The Hunter and Four Orcs

I was playing RAGE a few months back and it had a great little mini game in it so I thought I would rip it off and place in my game.  Here is my version.  I think it is a simple game that I think will be a lot of fun in game.

Setup
The board is simple, it is build in a X shape.  Each arm has three spaces and the orcs start at the end of each arm and the hunter stands in the middle. 

Rules

• Player makes a bet.
• Four dice are rolled each round.  For every 1 rolled an orc is taken off the board.
• If the player manages to kill all the orcs in the first round the player earns 10x his bet.
• If the player manages to kill all the orcs in the second round the player earns 4x his bet.
• If the player kills all the orcs in the third round he wins his bet back.
• If the player fails to kill all the orcs he loses the bet.

Optional Variant
In larger cities gambling houses may add two more arms and one more space.  The player would roll six dice per round and the player would get a 25x payoff for the first space.

I think its a cool little game you can put in any tavern or gambling house and the mechanics of it make it game friendly and won't slow things down.  

Happy Thanksgiving Sale

Happy Thanksgiving to all those out there eating turkey and to the rest of you, well, have a good Thursday and try not to be jealous because I have the day off.  Muhaha.  I decided to drop the price of Knowledge Illuminates from $4 to $1 for the holidays.  So any of you out there that have been wanting a peek now is the chance to do so.  I plan on using any profit gained from the sale to send out hard copies of Starter Adventures.  So if you have some time, take a look at it and see if it might interest you.

Hand Drawn Map

I leave the professional map making to Rob.  But when I do them on my own I hand draw the map then add the text in Paint or some other program.  And for the building itself I did a little work in paint.  This is the medium map.  There is an overview map and of course a more detailed map of the inside.  The overview shows the three main areas where a series on three one-shot adventures take place.  This is the map for the second one.  The first one, Mine of Rot & Disease, this one is called Ambrose Abbey and the third is yet unnamed.  Mine of Rot and Disease was going to be my first release before Knowledge Illuminates, but I opted for the latter.  The cool thing about this module is Whisk did some artwork for it so I am looking forward to getting it ready for publication. 

Game Night Cancelled

After working hard on the adventure I got a flurry of emails Monday during lunch that one couldn't make it and two would be late at different times.  Because the party is in the middle of an dungeon adventure I decided to cancel and try again another time. There are times when having a partial party is fine, but when the whole crew is in the middle of a dungeon, not so much.

All is good though.  Four day weekend coming up.  Hope to get some reading done and work on a few projects.  Starter Adventures is in layout, just waiting for maps.  That is my fault for taking so long to get them to him.  I plan to play around with some layout ideas. This will be one of the more trickier layouts I've done.  Not that I have a ton of experience.  But I look forward to solving the problem.  I know I am limited by using MS Word, but its what I'm comfortable with.

Time for work.  Hope it goes quick.

Working on Tomorrow's Adventure

Finishing up the adventure for tomorrow's game.  We should have a full party once again.  It's great to have full party.  I'm using the Complete Tome of Horrors to populate my dungeon and its been a lot of fun.  Tweaking and figuring out different ways to present things.  Short post.  Just having fun on Sunday night creating havoc. 

Everybody Loves Sleestak Sunday!

Except Lurker of course.

Tome of Adventure Design

I knew I was going to do It, I just didn't know when.  I ordered the the Tome of Adventure Design from Frog God Games.  Inching me ever closer to that $1000 dollar mark on the left hand column.  I'm thinking either Pathfinder's third Bestiary or some must have OSR product is going to nudge me over the edge.

First impressions of the PDF are I can't wait to get the print version.  I already have the first two books in print.  Both are excellent.  The third book is about building an adventure and the philosophy behind it.  Tables everywhere.  And if you have experience with the first two books each table has a purpose within the whole.  They are not random, random tables.

The forth book, probably the one I am most interested in focuses on out of dungeon adventures.  I haven't had a chance to look at it too closely, but I plan on setting some time aside and playing with the tables tomorrow.

Like the Complete Tome of Horrors, this tome will be a fantastic addition.

Three Things I Like Best About Swords and Wizardry (title edit)

I've been thinking about a few month old AD&D campaign and how it compares tot he retro clones. It has been a blast digging through the old books and they still fall open to the tables a DM is always looking for.  But there are a few things I do like better with the retro clones.  Here is a quick shot.

1. Ascending Armor Class
Simple, no table needed.  I like it for easy reference.

2. One Saving Throw
I do like the single saving throw more than the five different saving throws.  But, I think I like the Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws the best.  Still, the single number save is easier and keeps things rolling.

3. Easy Monster Creation
Okay, this may be a subtle difference between 1st edition and the retros, but miles easier than doing GURPS critters.  The simple stat blocks of the Monster Book (which is the only thing I wished they had included in The Complete Tome of Horrors) save the GM a lot of headaches.

Have a great Saturday and try to be nice to those gentle peasants.  Remember to leave them their wedding dresses and grandmothers.

RPG Heroes Are Jerks

friday, what to do?

Not much has been going on as far as gaming this week.  Our group took a break this week due to conflicting schedules, but we'll be ready to roll this Monday.  In a way it worked out.  It allowed me some extra time to work on the adventure they are going on.  When they are done I plan on putting it up for a free download. 

Yesterday I tempted fate by suggesting an OSR podcast and got a few replies, some said the market is saturated and I am sure it is, some said do a video (well actually James said it) and that would be cool too, but that is even more technology I would need to learn.  Some said it would be cool.  Usually in these cases when I am thinking of something like this I won't ask for public opinion.  I'll just do it and see what happens.  I know there are some good podcasts out there, but I guess I would like to see one more OSR centric.  I may get together with Rob Conley and see if we can come up with something.  He would be the tech guy and his knowledge of games and gaming is encyclopedic. 

Right now I am feeling like switching it up a bit.  I would like to get excited about a project again.  Starter Adventures is just waiting for maps so I can do the layout.  I'm looking forward to releasing it to get it off my table and move forward on the next. 

The next project will probably be Hydra related.  I'm more of a lurker at this point.  Seeing what others are doing and seeing how the group gels or segregates and go from there.  Some of the projects proposed I would definitely be interested in. Megadungeons are always interesting although I rarely use them.  It's tough to get a party through a normal sized dungeon.  Still, never did one and would be interested to see it constructed.

It's Friday.  Hope to get some good writing in this weekend.  The Whisk will be whisking so it will be just me and the pups who randomly terrorize me.  Have a good one folks and stay safe.  Snowing like crazy here.

OSR Podcast?

I am about to throw this on the forum over at Hydra.  How about someone doing an OSR podcast?  I am not that person since I have no idea how to do it.  But I know how to listen to them.  There are a ton of podcasts out there, but I would like to see one that is more OSR centric.  Do what Underdark Gazette and more, interesting blog posts, current releases, announcements, interviews and general news.  Just curious what others thought? 

More OSR Products

Other items I would like to add to my list that I think are top notch products are:

The One-Page Dungeon Contest
I think most would agree this little contest brings out the best in the OSR.  Not only from the designers of the adventures, but the judges who donate their time, Alex who has coordinated it the past couple of years and the sponsors who offer some fantastic prizes. 

Beyond the Black Gate Compendium by Al
Beyond the Black Gate was one of the first OSR blogs I plugged into and had a pleasure of tossing some dice with Al.  For the past couple of years he has released compendiums which are fill with useful tables, article and ideas.  All free.  All Al.

Inns & Taverns by Satyre
Over at the Fame & Fortune Blog Satyre has been pumping out Inns & Taverns for a while.  I am a huge fan of them.  Can you ever have enough taverns?  I don't think so. 

Favorite OSR Products

James over at the Underdark Gazette asked what our top OSR products are.  So after failing to post yesterday due to technical difficulties and a light array of swearing I will bore you with them now.  Like most people said, these are in particular order. 

Points of Light by Rob Conley
I wasn't aware of the OSR at this time.  Forth edition D&D hadn't been released.  And every time I heard someone talk about being 'old school' it invoked my gag reflex. But as I look back I think this is an excellent OSR product to get campaigns started quickly.  I know I am partial to this because I helped in its creation, but I still refer to it today.

S&W Monster Book by Matt Finch
When I mention my favorite monster manuals this one right up at the top.  Before the Tome of Horrors and the new Hacklopedia of Beasts it was my favorite.  Those beautifully simple stat blocks.  Even with the two heavy weight tomes I mentioned I will still refer to this one often.

A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe by Expeditious Retreat Press
If I were a professor of RPG Fantasy 101 this book would be required reading.  It breaks down the complexity of medieval society into a playable form.  It can add a depth to a campaign that will make it a rich place to adventure for years.

Knockspell
I only have Knockspell on this list because out of all the magazines I like this one the best.  Fight On! is a great mag, but Knockspell seems to geared more towards what I like in a gaming magazine. 

All My 1st Edition Books
I'm using them for a campaign right now.  We are having a blast.  Even after 30+ years I still love reading through them and finding new ways to surprise the players. 

Tome of Horrors by Frog God Games
The master of monster manuals.  This hefty book could kill a kobold.  With the addition of the lairs, the write ups and excellent art this book I think is a must.  I just miss those simple stat blocks from the Monster Book.

Neoclassical Geek Revival by Zzarchov
This is a nice hidden gem in the OSR.  What makes this rules variation so interesting are the sub-systems that he employs.  Zzarchov has a fresh and interesting way of looking at things that you may take for granted in your own game.  If you get a chance I urge you to check out NGR.

There are others.  Adventures I didn't even get to mention, but time has caught me up and I now must go to work.  And its only Tuesday. 

Sleestak Invade Etsy

The sleestak can be found on Etsy.  I love this belt buckle.  Although that little point on his head above and below seem a little risky.  On slip or wrong bend and you've been impaled by a sleestak head.