The Savage AfterWorld -- From Gaming Blog To Publishing House

Although The Savage AfterWorld (TSAW, for short) has fallen silent for a while, it's never gone away. Folks still stop by to read old reviews of different RPGS/board games or to pick through the years of free gaming content I've posted. But even if you don't see new material here on this blog, TSAW lives on as my personal publishing house imprint!

OK, so "publishing house" might be overembellishing it a bit...

My first RPG product, Deviant Database, was a compliation of new creatures originally posted here on this blog, so it seemed only fitting that I used the name of this blog as the "publisher". The next few products that followed -- Deviant Database 2.0 and One Year In The Savage AfterWorld -- were also assembled blog posts, so they also carried the TSAW moniker. 

However, time passed and, although my blog posts were becoming less frequent, my game creation and writing was still going strong. My name has been seen on products by several prominent companies, but anything I produce on my own continues to be a product of The Savage AfterWorld. In fact, the following  23 (!!!) products all carry The Savage AfterWorld imprint:

For Mutant Future:

• Deviant Database
• Deviant Database 2.0
• One Year In The Savage AfterWorld
  
  

For Cryptworld:

• Creepy Comic Conversion Issues 1 through 7

For Mutant Crawl Classics:

• Dead In The Water
• The Desk In Room 8-10
• Phage From Below

For Quill:

• Quill Quest: The Warlord's Downfall
• Quill Noir
• Quill Noir: Forgotten Cae Files

For Dungeon Crawl Classics:

• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: The Hellson Horror
• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: Wasted
• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: Harvest of the Wytch

For Weird Heroes of Public Access:

• 13 This Week

For Fiasco

• Wonderland Park

And my own RPG:

• FIE, I SAY! The D6 Comedy-Fantasy-Parody RPG
• The Smell of Menace for FIE, I SAY!

So fret not, mes amis! The Savage AfterWorld lives on!

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. 

[Review] Aeon: Ancient Greece - Adventures In The Epic Greek Mythos

 "Sing, oh Goddess of The Good Old Days, when adventures were underground, arms and armor were bronze, and heroes were destined to die the glorious death of a warrior!"

Aeon: Ancient Greece is a series of DCC-compatible zines by Sharktopus Games that places your adventurers squarely in the middle of every Greek Mythos epic ever written. Toga-wearing heroes fight against fickle gods and mythological monsters in a Homeric epic! If you've thrilled to the "sword and sandal" genre of Clash of the Titans or Jason and the Argonauts, you'll want to delve into this series.

Thus far, there have been three issues of Aeon released (with a fourth now Kickstarting for a few more days). I love the way each zine slowly builds upon the genre adding more to the mythos (ha!) with each new issue.

Issue 1: The Labyrinth of Daedalus starts with character generation, letting you create your own Hercules, Theseus, or Jason. A full list of Grecian names, occupations, birth augurs, and Bronze Age equipment round out the first half. The second half throws your zero-level PCs right into the infamous Labyrinth, where only the most heroic for deeds allows for escape! A list of inspirational books and films rounds out the issue.

Issue 2: Deeper Into the Labyrinth expands upon the original adventure, but really shines when it introduces the Greek Gods (i.e., the Olympian Patrons) to your game. Six Olympians, each with their own Invoke table and special spells and taints await their faithful worshippers. And if you displease them, prepare to embark on an epic purification quest on their behalf. And a few of the Heroes of Greece await to bring your PCs on one of their epic quests! 

Issue 3: Monsters of Myth throws 36 creatures out of Greek mythology into the mix. Of course there are cyclops, harpies, and gorgons, but there are far, far more lurking in the shadows!

I really love the way each issue expands upon the DCC game system by introducing more aspects of with each volume. If you just wanted to introduce the Greek Pantheon into your games or expand your monstrous threats, you could pick up the issue that interests you. But if you wanted to run a full Greek epic that will be sung by Greek choruses in colosseums throughout the isles, you'll want to get them all!

The fourth volume of the series, "The Halls of Hades", is currently on Kickstarter for the next week and a half. This issue takes you into the Underworld of Hades itself. Cross the River Styx, fight Cerberus, and maybe - just maybe - bring someone back from The Land of the Dead!

I truly am a fan of Greek mythology, and this fun series of sourcebooks brings The Iliad and the Odyssey to your game table. Judge Sniderman says, "Check it out."

Country Meat-Grinder Classics 1 & 2 At DTRPG In Both PDF And Print

The newest offering for my "Country Meat-Grinder Classics" series is now available at Drive Through RPG in both PDF and print!

Country Meat-Grinder Classics is inspired by the grindhouse horror “hicksploitation” films of the 1970s and 1980s! With a few tweaks to genre details, these horrific backwoods adventures can be used in any number of ways in your own DCC RPG games: these townsfolk could easily be found nestled in DCC’s Shudder Mountains or possibly along one of the trails of Weird Frontiers. The denizens within wouldn’t even be out of place in the post-apocalyptic future of MCC’s Terra AD!

CMGC: The Hellson Horror

“In the past, the Hellsons were good charitable folk, feedin' the hungry and shelterin' the poor at their homestead. They say a witch done hexed 'em for it, and now nobody goes there anymores. They even say weird critters done been seen lurkin' in the woods near their farm. And now, folks're startin' to turn up missin'. It jest may be time to pay the Hellsons a visit..."

This is a 2nd-level adventure for 4-6 players and is $1.99 for PDF, $5.00 for print.

CMGC: "Wasted"

"Well, I swan...this season’s been a rough ‘un, what with alluva crops gone sour with that corn blight what’s been runnin’ wild through the county. But enough of our miseries! I cain’t wait to git to the Addersbrook fair and relax fer a spell! Get me some good eatin’ and listen to a tune or two. And if’n we’re lucky, maybe Junebug’ll be there with some of his pa’s hootch!"

This is a 1st-level adventure for 4-6 players and is $1.99 for PDF, $5.00 for print.

Wicked Weaponry: Mambele

Weapon: Mambele

Damage: 1d6 (melee) or 1d4 (ranged)

Range: 20'/40'/80' (Strength modifier applies to damage at close range only) 

Cost: 10 gp

Description: The mambele is a combination handaxe/thrown weapon that consists of a handle attached to a curved blade about 18' to 22' in length. The blade, however, typically has four separate cutting points - three on the leading edge, and one on the backside - so that the weapon makes contact with a pointed blade regardless of how it strikes. The first blade (toward the top) is usually curved or "hooked", allowing the user to pull a target closer during melee. And, due to the multiple edges, it will likely successfully injure a target if thrown. The mambele is known by several different names (kpinga, hunga munga, goleyo) and varies in design and blade number, size, and length.

DCC Day 2022 Self-Indulgent Photo Montage

Well, DCC Day 2022 has come and gone. Hope everyone had a chance to toss some dice and/or TPK some 0-levels. I had a bunch of personal stuff that occupied most of my day, so my in-person, at-store event ended up being a quick visit to The Soldiery to pick up the goods and say "hey" to a table of DCC players who were about to have an "An Incident at Toad Fork."

But my day wasn't totally non-DCC-related, as I found time throughout the day to work on other DCC- and RPG-related projects. I'll thought I'd drop this photo montage of hints and teases...

Wore my DCC Day t-shirt, which (I think) was only available during the first event. And I only wear it on DCC Days. So after washing, back into the closet it goes for 365 days.

Grabbed this year's offerings (but missed out on the dice).

Check out the editor's credits for the Adventure Pack! You may be seeing my name a lot in the coming months...

It's not DCC-related, but I'm a sucker for the Tiny Epic games. Picked up TE Dungeons and Stories while I was out.

I really wanted the free DCC Day sticker Goodman Games was giving away with any order, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the MCC RPG nightlight they had in stock.

Spent a bit of time writing up some notes for a future MCC project of mine. It's been jokingly referred to it as "MCC: 1889", but the concept is "What if the Martian invasion of 1890 as documented in War of the Worlds was the Great Disaster of Terra A.D.?" Still a ways off though...

Now that in-person gaming and conventions are returning, I spent a few minutes sewing a new OSR patch onto my Bag of Holding. 

Like I said, you'll be seeing my name a lot in the coming months. This was just put to bed, in fact.

And for those of you who indulged me and read this to the end, here's a teaser cover for next month's CMGC release, "Wasted". Meet The Doombrewer and "Junebug".

DCC Day 2022! More Than 100+ Stores Participating! Find One Near You!

DCC Day 2022 is fast approaching! I've already posted a preview of the goodies and grabbies that will be available that day, so I won't repeat myself in this post.

However, the DCC Day Store Locator has just been posted, and there are more than 100 stores across the U.S. and Canada participating this year! Click the link and find one near you! In-store demos and online games will also be played everywhere that day, so check out the Road Crew Event calendar to see what's happening. And even if you can't get the goods that day, leftover DCC Day print releases typically end up on the Goodman Games Store website shortly after the event, with PDFs of all releases available online forever after.

Finally, it appears a local store will be hosting DCC Day for the first time, so I have someplace in my "backyard" this year! Plans are currently being made to run a funnel or two. Stay tuned!

DCC Day 2022 On July 16! Games, Adventures, And *10* New Releases!

It's time again to get excited all you fans of Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl Classics, and You-Name-It Crawl Classics! The third annual DCC Day is coming two weeks from now on July 16! 

The celebration of all things DCC will be happening in stores around the world, so check to see if your FLGS is hosting an event! If not, take the reins and run a game or two yourself on this day. You can also check out the Road Crew Event calendar to see what's going on in your neck of the woods. (I've also been told a list of participating stores will be posted soon...)

Also this year, Goodman Games has not one, not two, not three, but *10* special DCC Day releases! First up, the DCC Day 2022 Adventure Pack contains two adventures: "The Last Life Guardian" for MCC RPG and "Incident at Toad Fork" for DCC RPG! This will be available free while supplies last! Next up is the adventure "Chanters in the Dark" for DCC RPG. Ever wonder what happens after the events of "Sailors on the Starless Sea"? This might answer some of those questions! Also for DCC RPG is "The Book of Fallen Gods," a sourcebook of seven new patrons for your spellcasters to invoke! "Chanters" and "Fallen Gods" will be available for purchase. Finally, you like dice? Well, there are seven new sets of weird dice corresponding to the new patrons in Fallen Gods, and these dice sets will also be available for purchase!

Wicked Weaponry: Bolas

Weapon: Bolas   

Damage: 1d4 plus DC 14 Ref save or be entangled  

Range: 40'/80'/160' (Strength modifier applies to damage at close range only) 

Cost: 2 gp

Description: Bolas is a primitive throwing weapon consisting of two or three heavy stones attached to interconnected cords. The weapon is swung in a circle over the head then released, which then strikes and potentially entangles the target.

If a victim is successfully struck by a bolas, they should make a DC 14 Ref save. If successful, they take 1d4 from the strike of the stones. If the save is unsuccessful, they take damage and then find themselves entangled by the rapidly swirling cords. The target will fall to the ground (AC reduced by -2 while prone) and must spend one action untangling themselves before they can stand and act again.

However, if a crit is rolled by the bolas thrower, the weapon will entangle the victim's neck (as well as taking any crit damage rolled on the appropriate table). The target will choke for 1d4 hit points of additional damage each round until the bolas is removed.

In Memory Of Fantasy Artist Ken Kelly

Iconic fantasy artist Ken Kelly passed away yesterday. You may not recognize his name offhand, but you are definitely familiar with his work, as he's illustrated magazine covers for Creepy, Eerie, Heavy Metal, since the 1970s, as well as album covers for heavy metal bands such as Kiss and Manowar. Ken also provided the cover artwork for several Goodman Games DCC and MCC adventures. Thanks for bringing these other worlds to life, Ken.

Concept Pitch: The DCC/MCC Holiday Advent(ure) Calendar?

You ever have an idea for a project that just tickles the back of your brain for days and weeks and months and years upon end? This is that project for me.

For several years, I've thought about producing an RPG Holiday Advent(ure) Calendar. (See what I did there?) This would be a collection of 25 one-page adventures that would be released one each day from Dec. 1 through 25, much like an advent calendar. Each day of the holiday season - YAY - new adventure! And on the last day, all 25 would be bundled up into one compilation and made available to everyone. I always though this would be a neat little holiday "gift" that would be fun to produce and to have.

So why haven't I jumped on the horse and started this project? Several reasons:

1. I usually remember it around mid-November, when it's faaaar too late to try to get something like this written and in hands by Dec. 1.

2. I produced a similar project titled One Year in The Savage AfterWorld, which is a collection of 52 micro-adventures for Mutant Future and, honestly, it'd be tough from me to crank out 25 brand-new concepts that don't repeat a few within that tome.

3. Writing 25 one-pagers for one system would be overkill, because what if someone doesn't play that specific RPG? Or worse, what if I tried to write 25 one-pagers for 25 different systems? Then I'd have at least one of interest for everyone, but 24 other adventures they could care less about.

However, with the DCC/MCC system, there's enough similarity - yet variety - to make this work. There could be one-page encounters for DCC; some for MCC; some for the Shudder Mountains; some for Dark Frontiers; and Lahnkmar and Empire of the East and Dying Earth and Purple Planet and Umerica and I'm missing a TON of other settings. And all of these are compatible with each other, as mixing and matching is what it's all about.

I haven't decided yet whether this is the year or not, but what would be easiest for me would be to put out the clarion call for folks who wanted to contribute. I envision "drop-in" single encounters rather than multiple room dungeon crawls. (For what I envision, check out any of my Dangerous Encounter posts here at TSAW.) I hope that this post will both prompt me to put pen to paper and get started and/or that others who are interested in contributing might toss their hat into the ring.

DCC Days Is Here! Play DCC/MCC All Weekend Long And Support Your FLGS Too!

DCC Days is upon us, so get to your FLGS for DCC-related goodies and plant yourself in front of your computer screen for online games and fun! 

Similar yet bigger and more focused than Cyclops Con last month,  DCC Days grew from DCC Day (singular) which was to be a one-day, in-store celebration of Goodman Games' product line. Your FLGS would provide freebies and new Goodman products and swag (ala Free RPG Day) as well as run in-store games and demos. Well, COVID-19 put the kibosh on in-store games, so the folks at Goodman expanded the gaming to the online realm. So this weekend sees online games of Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl Classics, etc., but if you want the goodies and swag, you must venture forth and visit the stores (who, in turn, could really use your business at this time).

Last night I ran a team of four mighty mutants into The Desk in Room 8-10, and Sunday, I'll be running two more MCC games: Plague From Below and The Albuquerque Starport (yes, the classic Gamma World adventure)! As the social isolation continues, I'm really getting the hang of online gaming, which allows me to play with folks from across the country and around the world. And events like Cyclops Con, DCC Days Online, Virtual Gary Con, and others to come later this year continue to bring us together while we remain apart. 

And now a few photos of DCC Days thus far!

Remember, when you go out, be sure to wear a mask!

Another band of micro-mutants tackling the dangers to be found within The Desk in Room 8-10!

Visited my FLGS and picked up a few DCC Day goodies, including the exclusive adventure "Shadow of the Beakmen" and a compilation Adventure Pack with 3 adventures for DCC, DCC-Lankhmar, and MCC!

I also picked up The Princess Bride RPG as I love the movie, heard the game was good, and wanted to support the store while there getting freebies.

Also, my nifty new toxic waste rusted drum arrived today in the mail. Perfect for holding any radioactive debris during those MCC games.

And my homemade nametag for the event. 

Cyclops Con Days 1-3: Seminars, Games, And Mutants-Mutants-Mutants!

As readers of The Savage AfterWorld knows, with every game convention I've attended, I have filed a daily travelogue so folks who couldn't make it would be able to game vicariously through my thoughts, photos, and amusing anecdotes. Welp, just as I did with Virtual Gary Con a few weeks ago, I'm filing today's report from Cyclops Con! (AKA, my basement and home office.)

Cyclops Con was founded, formed, and launched this weekend by Goodman Games to celebrate all things DCC, as well as give home-stranded gamers an outlet for those RPG frustrations. Since I began an old hat at online judging at VGC (or so I think), I decided to throw caution to the wind and run 18 mutants through my three Mutant Crawl Classics adventures - one available, one coming out next month, and one that got an initial playtest at this event!

As usual with these little travelogues, I'll share what I've seen and done to give you a feel for what's going on each day I attend. However, since the "seen and done" mostly takes place in one room of my house, I'll combine all three days into this missive.

And here we go:

• DAY ONE: After I got home from work Friday evening, I fired up the old laptop and ran six folks through my MCC 0-level funnel "Dead in the Water." I've been running this for years now, but I always get a kick out of bringing new folks into the hazards of The Island of Fire. By the time the game ended, I had killed off nearly half of the 0-level fodder, and the highlight occurred when one brave zero-level nobody took a deep breath, ran through a forcefield and onto the ocean floor, and stabbed a giant squid in the eye with a trident. Not only did the ocean depths not instantly crush him, he delivered the killing blow to The Sea-Wraith, and the survivors were welcomed back as heroes!
• DAY TWO: Today's game was "The Desk in Room 8-10" - a small adventure (Ha!) I've written to be released next month on DCC Day. The team managed to fight their way into The Underdrawer where they met the remaining memebers of a previous Seeker team as well as held off The Ravenous Ones until they could repair MICRON to end the experiment! (Yes, I realize this is vaugue, but you'll have to play the game to put the pieces together!
• Later that evening, I joined up with other Goodman fans (as well as with Joe himself!) at the Boulder Tossers bar, where we gabbed about our respective gaming backgrounds and kicked back with a few cold drinks. (My beverage of choice that night was a frosty Yoo Hoo.)
• DAY THREE: Today was the day I led six excited players through the premiere run of "Plague From Below." While visiting a neighboring village, a mysterious illness began to overtake the village council. The team was tasked with finding a cure for this ailment at a recently uncovered Ancient medical complex. Skyhooks, Time Wolves, Virii, and a "helpful" med-bot named MORT provided the cure to the ailment. (Exc ept there was one last issue to take care of upon returning.) The players enjoyed the game and I got some valuable feedback on where to tighten up some plotlines.
• Due to some technical glitches (as well as losing track of time), I was unable to attend DCC College. However, right behind it was Joe's "What's New at Goodman Games" seminar. He shared news and artwork from upcoming projects such as Xcrawl Classics, Empire of the East, and Dying Earth. He discussed DCC Day (still scheduled for next month, but some alterations could occur during the pandemic crisis). The item that stunned me was the announcement of the next in the Original Adventures Reincarnated line: "The Temple of Elemental Evil"! And finally, he discussed the new ways that Goodman Games is embracing VTT gaming with artwork and adventure support for Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds rolling out. A lot of incredibly exciting things are coming from the Goodman Gang, so keep an eye open!
• One special treat, I recorded my game of "Plague From Below," so if you'd like to see some mutant mayhem, click this link to be taken to the video!

And, finally, as the online event comes to a close and my screen's phosphor dot slowly fades, here are some random shots from throughout the event:

Joe Goodman presents "What's New With Goodman Games"

My visit to the Boulder Tossers after hours lounge had gamers from across the country and around the world in attendance!

The players first encountered the pseudoscorpion in "The Desk in Room 8-10"!

Holy crow! The Temple of Elemental Evil has been announced as the next adventure in the OAR series!

Several MCC mutants found themselves "Dead in the Water"!

During my visit to Boulder Tossers, I inked up my MCC dice, adding gold paint to the high digits to tel them apart.

For this event, I cracked open a case of the finest chocolate-milk-like beverage money can buy!

I love the shirt designed for this year;s Cyclops Con!

And my homemade badge to commemorate the event. Thanks everyone at Goodman Games for a great time!