound like one of the essentials for ACK's don't I? Well that's because technically in my estimation it is! <br />When you have chain mail clad warriors fighting with pistols & swords then you've got a different mix of a game setting happening. </span></span><br /><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGC-uIuOe3R6jpKnutgBDE7_VCATPe4U2a7rONCWqFDNY_9flUMae2PsGlTU0ID_F08vjgWsUC2-sVzI98wzFpOO2zPLlfyU7i-d3NMloMQhJcjxpaUqdTc663fNdpCBfabYBMIVGlAQ/s400/il_fullxfull.293449624.jpg" width="311" /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guns of War presents its material concise and well laid out details with the rules, tables, & descriptions being very easy to read as well as the content presented in a way that's easy on the eyes. The artwork is public domain with an eye towards the real world history whist keeping the book grounded in the ACK's setting (sort of). Because it moves the technological time table up there is a sense that Guns of War has at its core the OSR with an eye towards taking systems to the next level or at the very least the next time period. This book has lots of potential because of its use in </span><span itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ACKS Domains at War but that's a blog entry for another time.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What it also means is that I can now run Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg materials within the ACK's system quite well. Things are not seamless but they work quite well so that suddenly that mini wall of Lamentations of the Flame Princes books has lots of potential in the ACK's system. This is another mark of the ulitity of the ACK's material at the gaming table. All in all I really enjoyed Guns of War so much so that I called the print shop today to get myself a copy of this pdf spiral bound. I give it four out of five because not only was I pleasantly surprised by Guns of War. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/187776/Guns-of-War"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>GRAB</b></span></a></span><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/187776/Guns-of-War"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span itemprop="name"> 'Guns of War' </span>From <br />Autarch Right HERE </b></span></a><br />
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-69822481611580234242016-12-10T22:45:00.000-08:002016-12-10T22:45:06.728-08:00Review & Commentary On The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Player's Companion By Alexander Macris <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yeah, I've been around the table top rpg hobby for a long while now at forty seven years old & I've seen my fair share of 'character guides' & companions. But then Adventurer, Conqueror, King shows up with its B/X leanings, proficiency system, and customization factor then more. So there are always books that are touted as essential out in the table top market but then you've got the <span class="relative">Player's Companion for the Adventurer Conqueror King RPG. So what the hell is so essential in this book? Right off the top it features:"</span><br />16 new character classes to expand your campaigns, including the
anti-paladin, barbarian, dwarven fury, dwarven machinist, dwarven
delver, elven courtier, elven enchanter, elven ranger, gnomish
trickster, mystic, paladin, shaman, Thrassian gladiator, warlock,
witch, and Zaharan ruinguard." One of the strengths of ACK's is how the PC classes fold into the campaign setting material.</span> <br /><br /><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8RBId0DZ_T8iaX4AZJ3NwmidXmvTVbegAIt4-SSPelV0Xrc3NxH8jQ_HA3fbmnnvV0jtxIEaO-cBiYGUJOdtyj-6CNXLwPvvsQr-opCFeNDUo_iVav_b56siIbPINJN-Ahjhj-ymoUE/s640/ACK%2527s+companion+title+piece.jpg" width="492" /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /> Everything in the sixteen new character classes ties in with the Auran Empire material and the implied setting set up from the character section of the main Adventuerer,Conqueror, King rpg rule book. This is a round about way of insuring the dungeon master & his players are going to be engaged in the world setting of the book but with enough room for customization. This is one of the differences between a second tier & generation OSR product or more 'modern' rpg systems. The amount of crunch helps to keep things wide open for player choice. This trickles down into the '238 character generation templates with pre-selected proficiencies,
spells, and equipment options to create archetypes such as the
Aristocrat Bard, Buccaneer Thief, Gladiator Fighter, or Runecaster
Shaman' These PC materials wrap character creation into essentially a kit like structure that actually works similar too but distinct from the old Skills & Powers second edition set up.You choose one of the "archtypes" to cut down on character preparation time to get up & playing as soon as possible. <br /> This section actually works & ties back into the Antiquity style of the Auran Empire. But it can be just as easily used with a straight up Sword & Sorcery style campaign setting of one's own design. Even magic system which adds new spells can easily be ported over to a sword & sorcery setting especially with dweomers such as <em><em>dismember</em>, <em>earth's teeth</em>, </em>and <em>trance</em>, as well as ritual spells including <em>cataclysm</em>, <em>plague</em>, <em>temporal stasis</em>, and <em>undead legion. </em></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ols-o9ntCfBUQmTOmU0u8xv_AcwublLIGqzst3pPsPYhRFi_k9N7ljZrW4rMbc9B4f2YKroLW67BOBjHcJ6ruHNhWKsmfMdNiDxB3zEZ0Vocfd9afCc-nfLQ0rGtUB1gGNI7PXwwBqI/s400/browning_assassin.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />Do you have a favorite OSR PC class? Well there's a really nice DYI character customize class built section too. And additional domain rules that tie back into both the existing ACK's rules book & the Player's Companion;"</em>A point-based customized class system that lets you create the perfect
blend of fighting, thievery, divine, and magical power. The custom class
creation rules are 100% backwards compatible with every class in the <em>ACKS </em>core rules and all of the classes in the Player's Companion." Once again there's more justification for dungeons & adventure locations to exist as the NPC can and will grow along with their PC counterparts;"</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Additional equipment and proficiencies to provide options for character
classes new and old, plus prices for building traps to defend your
stronghold".<br /></span><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYbNyI-AWv2rPhilpe1CujwBoqr6U55pauxoq37F2xunrwlzwSmCCxyWMWzgawwa6TuakSJNrKz2U4S8fWN8joFegjZ3U6blSf1MZ0op7t0jOmHri3vAXNeC2bbuoPsGlOcuDqKgR_WA/s640/sharktipede.jpg" width="498" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is an <span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body">an emphasis on the political and kingdom building aspects as intended right from the main ACK's rule book which continues straight though the The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Player's Companion. This is something that makes it useful for the creation of both PC's & NPC's a welcome change of pace from many other rule books. All in all this well rounded approach to ACK's by the Player's Companion makes this one of the essential ACK's purchases. Its well put together, has a no nonsense approach to its subject matter and the sheer volume of material makes The Adventurer, Conqueror, King:Player's Companion a must have for any player or ACK's dungeon master. Clocking in at about thirty five dollars the hard cover has some really nice value for the dollar. <br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Adventurer-Conqueror-King-System-Companion/dp/098498321X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_sims?ie=UTF8"><span style="font-size: large;">You Can Purchase The Player's Companion In Hard Back Here <br /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Essentially all you need to run a complete campaign is the ACK's rule book & the ACK's Player's Companion</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Player's Companion is on my short list of books to get in hardback for 2016 at some point. </span></span></span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-8389839458056987882016-12-09T09:28:00.000-08:002016-12-09T09:28:06.856-08:00Review & Commentary On The Auran Empire Primer By Alexander Macris For The Adventurer, Conqueror, King RPG System <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went into the<span itemprop="name"> <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197374/Auran-Empire-Primer">Auran Empire Primer </a>with open eyes not expecting that much, this is the implied & now fully fleshed out OSR setting for the Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg system. The whole setting implies not so much the usual Sword & Sorcery of D&D but </span> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Antiquity">Late Antiquity,</a> around 250 - 750 AD.<b>"Late Antiquity</b> is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization" title="Periodization">periodization</a> used by historians to describe the time of transition from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_antiquity" title="Classical antiquity">classical antiquity</a> to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a> in mainland <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" title="Europe">Europe</a>, the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean" title="Mediterranean">Mediterranean</a> world, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East" title="Middle East">Middle East</a>. " . This is the time period that saw
the Roman Empire split in two, with the western half eventually dying
while the eastern half of the empire continuing until 1453.Auran isn't the Roman Empire, there are some really interesting marked differences right off the bat. The fact that Auran is an empire with its cracks beginning to really taking its toll on many fronts means that there are lots of places for adventurers to make a difference. The setting is close to a Constantinople of the era of Antiquity in many respects including a reaming cross section of peoples, religions,and weirdness of a world on the edge. This is a place of forbidden black magic, the blackest magic that cracks peoples souls & beastmen capable of rending an empire in half. <br /><br /><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aWhAU1bdP5kFMdOHpC_sLUuS_EY_EXlOgi4hyphenhyphenEMRFSBzrahQLtmWGA-hj1hLd4ONcg6iKfdhbvn8mfNZkT1lCNtBlm2BuLAN_b6UU4_n3YxDG8yyPtMnczMk0UtQRpDZdAk_jp-G5As/s640/197374.jpg" width="466" /><br /><br />This book presents in twenty five pages an overview of places, things, religions, cultures, and other elements that we've heard in other ACK's products such as <i>ACKS Player's Companion</i>, <i>The Sinister Stone of Sakkara</i>, & <i>Axioms</i> digital magazine. That's pretty much only half of the material though. <br />What this book actually is a showcase of the elements from Adventurer, Conqueror, King & a kit for creating your own world if you want to look past the usual set pieces & system place holders which one finds in other OSR games. This system has a good grounding in real world as its inspiration & that to me seems to make a solid difference;"The ancient civilizations that precede the campaign’s era have realworld<br />cultural analogues as well. The ancient Argollëan elven civilization resembles a sort of Proto-Helleno-Celtic culture; imagine if the Danaans of Ancient Greece and the Danaans of Ancient Ireland<br />were actually the same people, part of a single, more advanced civilization. The ancient Thrassian civilization is inspired by Sumerian civilization with an Aztec aesthetic, while the subsequent Zaharan civilization is inspired by pre-Hellenistic Akkadian civilization with some Egyptian flavoring. The early Auran “Empyrean era” civilization draws on elements of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Sea Peoples, with extensive Heroic Age Greco-Roman (Illiad, Aeneid) inspirations." This is a case of heavy is the head that wears the crown and that head just might be your PC, if their very lucky & the players might think outside the box. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_dmsWNzQg4rkWjnEdoMvO3ZmRMy_CQYvN5jqFrzq5mX8kEWIczPbghlk0vwGmWBzSX-o8s-zauta8Oz-Bn8phdYGFGa21q64FDsUEBidM0VPU5XceMVruCFDFeGdfNR_rKUR2qP-ybBw/s400/1024px-John_William_Waterhouse_-_The_Favorites_of_the_Emperor_Honorius_-_1883.jpg" width="400" /><br />If your really lucky this just might be your character. <br /><br />So what does the <span itemprop="name">Auran Empire Primer bring to the table that's different then say Greyhawk or some other old school rpg setting book? Not much & that's fine with me! Let me explain here, the book presents a brief bite sized overview of the Auran world setting & it does it with a nice level of presentation along with some really well done artwork, cartography, and ideas. The overview is brief, to the point, and gives me exactly the level of detail that I want without overwhelming me with lots of filler BS that I don't need. In other words this is a place that I want to set adventures in.Its not a world that is so on fire that I as a DM don't have room or a elbow space to set up my own political or world events in. This is often one of the problems that I've had with other RPG products, the world events are happening right now! There's no time to get to know anything or do great deeds, your characters have to be heroes now! Well they do but in a system such as Adventurer, Conqueror, King they're going to need to build PC in roads into the world. This book helps to fill in the colour and setting material that you need. <br />Did I mention that the book sells for only two dollars and fifty cents? All in all I think that the </span></span><span itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Auran Empire Primer does a really killer job of presenting the world of the empire and its very well done product.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197374/Auran-Empire-Primer"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GRAB IT OVER HERE </span></a></span></span></div>
Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-8950885227270533252016-12-07T22:52:00.000-08:002016-12-09T09:12:34.040-08:00Time To Dust Off Ancient & Accursed Terra With The Adventurer,Conqueror, King, Rpg With A Twist <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">black season <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">up<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ancient Terra <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">once more the shadows grow long <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">& the monsters hunger from the shadows<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw1Zii6UOAmvEkvLLVVtAL90mnNmUd3vIlikjVjCFPRLzHEMwKLZFXDkrr-Jz4cVi0AzX4pDC2goN3gCYNIcxIMnxtzh4dQDJGg7vNvLq52lUCNXp4t8nSpMZMGGAXXlc42sIRHGRfUs/s400/Kov%25C3%25A1cs_Ancient_Hungarian_in_front_of_a_Castle_1852.jpg" width="288" /><br /><br />Beyond the demon haunted Borea Winds there are other worlds such as Thule, Atlantis, and many other places where the settlers from Old Earth came from thousands of years ago. This is a world of insanity, intrigue, monster haunted woods, and dungeons vast as well as deep inhabited by monsters. It was here that the battles of Ragnarok were fought & the gods died. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlog1pa_jJ7HUCA5QOfRF9JrAFJIX4QZ7m49JA-dbwfUSZqUMK9gwHBSweD56OKXLmZWsyUcjqx1dkx2cWlgmn9bSeb3-_CZ3MZYvR_-UUIIyZA6VPasK4pr4v_YDhU4MHE_7vgK4IqqI/s640/Stories_of_beowulf_wiglaf_and_beowulf.jpg" width="496" /><br /><br />This is a world of terrible secrets, horrid legacies, vast ruin haunted plains. Man hides in his walled city states guarded by the forces of the Terra current & ancient technologies he hardly understands anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity,
and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction,
have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will
open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall
either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of
a new dark age."<br /><br />HP Lovecraft 'The Call of Cthulhu' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XESMaNI4NW5yNiS15wAjrqf0x4pmKgp7E5Ou72YR7vXRY5ydMHdmGphy3e894s7-yztoHsLpCqQjhSvIsllMletUlIWaQfj2pBb9bnKzHu9d65Zt23G8_eelOYN3-pewYTTJmzP3iRc/s400/Picture+036.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />Ancient & accursed Terra is a world in need of heroes as the seasons of blackness engulf this world. Lo did the wars of the serpent men & the K’n-yan peoples turned the land into a blasted waste. Many peoples were made strange & frightening by the energies unleashed by these two powers. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But
those days are long past and only now are men emerging from the
darkness and the long silence that followed in the wake of the sinking
of Atlantis,Mu, & places whose names have passed into legend. But their survivals even now plot to
retake this world from the darkness beyond the poles where the Elder
Things and the Great race once seeded the interior world.Mankind
sends adventurers of its races into the dark places to plunder
ancient ruins, learn the secrets of those who were once masters and to take
the relics, artifacts, and treasures they left behind.
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And even what they left
behind <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span></span> still guarded by monsters and sometimes far stranger things. The survivors & dangerous inhabitants of the civilizations of those who came before wait & plot in dark places for your blood. <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not gun, no<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">r<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> magic<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, nor even the bravest hero ca<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n keep these at bay<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br /> And that's whe<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">re you come in<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">! <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just beyond the fire light something howls for your blood <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is your sword hand o<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">r spell </span> ready f<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or that monster? </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what's the deal here? Well I've gotten approved for a local game shop for a campaign down in my home town. Since I've been itching for the better part of a year to run <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/99123/Adventurer-Conqueror-King-System">Adventurer, Conqueror, King.</a> This is the perfect opportunity to use <a href="https://mutantsmagic.wordpress.com/astonishing-acks/acks-character-creation/class-summaries/">the Astonishing ACK's material that I've been seeing for the better part of three years.</a> Now I've just the time, the full setting as well as the venue to try this wonderful old school retro system with! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">his world will also be using <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">parts of <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">other OSR mate<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">rial including <a href="http://www.hyperborea.tv/">Astonishing<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Swordsmen & Sorcer<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ers of Hyperborea </span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span><br />Are you interested in joining in an exciting, challenging sword & sorcery world with deadly monsters, incredible magic, weird relics, ancient technologies<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">,</span> web<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s </span>of intrigue where you just might <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ma<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">k<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e your fortunes & leave your mark on history<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">! <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lcome <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ancient & <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Accursed Terra An A<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">stonishing A<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">CK's setting! <br /><span style="font-size: large;">Coming Soon! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><br /></b></span></div>
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We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
H. P. Lovecraft<br />
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/h_p_lovecraft.html</div>
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We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
H. P. Lovecraft<br />
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/h_p_lovecraft.html</div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-70320415272034088822015-10-01T21:31:00.002-07:002015-10-01T21:31:49.500-07:00Judge's Guild Thoughts & Dave Arneson Appreciation Day Homage <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it's Dave Arneson appreciation day and to tell you the truth I've been pretty conflicted about putting fingers to keypad. Blackmoor means a lot to me and Mr.Arneson still to this day doesn't get the amount of recognition that he deserves. So here are some of my thoughts & opinions about this gentleman game designer and wargamer. <br /><br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />I'm trying to first think about when I heard about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Arneson">Dave Arneson</a>. It was through Judge's <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/113262/Guide-to-the-City-State-1976">Guild's<span itemprop="name"> Guide to the City State (1976),</span></a><span itemprop="name"> this was the real deal perhaps one of the greatest fantasy cities that came out or at least that's how it appeared to me when my father's friend from the RAF told me about it. Blackmoor came into my life in upstate New York from the Judge's Guild. I was six at the time and it was all about Kiss, Radio Shack, the Spiderman television show, etc.,etc. It wasn't until a year later that I played or watched my first game of original Dungeons & Dragons. I have very mixed emotions about this because its sort of like writing about something that has always been a part of my life. Arneson, Bledsaw, Gygax, were names that were as familiar to me as my uncles or cousins. Gary Gygax gave us Greyhawk but my hat has always hung in Blackmoor. I lost at least a dozen characters in Tegal Manor, two hundred and forty rooms of haunted house horror as a dungeon crawl. Areson gave my dungeon master the perfect setting to put this haunted hall of horror and gonzoness. <br /></span><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFUcpFNq9YmxoZGQWHRXMQFuKoexv64eMe8kFBuYHihEBoGdqj8ATqnmIEzAdD7GOw0mBEameLBUkVmB8Ul8aSOm1KWDjSZStWdmur-WZlFfKDVx3OZgjnDhFLXx0f8CAOxC2DQ9E5mk/s640/ArnesonFirstFantasyCampaignCover.jpg" width="494" /><br /><br />Its only recently that I've acquired a fine scan of this book and come to appreciate its brilliance at what it does. A tight, tense, and well put together urban setting with lots of potential and its been beloved by fans for years. Dave Arneson was very, very, good at what he did and was a damn good game designer way, way, ahead of his time in lots of ways. We lost Dave at sixty one back in 2009 & by God I wish I had taken the time to get to know the man more. I've written extensively about<a href="http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2015/02/adventures-in-razor-trade-judges-guilds.html"> my debt to Judge's Guild</a> but not Mr.Arneson. For me these games are not simply about wargaming or another game of D&D, these games instantly forge friendships between people that last twenty years or more. There's very little that can replace the feeling of getting together with friends and family slinging some dice and breaking the hold of an evil overlord, vile villain or slaying a monster. There are three things that come to mind when the name Dave Arneson is spoken ; one that's its alright to mix in science fantasy & fantasy elements together, two that play is key to the interaction of PC's and cooperation rules the day in parties of adventurers and the three the world of Blackmoor. A setting of free wheeling almost any can happen and probably will. I love the Blackmoor setting with its science fantasy roots and inclusion. The Temple of the Frog was and is a great adventure; it remains a favorite. </span><br /><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxu-_eeGjrEwBHn0l73CahhTt9ddgdMtpFNJZ24OniT4LUc8cj7x9VxTRBrJktEuVP21rlTDN2Keu1jMDV4JHsnaBFBRbS0xBngsmUJw8DzVtPDJuqyA-sGGDzm6ghu5-BnKluwASRKk/s640/Temple+of+the+frog.jpg" width="492" /><br /><br />Personally I think that sixty one was way too soon of an age to be taken from us but we have little to say in such matters. I wish Dave Areson could have seen the rise of games such as Dungeon Crawl Classics and Lamentations of the Flame Princess as well as other clones that not only use but reveal in the gonzoness of play that he used so frequently. But alas all we have now are the memories, stories, and debt that we owe to Mr. Arneson. So I raise a glass to your memory sir and a life well played. May you find your place at the table of those who have passed and sling some dice with other greats. Thanks for all of the wonderful games and adventures, the <a href="http://blackmoor.mystara.net/index.html">halls of Blackmoor </a>resound with your greatness and echo with your creation. Salute to you sir. <br /></span><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADeykc8fWFEBNhCaBlOnsKtHHTLknQBw_77r0anq-hWGsvky0sslfXG8V6ervK5riuvqoYlFEMFpd_a89x1OfUzcZFBgoqLQOjti7aG1nYL5Ur9FSO5modtBZEfSd4JcgfSWMwX3PPvE/s400/ArnesonBlackmoorSupplementIICover.jpg" width="263" /></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-35572353129884885422015-07-05T17:25:00.001-07:002015-07-05T17:26:51.052-07:00Review and Commentary On the Free OSR Horror Rpg Adventure - Come to Daddy For Your Old School Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I spent part of my day reading through one of the most brutal and well done free adventure I've seen in a while. Come to Daddy is written & mapped <b>Anders Hedenbjörk Lager</b> aka dawnrazor) and superbly illustrated by <b>David Lewis Johnson</b> and <b>Jim Magnusson</b>.If you are looking for an adventure that crosses over the bounds of Lamentations Of The Flame Princess rpg system turf and then backs up to finish the job then this is it. For those of you who don't think that an OD&D style game adventure can cross the same bleak and weird turf as the original Hills Have Eyes film. Think again. You haven't met the Rodbrok family, a more twisted group of mutant cannibals you are not likely to meet and they're very hungry. But there's more going on here. <br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Grab It Right Over <a href="https://nerdomancerofdork.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/new-osr-adventure-come-to-daddy-part-2-of-the-per-aspera-ad-inferi-trilogy/">HERE</a></b></span><br /><img alt="Come to Daddy_B&T_pic" class="wp-image-30096 size-large" height="640" src="https://nerdomancerofdork.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/come-to-daddy_bt_pic.jpg?w=722&h=1024" width="451" /><br />The basic plot goes something like this: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In <b>Come To Daddy</b>, the
characters end up in the clutches of a most evil family of crazy viking
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The place is also haunted by the souls of some of their unfortunate victims and full of lethal traps for the unwary. And this is just the tip of the ice berg. There's some very dark and lethal stuff going on here at the home of these people. We're given a thumb nail view of every member of this twisted family and this adventure taps into the dark and lethal vein of the OSR with some surprisingly entertaining events. <br />This adventure has a wholly deeply disturbing Lovecraftian vibe echoing throughout it, we get a ton of new material in the form of monsters, spells, items, and more. But its the way that the adventure sets up the party and then proceeds to take apart piece by piece the flesh and marrow of the whole of any expectations. This adventure is perfectly aimed like an arrow at the heart of the OD&D or LoFP crew of players and it does an exceptional job of showcasing its old school horror ghastliness in the middle of the winter woodlands of your campaign. This material could be placed anywhere across the board in an ice choked part of your setting and world. This adventure is a mini campaign into itself that echoes such films from the 80's as 'The People Under The Stairs', the original Hills Have Eyes film, some of the dark slasher and jungle cannibal films of the 70's, and 80's. And there's a ton of back material that's been included in this adventure to pad out, create squeals, and add a ton of Lovecraftian depth to the entire adventure combo pack. There's everything here to keep the horror of the place going for weeks. There's lots of fiddly bits and pieces to have at least three or four weeks worth of material to keep the party going. There are some notes on conversion between editions but given the depth and the way this is written this adventure makes a solid hit to take the PC's straight into Texas Chain Saw territory via the writing of HP Lovecraft in a pseudo historic setting of the DM's choice. <br />This is not an adventure for the faint of heart or the easily offended, there's blood, guts, and body horror galore. Not to spoil the surprises but this one is like the Manson Family Christmas special via a faux Viking picnic with death metal blaring in the background. The type of material that Ravenloft could hint about but couldn't show because the Satanic Panic button people would have been on the phones of the local television stations yesterday. <br />Now with all of that hype there's a few things to go over, the adventure is free but there is also a map pack and the free pdf. The map pack is not only necessary but perfectly well made to be able to support this horror laden mutant horror ride from Hel. And believe you me its worth the download. <br />But is it playable? Yes with the right group of players this thing should be a blast and it could easily be used for a wide variety of retroclones. The top choice I would have to use this sucker with would be <a href="http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/">Lamentations of the Flame Princess</a> given the wide array of blood,guts, & gore and then possibly <a href="http://www.hyperborea.tv/">Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea.</a> There are several reasons for the latter choice as well. Given the demented feel of the the Rodbrok family and some of the dark forces at work in this adventure. AS&SH is a good choice because of the bleak feel, weird atmosphere and over all horror of the adventure. There's lots of perspective for a very brutal adventure TPK for this adventure. <br />Believe it or not the module also has a very weird vibe that could be used with <a href="http://www.dcrouzet.net/heroes-witchery/">Fantastic Heroes and Witchery rpg system</a>. The dark and robust nature lends itself to that game as well. But all of these retroclone systems would require a bit of effort to easily convert it over to your favorite retroclone of your choice. But is it worth the download? Hell yes it is, if your a horror rpg fan whose delicate sensibilities deviate to the dark side of the spectrum in a balls to the walls solidly done and decent horror adventure in the old school tradition then grab this adventure and get to playing! Five out of five with a solidly unnerving and darkly creepy adventure. </span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-65777095763957156582015-07-04T22:35:00.000-07:002015-07-04T22:41:15.116-07:00Review & Commentary On Vacant Ritual Assembly Issue #3 From Red Moon Medicine Show For The Lamentations Of The Flame Princess Rpg System or Any Old School Campaign <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes you can crawl into a game designer's head and get a glimpse at what's going on at their table with clues as to what direction their taking their campaigns. <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/152081/Vacant-Ritual-Assembly-3?src=hottest_filtered"><b>Vacant Ritual Assembly #3</b></a> is now available and its one of my favorite <a href="http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/">Lamentations Of The Flame Princess</a> Rpg fanzines out there. This is the zine that help me to loosen up with the LoFP system and take the game as it comes. The Red Moon Medicine show group of authors and designers headed by Clint Krause continues to impress me. There is an echoing them of down and dirty homegrown Lamentations horror in this issue and issue three echoes with it throughout. <br />Take one part Robert Howard's Beyond The Black River, mix in the fevered imagination of an obsessive LoFP fan, stir generously with 80's and 90's cinema swords and sorcery fantasy, mix in some dark material of the darkest magick , and perhaps you might get this issue of VRA. But I doubt it. <br />This issue reads like a temperate mix of Deliverance, Cannibal Ferox (1981), <br />and Conan with a healthy dose of its own brand of insanity presented as a personal campaign setting. <br />Here's what you get for four dollars! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Legend of Dragon Trench:</b> Is the big adventure location for this issue and covers a wide gap of material including Hex map, encounter table, rumors,
NPC stats, site descriptions, and more. This is perhaps one of the best thought out bits of adventure campaign material and its a very dangerous area at that which will challenge and test adventurers to their limits. <br /><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNJH6WlQcvMCCJDvGYejpKrhGuBbQa3oEcdCkH8VPhuhRP8hVgqd6ZAMm-JLaOZqsAJRWWnRJXHt5HIVnPTBe0FtAn2zT6wcLuiXUqsOD_j2eENzGxkzo0hn5T5zD8-srdh7GVMmYXihB/s1600/VRA3.jpg" /> <br /><b>Knights of the Dragon Clan </b>- This knightly order are the guardians of the Dragon Trench and its environs. These are not the squeky clean paladins of OD&D but an order of adventurers,warriors, knights and survivors who are dealing with frontier life in a very dangerous world. Think Conan and company dealing with the Picts in Beyond The Black River with a LoFP twist, the Romans in ancient Britannia or the forces during the French and Indian wars in upstate New York. Life on the edge of a knife blade for your adventurers with death a hair's breath away. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Thundercloud Druids - </b>This is another faction with deep ties to the Dragon Trench rife with possibilities for adventurers. The Thunder Cloud Druids are the guardians of the Crystal Crater and masters of a twisted type of flute magick. <br />At night in the wilderness of this setting the head hunting witches of the <b>Tales of the Timberwives </b>are detailed and these ladies are devious, dangerous, and wholly without mercy. <br /> <b>The Grand Vespiary - </b>This is one of the more unexpected adventures I've seen in an issue of VRA, it details a wasp cult that will leave adventurers changed forever or dead in equal measure. Its well done and very fiendish in what it does. And this is one of my favorite bits of the whole issue. <br />The final bit of this issue is <b>Rick's Moving Castle </b>an interview with the creator of the cult classic video game <i>Castle of the Winds </i>Rick Saada<i>. </i>A nice interview with one of video game classics masterminds and authors. <br />So far this is perhaps one of the most personal issues of the fanzine Clint Krause and we really get to see inside his head and his own personal campaign<i>. </i>This isn't a bad thing at all, we really get a sense of what's ticking off the boxes of the home game of the author and his crew at Red Moon Medicine Show. <br />And its an interesting glimpse into the creative process for one of LoFP's more dynamic fanzines in a community of gamers that continues to bring some of the best OSR material to the table. This issue isn't for those looking for a simple set of hack and slash locations, these are adventure locations that could be used for many years to come in an LoFP or OD&D campaign. <br /> But is all of this useful? Well, that really depends upon your personal taste in gaming. Personally I would say yes and buy this issue based solely on the strengths of the author's writing on his subject matter. Vacant Ritual Assembly each issue has threaded some very deep waters and this issue goes even further into a region that is rife for potential adventures. Personally I would break out my copy of <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm">Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad . </a><br />This is exactly the sort of vibe that echoes through the Dragon Trench, a wilderness adventure location that is at once weird and dynamically different to take adventurers on a journey into the weird, pulptastic, and strangely different. That being said the locations that are detailed are easily used with other retroclone systems and that's part of the beauty of Vacant Ritual Assembly issue three. There are so many things that can be done with this material and issue three is rife with old school gaming goodness potential. Do yourselves a favor, go and pick this issue up ASAP, its well done and well worth the money for the Lamentations of The Flame Princess rpg system or any old school system for that matter! </span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-85598607972504010652015-06-16T11:14:00.001-07:002015-06-16T11:15:46.291-07:00Death Frost Doom Adventure For The Lamentations of The Flame Princess rpg Writing by Zak Smith and James Edward Raggi IV Part II Death By Frost Review <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Death Frost Doom is an adventure that literally draws you into the center of its world like a black hole of wintry death. This is a place that has gone beyond the pale of mere myth and legend into a world of all its own. And the adventurers are drawn up into the module's magick and malevolence. This is a horror movie starring your PC's and the situations described are ones with an internal world all their own. You've just stumbled into the world of Death Frost Doom. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="text-align: center;"> Grab It Right Over </b><br style="text-align: center;" /> <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/63592/Death-Frost-Doom" style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">HERE </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So what the hell is it about DFD that is so intriguing? The writing, the plot, or construction of the adventure or perhaps Zak Smith's writing? Maybe the artwork? None of the above really. There's an internal mechanism of menace to the adventure that makes it part investigation, part dungeon crawl, and part monster menace all rolled into one package.<br /><img src="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/images/2795/63592.jpg" /><br /><br />There's a nice quality of high weirdness and depravity to the events of DFD that give the DM plenty to work with. And if played correctly with a solid group of players will have them experiencing something akin to Evil Dead part two and some dark twisted European fairy tale on steroids. Adding to mix is t<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;">he cover art (in color) was done by Yannick Bouchard and the black and white interior illustrations, cartography and design were done by Jez Gordon.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;"> All of those seem to add to the total feel of the adventure and it can be added straight into a pre existing LoFP campaign with little issue. Heck this could be added straight into any horror themed campaign. There are reminders and echoes of old Gothic European, Romanian, and Russian legends in DFD. This is adventure that Ravenloft wouldn't have the balls to pull off, and yet the horror elements bring some new stuff to the LoFP. There is a totally new take on the undead in this adventure that has some very cool implications for your LoFP adventures if you decide to take this option on board your campaigns. Lots of miliage of this adventure if you decide to adopt some of the ideas, mythology, and high weirdness that lurks between the pages of DFD. As a frame work to me at least this adventure has a ton of potential to take your adventures in some dark and dangerous directions!<br />This is an adventure that pulls heavily from the legendary roots of its own mythology and deals with its encounters as a series of events set in motion with balance and terror all in one. Something that really well done horror movies try to do. But be warned this is a horrific module that can and will wreck PC's if dumb decisions are made.</span></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy5sYSheHx__9D3Etrg3CG0Cq7wR9bN3Q1FVgj724ErFH-5IyCNp-CKFzf_S0-uiNBqZDLB9XufIkKscLuJIDaZr5smtlIEsPDDUaO-scb9ZoJn_64Ux1HZ_TPJ_0R_GC-lCljePsb30/s400/Screen+Shot+2014-08-26+at+11.44.06+pm.png" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: left;"><br />So is Death Frost Doom worth the price of admission? Yes I not only think so but I actually one of the essential LoFP books because of the way that it handles the game's material. This is a solidly dark and disturbing read,run, and rabble through the underbelly of the Lamentations universe for characters. I'd put this adventure high on the list of runs for a mid level group of LoFP adventurers. Five out of five for a reinvention of a fantastic adventure. </span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-43014586614297662162015-06-12T08:08:00.002-07:002015-06-12T08:08:38.375-07:00Death Frost Doom Adventure For The Lamentations of The Flame Princess rpg Writing by Zak Smith and James Edward Raggi IV Initial Impressions <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />I own and ran the first Death Frost Doom years ago and was both shocked and surprised to see a completely revised and expanded version of Death Frost Doom. But I spend a good part of the early morning going over this adventure. These are my initial impressions of Death Frost Doom.<br /><br /><br /><img height="640" src="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/images/2795/63592.jpg" width="456" /><br /><br /><span style="text-align: left;">I approached James Raggi IV for a copy of this pdf about two days ago and downloaded it prepared for something of a total party kill adventure. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a stone cold horror adventure done in the round robin way of isolated Heavy Metal album covers and European myth & legend. Where as the first Death Frost Doom was a scattered tapestry of horrific elements, Zak Smith has rewritten the entire adventure from the ground up to weave every morbid facet of this adventure as a whole. And its done very well. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The cover art (in color) was done by Yannick Bouchard and the black and white interior illustrations, cartography and design were done by Jez Gordon. These elements are all done very, very, well. From just a look over of the material we're plunged into a peusdo European world of horror and twisted dark mythology with an entirely new take on the undead. </span><br /><b>Grab It Right Over </b><br /><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/63592/Death-Frost-Doom" style="font-weight: bold;">HERE </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Everything in this module echoes so far the charm of a romp through the darkest corners of imagination with bits of Lovecraftian adventure throughout out the first couple of pages. To get into the ins and outs of this module is like looking at a horror film with a subplot that runs through it in a smart and very well way. There is the feel of European legend here mixed in with horror films then set on high and poured into a setting waiting to spring on the PC's. And I'm not talking about a total kill straight out of the gate. Instead what we're looking at is an adventure that takes full advantage of the horror tropes in well done but different way. Ways that actually fit into a wide variety of old school quasi- historical backgrounds and setting for which Lamentations of the Flame Princess is well known. This adventure can not only seamlessly fit into the back space of existing campaigns but can be used to generate entire local sub spaces for such. The adventure elements add an entire sub mythology and myth to the adventure. This is something that Zak Smith has done before as an author and designer. I see this all of the time on his blog but to see it done in an adventure using the old Death Frost Doom material is something else entirely.<br />Straight up this is a very well done adventure and I'll get more into it in the second part. My intial impress is that not only can this adventure work for Lamentations of the Flame Princess but I would use this adventure for other old school rpg's as well. I'm thinking here of OD&D with a dark horror theme or even Cthulhu Dark Ages. The conversion would be quite painless and easy to accomplish. Death Frost Doom is an adventure of supernatural horror and intrigue with a veneer of OD&D. This is not a light weight adventure but one that needs far more attention then it has been getting. Please remember these are only my initial impressions of the adventure. But for those DM's already running a LoFP campaign who bought the original adventure, go back and grab this one. This is a completely different animal then the first adventure and be prepared for that. More coming up in part II. </span></span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-52962526567553373502015-05-24T22:13:00.001-07:002015-05-24T22:13:58.978-07:00Review and Commentary On The Gnomes of Levnec Adventure From Zzarchov Kowolski For Your Old School Campaigns <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If your looking for an adventure with gnomes, high weirdness, a great sense of humor, and plenty of room for customization. The Gnomes of Levnec might just be for your party of warriors, wizards, and adventurers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went to <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/4140/Zzarchov-Kowolski" style="background-color: white; color: #471b7c; text-decoration: none;">Zzarchov Kowolski</a> with one thing on my mind, gnomes. This adventure incorporates gnomes but not in the traditional sense but in the weird humor of old school gaming. <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/110415/The-Gnomes-of-Levnec">The Gnomes of Levnec</a> is one part outdoor adventure, two part dungeon crawl, and a whole little mini sand box of gaming adventuring with a twisted humor slant to it. I don't mean that this is a jokey unplayable adventure, rather its a twisted romp with a wry and twistedly strange sense of humor about itself. Levnec is actually a very interesting little setting, with the slightly familiar and the oddly twisted existing side by side. Your adventurers are thrust right into the deep end of the adventure. And the adventure is well worth the money, this adventure would make an excellent and more then slightly twisted adventure to run with OD&D, Swords & Wizardry, or Lamentations of The Flame Princess. In point of fact I love to run this adventure as a low level introduction to the world of Lamentations of the Flame Princess. In only sixteen pages the author establishes the setting, adds in a number of interesting NPC's within the adventure locations, adds a real plot with some minor hooks for adventure continuation, and ties it together with a witty yet interesting device or two.<br />There are some nifty random tables in this adventure that add to weirdness factor of piece without taking your PC's out of what's going on. This adventure knocks the traditional out door adventure on its ass and does it with style. A style that has a unique view point on gnomes, spells, magick, and a ton of weirdness at its heart. And uses these elements with a sense of the morbid and strange. But it does it in a completely awesome way. Repeatedly!<br />If your expecting hack and slash dungeon crawl fest, this adventure isn't for you. If you want an adventure with plenty of DYI old school OD&D adventure with plenty of Twin Peaks style high weirdness this might be the adventure for you.<br />This adventure has some nice maps, great diagrams, and I love, love, the art in the adventure piece because it suits the adventure rather nicely and set's the tone for this darkly whimsical adventure.<br /> The Gnomes of Levnec provides the DM with a handful of locations in the village, and there's plenty of room to add more in except for the gnomes are waiting to screw with adventurers. And yet they're still more going on then is hinted in the general outlay of this adventure. In fact the plot will have your adventurers crawling around the woods in no time flat and getting lost. In fact their's a rather nifty random table for that. The adventure is going to take PC's into the woods, twist their perceptions around, and then leave them feeling more then slightly disturbed. This is a perfect adventure for a short set campaign adventure that can be dropped right into the background of an existing campaign and yet leave the PC's feeling rather particular about the gnomes that are featured. Which in my book is a good thing. Five out of five because this adventure ticks so many boxes. Dark and more then slightly twisted, great maps, easy set up, deployment ,and a great weekend adventure to keep the PC's weirded out and more then slightly disturbed. This adventure is a five out of five in my book.<br /></span><br />
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This isn't my first romp with Zzarchov Kowolski and I've read through his Pale Lady adventure which is a killer effort for the Lamentations of The Flame Princess rpg system. The Gnomes of Levnec isn't even in the same ball park as the latter adventure but the element of the mythological weird is none the less right there in this adventure. A sense that the 'unreal' of the fairy tales of old is right in your face screaming at you. </div>
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Levenec might be used with the Pale Lady in a neighboring valley or other isolated spot along some of the trails. The idea that the truth behind the myths and legends is even weirder then we're expecting or want to know about. </div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8862613451080398198.post-92194061480379847092015-05-07T07:07:00.002-07:002015-05-07T07:08:22.192-07:00The Convent Of Saint Leona - Tonight's Lamentations Of The Flame Princess Actual Play Event <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="File:Ruined Convent (Coptic) near Philæ (1890) - TIMEA.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Ruined_Convent_%28Coptic%29_near_Phil%C3%A6_%281890%29_-_TIMEA.jpg/723px-Ruined_Convent_%28Coptic%29_near_Phil%C3%A6_%281890%29_-_TIMEA.jpg" height="330" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So tonight I had an entire adventure worked up for the Lamentations Of The Flame Princess rpg to go run over a friend's house to take a break from writing up stuff for the Fantastic Heroes and Witchery game campaign of mine. My buddy picks me up tonight but I got in the car without the majority of my books except my LoFP rule book. While I was panicking I resigned myself to my fate an thought about seeing a video that James Raggi did at a some point last year. F#$k You episode number #3 on You tube earlier in the day. One of the things in the video is Jame's opinion on the book 'Stealing Cthulhu' and how there isn't a single mention of Lovecraftian ghouls. So that was my rift and I went with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The PC's in tonight's game were veterans of Napoleon's campaign in Egypt,and this adventure concerns the French army being pushed out of Egypt by the British .The PC's were a mix of Fighters of fourth level and better with a wizard in their as well. The adventure consists of a hostel owned and operated by a group of nuns and the PC's figuring out that all is not well with the nuns. There is a plague sweeping the city and the PC's are caught within city limits and the nuns are offering kindness and a bed but not all is as it seems. People are going missing in the night. And the PC's are down and out veterans who have very little in the world. The adventure was humancentric as well. So there was very little set up time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Antoine-Jean_Gros_-_Bonaparte_visitant_les_pestif%C3%A9r%C3%A9s_de_Jaffa.jpg/1024px-Antoine-Jean_Gros_-_Bonaparte_visitant_les_pestif%C3%A9r%C3%A9s_de_Jaffa.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During the night one of the PC's awakens in the inn/hostel to see a pair of yellow dangerous eyes flashing in the darkness. The PC followed the trail left in the dust by two strong and very dangerous creatures who dragged a man into a pit in the ground in the courtyard of the place.<br />There was very little light and the moon rolled over head as the clouds broke once in a while illuminated the courtyard.<br /><br /><img alt="File:Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Teresa_Margaret_of_the_Sacred_Heart.jpg/445px-Teresa_Margaret_of_the_Sacred_Heart.jpg" /><br /><br />The PC a fighter named Henry L'Court spotted a group of strange half starved beings and failing a wisdom he assumed were beggars speaking with one of the nuns. There was something very inhuman about the nun. Something about her in the moonlight that made Henry pause shutter with horror. And then he saw the faces of the beggars. They passed the nun a bloody haunch of a package and he saw the tell tail signs of a person's arm and shoulder. He backed away very slowly and kept to the darkness going back to his room and to awaken the others. At this point the players faced a dilemma of not having any weapons or equipment. The came up with a plan to check the room of the missing man having traced down the poor victim's whereabouts. The abode was well paid for and appointed. They found some spoils of war hidden within. Shot and pistol, a few swords, and a knife or two. They took the weapons and something more. The British officer had taken some other spoils as well. A preserved human head in a jar and the thing was 'alive'. This stopped the game in its tracks for a moment. ( The head was the preserved head of a wizard and had they taken to long things would have gone from bad to worse). The party put the thing back in its hidden panel within the trunk where they found it. They also found a pile of strange coppery gold coins which they took. And they left almost running into a trio of weird half ghoul bandits!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.uh.edu/engines/lombroso_head.jpg" height="400" width="281" /><br /><br />Then they heard voices in the hallway of the hostel. And they got their first glimpse of the inhuman things stalking through the hallways going from room to room. As they were checking on room the party bolted and hidden in the shadows. While hiding behind a tapestry the party discovered a hidden door. And a hidden stairwell leading down into the depths of the ancient stone pile. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had to end the game there because it is a work and school night for the players as well. To be continued this weekend! </span></div>
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Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0