Hard call. It really is a toss up between my home brewed Mystoerth campaign world for *D&D or Victorian England.
Mystoerth grew out of a need for my then DM and I to merge our worlds. He was a huge Greyhawk fan (as was I, but less so) and my world was the known world of Msytara.
Map by Rich Trickey aka chatdemon
We did not call our world Mystoerth. That name as far as I can tell came from +James Mishler and +Rich Trickey. Rich made that nice map.
In this exquisitely-made and terrifying new horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling. Set in New England circa 1630, The Witch follows a farmer who get cast out of his colonial plantation and is forced to move his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest rumored to be controlled by witches. Almost immediately, strange and unsettling things begin to happen-the animals turn violent, the crops fail, and one of the children disappears, only to return seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. As suspicion and paranoia mount, everyone begins to point the finger at teenage daughter Thomasin. They accuse her of witchcraft, which she adamantly denies…but as circumstances become more and more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty, and love will be tested in shocking and unforgettable ways. Writer/director Robert Eggers’ debut feature, which premiered to great acclaim at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival (and won the Best Director Prize in the U.S. Narrative Competition), painstakingly recreates a God-fearing New England decades before the 1692 Salem witch trials, in which religious convictions and pagan folklore famously clashed. Told through the eyes of the adolescent Thomasin – in a star-making turn by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy – and supported by mesmerizing camera work and a powerful musical score, THE WITCH is a chilling and groundbreaking new take on the genre.
Not to be to blunt, but it is everything I have ever wanted in a horror game. I poured blood, sweat and tears into this game. But that means nothing to Joe or Jane Player out there. It is also a fun game, with a great setting, some great monsters and, in my opinion, one of the best magic rules I have ever used.
If I never publish another game or book I will be content because I wrote this one.
Rewind to 33 years ago today, the latest movie in the early 80s flirtation with Swords & Sorcery hits the late summer movie theatres. Everyone was going to see the dearing-do of Marc Singer as Dar "The Beastmaster"!
ok. Not everyone really. The movie didn't do that hot. Plus, lets be honest here just as many of my friends went to see it for Tanya Roberts as much as the sword & sorcery content. But The Beastmaster left a solid dent in the game playing of many of my peers for years. I remember seeing tons of "Beastmaster" classes. I even helped make one of my own.
The idea is a compelling one really. A barbarian (of sorts) but has the magical ability to communicate with all animals. Maybe even he (it's almost always a he, but I have a few great exceptions to that rule) has the abilities to fight like an animal. Fiction is replete with such characters. The aforementioned Marc Singer role, Tarzan, Sheena Queen of the Jungle, Vixen from DC Comics, Mowgli, even various "wolf boys" or "wild childs" that appeared in true and fictionalized accounts of children left in wilderness.
The Beastmaster of this book is an interesting class. It is actually closer to a monster in terms of play. For example it uses a 1d8 for hit points (like fighters and monsters) and it uses the monster attack matrix using it's level as HD. This makes it a very good fighter. It's saving throws are from the cleric list (good choice) so it will feel different than playing a fighter.
The beastmaster's prime ability is Strength. This makes it slightly different than say your typical barbarian and their reliance on Constitution. The reason given is that nature respects strength. This is true, but I think nature respects survival more than anything. So Constitution would have been a good choice too in my mind. The beastmaster also needs a better than average Charisma.
Becker's beastmasters have a number of abilities that set them apart. First is their ability to learn the languages of animals. This is quite a nice skill because it is a gateway to other abilities the beastmaster has such as Calling, Befriending and Mastering. These are really the key elements of any beastmaster archetype. Think of Tarzan and his trademarked call. Ok, think of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan.
In many ways the closest AD&D class to the beastmaster is the Ranger and not the Druid. In fact I would have upped the XP per level for the beastmaster a bit and given him some Ranger like abilities including a starting animal companion (though you can get one with Mastering) and maybe some beast-like fighting styles. But I see why that was not done here since it would make the beastmaster more like a reskinned ranger than something unique.
The beastmaster is hardly ever surprised, can't wear man made armor and has a limited number of weapons to choose from. All of this works with the character concept really.
But don't just take my word on this. Jonathan did a series of posts himself on his beastmaster. Our opinions differ a bit; but only as creator vs user.
It is an interesting read combined with the final Beastmaster in the book.
Other Beastmasters of Note
The big one is the beastmaster of the Compleat Adventurer book from Bard Games written by Stephan Sechi. As Becker claims this is the obvious inspiration for his beastmaster class. This class also adds animal Turning to their skills. Not like undead turning, but the opposite of friendship.
The next one is the Beastmaster kit for the Ranger for 2n Ed AD&D found in the Complete Ranger Handbook. As with many of the kits this one was fairly over powered in my mind, giving the beastmaster telepathic communication with their animals at a low level. Though the same feel is here, all three could exist in a room together without breaking the laws of the universe.
Finally, though by no means the only, there is the beastmaster archetype from the new 5th Edition of D&D. It is in many ways a spiritual successor to the Bard Games beastmaster and if you are looking for cross system compatibility it makes for a good translation of Becker's beastmaster. This one is more animal companion focused. But in truth you can easily take one of these beastmasters and use them to emulate the others with good roleplaying.
The final question always is "would I play this class?" Well. yes. In fact like I mentioned above we had done our own beastmaster back in the day and I played the hell out of that class.
From 1986 or so.
Absom Sark
Level 7, Beastmaster ("Wild Guardian"), Male
Neutral
Absom Sark was the child of a prince and his wealthy wife until their caravan was attacked on route to a diplomatic mission. Everyone was killed in the ensuing battle save for little Absom, who was only a baby. Wolves came to feast on the remains and found the crying baby. A large she-wolf fostered the child, recognizing a kindred spirit in him.
Absom grew into the protector of the wild and he vowed that no one would use his wild to murder others.
--
Our beastmaster had a limited selection of various druid spells. I don't think it added much to the class to be honest, but maybe even a more restricted list focusing on animals might be nice. Summon Animal I, II, and III would be good. Limit the beastmaster to 3rd level spells or something.
The class is really fine as is. I just have a thing for spell-casting classes.
How effective is this class? Well in the dungeon it might end up like a fighter. But in the wild they shine.
Here is video documentation of one beastmaster (though she might have some levels in bard) attacking two treants. She speaks avian, mustelid, rodent, and ungulate.
This one is harder since I have yet to find that perfect Scifi RPG. Traveller came close, but in the end it has to be Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space and it's spiritual forefather FASA's Doctor Who RPG.
The young woman known as Raven is bit of mystery to other members of the League. Lady Zatanna does not trust her. Her command of magic is not as great as Zatanna's, but what she does know she commands with brutal efficiency.
Raven guards her secrets well. While she does wish to aid in the fight against evil she has more at stake than the others. For she is the daughter of the Devil himself.
Back in college I went over to my High School DM's house. He had come down to college where I was because I had talked the place up so much.
We co ran a Ravenloft game, "Dreams of Ravenloft" where basically one of us ran I6 and the other I10. Anytime the characters fell asleep they would wake up in the other reality. Not know which one was real or not.
I went over on a Friday afternoon and we played straight to Sunday night. This was back before cell phones so my roommates had no idea where I was. So it was only about 56 hours, but it was 56 continuous hours, minus some time for naps.
I am mostly avoiding spoilers, but this looks like it will be awesome and it is something that Stephen Amell, Oliver Queen himself, has wanted for a while now. Adding John to the mix, even for one episode, changes or rather broadens Arrow's world. We got super-science in season 2 and some magic in season 3. Looks like season 4 might embrace the wakiness that is the DC Universe's magical realms.
Of course I have to ask...When will Zatanna be on?
I would have to say my Dragonslayers game which began with my oldest son around 2005 or so. This year it will 10 years in. Even my current Order of the Platinum Dragon game is a continuation of it.
Though technically it is a continuation of my Mystoerth game I began in 1980.
So my family and I binge watched Supernatural this past summer. And by binge watched I mean just that. Nine Season on DVD/Blu-Ray all summer long.
I watched the show when it first came out but it freaked my wife out. I kept up with it on my own for a bit, but that is hard to sustain really. I followed the fandom more than the show itself after that. Had the RPG, sold it for something like $100 later on. Wish I had kept it though.
So my sister is really into the show and she let us borrow her season DVDs. Well the rest was history. My youngest loves it. Around Season 3 my wife REALLY got into it. Around Season 5 my oldest did too. IT became our Summer Friday nights really. Order pizza, watch Supernatural till past 11. We only stopped for Gen Con.
Of course one of the best features of Supernatural is not just the good writing and characters that are likable and relatable, but also the music.
Sam: ...I swear man; you gotta update your cassette tape collection. Dean: Why? Sam: Well for one they are cassette tapes, and two— (Pulls out a few cassette tapes) Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica? It’s the greatest hits of mullet rock. Dean: (Grabs a cassette from Sam and pops it in the player) House rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.
I can totally relate. Growing up on a steady diet of metal and classic rock it was what growing up in the midwest meant. I know my wife and kids don't get that part like I do, but that is fine. Besides my kids love the music.
The best thing? The music of Supernatural already plays like my "Greatest Hits" anyway!
If I ever get around running Chill again each adventure/episode is going to be named for a different classic rock song and I'll play it before we play. Cheesy? Maybe. But I like cheese.
AC/DC are pretty much the go-to band when one mentions classic rock, Supernatural and even gaming. Back in the 80s when D&D was getting a bad rap, AC/DC was right there with us.
"Back in Black" was featured in the pilot episode and is appropriate for the storyline. From the album of the same name it debuted in 1980 and was the first to feature new lead singer Brian Johnson. In fact can usually tell the age of an AC/DC fan by whether or not they still refer to Brian Johnson as "new".
Rush has enough street cred with gamers that there is little need anymore for me to give my reasons for posting this. But "Fly By Night" also from an album of the same name, has a little bit more than average. It was featured in the Episode 2 of Season 1 of Supernatural. Ok. It was featured in episode 2 of the Dead Alewives skit on D&D with an elf singing "Fly by Night" while carrying Mt. Dew.
Flyby Night was also the song I was listening too in the weekend I had my very first overnight D&D session in 8th grade. I also listened to it when I wrote the very first draft of the witch.
Another group that barely need justification is Blue Öyster Cult. Many songs from BÖC have been a part of Supernatural, my gaming and geekdom in general. I could go on and on about the level of importance that "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" has had to my games, but that song has not been in the show yet. One song though stands out both in terms of Supernatural and in my gaming life.
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was one of the first songs I ever heard from BÖC and band I associated with D&D from the earliest days. It was also featured in Supernatural as a "theme" song for the Reapers, Angels of Death and psychopomps for souls.
CCR might not come to mind right away when thinking about RPGs or D&D but they are a staple of classic rock. "Bad Moon Rising" has been used by me in any game that has a werewolf in it and I am certain I am not alone. This song bridged Season 1 to Season 2.
"Hammer of the Gods...Valhalla I am coming..." Was there ever a more D&D song than this? Well...maybe "No Quarter", but either way it is Led Zeppelin. "Immigrant Song" has been played here before, buy like I said, just like the original Friday Night Videos, there will be repeats.
There are a lot of reason why Def Leppard needs to be included in this rather august group. First, "Rock of Ages" was played in a very pivotal scene in Season 5 (and also in season 1). Also Def Leppard was ALWAYS on MTV back in the days where we played D&D with MTV on in the background, hopping to get that one Iron Maiden song. But also, and lets be honest. Watch the video. It's obvious they had no clue what the hell they were doing but who cares. Big swords. Big hair. Filmed in dungeon. Hooded cultists. A maiden playing chess with death. This might not be the most 80s video out there. But it is up there.
I don't recall if a Motörhead song actually appeared in the show or not. I know Dean (or maybe Sam) used the alias of "Lemmy Kilmister" but fuck it. Here is "Ace Of Spades".
"Carry on Wayward Son". This song has been with me for so long. I mentioned before I first heard it when I saw the movie Heroes, the Henry Winkler and Sally Field one. Supernatural has really made this song their own. This will feature in the season finale of what ever supernatural-like game I run.
Have not seen Season 10 yet. Waiting for the Blu-Rays.
I LOVE Castles & Crusades. Really. I love the game, the Troll Lord guys are great, and their books are all works of art.
I also love how C&C plays. It really feels like AD&D 3rd edition to me. (NOT D&D 3e, but AD&D).
One of my favorite things about AD&D was using real world myths in my games. Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes, Deities & Demigods, countless other books from other publishers...these were my go to books back in the day.
So I am really happy to see that this one is funded and doing well.
http://bit.ly/mythosks
Not one, but three new book from Brian N. Young who brought us the Codex Celtarum and the Codex Nordica. This time we have books for German, Slavic and Classical Greek myths. Sure to be excellent.
