Games From the Basement - Space 1889

Strangely enough, I don't think I ever really read the rules to Space 1889, let alone ever tried to get my group to play it. Heck, it's not like the John Carter books were on my list of things to read - knew about them and had no interest at all.

Why I spent 30 bucks on this in the late 80's I really have no idea. 25 years on the bookshelf and I looks like I just bought it.

Maybe I should read it some time (there's a recent Savage Worlds adaptation of this if I recall correctly)

Timothy Brown to Release "Spiritual Successor" to Dark Sun - Dragon Kings

You know what?

I wish there was more to this press release than is given, as I enjoyed Dark Sun back in my 2e days and I'd love to see what Tim Brown has in store:

Hello, I’m Timothy Brown. 

I’ve made games for many years, including the Dark Sun universe, the science-fiction setting 2300AD, and most recently the End of Nations computer game. 

I’m also a musician. I’ve played with a number of bands, including Head East (if you’re an old classic rock fan, you’ll remember them). I’m a big Rush fan, too, and I always wanted to make my own 2112. 

I’m creating a new role-playing game universe that I want to conceive in fiction, art, and music all at the same time. I’m calling it Dragon Kings, and it will be my ‘spiritual successor’ to the fantasy setting Dark Sun. 

Khitus, the World of the Dragon Kings

Right now I believe that will include: 

· A progressive rock CD
· An art-intensive ‘album’ or ‘concert’ style book that expands heavily on each song (with lyrics, more stories, maps, specific art, etc.)
· A hardbound game book 

That’s the plan! 

Watch this space. I’ll be putting up ideas and art, even scratch tracks and finished songs as we go along. I’m recruiting a lot of old friends to contribute, and some really talented people who I’m working with for the first time, too. 

It’s going to be a journey, kind of an adventure in itself, and while I have all the basic concepts designed now there’s still a long way to go. 

The collaboration with other talented people is just beginning, and those aspects of the world are starting to take shape. I’ll tell you one thing: I haven’t had this much fun in years! I think you’ll enjoy it, too, and look forward to sharing it with you as it comes to life! 

Timothy Brown
May 2013

If you enjoyed Dark Sun, you’ll enjoy Dragon Kings, as well.

I'd like to know if this is going to be a new system, OGL based or some other type of ruleset.

Not so interested in the progressive rock album, but ya never know.

Tunnels & Trolls Contest Time - Signed, Limited Edition T&T 1e Reprint With Typo to be Given Away

Take a close look at the cover of this Tunnels & Trolls 1e Reprint and you'll notice a typo. There are only 10 such copies in existence and thanks to the generosity of +Jason Paul McCartan I have two such copies. One is personalized to me by the great +Ken St. Andre (that's mine) and the other is signed with a note from Ken.

That second one is the one I'm giving away.

What do you need to do to one this rare piece of Tunnels & Trolls memorabilia?

Simply tell us why YOU deserve it. Be entertaining. Make it fun, as that is certainly what T&T is.

I'll leave this post's comment section open for your entries until midnight, Friday June 28th, 2013.

At that point, Jason and I will decide on the winner (shared responsibility Jason). I may have something or other in my collection for a runner up - I need to check the prize closet ;)

How Important is Art in an RPG Product?

Yeah, I know this is a very individual taste type of question, but then most opinion questions are.

When I look at released from Godman Games or LotFP, one of the things that really stands out is the art. It's not just good or damn good, frequently it's of the "holy shit I want a print of this to fram and hang on my wall" type of quality.

Good art isn't cheap. Well, it can be, but not if you are paying something close to what it is worth. Art will certainly effect the bottom line of a product.

So, when it comes to art in the RPG products you by, how importnat is it to you compared to the rest of the product?

Thoughts on a DCC RPG "Basic Box"

The DCC RPG rulebook is "friggin' 'uge!" Hell, it's damn near intimidating.

The reality is much of that size is due to the numerous spell charts, but until you open the book up you might not realize that.

I think the DCC RPG might be well served by a "Basic Box" or "Basic Set".

Levels 0-2 only.

A small, handpicked selection of spells.

Humans only to keep the class selection simple.

A zero level funnel, two short first level adventures and a short second level adventure - just enough to entice players to move on the the full rulebook.

Everyone knows boxed sets look nice on store shelves, and if the funky dice were included it really would be a complete introduction to the DCC Game.

Hey, a man can dream, can't he?

It's a better option in my opinion to putting out the core book with a new cover every 6 to 9 months...

I Love the OSR Extremes - Swords & Wizardry and Dungeon Crawl Classics

I almost went with "like", but I like nearly all of the systems in the OSR realm of gaming. I fucking love S&W and the DCC RPG, and they seem like such polar opposites.

S&W is concise and simple and if it weren't for spells could probably be run with just the adventure in hand after the DM has a few sessions under his belt. It feels very close to AD&D 1e as we played it back in the day, especially when you add in the classes from S&W Complete (and maybe houserule the stat adjustments just a wee bit).

The DCC RPG is almost nothing like my AD&D 1e of old, and yet it evokes much of the same magic and excitement of my early days of roleplaying. Every spell is something new and exciting. Fighters with their Might Deeds can push things beyond anything I could have accomplished in my days of old. Magic-Users are truly magical. The book can be intimidating, but so was the AD&D 1e DMG.

And then there is the DCC RPG art. Holy fucking shit, the only other publisher that even comes close is LotFP. I love the art because it reminds me of the awesome art I saw as a teenager in the Player's Handbook.

So, what do I run on a mostly weekly basis? AD&D 1e / OSRIC. Notice that both of the systems I mentioned evoke feelings of AD&D 1e for me?

Coincidence? I think not :)

ConTessa Video Panel: WTF is the OSR?

I had no idea this panel was going on last night or I would have watched live and annoyed the panel with questions and comments like I did with the Marketing Your Game panel.

It's an interesting video to watch and in a way I'm happy to see no one can really agree what the OSR encompasses. I like a little anarchy in my OSR ;)

There were shouts out / mentions / praise of folks like +matt jackson , +Stuart Robertson and +James Raggi to name a few (much praise for the Referee Book for LotFP Weird Fantasy, ans I've been praising that for years it seems).

Nicely done all :)

What Are the Best Judges Guild Products?

Serious question.

I have a handful of Judges Guild stuff in print (Rat on a Stick, some RQ stuff, a EotPT adventure) and I'm now checking out the Wilderlands in PDF.

What's the stuff I should be setting my sights on?

Would You Believe I Never Owned The Wilderlands of High Fantasy From Judges Guild...

I have the 3e boxed set of the Wilderlands that was released by Necromancer and I have a handful of Judges Guld Products, but I never owned the originals.

I still don't, but I just grabbed the map pack in PDF for $10 off of RPGNow and I think I've found a new love.

Current game plan is to snag stuff in PDF from RPGNow first, then decide if I should hunt for certain items on Ebay.

I need to buy ink for my printer too, as there are like 90 pages worth of maps to print out.

Hell, 3 bucks for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy booklet in PDF? (maps not included) No brainer. I think I'm in trouble...

Mini Review: DCC #74 - Blades Against Death (Level 4 DCC RPG Adventure)

I'm trying hard to get through a huge backlog of reviews and I've noticed I have fallen behind on Goodman Game's latest DCC RPG releases. In part when it comes to the DCC RPG, I haven't had an opportunity to run a session since last fall. Summer is here, and I'm hoping to squeeze in some random DCC RPG as my schedule permits.

First, let me start out by saying that Blades Against Death oozes with atmosphere. It also reminds me that the DCC RPG needs a setting of sorts to place the official adventures in, as they feel disconnected otherwise. Sure, when I started gaming and DMing over 30 years ago, I never had a setting and the players went from adventure to adventure without worrying about the nebulous connections. I'm 30 years older - show me a setting please ;)

On to the adventure. If you're working from the PDF like I am, I don't care if your are reading from your computer screen or a tablet - print out the two maps. Seriously. This applies to most adventures no matter the system, but the maps really help you visualize the accompanying descriptions in Blades Against Death. Of the two maps, the second one is definitely suitable for framing. +Harley Stroh tell Joseph that some of us want to buy these maps as prints suitable for framing.

It takes some mental adjustment on my part to remember that level 4 in the DCC RPG is somewhere around level 8 in other OSR games based on relative power and rate of advancement. The fact that much of the first part of relies on stealth (or at least, the attempt of stealth before it all goes to shit) is something that I'd really enjoy playing through, both as a GM or as a player. Success in most DCC RPG adventures relies upon brains (and luck) as much as it does combat - this is no exception, especially the first half.

That is one of the nice things about this adventure - it feels like two interwoven adventures and you get your monies worth with this one.

Blades Against Death is most certainly a "two nighter" as the first part has it's own climax (assuming the PCs are successful) before they land in more trouble. Actually, the second part has even more atmosphere than the first part. The players have a chance to cheat Death himself, and that's no small task. I am sorely tempted to convert this adventure to OSRIC just to give my players an entertaining side trek from Rappan Athuk. Heck, I could probably do it on the fly if needed. Damn, I'm derailing myself here...

Eh, I'm derailed. The blurb will have to suffice for the rest:

Punjar: wide-eyed madmen stalk the streets pronouncing the end of days, mail-clad priests crush the skulls of heathens underfoot, and timorous virgins are offered up in sacrifice within sooty temples. But even the greatest of shining temples and the strangest of mystery cults don’t dare to challenge the terrifying finality of Death.

Until now. In Blades Against Death, the adventurers cross between the realms of the living and the dead, and wager their souls in a desperate bid to steal a soul from Death’s hoary grasp. To win over the God of Dooms, you must be the most daring, stalwart and cunning and – when all else fails – willing to test your blades against Death!

A mid-level adventure for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, Blades against Death offers characters a once in a lifetime escapade. Those that return from the Realms of the Dead will have earned the true title of adventurer, while those that fail will spend eternity in Death’s service.

Games From the Basement - Steve Jackson's MAN to MAN (Fantasy Combat from GURPS)

I remember using this for small unit skirmishes when we only had two or three players show up for a gaming session.

There was more than enough here to get me warmed up for the full GURPS release shortly after I found this. Even though I ran some GURPS Fantasy back in the day, I don't think any of us in the group fully understood the magic system (a problem we also had with sorcery in RQ3)

MAN to MAN even came with free "Cardboard Heroes" Miniature - I still have them in the ziplock in the back of this book.

BattleTech: A Time of War: Quick-Start Rules (Free RPG Day 2013) (Free PDF)

It looks like the Free RPG Day 2013 PDFs are trickling out.

BattleTech: A Time of War: Quick-Start Rules (Free RPG Day 2013) is available over at RPGNow for the price of FREE.

Time to grab my copy...

There is Now an OSR Forum Sub-Section at ENWorld

Now, before anyone goes on about ENWorld in general (I've seen the rants - heck, I've written some of them), this specifically can only help our little corner of the D&D Universe.

Why?

Because unlike other forums such as Dragonsfoot, Knights & Knaves and others that are already preaching to the choir, having a sub-forum for the OSR on ENWorld can only add to the visibility of the OSR. As the D&D Brand transitions from 4e to Next we have an excellent opportunity to showcase the type of gaming the OSR is known for.

I haven't been a big forum guy since I started blogging, but I'll have to change my habits slightly and check on the OSR forum over at ENWorld a few times a week. It's just a shame I didn't notice this before today, as it's been live since May 12th.

(yeah, there are older OSR posts in the OSR Forum, but the actual sub-forum - not just the "tag", went live last month)

Looking For a Bargain Price on "Dyson's Delves" in PDF?

Hell, I have the dead tree version of Dyson's Delves and I'm hankering for the PDF for easy integration of the maps into Roll20 (and I really don't want to write in my dead tree version).

Dyson is working with the Delvers podcast to offer a 25% discount on the Dyson's Delves PDF.

More info at the Delvers Podcast site. While you are there, listen to the podcast. It's the best produced "real play" podcasts I've listend to.

First Look - Shotguns & Saddles (Classic Western OSR RPG)

With Shotguns & Saddles, +David Bezio (he of X-Plorers fame) brings the American Old West genre to the OSR. There are some notable changes to the system most of use are familiar with, which is why I'm making this post a "First Look"and not a mini review (that will come later). I want to look at the core of the system David is presenting in Shotguns & Saddles.

There are 12 attributes in S&S, not the usual 6 (or 7 for the 2e crew). Athletics, Book Learning, Fighting, Frontier, Grit, Horsemanship, Perception, Presence, Shooting, Stealth, Strength, and Quickness. Some of them are obvious reskins of OSR attributes, others aren't. Rolls range from 3-18 which then get converted to a score from -2 to + 2

The Background table adjusts 2 to 4 of these attributes by +1 depending on your roll. A Teacher would get bonuses to Book Learning and Perception while a Railroad Worker would get Frontier, Grit and Strength.

How fast you more is determined by athletics and a high quickness will help with your Defense (kinda like your AC, but as you don't wear armor, it also gets better with leveling).

Hit Die size is determined by you Grit score.

There is even an alignment system, but it is labeled by hat color: White Hat, Brown Hat, and Black Hat. You can probably guess the generalities of how the hat colors are defined.

You also get a randomly determined Special Ability which helps differentiate your PC from the others.

So, much of the above seem familiar enough and I doubt the the transition would be all that hard. I'll review this when I finish my way through the rest of it. I'm really hopeful that converting some Deadlands stuff, at least in a general sense, shouldn't be too hard.

Mini Review - The Ruins of Ramat (DCC RPG Adventure)

I recently received my dead tree copies of the first two Appendix N Toolkits - The Ruins of Ramat and the Vile Worm. With this post I'm taking a look at Adventure Toolkit #1, The Ruins of Ramat.

Right off the bat, I need to mention that the quality of the map is right up there with the best of the Goodman Game DCC RPG Adventure releases. You know how I harp about wanting to frame some of these awesome maps as prints? The copy of The Ruins of Ramat I unwrapped (I'll be giving some away in a contest later this summer) came with two wrap around covers. That means it has two wrap around maps on the inside of the cover. One for use in game, one for me to frame. +John Adams , the Lord does work in mysterious ways sometimes ;)

It also comes with two full page player handout inserts on cardstock. I always enjoy player handouts, so this is very cool. In the PDF version they are easy enough to load up in a application like Roll20 or print out as needed.

Regretfully, the player introduction is cut short, but as it is basically the same hook that's on the back cover of the adventure, it's omission isn't a huge issue. Still, here's the two paragraphs complete from the PDF version (the rear cover also refers to 4 handouts - there are two - the rear cover of the PDF version correctly refers to 2 handouts):

It is mid-spring, the time when the land’s rulers and their men-at-arms go to war with
their neighbors. Nearly every able person is already involved in such conflicts, or helping the remaining militia protect the local village. 

A little girl comes running and crying into the center of the village. When questioned, she sobs that she and her dog were playing just outside of town, by Rose Hill, when a giant,clawed creature came up out of the ground and took her dog. The girl is completely terrified and her dog, which never normally leaves her side, is nowhere to be seen. You and your companions volunteer to look into the matter. (the last few words are the ones cut off)

The adventure itself is relatively tame for a DCC 0-Level funnel. By that, I mean that I'd expect a sufficient number of survivors without the need of mid adventure 0-Level "recruits" ;)

$5.95 for the print version of this a well worth it ($2.95 in PDF).
 

How Do You / Would You Market Your OSR Product?

Last night's "Marketing Your RPG" panel was hosted by the Blonde Frog. Although some of the advice was applicable to smaller (hobby) publishers, most was aimed at larger publishers. That makes sense, as the panel was composed of folks representing Frog God Games and others with fairly large footprints in the hobby.

The OSR does not have a large enough footprint in general to use many of the advertising and marketing techniques in question. Our strength is the tightness of the OSR community, which I saw first hand with the Basic Fantasy RPG and Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Days. There are some amazingly creative members of our community that enjoy giving back to the community.

It's a community that is very accepting of "fan and hobbyist" created works and can also be highly critical when those hobbyists attempt to make the step to professional. If they slip we tell them. Often vocally. It is simply how we are.

This also means that projects can live or die based upon the rep of the people being it, as word of mouth is our hobby's main method of marketing. That doesn't mean a good rep will necessarily make a project successful, but a poor rep can kill it before release.

The OSR, with a few notable exceptions, pretty much works for beer money and a pat on the back. There is nothing wrong with that, but I for one would like to step up to buying more microbrews ;)

So, any words of advice for your fellow hobbyists?

Mini Review - The Imperishable Sorceress - (Free RPG Day DCC Release)

I enjoy the DCC RPG releases in general. They are usually well written with twists one doesn't get in a standard OSR styled adventure. The Imperishable Sorceress, the first half of the Goodman Games Free RPG 2013 release is a fine example of this.

+Daniel Bishop manages to put a full adventure's worth of gaming into six pages of text, a full page piece of art and a full page map. If you've never before come across a DCC RPG map from Goodman Games, the included map is a fine example. I've said it before many a time, I'd love to see the DCC RPG Adventure Maps released as prints for framing. They really are that good.

At six pages, there isn't much I can say about the adventure without giving much away. Like most DCC RPG adventures, it's not a typical dungeon crawl - it's much more swords & sorcery than that.

I'm looking forward to running it. The Imperishable Sorceress should work fine in a three hour hangout slot, which after bullshitting is the average amount of play time my groups seem to get in. Hey, Goodman even has some pregens ready for download!

"Marketing Your RPG" Panel "On Air" With Rachel Ventura

I watched the whole thing live last night and it was very entertaining and even a bit informative - some interesting personalities were on display ;)

I wish they had included someone like +Joseph Bloch , +James Raggi or Kevin Crawford - the independent small guys that are successful at their craft. The advice given was mostly (not all) aimed at projects that could afford an advertising budget that probably amounts to more than the more successful OSR projects even take in. The secret to successful OSR publishing (besides putting out a damn good product) is word of mouth for a large part, as you probably don't have an advertising budget.

I did receive an invite to be on the panel, and for that I am flattered (thanks +Rachel Ventura ) but I really don't think I'd have been able to add more than I did in the chat window. I'm not a publisher of games. I'm a writer of blogs :)

Mini Review - Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls "Preview Pack" (Free RPG Day)

Flying Buffalo released a preview of the upcoming Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls RPG (to be released this summer) as their Free RPG Day contribution. Let me touch on the high points before I hit the low point.

The included rules preview cover characters up to 5th level, including spells. I love T&T spells for the shear simplicity and brevity of their write ups. The OSR could learn much from this, as I doubt any OSR game could fit five levels of spells on a single page and still cover what is needed.

It also includes the classes (all? most?) from the upcoming dT&T release. Biggest change is upping the power of the basic Warrior class, which I had planned to do with house rules. No need for that now I guess ;)

I didn't see mention of "Spite Damage" with each natural "6" rolled. Perhaps that's gone now.

The actual Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls short form rules appear to be very playable. I'm not sure if my own previous rules knowledge is filling in the gaps, but I suspect a good GM could run a short campaign using these rules. He wouldn't want to start will the included adventure, unless he was looking for a truly short campaign of about one encounter.

The Chambers of Z'Tpozz The Mad Dwarf is nominally for 4-8 characters of levels 1-5. Maybe if you had a group that was near the high end in numbers and level there would be a chance of survival if not success, but newbie characters need not apply.

Interestingly enough, they include three ready to use pregens (notice how the minimal suggest characters is FOUR). The are a very good example of how T&T races are not balanced against each other, and why I'd have my group go either all trolls or no trolls - there is no power curve with trolls - they overpower all else. I had hoped this would have been addressed with the new edition  Ah well.

The included adventure has a running clock that can kill the party if they don't move fast enough, but as most encounters will handily kill a party of the average 1-3 level PCs (and probably higher) the running clock isn't much of an issue.

Is it a fun adventure? It looks to have potential, but a group of new players, especially with newly rolled PCs and possibly new to gaming will be left with a poor taste in their mouth.

There is also a free to download dT&T solo you can request from Flying Buffalo. Haven't gotten far enough to request that yet.

So, I'm overal happy with the rules as presented and continue to be amazed at how concise they are and yet still playable. It's a shame the included adventure isn't playable with the rules, at least not past the first encounter and TPK.

Thanks again +Tim Shorts ;)