Mail Call: Horror and Pulpy Good Fun

Some new Kickstarter in the mail this week. Let's see what we have!

Up first is Swords & Chaos.

This is a pulpy OSR-adjacent game. It does use the OGL and has the feel of old-school D&D.  The game is what I would expect if Barbarians of Lemuria and Crypts & Things had a baby and Hyperbora was its Godfather. 

It looks like a lot of fun to be honest, but I have not had the chance to really dive into it.

Up next is one from a long time friend and co-worker, Richard Ruane. 

Moonlight on Roseville Beach is largely inspired by the covers of pulp gay and lesbian novels of the 1950s. I think I can pinpoint the exact moment on Twitter discussing the books of Ann Bannon when he came up with this idea.

Richard and I have worked together at various day jobs in academia over the last 20 years. He is a great guy and has a solid game design CV. This new RPG is a lot of fun. Combine 20s and 30s pulp detectives with the gay and lesbian romance novels of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, sprinkle in some cosmic horror and you have Moonlight on Roseville Beach.

It works as a game on its own (as it is designed to do) or even as a mini-campaign for other games. Though Richard doesn't know yet that this is what I will use it for!

Can't wait to find a place for both of these on my gaming table.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 2, Room 7

Turning to your right the hallway continues on.  On the corner to your left there is, if the proper rolls are made, a secret door.

This room is found behind a secret door in the corner of the hallway, not on the flat walls. 

This room appears to have been a guar room of some sort. There are chairs for three with a small table and weapons on the walls.  There are slots in the wall where guards can watch both hallways. A door on the back wall leads to another hallway deeper into this layer (near rooms 27 and 28).

This room has been untouched by the waves of denizens here. There is a mace +1, sword +1 and 2 +1 arrows stored here for the guard's use in addition to some normal items. There had been food but it has since rotted away. 

Finding these treasures is worth 2,500xp.

Monstrous Mondays: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Bestiaries

I have a few projects to wrap up then I will be getting back into my own Basic Bestiary, but until then I am enjoying some non-5e options as well.

In particular, the new(er) Pathfinder 2nd Edition Bestiaries.

I ordered the Bestiary 2 from Paizo's website just before the OGL news broke last month and right before they became slammed with orders.  It took it a little bit, but this past weekend I got new box in the mail.

I enjoyed it so much I ran to my FLGS to grab the Bestiary 3!

The art, layout and presentation are all fantastic. There are plenty of new monsters and old favorites here. The old favorites even get a few new twists to make them all feel like new.

They all look great next to each other, and I am a sucker for a ribbon in a book.

Looking forward to giving my "Second Campaign" a spin with some Pathfinder rules.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 2, Room 6

A little bit further down on the left is another door from the hall way turns to the right.

Photo by Francisco Ortiz from Pexels

This former cell is also empty.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 2, Room 5

Moving on down the hall the next cell is on your left-hand side.  This one is also locked.

This room contains a skeleton shackled to the wall. It's head looks like it was bashed in. It is a normal skeleton of some forgotten prisoner.  Inside its remains are three gems (2 rubies and a sapphire) worth 50gp each. Evidently, they were swallowed by this prisoner, and now they are all that is left of him.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 2, Room 4

The hallway turns to the left and continues on.  The first door encountered (Room 4) is on the left-hand side.  Like all the doors, this one is locked.

Inside this room is a Schreckengeist.  While old, this ghost is of an adventurer that died after the fall of the Vampire Queen. He became trapped in this room and died.  

AC 3 [17], HD 3 (13hp), Att 1, scream of fear, THAC0 20 [0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D13 W13 P14 B15 S17, ML 10, AL Chaotic, XP 175, NA 1 (1d4), TT see below.

The Schreckengeist will be calmly floating over the skeletal remains of his body. He will seem sad at first, but once the characters enter the room, he will scream.

The Schreckengeist is incorporeal and can not be struck by normal weapons, only silvered ones.  Likewise, it can not attack with physical attacks, although in its rage, it will try to.  Its only attack is a scream of fear.  Characters of 3rd level or below must Save vs. Petrification or flee in terror as per the Fear spell.  Normal Humans and creatures below 1 level/HD get no save; characters above 4th level/HD are immune.

Any characters that fail their save will try to run back the way they came to the stairs to this level.

The Schreckengeist can be turned, but the spirit will reform after the next sunset.  The only way to give it rest is to return it's body (bones) to it's home or to burn them.  If the body is burned award everyone that participates 10 xp. If the bone are taken to be returned home given all that participate 15 xp. There will be a gold medallion around his neck bones that will at least mention the city he is from (the characters should at least be familiar with it). The medallion itself is worth 50 gp.

He has treasure in gems and coins worth 150 gp. There are several empty potion bottles near the body; his desperate attempt at getting some water. The weapons are old but functional.

Kickstart Your Weekend: Monsters and More!

More Kickstarters this week, and it is a good batch.

Dark Wizard Games: Fantasy Folder #1 - Dungeon Demon

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marktaormino/dark-wizard-games-fantasy-folder-1-dungeon-demon?ref=theotherside

A new one from Dark Wizard Games and Mark Taormino.  Mark always runs a great Kickstarter and this one looks no different. 

This time he gives us some folders that remind me of the old St Regis folders.  This would be great for nearly any purpose for your games, and I hope these are the first of many more. Yeah, a cheap folder from Mead is cheaper but nowhere near as cool.

Monster Rangers RPG

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steamcrow/monster-rangers-rpg?ref=theotherside

This one looks fun. From the Kickstarter:

Occult Pulp Adventure set in 1913!

Join the cause (CAWS) as a Monster Ranger who takes on Monsterologists who exploit monsters for their majik in a veiled world of weird; Obscuria.

'La Notte Eterna': Horror-Gothic Setting for 5E

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aliribelli/la-notte-eterna?ref=theotherside

This is a dark fantasy setting for 5e with new sub-classes and monsters and it looks rather cool.

There is a LOT here too. Three books, minis, DM's Screen, PDFs. Just a lot of stuff to be honest and it looks great.  There is even a quickstart to get a feel for the game. 

The setting is right up my alley too. Something I was doing with my own "Come Endless Darkness" campaign.  THIS could be a world where the heroes failed and darkness took over. It is worth me getting it just for that!

Lots of great stuff out there in this one. More than I can post now, but check it out. My enthusiasm for 5e might be at an all time low, but this looks like a ton of fun.