End-of-Week Elmore (4/26/13)

Busy busy today, good people. No time to write much. But I am feeling like a long struggle is coming to an end. Fortunately, unlike the fellow in the illo above, I'm not a dead man. In fact, I'm feeling quite alive! More details soon...

Lords of Gossamer & Shadow

 

There's something wonderful happening.

 

Well, I suppose it's wonderful for fans of Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game (ADRPG). Then again, what's happening should actually be wonderful for newcomers to diceless roleplaying as well.

 

I know, there are a lot of gamers out there that balk at the concept of diceless roleplaying. How could that possibly work, right?

 

Well, the short answer is, it does work. It can work. It's just different from traditional dice-based games. Not better or worse...just different. I would suggest giving it a look. I'll elaborate when I can and defend the statements above when I get some more time to do so. I promise.

 

The ADRPG was released in 1991, and was supported by what I would call a relatively small but very devoted fan-base. It still is played and supported by gamers who fell in love with it those many years ago. But the game fell out of print sometime in the early 2000's and has languished in limbo...until now.

 

The ADRPG rules are being resurrected as Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. Please do yourself a favor and take a look at the Kickstarter. As one of those rabid devotees who were ensorcelled by the original rules back in their heyday, I'm very excited about this new game based on ADRPG. I'm in for $50 for the Kickstarter. If you read up on the new game and find it interesting, I encourage you to contribute as well.

 

I don't have time right now to write more about ADRPG or LoG&S. But, I'm long overdue when it comes to elaborating on my history with ADRPG and a discussion of the rules themselves, given that, along with D&D, ADRPG was one of the biggest influences on my roleplaying career. D&D and ADRPG were the games I played the most and enjoyed the most back in my younger years.

 

It's time that ADRPG had its day dawn once more.

Dark Dungeons: The Movie

This evil DM wants to teach
you how to cast REAL spells!
 

You know about Rule 34, right? If you don't, Rule 34 states: "If  it exists, there's a porn version of it." Well, I think there should  be another rule that states: "If something really stupid exists,  there's a campy film version lampooning it."

 

Enter Dark Dungeons: The Movie!

 

Yes, it was bound to happen, and I'm so glad! Do yourself a favor and watch the creator's Kickstarter video. Great stuff!

Oh, and the higher contribution levels give you some really cool benefits, like the ability to give feedback on the script and even create your own alternate ending!

 

Check out the Kickstarter and consider contributing, and help the roleplaying community bring Jack Chick mockery to the screen!

P.S. Have you ever seen the animated version of Dark Dungeons someone made a couple years ago?

End-of-Week Elmore (4/19/13)

The illo above is what I'd call a bit of "sword and wizardry" ;-)

 

How appropriate, given that Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day happened on the 17th!

My last salvo for S&W Appreciation Day: The Octopuppeteer

So, in my second post today, I gave you the skullcrab, a creature I created for use with Swords & Wizardry. Well, in that same post, I promised another beastie of my own creation. And now, here it is (just under the wire before midnight)!
 

Octopuppeteer

HD: 3
AC: 6 [13]
Atk: 2 strikes (1d6)
Move: 12
Save: 14
AL: C
CL/XP: 4/150
Special: Trap/crush, INT drain

The creation of a malevolent sorcerer, this creature appears to be an amorphous purple blob with numerous slim tendrils radiating from its shifting surface. Dubbed the "octopuppeteer" by its creator (though it has more than eight appendages), it uses humanoid skeletons as a means of transportation.

An octopuppeteer will gather the bones of a skeleton and inhabit the rib cage. Then, it will use its many tendrils to draw the remaining bones together, reforming a complete skeleton. When the process is complete, the skeleton is bound together and "animated" as if by living wire. Because the octopuppeteer's mass is spread out across the skeleton, the tendrils resemble nearly-invisible thread.

Creatures of malignant intelligence, octopuppeteers crave the brain tissue of intelligent humanoids. They will usually attack a victim with powerful blows (they don't use weapons). If a victim is struck by two successful strikes in one round, the character must make a saving throw or be trapped in the arms of the octopuppeteer's stolen skeleton.

Once a victim is trapped, the octopuppeteer will attempt to eat a character's brain tissue by slipping tendrils up the nose of a victim. Once the brain is reached, the character will permanently lose one point of INT per turn. The creatures must be killed before they are removed from a victim; otherwise, removal of a living octopuppeteer will permanently reduce the victim's INT by 2.

If an octopuppeteer chooses to do so, it can constrict its tendrils and use its skeleton to deal 1d6 in crushing damage per round.

Since a skeleton animated by an octopuppeteer (a living organism) is not undead, it cannot be turned by clerics. Many clerics have learned this lesson the hard way...with their lives!

Behold the might of Swords & Wizardry!

The inspiration begins with the cover...

Swords & Wizardry got me back into roleplaying. Period. It was the first retro-clone I picked up. Not because it was the first one I encountered (that honor goes to OSRIC), but because it was the most persuasive. Reading Matt Finch's words was (and still is) pure inspiration. And I'm just talking about the Swords & Wizardry rules themselves. Let's not forget about his Quick Primer for Old School Gaming...but that's a whole other discussion.

Confession: I never cared about the fabled Little Brown Books. Not at all. But Swords & Wizardry (hereafter referred to as S&W) made me want to care. It made me care about the mutable simplicity of Original D&D mechanics, and more importantly, it made me fall in love again with the old-school way of roleplaying.

BTW: What I still don't care about, and never will, is that S&W is not as close to the OD&D rules as it could be. Who cares?! I, for one, am GLAD it isn't! It takes those old rules and makes them alive again, something vital and fresh, thanks to Mr. Finch's take on those original rules.

What sets Swords & Wizardry apart in my view? Here are some major points for me (based on my favorite flavor of the rules, the May 2011 printing):

Matt Finch's writing is welcoming and flavorful. When reading it, I feel like I'm being guided through the rules by a friendly narrator.

Also, the suggestion boxes that give alternate rules are awesome, such as the "Continued Level Advancement Options for Non-Human Characters" and his historical notes on how S&W differs from the original rules.

Then there's even more options. Options for combat sequence. Options for spellcasting. Options, options, options! What I'm saying is, S&W has flexibility, but it also gives you suggestions on how that flexibility can manifest itself! That's what this particular busy adult roleplayer needs!

Wanna create your own creatures to throw at hapless players? It's easy, and not just because of the "lightness" of the rules. Matt Finch has, again, conveniently given you some suggested guidelines for creating monsters. Here's a monster for you:

Skullcrab

HD: 1
AC: 5 [14]
Atk: 2 claws (1d6)
Move: 6 (Jump 12)
Save: 16
AL: N
CL/XP: 3/100
Special: Attach/blood drain (1d4/round), paralysis

There are cyclopean cliffs that rise above the ocean, riddled with caverns of unknown depth. Adventurers who have died plumbing these sodden depths have had their remains defiled by the aberrations that dwell where the ocean sucks at the land. One such creature is the skullcrab, a type of mutated mollusk that uses the skulls of the dead as protective shells. When not hiding in a skull, the creature resembles a large snail with crab-like claws and beaked mouth.

Those who discover the bones of the fallen should be wary when searching through the remains. A skullcrab inhabiting a skull will more often than not surprise the unwary, using its muscular body to leap at a victim. The creatures are surprisingly quick, and victims will not soon forget the sight of a death's head hurtling towards them.

A player must make a saving throw if a skullcrab makes two successful claw attacks against a character in a round. An unsuccessful save means the skullcrab has attached to the victim, and will begin to drain blood using a needle-like proboscis that extends from its beak (1d4 damage per round) until it is killed and releases its grip.

After one round of blood draining, the victim must make another save. If unsuccessful, they become paralyzed by the skullcrab's anesthetizing saliva. The victim will stay paralyzed if the creature is not removed; once removed, the victim will come out of the paralysis after 1 turn.

Voila! Light on stat block, heavy on description/flavor...as it should be when it comes to old-school roleplaying!

I might just post another S&W creature later tonight...I'll keep you all in suspense!

Yes, I love me some Swords & Wizardry, and I know you will too, if you give it a read. Come, join usssss... 

P.S. A final musing I wanted to run past you, dear readers: if OSRIC was the "first retro-clone" (as seems to be the case based on publication dates and OSR lore I've read on blogs), then S&W was the second. I wonder if it's a coincidence that WotC's first premium reprint was AD&D (which OSRIC emulates), followed by that fancy OD&D box (covered by Swords & Wizardy). Is WotC mimicking the publication order of the retro-clones? Hmmm...it may sound far-fetched, and I do so love a good conspiracy theory, but...you never know!

UPDATE: Well, it looks like Labyrinth Lord was published after OSRIC, and last came S&W. Oh well, so much for my cockamamie theory!

The BIG Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day SALE is ON!

This here's my first post of the day in appreciation of Swords & Wizardry. With this post, I'm letting you know that Frog God Games has discounted their entire line of Swords & Wizardry products for ONE DAY ONLY in celebration of Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day. The discount is good for 25% off S&W Products but you must use coupon code SWApprDay on April 17th (TODAY) at check out.  Note that the coupon excludes items less than $1, S&W Cards, Pre-Orders, and Subscriptions. 

 

So, that's my sales duty done. Later today, my OTHER Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day post (the one with the real sizzle) will emerge from the blogosphere like a great behemoth that crushes adventurers to pulp! Why have I chosen to post later in the day, you ask? Why, to separate myself from the pack, of course! ;-) It's all about the strategy, folks.

Stay tuned!

P.S. It seems that John Reyst has created the code SWAD252013 for the SRD store where you can get PDFs. Sales here help support the SRD sites. Here are the links to the SRD sites: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ and http://www.d20swsrd.com/