DCC rpg

     So recently I picked up the DCC rpg pdf on sale. I have been waffling about whether to try it or not, and the sale price was the clincher. What originally interested me was style, art wise and adventure wise, though I thought the Emirikol was Framed adventure sounded kind of cheesy. I started listening to the Spellburn podcast to get more of an idea how it plays, and I found more stuff to like. Magic can be a dangerous and corrupting influence, a page from Howard's Conan stories. That right there was a plus, there should be a price to pay for dancing with devils, and oh man what can happen is crazy. Not to be left out, warriors (and dwarves) can do mighty deeds of arms which is essentially a stunt from Exalted. You just need players who feel free to come up with something cool to try and you are golden.

     The rule book is almost a coffee table book, with amazing artwork throughout  by great artists including Erol Otus, Jeff Easley, and more.

     I would definitely play this, now running I feel a little skiddish about since there seems to be a chart for everything. That is a lot of page flipping, though once I have played a bit I may change my mind. So, is anyone out there running or playing a game of this? Give me your take on it, any pros and cons you want to share. As always, later guys and take care!

Look what was waiting for me...

     Look at this

     Richard LeBlanc, Jr. has some cool stuff, if you are unfamiliar check it out here. The D30 DM Companion and D30 Sandbox Companion which I had ordered just last week from New Big Dragon. I work second shift, so all I could do is look through them. It is habit for me, if I am excited about a book I cannot read through it, instead I can only flit from section to section. So today I will be checking them out, and lamenting not having a d30 handy.

     The cover/pages are great quality and the art is wonderful. Very reminiscent of the first supplements put out for D&D. I am excited about the worksheets he has in these. The dungeon crawl worksheet for developing a single room (I hope that's correct), what is special about it, any traps, basically what is here. Hex crawl worksheet, which I think is my favorite, helps you develop an area and place it in the larger world. The settlement worksheet is exactly what it says, with a handy checklist for what vendors/shops are in town and how many of each in case it is a large city. Both books come with a mapping key, which I always love since it will help with my map making. The rest of these two invaluable assets are mainly tantalizing tables to help indecisive game masters flesh out their locales, or give exciting ideas to those looking for that spark!

     Alright, enough of that. I have some stuff to do, hehe.Take care everyone, and do yourself a favor and check Richard's site out.

My Mutant Future game and a correction about Origins

     First, the correction. Their games schedule is available as an xls file here. I had been going to the events tab, then selecting role playing games and getting a blank page, I apologize for not investigating further. It was my mistake. Now to search that "events grid" for some games to play.

     I am rescheduling my MF game. I ended up with only two people who said they would be there and I made the executive decision to postpone it. I felt that for what I have planned, there needs to be more personalities around the table. So if anyone out there is still interested, let me know and we can figure something out. I have seven pre gens ready, and can come up with more. I am especially proud of the mutant sloth I came up with, woot!

Origins and Gen Con 2014

     Planning ahead this year. In regards to what I normally do, this is planning ahead. I have the time off for Origins, so my next step is seeing what they have going on. Unfortunately it seems like their website is not updated as they only have the author guest of honor (Tracy Hickman) and one special guest (Alaina Huffman) When I went to register and get a badge, it would not let me finalize, so that may also be why when I go to look at what games are being run it shows me a blank page. Since we are six and a half weeks away from the show, I hope this gets taken care of soon.

     It is not definite that I am going to Gen Con, but they have some great people guesting there, including Therese Nielsen and Jim Butcher. Then there is the sizable industry insider list, which can be found here. Very exciting stuff all around, and with one hundred and eight days to go, there is plenty of time to prepare. Hopefully there are still rooms available close to the venue.

     So you will definitely some Origins reporting out of me this year, and maybe some Gen Con as well. Last year I only attended Gen Con for one day, so if I go this year it will be for a lot longer than that. Take care and hope to see some of you around!

April Artifice number five

     So far this month, my April Artifice idea has been a bit of a bust, especially compared to March Maps. The month is almost over and this is only my fifth installment. If I do this again, I hope to I learn something from this. Well, onto the item, which I freely admit to thinking about after hearing a mention of Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamoto. Let me know what you think, guys!
   
The Peering Glass

     This rather thick spar of what looks like quartz crystal is an amazing device. When things are viewed through it, if an illusion is present the user sees what is really there. Also the owner can read languages and writings that were previously unknown to him while looking at the script through the glass.

      This crystal is actually a part of a crystal temple/palace floating in the astral sea, mystically tuned to subtle illusion breaking/translating frequencies. Unfortunately the glass can work against the possessor. Each time it is used, the person looking through the spar must save vs. spells (at +2 though) to successfully use it. If a natural one is rolled, something has peered back at the user. Roll 1d6, on 2-6 a sense of dread falls over the owner. On a one though, the user sees what is staring back at him, and must make a save vs. paralysis or be unable to move for five minutes as he feels a chill through his very core.

     Adventurers may visit the crystal edifice if the GM is so inclined, as the evil influence may seek to exert itself upon the owner of the glass if it becomes more aware of the user.

     As usual, let me know what you all think, comments are always welcome and take care!
    
     

Mutant Future this Sunday!!

     Five days until my Mutant Future game and boy am I excited! I am looking at a few creatures from Rafael Chandler's Teratic Tome to throw at the players. I recently backed his Lusus Naturae Kickstarter and received pdfs of his previous work. The Tome may have been written for fantasy but it is twisted enough to serve in a sci-fantasy capacity. Awesome stuff in there, as well as his other stuff, go and check it out. Be warned though, it is not for the faint of heart.

     As I have said before, if you want to play and have nothing better to do then come on over to Ravenstone Games this Sunday at 1:00. See you later!

Kickstarters and you

     I love Kickstarter, but recently I had a strange revelation. I got my copy of Weird Wars Rome from Pinnacle Games and did not have the urge run out and run it. Part of it could be my recent run of Savage Worlds games that have fallen through (probably a large part) but a part of it I think is the time between the end of the Kickstarter and when you get the product. I did receive the pdf for WWR, which I glanced through and then forgot about, so it was not like I had nothing until receiving  the package. Just sometimes that gap is enough to let the mood slip by.

     Which leads me to my real issue. Goodman Games Metamorphosis Alpha. Oversize hardback reprint of the original product with additional material from Jim Ward himself. The first pledge levels are about posters, dice bags, and adventure modules. To get the book you plunk down eighty dollars, which it is worth that I am sure, but why not throw in a pdf somewhere in the lower echelons. In the video from Gary Con they state that you can pick up the pdf, I am alright with that but to get the notes, magazine articles and extras from Mr. Ward and company, I am stuck with the hardback. Enough of that, let's move on.

     Mobile Frame Zero 002: Alpha Bandit is in it's final week, fully funded and ready to go. If I had the cash to throw around, I would go all in, maybe I will dip my toe in. Next in line we have Guild of Shadows, a thieves guild campaign for Savage Worlds. It looks pretty cool, something for those players who want to be in an all thieves guild game. I would be tempted to use information from the book in conjunction with the main rules, so that any thieves or swindlers in the party can do something on the side.

     A little something to check out and think about, happy Saturday folks!

Things I have been wondering...

     This may be a dull post for some of you. Since starting this blog on May 29th, 2010 I have posted nearly 200 times (I think this is number 194) and I made my hundredth post on August 13th of last year. Apparently I have stepped up my game these past eight months. As always I hope someone out there is getting some kind of enjoyment out of this. I have gotten page views from all around the world. China, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Poland just to name a few. I wonder how many are accidental hits and how many of them stop and look. I think 20% of my overall page views are from Russia, so someone there keeps checking.

 I have done interviews with creative and artistic people I know or have met, and I have a lot of fun coming up with questions and seeing what I get back. A few of my questions are selfish because I really want to find out something, then I pass it along to you guys. When I post an interview, I am hoping that it expands their influence, basically gets the word out about them and their work.

     Almost done rambling here, sometimes I get an idea and I feel like sharing it, and I have gotten some response from you all but I would like to hear more from you guys. If you are seeing this from somewhere other than Ohio in the United States, let me know. If you like an interview I have done, or would like me to try to talk to interview someone specific, let me know. If I have an idea that maybe has a problem or is cool, let me know. I keep going with this blog because of the possibility that someone is getting something out of it but I would like to get a little more feedback, please.

     If you have made it this far, I thank you and here is a picture of a cat on an amplifier as a reward. Take care!

Basic Androids in Mutant Future

     Talking about my upcoming game with a friend and I mentioned that I had done the pre gens. He asked what the androids looked like, were they just like humans or blue skinned? I had not really thought of it, though I think that when they get hit, there should be a chance their face will fall off.

     So should it be a case of not wanting to make regular humans uneasy, so the android's creators made them obviously different?

     I think maybe I will let whomever picks the basic android gets to decide what color it is, either red,blue or yellow. Also, no matter what, their eyes wont be quite right. Maybe just a bit vacant. Any opinions, ideas! Send them on in. Later guys!

April Artifice number four

     When determining treasure there is always the chance there may be some jewelry in the stash. Then you have to determine what it is and how much it is worth. Well, here is something you can throw in there next time.

Bronze Torc
     A typical piece of neckwear, worn by various Northern tribes. This particular one has a secret, one end can be removed to reveal a small hollow. A note can be hidden within, possibly indicating where a treasure may be hidden. It's base value could be around forty to sixty gold, but young nobles prize these so a higher price can squeeze from those individuals. Usually torcs like these are worn by North men of great importance, so having one in your possession is a sign of power. At least that is the consensus among spoiled noble brats. The GM can move the asking price for such an item however he sees fit.

     That is all, let me know what you think, and take care!

Getting my Mutant Future on

     Getting pre gens together for my Mutant Future game later this month and I decided to see if there were any gm screens for it out there. Apparently there is a definite lack thereof. So the search will continue, but while I am looking I will see about putting one together myself. For the pre gens I rolled up two characters for each race, even mutant plant. If I am feeling froggy I may do a sketch of each for the game, who knows. The more I do for the game, the more excited I get, I hope I can do it justice. I will be back with some more stuff later on, so stay tuned!

Scheduling April's game

     I dropped the ball setting up my game for April, so here it is. Mutant Future!! If you like Gamma World, crazy post apocalyptic stuff, then give it a shot. I guess living nearby helps, too. Sunday, April 27th at 1:00 PM, Ravenstone Games. I will be rolling  some pre gens for everyone, the artless pdf is free, just go to this page and click core rules. That way you can check out the rules, and if you have a tablet or some such device, you can have your own set of the rules. Kind of a try it before you buy it type thing. I am in the the middle of setting the adventure up, elbow deep in it's guts as it were. Take care everyone!!

April Artifice number three

     Here is my second entry into the OSR Superstar competition. It was a quick little thing that I through in at the last moment, so I am adding a bit to it. Here it goes!

Leather Armor of Immolation +2
     This looks like a standard suit of leather armor, though darker than most. It has a powerful  illusory enchantment placed upon it.When activated, via special code phrase, the wearer appears to be engulfed in flames. All people/creatures in melee with the person will need to make a save vs. spells and anyone failing  that will run away or find another target out of melee range of the armor. A person failing their save who was attempting to grapple, or was touching the armor takes 1d6 damage from psychic damage.This effect, useable once per day, lasts five minutes or when another code phrase is spoken. Unfortunately being a bright ball of flame does make it easier for ranged attacks, say +1?

     In regards to code phrases, they can be silly or serious. To activate maybe singing "It's getting hot in here" and to deactivate saying "What's cooler than cool?" As always, let me know what you think, take care!

April Artifice, bonus Mobile Frame edition

     I finally sat down and attempted to come up with a frame. I did not start with the idea of giving it chicken legs, that is how it ended up.

     Very simplistic, shoulder mounted machine gun and dual sensor array.

     I guess I should go back to the book and follow the instructions. I will post more pictures when I get back to this.

     I guess my little chicken frame will go home now, bok bok.

April Artifice, number two

     So, like many people out there, I entered the "So you to be an OSR superstar?" contest over at Tenkar's Tavern. I did not make it to the second round, but I figured I would share my first entry with you.

     St. Vincent's silvered mace
     +1, +3 vs. lycanthropes usable only by clerics and paladins
     Resembles a typical mace, the only difference being this is silver.

     A high ranking cleric among the church, Vincent retired from public life to live out his remaining years at a monastery out in the country. One evening a band of were creatures, led by a were bear named Gristle Gut attacked the order, killing all but Vincent and one other monk. He and the brother recovered and, after tracking them, laid holy vengeance upon the vile beasts. Gristle Gut was the last to fall to Vincent's mace, caving his skull in. They say the mace can sense when lycanthropes are near, and if a were bear is present, a madness may fall upon the wielder.

     In addition to the bonuses to hit/damage, the possessor of the mace know when lycanthropes are about as he can see a flickering aura about them. If a were bear is present he must make a save or fall into a berserk rage, attacking the beast until it or the wielder is dead. Lawful allies may also see an aura around were creatures present, though it is weaker and therefore gives only a +1.

     So that was it, though I had left the history bit out (and therefore the part about were bears) due to my misreading the rules of the first round. I learned I need to pay closer attention, next time I will do better! Take care everyone and I hope this has been of some use to someone out there.

Mobile Frame Zero

     Pushing back the second installment of April Artifice because I have a class to go to before work, yuck. I figured I would help spread the word about a little mech combat game that uses Lego, Mobile Frame Zero. You create your own mechs/robots/whatever and you are in charge of how they look. There are some amazing builders out there, which can be a little intimidating, but they have instructions on how to build the basic models, so you can practice and then go from there. They currently have a Kickstarter that will bring spaceship combat into it, you can find that here. In addition to being a cool way to play with Lego, you can download the pdf of the game for free, a kind of try it before you invest sort of thing. Currently, I am having a difficult time locating players in my city, but I am hoping that changes soon. Give a look and let me know what you think?

Con on the Cob 2014

     Here we are, looking down the barrel another year of conventions. It was recently announced that Goblinoid Games will have a presence at Con on the Cob this year, which compels me to register and maybe run a game or two. I know Tim Snider will be there, which means a Saturday morning game of Thundarr the barbarian should be in store for us mortals, and hopefully some Cryptworld! I will most likely run Labyrinth Lord, nothing complicated but I want Goblinoid to feel inclined to come back. October 16-19 is when it is and registration is open, so get over there and sign up. Don't worry, it'll be fun!

    

April Artifice

     Here we are, April first and what do I have for you? In honor of April fool's day, this item might seem great at first, unfortunately it also comes with a curse.

Girdle of Overexertion
     This item closely resembles a girdle of giant strength and will act as one when the wearer first uses it. Any use of it afterwards will  result in a pulled muscle, sprained ankle, or some such problem. They roll a save vs. spells/spell like devices and if they make it, they are only incapacitated for that round. If they fail, then they can't act in combat. They can only move, hunched over, saying something about lifting with the legs next time or something like that, until they can take a rest and maybe get a massage or whatever. Now if they rolled a 1 on their save, well they are down for the day clutching their lower back and mumbling something about their lumbago.

     Cure light wounds can be used to get them back to normal for the time being, but the girdle cannot be removed except with a casting of remove curse. This means if they take another action that could result in overexerting themselves, they will have to roll to save again.

     I hope someone out there gives this a shot and lets me know how it went. Remove curse is a third level cleric spell in Labyrinth Lord so for a mid level group it should not be crippling. Go ahead and toss into a low level groups treasure cache, hehe. Take care all!