tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17936375372441732362024-03-04T23:34:43.737-08:00imaginary hallwaysCharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-6340070513556390762022-03-18T13:47:00.000-07:002022-03-18T13:47:34.849-07:00IDLES and Space Sunglasses Backgrounds</style>
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<p> Inspired by <a href="https://72stations.com/4d20-character-generators">72stations' 4d20 backgrounds</a> for various bands. Use with Troika or my<a href="https://twitter.com/imaginaryhallw1/status/1503731636751540234"> twitter simple system</a>. </p>
<p>Also available at my itch.io as <a href="https://charvus.itch.io/stellar-punk-weirdos">Stellar Punk Weirdos</a>.</p>
<p>IDLES 4d20</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Background</th>
<th>Ability</th>
<th>Item</th>
<th>Quirk</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>Human Jelly</td>
<td>Caduceus Kick</td>
<td>Carcinogenic Water</td>
<td>Big Mirror of a Smile</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>Person With A Perm</td>
<td>Concrete and Leather</td>
<td>Hairspray</td>
<td>Jaw Like a Fuck-Off Bear Trap</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>Car Crasher</td>
<td>False Front</td>
<td>Motivational DVDs</td>
<td>Loves Holding Hands</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>Catcaller Killer</td>
<td>Riding Wave</td>
<td>Bag of Michael Keaton</td>
<td>Crawls Everywhere</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>Television Destroyer</td>
<td>Gyrate Beautifully</td>
<td>US Flag Pants</td>
<td>Always Dancing</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>Scum</td>
<td>Vibrate Eyes</td>
<td>Rocket Fuel</td>
<td>Cannot Go Slow</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>Mother</td>
<td>Freddy Mercury</td>
<td>1d6 Molotovs</td>
<td>Laughs at Tyrants</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>Heel</td>
<td>Skin is Molotov</td>
<td>Sarcasm Amputator</td>
<td>Studies Gotho 1649</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
<td>Father</td>
<td>Body Full of Pins</td>
<td>Cut Down Throne</td>
<td>Makes wonderful cookies</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>Model Village Escapee</td>
<td>Rollerblade Sword Fight</td>
<td>Katana</td>
<td>Stomps Everywhere</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
<td>Snowflake</td>
<td>Avalanche</td>
<td>Spraypaint</td>
<td>Friend in Every Dive Bar</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
<td>Sloganeer</td>
<td>Middle Finger</td>
<td>6 Cheap Beers</td>
<td>Denies All Gods</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>Excommunicated Office Drone</td>
<td>Musical Metamorphosis</td>
<td>Delay Pedal</td>
<td>Always Tagging</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
<td>Blue Blood Vampire</td>
<td>Hyper Caring</td>
<td>Reigns</td>
<td>Never Had A Job</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
<td>Loop Smasher</td>
<td>Ballroom Sway</td>
<td>Crowbar</td>
<td>Raises Sharks</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>Barfight Gladiator</td>
<td>Shrug It Off</td>
<td>1d6 Benzocaine Bottles</td>
<td>Never Sleeps, Dances</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>Baron-hearted Betrayer</td>
<td>Blend In</td>
<td>Asteroid Stone Mace</td>
<td>Full of Hot Air</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
<td>The Worst Lover</td>
<td>Mean Business</td>
<td>Rollerblades</td>
<td>Natural Winner Despite All Evidence</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
<td>Uniter</td>
<td>Cry To Me</td>
<td>Snake In Boots</td>
<td>Talks to Vultures</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>Rottweiler</td>
<td>Arson</td>
<td>Newspaper Clippings</td>
<td>Attracts Ghosts</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><br /></p><table><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Melding (Floodgate Companion, Space Sunglasses, Cardini's Vortex, Vorpal Sword) (Music: The Comet Is Coming, Thee Oh Sees)</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Background</th>
<th>Ability</th>
<th>Item</th>
<th>Quirk</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>Face Melter</td>
<td>Drill Arm</td>
<td>Eye Shield</td>
<td>Clicking Face</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>Melted Facer</td>
<td>Phasing</td>
<td>Silver Organic Gun</td>
<td>Loves Dinosaur-Cyborgs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>Growing Plantoid</td>
<td>Rapid Temporary Growth</td>
<td>Circuit-bent Synthesizer</td>
<td>Perfect Rhythm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>Bearded Sage</td>
<td>Self-Split Dodge</td>
<td>3d3 Acid Vials</td>
<td>Always Tallest</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>Robo-luchador</td>
<td>Atomic Piledriver</td>
<td>Hyper-salt</td>
<td>Only Eats Slurry</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>Crystal-headed Skirmisher</td>
<td>Wall-walk</td>
<td>Kneepads and Boots</td>
<td>Telepathic Talker</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>Kaiju Child</td>
<td>Atomic Laser Mouth</td>
<td>Tape Deck</td>
<td>Head on Backwards</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>Beehive with Legs</td>
<td>Honey Transmuter</td>
<td>Egg-shaped Floating Car</td>
<td>Sensitive Antenna</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
<td>Princess Warmage</td>
<td>Scintilating Energy Hands</td>
<td>Eldritch Computer Manual</td>
<td>Flashlight Eyes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>Ferrofluid Humanoid</td>
<td>Extendo Limbs</td>
<td>Cape and Balaclava</td>
<td>Scared of Omega Bugs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
<td>Brody Goo-bot</td>
<td>Extradimensional Storage</td>
<td>Horned Biohelm</td>
<td>Cocktail Exuder</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
<td>Last Synth Master</td>
<td>Mega-speed</td>
<td>Golem Armor</td>
<td>Smells like burnt plastic</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>Solar Socialite</td>
<td>Infinity Eye</td>
<td>Party Hover-Barge</td>
<td>Only Wears Metal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
<td>Doomland Scrapper</td>
<td>Power Fist</td>
<td>Vorpal Sword</td>
<td>Vibrating At a High Frequency</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
<td>Orgone Sniffer</td>
<td>Snake Arm</td>
<td>Melty Houseplant</td>
<td>Speech Bubbles</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>Sphere Wizard</td>
<td>Vomit Vine</td>
<td>High-heel Powerboots</td>
<td>TV Static Voice</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>Remade Android</td>
<td>Wall Destroy</td>
<td>Casio PT-1</td>
<td>Believes in Anti-Moon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
<td>Gamma Dog</td>
<td>Energy Shield</td>
<td>Grey Goo Taxi</td>
<td>Hates the Party Lords</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
<td>Battle Demoness</td>
<td>Calm Beast</td>
<td>Crystal Lance</td>
<td>Supports Bat-Crab Fighters</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>Beatle Head</td>
<td>Space Judo</td>
<td>Camo Jumpsuit</td>
<td>Controlled by Head Octopus</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-27260459195923317822021-12-27T12:55:00.002-08:002021-12-27T12:55:28.468-08:00Troika How Should I Even Resolve This Chaos Stuff<p> Sometimes the great chain of existence, the dance of the spheres, the vagaries of unknown gods leaves us alone. The city of Troika or its nomadic fortles demands answers. And in these cases, we can ask simple yes/no questions</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>no</li><li>no</li><li>no</li><li>yes</li><li>yes</li><li>yes</li></ol><div>Or we can ask a question, give two answers, and roll 2 dice, 1 for each answer. The answer with the highest die wins. </div><div><br /></div><div>But sometimes we must resolve actions in chaotic ways, to delight the horrid absent gods. Then we must consult a strange table</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">How Hard Is It Anyway?</h3><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Roll 2d6 under current Stamina</li><li>Luck check</li><li>Roll under Skill. No advanced skill applies.</li><li>Roll under Skill. Any advanced skill may apply. Come up with why of course.</li><li>Opposed roll (vs Skill 9 if no other is obvious)</li><li>Roll 1d6 in secret. Try to guess the rolled value. If you guess it, success! If off by 1, a mixed result occurs - partial success, or success but the situation becomes much more dire.</li></ol></div><p></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-30978151421773506662021-11-16T06:40:00.004-08:002021-11-16T06:40:39.324-08:00Modern Horror with 0e DnD or derivatives<h4 style="text-align: left;">Why DnD for a modern horror-ish game?</h4><p>I want weird dangerous stuff to be 'scary' because it's weird or dangerous. I don't want to to be scary because your Hype Meter ticked up. I want a dude to be scary because you saw him take 3 pistol shots to his t-shirt covered chest and a little grease came out of the wounds and he seems fine.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj928XCLFyC-AVP9a-WRVsjGbtSIpuicd8WSk8CBw4pRjb9dHl6uANbcT68t9oedbN0oLEWuG1fxbQzXXGMgGUIWfHpbA-l3CLhP7gyIgsHhqDc4Pm4XxqCizHgZdMJemp4GDzduDMEm7g/s2048/MOSHED-2020-12-28-15-52-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj928XCLFyC-AVP9a-WRVsjGbtSIpuicd8WSk8CBw4pRjb9dHl6uANbcT68t9oedbN0oLEWuG1fxbQzXXGMgGUIWfHpbA-l3CLhP7gyIgsHhqDc4Pm4XxqCizHgZdMJemp4GDzduDMEm7g/s320/MOSHED-2020-12-28-15-52-42.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">open source image from wikimedia commons, photomosh'd by me</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Why 0e DnD? </h4><p>It's really cool. 0e is not a complete system unto itself. People make hacks of it. It doesn't proscribe how to run a game or whether your PC can be 'trained in forest navigation.' </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">What else tho</h4><p>I kind of want to eschew hp progression, or at least the idea that you go from level 1 to level 9 and suddenly no one with a knife is a threat.</p><p>I love system/setting things like Troika, and there are some cool modern urban fantasy-ish hacks, but I don't really want the PCs to start out as supernatural weirdos. If you have a half-vampire as a PC then half-vampires aren't scary or different or horrors. If you get bit and fail a save and turn into one during play, that's fine.</p><p>I've categorized these games by big obvious things in their dice-rolling mechanics because <b>I care deeply about things that actually don't matter. </b></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">d20 roll high or die</h4><p><a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/odandd-reference-document">Luke's rules.</a> These are good, really close to 0e but clearly their own thing, but largely compatible with things like hit dice, saving throws, to-hit, armor class. No classes, magic is _dangerous_. Only 3 stats: str, dex, con. 3 saves: warding, dodge, physique. Some progression but can just do it via 'heroic boasting' in another post of Luke's. The closest to normal-ass 0e DnD on the list so far.</p><p><a href="https://lucasrolim.itch.io/dungeon-gig">Dungeon Gig</a>. 1 stat which is your HP, also is what you add to a d20 roll when your background or skills apply. Also the damage you deal and inventory slots. Starts between 1 and 6. HD compatible, map to 1 thru 10. Open license. LATAM creator. Solo rules, plans for expansions. Learning a spell decreases your stat by 1 permanently, have to spend health temporarily to cast. Roll d20 only, roll high.</p><p><a href="https://axesorcs.itch.io/unlevel">(Un)Level</a>. 3d6 in order stats, no indication what they're for, you get saving throws, you are level 3 forever, you get 3dx HP + the length of one of the words you used to describe your class/background. This is very cool in its brevity. Things aren't dictated or even hinted at. I'd steal a lot of stuff from Delving Deeper and Liminal Horror and run this like a stolen car.</p><p><a href="https://emielboven.itch.io/durf">DURF</a>. 3 stats (Str, Dex, Willpower) 1-3 at start, HD compatible, no HP, you roll HD with every wound and if you don't roll over your current number of wounds with any hit dice, you die. Hit dice are all 1d6. So a neat way to let HD grow without PCs becoming a giant mass of MEAT POINTS. Casting spells causes 'Stress' which takes up inventory slots. Can also take stress to take advantage on a roll. </p><p><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/107184/Delving-Deeper-Ref-Rules-v1-BUNDLE">Delving Deeper</a>. It's a 0e retroclone. I'll at least use it for reference. It's got the 0e monster manual and all the ship-combat rules you'll ever need.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Sometimes over sometimes under</h4><div><a href="https://violentmedia.itch.io/simple-deeendee">Simple DeeEnDee</a> has some roll-under stats and some roll over to fights. It is awesome because it is super easy to add classes to (Evey added in a<a href="https://violentmedia.itch.io/pegasus-catgirl-amoeboid"> pegasus, catgirl, and amoeba that rock</a>) and because the ACs are _lower_ so that you hit moar and the damage is _higher_ so, yeah. DeeEnDee: Fuck around and find out edition. I love it. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;">d20-roll under</h4><p><a href="https://micah-anderson.itch.io/bastards">Bastards</a>. Roll-d20-under-stats, 3 stats (str, dex, wisdom). Luck is a stat, roll d20 under, reduce luck by 1, restored in the mornings. Use as a Save. Roll under but above opponent's HD if, say, trying to sneak past the Lich or cast a spell on it. Gain 1d6 hp every other level. Enemies get a to-hit roll in a fight (roll under 10+HD), a nice change from some other roll-under-stat systems. The stuff with opponents HD and the sort of roll-above-and-below is brilliant and understated. It makes it harder to sneak up on a lich than a goblin because, you know, fuckin liches suck.</p><p><a href="https://loottheroom.itch.io/a-dragon-game">A Dragon Game</a>. Roll d20 under-but-as-close-as-possible-to-stat, HD compatible, fighting is _super_ deadly. Learning magic degrades your stats or HP. There are some enemy hd/HP adjustments to make because the d20 roll is also the damage roll, if your attack hits. Players roll only, attack and defense separately. Perhaps closest to a straight-up horror game. Progression is milestone-ish, and you either increase HP by 1d6 or try to increase a stat, which has a 5% of gaining HP. Open license. Getting attacked is hella lethal, perhaps the lethalist. Has a cool supplement to make dying instantly less common but your character gets eroded away by violence.</p><p>17th Century Minimalist. Roll under, no real magic for the starting PCs. HP is hard limited, as is non-magical damage. Classes would probably need some reworking to fit in ze modern era. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Chainmail just used d6s right?</h4><p><a href="https://wizard-lizard.itch.io/murdersoup-2-tales-of-high-adventure">Murdersoup Tales of High Adventure</a>. 2d6 game, not HD compatible but has ideas for HP for normal folks (1d6), adventurers (2d6) and monsters (go wild). Damage follows a similar trend. HP growth through hitting 0 HP and not dying. Cool stats in <a href="https://wizard-lizard.itch.io/murdersoup-heavy-metal-adventures">Murdersoup Heavy Metal Adventures</a> - basically the Apocalypse World ones, you roll to see which one you're best at. Some cool ideas, generally roll and try to beat a 7 to 9+, ToHA has very minimal addition rules for rolls (+1 to ranged attacks for good dex, that sort of thing). </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">0E in space is Traveller, Traveller is 0E DnD I DON"T MAKE THE SCIENCE RULES</h4><div><a href="https://s-jared.itch.io/so-you-want-to-be-an-adventurer">So You Want to Be an Adventurer?</a> It's another '2d6 game' to classify it in a way that probably would make Jared feel I've missed the point entirely. But it's cool because you're trying to hit 8+ on 2d6, things like skills or gear each give a +1, things like being concussed or hurt or in a bad spot give a -1, and Something Is Always Happening. You don't just fail to pick a lock, you set off a burglar alarm. I'd make it so if you roll low doubles (1,1) you encounter A Horror, if you roll something like a 3,3 you see the Sam Raimi-style rushing camera of a Horror doing something. What's So Cool About Horror Psychic Fragments or the like.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Advanced Fighting Fantasy Was 0E for the UK</h4><div>Troika. Evey wrote a cool horror game for it - zombies that do GIGANTIC BEAST damage are gonna rip off your goddamn face. Look it up it rules.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Was Warhammer 0e? (YES)</h4><p><a href="https://gayhalforc.itch.io/sledgehammer">Sledgehammer</a>. d100 based, wounds and corruption, not 0e-compatible or trying to be, but has a very cool Warhammer 0,000 vibe. 4 stats: fight, speed, fellowship, toughness. Stats are low, only players roll, failing a to-hit roll means the monster hits. Not HD compatible, monsters have two stats (damage and health).<a href="https://twitter.com/maguaxRPG/status/1440384504716165136"> MA Guax is making a modern hack (Freaks on a Leash)</a> and put out some stuff on his twitter about a deprecated/lost modern hack (Slickhammer) which both ROCK. Open license. I feel like the limited number of stats gets this away from 'roll under Int/Wis/Cha/Str/Dex/Con' like I see with some things, and you get some neat room for rulings that way.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">But also Cairn hacks</h4><div><a href="https://goblinarchives.itch.io/liminal-horror">Liminal Horror</a>. Open license. Roll d20 under stats, damage per Cairn, not HD compatible but lots of monsters already converted for Cairn. Has a cool mystery generation tool. Really the coolest leveling-up system ever. Advancements take up inventory slots forever, and indicate that your character is also changing, forever altered, by encountering horrors.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">But Also Pulp Mothership</h2><div>Instead of Stress, you gain Adrenaline, which you can use to hulk out. <a href="https://twitter.com/imaginaryhallw1/status/1430333802971283463">I wrote it up here</a>, just ignore the Strength/Toil thing, I dunno. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6DZSnT0EUBpSFVHj5YnNJ8XtySIb-Mx6L0MYKXjcjYfWGrJIONTIdOh3mL6Ys621i0ugcDFCzSx5UL1J8pY9kXlRYkz_ADjlqe9Yb86FtVdU1toutWEMz_NyaGWvcadeiW2gd3rOcKlz/s2048/MOSHED-2020-12-28-15-52-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6DZSnT0EUBpSFVHj5YnNJ8XtySIb-Mx6L0MYKXjcjYfWGrJIONTIdOh3mL6Ys621i0ugcDFCzSx5UL1J8pY9kXlRYkz_ADjlqe9Yb86FtVdU1toutWEMz_NyaGWvcadeiW2gd3rOcKlz/s320/MOSHED-2020-12-28-15-52-42.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1croseRVXXTcC7pS4mQMfS9e_jKi4gYT5XTHqaRYlJ1Kaxpn8hbXlVa0qgMuJB4HJsiXLzNvQUSJbKeh5chxQErQltQS6ilJwcOUmc0fdiYfHPuYvYfp2b3WGlbIWBiHB1zLn2r-qz5nj/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1375" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1croseRVXXTcC7pS4mQMfS9e_jKi4gYT5XTHqaRYlJ1Kaxpn8hbXlVa0qgMuJB4HJsiXLzNvQUSJbKeh5chxQErQltQS6ilJwcOUmc0fdiYfHPuYvYfp2b3WGlbIWBiHB1zLn2r-qz5nj/" width="161" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-62667776766017935152021-11-16T06:26:00.000-08:002021-11-16T06:26:02.610-08:00Dreamy Appendix N<p>Somninauts inspired me to put together a half-completed list of dream games. As in, games about dreams. Some are also about being dead because, hey, in death what dreams may come. </p><p>Also I have an itch.io list of<a href="https://itch.io/c/1575216/dreams-and-death"> dream and death games</a>, also incomplete.</p><p> In no particular order</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSmHZI03MmE">Paprika</a>. The dream-world and the real world collide. Two women, each aspects of each other. A man spreads his filthy dead roots and would strangle the world. A cinemaphile deals with his past and present. A really big dude picks locks and takes responsibility by turning into a giant robot that Paprika gets inside and turns into a giant baby.</li><li><a href="https://www.artstation.com/nicponim">Piotr Jabłoński</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4zOUxHxhXM">Daniel Isn't Real</a>. It's horror and it's like a pretty bad example of mental illness, or maybe it just features the worst psychologist ever. When your shrink shows up to get you to unleash your inner demon and has a ceremonial dagger you need a new person. More horror-y but still quite nice.</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxYSgcaX5K0&list=PLyKJ369_6PQVSvwGFuC5bfh3ojJWoNZ1E&index=6">Marc Rebillet</a>. This guy is a wonderful musician and I love him. He sings about being a flamingo and makes it both danceable and terrifying. That flamingo is your nemesis.</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1vglxC8xfU&list=PLyKJ369_6PQVSvwGFuC5bfh3ojJWoNZ1E&index=16">Watching mushrooms grow</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPI4FAuR5Rs&list=PLyKJ369_6PQVSvwGFuC5bfh3ojJWoNZ1E&index=11">Mandy</a>. Nic Cage takes Hell cocaine and sees shit. Mandy is badass. We start in reality and (spoilers) end up somewhere else entirely. </li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIRQbIckYPo&list=PLyKJ369_6PQWADN_zpFmnarPQm_bJTZpk&index=83">Lisa Bella Donna</a> playing a synth.</li><li>Stuff from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arh5TsB__Q8&list=PLyKJ369_6PQWADN_zpFmnarPQm_bJTZpk&index=120">Killer7</a>. H E L L O. M R S M I T H.</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfcn5Yd18YU&list=PLyKJ369_6PQVSvwGFuC5bfh3ojJWoNZ1E&index=9">Dr Casper</a> from Control. This is some decent worldbuilding by way of informative videos he makes in-universe, for new employees / civil servants / prisoners of the Bureau of Control.</li><li>The Frank Book. No dialogue. Adventures in an interesting way - it seems like most of the book Frank is just dealing with the strange encounters of keeping his home in one piece. A plant picked grows rapidly and attacks. ManPig is killed and lives again and again. Smirk smiles his creepy smile.</li><li><a href="https://gontijo.itch.io/nostalgiagoons">Nostalgia Goons</a>. Your stats are basically inner child, adulting, and boomer. You wander halls of nostalgia, looking for coffee shops and friendly company, trying to retain your memory - which is also your inventory, and your emotions, which when depleted mean you are gone.</li><li><a href="https://nakade.itch.io/goons-of-unreality">Goons of Unreality</a>. Reality breaks apart, and your Goons can adventure, warp reality with their will, and visit thought whales. Another nice Tunnel Goons hack. Has some good adventure generators.</li><li>The Book of Imaginary Beings. Borges. A bestiary for your dreams and nightmares.</li><li>Adventure Time. Serious and whimsical. I feel this show is a mishmash of things that contradict, that should not fit together, and yet still do somehow. And there's a Pillow Dimension?!?</li><li><a href="https://natetreme.itch.io/war-in-the-heavens">War in the Heavens</a>. All of Nate's stuff is so great but this is really good for strangeness. The art is different than lots of his other stuff, you are Rat Mutant Abominations, and you're on a quest to kill God. The art style has its own tutorial video in there which ROCKS.</li><li><a href="https://goatmansgoblet.itch.io/psychopomps">Psychopomps</a>. Tunnel goons in the hereafter making sure heaven and hell and all the rest keeps working (?). </li><li><a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/aetherway">Aetherway</a>. Cool little planar wandering game, has some good random tables for where you go and who you meet. </li><li><a href="https://fantasticjean.itch.io/onirias-slumber">Oniria's Slumber</a>. Great Troika hack of people in a city where the dreams leak out into the world, and some folks are there to make sure nothing gets too out of wack. So unlike a lot of Troika hacks/settings, the group as a whole gets a reason to adventure together out of the book (though any given table is free to ignore this!). Has a spread of setting skills, gear, and some locations and NPCs which is nice.</li><li><a href="https://thriftomancer.itch.io/oneironauts">Oneironauts</a> and <a href="https://thriftomancer.itch.io/oneironauts-2">Oneironauts 2</a>. Mix of dream and reality backgrounds suggesting how the worlds are colliding, gear and NPCs. A bit more like standard Troika hacks - and I don't say this as a bad thing! Evocative setting hinted through backgrounds and enemies and gear and spells.</li><li>Katana ZERO. </li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6uVD2MH12k">This music video</a>. What if we were turning to moths in the city?</li><li>My Body Is a Cage</li></ul><p></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-24807726261951066822021-07-16T13:51:00.002-07:002021-07-16T13:51:34.482-07:00Stray Thoughts of God<p> I wrote a planescapey dungeon of strange thoughts and gargantuan body-bits of God, which He has been forgetting. He needs the PCs to go through and clear out the Final Boss and then the dungeon will collapse onto itself, and this ruminating thought of God will go away completely. The PCs and some NPCs will be on to the next thought stuck in God's mind.</p><p>Much of this I owe to <a href="https://strangerz0ne.itch.io/amenbreak">Amen Break</a> and <a href="https://natetreme.itch.io/war-in-the-heavens">War in the Heavens</a>. Amen Break has the brilliant idea of making dungeon-crawls like this, and tables and guides to doing so. Any good idea I have for the overall conceit comes from that; any bad idea is just me. War in the Heavens is a pocketmod book of collages and a smol awesome solo game. Nate Treme was nice enough to make a video about how he made it, and I've been using that to make Stray Thoughts of God.</p><p><a href="https://charvus.itch.io/stray-thoughts-of-god">Stray Thoughts of God</a> is in that link. It's PWYW. Check it out!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dv71fJ99EGlS-6zXs89ESWOouajHPvrjbBTjpi0x8Emc79SgrfyTw9WY7q4Fi1qpllbwkvzCIhNEqmgDdBvgRA0XCp7tgbMrPk0OtLxw4hcaU-MWJdcpoBvX0tJSocifmUkD7-5H2gzk/s917/Screen+Shot+2021-07-16+at+4.50.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="917" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Dv71fJ99EGlS-6zXs89ESWOouajHPvrjbBTjpi0x8Emc79SgrfyTw9WY7q4Fi1qpllbwkvzCIhNEqmgDdBvgRA0XCp7tgbMrPk0OtLxw4hcaU-MWJdcpoBvX0tJSocifmUkD7-5H2gzk/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-07-16+at+4.50.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by me</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-21759249128038980442021-03-31T06:29:00.001-07:002021-03-31T06:31:57.085-07:00Charlie, a Troika Background, and pull-chit rules for dying of POiSoNNN<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">CHARLIE</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdI40adpHxyNw2OT5VO0I4FwUW0mWww1Ayu8Dh_tqWfnvDnxd_2FPTx4YiZ2ZFLw8jcMwfyy-vnu2gvwEHcmF8_GZbwBCwa6-qlGL6BiXavkHyFEE5Y_6rXRGyRt654ka4NQlUIFgRd25/s1080/Photo+on+2-1-21+at+3.51+PM+%25232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdI40adpHxyNw2OT5VO0I4FwUW0mWww1Ayu8Dh_tqWfnvDnxd_2FPTx4YiZ2ZFLw8jcMwfyy-vnu2gvwEHcmF8_GZbwBCwa6-qlGL6BiXavkHyFEE5Y_6rXRGyRt654ka4NQlUIFgRd25/s320/Photo+on+2-1-21+at+3.51+PM+%25232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><div style="text-align: center;">A Troika! Background (It's me)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Content Warning: I game-ify my anxiety.</h4></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Advanced Skills</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">2 Running</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">1 generate surplus value for capitalists</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">2 Remain Silent</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">2 Small Creature Friendship</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">2 Find Humour</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">1 Entertaining Game Time</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">1 CharAnxiety</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">-1 Penmanship</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Possessions</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Notebook </span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Warped metal pen (as knife)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">String (1 meter)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Silver religious(?) symbol</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Mask<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Pamphlet Dungeon Map</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">1d6 anti-anxiety ampoules in a jar shaped like a beetle</span></li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Notes on New Skills!</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Remain Silent can be used in lieu of Etiquette, as long as the Charlie remains silent and goes along with the other being. It also can have other uses.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Small Creature Friendship does not charm or control animals, but they will treat the Charlie as a friend or at least a distant uncle. Small animals are up to the size of a large dog, but not a truly massive dog. Cats and snakes are not included - roll in their respective Mien tables.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Find Humour can both find entertaining things about the situation or locate actual bodily humours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">CharAnxiety can be used to have 1 obscurely appropriate tool for a task in a given session, but sometimes one must fail an Anxiety skill roll to get shit done, especially when carrying out the drudge-work of the Gleaming Capital Lords. It cannot(?) be used when eating anxiety ampoules.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><b>LOTS OF PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE ANXIETY DIFFERENTLY.</b> This is just how The Charlie does it!</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">BESTIARY</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><b>CAT</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Skill 8, Stamina 4, Init 3, Damage as Knife. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Mien</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Distracted</span></li><li><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Secretly Angry</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Overtly Angry</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Disinclined</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Sleeping</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Playful</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">You think you know them. You know nothing. They will tolerate us for a time longer. How long, only they know. They abide us, they indulge us. Or not. Moment to moment, it is their choice.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">---</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><b>SNAKE</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Skill 9, Stamina 4, Init 4, Damage as small beast + potentially POISON</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Mien</span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Danger! Noodle!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">d_ANGER (noodle)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">danger?? Nooooodle!!!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Snoot boop</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Sleep</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Sunbathe</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">3-in-6 the snake is poisonous. If so, and if bitten, put 2d6 dice of one color and 1 die of another in a bag. Every 5 minutes at the table (or if the PCs travel for a while), have the player draw a die out of the bag. If they draw the 1 unique colored die, their character dies. Some snakes allow one to put more (or fewer) 'safe' dice in the bag.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Snakes generally only attack if stepped on, or if they feel threatened. If left alone they will not attack, unless one is the size of a rodent.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdds01HCfZs5vol0PGdJ8LB7fCbUkdh3Jau75O4ixEUc9betQM9kAeX00kGd_WfjjD7spwgPoMU6Ql87szp7TvIpxDxxyFtqj_xFL2s8jRjbNl8iZMc30MYEex7IJOhpk_FaeGJeBdOFwK/s1152/snek.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdds01HCfZs5vol0PGdJ8LB7fCbUkdh3Jau75O4ixEUc9betQM9kAeX00kGd_WfjjD7spwgPoMU6Ql87szp7TvIpxDxxyFtqj_xFL2s8jRjbNl8iZMc30MYEex7IJOhpk_FaeGJeBdOFwK/w400-h300/snek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-25743474767600419792021-03-30T17:41:00.002-07:002021-03-30T17:41:42.274-07:00Strange Loops, a spark table pocketmod 'adventure' 'generator'<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Fira Mono;">I've been busy and depressed but here's the spark tables I used to put together some point-crawl horror stuff for that system I put together, <a href="https://imaginaryhallways.blogspot.com/2021/01/gaining-insight-rather-than-losing.html">CESR</a>. You should be able to right-click on the image, click 'view in another tab', and see the pocketmod in its original size and print it from there. HAVE FUN exploding heads and such! There's no way out written into this so think of that before you start.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hy8NeoUMboA4y_ICTpzyGF5sKlnLsVl-toCdncHZIB3tubosBK9jv3cD6HOPEA4phMULrhfclEreXXmtyuyNArdDYWoSK0gjvoBZLrcwt-815nfIXn1eQY6iYphi5qNFd5hoVl0zxeKv/s1684/strange_loops_a4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="1190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hy8NeoUMboA4y_ICTpzyGF5sKlnLsVl-toCdncHZIB3tubosBK9jv3cD6HOPEA4phMULrhfclEreXXmtyuyNArdDYWoSK0gjvoBZLrcwt-815nfIXn1eQY6iYphi5qNFd5hoVl0zxeKv/s16000/strange_loops_a4.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Strange Loops A4 (Americans noooo)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hy8NeoUMboA4y_ICTpzyGF5sKlnLsVl-toCdncHZIB3tubosBK9jv3cD6HOPEA4phMULrhfclEreXXmtyuyNArdDYWoSK0gjvoBZLrcwt-815nfIXn1eQY6iYphi5qNFd5hoVl0zxeKv/s1684/strange_loops_a4.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46n1Yc9TAOkbj-75bsTabCBF3qwZHdBamEmJa-2PyXxbBI4LR3wyWUqIAAjj4dPB3gu2SgkUu-5v3Sco6QO1DOwbiWCyr1VZYrkb1c5MAYfD-UFr1BtiY05Riiaw8MTczB1QAD6rp_Eg-/s1583/strange_loops_letter.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="1223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46n1Yc9TAOkbj-75bsTabCBF3qwZHdBamEmJa-2PyXxbBI4LR3wyWUqIAAjj4dPB3gu2SgkUu-5v3Sco6QO1DOwbiWCyr1VZYrkb1c5MAYfD-UFr1BtiY05Riiaw8MTczB1QAD6rp_Eg-/s16000/strange_loops_letter.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Strange Loops Letter (Americans Use This) ^^^</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-81428849270070522742021-01-22T06:45:00.000-08:002021-01-22T06:45:30.479-08:00Gaining Insight Rather Than Losing Sanity<p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Insight has a positive ring to it. We can destroy that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><a href="https://thewizardofmacketown.blogspot.com/2019/02/sanity-and-body-shattering.html">The Wizard of Macke Town is a fantastic blog with a relevant blog post.</a> Bloodborne apparently tracks 'frenzy' and this can, if accrued, cause horrible damage to the player. The wizard adapts this to games with Wisdom scores. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">One gains Frenzy by encountering horrible things ('reading the grimoire deals 1d6 Frenzy damage and teaches you to speak to vermin'), gaining new knowledge of the world when speaking to some monsters. When your Frenzy score and Wisdom score are equal, you take double your Wisdom in HP damage.</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cX9Bt5tML6KMWs9bSrqbcfEsqIvSPwBxcy3EAaSYs5qsWGxVVYSFCpmMsd7b48sTbMrYhxqCgt4ohbp_1wp77K6gQr2U4gwiIs2riKahi-rGmsAnm5jVzgi4Arv2tfhGcL01ApmS0q5h/s650/ScannersTwist_Current_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cX9Bt5tML6KMWs9bSrqbcfEsqIvSPwBxcy3EAaSYs5qsWGxVVYSFCpmMsd7b48sTbMrYhxqCgt4ohbp_1wp77K6gQr2U4gwiIs2riKahi-rGmsAnm5jVzgi4Arv2tfhGcL01ApmS0q5h/s320/ScannersTwist_Current_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Fira Mono; font-size: x-small;">Image from Scanners</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">I would also posit that memorizing a spell should add to Frenzy - say, the spell's level determines how much Frenzy you gain when you memorize it. The spell will squat in your skull for as long as you want - you don't forget it when you sleep, you dream of it. Dream of it watching you. Anyone can memorize any spell they want - they just are in more and more danger of Frenzy making them burst blood vessels, have heart attacks, or have their head explode. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Now anyone can be a wizard - in plate mail or kevlar or just a comfy pair of joggers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">Another nice bonus is that this doesn't conflate horror with real-world psychological issues. You don't gain so much insight you get depression. You gain so much that your head explodes from the inside as the horrible living ideas try vainly(?) to flower and spore with your dying flesh. Rates of depression and anxiety here in the US have doubled in the last year, thanks to Trump's inability to lead in the face of a global pandemic. And even before this, mental health was considered a huge, yet systemically unaddressed problem. Given this, I prefer a system that doesn't tell you that you have PTSD or anxiety or depression during fun-relax-time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">I need something far more fantastical and strange.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Fira Mono;">To this end I have written a very simple character sheet and 'system' for this: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OBsCsBykd1yx0dS1TqfU4IjsUza9x51tntKGzBn9QyA/edit?usp=sharing">CESR, Charlie's Eerie Simple Roleplaying.</a> It owes a lot / steals from The Black Hack, Nate Treme's <a href="https://natetreme.itch.io/nosr">NOSR</a>, Jared Sinclair's <a href="https://s-jared.itch.io/anti-sisyphus-omnibus">Anti-Sisyphus</a>, and of course The Wizard of Macke Town. I am working through different Silent-Hill-4-esque scenarios of surreal mismatched interior places, dungeon crawls, where one must battle monsters and their own insight. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Fira Mono";">Soon there will be more.</span></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-19280039202758857262020-12-05T13:56:00.003-08:002020-12-05T13:56:33.503-08:00Not Dead But Dreaming: Noble Hunt adventure for Acid Death Fantasy, 24?? Supplement for 24XX games<p> <span style="font-family: courier;">Despite 2020's efforts I am not yet dead. I am alive. I have dreamed adventures and things. I have published more things on itch.io. I have more things I must do. I am not yet ready to slumber in a grave, my skull embraced by the warm dirt, my eye-sockets full of worms, my brain-meat translated by them to Earth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsQsEaMVKPDeSv-HnSLPd_cpjpXaV2OKW5qWb85fV-4nJTvdBwfkSL7lafk_V0bfWKC5AVBl0KsgTXU6VxAmfeNz8T-seLVPGL8vDoDzpx1Wb6uVepmULRtMoW9fezSV5vGEXRzVWYkxW/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2008" data-original-width="2048" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsQsEaMVKPDeSv-HnSLPd_cpjpXaV2OKW5qWb85fV-4nJTvdBwfkSL7lafk_V0bfWKC5AVBl0KsgTXU6VxAmfeNz8T-seLVPGL8vDoDzpx1Wb6uVepmULRtMoW9fezSV5vGEXRzVWYkxW/w320-h313/MOSHED-2020-11-9-8-53-27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Library of Congress + PHOTOMOSH</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">2400</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: courier;">If you have not bought <a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400" target="_blank">2400</a> yet, you should. It is a fantastic cluster of systems and settings which covers classic cyberpunk, Classic Traveller, RIFTS/time-asplodin, space horror, science-fantasy... lots of things. There are a ton of hacks for it because Jason (the author) put together a great jam and a great <a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/24xx" target="_blank">24XX SRD and template pack</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">Anyway, I wrote some character 'classes' / backgrounds and enemies to go with some of the wackier, more science-fantastical stuff. <a href="https://charvus.itch.io/24-enemies-and-allies">24??: Enemies and Allies</a>. There are ant-mecha, there's Entropy Wizards fighting anti-entropy wizards, there's luchadors, there's all kinds of stuff. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><a href="https://melsonian-arts-council.itch.io/acid-death-fantasy">Acid Death Fantasy</a> Adventure: Noble Hunt</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: courier;">Some shit nobles are hunting desert folk. You can hunt them back. And do prophecy-inducing drugs! I took a lot of Dune ideas and jammed them into Acid Death Fantasy, added in a bunch of super-lo-fi 'layout' and, yeah. <a href="https://charvus.itch.io/noble-hunt">Noble Hunt</a>. You can explore a titanic skull-cavern and find living memories, you can crawl under razorwire and over worm-traps, you can befriend soldier-conscripts and save them from shitty nobles. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">What's coming</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: courier;">Dang Mork Borg has teased this: <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/MorkBorg/status/1327348128085905408">CY BORG</a>. I am super down. I am ready. It may be ready in 2021. I cannot wait that long. I have begun to compile a list of Modern/Future Miseries based on, what else, how hard the rich are trying to kill us all for their amusement / bank accounts. Heavily based on a Dread X Collection game, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sCd6zlMGR4" target="_blank">Shatter</a>, which is a fantastic short game about how apocalyptic and horrid cyberpunk could be. Mork Borg has a great open 3rd party license, so I'm going to put some stuff together for it. I'm not trying to steal Cy Borg's thunder because I literally could not, but I want to play some mud-pit-cyberpunk (emphasis on the PUNK) before 2021. </span></div>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-38616874472043459022020-08-15T07:05:00.002-07:002020-08-15T07:05:24.925-07:00The War On Christmas<p><span style="font-family: arial;">There's no RPG content here folks, just proof that conservatives hate Christmas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In America now the President, a trash bag of human skin, is hobbling the Post Office, an organization enshrined in the Constitution. By attacking the Post Office, it's possible holiday cards will need to be shipped via private carriers - most of which charge around $6 per letter at present. At that rate sending 20 Christmas cards will cost $120 in shipping. We send about 100 Christmas cards a year, but we won't be doing this if we have to budget $600 for shipping letters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Conservatives are enabling this and debating for this in some cases. 'Not all conservatives!' I know is being shrieked. But if you vote for this, you're asking for it. A war on sending Christmas cards is a war on Christmas. USPS ships more in a month than Fedex and UPS in a year. If you want your nieces and nephews to get their Christmas presents, the choice is clear.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have loved and thrown lots of money into the last two Zinequests on Kickstarter; I'm hoping the USPS doesn't get so hobbled that we cannot ship zines around my country. And/or destroy all kinds of small businesses that utterly rely upon shipping infrastructure, established by our Constitution.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you are still here, I should say: I've been vocal about this on Twitter as well, but it's worth pointing out - Black Lives Matter. Trans rights are human rights. And now back to RPG content! I lied before! I am capricious!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">RULE ZERO - ACAB</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This came out of a discussion on twitter, where Fiona rightly pointed out that the best rule zero is that all cops are bastards. Even if you believe otherwise (buh bye) this is a great rule zero for any modern campaign. 'Why don't the protagonists go to the police?' Well all the cops are bastards. If some monster is terrorizing the town the police will pin it on the PCs for trying to come forward. They'll arrest the PCs for knowing about the terror that the police have been trying to hide, because they want to avoid public panic. Unrealistic? Just check out our coronavirus response.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Or the cops are working for the monsters... Think of BLADE. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64y4ow5y_8">Are You Out Of Your Damn Mind</a><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch how the cops yell freeze, Wesley Snipes turns around calmly, and then the cops start blasting. Now I know someone will show up to whine that he's holding a sword! And wearing black clothes! But the cops or hospital security or whatever are far away, and this movie was made before the '21 foot rule' became a popularly misunderstood reason for capping people. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Also there is a VAMPIRE that has been burnt but it somehow still alive and he has blood on his face from biting and sucking human blood, but do the cops shoot the vampire? NO! They shoot at the Big Scary Black Man With A Katana. Because he turned around calmly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is of course because most of the law enforcement is in league with the vampires in the Blade cinematic universe. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So the next time the PCs want to get the police to fight cosmic horror for them, just remember: all cops are bastards. </span></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-85022859396211969922020-08-07T10:14:00.006-07:002020-08-07T10:15:56.126-07:00What's So Cool About Modern Occultists and a Burning Revolving World<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wrote a game! It's here: <a href="https://charvus.itch.io/whats-so-cool-about-sigils-and-bibliomancy-when-the-world-is-aflame">What's So Cool About Sigils and Bibliomancy When The World Is Aflame</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's about people dealing with how terrible the world is through a collection of simple resolution systems that involve doodling magic symbols and divination and stuff. It's a d6-only system where sometimes you roll 1d6, sometimes you roll 2d6, sometimes you flip over tarot cards or use whatever divination oracle you want, and sometimes the GM makes up a new system of magic and drops it on you and the world. Sometimes riot cops are kicking down you door, sometimes the giants beneath the Earth are kicking in their sleep.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBRszMoLezMh6Astv1wNk5BXzxy0YkoAMNrevU1TCvA83fudB6e_z1SS1TaktsdiOcrNyhcjVcOeHyMCDdMXFFxHBmHQ7fiJAxERh48RmDzPFNqPGRZO6hDdwHh3LmLymUm3j-Tn9kRYv/s1772/jakub-rebelka-palmer-eldritch.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1772" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBRszMoLezMh6Astv1wNk5BXzxy0YkoAMNrevU1TCvA83fudB6e_z1SS1TaktsdiOcrNyhcjVcOeHyMCDdMXFFxHBmHQ7fiJAxERh48RmDzPFNqPGRZO6hDdwHh3LmLymUm3j-Tn9kRYv/s640/jakub-rebelka-palmer-eldritch.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/1qNJq">Art by Jakub Rebelka</a></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's very simple, there's almost no art or layout work, and I still need to re-edit it and re-upload it at some point, but I wanted to get something out there rather than try to find more time to polish it forever and never get done with it.</span></p>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-42764021450688752972020-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:002020-07-07T12:28:21.904-07:00Towards an Anti-Canonical Not-Warhammer 40k: Blood Floats In Space<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/304024/Blood-Floats-in-Space">Blood Floats in Space</a> is a great Mothership supplement that imagines a beauty-obsessed space authority and its vassals, the Empire Without Borders Or Competition. Ruled with martial law, social classes are determined by beauty, systems with aesthetic flaws are destroyed and harvested for their base parts. The zine adds in two new classes - an armor entombed warrior and a ticking time bomb of a psyker. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/arielp">art by ArielP</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The armor warrior can straight-up replace the Marine class, which is cool - all off-brand Astartes and no Imperial Guard with their flashlights, I say. The Psyker class freakin can melt its own face off if it successfully uses its powers a lot, much less if it fails psychic cast rolls. That's perfect. Psychic powers are like lighting a stick of dynamite with your brain, the zine informs us, and this class' characters are going to screw that up and some point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Horrible star gods are detailed, which are worshiped by people in the empire. There are a small number of new gear-bits, a great number of psychic powers with amazing names ('For Every Psychic That Dies To Their Own Folly, Another Dies In A Psionic Duel'), Psychic Catastrophes ranging from merely gross to rolling a new character, a character sheet, d100 amazing rumors and d100 Empire-specific trinkets for your PCs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Gods are great and terrible. Each has a paragraph about their history/domain, a d6 table of manifestations that could wreck the players' day (or provide adventure fodder), and a final paragraph about their terrible human worshipers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Empire is ruled by the Empress, who was a popular musician before fusion with an alien lifeform and becoming an immortal floating space brain which commands the decaying remains of the delightfully-named Empire Without Borders Or Competition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I think there are a few things I'd love to add - the zine has some real fruitful voids where I want more stuff but I'm sure what I want is different than someone else. I feel like Mothership characters should get some Beauty stat for dealing with people in the Empire, and that maybe characters with a higher starting Beauty stat have some kind of Noble 'class' that they can unlock. A Noble would be good at, I dunno, dueling and evaluating poison in food. And that's about it. They're pretty (by Empire standards) and pretty useless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Maybe there should be mutation - just use A Pound of Flesh! But it should reduce your beauty stat? Because the Empire hates mutants because Empires are actually dumb. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The PCs are sent on tasks that will likely gain mutations and have to hide them, Nobles are foppish and like the opposite of Teamsters, psykers are as useful and dangerous as unstable explosives, the Gods sometimes manifest in benevolent ways but really aren't here for anyone but themselves. It's a cool zine with a great setting in it - both explicit and implicit.</span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-47654044642026824032020-05-20T13:58:00.001-07:002020-05-20T13:58:37.188-07:00TROIKA BACKGROUNDS FROM THINGS IN MY OFFICE BACKGROUND<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">THAT'S RIGHT IT'S TIME FOR <b>troika: THE </b><i>BEST RPG</i> OF ALL TIME.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These backgrounds are hot off the memetic cobweb receiver and guaranteed to `make destroy` all things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SAMPLE MONSTER / SAMPLING MONSTER</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You were just a moth, once. You lived in a nice cave, free of bats thanks to the dragon. Those callous adventurers hurt her, made her flee into strange angles, and all that was left was her blood. You mourned her, you supped on her lifeblood, and learnt that you can absorb things from monsters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And everything is a monster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Possessions: Large moth body, wings. You're big enough that a small person could ride on you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Absorb 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Absorbed Power 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fly 4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Astrology 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spell: Languages 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Special: Roll Absorb against the monster's Skill to absorb whatever special ability it had. Use your Absorbed Power skill to use said power, if relevant. You can only have one at a time. You take on some aspect of the monster, you may use your Absorbed Power skill to heighten this aspect. Use of Absorbed Power may come at a Stamina cost. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TOTAL RESISTANCE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Absolute power inspires rebellion. But only in a few. Your rebel cell was rolled up, captured, and you were denied sanctuary by others in the organization. You are in a unique position - are you still willing to fight the Autaurch, your old compatriots, both, neither? No one is sure. Either way, both sides consider you a loose end to be tied up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Possessions: Poison capsule, lethal. Book of 1-time passphrases. Pistolet, 2 plasmic cores.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pistolet Fighting 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secret Sign: Resistance 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Awareness 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Run 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spell: Coal Resolve 4</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ICEHEARTED</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You inhaled a spore of the anti-sun, and its cold has settled into your heart. It may eventually consume you and render you an icy golem of its will, but for now you can use its effects for your own ends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Possessions: Ice-crystal sword, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Golden Barge 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sword Fighting 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Club Fighting 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spell: Hurricane (but with snow as well) 4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Special: Spend 1 Stamina per level of Ice Armor you'd like until your next rest. Ice Armor protects you from heat and cold completely. It also protects from damage. It can be created as a reaction, before damage is applied. Once you have spent 10 Stamina on Ice Armor, you become an Ice Golem. Hand your character sheet to the GM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WEAPON EXPLAINER</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are many warriors. Yours is a different path. You explain the function and mechanism of weapons to plebians - sometimes to convince the masses to avoid troubling their betters, sometimes to convince the masses to spend their silver ducats on exotic weapons at the behest of monied interests. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blacksmithing 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clean Weapon 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Etiquette 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Evaluate 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metallurgy 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Possessions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Weapon Cleaning Oil, 3 doses bottle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rags</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White Gloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crystalline Recorder / Projector - can project up to 500' and generate an image up to 150' square</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Special: If you clean a weapon for an hour, it gets +1 to damage rolls for the first combat it's used in. Uses up 1 dose of weapon cleaning oil (which is about 46 sp a bottle). On a fumble you can't put the weapon back together and it needs to be repaired.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FORMER FARMER</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You loved your life as a farmer until you found out it was a complete lie. The rest of the villagers set aside your plot and prepared a place for you to get you ready to be a human sacrifice to keep their crystal dome alive and well, and to satisfy their Blood God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Possessions: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hungry Goat (Skill 7, Climb 4, Stamina 6, Small Beast Damage)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shovel (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Awareness 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plant-wise 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secret Sign: Blood God Cult 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Run 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scythe 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shovel 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Special: You can reroll the mein of any wild or farm animal, but must take the rerolled value.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Todo: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CAPSULE COMMANDER<br /><br />JAZZPUNK</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FLOATING SKULL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PSYCHIC DRUMMER</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-48039202312976013322020-02-17T18:19:00.003-08:002020-02-17T18:19:35.060-08:00Science Fighting Fantasy<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brian wrote some brilliant stuff about how to <a href="https://ominosity.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/fighting-fantasy-renaissance/">retroclone Fighting Fantasy</a>. He has since expanded this into a <a href="https://ominosity.wordpress.com/2020/02/11/my-wee-orange-adventure-game/">Part 2 </a> which I need to re-read again, but I came up with some ideas already. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wrote about <a href="https://imaginaryhallways.blogspot.com/2020/01/odd-light-monsters-made-me-do-this.html">Odd Light</a> already, which has 1 'stat' called Skill. I figured for low Skill characters, you get to roll on a table and you get one more stat, based off what you are or your background. So a 4 Skill PC gets to be a Robot and has a ROBOT stat that they roll under to do robot-y things. I think you could roll 1d6 + 4 for Skill in Brian's FF hack, and have an Awesome Background stat that's 15 - Skill. So if you have a high Skill, you actually suck at your Awesome Background - you're the awesome soldier who has a 5 in Following Orders, or a swashbuckling rogue with a 5 in Con Artist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But then I figured you would just roll 1d6 + 4 for Skill, and low skill people just can cast spells or are radiation ghosts or are 2-meter-tall floating skull heads. You know, just, they can do some neat things without a roll at all, because their Skill is terrible. For a 5 or 6 Skill character, if you can cast spells you still roll 2d6 to see if you fumble, Troika style, but otherwise you just pay your Stamina fee. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SKILL: Roll 1d6+4, consult the table below for your Background.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">LUCK: Roll 1d6+6</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">STAMINA: Roll 2d6+12</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">BACKGROUND / SKILL MATRIX</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10 SKILL: Soldier, Starbarian, Boarding Specialist, Escaped Convict, Space Paladin, Laser Sword Duelist, Semiferal Hypercat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9 SKILL: Ship's Gunner, Combat Medic, Pyromancer, Vat-Grown Hyperwarrior, Robotic Siege Soldier, Dog-bonded trooper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 SKILL: Thief Entertainer Singer, Space Monk with mild Telekinesisperosis, Bounty Hunter, Conman Pilot Scoundrel, 2-fisted ex-cop</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7 SKILL: Parkour Half Ghost, Electric Gnome Asteroid Miner, Spiderbot Scout Ambusher, Reflex-boosted Knife Juggler, Embodied Black Hole, Lava Person</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 SKILL: Angel Summoner, Space Wizardling, Rebuilt Warbot Botanist, Ultratrucker w/ Morphin' Fists, Telestrike cyborg mechanist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5 SKILL: Radiation Ghost, Psi Vampire Shadowform, Rewinder Sage, 2-meter flying stone head, Skeleton Astroneer Mystic, Nitrous-blooded race witch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now I just need to expand on all of these backgrounds such that the game can be easily played. Some low skill characters may have 1 or 2 UNCHANGING advanced skills, but most of them would just have a neat Special power or two.</span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-60846456819146919062020-01-04T10:42:00.003-08:002020-01-04T10:42:36.933-08:00Odd Light: Monsters Made Me Do This<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris at <a href="http://www.bastionland.com/">Bastionland</a> wrote <a href="https://github.com/brunobord/micro-rpg-catalog/blob/master/odd-lite.md">Odd Lite</a> back in the long-ago days of Google Plus, when the world was not on fire as obviously. Odd Lite is a lighter version of Into the Odd - something I figured would be impossible. In Odd Lite, you have hit points and one roll-under stat, SKILL. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I freaking love the 4 example monsters in this tiny hack so much I thought of ways to make this a viable-er to me game. My only concern was, with one randomly-rolled stat, even in a system where you roll under it more as a saving throw than as a normal 'skill check,' someone with a really low SKILL will feel sad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took a page out of the larger Into the Odd book(let), where low stats and HP let one get better starting gear / abilities, and figure if you have low skill you should be able to roll to get one more roll-under stat that describes your specialness. I know, going from 1 to 2 stats makes this about as crunchy as using all the GURPS splatbooks at once, but hear me out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OTHER STAT = 21 - SKILL</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only roll on this table if you have a low SKILL! GMs, think of what that means before you run the game. (My table, 8 or lower.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Robot</b>. Other stat is MIGHT, used for strength checks, absorbing physical damage. You must be repaired to fix MIGHT and SKILL. You don't eat, sleep, or breath. Each fist is a 1d6 weapon, together they are a 1d8 weapon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Thief</b>. Other stat is THIEF, used for crime, sneaking, and related saves. Start with black cloak, thieves' tools, soft shoes, 3 daggers (1d6 damage).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Acrobat</b>. Other stat is ACRO. Roll under for parkour, falling. Fall damage is applied to ACRO. Out of ACRO, you cannot move. Start with a long pole (1d8 2-handed weapon), bright clothes, starter pistol (fires blanks).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Prehistoric</b> <b>Dog</b>. Other stat is DOG. Used for tracking, running, absorbing damage. You're about the size of a tiger. 1 armor (fur), bite does 1d8 damage, cannot hold things in your paws.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Dirt</b> <b>Wizard</b>. Other stat is DIRT. You can control up to a person's worth of dirt, DIRT is used if saving throws are needed for your dirt-homunculus, or to do very difficult things with dirt. You can see through the pile of dirt you control if you began controlling it when you touched it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Forgotten</b> <b>God</b>. Other stat is GOD. Used to turn undead / divine things not of you / demons. Also can check to heal others. Costs 2 GOD per entity turned or HP healed. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Deposed</b> <b>Royalty</b>. Other stat is ROY. Used to command others, rally mercenaries / hirelings. Or garner respect if the people already, you know, like tyrants. (Keep in mind you were deposed for a reason.) Start with a 1d8 rapier (1 handed) that has a fancy, gold-plated hilt.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pyromancer</b>. Other stat is FIRE. Can summon fire, up to 1d6 damage worth, basically the size of a campfire, or can extinguish the same amount. Can only have 1 fire summoned at a time. Burnt robes, 1 armor (scars, nerve damage).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>TK</b>. Other stat, TK. Roll under to move something small as if by 1 hand, spend HP and ESP to move a larger object (human-sized, 3 points). Can deal structural damage if you spend 8 points from HP and/or the stat, but you have little control compared to normal telekinetic stuff.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Water</b> <b>Mage</b>. Other stat is WAT. Roll under to turn into a liquid or turn back, your equipment doesn't come with you. Start with a bucket you like to sleep in.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm super glad Bruno saved that G+ post.</span></div>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-9955182236021909972019-12-31T12:03:00.002-08:002019-12-31T12:03:59.130-08:00Whiff Table: Something happens every round of combat<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm thinking of running 0e DnD or <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/246471/Black-Pudding-Heavy-Helping-Vol-One">Black Pudding</a>'s flavor of B/X, or <a href="http://toadrpg.blogspot.com/2019/11/moldhammer.html">Moldhammer</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/brunobord/micro-rpg-catalog/blob/master/wolfbreaker.md">Wolfbreaker</a>. But I love combat systems from Into the Odd where there's no to-hit roll (and no missing) or Troika/Tunnel Goons/Macchiato Monsters where someone always gets hit. What to do? Write a whiff table! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">WHIFF</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQmIshN3jy_ZzGBMoLByCWdOu8UjsQwBQpOW-sHQQykdL2V4uOpVCd-bssaX4zAf_A3habcktnWxH5XdB6dK3YmSIHXrf1ndZWAphtt27uoQD4hfRabvcQc_WdADSE1w-dEBfYGuAAVrX/s1600/hero-snail-knight.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQmIshN3jy_ZzGBMoLByCWdOu8UjsQwBQpOW-sHQQykdL2V4uOpVCd-bssaX4zAf_A3habcktnWxH5XdB6dK3YmSIHXrf1ndZWAphtt27uoQD4hfRabvcQc_WdADSE1w-dEBfYGuAAVrX/s400/hero-snail-knight.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When two opposed combatants in melee both miss their attacks, roll on the whiff table.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You knock each other's helms off. If anyone involved is not wearing a helm, they take 1d6 damage.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You both fall down. 50% chance you're on top. You're at a range where punches, kicks, and daggers will work; larger melee weapons will not.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You bind weapons and then push one another back. Their weapon lands at your feet; yours lands at theirs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Belt or backpack cut. Lose the top item in your inventory, as it is on the ground now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesser HD combatant knocked back into someone else on their side, who must save or be knocked down. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Environmental damage! Crack the ceiling, start a fire, destroy furniture, valuables, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tooth loosened. You can spit it out in their face for a +4 to hit bonus next round, or try to keep it in place and get it fixed later (maybe?). No hp loss.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metal strikes stone. You and your opponent are bathed in sparks. Exposed paper or oil will begin to burn. Hair smolders.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Opponent had an oil jar or gland that you just barely nick, but it splits open nevertheless. You, your opponent, and the ground are drenched in oil. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You just barely get an opening. If you swing with everything you have, embedding your weapon in your opponent, you can do so and roll damage with advantage, but you lose your weapon. Otherwise, normal miss.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Their swing or thrust misses, but tosses sweat and grit in your eyes. Take -4 to AC until you spend a round wiping that out; your peripheral vision is .</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You clash weapons and it's incredibly loud. Roll for an additional encounter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You disarm them and their weapon sails behind them. If they have natural weapons they take 1d6 damage.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Their weapon pins you in place. They lose it but you will have to struggle for 1d3 rounds to be able to move again. Can still fight.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ancient war-sigil mine stepped on, 1-3 by you, 4-6 by enemy. Spend next round levitating 10' in the air. Spells lowers you down gently (defective).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Skyknife! Your weapon is knocked up into the ceiling and lodged there. It'll fall in 1d6 rounds. Anyone under it could be hit by it. (If no ceiling is available your weapon targets someone random closeby.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ambient magical energy interacts with your intent to cause harm. You and your opponent glow like torches. -4 AC penalty to both of you for 1d6 rounds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You blink blood out of your eyes. You and your opponent are covered in blood and gore. Perhaps another attack drenched you both, perhaps some blood god is merely happy at your mishap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their swing is about to cleave into your throat and you are suddenly in the Dead Realm. Any spirits or undead in the area are still present, otherwise it is empty, grey, cold, foggy. You can move about for 1 round and then you will re-appear wherever you moved to. Any valuable treasure or items are but dust in the Dead Realm, unless you brought them in yourself.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both of your weapons bind and break. If either of you were using magical weapons, said weapons can save against breakage. (Roll a 4 or more on a d6, adding the weapon's magical bonus.)</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You could just roll a d6 against this table, or a d12 if you don't want random magical war-sigils to show up in your theatre of the mind, or random Dead Realm trips. </span></div>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-43392680870731435812019-11-08T13:09:00.001-08:002019-11-08T13:09:22.505-08:00Ghost Gang Random Tables for Esoteric Enterprises or whatever modern urban fantasy you got<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In anticipation of Cavegirl's AWESOME Esoteric Enterprises coming out bigger and badder, here are my thoughts on Ghost Gangs. Because people die all the time, there's almost always a few ghosts in a rough collective, if not an outright organized body of the disembodied.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They're a fantastic organization to hire out freelancers, because they need a literal pair of hands (or 4) to lift up a priceless painting from one subterranean hidey-hole and carry it safely to theirs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Also here's a link to the </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/242785/Esoteric-Enterprises--Player-Book?src=hottest_filtered" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">player's handbook for Esoteric Enterprises</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, with which one can create ghosts.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a4-xmp1BLz3mTE7GB1uV6SECdhcCmounz5-Ui8ggqDFhdNNIU3jIraGCD30OUIW3hH4y5OECavEvo2QxhYdFNYdYEQZV4JfwAO5c-ax8f9G2q6pu0vQFpCwYrzgngL4fDDkl28_MQmRF/s1600/Solar_glory_and_Spectre_of_the_Brocken_from_GGB_on_07-05-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1477" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a4-xmp1BLz3mTE7GB1uV6SECdhcCmounz5-Ui8ggqDFhdNNIU3jIraGCD30OUIW3hH4y5OECavEvo2QxhYdFNYdYEQZV4JfwAO5c-ax8f9G2q6pu0vQFpCwYrzgngL4fDDkl28_MQmRF/s320/Solar_glory_and_Spectre_of_the_Brocken_from_GGB_on_07-05-2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken_spectre">Wikipedia</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WHAT DOES THIS GHOST GANG WANT ANYWAY</span></h4>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enchanted fresh food to actually eat. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ancient vinyl pressing of ritual music.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Large (4' x 6') oil painting, frame optional.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unenchanted stone idol.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Large pile of enemy's wealth to be destroyed dramatically.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DVDs and DVD player. Holy oil to anoint such that they can push the buttons.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hookah, brick of undergrown-cultivated herb. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blessed salt to keep out uninvited spirits.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Silver-coated sword that they can wield.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rune-carved zippo lighter shipment. They don't run out of fuel.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ectoplasm-filled jar, the remains of one of their own.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liber Noctis, a book of binding ghosts. A furnace to destroy it in.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soul trapper's scalp or forefinger.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WHO HAS IT WHO IS TERRIBLE</span></h4>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-secret-names-of-god-and-wizard-trap.html">thief-lich</a> (HD6) and her disciples.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Null soul zone-dwelling scavengers. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overly large cryptid.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nearby police precinct. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bank vault, front for some undead businessfolk.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Devotee of the Void and their flock.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rival ghost gang.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Urban explorers, last seen diving the depths.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WHERE DO THEY HOLE UP</span></h4>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Underground, an abandoned subway stop</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aboveground, in an unknown safehouse</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Underground, beneath a small settlement of worshippers / traders</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Underground, in an automatic sewer processing system</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Underground, in an ancient building that was built over hundreds (?) of years ago but looks like it's from the 1980s</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aboveground, a squat atop an abandoned (?) building</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yeah, obviously if you get a location or WHO HAS IT from the What they want table, don't bother rolling on the later tables unless you want.</span></div>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-13917089033693273162019-09-23T09:03:00.001-07:002019-09-23T09:03:44.095-07:00Mothership AP: Kids Are Alright 2: Hellslide to the Sink<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Players:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan, Teamster, Pilot and Jack of Many Trades</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Doc' Krober, probably not a real doctor?, Scientist, Curiosity Fulfiller</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Willow, Former Marine, current computer / hacker specialist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ed, Mercenary-stat'd Android, (Combat: 38, Instinct: 45, Loyalty: 50, Revolver, 3 reload cylinders Flight Suit)</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting to the Dream</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the niece/nephew/brother-in-law/android merc squad dock just outside Prospero's Dream, because their 93 Hull mining vessel will not fit in the dry dock. They lose some stress from getting back to civilization, and then the Q-Team pointing pulse rifles at them and hosing them down with disinfectant stresses them out again. They head through the dry docks, down a corridor towards the Stellar Burn to buy drinks, look for weapons, and offload their cargo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O5P8jYZDiwsIPsrtqX0nqaunhB_5HqZxh7BndKUXAOR6YYWKPSarVAEblcfyCCuOjAfpvLWsFmIgAlX0WVthJJ7_ViWriM-wjXqNfbqQrHNNfrnIEiycEAfpa3z2W4pVuXkTxuSXDbyS/s1600/tsutomu-nihei-blame-v07-0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="720" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O5P8jYZDiwsIPsrtqX0nqaunhB_5HqZxh7BndKUXAOR6YYWKPSarVAEblcfyCCuOjAfpvLWsFmIgAlX0WVthJJ7_ViWriM-wjXqNfbqQrHNNfrnIEiycEAfpa3z2W4pVuXkTxuSXDbyS/s400/tsutomu-nihei-blame-v07-0023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Art from Tsutomu Nihei's Blame!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Slide</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first encounter roll is a deadly one. I roll an 8. I ask them who's in front of the group. Ryan's up front, and fails a Body save. The group (I rule) has blundered into a section of walkway that irises open and they tumble down a chrome-slick peristalting gullet. Random chrome slide to the Sink! When they awaken they're on a plateau of broken concrete. In the distance they see what looks dimly like a waterfall, with a few flickering yellow lights on a precipice atop it. Above them, cold blue lights shine like distant uncaring stars. Cracked buildings lean drunkenly, and in the distance a series of vast pipes seems to writhe. (In retrospect I should've had them roll a fear save or panic check, but I was so flummoxed that I was just trying to give them some semi-viable choice of direction). They manage to find an old O2 bottle with 6 hours of breathe left to it. Taking stock, they march towards the waterfall. I roll an encounter and get 8 Hunglungs with spears (and quite low speed) waiting in ambush.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ambush</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The PCs wind up in a canyon formed of two colossal buildings leaning against one another, an alley between them turned into a small steep ravine. It's quiet, they don't see anything moving. Willow asks if she can see anything with her IR goggles, and I tell her there are dim handprints on one of the empty window-panes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> | |</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> | |</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> |_ _|</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> \ /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> \ /</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> \/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So at the base of the buildings there's a shelf of concrete about as wide as a sidewalk, then the ravine, which bottoms out in a narrow trail. Willow sees someone looking out at them, just a sliver of face, partially masked by concrete and some kind of blocky monocle. The figure darts away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Willow's player smartly asks if her bioscanner will help, and whips it out. She notices 8 signatures spread out between the buildings. Willow wants to sneak up to the 'sidewalk' and listen in on the larger cluster. I tell her there's enough debris on the ground she needs an auditory distraction, and Ryan obliges by smacking his crowbar against the ground like a maniac. The sneaking marine touches one of the metal 'vines' growing all over the Sink, and it is warm to the touch, despite not showing up on IR (Sanity save!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Willow listens in; the Hunglungs seem to think they're clueless tourists. As they spring out to 'ambush' them, Willow has gotten behind the Hunglungs and surprises them, snatching a spear from one of them and hurling him down the ravine. Doc, Ryan and Ed are stressed to receive a charge of emaciated, tired Hunglungs with spears, but manage to down 3 of them in the scrum. </span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Loot</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rest of the Hunglungs opt to flee, and the PCs watch them go. The PCs manage to salvage 5 spears, 2 ancient hazardous environment suits that are relatively undamaged / patchable, a flare gun (3 flares) and the IR monocle. Doc and Willow have begun to feel feverish as ACMD takes hold. Willow and Ryan don the environment suits and the four keep moving towards the waterfall. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Takeaways</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm playing around with encumbrance rules Sean is playtesting. Characters can carry Strength / 10 items. Stacks of 3 stimpacks/magazines/grenades are 1 item slot. There's a wearing slot for armor or otherwise wearable items (flashlights, RAW, and short-range comms at my table) outside of the Str/10 limit, as are slots for your mitts. So there was more deliberation at the Dream and when looting the Hunglungs about what to take, which seems very apt to me. Drives home 'survival horror' and doesn't seem to slow things down overmuch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also I was not at all ready for them to go straight to the Sink - there's only a 2% chance of this happening by default. But, uh, be ready for this. Just in case. You can just wing things a bit with random encounters, and a dim-and-vague description of the overall layout, which is awesome, but next time I'm going to use some of the landmarks specifically mentioned in that spread. Probably put together a small pointcrawl of where they've been, options for where to go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also the rules for 'you don't have an O2 tank' in the Sink are on page 31 at the start of the Choke, which totally makes sense because you'd go through there first... unless this happens. So I forgot about that! But it's not a huge deal. They have a tiny amount of O2 and I can always say 'now that you've been down here long enough you feel really woozy' if they lose that O2 for any reason. Anyway, I do love that APoF has a Hellslide straight to the Sink.</span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-7714468218428672742019-09-22T18:19:00.002-07:002019-09-22T18:19:30.913-07:00d10 Ways The Company Tracks You<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inspired by the awesome <a href="https://www.traaa.sh/d10-reasons-youre-in-the-corporations-pocket">d10 Reasons You're In The Corporation's Pocket</a> over at <a href="http://traaa.sh/">traaa.sh</a>. That site has some awesome Mothership resources. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is some setting infrastructure, but don't feel like it has to be this Universal Solution. It could be that in this quadrant things are a certain way, but not in others. The Company has to adapt to different markets and sectors. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've already started a game and need to introduce this, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 are pretty easy to work in; some of the others are 'hidden behavior / things in the PCs' and may or may not work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4pQ0HF4RL0T2Ovh5uiSXpTGucC06t0OLBVU7pJuSCWMHALoNZaMyGJxztymG0LRdY1t8pXF3YWtMwrSfgOkGaP84KYyng2HshO3WD0dZ3DER-nMxeJ-K2kYWLXI-abItF2c9a2kPufjT/s1600/xenya-dominguez-superfinalbuilding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4pQ0HF4RL0T2Ovh5uiSXpTGucC06t0OLBVU7pJuSCWMHALoNZaMyGJxztymG0LRdY1t8pXF3YWtMwrSfgOkGaP84KYyng2HshO3WD0dZ3DER-nMxeJ-K2kYWLXI-abItF2c9a2kPufjT/s400/xenya-dominguez-superfinalbuilding.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/N183g">Xenya Dominguez</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d10 Ways The Company Tracks You</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ship burst-transmits whenever it jumps; the Company has an elaborate system of message-receiver satellites and couriers that pull data from them. Burst-transmitter is built into your ship's jump calculator.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hidden cameras on the ship, hidden brain-in-a-jar somewhere on the ship, secret network of space-brainwave transmissions in these sectors.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Civilization scabs sell your data as soon as you're getting docked; they're buying data from the station manifest-checkers and selling it to the Company.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hypnogogic command dream-locked into the humans causes them to lose a tiny bit of time at each port transmitting reports up to the Company. Androids unaffected.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a lot of spy scouts and couriers in the area that fly into scanning range and jet away again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preinstalled cyberware (1 slot, body camera and transmitter) broadcasts data to corp networks every so often. Reapable, as in, you could try to get this cut out and sold, however the Company will see this as a breach of contract and try to retake any loaned goods.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obvious cameras in ship, 'tamper proof' physical data dumps when in civilization when docked. Spacewalking best way to have a private conversation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spot bonuses incentivize self-reporting - jobs often pay less as this is how most ships cover fuel, O2, stores.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Locator/IFF beacon and cargo scanners that you need to work track data and transmit it to Company systems.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jump-space monitoring by a fleet of Android pilots who are begging for any kind of release from where they are stationed, but also still doing their job. </span></li>
</ol>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-77870880963468370182019-09-18T18:57:00.000-07:002019-09-18T18:57:14.152-07:00Mothership AP: CompanyLands Night Drive, 1 & 2, in-person crew<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writeup physical game nights 1 and 2. I ran my Night Drive desert delivery 'module' for some coworkers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Marine with examination loadout - WHooooo that is a real (awesome) warning sign. Don't fear the scientist, fear the marine with this gear, for they will be a butcher of all things. Also if a mysterious benefactor pays for a delivery, but you want the PCs to get into all kinds of hijinx, tell them that the benefactor will pay them for any interesting/weird/anomalous discoveries. Also, don't forget that vehicles have a speed stat - driving fast is more about that than a character's speed stat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's Friend's Nighttime Delivery - Geoff the marine, Jeff the Teamster, and Steaksauce the Android driving an A-6 Grizzly from Bixby to Lyons, a strange box in the cargo hold, at the behest of Friend. I'm running the same scenario with two different groups.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi0Fz3s3FWyRAIY5UyuxrO1C50c9Zr9CuJe6FmfcCt-uiC0BZbyP3JdL2OZfrZSQ7VrEZD7cjWjQ-rTb9srVV0E0SWsqOAtCNz1Sez2saMNyvNRUVYlu3WhxPTXvyciXOb7BlfiKhHTZv/s1600/karl-sisson-d684230b16a50bce516f258e8873efcf77272e4a-03-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi0Fz3s3FWyRAIY5UyuxrO1C50c9Zr9CuJe6FmfcCt-uiC0BZbyP3JdL2OZfrZSQ7VrEZD7cjWjQ-rTb9srVV0E0SWsqOAtCNz1Sez2saMNyvNRUVYlu3WhxPTXvyciXOb7BlfiKhHTZv/s400/karl-sisson-d684230b16a50bce516f258e8873efcf77272e4a-03-2.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/6r5W5">Karl Sisson</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Session 1 -> The android drives because it, nicknamed 'Steaksauce', cannot become bored. He fails a driving check and the roadkill encounter gets lodged under the Grizzly. The marine finds some roadkill and cuts out its brain for science. They drive off and the roadkill drags itself away. They come across Roland's Bait Shop, hear Sara asking for their help over short-range comms, warning them of automated turrets around the place. They use the Grizzly to shove 2 wrecked vehicles at a turret until it expends a lot of ammo. They bolt the remaining still-moveable wreck to the front of their Grizzly and ram a turret - it gets off a shot at the Grizzly but the ATV's armor handles it well, and the turret is destroyed in the collision. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They bust into the Bait Shop looking for Sara in her panic room and pallets of food to scavenge. Not in that order. They find a computer and watch CCTV footage of the God destroying Roland and Darren, Sara's Dads, who with her had run the gas station for years. Sanity checks as it mists its way through a fist-sized hole, reforms in its pale maggot-colored flesh, and wrecks havoc on Darren and Roland. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then bioscanners detect a strange reading vectoring in on the Bait Shop. They frantically break into the hatch leading to Sara's panic room, she clambers out and deals with what has happened as they load themselves into the Grizzly. Jeff stares out at the God through his IR goggles but fights down panic. As they climb aboard the Grizzly and drive off, Roland's corpse begins to stand up, shouting that "God is here." Sara panics and wrestles for her pulse rifle, Jeff and Geoff try to de-escalate the situation, and Steamsauce slams the gas and Sara hits a bulkhead and is knocked out. Geoff and Jeff look for rope with which to tie up Roland, who comes at them. Overall, lots of good tension buildup.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Session 2 -> Sara's knocked out in the cargo hold, Roland pins Geoff's arms to his side. Steaksauce is driving away from the God, Jeff is watching it in the turret through his IR goggles. Jeff, hearing Geoff struggle, slides down the ladder and runs behind Roland, hitting him with his crowbar. Roland, distracted, let off some pressure on Geoff, who struggled free and levered up his stun baton but missed. Steaksauce, listening into comms from the driver's cockpit, slammed the brakes and only Geoff remained standing, who snatched up some stowing rope and struggled against Roland to tie up his hands. Roland stood and launched himself at Jeff, headbutting him and biting him. Geoff failed to trigger his stun baton optimally - eventually Steaksauce briefly halted the vehicle, ran back to tranq Roland, and sprinted back to the cockpit to drive the ATV away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As Steaksauce had driven well and put in a big lead against the pursuing God, and as he was away from the cockpit for ~15 seconds, I figured It had not caught up with them, though he had a 3rd drive check to speed away from It. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I sadly forgot to use the vehicle's speed for these checks; the God would have probably caught up to the ATV had I remembered. Fancy maneuvers - I could see using the Android's stats. Pure 'drive fast' - should have used the vehicle's speed. Regardless, out-driving the monster is less scary, but it's how the dice fell. It'll turn up again, I'm sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They tried to understand Roland. They hypothesized that the God might be broadcasting and receiving data from him. They turned their bioscanner, medscanner, cybernetic diagnostic scanner and electronic repair tools to the task, and knew it was so. Roland's cyberbrain prosthetics were doing this, as were the burnt-looking black marks upon his scalp, which seemingly wired into his cyberwear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sara woke up and as usual, seems to roll well, passing a 'panic check or no' Instinct check. She spoke to Jeff and Geoff as though in a dream. She seemed surprised that they were keeping her father's body when it was clearly dangerous, when it was raving about God, back from the dead but clearly Wrong; she asked them why they were studying Roland's body rather than dumping it. She indicated that it wasn't Roland anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They rolled up on a curve in the road, boxed in somewhat by somewhat steep sides. Boulders on either shoulder. The road itself had a patch that was carved up as though by a laser cutter. Jeff threw a box of twinkies at it from the pallet, to no effect. Geoff knew, from his military training, that mine triggers are set to weights close to what they are designed to attack - an anti-vehicle mine won't go off from a 5 pound weight. He crept close and noticed detonator pressure sensors and mines or IEDs wedged into the road carvings. Steaksauce drove the ATV around, critically succeeding and thereby running over an android hiding under camo blankets near one of the boulders. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They came up to a Grizzly parked 200m or so from the IED ambush, and watched as a rubber-faced android climbed into the turret and pointed a pulse rifle at them. It told them to turn off their engines and dismount. Steaksauce locked all external doors and came in the back to scheme, and because he wasn't sure if the pulse rifle rounds would punch through the driver's cockpit. The android promised them shelter, and that it was not familiar with the God of Route 11b, and the party was not wholly convinced. They decided to dump Roland out the back and see what the Android did with him. As they roll up the backdoor, they spot another 2 androids in the distance, behind boulders, aiming weapons at them. They throw Roland out and slam the cargo door shut as pulse rifle rounds impact off it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The android on the radio calls them. 'We tire of this. Step out of your vehicle, it is time to meet God.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I figure the next session starts with a panic check. They were very convinced androids would not be swayed by the God, as Roland was. When hope is drastically cut away, panic checks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQoao8tPwR0t1tPYHs06MJstkdfXuSsPYIMswdClPrU1xmktg3YYy2-va0T0bwyMuKy4X1eVs5Py6bTsNesyNzVzmnWGOaYdtiq2Fv6fnBo6BDcTIKebJ030mngn1TxY8sUp-IaCyixYR/s1600/leo-haslam-wycd-wip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQoao8tPwR0t1tPYHs06MJstkdfXuSsPYIMswdClPrU1xmktg3YYy2-va0T0bwyMuKy4X1eVs5Py6bTsNesyNzVzmnWGOaYdtiq2Fv6fnBo6BDcTIKebJ030mngn1TxY8sUp-IaCyixYR/s320/leo-haslam-wycd-wip.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/33262">Leo Haslam</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-58181035768140333182019-09-02T19:36:00.000-07:002019-09-02T19:36:02.183-07:00Sleevejacker<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sleevejacker is a class for Mothership, inspired by one of the random encounters from A Pound of Flesh, which most of us are still hungrily awaiting in physical form or otherwise. This is not playtested. Anyway, here is the encounter:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yuvenko | </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sleevejacker | </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You haven’t lived until you’ve lived twice.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All their non-immediately-dangerous encounters have a _name_ and a _quote_. If you roll the same number as before you now have a reoccurring NPC, and the quote does a good job of suggesting personality. Like Yuvenko, who is an unrepentant sleevejacker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resleeving in A Pound of Flesh gives a +1 minimum stress to 'the sleeve' - so perhaps if you get back to your original body you get rid of that, perhaps not. Either way, bodyhopping is not undertaken lightly - except by sleevejackers, whose minds seem almost designed to be transmitted from body to body.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zABdwL">Art by Sebastian Szmyd</a></td></tr>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sleevejacker</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might not have even meant to start. You might've woken up in a strange body, remembering the shrieking backup machine sifting through your mind with its magnetic fingertips, but not why you were embodied. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might have deliberately kidnapped someone to wipe their brain and commandeer their body. You might have returned from penal cold storage in new flesh. Either way, you discovered you had a knack for resleeving that others lack. Otherwise you're awfully similar to the background-noise masses of void urchins and star vagabonds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Special: When you resleeve you don't gain +1 minimum stress. You start out backed up somewhere semi-useful to you, to be discussed with your Warden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Skills: Rimwise, Scavenging, +2 skill points</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saves: Sanity 35, Fear 40, Body 25, Armor 30</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Panic Effect: When you fail a panic check, in addition to whatever happens, you have a moment of Sleeve Rejection Syndrome. The Warden gets to take an action as your sleeve runs semi-autonomously, often acting as though its former occupant was still within. </span></div>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-79072565917843325092019-08-31T17:36:00.003-07:002019-08-31T17:36:38.837-07:00Worldbuilding Equipment Lists<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've really enjoyed the worldbuilding in equipment lists, as seen in Troika, Into the Odd, and Mothership. Here's one I put on a postcard and forgot to send, stat'd for Into the Odd.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oOzbKq">Art by the awesome Victorin Ripert</a></td></tr>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Voluminous Scintillating Robes. Preferred by nobles. Larger on the inside - can fit a 10' pole or a greatsword within. Disadvantage on stealthy indiscretions. 100 G</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Telemetry HUD Helm. Holograms and soothing whispers give advantage on all ranged attacks. Disadvantage to notice things when applicable, as it constantly is trying to get you to shoot at things. 10 G</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Living Rope. Grows 1' a day if fed about a cup of sugar. 1 G for 20'</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Polis ANFRAM. A tracked, self-propelling mounted gun / hydroponic flask. Moves at a steady walk. Fires flows and vines out to far range. Flower pollen does d6 subdual damage. 5 G, 1 G for a 6 round ammo belt.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mudskipper, Giant. Mount in the Wet Slopes. 15 G. Fish food in bulk is 1 G for 5 days.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Guard Psychic Maltese. Understands simple commands. 7 hp 5 Str 16 Cha. Psychic Attack (d6, ignores most armor). Telepathy alarm. 30 G.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crystal Rations. Do not spoil, not hurt by wet. 3 G / day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Multitool Repair Spider. Can repair some Pretech on a Cha roll. 2 hp 9 Str 12 Cha. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bone Armor. Must be fed via wearer's blood (-1 Str) once a week. 1 Armor.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gravity Bomb. Triples gravity in a 60' radius for 1d6 rounds. Treat falling down as falling 10', Str check to stand. 12 G</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Music Box. Telepathic melody projector. 13 G.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eel Sword. Comes with an aquarium-sheath, can fire out electricity 1/day doing an extra d8 damage. Come in one-handed (1d6) and two-handed (1d8) varieties. 8 G</span></li>
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Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-55632955443129214082019-08-27T17:57:00.001-07:002019-08-27T17:57:15.029-07:00Mothership AP: The Kids Are Alright<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MOTHERSHIP EDITION</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">OR </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I LOVE A PLAN THAT HAS AN AIRLOCK IN IT</span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK4v0wPOtIR7ECuDSmYciRBrlJBr435_FDShODpKlkxZxzbAc2R2sdqKgWS1goWlR9Ko-dXwXXcH6WJbxr3146weJD4xQsFMcFhKsFQBe5DidHpQPANfQEsK5REJqODYFG3GEi9MPhtB6/s1600/marcel-van-vuuren-ifx-co-airlock-section-mv09-web2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1242" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK4v0wPOtIR7ECuDSmYciRBrlJBr435_FDShODpKlkxZxzbAc2R2sdqKgWS1goWlR9Ko-dXwXXcH6WJbxr3146weJD4xQsFMcFhKsFQBe5DidHpQPANfQEsK5REJqODYFG3GEi9MPhtB6/s320/marcel-van-vuuren-ifx-co-airlock-section-mv09-web2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/marcelvv">Marcel van Vuuren</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Players:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ryan, Teamster, Pilot and Jack of Many Trades</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'Doc' Krober, probably not a real doctor?, Scientist, Curiosity Fulfiller</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Willow, Former Marine, current computer / hacker specialist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ed, Mercenary-stat'd Android, (Combat: 30 (?), Instinct: 40, Loyalty: 45, Revolver, Flight Suit)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>If you played in this game pls leave now. Spoilers for y'all.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ed courtesy of Alien Isolation</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I ran a amalgamation of '<a href="http://www.tuesdayknightgames.com/dead-planet">Alpha Gaunt</a> is here' and 'asteroid mining and pirates.' This was a combined set of advice from the excellent Mothership discord (thanks Sean, Uncle Kudzu, and doghairedinfant!). The pirate attack was cut short by them jump-driving away; they elected to ditch 33% to 45% of the asteroids for less damage, which was very sensible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ryan's player drew up an extensive mining ship and so I had to use that as where they were being hunted by a lightly-reskinned alpha gaunt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The crew of the Honeybadger, a mining vessel, had heard rumor of some asteroids drifting in from the deep, a short jump from Prospero's Dream. We open on them looking at 1 water and 2 ore asteroids in a decaying orbit around a pulsar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Willow's player rightly points out the water asteroid will melt away, so they mine that first. Ryan flubs a piloting roll and the ship is caught out in a solar flare. They hunt down the fire on-board the ship and Willow, in her vacc suit, foam guns it away. Ryan tries to repair as Willow and Ed mine the asteroid - Ed fails a roll, giving them less profit as the mining rig cracks and scatters too much ice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Krober meanwhile studies telemetry of the other two asteroids. The larger one has regular striations on it that look like wind erosion, but there's no evidence the asteroid was part of a planet at some point. Keeping some of this to himself, mad-scientist-style, he tells them to mine it next.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The asteroid has three triangular ridges. At a closer distance (no piloting roll this time, they're in the asteroid's shadows), the ship's telecope picks up eroded-looking characters. Writing. Krober and Ryan (who studied linguistics) attempt to decifer it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Fibonacci Sequence. "We are understood and so we are." Snatches of language. Sanity saves are the order of the day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They decide to use the ship's laser cutter to collect the plinths and stow them on the ship's exterior, covered. The ship's computer fails an Intellect / Sanity check.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pirates in a courier jump in-system and announce on stuttering comms that 'those are ours' - the asteroids. They try to line up an autocannon run. Willow dumps mining tailings right on the courier's vector, giving its sensors hell trying to target the mining ship. Ryan adroitly spins up the jump drive and they see bright pulsing light before the safety shutters clamp down and Ed hustles the humans off the cryo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WRITING ON THE WALL</span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They wake up to Ed, holding a roughly-made rebar barricade against the cryobay door. Ed indicates that the ship computer had turned on them, lying to him, locking away the science lab, and that something was aboard the ship, moving around the main deck. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After checking their bioscanners and getting more details from Ed, the crew moved out of the cryobay. After being told all was well by the computer, Willow rolled a 00-0 hacking the computer and managed to find the real logs showing that Ed had told the truth. Ryan welded the rebar barricade over the ladderway down to the lower deck, and began trying to see if anyone would go down and investigate with him staying up and monitoring body cams over his HUD, providing advice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I pointed out that splitting up rarely ends well in the horror genre. They ultimately descended as a group, leaving Ed at the helm, heading to investigate the pounding and screaming that had started up after about 40 minutes of me timing their command deck exploration and planning. They knew the mining arms of the ship held escape pods, that there was no airlock access from the command deck big enough for a human in a vacc suit - Ed could squeeze through it - and that they had arrived at Prospero's Dream. From talking on the comms they found out that a Tempest Co. fighter was inbound to vaporize the ship if it continued to show unsanctioned life on far-range bioscans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the main deck, bioscanners showed 2 lifeforms, one moving in the science lab, another there but still. They were in an accessway between air lock, the science lab, engine and thruster rooms. The corridor nearest the science lab was covered in eroded characters, much like the asteroid-chunks on the ship exterior. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They had a clear run to an escape pod, but decided to stay and try to lure whatever it was into an airlock and blow it out into space. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ryan acts as the lure, Doc hides in an Engine room, and Willow crawls into a nearby air duct. They plan on Ryan running into the airlock and keeping the screaming thing busy, Willow triggering the airlock, and Doc as kind of the floater / backup. Ryan and Doc were in their vacc suits; Willow had to remove hers to squeeze into the air vent.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqv3bObJcH5Qy59q1bZNKbbBmG_ued8jGzVxqhHT0cpi5gsU2qXrJNOkIEXp8e3jwYet87uLqh6NE3Ye_RDFwZEnRBA0X4WUkM0azVQ478-YA5zZp5WJR1iOlfBWWG2sKUWmFOJow797r/s1600/death+gaunt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqv3bObJcH5Qy59q1bZNKbbBmG_ued8jGzVxqhHT0cpi5gsU2qXrJNOkIEXp8e3jwYet87uLqh6NE3Ye_RDFwZEnRBA0X4WUkM0azVQ478-YA5zZp5WJR1iOlfBWWG2sKUWmFOJow797r/s320/death+gaunt.png" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/collections/rpg/products/dead-planet">DEAD PLANET</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The creature came into view - its torso ending in a fleshy twitching maw, its long arms almost folded in on themselves, its pallid flesh. Ryan passed a panic check, Doc failed and gained 1d10 stress. Ryan sprinted for the airlock but failed a speed check - it caught up to him and swung its long-fingered hand at his back, hurting him. (I forgot that the alpha gaunt has 2 attacks per action, foolishly.) The creature had stopped at the edge of the airlock, just outside - Ryan had been left sprawling in it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Willow climbed from her vent and peered around a corner at the creature, passing her panic check. It noticed her, just as she shot it in the back with her laser cutter. It staggered into the airlock, turning to lift her into the air and hurt her, screaming to scare everyone. Ryan regained his feet, sealed himself into the airlock and tripped the explosive bolts, firing himself and it into the void.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They collided and then he was trying to scramble onto the mining arms of the ship, and failed. The beast grappled on and clung to the ship. Ryan, floating away, managed to line up a laser cutter shot and the creature lost its grip on the ship and floated free.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Willow and Doc came into the science lab and found that it had been wrecked, and that a small jointed gate stood glowing in the middle - the bioscanner read it as alive. It was silicon, metal, and generating its own energy - enough to run the ship for a few years. They decided to heave it into an escape pod and fire it off into the void, and did so just as something began to emerge from it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Free of organic life, their ship was allowed to dock as Prospero's Dream. The crew had their ice-asteroids to sell, and a potential quest to find a buyer for the asteroids covered in infectious writing, if they thought such prudent. As for the creature and the gate, I'm sure Tempest Co. did its job dilligently and eliminated them via fighter-craft fire. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Willow discovered that she had a character from that alien language eroded into her flesh. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MY THOUGHTS YES I HAVE THAT</span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think I did a good job leading up to the monster, building scary feels. I don't feel my use of the monster as a threat of death quite lived up to that. I think I ran the monster in combat a little too stupidly - I forgot that it could attack twice, physically, for one action. I feel like it stressed them out a great deal but did little damage to them. And maybe 1 panic check for the whole mission was too few? I dunno. Maybe the monster wouldn't lose its grip on the ship when shot, but I thought of it as a graceful viral-language spreader and not a Meat Powerhouse. I definitely should have thought more about what would tear a vacc suit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing that might've helped was if I simply thought more about <b>this thing's motivation</b>. Turn entire ship into virus-writing, fly it at Prospero's Dream? Then it could simply inspire panic, stress, and ignore the PCs unless they attack it. A horrid monster that just doesn't care about the PCs. Or, turn them into parts of its gate to enlarge it? Then it would want to not act so aggresively, maybe flee the PCs and try to ambush them singly. As is, it responded more like an animal than an erosion-writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Of course, the MOST obvious thing is that Dead Planet's Alexis was written with other monsters on it. The God of Route 11B I wrote has minions in the forms of its congregation.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WHAT THEY DID WAS SMART</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the other hand, their plan was decent, they rolled quite well, and Willow distracting it (and pushing it back a step into the airlock with a powerful laser-cutter shot) and Ryan wearing his vacc suit were vital lynchpins in their plan, as was no one freaking out and going all catatonic. The monster still had 4 (45) hits as it floated away from the ship. They focused entirely on getting it out of the ship, not getting in a stand-up fight. They played it smart and rolled well. They didn't figure out what was going on (other than the fact that the language itself was dangerous around computer systems), but they did survive, and saved their payday cargo and their ship.</span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-31050597871123503232019-08-19T17:48:00.003-07:002019-08-19T17:48:22.363-07:00How I Horror<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally ran some Mothership with other real humans, and it's making me think about how I run horror games.</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Large Raccoons and Horror</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think one good thing to keep in mind is the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/bzgvsr/cosmic_horror_without_monsters/eqvm6mb?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x">Large Raccoon Rule</a>. Basically, if you have a monster or a group of monsters, and they could be replaced with a raccoon - or group of raccoons - your monster needs more going on. A gimmick. A way that it reflects the horror of the universe, the way it reveals the cosmology, the way it breaks the rules. The thing that makes it wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Though I haven't conformed to the rest of those rules - I have a highway drive with some clues about what's going on, but there's not a huge lead-in before The God of 11B comes along. But at least they're seeing dead people worship it and reanimate around it. That's something a raccoon cannot do.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50B5ZH9YO9qWvemgRohQenht7HuK_1FGAzbC1oiGfye46AAfuehRI9CqtmiXA9wvqJ6hSg12QxW5szCHYzNiJ7hXHQ6ilSf9ynvPJiZHS1UdtX0Wl7n6f9JzVuZ4UeuF7QK4uEsFsVJIY/s1600/karl-sisson-face-small-v01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50B5ZH9YO9qWvemgRohQenht7HuK_1FGAzbC1oiGfye46AAfuehRI9CqtmiXA9wvqJ6hSg12QxW5szCHYzNiJ7hXHQ6ilSf9ynvPJiZHS1UdtX0Wl7n6f9JzVuZ4UeuF7QK4uEsFsVJIY/s320/karl-sisson-face-small-v01.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/PmYqbB">Art by Karl Sisson</a></td></tr>
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</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Describe and Never Name</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another one I swear comes from <a href="http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/">Falsemachine</a> but I cannot find it anywhere - describe, don't name. If you see in the dim of a tunnel you're in, at the far end, silhouted by a lone red emergency light, the figure of a person, but small, like a teenager, which then ducks and dives and is gone. Then later this blur of pallid flesh and snarling sharp teeth charges you, and you see its too-large eyes and blue veiny flesh and it smells of rotten meat, it screams and tries to bite you with its jagged teeth - all that can be scary, or atmospheric, or at least it _makes sense_ when after that there's a fear or even a sanity save. If you just say 'a goblin charges you' then you don't, as the GM, earn that save. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So describe things in as much detail as the PCs want but don't tell them what the things are. This can be hard in scifi - everyone thinks space travel means there must be some infinite universal wikipedia that you can image-search with a sanity-blasting photograph. But shoggoths are corporate secretes! They're not going to let that be out on the public web, you'll get cease & desisted, possibly with force. Comms channels aren't compatible, data networks attack one another like viruses competing for too few hosts. The center has not held and mere lack of solid information is unleashed on the universe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not Always a Monster</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can have the environment do something unusual (blood rain) that doesn't really cause any issues... not especially. And have the normal people in town start a freakin cult and start hunting down left-handed people or refugees or whatever out-group they manufacture. Get all <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/HellstarRemina">Hellstar Remina</a>. It makes zero sense that killing Remina will make the planet of the same name go away and not eat Earth, but hey, it's a horror game. NPCs don't have to be loyal or rational.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />You could have corpsec drop smart-mines that ambush people and wound them horribly. They're targeting everyone not in the corp-sec database, did you happen to pay the monthly 10kcr fee?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Limit Resources</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mothership is fantastic in that there are rules for stress and panic, and 'not being stressed as hell' is a limited resource, the way hit points are for first-level PCs in B/X DnD. Oxygen is a limited resource. Food is a limited resource. Money is a limited resource and you owe a lot of it on your ship.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So those are fantastic mechanisms. What is Mothership missing?<br /></span><h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The World Eats You Slowly</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like something Mothership's A Pound of Flesh has: 'storylines' that are effectively 3-part countdown timers. Locations and NPCs have notes for, say, phase 1, 2, or 3 of a given storyline. They also have a 20-point 'deadly encounter' chart that you roll a 1d10 to summon encounters. You add 5 if you are on part 2 or +10 if you are on part 3 of one of the plot charts / countdown timers, and everything above 10 is basically the storyline trying to destroy the PCs. The random encounters get weirder and more dangerous as things advance - maybe instead of teamsters drunkenly looking for a fight or local Corpsec being shit, you encounter a giant Eye that opens in the wall and blasts your sanity with its gaze. Maybe mouths open up in the floor and sing and try to chew you up. Maybe the Teamsters strike and Tempest (the local corporate security) is breaking heads.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So in addition to thinking about People's Inhumanity To People, and a cosmic cosmology of horror, and giant racoons - you always have to think of how things aren't stable, how they can get worse, and how that should reflect in everything - the once-familiar locations, the encounter tables, the gossip.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You Don't Get Better</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lots of games are about numbers going up - hit points, attack bonus, proficiency. You arc up to bigger and better things, and the things that used to be dangerous are laughable.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as the world of a horror game needs to rot, the PCs need to rot, or at least, rotting is on the table. They could get mind-fried or resleeved in a worse body or lose some of their sanity save in exchange for a psi power. Their hit points don't really go up, because you don't get better at getting shot over time. They make some gains but there's always room for some damage, because you're attacking that entire character sheet.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And It's Fun</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why play a game like this, intentionally bleak? There's that tension at the table, where it feels like Things Matter. The players get invested in seeing if they can, despite everything, succeed. Because they still can - they just might not get everything they want at once. That is a great feeling, and worth pursuing.</span></div>
Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1793637537244173236.post-3461157180150196232019-08-14T18:39:00.001-07:002019-08-14T18:39:33.776-07:00Mothership AP: Crashlands Night Drive 1.1<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ran Mothership 1-on-1 with a friend who's very interested in learning to GM games. We'd previously played a 1-on-1 game of Into the Odd, which was a lot of fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His character, Glenn, is a teamster who has learned about mechanical repair and driving to make a living, and art and mysticism out of an unpractical passion. He has one mercenary-statted buddy, Asher, a marine specialist armed with an SMG. Asher constantly checks and re-checks his gear, counting and recounting magazines, grenades, stimpacks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn and Asher have a job from Friend to take a large box from Bixby to Lyons, heading North up the old 11B route in the night. Glenn'll be paid 45k for the work if it's done fast, with less money coming to him the longer the job takes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnZirsGRO6-VNa4kb32W1RkoVM8UtrjgMPHxr6kA-Eg3zzvulqXq9kSgfyXbdHrBG0K9WYr-mQXAzysxty_tXYjEkAr7Jw30NZC9zMKPHhND26VWo9ixVofdeVAGRYgXceVfCaWDAWGKG/s1600/desert_night_by_etwoo_d6469t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="1000" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnZirsGRO6-VNa4kb32W1RkoVM8UtrjgMPHxr6kA-Eg3zzvulqXq9kSgfyXbdHrBG0K9WYr-mQXAzysxty_tXYjEkAr7Jw30NZC9zMKPHhND26VWo9ixVofdeVAGRYgXceVfCaWDAWGKG/s320/desert_night_by_etwoo_d6469t7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Night by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/etwoo/art/Desert-night-369808171">Etwoo</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cresting a hill in their Grizzly ATV, a large flash of red looms out of the darkness, a lumpy mass that Glenn tries to brake and steer around. The ATV goes over the mass with a series of bangs and wet snaps, and a a soggy feeling to the controls implies a ruined tire. Glenn pulls to the shoulder and looks about for more animals or living beings. Seeing only the desert, lit by the moon and the softly glowing band of shipbroken starships in orbit, he and Asher dismount. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn and Asher shine flashlights under the Grizzly. Dripping gore coats its undercarriage, and behind the front-left tire, they see legs twisted and a spine jutting from a dead creature. The front-left tire has what looks like a curved stick protruding from one side. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTdDJG12KR9Mqn5Jg2dWi7fhnYIOZYOVI7j6Td4cDa834TZSMT98Z23L2Qvy92baSkdiehlELMNReJyvZBrP_mZnNyvJHjg0CbkiE16OA1V5FtoydSQ1JE_x3cZuDAi5k7LqVDI0dKgUz/s1600/alpha_skag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1052" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTdDJG12KR9Mqn5Jg2dWi7fhnYIOZYOVI7j6Td4cDa834TZSMT98Z23L2Qvy92baSkdiehlELMNReJyvZBrP_mZnNyvJHjg0CbkiE16OA1V5FtoydSQ1JE_x3cZuDAi5k7LqVDI0dKgUz/s200/alpha_skag.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpha Skag from Borderlands. Imagine it in pieces.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Asher pulls sentry duty as Glenn works to change out the tire. The curved stick is a bloody rib from the roadkill. It is heavy and clanks against the cracked concrete like metal. They stow the pierced tire in the Grizzly, and Glenn drags out rope and cable to pull the carcass from under the car, lest its strange bones damage the ATV further. Glenn asks Asher to go under the Grizzly and tie it up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"What? No, man." Asher doesn't look away from the landscape. "Fuck no. I'm not getting paid to crawl under there. You go under, I'll cover it with the SMG from a different angle so I won't hit you if it's still alive."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn crawls under the Grizzly. Gore drips down onto him. Disgust racks him but he tamps it down. The creature is still, it's legs splayed about, and Glenn begins to wrap the rope around it. It's not something he recognizes - its maw is like an inverted V, beneath which is a beaklike lower jaw. Atop its head, covered in blood but recognizable, sits a terminal jack. The same as what is at the base of Glenn and Asher's heads. All colonists had gotten them and cybernetic brain prosthetics installed when they came to Crashland... All children get the same installed in the present, thanks to the remaining corporate infrastructure relying on them. But the Company never put them in animals. Shaken, Glenn crawled back out and told Asher, who looked scared at this news. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Let's just pull it out, and, and get the hell out of here."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The two pulled the creature out from beneath the Grizzly. Glenn took a look at it, recording visual data to his cyberbrain, but could not recognize the remains. He mounted the Grizzly, sealing himself within. Its AC blew like a feeling of normality returning, and he pulled away into the night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the rear-view camera screen, he saw the remains of the creature pulling itself into the desert. He clenched his jaw and drove away faster. Its blood hadn't been pumping, it's open dead eyes had stared, it hadn't moved or twitched while he was there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Two hours later up 11B, Glenn was feeling the full workday he'd put in at Bixby. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out an amphetamine lozenge, gaining advantage on the next few tests and a mild addiction to the drug.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmSuS806cLNLeBi1a1QPS9rN4juP4v_H3EsfKN1pY1yS3KQWwTaNOgX0fDhLvZiZKGAYQ1L3HzWmLV6ahXxboLjrnx_9tZYhxl9FynXhlJLcIG1NLJDN_u5WEHj40USHajyu_chn98pg1/s1600/william-bennett-high-pipinhalers2-wbsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1088" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmSuS806cLNLeBi1a1QPS9rN4juP4v_H3EsfKN1pY1yS3KQWwTaNOgX0fDhLvZiZKGAYQ1L3HzWmLV6ahXxboLjrnx_9tZYhxl9FynXhlJLcIG1NLJDN_u5WEHj40USHajyu_chn98pg1/s200/william-bennett-high-pipinhalers2-wbsmall.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xvkk2">William Bennet</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He crested another hill and looked down at a collection of shipping containers and concrete structures, a refueling pump and plastic tables, surrounded by 4 auto-turrets. Roland's Bait Shop. The console radio crackled.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"...need to get us out. We bunkered down and are currently stuck. Can discuss reward with anyone who can help out, we are armed, so don't try anything stupid." Sara Jeffers' voice on the comms, Roland's daughter. Glenn had been up before and talked to them both. Sara had a real affinity for the turrets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn got on the horn and identified himself. Sara sounded relieved to hear a friendly voice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"My folks got a strange reading on a bioscanner, and had me and Ranlo get into this bunker, this panic room thing we have. I always thought it was so stupid... but now it seems like my folks are gone. They're not responding, the door is jammed shut somehow. I can't deactivate the turrets from here either..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn, though no hero, figured he should try to aid them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The 7-11 was in a bowl-shaped depression in the arid grassland. Four turrets stood at the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, with overlapping fields of fire. Wrecked cars and signs warned of the weapons, as did pock-marked boulders. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Glenn took stock of the surroundings. Asher talked about the potential dangers of throwing grenades at the turrets. A narrow dry-riverbed-looking valley lay North of Roland's. To the South, a low-hanging green gas drifted at shin height. To the East, an ancient airlock was nearly horizontal, its surrounding bulkhead embedded in the scree. Glenn drove the Grizzly in a wide arc to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dismounting, he's able to repair the airlock external controls and it squealed open slowly. A 40' drop led into the command module of an old ship, lit in dim, flickering red light. It's single command chair has been shot up from behind.</span>Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11639621838994442926noreply@blogger.com0