More Thoughts on my Campaign System

So, I’ve been thinking of my campaign world again and my magic system a lot lately. I’ve been reading a lot of Michael Moorcock’s Elric Saga and the Hobbit (what a strange dichotomy!) and they have both influencing my thoughts on magic systems. I’m becoming more and more intrigued of having only a single “class” and everything else being a trapping of that. For my campaign world, I’m steering towards an everyman approach were you purchase “disciplines” as you advance to create different character types. I’m not really interested in creating a whole new retro-clone system per se, but building on top of either the Labyrinth Lord or Swords and Wizardry White box. For what I have in mind, the S&W Whitebox might make even more sense.

So I’m thinking that the normal adventuring type guy would have a base d6 hit die. You’d have some starting amount of experience to spend on disciplines to start down the road of customizing your character. So for instance, if you wanted brawny fighter like the standard D&D type, you could purchase a melee weapon discipline, and a toughness discipline, and an armor discipline. The disciplines would have progressive ranks that are bought at the cost of experience points. So say you wanted a fighter that could cast spells. You could do that but due to the experience that you spent on disciplines, you’d advance a bit slower than a guy that mirror a straight up fighter. This just makes a lot of sense to me and feels like it could allow for some pretty interesting class combos. Like Elric for instance; he wasn’t a brawny brawler by any means. You could have some experience points invested in swordsmanship and summoning magic. Gandalf would have maybe a little experience invested in swordsmanship and the rest involved in various magic types. I know that this strays quite a bit from the D&D class and Vancian magic system, but I think you could use the simplicity of the S&W, LL, or OSRIC systems to make a simple yet elegant base and create some very old school feeling characters Like Conan, Elric, Almuric, Solomon Kane, etc. I’ll try and work on this some more and come up with a workable system.

Review of Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent by Jeffrey P Talanian

Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent: An Adventure in Hyperborea by Jeffrey P. Talanian and North Wind Adventures is an adventure for characters level 4-7. Having appeared in Knockspell originally, the adventure in its stand alone incarnation is specifically aimed at the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea but is easily utilized with any old school D&D or derivative system. Weighing in at sixteen pages with the map on the inside covers and the OLG taking up part of page 15, this module packs a lot into a small package.

The B&W cover art is by Ian Baggley and is very well done in a painterly style depicting he sightless serpent as well as the other main antagonist, the necromancer Ivgah. Ian has a piece on the back cover depicting a skull half buried in earth with a centipede crawling out of the eye socket. My. Baggley’s work is first rate and he does have a few more pieces inside. They are all well done and convey the feel of the module very well. Well done sir! I feel I should also mention the cover stock itself. It is thick and a semi-gloss matte finish. I normally don’t mention such things, but I felt it was well done and added to the overall presentation.

The map inside the front cover depicts the enviorns of the crypt itself. It is no frills but its generic and sparse nature lends itself very well to being plopped in any campaign. The crypt map inside the back cover is computer generated, clean and effective.

The adventure opens with a portion of the tale of the sightless serpent and the Xavadar family. The Xavadar family sought to escape a plague by sealing themselves in a crypt with their necromancer Ivgah and the sightless serpent. The serpent weeps garnets and on very rare occasions, it weeps a white garnet that Ivgah needed in order to transform the Xavadar family members into liches under his control. This tale very reminscient in feel to something out of Edgar Allen Poe or some of the other nineteenth century horror writers and adequately serves to convey the feel of the rest of the module. The party starts in a tavern and a drunken and rather unsavory knave relates his encounter with the serpent and appeals to the adventurers to try and slay the monster and recover the gems (of course with his assistance as guide to the location and for a small fee).

There is action to be had for sure in this adventure, but the notable thing is the atmospheric nature of the setting. It is brief, nonintrusive, but definitely consistent and conveys a sort of dark gloom. I loved it. Well done. Some example encounters include a gelationous cube that roams the crypt (and which Ivgah utilizes as part of his necromantic magic, an assortment of undead such as skeletons and ghouls, and of course the sightless serpent itself (a basilisk with no eyes that weeps gems from its empty sockets). There are several traps as fitting for such a crypt type adventure to include a poison gas trap. Overall, there is a nice mix of encounters, traps, and exploration.

Unfortunately, I have not yet playtested this adventure so I cannot speak as to the length of time this adventure would take, but it is not overly long so I cannot imagine it would take more than two or three average sessions. This adventure is a prelude of sorts to the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea system. You can find out more at the North Wind Adventures site here: http://www.swordsmen-and-sorcerers.com/ and also order your copy. For only $5 USD you simply cannot beat the value here. I strongly recommend this to anyone and give it five stars out of five for fully capitalizing on production values, conveyance of mood, adaptability, succinctness, and overall dollar to adventure material value. I assuredly look forward to more from North Wind Adventures and the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea system!

Review of Sanctum of the Stone Giant Lord by RC Pinnell

I’ve always been a really big fan of the 1st Edition AD&D G series modules. As a kid, they pretty much summed up everything that excited me about AD&D. And I’ve always felt that along with demons, devils, and dragons, giants are pretty damn kick ass antagonists. It was with a bit of surprise when I came across Sanctum of the Stone Giant Lord by R.C. Pennell. Not aligned with any of the clones, this module aims to be the next installment for AD&D G series modules. Weighing in at twelve pages with a monochrome cover (note, this is the Advanced Fantasy Adventure module labeled GS1 not the later G4 version), it certainly has the right looks and feel of the early printings of the giant series. The Later G4 version (I have the 1st anniversary edition) weighs in at 16 pages. In the original series, the individual modules themselves were small in page count but packed with giant bashing goodness. While both versions cover the same ground for the most part, there are definitely some notable differences that should be pointed out (and will be here).

Unlike the earlier modules, the giants involved are Stone giants which are not evil but fall in the area of morally neutral. In the GS1 version, no real reason is given (until the end – read on) to go on a killing spree in the sanctum, in fact, it seems that it would be rather reprehensible to do so. There is a note from the author at the end of the GS1 version entitled Concluding the Adventure in which the author states that such behavior is not sanctioned. However, it is stated that the chief shaman is consumed by madness and intends to summon a “sleeping demon” that he feels he can control to benefit the tribe. Even still, this would present some ethical quandaries for good characters to just go about slaying these otherwise neutral giants. It would seem wise that the DM spread this madness to the other members of the tribe. The G4 version DOES make this connection at the beginning of the module, indicating that the giants have been attacking the townsfolk in the valley below. Again, just a point of difference between the two versions. G4 version details the ascent from the valley below via either a Easterly route or a westerly route. Both being hazardous with encounters including hill giants, owl bears, and even a red dragon. The GS1 version does not detail the ascent to the sanctum of Taal-dir in as much detail, but is still well handled with random encounter tables listed.

The author notes that this module is hard and should only be attempted by experienced adventurers, not simply players handed character sheets with characters in the listed level range of 10-14. It would seem that dwarven and ranger characters would be especially useful here. I’d even think a druid would be useful as well due to some encounters with cave bears and the like. The creatures within are not static props waiting to be slaughtered. The author makes note of this and gives movement patterns for the denizens of the sanctum. This further adds to the challenge. This module can be played stand alone, but it is very much intended to be a continuation of the giant series of AD&D modules. The overall tone of the module is very much in line with that earlier series and does not feel out of place. Mr. Pinnell states that this module was a labor of love and homage to Gary Gygax and it very much shows.

There are some challenging encounters presented within. Indeed, there is even a chance that the stone giant god Rockfist Rockheart will make an appearance! Of course, if this is the case, it in all likelihood mean certain death for the party as Rockheart is not to be trifled with. It is interesting to note that in the GS1 version, Rockheart had 480 hp, while in G4, he has 300. GS1 has a point where a +5 Holy Avenger can be obtained. In G4, this was changed to a +3 vorpal long sword. There are further examples for such changes. In general, things seemed to have been toned down from GS1 to G4.

Later in the adventure, the characters are likely to encounter a drow emissary sent to the giants in order to build an alliance. This further strengthens the ties to the earlier G-D-Q series of modules.

All-in-all, this was an excellent module no matter which version you have. I like things about each. I like the blue map on the original along with the trade dress better, but think the expansion of the back story and the toned down nature of the G4 version is better suited to my own preferences. I give this 4 ½ stars out of five and heartily recommend that you go here: http://stores.lulu.com/worldofthorkhammer and pick up a copy. Enthusiasts of the giant series and new comers alike will be very glad you did.

Latest Joint Art Project

It runs in the family. I came home from work and found my wife colorizin' some of my art work. I gotta tell you, I think she nailed it too. Daisey is quite the artist in her own right. You can check out her web site here: Oxeyedaisey. Look for more collaborative work in the near future!

Meanwhile, I've been working on some artwork for Blair over at Planet Algol and his Jewel Throne. As well as other miscellaneous stuff. I've got to head out to Indianapolis next week for a whirlwind business trip. I'd much rather stay here in Italy and draw, but oh well.

Weekly Creature Feature: Azeman

Get your Open Game Content moster fix for OSR stlye games. Wow, I've been so busy that I didn't get a chance to do the weekly creature feature last week. Well, time to rectify that. Any rate, once again, time to plunder, exploit, and reshape folklore, myth and legend for my ends and personal amusement. Today, I present the Azebill, perhaps one of the more well known creatures from folklore that I've used here. The Azeman is a creature from the folklore of Surinam in South America. Of course in the great tradition of our role playing heritage, I've shaped the legend to fit more in line with traditional fantasy roleplaying while trying to maintain much of the flavor. At any rate, like all my weekly creature features, the monster listing is designated Open Game Content. Any accompanying artwork is not open game content and is property of John Bingham (that would be me) and not for reuse unless given explicit written permission by me (and yes, I actually intend to illustrate all of these crtitters at some point).

Name: Azeman
No. Enc: 1-8
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 5 to 7
Attacks: 2 (claw, bite)
Damage: 1d10, 1d6, energy drain
Save: F5-7
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XVII

Description: Azeman are undead and a subtype of vampire. Sharing much in common with the more traditional vampire type, the Azeman is possessed of immense strength; possess immunity to charm, hold, and sleep spells; are unaffected by normal weapons; electric and cold attacks only deal half damage. The Azeman’s blows are powerful and inflict 1d10 points of damage. The Azeman’s bite in both human and animal form deals 1d6 points of damage. Unlike the more traditional vampire, it is only the bite, not the touch of the Azeman that drains life energy levels. A successful bite drains two levels and corresponding abilities.

Azeman do not have the ability to take gaseous form and their shape changing power differs from the more common vampire type. Able to operate in the day time, the Azeman appears as a female human (males are much less common but do exist) during daylight hours and operates in animal form at night. The Azeman’s transformation into animal shape is accomplished by utilizing the dried skin of an animal. The Azeman will only have one animal shape that she can assume. One way to severely limit the abilities of an Azeman is to destroy the animal skin. Azeman often take the form of a wolf or a giant bat (and more uncommonly, some other large creature such as a giant toad).

The Azeman has a peculiar compulsion for counting. One way to defeat an Azeman is by scattering grains, pebbles, etc in the path. The Azeman must make a successful save vs. petrifaction or be compelled to count the objects cast before it.

It is rumored that the Azeman are created by other vampires to act as daytime agents and guards. Due to their affinity for taking on wolf form, the Azeman are sometimes mistakenly misidentified as werewolves. There is further rumor that Azeman might act in concert with werewolves. Azeman sometimes do congregate in packs.

A Brief Note on Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent and other musings

I have not been as constructive with my blog posts lately as I’d like to be. It has quite a bit to do with all of the projects that I’m working on. That is not a bad thing, it just limits the amount of time I have to post more than just a few passing notes. In that vein, I just wanted to say that I recently received my copy of Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent today by Jeffrey P. Talanian and North Wind Adventures. I eagerly flipped through and so far, I’ve been highly impressed. For a small press endeavor, the production values are very good. I particularly enjoyed the artwork by Ian Baggley. I think the cover depicting the sightless serpent is suitably creepy and conveys the feel of the module. While I’m only a few pages in, the descriptions are flavorful and extremely well done. This weekend, I’ll make a more thorough read through and give a complete review. I really appreciated Jeff’s handwritten note of thanks. I’m really excited about Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. I think 2011 promises to be a watershed year for the OSR and hobbyist game developers. It seems that instead of just doing pastiche of 70’s and 80’s D&D stuff, we are now seeing some really creative ideas and I think Jeff and the gang at North Wind are going to have some really cool stuff in store for us.

Back to the project front, I’ve been crafting a small two or three level adventure for my son Bear’s new Halfling adventurer and friends to explore. I’m really wanting to play to the halfling’s strengths to make this a fun adventure for him. Bear has been enjoying the Hobbit immensely. Something I’d like to convey to my son in adventures is that bashing in the door and slaughtering everything in sight isn’t necessarily the best approach. Sure, there are some folks that play that way, but I’m not really into playing that way with my six year old. What I really want to stress is the wonder of exploration, problem solving, and critical thinking (and a few combats). I’ve put in some tricks and traps, hidden passages, and that sort of thing. I’m pretty excited to run Lightning Bolt the Halfling through it.

Basalt Keep has been getting some of my attention as well. It is a bit slow going writing out the room descriptions and encounters and this is a big adventure (160 keyed areas). So it’ll probably be a little bit before I get all the way through it. But it’s enough that I’m actually working on it and it will get done.

Well, that’s it for now. Happy gaming!

Kids Gaming or My Son's Landmark first character creation

I remember when I was back in the States, that there was a campaign for kids fishing and it had a slogan of "it's catching on". Apparently, family members would encourage ehir youngsters to learn fishing and it seems to have had some impact voer the years. Now I'm just guessing since I don't have any hard data (and frankly don't care enough to look it up - even though I applaud the campaign for getting kids fishing) but from what I can tell by the number of kids that I saw fishing in the sate of Missouri, it is indeed working. I'm interested in encouraging kids to roleplay (note I said encourage, not manipulate, coerce or force) as I think that it does have some good side benefits. My kids know I'm a gamer and are highly interested in what I'm doing. Today, I reached a landmark in every gamer's life. We created my son's first character.

I took the morning off to care for my son who was home from school with a sore throat while my wife was teaching a class. My son has shown great interest in RPGs even though he is only six and just learning to read. To make things a bit complicated, he is an American attending an Italian school so he learning to read in Italian. While the alphabet is for the most part the same, the pronunciation of the letters is a bit different. After we finished his homework, I was working on my character for the Zalchis campaign over at the Netherworks blog. He asked what I was doing and if he could play a game. We’ve played Dungeon! Several times and he loves the fantasy tropes. I also have every edition of D&D from the 0e white box all the way through 4e and Pathfinder. It’s interesting that he is most taken with the 1e AD&D/BECMI/Homes/Moldvay stuff over any of the newer stuff. At any rate, I asked what kind of character he wanted to play. We’ve been reading The Hobbit so he indicated that he wanted to play a hobbit. We rolled up a 1st level hobbit named Lightning Bolt (pretty cool to a six year old I guess). Unfortunately, we only had time to create a character and nothing more. The good thing is that it gives me a little time to craft up a small intro adventure. I have thought about doing Keep on the Borderlands but there are some subtleties there that I think a six year old boy would not pick up on. He is more interested in trying to pick pockets, sneak past trolls, and find treasure. I must say that I’m really excited to have a budding gamer in my midst. I’ll post updates on our progress. I’m working on some maps for a small cavern complex/dungeon and I’ll post those too for anyone curious. Only time will tell how Lightning Bolt will fare. However, I'm sure we are on the road to creating some golden gaming memories!

Latest Art Commission

Here's the latest art commission that I just finished up today for petespan's Amherth project over on the Goblinoid Games Forums. I've got a few spell pictures in the works for Blair of Planet Algol's Jewel Throne Zine. I'll be working on those throughout the week. Should be fun!

Project Updates

Wow, a lot going on here (although you guys obviously can't see it). Got several illustration projects in the works for various other (not mine) OSR projects. I have been reading through Zalchis. It promises to be a really cool setting and I'm pretty excited about it. I need to get in gear and finish my character so I can participate and I aim to get that done in the next day or so. I've also been working on Basalt Keep. It is going a bit slow due to Real Life events involving work and family. I have a review that I'm writing up for Sanctum of Stone Giant Lord (I'm going to actually be reviewing the GS1 version and G4 and comparing them). And to top it off, my family and I are going to try and get out and about a bit more and do some exploring. One of the nice things about life in Italy is that there are tons of castles, villas, churches, ruins, etc to explore and fuel the imagination. I intend on taking some pictures and posting them of our excusions. Today we're going to the walled city of Soave. It is pretty close to home and is an example of a pretty well preserved medieval walled city. Whew, and of course there are various other projects on the back burner. Stay tuned!

Arduin?

So what is the deal with Arduin? I know a little about it but to be honest, up until a few years ago, I never heard of it. I know there are some pretty hardcore adherents and also that Gygax was pretty hostile towards it. But I don't know anyone that has ever played Arduin. Looking through what I can discern online, it looks pretty gonzo (which is OK by me - after all, I actually really like the 1980's Flash Gordon movie and have a thing for digest sized books). So, I see Emperor's Choice is selling all the Grimoires as a set. $100 is a bit steep, but hell, I'm a big boy and have some discressionary income to spend. I've seen some of the art and it looks pretty good. I'm in a Flash Gordon kind of silly gonzo mood so would Arduin fit that bill? Let me know.

Weird Adventures Strange Trails Preview

OK, folks have been talking about their most anticipated gaming releases of 2011. For me Weird Adventures by Trey Causey tops that list. Pulp fantasy it it's finest, Weird Adventures promises to deliver a rather fresh take on the fantasy RPG genere. Trey just posted a free preview of the setting on his blog From the Sorcerer's Skull. In the interest of full disclosure, I did do a bit of art for Trey and you can see some in the preview. However, I think that this is going to be one of the coolest fantasy settings out there. If you dig Hollow Earth Expedition, the Goon Comics, etc, you simply owe it to yourself to go get the free preview. It is great stuff for sure!

Thought of the Day Thursday: Wild Speculation about the Health of Table Top Gaming

As happens from time to time in the gamer community, the topic of discussion swings around to the health of the gaming industry and the pack leaders within the industry. I think many folks have made many insightful comments on Mr. Ryan Dancey’s post on ENWorld about his views on the subject. Especially where it concerns Dungeons and Dragon, Pathfinder RPG, etc. I’m not really going to delve into that here. What I think is going to be interesting to see over time is how the gaming industry is shaped by the children of current gamers. I’m in my late 30’s and have been gaming since I was about ten. I have a six year old son and three year old daughter. They are highly aware of my love of RPGs and comic books (which is another area that experiences very similar death throw speculations). I have friends of similar age and background, with children roughly the same age and from what I can tell from many in the OSR demographic any way, I’m not too far from being a typical OSR gamer. So, let’s speculate and just wildly generalize and hypothesize, and well, OK…

Many of the OSR gamers have been gaming since Dungeons and Dragons was in the popular vernacular of the day. At one point there was the D&D Cartoon, action figures, lunch boxes, Shrinky Dinks, etc. It is safe to say that it had some saturation beyond the scope of gamer nerds and entered the popular consciousness. I’m not quite sure how many of the kids that played D&D (or Star Frontiers, or Gamma World, or Marvel FASERIP, etc) continued to game past high school. How many of those folks kept their gaming material and stashed it away in attics and garages? Now, for the non-OSR adherent, hardcore gamers that find this stuff again, how far a stretch is it that they would come across their old BECMI Basic Red Box and have some fond memories. Let’s say they have kids, how far is it to say, bring the Red Box in on a lark and say “hey kids, look what I found” and maybe on a nostalgic lark, run a brief adventure or two. Now I know Mr. Dancey seems puzzled by the whole choice for the Red Box motif for the current iteration of D&D. He mentioned something about it being targeted at 40 somethings with a nostalgia trip. Well, that I suspect is true to some extent, but I think it is not aimed at getting the 40 something gamer back into the market. Rather, I think it is aimed at getting that 40 something with a nostalgia trip to purchase that set for their kids. But I digress. So, what about the active gamer crowd and THEIR children? I’m not sure that RPGs will ever be able to get the same permeation into the mainstream that they did in the 80’s. I think things have changed too dramatically. However, I think they won’t ever completely die off either. Think about the Rubic’s Cube. I think it is safe to argue that it had the same sort of saturation into the culture and at about the same time frame as D&D. Now, I think it’s also safe to say that the Rubic’s Cube does not enjoy the heights of popularity it once did, but you know what? It’s still around and there are still ardent adherents and young kids still pick it up and try to solve the perplexing puzzle to this day. So, I think as long as there are RPGs being made and sold, there will be an audience to support them. I don’t think that anyone should ever expect an 80’s style resurgence since the mass culture is fickle about its trends. And I think that is OK. But I think it will be interesting to see the current crop of table top gamer’s kids and if they decide to follow their folks into the hobby. I think that several of them just might do that. We shall see…

OpenQuest arrived today

I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday since I was off doing my day job and didn’t get home until late. So I didn’t get any time to really catch up on a few blogs I follow. I’m still busy today, but I wanted to take a moment to mention that I received my copy of OpenQuest and Mythic Russia today. I’m pretty excited about these two items because it shows that the hobbyist game developers and members of the OSR really have been successful not just in cloning older D&D properties, but indeed there is more going on out there than really gets mentioned. D101 games looks like it is the torch bearer for the RuneQuest/d100 game clone scene. I’ll admit, I’m not too much up on RuneQuest, never having played a game, but I’m certainly interested in it. I know for many European gamers, RuneQuest resonates more than D&D does and carries quite an impact over here still. I’d like to know more about that scene and I’m excited about going through OpenQuest and Mythic Russia. Right now from a very surreptitious glance through, the production values look excellent. Over the days (weeks and months) to come, I’ll dig into them some more and give my thoughts. D&D and clones are where my heart is, but I’m excited to see the hobbyist segment well diversified.

A Little Follow Through

I started plotting my own Old School Gaming project back in 2006. Actually a little earlier due to some traffic at EN World discussing old school projects. With the advent of OSRIC, I really started to feel like things were going in the right direction and that I would really be able to create something and release it back to the community. I had a ton of ideas, but of course I'd always scrap them and move on. It is hard for me to really follow through on a project if I'm really the only driving force. I tend to move on to new shiny things. Yeah, I'm bad at that. However, today I actually finished the maps for Basalt Keep! I've also numbered the encounter areas. 160 of them total! The keep itself has four floors, a tower with six floors, and two sublevels. I'm actually quite pleased that I've maintained this forward momentum. Now I need to key the map areas. Like I said in my earlier post, not sure how long it'll take but I think with the current momentum, a few more weeks and I should have a substantial chunk ready for review.

Shut up and color

Zak over at Playing D&D with Porn Stars posited that game developers should grow adventures from illustrations or maps and see what comes of it instead of the traditional write the adventure and then illustrate it. Being a visual guy, I almost always work from a drawing or map first as inspiration for adventure. In fact, that is how I'm proceeding with my Basalt Keep Adventure.

In that vein, I thought it'd be fun to post a picture and see if anyone could come up with some adventure ideas. This is an older picture I did about five years ago and it was the seed for an adventure idea that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, but keep meaning too (but as usual, life keeps getting in the way). At any rate, I'd be interested in seeing what you folks can come up with adventure seed wise. Have fun!

Basalt Keep Update and New Game of Thrones Trailer

I finally finished hand drawing the maps yesterday. Much to my chagrin, my computer crashed so I had to start rekeying everything I had done so far. Not tooo big a deal. I just glad to have them finished and scanned in. So, I'll generate the map keys from there. I'm not sure how long that will take yet but I should have a good idea in a few days. I'm going to release a no art, map and text only Open Game Content version of the Basalt Keep once it is keyed up. For what I have in mind, it's probably going to be a fairly high level adventure, but we'll see once I start fleshing it out. It seems most adventures out there so far for the Old School Renaissance have been in the low to mid level range so I want to fill a gap that is not represented well yet.

On another note, I just finished watching the new trailer for the HBO Game of Thrones series. I'm pretty darned excited about this. It starts in April, but of course that means I probably won't get to see it for another year or so. Ah well, that's what happens when you are living outside the States... Anyway, the trailer looks really awesome. Take a look.

Review of Skull Mountain by Jeff Sparks

Skull Mountain is a Labyrinth Lord Adventure by Jeff “Bighara” Sparks with art by Andy ATOM Taylor and Steve Zieser and published by Faster Monkey Games. The module is 36 pages long with illustrated player handouts taking the last two pages. The adventure is aimed at 4-6 characters of level 4-6. Disclaimer: this is not a play test review (unfortunately for me).

There have been a lot of old school style modules coming out for the past few years. Most of those have been for AD&D 1e/OSRIC. It seems recently, B/X D&D/Labyrinth Lord has been gaining quite a bit of momentum. I’ll admit to being caught up in that wave to some extent. This is the first module geared toward Labyrinth Lord that I have picked up. The main attraction to me was the draw of the adventure being based off the wonderfully evocative skull map found in the back of the Holmes Basic D&D book. This adventure fleshes that map out and makes it into a fully realized adventure site. Of course there are modifications (as any DM worth their salt does). Andy Taylor recreates the scene of a few adventurers looking on the famed Skull Mountain in B&W. I like Andy’s verisimilitude with the characters in the picture. No mohawked elves or the like here. Just good, old school styling. Good work ATOM. The cover pretty much sets the tone for the adventure inside. The Steve Zeiser illustrations on the handouts at the end of the booklet convey an appropriate mood for the adventure. Again, well done Mr. Zeiser.

The back story for the adventure is a take off of the standard wipe out the evil cult adventure. The story spans approximately 1000 years with a black dragon finding a wand of polymorph and using that to dupe the nearby humans population into thinking he’s a god. It goes on for a long time until some adventurers put and end to the depredations of the cult and then collapse part of the dungeon. The Dragon survives and eventually encounters some subterranean lizardmen with whom he successfully convinces of his divinity by the same ploy. Eventually, the remnants of the surface cult reorganize over the years and become a thieves guild instead of a religious following. However, one member wants to bring back the old ways. He is expelled from the guild and sentenced to be cast into the volcano behind Skull Mountain. He survives the fall, makes contact with the lizardmen and eventually returns to the surface and takes over the guild. He then proceeds to bring back the old ways and all that entails (including kidnapping locals for use as sacrifices/food for the god/dragon). He then proceeds to kidnap the son of a prominent local, and that’s the hook for the adventure to start.

This adventure does not pose much in the way of innovation and does not make any pretenses otherwise. This is a straight ahead dungeon crawl just like the ones we used to play in the 70’s/80’s. There is a new monster in the form of a hybrid dragon/lizardman but most of the creatures encountered will be lizardmen. I’ll admit that I’m glad to have an adventure that veers away from the goblinoid races for a change. It makes it a little reminiscent of the classic adventure Tomb of the Lizard King. The adventure itself is fairly lengthy. While I haven’t had a chance at play testing, I’d think it would take several sessions to complete. There are a few natural break areas to allow the adventurers to regroup and resupply (with the most notable being the rescue of the boy mentioned above). Like any good old school module, there is a lot of open endedness here. There is no detail of how to handle the return of the boy, the clearing out of the cult, etc. These things are to be handled by the DM as they see fit. This style of play may be off putting for DMs that are experienced in newer iterations of the game, but I find it makes tailoring the adventure to suit the individual campaign much easier. There are no complicated plot threads that might unravel if removed from a specific setting for instance. Good stuff.

The adventure, while taking place within skull mountain, does provide for some variety in that it starts with a fairly standard bunch of human cultists in an evil temple and then goes all the way to a subterranean delve fighting lizardmen and ultimately a black dragon. It should keep a group intrigued for some time.

All-in-all, I found this to be a well crafted old school style romp. It does not pretend to be anything other than what it is: an old school romp through a dark and dangerous place. No grandiose world saving here, just a hook for some adventurers to do what they do best: explore dangerous places, kill some nasty and hostile beasties, and make off with anything of value that they can. It achieves this well without being pretentious about it. It is flexible enough for a DM to adjust to their group’s needs which is another major plus. If you are looking for a multisession adventure to plug into your campaign world that is easy to plug and play, you can not go wrong here. I give this four out of five stars. Well worth picking up.

Non RPG Interlude on Digital Comics

I was a bit skeptical about digital comics. I just much preferred the real deal. I'm a comics guy. I was a comics fan before I became an RPG fan. Much of my predelictions in RPGs, Lietature, and other entertainment are pretty heavily informed by comics. My life's goal at one point was to become a comic book artist/writer. That is until I found out that sequential art is serious work. Well, that and there are a lot of folks doing it that are a lot better suited to doing sequential art than I am.

Alright, back on topic. Last summer I signed up for a Marvel Comics digital subscription. I have a tendancy to be a comic addict so I figured that at least I could get my fix without having even more boxes of comics taking up space. I didn't have much more faith in digital comics than that. I tell you, after the paying the $70 per year entrance fee, I found I now had access to an incredible number of Marvel Back Issues. Part of my compulsion in comics is that I'm a completist. I want to know every detail, even if the story and art suck, at least I was in possession of that nugget of knoweldge of what happened. That lead me to try and complete full runs of many series. You know what, I have found that digital comics have scratched that itch. Not only that, I'm pretty much off hard copies unless there is something I feel I simply must have. Even then, I think about it for a good long while before I purchase.

I'm bringing this all up because Dark Horse Comics is set to have a digital launch this month. Dark Horse has been putting out some seriously amazing work. I'm a big fan of Mike Mignola's Hellboy and the now associated B.P.R.D. universe. The Dark Horse Conan, Star Wars, and many other titles are cool too. And now it looks like I'll be able to get my digital fix. For those interested, head over to Dark Horse and check it out.

Going Old School at GenCon

I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about the news of several Old School publishers setting up a booth at GenCon this summer (see link in yesterday's post for more info). I'll admit to not being much of a convention goer and I've never been to any of the big conventions. At most, I tend to check out the local cons and play a game and browse the vendors. This year, I'm going to make a concerted effort to get to GenCon. It looks like I might just be able to pull it off too. Getting from Italy back to the Midwest and back can be pricey. It will work out well too since pretty much everything shuts down in August here in Italy since everyone goes on vacation. Never thought I'd be excited to fly from Italy to Indiana. Ironically enough I'm going to make a business trip to Indy the first week of February so I'll try and get the lay of the land and scope out possible hotels and the like. Any suggestions from experienced folks?

Old School Gaming Goodness at GENCON Indy 2011

Looks like there will be some real Old School Gaming love at GENCON this year. Joe Browning of Expeditious Retreat Press will have a booth along with Brave Halfling, Goblinoid Games, Frog God Games, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I've never been to a GENCON but I'm thinking that this year might be the time to go. It'd be really fun to actually meet folks I've talked with on message boards, blogs and email. I think this is a great step for the OSR and am excited for all involved. Now, to check on air fare from Venice, Italy to Indianapolis and back...

Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow Update

I want to expand a little on yesterday’s topic of having shared touch stones in OSR projects. There is some really cool stuff going on with megadungeons like Stonehell as well as Zak Smith’s Gigacrawler shared world. I’m very interested in those projects. I’d like to have some shared resources as well. Think something like the Eternal city of Tanelorn that was open sourced so everyone could use it. It could make an appearance in Gigacrawler or in Stonehell or in whatever campaign. Again, I interested in people, places and or things that are free to use in other settings. I really like the idea of being able to pick up a module and seeing Baba Yaga’s Hut in Greyhawk as well as it appearing in someplace like the Wilderlands or someone’s mythic Russia campaign.

I’m going to open source my Basalt Keep for just that purpose. I’ve almost finished with most of the maps of the Keep itself. What I intend is that the Keep is essentially a temporal/spatial hopping artifact. I’m going to detail a few of the main areas of the keep. It’s fairly large – four main floors to the keep itself, a tower with six levels, and so far two sub levels that lead to an underground section. Much like any other artifact, it’s got a bit of a back story. So I’d like to treat it along the lines of Baba Yaga’s hut, a big artifact that has the potential to appear in other planes, campaigns, whatever. So instead of playing in someone else’s world, this would be a little piece that could suddenly appear and disappear from one’s campaign as you wish.

I’ll be posting more soon on the Basalt Keep. I’ve also got some ideas for more things that I want to open source but I’m also interested in what others are doing. Anyone else got any neat artifacts, locations, gods, etc that they want to share? I’m really liking what is going on so far in the OSR (I can’t wait for James Maliszeski’s Petty Gods). It’ll be nice to have some more cool blocks available in the pool for all of us to share.

Common Gaming Touch Stones and Free Flow of Ideas in the Old School Renaissance

I was just reading through some of the various blogs and message boards that I’m enthralled with and really basking in the glow of all of the creative energy that is out there. I’ve mentioned it before, but the thing that really keeps my fires stoked for hobbyist gaming/the OSR and participating is the sheer creative energy. It’s just an incredibly cool thing. Having said that, one thing I think I’d like to see a bit more of is a free flow of ideas BETWEEN people’s campaigns. Much like H.P. Lovecraft, R.E. Howard and the like used to do. It’d be cool to have a common set of place names, artifacts, etc that were developed for use for the hobbyist gamers to use as touch stones. I’m not necessarily advocating that people fully open source their projects, but man, it sure would be cool to see OSR/Hobbyist gaming versions of Carcosa, the King in Yellow, the Necronomicon (except, you know, developed by the current crop of OSR/Hobbyist gaming enthusiasts). They may appear to be a bit different in each campaign world, but there would be a commonality, a touch stone. I’m working on my Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow adventure and am very close to finishing the maps. I’m really seriously thinking about making large portions of it open gaming content for just this purpose. The Keep and the island on which it sits have essentially been dislodged from the fabric of the prime material plane anyway and is thus a temporal/spatial anomaly. Anyone else got any thoughts on common touch stones for the OSR/hobbyist gaming?

Fantasy gets the Bronze

If you’ve looked at my Appendix N, much of my influences are pre-medieval for the most part. I have a real fascination for post Roman pre-medieval era Europe. Otherwise known as the Dark Ages, there is some pretty interesting stuff going on here. I don’t know much about RuneQuest, but reading through the very first few pages of RuneQuest Second edition, they make it clear that Glorantha is a Bronze Age setting. My setting that I’m working on for my own Old School project will be very Dark Age/Bronze age (of course with the much loved anachronisms and such) world. I’d be interested in hearing good sources of Bronze Age Gaming material. I already have quite a bit of real world historical material so I want to see how things were handled by other fantasists out there. I know about Glorantha, but what would be the most valuable supplements. I’m only heard a little about the Slaine setting (I think there was some d20 material). Thoughts/suggestions?

I am Now Complete

Well, actually, to be more precise, my softcover copy of Swords and Wizardry Complete arrived yesterday. It is a very nice presentation and overall looks really good. Kudos to the Frog God. I still have to look through the text. At some point, I'm going to pull out all my retro-clones and comb through them and decide how I best want to cannibalize them for my own homebrew. I'll post more about it after I have a chance to look through it and digest the contents.

Weekly creature feature The Aspis

It is that time once again to plunder the riches of Myth, Folklore and Legend to present beasties for use in you campaign outside the usual suspects. Always keep them guessing. At any rate, I continue to utilize the wonderful resource Giants, Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth by Carol Rose. Today I present the Aspis, a small draconic creature similar to the wyvern. As per usual, I've modified it a bit to make it a challenging pack hunter. The Aspis had a big weakness according to folklore, which I've modified a bit to make it more playable. As per usual, the Weekly Creature Feature is designated Open Gaming Conent and uses Labyrinth Lord statistics. Any accompanying art is not Open Gaming Content. Withour further ado:

Name: Aspis
No. Enc: 1-6
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Fly: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 2 (claw, bite)
Damage: 1d4, 1d6, poison
Save: F4
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XVIII

Description: A small, draconic creature that is believed to be a smaller cousin of the wyvern. The Aspis hunts in thick forests, utilizing its poisonous bite. Aspis appear much as small wyvern except that they are the size of large dogs and do not possess a stinger in their tails. Instead, the Aspis has large fangs akin to a poisonous snake. Anyone bitten by an Aspis must make a successful save versus poison or die. They are also relatively clumsy fliers; preferring to attack from the trees utilizing their wings for short hovers and to carry them back to the cover of canopy in combat if necessary. Aspis tend to hunt in small packs with the lead by the largest and strongest. Aspis are not particularly intelligent or brave. They will flee if a battle is going against them.

Of note, the Aspis has a peculiar vulnerability to rhythmic sounds such as those made by percussion instruments. If employing a drum against an Aspis, the Aspis must make a save versus death as a fourth level fighter or be affected by a stupor inflicting a -3 penalty on die rolls. The Aspis is only so affected by drums or similar hollow percussion instruments and not by merely banging sticks or other objects in a rhythmic manner.

On a positive note

Tim Brannan over at the Other Side Blog has a pretty good post about what is right about the OSR. It’s a good take after some of the negative floating around for the last few days. At any rate, what really appeals to me about the things going on with the whole hobbyist gaming thing is the energy. The DIY nature of it all appeals to me. It really reminds me a lot of my youth when I was really into the punk rock scene. There is a very vital and raw sense of energy, of anything goes, that is very reminiscent of that time for me. I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but I like the various takes, I like the raw and unpolished clip art and photocopy stuff all the way to the polished professional stuff. That’s not to say all of it is GOOD in the sense that it is something I’d dump my current game for; but in most cases, I’ll find at least one good idea or piece of art or something there that I can take away. I’m easily amused I suppose. Yeah, there’s a lot of wild stuff out there. Sometimes I want something just short, gritty and sweet like the Minutemen or say Swords of Arathnor. Other times I want edgy and in your face like Fear or Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Or light but hard hitting like the Ramones or Labyrinth Lord. Sometimes just great straight ahead rocking out like Social Distortion or OSRIC. Well, you get the idea. I know we all have our own takes, likes and dislikes, etc. I know people get passionate about this stuff and that’s why there is some really great stuff out there. It really reminds me of the energy and passion that I felt when I was a kid gaming and hanging out in the punk scene. Anyone could create their own band and either disappear into obscurity or take on the world. Keep it comin!

Review of Savage Swords of Athanor (Part 2)

Coninued directly from my last post:

The next section is devoted to monsters and treasure of Athanor. This section runs from page 18 through 34. There are quite a few dinosaurs in Athanor along with a few familiar creatures such as the Anhkheg, dragons, and stirges. The rest are creatures unique to Athanor such as the tunnel stalker which is a large slug-like creature with a mass of tentacles with barbed stingers that it uses to attack prey. Overall, there are 32 monsters detailed. Next up are some technological artifacts from the ancients. Here you’ll find things like laser and needler guns as well as things as a technological invisibility cloak. The rest of the section details summoning and binding elemental spirits and random encounter tables for each terrain type.

The next major section is dedicated to describing the campaign world of Athanor. Here you’ll find what you’d expect such as a history, climate, and religions. The city-state of Zamora is also detailed with a map of the city, a overview of 12 important taverns, the great houses that are involved in the higher level business and politics of the city-state, important organizations, individuals and places of note, adventure seeds, and plot point ideas.

The final section of the book has a hex map of Athanor and a map key. It is presented sandbox style to give the game master some flexibility in the explorations of the world.

Overall, Savage Swords of Athanor is a solid contribution to old school gaming. It presents planetary romance with a high level of fidelity to the genre. On my initial assessment, I was a little disappointed not to see any art to help define the setting. However, the rules and flavor text are well done and evocative. I admit to not being well schooled in the works of planetary romance, much to my dismay. However, this work gives me cause to be excited about the genre and seek out some of the literary inspirations. At first, it may seem like three classes is not enough to give the flexibility needed to create the depth desired for a wide range of character types. However, when utilized in combination with the skills, it provides and enormous amount of flexibility and tailoring. I heartily approve of this approach. Being an old school 1e AD&D guy, it took me aback at first, but I’m actually in favor of fewer classes now days. I’m also not a huge fan of skill systems. They can be very limiting just like narrowly defined classes. However, I find the approach detailed here fresh and inventive. I might add a few of my own to the list, but the slection is pretty broad and allows for the creation of characters that would model such classes as assassin, thief, or cleric. Again, nicely done. I found the setting information very well done. None of the major personages are stated out, so that makes it great for game masters to customize to taste.

Finally, for those folks that want something different while still maintaining a certain level of familiarity, I’d highly recommend giving Swords of Athanor a look. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, the rule variations are worth checking out. While I would have liked a little more in the way of illustration, it is not a detriment. I give Swords of Athanor 4.5 out of 5 stars. For $8 USD, it is definitely money well spent. Go check it out.

Review of Savage Swords of Athanor (Part 1)

Considering the 77th birthday of Flash Gordon was the 7th of January, it seems rather appropriate to do a review of Savage Swords of Athanor. Granted, Savage Swords of Athanor is rally more in the vein of say John Carter than Flash Gordon, you’ll get the idea. So without further ado, let’s begin. Savage Swords of Athanor Rules Supplement and Campaign Setting for Swords and Wizardry White Box is by Doug Easterly. I picked my copy up at Lulu for $8.00 USD. Digest sized and weighing in at 64 pages, Athanor fits in nicely with your S&W White Box books or even better, your OD&D little brown books. The first page is the title and credits while the second page is a table of contents and introduction. The final page is given over to the open game license. So for those of you who are sticklers for that sort of thing, the rest is all devoted to the game itself. The front cover depicts a very nice silhouette cut out of what appears to be some pteronadons and an iguanadon in front of a domed city with pyramids and two moons. Done in tri color, it is very simple, elegant, and evocative. The interior of the work contains no further illustrations. There is a line map of the domed city of Zamora and a hex map for the city of Zamora and surrounding environs.

The first section Men and Magic starts on page three and ends on page seventeen. This section details the races, classes, skill and magic system available in Athanor. There are five playable races in Athanor and four subraces of humans. The humans of Athanor are quite a bit different than us in that they have a wider range of skin color and hair color. The four subraces are the Duma are black skinned and red haired, xenophobic dinosaur riders that hole up in their walled cities. The Ghuls are chaos worshiping cannibals that have clear skin. The Khitai are another xenophobic race that has yellow skin and black hair. Zamorans are red skinned and black haired. Zamorans area passionate people and the assumed default race of the setting. Mal’Akkans are a vegetoid cactus people. Alemanians are blue skinned arthropods. Throon are fungus men. Finally, earthmen from the 20th/21st century Earth may be played.

There are three classes in Athanor: Fighting-man, Magic-user, and Rogue. The Fighting-man and Magic-user classes function as per the S&W rules while the rogue is a sort of hybrid between the two. The rogue has the ability to use any weapon, but can not cast spells while in armor. Rogues do not gain spells until second level. Further, they must hunt down their spells as the game progresses.

Three classes might seem limited, but there is a skill system that allows for further customization of characters. Skills are not required for a character to attempt an action, but instead, they give bonuses to the actions performed. The skills are divided into three groups. Characters can choose one skill from group 1 or two from group 2. Only earth men can choose from group three. Here’s and example of a skill: thief – may use skills to overcome locks, traps, and scale walls. Thieves gain a +1 to surprise rolls when alone or with other stealthy characters. Skill checks are handled by making a saving throw. A character that is skilled in an area gain a +4 bonus to saving throws that involve the skill. A character can learn additional skills by spending money and time.

The spell list is a mix of magic-user and priest spells. In addition, there are rules for creating scrolls and a rules for interrupted spells. Spell interruption rules require a save to be made and also roll on the magical mishap table. There are also mutations that result from exposure to the Clone Pits, the technology of the ancients, or irradiated ruins. The mutations can have a variety of effects either harmful or beneficial. Finally, there is a lack of resurrection spells but the Clone Pits run by the Necromancer Vog-Mur are capable of resurrection (but can also incur a variety of effects).

The Men and Magic section is rounded out by details of the effects of hit points and death, binding wounds, rest, and fortifying spirits. Combat options such as parrying, two weapon fighting, and disarming are detailed.

The second half of the review follows.

Game hate... what's it good for, absolutely nothin!

I'm not quite sure what all the hate is about for WotC, old schoolers, new schoolers, Palladium, middle schooler, er... really any of it? Well, I take that back, I know folks are feeling upset that the game they loved as a kid back in the 70's and 80's is (at least in their mind) being destroyed. I understand being upset (kinda) but the thing that outright blows my mind is the amount of rage that some folks seem to display. I'm far from a corporate appologist, but in this case, I just can't make the connection. I'm not a fan of collectable crazes. I've never played Magic or D&D minis. I'm pretty much an old school gamer, but I'm willing to play most anything to at least give it a fair shake. There are quite a few games I don't care for, many that I'm ambivalent about. But hate? For a GAME? Nah. Just seems as crazy as fighting over which is better, the colors mauve or tope. And the same goes for the other way around with any of the newer games hating the old school stuff. Isn't there enough crap in this world to worry about to hate someone over a game? It's all silly, but then again, I'm a grown man that spends probably far too much time day dreaming about wizards, dragons, and dark dungeons. Oh yeah, and kumba yah to you too m'lord.

Father and Son interlude

Bear, I am your father. Nnnnnnnooooooooo!!!!!!! Hehe, sorry. I've mentioned before that I'm currently without a gaming group. To be honest, I haven't advertised around much yet, but as I grow my projects, I'll need some playtester and will be looking to start up a group probably bi-weekly. In the mean time, I'm growing my own crop of gamers right here at home. My son Bear is six and very interested in gaming. I've posted the movies of my family playing Dungeon overthe holidays here. He's also dedicated to following in my footsteps as a fantasy illustrator. Here's one of his latest works of some monsters eating an unlucky adventurer trying to steal their treasure.

He's incredibly excited that I'm posting his work. At any rate, work continues apace on my magic supplement. I'll probably upload a free pdf version at some point for those of you who are curious so that I can get some feedback while I'm trying to assemeble a play test group. On that note, I've got to go set up the Dungeon! board. My kids are anxious for another go!

My Personal Appendix N for my Campaign or: Everybody's Doing it so Why Shouldn't I?

Appendix N of the 1e Dungeon Master’s Guide needs no introduction for longtime gamers. I’ve been working away at my own hobbyist gaming projects and thought at this point it might be nice to list some of my influences in creating my campaign world as well as give the flavor and feel I hope I convey. This list is not in any particular order and is not all inclusive (I know I have skipped some things, this is more or less off the cuff).

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
Beowulf and Grendel: The Tuth Behind England’s Oldest Legend by John Grigsby
Oxford World’s Classics: The Kalevala by Elias Lonnrot English translation by Keith Bosley
Kalevala Mythology Expanded Edition by Juha Y. Pentikainen translated to English and edited by Ritv Poom
The Mabinogion translated to English by Sioned Davies
The Mabionogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton
The Saga of the Volsungs translated to English by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris
The Nibelungenlied translated by A.T. Hatto
The Poetic Edda translated by Henry Adams Bellows
The Prose Edda by Snori Sturluson and translated by Jesse L. Byock
Over Nine Waves: A Book of Irish Legends by Marie Heaney
Teutonic Mythology by Viktor Rydberg
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated by Jack Zipes
The Celtic Twilight: Faerie and Folklore by W.B. Yeats
Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Parzival by Wolfram Von Eschenbach
The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Tristian by Gottfried Von Straussburg
The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Celtic Gods and Heroes by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt
The Tain translated by Thomas Kinsella
Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions by H.R. Ellis Davidson
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy by Ronald Hutton
Warriors of the Wasteland: A Quest for the Pagan Sacrificial Cult behind the Grail Legend by John Grigsby
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow
Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padric Colum
Northern Tales: Stories from the Native Peoples of the Artic and Subarctic Regions by Howard Norman
The Children of Odin by Padric Colum
Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek
The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Here’s a list of more fantasy and horror related authors that flavor my thinking as well:
H.P. Lovecraft
August Derleth
J.R.R. Tolkien
R.E. Howard
Michael Moorcock
Fritz Lieber
George R.R. Martin
Mike Mignola
Lord Dunsany
Percy Shelly
Marry Shelley
Lord Byron
Edgar Allen Poe
Bram Stoker

Again, this list is FAR from inclusive and there are many glaring omissions, but I’m sure the point has been made. My world will have a very grim feel, with fantastical trappings. Life is often brutish and short; however, heroes can rise above the fray and become legend. The strange and supernatural has many intersections into the world and it often goes beyond the understanding of mortal men. The gods, heroes, legend, monsters have their own agendas and are not beholden to the world or its peoples.

Where's the new in the OSR? Well, it's right under your nose.

Chicago Wiz asks in is blog where the next step in the OSR is. Where is the OSR Blackmoor or Tekumel? I think it's out there. I think there are several folks coming up with all kinds of stuff like Trey over at From the Sorcerer's Skull or John Stater over at The Land of NOD or Shane at Swords Against the Outer Dark or Al at Beyond the Black Gate. Heck, that's not even mentioning some of the more talked about alternative rule sets that are out there in the OSR like Geoffrey McKinney's Carcosa or James Raggi's Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

One thing that I've kind of noticed about folks in the OSR is that we tend to be clickish and hang on to our familiar little groups and not venture out too to check out new stuff. We may say that we want new stuff, but often it seems that if it diverges too far, then we get scared. I speak with some experience as I've been an active part of the OSR starting with OSRIC and the Knights and Knaves Alehouse gang since 2006. As an artist, I haven't really been vocal or really contributed much to the actual written rule sets. Well, actually I have been doing quite a bit of tinkering for the past five years, it's just that I've been doing it on another blog (which I don't use anymore).

At any rate, I'm seeing exactly what I'd hoped would happen when I signed on to the Old School Renaissance and did the art for OSRIC. There are quite a few people doing some incredibly cool stuff and taking the rules beyond a mere aping of the stuff put out in the 1970s/80s. I think the best times for the OSR are still to come. As one of the guys hacking away at my kitchen table, I hope you'll follow along. I encourage comments/suggestions/etc. I also very much hope that you will check out some of the other incredibly cool stuff going on. If you've got something in the works, I'd like to know about it. I thing one of the greatest strengths and indeed the coolest thing about the Old School Renaissance is all of the folks out there passionately creating things for this hobby. It is a rich and vibrant community. I know I'm coming across as a cheerleader, but damn it, I think that's exactly what is needed. So, break out of your comfort zone, participate in a project by either starting your own, collaborating with someone else, providing feedback by way of playtesting or even just proofreading to someone else, or writing reviews on stuff that's out there. In the end, we'll all benefit by having a vibrant hobby with some incredibly cool stuff to fuel our imaginations and fill our Satuday nights.

Old School Renaissance Projects

I have several hobbyist gaming projects in the works. My New Year’s Resolution of sorts was to focus. More specifically, bring focus to my OSR projects. Here’s a rundown of where I’m at with my projects and what I have in the works (and what I’d like to work on).

Delve! – My reimagining of the classic board game Dungeon! I’ve got the classes and monster list down as well as spells and effects. Delve! Will use 2d10 instead of 2d6 but will play much like the original game with a few added rules; so not a direct clone but more a project in the spirit of the original. I intend on doing a full mockup of the board game to give to my son for his birthday. So that means the game will have to be completed or playable by 11 May 2011. I intend on publishing the rule set upon completion.

Strange Magic! – Working title for now. This will be my rules supplement to Labyrinth Lord detailing ritual, summoning, pact, rune, divine/spiritual, and craft magics as well as supporting disciplines and the like. I’m still in the very early stages of brainstorming on this but it is starting to coagulate into something pretty nicely. I hope to have a published rules supplement out by the end of 2011.

Dohnstanziea – My campaign world supplement for Labyrinth Lord. Again working title. This will include a campaign world map, my magic rules, a gazetteer of the campaign area, a bestiary, and some adventures. No ETA as this is a rather large undertaking and will depend on several of my smaller projects being completed as it will incorporate rules from those.

Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow – A Labyrinth Lord adventure. I have progressed nicely on the maps and they should be done soon. I’ll work from there to flesh out the adventure but have the overarching framework. I am thinking about including rules for sanity effects as well as otherworldly corruption rules. It will be a fairly high kevel adventure (I’m thinking level 6-8 or between six an 10 – we’ll see when I flesh it out a bit more). I want it to have a very otherworldly, creepy, atmospheric feel.

Other adventures – At some point, I’m going to go back and work on Sinister Sightings at Dustchapel Downs. A lower level adventure along the lines of level 2-4 for Labyrinth Lord. Again, a creepy atmospheric adventure. The Dustchapel Downs adventure was intended to be part of a series entiled Shadows of the Umbra Palace. I’ll work on that as well.

4C – Oh hell yeah, 4C! I LOVED Marvel Super Heroes FASERIP rules. There was a time that I played them WAY more than D&D. I had Trapper Keepers FULL of character sheets for characters I developed. I am for sure going to do something for this system. I haven’t quite decided what that is, but this is something I’m dying to work on. It may get bumped up the priority ladder a bit depending on how bad the itch gets to do something for this.

So, that is a basic run down of what I have in the works. Should keep me quite busy for the foreseeable future! Oh, I haven’t even received my copies of OpenQuest, Mutant Future, hard copy of OSRIC, Swords and Wizardry Complete yet. Yeah, quite busy indeed. And that is not even mentioning any art commissions that may come up!

Disciplined Magic

I’ve been thinking about my approach to magic and I think there is one more element I need to add to the mix to really be able to pull it off. I don’t care for skill systems much. I find them just as restrictive as classes. It seems more natural to say someone has an aptitude for something and give them bonuses for a check against an attribute or a baseline success rather than artificially levy a skill construct with percentile scores that is restricted by class. However, I do think it makes sense that someone who has a background in say demonology, might be better at summoning these malevolent entities than say Jikara the Buxom who just happens to be leafing through the Tome of Three Hundred Secrets of the Occluded Soul and is trying to summon Gbrank Ywoldar the Crushing Fist of the Dread Mist.

So instead of creating a whole skill set to support things like fishing, horsemanship, bowling, hair styling, etc, I’m thinking about using disciplines. A discipline would be a sort of “super skill set” that would be tiered and provide bonuses to achieve a desired result in a certain area. For instance, going back to Jikara, say that she studies under Flandrel the Red and learns some demon lore (like how to create a summoning circle, what types of candles to use and their placement, etc – the basics of summoning). Prior to her studies, assuming she was able to read the text of the Tome of the Three Hundred Secrets of the Occluded Soul, she would have a 10% chance of summoning a demon using the text (as would anyone else that is unskilled but could read the text). Further, I’d say that she has a 10% chance of controlling or compelling Gbrank. Most likely, assuming she was able to summon the entity, Gbrank would be rather upset, go into a rage and hurl obscenities at her and then things would get progressively worse for Jikara from there. Now, if Jikara is inducted to the first order of the mysteries of the shrouded society (Demonology Discipline Rank 1), she can now increase her base chances of success by 15% (for an aggregate total of 25%). Now, I’ve been tossing around the idea of how best to work disciplines in. Essentially, anyone can learn a discipline, but there needs to be some cost associated to reflect an investment of time and energy (and possibly monetary investment as well). I’m thinking that these could be purchased through Experience Point investment as long as the resultant loss of experience would not cause the character to lose a level. If it would, then the discipline may not be purchased until such time as it does not cause the experience point total to fall below the minimum for that level. For instance, Jikira is a 3rd level fighter. She has an experience point total of let’s say 6500 experience points. I’d say that a level one Demonology discipline would cost an investment of 1500 Experience Points to attain; which would thereby reduce her total to 5000 Experience points. Since she needs a minimum of 4065 experience points (following Labyrinth Lord progression) to attain level three, she is OK. However, if she had 5000 experience and wished to purchase the discipline, it would result in her falling below the experience minimums for the level and thus not be allowed at this time.

I’ll have to refine the idea a bit more to determine discipline cost/effects, when a discipline can be purchased (i.e. how many can I buy per level), etc. I think this will free me of having to create a whole skill system and still allow for the modeling of progression in certain areas of magical aptitude. More to follow…

More on Magic

I think I’m pretty well sold on using two classes for my base in my campaign world. I think that with a fighting man and a magic user as a base, you can build some pretty interesting characters. What I’m thinking about doing is collapsing the cleric spell list into the magic user spell list. In addition, I’d make some priest spells along the lines of invocations. These invocations would be and appeal to the divine for aid and would fit into much the same pattern as the ritual magic I mentioned in my post yesterday. That would mean that theoretically an invocation to a god could be used by anybody. However, like the ritual magic, there would be a baseline that would affect the chance of success.

Here’s an example of what I’m thinking: Vladamir the bold is agonizing over Carnelia the Bountiful’s grevious wound to her head. He is not a cleric or associated with the church, but has been a more or less respectful adherent to Yzul Haedratha. Vladamir appeals to Yzul to aid his love and battle partner and bring her back from the brink of certain death. Vladamir, not being a truly devout worshiper or clergyman would have a 25% base chance of being favorably disposed to Yzul for aid. Vladamir vows to make a sacrifice to Yzul this increases the appeal by 5%. The sacrifice is something dear to Vladamir, so that increases his chance of aid a further 10%. If Vladamir succeeds in currying divine favor, Yzul will pull Carnelia back from the brink of death and heal 1d4 hp.

So, that is a rough outline and I’d need to work it out a bit more, but that is along the lines of what I’m going for. I want a summoning system that works along the same lines as well as an oracle and augury system. My intent is to has it out a bit further and post up some rule sets for you good folks to peruse.

It's a Strange Magic

I want new magic. Not new spells, new systems of magic. For my Old School Campaign world that I’m building, I intend to build a different set of magic rules to be utilized. I don’t think Vancian magic is broken. I just wanted to state that up front. I think it does what it does quite well in game terms. I don’t think the mechanics behind D&D (and by extension the retro-clones) are broken. Again, I find them quite enjoyable and they have been quite consistently good for me as a gamer for many, many years. So, I got that couple of bits of information out there. I few months back I was reading Eldritch Weirdness by Matt Finch (see my review). It really sparked something in me that had been bothering me for quite some time but I could not place it. I realized that I do love D&D. I love the system. I think it is a brilliant game, lots of fun, etc. What had been putting me off lately is the presentation. There are many good fantasy settings out there from Greyhawk, to Forgotten Realms, etc; they all capture the standard vanilla fantasy tropes quite well. The accretions of classes and schools of magic that popped up as the game progressed from 0e through AD&D 1e on to 2e and so on really are leaving me cold. No, I don’t think they are broken, and as I’ve said, I like the D&D construct quite well. What I want is a different way of handling classes and especially magic. Being a lifelong adherent to AD&D 1e, this was quite a revelation for me.

Matt’s exhortation in Eldritch Weirdness to go beyond the Vancian magic of spells and branch out into other areas of magic really struck a chord that resonated even more when I read through Geoffrey McKinney’s Carcosa (My Semi-review). In Carcosa, there is essentially only two character classes (that of fighting man and sorcerer) with the possibility of use of magic through the sorcerer class (which for all intents and purposes is a fighting man that has chosen to use magical rituals). In Carcosa, there is not thief, no assassin, no cleric, no paladin, etc. Similarly, there is no spell list for clerics, sorcerers perform rituals not the Vancian magic spells, etc.

So, here is what I’m working on (and I realize that it might not be everyone’s cuppa – but that’s OK): I want a world with three classes (or maybe two); the three being Fighting men, Magic Users, and Priests (I don’t really care for the idea of the cleric class as presented so I might not have a cleric/priest class at all but I’m still undecided at this point). The fighting men fight, the magic users cast spell, and the priests do priestly things (oracles, divinations, blessings, etc). I think that is a fine core to be able to build upon. Further, I want to use ritual magic, pact magic, bindings, summoning, ley line magic, and many others. Also, I don’t intend for magic to be the exclusive domain of magic users (although magic users will have a decided edge in magic use and in some cases they would have exclusive use). Rituals and the like are not necessarily the types of magic you would cast in combat. They are more of a down time type thing. What I’m thinking is that fighters would primarily be the weapon wielders and front line combatants that are going toe to toe with their foes. Magic Users will primarily use the Vancian Magic system and cast spells as everyone is currently used to doing. Rituals, summoning, etc would be available to be used by those that qualify. I’m thinking about having this system be an add on similar in nature to how psionics is sometimes presented – the possibility exists that anyone can do it regardless of class. So, for instance, a fighter comes across Ulkimand’s Gibberous Book of Gruesome Bindings and Rituals. If the Fighting Man possesses the requisite attributes and makes a check or save or whatever, then he can perform a ritual from the book. Let me advance that a bit further, Semarick the Valorious finds Ulkimansd’s Gibberous Book of Gruesome Bindings and Rituals. Semarick, not being a magic user by nature, none the less needs one of the spells that are contained within the tome. Semarick happens to be a pretty smart cookie and picked up some Old Glaurian tongue along the way in his many adventures so he is able to read the text of Ulkimand’s tome. Semarick find the ritual he needs, Repulsion of the Scabrous Hordes. In game terms, he is required to have an Intelligence of 17 and Wisdom of 14 to be able to perform the ritual (the requirements would be less if he was a mage and more immersed in the ways of magic). If Semarick does meet these requirements, he then has a base 70% chance of successfully completing the ritual. Let’s say Semarick doesn’t possess the requisite game required scores, but he can speak the language. For every point he is deficient in the prime requisite score, subtract a 15% chance of success. For ever point he is deficient in a secondary requsite (if there is one), it would be a 10% penalty. So, let’s say Semarick has an Int score of 14 and a Wis of 13. He’d be assessed a penalty of 40% so his base chance of successfully completing the ritual would be 30%. In addition, a since Semarick is not a Magic User by nature, he’d make a save versus magic or be struck by some adverse affect (dependent on the magic). So let’s say Semarick finds the book, is literate in the language it is written in, and attempts to perform the ritual. Since his requisite scores do not meet the casting requsites, he is assessed a penalty. If he fails the percentage chance of success, he is immediately affected by whatever adverse effect is part of the spell (in the case of the Repulsion of the Scabrous Horde it would be that he is affected by leprosy and the ritual fails). Let’s say he succeeds in the percentage chance to succeed but fails his save versus magic. The ritual is successfully cast, but he still incurs leprosy.

So, that is an example of what I’m thinking about. I think it adds a couple of elements that I want to include in my game. First, it makes magic more a fantastic element in the game and a possible plot point rather than just a different type of arm or accoutrement. Second, it models all of those instances in fantasy literature where the character who is not a mage, braves the odds and does what needs to be done. Third, with spell casting of the Vancian nature still the sole purview of magic users, it doesn’t diminish the role of the magic user (in fact, it would give them more tools since they would be more effective at these other forms of magic).
I’d be interested in hearing from others on what kinds of experiences they have had in these types of alternate systems.

What can hobbyist gaming and the Old School Renaissance do for you?

What we need now is a new game. Seriously, a new game. I think that all of the world building guys out there working away in their basements, crafting their kingdoms of excellence is a good thing. I think the greatest thing about hobbyist gaming is the sheer creative urge to build worlds, share visions, and just get stuff out there. Is all of it good? Perhaps not. But then again, how many movies need to be made? How many books need to be written? How many video games need to be created? Aren’t there plenty of excellent movies out there? How about books, there are probably more books written that are absolutely incredible and more than anyone can read in a lifetime. There are a ton of new games coming out all of the time. What I really want to see in these new adventures, rules compilations, addendums, add-ons, etc is some variety. I’d like to break the dungeon mold. It seems folks get stuck in a rut of building a marble run over and over and over, when it might be fun to build a robot out of legos instead. I don’t mind delving, it’s great fun. But I want to see more creativity than kill orc and take pie. I think that is more than possible with the existing rule sets available (such as Swords and Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, etc). What kinds of things would you like to see? What kind of innovations are still to be had? Instead of making the next tower of the crazy wizard, I’d like to see the totally warped geometry of the bat-shit crazy cosmomancer. I’ve got some ideas, what kind of crazy stuff is there to be had? What about sentient fractals, magic based upon random interactions of people, atomic conjunctions that create special resonances that in turn feed alchemical processes that create quantum effects on the material world? I’d like to see some more fantastic, crazy, mind warping stuff in my fantasy. My campaign world will contain similar ideas and other crazy things. Like Prince sang, “Let’s go crazy!”

Weekly Creature Feature x2: Alicanto and Alkonost

I've been pretty non-content oriented with this blog since the holidays. I aim to change that this week. So I guess that's a New Year's Resolution of sorts. Today we have two creatures, the Alicanto and the Alkonost. The Alicanto comes from Chilean folklore and the Alkonost is from Russian Legend. They have of course been embellished by me quite a bit. As with all of my Critters, these are designated Open Game Content. The follow on illustrations are not open game content and are the sole property of myself. Enjoy and happy gaming!

Name: Alicanto
No. Enc: 1
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 60’ (20’)
Fly: 150’ (50’)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1, special
Damage: 1d4, special
Save: M1
Morale: 6
Hoard Class: XII, XIII

Description: Alicanto are incredibly rare creatures believed to be from the plane of earth resembling peacocks. These beasts are nocturnal and have an insatiable appetite for precious metals such as gold and silver. Alicanto have the ability to detect veins of precious ore. Once detected, the Alicanto has the ability to pass freely through the earth to reach the vein of ore. It will then feed until it is sated (consuming the equivalent of 500 gp weight in ore). At which time the Alicanto will go into a state of torpor for 1d4 weeks as it processes it meal.

The Alicanto emits a silver or golden glow (depending on the type of metal it has detected). The glow grows brighter as the Alicanto approaches the ore. If followed in the pursuit of a meal, the Alicanto has the ability to confuse the pursuers via the light it emits. Pursuers must save versus spell or be affected as with a Feeblemind spell. The Alicanto can peck with its metal hard beak for 1d4 points of damage.

The appearance of an Alicanto depends on when it is encountered in its metabolic cycle. When it is active and has not fed, an Alicanto appears as a dun colored bird approximately the size and appearance of a peacock. After it has fed, the Alicanto is for all intents and purposes an ornately crafted statue fashion from gold or silver (dependant on the last meal). As it metabolizes the metal, it will lose its luster and fade to it usual dun color and become active once more.

Alicanto are found in mountainous regions rich in ore. They are thought of as a mixed blessing by miners and prospectors that greatly prize the ore detection capabilities of the Alicanto but are wary of its dietary habits.

Name: Alkonost
No. Enc: 2d4
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60’ (20’)
Fly: 150’ (50’)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 3 (2 claws, special)
Damage: 1d4, 1d4, special
Save: F3
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XVII

Description: Alkonosts appear as having the upper body of beautiful maidens and the lower portions of great golden eagles. Despite their beauty, Alkonosts are of a malevolent nature. Alkonosts are the harbingers of doom and their mournful cries presage woe and misery.

Alkonosts primarily attack in small flocks using their life draining wail. All creatures within 30’ must save versus death or lose one life level. When a character loses all of its life levels, it dies and the Alkonosts will begin to feed upon the corpse. Alkonosts have sharp talons that inflict 1d4 points of damage. Note, the affects of the Alkonost’s wail can be negated via using silence spells or other such means of sound nullification such as using wax ear plugs.

Alkonosts possess limited oracular abilities and can be entreated with as long as the proper propitiations are observed. A live sacrifice of an ox rubbed in scented oils and fed only on new grain for two weeks must be made in the presence of the Alkonosts by the light of a full moon. A minimum of three Alkonosts are required for the oracular abilities to work. The Alkonosts will proceed to devour the beast and as they feed, they may be asked one yes or no question as per the contact outer plane spell (the oracular ability functions exactly as a contact outer plane spell with the number of Alkonosts present determining the percentage chance of a true answer. One question may be asked of each Alkonost present. The questions must be asked prior to the ox being devoured. It will take 20 rounds for three Alkonosts to devour a full sized ox (subtract one round for each additional Alkonost present). At the end of this time, the Alkonost will then attack anyone present.

Happy New Year from the Folks at Ostensible Cat!

OK, really it is only me here at Ostensible Cat, but sometimes with all the things I've got going on (not to mention the voices in my head, wait...what?) sometimes it feels like quite a production. At any rate, I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2011. I've got quite a few projects I want to see to completion this year so my first task will be to prioritize things. Looks like Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow and the Delve! boardgame will be at the top of the list. Then my campaign to include some house rules (but of course) as well as another adventure entitled Sinister Sightings at Dustchaple Downs. Actually, that last one is one I'd been working on and off for years. But I mean it this time!

Oh yeah, let me know what you think of the new look. I'm also going to beg and plead with my lovely bride to help update my art portfolio web site. It's been well over a year since I've updated that site and it needs some attention (as well as a place to show some of the new work I've been doing for folks like Joe and Suzi over at Expeditious Retreat Press).