A dual stated adventure across Time and Space for.... well that is what I don't know yet.
I have always toyed with the idea of running a game at a con, say like Gen Con where I have multiple days, where it is the same group of characters, or their reincarnations or their children, across time and different systems. My systems of choice would be Unisystem and some flavor of D&D. Likely Basic.
I have done similar ideas in Season of the Witch, where I took in ideas from different games to get a different feel. Generation HEX was conceived as using a different system each game, but that never worked out.
This idea though is two plan a game that takes place in the past, present and maybe future. Each game is seperate unto itself, but builds a bigger story.
One idea I had was a adventure named "Synchronicity" where characters from Ghosts of Albion meet up with their counterparts from Buffy. But that is only one, albeit long, game. Plus the system for Ghosts and Buffy is the same.
Another game I have played before is Blight for Ghosts of Albion. It takes place in 1847 and is an unofficial sequel to my Dark Druid for Buffy (that takes place in an alternate 2001). There is a third adventure in the mix, All Souls Night, which was always designed to go with my Eire game.
I would retool Blight just a bit. But the Dark Druid is designed for new characters, so the big bad introduced is not all that big and bad. It works though if I run them in something like a past life regression.
The other idea I had was an adventure around the rise and fall of Elizabeth Bathory.
D&D for when she was alive and you have to stop her (though to be 100% fair, an adventure like that screams LotFP), Ghosts of Albion when she is prowling the streets of Victorian London, and something else (Call of Cthulhu maybe) for later.
I have also over the years toyed with the idea of Doctor Who, Star Frontiers, and Alternity (yeah I have been thinking about this one for a while) for the future. I think the idea came to me when I wanted to run a hunt Jack the Ripper and I thought back to the old Star Trek episode "A Wolf in the Fold" and to the movie "Time After Time". Jack the Ripper is still an interesting idea. A time traveling serial killer/entity could make a fun opponent.
Lots of ideas really, but nothing has really jelled yet for me. Once I have the right story idea and roll for the characters then the system will be easier to decide on.
Anyone done anything like this before? What did you do and what did you use?
Showing posts with label rpg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rpg. Show all posts
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Zatannurday: Superbabes
Like with Tarot, Willow and Tara, Zatanna has most of her points in Magic. Though at Zee's level she gets to be really powerful.
Age: unknown, older than she looks
Apparent Age: early 30s
Origin: Supernatural Pupil (50cp)
50 CPs
Primary Stats
Muscles: 12 Muscles Damage: +1 Max Press: 200
Health: 14 Regen, Combat: - Regen, At rest: 1pp/5rds HTK/Day: 2d6
Moves: 16 Bonus to hit: +1 Movement: 6" Hittability: 6 Initiative Bonus: 1
Brains: 26 Mental Attack Bonus: +3 Mental Hittability: 9
Will: 26 Regen Rate: 2pp/1rds HTK Regen/Day: 2d6
Personality: 101 ("enchanting")
Looks: 52
494 CPs
Secondary Stats
PP: 247
HTK: 114
Fame: 19
Bimbo Points: 1
XP:
Level: 24
CPs: 12 more to spend
Magic Spells
- Blast 5d6 (60cp)
- Costume Change (40cp)
- Flight 3 (24cp)
- Force Field 20 (120cp)
- Illusions (300cp)
- Misc spells (200cp)
Move things Without Touching Them 200cp
Read Minds (listen & talk) 30cp
Super Senses
- See Magic 20 cp
Visions of Elsewhere 40cp
1034 CPs
Gizmos
Wand (Focus) 10cp
Hat (40 cp to Psi Invulnerability) 10cp
20 CPs
Skills
Acrobatics 20cp
Animal Handler 20cp
Disguise 20cp
Catwalk 20cp
Contacts (Criminal) 20cp
Contacts (Supernatural) 20cp
Languages (English, Egyptian, Greek, Latin, Backwards Talk) 40cp
Occultist 50 cp
Stealth & Concealment 30cp
240 CPs
Character Description
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 137 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Caucasian
At 24th level Zee packs a punch. Most of her points went into powers as expected. The issue here is Zee's magic is so flexible she can in theory do just about anything. This is not a new issue, she has the same problem in most games, but here it begins to stand out. She is full 15 levels more than Willow and Tara and only outclasses them in raw magical talent.
I based these stats on these stats:
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Damn. There goes *that* idea!
So I am reading Christopher Hitchen's Arguably and I had the great idea for new RPG.
It was going to to be a game where all the characters are investigative reporters of various types. The idea then you work for a paper, tabloid, news service or blog and investigate. Their could be supernatural elements (if the "Editor" chooses) or the stories could be played straight.
I'd use something like Fate since it really fits this idea well. Plus that would give me mechanics for bribery and addictions of various types (or as Hitch might say, Bribery, Boozing and Buggery).
While most of the fiction I read is supernatural in flavor, most of the non-fiction I read deals with news items and the journalists that uncover it. I just I was just as much impacted by The Hobbit as I was by All the President's Men.
I was going to call it "Scoop! The RPG of Muckrakers, Tabloids and Yellow Journalism".
Turns out that this game already exists. Of sorts.
"Scoop! An Investigative Reporter RPG" is talked about here, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99471-Scoop-An-Investigative-Reporter-RPG-With-Dinosaurs
Ok. So their's has dinosaurs. My wouldn't.
But it is very, very, very close to the same idea.
Damn. Plus Machine Age Productions, the company that came up with this game also does some games with Fate.
Hmm. Not sure what I want to do yet. The easiest of course is not to do it, but that is not very satisfying.
*IF* I still do it, then at least I need to change the name.
Back to the drawing board I guess.
It was going to to be a game where all the characters are investigative reporters of various types. The idea then you work for a paper, tabloid, news service or blog and investigate. Their could be supernatural elements (if the "Editor" chooses) or the stories could be played straight.
I'd use something like Fate since it really fits this idea well. Plus that would give me mechanics for bribery and addictions of various types (or as Hitch might say, Bribery, Boozing and Buggery).
While most of the fiction I read is supernatural in flavor, most of the non-fiction I read deals with news items and the journalists that uncover it. I just I was just as much impacted by The Hobbit as I was by All the President's Men.
I was going to call it "Scoop! The RPG of Muckrakers, Tabloids and Yellow Journalism".
Turns out that this game already exists. Of sorts.
"Scoop! An Investigative Reporter RPG" is talked about here, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99471-Scoop-An-Investigative-Reporter-RPG-With-Dinosaurs
Ok. So their's has dinosaurs. My wouldn't.
But it is very, very, very close to the same idea.
Damn. Plus Machine Age Productions, the company that came up with this game also does some games with Fate.
Hmm. Not sure what I want to do yet. The easiest of course is not to do it, but that is not very satisfying.
*IF* I still do it, then at least I need to change the name.
Back to the drawing board I guess.
Friday, July 12, 2013
ShadowRun and the Deep Web / Undernet
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Heroes & Villains Blogfest: Villains & Vigilanties
Today is the Heroes & Villains Blogfest hosted by Jackie and Dani. This is Part 1 of my post for that, Part 2 is later today.
http://danibertrand.blogspot.com/2013/06/heroes-villains-blogfest.html
The idea is to talk about our favorite heroes and villains. But I do that a lot here. So I am going to do that today, but I also want to talk about about one of my favorite superhero role-playing games. It is also the first superhero RPG I ever played. Villains & Vigilantes.
The current edition is the 2nd edition and you can get the classic version from Fantasy Games Unlimited (the one I played) or the new 2.1 edition from Monkey House Games. They are functionally the same, even with the same text and some art.
V&V was written by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee. Jeff Dee got his start on D&D doing some of the classic module art and book art for the 1st edition game. So the game has some obvious D&D roots.
V&V was unique at the time (and still somewhat) in that in the game you play yourself. You work out with the other players what your strength, endurance, intelligence and the rest are and then you roll randomly on a table of super powers. It's a very interesting and fun concept that we completely ignored. Back in the day we liked playing a "multi-verse" so our V&V characters were our D&D characters in a supers universe. The stats were the mostly the same and both games had levels. Plus it gave us excuses to have strengths of 50 or more (human max is 18). I remember it being a very good time.
As typical of many old school games there are lots of random rolls, charts and a fair amount of math involved. I went back recently to make a character and was thrilled to see that Monkey House Games had an Excel character sheet. The math isn't hard really, but Excel is still faster. Though such things have been around for a long time even with the older edition.
Powers are list by type. So Power Blast is just a blast of some sort of power. It could be Superman's heat vision, Iron Man's repulsors, or even Zatanna's magical blast. What is interesting is teh combat matrix of powers vs. defenses and how they interact. Again, the D&D DNA is here since it reminds me of the Psionic Powers Attacks vs Defenses in 1st Ed AD&D.
There is a V&V campaign world as well. It is loosely defined in the core books, but much greater detail is given in the supplements. It is also one of the few Supers games I can recall where the characters were working for the government at some level. The ill-fated City of Heroes RPG was another.
There are a couple of great sections on Being a Superhero and Gamemastering that work great with any supers RPG.
IF you like old school RPGs and want to get into a supers game that feels like those, then this is a great choice. The price is low and there are plenty of places on the web that support either version of the game with materials, character write-ups and community.
A little later today I'll have a write up of a hero and a villain.
See more posts here:
http://danibertrand.blogspot.com/2013/06/heroes-villains-blogfest.html
The idea is to talk about our favorite heroes and villains. But I do that a lot here. So I am going to do that today, but I also want to talk about about one of my favorite superhero role-playing games. It is also the first superhero RPG I ever played. Villains & Vigilantes.
The current edition is the 2nd edition and you can get the classic version from Fantasy Games Unlimited (the one I played) or the new 2.1 edition from Monkey House Games. They are functionally the same, even with the same text and some art.
V&V was written by Jack Herman and Jeff Dee. Jeff Dee got his start on D&D doing some of the classic module art and book art for the 1st edition game. So the game has some obvious D&D roots.
V&V was unique at the time (and still somewhat) in that in the game you play yourself. You work out with the other players what your strength, endurance, intelligence and the rest are and then you roll randomly on a table of super powers. It's a very interesting and fun concept that we completely ignored. Back in the day we liked playing a "multi-verse" so our V&V characters were our D&D characters in a supers universe. The stats were the mostly the same and both games had levels. Plus it gave us excuses to have strengths of 50 or more (human max is 18). I remember it being a very good time.
As typical of many old school games there are lots of random rolls, charts and a fair amount of math involved. I went back recently to make a character and was thrilled to see that Monkey House Games had an Excel character sheet. The math isn't hard really, but Excel is still faster. Though such things have been around for a long time even with the older edition.
Powers are list by type. So Power Blast is just a blast of some sort of power. It could be Superman's heat vision, Iron Man's repulsors, or even Zatanna's magical blast. What is interesting is teh combat matrix of powers vs. defenses and how they interact. Again, the D&D DNA is here since it reminds me of the Psionic Powers Attacks vs Defenses in 1st Ed AD&D.
There is a V&V campaign world as well. It is loosely defined in the core books, but much greater detail is given in the supplements. It is also one of the few Supers games I can recall where the characters were working for the government at some level. The ill-fated City of Heroes RPG was another.
There are a couple of great sections on Being a Superhero and Gamemastering that work great with any supers RPG.
IF you like old school RPGs and want to get into a supers game that feels like those, then this is a great choice. The price is low and there are plenty of places on the web that support either version of the game with materials, character write-ups and community.
A little later today I'll have a write up of a hero and a villain.
See more posts here:
Friday, May 31, 2013
QotA: Elvyra Queen of Witches
While re-reading Quest of the Ancients I thought a good way to bring one of the few stated up characters back over to D&D via The Witch. I also it might make for a nice homage if one of Vince Garcia's signature characters lived on with my rules. Like I mentioned in my review of Quest of the Ancients it was obvious to me that we had read a lot of the same books, watched a lot of the same TV shows and listened to a lot of the same music to get to our respective witches.
Plus Elvyra has a connection to the Daughters of the Flame/followers of Brigit. So she has a "hook" in both games.
Here she is in both sets of stats, Elvyra (pronounced "EL-veer-uh" according to the book) the Queen of Witches. In Vince Garcia or anyone with a copyright claim wants me to remove this then of course I will.
Elvyra -- Queen of Witches (25th level witch)
Quest of the Ancients stats
Armour rating: 0 (-5)
Tactical move: 10' or as applicable in different form
BAR: 17/10/54
Stamina paints: 70
Body points: 13
Stots: St 12; Ag 20: Con 14; IQ 20; Ch 20: Ap 20: Lk 19
Attack 1
Dmg: 1D4+5 (dagger) or by spell
Ethics: I
Size: 6' tall
Special note: Shape change at will; possesses Artifact of Power-the Scarlet Flame: her symbol is a 4-armed spiral, eagle or hummingbird.
Elvyra appears as a tall elf with flaming red hair, typically attired in blue and white with a red sash but her waist. Upon her head she wears a silver crown over which floats large emerald acting as a device that doubles her 1st-3rd rank spell slots. She thus possesses 40 slots of each of these spell ranks, and 20 slots each of ranks 4th-7th
The flame removed from the temple was later enchanted into her wand focus, creating an Artifact of Power known as the Scarlet Flame. It appears as a wood and silver scepter with a huge ruby set into its tip, containing a burning name within. The wand absorbs all spells directed at the possessor, converting their ranks into potential that regenerates any stat loss, similarly to the Mind Sapphire of Serpen. In addition, the wielder is able to use any fire-based spell at the 35th level of skill at a cost of 1 charge off the wand per spellrank, castable in a single phase.
Elvrya's rarely used melee weapon consists of a BF 5 unicorn horn dagger, which provides the further benefit of making her immune to poison and disease of any sort.
One interesting fact about her relates to her ability to shape change (as per the witch spell) at will. When she remains in a single form, her eyes change color each minute.
The Queen has existed in legend since the dawn of time, and most believe that if she yet lives, she and her followers no longer remain on the Nexus, but instead dwell with their goddess, the Queen of Faerie, within Her enchanted realm. Nevertheless, some have claimed to have encountered the Witch Queen in the midst of isolated sylvan woodlands, and in a rugged area of volcanoes in Naz-Al. It is even been reported that she frequents the Witchwood, a forest in Avalon, but this story is given little credence.
If she is encountered, she will either be accompanied by her familiar, her chief handmaiden or both (20%/30%/50%). Last of all, Elvyra is believed to know lost spells that are vastly more powerful than many used today.
Elvyra - Queen of Witches (25th level witch)
The Witch stats
Hit Points: 55
Alignment: Neutral
AC: 1 (Bracers of Defense)
Occult Powers (Faerie Tradition)
Familiar: White Dragon Tiger
7th level: Speak to Plants/Animals
13th level: Fae Shape
19th level: Curse
25th level: Shape Change
Spells
Cantrips (7): Alarm Ward, Daze, Detect Curse, Object Reading, Open, Spark, Warm
First (7): Bewitch I, Cause Fear, Command, Faerie Fire, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sleep, Spirit Dart
Second (7): Alter Self, Biting Blade, Blast Sheild, Enthrall, Evil Eye, Hold Person, Phantasmal Spirit
Third (6): Astral Sense, Bestow Curse, Continual Fire, Feral Spirit, Fly, Improved Faerie Fire
Fourth (6): Air Walk, Betwitch IV, Dance Macabre, Neutralize Poison, Spiritual Dagger, Withering Touch
Fifth (5): Anti-Magic Candle, Blade Dance, Dream, Primal Scream, Song of Discord
Sixth (5): Break the Spirit, Control Weather, Find the Path, Moonbow, True Seeing
Seventh (4): Ball of Sunshine, Breath of the Goddess, Etherealness, Serpent Garden
Eighth (4): Astral Projection, Greater Mislead, Mystic Barrier, Wail of the Banshee
In my games Elvyra didn't steal Brigit's Flame, but rescued it. There is still a long standing cold war between the Queen of Witches and the Daughters of the Flame covens (the Eula want to forgive her, the Brenna want her to pay for what they still feel is the theft of the flame), though both factions of the coven want a better accounting on how she made the wand the Scarlet Flame.
Oh and if you don't have this song going through your head while reading this then you are not as old school as you think you are.
Plus Elvyra has a connection to the Daughters of the Flame/followers of Brigit. So she has a "hook" in both games.
Here she is in both sets of stats, Elvyra (pronounced "EL-veer-uh" according to the book) the Queen of Witches. In Vince Garcia or anyone with a copyright claim wants me to remove this then of course I will.
Elvyra -- Queen of Witches (25th level witch)
Quest of the Ancients stats
Armour rating: 0 (-5)
Tactical move: 10' or as applicable in different form
BAR: 17/10/54
Stamina paints: 70
Body points: 13
Stots: St 12; Ag 20: Con 14; IQ 20; Ch 20: Ap 20: Lk 19
Attack 1
Dmg: 1D4+5 (dagger) or by spell
Ethics: I
Size: 6' tall
Special note: Shape change at will; possesses Artifact of Power-the Scarlet Flame: her symbol is a 4-armed spiral, eagle or hummingbird.
Elvyra appears as a tall elf with flaming red hair, typically attired in blue and white with a red sash but her waist. Upon her head she wears a silver crown over which floats large emerald acting as a device that doubles her 1st-3rd rank spell slots. She thus possesses 40 slots of each of these spell ranks, and 20 slots each of ranks 4th-7th
The flame removed from the temple was later enchanted into her wand focus, creating an Artifact of Power known as the Scarlet Flame. It appears as a wood and silver scepter with a huge ruby set into its tip, containing a burning name within. The wand absorbs all spells directed at the possessor, converting their ranks into potential that regenerates any stat loss, similarly to the Mind Sapphire of Serpen. In addition, the wielder is able to use any fire-based spell at the 35th level of skill at a cost of 1 charge off the wand per spellrank, castable in a single phase.
Elvrya's rarely used melee weapon consists of a BF 5 unicorn horn dagger, which provides the further benefit of making her immune to poison and disease of any sort.
One interesting fact about her relates to her ability to shape change (as per the witch spell) at will. When she remains in a single form, her eyes change color each minute.
The Queen has existed in legend since the dawn of time, and most believe that if she yet lives, she and her followers no longer remain on the Nexus, but instead dwell with their goddess, the Queen of Faerie, within Her enchanted realm. Nevertheless, some have claimed to have encountered the Witch Queen in the midst of isolated sylvan woodlands, and in a rugged area of volcanoes in Naz-Al. It is even been reported that she frequents the Witchwood, a forest in Avalon, but this story is given little credence.
If she is encountered, she will either be accompanied by her familiar, her chief handmaiden or both (20%/30%/50%). Last of all, Elvyra is believed to know lost spells that are vastly more powerful than many used today.
Elvyra - Queen of Witches (25th level witch)
The Witch stats
| Strength: | 12 | Death Ray, Poison | 5 | |
| Dexterity: | 18 | Magic Wands | 6 | |
| Constitution: | 14 | Paralysis, Polymorph or Turn to Stone | 5 | |
| Intelligence: | 18 | Dragon Breath | 8 | |
| Wisdom: | 18 | Rods, Staffs, Spells | 7 | |
| Charisma: | 18 |
Alignment: Neutral
AC: 1 (Bracers of Defense)
Occult Powers (Faerie Tradition)
Familiar: White Dragon Tiger
7th level: Speak to Plants/Animals
13th level: Fae Shape
19th level: Curse
25th level: Shape Change
Spells
Cantrips (7): Alarm Ward, Daze, Detect Curse, Object Reading, Open, Spark, Warm
First (7): Bewitch I, Cause Fear, Command, Faerie Fire, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sleep, Spirit Dart
Second (7): Alter Self, Biting Blade, Blast Sheild, Enthrall, Evil Eye, Hold Person, Phantasmal Spirit
Third (6): Astral Sense, Bestow Curse, Continual Fire, Feral Spirit, Fly, Improved Faerie Fire
Fourth (6): Air Walk, Betwitch IV, Dance Macabre, Neutralize Poison, Spiritual Dagger, Withering Touch
Fifth (5): Anti-Magic Candle, Blade Dance, Dream, Primal Scream, Song of Discord
Sixth (5): Break the Spirit, Control Weather, Find the Path, Moonbow, True Seeing
Seventh (4): Ball of Sunshine, Breath of the Goddess, Etherealness, Serpent Garden
Eighth (4): Astral Projection, Greater Mislead, Mystic Barrier, Wail of the Banshee
In my games Elvyra didn't steal Brigit's Flame, but rescued it. There is still a long standing cold war between the Queen of Witches and the Daughters of the Flame covens (the Eula want to forgive her, the Brenna want her to pay for what they still feel is the theft of the flame), though both factions of the coven want a better accounting on how she made the wand the Scarlet Flame.
Oh and if you don't have this song going through your head while reading this then you are not as old school as you think you are.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Obscure Fantasy RPGs Appreciation Day
http://mesmerizedbysirens.blogspot.com/2013/05/announcing-obscure-fantasy-rpgs.html
I am just about ready to go myself.
Looking forward to this one. I love really obscure RPGs.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
What is Obscure? Obscure RPGs.
I'll admit. I consider myself well informed on all sorts of topics related to RPGs. I get to go to a lot of auctions, talk to people online and spent quite a lot of time editing and researching RPG articles on Wikipedia.
But there is always some game that comes up that surprises me. More to the point it also seems to be a game that has a small, but dedicated following.
That is why I am looking forward to the Obscure RPG Appreciation Day hosted by Mesmerized by Sirens.
I was in my game room looking over books. The deal is the obscure RPG has to be Fantasy. I have a lot of Obscure Horror. Hmm.
I have an idea of what I want to do, and I think it might even be a good choice for me in particular.
But mostly I am looking forward to see what everyone else is going to do. So I'd like to see a lot of participants in this for purely selfish reasons. I want to know what little hidden gems are in your collection that I might not know about.
But there is always some game that comes up that surprises me. More to the point it also seems to be a game that has a small, but dedicated following.
That is why I am looking forward to the Obscure RPG Appreciation Day hosted by Mesmerized by Sirens.
I was in my game room looking over books. The deal is the obscure RPG has to be Fantasy. I have a lot of Obscure Horror. Hmm.
I have an idea of what I want to do, and I think it might even be a good choice for me in particular.
But mostly I am looking forward to see what everyone else is going to do. So I'd like to see a lot of participants in this for purely selfish reasons. I want to know what little hidden gems are in your collection that I might not know about.
Monday, April 15, 2013
M is also for Migraine, MRIs, May, Mars and Majus
So what's on my mind lately? Well. Have a look for yourself.
Yeah that's my brain stuff. I have had migraines my entire life, recently though (two weeks in fact) they have been turned up to 12. So we are trying to figure out what is causing them.
My posting will be sporadic It's hard to think with a constant pain in your head. Harder when I am taking the drugs to dull the pain.
But that is a cool picture though. I still remember enough of my psych to id all major parts. Good news is that my doctor does not expect to see anything "devastating" in his words. But who knows. The pain sucks.
Anyway...other things are going on.
I am SO woefully behind in reviews that I am going to spend a lot of time in May catching up.
I'd also love to detail a Mars/Barsoom game using OD&D or S&W. That would be awesome really.
Something like this, Warriors of Mars.
Don't forget that the Majus Kickstarter is still going on.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1895361773/majus-a-magic-noir-pacesetter-game
Yeah that's my brain stuff. I have had migraines my entire life, recently though (two weeks in fact) they have been turned up to 12. So we are trying to figure out what is causing them.
My posting will be sporadic It's hard to think with a constant pain in your head. Harder when I am taking the drugs to dull the pain.
But that is a cool picture though. I still remember enough of my psych to id all major parts. Good news is that my doctor does not expect to see anything "devastating" in his words. But who knows. The pain sucks.
Anyway...other things are going on.
I am SO woefully behind in reviews that I am going to spend a lot of time in May catching up.
I'd also love to detail a Mars/Barsoom game using OD&D or S&W. That would be awesome really.
Something like this, Warriors of Mars.
Don't forget that the Majus Kickstarter is still going on.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1895361773/majus-a-magic-noir-pacesetter-game
Friday, April 5, 2013
E is also for Evil Dead!
The new Evil Dead is out tonight!
Are you going to go see it?
Well the game based on the original Evil Dead movie, Army of Darkness is now on sale.
Army of Darkness
It is 100% compatible with my game Ghosts of Albion.
Pick them both up today!
Are you going to go see it?
Army of Darkness
It is 100% compatible with my game Ghosts of Albion.
Pick them both up today!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
TBBYANR: RPG blogs
A couple of RPG focused blogs today!
Cross Planes
"Or how I learned to stop worrying and love D&D"
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/
I gotta admit I love the alt-title. It is something I have said in the past myself in connection with getting out of the Edition War mindset. Cross Planes/Mark Craddock is also very much a non-participant in the Edition Wars. He talks about D&D Next (and he was the first place where I found out the new packet was out). He is also into Dragon Age and I'll admit that reading over his site today has made we want to check out the RPG or computer game again. So much so I did this even:
What Dragon Age: Origins Character Are You?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime
Well was there ever a doubt?
He also did a couple of witch builds for D&D Next a Maiden and Mother. Don't know if he did a Crone at all. What I like about this blog is Mark covers a lot of topics and games. Single purpose blogs are great, and if I want to do a deep dive into a system that is what I need. But I also enjoy the daily reading of the general purpose blog (like this one and my own) to get a variety of topics. Plus he playing his games with his two daughters, how awesome is that?
Silver Divinity
http://silverdivinityrpg.blogspot.com/
I actually found this one from my Monstrous Monday Blogfest a while back and again on the Blog Blitz. One of my favorite monsters from the MM Blogfest was his Zombie Cow.
The author of this blog, John, is working on a game project "Silver Divinity" and the blog is his proving ground/sounding board/beta tester.
So far the game itself sounds very cool. It feels like a Steampunk meets Spelljammer sort of thing if I am reading it all right. If so then that is cool. The stats for the races look like d20/OGL so that makes that easier to understand. The blog is only 7 months old and he is still posting ideas to flesh out. So I expect to see some more interesting things in the future.
In the meantime stop on by and see what he has done so far.
This week I am running my irregular feature "The Best Blog You Are Not Reading" every day. If you can instead of replying here, go to the blogs I am featuring and reply there. I think the owners would like that.
Cross Planes
"Or how I learned to stop worrying and love D&D"
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/
I gotta admit I love the alt-title. It is something I have said in the past myself in connection with getting out of the Edition War mindset. Cross Planes/Mark Craddock is also very much a non-participant in the Edition Wars. He talks about D&D Next (and he was the first place where I found out the new packet was out). He is also into Dragon Age and I'll admit that reading over his site today has made we want to check out the RPG or computer game again. So much so I did this even:
What Dragon Age: Origins Character Are You?Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime
Well was there ever a doubt?
He also did a couple of witch builds for D&D Next a Maiden and Mother. Don't know if he did a Crone at all. What I like about this blog is Mark covers a lot of topics and games. Single purpose blogs are great, and if I want to do a deep dive into a system that is what I need. But I also enjoy the daily reading of the general purpose blog (like this one and my own) to get a variety of topics. Plus he playing his games with his two daughters, how awesome is that?
Silver Divinity
http://silverdivinityrpg.blogspot.com/
I actually found this one from my Monstrous Monday Blogfest a while back and again on the Blog Blitz. One of my favorite monsters from the MM Blogfest was his Zombie Cow.
The author of this blog, John, is working on a game project "Silver Divinity" and the blog is his proving ground/sounding board/beta tester.
So far the game itself sounds very cool. It feels like a Steampunk meets Spelljammer sort of thing if I am reading it all right. If so then that is cool. The stats for the races look like d20/OGL so that makes that easier to understand. The blog is only 7 months old and he is still posting ideas to flesh out. So I expect to see some more interesting things in the future.
In the meantime stop on by and see what he has done so far.
This week I am running my irregular feature "The Best Blog You Are Not Reading" every day. If you can instead of replying here, go to the blogs I am featuring and reply there. I think the owners would like that.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Ordinary World
Ordinary World
Ordinary World was the working title of a new game I was working on. It was going to be modern supernatural and use this new system I was developing that I had code named "The Power of Three" system.
The basic premise of Ordinary World was the players would be playing supernatural types just trying to get along in a world that didn't believe they existed and considered them monsters. In a way sorta like "Being Human" the RPG, but also elements of all the things I like in modern supernatural fiction.
I wanted to have the experience of writing a new game from the ground up and I wanted to do something in a realm I am really familiar with. Trouble is every time I would bring this game up to friends they would remind me I already did all of that with Ghosts of Albion.
So sometime this past Summer I shelved Ordinary World.
No sooner had I done that than I had this great idea for an Old-School game that I was calling Monster Mash. The rules would have been Labyrinth Lord compatible and instead of heroes you would have played the monsters. In particular the old Universal Pictures Monsters, so vampires, golems, werewolves and ghosts. I would have made it compatible with The Witch since one of my big influences for this was the video to the Rob Zombie song, American Witch. I thought it might have been a fun beer and pretzels sort of game.
In truth I probably came up with it while listening to Hellbilly Deluxe one too many times. I even had an adventure partially written "Dr. Satan Needs Blood!".
Last week I was still thinking about these two when I had an idea of bringing them together. When it also dawned on me that I had other WiPs, some from the earliest days of this blog.
Generation Hex was this really cool, awesome idea I had for Unisystem/True 20/Mutants & Masterminds or whatever system I happen to really enjoy at the time. Simply put it was a game to play kids in a magical school. Since that time this sort of thing has been better done by Witch Girls Adventures.
I also have material laying around for Licensed properties that never saw the light of day and I am now the owner of again (the RPG material, not the properties). One was d20 and the other True20.
So. What's a guy to do?
Well the natural thing is to bring them all together under one system to do the one thing they all kinda of were doing anyway.
A few caveats though.
I want to use an old-school system. I think it would be a great addition to all the material we have out there now and NOT redo something everyone else has already done.
I want to be able to play any character I want. If I come up with an idea or see something in a book then I need to have a system that can do that.
While it is an Old-School game, I don't want to forget about the advances made in other games. There are a lot of great games out there and they are great for a reason. This my chance to distill that into a new game.
So. Look for more information coming from me on this. I think this is one I will design live on the blog. Posting ideas, sending up files for playtests. Things like that.
First thing I need to figure out. What system should I use?
Ordinary World was the working title of a new game I was working on. It was going to be modern supernatural and use this new system I was developing that I had code named "The Power of Three" system.
The basic premise of Ordinary World was the players would be playing supernatural types just trying to get along in a world that didn't believe they existed and considered them monsters. In a way sorta like "Being Human" the RPG, but also elements of all the things I like in modern supernatural fiction.
I wanted to have the experience of writing a new game from the ground up and I wanted to do something in a realm I am really familiar with. Trouble is every time I would bring this game up to friends they would remind me I already did all of that with Ghosts of Albion.
So sometime this past Summer I shelved Ordinary World.
No sooner had I done that than I had this great idea for an Old-School game that I was calling Monster Mash. The rules would have been Labyrinth Lord compatible and instead of heroes you would have played the monsters. In particular the old Universal Pictures Monsters, so vampires, golems, werewolves and ghosts. I would have made it compatible with The Witch since one of my big influences for this was the video to the Rob Zombie song, American Witch. I thought it might have been a fun beer and pretzels sort of game.
In truth I probably came up with it while listening to Hellbilly Deluxe one too many times. I even had an adventure partially written "Dr. Satan Needs Blood!".
Last week I was still thinking about these two when I had an idea of bringing them together. When it also dawned on me that I had other WiPs, some from the earliest days of this blog.
Generation Hex was this really cool, awesome idea I had for Unisystem/True 20/Mutants & Masterminds or whatever system I happen to really enjoy at the time. Simply put it was a game to play kids in a magical school. Since that time this sort of thing has been better done by Witch Girls Adventures.
I also have material laying around for Licensed properties that never saw the light of day and I am now the owner of again (the RPG material, not the properties). One was d20 and the other True20.
So. What's a guy to do?
Well the natural thing is to bring them all together under one system to do the one thing they all kinda of were doing anyway.
A few caveats though.
I want to use an old-school system. I think it would be a great addition to all the material we have out there now and NOT redo something everyone else has already done.
I want to be able to play any character I want. If I come up with an idea or see something in a book then I need to have a system that can do that.
While it is an Old-School game, I don't want to forget about the advances made in other games. There are a lot of great games out there and they are great for a reason. This my chance to distill that into a new game.
So. Look for more information coming from me on this. I think this is one I will design live on the blog. Posting ideas, sending up files for playtests. Things like that.
First thing I need to figure out. What system should I use?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Free RPG Day Haul
Look what I got!
I grabbed the "D&D"-like ones, because that's what my kids enjoy the most.
Been toying around with an idea that might incorporate all four into a game...but that is silly.
The ShadowRun was more for me. I have been itching to pull my ShadowRun books down again.
Don't forget you can also get the Ghosts of Albion Quick Start and Adventure Derby Day.
I grabbed the "D&D"-like ones, because that's what my kids enjoy the most.
Been toying around with an idea that might incorporate all four into a game...but that is silly.
The ShadowRun was more for me. I have been itching to pull my ShadowRun books down again.
Don't forget you can also get the Ghosts of Albion Quick Start and Adventure Derby Day.
Friday, December 23, 2011
What are you getting this year?
To all the good little boys and girls (and to the bad ones too!) what are you getting for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Yule/Festivus this year?
I am hoping for The Dresden Files RPG in print and maybe some fudge dice to go with it.
I'd also like one of then Kim Harrison books.
But mostly I am hoping for some time to do some gaming with my kids. That would be best of all.
What are you all hoping for?
I am hoping for The Dresden Files RPG in print and maybe some fudge dice to go with it.
I'd also like one of then Kim Harrison books.
But mostly I am hoping for some time to do some gaming with my kids. That would be best of all.
What are you all hoping for?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Best RPGs of 2011?
I was thinking back on this past year and the absolute ton of material released. While it is has been a good year in terms of quantity (rumors of the death of the hobby continue unabated since 1986), I am not sure I could name my favorite product from 2011.
My favorite purchases that were new in 2011 were the Heroes of the Feywild, Call of Cthulhu Anniversary Edition and the DC Adventures Heroes and Villains book. There are others I know. I reviewed them here. But for the life of me, nothing is sticking out.
What were YOUR favorite games out in 2011?
Why did you like them?
My favorite purchases that were new in 2011 were the Heroes of the Feywild, Call of Cthulhu Anniversary Edition and the DC Adventures Heroes and Villains book. There are others I know. I reviewed them here. But for the life of me, nothing is sticking out.
What were YOUR favorite games out in 2011?
Why did you like them?
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Games that I'd like to give another chance
One of the cool things about being at this point in my life is I have tried hundreds of games. While there are only about half a dozen I come back too, there are few I'd like to try again and give another go at.
Here are some I'd like to give another chance too.
Traveller
One of the first non-D&D games I ever played. I was a big sci-fi geek back in the day and would love to play this one again as an adult.
Savage Worlds
People love it, but it has never worked for me. I have given this one more than enough chances really, but I also broke up with and got back together with my crazy ex-girlfriend in college a number of times too. So obviously I am a glutton for punishment.
I think I need to try it with another GM. Nothing again my regular GM Greg, but maybe someone that can run this like he can run D&D or I can run Unisystem.
MERP
Loved the books. Thought the game was cool. I would really like to try a good game in Middle Earth at least one more time.
BESM 3.0 or 2r
I really enjoyed the hell out of Big Eyes, Small Mouth. I'd like to give that one another go too.
Marvel Super Heroes
I am much more of a DC fan, but I'd love to try this one again.
World of Synnibarr
I know, I know. Worst RPG ever. But there is such a gonzo quality about this game that just begs that you don't take it seriously, and thus all the reasons to consider it bad are somehow less important. Just need to find the right crowd.
Alternity
Enjoyed it the one time I played. Would like to try it again.
What games are on your lists?
And on a special note, today is the 20th anniversary of the first date I had with the woman I'd later marry. Thought it was kinda nice to remember that.
Here are some I'd like to give another chance too.
Traveller
One of the first non-D&D games I ever played. I was a big sci-fi geek back in the day and would love to play this one again as an adult.
Savage Worlds
People love it, but it has never worked for me. I have given this one more than enough chances really, but I also broke up with and got back together with my crazy ex-girlfriend in college a number of times too. So obviously I am a glutton for punishment.
I think I need to try it with another GM. Nothing again my regular GM Greg, but maybe someone that can run this like he can run D&D or I can run Unisystem.
MERP
Loved the books. Thought the game was cool. I would really like to try a good game in Middle Earth at least one more time.
BESM 3.0 or 2r
I really enjoyed the hell out of Big Eyes, Small Mouth. I'd like to give that one another go too.
Marvel Super Heroes
I am much more of a DC fan, but I'd love to try this one again.
World of Synnibarr
I know, I know. Worst RPG ever. But there is such a gonzo quality about this game that just begs that you don't take it seriously, and thus all the reasons to consider it bad are somehow less important. Just need to find the right crowd.
Alternity
Enjoyed it the one time I played. Would like to try it again.
What games are on your lists?
And on a special note, today is the 20th anniversary of the first date I had with the woman I'd later marry. Thought it was kinda nice to remember that.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Submissons
Sorry for the quiet this week. Start of the Fall 2 term around here.
I also sent a bunch of submissions to some publishers to see if they are interested. Nothing big.
The nice thing is if they don't want them then they are yours for free! Or for the price of reading my blog.
I also sent a bunch of submissions to some publishers to see if they are interested. Nothing big.
The nice thing is if they don't want them then they are yours for free! Or for the price of reading my blog.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
The Stars are Wrong
Look. I love Cthulhu and Lovecraft as much as the next gamer. But I was going through a stack of games today with my oldest and looking at things coming up and decided that I am not seeing anything new.
So can we get a moratorium on Cthulhu for a while. Five years should be about right.
I was re-reading some Lovecraft between some meetings. The Tomb, The Picture in the House, and Polaris. Not a tentacle in the lot.
I think we need a collective break.
So can we get a moratorium on Cthulhu for a while. Five years should be about right.
I was re-reading some Lovecraft between some meetings. The Tomb, The Picture in the House, and Polaris. Not a tentacle in the lot.
I think we need a collective break.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Superhero RPGs: Welcome to the lower shelves
I started out this year on a Super Hero high. I picked up Icons, Bash!, the new DC Adventures RPGs. I was looking forward to the Mutants and Masterminds 3.0 and all was good.
Then today I put all my Mutants and Masterminds books on the lower shelves. My lower shelves have these nice doors and look really sharp, but the games are there are ones I have not touched in a very long time. Mutants and Masterminds 2.0, Hero High, Freedom City Source book and the Book of Magic all went down below today. They were replaced with the Mentzer BECMI books I got at the auction recently that had just been sitting on my game table (much to chagrin of my wife).
The hierarchy of my games are the Upper Shelves, these are the games I play all the time. The ones at the level the kids can reach are usually D&D related. Out of their reach are my horror games and Unisystem games. The Lower Shelves are closed off, so out of site, out of mind. These games can sit there for months or years before I even recall I have them. Then there is the selling shelf. It is the same level as the Unisystem stuff, just a different part. I am planning to sell these soon either at the game auction or Half-Priced books.
I am not sure when I going to play a supers game again. I know I will, but I just have no ideas at the moment for one nor do I think my various groups will want to do one any time soon. M&M joins some high quality games in the dark of my lower shelves. The "new" World of Darkness books (Vampire the Masquerade remains on the higher shelf), True 20 (really wanted to love that game) and all my Anime games. Dresden Files and Little Fears are there too, but I expect I'll be be pulling them back after a bit.
There are still some things I want to try though.
I have a character that is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman for this Next Generation supers game we started. I am basing it on the events of Kingdom Come and Batman Beyond. I wanted to try her out in a bunch of systems (M&M2, DCA, Bash, Icons) to get a good idea how the games stat up against each other. Plus I liked the character. She was raised on Paradise Island, trained by Bruce Wayne and my main influence for her was...Ally McBeal. Sorry. I just thought it would be neat if she had decided to be a lawyer.
Ok so you know how much I love Willow & Tara? Well my oldest is the same way. His obsession though is Fire and Ice. He has Fire and Ice figures and even Hero Clix that we use in his Dragonslayers game (in this game they are elemental wizards). I feel like I owe it to him to stat them up at least once in some system.
Maybe I'll still get them up sometime.
I can go with their Pre-Crisis incarnations what are more magic based.
Then today I put all my Mutants and Masterminds books on the lower shelves. My lower shelves have these nice doors and look really sharp, but the games are there are ones I have not touched in a very long time. Mutants and Masterminds 2.0, Hero High, Freedom City Source book and the Book of Magic all went down below today. They were replaced with the Mentzer BECMI books I got at the auction recently that had just been sitting on my game table (much to chagrin of my wife).
The hierarchy of my games are the Upper Shelves, these are the games I play all the time. The ones at the level the kids can reach are usually D&D related. Out of their reach are my horror games and Unisystem games. The Lower Shelves are closed off, so out of site, out of mind. These games can sit there for months or years before I even recall I have them. Then there is the selling shelf. It is the same level as the Unisystem stuff, just a different part. I am planning to sell these soon either at the game auction or Half-Priced books.
I am not sure when I going to play a supers game again. I know I will, but I just have no ideas at the moment for one nor do I think my various groups will want to do one any time soon. M&M joins some high quality games in the dark of my lower shelves. The "new" World of Darkness books (Vampire the Masquerade remains on the higher shelf), True 20 (really wanted to love that game) and all my Anime games. Dresden Files and Little Fears are there too, but I expect I'll be be pulling them back after a bit.
There are still some things I want to try though.
I have a character that is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman for this Next Generation supers game we started. I am basing it on the events of Kingdom Come and Batman Beyond. I wanted to try her out in a bunch of systems (M&M2, DCA, Bash, Icons) to get a good idea how the games stat up against each other. Plus I liked the character. She was raised on Paradise Island, trained by Bruce Wayne and my main influence for her was...Ally McBeal. Sorry. I just thought it would be neat if she had decided to be a lawyer.
Ok so you know how much I love Willow & Tara? Well my oldest is the same way. His obsession though is Fire and Ice. He has Fire and Ice figures and even Hero Clix that we use in his Dragonslayers game (in this game they are elemental wizards). I feel like I owe it to him to stat them up at least once in some system.
Maybe I'll still get them up sometime.
I can go with their Pre-Crisis incarnations what are more magic based.
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