March Maps, round one

     This started when I got a three pack of the mini Moleskine graph paper tablet thingies. These are all going to be hand drawn and scanned in, I apologize that the left side of this first one is a little fuzzy, I will see if I can fix that in future installments. Here we go!

     I started with the idea of a fancy crypt with secret doors opening to an underground complex. The entrance at the bottom has statues in alcoves before you head down the stairs to the (fake) crypt. Pillars on either side with secret doors and traps. That is about as much thought as I gave it, though I did throw two more statues further in. A decent start, but I could do better, hopefully you will agree with me. Come back this Wednesday for more and let me know what you think.

March Maps Kickoff!

     So here we are, second day of March and Monday I will show you something from my little map book. Here are some things I put together for my 4E game using Gaming Paper, which I found to be pretty useful for making tactical maps.

     This was one I got a lot of use out of, since they started out in a village in the swamp this was my generic swamp map. I had some map tiles that I could set on here to change it up. Used sharpies on it, had to switch between pens because one would start to dry out on me. Still pretty fun to do.

     This was a park where they were supposed to meet someone, and a big demon jumped out and attacked them. The yellow marks the foot paths and the circular bit in the middle was a sunken (you had to step down into it) area with benches. Only used it the one time, though.

     Another single use map, this was the part of a major turning point in the campaign. The big bad had a friend of theirs hostage, or so they thought. After the fight was over, they found the tiefling ambassador they were trying to save had been dead for awhile. It was set in a church, hence all benches and the the altar/podium on the "stage" area.

     Tomorrow I will be posting my new stuff and I hope you enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think. Take care everyone!

Tim Snider Interview!

     I have been sitting on this interview for awhile, lost track of it but here it is. Trying to get back on track after all this crazy weather, school closings and people (myself included) getting sick. Here is Tim Snider, co-writer of the Pacesetter book Cryptworld, and author of the blog Savage Afterworld!
 
Alright, what first got you into playing RPG's

I kind of stumbled into them. As a kid, I enjoyed boardgames and reading fantasy/sci fi novels. In junior high, I met some guys who were into D&D -- it was the 80s, after all -- and they invited me to play. Loved the game, and it opened up a whole new hobby for me.

I know you from your blog and as a co-author of Cryptworld, what got you into writing?

I've always been a writer. As a kid, I drew comic books and designed my own games. In high school, I was on the newspaper staff. I majored in journalism, becoming a reporter and, later, an editor. I've been writing as a hobby the entire time as well.

Aside from your blog and Cryptworld, you have just put out One Year in the Savage Afterworld. Can you describe it for the folks who are unfamiliar with your blog?

"One Year..." is a collection of 52 post-apocalyptic mini-modules for the Mutant Future RPG by Goblinoid Games. They're designed for a few quick hours of gonzo end-of-the-world gaming. They can also be used as side treks, or one-shots at conventions, or campaign springboards. They were inspired by the One-Page Dungeon contest as well as the "Side Trek" features that were seen in Dungeon magazine. And with 52 of them, your group can play one each weekend for an entire year, hence the title.

What is your favorite horror movie?

Got a few, actually. Anything by Hammer Horror or starring the Universal Monsters. The Romero zombie trilogy of Night, Dawn, and Day. (I ignore Land, Diary, and Survival.) And for good ol' gore, I love The Deadly Spawn.

Groovy! What is your favorite subject to write on/about?

When hammering out fiction, I like stories of normal, everyday people thrust into bizarre, fantastical situations. There's usually a touch of comedy as well, so let's call it "urban humorous horror-fantasy." It's also how I approach any adventures I write. Normal folks finding themselves in the midst of the abnormal.

As a follow-up, I have two (unpublished) manuscripts that illustrate the mindset of my fiction. "Due to a bureaucratic mix-up, a soul slated for Heaven is instead routed to Hell. While the screw-up is resolved, this angel-should-have-been must toil as a demon-don't-wanna-be." Imagine being stuck in a dead-end job you're pretty bad at. Now imagine your boss is The Devil. (Working title: "I, Demon")
Another manuscript that's in the rough stages takes place from the point-of-view of a 9-year-old kid. He's like any other kid, struggling with his grades, becoming interested in girls, and embarrassed by his parents. The twist: his father is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they've just been called to duty. The everything is coming to an end just as Billy is starting to get interested in the world around him. Can he stop the End Times? (Working title: "Meet Billy Pestilence")

s/b "Everything is coming to an end...."

Can we expect any Cryptworld stuff from you in the future?

Absolutely! Dan Proctor has mentioned that he has some ideas and irons in the fire as far as future Cryptworld support. I've been posting new "Things" in a running post at the Goblinoid Games forums. And I'm currently writing up a Cryptworld adventure collection that will contain three separate scenarios to torment players with.

Sounds great! Who have been your influences in regards to writing?   

I love the world concepts and style of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Robert Aspin.Are you currently playing/running any games?

I'm between groups right now, so I do most of my gaming at conventions and online. Nothing underway at this time though.

Of all that you have written, what are you most proud of?

Tough question. I've written a lot of non-gaming stuff I'm pretty proud of. Did a lot of investigational reporting in my days as a reporter. I've been blogging for years. I've released a few gaming supplements of my own. Co-wrote Cryptworld with Dan Proctor. Written two unpublished novels. Singling out any one of these as more of an achievement than the others is impossible.

What was it like, working on Cryptworld with Dan?

I was very pleased that Dan brought me onboard to co-write Cryptworld. As a longtime Pacesetter fan, I was already running games at conventions using the Action Table System. When Goblinoid Games acquired the brand and the available RPGs, I was thrilled that it was being resurrected. Then new Pacesetter RPGs like Rotworld and Majus were released, showing the system still had old fans and was gaining new ones. However, there was still a demand for a Pacesetter "general horror" RPG. So Cryptworld was written from the ground up as the new Pacesetter Action Table game. It was incredibly fun to be a part of, and I'm very proud with what we've created.

That is all for me, thank you for your time and take care!

March Maps!

     Recently I picked up some graph paper moleskine, and have been working out some maps. Through March, Monday Wednesday and Friday I will post a new map. I am really looking forward to this, and I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

March 16th, Labyrinth Lord!!

      Sunday, March 16th at 1:00 I will be running a Labyrinth Lord game (b/x D&D retro clone) It will be held at Ravenstone Games, 1675 Karl Ct. Columbus, Ohio. Unlike my previous two games, I have people signed up for this, but there is room for more. Putting the finishing touches on the adventure, rumor table encounters. Really excited about it! Come on in and check it out!

 

 I am especially fond of this sign up sheet.

Lovecraftian Movies

     Lately I have been busy with work and the crazy weather around here. I have been able to watch some weird movies that I discovered through a site that lists some Lovecraftian movies. I was not able to watch all of the movies there, and some I had already seen, but it seems like a pretty good representation. So, here we go. No spoilers, just my impressions:

Absentia (2011)

     First on the list is Absentia, starring Katie Parker and Courtney Bell. Starts off slow, with some little scares and building up to the climax. Creepy and beneath the surface of the "normal" world, totally Lovecraft. The location could be anywhere, we have all heard of places that are bad, that no one should go near, well here you go.

    
     Alien from '79, Cthulhu in space. This one I could skip since I had already seen it. Regular people go to investigate something and end up regretting it. The design elements are amazing, H.R. Geiger is brilliant, and the acting is fabulous.

     The Burrowers is like an old west Lurking Fear, I watched this one a few years back. Pretty good set up, main character's fiance is kidnapped so a posse is formed to get her back, but what if it wasn't the natives who took her? Clancy Brown is great in here, the things in the tall grass are super creepy.

       Last year I saw Cabin in the Woods. It starts off looking like one thing and ends up being something else. All of the talk you have heard about this movie is true, not just Whedon fans talking it up.

     Of course, Call of Cthulhu by HP. Lovecraft historical society makes this list. IT IS AMAZING! Very faithful to the source material.

      The Corridor has the alien influence, other world just next to ours, idea down pretty good. Like Absentia it starts off slow and builds, though I preferred this climax to the the previous film. There is more closure at the end than in Absentia. Something lies waiting for us, to manipulate us like dolls.

     So we come to Dagon, which has almost nothing to do with the Lovecraft story of that name. It is Shadow over Innsmouth set in a small Spanish town instead of a New England one. I feel they did an excellent job bringing the tale to life.

     Part of the Masters of Horror series, Stuart Gordon returns to what he has done well in the past, transferring Lovecraft to cinema. For the most part it is faithful to the material, with some nudity thrown in.

     Europa Report brings us back into space, though a little closer to home with a documentary style film. The crew of a rocket (?) is headed to Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, to investigate whether there is life in the water beneath it's icy crust. It starts off letting you know that they lost contact with the crew and then spend the rest of the movie filling you in and building up to what I feel is a great ending. Well, great for this type of film.

     Event Horizon gives us a mix of body horror and existential insignificance. I have not seen it since it first came out but I do remember it's surreal creepiness.

     Same Neill again, this time I guess I was expecting a lot since I came away a little disappointed. It had it's moments though, and the idea that we  are helpless in the face of a greater controlling force was there.

     This is one of my favorites from the list, at least of the ones I had never heard of before. The idea at work here really got me thinking and the fact that it's set mostly in the radio station gave me a sense of helplessness when they would talk to someone "on the air". Definitely worth checking out, if you have the time.

     The Shrine is another film that zigs when you think it will zag. Intense and brutal in parts, it is one of the better ones on the list.

     Hey look, I just found a giant empty sarcophagus, here in frigid, desolate Antarctica. More mystery (who is the alien?) and more body horror. This is easily John Carpenter's best movie ever. Amazing.

     Another pseudo documentary, this invents a weird event from the past and sets a group to investigate it. This group is trying to figure out why an entire town in New Hampshire decided to disappear in 1940. Like others on this list, it has it's moments, I just was not satisfied with the ending.






     Lots of different ideas for Call of Cthulhu, or some other creepy role-playing games out there. Definitely non standard thinking in some cases. Go ahead and give them a shot.

March game update

     In Latham, at the edge of the great forest, the local druid has gone missing. Someone or something named Vol Choloris has moved into the area and may have something to do with it.

     March 16th, Sunday 1:00 PM. at Ravenstone Games 1675 Karl Ct. Columbus, Ohio 43229. OSR gaming, using Labyrinth Lord rules and there will be some pre gens and if you would like, you can roll your own. Come in and sign up, and I will try not to pull a TPK.