A Savage AfterWorld Retrospective: Looking Back On 2016

And another year in The Savage AfterWorld comes to a close...

Every year since starting this blog, I like to close out the year by looking back at what gaming accomplishments and contributions I've made. I encourage you to do the same, as there's nothing like a bit of year-end introspection to make you appreciate what you've done and where you've been, as well as to energize you for the next year's gaming goodness. So let's take a look back and see what The Savage AfterWorld brought to the gaming community in 2016, shall we?

** Last  year with I lamented that my posts here at TSAW was a bit light -- only 117 posts for the year. This year beat that record with a paltry 47 posts. What is the cause of my fall-off of regluar posts? I guess I could chalk it up to the typical personal real-life distractions or perhaps that my Google Plus activity supplanted it. Or perhaps I just got lazy. I'll make a concerted effort to get more material placed here for your perusal in the coming year.

** In spite of the lack of posts, The Savage AfterWorld reached Post 1000 in 2016! So even though this year was a bit "shallow", there were enough posts made this year for this little piece of the blogosphere to reach a momentous milestone! Thanks to all of you who have stuck around over the years to see this blog hit that number of posts!

** The long-awaited Apes Victorious RPG was released by Goblinoid Games. I contributed a few things for this fantastic game of "astronauts stranded on a world of intelligent apes", and I'm very pleased to see how well-received this new game has been! I have a few ideas for adventures that I'd like to put together, so perhaps we'll see something in 2017.

** I've been trying to get some reviews up on the blog. I really do enjoy pointing out and discussing some games -- both new and classic -- that I've come to enjoy. Some of the stuff I've reviewed over the past year include Evenings of Terror for Chill 1e (with Elvira!); Quill: The Letter-Writing RPG;  Wayward: Adventure Board Game; The Fungus Forest; and The Advanced Mutant Companion for Mutant Future. I've got some new reviews already on the docket for 2017 including The Cthulhu Hack, Four Against Darkness, Riders: A Game About Cheating Doomsday; and Salvation Road and Last Friday board games. Look for these -- and others -- in the coming year!

** I offered up several new Cryptworld THINGs for use in your home horror games, including the Mirror Dweller, the Murdermatronic, and the Diabolic Structure. Some of these new creatures found their way into The Sketchbook of Grotesqueries -- a free-to-download compendium of new Cryptworld monsters! I used to offer this on an irregular basis, but now it's always available! Go grab it if you haven't yet!

** I entered the 200 Word RPG Challenge. My entry for Rule 1-2-3 was selected as a semi-finalist by one of the judges! I didn't make the cut to the final round, but it was a fun experiment and rewarding that my entry was chosen. Think YOU can write an RPG in 200 words? Try your hand at it next year!

** I'm still getting out to as many gaming events as I can attend over the year, and 2016 saw me get to two conventions. In June, I was able to return to North Texas RPG Con where the classic gaming folks meet to game and drink and game! This year, I decided to run only gonzo funny games, so I ran Ghostbusters and TOON for two crowded tables. Then, in October, the pendulum swung to the horrific end of the spectrum as I drove out to North Carolina for AVL Scarefest -- a convention that focuses on horror-related gaming! I introduced those folks to Cryptworld, which was VERY well received. Enjoyed it so much, I have plans to return in 2017!

** I've had some success with my Classic RPG Map cloth pattern I've had for sale on Spoonflower for a while. (Folks typically use this for dice bags and such.) Late this year, I decided to use this pattern (of my own design) to create a coffee mug for myself through Zazzle. Turned out so nice, I offered it up for sale on a new storefront. Then I created a tie using that pattern. And a T-shirt. And a notebook binder for gaming materials. And some wrapping paper for those OSR RPG gaming gifts you're givin'. And color me stunned, but these all seem to be a big hit! So thanks to everyone who's picked up one of these items!

So that's a wrap for 2016. As we head into 2017, I wish all of you the best in the coming year! See you at the gaming tables!

[Cryptworld] New Thing: Diabolic Structure

A possessed property for Cryptworld

DIABOLIC STRUCTURE

STR: NA --- WPR: 5 (75)
DEX: NA --- PER: NA
AGL: NA --- PCN: 6 (90)
STA: NA --- PWR: 140
ATT: 1/* --- WND: Special
MV:  NA

Experience: 1,000

Once of the largest -- and deadliest -- supernatural threats ever encountered, a Diabolic Structure is often mistaken for a typical abandoned haunted house. But the truth is that the structure isn't haunted; rather it is a living, breathing, shape-shifting creature that preys and feeds upon those unlucky enough to find themselves within its walls.

A Diabolic Structure does not spontaneously "appear". Rather, a pre-existing structure is possessed by demonic forces and animated as the demon's new host body (see Demon, CRYPTWORLD rulebook, pg. 57). For a demon to create a Diabolical Structure, some great evil act must occur on the premises (typically several murders). Once the property has the demon's attention, the process of possessing of the house takes several decades to accomplish. Any residents are driven away via unexplained noises, unsettling visions, and weird "accidents" that befall those who live there. Once the house is abandoned, the demon can truly take over the building, creating the Diabolic Structure. The Diabolic Structure has near-complete mastery over its entire "body" as it can see and hear nearly anything that happens within its walls.  Once transformed, the demon has a new purpose -- to feed on the willpower of unsuspecting victims.

The Diabolic Structure feeds on the willpower of its victims by creating horrific visions that saps the very lifeforce of those trapped within. The demon uses its reconstruction power to manifest situations that will trigger Fear Checks in the victims. Any Willpower lost via failed fear checks are absorbed by the Diabolic Structure where it is converted into the thing's Power. (EX: If 13 WIL points are lost, 13 points are added to the creature's PWR score up to its maximum of 200 points.) As long as the Structure remains demonically possessed, this Willpower loss is PERMANENT. If the demon inhabiting the Diabolic Structure is driven away, any lost WIL will be restored to the victim at their usual recovery rate. The Diabolic Structure will toy with the victims as long as possible before outright killing them as its the fear that feeds it -- not their death. It's been said that some victims have been kept alive for years by a Diabolic Structure, letting them rest and heal within their "prison" before starting the horrific process again.

The only way known to defeat a Diabolic Structure is to banish the demon within the house by speaking its "true" name. As part of the demonic ritual of creating a Diabolic Structure, the demon must place its true name someplace visible within the house. It can be as subtle as an artist's signature in a painting or a title on a book's spine in the library. If a victim recognizes the name for what it is and identifies the demon by saying that name aloud, the demon will be driven from the home permanently.

Diabolic Structure Powers
Reconstruction: The demon possessing the Diabolic Structure can reform any surface (wall, floor, or ceiling) to suit its demonic purposes. It will use this ability to scare and frighten its victims. (The CM should determine the Fear Check level for each new fright -- typically on column 3 or 4 for mild frights and column 5 or 6 for horrific visions.) And WIL lost will be absorbed into the thing's PWR score, replenishing any spent PWR. Each use of its reconstruction power costs 10 points of PWR

The Diabolic Structure can form new doorways or remove existing ones. New pieces of furniture or objects can be formed. Foul nightmare creatures can be created and animated. Stairs can become a slide. Floors may open up, dropping victims into the basement. Mouths may appear on the walls, taunting the victim, or a large eye leers at them from the ceiling. However, because any new constructs must be formed from part of the Diabolic Structure's "body," the creature cannot create any "free-standing" illusions; in other words, there must be contact made with a surface of the Diabolic Structure. So a giant spider crawling along the walls is possible, but a bat flying through the halls is not. If anyone tries to pick up or lift an object within the Diabolic Structure, they will find the item "struck" in pace. (In actuality, the item is part of the Structure itself.) The Diabolic Structure will endeavor to hide its nature, as its the uncertainty that causes fear in its victims.