Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition - Actual Play - Starting Out In Mercy

Last night I started the PC's in Mercy Square. One of the walled cities in the 'Supernaturalypse.'
They're getting a feel for the walled island in the middle of the New England end of this nightmare world.
Its located someplace in Upstate New York.
Between the sheriff and the mayor the place has a very cosmopolitan feel. Yet the citystate has a very dark and somewhat 'warhammerish' fantasy flavor about it. Mercy is essentially a temporary refuge at best and a tragic accident waiting to happen at worst.
So why Mercy?
 Well here's the Drivethrurpg description:

Post Apocalyptic Town: Mercy Square is the third installment of mapped, detailed "villages" for a post apocalyptic wasteland. Inspired by the Hamlet On A Page series, this product offers the GM a basic overview of a post apocalyptic settlement on a single page. A map is provided as well as a list of numbered locations which include the total population of citizens found at such locations. Below the map is a detailed description of the community.

Located within the heart of a devastated city, Mercy Square is an over-populated, rubble walled settlement of urban dwelling, post apocalyptic survivors. Founded by Mayor John Greenburg (Area 4) and Sheriff Logan Bolton (Area 4), this community was based on the aspects of hope, safety, and restoration of civilization. Since the community’s humble beginnings of a mere sixty some citizens, the secured urban area now houses over a thousand survivors. Although the buildings within the complex are perfectly capable of providing the needs of shelter for at least another five hundred or more, the overall feeling of this urban safe-hold is that the community is bursting at the seams.

In essence, Mercy Square is suffering from something that is a hard found blessing in the ruins of the apocalypse.  That combination of a blessing and a curse is overpopulation. While the community offers the perfect model for the rebirth of civilization as it was once known, the ruins of the surrounding metropolitan city is quickly running dry in regards to needed resources. The community has a constant need for food, fresh water, and gasoline. While the community’s scouts, scavengers, and drivers make a constant effort to supply the community’s needs in recovered goods, such ventures are starting to fall short of need.

You can get it right over HERE

The PC's are already seeing the signs and portents of  Trey's 'City' and the horrific effects of the world that they find themselves within. They've started to look for work and the encounters below reflect some of what they've already encountered. 

1d10 Random NPC Encounters In Mercy 

1. A junk trader selling his wares. There is a trace of ghoul blood running through his veins. His eyes glow with a weird light and he eyes adventurer a bit hungrily from time to time. He's friendly enough. Sharpens knives for two pennies and trades stories with adventures. 
2. A group of refugees from out West. Some sporting horrific burns and scars. They're off to see Mercy's healers and doctors. 
3. A group of hobogoblins is moving through the crowds pick pocketing and telling tales. They're willing to trade some items for hooch. Just came in on the rails.
4. A priest whose community is being beset by vampire bikers is looking for adventurers and fighters. 
5. A traveling tinker with a coat full of wonders is actually a skilled technician and is looking for work. He has 1d4 random relic technology for sale. 
6. A husband and wife team of acrobats are performing for the crowd. Actually their 'recruiters' for a local cult of the Old Ones. They tell tales that carry hints about local adventure locations if one is willing to listen. 
7. A group of soldiers from another city state is looking through the crowd. They're actually 'drafting' manpower at the local watering holes. There are 1d8 2nd level fighters working the crowds. 
8. A group of caravan merchants is selling fruits and veggies from across the land some of these are actually enchanted with weird powers. There are actually two of the farmers among them who are undead. They've sold their souls for remarkable abilities with things that grow. 
9. Half ghoul funeral director brothers are setting up shop to offer their temporary services. They are experts in dealing with the undead and especially zombies. They are always looking for adventurers to help them in their endeavors. They sell all kinds of wood handy crafts and coffins including stakes. Some with special qualities. 
10. The sheriff and his men who will be wanting to question the characters. They'll like to know the comings and goings of everyone. 

Free LotFP Rules & Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influences

The 90's could be considered the second wave of Horror movies. There were lots and lots of weird, horrific, and strange movies. This was a time when the video store was king,practical special effects were giving up their last hurrah,  CGI were just edging into the venue, and the 70's as well as the 80's movies were still on rotation. 
So here are some of my favorites that are going to be in rotation. 

Split Second is a 1992 film that rarely gets mentioned anymore. A science fiction/horror film that always seemed to be rented when I was working in the video shop in Boston. This movie always seemed to be known by those playing in my SLA Industry games or my Cyberpunk 2020 campaign. Yet these days I believe that it serves more of a Mutant Future vibe. 
The plot according to Wiki : 

In the year 2008, extensive rainfall has caused large areas of London to be under a foot or more of water. Rookie police officer Dick Durkin (Duncan) is assigned to partner Harley Stone (Hauer), a burnt-out and highly cynical homicide detective who, according to his commanding officer, survives on "Anxiety, coffee and chocolate" after being unable to prevent the murder of his partner by a serial killer several years previously. Now however, the murders have begun again and Stone and Durkin are assigned the case. After investigating the scenes of several killings, they appear no closer to identifying the killer, with their only clues being that the murders seem to be linked to the lunar cycle, and that the killer has multiple recombinant DNA strands, having absorbed the DNA of seemingly anything he kills.

Finally, after Stone's girlfriend Michelle (Cattrall) is kidnapped, the detectives track the killer deep into the flooded and disused London Underground system and discover the truth: The killer is not human, and actually some horrific and unknown homicidal, demonic form of life - Fast, savage, bloodthirsty and fixated upon killing Stone just as it previously killed his partner. In fact, as the movie progresses, each killing and "appearance" of the monster is an attempt to lure Stone closer and closer.

After a tense battle in and around an abandoned Tube Train, Stone is able to pull the monster's heart from its chest and kill it. However, as the policemen leave the scene with Michelle in a rescue dinghy, bubbles of air are seen breaking the surface of the area of water over which the beast had Michelle suspended as bait. The monster's body is submerged, suggesting that there may be more than one.

Another one that hardly gets mentioned from the 80's that has many elements of  'City' is Angel Heart. 

This is a tight, nasty, and very dark film. The number of times I used this one as fodder for a campaign is countless. 

A highly atmospheric film, Angel Heart combines elements of film noir, hard-boiled detective stories and horror. The book is even better and it never leaves New York City. According to wiki : "The film is adapted from the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, and is generally faithful to the novel with the exceptions being the introduction of a child of Epiphany Proudfoot conceived at a voodoo ceremony by "a devil", and that the novel never leaves New York City, whereas much of the action of the film occurs in New Orleans." 

Want to know more about Angel Heart? Here's the wiki entry right over 
HERE
The third film that's going to be very influential is another one that hardly ever gets mentioned these days. The third installment in John Carpenter's Apocalypse trilogy is In The Mouth of Madness. Have you read Sutter Cane? 

According to Wiki : 

The film is the third installment in what Carpenter calls his Apocalypse Trilogy, preceded by The Thing and Prince of Darkness. In the Mouth Of Madness plays with its audience as an Outer God messes with PC's. 

Those three movies mark some of the most Lovecraftian of Carpenter's work. Yet 'They Live' and the original Fog fit right into the vein of what I'm going for.
There's a ton of information 'In The Mouth Of Madness' Wiki entry:
HERE

Think of the world after Mr.Cane's friends get done with it. This might be a world that the PC's travel to. Other possibilities are  the worlds of The Thing and Prince of Darkness. Lamentations supports exactly this sort of thing. 

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Thoughts On Lamentations of The Flame Princesses 

Given some of the movies I've watched over the weekend, the ideas moving through my head and some of the reviews I've read. My players want to get a LOTFP game going in the worlds I've written up. 
One of the reasons is that Lamentations is easily convertible to Labyrinth Lord.  This makes

Realms of Crawling Chaos, the LL Lovecraftian supplement, an excellent piece of  supporting material for a LOTFP game.  The other things I tend to reference are the Moldvay BX editions for common critters.

Since I own Carcosa this opens up even more possibilities.
The conversion between the Goblinoid Games products and LoFP is a big selling point for me.
For my players In The Monday Night game 

This is the no cost, no-art version of the Rules & Magic book for the LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Game.

HERE

' Better Then Any Man' PDF For Lamentations Of The Flame Princess For Free (Sort of) Review And Commentary

Introduction 

'Lamentations of The Flame Princess' is a pulptastic game which has been doing interesting things for a couple of years now. I'm getting a Monday night game together based on the 'Supernaturalypse' and I've decided to use Lamentations as the base system with some twists. More on that later.  'Better Then Any Man' is out for download for free.
Right over
HERE
 The Plot According To Rpgnow:

War is Hell

The Swedes are invading!

Sorcerers have taken Karlstadt with the aid of unearthly creatures!

In Würzburg, the Prince-Bishop schemes to retain control of his domain.

… and yet darker forces gather…

Thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - will die before the week is out. Can a group of luckless adventurers change the course of the events? Profit along the way? But what can they possibly do against those who consider themselves Better Than Any Man?

Better Than Any Man is a deluxe LotFP: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing adventure for character levels 1–4. Dungeoneering, wilderness adventuring, investigation, politics and negotiation, many new spells, magic items, and monsters—this one has it all!

LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing is the traditional horrific adventure RPG out of Finland that holds nothing back. It is part of the Old School Renaissance family of games, which makes this adventure broadly compatible with dozens of other old school systems.

If you can endure Better Than Any Man, look for other LotFP adventures and supplements right here on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!

Evaluation and Commentary 
The plot is pretty vicious, the pages clock in at 180 pages, the encounters definitely hit the pulp occult vibe with this one. The presentation is well laidout and this one provides a good overview of the LotFP system. 

The encounters are tight but not railroady. There are goals and their are definite consequences if their ignored. That being said the authors go into some real Lovecraftian territory and take the party on a hellish ride into a world of nightmare and folly. The monsters are wicked and the action is thick in this one.
It feels like this might be an introduction into a Lotfp campaign. There's leanings here of a much larger background and solid background that feels filled in. There's more going on behind the scenes of this plot then is simply presented in the adventure. Could there be a campaign world coming out soon?  I don't know but I do feel that there's quite a bit going on in the background to merit more fill in.
Over all the product is slick for a freebie and yes there's a whole saga with kickstart attached to the history of this one but that's not why I'm looking into the product.
The truth is that for an introduction product into a mature dark pulp fantasy product this isn't half bad at all.

Why its sort of free. 

Better Than Any Man was LotFP's Free RPG Day 2013 release, and is presented here as a Pay What You Want item. If you want to pay $0.00 for it, no problem.

However, the layout for this PDF edition has been redone from scratch (the print version was 96 pages + cover) to take advantage of the electronic format. If you think this adds value (or if you think the adventure is just that cool to begin with), please do consider coming back and purchasing this PDF for as many dollars as you think it's worth.

Half of all income from PDF sales here go straight to the graphic designer who did all this work. The other half goes to the publisher/adventure author to invest in future releases.
Since I'm friends with quite a few artists and graphics people I feel that its very important in these financial times that they get paid for the work that they do on products like this. Hence why I'm spreading the love.
 Do I think that 'Better Then Any Man' is worth your attention and download? In a word yes!  

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - Weird Adventures By Trey Causey And Jack W Shear's 'Adventures On Gothic Earth'

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The 'City' has alleyways that lead to other places and during the height of the summer heat some of these alleyways leak out more then mere criminal scum. They sometimes bleed out folks from other places and other times. Places with problems and issues that only adventurers can solve. Blood, thunder, and  bullets are needed! Where the door to heaven and the Hells are one and the same.
These are the type of winding alleys that lead to places where adventure is right around the corner of the 'Supernaturalpyse'.
Empty cities, weird bio-necrotic monsters, paranormal infested ruins, and more call to adventurers from ''The City'. 

I wrote a bit about 'Weird Adventures' the other day. Since then I've got a hard copy coming to me courtesy of the local print shop. Sometime next week it will be in my grubby little hands.

Last Blog entry I covered a good portion of my interaction with Trey's baby right over HERE
'Weird Adventures' has been by my side as a pdf for a long while. And I've been following Trey's blog  for a  few years now.
 Here's what I use the 'City' for: 

"It also happens to be one of the sources of major NPC's for the Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign. 

There are city states most of these look like some nondescript major city. Anyway you slice it sometimes you need an adventurer with some D&D leanings but with a major retro modern edge! This is where Weird Adventures comes in as both tool kit and source book."

Gats, Girls, And Guns! 

"The City" has  also been D&D nightmarish urbanscape in my campaigns. A series of  pulptastic escapades with families of adventurers and the like dealing with issues that 'normal' parties don't even dream of. They cross over into other realms in my campaigns on a pretty regular basis. Most retroclones don't have guns from the years 1400's through the 1940's!  But Lamentations of Flame Princess as well as Swords and Wizardry does have black powder weapons! Everything from wheel locks, match locks, rifles, dueling pistols, and more is right in there. And they get a work out in games where you've got weird monsters popping up on a regular basis. What about those fire arms from the 1900's through 1930's? Well Professor Jack Shear puts out 'Tales of The Grotesque And The Dungeonque: Adventures on Gothic Earth'. There are a series of guns in there that fit right into the mysterious jungles of Asciana, the zombie-haunted streets of Cujiatepec, and the hidden moonshine stills of the hill-billy giants in the Smaragdines.

You can grab any of the Tales of The Grotesque And Dungeonque material  right over HERE

My 'City' Source Material 

The 'City' has some very weird stuff in it. But the world of the 'Supernaturalpyse' is very dark, nasty, and downright Gothic. Jack W. Shear's stuff appears in many of the instances that I've run using the 'Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign'. I've padded out some of the deadly encounters by having adventurers appear from 'The city' when PC's have met rather gristly ends. The variation D&D rules work out for creating some cool weird laced PC's. 

'The City's' version of wizards and mages are some of my all time favorites. They appear more 'Dr. Strange' and less Gandalf which suites me just fine!

'Empire Island' seems like just the place where some of the more deadly things from the pages of the Monster Manual or The Fiend Folio might lurk.  Given the breath of some D&D player's knowledge about monsters its nice to be able to give them a bit of a 'Gothic' twist. 

'The City' is a character all by itself and it borrows heavily from such a myriad of places. I find myself going back again and again to this video. The whole of the collective human unconsciousness seems to have its roots winding its way through adventure.

 If you haven't looked into 'Weird Adventures' or 'The Tales of The Grotesque And Dungeonesque', do yourselves a favor and grab a copy today of them today. 

Trashtastic Horror Role Playing At Its Best! Planet Motherf#$%er By Jack W. Shear

Planet Mother#$@er By Jack W. Shear is out! This is a high octane horror and mutated system neutral setting! I do pay attention to the author's blog over HERE and was expecting this thing to come out for the Savage Worlds system?
 Nope this puppy is system neutral and balls to the walls weirdness! 

According to the author - It's a "Psychoholic Trash Culture setting" in slim trade paperback form.  If you're into compendiums of fully fleshed-out setting info, this will disappoint.  This supplement sketches the lines of a setting, hands you the keys to the Camaro, and says "Your turn to drive."  As I've said elsewhere, Planet Motherf&$%^er is less a completely realized thing and more a state of mind."
Que some Rob Zombie and begin reading. 

Here's the idea.

So if the quality is anything like what I've seen out of the insane mind and pen of Jack then we're in for a road trip to the Abyss using a lowrider, a pack of cigs, and some rot gut! From what I'm reading this bad boy looks like it could be cousins with any retroclone. Very DYI material which suits me just fine. Your mileage may vary however. I'll be covering more of Jack's material and its usage coming up in my own campaigns coming up. In the mean time here's my boomstick!
 Groovy!

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influences - The Black Market And Kaiju Remedies from Pacific Rim In Your Old School Horror Games

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From the darkness of the night come the Kaiju across the landscape of the 'Supernaturalype'. Monsters of unparalleled destructive force capable of life changing horror. These aren't merely creatures but forces beyond Mother Nature  herself capable of changing the landscape of the realities of the various city states but they have always been with us. 

Yet when they are defeated and brought low, only then do we realize the incredible potential for life saving remedies and incredible treasures borne of the Alchemist's art. These are not without risk to life, limb,and sanity even our very souls!

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign

They have always been with us. Those monsters of incredible destructive potential borne of man's folly, dimensional passage, or worse from the depths of the blackest twisted religions that have come down with us from the dawn of time. The 'Supernaturalypse' is no exception.
There are hundreds of charlatans,  medicine men, and agents of alchemists who are always willing to distill the life changing organs and the so called, "Things in Glass" that can heal or twist the very souls of men. They move through the shadowy back alleys and temporary black markets as well as those nice,clean, efficient 'clinics' that set up in the nice part of town. 

They come with their steady voices, claiming charm and offers of cures. Most of all they offer hope and help. 

The black market  pays between 200 to 700 gold pieces for the corpses of those Kaiju that adventures 'find.' No questions asked.  These black entrepreneurs have deep ties with many of the local Thieves Guilds, own the Alchemists guilds, and it is rumored have deep ties to the assassins guilds. 

Many of the most 'common' potions that are listed in OD&D,Redbox, Blue Box, And The First Edition AD&D DM's Guide as well as most of the retroclones have a 60% chance of being simulated by the  Kaiju Remedies.

There is a 45% chance of the following happening with saving throws applying.
Kaiju Remedies side effects include: 

"Side effects from Kaiju are uncommon, and include headache, nausea, vomiting, death, dizziness, Vaginal ejaculations, dysentery, cardiac arrhythmia, mild heart explosions, varicose veins, darkened stool, darkened soul, lycanthropy, trucanthropy, arteriosclerosis, hemorrhoids, diabeetus, virginity, mild discomfort, vampirism, gender impermanence, spontaneous dental hydroplosion, sugar high, more vomiting, brown, your mom, and mild rash."

There is a 20% chance of mutation sometimes showing up 30 days after consumption of these 'cures' as well. 

 'The Men With The Aluminium Cases'

The Agents of the black market are the modern door to door sales men part actor, part alchemist, and 100% thieves of the highest order. Each one uses a 'magic' case capable of preserving the voilialite tissues of many of the most common monsters. They are thieves with high charisma who move across the shadowy world of the 'Supernaturalypse'.  

These bastards often mix with adventurers, clerics, and many others. These agents have been know to travel between planes trying to find the best 'scores' of Kaiju possible. There have been reports of them raising the monsters & the resulting destruction simply seen as another opportunity for harvesting. 

Agents often have a third level 'trouble shooter' as bodyguard. These are often 3rd level fighters or better. They often have some alchemy or wizardry training in the identification of potential wares and items. 

The Traveling  Kaiju Show
 

Giant monsters have always been a apart of the D&D games going all the way back to OD&D. Recently games settings like 'Weird Adventures', Jack Shear's 'Gothic Earth', and many others have included Kaiju as part of the background. Mutant Future, Labyrinth  Lord, even Swords and Wizardry have them lurking in the background as well. Lamentations of the Flame Princess's Carcosa might even be one of the prime sources for the Kaiju.

There is a 40% chance of encountering these agents in such settings.

 

These agents have also been known to create talent or variety shows to sell their wares. These shows sometimes feature demonstrations of products,monster lectures, and more. Often these shows have close tie ins with local entertainers as well as alchemists who are sometimes recruited for local operations. 

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - Weird Adventures By Trey Causey

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 There are some streets you don't want to wander down. Places where the streets run red with murder,corruption, and denigration.
Some of these places offer their own reality separate from the world your used to. Places where the adventurers are tough and stakes are high indeed!
Sometimes in the light of 'Supernaturalypse' you can use all the help you can get even  if its its for a quick profit or a cosmic calamity waiting to happen. Adventurers are some of the first ones there. the moonlit streets of "The City" are one part Mike Hammer, Two parts Fritz Lieber and all Trey  Causey warped imagination. 

In the city states of the 'Supernaturalypse' suburbs of 'the City' sometimes slip in at night under the double moons of the Twisted Earth. The results aren't always pretty.
But they are dangerous and fun. 

Weird Adventures As Sourcebook and Setting 

According To Drivethrurpg :

Welcome to the City...

The streets are mean--and what lurks beneath them is even meaner. Only the most hard-boiled adventurers make it in this town.  You think you got what it takes? Grab your gun or grimoire and find out.

Weird Adventures is a setting where traditional rpg fantasy meets the Pulp era.  It's a world where hobogoblins hop trains, gargoyles nest on art deco skyscrapers, and celebrity sorcerers hawk cigarettes on the radio.

Weird Adventures includes:

• A guide to the City, greatest metropolis in the world, including its five baronies, numerous neighborhoods, and points of interest to adventurers.
• An overview of the Strange New World beyond the City, including the mysterious jungles of Asciana, the zombie-haunted streets of Cujiatepec, and the hidden moonshine stills of the hill-billy giants in the Smaragdines.
• Thirty new monsters from the Black Blizzard to the Skunk-Ape.
  Get it right over HERE

The City and its environs have been wandering through various parts of my campaigns for the last two years or more. Every lost world, one night stand adventure, and CoC adventure has had elements of the "City" in it. The setting is flexible enough for me to use it as both setting and background for introducing wisecracking adventurers, black mafia mages, and weird kids with curses on their heads. It also happens to be one of the sources of major NPC's for the Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign. 

There are city states most of these look like some nondescript major city. Anyway you slice it sometimes you need an adventurer with some D&D leanings but with a major retro modern edge! This is where Weird Adventures comes in as both tool kit and source book. 

Crypts and Things borrows heavily from its pulp roots and so does Weird Adventures. This is a maarriage that makes sense. There are over thirty monsters that can easily be dropped into the supernaturally charged wastelands of the "Supernaturalypse. "

 But that's not all. 

The Suburbs From Hell! 

Sometimes certain neighborhoods in the "City" seemly slip through the cracks of reality and merge with other realms and worlds in the weird of the moonlight. There are those in the know who kinda drift with the wind so to speak. 

Check into a certain hotel on a certain night of the year and suddenly your party might find itself on a whole other world see. There are opportunities plenty for the right guy or gal. Treasures, artifacts beyond human understanding, artwork, and more see. Those in the know might make a killing selling this sort of stuff to right buyer back in the " City". Or they might wind up deader then a two bit hood and his undead moll. 

The mafia knows the score and often employs 'sucker' errm, adventurers for jobs like this. There are billion naked stories in the Prime Material and this is only the edge of the knife! 

 My 'City' Source Material 

Time and again I read Trey's blog and I'm always reminded of two very old and very dear movies. The 'Cast A Deadly Spell' movies that were produced back in the late 80's with Fred Ward and Dennis Hopper.
These movies cast HP Lovecraft as a wisecracking, chain smoking detective whose involvement in the supernatural hi-jinks of his twisted Mythos induced world drew me in and always seems one stepped removed from 'Weird Adventures'. 

There's another little secret that few know about 'Weird Adventures.' The setting is timeless and used in the right way. Any era from the twisted weird D&D inspired setting can lend itself to 50's Twilight zone style high drama, to the mean streets of a "Dragnet Style" world, all the way up to a Grind house movie setting of the 70's.and into the hard boiled 80's slime filled alleys hence why you'll be seeing me use this as both source book and setting.
For a metric ton of mileage from the author visit his blog right over HERE