This list was posted to my Facebook feed today.
http://taxidermicowlbear.weebly.com/dd-retroclones.html
It is easily the biggest list of Retro-clones, near clones and other Old-School games I have ever seen.
Do yourself a favor and check it out.
The website's owner is also the author of Full Metal Plate Mail and Grey Six.
Grey Six includes an interesting take on the Warlock class and uses a lot of my OGC witch spells.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Owl & Weasel Wednesday #2 March 1975
Owl and Weasel hits Issue #2 and doubles in size! That is something even White Dwarf can't claim.
Still mot of the articles are by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, but some other talent is coming in.
Steve Jackson discusses the Brighton Toy Fair on page 1. Interesting in this perspective since this is a hobby on the verge. How so? Well by how little he mentions is there. The Fair is big enough to take over "3 hotels" he only mentions a handful of games and these are all board games. Yes, at this point D&D has not come to England but there are no War Games mentioned either.
So a question the true Grognards out there. Were War Games already dying out in 75? I was under the impression that this was a good time for them.
A brief mention that the board game magazine Albion was no more. I had not heard of it at before this.
A little math puzzle for you to try at home:
Ah that is why. In the Editorial on Page 4 Steve Jackson reports a reader saying "get rid of the puzzles". A thus the first irritated gamer raises his voice against the establishment or something. The editorial does mention more exciting things to come.
There are some more puzzles and a bit about the recent resurgence of Mah Jong. 1975 Percy Kenyon would be happy to know that nearly 40 years later the game is still played and in various formats. At one point I remember my FLGS carried nice and expensive Mah Jong sets for a while.
The overall feel of O&W2 is a zine starting it's stride. It is obvious that Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone feel they are on to something big. While retrospect tells us they were right, it is not the same "big thing".
What I love is the frontier feel of this. These are two guys, passionate about their hobby and want to share it with everyone and anyone they can.
Still mot of the articles are by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, but some other talent is coming in.
Steve Jackson discusses the Brighton Toy Fair on page 1. Interesting in this perspective since this is a hobby on the verge. How so? Well by how little he mentions is there. The Fair is big enough to take over "3 hotels" he only mentions a handful of games and these are all board games. Yes, at this point D&D has not come to England but there are no War Games mentioned either.
So a question the true Grognards out there. Were War Games already dying out in 75? I was under the impression that this was a good time for them.
A brief mention that the board game magazine Albion was no more. I had not heard of it at before this.
A little math puzzle for you to try at home:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 100Let me know if you figure it out. Puzzles seem like a must add really to a games magazine. I wonder why it wasn't done more.
Add mathematical notations to make the answer equal 100.
(eg. 123 + 4 - 56 ... etc.)
Ah that is why. In the Editorial on Page 4 Steve Jackson reports a reader saying "get rid of the puzzles". A thus the first irritated gamer raises his voice against the establishment or something. The editorial does mention more exciting things to come.
There are some more puzzles and a bit about the recent resurgence of Mah Jong. 1975 Percy Kenyon would be happy to know that nearly 40 years later the game is still played and in various formats. At one point I remember my FLGS carried nice and expensive Mah Jong sets for a while.
The overall feel of O&W2 is a zine starting it's stride. It is obvious that Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone feel they are on to something big. While retrospect tells us they were right, it is not the same "big thing".
What I love is the frontier feel of this. These are two guys, passionate about their hobby and want to share it with everyone and anyone they can.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
How to Run Your Game
We have a couple of independently produced books out now to help you run your game. One new and one getting more attention.
The first is +Alexis Smolensk's How to Run: an Advanced Guide to Managing Role-playing Games. It just came out last night. From what I can gather (and I could be wrong) this is a guide that is more directed towards the long time gamer (thus the "Advanced" part) and it might be exclusively drawn from a D&D perspective.
The older book is +Mike Shea's The Lazy Dungeon Master. It has the feeling of being on the other end of the spectrum from Alexis' book, but I don't have it either so hard to say. What it says it is guide to help the time constrained DM. It has some good reviews and the content seems to be drawn largely from later editions of D&D. You can read a more detailed review of this book over at The Traveling Spellbook.
While I am sure both of these are very fine books I am wondering about their scope. Or to put it bluntly are they only about D&D? That is fine. D&D is a great game, one of my favorites. But it is not the only game I play. I also don't think I am the target audience anyway.
Over the last 35 years or so of my game playing I have read numerous books on how run games. After a bit they do tend to get a little repetitive. By the late 90s I was focusing most of my time and energy on running Horror games and Horror-themed fantasy RPGs; so my own reading took me in that direction.
For my money the best guide for running a game is still the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.
Not only is it a perfect example of High Gygaxian Prose, it is also just so filled with material you need to run a game. I have often thought about doing an RPG.net style read-through of the DMG. Follow it up with the 3rd Ed D&D DMG which is not as good, but still a surprisingly good guide.
If you want to run a horror game (and I often do) then the best guide is still Nightmares of Mine. Written by Ken Hite and published by ICE and Chaosium it is small but filled with material, but it also out of print and not cheap. This handy little guide is everything you need to run every sort of horror game. Straight up horror, survival horror, personal horror, comedy horror. You name it, this book covers it. Failing finding this a copy of Call of Cthluhu or GURPS: Horror are also good choices.
I am looking forward to hearing what people will have to say about these two new guides.
The first is +Alexis Smolensk's How to Run: an Advanced Guide to Managing Role-playing Games. It just came out last night. From what I can gather (and I could be wrong) this is a guide that is more directed towards the long time gamer (thus the "Advanced" part) and it might be exclusively drawn from a D&D perspective.
The older book is +Mike Shea's The Lazy Dungeon Master. It has the feeling of being on the other end of the spectrum from Alexis' book, but I don't have it either so hard to say. What it says it is guide to help the time constrained DM. It has some good reviews and the content seems to be drawn largely from later editions of D&D. You can read a more detailed review of this book over at The Traveling Spellbook.
While I am sure both of these are very fine books I am wondering about their scope. Or to put it bluntly are they only about D&D? That is fine. D&D is a great game, one of my favorites. But it is not the only game I play. I also don't think I am the target audience anyway.
Over the last 35 years or so of my game playing I have read numerous books on how run games. After a bit they do tend to get a little repetitive. By the late 90s I was focusing most of my time and energy on running Horror games and Horror-themed fantasy RPGs; so my own reading took me in that direction.
For my money the best guide for running a game is still the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.
Not only is it a perfect example of High Gygaxian Prose, it is also just so filled with material you need to run a game. I have often thought about doing an RPG.net style read-through of the DMG. Follow it up with the 3rd Ed D&D DMG which is not as good, but still a surprisingly good guide.
If you want to run a horror game (and I often do) then the best guide is still Nightmares of Mine. Written by Ken Hite and published by ICE and Chaosium it is small but filled with material, but it also out of print and not cheap. This handy little guide is everything you need to run every sort of horror game. Straight up horror, survival horror, personal horror, comedy horror. You name it, this book covers it. Failing finding this a copy of Call of Cthluhu or GURPS: Horror are also good choices.
I am looking forward to hearing what people will have to say about these two new guides.
Monday, July 14, 2014
The Other Side Nominated for an ENnie Award!
The Other Side has been nominated for "Best Blog" at this year's ENnie Awards!
http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2014-ennie-awards-nominees/
I have to say I am quite excited by this and even a little humbled.
I am not the biggest blog on the list of nominees. Nor even am I the best looking. But I post what I like to post and it seems to click because people keep coming back.
I have some pretty serious competition, to be honest. Gnome Stew is a blog I vote for every year (but NOT this year!) and has been one of my favorite reads for a while. But I like to think I offer something a little unique, a little different, and a whole lot of entertaining. So I hope you will consider me when voting begins next week.
To my fellow nominees, I am looking forward to being at Gen Con this year and wish you all the best.
http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2014-ennie-awards-nominees/
I have to say I am quite excited by this and even a little humbled.
I am not the biggest blog on the list of nominees. Nor even am I the best looking. But I post what I like to post and it seems to click because people keep coming back.
I have some pretty serious competition, to be honest. Gnome Stew is a blog I vote for every year (but NOT this year!) and has been one of my favorite reads for a while. But I like to think I offer something a little unique, a little different, and a whole lot of entertaining. So I hope you will consider me when voting begins next week.
To my fellow nominees, I am looking forward to being at Gen Con this year and wish you all the best.
Jackson De La Croix for WitchCraft
I wrote this up for a WitchCraft game I was running a few years ago. Jackson never made an appearance, but I will certainly want to use him for my Spirit of '76 game. Cerri and Brigh were two Wicce characters I had created as NPCs. Similar to the layout in Chill Vampires the dossier is a collection of reports, news clippings (in this case printouts) and written reports.
Jackson De La Croix, or Jackson Jammer, was one of my favorite vampires from the Chill Vampires book. Here is my attempt to bring him into Unisystem and the 21st century. I am going with 2nd Edition Chill here even though it states that Van Helsing began to tour in 1979 (left over from 1st Ed to be sure). If you want to use 1st Edition Chill, subtract 10 years. For my game I am going to have Van Helsing start around 74-75.
SAVE Report compiled 01-15-2006 by Cerriweden nic Brigandu, Special Envoy
Note: Cerriweden "Cerri" nic Brigandu is a member of the Daughters of the Flame coven. Born in Boston to Irish immigrants, Cerriweden has served not only as a valued and trusted Special Envoy to SAVE, she is also a top notch rock critic. She has been following the career and exploits of Jackson "Jammer" De La Croix since the death of Pablo "Bubba" Rodriguez in 1992. She first encountered the vampire in Boston while visiting the Daughters of the Flame sanctuary there.
(incl: Include photo of Cerri and Brigh with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from the 1994-5 Page/Plant tour).
Jackson De La Croix Today, Cerriweden nic Brigandu
Jackson did fake his death, but the tiff with Van Helsing's leader was real. Anton wanted to hit the big time, Jackson wanted to remain small and anonymous. Anton used drugs, while Jackson didn't. So Jackson decided to die. He allowed a doctor to examine him to sign the papers, but he hired a single mother to portray the grieving widow. In a rare occurrence of generosity, Jackson gave away almost all his earthly possessions and a fair sum of money to this woman and her son in return for their silence. Attempts to locate the woman have failed and no record of her exists after 1997.
Jackson did in fact kill Anton Van Helsing, but that was a mere technicality. Anton had been slowly dying of drug addiction. Jackson also later killed Anton's longtime girlfriend Astra, though no newspaper reported her death.
Jackson's whereabouts between 1996 and 2004 are unknown, but all reliable sources point to a long period of inactivity. It has been long speculated (see page 212 of the Rodriguez dossier) that Jackson has a hiding place in the ruins of the Belle Marche Plantation.
It is certain that the guitarist for De La Croix, J.J., is in fact Jackson De La Croix. What is curious is that in the hundred or so shows observed by SAVE, no deaths that meet Jackson's former MO have been noticed. In fact no deaths at all have been recorded outside of random stabbing in the same bar after the show.
Physical Appearance: As usual he appears to be a medium-complexion African American man in his early 20s. The same penetrating stare is there and it gives you the impression that he does not blink enough. He looks much like he did when he was the lead guitarist of Van Helsing.
Jackson De La Croix, WitchCraft RPG Stats
Strength: 5 Intelligence: 4
Dexterity: 8 Perception: 7
Constitution: 4 Willpower: 6
Life Points: 55 Endurance: N/A
Essence Pool: 97 Speed: 24
Skills: Play Instrument (guitar +9, all other stringed instruments +8 ) , Hand gun 3, Streetwise 6, Occult Knowledge 2
Qualities and Powers: Vampyre, Artistic Talent (guitars), Bard, Become Mist/Fog, Charisma 1, Contacts (Music industry), Hard to Kill, Increased Essence 6, Resources 4, Status 2, Semblance of Life, Time Stop
Drawbacks and Vulnerabilities: Aversions (Mint, Religious Symbols, Salt), Bloodthirst, Minority
Punch Damage: D4(2) x Strength
Kick Damage: D4(2) x (Strength+1)
Large Knife Damage: D4(2) x Strength. Damage Type: Slashing/Stabbing
Handgun, .22 caliber Damage: D4 x 2(4). Range: 3/10/20/60/120. Capacity: 8-10
Become Mist/Fog: One of Jackson more amazing powers is the ability to become mist or fog. Anytime he drops below 0 Life Points or below 5 Essence Points (or when he feels threatened) he can become a thick low-lying mist that moves at twice his normal speed. Jackson will then attempt to escape to a safe location. He has several plain wooden coffins stored away in safe houses in New Orleans, Nashville and Savannah, as well as one or two in smaller locales. He has a coffin in his standard gear, but knows that is the first place anyone will look. He disguises it as a crate to carry gear.
Note: Where did this Power Come From?
Not much is known about origin of this power. We do know from Rodriguez's research that Jackson's mother was a powerful Mambo and we do know there are reported, but undocumented, elemental powers among the Legbans. Was this a power Jackson had before becoming a vampyre or was something he developed later? Could this be an evolution of the Greater Shifting power? Further, careful, investigation is needed.
Religious Symbols: Jackson does not cower or flee from religious symbols like other vampyres, but he cannot come within 2.5 (1 meter) from them. He has the same reaction to Mint leaves (but not artificial mints) and Garlic. None of these have attracted any attention in a world where rock musicians will trash a room based on whether or not they got enough green M&Ms in their rooms.
Holy Burial: To permanently destroy Jackson one must perform a variation of the Holy Burial ritual described in the Mystery Codex. A wooden stake needs to be driven through Jackson's heart. His body must be placed in a plain wooden coffin (no other material will suffice) and taken to a crossroads by pallbearers. At the crossroads the coffin must be spun around at least three times. If one piece of the ritual is not done properly or is missing, Jackson will remain dead until the stake rots and he will then rise again to continue his façade of humanity. If every part of the ritual is followed to the letter then Jackson's spirit will pass to the Death Realms, never to return.
Essence Vampirism and Bloodthrist: Jackson De La Croix regains most of his essence during his concerts (has the Bard quality). Over the years he has perfected his performances to cause his audience to release almost imperceptible amounts of Essence (usually only one or two points per), but given that he plays to hundreds, even thousands, at a time, he can absorb a full two weeks worth of Essence per show. Of course Jackson will turn around and use Essence to power-up his performance, attract young ladies (usually several) to his dressing room, or typically enjoy the high that holding on to Essence gives. While in his Jammer days, De La Croix would go for the limelight and shun the backstage antics, as J.J. he provides a solid performance but remains an unknown element on the stage. His backstage antics are often sorid tabloid fodder. It is of course a ruse. De La Croix plays up this persona to distance himself from his previous ones. It also allows him to hide in plain sight as it were, no one thinks twice of some rock musician sleeping all day if he is rumored to be engaging in amorous activity with young groupies all night.
His Time Stop power is actually a Supernatural Quality/Power that causes a localized distortion of time perception, similar in many ways to the Mirage power. It costs 15 Quality/Power Points and 5 Essence Points for the first subjective minute and 2 Essence Points per subjective minute after that. So the drain someone in 5 minutes, Jackson spends 13 Essence Points.
Of course one might ask why he goes through the effort of using this power when he has better ways of getting Essence. Simply put Jackson enjoys the hunt. He has a taste for blood, particularly that of young females, and he enjoys the thrill of picking one girl out of the crowd to drain and doing it in front of everyone. Plus if Jackson does not feed at least once every two weeks he begins to loose Essence.
Like Mirage, this power ineffective against other supernatural creatures and those that can see Essence patterns.
Jackson De La Croix, or Jackson Jammer, was one of my favorite vampires from the Chill Vampires book. Here is my attempt to bring him into Unisystem and the 21st century. I am going with 2nd Edition Chill here even though it states that Van Helsing began to tour in 1979 (left over from 1st Ed to be sure). If you want to use 1st Edition Chill, subtract 10 years. For my game I am going to have Van Helsing start around 74-75.
SAVE Report compiled 01-15-2006 by Cerriweden nic Brigandu, Special Envoy
Note: Cerriweden "Cerri" nic Brigandu is a member of the Daughters of the Flame coven. Born in Boston to Irish immigrants, Cerriweden has served not only as a valued and trusted Special Envoy to SAVE, she is also a top notch rock critic. She has been following the career and exploits of Jackson "Jammer" De La Croix since the death of Pablo "Bubba" Rodriguez in 1992. She first encountered the vampire in Boston while visiting the Daughters of the Flame sanctuary there.
(incl: Include photo of Cerri and Brigh with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from the 1994-5 Page/Plant tour).
Quote:
News item: May 17th, 1996. Raleigh, NC. Jammer Jackson, Dead at 27.
Legendary guitarist Jammer Jackson (news:sear) was found dead this morning in his hotel room in Raleigh, NC. His band Van Helsing had been performing last night (see related story in Arts, page 1D) in Raleigh. Cause of death was not immediately known, but corners office has not ruled out death due to drugs.
Van Helsing had been in the news quite a bit recently due to the often public arguments of its lead singer, Anton Van Helsing (news:sear), and Jackson. Van Helsing's last album failed to chart a Top 100 hit leaving many critics to wonder if the band was a relic of the late 80's
Quote:
May 18th, 1996. New Orleans, LA. Jackson Death Ruled Natural Causes.
A representative of the Raleigh County NC corners office has ruled that Jammer Jackson's death was due to natural causes. A family spokesman has released a statement that due to religious observances Jackson's body was claimed by his family before an invasive autopsy could be performed. Toxicology results revealed no presence of drugs.
Quote:
May 19th, 1996. New Orleans, LA. Fans Bid Farewell to Jammer
A simple wooden coffin baring the ashes of Jammer Jackson was laid to rest today. Several celebrities and members of the music business joined with fans, friends and family to say goodbye to what many considered to be a modern legend. Often compared to Jimi Hendrix in style and looks, though Jackson himself likened his style more to blue legend Robert Johnson. Jammer had recently become friends with another gone before his time musician, Kurt Cobain. The inevitable comparisons between all these great musicians cannot be understated.
Quote:
June 13th, 1996. Los Angeles. Van Helsing, Dead at 31.
Anton Van Helsing the once flamboyant front man of the eponymous band Van Helsing was found dead in his hotel room today. Police are still questioning his long time girlfriend, Astra, in connection to drug paraphernalia found in the hotel. Van Helsing's death comes less than a month after the death of his bands lead guitarist Jammer Jackson.
Quote:
Website: The Johnson-Hendrix-Jackson link, circa 2001
I know this sounds crazy but Johnson and Jackson shared more than dying young, listen to the cover of Crossroads (the Eric Clapton song for you born after 69, the Robert Johnson song for the rest of us) on Van Helsings 6th album. If you slow it down to 1/16th speed you can hearI mean why did we never see his body! I am telling you that just like Elvis and Morrison, Jammer Jackson is still alive.
Quote:
November 7th, 2004 Fresh Faces, New Orleans, LA.
You have to living under a rock for the last Summer not to have heard the infectious grooves of the New Orleans hottest club band De La Croix. A spicy Cajun blend of hip-hop, rap, and good old fashioned blues driven rock, De La Croix is ready to take on the world. Whether you are a fan of vocalist Joaquin Esperanza's politically charged lyrics or the rap styling of co-frontman DLC, the one thing everyone agrees on is the shear talent of the band's 20 year old guitarist J.J. It has even lead some to speculate that J.J. is none other than the son of Jammer Jackson, last seen as a 10 year-old, standing by his fathers coffin so many years ago.
Jackson De La Croix Today, Cerriweden nic Brigandu
Jackson did fake his death, but the tiff with Van Helsing's leader was real. Anton wanted to hit the big time, Jackson wanted to remain small and anonymous. Anton used drugs, while Jackson didn't. So Jackson decided to die. He allowed a doctor to examine him to sign the papers, but he hired a single mother to portray the grieving widow. In a rare occurrence of generosity, Jackson gave away almost all his earthly possessions and a fair sum of money to this woman and her son in return for their silence. Attempts to locate the woman have failed and no record of her exists after 1997.
Jackson did in fact kill Anton Van Helsing, but that was a mere technicality. Anton had been slowly dying of drug addiction. Jackson also later killed Anton's longtime girlfriend Astra, though no newspaper reported her death.
Jackson's whereabouts between 1996 and 2004 are unknown, but all reliable sources point to a long period of inactivity. It has been long speculated (see page 212 of the Rodriguez dossier) that Jackson has a hiding place in the ruins of the Belle Marche Plantation.
It is certain that the guitarist for De La Croix, J.J., is in fact Jackson De La Croix. What is curious is that in the hundred or so shows observed by SAVE, no deaths that meet Jackson's former MO have been noticed. In fact no deaths at all have been recorded outside of random stabbing in the same bar after the show.
Physical Appearance: As usual he appears to be a medium-complexion African American man in his early 20s. The same penetrating stare is there and it gives you the impression that he does not blink enough. He looks much like he did when he was the lead guitarist of Van Helsing.
Jackson De La Croix, WitchCraft RPG Stats
Strength: 5 Intelligence: 4
Dexterity: 8 Perception: 7
Constitution: 4 Willpower: 6
Life Points: 55 Endurance: N/A
Essence Pool: 97 Speed: 24
Skills: Play Instrument (guitar +9, all other stringed instruments +8 ) , Hand gun 3, Streetwise 6, Occult Knowledge 2
Qualities and Powers: Vampyre, Artistic Talent (guitars), Bard, Become Mist/Fog, Charisma 1, Contacts (Music industry), Hard to Kill, Increased Essence 6, Resources 4, Status 2, Semblance of Life, Time Stop
Drawbacks and Vulnerabilities: Aversions (Mint, Religious Symbols, Salt), Bloodthirst, Minority
Punch Damage: D4(2) x Strength
Kick Damage: D4(2) x (Strength+1)
Large Knife Damage: D4(2) x Strength. Damage Type: Slashing/Stabbing
Handgun, .22 caliber Damage: D4 x 2(4). Range: 3/10/20/60/120. Capacity: 8-10
Become Mist/Fog: One of Jackson more amazing powers is the ability to become mist or fog. Anytime he drops below 0 Life Points or below 5 Essence Points (or when he feels threatened) he can become a thick low-lying mist that moves at twice his normal speed. Jackson will then attempt to escape to a safe location. He has several plain wooden coffins stored away in safe houses in New Orleans, Nashville and Savannah, as well as one or two in smaller locales. He has a coffin in his standard gear, but knows that is the first place anyone will look. He disguises it as a crate to carry gear.
Note: Where did this Power Come From?
Not much is known about origin of this power. We do know from Rodriguez's research that Jackson's mother was a powerful Mambo and we do know there are reported, but undocumented, elemental powers among the Legbans. Was this a power Jackson had before becoming a vampyre or was something he developed later? Could this be an evolution of the Greater Shifting power? Further, careful, investigation is needed.
Religious Symbols: Jackson does not cower or flee from religious symbols like other vampyres, but he cannot come within 2.5 (1 meter) from them. He has the same reaction to Mint leaves (but not artificial mints) and Garlic. None of these have attracted any attention in a world where rock musicians will trash a room based on whether or not they got enough green M&Ms in their rooms.
Holy Burial: To permanently destroy Jackson one must perform a variation of the Holy Burial ritual described in the Mystery Codex. A wooden stake needs to be driven through Jackson's heart. His body must be placed in a plain wooden coffin (no other material will suffice) and taken to a crossroads by pallbearers. At the crossroads the coffin must be spun around at least three times. If one piece of the ritual is not done properly or is missing, Jackson will remain dead until the stake rots and he will then rise again to continue his façade of humanity. If every part of the ritual is followed to the letter then Jackson's spirit will pass to the Death Realms, never to return.
Essence Vampirism and Bloodthrist: Jackson De La Croix regains most of his essence during his concerts (has the Bard quality). Over the years he has perfected his performances to cause his audience to release almost imperceptible amounts of Essence (usually only one or two points per), but given that he plays to hundreds, even thousands, at a time, he can absorb a full two weeks worth of Essence per show. Of course Jackson will turn around and use Essence to power-up his performance, attract young ladies (usually several) to his dressing room, or typically enjoy the high that holding on to Essence gives. While in his Jammer days, De La Croix would go for the limelight and shun the backstage antics, as J.J. he provides a solid performance but remains an unknown element on the stage. His backstage antics are often sorid tabloid fodder. It is of course a ruse. De La Croix plays up this persona to distance himself from his previous ones. It also allows him to hide in plain sight as it were, no one thinks twice of some rock musician sleeping all day if he is rumored to be engaging in amorous activity with young groupies all night.
His Time Stop power is actually a Supernatural Quality/Power that causes a localized distortion of time perception, similar in many ways to the Mirage power. It costs 15 Quality/Power Points and 5 Essence Points for the first subjective minute and 2 Essence Points per subjective minute after that. So the drain someone in 5 minutes, Jackson spends 13 Essence Points.
Of course one might ask why he goes through the effort of using this power when he has better ways of getting Essence. Simply put Jackson enjoys the hunt. He has a taste for blood, particularly that of young females, and he enjoys the thrill of picking one girl out of the crowd to drain and doing it in front of everyone. Plus if Jackson does not feed at least once every two weeks he begins to loose Essence.
Like Mirage, this power ineffective against other supernatural creatures and those that can see Essence patterns.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Zatannurday: Aquamaureen Cosplay
At the start of summer I ran a bunch of Cosplayers, but a few stood out and needed more attention.
Next is Aquamaureen Cosplay. Gotta say. I love the name!
http://aquamaureen13.deviantart.com/
https://twitter.com/Aquamaureen13
Zatanna and Batman by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna and Nightwing by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Nightwing swooping Zatanna off her feet by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
I put a spell on you because you're mine. by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 5 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 6 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 1 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Next is Aquamaureen Cosplay. Gotta say. I love the name!
http://aquamaureen13.deviantart.com/
https://twitter.com/Aquamaureen13
Zatanna and Batman by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna and Nightwing by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Nightwing swooping Zatanna off her feet by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
I put a spell on you because you're mine. by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 5 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 6 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Zatanna 1 by Aquamaureen13 on deviantART
Friday, July 11, 2014
30 Years Later The White Queen's Revenge
Got my copy of Gygax #4 in the mail the other day. Most striking of course is the cover by Den Beauvais.
Den contributed to some of the best covers for Dragon including the series of Chess themed covers that this is the fifth part of.
While exciting and full of great geek-fueled nostalgia, I fear that Gygax Magazine runs the risk of been only compared to early to mid 80s Dragon.
Sure. I enjoyed Dragon then. I still like picking up issues for then and rereading them looking for something I missed the first time. While Gygax is new and covers new games it hasn't really done anything to pull it away from it's roots.
And maybe that is fine. I enjoy Gygax Mag for the same reasons I enjoyed Dragon back in the day.
I think though now with the first four quarterly issues out it is a good time for Gygax to find it's own voice. Do something extra to make this their own.
Gygax Magazine #1
Gygax Magazine #2
Gygax Magazine #3
Gygax Magazine #4
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