I Brought Home a Zombie

I went back to my local gaming store to get a 30-sider and a new comic.  As usual, no 30-sider.  No biggie, someone on-line just got my order...again.  But, comics they aren't lacking.  I have been into comics since they started charging fifty cents.  So that will give you a few decades of years I haven't even cracked open one.  This summer I've been wanted to get back in them.  Just read some good old comics, find some new ones I've never heard of.  At the book store there are sooooo many I had no idea which ones were good, which ones sucked.  I thought about going for my safe bet, with Fantastic Four, but I wanted something different.  I browsed and then I hit the Zs.  There it was.  I knew that was the one I was getting today.

Never heard of the comic before, but I got it now.  Read the first part and felt like I should have made a tent out of blankets in the living room, turned off all the lights and read it by flashlight.

Friday Question

There are a ton of great games being played on Google+ these days.  I keep seeing games I want to play in.  Which game or games offered on Google+ would you most want to play in?

Fantasy Warrior, Real Warrior

I'm a huge fan of Spartacus with Andy Whitfield playing the lead.  Last Spetember he passed away from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  They are producing a documentary on his battle with cancer called Be Here Now and its being funded through Kickstarter.  It's already gone over its $200,000 goal.  I intend to put money towards it. 

I know lately there has been some negative bullshit going on again.  Something I won't indulge in.  I think we forget sometimes that gaming, while a fantastic hobby and makes life more fun, is way down the ladder of importance. 

If you are a fan, you know all about Spartacus and how fantastic that first season was.  If you're so inclined, take a look at the Kickstarter.  While its not a mega dungeon or a adventure toolkit, to me its important to get involved with something like this.  If only to remind me to do as the title of the film demands, Be Here Now.  I forget that way too often.

Fantasy Warrior

Real Warrior

Game Night Resumes

New player tonight.  Elf.

Hi.

Hi.

What kind of equipment can I get.

Don't worry about it.

Session starts.

So you are all dead.

Gray.

Fog.  Always foggy when your dead.

God shows up.  God of Dead.  Shitty gig.

Plug a hole.  Undead are leaking out.

Party is the plug.

Black book is making hole.

Can have one item

Boog...I want my halberd.

Grim...I want my armor...no wait

Tavi...I want my lute

Grim...I want my ring....no wait

Elf...I want my familiar

Grim...Damn.

March down tunnel.

Always tunnels when your dead.

 Into undead land.

Boog charge and kill them all.

Grim...No wait...damn.

Boog wait.  Boog say me your master march.

March.  March.

Fight lightning axes.

Scary.

Kill kill kill.

March. March.

Look.  The book.

Boog...that not right book.  March.

Magic items.

Tavi...Oh no my hands a mace.

Grim...haha

Elf scouts area.

Finds real book.

Familiar dies when it peeks at bodak.

Elf sad.

March.  March.

Boog charge and kill them all.

Grim...No wait...damn.

Kill. Kill.

March.

Meet old PC who stole bad book.

GM ends game.

Grim...no wait...damn.

End Session.

New Reviews

New reviews of The Manor...and they're positive reviews at that.

First, is Socalcanuck from The Dungeon Workshop blog said.  ... I quickly flipped through to see what it was like. I didn't like it at all. I LOVED IT!  When you get done with the review check out the rest of his blog.  Another OSR gamer. 

The latest review comes from Danjou's Hand from his Tabletop Diversions blog.  He takes a very interesting take on The Manor.  He talks about how it is solo friendly.  Never even thought about it.  Give it a read its interesting and has some links to some interesting products if your interested into solo gaming.


Thanks to these two and the other reviews.  They are all linked on The Manor page. 

The second issue of The Manor is slow but sure.  I'm hoping to have it done by the beginning of July.  After the holiday.

Sleestak Sunday

And you thought the pylons were just for glowing crystal tables.  Silly boy.  Grab a tuba and come along.  Just turn the pyramid at the top if you're the last one out.

Developing an Idea

It takes me longer these days to get an idea to come to fruition.  Most of the time the idea comes in as bits and pieces.  I know I have something interesting, but its not all there yet.  I'm not sure if its because I'm older, my energy is divided amongst too many things or I have an intense job that depletes me of my mental strength.  I'm sure its a combo of them all.  Or maybe I just know now that there is more to the idea and I need to wait.  When I was younger I would go ahead with a half baked notion.

I've been writing for the second issue of The Manor and one part has been giving me a problem.  I've written it over eight times.  Still not liking it.

Today, Ivy and I go out to the grocery store she loves.  I like it because it has big ass tables I can spread my crap all over, put on my iPod and go to work.  I kept it simple today, no Nook, no cell phone and no laptop.  I took the maps I was working with and just a tablet with the seed of an idea on it and a pen.  Old school writing time!

After dicking around watching people trying to by beer with no ID card and arguing with the cashier even though there is a big ass sign reading 'No ID, No Alcohol' I got to work.  And as I was writing up a typical monster description a simple sentence I wrote, something unrelated to everything else I had thought of, tied the concept together and gave it a new depth and made it more playable.  Now I have what I want to do with it.  And of course instead of writing it I'm here writing a blog.

I've written for many years with a wide range of success and failures.  I was just reading over at Telecanter's Receding Rules about his discovery of things.  How he likes to single things out and make them work.  I know what he's talking about.  I do it with my writing.  I do it with reading other people's works.  Apparently I do it at the grocery store watching people get mad because they aren't getting their beer. 

Back to work for me.

Friday Question

What gaming product not yet released are you most looking forward to?

AD&D (Ants, Dungeons & Dad)

James over at Dreams of Mythic Fantasy posted about the passing of his father.  It's a great homage to his father.  If you haven't read it yet, please take the time to do so.  It got me to thinking of my father and a post I wrote a few years back.  It still makes me chuckle because I remember it well.

This one goes out to James.

Original Post
 There has been a lot of talk about fathers on the blogosphere and that got me to thinking of my dad (he passed away in November of '97) and my gaming times with him. He was there when I first started gaming and didn't know what to think of it, but never discouraged me. I got him to sit down and play a few times. I was still figuring out the rules and he pointed out some of the inconsistencies and helped me rethink parts of the game. He was a funny guy so we had a lot of fun.

The memory that keeps me laughing is the collision of his purchase of a new home and my desire to build my own dungeon. During a weekend I measured every room and hallway, counter, cabinet and piece of furniture. It was the first map that the squares equal 1' so could get the measurements exact and the first time I took the outside of the dungeon into consideration. I showed him the map and he asked what I was going to do with it and I told him I was going to make a dungeon.

That night I cracked open the monster manual and DMs Guide and started filling his small home with lots of creatures. Did it make sense? Ha. No. Not even a little. His whole house I believe measured 40' long and 20' wide and I had a dozen different monster types living there. The next day we sat down and I ran him through my freshly made dungeon. He encountered giant snakes outside and there was one encounter with giant ants inside. He killed them quickly because he said he didn't want ants in his house.

The next weekend I visited he jokingly said I wasn't allowed to use his house as a dungeon any more. He said after that weekend he had a bunch of snakes in his basement and ants in the kitchen. So he blamed me and my dungeon. He told me to make a dungeon of the lady's house next door. He didn't like her anyhow.

It's a good thing I didn't tell my dad about the basilisk in his bathroom.

End Game

End game.  It's one of the more difficult aspects of RPGs to get right.  A few possible reasons why:

1. Failure to Climax.  Most games don't reach the End Game.  They fizzle out along the way.  So GMs don't get a lot of practice ending a game. 
2. Lack of Planning.  How many times have you, as a GM, painstakingly planned the beginning of a campaign?  How many times have you planned the end game ahead of time?  Do you know what to plan for?  Probably not.  This is a often a problem with the sandbox game (see below).
3. Sandbox style almost works against an end game.  Because of the free world roam , do what you want style, its very difficult to plan far ahead.  But, sandbox does not mean there is shouldn't be a structure to the game and the events.  You may come up with a awesome conclusion and the players decide to go back to the tavern to stinky drunk and give all the wenches a bounce.  While not a bad way to end an evening maybe not the most exciting campaign exit.
4. Developing enemies over time.  When PCs encounter and enemy, they kill them.  Why release them so they can screw them over later?  You can build to a big boss, but there is something ultimately more satisfying having an enemy encounter through out the game before you drop the hammer on him.  
5. Campaign Scope is a rarely discussed topic and I think one that could help develop an End Game.  This is as easy as developing characters on a special mission that doesn't have to be of epic proportions.  Not every campaign has to be Lord of the Rings in epicness.  It's perfectly cool to have two slubs whose whole purpose is to infiltrate the enemy kingdom and steal away their secret weapon.  A finite series of events in time and space.  
6. Character Power gets to the point where the GM needs to throw ridiculous critters at them.  While the now 10th level party is constructing their Fortress of the Giant Cod Piece those bands of orcs and ogres and trolls are no threat.  Even the occasional dragon is a minor annoyance.  This is where a GM really needs to have his chops concerning politics and religion to make the game interesting.  But often times more effort is put into digging another level of a mega dungeon or stating out the beholder titan dragon god. 

Now are their more reasons?  Absolutely.  Are there ways to end a game with a party of 300th level characters in a sandbox style game with no arch enemy where the GM failed to plan it out?  I'm sure you can.  Everyone has their own style, strengths and weaknesses.  As a GM its important to have some sort of plan for your campaign.  Its important to have an overlying story going on that allows players the freedom, but are still effected by the events.  Without some sort of structure to the game the campaign soon degrades into a bunch of dudes looking at one another with pizza stained shirts and caffeine  headaches saying "What do you wanna do next?" 

Sleestak Father's Day

The sleestak don't care that's its Father's Day Marshal.  Stay in the light or your ass is theirs.    Happy Father's Day and here's your fricking tie.

So Free RPG Day was yesterday and I've seen a bunch of posts of who got what.  Now while I'm thankful for a local (some what local I have to drive 35 minutes) gaming store to participate they tend to find a way to screw it up.  At least this year there was no dickhead behind the counter.  Actually the guy was pretty cool and helpful.  He even looked for the 6d commemorative die, but he couldn't find any.

We are permitted to pick one item.  One.  Despite the fact each year they have a bunch of them left over.  Unless you are a member then you get to pick two.  Fair enough.  I can see allowing members a little extra.  While the guy behind the counter was a good guy he wasn't a gamer and wouldn't know an AD&D Player's Handbook from one of the eighteen 4th edition PHBs.

One of my goals after scoring a couple free items was to pick up the DDC core rulebook.  They didn't have any.  They had one copy for the day.  You're participating in Free RPG Day, but you don't carry the newest and most interesting things so people can buy them?  This is what irks me about the place.  It is more about the comic books there.  Which is cool.  I've been reading so much about comics lately I decided to pick up one of those fat books of comics.  But, its RPG Day, maybe order a few extra. 

Mulling over the big, fat comics I decided on the Fantastic Four.  They were my favorite comic when I was a kid and The Thing my favorite superhero.  Don't get me started on those crap movies they made.  They made Dr. Doom boring.  Anyway, I go the Marvel Masterworks version because it was in color.  The Essential was all in black and white.  If I'm reading a comic I want it in all its gaudy colors.

So when I got home from my trip I order DCC online.  As much as I would like to support the store and have tried to they make it very difficult for me.  And there are so many options online so and they have what I want so they get the money.  I also order the Peter Mullen box from Brave Halfling Publishing to store all the zines I've been collecting lately.  One of my brilliant readers suggested it.

As far as Free RPG Day I did get two items.  But I'm sending them out to unaware readers of mine who couldn't attend or they have no local store that participates.  Because sometimes its just cool to get random gifts.

Friday Question

Tomorrow is Free RPG Day.  What do you plan to get? 

Attack of the Zines

Add caption

 A week or so ago I received a couple of very cool zines in the mail  First off is Wizards, Mutants, and Lazer Pistols.  I will admit at first I was a bit suspect.  I'm one of those who dislikes sci-fi in my fantasy.  But perfectly fine if there is fantasy in sci-fi.  But after a little time I knew I was going to get it because with a title like that and cover art that I love.

When it came in the mail I was surprised it was a full sized magazine.  I was expect the half fold thing.  Nope.  Big and brave with neon yellow cover.  Stapled at the edge.  Two column layout, easy to read with style.

The first article is a class, The Animator.  I think it can be easily adapted into a campaign.  An artist who can animate things, please, needs to be in your campaign and yours.  The Beneath the Ruin is a good adventure that also can be adapted in a campaign.  When I read these adventures that's what I'm looking for.  Can I squeeze this into that forest over yonder since I haven't full developed it.  You can with this.  The third section is the Web Walker and good addition to throw at players.  I think it has a good creep effect.  And lastly, an unexpected bit of fun, Module Mania.  A fill in the blank/crossword puzzle that tests your knowledge of the old modules of long ago.

If you get a chance, plop down some spending cash to pick this one up.  I liked it a lot and I think it fits perfect in the OSR zine scene.

http://crawlfanzine.blogspot.com/

Crawl was the second zine I got.  This one is dedicated to Goodman Games, Dungeon Crawl Classics.  First off, this zine is what got me to go to the store this weekend and purchase the core rules for DDC.  I really like the excitement it brings to the game.  While there is a lot in there I may not get the gist of because I don't have the core rules I plan on rereading it once I do.

The one con about the zine for me is the spacing of the sentences is crammed and dark.  Maybe its my old eyes, but the font and spacing were hard to read at some points.  The content was great.  It has to be to get me to get the rules.

The set up is like a typical zine, half fold staple in the middle, single column format.  Great old school pencil drawn art.  I like the rough sketches they capture the feel of the game and the zine.

Over all both these zines are useful and fun to read and I plan on getting future issues.

Strategy for Free RPG Day

Free RPG Day is nearly upon us.  While it may not stack up against free comic book day, it's the one that counts for me.  And about four years ago, was a large factor in my return to gaming.  Hold your boos until the end of the post.

So after mapping the gaming the store, checking the weather then selecting the proper footwear and clothing it time to get your people.  Yes, people.  Hopefully, non-gamers.  Why?  This answer is two-fold.  One, if they aren't gamers then you can tell them which free stuff you want.  Maybe get a little something extra you weren't expecting.  At the gaming shop I go to you can select one item.  If you are a member you get to select two.  I'm not a member because the gamer guy up there is a dick.  The second fold in this answer is, if they aren't a gamer maybe they will be after checking out all the different stuff offered and there are enough quick starts to get someone interested.

I plan on taking Ivy.  That way I can get two items.  While I love getting the commemorative d6, the store keeps them and hands them out to the special customers.  Which I can understand, but I'll still try to get one.  Plus they are only getting four per box.  I think in years past they got 6.

My choices will be to get Goodman Games Quickstart for DCC.  And while I'm at the store I plan on picking up the big fat rulebook.  Then I'll either get the Harn map or one of the several Pathfinder adventures.  While I've never played Pathfinder I like reading their stuff.

So plan your Free RPG Day accordingly.  Plan ahead.  You're less likely to pull a muscle or come way with a nasty scratch from the dice display.  So let's be careful out there.