Wednesday, August 31, 2011

[osr Challenge] September is Upon Us!

The osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures is upon us. I hope that all the participants have prepared for your 25 adventures as much as I have. And for readers, enjoy the thought and skill that went into the adventures and use them in your games. Comments on all the adventures, especially my own posts for this challenge, are appreciated! Let us know what you think.

Thanks and good luck!

[osr Challenge] More and more are joining! Why don't you?

Wow! The Mustache Dragon's minions, the Cat Women of the Moon*, have used their psychic powers to gather a bunch more Challengers for the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures!

These Challengers are:
We are up to 15, with another possible Challenger, Simon over at ... and the sky full of dust (Simon, be sure to sign up with the Linky in the original Challenge post to be counted).

I've also got the Linky set up to run all the way through September for anyone who has to join late - so what are you waiting for?

* Please note, the Mustache Dragon's Cat Women of the Moon minions are not available for parties, gala shows or bank heists. Cat Women of the Moon are not family friendly and often resort to psychic attack when bored and hissing when cornered. Do not attempt to appease them with shiny baubles, squeak mouse toys or catnip. Please call 555-555-CATZ for more information on becoming a Cat Women of the Moon or if you are a foolish human male. The Mustache Dragon, Asshat Paladins and any associated blog-mooks cannot be held responsible for any and all relationship issues that develop with your significant other in response to being dragged off by one of the Cat Women of the Moon. Discounts on catsuits are not valid in WI, CA or ID. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

[osr Challenge] Mithril X

No. 10 in the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures is Mark over at Mithril and Mages.

Thanks for joining us, Mark! With 10, that's at least 250 short adventures!

There's still time to join up with the Challenge. So give it a go!

[Characters] The Great Race: Hezekiah Sturdy

Hezekiah Sturdy is The Great Leslie's right hand man. Good with machines and with his fists, he's easily duped by Maggie DuBois and left behind in America but catches up to Leslie in Russia.

Hezekiah Sturdy (WC)
Agility d8 Smarts d6 Spirit d6 Strength d12 Vigor d10
Pace 6 Parry 6 Toughness 8 Charisma -0-

Edges: Brawny, Two-fisted, Mr. Fix-it.

Hindrances: Enemy (Professor Fate, minor), Loyal (minor), Clueless (Major).

Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d6, Guts d8, Driving d8, Repair d10+2, Notice d4.

Monday, August 29, 2011

[Quotes] Roman Proverb

 
"Audi, vide, tace, si vis vivere in pace"
Hear, see, be silent, if you would live in peace. 
-- Roman Proverb

Sunday, August 28, 2011

[My Collection] Birthright

 
Birthright was a campaign setting published by TSR in 1995 for AD&D 2nd edition. It was one of their many, non-standard fantasy settings during the 90s that didn't seem to make good (compared to Greyhawk and  Forgotten Realms). It allowed the PCs to be up-and-coming scions of noble houses from the get-go, including rules for domains and the supernatural powers rules gained from them.

I never played it.

But I collect it. I've got most of the 25 books printed, only missing a few of the Player's Secrets and one or so of the Books of .... No worries, I'll find them all.

Wizards of the Coast released five Birthright products in 2005, part of a 10th anniversary celebration for Birthright. You can get the free downloads here.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

[osr Challenge] Nine! We've reached Nine!

The Chronicles of Ganth blog, by Eric, is no. 9!

We're officially Black Riders now! (Unfortunately, you'll have to provide your own horse or dragon - I don't have a Sauron to pay for them).

There's still time to join up to the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures so if you're thinking about it, sign up!

[Resources] Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle was first built in 1127 CE, on the site of an earlier Roman Fort (43 CE) designed to protect the bridge across the River Medway. It had a long and varied history: referred to (indirectly) in the Domesday Book; Henry I had the keep built as part of an exchange with the Archbishop of Canterbury; repaired in 1206 by King John (for £115), it was seized by rebel barons in 1216, besieged by John and taken; repaired by Henry III (over £1000) after John's death, it was again besieged (this time unsuccessfully) in 1264 by more rebel barons; Edward III repaired it in 1367; the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) passed it by; in 1554, Thomas Wyatt's Rebellion took the castle during the uprising; thereafter it went into disrepair (being expensive to support); today, it's part of the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England (English Heritage).

Read up on the history of this castle - it's a useful resource for gaming, whatever the setting.

Friday, August 26, 2011

[osr Challenge] Less than a week to go!

The osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures is almost upon us, less than a week away! Sign up and join your fellow bloggers on an adventure of adventure writing!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

[Blogs] Huge Ruined Pile

 
Scott writes Huge Ruined Pile, an excellent blog that I've had the pleasure of reading for a while now.

I especially liked his Moldvay/Cook Project: Setting Implications of B2 post back in September of last year. His point that "The Cave of the Minotaur is a nightmare to run and will hopefully teach Referees early on that magical mazes are a giant pain in the ass" I agree with but I still like magical mazes.

He's also got a series of post on Dwarf-Lands, his Dwarf and Gnome-centric campaign. It's pretty interesting, with maps, PCs and such. So read up on Scott's stuff - it's good.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

[1938] The Penal Gang

There is one criminal platoon in the 1st Solway BUF. C Company, 2nd Platoon, Lt. Alfred Jingle commanding. These chaps were all in jail for a variety of reasons and when the whole thing went up in 1936, the jailer (a BUF man) gave them the choice: serve the BUF (and the King, by extension) or serve your time. A number of the younger lads did just that. And they've been nothing but trouble for Lt. Jingle and C Company's commander Captain Edward Leeford ever since.

The trouble with penal military units is that they're trouble. Discipline? Honor? Duty? Not much of any of those. As a result, in each engagement, they've retreated rather than hold, destroyed (and stole) useful gear (but left little evidence of the thefts) and made a general nuisance of themselves. And they're at the end of their tether and not getting any better.

They've been moved around so much during the siege that they've got no trust from their fellow soldiers (not that they've done anything to earn that trust, quite the opposite). They've been banned from the town and the problems that they are causing are increasing the resistance within the townsfolk towards the whole 1st Solway.

The criminals of 2nd Platoon fear no-one, except for The Butcher. Oh, yes. Him they fear. And Thompson disappeared last week, after mouthing off to The Butcher. There's speculation that he's somewhere in a ditch, with a bullet in the back of his head.

With Jingle and Leeford at wits end, Thornsby is hoping that the Manx forces will whittle down 2nd Platoon for him, but he has no plans for dealing with them so far. As a group of wild cards in the deck, the GM can used them as troublemakers on both sides, shooting at the wrong time, going farther afield than ordered (both in terrestrial distance as well as authority) and generally making themselves trouble for the PCs.

Monday, August 22, 2011

[Distinguished Flying Cross] The Japanese South Pacific Mandate

One of the places the PCs of the Distinguished Flying Cross campaign visited was the Japanese South Pacific Mandate, if only in a fly-over. I had planned more adventures there (especially after watching Tales of the Gold Monkey).
The South Pacific Mandate was the result of Germany losing World War I and Japan, after taking several German possessions in 1914, becoming the recognized new owners by order of the League of Nations in 1919.

The Japanese were very interested in gaining these lands, especially for an increased empire. Also the Japanese Navy took the opportunity to field explorations under the assumption that they would find roots to Japanese ancestors. They sent archaeologists and other experts to explore the islands and would make a good addition to possible NPCs the characters meet.

Since this Japanese territory is the province of Princess Koji, I'll have to do a write-up on her at some point. After all, if she's a good enough frenemy for Jake Cutter, she's good enough for the PCs.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

[osr Challenge] I'm gonna use a Balrog!

Yep, reading around wikipedia, I came to the Balrog entry:

Yeah, I'm gonna do it! 

If you want to join the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures, be sure to sign up! Times a wastin'!

And if you're interested in using a Balrog, too, here are the stats I came up with:

Balrog; No. Encountered: 1; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 2; Hit Dice: 10d8, Hit Points: 56; Attacks: +1 sword (1d8+4) and +1 whip (1d6+4 + special); Save: F10; morale: 12; Special abilities: flight, 90 feet darkvision, Strength 18, immune to non-magical weapons but silver weapons do half-damage, immune to sleep, charm and hold spells, drag attack (if the whip attack is successful, the Balrog drags the target against its flaming body, inflicting an additional 3d6 damage).

[Characters] The Great Race: Maggie DuBois

Maggie DuBois is the heroine of The Great Race - an attractive woman who's willing to use her looks to great advantage and who secretly loves The Great Leslie, despite the fact that it'll put her in a traditional roll.

If you watch the movie, count how many times she changes clothes. Especially the iceberg scene.

Maggie DuBois (WC)
Agility d8 Smarts d6 Spirit d8 Strength d6 Vigor d6
Pace 6 Parry 6 Toughness 5 Charisma +4

Edges: Attractive, Very Attractive, Strong Willed, I've Got One Of Those (Only applies to clothes).

Hindrances: Enemy (Professor Fate, minor), Quirk: Feminist (minor), Overconfidence (Major)

Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d4, Guts d6, Driving d8, Notice d4, Knowledge (Fashion) d8, Knowledge (Linguist) d6, Intimidation d6+2, Taunt d4+2, Persuasion d8, Throwing d6.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

[Resources] Gyres and the Hansa Carrier

The Hansa Carrier is freighter that, in 1990, lost 21 cargo containers in the Pacific south of Alaska during a storm. 61,000 Nike shoes (each one with a unique serial number) were in five of the containers and this loss allowed oceanographers and amateur scientists to better understand the oceans, especially the North Pacific Gyre (a gyre is a large system of rotating currents caused by the Coriolis Effect, and the North Pacific Gyre is one of five oceanic gyres in the world).

The shoes allowed scientists to track the path of currents, as the shoes washed up on shore. 200 of them were spotted on the coast of Washington about six months after the spill. A group of them floated to Queen Charlotte Sound in March of 1991, with more sightings off the coast of Oregon in May.

This is really cool and would make a great event in a modern setting, especially if the action involved the PCs sinking a ship that had a similar cargo and seeking after something that went missing on the boat.

Friday, August 19, 2011

[In The Game] Zeppelin Armada

Evil Hat is working on a new card game called Zeppelin Armada. Developed by Jeff Tidball, it's been described as: “Dude. You have a fleet of zeppelins. You blow up other people’s zeppelins. Do I need to say more?”

Yeah, they got me. I'm gonna get it.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

[osr Challenge] New challengers!

Two more challengers for the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures have signed up! No. 7 and 8 are David at Weekend Wizardry and C'nor at Lunching on Lamias.

This is excellent. I am still working on my posts and can't wait for the start of September. Less than two weeks away, so more time to sign up! What are you waiting for?

[Blogs] Tower of the Archmage

 
Tower of the Archmage is an awesome blog written by the Archmage David. A recent post that I really enjoyed was his Wire Wolf, a metal golem that's really brutal (so brutal, in fact, that I want to use it in one of my 25 adventures for September). The Archmage also has a cool bit: Tim Curry Tuesdays (only a few so far but very promising).

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

[Books] The Eagle of the Ninth

I'm reading Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth (made recently as The Eagle) and it's pretty enjoyable. I haven't seen the movie yet but that's in the plan. The book concerns the son of a Roman Centurion that disappeared with the Ninth Legion (Legio IX Hispana) in 117 CE in (what is now) Scotland. The novel takes place 10 years later, when the son, now a wounded and decommissioned Roman Centurion, seeks the mystery of the loss of the Legion and the fate of his father.

It's good so far and I'm amazed that I haven't heard of it before now. It's the start of a series of books by Sutcliff so there are more to read. Check it out.

Monday, August 15, 2011

[Resources] 10,000 Year Clock

I read about the 10,000 Year Clock project on a post on Held Action, which pushed me to the Wired article.

The 10,000 Year Clock, also known as the Clock of the Long Now, was first thought up in the late 80s by inventor Danny Hillis. The plan is to build a clock that will last 10,000 years, without error. A proto-type was operating by the end of 1999 (it's now in the London Science Museum). Another two proto-types were operating by 2007. Jeff Bezos, of Amazon.com, funded the project with $42 million of his own money. The project is currently underway to build the full clock.

Imagine using this clock in any and all of your future games, including post-apocalyptic settings and space settings.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

[Comics] Thieves and Kings

Thieves and Kings is an unusual comic, a combination of pages of text sprinkled between comic art. Started in 1994 by author/artist Mark Oakley, the story centers on heroic characters facing tough choices, both thieves and kings. Lots of stuff is going on here so I'm not going to try to explain any more except to urge you to read it.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

[Resources] The Sixty-One Nails and the Queen's Remembrancer

The King's/Queen's Remembrancer was created in 1154 by English King Henry II, in order 'to put the Lord Treasurer and the Barons of Court in remembrance of such things as were to be called upon and dealt with for the benefit of the Crown.' It is the oldest judiciary position in the world, annually responsible to convene the Exchequer Court to render of "the Quit Rents (of the City of London) to the Crown," which consist of two ceremonies of three rents:

The first ceremony contains two rents - one from 1211, payment of one blunt and one sharp knives for land called The Moors, and the other from 1235, payment of 61 horseshoe nails coupled with six horseshoes for land called The Forge.

The second ceremony contains one rent - from 1327, payment of £11 for the town of Southwark.

There's a lot more to the story, about the ceremonies and about the whole ritual, far too much to add here (and why wouldn't you want to do that research yourself?), but that's not all ...

Mike Shevdon wrote a book called The Sixty-One Nails, a tale of Urban Faerie. I'm currently giving it a read, so I don't know what it's fully about yet but look forward to find about it.

Friday, August 12, 2011

[Characters] The Great Race: Professor Fate

Professor Fate (no first name given) is the evil genius villain of The Great Race. Cruel, brilliant and always dastardly, he tries to beat Leslie both in the race and in life, but his bad luck (coupled with his klutzy sidekick Max) trip him up more than once. A gifted engineer and scientist, he develops the worlds first Weird Science vehicle, the Hannibal Twin 8 (I'll be posting on this car in the future), capable of winning the race as well as facing a variety of dangers with aplomb.

Jack Lemmon plays Fate to the T, with all the cartoon villainy that I loved as a child and still as an adult. By far my favorite character in the movie, he remains (in my opinion) the star, a dynamic character that is mercurial in his behavior and plans. He's the template for the ultimate villain in any GMs playbook.


Professor (Amadeus Wellington Vladimir) Fate (WC)
Agility d6 Smarts d12 Spirit d6 Strength d6 Vigor d6
Parry 6 Toughness 5 Pace 8 Charisma -2

Edges:
Alertness, Arcane Background (Weird Science), Fleet-footed, Gadgeteer, Jack of All Trades, McGyver, Mr. Fit It, Rich, Filthy Rich, Scholar.

Hindrances:
Enemy (The Great Leslie, minor), Mean (minor), Bad Luck (Major)

Skills:
Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Weird Science! d12, Knowledge (Science!) d12+2, Knowledge (Engineering) d12+2, Driving d8, Boating d8, Piloting d8, Repair d12+2, Taunt d6, Guts d8, Notice d8+2.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

[Savage Worlds] Winter War Campaign, Session 10: Heroes In Black And White

The finale to Book 1 of the Winter War Campaign took place in Session 10.

The PCs, trapped in the freezing tunnel, examined the door that had closed a scant 8 hours before. The wall was seemless, but Rick figured that the door on this side was made of solid gold. Keldor and McPhee moved back to the octogonal room to investigate the other three doors (remember last time, the four ice/metal golems emerged out of monster closets from four of the seven doors).

Down the steps and around the corner they went, and spotted an apparition in the middle of the room. The figure was that of a ghostly woman who raised her hand at them, commanding them to stop with a mere gesture. Keldor tried to seduce the maiden (rolling double 1s!) while McPhee asked her why she was there. She responded in a language neither understood.

The others near the door heard Keldor propositioning McPhee, then a unknown voice speaking in a strange tongue, so they rushed downstairs to see what was going on. Father Ashley immediately recognized the apparition as either a handmaiden of the Goddess Iridia or a manifestation of Iridia's Avatar and immediately fell on his knees in supplication.

The rest of the party tried their best to understand what the apparition was saying. Between Father Ashley's faith, Mort's knowledge of history and mythology, and Nostro's skill with languages, they interpreted her words:

"This place is a cauldron to test the faithful. Those lacking will leave their bones here while those deemed worthy will depart, changed and infused with holy purpose. Either all will pass (or die trying) or all will fail the tests before you. There are three tests: The Path of Head, the Path of Heart and the Path of Hand. One of you will be the Chosen of Iridia, while the rest will be Companions of the Chosen of Iridia. Before you are three doors. Choose wisely, face the tests with bravery and step forward to meet your destiny. "

After a brief discussion, Father Ashley, Mort and Nostro believed that the first test would be the Path of Head. Sir Aerik chose the center door and opened it with no difficulty, leading into a corridor and a room beyond, with a dias along the far wall.

The floor was springy and on the dias were two containers, one larger than the other, and a chute into the wall, angled down. On the wall was script that took Mort, Father Ashley and Nostro a while to decipher.

Father Ashley, in a pique, tried to toss a stone down the chute but Rick stopped it with a lucky grab. The script turned out to be a riddle instructing the PCs to measure out water in the two containers in a specific way:

"Before you are two containers, one 5 units and the other 3. Measure 4 units and pour into the chute. Too little or too much and your lives are forfeit. Just right and you live."

A faucet appeared in the wall and between McPhee and Father Ashley, they managed to solve the problem, succeeding in measuring 4 units and placing it in the chute. A loud machine-sound grinded below the floor and the floor went from springy to solid. Trap averted, they retreated back to the octogonal room to select another door.

Sir Aerik chose the door on the right, which opened into a corridor that lead into darkness. Father Ashley shot a bolt of holy power into the darkness, which rebounded and struck Nostro (who, luckily, survived with only a scratch). After that, Father Ashley was told to stop it, in no uncertain terms.

The group went into the tunnel and into the darkness, with Mort's weird science Light providing the only illumination. Soon, darkness descended around them but the corridor didn't seem to end. Joe spotted something on the wall and determined that it was a picture that looked a lot like him. He reached a certainty on that (and gained one Doom point), being recognized by Father Ashley as one of the Companions of the Chosen of Iridia, the Mighty Warrior. Joe looked more heroic than he had ever looked before.

Mort looked at the place on the wall where the image of Joe was engraved and saw another image nearby that looked much like him, too. He also reached a certainty (gaining a Doom point as well) but his image had a dark tinge to it. Father Ashley revealed him as the second Companion of the Chosen of Iridia, the Engineer. What the dark aspect to his character is will be revealed in the future!

Rick Hardrick also saw himself on the wall (gaining a Doom point), and was quickly identified as the Companion of the Chosen of Iridia, the Greatest Swordsman in the Land. Father Ashley spotted another figure on the wall, himself as the Confessor-Priest Companion of the Chosen of Iridia (receiving a Doom point). Then McPhee spotted himself on the wall, too (earning a Doom point, too) and the identity of the Twin-Sword Wielder. Finally, Nostro saw himself as the Holy Wizard of Iridia (adding a Doom point to his character).

Finally Sir Aerik stepped forward, spotting himself as the Chosen of Iridia, amidst the Companions. Gaining a whopping THREE Doom points, Sir Aerik took his place in the annals of the Holy Iridia.


The darkness faded and the PCs found themselves in a short corridor, with the door they entered right behind them. Returning to the octogonal room, they spotted the apparition again and all understood her words this time.

"You have passed the Path of Head and the Path of Heart. Your choices are difficult ones from this point forward. You will perform great feats of heroism while at the same time facing great peril. To be a Chosen of Iridia is not an easy path, nor it is one that promises a long life in this troubled world. To be a Companion is also not easy nor is the life slated to be long, either. Before you is the final door and your final test: The Path of Hand. It is a test of action and a test of death. Will you survive facing a great and worthy enemy? Can you name a enemy worthy of christening your burgeoning powers? Speak now and you shall be transported there, to face your enemy and either die or vanquish him."


The PCs discussed the "worthy" enemies they had faced before: Colin, now King of the Iron Crown of Malarky's Gang; Sir Aerik's undead necromantic brother; the Ghoul in the maze. None seemed worthy enough for their action.

Sir Aerik turned to the spirit of Iridia and said "We have heard that there is a gathering of Chief Necromancers that plague the Southern Freeholds. Take us to them so that we may defeat them or die trying. That is a worthy foe to face."

Sir Aerik opened the final door and the PCs traveled through it into mist. They found themselves in a chamber, with three Necromancers behind a table in front of them.

McPhee sprang into action, attacking with two swords against two of them, striking hard but failing to penetrate their magical armor. The Necromancers blasted at the PCs with their magical staves, severely wounding McPhee and Joe. Sir Aerik lept upon the table, striking down one of the Necromancers with his longsword, killing his evil foe (the player spent 1 Doom point, rolling a 1 so the Chosen of Iridia survived!).

With one Necromancer down and two still up and deadly dangerous, and two PCs near death, Father Ashley stepped forth and cast holy fire upon one of the hated foes, just as the Necromancer unleashed his evil power. The forces struck, destroying each of them completely (the player spent his sole Doom point and rolled a 6, so Father Ashley's Doom came home to roost and he died in a blaze of glory!).

Three lesser Necromancers burst into the room and Nostro summoned all his mighty eldritch powers, leaping within their midst as he broke his magic staff, unleashing them upon the sole remaining Chief Necromancer and the three lesser, just as they opened up with their own magical staffs on him. The resulting explosion killed the four Necromancers and Nostro as the rest of the party looked on in horror! (The player spent his Doom point and rolled a 6!)

The party, shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of their friends, quickly retreated to the door, finding themselves back in the smugglers' cave.

Thus ended, rather explosively, Book 1 of the Winter War Campaign. Look for the exciting continuation in Book 2, coming sometime in late 2011 or early 2012! (After that ending, I'm taking a break - two PCs dead from Doom! A first for me!)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

[Resources] Japanese Sword Museum

RPGs love katanas and RPG players even more so. So when I heard of the Japanese Sword Museum on the Godzilla Gaming Podcast (forget the episode, listen to them all, you won't regret it) and also this blog, I was immediately interested.

It is a small museum in Tokyo that one "blow through the museum in 5 minutes if you just take a casual glance at the contents." But I have found that the most interesting displays take a while to absorb.

So when I finally make it to Japan, I plan on visiting and taking a long, long while learning about nihonto. Real cool.

Monday, August 8, 2011

[osr Challenge] Redcap ideas

The Redcap prepares to kill some foolish humans.
For my the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures write-ups, I want to have at least one with an unusual monster foe.

So I looked at my game books and found something in Iridia issue 107. My friend Christian, over at Destination Unknown, wrote up the Red Cap in this issue so I translated this Fey creature into Labyrinth Lord.

Here's the sample stat-block!

Red Cap (small Fey); No. Encountered: 1d6+6; Alignment: Chaotic; Armor Class: 5; Hit Dice: 1d6+1, Hit Points: 7, 6, 6,  6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2; Attacks: short sword (1d6 + special), javelin (1d4 + special); Save: F1; morale: 8;  Special abilities: thief skills (including backstab), 60 feet darkvision, black venom poison (target must make save  v. poison or take 1d6 CON damage for two rounds).

If you want to try writing 25 short adventures over the days of September, you can join here!

[1938] Molotov Cocktail

A Molotov Cocktail is a fuel bomb, cheap to make and easy to use. Simply fill a bottle with petrol and tie a petrol-soaked rag around the neck. A quick light and throw, and you've set something on fire.

In terms of Savage Worlds, it's as follows:

Molotov Cocktail
Range: 5/10/20 (small burst template); Damage: 2d10; Notes: roll d6 (5-6 catches subject on fire).

Sunday, August 7, 2011

[Characters] The Great Race: Leslie Gallant III

The Great Leslie is the hero of The Great Race. Dashing, handsome, with a winning smile and always impeccably dressed in white, he annoyed me as a kid because I thought him rather bland. As an adult, I appreciate him (and the type of character) more. He's truly a Paladin, Lawful Good without being a dick.


Leslie Gallant III aka The Great Leslie (WC)

Agility d8 Smarts d6 Spirit d8 Strength d8 Vigor d6
Parry 6 Toughness 5 Pace 6 Charisma +6

Edges:
Ace, Attractive, Charismatic, Luck, Great Luck, Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill, Noble, Rich, Filthy Rich, Two-Fisted, Quick, Quick Draw.

Hindrances:
Enemy (Professor Fate, minor), Loyal (minor), Heroic (Major).

Skills:
Fighting d8, Shooting d8, Knowledge (Languages) d8, Driving d10+2, Boating d8+2, Piloting d8+2, Knowledge (Science) d8, Repair d8, Riding d8, Swimming d6, Taunt d6, Persuasion d6, Guts d8.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

[osr Challenge] Tsojcanth, You are No. 6!

The Lost Papers of Tsojcanth is the sixth entrant in the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures! Congrats!

I am very excited about this as there will now be 25 x 6 = 150 short adventures! We've still got time to join, so if you're on the fence, now is the time to get started!

[osr Challenge] Stat blocks and less than a month away!

One of the things you need for your 25 short adventures are stat blocks. I use a very simple format and I'll show you how it's done.

I'll use the unicorn from the Labyrinth Lord main book. Here's how it appears in the book:

Unicorn
No. Enc.: 1d6 (1d8)
Alignment: Lawful
Movement: 240' (80')
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 3 (2 hooves, horn)
Damage: 1d8/1d8/1d8
Save: F8
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
A unicorn has deep sea-blue, violet, brown, or fiery gold eyes. All unicorns have a long, straight horn growing from the center of their foreheads. Males sport a white beard, and all unicorns' coats are snow white. A typical adult unicorn is the size of a wild horse. These majestic creatures have the ability to teleport 1 time per day, along with a rider, up to 360'. A lawful, virtuous maiden may only approach these shy creatures.

The stats are important, so be sure to include them all (but I usually leave out the movement rate because it's easy to find it in the book if needed). I figure out the hit points, combine the damage into the attacks stat and add any special abilities that are mentioned in the text at the end. The shortened listing is at most two or three lines for ease of use:

Unicorn; Alignment: Lawful; Armor Class: 2; Hit Dice: 4d8, Hit Points: 28 ; Attacks: Hoof/Hoof/Horn (1d8/1d8/1d8); Save: F8; morale: 7; Special abilities: Teleport (1/day).

And that's how I do it. Pretty straight forward and useful for quick reference.

So there is less than a month to the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures! Be sure to sign up and participate!

[Blogs] In Places Deep

Evan writes the blog In Places Deep, and what a fine blog it is. He's got info on his personal campaigns, Nightwick Abbey and Dark Country.

Now Nightwick Abbey is cooler than cool - I love the name and the evocative nature of the name - not to mention the write-ups of his sessions (20 so far). So read it for that.

But also read it for stuff like the White Lady. I was totally blown away by this post. I read that and thought of how I could use this story in whatever game I'm running, from a modern day game set in the Scottish Highlands to the fantasy world Evan writes about.

So check out In Places Deep. You will not be disappointed.

Friday, August 5, 2011

[Quotes] My Co-worker

"I'm trying to figure out a way that this is your fault." - My co-worker, to her husband.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

[osr Challenge] Do I have ideas? Try these on for size!

Continuing my planning for the osr Challenge: A September of Short Adventures, I continue my wandering across the internet:

A house fly.

Phonophobia! (fear of loud noises)

The dreaded Basilisk

and a Sea Serpent (how am I going to get that into the Ashford Valley?)

So, if you want to join in on 25 days of short adventures in September, click here and sign up!

[Brick & Mortar] Ancient Wonders in Tualatin, Oregon

Ancient Wonders
Address: 19060 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Tualatin, OR
Phone: (503) 692-0753
http://www.ancientwonders.net/

RPGs: excellent selection
Indie RPGs: good selection
Used RPGs: excellent selection
Miniatures: excellent selection
Boardgames: good selection
Gaming space: good (3-5 tables, more upstairs)

Family Friendly: yes
Knowledgeable Staff: unknown

Overall Rating: excellent

I haven't written one of these in a while so I figured I'd go a little farther afield than my local area - to Portland (or actually, just south).

Ancient Wonders is one of my usual stops when I go to Portland. I love the place - it's a used and rare game searchers place to go. There are shelves and shelves of them, all extending up the walls, all holding those gems. Each time, I have to search and often am left calling friends with "Hey, I'm down in Portland at a game shop and I found what you were looking for ...." That, my friends, is the mark of a good shop.

So next time you're in the Rose City, take a jaunt south a bit and check out Ancient Wonders, you won't regret it.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

[Characters] Captain America's Super-Soldier Serum

I saw Captain America: The First Avenger over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. Since I'm a fan of Savage Worlds, I thought up the Super-Soldier Serum (using the SWEX Super Powers Companion):

Super-Soldier Serum [10 Power Points]
Super Attribute (Special*) +8 [8]
Super Edge (Brawny) [2]
Ageless [1]
Quirk** [minor, -1]

* No attribute can be raised above d12 for this serum. Start with Strength, increase to d12, then distribute the remaining bonuses between Vigor and Agility, weighting Vigor at 1 die higher (minimum) than Agility.

** increases positive behaviors for good recipients and negative behaviors for evil ones.

For an example:
Pre-Serum Steve Rodgers
Agility d6 Smarts d8 Spirit d8 Strength d4 Vigor d4

Post-Serum Steve Rodgers
Agility d8 Smarts d8 Spirit d8 Strength d12 Vigor d10

I'm thinking this would be a pretty cool thing to have in an all Super-Soldier campaign.

Monday, August 1, 2011

[Characters] The Great Race

When I was a kid, The Great Race (1965), with Tony Curtis, Natalie WoodJack Lemmon and Peter Falk, was a favorite. A dashing daredevil, a plucky woman reporter, an evil mastermind and his trusty sidekick, in a car race from New York to Paris, mixed together in a series of car chases, barroom brawls, explosions, icebergs, prisons, swordfights, pie fights, and a mad-dash to the finish line  - what kid wouldn't love that?

I'm planning on writing up the characters from the films in a new Character series for the blog. Watch the movie and see what I'm going on about.