Witches (and Monsters too) to the Rescue, Part 2

I did some fundraising over the weekend. Not a lot, but I hope it helped.

Last week I mentioned that I was going to donate all the profits of my various witch books to the Trevor Project in support of LGBTQ people, but in solidarity with the trans community.  When the print copy of Monster Mash went live yesterday, I thought, what the hell, I'll add yesterday in as well.

The results are in.

Not as much as I would have liked to be honest, but I guess I can't complain.

So $40.00 in sales. I said I would match all sales, so $80.00 and I figure I will round that up to $100.00.

So donation was sent in, and I asked my day-job employer to match my donation, which they will since I know The Trevor Project is on their list of approved charities.

IF you buy a copy of Monster Mash this week and want your purchase to go towards this donation then just shoot me an email and I'll get it added in a future donation (likely next week).

Thanks, everyone!

Witches to the Rescue

It is no secret. I really love witches and anything and everything to do with them.

It is also no secret that I used to be a pretty solid Potter-verse fan.  I have read all the books, seen all the movies, been to the theme park, and played the mobile game.  It was something fun I could do with my family, and we all enjoyed it. 

And then, J.K. Rowling began to show her ugly side.  I am not going to debate what she said here. Why? She is wrong, plain and simple, but I am not out there burning my Potter books (besides, burning books is a coward's move) I am just not supporting her and trying in my own small way not to popularize her. Trust me, I have no illusions about my effectiveness here.

So the new game coming out was going pass by these pages unremarked.

Then I saw this post on both Facebook and Twitter.

All of the profits that @JonGilmour, @SpenserStarke & I earn on DriveThruRPG this Friday for Kids on Brooms will be donated to charities supporting trans folks.

We want to make our love and support for the trans community clear every day—but especially this Friday.

— Doug Levandowski (@DougLevandowski) February 8, 2023

Doug Levandowski along with Jonathan Gilmour and Spenser Starke are the authors of the wonderful Kids on Brooms (non-affiliate link, but do try and buy it tomorrow if you can).  Their book is extremely popular and hopefully will sell a lot.

And I realized that, yes, there is something I can do.  I have a LOT more books about witches. 

So. In solidarity with Kids on Brooms team and always in solidarity with the LGBTQI, but especially the trans community I will donate ALL profits from ALL my witch books starting at 12:00 am Midnight Friday, Feb 10, 2023 to 11:59 Sunday, Feb 12, 2023 to the Trevor Project.

So every book. Every profit. Even my newest one, Monster Mash.

Yeah, I know some will call this "Virtue Signaling," but I want to clarify where I stand and let others know what their purchases will do this weekend.  Besides, calling out Virtue Signaling is just virtue signaling to other assholes. Don't like what I do here? I don't care. Get your own fucking blog and books and sell them how you like. 

So pick up some books about witches this weekend. Go grab Kids on Brooms tomorrow and some of my stuff later. And avoid the Potter game.

When One Door Closes...

There is an old saying, "When one door closes, another one opens."

But you know what? I hate that saying.

When a door closes, you open it back up. 

I grew up playing D&D. When you encounter a closed door, you make your "Open Doors" roll and kick it in!

Look. I love D&D, and I likely always will. While Hasbro's choices disappoint me, I am not going to let them stop my fun.

So at home, I am still going to play the games I like. On my blog and for my writing? Well, there are plenty of exciting existing alternatives. It now sounds like there are going to be more alternatives too.

But maybe the "OSR" phase of my game writing is over. It was fun, and I loved doing it. But many other games are out there that need love and attention, and I am excited to try them out.

One of the original purposes of my original "The Other Side" website was to talk about all sorts of games that I enjoyed. So let that continue now.

OGL 1.1

I am sure by now you have seen/read/heard of the potential leak of the new OGL 1.1.  

I mentioned last month that we knew very little, which is still true, but we have heard some troubling things.

Here is a brief rundown.

Dungeons & Dragons’ New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition

Bat in the Attic - Rob Conley's Blog

• The proposed OGL 1.1 is not an open license. Fight for your hobby.
• Section 9 of the Open Game License

Designers & Dragons - Article: Is the OGL Era Over?

Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL

First Lawyer Letter

There is more. A lot more really, but a lot of it is rehashing what is known above. 

Lots of people, who are not lawyers, are saying their piece. Lots of people whom this affects their livelihood are saying their piece as well.

The truth is we really don't know much of anything just yet. At least not until the OGL 1.1 is released and not until some clarification on what this means for the OGL 1.0a.

Which kind of sucks, honestly.

I had plans this year. I had my Monstrous Maleficarum I was doing for 5e. I had my Basic Bestariary I wanted to do. Another monster-related project and even something I was calling my last witch book. All under the auspices of the OGL.  I liked working under the OGL. It gave me room to move, it let me know what was and was not allowed.  Now all of that is up in the air for me.

What I can say for sure is this.

NIGHT SHIFT will continue. With the material released in the Night Companion, we have moved away from needing the OGL or OGC.  The base mechanics are generic, and the newer character advancement rules are not OGC or SRD derived. 

Jason is planning on releasing his new fantasy game using the same system as NIGHT SHIFT (O.G.R.E.S.) with the modifications suggested in the Night Companion. But more on that from him later. 

So there will be continued, if not more vigorous, support of NIGHT SHIFT.

For all my other projects?

Damn, if I know yet.

The Acrobatic Flea for Amazing Adventures

I had so much fun doing the write-up for Tim Knight's Acrobatic Flea a couple of weeks ago for NIGHT SHIFT I thought, why not give it a try for Amazing Adventures too!

NIGHT SHIFT's Flea (dubbed Earth-NS) is a non-powered gritty street-level hero fighting the forces of darkness while working for Weirdly World News.  The Flea of Amazing Adventures is a powered hero with more emphasis on two-fisted action as behooves Amazing Adventures' own origin as a Pulp game and now itself a multiversal game.

The Amazing Adventures of the Acrobatic Flea

Sean Edward Ridire grew up reading comics about his favorite pulp action heroes; Tennessee O'Malley, Mackie Gleeson, Marie Laveau, the adventures only known as "The Fox" and Brotherhood of William St. John. Then to his surprise and joy, at age 14, his own mutant powers developed. He became superhumanly strong, could leap several meters into the air and land safely, and could climb any surface.  At 21 he moved to Knight's End to take a job as a reporter at a local TV News network. During the day he covers the news, reporting on traffic, human interest stories, and other bottom-tier assignments. But he also patrols the city as the Acrobatic Flea stopping what crime he can.

In his short time he has teamed up with other heroes such as the demon hunter known as The Paladin and the mysterious Witch Queen to fight spider mutants and defeat the evil Refrigerator. But the strangest encounter of all was meeting his own counterpart from another, darker Earth!

What adventures will the Flea have next? Only time will tell, but they will be Amazing!

The Acrobatic Flea

3rd Level Powered / 1 level Hard to Kill
Race: Human (Mutant)

Strength: 22 (+4) P
Dexterity: 20 (+4) P
Constitution: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 14 (+1) 
Wisdom: 16 (+2) P
Charisma: 16 (+2)

Hit Points: 25
Alignment: Lawful Good
AC: 16
BtH: +2
Power Points: 12

Sanity (SAN): 80 (Max), 80 (Current)

Fate Points: 6

Fate Die: 1d6

Languages: English (native language), French
Background: Reporter
Skills: Knowledge (Popular Culture)

Traits: Quick (Move +10, +1 to initiative)

Powers

True Strike, Jump, Spider Climb (2), Enhanced Strength +8, Enhanced Dexterity +4, cell phone (burner) 

Gear

Night vision goggles (gift from the Flea of Earth NS), costume (AC 6).

Remember, these are the final hours of the Amazing Adventures Multi-Genre RPG crowdsourcing campaign.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amazing-adventures-multi-genre-rpg#/

Frigid Follow Friday

We are finally getting some proper cold weather here in Chicago! I am not going to complain about it. It's November, it's Chicago. I know what that means.  

It is also Friday and that means it is time for a Follow Friday. Especially important this week with Twitter in melt-down mode.

So if you follow me there, I am sticking around to the end, but here is where else you can find me. 

Blog (here): https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com

DriveThruRPG: https://drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/8419/The-Other-Side-Publishing?affiliate_id=10748

Facebook: https://facebook.com/OtherSideblog & https://www.facebook.com/timothy.brannan/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_other_side_pub/ & https://www.instagram.com/timsbrannan/

MeWe: https://mewe.com/group/5c598927dc9a663c488557e9 & https://mewe.com/i/timothybrannan

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/timsbrannan

Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@timsbrannan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timsbrannan

I am still figuring out Mastodon, and MeWe is rather dead. But you can always find me here.

I do hope Twitter sticks around though.

It's Halloween!

It's Halloween! 

I have a lot going on today, so let's get going.

I am ending my Month of Halloween the same way I began, by guest starring on a podcast.

On October 1 I appeared on Monster Movie Fun Time Go where I talked about the movie Day Shift and my game NIGHT SHIFT.

And today October 31 I appeared again on Wobblies & Wizards. Where I talked with Shane (Logar) and Ryan of Appendix N Entertainment about all sorts of horror movies. 

So check them both out!

I was also interviewed over at Third Kingdom Games. So give that a read as well.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 31 - When did you first take part in #RPGaDAY?

Ah, I had to look back for this one, but my very first was not until 2014.

One of the reasons for this is I am always super busy in August due to Gen Con (didn't go this year) and my Fall term start.

Well, that is another #RPGaDAY for the history books! How did you all do?

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 30 - What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

Today's question looks to the future.  What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

Two things I can think of.

1. Poster's choice.  You participate in a past #RPGaDAY that you did not do originally or did not complete.  So for me 2017 and 2018.

2. Roll a d10 to and post for whatever that year was.  This means Dave still needed to come up with things for Year 10 (2023)

I think my money is on #1.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 29 - Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

Honestly? I would like to see some of the big names in the industry do something with it. So Wizards, Paizo, and others. Sure, use it to sell your own games, but it would be fun to get some of the big names involved.

Though the more the merrier to be honest!

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 28 Style Sunday

Style Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, tag that many friends with your favorite RPG cover art.

Well. Again, I am not a huge fan of tagging people at random. 

So instead here are some (1d8+1) of my favorite pieces of RPG art. 

D&D Basic Erol Otus

WitchCraft by George Vasilakos

Vampire the Masquerade

Monster Manual

Larry Elmore Witch

Blue Rose

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 27 - How has the character changed?

After 40 years all my characters have changed a bit. 

One character I had, Nigel was a Neutral Evil assassin, but over the years my DM pointed out he wasn't actually acting very evil anymore and he slowly had drifted to Chaotic Neutral, even to the point of losing his assassin's guild.

Larina went from a rather minor character in the late 80s to more and more importance in my games. I even made subtle changes to her looks, ie her eyes went from brown to blue, and in-story I claimed it was because her magic had become more powerful.

Now how *I* have changed with my characters is I am far more willing to try weird characters. Crazy Gnome bards (although not that weird anymore), crazy little goblin cultists, anything. I was never big on the Sword & Sorcery trope characters, but now even less so.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 26 - Why does your character do what they do?

Ah. The age-old question. Why do characters adventure?

For the Johans it was always about destroying the forces of evil. Fighting the undead and demons so innocents would not have to perish.

For Larina, it was always trying to uncover that next occult secret. Or in my case with her, discover the ins and outs of a new game system and its magic.  

For each character for me it is usually about exploring some archetype or some aspect of the rules I want to uncover.

And some characters, like my gnome bard Jassic Goodwalker or my goblin warlock Nik Nak, it is just about having a good time. Both for me and the character. 

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 25 - Where has the character been?

I suppose for the purposes of this #RPGaDay I should have started out with just one character.  But where is the fun in that?

So the Werper family began in Mystara, Glantri to be exact. I know clerics in Glantri. But when I moved over to AD&D 1st Ed my DM and I merged our worlds (me Mystara, him Oerth) Glantri changed a bit.  Since then Johan the III was trapped in Ravenloft and thought to be lost. Johan the IV was the first ever to travel to the Forgotten Realms. All of them have been to Abyss to fight demons, their sworn enemies and Johan II even ended up in London in the 1980s.

Likewise, Larina has been EVERYWHERE.

But I love a good plane-hopping adventure.

War of the Witch Queens will introduce my kids to my favorite playground, the Multi-verse. They have already been Krynn, but didn't know it yet.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 24 - When did you start playing this character?

Again, more than one character means more than one date, but that is cool.

For Sinéad and Nida it was in January of 2021 that I rolled them up, making them some of my newest characters. Though both had concepts prior to this and Nida at least had a name.

For my others, well I got in the habit early on to put the date I made the character on their sheets.

Johan I was 1/9/1980
Johan II was 1/30/84
Johan III was 1/2/86
Johan IV was 9/13/2000
Johan V was 6/13/2008
Johan V Pathfinder version was 2/19/2011
JohanVI D&D Next PlayTest 8/17/2012, converted to 5e proper on 9/13/2014

Larina, despite all that I post about her, was not my first character.  She was created on October 25 (or 26), 1986.  I have been saying October 25th forever, but some details on her sheet lead me to believe that it was more like the 26th. 

While every new edition means the next in line for the Weprers, Larina moves between the editions.  Advantages of being a quasi-immortal witch.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 23 - What situation are they currently in?

Going off of yesterday's post here is what is happening. 

Phygor is "exploring the world." That is code for I don't know what I am doing yet.

Johan is still in the Demonweb with the other D&D 5 characters.

The OSE characters are all NPCs in the "War of the Witch Queens."

But let's talk about my AD&D Second Ed characters, Sinéad and Nida.  These characters are still rather new for me.  The stats I posted are not the ones I am playing. They are still both 1st level, and they are not in the same game. Well. At least for now.

We are trying out all different editions of D&D here and these will be my return to AD&D 2nd Ed AND my first real introduction to the Forgotten Realms.

Of the two I have only played Nida once. Sinéad is 1st level, but I have not taken her on any adventures yet.  Right now there is not a lot to tell them apart save that Sinéad is a half-elf and might be the daughter of my last AD&D 1st ed character.  Not sure about that one just yet. Though I do think I am getting a grasp on who they might be.

Nida, Witch of Rashemen

Sinéad, half-elf Bard/Wizard

The current situation right now is me needing to move them forward. 

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 22 - Who is your current character?

One thing I never quite understood was the assumption that anyone has just one character at a given time. I have dozens!  I might be playing them all, but they are there.  Here are some of my favorites.

D&D 5e

This is my current 5e character, Johan Werper the VI. He is a cleric/paladin. He is the great-great-great-great-grandson of my first ever D&D character Johan Werper, the Cleric.  Johan the First was followed by Johan the II (Paladin), Johan III (Cavalier), Johan IV (Cleric, Prestige Paladin 3e), Johan V (Paladin, multiclassed feat Cleric, 4e) and to the new generation.

It has been a real joy to have a multi-generational arc for my characters and great to play with this concept of the Lawful Good paladin across all generations of the D&D game.  Each has given me something slightly different and all have been a blast to play.

Some of my other characters for 5e that jump between PCs and NPCs are Tayrn Nix,  Half-elf Warlock (Fey Pact), Celeste Holmes, Human Wizard (Sage), Cassandra Killian, Human Sorcerer (Divne Soul), Jassic Winterhaven, Gnome Bard (College of Lore), Sasha, Cleric (Knowledge Domain), and Áedán Aamadu, Human Druid (Circle of the Land).

Old School Essentials

Some of my OSE include the druid couple Asabalom and Maryah and my Pagans Lars and Siân.  

AD&D 2nd Edition

I have two I have been working with. I was just telling my oldest last night I need to pull them out again and do more with them.  Both are AD&D 2nd Ed interpretations of a Witch, Goodwife Sinéad (Witch Kit) and Nida (witch of Hala/Witch of Rashemen kit)

DragonQuest

My character for this game is still Phygor. 

--

Of course, I do have to mention my iconic witch Larina, who gets stated up in every game I play.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 21 - Setting Sunday: Share an intriguing detail from a game setting you enjoy

Setting Sunday!

It is said that AD&D Second Edition was the king of settings and campaign worlds.

One I always found interesting was the AD&D 2e setting Red Steel. 

Essentially "Fantasy Australia where even the rocks can kill you." Credit to TSR for trying something so new so late in the game development.

I always liked the idea and wanted to explore it a lot more, just never got around to it.  Though with my Mystoerth setting I could likely find a place for it.

Another great 2nd Edition setting was Masque of the Red Death, an attempt to bring AD&D to the Victorian Horror genre. For a while, this was my absolute favorite setting even if the system (AD&D 2nd Ed.) never really worked well with the setting (Victorian Era earth). 

In both settings there are things in the world that can corrupt the PCs.  And as it turns out both are red.

In Red Steel it is the dust and rocks, but there is also the red steel to protect you.

In MotRD it is the eponymous Red Death, the evil force that haunts Gothic Earth.

Both came out at similar times and I have to admit I wanted to explore more connections between the two other than the superficial. 

See what I mean when I said I could just play D&D and never run out of ideas!

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 20 - How long do your games last?

I used to play for hours and hours on end. Now I find I can only do about 4 to 6 hours at a time.

That is fine because I also feel that is the sweet spot of gaming too. Enough to get you deep into whatever you need and not too long to overstay the feeling.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 19 - Why has your favorite game stayed with you?

 Why has your favorite game stayed with you?

Well if we are talking about Dungeons & Dragons then I think it is because of all the endless possibilities. If I only ever played D&D for the rest of my life I don't think I would run out of ideas.  There is always something more to be done, some new dungeon, hex, or plane to discover and explore.

Maybe that is why it has also been the king of RPGs for nearly 50 years.