Monthly Mutant Mayhem Online: "Weed World" 2nd lvl; Oct. 30, 11a-3p EST

It's time again for Judge Sniderman's Monthly Mutant Mayhem! Each month I'll be running an online MCC game on Zoom for the first five sign-ups through the Goodman Games Road Crew Events scheduler! This month is "Weed World", a 2nd-level MCC adventure! (I originally wrote this for Mutant Future.) This game will be run October 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST.

Within the last month, the growth of vegetation has accelerated, threatening to overrun your post-apocalyptic village — and Terra A.D. itself! Does the legend of ‘The Devil’s Greenhouse’ hold the key to humanity and mutant-kind’s survival?

Inaugural Road Crew Game Day In The Books! And Next year, It's WAR! (of the Cyclops Con)

This past Saturday, Goodman Games rewarded their hard-rolling judges by hosting the first-ever Road Crew Game Day! This free event was open only for members of the Road Crew - those folks who have taken time to run a game (or games) for public consumption. The Goodman Crew run a fine online event -- as their numerous Cyclops Cons and DCC Days Online have shown. And having a mini-event just for the folks who run and promote their game lines was a nifty idea and much appreciated.

I had the opportunity to run my upcoming "Mayhem on the Magtrain" MCC adventure for a party of eager Seekers who managed to defeat the S'kwik menace while trying to stop a runaway locomotive. (The rover also learned to listen at doors before swinging them open.) It was a great final playtest and I'm glad the players had fun.

I also got the chance to play, and my long-running cleric Jarrod Theodyne found himself in the middle of a Secret Playtest run by Brendan LaSalle himself! I'll steer clear of any spoilers, but this was for an upcoming holiday adventure. The only spoiler I'll toss out is that you should prepare yourself for some sad, depressing, heart-rending situations. (One player's background had Bambi's mom -- yes, THAT scene.) In spite of the soul-crushing depression, we laughed our keisters off and saved the world. Great time, and I'm looking forward to seeing the final adventure!

The evening wrapped up with a Twitch show discussing the day's events and some upcoming goodies for the Road Crew to be aware of. (Take a gander below for info.) Great time, and I appreciate that Goodman Games hosts such events for the folks who keep the tables humming. Thanks!

And now, howzabout some pix?

A team of Seekers find themselves hurtling across Terra A.D. in "Mayhem on the Magtrain"!

Some "Armageddon Barbarian" cosplay

Road Crew judges will have access to an exclusive adventure next month! Want it? Join The Crew!

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And in 2023, it's WAR (of the Cyclops Con)!

And speaking of "War", this will be the perfect opportunity to unveil a project I've been working on for a while...

Wicked Weaponry: Chain Whip

Weapon: Chain Whip

Damage: 1d6 (melee)

Range: up to 20'

Cost: 10 gp

Description: The chain whip is a long length of metal chain attached to a handle used as a weapon. Often used in martial arts, a chain whip can also be used as a standard melee weapon. It comes in many configurations; sometimes ending in a pointed dagger for additional slashing damage, or perhaps covered in blades, razors, and barbs.

Regardless of these adornments, the chain whip is treated as a hand-to-hand melee weapon, but it has a range of up to 20 feet, allowing a user to make a melee attack versus a ranged opponent. A chain whip does 1d6 damage to a target, which may be adjusted by the judge depending on any additional adornments added by the PC. However, due to the unwieldy nature of the chain whip, if a user misses their target, they must make a DC 7 Ref save or they will injure themselves instead. 

A chain whip can also be used to entangle a target instead of damaging them. The user must declare they are attempting to entangle their opponent prior to rolling. (Treat as an opposed grapple check using Agility modifiers.) If successful, the target is entangled (grappled) and cannot take any significant action until freed. 

Road Crew Game Day Sept. 24 - Final Playtest Of Mayhem On The Magtrain

This Saturday, Goodman Games is rewarding their hard-rolling judges by hosting the first-ever Road Crew Game Day! This free event is open for members of the Road Crew - those judges who have run a game (or games) for public consumption. So if you've run a game at a game store, convention, or other public venue and you're a member of the Road Crew, this day is for you!

Been too busy running games to play? Well then, several Goodman luminaries and writers will be hosting games just for you to play! I personally am looking forward to finally sitting at Brendan LaSalle's table and seeing what insanity he unleashes upon his players! (And if you have time to sit at my table, I'll be hosting one more MCC playtest session of Mayhem on the Magtrain before it's sent off to the printers.) See you this Saturday!

[Samson Sunday] Savage Menagerie: Mole Monster

Mole Monster: Init +3; Atk bite +4 melee (5d6); AC 14; HD 4d10; MV 40' burrowing; Act 1d20; SP searchlight eyes; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +4; Crit M/d10.

Searchlight eyes: The mole monster's eyes emit a nigh-intensity beam of light that blinds its victims for 1d6 rounds unless they make a DC 12 Ref save to cover their eyes in time.  

Mole monsters are giant (20' long) subterranean burrowers descended from ancient digging mammals. The mole monster is a social beast, rarely found alone. If a seeker encounters one mole monster, it's safe to assume there is a nest of 2d6 within the area. Due to its size, a mole monster is a destructive creature as its tunneling will cause large sections aboveground to sink into the earth. Entire villages have been swallowed up as they vanished into the depths below the earth.

A mole monster's muzzle has several claw-like fangs that it uses for digging. However, tese dagger-like teeth can also be used to bite and rend a victim for 5d6 hp of damage. The mole monster has also developed a pair of eyes that illuminate the darkness, enabling it to see. However, this emitted light is so bright, it can overwhelm the eyesight of those who see it. Unless the target covers their eyes in time (DC 12 Ref save), they will be blinded for 1d6 rounds as their eyes readjust to the darkness.

NOTE: This creature was inspired by the tale from Issue 7 of "Mighty Samson." Stay tuned each week for Samson Sunday!

[Review] Twisted Genomes: Wasteland Mutations - 400+ New Mutations!

Many of the post-apocalyptic RPGs we love have it right there in the title: Mutant Crawl Classics, Mutant Future, Mutant: Year Zero, Mutant Chronicles, etc. We love our mutants and their mutations, but the scant tables and listings in these RPGs often don't allow for much variety (MCC has a little over 100 mutations in the core book - and a quarter of them are defects!) If you want to truly warp, twist, and mutate your games with a wide variety of new mutations, I suggest you check out Twisted Genomes: Wasteland Mutations by Dungeon Remixer.

Written by Derek Holland, who has produced a ton of content for post-apocalyptic games over the years, Twisted Genomes offers more than 400 new radioactivity-triggered, genome-twisting powers to bless (or curse) your Blasted Earth denizens with. The front of the book initially covers three different categories: physical, mental, and plant-based mutations. At the start of each chapter is a table that lists the mutations within and to allow the judge/player to randomly roll their mutations. And these are not your standard Mind Blast or Telekinesis abilities. For example, Fleshreader lets you read the thoughts of a being just by coming into contact with a piece of that being. Spider Palm lets you detach your hand and control it like a familiar. Body-warping abilities like Facial Shift and Flexible Skeleton are here, as well as truly bizarre powers like Barf Guts and Bubble Blower. Several of the mutations also have their own sub-tables allowing for even more variation.

Each mutation throughout the hefty tome (150+ pages) is nicely described with at least a full paragraph explaining how it is triggered and what its effect would be. A good amount of spot art throughout helps to illustrate several of the abilities. Rounding out the book are two appendixes. The first appendix contains alternate and expanded rules for several of the mutations, as well as advice on creating your own. And although Twisted Genomes was written for Gobinoid Games' Mutant Future, the second appendix contains conversion guidelines and notes on how to implement these new mutations in other RPGs, including -- yes -- Mutant Crawl Classics. 

I will likely get a lot of use out of Twisted Genomes, both as a resource for new PC/NPC mutations as well as for inspiration for some truly horrific mutant beasties in the future. ("The creature's spilled blood coagulates into small biting flies which begin to attack as well. Roll for new initiative.") This mutation resource book now has a place of honor next to my well-worn copy of The Metamorphica. Judge Sniderman says, "Check it out."