Bad Company: Dungeoneers, Hunters, Aliens and Old Gods

Operation Whitebox: Just Before A Bridge Too Far

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 17:14:00 +0000

I’d been excited to play Operation Whitebox for a long time, and I finally got to run it. For this first game, we used only the core rules. Next time, I’d like to use the Tactical Combat Rules and the Stalingrad setting.

I invited two friends who are interested or at least neutral on the idea of playing an rpg set in WWII, and out of the blue my wife decided to join us. This is very, very rare and I was excited to have her in the game. We played over Roll20, using Hangouts for voice and video.

Character creation was fun and easy; both of my friends picked the Grunt character class while my wife picked Wheelman. In order to go for a more cinematic approach, I told them to roll 4 dice and pick the best 3, assigning the scores in whatever order they wanted. We used the Advanced Attribute Bonus table to maximize any bonuses they might get, and I declared we were playing on Heroic Level, which uses d10s for Hit Dice. I had everyone start with 1 die at max (10+CON bonuses) and the Grunts rolled an additional d10 randomly.

It was fun going through the briefing; I found good maps that showed the goal of Operation Market Garden, which was going to kick off the morning after this mission. The players could see the big picture, the area around the target building in Osterbeek just south of Arnhem, and photos of both the Hartstein Hotel and Field Marshal Walter Model, the target.

They were to parachute in, link up with Dutch resistance who would escort them to the enemy HQ (the hotel), and then terminate the field marshal.

They would then evacuate to a stone church on the shore of the Rhine River and wait for pickup by Dutch Resistance, in a boat. If they could not, they knew where to go, north or south, to link up with incoming Allied forces. Going north to Arnhem would be a bad idea, but only one of the players knew that, and his character didn’t...

I had them roll for a Very Unlikely Problem during the paradrop, and sure enough one of the Grunts rolled a 1. I declared he’d lost a piece of equipment, and he randomly determined it was his knife.

They met a married couple from Dutch Resistance who escorted them to Model’s HQ (the hotel). I’d initially planned to have them run into a patrol on the way there, but randomized it instead, and they were able to stay hidden while it rolled past.

The Dutch melted back into the woods after dropping off our commandos. The characters observed the hotel (an old mansion), the guards surrounding it, and the armored cars, half-tracks, and long black staff car parked in front.

They decided to disable the vehicles and wire the staff car with explosives, and the Wheelman got busy. There was a close shave when a guard dropped a cigarette butt on the ground next to the car she was working on and was told to pick it up by an officer, but he was too agitated to notice her, and she continued working.

Once done she made her way back to the Grunts. At this point I put up a detailed grid map of the mansion and tokens they could control to show me their position. One Grunt ran up to jimmy the lock on the door, while the Wheelman, an Athlete and high in both Strength and Dexterity, climbed up the side of the hotel to the roof. She quickly cut the telephone lines.

The other Grunt ran in once the side door was opened, and they found themselves in a store room. They barricaded the door to the sitting room with almost supernatural quiet and ease (critical success roll) and covered everything in cooking oil and hard liquor. A server came back for more wine and found the door blocked, at which point the Grunts set fire to the room and moved down a short hallway.

They busted in on a small barracks. Three soldiers were in there, lounging and talking, and were very surprised. The Grunts, armed with suppressed light pistols, took their free round to fire, and both missed. They then used their Combat Machine traits to fire again, and both missed. They started the next round with initiative and fired twice each, lightly wounding one of the Germans. The Germans returned fire, hitting one of the Grunts.

Meanwhile on the roof, the Wheelman could see and smell smoke, and when a couple officers and soldiers fled from the sitting room, she dropped a grenade on them, killing them all. She did the same to a couple soldiers who ran to the side door.

The Battle of the Barracks went on for several more rounds, with the same Grunt taking more damage, before they were able to finish off the German soldiers. Hearing rapid footsteps coming down the stairs, they figured the field marshal was trying to escape, and moved to head him off.

The wounded Grunt moved to very close range and fired at the NCO guard who appeared, killing him. The field marshal was next, who made a tough roll to run past the Grunt and over the body of his guard, getting outside the front door of the hotel. The last NCO came down the stairs and attacked the Grunt with a dagger, wounding him yet again.

The Wheelman heard the shots and took position on the roof at the front of the hotel. Upon seeing the target come flying out the door, she dropped her third grenade of the evening, blowing the field marshal to bits. Mission accomplished.

Inside, the two Grunts were battling the remaining NCO, a big guy. It was hand-to-hand, with daggers and rifle butts. They finally took him down, and noticed he was wearing an unusual camouflage uniform, with insignia of the 2nd Panzer Division. They were not supposed to be there, so they had discovered important intel.

Between the 3 of them they took out the remaining guards in front and jumped in the only vehicle the Wheelman hadn’t disabled, an armored car. She sped off, while one of the Grunts fired the autocannon, cutting down an NCO that came around the corner of the hotel.

I ended it there, as the time difference with my friends in London made it pretty late for a Sunday night, but it was a lot of fun and a lot of action in a short amount of time!

My Hangout Gaming Group's 2018 Annual Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:38:00 +0000

Written by Lloyd Gyan

Yes it was a tough contender, with Games coming out of the woodwork to score ALL the points in all the wrong places. We had some surprising twists in certain categories.

Best System:
Yes this award goes to god's gift on dice and possibility. Considering the crazy amount of games that went through this year, this was not chosen lightly, and I think we can all agree that the winner impressed us with its style, understanding, and adaptation to our gaming formula

Tied 1st place: Rovers, and 2d Engine

Rovers by Aviatrix Games has come out of nowhere to completely dominate our Space Game market. What started off as a simple one page document run on off-days spawned a 5 part series that none of us expected. It was only beaten by the 2D engine game Tales from the Water Margin written by our own Ricardo Lenzi. Both games were very much top contenders for this role, so it's nice to see a tie for systems in a world where we were all so very much divided.

Runners up: Scum & Villany, Forbidden Lands, L5R 5th Edition, One Ring.

Best Setting:
This award goes to the world that mostly wowed us with its lore, people, and style. A fantastic universe that helps secure the winning name and structure is a difficult task, considering how many worlds we end up seeing each year, and this award is not one to be given lightly.

1st Place: Shadow of the Demon Lord

Shadow of the Demon lord will not win any awards for the dice mechanic, but what it will win is its hollow aesthetic of a dark, desperate world, where monsters are monsters and heroes are just monsters with hats on. This dark fantasy romp through two sessions stayed so deep within the hearts of the boys that it echoes throughout the rest of the awards, and may easily be back here again for next year's prizes.

Runner Up: Coriolis, Forbidden Lands, Lone wolf, Symborum, L5R 5th Ed, 2D Engine

Coriolis Effect winner:
Everyone has a bad day here and there. Walk past a broken mirror, under a ladder, scare a black cat, etc. And suddenly your luck is against you. You just cannot stop yourself from rolling those Crit failures. Nothing goes your way in the form of dice. And you hate it. This award goes to the game that we basically cannot seem to do well in no matter how hard we try, where the mechanics and the dice are just solidly out to get us. Name after the only game in the entire group’s lifetime that killed a character in the first session (Coriolis).

1st Place: Mutant Mechatron

The idea of being a badass robot in a world where the humans are gone was beyond exciting. The GM brought us into a special universe of robot speeches, power outages, and the core reason why we don't let Certain Members of the group make up their character on his own before the rest of us do. However, using the same mechanic as the Coriolis game did not help in the slightest, and we ended up in the last session trapped in a submarine bound for God knows where. Great game, but we can't roll dice for crap.

Runner up: Shadow Of the Demon Lord, Feet Dry, Scum & Villiany, Apocalypse World

Repeat Offender:
Some games are just too good for two sessions a year. This is the game and system that absolutely captivated us to no end. We loved everything about this game (or we didn't really feel we had enough gameplay to fully appreciate it) and we would love to see it again.

1st Place: Rovers

Naturally, this is no surprise to anybody. It has the most amount of requests to be run, some of us have already expressed an idea of expanding it, and it was one GM’s go-to for 'game to run for the group that I don't have to think too hard about'. We will be seeing more of Rovers as we go along.

Runner up: Scum & Villainy, L5R 5ed, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Forbidden Lands, Coriolis

Banished:
Some games were a bit too... much. Too much of one thing, not enough of another. This is an odd category, as its for games that we feel not only that we did not enjoy, but for games we have seen quite enough of. The factors that make up what goes into this category are plentiful, and not a snide against the people who ran it.

1st Place: Mysteries of the Yokai
We spent a lot of time in fantasy Japan, either as Samurais, Outlaws, or badass ninjas. But no game confused us more than the Mysteries of the Yokai and its 4d chess character generation. For a game with such potential, it is a shame to see a labor of love with such little love given to it by its players. But then again, having actually played the game, its placement seems perfectly justified, even by the GM himself.

Runner up: Symbourum, Mysteries of the Yokai, 5e, Mechatron, Shadow of the Demonlord

Coming Soon
Finally, here is the list of games that people have been 'Requesting' that we possibly take a lot at. A lot of these are new to us, and we all have our reasons, so I will do my best to put them in perspective as much as I can:

Technoir is a fantastic game from 2012 that went up against Lady Blackbird for Ennie contender in 2012. A Game that uses verbs, adjectives, and burning your connections with your friends to get shit done, in a cyberpunk neo noir universe.

High Plains Samurai is a fantastically visual game where we play the writers of characters, in a Wild West magical world with samurais and cowboys. Definitely on the top of the list.

Never Tell me the Odds recently got Kickstarted to an obscene amount of cash for a very VERY indie game. Not sure how they will play here, but it is Prince Valiant levels of simple.

Blades Against Darkness Turbo created by Dylan Green blessed us with its new version of the Blades against Darkness Forged in the Dark game that runs faster, harder and better. He used the phrase Castlevania-lite and that instantly bought me in, although how it will work remains to be seen

The Expanse is a Green Ronin license jackpot, by slapping the popular series The Expanse with its non-award winning Space Age system, going through the Savage Worlds greatest trick: Licenses Sell.

Warhammer 4e is the fourth iteration of the popular Warhammer franchise (after FFG finally lost the liscence to it) taken over by Cubicle 7. Although it is recently released, how similar it will be to the other systems is going to be if it makes it or breaks it.

Nahual is a mexican roleplaying game essentially about killing gods and wearing them like jewelry. Expect a very culture-based roleplaying game the likes of which Fantasy Asia has never seen before.

Mutant Year Zero is the game that started it all for Free League, and their second biggest breadwinner. Now a video game, and possibly a movie (think Tank girl and you're practically there) nothing has come close to creating its own popular franchise in roleplaying game form than Mutant: Year Zero.

Psi Run is another classic from yesteryear. An indie game where you explore your memories and abilities after waking up in a horrible situation. Very much what the players make of it will determine what the game will be.

Dying Earth is a romp into a... well...dying earth. A Game that favors exploration, discovery of old technology, and adventure through uncharted territory. It also uses Gumshoe.

Achtung 2d20 “Set in WWII, a band of Allied heroes fight a Secret War against the Nazi occult.” It does sound interesting...

And so we have it. Thank you very much for one of the best years of Gaming, and we will see you all in MeWe for now on, because Google+ will soon be a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

New Games and Old, Tactical and Theater of the Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 17:59:00 +0000

So:

1) I started playing Starfinder, through the Starfinder Society. It's challenging to travel 40 min, meet new people on a rotating basis, and play a game that I'm learning, but generally fun. The lore is interesting, the graphics are amazing, the options are many. There's a lot of dice-rolling, much more than I'm used to, everything seems to require a skill. The amount of paperwork and accounting is truly epic. Luckily I just look annoyed or confused and someone else does it for me, so that works out fine.

2) My most-downloaded game product is my free Hyborian intro-adventure for The Black Hack. I gave myself 3 months to add some detail and produce 2 maps, before the 2nd ed of Black Hack came out. I failed. Maps and monster stats are hard for me, apparently. Deep sigh.

3) I'm really loving Everywhen, RPG rules powered by Barbarians of Lemuria. I wondered how it would do in a more skirmish-focused game, and it did great. Fast, easy, exciting and still plenty of room for role-playing. Looking forward to 2nd playtest of my Time Trippers game on Saturday.

4) The Fantasy Trip. I enjoy it for the tactical combat, and it produces moments of excitement and humor on a regular basis. I'm very curious to see what it's like in social situations and exploring an enemy location. I worry it might feel too mechanical.

If you're still reading, the thing I'm thinking about today is whether someone who's blind could play Everywhen: Time Trippers or TFT online. I think Time Trippers is possible--if the GM explained movement and combat options, described the terrain, etc. TFT would be harder I think; it's the opposite of "theater of the mind." I'd like to test this out sometime.

A board game by SPI in 1978, a setting hack for a role-playing game in 2018

John Wick, Retired: Ver 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:08:00 +0000

Can you and your fellow Assassins survive being hunted by John Wick? Probably not all of you. Maybe just one. Possibly none.

Version 2.0 includes several optional rules you can add to the game, including a PVP option. This is my reskin of the awesome Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf by Matthew J. McPherson.

Download it here: John Wick, Retired ver 2.0

By GlebTheZombie on Deviant Art

John Wick, Retired

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 21:11:00 +0000

Inspired by a conversation I found online, and wanting badly to play a game set in the world of John Wick, I decided to reskin Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf. Many thanks to Matthew J. McPherson for his fun, simple framework. You can play John Wick, Retired as serious or as silly as you want.

Download it here: John Wick, Retired

Art by abiku009 on Deviant Art

The 100: the Game Setting

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 19:01:00 +0000

I'm a big fan of the sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting, and The CW's "The 100" struck me as a particularly good one. I also think it lends itself to a good game world if you expand it to include factions and ruins exploration. Sort of a "The 100" meets "The Morrow Project", "Aftermath!", or even "Gamma World", when played less-gonzo.

So here I present my fan project, just-for-fun, Barbarians of Lemuria: The 100 game!

This first link takes you to my The 100 Setting Primer, all fluff and pretty pictures, for those who need a refresher on the world or have never seen the show. Spoilers ahead:

The 100: the Game Setting Primer

This link takes you to the master doc with rules for playing in the world of The 100, using the Barbarians of Lemuria rules system:

The 100: the Game

If you've never watched the show, get past the first three episodes and you'll be hooked. If you're already a fan of the show, I hope the setting I've created here will allow you to run games in the exciting, dangerous world of The 100!

This could be you.

A Conan-Inspired Scenario for The Black Hack

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 16:53:00 +0000

I wrote a simple, introductory scenario for The Black Hack roleplaying game. I've updated it with a map and more detail, but tried to keep it simple and low on description; when I ran it myself, it was fast and full of action.

So here you go: The Black Sword of Shem

The far south-western coast of Zingara, in the hot, bustling, river-port town of Jerida, at a tavern and gambling hall.

The characters have been traveling together, and have blown all their wealth on booze and gambling. They are hung over, and they are in debt.

The Honorable Senior Magistrate Vilerius arrives to the tavern, of which is he part-owner, with a squad of veteran spearmen. They surround the party, and the Magistrate holds an improvised court.

"You are in debt. Debt is not allowed; it is illegal, you are outlaws. But I won't throw you in prison, indefinitely, if you'll do me a simple favor: head down the coast past Argos, and just over the border to Shem. Bring me back the Sword of Justice. Don't return without it. You can keep anything else you find in the tomb, and I’ll even provide a ship and a guide."

And so it begins.

Review for Infected Zombie RPG Scenario: Keep Your Friends Close

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 18:11:00 +0000

I've been following the Infected Zombie RPG for a while now. It has some amazing post-apocalyptic art, great plot hooks, and exceptional support from the designer. Recently, Immersion Studios (publishers of Infected Zombie RPG) released a scenario for the game and I was keen to check it out. Immersion Studios sent me a pdf of the module, for the purposes of this review.

Keep Your Friends Close builds on the existing fiction of the game, as described in the rule book. This won't affect your ability to run the module if you don't have the main game though; this scenario could be dropped into any number of post-apocalyptic game campaigns, or run as the one-shot that it's described as.

The PCs are part of a diplomatic crew in the service of a warlord's railways. A particularly crucial train is coming through the mountain bottleneck to dock with an oil refinery. The whole railway is short on oil, due to mounting attacks from enemy-affiliated groups, and this train only has enough diesel to get through this route. But something's not quite right in town. Though they're friendly enough, there's an underlying tension. Something is up...

The art is realistic and very good. The NPCs are fleshed out well and many are fully statted out. The story is well-crafted, and will appeal to a mature audience--there are some serious things happening in this scenario, and Immersion Studios believes you can handle that.

A few times, the tactical locations of the PCs in relation to the NPCs will matter, so you'll want to be clear about locations, range, and spacing if you play this scenario "theater of the mind."

There is a lot going on behind the scenes in this adventure; the GM will need to keep in mind how the actions of the players affect the NPCs, as well as how and when NPCs will affect and interact with the players. I would consider Keep Your Friends Close to be an intermediate to advanced scenario to run, potentially very challenging for a newer GM. I strongly recommend reading through the entire module before running it, as a lot of events are time and reaction dependent.

Finally, you get a lot with this scenario, for a low price. I recommend picking it up, for your post-apocalyptic needs.

Keep Your Friends Close scenario

Infected Zombie RPG

Death, Character, and Free Reign

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 20:38:00 +0000

I've been in a Swords and Wizardry Whitebox campaign since last October, which for me, is an extremely long time. And it's been even longer since I had a character I was invested in die. Permanently dead, not coming back, pushing up daisies, farm bought, sleeping the big sleep.

Despite the fact that I had a new character rolled up in 15 minutes, and a name generated from the NPC Birthing Sac generator (NPC Birthing Sac), I was surprised to feel a little sad about the fictitious passing of my fictitious fighter. Thanks in part to our excellent GM, Roc the Literate had developed a long and amusing history, with a complex reputation that I'd sullied with a bad Carousing roll.

I think that means both the GM and the players are doing things right. I found myself surprisingly invested in this virtual, dangerously curious arsonist in a way that really made me look forward to the game. I could picture him in my head, stupidly sticking his hand into summoning circles and igniting expensive linens with oil from his ever-present flask.

Video games are great, and there was a time that I played a lot of them. But at this point I'd much rather have the kind of free reign over my character's actions that only a tabletop role-playing game can offer.

Roc is dead. Dead is dead.
Long live The New Guy: Thuul-Botha Cinth, the Embodiment of Catharsis!

This song I'm singing here is weirdly appropriate. Just replace "cancer" with "huge poisonous spider" This Too Shall Pass

I drank a beer in the name of my fictional guy because why not

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, C-beams glitter in the dark

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:56:00 +0000

Diplomatic Mission Brings Surprise Victory!

A while back I played my first and only game of Full Thrust, using the Cross Dimensions rules. I greatly enjoyed the game and finally experienced an Epic Space Battle. Our attempts to do this as kids, using Starfleet Battles rules, resulted in 2-day long games with a metric ton of paperwork. Using Full Thrust, we were able to finish a multi-ship game in 3 hours, with minimal bookkeeping.

Our host had a cool starfield mat for our game, and Pat and Ryan had impressive ship collections, so I was able to borrow a fleet. Together Ryan and I would have a total of 6 capital ships and 6 gunships; Pat would have 2 battleships, a number of missile destroyers and smaller capital ships, and at least 6 gunships. However, his force would be split; some waiting in-system, the rest forced to wait at least 5 turns before coming on to the board. I'm going to continue in narrative form, because the game really fired my imagination!

With great care and stealth, we infiltrated a gunship squadron of 3 ships and and 1 small escort into a gas cloud near the flagship of the enemy Neu Swabian League (NSL).

We approached in 2 groups and made good speed towards the planet. The stance of the NSL fleet changed in a manner that seemed rude and hostile. We sent out communications assuring them that we were on a diplomatic mission while putting our crews on battle-alert. After a short while it became obvious that the enemy fleet was moving to attack, and we decided to activate our insurance.

The gunships exploded out of the gas cloud and massed around the sides and stern of the enemy battleship. Attempts at communicating with the battleship were pointless, as it immediately opened fire on our ambassadors of peace. My gunship Kukri was crippled almost immediately, and was soon lost with all hands. However, my allies scored many hits on the battleship, and my gunships Dagger and Raj fired all they had.

Our capital ships were still too far to assist, so the gunships were all on their own for a while. They continued to inflict heavy damage on the battleship, but before long gunship Raj was obliterated. The Dagger finally pulled away and made towards the planet. About that time the capital ships came into contact, and the darkness of space was filled with missiles, torpedoes, and beams. To be honest, my gunners did only slight damage to the enemy fleet, but my allies scored hit after hit; many of them well-placed shots to power cores, life support, and fire control systems. Our right flank advanced steadily, while I held the middle, and sent the CL Victory to meet gunship Dagger at the planet. Victory had a full complement of elite and heavily armed diplomats that planned to land at the planet’s capital city.

The NSL’s reinforcements had arrived and entered the fray by now, scoring many hits on the Dagger but failing to destroy her. She would shortly take up orbit around the planet and begin to disrupt planetary communications. My allies continued to disable or destroy enemy ships; the first of the NSL battleships drifted, without bridge control and a failing life support system, directly into the path of my battle cruiser Vengeance. Vengeance’s boarding parties, wearing vacc suits, were soon swarming over the crippled hulk.

The light cruiser Victory took heavy damage on its way to the planet but took out a gunship in return and was well on its way to landing troops, I mean diplomats, on the planet, when the NSL fleet retreated and engaged their FTL drives. Our colonists could rest a little easier, knowing the border had been pushed back...at least for a little while.

Barbarians of Lemuria

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 23:44:00 +0000

I ran three seasoned rpg veterans and one newer player through the Ghost of Acheron adventure, written by G-Man. My first time running Barbarians of Lemuria, and one of the few games I've run for a mixed player group of men and women.

Legendary Edition

It was a blast. The system is a lot of fun to run; combat was fluid and deadly, and the magic system was excellent. Character generation took longer than I expected, but I think that was due to the many questions and inexperience with the system. We used the Legendary edition, but I plan to try Mythic edition next time.

Mythic Edition

One of the players took copious notes, and I asked him to write up a session report. A month later I thought he'd forgotten, but then he sent me this excellent report in ballad form. No wonder it took him a month!

tl;dr: chased by Picts, looted a tomb, killed a princess

Captain Skybastard and the Sphinx Diamond

Lend me your ear and I’ll tell you a tale,

Of a daring pirate cap’n with the wind in his sail.

He was out be-yond the mighty River Black,

Chased through the jungle just tryin’ to get back.

A thousand Pict savages were right on his heels,

The Gods wouldn't listen to any appeals.

He rallied what remained of his crew which were few,

A eunuch, a killer, and a young rogue that was new.

They ran and they ran for all they were worth,

Just trying to get back to some more friend-ly turf.

They'd stop and they'd rest, but never for long.

The drums of the Pict made a disheartening song.

The crew were exhausted but in their captain did they trust,

He said that they'd stand and fight if they must.

With a wry smile and a wink, a plan did he think.

They'd set up an ambush and have a good drink.

As they sat 'round the fire hearin' the drums,

The young lad a fine tune he started to hum.

He pulled out a lute and he plucked at the strings

'Fore long the others started to sing…

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

The savages were swift and the drums they were loud,

But our daring pirate captain, with his bow stood proud.

The wolves were snarling so very close by,

But into the fire, one of his arrows did fly.

Enchanted with magic, smoke arose in a cloud,

The captain jumped out with his bow held proud.

Such a frightening and terrible visage to see,

Caused the savages to stop and turn to flee.

The wolves snarled and circled round and round,

Standing tall with his bow as more drums did sound.

He shot each one dead with an arrow to their head.

Some tell of one shot that dropped two it is said.

Through the jungle to a small hill, his crew ran

While he covered their backs and developed a plan.

They'd hold the hill and make their stand,

There was no getting out of that curs-ed land.

Upon their drums did the savages bang,

To bolster morale, the cap'n sang…

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

He topped the hill and saw quite a scary sight,

Too many Pict warriors, even more than he could fight.

Circled they did, but they dare not approach

A thousand warriors afraid of his reproach.

On that lonely hilltop, the crew wasn't alone.

A mystical scholar was there examining old bones.

He stood by a hole and he offered his aid,

Said he could sneak 'em out if only they paid.

How much coin do you want, the bold cap'n asked.

Neither coin nor gems, just a quick, simple task.

Go into the tomb with your impressive blade,

And bring back the bones within that are laid.

So into the hole our brave cap'n descended

The crew sang out while he on the rope he suspended…

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

Soon all were gathered in a dusty old tomb,

With two gems that sparkled even through the dark gloom.

One was held by a sphinx, the other a snake,

Diamonds are best, so that's what he'd take.

No sooner done, than the beast did stir,

No stranger to magic, he wouldn't deter.

He pulled back an arrow glowing with power,

The beast tried to run, but it had nowhere to cower.

When their vision returned, the crew was amazed,

Inside the diamond the sphinx sat fazed.

If you look very close, your eyes'll go wide,

For there is the sphinx with the arrow in its side.

The crew let out a cheer as they jumped in the air,

In song they broke not caring who they'd provoke…

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

Working their way down hallways most dusty,

They found a room glowing warm and not musty.

Inside the room, a huge feast was spread,

Inviting them in, was a beauty in the bed.

She was scantily clad in fine silks and jewels,

Most of the crew were seduced into fools.

But our cap'n, although handsome, as any would swear,

Wouldn't be tempted by the vixen's flowing hair.

He suspected foul play and wouldn't be tricked,

Although he was the one she obviously picked.

She pleaded and she schemed to trap him there,

For she was an ancient sorceress and he wouldn't be spared.

Dropping all guise, she used her arcane might,

To summon two giant warriors into the fight.

The eunuch was down, the thief was sorely pressed,

The killer was wounded with a spear in his chest.

The sorceress called forth dark powers most foul,

Our captain just looked at her with a sneer and a scowl.

She shrieked as she struck, but our cap'n was quicker,

Upset that she missed, she never saw him stick her.

She looked down and saw his bloody dagger in hand,

Confusion on her face, she couldn't understand.

Killed by a mortal, a scoundrel and his gang.

She asked for his name and in reply his crew sang…

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

They finished the guards and climbed out of the tomb,

The Pict hadn't come closer giving the hallowed ground room.

The scholar kept true to the promise he swore,

He smeared a potion on all that they wore.

Through the enemy camp they walked like a ghost,

Not making a sound as they made for the coast.

They burst from the jungle and he saw his ship there,

Away from the savages, they sailed through the air.

He never lost faith or gave up his hope,

He just looked at that hill through his shiny brass scope.

I wasn't there, so I cannot attest,

But some say he bid the sorceress a long deserved rest.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the pirate most feared.

The bane of the skies who at danger just sneered.

Skybastard, Skybastard, the sly cunning fox,

Sent many a man to crash on the rocks.

Skybastard, Skybastard, will never get caught,

If you think that you're smarter, you're obviously not.

Skybastard, Skybastard, his legend abounds,

Run for your lives when the warning bell sounds.

Skybastard, Skybastard, we'll kill for you now,

To no king or no queen will ever he bow.

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey-hey-hey!

Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-hey! Ya-da-ha-ha-ha!

Into the Odd Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 14:06:00 +0000

Shortly after my copy of Into the Odd arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the announcement of a pick-up game for the system over Google Hangout. I jumped at the chance and was joined by two others, one of whom had worked on the book and created some of my favorite illustrations--Kamil Wegrzynowiz. God I hope I spelled that right.

One of the many things I love about Into the Odd is that the setting is an idea, a feeling. It's not locked into a time or space, and although it's traditionally played with a tech level that varies between 17th and early 20th century, our GM for this game had pushed it farther into the 1930s. And with a more North American feel to the people and the architecture, which was also interesting.

Levels exist in Into the Odd, and I was allowed to use a character I'd used before, meaning that he was no longer a Novice but a Professional. Broke in terms of cash, Vargas is loaded in terms of weapons and Arcana.

Kamil played Quinn Parfait, a Novice who came equipped with a pick-ax and a set of manacles. I was never sure if he'd recently busted out of a chain gang, spent time as a slave, or was perhaps an underworld bounty-hunter. His Chilling Cloud Arcana caused us some problems, but I tell you what: his quick-thinking and pick-ax proved useful.

Ben played the lovely but modestly-dressed Eloise; also a Professional, armed to the teeth (machineguns!) and holding some Arcana herself. Eloise proved to be very charismatic and more than willing to use her mental and physical charms on the easily manipulated.

We had to pay a little extra to get the captain of a little boat to take us over to the Tavek Islands, because nobody wants to go there. The islands are way out in the Deep Country and known for lousy weather and marshy land. But the weather was decent when we arrived, and we were immediately greeted by an old, wheelchair-bound, shotgun-toting Elder with a posse of bodyguards.

While I questioned Elder Glenda about locations of interest on the islands, Eloise walked over to the bar, Stella's Bar and Boarding House. Her goal was to gather up some intern-hirelings to accompany us, but it was slim pickings. Eventually she made an impression on a young kid, who talked like he read too much fantasy or lived in a ren-faire. His name was Billy, but she gave him a saber and that became his Adventuring Name: Saber! His voice reminded me of Amy Sedaris, which cracked me up.

In the meantime I'd discovered that the town had a sort of local deity, Marsh Man, and that there was a derelict ship we could investigate, as well as the mansion of what used to be the wealthiest family in town. That sounded promising from a cash-looting perspective, so off we went.

The Belgott Estate, mysterious figurine, skull with butler's cap.

The mansion had a very Gothic, haunted-house feeling to it that I greatly enjoyed. We liberated a locket with a picture of Stella (of Stella's Bar) and a bunch of fine china which we piled into a Bedroll TreasureSack(tm), quickly reducing value of said china. Then we came upon a filthy den of Lynxes which attacked us and nearly killed "Saber", so we had to kill them all which felt a little like killing cats. That bothered me some but didn't seem to bother Eloise at all as she gleefully machine-gunned down the whole cat-family.

We came upon a bedroom that was eerily clean and intact but when Saber walked in, the door tried to swing shut! Only Quinn thought to jam the door, which he did with his pick-ax. That might have saved Saber, as the room went nuts and it became apparent there was a poltergeist in there. However we weren't afraid of no ghost, and after it quieted down we got Saber and looted the room. That's when we found desiccated bodies in the closets, and the red butler cap that we convinced Saber to wear.

Additional weird loot included a small marble-grey stone sphere, baseball sized, which was clearly Arcana but we couldn't figure out, and a sketch-book journal full of disturbing drawings which had belonged to Sam Belgott.

The biggest problem we ran into was a statue that we found in a dry bathtub. Quinn deduced it was Arcana and tried to connect with it, but the entity inside it was very strong and very malicious. It took control of him and he immediately used his Chilling Cloud to encase Saber in ice. I used my Bone-Magnet to try to pull Quinn towards me and knock the statue out of his hand, but he resisted and I failed. Eloise saved us all by knocking Quinn to the ground and pulling the statue away from him. Into the treasure-sack it went. We used a torch to melt Saber out of his ice-shell.

Our return to town was bittersweet, for though we were able to sell some of our lootings for good cash and were promised Free Drinks Forever by Stella for giving her the locket we found, the townsfolk and parents of Billy were full-on angry at us for bringing him along and nearly getting him killed. Even though he was easily Most Improved Character and had discovered his own inner strength! I sweet-talked Elder Glenda and she agreed not to banish us from town, but they were staring daggers at us.

Felt a twinge of concern at selling the Malicious and Powerful statuette to merchants who will be taking it to Bastion, but a shilling is a shilling.

*Future exploring companies can find us camped out at Stella's.*

Star Wars Age of Rebellion, A Study in Two Acts

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 20:22:00 +0000

I thought Nick, the GM for the Star Wars Age of Rebellion game I was in, had been dabbling in crazy experimental game ideas when he suggested that we start the new year off with a new direction. Or directions. To do this he planned to have us all come prepared to the Google Hangout with an idea we wanted to explore; he would play through this idea one-on-one with each of us in two Acts. This would give us the story lines we could investigate, individually or together as a team, as the game unfolded.

I assumed Nick had been dabbling in here somewhere.

I was worried this might lead to chaos, with other players checking out mentally, or the GM forced to contend with insane and grandiose schemes *cough Dutch player cough*, or everybody weeping openly at the beauty of my American-inflected spoken word soliloquy. We could find ourselves facing human sacrifice, mobs in the street, the breakdown of our Hangout social order.

This is actually worse than chaos, but it sums up my fears nicely.

BUT INSTEAD! I really enjoyed the session, the First of its Name in 2015. I really dug it. Not sure where our GM got the idea; maybe it's right in the rule book, and maybe I could have asked him before I wrote this blog post, but damn it Jim I'm a blogger not a reporter.

We ended up with four solid story ideas to pursue, and gave our GM a good idea of the stories that especially interest us as players. For any GM, that is bubblin' crude! Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

Coincidence that GM Nick and Santa share same first name?

Illustrated Ideas for the Arcana of INTO THE ODD

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:08:00 +0000

I was reminded of an old computer game called "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura" after my first game of Into the Odd. Some research revealed that I still had the documentation, and dozens of Arcana ideas were found. Here are the first of many that provided inspiration, re-imagined for Into the Odd.

First, let us contemplate the Key Principles of Arcana:

1. They do new things.

2. They encourage creative and risky use.

3. They aren't something you'd want to use all the time.

Turns out the Key Principles, like all Key Principles, aren't so easy to follow. I did my best but if you have suggestions for improvement, please let me know by Comment, Email, Private Message, Sky-Writing or Teletype.

One last thing, a reminder from The Rules Themselves: "Characters that are open about the Arcana they carry will find themselves the target of collectors, thieves and con artists." You have been warned.

Chapeau of Magnetic Inversion

The Chapeau combines a top hat and an electrical coil to create a strong magnetic field. Bullets, fragments, arrows and blades that are made of iron or steel are rerouted away from the wearer when it is activated. Care must be taken around magnetic items of the wearer and his party; horrific consequences may also occur if used near someone who has been tattooed with iron-based ink.

+1 Armor vs bullets, pellets, arrows, darts, fragmentation, blades.

Illus by Stephen Beat

The Aether Bombast combines technology and arcane forces to create a formidable weapon. An intensely hot "bolt" of pressurized plasma is fired from a compression cylinder; it can be fired out to great distance, and very accurately. The effect on organic matter is horrific, and the damage it can do to synthetic materials is impressive. Rate of fire is very slow, maintenance on the device is virtually impossible, and it should be used with care on airships and water craft. It should never be fired in a submarine unless self-destruction is the goal.

Heavy Gun (two hands), d12 damage. Cannot move and fire. Flashbang effect on those not wearing eye protection when fired. Sets target alight, d6 damage for 1d3 rounds. Burns through most materials.

The Mechanized Arachnid is roughly the size of a dog when extended and active, but folds into a small compact shape for ease of transport. It has "large extendible claws to aid in subduing any opponents" but it can also be used to carry small items (such as healing salves or timed explosives), recover small items that are out of reach, and map areas that are currently unreachable or too dangerous for one to map oneself. The claws are extremely sharp and the Arachnid can get red-hot from the pressure of its miniature steam engine if left activated for too long, so care must be taken around animals and children. It vents steam, and while it is not a loud device, neither is it quiet.

STR: 12, HP 10, Fast, d6 damage. Can Scurry up steep inclines and through small holes. What the Arachnid sees, the owner can see IN THEIR MIND.

The Necromizer taps into dark powers beyond the edge of our understanding and combines that with galvanic technology to raise the very recently dead and compel them to fight mindlessly by your side. This is especially useful when you are the last one standing, but can be helpful if even one or two of your party has fallen in combat.

The Fighting Dead will mill around aimlessly for a few minutes after the fight is over, and that is when they must be dispatched with bullets to the head or machetes to the neck. Otherwise an odd light will appear in their eyes, they will assume disturbing facial dispositions that imply evil cunning, and they will try to maim you and kill you, in that order.

Dogs tend to bark at people carrying a Necromizer on them, milk tends to spoil around the Necromizer, and babies are sometimes born with very sharp teeth if the mother has been in contact with the device.

STR 10, HP 6, damage as per weapon or d4 strangling/clawing. Frightening to behold and vomit-inducing to EVERYONE (except the owner of the Necromizer) as they have invariably soiled themselves upon violent death and are likely to be trailing intestines or brain matter.

Metamorphosis Alpha Or What's This Shiny Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:51:00 +0000

A massive colony starship hurtling through the vastness of space, out of control and chock-full of mutated humans, animals, and plants. That's the setting for Metamorphosis Alpha, a game that captured my imagination as a kid growing up in an incredibly mundane suburb of Chicago. I ran the game for some friends back in junior high a few times; it was always fun, but I struggled back then because the rules leave a lot to your imagination. And I never had the chance to be a player, despite the stacks of characters that I rolled up because there was no Xbox or internet or smart phones, so why not spend a few hours rolling up weirdo mutants?

Heavily armed rabbits are heavily armed.

Never bring a knife to a rifle-and laser-pistol fight. Unless you can blow up their brains WITH YOUR MIND...

Now step back in time to December of 2014: I finally got to be a player in a game of Metamorphosis Alpha, and it was fantastic! Fast, exploratory, violent, and funny. I admit that the GM and fellow players were smart, seasoned players with a great sense of humor--that obviously adds a lot to any game. But the setting held up very well and +Wayne Rossi wrestled the rules into submission nicely.

I'd also read a couple of the short stories, written when sci-fi was still young, that specifically inspired the game: A.E. Van Vogt's "Rogue Ship", Brian Aldiss's "Starship", and Robert Heinlein's "Orphans of the Sky". Skim them to understand the setting of the game and mine for ideas--these books are not fantastic works of literary art, if you get my meaning.

A very good representation of the vast starship world in Metamorphosis Alpha, except the sides and top are neither transparent nor reflective: holograms and actual weather hide the reality.

The game was similar in system, and compatible with, Gamma World which has a much larger following, multiple editions, and plenty of support.

A little about the game we played. Our party consisted of two Mutants ("Doctor" Shock-Tober and Cubert) and three Humans (Miquel, Mascon, and Keir).

After leaving our village, I was promptly attacked by a metallic bush that hit me with a sonic blast. Then we found a gun, but I was like "Does it fire a projectile, a beam, or summons angels. Possible Angel Gun!" We crossed the river, and got into a round building with help from the gun, which it turned out fired persistent laser beams, not angels.

Cylindrical metal thing on wheels with arms--turned out to be a Security Robot!

I found a Med bracelet and the Metal Man (Security Bot) got Respect for me, and started calling me Doctor. I ordered the Metal Man to pursue the Cat People who’d been squatting in the building and had brutally attacked us. Sadly, it never came back. What was your fate, Metal Man?

Our village in the middle, Forbidden Zone south, river and round building to the east. Player-drawn map.

We spent the night in the Security Hut and struck out Forward to the Ramp. We fried an android after he attacked me with a vibro-sword and nearly cut me in half. DON’T OFFER PEOPLE SQUIRREL MEAT OR VINEGAR CRISPS THEY GET SUPER PISSED.

Now east of the river, we name the big fortified town north of us "Syracuse" because they are orange. Lake on the right is detail between "Cliff" (side of ship), Syracuse, and the ramp leading to next level of ship.

Ultimately I used my electrical power to electrify an electrical building with electricity and it blew up two cubes of C4 in my Gucci bag, killing the entire party. So it goes!

Light blue line is the ramp, which took us to the Forestry level of the ship. And, ultimately, our doom.

This game took place over Google Hangouts, and one of the players handled all the map duties, first time I'd seen it done that way. It was very fun figuring out what things were, and Wayne did a great job of explaining modern (and futuristic) tech to us. Looking forward to playing again!

By Lindsay Archer

Buy Metamorphosis Alpha Here for 6 Bucks

One Possible Bastion for Into the Odd

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:15:00 +0000

I want to keep +Noah Stevens concept for the City of Bastion percolating, as I thought it worked very well for the episode that I was in.

We approached by airship and it turned out that Bastion was a multi-level metropolis who's smells and vapors extended far into the sky, and far below ground.

Yeah that's a fin up top. And it's not to scale either!

I made an arcology that looks like a Chilean torta!

This child-like drawing helped me keep track of where we were, roughly, when we played the game.

The Frothing Gates are disgusting from what I remember, composed of swirling, falling sewage.

The Sky District had the best air but the worst red tape; customs and tax officials, backed up by armed guards. Luckily, they are amenable to a nice bribe.

The Voracious Crab-Birds are a constant threat to travelers, despite their impressive plumage and inspiring wing-span. Guns and rockets are your best bet against them, but if they get in close, you can knife them like it's lunchtime at County.

The Temple District is a life-saver if you're trying to ditch the law, and it's pretty fun, too. Many gods, many temples, pilgrims, hustlers, robe-stands and henna application specialists abound! Obviously, keep an eye on your money at all times.

Lampreys the Nightmare Continues

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:05:00 +0000

Some more about the sea lampreys that infect Lake Michigan and make life near the lakeshore in Chicago a dangerous proposition for all concerned. Know your lamprey.

This type is especially dangerous to small water craft, children and pets. Artist: Uknown

Thankfully they only get this big in the deep waters of the lake or tidal areas near the museums. Artist: Patsy McDowell

This is an accurate depiction of a 17th century lamprey as depicted in the historical novel "Lamentations of the Flame Princess." Artist: Ian Maclean

OK that's all for lampreys today, let's be careful out there and remember that the only good lamprey is a dead lamprey. Part of why we became the U.S.A. is because they used to eat them in England and that is revolting.

Into the Odd Twice, Labyrinth Lord Generates Worst Vacation Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:01:00 +0000

Many have been the games played in the last couple of months; at least, many by my standards. My Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign at Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL, restarted, only to be placed immediately back into hiatus for the holidays. I finished with the customized D&D 4th Edition game held at Chicagoland Games in Chicago, IL. The D&D 5th Edition game, customized for Clark Ashton Smith's world of Hyperborea, is still going strong. I enjoy the setting and the system, and I get to play with my wife and good friends while drinking beer or cocktails. Like all of my In Real Life games, it is rated M for Mature.

To look at this requires Maturity.

It is over Google Hangouts where my gaming has increased a great deal. I've gotten very comfortable with the format; I will always prefer to meet in person for a game, but when that's impossible, Hangouts is the way to go. I prefer it when the GM uses a tool of some kind (such as Roll20 or Paint) to show graphics, handouts, or maps but it no longer detracts from my enjoyment overmuch if those tools aren't used.

I'm playing in two long-running campaigns over over the wire: Fantasy Flight's Star Wars and classic, Game Designer's Workshop Traveller. I've also had the chance to play a great DCC module, Prince Charming: Reanimator and for the first time played a (very enjoyable) session of Labyrinth Lord.

I loved that we started the LL game "on vacation", which I don't think has ever been a start for an adventure I've been in. One of the characters had to pound around in the bucolic summer heat wearing plate armor as we investigated clues, explored a tomb, and sought information, leading to his oft-muttered "Worst Vacation Ever!"

I've been excited about Into the Odd for a while now, and finally had the chance to try it out with a couple of great GMs. In the first case there were three players total and we ran through a dungeon-type scenario pulled from the game designer's blog. We had characters whipped up in a jiffy and they soon developed their own unique personalities, helped along by the weirdness of the environment, a shared near-death experience early in the adventure, and our general sense of paranoia and impending doom. We ran through the whole dungeon in the time we had allotted and I was able to go through the process of "leveling up" with four quick rolls.

An interesting and diverse assortment of arcana.

The second game of Into the Odd was of a more free-form nature, and I will borrow generously from the report of our GM, Noah Stevens:

We were hired by Mr. Smythewick-on-Smythe, Comptroller of the Adventurers' and Post-persons' guild, to deliver 1 pound of fine green tea - likely magical. "Viridian Tea of the Jade Brewmancers". In addition, we have distributed amongst ourselves 100 chocolate bonbons, meant for consumption by Serpent Men (AND ONLY by Serpent Men! as we have since learned).

Both are to be delivered whilst Arcturus hangs in the Southern sky above Bastion, if we are to be paid.

Before leaving we purchased a purple Crocatoo from Mr. Oubilette, at his Fantastic Fowl Emporium. Also released Odiet Thindo from gravest indenture via bayonet to Mr. Oubilette's abdomen. Maybe.

A brief moment of air travel by Daemon Zeppelin, and the party docked at the Aerodrome of Bastion, on the Sky Level. We landed, poisoned the customs agent (accidentally!) and dodged the tax-man. After nearly getting pick-pocketed, we pressed into service a Deep One hybrid urchin boy named Bertie (possibly the son of a watchman).

Hugo's airship: How Does It Work

We hired Hugo the Aero-captain, and contributed to his untimely death by Crabbird, after destroying a lovely and aggressive mated pair with rocket and blade.

Between the Crabbird attack and the unwanted attention of the Guard, now approaching via airship and firing at us, we temporarily lost one member of the party. As well as permanently losing the previously mentioned Hugo the Aero-captain.

An arcanum, the Dust Mephit Engine, was recovered (still unknown exactly what it does, but it was the engine for Hugo's dirigible. Odiet damaged the rune-markings in removal from the tiller).

We broke into a private dwelling on a rim-side balcony, and entered into the temple district to avoid the Guard and their Auto-Arquebuses. Hid in and dealt with the temple of Doubloonus, and the High Priest, for several days but declined his offer of theological and economical intercessions.

Then we got all henna'ed up with currency symbols and dressed in robes (even the parrot) so as to stand out less, and struck out to find the Serpent Men and deliver our packages.

We entered into the Aviary of the Contemptuous Saint, where everything is a bit too tidy and neat. A nameless Faepog came sidling by with Mr. Fiddler's (probably cursed) fiddle. Nobody came sidling by with my expended rocket, however.

That's where we left off, until the next time...

One more thing--I played Metamorphosis Alpha today for the first time since I was in junior high school! It was a great time with a good crew; lots of action, investigation, and humor. I'll talk details about it in a future post.

Warlords of the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 15:40:00 +0000

Airships, for A Contest Full of Hot Air

Let's talk about the big ones, the battleships, perhaps not seen since the Last Great War, perhaps yet to be built.

"With the cloud came a great thrumming sound, like many deep-voiced gongs being beaten rapidly in unison. The sound grew louder as the cloud began to fill the whole sky, casing a dark and ominous shadow over the Valley of the Morning. It was the allied air fleet of five nations.

Each ship was a thousand feet long. Each had a hull as strong as steel. Each bristled with artillery and great grenades which could be dropped upon their enemies. Each ship moved implacably through the sky, keeping pace with its mighty fellows.

Ships with Imperial crimson suns emblazoned on their white and gleaming hulls.
Ships with great black double-headed eagles glaring from the hulls of deepest scarlet, claws spread as if to strike.
Ships with massive three-color flags spread on backgrounds of blue.
Ships with cannon and bombs and crews, their booming engines like triumphant anticipatory laughter."
--Michael Moorcock, The Warlord of the Air

Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share.

There are blimps and balloons and sometimes those are enough, but when you want to move huge cargoes or large contingents of men or mount cannons, then you need a rigid airship, a dirigible. And it has to be filled with helium or a helium-like gas, because otherwise you are floating through the sky in a huge bomb: Oh The Humanity.

They can of course also be used for luxurious passage from one city to another for those that have the guilders and gold to spend that way. But imagine huge airships, bigger than the Hindenburg, and engineered far beyond that disaster-in-waiting. Rotors to compensate for the explosion of cannon; broadsides of guns and huge grenades to be dropped directly on opposing ships and forces. And such a quiet way to deliver great masses of troops.

Moorcock suggested the evolution of recoilless guns "that can stand in the air and shoot much longer and more accurately than cannon."

Imagine what even one of these Airships of the line could do, if it was suddenly, through powers scientific and arcane, thrust into a world that was not as advanced, or had simply never seen something like it. The men on a ship like that would have to decide what they wanted to do with all that firepower and speed. Decisions: yes...

Review of the Well of Souls for Dungeon Crawl Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 21:40:00 +0000

I was running Dungeon Crawl Classics for the first half of this year pretty regularly, about once a month. Sometimes twice, if I was lucky with scheduling. DCC is more adult-oriented, at least the way I play it, and the guys in my group really ran with it--embracing the weird magic (and it's side-effects) and using their decades of game experience to keep their players alive. I created a sandbox for them, full of places and things designed by fans of the game as well as some of the published Goodman Games scenarios.

When the chance to run Well of Souls came up, I was excited. It was a chance to create new characters from scratch (the existing characters had been auto-generated) and place the characters far to the south of the cold misty forest-lands they were familiar with.

I let the players go nuts as far as race was concerned, and they indulged their love of humanoids with dwarves, elves, and halflings. There were some humans, sure, but with one player going with an entire party of dwarves the humans were in the minority for a change.

Spoilers beyond this point...

The Well of Souls is funnel, designed for 12-16 zero-level characters. It takes place deep in a rocky desert, and the players are led there by their guide, Farid. He has a lot of theories and stories about the Well, some of which are true, and some of which are false. The rumors are well done and it was fun reading them to the players as they peppered Farid with questions.

The other thing the party has to help them are the Tablets of Fate; big clay tablets with pictures drawn on them that hint at dangers and solutions within the Well. I drew them out using the pictures in the scenario book, and it was great listening to the players try to figure out what the hell they meant.

Maps in the booklet are great; I only wish they were darker, or printed on lighter paper. My reason for that is that I generally trace over the maps as players progress, because my freehand drawing skill is worse than a child's. In this case, it was tough to see the maps through the paper, but that's certainly not a big deal.

Having said that, the paper that the adventure is printed on is beautiful and easy on the eyes. There was some unfortunate transfer of ink on some of the pages, but that may have just been my copy.*

The adventure is pretty deadly. I really enjoyed that it was so different from what the players had come to expect from me that they were surprised on several occasions--despite their always-on SuperCaution(tm). Characters fell in pits, were attacked by clouds of bats, and were fried in a group at one point. I will say that their caution saved them on several occasions from nasty traps or surprise by creatures.

The players enjoyed themselves, and I enjoyed running the Well of Souls. The one thing I would change is the the door at Area 7. Page 14 explains how it connects to Area 6, but it took me several readings to understand that they connect, creating a loop.

The Well of Souls was the last game of DCC we played for the summer. I hope to get the game running again, and maybe find out what the funnel survivors decide to do in the hot, dry south of my game world. Ideally, I would like to continue with Stormlord's "Treasure Vaults of Zadabad," which is coming out in November. Excellent timing, really...

*I was provided a copy of the Well of Souls for purposes of review by Stormlord Publishing.

The Well of Souls

Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:35:00 +0000

My normal game of Dungeon Crawl Classics fell through because one player had Adult Real Life Stuff come up. I still had 2 of my regular players as well as the teenage son of our host interested in a game, so I decided to run Beyond the Wall.

I chose Beyond the Wall for a few different reasons. The tone of the game is more appropriate for a younger player than DCC is, character creation is fun, and the base mechanics are familiar to anyone who's played Basic Dungeons and Dragons.

Character creation in this game is a group activity. You pick a character playbook and roll your way through your childhood and early teens: some of the rolls you make will affect other characters in the party, and others will connect your character to Non-Player Characters in your village.

Normally, the players would also be involved in mapping out the home-village itself, but in this case I used a map drawn by Sarah Richardson and assigned homes and locations to the players and NPCs. The map looked great, in stark contrast to the later scribbles I made to show areas outside the village.

The game is designed to start with a bang, so the characters found themselves in the woods outside of town fighting a mutated, diseased bear. They took it down, grabbed an ear as proof, and were heading back into the village when they ran into a couple goblins on the path. About the same time they saw an orange glow and smelled smoke coming from the direction of the village.

Look at the teeth on that guy.

Quickly dispatching the goblins with a combination of archery and magic, the party ran home. They arrived to find the Bountiful Banshee Inn on fire and a group of armed citizens around the home of a retired mercenary soldier. The Sheriff informed them that goblins had set fire to the inn and barricaded themselves in the house. Bashing in the door, the players were hit by goblin arrows but quickly overcame their foes, with most of the damage to the characters from friendly fire.

The goblins had tunneled up from underneath the house, collapsing the tunnel on their way back and leaving a few of their number stranded topside.

Tunneling goblins speak with a pirate accent.

The players went on to save the village from a plague that the Hobgoblin Chief had inflicted through the use of hex bags, fleece an unsuspecting carriage on the King's Road, kill a great many more goblins using fire, magic, bows and swords, and ultimately come face to face with the head Hobgoblin and his Orc lieutenants in a dark, goblin-modified mine. All in all, it was fun and epic.

Hobgoblin chieftain, uninterested in parlay.

Some observations:

A) Bows were deadly, both to the enemy and to other characters when shots fired into melee missed their target.

B) Magic was very effective. The Elf-Ranger used Entanglement on three occasions, and it wrought havoc every time.

C) The static initiative worked great.

D) It was fun having one character that was neutral-capitalist and pushed for rewards and bounties, while looking for opportunities to rob the rich. And the poor. And the middle class.

So what would I do differently, the next time I run the game?

1) Better time management on my part. I was supposed to be rolling on the random charts for the adventure I had chosen while the players were making their characters, but I really wanted to be a part of that experience. Next time, I'll roll up the scenario ahead of time.

2) More maps. Good maps add to the fun and beauty of the game, while my child-like scribbles detract.

3) Have the To-Hit, Saving Throw, and Skill Check roll types memorized. I kept forgetting which were supposed to be high, and which was low. Because Mad-Cow. Embarrassing and wastes time.

4) Make a reference sheet. The rules are a breeze to read, but in the game I found myself paging back and forth and flipping between documents a lot. There's no reason for that, when I can put all the important stuff on a page or two and have it in front of me.

I recommend this game and hope I get a chance to play it again soon.

Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures

The Town of Cracklinborughford and Drinking With Style

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 17:49:00 +0000

I struggle with the creation of small villages and towns; I don't want them to be generic, but it's tough to make them memorable and realistic. So I decided to give Logan Knight's process a try:

Logan's Interactive Village Creation Process

He based it on Zzarchov Kowalski's Scenic Dunnsmouth, but addressed what he felt was a lack of inter-NPC relationships.

Following the instructions, I generated this map of the town. The arrows indicate houses that have relationships, good or bad, with certain other houses:

The Village of Cracklinborughford, which I thought sounded peppy and industrious.

This is how the village breaks down, by house group number.
6's: Have a surprisingly large assortment of goods to trade or sell.
5's: Dress like demons and prance around burning pyres when the moon is full!
4: Fervent devotee of a known religion.
3's: Organic body-horror replacements from a fallen star in the hills. They smell of thyme and their flesh is all-too-pliable!
2s: Members of the same bloodline AND ALSO--are In Charge Around Here. They rule through a council with a representative from each of the Number 2 houses.

The Most Interesting Feature of the town is a monolith of carven white soapstone in the center of town. The village is arranged to form rough curving lines radiating out from the monolith. Most of the townspeople seem entirely unaware of this pattern, but once you mention it to them will descend into obsession over it, eventually seeking to unlock the monolith and what lies beneath.

Other Features of Interest include a mystically placed pattern of stones and a hanging tree. Apparently they don't take kindly to law breakers in Cracklinborughford.

Now that working map is fine, but you can't use that in a game--your players would flip the table in disgust. So here's what the village really looks like; many thanks to Sarah Richardson for reaching into my mind and creating this awesome map:

Here's who's actually in those houses, and how they relate to each other:
6A: a widower who is firm friends with 3D.
6B: a bachelorette with political connections to 6A.
5A: five friends and lovers. They do business with 3D.
5B: a couple and their five kids. They have vast respect for 3A.
5C: a bachelor with political connections to 5E.
5D: a couple and their child. They owe a debt to 5A.
5E: a woman and her three kids. They have an irrational dislike for 3B.
4A: a bachelor who knows varied secrets about 6B.
3A: an extended family with distrust for 2A.
3B: a widow who frequently mocks 2B.
3C: a cleric, single parent of 4 kids. Blackmailing 3A.
3D: an extended family with a long family history connecting them to 6B.
2A: five associates involved in betraying 2B.
2B: 2 friends and lovers; they have a rivalry with 5A.
2C: a couple and their three kids. They harbor a terrible suspicion about the widower in house 6A.

While I was looking around Logan's excellent blog I found his recipes for tea-infused liquor and his suggestion to make your own labels for the concoctions you make. So I made earl gray infused Bombay gin one night, jasmine tea infused Absolut vodka after that (the "Princess Jasmine"), and chai infused Belvedere vodka last. They were all good, but the chai-vodka was excellent!

I can't draw, but I found this drawing on the internet, printed it, cut it out and taped it to an old bottle of Viking's Blood mead using double-sided tape. I pretty much feel like a master mixologist who is super crafty now.

I'm crafty! So crafty!

On Lampreys

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 19:41:00 +0000

I haven't actually said much about lampreys on this blog, despite claiming that it was partially a blog about them. So today I'm going to fix that.

Here is a drawing of the hideous things, by the extremely talented artist Don Kenn:

These things infest Lake Michigan.

And here is a newspaper story from 2012 that will strike fear and desperation into your heart.

A Shortcut Dank and Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 16:22:00 +0000

Matt Jackson posted a cool little map on Google+ and suggested we have some fun stocking it. I enjoy fun, so I gave it a shot.

This is an adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics, but it's easily transferred to other systems. You can download the pdf here.

A Shortcut Dank and Dark

A short cave adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics

Written by Brian Wille
Map by Matt Jackson

Overview: A Haunt of Hobgoblins and Orcs live here! They are at home when the party arrives, and they are not used to visitors. They react depending on their mood, how much blood they have shed recently and the attitude of the intruders. They are generally ready for battle, but are also unobservant and disorganized.

Creatures, Monsters, and Map:
Many thanks to Rafael Chandler for the Shadhavar in the Lusus Naturae preview, and to John Carr for the Night Children Hobgoblins and Orcs.
Map by Matt Jackson 2014

Miniatures Skirmish Rules Sci-fi & Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Wille) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:40:00 +0000

After years of reading miniatures rules and trying to play them, only to find that the rules were too fiddly or vague and the games too long, I finally discovered it didn't have to be that way. Miniatures games could be fun and fast, and played with any miniatures of the same scale that I had handy.

I was briefly part of a miniatures wargame club and greatly enjoyed the people and the games. But I never did learn how to paint figures very well, and eventually the games were held in homes instead of game stores. Distant homes, and often with cats (allergic) so attending was no longer an option.

Luckily, the club keeps a fantastic blog with great pictures of their work and battles, so my experiences are not lost like tears in the rain, and you can see what I'm talking about.

http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/

Here is a recent entry, a playtest of a new supplement for Song of Blades and Heroes called Song of Hammer and Forge. It introduces new rules for dwarves, flintlocks and cannons. Which frankly are three of my favorite things.

http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2014/07/playtesting-song-of-hammer-forge.html

As a kid I played hellishly complicated miniatures wargames like Tractics or Engage and Destroy. I tried Chainmail a few times but there were holes and contradictions in the rules. The only Warhammer miniatures I ever played were demos at Games Workshop stores, and my dreams of playing Mordheim never materialized. Battlelore is fun but set-up and take-down are lengthy.

When the guys at the club told me I could bring my old Grenadier miniatures or HeroQuest figures, my Ral Partha creatures or Warhammer troops, I was excited. They showed me how to stat them up, explained the easy and fun rules, and the games began. We could get two games finished in one night, easy. We used terrain from the stores at first, but the guys in the club are genius and soon had their own terrain created and painted.

The best of the sci-fi miniatures rule sets that I tried.

I was lucky enough to play a few other rulesets with them, a couple sci-fi battles on distant colony worlds (Tomorrow's War and 5150 Star Army) and a fantastic post-apocalyptic game (Wastelands). There was also an epic Halloween zombie battle with multi-story buildings and vehicles, using customized All Things Zombie rules.

A great pic from Chicago Skirmish blog. Killing zombies on Halloween.

Some day I hope to get some use out of all my old 40k figures (a game I played three times) using the rules to In the Emperor's Name: https://thegamesshed.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/in-the-emperors-name/

If you're at all interested in enjoying a fast miniatures game with a maximum of fun, I strongly suggest the Song of Blades and Heroes series and Wastelands. Put those old figures to use!

http://www.ganeshagames.net/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Song+blades+and+heroes&x=0&y=0