A Glimpse Into My 1982 Villains And Vigilantes Campaign

My folks are cleaning out their house after 40+ years, getting getting to put in on the market. Apparently, my mom discovered an old folder tucked away in some forgotten closet. This folder contained notes, pictures, and sheets for several Villains and Vigilantes bad guys I cobbled together while running The Great Supervillian Contest, which I discussed on this blog. I'll likely put these up individually in the weeks to come, but for now I wanted to share this glimpse from Days of Roleplaying Past...

Let's see, from left to right: Mystic, V-H1cLe, Delver, The Apparition, and Rook.

And as an extra special bonus, the first-ever sketch made of Puzzler by my teenaged hands. I may have mentioned him once or twice here on this blog...

Successful Playtests, New FLGS, And More On Free RPG Day!

Well, Free RPG Day 2022 is in the books and I must say, it was "successfully fun" for Your Friendly Neighborhood Sniderman! Let's recap, shall we?

I road-tripped down to Columbus to check out Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy, a new game store that opened February this year. Always like to check out new places when they open and support those who make a go at supplying us hobbyists with the fuel we need to sate our gaming hunger! The store was surprisingly huge with a lot of various offerings for fans of comics, boardgames, minis, etc. Their RPG selection was a bit thin, mostly 5e, but a surprising number of indy RPGs I never expected to see on a store shelf. I asked about DCC and MCC and the owner was aware of the games, but hadn't yet committed to carrying them yet. (Maybe a few games run by Columbus peeps might help him change his mind, eh?) Anyway, I grabbed the new DCC RPG adventure by Mike Curtis as well as Tiny Epic Dungeons. (I missed the Kickstarter for it, and I'm a sucker for a well-designed solo boardgame.) I also grabbed a t-shirt for the store as I'm a believer in supporting new folks. Sniderman says, "Check 'em out."

Later that day, I ran an online playtest of an upcoming MCC RPG adventure "Into The Glowing Depths", also by Mike. My happy crew of three Seekers ran the adventure through its paces - shaking out the bugs, so to speak. I'm gonna steer clear of any spoilers for now, but I will offer a word of advice: If someone tosses an unidentified artifact at you that's shaped like a small pineapple while saying "Catch!"... Don't catch it. In fact, dive for cover.

Keeping the online playtesting rolling, I ran another MCC RPG playetst for "Rivers of Iron", a 0-level funnel by your truly. Another group of three Seekers (including one new to MCC RPG - Hi Jeremy!) running a ragtag assembly of 12 zeroes were sent on the Rite of Passage. Again, without spoilers, 4 members of the team returned from the arid, magma-encrusted region with artifacts in hand! Success!

Over all, it's been a busy few days for me, but I'm happy to say I had a great time. New store, new adventures, new gaming, new players - everything Free RPG Day encompasses!

Zombies Shuffle Back Home: My Reacquisition Of SPI's Dawn Of The Dead Game

Back in 1980, I was 13 or 14 years old and was just starting to discover what my hobbies and interests were going to be. I liked monster movies, and board games, and late night TV, and other campy-type entertainment. I hadn't yet discovered RPGs, but I was beginning to discover boardgames. But not just games like Sorry or Monopoly and Scrabble. I was starting to fiddle around with wargames. Even though I wasn't interested in combat or world history, I loved the simulation aspect of moving little chits around a map and rolling dice for outcomes. Names like Avalon Hill, Metagaming, and Steve Jackson were on my radar.

One day, I stopped by the local toy shop and saw what would become one of my deepest gaming loves: SPI's "Dawn of the Dead" boardgame (1978). Now at that age, I don't think I'd seen the Romero classic yet, but I had a friend with a Fangoria subscription, so I knew alllllll about it. A game that simulated a horror movie with cannibal undead? My mind reeled at the idea and I plunked down all of my pocket money for the game. My brother (who was likely 9 at the time) had no interest in the game, and we lived out in the country, so neighbors and local kids were nonexistent. But this game had a SOLO mode! I could play AGAINST the game. Once again, my eyes were opened to gaming possibilities I never dreamed of.

Flash-forward 8 or 9 years later. I'm now in college. My well-loved and well-played copy of DotD went to campus with me, still complete (though the box was held together with tape by now). The campus game center was my second home, and by now I had discovered D&D, Call of Cthulhu, and other RPGs, so boardgaming happened a lot less for me. I had a bit of money troubles (as all college kids do), and the gamestore owner - knowing of my DotD game (and its collectible value even back then) - made me a generous offer. So I sold it off without regret. Ok, a LOT of regret. 

Over the years, this game's always been in the back of my mind. I loved playing it. Sure, there are a ton of solo zombie boardgames now with better production, better rules, and deeper gameplay. Hell, you can even download and create your own fanmade DotD game, if you wish. But I really wanted to get this back in hand. Recently, I had a stack of trade-ins at Noble Knight - one of my favorite online gamestores - and they had a used copy of DotD available. That's all I needed to know. My trade-ins were sent in, approved, credit was was spent, and now I have SPI's Dawn of the Dead back in hand - where it shall remain.

I plan to spend the next few weeks getting reacquainted with the game and trying to keep Fran, Peter, Steve, and Roger safe from the zombie hordes invading the Monroeville Mall. And the game will have a place of honor on my shelf next to other cherished games from my youth: Mayfair's Family Business (1989), Mayfair's Encounters (1982), and Dark House's Dark Cults (1983).

[Review] The Spirit Coin - The Pocket Diviner, Decision Maker, And GM Tool

Quick: Come up with the name of a wood elf your PCs just encountered. OK, now come up with his motivation as to why he's in this desolate area. Can he be trusted? And how far away is the nearest inn from here?

At the table, the GM is tasked with coming up with a lot of answers on the fly. Sure, you could refer to tables you have on hand or rely on your own imagination (although "Steve the Drow" might raise eyebrows). Or you could summon The Spirits to answer these queries through the use of The Spirit Coin.

Created by Alex Kool and launched on Kickstarter, The Spirit Coin is like a portable Ouija Board. The two sides of the coin have four circles: the two outer circles contain the alphabet (consonants and vowels, respectively); the next contains the numbers 0-9 (odd/even); and the inner-most is YES/NO. The user takes the coin in hand and concentrates on the question. Turn the coin in your hand and randomly seek out the answers you need. For example, taking the questions from above (and I swear these are legit from The Coin):

Elf name? ETWIN - That sounds good, so "Etwin" it is.
Motivation? HRNWND - I see "Horn Wind", so I'll say he's on a quest to find The Horn of Winds. He's a sailor and he can use this item to propel his vessel.
Trustworthy? NO - I see our new friend is up to some mischief. Perhaps he mistakenly thinks the PCs possess the item, and he wishes to fight them for it?
Nearest inn? 2 miles from here. And Etwin will accompany his new friends (in hopes of prying The Horn from their hands!).

The Spirit Coin is solidly made of heavy metal and comes in two finishes, bronze and silver. I've taken mine and placed it in my dice bag for those moments when I need quick answers from The Spirits. (Usually at the game table, but you also never know when some otherworldly guidance may come in handy!) The Spirit Coin is now available on Etsy for $15 (with free shipping). I've found this to be very useful during writer's block or as a random prompt for all types of situations, so for GMs who could use a bit of spiritual guidance at the table, go grab one!

Quill Noir Available in French, And Watch It Played On Twitch (In French)

One of my favorite creations that I've written is Quill Noir, a supplement for Quill: A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game for a Single Player that takes place in the world of 1930s pulp crime fiction novels and 1940s hardboiled detective films. It's become fairly popular, sells well, and I get a few compliments on it throughout the year. Imagine my delight when I was approached by writer and illustrator Angela Deschand earlier this year who asked for permission to translate it into French! I, of course, was happy to oblige. (She has also translated Quill: Shadow and Ink for the Quill system as well.) If you're interested in grabbing a copy of Quill Noir in French, it is available for free download at this link. (Or click on the cover to the left.)

Even more mind-blowing is that the French edition of Quill Noir was recently played live on Twitch by Samuel Ziterman! Sadly, I don't speak French, but as the author of the original supplement, I kinda could follow what scenarios he played as well as how he did. (Second game, pretty well. First game, not so much!) If you'd like to see a replay of his solo adventures into the world of gangsters and gun molls, check out this link here or click the screen capture below.

Both Quill and Quill Noir (and my other supplement Quill Quest: The Warlord's Downfall) are available as Pay What You Want releases, so try before you buy, if you prefer. Also, everything for Quill has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license, so feel free to create your own Quill supplement!

[Review] "Crit Or Myth" RPG Musical Comedy CD By Fugli

Although I don't typically review music CDs here at The Savage AfterWorld, I stumbled across a request on Facebook for folks to review an upcoming music CD focusing on old school role-playing gaming. Now, I'm a fan of filk and musical parodys, so I wanted to find out what this was all about. Sent away and in a few days, I got a preview copy of the CD illustrated above.

"Crit or Myth" is an upcoming music CD by "Fugli" (AKA Jeremy Fowler-Lindemulder) who typically performs in the Renaissance Faire community, but this new offering is a divergence from his normal Faire material, and focuses on his AD&D 1e days.

There's good stuff here for the OSR enthusiast with a variety of styles vary from medieval fantasy, to calypso, to rock, to folk parodies of  classic tunes. I enjoyed the variety of musical styles amongst the songs on this fully loaded CD (I'll explain more in a second). There are 12 songs that will have all role-players nodding along with the melodies as well as in agreement with the pithy situations mentioned in the melodious tales. Some of my favorites include...

"Epic Myth" - The odds are against you, and a TPK is imminent. The party is counting on you to pull their fat out of the fire with a Roll For The Ages. You throw the dice and, well, as the song refrain says, "I rolled a one..." A very funny song that I've come to call The Gamer's Lament. One of my favorites on the CD.

"Conga Line of Doom" - Those narrow dungeon corridors don't allow for much shoulder-to-shoulder combat, so line up for the slaughter! The problems with marching orders versus tight underground quarters feature in this calypso parody of pinch points and kill zones.

"Flavor Text" - Those descriptive paragraphs that paint a vivid picture in the minds of your players -- and how they then run berserk through the scene when you stop to take a breath. The creative lyrical prose of the DM versus the breathless impulsive actions of the PCs meet in this funny adventure summary.

Other songs on the CD include: "The Wild Roller" (How much dice you got? It's not enough.); "The Deck of Many Don'ts" (That deck you found in a locked chest? Leave it alone.); "Random Tables" (Almost everything you find and do will be eventually left to chance.); "Baba Yaga's Hut" (Chicken-footed house a-comin'!); "The Demon Prince" (The dance craze...from the Seven Hells!); "Parts is Parts" (You never know what monster part might come in handy later.); "The Hoard" (There's always one player who hoards EVERYTHING - encumbrance be damned.); "Alignment Blues" (Chaotic Evil is so much easier than Lawful Good, you know?); and "Eye of the Beholder" (Monsters, go figure.)

Remember when I said this was "fully loaded"? There are numerous other special features lurking within, such as video clips of live performances, web links to numerous sites of the band's other offerings, and -- most keen for the gamers out there -- "Striek Hollus: The Tomb of the Eighth Blue Wizard", an adventure written by Jeremy back in December 1980 for The Dungeoneer's Journal and is now re-released here! (Which WILL see table use in one of my upcoming home games!) There is a lot to like on this CD for the gamer as well as those who appreciate clever music parodys.

"Crit or Myth" will be released January 2020 through Amazon and fugli.bandcamp.com. You can follow the group at http://phi.povera.com/ or  https://www.facebook.com/fugli as well!

[Review] Maquis Solo Board Game By Side Room Games

In your small French village during WWII, the Nazi occupiers walk the streets, policing the population and fighting the Resistance. But you will not stand for this oppression. You bravely fight for your country; hidden in the shadows, you strike; you are a member of the Maquis.

Maquis is a solo adventure board game by Side Room Games, makers of another fantastic solo game, Black Sonata. In Maquis, you have two weeks to complete two random missions from the Mission deck. You place your Resistance markers on the board representing your village, attempting to gather up supplies and weapons to complete your objectives. However, as you do so, the civilian police walk the streets, looking for dissidents. Sure, you can kill them, but then they are replaced by heavily-armed soldiers, increasing the challenge of the missions.

During setup, you place the morale marker next to the board. With each day, the morale of the town drops, and the military presence grows stronger, so you must complete your missions before it becomes impossible to do so. You then draw two mission cards and lay them at the top of the board, effectively adding two new "spaces" to the board. Each mission has different objectives, ranging for the simplistic "Officer's Mansion" (tag graffiti around the board to increase morale) to the difficult "Assassination" (kill all of the civilian police force). You place your pieces on the board with your objectives in mind. Need food? Stop by the Grocer's. Need a weapon? Take some money to the Fence and buy one. Need something in a hurry? Call in an airdrop at one of the Radio Towers, then race to the Field to pick it up. After each round, you must be able to move via a cleared path back to the Safe House. If your marker cannot do so, they are arrested and out of the game. (Fortunately, you can recruit more Resistance soldiers at the Cafe.)

Another interesting tactic is to use money to open new Safe Houses on the board, so if you are cut off, you can take refuge there. You can also use money to set up other resources on the board such as a Counterfeiter (print more money), Propagandist (increases morale), or Informant (provides intel). In fact, some missions require you to set up an additional resource as the mission cannot be completed with them (a Chemist's Lab is the only place you can get explosives, for example).

In the game shown here, my missions were "Officer's Mansion" (graffiti in three locations on the board, then tag the officer's mansion last) and "Aid the Spy" (bring weapons, money, and food to the hidden British operative). I tackled the graffiti first (shown by the yellow markers), but three of my operatives were arrested in the process. Fortunately I had recruited the cafe patrons to the cause and still had two to assist the spy. Sadly, while delivering the weapons, both recruits were out on the streets and were cut off from escaping back to the Safe House by two patrols that set up at the Grocers and Pont Leveque, ending the game.

This solo game is fantastically designed and incredibly replayable due to the 14 different missions you can undertake. The decisions you make each round directly affect future moves and actions, so the game never feels random or directionless. Thus far, I've played six games, but I haven't won yet, though I've come close. But that's life behind the lines as a member of the Maquis! Viva La Resistance!

[Review] The Great Escape By Zadorf Games - A Solo WWII Prison Escape Card Game

...an Allied soldier jumps out of a nearby hole, knocks dirt off his shoulder, looks around nervously, and then pulls you in close...

"Listen up, 'cause I ain't got much time. I just escaped from Stalag 12 and the guards'll be looking for me any second now. We prisoners trained for this day by playing The Great Escape by Zadorf Games. I suggest you grab a copy so you can be ready when it's your turn. Great, it sounds like they released the dogs. I gotta go!"

The Great Escape is based on the exploits of POWs during WWII as they escaped from enemy encampments and made their way across the countryside toward freedom. In this great solo card game, you're playing the role of Escape Officer, trying to help as many of Your Boys escape as you can. A lot to expect from 48 cards, but The Great Escape pulls it off nicely with clever 3-stage gameplay.

In the first stage, you're digging three tunnels from the barracks in three directions. The objective is to build at least one tunnel of 10 cards in length to go under the wire. The center of each card shows a tunnel schematic, either empty, propped up, or ventilated. Every third card must be propped up, and every fifth card must be ventilated. And the final card of the tunnel must be propped up. You deal cards one at a time building your tunnels trying to meet the building objectives. Meanwhile, cave-ins, guards, and spies hamper your efforts. You may end up with all tunnels caved in or discovered, and the game ends! If you can get at least one tunnel built, the game moves to stage 2...Escape!

All cards played thus far are swept aside and you play with the remainder of the deck. You begin dealing down, revealing prisoner after prisoner, each with their own set of escape tools, papers, and disguises. With each prisoner revealed, more are escaping the camp. When a Guard appears, the tunnel has been found and sealed! And stage 3 begins...Avoiding Capture!

The prisoners revealed are laid face-up in front of you. The remaining deck act as the guards who have now scattered across the countryside looking for the escapees. The bottom icon of the cards reveal the guard's actions for that turn. If there's a train, they're checking the train stations, so any prisoner holding a ticket is caught. Remove those and reveal a new guard. Compass? Any prisoners heading in that same direction are recaptured. Dogs? One random POW is brought back. A radio? Any spies in your group turn in THREE prisoners! When the deck is depleted, any prisoners left have managed to avoid the guards and escape! Count up your score, and try again.

The deck is half the size of a regular deck of cards, but there is a LOT of action and replay in this game. I like how the game is only just starting if you successful build a tunnel. And even then, there's no guarantee that you'll win! (All of my prisoners were recaptured and brought back to camp.) The game is extremely portable with tons of action, and will likely be one of my go-to travel games. The Great Escape by Zadorf Games is only £7.99 with FREE UK delivery; for the rest of the world, it's £10.99 (around $14). Go get a copy for yourself. We'll meet up on the other side of the fence. Good luck, soldier.

[Review] Palm Island and Sprawlopolis - Two Micro-Card Games That Fit In The Palm Of Your Hand

During my lengthy hiatus from posting here at The Savage AfterWorld, I've been doing quite a bit of board gaming. Because I'm usually on my own here at Casa Sniderman, I've discovered solo board games. Typically these games are spread out all over your gaming table with many figures, cards, counters, pawns, dice, and a sundry of other bits and pieces to lose or knock onto the floor. However during a Kickstarter shopping spree of the past two years, I discovered two solo games that consist of no more than 18 cards....each. These two games literally fit in the palm of your hand. First we'll take a trip to Palm Island, followed shortly by a visit to the thriving metropolis of Sprawlopolis.

Palm Island by Portal Dragon tasks you to develop and expand the resources of your tiny Island Kingdom. You do this by amassing resources and spending them to “level up” your island's temples, housing, markets, etc. As your island begins to thrive, you have access to more resources to further expand your domain. Did I mention the game is played solely in the palm of your hand?

The 17-card deck is shuffled, then each card in the deck is dealt with one at a time. To store a resource (fish, logs, and stone) for future use, you turn it 90 degrees to expose it. If you amass enough stored resources, you can then spend them to develop your island's buildings and temples by straightening them back up, paying the cost to upgrade. As your island grows stronger, you have access to better and more abundant resources. When you've gone through the deck 8 times, the game ends. Each developed card is worth a certain point value depending on how far you managed to upgrade it. I've oversimplified how to play for this review, but there is an amazing amount of depth and gameplay here. Plus, if you meet certain goals in play, you can add additional cards to the game, such a "Feat" card which gives you special abilities and bonuses. There are Villagers who can offer their help to your island paradise. The game can be played head-to-head, both cooperatively and competitively! And watch out for disasters such as hurricanes and volcanoes that could destroy your kingdom! The portability of this game allows you to play it anywhere you have a free hand, because you don't need a playing surface at all! Very highly recommended!

<><><><><><><><><>

Sprawlopolis by Button Shy Games challenges you to build a thriving city made up of industrial, residential, commercial, and city park blocks, while meeting certain predetermined construction goals. And your city will come together with only the 18 cards in the deck!

To begin a game of Sprawlopolis, you shuffle the cards, then pull three at random. On the back of each card is a unique construction goal that applies only to this game. For example, one goal might be "Morning Commute" which gives you a two-point scoring bonus for any roads that pass through both a residential and commercial block. Or "Go Green" which gives you a point for every park block, but penalizes you three points for every industrial block! Each goal card also has a target score number -- adding the three goal numbers together gives you your final Target Score which must be reached or exceeded to win. To play, you use each card in order in the deck from top to bottom. You can play a new card next to or overlapping any card in play, as long as it's always lengthwise oriented and not played corner-to-corner. Your placement determines whether you can meet the scoring conditions on the construction goals. After the last card is placed, you score points per the beginning goals. You finally score one point per block in your largest area of each zone type. If you reached or beat your target score, you win! The Kickstarted version I got also has a few bonus cards, such as Points of Interest (city beautification!), Construction Zones (under development!), and Wrecktar (monster attack!).

Both of these games prove you don't need expansive boards and fiddly bits to have a great game. These 17-18-card decks have given me a lot of gameplay is a very small footprint. Sniderman says, "Check them out!"

"Apes Victorious" RPG Now Out! Adventures On A World Gone Ape!

Goblinoid Games’ newest RPG, "Apes Victorious" has been released! This thrilling new role-playing game places your players in the roles of astronauts who have crashed upon the surface of a planet where apes are the dominant species. Inspired by classic "ape planet" movies and TV shows, Apes Victorious also provides rules for playing intelligent apes (four species!), savage feral humanoids, and mysterious psionic underdwellers.

The game initially takes place in an Alternate Future of the 1970s, where FTL travel and interplanetary exploration is already underway. This gives the game an interesting "retro-future" feel where technology is both incredibly advanced (cryopods, interstellar spaceships) and primitively dated (room-sized computers, silver spacesuits).

Once the players are thrown into this world, you may think the genre of humans vs. apes would be limited. Instead, Apes Victorious offers several adventure prompts and ideas for the Ape Master (AM). What will be found in the Forbidden Zone? What mysteries are located in a long-forgotten ruined city? What are the bomb-worshipping underdwellers planning? And what will ape society do to the players once discovered? There is even an introductory adventure included with the game, so you can throw your players into a thrilling adventure immediately! As discussed in a thorough review of the game at Swords & Stitchery, the genre may appear narrow of focus, but the gameworld is wide open and can go in numerous directions.

Although compatible with Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, and Starships & Spacemen 2e (complete with conversion notes), Apes Victorious is a self-contained, complete RPG. You can mix and match material from the various games by introducing intelligent apes to your LL fantasy games, or drop your future mutants into an ape-dominated society! Apes Victorious is also covered under the OGL, so creative types are encouraged to produce and release new material!

Apes Victorious is 122 pages, and is currently available in PDF for less than $5. A print version will be released in the coming weeks, so watch for that. Sniderman says check it out!

Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols Issue 7 Now Out!

After a two-year hiatus, one of my favorite independently-created RPG 'zines is back! The long-awaited Issue 7 of Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols is now out!

Picking up when Issue 6 left off, in this issue you'll find:

• An interview with Jennell Jaquays about the early days of RPG zine production!
• Part 7 of the mega-dungeon Beneath the Ruins, where the players will explore The Pools of Pus!
• A quick-fast DM city map of Duren!
• Magical Items of Interest to enchant and vex your PCs!
• And a new character race, the mysterious Tong!

Issue 7 of Wizards, Mutants, Lazer Pistols is $5.00 shipped in the U.S., $6.50 to Canada, and $8.00 international. Although Issues 1-6 are sold out, you can score a compilation of the entire WMLP library at Lulu in both print and PDF. Sniderman says, "Getcher copy right HERE."

Cthulhu Insanity Dice Now On Kickstarter! Simplify Those Fear & Insanity Checks!

Ben Burns of Dark Cult Games just launched his Kickstarter for Cthulhu Insanity Dice. This set of two 10-sided dice are perfect for horror RPGs when the players fail a fear check or lose that last bit of remaining sanity. One dice has 10 different fear reactions: babbling incoherently, explosive rage, flee in panic, faint dead away, etc. The other dice has 10 phobias that could surface when the player takes enough mental damage. These dice are going to be an invaluable addition for any horror RPG player. And it's only $13 for a set! Check them out!

Organize Your Convention Travel Data With Your Own Personal PC Record Sheet

When attending a game convention, there's a ton of information you need to have on-hand -- your flight number, your hotel reservation number, a checklist of everything you need to take, your planned purchases, your game schedule, etc. When I go to a con, I have all of this info printed out and tucked into folder I take with me. Convenient, yes, but very cumbersome. 

Brandon Kruse of D&D Doodles felt the same about his various checklists and schedules, so he created the "Unofficial GenCon Character Sheet." Styled like a typical PC character sheet, the form has a place for all of your travel info as well as your schedules, checklists, and other important information all on one sheet. Incredibly useful, and the design of the form is a masterstroke. Although tagged with GenCon's logo, this sheet will come in handy for *any* game con you plan to attend. I've already downloaded it and I plan to print a few for my upcoming con attendance this year. Great work, Brandon!

North Texas RPG Con: Watch The Con Live On Five Live-Streaming Channels

Wanna watch the North Texas RPG Con LIVE as it happens? The event has not one...not two...but FIVE cameras up and live-streaming! This will give you a bird's-eye view of the activities as they happen! Give the links below a click and watch the action unfold!

Camera 1 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon - Special Events

Camera 2 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon2 - Special Guest Games

Camera 3 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon3 - Random Games

Camera 4 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon-camera4 - Doug’s Random Stream

Camera 5 URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ntrpgcon5 - Con Overview

OFFICIAL SAVAGE AFTERWORLD POST NUMBER 1000

I didn't want this milestone to go racing by while I'm here at NTRPG Con, so I'm taking a moment to make sure that the Official Post Number 1000 is duly recognized. So, here you go:

When I return, I'll mark this anniversary with something a bit more substantial. Maybe I'll give stuff away as I like to do. But for today, this will have to do. Thanks for reading all these years, folks.

Adventures On The Ape Planet! "Apes Victorious" RPG Coming This Summer

This is a belated announcement on Goblinoid Games’ newest upcoming RPG, Apes Victorious, which will be coming out this summer! To make up for the delay in getting this posted, I’ve added a few tantalizing tidbits about the game at the end of this post!

In case you haven’t heard, Goblinoid Games’ Dan Proctor has written a new RPG that takes place on a planet where apes are the rulers and man is the beast!

ALERT! ALERT! PREMATURE LANDING!

You groggily come back to consciousness after a long cryosleep. Your ship’s warning system is telling you the ship has entered the atmosphere of a planet and is about to crash land under autopilot. Crawling to a seat, you buckle in, joining your fellow astronauts as you quickly check instrument readings.

Through the cockpit window you see a barren, desolate landscape flashing by. The ship skims a large lake before coming to a stop just off the pebble shore. The computer tells you there is a breathable atmosphere, and after gathering survival packs the crew exits the ship.

“Where are we?” you ask each other, as everyone wades to the shore seeing a wasteland with little vegetation.

“Which planet is this? We must have gone off course on our return from Alpha Centauri.”

Then there is the sound of hoof beats, adding to the disorientation. Hoof beats? Are we on Earth?

Around an embankment comes several riders bearing rifles. As they approach, the sun glares in your eyes and a shot fires, a companion to your left falls to the ground holding his stomach. A large rider stops in front of you, momentarily blocking the sun and providing a clear look at his face.

“An ape! We’re on a planet ruled by apes!”

Apes Victorious is a roleplaying game in which you take the role of an astronaut from the 1970’s who finds himself marooned on a future Earth ruled by intelligent apes. Players may also take the role of an ape, a degenerated human, or a psi-active underdweller. Fight to survive in this post-apocalyptic future ruled by four species of apes. Or play apes who hunt humans for sport. For a different kind of campaign, play highly intelligent but insane underdwellers who have advanced technology and powerful psi powers.

This book contains:

* A complete game
* A post-nuclear apocalyptic setting in which apes have become the dominant species
* Seven player classes
* Animals and creatures of the post-nuclear future
* Campaign advice
* A complete introductory adventure
* Conversion notes for compatible games including Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, and Starships & Spacemen 2e

By Daniel Proctor with additional material by  Leonard H. Kanterman and Tim Snider. Cover by Mark Allen, interior illustrations TBA.

-=-=-=-=-=-

And here are some of those tidbits I’ve mentioned:

* Want to stay up-to-date on developments of the game? There is a new Apes Victorious G+ group already up and running, created by Brutorz Bill of the Green Skeleton Gaming Guild. (It stands to reason, as he’s been running his Simian Saturday feature for a long time!) Stop by the group and watch for new announcements regarding the development of Apes Victorious.

* There will likely be a Kickstarter for Apes Victorious once the final pieces of the manuscript are complete and in place. The KS will be for funding of the interior art, so some evocative scenes are coming to the pages of AV!

* According to a post Dan made at the Apes Victorious G+ group, the game will be released as Open Game Content (OGC). Also, there will be a free trademark license available so third-parties can write and release their own offerings for adventures in The Simian World!

[GameHack] Saloon Of Horrors: A New Drinking Quest Adventure Available For Download

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I love, love, love Drinking Quest. It combines two of my favorite hobbies: drinking and questing. Plus, it's a damn fun drinking game by way of role-playing. I have the Trilogy Edition that Kickstarted a few years ago, and I'm eagerly awaiting fulfillment of the recently funded Drinking Quest: Journey Into Draught. But I wanted to do more than play Drinking Quest...I wanted to create my own adventure for this humorous RPG. And that's just what I did.

One of my favorite classic adventure modules is a certain notorious deathtrap that takes place "under a lost an lonely hill." After a bit writing, designing, and some fairly-passable cartooning -- as well as getting permission and approval from Jason Wiseman, DQ's creator -- my parody dungeon for Drinking Quest is now complete. Folks, I give you...

"Under a lost and lonely hill, the foul demi-lich Bracererak has built a personal barroom to drink for all eternity. You’ve got a powerful thirst, so you’re not going to let rumors of the “World’s Deadliest Tavern” stop you from sneaking in for a drink!"

This 12-card Drinking Quest adventure is a high-level quest designed to be played after a Quest 4 set. (You'll need to have gained some XP, extra weapons, and more than a few Bellow Ales to get through this adventure!) Can you withstand the terror found within the Men's Room of Dire Foulness? Will you be able to survive the Obvious Deathtrap and Hell's Slip-n-Slide? Prepare yourself for the final confrontation with Bracererak, the demi-lich! (His over-tightened braces have made him cranky.)

The card set is designed to be printed using business card-sized templates for ease of use, or you can print the card sets onto cardstock and trim on the provided lines. Print the cards on one side, flip over the sheet, and print the card backs on the reverse. Download the free PDF, print and cut them out, get out your Drinking Quest set and a few beers, and play this new adventure with your friends! Jason himself said of Saloon of Horrors, "This is hilarious!" which I consider high praise indeed!

Saloon of Horrors for Drinking Quest can be downloaded at this link or by clicking the logo above. Enjoy, and remember: "Quest in moderation!"

Moo Goo Gai Con Opens This Saturday

Moo Goo Gai Con launches this Saturday for its inaugural meet-up! The all-day event combines an gaming convention with an all-you-can eat Chinese lunch/dinner buffet. Held this Saturday, April 9, in Redford, Michigan, for 13 HOURS (!!!), Moo Goo Gai Con invites gamers to help themselves to an all-day smorgasbord of Chinese food while playing board games, RPGs, and miniature wargames.  I'll be there manning the Goblinoid Games/Pacesetter booth, so stop by, do some shopping, do some gaming, and grab an egg roll! Registration is now closed, but tickets are available at the door for $25 for the con and either lunch or dinner, or $45 for the all-day gaming feeding fest!

Click here for the gaming schedule!

Gameable Concept: "The Underwar"

Hi gang! Miss me?

Yesterday, I came up with an interesting gameable “concept,” but nothing really applicable for any games I’m currently running or anything I’m planning on writing up in the future. So I’ll toss this out there for anyone who may want it for their own use: “The Underwar”

The ground shudders and shakes, as if a moderate earthquake were striking the area. Far-away muffled screams and shouts can be occasionally heard on the winds, but no one reacts. The people who live here go about their business, as if these sounds and tremors were commonplace. In this land, the military has a very strong presence: recruitment takes place on every corner, factories on the edge of town produce massive amounts of weapons and armament, and most individuals are wearing uniforms and other regalia marking them as soldiers. Occasionally, a massive battalion of heavily-armed troops will march out of town to much fanfare, walking off into the distance. But there is no heavy combat in the area or, in fact, anywhere in the lands. The skies are clear and all seems quiet, although there are those occasional earth-shaking tremors and faint shrieks of rage…

If asked, any one of the townspersons confirms that they are indeed at war “with Those Below.” For years, the lands have been under attack by underground dwellers. Monsters? Humanoids? Invaders from Below? None of the civilians are certain. Those Below never come to the surface, preferring instead to attack from underneath – digging and burrowing causing the buildings (and people) aboveground to fall into the cavernous depths below. The only way to stop them was to take the battle to them.

About 3 miles away, there is monstrous cave opening nearly 1 mile wide that leads into the cave complex deep within the earth. Just within the cavern, the military has set up a massive command center complete with barracks, armory, hospital, etc. From this staging area, they defend the opening keeping Those Below from ever encroaching the surface. Also from here, they enter the tunnels and caverns, fighting Those Below in their own domain. The cave network varies from narrow nooks and crannies barely wide enough for one unarmed person, to cave rooms big enough for an entire kingdom to fit within. Full skirmishes and battles have taken place in these thunderous halls, with massive explosions and the sounds of battle echoing throughout the cave chambers, being heard and felt aboveground.

The kingdom is fully engulfed in a war no one ever sees.

Moo Goo Gai Con: Michigan's "Gaming Convention/Chinese Buffet" Event In April

D&D meets General Tso -- what a great idea! Moo Goo Gai Con combines an all-day gaming convention with an all-you-can eat Chinese lunch/dinner buffet. Held on April 9 in Redford, Michigan, Moo Goo Gai Con (love the name, BTW) invites gamers to help themselves to an all-day smorgasbord of Chinese food while playing board games, RPGs, and miniature wargames. There's apparently going to be a "dealer's showcase" as well. I've made plans to attend and I just may run a game or two while munching egg rolls and crab rangoons. So who else is hungry?

Click here for attendee registration!

Click here for GM registration!