Dogs Of W*A*R: November Company Grunts

So here I am using Dogs Of W*A*R (the modern action relative of Barbarians Of Lemuria) to knock out a few grunts for that theoretical November Company thing I mention occasionally. I’m not actually anywhere near doing anything on that front, but I’m trying to rekindle the RPG fire by poking at something I find interesting. So, without further ado, here are some low ranking GIs who have found themselves assigned to November Company.

Sgt. Danny Womack

Daniel Womack hails from Santa Rosa, California. The son of a policeman and a seamstress, the 24 year old Womack had himself entered the force before enlisting in the army after Pearl Harbor. He has taken to the service and is respected by his superiors. He is a very serious man who almost seems to lack a sense of humor entirely.

Sgt. Danny Womack / Lifeblood 11 / Exploit Points 5
Attributes: Strength 1 Agility 1 Mind 0 Appeal 2
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 1
Background: Law Enforcement
Specializations: Sleuth 1 Soldier 2 Sneak 2 Snoop 1
Boons: Alert, Gun Specialist
Flaws: Anger Issues
Languages: English, German, French
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Light Machine Gun (2d6* +1)

Pvt. Dominic Di Martino

Nineteen year old Dominic Di Martino is as Brooklyn as it gets. Before entering the army he was well on his way to establishing himself as a petty criminal of some note. The army has set him straight and it’s unlikely that he’ll return to that lifestyle if he makes it home. Dom is garrulous and something of a practical joker. And his knowledge of baseball is unrivaled in all of November Company.

Cpl. Dominic Di Martino / Lifeblood 12 / Exploit Points 3
Attributes: Strength 2 Agility 0 Mind 1 Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 2 Melee 0 Ranged 2 Defense 0
Background: Criminal
Specializations: Faceman 1 Soldier 2 Fixer 1 Tech 2
Boons: Stylish, Fast Talker, Grease Monkey
Flaws: Greed
Languages: English, Italian, German, French, Yidish
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Rifle (d6)

Pvt. John O’Shea

Boston-born John O’Shea is no soldier – at least not by the standards of most of November Company’s fighting men. But what O’Shea lacks in army training he makes up for with a broad range of knowledge and languages. Whether you need to get patched up or take out a bridge, O’Shea’s your man in just about any theater. Now if only he could keep from losing his glasses in a firefight.

Pvt. John O’Shea / Lifeblood 10 / Exploit Points 5
Attributes: Strength 0 Agility 1 Mind 2 Appeal 1
Combat Abilities: Brawl 0 Melee 0 Ranged 3 Defense 1
Background: Other
Specializations: Academic 2 Soldier 1 Medic 2 Sapper 1
Boons: Mimic, Deadly Fists, Born Behind The Wheel
Flaws: Poor Eyesight, Clumsy
Languages: English, German, Burmese, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Finnish
Equipment: Heavy Pistol (d6+1), Rifle (d6)

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Thor!

Just got back from seeing Thor. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The mixture of science and “magic” was pleasing enough, and the rainbow bridge (all of Asgard, really) was stunningly beautiful. Plus, now we know a bit more about what the Avengers movie will focus on. No spoilers from me, though! Go see the movie and find out for yourself.

Gaming-wise, I’m entirely unsure of whether or not this “cured” my need to do a Thor/Dr. Strange-esque dimension-hopping game or whether it made my desire stronger. I’m in a strange place when it comes to gaming right now. Between the mental engagement (and exhaustion!) that has come along with the new job and a general geek malaise that was settling in just prior to returning to the working world, I’m a bit at sea. I want to want to focus my energies on geek stuff, but I don’t actually want to. Anybody else know where I’m coming from?

I think, perhaps more than anything, I’ve burned out on fantasy for the moment. Pure, unadulterated Sword & Sorcery and/or Tolkien-style D&D-style fantasy, at least. I might need to find some kind of hybrid thang to tickle my fancy for a bit. I was definitely heading in that direction to begin with (witness Tlactoztlan and Nogoloth). And, of course, things like November Company and my weird psychedelic science fiction itch (along with the aforementioned superhero musings) have been leading me away from the cornerstone of the hobby (and the old school blogging community ) as well. I’m just plain at a loss and I find it frustrating as all hell.

So once again, please forgive the sparseness of my posts, gentle readers. I’m sure I’ll shake the malaise eventually. Meanwhile, enjoy some truly classic God of Thunder action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCgGUK8wW_0

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Minotaur #9

In case you’ve missed the announcement elsewhere, the mighty and wonderful Olivier Legrand has released issue #9 of The Minotaur, the unbelievably awesome free webzine/PDF that supports Mazes & Minotaurs. I freely heap this praise upon the mag even though I haven’t personally contributed for quite a while now 🙂

Speaking of my own contributions to the M&M ouvre, it looks like Olivier has combed through the back issues of The Minotaur and done a nice bit of work repackaging connected articles into fresh compilations. He calls them Minotaur Classics, and though I hesitate to apply such a bold label to my own Against Atlantis! trilogy, I’ll readily attest to the great value in the other compilations.

Anyway, if by some sad twist of fate you haven’t experienced the greatness that is Mazes & Minotaurs, then get thee to downloading. There’s more meat on this entirely free buffet than you can shake a caduceus at.

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BoL Bestiary: Cochmeuhquetl – The Zombies Of Tlactoztlan

Cochmeuhquetl (“sleepwalkers”) are Coztli that, after having been slain in battle, are returned to a semblance of life by Teoyaomqui, the god of dead warriors. Their purposes unknown to the common people of Tlactoztlan – and seldom divined even by the Texotli – these shambling undead creatures are often found within the swamps and deep jungles of the lost valley. Sometimes they appear to be guarding particular areas. Other times they are seen to be working at building new temples. And occasionally they descend upon a village where unrighteous behavior has been observed to mete out the punishment of the gods.

Attributes
Strength 4
Agility −1
Mind −2

Combat Abilities
Attack with Macuahuitl +2; 2d6
Attack with Fists, +3; 1d6
Defense: -1
Protection: d6 (tough skin)
Lifeblood: 15

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Roll A d6

This has, I believe, already been all over the geek blogs and such, but I had to share it anyway. See, I have a brief and amusing anecdote about the song that it parodies.

And here’s the original, for reference (pardon the commercial at the front, I’ve got no way to prevent that):

Oh, the anecdote. During my unemployment I had an interview to be the web monkey for a local hip hop station. I’m not really a hip hop guy. But I figured I’d find at least one song that I could use as the basis of my bluff. I wound up with this “Like A G6” song stuck in my head for three days and I didn’t get the gig. Wah wah wah.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled abandoned blog.

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Sidekick, Rival, Or Nemesis?

Hey, it’s that rascally Kor Danys. What’s his relationship with Nyr’n Pharr? No matter what, he’s definitely a better shot with that plasma pistol.

Kor Danys
Little Man With The Gun In His Hand
Might 2D+2 Agility 3D+2
Wit 3D+1 Charm 2D+1
Skills: Knife 4D, Dodge 5D, Streetwise 3D+1, Plasma Pistol 5D, Pick Pockets 4D+1, Pick Locks 3D+2, Brawling 3D, Stamina 3D+1
Perks: None
Complications: None
Gear: Dagger (5D), Plasma Pistol (5D)
Static: Dodge 15, Block 9, Parry 12
Body Points: 28
Armor: Leather (+2)

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Update: Just Not Feelin’ It

Well, hell. I’m sorry folks, but what with this new job (at a startup, which means much madness) and all, I’m just not quite feeling the geek blogging spark. The past few nights I’ve sat down at the ol’ writing machine and just kind of started off into space, unable to put any of my thoughts into coherent action. And that’s frustrating. And then that frustration feeds on itself. I’m sure y’all know the feeling.

So what’s a poor pao to do? I figure I’ll just keep on staring at the page until the words come, but in the meantime I thought I should at least say something so y’all don’t think I’ve up and died or somethin’.

My copy of the Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes “bonus pack” arrived over the weekend, and a very quick flip through the main rules confirms my suspicion that it’s probably exactly what I need to supplement my desire to run a psychedelic Science Fiction setting using Tunnels & Trolls – so much so that I might not need T&T at all. So if I can ever get the swirling ideas around that concept to solidify, I’m pretty sure what I’ll be using.

I also finally knuckled under and bought the PDF of BASH Ultimate Edition, the better to scratch my creeping Superhero gaming itch. It’s an interesting game that I think is quite capable of handling a nice & diverse batch of power levels. It seems like a worthy successor to the late & lamented Silver Age Sentinels in the “It’s like Champions, but lighter” category. I think this may prove to be the game system that unlocks the crazy dimension- and world-hopping 60s/70s Marvel-esque superhero/fantasy game that’s also bouncing around in my head.

That’s about all I can actually wring out of my sad little brain at this point, I’m afraid. But the fact that there ideas struggling to be born has to count for something, right? 🙂

Oh, and just so there’s something actually useful in this post, here’s a quick Mini Six character. Why? Because Mini Six is nice and easy to create characters for, don’tchaknow?

Nyr’n Pharr
Science Fantasy Hero Extraordinaire
Might 4D Agility 2D+2
Wit 2D+1 Charm 3D
Skills: Axe/Mace 5D, Dodge 4D, Stealth 3D, Pick Locks 3D, Persuasion 3D+2, Riding 4D, Seduce 4D, Streetwise 4D
Perks: None
Complications: None
Gear: Axe (7D), Dagger (5D), Plasma Pistol (5D)
Static: Dodge 12, Block 12, Parry 15
Body Points: 32
Armor: Chainmail (+6)

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Pardon The Interruption

Sorry for the slowness of late, dear readers. The Pao started a new job at an internet startup and hasn’t had the time or energy for much geekery of late. I expect things to settle down and let me get at least some posting in before too much longer.

Meanwhile, guess what lovely purchase I just made…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYAAMih6QvM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ATt3FXAUY

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