My thoughts on the Neuroglyph / Mike Mearls interview (part 1)

This is the latest from EnWorld.  An interview with Mike Mearls that took place during GENCON 2014.  I'm going to take this in stages because I'm about to leave work...

Neuroglyph: As one of the main Lead Designers for the new edition of D&D, how did you find your experience with the whole design process, and what was it like to work on the project?

Mike Mearls: I think the biggest difference… I mean obviously there’s the playtest… and I think what the biggest difference, say, between 2005 and 2011… 2012… was that when we started this game in ‘05, we had to guess, right? Gaming was changing… World of Warcraft had come out, obviously consoles like the Xbox Live and Playstation III and online multi-player had become the mainstream. And people still liked first person shooters and stuff, where people would set up a LAN party and stuff like that. And now there were services coming into to play where you could play head-to-head on the internet with other people - so gaming was definitely changing. And I think what 4th Edition, looking back, what we were trying to do was to start predicting for D&D where we thought the game was heading… so that was a big part of it. So what we think, when people are coming to role-playing games, they’re going to have that MMO background or a video game background. 


So, all those people who said I was being dismissive by stating that 4e fans who dislike 5e might get their gaming fix by playing something like World of Warcraft can officially suck on it.


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Like Homophobia but different

It started with a crowdfunding RPG project based on the Chronicles of Gor here.  +James Desborough is behind it.  I found out about it from Tenkar's Tavern here.  +Erik Tenkar is behind that.

Before encountering this post, my only exposure to the Gorean Chronicles was from spending a couple years in the BDSM scene.  Some liked them, others did not.  Yet no one condemned the twisted turn-ons of another.

I met a lot of different people on places like FetLife (online and face-to-face), many of them interested in Dominant/submissive, Master/slave, rape-play, and probably a hundred other things rarely heard of or discussed on non-BDSM websites.

For whatever reason, those into power dynamics get off on pretending that their actually a slave, slave master, sexually forcing themselves on someone, or being sexually forced to do whatever it is they secretly want be doing.

Obviously, if this was actual rape, it would be a criminal act.  However, rape-play is something that millions of consenting adults have participated in for mutual sexual fulfillment.  Why am I even bringing this up?  Well, Tenkar's Tavern has comments describing such a thing (and the people who enjoy it) as nauseating, disgusting, shameful, creepy, dickish, stupid, etc.

Responding to one of my comments, Erik Tenkar said "slavery and rape fantasies are not a 'thing'."

Well, they actually are a thing; things that many healthy, normal consenting adults enjoy.  It may not be your thing (whoever's reading this), but it exists in the world and makes many, many, many people happy.

Like homophobia, it's more or less "fine" if individuals find the particular sexual practices of others revolting in their private thoughts.  Personally, I do not want to think about two dudes getting it on.  However, it would be a different story for me to call attention to a roleplaying game involving gay sex and then trash it because I'm repulsed by those preferences.  Nowadays, that's what the kids call homophobia.  Back when I was a kid, it was considered normal to ridicule or shame those who were different - even beat them up occasionally.  Not so much anymore.  That's a very good thing.


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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.


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2 more Purple reviews

I knew there'd be two The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence reviews coming back-to-back, so I decided to link them both in a single blog post.

This is from +Justin Kowalski and that is by the hand of +Patrick Henry Downs.  Thanks, guys!  May putrescent entities of a fiendishly familiar purple hue come for you in the night...


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The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen

There's a lot of stuff out there.  If you know where to look, you can't throw a poison-tipped dagger +1 without accidentally critting a dozen different RPGs (1d4 of them old school), as well as, a plethora of adventures, campaign settings, and gaming aids (might as well get out your percentile dice).

The signal to meh ratio is about average, meaning gamers need to focus on keywords and names (because artwork alone can't tell you if something is awesome or sucky).  Anything that might clue them in to discovering off-beat adventure, bizarre encounters, and crazy hi-jinks.  Or you could read a review...

Well, Mark Taormino reached out to me, asking if I'd take a gander at his first, homemade OSR module called The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen.  Sure, I said.  It took me a few days to actually open the PDF up and start reading.

This book is something quite different, a rare blood diamond tournament-style scenario crossing Tomb of Horrors with a Vampirella comic book.  It reads like a choose-your-own-adventure in the vein of Tales from the Crypt.

It started with a kickstarter campaign.  You can see the author's passion for this work.  You can also see, he's no slouch.

Ok, so why do I love The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen so much?  Let's do this in bullet points...

• Great hook!  This bloodsucking bitch has you imprisoned and for some strange reason (you'll find out later) she challenges a small band of the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) prisoners to escape her dungeon.
• Cinematic feel!  The writing draws you in, chock full of sensory details and lurid visuals.  As a GM, you'll be excited to read the next boxed text, surprising your players with smells, sights, and far-out goings on.
• It's sexy as hell!  From the cover and interior art to the description of the PC's erotic host.  I really enjoyed the lascivious moments - really brought the Player's Background section to (un)life!  Used sparingly, Hanging Coffins hits the right notes of exploitation. 
• The rest of the artwork is also cool.  Personally, when I get to see a Minotaur rip a man's arm off - everybody wins!  Except the armless man, I suppose.
  
• It's for high-level characters.  10th - 14th level characters and the dungeon is deadly enough to need at least 8 of them.  
• A blue map - just like we used to get decades ago!  Also old school: the aforementioned boxed text, a rumor table, pre-generated characters, a section of new monsters, and familiar references to 80's D&D (with plenty of unexpected twists).
• A sense of humor!  Oh man, does this hobby need it.  Not just gamers, human beings of every stripe take themselves very seriously.  More laughter, less rage.  Anton LaVey said that anyone without a sense of humor is too pretentious to be a good magician.  I believe the same holds true for an RPG author, especially if he's going for an old school vibe.
• Non-standard encounters!  Each room feels special.  There's nothing cookie-cutter about this module. 

As a small critique, I noticed a few typos, some of the wandering monster stats referenced page numbers in the OSRIC book, and a few items of treasure had ridiculous appraisals - 6,000 gp estimated value for a non-magical medallion - really?  I also wish the Author's Note section had been much longer.  But, hey, that's my opportunity to interview him when Hanging Coffins becomes available on DriveThruRPG.  At the moment, you can only get it here.

Those minor quibbles aside, this was surprisingly fun to read.  It made me want to run it super bad.  As far as ratings go, it gets the highest possible - upon finishing the PDF, I laid out cold, hard, electronic cash for a physical copy.  The Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen shares my aesthetic wavelength.  Can't wait for his sophomore effort!  I'm just glad there are a few fresh voices out there in the dungeon wilderness, shredding the paper walls of conformity.

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Conquest & The Devil's Sword

If you'll remember, I recounted my top 10 sword and sorcery films here.  Well, I had a little time to myself this weekend.  Some might say I used my time wisely while others would claim that I abused it wickedly.

Nevertheless, it had been far too long since watching Conquest and The Devil's Sword.  I started with the latter...

This has one of the most straightforwardly awesome intros that a fantasy film could have.  Meteor falls from the sky as bearded monk meditates in the darkness.  Apparently, the monk is also quite the blacksmith because he forges a magical sword out of the alien metal.

From there, the film falls off a bit - unless you're into kung-fu with poorly dubbed one-liners.  The Devil's Sword is Indonesian, so prepare yourself.  Lots of flying around, martial arts, and sword play.  Also, chest licking and face kissing.

The hero journeys into some cavern saturated with magenta light.  He encounters the kind of traps you'd see in a typical dungeon.  Fighting crocodile-men are another highlight!  After all, the antagonist is "the sexually insatiable Crocodile Queen", says the back of the DVD.

The crocodile theme continues as we see her subterranean palace decked out with gigantic stone crocodile jaws, inside of which are equally gigantic purple crystals.  Nice!

Finally, we watch the showdown.  Hot villainess turns ugly and is eventually defeated by the hero, some dude's wife, and that meteor sword.

Not the best sword and sorcery film ever but worth seeing once.

The next day, I watched Conquest.        
I had forgotten how awesome and loopy this film is.  Also forgot that it was directed by the Italian horror legend Lucio Fulci.  He isn't called the Maestro of Gore for nothing!  There are a few sickening practical special effects.  Lots of blood.

The audience is treated to some weird humanoids that look like gnolls or something.  The villainess of this film is naked throughout, except for spiked metal panties.  Oh yeah, she's always seen wearing a gold mask.  Creepy, sexy, and mysterious.  Also, quite a bit of snake writhing.  The kind of thing you wouldn't want to watch with your daughter.

What else?  There's a magical bow.  The first few minutes provides exposition, but since it happens in a dream or the afterlife or something it's all echo-y and hard to hear.  Meanwhile, there's an older cynical mentor / survivalist dude.  Basically, the Han Solo of Conquest's strange and violent fantasy world.

My wife was trying to tell me something about vacation plans or the real housewives of Atlanta or something while this next part was playing... most likely a key part of the film because the next thing I know, the hero's severed head is being carried around by the masked woman's champion.

In the end, this villainess, too, is revealed to be ugly as sin.  Well, you knew she was probably wearing that gold mask for a reason.

It's weird, erotic, and occasionally comical... punctuated with moments of hyper-violence and bloodshed.  Definitely see this movie before you die, but that one time will probably be enough.


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Mysteries of Torth

For those who don't already know, I'm creating a free online tabletop fantasy RPG magazine called Draconic.  This will be a constantly updated resource for gamers all over the world.

One of the magazine's features will be its own setting for organized play, less restrictive than D&D Adventurers League and FLAILSNAILS.  We feel that commonality can go hand in hand with unique campaigns.  Some gamers want to feel connected to a world and those inhabiting it.  So, we're working on a shared campaign setting... Torth.

Torth is still in the early development stages but that's the perfect time to present the bare bones and ask for your input.  I'm sure you'll notice parallels to Dark Sun, Numenera, Anomalous Subsurface Environment, Terminator, Star Wars, and similar stories/settings.  We're fans of all that stuff.  What inspired those settings has also inspired us.  It's part of our geek DNA.  Where possible, we intend to make specific details of this world unique rather than a rehash or hodge-podge of the familiar.

We're keeping this shared campaign setting as fluffy and system neutral as possible; however, there will be plenty of crunchy suggestions sprinkled throughout.  Without further ado...


Torth

Years ago, a magically advanced civilization flourished across the land.  Life was easy for humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and the various humanoid races.  Sorcery was everywhere, paving the way for comfort, innovation, and decadence.  Magic was responsible for flesh-crafting, synthetic humanoid constructs, nano-mancy, dimensional gateways, and sentinels floating in Torth's atmosphere.

As the people got lazier, their magic-fueled creations were given more autonomy and power.  When the tipping point came, the created saw themselves as slaves and murdered their humanoid masters.  Unable to quell this revolution, a cabal of pyro-mancers unleashed a holocaust of nuclear fire, blasting the world's surface.  For the most part, the things created by sorcery were destroyed... and so was much of Torth.

Some areas were hit harder than others.  A handful of domed cities survived the inferno, as did subterranean habitats.  The shunned reptilian people living underground grew strong and bold in the aftermath.  Now they dominate the land, capturing humanoids found in the wasteland for slaves or worse!  A vocal minority believe peaceful coexistence is possible, if only the right envoys and ambassadors can be selected.

A few humanoid agents believe the synthetics, nano-magic, sentinels, and flesh-crafting should be implemented again, this time with greater fail-safe programming.  The prospect of quick and painless reconstruction must be weighed against the cost of another holocaust if something were to go wrong again.

There is talk of banning sorcery.  Certain zones forbid those ancient practices, enforcing their edict by sentinel disruptors; though crafty wizards work around such limitations by injecting a serum into their veins - a reagent teeming with sorcerous micro-organisms. With regular use, the serum is addictive and degenerative, but extremely potent.

Adventurers seek their fortune in the wasteland, between settlements and shielded cities, interacting with the genetically scarred remnants, magic-forged abominations, sentinel-created clones, extra-dimensional beasts crawling through holes in reality, hungry reptilian warlords, and dragons!  What role do dragons play?  I have no idea, but the Draconic Magazine staff will keep working on it.

You can help us, too!  Comment below.  And if you'd like to write articles for us on a regular or semi-regular basis, contact me (the publisher):  Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com


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Frozen in Time with D&D

This time, the game was four hours long.  Didn't feel like using an adventure I had published.  Maybe something really old school, I thought.  Perhaps even something I've never run before...

Rummaging around my desk for a suitable AD&D adventure, I came across a slim Dungeon Crawl Classics book called Frozen in Time.  I started reading the introduction and was intrigued enough to keep going.  That's a good sign.

Suitable for 1st level characters, science-fantasy, and big on exploration.  This fit the bill.

Since I had given 5e a try RAW [rules as written] a couple weeks ago, I felt free enough to try it without so much of the dot-circling.  Tried melding the provided backgrounds with my own tables from Liberation of the Demon Slayer.  Successfully, I think.

A few of the players either knew the D&D rules already or had them printed out / on some kind of tablet device.  So, at times it was difficult to rule one way while a couple of players were telling their neighbor the "real" ruling.  But that's ok.  It happens.  Especially with a fresh group all set for a one-shot game that hasn't even been released yet.  Sure, we have the basic version and stuff from the Starter box but let's face it - all the really good stuff has yet to come out.

Old school time!  3d6 in order.  Sure, there were some sad sacks in the bunch, yet nothing catastrophic.  I went over the pros and cons of making your own character.  Hopefully, some kind of personal attachment was forged by all the dice rolling and picking of race, class, motivation, etc.

Anyways, after making characters without worry about skills, racial bonuses, which saving throws get to add the proficiency bonus, as well as, a lively discussion about proficiency bonuses and initiative... the adventurers climbed up that glacier.  I'm not going to give away anything.  Just know that Frozen in Time did an admirable job.  Sure, I simplified one thing over here and added complexity to that other thing over there... that's just how I GM.

Since we were deep into DCC country, I used the mercurial magic system.  Fiona was playing the sole wizard; an Elf, no less.  When casting detect magic, six duplicates appeared for a round before vanishing again into the dimensional aether.  One player imaginatively suggested that each doppelganger was testing a potential magic item in a different way so as to determine exactly what that item did (assuming it was magical).  On the spot, I said "Yes!" and we went with it.

At the halfway mark, I let the characters hit 2nd level.  We quickly rolled hit points, more tablet searching for feats and whatnot commenced, and I dolled out a couple more spells for the wizard and cleric.  Man, that mercurial magic is like an instant awesome-ifier!  Just that table alone and a party of two or three magic-users could be an adventure in itself.

Oddly, very few players used their inspiration to gain advantage on a role.  Though, I still saw plenty of roleplaying take place.  The session was a bit light on combat (two) and interaction (the barbarian at the beginning and some dude with amnesia at the end).  I could have dropped more encounters in... probably needed a boss fight with some hot gypsies thrown in for good measure.

Alas, no session is perfect.  There were a couple missed opportunities, besides the aforementioned.  I should have had the rogue's cyber forearm do something useful by the end - maybe tie into the ship's computer [not really spoiling anything since that part I made up on the spot]?

First time around, it's difficult for a module to feel like home.  There are growing pains.  Fumbling.  Discrepancies. Hunting for details.  A halting narrative.  Oh well, there's always next time.

All in all, everyone had fun.  The 5th edition rules held up, just as customizable as they seemed during its maiden voyage.  Obviously, having the PHB and DMG in hand will smooth out the rough edges.  Frozen in Time could also do with some sanding; however, that's 99% of adventures, in my book.  Without the GM's input, it's just words on a page.


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p.s.  Here are some aftermath quotes from the players...

"Had a great time, great GM and group. Fun one shot I'd not seen before! You've inspired me to try to run some of my own!"

"You might be happy to know that I am now the proud owner of a fifth addition starter set. I had a great time. Thanks again for DMing [Venger]!"

"I went and bought some dice today. I am getting corrupted. :)"

Crawling Under a Broken Moon review of Purple

I was happy to see this.  Always excited to read a new review, even if it's not particularly favorable.  Luckily, though, it usually is.

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