Nothing puts me in the mood for working on a campaign or writing new material quite like a good playlist.
So while we are working on Thirteen Parsecs, Jason has put together a new sci-fi themed playlist for your enjoyment.
Don't forget to sign up to learn more about this project.
Enjoy!
It's the end of the week, the end of the month and the end of the year. So lets look to the future!
Thirteen Parsecs: Adventures Beyond the Solar Frontier is the latest tabletop role-playing game project from Elf Lair Games, producers of Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars and Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age. It forms the third of our trilogy of core games - we've given you modern and fantasy, and now we bring sci-fi to the forefront with the same rules, completely customizable and ready for you to build exactly the type of science fiction gaming you want. As always, it's your game your way when it's Powered by O.G.R.E.S.!
I am so excited for this. I have been dying to work on a solid sci-fi game since forever.
What is Thirteen Parsecs?
Like our other games, NIGHT SHIFT and Wasted Lands, Thirteen Parsecs is an O.G.R.E.S.-powered game. So if you have played a classic RPG then you know how to play this one already.
Also like NIGHT SHIFT, Thirteen Parsecs will be a "toolbox game." We are going to give you the basic rules and structure for all sorts of Science Fiction style role-playing. So whether you want to play heroic characters in an epic space opera, explore strange new world with a group of explorers, battle alien threats, deal with a post-apocalyptic hellscape, or tackle humankind's first leap to the stars, then this game is for you.
BUT that is not all. Like NIGHT SHIFT we will encourage you to make your own worlds and setting to make it the sci-fi game YOU want.
I have been talking for years, decades even, on how there has not been a sci-fi game that connects with me. Thirteen Parsecs will change that for me. Here are the worlds I am planning to bring you as my contribution in one form or another.
This one began as a bit of joke and I have tried in different systems. It is "Smokey and the Bandit" meets "Blake's 7" with a dash of "Red Dwarf" and "Quark." It is supposed to be silly fun about the lives of long-haul "truckers" on the edge of the Solar Frontier. The Colonies need their light beer too. I am planning on designing this to work with any of the other settings we have.
Dark Star (formerly BlackStar)
I have talked about this one a lot, my "Star Trek meets Cthulhu." The deal here is that Jason also has one he wants to do and so does our other member Derek. So it is very likely they will all get combined somehow into something new and better. The basic idea here is "In Space, the stars are always right."
My love letter to 80s sci-fi horror. This one might appear later due to space (heh) issues. If you enjoyed movies like "Lifeforce," "Galaxy of Terror," and "Xtro" then you will find a lot to love here. This one is explicitly a NIGHT SHIFT/Thirteen Parsecs crossover game, so I might wait until after the core rules are published. Essentially I want to create the future as we saw it from the mid-1980s.
I have more ideas and these are only mine. Jason and Derek have a ton as well.
So please sign up and watch for more details!
Want to know more? Just ask!
This crypt has three openings opposite the entrance: straight ahead, to the right, and near left.
The opening to the left leads to the Queen's vast occult library.
This room is filled with scrolls, books, and other volumes of learning.
Spending a week here would allow a character to gain a level of experience. These books can be taken, but the entire collection of these books (225 total) must be accounted for.
In addition, there are several spellbooks.
There are 6d12 1st level spells, 5d20 2nd level spells, 4d12 3rd level spells, 4d10 4th level spells, 5d8 5th level spells, 6d6 6th level spells, and 4d4 7th level spells.
There are also several thousand books on a variety of topics. The total value of this library is worth at least 1,000,000 gp.
The large double door to the the next room is triple locks (needing three separate rolls to open) and each lock is trapped with a fatal poison. Getting past these will take an expert thief.
This large circular room is the goal of your quest. This is the crypt of Darlessa, the Vampire Queen.
Her sarcophagus is located in the middle of this room. A combined strength of 35 is needed to lift of the stone lid. Once open the PCs will have one round to attack her before she is revived. They have +2 on their initiative rolls.
The Vampire Queen is dead but far from helpless. She is shocked you made it this far, but she is prepared all the same.
Female Vampire Witch, Demonic Tradition
No. Enc.: 1 (Unique)
Alignment: Chaotic (evil)
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Fly: 180’ (60’)
Armor Class: -5 (bracers of defense, amulet of protection, ring of protection)
Hit Dice: 13
Attacks: 1 (touch, see below) or spell
Damage: 1d10, drain 2 points of Constitution, Witch Spells
Save: W13
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: XXII
XP: 11,400
Str: 18 Int: 15 Wis: 14 Dex: 18 Con: (18) Cha: 22
In addition to the powers of a vampire, Darlessa has the following witch spells and Occult Powers. She casts spells as a 13th-level witch.
Spells by Level
Cantrip (3+5): Alarm Ward, Black Flame, Daze, Knot, Mend, Mote of Light, Object Reading, Spark
1st (4+3): Burning Hands, Cause Fear, Everlasting Candle, Hecate's Spiritual Dog, Minor Curse, Read Languages
2nd (4+3): Agony, Bewitch II, Burning Gaze, Enthrall, Ghost Touch, Produce Flame, Rite of Remote Seeing
3rd (3+2): Astral Sense, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Danse Macabre, Toad Mind, Tongues
4th (3+2): Arcane Eye, Bewitch IV, Elemental Armor, Moonlit Way, Phantom Lacerations
5th (2): Death Curse, Greater Command
6th (2): Death Blade
7th (1): Wave of Mutilation
Occult Powers
Familiar (Undead Raven)
Evil’s Touch
Devil’s Tongue
Magic Items
Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Amulet of Protection* (also prevents cleric turning), bracers of defense, ring of protection, ring spell storing (3 stored Magic Missile spells).
Her coffin can be destroyed after she is dead. There is a spare coffin underneath this one. Even if her body is burned, she can come back due to the dark necromancies she has practiced for centuries.
This appears to be a long hallway with mirrors on both sides. Light from torches that ignite as you enter scatters in all directions.
The mirrors are in fact portals from the astral plane. There are 16 in total. As the PCs walk past an Astral Ghoul is released.
Astral Ghoul
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Hit Dice: 8+16* (52 hp)
Attacks: 2 × claw (1d4 x2 + paralysis), 1 × bite (1d8 + paralysis)
THAC0: 12 [+7]
Movement: 90’ (30’) fly 90' (30')
Saving Throws: D8 W93 P10 B11 S12 (2)
Morale: 12
Alignment: Chaotic
XP: 650
Number Appearing: 1
Treasure Type None
These creatures look like ghouls but are partially in substantial. They have the same paralyzing touch of all ghouls.
I dreamed about these guys last night.
Today I normally like to post some sort of Boxed Set thing I have going on. But instead, I'll just talk about my D&D-related fun from the last couple of days. BTW I sliced my finger open on a mandolin making sliced potatoes, so this post is taking a lot longer.
Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen
Up first I got my copies of Hanging Coffins of the Vampire Queen from Mark Taomino. Both the 10th Anniversary OSR and the new 5th Edition versions.
I signed on early for these adventures. No shock given my love for the original Wee Warriors Vampire Queen. So now I have three different printings of this Vampire Queen.
Party Like It's 1979!
For Christmas, my oldest son decided to go all out for everyone. This is what he got me.
The Atari 2600 plugs into any HCMI TV/Monitor and even has an aspect ratio switch. But the coolest part is it will run old 2600 cartridges. So time to start cruising the Half-Price Books and second-hand stores!
The Monster Manual minis are from set G-J. Though really, G-I.
D&D en Español
My son also ran some D&D for us. We played the "Witchlight Carnival" adventure.
I made a character, but to help with my Spanish, I opted to only use my new Spanish language Players Handbook.
El es Brujo y Elfo. For play, I limited myself to what I could read and understand in this book.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday.
The last room on the right opens to an empty space, a room with many alcoves on either side. There appears to be some sort of pile of treasure in the center.
Once inside the room, the illusion of the treasure disappears and a horde of undead stream out.
There are 3d12 zombies, 2d10 ghouls, 1d8 ghasts, and 1d6 wights.
If the PCs can get back to the door they can close off the attacks to just a few at a time. Otherwise, in one round they will be surrounded in the "Kill box."
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Happy Boxing Day, enjoy the kill box.
