Sure, I've drilled-down the aesthetics of Cha'alt, the tropes that make the campaign setting what it is, thanks to my latest (free PDF) product Cha'alt X-Cards, but what about general knowledge about the world for noobs?

I was inspired by a Twitter post of this Hyperborea Primer, basically a bullet-point outline of what the native PCs would already know about where they lived.

This is one of those simple, useful RPG things that most people (including myself) just don't do.  I'm now kicking myself for having neglected it.  So, without further ado...

Cha'alt Primer

All player-characters who've lived on Cha'alt for at least several months will have general knowledge about the world they inhabit.  Consider the following general knowledge.

• The word Cha'alt means triumph by way of suffering; the kind of victory that is only achieved after long periods of struggle and hardship.
• Cha'alt's terrain is predominantly radioactive, inhospitable desert dotted with many small, tribal settlements and a few major cities, the largest of which is A'agrybah, closely followed by Kra'adumek... city of the purple, alien, demon-worm (both located in the northern hemisphere).
• Currency in urban areas is predominantly the talon, a triangular metallic coin.  Three talons equal one gold piece, which is the standard currency outside of cities (the Dome City uses colorful plastic shapes).
• The sky is fuchsia, turning deep-purple at midnight.  Cha'alt has twin suns and seven lavender moons, each having its own lunar cycle and are said to influence the destiny of men.
• The most valuable substance on Cha'alt is a viscous, glowing, chartreuse ichor known as zoth, and is the actual blood of Great Old Ones who've died - many perishing in the apocalypse that occurred 80+ years ago.
• The humanoid culture of today has been built upon millennia of demon civilizations that existed before humanoids "evolved" from primitive creatures, raised by tentacles of the Great Old Ones.  Self-interest, for example, is not just a commonplace notion or "necessary evil," but something to take pride in or celebrate, just as Cha'alt natives take pleasure in the cruel treatment of those different than themselves.
• Zoth is the ultimate substance, a super-science liqueur of transcendence.  It fuels magic, heals the sick, those afflicted with curses, and supernatural alterations.  It is raw, primal energy.  When refined, zoth is key to travel amongst the stars by folding space and granting access to the multiverse.  It's a religious sacrament, allowing brief communication with one or more Gods.  Drinking it is both an aphrodisiac for women and "power potion" for men.
• Crystals can be found all over subterranean tunnels and caves of Cha'alt, as well as, inside dimension-hopping pylons.  They are said to have collected the soul-energy of departed Old Ones, giving them spiritual properties.  However, the Federation uses these crystals to power their starships and high-tech weaponry.
• The Federation have repeatedly tried to colonize Cha'alt, but the natives have always proved resistant, forcing the Federation out when too many off-worlders try to steal the planet's natural resources.
• Even though Cha'alt has never been fully colonized, due to weakness, greed, and moral corruption, shadow politicians have instituted enough Federation-backed puppet regimes in order to change societal norms, culture, and living conditions.  Various aspects of the Federation cannot be questioned or criticized.  Mandatory vaccines allegedly preventing the outbreak of extraterrestrial contagions are disseminated quarterly.  On certain days, water is rationed, people are forbidden from worshiping the Old Ones, trafficking with demons, gambling, eating meat, or imbibing worm-wine and other hallucinogenic drugs.  In their place, State-sanctioned orgies of unrestrained sexual freedom and drugs specifically engineered for their effects of apathy on Cha'altian nervous systems (such as Fuchsia malaise) have pacified the masses.  
• A plurality of humanoids worship the Great Old Ones (Yog-Soggoth being the most prominent), though each God has his own unique vision for Cha'alt, if and when he should awaken.  But nearly as many people worship the New Gods, eschewing the ancient ways of infernal individualism and familial bloodlines for collectivist revolution subservient to The State who prefer alien culture (lots of weird sex stuff) and technology over sorcery and esotericism. 
• A lot of strange things happen on Cha'alt, which has led to various paradigms attempting to describe reality on this particular world - what is reality and how does it functions?  Leaving many to speculate that perhaps Cha'alt isn't real at all but some kind of holographic super-simulation or dream within the collective imagination of a Demon-God pantheon?
• The city of Qada'ath, known as the tangerine veil under fuchsia sky, is a rising metropolis built upon the secret of organic, arcane flesh-technology or flesh-tech known only to the civil authority of Qada'ath.  The tangerine veil is currently the fastest-growing city in Cha'alt's southern hemisphere.

Thanks for reading and sharing.  If you'd like to comment, I value your feedback.

VS

p.s. Attend VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR this July in Madison, WI.  Details about the basest RPG convention and grabbing your weekend badge is here.  Want your own Cha'alt trilogy in luxurious hardcover?  There you go.  

Cha'altifying Dumb/Boring Scenarios (part 1)

 

I asked for your suggestions - give me the most boring, dumb one-sentence adventure description and I will Cha'altify that bitch.  

Well, the outpouring of worthy suggestions blew my mind.  That's why I collected them in this here blog post.  Alright, here goes nothing...

Original: Find a missing cat.

Cha'altified: A missing cat who is the guardian between worlds was exiled to the center of the hollow planet, falling into the clutches of a subterranean alien vampire race whose civilization thrived over a thousand years ago.  

Original: Safe-space sociology LARPer gets job at multinational megacorp copyright collector.  This is its journey. 

Cha'altified: Beta-male slave is imprisoned within a simulation energy-cell like a cheap, organic battery.  The caves where these energy-cell fields are stored are haunted by sentient raspberry jellies and peanut-butter oozes at war with each other.  These mutant aberrations of nature spawned by a putrefying zoth pool that also happens to be the only place where magical items can be recharged.

Original: A party of adventurers must protect the local lord's chocolate harvest.

Cha'altified: A sinister sorcerer and sulfuric chocolatier has been making delectable pacts with demons for years.  Infernal beings love his sulfuric chocolate, but the constantly rising prices the sorcerer charges have convinced the demons that it would be better to attack the sorcerer in his lair and torture him for those secrets, rather than keep paying exorbitant prices.  

Original: You book a room at an inn and have to get to your room.

Cha'altified: The inn is not only part brothel, it also serves as a dance academy for witches, making it the perfect finishing school for women who will eventually mate with eldritch demon spawn of the Great Old Ones. Around every turn are nubile ballerinas, witches, devils, and Knights of the Purifying Scourge prowling in the shadows.  

Original: You have been chosen by the ancient prophecy to fulfill destiny.

Cha'altified: The looming stars drip off the cosmos' face, signaling the time for heroes who are all that stand between the remnants of civilization and slimy entities in the darkness waiting to return, dethroning mortals into the outer void.  The prophecy was writ in crayon on the back of a kid's Red Lobster menu, and is presumed lost in a retired military facility from before The Apocalypse.  The exact wording of that prophecy is key to surviving the coming horrors. 

__________

Ok, that's enough for now.  I'll do a part 2 either tomorrow or the next day (and maybe even a part 3).  Remember to keep it eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalypse!

VS

p.s. Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows is 25% off on DTRPG.  Also, still several tickets available for VENGER CON in Madison, WI this July.  An old-school gaming convention like it's 1981. You won't want to miss it!

Cha'altification

 

I had an idea... demonstrate how to Cha'altify your basic D&D adventure premise.  

If you want to watch the video, there you go.

Here's what you do, take something simple like the PCs are hired to rescue a princess from the clutches of an evil sorcerer.

Then, you take aspects of that basic scenario and make it more eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalyptic [these are the macro elements of Cha'alt].  Boom, now it's Cha'altified!

• Eldritch - the princess is cursed with second-sight because she was born when Alga'al, the "demon star" was in ascendance.  Since puberty (she's around 20 now), the princess has experienced visions of things she couldn't possibly know.
• Gonzo - the sorcerer is half banana and the majority of his minions are banana-men.
• Science-Fantasy - the sorcerer has made his lair in the remains of a recently crashed starship.
• Post-Apocalypse - the sorcerer is using the captured princess to locate an A.I. bured somewhere in the desert wasteland of S'kbah.

If you want to go even further, totally optional, here are some more "tags" to further Cha'alt-up this adventure [micro elements]...

• Comedic / Grim-Dark - the princess' father is dead.  It's actually her uncle who wants her "rescued".  He's hired the PCs to take the princess away from the sorcerer and leave her in the desert to be devoured by sandworms.
• Pop-Culture - It is rumored that two droids survived the starship crash.  After the ship went down, these droids (Goldie and U2) walked to a nearby settlement in search of employment.
• Sleazy - The princess only receives her visions during orgasm.

There you go.  Put whatever vanilla fantasy plot through the Cha'alt Filter, and you'll generate inspiration for terrific, out-of-the-box flourishes that take your pedestrian scenario to the next level and beyond!

VS

p.s. Do I still have gorgeous hardcovers (limited edition, signed and numbered) of both Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise?  As of right now... yes.  Details here!

Cha'alt After Dark Kickstarter

 

Ok, I'm finally opening up the Kickstarter for my Cha'alt After Dark collection of adventures.  

Exactly what you've come to expect from Cha'alt - eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse - but these scenarios are even sleazier!

Check it out here.

The first 2 adventures, Cha'alt After Dark and So Beautiful, So Dangerous, are already 90% written.  That's why I only did a 20-day crowdfunding campaign.  

And once this KS has been fulfilled, I'm going all-in on the next edition of Encounter Critical (kickstarting that in August).

If you have any questions, suggestions, comments, or anything else, let me know.  Also, please share the Cha'alt After Dark Kickstarter campaign on social media.  

Thanks,

VS

Cha'alt: Gone Girl

 

I sold out without selling out...

Yes, all 2,000 of the initial print run is out the door.  The very last book got picked-up by the post office an hour ago.

There's still a couple hardcovers I'm holding for people getting their finances together and then, of course, all the books that need to go out to backers for the Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise kickstarter.  But other than that, the luxury Cha'alt hardcovers are finito.

Time will tell if I'll do another print run down the road.

Thanks to everyone who supported me in this long ass journey, made harder by covid-19 and certain elements of the hobby.

Eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic awesomeness made flesh!  Here's the PDF.  And if you want the follow-up, here's Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise (hardcover sales will be announced in a couple weeks).

By His loathsome tentacles,

VS

p.s. The wife and kids are planning on watching one of their Disney shows Friday nights for the next 3 months - that means I could start-up my weekly one-hour Roll20 Cha'alt campaign.  Check my blog for updates!

Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise Hardcovers Arrived

 

An effulgent shard amidst the darkness...

Yes!  At long last, two pallets of gorgeous hardcovers arrived but an hour ago.

Looking them over, it's exactly what I wanted - a perfect compliment to Cha'alt.  The font is slightly larger, so for those with battle-weary eyes - you're welcome!

I'm putting up some pics that'll give you an idea.

And there's one thousand of them!  The first couple hundred go out to backers, the rest I'll sell out of my "Frazetta nymphs with Death Star looming in the background" van down by the river.  But that won't happen until I get books out to my wonderful backers.  

If you want one, but didn't back the Kickstarter, check back around Xmas for ordering details.

For those who don't know, Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise is the follow-up to Cha'alt.  It's an eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse campaign setting - chockfull of everything you'll need for running adventures of neo-quasi-O5R and vintage demon laser sleaze.  You're welcome again!!!

Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise took about a year from original idea and primordial playtesting to this point.  

Thanks to everyone who supported me and pitched-in to make this awesome tome.  ;)  

Check out the PDF!  It's on sale (50% off) until Thanksgiving.

Let's game!

VS

p.s. I'm down to only 4 Cha'alt hardcovers.  Want one?

Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise

Yesssss!  It's out.  GET IT HERE.

This isn't the tippy-top final version, mind you.  But it's farther along than a beta.  The bookmarks, hyperlinks, and index is coming soon.  Also, I'll be spotting and fixing typos over the next couple weeks.

What's in it?  So much, dude.  So much.  225 pages of the awesomeness you've gotten to know from Cha'alt.  Some of that page count is previously released PDFs, such as OSR Like A Fucking Boss.  That'll be in the fancy hardcover edition coming out this fall, so I wanted to include it in the PDF, as well.  Everything in one place for convenience. 

It took me almost a year to create Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise.  It's jam-packed with gameable content.  Some stuff you're probably expecting... the rest out of left-field.

I'm hoping to get some promotional boost from DriveThru, that's why it's ridiculously priced at $5.  If you'd like to help out, blog about it, mention it on social media, or maybe write a review. 

Thanks,

VS

Oblivium Review

You had me at Twelve Demon Satchel...

Inspired by such old school gems as Carcosa, Yoon-Suin, and my own Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence, Oblivium is a campaign setting on a weird island that's meant to fuck shit up while taking no prisoners.

The author, Thomas Alexander, has created a world of insanely specific detail.  The book is 135 pages and it feels dense.  There are plenty of black and white illustrations, but I think this could have been 200 pages if laid out differently.  Personally, I like a lot of paragraph breaks, but that's a minor criticism.

Oblivium is like a gonzo inter-dimensional Ravenloft, its mist transporting individuals to a strange world where the kitchen sink is your sandbox.  Oblivium absorbs anything and everything, that's why you get magic, technology, bizarre new races (the hollow being one of my favorites), exotic locations, creatures, random tables, and new magic items.

Basically, this is like Purple Islands if Prince of Nothing flamboyantly re-wrote it with Endzeitgeist's eye for mechanical coherence. In other words, something special, but not exactly what I, myself, would create.

Below, I'm going to give you an example of the writing...

For eons, purple rain has fallen on the petrified corpse of Lalene, Demon Prince of Lava. What was once a cone of volcanic rock has been eroded into a haunted city. Tortuous streets wind between edifices of cruel opulence. 

So, yeah... download this!  Use it with your other OSR, 5e, or whatever you already have, mine it for awesome ideas, combine it with similar campaign settings, or just all on its own.

VS

p.s. Speaking of gonzo science-fantasy, I'm down to about 150 luxurious hardcover Cha'alt books.  If you want to snag one or more before they're gone, check this out!

Low Stock Alert - Cha'alt

All the recent reviews, such as this one and that one, Pundit's one... plus Oh Yeah! and Nic Cage helped sell a lot of hardcover copies of Cha'alt.

Local RPG stores have started carrying Cha'alt, as well, which is fantastic!

Additionally, the PDF just went ELECTRUM (!!!) the other day on DriveThruRPG.

However, the best news ever is that an eccentric (sorry, hoss, but you're only a short step from crazy) gaming collector just bought up 500 copies of Cha'alt so he can sit on them for 10 years and sell them for double the retail price on ebay, as I have no plans for a 2nd printing of Cha'alt (too many new projects I want to pursue).  Dirty pool?  Maybe, but I'm a proud capitalist, so whatever.

After squirreling away the books I owe Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise kickstarter folks, that means I have precisely 297 luxury hardcover Cha'alt volumes left to sell.  Low stock alert, indeed!

You can send me $ via paypal at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

It's $60 per book (shipping included if you live within the USA).  Otherwise, the shipping is $30 per book.  Sorry, no discounts on multiple copies...

Also, if you buy the hardcover, you get the PDF for FREE!!!  If you already purchased the PDF, then you get a $10 discount on the hardcover.

Big thanks to everyone who's supported me and Cha'alt and all my Great Work.  Love you, folks!

VS

p.s. If you're looking for a minimalist O5R (OSR + 5e) rule-set for D&D noobs and novices, then look no further than Crimson Dragon Slayer.

Cha'alt PDF Released

At long last, my campaign setting and dungeoncrawl extravaganza Cha'alt is now available on DriveThruRPG.

This thing is almost double the size of anything I've done before.  218 pages... I almost can't even count that high.  That's nuts!  And it's just jam-packed with content.  The thing is dense, my dudes.  And so beautifully laid-out by Glynn Seal of MonkeyBlood Design, I can't even believe it.  Yeah, it's a dream come true.

I've talked about it for a long while, but now it's time for Cha'alt to speak for itself.

VS

p.s. If you get the PDF ahead of any print version, there's going to be a price break.  So, try it out now because I'm pretty sure you'll want this in either soft or hardcover soon enough.

7/11 is international Crimson Dragon Slayer day

Yeah, I'm making it official.  I'll be running Crimson Dragon Slayer at my local library via Meetup (a great way to find players, by the way) on Saturday, July 11th.

You guys should run or ask your GM to run Crimson Dragon Slayer on that day, too.  Try your FLGS, assuming there's one nearby that'll let you run games.

Alright, share this and let's get as many people into a Crimson Dragon Slayer game on 7/11 as we possibly can!


VS

p.s.  Thanks for suggestion, +Tim Virnig.

Gorgonmilk reviews Crimson Dragon Slayer

+Greg Gorgonmilk graciously took the time to read and review Crimson Dragon Slayer right over here on his blog.  Thanks, man.  I appreciate it.

VS

p.s.  Yeah, this guy's definitely going to slay a crimson dragon.

Purple like a Fucking Boss!

I've got two THREE things to blog about today...

The first is Eric's review for The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.  After reading the Dungeons & Donuts review, Eric felt compelled to read and critique Purple for himself over at Swords & Stitchery.  He was very complementary.  Of course, it's old school, science-fantasy gonzo.  If that's your cup of tea, then most of the time you'll love what I did with Purple.  At least, that's what I keep reading on the internet.

The second thing is a sneak preview of my forthcoming book, How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss with an exclusive look inside!  It won't be available until June, so there's still plenty of time to send me Game Mastering questions.

Here is the third Purple review over at rpggeek and several other places.  Look the fuck out, it's raining purple!

Thanks to Eric Fabiaschi, Geek Native, and Matthew McHale respectively.  ;)

VS

A Dragon, Purple Worm, and Demon Lord

Last Saturday was quite the game.  Eleven players and that's only because I had to turn one of them away.  My highest attendance had been ten players.  Actually, one more wasn't that much more difficult.  It helped that half the session was combat oriented.  Here are the basics...

• Inside the complex, the party heard a human voice coming from beyond a metal door.  Once opened, the voice became clearer, though not necessarily more intelligible.  "Kavanaugh, O'Grady, Smith, do you copy?  This is space station Alpha Blue.  Your cryo-chamber beacon is active.  We are in planetary orbit at coordinates 9817-vector-75.  Kavanaugh, O'Grady, Smith, do you copy?  This is space station..."
• The Ice People went home but not without a parting gift.  They gave the PCs who protected their advanced civilization asses a palm-sized pyramid of death that shoots lasers.  One use only, but as soon as they got it, the players knew who would get the business end of their new toy: the abyssal dragon.
• I realized that Lilah was wearing both a necklace and amulet.  I informed Alison of the risk of having two magic items in close proximity.  So, she turned her amethyst necklace into a belt, being the slender half-elf she is.  Problem solved.
• The dwarf cleric kept putting himself in harm's way, but thankfully he didn't get killed.
• Spidery abominations.  I bought a bunch of 4th edition adventures because they were 50% off and came with maps (yes, my addiction knows no bounds!).  The adventures came with two books, one for the adventure itself and the other contained some really cool full-color pictures.  It's always good to have some visual aid - especially when PCs face something really hard to describe like a giant head on spider legs vomiting baby spiders.  Gross!
• After the spiders, the party decided to rest.  1 in 6 chance of a random encounter during the night.  Guess what!  Yes, a demon lord approacheth.  It took awhile to put him down, and then they finally decided to search for treasure and whatnot, since their spells and HP were refreshed.  They found a vorpal two-handed sword +3, bag of holding, ring of invisibility, wand of polymorph, and jade idol of a tiger.  Socialism must not be a thing in the underdark because there was no equitable distribution.  Whoever got their paws on it first, kept it.
  
• A well was discovered.  On the side, in the demonic language of Infernal, was written "Well of Souls".  More stars, space, planets, asteroids, etc. could be seen down there.  Just like earlier in the campaign.  However, the PCs couldn't leave well enough alone.  Arik had to investigate.  A couple others went with him.  Turns out it led a few miles south of castle Steel Keep.  It could have been some alien world or alternate reality but then the party would be divided for the rest of the session (probably) and I wasn't going to fall into that trap again.
• Then they confronted the dragon - after discovering that Orcus was raising an undead army to conquer the underdark and then the surface.  Among the dragon's horde of gold and magic items was an indigo crystal that would crush the ambitions of Orcus.  Well, that's what a dark elf named Alzahn told them, anyway.  He also gave the party an onyx amulet of resurrection (one use only) which Arik clasped around his neck.
• First, the laser pyramid from the Ice People.  Second, a fireball from Lilah.  Third (with the helpful suggestion of the German girl - I'm terrible with names), a cave-in.  Down a third of its hit points, the dragon black as the void rushed in to attack.  
• Anti-climatically, Lilah used her new found wand of polymorph to turn the dragon into an earthworm.  Quickly scanning the rules, we saw that was possible.  Sadly, the abyssal dragon failed its saving throw.  The new party wizard stomped on him.  The end.  But then a couple players read the PHB more closely.  Turns out, if the polymorphed creature is killed, it reverts back to its original form - alive!  By this time, I had already unleashed a purple worm on the party to make up for the lack of an opponent and 30 minutes left before it was time to go home.  Now, they were fighting a dragon and a purple worm at the same time.  No fatalities for the adventurers.  They eventually dispatched both to the lower planes of Hell with only a few gaping wounds for their trouble.  
  
• Here's what was in the dragon's horde:  the aforementioned indigo crystal that destroys undead, a helm of intellect, the vicious short sword of Xan, a crimson cloak belonging to one of the Seekers of Doom, a chalice of water purification, three potions of extra healing, a potion of water breathing, a magic staff with ruby skull headpiece, and two hundred and fifty thousand gold pieces!

Last session of the campaign is this Saturday.  Then a three week break while I'll be preparing for a family vacation, vacationing, and then recovering from vacation.  In the interim, West has volunteered to Dungeon Master a few sessions.  I also encourage one of the many players to run a game or two.  It's challenging but very rewarding.

VS

p.s.  Think 11 players is difficult to manage?  Does the thought of rolling initiative make you break out in a cold sweat?  Check out my latest Kickstarter.  Piece of cake.  ;)

Reviews for Revelry in Torth

There's a riveting read over at Nemo's Lounge.  He's got some good points.  I appreciate Joel's constructive criticism and infectious enthusiasm!

Each one of my projects is a learning experience but that's part of what makes it fun.

Happy gaming,

VS

Stealing from Doctor Who (Keys of Marinus)

There's free time (sweet, sweet free time) and there's work... or just stuff that one has to do.  In the middle, there are grey areas where one has a certain amount of freedom.  My limited liberty appears in the form of early morning TV/movies/DVD watching.

Our 18 month old gets up about an hour and a half earlier than anyone else in the family.  Since my wife gets up in the middle of the night to breastfeed, I pick up the slack at the day's start.  There's a lot I can't do when she's running around the living room - computer and reading are out (she's a grabber), but having an old-timey scifi show on in the background is doable.

Anyways, I was watching The Keys of Marinus this morning, and discovered there were several aspects which could be awesome in a science-fantasy RPG.  The story itself is spread over 6 (nearly) half-hour episodes.  For those who grew up in the 21st century, watching it from beginning to end might be tedious.  It's a little slow even for me.  It's also in black and white.

Without further ado, let me mention some cool stuff...

Eye-stalk brains in large glass domes!  It's creepy, weird, mysterious, and gamers have seen it enough times to visualize it easily.  Even though these things don't show up until a bit later, the picture is in color!  That's why it's showcased at the top of the post.

Grotesque demon statue/idol with humanoid hands!  Why isn't this in my living room?  Oh yeah, I'm married.  :(  Now, you don't have to emphasize the fleshy arms that jut out of this sinister horror's sleeves.  Just seeing this thing should make half the party crap their imaginary pants.  In the Who episode, the statue grabbed people and then swiveled with a blank wall on the opposite side.  So, GMs could use that feature if they were so inclined.

The 12-sided, glass, high-tech instrument which sets everything in motion.  Cool idea - it's supposed to morally judge everyone and everything and guide the planet's population into making the right choices.  Unfortunately, it could also fall into the wrong hands which could turn the whole world into the kind of hell where Sam Neill's eyes are sewn shut, his head's shaved, and his blood-drenched visage simply laughs into the darkness.

The keys themselves are micro-circuits.  They look cool and it's something the adventurers can collect in order to save the day or control everyone's mind, depending on alignment.

There's a sea of acid, beach of glass, and ominous looking temple in the distance.  Who wouldn't want to check that out?  Want to navigate those acidic waters?  Pictured are some one-man submersibles.  Just to be on the safe side... WEAR A WET-SUIT WITHOUT ANY HOLES!!!

Last but definitely not least, there's an ice cave containing a block of ice surrounded by frozen knights.  Within the block is one of the keys, although pretty much anything could be substituted - a magical ring, perhaps?  When the ice is melted (the episode used a volcanic spring faucet), the knights come alive and start attacking everyone in sight.

Visual aids help both players and GMs.  Hopefully, this blog post whets your appetite.  I'll be posting more stolen Doctor Who elements in the months to come.  If you find any of this useful, let me know.  If you actually use some of this in a game, let me know.  If you want me to feature a specific story (must be vintage Who!), let me know.  Basically, I'm looking for some motherloving feedback, y'all!  ;)


VS

Liger Zoids!

Where did it come from?  How does this thing even exist?  Who the fuck cares?

Yes, this is the perfect monster for your next dungeon or hex crawl.  Unexpected, formidable, and the perfect balance between totally cool and ridiculously stupid.  In a word... awesome!


Liger Zoids

Hit Dice:  15
Hit Points:  87
Armor Class:  20 [-1]
# of Attacks:  5
Attack Bonus:  +10
Damage:  2d6 x 2 (claws), 3d8 (bite), 4d6 x 2 (plasmatic-photon phasers)

Special:  It's a gigantic (unless you don't want it to be, GMs) mechanical tiger/lion hybrid programmed to mess shit up!  Being a machine, it's immune to all the things that a mechanical liger should.

Treasure:  Think of something badass and them multiply that by seven!
___

If you use it, let me know!

VS

Wizards Mutants Lazer Pistols

WMLP is a zine and blog worth checking out.  It melds old school, sci-fantasy, gonzo, and silly/weird/juvenile drawings.  I contributed a little something in a previous issue, and now my work is included in this, the 6th issue.

A few months ago, when I had Encounter Critical on the brain, I came up with an amusing table for what PCs were doing before adventuring.  Well, WMLP paired that with another EC table by Ronaldo Macnamara for on-the-fly creation of places full of people doing stuff.

However, the best part is Alexey's own ever-expanding dungeon.  Each issue goes further down into the mega-dungeon.  I've run a few levels myself... definitely worth it.

So, if you're looking for some home-brewed, out-of-the-box OSR stuff, check out WMLP.

VS

"Lovecraftian elements and a taste for gore..."

This is the latest Liberation of the Demon Slayer review.  It's a comprehensive analysis, in my opinion.

Much appreciated, Jonathan!


VS

p.s.  If you want to learn a bit more about Kalthalax the legendary Demon slaying sword, then look no further...