Hey all.
I have to postpone White Dwarf Wednesday today due to a bad migraine.
I'll get it put up when I can.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
A to Z 2013 Reflections
The April A to Z is over.
This year I stuck with a theme and I find that more enjoyable. I posted a lot of new demons and demon types, all of which will appear (with many more) in my next book, Eldritch Witchery.
I managed to visit every single blog in the Challenge. I saw far less dead blogs or advertising blogs this year, thanks to the teams each of the hosts had to patrol the blogs. I did see a lot of posts and replies back to posts on blogs as well. Few RPG blogs in the mix this year, but there were a couple that were new to me.
I am not sure how my numbers came in. I have been suffering from worsening migraines all month. In fact I would not have been able to do this at all if I hadn't written many of these posts a while back. I do know my hits were slightly up, but I have a bunch of new followers. I followed a lot of new blogs too.
I am beginning to wonder though if the A to Z is now too big. The idea was to visit a lot of very different blogs, but at the size it is getting makes me wonder about the utility of that. While I did visit every blog, I didn't leave comments on all of them. Maybe on that particular day they were not posting anything I wanted to comment on. Also many blogs didn't have their Google Friend Connect set up to be followed.
There is the Reflections Blog Hop. It's not open yet, but will be tomorrow. So I am going to try to hit all of those blogs as well.
Once again I did two blogs. The Other Side and one I share, Red Sonja she-devil With a Sword.
Next year (if I do it) I'll include Amazon Princess, a Wonder Woman blog I also share.
If you are looking for another Blog Hop may I suggest L.G. Keltner's Towel Day Blog Hop.
I am going to do games that would be good to emulate Douglas Adams' Universe here and then talk about the man himself over at my other blog The Freedom of Nonbelief. So please sign up and join me on this one!
This year I stuck with a theme and I find that more enjoyable. I posted a lot of new demons and demon types, all of which will appear (with many more) in my next book, Eldritch Witchery.
I managed to visit every single blog in the Challenge. I saw far less dead blogs or advertising blogs this year, thanks to the teams each of the hosts had to patrol the blogs. I did see a lot of posts and replies back to posts on blogs as well. Few RPG blogs in the mix this year, but there were a couple that were new to me.
I am not sure how my numbers came in. I have been suffering from worsening migraines all month. In fact I would not have been able to do this at all if I hadn't written many of these posts a while back. I do know my hits were slightly up, but I have a bunch of new followers. I followed a lot of new blogs too.
I am beginning to wonder though if the A to Z is now too big. The idea was to visit a lot of very different blogs, but at the size it is getting makes me wonder about the utility of that. While I did visit every blog, I didn't leave comments on all of them. Maybe on that particular day they were not posting anything I wanted to comment on. Also many blogs didn't have their Google Friend Connect set up to be followed.
There is the Reflections Blog Hop. It's not open yet, but will be tomorrow. So I am going to try to hit all of those blogs as well.
Once again I did two blogs. The Other Side and one I share, Red Sonja she-devil With a Sword.
Next year (if I do it) I'll include Amazon Princess, a Wonder Woman blog I also share.
If you are looking for another Blog Hop may I suggest L.G. Keltner's Towel Day Blog Hop.
I am going to do games that would be good to emulate Douglas Adams' Universe here and then talk about the man himself over at my other blog The Freedom of Nonbelief. So please sign up and join me on this one!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Goodbye Marvel Superhero Roleplaying
Today is the last day.
Due to a licensing change with Marvel, Margaret Weiss Productions will no longer be selling Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.
MHR is a great game, but you need the right group to do it. That might have factored into the sales vs. licensing equation. In any case get these game books today while you can.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Basic Game
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Civil War Event Book (Essentials Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Civil War Event Book (Premium Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book (Essentials Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book (Premium Edition)
At midnight tonight they are all gone.
Due to a licensing change with Marvel, Margaret Weiss Productions will no longer be selling Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.
MHR is a great game, but you need the right group to do it. That might have factored into the sales vs. licensing equation. In any case get these game books today while you can.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Basic Game
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Civil War Event Book (Essentials Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Civil War Event Book (Premium Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book (Essentials Edition)
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation Event Book (Premium Edition)
At midnight tonight they are all gone.
Z is for Zsusr
This is it!
For the last demon I want to give you something completely original.
Back in the early 90s I was working on getting into grad school in psychology. I wanted something on my resume that would looks good and give me the time at night to study for the GRE. So I took a job as the night QMHP (Qualified Mental Health Professional) at a local group home for schizophrenics.
One night one of the patients was playing with the house's dog, Sussie. He came into my office later and informed me we needed to get rid of the dog because, as he said in his slurred speech, that "Zsusr" was another name for the devil and the dog was possessed. I told him that was not the case. He decided that he just wasn't going to talk to the dog anymore.
So I have wanted to bring Zsusr into my games now for a long time.
Little is know about the Demon Princess Zsusr. Occult scholars have had difficulty recording the experiences others have had of her since she tends to leave all who have contact with her as deranged imbeciles She appears as a tall, dark skinned woman of middle age. Her clothing will vary, and sometimes she will appear completely unclothed, but that is not her most striking feature. Zsusr has the head of a dog and her legs are the hind-quaters of a dog as well. Her dog head is incapable of human speech, but she can communicate telepathically with anyone capable of speech. Her "voice" sounds like a sonorus whisper; soft but clearly heard by all. When hearing her voice for the first time a victim must save vs Will, Wisdom or Charm (whatever is appropriate) or permanently loose 1 point of Intelligence. This save must be made on each new encounter with Zsusr. Zususr also has other methods to keep those in her thrall. She can regurgitate a worm that she places in the mouths of her victims. They must save vs. Poison/Constitution/Fortitude or the worm will find its way to the victims brain, then they will permanently loose 3 points of Intelligence (1 in Ghosts of Albion/Unisystem).
As a demon Princess Zsusr has 700 legions of dog headed demons she may call upon; such as Umu, Glabrezu, Yeth, Hell Hounds and Shucks. But it is rumored that her ties lie elsewhere. It said that despite being a powerful demon she is also a member, some say the highest member, of the Cult of the Whispering God.
Zsusr may also cast spells as a witch of 5th level.
.jpg)
Zsusr (OSR/Basic)
Alignment: Chaotic (Evil)
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 2 (17)
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 90 hp (18+9 HD)
Attacks: claw (x2), bite
Damage: 1d8+2 (x2), 1d10
Special: Immune to fire, Intelligence drain
Save: F18
MORALE: 10
Hoard Class: NA
XP: 6,000
Zsusr (Ghosts of Albion)
Creature Type: Demonic Lord
Life Points: 60
Drama Points: 3
Attributes
Str: 5
Dex: 4
Con: 6
Int: 5
Per: 7
Will: 8
Armed Mayhem: 7, Fisticuffs: 7, Occult knowledge: 8,
Special Abilities: Demon, Fear, Hard to Kill, Increased Life Points, Intelligence Drain, Lesser Sensing, Magic 5, Occult Library (Good), Resistance (Fire).
Anyone seeing Zsusr for the first time must make a Fear check (Willpower x2) or loose 1 point of Int.
Manoeuvres
Name Score Damage Notes
Claw +11 12 Slash/stab
Bite +11 19 Slash/stab
Deflect +21 - Magic defence action; deflects spell 45˚
Spells +21 - varies by spell
For the last demon I want to give you something completely original.
Back in the early 90s I was working on getting into grad school in psychology. I wanted something on my resume that would looks good and give me the time at night to study for the GRE. So I took a job as the night QMHP (Qualified Mental Health Professional) at a local group home for schizophrenics.
One night one of the patients was playing with the house's dog, Sussie. He came into my office later and informed me we needed to get rid of the dog because, as he said in his slurred speech, that "Zsusr" was another name for the devil and the dog was possessed. I told him that was not the case. He decided that he just wasn't going to talk to the dog anymore.
So I have wanted to bring Zsusr into my games now for a long time.
Little is know about the Demon Princess Zsusr. Occult scholars have had difficulty recording the experiences others have had of her since she tends to leave all who have contact with her as deranged imbeciles She appears as a tall, dark skinned woman of middle age. Her clothing will vary, and sometimes she will appear completely unclothed, but that is not her most striking feature. Zsusr has the head of a dog and her legs are the hind-quaters of a dog as well. Her dog head is incapable of human speech, but she can communicate telepathically with anyone capable of speech. Her "voice" sounds like a sonorus whisper; soft but clearly heard by all. When hearing her voice for the first time a victim must save vs Will, Wisdom or Charm (whatever is appropriate) or permanently loose 1 point of Intelligence. This save must be made on each new encounter with Zsusr. Zususr also has other methods to keep those in her thrall. She can regurgitate a worm that she places in the mouths of her victims. They must save vs. Poison/Constitution/Fortitude or the worm will find its way to the victims brain, then they will permanently loose 3 points of Intelligence (1 in Ghosts of Albion/Unisystem).
As a demon Princess Zsusr has 700 legions of dog headed demons she may call upon; such as Umu, Glabrezu, Yeth, Hell Hounds and Shucks. But it is rumored that her ties lie elsewhere. It said that despite being a powerful demon she is also a member, some say the highest member, of the Cult of the Whispering God.
Zsusr may also cast spells as a witch of 5th level.
.jpg)
Alignment: Chaotic (Evil)
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 2 (17)
Hit Points (Hit Dice): 90 hp (18+9 HD)
Attacks: claw (x2), bite
Damage: 1d8+2 (x2), 1d10
Special: Immune to fire, Intelligence drain
Save: F18
MORALE: 10
Hoard Class: NA
XP: 6,000
Zsusr (Ghosts of Albion)
Creature Type: Demonic Lord
Life Points: 60
Drama Points: 3
Attributes
Str: 5
Dex: 4
Con: 6
Int: 5
Per: 7
Will: 8
Armed Mayhem: 7, Fisticuffs: 7, Occult knowledge: 8,
Special Abilities: Demon, Fear, Hard to Kill, Increased Life Points, Intelligence Drain, Lesser Sensing, Magic 5, Occult Library (Good), Resistance (Fire).
Anyone seeing Zsusr for the first time must make a Fear check (Willpower x2) or loose 1 point of Int.
Manoeuvres
Name Score Damage Notes
Claw +11 12 Slash/stab
Bite +11 19 Slash/stab
Deflect +21 - Magic defence action; deflects spell 45˚
Spells +21 - varies by spell
Monday, April 29, 2013
Y is for Yaksas/Yaksha/Yakshini
I have a theory. My theory is that the names of theological demons were all invented (this is not a theory, but true) by monks and theologians with a little spare time on their hands. They started with A and worked their way down. This is why we have so man "A" demons but almost no "Y" ones. ;)
I know that theory has a lot of holes in it. But the data remains. I think I could have posted an "A" demon every day. Y on the other hand doesn't give me a lot of choices.
Yaksas/Yaksha
The yakṣa or yaksha is nature spirit from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist literature/myth. They can either be good (or least inoffensive) or evil. There also seems to be a difference between the male yaksha and the female yakṣiṇīs or yakshini. They share a relationship with the Rakshasa.
I had mentioned previously that myths and folklore rarely conform to the needs of any RPG. In D&D terms the yaksha might be demons or even something like faeries. There are numerous stories featuring these creatures, giving them the rough feel to me as fae.
Yaksha/Yakshini
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 4d8+12* (30 hp)
No. of Attacks: 1 by weapon (long sword) or spell
Damage: 1d8+3
Special: immune to fear
Movement: 60’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: See Below
XP: 550 / 650
The male Yaksha is a demonic creature related to the more powerful Rakshasa. They appear as very tall humans with large tusks protruding from their lower jaw. There is a claim that their eyes are one fire, but that is due to the orange/yellow coloring. The Yaksha are very strong (18 str) and good fighters. They are typically armed with a large curved blade. Yaksha are almost always evil, though cases have been recorded of non-evil individuals. Scholars have attempted to find a relationship between these creatures and the Oni.
Yakshini
Yakshini are the females of the Yaksha race. They are very, very rare and in fact only 66 are known to exist. Unlike their ogre like male counterpart the Yakshini are human looking. They do not attack with weapons but rather rely on spells. They can cast spells as a 4th level witch. They are typically good (Law) in alignment.
Yakaha will not attack humans, if if ordered so by a Rakshasa if a Yakshini is present. Rakshasas will seek out Yakshini as brides or consorts when possible.
I know that theory has a lot of holes in it. But the data remains. I think I could have posted an "A" demon every day. Y on the other hand doesn't give me a lot of choices.
The yakṣa or yaksha is nature spirit from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist literature/myth. They can either be good (or least inoffensive) or evil. There also seems to be a difference between the male yaksha and the female yakṣiṇīs or yakshini. They share a relationship with the Rakshasa.
I had mentioned previously that myths and folklore rarely conform to the needs of any RPG. In D&D terms the yaksha might be demons or even something like faeries. There are numerous stories featuring these creatures, giving them the rough feel to me as fae.
Yaksha/Yakshini
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 4d8+12* (30 hp)
No. of Attacks: 1 by weapon (long sword) or spell
Damage: 1d8+3
Special: immune to fear
Movement: 60’
No. Appearing: 1
Saves As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: See Below
XP: 550 / 650
The male Yaksha is a demonic creature related to the more powerful Rakshasa. They appear as very tall humans with large tusks protruding from their lower jaw. There is a claim that their eyes are one fire, but that is due to the orange/yellow coloring. The Yaksha are very strong (18 str) and good fighters. They are typically armed with a large curved blade. Yaksha are almost always evil, though cases have been recorded of non-evil individuals. Scholars have attempted to find a relationship between these creatures and the Oni.
Yakshini
Yakshini are the females of the Yaksha race. They are very, very rare and in fact only 66 are known to exist. Unlike their ogre like male counterpart the Yakshini are human looking. They do not attack with weapons but rather rely on spells. They can cast spells as a 4th level witch. They are typically good (Law) in alignment.
Yakaha will not attack humans, if if ordered so by a Rakshasa if a Yakshini is present. Rakshasas will seek out Yakshini as brides or consorts when possible.
Kickstarters of the Week
Y post up a little later today. But here are some Kickstarters that caught my eye over the last week.
The Victorian Academy of Magick Book
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/415194828/the-victorian-academy-of-magick-book
Paul Voodini is running this one and it looks really cool. I spoke with him a bit and it would make for a great background book in any magic-based Victorian era RPG.
To get an idea of what the book will be like, check out the Facebook page, The Victorian Academy of Magick, https://www.facebook.com/VictorianAcademyMagick
The Way of Tree, Shadow & Flame for The Secret Fire RPG
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/georgestrayton/the-way-of-tree-shadow-and-flame-for-the-secret-fi
I reviewed the Secret Fire a while back and Tenkar brought this one up. It looks pretty cool and I was pleasantly surprised with the Secret Fire.
Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose: Eleventh Collected Trade
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jimbalent/tarot-witch-of-the-black-rose-eleventh-collected-t
Finally the 11th collected Tarot Witch of the Black Rose trade-paperback is up.
It already met it's funding so now it about the stretch goals.
I have stated up Tarot in the past and I like the character to be honest.
Dark Dungeons: The Movie
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/295102457/rpgs-are-evil-dark-dungeons-the-movie
I am not even sure what to say about this one. You all know the Chick tract.
There was even an animated movie made of it once.
http://vimeo.com/17338896
I of course like my own MST3k treatment (two sites of many)
http://www.rpglibrary.org/inspiration/darkdungeons/intro.html
http://www.humpin.org/mst3kdd/
I might just have to throw some money at this one.
ETA:
The World's Worst Dungeon Crawl!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/epiclevel/the-worlds-worst-dungeon-crawl
No idea yet. But it looks fantastic. Though I do enjoy the line "Killing characters is easy, entertaining players is hard."
The Victorian Academy of Magick Book
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/415194828/the-victorian-academy-of-magick-book
Paul Voodini is running this one and it looks really cool. I spoke with him a bit and it would make for a great background book in any magic-based Victorian era RPG.
To get an idea of what the book will be like, check out the Facebook page, The Victorian Academy of Magick, https://www.facebook.com/VictorianAcademyMagick
The Way of Tree, Shadow & Flame for The Secret Fire RPG
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/georgestrayton/the-way-of-tree-shadow-and-flame-for-the-secret-fi
I reviewed the Secret Fire a while back and Tenkar brought this one up. It looks pretty cool and I was pleasantly surprised with the Secret Fire.
Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose: Eleventh Collected Trade
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jimbalent/tarot-witch-of-the-black-rose-eleventh-collected-t
Finally the 11th collected Tarot Witch of the Black Rose trade-paperback is up.
It already met it's funding so now it about the stretch goals.
I have stated up Tarot in the past and I like the character to be honest.
Dark Dungeons: The Movie
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/295102457/rpgs-are-evil-dark-dungeons-the-movie
I am not even sure what to say about this one. You all know the Chick tract.
There was even an animated movie made of it once.
http://vimeo.com/17338896
I of course like my own MST3k treatment (two sites of many)
http://www.rpglibrary.org/inspiration/darkdungeons/intro.html
http://www.humpin.org/mst3kdd/
I might just have to throw some money at this one.
ETA:
The World's Worst Dungeon Crawl!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/epiclevel/the-worlds-worst-dungeon-crawl
No idea yet. But it looks fantastic. Though I do enjoy the line "Killing characters is easy, entertaining players is hard."
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Zatannurday: X is for X-Rated
The biggest trouble is with "porn" versions of superheroes is not that people are having sex (come on, that is WHY we get them) it's that often the producers of the adult movies do a better job than Hollywood does! Not always, but sometimes.
I have a number of adult film actors and producers on my G+ and Facebook friends and they are every bit as geeky about this stuff as I am.
Here is a post by fellow gamer Zak Sabbath on his site, Playing D&D With Porn Stars to pretty much the same conclusions.
So here are two examples of X-Rated Zatanna. This post though will be safe for work.
I had previously mentioned Super-heroines in 3D before. I bought it and watched, for research of course!
It stars Chanel Preston as Zee.
The movie itself is Point of View. So it's like you are part of her...magic act.
Chanel looks great, but I didn't buy her as Zee at all. I honestly only picked up for the Superhero content, I am not into POV porn.
The next one though is an example of what you can do if you pay attention to your source material.
The Dark Knight XXX: A Porn Parody works better as a B-rate Batman movie. I also own this one (thanks to Vivid's on-demand service; we live in a Golden Age!). I am not going to get into it too deep to be honest, but there are a few things I did want to bring up.
First, for a Vivid porn, it is rather tame, but it also has a plot. Batman, upset about the defeat of Batgirl and Nightwing, is in exile. Meanwhile, Bane is tearing up Gotham.
The scene with Joker and Batgirl is straight (more or less) from The Killing Joke.
The scene with Zatanna is what brings me to this movie. It is Zee (Christy Mack) and Constantine. The actor is a better Constantine than Keanu Reeves was; he has the look and the accent.
Christy Mack looks more like Zee than Chanel Preston. Though they forgot the fishnets.
She has a scene with Constantine (the impossibly named Clarke Kent), but that is it.
I give the producers credit for knowing their material and casting actors and actresses that look the part (Catwoman and Poison Ivy were great; Bane in here is scarier than Bane in TDKR). I gotta say the Joker scene ala the Killing Joke made my geeky fan boy happy.
All in all this is still better than the Justice League Movie from 97 or the Doctor Strange movie from 20 years before that, and right now it is the closest we have to a Justice League movie.
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