tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62176518558882966172024-03-01T00:31:12.938-08:00Ostensible CatJohn Bingham's Blog about: Matters pertaining to Role Playing Games (RPGS) to include (but by no means limited to: The Old School Renaissance, OSRIC, Swords and Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, Comics, Fantasy Art, Gaming, Beer, (Sometimes) Pork Products (MMMMMMmmmmmm Bacon) and Miscellany!Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-67025743738274438442022-04-02T19:17:00.004-07:002022-04-02T19:20:28.674-07:00Neurodiversity and Dragons - the adventure begins!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPQQJwX7E7_I4P-gKnVw_nO8HoZcjYhHk6fg-qCMwxMPsx_GDTZivZjigFBCCYVlTvzuL98Dzp7EFUdlQaAiEBgQLUY1cr74isZfeLLlzrz0-_8kdITBUnwJwBNek5ZWSZjGeX--7f9QZe8P3x3ci2HY-MiaVZvi9Rk167H-08CuQ-4rtFoMKDPRtdQ/s4000/Rosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPQQJwX7E7_I4P-gKnVw_nO8HoZcjYhHk6fg-qCMwxMPsx_GDTZivZjigFBCCYVlTvzuL98Dzp7EFUdlQaAiEBgQLUY1cr74isZfeLLlzrz0-_8kdITBUnwJwBNek5ZWSZjGeX--7f9QZe8P3x3ci2HY-MiaVZvi9Rk167H-08CuQ-4rtFoMKDPRtdQ/s320/Rosa.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Tl;dr: Kia ora all! I don’t often post much about my
personal life, but as a parent of two neurodiverse teens, I reckoned that I’d
post some of my experience in gaming here on our journey. My daughter was diagnosed
with autism almost a year ago and my son is dyslexic/dysgraphia with ADHD like
presentation. Both are incredibly bright and very different from each other (my
son has lots of friends and is very bright and gregarious if also very lazy
while my daughter is very retreating and shy but incredibly driven and
motivated). They both love fantasy and fantasy literature, movies and gaming
has been a way for us all to connect. Though often what works for one, doesn’t
necessarily work for the other. This brings me to my point, I am working on
trying to best accommodate the needs of my neurodiverse daughter and
include her in an experience that she very much wants to participate in, but
often feels frustrated and overwhelmed by. This is an introduction to our
journey so far. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For several years, I’ve run ttrpgs for my kids and their
friends. Mostly using Swords and Wizardry Complete because I’m most comfortable
with the older rules and like the simplicity and elegance of the older systems
(I’ve been gaming off and on since 1981). It has been a lot of fun and has led
my son to DM his own campaign with his friends. However, while my daughter ostensibly
liked the idea of play, she often excused herself from the table, found it
difficult to participate with all the other kids (mostly a group of
enthusiastic boys that were 2+ years her senior), and seemed rather subdued and
kind of miserable. Though she definitely expressed an interest in the IDEA of
gaming, the reality of it seemed to be something that was outside her comfort
zone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the time, I suspected it was mostly due to a bunch of
loud boisterous boys being a bit overwhelming (I must confess having a table of
8+ 14-16-year-olds can be quite the sensory overload <span face=""Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">😊</span>).
At any rate, I always wanted to find a way to create a gaming experience that
was more comfortable for her. My kids are definitely aware of my love of gaming
and my history of participation as an artist in the community and I think they
see it as a way to connect with me (as I do with them). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So as we continue on our journey of discovering how to
best accommodate neurodiversity in our family and community, I reckoned I’d
like to put together my thoughts and experiences on how things are going with
us, as well as solicit feedback from others. This is a voyage of discovery,
finding out what works and what doesn’t, and to best accommodate my daughter and
other neurodiverse kids in participating in the awesomeness that is ttrpg
gaming. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, here’s the setup: I’ve decided that we’d use D&D 5e
to be the base for our game. Why? Well, I figured that if our goal is to
eventually accommodate other neurodiverse kids, I want to make sure that it
would be a game that is easily available to others in the games stores here in
New Zealand. Plus, I am finding that you can play 5e pretty fast and loose,
hearkening back to my preferred style of play – rulings not rules. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, Yesterday I had a one-on-one setup session with my daughter.
I wanted to get a feel for character creation and do some general world-building to set the stage. It went pretty well and we spent about an hour
setting up her character, some npc companions, and a little bit about the
world. We used the 5e D&D essentials set that I got for her birthday last
year. I think like the earlier basic sets, it has just enough to define the
principles of play without providing an overwhelming array of choices.
Neurodiversity is different for everyone but I find for my daughter, having
defined choices rather than open-ended options is a good thing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVV2dld1EdXJudbBPJUE_2zaApOI4mIo4QyQoT3zeEeaJiGmNBZFJeeYuZRtBsEOonRZmm5S-mXj4vW0avk5vCnbhDb5st59M1HOX8YXEj0y9TcD8Ipyu6yMJ6FiEkOlOfYHuykwXmD8ZeuL110qIughmKw5njGUvWYxJnlNecZiLpGRWs_UQJdw-2Q/s2143/Restover_Town_Map_Grayscale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1668" data-original-width="2143" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVV2dld1EdXJudbBPJUE_2zaApOI4mIo4QyQoT3zeEeaJiGmNBZFJeeYuZRtBsEOonRZmm5S-mXj4vW0avk5vCnbhDb5st59M1HOX8YXEj0y9TcD8Ipyu6yMJ6FiEkOlOfYHuykwXmD8ZeuL110qIughmKw5njGUvWYxJnlNecZiLpGRWs_UQJdw-2Q/s320/Restover_Town_Map_Grayscale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I made up the setting on the fly, borrowing liberally from various
things that have influenced me over the years. I named the setting Faweh (an
off-the-cuff corruption of far away) and the starting town of Restover.
Restover is a little town that straddles the main thoroughfare between some more
far-flung larger cities. Faweh itself is a sort of flat-earth world that is
bounded by roiling clouds of chaos, beyond which is the unknown and realms such
as the Dreamlands, fairy, the underworld, etc. Faweh is a mutable world with
the frontiers of civilization pushing back the veil of chaos as those with the
will and the means can carve out their niche (I borrowed pretty liberally from
Michael Moorcock and his tale of Earl Aubec of Malador from the Elric saga).
Much like Moorcock’s tales, I’m doing away with the traditional D&D
alignments and using Chaos and Order with an inclination towards life and
death. I think that will strike a nice balance. We’ll see how it goes, after
all, my goal is to make an engaging experience for neurodiverse kids without delving
into too much moral quandaries that they may not feel comfortable with (and
which I really don’t feel comfortable with tbh). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the other things that I implemented was a sort of
reaction matrix. I don’t think this is anything new, but I do think for people
like my daughter, choices can be overwhelming if they are open-ended. Giving
her a sort of menu of choices seemed to be much appreciated. Especially when interacting
with the NPCs. I’ll work this out a bit more and formalize it, but basically, when she was interacting with NPCs, she had the choice to be overtly friendly,
formal, cautious, rude, or forceful. I then determined what the disposition of
the NPC was so that her choice would elicit a response based upon a difficulty
rating. Not ground breaking, but she appreciated not having to necessarily role
play and interact without any guide rails.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the other things that I’ll implement is a sort of fate
point system where the players can save up points to spend when an interaction
or action ends up being less than favorable. Again, the intent here is to not
make rigid interactions that she may find unforgiving and upsetting, but able
to replay some choices that may have been less than optimal. We’ll see how that
goes. So far we’ve just gotten to the formation of a little party after having
visited the Adventurer’s Guild in Restover. Next will be her first foray into a
small adventure. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At some point, I’m hoping to add in some more kids that we
know are neurodiverse, but I want to try some things out with my daughter
first to kind of tweak the ideas in a sort of safe space before I get too out
there. At any rate, I’m excited. I love making up worlds and adventures. It’s
also a journey of understanding not just the neurodiverse community but myself
as well. Since her diagnosis, I’ve become more aware of how the world is not accommodating
to people that are not neurotypical. I’ve also recognized some ingrained
behaviors in myself as well as some neurodiverse traits that I had assumed
were more from upbringing than anything (and may be), but still give me a
richer understanding of how I interact with the world around me. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So yeah, long story short, I’m excited to share stories and
adventures with my daughter and hopefully make some friends and learn some
things along the way. Cheers and happy gaming! <o:p></o:p></p>Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-91791282170697965912021-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:002021-02-14T12:46:57.411-08:00Let the Good times roll - a bit of a ramble and Basalt Keep update<p> So for various reasons, I feel like social media platforms like Facebook, Mewe, Twitter, etc. don't really do it for me when it comes down to really getting into the nuts and bolts of the TTRPG gaming scene. I mean I really miss the OSR Blogosphere circa 2008-2012 or so and the various social media platforms don't scratch the itch for me the same way the blogs scene did a decade ago (holy crap, has it been that long). There was a great community where the blogs all kind of fed off each other. Not just that, the blog posts and content was much more substantive that what is viable over a social media post. I just flat out miss those days. Frankly, I just don't really feel like using social media as a tool to get my ideas out there anymore. Don't get me wrong, Facebook groups are great, and really good for interacting in short bursts. However, I feel like a jerk if I jump into a Facebook group and start with the "hey guys, look! Look at what I've got going on.." Sure, blogging is basically the same thing to some extent, but I'm not out in the public square screaming for attention. At least, that's just not my style. Which to be honest, is strange because I love seeing other people's cool ideas on groups and paradoxically, I don't see the same thing in their activity as I do in mine.</p><p>Which is a long ramble that brings me here. I've got several projects that are in various states of execution. I kinda thinking that this will be more of a development blog to put my ideas out as the projects meander their way through my lazy development cycle. A record of what I've got going on and a place for anyone who happens to be interested to stop by and comment. I might look at other activities outside the blog, but for right now, this is where I'm comfortable and want to stake out (or retake) my turf. </p><p>So what have I got on? Right now, I'm working on some commissioned art pieces for a couple of folks. I'm pretty excited about that. More to follow as the various project progress. From a personal project standpoint, I'm still working on Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow. Yeah, it is taking me some time, but hey, the Isles of Maedsid took a decade for me to get into a state that I felt was worthy of at least having someone else look at it. Right now, Maedsid is with Jeff Talanian over at Northwind adventures to possibly be published as an Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure. I'll keep you posted on that. Anyway, back to Wilven. </p><p>What is the premise of Basalt Keep? Well, my absolute favourite fantasy tale of all time, is Michael Moorcock's <i>Elric, Sailor on the Seas of Fate</i>. The whole otherworldly sea that bridges time and space really just blew my mind as a teenager. It is something that has really stuck with me. I've always really wanted to do something along those lines. The premise of the Basalt Keep is that the archmage Wilven the Yellow, a devotee of the Yellow King and disciple of the Yellow Sign has created a pocket dimension for him to continue his studies and devotions, free from the interference of others. His Basalt Keep is located on an island adrift in an extraplanar astral sea. From time to time, hapless wanderers do come to the keep (it is probable that the is of Wilven's doing) and find themselves subject to the madness lurking within. He has built a tower to his love Cassilda. He often has visitors entertain him by performing the King in Yellow. Yeah, so a heavily Robert W. Chambers influenced adventure with a mad mage in a pocket dimension. </p><p>Anyway, many years ago, there was a move in the OSR blogosphere for folks to contribute island adventures. It was called the Sea of O'Sr and had quite a few participants. I liked the whole collaborative open world aspect of it. I'd love to see more of that type of thing going on in the OSR. </p><p>Here is some art that I've been working on in the background for the Basalt Keep:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIChEY-ZTrbHNSk4mobP7_JbbQEK24jkGn2Ws1XHeCP3Wm8Pv_JlJlZ3wpFNgeTgeuz9nqNGjla_1NZQNmq5heS0Nu0iDuR6FjPQi0JaLOUDUW8-RKwDz5oOiwrz14Kil7486mgytzQHX/s2048/wilven2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIChEY-ZTrbHNSk4mobP7_JbbQEK24jkGn2Ws1XHeCP3Wm8Pv_JlJlZ3wpFNgeTgeuz9nqNGjla_1NZQNmq5heS0Nu0iDuR6FjPQi0JaLOUDUW8-RKwDz5oOiwrz14Kil7486mgytzQHX/s320/wilven2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrNhj5ZMVo4fZyCD1ARjS7ivIj6-sBxxokB6CEil8Jmsb2SM1j02HiUnt9CqK1TTV2CO868c-Sc65RBPxd0B3fGVfMoHTbsua9KmC_O4LMH7rtkPrUnqH7tCMRA-Lv7LiODiUOToXjWO7/s2048/Carcosa+Tourism+photo+%2528Taurus+Constellation%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrNhj5ZMVo4fZyCD1ARjS7ivIj6-sBxxokB6CEil8Jmsb2SM1j02HiUnt9CqK1TTV2CO868c-Sc65RBPxd0B3fGVfMoHTbsua9KmC_O4LMH7rtkPrUnqH7tCMRA-Lv7LiODiUOToXjWO7/s320/Carcosa+Tourism+photo+%2528Taurus+Constellation%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrn7QjvgX6Fxa8Zq6U0_gKZjxh-lEsNR0AXKwZyL44e2i5new-Bvr57Mb4N_l3RWmCPlsV-VOQoJI2QXR2KA_cZa4AUlxa1Tm5Agn282MMYUIUpcJu29ZbQYiHoU_vdmXKkT93GTfR8KF/s2048/Cassilda+and+the+Palid+Mask+in+Carcosa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrn7QjvgX6Fxa8Zq6U0_gKZjxh-lEsNR0AXKwZyL44e2i5new-Bvr57Mb4N_l3RWmCPlsV-VOQoJI2QXR2KA_cZa4AUlxa1Tm5Agn282MMYUIUpcJu29ZbQYiHoU_vdmXKkT93GTfR8KF/s320/Cassilda+and+the+Palid+Mask+in+Carcosa.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr8Bu9tHg0rTmf38ebCqLJNbIDsuNUK4sSWMUlZOe7ej8vpTjz10cZcZqCPgFud5rgSVPaRnBDGPurubkQUD2fAP38VVtS0sddxLF2MOVcgVhyphenhyphenICwT-xhX8NW2LRWenSsmNmp89nbIiN3/s2048/Martial+Sorceress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr8Bu9tHg0rTmf38ebCqLJNbIDsuNUK4sSWMUlZOe7ej8vpTjz10cZcZqCPgFud5rgSVPaRnBDGPurubkQUD2fAP38VVtS0sddxLF2MOVcgVhyphenhyphenICwT-xhX8NW2LRWenSsmNmp89nbIiN3/s320/Martial+Sorceress.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZz35nSz7TuQheT0H6HxwyJhaoYdbece4OQJu0NAFS0-opV43Zg2MsC-1KtHS76jQFrXB5QWyQktDF0AHBGRaT4FKzhDwj_Mu4Lc_gLqgbOvFMdBBdxEBWPllVttlReGLoPwmrKmAul_S/s2048/Versus+the+Worgrilla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHPZW6Q6MlYB3KpgSvNaC_OI4q2fT3ZrFtBXb-3G7M7TmtRMCu6iaSkikAukItv_JASxfFl4gX8_NFkjV4s8JyQmSKowjcIbTbXhjmZsrekBAsHfECmwo6j_5T7Mqf-9vjv7tkmjYaT-G/s2048/Wight%2527s+Feast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1433" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHPZW6Q6MlYB3KpgSvNaC_OI4q2fT3ZrFtBXb-3G7M7TmtRMCu6iaSkikAukItv_JASxfFl4gX8_NFkjV4s8JyQmSKowjcIbTbXhjmZsrekBAsHfECmwo6j_5T7Mqf-9vjv7tkmjYaT-G/s320/Wight%2527s+Feast.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7Buh3oyKNU7_X0upx0sxgzUb64WeuVOieWriyzgGwkrT5VpNIkyA5iX2e0Q8HO3WULhpp1-_9ThL3aNLNG-vuPllWKuawyZYBDskp6poIaptXazkHgKvXXqCH25bGamSdUSl6F57CdPt/s2048/Wilven+the+Yellow+%2528new+Yellow+Sign%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7Buh3oyKNU7_X0upx0sxgzUb64WeuVOieWriyzgGwkrT5VpNIkyA5iX2e0Q8HO3WULhpp1-_9ThL3aNLNG-vuPllWKuawyZYBDskp6poIaptXazkHgKvXXqCH25bGamSdUSl6F57CdPt/s320/Wilven+the+Yellow+%2528new+Yellow+Sign%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZS6X2RnWBvIkNzYS3I5TLbby0tLMLndGgv5H5GRhzYjIJ9y1nrIbw5ihF73ah1po10GYlW8wHxrktjsljofobH7RiTl2xTuxfXQhB-vSRsLbfsLx71_6UjqeXjY5fVRed96wMfi_6yxK/s2048/Yellow+Disciple2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZS6X2RnWBvIkNzYS3I5TLbby0tLMLndGgv5H5GRhzYjIJ9y1nrIbw5ihF73ah1po10GYlW8wHxrktjsljofobH7RiTl2xTuxfXQhB-vSRsLbfsLx71_6UjqeXjY5fVRed96wMfi_6yxK/s320/Yellow+Disciple2.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBpObWKB_eu5SiGR058WOOpvfTsXLYoY1OkRpHMa8F0nKGCYFYghZfeAXBeXrF9NTxK0-2kFoWenJUTqE64-U1ALhV_6YDr4aIFAMTMLD2Ng6p08Dmtqk7eUROGnddGQ_KNsB4ZClJ0sT/s2048/Basalt+Keep+Exterior.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1418" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBpObWKB_eu5SiGR058WOOpvfTsXLYoY1OkRpHMa8F0nKGCYFYghZfeAXBeXrF9NTxK0-2kFoWenJUTqE64-U1ALhV_6YDr4aIFAMTMLD2Ng6p08Dmtqk7eUROGnddGQ_KNsB4ZClJ0sT/s320/Basalt+Keep+Exterior.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><p>I've already posted the main map, but I'll do so again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZdvVwdd5gWmJtJlXrfAoegV06jlVJoVn9D7aeSI-noZA6JnQVmJ_UbCAV4U_bmgMeCuRQsCRLQScke12yB4WsKt5I9CRTQ62cHOXZIifrWU7sia1v9oCmguFIXhyk6Yl_FroI9uzEIAE/s2048/Basalt+Keep+Map%2528editing+version%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV44unU1P5fGrrKyHEfetpKSVFu4S7s23uS5Q8V0SLS2iecgZIhxlbTD3F4RVl9hHL13dAiaPI6tjgg8ym_xHFEwXaES7e5T3i3z1DCfj8UZsuSsy7glnJxvTzTyaj0GB1gqth3nt30Lvf/s1720/Sea+Hag%2527s+Cave.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV44unU1P5fGrrKyHEfetpKSVFu4S7s23uS5Q8V0SLS2iecgZIhxlbTD3F4RVl9hHL13dAiaPI6tjgg8ym_xHFEwXaES7e5T3i3z1DCfj8UZsuSsy7glnJxvTzTyaj0GB1gqth3nt30Lvf/s320/Sea+Hag%2527s+Cave.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts. There is a lot to do yet. Cheers and Happy gaming! </p><br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-29237384980096697252020-07-01T21:55:00.001-07:002020-07-01T21:55:26.526-07:00One Page Dungeon ContestI threw my hat in the ring this year for the One Page Dungeon contest and am pretty excited about it. Not for the thrill of winning, but for the sheer act of doing and completing something. That was pretty rewarding. I tend to be very ambitious about projects and they drag on far longer than they should. What can I say, I'm not a project manager, I'm an IT Architect and such is the way of things. But I digress! I did it! I was pretty happy with what I turned in. Mostly because it gave me a good model for what I want to do in my Basalt Keep adventure. More on that soon I promise! Anyway, here's a look at the artwork that forms the background for my one page dungeon submission. Cheers and happy gaming!<br />
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<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-4461185445481839872020-05-25T21:06:00.002-07:002020-05-25T21:06:53.105-07:00Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow Progress Report 1Greetings! I've been working on the maps and art for my Sea of O'Sr open world mega dungeon project. I tend to start with the maps and do some art to gel things in my head before I get on with the writing. I dunno why, just the way I'm built. So having said that, I've pretty much got most of the maps drawn and some concept art for myself to start getting to the writing and development tasks. Anyway, here is some a look at some of the art and maps that I do have so far. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Cheers and Happy gaming!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i9E6Elax9yaLwhMOFeIZxRABMIH2ln-9BsPxTJtz63kdUG5Oz9hrTvJHP6YDjOY6sB2Ys6nFiRs5iuOpNhdgeNp9h21_pnchkdipbH2iqMeSAEdTa3ac4GORx-j8QPV29UkAmJwvrSIO/s1600/Basalt+Keep+Map%2528editing+version%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i9E6Elax9yaLwhMOFeIZxRABMIH2ln-9BsPxTJtz63kdUG5Oz9hrTvJHP6YDjOY6sB2Ys6nFiRs5iuOpNhdgeNp9h21_pnchkdipbH2iqMeSAEdTa3ac4GORx-j8QPV29UkAmJwvrSIO/s320/Basalt+Keep+Map%2528editing+version%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Main MAp of the Isle of the Basalt Keep</div>
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Cassilda's Tower</div>
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The Keep's Crypt</div>
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Cassilda in Carcosa with the Palid Mask</div>
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A Mage in the Basalt Keep confronted by one of the inhabitants</div>
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Wilven delivering a message to trespassers</div>
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A warrior comes face to face with a Worgrilla in the Keep</div>
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Uh oh, An animated and angry watch tower</div>
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Wilven in his laboratory</div>
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Wilven the Yellow</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvF6gOsc_9DN3bx-emGFNgfM9kv7OhHplMOsxhlrUZZZBvJTwRaYo7Ycx56IDxC27n570BTdc23mIsLPSt5Ys9f80WGQPszVqAWeg8HD6w-E39RCn5ecKo_CGqU6B6ypJYrgPmhd0I8_fx/s1600/Yellow+Disciple.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1133" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvF6gOsc_9DN3bx-emGFNgfM9kv7OhHplMOsxhlrUZZZBvJTwRaYo7Ycx56IDxC27n570BTdc23mIsLPSt5Ys9f80WGQPszVqAWeg8HD6w-E39RCn5ecKo_CGqU6B6ypJYrgPmhd0I8_fx/s320/Yellow+Disciple.png" width="226" /></a></div>
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A Yellow Desciple in the Chaple of Hastur with the Jaundiced Eye of Hastur in the background</div>
<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-17586394561088036322020-05-19T13:28:00.000-07:002020-05-19T13:30:20.720-07:00Delve! Zine 3 A closer look at the Barbarian nomad classFor the third installment of Delve!, I recreate some of the <i>Oriental Adventures</i> classes for use in <i>Swords and Wizardry Complete.</i> A little context, Delve! Zine issue 3 was originally to be dedicated to summoning/pact magic (that's still in the works), but I decided that for my son Bear's 16th birthday, I would make a change of plans. Bear, much like me when I was his age, has an interest in Japan, manga, anime, etc. He has been playing in our sporadic Swords and Wizardry campaign and I figured that with his interest in Japan, it would be fun to intorduce some character classes that more closely fir with an Asian flavoured setting. So, I got busy and developed four classes for use in a Swords and Wizardry campaign - the Brabarian, the Kensei, the Ninja, and the Samurai. Each has its own destinctive abilities and skills. I didn't recreate and of the magical classes - yet. There just wasn't the time, but I figure that I'll do a magic supplement and a monster supplement to round this out a bit more.<br />
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So for now, here is a look at the Barbarian class for Swords and Wizardry:<br />
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<span lang="en-NZ" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 107%;">Barbarian:</span><span lang="en-NZ" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span lang="en-NZ" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;">nomads and raiders that live outside the confines of civilization. They have built a society on the rugged plains, the windswept steppes, and dense forests that are as enduring and formidable as their environment. Honour and loyalty to clan and tribe are absolute. Barbarians are fierce and hearty warriors and as such, can wield all weapons. However, living as nomads, they wear only light and medium armour. Barbarians are notoriously sceptical of magic and therefore will initially not be able to wield magical weapons or don magic armour. Accustomed to riding, the barbarian suffers no penalties to mounted combat to include archery.</span><span lang="en-NZ" style="language: en-NZ; mso-ansi-language: en-NZ; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Class abilities:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Follow Through: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">When a Barbarian kills an enemy in melee combat, the barbarian can make another attack at another enemy in melee range. If that enemy dies, the pattern continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Alertness: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Attuned to their surroundings, A Barbarian is only surprised on a 1 in 6 chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Outdoor Tracking: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">the basic chance for successful tracking (on a day-to-day basis) is 90%, modified by a –10% for each day old the tracks are, and modified by –10% (for the entire effort thereafter) for each day of rain (or snow) that has fallen on the trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Healing: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">On any day, a Barbarian regains hit points at double the standard rate regardless of taking a day of rest. Note that the Barbarian still needs to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Improving Armor Class: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Due to his speed, agility and survival instincts, a Barbarian's armour class improves steadily as they reach new levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: bold;">Travel Speed: </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.0pt;">A Barbarian's Movement Rate improves incrementally when they reach a new level. As members of a nomadic culture they can endure a forced march rhythm without the need for a forced march check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I think it'll be a lot of fun to play with the new classes. I've worked up some character sheets for the new classes and will probably have a go at putting them up with the DrivethruRPG PDF of Delve! Zine issue 3. I highly encourage you to go check out the rest for yourself. Here's a link to a lot of new content and art for only $1.99 at DrivethruRPG:<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/313220/Delve-Zine-Issue-3?src=hottest_filtered"> </a></div>
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<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-46395110903774162552020-05-15T21:48:00.001-07:002020-05-15T21:48:43.973-07:00Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow Digital Art ExperimentI have been playing around with some of the digital art tools that I have to see what kind of feasability there was to doing some of my artwork totally digital. Right now, I pretty much do everything traditionally, but then scan it in and alter it as needed. I have an older Wacom Intuos 3 that I haven't gotten much mileage out of, but really wanted to take it for a spin. I also have Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter 2017, and GIMP, that I kind of dabble with off and on. I am a huge comics fan, and I liked how my sequential art pieces turned out for the Astonshing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea hardback, so I figured I'd like to do some comicbook style stuff in my own style for the Basalt Keep adventure. I really liked the contrast piece that I did in felt marker some time back of Wilven in his lab (below) and figured I'd like to try and do something similar - except completely digitally.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifDvCP4tlcn72fGyDa-LswfxVwegDqPPnXvMpQYlnWru2o4sbt3IRjqvPVDj0Du9Wk6qGAlgeBlAwnoJZPhJEv2iouPLE2deVN42EJXAtjPNK5-h1QWsVDUeemdBzf34bi5NAcGTjIrDw/s1600/Wilven+the+Yellow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifDvCP4tlcn72fGyDa-LswfxVwegDqPPnXvMpQYlnWru2o4sbt3IRjqvPVDj0Du9Wk6qGAlgeBlAwnoJZPhJEv2iouPLE2deVN42EJXAtjPNK5-h1QWsVDUeemdBzf34bi5NAcGTjIrDw/s320/Wilven+the+Yellow.jpeg" width="254" /></a></div>
I tried out my Wacom tablet in Gimp but was having some issues. The pen was jerky and didn't feel natural. I tried to fiddle with the drivers but that didn't yield good results until I found some older drivers and destroyed them. I was then pretty pleased with the marker effects in Clip Studio Paint. I think it pretty effectively captured a similar look to the picture of wilven in his lab pic I did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF8R7YE_j7Vu6egopB84kkG-YJVIDlOaE-Hm-T17kJjsQUj-TmOQ110tXtiicoPnREhQ7rDSQYI26OR7yc9WokC-7zl1g4zc-H5Bid4eEPevMYTMOsbLLQ89cQk596dR4aUORuSVK3Enq/s1600/sequential+Wilven+in+stair+encounter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF8R7YE_j7Vu6egopB84kkG-YJVIDlOaE-Hm-T17kJjsQUj-TmOQ110tXtiicoPnREhQ7rDSQYI26OR7yc9WokC-7zl1g4zc-H5Bid4eEPevMYTMOsbLLQ89cQk596dR4aUORuSVK3Enq/s320/sequential+Wilven+in+stair+encounter.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
And it is COMPLETELY digital. There is no real world piece for this, not even the thumbnails I tend to do on typing paper. I dig it and will continue to experiment. I'd like to hear what you think. Cheers and happy gaming!<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-20147102228955392612020-05-13T19:24:00.001-07:002020-05-13T19:25:47.370-07:00Delve! Zine Issue 3 is out on DrivethruRPGHeya gang! The latest issue of Delve! Zine is now up on DrivethruRPG. Go get some:<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/313220/Delve-Zine-Issue-3"> https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/313220/Delve-Zine-Issue-3</a><br />
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Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-50309667274471173702020-05-09T01:49:00.000-07:002020-05-09T01:49:04.475-07:00Delve! Zine Issue 3 is imminent! Bow, Blade and Blossom, Adventures in the Mystic East<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPcqJBMXlObcA6C6rxItJw8P72IbyCydRYa8Lk5D2_F3UJkGwmnPkst5mue4v2wDekbFmgQZttGB290NtaClypjcLnFiGh00UxNmc9YOiJXuUykpv0LR7ZlX5KhCxht9w_N4w4BylZ82P/s1600/Delve%2521+Issue+3+front+cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPcqJBMXlObcA6C6rxItJw8P72IbyCydRYa8Lk5D2_F3UJkGwmnPkst5mue4v2wDekbFmgQZttGB290NtaClypjcLnFiGh00UxNmc9YOiJXuUykpv0LR7ZlX5KhCxht9w_N4w4BylZ82P/s320/Delve%2521+Issue+3+front+cover.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div>
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Ok, ok, it has been years since Delve! Zine issue 2. What can I say, I'm a busy guy. Well, maybe, but also I tend to be lazy, and let's face it, the past few years have been a cluster F*** and I just was struggling with some things. Anywho, on the verge of my son Bear's 16th birthday, I decided to get my shit together and put out the third issue of Delve! Well, not exactly, but pretty much. Anyway, I had a quite different plan for the third issue, but since we are doing a Japanese theme for Bear's 16th (he's all about Japan and the manga/anime and culture at the moment). I remembered being roughly his age and being interested in similar things (Robotech was huge for me then as well as things like Lone Wolf and Cub). I picked up a copy of Advance Dungeons and Dragons Oriental Adventures from the Stars and Stripes bookstore in Nuremburg Germany in 1987. I was enthralled. Now, since we play Swords and Wizardry, I figured it'd be cool to introduce some Asian themed character classes for my son's group. And here we go, a sort of mini-OA for Swords and Wizardry. I only have four classes - Barbarian, Kensei, Ninja and Samurai along with weapons and armour, but it's a fun start. If it goes over well, I'll do a magic and monster supplement. Anyway, I did put it together as the third installment of Delve! Zine. I need to do a bit more editing on it before I release it, but here's a preview of the artwork. Cheers and happy gaming!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqTAEkfXwnMZVA_LDRojjKoQBkh1lEu3Bzhw5oy4m97MXlv0e9MrzVdNIAEh4ILnTfEQwMl4NI6TBcKE0jWSZ4PHajKYFsHZ-lQ8TeGNF2xInKOunKWwxdEf7jdRxZ1vrmhMfNUhBm2kn/s1600/Barbarian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1257" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqTAEkfXwnMZVA_LDRojjKoQBkh1lEu3Bzhw5oy4m97MXlv0e9MrzVdNIAEh4ILnTfEQwMl4NI6TBcKE0jWSZ4PHajKYFsHZ-lQ8TeGNF2xInKOunKWwxdEf7jdRxZ1vrmhMfNUhBm2kn/s320/Barbarian.jpeg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-46228043379174505982020-04-27T19:14:00.001-07:002020-04-27T19:28:53.633-07:00Return of the Sea of O'SrSome of you may remember many years ago, an initiative in the OSR Blogosphere to encourage folks to create a shared world sandbox adventure setting known as the Sea of O'Sr. Here's one of the main blog posts about it from the Lands of Ara blog: <a href="http://carterscartopia.blogspot.com/p/sea-of-osr-adventure-path.html">http://carterscartopia.blogspot.com/p/sea-of-osr-adventure-path.html</a><br />
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For years, I've had this tucked away in my head and have really, really wanted to get back to this idea of creating a shared world sandbox for folks to adventure and create in. Being a huge Michael Moorcock fan and Elric Sailor on the Seas of Fate being my absolute favourite in the saga, the whole idea of a pandimensional etheral sea with many strange locations has absolutely fascinated me. I still think the idea behind the Sea of O'Sr is a great vehicle for it. Not sold on the name but I don't hate it either. Still a working title.<br />
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Anyway, I'd like to do more than just small islands like in the original concept. I'd like to encourage anyone who feels so inclined to create on whatever scale they feel comfortable with. Me? I'll all in of course. I see it as a good way for me to 1) satisfy my creative urges and let them go where they will 2) hone my cartographic, artistic, writing, and design skills. I'm going to keep this all freely available for folks to use. I have no intention of making this development effort a commercial affair. <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">If you feel so inclined, please contribute. I hope others do. I'd like to see where this goes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Here's a map for what is one of my efforts that I'm working on. It's entitled Basalt Keep of Wilven the Yellow. Please share your thoughts and contributions. Cheers and Happy gaming!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc2tjAlnYFk81Y0jT2vGQIFFYCZ7khfl3Ve8jKaPcBzKPGm-4tzJQvnCYbIzep-TaXY6NtLiNifHKTLp0yZjIiZ4ZrlaGnleUBDEewW_oj21ek7DdHyOvtMOLJNGpjYq6HsPgNMwz4W5z/s1600/Basalt+Keep+Map%2528editing+version%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc2tjAlnYFk81Y0jT2vGQIFFYCZ7khfl3Ve8jKaPcBzKPGm-4tzJQvnCYbIzep-TaXY6NtLiNifHKTLp0yZjIiZ4ZrlaGnleUBDEewW_oj21ek7DdHyOvtMOLJNGpjYq6HsPgNMwz4W5z/s320/Basalt+Keep+Map%2528editing+version%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-75800553658069812832020-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:002020-04-19T14:55:42.601-07:00Return of the Creature Feature! This installment, the WorgrillaGreetings again all! One of the things I love is to create new monsters. It is an absolute delight for me to just sit around and come up with some new craziness that I can throw into my game at a moment's notice and go. Often, I'll make up monsters on the fly with my home group since I tend to improvise my adventures as I go along. Anyway, in the spirit of that, I was doing a bit of playing around today with Gimp manipulating some pictures for inspiration and came up with a new intelligent pack beastie that I'll definitely use in my campaign. I bring you the worgrilla! Enjoy and happy gaming!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Worgrilla</span></b><br />
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<b>Hit Dice:</b> 6+3<br />
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<b>Armour Class:</b> 6([13])<br />
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<b>Attacks:</b> 2 fists (2d8), Bite (1d6)<br />
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<b>Saving Throw:</b> 11<br />
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<b>Special: </b>None<b></b><br />
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<b>Move: 9</b><br />
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<b>Alignment:</b> Chaos<br />
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<b>Challenge Level/XP: </b>6/400<b></b><br />
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<b>Description: </b>Worgrillas are intelligent pack hunters
that inhabit the dense emerald jungles of the Kundalear mountains of
Shangrilah. These beasts are fearsome territorial predators and will attack any
whom trespass on their territory. Led by an alpha male, they are constantly on
the move through the jungle in search of prey. Troops of worgrillas consist of
up to five adult males (1d4+1), twice as many females and between 2-16 young.
The females are smaller but no less fierce having 4 hit dice and attacks doing
1d8 fists and 1d4 for bite. Young have 1 hit dice and have one bite attack of
1d3 points.Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-81596980889067046572020-04-13T21:45:00.000-07:002020-04-13T21:45:05.843-07:00Classless OSR System Update 2So far, things are going ok. It is a bit daunting to take the guts of an RPG system, tinker with it and roll your own, but I am still optimistic that I can make a playable classless D&D variant that is playable and still compatible with old school RPG materials. So what do I have so far? Basicall the builds for low level Fighters and Magic Users are starting to really come together. That includes variant builds of fighters. The challenges will be to see how well they scale as they level. The plan right now is to have a basic level progression that all characters follow and as they go, they use XP to buy class abilities to mix and match and make the type of character they want to play. So theoretically, there could be those that want to progress and not purchase any class abilities but they would also have very basic combat and magic capabilities. I say basic in that magic theorectically is available to anyone, but all magic has a price and only those schooled in the arts can mitigate the effects of magic. I am including the familiar Vancian system, but it'll be a bit different in that it is essentially a set of stacked abilities that allows for the creation of the more familiar D&D style magic user. I'll illustrate the point here, by going over a basic magic user build for a new character.<br />
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At character creation, each character has 2000 creation points to buy their abilities. I want to create a typical D&D 1st level magic user. All characters start with d6 hit dice - a little tougher than a typical D&D magic user, but not overbalanced for the game system. If I wanted to at this point, I could buy a better hit die (d8-d12). Hit dice buys gain more than potential hitpoints, they also increase the saving throw for constitution based saves. I'm going with attribute based saves as I wanted to make the attributes more quantitatively meaningful. For instance, why would you care that you had a 13 versus 14 in a stat? Well, it is potentially better on a saving throw for that statistic. Anyway, let's get back to our fledgling MU. Better hit dice require spending some character creation points (d8 is 500, d10 is 750 and d12 is 1000). I'm pretty ok with a d6 for my mage at this point, so I go on to look at magic options.<br />
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Theoretically, anyone can use magic, but it is a potent and unpredictable force and successful repeated use requires that one properly attunes ones mind and body to channel the fundamental forces of creation. Arcane initiate is the base ability for arcane spell casters. It allows for the understanding of the fundamentals of spellcraft and casting of 0 level spells (cantrips) without risk of misfire or magical corruption (or at least a lowered risk of it - those that start to dabble in the darker arts risk corruption even if they are schooled in it) as well as the ability to read magic (casting from spells and reading spell books). Arcane initiate costs 1000 points. As the basis of a spell caster, it isn't very exciting, but it is a start. Now, I'll need Basic Spell magic. This ability is the preparation of the caster's mind and body to allow them to cast 1st and second Degree (or level) spells without a risk of misfire or magical corruption (again excluding the darker arts). Basic Spell magic costs 250 points. While it readies my caster to be able to handle 1st and 2nd degree magic, it doesn't grant any spells at this point, merely grant the potential. The next thing I'll need is Arcane Knowledge 1st Degree at 500 ppoints. That gets me my 1st spell of the 1st degree (or more accurately, 1st spell slot since basic spell magic and arcane initiate allow for the konwledge of the spells). <br />
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So now, I've spent 1750 out of my 2000 points. I don't yet have any sort of physical combat capability yet. Probably a good idea to back that one spell up with something. So I'll choose to buy Basic Melee weaponry for 100 and basic thrown weapons for 50. This leaves me with 100 points. I look to my adventuring skill list and decide to purchase lingustics at 50 points, which allows me to use the intelligence modifier to know my max number of languages. Finally, I'll purchase lore, a progressive ability that lets me check to see if my character has a chance to know some esoteric bit of knoweledge. And then that's a wrap for the character build for a traditional D&D style magic users.<br />
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Of course I could have mixed it up a bit and chosen to simply stay with arcane initiate for cantrips (1000 points), bought a d8 hit dice to make myself a bit tougher (500), chosen defensive stance (50) and light armour (100) to gain proficiency with light armour, and basic melee weaponry (50) to have some facility with basic weapons such as spears, staves, clubs, etc., and then toughness (50) to be able to gain my constitution bonus to hit dice and brawling (50) which allows me to use my to hit modifier for strength bonuses. I'll then take up basic ranged weapons (50) for sling and dart attacks and up the ante on ranged attacks by purchasing archery (100) to get access to bows. That leaves 50 points and since in swords and sorcery settings, everyone is a bit of a rogue, I'll purchase move silently (25 points) to get a 15% base chance to move silently and hide in shadows (25) to get a base 20% chance. So now I have a somewhat sneaky archer that can use some basic magic skills to help them out.<br />
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Yeah, so that is a bit of a preview of what I'm thinking of so far. Still a lot of work to do, but it is coming along. As I said before, this is atuned to a swords and sorcery setting, so no clerics, but I am going to include hedge magic which is the basis for witchcraft/shamanism which do have some clerical abilities. I'm thinking of druidic magic as well since that fits with a swords and sorcery theme pretty well. There is going to be summoning magic, rune magic, as well as blood mgaic and necromancy. Oh, and for the more combat minded, specialisations for the fighting types such as weapons specialisation/mastery, combat manouvers, hand to hand/martial arts, etc. I'd be interested to hear what you think, so drop me a comment. Once I get more of my alpha rules fleshed out, I'm thinking of pdf'ing them and making them available to try out. Anyway, cheers and happy gaming all! Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-49923406800866929592020-04-04T17:49:00.000-07:002020-04-04T17:49:27.427-07:00Classless OSR System Progress Update 1Ok, so I've had some time, energy, clarity of thought, alignment of the stars and planets, or whatever that has allowed me to make some progress on my classless OSR system. I've pretty much been consulting a bunch of OSR games such as Swords and Wizardry (Whitebox/Core/Complete), Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea (naturally :) ), Knave, the Black Hack, and even some 3.5 books and Palladium fantasy, and Arduin Grimoires amongst others for inspiration. So far, what I've decided is to lean heavily on Swords and Wizardry Core for the base system, particularly around attributes and bonuses. I love the Black Hack's take on saving throws. I mean, I really have always wanted to make the difference in say a 14 wisdom and a 15 wisdom quantitatively meaningful. Therefore saves are attribute checks, where the character rolls their attribute score or lower on a d20 with modifications for the type of challenge they may face.<br />
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As for character creation, I'm still in very early design mode so ALL of this is subject to change depending on play testing. So I recon that new players will start with 2000 points to spend at the outset to basically build their character class. Each base character starts with a d6 hit dice. Points can be spent to purchase a higher hit die (d8, 10 or 12). In addition to potentially providing more hitpoints, increased hit dice also add a bonus to strength and constitution based saves of +1,2 or 3 depending on the hit die selected (save bonus is only for the first hit die buy, though if say someone buys a d8 and later wants to buy a d12, they would get an additional +2 to add to their save bonus). Class abilities such as use of weapons, armour, magic and theiving skills are also available for purchase. Certain abilities have prerequsites (for instance, in order to use spell casting abilities, the base ability of Arcane Initiate must be chosen, then for first level casting, Arcane Knowledge 1st degree must be purchased). Arcane initiate gives the ability to do things like read magic and cast 0 level cantrips, while the Degrees of magic allow for higher levels of power. I also wanted to include other types of magic that are commonly found in the swords and sorcery/pulp literature that I enjoy so muc. Things like Pact magic, True Name Magic, Blood Magic, Witchcraft, etc. What I am not including is divine magic. What, what? Yeah, to be honest, I'm not really that fond of the cleric or devine classes. As my tastes are based around pulp fantasy, the only figures that are commonly found that deal with gods, are cultists and priests, but their gods are either usually outright hostile to humanity, or else take no direct part (or a very limited one) in human affairs. So instead, I'm using hedge magic and witchcraft to bring some basic healing arts. I'm toying with including druidic magic, as it is more connected to nature than gods and it does tend to fit the flavour I'm going for. <br />
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Also, I'm not including demi-humans. I figure that again, most of the pulp literature that I like is humanocentric (with maybe things like Atlanteans or Lemurians, etc.). Sure, demi-humans may exist, but I've always felt that they'd be so alien as to not really fit in with the human mindset very well. Plus, if you want dem-humans and all of that, why not just play any of the other systems out there that provide that? I'm not against them, I'm just going for a very specific feel in what I'm aiming for.<br />
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Which brings me to why am I doing this? Well, for one thing, I DM for a group of teenagers that is looking for a more flexible play style than what is currently available through the OSR rules. They like the swords and sorcery style, but being locked into a specific class (or even the strictures of multiclassing) doesn't really offer them or me with the style of play we are after. So yeah, why not break down the class structure and allow them to use xp to buy the class abilities they want as they progress to create the character they want to play? A sword weilding wizard - sure! A warrior that makes pacts with elementals and other planar beings for aid? Why not? An unsavory sort that is skilled at the larcenous arts, but would also not be adverse to harvesting body parts for gruesome blood magic rituals to seek boons from dark gods? That sounds like a compelling villain. And to be able to do that while utilising the huge base of material for old school D&D based game systems? Absolutely a must!<br />
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Well, that's enough rambling for now. I'll keep the updates coming, but true to form, they will be sporadic as I actively work on the system, I'm actually working on some adventures, Delve! Zine #3, some artwork, working my day job full time, household stuff and most importantly, spending time with my family. So until next time, cheers and happy gaming!!Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-77609834057177885092020-03-28T23:20:00.000-07:002020-03-28T23:25:37.491-07:00Blasphemer's IsleMany, many moons ago, there was a shared worlds concept going around the OSR Blogosphere called the Sea of O'Sr. The idea was that bloggers would create their own islands to populate this shared worlds sea. I really loved the idea and wished it had taken off a bit more (check out the Lands of Ara blog post about it from way back when:<a href="http://carterscartopia.blogspot.com/p/sea-of-osr-adventure-path.html"> http://carterscartopia.blogspot.com/p/sea-of-osr-adventure-path.html</a>).<br />
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It was a fun idea and I've often thought about it. In fact, Isle of Maedsid, which is now being worked into a full Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure to be published by Jeff Talanian and Northwind Adventures, actually started off as a Sea of O'Sr concept. Today, in between virtual Gary Con seminars, I dug into some of my old maps and art doodles and came across a map that was originally designed for the Seas of O'Sr project and was going to find a home as a sublevel of the Maedsid adventure, but ultimately just fell by the wayside. Anyway, when I was sitting in on Mark Clover's end of day Gary Con wind down, I pulled the map back out and began to work on it. I think I'm going to flesh it out as Blasphemer's Island, a little blurb that was mentioned in my Litenport mini-adventure. As I'm working on Delve! Zine issue three, which is dedicated to Summoning and PAct magic, Blasphemer's Island just kinda screems as a lair for a twisted magus. Here's what I've got so far:<br />
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Oh yeah, I also wanted to share my original Litenport Isle. You know, it'd be really cool to do a shared world adventure again. I like the Sea of O'Sr idea and think it works very well for this purpose. Not sure there is any interest, but if there is, I'd love to see what you come up with. You know, I probably will since island adventures are some of my favourite. Cheers and happy gaming!</div>
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Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-52250691837162054992020-03-28T14:20:00.000-07:002020-03-28T14:20:16.094-07:00Virtual Gary Con updateI've been participating in the virtual Gary Con XII events and having a great time. I was part of the artists gathering last night hosted by Lloyd Metcalf and did a little doodle while they were dazzling us all with their digital skills. I've not yet really done much mor than dabble in the digital space. Mostly because it sort of wracks my brain trying to get the hand and eye to coordinate and get stuff on the screen. Practice, practice, practice I suppose. I'll give it a go as it does seem like something I should do since I have lots of pen and ink drawings just sitting in my closet. Anyway, here's a wizard piece that I did. I rather like it and think I'll use it in the Delve! Zine issue that I'm plucking away at.<br />
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I have a notion to do some magic system rules for old school systems for Pact, True Name and Summoning magic. It's a bit ambitious so I may just keep working on it and my classless role playing system in the back ground and try to do something a bit less crunchy just to get something out. So while I had intended it to be Delve! Zine issue three, I may just move it back and put out something like a Jack Kirby/Flash Gordon inspired mini-setting. Just as a teaser, here's a mockup of the thrid issue of Delve! Zine as it stands. I rather like it so I'm not sure exactly what direction I'll go. I have more ideas and ambition than time, even under quarantine :).<br />
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At any rate, I hope you all are happy, safe and well. Happy gaming and Cheers!<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-90017994805969522272020-03-23T00:53:00.000-07:002020-03-23T00:53:39.239-07:00Of Classlessness and QuarantinesQuarantine has begun here in New Zealand, or to be precise, it we are in the 48 hour beginning of lockdown prior to it going into effect for the next four weeks. Sure, I will be working from home for the day job, but there is going to be an extra bit of time that I do not normally have to take advantage of. Outside of family activities, I want to get to work on some personal projects. One is getting back to some regularity with this blog. I have also begun working on my classless game system. It is a bit of a daunting task, but really, it is just for me to get it off my list. I mean what serious hobby gamer hasn't taken a stab at their own game system or modification of an existing one? I think it is important to nail down what I want to achieve in order give myself a framework to work in, and probably more importantly, something to hold myself accountable to so I don't go completely off the rails and waste the time I have at hand. Let me start with some things I don't want:<br />
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<li>Not another retroclone - there are many, many out there that do a great job of emulating past versions of D&D/AD&D</li>
<li>Not a high fantasy setting - again, there are many games out there that already do the classic high fantasy with demihuman races and they do it well</li>
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So what do I want? Well, to understand that, I should probably mention my biggest influences in my fantasy/sci-fi/horror world view. First, Michael Moorcock's multiverse and Eternal Champion series is perhaps one of the biggest influences on me. From a fantasy standpoint, he is my unquestioned go to for fantasy. Robert E Howard, not quite as big an influencer, but still massively important. Frank Herbert's works, particularly Dune and the Pandora sequence just blew me away and still do. Jack Kirby - ok, I am a HUGE comic book fan. Jack Kirby is at the absolute top of the pile for me. Particularly his Fourth World saga, Kamandi, Devil Dinosaur, the Eternals, Captain Victory, the Demon, and just about all of his sheer brilliance in universe building. Jack is indeed the foundation on which so much of the rest of my influencers rest. H.P. Lovecraft, yeah, yeah, of course. Say what you will, but the creation of the mythos has had unparalleled impact on so many aspects of fantasy/sci-fi/horror. Al Williamson's work on Flash Gordon. I think my first real memory of Flash Gordon was seeing the 1980 classic movie, well, classic to me anyway. I liked the whole gonzo blend of sci-fi and fantasy. Going back and looking at the comics really is even more fantastic. Go check them out. Well, this isn't an exhaustive list, but good enough to lay out the basics.</div>
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Well, this is getting pretty long so I will save the rest for my next post. I know, you are all waiting on pins and needles to find out what it is I am proposing to do. It'll keep. I am such a tease. So until next time, cheers and happy gaming 😀!</div>
Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-2706681923230302682020-03-21T00:08:00.001-07:002020-03-21T00:08:39.207-07:00Such a lack of ClassSomething I have been ruminating on for a bit is the whole D&D class system. While I love D&D (particularly 1e AD&D or 0e), I have found myself growing a bit weary of the class system and the whole Vancian magic system. Blasphemy I know, but as someone who cut their teeth on Michael Moorcock's works, the current structure just seems to less and less fit my needs. I know that there have been the Stormbringer/Elric!/Basic Fanyasy systems from Chaosium, but they never really scratched that itch for me. Don't get me wrong, the whole Basic Fantasy system is a great system, but my first gaming experience was D& D and I want to find a way to satisfactorily bend it to my view of fantasy. And yeah, that might mean ditching the class based system and changing up the magic system a bit. I ran across the Black Hack and Knave not too long ago, and they come pretty close to what I want. If you factor in the 3.5 D&D rules for pact/truename/rune magic, then you have got my attention.<br />
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Anyway, I am thinking on trying out a set of rules scrapping the class based system (see the 3e based Buy the Numbers) and adding in different choices for magic systems ( keep Vancian but add true name/ pact and rune magic - maybe some Palladium Fantasy inspired stuff). Married to a Swords and Wizardry base, then you have an idea of what I want to work on (Oh and the Red Kobold No Class Hack supplement to the Black Hack). Why? Mostly because, but in reality, my gaming group consists of 13 teenagers that want to have flexibility of play but have a classic fantasy feel. For me, I want to take classic AD&D/D&D material and adapt it to a new audience.<br />
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So that's my task, keep a classic D&D base system but completely overhaul some of the core concepts. Many have tried, many have been found wanting. I am pretty excited by the prospect and will plow ahead. The world doesn't necessarily need another D&D variant, but my group and I do. Cheers and happy gaming!Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-30381098454701968762020-03-14T17:14:00.000-07:002020-03-14T17:14:03.354-07:00Virtual Gary Con? Sign me up!I wasn't planning on attending Gary Con this year, but am looking forward to next year's convention being my first. It's kinda strange having been a fairly active participant in the OSR since 2005 or so, but living overseas has kept me from really being able to meet people in the community (other than the time I attended Gen Con in 2011). Because of that, I feel somewhat isolated from the community and that really does kinda bum me out a bit. However, I am pretty excited about the whole idea of a vritual Gary Con. I know, I know, it isn't the same as being able to attend in person, but not being able to really attend any conventions in person makes the virtual convention attractive to me. I hope that everyone weathers the storm of Covid-19 and stays healthy and safe. We've been somewhat fortunate here in New Zealand to not have had much of an outbreak, but we are at the begining of Autumn down here and I suspect that it might make for a rather hairy cold/flu season. Already we've had a lot of pretty gnarly bugs going around down here and the season hasn't really kicked off yet. So I hope that doesn't bode ill for us.<br />
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At any rate, if you don't know, here's the link to the virtual Gary Con XII this year: https://tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xii-virtual-tabletop-gaming?fbclid=IwAR2q-wz4vVUgSHwWrBwfygpOWQxxdDFmNutN3yJVkKfQZo9Ofqn5DpjWcOQ. Anyone else going to be hosting or playing anything? I'm keen to hear what everyone else is doing, so please tell me about any games you are playing in or hosting. Cheers and happy gaming!Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-78619329384251979642020-03-11T20:58:00.000-07:002020-03-11T20:58:55.236-07:00Let's give this another goIs there anybody out there? Hello, hello, is this thing on? Anyway, it has been quite some time since I have contributed anything to this blog. More importantly, or rather, more to the point, it has been quite sometime since I have really felt like blogging or really doing much of anything else. In all honesty, last year was pretty challenging for me in so very many ways and for a lot of reasons. I think that the most challenging part was the loss of my brother. To be honest, we'd been pretty estranged for many years. At any rate, I won't go into the details, but that along with various other challenges in the last year really took the wind out of my sails. I don't think I realised how much of a depression I was in until just about two months ago when the numbness of the past two years really started to wear off and I just started to really feel things again. I think the most striking thing was that I really started to feel passionate about gaming and comics again. That might seem a bit weird I guess, but considering those two things have been a constant in my life since I was very young, it has been exciting to actually feel excited about something again. Anyway, back to the blog, I think it will be hit and miss as it always has been for me, but just the option and the thought of getting started again is exciting. No big expectations and I think it'll be in fits and starts, but let's see where this takes us. Cheers and happy gaming 🙂!Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-54057594101797962162016-12-01T21:21:00.001-08:002016-12-01T21:21:22.884-08:00Funk as Puck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, ok, so this is a little fun with my Halloween costume that Daisey made for me this year. I really, really love this idea and am going to use it for my Halloween costume next year. Essentially I'll make this the t-shirt design and wear the mask so I continue with the death metal Turkmenian Flare-horned Markhor (a type of goat). This year Daisey made us all masks for animals with a musical motif. She was a goth sun bear, my son was a spirit of 76 punk rock caracal, and my daughter went as a new wave red panda. Here's a look at me in my costume this year:<br />
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I hope you enjoy them! Daisey, the kids and I sure did have fun with them this year! Happy gaming all!<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-23538765805279191472016-11-28T21:19:00.002-08:002016-11-28T21:19:52.829-08:00A little playing aroundSo, I've been going through some of my older work and giving it the colour treatment. Daisey does most of my colour work but I do like to play around with the tools a bit. Here's a few of my older pieces that appeared on this very blog some years back that received the colour treatment. I've got some ideas brewing, hehehe. Let me know what you think!<br />
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<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-88855192954400981812016-11-27T20:20:00.000-08:002016-11-27T20:20:03.881-08:00Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea ArtHeya gang, long time no see. Why? Well, mostly because I've been busy as all get out and haven't had much time for social media other than Facebook. The day job and family are big responsibilities. However, I've also been crazy busy doing artwork for the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. The Kickstarter for the second edition hardcover just wrapped up. It funded at over 400%! There is a lot of gorgeous art in this book, of which mine is just a part. I feel as if I've grown artistically with this project. It has been a long time in the making and I still have another eight or ten pieces to do for the book, however, it has been a rewarding experience. I would like to say thanks to Jeff Talanian for giving me a top slot on the art chores. Also thanks to the rest of the team. It is a fantastic lineup (literally) with the likes of Rus Nicholson (of Fiend Folio fame), Val Semakis (a kick ass comic book artist who did some stuff for Conan), Peter Mullen, Del Tieger, Gel Seals, Jason Sholtis, and Charles Lang. Man, this thing is going to be beautiful! I can't wait to get a copy. Here's a peek at some of my art from the book:<br />
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So there you go! Jeff has already got some more stuff in store now that the Kickstarter is over so my journey into Hyperborea looks like it will continue for some time to come! However, I hope to make regular appearances back here in blog land to keep you guys posted on what is going on and perhaps show off some of my personal projects (the sequential stuff for AS&SH has really got me thinking seriously about a personal project that I've mulled over for YEARS). Well, good to see you guys and happy gaming!</div>
<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-29830752914325929922016-04-01T01:39:00.000-07:002016-04-01T01:39:07.267-07:00So, what's newSo, I've been successful in completely ignoring my blog. New Zealand has really got me spell bound and it seems as if I'm in some sort of weird time dilation. Holy crap, almost one year since my last post! Suffice it to say, I've been busy. And yes, I'm still doing game art. Quite a lot in fact. So, in the spirit of me dipping my toe back in the blog water so to speak, here's a bit of a peek at some of the stuff I've been doing:<br />
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<br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-49680342767607062912015-05-18T23:08:00.001-07:002015-05-18T23:08:32.669-07:00FINALLY!!!! Time to come back up for air Kickstarter Alert!!!!Whew, it has been a busy year and while you may not be able to tell from my radio - er Internet silence, I've been busy with gaming projects. I'm pretty - no scratch that - exceptionally excited to have finished the 36 pieces of art for the new Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventures campaign. This was a definite challenge for me as all of the pieces were done at either 9" x 12" or 11" x 14" full page finished greyscale art. That was pretty challenging. But a lot of fun and proved to myself that I can do some large scale projects, have a family and a full time day job and not lose my sanity. At any rate, go check out the kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1806106772/hyperborea-adventure-three-pack. Oh yeah, you can also buy my original art as one of the kickstarter pledge levels. Here's a small peek to give you an idea:<br />
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Happy gaming and more soon - I've got some projects of my own to discuss!<br /><br />Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-15666481727085187132014-12-29T15:12:00.004-08:002014-12-29T15:12:53.763-08:00Thank you!Delve! Issue 2 seems to be doing well (currently number four on RPGNow hot titles - not that it'll last but still cool). So what's next? I've got a Kickstarter in the works working with Jeff Talanian of Northwind Adventures/ \Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. I'll be doing the art for Three AS&SoH adventures! Also, I'm working on Delve! issue 3 and some mini Delve! adventures. Further, I've got a ton of adventures that I've got in various states of progression. I want to flesh those out a bit and spring them on a couple of playtest groups. I've got some possibilities for some gaming groups down here in NZ Kiwiland and I'm hoping to have at least one as my sandbox group for spring old school mayhem on. More to follow! It's good to get back in the saddle again :)! Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217651855888296617.post-85308329158582780592014-12-29T11:37:00.000-08:002014-12-29T12:33:08.774-08:00Delve! Issue 2 ready for purchase at RPGNowOK gang, it's up and ready for purchase at RPGNow: <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/142115/Delve-Zine-Issue-2">http://www.rpgnow.com/product/142115/Delve-Zine-Issue-2</a>Xyanthonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07902260753434100101noreply@blogger.com2