Story Cubes, What to Do

The other day I scored this trio of Story Cubes.  I've been a fan of these dice...well, because what's not to like?  They don't smell.  They aren't sticky.  They have cool little pictures.  And they are dice. 
 

I recently discovered they have a medical set I haven't seen yet.  However, I've had these for a while now, but haven't used them for anything yet.  I keep thinking I will, but...

Has anyone used these in game and how so?  I'm curious as to how others have used these.

Mail Frick'n Call...Triple BAM!

Prepared to be jealousified.  That's right, I just made that up.  Monday I went to the mailbox.   Not suspecting anything.  Because of my senses being drowned in Mondayism and blunted by toil, I was caught by surprise when I opened my tiny PO box.

BAM!

A postcard map from +Simon Forster.  I've been getting there little beauties from Simon for years now and I always smile when I get one.  I stand there like 12 year-old me, looking at the map, seeing how he connected the different levels, and thinking what would I find in there.  An alcove room is always ripe for statues, but what if we forgo the stoners and head straight to the treasure.  Each alcove with a simple, but elegant piece of treasure.

Simon has a Patreon where he shares all his maps.  He' been working on an alphabet of creature layers and he just completed Z.  Z is for Zombie.  That's good enough for me.  Z is for Zombie that's good enough for me.  You get the picture. 

BAM!

I got the 3rd issue of Vacant Ritual Assemble by +Clint Krause.  A short while Clint wrote about this issue being inspired by a location near where he grew up.  That alone was enough to get me to grab ab issue.  I've got the first two issues and this one is the best one yet I think.  I love zines and Vacant Ritual Assembly hits my zine spot.  I read most of it the first night I got it.  Last night I went through and read the rest and plan on taking the time this weekend to...guess...reread it again.

FINAL BAM!

The final beauty is Lusus Naturea by +Rafael Chandler and +Gennifer Bone is outstanding.  A collection of strange, horribly wonderful creatures.  I'm already putting one of them in a micro-adventure of mine.  Combine the fantastic creativity of Rafael and the incredible artwork by Gennifer and this Kickstarter product is a winner from cover to cover.  Absolutely love this book. 

Game Night: The Story Behind It

Last night's game was a big battle.  Scarecrows or skeleycrows chasing down an old man and a group of children.  A mysterious silver haired man blowing an orc horn.  Which caused groups of orcs to charge out of the forest.  These battles took most of the session.  Our group was trying to retake a once sacred elven grove.  Oh yeah, there was a hag.  Did I forget to mention the hag?  She got away. 

The cool thing about last night's session was the story behind why it happened.  The silver haired man was fey.  He was playing out stories from the past.  He liked the stories reenacted the way they occurred before.  We spoiled that.  He did not like it.  But was not rude at least.  We'd managed to activate the grove's standing stones that possessed the remaining protective power.

What started out as a typical hack and slash session ended being something different.  While we enjoyed the slaughter of the orcs and chasing away the hag, the story behind why it was happening brought it to a new level. 

The Secret of Raven Hill Mine

I haven't been doing much writing or drawing maps over the past couple of weeks.  I guess I needed a break.  I sat down and drew this map on Friday.  I spent a lot of time on the rock details.  And I've been using different shades of color to give the map details a little contrast/depth.

Then on to the writing.  I rarely write an adventure then draw a map.  My artistic skills are not good enough to work in that direction.  I create a map and then rift off of what I see or hear in the map.  Whadda mean hear?  You are asking.  I look at a map and I get something rolling around my head.  I sometimes hear what's going on in any given moment during the adventure.  When I looked at this map I heard shouting from a distance.  Running through an overgrown path to a hillside where I saw three men, two looked to be miners (because for some reason they are still holding onto pick-axes) and another man I recognize as a king's guard.  There is a sign at the end of the path on a crooked wooden plank with Raven Hill Mine printed in sloppy black lettering. 

That's all I knew going in.  The opening scene with the two miners and a guard shouting in pain.  And the name.  I recently purchased a creepy monster tome called Lusus Naturae created by +Rafael Chandler and fantastic art added by +Scrap Princess.  I looked through the PDF because I wanted something creepy.  Raphael has never disappointed in that area.  I came across this one little beauty that I shall not name here.  But it has a special ability to tell the outcome of an event in the future, but at a gruesome cost.  Perfect!

I then slammed my map into Xara and did he fancy numbering and filled in the silhouettes.  I played with a few color schemes and the dark yellow (I'm sure there is a name for it and probably a candle scent, but to me it's dark yellow) seemed to fit. 

The Secret of Raven Hill is on the verge of completion.  I like this adventure because of the consequences could echo for some time. 

That's a Lot of Tiny Boxes

+Rob Conley calls me up and says, "Hey Tim, you want to play Pathfinder?  I'll use the Kingmaker adventure path from a few years back."

I thought, I've got a lot of the books, but never played it.  Never player 3.5 for that matter.  "Sure.  But just so you know I own the Kingmaker series and know the first book fairly well."

"No problem."

The following night I grab my massive tome of the core rules and grab a character sheet from on-line.  I print the character sheet and scratch my head.  That's a lot of tiny boxes.  I commence character creation.  It said to roll 4d6.  Okay, I think.  A bit of a sissy way to roll, but I read the other methods, they seemed to be more, put in whatever score you want.  I roll.  I roll badly.  Even with 4d6 I managed to have the first character to have three scores of 8, a 7 and a 6.  My highest attribute was a 10.  Fricking dice hate me.

I put that little cherub of a now NPC to the side and reroll.  Okay, this time I am average an 11, 2 - 12s, 2 - 13s and a massive 14.  Cool, I can work with that.  Pick out a race.  Keeping it simple, human.  Picking a class, want something that I haven't played in a while.  I kept my stats in a row, so the picks were some sort of spellcasting.  I've played clerics a lot recently and just made a mage dude for 5th edition.  Druid.  Okay,  haven't played on of those in a while.

Then I get to the adjustments for race, class, and begin building my skills.  I got it.  It took my a long time, but I got it.  I'm still only partially done with my guy and I started him a day and a half ago.  I forget who, but some smart man said "have fun playing Mathfinder".  He is not wrong.

While I am interested in giving it a go.  And while I haven't played one minute of Pathfinder or 3.5, I can tell there is going to be a lot of rule checking.  Or a lot of, what does that do?, moments.  I love the Pathfinder books look and use them as reference material, but it also makes me appreciate the simplicity of rulesets. 

I believe most folks love the options in the 3.5 games and I used to also.  I loved to make unique quirky characters, but there comes a time when the process of making a character begins to outweigh the actual playing of the character.  I have my own level where that is reached and Pathfinder has already surpassed it.  Still, I want to play the game.  See how it goes.  And besides, I'll be with a few goofball friends, playing heroes (maybe), talking in funny voices and rolling dice in between distracting conversations about latest movies or books. 

If I am slinging dice and talking shit, it's all good.

It Would be a Good Day

Images flashed in front of Henry's waking eyes.  The same horrible images he'd seen for the past six years, two months and twenty-two days.  Images with short bursts of movement and sound.  Plump bodies of the damned, insect-like, skin dark gray, faces wiped of any distinguishable features, they crawled into the gaping maw of a thing that resembled what they had become.  The smell of rot in the humid, stagnate air.  Henry could not get the memory of that smell out of his nose.  During the day the smell would resurface and surprise him.  It was something Henry hated and put him in a angry state of mind.

Henry painted the pictures and hung them on his wall.  He'd heard if you talked about your nightmares, or gave them physical form, they would stop.  In the beginning he searched for a psychiatrist located outside of town.  A girl that worked in his office went to a local psychiatrist, they all knew, and she was judged because of it.  Attention, was something Henry detested.  Attention on something that bothered him could not be tolerated.  He found a psychiatrist, an older Asian man who blinked excessively.  Henry reluctantly told the doctor what he sees every morning upon waking.  The psychiatrist blinked and nodded.  A gesture that Henry couldn't interpret.  He wasn't sure if the doctor understood.  A five minute long silence followed.  The doctor got out his prescription pad and scribbled a few indecipherable words.  The psychiatrist ripped off the prescription, smiled, blinked and walked Henry to the door.

Henry tossed the paper into the garbage before he left the psychiatrist's office.

After this, he began to paint.  The first paintings were childish.  Crude shapes and colors against the stark whiteness of the paper.  His ability to paint improved slowly.  He bought better materials and focused on capturing that moment.  Henry believed if he could just get the painting perfect, it would relieve him of the images.  At night he would paint, and on the weekends.  We watch videos on how to learn and improve his skill.  Some of the others at the office commented on his stained hands.  He made an extra effort to clean them, to scrub them with turpentine and pumice.  

The final painting was completed.  Henry had captured what he saw upon waking.  The image of the damned plunging into the mouth of a greater version of themselves.  The sky was just right.  The shattered building in the background, a semblance of a forgotten past life, perfect.  It was complete.

A moment passed.  The smell of rot filled his nose.  Henry doused the painting in lighter fluid and watched the colors drip down the canvas.  Henry grabbed the lighter and waved the flame beneath the bottom edge of the canvas.  A burst of oxygen generated a ball of flame that quickly spread across the canvas.  Henry watched it burn.  He stood close enough that the heat singed the hair on his arms, but he did not move.  He wanted to see every inch of that image burn.  The smell of rot vanished beneath the smell of burnt canvas and ash. 

After two thousand, two-hundred and seventy-three days of waking to the same image, Henry awoke free of the image, free of the smell.  He stood and walked through his burned out bedroom.  Walls blacken with flame, the floor covered in a thick layer of ash.  Henry rubbed his arm when the fire had singed his hair and the skin peeled off like a loose sleeve of a shirt.  He watched the blacken flesh fall upon the floor.  Henry knew intrinsically he was running late for work.  It would be a good day.

The Manor Holiday Special

I've been sitting in front of the computer most of the day doing some writing and peeking outside once in a while to see if the sun is actually a thing.  I thought I would would have a holiday special for issues of The Manor.  For every issue of The Manor you buy, you'll receive one of my laminated micro-adventures so the issue won't get lonely in transit.  A buddy system if you will. 

So if you've been on the fence about getting some issues now is the time to grab one or eight of them and each issue will have a buddy to tag along.  Click any of the pictures or any of The Manors and you'll be swept away the GM Games land where The Manor lives.

Laminating Adventures & Locations & Wondering What To Do Next

This month's micro-adventures, The Bastard Baron's Hideaway and It's a Trap, and micro-location, Execution Corner are being printed and laminated, are prepared to launch by the beginning of next week.  But there is work to do.

Above is the freebie this month.  Those at my $2.50 or above pledge level will receive Execution Corner and It's a Trap, which is not pictured because I haven't printed it yet.  But I've got a good jump on EC.  They are almost complete.  The layout on this one came out a little odd, the borders around the map are off.  Overall though, I think it turned out nice.

In addition to the above, my patrons at the $5 and above level will receive The Bastard Baron's Hideaway.  A cardstock, zine like micro-adventure.  I think it looks sharp.  I hope my patrons do also.

I've not been gaming for a bit.  I've played in one session in the past two months. I decided to take a break from the game sessions back in the beginning of May.  I'm glad I did, but I am missing it now.  But I'm not sure what I want to do when I go back.  Still figuring that part out.  Where I want to put my energy and available time. 

My writing continues.  Writing micro-adventure for my patreon gives me a quick, well sometimes not so quick, outlet for my creativity (some of you may argue the lack there of).  And the money I've collected from it has helped a lot with making The Manor a paying zine.  Supporting other Patreon campaigns.  Doing giveaways.  And supporting my gaming book addiction. 

The 9th Manor is coming along with the help of contribution from +Simon Forster and +Rob Conley.  I've got two pieces of my own getting ready.  Getting +Kristian Richards, +Boric Glanduum and +Joe Johnston most recent releases has inspired me.  Speaking of which, I plan on doing reviews soon for Kristian's and Joe's products.

So I might be slapping together a on-line game soon.  Some sort of pick-up game.  More information plus maps coming soon.

Review: The Stronghold, Issue No. 2

This review of The Stronghold, Issue No. 2 is based off the print copy.  I got the +Boric Glanduum Special and have two print copies.  One for each hand.  This is the second issue of The Stronghold, a strong sophomore outing.

First off, The cover was done by Boric's daughter.  Love that.  Nice touch and it only proves how frugal Boric is, using staff already under his payroll.  "Draw me a picture kid or you'll get no supper tonight."  I like Boric's style.

The interesting thing about this issue is how personal and open Boric gets.  This issue resonates some of what's been going on with Boric in real life.  He's been able to translate it into some very gameable and fun material.  His introduction allows you a peek into his process.  I think introduction are often an overlooked part of a zine or any media.  But I am an introduction junkie.  I love reading about 'behind the scenes' perspective from an author I'm about to spend a few hours reading.

Into the zine we go.

Five magical musical items.  Each has a concise, but in-depth back story.  While the back story is secondary to magical item, Boric writes up some very interesting folks I would definitely translate into statted NPCs for my game.  Some of the items you would think of as musical items, such as a horseshoe.  But you find out its a brass tube shaped as a horseshoe and once blown into the wielder can create some spectacular effect.

Gholls!  New monster!  These are wicked cool.  Ghoul and trolls combines.  A little paralyze.  A little regan.  BAM!  You got yourself a wicked opponent to throw against the party.  If you really want to screw with the party throw a Ring of Fire Resistance on the sucker.  +Jim Magnusson contributed the art for this piece and it is lovely.  Four armed, brain eating, blobular, spit covered beauty.

Ohh, Missives from the Hold....oh the controversy.  For those of us who indulge in puerile humor at the gaming table, this article is for you.  Boric brings to the front that has always been kept behind us.  What happens to the party when they explore the exotic foods and what it might do their tum tums and how it comes out their bum bums.  Two tables of absolute gas humor.  And the stats to make it gamable!  I am still can't help but laugh when I read "Total Trouser Betrayal".  

Treasure tables.  These are a series of mundane items that can be found as treasure.  I like these tables.  I use these tables.  In fact I used them a couple of nights ago.  Sometimes I get stuck with what items are found in an adventure and I like to pepper the loot with a few cool mundane pieces.

The last section is made up of several sections, but the star is Theral "Papa" Quimby, proprietor of Papa Quimby's Pet Emporium.  And there is a fantastic map included on the inside the back cover.  When I was reading about Quimby it felt like I was reading a very good short story.  These last sections can be picked up as a whole and placed nicely into any campaign.  I could see it in a western, sci-fi, even post apocalyptic setting.  It reminds me a little of the old Flying Buffalo Citybooks from years back.  And that is a very good thing.

There's my review of The Stronghold.  I make no apologizes that I've been an on-line friend with Boric for a few years and hope his zine succeeds.  I'm also credits with  proofreading, but Boric sends some of the cleanest manuscripts I've had the pleasure or reading.  So mainly I just get to read it before you all do and I'll make a couple of suggestions, but mainly with layout. 

You can buy The Stronghold, Issue No. 2 for $5 US, $5.50 Canada and $6 for the rest of you folks.  The Stronghold is a strong entry into the OSR zine community.  Which continues to grow.  I hope you all take a look at Boric's cool zine and grab a copy or do what I did, ask for the Boric Special and get two!

A Year of Patreon and The Bastard Baron

The Bastard Baron's Hideaway is my 27th micro-adventure released on my Patreon page.  I started my Patreon on June 11th of last year and it's been a lot of fun and given me a little more flexibility with giveaways and paying folks for participating in my zine.  Also has permitted me to buy a few gaming books I would have otherwise had to have passed on. 

While this is a fairly straight forward adventure, I think the Bastard Baron is bigger than the adventure itself.  To me he is a enemy of low level characters that see the results of his work and have had run ins with the Bastard Baron's men.  He is a great enemy for the players to transition from low level adventuring to mid-leveling adventuring.  Or he can just be the enemy of the week.  A sorry, philosophical villain who believes he is a good man.

All my Patreon adventures are free to anyone to download the PDF.  You can download them all!  However if you want a print copy of The Bastard Baron's Hideaway, join at the $5 level to grab all the laminated and zine-sized adventures.  If you join before the end of the month you'll also get a couple bonus adventures in the mail as well.

Thanks a ton to my patrons.  They rock! 

A Little Help from My Friends for a Friend

Bear with me while I explain...here is what I want to do.  One of my co-workers who is a good friend of mine also was diagnosed with cancer.  Apparently it's one of the more curable varieties, but he's missing a lot of work due to chemo treatments.  At my work we are doing fundraisers for him to help cover the costs.  I would like to do my own fundraiser for him, a gaming one.

My plan is to load up a box of gaming materials, a bunch, guessing the value would be in the $150 to $200 range, then do a raffle.  I'd sell entries for $5 and $10.  I was going to do $1, but with all the fees that Paypal and/or GoFundMe take, it's not a viable option.

So my question, is there a better way to do something like this?  If you have a suggestion please share it with me.  I'd like to get this start within the week.

Thanks

Map Day - The Bastard Baron's Hideaway

I've been working on this map most of the day, on and off.  It'll be my next Patreon micro-adventure.  I think.  Sometimes I start them and they stall out so instead of dwelling on it I move to the next map.  Then I always come back at a later date, do a face palm because all of a sudden I see how easy it was to finish and I do. 

I tend to swerve back into gang leaders or cults with some sort of bigger than life personality.  I always enjoy enemies like this, a group to go against who may be the problem or just a part of the problem.  It's flexible enough to suit either.

The premise of this one is there are a group of errant knights, self-dubbed knights, led by a guy who named himself The Bastard Baron.  They enjoy the mockery of nobility.  Their main hideout is located beneath a crypt.  In addition there is a Petty God I am going to throw in there as a little twist as to what's going on.  While I have this premise outlined in my head, nothing has been written yet. 

Two men sit around a campfire discussing the Bastard Baron over burnt bacon and bread they needed to soak in water to be able to eat.

Choke sat with his back against  the tree stump, he figured it would keep him from getting stabbed from behind.  Then Urians mentioned the night before they could swing a rope around the tree and strangle him with ease.  Choke kept looking over his shoulder.

"You're a goddamn child," Urians laughed as he stabbed at a grease dripping piece of bacon.  The edges were curled up and black.  He bit down and burned his tongue and made a hooting noise as he tried to blow on the bacon to cool it down, but would not take it out of his mouth.

"Serves you right," Choke wiped a layer of road dust from his leather vest.  "Why'd you have to tell me about the strangling.  I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is."

Urains managed to get two good chews in before he swallowed the bacon chunk.  "You afraid of that the Bastard Baron will come to get you?"  He shoved a wad of soaked bread into his mouth and managed to shape his words around it.  "Comes at night, him and his knights.  I heard they kill every man woman and child they meet, but they won't kill clergymen."  He twisted a to his right and reached into his pack and held up a vestment.  "That's why I got one of these."

"You ain't no priest.  You can't even read."

"So what, most preachers can't read either."

"Did you get one for me?"  Choke asked and looked behind him again.  The horses stirred a little.  While they were on the outside of the Manatine Forest he understood to let down his guard would be a death sentence.

"No!"  Urians shook his head.  "I figure he could kill you and that would give me time to run away."

"You're a son-of-a-bitch."

"My mother was a whore, not a bitch.  That's different."  Urians corrected.

A loud horse snort made Choke jump.  He turned to see a pair of armored riders only a few feet away.  They wore the crest of a two decapitated heads, the Bastard Baron's men.  The one rider heft a spear and tossed it with ease and enough strength that when the spear struck Choke it slide through his ribcage out his back until the tip buried itself into the ground. 

Urians scrambled to put on his vestment.  He watch as the two men unhorsed and took everything of value that was in Choke's pack and the two rings he wore.  They did not look his way.  He was able to get his arms in the sleeves and pulled the vestment over his head.  He was still terrified.

"Baron wants to see you."  One of the men said without looking at Urians.

"The Baron wants to see me?  For what?  I ask with all respect and humility."

"Wants a new priest.  The old one isn't inspiring him."

"Inspiring?  I am not very inspiring myself."

The first man spun to look at Urians, his expression was enhanced by the scars down his face.  "We are not going to have a problem.  The Baron's wants a different priest and you are the first one we've come across.  So you can tell him yourself.  But don't mistaken that this is a conversation or that you have a choice.  If it were up to me I would run you through right now."

Urians heart raced and his mind searched for an escape.  He couldn't find one.

A large, brutish man walked into camp with a smaller man who face was bloodied.  He looked at Urians.  "I see we have our new priest."  He turned and hacked at the wounded priest separating his arm from his shoulder.  The Baron then pointed to Urians, "I guess this makes you my new priest."

And The Winners Are...

There were an even 40 entries with the international entries counting as two.  I had Ivy roll the dice to determine the winners.  And as it so happened, the two winners are WAY across the oceans.  One way to the east.  The other way to the west.

The first copy won a one-way ticket to Australia.

theresdungeonsdownunder

Congrats David, I already have your address so I'll send it in the mail tomorrow.

The second one is scooting across the Atlantic Ocean to land to my homeland, Ireland.  

+Eric Nieudan Congrats on the win!

Eric please send me your address to elder(underscore)sensa(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I'm happy to see to folks who don't get a chance to take part in Free RPG Day get a little swag.  Thanks to all those who participated.  Don't give up hope, I'll be giving away more things in the future.

Free RPG Day Giveaway

Yesterday was free RPG Day.  I got some loot.  I got some duplicate loot and here is some of the loot I am going to give away.  It seems I have 3 copies of Better Than Any Man.  I think I got one when it came out, another very generous person sent me free RPG stuff last year when I didn't get attend Free RPG Day and I picked up a copy yesterday.  It's probably one of the best offerings from Free RPG Day that I remember.  Well I got 3 of them and I only plan to keep 1.  So I am offering two for the giveaway.  Here's what you have to do...comment.  I'll ship to where ever you live.  Postage is on me.

Those that live outside the US please put that in your comment because I know you guys and gals don't get free RPG Day so your comments are going to count as two.  For once, living outside the US in these giveaways, is going to be an advantage.

I might have a few other things to throw into the giveaway pool later in the week.  I need to do some reorganization.  These gaming products need a good home.  I should have made a video Sarah McLachlan song playing the background.

Happy Father's Day to those who have the honor of such a title.

 ADDITION: I'll determine the winners at 9pm EST tonight.