The Trollish Taproom - Grab The New Solo "Escape from Khosht" For Free!

I just saw the email from Trollhalla on this one.  It appears there is a new Tunnels & Trolls solo available at OneBookShelf (RPGNow / DrivetruRPG), and the sucker is free.

Escape from Khosht is 40 pages of T&T for your solo pleasure (minds outta the gutter please).  I'm downloading this right now.  Grab your's here (and pick up the free T&T rules to the left of this post if you need them).

From the Blurb:

Everything had gone according to plan. The Eye of the Beast---a cut, polished diamond the size of a hill giant's fist rests in your hands. It is worth 200,000 gold pieces!

Obtaining the valuable gem comes at a cost, however, and soon you find yourself running for your life, hazarding the terrors of the night, braving sadistic guards, and slavering war hounds, wondering if there can ever be an ... Escape from Khosht.

Escape from Khosht is a solitaire adventure written by Andrew Greene, and illustrated by J. Freels for the Tunnels and Trolls game system.

The solo adventure comes with three pregenerated characters to choose from (a wizard, a rogue, and a warrior) as well as full stats and abilities for the two NPCs who journey with you, Radnoff and Chi-Chi.

(edit:  technically it's not NEW, as it is copyright 2002 - but the art is all new, it is new to OneBookShelf / etc and is probably new to YOU... heh)

Battle: Los Angeles - Better Then The Reviews Say

I went and saw Battle: Los Angeles last night with my son and my mother - three generations got to watch aliens invade California. I knew many of the reviewers had panned the movie, but my son really wanted to see it, so off we went.

My opinion? It was pretty good. No need for 3d (which every movie seems to be in today), the story never bogged down, and there were a few decent twists. It was nice to see a movie without all the Hollywood stars, as in this case the story and action were more important then the actors.

Most surprising to me is my mother couldn't stop saying great things about it on the way home. She ranked it up there with The Departed (an amazing movie in its own right). When a grandma can enjoy a sic-fyish, shoot-em up action flick, its gotta be good.

As for me, it kept me in my seat for the full length, despite the large soda a devoured during the flick. I felt like the unfreezing scene from Austin Powers when I finally got to the rest room.

I've Got the Mythic GM Emulator on My Mind

I've been stumbling upon numerous forum and blog posts in which folks have been using the Mythic GM Emulator to run solo games or even small parties with out a GM. How friggin' awesome is that?

I have a PDF copy of the Mythic RPG (and a softcover copy packed away somewhere - god but I need to organize and catalogue, but that's a whole other story), and the emulator is drawn from that. It's actually a set number of chapters from the full product.

I think this is something that could really work well for some out home gaming, maybe even drawing my son into it (like the Borg, I like to assimilate others when i can). I suspect it wouldn't work so well via a VTT, but that's okay. If it can handle 1 to 3 players at my kitchen table, I think we are good to go.

Way too much on my plate waiting to be read these days ;)

Two Trollish Blogs Come to an End

The Trollgod has suspended his 2 fiction blogs (you can find links in my blog roll). Both T&T Delver's Tales and Atroll's Flashfiction are no more. Well, they still are, but they are deadish now.

Not everything posted was destined to be a work of art, but they were fun places to check out when one wanted a short (or short short) story to kill a few minutes.

Ken's leaving the blogs up for the moment, but there will be no new posts, at least not for the foreseeable future.

May the Blog Gods bless them, and keep them ready for a further resurrection ;)

Paranoid Flashback

Mongoose has recently released Flashbacks Redux for it's Paranoia game. It's a compilation of classic Paranoia adventures from the game's West End Games tenure.

I am currently having some very pleasant flashbacks, as I have many of the included adventures packed away in storage. For me, I had as much fun reading the adventures as I did running them, which I can't say for many games. At 256 pages, I'll be occupied with this and it's accompanying memories for a while.

It Contains;

* The Mandatory Mission Pack
* Clones in Space
* Orcbusters
* My First Treason
* Yellow Clearence Black Box Blues
* Code 7s
* Me and My Shadow Mark 4
* Pre Paranoia
* Vapours Don't Shoot Back

I know I own Clones in Space, Orcbusters, YCBBB, Me and My Shadow Mark 4 and Vapours Don't Shoot Back. Still, I haven't read them in over 15 years.

What is the Ideal Group Size For a VTT Run RPG?

Sooner or later I'll be getting my Tunnels & Trolls game off the ground via Fantasy Grounds.  I figure the ideal party size is about 4, but how large should he group (pool) be?

It's hard enough getting all your players to show up for face to face gaming, but with a VTT and people spread out all about the world, it's more common then not to have less then the full group show.

I think I  can scale T&T off the cuff for a smaller / larger party then expected for a certain session, just wondering how large a group I should hope to recruit.  Then again, it is Tunnels &  Trolls... I may have to fall back upon Swords & Wizardry if I want to recruit a full group ;)

The Trollish Taproom - When Less is More

James over at Grognardia asked folks to post about their re-imagining of iconic D&D creatures.  This is something you really couldn't do with Tunnels & Trolls creatures, as there really isn't much of a template to look at, at least in editions prior to 7e.

T&T 5.5e and prior doesnt have any sort of monster manual.  Creatures have a MR and little more.  Pretty much everything a GM would need to introduce to a campaign would come from his own imagination or would be borrowed from another game system.

7e introduced monster books to T&T.  Better late then never, I see them more as gap fillers then all encompassing, as the D&D MMs tend to be.

In Tunnels & Trolls, most monsters are a first-imagining. ;)

Saturday Nite Movie at the Tavern - District 9

I remember watching the trailers for District 9 when it was in the theatre.  I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it was a Peter Jackson movie, so I was intrigued, but not enough to spend NYC movie prices.  It landed on Netflix on Demand, so it was the movie of the day.

It's an interesting take on discrimination, slums, segregation all wrapped up in the personal growth of the main character - the sci-fi elements are just trappings for the underlying drama.  Oh, and lots of guns, shooting and bloody violence.

The setting itself could work well in for a modern day espionage type RPG, working the parallel societies into the game.  It's an interesting alternate modern day twist.

Of course, we had to follow that up with an episode of Survivorman, and a handful of of episodes of Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force.  Better then Cops IMHO ;)

Re-Imagining Iconic D&D Monsters - The Lonely Orc

Back in the days of my AD&D campaign, orcs were warrior / slaves (Ogre Magi pulled their strings) that were evil by nurture, not nature.  Sure, if you encountered a wandering group of orcs, chances are they were going to attack - there is that whole issue of "group mentality" and upbringing.  But if you can get one or two alone, away from the pack, things may work out differently.

The party found 2 lone orcs rummaging thru their camp one nite, and quick actions lead to the capture of the two (instead of the usual AD&D killing of all threats).  With the rest of their hunting pack killed by an armed patrol, these two had decided to try their luck on their own... scavenging, hunting, thieving, but avoiding violence where possible.

The orcs started as prisoners, but reached hireling status with decent treatment by the party.  One of the two died fairly quickly, but the other became a trusted party member.  This also changed the party's idea of intelligent monsters - if orcs could be loyal and non-evil, what about the other "evil" races?  Were the young offspring of these races "savable"?

It added a nice twist of grey morality to the usual black and white of AD&D.

Friday Nite Movie at the Tavern - Shutter Island

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  Even tho I annoyed the crap outta my girl by calling out lines just before they were said (sorry, to me they were obvious), the twist at the end was pretty good.  I literally didn't see it coming, but upon mental review, the hints were there.  Heck, I liked it despite Leonardo ;)

Lot's of stuff steal-able for a CoC type of game.  Heck, adding the Old Ones to this would have been a twist within a twist.

Topping it off with Survivorman in the Amazon.  It's a good nite.

RPGNow / OneBookShelf Seeking Donations For Japanese Red Cross

It seems like the world nearly gets past one natural disaster before the next one strikes. OneBookShelf is raising money for the Red Cross in Japan. At the moment they are seeking $5 donations. I don't know if they will be putting a package together for larger donations like they have in the past.

Hey, Who Painted My Hot Elf Chick Green?!?

Pssst!  You say yer looking for a Hot Elf Chick?  Are you sure you ain't looking for a Hot RPG, featuring Elves (and other wacky races)?  It sure is chic!

Look at the links to the left.  The links to the left are good for you.  They are high in fiber and Hot Elf Chicks.  Some even have decent role playing information.

You could even pretend to BE a Hot Elf Chick (guys, please don't try this... it's bad enough when you do it in a MMORPG... I certainly don't think I can handle you pretending to be a Hot Elf Chick at my dining room table.  Gals?  Have at it, it's damn HOT! ;)

(Thanks James... I have now been.... assimilated...)

What to do When the Game is Put on Hold

The C&C game I play in monthly via Fantasy Grounds is being put on hold after the next session, tentatively scheduled for 3/19. The last time this game was put on hold, it was off for over half a year, and the sessions went from weekly to monthly - we also lost a good chunk of the party.

So, I either need to find myself a new game to play in (if it's on a weekend no more often then once every two weeks) or I need to get my T&T game off the ground, or even both.

I've been lucky in that both groups that I've played with using Fantasy Grounds as my VTT have been very good. One knuckle headed playing in 3 years... "knock on wood" ;)

Of course, one could also see this as even less of an excuse to put off the renovations around the house that I can do on my own, or with a little help.

Still, I'd rather be gaming ;)

Do You Remember the OSR Kertuffle From a While Back?

You know, when some long term bloggers threw in their towels, and others left the park and took their balls with them? The OSR is still here. The clones / simulacrums have been reproducing like rabbits since then too.

The strength of the OSR lies in its diversity. It's like Baskin Robbins and it's bazillion of flavors - there's an OSR ruleset for everyone's gaming sweet tooth.

The OSR can never die. It can fragment, but that doesn't matter. Even if there is never another product produced for any of the OSR rules out there, the products we already have will last a lifetime.

I am an OSR Blogger, and I approve of this message ;)

Mini Review - The Nameless City (Swords & Wizardry)

The Nameless City comes in two flavors - Core/Complete and White Box.  Finally some White Box love ;)  They are separate products, so be sure you purchase the right one for you (it is suggested if you plan on using the module with a different set of OSR styled rules, that you opt for the Core/Complete version - I haven't looked at the White Box version, so I can't tell you what the differences are - yet).

What is The Nameless City?  It is an adventure for characters of levels 7-10.  It draws inspiration from a HP Lovecraft short story.  It  looks to be pretty lethal.

I did a very quick read thru this adventure, and it will require players that think first and then act.  Impulsive parties won't last long.  Many of the adversaries are spell casters, which makes this far from the usual dungeon crawl many players are used to.  The DM should expect to make plenty of notes when reading through this, and it will probably require multiple read throughs before you are ready to run this.  There is plenty of atmosphere, so reading to prepare should be a pleasure.

We get four new monsters added to the S&S ruleset - three should be familiar already.

From the blurb:

In the world there are ancient, degenerated remnants still living, survivals from unimaginable antiquity. What happens when the adventurers stumble across one of these deadly places? There must be treasure untold for those willing to brave the long-forgotten perils of ... The Nameless City.

This module by Alphonso Warden is loosely based upon the eponymous short story by HP Lovecraft, and is designed for characters level 7-10.

The module is available for both Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox and Swords & Wizardry Complete Rules and Freestyle (Core) Rules. If you're going to use it with another old-school system, it's obviously going to be compatible, but use the Complete/Freestyle version for this: the hit dice and other information will be closer to other systems than WhiteBox.

Last 5 Hours of the GM Sale at RPGNow

Five hours left in RPGNow's GMDay sale. If you were holding off on any purchases, now is the time ;)

One Square Equals Five Feet Equals Awesome!

I just received the latest issue of Christian's One Square Equals Five Feet zine.  It's actually one paper (red in the case of issue #5).

Christian could probably consider me a stalker at this point, as I've been reading his stuff since ScrollWorks and Iron Rations.  (I do believe I am the longest continuous subscriber) Oh, and Iridia.  Damn, the man can write.

The latest mailing also includes Issue #1 of Qwellian's Journal.  This sheet would make for a really good and quick intro adventure if converted to Fantasy Grounds... not large at all and system agnostic, so it can work with anything from Swords & Wizardry to Tunnels & Trolls.  Possibly even 4e... I wouldn't know ;)

See, some things do work better in print, even to a PDF lover like me... heh

Weekend Streamed Movies Quick Reviews

I watched 3 movies I streamed via Netflix over the weekend. I mentioned them all over the weekend, but here's the recap and final verdicts:

1990: The Bronx - So bad its almost good. If you played an over the top post apocalypse RPG some of the gangs from this movie might actually make a good fit.

G.I. Joe - Not great, not horrible, its the kind of movie you can leave for some bathroom reading and just come back to the action. If you read comics of any sort, the plot fits. If you don't like comic books, the plot is very comic bookish - you've been warned. Plot threads leave it open for Joe 2.

- Legion - This must have been a blast to watch in the theater, as fear is contagious. This is the only one of the 3 movies my girl actually stayed awake for. Heck, the movie even scared her dog. The parts that had me jumping also had me laughing immediately after. The best of the three. Fun to watch, and one I didn't want to miss a minute of it.

Oubliette Issue 5 (for Labyrinth Lord) Free Until the End of March

Oubliette is a magazine for LL fans and gamers, but as usual, much of the articles can be easily used with your OSR rules of choice.

Issue 5 is the latest issue, and it is free for a limited time.  If you haven't checked it out yet, here's your perfect opportunity.

From the blurb:


OUBLIETTE - A magazine for old school fantasy roleplayers.
48 jam-packed pages including: 36 Page Magazine, 8 Pages of Cleric Spell Cards for Labyrinth Lord, and more...
Written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required.

Full Contents:
• Tales from Hell - Words of Wisdom from the Soothsayer
• Monster Club #8 - The Monstermark System for Labyrinth Lord
• The Vampire - 12 Pages of Alternative Rules for Creating Labyrinth Lord Vampires
• Good Shop/Bad Shop - Mad Varto's
• What's on the Battlemat? - Dungeon in a Box
• PC for PCs - A Very un-PC Approach to Dealing with Paladins
• What's in the Oubliette? - A Selection of Gaming and Other Reviews
• Mouse Watch - Our Heroes Enter a Storytelling Contest
• The Song of Sithakk - Part 5 of our Serialized Story
• Plus Bonus Material comprising: Cleric Spell Cards for Labyrinth Lord, Blank Vampire Record Sheet, and a blank template for Dungeon in a Box

Note: This issue is available for free download until the end of March 2011.  Thereafter it will revert to its normal price of $2.50.  In the small preview below, some tables and artwork don't display at the reduced size. In the full-size PDF they are all displayed correctly.

Warning! Oubliette may contain content that is suitable for adult audiences only. Persons 18+ only.

Movie Nite at the Tavern

Tonight appears to be movie nite at the Tavern.  Just watched GI Joe and now we are watching Legion.

I have high hopes for gaming relevance for Legion ;)