Author Archives: the venomous pao

Advanced Fighting Fantasy Rogues Gallery

Advanced Fighting FantasySo I dropped some Winter Solstice Holiday money on the new edition of Advanced Fighting Fantasy. You know, the improved & expanded version of the Fighting Fantasy rules that powered the old “choose your own adventure meets d&d” type books from way back in the day, like The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Deathtrap Dungeon.

I actually think I only ever owned Warlock, and I’m not entirely sure I even finished reading/playing it. I was already pretty deep into RPGs by the time these books started hitting the shelves in the States and I was fortunate enough at the time to have plenty of actual people to game with, so the solitaire aspect of the books wasn’t a draw for me. Still, I’ve heard a heck of a lot of stories over the years of the FF books being someone’s gateway into RPGs, so I have a certain sense of collective nostalgia for ’em.

Anyway, why this caused me to burn the cash on the new core rulebook I simply cannot say. Something about simple systems (that still feel like games and not just storytime) and maybe some online play eventually or something. Or maybe it was just a juvenile urge to do some senseless dungeon crawling? Of course, there’s other, easier ways to get that buzz nowadays…

But enough of that. Let’s look at some characters for AFF. These folks were all rolled up randomly (per the optional rules in Chapter 11), and have a bare minimum of equipment. For this initial attempt I shied away from any magic-using characters quite intentionally. Maybe I’ll do up another batch of characters using the four(!) different(ish) magic systems included in the book’s mere 176 pages. Yeah, I bet I will. Meanwhile, let’s get on with the show…

Langsbert Glassjaw / Human / Peasant Warrior
Skill 9 Stamina 5 Luck 11 Magic 0
Talent: Strongarm
Special Skills: Bargain 1, City Lore 1, Climb 1, Common Speech 4, Dodge 2, Fishing 2, Hunting 1, Polearms 2, Religion Lore 1, Ride 1, Sneaking 1, Thrown 2, Traps 1, World Lore 1
Gold 6
Spear (2/2/3/3/3/4/5), Sling (1/1/2/2/2/3/4), Leather Hauberk (0/1/1/1/1/1/2), Small Shield (0/0/0/+1/+1/+1/+2)

Green Droghan / Human / Grizzled Woodsman
Skill 9 Stamina 8 Luck 7 Magic 0
Talent: Crack Shot
Special Skills: Armor 1, Bows 2, Common Speech 4, Forest Lore 2, Healing 1, Hunting 2, Mounted Combat 1, Religion Lore 1, Ride 2, Strength 1, Swords 1, World Lore 1
Gold 9
Short Bow (1/2/2/3/3/3/4), Sword (2/3/3/3/3/4/5), Chainmail Cuirass (0/0/0/1/2/2/3), Small Shield (0/0/0//0/+1/+1/+2)

Weed / Human / Whining Con Artist
Skill 8 Stamina 7 Luck 8 Magic 0
Talent: Swashbuckler
Special Skills: Acrobatics 1, Awareness 2, Brawling 2, City Lore 2, Climb 1, Common Speech 4, Con 2, Dodge 1, Evaluate 1, Locks 2, Religion Lore 1, Secret Signs 1, Sleight of Hand 2, Thrown 1, World Lore 1
Gold 5
Dagger (1/1/2/2/2/2/3), Throwing Dagger (1/1/1/2/2/2/3), Dodge (0/0/0/0/0/1/2)

Joby (Jaliese du Teranquelle) / Human / Noble Runaway
Skill 7 Stamina 8 Luck 12 Magic 0
Talent: Swashbuckler
Special Skills: Bargain 1, City Lore 1, Common Speech 4, Con 1, Disguise 1, Dodge 2, Etiquette 1, Law 1, Religion Lore 1, Swords 2, World Lore 1
Gold 8
Short Sword (1/2/2/3/3/3/4), Dodge (0/0/0/0/1/1/2)

A quick note in case you’re not familiar with the FF/AFF system at all. Those numbers in the parentheses after the weapons and armor are, essentially, a chart on which you roll to determine how much damage is done or stopped by the weapon or armor. You hit? Roll a d6 and find out how much damage you did by looking at the chart. You were hit? Roll a d6 to determine how much damage (if any) your armor stopped. And yes, the charts go to 7, not 6. There are Talents and other ways to wind up adding to your roll (the first character in the list, for example, has “Strongarm” as a talent, which lets him add 1 to his melee weapon damage rolls, while the second character’s “Crackshot” talent does the same for missile weapons).

Oh, and the last two characters who have a Dodge value listed get to make rolls using Dodge as (effectively) armor because of the Swashbuckler talent (adjusted by their skill level in Dodge). This effect goes away if they wear any armor at all. Interesting stuff.

Fight On! #13 Is Out

Fight On! #13That’s what I said. Fight On! #13 is now officially available (print, pdf). This issue is dedicated to the mighty Ken St. Andre and has a substantial number of Tunnels & Trolls-related articles. Here’s the full rundown:

Table of Contents
The Swashbuckler (Calithena) 3
Elves as Green Men (Walt Jillson) 4
Variant Kindreds (Age of Fable) 5
Grognard’s Grimoire (Erin “Taichara” Bisson) 6
Cantrips Gone Wild! (John Laviolette) 7
Battle School (Ken St. Andre) 10
Mysterious Laboratory of Xoth-Ragar (Alex Fotinakes) 15
Knights & Knaves (The Venomous Pao) 22
Creepies & Crawlies (garrisonjames) 25
Artifacts, Adjuncts, & Oddments (Hudson Bell & Cal) 27
Slaughter in the Salt Pits (Gabor Lux) 28
The Library of Karvu Naudra (Jason Vasché) 33
An Unfamiliar Encounter (John Larrey) 36
The Goblin Market (Richard Rittenhouse) 40
Bonus Tables (Jeff Rients) 45
What is this Monster Scared Of? (Dustin Brandt) 46
Fruiting Towers (Patrick Wetmore) 47
Tricks & Treats (Andreas Davour & Wayne Cayea) 58
Mythal (Calithena) 61
The Tale of an Egg (Baz Blatt) 69
The Darkness Beneath (Makofan) 78
Champions of ZED (Daniel Boggs) 98
In the Shadow of the Catskills (Michael Curtis) 111
Scramp! (Richard Rittenhouse) 116
Education of a Magic User (Douglas Cox) 120
Top Tips for Tunnels & Trolls (Big Jack Brass) 121
Doxy, Urgent Care Cleric (J. Linneman & K. Green) 122

In addition to all the great art you’ve come to expect, you’ll find a delightful full color front cover by none other than Liz Danforth, the glorious queen of gaming art.

So what are you waiting for? Go throw a little green at those responsible for making this wonderment a reality. You’ll be glad you did.

p.s. The fact that your humble scribe just happens to have an article published in this issue in no way compromises his integrity when recommending that you purchase this fine volume. No, really. Honest!

Man… Or Astro-Man?

So, at long last I got to see these guys last night…

They were awesome.

Now I want to get back on the train of thought I was on for a while regarding some kind of psychedelic-ish science fiction B movie game. I make no claim that such material will ever appear here, but damn if I don’t wanna fo watch “The Angry Red Planet” and take a bunch of notes.

Recovering From A Hack

No, this isn’t about healing in RPGs. This is about the fact that Strange Stones got hacked a while back and I think I’ve just finished fixing everything. You probably hadn’t noticed, because it was a hack that was designed not to be noticed. But everything should be back to the way I want it to be. I’m actually only mentioning this so that if something seems amiss (like links that aren’t working, etc.) you’ll know what’s up.

So, if you do happen to see something that’s not behaving properly, let me know and I’ll get it fixed. In the meantime, please continue to enjoy whatever it is you happen to enjoy about my humble little blog. Cheers!

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Silent Legion Of Valerius Caesar

Wherein your humble scribe presents what might be an Adventuring Party for Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion. These characters are all 3rd level, were granted maximum HP (Advanced Style) at first level, and have a bare minimum of equipment, including a few magic items. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order. And, as is now commonplace, they all have some snappy headgear.

After his successful campaign to retake the frontier town of Bergerwald from the Ard barbarians, young noble Tullius Regulus, along with his friend the recently freed gladiator Marius, his maiden aunt, the scholarly Laelia Laurentia, and the gruff priest Cassian are dispatched by the Empire to Anteria, on the coast of Adanthum. There they are informed by Propraetor Justiuso that they must venture deep into the darkest heart of the continent to seek out the fabled City of Scales where the great magus Ciusenius Secanius is said to have secreted away his blasphemous scrolls of prophecy. What adventures will they have as they wind their way through the deserts and jungles of Adanthum? What does Great Caesar need of these legendary writings? Can these four hope to return to Rhodium as champions of the Empire?

Tullius Regulus / Human Fighter 3 LN

Head Gear: Classic Roman-style helmet

STR 15 INT 13 WIS 10 DEX 16 CON 9 CHR 14

HP 21 AC 2 Gold 1000

Gladius (+1/+2 vs Chaos), Breastplate, Shield

Marius / Human Fighter 3 CG

Head Gear: Gladiator Helmet

STR 18 INT 7 WIS 7 DEX 13 CON 13 CHR 9

HP 32 AC 2 Gold 109

Trident, Gladius, Scale Mail, Shield (+2)

Laelia Laurentia / Human Magic-User 3 NG

Head Gear: Uncovered, revealing short & stylish hair

STR 8 INT 16 WIS 11 DEX 13 CON 10 CHR 13

HP 10 AC 5 Gold 930
Silver Dagger, 4 Darts, Quarterstaff, Bracers of Armor (AC 6), Spell Book
Magic-User Spells:
1st level: Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Identify, Read Languages, Sleep
2nd level: ESP, Locate Object, Ray of Enfeeblement

Cassian / Human Cleric 3 LN

Head Gear: Metal skull cap

STR 10 INT 9 WIS 16 DEX 7 CON 13 CHR 6

HP 14 AC 4 Gold 450

Gladius, Breastplate (+1), Shield, Silver Holy Symbol, Scroll (Locate Object, Remove Curse)
Cleric Spells:
1st level: Create Water, Cure Light Wounds, Light, Protection From Evil
2nd level: Augury, Find Traps, Hold Person

2012 Gaming Plans Update

Well bugger. I just found out that one of the guys I game with is running Castle Amber (or at least a variation thereof) for a group I’ve been taking a break from. So that pretty much takes good ol’ X2 off the table for me in 2012. Alas and alack. But that’s ok – it just helps me focus a bit. Against The Giants, here I come 🙂

November Company D6 Notes

As promised (threatened?), here’s you chance to snag the I put together to run a Mini Six/Open D6 World War II game. They’re what you might call “barebones” if you’re feeling charitable. But if you know the system reasonably well they should make for a decent foundation for your own efforts towards such a game.

Download the November Company Notes (22416 downloads )

November Company, in my conception, is pretty much the A-Team combined with the actual early Army Rangers. The soldiers assigned to November Company are the type of guys who don’t make good soldiers, but who have skills and personalities that lend themselves to, shall we say, different uses in a theater of war.

Anyway, download ’em and do with them as you please. In addition to the very basics of character creation, you’ll find a small selection of US weapons of the period, a 1/2 page character sheet, and a sheet with vehicle information on the trusty “Rat Patrol” style jeep.

As always, I must admit that I am most decidedly not a WWII scholar – in fact, I’m little more than a tourist in the era. The material that comprises the period flavor of these notes is essentially what I was able to glean from Wikipedia, without any concern for accuracy beyond the bare minimum needs for maintaining a reasonable degree of Hollywood verisimilitude for a bunch of players who know even less about the period than I do.

That’s the long way of saying that if you see something that makes you draw your breath sharply through your teeth, blame a lifetime’s viewing of cheesy WWII representations, offer a gentle correction, and move on to something more important 🙂

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Seekers Of Bexia

Wherein your humble scribe presents what might be an Adventuring Party for Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion. These characters are all 1st level, were granted maximum HP (Advanced Style), and have a bare minimum of equipment. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order. And, as is now commonplace, they all have some snappy headgear.

On the dark and heavily-forested island called Bexia, small, poorly-fortified human settlements crouch in the shadows, fearful of the malevolent elves of the woods. To one of these, called Eorus by those who lived there, came Destrand, an eerie boy of scant years, bearing tales of silver palaces, lost cities, amber castles, and a mountain of fire – all just beyond the great River Orv. His unearthly words seeped into the consciousness of the town and soon a number of foolhardy souls determined to set out in search of these unimagined sights and the treasures the boy claimed were hidden within. Furthanos, Acolyte of Albinard the True. Savara the Witch, with her toad familiar Uvyn. Ox-like Surt, the blacksmith’s son. And Normac Finwyr, the ninth incarnation of Jagragon’s chosen prophet. These four set out with the strange child on the Eve of Evangeline and were ne’er seen in Eorus again.

Futhanos / Human Cleric 1 LN

Head Gear: A tall conical hat

STR 12 INT 9 WIS 13 DEX 13 CON 15 CHR 12

HP 9 AC 5 Gold 9

Mace, Studded Leather, Shield, Wooden Holy Symbol, Vial of Holy Water

Cleric Spells: Create Water, Light

Savara / Human Magic-User 1 NE

Head Gear: Bare, showing her amazing curly mane

STR 5 INT 16 WIS 11 DEX 8 CON 11 CHR 9

HP 4 AC 9 Gold 100

2 Silver Daggers, Robes, Spell Book, Small Silver Mirror

Magic-User Spells: Mending, Summon Familiar, Unseen Servant

Surt / Human Fighter 1 NG
Head Gear: A short, plain hood

STR 16 INT 7 WIS 10 DEX 8 CON 11 CHR 13

HP 10 AC 4 Gold 28

Battle Axe, Hand Axe, Banded Mail, Shield

Normac / Human Cleric 1 CG

Head Gear: A conical helmet with a crimson tassel

STR 10 INT 11 WIS 13 DEX 10 CON 14 CHR 13

HP 9 AC 4 Gold 10

Flail, Sling, 10 Bullets, Chain Mail, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol

Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Resist Cold

Destrand / Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1 NE

Head Gear: A horned viking-style helmet

STR 9 INT 13 WIS 8 DEX 15 CON 13 CHR 15
HP 6 AC 7 Gold 56

Silver-tipped Spear, Silver Dagger, Leather Armor, Thieves’ Tools, 50′ Silk Rope, Grappling Hook

Magic-User Spells: Charm Person, Dancing Lights, Sleep

(My Dreams Of) Gaming Plans For 2012 (Because You Care)

So the Thanksgiving game happened. It was a WWII commando raid using a Mini Six/D6 Adventure mashup and it was a blast. But I’m not here to talk about it. Not right now, anyway. I’m gunning to do that a little later on, when I’m ready to post the materials I put together for the game. Nope, instead I’m here to talk about what I’m hoping to run next.

First up, sometime during the Winter Solstice Holidays break, I’m hoping to pull off a BASH game for a friend, his 13 year old son, and maybe a few other folks. I’m currently thinking Golden Age/WWII supers kicking fascist ass in Europe. But the ideas are swirling and unformed at this point, so who knows what (if anything) will ultimately come to pass?

After that, I’m pondering a few possibilities:

  • Some kind of hard(-ish) SciFi using good ol’ Classic Traveller and some Stars Without Number action
  • Labyrinth Lord/AEC romps through either the Against The Giants series or maybe Castle Amber, The Lost City, or some other classic modules
  • A BRP– (or possibly BoL-) based, Mythic Russia-fueled, Russian fantasy game
  • A Mini Six (with add-ons from Open D6) or Mercenaries, Spies, And Private Eyes 80s-style espionage game
  • A Call of Cthulhu Dreamlands miniseries (probably not until the CoC game I’m playing in wraps up, though)
  • A BRP/Renaissance (or maybe Tunnels & Trolls or Honor + Intrigue) black powder fantasy adventure
  • Droids. Seriously. Either with the original rules (unlikely) or with something else (D6, maybe?)

just to name a few (in no particular order). All of this is subject to change (i.e., my whims and interests) and player buy-in, of course.

That’s Great And All, But What About Giving Us Some Sweet Gaming Content, Pao?

Yeah, I know. My content output has absolutely tanked of late (and, honestly, not-so-late). I’m struggling with that, really. Part of me wants to be cranking out stuff like I had been, but another part just isn’t inclined to spend the time on it. So it’s not quite burnout, per se. It’s more a case of conflicting interests and such. So to answer the question that I asked on no one in particular’s behalf, “Reply hazy. Try again later.”