B/X BLACKRAZOR

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics (Part 1)

2012-02-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

I hate to say it, folks, but I am on a completely tangential project right at the moment. It's kind of "super secret," very ambitious, and does not involve dice rolls of any type, though it is strongly aimed at the D&D-playing population.

I'm going to try to get it finished and posted (yes, there's a download), either tonight or tomorrow, and I'll explain the whole damn thing then.

Later, Gators.
; )

Nuance

2012-02-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

A subtle or slight variation, as in meaning, color, or quality; a graduation

- The American Heritage Dictionary

[I’m not writing dictionary meanings to seem intellectual…I’m doing it ‘cause I had to look up the word this morning to make sure I was using the term correctly. I wasn’t an English major and I screw up terms and definitions all the time; putting the meaning at the top of the post keeps me focused]

NUANCE. Slight or subtle variation. This, to me, is a good way to label the difference between most editions of Dungeons & Dragons…even those that don’t carry the name “Dungeons & Dragons.”

I was reading through my copies of Labyrinth Lord this morning in preparation for Randy’s new game Thursday (Randy, who I’ve mentioned before on this blog, is new to the DM hot-seat, but he is an exceptionally creative, smart, and funny individual and many of us have been looking forward to him running a game). Fortunately, I am still being allowed at the table (though with the stipulation I play a gnome due to the persona non grata status I’ve recently acquired) and so I wanted to brush up on the LL rules because there are nuances the distinguish it from the B/X game.

I LIKE Labyrinth Lord. There’s a lot about it I like: the presentation, the artwork, the motivation behind it and its adherence to the original B/X rules. But there are also things about it that really irritate the hell out of me. Because they are so few, I’m going to just enumerate ‘em:

- Clerics receiving a spell at 1st level. I understand why some folks like this; I know the reasons why this is preferable for some players. My reason for not liking it is two-fold: #1 I think the class is stylistically stronger to have to work for that 1st level spell (though I know many players don’t give a rat’s ass about “style”), #2 I think it immediately puts a clerical player in a position of “oh, you’re the medic (as opposed to an armored, righteous butt-kicker with a secret weapon against the undead).” Personally, when I’ve played a cleric I don’t like being placed in that role…but I probably have a poor temperament for the class in general (I know a lot of cleric players ENJOY the support role, and the extra spell is quite welcome).

- Unlimited class levels. Big whoop, right? Few campaigns were going to get up to the B/X-stipulated level 36 anyway, so who cares if classes go to 100 or 1000 or infinity? But it just makes the demihuman classes look even more undesirable…I would have preferred changing the human classes to a maximum of level 14 (the end of B/X) or even stopping at level 20 (where the LL class tables end) rather than going on “forever.” Again, this is simply a matter of taste.

- The combat matrix for player characters.

- The increased costs for armor. Why should plate mail be unaffordable for a 1st level character? Because it’s more “realistic?” There aren’t any 1st level youngsters that have inherited a suit of plate from their knightly parent? If you want to limit the amount of plate (and other heavy armor) allowed into the game simply say PCs can’t spend more than half their starting gold on any single piece of equipment; hell, set the 50% limit and stipulate they need to retain 10-20% of their starting wealth as coinage…this will limit plate mail to characters who roll a 13+ for starting gold (upper class types) and 10+ for chain mail (middle class warriors).

But that’s it…and THAT’s just nit-picking (you’ll note I didn’t list my complaints for the combat matrix; my reasoning is just a little too esoteric for this particular post). Four complaints over-all ain’t bad; the rest of the book, including all other differences from B/X (of which there are few) are things I can totally live with. And I don’t have ANY issues at all with the Advanced Edition Companion as a complement to LL (I was reading that last night, too, but I think I’ll be picking up a print copy today).If one wants to use AD&D in a B/X fashion, AEC is the way to go (sorry, Barrataria).

And ALL those complaints I’d put firmly in the category of nuance. And I can live with nuance.

Same with BECMI, an edition I have derided many times, here and elsewhere. The difference between B/X and the first two volumes of Mentzer’s opus for the most part is simply one of color…Mentzer’s book is aimed for a younger audience. Why that’s so irritating to me (now) is a matter of my own silly foibles…I’ve played BECMI before and enjoyed it, especially at low levels (we found it a bit tougher to adapt to some of the “CMI” deviations at higher levels).

Sometimes these nuances are important differences; they can have major impact on the face of the game. When the paladin class was first introduced (in the first OD&D supplement, Greyhawk) it was simply a sub-class, open to any fighter with a Lawful alignment and a 17 Charisma that was willing to live by the paladin’s rather strict requirements (never act evil, give all your wealth to the poor, limit yourself to a handful of magic items). Meet those prerequisites and you reaped the benefits of the sub-class.

Since the fighter class (or “fighting man” as it is called in OD&D) is one that's open to all PC races, one can infer that paladin status could be conferred on ANY character that met the requirements: dwarf, elf, and halfling included. Maybe I missed something in the text, but I re-read Supplement I a couple times looking for anything indicating paladins were limited to the human race and couldn’t find anything. It’s only in the AD&D Players Handbook that the paladin is prohibited to any race but human.

I actually like the OD&D paladin quite well (and THAT’s a feeling I’ve never had for the paladin class in any other edition). Compared to later versions with its spell acquisition and clerical abilities, I feel this character is well-balanced, and restricted enough (for the minor bonuses) that there’s no need to “beef up” the fighter class with weapon specializations and what-not. Plus, why shouldn’t the class be open to all who are willing to devote themselves to righteous service and duty? Why limit it to humans?

I wonder what players of dwarf paladins thought when they picked up a copy of the PHB for the first time. Probably the same way I feel every time Games Workshop comes out with a new edition of WH40K that renders my army officially unplayable.

[and, hey, if anyone sees where I missed the page in Greyhawk proscribing paladins from any race but human, please point it out to me]

But even with THAT change from one edition (OD&D+) to another (AD&D), it’s still just a nuance: a slight variation (if not a particularly subtle one). There are still paladins in both versions. The paladins have the same, basic requirements. The paladins have (mostly) the same special abilities. And what HASN’T changed is the role the class takes in the game. When you meet “Fred the Paladin,” regardless of the edition, you’ll probably be able to pin a few expectations on how he’s going to act in various circumstances, due to the behavioral requirements of the class. The slight changes in rules are just that: slight changes.

Luke, one of the guys I play with down at the Mox, has pointed out that part of the fun in playing these games (and playing different games) is achieving mastery of a game’s particular nuances. Learning the rules so as to have a higher level of play (whatever that means to you). I tend to agree with him…at least for the “gamist-types” out there (and I definitely fall into that category).

But for others who don’t care overly much about specific rules…for instance, people who just want to play a halfling thief, but don’t spend a lot of time mastering the 5’ maneuvers, flat-footed catching, attacks of opportunity, etc. that makes the rogue class strong in 3rd Edition…for the people who don’t CARE about rule "mastery," the STRENGTH of the Dungeons & Dragons line IS that the differences are simply ones of nuance. I can sit down at a table that’s using LL or B/X or AD&D or some hybrid (like Heron’s game which uses Labyrinth Lord’s AEC Illusionists but no Halflings, for example), and with very minor input I can start playing. I don’t have to learn elaborate dice pools or bidding systems or rules for “scene resolution” (not that any of these are “bad things,” mind you…just saying I don’t have to LEARN any of them) to play a game of “Dungeons & Dragons.”

Even D20 with its additional complexities is very much the same game. Classes, hit points, saving throws, attack rolls, initiative, XP, level, spell books, monsters. It’s hard to say the difference is simply one of nuance, especially when the game play is so slow and “clunky” compared to earlier, easier editions. But for the most part, the essentials (that which makes the game “D&D”) hasn’t changed. Barring a magic spell or potion, your character is still dead if you take more damage than you have hit points, and you’re going to be rolling another set of six ability scores.

For me, the nuances are important to which edition or version or variation of the game I prefer. But, as I said, I can live with nuance (well, with most nuance). And the more I play (and play different editions/variations), the more I begin to really appreciate the game of D&D and its nuances.

Not from a design standpoint…as a designer, this kind of variation and constant change and craziness makes me want to cringe at least or go play something better designed at worst. But from the perspective of a game player, there is a real power in this variation and inelegance. It allows players to play across boundaries with pretty minimal fuss, AND it shows players that the rules are NOT sacrosanct and freely customizable and here, take half a dozen different editions and cobble together something that works for YOU.

There is a lot to be said for consistency and elegance in design. And then there’s this heaping, steaming pile of Dungeons & Dragons. Much as I prefer the former, I seem to keep coming back to the latter. Maybe by being as messy as it is, it’s more true to life.

Just my thoughts of the day.

Real Life Intrudes...

2012-01-31T13:54:00.001-08:00

...so I probably won't have anything posted till tomorrow. Sorry, folks!

I Am A Jerk

2012-01-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

There really is no graceful way out of this for me. Except perhaps by keeping my damn mouth shut...but that's not really my style.

As I wrote earlier today, I got axed from Alexis's on-line AD&D campaign. Cashiered. Shit-canned. Later, Alexis wrote a post about what a jerk I am. A bunch of folks wrote me nice words. Someone posted an off-topic remark on Alexis's game blog (please don't do that). I thought I might just let it go, but I feel there's been enough back-and-forth wasted that I probably ought to elaborate a bit on my own feelings/thoughts on the matter.

I was being an asshole. Alexis was totally within bounds to kick me to the curb.

I am an arrogant, stubborn, opinionated guy who has the insufferable quality of thinking he's right most of the time. You may have noticed my blog is littered with evidence of this.

I also have what my friend Michael once called a "tendency" to be "inflammatory." Honestly, I really have tried to blunt my Scorpio sting over the years and I'm much more mellow than I once was. I used to be downright mean, and fairly unrepentant of things I said and wrote. These days, I try to be kinder (and curse less), but I can still be terribly obnoxious. Especially when I get my ire up. You may have noticed more than a few rants posted to this blog on a variety of subjects.

And today I was angry...about a number of things, most unrelated to gaming (it's been a rough couple days), and it certainly carried over. That's not meant as an excuse or justification: I'm nearly 40 years old and know how to be polite and mature, regardless. I was pretty short on both those qualities this morning. That's inexcusable for a man my age.

Alexis, in my opinion, was acting to protect his players and his game...its quality, its integrity, its longevity. No matter how else he couches it...that he won't tolerate assholes, or PVP or whatever...it boils down to that. I certainly can't fault the man for that.

I appreciate his passion for the game. I admire his dedication, energy, and effort. What's more, he supports and promotes role-playing, a subject very near and dear to my heart. It doesn't matter that our style of play differs or not, I want the same thing he does: for the game to continue. Period.

Now, as I said, I was being an asshole. Never mind what anyone else was doing, I can only control my own actions. And I didn't like what was occurring and I handled it poorly. And my actions drew scathing remarks from Alexis and I handled that poorly, too. And he still gave me a chance to get back in the game and I blew that...because just as Alexis is too old to put up with assholes at his table, I'm too old to kiss ass just to stay in a game where clearly there is a clash between playing styles or semantics or game expectations.

And perhaps a simple apology for not playing by the rules (his rules, those rules that I had agreed to abide by when I first signed on) would have been enough. Perhaps...but I don't know. I'd already acted like a pretty big asshole...I was surprised to even have a chance at redemption once the shit hit the fan.

So there. Alexis runs a tight ship with very specific expectations of play. I tried to interpose my own expectations (like an asshole), rather than play nice...and I got exactly what I deserved. As I said, I don't bear Alexis any hard feelings (and he can say whatever he wants on his blog...Lord knows I talk enough smack about people on this blog, myself!).

For me, the worst part of all this is my embarrassment at my own actions. I realize I can be over-the-top, obnoxious, and a pain in the ass...but I really thought I'd reign it in for this game. I didn't, and it's too bad, but life goes on.

And that's about all the self-flagellation I'm going to do on the subject; I really hope others will let it drop as well. I've got a ton of other things to prep this week...including a Super Bowl party...so I don't have a whole hell of a lot o time to wallow in self-pity.

[original title of post: All Too Human]

Don't Sass an Assassin (Part 4)

2012-01-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

Or not! I have been axed from the campaign!

For my part, there are no hard feelings; I dug my own hole on this one.

It does, however, mean I will be getting back to my normal B/X posting.

Don't Sass an Assassin (Part 3)

2012-01-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

What does a AD&D assassin look like?

For me, this is an important question, perhaps THE most important question. Can a member of the assassin class distinguish himself (or herself) from other classifications of adventurer. And if not, why not? Better yet, if not then do you really need such a class?

After all, all adventurers are in the business of "killing folks for money," what we'd commonly call "assassination." Some get there cash by robbing their victims, some claim it as a reward (assassin's fee) from some noble or wizard that hired 'em in a tavern. Often, they get paid from BOTH ends...after all, it's not like the target will be complaining (and the party probably killed all his friends and family when they invaded his cave network lair). Adventurers kill EVERYthing...monsters, humans, demihumans...if it has loot in a locked chest and makes the mistake of living in a hole in the ground, it's simply a matter of time before someone's character comes kicking down the door.

So it's not enough (for me) that when I ask "what niche does the assassin fill in the fantasy milieu?" you say, "well, he kills people for money." They ALL do that, boy-o.

Let's step back for a moment, shall we? What is it that inspires a player to want to PLAY an assassin? Assuming, of course, that the player rolled a Charisma greater than 5 and so is not forced to play an assassin.

The idea of the hired killer is fairly ubiquitous in today's cinema. One doesn't have to stroll very far through the video isle (action section, please) to find many motion picture jewels featuring assassins and "hit men." Ninjas, of course, are popular (Ninja Assassin being perhaps the last film of this type in the theater). You can find the weird assassin movie (Wanted) or the sentimental assassin movie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) or the Hong Kong action assassin movie (Chow Yun Fat in The Killer and others) or French assassin movies (anything with Jean Renau, naturally) or the big budget Hollywood assassin movie (Assassins with Stallone and Banderas) or the stupid direct-to-video assassin movie (Direct Hit with William Forsythe...yes, I have watched it) as well as Oscar-winning movies about assassins (No Country for Old Men).

Hell, there are even geriatric assassin films (here I'm thinking RED, though watching Tommy Lee Jones take on Benito Del Toro in The Hunted might fit the bill as well).

Hired killers, CIA hitmen (gosh, I forgot all the Bourne Identity movies!) and ninjas (the films of the early 80s and the better done 1995 Lambert film, The Hunted)...these are all over the silver screen and DVD store, and the image most folks get when they start thinking about AD&D assassins...or maybe Dwayne Johnson from the first Scorpion King movie (wasn't he supposed to be some sort of "assassin?" I think so).

Me, I get a different cinematic image in my mind: the fat poisoner in the 1994 French film Queen Margot.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find an image of the guy...he was only a minor (if important) character in the film, after all. And at that, his appearance is fairly nondescript, no more unkempt than any other 16th century Parisian, certainly not as "courtly dressed" as others in the palace, portly and middle-aged. He's no ninja, exhibits no "bad ass" attitude, nor does he appear to be any type of hand-to-hand combatant. And he's no cold-eyed sadist either...hell, he's downright jovial with the young ladies, and as interested in an illustrated text (uncommon for the time) as any hobbyist scholar.

But there is no doubt he is an assassin. He has no scruples about sending a younger girl to her death as a living weapon, doing so with total nonchalance. Likewise, it's no skin off his nose to poison a member of the nobility at the behest of his employer...and when he accidentally offs a member of royalty with his weapon of choice he doesn't bat an eye.

THIS is an assassin...not some caricarture twirling his "evil" moustache. Not some guy who talks in a Clint Eastwood whisper and perpetually buried in a shadowy corner. Certainly not some ninja with a black skimask.

A normal enough looking individual, nondescript, easy-going, friendly enough...and no scruples whatsoever when it comes to the task at hand. And that task is the murder of individuals by stealth and subterfuge, for the right price.

In a medieval society, even a fantasy one, you're talking about a person who must be able to work in social circles. Not a person living the loner lifestyle (like Jean Reneau in the Professional). A person without friends and family...without connections...is going to stick out like a sore thumb and be picked up by the local constabulary. Or lynched by the rabble if he's protected by the powers-that-be.

Better to hide in plain sight. Better to be an upstanding member of the community. Better to have people whisper about your reputation behind closed doors, but have no proof of your involvement...or be protected from on high against those who do have evidence of your deeds.

I'll make a final post on this subject later today or tomorrow, in which I'll discuss my latest character.
: )

Don't Sass an Assassin (Part 2)

2012-01-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

Another post on my new favorite class!

Part of the problem that 14-year-old players buy into that kind of bullshit is that the idea drifts upon the wind that assassins in D&D are something like the modern day syndicate Hit Man - a fellow who takes contracts for money. Gygaxian Logic dictated that a 'guild' had to be created where said contracts could be distributed out, where assassins could get together for coffee and cakes after the job, and of course the local officials paid just to look the other way. So once again, there's another trope ... the assassin stomping into your campaign and asking you straight up, "Hey, where's the assassins guild? How much do I pay them? Have they got any contracts for me?"

Can I just say: do we need more proof in this world that the originators of D&D were a bunch of really, really, flabbergastingly stupid pud-pounding morons?

The first time the assassin is introduced to the Dungeons & Dragons game, it is as a specialist hireling in Volume 3 of the "Little Brown Books" of OD&D. The cost to hire such a specialist is 2000 gold pieces per mission, and the total description is confined to a single small paragraph:

Assassin: The role of this hireling is self-evident. The referee will decide what chance there is of his mission being accomplished by noting he precautions taken by the intended victim. Assassins are not plentiful, and some limit on the number employable during any game year must be enforced.

Certainly there were assassins in medieval times. In Europe during the middle ages up through the 17th century there are are number of high profile assassinations, including both Henry III and Henry the IV of France. For the most part, these assassinations were close range stabbings or shootings (William of Orange)...or kidnappings followed by murder. Often, an assassin (or would-be assassin; many attempts were foiled) would be captured after committing the deed, tried, tortured, and executed. The idea of hiring an assassin for a one-time mission at an exorbitant price is not all that far-fetched.

But that isn't what Alexis is talking about.

It is in the Dave Arneson penned Supplement II: Blackmoor...the same book that introduces the monk class (as a sub-class of cleric)...that we first see the assassin class introduced to D&D lore. Arneson's assassin, later incorporated into Gygax's PHB, is less detailed than the later version, and there are several differences, but this is first place we hear of an assassin's guild.

The historical assassins (the semi-legendary Hashashin of the Middle East) were active from the 11th to 13th centuries, killing political rivals and military targets. An organization situated in a mountain fortress, they were more like a modern day terrorist organization...like Al Quaeda...complete with a blurry line between political ideology and religious rhetoric. Their killings are said to have also been close range, stabbing types and they were said to refrain from causing civilian casualties (they were all about avoiding "collateral damage"), so getting up close and personal to a target would have been ideal for proper identification. Suicide bombing would probably have been "frowned upon."

It is the Hashashin, complete with their "Old Man of the Mountain" leader that would seem to be the basis for the guild assassins presented. But for me, this fits perfectly within the context of Arneson's Blackmoor...a more exotic, eastern-type supplement for the OD&D game. Blackmoor itself feels quite a bit more sword & sorcery (in the old school literary style) than the saintly paladins of Gygax's Greyhawk supplement. Much of S&S blended curvy (eastern) swords and warm climates in their tales...not to mention the SciFi-mix found in Temple of the Frog. In a fantasy world (like a John Norman Gor), why not have guild-card carrying assassins? The motivations and predilections of the fantasy culture itself may be less than wholesome or righteous.

Recall that one finds no Christianity in Deities and Demigods.

Arneson's assassins only go to level 13 (Prime Assassin) with an extra title, "Guildmaster," obtainable by challenging the local Guildmaster to a duel to the death. No experience point total is necessary to achieve Guildmaster status, any 13th level assassin can choose whether or not he wants to challenge. Arneson's rules are explicit that:

...there is no actual level above Prime Assassin, although there is power attained with the rank of Guildmaster.

The maximum hit dice for an assassin is 13 (as a 13th level "Prime Assassin"). The only benefit, besides acquiring followers and the ability to build a stronghold or control a barony, is a marked increase in assassination chance: +20% across the board. This by itself might be motivation to pursue the "death duel" route; unfortunately, Supplement II offers no real guidelines for when and how to use the assassination chart (unlike the AD&D books). As with many things in OD&D, it was probably a house-ruled issue. Perhaps it was only meant to be used for NPCs of the "specialist hireling" list. Arneson builds upon the original entry in Volume 3, clearly stating that specialist charge is based on hiring a 6th level assassin (he also extrapolates out the payment rates for lesser and greater skilled murderers). Remember that the original specialist text states, "The referee will decide what chance there is of his mission being accomplished..." Perhaps this percentage table is to serve as a guideline for the referee when it comes to hired NPC missions. Again, there is NOTHING in Arneson's text for the assassin class that indicates:

a) that an assassin has a chance to auto-kill (i.e. "assassinate") an individual

b) that an assassin achieving surprise has an special "assassination" attack

Here is what he does say are their abilities:

- thief abilities (though as a thief 2 levels lower)

- ability to use shields and ANY kind of weapons (including any magic weaponry)

- disguise ability (as the PHB)

- extra alignment languages (with an intelligence above 16)

- an ability to freely use poisoned weapons (including the ingestible type)

That is IT. One might even presume their backstabbing ability is two levels less than a standard thief, based on the text given. The "greater power" Arneson refers to regarding Guildmasters may indeed only mean the addition of followers, a stronghold, and the possibility of controlling a barony...all things that WOULD mean considerable power in a game that involved more than personal combat on a small-scale, dungeon-crawl. Note also that in Arneson's Blackmoor, any thief that meets the requirement to become an assassin (a strength, dexterity, and intelligence greater than 11), MUST be a part of the guild. In Blackmoor:

"All assassins are part of the Assassins Guild."

Thus, the guildmaster has absolute control over all such killers in the area (defined as a large city or 2500 square mile area). This might serve as additional impetus for a 13th level assassin to seek the office (all assassins under the guildmaster are required to give 10% of their earnings to the guildmaster!).

It is Gygax, working to fit Arneson's work into AD&D, that hammers the class into a different shape.

In AD&D, assassins MUST be evil. In Blackmoor, the requirement was that assassins MUST be Neutral...again, in a sword & sorcery fantasy (non-historic) world, such "killer guilds" must remain impartial and "business only" in order to not be eradicated by the local powers that be. But in a world of paladins and rangers, how could such beings be allowed to exist? A sticky quagmire for sure...one solved by making them evil and forcing them underground, I suppose.

Which I would guess is the way MOST AD&D campaigns treat assassins guilds (if they allow them at all). I know that's what I've always seen in campaigns that included assassins.

While Arneson linked GP cost of missions to character level, it is Gygax who links the "assassination table" directly to the class as a form of special attack (allowed only in surprise situations). As I wrote in my earlier post, my old campaigns (those I ran and those I played in) never saw the assassination percentages ever rolled, as no assassin PC ever took the time to "plan" an assassination (as specified in the DMG). However, the more I look at it, the more I wonder if this was EVER intended for use by PCs, prior to Gygax's book.

Gygax also makes "Guildmaster" into a 14th level, one only reached through the dueling of a rival, and adds a 15th level ("Grandfather") to lord it over ALL the evil assassins of the AD&D campaign world. This is especially ridiculous in the context of the AD&D assassin class: no assassin player character is REQUIRED to be a member of an assassin guild. And if you ARE a "solo assassin," what's to prevent you from seeking out your own city and starting your own guild? Why must you work your way into someone else's network when you've spent the first 13 levels of your career as an independent operator?

In some ways, it feels like Gygax was basing his assassins guild on the Corleone family of Mario Puzo's Godfather novels. Coppola's first The Godfather film came out in 1972, The Godfather II was releases in 1974. The AD&D Players Handbook has a copyright date of 1978. Could it be that the 15th level "Grandfather" is a Gygaxian substitute for "Godfather?" These movies revolve around the violence and murder of rival crime families, with a single powerful leader (the head of the Corleone family) to whom all others are beholden...unless, of course, they can take him out and assume leadership and the title of "Godfather." Considering EGG's penchant for including literary references and pop culture, such an inspiration for his version of the "assassin" would come as little surprise to me.

Hmm...more on this later.

; )

Don't Sass an Assassin (Part 1)

2012-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

I know I've been waxing nostalgic about AD&D lately. This post might well have a bit more of that.

I've posted before how far back in time my relationship with the assassin class goes...way back to my primordial beginnings on the playground (circa age 7 or 8)...long before I ever laid eyes on a D&D book or rolled a single strange-shaped dice. In the realm of elementary school recess, when we "played D&D" (i.e. "played pretend") there were only ever three character "classes:" the fighter, the magic-user, and the assassin. That was OUR Big Three, thank you very much, and nary a cleric in sight (well, other than the nuns and priests of my Catholic elementary school, but that was, of course, different).

However, I wouldn't lay my hands on a copy of the AD&D Player's Handbook till age 11 or so. And as it was only 2010 that I laid hold of Supplement II, age 11 was my first introduction to the official assassin class.

[interestingly, we had been using the DMG and the MM for close to two years, in conjunction with the B/X rule sets. Imagine our surprise at multi-class characters, bards, psionics, druids, etc. Hell, previously we'd had a ton of frustration whenever trying to use a monster that had some spell-like ability NOT detailed in the B/X books. Crazy!]

Anyway...by the time we actually picked up the PHB, no one really wanted to play an assassin. Jocelyn's main character was a fighter. Matt had a cleric. Scott always played magic-users. And Jason had a long established Thief. While my younger brother often played with us, he was generally relegated to a "shorty" role like dwarf or halfling (later his penchant would change to barbarians). No one was interested in a class that maxed out at level 15 while other (human) classes stretched onto infinity.

No one but me, that is...but I was usually the group's designated Dungeon Master.

And even when I DID get to play (when we started trading off the roll of DM in the campaign), I spent the bulk of my playing time as a bard...in those days of "high level" play, I would never have settled for a character that was limited to 15 levels.

[yes, high level...once you reach a certain level in the game, death becomes a fairly moot point given the access to wishes and resurrection-type magic. The real problem with sustaining high level play is giving players something to play for...which came for us because we were heavily invested in the campaign world, i.e. that play that happens AFTER one achieves the "end game" conditions in D&D]

But the assassin class was always fascinating to me. To many of us, really. There was no "ban" on evil characters in our campaign and most of us ran characters on the darker side of Chaotic Neutral anyway. In fact, now that I'm reminiscing there were a couple-three assassin characters in the campaign, though they were all "secondary" characters to a player's "main" PC.

There was Shadowspawn (yes, named for the Thieves World character), played by Matt. Matt's main character was a lawful good cleric of Athena, but he was a big TW fan, and Shadowspawn was based heavily on his namesake, wearing black leathers and carrying knives in every conceivable location.

Then there was Dark Flame ("Darkflame?"), played by Scott. Scott's characters were almost all wizards of some sort, and DF was no exception, being a Drow multiclass magic-user/assassin. He had a reversible cloak/outfit and would generally portray himself as an elven magic-user so as not to get thrown in the hoosegow. As if anyone would F with a drow anyway.

Even one of my bard characters incorporated a bit of assassin, being a fighter-assassin-bard mix (you can blame Gygax for that one, as his character Gellor in the Gord series was a ranger-thief-bard; once we read that we ruled sub-classes were okay for bard advancement if Gary said it was okay).

Oh, yeah...and my little brother played an assassin (briefly) named "Dirty Harry."

All of these characters were, of course, capital-E "evil" as per the alignment requirements of the PHB...but being cold-blooded killers didn't mean they necessarily went out of their way to be disgusting assholes...they just didn't have much love in their hearts. And while they were capable of murder for pay (what adventurer isn't?) they still found a way to interact with their fellow player characters without their career choice getting in the way (probably helped that no one ever played a paladin in our games).

And yet, I don't recall a single "assassination" ever taking place.

I was reading Alexis's post on assassins the other day (natch, since it directly pertains to the character I am currently running in his AD&D campaign...more on that later), and while I grokked his point, it was far and away outside my experience as a player.

I'm reading the PHB right now, and I can see that an assassin is allowed an assassination attempt if he (or she) achieves surprise. But I honestly don't remember ever simply allowing an "assassination attempt" (and it wasn't very often an assassin, working solo, achieved surprise...especially in a dungeon or "marching order" type setting). Our guide was more of the blurb in the DMG (page 75) about achieving "optimum conditions" - gaining "absolute trust" from a target, attacking someone asleep, or drunk and unguarded. It also says:

If the assassination is being attempted by or in [sic] behalf of a player character, a complete plan of how the deed is to be done should be prepared by the player involved, and the precautions, if any, of the target should be compared against the plan.

See, no one ever took the time to prepare a PLAN of assassination...and just happening to surprise a guard or monster doesn't mean you have time to formulate "a complete plan;" you get one or two segments of surprise, period! In our campaigns, if an assassin was lucky enough to achieve surprise, he'd generally just try to backstab the opponent in such a spur of the moment circumstance.

So, no, we didn't have any "magical" assassinations. Even though we were playing AD&D in the age range of 11-15, we could still read the books, and we took the rules as canon (the same reason we incorporated speed factor and other minutia into our game).

Likewise, while there were assassins guilds (we had a rather infamous one in the town of Willip in the Greyhawk campaign), none of our assassins were members of one. Per the PHB (page 29) player characters did not have to be members of a guild...and since we didn't want to be beholden to anyone, we chose not to belong.

Which meant there were never any "assassination assignments" and never any "fees for assassination" paid out. Duh!

In practice the idea, or concept, of the assassin was cooler than the practicality of playing one...that is, unless you were really interested in working the concept. And because assassins in our campaign were secondary to our main character (or, in my PC's case, secondary to the prime role of "bard"), none of us dug deep into what it meant to be an assassin: seeking clients, earning a reputation, jockeying for guild status. None of the assassins in our campaigns ever got higher than 9th or 10th level so the issue of challenging guild masters (for higher level advancement) never came up.

In review, I feel there was never an issue of "playing the class right," but there was a missed opportunity for exploration of an interesting character concept. And as I'm older and (somewhat) more mature, I find myself having some regrets that I didn't "take the plunge" and run with it.

Which is the main part of the reason I've decided to play an assassin in Alexis's AD&D campaign.

; )

[I find I have more to say on the subject of assassins, so it appears this might develop into a series of posts; oh, boy!]

Land of Ice (Treasure, Part 2)

2012-01-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

[continued from here]

SWORDS

Unless otherwise stated, all swords function as “+1 swords” unless psychic attunement is achieved. A wielder is never forced to attempt psychic attunement with a weapon. Bonus is added to wielder’s attack roll, and increases the damage die rolled (as described in Chapter 5; for example a +1 sword does D8 damage and a +2 sword does D10 damage, rather than the standard D6).

Magic weapons are less likely to break in combat: a magic sword will only break when being used in melee against a weapon of equal or greater enchantment (i.e. equal or greater “+”), or when wielded against a monster with hit dice greater than three times the weapon’s enchantment (for example, a +2 weapon would never break against a monster with less than seven hit dice). Always count a weapon’s highest bonus when determining its chance to break, regardless of psychic attunement. A broken sword that is still useable (as a dagger or short sword) has a 50% chance of losing any psychic imprint powers, although it will still retain a value of “+1” for the duranium with which it is constructed.

Sword +1: a finely crafted weapon of duranium alloy.

Sword +1, +2 vs. Beast: (stage 1) additional bonus is applicable against any non-psychic creature of animal intelligence (like bears, wolves, frost worms, etc.) found in LAND OF ICE. In addition, the first time a subject creature is struck with the weapon, it should make a morale check adding the weapon’s bonus to its roll. These abilities only apply when the weapon is attuned.

Sword +1, +2 vs. Proto-Human: (stage 1) as a sword +1, +2 vs. beast but bonuses apply against sub-human creatures found in the LAND OF ICE (snobolds, trolls, and troglodytes).

Sword +1, +2 vs. Psychic: (stage 1) as a sword +1, +2 vs. beast but applies to creatures with psychic ability (including magicians and witches) and psychically corrupt (like draugar, ghouls, and wraiths). Creatures not normally subject to morale checks must check morale when struck as if they had a morale score of 9 (sword bonus applies to roll).

Sword +1, +3 vs. Dragon: (stage 2) as a sword +1, +2 vs. beast but bonuses apply against dragons.

Sword +1, +3 vs. Jotun: (stage 2) as a sword +1, +2 vs. beast but bonuses apply against jotun.

Sword +1, Berserker: (stage 1) a psychic character sees a blood-red haze around the blade of this weapon. When attuned, character is able to enter a frenzy when in melee combat, gaining a 2nd melee attack, a +2 bonus to all attack rolls, and D8 extra hit points (which disappear at the end of combat). Once all opponents are downed, the character must make a save versus petrifaction to stop fighting, or will turn on his own companions to slake his blood lust.

Sword +1, Firebrand: (stage 2) to a psychic character, this weapon seems to glow with a. When attuned, the weapon becomes white-hot in its wielder’s hand, doing an additional 2D4 damage to opponents struck (unless they are immune to heat and fire, like jotun), and capable of setting flammables alight. Wounds caused by the firebrand cannot be regenerated by a draugr.

Sword +1, Illumination: (stage 1) when attuned, this weapon can exude illumination upon command, equal to a very bright lantern or bonfire. Primitive sub-humans (trolls, troglodytes, etc.) must make an immediate morale check or flee in superstitious dread. The light lasts until sheathed or the death of its wielder.

Sword +1, Necromantic: (stage 2) to a psychic character, this weapon seems to have a deathly pall about it and is cold to the touch. When attuned the blade acts as a vampiric conduit, draining D4 constitution points from any creature hit, and awarding an equal number of hit points to the wielder. Monsters that do not have constitution points lose an additional D4 hit points instead (the number drained being added to the wielder of the blade). Lost constitution returns at a rate of 1 point per day of rest. Hit points awarded to the blade’s wielder cannot exceed the character’s maximum (though they will heal any damage taken to hit points and constitution).

Sword +1, Pathfinder: (stage 1) when attuned, the wielder can use the weapon as a sort of divining rod to direct him towards any object on which he concentrates. The object of desire must be within 50 yards of the character; the blade points in the proper direction. Useful for finding lost friends, metal ore, and running water the blade always picks the closest object when more than one option lies within range. Using the blade in this weapon is draining; the sword wielder takes D4 damage from using this ability.

Sword +1, Resurrection: (stage 2) a psychic who handles this weapon will see a golden aura of healing light about its blade. When attuned, the wielder may use the weapon to save a mortally wounded character from death. The ability must be used within D4 turns (10-40 minutes) of death, and the deceased body must be present (not disintegrated or in the belly of a frost worm, for instance). The dead character is brought back to 1 constitution point and cured of any effect that may have caused death (for example, poison or disease; the effects of major wounds remain, however). Using this power is very draining; the sword wielder takes D8 points of damage just attempting the resurrection. If this damage would incapacitate the wielder, then the blade will NOT function; the damage suffered is too severe for the power of the blade (and its wielder) to heal.

Sword +2: (stage 2) save for its psychic imprint, this weapon is much like a +1 sword. When attuned, it is capable of damaging wraiths.

Sword +2, Enchantment: (stage 3) as a sword +2; in addition, the character can use the weapon to mentally control another individual. The target is allowed a save versus spells to resist; control lasts until the blade wielder releases the individual (the controller can take no other action while controlling the target). The process of control is exhausting; the sword wielder takes D6 damage upon release of the controlled subject.

Sword +3 (Runeblade): (stage 3) a duranium weapon covered in ancient runes denoting a particularly powerful psychic imprint pattern. Openly carrying such a legendary weapon gives the character a +2 bonus to reaction rolls with northmen, or a +1 with alfar and dvergar.

Sword +1, Flawed: although this weapon appears to be a standard duranium weapon, a flaw in its construction makes it as brittle as a standard sword; further it will immediately shatter if an attack roll achieves maximum damage. 25% of these weapons have a corrupt psychic imprint; they give off a psychic resonance as a normal imprint item, but any attempt to bond with the weapon increases the character’s corruption points by D4 and forces a save versus corruption.

ARMOR

Except for leather jacks, all armor is made from light-weight, super-strong duranium alloy and weighs one-half its normal weight (though see the notes on encumbrance in Chapter 4). All armor and shields with bonuses of +2 or greater, and all leather jacks, require psychic attunement to function at the proper level; however, characters are never forced to attempt psychic attunement. Armor must be worn to attempt attunement.

Shields subtract their bonus from a character’s armor class, improving AC (in addition to the normal improvement afforded for using a shield). Armor bonuses do NOT change the wearer’s armor class; instead the armor’s bonus is subtracted from the damage roll of any successful attack. For example, a character wearing +2 half-mail has an armor class of 6 (as per half-mail armor) but reduces any damage sustained by 2 points from the damage rolled. If the damage is reduced to 0 or less, the attacker immediately checks to see if the weapon breaks (see Chapter 5). Monsters using natural weapons (claws, teeth, etc.) take D4 damage instead.

When mail is rolled check on the following table to see which pieces are found:

Roll D% – Metal Armor Found
01-10 – Full Helm*
11-30 – Full Mail
31-45 – Full Mail + Full Helm*
46-80 – Half-Mail
81-00 – Half-Mail + Full Helm*
*a full helm, when worn, will reduce damage taken by 1 additional point, so long as it matches or exceeds the bonus of the mail worn. A helm +2 or +3 is a psychic imprint item and must be attuned separate from the suit proper or else it will function as +1 only.

Leather Jack +1: (stage 1) this ancient leather armor is a psychic imprint item incorporating very little duranium metal. As the northmen’s technological ancestors ran low on duranium supplies, they sought other ways to create defenses, and many of these leather jacks were crafted. With proper attunement, the armor becomes +1 (absorbing 1 point of damage from attacks); without attunement it is simply a nicely crafted suit of leather armor.

Jack & Shield +1: (stage 1, armor only) as for leather jack +1; however, this set includes a matching shield of duranium (+1) that does not require attunement.

Mail +1: a suit of well-crafted of duranium metal alloy.

Mail +2: (stage 1): as mail +1, but with attunement provides a more stable defense, bolstered by latent psychic energy. Still functions as +1 armor without attunement.

Mail +3 (Rune armor): (stage 2): duranium metal armor covered in intricate runes insuring the attuned wearer receives the maximum defense possible (functions as +1 armor without attunement). Openly wearing this legendary armor provides a character with a +2 bonus to Reaction rolls with humans, alfar, and dvergar, and reduces the morale of sub-human creatures (snobolds, trolls, and troglodytes) by -1.

Set: Mail & Shield +1: armor and shield of matching style

Set: Mail & Shield +2: (stage 1, each individually) as a set +1, but this matching set is psychically imprinted. Each piece of the set (shield plus armor and/or helm) requires individual attunement; will function as +1 without psychic attunement.

Shield +1: a lightweight, duranium alloy shield, often crafted into fantastic (if practical) shapes.

Shield +2: (stage 1) as a shield +1 but with psychic attunement can actually provide a stronger defense. Without attunement, still provides benefit as a shield +1.

Mail, Flawed: although this armor appears to be a standard duranium suit (+1), a fatal flaw in construction renders it unsuitable as protection. The armor shatters into pieces the first time the wearer is struck with a successful attack. 10% of this armor has a corrupt psychic imprint; it gives off psychic resonance as a normal imprint item, but any attempt to bond with the armor increases the character’s corruption points by D6 and forces a save versus corruption. Flawed helmets increase corruption by D8.

Riding that Nostalgia Train

2012-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

I can only take a certain amount of Aerosmith.

I’m back at the Baranof, knocking back a stiff martini, and have Wolfmother piped into my headphones as I type. Why? Because Janie’s Got A Gun was just calling up bad memories.

Not even memories really (there were no images attached); just weird-ass, hinky feelings. That song was popular at a time when…well, I don’t remember exactly what was going on at the time, but it couldn’t have been all that great, as I’ve apparently blocked it out. Let’s see: per wikipedia it was released in 1989 with Pump. Yes, I remember that. Peaked at #4 on Billboard in 1990 and was probably on extensive radio airplay the same year.

In 1990 I was 17…that was the year my father left my family.

(*sigh*)

High school was not a fantastic time (for a lot o folks it ain’t; that’s nothing special). There were certainly some high points to go with the lows, and things actually started up-swinging for me in a lot of ways with 1991 so I won’t complain (plus I still have a pretty positive, if distant, relationship with my Dad, which is more than a few o my friends can say).

But I was definitely pining for Dungeons & Dragons in 1990, that’s for sure. I stopped playing the game, pretty much cold turkey, sometime around 1987 or ’88. Shortly before the release of 2nd edition, which happened around that time.

No, it had nothing to do with 2nd edition D&D; if I’d still been playing when 2E was released, I probably would have jumped on the bandwagon and bought into the Forgotten Realms and all that nonsense. No, my reason was both more simple and more complicated…I didn’t have any players.

At least not the players I wanted.

In high school, I did play role-playing games…a number of them, many of the Palladium or White Wolf or Chaosium variety (how’s that for a “grab bag?”). Hell, I made some pretty good friends in high school, some of whom lasted through college and beyond, and who did indeed play (1st edition) AD&D, even in high school. Plus my younger brother still played for awhile (as did his best friend or two) and I acted as a 1E DM for them on multiple occasions (as I’ve talked about before in this blog).

But my little brother and his buddies…and even my peers who were in the same age and class as myself…were not “my type” of gamers. I really don’t know how to talk about this without sounding insulting or snobby, but I’ll give it an (admittedly half-assed) shot.

None of ‘em were mature enough to play MY brand of AD&D.

Prior to high school, I had spent…oh, let’s say five or so years playing hardcore with a small group of friends. Five years is an eternity to a kid who’s 14…more than a third of his life. I’m 38 now…I haven’t even been married for a third of my life, and I’ve been married for more than 11 years.

Five years is a shitload of time for a kid that age.

And consider how much time we spent on the game of D&D. Sure we had sports, we did Boy Scouts or family activities, and school (of course). But we played at school…the same way people “play” on the internet when they’re supposed to be working at their jobs. And we didn’t have jobs or careers…no soul-crushing 8 hours torn from our waking hours. Hell, we could talk D&D on our “commute” (to and from school, via foot and/or dirt bike) as we wanted. We could talk on the phone after school. We could see each other on the weekends. The only relationships we were bent on maintaining were our friendships…and those imaginary ones created in the game.

My little circle of friends tired of dungeon-crawling pretty fast, as I’ve discussed recently. After that, it was more about creating a real, living and breathing (if imaginary) world. A world in which we were the “movers and shakers.” Our characters had loves and hates, likes and dislikes, friends, allies, and enemies. Hell, we had “turn-on’s and turn-off’s”…all noted on our (rather extensive) character sheets. All aimed at trying to flesh out the imaginary avatar. Give it life, the way authors do their characters.

Crazy kids.

AD&D was our jump board to a “higher state” of role-playing. You may disagree that there’s anything “higher” about it (just “different”), but I’ll stick with the term for a moment. We were still “going on adventures” but the adventures had more to do with the characters themselves than with anything insidious in the virtual environment.

And little had to do with “backstory.” For example, one girl (yes, members of the opposite sex like RPGs) who played with us, Crystal, created a female fighter named “Tangina.” By virtue of random rolls from the DMG, we discovered Tangina was pretty goddamn strong and over 6’ tall…an f’ing amazon, if you will. Tangina also had plenty of gold to equip herself and spent it on half-a-dozen plus weapons, including both a two-handed sword and a man-catcher (“in case I need to catch me a man!”). Typical low-level character derived from random generation.

Her “backstory” was pretty short…her family had tried to marry her off to a minor noble who was an asshole (or she just didn’t want to get married, I forget), and she fled to pursue an adventuring life. No one got killed, there were rumors that her ex- was still “searching for her” but I don’t recall a single appearance by him or his henchpeople. Mainly, she was just a wanderer with a simple story explaining why she wasn’t a medieval (very tall) housewife.

She had a Halfling henchman named Shorty who was none too bright (in our games, halflings were always NPC comic relief, never as heroic player characters…I don’t think any of us had ever read Tolkien at that point).

The point is, with minimal “characterization,” Crystal was able to drop into an imaginary life completely alien to her 13 (maybe 14 or 15?) year old self. Interacting with NPCs (not just killing orcs), looking to make a good (if imaginary) life for herself and NOT worried just about “gaining XP and leveling up.”

And Crystal was a very minor player in our circle.

There’s a lot of talk (at times) in the Old School realm about “D&D’s endgame:” build a castle, gain a dominion, settle down. See, for us, that wasn’t the end of the game but something around the mid-point. Getting the castle and the followers put you on a footing to interact with other landholders (kings and barons and such). It opened up other “adventures,” more interesting than simply “going down the hole looking for loot.” Political machinations and alliances, romances and marriages and betrayals, power and land grabs, revenge and vendetta…not to mention the quest for godhood (a personal favorite, none of this silly “quest for immortality” schtick from Mentzer…I’m talking about displacing Olympians in the celestial pantheon through right of conquest or occult subterfuge).

These were the games I played as a kid. This was the type of campaign (and we had several) that we adapted to the AD&D vehicle. This was the kind of campaign I was running as a DM (or running IN, as a player), form circa 1983-1987. And I started playing the game in ’81 or ’82.

But I lost those friends when I went to high school: Matt, Scott, Jocelyn, even Jason and Rob. It doesn’t matter terribly why our circle ended…I’ve kept in contact with those folks (off and on) over the years…but we did stop gaming together.

And while I continued gaming, finding new folks that wanted to game, they weren’t interested in the same things I was. They wanted to go into that hole in the ground looking for loot. They wanted to fight through 20 levels of The Temple of Elemental Evil. They wanted to set-up simulacrums of their high level magic-users, blissfully constructing magic items on other planes for fun and profit. Role-playing was still fun…but when you played AD&D, it all came down to who had the biggest sword.

And I didn’t want to play that. So when I did game with them, we played other RPGs. Sometimes incoherent, poorly designed games…but at least it wasn’t AD&D. Because I couldn’t bear to play a poor excuse for something that had previously lived and breathed and transported me…as both a player and as a DM.

And why do I bother to write all this tripe? Who cares, right? Stop living in the past and get on with the good gaming available now…people who care (like me) know AD&D is a pretty crap system as is.

[and, yes, I still think that to a great degree]

But I’ve started playing in Alexis’s AD&D campaign, and its quickly becoming obvious the guy cares a great deal about the game world he presents…more than anyone I’ve met since those friends from my childhood. His approach is different from mine…more logical, more reasonable, more intelligent…but underneath, driving it, is a very similar passion.

Look, I am very happy to be living in the time and place and real world that I am. I would not prefer to have been born in a medieval-type world with magic and dragons…I like electricity and running water and not needing to carry a sword on my way to work in case there are highwaymen about. I don’t go to RenFairs; I don’t belong to the SCA. I DO own a real (non-replica) sword…but then, I was a fencer for a number of years and when you’re in Toledo, you owe it to yourself to pick up a piece of Spanish steel when presented with the opportunity.

I am NOT saying that I prefer fantasy to reality. What I’m saying is I greatly enjoy and appreciate a chance to dissolve into fantasy as an escape every now and then. And on a regular basis, if at all possible. And in order to do that, you have to have a certain level of “buy in” that meets your personal expectations. Mine are high. Alexis’s are off the fucking chart. I dig on that.

All right, that’s enough for now. I’m just glad I’m getting a chance to play AD&D with some like-minded folks after so many years (you should see how these players get into character…and there are no funny voices or accents involved. Nice). Can't wait to get me some land grants and titles.

; )

Once More Into The Breach

2012-01-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

Wasn't it just last Thursday I was comparing my relationship with AD&D to an on-again-off-again romantic fling with a neurotic significant other?

Yeah, it was.

For those readers who are too young to know what I'm talking about, let me paint you a picture. This is a standard type of coming-o-age experience found amongst folks who spent their 20s in the USA during the 1990s. Those of us born in the 70s, often coming from broken or "semi-broken" homes (with regard to the nuclear family) had an interesting mental dichotomy when it came to relationships...being brought up to hold that monogamy and "till-death-do-us-part" was an ideal, and yet all the libertine freedom from convention that had been built up in the wake of the swinging 70s, the hedonistic 80s, and the "intellectual" (pseudo-intellectual?) 90s. Leading us to have relationships with people when we really didn't know what the hell a relationship...or even a real commitment to another human being...entailed. That is, trying to make a relationship work without the actual work and sacrifice that goes with it (and which helps develop character and growth in an individual), but instead trying to be "true to yourself" even though "yourself" was a selfish, insecure, and/or inconsiderate bastard.

And, yeah, it went both ways.

For male heterosexual folks, like myself, this generally manifested in the long-term relationship with the "neurotic" girlfriend..."long term" being more a state of mind than anything else (three months, a year, multiple years...the point is, it felt long). Neurotic is the term generally given to the girl in the situation because she seems to have multiple personalities...sometimes the sweet, sexy person you want to spend the rest of your life with, sometimes the "crazy bitch from hell." That's the male perspective.

The thing is, there was really nothing wrong with the girl, save for the same lack of maturity and unrealistic expectations found in both parties. You'd stick together, trying to "make it work" when often you weren't doing any work on yourself...leading to break downs and then break ups. And, sometimes, repeat cycles where you'd start the relationship back up and go through the whole damn thing again.

The problem was, no one was learning a damn thing. Relationships spur growth in a person and help one develop into a higher level of human being...if you let it. But it takes awhile (and some practice) to get ahold of THAT little lesson. Oh, yeah...and some letting go of one's own ego. I know for me it took several relationships and a number of years to grasp the concept. Once I did, I met my wife...and we've been married since 1998. And still happily (despite our individual foibles).

So, yeah, AD&D...when you first get AD&D (assuming that, like me, you start with some "basic" edition of the game: Holmes, B/X, BECMI) it feels like you've finally found the Holy Grail of your fantasy role-playing. I mean, look at it! How awesomely wonderful it is. It's complex and complicated compared to the basic editions, but most of its complexity is simply elaboration, and for the most part it's all stuff you WANT to have elaborated. Look at all these classes! Look at all these new magic items! Look at these awesome spells and diabolic monsters! Look: saving throws for equipment! Look: drowning rules and astral plane wandering monster charts! Look: ingestible poisons and ranger followers and NPC personality tables and Secondary Skills and using weapons in your off-hand, etc.

Things that you always wanted to know, but had to "make rulings on" before. Things that you didn't know you wanted to know...like gambling dens and wandering prostitutes and random urinary tract infections and other diseases. The seedier side of medieval fantasy!

Demons and devils and liches and golems and Bigby's Clenched Fist and a well of many worlds. Really, what more do you need for your fantasy adventure? Look at all the different pole arms! Look, you can buy chickens and pigs! Look at all the special powers of monks! And new class choices for demihumans that don't have level restrictions (not to mention multi-class characters and "exceptional strength" and druid shapeshifting, etc.). It's everything you ever wanted...everything you think you ever needed.

And so you play AD&D. My friends and I played AD&D...we played the hell out of it, for years. And we pushed it and pulled it, and added to it, and tweaked it in little ways to make it work better for our particular game group and incorporated rules and ideas from Dragon Magazine.

Well anyway, that was a loooong time ago. Years ago, like 1997 (with maybe a "one-off" adventure or two in '99 or 2000). The reasons for AD&D falling by the wayside are many, but some include over-complexity, poorly designed systems open for abuse, lack of agreement/uniformity in which rules are "important/necessary," excessive "power creep," and the silliness of its particular hodge-podge of fantasy/literary tropes.

And, of course, now that I've spent a couple years analyzing and deconstructing D&D, I've come to love the B/X edition...and have come to see AD&D as simply one man's house ruled version of the "original fantasy role-playing game." Not a bad thing, but my adult mind has different wants and needs for a role-playing experience and AD&D feels lacking in many areas. As a kid, I wanted it to be "the game" so much that I was able to look past its flaws...or I was simply blind to them. Now I want a game that will help me grow, either by spurring my imagination (and leaving some questions unanswered) and/or by providing a rule system that "gets the hell out of its own way" and lets me get down to the role-playing. Now, I don't have the same rose-colored glasses I once did when it comes to AD&D.

Only nostalgia.

So then, it's a tribute to how sick I've been lately (I spent half of Tuesday at the doctor, being poked and prodded, x-rayed and medicated for this stupid bronchial infection) that I've jumped head first into Alexis's on-line AD&D campaign. I haven't been to work a single day this week, but I've managed (in between sleeping jags) to create a new blog for my character and tally up a page worth of equipment, calculating the encumbrance to the ounce and noting the location of every scabbard and small belt pouch...engaging in the complexity that I profess to loathe. Hell, I spent my time in the waiting room Tuesday playing 30+ rounds of rock-paper-scissors just for the privilege of doing so.

And I find I'm REALLY looking forward to running in this guy's game.

[see why I hold onto these books?]

I've been on antibiotics for a couple days now, and the doctor says I'm clear to get back to work tomorrow, so I'll be working up more LAND OF ICE posts for those who've been waiting (treasure lists are easy to write up, right?). But readers can expect the grim possibility of some very un-B/X game reports and/or observations to be posted here in the near future as I take a wild ride in an elaborate, exotic AD&D landscape.

Heck, I nearly considered playing a halfling thief. Ha!

; )

Land of Ice (Treasure, Part 1)

2012-01-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

[this is a long one because I want to get all the tables down in a single post. Because of my poor knowledge of HTML, the tables are simply text, not nice little grids. If LAND OF ICE is ever published in a different form (print, PDF) the tables will be presented in a format that is easier on the eyes...but, hey, reading the blog is free, right?]

Treasure placement in the LAND OF ICE is a little different from the normal B/X game. Treasure types listed for monsters include the type of treasure actually accumulated and possessed by creatures. Most monsters in the LAND OF ICE care nothing for treasure, and any treasure found in a creature’s lair is incidental or accidental.

When the DM determines the size of a treasure hoard randomly, the total treasure found can be considered the total value of the treasure. A treasure trove need not be completely composed of coins: pelts, furs, ingots, collectable artifacts, furniture, books, food supplies – even hard, scrap metal (so scarce in the LAND OF ICE) – all can take the place of coins.

The treasure types listed in Chapter 6 correspond with the table below, rather than the charts found in other books. NOTE: value of coins found are in the 100s, not 1000s.

Treasure Type – Coins (the number of coins found is in the 100s)
A – CP (35%, D6x10), SS (40%, D6x10), GM (30%, 2D4)
B – CP (50%, D8), SS (25%, D6), GM (25%, D3)
C – CP (20%, D12), SS (30%, D4), GM (Nil)
D – CP (10%, D8), SS (15%, D12), GM (25%, D6)
E – CP (5%, D10), SS (30%, D12), GM (25%, D8)
F – CP (Nil), SS (10%, 2D10), GM (45%, D12)
G – CP (Nil), SS (Nil), GM (50%, D4x50)
H – CP (50%, 3D8x10), SS (50%, D100x10), GM (50%, D6x100)
I – CP (Nil), SS (Nil), GM (Nil)

Treasure Type – Other
A – Gms/Jwl (50%, 4D6), Magic (30%, any D3 items)
B – Gms/Jwl (25%, D6), Magic (10%, any sword, armor, or weapon)
C – Gms/Jwl (25%, D4), Magic (10%, any 2 items)
D – Gms/Jwl (30%, D8), Magic (15%, D3 items, no weapons)
E – Gms/Jwl (10%, D10), Magic (30%, any 3 items + 1 potion)
F – Gms/Jwl (20%, 2D12/10%, D12), Magic (30%, any D4 items)
G – Gms/Jwl (25%, 6D6/25%, 2D10), Magic (40%, any D4 items + 1 rune work)
H – Gms/Jwl (50%, D100/50%, D4x10), Magic (20%, any D6 items)
I – Gms/Jwl (50%, 2D6), Magic (15%, any D3 items)

GEMS

To determine the value of individual gems roll on the following table:

Roll D% – Value
01-20 – 2gm (25ss)
21-45 – 10gm
46-75 – 20gm
76-95 – 100gm
96-00 – 200gm

As stated in Basic rule book, once the total value of gems in a hoard are determined, gem values can be grouped according to the DM’s preference to increase the variety of stones found. Gems are NOT the same as power crystals.

JEWELRY

The value of individual pieces of jewelry is determined by rolling 6D6 and multiplying the result by 10 gold marks, getting a result of 60-360gm per piece. As with gems, single pieces of jewelry can be split into smaller value pieces and multiple pieces can be consolidated into single high value pieces.

Remember that in LAND OF ICE, the conversion rate is:

2 gold marks = 25 silver shillings = 250 copper pennies

Characters earn 1 XP for every 1 GM worth of treasure found or earned while adventuring.

MAGIC ITEMS

Magical items in LAND OF ICE are somewhat different from those found in earlier books. Although considered “magical” by the northmen, most are based on ancient or lost technology rather than any supernatural enchantment. In addition, items that appear superficially similar to magic items in other editions may have subtle differences to how they are used in play; it is important that DMs carefully read the descriptions of any magic items placed in the game.

IDENTIFYING MAGIC ITEMS: Most of the items listed here are readily identifiable as “magical” by their appearance. Potions and rune work are obvious, and other items are extremely old and/or exquisitely crafted in a fashion beyond the skill of any but a dvergr. Unless otherwise stated, all magical weapons and armor incorporate the element duranium to some degree. Duranium is an exceptionally light, hard metal not found in the LAND OF ICE, but cannibalized and recycled from the starship and machinery of those who came to the planet so long ago.

PSYCHIC IMPRINTING: Many of the items listed (all weapons and armor with special abilities or +2 or better enchantment, all crystals and crystal weapons, and most miscellaneous items) rely on a lost technology of psychic imprinting; the item bonds with its owner to make its powers accessible for use. These items are crafted in such a way as to set up a psychic resonance; a person picking up such an item immediately understands that the potential for bonding, can then attempt attunement with the item. A character does not have to possess psychic powers to bond with such an item; the psychic imprint item resonates with latent psychic energy found in the brainwaves of all sentient creatures.

All psychic imprint items have a staging number, similar to the staging number of psychic talents (see Chapter 3). Any human or alfr attempting to bond with an item roll 2D6 to attempt the bond, and both dice must roll over the staging number for the bond to occur. Dvergar and the humanoid creatures found in LAND OF ICE (trolls, snobolds, troglodytes) only roll 2D4 for a bonding attempt. A character can spend an advance (see Chapter 4) to increase the chance to bond with an item, just as if increasing the chance to use a psychic talent. Such an increase will hold for ANY item of the specific type later found (for example, a fighter finds a firebrand sword and spends two advances to increase his chance of bonding with it from 2D6 to 2D10. If he ever encounters another firebrand sword, his bonding chance remains 2D10, not 2D6). Dragur, ghouls, and wraiths cannot bond with psychic imprint items and lose any attunement previously possessed.

Failure to bond with a psychic imprint item causes psychic backlash: D6 damage if one die fails to roll over the staging number, 2D6 damage if both dice fail the roll. A character that rolls “snake-eyes” on the attunement attempt takes damage AND gains a point of corruption (and requires a saving throw; see Chapter 3 and Chapter 5 for more information on corruption and corruption saves).

USING ITEMS: Potions function by drinking; rune work provides their benefits to those who can decipher their writing. All other items require wearing, wielding, and possible psychic attunement to function.

Weapons and armor do not have to be psychically attuned to use; however, without psychic attunement no weapon or armor will function at better than +1 ability (and none of the weapon’s other powers will be available, in the case of swords). Unless stated otherwise in their description, power crystals, crystal weapons, and miscellaneous items will NOT function without psychic attunement. Each item must be individually attuned; attuning one runeblade (for example) does not allow the automatic attunement of another such weapon.

CHARGES: Some items have charges (notably power crystals and those items that use crystal technology); the knowledge of how to recharge such items has been lost. Once all an item’s charges have been expended it ceases to broadcast psychic resonance and becomes a “non-magical” item in all regards.

Magic items are determined using the following tables:

Roll D% – MAGIC SUBTABLE
01-20 – Swords
21-35 – Armor
36-45 – Misc. Weapons
46-70 – Potions
71-80 – Rune Work
81-85 – Power Crystals
86-90 – Crystal Weapons
91-00 – Misc. Items

Roll D% – SWORD
01-30 Sword +1
31-36 Sword +1, +2 vs. Beast
37-42 Sword +1, +2 vs. Proto-Human
43-48 Sword +1, +2 vs. Psychic
49-52 Sword +1, +3 vs. Dragon
53-56 Sword +1, +3 vs. Jotun
57-60 Sword +1, Berserker
61-64 Sword +1, Firebrand
65-69 Sword +1, Illumination
70-71 Sword +1, Necromantic
72-76 Sword +1, Pathfinder
77-78 Sword +1, Resurrection
79-83 Sword +2
84-85 Sword +2, Enchantment
86-87 Sword +3 (Runeblade)
88-00 Sword, Flawed

Roll D% – ARMOR
01-20 Leather Jack +1
21-30 Jack & Shield +1
31-43 Mail +1
44-48 Mail +2
49-50 Mail +3 (Rune armor)
51-60 Set: Mail & Shield +1
61-65 Set: Mail & Shield +2
66-85 Shield +1
86-90 Shield +2
91-00 Mail, Flawed

Roll D% – MISC. WEAPON
01-12 Arrows +1 (1-20)
13-15 Arrows, Incendiary (1-8)
16-26 Axe +1
27-31 Axe +2
32-39 Bow +1
40-56 Dagger +1
57-60 Dagger +2
61-67 Mace +1
68-70 Mace +2
71-82 Maul +1
83-84 Maul +2
85 Maul +3 (Rune weapon)
86-95 Spear +1
96-98 Spear +2
99-00 Spear +3 (Rune weapon)

Roll D% – POTION
01-10 Animalism
11-20 Anti-Venom
21-23 Berserking
24-30 Courage
31-40 Fire-Proofing
41-45 Hallucination
46-65 Healing
66-68 Longevity
69-73 Pain Resistance
74-78 Poison
79-80 Prophecy
81-85 Psychic Potency
86-90 Strength
91-00 Venom

Roll D% – RUNE WORK
01-15 Map to Treasure
16-25 Psychic Trainer
26-33 Treatise – Ability Score
34-37 Treatise – Armor
38-67 Treatise – Common Knowledge
68-71 Treatise – Crystal Weapon
72-75 Treatise – Misc. Item
76-79 Treatise – Misc. Weapon
80-83 Treatise – Power Crystal
84-95 Treatise – Secret Lore
96-00 Treatise – Sword

Roll D% – POWER CRYSTAL
01-09 Awareness
10-12 Command
13-20 Damaged Crystal
21-29 Defense
30-39 Elemental Resistance
40-42 Enlightenment
43-46 Levitation
47-52 Mental Projection
53-57 Mind Barrier
58-60 Mind Trap
61-64 Pyrokinetics
65-69 Regeneration
70-94 Spent Crystal
95-98 Telekinesis
99-00 Teleportation

Roll D% – CRYSTAL WEAPON
01-05 Cold Projection
06-10 Entropic Increase
11-20 Expended Weapon
21-30 Fear Inducement
31-35 Fire Projection
36-38 Gravity Control
39-45 Healing Rays
46-55 Life Detection
56-60 Lightning Projection
61-70 Metal Detection
71-74 Psychic Detection
75-77 Psychic Negation
78-87 Stunning
88-92 Thundering Strike
93-00 Trapped Weapon

Roll D% – MISC. ITEM
01-05 Amulet of Empathy
06-10 Amulet of Mind Shielding
11-15 Circle of Pain
16-20 Circle of Telepathy
21-25 Death Implant
26-30 Globe of Destruction
31-35 Horn of Blasting
36-40 Invisible Blade
41-55 Junk Item
56-60 Language Implant
61-65 Levitation Boots
66-70 Psionic Mask
71-75 Scrying Crystal
76-80 Shift-Suit
81-85 Sky Sled
86-90 Strength Harness
91-95 Troll Gloves
96-00 Warp Cloak

Treasure It

2012-01-20T22:04:00.001-08:00

I know there are those chomping at the bit for the next chapter o Land of Ice and I've got the first seven pages written (I'm just writing this thing in order folks, as it comes to me). Unfortunately, I do have to rewrite a couple paragraphs in the middle regarding magic item use and identification before I can start the Chapter 7 posts and I do NOT have time for that right now, as my wife and I prepare our house for the celebration of our son's FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Yes, Diego turned one yesterday (the 19th) and I forgot to mention it because...well 'cause I'm a dumb-dumb I guess. I DID sing happy birthday to him twice yesterday (once at 4am when I was trying unsuccessfully to put him back to sleep...it was a loooong day yesterday). And anyway, the party is tomorrow and that's what's on my mind now.

So stay tuned; I'll get the next chapter up on the blog as soon as I'm able. It's been a crazy week, people!
; )

Hot Buttered Writing

2012-01-20T00:09:00.000-08:00

I’m down at the Baranof on a snowy Thursday night, drinking, and doubting that anyone is going to be showing up. Not surprising due to the snow (not to mention I really didn’t make much of an effort to organize anything…been too busy the last couple days). But that’s fine…it gives me a chance to do some writing, which I’ve been missing for awhile.

It’s 9:03pm…I don’t know when this post will go up since I have no access to the internet at the moment (a bunch of closed WiFi networks surrounding me…once upon a time they were open, and I never needed to ask the local businesses for passwords. Now, they’re all closed for the evening). However, this is just a “warm-up” missive anyway (as I finish my drink)…after this I’ll be getting down to some other stuff.

I’ve had the opportunity to consider the whole AD&D re-print thing (yes, I first read about it early this morning, just wanted a bit of time to digest). I’m honestly not sure what my feelings on the matter are. But here are my thoughts for those who care:

- I played AD&D for a looong time. Even after 2nd edition I continued to play 1st edition. Even in college (early to mid-90s) on the few occasions we played D&D at all. Later on, too, in the 21st century I had the opportunity to play and run AD&D 1st edition with like-minded folks who, like myself, got fed up with some of the aspects of 3rd edition. Call AD&D my “first love” when it comes to the on-again-off-again romance of D&D.

- Having said that, I’ve played no edition but B/X since 2009, and for good reason. If AD&D was my first love, it’s one of those neurotic types that are really bad for you, that keeps dragging you back into bad habits rather than helping you grow and progress as a self-actualized human being. I’ve had one or two of those in my life (um, with regard to girlfriends, that is). This is something I think most of us grow out of, and you don’t feel all that bad letting it go.

- Having said THAT, does that mean I’d never play AD&D again? Umm…I honestly don’t know. I retain my old AD&D books, both for reference and for nostalgia and “just in case” (so I don’t have to buy them on eBay should the whimsy strike me). Would I like them to be in better condition? Yeah…thumbing through one or two recently, I was surprised and a bit horrified to find that somehow they were missing chunks of pages.

- Is it worth the money to pick up new copies of the original books with (presumably) great new cover art? Probably not. UNLESS WotC/Hasbro is going to allow some AD&D-version of the OGL (in which case, it might be good to have references for writing AD&D modules or something).

- Or not. I actually have no interest in writing adventures for AD&D. I just don’t like the system all that much compared to B/X.

- Is it ETHICALLY worth it to purchase the new books? (*sigh*) Probably not. I happen to agree with a lot of what Sword & Shield has to say on the subject. Not only that, but I’ve written before that the only way to get a point across to WotC/Hasbro is to VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET. That is, don’t buy their shit. Don’t buy it and then complain about it. Don’t buy it and wish it were better. Simply close your wallet and put your money into something you really want to support. I don’t want to support WotC’s craziness, but they don’t give a shit if they’re making money…it’s a business, folks, not a goddamn labor of love (as much of the OSR stuff is). Close your wallet and support something that cares about more than its f’ing profit-margin.

- WHY is WotC doing this exactly? I’m guessing they want a cash infusion and feel they can milk the nostalgia of folks that once played the game. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the Red Box 4th Edition with the Elmore cover art probably suckered a lot of people…and surprised Hasbro with the response. Unless I see evidence otherwise, I’m going to guess this is simply a canny business move, something like “well, we got a lot of positive feedback (ca$h) simply using the recycled look, but hardback books have more profit in them than box sets and there’s this huge nostalgic following of people who played (and still play) AD&D and who would TOTALLY buy new copies of the old books…at Barnes & Nobles or Amazon or whatever…simply to have a fresh copy, rather than a stinky eBay wreck. AND so long as we don’t support the line, we don’t have to worry about it wrecking our 5th Edition plans…if anything, it might get people’s mouths watering for MORE “D&D” and drive them right into the waiting sales department of our 5E Marketing team. A win-win situation: fire & forget, ca$h infusion, Pavlov dog-bell salivation. Let’s do it!”

- Does that sound cynical?

- And here’s the real kick in the ass, people. I LIKE that WotC is doing this. I won’t buy their books, for reasons of both principle and practicality, but if they were to, say, re-print the B/X boxed sets that I got for my 9th/10th birthdays as a kid, I would TOTALLY pick them up, EVEN THOUGH the same cynical thoughts would be in my head. But that’s not the “kick in the ass” (that’s just my admission of hypocracy)…the KICK is this: they will NEVER re-issue B/X, because if they release any version of “basic D&D” it will be the Frank Mentzer BECMI version. Why? Because most folks consider them identical, with Mentzer’s version simply being an update and reorganization. Such is not the case (and the last couple days I’ve been getting into heated discussions on the issue at an unnamed Classic D&D on-line forum), for reasons I have explained on this blog over the last several years…but just because *I* can distinguish the difference doesn’t mean anyone at Hasbro can…all they will see is “basic D&D” and the fact that BECMI sold the most copies of any basic D&D set of all time (probably due to it reaching the height of its popularity and coinciding its release with a certain Saturday Morning cartoon). So even though I’d sell out myself to get a fresh box or two of B/X, I probably will never get the opportunity.

- AND (last thought), if *I* am such a flawed individual that I would compromise my principles on the matter, I can only imagine that WotC/Hasbro is going to make a killing on their AD&D reissue. It seems a bit ironic (disgusting?) that money from the sales will go to building a Gygax Memorial, even as they donate that money from whoring out his works in base fashion.

No, you don’t think so. Okay, that’s your opinion. Me, I’m going to go get another hot buttered rum, and then work on an RPG project or two. Cheers.

: )

POST SCRIPT (9:51pm…just sipping my second drinky):

It occurs to me that the things I’ve written (in this post and in others regarding game design) may incite resentment and anger in other game designers. I realize, for example, that there are people that like skill systems A LOT and could not conceive of writing an RPG that didn’t include one. There are designers that simply build on what they already know or have experienced in games, rather than puzzling out the reason why something was an initial choice of design in the first place. They don’t CARE, and what they DO care about is that the game works and is fun and if they play-test it and it meets those requirements than who am I to piss all over their efforts?

I could rant against people being crazy or ignorant or simply selfish and/or obtuse…despite being nice, intelligent people who probably make more money than me…but even if they were guilty of those things, who am I to judge? I’m self-centered and selfish and ignorant in my own ways as well. And the games I design may be just as insipid and retarded and downright stupid in their own way…moreso, because I waste a ton of time considering things that may need no consideration and spending hours of my short mortal life crafting something that will only make me a small handful of money…not even enough to pay my mortgage.

Look, I can’t turn it off, folks. I’m going to say things that sometimes sound (or are) hurtful, because I have very strong opinions on things I care about…this silly hobby for one…and my opinion may be diametrically opposed to your own. But I do want to say, just for the record, that I really, REALLY appreciate the effort and creativity that 99% of game designers put into their work. Frankly, I’m in awe every time I walk into Gary’s Games, something I try to do several times a week, even when nothing new has come in to the store. The sheer amount of creativity and artistry on display is overwhelming to consider…the hours and hours that hundreds (thousands?) of people have put into these immensely imaginative works for such a very, very little money. Now THAT will blow your mind…it blows mine.

AND it makes me even more resentful of WotC/Hasbro and their “easy road” of brandification and recycling ideas just to PREY on consumers in pursuit of profit. Wow…how can that NOT make you angry? Pathfinder may be a dumb game (in my opinion), but at least they’re putting out original work.

Okay. That’s enough ranting. Later, 'gators.

Whiteout (Redux)

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

The governor has declared a "state of emergency" in Washington due to heavy snowfall, and my office is closed for the day.

Which means I have to stay home, which means I will have little opportunity for reading or writing (since me son is the priority, folks).

I don't know if I'm going to have the chance to bone up on Top Secret today, in other words. Though at this point, I'm not sure who (if anyone) is going to make it out in this weather. For me, at least, the bar is just two blocks down the road.

No, D! Don't eat that!

(gotta' go)

: )

Whiteout

2012-01-18T20:49:00.001-08:00

Welp, the snow was fast, if not exactly thick today, and I stayed home from work because of it. Not because I couldn't get to the job...I'm walking distance from my day gig. But my wife is not, and so needed to work from home, and that meant someone else had to mind the boy (me) since we had no nanny in the snow.

But that's cool, because I love Diego and he and I get along famously (though he's not quite ready for the gaming scene...some day, some day). I even got a couple naps in myself, which is always a good thing. Plus we got to walk around in the stinging, icy, fast-falling snow. I put five layers on the kid and he fell asleep in the Baby-Bjorn. I tell ya', he just wants to be snuggled and rocked.

[which is a good thing, because if he'd inherited the wife's penchant for motion sickness we'd ALL be in trouble!]

Being out and about in these conditions, not to mention seeing nothing but white outside my window all day, led me to thinking about an old Top Secret adventure: Operation: Whiteout. Written by none other than Merle Rasmussen, creator of Top Secret, Whiteout appeared in the July 1984 issue of Dragon magazine, one of the first I ever owned (I still have it, but it's so old I'm missing the cover, which is why I can't cite the issue number).

Operation: Whiteout is a very cool adventure: players infiltrate an installation in Antarctica to find out to what extent a group of neo-survivalists might be up to nefariousness. Similar to TS:0 (Operation: Pisces, included with the TS game), it provides a site based adventure with many numbered encounters, a list of NPCs, and several pre-gens. It's non-linear in design, and while there is a plot (so to speak), there's no designated timeline of events to push the action. PCs are able to work in their own fashion and the bad guys will go about their daily business. It's pretty cool, a good example of what a nice Top Secret adventure should look like.

On the other hand, looking at it makes me think: wow, that is a crapload of work Mr. Rasmussen put into it. Lots of specific rules for Antarctica (including weather tables, vehicles and movement rates, random crevasses and systems for identifying them and what happens if you don't, etc.), plus the installation itself, complete with individual named and statted NPCs (close to 50...all with varying degrees of knowledge about the operations, day and night encounter areas, job occupation, etc.). A tiny little microcosm world of adventure...and if the PCs do what they're supposed to do, in an intelligent manner, they'll bypass most everything Merle bothered to write-up. He's just accounted for a ton of different possible contingencies.

Just thinking about what went into the writing of this simple Dragon magazine adventure makes me exhausted. It would take hours of research on the scientific outposts in Antarctica alone (not to mention the history of the continent and various international treaties) to do this...and 1984 was long before the internet and wikipedia. Wow.

I don't know if I'm just lazy or if Rasmussen is just uber-dedicated.

Between that and re-reading Haven: City of Violence the other day, I've got Top Secret on the brain (or so it would appear). Maybe I need to run a game of TS. Last Thursday I played a board game down at the Mox which was fun but less-than-satisfying. I could probably be up to snuff on Whiteout by tomorrow...assuming anyone comes out in the snow (I doubt I'll be driving to Cafe Mox...I wonder who I can get to show up at the Baranof).

Top Secret...gosh, maybe I need to do a series of post on that. I wonder if I'll be going to work tomorrow...

: )

Land of Ice (Monsters, Part 4)

2012-01-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

[continued from here. The snow is really coming down now (and sticking) and while I could still walk to work from my home, I have no nanny for today so I am staying home with my boy. This is the last section in the Chapter 6: Monsters for LAND OF ICE. Tomorrow, I should start posting the treasure section]

Snow Viper

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 1-2 hit points*
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: Poison
No. Appearing: 4-16 (4-32)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

A small, poisonous land predator, the average snow viper is only 2’-4’ in length, and generally avoid attacking humans unless their nests are disturbed; however, as they generally lair within shallow snow drifts it is easy enough for an unwary party to accidentally blunder into a nest of vipers. Their strike is exceptionally quick (they always gain initiative) and a shield is little defense against their attacks. The venom of a single viper bite isn’t generally enough to kill a human: one bite will make the character woozy for D10 hours (-1 to attack rolls and saves), a second will reduce the character’s speed by one-half for a day, and a third bite will render the character comatose with paralytic shock (save versus death to awaken in D8 hours but then suffers all other effects and treats Constitution as one-half normal until recovered). A character is allowed a save versus poison against every bite to avoid the cumulative effect.

Southlander

Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 1D4 hit points
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-8 (3-18)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 6
Treasure Type: A (whole village)

Humans residing in the (slightly) warmer southern regions. The climate has made them softer and their lives easier than that of the northmen, who will raid their settlements and towns during winter months to supplement their meager supplies. For the most part, they are equivalent to the Normal Humans described in the Basic rule book.

Troglodyte

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1+1
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite
Damage: 1D4/1D4/1D4
No. Appearing: 1-8 (2-40)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

An extremely primitive, proto-manlike humanoid living deep beneath the mountains where the warmth of geothermal springs are insulated from the cold of the surface. Dwelling in absolute darkness, they use heightened senses of smell and hearing to track their prey: any stray creature that wanders into their underground world. As should be expected, they are expert climbers and spelunkers, and are able to surprise opponents on a 1-4 within their familiar underground environment. They possess nothing of value.

Valkyrie

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 2
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-8)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: As NPC

By life of a northman is far from peaceful, and raids and war can take a great toll on a settlement’s fighting force. Over the centuries, a tradition has developed in many villages whereby a special cadre of female warriors, called valkyrs, will act as the defenders and champions of a settlement. Fierce fighters, these individuals never go adventuring or raiding; their sole duty is to act as guard and defense against creatures that would threaten their people. Valkyrs train their own, only accepting the strongest and bravest maidens into their ranks. When they marry, a valkyrie generally “retires” from service, but many valkyrs remain single their entire lives; others return to valkyrie service upon the death of their spouse and adulthood of their children.

Viking Warrior

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 1
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 2-8 (3-30)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: See below

Viking warriors are northmen skilled at both fighting and sailing, and are the general raiding and war party one will encounter in the LAND OF ICE. A longship can carry approximately 75 such warriors, though smaller ships with contingents of 30-40 are not unknown. Vikings encountered are 50% likely to be led by an NPC fighter of 1st through 3rd level (roll D6 and divide by two). Vikings returning from a successful raid will carry Treasure Type A; otherwise, they carry no valuables aside from their weapons and gear.

Witch

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1-4**
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1 (1-4)
Save As: Magician
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: As NPC

A witch is the name given to natural psychics who have mastered the arts of seidhr without the benefit of formal training, usually through experimentation and meditation in isolation; this includes any psychics found among the southlanders. A witch should be created as a magician of 1st through 4th level (roll D4), but they never receive more than 1 psychic talent point per level (i.e. they cannot spend an advance on an additional psychic talent point), nor can they “clean” psychic corruption. On the other hand, witches care nearly as little for honor as thieves, and never lose XP for breaking the taboos listed for magicians in Chapter 4.

Woolly Mammoth

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 9
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 tusks or trample
Damage: 2D4/2D4 or 3D8
No. Appearing: 0 (1-20)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: See below

Although covered in long, shaggy hair and sporting incredible curved tusks, the mammoth is not noticeably larger in size than the Terran elephant (about 10’ at the shoulder). Their tusks are worth 40-160 gold marks (4D4 multiplied by 10). If a reaction roll indicates attack, it will charge an opponent, striking with its tusks for double damage. On every round that follows the creature will either attack with tusks (25% chance) or trample (75%), gaining a +4 to attack rolls when trampling man-sized and smaller targets.

Wraith*

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 3*** to 7***
Move: 180’ (60’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: See below
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-8)
Save As: Alfar 3
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: F

A wraith is an alfr that has undergone a terrible transformation due to excessive psychic corruption. The creature becomes an incorporeal, ghost-like thing, malicious and hateful of the living. They have a hit dice equal to their original level +2 (reroll hit points) and while they possess their former psychic abilities, they are unaffected by the psychic talents of others. Wraiths are exceptionally dangerous.

In combat, a wraith may use its psychic talents or may attack a creature with its touch. A successful attack reduces the target’s Strength score by 1D4 points. Unless reduced to 0 these strength points are recovered at a rate of 1 per day. A character reduced to 0 strength becomes a wraith with hit dice equal to its own level divided by two (round up); such a being is completely in thrall to its creator wraith. Individuals that do not have a strength score (like normal humans) take D10 damage to hit points instead, becoming a wraith of one-half its normal hit dice if slain. Creatures with less than one hit die in life become shadow wraiths, unable to attack, simply existing in a perpetual half-life of silent misery, communicating through gesture alone.

Wraiths cannot be damaged by normal weapons, or even those of +1 (“old craft”) enhancement. Only psychic imprint weapons (+2 or better, see Chapter 7) can damage or kill a wraith. A wounded wraith heals one hit point per day. Being incorporeal, wraiths do not usually wield mortal equipment (a wraith with telekinesis can utilize a physical weapon in combat instead of its touch attack); however, many retain a small hoard of worldly possessions from their past lives.

Land of Ice (Monsters, Part 3)

2012-01-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

[continued from here]

Long Fang

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 5
Move: 150’ (50’)
Attacks: 2 claws + bite
Damage: 1D6/1D6 (+2D6)
No. Appearing: 1-2 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

This mountain cat is yet another of the super predators inhabiting the LAND OF ICE. Nearly man height at the shoulder and covered with a shaggy pelt, the long fang is incredibly stealthy (surprising foes on a 4 in 6). It takes its name from its huge, downward canines. The long fang’s normal mode of attack is to bear its foe to the ground with its great weight after which it sinks its teeth into its prey, puncturing organs and severing arteries (the long fang must hit with both claws in order to deliver its bite attack).

Magician

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1* or better
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: `D6
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Save As: Magician
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: As NPC

The magician is a trained psychic, skilled in the use of seidhr (see Chapter 3). Create the magician as a normal character of level 1st through 4th (roll 1D4). The XP award for a magician should be increased by one “*” for every level above 1st.

Mule

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1 kick or bite
Damage: 1D4
No. Appearing: 0 (1-8)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

Mules are a hybrid species bred from horses and small herd animal. The resulting animal is smaller and stouter than both with only vestigial antlers and a nasty temper, but a capable pack animal for the cold northern mountains.

Northman

Armor Class: 8 or better
Hit Dice: 1D6 hit points
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-6 (1-20)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: A (whole village)

The descendants of the starfaring race that first came to the LAND OF ICE centuries ago, as detailed in Chapter 1. They are a proud people if prone to melancholy and bouts of drunkenness, and made of sterner stuff than those men and women found in the warmer southern climates. Northmen will generally wear heavy furs for insulation from the snow (average AC of 8) when not otherwise girded for war. All are capable of fighting and are ready to prove it in defense of their honor. The stats listed are for the average northman; northmen of exceptional ability and ambition should be created as a normal character class.

Sea Snake

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 6
Move: 150’ (50’)
Attacks: 1 bite or crush
Damage: 2D6
No. Appearing: 0 (1-12)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

The cold sea abounds with huge, amphibious serpents of varying size. The statistics given are for the average of the species, though smaller sizes (3 hit dice) are found within the fresh water (lakes and rivers) of the continent, and creatures of double the size are not unheard of in colder waters. Damage should be correspondingly adjusted for larger and smaller sea snakes.

Shark

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 7
Move: 180’ (60’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 2D8
No. Appearing: 0 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

A huge and dangerous predator only found in the sea, these creatures can be driven to frenzy when blood is in the water (Morale increased to 10). They have been known to attack ships.

Sleipnr

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D8 + poison
No. Appearing: 1-3 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: I

Legends state these genetically engineered monstrosities were created using jotun technology in an attempt to create a domestic guardian, but if such is the case the experiment went terribly wrong: the monsters are some of the worst and most feared creatures the northmen are likely to encounter. Sleipnr are huge arachnids, most about the size of a horse, with terrible mandibles and a venomous bite (save versus poison or die within 10 rounds). They are exceedingly cunning and adept at ambushing their victims (surprise on a 3 in 6 chance), clinging to the walls and ceilings of dark caves and canyon walls before launching themselves at a likely victim. They do not spin webs but create nests using debris and the bones and possessions of former victims.

Snobold

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 1D4 hit points
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: 1D4
No. Appearing: 3-12 (6-60)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 6
Treasure Type: C

Another of the semi-sentient humanoid inhabitants of the LAND OF ICE snobolds, like trolls, live in clannish family units and are capable of (primitive) tool use. The smallest of the indigenous humanoids, snobolds are only about half the height of a northman; however, they are quite vicious, dangerous in numbers, and possess cannibalistic tendencies. There is little honor in killing them, but they are cowards in the face of superior opposition.

Snow Rat

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1D4 hit points*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D2 + special
No. Appearing: 2-12 (2-20)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: Nil

The only rodent of note in the LAND OF ICE, these creatures are as long as a man’s arm and capable of delivering a vicious bite. They are also known to carry a particularly virulent strain of rabies; at the end of any encounter with snow rats, any character bitten must make a save versus poison or contract the disease. Over the next D8 hours, an infected individual will transform into something equivalent to a ghoul, though without the psychic contagion/attraction. Snow rats are generally found in the mountains, though a similar species is known to exist in the forests of the southern coast.

MLK would be...proud?

2012-01-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today is our country's holiday for Martin Luther King Jr.; a great man who preached peace, brotherly love, and economic equality and social justice for all. As with his predecessors (Jesus, Gandhi, etc.) he was murdered for espousing these beliefs.

Why are people such assholes?

Today, I am celebrating MLK's birthday in my usual style...hanging out at home, drinking coffee, doing a little reading, a little writing. Yes, I am about as self-centered and lazy as the average person when it comes to enacting social change in the world (or even my own neighborhood). At least I went to church yesterday...maybe I'll get around to mailing the Washington Council of the Blind this check I promised 'em last month (the envelope is sitting on my kitchen counter). *sigh*

Back to the subject of MLK: my friend, Jon, knows I play (and write sometimes) role-playing games and still respects me. He himself has never played Dungeons & Dragons (or any RPG), though he knows what it is. He's only a few months younger than me, and grew up in Chicago...closer to the D&D Heartland than I ever was as a child. But he is much more of a "sports guy" than myself...probably something to do with being from a town that has two baseball teams and hockey in addition to the Bears and the Bulls...and in addition to talking NFL (he's a Seahawks fan these days), we see eye-to-eye on most of our political and philosophical idealogies, even if he is a damn atheist.

I asked him why he'd never played D&D, or if he was interested in gaming sometime and his response was something along the lines of the game being a bit too "caucasian-centric" for his taste.

[Jon, I should note, is caucasian himself...however, he is very deeply interested in promoting racial and ethnic diversity whenever possible. Call it a personal cause of his, in addition to promoting the Cubs]

I was a bit taken aback by this, but it is true that most everyone I've gamed with has been a whitey like myself. My wife is, of course, an exception but she's hardly what I'd call a gamer (she's played more as a favor to me than out of any actual interest in role-playing).

Now I'm sure part of this has to do with the town in which I live. Seattle has a significant non-caucasian population, and the African-American population is equivalent to the country's average (about 10-11%)...but the level of diversity here is nothing compared to other large cities in the U.S., like Chicago, New York, L.A., D.C., Cleveland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Atlanta, etc. Yes, we have a larger percentage of Asian-American folks than some of these towns....but, you know, despite having many friends in high school and college who were of Asian ancestry, all the people with whom I gamed were white-white-white.

Not that non-caucasians don't role-play...I've seen them at the local conventions (in very, very small numbers...). And I would guess many "folks of color" have the same interest in fantasy and magic and swords and such as their pasty, European cohorts. It is fantasy, after all.

Still, at least out here in Seattle, there would seem to be an "under-representation" in the role-playing community. Other parts of the country? Well...

I am currently thumbing through my copy of Haven: City of Violence, an RPG from LPJ Design. LPJ Design is Louis Porter Jr., an African-American gamer, born in Chicago and currently residing in Florida. An independent game designer since circa 1997, LPJ has continuously put out material, both in print and PDF form, for 15 years. That's before D20 and the OGL made it easy for people to jump into the industry.

Haven: City of Violence is LPJ's first full-on RPG, now (unfortunately) only available in a D20 format (downloadable at RPGNow). My copy is pre-D20 and despite having the 90s penchant for extensive skill systems, there is a decidedly "old school" flavor about it. Indeed, Mr. Porter writes in the first sentence of his introduction:

"When I first started working on this game, I wanted to make a game similar to the old TSR role-playing game of the early 80's, Top Secret."

You can see the influence of Top Secret, right down to the cumbersome melee mechanics of that game's 1st edition, throughout the game system. Haven: COV models the ultra-violent, ambiguous morality tales that were so popular in the 1990s...Frank Miller's Sin City is the immediate reference point, but the Hong Kong action of John Woo and films like New Jack City and The Crow would also be influences. Haven is subtitled A Role Playing Game of Modern Violence and that theme is readily apparent in the tone, the setting, and the artwork found throughout the book. If anything, the game is more "mature" (as in "not for children") than even the sometimes-cartoony-inspirations on which it's based...but still, the thing is a bit over-the-top (which is par for the course with the RPGs of the '90s, if you ask me).

Unfortunately, despite its Old School influence, the system has the over-complicated nature I've come to loathe in most games of the last 20 years. Character generation is point buy and looong, which renders a game with high mortality rates a bit silly...same with the over-detailed combat system (the "example of melee combat" takes up close to four full pages of text). If I was still of a mind to play this type of ultra-violent modern game the setting isn't too bad (a pastiche of a variety of things, though well thought out), but the system would need to be stream-lined or discarded entirely for something quicker and easier.

Of course, I'm not as into this kind of thing as I once was (I don't listen to Nine Inch Nails anymore, either) and the "Evil versus Evil" thing seems, well, a little passe at this point anyway (i.e. anti-heros versus "real evil" has been done to death, in my opinion). Still, I've seen worse games, and for 200 pages (10% of which is an adventure, and much of which is devoted to artwork), the book feels positively "lean" compared to some of the bloated monstrosities found on the game shelves.

But that's not really the point of the post...the point is that there are people of non-white European ancestry working and gaming in the RPG industry, and while I may be a little geographically isolated, it's something to keep in mind when designing games. Interests can be similar (certainly I was looking for something like Haven: COV back in 1995), and despite disparate backgrounds, everyone is equal when it comes to the playing field of imagination (the usual arena for the table-top role playing game).

Role-players...living the dream of Martin Luther King. Ha!

; )

Land of Ice (Monsters, Part 2)

2012-01-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

[continued from here...finally!]

Fen Troll

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4+2
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1D8+3
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: C (+ see below)

Standing seven to nine feet tall, these scaly, hairy humanoids are semi-aquatic, living in swampy grottos occasionally found dotting the icy countryside due to the presence of soil breaking hot springs. Solitary and territorial, when multiples are encountered they are usually a family unit. They have exceptionally sensitive hearing and have been known to travel miles to attack the source of raucous noise and happy celebration. Fen trolls covet shiny baubles and coins and will always have an additional 50 gold marks worth of treasure in their lair.

Frost Worm

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 15*
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1 bite/1 sting
Damage: 2D8/1D8 + poison
No. Appearing: 1 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: D

The largest land predator in the LAND OF ICE, these huge creatures burrow beneath the ground only surfacing to devour their prey. Frost worms are found mostly in the northernmost section of the continent, strong enough to dig through soft rock and frozen tundra. While lacking the strong tearing jaws of the dragon, their mouth is large enough to swallow most prey whole, including trolls and horses. If the monster’s attack roll is 4 greater than the number needed to hit, the target is swallowed taking an automatic 2D8 damage every round thereafter until digested or cut free. The frost worm has a poisonous tail sting (save versus poison or die) that it may use against creatures to its rear or flank. Treasure possessed is usually undigested material carried in the creature’s innards.

Ghoul

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 2*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 claws or weapons
Damage: D4/D4 or D6/D6
No. Appearing: 1-6 (2-16)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil

A ghoul is a psychic northman whose personality has been consumed in hyper-aggressive psychosis, living only rape, kill, and consume its prey (not necessarily in that order) in a cannibalistic orgiastic frenzy. What’s more, the creature constantly broadcasts a psychic contagion: any individual with psychic talent that is wounded by a ghoul and not killed must save versus poison or become a ghoul within D4 turns. Ghouls are drawn to psychics and seek to increase their community, forming packs of ravenous berserkers bent on destruction. They are relentless in combat, striking twice during their own turn and using filthy, blood-crusted nails like claws, even if disarmed. They have no fear, never check morale, cannot be reasoned with, and are devoid of mercy.

Hawk

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1D4 hit points
Move: flying 480’ (160’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1-2
No. Appearing: 0 (1-2)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: Nil

Used by the northmen for hunting, hawks are sometimes found in the wild (and will avoid characters when encountered). A trained hawk can be used to attack or snare small game by a person skilled in falconry.

Herd Animal

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3 to 4
Move: 240’ (80’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1D6 or 1D8
No. Appearing: 0 (3-30)
Save As: Fighter 1 or 2
Morale: 5
Treasure Type: Nil

Any of the large fauna, bred and hunted for meat in the LAND OF ICE. A three hit dice animal is usually a large deer or stag, while a four hit dice creature would be something the size of a moose. If panicked to stampede, a herd is capable of trampling any creature that gets in its way.

Hill Troll

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3+1
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2D4
No. Appearing: 2-8 (5-20)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: B

Smaller and hairier than their lowland fen cousins, hill trolls are decidedly sneakier (surprise opponents on a 4 in 6 chance) and more cunning. They can use group tactics, communicating with each other through grunts and snarls, and there has been talk of hill trolls learning man-speech though this is generally considered an outlandish tale. They are completely nocturnal, undergoing temporary paralysis and dermal calcification in strong ultraviolet light (like bright sunlight); however, they quickly recover in darkness.

Horse

Armor Class: See below
Hit Dice: See below
Move: See below
Attacks: See below
Damage: See below
No. Appearing: See below
Save As: See below
Morale: See below
Treasure Type: See below

Save for the fact that they were genetically engineered and bred by the original star-faring ancestors of the northmen, these creatures are the same as those described in the Expert book. A “poor horse” (see the equipment section in Chapter 2) has -1 hit point per hit die and only two-thirds the normal daily overland movement allowance.

Ice Kraken

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 8 tentacles + bite
Damage: 1D4 x8, 1D8
No. Appearing: 0 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

A monstrous cephalopod-like creature found near either pole of the planet, they can be encountered in coastal waters during the long winter months when seeking to supplement their diet with extra prey, dragged screaming from the shores (and the occasional ship). Ice kraken are fully capable of dividing their attention (and attacks) between multiple targets, and have the same ability to do hull damage as other large sea creatures (1 hull point for every full 5 hit points of damage inflicted in the round). A humanoid struck by a tentacle has a 75% chance of being grabbed (-1 to victim’s attack rolls per tentacle while grappled) and takes an automatic D4 constriction damage each round thereafter. In addition, the kraken may automatically bite a grabbed opponent (no attack roll needed), though only one such bite attack may be made in a round. The creature's tentacles are especially slick, tough, and covered in chitin-like scales, but an appendage can be severed by an edged weapon doing 8 or more points of damage.

Ice Toad

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 3*
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D6
No. Appearing: 1D4 (1D4)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

As tall as a small horse but much heavier, these cold-blooded amphibians have a bony carapace that makes them especially durable in combat, and their coloration can make it difficult to distinguish them in a rocky environment (surprise on a 1-3). Meat eaters, they are not afraid to attack men and can strike from 15’ away, grappling their prey with a strong prehensile tongue, and immediately drawing their target in for a bite attack (D6 damage).

Iceland Wolf

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2+2
Move: 180’ (60’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D6
No. Appearing: 2-12 (3-18)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8 or 6
Treasure Type: Nil

One of the most common predators of the frozen steppes, the wolves of the LAND OF ICE are large (close to 4’ or more at the shoulder), grizzled, and unafraid of northmen. They hunt in packs and their morale is reduced in smaller numbers (6 instead of 8 when fewer than 4 wolves are encountered or if more than 50% of their number are slain).

Jotun*

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8* (add ** if psychic)
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2D8
No. Appearing: 1-4 (2-8)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: E (+ see below)

Jotun are the starfaring race originally responsible for the planet-fall of the northmen’s ancestors (see Chapter 1). They resemble giant humanoids (two to three times man height) of mostly foul and twisted countenance, though there are some that are quite beautiful in form. Likewise, the giants are of varying intelligence, with the leadership caste (about 1 in 8 encountered) having incredible technological savvy and the equivalent of psychic talent (see below). Jotun are unharmed by normal weapons.

Jotun are un-bothered by extremes of temperature, including fire, and and do massive amounts of damage in melee combat. They often carry high-tech energy weapons that do 3D6 damage at a range of 200’ (200 yards in the outdoors) with a 5-shot ammunition capacity. They also decorate themselves in jewelry of precious metals and gems, adding the equivalent of 250 gold marks per giant to any other treasure carried.

Jotun leaders are generally larger (+1 or +2 hit dice) and possess psychic talents equivalent to a 3rd or 4th level magician. Such creatures are terribly cunning and prone to whimsy and madness, as well as diabolical sadism. They may have access to tremendous technology and machines outside the scope of this book.

NOTE: Jotun should never be encountered randomly unless player characters are exploring a jotun ship or stronghold. It is up to the DM to decide if and when such monsters will even discover the LAND OF ICE and the descendants of their age-old enemies. Some DMs may choose to keep such creatures purely legendary.

A Land of Ice

2012-01-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

So, my wife and I have made plans to go see Sherlock Holmes today...the first film we'll have seen in a theater together since before our son was born. We've tried arranging this before during the last two-three months but something always came up...my mom (who will be babysitting) was sick, or Diego was sick, or my wife was sick, or I was sick...or we were in Mexico, or Montana, or the Dominican Republic, or Bellevue for some child's birthday party...whatever. Something.

But today we are going (even though I am still a bit under the weather...a lingering cough and a sprained back). We're dropping off the baby with my Mom in Shoreline (north Seattle) and heading for Mountlake Terrace to the Cinnebar (no relation to the RPG), where you can watch entertaining fare while drinking Guinness and consuming cheesesteak sammies in a plush movie-going experience.

And as I look out my window at the swiftly piling snow on my back deck (about half an inch at the moment) I find myself thinking:

Ah, crap.

'Cause it's a weekend and there are no salt trucks out today and I live in the city limits proper where the snow is always a lot lighter than Shoreline and north King County. And it's a long-established fact that people in Seattle (especially the Californian transplants) canNOT drive in snow, no matter whether they're driving their eco-hating SUVs or their 4-wheel drive Subarus. Yes, they think they can, but they really can't. It's like being in a rally car race with a bunch of drunks out there.

Ugh.

So that's the news on the local "land of ice;" on the fictional LAND OF ICE I have another section of the monsters chapter to post, which should go up this afternoon/evening (probably while watching the Broncos-Pats game). As I write the supplement (which, by the way, I'M enjoying immensely), I've gone even deeper into my deconstruction of D&D.

Specifically I was up till close to 2am last night going over the treasure tables and comparisons between OD&D, AD&D, and B/X. There's a lot of food for thought...or at least interest issues...that get raised when reviewing these, especially interesting (to me) in light of the wholesale changes to how treasure is disbursed in the later 3rd edition. Enough for a whole post of its own.

[that's not meant as a teaser, I'm just stating a fact...there's too many things to break down and analyze there to do it justice in a couple paragraphs]

I no longer own any 2nd edition books, and I don't remember how treasure was handled in that version...probably with tables very similar but slightly changed from AD&D 1e. It's interesting that ALL the treasure tables I looked at featured at least some differences. It is clear (to me) that random treasure placement was, at best, an "inexact science," and one that was constantly being tweaked by the TSR Powers That Be.

For Land of Ice, I will also be "tweaking" the treasure tables...especially consider there's no electrum and platinum coinage in the campaign setting.

Ugh! The snow continues to fall! My wife just came downstairs and announced we will NOT be going to the movies! She said, "I'm not driving in this weather with my son!" I said, hey, I'LL drive! She's not having any of it. Foiled again!

(*sigh*)

At least there's the NFL play-offs to watch.

***EDIT: The snow has melted and isn't supposed to start again till this evening. We are going to the movies...yay!!!***

No Armor in Space

2012-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note as Monday's a holiday (which means a long weekend for me, i.e. one in which I spend the whole time at home and don't get any writing accomplished) since I have other things I need to pound out on Ye Old Keyboard before I leave for the day:

Armor in space games is kind of ridiculous.

At least in Heroic Space Opera of the Cinematic Variety. How many space heroes on the screen actually wear any kind of armor? Buck Rogers? Flash Gordon? The Star Wars crew? Starfleet Federation officers?

No, no...even when Luke and Han don stormtrooper outfits, it's quickly removed at the first breather they get on the Death Star. Why?

Well, the cinematic reason is: so the audience can see the actors.

But what's the "justified" reason? It must be that the disadvantages outweigh gain, right? Or something like that, anyway.

Most space opera RPGs include some sort of personal body armor, even the non-military ones (and to be clear, I'm not saying it ain't appropriate for the Warhammer 40K universe...but that's a wargame, after all, not really cinematic heroic space opera...) including Star Wars (all editions), Traveller, Stars Without Number...hell, even Star Frontiers had "skeinsuits" and albedo armor. Though how a dralasite would squeeze into such stuff is a little tough to visualize...

Anyway, I'm not sure yet exactly how to model this in my space opera game, but I've decided that it's about time I do. And MY game didn't have anything besides light and heavy armor anyway! But I think I'm going to make armor

a) not very useful (it already has 0 value in protecting against energy weapons; see Exhibit A: Stormtroopers)
b) requiring a skill or class-based ability to use effectively (Zoe in Firefly wears a bullet-proof vest under her flannel, but she's a warrior archetype. You don't see the others sporting that kind of gear).

Okay, just an update on what I'm thinking about...now back to the rest of my day. Cheers!
: )

D&D’s Lack of Balls

2012-01-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

AKA “A World Without Consequences”

All right, time for Bone #3 in my continuing series of “Ranting in the New Year.” I’m sure for many folks that’s a welcome change in conversation from my last post on 2012.

Before I begin my rant, maybe I should give a vague, hand-wavy explanation of what the hell I’m doing. Here’s the deal: the last five or six weeks I’ve been going back and reading a lot of (what I consider) “Old School Fantasy Fiction.” Jack Vance. Anne McCaffrey. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Clark Ashton Smith. Even Lloyd Alexander (just finished re-reading The High King a couple days ago). Looking at the stuff that provided the BULK of inspiration for the Dungeons & Dragons game.

Because that’s what Gygax (and company) SAYS is the inspiration for the game: not movies or TV shows (though I’m sure the films of Ray Harryhausen are the inspiration behind many of the creatures found in the game). The idea is being able to have “fantastic adventures” like those of your favorite literary protagonists.

And, heck, that’s what I want out of my RPG! Oh, I understand that the RPG is a different medium from books and thus does not replace, nor even replicate the book-reading experience…just as you can’t really have “cinematic role-playing,” either…there’s just no such animal. But I want something CLOSER or something that RESEMBLES the adventures found in fantasy literature, even if the game PLAYS OUT DIFFERENTLY from the way the story in a book unfolds.

But that’s already problematic due to the two major strikes D&D has against it:

Strike #1: Silly Premise. There’s nothing inherently wrong or necessarily silly about site-based adventure. The “silly part” is mainly the SERIAL nature…that the protagonists’ whole raison d’etre is to go into hole-after-hole (dungeon-after-dungeon) looking for treasure. Generally, this is NOT the type of adventure found in the inspirational literature, even the short stories of Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Strike #2: Missing Magic. The totally unimpressive nature of “magic” in the D&D game making players (and by extension their characters) totally blasé about the supernatural. The attitude engendered in players with regard to magic DUE TO THE SYSTEM of the game is totally antithesis to that displayed by protagonists (even magic-using protagonists) in the literature. You never see individuals taking magic for granted in fantasy fiction!

So, yeah…now we come to Strike #3: D&D’s lack of balls.

Guts. Courage. And by that I mean, there’s nothing on the line for players of the D&D game. Playing D&D is about a world without consequence for actions taken.

Gosh…I’m not even sure how I’m going to explain this. Okay, how about this:

Playing D&D with the rules as written (and in the manner outlined), players do the following: they create characters. They send those characters on adventures, risking damage and death in exchange for treasure and points (i.e. XP). Through the acquisition of points and the avoidance of death the player characters grow in ability allowing them to take on greater challenges, accumulating more treasure and more points. If a character dies (and is not brought back to life), a new character is created to take the deceased character’s place. OTHERWISE, play continues until a player gets tired of playing.

Period, done. Players play characters that are treasure hunters, risking life and limb for money. Accumulating treasure means growing in prowess when it comes to accumulating treasure. Failing generally means “starting over” with the same goal/purpose in mind.

How does that relate to ANYthing found in fantasy literature?

I’m not talking about an author’s motives in writing: addressing premise, telling a morality tale, or symbolic analogy of real world issues. As stated, role-playing is a different art form from literature and D&D is not (I believe) the proper vehicle for this kind of meta-game role-playing (there are other indie, narrative-based RPGs that do this: Grey Ranks, My Life with Master, Sorcerer, etc.).

What I AM talking about is translating the literature’s protagonists’ motivations into the role-playing games, providing a role-playing game of a meatier nature than “hunt for treasure.” For the love of Pete, that’s nothing more than the story-line for the Dungeon! board game!

In the inspirational literature protagonists (you know, those people whose adventures the game and your PC are supposed to allow you to emulate?) have MANY different things on their minds besides making a buck. Honor. Love. Revenge. Power. Knowledge. Duty. Lofty stuff, right?

Not only that, but there are real and serious consequences for their failure to accomplish their goals. The world is plunged into war. Their relatives and loved ones suffer or die. They are left empty and alone. A thousand years of darkness covers the Earth. Their children and children’s children suffer for generations after. Etc.

REAL consequences…consequences that force the characters to CARE immensely about the outcome of their endeavors. And not JUST about the outcome, but about the manner in which they conduct themselves. More often than not, for protagonists in fantasy fiction it’s not just “by whatever way is expedient” or “the end justifies the means.” Only certain anti-heroes (Wagner’s character Kane comes to mind) ever operate like that. For the most part, it is as important for character’s to exceed in the “right way” as it is for them to succeed at all.

And “right action” does NOT necessarily mean being a “goody-goody” capital-L Lawful type. It means acting within one’s code of honor. It means not destroying something loved rather than seeing it survive in a corrupt form. It means (in some cases) killing a lot of people because letting them live is an abominable injustice.

But D&D does not provide incentives for right action. It does not provide a framework for it. It certainly provides no real consequences for failure. The game, as written, is barely more than a video game. FInd a way to overcome the challenge, get points. If you die, you simply “re-load”…assuming you can’t “re-boot from a save point” (i.e. resurrect your character from the dead).

Good fantasy literature is so much more than this; it has ethos and pathos and passion. It has pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth…and not just over being level drained or failing a save versus poison. D&D is a neutered animal compared to the bull that is fantasy literature. And yet it claims to be the bull…it claims that it provide the experience of vicariously living the fantastic adventures of your favorite fantasy character.

I call BS on that. Sure, the potential is there for “drifting” play in this direction, but the system provides no tools for this. The text and examples provide no road to this. The published adventures provide nothing of consequence save the barest background which may or may not be completely disregarded depending on the whims of the group.

Yes, yes…I am aware that people enjoy D&D simply to blow off steam and give themselves an evening’s entertainment by delving a dungeon and defeating fiendish challenges crafted by a cunning DM. You can certainly do that…hell, that’s what the rules tell you to do…for as long as it doesn’t bore you or until you “grow out of it” or otherwise tire of the same-old-same-old and move onto a different RPG (or computer game).

But, man O man, is there not a promised potential inherent in a game that says it is inspired by and based on classic fantasy literature? I’d say there is…and D&D does NOT deliver the goods. Which, of course, is what gets me so steamed the more I read these wonderful books and the more I say, “Wait a minute, D&D doesn’t do THAT!”

Because it doesn’t. I know…I’ve been running the game for the last year or two and what the players want to know is “where’s the treasure?” What they want to do is hand-wave leading up to the action. What they can’t wait to do is roll some dice. “Dice rolling is fun!” they say.

Dice rolling is ACTIVE. And people playing a game want to be active in the game. If they wanted to be passively entertained, they’d sit around watching TV, or go see a movie. And it’s a sad thing that the strongest, active part of the D&D game (after the choices made during character creation) is rolling dice. Checking to see if you hit. Checking to see if you save. Checking to see if you find the secret door or trap. Everything else is just tracking of how many arrows or rations or spells or hit points you’ve expended.

THAT is not what I call “fantasy adventure.” But it sure is what D&D calls it.

So, yeah…that’s my third and (for now) final bone that I want to pick with D&D. As with my other rants, I’m not sure what I want to do about it, or what could be done about it…I’m just venting my disgust and frustration. I do have some ideas, but for now I’m not terribly interested in implementing them…more interested in just allowing ‘em to percolate in my brain for the time being.

Okay, that’s it…I’ll be getting back to LAND OF ICE shortly.
: )

2012, Earth Changes, and 5th Edition

2012-01-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

As the Broncos continue to march through the play-offs due in no small part to the faith-powered arm of Tim Tebow, I’m well aware that “the End of the World” is on a lot of folks’ minds. Hell, if Tebow finds a way to beat the Pats at Foxboro, many Denver residents may spontaneously Rapture.

[actually, I checked the numerological implications of Tebow just to see what exactly was going on there; turns out a lot of things point to his potential as a MAGICIAN. While I’m pretty sure Tim isn’t a closet occultist, most of the principles of real magic are based on BELIEF and VISUALIZATION, made possible by a mind disciplined by MEDITATION (which is, in many ways, the equivalent of passive, humble PRAYER). Possibly #16 is working real magic – what a Christian might call Biblical SORCERY – though without knowing it. The power of belief generated by his loyal fans doesn’t hurt much, either]

In all seriousness, I know that there’s been a lot of “2012 talk” buzzing around since the New Year: my wife told me there was an SNL skit based on the Mayan Tzolkin/2012 predictions, and even a local brewery (Tangletown in Green Lake) is offering a series of new Apocalyptic Beers over the next 12 months as we await The End. Oh, yeah…and I heard something about it on CNN the other day, too, when I was watching the Republican debate coverage.

The fact that people are talking about it…even if they are making light of it…tells me that the idea IS out there, and the possibility of the world getting snuffed is probably of at least minor concern nagging the back of some people’s minds. I figured I’d offer my two cents on the issue since I’ve been studying the subject since 1997 or so…longer than some of my blog readers have been playing Dungeons & Dragons.

#1: Sure, We Will All Die. It’s always possible a global disaster (meteor strike, solar eruption, global pole shift) might wipe out the planet. It’s also possible that something else might kill us, individually, and equally remove us from this life we enjoy and all our friends and loved ones. Don’t you people ever watch Spike TV’s “1000 Ways to Die?” Life is a precious, precious thing and both stronger and more fragile than what we generally assume. But it WILL eventually end for each of us (and for our loved ones, our spouses, our children, etc.) and tough as that is to come to grips with, it is the reality of our present, material existence. I’m not saying this to be a downer; I think that embracing our mortality can help us appreciate what we have Right Now…which is one of the best things we can do to live our lives with as much joy and love as possible.

#2: The Earth Will Probably Live. The Earth Changes that have been predicted by most prognosticators mainly spell doom for humanity, NOT the planet. From my studies, the most likely thing to happen is a shift/flip in the Earth’s axis which would devastate civilization, shift continents and oceans, and turn the planet upside down. But the planet (and life on the planet) will continue to exist, even if humanity does not. Should a man-made disaster (global warming, nuclear holocaust, bioengineered disease) cause the destruction of the race, life will STILL survive on the planet, and the planet will eventually recover and repopulate without the destructive interference of humans. And IF humans survive, there will still be a planet for those who are left. For those worried about the ecosphere, this planet will outlive us.

#3: Destruction May Be Avoidable. No, I’m not saying you should move to Montana or build a bomb shelter in your backyard. Most of my readings indicate that any Earth Changes that would cause the massive destruction of human society is directly linked to the actions and karma of the human race: a Cosmic Karmic House-Cleaning if you will. There is precedent in the mythic stories of our race (Noah and the Flood, the Great Deluge of Atlantis, etc.) where God or “the gods” were displeased and rained destruction down upon us…also, that individuals of righteous virtue were saved from death. Whether or not you want to survive and live in a post-apocalyptic world is a matter of debate (I’m not sure I do!), but if that’s your thing the universe is MORE likely to let you live if you have something positive to contribute to what will certainly be a “new world.” AND there is possibility (mentioned in some texts) that the universe will spare us the possible conflagration IF enough of us are on-board with the Universal Will and acting as contributors to the good of our fellow man. Living a “good life” (paying your taxes, treating people with respect, practicing unselfish kindness, etc.) is a start, but STANDING for an ideal, modeling it for others, NOT hiding your light, and CONTRIBUTING to the good of your community (however you can, based on your own individual ability…and, no, not just contributing judgment or “evangelizing,” I’m talking WORK)…that kind of POSITIVE ACTION is needed on a large scale (i.e. from multiple people) if we want to be a group worth saving. And if we’re NOT that…well, perhaps the universe will be better off without us. Try to see it from a universal (non-human-centric) point of view. How are we treating the Earth, really?

#4 Change Will Come Regardless. Whether we have wholesale destruction of the world we’ve built or a sea change in attitude towards our fellow humans and planet, changes WILL come eventually. We are constantly evolving as we journey through life: growing, changing, learning. Whether we do so slowly/gradually or quickly (often with great upheaval/upset to our normal routine) is USUALLY up to us; but sometimes the universe/God steps in and throws us a major Final Exam; whether it be an Ice Age or a World War. For the most part, these “disasters” (“natural” AND man-made, both) are caused by our own actions…karma, the law of cause and effect. And predictors seem to be pointing to the possibility of one of these “final exam moments” in the near future.

Only time will tell what shape such change will take. From an astrological perspective, 2012 looks to be a bumpy ride. Pluto and Uranus will square each other no less than half-a-dozen times this year, starting in June. Uranus is the planet that represents explosive upheaval, and when it interacts with planets it tends to cause upset in aid of cleaning up outmoded patterns and keeping things authentic. Pluto, on the other hand, is the planet that represents volcanic transformation and titanic shifts in consciousness as well as our deep-seated emotional attachments (some of which are left over from past lives). “Square” aspects in astrology are challenging interactions…they tend to be very uncomfortable and have lots of energy and planets in square alignment feel like they’re fighting each other. The coming squares between Pluto and Uranus promise dramatic changes for the entire planet as they are actually aspecting each other, not necessarily planets in individuals’ natal charts. But who knows how that dramatic change will show up? Maybe Ron Paul will cause a major rift in the Republican Party.

Now what does any of this have to do with 5th Edition D&D? Not much, as it’s doubtful anything will be released/published in 2012. However, it is possible that “dramatic changes/shifts of consciousness” will be occurring with the designers working on the latest version of the game. Even so, I’m not sure how much practical impact that will have in the development of the project. For one thing, the game (or rather, the brand) is still owned by Hasbro and as such its design and development is still deeply tied to the normal corporate profit-making requirements. The designers are soliciting feedback from individuals, but many of the young, internet-vocal folks ready to respond are likely to give info that moves 5E farther away from the game’s role-playing origins, developing instead social networking, smart-phone/IPad-style apps, and otherwise incorporating 21st century technology into the game…all wrapped in a new business model that still allows Hasbro to squeeze profit from the consumer (through monthly subscription and/or “collectible” aspects). Even when corporate executives give a rat’s ass about something their hands are tied by the business of business…pandering to share-holders and whatnot. The likelihood anyone will institute an “older approach” to gaming in the design/business model is pretty damn slim, in my opinion, as is the chance of older (“competing”) editions being made available as .pdfs. Far more probable is that the adaptation of certain “old school aesthetics” or even “retro-3rd edition-stylings” in an attempt to woo the OS fan base and Pathfinder players even while moving the game farther away from its original, simple, semi-ambiguous form for something slick and stream-lined and simplistic if “updated for a new century/generation.”

From my point of view, such updating is likely to be a less-than-good-thing (as incorporating technology only increases the likelihood of alienating/disconnecting folks from real human interaction). But, hey, we may all get buried under several tons of rock and water and lava long before that…and if we do the appearance of 5E is sure to be a moot point.
; )

Nothing Magical in D&D

2012-01-11T11:56:00.001-08:00

Yep, I’m back…back to (nearly) full health, back to work, back to writing (I hope…this is my first stab at anything), back to ranting. Ready to throw out the next bone I’ve got to pick with Dungeons & Dragons.

I hate the lack of magic in the D&D game.

You see this photo? I took this picture with my cell phone back in October while wandering Greenwood. Halloween styling, you know? I thought it was a real piece of old school horror/mystical imagery: the skulls, the skeleton, the “Gypsy fortune teller,” the tarot cards and crystal ball. This display was in the front window of a local flower shop.

At the time, I snapped the picture with the intent of posting it to the blog and talking about the lack of magic in D&D…but October turned out to be a busy month for me and then there were the holidays, etc. But while delving back into the world of fantasy literature I remembered I still had the image stored on my phone and, well, it’s time for Rant #2 of the New Year.

For my taste, there is a profound lack of magic in the game.

What? Disagreement? The appearance of enchanted items and mythical monstrosities and pages and pages of “spells” is evidence to the contrary?

Hardly. There’s nothing all that magical about the treatment of such things in D&D - neither by the game, nor the players (and I include “DM” as a player in this context). When I say “magical,” I’m talking about effects that produce a sense of wonder and a healthy fear (or respect) for the profund mystery of the supernatural. That ain’t what you get in D&D.

See a magical monster: “How do we kill it? How is it vulnerable?”
Find a magic weapon: “What is its bonuses? Does it have charges?”
Cast a magic spell: “What is its effect? Does the target save? How many spells do I have left?”

There is no sense of wonder, nothing that evokes awe in the players. People who play D&D are considered “people of great imagination,” both by outsiders and by themselves. Ha! To me they’re just about the most blasé bunch of adventurers you’ll find in the fantasy game world.

Everything is sooo “ho-hum” to the D&D player when it comes to magic. You find a shiny sword…perhaps it glows in your grip or seems incredibly sharp despite its great age. What do you do?

Player #1: “Hey, who needs a magic sword?”

Player #2: “My cleric can’t use one.”

Player #3: “My dwarf can but I already have a magic axe. Do you think it’s a better weapon?”

Player #4: “Maybe the thief should keep it; she can use it and it’s one more magic weapon doing damage in encounters. Plus, extra backstab damage!”

There’s nothing magical about a magic weapon (or any magic item…they’re generally treated in similar fashion, perhaps with a bit of caution against possible booby-traps, i.e. “curses” or malignant enchantments) in a game of D&D; only a question of its practical value. It’s like finding a box of unused hand grenades while patrolling the jungle in some 3rd world bush war or something: a handy windfall, not anything supernatural or mystical.

Contrast that with the fantasy literature purported to be the basis for the game. Remember my previous rant? No one in a sword & sorcery tale takes such an item for granted. Enchanted items are viewed with suspicion and superstition; fear, awe, and wonder…and a healthy sense of whoa!

Likewise, no one’s blasé about enchantments encountered during adventures or the strange and twisted monsters they encounter. Hell, few fantasy heroes will ever seek to go toe-to-toe with a magical monstrosity unless they either A) have a distinct advantage, B) are faced with life or death choice based on circumstance (i.e. no choice), or C) have been invoked to high passion/emotion (usually revenge or love for an imperiled/harmed companion). Few epic heroes march like Beowulf into the jaws of the dragon…and even Big B might be constrained based on who he is (as Beowulf, he has an honor and duty to fight the monster…to not do so is to extinguish his identity as surely as his death).

But on a D&D adventure, an owl bear is simply a large beast with claws, beak, feathers, and fur. A dragon is simply another beast that may require more cunning tactics to defeat due to breath weapon and spell use. A group of gnolls or bugbears? The only question is: how many are they?

Monsters may be monstrous, they may have a weird appearance, they have dangerous attacks…but it is still just a “thing” to be overcome, through combat or stealth or trickery. Nothing about the D&D monster is respected, save for its potential to kill your character. It is simply a barrier to the accumulation of treasure, i.e. experience “points.”

Where is the awe, the fear at the un-naturalness? Where is the desire to bow down and worship the supernatural monstrosity…or the urge to kneel, weep, and pray to one’s own God for salvation? Nothing compels players to treat these twisted nightmares of imagination as anything more extraordinary than a rabid mastiff.

Spell use, of course, is the most jaded and cynical of all the “magic” found in D&D. What is the ability to cast spells but a simple class ability, no different from a fighter’s ability to wear armor and shoot arrows?

Certainly there is no respectful treatment for spells or those who use them. The only pertinent information players require is the number of spells available and the variety of spells in one’s repertoire. No one consults a priest or wizard on the meanings of dreams or omens, or ask for soothsaying on the future. No one worries that striking or attacking a sorcerer will bring all manner of curses and demons down on the head of the offender. No one wonders at what infernal powers or celestial beings were cajoled into granting the spell-worker his authority over the forces of nature.

Nope, a magic-user is just a dude in a gown, perhaps with a pointy hat and wand, certainly slinging a heavy spell book…and probably the guy forced to carry the light source and extra gear for the party.

And YOU, fair reader, may say “yes, of course it’s like that because that’s what’s in the GAME RULES. In D&D, magic-users (and clerics and druids, etc.) are none of those things found in that good old fantasy literature.”

And I say unto you:

That’s my point exactly.

That’s what sticks in my craw about the game. D&D does NOTHING mechanically, system-wise, to instill any sense of MAGIC or wonder or the supernatural in the players. Ho-hum, it’s O so very interesting to have D&D’s “magic” because it adds a different variety of challenge. But if a glyph of warding is no better or different from a trip-wire arrow trap (save that it requires a different method of disarmament), don’t tell me D&D is some sort of wonderful “fantasy” game based on “fantasy literature.”

And the problem is, I’m not sure how one would make it more magical except by getting “buy off” from all the players that they’ll metagame (i.e. “act out”) the fear and awe and superstition, even while trying to figure out if the magic sword is +1 or +2. But that’s hardly satisfying…I don’t want to have to tell players “okay, suspend your disbelief.” They’re already doing that by pretending to be dwarves and elves. Wouldn't it be cool if the game would do a little bit of the work for you? Meet you halfway?

I think it is the lack of real magical mystery in the D&D game that partly drives James Raggi to do the things he does: Death Frost Doom, for example has multiple instances of unexplainable “weirdness” that attempt to instill awe or dread in a party. But I’ve read play-test reviews where the DM’s players were completely unimpressed with ANY of it, saying, “oh, ok, so what? Where’s the treasure?” Now, I’m sure there are DMs that can exercise a Svengali-like influence over their players generating a suitable mood of discomfort and fear and superstition, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THE D&D GAME DOES. And just playing the game as written (with its silly premise) is not going to get anywhere close to it.

D&D lacks magic. All you get is an adventure game with a few types of technology, some different types of fauna from what you find at the local zoo, and a couple character classes with super powers of a decidedly UN-mysterious nature. Compared to the books that “inspired” the game, that’s pretty lame.

“Mundane adventure in a pedestrian world.” Make that your tag-line!

Sick as a Dog

2012-01-08T12:34:00.001-08:00

...just in case anyone's wondering.

I am hoping it's just a chest cold and not f-ing bronchitis (again).

My son got this Elmo airplane from his grandparents that he has been riding up and down the hallway. It is cool (he loves it) but it plays this eerie flute music that sounds like something described in a Lovecraft story...creeps me out, especially with the background propeller noise. Like some bizarre machine of ancient evil space gods.

Probably doesn't help that I've been reading Clark Ashton Smith stories the last couple days.

Ugh. Fever dreams.

Addendum to the Rant

2012-01-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Sometime between this morning and now, I managed to fall prey to a dastardly cold, which is damn irritating as I was very much looking forward to going out with "the boys" tonight (yes, I am back in Seattle, no longer in Mexico). Instead, I've been sleeping away the day and just got up to eat some soup (and what's up with Ritz crackers? Didn't they used to be salty or something?). As such, I am not in a great mood, so if this addendum to my earlier rant has a rather pissy tone, you'll know why.

There are things a game purports to be about and then there are things the game is actually about; unfortunately, these two things don't always synch with each other. Such a disconnect is all too common in table-top RPGs; the classic example is Vampire the Masquerade. VtM states its game is about telling tragic and/or meaningful stories in the gothic-punk/alternate reality world of the supernatural. What it's actually about is killing cops and drinking their blood. I know this because I played Vampire for many years (at least the first two editions, circa 1990-95). No matter what high falutin' concept or idea you came up with, eventually cops were getting killed and their blood drank...usually in aid of killing more powerful beings (like other vampires) and drinking their blood. "Did you learn anything from the session?" "Yep...give me my bonus experience point."

[granted, I haven't played any of the recent re-boots of the Vampire line, but when I see the cover of books like Damnation City it makes me think the game is STILL about killing cops and drinking their blood. What is this? Goth Frank Miller?]

In D&D the disconnect is (for me) pretty frustrating. You're asked: haven't you ever wanted to play a game where you're Conan or Elric? Haven't you ever wanted to travel the worlds of Leiber or Tolkien having grand adventures just like their characters? Now you can! Except that's NOT what the game's about. It's about you and a group of buddies going down into a hole and looking for treasure. Yes, you can play it in a different fashion, but that's what the rules are guiding you to do...that's the direction you're being given by the game designers.

D&D may have evolved from wargaming (and that may be part of the issue) but that's not what the later editions (1976+) purport to be about, and scant information is provided on any kind of warfare (other than the price of hiring troops) anyway until you get later supplements like BattleSystem, etc.

And while those earlier editions (AD&D, Cook/Marsh) discuss eventually taking the characters OUT of the dungeon and expanding the scope of your fantasy gaming, there is extremely little-to-none information on HOW one is to go about doing this. For the most part, players are simply left to "winging it." Which is what many of us did...but it is frustrating to have a game with so little guidance in this area when so much attention is given over to the "delving" aspect of the game. Like it or not, doing so emphasizes the importance of that particular aspect over any consideration of "expansion."

With results evident in later (21st century) editions. 4th edition appears to be designed in such a way as to reconcile the disconnect: the game is about dungeon delving and blowing shit up and it provides rules for doing that. To those of us who grew up with earlier editions of the game, this may seem like heresy (and really it's just that the thing bears little resemblance to earlier editions and yet continues to bear the brand name)...but it's hard to fault the designers for making a game that is exactly what it purports to be about.

[doesn't mean one can't fault the company for making a stupid game and calling it "role-playing"]

But even before that, 3rd edition/Pathfinder had pretty much gone the way of "all dungeon delve, all the time" with only ancient gamers like myself trying to bend the thing into our earlier models of gaming, with varying degrees of success. For me, I found the experience to be excruciating as the system is too complex to "get out of its own way" and open up the possibilities of role-playing found in the earlier, simpler editions. On the other hand, creating dungeon encounters and planting treasure is dead easy using the Challenge Level system and tables regarding how much loot characters of various levels should have in their possession (despite such mechanical "adventuring" being a soul-less shade of the earlier editions).

Here's the bottom line: if you want fantasy adventure role-playing of the sort found in the literary tradition that D&D states is the basis and inspiration for the game, then the game does not have the chops it needs to accomplish it. It needs to be bent and broken and pushed by the players in ways that are not explained but only hinted at. Which is terribly unfortunate as it means NEW players, just coming to the table (and terribly distracted by all the other forms of entertainment available to us in the 21st century) are probably NOT going to see the potential in the game, or invest the time needed to make the game into something bigger and better than what it is. Instead, they'll say "huh, you go into a hole in the ground and look for loot. Not exactly Michael Moorcock." Or whoever the fantasy author is that may have piqued their curiosity at the idea of trying a fantasy role-playing game.

There are a lot of things D&D has offered that made it into a popular pastime over the years, and I don't think it's just because people liked "pretending to go down into a hole once a week" to blow off steam. Sure there are those of us who are returning to the game after 20 years and doing just that (and to me, this is what smacks of "nostalgia gaming"), but I do NOT believe that style of gaming is going to be enough to sustain the hobby...or, at least, enough to sustain the game of Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe that's why folks eventually jump ship to other systems (for instance, Savage Worlds or White Wolf) and write-off D&D as simplistic and childish.

Despite its potential, the premise of the game falls a little flat.

Ranting in the New Year

2012-01-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ready for my first rant of the New Year? This one has actually been bubbling in my brain for a few days, but I just haven’t had a chance to get it posted till now.

I have a bone to pick with D&D. Actually I have several bones to pick with ‘em, but here’s the one for today.

Dungeons & Dragons is dumb. I’m talking basic premise here: it is really dumb.

I’m not talking about role-playing itself. I’ve written often enough that role-playing as an art and a hobby is something I value greatly and seek to promote as best I can. I think the RPG, in its traditional pen-and-paper form, is probably the greatest contribution to the whole concept of GAME…at least since the invention of “team sport.” Sure, it can cause obsession and inward focus that distract people from making a positive contribution in the world, but it still involves community and real communication/rapport, and can provide introspection that helps in other aspects of life…not to mention exercising one’s imagination and brains.

I’m also not in any way denigrating the SYSTEM of Dungeons and Dragons…at least in its basic format (and by Basic, I mean its first quarter century of iterations). The more I’ve looked at and analyzed various RPGs over the last few years, the more I feel that the class/level system of D&D is a fantastic-fantastic short-hand for building the heroic avatar (i.e. the “player character”), providing all the necessary tools in a simple, easily identified, easily varied package. The over-emphasis on granularity and minutia through the addition of a skill system (the usual MO of most all “adventure RPGs” of recent years, including the iterations of D&D over the last decade plus), has only served to HURT role-playing games…increasing learning curves, slowing game play, and hamstringing chargen…even while appealing to a certain percentage of gamers who dig the minutia. The system of D&D is simple enough to get out of its own way and allow maximum role-playing with a minimal amount of identifying data points.

So to be clear: role-playing is great (thanks D&D). D&D as a system is great. THAT’s not what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about PREMISE. The foundation of the game. That characters are adventurers going into one underground lair after another to fight monsters. Like mongooses looking for cobra eggs or something. Over and over again.

‘Cause that’s what D&D – OD&D, Holmes D&D, B/X D&D, BECMI/RC D&D, AD&D, 2nd-3rd-4th edition D&D – that’s what D&D is (at its base) all about.

And that’s dumb. I’m not even sure if “childish” is the right word. It’s just DUMB. Silly. Tonto (that’s Spanish, folks).

And as far as “fantasy adventure role-playing” is concerned, it’s incredibly limiting. It’s a board game mentality…which, I suppose, means 4th edition really is on track with its latest version of “Dungeons & Dragons.”

What-what-what?! I can hear people saying. Let’s look at this rationally for just a moment: 4th edition provides a (rather complicated) board game for people who want to have an interesting “delve” experience with tactical action. A board game where you create your own “pawns” (within strict guidelines) but, still…who wouldn’t want a customizable playing piece in a board game? What if your little dog in Monopoly was able to adversely affect property values by crapping on the sidewalk? What if your little train piece got to move instantaneously between railroad spots? What if your little hat could be turned upside down to get a little extra cash (representing begging for handouts) from the bank?

The designers of 4th edition looked at D&D at “face value” and said: what’s this game about? Going into dungeons (“adventures”) and fighting monsters/picking up loot, all the while growing into more powerful characters, gaining neat “special powers.” And THAT’s the game they designed…period. A dumb game, but one that is essentially an upgraded distillation of the original game’s premise. Not a bad bit of design, that.

Okay, now pull back for a second: most of us long time D&D players (“old school” or not) have found that there is a lot more to the game than that basic premise…at least, there’s the POTENTIAL for a lot more. If you started playing as a kid with the basic “dungeon exploration” and eventual moved into the expert (“Expert”) realms, you eventually came out of the dungeon, wandering the wilderness, fighting armies and gigantic creatures and exploring strange new lands and interacting with nobility and carving out your own kingdoms, etc….basically creating your own heroic legends and mythological world.

But I daresay that is not the explicit objective of the game. The EXPLICIT objective is something about going into subterranean labyrinths. One session = one “adventure.” Power/effectiveness is accumulated through the defeating of challenges (monsters) and the acquisition of treasure. The more monsters overcome, the more treasure acquired, the more effective the characters. And the bulk of these monster/treasure pockets are to be found in adventure sites (“dungeons”) that just happen to litter the imaginary countryside, waiting to be plumbed.

Which is just dumb.

I’ve been reading fantasy adventure stories lately…OLD fantasy adventure stories, the types that are found in the references and inspirational reading lists of Dungeons and Dragons…and nowhere is there anything resembling this premise. Fantasy adventure books offer a LOT of interesting things to sink one’s teeth into: danger and daring, but politics and family, world shattering invasions, confrontations with the strange and deadly but in a context that matters to the tale of the heroes.

Look at Gary Gygax’s own Gord books: how many “dungeons” are found in ‘em? Um…pretty close to zero. There’s a lair with a demon in the first book…but that’s about it. Doesn’t mean Gord doesn’t have plenty of roguish adventures (and, per Gygax’s end notes, achieves mid-level ability through the course of his journeys). My own AD&D campaigns of the mid-1980s (when I was a kid) looked very similar to the first couple Gord novels…which is to say, very little like the explicit game play outlined in the rule books.

Similarly with the Dragonlance novels, wholly based on the AD&D game and designed in part to sell adventure modules: there’s really only two “dungeon” scenarios (Xak Tsaroth and Pax Tharkas) in the first six novels. Well, I suppose Neraka (Spring Dawning) might count as a “site based adventure” but little of the plot could be considered a normal “dungeon delve;” and after the first novel, most of the dungeons marketed as DL modules (Thorbardin, Icewall, Huma’s Tomb, etc.) occurs “off-camera” in the books…they’re just not important to the story of the "player characters."

Even starting a campaign with 1st level characters, we 13 and 14 year olds (back in the day) did not start with adventure scenarios. We started with CHARACTERS, building relationships with each other, and relationships with the fantasy world around them. The PCs had some backstory…rough sketches that helped provide them with history and personality…which would lead to role-playing, even as they made careers for themselves as “adventurers.” But adventures involved freebooting around the countryside, not invading orc holds and looting ancient tombs. Sure, there were trolls and whatnot, but there was a lot of intrigue and war and political interest and romance and personal ambition, too. If we went into a dungeon, it was with a very specific objective or purpose. For example, if we invaded the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, we were searching for a specific artifact, not just looking for spare coins and notches on our sword belts. When we invaded an assassins den, it was on a specific mission of vengeance, not just because it was an appropriate adventure for characters of our level.

For the most part, we grew out of dungeon crawls by age 11 or so.

The basic dungeon delving premise of D&D is a dumb one. Delving to acquire power to delve deeper is not fantasy role-playing: it is a complex board game. I know I've spent mucho time over the last 18 months or so creating adventure sites for my B/X players, but this was mainly due to circumstance:

- new players needed introduction to the game and its mechanics
- players had expectations of delving
- players lacked interest in anything resembling "deep" role-playing
- (large) size of the group precluded serious specific "side plot" adventures (for the most part)
- rust and re-visiting of the (B/X) materials of my youth led to the classic adventure creation outline (i.e. "making dungeons")

Also, I'd been out of the whole loop of reading fantasy fiction for awhile (these days I prefer more history, biography, philosophy stuff).

But getting back into the reading habits of my youth have led me to realize just how wanting the whole premise is. How long can it sustain itself? I see why people can get sick of playing the game after 8th or 9th level...if all you do is delve tougher and tougher dungeons, doesn't the "story/plot" get a little repetitive?

I don't think the original game system(s), as written, do enough to provide the tools for REAL fantasy adventure role-playing...to exploit the potential of D&D. Sometimes, we come to these things as a natural evolution of long-term play and vested interest...as I and my friends did in our youth...but there's little in the game rules to suggest this, or provide a sketch as to how it's done. Even though there are clues scatttered throughout the history of the game (including the old articles in Dragon magazine).

It's a damn shame, in my opinion. The farther we get away from that "old way" of playing (which is to say, adapting the rules to the texts the rules purported to emulate and take inspiration from), the more that knowledge is lost and all that's left is a silly game that resembles a poor man's version of the World of Warcraft. Or any other computer "RPG." Totally lame.

Oh, yeah...so what am I going to do about it? I'm not sure just yet...I'm thinking on it now, though. Hopefully more to come...

Last Day in Orizaba, Veracruz

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

At least for this particular trip...we'll be heading back to Mexico City in a couple hours and returning to the U.S. in the next day or so.

There is much I could write about Mexican culture, both very good things and very bad. It is always with mixed feelings that I leave the country: a bit of melancholy to be leaving friends and family (and food) behind, excitement of seeing friends and family (and food) in the place of MY birth, Seattle. And yes, some relief to go back to a country where law enforcement is generally trusted and technology tends to work more often than not and the usual attitude is "the customer is always right" instead of "sorry, it's not my fault."

[regarding food in Seattle: it's January, which means we are in the middle of the shellfish season. Most seafood is better in these winter months, and I am looking forward to some fresh Dungeness and oysters...not to mention nigiri and alder-smoked salmon. No, NOT all at the same sitting!]

It'll also be good to get back to my ESPN and American coverage of the NFL. 2012 is officially upon us, and the regular season has ended: here come the play-offs! Trying to find a broadcast football game in Orizaba (especially the Seahawks) is pretty tough, but I managed it. I'm looking forward to watching with ease from the comfort of my own couch.

[long break...hopped my bus and was in traffic for an extra two hours...that's not-quite-hell with a small child. Fortunately my boy, while easily bored, also managed to take two naps during the six hour ride. I am now writing from the comfort of the Mexico City Hilton]

Regarding the New Year: there's a tendency to post "state of the [RPG] industry" blog posts this time of year. I won't be doing that as I have no idea what or how the industry is doing; much as I'd like to claim otherwise, I'm no insider (though I do try to keep my ear to the ground). I can only take a look at my own industry/industriousness (or lack thereof) and say: um, yeah, 2011 wasn't a banner year for yours truly as far as being a contributor.

Yes, I got a few interesting blog posts up and maybe gave some people some food for thought; I also had a chance to play-test some things that might contribute to the industry somewhere down the line. And, of course, I was able to distribute more than a few copies of my own book, hopefully generating some interest in the original fantasy adventure game...especially in taking that game to new heights (heights of level, that is).

Oh, yeah...and I roundly panned DCC on more than a few occasions, quite possibly being a stick in the craw of Goodman Games. 'Course there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? I don't know; maybe that counts as a contribution.

; )

Anyway, I got nothing done the last few days, that's for sure. Well, except for finishing two books (McCaffery's Dragonflight and Bradley's Sharra's Exile...both damn good, as well as thought provoking) and getting almost entirely through a third: Farah Mendlesohn's The Inter-Galactic Playground. The sub-title of this latter is A Critical Study of Children's and Teen's Science Fiction and, no, it is not a novel but someone's published doctorate thesis on the subject. It's also quite fascinating and thought-provoking; makes me want to write children's literature.

Of course, the titles that keep popping into my head are things like "The Littlest Viking" and other non-child appropriate subjects.

All right, the family's hungry, so we're going to go grab some tacos. Literally. Later, folks!

: )

Dragones, Navidad, y Comida Mexicana

2011-12-29T01:30:00.000-08:00

"Dragons, Christmas, and Mexican Food"

Se acabaron las fiestas. The parties are over...at least for 2011. There's looking to be at least one more late nighter for the New Year, but the next few days should be on the quieter side. Kind of. I'm supposed to be singing Metallica covers with my wife's cousin's band at a bar tomorrow, part of a six-band set (I don't know what order we're in...sometime around 10pm) but I might bag it. The kids aren't bad, considering their age (about half mine or a little more), but only two of the members bothered to learn the song they told me to prepare (Iron Maiden's Hallowed Be Thy Name), and they want me to learn a SlipKnot song (*barf*) by tomorrow so I can "come in on the chorus."

I'll probably do it anyway...my chances at "rock n' rollin'" these days are slim and far between, and I can pretty much do Enter Sandman and Master of Puppets in my sleep...besides that's a lot closer to "singing" than Pantera or Trivium (the band's main influences...oh, and Slayer, of course). The things I do for family (and ego)...

But up until tonight, the partying has been pretty much non-stop since I arrived. Let's see...party Thursday, wedding on Friday, Christmas Eve (till 4am) on Saturday, Christmas Day (party, late night Mass, relatives, party) on Sunday, birthday party (for my son, who doesn't turn 1 till the 19th of January) on Monday (involving about 50+ assorted relatives), birthday party for my wife's other cousin (involving many, many more people) on Tuesday...

Today's Wednesday, right? Yeah, just (very loud) band practice and a quiet chocolate and churros with the wife and baby today. We did some laundry.

In between partying and stuffing myself with excellent food, I've managed to accomplish exactly 0 (zero) as far as writing is concerned. Hell, this is the first chance I've had to type ANYthing (the baby requires quite a bit of wrangling, too)...and I can see it's actually Thursday around 1:14am. And I should be hitting the hay soon.

However, I have managed to squeeze in enough reading time (on planes and busses and in quiet moments) to finish Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight, something I've long been meaning to do. What an utterly fantastic book...I see how it launched such a successful (critically and popular-wise) series. I'll have to pick up the sequels when I'm back state-side. Just ridiculously good and interesting...it wasn't until about halfway through the thing I realized that it had not ripped off D&D's "chromatic spectrum" of dragons, having been written in 1969, well before Gygax and Arneson (and thus was probably part of the inspiration for the RPG).

And I have to say I prefer McCaffrey's version of dragons to those created by TSR. That is, her color/size/personality/role descriptives for dragons makes more "biological sense" to me than the different color = different breath weapon thang. And this despite the totally bizarre "telepathic/teleportation/time travel" abilities of the Pern dragons. I guess it's just a matter of taste, but her animal mounts had more personality and "reality" (for me) than any of the dragons in the Dragon Lance books (for example).

I have much more to say about the Dragonflight book (not pertaining to dragons), but I'll save that for a later post. I've had an epiphany or two reading these old school SciFi/Fantasy books (I'm halfway through MZB's classic Sharra's Exile, and I hope to finish it in the next couple days) and I want to collate my thoughts in a way that will be useful from a gaming perspective.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to bed. Have to get up early tomorrow and download SlipKnot.

The Blasphemous Brewery of Pilz!

2011-12-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

I’m not usually one to write reviews. I mean, not real reviews: certainly I like to wax enthusiastic about things I dig and criticize the hell out of things I feel are a stinking, heaping pile. But that’s not really the same thing as a cool, calm, collected ‘review,’ right?

But people like to send me things to read and review. One of the perks of having a blog (and one of the reasons I feel responsible for trying to keep it up, even when I have a gazillion other “priority” things on my mind). Usually, I DO try to read the things I’m sent, but I’m not always able to get around to a review. For example, I still haven’t had a chance to write a review of the Swords of Destiny books, and those have been sitting on the shelf now for months.

This morning I had the opportunity to read the adventure module The Blasphemous Brewery of Pilz! while enjoying a semi-leisurely breakfast at the Baranof, a quiet moment I am savoring before I begin the grueling work of preparing for a two week stint in Mexico. In the past, such a trip would have been a piece o easy, as my wife and I are masters of packing light and we’d be on familiar turf (i.e. the wife’s home country), seeing friends and family and simply worrying how to get all the good eating in between relaxing siestas. This time, though, we are making the trip with an 11-month old child, and we’re bringing not only Christmas gifts and car seats, but also stuff for the kid’s birthday party (which we’ll be celebrating twice apparently).

There’s more I could whine about, but I’ll stop now.

The Blasphemous Brewery of Pilz! is an adventure by Dylan Hartwell, the Digital Orc, designed for use with Labyrinth Lord (kind of) and intended for characters level 3-7. I won’t bother providing the synopsis of the main scenario, but I do want to quote the second paragraph of the coverleaf/blurb:

The Blasephemous Brewery of Pilz! is written as both a stand-alone adventure and, if you take a liking to the town of Shattenburg and its locale, a rich source for subsequent adventures. Contained within are maps of the Pilz Monastery and region, background information, multiple adventure plots, a new spell, and new monsters.

My review pertains to that stuff, and what exactly you’re getting for three-dollar PDF.

The PDF is 17 pages, 2 pages of which are legalese OGL stuff. Of the other 15 pages, you’ve got a one page cover leaf and four pages of maps (one map to a page). Add it up and you have 10 pages of “adventure.”

I’ll cut to the chase: the ten pages are worth the $3.

That’s my honest opinion, and it should be understood that I am fairly tight with my cash. Now, having got that part out of the way (whether or not it’s worth your money), I’ll get down to my less-than-rosy feelings on the thing.

Because, lest anyone misconstrue, I don’t necessarily think the adventure proper (the blasphemous brewery) is any great shakes or necessarily worth cash out of my pocket. As I said, I’m tight, and I can write my own adventures and I LIKE my own adventures, thank you very much. Which is to say, I have a fairly high idea of my own abilities in adventure writing, regardless of my PLAYERS’ feelings on the matter…my objective in writing adventures is to challenge, entertain, and amuse myself as much as the players, and I can do that.

No, I wouldn’t pay $3 for the main scenario, even though it has a nicely drawn map and a couple new (nicely illustrated) monsters. My as-yet-unpublished Toad God Temple is both cooler and fiercer, in my not-so-humble opinion.

But that’s not what you’re paying the three bucks for. The Blasphemous Brewery is actually a mini-campaign/sandbox…or rather, has the potential for one. You have a small region outlined with multiple points of interest, i.e. dungeons (the brewery is only one), a nice little home base (with potential intrigue and political problems), richly textured conflict/history (without pages and pages of leaden exposition)…enough material to provide a gaming group with a multi-month campaign and several levels worth of adventuring, providing the DM is slightly imaginative and interested enough to “run with the material.”

Personally, I’m pretty lazy and I can see ways to get at least three or four months (at least) out of this material. And I mean EASILY (which is key for a lazy DM)…this is an excellent example of how a fairly small amount of effort can yield large returns.

The way Hartwell accomplishes this is by having a tightly knit set of conflicts within the region and just enough adventure to provide challenges to several levels of characters without any kind of artificial, linear progression. I did say “sandbox” right?

So that’s what your three bucks buy you, and as I said it’s worth it to me…especially if you’re starting a new beginning campaign.

And by beginning, I DO mean "beginning." I don’t think 2nd level is too weak for the primary scenario, especially with a moderate sized group (4-6 PCs plus retainers), and even three to four PCs of levels 4th to 5th will stomp all over it without breaking a sweat.

Now the LATER adventures in the mini-campaign could use high level characters, but even 6th and 7th level characters seem too powerful for most everything in the book, except for the Ghemin Caves. Well, and the dragon, of course (though nothing says the dragon has to be a LARGE dragon).

But that’s part of the reason I wouldn’t pay more than $3 for the book; despite the nice premise and clever ideas in it (I think both new monsters are good, for example), it feels at times like Hartwell doesn’t know his stuff (by which I mean B/X and Labyrinth Lord). For instance, there’s a “level 8” elf spell in the game. Last I checked, the highest spell available to elves was level 5, so I’m not sure who exactly would be using it. However, as it’s simply a type of curse/forced reincarnation (and a non-permanent one at that), 8th level seems inappropriate anyway.

The book is also a bit disjointed (for my taste) in its presentation. We receive an introduction, then some of the stronger “optional” adventure sites, then specific NPCs, then new monsters, then the main scenario, followed by wandering encounters for the wilderness, and finally ideas for “further adventures.” The thing could do with a better layout…sticking all the random tables on a single page, or sticking new monsters and spells at the end in an easily found appendix would make it easier for a DM to use the book.

As I said, it’s only $3. But I’m not just being a “nit-picky;” it’s a pain in the ass to find things, considering only ten pages of content (fortunately, the illustrations are helpful for navigating). I’d advise a careful read the first-time through, as it’s pretty easy to miss things just “skimming” the book due to the lack of logical progression in presentation.

All right, that’s enough o the complaints. Here’s a summary of the highlights (from my perspective):

The magic artifact presented is perfect…I wouldn’t change a single thing about it as presented. Lots of campaign fodder, especially for a low-level (pre-Name) campaign.
The elven drama/conflict is also great. I would change the new spell (I’d probably just use a variation of reincarnation, or allow the elven ritual to help force the form instead of random assignment).
Both new monsters are excellent. The humanoids are great as a replacement for your standard troglodytes.
The Caves of Ghemin feel a little too deadly, but the idea behind the caves (their history, their powers, etc.) are nice…this is the kind of thing that makes a mini-sandbox like this work (a non-dungeon, site of interest that ties both to history and the current conflicts of the region).
The brewery scenario and its story are excellent, but again I’d judge it to be pretty weak for characters level 3-7. Also the rewards presented are much more fitting for low-level (1st through 3rd level characters). Personally, I would not list items value in “silver pieces;" otherwise, I wouldn't change anything about it, besides the suggested PC levels.
The town NPCs are all excellent. Shattenburg is just about right as a home base, nefarious intrigue site. Tasty without being over-detailed.
The wilderness map and region-specific wandering monster tables are good and also appropriate for low level characters (bigger monsters provide “teaching moments” in discretion being the better part of valor).
Any low level monster with (non-baby) dragon conflict is excellent. Good work.
Scalable conflict with a contextual basis (i.e. not an artificial “well this area is only open to 5th level characters” WoW-style). Dig it.

All right...gotta' get some stuff done. Later, folks.

Remembering Age 12

2011-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Seeing this post on Grognardia the other day, reminded me a bit of my days of youth. I owned several of the figures from this toy line: specifically Warduke (my favorite, of course) and his nightmare mount, Kellek, Srongheart, and Melf the Elf. Zartan (Zartak?) was also in the mix, though for some reason I am remembering him as my brother's toy. The family cocker spaniel gnawed the hand off the paladin one day (I've mentioned before the paladins have never received a warm welcome in my neck of the woods), but this actually made the doll cooler and more playable to me...the best characters have some scars, in my opinion.

[hell, now that I think of it, the monstrous canine gnawing off the hero's hand is a total echo of Norse mythology and the god Tyr...how cool is that?]

By the way, I did say "doll" not "action figure." I think it's been well established that "action figure" is just a euphemism for "boy-oriented-doll." I don't care; I dug on dolls as a kid and had a ton of different ones: from stuffed animals and bean-bag babies, to GI Joes, Micronauts, and Star Wars figures...heck, even some Strawberry Shortcake dolls (which I am half convinced are responsible for losing my sense of smell sometime in my youth...freakin' chemical warfare!).

However, by the time I got the D&D dolls, I wasn't really into action figures anymore...I was of an age that was "too old" for them (at least, too old to play with them in front of my peers...I'm sure there was at least a session or two of battles in the solitude of my own bedroom). I would imagine I was about 12 years old at the time, which (in my adult eyes) seems pretty young to give up the action figures...but there it is.

I can remember when the dolls stopped losing their luster for me personally (not just due to peer pressure). Up through Return of the Jedi (1983) I had been diligent in the acquisition of Star Wars figures. My parents didn't have the money to get me every space ship / terrain set that Kenner put out, but between my brother and I we managed to acquire at least one of every model made. That is, until Jedi. Around age 10 or 11 I just kind of "gave up" on trying to get "one of everything;" there were a bunch of random figures that it didn't feel like I needed (how many Han Solos in different outfits do you need? See, dolls! It's all about dress up!). I picked up Luke in his cloak and Jedi outfit, and a couple ewoks (I loved ewoks as a kid), but I just didn't play with the toys as much as I had between the ages of 7 and 9.

And it wasn't like I was switching over for more "manly" toys like GI Joes. I can specifically remember receiving an extremely cool GI Joe action figure from a friend for Christmas, circa age 11...some dude with a flamethrower and a mask and a yellow outfit, and thinking (to myself) "What the hell am I going to do with this?" I don't play with these things anymore!

The fact of the matter is, by age 11 or so I was 150% completely into Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing games in general. For gifts I wanted D&D books (or fiction/fantasy novels)...and that was pretty much it. From 1983-88 or so, there wasn't anything else I wanted or needed...for birthday gifts or Christmas.

My younger brother got me a copy of the Unearthed Arcana for my 12th birthday (November, 1985) and it was just about the most awesome gift he ever gave me...certainly, it's the only gift I remember him giving me for my birthday in his 36 years. And I know it was my 12th birthday and 1985 because he wrote in gigantic, crappy 10-year-old-kid handwriting, "Happy Birthday, Jonathan!!! (1985)" inside the front cover. In PEN. I was soooo pissed at him for doing this and "ruining" my pristine new book, I recall.

Now, of course, I'm grateful that he did so...I still have the book on my shelf, though it is totally decimated from wear and tear, and I have a second copy picked up years later for a "use" copy (should I ever start playing AD&D again).

My parents must have gotten the hint, because a month later there was a copy of the new Monster Manual II under the Christmas tree for yours truly, and that was just about my favorite gift that Christmas as well (at least, again, it's the only one I recall for sure from that year). But I think, my parents must have given me the D&D dolls...er, "action figures"...that year, too. I mean I was still a kid and they did say D&D on the boxes. But maybe I'm mis-remembering and they got me those the prior year.

Yeah, between age 11 and age 14 (prior to high school) I really didn't do anything for fun/play besides Dungeons & Dragons. Frankly, I have no idea what kids who didn't play D&D found to occupy their time during those years. I mean, once I hit high school I had a WHOLE lot more on my plate: figuring out my identity, making new friends, trying to get a girlfriend (failing, usually), trying to make sports teams or the cut for the school play. No, I didn't do much actual schoolwork in those days...

But before high school? If I hadn't had D&D, I don't know what I would have done. What does a 12 year old kid do, if they're too old for playing "make-believe" with their dolls and toys? Learn to play a musical instrument? That's one I never did. Play peewee football? Didn't do that either. Watch a lot of MTV and read "teen" magazines? My family didn't have cable and I had no interest in "who was hot" in the Hollywood scene. Read comic books? I was already reading 400+ page novels! My interest in art (at the time) was mostly confined to doodling in class (something I continue to do in my meetings at work, I might add...ha! You NEVER grow out of it, Sister Claudia!).

I suppose kids these days would simply play video games...and maybe some of the kids back then did, too. My family was never much into the latest electronic technology (we had an Atari 2600...only brought out on rainy days. We got our first computer - an Amiga 500 - when I was in high school. I used an electric typewriter to do papers in 8th grade and that was a pain in the ass, let me tell you!).

Is that it? Are video games the only form of active entertainment/pastime for kids of pre-teen years with too much imagination? I suppose outdoorsy kids could go on camping trips and such and learn some useful survival skills (I dropped out of the Boy Scouts long before earning my Eagle Scout rank). But for "city-slicker" kids that didn't have horses to ride? What the hell are they supposed to do?

As the father of an almost-11-month-old child, I wonder what the hell my son will do. Who knows what the gaming industry will look like a decade from now (if there is such a thing as a "gaming industry" a decade from now). Certainly I don't plan on getting rid of my old books, so he can play those if he wants...but there's no guarantee he'll have like-minded friends with which to play. I'd probably be perfectly happy if he did not play peewee football (I've seen 12 year old children suffer multiple concussions in an 8 game season), and without any musician (or outdoors-loving) parents, will he have anything influencing him to go into those constructive pastimes?

Is he just going to watch TV all day? While surfing the internet on a laptop?

Well, he'll have his chance to play with toys and action figures...he has a baby doll right now that he really likes. He also seems to like destroying things (this, I am semi-convinced, is a genetic trait he inherits from yours truly). And he really likes music...and food. Well, he is a baby, right? I suppose I'll have plenty of time to worry about him in future years, I don't need to get all melancholy right now.

I will say this, though: Thank God I had Dungeons & Dragons growing up. If I had had to spend every recess playing "flyers up" and talking about the prior week's episode of Miami Vice I would have gone batshit crazy, I'm sure. Some people have the temperament for that kind of thing (I knew plenty in the 7th and 8th grade who did just this) but I never was one of 'em. If I hadn't had D&D in my life...well, I really can't even imagine how I would have spent my time during those middle school years.

Probably getting into trouble.

; )

Sorry, Folks...

2011-12-16T18:21:00.001-08:00

The next installment of LAND OF ICE isn't quite ready yet...since I have yet to write it. What...you thought I was doing this stuff up ahead of time and just spooning it out? I'm a LOT lazier than that!

Today was just a very hectic day at the workplace, and my lunch/breaks got cut a bit short. Fortunately, I was not all hungover from gaming (as was the case last Thursday...stuck to my gin this time around, and the Christmas cookies helped) so the day wasn't completely miserable on top of the business.

ANYway, we'll see how much spare time I get this weekend...maybe, I'll get a late night posting in this evening. Stay tuned!

; )

Land of Ice (Monsters, Part 1)

2011-12-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

As stated in the Basic rules, any creature not a player character is considered a “monster.” The following monsters include most of the usual encounters found in LAND OF ICE, including sentient species as well as the mega-fauna and super-predators that inhabit the planet. It is suggested that DMs using the LAND OF ICE campaign setting stick to the monsters in this list or create creatures that are appropriate to the setting; however, any monsters found in the B/X books should be (for the most part) compatible with the rules found here. Who’s to say what alien creatures might be encountered in the LAND OF ICE?

One major difference exists between the monsters here and the standard B/X rules; the LAND OF ICE campaign setting assumes there is no such thing as “infravision.” Some monsters have senses that exceed humans, but none of the creatures listed here see in the infrared spectrum. Another difference is the absence of “alignment;” creatures here will be motivated by their animal nature (if beasts) or by their own self-interests or sense of honor (if sentient). Let the description of the creatures be your guide to monster behavior, along with reaction and morale rolls.

Alfr

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1+1*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-4 (2-24)
Save As: Alfr 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: E

One of the indigenous sentient life forms found in the LAND OF ICE, the alfar are an elder race that resembles the northmen newcomers, save that they are slightly taller and exhibit an inhuman beauty. In fact, it is speculated that their centuries of association with the northmen has been responsible for their present appearance; sensitive and empathic, their physical form may be an adaptation based on psychic impression.

Alfar seem a whimsical race, with some displaying a code of honor as violently passionate as any northman, and others exhibiting a base frivolity. Throughout the centuries, they have sometimes removed themselves from contact with the northmen, their existence fading into legend; at other times they have dwelled amongst the humans (though only in the northernmost settlements). They wear half-mail armor when girded for war, and their leaders and nobility usually carry pattern-forged weapons (see Chapter 7). All alfar are telepathic and have the abilities described in Chapter 2, though most never exceed one point of psychic ability. Their chieftains are the equivalent of PCs (roll 1D4 to determine level).

Bandit

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 1
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-8 (3-30)
Save As: Thief 1
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: A

Bandits are outcasts from northmen society that have banded together to prey upon travelers and small villages. Most are not clever enough to become “adventurers,” but some groups are led by ambitious individuals that share the abilities of a PC class. Successful groups possess a good size hoard of plunder. Bandits are considered to have no honor.

Black Wing

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 6*
Move: flying 360’ (120’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 2D8
No. Appearing: 0 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

A native species of the LAND OF ICE, black wings (sometimes called “harpies”) are second only to dragons as dangerous flying predators. Appearing as something like a giant, blind vulture, black wings emit piercing shrieks to both navigate and detect prey, even in blizzards. Their screams produce terror in most individuals (save versus paralysis to keep from panicking and running for D4 rounds), when standing still and immobile could actually render targets “invisible” to their senses. Panicked individuals are subject to the black wing’s swoop attack just as if they had been surprised by the monster.

Cold Pudding*

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 5*
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2D6
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 12 (9)
Treasure Type: Nil

A predatory slime found only in the northernmost mountain ranges or (cold) subterranean caverns, the cold pudding can dissolve metal and flesh within seconds of contact. Only stone is resistant to their touch, though they shy away from heat and open flame (the second morale score) and fire does double damage. The pudding is effectively mindless and is unaffected by most psychic abilities (pyromancy being an obvious exception).

Crag Bear

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 6+6*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite
Damage: 1D6/1D6/1D6
No. Appearing: 1 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

One of the native mega-fauna of the LAND OF ICE, the crag bear hibernates during the darkest months of winter and then ventures forth to gorge itself for the following year. The crag bear attacks with two mighty paws and a snapping bite; if both paw attacks hit, the beast bears its target to the ground and mauls it for an additional 2D8 damage. Victims that survive a mauling are assumed to roll aside and scramble to their feet.

Dragon

Armor Class: -1
Hit Dice: 10***
Move: 90’ (30’), flying 240’ (80’)
Attacks: 2 claws, 1 bite
Damage: 1D8/1D8/4D8
No. Appearing: 1 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter 4
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: H

Generally only found in mountainous regions, the dragon is arguably the most dangerous natural predator found in the LAND OF ICE. Dragons have some mild telepathic ability which enables them to locate their prey (generally large fauna and herd animals), even under extreme weather conditions; this ability allows them to “broadcast” their own feelings to creatures within 60 yards or so, generally causing abject terror and inability to move or act (save versus spells to avoid this effect).

Dragons have strong jaws and long-taloned claws with which to rend and devour prey (just about anything smaller than a frost worm; ice kraken is a favorite). However, they are feared most for their venom; a viscous, corrosive fluid that combusts within seconds of exposure to air. Dragons can spit their venom up to 30 yards, splattering an area ten yards wide with splashing, sticking flaming death for all caught in its area (10D8 damage, save versus dragon breath for half). A dragon can only spit venom three times per day before its venom sacs are expended; they will always spew venom in the first round of combat, and thereafter have a 50% chance per round of using the attack (unless it cannot get to its prey in melee).

As the top of the food chain in LAND OF ICE, dragons never check morale unless they are reduced to less-than-half their hit points. However, if their prey can escape or take shelter somewhere the dragon cannot reach, they will generally give up and search for food elsewhere. Dragons have a natural attraction to shining objects, especially metals, and will carry such items back to their lair to pad their “nest.” Whether this is due to some magpie-like obsession or the simple need for material strong enough to support the creature’s bulk, it has led to dragon’s well-deserved reputation for hoarding.

Draugr*

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3*
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1 blow or throttle
Damage: 1D8
No. Appearing: 1
Save As: F3
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: B

Draugar are individuals that have succumbed to psychic corruption, ceasing to “live” as they once did, becoming gruesome parodies of the creature they once were. The body continues to function…and function at a high rate, its cells rapidly regenerating and instilling the body with unnatural strength, even without sustenance…but the creature is nearly mindless. A draugr retains some recognition of past people and surroundings, remnants of memory imprinted into its thought matrix, and this causes it to haunt familiar surroundings and hoard once-treasured possessions. The thing will be berserk and homicidal in its defense of its things and “territory,” but otherwise is fairly docile, if melancholy.

A draugr takes only half damage from weapons, and regenerates 1 hit point of damage per round unless completely destroyed and incinerated. They retain none of the past abilities of their class, cannot use psychic abilities and do not use weapons. Their presence generates a feeling of unwholesomeness that can disrupt the nervous system of those within 15’ or so (save versus paralysis or fall paralyzed for D4 turns).

Dvergr

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 1 (minimum 3hps)
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon
No. Appearing: 1-6 (5-40)
Save As: Dvergr 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: G

These once-servants of the northmen’s ancestors are more fully described in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Their bio-engineered fortitude makes them exceptionally hearty and long-lived, though it is doubtful any dvergar still remain from their initial arrival in the LAND OF ICE.

Over the centuries, they dvergar have made their homes in subterranean halls and mountain strongholds, mining, carving, and forging to their own specifications. They are tireless workers and delight in craftsmanship and mechanical marvels, and have much lore for the creation of devices and machines that function in “magical” fashion (see Chapter 7). They generally go to war clad in full mail armor with steel caps and two-handed mauls. Their chiefs and heroes are the equivalent of PC adventurers (having 1D4 levels) and are often armed with enchanted gear.

Land of Ice (The Encounter, Part 2)

2011-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

[continued from here]

DAMAGE

Most weapons do D6 damage on a successful attack roll. Melee weapons requiring two hands to use (mauls and pole arms) do D8 damage. Characters with strength less than 8 reduce melee damage by one die type (to D4 and D6 damage respectively). With the exception of crossbows, all missile weapons do D6 damage with a successful attack; crossbows do D8 damage.

Enchanted weapons do not add their “plus” to damage; instead, they increase the damage die used based on their bonus. For example, a +1 sword would do D8 damage instead of D6, a +2 sword would do D10 damage, and a +3 sword would do D12.

Healing and Major Wounds

Most characters heal D6 hit points per day of rest; fighters heal D8 hit points per day of rest. In both cases, the roll is modified by the character’s constitution bonus (or penalty).

As explained in Chapter 2, when a character’s hit points are reduced to 0, additional damage is subtracted from constitution. Constitution points are recovered much slower: 1 point per two days of rest. A character does not need to recover lost constitution points before recovering hit points (though a lowered constitution may result in a reduced rate of hit point recovery). Remember that dvergar double the rates for healing damage (2D6 hit points per day and 1 point of constitution for every day of rest).

A character whose constitution is reduced to less than half its starting value due to damage suffers a major wound and becomes unable to act for the remainder of any combat encounter; the character is unconscious, in shock, or suffering such terrible pain as to be helpless. Major wounds have permanent repercussions; at the end of an encounter when a character has suffered a major wound, roll percentile dice to determine the lasting result:

Roll – Wound
01-20 – Nasty, permanent scar
21-25 – Loss of eye: -2 penalty to future missile attacks; two such losses result in total blindness
26-30 – Loss of ear/hearing: surprised on a 3 (as if wearing full steel helm); hearing rolls only succeed on 1 in 8
31-35 – Broken jaw: unable to talk for D4 weeks (fails all reaction rolls)
36-40 – Concussion: save versus death ray to wake from coma (checked daily), intelligence reduced 2 points, characters with psychic powers lose 1 point of psychic ability
41-55 – Broken ribs/torn muscles: -1 penalty to attack rolls and AC for D4 weeks
56-60 – Broken/sprained back: reduce strength and dexterity by 2 points, carrying capacity by half; save versus paralysis for effects to be temporary (D6 weeks)
61-70 – Internal organ damage: take D8 additional constitution damage, constitution permanently reduced 1 point
71-85 – Major wound to arm/hand: one arm is useless; roll save versus wands for effect to be temporary (D6 weeks).
86-00 – Major wound to leg/foot: one leg is maimed/useless and character’s movement rate is halved; save versus wands for effect to be temporary (D6 weeks).

Due to their genetically engineered fortitude, dvergar will eventually heal even “permanent” injuries caused by major wounds. It takes D12 months for a dvergr to regenerate a permanent injury (temporary injuries heal in one-half the normal time).

SAVING THROWS

For the most part, characters have the same saving throws in LAND OF ICE that are found in the B/X rules. Saving throws versus psychic abilities are always made using “saves versus spells;” most northmen consider psychic talents to be the same as “magic” anyway.

Saving throws by class are as follows:

Fighter – NM, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Wands – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 17, 15, 13, 10, 8, 5
Spells – 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8

Huntsman – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 11, 9, 7, 5, 3
Wands – 12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 14, 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7

Magician – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 11, 8, 6, 5
Wands – 14, 12, 9, 7, 6
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 8, 6, 5
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 11, 9, 7
Spells – 15, 12, 8, 6, 4

Skald – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Wands – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7
Dragon Breath – 15, 13, 11, 9, 7
Spells – 15, 12, 9, 7, 5

Thief – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Poison/Death Ray – 13, 12, 10, 8, 6
Wands – 14, 13, 11, 9, 7
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 9, 7, 5
Dragon Breath – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 13, 10, 8, 7

Alfr – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Poison/Death Ray – 12, 10, 8, 6
Wands – 13, 11, 9, 7
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 13, 11, 9, 8
Dragon Breath – 15, 13, 10, 8
Spells – 15, 12, 10, 8

Dvergr – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Poison/Death Ray – 10, 8, 6, 4
Wands – 11, 9, 7, 5
Paralysis/Petrifaction – 12, 10, 8, 6
Dragon Breath – 13, 13, 10, 7
Spells – 14, 12, 10, 8

Psychic Corruption: Every time a character with psychic abilities earns a point of corruption (whether voluntarily or by rolling “snake-eyes”), the player must roll a “corruption saving throw.” The target number for success is equal or greater than the character’s total number of corruption points. If the save versus corruption is failed, the DM rolls D12 on the Corruption Table to see the impact on the character:

Roll – Corruption Result
1 – Character goes berserk, attacking friend and foe alike until restrained and/or left alone for 1 turn
2 – Character lapses into a coma for at least D4 days; save vs. death ray daily to regain consciousness
3 – Character is catatonic and drooling for D4 hours, conscious but unable to act or move
4 – Character goes blind in one eye (as Major Wound); eye takes on startling color/appearance
5 – Character’s hair changes; roll D6: 1-3 permanently goes white; 4-6 permanently goes bald
6 – Character’s loses large chunks of memory and is reduced one level of experience
7 – Character develops a shaking palsy; lose five points from dexterity (minimum 3)
8 – Character acquires a personality disorder; once per session, DM can take control of PC for 1 turn
9 - Character’s skin takes on a permanent pallor, bruises easily, veins readily visible
10 – Character loses ability to speak for at least D4 weeks; save versus spells or permanent
11 – Character undergoes a radical transformation; see below
12 – Roll save versus death ray or die; if character survives, reduce all abilities by 1 and reduce psychic corruption points by 2D6

Transformation effects differ depending on which psychic talent caused the corruption point to be gained. If the psychic talent was adrenal stimulation (“berserker”) the character becomes a ghoul; if the talent was molecular agitation (“pyromancy”) the character spontaneously combusts taking 4D6 damage directly to Constitution. Otherwise, a northman become a draugr. Alfar never become draugar or ghouls; instead they become wraiths. All these creatures are described in Chapter 6.

MORALE

Morale for NPC hirelings and retains is determined based on the employer’s level: morale is equal to 5 + the employer’s level of experience. If the PC employer has a reaction bonus or penalty due to her charisma score the adjustment is added to (or subtracted from) the morale.

Land of Ice (The Encounter, Part 1)

2011-12-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

[once again, the following only addresses changes to the standard Encounter rules found in the B/X system; unless a specific change is noted, all information in the Basic and Expert set books still applies]

DISTANCE IN ENCOUNTERS

Outdoor encounters in LAND OF ICE often occur in snowfall conditions due to the normal weather patterns of the continent. When this situation occurs, random distance is rolled as for indoor encounters instead of outdoor encounters (i.e. 20-120 feet instead of yards). In blizzard conditions, visibility conditions should be treated the same as underground “darkness.”

SURPRISE

Characters wearing a full steel helm are surprised on a 1-3 instead of 1-2. In a party where some characters wear helms and others do not, the GM still rolls one die for the party: on a result of “3” the party rolls initiative as normal (assuming the monsters are not surprised) and combat conducted normally, except that characters with full steel helms are unable to act in the first round of combat.

INITIATIVE

Initiative is rolled normally to determine order of action; if a tie occurs, attacks occur simultaneously between two sides. The following exceptions apply to the normal initiative order:
Fighters: fighters receive a bonus to initiative equal to their level, but ONLY when fighting alone. See Chapter 2 regarding fighter advantages.

Pole Arms: in the outdoors, pole arms have a reach advantage and always strike first in the first round of melee combat. After the first round, initiative with a pole arm is standard. This bonus only occurs in the outdoors where there is sufficient space to use a pole arm; they are next to useless in cramped environments (like underground or indoors), always striking last.

Psychic Abilities: a non-psychic (fighter, huntsman, skald, thief) using a psychic talent as an action always acts last in the round. Talents used by multiple non-psychics occur simultaneously. Psychic talents used by magicians and alfar always occur in normal initiative order.

Two-Handed Weapons: there is no initiative penalty for using a weapon two-handed. Crossbows, however, can only be fired every other round of combat, requiring one round to load.

MONSTER REACTION AND REPUTATION

Player characters in LAND OF ICE are renowned for their deeds and accomplishments as skalds and locals tell their tales of adventure. Among the civilized peoples, there is a percentage chance that NPCs encountered will have heard of the PCs; this chance is called the PC’s reputation. Reputation is based on level as follows:

1st – 0%
2nd – 20%
3rd – 40%
4th – 60%
5th – 80%

Noteworthy ability scores (see Chapter 2) can also add to this percentage, and a character’s reputation is bolstered +2% for each major wound survived.

When the caller or party spokesman attempts to communicate, she may boast of her reputation, earning a +2 bonus to the reaction roll if the reputation check is successful, indicating a degree of awe or intimidation the character’s name carries. Non-humans (alfar and dvergar) should divide their reputation in half when interacting with anyone other than their own kind, and northmen should divide their reputation chance in half when dealing with any non-human species.

COMBAT

[I am not even going to try putting a table on blogger: folks will have to fill out their own PC combat matrix based on the following]

Character Level – THAC0
1st – 19
2nd – 18
3rd – 17
4th – 16
5th – 15

Remember that fighters receive a bonus to all attack rolls equal to their level. Huntsmen receive a bonus to missile attack rolls equal to their level. Thieves receive a bonus to attacks against an unaware opponent equal to their level.

NPCs and monsters use the normal monster attack matrix.

Melee Combat

Breaking Weapons: On any natural (i.e. un-modified) roll of “1” to attack in melee, there is a good chance the character’s weapon breaks becoming useless. For most melee weapons, this chance is automatic, for others there is a chance to mitigate the breakage:

Battle axe: Roll D6; 1-4 weapon is useless, 5-6 weapon is fine

Short sword: Roll D6; 1-3 weapon is useless, 4-6 weapon may still be used as a dagger

Sword: Roll D6; 1-2 weapon useless, 3-4 weapon may still be used as a dagger, 5-6 weapon may still be used as a short sword.

Enchanted weapons are normally unbreakable unless used in combat against weapons of equal or greater bonus, OR against monsters whose hit dice exceed three times the weapon bonus. For example, a +1 sword only has a chance of breaking when used in melee against monsters of 4 hit dice or greater or against opponents wielding weapons of +1 or greater enchantment.

Mounted Melee: Characters in LAND OF ICE do not use lances, but there is still an advantage to attacking while mounted (either on a horse or war sled): mounted characters enjoy a +2 bonus to attack rolls against non-mounted opponents. Mounted characters only enjoy this bonus when using a single, one-handed melee weapon.

Shield Defense: a character with a shield may forgo their normal attack in combat to gain a +2 bonus to armor class. This can only be used when a character could normally attack (for example, when advancing or performing a fighting withdrawal, not when running or retreating). Remember that in LAND OF ICE fighters receive an additional bonus to armor class when using a shield (see Chapter 2).

Two-Weapon Fighting: a character may use two one-handed weapons in melee combat (instead of a shield, for example). The character still only makes one attack roll, but on a successful hit the player rolls damage for each weapon separately (usually D6 for each) and keeps the better damage roll. If the attack roll is a natural 1, roll randomly to determine which weapon checks breakage (even chance of either).

[to be continued]

Another Busy Weekend

2011-12-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

But what else is new?

Holiday parties, birthday parties, shopping forays, and (of course) football...all the usual distractions that make getting things done (from a blogger's perspective) such a chore.

And (also as usual) it ain't over yet: my day off means spending quality time with my boy (now napping) and then chores around the house, etc. I will also be attending tonight's Monday Night Football extravaganza between the Seahawks and the Rams (which promises to be a cold, cold evening...especially for St. Louis fans) followed by a loooong bus ride home. So expect the "regular blogging" to commence manana (assuming I get a bit o sleep tonight with my teething infant).

I will say I had a chance to read up the entire blog of How Not to Run a Game Business (thanks to Greyhawk Grognard for pointing me to this site) and its overflowing negativity towards amateur designer/publisher monkeys like myself. I know I've seen similar blogs (or blog posts) in the last couple years discussing how terribly terrible it is for OSR folks (or proponents of the pen-and-paper RPG industry) to continue to cling to the past when the future is so obviously video games or social media-network games or WotC 4E style box sets...and, well, I'm sorry, sometimes I do feel like a dinosaur with my interest in this kind of stuff. But then I sometimes feel like a dinosaur for reading books instead of Kindles (or whatever) or listening to music that doesn't include sampling from past musicians who made music (instead of sampling). Hell, I've accepted I'm an anachronism, and I fully intend to instill the same weird, anachronistic values in my offspring. Hopefully he won't be laughed at too much by his Call of Duty-playing buddies in school.

Besides as Casey down at Gary's pointed out to me, if it wasn't for "amateur independent designers" we'd be missing a lot of cool RPGs that currently stock the shelves of the game store.

[though I suppose brick-and-mortar stores are an anachronism, too]

Anyway, enough weepiness from moi...I've got some things to do before the hijo wakes up. Cheers!

Success

2011-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Some mornings you just can’t find the right pithy phrase to name a blog post. Today, I’m just going to go simple.

Last night was round 2 of play-testing for my space game. Again, I was limited to two players (of four) players due to prior commitments. Also again I was operating on very limited sleep…about two to three hours…and a loooong work day. And, yes, while I stayed away from the whiskey, I did quaff (most of) a pitcher of beer…

BUT, I am going to call the game session successful. Much more so than last week. In fact, I’d say it went better than any prior iteration of the card mechanic RPG (Out of Time, MDR) due to certain changes I instituted…namely, the need to spend cards to utilize ANY thing more than “average effort” in a success check.

This had all the desirable types of results I was looking for:

Cards got spent and played, depending on the “stakes” necessary
In turn, this led to decreased effectiveness over time as resources ran slim. This is the way I had originally envisioned the game being played, but previously the dice mechanic was too “easy” with players steering tests into areas of high suits and not needing to expend cards for extra success. NOW they do the same thing, but once the cards are spent, they have to switch to a different “arena” (where they still have cards).
Players were forced to use different avenues to accomplish tasks (see the last note) because of running low on cards. This was also how I imagined the game being played, and forcing card expenditure accomplished this, causing players to take different tactics when one suit ran low.
The use of cards provided the “game balance” I was looking for…as one player ran low on cards, the other player was forced to step in and step up. Perfect…everyone gets their turn in the spotlight.
Doing the card play in this way made ALL the cards important. Whereas before players would short suit themselves during character creation to keep a bunch of Aces and faces, now having “depth” in a particular suit is just as important (if not moreso)…at least if you, as a player, are attached to a particular style of play. For example, if you want to solve problems with your fists, you better have a bunch of clubs. Heron had a single Ace of Spades and had to hold on to it until he REALLY needed it since it was his only spade. This was cool…though now I’m thinking a 7 card hand might be better than 6.
Or Not: Drive points (given as a reward for role-playing certain aspects of your character) can be utilized much like cards. By limiting the cards in a player’s hand, it forces them to complicate themselves in order to “regain effectiveness.” This makes for interesting play, and I imagine it will come faster and easier as players get more comfortable with the concept (I hope).
The complication die/card draw (what Josh calls “the calamity die”) worked well in practice, helping to add depth to a roughly sketched scenario…in addition to being fun.

Since the wholesale change of the system turned out to be so effective, it means I will need to rewrite much of what I’ve previously written (doh), AND I will also have to re-tool many of the character advantages (double-doh), and probably the entire credit/purchase system (triple-doh!). However, that’s a small price to pay for sporting a system that does what the game designer (me) wants it to do…pretty exciting stuff, in my opinion. It was a great session from my perspective and the only thing that kept me from being more giddy was my extreme fatigue and the knowledge that I would have another looong night with sick baby once I got home.

[and I did, too]

Some other random thoughts of things learned from last night’s playtest:

Classes work well with the system, even the new rules. Unfortunately, for long term play some of the classes seem mutually exclusive. For instance, Josh’s “mole man” (a fringer/survivor with a home environment advantage of “space station”) worked great for this session that happened to be ON a space station…but Heron’s spacer pilot didn’t get to do a whole helluva’ lot of flying. And if they HAD taken off in Heron’s ship, what would Josh have done? The key may be a lot of cut scenes and environmental (scene) changes…or possibly finding a way for PCs to operate towards the end of a single scenario objective even when separated. Think Return of the Jedi (Luke’s on the Death Star, Han and Leia are on Endor, Lando flying the space mission).

NPCs (named versus mook) worked well enough for me, but needs to be even MORE simplified. This may just be my own leftover baggage from wanting “major villains” to be as competent as PCs (think my favorite Star Wars baddie, Count Dooku, who kicks an incredible amount of ass). However, there are ways to do this withOUT assigning cards. I’m going to have to mull over this.

ALSO (regarding NPCs), I have a rule about bestowing names on NPCs automatically gives them significance and importance. This actually came into play during the session, when Heron christened some nameless mook “Butt-Boy” (or something equally descriptive). Under the terms of the rules I should have dealt him some cards and converted him to a “major NPC;” instead I skipped the step as it was too complicated for the quickfire action of the time. In retrospect, I think dealing a “named” mook a single card (and assigning hit points) would have been an easier, simpler way of accomplishing what I wanted. I’m going to have to mull over this as well.

Frenetic pace and lavish card spending was definitely the way to go. I think Josh had more fun doing this then he had in previous sessions (he tried both Out of Time and MDR). He definitely seemed more engaged in the action of the game…but then, he was also digging hard on his mole man character (“Jub-Jub”).

Finally, although it’s a space opera trope to have the occasional alien protagonist, I’m thinking of making non-human PCs a completely optional side rule, and getting rid of the Jokers all together (dammit! I forgot about the Jokers!...they need to be revamped for the rule changes, too!). It’s just more fun to do “humans in space” and keep the aliens as NPCs or sidekicks (sorry, Spock). Even a weird human (like Jub-Jub) is easier to grasp (as a concept) and relate to than a “mostly human” type o character. Dralasites and vrusk are cool and all, but…well, I don’t know. It’s another thing I’m going to have to think about.

All right, that’s enough debriefing for now. I’ll be working on the space game over the holidays (hopefully getting some writing done in Mexico)…at least when I’m not pestering my artists to get their submissions in for the new book. I don’t plan on doing another space opera play-test till 2011 (got to get back to Heron’s BX game and I understand the DCC experiment may be finally over as well…we’ll see what’s up next down at the Mox)…but you never know. It’s certainly possible that we’ll run another session before Christmas.

Cheers!
: )

Gingerbread Donuts

2011-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

May just be the most fantastic idea ever invented. Over at Mighty-O Donuts in Greenlake (the Food Network's National Donut Champion), they've got this holiday special that...well, it's like gingerbread cookie dough molded and baked into a donut shape. Vegan no less (how do they do that?)...though I suppose that means no whip cream.

Just about the most delicious donut I've ever tasted.

Anyway...uummmm...I may not have a chance to post the latest section on Land of Ice today, but hopefully I'll have it by tomorrow. Instead. I'll be prepping once again for tonight's playtest.

(*sigh*) Once again I will be operating on two hours of sleep...my boy picks the most inopportune evenings to pull the all-nighters. HOWEVER, this time I have promised myself to stay the F away from the demon whisky!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my second pot of coffee and the remaining donuts in my bag.
; )

More Polar Bear

2011-12-07T16:25:00.001-08:00

I haven't been getting a whole heck of a lot o feedback on my recent Land of Ice posts, and I don't know why. I'm not saying that it surprises me, I'm saying I literally don't know.

Not that I couldn't hazard a guess or two...but really it doesn't matter all that much (I wasn't complaining). Well, it matters that people find it interesting and useful (or inspiring for their own games) 'cause that's why I write this type of stuff (usually). But I'm having fun with it anyway, so I'm going to keep posting till I get to the end of the series.

HOWEVER, it occurs to me that perhaps I haven't been gonzo enough with the setting...I may have been modelling it too close to "real world" Vikes and the kind of human-human conflict (psychic or not) found in MZB's Darkover novels (a major inspiration, in case you couldn't guess). It may be that the stuff I've been putting out there just isn't "D&D enough"...in other words, not weird enough for use in your average (or below average) D&D game.

So I will be endeavoring to get some more weirdness "stuck in" to the mix. In reviewing my notes for a different B/X setting concept (one based on Dark Sun, of all things) I can see I had plenty of magic mixed in with the psychic weirdness and the monsters were certainly fit for the blasted post-magic-apoc setting. I probably need MORE weirdness in mine: talking polar bears and psychic snowflakes and such...otherwise what are characters supposed to DO in this setting.

[*sigh*]

Anyway, we haven't gotten to Chapter 6 yet, so there's still time for me to up the ante on the strange and bizarre. We'll see if I can find it in my heart to do so...
; )

Land of Ice (The Adventure, Part 2)

2011-12-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

[continued from here]

EXPERIENCE AND ADVANCEMENT

Characters in LAND OF ICE do not have as many levels of experience as the normal B/X rules, being limited to 5th level for most classes and 4th level for the non-humans (Alfr and Dvergr characters). Likewise, the experience point tables are a little different from the standard ones found in the B/X rules, due to the compressed nature of leveling.

FIGHTER
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 800xp
3rd Level – 8000xp
4th Level – 40,000xp
5th Level – 80,000xp

HUNTSMAN
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 700xp
3rd Level – 7000xp
4th Level – 35,000xp
5th Level – 70,000xp

MAGICIAN
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 1000xp
3rd Level – 10,000xp
4th Level – 50,000xp
5th Level – 100,000xp

SKALD
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 600xp
3rd Level – 6000xp
4th Level – 30,000xp
5th Level – 60,000xp

THIEF
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 500xp
3rd Level – 5000xp
4th Level – 25,000xp
5th Level – 50,000xp

ALFR
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 1500xp
3rd Level – 15,000xp
4th Level – 75,000xp

DVERGR
1st Level – 0xp
2nd Level – 900xp
3rd Level – 9000xp
4th Level – 45,000xp

In LAND OF ICE, experience points are earned for the same things as in B/X: acquisition of treasure and defeating opponents. 1xp is earned for every gold mark (gm) worth of treasure recovered or earned for an adventure. Experience points for opponents are earned at the same rate given in the B/X rule book.

Experience points are distributed at the end of an adventure (i.e. each game session), evenly divided amongst all surviving party members. Once the individual awards are determined, individual bonuses and penalties for Wisdom (see Chapter 2) and Honor (see below) are calculated. If the party has a skald, all PCs earn additional XP based on the skald’s level, as explained in Chapter 2.

Earning a level has several effects: hit points and class abilities are increased as explained in Chapter 2 and attack and saving throws increase as explained in Chapter 5. In addition, player characters earn one advance for every increase in level. An advance is a special bonus, earned as a reward, used to distinguish characters from each other based on their own personal focus. Players can choose from the following advances upon reaching a new level of experience:

Ability Increase: +1 to one of the character’s ability scores
Extra Hit Points: +1D6 extra hit points (no Constitution modifier)
Psychic Power: +1 additional psychic point (only if character is already psychic)
Psychic Clean-Up: Subtract 2D4 corruption points (minimum 0)
Saving Throw Bonus: +2 bonus to one category of saving throws
Weapon Specialization: +1 to attack and damage rolls with specific weapon

A saving throw bonus can only be taken once for each saving throw category. A character can only take weapon specialization once for each weapon. Non-psychic characters (other than dvergar) that raise their Intelligence to 14 develop a psychic talent (with 1 psychic point) just as if they had started the game with a high Intelligence score.

HONOR

Honor is an important aspect of the northman’s character, and a major source of confidence and ego to human characters. Failing to act “honorably” results in characters devaluing themselves; in game terms this results in penalties to experience points earned during a play session.

While the alfar and dvergar know and understand the honor of the northmen, being non-human they have different ideas of what is “honorable behavior” and they don’t allow considerations of honor get in the way of adventuring. Thieves are outside the normal expectations of “honorable society” and never face honor penalties for their actions.

What constitutes honorable action differs between character classes, as listed below. Whenever a character acts dishonorably during an adventure, the DM should make note of it. When experience points are distributed at the end of an adventure, penalties are assessed on the character’s individual share. Some penalties may be assessed more than once per session, at the DM’s discretion.

All Characters (except thieves)
Allowing insult to stand unchallenged: -10%
Breaking oath or word of honor: -100% (-20% for non-humans)

Fighters
Backing down from a worthy* fight: -10%
Fleeing combat: -25%
Surrender against long odds: -10%
Surrender without a fight: -50%
*a worthy fight is against an opponent of equal or greater level/hit dice.

Huntsmen
Admitting own abilities insufficient: -10%
Asking for assistance: -25%
Failing to defend own goods/property: -20%
Refusing a solo assignment: -30%
Waste: -10%

Magicians
Displaying envy/greed/lust (by word or deed): -10%
Displays of power for vanity: -5%
Fighting with mundane weapons: -10%
Wearing armor for battle/war: -20%
Wearing armor otherwise: -50%

Skalds
Choosing sides for greed or whimsy: -10%
Failing to maintain splendid appearance: -5%
Initiating combat without discussion: -25%
Losing instrument: -25%
Refusing a request for performance*: -30%
*not applicable in combat situations, of course!

Alfar
Refusing a social drink: -20%

Dvergar
Giving a gift without recompense: -20%

Land of Ice (The Adventure, Part 1)

2011-12-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

[as stated in the Player Character section, these rules update the B/X for the specifics of the LAND OF ICE campaign setting; if information from Chapter 4 of the B/X rule books is not specifically addressed/modified herein, players should use the standard B/X rules]

Organizing a Party

Parties should use the standard instructions when organizing an adventuring party; a good mix of character classes is generally desirable. Remember that the presence of a skald will increase the amount of experience points earned by party members, though only if the skald survives the adventure. Remember also that a party may not contain more than one skald.

Movement and Encumbrance

The optional encumbrance rules are not used in LAND OF ICE. Characters are considered to possess the standard movement rate (120’) unless heavily burdened. A character can carry the following gear without being heavily burdened:

1 suit of armor (including shield and helm)
Up to 4 weapons*
A dagger
Reasonable adventuring equipment
One-half their treasure allowance (see below)

*any weapon marked as “two-handed” in Chapter 2 counts as two weapon choices. Daggers count as one-half a weapon choice.

A character’s maximum “treasure allowance” is dependent on a character’s Strength score:

3-7 = 50# of treasure
9-13 = 100# of treasure
14-18 = 150# of treasure

Remember that in LAND OF ICE, 25 coins weigh 1 pound.

Characters that carry more than the listed amount are considered heavily burdened and have their movement reduced to 60’.

If a player character is carrying the body of a comrade, he may do so by dispensing with ALL his treasure or half his treasure AND all his normal adventuring gear (if the comrade is carried by two characters instead of one, each must drop one-half their treasure OR their “reasonable adventuring equipment”). Carrying a fallen comrade always counts as being heavily burdened, unless a strong (STR 14+) character dispenses with all equipment, treasure, and extra weapons.

SNOW TRAVEL

Except along the southern coast, terrain in LAND OF ICE is often cold and snow-covered due to the long (6 month) winters and the high latitude of the planet’s main continent; and sudden snow-storms and treacherous ice packs are not uncommon, especially as one gets closer to the northern mountain ranges.

Travel over snow is at one-half normal rate. Sleds have the same movement as for carts and wagons (60’ or 12 miles per day), but are only useful in snow (wagons and carts cannot be used in snow conditions at all). Characters on-foot and equipped with snow shoes can increase their over-land speed to two-thirds normal. Horses and animals cannot wear snow-shoes.

In blizzard conditions, movement drops to one-quarter normal, and even sleds are unable to operate. Characters will suffer D4 points of damage per hour of exposure unless suitable measures are taken to protect against the cold. A snow storm increases the chance of being lost, even with a guide (see Chapter 8 for more information).

HIRELINGS AND SPECIALISTS

All specialists listed in the B/X books are may be hired in LAND OF ICE, though availability of some specialists may be scarce (especially alchemists, engineers, and sages). To determine the monthly cost in gold marks (gm), divide the standard B/X cost by five. For example, a sage (if available) would cost 400gm per month to hire.

The exception to this is seamen; while the cost of captains and navigators is unchanged, the only ship found in the LAND OF ICE is the Viking longship, which is crewed by warriors who also act as sailors and rowers. When hiring a crew, you must pay the purchase price of either light or heavy footmen (see below).

Mercenaries in the LAND OF ICE are more limited. Except for alfar, non-human mercenaries are NOT available for hire, and alfar may only be hired by alfar (they will not fight for northmen). The type and cost of available mercenaries are as follows:

Thrall/peasant (AC 8) = 6ss/month
Light footman (AC 6) = 18ss/month
Heavy footman (AC 3) = 30ss/month
Archer (AC 7) = 21ss/month
Crossbowman (AC 7) = 15ss/month
Light horseman (AC 6) = 2gm, 5ss/month
Heavy horseman (AC 4) = 3gm, 8ss/month

Alfar mercenaries cost twice the listed amount, though crossbowmen are not available.

[to be continued]

Correction

2011-12-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

Just FYI:

I've edited the psychic powers chapter of Land of Ice so it's less fiddly and more "psychic friendly."

Sorry about the earlier weirdness.

; )

Land of Ice (Psychic Powers)

2011-12-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

[unlike B/X, Land of Ice does not use the typical Vancian spell system; the following rules replace the normal magic rules and spell lists]

[***EDIT: Upon reflection, I decided the rules as written are a bit too fiddly for my taste...also they skew PC choices in a way I don't like (I want players to always feel there's an option to use their psychic powers, rather than having a "two-strikes-you're-out" rule). As such, I now have a psychic corruption table with mixed effects/disorders, not all of which are terribly debilitating. Yay!***]

Seidhr is the name given to the practice and use of psychic talents, the powers of the mind developed centuries ago by the alfar and the ancestors of the northmen, mainly the vanir. In the current age, these powers are little understood and often regarded with suspicion; those who study the seidhr discipline are viewed as “sorcerers” by many northmen.

Psychic talent is genetically inherited, but unless developed through training it remains little more than a "lucky" or magic talent, one passed along certain bloodlines from parent to child (though sometimes skipping generations). Characters of the magician class are those who have undertaken the training to develop their natural ability; characters with an Intelligence of 14 or better have natural psychic talent that will manifest even without training. Dvergar never possess or develop psychic ability.

In LAND OF ICE, psychic ability is measured in points. Any character with Intelligence greater than 13 has 1 point of psychic ability; magicians and alfar have 1 point per level of experience, in addition to that received from high Intelligence (if applicable). Points are assigned to specific psychic talents (power categories), with more points indicating a higher chance of success. Non-psychic character classes (fighters, huntsmen, skalds, and thieves) are limited in how these points are applied; magicians and alfar are not.

All psychic talents have three levels of power, called stages. To use a psychic ability, the player chooses the stage he is attempting and rolls two dice; the type of dice rolled depends on the number of points assigned to the ability:

1 Point – Roll 2D4
2 Points – Roll 2D6
3 Points – Roll 2D8
4 Points – Roll 2D10
5 Points – Roll 2D12

Each die is reviewed separately. In order for a psychic ability to take effect, the number on each die must exceed the stage of effect the character is attempting to use. For example, if a character with 2 points in a talent wants to attempt a stage 2 power, the player rolls two six-sided dice and needs to roll a 3 or better on both dice for the power to take effect.

Using the powers of the mind is physically draining to the character: a successful roll does D4-1 points of damage to the character, representing fatigue. If this reduces a character’s hit points below 0, damage is applied to the character’s Constitution, causing nose bleeds, brain hemorrhaging, aneurisms, and stroke.

Failing on a psychic roll does not cause damage to the character, but the character runs the risk of psychic corruption. If the dice roll results in “snake-eyes” (i.e. a double roll of “1”), then the character gains 1 point of corruption (see below).

When a character fails a psychic roll but does NOT roll snake-eyes, the player can choose to gain a point of corruption in order to change the failure to a success. The character takes the usual damage (as if the dice roll had succeeded), and the power succeeds. When exchanging failure for success in this way the stage of the power cannot be higher than the character’s level of experience (for example, a 1st or 2nd level character could not choose corruption to succeed at a stage 3 power).

Psychic Corruption: Harnessing the power of seidhr can be dangerous for the undisciplined mind. Whenever a character gains a point of corruption he must make a saving throw with a target number equal to the character’s total number of corruption points. Failure indicates the psychic must make a roll on the Corruption Table found in Chapter 5: The Encounter.

Non-Psychic Characters

Fighters, Huntsmen, Skalds, and Thieves can possess psychic ability, though ONLY those with an Intelligence of 13 or greater. However, even those characters that do have psychic talent tend to be focused in specific areas, determined by class. This may be due to psychic manifestation being appropriate to temperament (temperament leading to certain classes), or it’s possible that certain bloodlines of psychic talent are drawn to specific classes.

Regardless, each non-psychic class is associated with a specific talent. Only 1 in 6 classes have a different talent than that associated with it; players that wish their character to have a different class must roll D6 (with a 1-5 meaning they get the normal talent) OR receive the DM’s permission to choose a different talent. The natural psychic talents associated with non-psychic classes are:

Fighter – Adrenal Stimulation (“Berserk”)
Huntsmen – Animal Empathy (“Beast Ken”)
Skald – Emotional Projection (“Enchantment”)
Thief – Mental Obfuscation (“Wraith”)

Psychic Characters

Alfar and magicians may distribute points to any of the psychic abilities listed below. Every time a psychic character earns an additional level of experience, a new point may be invested in a new psychic talent or an existing one (making the character more proficient in a particular specialty). The following is the complete list of psychic talents available:

Adrenal Stimulation (“Berserk”)
Animal Empathy (“Beast Ken”)
Atmospheric Field Manipulation (“Weather Magic”)
Cellular Reconstruction (“Healing”)
Emotional Projection (“Enchantment”)
Genetic Re-Pattering (“Shifting”)
Mental Obfuscation (“Wraith”)
Molecular Agitation (“Pyromancy”)
Probability Tracking (“Divination”)
Structural Manipulation (“Shaping”)
Telekinesis (“Moving”)
Telepathic Manipulation (“Mentalism”)

PSYCHIC TALENTS

Adrenal Stimulation (“Berserk”)

Range: Self Only
Stage 1 – For one combat encounter, character receives +2 bonus to melee attacks and +D8 extra hit points; character can fight even after suffering a major wound. These benefits fade when the fight is over.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character receives one extra melee attack per round and adds an additional +D8 extra hit points (total of +2D8).
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character does double damage with successful attacks and adds an additional +D8 extra hit points (total of +3D8).

Animal Empathy (“Beast Ken”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Can “communicate” with unintelligent animals via emotion/feeling. Communication is two-way; check standard reaction roll.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but can compel animal to do simple favors for the character.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but can assume control of animal, controlling its actions and sensing through its senses.

Atmospheric Field Manipulation (“Weather Magic”)

Rage: Sight
Stage 1 – Sense and detect weather patterns before they occur (a day in advance).
Stage 2 – As stage 1 but can perform minor weather manipulations (starting/stopping rain, making it snow in winter, etc.).
Stage 3 – As stage 3, but can perform extreme weather manipulations (conjure lightning from a cloudless sky, summon tornadoes and hurricanes).

Cellular Reconstruction (“Healing”)

Range: Touch
Stage 1 – Heal character of 2D6 damage
Stage 2 – Cure disease and poison
Stage 3 – Revive a mortally wounded character if used within a few minutes

Emotional Projection (“Enchantment”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can instill emotions/feelings in a target, moving the individual to laughter or tears. Characters of level higher than the psychic are allowed a saving throw to resist. Ability has no affect on unintelligent beasts.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but power can affect all individuals in sight of the psychic.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but can instill intense emotions causing extreme reactions: orgiastic lust, angry rioting, suicidal depression, etc.

Genetic Re-Pattering (“Shifting”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – Character can alter form to that of a small animal (bird, fish, wolf, etc.) or alter appearance to become uglier or more attractive; effect lasts until character chooses to return to his original form.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can alter form to that of a creature of equal hit dice (or fewer) or alter appearance to that of a specific individual.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can alter form to that of a creature of up to double the character’s level in hit dice.

Mental Obfuscation (“Wraith”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – By remaining still and quiet, character becomes undetectable (i.e. ignored by those who pass by) as if the character wasn’t even present. Animals are unaffected. Dvergar receive a saving throw to detect the character. Effect lasts until character moves, makes noise.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can move (quietly) amongst people without being detected. Effect lasts until character chooses to end it or until character makes an attack on someone.
Stage 3 – As stage 3, but character can “vanish” from plain sight.

Molecular Agitation (“Pyromancy”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can create small fires, doing 2D4 damage and setting flammables alight (doing additional damage of 2D4 per round until extinguished). Side effects of this power can be exceptionally dangerous, especially when used inside wooden structures.
Stage 2 – Character can create large fires, doing 4D6 damage, ruining metal goods, and causing nearby combustibles to burst into flame.
Stage 3 – Character can create huge fires, setting the air aflame and incinerating most targets (6D8 damage). The character is unaffected by her own flame (except when suffering the effects of corruption), though may be deprived of oxygen if used underground or in closed/cramped spaces.

Probability Tracking (“Divination”)

Range: Self
Stage 1 – Character gains flashes of future occurrence of events that directly the psychic. The future is always in motion, and may be influenced by the characters actions so specific visions may not come to pass (for example, a character may see his own death at the hands of an assassin; though the attack might occur, actual death might not due to knowledge of the attack).
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can see future events that affect friends, loved ones, or even acquaintances.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can see future events that affect places and objects to which the character has a connection, not just people.

Structural Manipulation (“Shaping”)

Range: Touch
Stage 1 – Character can sense and manipulate the molecular structure of solid, inanimate objects, shaping them as desired; items as hard as wood or bone can be manipulated.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can manipulate items as hard as stone.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can manipulate hard metals and alloys.

Telekinesis (“Moving”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can move light objects with the mind alone; used as a weapon, character can do D6 damage (no attack roll necessary).
Stage 2 – As stage 1 but characters can move larger objects (up to the size of a horse), doing up to 2D6 damage if desired.
Stage 3 – As stage 2 but character can move huge objects or crush opponents for 4D6 damage.

Telepathic Manipulation (“Mentalism”)

Range: Sight
Stage 1 – Character can project his own thoughts, and read the surface thoughts of others. Characters are allowed a saving throw to resist. This ability does not work on unintelligent creatures/animals.
Stage 2 – As stage 1, but character can read a target’s deeper hidden or secret thoughts or access memories in the subject’s subconscious.
Stage 3 – As stage 2, but character can warp and/or erase the subject’s memories, freely tinkering with the target’s mind.

Crap on a Stick

2011-12-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

My coffee maker's broken.

I've got a pound of Diva's special dark roast, I picked up half a dozen donuts this morning, there's football on the tube, and I have no coffee. This is a very bad thing. For folks who don't know me, I drink coffee like I used to smoke cigarettes...a pot a day up to two pots on the weekend.

Dammit!

I have a (*phaug!*) french press, that I am using due to the emergency nature of the situation, but I am going to have to make a trip to Fred Meyer today as this situation cannot be allowed to continue.

Ugh. Garbage. As my wife would say, tastes like sock tea.

In other news, I'm sorry for the delay in the next chapter on Land of Ice. It's coming, hopefully today. The weekend responsibilities have, as usual, taken over but I've been mentally scripting the chapter in my free time.

Ugh...this is truly terrible. I'm going to need to run to the coffee shop. Sorry.

: (

Rough Thursday Outing

2011-12-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Thursday night's play test didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. We were shy a couple people anyway, but the chargen process took much longer than I anticipated. In addition, the characters that got created turned out to be much more exciting/interesting than the scenario I'd written up for the play test.

I think the main thing that didn't work, though was ME...I was coming off my third (fourth?) night of less than 4 hours sleep, and shooting a whisky to start the evening was a stupid, stupid idea (especially as I'd had a beer earlier with dinner, but I was watching a pretty good Seahawks game). By the time I'd been slurring along for a couple hours, my energy was completely sapped...and being less than enthused for my own adventure (not to mention, being two weeks out from when I'd initially written it...so I didn't remember it all that well), made it a less-than-memorable event.

I think I need to fall back on the old space opera trope of starting in media res...you know, an action sequence with blasters firing and starships swooping and all that jazz? Or maybe not...I mean, if the session is supposed to play like a symphony, shouldn't it start slow and build to a crescendo?

(*sigh*)

My players have been generous enough to give me one more week of play testing as we didn't make it very far last session. I shall be re-tooling the adventure between then and now to "spice things up."

One thought that's been drumming on my mind, I think there may be too many cards in play. OR maybe there just isn't enough incentive to use them. Ugh...have to ponder this, but it sure seems like guys with a good hand really don't need to expend all that many cards (unless they're taking damage in a fight...and the smart money can find ways to avoid fights). I'm going to have to think about this...I really, really want cards to get spent in play.

Maybe I need to charge characters a "toll" card for ANY action that requires a roll. Or any action where they wish to roll more than one die. Hmmm...something to consider.

Land of Ice (PC Information, Part 2)

2011-12-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

[continued from here]

CHARACTER CLASSES

As stated there are seven class choices in LAND OF ICE. The northmen (the descendents of those space wanderers that crashed so long ago) who choose a life of adventure fall into one of five classes: Fighter, Huntsman, Magician, Skald, and Thief. There are also two non-human classes players can choose for their characters: Dvergr and Alfr. Non-human adventurers do not exhibit the same variety of focus as the northmen; as such, all dvergar share the same capabilities, as do all alfar.

FIGHTERS

Most northmen adventurers are warriors and many warriors of the northmen race style themselves as adventurers. As explained in the Introduction, the northmen valorize martial prowess and most children receive at least some training in the use of arms for the defense of the community. Fighters, though, are professional warriors who do nothing but train for battle.

Fighter Advantages: Fighters roll D8 per level to determine hit points. Fighters receive a bonus to melee attack rolls equal to their level. Due to their training, fighters receive an additional +1 bonus to AC when using a shield. Fighters are decisive in combat, and receive a bonus to their initiative when fighting in single combat ONLY; this bonus is lost in group combat as the fighter must coordinate his efforts with his companions.

Fighter Limitations: Fighters are expected to be bold in battle, and seek out combat. They lose honor for being cowardly in battle, which penalizes their earned experience points. See Chapter 4 for information on honor. Fighters may achieve a maximum of 5th level of experience.

HUNTSMEN

Some northmen live outside the community by choice; they do not mix well with their fellows, or they simply prefer a life of solitude in the wilderness. They may still have good relations with nearby settlements, trading the product of their labor (hunting, trapping, and fishing) for crafts they are unable to manufacture themselves. They are used to operating alone, and can provide valuable skills in the wilderness.

Huntsman Advantages: Huntsmen roll D6 per level to determine hit points. Huntsmen receive a bonus to attack rolls with ranged attacks equal to their level. They can travel very quietly and make good use of cover in the wilderness (being detected only 20% of the time, and surprising opponents on a 4 in6 chance), but only when operating independently or with other huntsmen.

Huntsman Limitations: Huntsmen lose their stealth abilities if wearing armor heavier than leather (any type of mail, for example). Huntsmen are expected to be rugged and self-sufficient. They lose honor for relying on other for help, which penalizes their earned experience points. See Chapter 4 for information on honor. Huntsmen may achieve a maximum of 5th level of experience.

MAGICIANS

Some northmen are born with a measure of psychic ability, genetic gifts that tend to run in particular families and bloodlines (especially those whose ancestors mixed with the native alfar). Those who develop these abilities, called seidhr, are viewed with equal measures of awe and suspicion by most northmen, but there is no denying the power they grow to wield.

Magician Advantages: All magicians are trained in the seidhr crafts and use “magic” as described in Chapter 3: Psychic Powers.

Magician Limitations: Magicians are expected to hold themselves aloof from “mundane affairs” and lose honor for being interested or mired in “baser” concerns (greed, romance, politics, etc.). Likewise, there is an expectation that magicians will rely on their magical abilities for their advantage; wearing armor like a warrior or using other mundane equipment can also result in a loss of honor for a mage, costing him in earned experience. See Chapter 4 for information on honor. Magicians may achieve a maximum of 5th level of experience.

SKALDS

Skalds are a combination of scholar, poet, and musician. They are responsible for chronicling the history of the northmen people, keeping record by memory, and sharing that history through story-telling and song. Many are wanderers that take tales from one settlement to another, recounting legends and learning new ones. Others reside in a single location, keeping the history of the place, and passing it on to both residents and visitors. Skalds occupy a place of honor in northman society second only to warriors.

Skald Advantages: Skalds roll D6 per level to determine hit points. Skalds can expect to enjoy hospitality (food, drink, and lodging) from any northmen encountered, and are generally considered “neutral” (even in wartimes) until proven otherwise by their actions. They receive an additional +1 bonus when making reaction rolls. Skalds have a chance to recall or know useful information on most any subject, checked by rolling their level or less on a D6. A skald can sing the exploits of his travelling companions, earning all party members a bonus to earned XP of +2% per level of the skald, so long as the skald survives the adventure (the skald herself does not receive the bonus).

Skald Limitations: Skalds must have a stringed musical instrument (cost: 4gm) to identify their trade. In exchange for hospitality, skalds are expected to entertain their host. Failing to do so can cost the skald honor, which penalizes her earned experience points. See Chapter 4 for information on honor. Skalds may achieve a maximum of 5th level of experience.

THIEVES

Not all northmen have the disposition for fighting, the skill of the skald, the ruggedness of the hunter, or the mental discipline of the magician, and yet still aspire to something more than the simple life of a farmer or craftsman. Such individuals are called thieves, for they seek to win fame and fortune not rightly theirs. To the northmen’s perspective such should be the reward of honest effort, not opportunist action.

Thief Advantages: Thieves roll D6 per level to determine hit points. Thieves add +1 pee level to attack rolls made against an opponent who is caught unawares. They can perform bits of petty larceny (picking pockets, jimmying locks, concealing objects, etc.) by rolling equal to or less than their level on a D6 roll. Thieves enjoy more than their fair share of luck to make it as adventurers; they may reroll a number of dice per game session equal to their level (for example, a 3rd level thieve can reroll up to three times during a game session). Any dice roll the thief’s player has made may be rerolled, but the result of the second roll must be accepted (i.e. it cannot be re-rerolled).

Thief Limitations: Thieves receive a -1 penalty to reaction rolls with northmen due to their poor reputation. Thieves may achieve a maximum of 5th level of experience.

ALFAR

The alfar are an indigenous species to the planet, and have been in the world far longer than the northmen. Immortal unless killed and inherently psychic, the alfar resemble northmen in many ways, but they are tall, slim, and exceedingly beautiful in appearance.

Alfr Advantages: Alfar roll D6 per level to determine hit points. The alfar enjoy the same psychic abilities as a trained magician (see Chapter 3: Psychic Powers). While not a particularly martial race, all alfar are trained to defend themselves against a hostile world and have many years of practice; they enjoy a +1 bonus to attack rolls (melee or missile). Alfar are telepathic and can freely communicate mind-to-mind with any creature they can see (though most animals have little to say); over the centuries, they have also learned the northmen’s language and can speak this as well. An alfr has especially keen senses and enjoys a +1 bonus to notice things; they are only surprised on a roll of 1.

Alfr Limitations: Alfar may achieve a maximum of 4th level of experience. Player characters must have an intelligence score of 9 or better to play an alfr.

DVERGAR

The dvergar species was genetically engineered long before the northmen ever came into this realm. While diminutive (about half the height of the northmen), they are strong for their size, fully as capable as taller adventurers. Exceptionally long-lived, the dvergar are also exceedingly clever, especially with machines and smithing. They tend to live in the mountains, closer to scarce sources of metal, for use in their crafts and wares. Their small size makes them ideal spelunkers. They speak the same language as the northmen. They have no natural psychic talent.

Dvergr Advantages: Dvergar roll D6 per level to determine hit points. Their genetic engineering makes them a hearty race, and they receive an additional +2 hit points per level. In addition, a dvergr has natural healing abilities that allow them to recover damage at double the normal rate, and they will eventually heal even major wounds; see Chapter 5 for information on damage and healing. All dvergar are excellent smiths and craftsmen, dvergar with an intelligence of 13 or greater have the ability to manufacture machines that function like “magic.” They have excellent senses of smell and hearing and a good directional sense; dvergar are never lost underground.

Dvergr Limitations: As stated, Dvergar never develop psychic talents even with an intelligence greater than 13. They receive a -1 penalty to reaction rolls with northmen. Dvergar may achieve a maximum of 4th level of experience. Player characters must have a constitution of 9 or better to play a dvergr.

Land of Ice (PC Information, Part 1)

2011-12-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

[The following setting material replaces the information found in the Basic and Expert sets; when using the Land of Ice campaign setting the following rules should be applied. Where the information provided does NOT contradict the normal rules, the standard B/X system should be applied]

Creating a character for LAND OF ICE consists of the following steps:

1. Determine Ability Scores
2. Choose Class
3. Adjust Ability Scores, Note Bonuses
4. Roll Hit Points
5. Roll Money, Choose Equipment
6. Determine AC, Attack Rolls, Saves
7. Name Character, Final Touches

Step 1: Determine Ability Scores

Characters in LAND OF ICE have the six ability scores found in B/X: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. When creating a character, each player rolls 4D6 a total of six times, discarding the lowest die rolled. The six sums are then arranged in any order the player desires.

Step 2: Choose Class

Players have seven classes from which to choose. Fighter, Huntsman, Magician, Skald, and Thief are the five classes available to northmen; there are also two non-human classes: Alfar and Dvergr. Only one skald may be present in an adventuring party; if more than one player wishes to create a skald, the PC with the highest Charisma has the first option to play the skald (of the PCs have the same Charisma, roll randomly to see who gets to play the class and who must play a different class). All starting characters begin at 1st level of experience.

Step 3: Adjust Ability Scores; Note Bonuses/Penalties

The characters in LAND OF ICE have no prime requisite scores, and thus do not make adjustments to ability scores based on class. Instead, players may add +1 to any ability score UP TO FIVE TIMES. These +1 bonuses can be added to the same ability score, or divided between ability scores, reflecting the extra time and effort the PC has devoted to the ability.

For every +1 bonus taken, the player receives one less die when rolling for money (see below).

Ability score bonuses and penalties are different from standard B/X play. Penalties are only assessed for scores below 8, bonuses are only received for scores greater than 13.

Strength <8 = Base damage is D4

Strength >13 = +1 bonus to melee attack rolls
Intelligence <8 = Illiterate

Intelligence >13 = Character has psychic talent
Wisdom <8 = -25% from earned XP

Wisdom >13 = +10% on earned XP
Dexterity <8 = -1 penalty to missile attacks

Dexterity >13 = +1 bonus to missile attacks
Constitution <8 = -1 hit point per level

Constitution >13 = +1 hit point per level
Charisma <8 = -1 to Reaction rolls

Charisma >13 = +1 to Reaction rolls

Step 4: Roll Hit Points

Hit points (HPs) represent a character’s luck, endurance, and physical conditioning. It is a resource pool that must be depleted before a character suffers real, physical damage. Weapons and hazards do damage to characters; this damage is deducted from HPs, first; so long as the character has HPs remaining, it functions at full capacity. When HPs are reduced to 0, additional damage is subtracted from Constitution, representing real, physical damage, as explained in Chapter 5: The Encounter.

Fighters roll D8 per level for hit points; all other characters roll D6 per level. A character always receives at least one HP per level, regardless of Constitution penalty. DMs may allow characters to reroll any result of 1 or 2 at 1st level.

Step 5: Roll Money, Choose Equipment

There are three types of currency in the LAND OF ICE: gold marks (gm), silver shillings (ss), and copper pennies (cp). 25 coins weigh one pound. One mark (gm) has the same value as half a pound of silver. One penny (cp) is worth one-tenth a shilling. This can be expressed as:

2 marks (gm) = 25 shillings (ss) = 250 pennies (cp)

Player characters begin the game with 6D6 (6-36) marks worth of wealth. For each +1 bonus characters added to their ability score, the number of D6 dice rolled is reduced by one. For example: a character that added +2 to strength rolls only 4D6 for wealth instead of 6D6.Unspent money can be saved for later expenditure. When creating a new player character, you may not spend more than half starting wealth on any one single item.

The following equipment is available for purchase:

ARMOR
Heavy furs/hides – 1gm
Studded leather jack – 4gm
Half-mail – 6gm
Full-mail – 10gm
Full steel helm – 3gm
Shield – 2gm
Horse barding – 30gm

WEAPONS
Axe, battle – 1gm, 5ss
Axe, hand/throwing – 10ss
Dagger – 5ss
Mace/war club – 1gm
Maul* – 1gm, 8ss
Pole arm* – 1gm, 5ss
Spear – 7ss
Sword, short (seax) – 1gm, 5ss
Sword, long – 3gm
Bow* – 4gm
20 arrows – 1gm
Crossbow* – 6gm
30 quarrels – 2gm
Sling – 3ss
*indicates a two-handed weapon, see Chapter 5

ADVENTURING GEAR
Backpack – 1gm
Flask of (whale) oil – 5ss
Hammer, small – 3ss
Steel spikes (12) – 5ss
Lantern – 2gm
Mirror, small – 1gm
Rations, iron (1 week)
Rations, standard (1 week)
Rope, 50’ – 2ss
Sack, large – 5ss
Sack, small – 2ss

Snowshoes – 10ss
Tinderbox – 8ss
Torches (6) – 2ss
Water/wine skin – 2ss
Wine (1 quart) – 5ss
Wooden pole, 10’ – 2ss

ANIMALS AND TRANSPORT
Canoe – 10gm
Cart – 10gm
Chicken – 1cp
Cow – 4gm
Hawk, trained – 8gm
Horse, draft – 7gm
Horse, good – 15gm
Horse, poor – 5gm
Horse, war – 50gm
Mule – 5gm
Pig – 7ss
Saddle bags – 10ss
Sheep – 5ss

Sleigh - 13gm
Tack & saddle – 3gm
Viking longship – 3000gm
Wagon – 30gm

Step 6: Determine AC, Attack Rolls, and Saves

Character saving throws and attack rolls can be found in Chapter 5: The Encounter. Armor class (AC) is a function of armor worn as shown below; a lower number is better (i.e. more difficult to hit).

None: AC 9
Heavy furs/hides: AC 8
Studded leather jack: AC 7
Half-mail: AC 6
Full-mail: AC 4

Armor assumes a light cap or helm. Wearing a full steel helm is worth a +1 bonus to AC (reducing AC by 1 point); wielding a shield is worth an additional +1 bonus (or more when “On the Defensive;” see Chapter 5).

Step 7: Name Character, Final Touches

Choose a name for the character (examples are provided at the end of this chapter), and decide on the character’s appearance. Beginning PCs start with 0 experience points (XP), and will earn more for winning renown and glory.

All player characters have a score called Reputation which determines how well-known they are. Starting Reputation for player character is 0%; this is adjust upwards 5% for each exceptional ability score (i.e. an ability above 13 or below 8). More information on Reputation is found in Chapter 4: The Adventure.

[to be continued]

Space Prep

2011-12-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Just want folks to know I do plan on posting the next installment of the Land of Ice campaign setting today, but it might not be till later in the day...I also have to prep for tonight's game. This will (hopefully) be my first playtest run of the space opera game, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Anyway, I also have to do some real job-type work, too. I just wanted to give y'all a heads up.
: )

Land of Ice (Introduction)

2011-11-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

If the gods are finally helpless before evil, men and women must be more so. The heroes and heroines of the early stories face disaster… This is the conception of life which underlies the Norse religion, as somber a conception as the mind of man has ever given birth to. The only sustaining support possible for the human spirit, the one pure unsullied good men can hope to attain, is heroism; and heroism depends on lost causes. The hero can prove what he is only by dying. The power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.

From Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, The Mythology of the Norsemen

When is a legend legend? Why is a myth a myth? How old and disused must a fact be for it to be relegated to the category “Fairy-Tale?” And why do certain facts remain incontrovertible while others lose their validity to assume a shabby, unstable character?

From the introduction to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!

Led Zeppelin The Immigrant Song

***

They will tell you they are descended from the gods, but this is not true.

They will tell you their ancestors came to this world by design, but this is a half-truth at best.

They will tell you their divine forefathers came from another realm beyond the sky, crossing the gulf between worlds in a ship of immense proportion and grand design, bringing with them the people that would populate the world, and this is accurate…though perhaps not in the way the skalds imagine.

They came from another world, fleeing fire and death, pursued by their hated enemy, the Jotun. They crossed the vastness of space travelling within the nothingness, that place between the icy emptiness of space and the fiery blaze of the stars, finding a way their pilots could navigate using their evolved minds and ability to sense beyond the physical. To this world they came, finding it a restful respite from the pursuit that hunted them for so long.

But it was never their plan to stay for long. The world was too metal poor for their purposes. Yes, there was gold and silver to be mined, useful in ritual and technology as well as decoration, but the harder metals – those needed for machinery, weapons, and space travel – these were conspicuously absent. Even poor iron was scarce except in the frozen mountains, extremely difficult to procure. And while there were gemstones to be had, the crystals they relied on as both power source and mental focus were nowhere to be found. No, they could not stay on this world.

But there were those that dissented from the opinion. The crew members of a more spiritual bent felt the world could be a new home, a fresh start, leaving the mistakes of the past behind. The stark, cold landscape had a pristine beauty that was a marked contrast from the extravagance of their former realm…and its very lack of distraction proved conducive to the exploration of psychic powers they hoped to develop, though their fellows mocked them for their vanity.

But these vanir (as they came to be known) were simply non-cooperative and apathetic; others took more direct action to sabotage the mission. The genetically engineered technicians of the ship had long felt their life as one of virtual slavery to their creators. With the opportunity of landfall, the dvergar (so they are called) found a way to shirk their yoke and escape into the hills, absconding with materials and equipment necessary for the repair and operation of the craft…including the focus crystals of the pilots.

Effectively hamstrung by this defection, the remaining crew members, organized by their captain, set-off for the south and warmer climate, seeking to escape death at the hands of the encroaching winter. The vanir elected to stay with the ship, having made contact with the native sentient species; a humanoid race of ethereal beauty, the newcomers called them “alfar,” though they had no name for themselves. A telepathic race, they and the vanir shared an interest in the development of their psychic potential, and over the next many years would work together to create the seidhr crafts. They would also find that the two species were physically compatible with one another, and children born of both races soon appeared, further rooting the immigrants in their new world.

Meanwhile, the remaining newcomers attempted to carve out a home in a fierce wilderness, using the tools and weapons of their former world. It wasn’t long before they realized the hope of rebuilding their technologically advanced civilization was a lost cause. The resources they’d brought were finite, and the environment yielded no replacements, especially the fuel and energy needed for their greatest machines. Much of their might was expended against the native animal life, deadly and predatory in nature, as well as combating the elements, which proved exceptionally hazardous. The rotation of the planet led to exceptionally long, cold winters and the erratic moons created erratic tides along the coast of the southern sea, to go with the hurricane strength winds. Blizzards out of the mountains and permafrost where mining might otherwise yield valuable mineral resources made it clear that taming the planet to their own purpose would be a losing proposition.

Still under the leadership of their captain, it was decided that a last push would be made to gather and unite the crewmembers and attempt to get off-world before their diminishing resources forever marooned them on a hostile world. Mustering their strength, they marched back to the north and to war with the vanir who, by this time, had no interest in returning to the stars. Even with the aid of their psychic powers and their alfar allies, the vanir were no match for the well-armed and organized crew members, and the vanir were forced to capitulate.

The victory proved to be a hollow one. Knowing the captain’s next step would be to root out the dvergar mutineers and force them to return the piloting crystals, the last of the vanir resistance did the unthinkable, destroying the bridge and piloting controls of the ship, permanently stranding the star-travelers in the new world.

A pragmatic man as said, the captain took stock of what was and put away the dream of returning to space. He ordered the cannibalization of the ship and organized the building of the newcomers permanent settlement. Envoys were sent to the dvergar, who declined to return to the crew (being wary of once again becoming servants) but pacts and agreements were reached for mutual benefit, and peaceful trade precedents were set.

On the other hand, the alfar had no interest in joining with the newly reunited crew, feeling those in positions of power were far too warlike and aggressive compared to the peaceful vanir (with whom they continued some relations). They removed themselves farther north into the mountains, and endeavored to have as little contact with the immigrants as possible.

The alfar blood continued to circulate within the population, however, often accompanied by a strong, natural psychic potential. The crafts (seidhr training) were still taught within the settlement, especially among the descendents of the vanir, but it was often viewed with suspicion as “sorcery.”

A new culture evolved among the colonists, one in which martial prowess was held the greatest virtue, and where pragmatism and acceptance of fate to be the preferred outlook on life. Courage was valued above cleverness…especially in the face of so many dangers (environmental and predatory)…after all, the courageous individual is more likely to save many while the clever individual seeks mainly to save himself. True or not, it is the way the newcomers have come to look at the world being correct more often than not.

Because of this, one’s honor and one’s oath need be defended at all costs, otherwise showing an individual as a weakling and a coward. As the centuries have passed, and the once star-faring race has become the equivalent of a medieval, feudal society, and such a reputation is enough to ostracize an person, possibly leading him to become a true outcast, forced to live a life of banditry outside the warmth of the communal halls.

Far better to die a hero than live such a life of shame. Far better to seek glory and fail than to seek comfort and ease. Such an individual as would do the latter is of little use to their clan, considering a hostile world where every able-bodied person is needed to ensure the survival of all. Life is harsh; accept it and prepare to meet it, axe in hand.

Welcome to the LAND OF ICE.

Money Issues

2011-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

So today I've been researching medieval and ancient currencies in prep for my posted world setting. Ugh...what a freaking nightmare.

I won't say it hasn't been worthwhile reading, but it's a total pain in the ass trying to bend a fantasy game equipment list to anything historically accurate. And the conclusion I came to in the end is, it doesn't need to be "historically accurate." This isn't history we're talking about, it's fantasy.

Why does B/X D&D use a gold standard of currency instead of a silver standard? Because it's a damn fantasy world, that's why. While I can see that Gygax's AD&D currencies are based in large part on medieval England (with the pound substituting for the gold piece, the schilling for the silver piece, and the penny for copper...all in the appropriate rate of exchange of 1=20=200), who's to say what might be more (or less) valuable in an alternate (i.e. self-devised) fantasy setting? I'd want to build my fantasy economy on the silver mark, personally (the coins were a lot more portable)...but would a dragon want to sleep on a horde of guilders or florins?

[*sigh*]

I have seen, in more than one writing (and not just the internet) people complaining about the "unrealistic" costs of armor in the B/X system (for example, 60gps for a suit of plate mail, 40gps for a suit of chain). Per wikipedia (sorry) a hauberk alone cost the equivalent of 12 dairy cows and a full suit of mail might cost "as much as a small house." Well, okay then...how much would a dairy cow have cost in the 11th century?

Well, per one web site, the cost of a good cow in the 12th century would have been 10 schillings. If we use the AD&D Gygaxian conversion (pound = GP, schilling = SP, pence = CP) then a cow would be 10sp and a chain hauberk about 120sp (6gp, using AD&D conversion of 20sp to 1gp). The same site lists a 14th century merchant's house to cost from 33L to 66L (that's 33-66gp in conversion)...although a 14th century cottage is only 2L = 2gp. Guess it depends on your definition of a "small house."

The same site lists the cost of a suit of chainmail (12th century) as 100 schillings (sps); the equivalent of 5 pounds (or 5gp with D&D conversion). A complete suit of "lance armor" (plate & mail) as 3L 6S (that's 3gp and 6sp), while "ready-made milanese armor is L8 6S 8D (8gp + 6sp + 8cp), and "armor of proof" (plate tested against pistols and such) being L14 2S 8D. Under 15gp seems pretty good for firearm-sturdy plate armor, right?

As I said, it's enough to make your head spin. 13 schillings converts to about 1 silver mark. A silver mark is (or was rather) the value of half a pound of silver. In D&D terms, that's 5 silver pieces in any edition due to the giant-size of coins in the Gygaxian universe (10 coins = 1 pound). So if I do a straight conversion from real world to fantasy world (rather than just have the Gygaxian stand-in of 1=20=200 or L=gp, S=sp, D=cp), then you get this in real world terms:

Chainmail = 100 schillings
100 schillings = 7.69 silver marks (we'll round up to 8).
8 silver marks = 4 pounds of silver
4 pounds of silver = 40 silver coins in D&D (40sp)

Which means chainmail in D&D should be either 4gp or 2gp (in AD&D).

Now the cost of chainmail in B/X D&D is 40 gold pieces, not 40 silver pieces. Can we do a straight across conversion (i.e. real silver = "fantasy gold")? I mean it IS a "fantasy world," right? Sure you can...in which case, the costs in the B/X book seem just fine without blowing up the costs. I mean, the average cost of plate and mail is about 60 silver (i.e. 60 fantasy gold pieces). There may be an issue with the amount of starting wealth characters have (and some of the other equipment seems a bit over-priced), but I don't think inflating the prices makes the game more "realistic."

Interesting that "armor for the Prince of Wales, gilt and graven" cost a grand total of 340 L in the 17th century. Even converting pounds straight to gold pieces, I've seen an awful lot of "plate mail" listings post-B/X in the 400+ gp range (even DCC lists half-plate as 550gp and full plate as a whopping 1200gp!). Totally ridiculous!

All right, that's enough for now. My new world setting is going to be on the gold system, and costs will be fairly equivalent to B/X, but I plan on doing some weirdness with starting wealth (and I may also reduce the cost of some items...or not). But if anyone's wondering why I don't up the price of armor, well, this is why.

Cold Snow Bloggery

2011-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, back to work.

Now that the Seahawks have tanked for the season, I can get back to work. Not literally, of course...today I have the day off (though I've been watching my boy all morning; he's asleep right now). And I think it's high time I returned to a bit of B/X madness...specifically with a wintery twist.

Before I explain exactly what I mean, I'd like to make a note of JM's recent post over at Grognardia. I didn't get involved in the discussion (and, frankly, stopped reading the comments after the first 60 or 70) because he specifically asked folks to be polite and respectful and I'm not sure I could have been such on something I consider to be a fairly silly topic.

What do I mean "silly?" Well, there seems to be an implication (and JM's own comments lead me to infer this also, not just the initial post) that there is a greater value to RPG material ("product") that arises organically from play. James isn't just talking about product that's been playtested versus product that hasn't...he's talking about "the origin of the content."

To me, the whole discussion is ridiculous. Look, there are folks who fancy themselves designers and publishers (like myself, in my own admittedly poor, small fashion) and there are those who simply "play." If the latter are creating material/settings/adventures, they probably are NOT interested in publishing their stuff (i.e. for money or "professionally"). If the former, than most ANYthing they create is given at least a cursory glance with an eye for profit.

I know I do...whether it's a one-page micro-system or an adventure for bar-hopping gaming group, there's a part of me that says, "hmmm...should I type this up and sell it as a .pdf for a handful of bucks?" That's just how it is. And when writing adventures for said game group, there's always the idea (in the back of one's mind) that this might be, or could be, a "future product."

Now, perhaps Mr. Maliszewski himself wasn't originally intending to publish Dwimmermount...it appears this was originally more of a thought experiment/blog stunt to see how the whole OD&D/megadungeon thing works. Maybe he never intended it (in the beginning) to be published and it is only now that he has amassed a substantial amount of material that he sees potential (monetary) value in a Dwimmermount product.

Fine and dandy...but most of us in the publishing business (and, yes, I again count myself as one of these, despite having printed only a single book) have more definite objectives in our own adventure creation from the outset. Why? Well:

- few of us have the resources to devote to game design full time

- time to actually game/play is limited

- writing and playtesting takes time as well

- the best way to kill two birds with one stone is to make sure your game/play time is being used to playtest that which you've written

Again, only so long as you consider yourself a game designer/publisher. If you don't, than play/game whatever the hell you want.

Anyway, having said that, I'm interested in writing up a little something-something on the blog for those folks who are into the B/X thang...specifically a series of posts detailing a possible world setting for a B/X campaign. This will, of course, be done with an eye towards future publishing (for the reasons outlined above) rather than for any particular game I'm running (since I'm still intent on playtesting my space game at my weekly session). However, if the series is never compiled/printed, that's fine too...this ain't something I'm particularly attached to, and it IS something of a thought exercise; I'm just not ruling out money as a background motive for the stuff I write.

Jeez...I do live in the real world after all.

; )

So, right...there are two ideas I want to postulate/discuss on this post ('cause I'm not sure how I want to approach them in the series):

Idea #1 - The Setting

My setting is going to be a very specific one, rather than a generic World of Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms/Etc. It's going to be set in a cold and snowy environment...something like the planet Fenris from the WH40K fluff/novels. This is due to my own interest/fear/fascination with things snowy, arctic, and mountainous. Monsters, characters, rules, magic, etc. are all going to be adapted/skewed to this setting. Here's the part I haven't decided: Do I make the default character assumptions one of Norse Mythology? Or do I do something more in line with MZB's Darkover novels (including ancient space colonists and psychic powers)? I have an attraction to both styles of "snow" and can see value in both, but to keep the setting specific, I feel I need to keep on a single tract. Since this is going to be published in installments on my blog, what would readers like to see?

Idea #2 - The Style

A while back I started working on my own Fantasy Heartbreaker, just to get the damn thing out of my system (basically, "knocking off" D&D with my own "fixes" or "what I would have done different from Gygax & Arneson"). While I made quite a bit of progress on the thing (about 30 pages, last count), it remains backburnered at this time because A) it's a FHB, and B) I have non-FHBs (i.e. potentially lucrative products) waiting in the wings. However, there are plenty of things about "my system" that I like...prefer in fact...to standard D&D. Should I incorporate some of them? A new setting book is a great time/opportunity to throw in some "house rules" that are setting specific. OR should I make the game adhere closer to the standard B/X rules? Or Labyrinth Lord for that matter...I could toss an OGL on the thing and see about making it a semi-official supplement for LL rather than a setting for an out-o-print game system. Again, the only plan at the moment is to post the thing up on my blog (I have one or two other books that need printing before this one)...what style would my readers be interested in? Do you want Vancian magic and Gygaxian combat? Or something different entirely?

All right...so now you know what I'm thinking about/plotting. Depending on feedback, I'll probably start the posts this week.

And whadya' know...I finished my post and the baby is still asleep! Maybe I'll take a little nap!

: )

Tebowed or T-Jacked

2011-11-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

This will...almost certainly...be my last NFL post of the season, for which several of my readers will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief. The reason being that, barring a near miracle, the Seahawks chances of catching the 49ers...or even a wild card berth...are near nil.

[I say "near" miracle as the 49ers have shown the ability to self-destruct in recent years; however, tough as their remaining schedule is, I'm pretty sure they can manage at least one win, which is all they need]

About seven weeks ago, Steve-O was telling me with great interest (on his part) that he'd read a rumor on line that the Seahawks might be working out a trade for Tim Tebow from the Broncos. This was, of course, back when Tebow was still riding the pine in Denver. At the time, I told Steve that, bad as the Seahawks quarterbacks were, just about the last thing we needed was a Tim Tebow being adding to our roster, and that I was pretty sure the Seahawk brain trust felt the same way. Also, I figured it didn't matter who was starting behind our O-line with the messy state of it. Finally, I also had some less-than-flattering words for what I though of Denver's chances should Tebow ever take over the QB job.

Welp, the Seahawks did NOT work some trade for Tebow, just as I told Steve. But that's about the only thing I got right. Tebow has continued to roll, "Tebowing" opponents and making believers out of his naysayers.

Meanwhile the 'Hawks have been "T-Jacked." That's when you get great protection from your offensive line, great running form your H-back, and pretty stout defense...and the QB play is so awful that you can't close the deal, even at home.

Oh, there are certainly plenty of problems with the team...T-Jack wasn't on special teams when the Seahawks squandered their momentum in San Francisco allowing to kick returns for TDs. T-Jack hasn't been the one jumping off-sides even in our home stadium, killing drives over-and-over again.

But there are quarterbacks that inspire and provide leadership, and there are those that don't. Pro-Bowl QBs like Tom Brady or, yes, Matthew Hasselbeck...or guys with some undefinable quality (and tenacious athleticism) like Tim Tebow. And having those guys leading your team can make up for a lot of other shortcomings.

All right, that's enough bitching. The family's still sick (the baby has had a cold the last couple days), so I haven't got much sleep (I was up six or so times last night), and am probably crankier about today's loss than I really should be. It is just a game, after all. I can still enjoy the rest of the season by picking other teams to follow/root for. Lord knows, I had enough practice doing that back in the 90s.

Okay, so, yeah...that's it for NFL posts (unless I'm congratulating the Super Bowl winner at the end o the year). The good news for blog readers is I'm starting to percolate a few ideas for a new, B/X series of posts. Just give me a little time to rest up.

Dragonriders of Pern

2011-11-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

As others have mentioned around the blog-o-sphere, the scifi world mourned the passing of Grand Master Anne McCaffrey this week. Her accomplishments are a little too numerous to mention here, but folks interested in Old School D&D would do well to ready her books, which readily mix science fiction and fantasy...she IS one of the authors listed in the inspirational source material of the Basic rules, and I know she's been an inspiration for me, even mentioning her Pern books as "game setting" material in my B/X Companion.

Though I haven't read a single one of her novels.

Nope, I haven't. Don't look at me like that! I have read many of her short stories, and I do know quite a bit about Pern. But her Pern novels are high on my list of "books to read" that I just haven't got around to yet.

[truth be told, I don't do much fiction reading these days, except for "research" purposes. Right now I'm in the process of reading someone's rather dry, if fascinating, doctoral thesis on the state of science fiction literature for young adults and children]

Thing is, when I was first introduced to her books (back in grade school by older friends), her stuff was a little "over my head." I was busy reading Piers Anthony and Robert Aspirin and Steven King...sleezy fantasy of the type that appeals to adolescent boys, in other words. But then, I'm a guy that didn't even get through The Lord of the Rings trilogy until after high school...

Anyway, that's all beside the point. I recognize her work and DO intend to read more of it (as soon as I can find it at my local used book store); however, my interest is more in the "game design" department than "classic literature" anyway. For me, I celebrated Ms. McCaffrey's life by picking up a copy of the Mayfair Games' old boxed set Dragonriders of Pern. There was a complete (though used) copy down at Gary's for $20 and I was more than happy to snatch it up.

Dragonriders of Pern was published in 1983 and I can recall seeing it at a game shop or bookstore "back in the day" and wanting it (my friends and I were into Anne McCaffrey, even if I personally hadn't read the novels at the age of 10-11), but had no money to spend. Or maybe I did, but I was put off by the fact that it was a board game and not an RPG (in my younger days, I snubbed many a game for not being of the "cooler" variety). As I hinted earlier, I was a pretty dumb kid when it came to some things.

I can "pretty dumb" with my adult hindsight now because I spent yesterday reading and exploring the game: what a great piece of design!

[the following is a gross simplification, but I'm pressed for time at the moment]

Dungeons and Dragons started its existence as a war game (via Chainmail) and has (since then) moved into the realm of true "role-playing," given birth to numerous "role-playing" games, and then morphed (in its current state) into some sort of board game with computer RPG sensibilities.

Dragonriders is a bit of what Chainmail might have morphed into with an Indie-game sensibility and a strong commitment to the source material. By "indie-sensibility" I mean, the indie concept of making a game with a specific purpose in mind, rather than a generic "this game system can model EVERYthing approach." Dragonriders has definitive, specific objectives of play, not the least of which is being true to the themes of the novel. This in addition to being a fun, balanced game.

But what is this? you ask. Is Dragonriders of Pern some sort of role-playing game? Yeah, I'd actually go so far as to call it a primitive form of RPG...definitely moreso than Chainmail, maybe a bit less than OD&D. Here's how it works:

Each player takes the role of a specific weyr (i.e. "dragon rider clan") with specific named personalities.
Game play is played in turns consisting of two phases, an alliance (political) phase and a combat phase (where players must repel the spaceborn menace, thread, from threatening the planet).
Play continues until all city-states (called "holds") are aligned and all thread destroyed OR until the thread has managed landfall in enough locations wreck the ecosystem and cause mass extinction; in the former case, the player with the most political alliances wins, but in the latter ALL players lose.

Doesn't sound like much of an RPG, does it? It's not "open-ended." Play is divided into distinct phases (alliance and fighting). There's a definitive "endgame," and nothing in the way of serial/campaign play or character development/advancement. In addition, a number of external factors are determined by random "event cards" drawn each round.

And yet...

Players represent specific, named persons (characters from the novel); those familiar with the books can add their own spin to their actions. Each of the two phases have distinct "role-playing" opportunities...decisions that need to be made by players that are completely at the discretion of the players.

For example, the alliance phase...which holds characters decide to "woo" to their cause, where they devote their resources (money and personality-wise) are all determined by the individual strategy of the players. However, players also have the option of playing (or not playing) Event cards that cause gatherings of individuals...conclaves, weddings, dragon hatchings...that are "invitation only," based on politicking and jockeying for position.

Likewise, the combat phase seems fairly simplistic...commit certain troops (dragon flights) to areas of thread incursion, roll dice and determine victory and casualties sustained. However, it's NOT straight-forward as that as:

- weyrs need to commit strong forces to fighting thread lest they risk threadfall hitting the surface and burrowing.

- damage to weyr forces means full-strength flights are not always available

- invitations to other weyrs can be extended...and the other weyrs can either choose to come or not

The invitations are complicated by the penalties imposed on ALL forces for failing to defend against thread, but calling for help means rewarding (monetarily) those forces that respond...possibly heated rivals or those who have been thwarting your alliance attempts or otherwise being a pain in the ass. And yet NOT inviting help can have absolutely disastrous consequences for your own weyr and for the planet in general.

It's an interesting, fine line, couple with the game's own explicit instructions regarding diplomacy:

Any deal may be made between players including exchange of Event cards and Marks, and permission to use another player's Weyrleader or Weyrwoman for an Alliance Attempt. No rule requires any player to fulfill his end of a bargain.

That's from the basic rules and is similar to what one finds in Monopoly...except in Monopoly there's no risk that the world will end and EVERYONE loses due to the petty squabbles and in-fighting of robber-barons.

I find it fascinating...especially with the addition of the Masterharper character, available in games of 4 or more. This Taliesin-like wild card picks his own agenda, not shared with the other players, of either favoring a specific weyr leader or maintaining the status quo. He then lends aid (or hindrance) to the various players during the alliance phases, along with his little apprentice helpers. It's a nice way to play "spoiler," though if he rocks the boat too much and the weyr leaders are unable to effectively fight thread then everyone dies...again, it's a fine line.

Couple all that with the in-gam glossary and discussion of how to curse with Pernese expressions...plus the example of McCaffrey's novels...and you have a game that can allow you to live the danger and intrigue of the Pern dragon lords.

Only if you want to, of course. I'm sure there are those completely uninterested in this kind of play, just as there are players of Once Upon A Time who don't give a shit if the story told is any good, so long as they can empty their hand of cards (yes, I've played Once... with players like that...it's a bit frustrating). Again though, to me the interesting thing is the rudiments and potential of an RPG in the game...one can see how one could easily elaborate on the existing system (much as D&D is an elaboration of Chainmail) to create a true RPG.

Not that I'm interested in doing anything of the sort...I've got plenty to do with my own RPG projects as it is. And Dragonriders of Pern is a fine game as written...I wouldn't mind playing it with some like-minded folks.

; )

Stuffed and Thankful

2011-11-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

I've had a chance to revisit the blogs today (specifically this evening) reading stuff I've missed over the last couple weeks, something I just haven't been in a position to do lately for one reason or another. *sigh*

Anyway...I saw this post over at Demogorgon's temple, and it struck a bit of a chord in me. Enough so that I felt I'd throw out a post on the subject. First to address an idea Brunomac brings up (if briefly)...one I've seen in print before:

Those who can't game, blog.

Sure, there is something to this. When I first started blogging (and reading other RPG blogs) I was in a "non-gaming phase" of my life. Well, as much as I ever am (I've generally kept an eye open and ear to the ground with regard to RPGs over the years...even during "the dry times"). But it's true that I was gaming a LOT less during the height (read: most prolific) of my blogging a couple years ago.

Fact of the matter is, I needed a creative outlet that involved gaming and I didn't have one. Reading other folks' blogs, commenting, and writing my own allowed me to be involved in the gaming hobby. To be a voice in the conversation. To be a participant...something I desperately wanted...perhaps something I really needed.

There are many, many reasons to write blogs and many reasons to write gaming blogs. I'm not a writer...at least not by profession or education...and the blog wasn't really about needing that kind of creative outlet. Nor was I interested in acquiring a big following (um, "glory") and having a spotlight shone on my silly thoughts. Nor was I trying to drum up "buzz" for my RPG products (I hadn't written one at the time).

Nor was it even about nostalgia...hard as that might be to believe. My recollections and musings on my gaming childhood certainly gives me plenty of "blog fodder" (I've got a LOT of gaming history) but even though I wrote (at the beginning of this blog) that part of my reasons for starting it was "edification of memory," a glance over the subjects posted shows I've strayed a long way from that more often than not.

The fact of the matter is, I love role-playing games. I love games in general, but I especially love using your imagination to create characters and worlds. I love to pretend. Hell, that's probably most of the reason why I switched my major in college from engineering and pre-law to dramatic arts.

[though in retrospect, a minor in business and/or technical writing would have been smart]

And blogging about games allowed me to converse about those games that I loved...at first with the empty space of the internet, and then with the readers that started checking in at the ol' Blackrazor.

And it was a worthwhile conversation to have. It allowed me to keep my hand in. It forced me to both scrutinize and crystalize my thoughts on gaming. It allowed me to be a participant in my favorite hobby industry.

And it led me back into gaming...serious gaming, regular gaming. First with people who would allow me to play with them. Then to my own table and my own players. Now...well, despite a few slow weeks due to the holidays, I still have several people emailing me to see if they can join my group or asking me to participate in their own games.

And I've inspired some people. And that's the best part of this whole "blog thang" - the thing I love the most and yet something I was totally not looking for, nor expecting when I started this. I see other people gaming now that weren't doing so before. People gaming at least in part (I won't take all the credit) because of my actions.

And that is truly a great thing. Because I believe (and have written before) that it is a worthwhile pastime. That it is important in this day and age to have rituals that bring people together, engage them, force them to interact face-to-face, and use both their minds and their imaginations. Ritual...like sitting down to the gaming table on a weekly basis, taking out your dice bag and notebook (electronic or not), and ordering a beverage (alcoholic or not). Taking time to delight in the joy of fantasy and imagination, not just individually but communally. Building a community. Sharing the love.

Yeah, I'm passionate about it...perhaps overly so considering it's "just a game," not a cure for cancer or hunger or anything. Hell, it's not even exercise (after all the chow I put away tonight, I could use a work-out or two)...but exercise doesn't generally build "community" even if it does make for healthier, longer-lived, happier humans, which in turn can improve the world we live in.

But exercise is soooo much work. Or feels like it, compared to gaming.

; )

And so (I guess) I'm trying to say, I am VERY thankful...both for my opportunity to blog AND to the folks I've had a chance to game with over the last year AND to the role-playing community in general. I wish I had more time (and energy) to devote to both. But I'll do what I can for as long as I can.

All right, that's it. Time to go sleep off this zinfandel.

[by the way, don't forget to shop small business and local this weekend...and always...whenever possible. Good luck, folks!]

Cleaning My Plate

2011-11-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

[do you think Cheers was as popular as it was, simply for its kick-ass theme song? Sorry for the digression...just distracted by a commercial]

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving Day weekend is off to a wonderful start! I, of course, am in the midst of watching the Lions-Packers. This year, for a change, we have almost nothing to do...my mom is hosting and doing all the cooking, and we'll be heading over to her house sometime after the baby's morning nap. Until then, it's just me, my coffee, and a hard-fought football game on HD.

Man, I am a lazy bum.

Of course, I've had plenty to do with the sick family the last 10 days or so. The baby's been better for awhile, but it turns out the wife developed bronchitis...something I myself have had a tendency to pick up annually the last several years (for me, I chalk it up to a legacy of being an ex-chain smoker...for my wife, it's more an issue of over-work and inability to relax).

But she's got some meds now and is on the mend

[ope! My boy has just joined me...guess he hasn't gone down for his nap yet after all. Ah, well...I'll be picking up some breakfast sausage at half-time anyway]

[Doh...Megatron! You have GOT to make that catch! Oh, well]

ANYway...

Needless to say, my life is hectic enough that I've been unable to do much writing at home this month (duh...look at my blog count for the month!), and I've been relegated to catching what snatches of time I can at work. The good news? I've got quite a bit written on the new game...and I'm loving it so far.

HOWEVER, I realize I have a bunch of other projects that have been sidelined by my constant distractions...like my B/X supplement book that I've got artists already working on (and have had for a few months). And that's not cool of me to leave people hanging like that.

So I'm cleaning my plate.

[sorry...halftime...just a minute]

Yes, "cleaning my plate:" I'm getting all my half-finished products DONE (and with a quickness) so that I can give my total focus to development of the new game/system.

So, yesterday (Wednesday), I spent all my free time finishing up the B/X supplement. And I got it done. At this point, the writing is complete and put together...it simply needs the artwork added and then the final formatting and table of contents added. It didn't take more than a couple-five hours, but it's something I've been putting off (again, duh). My hope is to have it ready for printing/release no later than January (as I told my artists, I'd prefer to release it before the end of the year, but I don't think my holiday travel schedule will allow that to happen). Fortunately, a lot of the challenges/issues I had with my first book (the B/X Companion) got worked out during the process of that one...it was quite the learning experience. I am optimistic that this one will go smoother.

All right, that's the update...a new B/X book will be shortly in the offering from Running Beagle Games. I think I'll have enough artwork with the pieces already being contributed, but if anyone else is interested in submitting something for the book, drop me an email. Folks who contribute at least three pieces get a free print copy.

Have a great Thanksgiving folks! A big thanks to all my readers for the support over the years...you people are the greatest!

: )

Damn Holidays...

2011-11-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

[no, not really]

Just about everyone bailed on me for my play-test last night (including one guy just as I was leaving the house...jeez, H!), but I still ended up going down to the Mox last night because, well, beer and because I didn't want to stand up the one stand-up guy that was hanging out and waiting for me at the bar.

Eating a big-ass sandwich. Thanks, Matthew.

[Besides Tebow was playing on the Mox television and, yes, I was able to catch that fourth quarter knife in the heart of Jets fans. In a season where the Seahawks are once again hit with more than its fair share of bad luck (after two weeks of the best offensive line production in years, we lose the two starters on the right side for the season plus...who tears their ACL on a Wednesday practice drill in Week 10? Who does that?!)...welp, I'll take any NFL chuckles I can get, and seeing the AFC implode and the Pats (again) rising to the top is plenty entertaining. I hope Tebow & Co. slaps 'em down in the play-offs. If he can somehow lead the Broncos to a Superbowl win one of these years, we're probably looking at a future Republican candidate for VP...Congress at least (from Colorado, of course).]

Since it was just Matthew and I and he'd never had a chance to play MDR or Out of Time, I went over the basic DMI rules with him, including the new and improved updates I've thrown in. Here's something neat: he was excited and engaged just in discussing game play. He thought it sounded neat, and is looking forward to playing...just by describing the card/dice mechanic, over a hand of cards. Now...that's cool.

At least, I think so. A lot of game designers attempt to suck people in...um, "engage their clients"...by providing them with a cool premise. "It's Star Wars!" or "It's fighting Nazis and dinosaurs in the Hollow Earth!"or "It's undead cowboys in an alternate history world called the Weird West with magic-slinging gamblers and mad scientists and steam-punk!"

I don't fault them for that, by the way...I buy games like Deadlands and HEX and other weirdness, based on cool premise just like the next person. Airship pirates are cool, dammit. I want to experience that world for an evening or two for the fun of it.

But what you don't see much of...at least I don't...is designers hawking their game system based on its ability to engage players in a cool role-playing experience. Oh, you see designers promoting their systems based on "universality" (GURPS, HERO), or simplicity (FATE, FUDGE), or attendant slew of compatible IPA and ability to model cool settings (Storyteller system, Savage Worlds).

I mean there are some: the One Roll Engine (Wild Talents, Godlike) and GUMSHOE (Mutant City Blues, Trail of Cthulhu) are two that spring to mind. But again, they entice you in with the premise, the story of the game first...then they talk up their "unique game system" and how it contributes to the game play.

My approach is going to be similar but lazier: it's space opera, dude.

Anyway, the explaining stuff went down pretty easy and I caught Matthew saying, "cool" or "neat" or "wow, I like that" on more than a couple occasions...to which I replied, "I know, right?!"

So that was promising.

Unfortunately, we won't know how it REALLY works in practice until we get a chance to play-test, which (because of Thanksgiving) is probably not going to be for two weeks. Damn holidays! Actually, Matthew was trying to talk me into running the game next Thursday anyway, it IS a holiday after all.

Dude has got to cultivate a healthier interest in football. My man is originally from Michigan and the Lions are playing their first meaningful Thanksgiving day game in decades!

Again, though, I appreciate the interest AND the enthusiasm; I was pretty excited to try the game myself and bummed that it didn't go down. But this is the time of year when people are winging around the country (or getting stuck in the Occupy Seattle traffic...when are folks going to Occupy Walmart? That's what I want to see...burn that shit down...) and we just have to bite the bullet on that one. But I definitely have some encouragement for continuing the writing.

All right...gotta' get to work, as I'm already running a bit behind (the wife and baby are still sick, so I was up both very late and early this morning getting everyone to sleep). Glad I've got holiday time to spend!

; )