[Kickstarter] Revelry in Torth

Yes, I'm at it again.  Couldn't stay away.  Here is the KS page.

Thanks for backing Revelry in Torth!


VS


p.s.  Cover art by Carlos Valenzuela.

Raiders of the Forgotten Treasure

This mini-dungeon was conceived by a 7 year old Game Master.  An age when things like backstory and adventurer level doesn't come close to the really important things like traps, monsters, and treasure!  Although, the adventure does state that Raiders of the Forgotten Treasure is suitable for 1st - 3rd level characters.

Complete with printable paper miniatures and dungeon tiles, this Swords & Wizardry (or any OSR rule-set) appetizer gets you right into the action with a 6-armed goblin, vampire beetles (don't get bit and if you do get bit, for the love of god, make your save!), and a trap inspired by a microwave.

The scribbled, loose leaf paper graphic design gave me that 3rd grade feel.  However, the illustrations and map look nice for such a DIY four-area dungeon.

All in all, this was an impressive and fun little crawl created by a GM who's only 7.  I'm curious to see what The Inkling comes up with next!

Until it's available on DriveThru, you can acquire Raiders of the Forgotten Treasure here.


VS

Purple Progress Report

For those who don't know, I've been working on a new OSR campaign setting and hex-crawl book with optional rules since December 2013.  It wasn't supposed to be as lengthy as it's turned out to be.  The more I wanted to include, the longer the book became, and with that, the greater my challenge.

Right now, Ed Wedig and I are about halfway through the layout phase of the book.  It's a process of trial and error, getting things just right, making sure illustrations are correctly placed, realizing our mistakes or miscommunication and then going back to fix whatever needs fixing.

The rest of May will be a race to the finish line.  Yet, I won't sacrifice quality.  Worse case scenario (other than my untimely death or something) is we'll be a couple weeks late.  However, at this stage I'm still confident that the kickstarter deadlines will be met.  Thankfully, I built-in a month of cushion time just in case.  Purple would be in your hands by now (or at least on your computers) if it was only 32 pages long.  Hard to say exactly what the page count will come in at once it's all finished, but I think 111, ballpark.

Anyways, the color version of the map is finished.  Alyssa Faden did an excellent job!  So, here are a few zoomed-in snapshots around the purple islands to tide everyone over until the next update.

If you have a question about The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence, feel free to ask.

One last thing... your support and enthusiasm are very much appreciated.  No one should have to suffer through a six month slog without the awesome encouragement I've received from all quarters of the paper & pencil RPG community.  Thanks, everyone!


VS

p.s.  You can read the teaser flash fiction here.

That Miraculous 15%

One of the players told me I had just uttered the quote of the day.  The intelligent and chaotic sword was being grilled by its new master and it responded with: "You don't get to hear my origin story before I've tasted blood."

Earlier this afternoon, I ran the very last playtest of The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.  I didn't think I was going to get the chance to do another one after Gary Con, but I did.

There are more reasons for GM burnout than too much gaming.  A few members of my home group started getting busy or had better things to do or maybe it was spring fever.  I don't know.

In any case, the two week break turned into a month break and I decided to do another public, noob-friendly D&D meetup (using Swords & Wizardry) instead of trying for one last big day of gaming with my homies.

Ah, new blood for the purple islands... In fact, there were 10 players.  10!!!  All but two were strangers.  That was gratifying because I feared that scheduling another home game would leave me with several empty chairs and the feeling that no one cares about the time and energy I put into scheduling/preparing for a game.

The public library was very accommodating - a nice, big, quiet, clean space with good tables and chairs.  Couldn't ask for more than that.  Again, it took me way too long to make 10 pre-generated character sheets.  About two hours time; I could have spent that on tweaking encounters and planning the story arc.

I completely forgot about Purple's spell casting mechanic until the end.  The party ran into two back-to-back encounters that were very similar.  Maybe the original Star Trek is rubbing off on me.  For all the variety in the book, the lack thereof in my near random choices was pretty ridiculous.  Only had one critical hit.  This time it was one of the PCs scoring it and not a monster.  Nearly the same result though - total bloody carnage!  I love my critical hit table, and my d12 concurs.

I came up with a new reason for PCs to arrive: as convicts upon the purple islands penal colony like Escape from New York meets Game of Thrones.  I'll definitely include that as a suggestion in the book.

The climax was anti-climactic, unfortunately.  That's not the fault of Purple or the players, just myself.  Pure GM ball dropping.  After three and a half hours of challenge and exploration, the PCs found some human/spider hybrid wizards within the tower they sought and asked them to open a portal back to their home in exchange for a magic sword of Chaos they picked up.  The spider-people basically said, "Sure."  The PCs went through the portal and that was it.  If that happened in a movie, it probably would have been a major letdown.  They got what they wanted too easily.  Where was the conflict, the drama, the barely getting out alive?

That's kind of a drawback with campaign world and hex crawl books, they can provide a terrific framework, but they aren't a scripted adventure.

Ultimately, I believe that this session was slightly more successful than the last.  Gary Con's was pretty awesome, but I just felt something was missing.  After a couple weeks of giving it way too much thought, I realized what it was.  The missing 15%.  I tried to run the Gary Con playtest as written, without going off script, without that little bit of ingenuity and invention.  I forgot to include that modicum of inspiration which makes every session unique.  In hindsight, I wanted to run Purple as uncontaminated as possible, meaning I tried to run it like a computer might have done if given the manuscript and nothing else.  Instructive, but a bad move in terms of the overall roleplaying experience.  When making the most out of an adventure, a GM always has to put his spin on it, his 15%.

Well, I've got more revising to do.  Next time I run Purple, it will be with the finished manuscript in hand.  Probably the middle or end of June.  Can't wait!


VS

p.s.  Just want to mention that the image is not a part of the Purple book.  In fact, I didn't stumble upon it until after I wrote the framework and created the Purple Putrescence.  But it's awesome, and a super cool interpretation of that godlike entity slurping foolish humanoids as it passes overhead.

p.p.s.  Thanks to the Madison Geekery guys and gals who helped me playtest Purple!

Gary Con

There are quite a few reasons why I like conventions - the chance to meet new gamers, play new games or old games in new ways, and cool stuff to buy (i'll show off my awesome new dragon dice holder in another blog post).  But there are also reasons why I dislike conventions.  Besides travel hassles and potential marital strife, it can be very distracting.  Noise, people walking by, interruptions for one reason or another, etc.  Just the sheer openness.  God help you if you're the least bit agoraphobic, claustrophobic, or misanthropic.

The first game I signed up for was Mazes & Minotaurs.  By the way, I was about 24 hours late signing up for games online, so a lot of the popular and/or much anticipated games were already taken.  Shortly after dealing with hotel registration problems, I sat down early at the M&M table.  It was in a big room.  Lots of people.  Fairly loud.  I imagined what 3.5 hours of that would be like and shuddered.

The GM seemed like a nice guy but he admitted within the first couple minutes that he had some kind of bug - maybe it was food poisoning, a migraine, or a virus.  He wasn't sure, but he may need to leave for the bathroom and puke.  I was sitting right next to him as there were only 3 players.  I'm not an extreme case, but I'll admit that I'm a bit of a germ-phobe or whatever you want to call it.  After 10 minutes, I made my excuses and left the game.  I talked to some of the M&M players later in the day and the game broke up shortly after I left.  No one said it was my fault, but blamed it on the sick GM.

I'll pin this one on the GM's frail condition, but that 10 minute session started out pretty weak.  We got to pick from a handful of characters.  Not familiar with the system, we got to see the class and a couple skills, equipment list, and various numbers which meant little to us noobs.  Then we were supposed to buy equipment before this journey which we've already started on or were about to arrive at our destination.  Nothing specific, nothing definite... it began with a whimper and who knows, it might have jumped in with swords clanking and sandals covered in gorgon blood, but I doubt it.

I vowed that when it was my turn, I would be authoritative, interesting, and quick to get to the good stuff.

Back to the hotel reservation.  I won't bore you with the details.  In a nutshell, I got bumped to their sister hotel a couple miles up the road.  Fine.  Checking in, it was a private, fancy, golf course kind of community.  I only saw a couple people the whole time I was on the grounds - and those were in the registration office.  There was a spacious, swanky common area to lounge around in.  Leather couch and sofa, TV, fireplace, and a large round table with 8 tall-back leather chairs.

Hmm, I thought.  What a great place to game.  Long story short, I decided to run my game right there.  Wasn't hard to set up.  Got permission.  Told the main hotel I needed a shuttle van to bring the group to where I was staying.  Told the gamers waiting at my designated table that I had a surprise in store for them.

The game itself?  Well, I had been working on The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence for months.  It was taking shape.  I playtested it a number of times with my home group, but needed something more.  I needed to run the near-final version for a group of strangers, ideally in a convention type setting.  Gary Con was my chance, and I think it went swimmingly.  Which is not to say it went perfect.  There were flaws, shortcomings, things I hadn't thought of.  Some I ad-libbed on the spot, others I just used what was written on the page knowing revisions were a-coming.

Even though some of it was shaky, that campaign world lived for just under 4 hours.  The purple islands breathed.  We had breathed life into it, and the party's experiences changed it forever.  For that, I'm extremely grateful.  So, thanks again Tracy Jo Barnwell, Jason Warchol, Amy Horton, Adam Thornton, Mark Malone, David Bresson, and especially Guy Fullerton who took a couple pics during the session and furnished me with those names.  Somehow, I forgot to collect them myself in the soft violet afterglow of that crazy session.  And why the hell didn't I take any pictures?!?

Strictly speaking, it wasn't your typical "con game".  No, it was the first session of a wilderness hex crawl campaign using Swords & Wizardry.  For those expecting a clear, concise beginning, middle, and end with lots of closure... sorry, folks.  That's not what happened.

Those intrepid adventurers will always remember the hot dog rotisserie, the cleric's throat being chewed off by an insane clown (just like in last night's Walking Dead episode!!!), the coincidental dark secret / Devil's bargain / cleric resurrection ruse, and of course the Purple Putrescence itself which was accurately described as "a force of nature."  While I got a little feedback post-game, I'd love to have some notes on what worked well, really well, and not at all.  Since Saturday afternoon, I've written a couple pages of changes.  But the evolution will take time, as well as, other perspectives.

Oh yeah, I got to play Hollow Earth Expedition.  An adventure called Frozen Terror.  It was a lot of fun and the GM did a good job.  John Carpenter's The Thing meets At the Mountains of Madness with a dash of Return of the Living Dead.  It was fairly scripted and would have been a perfect game for a convention, except for the fact that it was a two-parter and we never got past the first.  Oh well.  One of the four players claimed (twice!) that a lady explorer with a jet pack who punched and threw out a Nazi flying a plane, then got in and landed it herself was the single coolest thing that had ever happened in any roleplaying game ever.  Which was nice.


VS

Three Swordsmen

It's come a little early, but my old school fighter classes PDF is available on DriveThruRPG here.  It's free, so please check it out.  I hope it adds something awesome to your games.

Let me know what you think by posting comment here, writing a short review over there, or both!


VS


p.s.  Also wanted to give a big THANKS to the artists who contributed their work:  Tom Isaksen, Zarano, Dario, Boniburini, and SOLIDToM.  Much appreciated, guys!

Venger's Adventure Writing Tips

Johnn Four of roleplaying tips fame asked me to do a guest post for him a couple weeks ago on the topic of writing adventures.  It's repeated here for those who aren't part of his mailing list.

1.  Write in stages!  If you have the time, a relaxed deadline, etc. leave blocks of time between creative spurts.  Those non-writing periods allow the subconscious mind to influence the creation in unexpected ways.  I call this period shadow creation because it happens in a sneaky, crafty way under cover of darkness.  Using shadow creation, things are being put together and designed without our direct awareness.  One just needs to space out those active periods of writing in order to activate the subconscious.  The bigger the project, the more frequent and longer the blocks of time should be.

2.  Start each session with the three sentences of power!  Most players don't actually want to hear a GM read a couple pages of flavor text or "interesting" historical facts... they want to get straight to the action.  All that writing is unnecessary for the GM and just bogs down the game at the most crucial point - the beginning.

Ok, so what are the three sentences of power?  Your elevator pitch, that's what!  Think of it as a fast-paced movie trailer.  Sentence one:  "In a world..."  This describes the overall place or setting.  Sentence two: "During the time of..."  This describes the when, giving a general idea of what's going on.  Sentence three:  "One rag-tag group stands in the way..."  This is the basis of your adventure.  It makes things personal.

Alright, let's put it all together.  "On the desert planet Xixt, surrounded by three black suns, everyone is a slave to the necromancer king.  An uprising has just been squashed, millions dead... hope being the last casualty.  Lord Nocren has decreed that every male child is to be killed and every female child brought to him when the largest of the black suns rises above the others - in seven days time."

Now, you have an adventure.  It gives just enough detail, the right kind of detail, to get players interested and eager to involve themselves.  Move outward from the three sentences of power.

3.  Borrow from the best!  Take an idea or concept from your favorite movie, tv show, or novel and adapt it to suit your needs.  Several months ago, I planned on running The Lost City D&D module.  Just for fun, I wanted to add something new.  I borrowed the test of manhood scene from 80's movie Flash Gordon.  Instead of a mound of dirt or whatever it was, this was a metallic column or pillar with holes.  Certain holes would chop the hand off a character instead of yielding a poisonous bite like in the film.  Unfortunately for the PC, he happened to put his hand in a chopping hole.  For the rest of the adventure, that player's wife teased him by calling him "lefty".  Incidentally, she also spotted the borrowing.  "That reminds me of Flash Gordon."  She said.  "Yep, that's where I got the idea from."  Came my reply. 

It's important to note that having our influences or borrowed elements recognized doesn't detract from the encounter.  In fact, the passing familiarity can be an advantage!  Feel free to borrow, just remember to at least make one small change so it's not a total rip-off of the source material.

4.  Come up with at least one really cool and unexpected feature in your adventure!  Unexpected is the operative word as this adventure aspect must be as creative as it is unfamiliar - the stranger the better.  We've all fought orcs and kobolds.  We've all found a sword +1.  We've all experienced the flaming end of a fireball spell.  Predictable.  If the whole adventure is filled with that kind of stuff, then it goes one step past predictable - boring.  Ouch!  No one wants to play a boring adventure, right?  Who wants to be known as "the boring GM"?

Before running the session, create at least one monster, magic item, spell, NPC, or location that will blow the socks off your players.  Just one should be enough.  Sure, it might take an extra 20 minutes of brainstorming to come up with a worthy piece of singular strangeness, but the work will be worth the effort.

5.  Put a little of yourself into each adventure!  What are some of your problems?  Strengths and weaknesses, favorite things?  What are you afraid of?  What are your aspirations?  Favorite character traits, hobbies?  What comic book were you reading last week?

While this tip isn't as crucial as the others, I still think it's kind of a good idea.  Why not include a wizard and a cleric playing chess if that's something you're into?  Put your arachnophobia to good use by including half elf / half giant spider hybrids!  Did you ever write a short story about a citadel made out of ice when you were in junior high?  Now's your chance to re-use it.  Deposit a little of your own subjective taste or experiences into every session.  It'll be just that tiny bit more personal and satisfying.

VS

p.s.  Why, yes, The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence kickstarter is still going on.  About 5 days left to help make this weird, sci-fantasy module a reality!  ;)

Shame On DCC

This is an open letter to Goodman Games policies and/or personnel, and not the DCC RPG community for which I still have much respect.

I was a fan of Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG.  Started reading about it a year ago, bought the book, ran the game using a home-made campaign which became Liberation of the Demon Slayer, joined the forum/google community, talked with people, traded gaming-related opinions, etc.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I encountered some resistance.  A mysterious force which made me feel like even more of an outsider than I normally do.  My posts were taken down, someone came out of the woodwork to hate on me and my religion (the Cult of Cthulhu) while admins/mods turned a blind eye, it took  me longer and longer to get my posts approved before they showed up, I started getting the cold shoulder from my fellow DCC fans.

Partly because of those experiences and partly because of game's nature, I began to gravitate towards Swords & Wizardry.  Definitely a friendlier bunch.

Now that I've self-published my own OSR module, Liberation of the Demon Slayer, I tried posting again.  Nothing.  Just silence from the admins.  My posts weren't getting through.  Finally, an acquaintance posted an announcement for me.  His post and several replies were deleted within 24 hours.  Similarly, a friend who posted the same thing on the DCC RPG google community had his post taken down and was given a warning not to do it again.

I have to wonder WTF is going on over at DCC central?!?  Is there a conspiracy against me?  I freely admit that back around 2006, I was a bit of a jerk sometimes on discussion boards.  I've got a big personality and don't always get along with people.  If someone attacks me, I reciprocated in kind.  Fortunately, over the years I've mellowed a bit.  I've become more diplomatic... cautious.

If the admins of DCC believe my posts and LotDS are anathema to them, then I wish they would email me directly instead of deleting announcements and warning those who dare speak of my old school module.  I still like the Dungeon Crawl Classics game (although, not as much as I used to); however the way I've been treated is downright shameful.  This hobby of ours doesn't need censorship, nor alienation.  A small part of me still hopes that there's been some terrible misunderstanding and all this can be forgiven and forgotten.  However, that small hope dwindles.

What say you, Lords of DCC?


VS

LotDS Success!

Some news... a fellow OSR gamer blogged about Liberation of the Demon Slayer's apparent success:  Johua De Santo's blog

Knowing that my work resonated with all kinds of fantasy RPGers is extremely gratifying.  Print versions should be available in two or three days.  Thanks for your patience.

VS

p.s.  If you've read through it and liked what you saw, then please feel free to post a short review on either DriveThruRPG or RPGNow.

LotDS on DriveThru & Amazon

A gonzo, Lovecraftian, science fantasy quest through the devil-haunted Nether Realms!  Or you could just go back to farming your stinking land...

This has been a long time coming.  My old school fantasy RPG adventure and campaign guide is up on DriveThruRPG as a PDF for a special introductory price of $7:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/119240/Liberation-of-the-Demon-Slayer

The print version should be available in a week.  At that time, the PDF alone will go back up to its regular price of $9... but will be $7 for the PDF + print version of $19.

The print (and I believe a PDF) version will also be available on Amazon in about a week as well.

I'll make another announcement when those go live.


VS

Vord's Familiar ~ an introduction to Clear Meadows

Back to swords and sorcery!

For those of you who don't know, Liberation of the Demon Slayer is an old school fantasy adventure I'm self-publishing.  PDF and print versions should be available shortly.  Tentatively, I'll say the release date is 9/23/13.  So, in anticipation of that, I'm offering a brief micro-adventure which can be used as an intro to the LotDS adventure.

This collection of scenes revolves around a Stygian Imp, also known as a Night Imp because they're dark as night, as well as, being nocturnal.  This particular Stygian Imp, Mobo, is the familiar to a powerful Demon named Vord who lives far below the surface.  A fortnight ago, Vord became enraged about some conflict within "his" dungeon, and threw Mobo across the room.  Feeling hurt and dejected, Mobo escaped up to the surface.  Now, the Imp is causing trouble in the town of Clear Meadows.

Mobo can become invisible 3 times / night; he's devious, crafty, and mischievous.  There are several places in Clear Meadows where he's been and continues to cause trouble.  Some of these places might be where starting zero-level PCs work or spend time.  Giving them a specific role in Clear Meadows should give PCs a feeling of belonging, so they'll help the town during the tough times ahead.  The GM might want to run this mini-scenario right after the hour or two (depending on what system you're using) of character creation.

The object of this micro-adventure is to discover why things are going wrong in the town by finding and confronting Vord's familiar.  Initially, the townsfolk suspect an apprentice, patron, or employee who has a bone to pick.  A PC or two might find themselves accused - giving them even more reason to unmask the real culprit.  The piece ends with a particularly horrifying nightmare which foreshadows LotDS's multi-level dungeon.

Locations

1 - 4  ...The Rampant Lion is the largest and most frequented tavern in Clear Meadows.  Mobo likes removing chairs (while invisible) just before patrons sit down, urinating in the wine, and using a home-made slingshot to break full, foamy mugs of mead.

5 - 6  ...A nameless, three-man thieves' guild that occasionally takes on a street urchin or two.  It's led by Staffol, a one-eyed thief of advanced years who wears an eye patch.  Mobo has painted an exaggeratedly silly eye over Staffol's eye patch.

7 -8  ...The Pungent Pearl is a seafood shack on the edge of town.  Mobo occasionally refreshes himself with messy night feedings of shrimp and other undersea crustaceans.  He also likes to pour ice all over the floor.

9 - 11  ...Valstead the enigmatic wizard usually has a half dozen apprentices assisting him in his leaning, moss-covered citadel.  Mobo might imbibe a polymorph into dragon potion when PCs are around.  Just last night, he cut all the stars out of Valstead's periwinkle wizard robes.

12 - 14  ...The town guard.  Mobo likes breaking spears in half, dulling blades, and greasing the stone steps leading up to the guard tower.

15 - 17  ...Lord Barok owns most of the fields in Clear Meadows.  Of course, he needs a lot of farmers to till the soil and work the land.  The Imp has dismantled the plow and continues to feed sleeping pills to the horses.  His next jape will be spreading manure all over the barn cat named Sassie.

18 - 20  ...The clerics of Clear Meadows serve the town as best they can.  Mobo can't resist adding a gelatin thickener to the holy water and discoloring the crotch area of a priest's white frock.


Eventually, the PCs will see a short, frail, night-black Demon prancing around the town, committing shenanigans, and generally being a nuisance.  Capturing Mobo will prove difficult, as he is slippery and has invisibility at his disposal.  When apprehended, the Imp tells the PCs that his name is Mobo, he's the familiar of a powerful Demon named Vord who lives somewhere beneath the town, and, yes, he's been causing all the mischief.  The Stygian Imp doesn't know much at all about the Nether Realms, nor anything in particular about dungeoneering.

Before concluding the session, the GM tells the PCs about a dream they each have...

"You're walking through town until you come to a doorway.  Going through it, you suddenly find yourself in the forest at night.  Up ahead is a bonfire.  Drawn to it, you walk up to the edge of a camp where cackling winged serpents fly above sinister robed humanoids.  The robed humanoids hold meat cleavers above their heads, bringing them down, cutting into several torsos, legs, arms, and various gore-drenched body parts strewn before them.  The spectacle sickens you.  Before you can turn away from the grisly scene, the dark red visage of a Demon Lord appears in the midnight sky.  He has a smug expression upon his face, arrogantly gesturing at something behind you.  Still unable to move, you feel the sensation of worms - hundreds of them - crawling upon your legs and working their way up.  The Demon disappears as it utters the following disembodied words, "M'zathrinah Vordes'torvik ak qxon fsirie e'visht." 


Well, that's it.  Thanks for reading.  Can't wait for you guys to experience Liberation of the Demon Slayer.  Soon...


VS

Unexpected Encounters #5

Next to reading someone's journal, one of the most effective ways to convey information in-game is for the player characters to eavesdrop upon a private conversation.  And that they did.

On the outskirts of a large Drow settlement, they spied a dimly lit mausoleum tenanted by long-dead Dark Elves of prominence.. and two very much alive, conversation in progress - Thesselor of House DuVont, dressed in violet robes accented with silver glyphs and Hanzred of House Morcane, clothed in the black spidery brocade of Drow nobility.

Hanzred:  Do you believe Lloth is coming back?

Thesselor:  Of course!  Lloth's attention is focused upon her hatred of our enemies and their assured destruction.

Hanzred:  Its been three weeks - no manifestation, no sign... nothing.  This is Lloth's longest absence from Maerimydra.  I don't like it, Thesselor.

Thesselor:  Are you afraid?

Hanzred:  I merely anticipate... trouble.

Thesselor:  You believe the natives are getting restless?

Hanzred:  I fear House Morcane being overthrown.

Thesselor:  Why is that?  You have soldiers, wizards, assassins, and clerics just as the other noble houses.

Hanzred:  Do you forget what is in our house's possession, Thesselor?

Thesselor:  Ah yes, of course.  The Ruby Spider of Thokrahn.  You believe there will be attempts to steal it?

Hanzred:  I believe the artifact is so powerful that some will try to bring down House Morcane in its entirety.

Thesselor:  Surely, it's well guarded.

Hanzred:  Indeed, it is.  By a crawling emissary of Yogsoggoth, no less.  We obtained it from Lackless the Black.

Thesselor:  The diabolic assassin?  I thought he was dead.  Just thinking about his one white eye gazing forever within the abyss at which he nightly prostrates himself... well, it makes my blood run cold.

Hanzred:  One and the same.  And what it cost, evil Lloth!  A truly blasphemous amount.

Thesselor:  For Lackless the Black or the crawling emissary?

Hanzred:  Both.

Thesselor:  Your House must be doing quite well.

Hanzred:  I cannot deny it.

Thesselor:  What's your secret?

Hanzred:  The Ruby Spider of Thokrahn.  It's ability to warp the nebulae of magic is... scarcely believable.

Thesselor:  It was wise of you to steal it from those unworthy fools.

Hanzred:  Yes.  Yes, it was.  Hahahaha.  Come, I feel we've paid our respects enough for one evening.  Let us dine at Szith Morcane before the envious thieves of Maerimydra grow bolder.

Thesselor:  Lead the way, Hanzred.
___

A few bits and pieces were borrowed from City of the Spider Queen.  As for the PCs at my table, they made quite a meal of my overheard dialog.  It was the adventure's hook, forging the story to end a campaign. Word of advice:  just speak both parts back and forth without regard for exactly who is saying what.  The players will get the gist.

Use this device sparingly, but use it.  As always, feel free to alter any of the above to suit your own particular campaign.


VS

p.s.  Description and stats of the Crawling Emissary of Yogsoggoth can be found on this blog, published in March.

Bittersweet Nights of Gaming

This post isn't about any particular session, so much as it's about that exhilarating rush we feel at the gaming table... and knowing the game must end at some point.  Just as bittersweet as nostalgia, it's awesome to remember the good old days, but, at the same time, it must be acknowledged that those days are gone.

I took a group of 6 players through B4: The Lost City last night using the Swords & Wizardry retro-clone RPG.  It was a local, face-to-face meetup for those who have either never played a paper and pencil roleplaying game before or those who haven't played in many years.  It was a great experience, and a fun time for all.  Three hours into it, we were getting up from the library's special reserved room and saying goodbye to each other, goodbye to the step-pyramid of Cynidicea, goodbye to gaming for who knows how long.

"Well, there wasn't enough time, Michael.  There just wasn't enough time."

This Saturday is going to be the last session of the campaign.  The cap to six months of weekly to semi-weekly gaming.  As some readers may know, this campaign galloped on the heels of my second child's birth.  My wife was kind enough to let me start gaming again after only a couple months of sleepless nights and constant attention.

And those first sessions would determine if I ever gamed again.  You see, I had become increasingly burned-out by roleplaying over the years.  Something got lost... maybe it was my gaming style or focus or the fundamentals had slipped through my fingers.  Fourth edition D&D definitely did not easy my gaming malaise.

Half a year ago, I took up the Dungeon Master mantel yet again with my old school gaming primer in hand and my head full of psychedelic Erol Otus eldritch science fantasy neo-nostalgia, as well as, visions of dancing sugarplum fairies with vorpal scimitars +3.  Luckily, the OSR did me just fine.  I was a new man and gamer.

Yet, all that gaming took its toll.  The scheduling and logistics - agonizing over who could be there, making sure everyone had transportation, food/drink.  Sometimes there were too few, a couple times there were too many... one night almost turned into a drunken brawl.  My wife complained about never seeing me on Saturday nights.

It needed to end, or, rather, it needed an ending.  The campaign should have a final chapter, I thought.  A conclusion.  And then a short break from gaming, followed by more gaming of a different sort.  You see, I also don't want to get burned out on fantasy - even the weird fantasy of sword, sorcery, spaceships, lasers, and Lovecraft.

So, I'll be going OSR circa 1992.  Yes, back when I was a Junior in High School, playing and running Vampire: the Masquerade on a regular basis.  Joy Division, lots of black ten-sided dice with dark red numbering, and riffing off cinematic bloodsucker classics like The Lost Boys, Near Dark, Fright Night, Sub-Species, Interview with the Vampire, Dracula, and Nosferatu.

Don't worry though, I'll still be blogging.  And my OSR mega-dungeon Liberation of the Demon Slayer is still being self-published by the end of August.  Hopefully, I'll be back playing D&D (more like a cross between Dungeon Crawl Classics and Swords & Wizardry) in September.  Who knows, maybe my wife will even let me run games twice a week!?!  Not going to hold my breath.  ;)

"We'll get there, Pop.  We'll get there."


VS

Essential elements of Sword & Sorcery

The topic for this blog post was a special request from my friend, James Paese.  He is interested in creating a world for his roleplaying game of choice and wanted me to recommend a few essential elements of the sword-and-sorcery story, as it was designated back in 1961.  So, let's do it!

What are the essential elements of the sword & sorcery genre?  I'm listing them below; highly influenced by fantasy films from my youth, as well as, some classic S&S literature from the likes of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Roger Zelazny.  I've been meaning to bone up on more Appendix N material, but having two small kids leaves precious little time for reading.  Anyways, without further ado...

• Some are born for better things!  I'm talking about destiny.  There should be a few individuals who are fated to make a difference, to shake things up.  Those predestined for greatness!  Conversely, there have to be those tragically predestined for horror.
• Even if magic seems to be commonplace, it must remain esoteric!  Sorcery is not for everyone, and even if the DM wants a magic-rich world, those who explore the full extent of its power should be few and far between.
• Magic is dangerous and weird!  There's a price for having that kind of power.  Sorcery is an unnatural pursuit.  Let the entire world reflect that.  Yet, it must also have a source... or many sources.  The DM needs to consider where magic-users get their spells, as well as, the energy to cast them.  Old Ones, Elder Things, Outer Gods, and Demon Lords are always useful in that regard.
• Ambitious men are infinitely corruptible!  Most humans (or humanoids) can be good, decent, law abiding citizens of the realm; however, those at the top are almost always greedy, salacious, egotistical pricks.  If they haven't already made a Devil's bargain, they're on their way.  A great story requires a great villain!
• It's not all bad!  All the darkness (and there should be A LOT of it) needs to be counter-balanced with extraordinary beauty and virtue and courage.  Just as the demonic forces are closing in on the realm, so should the DM populate his world with unicorns, crystal caverns, virginal princesses, honorable knights, and a few willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
• Epic and bloody battles!  It's not all about the sorcery.  Many disputes are settled by sword.  Hacking through encounters, killing monsters, dueling human (or humanoid) antagonists, etc.  Not only are the stakes high - this is life and death we're talking about, after all - but our depraved voyeurism demands crimson spurts, the warm splash of dark red upon our face, and glistening gore decorating the marble corridors of Zenn.  
• The unknown!  What's life without a little mystery?  The majority of players don't know it, but they crave a certain amount of strangeness.  What lurks within those shadowy ruins?  Why is there a tree growing up to the heavens?  Where is the mountain beyond the mountain?  How did that dilapidated Statue of Liberty get here?!? 

___

If you want to suggest a topic for a future blog post, dear reader, please go right ahead.  

VS

OSR Prestige Classes

And why bloody not?  I'm probably not alone.  Somewhere out there are tiny handfuls of old school gamers who think prestige classes for original D&D, AD&D, and their associated retro-clones is a good idea.

Yes, 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons gave us much to think about... and to steal!  Another jewel to be robbed by the purple shadow haze of nightfall.  (Sorry, I've been reading Robert E. Howard's Conan stories again.)  Deviation from standard classifications is what we want, isn't it?   Non-standardization is, after all, the essence of old school gaming!

How is this going to work?  Who has already tried this?  Is there a blog or PDF or setting book?  If the subject hasn't fully been explored, then how about a OSR community project?  Should these be open to a particular race/class at 7th level - 5th or 9th instead?  How many is too many?  Should these class deviations be created by the DM, the players under DM supervision, or both?  Is it simpler or more complex than creating a Fighter/Cleric or Elf Wizard/Thief?  What are the restrictions?  What are the benefits?  Are there any drawbacks?  How does one translate feats into pre-third edition D&D?

Of course, the most important question of all might be:  is this something the players want?  If it is, then prestige classes should be considered.  They can be excused, explained, or hand waved any which way the DM likes.  Fun is the best reason for doing anything in a roleplaying game.

Anyway, here are a few suggestions of my own; classes that either exist in some version of D&D already, I thought up, or found after a brief search in cyberland.  Nothing concrete, only ideas...  I thought it was important to sow the seeds of imagination before anything else.  In fact, I would rather have a short paragraph describing each career path than a list of numbers, bonuses, modifiers, and rules.  Although, I'm sure a balance can be struck between game and narrative.


Wizard, Elf, or Drow

Aquamancer, Pyromancer, Ice Mage, Celestial Invoker, Widowmaker, Arachnomancer, etc.


Thief, Halfling, or Half-Orc

Bard, Acrobat, Assassin, Bounty Hunter, Barbarian, Pirate, Shadow Striker, etc.


Cleric

Death Priest, Templar, Herald of the Old Gods, Hierophant, etc.


Warrior (Fighter or Fighting-Man) or Dwarf or Half-Orc

Reaver, Slayer, Ranger, Knight of the Crimson Wyrm, Paladin, etc.

~~~

I want to know what you guys think?  Is this something you might use in your current campaign?  If you already are, then please furnish us with details!  And feel free to comment below with your own suggestions.

VS

Things happen while they sleep

This is a random chart for things occurring while adventurers get some well-deserved shut eye.  Happy Swords & Wizardry appreciation day, everyone!

1.  A severed head is found in a PC's bedroll.
2.  One of the PC's items has been stolen.
3.  A new item has appeared, mixed in with a PC's pack of equipment.
4.  Dreams of underwater creatures tearing the organs out of the PC whilst an ebony face laughs.
5.  A PC wakes up with an alien organism hugging his face.
6.  Bite marks are discovered on a PC's neck... lycanthropy?
7.  A PC's blanket has been replaced with a totally different blanket - it's midnight blue and full of constellations.
8.  The magic-user's spells have been unexpectedly forgotten.
9.  A PC's memories have vanished.  Not all of them, but significant and recent memories.
10.  A letter was delivered into the middle of camp.
11.  A PC wakes up next to a strange woman.
12.  One of the PCs goes on a moonlit stroll - sleepwalking.
13.  An NPC's brains were sucked out in the middle of the night.
14.  Midnight showers - there's a sudden and heavy rainstorm in the middle of the night.
15.  Everyone wakes to a terrible sound.  One of the moons just exploded!  Seriously, it's cracked in half and now tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are about to ravage the planet.
16.  A shooting star or meteor lands not too far away from the PC's camp.
17.  A sleep spell was cast upon the PCs while they slept and now they awaken just as night is about to fall.
18.  Some kind of demonic insect burrowed its way into a PC's abdomen.
19.  The PCs wake up in a prison cell.
20.  In the small hours, the PCs were transported to another world - Devil Lords ruling over their mortal slave-cattle in a realm of darkness.
___


Thanks for checking out my blog, everyone!  If you use this random table in your game, then please let me know.  I want to hear about your adventure.

VS

p.s.  Tobie Abad was inspired to create his own "why they sleep" table.  Check his out because he came up with some awesome stuff!  If we had a couple more gamers in on this, we could forge a collaborative d100 "why they sleep" random table.  Who's in?

p.p.s.  Scott from Octopus Games created amazing list of 40.  Check them out!

Parallel Universe D&D

I think every Dungeon Master could benefit from this idea.  Instead of calling it Dungeons & Dragons, call it something else.  Mazes & Monsters, Demons & Sorcery, Dark Towers, Scourge of the Crimson Wyrm, etc.  Whatever you want... because this game is just like the fantasy RPGs you're familiar with, except that there are no written rules!  But don't worry, if things go well, you'll be creating a home-made reference of guidelines as you game.  The DM should come prepared with an hour's worth of notes (this is not an exercise in RPG design - so don't go overboard).  He creates the game and lays down the law... influenced by player input, of course.

When something comes up, the DM makes a ruling.  He's free to ask the players their thoughts, and listen to their suggestions; however, it's still the Dungeon Master's game.  Nevertheless, I encourage the DM and players to reach some kind of compromise a majority of the time.

"What's my Elf like?"  "What powers does he have?"  "How does magic work?"  Everything that hasn't been considered in the hour or two beforehand, must be briefly considered (3 second rule!) and adjudicated right then and there.  No looking anything up in a book, deck of cards, online, or anything else  - that kind of thing is forbidden!  This session is a rulebook free zone.

What kind of game will evolve from such an experience?  How will this game be different than your usual D&D, Pathfinder, Warhammer, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dragon Age, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, Burning Wheel, Houses of the Blooded, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game, etc.  As DM, you should absolutely feel free to borrow a game mechanic or rule from RPGs you know and love - just as long as it's from memory.  But, on the other hand, you're not bound by anything as there is no rule book to look at.  You're free as the cold northern winds to do as you please.

Maybe you want to start with a version of Amber's attribute auction, take the career options from Warhammer, the rolling doubles stunt mechanic from Dragon Age, the possibility of mercurial magic and corruption from Dungeon Crawl Classics, giving narrative control to players like Houses of the Blooded, add Call of Cthulhu's sanity mechanic, post-apocalyptic vehicular combat from some kind of Dark Sun Car Wars hybrid, and the rest (as far as your memory serves) from AD&D.

This exercise is about giving us license to roleplay according to our will, without being bound to tables, charts, or having to interpret the judicial language of arcane tomes.  It's all fast and furious; fueled by the raw, instinctual fire of our collective imaginations.

Not sure which way to go?  Let the dice decide!  Or pick another randomization method.  The DM could think of a number and whoever correctly guesses it gets to decide how a fireball spell works or the chances of a cleric receiving divine intervention (remember, it works both ways - the monsters and villains encountered have fireballs and clerics, too!).  Do you want to get away from randomness?  Vote on it like a democracy (maybe the DM gets two votes and each player gets one?).

This is your opportunity to break away from conventions - and those insufferable rules lawyers!  If this concept scares you just a little bit, that's all the more reason to go for it!  Hey, it's an experiment.  Give yourself permission to screw it up.  If it's a roaring success like you just rolled a crit with a vorbal blade, you'll realize the awful truth - the rules never mattered as much as you thought they did.

One session should gauge your on-the-fly competence in regards to Mastery of the Game.  Want to see how far the demon-rabbit hole goes?  Play another session of Crimson Sorcery & Dungeon Wyrm!  You'll be amazed at how the game organically evolves over time... until it feels like you're finally playing your game.  After several adventures, the table can't help but roleplay differently.  Not necessarily better or worse, but more intuitively.


VS