Sword+1

My latest ebay haul

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

Some old Conan comics from the mid-70's.

GM Questionnaire

2012-01-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?

My current rolemaster character has excelled at making artistic full helms and selling them to the local militia. I was pretty happy with that.

2. When was the last time you GMed?

Aug of 2010 I think.

3. When was the last time you played?

Jan 2012 / in both Chris & Jeff's games

4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven't run but would like to.

A mysterious space hulk floats in orbit above a dying star, What mysteries of the ancients does the ship contain?

5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?

Look at my wandering monster table (or join the laughs if jokes are flying about).

6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?

Online, nothing usually - sessions are not long enough. In face-to-face - trail mix or M&Ms.

7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting?

No, not really.

8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?

Got revenge for a fellow player's character that had been robbed (this was in my local face-to-face Rolemaster game).

9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?

Sometimes, a little of both (and I am ok with that).

10. What do you do with goblins?

Not much, I like humans as the baddies.

11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?

Clone Wars animated series - stated up some old school droids.

12. What's the funniest table moment you can remember right now?

In a Rolemaster game (my local group), years ago one of the brothers of the GM was trampled by no less than 4 scared horses at a cave entrance. The brothers argued about the realism of such a thing and it was pretty funny for all observing.

13. What was the last game book you looked at--aside from things you referenced in a game--why were you looking at it?

Black Crusade,purchased it recently

14. Who's your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?

Paul Mullen and Kelving Green - I like the new old school artists.

15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid?

Once when I ran a "Night of the Living Dead" game using Rolemaster (characters played themselves). Got some scares in the initial zombie attack from a player or two.

16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn't write? (If ever)

Don't recall. Haven't run modules in years.

17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?

Nice open deck in the mountains, with no breeze but nice cool air. Big table, comfy chairs a must.

18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?

Burning Wheel and Advanced Squad Leader (ok, that is a wargame, but you didn't specify).

19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?

RObert E. Howard and George R.R. Martin - pretty lame answer I think.

20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?

Smart and good sense of humor.

21. What's a real life experience you've translated into game terms?

Serving in the Marines - used that for Twilight 2000 many times.

22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn't?

Not currently.

23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn't play? How do those conversations go?

My wife - she tries to understand but is new to the whole idea of RPGs.

My latest drawing.

2012-01-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

Fight On!

Down the Mouse Hole!

2012-01-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, I am itching to run some kind of G+ game in the Flail Snails universe, and recently I found a copy of one of the Mice Templar comics laying around in my basement hideaway. If that picture doesn't scream out good old D&D action, I don't know what does.

So my proposal is "Down the Mouse Hole". Here are the basic rules I whipped up this morning while listening to "The Sword".

Down the Mouse Hole Campaign Guide

This is a Flail Snails game, and as such players are encouraged to bring characters from previous expeditions to the Mouse Hole game. However, upon entering this realm, all characters are instantly transformed into Mice (also all equipment carried is transformed into mouse-sized gear). All classes are kept however, in addition the following is gained by each outside character joining the Mouse Hole game (these powers are lost when leaving this realm to adventure in another game):
       Darkvision (or Infravision – whatever you call it) to 30’
       Hear as Thief of current level (+1 level if already a thief)
       Climb as Thief of current level (+1 level if already a thief)

For players wishing to create a new character for the Mouse Hole game, character creation uses the Labyrinth Lord game with the following house rules:
        Roll abilities with 3d6 in order.
        Roll starting money with 3d6x10 (gp).
        The classes available are Fighting-Man, Thief,Cleric, and Magic-User.

If your character leaves this realm, he is transformed into a 3’ to 4’ “mouse-man”. Hope you aren’t mistaken for a were-rat.

The first session will be centered on a dungeon called "The Vaults of the Vulture King".

I am thinking of running this game on Thursday evenings starting at 9:30 (eastern time) / 8:30 central and going for 2 to 3 hours each week. I plan on starting Jan 19th.

Please post if you are interested and if I get too many I will randomly determine each week's player pool.

You can email characters to me at mike.davison317 AT gmail (dot com).

D'kota Hill Tribe Barbarian

2012-01-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

Took a break from my OD&D scribbles to try one for myself. I am working on a setting using the Outdoor Survival map and my house ruled OD&D set for an upcoming Flailsnails game I may run on google+. This drawing is of a D'kota Hill Tribes barbarian. My setting will not use much in the way of humanoid monster types, humans will fill that role - but the dungeons will be full of odd and creepy monster types I am sure.

Continuing my OD&D drawings...

2012-01-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

the barbarian...

My visual recap of last night's foray into the Hill Cantons.

2012-01-05T14:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Chris for running a kick-ass game session. Much fun and laughs.

My own Fighting Man drawing.

2012-01-05T13:35:00.002-05:00

My "Gnomes" pics

2012-01-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

Here are my takes on the OD&D gnome drawings...

Another drawing...

2012-01-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

my version of the OD&D Dwarf from Book 1:

They may not be very good, but it is fun practice doing quick drawings.

Trying out my art skills

2012-01-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

or lack thereof, I did up some of the OD&D images from book 1. Seems I am good enough for the oldest of old school books. :) Not bad for a copy of bad art.

A new year, and a resolve to post more...

2012-01-01T18:12:00.001-05:00

Happy new years. I would like to post at least 3 times a week this year but I know how my resolutions go, so lets just go with one day at a time.

Today I would like to start with my current work on a 2d6 rule-set for D&D style play. I am starting with a fresh look at character attributes. Here are my current rules for character stats and how to test them...

ATTRIBUTES

There are six characteristics that define your character, and these six attributes will be used throughout the game to gauge how well your character can perform certain tasks. The six characteristics are:

• Strength [STR]: This measures a character’s physical prowess and toughness. Tests involving strength could be as simple as breaking down a door, lifting heavy weights, or arm wrestling.

• Intelligence [INT]: This measure’s a character’s intuition, reasoning, and memory. Tests involving intelligence could be recalling a conversation, decipher a code, or solving a riddle.

• Perception [PER]: This is a character’s ability to notice his environment. Tests could involve spotting hidden objects, or noticing someone tracks.

• Agility [AGL]: This is a character’s hand-eye coordination as well as their ability to move gracefully and in control of their body. Tests could involve trying to dodge a trap or jump a chasm.

• Constitution [CON]: This is a character’s overall health and endurance. It could be tested against the effects of poisons and disease.

• Charisma [CHA]: This is the character’s presence and social graces. It could be tested against the reactions of strangers, and in dealing with hirelings and mercenaries.

DETERMINE CHARACTERISTICS

To determine your characteristics roll 3d6 (6 separate times) and total each result. Look at the table below to find your Base Target Number for each characteristic. 

For example, Mike rolled 3d6 for his Strength and got a total of 11, looking at the table, he sees that 11 gives his character a Base Target Number of 8+ (a very average score).

3d6 Roll      Base Target

3                      11+

4-6                   10+

7-8                     9+

9-12                   8+

13-15                  7+

16-17                  6+

18                      5+

Kettil the Dane's trip to the Caves of Myrddin.

2011-12-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

Kettil was in the last foray into the caves of Myrddin and witnessed the demise of Gomma the Ugly. Four brave souls (and 1 born loser) went off to explore that day, Madin a MU of some power (what kind is hard to say as no spells were cast that day); Gomma the Ugly, Boner the Specialist along with is retainer Gentle Ben; lastly there was Kettil the Dane.

We decided to enter the North Tower after spying some 3 naked female "statues" in the courtyard and under the watchful eyes of a murder of crows. After finding a trap door and battling a "golden" spider (it was driven off with a vial of acid), we made our way down eventually to the dungeon "proper".

Here is the main map of the level and my notes:

The hall on the west page end continues to show below with the death of Gomma at the hands of 3 different trapped halls...

I believe the order of his death was, south door and flame trap took 1/2 his hits. Then he went to north door and fell in pit to his death. From there the party tied a rope to final door and gave a yank from 40 feet away to have the rop cut in twain by a blade trap. So beware dungeon delvers of Myrddin, for the Black Mage lies!

Happy Holidays to all!

2011-12-25T23:20:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone has had a great holiday season, I hope to pick up blogging in the new year.

Happy birthday U.S. Marine Corps!

2011-11-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

Boot camp picture from 1988. Good luck finding me.

Me during the short Gulf War (0811 - Marine Artillery Canoneer)

Gorham Nested Random Encounter Table

2011-10-14T09:02:00.000-04:00

Taking the ideas spread by Roger here and by Noisms here, I have come up with a quick table for my Gorham city state and the lowland marshes nearby.

My latest city map. Gorham.

2011-10-03T14:52:00.001-04:00

Taking my notes for Ugarit and moving them over to my latest creation, Gorham - the city state of the Undying Witch King. Here is the hand drawn map, scanned and colored using Gimp.

Book needs a good home...

2011-09-23T16:15:00.004-04:00

// The dice have spoken and Mr. Rients you are the lucky recipient, I will contact you via email to get your mailing address. //

While away in Daytona Beach this past week, (1 year anniversary with the wife), I made my usual trek to hunt out used book stores. This time I found a place that looked like a nightmare out of the "Hoarders" tv show. This place was wall to wall books and stacks of books (with a resident cat no less).

The best find was a copy of M.A.R. Barker's "Man of Gold". So I snagged it. It is not in the best shape but it is a good readable copy. Luckily I already have a copy, so this one is going out to one lucky blog reader. If you are interested in a free copy of the book (not even going to charge mailing - unless you live outside the U.S. - then we will see how that goes), just comment on this post and in a couple of days I will do a random draw to see who the lucky recipient is.

//EDIT // I will give people until 10PM EST tonight to request an entry in the give away. I will then randomly determine the winner tomorrow morning. //

Space Fantasy OD&D Style

2011-08-31T12:52:00.000-04:00

So recently I have purchased the 2nd season of the Clone Wars animated series on DVD, and I have to say these shows are miles above the prequel trilogy and very entertaining. It really makes me want to play some Star Wars type game – but I refuse to go back to Saga or Revised – I am done with extensive lists of feats and skills – just not my cup ‘o tea anymore. I have nothing against either rules-set but I just don’t have the time or inclination to go back to them.

Then I found this thread over at the Dragonsfoot forums about Darth Vader’s tomb in a dungeon. Awesome idea, which of course lead me back to Sham’s blog and this post here about the Ashen Order. Again, awesome.

So I think Star Wars via OD&D is surely possible, and heck we have Xplorers, Stars Without Number, and Humanspace Empires to mine for game rules, what more do we need?

Well, monsters and gear for one thing. So after some quick brainstorming I give you my spin on some good ol’ recognizable robots and adversaries in a space fantasy setting.

I may have to work up some a class or two – like the Mystic Warrior Monks (can be either Law or Chaos ).

The below can be downloaded here, or on my side bar.

Battle-Bot (N): AC 7 Move 6 HD 1 – A very basic model of the battle robots produced. Skeletal frame armed with blaster. These bots are not the brightest, but are cheap and mass produced.

Super Battle-Bot (N): AC 5 Move 9 HD 2 – These more bulky and advanced version of the battle-bot. These robust robots have built in blasters incorporated into their right arm.

Commando-Bot (N): AC 5 Move 12 HD 2 – These stealthy robots are an advanced version of the simple battle-bot. Capable of strategic thinking and planning, they are dangerous adversaries. Very expensive to build, luckily very few are in existence. They are typically armed with blaster rifles.

Assassin-Bot (N): AC 5 Move 9 HD 3 – These tall gangly robots are built for assassination. They are armed with blaster rifles and will pursue their target at all costs.

Destroyer-Bot (N): AC 3(5) Move 15(6) HD 4 – These advanced robots are capable of forming into a ball for fast movement, they also deploy shields when in fighting mode that provide added protection. They are armed with 2 multi-blasters (capable of 2 shots each for a total of 4 attacks each round). The AC is 5 when rolling or inside the shield barrier, the move rate is 6 when deployed for combat and “walking”.

Assassin-Probe-Bot (N): AC 4 Move 12 HD 6 – These spider-like probe robots are built for murder. They are armed with eight scythe-like legs capable of punching through the most durable armor. Quick and stealthy, these are very dangerous robots.

Clone Soldier (N): AC 3 Move 9 HD 1 – These mass produced soldiers are the backbone of many systems. Created in vats these short lived soldiers are trained to obey orders and fight to the last. They are typically armored in full-battle armor and armed with blasters.

Clone Operative (N): AC 3 Move 9 HD 3 – These are the special forces of the clone soldiers, capable of advanced planning and tactics.

Light Battle Armor AC 7 Move 12 – This is the lightest form of armor and includes an open faced helm and blast vest.

Medium Battle Armor AC 5 Move 12 – This armor has a closed helm, bracers, and a breast plate.
Full Battle Armor AC 3 Move 9 – This full body armor encloses the wearer fully and is air tight and capable of withstanding a vacuum for up to 3 hours.

Energy Sword (2 damage dice) – These tubular hilts emit a blade of polarized energy when activated that glow in a variety of colors. The blades are able to cut through most materials.

Blaster Pistol (1 damage die) – Small hand held laser “blasters”.
Blaster Rifle (+1 to Hit, 1 damage die) – A rifle sized version of the blaster pistol.

Thermal Grenade (3 damage dice) – A fist sized grenade of terrible power, those within 30 feet must save (is save is made only take ½ damage) or take full damage from blast.

Some old Xplorers RPG material

2011-08-30T10:29:00.002-04:00

I found the half-assed attempt at a fanzine I tried last year in an old backup of my now dead pc. There was a very cool piece of art by Kelvin Green for the powered armor, so I cleaned up the document and posted it to my download section. The Boarding Action Number 1 contains my weapons and armor tables along with the aliens (stuff that was already in the download section) but with the added art by Mr. Green (who's stuff is pure awesome).

You can download Boarding Action #1 here, or in the sidebar.

Map of the known world - Ruins & Ronin Constantcon Game

2011-08-13T15:42:00.000-04:00

This is the setting for my upcoming game of Ruins & Ronin.

If you are creating a character for my game, roll 3d6 six times for your stats (arrange as you like). Then roll 3d6x10 for your starting gold. I will post more notes on the world soon.

Ruins & Ronin - Constantcon

2011-08-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

I have decided to join the Constantcon and run some of my Ruins & Ronin along with Swords & Wizardry Core rules (sans the thief class). Here is the announcement I posted to Zak's thread.

Wed Aug 24th

10:00PM (22:00) EST / 01:00 GMT

Ruins & Ronin / Swords & Wizardry Core Rules

1st Level Characters

This game will be my mega-dungeon for Ruins & Ronin set in a foreign land where most classes are available. Players should roll up a first level character using either my Ruins & Ronin rules or Swords & Wizardry Core Rules. All of the below character types are available:
- Bujin
- Half-Ogre
- Shugenja
- Sohei
- Fighter
- Cleric
- Magic-User
- Headhunter (class is available on my blog)

For characters created from R&R only equipment from R&R may be purchased. For characters created with S&W, they may purchase equipment from either book (except Plate Armor, not available) however if their equipment is lost or damaged, it may be hard to replace due to the remote location.

As you can see all characters will be humans (or at least half human) and there are no dwarves, elves, or halflings to be found. Other character types may show up later. The game is set on the remote south sea island of Azai a small colony of the Empire of the Eternal Sun. It is also a trading port for many nations in the vast Southern Sea. As such there are typically many visitors in the main castle-town (small city) of Gozu.

Contact info: You can contact me at mike.davison317 AT gmail dawt com. We can only have 4 players at a time, so if there is more than 4, I may set up two different game nights. As this is a mega-dungeon, there may be many character deaths and opportunities for new players to join.

Here is the map of Azai.

Kill Bot 100

2011-08-10T15:44:00.002-04:00

When I moved all of my S&W stuff from my old site to the new site, it seems some things didn't make the move and were lost. I just found the Kill Bot 100 (no, I swear it is not a terminator knock-off) for "The Resistance" setting using S&W White Box. You can download it here, if you wish (or on my sidebar).

Creating my Tekumel underworld.

2011-08-09T11:22:00.000-04:00

I recently got a copy of “The Best of the Journal: The Pettigrew Selections” for Tita’s House of Games. The underworld article is really cool for generating Tekumel based underworld sites so I decided to give it a go.

I decided that we are going straight out of the box EPT and this would be my Jakalla underworld “mega-dungeon”. So let’s get busy.

Rolling up the levels for my underworld, I rolled 1d10 and got a “1”. This gives me 7 levels as my underworld is under a true “metropolis”.

Starting with level 1, I roll 1d6 (+1 for 1st level) to determine the number of structures on this level. I get a “1” for a total of two. Then, rolling 1d20 for each I determine this level has a Shrine and a Temple. I roll a d6 plus modifiers for each and find that both have 5 rooms.

This means my shrine will consist of an Inner Shrine (s5), Inner Hall (s4), Outer Hall (s1), Prayer Room (s2), and an additional Prayer Room (s3).

My temple will consist of: Altar Room (t5), Inner Hall (t3), Outer Hall (t1), Storage Room (t2), and a Prayer Room (t4).

Rolling a 1d20, I get a “17” and find the shrine is dedicated to a “demonic being”, awesome. This seems like a cool theme for the 1st level of my underworld. I then roll another 1d20 and with a result of “2” find that the temple is dedicated to a god of stability. We have some conflict already on the 1st level.

Next I mapped out both structures, note that I have separate entries for both and both have further exits into the rest of the first level of my underworld.

Next, I plan to flesh out the rest of level 1 and begin stocking the level. Stay tuned.

So much Empire of The Petal Throne goodness...

2011-08-05T20:46:00.002-04:00

So last night I got to play in Hill Canton's Empire of the Petal Throne game on google+ (and had a blast). Today I got my latest shipment from Noble Knight Games... awesomenicity.

My Magic-User for Hill Canton's Empire of the Petal Throne game...

2011-08-03T12:18:00.000-04:00

I took the challenge and produced a note-card character. :)

Working on a new map.

2011-07-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

Big lake, will eventually have many islands. So far I don't hate it.

Not a bad test score, I guess..

2011-07-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

MIke Davison took the Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz in the World and got 50%!

You are a Gary Gygax Swashbuckler. You are cunning in the ways of Gary Gygax. You've probably been to Gen Con once or twice, and if I searched your house, I bet I'd find a Gary Gygax autograph, a humorous D&D-related T-shirt, and/or a stack of Dragon magazines.

Paladin Code: You completed this quiz without using Google.

Drums in the deep.

2011-07-09T18:18:00.000-04:00

Well it only took me 6 months after we moved into our new home, but I finally got me drums set up in my basement game room. Now I have Dungeons, Dragons, and drums....

Inspiration strikes!

2011-07-08T14:55:00.000-04:00

Scott has been posting about his Dwarf-Land campaign lately and it looks awesome. Me, I have been re-reading The Hobbit along with The History of the Hobbit (Part 1 - Mr. Baggins) and well when I saw this post at Scott's blog - I knew I had to draw my own Outdoor Survival Map. I have never owned the Avalon Hill game, but I found a good quality picture of the map online and went straight to work on one of the blank Judges' Guild map sheets I had (the last one actually - I and just reordered a few from Noble Knight Games). So here is my latest hand drawn map (I am not too pleased with my art here, but it is a good working map for now).

I am using the 3 LBB to stock the map and have made some tweaks to the table for determining who lives in the castle as seen below (I wanted to have more demi-human types around). I want a setting more like early middle-earth, except more Hobbits. I want Tolkien mixed with H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. (Greedy, I want it all).

RANDOM CASTLE OCCUPANTS
d6   CASTLE OCCUPANT   
1    Men       
2    Men        
3    Men       
4    Demi-human   
5    Demi-human  
6    Demi-human  

d6   MEN SUBTABLE
1    Lord
2    Superhero
3    Wizard
4    Necromancer
5    Patriarch
6    Evil High Priest

d6   DEMIHUMAN SUBTABLE
1    Halfling Hero
2    Halfling Hero
3    Dwarf Myrmidon
4    Dwarf Myrmidon
5    Elf Hero-Warlock
6    Elf Hero-Warlock

I have completed the rolls for each castle, here are the results (some have already been named):

SETTLEMENTS

- TOWNS

0118 Westfold (men)

1917 Loudwater (men)

2313 town

2317 town

2323 town

2717 town

4317 Eastwatch (men)

- CASTLES & HOLDFASTS

0824 Fane of the Fiery Eye – Evil High Priest
0930 Castle – men - patriarch

1014 Castle – dwarf – myrmidon

1117 castle – men - wizard

1211 castle – elf – hero/warlock
1305 castle – elf – hero/warlock

1408 castle – Halfling - hero

1831 castle – men - patriarch

1922 Hob’s Shire – Halfling - hero

2128 castle – men - wizard

2205 castle – Halfling - hero

2232 castle – men - lord

2308 castle – Halfling - hero

2424 castle – elf – hero/warlock

2510 castle – dwarf - myrmidon

2703 castle – elf – hero/warlock

2719 castle – men - lord

2806 castle – men - patriarch

2928 castle – elf – hero/warlock

3332 castle – elf – hero/warlock

3414 castle – hafling - hero

3626 castle – dwarf - myrmidon

4120 Bastion of Belegore the Undying - necromancer

4202 castle – dwarf - myrmidon

I'm still alive!

2011-07-06T19:31:00.002-04:00

It has been a busy summer between work and time with the family, but I am still here and checking out the blogs. I expect to start posting in the next couple of weeks again.

My latest haul from Noble Knight Games....

2011-04-28T12:52:00.000-04:00

Eager to try out my latest catch, I rolled up my first Tunnels & Trolls character for his turn in the Arena of Khazan...

Z'al Baaz (Human/Warrior)
ST 10 CON 7
IQ 10 DEX 11
LK 11 CHR 9
Personal Adds (Melee): +/-0
Ht: 6'1" / Wt. 200 lbs

Z'al was captured by slavers and sold to the arena... his story to follow.

My own dice bowl...

2011-04-23T11:18:00.001-04:00

Saw this over at breeyark's blog, so I had to make one myself....

need to find a better way to cut the felt - mine is not quite circular.

So I fell off the bandwagon...

2011-04-21T16:02:00.000-04:00

I did well for the fist week or so of the A to Z challenge, but I couldn't keep the pace. My apologies. Hopefully I can start posting some regular content again in the next few days...

April A to Z: J is for Just Because...

2011-04-12T08:10:00.001-04:00

Just because it is my birthday, I am taking a day off of the challenge. : )

Cheers.

April A to Z: I is for Imagery

2011-04-11T12:56:00.000-04:00

Today's post is a complete cheat of the A to Z challenge, too busy with work and "I" is stumping me. So, we go with Imagery. No game should go without lots of good imagery from the DM. Good descriptions and words taken from good pulp writers can help that immensely. I suggest of course the staples R.E. Howard, C.A. Smith, and of course H.P. Lovecraft to start. Good examples can be found online, so without further delay - and to give you something worthwhile to read today, I give you two examples of great stories with links to them for your online reading pleasure. I hope to be back on track tomorrow with "J".

From "The Charnel God" by C.A. Smith (can be found here).

"Mordiggian is the god of Zul-Bha-Sair," said the innkeeper with  unctuous solemnity. "He has been the god from years that are lost to  man's memory in shadow deeper than the subterranes of his black temple.  There is no other god in Zul-Bha-Sair. And all who die within the walls  of the city are sacred to Mordiggian. Even the kings and the optimates,  at death, are delivered into the hands of his muffled priests. It is the  law and the custom. A little while, and the priests will come for your  bride."

 "But Elaith is not dead," protested the youth Phariom for the third or  fourth time, in piteous desperation. "Her malady is one that assumes the  lying likeness of death. Twice before has she lain insensible, with a  pallor upon her cheeks and a stillness in her very blood, that could  hardly be distinguished from those of the tomb; and twice she has  awakened after an interim of days."

 The innkeeper peered with an air of ponderous unbelief at the girl who  lay white and motionless as a mown lily on the bed in the poorly  furnished attic chamber.

 "In that case you should not have brought her into Zul-Bha-Sair," he  averred in a tone of owlish irony. "The physician has pronounced her  dead; and her death has been reported to the priests. She must go to the  temple of Mordiggian."

 "But we are outlanders, guests of a night. We have come from the land of  Xylac, far in the north; and this morning we should have gone on  through Tasuun, toward Pharaad, the capital of Yoros, which lies near to  the southern sea. Surely your god could have no claim upon Elaith, even  if she were truly dead."

 "All who die in Zul-Bha-Sair are the property of Mordiggian," insisted  the taverner sententiously. "Outlanders are not exempt. The dark maw of  his temple yawns eternally, and no man, no child, no woman, throughout  the years, has evaded its yawning. All mortal flesh must become, in due  time, the provender of the god."

 Phariom shuddered at the oily and portentous declaration.

- - - -

From "Gods of the North" (aka: "The Frost Giant's Daughter") by R.E. Howard (can be found here).

The clangor of the swords had died away, the shouting of the  slaughter was hushed; silence lay on the red-stained snow. The bleak  pale sun that glittered so blindingly from the ice-fields and the  snow-covered plains struck sheens of silver from rent corselet and  broken blade, where the dead lay as they had fallen. The nerveless hand  yet gripped the broken hilt; helmeted heads back-drawn in the  death-throes, tilted red beards and golden beards grimly upward, as if  in last invocation to Ymir the frost-giant, god of a warrior-race.

Across the red drifts and mail-clad forms, two figures glared at each  other. In that utter desolation only they moved. The frosty sky was  over them, the white illimitable plain around them, the dead men at  their feet. Slowly through the corpses they came, as ghosts might come  to a tryst through the shambles of a dead world. In the brooding silence  they stood face to face.

Both were tall men, built like tigers. Their shields were gone, their  corselets battered and dinted. Blood dried on their mail; their swords  were stained red. Their horned helmets showed the marks of fierce  strokes. One was beardless and black­maned. The locks and beard of the  other were red as the blood on the sunlit snow.

"Man," said he, "tell me your name, so that my brothers in Vanaheim  may know who was the last of Wulfhere's band to fall before the sword of  Heimdul."

"Not in Vanaheim," growled the black-haired warrior, "but in Valhalla  will you tell your brothers that you met Conan of Cimmeria."

Heimdul roared and leaped, and his sword flashed in deathly arc.  Conan staggered and his vision was filled with red sparks as the singing  blade crashed on his helmet, shivering into bits of blue fire. But as  he reeled he thrust with all the power of his broad shoulders behind the  humming blade. The sharp point tore through brass scales and bones and  heart, and the red-haired warrior died at Conan's feet.

April A to Z: H is for Humanoids

2011-04-09T09:05:00.002-04:00

I chose not to use the typical Tolkien or D&D based humanoids as adversaries in my game. Typically encounters will be with humans. When humanoids are encountered they will be of the following variety:

Beast-Men: Beast men are genetic experiments from ages past that have survived and reproduced on their own in the wild. They are creatures of chaos, and they carry a hatred for humanity in their hearts for their miserable lot in life. They are represented by the stats for Gnolls from the Holmes edition. They are mostly animal headed (not restricted to dogs or jackals - could be goats, cats, etc) fur-covered humanoids. They are usually encountered in the Desert of the Dead Gods, though a few tribes have ventured farther afield to raid human and Sumalhi settlements. They rely on their thick hide for armor, though a few may scavenge armor taken from the dead. They fight with any weapons they can get their hands on. Each tribe has a shaman that leads them in their worship of ATUM'BOM the god of chaos and destruction of humanity.

Mutants: Mutants are the surviving members of humanity that were trapped in radiation filled zones after the collapse of the ancients. Their mutations stabilized after a few generations and were passed on to each surviving generation that followed. They are represented by Goblins, Orcs, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, and Ogres in my world. For every 20 encountered (regardless of type) one will be a "Wild Mutant", these wild mutants will have 1d6 unstable mutations (these can be determined by choosing spell effects to apply to the mutant or using your favorite Gamma World type game to generate a mutation for them). These mutants live in nomadic tribal groups, and some have ranged far beyond the Desert of the Dead Gods and may be encountered in practically any terrain. Some even reside in the slummier quarters of Ugarit and other city-states. They are treated as second class citizens by all however, which causes much resentment amongst the mutants. A recent cult (started by human sympathizers and lead by human high-priests) is very popular among the mutants, the Cult of CA'AMERKU the Avenger. This cult has inspired many mutants to rebel at their status in society and has caused some recent riots and violence in the upper city of Ugarit.

April A to Z: G is for Gnomes

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

After some consideration, I have changed course on the use of demi-humans in my setting. Though I plan to alter how they are used for this game, I will still allow some of them to be used. Today we will discuss Gnomes...

The Gnomes (called the Sumalhi in my game) reside in the foothills west of Ugarit in houses carved into the steep, rocky hillsides. They stand just under 4 feet tall with ruddy brown complexions and stark white hair (no beards). They are of slender builds and average under 120 pounds. Their eyes are black and pupil-less. They are decent fighters and especially resistant to magic (+4 to saves vs. magic) They have normal eyesight and no "infravison", though they can detect slanting passages, slopes, traps, shifting walls, and new construction 1/3 of the time underground. In addition They are renown healers and are adept herbalists, a Sumalhi can cast heal light wounds once per day (this is treated as an innate ability and not a spell). They advance as Fighting Men.

The Sumalhi were an ancient star-faring race before the time of isolation and a colony was founded on this planet during the height of Human Space.
In my game the Sumalhi will replace Dwarves as player characters.

April A to Z: F is for Fane of the Ebon Drake

2011-04-07T07:18:00.000-04:00

The Fane of the Ebon Drake is located on the 3rd sub-level of level 1 (not yet mapped) of the under-city of Ugarit. This natural cavern has an opening in the ruins of old Ugarit on the swampy shores of the Sea of Reeds (a flat flood plain that feeds into the Narrow sea south of the modern city).

The cult of the Ebon Drake has cleared out the adjoining halls to this cavern for use as their temple headquarters. It is here that the High-Priest Arkon resides. There is an abundant guard here as well to ensure none but cult members have access to this area.

The cave itself is home to DYR'KON the Black Dragon. He is a ancient, old drake (over 200 years old) and very intelligent. He allows the cult to reside here as they have proven useful in bringing him slaves and virgins to eat. In his old bloated form he is not eager to venture forth for his meals (though do not take this as a sign of weakness as he is still a cunning dragon). He has not ventured forth from his cave for near a decade now, and most folk think he has died (and believe the cult to be charlatans).

Wandering Monster Encounters Near the Fane of the Ebon Drake

1: Giant Crocodiles (only in natural caves near water)
2-4: Temple Guards (3d6)
5-7: Temple Acolytes (2d4) with Temple Guards (2d4)
8-9: Temple Priest (2nd level) with (2d4) Temple Acolytes
10: Hight Priest Arkon (3rd level) with 12 Temple Guards

Hight Priest Arkon (Cleric 3rd level, HP: 13, AC: 6, Spells: 2 1st level) He has leather armor and a ring of protection +1, a +1 dagger (called the Fang of Dyr'kon), and a scroll with Hold Person.
Temple Priests & Acolytes have 1 or 2 HD, and AC 7 as well with leather armor and daggers.

Temple Guards (Move 120'/turn, HD 1d6, HP 4, AC 7) Each has leather armor and short sword.
DYR'KON the Ebon Drake
   Move: 90'/turn or 240'/turn Flying
   HD: 8
   HP: 64
Attacks: Breath or 2 claws / 1 Bite
Damage: 1d6 claw, 4d6 bite or Acid 60'x'5 cone

(Note: My mission here is to use ONLY the Holmes Edition as a complete game, so no characters above 3rd level. Spells above 2nd level are only available via scrolls.)

April A to Z: E is for Encounter Tables

2011-04-06T07:22:00.000-04:00

As short post today, as I had a hard time coming up with a subject for "E". Not sure why I am sure there are a dozen or more topics I could have chosen for this letter but my brain was not cooperating with me today. So, I have outlined the level 1 wandering monster tables for the Under-City of Ugarit below.

Under-City Level 1 Master Table

1-3: Temple Sub Table

4-6: Undead Sub Table

7-9: Vermin Sub Table

 10: Special Sub Table

Under-City Level 1 (Temple Sub Table)

  1: Berserkers of Yamm (2d6)

2-4: Acolytes* (2d8) 

5-7: Priest with Acolytes (2d4) and Guards (2d6)**

8-10:Temple Guards (2d6)

*Acolytes will be from one of any of the gods of Ugarit (or make up your own).

**Priest is a 3rd level Cleric in this case (along with 2d4 1st level clerics and 0 level guards). 

Under-City Level 1 (Undead Sub Table)

1-2: Skeletons (3d4)

3-5: Zombies (2d4)

6-7: Ghouls (2d6)

  8: Wight

  9: Ghast

 10: Mummy

Under-City Level 1 (Vermin Sub Table)  

1-3: Giant Rats (3d6)

4-6: Giant Snakes (1d4)

7-8: Giant Spiders (1d6)

  9: Giant Centipedes (1d4)

 10: Giant Scorpions (1d3)

Under-City Level 1 (Special Sub Table)

 1-2: Adventuring Party (2d8)

 3-5: Thieves & Slavers (3d8)

   6: Escaped Slaves (1d10)

 7-8: Beast-men (3d6)

9-10: Mutants (3d6)

April A to Z: D is for Desert of the Dead Gods & The Lack of Demihumans

2011-04-04T20:14:00.000-04:00

Desert of the Dead Gods

The city of Ugarit rests on the western edge of the Narrow Sea at the foot of the Sumalhi Hills. Beyond the Sumalhi hills lies the vast plain of the Desert of the Dead Gods. The land here was once the prosperous and vibrant land where the ancients had vast cities that dotted the plain. Now the plain is sun baked and fire blasted by weapons in ages lost to history. These weapons laid cities to waste and turned some areas of the land into black baked glass. The area is now home to numerous nomadic bands of mutants and beast-men who were rumored to be the slaves of the ancients. Few are brave or adventurous enough to explore these lands, but it is rumored that the ruins are littered with artifacts and treasures of the ancients that once lived here.

Encounters in the Desert of the Dead Gods:

1: Wild Dogs (3d12)

2: Ghouls (2d10)

3-5: Nomadic Tribe* (3d100)

6: Iron Golem (1)

7: Band of Adventurers** (3d4)

8: Giant Spitting Snake (1d3)

9: Giant Ants (2d100)

10-11: Giant Scorpions (2d4)

12: Blink Dogs (3d6)

*The Nomadic tribes will be either:

1-3: Mutant Humanoids (use the following creatures as the tribe members: Goblins, Bugbears, Hobgoblins, and Ogres - these are mutated humans or experiments of the ancients, their true origin is not known).

4-6: Beast-Men (use Gnolls as beast-men stats - the Beast-men are jackal headed humanoids that hunt the Desert of the Dead Gods looking for slaves and treasures).

**The Band of adventurers will be composed of the following:

2d4 Fighting Men

1d3 Magic-Users

1d4 Thieves

1d3 Clerics or Draala (1-2 = human cleric, 3 = draala)

2d6 Slaves / Porters carrying equipment

Demi-humans

The Ugarit campaign while using the Holmes edition and the Monster Manual, does NOT use Elves, Halflings, and Dwarves. Nor does it use any of the standard monster races (well not by name anyway). Some new character races will be introduced as substitutes for these races.

Draala

I will use the Draala (a very familiar race to players of Star Frontiers) in my game - this race was described in detail in the latest issue of Fight On! #11 written by Jason Vasche.

April A to Z: C is for Cults of Ugarit

2011-04-04T09:37:00.000-04:00

In my Ugarit setting, clerics are not restricted to blunt weapons as some of the cults very much wish to shed blood for their gods. My clerics are restricted based on which cult they belong to. The city of Ugarit is considered the city of the Gods as all major cults have a base there (and make war for control of the under-city and it’s precious resources in artifacts).

There are many more cults than what I have described here but I provide a sample of some of the cults vying for control of Ugarit and the under-city.

Cult of Yamm – As mentioned in my “B” entry, the cult of Yamm is a very active (and aggressive) cult in the under-city. Yamm is the god of primordial chaos and represents the power of the sea, untamed and raging. His cult thrives on violence and are the most feared cult in the city. They have no presence in the above ground city of Ugarit as the other cults banded together to abolish their temple years ago, but they thrive in the under-city where it is much harder to root out secret temples. The priests of Yamm are not restricted to any melee weapons, however they cannot use missile weapons as they are seen as weak and unworthy of use.

Cult of the Ebon Wyrm – This cult reveres an ancient black dragon rumored to lair deep within the under-city. Some cult members make pilgrimages to the lower levels once a year in hopes of receiving special blessings from the fabled drake. Most cult members wear dark hooded cloaks and carry wicked curved daggers as a symbol of the wyrm’s fangs. Priests of the Ebon Wyrm cult can make use of short swords, daggers, and short bows in addition to clubs and maces.

Cult of the Virgin Spear - This cult reveres Anat the War Goddess. The followers of Anat are all females and must remain virgins until they have killed their first man in combat. So the cult of the Virgin Spear is composed of all the virgin followers of Anat that have yet to kill in battle. The priests of the Virgin Spear are able to use both spears and short swords in combat.

April A to Z: B is for Berserkers of Yamm

2011-04-02T09:18:00.000-04:00

The cult of Yamm has certain followers who ingest a sea moss found in caves along the coast of the Narrow sea. The moss, called "Yazeem" provides a euphoric feeling of invincibility and a heightened sense of awareness (a +2 to initiative rolls). These users of Yazeem are known as the Berserkers of Yamm. Their hands are stained green from their frequent use of the sea moss, and most dye their hair and beards green to match. They do not wear armor and employ a wide variety of melee weapons, none employ missile weapons.

A band of Berserkers of Yamm will typically number between 6-36 members, anytime a band of 12 or more are encountered, they will be lead by an Acolyte of Yamm (a 1st or 2nd level cleric, roll d6, 1-4 1st level, 5-6 2nd level). These acolytes will also have dyed hair and green stained hands (though their stains are from administering the Yazeem to their party rather than ingesting it themselves). Most often these bands are out hunting out other cults or searching for slaves.

Berserker of Yamm
Move: 240 feet/turn
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 hit point
Armor Class: 9
Treasure: 3d8 coppers
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon

Acolyte of Yamm (1st level)
Move: 120 feet/turn
Hit Dice: 1d6
Armor Class: 7
Treasure: 3d8 silver
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Attacks: 1
Damage: By Weapon

Acolyte of Yamm (2nd level)
Move: 120 feet/turn
Hit Dice: 2d6
Armor Class: 7
Treasure: 3d6 gold
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Attacks: 1
Damage: By Weapon
Magic: 1 1st level spell

April A to Z: A is for Acolytes of Ugarit

2011-04-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

For my first installment of A to Z April, I present to you six NPC clerics for the Holmes edition of my Ugarit setting. These clerics could be potential allies or adversaries in the ancient-under city of Ugarit. The ancient under-city has numerous temples to the various cults found within the city walls of Ugarit. Each cult vies for control of more and more territory of the under-city. There are priceless artifacts from the forgotten age hidden amongst the ruins of the ancient city.

The city of Ugarit has been inhabited since the time of founding some 60,000 years ago and has survived massive devastation and countless empires only to be built again atop the ruins. There are many layers to the under-city each inhabited by cults and creatures that have retreated from the blinding sun of the arid world above.

AKKOR - Acolyte of Hadad (1st Level Cleric)
[STR 16, INT 8, CON 9, WIS 12, DEX 6, CHA 13, AC 6, HP 5]
Equipment: Leather armor, shield, mace, small pouch containing 14gp, small vial of holy water in leather pouch worn around his neck.

Akkor is a brute of a man, though slow witted and fat, he is as strong as a bull and easy to get along with. He enjoys a good laugh and can drink most under the table.

BASHERA - Acolyte of Anat (1st Level Cleric)
[STR 11, INT 10, CON 13, WIS 14, DEX 9, CHA 9, AC 4, HP 5]
Equipment: Mail, shield, mace, small pouch containing 6gp, copper arm band worn as symbol of martial strength on right arm

Bashera is a fiercely independent priestess of Anat the war goddess. She thrives on violence and likes to compose poetry of her battle glories to recite afterwards. She takes offense at those who mock or scoff her poetry. When not fighting or working on poetry, she tends to be quiet and sullen. Bashera is tall and fair.

JESHEM - Acolyte of Yamm (1st Level Cleric)
[STR 10, INT 14, CON 8, WIS 13, DEX 11, CHA 7, AC 7, HP 4]
Equipment: Leather armor, club, small pouch with 12gp, dagger, small holy symbol* worn on leather thong around neck

*The holy symbol of Yamm is a round, bronze disk with a wave symbol cutting through the center (~).

Jeshem is a wicked, cunning young priest. He has a keen eye for potential slaves and will not hesitate to take those he considers weak and sell them into slavery. He is somewhat paranoid and will trust no one fully. (Nor should they trust him!) Jeshem is short, lean, and wiry. As is the custom for cultists of Yamm, Jeshem’s hair is dyed green as his is short-cropped beard.

NYKO – Acolyite of Ea (2nd Level Cleric)
[STR 8, INT 14, CON 9, WIS 14, DEX 8, CHA 11, AC 9, HP 8]
Spells: 1 1st level spell
Equipment: no armor, small pouch containing 16gp, copper wrist band, wooden staff carved with cuneiform script (as symbol of Ea, go of knowledge)

Nyko is an aloof, sage-like priest. His knowledge is immense as is his ego. He can recite histories, poems, and sagas of all cultures and religions. He is tall, lean and bald.

TULEK – Acolyte of Shalim (2nd Level Cleric)
[STR 10, INT 9, CON 13, WIS 11, DEX 13, CHA 8, AC 7, HP 10]
Spells: 1 1st level spell
Equipment: Leather armor, hooded cloak, club, small pouch containing 14gp, copper ring with onyx stone (worth 5gp, symbol of Shalim god of Dusk).

Tulek is a man of little words. His devotion to Shalim (god of Dusk and Assassins) has given him the skills to work quickly and quietly. He is small, and of dark hair and complexion.

ULMAC – Acolyte of Ashima (2nd Level Cleric)
[STR 10, INT 10, CON 9, WIS 17, DEX 10, CHA 12, AC 7, HP 9]
Spells: 1 1st level spell
Equipment: Leather armor, club, small pouch containing 10gp, 2 knuckle bone dice in leather pouch worn on thong around his neck.

Ulmac is a boisterous, jolly soul. He casts his dice (fates) for those that ask (and that supply him a few coppers for his troubles). He is quick to point out that Ashima is fickle and nothing is carved in stone until it has come to pass. He is tall and barrel chested with a bald head and red beard.

The pdf of these NPCs can be found here and in my download sidebar.

Road trip!

2011-03-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

I am off for the next 4 days, so I am off to Nashville for the weekend. Never fear about my A to Z challenge, I have already written my "A" and "B" posts and will be posting them from my hotel room (how lame am I?). Looking forward to this trip and the month of A to Z posts too.

For all my fellow OSR bloggers taking the challenge good luck & have fun!

More on my DoomQuest hack.

2011-03-29T11:39:00.000-04:00

I am still looking at the DoomQuest hack in Fight On! #11, and playing around with the mechanics. I think there is a really cool minimalist game here and I am glad to see I am not the only one enjoying this.

I have changed the format of armor in DoomQuest. While I love the way RuneQuest armor works, it slows combat down and I want something more abstract like D&D combat. So, taking my current love of abstract armor to work with any historical/fantasy like setting, I used the Fields of Glory armor classification again for this hack. We have 4 armor categories: Unprotected, Protected, Armored, and Heavily Armored. Each category provides an Absorption rating and an encumbrance rating, as well as determining your move rate.

So I have given the values as below:

Unprotected (U): AP 0 / ENC 0 / MV 12"
Protected (P): AP 3 / ENC 6 / MV 9"
Armored (A): AP 5 / ENC 10 / MV 7"
Heavily Armored (H): AP 7 / ENC 14 / MV 5"

Again, it is up to the players and the GM to determine what makes up each of the categories. I would suggest light armor (such as quilted, padded, or leather) or shield only as protected. Shield & light armor for Armored, and shield and heavy armor for heavily armored (such as mail and plate).

I have stated up a few Monsters / NPCs with these rules and here is a ghoul and a wight as examples:

Ghoul (eater of the dead)
sword: 14 / sorcery: 6 / social: -
enc: 22 / move 9" / Xp Value: 140
Armor: 3 (P) / HP 7 / attack: claw (d8)
special: -

Barrow Wight (dead noble wearing armor buried in)
sword: 12 / sorcery: 16 / social: -
enc: 18 / move 7" / Xp Value: 160
Armor: 7 (H) / hp 24 / Attack: weapon (d6)
Spells: Fear, Befuddle, Death Touch
Special: Can only be harmed by magic weapons & spells.

My A to Z schedule (well A to D at least)

2011-03-28T10:22:00.000-04:00

While initially I had intended to blog about Ugarit for my A to Z challenge, I think I will instead blog about the Holmes edition of Dungeons & Dragons and how I plan to use that as a “complete” game for my mega-dungeon campaign using Ugarit as my backdrop. So I will still reveal bits and pieces of Ugarit while also talking about my favorite edition of Basic D&D.

Here is my current list of blog topics:

Friday Apr 1^st: A – Six Acolytes of Ugarit (6 cleric NPCs)

Saturday Apr 2^nd: B – Band of Berserkers (an encounter with berserkers of Yamm)

Monday Apr 4^rd: C – Cult of Yamm (detailing the chaos god Yamm)

Tuesday Apr 5th: D - Dwarves of Ugarit

Of course with my ADD the above is subject to change (well except for A, which is already written). :)

Fight On! #11 & DoomQuest hack...

2011-03-22T16:03:00.000-04:00

I received my copy of Fight On! #11 yesterday and as usual, I love it. I have not missed an issue yet and it seems like it just keeps getting better. This issue there is a really cool mini-game (hack) of RuneQuest called DoomQuest written by Scott LeMien. I have to say, I LOVE this hack. For some reason it is really calling to me, I have already started working on a hack of the hack (changing some of the rules around). I think there is some great potential for this little game, and I hope to try it out soon.

For now I have created an Ogre for use as an adversary.

Update to Swords of Abandon rules

2011-03-21T11:01:00.001-04:00

I have updated my rules, really I only changed Comeliness for Charisma -everything else remained the same in this version. I plan to use this rules-set for my upcoming blogging exercise in April. All of my posts will relate to my planning of the under-city of Ugarit.

Ugarit will be on a world (one of the 722) that was isolated just as Tekumel was. I have not created the world yet, but will hope to do so as part of my April blogging. So anyway, if you want to see the newest rules, you can find them here or in my download side bar.

Human Empires Skype Playtest Character.

2011-03-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

I give you Yarm'ar Dubois a down on his luck space assassin. After some botched jobs, he has found it hard to get hired. Down to his last credits, he is desperate for work...

This is my character for Hill Canton's skype ran play-test of the Human Empire rules. The game still has some slots available I believe and can be found here. The actual rules can be found on Ix's blog site, here. The concept is Tekumel pre-isolation from the universe.

April blogging challenge... from A to Z.

2011-03-16T19:54:00.000-04:00

John over at The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms blog posted a link to this blogging challenge for April. The challenge (found here) is to post from A to Z everyday in April except for Sundays. I think I will accept the challenge and use it to develop my Ancient Under-City of Ugarit setting. I have been very slack at updating my blog recently and I hope this will kick-start me into posting more frequently.

So I have started shaping some ideas for topics for this challenge, of course these are subject to change between now and the posting dates in April. Here are some of the topics I am considering so far....

A : Armor
B : Barbarians
C : Cults
D : Dogs
E :
F :
G : Gods
H : Healing
I :
J :
K :
L :
M : Maps
N :
O : Orbs
P : Portals
Q :
R :
S :
T :
U : Ugarit the grand city
V :
W :
X :
Y :
Z :

So stay tuned for an April full of Ugarit goodness.

Old "Resistance" file...

2011-03-15T12:32:00.001-04:00

I was moving files around to my new desktop when I found a copy of my monsters for "The Resistance" setting. I had thought this document was lost in my many pc & website moves, glad to have found a copy of it. So for your enjoyment it is available here as well as my download sidebar. Enjoy the killer robot goodness!

The Ancient Under-City of Ugarit continues...

2011-03-08T11:33:00.001-05:00

Mapping of level 2 is coming along nicely (though I am not sure yet if this is level 2 or just another level 1 split from the other map... I want this thing to be HUGE).

The Ancient Under-City of UGARIT

2011-03-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

First Level Wandering Monster Table (Roll 2d6)

2 to 3 : 1d6 Ghouls

4 to 5 : 2d6 Skeletons

6 to 8 : 2d6 Berserkers of Yam*

9 to 10 : 2d6 Giant Rats

11 to 12 : 1d6 Zombies

*Berserkers of Yam are fearless warriors and followers of the Cult of Yam (the chaotic god of the Sea). These warriors dye their hair green and disdain armor. They are typically armed with short blades, hand axes (for throwing) and curved daggers. A typical encounter with a group of berserkers will number between 2 and 12 warriors. There is a 1 in 6 chance that a Priest of Yam will accompany them (a 2^nd level cleric). These warriors will fight to the death, unless a Priest orders them to do otherwise.

Armor Classifications and a new Templar class.

2011-03-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

I have typed up my armor classification notes below for use in any old school (original or retro clone) version of the game. (Not using d6 as outlined in my initial post - just base AC). You can download the document here (or in my downloads sidebar).

I am working on my own game for my Under-city megadungeon based mostly on the LBB OD&D. I am removing the cleric class and replacing it with a non-spell casting Templar class. The magic-user is being replaced by a "Sorcerer" class that has access to both cleric and magic-user spells.

I have already written up the Templar and hope to post more about it soon.

Level 2 of the Under-city begins...

2011-03-04T08:57:00.001-05:00

My d6 based ramblings

2011-02-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

I have been interested in working on a d6 based game (much like what was done with Spellcraft & Swordplay and The Big Brown Book games), and lately the armor classes have been on my mind. I want something that can be used for any period (especially the ancient) so I don’t want to tie my armor classes to the typical D&D Feudal setting of the late Middle Ages.

Part of my inspiration has been the Osprey Publishing table top game “Fields of Glory”. They have 4 categories of armor: Unprotected, Protected, Armored, and Heavily Armored. Working with this terminology, it was easy to devise the base armor classes for my game:

AC 9 : Unprotected

AC 7 : Protected

AC 5 : Armored

AC 3 : Heavily Armored

This allows you to place your game in any time of history (well prior to the modern era I suppose) with ease. Now to further breakdown the above classes, I defined them as:

Unprotected = No armor or shield used

Protected = Shield OR Light Armor Only

Armored = Shield + Light Armor OR Heavy Armor Only

Heavily Armored = Shield + Heavy Armor

Again I stayed with generic terms so we can place the game in any setting still. Now it is up to the individual Game Master to determine what constitutes Light & Heavy armor. If I was going to use a setting like the early Roman Republic, I would go with:

Light Armor = Linen, quilted/padded, or Soft Leather

Heavy = Mail, Rigid (Boiled) Leather, Scale.

In my system, attacks are 2d6, and to hit a target you roll less than (or equal to) their AC number.

Finished level 1 of the undercity...

2011-02-23T19:38:00.001-05:00

More mapping of the underworld.

2011-02-18T11:45:00.001-05:00

My mapping of the under city continues...

Still mapping...

2011-02-17T12:52:00.000-05:00

This time with a 11"x17" bienfang pad 8x8 squares. This is going to be my "city underworld" map - under an ancient and mysterious city. Think Jakalla (EPT) for a reference...

A 2nd map...

2011-02-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

My newest creation... a dungeon map.

2011-02-09T13:47:00.000-05:00

New version of Swords of Abandon is up for viewing.

2011-02-04T09:53:00.001-05:00

I have added a few pages to my EPT rules without the EPT setting (swords of abandon) for your viewing pleasure. I have added the optional hit dice tables for monsters as characters as well as the attack tables (not the damage tables yet).

You can download the newest version here, or on my downloads sidebar.

OSRIC in print....

2011-01-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

For those who follow OSRIC (the 1st Edition AD&D clone) there is some good news from Black Blade Publishing & Usherwood Publications... (as noted here on the Knights & Knaves boards):

I thought it might be a good idea to share our plans for the printing of the current OSRIC rules that we're undertaking, especially since the rules themselves, the art the book contains, and even the brilliant layout were the work-product of many, many people that donated their time and talent to bring OSRIC to its current state. And many of those contributors are members here at K&K, making this project very much a community affair.

At this time, we are looking to add a finite number of new pieces of art to OSRIC, to replace the green (or grey) chapter or section dividers in the book; we're having the current index expanded considerably; and we're fixing the remaining known errata.

As a contributing author to this rules-set, I am thrilled to see OSRIC get some much needed exposure.

Moved in...

2011-01-23T22:57:00.001-05:00

Well, moved into the new house this weekend and I am beat. Now for some rest, will resume posting later this week.

NFL surely has not gone my way (lousy Packers beat my Falcons)...

Song of Durin...

2011-01-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

A little relaxing tune for Monday...

Redwald Bestiary

2011-01-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

For those not in the know, Lee Reynoldson has been working on a Swords & Wizardry variant about Anglo-Saxon outlaws during the dark ages. The game is called Redwald and I have had the pleasure of doing the layout on his play-test rules and bestiary. You can go to Lee's blog here and send him an email to request a copy of the play-test rules, however I am hosting the bestiary here on my site. You can find the bestiary here (and on my download side bar).

Do yourself a favor and check this game out, it is a very cool setting and I think it may be one of the best projects created for S&W in a long time.

First draft up for viewing...

2011-01-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

I have uploaded my first draft of the EPT rules (without the setting) in my download section (and it can be found here). The working title is "Swords of Abandon" - not sure if that will stay though. I have finished the rules up to the combat section, and did not include the rules for starting characters as creatures of 1 hit dice or greater.

This draft may have tons of misspellings and grammatical errors as it was done in a rush to push through my ADD problems. So keep that in mind, and this is not a final draft. I still need to review it when I have more time.

If anyone would like to submit some art for this project, I would be happy to accept it. I don't plan to sell this, so I can't pay any artists. This book will be a free download when I finish it.

EPT Rules without the Petal Throne...

2011-01-11T13:35:00.000-05:00

I have been slaving away the last couple of days on a player's handbook for 1975 rules for Empire of the Petal Throne without the references to EPT. Basically just a new clone using those rules for gaming. I hope to complete this document this week and put it up for download. I really like the way characters are generated and handled in this version of the game (especially the skills/spells generation for priests and magic-users). I also dig the damage dice used by fighting men in combat (and to a lesser extent priests & magic-users).

Not sure if anyone will find it useful, but it has been fun putting it together.

Updated version of the Modern Firearms rules.

2011-01-06T09:05:00.001-05:00

I have just uploaded a cleaned up version of my Modern Firearms rules that I converted from the old Dragon article and intended to use for my RESISTANCE setting. It can be downloaded here, and in the sidebar area.

The Healer Class, again...

2011-01-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

I found my old S&W White Box version of the Healer class and have updated it and made it available again for download. It can be found here as well as the download section of my sidebar.

Uploaded old S&W WB: Balrog class.

2011-01-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

After my old web space was deleted and my new one was hacked, some of my old files were lost in the shuffle. I recently found my Balrog character class document for Swords & Wizardry white box and have updated it a bit and made it available again for download here and in the download section of my sidebar.

I plan to update all of my older documents eventually to make them look better (I was using Oopen Office to make my pdf's but have since purchased Adobe InDesign which is a much better way to work - and I think they look pretty spiffy. Besides it gives me something to edit and play around with.)

I am still looking for some of my files as I am sure some of them are missing. If you have one that is not in the download section, shoot me an email (should be available in my profile - or drop me a comment on this post).

Returning home...

2011-01-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

I think I have sorted out my gmail / blogger issues and hope to start posting again regularly on this my original blog. Now I just need to start working on some game content to post, now that regular life has settled down for me.

A new blog home for me...

2010-09-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

I am moving my blog over to a new one (thanks to new email and mistakes on my part). So please check out my new blog (and new project) at:

Swords of Abandon

I will also move my downloads over to the new site in the coming days too. Eventually this site will be shut down.

Thanks.

Sorry for lack of posts...

2010-05-03T18:08:00.000-04:00

I have been busy finalizing divorce and getting personal affairs in order. I hope to resume posting in a month of so - once things have settled down. Things are looking up here, getting back out after 16 years of marriage. No worries, life is getting better. Wife leaving me may have been the best thing for me.

Mike D.

Finally back to R&R Sandbox

2010-03-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

I have been distracted lately with turmoil at home (going through a divorce) - but things are starting to settle down again for me which will allow me to concentrate on the things I want to get done this year. Something that is moving up to number one is a sandbox for Ruins & Ronin to play in. I have created an atlas map of the island I plan to detail which can be seen below.

From here, I have started with the western most portion and plan to detail from there. Here is my first map (black & white just looks better to me).

This is an island in chaos, there is a war amongst the 5 highest clans for control of the Empire. Many villages that border the states are abandoned or put to the torch. Clan-less Ronin turn to brigandage and scour the remote settlements. The oni of the mountains take advantage and turn to pillage and plunder as well.

Awesomenicity! Fight On! #8!

2010-03-18T16:01:00.000-04:00

In case you have missed the announcement....

- - - -

Surrounded on all sides by monstrous aliens, cruel demigods, and ancient lich-kings? Pull out your +4 Plasma Blaster and Fight On! Issue 8, dedicated to cover artist Erol Otus, is ready to ROCK YOUR GAME with new races, classes, spells, tables, gods, monsters, traps, reviews, a `desert sandbox' minicampaign, two longer adventures, eight minidungeons, and lots of other goodies to help you take it to the next level – or stop the PCs from getting there! With art and articles by Erol Otus, Kevin Mayle, Mark Allen, Lee Barber, Peter Jensen, Steve Robertson, Samuel Kisko, Patrick Farley, Kelvin Green, Anthony Stiller, Robert Lionheart, Ramsey Dow, Jeff Rients, Gabor Lux, Age of Fable, Baz Blatt, Zachary Houghton, Erin "Taichara" Bisson, Del L. Beaudry, Geoffrey O. Dale, Michael Curtis, Tavis Allison, James Maliszewski, Tony Dowler, and many, many more, this issue is jam-packed with the old-school action adventure you crave. Don't miss out – grab it today!

Fight On! #8 is available in print and PDF. You can buy the print edition here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/8520294

and the PDF here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/8520735

Table of Contents:
Mercenaries A to Z (Simon Bull)………..……………….3
Arendt's Old Peculiar (Antti Hulkkonen)………………..6
Experience for Exploration (Jeff Rients)………………...8
Supersize Me! (Daniel R. Collins)…………..…………...10
Insectaurs and Masterminds (Tim "Sniderman" Snider)..11
The Soothsayer (Ragnorakk)…………………………....13
I Thirst (Gabor Lux)…………………………………....15
Knights & Knaves (Steve Robertson & Alfred J. Dalziel)20
Creepies & Crawlies (Geoff McKinney & Sam Kisko).....23
Grognard's Grimoire (Calithena)……………………….25
Red Heart Fortress (Alex Schröder)……………………26
Tables for Fables (Age of Fable)………………………..27
Hidden Traits (Zak S.)………………………………….28
Let's Scrounge Up Some Wheels (Tim Snider)…………30
Post-Apocalyptic Stormfront Table ("Sniderman")...…...31
The Howling Emptiness (Ramsey Dow)……………….34
Education of a Magic User (Douglas Cox)……………..44
Mooning Ixtandraz (Peter Schmidt Jensen)…………….45
Smallweed's Ride (Baz Blatt)…………………….……...46
The Village of Pindle (Zachary Houghton)……….…….48
Welcome to the Microdungeon (Tony Dowler)….…..…49
The Understudy (Erin "Taichara" Bisson)……...….…....50
Badlands of the Bandit Kings (Robert Lionheart)……....51
Oceanian Legends: The Gods of Eá (Del L. Beaudry)….59
Random's Assortment (Random, Big Jack Brass, Ciryl)...66
Dungeon Modules (Geoffrey O. Dale)…………………68
Sites to Seek (Michael Curtis)…………………………..72
The Darkness Beneath (Calithena)……………………...74
Interview with Erol Otus (Erol Otus & Jeff Rients)……77
Random Events Make You Say Yes (Tavis Allison)…….80
Merlyn's Mystical Mirror (various)……………………...82
Artifacts, Adjuncts, & Oddments (Dalziel & Dow)…….88

Front Cover by Erol Otus. Back cover by Kevin Mayle. Fight On! and Erol Otus logos by Jeff Rients. Interior art by Bill Hooks (3,87), TARGA (traditionalgaming.org: 3), Mark Allen (marjasall.com: 4,17,19,29,39,51,53,57), Antti Hulkonnen (6), Otherworld Miniatures (otherworld.me.uk: 7), Geoffrey McKinney (8), Lee Barber (ghosttower. crithitcomics.com: 9,10,62,64,75), Lester (12,24), Mikko Torvinen (13), Peter Schmidt Jensen (14,45,55,59,66), Black Blade Publishing (black-blade-publishing.com: 14, 22), Gabor Lux (16), Steve Robertson (21), DEI Games (deigames.com: 22), Samuel Kisko (23,24), Kelvin Green (junkopia.net/kelvinsdirtybits/main.html: 25,43,63), Alex Schröder (26), Javi Allison (27,32), Ramsey Dow (35,42), Jonathan Usiak (usiakart.com: 37), Douglas Cox (44), Baz Blatt (46-7), Zachary Houghton (48), Tony Dowler (49), Erin Bisson (50), Bronze Age Miniatures (bronzeagemin. com: 50), Robert Lionheart (54,56,58), Kevin Mayle (63), Gustav Dore (65), Anthony Stiller (66,67), Patrick Farley (70), Spellbook Games (spellbookgames.com: 71), Michael Curtis (72,73), karenswhimsy.com (74), Calithena (75), Robert S. Conley (batintheattic.com: 76,83), Erol Otus (79), J. A. D'Andrea (82), Harsh (84), Alexander Vis-kovatov (88), and Kesher (88). TARGA logo by Chad "Atomkid" Thorson; Creepies & Crawlies and Knights & Knaves logos by Lee Barber; Tables for Fables logo by Age of Fable; The Darkness Beneath logo by Rob Conley.

Hex Mapping Templates

2010-03-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

Not news, but new to me... I am not sure how many people are aware of the Welshpiper site. However he has provided some kick-arse templates (pdf, CC3, and Hexpgrapher) to create Atlas style hex maps (well atlas down to local level). If you have not seen it, I recommend checking it out NOW!

http://www.welshpiper.com/hex-templates/

I can't wait to play around with some new maps...

My latest endeavor

2010-03-11T05:52:00.000-05:00

I have been moving things around in my basement and gaming room, and stumbled across my Harn collection. I have loved this setting since seeing the old Dragon magazine ads for the encyclopedia back in the early 80's. I never knew there was a gaming system for Harn until the 2nd edition came out in the mid 90's however. I have since gone back and completed most of my Harn collection (even have the 1st edition rules). While I love the setting, the rules are about as "simulationist" and "crunchy" as you can get. (Not that I don't sometimes like that in a rules set).

However, one of the coolest things about this system is the armor and combat system. Sure, it plays slow, but it is bloody gruesome. On top of that, they added some really cool jousting rules in the 3rd edition. This leads me to my latest endeavor.

Way back in 2001 when I was pretty active in the Harn Forums (well, active as in lurking there often), I got a chance to play in a pbem Jousting tourney. Basically the players all submitted knights and the GM simulated the jousting and posted results. I only got to play in 1 joust (which I won) before the game died out, but it was a blast to play.

So yesterday, after looking through my stuff and checking out the Harn Forums, I went looking for the old website. Unfortunately it was removed ages ago, but thanks to my awesome internet detective skills (aka: using internet archives), I was able to find the old page and the rules used to run the game.

Now, I have setup a new blog here, where I plan to run my own Harnic Jousting tourney. I have made the initial post there, but will soon add the character creation rules and a link to submit them my email as well. So, if you are a closet Harniac, please check it out.

I still plan to blog here, so don't think I am abandoning sword+1, cause that ain't happening. :)

Mike D.

An unfinished poem

2010-02-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

The torchlight dances, and shadows sway

Through iron-bound doors that block our way

Down twisting halls, to depths unknown

With mindless horrors, to guard their bones

With treasures of gems, and golden rings

We seek the tomb of the forgotten kings

Boarding Action Update.

2010-02-18T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am still working on updating Ruins & Ronin though most of that work right now is mental notes and a few scribblings in a notebook. However I got confirmation from my cover artist that he is working on the Boarding Action #1 cover - so that has re-kindled my desire to work on BA again.

So, I have already started doing some layout of the work I have already completed (even have one great piece of art already by Kelvin Green - you have seen his work in Fight On! - and it is spectacular).

So, now is the time to send any articles or art you would like to see in Boarding Action. I would like to have a deadline of Apr 1st, but we will see how that goes.

I am now starting the initial layout of Behemoth Level 1. I have already jotted down some background information about the star system and local planets closest to the derelict ship. I plan on presenting it as an old school game, you have a local town (or in this case floating city above a gas giant now mostly inhabited by out of work miners and drifters)and the nearby megadungeon (the Behemoth) to explore.

My latest haul...

2010-02-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Uncle Sam and a hefty tax return, I was able to grab these....

Good times.

Ignorance is not bliss...

2010-02-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

OK, for some 30 odd years I have been ignorant of Tekumel and the Empire of the Petal Throne. Oh sure, I knew it existed, but I never took the time to take a look at the setting or the rules (the original rules), until this weekend. After seeing Jeff's post about his wild EPT game at the Winter War Con, and now his talk of some of the rules - I decided to check it out. So, Saturday I ordered the pdf from Drive Thru RPG, and I am diggin' it.

I am so sorry I have missed out on this setting and rules-set for so long. I am even thinking of stripping the rules out from the setting and using it for a Ruins & Ronin type setting. Of course, Tekumel is all kinds of awesome too - but I would prefer a more personal setting - something of my own creation.

I especially like the d100 roll for attributes, being a long time Rolemaster fan d100 attributes are right up my alley. Being able to use d100 stats along with the normal D&D combat just sounds like heaven to me. I continue to read and absorb the pdf, and hope to post more thoughts about EPT later this week.

Labyrinth Lord Oriental Adventures?

2010-02-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

So, I just ordered the new Advanced Edition Companion (as well as a new print version of LL) for Labyrinth Lord after seeing the preview of it given to the society members. I have to say, it is impressive. I am thinking of making the new v

North Texas RPG CON

2010-02-03T12:52:00.000-05:00

I have just registered to attend the North Texas RPG Convention (held in early June). I wanted to go last year, but we just couldn't afford it, but things are looking better this year and I am excited about making the trip out. I plan on driving (from ATL to DAL) so it will be a scenic trip - and hopefully shouldn't take more than 9 hours or so. I am not one much for flying anymore (did enough flying in the military).

I have signed up for all of the "Mythrus Tower" events, a mega-dungeon in Mythmere's Sword & Wizardry core rules. Sounds like a blast to me, this will be the first convention I have ever been to (well the first where I have played games at anyway). I have also signed up for the discussions about planning mega-dungeons and self-publishing. All in all, should be a great time.

If you are interested check out the site: http://ntrpgcon.com/.

Maybe next year I will man-up and volunteer to run some Ruins & Ronin.

Shifting Gears, going back to R&R.

2010-02-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

So I am flighty, what can I say. Lately I have been wanting to do something more with Ruins & Ronin, so I have decided to go back and expand it and put it into a digest format of 2 or possibly 3 books (6x9 book on lulu). When I say expand, I mean to add in new classes (those already available on my blog and a couple of old ones that never got published) as well as add a new player race or two.

I have already commissioned some art work for the covers, and plan to include interior art this time as well. In addition, I hope to put out a regional sandbox type setting or an adventure for R&R later this year as well.

For now 2 books will definitely be:

Book 1: Player's Book (character creation, classes, races, spells, and equipment)
Book 2: Referee's Book (rules of the game, monsters, and treasures)

For a possible book 3 I am thinking of

Book 3: Empire of the Eternal Sun (a sandbox setting for the game).

For now Boarding Action is on hold, mostly due to my lack of focus and short attention span.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring for me though?!

Current Reading.

2010-01-31T17:44:00.000-05:00

I recently acquired Matt Finch's Desktop #1. This is going to be a great resource for me in the near future, and I am thinking of running through its paces to generate a supplement for Ruins & Ronin - something I think I need to do to inject some life into the game.

The Desktop Book is a great tool for kick starting your creative juices - just what it is supposed to do, with numerous charts to give you random elements to give your imagination an "image" to work from. I look forward to seeing more of these books.

Quick Update.

2010-01-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update as I haven't posted recently. I am still working away on the Boarding Action 'zine, and have received my first art for it - a great armor drawing by Kelvin Green. It is an awesome piece, can't wait to share it with the community. I have yet to receive any articles from anyone however, so if you want to contribute, please drop me a line.

Hope to have some more meaningful posts in the near future.

Mike D.

Boarding Action : Psionic Warrior Monks

2010-01-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

So, you need some "space opera-like super hero" who can move objects with his mind, battle alien monsters with nothing more than his sonic sword? I give you ...

The Psionic Warrior-Monk (the name is still up for debate)

Psionic Warriors-Monks are guardians of the galaxy, eschewing lasers as crude and barbaric weapons, they fight solely with sonic swords and daggers. They are excellent warriors, and have powers of the mind that allow them to bend others to their will. They also are able to move objects with their mind alone.

Skill Table will be added in the pdf (which should be available later today).

Block/Deflect (Agi): This ability allows Psionic Warrior-monks to block laser shots fired at them from pistols and rifles, if the roll to block is equal to or higher than the roll to attack them was, then the shot is actually redirected back to the attacker. This ability can be used multiple times per round however each use after the first suffers a -1 to it's roll (cumulative). (Skill starts at 13+, ends with a 5+ at 10th level)

Affect Mind (Pre): This is the classic "mind trick", the Psionic Warrior-monk makes a suggestion and the target must make a saving throw vs Presence or will be swayed by the warrior-monk's argument. The referee should restrict this from the ridiculous, such as commands to murder or commit suicide. (Skill starts at 15+, and ends with a 6+ at 10th level).

Manipulate Object (Pre): This is the ability to move objects with the Warrior-monk's mind. The stated target number is for small (less than 10 kg) objects, as the Warrior-monk tries to move larger objects, the referee should add additional modifiers to the die roll to move the object. Items can be flung at targets for an attack roll causing 1d6 damage for small objects and 1d6 for each category after small (medium, large, very large, etc..) (Skill starts at 14+, and ends at 5+ at 10th level.)

Ability Boost (varies): This reflects the Psionic Warrior-Monk's almost superhuman like ability to jump, run, climb, and hold their breath. Any superhuman stunt attempted by the Psionic Warrior Monk should fall under this heading and an appropriate attribute should be considered by the referee. (Skill starts at 15+, and ends at 6+ at 10th level.)

- - -

After being entertained with Season 1 of the Clone Wars animated series, I had to do it. Not sure I would use them in my game, but if I ever wanted to run a game based on the animated series, I might use them.

Boarding Action - Deadline

2010-01-20T07:59:00.000-05:00

I am setting a deadline of March 1st for any article submissions for Boarding Action. The articles can be anything you would like to submit for the sci-fi game X-Plorers. New character classes, new aliens, new monsters, equipment, adventure ideas, random charts, alien planets, whatever you want to submit. I am also taking submissions for artwork, however that deadline will be sometime after March 1st - I need articles for art first. Please feel free to pass this information around to others who may be interested in submitting articles as well, the more the merrier.

Any submissions can be sent to trampled.dwarf AT gmail.com.

Boarding Action : The Fanzine.

2010-01-14T20:42:00.000-05:00

I would like to make Boarding Action a quarterly (or at the least a bi-annually) fanzine for X-Plorers RPG (and sci-fi rpg in general). Unlike the core rules, we are not going to make any assumptions about the setting, this could be a distant galaxy in an ancient time or the grim future where mankind makes war amongst the stars.

So, with that, I am now officially taking submissions at trampled.dwarf AT gmail.com for anyone who is interested in contributing to this project. You can submit articles, npcs, missions, maps, art, etc. You will retain the rights to anything submitted, however Boarding Action will retain the rights to print the submitted article or art in it's original format in perpetuity (this just allows us to keep the magazine for sale as long as we like on Lulu).

I am currently working on fleshing out "THE BEHEMOTH", the derelict star ship ripe for plunder. Today I mocked up the below to get a feel for the layout of the levels aboard the massive ship. I would like to detail one level each issue much like Fight On! has done with "THE DARKNESS BELOW" mega-dungeon.

I have already been in contact with some artists to produce a cover and some interior art. So, do you have something to contribute? Please send me an email, and join the crew.

Or if you think I am out of my noggin, let me know that too.

Mike D.

Boarding Action: The Behemoth

2010-01-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

I drafted a quick mock up of the levels of The Behemoth today, just to get a layout of what I want to accomplish. I am thinking of making Boarding Action a quarterly or at least

Boarding Action: Alien Species - Sylphix

2010-01-13T09:36:00.000-05:00

While not my cup o' tea, some space fantasies just wouldn't be the same without a bunch of space elves traipsing about the stars. So I give you the Sylphix.
I will add these as a download later today.

SYLPHIX

Sylphix are human-like aliens, that stand just below the average human height and have slight frames with slender arms and legs. Their ears are elongated and come to a pointed tip. Their eyes are large and almond shaped, and are typically colored a sky blue or metallic gray. Sylphix are long-lived, and typically live for 300 years of age.

Sylphix gather in extended communal tribes that live their lives amongst the stars
aboard elaborate world ships. These world ships contain biospheres that reflect the
the Sylphix home world that was lost long ago.

Sylphix are very intelligent and agile, though frail in body.

SYLPHIX AS PLAYER CHARACTERS

Restrictions: There are no restrictions for playing a Sylphix.

Attribute Adjustments: Sylphix add +2 to their Intelligence and Agility rolls (to a maximum of 18), and must take a -2 to their Physique roll (to a minimum of 5).

Bonuses: Sylphix receive a +2 to any saving throw vs. Agility or Intelligence.

Boarding Action: Alien Species - Fomorians & Lemurians

2010-01-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

Edited to add Lemurians.

I have tried my hand at creating my first 2 alien species for the X-plorers rpg. The formorians are ogre-like humanoids that can only advance in the Soldier class. While Lemurians are nerdy ring-tailed lemurs and capable scientists (or any class really). Here are my write ups for both. (They can be both be downloaded here) and here.

FOMORIANS

Fomorians are large (2 to 3 meters tall) human-like aliens, that have strong powerful limbs and large sloping foreheads with a prominent eyebrow ridge. They could almost pass for neanderthals from human ancestry if not for their immense size.

Formorians were living in archaic tribal societies before they were encountered by humans over 100 years ago. Since then, they have been accepted into the graater galactic society.

These human-like aliens do not have the mental capacity needed to excel in most jobs, however they make excellent body-guards and soldiers.

FOMORIANS AS PLAYER CHARACTERS

Restrictions: Formorians may only advance in the Soldier class, they may not take any other class skills. Due to their stature, any armor or environment suit costs double the listed price for Formorian characters.

Attribute Adjustments: Formorians must add +2 to their Physique roll (to a maximum of 18), and must take a -2 to their Intelligence roll (to a minimum of 5). Fomorians are strong and healthy, however they are not the smartest aliens.

Bonuses: Fomorians receive a +2 to any saving throw invloving Physique, this represents their sturdy constitution and impressive physical strength. They also add +1 to any physical damage they deal through unarmed (martial arts) combat. Each time a Formorion rolls his hit dice, he also adds +1 to each die rolled.

LEMURIANS

Lemurians appear as slightly oversized lemurs from Terra. These creatures are highly intelligent and have achieved a rather advanced society. While they may appear as cute and cuddly, they can be dangerous fighters when cornered.

Lemurians are usually 1 meter tall with soft grey or white fur with black rings along their 1 meter long tail. They originated on a forest covered moon, and have adapted well to life among the trees.

LEMURIANS AS PLAYER CHARACTERS

Restrictions: Lemurains can advance as any class, however due to their unique size and stature they are unable to purchase any EXO powered armor. They also may not use any weapon above pistol size, as they do not have the reach to properly handle these weapons.

Attribute Adjustments: Lemurians must +2 to their Intelligence roll (to a maximum of 18), and must take a -2 to their Physique roll (to a minimum of 5). Lemurians are highly intelligent, however they are not as strong and sturdy as humans.

Bonuses: Lemurians have the ability to “cling” as explained in the creatures section of the main rulebook. Lemurians also get a +2 to Intelligence based saving throws. For any saving throws vs. Physique regarding climbing or jumping, Lemurians also get a +2 bonus and ignore any penalty they may have due to a low Physique score.

Boarding Action: Weapons & Armor

2010-01-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have added melee weapons and armor to my current Boarding Action rules. You can find the download here, or on the sidebar.

Now I would like to start planning out some parts of the Behemoth ship, I hope to start mapping out the first "level" this week.

Boarding Action: Ranged Weapons

2010-01-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

I have created my first document for my upcoming Boarding Action project. I am still waiting on the delivery of my printed X-plorers book, but I have been digging the free pdf until then. Using the presented weapons as a guide, I have thrown together a list of expanded ranged weapons, taking inspiration heavily from Rogue Trader 40k universe.

You can download the document, here, or on the new download section under the Boarding Action header on my sidebar. The pdf is setup for a 6x9 inch document (which is what I am planning on doing if I ever get this loaded on Lulu).

If you have any comments or further weapon suggestions, just let me know.

New year, new project.

2010-01-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

I am finally ready to get back into the swing of things on the ol' blog front. It has been too long since I posted and it has been hard to get back to it now that I have been away so long.

I recently purchased Fight On! #7 and X-Plorers from Lulu (they should be arriving any day now). I can't wait to get some new old school goodness in the mail. I am really excited about X-Plorers as I have been on a bit of a sci-fi kick lately, and have been wanting to do something in space for a while now.

My latest flash in the pan idea, is a mega-dungeon set in space. A little bit of Space-Hulk meets D&D. I am not sure (100%) that I will use X-Plorers for the rule-set, but it does look very likely. I plan to produce a guide/document called "BOARDING ACTION" which will cover the actual space dungeon as well as new weapons, monsters, traps, etc. I have tried to come up with a good name for the derelict ship, without using something like 'Space Hulk', and for now I am using Behemoth as a place holder. Basically this dungeon is a large floating space ship that is found in a remote region of a local star system. Groups of mercenaries, explorers, and government agents have all been attracted to this disabled beast.

Here is a small blurb I wrote about this idea last year:

The Behemoth. No one knows its true purpose. Was it a colony ship for an alien society? Perhaps it was a floating prison? Or even an alien “seed” ship? Regardless, what is known is that there are weird, dangerous aliens aboard as well as riches in artifacts and alien technology.

So, new year - new project. Now I need to catch up on all of the blogs out there, good to have so much quality blogs to read.

Mike D.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

I hope to pick up posting again in the new year, but for now I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday.

Lack of Updates.

2009-10-21T06:24:00.000-04:00

I have lost access to the blog from my office, so this has curtailed my use of the blogosphere. Hopefully I update the blog sometime this week, but I am not counting on it.

S&W White Box: Duelist

2009-09-23T12:56:00.000-04:00

I have started working on some new classes for S&W White box, the first up is the Duelist. This is a modified class based on my Kensei for Ruins & Ronin. The big difference was to drop the A.C. bonus of the Kensei and to allow the use of Leather armor.

You can download the duelist here, or on the side bar to the right.

Here are some other sub-classes I am thinking of creating:
Archer (or maybe a hunter class)
Assassin (this may be a combination of magic-using fighter - as I am thinking of a class more like the Faceless men of Westeros).
Legionary (Roman based fighter or a Hoplite)
Charioteer (you can see where I am going with this, I am sure)
Gladiator

Not sure if these sub classes are needed, so some may be dropped along the way...