Game Loot

Unveil the mysteries of Creation and melt
your foe's face off!

On this day it's customary to give a receive gifts. I like to call them prizes. I do so because I view presents as a reward for slogging through 365 days of pure screaming terror.

My wife and mother in law hooked me up with a few game-related items. I bagged a copy of Mage: The Awakening. I also got Asylum for the World of Darkness core system. Very cool.

I also won a gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I think I'll buy a meat cleaver. As you know I like to cook for my game group. With the meat cleaver I can hack away at flesh and bone in the preparation of yummy fare. So I guess that's game related, right?

It's a very hard economy here in the states, so I was damn grateful for my loot. There have been years when I had no gifts at all to open, so I am very happy.

I hope you all had a fine day. If you didn't get anything good or anything at all, rest assured that next year will be better. Keep on keeping on.

I dream in 25mm.; Castle Wall Ruins from Pegasus Games

Happy Merry from destination unknown!

Related Links: Video of the River Set from Pegasus Hobbies

Pegasus Hobbies

WoD Fan Project

I'm working on a fan supplement for the World of Darkness. It's going to be a collection of NPCs that Storytellers can refer to when drafting their chronicles. I know that CCP/White Wolf protects their trademarks and copyrighted material, so this effort will be a print only affair, available for free to a small group of people.

When finished, it will be a 40 page digest. I'm about halfway done, so I imagine it will take a few more weeks to finish.

In other game news, my players and I worked out our issues with AD&D. I think we're good to go and should meet next week for some hack. Awesome!

[MF] I'm part of the in crowd.

Mutant Future arrived and I am pretty excited. I have a lot of other game books to read, but I look forward to this one. People who play MF really seem to enjoy it. I can't wait to see what all the excitement is about!

PS: I have been on a posting binge of late. It's a combinatiion of being on vacation, there's no surf, my wife is working a ton (she's a private chef and caterer) and my sons are with their mom. Free time is abundant...

[LL] The Freecity of Haldane

I've been lagging in my zine writing efforts, but I do have something I'll be sending out after the 1st. Basically, I took the Freecity of Haldane from Iridia 87 and spun it off into its own mini-supplement. If you are a member of the LMS D&D Club or an Iridia subscriber, you'll get a free copy in the mail.

The Freecity of Haldane is a free supplement for Labyrinth Lord. That means it's also easy to use with AD&D 1e and 2e. Haldane is governed by a gold dragon named Aurumvorax. The dragon does his best to keep all of the city's various factions in check, while keeping a myriad of threats to the citizens' welfare under control. This supplement comes with a map of Haldane, descriptions of the major wards, encounters, NPCs and an overview of the city's politics.

20 pages
digest format

[WoD] He Dresses Them In Such Pretty Clothes

He dresses them in such pretty clothes. He buys them dresses, lingerie, makeup, jewelry and accessories. At night he goes to great lengths to set a romantic atmosphere with soft lighting and wine. He loves them dearly. It doesn't matter that they're dead. That's the way he likes it.

Dr. Robert Hollis has always been a man apart. Never comfortable with others, Robert has always been alone. His attempts at romance were always dismal failures and he never learned how to make friends.

It was no surprise to Robert's parents that he eventually became a medical examiner. The work environment suited Robert perfectly. It was cold, quiet and his social ineptitude was dismissed as eccentric by his coworkers.

While working as a coroner, Robert overcame his awkwardness with females. The women that came across his operating table were easy to talk to. They listened to his stories. They were patient with him. They never laughed nor walked away. During that time Robert realized that he could never be happy with a living woman.

That was nearly two decades ago and since then Robert has perfected a method of reanimating corpses. Robert's research has been funded by bribes he gets from organized crime. On many occasions he has been asked to identify the cause of death as suicide when it was clearly a case of poisoning or strangulation.

Robert's technique for reanimation is flawless. The subjects, usually overdose victims, never degrade, although they cannot heal injuries. The zombie is compliant, obedient and quiet - the ideal companion. He loves his girls dearly and would unleash hell upon anyone who threatened his bliss.

DR. ROBERT HOLLIS
Concept: Lonely medical examiner who animates the corpses of pretty women to keep him company.
Virtue: Charity
Vice: Lust

Mental Attributes (primary): Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes (secondary): Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Skills (tertiary): Presence 1, Manipulation 2, Composure 3

Mental Skills (primary): Medical 5 (forensic medicine specialization), Science 4 (cellular biology specialization), Occult 2 (reanimation specialization)
Physical Skills (secondary): Drive 2, Firearms 1, Larceny 2, Stealth 2
Social Skills (tertiary): Persuasion 1, Subterfuge 3

Health: 8
Morality: 5 (Derangement: Obsessive Compulsive)
Willpower: 5
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Armor: None
Merits: Contact 1 (organized crime), Eidetic Memory, Resources 3, Status 1 (medical doctor)

Weapons/Attacks:
Smith & Wesson Model 36 Ladysmith (.38 special): Dam 2, Ranges 20/40/80, Capacity 5, Size 1/S, Dice Pool 5

UNLIVING COMPANION

Concept: Undead lover that never ages, degrades or leaves

Attributes: Power 2, Finesse 1, Resilience 2
Defense: 0
Health: 5
Initiative: 1
Physical Integrity: 10
Size: 5
Speed: 1

Aspects: Indestructible, Preservation 3

Attacks
Punch: Damage 2(B), Dice Pool 2

*Please see Antagonists for the World of Darkness for more details on zombies. If you dont have access to the book, I can answer any of your questions.

I'm not sure I like this.

SurfaceScapes Gameplay Session from Surfacescapes on Vimeo.

In my games, laptops are banned. I don't want people checking Facebook or watching YouTube videos during play. I gather my friends so that we can chat, enjoy a meal and roll some dice. The face to face interface is crucial. I love the tactile aspects of games that include dice, books, miniatures and paper.

My hierarchy of importance at the table would go something like:

1) Friends
2) Game
3) Game aids

I feel that the digital tabletop places the game aids first on the list. All focus would shift to the glowing screen. Why bother meeting face to face at all? Why not just play WoW?

I applaud the efforts of the designers, but I feel the essence of rpgs is being supplanted by expensive technology. One thing the OSR has taught me is that I don't need anything elaborate to game. I just need some dice, a fan-produced book and some cool people.