tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51995799174113372332024-03-26T04:56:00.372-04:00Legacy of the Bieth"Where life had no value, death, sometimes, had a price. That was why the bounty killers appeared."Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-69163116976173218052024-01-12T11:29:00.001-05:002024-01-12T11:34:01.639-05:00Ave Atque Vale, Jennell<p>Jennell Jaquays passed away two days ago, and it's hitting me hard. </p><p>I had a chance to meet Jennell at NTRPG 2016 (and '17), and even get into a
playtest game of hers. She was friendly and welcoming and kind, both there and online. <br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzmJyu1ZH0TBdWdxmz7lm-_bDCCbQaZ4OKOjMuMXXPzofjuj0DZkpcjUShWbjF1MlJRPSRw_56H3JPSmioVSVhnrYgBNoNKO_zaHipKRdceARl0WhQXBmaRxdfvgcEGrlCiBD_a2DXNmFmJlPq86cCCPVyjwqauRx1oRIlhMQokQp2gJIwU2jCYeuOYA0/s4080/Jennell%20Signature.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzmJyu1ZH0TBdWdxmz7lm-_bDCCbQaZ4OKOjMuMXXPzofjuj0DZkpcjUShWbjF1MlJRPSRw_56H3JPSmioVSVhnrYgBNoNKO_zaHipKRdceARl0WhQXBmaRxdfvgcEGrlCiBD_a2DXNmFmJlPq86cCCPVyjwqauRx1oRIlhMQokQp2gJIwU2jCYeuOYA0/w482-h640/Jennell%20Signature.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><p></p><p>This was already one of the books most important to me in my gaming collection; it has become infinitely more so. </p><p>Jennell's contributions to the gaming industry are well documented & known. But her activism in support of LGBTQIA rights, and her mentorship and guidance for other folks in gaming (particularly folks from marginalized backgrounds) were also hugely important and influential. <br /></p><p>She'd been working on releasing a revised and improved version of Central Casting, but passed before the process was complete. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/burgerbecky/posts/pfbid0puhhKBSK6J4Cz13TQWXnLvVekDctJewEK8tJBc2zfcsfDZMJ1TMHmMFCkXFH3fh2l">Her wife Becky plans to finalize and release it, though</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jennell-jaquays-has-a-long-road-back">Becky could also use assistance with Jennell's medical bills and funeral costs</a>.</p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-74226335148289571692023-12-14T09:00:00.003-05:002023-12-14T09:00:00.154-05:00Campaign Stats: First Attempt<p><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/AVvXsEhr_If5a-GaDPG4ORYPm-FkK_6WMVQg1KQNklBW-6ObbtqqLyz4TQpTOQTU4vU3aDsU54rtv0v15dNNXGSSlgJx38cTDivIoRNkqxL0YThZsXfIuqqXSLfG0LFTJRhVaYDY9aSHcQsms6tGx73XOWLVzW3Vtp61doykx28AtmXQd7GthSP7GfZIq6QGYw_L/s4624/swordman_book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=""Swordsman with Book" by Evlyn M" border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3783" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_If5a-GaDPG4ORYPm-FkK_6WMVQg1KQNklBW-6ObbtqqLyz4TQpTOQTU4vU3aDsU54rtv0v15dNNXGSSlgJx38cTDivIoRNkqxL0YThZsXfIuqqXSLfG0LFTJRhVaYDY9aSHcQsms6tGx73XOWLVzW3Vtp61doykx28AtmXQd7GthSP7GfZIq6QGYw_L/w328-h400/swordman_book.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />"Swordsman with Book," <br /><a href="https://www.artstation.com/evlynmoreau">by Evlyn M</a> (back her on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/evlynmoreau">Patreon</a>!)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Over a recent Discord call, <a href="https://gorgonbones.blogspot.com">Jenx </a>(player of the doughty Rustam the Relentless) mentioned his fondness for campaign statistics posts, like these two from the Hill Cantons (<a href="https://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2014/02/six-years-before-campaign-mast.html">one</a>, <a href="https://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-years-of-madness-and-mayhem.html">two</a>), or his own (<a href="https://gorgonbones.blogspot.com/2023/06/between-serpents-of-smoke-steel.html">here</a>). I agreed, regretting that it wouldn’t be possible for me to track material like this for Legacy of the Bieth, since I hadn’t kept sufficient notes during each session. But talking with Jenx further, I realized that there were enough notes on Discord for me to calculate some of the relevant stats that the campaign’s had, at least over the (very irregular) two years that I’ve run it over Discord.<br /><br /><b>Sessions Played:</b> 23 (more or less)<br /><b>Least Session XP:</b> 0<br /><b>Greatest Session XP:</b> 4068 per character<br /><b>Average XP per Session:</b> 608 per character<br /><br /><b>Total Players: </b>22 <br /><b>Total Player Characters: </b>26 <br /><b>Highest Level Achieved: </b>4<br /><b>PCs Incapacitated Long-term: </b>3 <br /><b>PCs Killed: </b>3 <br /><b>Hirelings Advanced to PCs: </b>5 <br /><b>“Weird” Classes Played:</b> 2 (<a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2015/01/blood-servitors-dragonborn.html">Blood Servitor</a>, Lamia)</p><p><br /></p><p>Going forward, I'm certainly going to <i>try </i>keeping better track of additional stats (including such favorites as "Number of Times Rolled on the Death & Dismemberment Chart" and "Average Hirelings Lost Per Session"). </p><p>How are your campaigns going? Any particular stats that you or your players have been tracking?<br /></p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-92064141375739932812023-08-10T09:00:00.002-04:002023-08-10T09:12:06.987-04:00Modified Death & Dismemberment; Campaign Update<p><i></i></p><div></div><div>During my time playing in the <a href="https://hillcantons.blogspot.com/">Hill Cantons campaign</a>, I faced far too many rolls on Chris's <a href="https://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2012/02/death-and-dismemberment-redux.html">Death and Dismemberment chart </a>to not have its tension seared into my brain. As a result (and because I am a lazy/overwhelmed GM) I've been using it in my own Legacy of the Bieth sessions. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the most recent roll on the chart, my players and I discussed the feel of some of the consequences on the chart. Due to the limited scheduling and times of play, some of the nastier rolls on the table were effectively the same as removing a character permanently from the campaign. Sure, there wasn't a sting of death, but the practical result was the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a few suggestions from <a href="https://gorgonbones.blogspot.com/">Rustam's player</a> (spawned in part from discussion on the OSR Discord server) I wound up putting together a revised Death and Dismemberment table which I think I'll be using, going forward.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Death & Dismemberment:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>When a PC hits 0 to -10 HP, roll 1d10.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>1:</b> <b>Stunned</b>. Knocked out for 1d6 rounds. At the end of this time, is at 0 HP and able to slowly crawl along, but another hit of any sort will kill the character until they get back to positive HP.</div><div><b>2-5:</b> <b>Lingering Wound</b>. Character is incapacitated for 1 week, and player + GM jointly figure what sort of lasting but largely cosmetic scar the wound has left.</div><div><b>6-8: Lasting Wound</b>. Character is incapacitated for 1 week, and some other permanent damage to the character also results (missing eye, mis-set bone, permanently weak knee, etc.). Again jointly determined by player + GM, but will result in some statistical change to the character.</div><div><b>9+: Dead dead dead</b>. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Add 1 to a Death & Dismemberment roll (and to number of weeks incapacitated) for every Lingering or Lasting Wound your PC has taken throughout the course of play.</div><div><br /></div><div>(This was inspired in part by the game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/365360/Battle_Brothers/">Battle Brothers</a>, where your WFRP-esque mercenary scum can take on lasting wounds if reduced to 0 HP, or through a bad crit.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JrYtD7gSWsI" width="320" youtube-src-id="JrYtD7gSWsI"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Tuco and the one-armed man discuss the</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>effects of Lasting Wounds on a PC.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div>On the campaign front, the players have continued delving into the sanctum of a long-vanished wizard, hoping to track down the bandit <b>Red Mansur </b>and recover some anti-mutagenic compounds created by the alchemist <b>the Whisper.</b> </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I attach some notes from Rustam the Red, a bounty hunter and one of the PCs (played by <a href="https://gorgonbones.blogspot.com/">Kalin</a>). These are <b>clearly in no way </b>me shirking the task of writing campaign updates and instead foisting it off on the players. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Oh, don't look at me like that. All the players get 100 XP times their PC level for a session report. Hell, sometimes a session report might be more XP than the session itself!)</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>~~</b>Fragments from the journal of Rustam the Red~~<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_wPoc5rKbzHTwJiADC-ASwSx7-SNM5sBSAh9GrSAlMjvNyz8U9klaDVLcOoLyznFRyDDVY6IyjY2DVNing0SigbomtkYKodMBJ0ii3oEo5r4Nwzdb4ChszxNt5cRtyK7ezYiLxvSMvDsYmSEygOmUk1WPl_IOe9UrdDieV2yPzB-N-hA8yW7snDwyPsx/s3262/Rustam%201.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3262" data-original-width="2300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_wPoc5rKbzHTwJiADC-ASwSx7-SNM5sBSAh9GrSAlMjvNyz8U9klaDVLcOoLyznFRyDDVY6IyjY2DVNing0SigbomtkYKodMBJ0ii3oEo5r4Nwzdb4ChszxNt5cRtyK7ezYiLxvSMvDsYmSEygOmUk1WPl_IOe9UrdDieV2yPzB-N-hA8yW7snDwyPsx/s320/Rustam%201.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch of Rustam by <a href="https://kalinkadiev.artstation.com/">Kalin</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>Entry 7</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Did I forget I had a journal? You’ll never know! </div><div><br /></div><div>The last six months were spent in recovery and recuperation. After a mostly successful job, the details of which I shall not put down in writing (because you do not put that kind of stuff down in writing) I was in possession of several rare and valuable tomes. Those tomes were traded in to a witch for an amulet that she fashioned me, and by God’s name my knees have stopped hurting for the first time in the past 10 years! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>NOTE TO SELF: Does it make sense to praise God when a witch did all the work? Is asking this question damning already? Do I care?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>[In the middle of the journal is a rough sketch of some blocks arranged in geometric patterns]</div><div><br /></div><div>Just in time, as we are off on another job. I find myself once again in the employ of Saleema and alongside <b>Krim the Rat</b>. Despite my desire to pursue another avenue of business, I am now yet again off chasing after a bandit. Perhaps this is my punishment from God for the sins I have done in my life? To always be stuck in this endless cycle. </div><div><br /></div><div>The band, <b>Red Mansur</b>, is apparently hiding in the lair of some deceased magician. We do not appear to have any magicians with us on this job. That’s a bad sign. This thing is in some cave, there’s green magical images appearing everywhere, some of them harmful, some of them just babbling on in some unknown tongue. Magician stuff, in short.</div><div><br /></div><div>We find a corpse and a dead end. I missed the first foray into this place, so I make sure the others (<b>Krim</b>, as I said, and a….snake person named <b>Sybaris</b>? I don’t even know if I am actually surprised at this point.) actually do their due diligence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lo and behold, they had not. I find a secret passageway behind one of the statues. The passage went into a small room of some kind, a study or a bedroom. There’s valuables in here, this is more like it! Less bandit chasing and more making up the money spent on the previous job. The lamia could not break open one of the chests and got struck by a needle, ageing her significantly. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>NOTE TO SELF: Commission reinforced leather gloves when back in Maaqil. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>The desk had strange playing tiles on it, arranged in geometric patterns. Some of these were made of ivory, so they are coming with us too. Same with the rugs and the various jewels we found. For the sake of everyone’s health, we did not open the smaller chest. </div><div><br /></div><div>Satisfied with the haul, I suggested we secure all of this back at base camp, before we proceed. The lamia kept insisting on finding these anti-mutagen vials that Red Mansur stole. I have no idea why this being is so focused on the task, is it like a guard dog in how it stays on orders? Maybe not my place to question. </div><div><br /></div><div>Problem - how to get the chests and rugs out through the stupid obsidian magical image in the entryway? I tried to put a bag over it. I don’t know, I miss Wali and the other magicians from the old crew. They would know what to do about it. The bag worked. The thing went crazy and kept repeating itself, its defensive attack growing weaker and weaker. Krim read poetry to it. He seemed happy with its reaction, so I let him have this one.</div><div><br /></div><div>We took the loot out. It feels good to once again write those words. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Personal thought of the Day: Why is it that magicians can’t simply place a poisoned needle in their protective mechanisms like a normal person? Why try and age someone? Who does that??</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Entry 8</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose this is what I get for blasphemy, huh? Returning once more into this accursed magician’s lair, this time with a magician of our own just to be safe, we did not unfortunately get too far. While back in camp we did realise that the strange brass disks we got last time were, in fact, some kind of magical spell book, we did not get too much more information from <b>Izohr </b>once we were back inside.</div><div><br /></div><div>Opening the last remaining door we were accosted by those strange lion-headed beasts that appear out of thin air, though Sybaris the Lamia says she saw a strange machine that might be responsible for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>That thing was a nightmare. It slew two of our fellows but with a slash of its tentacled limbs, nearly managed to kill the last one and almost was the end of me as well. By God’s will I only came away with an awful headache and a nasty scar on my cheek to add to the collection that has been growing there for the last few years. </div><div><br /></div><div>I need rest. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Personal Thought of the Day: Magicians are awful people, but their places of residence are somehow worse. Also, I need to get more flaming oil. It is time to start using extreme measures.</b></div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWMT8q8W_FAmErW3mLOtimFfiCmqZCv4f_HHIObg9GnGppV_YIjIwvitDBEiB_lLDaPWeYnQutjPYgeAbh-J1TwKB0NVStMfcW8qqyDeC22oZTVVKx2UDAZzkrEYpUW09F_9NV33e2RZPmcWSlE5b7dXATxaXM2RfvgRlnCfociU1wCdLKdirrHj6DxuQ/s1600/Rustam%202.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWMT8q8W_FAmErW3mLOtimFfiCmqZCv4f_HHIObg9GnGppV_YIjIwvitDBEiB_lLDaPWeYnQutjPYgeAbh-J1TwKB0NVStMfcW8qqyDeC22oZTVVKx2UDAZzkrEYpUW09F_9NV33e2RZPmcWSlE5b7dXATxaXM2RfvgRlnCfociU1wCdLKdirrHj6DxuQ/s320/Rustam%202.png" width="245" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rustam, post-scar. Art by <a href="https://kalinkadiev.artstation.com/">Kalin</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><b><i>Entry 9</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Writing this in a spare moment. I am done with this place and this wizard nonsense. Going to burn this place down, one flask of oil at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Working pretty well so far. Found a room with loads of skulls and strange helmets. Got one with bat wings on it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Killed a strange warrior made of shadow. Fire consumes all, even shadows. Found one box of the anti-mutagens, two more to go. Burned down the nest of an enormous spider too. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Zaynab </b>is quite competent. She is someone to keep contact with when I need muscle for the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>[The notes end as a mess of scribbles.] </div></div><div><br /></div>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-47035267036027710872023-07-19T09:00:00.000-04:002023-07-20T18:18:54.083-04:00Bundles of Holding, Bellairs, and a Session Report<div><b>Firstly:</b> the Bundle of Holding is running a <a href="https://bundleofholding.com/presents/HydraCoop"><b>Quick Deal for the Hydra Cooperative</b></a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's got the full <a href="https://hillcantons.blogspot.com/">Hill Cantons</a> catalog (<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/140450/Slumbering-Ursine-Dunes">Slumbering Ursine Dunes</a>, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151165/FeverDreaming-Marlinko">Fever-Dreaming Marlinko</a>, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/257155/What-Ho-Frog-Demons">What Ho, Frog Demons</a>, and <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/183439/Misty-Isles-of-the-Eld">Misty Isles of the Eld</a>), <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/97722/Weird-Adventures">Weird Adventures</a>, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/204693/Strange-Stars">Strange Stars</a>, and <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/209712/Mortzengersturm-The-Mad-Manticore-of-the-Prismatic-Peak">Mortzengersturm </a>from <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/">Trey</a>, and <a href="https://zedecksiew.tumblr.com/">Zedeck</a>'s <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295976/Lorn-Song-of-the-Bachelor">Lorn Song of the Bachelor</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a heck of a lot of awesome stuff, available for $15 instead of the usual $75. Check it out <a href="https://bundleofholding.com/presents/HydraCoop">here</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0narppYUqKTHO9Weas-T3O4qnUD95apogrNgRaCdvk0otK97A6j2xP6FCjg1QLJLDVyinA25bdXUIF3OaQAK_MkteLgXtpsGidhqevrr6QT5-Rimd-gVDHFM5AbZFfDhlPtmnnUnPj8XZtmbp163o53LfZSTRbhtopegAMMe35ffB01UMivoWgXZjQnu2/s1240/Slumbering%20Ursine%20Dunes%20-%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="874" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0narppYUqKTHO9Weas-T3O4qnUD95apogrNgRaCdvk0otK97A6j2xP6FCjg1QLJLDVyinA25bdXUIF3OaQAK_MkteLgXtpsGidhqevrr6QT5-Rimd-gVDHFM5AbZFfDhlPtmnnUnPj8XZtmbp163o53LfZSTRbhtopegAMMe35ffB01UMivoWgXZjQnu2/s320/Slumbering%20Ursine%20Dunes%20-%20Cover.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b>Next:</b> To borrow Granny Weatherwax's phrase, "I ATEN'T DED." Been over a year since I've updated this! (I'd apologize, but we all know it'll happen again.)<div><br /></div><div>I've started running Legacy of the Bieth again, which I'm hoping will help with both <i>thinking about </i>and actually <i>creating </i>RPG materials (and updating the blog with session reports). There's a golden zone somewhere out there, where social media interaction helps with brainstorming and creating but doesn't wind up taking away the energy for same. Maybe one day I'll find it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I <i>did </i>make a serendipitous discovery recently, though. </div><div><br /></div><div><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/AVvXsEgX3MkcRO5CazuzGjLSbugjpxWCFXZSkWUKYJkG9O6F-N4fp85ImfQfX28cm6w-tByCVGmYj9XF5Dj5apdIUxYuYDLAJmalcxRjduI2RS_ZGFC0TZjU4AcEosArBPtFmQ_t8RL34MPtWUtwN6Tts6Z3NqOXouowAkP6dG6bL8gWPNfT-lIdjcLbHZfag0j2/s2048/Gorey%20Bellairs%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3MkcRO5CazuzGjLSbugjpxWCFXZSkWUKYJkG9O6F-N4fp85ImfQfX28cm6w-tByCVGmYj9XF5Dj5apdIUxYuYDLAJmalcxRjduI2RS_ZGFC0TZjU4AcEosArBPtFmQ_t8RL34MPtWUtwN6Tts6Z3NqOXouowAkP6dG6bL8gWPNfT-lIdjcLbHZfag0j2/s320/Gorey%20Bellairs%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Art by Edward Gorey for (presumably)<br />Bellairs' <i>The Dark Secret of Weatherend,</i><br />via <a href="https://twitter.com/Brian_Ashcraft/status/1248810348422938627">Brian Ashcraft</a><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>When I was a wee kid, I fell in love with the work of John Bellairs, a YA horror writer. He mostly wrote YA horror-fantasy, centering on kids in white 1950s-era US small towns encountering the eldritch. (One of his books, <i>The House with a Clock in its Walls</i>, got made into a movie a few years ago.) Bellairs wrote one adult fantasy/horror novel, The Face in the Frost, which is amazing -- wonderfully atmospheric and creepy, while also containing a great deal of whimsy and fun. The Face in the Frost made it onto Appendix N, and so has had a couple of folks discussing it in our scene (<a href="https://appendixnbookclub.com/2017/10/16/episode-11-john-bellairss-the-face-in-the-frost/">Appendix N Book Club</a>, <a href="https://dumpstatadventures.com/the-gm-is-always-right/the-face-in-the-frost-reviewing-appendix-n">Dump Stat Adventures</a>, and a surprisingly underpopulated <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/search/label/bellairs">Bellairs tag</a> at <a href="https://grognardia.blogspot.com/">Grognardia</a>) Bellairs wound up passing away in his 50s or so from a cardiac issue, in 1991. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of weeks ago I found out that:<br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Bellairs had gotten like 1/3 of the way through a sequel to The Face in the Frost, called "The Dolphin Cross"</li><li>Ellen Kushner, who had worked as his editor, found a copy (perhaps the <i>only </i>copy) of The Dolphin Cross draft in like 2009</li><li>This had made its way into a Bellairs anthology, <i>Magic Mirrors</i>, released shortly thereafter by the New England SF Association</li><li>As a Real True Adult with Spending Money, I could purchase a copy of <i>Magic Mirrors </i>and cause it to be delivered to my home</li></ul></div><div>So I immediately ordered a copy, and got to see a favorite author returning to a world I thought would never be touched again. It was a delight. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Face in the Frost </i>is a charming novel, that reminds me in parts of T.H. White's <i>Sword in the Stone</i>,<i> </i>with its whimsical tone and complete and cheerful disregard for anachronism. At the same time, it's got scenes of strange magic and horror that absolutely stand out and grip the mind, and spots of quiet and incredibly evocative worldbuilding. There are two parts of the book that don't age well (no women characters at all, and a positive-intentions-but-awkward incorporation of a Kabbalah practitioner), so worth noting beforehand. If those two aren't dealbreakers for you (and very reasonable if they are!), I do legitimately recommend the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fragment of <i>The Dolphin Cross </i>shows what might have been. It doesn't hold together quite as well as <i>The Face in the Frost </i>(which is to be expected, as a fragment of a first draft). But what little we do get, is more of the same: both in the charming and in the quietly creepy-as-hell. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's mixed feelings, reading through an unfinished manuscript of an author who you love. The last time I recall encountering it was coming upon the 21st (untitled) book of the Aubrey + Maturin series. Joy at seeing old friends, sadness knowing that this is the last time...but unlike many final volumes, a strange haziness of possibility. Less definite, perhaps, but more evocative of possibilities. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh -- if you do pick up any John Bellairs books, make sure to get copies with the original art if possible (Marilyn Fitschen for Face in the Frost, and Edward Gorey for the YA books). Bizarrely, there are later editions that <i>don't </i>use the Gorey art. <br /><br /><table 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/AVvXsEgHKAXtXslDzFNs5mmPdum_jlKrLBZZPHnegQDk4kfExt9e-s16kWSwQlOt2LEic2LgDedAcNq8KCvhNW50iTrrkhrWRIzQN9F9Ec3LwHRBY6Yhe2q0oDJhR2mc1aFgzB-xU4tWwkLePhZwQAJesNa-T0Hr5L1SnZB7C-kB7mgd66UTSY8PWgWoQagVvJz3/s2048/Gorey%20Bellairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKAXtXslDzFNs5mmPdum_jlKrLBZZPHnegQDk4kfExt9e-s16kWSwQlOt2LEic2LgDedAcNq8KCvhNW50iTrrkhrWRIzQN9F9Ec3LwHRBY6Yhe2q0oDJhR2mc1aFgzB-xU4tWwkLePhZwQAJesNa-T0Hr5L1SnZB7C-kB7mgd66UTSY8PWgWoQagVvJz3/s320/Gorey%20Bellairs.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another Gorey illo from a Bellairs YA.<br />Bellairs's description of the hooded figure <br />with tentacle was actually a slow-burn <br />inspiration for the Bieth...</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Legacy of the Bieth Session Report, 7/15/23:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Three adventurers of Maaqil -- street urchin and aspiring assassin-poet Krim the Rat, Turanian lamia Sybaris, and nomad bounty hunter Uqab -- were on the trail of Red Mansur, a bandit who had stolen a box of anti-mutagens from local alchemist "the Whisper." Saleema the Sparrow, a local fixer who Krim knew, had hired the group to retrieve the anti-mutagens. Red Mansur's capture or death would be an added bonus.</div><div><br /></div><div>The PCs tracked Red Mansur and his gang to the nearby town of Fara Yeni, where they found that one of Governor al-Hakam's cavalry patrols had serendipitously intercepted the bandits as they were striking a passing caravan. The cavalry troop had failed to take out the whole gang, however, and the PCs set off in pursuit of the escapees.</div><div><br /></div><div>They managed to track the bandits into a cave complex, which the locals of Fara Yeni had informed them was once the redoubt of a dark sorcerer. As the PCs and their hirelings followed the bloodtrails, they discovered that the cave complex had been expanded at some point into an underground maze of worked stone. The corpses of two of Red Mansur's bandits lay abandoned outside the complex. <br /><br />After encountering a magical projection of a robed man that barked strange phrases and hurled a sphere of all-too-real energy at the group, the PCs entered a large room with four statues - three figures in armor (two androgynous statues wearing strangely jeweled armor and bearing maces, and a male warrior clad in chain with a shamshir), and a female figure wearing a robe similar to the magical projection's. Torches burned at the ends of the chamber, with a strange heatless green flame made out of crackling lines similar to an audio waveform projection. </div><div><br /></div><div>After briefly investigating the statues and torches, the group entered a door to their right, following a winding corridor to a partially flooded room, strewn with wrecked furniture and the body of another of Red Mansur's goons, this one with fresh wounds. As they investigated the body, the group heard a strange scraping sound approaching them from down the corridor. Electing to use the room's chokepoint and ambush any threat, they buckled down. A flash of green light from down the corridor collided with one of the walls, then resolved itself into a strange creature - leonine in form, but bearing two tentacles instead of a normal head, and the whole of its body defined by more green audio waveform lines. As the scraping sounds receded, the tentacle beast charged the PCs, but was dispatched in surprisingly short order by them and their hirelings. </div><div><br /><div><div><b>Behind the Curtain:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently kickstarting play by dropping the players at the entrance to a <a href="https://www.dungeoncontest.com/">one-page dungeon</a>, a resource I had forgotten about until relatively late last week. The One Page Dungeon Contest is seriously one of the best free resources out there for GMs who, like me, punted their prep until close to the last minute.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm happy with the hirelings setup I'm using, inspired by Gus L's start of play setup from Tomb Robbers of the Crystal Frontier (which I used for the previous phase of the campaign). The players will have a pool of faceless hirelings back at base camp (guarding their communal resources), but can also take some into the dungeon with them (at which point the hirelings suddenly acquire faces, personalities, and quirks). If a PC dies or becomes incapacitated -- or a drop-in player joins up -- there's a fixed pool of hirelings (either established or faceless) for them to hop into (but a limited resource while the group is still away from their home base). </div><div><br /></div><div>I've got grand plans for the urban and factional side of play, but getting the bandwidth and time to do things the way I want is tricky. So I'm trying to find ways to move forward, and keep the dynamic of play going, while building the structure I want in the background. Having a <a href="https://gorgonbones.blogspot.com/">really committed player</a> who's only going to be available for a limited time will also provide an incentive! </div><div><br /></div></div></div>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-56899293654072815652022-04-22T01:04:00.006-04:002022-04-22T01:22:46.423-04:00Returning to Krynn<p>WotC just dropped news that they'll be bringing back the AD+D 2e settings of Spelljammer and Dragonlance. You can read all about that <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-direct-live-report-9am-pdt-5pm-bst-spelljammer-confirmed-dragonlance.687707/">over at EnWorld</a> if you're so inclined. </p><p>I never got into Spelljammer -- I missed a chance to pick up some of the old boxed sets for literal pennies, and I still kick myself for it -- but the concept still holds loads of intrinsic appeal to me. I don't feel like I've seen a satisfying treatment of naval play in a D+D framework yet, and I'm curious to see how WotC approaches it. (I suspect that their approach to voyages and space probably won't be one that quite scratches the yearnings <i>I</i> have, but seeing how they tackle it certainly isn't a bad thing.) </p><p>But Dragonlance? Dragonlance was one of my main entrypoints into D+D. I started off with the superlative <a href="https://gamebooks.org/Item/902/Show">Return to Brookmere</a>, certainly, but Dragonlance was one of the core lenses for my understanding of D&D in elementary and middle school (only getting displaced by the Forgotten Realms after I picked up Baldur's Gate). I went <i>hard</i> into the TSR novels as a kid, y'all. Even the clunkers. In some ways, it takes on the role that I think Greyhawk does for some of my friends - the intro setting that dominated a lot of our early gaming visions. </p><p>In the light of my thirties, the Dragonlance of my youth seems excruciatingly twee in all of the Renn Faire ways that late AD+D could hit. But I think there are still some glimmerings of compelling ideas in the thousand-foot pitch, and hell, getting a trailer from Shohreh Aghdahloo goes a long way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d0PJhABCb3o" width="320" youtube-src-id="d0PJhABCb3o"></iframe></div><br /><p>So instead of turning up my nose, I ask - what <i>could </i>a revision of the Dragonlance setup look like in a context that wouldn't make me balk? Here's my initial stab at it:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Under the Dark Fist*.</b> The original Dragonlance books open with evil on the rise. The dragonarmies stand poised to roll over the continent of Krynn; they've got organization, divine backing, and a gazillion evil dragons all working to crush out the various points of opposition to Takhsis. I think that there's a lot of potential in having a setting where evil begins as being triumphant or in control, and players are placed in a framework of organizing and leading resistance. It works quite well for Star Wars, after all. (For a fantasy context, see FFG's 'Midnight' setting for 3e, or the Black Company books, for other examples of the evil overlord having won as the starting point.)<br /><br /></li><li><b>Apocalypse Then / When In Rome...</b> <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2012/08/ad-apocalypse-and-hereafter.html">Others have written </a>about the post-apocalyptic nature of AD+D, but Krynn very much seeks to foreground it -- theoretically, at least. At the start of the War of the Lance, Krynn is still making its way out of the big old world-wrecking Cataclysm. In the original Dragonlance materials, the main ways this was showcased were the absence of the gods and their associated cleric-y/paladin-y powers, the physical wreckage of the continent, steel coins instead of gold, and Lord Soth the death knight (Dragonlance's own Darth Vader). These feel a bit underwhelming, honestly, and I find myself of two minds about how to reframe this part of the setting. On the one hand, I'd like to see more treatment of overcoming scarcity and cultural adaptation to their surroundings, taking an apocalypse's effects seriously. On the other hand, there's definitely more than a little Rome in the presentation of Istar, and now I'm curious about how a treatment of post-Cataclysm Krynn informed by more recent scholarship and discussion about post-Roman Europe would turn out. (Solamnia as the cultural equivalent of Byzantium...?)<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf4FicGDAXDjhAOI-98QYa-QSPrQXM7-MGcDpLFYNM0Q2B3CD7ewXD424g1Z7_ubeoS3S92O4L_4dm8fxQow4iCsXssGgFOQO7D6BuM6jdpY0gUEKQjDDj_XL7UVEpxm87vCF4-Yl_JPFwSuhkuu1BzjvrI49fplz8JZqQ2hLi_LYpB0szWo8GYipJQ/s1080/DB001.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxf4FicGDAXDjhAOI-98QYa-QSPrQXM7-MGcDpLFYNM0Q2B3CD7ewXD424g1Z7_ubeoS3S92O4L_4dm8fxQow4iCsXssGgFOQO7D6BuM6jdpY0gUEKQjDDj_XL7UVEpxm87vCF4-Yl_JPFwSuhkuu1BzjvrI49fplz8JZqQ2hLi_LYpB0szWo8GYipJQ/w240-h320/DB001.webp" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Doom Brigade</i><br />Margaret Weis & Don Perrin</td></tr></tbody></table></li><li><b>We Are More Than Our Past.</b> D+D has been struggling with the 'hard-coded biological alignment' <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/sage-advice/book-updates">for a while</a>. Dragonlance is somewhat infamous for the magically mandated obnoxiousness of the kender, gully dwarves, and gnomes, along with the standard goblins and hobgoblins being always evil cannon fodder, so it might seem like this setting would be likely to continue putting its foot in it. All that said, Krynn might actually be a pretty good setting for seriously wrestling with this, if folks wanted to put the time in. I remember seeing the pitch for <a href="https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/The_Doom_Brigade">The Doom Brigade</a> as a kid and being curious -- how would former bio-engineered soldiers of the evil overlord be presented as sympathetic protagonists? What's more, some of the major pieces of the setting are all about beings long dismissed as "evil" breaking past societal and/or divine hierarchy treatment and doing good - the red dragon Flamestrike striking down the villain of the first book because of his threats to children, Raistlin's soft spot for the downtrodden and oppressed, and even the nonsensical Green Gemstone Man trying to fix his original sin and serving as <i>deus machinae prohibitus. </i>(Please don't ask me exactly how little of that I had to look up.) <br /><br />In practice, I see this as an opportunity for D+D to explicitly push back against some of the <a href="https://pocgamer.com/2019/08/02/decolonization-and-integration-in-dd/">missteps of the past</a>, and of Dragonlance in particular. In the specific context of Dragonlance, this might look like less focus on good and evil as specific cosmic teams with their own bioengineered servitor races (elves and metal dragons for Team Good, minotaurs and chromatic dragons for Team Evil) and more on individual choices and sway. <br /><br /></li><li><b>Si vis ludem, para bellum.</b> Dragonlance is a setting designed around grand sweeping conflicts (not to mention dragon dogfights and flying citadels). It makes sense that a modern treatment of DL would feature some serious thought of how to meaningfully integrate that sort of conflict into the standard scope of play. It's no surprise that <a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2020/08/war-at-table.html">my thoughts turn to wargame integration</a> at the drop of a hat, but it seems WotC is at least looking in that direction as well, with a planned mass combat system ("<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/more-dragonlance-information-kender-battles-w-hs-novels-more.687722/">Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn</a>") to be released.</li></ul><div>Those are my initial thoughts. I don't know that writing this all out makes me motivated to go out and run something in Krynn just yet, but I'm thinking about what might do that. Certainly I'd give it a go if I could get Shohreh Aghdahloo voiceovers...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media4.giphy.com/media/24FyC7UrBSlJgBZHto/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47vrir2i9kl2bjo0gtlqv9ljn4p3ww73cw94ufsgx3&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://media4.giphy.com/media/24FyC7UrBSlJgBZHto/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47vrir2i9kl2bjo0gtlqv9ljn4p3ww73cw94ufsgx3&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>* Sorry-not-sorry. It's far too good a title to leave languishing as a Spelljammer module. </div><p></p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-47626741499873104932022-03-04T09:05:00.002-05:002022-03-04T09:05:36.147-05:00Protecting Our Spaces: A Response to Raggi<p> Somewhere in the 2009-2011 range, when I was just discovering the OSR scene, I ran across a retroclone which stuck out to me and zoomed up into my favorites for quite some time. In contrast to most of the other rulesets I had seen at the time, it had a lot of referee advice -- and it had <i>safety tools</i>. </p><p>No, seriously! They were perhaps a bit rudimentary compared to the codified tools that are out there today, but I didn't see many other rulesets (OSR or otherwise) including quotes like "<i>The Referee shall realize that Rule 0 is for the purpose of establishing the desired atmosphere for his campaign, and not as an excuse to abuse players or a license to be a despot at the game table… The Referee’s role is to challenge players, not victimize them.</i>" or "<i>Know your players. Communicate outside of the game, and find where the limits lie. Your job as Referee is not to shock, scare, scandalize, or assault the senses. <b>Respect for the real person sitting before you playing the game comes before any idea for the game you actually have.</b></i>" (emphasis added)</p><p>The ruleset, of course/ironically enough, was the original Referee Book for Lamentations of the Flame Princess. </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/a/AVvXsEh_keuKe1CYHYy6vjC8tLX8qMDcucLqfLThmaT24BXWB4Azl_ek3dJ6VRqu5j1v-hsxK9WSC_JhLJnpxk8FRT2AhCXZJy89CFa-mqF4UF5M5W3KakqsBUjQG7ePie3gvt13aKBucTCeVIWdp91MQAyESp29ENAHbS0y95PriXiKoGu5J7Oxob5luM04wA=s595" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_keuKe1CYHYy6vjC8tLX8qMDcucLqfLThmaT24BXWB4Azl_ek3dJ6VRqu5j1v-hsxK9WSC_JhLJnpxk8FRT2AhCXZJy89CFa-mqF4UF5M5W3KakqsBUjQG7ePie3gvt13aKBucTCeVIWdp91MQAyESp29ENAHbS0y95PriXiKoGu5J7Oxob5luM04wA=s320" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LotFP Referee Book cover</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>LotFP has, uh, gone some directions since those days, to say the least. Raggi's outlook seems to have gone from "good art may sometimes be transgressive" to "if it's transgressive, it must be good art!" For years, I've had LotFP in its various channels muted, while I try to do my own thing. But a friend recently tagged me in a FB post of Raggi's, and I felt the need to respond. </p><p>Raggi <a href="https://www.facebook.com/James.Edward.Raggi.IV/posts/10161542275552926?__cft__[0]=AZX1Ao2ME9VjnGtTgMuTJAhQ0IIKzqirqHLNsLUhDLxO-uoXGRnqylOJetTzJZHylZmVWEb116fA14hPLatzQo_t7IjPZJE-F7BTCMF1-StOtmhC9KFASFwprZLslEjWJyo&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R"><b>writes</b></a> (FB):</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>Let me give all the people who hate me more and more reason to do so, because why the fuck not at this point:</i></p><p><i>People in my industry always seem to be shocked and horrified and "oh how can this happen here?" because Varg Vikernes is a tabletop RPG publisher. </i></p><p><i>Well... every single store I buy metal from (not including label-specific webstores or individual band storefronts of course), from Amazon (and when I buy Amazon, I buy from Amazon Germany) down to my local record store chain, carries Burzum. He's also distributed on Youtube by a Sony subsidiary.</i></p><p><i>Somehow the metal world hasn't ended because a bad person has been an artist in public for thirty years, and it hasn't prevented good people or good creations from existing within metal. You have a popular (give or take at any particular moment) subgenre that attracts all sorts of people, and when something attracts all sorts of people, that means ALL SORTS of people.</i></p><p><i>And Varg (and a decent number of his contemporaries) has quite obviously been a tabletop RPGer for all that time before becoming a publisher, and somehow RPGs made it through the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s without being taken over by his type of thinking, and the 2020s will be fine as well.</i></p><p><i>This wouldn't be a thing to remark about, except there are people who think that there should be a just-so uniform way of thinking in the tabletop RPG world, and if you don't sign on to that thinking (or *gasp* you even disagree with it) then people either think that's opening the gates to the Varg types to take over, and/or want to try to associate you with Varg and/or his thinking to try to isolate you and drive you out.</i></p><p><i>Funny thing is, to me, it is their behavior that I associate with Varg's sort of thinking.</i></p><p><i>Ancestry doesn't make you a better or worse person. And people of different ancestries are all over the place and they aren't going back where they came from and "they" are not going to leave "your" women alone (because the "they" and "your" do not actually exist, and both the "they" and the women know this). You have to live with them, you are never going to "cleanse" the gene pool, so get the fuck over yourselves, racists.</i></p><p><i>Similarly, you're not going to purify the thinking pool. People will think differently and prefer different creative expressions and they're not going to go away or conform to what you think is the "right" way to create or express any more than you're going to conform with theirs. You have to live with them, so get the fuck over yourselves, conformist censors.</i></p></blockquote><p>Well, I don't <i>hate </i>Raggi. But this post is <b>bullshit</b>. </p><p>Well, that second-to-last paragraph calling out Varg's racism isn't too bad, and the comparison between the OSR and metal is actually pretty apt on multiple levels. (But that's not nearly as much of a vindication for Raggi as he thinks.) </p><p><i>"Somehow the metal world hasn't ended because a bad person has been an artist in public for thirty years, and it hasn't prevented good people or good creations from existing within metal." </i></p><p>Good people and good creations exist within metal, no question about it. But the presence of shitheels within the scene absolutely makes it harder for marginalized folks to exist within the scene, either as fans enjoying it, or as musicians creating their own work. It also serves as a deterrent from people getting into metal.</p><p>Similarly, the presence of shitheels within the OSR scene - and folks who normalize their presence - makes it harder for marginalized folks to enjoy it, either as fans or as creators. Let's go back to that LotFP Referee book for a second. Here's another quote, from the section on organizing a group: "If someone is homophobic or racist or sexist, you want to find that out before exposing a group of strangers (who may include women, gays, or ethnic minorities) to them – that will kill a group before it gets started."</p><p>Past-Raggi was right - having a poisonous person in the group will absolutely kill a group and cause it to collapse, and rightly so. Because people will conclude two things:</p><p>1) This group isn't safe for marginalized people, because of the presence of the shitheel in question. </p><p>2) The person organizing the group thought that it was worthwhile to bring the shitheel along. </p><p>Even if the shitheel in question leaves or is booted out, there may still be lingering questions about the organizer's decision-making and judgment. Marginalized folks will continue to wonder if the group is a safe place to be, because clearly the organizer didn't think this person was a problem when putting the group together in the first place.</p><p>Now think about those dynamics in a creative scene. It's not a 1:1 correlation, of course - there's no single central organizer or leader that folks can point to, no single Arbiter of Metal (or OSR) to control group composition and membership. But people do notice when there are toxic folks in a community, and it starts to become known for that.</p><p>I don't have the capacity to stop Varg (or Venger, or RPGPundit, or whatever shitheel of the week) from creating metal or gaming stuff. But I can absolutely protest and call out their grossness, and actively work to create proudly inclusive and welcoming materials. Because when people in a scene treat the shitheels as 'just another creator' who we have to all get along with? Marginalized folks will conclude (and rightly so!) that the scene in question isn't likely to have their backs. </p><p>There is a distinction to be made here, though, between pushing back against abhorrent folks and launching purity tests. I don’t want everyone thinking the same way in a scene! Not every disagreement is something worth booting people out for. There has to be room for people to be wrong and maybe change their mind over time, and sometimes a tiresome Hot Take is just a tiresome Hot Take. But there’s a distinction to be made between someone being wrong, and someone making statements (or taking action!) to harm others.</p><p>Kim Kelly is a metal critic/labor rights journalist. Here’s an excerpt from a great piece of hers: <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbqkmx/theres-no-room-in-metal-for-racists-abusers-and-bigots"><b>There's No Room In Metal for Racists, Abusers, and Bigots</b></a>. The translation and application of the principles espoused to, say, other scenes is left as an exercise for the reader.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>To be perfectly honest with you all, I personally feel that, as metal fans, the practice of separating the art from the artist is no longer a luxury that we can in good conscience afford ourselves... Is buying a bigot or an abuser’s new album or going to see them play a show the same as participating in wide-scale ethnic cleansing? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. However, is tacitly (or explicitly) supporting the violent ideologies they espouse, materially or otherwise, a dangerous, inhumane, shameful thing? Yes. Does purposefully ignoring or waving away the import of politics in art make you a coward? Also yes. <b>Now is not the time to hand out hall passes because of fucking riffs...</b></i></p><p><i>It would be silly for me to write all this without acknowledging metal’s long history of creating space for and supporting the actions of bigots, abusers, and other scum. Some of our most cherished folktales center on violence and hate, and many rotten people have made indelible marks on the genre, from Varg Vikernes to that racist ding-dong from Malevolent Creation. For black metal fans, this is a particularly acute issue, as <b>some of our most lionized figures are fucking terrible people—or at the very least, people who have done fucking terrible things</b>.</i></p><p><i>This is something I’ve dealt with personally for years now, as my politics have evolved and I’ve worked to figure out my view on the world....<b>We all fuck up sometimes—the most important thing is how we clean up the mess afterwards.</b></i></p><p><i>So how do we do that? There’s no one answer, and even though I know where I stand, it took me a long time to figure that out, and I’m still actively working on it (and still dealing with my mistakes). It comes down to personal responsibility, and your own politics, and your own level of willingness to engage with, and interrogate, and sometimes abandon the things you love in pursuit of greater understanding, and lesser harm...</i></p><p><i>There are a lot of metal bands in the world; asking yourself, “are these riffs really worth it?” is a small step, but a crucial one.</i></p><p><i><b>It starts with us. It starts with you.</b></i></p></blockquote><p>That old Referee book is actually not too bad, on a reread. But where Raggi’s at these days? That’s not a position I can support. Calling out and vigorously criticizing those who would contribute to marginalizing others is crucial for our, or any, scene. Because that’s how you make sure that you actually keep as diverse and broad a scene as possible, with as many different perspectives and interesting ideas as you can: <i>by making it safe for the most vulnerable. </i></p><p>It starts with you. It starts with us. </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/a/AVvXsEiSE5OxG3DZkkOcvhmIWOxZ5W8uCvXbxXj7kxvIH5mNYG4RSdzi6p4NfTzNj0qkp_ty29xXBlnJrRMsMhZ70CwbDqzvZYRg_d5A9kUavllNi3FSGB-6Qw41ShHOjtLQSOzrRdSFejKgAalIBPERgv2UqOQy9KshfxNEWYoBt2fFGGGtQDGdLM5lCRph-A=s300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSE5OxG3DZkkOcvhmIWOxZ5W8uCvXbxXj7kxvIH5mNYG4RSdzi6p4NfTzNj0qkp_ty29xXBlnJrRMsMhZ70CwbDqzvZYRg_d5A9kUavllNi3FSGB-6Qw41ShHOjtLQSOzrRdSFejKgAalIBPERgv2UqOQy9KshfxNEWYoBt2fFGGGtQDGdLM5lCRph-A" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metal, elfgames, <i>and </i>"<a href="https://thequietus.com/articles/29400-bolt-thrower">defiantly anti-fascist</a>": <br />Bolt Thrower has it all!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Further Reading:</p><p><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/j54jp7/zeal-and-ardor-show-representation-metal"><b>Metal’s Inclusive Future Looks Like a Zeal & Ardor Show</b></a><b>:</b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>The thought that I keep coming back to this week is that representation matters so, so much—especially in a scene like this, where racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry remain rampant, and any scrap of progress is still looked at askance by gatekeepers or shouted down by reactionaries.</i></p><p><i>Back when I was a teenager, I’d go to shows and look out for other girls and women. In my 20s, as I got older and grew into a more informed, intersectional perspective, I’d look out for other marginalized people, especially those who reflected my own experience as a physically disabled person. Walking into a place and seeing a face that looks like yours is an immediate relief, whether it’s a bank or a job interview or a black metal show. For me, it came via those first early crowd scans, when I’d light upon another girl in a Morbid Angel shirt standing across the room, and feel my heart swell.</i></p><p><i>Later, it came in seeing women like Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow or Bolt Thrower’s Jo Bench onstage, in seeing Liz Ciavarella-Brenner edit Metal Maniacs, in reading Jeanne Fury and Zena Tsarfin’s work in magazines, and in working with Paula Hogan at Candlelight Records. Since then, a lot has changed for the better, but those early role models and fellow fans gave me the reassurance I needed that I did belong there; it gave me permission to be who I was, to be a metalhead sans caveat.</i></p></blockquote><p><b><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/598xdb/fuck-nazi-metal-sympathy">Fuck Nazi Metal Sympathy</a>:</b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>"Barnes explained his justification to allow known fascists to play the venue he personally owns in familiar terms. “You get put in a no-win situation in whatever you do here,” he told NorthJersey.com. “Being an owner of the club you look at it as freedom of speech. When does the censorship issue come in and where does it escalate from here?” Because apparently, the Founding Fathers were extremely concerned with the future “right” for some subpar black metal jagoffs to be paid to play in front of a paying audience in a privately-held venue. By now, “free speech” has become a right-wing dog-whistle for “I want to be an asshole without suffering any consequences for my actions,” so that seems to cover his view here quite nicely."</i></p></blockquote><p><b><a href="https://www.cjr.org/first_person/heavy-metal-capitol-spotting-nazis.php">What Covering Heavy Metal Taught Me About Spotting Nazis</a> </b>(aka the social-media-review dance that I, and others, find ourselves doing when checking out previously unknown OSR folks)</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>By combing through album lyrics, parsing interviews, and inspecting tattoos, journalists covering black metal—and even casual fans—become adept at rooting out bigotry. Doing so has, by now, become a conscious part of the wider black-metal experience: for leftist fans, a familiar ritual involves poring methodically through all available information to decipher an exciting new band’s political position. It’s kind of like playing a heavy metal version of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, except the locus is invariably a Polish neo-Nazi or racist death metal guy from Florida, and winning is really losing. The thrill of discovering a killer new record is attended, always, by anticipation as you scour the lyrics and artwork and member lists and touring history—and then, all too often, you discover that (dammit!) the guitarist has a racist side project, or their label has released anti-Semitic material. <b>But metal is too good for Nazis.</b> Surveilling black-metal artists’ activities and exposing any associations with violent far-right networks is a means of defending a community I hold dear.</i></p></blockquote><p><b><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3bd7b/why-i-booked-an-anti-fascist-metal-festival">Why I Booked An Anti-Fascist Metal Festival</a>:</b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i><b>Metal and its acolytes have many sins to answer for—but that shouldn’t overshadow all the brilliance, positivity, and joy that this genre and its culture have brought to millions of people around the world. </b>Sometimes we forget to see the forest for the trees, and that <b>the vast majority of metalheads are good, caring people </b>who want to listen to their favorite music without having to worry that they’re enabling poisonous genocidal rhetoric.</i></p><p><i>I also think that it’s very easy to get caught up in the constant, punishing feedback loop of rediscovering over and over (and over…) that racists, neo-Nazis, bigots, abusers, and other trash people walk amongst us when we’re at a show, or in a record shop, or just trying to walk down the fucking street. Burnout is real, and I understand why some metal folk would rather just ignore the whole thing and burrow into their record collections. I used to be the same way when I was younger and more blind to my privilege (and as a result, made some mistakes in terms of supporting or covering bands that now I’d never touch); however, as I’ve grown up and become more politically active, I’ve realized that—for me, at least—that approach is just not going to cut it anymore. <b>Zero tolerance is the only approach that makes sense when it comes to cleaning up our scene</b>, and it’s been incredible to witness more and more metalheads standing up to say as much, online and in song.</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-84167710089917166242022-02-17T16:23:00.000-05:002022-02-17T16:23:43.905-05:00A Darkness Strewn with Gems: Session Recaps, LotB Campaign<p>After many years, I've finally gotten my brains together enough to start running a Legacy of the Bieth campaign again. It's brief spurts -- 2-3 hours over Discord -- but I need to bite off small chunks to get my head in the game (and make sure I'm adapting properly to the schedule). </p><p>I'm adapting <a href="https://alldeadgenerations.blogspot.com/"><b>Gus L</b></a>'s <b><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/357799/Tomb-Robbers-of-the-Crystal-Frontier">Tomb Robbers of the Crystal Frontier </a></b>as the introductory dungeon. TRCF does a really good job at tapping into some of the Roadside Picnic-meets-spaghetti-western feel that I've craved over the years. I've had to use a bit of elbow grease to make details fit with my own setting, but of course that's going to be the case with <i>any </i>module! The core ruleset is currently a modification of "Savage World of Krul," created by <a href="https://twitter.com/hydracoop"><b>Hydra Coop</b></a> colleague Robert Parker. </p><p>The game is drop-in/drop-out, so not all the players are expected to be in a single session. (The conceit of TRCF, which starts players with a preexisting expedition to join, helps a lot with this framing.) The current roster of PCs:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rahat al-Qamar, charming ex-street brat (warrior)</li><li>Tizemt, caravan guard turned adventurer (warrior)</li><li>Kifli, mercenary guard (warrior)</li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?author=Dennis%20Higgins"><b>Fadhil Barwari</b></a>, poet-assassin (warrior)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mmdozer"><b>Izohr</b></a>, distracted academic (magic-user)</li><li>Wali, mercenary guard (magic-user)</li><li>Dassin al-Kahina, nimble marabout (warrior)</li></ul><div>Incapacitated PCs:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Nikoloz, magus from the steppes (magic-user)</li><li><a href="https://goblinmanor.blogspot.com/"><b>Azod</b></a>, phlegmatic merchant (warrior)</li><ul></ul></ul><div><b>The Adventure So Far...</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://64.media.tumblr.com/56062a088ad7d60e42ce190149a75b15/tumblr_nnmm4rdVbJ1sz5qzzo2_1280.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="504" height="400" src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/56062a088ad7d60e42ce190149a75b15/tumblr_nnmm4rdVbJ1sz5qzzo2_1280.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Saleema the Sparrow<br />"Yellow Elf" by <a href="http://uzlolzu.tumblr.com/post/117777981492">Uzlolzu</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table>The players were hired on as specialists by Saleema the Sparrow, a fixer based in the city of Maaqil. Saleema, a specialist in delving into Bieth ruins, had discovered a major find that a rival fixer, Murtaza, had been excitedly crowing about before his (assumed) demise, and wanted to put together a crew to investigate the site. She offered them a deal: conduct an initial survey of the site and bring her whatever valuables they find, in exchange for 500 dinars. She'd provide the expeditionary support, supplies, and the method for getting into the find. If the players wished to continue past the initial survey, they could keep any not-readily-salable artifacts they found. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>(A bit of a railroady start -- not something I like generally! -- but I needed an easy pitch to get myself started running the game and not just thinking about how to run the game. TRCF offers a good setup for this, which is part of why I went with it as a starting spot. The initial caravan also has a nebulously sized group of hirelings, who can serve as convenient PC replacements if any of the PCs bites it or is otherwise incapacitated. Alas for the fragility of first level!)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The group headed southwest out of Maaqil, away from the fertile river valley and into the wastes - not quite the deep desert or the twisted regions of the Zone, but bad enough. Around midday, the group noticed that Wali, the hireling who was taking point, seemed to be stumbling, drifting off course, and non-responsive. When the group investigated, they found that a strange honey-and-lemon taste filled their mouths. Those who were closely investigating were drawn off-course in the same direction as Wali, unable to step back or move away from an otherwise unremarkable patch of land. Those remaining further behind were able to lasso Wali and the others, drawing them away...but after they were secured, Nikoloz the wizard wanted to investigate the phenomenon more closely. Moving towards the strange taste, Nikoloz found himself unable to break away...and instead chose to run full-tilt towards the phenomenon. The remaining group saw him dash forward briefly, then thud flat onto his back and lie completely still. Lassoing him away and pulling him further back, the group found Nikoloz completely insensate. When he recovered consciousness, the wizard repeatedly attempted to dash right back towards the strange patch of land, remaining otherwise nonresponsive. The group managed to tie the wizard up and prevent him from dashing back to the site. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjvBSseZOxAXzCQEtesTDeSzVS2n5N69DHdis4Sr6VEyrItnoLXBTqOMW7DpRXruUvCaWuqxMA4SAqcsTB4bTB9bKQaGIZhcDma7ZBu3wxD82pbQxEnn5CUsgCILiELuYLAjK9hUrlDyEN09UjeJIoRexU65Hgi9t7F5E_WZIb-uIc1Sm5oFtbe4CS2w=s323" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjvBSseZOxAXzCQEtesTDeSzVS2n5N69DHdis4Sr6VEyrItnoLXBTqOMW7DpRXruUvCaWuqxMA4SAqcsTB4bTB9bKQaGIZhcDma7ZBu3wxD82pbQxEnn5CUsgCILiELuYLAjK9hUrlDyEN09UjeJIoRexU65Hgi9t7F5E_WZIb-uIc1Sm5oFtbe4CS2w=w346-h400" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maaqil at 04, 03; Oasis at 02, 04<br />Delve Site at 02, 05</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Wali's diversion had pulled the group off-course, and they had to alter their route in order to get back towards their goal. As the group approached a nearby valley (housing the Spinetooth Oasis, source of some renowned purple flowers used for some of the most sought-after intoxicants in Maaqil), they came upon a massive fissure opening near the cliff face. Two of the group heard strange whispers coming from the fissure, one with tidings of encouragement and one with a warning about strange owls. Moving closer to the fissure, the group were startled to see three gaseous, vaguely humanoid forms rocket out of the fissure, crackling with energy, then streak towards the party. As the group retreated post-haste, Rahat, the closest of the party towards the three forms, flinched as they flew left, right, and overhead, bracketing him. As they loomed close, he heard a raspy whisper, "Congratulations, mortal - you have been visited by the jinn this day," before the three forms reversed course and flew back into the fissure. </div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDTj4wbzIkjNuV17ruCMTcBsOxHf0jw8k0_q2O7J3kECO2bXZRdKU_2kKZfF-4tbTFdgXtUpBVWIfxrJy9eoHJ04qWvc5HuQ6Ea5COP9tNNLuz_Fo5IxbiLqDWutDIWpuArmTKB7_8TdhCkQ5VX885RIKWi_-4cQSDiE69Z7TdNHyHY1ygUhqGES75Hg=s349" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="285" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDTj4wbzIkjNuV17ruCMTcBsOxHf0jw8k0_q2O7J3kECO2bXZRdKU_2kKZfF-4tbTFdgXtUpBVWIfxrJy9eoHJ04qWvc5HuQ6Ea5COP9tNNLuz_Fo5IxbiLqDWutDIWpuArmTKB7_8TdhCkQ5VX885RIKWi_-4cQSDiE69Z7TdNHyHY1ygUhqGES75Hg=w326-h400" width="326" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tomb Robbers of the Crystal Frontier"<br />Gus L</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><div>After clambering down the cliff face and skirting Spinetooth Oasis, the group took about another day's journey to reach Murtaza's delve site. In the midst of the desert, a large impact crater was visible, with vast irregular spires of purple crystal jutting out into the sky -- their position indicating that much of the structure was likely beneath the surface as well. Approaching, they discovered that some of the crystals bore carvings and architectural ornamentation, that a ragged pathway had been smashed in through some of the crystal and covered with some canvas, and that another potential entrance was visible. Saleema advised them that the smashed pathway was "typical Murtaza slop" and that they should sit tight while Faiza, her gemcutter specialist, opened a safer entryway (the dust from improperly broken crystals can lead to an incurable progressive disease). </div><div><br /></div><div>As the gemcutter prepared her work, Wali and Fadhil investigated the architectural ornamentations, and found two concentric circles with strange glyphs on them. Wali's <i>read magic</i> spell revealed the cryptic message:<br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"Praise to the Ascended Regent! Praise to his line! He has cast down those who opposed his reign and scattered their hosts. The winds howl over their bones. Their servants rend their garments, and their steeds have spilt their red blood. He was a warlord during the time of <unintelligible> and a warlord during the time of <unintelligible>. The High One used to cause him to descend to the sacred bark, that he might perform escort duty, that he might come to the ways, and that his gifts be made as though he were a prince, while the like was not done for any equal of his. Now this palace is his. Now and forever."</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The inner inscription read:</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;"> "My body fails and my hands grow weak. But my spirit does not yield. I am a wall which comes out of a wall. My mouth is strong, and I am equipped against the right eye of the sky and the left eye of the sky. Let them not have dominion over me. I am master of my throne. I advance of this season. I have opened a path."</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-laN6aFaVsL-kgh9E8xEPTdyQ0wKPr_WvjMIIFZnp2DCceYOWU3VfXYXUiskV3_22iKcL1ILId94vz2zPDf1S_f9Y9mHW1igzVH7qoV3QbnHPb4f6OQyYKkxuSd9KocygdPWO7FRDY75Dq6tUwR0bYRMXDSkTKfP_C81W5KHAS8VpOC6wnlDQgW9Nzw=s447" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-laN6aFaVsL-kgh9E8xEPTdyQ0wKPr_WvjMIIFZnp2DCceYOWU3VfXYXUiskV3_22iKcL1ILId94vz2zPDf1S_f9Y9mHW1igzVH7qoV3QbnHPb4f6OQyYKkxuSd9KocygdPWO7FRDY75Dq6tUwR0bYRMXDSkTKfP_C81W5KHAS8VpOC6wnlDQgW9Nzw=w231-h400" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handling blooderfly eyes isn't <i>quite</i><br />dealing with a warp core, but still...<br />(Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)</td></tr></tbody></table>As the group settled in for the night to await the completion of Faiza's work, the second watch heard the beating of vast wings approaching the camp. A colossal <a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2012/12/blooderfly.html">crystal butterfly </a>was swooping towards the group. As the party scrambled to alert the camp and form a defensive posture, the behemoth turned its gaze towards one of the hirelings. A torrent of blood burst forth from the man's orifices and surged into the still-flying butterfly, turning its previously clear wings slightly pink. Horrified, the group volleyed spears (and bullets from Fadhil's matchlock) into the beast, finally bringing it down. The wizard Izohr instructed his two apprentices to go retrieve wingscales and the still-glowing eyes of the creature, but was stymied when the apprentice Anokalis screamed in pain, suffering significant burns from his attempt at removing the butterfly's eyes. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, Faiza completed her preparations and was able to carefully shatter some of the crystals, revealing an entry into the depths of the crystal structure. Saleema, Faiza, and the rest of the carvan hirelings would maintain a base camp up above, while the party would enter the crystals and conduct an initial mapping survey. The group descended into a small round antechamber with two exits, where smaller crystals were slowly forming around the exterior. The group attempted to carefully pick their way past the small crystals towards one of the exits, but the warrior Tizemt missed her footing slightly and trod on some of the growing crystals, sending up a cloud of the feared crystal dust. The group surged forward towards the exit, barely making it away from the dust in time. Moving forward, Fadhil the assassin-poet peered into the room ahead andits strange shadows, and was seized with visions of the crystal complex in the past. The group retreated to the antechamber, where Tizemt managed to step in the same patch of crystals <i>again</i>, prompting the group to flee to safety a second time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, Fadhil, Wali, and Azod gathered their strength for another delve into the structure. Proceeding towards the unexplored (and less crystal-festooned) exit, they found two doors engraved with strange scenes. One door swung open readily and revealed blackness beyond, while the other was wrenched open, making an awful shriek. As the group observed the path beyond the second door, a sound like metal tearing echoed down the hallway towards them. Sensing some movement in the area beyond their light, Fadhil fired his matchlock blindly -- only for the group to be extremely surprised when his bullet found its mark. A small rubbery humanoid creature, its body a shade of verdigris, lay in the hallway beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXLlfYg7TivET7jmMEepOoYvz10gDI1LzEcup-oGwTooAhnFolanVpKwu-nrCVVScpzr7eTG2Bk3K_UjgsjQhH3chPXyViKqrQiMTYbaidimvJNhEsMY-4wZL2Z66eyOBXW_lCHoW1c8t0NXB63_GGXqNDejICsbVKE1dJ8rcmESH2a2HAfM0trP6NuQ=s676" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXLlfYg7TivET7jmMEepOoYvz10gDI1LzEcup-oGwTooAhnFolanVpKwu-nrCVVScpzr7eTG2Bk3K_UjgsjQhH3chPXyViKqrQiMTYbaidimvJNhEsMY-4wZL2Z66eyOBXW_lCHoW1c8t0NXB63_GGXqNDejICsbVKE1dJ8rcmESH2a2HAfM0trP6NuQ=w271-h400" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Azod the trader - art by his player<br /><a href="https://goblinmanor.blogspot.com/">Brother Juniper</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Pressing onwards, the group found a dead end with three bundles wrapped in canvas and a wall festooned with packs, saddlebags, and the like. Suspicious, the trio prodded the canvas bundles, and were alarmed but unsurprised to see the bundles writhe and rotting, crystal-infused hands ripping their way out of the wrappings. The undead monstrosities demanded to know who the group were, but wasted precious little time in badinage before attempting to maul the trio. Fadhil, Wali, and Azod struck back, and in short order the three undead were struck down. Azod lopped off the heads of two of the three monstrosities. Investigating the bodies and the packs, the group found a great deal of mundane equipment (which they seized for the expedition's general usage), an impressively fashionable cloak styled after a manta ray, an unworked crystal emitting a pale orange glow, and a shamshir and animal-tooth necklace on the central undead. As they worked to stow the newly acquired loot, they heard skittering noises flicking down the hallway towards them. Adopting a defensive posture, the trio saw a swarm of five or six glass spiders rushing towards them, eager to attack this new prey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Azod was bitten by one of the glass spiders, a grotesquely warm venom pumped into his veins -- but between his slicing, Fadhil's stabbing, and a well-placed flask of burning oil from Wali, the group managed to eliminate most of the arachnid assailants. As they sighed in triumph, however, Azod looked queasy and toppled to the ground. His comrades confirmed that he was still breathing, but he was clearly out for the count. Sighing, the two dragged the doughty merchant-marauder back to the camp, where it was determined that he'd be in recovery for over a week. Once they had returned to the basecamp, Saleema was able to confirm, with a smug grin, that the shamshir and animal-tooth necklace were certainly those of Murtaza, the fixer who had first attempted to claim the spires. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, the group essayed one of the side tunnels they had bypassed earlier, encountering a mess of crystals that began ringing if touched or interacted with. As the ringing escalated from "painfully loud" to "blood dripping from nostrils and ears," the group beat a hasty retreat. Venturing to the door with blackness beyond, the group found that the darkness contained a large chasm...festooned with more undead bearing shards of crystal within their flesh. Dassin the marabout dared to pole-vault from the narrow ledge the group stood on over to another ledge farther out, but discovered that there did not seem to be a ready path to the other side. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>This is summarizing like six or seven sessions, and I've been delaying putting this up for a while, so some bits may have been elided over. Hopefully future session recaps will be easier and quicker to get together!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Next steps on a campaign level, after this dungeon exploration concludes, include revising and tweaking the PHB rules and presenting the urban neighborhood notes I've been working on -- with <a href="http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/"><b>Evlyn M</b></a> art! -- coming soon.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Treasure and XP:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>From Blooderfly </b>-- scales from the wings were recovered. (Izohr's apprentice was unable to recover the creature's eye before suffering his strange burns.) </div><div><br /></div><div>115 XP each for Rahat, Tizemt, Fadhil, Azod, Izohr, and Wali</div><div><br /></div><div><b>From Murtaza's Expedition </b>-- orange-glowing occulith stone worth 1,000 dinars, along with: 22 dinars, in mixed currency, 6 daggers, 100’ rope, 4 bundles of torches, a lantern, 12 flasks of oil, a crowbar, 8 iron spikes, a mallet, 4 cloaks (one of which was a <i>very</i> cool-looking manta-styled cloak), and a set of thieves’ tools including lockpicks, lubrication oil, and flash powder). Murtaza himself had an impressive-looking shamshir, gold-and-animal-tooth necklace (200 dinars). Creatures slain: 2 crystal zombies, 1 crystal wight (Murtaza), 1 rubbery verdigris...thing..., and 6 glass spiders.</div><div><br /></div><div>444 XP each for Fadhil, Azod, and Wali</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-68222434347470295152021-04-28T18:22:00.006-04:002021-09-26T11:46:29.144-04:00Productive Scab-picking: On Oppressive Themes in Gaming<p>Preamble -- On Helicopters and Hugos: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_YLAS-0Uy4QWT1CTiWgSazlz2u_DJHb64q4I7gYJqbI2ibk6bpdpnnxMz-3eXQZkKbgGIeykntCh7-R4mWDJXfAv4oEEVHxKJ5RU_ZdYgau-7o3joRpQzIpvAvTMfTH5ByvhwiyKM2Gj/s300/cw_160_300.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_YLAS-0Uy4QWT1CTiWgSazlz2u_DJHb64q4I7gYJqbI2ibk6bpdpnnxMz-3eXQZkKbgGIeykntCh7-R4mWDJXfAv4oEEVHxKJ5RU_ZdYgau-7o3joRpQzIpvAvTMfTH5ByvhwiyKM2Gj/s0/cw_160_300.jpg" /></a></div>Last year, an author named Isabel Fall wrote an amazing milSF story in Clarkesworld magazine, now titled "Helicopter Story," but previously "I Sexually Identify As An Attack Helicopter."<p></p> Fall took a ugly transphobic 'joke' and turned it into an amazing, provocative, and thoughtful story. She also <a href="https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2020/01/copter-crash-isabel-fall-and-the-transgender-sf-debate/">suffered a great deal because of it</a>. People reacted badly to the title - which makes sense, given the incredibly hurtful associations the phrase has. Unfortunately, this also led to Fall receiving a lot of harassment herself. She pulled the story from Clarkesworld about two weeks after it dropped, and was also forced to out herself as being trans, in part of responding to the accusations of transphobia leveled at her. <p></p><p>Helicopter Story is not currently available online anymore, but if that changes, I'll edit in a link here. It recently became <a href="https://www.tor.com/2021/04/13/announcing-the-2021-hugo-award-finalists/">a Hugo finalist for best Novelette</a>. (Disclosure here: I'm one of the people who nominated it, and I'm really happy that it's up for a Hugo.)<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * *</p><p>Fall's Hugo nomination generated a Twitter thread <a href="https://twitter.com/ElSandifer/status/1382401846002728968">here </a>from Elizabeth Sandifer: </p><blockquote><p><i>One thing that I don’t think has been discussed enough around Isabel Fall or in general is that there are two diametrically opposed visions of how to write queer literature. Let’s call them hugboxing and scab-picking, and do a quick thread...</i></p><div><div><i>The basic divide between hugboxing and scab-picking comes in how they engage with queer oppression. Hugboxing imagines its absence, creating safer, better worlds. Scab-picking probes its wounds in deliberately painful and uncomfortable ways. </i></div></div></blockquote><p>This got me thinking about the way that this is treated in the games we create and play. Sandifer's discussion of hugboxing and scab-picking (loaded terms! but ones I'm going to continue with for now) is centered in queer literature, but I think that the two poles have resonance for treatment of other axes of oppression (racism, sexism, imperialism, and colonialism for example). In games, it's a bit trickier than the binary state that Sandifer proposes -- instead of a single creation being put forth to be taken on its own merits (with an audience able to take or leave it as desired), you're dealing with a shared group interaction, often iterated over multiple instances. People's thresholds and goals are going to vary, both between people and sometimes within the same person from session to session. <br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHoR8P3pLV_xH4XAg5v_0hdEkYbk2tceotGGq-CYl_scDf4GoGR0JSoIbGFHS_Kz1vxiTMi-BRJ4c4pVmYfIjrw1wfjI8lDsv5WIQ1Ed40nlz7B1cFsOlzOzFzmG4nmpzebCAr-MhW7Hr/s648/paranoiaredboxfront_1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHoR8P3pLV_xH4XAg5v_0hdEkYbk2tceotGGq-CYl_scDf4GoGR0JSoIbGFHS_Kz1vxiTMi-BRJ4c4pVmYfIjrw1wfjI8lDsv5WIQ1Ed40nlz7B1cFsOlzOzFzmG4nmpzebCAr-MhW7Hr/w133-h200/paranoiaredboxfront_1.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I think I fall on the scab-picking side of the spectrum, by and large - but I reiterate that it's a <b>spectrum</b>, and that operating on one side doesn't mean that the other doesn't have very valid outlook and uses. The gaming projects I'm most proud of (<i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295976/Lorn-Song-of-the-Bachelor">Lorn Song of the Bachelor</a></i> and the forthcoming <i>Haunted West</i> adventure "Home is the Hangman") both fall on the scab-picking side regarding colonialism and racism...but I've veered away from the most recent editions of Paranoia, a game I have significant history with, in part because the decision to rebrand Alpha Complex's enemy du jour from "Communists" to "terrorists" felt a bit too on-the-nose for me, given what it felt like going through high school post 9/11. Everyone's got a different line that they will draw.<br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * *</p><p>First, some perspectives from other thoughtful folks regarding the valid role of presenting oppression in a gaming context.</p><p>Another Twitter thread <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisKutalik/status/1376312692928090112">here</a> from Chris Kutalik (creator of the Hill Cantons and my longtime GM): </p><blockquote><p><i><b>@ChrisKutalik: </b>I sympathize with the motivation, the need for a clean bright shiny place for our brains to go when we roll weird shaped dice. One that doesn’t have women treated as chattel and the layers of racist projection...</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i> But I also think it’s an ironically reactionary impulse, the need to project heroism and romanticized ideals of stabbing living things with sharp things...<b>I do draw the world of the Hill Cantons in a society I wouldn’t—and shouldn’t—want to live in.</b> A rich one (I hope) with the pervasive weirdness, ugliness that the European medieval world was along with a more complicated society than many give it credit for.</i></p></blockquote><p>And <a href="https://twitter.com/AcademicFoxhole/status/1343495869073645568">this discussion </a>from Pam Punzalan (TheDovetailor) and TrooperSJP (Academic Foxhole):</p><p></p><blockquote><p><b><u><i>@TheDoveTailor</i></u></b><i>: The Philippines was colonized four times, and has a long history of trans-cultural exchange with upwards of three nations via trade prior to the Spanish coming around. <b>If you're saying we should not deal with colonialism in our stories, you're telling us we have no story.</b><br /></i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i><b>@AcademicFoxhole: </b><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Everytime I hear: No POC wants to read about racism I think: Toni Morrison? Everytime I hear: No woman wants to read about sexual assault I think: Margaret Atwood? No Queer person wants to read about homophobia? Quentin Crisp? <b>There is power in being able to define my own story.</b></span></i> </p></blockquote><p>And of course, Zedeck Siew's thread <a href="https://twitter.com/zedecksiew/status/1188318931632586756">here</a>:</p><blockquote><p><i><b>@ZedeckSiew: </b>Firstly: "D&D is colonialist" is similar to "the English language is colonialist".</i></p><p><i>If your method of decolonising RPGs is to abandon D&D- some folks abandon English; they don't want to work in the language of the coloniser. More power to them!</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>...<b>[I]t's an error to "decolonise D&D" by scrubbing such content from the game. That feels like erasure; like an unwillingness to face history / context; like a way to appease one's own settler guilt.</b> Remember: if you -white or PoC- live in the West, or in an Asian urban centre (say), you are already complicit in colonialist / capitalist (they are inextricably linked) behaviour.</i></p><p><i>Removing such stuff from RPGs might let you feel better. <b>But won't change what you are. </b></i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>I think it more truthful *and* more useful, to not avert one's eyes from D&D's colonialism.</i></p><p><i>The fact that going forth into the hinterland to seek treasure and slay monsters is a thing and *fucking fun* tells us valuable things about the shape and psychology of colonialism. </i></p></blockquote><p>Finally, a quote from Chris Spivey's <i>Harlem Unbound</i>:</p><blockquote><p><i><b>Harlem Unbound is built on the concept of tackling issues head-on.</b> Some say Lovecraft was 'of his time,' but we know that his racism was even worse than that... So what does the popularity of his work, built on racism, say about our current society? And, how do you address the popular work which is so tethered to his reprehensible world view? We can't change the past, but we can tear it down and rebuild it into something that focuses on bringing us together. <b>This can only be done by facing ugly truths. </b></i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">* * *</p><p>So. How do we, as creators, responsibly deal with and tackle those ugly truths Chris mentions? How does one pick at those scabs in a productive manner? A few of my takes:</p><p><b>1. Stay Fluid<br /></b></p><p>As mentioned, people's thresholds and goals re: the level of oppression that they are willing to deal with in gaming are likely to fluctuate. Sure, one can have a Session Zero where some baselines are hashed out, but those can change on even a session-by-session basis. The real-life people around the table come first, and sometimes that means further check-ins or even rerouting session plans because of a spike in player discomfort. Make space for that, and make space for people to voice discomfort.<br /></p><p></p><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/AVvXsEgPBemWJ4G5GP6BPv-MyAcZipS7Dm0vTwkTu0931NbDkQ5g3yxQounBVAOmJxiyc4PezVWEfkRFDIDVXOOJ6beRPzYsnTNBi6v_5s0Qo4f2VhT8lAbH51sfwbBopA0sJsOiUgf9BrDtuhfg/s1275/Feral+Shore+500+bigger.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1102" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBemWJ4G5GP6BPv-MyAcZipS7Dm0vTwkTu0931NbDkQ5g3yxQounBVAOmJxiyc4PezVWEfkRFDIDVXOOJ6beRPzYsnTNBi6v_5s0Qo4f2VhT8lAbH51sfwbBopA0sJsOiUgf9BrDtuhfg/w346-h400/Feral+Shore+500+bigger.png" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Feral Shore" - section of the HC campaign<br />where this story went down</td></tr></tbody></table>Personal example: I had a really bad time with a Hill Cantons game session a few years back, triggered by one player's actions in particular but rooted in discomfort with some of the colonialist facets of play that were being brought to the fore. It's not a thing I would have thought to flag when joining the campaign or even when the <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2013/07/settling-feral-shore.html">domain-game-heavy</a> phase of play began, and I didn't realize how uncomfortable I was feeling or why until I had some time to unpack it afterwards. This led to some tough-but-clear conversations over G+ regarding what each of us was willing to play through and deal with at the table, and how we, as a group, felt comfortable progressing. The individual session was rough, but ultimately led to a better perspective on where we were at as a group. <p></p><p>Folks may move from being down to pick at scabs to needing to strongly divert away, and back again. Listen to where they're at, and try to accommodate. What that accommodation looks like may vary! If you as GM are preparing a heavy scab-picking session and a player needs something more hugboxy (or vice versa), maybe change the dynamics of the session...OR hold off on the session for a while, or maybe change the player composition for the session so that both parties can get the gaming experience they're seeking. There's no one right answer here, and the answer definitely isn't always "change your intended work." </p><p>Using <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/114jRmhzBpdqkAlhmveis0nmW73qkAZCj">safety tools</a> may help for this, but those are generally something for <i>after </i>things have gone sideways, not a replacement for fluidity in terms of game approach. Further, not all safety tools are going to match with all tables. Just saying "oh, we have these tools, we're fine" isn't enough; you've got to think about these things before problems occur at the table.</p><p><b>2. Work with Intentionality<br /></b></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_QjUgfAnHckxO7cSpx-1sguzJyDFMCMYHJr3BkRgwQj2p-qzmFjVfkvwtD3neJmweqi0TxFS5ZJn0lUppEKM0JabGSlh6wfhRgKiyofqtx1OKU_IWlsOG3utssnsUjtdFJutDKI2kOS3/s2048/broken_blade1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1507" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_QjUgfAnHckxO7cSpx-1sguzJyDFMCMYHJr3BkRgwQj2p-qzmFjVfkvwtD3neJmweqi0TxFS5ZJn0lUppEKM0JabGSlh6wfhRgKiyofqtx1OKU_IWlsOG3utssnsUjtdFJutDKI2kOS3/w294-h400/broken_blade1.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Broken Blade," <a href="http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/">Evlyn Moreau</a></td></tr></tbody></table>One of the critiques often levelled at works reproducing systems of oppression is that it's all fictional - so why include these elements that serve to remind folks of real-world oppression? I think there's certainly some truth to this; our imagined worlds aren't limited by the scars of history, and don't need to go down those paths and recreate those pains in-game. But if one wants to engage with those issues in game, then they are going to have to come up in some form. <p></p><p>So, if you're going to bring in those elements of oppression into your setting or your game, fine -- but make a <i>deliberate </i>choice to do so. Think about the implications on a societal level, and what dealing with those means for players. Have some thought beyond "oh, things were bad in (Renn Faire Fantasy Times), let's put it in that way, it'll add <i>atmosphere</i>." You're making a conscious choice to include this material in your setting. Is it being presented in a meaningful way? Is there personal experience that you're able to draw on when including this material? </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>3. Know Yourself, Know Your Audience</b></p><p>Are you creating material for your home table, or planning on publishing this for others to interact with? If you're tackling material that's outside of your personal experience, have you thought about how you're going to make sure you don't hit <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/av3q5e/what-watch-dogs-2-gets-so-right-and-so-wrong-about-race">some of the pitfalls </a>associated <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/a37a34/it-takes-more-than-a-tolerance-mechanic-to-make-an-anti-colonial-rpg">with that</a>? If you're planning on <i>publishing </i>something that's centering on experience outside of your own, are you <a href="https://twitter.com/sketchshark/status/817555402288222208?lang=en">the right person </a>to be tackling this work? <br /></p><p>And even if you're just focusing on something for your home table, are you sure that your crew is on board with the material you're bringing in? If you can, try to touch base beforehand and make sure folks are on the same page. </p><p><b>4. Take Your Lumps -- But Know Who's Talking</b></p><p>If you're going to put issues of oppression in your work, you have to be willing to listen, <i>sincerely </i>listen, if and when folks call you out about the treatment of a given issue. And this is hard! It's even harder if someone calls you out in an angry fashion, because it can feel like they're coming after you and your work personally. </p><p>If someone's calling you out? Try to listen. Because that's often someone who legitimately wants to see you do better. And even if you don't agree with their takeaway and you still think you did it right, you might have a better feel for how you want to handle a similar issue in the future. But at the same time, also pay attention to who's critiquing you, and the substance of those critiques. Most are going to be in good faith, but there <i>are</i> folks who thrive on call-outs for Internet clout.* Listen to what people are saying, but don't assume that they're automatically correct. </p><p>Fall's example is on point here. Many of the critiques she faced were good-faith critiques, understandably on edge from the (original) title and the red flags that it raised for people. Some critiques went a hell of a lot further than that. I think that while the critiques may have been made in good faith, the story was legitimate and should not have been pulled; she was right to pen it and publish it. </p><p style="text-align: center;">* * *</p><p style="text-align: left;">These are not easy things to do. But I think they are necessary if we're going to create thoughtfully. It can feel like a lot - particularly when the context for folks reading this is likely far more towards "RPG as fun group problem-solving game" instead of "RPG as deep raw emotional catharsis" or "RPG as art piece." </p><p style="text-align: left;">At the same time, I think that even games focused on the fun problem-solving side of things have the potential to tackle painful material in a thoughtful way, whether it's in a satirical or direct format. We can walk and chew gum at the same time here. If the fictional worlds we're envisioning are to have axes of oppression within them, then the least we can do is put time and effort into making sure those worlds are thoughtful and deliberate, that the scab-picking is <i>productive</i>. One of the strengths of the people I hang with has long been the compelling and fascinating settings that folks have put together. I see this as just taking the next logical, necessary step. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Y'all with me?</p><p style="text-align: left;">(Special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/yoshicreelman">Yoshi </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/momatoes">Momatoes </a>for providing feedback on this post.)</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Call-outs can be necessary sometimes! But they can also be a pernicious thing, because you feel like you're doing the righteous thing <i>and</i> you're getting positive attention and reinforcement. If you're going to call someone out on bad behavior, think about it, make sure you know why you're doing it, and make sure you're centering the folks actually harmed by the bad behavior. I've tried to keep this framework in mind, and I <i>think</i> I've done a decent job on this front? But it can be tricky. </span></p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-35214450784623663252021-04-21T21:37:00.002-04:002021-09-28T20:22:38.589-04:00Landsknecht Link Round Up, 2021<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I try to put together two actual posts of my own, here are a few recent(ish) OSR blog posts that I thought were interesting/compelling, and a little bit about why I thought that they were worth checking out.</span></span></span></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; overflow: hidden;"><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="https://alldeadgenerations.blogspot.com/2021/03/so-you-want-to-build-dungeon.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">All Dead Generations: So You Want To Build a Dungeon</span></a>: This is a series of tips on how to construct the epitome of the Classic Dungeon Crawl, with discussion on some major features that designers ought to consider. Gus has been thoughtfully discussing some of the components in this process for a while, but it's nice to see a one-stop codified "best practices and design tips" location. I'm definitely going to be checking this out when working on my next dungeon.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="http://realmofzhu.blogspot.com/2021/04/some-ludological-influences-on-early.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Realm of Zhu: Some Ludological Influences on the early adoption of Dungeons & Dragons Etc.</span></a>: Hopping into the Jon Petersen Playing At The World/The Elusive Shift zone of assessing influences on proto-D&D, Zhu looks at the influence of Tony Bath-style wargames and the board game Mastermind. I've been interested in the Tony Bath school of play for a while, ever since Hill Cantons <a class="link link--external" href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2010/12/tony-baths-hyboria-part-i.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">blogged about it a while back</span></a>, but I hadn't expected the connections that Zhu is drawing re: Mastermind. My preference in selecting these blog entries is generally more towards "building forward" than retrospectives, but I think that this entry is worthwhile because it generates some fruitful questions: are there still useful tools to be gleaned from the wargaming side of things? Are there changes in game design on the adversarial boardgame side that can provide some useful frameworks for bringing into OSR-style play?<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2021/04/some-advice-to-represent-trans.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Le Chaudron Chromatique: Some advice to represent trans characters in game</span></a>: Evlyn M has some thoughts about how to portray trans characters in one's gaming and worldbuilding, both tropes to avoid but also areas that she recommends making a point to think about and fill in.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2021/02/setup-of-my-new-ose-campaign.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Le Chaudron Chromatique: Setup of my new OSE campaign</span></a>: Hey, while you're at the Chromatic Cauldron, also check out this post regarding the setup and framework for a new campaign Evlyn's putting together. I really like these sorts of posts - they let you see a fellow GM's worldbuilding and design framework. It's always interesting to get a feel for how other GMs are approaching their campaigns, and getting a brief taste of the ideas they've got percolating. In this particular instance, Evlyn's put together a neat setup envisioning adventurers picking through the ruins of a vanished Elven civilization as their forest enters a perpetual autumn, while a dread wizard-king takes over the world in the background.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="http://maziriansgarden.blogspot.com/2021/04/injury-and-abstract-combat-round.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Mazirian's Garden: Injury and the Abstract Combat Round</span></a>: Ben's been putting together a new OSR ruleset, Jorune: Evolutions. In the course of this design process, he's been dropping some absolutely great posts looking at various subsystems and facets of play, and thinking seriously about how they can be improved for what he wants at the table. This entry deals with the traditional combat round of OD&D and presents an alternative to try and increase flavor/dynamic feel of combat by abstracting out some of the details and stepping further away from the "one roll = one stab" zone.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="https://gundobadgames.blogspot.com/2021/02/dressing-your-monsters-raging-swan.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Gundobad Games: Dressing Your Monsters: Raging Swan Press Monstrous Lairs I & II [REVIEW]</span></a>: I was really impressed by this review, because it actually does the work to examine "can this help me put together better ideas than what I'm coming up with on my own?" and provides some extremely useful thoughts on how a GM can use this to help prep their own material.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2021/04/guns-of-middle-earth.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">From The Sorcerer's Skull: Guns of Middle-Earth</span></a>: No, people haven't gone back in time to arm Sauron's armies with AK-47s (at least in this entry; Mary Gentle's 'Grunts' might beg to differ). In Guns of Middle-Earth, Trey takes a look at some of the Victorianisms of Middle-Earth and muses on how to heighten the 19th-century feel. Middle-Earth feels very much like a 'closed setting' to me, so I do very much appreciate seeing takes on how to remix it and present a fresh setting to engage with.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2021/01/tolkienian-science-fantasy-replacing-pc.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">DIY and Dragons: Tolkienian Science Fantasy -- Replacing the PC Species: </span></a>In a similar vein to Trey's post, Anne's take on replacing trad Tolkien species with some more traditional SF species (from Trek and Babylon 5) and imagining the changes in tone that would come from this. Anne coins the brilliant term 'French vanilla setting' here -- something that clearly draws upon the basic format of Trad Fantasy, but simultaneously brings something new, extra, and unique to the table.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></span></li><li data-xf-list-type="ul" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="link link--external" href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2021/02/advice-from-blogosphere-2020.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">DIY and Dragons: Advice from the Blogosphere in 2020:</span></a> I'll close out my survey post with <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">this </i>survey post from Anne, which catalogs some of the best advice posted on blogs in 2020.</span></span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So! What have y'all been reading or working on in the OSR sphere? Anyone planning on participating in the <a class="link link--external" href="https://itch.io/jam/megadungeon-jam" rel="nofollow noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Megadungeon Jam</span></a> over on itch.io?</span></span></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Crossposted from RPG.net)</span></span></span></span></div>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-19709078411905708802020-12-02T11:34:00.002-05:002021-09-28T20:22:35.237-04:00Renewal and Inspiration<p>The past few months have had me in an odd place re: gaming and publishing, and I've definitely been feeling burnt out. But stepping away from Twitter to get away from The (gaming) Discourse has been extremely refreshing, and last night's session in the Hill Cantons has helped a lot to rekindle my excitement about this hobby.</p><p>Along with slugging away on the <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2019/02/slumbering-ursine-dunes-extended-dance.html">Slumbering Ursine Dunes omnibus</a> and the sequel to Lorn Song of the Bachelor, I'm also starting to get some wind back in my sails for my own projects.</p><p>I've started working on the <a href="https://rayotus.itch.io/gygax75">Gygax 75</a> challenge, a framework for putting together one's own campaign setting. It's a way for me to channel the big inchoate Feelings about Legacy of the Bieth and put them into a gameable format that other people can actually use to run their own games. Unfortunately, I got stuck on the hexmap side of things. I've had trouble with creating hex setups on my own that felt well-designed and realistic, but part of me balked at using in-depth creation of the sort <a href="http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2009/09/fantasy-sandbox-in-detail-part-i.html">that Rob Conley has presented</a>. (No slight against Rob intended by any means! It's a great series, but my heart quails at the full process.) </p><p>I thought about using something like Chgowiz's Three Hexes but that framework also doesn't quite fit with part of how I've already conceptualized Legacy of the Bieth. Much to my surprise, I've found that an AD&D 2e product, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17445/World-Builders-Guidebook-2e">the World Builder's Guidebook</a>, is hitting the sweet spot for my design needs. It's still pretty top-down design, but presents enough of a scaffolding that I think I can abstract the highest level components, drill down to regional setup, and still get something that will make it easier for future development and design. </p><p>I'm immensely proud of my existing editorial work on Hydra Coop products, but it's a separate field of excitement to move forward on my own creations. Relatedly, my first adventure for publication, "Home is the Hangman," will be coming out with the release of the upcoming <a href="http://www.darkerhuestudios.com/hauntedwest">Haunted West RPG</a> by Darker Hue Studios. Chris is doing an amazing job on HW and I'm really glad to have contributed to the project. I will also be appearing in a Haunted West livestream starting later this month.</p><p>Finally, I spoke with Paco over at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZQbQEOIoH0enti7O6Llyg">GMS Magazine </a>about the OSR a few weeks ago - take a look!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xy-p4KZZyFI" width="320" youtube-src-id="xy-p4KZZyFI"></iframe></div><br /><p>So a question for all y'all - what are <i>you</i> working on? What's been tricky for you, and what's been flowing well?</p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-62597710231818478772020-09-23T13:44:00.002-04:002021-09-28T20:22:44.518-04:00Rush In and Die, Dogs! -- 4e Minions in B/X<p> Inspired by a query from <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/iwluvn/what_are_some_rules_and_concepts_from_modern/g62vvka/">ZharethZhen</a> on Reddit.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm8neONd-rg3dEV0ocZEVkeVVTF9yLCJ5zei270rTHufg4csqQ5oRiHir406td2ofJMwkxsRXX9NaxL9kA-ZaW0hvTKSW-_Q1uqqgbfAgwap6i_quic3FvQrZsLB0pue4Ot4PiiytMkMH/s1830/StormtroopersInAction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm8neONd-rg3dEV0ocZEVkeVVTF9yLCJ5zei270rTHufg4csqQ5oRiHir406td2ofJMwkxsRXX9NaxL9kA-ZaW0hvTKSW-_Q1uqqgbfAgwap6i_quic3FvQrZsLB0pue4Ot4PiiytMkMH/s1830/StormtroopersInAction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Stormtroopers advancing; deleted scene from Return of the Jedi" border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1830" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm8neONd-rg3dEV0ocZEVkeVVTF9yLCJ5zei270rTHufg4csqQ5oRiHir406td2ofJMwkxsRXX9NaxL9kA-ZaW0hvTKSW-_Q1uqqgbfAgwap6i_quic3FvQrZsLB0pue4Ot4PiiytMkMH/w400-h171/StormtroopersInAction.jpg" title="Stormtroopers advancing; deleted scene from Return of the Jedi" width="400" /></a>4e D+D introduced the <b>minion</b> - a variant of a monster defined by having just a single hit point. This has utility in classic D+D frameworks for modelling hard-hitting groups of creatures that can nevertheless be defeated easily -- even more easily than a the baseline monster with minimum values on its hit dice. (An ogre, at 4+1 HD, will have a minimum of 5 HP, but an ogre minion only 1.)</p><p></p><p>Adjusting a classic D+D statblock to reflect a single hit point is trivial. But how would one value a minion for purposes of XP assessment? It doesn't seem to make sense to rate them as either a 1/2 or 1 HD creature if they're hitting more strongly and have special abilities (flight, save-or-die, etc.). </p><p></p><p>So here's how I might address the issue for B/X-alikes.</p><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Monsters use d8 for HD in B/X, which averages out to 4.5 HP per HD.</li><li>B/X monster XP is based on both the base HD and any special abilities.</li><li>To calculate XP for a minion, divide minion HD by 4 to determine base HD, but add
special ability XP based on the original HD. The
dangerous nature of abilities from the higher-tier monster is reflected, but the HD-based XP is reduced to reflect the vastly reduced hit point capacity.</li></ul><p>Have you used minions in your classic D+D? What do you see as guidelines for how to implement them effectively, or if at all?<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-64634102969005892512020-08-01T21:05:00.003-04:002021-09-28T20:22:48.081-04:00War at the TableI just finished up a GenCon Online panel, War at the Table, with <a href="https://feartheswarth.wordpress.com/">Basheer Ghouse</a>. You should all go check out Basheer's work <a href="https://havocfett.itch.io/">here</a>. This was a heck of a lot of fun, and I really loved talking with Basheer and the folks chiming in with questions. <div><br /></div><div>Take a look, see what you think:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fvi5sir_mNc" width="320" youtube-src-id="Fvi5sir_mNc"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>(And if this is of interest, I'm still working on my "Wargaming Ain't A Dirty Word" post!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks to <a href="https://r-rook.itch.io/">Richard Ruane</a> for helping us majorly with backend streaming stuff, and <a href="https://twitter.com/LilRedAlchemist">@LilRedAlchemist </a>for an <i>amazing </i>organizing effort for PoC presenters at cons. This would seriously not have happened without her. <div><div><br /></div><div>The presentation that we were using (and our sources list) is available <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1py658HaBBrhOrFyDVC3j0fPGCHS831OEq2EegqIQ390/edit#slide=id.g8ee90dc908_0_147">here</a>.</div></div></div>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-72376922098092216722019-10-29T12:29:00.000-04:002021-09-28T20:22:54.442-04:00Awlad-i-Dimagh (Child of the Mind): Troika Background<a href="https://axesnorcs.blogspot.com/">Axes + Orcs</a> has been tirelessly diving into the <a href="https://melsonian-arts-council.itch.io/troika-numinous-edition">Troika </a>design space, creating oodles of backgrounds. He got me inspired to write this up and submit it to the ongoing <a href="https://itch.io/jam/troika-backgrounds-jam/entries">TroikaJam </a>over at itch.io. It's an update of my original <a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2012/11/ll-class-psychic-warrior.html">Psychic Warrior</a> class. This feels a bit smoother, at least. <br />
<br />
This is <a href="https://allandaros.itch.io/awlad-i-dimagh">available in PDF format</a> over at itch.io, but it's duplicated here for ease of access.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Awlad-i-Dimagh (Child of the Mind)</b></h2>
<b> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggdAMv9ayh5YT-Wj_rIDqyPfuzasYiozNRrAkmw6QFPicAFncUbEkAWJ5xbhLZnZKjOrCyL1xvKH2SM1b9H1XYv3tpDSStnEiSPqNzHGkMmAFZuTFQlD74RBxswg_ZdG37Mb1_F1oHbAT/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="457" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggdAMv9ayh5YT-Wj_rIDqyPfuzasYiozNRrAkmw6QFPicAFncUbEkAWJ5xbhLZnZKjOrCyL1xvKH2SM1b9H1XYv3tpDSStnEiSPqNzHGkMmAFZuTFQlD74RBxswg_ZdG37Mb1_F1oHbAT/s400/image.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original energy arc photo by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Energy_Arc_(central_electrode_of_a_Plasma_Lamp).jpg">Blaise Frazier </a><br />
released under <br />
GNU Free Documentation License</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><br />
I don’t know if you agreed when the recruiters came. Or when they put you under the knife and started mucking around in your brain. I don’t know what they told you about the powers you’d gain - or what you’d have to do to keep using them.<br />
<br />
But I do know that you’re on a deadline now. Using these powers catches up to you. The shakes keep coming faster and faster. And when your ticket’s up, you know what to expect - a flare of pain and horror and power before your light is snuffed forever.<br />
<br />
Guess you’ve got some time to kill. <i>(Don’t let these shakes go on…)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Possessions:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Tattered Uniform</b></li>
<li>3 Doses, <b>Psy-Drugs</b></li>
<li><b>Brass Straw </b>for drinking cerebrospinal fluid</li>
</ul>
<b>Advanced Skills:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>3 Psychic Blade</li>
<li>2 Soldiering</li>
<li>2 Biofeedback</li>
<li>2 Stave Off Inevitable Burnout</li>
<li>1 Memory Leech</li>
<li>1 Spectral Assassin</li>
<li>1 Fight Past the Shakes </li>
</ul>
<b>Special:</b> Psy-drugs (expensive), stealing someone’s memories, drinking cerebrospinal fluid, or devouring a sentient’s brain all boost <b>Stave Off Inevitable Burnout. </b>Psy-drugs boost it to 3 and last for a week. Memory leeching boosts it to 4 and lasts for a week. Cerebrospinal fluid or eating a brain boost it to 4 and last for a month.<br />
<br />
The <b>Awlad-i-Dimagh Background</b> is an independent production by Humza Kazmi and is not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-45322481099882250472019-08-13T14:02:00.002-04:002021-09-28T20:23:14.075-04:00Landsknecht Link Roundup, July/Aug<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RUyCUgZhvyn5vGqYl7wiRjLlSEOo2cCyCofEKgMTuXH5udoM7pgOkPc9ALej5OBjty_3gTOm9wGWDJcnMyMiJ0_s4N5RIHLXohv235LfnhcemSRUzJ6nr_veE24uwu1NsGj00xbmnP86/s1600/tumblr_nbbxupvrNh1s2hm1zo1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RUyCUgZhvyn5vGqYl7wiRjLlSEOo2cCyCofEKgMTuXH5udoM7pgOkPc9ALej5OBjty_3gTOm9wGWDJcnMyMiJ0_s4N5RIHLXohv235LfnhcemSRUzJ6nr_veE24uwu1NsGj00xbmnP86/s320/tumblr_nbbxupvrNh1s2hm1zo1_1280.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ba Chim seal of approval!<br />
<br />
(Art by <a href="https://dreadbeasts.tumblr.com/">Dreadbeasts</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I posted this on RPG.net but it bears reposting (and expanding) here:<br />
<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Not <i>quite</i> RPG related, but Hydra heads Trey, Jason, and Robert have launched the Bronze Age Book Club podcast, for jawing about comics. Check it out <b><a href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/bronze-age-book-club">here</a></b>.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">David Schirduan ran <a class="link link--external" href="https://technicalgrimoire.com/david/2019/06/SWORDDREAM" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>a series of interviews </b></a>with
some of the folks in the SWORD DREAM / *DREAM space (including me),
discussing our perspectives and how we want to see this space grow.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Relatedly, Dream Jam (a Sword Dream game jam ) just wrapped up - you can see the entries <a href="https://itch.io/jam/dreamjam/entries"><b>here</b></a>. I think this is the first large set of material releasing in the *DREAM space, and it's exciting to see! Many of the submissions skew a bit more to the indie side than I generally roll with, but I'm also excited to see new design influences entering our space and hopefully having some fruitful dialog.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cavegirl (the Evil High Priestess of the OSR) starts laying out a system for <a class="link link--external" href="https://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2019/07/supernatural-masterpieces.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>creating magic items based on supernatural resonances</b>.</a>
I'd like to see more detail on the creation process and system details,
but the writeup of affinities and their effects is excellent. She's also got the <b><a href="https://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2019/08/wounded-daughters.html">Wounded Daughter</a></b> advancement, which is raw and from the heart and the first time I've seen a "this PC
does not die" mechanic in an OSR game that has felt really compelling to
me. <br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Throne of Salt has a <i>great</i> post on the <a href="https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-book-of-night.html"><b>Book of the Night</b></a>, discussing the universe as envisioned by Abd al-Hazra. Certainly not going to pass up an Arabic grimoire post, even if this one might be a bit more Lovecrafty than historical. <br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lizardman Diaries has a compilation of <a class="link link--external" href="http://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-collected-infinigrad-and-guild-dogs.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>all of their Infinigrad posts</b></a>,
in advance of launching a Patreon. Lots of handy city-related
generators, guilds, shopping, random tables... I particularly like the
automated augmentation generator (though I sigh a bit at the name
"Fantasypunk") and the guild generators, because factions are great.
Very good for "strange fantasy city" work.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gundobad Games continues the "<b><a class="link link--external" href="https://gundobadgames.blogspot.com/2019/07/using-some-historical-theory-another.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Settings with Strata</a></b>"
discussion, this time discussing how leaving voids in a setting's
backstory can allow for fruitful development and increased depth as
different factions tell their own histories. Worth synthesizing with
this Hill Cantons <a class="link link--external" href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2016/01/information-as-treasure-type-building.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>discussion of information-as-treasure</b></a>.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Evlyn M rewrites an earlier campaign framework of <a class="link link--external" href="http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-coven-campaign-setup.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>a witches' coven</b></a>, with a town-centric sandbox and table-generated setting. Pushes back against transphobic components of prior inspiration. (<i>Warning: some NSFW art - stylized nudity, non-sexualized.</i>)<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Against the Wicked City has this pairing of <a class="link link--external" href="http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-brief-history-of-british-literature.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>English literary authors and the Warhammer armies they'd play</b></a>, which is goofy/amazing enough that it absolutely has to be included here.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">While we're on the subject of Warhammer influence, Uncaring Cosmos has a <b><a class="link link--external" href="https://uncaringcosmos.com/new-game/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">writeup on the British OSR</a></b>. I think that there's a <i>lot</i> more overlap between the A-OSR and B-OSR than they suggest - WFRP and GW creations seem to exert a great deal of weight in the <a class="link link--external" href="http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2016/09/osr-aesthetics-of-ruin.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>OSR's aesthetics of ruin</b></a> - but it's still worth a read.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tarsos Theorem has a handy-dandy <b><a class="link link--external" href="https://tarsos-theorem.webflow.io/web-apps/mothership-character-generator" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mothership PC generator</a></b>. Be prepared to shout "let's rock" and/or discuss the bonus situation.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Goatman's Goblet created a <a class="link link--external" href="http://www.goatmansgoblet.com/2019/06/homerules-document-knaves-guide-to.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Knave's Guide to Eberron</b></a>,
adapting the 3e setting to Ben Milton's Knave RPG. Despite the deep
love many folks have for the setting, I've always struggled to get into
Eberron; this looks like a short, sweet, and easy way to dig in.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Alexandrian argues that <a class="link link--external" href="https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/43430/roleplaying-games/the-day-the-old-school-died" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>the bowdlerization of Palace of the Silver Princess </b></a>marked the ending of the "old school spirit" in TSR design. Strong concur that Jean Wells was frickin' <i>robbed</i>,
and that we lost a lot of potential by TSR pulling her work in favor of
the Moldvay rewrite. See also Grognardia's interview with Jean Wells, <a class="link link--external" href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-jean-wells-part-i.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Part 1</b></a> and <a class="link link--external" href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-jean-wells-part-ii.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Part 2</b></a>.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">This last one is from 2017, but I just discovered it and really like it, so in it goes! Trilemma's post on <a class="link link--external" href="http://blog.trilemma.com/2017/08/resolution-awesome-or-tangible.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Awesome vs Tangible Resolution</b></a> just helped me describe better what I like about my preferred playstyle.<br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">POCGamer's got a good read on <b><a href="https://pocgamer.com/2019/08/02/decolonization-and-integration-in-dd/">decolonization and integration </a></b>within D+D. While POCGamer's post focuses on WotC's treatment of D+D, his comments are still handy and useful for considering how we construct other, hopefully more compelling, settings. <br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Papers and Pencils just posted a public-facing version of <a href="http://www.paperspencils.com/the-engine-of-on-a-red-world-alone/"><b>On A Red World Alone</b></a>, a super-light treatment of post-apocalyptic Mars. Worth checking out, and reminiscent of <a href="http://roguesandreavers.blogspot.com/"><b>Rogues and Reavers</b></a>'s Savage World of Krul setting from back in the day (currently hibernating and unavailable). <br /> </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Shoe Skogen has been running video interviews with folks on <a class="link link--external" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLudtNcgmom-Fs-hHgRp79-_55yWFCgPol" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Hey! My Friend Made A Thing!</b></a> They've uploaded interviews with David Schirduan (who just released his
Bone Marshes module) and with me, and there are more to come from folks
at Gen Con.</li>
</ul>
<div class="js-selectToQuoteEnd">
</div>
Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-47365368264816819772019-06-06T16:11:00.000-04:002021-09-26T11:46:28.659-04:00A Spectre (7+3 HD) Is Haunting the Flaeness: Towards a Leftist OSR<ul></ul>
<i>Special thanks to Kazumi Chin, Fiona Geist, Camilla Greer, Michael Lombardi, and Robert Parker for their feedback and guidance.</i><br />
<br />
The design space associated with OSR games is often assumed to be
inherently reactionary, an interest in classic games coinciding with a desire for social regression and oppression. Setting the incorrect nature of that assumption aside, I
started wondering what an <i>explicitly </i>leftist OSR framework might look
like. This pondering was accelerated by a query on the same topic that <a href="https://ablogfullofdemons.blogspot.com/">Mabel Harper</a>* raised on Discord a while back.<br />
<br />
This isn't untrodden territory. Some past must-reads from others: <a href="http://rocketpropelledgame.blogspot.com/2012/06/marx-monsters-radical-leftist-fantasy.html">Marx + Monsters: A Radical Leftist Fantasy Sandbox</a>, <a href="https://cityofbrass.obsidianportal.com/">City of Brass "West Marxes"</a> <br />
<br />
Inspired
by Marx + Monsters, I concluded that a leftist OSR framework would move
away from a simple advancement through gold route, and instead work
through improving the community that PCs reside in. The approach I list below is strongly influenced by Mayfair Games's 1993 RPG <i>Underground</i>, a game centered around superhero-veterans attempting to improve their communities as the world around them went mad.<br />
<br />
This is a potential new framework for experience gain that a GM can use to frame a social format for their campaign. It assumes that PCs are still taking on adventurous projects, but seeks to present greater ties to the communities that they are a part of. <br />
<br />
<b>Communities and Experience</b> <br />
<br />
1. PCs start out as members of the same community. While they may have wildly different origins and backgrounds, they're all united by current location and ties. (This can be a city or town, or even a neighborhood. For higher powered games, a province or nation might be apropos.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Bazaar_of_the_Silk_Mercers_in_Cairo_Wellcome_L0021542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="543" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Bazaar_of_the_Silk_Mercers_in_Cairo_Wellcome_L0021542.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figures outside the tombs of the caliphs, Cairo, Egypt. <br />
Coloured lithograph by L. Haghe after D. Roberts, 1848.
<br />
Credit: <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/x2xx3kz3">Wellcome Collection</a>.
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/">Public Domain</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2. This community is assessed on six stats: <br />
<br />
<b>Identity</b> - How strongly the community identifies as a group together, with a shared culture. Identity 4 or 5 might be a newborn boomtown, Identity 14 or 15 might be a longstanding ethnic enclave in a larger city.<br />
<b>Prosperity -</b> Whether the community is economically stable. Are folks able to get by comfortably? Are folks living hand-to-mouth? <br />
<b>Safety</b> - Are people physically safe in this community? Is their security under threat?<br />
<b>Governance</b> - The breadth and scope of government function. How well do governing institutions respond to the requirements of the community?<b> </b><br />
<b>Legitimacy</b> - Is the government regarded as representative of the community's people? Are these seen as interlopers or leaders?<br />
<b>Sustainability </b>- Is the community's usage of resources sustainable in the long run? Is support infrastructure properly available for the residents?<br />
<br />
These stats are rated on a 3-18 scale, just as character stats are. The GM may either work with the PCs to collaboratively generate a community, as in Beyond the Wall or Dream Askew/Apart, may assign stats to a pre-existing community setting, or may roll 3d4 (not 3d6) for each stat. <br />
<br />
3. During downtime, between adventures, PCs may place money and time into raising one of the categories. They must describe how they are using their resources and time to combat problems or improve conditions for their community. <br />
<br />
<i>Ex: Shaghab and Arslan live in a community with Legitimacy of 6. They decide to improve this stat by ousting the famously corrupt qadi, or chief judge, and seeking to install someone a bit better. Shaghab describes how she'll be spending three weeks organizing street protests against the qadi as he attempts to rule on cases, shouting out the stories of those he's screwed over, while Arslan will try to force the local governor to be confronted with this evidence of the population's unrest. They hope that through this, the governor will consider removing the qadi and replacing him with someone new. While the replacement's unknown, Shaghab and Arslan believe that they'll be able to influence the selection and pressure the governor to find a more virtuous replacement.<br /><br />Tizemt lives in the same community, but they think that trying to replace the qadi is merely supplanting one outside leader for another. Instead, they decide to spend a month organizing a community council that will resolve disputes outside the scope of the qadi and avoid having to appear before the corrupt pustule. Tizemt sees this as improving the community's Governance rating (conveniently, also 6), but it might also apply to Identity or maaaaybe even Legitimacy as well. Tizemt plans to support this council through holding meetings and determining who among the community will have sufficient stature to be seen as legitimate decision-makers.</i><br />
4. The GM assesses their plan, mentally considers counterarguments and forces that will operate to protect the status quo, and places it in a matrix framework to assess how effective this is at addressing the issue in question. (See: <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/06/pendragon-d-matrix-method.html">Matrix Games</a>.) <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left; width: 324px;">
<colgroup><col width="155"></col>
<col width="151"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
<b>Strength of Argument</b></div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div>
<b>Adjustment to Roll</b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Very Strong Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll 5d6 against stat</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Strong Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll 4d6 against
stat</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Average Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll 3d6 against stat</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Weak Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll 2d6 against stat</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Very Weak Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll 1d6 against stat</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="155"><div>
Abysmal Argument</div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="151"><div style="font-weight: normal;">
Roll fails!</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>Ex. The GM thinks that Shaghab and Arslan's plan isn't too great -- aside from trusting in the benevolence of the governor, they also don't know that the governor and qadi have been working together to feather both nests, and that the qadi has some compromising information on the governor. But significant enough street protests might be able to sway the governor, if it becomes clear that the city won't quiet down until the qadi is removed. It's not the best thought out and there are hidden factors, but it's not completely unreasonable - the GM considers it a <b>weak </b>argument. They get a 4 on 2d6 against the community’s Legitimacy 6 -- the plan fails.<br /><br />The GM thinks that Tizemt's plan is more likely to receive results, since there isn't any hidden information in play, the scope of the change is enough to merit increasing the Governance stat, and Tizemt's player has identified prominent NPCs who they think have established a solid community reputation, even in the cynical Vancian atmosphere of the setting. While it's more likely to get off the ground since there's no particular opposition, having an alternative dispute structure may not necessarily take off and gain community support. It is considered an <b>average </b>argument. They roll 3d6 against the community’s Governance 6 and get an 11 -- the plan succeeds!</i><br />
5. After the time and resources have been invested, the GM rolls against the stat as above:<br />
<br />
a) If the roll is above the stat in question, the PCs' effort is successful. The stat is raised by one, and all PCs who contributed to this effort gain experience: Firstly, each PC gains 1500 x the number of times the stat in question has been raised (so, 1500 XP for the first improvement, 3000 for the second, etc.) Secondly, they gain 1.5x the GP value of resources that were contributed as XP. Finally, the GM makes an explicit note of the method that the PCs have used to shape the community, to ensure that its effects continue to be remembered (and leveraged) as play continues.<br />
<br />
b) If the roll is under the stat in question, then the PCs have failed to improve conditions. The stat remains unchanged, and no experience is awarded. The GM keeps a tally of how much resources have been put into improving the stat in question; if the PCs manage to improve the stat later, then all PCs who have contributed (past or present) gain both the stat-raise experience, the benefit of 1.5x the resources of the successful attempt, and 0.5x the value of all prior resources put in, combining failed attempts with the most recent success. Long-term campaigns may not succeed at first, but they continue to build the foundation for subsequent success.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(Greve_de_1917).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(Greve_de_1917).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sao Paolo General Strike, 1917<br />
Unknown artist. Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(Greve_de_1917).jpg">Wikimedia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><b>Note: </b></i>Application of extra resources beyond the base requirements can
<b> grant rerolls </b>on step 5, allowing a second chance at a failed increase: When a stat is 3-8, putting in an additional 3000 gp grants one reroll. When a stat is 9-12, this amount increases to 9000 gp. When a stat is 13-17, the amount increases to 27000 gp. Resources spent towards rerolls do <i>not</i> grant additional XP. <br />
<br />
6. After a stat has been increased successfully, the GM determines another stat to be tested against, and rolls 3d6 against that stat. (The statistic is either determined randomly, or emerges naturally from the nature of the improvement.) If the GM rolls under, that stat decreases by 1, to a minimum of the lowest stat present (if the two lowest stats are both 5s, one cannot lower to a 4 through this method). Decreases represent additional challenges that have begun facing the community; the GM should generate new adventure hooks from these. <br />
<br />
<i>Ex. Tizemt's plan to create a community council as an alternative to the qadi was successful. Given that the community council now serves as an alternative form of governance to the incumbent, the GM chooses to decrease Legitimacy by 1, since there is now uncertainty over who really rules the neighborhood. </i><br />
<br />
7. This process can be used on its own, but ideally it would also take into account dynamic shifts in the campaign from the actions of other parties. The next steps would be tying additional shifts to a Chaos Index (reflecting further changing dynamics outside the control of player characters) and ensuring that adventure hooks can also present opportunities for changing a community's stats, or at least laying the groundwork for doing so.<br />
<br />
As a community improves, it will become harder and harder for PCs to improve its stats. PCs may choose to <i><b>expand </b></i>their focus (working to improve a city instead of a neighborhood, a province instead of a city). If PCs elect to expand, they begin working to improve the larger polity's stats (which are likely worse than the smaller area PCs have been focusing on). Multiply experience gains by 5 each time a player group chooses to expand. Multiply reroll resource costs by ten (and adjust costs for open-ended resource allocation accordingly as well).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" 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://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Emma_Goldman_seated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="569" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Emma_Goldman_seated.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Goldman<br />
T. Kajiwara, 1911 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Emma_Goldman_seated.jpg">Wikimedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><b>Note:</b></i> Players may try and solve some of the problems that their communities are facing through violence -- their PCs are likely still adventurers or revolutionaries, after all. GMs should be cautious with this. In some cases, violence may absolutely be necessary - but it is not enough, in and of itself, to generate long-term systemic change. There must be positive action taken in order to create a sustainable improvement in a community. <br />
<br />
<i><b>Design Notes</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>XP as Central Driver</b><br />
<br />
Much has been made about 1 GP = 1 XP as the core gameplay loop driver of TSR D+D. But XP for gold retrieved also winds up being something of a de facto capitalistic outlook as well. Success is driven by accumulation of individual wealth -- by an adventuring company, even! So what's a new framework that can be used for underpinning a leftist OSR campaign? <br />
<br />
Marx + Monsters raises two proposals: XP for direct redistribution of wealth, or XP awarded through communal questions (a la Dungeon World). I found neither of these satisfying for my purposes. Direct redistribution of wealth is basically a slightly tweaked version of "XP through spending," and communal questions seems too far at odds with the mechanical framework of OSR games. Admittedly the system proposed here is still related to "XP through spending," but ideally generates a bit more thought and focus regarding how people attempt to help others. <br />
<br />
<b>Campaign Framing</b><br />
<br />
"Standard" OSR gaming is focused around<b> </b>the <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/10/picaro-and-story-of-d.html">pulp-inspired picaresque</a>.
James's bullet-point list of what that entails (assumption of PCs at
the margins, a corrupt/venal society) can fit well into a radical
framing. The change is that instead of focusing on the individual rise
of a small group of people (PCs), this proposed campaign explicitly
looks at how a community or society changes (through the actions of a
small group).<br />
<br />
<b>Community Creation and Interaction</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/113405/Beyond-the-Wall-and-Other-Adventures">Beyond the Wall </a>features group creation of the party's starting-hub town, and ties the player characters together with each other <i>and</i> the shared NPCs they've created. (See also the communal creation of <a href="https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/dream-askew">Dream Askew</a>/<a href="https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/dream-apart">Dream Apart</a>, which focus even more tightly on communal setting as play center.) I don't know that group setting creation is a necessary part of this framing, but it can help to provide players with a strong connection to the community they are a part of, combating the detachment with which PCs can sometimes view their surroundings.<br />
<br />
<b>"You Know Nothing, Jon Snow"</b><br />
<br />
Obligatory pop culture references aside, I recognize that this is a game system that's discussing social resistance and community building: areas which are pretty important at the moment, and areas which which I don't have a full grounding in. While I'm slowly learning more on these topics, I also recognize that I have LOTS of blind spots regarding these areas. If I've said something boneheaaded here, please do let me know. <b> </b> <br />
<ul></ul>
* Also check out Mabel's new <a href="https://twitter.com/MaybeItsMabel/status/1115616067441786880">music video</a>!<br />
<br />
<b>Bibliography:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Leftist Design and Community Interaction </i><br />
<ul>
<li>Alder, Avery and Benjamin Rosenbaum. <a href="https://gumroad.com/l/tPWN"><i>Dream Askew/Dream Apart</i></a>. Buried Without Ceremony, 2018. </li>
<li>Cocking, John and Peter Williams. <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/113405/Beyond-the-Wall-and-Other-Adventures"><i>Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures</i></a>. Flatland Games, 2014.</li>
<li>Dray, Adam. "<a href="https://cityofbrass.obsidianportal.com/">City of Brass: A West Marxist Campaign.</a>" Obsidian Portal, 2017.</li>
<li>Karlman, Judd. "<a href="https://githyankidiaspora.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/make-your-own-new-crobuzon/">Make Your Own New Crobuzon.</a>" The Githyanki Diaspora, 2009.</li>
<li>Kutalik, Chris. <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/10/occupy-greyhawk.html">"Occupy Greyhawk.</a>" Hill Cantons, 2011. </li>
<li>Kutalik, Chris and Robert Parker. <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151165/FeverDreaming-Marlinko">Fever-Dreaming Marlinko</a>.</i> Hydra Cooperative, 2015, p. 52-53 (Hireling Reputation Chart), 59 (Wobbly Giant)</li>
<li>Maliszewski, James. "<a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/10/picaro-and-story-of-d.html">Picaro and the 'Story' of D+D.</a>" Grognardia, 2008. </li>
<li>Parker, Robert. "<a href="http://roguesandreavers.blogspot.com/2012/02/ginger-star-by-leigh-brackett-pt-2.html">The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett, Pt. 2: Class, Civilization, and Rugged Individualism in Hardboiled Gaming.</a>" Rogues and Reavers, 2012.</li>
<li>TheLoneAmigo. "<a href="http://rocketpropelledgame.blogspot.com/2012/06/marx-monsters-radical-leftist-fantasy.html">Marx + Monsters: A Radical Leftist Fantasy Sandbox.</a>" Rocket-Propelled Game, 2012. </li>
<li>Winniger, Ray. "Underground." Mayfair Games, 1993. </li>
</ul>
<i>Alternative Experience Takes</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Allen, Emmy. "<a href="http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2019/04/decoupling-xp-and-treasure.html">Decoupling XP and Treasure</a>." Cavegirl's Game Stuff, 2019.</li>
<li>Kutalik, Chris. "<a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/06/pendragon-d-matrix-method.html">Pendragon D+D: The Matrix Method.</a>" Hill Cantons, 2011. </li>
<li>L, Gus. "<a href="http://dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com/2017/12/gold-for-experience-in-5th-edition-d.html">Gold for Experience in 5th Edition D+D.</a>" Dungeon of Signs, 2017.</li>
<li>Rients, Jeff. "<a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2009/12/exploration.html">eXPloration</a>." Jeff's Gameblog, 2009.</li>
</ul>
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Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-89504034285849656902019-03-12T01:53:00.001-04:002021-09-28T20:38:03.381-04:00Hymn to the Bow: the Hunters<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://66.media.tumblr.com/81c4f8fbc55337f03bb91c79863338f5/tumblr_mukp8ojZUZ1ssmm02o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/81c4f8fbc55337f03bb91c79863338f5/tumblr_mukp8ojZUZ1ssmm02o1_500.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Portrait de Jeune Noir avec Arc” <br />
Hyacinthe Rigaud. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/Khepera_RPG">Jerry Grayson</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/druggeddwarf?lang=en">Lloyd Gyan</a> for their input and guidance.</i> <br />
<br />
Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze! The Two-who-are-One, the Hunters Without Peer! Some say that they are eternal rivals, vying for greater success in the hunt. Some say that they are twins, or parent and child. Some that they are lovers, forever together. Many in Manden hold that they are the left and right hands of the Path to Justice, the Orisha Oshossi. Many in Sukiyya believe that the Two-who-are-One were once human before they crossed over into the world of the jinn. But who can know the truth of that otherworld?<br />
<br />
They are certainly <i>not </i>a god, despite the rumors that are sometimes spread. If they were a god, would the princes of Manden be required to swear to the Two-in-One before their ascension to the throne? It would be <i>unthinkable </i>for peers of the Caliphate to forsake Ar-Rahman. <br />
<br />
So. Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze are manifestly not gods. <br />
<br />
But all agree that they are mighty spirits, the lords of brush and forest. They are the Hunters, knowers of the paths and the way. They see what is to come, and move towards the future and the past as they track their prey.<br />
<br />
Chief among the <i>simbon</i>, those who are favored in the eyes of Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze, are the princes of Manden. But any who desire the favor of Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze may swear to their service, should they be willing to abide by the Code of the Hunter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<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/AVvXsEhOz6-i0KeMUnwY23bw_qYk8dACS5tlfO0ZIY9NAhveu9G7nuslFDunouyAUyoIi4L0B-L2sbfguKHaT4BlKrxTpaen5V2py80EFaFrT-4ewjoCJQj1itxi6QwGUf2NVZreacdk_RNPPF6z/s1600/37898fb9c782a26ca6fdd1aec67df88f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOz6-i0KeMUnwY23bw_qYk8dACS5tlfO0ZIY9NAhveu9G7nuslFDunouyAUyoIi4L0B-L2sbfguKHaT4BlKrxTpaen5V2py80EFaFrT-4ewjoCJQj1itxi6QwGUf2NVZreacdk_RNPPF6z/s400/37898fb9c782a26ca6fdd1aec67df88f.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hunters of Mali" - Philippe Bordas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><u>Membership Requirements</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>An applicant who has proven their worth as a hunter may seek the blessing of Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze. They must find a <i>simbon</i>, a Master Hunter, who is willing to sponsor them in the ranks of the <i>donso</i>, and then they must hunt and defeat an animal or beast that plagues a community. This hunt is a spiritual trial for the applicant, that will test not only their skills as a hunter, but their connection to the wilderness and their willingness to serve Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze. <br />
<br />
Once they have returned victorious, the <i>simbon </i>will ask them three questions:<br />
<br />
"Will you learn to obey Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze before your own father and mother?"<br />
"Will you learn that honor is never slavery, and give your honor and your submission to the <i>simbon</i>?"<br />
"Will you learn that kola nuts are good, tobacco is good, honey is sweet - and give them over to your master?"<br />
<br />
Once they have agreed, they are of the <i>donso</i>. The new initiates must obey the code of their brotherhood and annually fulfill its requirements, or be the sworn enemy of all other <i>donso</i>. <br />
<br />
<i>Trappings</i><br />
<br />
<i>Donso </i>wear skin-tight leggings and bear cowrie shells upon their cloak or blouse as the marks of a hunter. <i>Simbons</i> of great prowess likely carry a pouch of goatskin, the <i>sassa</i>, filled with sand and cowries for use in divination. They favor the spear, the bow, and the rifle. <i>Simbons</i> are likely to bear a hunter's whistle, to signal with others of the band. <br />
<br />
<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/AVvXsEippCw2SQe3Pt3vs4mKuYUECISMsu8_qGQ2IAYFHeB9h5IwSxIfAniidvHoGmff6g3hyj33LhnOc1dSAnV6jaauGFXJ067QPqVPEkr5Ba4LmFV4-vFQmle5TDO816NIM6_VGLvEDWP_UqYV/s1600/111101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippCw2SQe3Pt3vs4mKuYUECISMsu8_qGQ2IAYFHeB9h5IwSxIfAniidvHoGmff6g3hyj33LhnOc1dSAnV6jaauGFXJ067QPqVPEkr5Ba4LmFV4-vFQmle5TDO816NIM6_VGLvEDWP_UqYV/s320/111101.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunter's shirt. Mali.<br />
Date unknown. <a href="https://collections.artsmia.org/art/111101/hunters-shirt-mali">Minneapolis Institute of Art</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>Mechanics</b></u><br />
<br />
<i>Prerequisites</i><br />
A character seeking to become a <i>donso </i>must have a ranged attack bonus of +5 or greater without any magic assistance - only a combination of their base attack and any Dexterity modifications. They must gain the sponsorship of a <i>simbon </i>who will continue to sponsor and bear responsibility for their candidates.<br />
<br />
<i>Initiation</i><br />
<br />
After becoming a <i>donso</i> a character continues to level normally, but gains the following benefits in addition to their standard gained abilities at a given level (see below).<br />
<br />
<i>Benefits</i><br />
<br />
A <i>donso</i> character gains the benefits of the skills listed below when they achieve the level in question. No additional XP is required; however a <i>donso </i>must always adhere to the requirements listed below, or else the favor of Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze is withdrawn. <i> </i><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Peerless Trackers</i>: Improve base hunting skill by 1-in-6, 3 points, or 15% depending on your game system of choice (1st)<br /><i></i></li>
<li><i>Herbs of the Healer:</i> 25 + (level * 3)% chance in wilderness to find herbs that can grant a second saving throw vs poison (1st)<u> </u></li>
<li><i>Future Paths:</i> may cast<i> augury</i> 3x/week (2nd). </li>
<li><i>Tongues of Jinn</i>: may converse normally with jinn of brush and forest; has 10x level chance to invoke a jinn of brush or forest and converse or bargain, 1x/month (4th)</li>
<li><i>Simbon</i>: Master hunter, may sponsor another applicant into the <i>donso</i> (6th)</li>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMablnzh9OCwddEVJcioy2J3cYvx31Ns9V-ae_4hXdeOGHk2SiE0vCw7UYCDxQKbrucdJtzuP2nE6iiewc0iXk3_7nzINBdl1y1XYar8tE2b20BKRTxLZaNSxobbNcqiWNlAkDYEM0Vzq/s1600/chasseurs21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="650" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMablnzh9OCwddEVJcioy2J3cYvx31Ns9V-ae_4hXdeOGHk2SiE0vCw7UYCDxQKbrucdJtzuP2nE6iiewc0iXk3_7nzINBdl1y1XYar8tE2b20BKRTxLZaNSxobbNcqiWNlAkDYEM0Vzq/s400/chasseurs21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hunters of Mali" - Philippe Bordas, <a href="http://expo-photo.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/11/02/les-chevaliers-des-temps-modernes-sont-a-bamako/">Le Monde</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li><i>Window to the World of Jinn: </i>May cast <i>commune</i> 1x/month (9th)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Requirements</i><br />
A <i>donso </i>must always obey their oaths to their <i>simbon </i>regarding the three questions.<br />
<br />
1. Even the rulers of Manden swear to obey Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze (and their servant the <i>simbon</i>) above their own fathers, giving the royal court of Manden an unexpected dual loyalty. However, each ruler is sponsored by a different <i>simbon</i>, ensuring that no one person continues to dominate the course of the nation.<br />
<br />
2. Along with the duties of respect and obedience to the <i>simbon</i>, <i>donso </i>are expected to oppose slavery at every turn, rooting it out when encountered. Where open confrontation is not viable, <i>donso </i>may take the time to operate in a clandestine manner, but they may never abandon a slave to their fate.<br />
<br />
3. Each year, a <i>donso</i> must present their <i>simbon </i>with their level x 1000 dinars worth of trade goods (tobacco, kola nuts, etc.). This does not have to be all at once, but can be presented to the <i>simbon </i>over the course of the year.<br />
<br />
In return, a <i>simbon </i>must prepare the medicines and powders for their students to ensure that the creatures they hunt do not continue to haunt them. <i>Donso</i> take a risk when they hunt. The greater power and role that their quarry plays in the cosmos, the greater the danger is that its wraith will stalk the <i>donso</i> that harmed it -- unless the <i>simbon</i> provides guidance and protection.<br />
<br />
<i>Simbon </i>speak each season with the jinn of brush and forest to ensure that they are satisfied, and to confirm that their students have followed their oaths - to guide them if they falter, and to punish them if they fail. They must teach their students the ways to talk with jinn. They must ensure that all those who hunt in their lands (<i>donso </i>or not) obey the traditions of the hunt. They must ensure that no prince or emir or caliph or chief encroaches upon the bounds of the <i>donso</i>, or answer to Chill-of-Death and Unflinching-Gaze at their peril<i>.</i><br />
<br />
<b><u>Cultural Note</u></b><br />
<br />
This entry derives <b>strongly </b>from the hunters of Kondolon ni Sané as related by Djibril Niane. Niane's work (as he directly acknowledges) came from speaking with the griot Mamadou Kouyaté of Guinea. The Epic of Sundiata is an oral tradition, and cannot fully be conveyed through the written word. Similarly, as you can see from the Guillot article linked below (and the Bordas photographs used for illustration here) the brotherhood of hunters continues to exist in Mali. The abilities I have referenced in this post reflect those mentioned in the Epic of Sundiata, and do not touch upon any other abilities or secret traditions that the hunters may have. <br />
<br />
I have no connection to the Mandingo people beyond those shared from a common Islamic religious and cultural tradition. I believe that Mamadou Kouyaté's work through Niane is a valid subject for interpretation in game material because of the intended public-facing nature of the work that Niane relates, and additional discussion in the preface. <br />
<br />
Bibliography:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Ferrarini, Lorenzo. "<a href="https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/33717753/FULL_TEXT.PDF">Ways of Knowing <i>Donsoya</i>: Environment, Embodiment, and Perception Among the Hunters of Burkina Faso.</a>" University of Manchester, 2014.</li>
<li>Guillot, Claire. "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/nov/29/mali-photos-paris-phillipe-bordas">Face to face with the descendants of the elite force of the Mali empire.</a>" The Guardian, 2011.</li>
<li>Kutalik, Chris. "<a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2015/09/hero-cults-of-hill-cantons.html">Hero-Cults of the Hill Cantons.</a>" <i>Hill Cantons</i>, 2015. </li>
<li>Neocosmos, Michael (trans). <a href="http://readingfanon.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-mande-charter-of-1222.html">The Mande Charter</a><a href="http://readingfanon.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-mande-charter-of-1222.html"> of 1222</a>. The Frantz Fanon Blog, 2014.</li>
<li>Niane, D.T. and Mamadou Kouyaté. <i>Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali</i>. Longman African Writers, 1965.</li>
<li>Pastores, Anthony. "<a href="http://straitsofanian.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-world-is-as-sharp-as-knife.html">The world is as sharp as a knife.</a>" <i>Straits of Anián</i>, 2014.</li>
<li>Pastores, Anthony. "<a href="http://straitsofanian.blogspot.com/2013/05/they-growl.html">They growl.</a>" <i>Straits of Anián</i>, 2014.</li>
<li>Pastores, Anthony. "<a href="http://straitsofanian.blogspot.com/2014/10/we-are-eaten-forever.html">We are eaten forever.</a>" <i>Straits of Anián</i>, 2014.</li>
<li>Zavyalova, O. Yu. and E.L. Nikiforova. <i><a href="https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/the-legend-about-kondolon">The Legend About Kondolon</a></i>. Vestnik SPbSU. Asian and African Studies, 2017, vol. 9, issue 2, pp. 220-229.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-59894602336248595962018-11-16T20:08:00.003-05:002021-09-28T20:24:09.637-04:00Dungeons + Dominion II: The Domain GameFirstly: a salute to Evlyn M, an artist who was formerly a vibrant part of the online OSR community, but who has since withdrawn as a result of toxicity in the scene. Evlyn does some absolutely charming work, and we are made <i>much </i>poorer by her departure. <br />
<br />
Secondly: a shoutout to Stuart Robertson, creator of the ubiquitous "OSR" logo, on <a href="https://robertsongames.com/osr-logo-moral-rights-and-hate-speech/">taking a stand</a> re: the usage (and misuse) of the logo. I haven't spoken out as forthrightly about misuses of community position and power in our community as I should have, and I'm glad that I've got another good example here to try and live up to. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * </div>
<br />
This post<b> </b>was inspired by a query on the /rpg subreddit, where <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/9ro55k/use_3rd_party_game_for_kingdom_building_campaign/">someone asked for a simple way to generate a domain setup for his kids' game</a>, and asked if it were possible to use the cardbuilder <a href="http://riograndegames.com/Game/278-Dominion">Dominion </a>as a framework.<br />
<br />
I've written about <a href="http://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2011/03/dungeons-and-dominion-or-campaign.html">using Dominion as a setting generation element before</a>, but I think that this new query is a way to set up an evolving domain framework without <i>too</i> much back-end work. It's pretty abstracted, but if you had to do something in a pinch I think this could work. <br />
<b></b><br />
This post assumes a decent knowledge of the mechanics behind Dominion. If you're unfamiliar, it might read a bit gobbledygook to you (you can check out the rules from RGG <a href="http://riograndegames.com/getFile.php?id=348">here</a>)<br />
<b></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://dominionstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/tactician.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://dominionstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/tactician.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin Hoffman, <i>Dominion</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Setup</b> <br />
<br />
Play a 3- or 4-player game of Dominion. At the end, pick one of the decks to determine what resources the players' domain has - victory point cards mean territory, treasures mean fiscal resources on hand, and action cards mean buildings or resources within the fiefdom.<br />
<br />
Feel free to abstract meanings from the cards present - having a Golem in the deck might mean that the domain has a construct or warforged present...or, drawing upon the the original Golem of Prague story, it might mean that the polity has a strong and unflagging defender.<br />
<br />
<b>Gameplay</b> <br />
<br />
Each month (or other 'domain turn'), the domain can expend resources to take on new projects and keep growing and improving. The victory point cards present at the end of the setup phase serve to increase the number of potential improvements and projects that a domain can seek to take on as a card draw from the randomizer deck for the next month - the players can choose what they want the fiefdom to try and construct/purchase (adding to the deck). They'll have to keep gathering gold and resources to get what they need for the fiefdom, though (unrelated to the money cards acquired in playing the setup game).<br />
<br />
Resources acquired through standard play sessions (treasure, magical artifacts, alliances) wind up being translated into cards for the fiefdom deck. The game text doesn't matter too much - villages don't give you +2 Actions, +1 Card on the domain turn, but just symbolize that there's a village associated with the fiefdom <b>that's significant in some way</b>. You're using the deck to generate opportunities for randomization, NOT playing a game of Dominion anymore.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Example:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After playing an intro game of Dominion with three AI players, I win. My deck contains: 8 Estates, 4 Duchies, and 3 Provinces (Victory cards), 1 Cellar, 1 Village, 1 Remodel, 3 Markets, and 2 Mines (Action Cards).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://dominionstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://dominionstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/market.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthias Catrein, <i>Dominion</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Translating the Action cards into domain resources: well, the two mines are simple, as is the village. 3 Markets suggest strong mercantile connections (as would make sense with two extant mines). The tricky ones are Cellar and Remodel, which have no easy direct analog. I might render Cellar as a series of storage vaults untouched through the various ages by the previous domain-holders (strange new swag for the PCs?), and Remodel as the presence of a new builder who's able to start new construction projects right away. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now I need to translate the Estates, Duchies, and Provinces into draws from the randomizer. Each Estate is worth a quarter of a card (round down), each Duchy is worth half a card, and each Province is worth a card. This gives us 7 randomly selected cards that the domain will be able to choose its next upgrade from.<br />
<br />
The draw is: Shanty Town, Bridge, Mining Village, Spy, Masquerade, Caravan, and Laboratory. <br />
<br />
Mining Village suggests that there's been expansion around the mines and they're going to be more productive; Shanty Town suggests that the largest settlement in the domain has expanded, Bridge suggests that roads and infrastructure are developed further. Spy would suggest either the creation of an espionage network, or just developing information on one of your neighbors. Masquerade might be hosting a major social event, Caravan a greater focus on inter-domain trading, and Laboratory the creation of a wizard's or alchemist's sanctum.<br />
<br />
Some might (reasonably) suggest that the things listed are all things that a domain should be able to do <i>anyway</i> - why should mercantile expansion be limited by drawing a single card? Well, if you're looking for a very light overhead system, then that's just the random event that's available to you. If you want something that allows for a bit more player agency in the domain turns, then make these random events a bit more powerful -- the caravans here might be higher payoff, or reaching out to farther destinations, or the like. </div>
Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-27703119236749403392018-10-17T15:42:00.001-04:002021-09-28T20:24:15.791-04:00Legacy of the Bieth Appendix N (Revisited)James Introcaso, over at Worldbuilder Blog, released his own <a href="https://worldbuilderblog.me/2018/02/01/a-millennials-appendix-n/">Appendix N</a> a while back, and asked folks to contribute theirs.<br />
<br />
Attentive readers will recall that I've written one, but that was <a href="http://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2013/08/appendix-n-and-inspiration-legacy-of.html">five years ago</a>. So here's a revised and expanded listing for Legacy of the Bieth's Appendix N.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihT8_denWq7nCEqFeQ4l0FkBTajzgEty4gr4z0h5NLSIwUUhkYPra7Pywr6sJHgCSljcZf-ch-1-ifbHmBeqnsjYCTwAjb7zIRz_FnUnFG4bMHhVghzuCpAiew-wq2rGNn6jR7F6xaDHsy/s1600/Antar_01-pr_1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihT8_denWq7nCEqFeQ4l0FkBTajzgEty4gr4z0h5NLSIwUUhkYPra7Pywr6sJHgCSljcZf-ch-1-ifbHmBeqnsjYCTwAjb7zIRz_FnUnFG4bMHhVghzuCpAiew-wq2rGNn6jR7F6xaDHsy/s320/Antar_01-pr_1-1.jpg" width="208" /></a><b>Primary Sources</b><br />
The Book of Contemplation, Usama ibn Munqidh<br />
The Muqaddimah, Ibn Khaldun<br />
The Rihla, Ibn Battuta<br />
<br />
<b>Epics and Folktales</b><br />
The Romance of Antar, Anonymous<br />
The Hamzanama, Anonymous<br />
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (trans. D.T. Niane and G.D. Pickett)<br />
Saharan Myth and Saga, H.T. Norris<br />
<br />
<i>I'm still making my way through most of these. Sundiata is </i>amazing<i> and absolutely fertile ground for RPG material. It's not just the main story of a denied prince liberating his home from an usurping sorceror-king, but also the little details like the far-seeing hunters (who provide another reason for the AD&D ranger to have all those divination spells...) I haven't had a chance to read Nneti Okorafor and Eric Battle's comic adaptation of Antar yet, but that's likely going to go up here also. </i> <br />
<br />
<b>Nonfiction</b><br />
10,000 Ways to Die, Alex Cox<br />
Night and Horses and the Desert, Robert Irwin<br />
Timbuktu: The Sahara's Fabled City of Gold, Marq du Villiers and Sheila Hirtle<br />
When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World, Hugh Kennedy<br />
Cairo: The City Victorious, Max Rodenbeck<br />
Making Big Money in 1600: The Life and Times of Isma'il Abu Taqiyya, Egyptian Merchant, Nelly Hanna <br />
The Tunnels of Cu Chi, Tom Mangold and Joe Penycale<br />
Codes of the Underworld, Diego Gambetta <br />
<br />
<i>Most of the sources here deal with Egypt and/or Islamic medieval culture, but there are a few ringers. 10,000 Ways to Die (freely available <a href="http://www.alexcox.com/freestuff/10000_WAYS_TO_DIE.pdf">here</a>) was hugely influential for thinking about the tone of spaghetti westerns, and what makes them work on a thematic level. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Fiction</b><br />
Chronicles of Sword and Sand, Howard Andrew Jones<br />
Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed<br />
Roadside Picnic, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky<br />
Annihilation, Jeff van der Meer <br />
The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson (particularly Deadhouse Gates and The Bonehunters)<br />
Yendi, Steven Brust <br />
"Zothique" stories, Clark Ashton Smith (also see generally)<br />
"Outremer" stories, Robert Howard (also see generally)<br />
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John Le Carre<br />
City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty<br />
Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, Barry Hughart <br />
"Black God's Kiss," CL Moore<br />
<br />
<i>The fiction section is one of the areas where I want to cast a wider net. One of my concerns with my inspirational material is that it's not drawing on enough North African material. The other is that it's drawing on too much of a Western lens. So, more work to be done. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Film</b><br />
The Dollars Trilogy, Sergio Leone<br />
Black Panther, Ryan Coogler<br />
The Mummy (1999), Stephen Sommers<br />
Indiana Jones Trilogy, Stephen Spielberg<br />
The Proposition, John Hillcoat<br />
The Wild Bunch, Sam Peckinpah <br />
<br />
<i>The movie adaptations of Roadside Picnic and Annihilation would likely make it onto this, but I haven't been able to watch them yet.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Music</b><br />
Blue Oyster Cult (see generally)<br />
Powerslave, Iron Maiden<br />
Ennio Morricone<br />
Federale <br />
<br />
<i>Blue Oyster Cult winds up providing a lot of the inspiration and underpinning for some of the weirder cosmological elements present. </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXUfgMnvtn1w1m08KJCnFo_jNQwG47EV5rA52Kl5F7kEIbVAB57RSAJAuz30poGE2kyNS-EPbq0XDfck6pFNquABpCrs7xopg2H5cE71octxQ0F0xlHJcrNkxGCF7JuknUx3UrKg_dCp_/s1600/boc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXUfgMnvtn1w1m08KJCnFo_jNQwG47EV5rA52Kl5F7kEIbVAB57RSAJAuz30poGE2kyNS-EPbq0XDfck6pFNquABpCrs7xopg2H5cE71octxQ0F0xlHJcrNkxGCF7JuknUx3UrKg_dCp_/s320/boc1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Computer Games</b><br />
S.T.A.L.K.E.R., GSG Game World<br />
Mount + Blade Warband, Paradox<br />
Age of Empires II, Microsoft <br />
<br />
<b>Artists</b><br />
Zdzisław Beksiński<br />
Remedios VaroAllandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-88996704141797698322018-09-27T10:00:00.000-04:002021-09-28T20:24:25.328-04:00Landsknecht Link Roundup, Aug/Sept<br />
I did one of these in late July - seems overdue for another roundup. Here's a curated list of "Some Stuff I Thought Was Cool," and discussing what I liked/found interesting about them. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtH-vuGA4XaS1AEwvcE_usxXTzpBmGwhtnYVhHYnJohNCp9FwXslOwuswP2Ad-5wm7UUy0nX_JSPZO4uGJX2AGpG_mIGnw3gGwrpgwXzEa6TGJyGho5N7Oz4NJKNsbSJPZgEGOmRyITko/s1600/tumblr_nbbxupvrNh1s2hm1zo1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtH-vuGA4XaS1AEwvcE_usxXTzpBmGwhtnYVhHYnJohNCp9FwXslOwuswP2Ad-5wm7UUy0nX_JSPZO4uGJX2AGpG_mIGnw3gGwrpgwXzEa6TGJyGho5N7Oz4NJKNsbSJPZgEGOmRyITko/s320/tumblr_nbbxupvrNh1s2hm1zo1_1280.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ba Chim Seal of Approval!<br /><br />(art by <a href="https://dreadbeasts.tumblr.com/">Dreadbeasts</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Hydra buddy Trey Causey continues to be a freakin' <i>machine</i> over at From the Sorcerer's Skull. I particularly liked his thoughts on how <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/09/adventure-time-and-campaign-construction.html">Adventure Time's setting design can inform campaign construction</a>, and his thoughts for using <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/233145/Operation-Unfathomable">Operation Unfathomable</a> as the core <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/09/atomic-age-operation-unfathomable.html">for a '50s monster movie </a>setting.</li>
<li>While you're looking at Trey's blog, check out the <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/09/girlgantua-icons.html">ICONS writeup for Girlgantua</a>, another teaser for the forthcoming <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/07/more-superhero-art-and-table-of-contents.html">Armchair Planet Who's Who</a>. (My favorite bit so far might be the quiet Trek nod in <a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-tempus-fugitives.html">the Tempus Fugitives</a>.)<br /></li>
<li>David Perry released <a href="https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html">Principia Apocrypha</a>, an alternative to the venerable Old School Primer that discusses 'core OSR principles' from an Apocalypse World-influenced standpoint. This one has some <a href="https://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2018/09/old-school-roleplaying-guide-principia.html">charming art by Evlyn M</a>.</li>
<li>Continuing on with core principles, Into the Odd has some thoughts on the trio of <a href="http://www.bastionland.com/2018/09/the-ici-doctrine-information-choice.html">Information, Choice, and Impact </a>in centering player agency in campaign play. <br /></li>
<li>Wizardthiefighter Luka completed the first draft of the Ultraviolet Grasslands recently, and I've started the editing process. Members of Luka's Patreon can check out the <a href="https://www.patreon.com/wizardthieffighter/posts">first draft</a>, and of course there's a <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/241606/The-Ultraviolet-Grasslands--Free-Introduction">free preview available here</a>.<br /> </li>
<li>The Lizard Man Diaries's <a href="http://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2018/07/infinigrad-suburb-details-generator.html">Infinigrad Suburb Generator </a>is a nice set of tables for jumpstarting some weird fantasy neighborhoods. I'm also interested in checking out Jack Shear's treatment of the same idea in the upcoming <a href="http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2018/07/umberwell-introduction-and-overview.html">Umberwell </a>supplement (<a href="http://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2018/08/two-neighborhoods-in-umberwell.html">demoed at DIY & Dragons</a>).<br /></li>
<li>While the Odious Uplands churn towards completion, Jason's fired up The Dungeon Dozen once again. As someone whose campaign fits the bill, I particularly appreciate his investigations into why <a href="http://roll1d12.blogspot.com/2018/09/there-are-no-dragons-in-this-world.html">There Are No Dragons In This World</a>.<br /></li>
<li>Rey & Grey continue to chug away at Break!! - here's some exciting <a href="http://breakrpg.blogspot.com/2018/09/trouble-in-sprocket-gamemasters.html">art from the intro adventure</a>, Trouble in Sprocket. I've played through Sprocket, but didn't interact with large parts of the adventure (including some of the groups seen here) and now I want to play through that again. <br /></li>
<li>Emmy Allen wrote <a href="https://www.wargamevault.com/product/249660/The-Dolorous-Stroke">Dolorous Stroke</a>, an Arthurian myth wargame inspired by GW's Inquisitor. Focus on small objective-based skirmishes with a premium on narrative construction. <a href="https://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/08/i-wrote-wargame-and-you-should-buy-it.html">Very cool stuff.</a> (I'm biased, I suggested the name.)<br /></li>
<li>Evan, at In Places Deep, has <a href="http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2018/08/how-i-make-fantasy-sandbox.html">a guide to sandbox construction </a>up. As someone who often stalls out in the procedural side of setting generation, this sort of framework is extremely handy (and one I'm recommending to other folks interested in sandbox generation). <br /></li>
<li>Against the Wicked City has <a href="https://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2018/09/bringing-down-hammer-part-9-nights-dark.html">just wrapped up </a>a nine-part series looking at the books of WFRP 2e, but my favorite part is his discussion of <a href="https://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2018/09/bringing-down-hammer-part-8-companion.html">Renegade Crowns</a>. This book is one of my favorites, and I'm glad to see it getting a bit of recognition in presaging some of the OSR's fortes. (I think Joseph undersells some of the utility that RC still provides, including a sandbox construction kit of its own, some nice random tables for generating opposing factions, and an excellent Trouble Index system that keeps PCs dashing between internal and external threats to their petty fiefdom.)<br /></li>
<li>Bad Wrong Fun is <a href="http://badwrong.fun/say-hello-to-offworlders-a-rules-light-spacefaring-rpg/">previewing Offworlders</a> (Traveller by way of World of Dungeons). I'm not 100% sold on WoD, but I appreciate the rules-minimalist approach and am curious to see where Offworlders takes that fusion. Alas, no rules for PC death in chargen (yet).<br /></li>
<li>Skerples is teasing <a href="https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/09/osr-magical-industrial-revolution.html">Magical-Industrial Revolution</a>. In contrast to the <a href="http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2016/09/osr-aesthetics-of-ruin.html">OSR aesthetics of ruin</a>, MIR is focused on the time <i>just before</i> decay...right before everything goes to hell. I tend to steer away from high magic games and frameworks, but I've been grooving on the <a href="http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/">Revolutions podcast</a> recently, and am extremely interested in seeing game examination of how building social pressures and unexpected catalysts can start things spiralling out of control. <br /></li>
<li>A bit out of timeframe, but I liked Beyond Formalhaut's discussion of <a href="http://beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com/2018/03/blog-aid-not-replacement.html">the purpose of RPG books</a> (creativity aid and supplement). Melan's part of the OSR that I'm not really in touch with (I came in late). At this point I'm not particularly enthused about 'calls to arms,' but I definitely appreciate Melan's urging towards a culture of experiential play. (Not to mention a focus on discussion - which is part of why I'm trying to share these out!)<br /></li>
<li>Give 'Em Lead investigates <a href="https://givemlead.blogspot.com/2018/09/chronicles-instead-of-campaigns.html">solo campaign construction in a wargaming setting </a>- combining WFB matches with event-table solo play to create a campaign narrative focusing on one army (rather than the traditional duelling forces of a narrative campaign, or free-wheeling all vs all multi-player campaigns). </li>
</ul>
So. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JNRo7OipYc">What'd I miss</a>? What posts have had <i>your</i> brains buzzing?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-39678802692503392402018-09-25T13:34:00.000-04:002021-09-28T20:24:28.424-04:00Untapped Matrix Energy?<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/AVvXsEhtgP5SdIhZJBKINdv4cOxggdGQOZw9350YI2L-xdBmGKhnR_7pBTOFwmskkvBsoT4uzo3V27mOO-TGBlCczTDhz9yb9N8K04vNewf71j5pMnam6RSlrSr0cgnIfO4Ox60iDb3BffXq6GRV/s1600/148140-1536669484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgP5SdIhZJBKINdv4cOxggdGQOZw9350YI2L-xdBmGKhnR_7pBTOFwmskkvBsoT4uzo3V27mOO-TGBlCczTDhz9yb9N8K04vNewf71j5pMnam6RSlrSr0cgnIfO4Ox60iDb3BffXq6GRV/s320/148140-1536669484.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"And standing there, facing the pure horrifying precision, I came to
realize the obviousness of the truth. <br />What is the Matrix? Control (of a game through preselected verbs and a fluid resolution mechanic)."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A while back Chris wrote <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/01/meet-matrix.html">about the Engle Matrix game</a> and <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/06/pendragon-d-matrix-method.html">examples for implementing it in RPGs</a>. It's a method for running and adjudicating wargames in a mostly stat-less manner, by allowing players to construct explanations/arguments for what they think ought to happen, and then providing the referee a method by which to adjudicate these while still maintaining uncertainty (<a href="http://www.wargamedevelopments.org/matrix.htm">the original explanation by Engle</a> has more detail, as does Chris's first post).<br />
<br />
The original Engle implementation (and the part giving it the title of Matrix game) involves a pre-selected list of cues ("Anger," "Large Formation," "Love," "Skirmish"). Players select five words from the matrix to construct their arguments ("I will have my troops break into SMALL FORMATIONS and SKIRMISH with the enemy in guerrilla warfare. This will succeed because my troops 1) KNOW THE TERRAIN, 2) and are ANGRY over enemy atrocities, while 3) enemy forces are FATIGUED from overextension.") The referee evaluates how strong an argument is, then rolls to see whether it succeeds or fails. <br />
<br />
We've used matrix games in the Hill Cantons campaign as part of
domain-game level play, during the Feral Shore phase of the campaign. In these instances, though, Chris elided over the word selection component of the matrix game, focusing on having players construct arguments over the group's intentions, assessing their strength, and rolling based on that.<br />
<br />
I see the appeal of this method. It takes away the artificial feeling of selecting words, which I suspect at its worst would start to run into the same trap that bad FATE games do - spurious tagging of aspects to fit into the mechanistic requirements of the system. Obviously the referee's judgment can moderate these tendencies, but it's easy to see how the implementation can spiral downhill.<br />
<br />
<b>And yet.</b><br />
<br />
Something still draws me to the use and implementation of a matrix in resolving situations. The <a href="http://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2018/08/incense-of-integration.html">incense of integration</a> alludes to a magic system I've begun conceptualizing, that requires players to draw analogies between the qualities of a zodiac sign and the magical effects that the player wishes to achieve.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Because I thought the serpent was cunning, like a spy out to be, and the crucible could mean knowledge, what you kind of distill, and the beehive was hard work, like bees are always working hard; so out of the hard work and the cunning comes knowledge, see, and that’s they spy’s job; and I pointed to them and I thought the question in my mind, and the needle stopped at death…D’you think that could be really working, Farder Coram?” -- </i>Phillip Pullman,<i> </i><u>The Golden Compass</u>, displaying the intuitively engaging feel of magical analogies</blockquote>
<br />
Beyond magic systems, I think there's fallow ground in playing with the list of words that compose the matrix and adapting it for targeted use in other situations away from the geopolitical. Adjusting these might provide the tools for a sweet spot in mechanical implementation of social interactions, between the unsatisfying "social combat" and the extremely broad "free RP." <br />
<br />
Have any of you used matrix games (or similar tools) in your campaigns? Any thoughts for how to best employ them? Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-22458729825457915962018-08-03T01:16:00.003-04:002021-09-28T20:24:32.862-04:00Incense of Integration<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/AVvXsEjxwsDMU2S5JFo-nExqtgKOKzFWp9Za_rFNV-4V-b7wqmvEr_H3emSpUd_QXB6Tnd4-kW6_vuUg4wL8R-yvB7Uz0cMmuYks-6bUPuzI8mIlkJpM5BGglnUlh-wa7lOPIIqj3-2MkRM16G6m/s1600/IMG_20180325_114758470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwsDMU2S5JFo-nExqtgKOKzFWp9Za_rFNV-4V-b7wqmvEr_H3emSpUd_QXB6Tnd4-kW6_vuUg4wL8R-yvB7Uz0cMmuYks-6bUPuzI8mIlkJpM5BGglnUlh-wa7lOPIIqj3-2MkRM16G6m/s320/IMG_20180325_114758470.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feline Incense Burner - Louvre<br />Khorasan or Central Asia, 11th Century<br /></td></tr>
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<i>A talisman is a spirit within a body...it is domination because its essence is coercion and control. It functions according to the purpose it was composed for: overpowering and coercing, by using numerical ratios and placing astrological secrets in certain bodies at certain times and by using incenses that are powerful and capable of bringing out the spirit of that talisman.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="https://www.magia-metachemica.net/uploads/1/0/6/2/10624795/ghayat_al_hakim_book_1.pdf">-- Anon., <i>The Goal of the Wise</i> (Picatrix), Trans. Hashem Atallah</a>, Ouroboros Press, 2007<br />
<br />
Talismanic magic, the domain of the most talented astrologers <i>[and a likely new magic system to be detailed later -- Ed.]</i> is a form of sympathetic magic. It requires that the magus establish arcane similarities between a configuration of <a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-dragon-of-void.html">the celestial spheres </a>and an earthly vessel (a talisman), then use incense as a conduit for a <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2012/05/late-vancian-magic-d-and-stormbringer.html">minor jinn</a>* to manifest and inhabit the talisman. Once the jinn has entered the talisman, the device becomes "charged" and will begin to enact its work.<br />
<br />
Selection of the incense is therefore crucial. The right blend of ingredients to tie together the earthly requirements to align the talisman with its task, and the conditions of the talisman with the stars it seeks to emulate, is a delicate balance. An error in selection is therefore the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.<br />
<br />
Some of the foremost astronomers have developed <i>incense of integration</i>, a particular blend of ingredients which helps evoke the heavens and assists in aligning the physical construct of the talisman with the desired celestial configuration.<br />
<br />
<b>Mechanics:</b><br />
<br />
Selection of the proper incense ingredients is made by rolling against the mage's Int on 4d6. The GM should provide bonuses if the player can present items which can establish a connection of sympathetic magic (hairs off the bandit's beard, resin from the Caliph's garden, etc.) and are present in sufficient quantities to make some incense.<br />
<br />
Using <i>incense of integration </i>in the proposed blend allows the magus to reroll a failed Int check in incense selection. If, however, this second check is failed, there is a 2-in-6 chance that the talisman will operate in reverse.<br />
<br />
*The term is...imprecise; this is as much a jinn as a Firanj "kobold" is a human.<br />
<br />
This is my second entry in Dan D's #DIY30 Challenge.<br />
<br />
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Source: The Goal of the Wise (Picatrix), Trans. Hashem Atallah, Ouroboros Press, 2007Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-76868076144132155152018-08-02T10:30:00.000-04:002021-09-28T20:27:40.821-04:00Ghuleh, Ghuleh<i>Putrefaction</i><br />
<i>A scent that cursed be<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WAE3ToMP-sWFZ1b423QO7nZgDyJd41NBw3XfibkRNwQjX1PGekV6r57H7h5tX5a5d0V2WPMMNesJReDU6isrAAS_ymlFen2Ubw3ek8m8SPqD2ve57FvrRdsME2nD-ZaO3GHsQx1rsuLU/s1600/stufftoblowyourmind-23-2014-05-thedescentcrawler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="907" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WAE3ToMP-sWFZ1b423QO7nZgDyJd41NBw3XfibkRNwQjX1PGekV6r57H7h5tX5a5d0V2WPMMNesJReDU6isrAAS_ymlFen2Ubw3ek8m8SPqD2ve57FvrRdsME2nD-ZaO3GHsQx1rsuLU/s320/stufftoblowyourmind-23-2014-05-thedescentcrawler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crawler from <i>The Descent</i> (2005)</td></tr>
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</i><br />
<i>Under cold dark dust</i><br />
<i>From the darkness</i><br />
<i>Rise a succubus</i><br />
<i>From the earthen rust</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
- Ghost, "Ghuleh / Zombie Queen"<br />
<br />
<b>Ghul</b><br />
No. Enc.: 1d8 (1d6x10)<br />
Movement: 120' (40')<br />
Armor Class: 6 (hide)<br />
Hit Dice: 2+2, or 6 (<i>rais</i>)<br />
Attacks: 1<br />
Damage: 1d8 (claws) or weapon<br />
Save: F3, F6 (<i>rais</i>)<br />
Morale: 9, 11 (<i>rais</i>)<br />
Exp: 58, 820 (<i>rais</i>)<br />
<br />
Hoard Class: IV (individual), XIV (group)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b>Hideous Regeneration:</b></i> The <i>first </i>wound a ghul suffers in a combat will cause the ghul to take an additional 1 hp damage each round. However, if the the ghul is struck again, its jinn heritage will begin healing all of its wounds with diabolical speed; it will regenerate 1d10 hp per round for the rest of the day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Rad-touched: </i>Ghuls are immune to the effects of anomalies and other features of the Zone. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ghuls are mutants of the jinn - descendants of those trapped in the Zones and twisted by the horrid magicks of the Bieth. Twisted faces (always sporting twisted tusks), never-healing radiation burns, and withered limbs distort their forms. Confined to their warped and twisted physical forms, they are disdained by their jinn brethren, and feared by human city-dweller and nomad alike. Cast out from all society, pushed to the wastelands and ruins, ghuls regularly turn to banditry and slaughter to survive. Given their residence in the ruined and hollowed cities of the Zones, and the inhospitable nature of the wastes, many believe that they subsist on the vast necropolises and the corpses stored within. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Despite their ill reputation, many ghuls dream of leaving their blasted homes and joining the societies they have dimly heard of. Given their immunities to the deleterious effects of the Zone and the perilous anomalies, ghuls will occasionally strike up relationships and even alliances with those striking out into the Zone. However, they are wary and paranoid, and many an alliance has been riven apart through betrayal and fear on both sides. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ghul bands of 20 or more have a 4 in 6 chance of being led by a <i>rais </i>(boss), a 6 HD ghul who can <i>polymorph self</i> (AEC 73) into any humanoid form three times a day. They are known to ride in great bronze chariots drawn by ostriches or eyeless dogs. </div>
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<br />
O who will bear my news to the young men of Fahm<br />
of what I met at Riha Bitan?<br />
Of how I met the ghul swooping down<br />
on the desert bare and flat as a sheet?<br />
I said to her, 'We are both worn with exhaustion,<br />
brothers of travel, so leave my place to me!'<br />
She sprang at me; then my hand raised<br />
against her a polished Yemeni blade.<br />
Then undismayed I struck her: she fell flat<br />
prostrated on her two hands and on her throatlatch.<br />
She said, 'Strike again!' I replied to her, 'Calm down,<br />
mind your place! For I am indeed stouthearted.'<br />
I lay upon her through the night<br />
that in the morning I might see what had come to me.<br />
Behold! Two eyes set in a hideous head,<br />
like the head of a cat, split-tongued,<br />
Legs like a deformed fetus, the back of a dog,<br />
clothes of haircloth or worn-out skins!<br />
<br />
-Ta'abbata Sharran, "How I Met The Ghul" (Irwin 24)<br />
<br />
Notes:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Apparently ghuls eating the dead was an invention of Antoine Galland in his translation of the 1001 Nights (Al-Rawi). There certainly seem to be several tales and instances of MENA folklore where ghuls are shown eating corpses, but those tales postdate Galland's translation. This is honestly part of why I'm making Legacy of the Bieth in the first place - drawing upon MENA folklore and myth that tries to step away from The Arabian Nights (TM) and its dominant presence as the touchstone for "Islamic fantasy." </li>
<li>This is my first entry in <a href="https://plus.google.com/101682089631246978881/posts/7ZTw6nRqNNv">Dan D's #DIY30 challenge</a>. Despite this post running on 8/2, I wrote it the night of 8/1, so it counts dammit. We'll see how long I can keep up.</li>
</ul>
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Sources:<br />
<a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/acfa/e7405746528b9525790f0fbb6e35d584e33f.pdf">The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture</a>, Ahmed Al-Rawi, <i>Cultural Analysis</i>, 8, 45-65.<br />
<i>Night & Horses & The Desert</i>, Robert Irwin<br />
"<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/feminist-folklore/e/54870670">Zerendac</a>," Feminist Folklore<br />
Folklore of the Holy Land, J.E. Hanauer (source <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/flhl/flhl32.htm">here</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-15914588301313256312018-07-26T14:24:00.001-04:002021-09-28T20:27:32.610-04:00Blog Roundup, 7/26Over on G+, there's been some discussion about how the blogosphere is dead and gone -- how the environment that made it fruitful no longer exists to provide a viable discussion zone.<br />
<br />
(For my part, I continue to blame the death of Google Reader, but that's neither here nor there.)<br />
<br />
<br />
So here's my part to try and provide some revitalization - a curated list of some recent posts, plus what I liked or found interesting about them.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2018/07/weird-revisited-in-arcadia.html">From The Sorceror's Skull - Weird Revisited: In Arcadia</a> - Trey is running a few old posts here, which is <i>really good</i> because there are a lot of his older posts that I haven't seen! Trey's post provides a slight taste of the realm and presents discussion as to how you'd integrate it into a game: <br /><br />"<i>Magical practitioners view Arcadia and its neighboring realms as places to salvage materials and items out of myth and legend, and to parley with powers that--though perhaps consciously forgotten--still retain great mythic resonance in Man's unconscious. As with all extraplanar dealings, caution is warranted: These primal beings have agendas of their own.</i>" <br /><br />This touches upon something I'd like to see more of - ways in which a setting's myths and legends can rebound upon and affect the setting as players grapple with them.<br /></li>
<li><a href="https://ynasmidgard.blogspot.com/2018/07/xp-for-exploration-in-hyperborea.html">Ynas Midgard's RPG Blog - XP for Exploration in Hyperborea</a> - this post takes on Jeff's <a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2009/12/exploration.html">eXPloration</a> post and provides a worked example beyond Jeff's original post. The new wrinkle here is the "completionist" aspect, where finding different hidden wonders provides ever-increasing XP benefits. The players may not necessarily know how many of these hidden wonders there are, but discovering each one provides greater and greater rewards. I like this because it speeds up the process of evaluating how much each site is worth, and provides the players with an interesting incentive to go into deep exploration of a given region. <br /></li>
<li><a href="https://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/07/dolorous-stroke-playtests.html">Cavegirl's Game Stuff - Dolorous Stroke - Playtests!</a> - I'm pretty hyped about Emmy's work on Dolorous Stroke (and not just because I suggested the name!). It's taking a look at the design space that Inquisitor delved into, re-fusing RPGs and skirmish games back together. <br /> </li>
<li><a href="http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2018/07/mama-lesedi-gheda-cult-leader-of.html">Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque - Mama Lesidi Gheda, the Cult Leader of Cinderheim</a> - Jack's almost done with the Cinderheim book, and these warlord profiles are good teasers. I wish it were a bit more simulationistic in terms of breaking down a few more of the details (how strong is Mama Gheda in relation to the other warlords?) but it's a great format to construct a punchy, evocative snapshot of a character and their domain.<br /></li>
<li><a href="https://rolltop-indigo.blogspot.com/search/label/RPG%20Lexicon">Rolltop Indigo - Lexicon</a> - Robert recently pointed me towards S John Ross's blog. This series, looking at developing a new set of terminology for talking about RPGs, seems to me to be setting out some useful and handy frameworks. <a href="https://rolltop-indigo.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-invisible-rulebooks.html">Invisible Rulebooks</a>, for example, is a nice and clear discussion of some of the unstated assumptions that go into a gaming group's decisions and game framework.<br /></li>
<li><a href="https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-12th-century-tour-part-7-egypt-north.html">Coins and Scrolls - A 12th Century Tour, Part 7 - Egypt, North Africa, and Home Again</a> - I'm only belatedly coming to Skerples's posts here, but of course I'm going to show up for the MENA post. And look at the entire thing! A pointcrawl of the Mediterranean, with contemporary glimpses into what many / most of those points were seen as. Holy crap. (Oh, and while you're here check out his <a href="https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/07/osr-8-more-island-based-reviews.html">Island-Based Reviews</a>.)<br /> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.paperspencils.com/2018/07/22/questions-to-ask-yourself-after-a-session/">Papers and Pencils - Questions To Ask Yourself After A Session</a> - If you're like me, wrapping up a game session leaves you with both a sudden frenzy of energy and a lack of direction (particularly if all your players are toddling sensibly off to sleep). Beloch's questions here help provide a bit of that direction, and let you tap into that post-game high in order to provide some dynamic directions for the next session.</li>
</ul>
I liked writing this. No promises, but I'd like to continue putting out further roundups. Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-57358165286465850172018-07-05T20:11:00.003-04:002021-09-26T11:46:28.951-04:00Gaming Insurgencies in a Galaxy Far, Far AwaySo. Stuff is <i>awful</i> in the real world. Hell, between the time I started this blog post and the time I'm writing this sentence, things have gotten worse.<br />
<br />
I urge folks reading this to consider donating to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/10107665695491589/">RAICES </a>or the <a href="https://irap.urbanjustice.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=13">International Refugee Assistance Project</a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*******</div>
<br />
Aaron Allston (RIP) had a <a href="https://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=contributor&value=Aaron+Allston">long-running and stellar RPG resume</a>, but I think his most highly regarded work may be the Champions supplement Strike Force. Strike Force was a sourcebook detailing in-depth Allston's home Champions campaign, tips and tricks for GMing a long-running campaign, analysis of how the campaign developed, etc. <a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/07/aaron-allstons-strike-force.html">Jeff took a look at it a while back</a>; it's a great "how-to" for constructing your own supers campaign in the same mode. Allston's example provides guidance for the issues that will likely come up in a supers campaign, and gives the prospective GM a framework and set of tools for being able to deal with them. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/680/137/large/midhat-kapetanovic-face.jpg?1485465734" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="593" height="400" src="https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/004/680/137/large/midhat-kapetanovic-face.jpg?1485465734" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Face Loran" by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/mido/albums/75900">Midhat Kapetanovic</a><br />
(a fan artist whose work Allston enjoyed)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was taking a bus to NYC recently on little sleep, and needed something to keep me awake and upright. So I started flipping through and rereading one of the Wraith Squadron books - Allston's first entries into writing Star Wars fiction. They focus on a ragtag bunch of near-washouts with nevertheless exceptional skills, multiclass commando/pilots tasked with special operations for the New Republic.<br />
<br />
The three initial Wraith Squadron books center on the squadron's operations against Warlord Zsinj, an ex-Imperial warlord with a Super Star Destroyer who's managed to carve out his own personal empire (lowercase 'e' there). The Wraiths wind up staging multiple false-flag and covert operations, masquerading first as Zsinj's own forces, then as independent mercenaries...<br />
<br />
As I was blearily paging through, I had a sudden realization born of equal parts brilliance and sleep deprivation.<br />
<br />
The Wraith Squadron books (and to a lesser degree, their Rogue Squadron predecessors) serve as a great how-to for setting up an insurgency-focused RPG campaign. I don't just mean that they're crackingly fun novels about an insurgency-style conflict (although they are that), or even that they feel akin to the vibe given by the best parts of the WEG Star Wars RPG (although they are that too). The Wraith Squadron books give you a sample set of characters (and showcase their evolution over time), raise a clear set of problems that insurgent cells might face, and provide examples of how to structure a campaign framework that meaningfully combines strategic decisions with engaging roleplay-friendly tactical frameworks (the traditional "adventure session").<br />
<br />
The Wraiths do seem like a traditional PC selection - one part Central Casting (Star Wars), one part goofy off-the-wall character concepts ("A Gamorrean mathematical savant!" "Imperial double agent with artificially induced dissociative identity disorder!"). But the most interesting thing for RPG purposes is the framework that Allston places the Wraiths in.<br />
<br />
There's a bit of throat-clearing in the first Wraith book (character introductions, training montages) but it gets going with a interesting problem that the PCs have to wrestle with: most of their X-wings are disabled in space, and they're pretty sure that a hostile ship is inbound to their location to scoop up the disabled craft. How do you deal with this?<br />
<br />
In short order this turns into a new problem/opportunity - 1) you've captured the hostile ship that was coming for your squadron, and 2) the enemy doesn't know that you've taken it. <i>What do you do?</i> How do you turn this into your advantage, in an open-ended setting with no immediate mission orders beyond "deny the enemy"? (Oh, and 'how do you modify the ship to be cooler,' in swift accordance with the gear fascination that regularly crops up in RPGs.) <br />
<br />
As I've written before, <a href="http://lotbieth.blogspot.com/2017/09/to-battle-in-hell-lmercenaire.html">special operations make for a compelling campaign framework</a>. The Wraiths continually have to deal with resource shortfalls - both personnel (as casualties mount) and starfighters (generally their most effective, but also most irreplaceable, equipment asset). Missions are designed, on both sides, with the objective of gathering factual intelligence, but also an understanding of the motivations and personality dynamics behind the opposition.<br />
<br />
<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://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/bb/OriginalWraiths.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/415?cb=20151007054748" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="415" height="320" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/bb/OriginalWraiths.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/415?cb=20151007054748" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wraith Squadron, by Jeffrey Carlisle<br />
(WotC, Galaxy at War)</td></tr>
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The additional component that the Wraith Squadron books bring is a discussion of sources of power, legitimacy, and the dynamics of control - the <a href="https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=jil">heart of an insurgency discussion</a>. Directly duelling Zsinj is repeatedly shown to be a mug's game - he refuses to give direct battle with his fleet unless he has a clear numerical advantage, and only fights on ground that he has chosen (something most explored in the third Wraith book, Solo Command). Here, Zsinj is in the position of the insurgent against the incumbent New Republic. The NR forces wind up gaming out a few possibilities - how is he maintaining support? What are the crucial components of his empire's infrastructure, and the sources of his legitimacy? <b>Insurgencies are about convincing a population that you are going to be a better source of government than your opposition (however that population ranks 'government').</b> This is the fundamental objective of an insurgency-centric RPG campaign as well (regardless of which side one's on, insurgent or incumbent) - degrading your opposition's capability to govern and exert force, while demonstrating to the populace that you're able to do better on those fronts.<br />
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Chris has written before about the incorporation of a <a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-weird-is-rising-thanks-world-engine.html">Chaos Index into a campaign </a>to present a campaign framework that reacts to player actions. (If curious to see a worked example of a chaos index, check out <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/183439/Misty-Isles-of-the-Eld?src=lotbieth">Misty Isles of the Eld</a>; all of the Hill Cantons products from Hydra have Chaos Indices but Misty Isles is the most directly helpful for today's discussion). As Chris alludes to in his blogpost, the Chaos Index framework has origins in the political track that some wargames incorporate to determine the allegiance of a population. So here, we're bringing the Index back to its roots. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d4/WraithSquadron.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091119165009" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="800" height="183" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d4/WraithSquadron.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091119165009" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wraith Squadron, by Joe Corroney<br />
(WotC, Star Wars Gamer #9)</td></tr>
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If players are taking on the role of an insurgent cell, then it makes sense for the GM to track two variables in particular: the "<b>Heat</b>" that player actions have generated, and the population's <b>inclinations </b>towards one side or the other. (More ambitious GMs might wish to track the population's affiliation towards each side on its own separate track, in order to model disillusioned populaces who can trust neither belligerent, or populaces seeking alternative governance when one side is insufficiently responsive.) As players continue to take action, Heat will continue to rise, and the incumbent will devote more and more resources to countering their actions and reasserting control over the areas that the players are striking at. Notably, Heat will rise with both successful and failed operations - but if the players lie low for too long, the ability to win over the population will begin to diminish. <br />
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On the other hand, if the players are the incumbent, then the inclinations track might be paired with a <b>Public Will</b> or <b>Official Support </b>track; as fighting and conflict continues on, the incumbent's capacity to exert sustained influence begins to wane. So the incumbent has a strong desire to bring things to a head quickly...but the quick way is often the way that decreases legitimacy, and therefore decreases inclination.<br />
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Either way, dealing with an insurgency conflict is a fundamentally <i>political</i> issue, since it hinges so strongly upon gaining the support of the population (or at the very least, preventing their active opposition). It requires interaction and bargaining with with multiple factions, and mandates interaction with various stripes of leaders. This isn't 'just' a wargame, but a framework that combines strategic and tactical objectives with a deeply personal framework that makes it suitable for RPGs. <br />
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Have any of you dabbled with insurgencies in your games? What would you want to ensure is present?<br />
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One final note - as with any campaign framework dealing with war and conflict, an insurgency-centric campaign can go dark places. However, given the very real-world insurgency conflicts that we've seen over the past two decades, those dark places may touch too close to home for folks. Getting player buy-in (and evaluating the areas folks are comfortable delving into) is going to be <i>crucial</i> here. <br />
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Further Reading:<br />
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<a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/X-Wing_(novels)">X-Wing Series</a>, Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston (particularly Stackpole's Wedge's Gamble, Krytos Trap, and Bacta War, and Allston's Wraith Squadron, Iron Fist, and Solo Command)<br />
<a href="https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=jil">Counterinsurgency and the Rule of Law</a> (yup, I'm vain enough to cite my own work here)<br />
<a href="https://warontherocks.com/2016/04/wargaming-in-the-classroom-an-odyssey/">Wargaming in the Classroom: An Odyssey</a>, James Lacey, War on the Rocks<br />
GMT's <a href="https://www.gmtgames.com/c-36-coin-series.aspx#[PageNumber(0)|PageSize(50)|PageSort(Name)|DisplayType(Grid)]">Counterinsurgency Games</a>Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199579917411337233.post-50068397987861766132017-09-09T03:31:00.000-04:002021-09-28T20:27:35.923-04:00To Battle in Hell - L'Mercenaire!<i>A brief plug before the main entry: the <a href="http://hydraco-op.com/">Hydra Cooperative</a> is participating in a <b><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220354/HarveyRelief-BUNDLE">Hurricane Harvey relief bundle</a> </b>on DriveThruRPG, running through 9/12/2017. Pick up over $400 of PDFs for only $25 - and help out the Houston <a href="https://ghcf.org/hurricane-relief/">Harvey Relief Fund</a> and the Coastal Bend <a href="http://www.cbcfoundation.org/">Disaster Recovery Group Fund</a>. Play elfgames AND assist those in need - win-win!</i><br />
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Mercenaries have been a subject of fascination for me for ages. As a kid, I devoured books about the Flying Tigers and other <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/Soldiers-Fortune-Epic-Flight-Seagrave-Sterling/589130652/bd">merc pilot outfits</a>, but also fell in love with Arthur Conan Doyle's <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/903">The White Company</a> and Corwin raising his army of Earth mercs to take Amber. Later, Glen Cook's legendary Black Company books and Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen continue to loom large for me, as do Iain M Banks's Use of Weapons and Drake's Hammer's Slammers.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg406qb07V4BOxOu0N0feH3x0ZkVvo24HdLwM0KbzTOvPS79AJRSzrZK9JE46Onw1i_EQYQO5U_ZH0YWntIzKb_NO5h5RNEh8DxIlqC7fp-IG5Vx1FKYQiU6efRxo2iX3c8779FB-GRln2v/s1600/the-white-company.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="597" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg406qb07V4BOxOu0N0feH3x0ZkVvo24HdLwM0KbzTOvPS79AJRSzrZK9JE46Onw1i_EQYQO5U_ZH0YWntIzKb_NO5h5RNEh8DxIlqC7fp-IG5Vx1FKYQiU6efRxo2iX3c8779FB-GRln2v/s400/the-white-company.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">NC Wyeth's "The White Company"</td></tr>
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Driving back home just now, I listened to a great interview on why <a href="https://soundcloud.com/war_college/erik-princes-terrible-plan-for">Erik Price's plan for Afghanistan </a>is terrible. Price, the founder of Blackwater/Xe/Academi/Constellis, was described by the guests as (among other things) "Gyro Gearloose" and "[a guy who] thinks he's Tony Stark but is really Lex Luthor." Hell of a listen. (See also <a href="http://paultullis.net/Paul_Tullis/Blackwater.html">this 2007 piece</a>, by Paul Tullis and one of the folks on the interview, Robert Young Pelton.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grizzly_APC.jpg#/media/File:Grizzly_APC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grizzly APC.jpg" height="260" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Grizzly_APC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackwater's Grizzly AFV<br />By <a class="new" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Dominguez2&action=edit&redlink=1" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;" title="User:Dominguez2 (page does not exist)">Dominguez2</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> - </span><span class="int-own-work" lang="en" style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Own work</span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;" title="Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19069942" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Link</a></td></tr>
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Prince's outlook, combining a strong religious fervor (and profit-motive driven amorality) with wildly ambitious ideas (both sensible and awful) rang a few bells of recognition in my mind from a gaming perspective. Price certainly fits the mold of a recurring NPC, if not a PC himself. His peripatetic post-Iraq schemes for BlackXeCademi (an abortive attempt to foment a war with Iran, creating an anti-piracy force in Somalia before <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/world/africa/private-army-leaves-troubled-legacy-in-somalia.html?mcubz=1">abandoning his forces in the field</a> to go rogue, creating an oil refinery scheme in South Sudan before being kicked out for trying to skim off the top) sound like the sort of harebrained ideas that, well, a bunch of PCs would come up with. And when I hear about Blackwater creating its own <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/04/11/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-drive-to-build-private-air-force/">COIN planes</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_APC">AFVs</a>, visions of folks geeking out over how to minmax and optimize their own vehicles in GURPS or Traveller flash before my eyes.<br />
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Even while I listened with horror to the Blackwater podcast, a treacherous 13-year-old who lurks in my brain was going "that's <i>so cooooool</i>" at some of the Blackwater shenanigans. To be clear, the cool bits were more the homegrown vehicles and wild antipiracy plans than the civilian massacres, heedless destruction, and disregard for human life. (Those last bits are...kind of not so hot, to say the least).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKKmDSJvfK9RmA02MhdeQo6McbNtBhNWfrf2HPb5V2WvWfk5As5DPyJKdHhzviVLyCEl_6AW06wpJehg3R6N3YxV5dqRipODsuLMDYB9CB-U9nYXxNeuSAOpeANrYAUuYQ4Fbd7-5rbhi/s1600/BATTLETECH-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKKmDSJvfK9RmA02MhdeQo6McbNtBhNWfrf2HPb5V2WvWfk5As5DPyJKdHhzviVLyCEl_6AW06wpJehg3R6N3YxV5dqRipODsuLMDYB9CB-U9nYXxNeuSAOpeANrYAUuYQ4Fbd7-5rbhi/s640/BATTLETECH-13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joel DuQue, for HareBrained Schemes's Battletech</td></tr>
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This train of thought got me wondering why we don't see more discussion of PCs-as-mercenaries in RPGs. While there are certainly several games that do support this (Traveller and Battletech both pop primarily to mind, but also several games from <a href="http://www.waynesbooks.com/MilitaryRoleplayingStockpile.html">this list</a> - interesting to note the strong presence in all three lists of the <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/12/retrospective-legend-of-sky-raiders.html">Keith brothers</a>), I don't know that there's too much support for the mercenary company in <i>fantasy</i> games. Certainly you have games like ACKS that integrate a wargame/economy system into the core rules, but given the presence of computer games like Mount & Blade and Battle Brothers, not to mention all the literary sources I've mentioned above, I'd have expected a bit more support and/or exploration of the idea.<br />
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So. What makes playing a merc campaign interesting? One of the settings I would have expected to cover this in more detail doesn't; Green Ronin's Black Company Campaign Setting fails to engage with what playing through a merc perspective ought to entail, instead treating the issue as simply "fielding a small army." (This isn't intended to slag the BCCS, which is one of like two d20 books that I have actually sought out and really like, but just noting what it doesn't cover.) Even worse is the AD&D 2e "For Gold and Glory," which lists a slew of uninspiring and incoherent Forgotten Realms mercenary groups and their Battlesystem statistics - perhaps expandable with work into something useful, but it would be hard going.<br />
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Instead, a better place to start is something like the Mercenary's Handbook for Battletech. This book (1st ed by J Andrew Keith - see above) lays out a few principles that help clarify what makes a merc campaign interesting:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDGjsW5kqEU11aEigjTXCcQSsuDMCdAWJmXX4N1FmPESeK5zuGKmyCr30WjGnCW-_MRP8xPR0ZGhAd3TzUwvUNquDgCR6hyphenhyphenlfl7bXwSljujYhiaQBQbv5Cdd6dXnbi90Q6y8I6rpvLOmh/s1600/363_Schw%25C3%25A4bischer_Bund_Der_Brandmeister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1303" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDGjsW5kqEU11aEigjTXCcQSsuDMCdAWJmXX4N1FmPESeK5zuGKmyCr30WjGnCW-_MRP8xPR0ZGhAd3TzUwvUNquDgCR6hyphenhyphenlfl7bXwSljujYhiaQBQbv5Cdd6dXnbi90Q6y8I6rpvLOmh/s320/363_Schw%25C3%25A4bischer_Bund_Der_Brandmeister.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niclas Meldeman - "A Landsknecht Brandmeister"</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li> <i>It's about logistics, economics, and survival as much as it is about strategy and tactics. </i><br />A merc unit isn't just about warfare and fighting - it's also about doing so at a profit (or else you wouldn't be mercs in the first place). While this can (if taken to extremes) lead to excessive spreadsheet management taking over play, it also helps focus the players on long-term decisions. While it's possible for PCs to take extraordinary measures to heal (or even resurrect) a single companion, it's harder to do so for whole units. Players have to conserve their forces and ensure that they're spending their money wisely. (As forces increase, player overhead does as well - perhaps a refreshing change for GMs who are all too familiar with player power creep combining with money meaning less and less throughout play.) This point seems like it might interact interestingly with the traditional "1 GP = 1 XP" rule for classic D&D.<br /></li>
<li><i>The merc has two concerns to keep track of - the actions of their enemy and the actions of their employer. Corollary: the employer feels the same way about the mercs.<br /></i>Hiring a mercenary unit means that a state actor has delegated one of the state's core functions (the monopoly and control of violence) over to an actor that is operating from financial gain. This sets up a slew and a half of dangerous incentives for both patron and mercenary. Shadowrun is infamous for including a stereotypical "Mr. Johnson" patron who generally intends to screw the players over upon completion of the job (either because they Know Too Much or to avoid paying the contract.) Battletech takes a more subtle approach, with constant struggles between patron and merc regarding both payment and the amount of control that the patron will ultimately be able to exert over the mercenary unit. Long-term, the mercs have to worry about being hung out to dry, sacrificed for either financial gain or simplifying the playing board. In turn, the patron has to worry about the mercs being unreliable (failing to fight or turning their coat) or even staging a coup once they're in a commanding position. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>It's not all about the fighting.</i><br /><br />As I mentioned, many discussions of mercenaries in RPGs (primarily fantasy gaming) seem to abstract mercenary play to merely mass combat. However, this undersells several of the strange and outre mission types that lend themselves exceedingly well to RPGs in particular - the ones that require out-of-the-box thinking and unusual actions to supplement maneuver and force. In the Mercenary's Handbook, Keith identifies a few contract types that fit this bill: cadre duty, security/riot duty, siege warfare, recon and objective raids, and guerrilla warfare.<br /><br />These contracts place the players in situations where they either have interesting responsibilities not usually present in PC groups (shepherding and training green troops, conducting security rather than breaching it), or situations ideally suited to PC organization and scheming (infiltration to shorten a siege, guerrilla warfare). These are frameworks which offer social interaction, sneaky tricks, and lateral thought a chance to shine alongside direct application of force, while giving players increased resources (and responsibilities) to manage.<br /></li>
<li><i>A mercenary campaign is a shortcut to domain game play.</i><br /><br />Classic D&D has the domain game - rulership, land management, and building a kingdom/dynasty - as a traditional endgame. The mercenary campaign lets players engage with a section of those widgets earlier than they might otherwise (and in novel ways that don't quite match up to standard domain game play). It also places PCs in a situation where they have to engage with the broader setting, interacting with movers and shakers in a situation where the PCs have got an inherent value and potential leverage for the bigwigs. </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGE_Qst7WB3c5UvhBq33JZ2a65XyUb6VXd-Kt3qELsxP9ac6qfi6yG4fjkuf1fgHVEgZCehTDt9J8Sk4laGjfFJDgo97AFY7dQ_LxosQdlOj5hu6-ZSYIngKcS7ylxbNSw543WwIeMTtC/s1600/Reivers_raid_on_Gilnockie_Tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGE_Qst7WB3c5UvhBq33JZ2a65XyUb6VXd-Kt3qELsxP9ac6qfi6yG4fjkuf1fgHVEgZCehTDt9J8Sk4laGjfFJDgo97AFY7dQ_LxosQdlOj5hu6-ZSYIngKcS7ylxbNSw543WwIeMTtC/s400/Reivers_raid_on_Gilnockie_Tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rievers' raid on Gilknockie Tower, G. Cattermole</td></tr>
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The most difficult component of a satisfying mercenary RPG campaign will be economic balance and a satisfying campaign economic system. Normally I'm not too fussed about game balance, but since the merc campaign revolves around keeping the company in the black and not the red, this component will need to be robust enough to keep a core gameplay experience satisfying.<br />
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The next component is a good, quick, and easy-to-integrate/translate mass combat system. (It <i>is</i> a merc campaign after all. Even though force on force conflicts may not be the core gameplay from session to session, you'll want to have a robust enough system to allow players to take on force engagements in a fun and engaging manner. (You'll also need players who are interested in mercenary gaming, but that's not really something I can provide assistance with here, beyond noting that such players are objectively smarter and more attractive than others.)<br />
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It's a tricky thing to put together and organize. I've tried before and had it either peter out or crash and burn very rapidly. But I'm convinced that there's a core gameplay loop here that's immensely satisfying, and I want to explore this space further.<br />
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...or maybe I just want to field some homegrown AFVs along with some landsknechts.<br />
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How have you worked war and mercenaries into your campaign? What's worked and what hasn't?<br />
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Allandaroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com9