Category Archives: Games

Transylvanian Adventures Has Landed

My print copy of Transylvanian Adventures by Land of Phantoms has arrived (thanks for the great sale back in December, Lulu)!

It looks good in the flesh and though I’ve had the PDF for a while now and it’s always nice to have a solid hardback to put on the shelf. I have given the game a couple of cursory reads and like what I see. With any luck I’ll actually get to do something with this… thing… in the nearish future.

Oh, and in case you don’t know what the hell Transylvanian Adventures is (and can’t be arsed to click any of the links above) I’ll summarize it by saying that it’s the supplement you’ll want for Dungeon Crawl Classics if you’d like to take that system for a Hammer Horror-esque ride. There, that oughta whet your appetite. For blood. Ah-ah-ah-ahhhh!

Vintage Magic World: Vorskel Lusk’s Big Problem

Wherein your humble scribe presents an adventuring party for the original Magic World (from the Worlds of Wonder boxed set). As I’ve said before, this is BRP at its most basic, stripped down (well, pre-built up, really) and ready to rock.

My name is Vorskel Lusk, and I have a problem. It seems someone has stolen my master’s grimoires and Etzylix Murrsh is in no condition to go after the thieves himself. So it’s up to me to recover the spellbooks before the Arcane Fever that has gripped Etzylix progresses to the point where I have to find an entirely new master to continue my studies. My girlfriend Asha Kal is always game for an adventure, but I’m afraid we’re going to need a little more help to take on the Necromancer Syndicate. Maybe that big guy who works down at the quarry is available? Etzylix owes him some money, I think. And maybe that fast-talking merchant over in the Bazaar could lend a hand? Etzylix was always a good customer of his. Now I just have figure out how to untie these ropes and get out of this mausoleum before that Wraith Bomb goes off…

Vorskel Lusk (Sorcerer) 16 Crowns
STR 12 CON 16 SIZ 11 INT 12 POW 14 DEX 8 APP 10 HP 16 DB none
Weapons: Sword 36% (1d8+1), Staff 36% (1d8), Dagger 36% (1d4+1)
Armor: Leather (2)
Skills: Climb 55%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, First Aid 45%, Hide 55%, Jump 45%, Linguist 00%, Listen 45%, Literacy 50%, Lore 00%, Mechanical Arts 00%, Mercantile Arts 00%, Move Quietly 25%, Philosophy 00%, Ride 25%, Spot Hidden 25%, Swim 40%, Throw 45%, Invisibility 40%, Illusion 45%, Light/Dark 40%, Blast 40%

Asha Kal (Rogue) 155 Crowns
STR 8 CON 9 SIZ 9 INT 13 POW 9 DEX 18 APP 11 HP 9 DB none
Weapons: Shortsword 65% (1d6+1), 3 Daggers 60% (1d4+1)
Armor: Cuirboilli (3)
Skills: Climb 60%, Cut Purse 90%, Fine Manipulation 90%, First Aid 45%, Hide 60%, Jump 60%, Linguist 00%, Listen 60%, Literacy 00%, Lore 00%, Mechanical Arts 00%, Mercantile Arts 00%, Move Quietly 60%, Philosophy 00%, Ride 25%, Spot Hidden 60%, Swim 90%, Throw 50%

Hradken the Quarryman (Warrior) 68 Crowns
STR 13 CON 12 SIZ 18 INT 13 POW 8 DEX 14 APP 8 HP 12 DB +1d6
Weapons: Hammer 65% (1d8+2), Bow 70% (1d6+1), Shield 65%
Armor: Ring Mail (4), Shield (12)
Skills: Climb 55%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, First Aid 45%, Hide 55%, Jump 65%, Linguist 00%, Listen 45%, Literacy 00%, Lore 00%, Mechanical Arts 00%, Mercantile Arts 00%, Move Quietly 25%, Philosophy 00%, Ride 70%, Spot Hidden 25%, Swim 70%, Throw 45%

Ayer Deloe (Sage) 262 Crowns
STR 9 CON 12 SIZ 15 INT 17 POW 9 DEX 11 APP 12 HP 12 DB +1d6
Weapons: Mace 30% (1d6+2), Dagger 25% (1d4+1), Shield 30%
Armor: Leather (2), Shield (12)
Skills: Climb 55%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, First Aid 51%, Hide 55%, Jump 45%, Linguist (Barghrun, Kallestine, Ryellic) 51%, Listen 45%, Literacy 85%, Lore 51%, Mechanical Arts 51%, Mercantile Arts 85%, Move Quietly 25%, Philosophy 51%, Ride 25%, Spot Hidden 25%, Swim 55%, Throw 45%

TFT: New Heroes

Wherein your humble scribe presents a group of brand new, 32 point characters for The Fantasy Trip. These cats have been done up straight, by-the-book, without the corruption of countless years’ worth of house rules and such that my old gang used to use. It just seemed like the way to go today.

Setting out from the city of Teszport on the western shores of Aeol, this mixed band of heroes & wizards are just beginning their careers. Someday, perhaps, they’ll be movers and shakers, the subjects of epic poems like the ones Cyr Ryn recites about the Revenant, the One-Armed Priest, the Red Lady, and his personal favorite, the Great Bard of Nash. Or maybe they’ll all be dead before they even make it to the Labyrinth of Stejak. That’s the beauty of the fantastic trip that is the life of an adventurer: you never know what’s coming next.

Cyr Ryn / Human / Hero
ST 13 DX 10 (8) IQ 9 MA 10
Talents: Sword, Shield, Thrown Weapons, Horsemanship, Sex Appeal, Bard
Equipment: Bastard Sword (2+1/3-2), 2 Daggers (1-1), Cloth Armor (1), Large Shield (2), Labyrinth Kit

Liera Mor / Human / Hero
ST 11 DX 11 (10) IQ 10 MA 10
Talents: Sword, Shield, Climbing, Physicker, Alertness, Thief
Equipment: Shortsword (2-1), Dagger (1-1), Cloth Armor (1), Small Shield (1), Physicker’s Chest, Labyrinth Kit, Lantern

Iäis Per / Human / Wizard
ST 9 DX 11 (10) IQ 12 MA 10
Talents: Literacy
Spells: Staff, Drop Weapon, Summon Wolf, Fire, Trip, Far Vision, Rope, Trailtwister, Staff to Snake, Fireball, 3-Hex Fire
Equipment: Staff (1), Cloth Armor (1), Labyrinth Kit

Malorian of Karkal/ Elf / Hero
ST 9 DX 11 (10) IQ 12 MA 12
Talents: Sword, Bow, Literacy, Human Speak
Spells: Invisibility, Sleep
Equipment: Rapier (1), Dagger (1-1), Small Bow (1-1), Cloth Armor (1), Labyrinth Kit

Issrilskel the Luxomancer/ Dwarf / Wizard
ST 11 DX 10 (9) IQ 11 MA 10
Talents: Literacy, Human Speak
Spells: Staff, Blur, Light, Darkness, Dark Vision, Dazzle, Shadow, Reveal/Conceal, Illusion
Equipment: Staff (1), Cloth Armor (1), Labyrinth Kit

OD&Disappointment: Resolved

My replacement OD&D Premium Reprint box set arrived this morning. It’s a brand new copy of the box set, still in its original shipping box.

I can say that there are no torn pages in any of the books in this copy of the set. I do feel like the overall quality of the books is a little lower, though. They don’t seem as well stapled and there are a couple of pages where the printing isn’t quite straight (like the page was just a tad off when it when through the press) – nothing dire, thankfully, but just not quite right, either.

Of course, after all of the delays and difficulties with this return I’m bound to be hypercritical and prone to being irritated by the tiniest thing, so take my assessment with a grain of salt. At least there’s nothing so wrong with this copy I can’t accept it. I definitely couldn’t take going through the replacement process again.

Speaking of the replacement process, for those who are curious about the “little something extra” to be included to offset the shipping costs, it turned out to be copies of the Urban Underdark dungeon tiles, the Haunted Temples map pack, and the Shattered Keeps map pack. They add up to pretty close to what I paid for shipping, so if you paid more or less I’d expect you’ll get more or less accordingly. I can’t say I’m thrilled with these, but it beats a sharp stick in the eye.

My final assessment of this whole mess still leaves me with a negative opinion of WotC’s customer support (web and direct phone, at least) and I can’t say I’d recommend spending the money on this set if anyone asked me. It’s nice to have, sure, but I don’t think WotC has really put in the effort and quality control to justify the $150 they’re charging for it. A product with this kind of price tag really ought to be produced with more care and attention than has been applied here. And if a problem does turn up with such a product, it really shouldn’t take 25 days, four phone calls (two of them answered with outright rudeness), multiple emails, tweets, and other electronic junk, and three distinct support cases to get resolved.

In the end I’m glad I have the set, but if you’d told me up front how unhappy I was going to be along the way, I’d have saved my money. And now, all these days later, I’m no longer excited by this product or looking forward to enjoying it. Instead, I’m pretty much just going to stick it on my shelf where it will sit gathering dust. And that’s the biggest shame of all.

In Praise Of The Obscure

The Savage Afterword is putting together a little blogosphere event called “Obsolete Simulations Roundup” (yeah, that’s OSR). Here’s the gist:

I’d like to gather up as many RPG bloggers as possible who would like to trumpet the praises of their favorite, forgotten, classic RPGs. Any RPG can be picked from any year of any genre, but it should be an RPG that no one seems to remember or appreciate…except for you. And, on December 29, show your support and appreciation for your orphaned RPG by telling us all about it. Why is it special, what makes it fun, and why should folks start searching for their own copies of this classic? And, if you’re so inclined, offer up some supplemental material for it. Tell us of your house rules, or create a new creature. Describe a scenario for it, or flesh out an NPC. Give your game the attention it merits on that day!

So if you’re interested in doing such a thing, bop on over to The Savage Afterworld and read the rest of the post. Barring conflict, confusion, or calamity I’ll be posting a little something that day myself.

OD&Disappointment

The “customer service” mooks at WotC haven’t even processed my damned return of the defective OD&D boxed set. Never mind the fact that I sent it back priority mail and they’ve had it since last Monday (12/2). The goon I spoke to this morning mumbled something about them only processing mail once a week and that if my package got there after processing time on 12/2 then they wouldn’t even have seen it until yesterday (12/9). And then he brushed me off the phone without so much as a “have a nice day.”

To say I’m more than a bit pissed off would be an understatement, I’m afraid. A huge chunk of my enthusiasm for this reprint has eroded and I’m also pretty damned sure I won’t be inclined to give WotC another dime anytime soon.

OD&D Premium Box Set

The item referenced above has been acquired by yours truly. In general, I’m pretty impressed with the overall quality, and hopefully the pix below communicate some of that.

The only real downside to this purchase is that there’s a ripped page in the Greyhawk book and to get it replaced I have to send the whole damned box set back to WotC. Which I will obviously do, since this wasn’t exactly a cheap purchase. I’m just glad I decided to take pictures right after getting this, since I might have missed that for a long time.

Anyway, enjoy the pix and may they guide you to the right choice if you’re still trying to decide about picking this thing up. And yes, any new readers, those are original books I’m showing in the comparison photos. They’re not from 1974 or anything, but they are from the Original Collector’s Edition I picked up at Origins ’84^*.

Oh, and while they did indeed put new cover art on all of the books (which some folks seem to be very up in arms about, but doesn’t bother me at all), they left all of the original internal art alone as near as I can tell. I’ve tried to reflect that in the pix, hence the gratuitous focus on the topless pieces 🙂

^*But Venomous Pao, why would you buy this reprint when you already had an OCE?

Because the OCE doesn’t have any of the supplements, of course. Those things fetch some pretty absurd prices if you want ’em. And while I do have those in PDF from way back when they were legally available, having print copies is a lovely thing indeed.

Pacesetter System Weapon Damage Options

Wherein your humble scribe presents some alternate combat rules for Pacesetter System™ games such as Cryptworld, Majus, and Rotworld. These options originally appeared in the CHILL supplement Creature Feature, so the credit for their creation goes to Mark Acres (though I have expanded things a bit to cover some of the weapons not covered in the old rules). I’m just sharing them since that supplement is long out of print. FYI, I’m not handling making these OGC or anything, so use ’em in your own games as you like, but publish them at your own peril.

One of the complaints about combat in Pacesetter System games is that all of the weapons resolve their damage the exact same way. For players who grew up before variable weapon damage became the norm, this isn’t really an issue. But for folks who really like to see a longsword do more damage than a dagger or a .45 bullet do more damage than a thrown axe this can be off-putting. So here are a couple of options to address those concerns.

Missile Combat

With this option, the defense column used to resolve the outcome of an missile attack is determined by the weapon used, not by the roll of a single d10. The defender can still spend up to 2 Luck points to modify the final column used, though. The list below shows the weapon type (or bullet caliber) followed by the defense column to use in parentheses.

Axe/Tomahawk (8)
Dagger/Knife (7)
Javelin (8)
Shuriken (6)
Spear (6)
Grenade (4)
Boomerang (7)
Blowgun (9)
Bola (9)
Sling (6)
Antique pistol (6)
Shotgun, less than 25 ft (2)
Shotgun, greater than 25 ft (5)
.22 bullet (5)
.357/.38/9mm bullet (4)
.45 bullet (3)
Arquebus (4)
Musket (5)
Dragoon musket (4)
Photon Rifle (2)
Crossbow (6)
Longbow (6)
Shortbow (7)
Laser Pistol (3)
Laser Rifle (3)

Putting this option into play will likely change the way in which characters spend Luck a bit, since the defense column is known in advance. Expect to see a lot of players spending Luck when facing a shotgun up close.

Automatic Fire

When using the above option, an adjustment must be made to the rules when a fully-automatic weapon is fired on full auto. When this happens, ignore the existing modifiers and rules for automatic fire as well as all modifiers for “target’s declared action” or situation. Instead, calculate the number of targets within the burst area and assign the number of hits as follows:

If 1there are 10 or fewer targets, divide the number of shots in the burst (default is 10) but the number of targets (dropping fractions) and the resulting number is the number of bullets that hit each target.
If there are more targets than the number of bullets in a burst (by default, that means 11 targets), have each target roll percentile dice. The targets who roll highest, up to the number in the burst, are each struck with a single bullet. The remaning low-rolling targets are missed by the bullets in the burst.

Each hit then resolves as normal for this option (i.e., against the column specified by caliber of bullet fired).

Melee Combat

With this option, the defense column is determined normally (i.e., based on defender’s skill unless surprised) but is then modified up or down based on the weapon being used by the attacker. Check the list below, which shows the weapon being used followed by the modification to the defense column in parentheses. If you don’t find the weapon in question in the list, go with something close to it.

Blackjack (+2)
Dagger/Knife (+0)
Longsword (-2)
Short sword (-1)
Rapier (-1)
Two-handed sword (-3)
Club (+0)
Mace (-1)
Hand axe (-1)
Battle axe (-3)
Spear (-2)
Nunchaku (-2)

A Note On Called Shots

If using either or both of the above options, a change must be made to the process of determining the results of a called shot. Check both the “new” column as determined by these options and the “original” column based on the core rules (either by rolling a d10 for missile combat or by looking at the unmodified defense column for melee combat). If a “C” appears in either of these columns, the called shot succeeds. Otherwise, resolve the effect of the attack using the “new” column.

Chill/Cryptworld: L’Marais

Wherein, in honor of the upcoming release of Cryptworld, your humble narrator presents a trio of unlikely heroes (or likely victims) and the Thing that they will face. These gaming constructs were built using an old copy of Chill (and Chill Things) I happened to have handy, but they should work just fine with Cryptworld when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright…

The wind was howling on the bayou, and the window panes of Armand’s little shack rattled like dice in a cup. The lights flickered occasionally, and the foetor of the marsh hung just about the edges of the place.

“You know, dey say it nights like dis L’Marais come looking for blood…” Emil said after exhaling a long plume of smoke from his fancy little cigarette. “He come up out de swamp an’ rip a man limb from limb. Then he make they arm ‘n leg do the rest ah him dirty work for a year an’ a day.”

“Shut up, Emil. You’re just trying to spook my brother. And drop the lame-o coonass accent, too. It’s insulting,” replied Edie, fiddling with her new camera.

“Woman, do’n talk at your mari like that…”

“Seriously, Emil. Drop the accent.”

“Ok, ok. I’m just trying to have a little fun. There’s nothing to do out here!”

“We’re only here ’cause you went and killed that pawnbroker. We have to lay low, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. He was reaching for his gun, so I had to shoot him, ok? And this bayou is the perfect place to dump a body.”

Armand shifted slightly in his armchair. He wished his sister had never married the little man. She used to be prettier, he thought. Before LaCroix had gotten his filthy hands on her.

“It’s ok, ma soeur, I had a dream last night…”

“Can it, Armand,” Emil hissed. “If I can’t tell my spook stories, then you don’t get to go on and on about your goddamned dreams. Yeah, yeah, I know you dreamt we’d win State back in high school, but that doesn’t mean you can see the future. Did you ever dream you’d get kicked out of the army? Did you ever dream you’d wind up living in a goddamned shack in the bayou? Did you ever dream…”

Armand stood up quickly at the sound of a heavy, thudding knock on the door. He knew what was on the other side. It was just like he dreamt it. And that meant the little man wouldn’t trouble his sister anymore.

“Who the hell can that be at this time of night?” Emil hissed. “If you called the cops on me, Armand, I swear to God…”

“It’s not the cops, Emil. Armand wouldn’t sell us out like that, would you, mon frère?”

“Of course not, ma soeur,” Armand answered as he walked towards the door. “But I do think it’s for you, Emil.”

The Characters

Emil LaCroix / 34 / 5′ 5″ 150 lbs
STR 56 DEX 58 AGL 48 WPR 50 PER 38 PCN 58 LUCK 54 STA 60 Unskilled Melee 52%
Lockpicking (S) 73%, Gambling (S) 71%, Filching (S) 73%
Art: Sense Unknown 11%

Edie LaCroix / 27 / 5′ 4″ 120 lbs
STR 52 DEX 58 AGL 54 WPR 50 PER 56 PCN 50 LUCK 62 STA 64 Unskilled Melee 55%
Modeling (S) 71%, Photography (S) 76%
Art: Sense Unknown 11%

Armand St. Cyr / 33 / 6′ 4″ 220 lbs
STR 66 DEX 60 AGL 58 WPR 64 PER 46 PCN 62 LUCK 32 STA 52 Unskilled Melee 63%
Boxing (S) 78%, Mechanics (M) 91%, Rifle/Shotgun (S) 75%
Art: Clairvoyant/Prescient Dream 54%, Sense Unknown 12%

The Thing

L’Marais
STR 75 DEX 50 AGL 50 WPR 60 PER 35 PCN 70 STA 100 EWS 120 FEAR 6 ATT 2 (3)/62%
Movement: L 180′ A N/A W 90′
Disciplines: Breath of Pestilence, Change Weather, Darken, Deadly Remains, Ghostly Lights, Swarm, Wave of Fog
IPs: 840

L’Marais (more properly, L’Homme des Marais, The Swamp Man) is a foul thing indeed. It resides in the bayous and swamps of rural Louisiana, where it waits to feed on the blood and bone of its victims. L’Marais is composed of both plant matter and human body parts – the remains of murder victims dumped in the swamp. It normally has two unarmed attacks in a round (grab & crush limbs) but if it succeeds with both against one target it gets an extra armed attack – its dreaded rend.

Though L’Marais is unquestionably evil and will gleefully pursue any human being, it is not without a sense of honor. It always strikes out against criminals and murderers first. Some say that a killer who speaks of L’Marais on the night of the new moon will draw its ire all too quickly.

Echo Chamber Newsflash: Cryptworld Cometh

Well, well, well. It’s finally happened. Ol’ Dan Proctor from Goblinoid Games has taken that Pacesetter System he bought the rights to and put together something to replace Chill (which he couldn’t buy the rights to, because someone else has them, and isn’t doing anything useful with them).

Here’s the main part of the blog post/press release:

CRYPTWORLD is a Pacesetter System horror game in which you play an investigator of the unexplained. Any kind of horror is possible, from hunting classic monsters to fighting the secret manipulations of interdimensional aliens, and much more! Be an independent hunter of the horrors in the world, or be a member of one of the several organizations provided, each with different motivations.

CRYPTWORLD covers much of the same ground as CHILL, but CRYPTWORLD goes well beyond it and handles many more subgenres of horror. It is a more complete presentation of horror rules, game advice, and creatures from different horror subgenres so that you can play any kind of horror game you prefer. Your characters can be members of one of the several example organizations that investigate the unexplained, rather than be limited to only one organization (i.e. S.A.V.E.). This also means that there is no specific assumed game setting.

Coming late September!

So bring on late September already! That should give me plenty of time to snag Cryptworld, digest all the good new stuff, and maybe even convince some folks to give it a go for a Halloween game.

Strange Stones

a nerdy rpg blog