Zombie Week Shotguns and Credit Cards

One day and a bit left for the pre-Halloween Zombie Week sale on DriveThruRPG.
http://bit.ly/zombieweek
 
Two popular titles are… 

Savage Worlds Horror Companion
http://bit.ly/SWhorror

and

Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings
http://bit.ly/AchtungCth3K

Shotguns and credit cards at the ready! ;)

I promise to post something a bit more sophisticated than just links soon... right after I sort this invasion out <BLAM> <BLAM> <reload> <BLAM>  Ammo!

http://bit.ly/zombieweek

Pressies for Cthulhu

RPG PDFs Sale on DriveThru and other OBS sites in celebration of Lovecraft's Birthday

Savage Worlds turns 10. What?!

Time to buy SWD for $10!

Ten years of Savage Worlds RPG ... already?!

This little super-popular multi-genre fast-play RPG upstart can't possibly be this old!

Reduced prices for Savage World stuff from Pinnacle on DTRPG.

Cos we all need more stuff!

It'll all be over by the 30th of July so click on the banner NOW.

Faith & Demons Anglo Saxon Nation Guide (MTE)

Less of a review and more of a straight forward plug for the nice guys at MTE.

Welcome to the first FAITH & DEMONS: THE RISING NATION GUIDE, a series of mini-sourcebooks detailing the different nations during the Dark Ages. Each Nation Guide depicts historical information alongside that of mythology, folklore, speculation, and fiction for the purpose of providing additional content for your adventures and campaigns. This first Nation Guide details the Anglo-Saxon nation located in modern day Britain.
Faith & Demons Nation Guide: Anglo-Saxon includes:

• A deeper look at the Anglo-Saxon pagan religion.
• A Gazetteer detailing the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
• Alternate history adventure hooks.
• A 600-year timeline of historical events.
• New Hindrances and Edges.
• 6 new creatures from Anglo-Saxon folklore.

FAITH & DEMONS: THE RISING is a Dark Ages, gothic fantasy plot point setting for Savage Worlds where united lords have brought the world’s warriors together to prevent the armies of chaos from enslaving their people.
Faith & Demons Nation Guide: Anglo-Saxon is not a stand-alone game and requires the Savage Worlds core rulebook. Although designed to be used in conjunction with the Faith & Demons: The Rising core setting guide, the source material can be with used any Savage Worlds product.

Faith & Demons Nation Guide: Anglo-Saxon for the Savage Worlds system is available as a 28 page PDF to download from DTRPG and RPGNow for a mere $1.95


It would be impolite not to buy a copy at that cost. ;)

We Likes Free: Dungeonslayers full rules and Savage Insider 6

I appear to have a stack of draft posts filled with strange mumbling and rantings.  Trains (train wrecks) of thought about games and adverts which are probably best left in the draft folder for now.  But here's a couple free-to-download products which you may have missed recently...

Dungeonslayers rules are free to download
Man, those guys are really going for it!

I could be wrong but I think that the last time I saw the Dungeonslayers main rules they were in German only (?) but this definitely looks like English, unless I've swallowed a Babel Fish again.... 

Quickly looking through, it's definitely my kind of pick up and play system.  Dice and stat wise it probably sits somewhere on a graph between the old HeroQuest board game and D&D - perhaps comparable with QUERPS or Advanced Fighting Fighting where there's a simple core system plus skills and spells.

Design-wise, the stat symbol packed blocks look modern and easy to read - much like drawing an encounter card in a board game - it's quick reference for fast play.

It was Kelly Davis who recently drew my attention back to Dungeonslayers.  He lured me in, my saying that my own tile designs would work well with the Dungeonslayer maps - and he is right!  The designers of Dungeonslayers are fond of the blocky five foot thick walls between rooms - proper solid, no messing, dug out and flagged corridors.  I feel I'm in good company here.

Interestingly, the blurb isn't peddling that stereotype of older gaming, where having simple rules means a lack of characterisation or narrative 

The rules of Dungeonslayers were designed to be very basic and simple on purpose, to bring the charming flair of old-school gaming back to life. ...
 ...  Despite the rules’ lack of details or possibly because of this, player characters tend to evolve into highly individual personalities.

Yes!  Thank you, Mr Kennig, you sing my kind of song :) 

The rules are free to download, and yummy sounding pocket sized print version is also available to buy.
  
Downloads -Dungeonslayers main rules, adventures, etc  http://www.dungeonslayers.com/?page_id=228
Rules in 6"x9" book form available to buy from Chronicle City (£16.99GBP, $24.99USD)

Savage Insider 6 "Holidays and Havoc"
PDF on DTRPG
Free or
Donate a Dollar

Well it wouldn't be Halloween without someone sticking a skull on the cover - no, wait, in RPG Land the undead roam all year around! 
 
At the moment all of the Savage Insider magazines are free to download, with SI-Premium magazines being downloaded for a price, but there is also a donation-purchase option and I'm curious to see how that turns out.  Basically you can buy Issue 6 for a dollar or download it for free.  To older eyes this reads like madness!  But in this kickstarter, open source donate by paypal, post-shareware, send me a postcard, Interweb community barter world, it's just another little option where you can share the love with MTE for their high quality magazine product - and believe me, as freebie-to-$1 products go, if you're a Savage Worlds player and into a hint of horror, this stuff is priceless (and naturally, a lot of the content can be "mined" for other systems)


Thanks for reading, and ...

Laters! Bb.

Achtung!Cthulhu and TrollsZine5

Achtung! Cthulhu 1
(Savage Worlds/
Realms of Cthulhu)
$9.99
http://bit.ly/achtungcthSW

The only good zombie is a dead NAZI zombie.  I'm not really into the whole zombie thing, but I enjoy the shear audacity of writers who mix-up bad guys in order to create the "ultimate" adversaries.  I reckon that shooting sluggish undead neighbours with a farmyard shotgun doesn't quite have the same thrill as sten-gunning Doktor Kammerstein's experimental Ungeziefer Zombies.   And that's just a very small part of Achtung! Cthulhu -Zero Point - 1: Three Kings. 

I'm not ashamed to say that just reading the title makes me grin from ear to ear.  ACHTUNG!!  The setting is tense, cinematic and perhaps intentded to be played straight (almost), but I can imagine that role-playing the PCs (pre-gens included!) and NPCs could also be enjoyed as period-parody.  I'm reminded of Castle Wolfenstein, the Colditz boardgame, the beginning of Hellboy, and the occult-curious Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark -not to mention films and comic strips depicting derring-do raids on enemy bases in World War II. 

Achtung! Cthulu 1
(Call of Cthulhu)
$9.99
http://bit.ly/achtungcthCoC

It's the sort of PDF that I wouldn't mind owning a book (printed) copy of.  Even the "printer friendly" (white background) copy is lushly presented.

I've been reading the Savage Worlds ("Realm of Cthulhu") edition, and I was going to post that it probably wouldn't be too hard to adapt to Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu mechanics, but the nice people at Modiphius have already provided a separate edition with CoC stats and rules.  For the undecided amongst you there's a special bundle including both products at a reduced price: $15 for both PDFs on DTRPG  http://bit.ly/achtungcthbundle. 

It may be worth pointing out that this product tends towards the more pulp style of play where players may encounter fearsome horrors directly and have access to wartime hardware and weaponry, but there's still enough conspiracy, back-story and a special forbidden tome to place this scenario firmly in the spirit of Lovecraftian gaming.  Pockets of horror and terror overlap with, and are contextualised by, real historical events in central Europe, meaning that material is very accessible, whilst being broad enough to allow for flexibility in campaign planning by the Referee. 'Three Kings can be played as a standalone adventure or as the first part of what may become a really fabulous series. 
 
Mein Gott in Himmel ... Shoggoths fur das Furhrer!
... and so on. ;)

FREE! on DriveThruRPG
http://bit.ly/trollszine5

A very quick word of praise for the superb free offering from the folks at the Trollbridge (endorsed by Flying Buffalo).  This new edition of TrollsZine puts some of the more expensive professional products to shame, since this 92 page PDF is utterly packed with wholesome Tunnels & Trolls goodness created by a community of writers and artists -and given to the gaming world for free.  Although many of the articles are tailored for T&T7/7.5, players of 5th edition will find that they are still in very familiar territory.  There is a move to standardize the format of this magazine, and the editors encourage new submissions, with the intention that TrollsZine will be appearing at a more rapid rate than in the past.  To be honest, with content is of such a high standard, being entertaining and applicable to most T&T players/appreciators, I'd be happy to wait between issues - even it was out only once a year.  This stuff is that good - it's Christmas in June, any more than this and we'll be feeling spoilt!
 
Okay, there's a little bias from me here because I happen to know that the Trollbridgers are a lovely talented bunch and also I'm honoured to have my very own piece of troll art featured on the editorial page (in a magazine which is hosting some real quality line-art!)

TrollsZine #5 -An entertaining resource for a very popular fast-play-friendly system.  

Did I mention that it is FREE?



Sleep well, lucky dice and all that.

Faith&Demons The Rising Players Guide and Con-Quest Derby

Soon I'm hoping to babble at you about Con-Quest Derby 2012 (UK) - which I visited but for a handful of hours, and true to form I actually spent more time shopping than actually playing anything.

Memorise this mantra:

• COLLECT
• ACQUIRE 
• CONSUME
• Moan to self about systems being different these days and everything being card based 
• (Weep over receipts, avoid checking balance) 
• POST PHOTOS ON WEB
• SELF-VALIDATE
• PRETEND IT'S CHRISTMAS
• Avoid Ebay
• PLAN NEXT SHOPPING TRIP
  

So be prepared to read about my hoard of near random acquisitions.  By which I mean, physical products - none of this ephemeral PDF rubbish which I'm always recommending.  These were boxes and hardbacked and vintage things...  I felt like I'd just mugged Santa in the big city and was lugging his sack back to my lair in the sleepy hometown. Mwhahaha! 
(*happy popping noise of new hernia*)

-o-

But for now, I'm going to plug a lubbily Savage Worlds downloadable product for my friends at Mystical Throne Entertainment:

Faith & Demons:
The Rising
- Player's Guide - 

$7.95 USD/ $8.03CAD / £5.03

€5,76 / $7.91AUD on DTRPG/RPGN

As if the power vacuum created by Rome’s fall isn’t enough, the survivors are fighting against multiple forces. Religious persecution has reared its head with claims of heresy against those who are just worshipping as they always have. Tribal conflicts threaten to tear asunder tenuous allegiances. The land is suffering from the fall-out of it all making nomadic life more difficult than typical. The undead armies, horrific demons, and a host of once mythological creatures stalking the landscape create tension from shore to shore. Someone needs to do something. And the lords have decided your party counts as ‘someone.’

Your characters have it in them to be more than a survivor. Lead your nomadic tribe’s defence against all sides to become a legendary warrior. Best a demon lord. Quell the lich’s vampire army. Call down the angels of heaven to fight at your side. Or maybe call upon the denizens of hell to tear apart your foes.

FAITH & DEMONS: THE RISING is a Dark Ages, gothic fantasy plot point setting for Savage Worlds where united lords have brought the world’s warriors together to prevent the armies of chaos from enslaving their people.

The FAITH & DEMONS: THE RISING core setting guide includes:

●    9 templates to tie your character to their home nation.
●    Over 90 new Edges.
●    4 new Arcane Backgrounds.
●    Weapons and armor straight out of the Dark Ages.
●    Religion and Mythology found during the Dark Ages.
●    … and much more

Join the battle and defeat the armies of chaos!

FAITH & DEMONS: THE RISING is not a stand-alone game and requires the Savage Worlds core rulebook. Game Masters will need a copy of the core setting guide.

http://bit.ly/FDRisingPG 

COLLECT, ACQUIRE, CONSUME, roll some dice, play an RPG for bit, eat pretzels, drink beer.
Kill Monster or "Best a demon lord .. Quell the lich’s vampire army ... or ... call upon the denizens of hell to tear apart your foes". -and Grab Treasure! ;)

I hope that the Month of April and the Season of Spring are finding you well.
-If not, I wish poverty and death upon your persecutors.

Thanks for reading! :)

New/Free/Popular/Intriguing Games on DTRPG / 30yrs of FF

 New / Re-released

Game of Thrones, Game
of Thrones, Game of
Thrones. Unfortunately,
I've haven't seen the
TV series or read the books yet,
but... GAME OF THRONES!

Free / Recommended

Savage Insider, for the
Savage Worlds system.
Great teeth, class act all around.

Intriguing / Random

I'm on a Metamorphosis Alpha
kick atm so this generic
system scenario by Mr Ward
has caught by beady eye...
To buy or not to buy
VAPORISE! 

- Stupendously Popular -

You love the One Ring game.
It's your precious.
You may want this as well...

Nostalgia -Indulgent Purchases
(because the 80's never really ended)
- currently reading -

So far, I have the only PDF versions but I am considering
buying the book versions from FGU directly.
It's just a shame they're not sold in boxes any more!

Recent random thoughts:

I've been scanning in some pictures from Dicing with Dragons which Russ (Fiend Folio, Fighting Fantasy, Fabled Lands et al) Nicolson  is actually posting on his own blog!  Once I've got all the scans to together I'll post them here as an ongoing tribute to one of favourite line-art artists. *fawn*
 -I get all worshipful over Russ Nicholson and Liz (T&T) Danforth.  Maybe it's an "old-school" thing ;)

Mentioning Fighting Fantasy - this month SFX Fantasy magazine are running an article celebrating 30 years of Fighting Fantasy, but if you want the real low-down on all things game-booky, check out the Lloyd of Gamebooks blog for his April AtoZ challenge.  I should (rather bashfully) mention, that amongst writing celebrities, that yours truly might be appearing in the K entry regarding collecting FF books which somehow links with "kleptomania"?  - No wait, I didn't steal them all!  I sometimes even sell them: http://bit.ly/BBgamebooks  ;) 

Okay, I'm off to bed, to read about ninjas and fusion guns... 

Sky-Tyrant of Mars, Sell-Swords of Mars, Blood-Legacy of Mars (Adamant Ent - for Savage Worlds) and DriveThru 20%off March Code

Look, just stop gawping and concentrate
on the text. (Blood Legacy of Mars p16)

MARS!  Swords, guns, strange coloured tribal aliens,minimal clothing, alien tech, brutal classical empires.  Looks like we've all got the red-fever at the moment.  In my aging hard-copy collection the closest I've been to these settings is with West End Games' Space: 1889 - where Venus and Mars are in the process of being tamed by the jolly forces of European colonialism.  In Pulp Land, away from Verne and Wells, there's a more brutal free-for-all where those barbarian "skills" are used to liberate enslaved princesses - that's if a generation of Franzetta covers are to be taken literally.  Of course, I know that it's all just a little bit more sophisticated than that, and some of the women turn out to be pretty tough, but hey, from Gor to Carter there's been some images that have had some formative effects on my perverse mind.  The covers of three new adventures from Adamant Entertainment are definitely tributes to fine works of Mr F.  I've acquired some review copies of newly released ("March" is "Mars"-month -themed launch) Sell-Swords', Blood Legacy' and Sky-Tyrant of Mars, all designed for the Savage World system, but haven't quite taken the plunge by buying the core settings book (MARS: Savage World Edition).  As I type, the actual prices for the PDFs are miniscule ($2.50), which explains where they've been shooting up the charts on RPGDriveThru and RPGNow - that, and possibly a certain Disney film coming out...

Before looking at these I remembered mentioned in a few places, on forums and in some blogs, about the ease at which fantasy RPGs can be adapted to these and the more high-tech Flash Gordon style settings.  Older style systems, like OD&D and it's clones S&W Whitebox, EetS and others, fair especially well because all weapons perform the same damage (1d6 for example).  This means that choosing between a sword and a raygun is not an issue - so let the sci-fi swashbuckling commence!  I think the first thing I would adapt in a D&D style system is the availability of plate mail - perhaps the equivalent is some sort of alien gladiatorial armour.  The other armours would be changed aesthetically - to represent a lighter types, more as armour as pieces on flesh, chest plates, greaves etc.  If one simply replaces bows with guns and rifles but just about keeps the damage the same, there's almost no effect of the balance of the game. T&T5-7.5 is perfect for sci-fantasy since it deals with guns and different ages of fantasy worlds - including the future. With very little work game mechanics wise many games would adapt quickly to these settings.  At the low tech end the Dark Sun campaign world is pretty similar to pulp-sci-fantasy, certainly with a theme of desert-exotic it resembles Burroghs/Marvel-Carter Mars visually speaking. Maybe Glorantha RQ or HQ could be wedged into the Mars setting?

So when I'm looking at the new adventures from Adamant Entertainment, half of me is already adapting them to my favorite RPGs.  This could be considered as ironic since Savage Worlds clearly took the crown from GURPS many years as the multi-genre adaptable-system of choice - and here am I talking about shoe-horning other systems into square holes when Savage Worlds players will probably shrug and wonder why I'd want to make all that work for myself.  Did I mention that Adamant Entertainment also sell a d20 MARS RPG?  :)

MARS: Savage World Edition
-core setting and rules-
Sometimes optional!
http://bit.ly/MARSrulesSW

These three new releases are each very different from one another.  I'll come straight out with it, that my favourite is Sky-Tyrant of Mars by Umberto Pignatelli.  This is partly because, being the budget shopper I am, I can see that Sky-Tyrant requires only the Savage Worlds main rules to play (in my case that's the Explorer's Edition).  Its scenes rush forward into each other with the excitement of Star Wars or Indiana Jones.  Pre-generated characters also help greatly in implementing the setting, which is just about generic enough to not require the core settings book.  This adventure jumps from straight-forward encounter survival to being part of politics (but still with action).  Sky-Tyrant is for the more "cinematic" action favouring players.  The accessibility of the scenario means that it is also perfect for conversion to other systems (or maybe different settings).  Summary: Fast-action pure-pulp sci-fantasy, awesome. http://bit.ly/STofMARS

Blood Legacy and Sell Swords are definitely written for games masters who like a longer, broader campaign, but again both are very different.

In Blood Legacy of Mars the background reads like a Roman/Borgias/Hamlet paranoid love, daggers and intrigue story.  This paragraph from The Advice for GM sums up well how-to-use-this-book - making it very different from, say Sky-Tyrant:

"This adventure is organized differently from most Savage Worlds adventures. The plot is convoluted, and has several potential branches. Because of this, the main NPCs are given extensive writeups in the Dramatis Personae section in the last chapter, along with a list of their personal plots, plans, and goals. Locations which will be visited more than once during the course of the adventure are detailed in the last chapter as well, for convenience. Refer frequently to that section as you read through the adventure.  In addition, a relationship diagram has been provided, showing the main NPCs and their conflicting intentions, to help you
keep it all straight."

I really, really, really want to post a picture of that "relationship diagram" - it is truly a masterpiece of interconnected PC motivation and all that intrigue and double-crossing stuff (which makes my brain hurt - but in a good way) - but since it's such an integral part of the product it would be wrong to do so, I reckon.  If you straightened out a bowl of spaghetti and added square meatballs, that's what the diagram looks like.  Excellent.  The line-art art in this adventure is absolutely superb.  Definitely an adventure for the readers, talkers and thinkers, spiced up with sexual intrigue and disputes resolved in drunken viscous brawls.    Tell the players to keep notes on everyone they meet!  Suggested additional rules are the main MARS rulebook for the descriptions of Minor NPCs.  Also, if you're enjoying the setting and need equipment resources etc, it's probably near-compulsory to buy the MARS rulebook.  Summary: Compelling!  http://bit.ly/BLofMars

Very different in purpose and play is Sell Swords of Mars, and not for novices!  You may have to check your library first:

"This adventure requires both the Savage Worlds rule book and the MARS setting book in order to play. For best results, the GM should have access to the Savage Worlds ‘Showdown’ rules (available as a free download from the Pinnacle website) and the supplement WARRIORS OF MARS. In the event that you do not wish to run the larger encounters using the ‘Showdown’ rules, it is possible to stage them using the Mass Battle rules on page 120 of
the Explorer’s Edition of the Savage Worlds rule book."  (p2, Sell-Swords of Mars)

Got all of those?  Then you'll do just fine. :)

This adventure is truly epic in scale.  It's a war, with heroes, troops, vehicles (airships and alien tripods!), some political ramifications, glory and salvation. There's a useful flowchart in the back of the adventure, where the variety outcomes of the battles and decisions will still lead to the final showdown. I'm guessing that there's plenty of hours of play here, but again, definitely for veteran players who'd like to branch out into mass combat.  Summary: Exotic 40K with a decent plot. ;)   http://bit.ly/SSofMARS

Adamant Entertainment MARS product range on RPGDriveThu

http://bit.ly/AdamantMARS

Special offer news

There's 20% off cost at checkout at RPGDriveThru on the following products when this code is used:

WhenIrishDiceAreRollin

SAWS+ Character Sheet [Dire Giraffe Publishing]

SAWS+ Character Sheet for Pathfinder [Dire Giraffe Publishing]

HELLAS: Princes of the Universe [Khepera Publishing]

Bard's Tales [Raging Swan Press]

Iconic Characters [Raging Swan Press]

So What's That Shiny Thing Like, Anyway? [Raging Swan Press]

Caladon Falls [Savage Mojo]

Castle Builder Volume 1: Strongholds [Skirmisher Publishing]

The code implodes on April 10th, 2012.  Only the foolish will perish.

Planets of Peril / Temple of the Fool God / Faith&Demons Quick Start Guide

Raaarrgh!! BOOM!! Yaaargh!
http://bit.ly/PoPeril

I'm tempted to blame John Carter of Mars for this, but browsing through this game, one can tell that this has been a few years in the making, by someone of lot better read than I am.  Keith Vaugn's Planets of Peril appears to be a complete game in a refreshing campaign setting way brute force, mental will, alien technologies, survivalism, explorer skills and even sexuality, pave the way to riches and power.   Edgar Rice Burroughs's Martian and Venus stories are listed in the comprehensive list of books of inspiration, along with many authors who were smashing up and mashing genre long before "post-modernity" became the catch-all for the confused.  If you like "sci-fantasy" then Planets of Peril may just be your thing.

You've got to love any game which has a section called "Book 4 - Zardoon: Moon of Mysteries" followed by map entitled "The Island-Continent of Hoshovareka (The Refuge of Mankind)."

I'm especially fond of all-the-rules-you-need sets, in the cynical age of collector-range marketing.  The oil art has a charm of it's own.   In fact the whole publication feels very much like a much older game, perhaps from the 1970s.  The premise and setting does remind me a little of Empire of the Petal Throne, i.e. tribes of mankind displaced on an alien world, but the similarities end with the basic idea.  Planets of Peril owes a lot more to pulp fantasy, fringed with table-powered exotic social-political events and themes.  If you're looking for something different, if you're fond of older games and pulp sci-fantasy then it's definitely worth a look.

Planets of Peril $9.99 PDF on DriveThru  
http://bit.ly/PoPeril

(DriveThruRPG)

Temple of the Fool God
T&T Solo
http://bit.ly/FoolGod
(They're all a bit odd)

I want to give a very quick mention to a solo game that's making me giggling a bit this week.  Generally I have mixed feelings about the idea that Tunnels & Trolls games should often be light and humorous, but Stuart Lloyd provides a feasible background for such japes.  By taking on the patron god of fools (who's name in short form takes up most of a silly paragraph) you are forced to put part of your sensibilities aside.  Chaos truly reigns.  Like with many T&T solos, some sections are sub-games in their own right, where the player can choose to raise the stakes for higher gains - random treasure tables also provide a bet like dice rolling flutter.  Sections can be revisited and considerable ground can be covered and replayed - giving Temple of the Fool God a lasting game life.  The Monty Python-esque humour might be a little much for some, but for others it's a jolly evening in.  'Fool God is written for the T&T 7.5 edition, which is good, because dedicated solos for that edition are still thin on the ground, compared to mighty back catalogue of published and amateur adventures written for 5/5.5.  Fool God is about a dollar more than I would expect to pay for a PDF T&T solo (but I'm getting really spoilt these days, and $4.73 is a pittance really after OBS take their share etc.EDIT: Now reduced -see comments below the post- ), but it's still a packed read with 190 sections. All of the sections are properly hotlinked which means you get straight the right section when using an on-screen reader or a touch-tablet.  It is ideal for both new players and veterans (for 1st level characters - with equipment provided in the text).  Judging by his blogs and video reviews, Mr Lloyd is a state of the art expert when in comes to the studying and playing of gamebooks, so this is a real pleasure to see this knowledge come through in his writing. (Check out: Virtual Fantasies / Lloyd of Gamebooks and Lone Tiger Gamebook Reviews)
Challenging nonsense! ;)

Temple of the Fool God
http://bit.ly/FoolGod
(DriveThruRPG)

Appetite whetting time ...

http://bit.ly/FDquickstart

Mr. A.T. Huss of Mystical Throne Entertainment tells me that the launch of their new Savage Worlds, Dark Ages Fantasy Horror setting, Faith & Demons: The Rising, is immanent.  

For now all we have to chew gingerly on is this free primer quick-start download.  Yummy, yummy, crunchy post-Roman-decadence-chaotic-Dark-Ages-Cults-n-Swords-neoapocalyptic juiciness...


Faith & Demons: The Rising - Quick Start Guide (Free!)
http://bit.ly/FDquickstart
 (DriveThruRPG)




Enough for now.  Must sleep.  Have day-job which must be kept ...


Thanks for scrolling this far! :) 

Inked Adventures Savage Cellar Floor Plan Tile (PDF)

Cross posted from my other bloggies, in shameless self-promotion.  ;)

The Savage Cellar Floor Plan Tile  is now available on all good Onebookshelf sites (DriveThru, RPGNow etc.)

Suitable for fantasy and horror, this two-level room will be ideal for those interdimensional  encounters!




Incidentally this old-style plan was originally designed for an encounter using the Savage Worlds system in a forthcoming issue of Savage Insider Premium published by MTE.


On DriveThru:
http://bit.ly/IAcellar
(Going for a song!)

Happy St David's World Book GM's Day

I'm never sure which day GM's Day actually is, but today I'm wearing a daffodil because the dragon on Google reminded me that it was St. David's Day - so I have to be nice to Welsh friends (pah!).  Apparently it's World Book Day and Self-Harm Awareness Day as well, so there you go (must resist a combo joke there...sick, sick, bad boy!).

Anyhow, there's a big sale on over at DriveThruRPG and RPGNow for the next few days until March 7th.  There's a lot of titles, so it might be worth using the search box to see if anything from your preferred range of games is nestled deep in there (my quick search on "Trolls" came up with some curious goodies, including Tunnels&Trolls7.5 retailing at $11.25!)

GM Day Sale at DriveThruRPG

http://bit.ly/GMday2012

GM Day Sale at RPGNow

http://bit.ly/GMday2012RPGNow

Ooh, we like Red Dragons.
Happy Leek and Daffodil Day!
(St.David's Day, Google 2012)

I'll give a random nod to World Book Day, here's some arbitary links:

World Book Day (with just a little bias towards things that are educationally wholesome...)
http://www.worldbookday.com/
 Books at DriveThruFiction
http://bit.ly/DTFiction
RPG-rulebook-related Amazon Links ;)
Pathfinder and Paizo Products on Amazon
WotC Dungeons & Dragons 4e on Amazon

Many indepedant writers and publishers are still printing through Lulu.com.
This month's offer on Lulu:Books & eBooks from Lulu.com 20% off- Enter code MARBOOKS12 - Save up to $25
Role-playing books lurk in the "Games" section.
(Lulu Books - "Games" category)
See also the Lulu advert in the right hand column of this blog for a sample list of RPG books on Lulu -->

Happy Random Calendar Days!

Remember: Capitalism needs Your Money! ;)
DO NOT QUESTION.
ACQUIRE.
CONSUME!
(and roll dice)

Happy New Year - Savage Insider 3 (MTE)

Wishing You a Prosperous
& Happy New Year!

May 2012 bring you all your gaming and collecting needs! :)

(Remember, that in these times of austerity, Capitalism needs YOU!)

Savage Insider 3 (MTE)
$0.00 on DriveThru and RPGNow

http://bit.ly/savageinsider3

So maybe one of your first New Year's Resolutions is spend less on RPGs, chocolate or Lego or whatever.

I forgive you.

Perhaps the credit card needs to heal.  I had a debit card that actually died from "fatigue" - it was physically worn out by all the swiping, no really.

So it's only right that one of the first downloads of the year should be a freebie.

Packed with goodness for players of the Savage Worlds RPG system: Savage Insider 3 - magazine from Mystical Throne Enterprises  for nil dollars.
 http://bit.ly/savageinsider3

If you can stretch to a whole dollar (a mere handful of shillings in other currencies ;) ) I have to recommend this modern, yet classic, drool worthy, set of geomorphs by Crooked Staff Productions on DTRPG -  The Little Book of Dungeons: Geomorphs
 http://bit.ly/CSPgeomorphs

Currently reading:
(apart from slowly giving up on the middle of Gormenghast, and dipping into the AD&D2 Monstrous Manual - a Christmas acquisition...)
Although I'm not playing any Pathfinder or D&D3.5 at the moment I'm having a gentle peruse of a review copy of Random Encounters Remastered from Purple Duck Games.  It's filled with so many different environments ("Eerie Woods, Jungle River, Planar Stronghold, Restless Volcano, Treacherous Mire, and Underworld Battlefield") I'm wondering if one could run a whole campaign on random encounters alone! Nicely done.
http://bit.ly/PurpleDuckEncRem

Purple Duck have also just published More Random Encounters Remastered  ... which I'm guessing includes even more random encounters. ;)

Happy Em Em Ex Aye-Aye!

____

Comments closed on this post due to repeated spamming (maybe it's the phrases "Shopping"+"New Year"?)

MTE Judgment Day (for Savage Worlds)

Savage Insider: Judgment Day (Mystical Throne Entertainment)

"Judgment Day is a universal setting where characters join the ranks of the Inquisition and their fight against the supernatural beings that threaten mankind. ..."

Slick, comprehensive, professional, inspiring.  The product lives up to it's description and has quality illustrations to boot.

If you're a fan of modern horror, Buffy, or Constantine, or anything with a good vs evil war, and you like the Savage Worlds system then there's oodles of material here tailored just for you.

Happy demon hunting!


(Short post, I know, I've got flu or something... tis the plague I say!  Or the-T-virus ...)

It has a dinosaur on the cover

Totems of the Dead:
Game Master's Guide to the Untamed Lands

Is this not one of the best covers, ever?!  

TUROK! Stab, slash, stab! Rah!

This is possibly because it makes me want to play Turok Dinosaur Hunter on the N64.  (Well, the first few levels at least, which can be completed using only the knife!  I love the killing but hate all the jumping...).
 
Totems of the Dead: Game Master's Guide to the Untamed Lands - Gun Metal Games
PDF, 140 pages, $13 on DriveThru
A campaign setting using the Savage Worlds system.

RAAAAH!!!

Whaddayawant?  An actual review?  

It has a dinosaur on the cover, I'd buy it for those reasons alone. ;)

20% Off Code for selected products on DriveThruRPG

Strange spirits have been whispering secrets to me, once when the stars are right special magicks can be worked upon the world.  Utter the following arcane phrase to the right fallen priest at the DriveThruRPG before the great conjunction ends on the 10th November 2011 and thou shalt recieve a fifth off the price of certain products:

DiceInTheFall

This coupon code will take a mighty 20% off for all of the following products  (some of which are already reduced).  It's worth a browse, since there may be something which you'd thought about picking up in the past but the deal just wasn't sweet enough ....
... and eventhe coupon has expired there's still some pretty interesting products here to put on your Christmas list. ;)

Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion [Pinnacle Entertainment]

Realms of Cthulhu [Reality Blurs]

Karma Roleplaying System Core [Bards and Sages]

FantasyCraft [Crafty Games]

Fat Dragon's Dragonshire Deluxe [Fat Dragon Games]

Ninja Burger RPG (2nd Edition) [aetherial FORGE]

Heavy Gear Blitz! Locked & Loaded [Dream Pod 9]

Hero's Handbook: Dragonborn [Goodman Games]

Splicers RPG [Palladium Books]

Caladon Falls [Savage Mojo]

Legend of the Five Rings (4th Edition) [AEG]

Fuzzy Heroes (2nd Edition) [Inner City Games]

Ave Molech (2nd Edition) [Morbidgames]

Book of Alignment (OGL/Pathfinder) [Emerald Press]

Horrific Universe: 12 Months of Horror [Bailey Records] (audio)

Directors Cut Survival Horror [Crispy Zombie Productions]

Friar's Almanac (Complete) [Dark Spire]

Distant Vistas [Draken Games]

Stories in the Ether, Issue 1 (Bundle) [Nevermet Press]

d-Infinity Volume #3: Children of the Night (Gen Con Special Edition) [Skirmisher Publishing]

Be sure to check the code reduces the price in the check-out stage before purchasing! 
Compootas can sumtimez be stoopid.

Oh DriveThru, you are good and wise, we will cherish these near-gifts ... all hail the RPG PDF!

---

Lulu.com is also offering an autumnal reduction

(if you can actually find the RPGs from the front page on there... but hey, searching is fun...)

20% off books - Enter code FALLBOOKS -
Save up to $25 - Offer ends 10/31/11
(31 Sept 2011)


Ta for browsing! -Bb. :)

Savage Insider 2, Star Explorer (1982)

Savage Insider Issue 2 is now out.  Good quality content for players using the Savage worlds system, and it's free on DriveThruRPG!  And, boy, there's a lot of content!

I personally am drawn to some of the sci-fi guns (but then I like also to make ZAP-frazzle noises when I roll dice and crunch stats.)

"Savage Insider Issue 2:
How the Dice Roll is all about what the community does with their gaming. The pillar article, Savage Worlds as an Educational Tool, takes a look how to turn role-playing games into a tool for homeschooling.
How the Dice Roll is a cross-genre issue with content covering fantasy, sci-fi, and horror along with supporting general interest articles.

Issue 2 includes the following:
-- 3 fleshed out adversaries -- 9 new weapons -- A Savage Insider exclusive add-on for Beasts & Barbarians -- Part 2 of the Crypt of the Crystal Lich fiction series --The first in the Echoes of Rome fiction series --Part 2 of the Deadlands comics series The Kid --A sci-fi adventure --And much more! -- "

The following product glimpse sort of continues on from my babbling in from this star trekky themed post...

Star Explorer has been re-released by Goblinoid Games, back from the dizzying past of 1982. I was excited when I first saw this because I enjoyed reading Starships & Spacemen (by the same author).   Reading through the description and checking out GG's forum, I'm surprised to see that "STAR EXPLORER is a role-play board game for as many as four players" which might explain why there isn't a print-on-demand copy to be purchased at this time.  Also intriguing is this: "It can even be played solitaire since competition is directed more against the universe as presented in the game than against the other players."  (from forum thread)  There's an old RPGNet review of the original game here. 
Fascinating ....  It's an RPG, Jim, but not quite as we know it.
If I learn anything more, I'll let you know. ;)

Iron Dynasty Way of the Ronin Competition and Cthulhu Sale

http://bit.ly/IronDynastyWayoftheRonin

Sharpen those katanas! 

Competition to win 

 Reality Blur's Iron Dynasty Way of the Ronin

I have a couple of download codes to give away for FREE PDF copies of  Iron Dynasty: Way of the Ronin
-Oriental sourcebook requiring Savage World core rules-

http://bit.ly/IronDynastyWayoftheRonin

All you have to do is post three pieces of information about this tome based on the product description on RPGDriveThru.

The first two people to comment on this post with the info will be sent the download codes.   

Competition and download codes are valid until September 20th 2011.  
(Courtesy of the Onebookshelf Blog and Podcast program)

---

Other news:

There's a
Cthulhu Sale
at RPGDriveThru
to celebrate the birthday of the very odd Mr. HPL

Get those tentacles cheap!

6 days-ish left (the world ends approximately 25th August 2011)

http://bit.ly/cthulhusale

Randoms

In the corner of the room are some sacks filled with rotting meat and electrum coins.  

Mm meat...

Okay, being random tonight.  Trying to finish laying out Encounter Lairs 2 "Templar Chapel" - but it may have to wait one more day.

Cleaner Wanted
http://jeffeasleyart.com/

I've just been looking at the exquisite Jeff Easley Art site.  No more evidence is required that he is still a god amongst men.  (Buy the prints on Ebay!)

I keep meaning to do a short profile here on the Escape Velocity Gaming company ( products of DriveThru ) but now is not the right moment.


Fun reads:
- I'm dipping in and out of Ruins & Ronin (Lulu softcover) -plus the essential Ninja class!  I'm also still utterly charmed by the 2d6 simplicity and revisionist originality of Epées & Sorcelerie (Lulu)


Random, but inspirational, print-out I'm carrying around for coffee break reading:  
Pages from the "Round Robin" Q+A of Savage World licensee/publishers (Savage Insider Issue 1)  in which both large and small publishers are asked about methods, their products, work ethics and gaming preferences.  I say it's inspirational because it's really refreshing to see how both the little guys and big corps survive alongside each other in the online publishing industry, despite anxieties and run-away-enthusiasms. :)

Recently made an apron design on CafePress.  I know, I know. Like CafePress needs more designs.

Bought some more Fighting Fantasy game books from a charity shop today.  It's a disease, y'know.

There was something else ... something crawling across my mind's eye, a niggling sensation, uncomfortable, slightly displaced. 

Time for bed, perhaps.

...rotting meat...


...rotting
human
meat...

Goodies from Mr Postman

Since Facebook is moving like a brick-laden dog this evening, I'm going to babble into the blog.

My relationship with Mister Postman is positive again.  He's brought me gifts and even agreed to send things to Canada.  Some of you may know that I've been selling a few Fighting Fantasy gamebooks through Ebay.  Two separate Canadian buyers really opened my eyes to the power of a labour strike.  Industrial action by postal workers in Canada, meant that our own humble Royal Mail / Post Office Counters (UK) would not even accept parcels to send to Canada (it's easier to send stuff to war-torn corners of Africa!).  Parcel Force took one parcel off me at a 10 times the original price of postage.  Even at that price there was still no guarantee that the post would arrive.  My sympathies goes out to all Canadians waiting for post, it takes tough character to put up with nearly a month of disruption. (Happy Canada Day, by the way).  I'm hoping now that the packages will arrive, and that my ebay feedback is positive.

I am shocked at the power ebay feedback holds over me, it turns me into a sickening fawn!

Lulu came through.  I had a bad experience the first time I ordered from Lulu, but in retrospect all of the evidence points to a package getting lost by the DPD couriers, and then I had some of those infamous "printer marks" on the books, which I have since found are not typical.

Todays Christmas size Lulu.com haul contained:

 

• OSRIC- neo-AD&D goodness in shiny hardback form
• Morgansfort - the Western Lands Campaign (for the Basic Fantasy RPG by Chris Gonnerman)
• Ruins & Ronin - oriental S&W from Sword +1 Productions
  ... and the flavour of the moment ...
• Epées & Sorcelerie by Nicolas Dessaux trans/ed. David Macauley
  -which is much nicer in soft bound form than my print-out.

EDIT-STOP-PRESS-LULU-COUPON:
20% off books - Enter code JULYBOOKS11 - Save up to $25 - Offer ends 7/31/11

So in terms of retro-clones, I'm pretty loved-up today.

Incidentally, I had a scan to share of a E&S character which I'd rolled up in a notebook and preceded to doodle over the character stats, in a way that would have probably got be banned from a gaming table for not paying attention to the DM - but DropBox is telling me that I failed to upload it on the computer across town.  It was a type of Templar Knight using the Priest class - I was letting him use a sword on the proviso that he wouldn't be allowed to use missile weapons unless they were blessed with powers relating to fighting evil or the vanquising the undead. Like a religious thing, not a phobia thing, an awkward Cleric thing, y'know?

I may have already typed this, but I was thinking about drafting a sort of Thief class but since the skill checks in E&S are linked to level, there seemed little point to start listing different Thief skills per level.  Also the high-Dexterity-in-place-of-armour-class rule naturally encourages agile warriors to travel light, a definite plus for the Conan types and appropriate for Elvish rogues.  Suddenly I'm reminded of the way I play the rangers in Baldur's Gate - stripping down from plate to leather so that they can go scouting in the undergrowth with the thief.  For a Thief class in E&S (should it be needed) perhaps just some guidelines written for managing thief skills are needed.  The experience / hit dice / attack bonus could be estimated from the Priest table.  Musings aside.

It was very therapeutic to roll up a character so quickly, and with 2d6 for each ability makes you double-take slightly - a value of "8" is an average-to-good score. :o

It's a shame that I won't get to play this game in the near future (group play is just not in the schedule atm), because I suspect that with all really simple systems the true positives and limitations are only revealed in play.  Tunnels and Trolls pretty much survives though (despite the MR vs. stats divide).  Definitely for a DM  E&S an less than daunting game to prepare adventures for, whilst for the players the simplicity might be be liberating, especially for beginner players (if you overlook the high probability of instant death which is common and apt in an old-school simulacrum ... Perhaps with very new players one could substitute Constitution for HP which ever is higher - remember that Constitution is only a range of 2-12 mostly superseded at 2nd level as a Warrior, 2d6+2 HD, for example...?).  I'm also very fond of games which would adapt well to solo text based play (in the absense of group play, I can fantasise about returning to authorship... long story).

I'll add that character sheet as soon as I re-acquire the file or the notebook. :)

EDIT 4.7.11 *inserts scan of E&S character*

 

_____

More shopping...!

I actually bought a rulebook from a real shop in a high street yesterday.  I know!  There was a small corner devoted to RPG's and boardgames (in Forbidden Planet, Leicester).  D&D mainly, but there was also a shelf given over to Munchkin.  For the moment I'm avoiding Munchkin because I know I'll probably love it and I'll have to buy all of the expansion packs.  The one non-D&D rulebook was a slim volume of Savage Worlds: Explorer's Edition. 



Since I've only seen this (or a primer) as a PDF and have a new-found curiosity for Savage Worlds, I decided that this was a sign sent by the Gods of Hobby, and made the purchase.  Part of my offering to the same said gods was to buy some more dice (sets of black and white, poly, opaques).

A man can never have too many dice.