Review And Commentary On The Book of Artifacts By Dragon Tree Press For Your Old School Horror Campaign

Back in the early 80's when the hobby was just getting started and I began my weekly trek down to War and Pieces in West Hartford. I stumbled upon Dragon Tree press and into the world of Delos. 

 I did quite a bit of adventuring upon the shores of Delos. It's a place that borders Arduin, Narnia, Fairyland, Oz, and many other worlds. There is more of the touch of Faerie here. More on that in
Delos comes from the pens of Ben & Mary Ezzell.

From the Dragon Tree Home page : 

Delos is a planet near neighbor to that best of all worlds which is Arduin^®, and doth much traffic therewith. However the mana here is richer and more erratic, and the Theologian Newton describes it thus:

Here they need not store nor hoard their mana for it floats rich in the air for all, and nay they cannot hoard it for it slips and slides and sputters, all in and out of the Mage and the air and the ground and the Shadows. And here they cast and cast and there is no lack...and no grievous burden on the Mage to draw it neither. But as the mana slides about so often slide the spells and so they miscarry to the shame and sorrow of all....

American mages name this mana as 'Percentage and Fumble System'. The casters have aplenty to work with but tis like steering a ship in a storm or runaway horses, and caster's skill is all to turn it as he wishes and he fails to his woe.

Like Arduin^®, Delos hath never built fireish machines but offtimes spaceships land here from the techno worlds and trade their goods or mayhap are robbed of them, and starrish beasties leave ship to roam in our woods. And here Multiversal can sell many strange goods from many strange worlds, but some they cannot sell because of the Prime Directive. And the rich living mana hereabouts offtimes sparks cross-Shadow making natural gates as those from England to Narnia, whence persons come through by mental inclining from amany strange Shadow-worlds and times, by the strength of their hearts' desires.

Introduction and description 

Contains over 200 new magick items with complete descriptions, stats, prices, uses and misuses. Also included are rules for player-character construction of magick items in a mana-rich (i.e., Percentage and Fumble) world. Any first-level spellcaster can make a Staff of Power ... which will do something ... but watch out! Table of Contents (abbreviated) Delian Methods for Constructing Magical Items Discusses the methods and rules for the construction of magical artifacts together with notes on fumbles, failures and other mishaps. Definitions & Commentary An explanation of terms and definitions relating to magical artifacts together with notes on the laws governing such devices. Traps Perhaps more popular with game masters than with players. Wands & Staffs All mages have one, right?  But what exactly do they carry? Adventurers' Equipment Listing includes the AMLA knapsack with all the essentials as well as much, much more. Clothing Everything for the well-dressed adventurer. Armour The better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Arrows & Bows ... and, speaking of arrows, a bow is also nice ... Miscellaneous Weapons Weapons come in all shapes and sizes ... and other characteristics as well. Swords A wide assortment for the fighter, paladin or other gay blade. Drugs & Potions Drugs and potions to satisfy a wide variety of needs. Furnishings Providing those special touches that make a cavern or dungeon so much more. Amulets & Jewelry More than merely adornment, the right touch for every occasion. Rings When you don't know what to offer, a ring is always the proper gift. The One Ring and the Lesser Rings Here are the secrets of the One Ring and the nineteen lesser rings. Random Akronian Effects Table Even the best of magics fail or fumble ... here's an aide to determining the effects. Magic Item Generation Table A helpful guide for providing the proper assortment of devices and treasures for your dungeon. Using the Book Of Artifacts For Your Old School Horror Campaign  The Book of Artifacts is a throw back to the early days of OD&D and its a book full of deadliness as well as whimsey. The book has the feel of more an attachment then it is a complete volume of lore. As for why its a horror resource? The truth is that the book has more then a touch of the horrific nature of both fairy tales and the deadliness of its origins. Namely from back in the early days when things weren't so well defined. The traps, tricks, and magic items if placed correctly can mean all of the difference between a PC melting into a puddle of slime or gaining the treasure.  Magical treasure in this book are closer to the fetishes seen in other rpgs. Namely spirits are bound within the confines of the magic item. This into itself is pretty nasty but the consequence of these actions for those who find such items can be deadly.  There is a strange twist in the nature of 'fairy' within Delos. Its treated as an alien and separate dimension in many of the Dragon Tree Press products. This allows a DM to tie the product directly into Lord Dunsany or CS Lewis more then Tolkien. The background has a more traditional fantasy feel then the usual tropes of D&D. Some of the background of the Fey were truly alien and very horror based.  Many of the Delos books have the background of Amazon Mutual as a background and story device. This is an insurance company that pays out should an adventurers body need to be recovered for resurrection. The company is more then a bit on the shady side and has helped to finance more then its share of nasty and dangerous deals. There have been several instances when they've purposely uncovered 'Things Man Wasn't Meant To Know' with the intention of cashing in on the deal. Amazon Mutual is always hovering in the background of all of Dragon Tree Press's materials. They do actually provide a pretty good horror campaign motivator with the PC's never quite sure whose side their really working for.  Believe it or not several of the treasures in this book are tied directly back to Amazon Mutual allowing a DM to quickly,quietly, and carefully insert them into their campaign with little fuss or muss.  Using The Book of Artifacts With Modern Retroclones Because of the nature of Dragon Tree Press products there is very little problem inserting this material into most retroclones. The Delos stuff is really suited to working with OD&D White Box but because of the nature of the material I've used it with AD&D second edition with very little modification. This is the one Delos product that is actually out of circulation at this time. Every other Delos related products are available through their website.  Dragon Tree Press Products Available Right Over Here

Review and Commentary on The Free 'The Ancient Academy' Dungeon From Robertson Games For Your Old School Horror Campaign

GET IT
HERE

"4 Leagues from the village of Thorn, the ruins of a monastery sit atop a rocky hill. Inside the last intact building is a staircase to the dark dungeon below. 

An old school one-page dungeon including dungeon map, legend, wandering monsters, and descriptions for 39 separate rooms."

Using The 'The Ancient Academy'
 For Your Old School Horror Gaming 
Last night I got the opportunity to throw the players through this dungeon with a twist. The basic premise behind the dungeon is that this was a magic school ala 'Harry Potter' which had been slaughtered by the forces of Chaos during the 'Supernatural Apocalypse of The 70's.
Many of the monsters appeared first in this adventure and then in my second part of  HM3 - The Chaos Halls of Belzir . 


Guns did nor higher technology actually help the players navigate this one. Between undead, the chaos induced mutants running around, and combat the players want to go back and deal with the Ancient Academy itself later. 
The dungeon funk table got a good solid exercise last night causing all kinds of interesting castings of spells, medicine rolls, and saving throws. Especially in the potion section of the ruins. 
Since the ruins in my game sit on a demi plane this place is still standing with all kinds of mutants and mythos issues just waiting to cause havoc. 
There are three reasons to use The Ancient Academy. One this is an easily customizable  dungeon and very quick to run.  There are thirty nine rooms to play with and add both horrific element to very easily. Finally this is very reliable dungeon to run. 

Random Encounters Table For Lurkers, Stalkers, Psychopaths, And Mid level Hoods For Your Old School Horror Games

1d10 Lurkers, Stalkers, Psychopaths, And Mid level Hoods Random Encounter Table 

1. This alchemististically modified hood is a 2nd level fighter whose been caught between planar realms. He's more then slightly insane and now stalks both men and women trying to gain help for his plight but his touch brings acidic death. Use stats for a shadow but with acid touch. During combat he will become more 'real'. Armed with a forty five and two clips. 
2. This mid level mob enforcer (3rd level fighter) has the face of a grinning skull which he hides. On the weekends he stalks folks and kills them with an enchanted straight razor. Usually armed with a .38 special and speed loader set up. Most times he covers his face but then shows his true colors to victims. 
3. This fem fatale Stalker moves from town to town killing victims with a vicious bite and blood drain. She's a vampire working for a cult gathering victims for her pagan god! She can however move around during daylight hours due to the intercession of her god. 2nd level cleric.
4. This stalker passes himself off as a pool shark and moves from one small town to another gathering games and taking the souls of his victims. Likes the ladies and really targets boyfriends for a friendly game of chance for their souls. Serves rather nasty death goddess as a 3rd level cleric.
5. This rabid psychopath moves from one grave yard to another looking to become one of the undead. Even their not comfortable with this straight razor, ax wielding animal. The monsters moves among the tombs like a shadow striking at his victims and taking their heads as trophies. 4th level fighter armed with an enchanted ax. 
6. This mid level trouble shooter for the mob is looking for an accountant whose cooked the books for an infernal Copo. He's got this man's soul contract with em and this guy wants it back! He's armed with two enchanted +2 forty fives and clips. He's also got an attitude worse then the abyss. 5th level fighter
7. This little number is part human and part shadow! A lurker who moves from one church to another stealing the valuables of the  worshipers after Sunday services. A 4th level thief and con artist. 
8. This stalker passes himself off as a helpless bum but he's actually a holy kidnapper and gatherer for a cult of necromancers and  child killers. He's a nasty piece of work and uses cords on his victims. He's been exposed to the essence of his god and has an acidic touch for 1d4 points of damage. A 3rd level fighter armed with a short sword for close work. 
9. This raving psychopath is on the lamb from a bounty hunter. He likes to kill during the full moon and is on his way to becoming a cleric of a lunatic moon goddess. Armed with two daggers this first level cleric hides during the day and kills at night. 
10. This mid level mobster is armed with a sawed off shot gun and is slowly being possessed by a spawn of Cthulhu  He's willing to trade information about stolen loot for his life. The loot however has a curse of Cthulhu and is very dangerous. A quest for the loot might have to be mounted! 

Further Thoughts On 'Strange Trails' Free Download For 'Weird Adventures' By Trey Causey

Grab your girl, Strap on your guns, and hold on!
We're heading down 'Strange Trails'! 

For gold, glory, and high adventure!  You can get Strange Trails Right 
HERE

Introduction  
Strange Trails came out  Jan.21 2011 as a sort of preview for 'Weird Adventures'. Its a preview all right but what it actually is. An overflow book with a metric ton of material that can get the ball rolling into your Weird Adventures campaign.
 

 Get Weird Adventures right  HERE

What's in 'Strange Trails'? 

• Eight articles from Trey's blog, some expanded, and all of them annotated and illustrated--including artwork by our man in Manila, Reno Maniquis, and that ostensible cat,Johnathan Bingham.
• An “Appendix N” for the City and its world. This Appendix is essential for getting the feel of the setting and is very well done. 
• A shot of flavor fiction to set the mood.

And all for the low, low price of...free.

Why Do I Need Strange Trails?

 Strange Trails is essential to running a Weird Adventures campaign. Seriously the pdf goes into areas of the world of the 'City' that the author didn't cover in the 'Weird  Adventures' book. That's not a bad thing really because this book clocks in at twenty five pages of 'pulpastic' D&D inspired material! 

This book is all you need for either an evening's quick dungeon crawl in  or a cruise through the more dangerous pulp seas of 'Weird Adventures'. 

 That being said this is really an add on book more then an introduction. There are several elements in the book that easily lend themselves to a very nasty and dire horror adventure or pulp terror campaign.. 

Review And Commentary On 'A Hand To Play' 2013 Movie Starring Doug Bradley

'A Hand To Play' is ten minutes of  menace and a look into a world of crime and desperation.
 The plot goes something like this: A family man and sometime drug dealer, Joe decides to gamble and go behind his employers back in order to make himself some extra money. Unfortunately for Joe though, he is employed by an infamous underground criminal - Mr. Trent.
 This short looks into the life of Joe(Philp Gwilliams whose performance is subtle and very tight)  whose crossed Mr. Trent played by Doug Bradley. Doug Bradley has of course played Pinhead and needs no introduction but Mr.Trent is a very different animal then the lead cenobite. 

The byplay between the gangster Mr.Trent and Joe is the heart of the short. In less then ten minutes the audience is introduced to the characters, plunged into the world of 'A Hand To Play', and the tension is felt throughout. 

Screenwriter Paul McGowan knows his craft and Director Mike Clarke takes full advantage of every single second of the writing. 

 'A Hand To Play' threads the line between 'Neo Noir' and horror quite nicely. The measure comes from Doug Bradley's Mr.Trent. A charming yet menacing person in equal measure whose presence screams don't mess with me. 

I've seen some of the police shows that Doug Bradley has done in the past. He was very good in many of those shows. However, it was Philp Gwilliams that really impressed me. He gave a very subtle performance. It was a nice tight short.

Viewing the short made me want to know more. More about the world, the characters around Mr.Trent and how he operates.

Chris Cronin's editing is very well done and does take anything away from the performances and adds to the feel of the film setting the world of 'A Hand To Play' in motion. Joel Catchatoor's original music sound track adds to the menace and tension of the film without distracting the audience. I'd go so far to say that it enriches the whole thing.
'A Hand To Play' is only now starting to make its way in the indie and horror film festivals. If you get a chance to see it do yourself a favor and grab a seat. This a very nice little gem of a film.
Four Stars.
*****
A Hand To Play Has a Facebook page right HERE

Community Project: D30 Table of Magical Gems Found in the Eye Sockets of Animated Skeletons From Gorgon Milk

 Gorgon Milk is running a new community project and it looks like a great one! 

Basically a Community Project: D30 Table of Magical Gems Found in the Eye Sockets of Animated Skeletons

(TO BE INCLUDED IN "UNDERWORLD LORE" BOOKLET)

These skeletons remind me of the animated one from the "Last Unicorn" 

The premise is simple: 

Imagine that many temples and secretive arch-mages would amp up their skeletal guardians by fastening magically charged gemstones into their otherwise empty and non-functional eye-sockets.

So grab a keyboard and head over to Gorgon Milk's page right HERE

Splatter Punk 70's & 80's Post Apocalyptic Horror Campaign Sundown Edition Influence - 1d30 Trashtastic Monstrous Servants of The Ancient Gods

 Please Press Play To Begin

There are creatures you don't ever want to encounter. Monsters spawned from the darkest brain fevered corners of the human imagination. Things that simply kill and kill again. They were spawned from darkest alley ways of the human collective unconsciousness during the 'Supernaturalpyse' . Now these monsters serve their dark masters and begin the summoning! 

 1d30 Trashtastic  Monstrous  Servants of The Ancient Gods Random Encounters 

1. 1d4 Flesh Melting Clowns AC 8 Hit points 2 Damage 1d6 acidic 
2. 1d8 undead mutant cultists AC 7 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d4 bite 
3. Small village zombies AC 9 Hit points 1 Damage 1d3 
4. Giant Freaking Spider AC 7 Hit Points 6 Damage 1d6 Acidic bite 
5. Spider Draco Bats AC8 Hit Points 3 Damage 1d4 plus implant and explosive birth 
6. Giant Of The Old Ones AC 8 Hit points 10 Damage 1d6  # 1d4 accompanying mini monsters 
7. Evil Unicorn Mutate AC 7 Hit Points 6 Damage 1d4 hooves, 1d8 horn 
8. Mist Ghost AC 3 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 claws 
9. Giant Blue Bottle Flies #1d4 Hit points 6 Damage 1d4 plus implantation and infection 
10. Giant Flesh Eating Hydra Worms AC 6 Hit Dice 8 Damage 1d8 per bite 
11. Engorged Bane Worms #1d6  AC9 Damage 1d4 Flesh rot Disease 
12. Gang of Three Undead Scare Crow Things AC 8 Hit Points 3  Damage by Weapon Regenerates as troll 
13. Asylum Ghosts 1d6 AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 claws and infection 
14. Mummified Giant Dinosauroid AC7 Hit Dice 10 Damage 1d6 Radioactive breath weapon 1d8 per blast
15. Gang of Mutant Zombie Bikers AC 8 Hit Dice 3 Damage By Weapon
16. Shark Goblins #1d6 AC 8 Hit Dice 4 Damage By Weapon or 1d6 bite 
17. Clock Work Steam Things Ac 6 Hit points 5 Damage 1d4 claw/tool 1d8 bite 
18. 2d4 Drac Rat Bats AC 7 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 bite/claws 
19. 1d4 Humanoid Cockeroaches AC 8 Hit Points 4 Damage 1d4 claw or by weapon 
20.  Time Lost Flesh Eating Zombies 1d6# AC 8 Hit points 3 Damage 1d4 zombie rot 
21. 1d6# Bile Worms  AC 7 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d4 per acidic shots 
22. 1d6 # Slime priests AC 6 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 tendrils and infection 
23. 1d4 # Gang of Steam Things Humanoid AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 blade or 1d6 'eye of the old ones ray '
24. 1d4 # Masked Mime Horrors AC 8 Hit points 4 Damage 1d4 by tendril 
25. 1d6 # Frog Demon Minions AC 8 Hit Points 3 Damage by Weapon 
26. 1d6 Robed Horrors AC 8 Hit points 3 Damage 1d6 acidic tendrils or by weapon 
27. 1d4 mini terrors AC7 Hit Dice 2 Damage 1d6 or by mini weapon 
28. Animated Ghostly Motor   Parts AC 5 Hit Dice 2 Damage 1d6 Blunt Trauma
29. 1d4# Gill Men AC 7 Hit Dice 4 Damage 1d4 claws plus poison 
30. Night Mare God Minion AC 8 Hit Dice 7 Damage 1d6 Regenerates as Troll