Once upon a time I had a character in Middle Earth Role Playing who not only got beaten to death by an angry mob, but ended up getting half of the group killed, too. All of this happened because he wanted to try out his "public speaking" skill to convince the mob that the agent of Sauron was the real enemy, not the PCs.

While the incident wasn't a total party kill, it was pretty much the end of the campaign, since the sole survivor really had no reason to continue with the campaign goals (he just wanted [...]

After 20 years and still going strong, Werewolf the Apocalypse and other World of Darkness titles, were the meat and potatoes of my mid to late nineties gaming. Getting the chance to play half man/half beasts made this the game to play. You fought vampires, the worm, and other lycanthropes in an ever ending battle with your own rage and humanity. This epic story took you places that no other game allowed and now, after 20 years it is back.Werewolf: The Apocalypse -- 20th Anniversary Editionwill give you the chance to revisit those memories or make new ones. It is a steal on Drivethrurpg and you should be checking it out. Best of all they are not only selling PDF’s but also giving options for print editions for those old out of print titles that you just need to complete your collection.

The post 20th Anniversary of Werewolf: The Apocalypse appeared first on Not the Singularity.

Session Zero. Character creation.

Mental institutions are an icon in Western fiction, and they’ve seeped into our consciousness as gamers. But are we adequately prepared to use them well in games? Institutions as a game element are a combination of individual components: architecture, history, conditions, and context/use.

Kirkbride Buildings

It’s likely the photos of abandoned asylums you’ve seen in the States are in fact one of these buildings. Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, a superintendent for an asylum wrote multiple papers on the influence of hospital design on treatment and recovery. These papers would have an incredible reach of influence on asylum construction. The fanning outward wings [...]

Frog God Games, LLC signed contracts with Christopher Haskins, creator of Worra Realms, to become exclusive distributors and partners. Future...

There's a number of dangerous creatures out there, and any one of them could pose a threat to your hero when they least expect it. For this deluxe-sized edition of Threat Assessment, we present the most notable adversary from the classic Star Wars PC game Dark Forces. While Kyle Katarn is by far the most remembered element of that series, the Dark Troopers are a close second, ranging from simplistic droids to highly advanced armors. And though the Dark Trooper project was successfully brought to a halt by the actions of Kyle Katarn, the Empire isn't known to let a [...]

I feel the urgent need to set a game in this location.

Sometimes browsing imgur for embarrassingly large amounts of time produces useful inspiration.

I started a discussion about sexism in gaming yesterday on G+. People were generally polite, but it was on fire. I think it is a pretty hot topic at the moment, considering the #1reasonwhy trend and the fact that there’s a kickstarter for a documentary about the harassment of women in gaming.

After discussing it with other people, hearing them out, and actually changing my view on things, I came to an important realization; when I GM, I rarely have female NPC’s, and if they are there, they’re peripheral. This thought came to me after reading We have always fought, an [...]

A little thought for today: When the characters catch a killer, or a bank robber or something like that, what does this criminal say to his/her defense? I guess that most of us say things like: "It wasn't me", "I just followed orders" etc...
But think for a moment about this bank robber who says to his defense: "You don't understand, I have a wife and kids". Wouldn't it be much more powerful? Won't it create an immediate sympathy for the criminal? And most of all is of course the immediate creation of a moral dilemma: "If we'll put this [...]

Last week the PCs travelled to Helm's Hold, a cathedral turned hospital dedicated to helping those inflicted by the Spellplague. A safe haven for those in need, the doors of Helm's Hold are always open. However, when the PCs arrived they found the cathedral locked down. After finally forcing their way inside, the PCs battled dominated acolytes as they explored the cathedral.

When the PCs entered the Main Hall they saw a black-cloaked figure wearing a bright red devil mask -- the Tormentor! He was standing over a kneeling woman the PCs recognize as the Prophet Rohini. Rohini was clearly in [...]

Like many GMs I often have more ideas for RPG campaigns than time to run them all. It's part of the fun to build on a creative spark and plan out the "what if" possibilities for new campaigns, even if it's unlikely to hit the table.

This month's RPG Blog Carnival -- hosted by Age of Ravens -- is based on this theme, "Campaigns I'd Like to Run." The Carnival is a great opportunity to work out some of these partially-formed campaign ideas.

X-COM/STALKER: Fight the Future

Yeah, we got the package, Colonel. No we didn't open it.

North of town? No, there's nobody there, no survivors. You see how many of us made it back?

It's perpetual night in there. Like walking though a curtain. Right inside the edge of Zone Mike Three. Gordon lost it right then. Didn't you know that?

1. Vureemtratain
2. Ryxrysear
3. Arveiaontrix
4. Surr’vali
5. Aghu thrax
6. Zyreph-daluh
7. Dalagharveia
8. Fix rurr
9. Treoris ra
10. Ethar-arveia

I'm sure some of you have seen this but I was going through my Pathfinder books when I found the halfling picture below. 

This is just a friendly reminder that Ronnie James Dio was a halfling with some mystical ability.

I'm sure some of you have seen this but I was going through my Pathfinder books when I found the halfling picture below. 

This is just a friendly reminder that Ronnie James Dio was a halfling with some mystical ability.

The merry mutants over at Fishwife Games has been busily churning out some new settings and scenarios for your post-apocalyptic RPG games, including their biggest setting yet -- the town of Minco! Their materials are system-generic, so you can easily fit them into any game you're running. (Which, if you're reading this blog, should obviously be Mutant Future!)

Deluxe Apocalypse Setting: Minco -- The sign at the gates says it all: "WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY OF MINCO!  PLEASE PREPARE TO BE PATTED DOWN, SEARCHED, AND INTERROGATED IF NEEDED."  The 25-page deluxe setting describes the thriving community of Minco [...]

Setting the wayback machine to the very origin of the hobby, the game encouraged players to play whatever they really wanted to play. With only a few classes to choose from, there was no real reason why you couldn’t make a “fighting centaur” instead of a “fighting man” – and have the exact same stuff as a normal fighting man from then onwards.

This idea combines nicely with something I used to run into a lot back in the early 80′s. The number of hit dice a creature had was often referred to as it’s level. So an 11HD dragon would be a level 11 Dragon, and we had several encounters in one campaign with a level 20 Semi truck.

Combine these two things together, and you can replace most monsters in the core books with a set of monster “classes”. In some ways as I worked through this idea, it reminded me of the method by which monsters are leveled in the d20 instances of D&D – except I want to include XP tables in this mess too so players can level up as monsters.

Since old-school D&D didn’t give monsters ability scores, it gives us a significant advantage over d20 monsters [...]

A recent update from the Gen Con Team includes the Gen Con Indy 2013 Exhibit Hall Map and a video overview. Enjoy the video and see the map here!

Adventure Background: Storm Over Neverwinter

The frontier city of Neverwinter has persevered in the face of calamity. Yet even as the city rebuilds, an insidious threat rises from within its walls. Neverwinter's citizens are succumbing to an inexplicable madness, while from the shadows, an evil cult of Asmodeus spins sinister plans. Unless a group of heroes rises to stop these perils, Neverwinter might face an even greater danger on the horizon.

This D&D Encounters season takes characters from levels 3-6. It also includes an optional online component, which allows players and Dungeon Masters to convert the adventure [...]

I have seen the damage tornados do close up.  It's not pretty.
So our thoughts are with Oklahoma, but thoughts alone are nothing.

DriveThruRPG makes it easy to donate money to the American Red Cross.



This one of my favorite charities along with Doctors Without Borders and The Trevor Project.

I like donating through DriveThru because it is easy and it sends the message the gamers care.

I know you had that $5 set aside for new book or something like that. Let's be honest, the economy sucks, you might need that 5 for [...]

Public baths are an ancient european invention, traceable at least as far as the Romans. I can't think of any sources indicating that the Greeks had public baths, but then I'm not so very well versed on Greek material culture---please, correct me if I'm wrong on that point. Either way, the tradition of the public bath was something deeply entrenched; hot water was, of course, part of the ritual. In

For the young folks with no space to run their games on: consider this option: the Instant Table concept from WhytheFriday. It seems to still be just a concept, but it’s a concept I love. Easy to transport and set up, and it’d allow you to use the play surface …

Henchmen seem to live in this weird alternate universe from the rest of the party in the campaigns I've played in or run. Even when they are there, they are often forgotten, which admittedly is probably the most effective way to keep them alive.

As a player, I've been in few campaigns that have actively used them. I'm not saying the players didn't have henchmen, it's just that they rarely came into play unless half the players failed to show up for the session in question.

As a DM, I've noticed that those looking for henchmen are the arcane caster types - the squishies in need of a meat shield. Even then, both myself and the player in question constantly forget he has henchmen [...]

Fallen is Oregon gaming company Watchtower Games' debut product and is scheduled to hit Kickstarter sometime in the month of June.  I don't know if my pocket can afford it, but this is another project that I plan to support.  Read on and maybe you'll join me in supporting what appears to be a great game.

Fallen is a two-player dungeon exploration game.  One player chooses his hero from three available characters.  The other player is the Dungeon Lord.  The premise is simple enough.  The hero delves deeper into the dungeon, in search of the dungeon's ultimate evil.  The Dungeon Lord throws traps and monsters in the hero's path in an attempt to foil the hero's plan.  If the hero can overcome the traps and monsters, the game culminates in an epic battle between the hero and the Dungeon Lord.  A battle that only one of them will survive.

The dungeon [...]

Today I ache in places I didn't know I could ache.
But it's a very satisfying ache as yesterday I ramped up my work-out routine at the gym.

My physio, who is determined to get me not just walking without the aid of a stick but also running, suggested I speak to my gym coach about adding in some new machines to my routine and yesterday I did just that.

In one fell stroke I more than doubled the length of my gym routine by adding a large slice of time on the treadmill (which I really enjoy) and the rowing machine (which was surprisingly fun as well, although I'm not entirely sold on having my feet strapped into the machine but nothing supporting my back).

The only other change I've instituted is to switch from listening to podcasts to listening to music on my [...]

He's going to cosplay your head into the ground!

The Hershel Space Observatory found two galaxies in the act of colliding. This helps us understand the nature of how elliptical galaxies came to be; these galaxies are generally populated by older stars and the odd shape of the galaxy defies the norm. It is thought that they may be the end result of two galaxies merging.

NASA

It looks NASA has decided to take another page out of the Star Trek book. You've all seen it, an ensign in the mess hall walks up to the wall, orders his food, there's a wooshing sound, a door opens, and bam!  He has dinner . . . though they always do seem to know what they want to eat, I would think with almost an infinite number of choices you might be a little indecisive.

But NASA is on board. The are attempting to adapt the 3D printer technology to making food for the astronauts.

They are [...]

Sure enough, Blogspot once again failed entirely to update the blogroll with today's article.  I posted this extra note to nudge their worthless bones and perhaps get such an update.  Sorry for the added entry (and I'm not sure this will actually work).  If you saw the notice in the blogroll, click here to return to the intended article or scroll down if you just happen to be on the home page.
 
Since my last announcement regarding the "Princess Ark Reboot"  (those of you who've been following me know what this is about), I've been busy working on [...]

I have as little knowledge of this one as I do the Pacesetter incarnation. The only thing I can say is that it must be good as there was only this and I think the Vampires supplement where the names were reused. The Isle of the Dead module may have been re purposed as well but there was not much overlap.

85 new creatures for use with Chill. Also includes 45 new Disciplines of the Art and the Evil Way, and 12 Items of Power.

Continued from "The Counties of Skyglint & Stardust"

This last dominion in the Kingdom of Ambur is a long sliver of coastline stretching 80 miles north to south between the Strait of Ambur and the Ambur River. Its successive counts were chiefly responsible for pressuring Amburian monarchy to issue the Starpoint Edict, and for provoking the Twin Peaks Campaign soon thereafter. They bore the largest share of the cost of the military campaign into what would later become Aran territory. The invasion eventually failed and, as a result, the heirs to the county have born grudges [...]

"Bring them forward" The queen ordered. Her fancy orange coat draped artistically over the ridged arms of the throne, and her black nails tapped impatiently.

The all female guard snapped to attention as the companions stepped forward, and bowed before the throne. "Majesty, we-" Rathgar began.

"Quiet" the queen huffed, slapping her hand upon the throne, and her back stiffening. "You shall remain silent, man-thing"

Nimble and Feris exchanged quick glances, as Allianora stepped between the queen and Rathgar. "A thousand apologies, your highness." She glanced back at Rathgar with arched eyebrows. "He often speaks out [...]

As one of the backers of Fate Core, I got the final electronic copy of both Fate Core and Fate Accelerated Edition a couple of days ago. Fate Core is a massive tome of 310 pages, so I decided to focus my attention of the much smaller FAE [...]

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is one of the best pieces of cinema made in all of human history. What are some of the signs to alert viewers of the film’s magnificence?

Jonathan shares 5 signs that show this is a great film.

 

5 Signs A New Hope is a Great Film

1. Great example of the myth of the hero
2. Han shot first!
3. Sets the stage for the entire Star Wars universe.
4. One of the greatest soundtracks (affiliate link) in the history of film
5. Groundbreaking special effects

 

Mailbag

What are other signs that Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is a GREAT film?

You’ll want to [...]

This is the beginning of a very bizarre idea that popped into my head today. The idea itself doesn’t quite make it into the text, but the character it created does.

The door was opened by a man whose suit and loose tie gave me the impression that he was, in fact, the man who had called me and thus the owner of the house, so I skipped the "Are they in?" routine and went straight to the introduction. "Rhiannon Pearce, supernatural plague investigator." (In this business, we don't talk about being an exterminator; supernatural plagues aren't sapient near as often [...]

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes --- a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)--- who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Google Spreadsheet is my friend...

We’ve been tallying the nominations, looking at our favorites and comparing notes. It looks like we’re going to have 17 winners this year. This looks about right, compared to previous years. In 2009 there were a lot of honorable mentions and runner-ups but only three winners. I personally like to spread prizes around and celebrate the sheer variety of submissions we get every year. It’s a win for everyone.

Year Entries Winners 20137217201210724201171152010641820091123/6/12

I hope we’ll be able to finalize the list soon enough!

What will happen next:

1. assemble a PDF with the winners
2. publish the list of winners and link to the PDF
3. celebrate!
4. notify winners by email and ask them to create a wish-list based on the prizes donated by our sponsors
5. try and maximize happiness using another spreadsheet
6. notify sponsors and winners and have sponsors send their prizes directly to the winners (except for the cash prize; I’ll handle that one since the sponsor wants to remain anonymous)
7. celebrate again!

Hopefully my work is done before June 8, because that’s when I’ll leave for a two week vacation to Sardinia. Yay!

Tags: RPG 1PDC

Spherechild: Sphre Sol Thu’ma

Spherechild. Der Quellenband Sol Thu'ma war dieser Tage in der Post. DieseRollenspielerweiterung wirdsomit wohl planmigauf der kommenden Role Play Convention 2013 (RPC) zur Verfgung stehen. 19,95 soll das Vergngen kosten.

Ich bin nicht sonderlich tief eingestiegen, aber das erste Durchblttern und das hervorragende Cover sprechen in meinen Augen fr diesen Band.

Alexander Hartung, der Autor und Herausgeber wird voraussichtlich am Samstag auf der Messe sein, eine Demorunde leiten und der DORP ein Interview geben. Wer mehr wissen will, schaut einfach mal bei der Gilde der Fantasy-Rollenspieler (kurz: GFR) vorbei und fragt nach.Um die Mittagszeit sollte das Einfhrungsspiel beginnen.

“Der [...]

I first came across the concept of the "supernatural dial" in Dogs in the Vineyard, but I'd encountered it in casual form long before. Sometimes the supernatural dial is expressed as "How gritty do you like your fantasy?" or "It's a low magic setting", while similar analogues exist for modern and sci-fi games. ("Is the tech Hard SF, or space opera?") In Dogs, the towns you visit are plagued by demons---but depending on your specific Dogs campaign, demons might be walking tempters with red scales, while in others "demons" are just random misfortune and social feedback without independent reality. Similarly, the [...]

Introduction 
I've been asked to go over the options for creating a child of the Lovecraftian stars. there are seldom more dear monsters to my hear then the creations of Lovecraft's circle of friends and fellow writers.  I started when I was thirteen years old when I discovered the works of HP Lovecraft in the back of a Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. I haven't looked back since. The fact that Lovecraft's works are now in the public domain are icing on the cake.

Children of Azothoth  Though out the centuries its really the Outer Gods that a space based [...]

Pro-Indie. Mit dem Indie-Rollenspiel Fiasko beschert unsder kleine feine deutsche Herausgeber (Fate to Go, Barbaren, Spielleiter)Jason Morningstars – kreative – Perle.Die Verffentlichung der bersetzung erfolgtzurRole Play Convention 2013.

Normalerweise halte ich mich bei deutschen Publikationen aufgrund persnlicher Vorbehalte hufig zurck und Dominik vom Rollenspiel-Almanach leistet auf diesem Feld hervorragende Arbeit, aber bei Fiasko springe ich ber meinen Schatten und empfehle klar einen Blick auf diese inspirierende Ideenwerkstatt zu werfen.

Fr Nicht-Messebesucher besteht die Mglichkeit zur Vorbestellung.

“Fiasko
Ein Spiel um Macht, Ehrgeiz und miserable Selbstkontrolle

 

Fiasko ist ein Spiel, das von Filmen wie Blood Simple oder Fargo inspiriert wurde. Ihr werdet whrend der Spielsitzung [...]

Now if you're Familiar with Earthdawn, you're familiar with Karma Points. Karma points are typically bought with legend points. Legend points of course fuel advancement. I'm also a huge fan of FATE and its aspect system. Utilizing the two systems can create a more robust game that:1. Doesn't detract from the advancement of the player's characters.2. Makes the use of karma points more natural,

When it was certain that we could not avoid the sand-storm, or simoom,my hosts and myselfeach wrappedour heads ina tayab, a long piece of treated cloth which protects their nose and eyes, while allowing respiration and sight. It was most unnerving to stand, as if in the midst of a dense fog, surrounded by still and facelessfigures who called to mind the mummies of ancient Egypt.

From A Journey Among the Desert Arabs andRed Men of Mars; With an Examination ofTheir Customs,Shewingthe LatterTo Be the Lost Tribes of Israel, by Mary Henrietta Kingsley.

 

N is for Nenaea - derived from Inanna

Nenaea is a Draken earth goddess of fertility and snakes. Generally speaking, all serpents are her children. She was the consort of the Sun/Sky Serpent, Roa - taken from Ra. More on him will come with the letter R.

These two gods existed before time itself began. Dragons are the ancient children of Roa and Nenaea - they are demigods of the Draken. Today's dragons are the great (to the 10th) generation of the first children of earth and sky. They are forever creatures of the "in between", sharing traits [...]

If time is like a river, flowing from one point to another inevitably from the start of creation to the end, then everything in reality is just flotsam and jetsam caught in the current. Every element of reality swirls into contact with other elements at one moment, perhaps remaining linked for the briefest of nanoseconds, or maybe attached for endless millennia, but eventually a time comes when the currents of time whisked elements away from one another. Somewhere between order and chaos, reality shifts according to the flow of time, the only inviolate constant.
Except there are those of [...]

I have never been a fan of Turn undead ability for clerics. Undead fleeing and running around a dungeon just doesn't fit my setting. So here is my alternative I'm going to try. 

Good clerics can rebuke undead, Calling on the name of his god to smite those abominations of unlife.

All undead in the presence of the cleric at the time of the rebuke must bake a save. Only creatures the same HD of the level of the caster are effected. All saves are made at a penalty of the level of the cleric.

All [...]

Many welcomes and greetings to you, my Gentle Readers and Fellow Gamers!

Well, it has certainly been a terrible week of storms, and I'm sure that many of you are as disturbed and saddened as I was by the terrible tragedy in Moore, Oklahoma. That tornado was of epic and terrifying size, and the loss of life and property was shocking to comprehend. If you have the opportunity and inclination, please click this link to NBCNEWS.com, which has provided an excellent list of organizations to contact in order to assist in the relief effort for the survivors of that terrible storm.

As [...]

Wizards unseen hand, Level 0 Magic user
R 60 ft.       D 1rnd per level of the caster
With a gesture, the caster can lift objects no greater than 5lbs and move it about for the duration of the spell. If interrupted a save is needed to keep from loosing concentration. After level 4 the caster can lift up to 10lbs.

Just a quick post to tell you that if you enjoyed the Zombieland TV pilot from Amazon, well sad news is it’s been cancelled. It seems they will not be carrying on with the series, which is a shame, but not something any of us should loose sleep over. It was OK, but like I […]

The ring of Angelic might was forged for the Brother Captain Macus of the brotherhood of the shield and thorn. To call upon the ring the wearer must be either a Paladin or a Cleric, and be of good alignment.

Once per week the ring can be called upon to grant the user Angelic might.

When called upon 6' wings grow from the users back and stay for the duration of the spell, Granting flight (speed 18). For the duration add +2 to he damage of all melee attacks.

This review originally appeared on our tumblog.   A few weeks ago, I put out a request on G+ to seek out some more Creative Commons licensed tabletop games. From that post, I learned about the upcoming gameBareBonesFantasy,and was given an opportunity to hop in over G+ Hangouts and try out the system. I have [...]