Review: Vampyre Kisses

So I read a lot of horror and modern supernatural books. I like to talk about them here.  Not all of them are something I want to use in a game, most are just fun to read.  Here is one of the fun ones.  Might not be your taste, or it might.

Ok stop me if you have heard this one before. Human girl meets mysterious guy who later turns out to be a vampire! Girl has some vague destiny, vampire has eating disorder, things get in their way of true happiness…lost you yet? Well none of this applies to “Vampyre Kisses”.

“Vampyre Kisses” is a new book from brand new author Elizabeth J. Kolodziej. Yes, Faith is a human girl with a destiny, but she is also a witch, the last of her kind. Trent is a vampire, but he is not your average brooding Baranbas, Angel or Edward. He has a destiny as well and if anything he is just anxious about it. Fate has thrown these two together and together they hold the fate of the supernatural creatures of Kolodziej’s world. Not related to anything, but I kept imagining Faith looking like Fiona Apple. Nothing in the text lead me to that, just the first woman that came to mind.

Yes. There are things in this book we have seen before, not just creatures but plots and circumstances. The difference here, and it’s the difference that makes the book worth getting, is that Kolodziej’s world is very rich and detailed (sometimes too detailed, but I’ll get to that). No Trent is not a Sparkler, he is a vampire, but he is cut from the modern cloth of vampires and more to the point he wants to be more. Faith could have been just another vapid little Gothamite doing 9-5 and partying, but she knows early on there is more going on than just that. In lesser hands these characters would have been annoying characters, or rather caricatures, but thankfully they get much more interesting as the tale weaves on. It is told from the point of view, alternately of both Faith and Trent. Kolodziej does a great job of giving us the proper voice for each character and it is rather easy to hear that voice in your head. There are complications galore including a romantic rival in the form of a werewolf.

A minor criticism, in the beginning of the tale Kolodziej has so much to tell us that she tends to over tell it. I see this as exactly what it is; she was very excited to tell her tale, had all these ideas and wanted to get them out on to the page as fast as she could. It did slow down as the story progressed and a good rhythm was established. Though every once in a while we are hit with a lot of information. While I am calling this a “minor criticism” it is also part of the book’s charm. The author has so much to say and has built up the myths of her world that she just seems excited to tell it all to us. That’s what future books are for.

The book does read like the first book of so many authors, so the pacing is odd at times and there are odd word choices here and there, but that is all something that will work out. Once the pace though is set and the story begins in earnest then you want to keep going and learning more. The book reminds me a bit of the first “Anita Blake” book.

The mythology of this book is well thought out and great care is given to it. Kolodziej is building a world here, not just a novel. I bet if you asked her she could tell you 10 generations of Faith’s ancestors, names and all. Even if she can’t, the book feels like she could.

Admittedly I am not the target audience for this sort of tale. I prefer my vampires darker, my witches more mysterious and werewolves as ravaging beasts. That all being said there is a good tale here and an interesting set of myths. This could very well be the start of a new series of modern supernatural novels that everyone will be talking about, and if not it is also an enjoyable read and in the end isn’t what we want? Kolodziej shares her world with us and we all enjoy it.

I am pleased to hear there is a second book coming. She has built up a lot mythology here and there is plenty for a lot of books.

Lost my Projects Drive

Damn.

I work on a lot of projects.  Maybe too many to be honest, but they help keep my sanity.
So imagine my horror this morning when I could not find my projects flash drive.

IT's a tiny thing really.  8 gigs, black.  But on it were WORLDS.  It had my drafts to a couple of Old School projects I was working on. It had my complete draft of my "new" old-school campaign world "Eire".  Dozens of characters for a few different games. About 2  gigs worth of PDFs. A few reviews of some books I was reading.  Some new adventures for Ghosts of Albion.

Nothing I can't replace or rebuild in time, but irritating all the same. Well the review I have to restart from scratch and the three books I only have the last backed-up versions.

Not at all happy this morning.

Review: The Nameless City

Mythmere Games, who gave us Swords & Wizardry, have recently published a new adventure and I decided to download it.  I am very happy I did.

The Nameless City is built in the same vein of the old TSR S-Series, the same that gave us Tomb of Horrors and The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.  The adventure is for higher level characters, 7 to 10, and the adventure is certainly a deadly one.

The adventure itself is something of a cross between a dungeon crawl and an H.P. Lovecraft story (the Nameless City in fact).   There are plenty of degenerate lizard men, a cult to a forgotten god ala Lair of the White Worm, undead galore and of course dinosaurs and crazy snake-people cultists.

While there is nothing per se new here, it is all put together in a rather interesting and fun way.  Yes this adventure is dangerous.  The first room is enough to kill most parties and they have not even gotten into the city yet.
There is a bit of "old school ecology" here, ie monsters seem to be here for the sole purpose to be killed, but that is fine really and the adventure does give reasons why everything is in the place it is in.
The maps are nice, but I like mine a bit larger, but that's fine.
The plot is thin, but more robust than most of the old school modules it emulates and it does, I think, exactly what it was setting out to do.

What do I like about this?
Well the obvious and acknowledged nod to both Lovecraft and the dungeon crawls of old are nice.
Killing undead is always a plus in my book.
Loved the desert setting.  Investigating pyramids is always a blast.
Snake-People as secretive cultist like bad guys pretty much moves anything to the top of my list.

So this adventure succeeds for me on many levels.

I would have liked some more art sure, but what is there is very useful and the rest I guess is up to me and m players.  Again, bigger maps would have been nice.

The Nameless City comes in two flavors, S&W Complete or Core Rules/OSRIC version and a S&W White Box Version.  The rules are the same, except where needed and the monster stat blocks differ.  Of course either version should work well with any version of D&D or it's clones you desire.  Heck even with a very, very minor amount of tweaking I bet it would work well with 4th Edition, Call of Cthulhu, Savage Worlds or even Ghosts of Albion.  If I were Mythmere games I'd be looking into a CoC version myself.

The Nameless City is fun adventure and one that can be run in an afternoon or so.  And for the price it is a steal.

• The Nameless City: Swords & Wizardry Complete or Core Rules/OSRIC version
• The Nameless City: Swords & Wizardry White Box version

5 out of 5 stars

Willow & Tara: Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition

Willow & Tara: Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition

I have been on a Mutants and Masterminds 3.0 kick of late.  I like M&M and I love the new 3rd Edition game.  So really it was only a matter of time before I tried out my favorite witches in the new system.

I have done Willow and Tara before for Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Ed. But my write-ups were straight conversions of Unisystem and that might not have worked as well as I thought.  So with this I went back to who and what the characters are and stated them up from the ground up.  I kept many of the same powers and skills, or at least tried to.

"Willow and Tara" by David Reynolds

I set the girls at PL 10.  I did PL 11 previously with 2nd ed and they ended up being really super-powered.  Granted, that is fine for me, but I wanted to see what I could do with PL 10 and going by the book.    Willow has more powers/spells under Witchcraft, but Tara still has her healing ability and minion in MKF II.

Given that this is for the 3rd edition version of M&M and I was working on a 3rd season for Willow and Tara called "Generation HEX" I am going to combine them together into one.  Only fair really since Generation HEX's genesis was in my attempt to add more M&M and BESM style play to my games.  In this case this Willow and Tara share a lot of the same history as the ones in my Unisystem games. It is 2011 and they are still together, celebrating 10 years as a couple.

Don't know if they are living in the same world as Justice, but I'd like to think so if I can figure out how, but they are certainly living in the same world with Tarot.

For the purposes of a game I would want them (or at least Tara) be teacher(s) at the local School for the Gifted.  For M&M 2nd ed this would be Claremont Academy and I still like that idea.

Willow Rosenberg
PL 10
Strength 0, Stamina 1, Agility 0, Dexterity 0, Fighting 0, Intellect 6, Awareness 4, Presence 2

Advantages
Artificer, Attractive 2, Benefit, Wealth 3 (millionare), Equipment 1, Extraordinary Effort, Inspire, Languages 4, Occult Library, Ritualist, Skill Mastery (Expertise (Magic)), Teamwork, Well-informed

Skills
Expertise (Magic) 14 (+20), Expertise (Science) 12 (+18), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 4 (+10), Perception 2 (+6), Persuasion 1 (+3), Ranged Combat (Arcane Blast: Blast 10) 1 (+1), Sleight of Hand 1 (+1), Technology 10 (+16), Treatment 8 (+14), Vehicles 1 (+1)

Powers
Magickal Senses: Senses 8 (magic, Awareness: Magical, Counters Illusion: Magical, Detect: Magical 2 (ranged), Postcognition (Limited): Touch, Radius: Magical; Affects Insubstantial 2 (full rank))
Telekinesis: Move Object 4 (mystic, 800 lbs.; Concentration)
    Throw Object: Blast 2 (Alternate; magic, DC 17; Diminished Range)
Witchcraft: Magic 12 ([10 active, 30/38 PP, 3/r], DC 25; Affects Insubstantial 2 (full rank), Multiattack)
    Arcane Blast: Blast 10 (Alternate; DC 25; Distracting, Noticeable (Light flare))
    Astral Projection (Alternate; Activation: Move Action)
    Computer Link: Other Communication 5 (Alternate; Sense Type: Computer Link; Linked (Remote Sensing: Remote Sensing 13))
    Flight: Flight 10 (Alternate; Speed: 2000 miles/hour, 4 miles/round; Concentration)
    Forget: Mind Control 1 (Alternate; mind, DC 11)
    Glamour: Illusion 5 (Alternate; magic, Affects: All Sense Types, Area: 30 cft., DC 15)
    Magic Sheild: Force Field 20 (Alternate; +20 Toughness)
    Remote Sensing: Remote Sensing 13 (Alternate; Affects: 2 Types, inc. Visual - Vision and Hearing, Range: 30 miles; Linked (Magickal Senses: Senses 8) [4 extra ranks]; Concentration)
    Telepathy: Mental Communication 5 (Alternate; Advantages: Extended distance with Willow; Distracting)
    Teleport: Teleport 10 (Alternate; 4 miles in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.)
    Veil: Concealment 10 (Alternate; All Senses)

Equipment
Ritual Tools 1, Cell Phone (Smartphone), Computer

Offense
Initiative +0
Arcane Blast: Blast 10, +1 (DC 25)
Forget: Mind Control 1 (DC Will 11)
Grab, +0 (DC Spec 10)
Telekinesis: Move Object 4, +0 (DC 14)
Throw, +0 (DC 15)
Throw Object: Blast 2, +0 (DC 17)
Unarmed, +0 (DC 15)
Witchcraft: Magic 12, +0 (DC 25)

Complications
Prejudice: Jewish Lesbian Wicca
Relationship: Tara

Languages
English, French, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Russian

Defense
Dodge 3, Parry 0, Fortitude 5, Toughness 1, Will 7

Power Points
Abilities 26 + Powers 65 + Advantages 20 + Skills 29 (58 ranks) + Defenses 10 = 150


Tara Maclay
PL 10
Strength 1, Stamina 1, Agility 0, Dexterity 0, Fighting 0, Intellect 3, Awareness 5, Presence 2

Advantages
Animal Empathy, Artificer, Attractive, Benefit, Wealth (well-off), Equipment 3, Extraordinary Effort, Inspire, Languages 4, Minion 2, Occult Library, Ritualist, Skill Mastery (Expertise (Magic)), Teamwork, Well-informed

Skills
 Expertise (Horse Riding) 4 (+7), Expertise (Humanities) 8 (+11), Expertise (Magic) 10 (+13), Insight 8 (+13), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 2 (+7), Persuasion 2 (+4), Ranged Combat (Arcane Blast: Blast 10) 2 (+2), Sleight of Hand 2 (+2), Technology 2 (+5), Treatment 8 (+11), Vehicles 1 (+1)

Powers
Magickal Senses: Senses 8 (magic, Awareness: Magical, Counters Illusion: Magical, Detect: Magical 2 (ranged), Postcognition (Limited): Touch, Radius: Magical; Affects Insubstantial 2 (full rank))
Mystic Healing: Healing 9 (Activation (move action), Limited (Touch only))
Telekinesis: Move Object 4 (mystic, 800 lbs.; Concentration)
    Throw Object: Blast 2 (Alternate; magic, DC 17; Diminished Range)
Witchcraft: Magic 11 ([9 active, 27/35 PP, 3/r], DC 24; Affects Insubstantial 2 (full rank), Multiattack)
    Arcane Blast: Blast 10 (Alternate; DC 25; Distracting, Noticeable (Light flare))
    Astral Projection (Alternate; Activation: Move Action)
    Flight: Flight 10 (Alternate; Speed: 2000 miles/hour, 4 miles/round; Concentration)
    Glamour: Illusion 5 (Alternate; magic, Affects: All Sense Types, Area: 30 cft., DC 15)
    Magic Sheild: Force Field 14 (Alternate; +14 Toughness)
    Remote Sensing: Remote Sensing 12 (Alternate; Affects: 2 Types, inc. Visual - Vision and Hearing, Range: 16 miles; Linked (Magickal Senses: Senses 8) [4 extra ranks]; Concentration)
    Telepathy: Mental Communication 5 (Alternate; Advantages: Extended distance with Willow; Distracting)
    Teleport: Teleport 10 (Alternate; 4 miles in a move action, carrying 50 lbs.)

Equipment
Apartment, Athame 1, Car, Cell Phone (Smartphone), Computer

Offense
Initiative +0
Arcane Blast: Blast 10, +2 (DC 25)
Grab, +0 (DC Spec 11)
Telekinesis: Move Object 4, +0 (DC 14)
Throw, +0 (DC 16)
Throw Object: Blast 2, +0 (DC 17)
Unarmed, +0 (DC 16)
Witchcraft: Magic 11, +0 (DC 24)

Complications
Prejudice: Lesbian Wicca
Relationship: Willow

Languages
English, French, Gaelic, Greek, Japanese, Latin

Defense
Dodge 4, Parry 0, Fortitude 4, Toughness 1, Will 8

Power Points
Abilities 24 + Powers 67 + Advantages 22 + Skills 27 (54 ranks) + Defenses 10 = 150


Minion - Miss Kitty Fantastico II - PL 10
Strength 0, Stamina 0, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 1, Intellect 1, Awareness 1, Presence 1

Skills
Athletics 2 (+2), Close Combat (????) 1 (+2), Deception 1 (+2), Insight 1 (+2), Perception 3 (+4), Stealth 4 (+6)

Powers
Fly: Flight 2 (Speed: 8 miles/hour, 120 feet/round; Wings)  - MKF has wings that fold up on to her back and stay hidden unless she is using them.
Luck Control: Luck Control 1 (Negate Luck) - she is a black cat after all.
Mental Link: Mental Communication 1 (Sense Type: Telepathy; Limited (only with Willow and Tara))

Offense
Initiative +2
Grab, +1 (DC Spec 10)
Throw, +2 (DC 15)
Unarmed, +1 (DC 15)

Complications
Quirk: Lazy
Quirk: Curious

Languages
Cat, Telepathy

Defense
Dodge 2, Parry 1, Fortitude 0, Toughness 0, Will 1

Power Points
Abilities 16 + Powers 8 + Advantages 0 + Skills 6 (12 ranks) + Defenses 0 = 30

All in all I like them, but would like to hear what the experts have to say.

Tara gets the car (specially designed hybrid Subaru Outback), apartment and MKF II on her sheet to spread the points around.  Willow is brilliant and the most power witch on the planet maybe, but she considers Tara to be just as potent.  Both girls have Wealth, in my games Willow sold her software company, Red Witch, and remained on as their paid consultant.  This gives her freedom to work when she wants and still have money. Red Witch makes the world best computer security systems; and all have a back door that only Willow knows how to access.

In my WitchCraft game, Tara has more Essence or magical energy than Willow does, not sure how replicate that here.

Note: That fantastic bit of art up there is from David Reynolds, one half of the brilliant ShadowGirls comic team. 

International Woman's Day

Note: I am cross-posting this on the Wonder Woman blog, Amazon Princess as well.

Today is International Woman's Day.

While I think that is great thing I have to ask why more than half of the population only gets one day?  Shouldn't women get Spring and Summer and men get Fall and Winter?  Anyway I am not here to debate. William Moulton Marston envisioned a world where women would be more highly regarded than they were in his own time (and even than they are now), but failing that at least we can honor his ideals on this day with a picture of one his greatest creations; Wonder Woman.

From the DC Women Kicking Ass and Girls Gone Geek.

Don't see Fire, Ice or Zatanna in the pic though. Oh well it is still awesome.

Finally got my Expert Set!

So here is a story and it is a familiar one.   Young boy in the early 80's playing Atari and listening to Thomas Dolby gets the gift that will change everything, the D&D Basic set.  Later, with his well earned and saved money he buys the D&D Expert set.  Life is pretty good.  Advanced books follow.  Boy becomes a young man and moves away to college.  Books are taken in some moves, left at parents in others, many years later that milk crate of D&D books, including those once prized Basic and Expert sets (and a crap ton of AD&D hardcovers) have disappeared.

Sad tale to be sure.

Well no more, because after years of looking (albeit not very hard) I finally got a decent looking Expert set.

The box has some wear, yes, but let's look inside.

The books themselves are in fantastic shape.  Almost mint I would go as far to say.

Much better than the one I had (bought a couple years back),

The box also had a near mint AD&D 1st ED DM's screen and a full booklet of AD&D NPC record sheets.

Of course now I have four copies of X1, Ilse of the Dread; three of them in near mint condition.

This was pretty much the last thing I wanted to buy.  Now my long lost collection is complete again.  Well, I don't have the Dungeon or Wilderness Survival Guides, but that's fine.

They Don't Write 'em Like that Anymore

Back when I was in college I got a call from my mom, she was at a yard sale and someone was selling all their old Dragon magazines.  It was a box just full of stuff from like issue #35 on to #140 or so. Most were there, but a couple were missing, all in all about 100 issues.  Asking price, 10 bucks.
A while later I was able to get my hands on some old White Dwarf magazines, issues #1 through #50.  Most of them were there as well but not all of them were in great shape.
But beyond the quality of the magazines and how much (or rather how little) I paid for them, reading them was pure joy.  Even if I was not actually playing the versions of the games they were talking about (this was during the 2nd Ed era and into the 3rd Ed one) they were still fantastic.  Some stuff was good, some was bad, but all of it was earnest and just plain fun to read.

I get that same feeling while reading Oubliette.

I just picked up Issue #5 and I have others, but this issue really gave me the same feeling as reading a newly discovered fan magazine from the late 70s. There is nothing that stands out as special to me in this issue, it is just the whole package that I enjoy.  It was interesting to see the Monstermark system again, having seen it in my collected issues of White Dwarf and still not getting it. I liked the "advanced" vampires too.

The art is very evocative of the old school style seen in Dragon, White Dwarf and The Dungeoneer magazines.

I hope we can see more from The Oubliette!