tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67313162095522639682024-03-13T16:43:18.437-07:00QuasarDragon GamesDave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-32569071466308600932016-04-22T08:01:00.001-07:002016-04-22T08:01:27.683-07:00Review - Throne of Evil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWG1OfYS9jrKZU-5yaYJr8kh7iDy1LQiv0hFf90qZkZOaHLfb3IwPWHEcRVepSBtHgjJQ8ep7vww-U9mx7FddlFV5bHkrzWgvTyQjRPxKTuvthbWyq8Nd8UvhOTTs35ldvmyI5LGDI_Mv/s1600/Scan3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWG1OfYS9jrKZU-5yaYJr8kh7iDy1LQiv0hFf90qZkZOaHLfb3IwPWHEcRVepSBtHgjJQ8ep7vww-U9mx7FddlFV5bHkrzWgvTyQjRPxKTuvthbWyq8Nd8UvhOTTs35ldvmyI5LGDI_Mv/s320/Scan3.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<b>Throne of Evil</b>, a 32 page adventure by Role Aids was published in 1984 and claimed to be "fraught with political intrigue, suspense, and magic in the violent world of 12th century." Fortunately, the 12th century aspect is superficial at best or else this would have been unusable for most ongoing campaigns.<br />
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Instead of being set in anything resembling 12th century England, this takes place in a generic setting with a few real world historical events awkwardly serving as the catalyst to this dungeon delving adventure. Any pretense of this being 12th century England disappears as soon as you get to the six pre-generated characters on page seven. Only one the characters is human and he is a cleric of Balder!<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Old School Credentials</b></span>: Because it is an AD&D (1e) compatible product published in 1984, it's automatically "old school" to me. It has a very typical old school feel.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Good:</b> </span>First and foremost, it's a solid dungeon craw with a few good illustrations that evoke the first edition zeitgeist. There are some standard monsters (Lizard Men, Piercers, Giant Spiders, etc.) as well as some odd new creatures (Hawk Men and Giant Kobolds) to spice things up. The plot and political intrigue, despite being based on real world events, is easily adaptable to almost any setting. It's well organized and and an interesting read.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Bad</b></span>:There's not much really bad here. The dungeon might be a bit too generic and have too illogical of monster placement for some, but these aren't really that bad. That the module really isn't what it claims to be could by considered "bad" but it's hard to be upset when it turns out to more useful than it would have been.<br />
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<b>The Odd:</b> This product has some rather strange quirks that are more interesting than good or bad. Although it states "for use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (R)" on the cover, it uses different terms/abbreviations for many stats [IN (intuition) for wisdom, SM (stamina?) for constitution, HTK (hits to kill) for hit points, etc.]. It has an early use of THAC0, but features a simple formula to roll it using percentile dice. And as mentioned above, it is set in 12th century England, but is filled magic, monsters, and non-human heroes that apparently have had had absolutely no influence on the political and cultural history of the area.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Likely Use</b></span>: Despite the setting, its a very standard adventure that could easily be played as part of a campaign in most fantasy settings. It was likely intended as a one-shot, non-campaign module and could easily be used that way as well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Value</b></span>: Another long out of print product, the price varies radically from $6 to $65 at current Amazon prices for good to very good condition with the very good being cheaper. Personally I would say it's a good value at $10 or less, including shipping, but at over $20 total, it's not worth it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Overall</b></span>: A good example of a typical third party effort in the 1980s. It's a decent adventure and worth a look. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-2998663836705649022016-03-17T16:03:00.000-07:002016-03-17T16:03:14.447-07:00Criticizing the Brushstrokes #3 - White Adventurers Can't Jump<i>Important Disclaimer - 1st edition <b>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons</b> is
a masterpiece. It is still one of my favorite RPGs and is one of the
most important games ever published. Because of my love for the game, it
would be too easy for me to come up with 101 things I like about it so I
am challenging myself by trying to come up with that many complaints
about it. This does not reflect any animosity toward the system or the
artist, rather the opposite.</i><br />
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I'm a thief-acrobat! What makes this especially odd is that I don't steal, I'm in the 1e age category for middle age, and am not in particularly great shape. Yet according to <b>Unearthed Arcana</b> , I must be a thief-acrobat because I can easily make a standing broad jump of 6' and <b>UA</b> page 24 states that non-thief-acrobats can high jump 3', running broad jump 8', and standing broad jump 4'! Now to be fair, I wasn't wearing to much in the way of bulky armor or weapons at the time, but <b>UA</b> clearly states that "no extra weight or bulky armor may be worn when high jumping or broad jumping."<br />
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Unless you envision the average <b>AD&D</b> adventurer as resembling Chief Wiggum from <b>The Simpsons</b>, there is a huge problem with these numbers. I gave my standing broad number, not to brag (the three jumps I made are nothing to brag about) but to demonstrate that an out of shape, middle-aged, non-adventurer can easily match what are supposed to be extraordinary abilities. These abilities doomed the class, but gave a lot of laughter to gamers who were jr. high or better athletes. In order to accept the class, you were pretty much obligated to accept the humorously bad non-thief-acrobat abilities. Even if one were to try to rationalize these abilities by assuming all AD&D worlds were higher gravity than Earth, you'd end up with more problems with crossbow ranges. <br />
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Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-90957665590727872322016-03-02T11:51:00.001-08:002016-03-02T11:51:29.562-08:00Parrot, Giant (Macaw) - New MonsterA new monster in multiple edition compatible statistics. The picture is of the Shleich (R) miniature. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Parrot, Giant (Macaw) </b></span><br />
<b>Frequency: </b> Rare <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiueBVy6Ct0HyzXYHOJJULCFXq7AyaGNBr48yVDBaOM8WD8Bv3RIE8GC3JpCksg8STADtLJutqOyNWvC9z4qraxXButuDYJjfeYadyFQcgs8YevuD7MIVM8n431ih_cUnP42zQPm4He64/s1600/0302161226_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiueBVy6Ct0HyzXYHOJJULCFXq7AyaGNBr48yVDBaOM8WD8Bv3RIE8GC3JpCksg8STADtLJutqOyNWvC9z4qraxXButuDYJjfeYadyFQcgs8YevuD7MIVM8n431ih_cUnP42zQPm4He64/s1600/0302161226_HDR.jpg" /></a> <br />
<b>No. Appearing:</b> 1 or 11-20<br />
<b>Armor Class: </b> 7<br />
<b>Move: </b> 3"/48"<br />
<b>Hit Dice: </b> 4<br />
<b>% In Lair: </b> 25%<br />
<b>Treasure Type: </b> Q (x4), 1d6 Jewelry 25%<br />
<b>No. of Attacks: </b> 3<br />
<b>Damage/Attack:</b> 1-4/1-4/2-12<br />
<b>Special Attacks:</b> Nil<br />
<b>Special Defenses</b> Nil<br />
<b>Magic Resistance:</b> Standard<br />
<b>Intelligence: </b> Low<br />
<b>Alignment: </b> Neutral<br />
<b>Size: </b> L<br />
<b>Psionic Ability:</b> Nil<br />
<b> Attack/Defense Modes:</b> Nil<br />
<b>Morale: </b> 8<br />
<b>Ep: </b> 150 + 4/hp <br />
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Giant Macaw are found only in tropical regions near cliffs or especially large trees. They are diurnal herbivores that subsist primarily on seeds, nuts, fruits, and flowers. They are especially fond of coconuts, bananas, and when offered, baked bread and other goods. They can carry up to 250 pounds.<br />
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They are not very aggressive and will only attack in self-defense, or if frightened or offended. They speak (poorly) whatever human or demi-human language is most common in their region. Especially shallow and vain creatures, their conversation is typically limited to discussions of food and their own prettiness. They are easily bribed (for information or transportation) with food if they are also flattered. They tend to take the names of whichever human gender in their region wears the most colorful clothes and jewelry (Polly, Ruby, etc.) or of flowers (Lily, Daisy, etc.). While useful, they are often shunned because they talk incessantly.<br />
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In their lair, there is a 15% chance that there will be 1-4 eggs. Giant Macaw eggs sell for 250 gold pieces each. However, taking a Giant Macaw egg is the only way, other than insulting their appearance, to offend these birds.<br />
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<b>Large Magical Beast</b><br />
<b>Hit Dice</b>: 4d10+4<br />
<b>Initiative</b>: +3<br />
<b>Speed</b>: 10 ft., 70 ft. (average)<br />
<b>Armor Class:</b> 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, + 3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12<br />
<b>Base Attack/Grapple</b>: +4/+12<br />
<b>Attack:</b> Claw +7 melee (1d6+4)<br />
<b>Full Attack</b>: 2 Claws +7 melee (1d6+4) and bite +2 melee (1d8+2)<br />
<b>Space/Reach: </b>10 ft./ 5 ft.<br />
<b>Special Attacks:</b> Evasion<br />
<b>Saves</b>: Fort + 5, Ref +7, Will +3<br />
<b>Abilities:</b> Str 18, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 10<br />
<b>Skills:</b> Knowledge (nature) +2, Spot + 12<br />
<b>Feats</b>: Flyby Attack, Wingover<br />
<b>Environment</b>: Warm forests<br />
<b>Organization:</b> Solitary or company (11-20)<br />
<b>Challenge Rating</b>: 3<br />
<b>Treasure</b>: Standard (gems only)<br />
<b>Alignment:</b> Neutral<br />
<b>Advancement:</b> 5-8 HD (Large); 9-12 HD (Huge)<br />
<b>Level Adjustment</b>: +2 (cohort)<br />
======================================================================<br />
<i>Large beast, neutral </i><br />
<b>Armor Class</b>: 12<br />
<b>Hit Points</b>: 26 (4d10 + 4)<br />
<b>Speed</b>: 10 ft., Fly 60<br />
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<b>Str</b> 16 (+3), <b>Dex</b> 17 (+3), <b>Con</b> 12 (+1), <b>Int</b> 6 (-2), <b>Wis</b> 10 (+0), <b>Cha</b> 10 (+0)<br />
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<b>Skills</b>: Perception +5<br />
<b>Language</b>: Most Giant Parrots speak common poorly.<br />
<b>Challenge</b>: 1 (200 XP)<br />
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<b>Keen Sight</b>. Parrots have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Actions</b></span><br />
<b>Multiattack</b>. A Parrot make two attacks; one with its beak and one with its talons.<br />
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<b>Beak</b>: <i>Melee Weapon Attack</i>: + 5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.<br />
<i>Hit</i>: 5 (1d6 + 3) peircing damage.<br />
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<b>Talons</b>: <i>Melee Weapon Attack</i>: + 5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.<br />
<i>Hit</i>: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. <br />
=======================================================================<br />
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<i>All monster statistics and descriptions in this post are <a href="http://quasargames.blogspot.com/2014/07/ogl.html">Open Game Content</a></i>. The picture is not Open Game Content.</div>
Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-27872641685598369922016-01-27T13:28:00.000-08:002016-01-27T13:28:19.411-08:00KotDT #227 Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmY2nReSvebjTMTN_GPOo2MlaCuPNvJVzLKPpTx2_TI8YPSBG1XUzynV31dXHzECEG_BsP126Ys-IFkOwshaHgsCXZtg1YRKERKwXlq27R6XZJ4BLrvh9OPLzuYiFSBNLOby9CR-UMQ9h/s1600/227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmY2nReSvebjTMTN_GPOo2MlaCuPNvJVzLKPpTx2_TI8YPSBG1XUzynV31dXHzECEG_BsP126Ys-IFkOwshaHgsCXZtg1YRKERKwXlq27R6XZJ4BLrvh9OPLzuYiFSBNLOby9CR-UMQ9h/s1600/227.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Knights of the Dinner Table</b> #227.<br />
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Since I read KotDT every month, I might as well "review" it here. Since I read it every month, and make at least one special trip to comicbook store 15 miles away to buy it, I'm clearly biased in its favor.<br />
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The spoof covers are always a highlight and this issue's cover is no exception. This time it it's a sendup of the old 1980's, quarter-eating game Q*bert. Q*bert was a dumb, annoying, but somehow fun game that was extremely popular for a time.<br />
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The comics, with the ongoing misadventures of the most dysfunctional adult gamers imaginable. I'd be surprised if anyone reading this hasn't run across the KotDT somewhere, but if you haven't then reading the <a href="http://www.kodtweb.com/2011/05/16/hello-world/">online strips</a> is a good way to meet the characters.<br />
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This issue continues the fallout from the ill-advised act of mailing Bob to Hackmaster headquarters and has the Knights and Patty involved involved in a playtest of an adventure for B.A.'s <b>Dawg</b>. Later Brian proposes an investment idea that, given his track record, is likely to fail. No much more can be said without introducing possible spoilers. The stories were amusing, though it should be noted that they are much better the more you read in a row.<br />
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The second half of Knights of the Dinner Table is a game magazine, with mostly short Hackmaster and generic fantasy articles.There is an interview with Alex Kammer of Gamehole ® Con followed by an interesting generic fantasy "trap" that could easily be adapted to other genres. "Monkey Warfare in RPGs" by Blaine Lee Pardoe is a rather interesting article about non-lethal ways of challenging the PCs. Although it's framed as way to mess with players, there are some perfectly legitimate ways of making adventures more challenging and inducing paranoia, which makes playing more exciting.<br />
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Regular colums like "Bait & Taackle" (Generic Adventure Hooks), "All Things Magic," and "Denizens of Tellene" (Hackmaster NPCs) were all worth reading and potentially useful. There is a four page Q&A with the fiction Gary Jackson clarifying Hackmaster Rules and a Hackmaster monster. Most of the rest of the issue is filled with reviews. I was especially interested in the Gammarauders review in "Lost Game Safari" having just recently gotten a copy for a buck from a local thrift shop.<br />
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The issue ends with more great comics in Larry Elmore's awesome SnarfQuest, One-Two Punches (panels cut from earlier KotDT issues), and Parting Shots (Reader submitted comics, much like the old "Dragon Mirth section" of <b>The Dragon</b>)<br />
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Overall it was a good issue of a very good 'zine.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-28839035789137017372016-01-27T07:53:00.001-08:002016-01-27T07:53:05.199-08:00OD&D PDFs Available.Cool news from virtually everywhere in the OSR blogsphere.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWSK1pLHghuqfnEfND-ECsHfjrGgO75tLOnzd5eherbTIImcTo3PcT6TrwDyhEF02eVW1sC8jygplCM8tkWQwzmJ5u9rznzkSjSYda-nI0JVS5Fo7nXjtmX0XD8TKEsIno5rM2SbfR8lZ/s1600/0e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWSK1pLHghuqfnEfND-ECsHfjrGgO75tLOnzd5eherbTIImcTo3PcT6TrwDyhEF02eVW1sC8jygplCM8tkWQwzmJ5u9rznzkSjSYda-nI0JVS5Fo7nXjtmX0XD8TKEsIno5rM2SbfR8lZ/s400/0e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The PDF version of <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/28306/ODD-Dungeons--Dragons-Original-Edition-0e?it=1" target="">Original Dungeons & Dragons</a> is finally available (although with the covers from the 2013 reprint, not quite the covers shown above.) Hopefully other companies will follow this lead and release older, out of print games as reasonably priced PDFs.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-19413747156833984782016-01-25T16:28:00.000-08:002016-01-25T16:28:09.715-08:00Harry Potter and the Braindead FundamentalistA surly look at <b>Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick</b> (2001) by Richard Abanes. This is not an attack on Christianity or even fundamentalism. It instead a brief look at some of a particularly annoying and disingenuous book. It does eventually relate to D&D.<br />
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Although a more apt title for this book might have been <b>Harry Potter and the Disingenuous Opportunist: A Book for Gullible and Narrow-minded Zealots</b>, it was too long for the header. Unless the author is completely "batshit crazy" this book is quite intentionally misleading and targets an audience that will not have read the books and seen the movies and will not bother to check on the half-truths and lies through omission that are rather prevalent.<br />
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The first chapter is a mostly honest summary of <b>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</b>, although beginning with a quote from a "witchcraft & wicca web site" is almost certainly an attempt to prejudice the audience against the stories (Page 13). Abanes overreaches on page 16 when he claims that "Muggles are consistently portrayed by Rowling as a narrow-minded and callous group of persons unable to grasp the glory of magic." A problem with this is that there are only three muggles in the first book who are aware of the magic world (Vernon, Petunia, and eventually Dudley Dursley). It is beyond absurd to believe that Rowling would have to balance out the Dursleys with good, wise muggles because every single reader of these books is a muggle and knows other muggles. Also problematic is the phrase "glory of magic" which does not appear in any of Rowling's books. Fundamentalist Christians tend to reserve the word glory for God and by using this phrase, Abnes is subtly, and falsely, implying that the book presents magic as being worthy of veneration and not merely as a cool tool.<br />
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Chapter two "Sorcery in a Stone"is the author's attempt to link <b>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</b> to the occult, a word which seems to mean to the author, Wicca, paganism, evil, mythology, or satanism, superstition, or any combination of them.<br />
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He takes out of context quotes such as "I don't believe in magic in the way I describe it in my books." and then proceeds to ask several Dana Carvey church lady type questions "Is there another 'sense' in which Rowling<i> does</i> believe in witchcraft?" (page 22-23) Apparently he misses the fact that Rowling answers these very question through Dumbledore "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!" (<b>HPatSS</b> chapter 7).<br />
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Abanes then argues that the first novel is intrinsically connected to alchemy because of the sorcerer's (philosopher's) stone and Nicholas Flamel. He then describes the ancients myth about the stone and Flamel, citing <b>The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology</b> and other esoteric occult sources. Using unnecessary obscure sources (much of the same information would have been available in any standard encyclopedia) is clever trick designed to fool the mostly uninformed audience, and possibly himself, into believing that the sorcerer's (philosopher's) stone is a bit of obscure, esoteric knowledge known only to few fanatical occult practitioners rather than being a likely $100 dollar question on <b>Jeopardy</b>. Fans of DC Comics might remember that one of The Flash's major enemies was Dr. Alchemy who used the philosopher's stone as a weapon.<br />
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Later in the chapter, Abanes attempts to connect Rowling to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy">Theosophy</a>, an obscure philosophy that was a source of inspiration for "New Age" beliefs. Part of his "evidence" is the undeniable fact that anagrams play a small part in Harry Potter (The backward writing around the Mirror of Erised and the anagram involving Tom Riddle's name in The Chamber of Secrets). This logic that <i>Theosophy uses anagrams + J.K. Rowling has anagrams in <b>Harry Potter</b> = J.K. Rowling is into Theosophy</i> is roughly equivalent to <i>I like Sudoku + Sudoku is from Japan as were samurai = I am a samurai. </i>Neither are likely true.<br />
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<b>Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace behind the Magick</b> continues this way throughout the rest of the book. I would continue but I'm afraid that a full refutation of this garbage would end up being nearly as long as the book itself. <br />
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There are a few points that especially bother the author and don't directly relate to his "intended to lead to worshiping the occult" silliness and should be mentioned. First he is upset that the characters often lie and break rules, often without any negative consequences. This is mentioned first in the section "Potterethics." Abanes never seems to grasp that the good characters in this book do lie and break rules but only for what they, and virtually all readers, consider to be good reasons or to avoid being unfairly punished. Nobody's perfect and it is hard to imagine a good story in which all the heroes were perfect saints, especially as children. Later in the book, Abanes lists the <b>Lord of the Rings</b> as an example of good morals, apparently forgetting that Frodo Baggins begins his adventures by spreading the lie that Bilbo's money had run out and that he was going to settle down in Crickhollow and lies, with good reason, a few more times in the trilogy.<br />
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Abanes's second complaint against "Potterethics" is that the characters don't often enough confide in, and ask for help from, adults. True, but in what universe are children and teenagers the epitome of wisdom? And of course, any book that featured a hero of any age who always went to the authorities and waited patiently while they fixed the problem would only work as satire or farce, not heroic adventure.<br />
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The last major ethical complaint that Abanes has is that there is profanity in the book. Yes there is and in a perfect world nobody would swear, but that it isn't reality. It is much easier to have a willing suspension of disbelief of such things as magic and monsters than it is to believe that all good people are perfect all the time.<br />
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Abanes fundamental misunderstanding of the <b>Harry Potter </b>series reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the legitimate purpose of escapist literature. He is clearly an absolute believer of that idea that all fiction, especially children's fiction, must be didactic in nature. In his case it is the belief that it must impart Christian values. Nothing can be just harmless fun. In a textbook example of an either or fallacy, either the work of literature perfectly conforms to his appalling narrow standards or it is evil. Even that fact that "several prominent Christians" speak highly of the stories, a fact that he acknowledges on page 5, cannot put a dent in his intolerance. It is sad that a professed Christian like Abanes wrote an entire book that bears false witness and repeats others who did so earlier. <br />
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Afterword <br />
Not surprisingly, Abanes managed to pull in the completely discredited horror story that <a href="http://www.rpgstudies.net/stackpole/pulling_report.html">D&D led Sean Sellers to Satanism and murder</a>. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-59720996478082627022016-01-22T14:56:00.000-08:002016-01-22T14:56:05.542-08:00Criticizing the Brushstrokes #2: Pig-Headed Orcs<i>Important Disclaimer - 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is a masterpiece. It is still one of my favorite RPGs and is one of the most important games ever published. Because of my love for the game, it would be too easy for me to come up with 101 things I like about it so I am challenging myself by trying to come up with that many complaints about it. This does not reflect any animosity toward the system or the artist, rather the opposite.</i><br />
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Put simply, real vampires don't sparkle and real orcs don't have pig heads. Over the years, there have been many attempts to defend the rather unfortunate decision to inflict this ignominy on one of gaming's great antagonist races but none, at least to my mind, have been convincing. </div>
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The argument that orcs are a pre-Tolkien monster is both wrong and irrelevant. Some confusion about their pre-Tolkien existance exists because of line 112 in <b>Beowulf</b> which reads "eotenas ond ylfe ond orcneas." However, orcneas is translated as "evil phantoms" (Seamus Heaney), "evil spirits" (George Jack and John R. Clark"haunting shapes" (J.R.R. Tolkien - line 90), and "spirits" (Burton Raffel). Others go off half-cocked and site Ariosto's <b>Orlando Furioso</b> as a sixteenth century source for orcs, ignoring the fact that it refers to "a gigantic sea monster called the orc," a singular creature that in no way resembles orcs. Only the name is the same in much the same same way that the clubs used in baseball and cricket share a name with a flying mammal. However, regardless of their origin, it is certain that there were no pig-headed monsters bearing the name "orc" prior to D&D.</div>
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The second argument is better but still not especially convincing. This is the argument that fantasy and mythological creatures should constantly be reinterpreted and reimagined for each generation. This is a subjective opinion and therefore neither right nor wrong. However, most people who subscribe to this viewpoint would agree that the should be more interesting, cooler, or more relevant. Pig-headed orcs are none of these. They are allegedly, depending on which story you believe, either inspired by the fact that orc sounds like pork or by an overly literal interpretation of the term "pig-headed." Of course it is just as likely that it was an attempt to make them slightly less obviously Tolkien's orcs in response to possible legal action from their excessive use of Tolkien's creations in OD&D (Hobbits, Ents, Balrogs, etc.).</div>
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In the end though, it come down to rather or not it makes the game better. In my opinion it does not. </div>
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Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-786190105722003652015-10-30T14:53:00.001-07:002015-10-30T14:53:43.831-07:00Criticizing the Brushstrokes #1 - Alignment Languages <i>Important Disclaimer - 1st edition <b>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons </b>is a masterpiece. It is still one of my favorite RPGs and is one of the most important games ever published. Because of my love for the game, it would be too easy for me to come up with 101 things I like about it so I am challenging myself by trying to come up with that many complaints about it. This does not reflect any animosity toward the system, rather the opposite.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>#1 Alignment Languages</b></span><br />
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I might as well start with the lowest hanging fruit, an by low hanging I mean so low hanging that it takes a shovel to pick it. Alignment languages are described as being "the special set of signs, signals, gestures, and words which intelligent creatures use to inform other intelligent creatures of the same alignment of their fellowship and common ethos." (<i><b>DMG</b> page 24</i>). It is described as being "a handy game tool [. . .] not unjustifiable in real terms." (<i>Ibid.</i>)<br />
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Even the two examples given in the DMG, thieves' cant and the Latin of the medieval Catholic Church, are highly flawed examples of secret languages that might be similar to alignment languages. First there is the obvious problem that these real world examples were connected to occupations and not alignment giving them logical ways to be learned (e.g. during apprenticeship or initiation). No one has ever in fantasy or real life apprenticed to be Chaotic Evil. And, of course, these real world languages had no alignment restrictions. If a priest had a change of heart and stopped being good, he would not suddenly forget Latin. Also neither language, especially Latin, ever kept completely secret.<br />
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With no comparable real world examples, we must try to come up with a reasonable explanation of how such languages would be acquired. Parents could not teach their children because children often grow up to have a completely different ethos than their parents, who may not themselves be perfectly aligned with one another. Apprenticing for an alignment or being initiated into one might make for an musing short story, but is too absurd for a game or novel (the willing suspension of disbelief on goes so far.) This leaves only the "will of the gods" or some other other deus ex machinato save this hopelessly irrational concept. Unfortunately, there is no reason for gods to magically intervene and cause every person of a given alignment to speak that alignment language. The languages' uses are limited at best and assassins ability to speak different alignment languages (<i><b>PHB</b> page 29</i>) undermines even them. Why would deities go to the effort of instilling this language upon some, but not all, members of an alignment for an alignment that can't be spoken in public without repercussions nor used elsewhere unless one is already certain of the listener's alignment? (<i><b>DMG</b> page 24</i>). And the DMG strongly implies that this is not how it is acquired (<i>ibid</i>.).<br />
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So without any logical reason for alignment languages existing in a game would, there must be some indispensable game function such as balance for them, right? Unfortunately not. The most obvious uses might be to test the alignment of a possible recruit or to give commands in combat. The first is allowed, but the fact that assassins can speak alignment tongues makes it untrustworthy and the latter would not work because the vocabulary of alignment languages are limited to "the ethos of the alignment in general" (<i>ibid</i>.).<br />
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Even if they were useful and had a logical way of existing, I would still not care for them. They take something that should be abstract and subject to debate and place a layer of absolutism on it. Players should know their characters' alignments but he characters probably should not. Even paladins should likely consider themselves to be "good" and not say "lawful good." It's just that they consider the lawful good ethos to be pure good and any deviation toward either chaos or evil to be less good at best.<br />
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So let me reemphasize how much love first edition and respect its creator before positing that alignment languages are not just one of the worst ideas of any edition of <b>D&D</b>, not just one of the worst RPG ideas not in <b>F.A.T.A.L</b>., but easily one of the top 1% of bad ideas in imaginative literature. <br />
<br />Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-41469956024041733542015-10-21T17:50:00.002-07:002015-10-21T17:50:22.228-07:00Coco - New Monster<div dir="ltr">
A nearly complete rough draft of a "new" monster.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Coco </span></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-mZuA2K0lyTDGqdjkfKXZx8uwkFoT8okSSYPK_627AC6lZVHk10TNyGoeGCGRsKl97_pPUO-AvTzqsqVnJZt-t2euoN9YzuYAqxHUF7zyBE6mii9bneMJGX22HaKZ-W3OPRV-dv2y1Rq/s1600/Goya_-_Que_viene_el_coco_%2528Here_Comes_the_Bogey-Man%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-mZuA2K0lyTDGqdjkfKXZx8uwkFoT8okSSYPK_627AC6lZVHk10TNyGoeGCGRsKl97_pPUO-AvTzqsqVnJZt-t2euoN9YzuYAqxHUF7zyBE6mii9bneMJGX22HaKZ-W3OPRV-dv2y1Rq/s400/Goya_-_Que_viene_el_coco_%2528Here_Comes_the_Bogey-Man%2529.jpg" width="287" /></a></b></div>
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<b>Frequency: </b> Rare<span id="goog_601877763"></span><span id="goog_601877764"></span><br />
<b>No. Appearing:</b> 1<br />
<b>Armor Class: </b> 2<br />
<b>Move: </b> 12"<br />
<b>Hit Dice: </b> 3<br />
<b>% In Lair: </b> Nil<br />
<b>Treasure Type: </b> Nil<br />
<b>No. of Attacks: </b> 1<br />
<b>Damage/Attack:</b> 1-8<br />
<b>Special Attacks:</b> Fear aura<br />
<b>Special Defenses</b> +1 or better to hit<br />
<b>Magic Resistance:</b> Standard<br />
<b>Intelligence: </b> Low<br />
<b>Alignment: </b> Lawful evil<br />
<b>Size: </b> M (see below)<br />
<b>Psionic Ability:</b> Nil<br />
<b> Attack/Defense Modes:</b> Nil<br />
<b>Morale: </b> 14<br />
Ep:<br />
<b>Source: </b> Latin American Folklore </div>
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One of several monster types that can lay claim to the children's term "boogeyman," a coco is a natural shapechanger that was first created by a sadistic demon lord to inflict suffering on lawful and good parents. This typically human sized monster is usually covered in loose fitting, hooded robes that cover most of the creature's face. In this form, only glimpses of the its face are ever seen, nearly always a human or horse skull. Whether this is its natural form or a preferred shape to inflict terror is unknown. <br />
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This shapeshifting, child killer is bound by a strict set of rules. It can only attack children who have misbehaved recently or are in the process of misbehaving. Being lawful, it interprets "misbehaving" as breaking any rule set down parents or other adult authority. Being evil,it delights in punishing the slightest infraction, regardless of rather there was any intent to break a rule. And being of low intelligence, it often confuses halflings and beardless gnomes with human children.<br />
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It is this last tendency that is most likely to bring it into conflict with adventuring party. If it observes any halfling or beardless gnome "disobeying" what it perceives to be a parent (any adult human, dwarf, elf, etc.) it will attempt to kill and consume the "child." If possible, it will attack when its target is alone, but will attack its prey even in the middle of a crowd if necessary.<br />
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While the Coco can shapechange, this gives it neither advantage nor disadvantage in combat. Only if it changes into something large size will there be any effect and then only if the gaming system allows different weapon damage on large creatures. Its reason for shapechanging is to inflict additional fear. Any creature hunted by a coco or coming between it and its prey must save vs magic or be subjected to a <i>fear spell</i>.<br />
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A coco has no lair, forming out of nothingness as the sun sets each night and fading into nothing at the sunrise. It cannot be permanently killed as killing it only causes it to fade away and reform the next morning. However, characters need not fear it seeking revenge as it never remembers the past day. It exists only to kill and consume disobedient children and has no treasure. It will those that get between it and its prey but will not consume them. A female coco is called a coca, but is in all ways identical to its male counterpart.<br />
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<i>All monster statistics are <a href="http://quasargames.blogspot.com/2014/07/ogl.html">Open Game Content</a>,
including, but not limited to, the stat block from “frequency” through
“source.” All references to spells, and other preexisting open game
content referred to in the text is Open Game Content. </i></div>
Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-41917148484133803132015-09-24T06:11:00.000-07:002015-09-24T06:11:18.119-07:00At a Glance - C&C Players Handbook, Morgansfort, and Monsters, Magic & Sorcery II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few thoughts about some new arrivals that I have had time to skim, but not thoroughly read. All are quite different, but each is interesting and worthwhile in its own right.<br />
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<b>Castles & Crusades: Players Handbook</b> (Troll Lord Games.- 2014)<br />
This OSR book is an extremely professional looking book, with great artwork, a clear layout, good binding, really it looks flawless. If you thought of it as a glossy re-envisioning of the original Players Handbook, you wouldn't far off. It would make an easy substitute for the 1e Players Handbook, but as such, there isn't much really new. Still, it is pretty awesome so, at a glance, I have to give it a thumbs up<br />
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<b>Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign</b> (Basic Fantasy - 2006-2014)<br />
I love Basic Fantasy as a great first game for newbies, regardless of rather they move on to other games or not. For roughly $10, you could get the core rulebook, a monster book, and this campaign adventure. This module looks well organized with some descent old school style art. At $3.50 for 68 pages, you cant go wrong. It even 2 1/2 pages of a basic world setting making <br />
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<b>Monsters, Magic & Sorcery II</b> (Unicorn Game Publications - 1992)<br />
For <b>Quest of the Ancients</b>, a somewhat AD&D like game, this 80 page booklet contains new monsters and magic items for that game. At a glance, the monster section is mildly interesting, though many appeared earlier in 1e behir (MM2), black annis (annis MM2), cat, faerie (elfin cat MM2), centipede, giant (MM), etc. Many of the new creatures are interesting enough, some would be worth converting to whatever system you are using. There is only limited art in this and though the art is mostly well drawn, much of it transferred poorly and looks like an old photocopy. <br />
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Just by reading a few of the magic item descriptions, I've come the conclusion that this section is a goldmine for any GM. Well thought out and described , these items would work in most campaigns. I should mention that this is the only RPG item that I've ever gotten by accident. I ordered <b>Monsters, Magic & Sorcery I</b> but the seller had mislabeled it. Still, it's a keeper. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-82638620620451087012015-09-17T09:01:00.000-07:002015-09-17T09:01:37.593-07:00Unusual Gaming Inspiration - Guns, Germs, and Steel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjd705-XxXig2ZVPF4J9e4TEN3dfo6VWfGVy0R_eQLqlGk5rmiJjEv_N61NaNs739KZg4PR4aTGvEtT4ZyIOX6vrWOQITnBF9YFOt4rU6NRTU809aFRdcAtJeWi8KNwdMelVtwAmICE5zi/s1600/ggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjd705-XxXig2ZVPF4J9e4TEN3dfo6VWfGVy0R_eQLqlGk5rmiJjEv_N61NaNs739KZg4PR4aTGvEtT4ZyIOX6vrWOQITnBF9YFOt4rU6NRTU809aFRdcAtJeWi8KNwdMelVtwAmICE5zi/s1600/ggs.JPG" /></a></div>
<b>Guns, Germs, and Steel</b> (1997) by Jared Diamond would certainly would seem an odd choice for an RPG blog but it raises interesting ideas that could serve as inspiration when populating a newly created world (or newly discovered continent).<br />
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In this book, Diamond posits the idea that the availability that large animals that easily domesticated and of good grains and pulses in an area is the primary determining factor in the rate at which societies transform from hunter-gatherers to settled food producers. He also argues that this allows for much higher population densities and the specialization of labor, two factors critical for the development of technology higher than stone-age tools. Diamond also shows technology spreads through diffusion to neighboring societies in inverse proportion to their degree of isolation.<br />
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Interesting enough, but how can this be useful in a role-playing game? While this idea would certainly be of very limited use in an ongoing campaign, However, these theories about the distribution of technology can aid a game master in world creation.<br />
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If a world in which the technology levels are relatively even, then the GM can assume a widely diverse group of easily domesticated grains and pulses grow on each continent and that there are also large, easily domesticated animals on each one. Without both of these, a society would advance much more slowly and have less incentive to move away from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.<br />
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For example, lets say that a GM has an ongoing campaign and wants to add a large island (roughly the size of New Zealand's North Island) on which there are the ruins of an ancient civilization and living dinosaurs. The GM has located this island roughly half-way between two large continents, one with a medieval European style society, the second with a medieval Asian style society. The GM wants there to be people on the island to be able to lead the characters to the ruins, but doesn't know what there society should be like. First, the GM should determine how isolated this island is. In this case the island is extremely isolated with it lying outside the shipping lanes between the two continents, which are rarely used. Because of this, the inhabitants of the island will have been limited to whatever technology they brought with them (almost certainly good stone age technology) and what they developed there. <br />
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Next, following <b>Guns, Germs, and Steel</b>, the GM should look look at potential food sources. Because there was a civilization developed enough to leave ruins behind, there was very likely at least one good grain or pulse available, but the size of the island makes it extremely unlikely that there were many. As for there being large easily domesticated animals, the obvious answer is no. With the island being home to dinosaurs, no large mammals or birds are likely to have evolved leaving only the dinosaurs which would been far to aggressive to domesticate, though a few may have been a few charmed or even tamed. This leaves us with a civilization that at its peak was depended upon a very limited number of grains (likely supplemented by fruits and vegetables which are great but don't store well) with no large mammals. While there may have been a few chickens, hunting will have likely been the main source of meat. The lack of large mammals to pull plows, carts, etc. and the reliance on hunting would make the society more labor intensive and allow for fewer individuals being able to specialize in anything other than food production/gathering. Fewer specialists means much slower development of technology. This society, while advanced enough to leave ruins, was very unlikely to have advanced beyond stone tools (obsidian if the island is volcanic) and beaten copper jewelry. From this we have an isolated society that in some ways may have resembled the ancient Mayans.<br />
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This leaves two important questions. How did a stone age civilization arise on an island overrun by dinosaurs and why did it fall? The first, although it would be utterly impossible in a mundane world, is easy in a fantasy world. Magic! Only if the inhabitants had powerful magic when they arrived could they ever advanced beyond terrified hunter/gatherers living in caves to avoid the larger dinosaurs. Interestingly, the game system being used might make a difference here. In most old school systems, this would mean that the society was literate and that there will likely be magic scrolls (not necessarily rolled or on paper), spellbooks, maps, glyphs, etc. for treasure. However, if the game system allows sorcerers, there is no absolute need for literacy and it would be completely up to the GM to decide. Regardless, this means that these ruins will likely have many magic items and magical traps, but only simple mechanical traps.<br />
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For the second question, <b>Guns, Germs, and Steel</b> and Mesoamerican history provide the easy answer. Crop failure. Being dependent on a single grain, a society could not survive it failing for a few years. At some point in the distant past, a crop failure occurred, likely a crop disease that greatly reduced food production. As the people starved they turned against their magic user leaders and slaughtered them, and in the process left their civilization defenseless against dinosaurs. The few survivors would have had no choice but to adopt a hunter-gatherer lifestyle going wherever the food was and learning how to avoid the dinosaurs. <br />
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When the characters arrive, they will find an extremely primitive people who have become experts in stealth to avoid being eaten. They will know where all the ruins are and know which ones are safe to hide in and which are dangerous (magic traps, undead, etc.). One complication that might cause distrust between the characters and the locals is that they will have far less resistance to disease than the characters and anyone who accompanies them (sailors if they arrive on a ship). Because most dangerous diseases have their origins in domesticated animals and the locals have not been exposed to them for millennia, if ever, they will not have the resistance that people from more developed societies (the characters) have. And although primitive, the locals are not stupid and will draw logical, though wrong, conclusions. Strangers arrive, we help them, we are struck by a curse, therefore the gods are angry that we helped them.<br />
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From just a few very basic concepts, isolated but inhabited island, dinosaurs, and ancient ruins, <b>Guns, Germs, and Steel </b>has helped to flesh out the beginning of what could be a fairly original and logically consistent adventure or campaign. This book was both a best seller and a Pulitzer Prize winner, which means that it will be available in most libraries for the frugal game master. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-17115022625237266122015-09-10T16:14:00.000-07:002015-09-10T16:14:24.414-07:00Germican Stench RatIt's been far too long since I posted anything and hope to be a bit better in the future. I'm currently working on the sequel to PO-1: The Stolen Child which is taking far loner than I had hoped. In the meantime here's a new Old School Monster.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Germican Stench Rat</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQPoH5z9hmcEHWH8gdFcFe1rBg1PunlOnQ2buKQo17XcYbSUcs_5qGMacJUzjkFVq1Q0ykTkkRjnfOBYADn0uDr2_jSrKawhcgoYAHrnApsUPfGroaQD14k6m8XPseaYe80c5SSmvzDKk/s1600/0323151335a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQPoH5z9hmcEHWH8gdFcFe1rBg1PunlOnQ2buKQo17XcYbSUcs_5qGMacJUzjkFVq1Q0ykTkkRjnfOBYADn0uDr2_jSrKawhcgoYAHrnApsUPfGroaQD14k6m8XPseaYe80c5SSmvzDKk/s320/0323151335a.jpg" width="170" /></a>Frequency: Rare<br />
No. Encountered: 1-12<br />
Size: Small<br />
Move: 12"<br />
Armour Class: 4<br />
Hit Dice: 1-4 Hit points<br />
Attacks: 1<br />
Damage: 1-2<br />
Special Attacks: Stench<br />
Special Defenses: Charm<br />
Magic Resistance: Standard<br />
Lair Probability: 10%<br />
Treasure: None<br />
Intelligence: Animal<br />
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral<br />
Level/XP: 1/9+1/hp<br />
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This seemingly minor nuisance would be viewed as just another breed of giant rat, of which it slightly smaller and less intelligent than, if it weren't for two unfortunate qualities.The first of these is the more obnoxious. At the start of every encounter, a germican stench rat will release a cloud of gas that exactly duplicates the second level magic user spell <i>stinking cloud</i>, except the range is zero. This sulfur-smelling cloud is full of germs and has a 5% chance of infecting anyone within its radius with a serious disease(as a rat bite). A successful saving throw versus poison prevents infection.<br />
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The annoying pest has survived not by its wits but by its unusual charm abilities. For some mysterious reason, sentient beings with intelligence scores less than nine inevitably mistake it for a small dog and beings with wisdom scores less than nine tend to find it cute. Either of these makes a potential victim vulnerable to the stench rat's charm ability. If the potential victim fails its saving throw, it will find the rat "adorable" and adopt it as a pet. At first this might seem relatively harmless as the stench rat is naturally tame. However, the stench rat is a lousy companion in a dungeon. At the slightest noise, the germican stench rat will begin growling and making a loud annoying sound that vaguely resembles high pitched barking, making surprise impossible. Even worse, the stench rat's gas cloud is not completely under its control and there is a 1 in 12 chance of it accidentally gassing the party each hour. And in the event of an encounter, it will forget that its new friends aren't immune and will launch its gas attack immediately. Due to its insanity, a stench rat never needs to make a morale check or save vs fear, though it enjoys antagonizing dangerous monsters then "hiding" behind its owner.<br />
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If taken home the stench rat will have its 1 in 12 chance of it accidentally gassing and it will reveal another unfortunate characteristic, its tendency to destroy any paper product it can find. It especially likes scrolls and spellbooks and left unsupervised will chew them up. Any unsupervised germican stench rat will have a 10% chance of destroying one of these each hour. Only if there are none in the house or they are all magically secured will they be safe. If the stench rat destroys something especially important to the owner, such as a spellbook, it is allowed a new saving throw against its charm.<br />
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Sages are uncertain as to the relationship between giant rats (Rattus Sumatracus) and germican stench rats (Rattus Peeyewicus) but suspect the latter are descended from an especially smelly subgroup of the former. They have no value.<br />
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Everything between the lines, except the photograph, is released as <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CC8QFjACahUKEwiHuZXbyu3HAhVBNz4KHRP-B_I&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fd20%2Ffiles%2Foglv1.0a.rtf&usg=AFQjCNFImZWVnKwuaeJjNrtLEi6v_VwHXw&sig2=hMdwZ7Ui_p13EX1BddRFYg&bvm=bv.102022582,d.cWw">open game content</a>. The photo is not open game content. There is no additional product identity.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-61345358041100999842015-04-10T11:56:00.000-07:002015-04-10T11:56:08.547-07:00Review - The Fallible Fiend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Fallible Fiend</b> by L. Sprague de Camp is a 1973 book, expanded from a slightly earlier version published in <b>Fantastic</b>.It recounts the misadventures of a quite likable and philosophical "fiend"named Zdim. Summoned for a year's servitude to the prime plane in exchange for some iron ore, which is very rare on his home plane, he soon comes to trouble because of his tendency to follow orders too literally and his difficulty reconciling seemingly conflicting instructions.. For example, Zdim is instructed to eat anyone trying to steal items from an area he is guarding, but later he and his master become vegetarians. When a thief eventually does try to steal something, he doesn't know if he should eat him or not because doing so would violate his instruction to be a vegetarian.<br />
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In his travels, he encounters some rather unlikely societies and adapts to them the best he can. He finds himself facing various amusing obstacles and foes and just before the joke gets old, the book ends. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Old School Credentials</b></span>: Fairly strong. It is listed by name in the first edition<b> Dungeon Masters Guide's</b> Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading. It is also a possible source for the concept of a prime material plane (Referred to as the "prime plane.") and may have had some influence on the <b>clairvoyance</b> spell and <b>crystal balls</b>. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Good</b></span>:The book is what it's meant to be. It's fun, mildly amusing, and a reasonably engrossing read. The main character is amusingly sane in an utterly insane world. And being on the " Inspirational and Educational Reading" list mean it offers insight into the early influences on D&D/AD&D.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bad</b></span>: This is very light reading and won't likely be remembered years later. It's a bit short by contemporary standards.<br />
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<span class="MHRHead"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Value</b></span>:At Amazon, it is currently available for $0.01, which equals $4 when shipping is added in, which is a fair price. If you can find it at a used bookstore, it will likely be even cheaper. (I picked up my copy a few weeks ago at a local library for 25¢.)</span><br />
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<span class="MHRHead"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>For the larcenous GM</b></span>: All things considered, there is surprisingly little that could be adapted into a normal campaign. A few ideas, such as having to deal with both a "drunk council" and a sober council to convince a group of barbarians to help the adventures could provide a bit of comic relief. The story's main villains, the </span>Paaluans, a society of naked cannibals that includes magic users using human bones as wands, but are otherwise quite civilized and even philosophical, could make a very surreal addition to many worlds. Because the book is rather successful at being silly fun, its uses as source material are necessarily limited unless the GM wants to run a very non-serious campaign.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Overall</b></span>: I really liked this one. It was exactly what it set out to be, a fun, entertaining little romp. While short compared to most books today, it knows when to quit (another hundred pages would have caused it to drag). <b>The Fallible Fiend</b> book is very good but not quite great. I'd probably give it an A-.<br />
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[P.S.: Content other than just reviews will begin soon and those upcoming reviews I listed before will come soon. I just wanted to review this one while it was still fresh in my mind.]Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-85219581909925878222015-03-27T14:07:00.002-07:002015-03-27T14:07:18.312-07:00Review - Monsters of Myth & Legend<br />
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<b>Monsters of Myth & Legend</b> is a 1984 monster book published by Mayfair Games, under the Role Aids label. It contains roughly 80+ pages of monsters compatible with 1e AD&D. It contains creatures from six very different mythologies (Native American, Australian Aborigine, Chinese, Greek, Irish, and Norse). <br />
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These monsters are treated in more detail than those in many early monster books and each have their own individual feel. The book is organized much like Deities and Demigods in that s organized by mythology rather than all mixed together.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Old School Credentials</b></span>: Because it is an AD&d (1e) compatible product published in 1984, it's automatically "old school" to me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Good</b></span>: The internal art is quite good, with the mischievous fox spirit and wise-looking monkey spirit being a couple of favorites.<br />
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This is a monster book and most of the monsters are quite interesting. For example, he Chinese section's Roc Demon is too powerful too add to a campaign, unless it is on a far away continent. But a monster that is so powerful that it warps the very nature of the planes in a 500 mile radius and can permanently destroy a target's magic using ability, has potential as an ultimate opponent for a campaign, or it could be used merely as an easy, though terrifying for magic users, means of traveling to the outer planes. The other monsters in the book are less powerful, but are mostly very intersting.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bad</b></span>: The print quality is inconsistent with some pages suffering from extremely bad bleed through. About 5-10% are seriously marred by this, the worst I've seen outside of cheap newspapers.<br />
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Some of the monsters will be very difficult to use in most campaigns. For example, the White Elves / Black Elves from the Norse section are just the classic Elves (High, Wood, etc.) and Drow in rawer, mythological, not modern fantasy, interpretations. Making them fit with the modern interpretations would be challenging, likely relegating them to alternate worlds or planes, at best. <br />
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It's not the fault of this book, but a few of the Chinese monsters have since gotten "official" versions in Oriental Adventures, which came out a year later. The "animal spirits" of MoM&L and the Hengeyokai of OA clearly share the same origins, though they are quite different interpretations. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Likely Use</b></span>: This monster book is likely to used two different ways. First, like the Fiend Folio, there will be a few monsters that the purchaser loves, but most will be largely unused. However, because each section is based on a specific mythology, it is invaluable to any campaign set there. For example, if I were starting an OA campaign, I would certainly use the monsters from the Chinese section. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Value</b></span>: Like any used product, the value is likely to vary greatly. I paid less than $12 for my copy from Amazon earlier this year. Today, the cheapest I could find in good or better condition is $16 (counting shipping). At $12, it's a pretty good value, at $16 it's still a fair deal. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Overall</b></span>: I love this one, but I'm less certain that someone who isn't especially fond of comparative mythology would like it. It has many interesting monsters, but some would be very difficult to integrate into a typical D&D world. For me this book is an A, but I fear that most people would give it a B or C.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-33422255839592837462015-03-18T08:15:00.000-07:002015-03-18T08:15:38.969-07:00Review - Return to Quag Keep <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Return to Quag Keep</b> by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe (mostly Rabe) is a 2006 sequel to the classic D&D novel <b>Quag Keep</b> by Andre Norton. This book continues the story of a group of a group of real world gamers who find themselves in their characters bodies, with their memories constantly shifting between character and player. In Return to Quag Keep they are trying to find a way home and trying to find out why they were brought to the world formerly known as Greyhawk.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Old School Credentials</b></span>: <b>Return to Quag Keep</b> is a sequel to Andre Norton's classic 1978 book, <b>Quag Keep</b>, the first D&D novel. As such, its connections to old school gaming are strong, even though they aren't evident in book itself.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Good</b></span>: The book is well written, the story flows well, and there are a couple of good ideas in it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bad</b></span>:While not the abomination that some reviews make it out to be, <b>Return to Quag Keep</b> has numerous flaws. Perhaps the worst flaw is the lack of a setting. <b>Quag Keep</b> was solidly set in <b>The World of Greyhawk</b>, although a less defined pre-1980 folio version. For whatever reason, this novel does not, likely could not, use the Greyhawk setting, but doesn't create a new one either. Because of this insistence on being generic, the reader will get sick the words "the city" faster than I would have imagined possible. Whenever Rabe breaks away from this genericism, the results are good, but it happens all to rarely here.<br />
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It's obvious that a few of the original characters weren't to the new author's taste as one is killed and two are sent away for virtually all the book. This, along with the generic setting, makes the book seem even less like a sequel than it should.<br />
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Another minor annoyance is the excessive overuse of "modern" music such as <i>Danny Boy</i> and <i>She's Always a Woman to Me</i> and the nearly non-stop reference to real world locations gets old very quick.<br />
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Without giving away any spoilers, I will just mention that the ending is the worst problem with the book. The book ends with the characters in a new predicament that would have likely been the focus of the third book in the series if it had ever been written/published.<br />
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There are a few other problems that other reviewers have noted that I'm willing cut Rabe some slack on. A few critics have had conniption fits over a minor spelling change in the name of a tertiary character (<span class="MHRHead">"Afreeta" vs "Alfreeta"). Considering that Rabe based the story, at least partly, on notes from a respected, but elderly, author who misspells Wollheim in the introduction, a little tolerance is in order. (Even the original had spelling issues as "Harvel's Axe" is "Marvel's Axe" on the back cover). And the personalities of the characters are very different than they are in the first book. However, this can be rationalized by the fact that their game personas are somewhat dominant in the first book, while their real world personalities are in nearly complete control in the second. </span><br />
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<span class="MHRHead"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Value</b></span>: It's tough to put a value on a used book, but with the book available for $4 ($.01 + $3.99 shipping) from Amazon, I call it a poor value. It's just not that good a story. However, if like me, you want it as much for a collection as for reading then its a decent value. </span><br />
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<span class="MHRHead"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>For the larcenous GM</b></span>: Surprisingly there is a bit here that could be used to enrich many RPG campaigns. Glothorio, the god of coin gatherers, and his tattooed priests could certainly be added to most worlds. As a minor deity, he could certainly add a bit of flavor and the tattoo/sigil magic that they use in casting their clerical spells is interesting. There are also a couple of interesting magic items that could be put to better use than they are in this book.</span><br />
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Overall</b></span>: Even if you aren't expecting much, this book is likely to disappoint. Removing the setting just sucked the magic completely out of this book.* I can only give this book a D. Only Rabe's competence at storytelling saves this from being an F.<br />
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*Yes, that is a reference to something in the book.<br />
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<br />Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-52771408650773969182015-03-06T19:08:00.001-08:002015-03-06T19:08:03.489-08:00Review - Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game + Field Guide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The<b> Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game </b>is in their own words a "<i>rules-light game system modeled on the classic RPG rules of the early 1980's. Though based loosely on the d20 SRD v3.5, Basic Fantasy RPG has been written largely from scratch to replicate the look, feel, and mechanics of the early RPG game systems.</i>"<br />
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<b>The Basic Fantasy Field Guide</b>, is a collection of additional monsters for The <b>Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game</b>, is similar to the <b>Fiend Folio</b>, QuasarDragon's own <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/131922/Treatise-of-Twisted-Terrors"><b>Treatise of Twisted Terrors</b></a>, and numerous other monster books. It adds additional monsters to the<b> Basic Fantasy </b>Game, mostly classic D&D monsters, but some are new. <br />
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I'm not going to o into too much detail here because both of these are available as free PDF downloads <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.basicfantasy.org/index.html"><b>HERE</b></a></span>. However, I do want to strongly recommend the print versions if you like what see in the PDFs. The production quality if far better than you would expect for such a cheap price.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Old School Credentials</b></span>: The <b>Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game</b> is very much an "old school revival" game system, feeling a bit like a streamlined, compromise between the old Holmes <b>Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set</b> and 1e <b>AD&D</b>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Good</b></span>: The game just feels right. It is a good introduction to old school gaming and it has enough depth for a decent length campaign. The art ranges from charmingly amateur to good old school style. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bad</b></span>: There's not really much new, there's no label on the spine of <b>The Basic Fantasy Field Guide</b>, and much of the the art will not be to everyone's taste.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Likely Use</b></span>: While more experienced gamers are very unlikely to make this their game of choice, it is an almost perfect for new and casual gamers. This would make a good, cheap gift to a potential gamer. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Value</b></span>: Exceptional! I just purchased the the print versions of these two for a combined total of $7.68 from Amazon! That's probably even less than the Holmes D&D would have cost in 1980 and unlike that one, this doesn't stop at 3rd level. The binding and print quality are about the same as the typical softcover game book, which makes the value even more shocking.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Overall</b></span>: This is an easy A. Even if you just skim it and put it on a shelf, it's a bargain. It really captures the spirit of Basic D&D, but has enough detail for a lasting campaign. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-60011604065525909122015-02-26T19:12:00.000-08:002015-02-26T19:12:16.983-08:00Review - Conan Video Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Conan</b> is an action-adventure video game for the PS3 and Xbox 360. This single-player game puts the user in the role of Robert E. Howard's famous barbarian. After loosing his magic armor in an otherwise cool tomb battle, Conan spends the rest of the adventure looking for them, killing things, casting spells?!!!???, and hunting down a rather inarticulate wizard. <br />
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<b>Old School Credentials</b>: It is hard to call any video game "old school" in the same way that "old school" refers to table top RPGs; they are very different animals. However, the character "conan" is as old school as it gets. Conan is listed in appendix N of the 1e Dungeon Master's Guide, had two <b>AD&D</b> modules (CB1 and CB2), a 1985 <b>TSR</b> game, as well as appearances by Conan and other Robert E. Howard characters in the old "<i>Giants in the Earth</i>" column in <b>Dragon Magazine</b>. <br />
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<b>The Good</b>: Although the graphics are not always quite up to the
sharpness one would expect from a PS3 game, they are really quite
impressive at times. The tomb at the beginning of the game is quite well
done and the wraiths there are probably the best "minion" type foe for
Conan.<br />
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Fighting is fun for awhile, though it becomes
very repetitive (The first time you cut of a pirate's arms with is a
two-blade move is cool, the tenth time, not so much). <br />
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Lastly,
despite some critic's dislike of Ron Perlman's voice acting, I thought
he was quite good as Conan. His voice seemed a good match for the
character as written by Howard, not as portrayed by by Schwarzenegger
and Momoa. And Claudia Black, who played the Bêlit-like character
A'kanna, can do no wrong.<br />
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<b>The Bad</b>: In many ways, <b>Conan </b>is a good example of the limitations of video games. It channels the character in ways that would be impossible in a pen and paper RPG, unless you had the world's worst DM/GM. For example, in one area of the game, Conan must make a series of superhuman leaps to survive (perfectly reasonable since it is Conan) but in other areas he is stymied by physical obstacles that would barely challenge Tyrion Lannister.<br />
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Occasionally there are instances of "video game logic" where neither skill nor logic will help and one must find the correct sequence of moves by trial and error. When Conan fights the dragon in the last stage, it is fairly easy to defeat it, but it keeps getting up no matter how many times you stun it. In a sensible game, you could administer a coup de gras on the helpless dragon, with Conan slitting its throat or stabbing it in an eye. Nope. Not even possible. Instead Conan must turn his back on a living dragon and perform a couple more utterly irrational acts to defeat it.<br />
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Although the game often does a decent job of conveying the flavor of the Hyborian Age, occasionally it goes horribly wrong. Conan, for example, spends much of the game desperately looking his magic armor that gets stolen early on. Elsewhere he has to sink a pirate ship using a ballista and as mentioned above, fights a dragon.<br />
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<b>For the Larcenous GM</b>: Some video games can provide good ideas for GM's, but unfortunately, this isn't one of them. As the story is very thin, there are no plot hooks worth using. The Hyborian setting is already available for use in RPGs as is Conan himself. The Tomb might possibly provide some inspiration, but not much.<br />
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<b>Value</b>: At the original price of $60 this game was horribly overpriced. Even if you love the game, despite its flaws, $60 is far too expensive for a game that is supposed to last about six hours (I got tired of if much earlier). However, the price for a used copy is now around $4 to $8 used, which makes it a decent value. <br />
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<b>Overall</b>: Not good. While the game started out rather enjoyably, it soon became more tedious than fun. It does have some good points but these are marred by the game's flaws, especially the use of video game logic. I hesitate to give this one a grade because so much of my dislike of this one stems from my hatred of mandatory illogical actions. If you have a great deal of patience for that then at its current low price, this is a tolerable <b>God of War</b> wanna be and deserves a C+, if not then it is a D. <br />
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<b>Upcoming Reviews</b>: <i>Game Products</i>: <b>Role Aids </b>- <b>Monsters of Myth & Legend</b>, <b>Throne of Evil</b>, and <b>Wizards</b>. <i>Books</i>: <b>Return to Quag Keep</b> by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe and <b>Man of Gold</b> by M.A.R. Barker. <i>Television</i>: <b>Marco Polo</b>.<br />
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I'll be back more frequently.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-19241566482523150282015-02-04T07:41:00.004-08:002015-02-04T07:41:53.249-08:00Morale for the Treatise of Twisted Terrors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The <a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/131922/Treatise-of-Twisted-Terrors"><b>Treatise of Twisted Terrors</b></a> is an OSR compatible collection of monsters designed with the advanced version of the game in mind but with minimal changes can be used with original or classic rules or their clones. However, some editions and clones use morale for the monsters and therefore it is only fitting that this stat be available somewhere. Below are the suggested morale ratings for all the monsters in the book.<br />
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<b>Abaia </b>13 - <b>Adze</b> 15 - <b>Aguane</b> 13 - <b>Ahuizotl</b> 9 - <b>Akhlut</b> 16 - <b>Ankou</b> NM - <b>Aswang</b> 12
<b>Aufhocker</b> 11 - <b>Bannik</b> 11 - <b>Basajaun</b> 9 - <b>Baykok</b> NM - <b>Bean Nighe</b> 13 - <b>Beast of Gévaudan</b> 11
- <b>Black Shuck</b> 12 - <b>Blemmye </b>12 - <b>Bloody Bones</b> 15 - <b>Bulls, Aethiopian</b> 14 - <b>Chamrosh</b> 6 - <b>Gnome, Barbegazi</b> 12
- <b>Chupacabra</b> 11 - <b>Clurichaun</b> 12 - <b>Cuélebre</b> 14 - <b>Cynocephaly</b> 12 - <b>Demon, Abbey Lubber</b> 6 - <b>Demon, Al</b> 12
<b>Demon, Ala</b> 16 - <b>Demon, Amanojaku</b> 10 - <b>Djieien</b> 17 - <b>Domovoi</b> 8- <b>Draugr</b> NM - <b>Dullahan</b> 13 - <b>Duwende</b> 7 - <b>
Dziwozona</b> 12 - <b>Each-uisge</b> 14 - <b>Encantado</b> 10 - <b>Far Darrig</b> 12 - <b>Fenodyree</b> 14 - <b>Gancanagh</b> 10 -
<b>Gashadokuro</b> NM - <b>Glaistig</b> 12 - <b>Grootslang</b> 14 - <b>Gulon</b> 10 - <b>Hag, Mountain (Yama-uba)</b> 15 - <b>Huldra</b> 11
- <b>Ijiraq</b> 12 - <b>Ilomba</b> NM - <b>Inugami</b> 14 - <b>Jackalope</b> 8 - <b>Jikininki </b>9 - <b>Jorōgumo </b>14 - <b>Kapre</b> 12 - <b>Kikimora</b> 8
- <b>Kikiyaon </b>12 - <b>Kuchisake-onna </b>14 - <b>Lambton Worm</b> 18 - <b>Lamminkin</b> 10 - <b>Lavellan</b> 6 -<b> Leshy</b> 14 - <b>Lightning Bird (Impundulu)</b> 15 -
<b>Mokele-Mbembe</b> 11 - <b>Mongolian Death Worm</b> 14 -<b> Morgen</b> 12 - <b>Night Fairy (Negret) </b>3 - <b>Piasa Bird</b> 14 - <b>Rusalka</b> 13 - <b>Vampire, Manananggal</b> 10
- <b>Wild Haggis </b>4 - <b>Xana </b>12 - <b>Yale </b>6 - <b>Zombie, Infectious</b> NM.<br />
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*NM means that the creature does not ever need to make a morale check. Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-82261744890563637582015-01-26T11:20:00.003-08:002015-01-26T11:20:44.454-08:00Status UpdateIt has been a rough few months here at QDG, but things are finally back to normal (I hope.). The fifth QDG product, PO-2, is about halfway finished and allowing for play-testing, should be available sometime in February. The module that was to be FM-3 was a seasonal adventure and has been delayed indefinitely. However, there will be more FM series adventures before then. As for the blog here, posts are resuming, but it has a been a bit too long of a delay to continue the section by section review of 5E D&D.<br />
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As of now, there are four QD products available, three of which are pay what you want. Two these have been reviewed elsewhere and links are provided to the full reviews. <br />
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<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/131922/Treatise-of-Twisted-Terrors"><b>Treatise of Twisted Terrors</b></a><br />
The first QuasarDragon Games product is collection of 70 new and re-imagined monsters for your OSR games. Currently only $2.<br />
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"<i>At $2, this is really a steal.
<b>A</b></i>" - <a href="http://osrnews.blogspot.com/2014/09/treatise-of-twisted-terrors-review.html#more">OSR News and Reviews</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/134488/PO1-The-Stolen-Child"><b>PO-1 The Stolen Child</b></a><br />
<div class="alpha omega prod-content">
<div class="grid_11 alpha omega prod-content-content">
<div>
The pleasant town of Sligo has its tranquility shattered when a young
boy vanishes in the middle of the night. Investigating the
disappearance, the characters discover lost ruins and an ancient plot
for revenge and a long forgotten enemy of humanity. Will the characters
be able to rescue the stolen child or will a cruel, wronged race be able
to wreak vengeance on all humanity? An OSR compatible module for any
old school RPG or modern clone, designed for character levels 7-9. Pay what you want (suggested price $2) </div>
</div>
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<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/137402/FM1-Baba-Smerta"><b>FM-1 Baba Smerta</b></a><br />
As night falls on the marsh and the fog blankets the land, the people
of the surrounding villages lock their doors and pray that they will be
overlooked by the minions of Baba Smerta. For nearly three generations
they have suffered her tortures and humiliations. When one of her raiding parties takes on the PCs, though, have they
bitten off more than they can chew? Will this long reign of terror
finally come to an end? Suggested for levels 5-6. Pay what you want (suggested price $0.50) <br />
<br />
<i>"like something the should have appeared in an early issue of <b>Dragon</b> magazine, a ten page concise adventure module that centers itself on the challenges that surround and center on Baba Smerta & her domains [...] makes excellent uses of its elements, themes, and more to really give a unique and some what unsettling old school adventure</i>" - <a href="http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-pay-what-youd-like-osr-adventure.html?showComment=1415749645363#c1056645542914771138">Swords & Stitchery.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/138888/FM2-The-Temple-of-Asibare?term=asib"><b>FM-2 The Tomb (or Temple) of Asibare.</b></a><br />
Lying undisturbed for ages, this accursed tomb is discovered by the
characters and a great evil is encountered. Will they survive this brush
with darkness or will they become its latest victims. An OSR compatible
module for any old school RPG or modern clone, <b>The Temple/Tomb of Asibare</b> is designed for character levels 2-4 or an especially harrowing first level. Pay what you want (suggested price $1.95) <br />
<br />
And finally, there is some very minor errata. <br />
Errata: <b>Treatise of Twisted Terrors</b>, <b>The Stolen Child</b>, and <b>Baba Smerta</b> all should read "advanced version of the game" instead of "classic version of the game" in the boxed text of their title pages. <br />
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<a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/7039/QuasarDragon-Games" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/7039/QuasarDragon-Games" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwrJbn_GKlzlduhuO2WNd8-c1J7NTbUELZGy9WWMNCDnChc84v4pWbwGqr3alQkICxbH0cX6VwessOOSbX5LdWg7prco9dm1-C-y9UaDq0_2fDBW1YguPqW1pUUKEEw-PTzwE3nf7Tumy/s1600/banner-dtrpg.jpg" height="47" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-31818339821007381552014-10-27T16:17:00.002-07:002014-10-27T16:17:49.953-07:00Looking at the 5E Player's Handbook - part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaMjmMzJ38gCkehn3ESchhocU5KJCN53PMs2IVnqh5IsF8b3CTP3ldIim1BCQZ1kONkPMUZKgvydDy3lZsK3tTyPbip3tiNqwvKnjSggBK0tp6IQUQvl3V5D8MbTNBVunuVG-cZ4W6Ld_/s1600/5e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaMjmMzJ38gCkehn3ESchhocU5KJCN53PMs2IVnqh5IsF8b3CTP3ldIim1BCQZ1kONkPMUZKgvydDy3lZsK3tTyPbip3tiNqwvKnjSggBK0tp6IQUQvl3V5D8MbTNBVunuVG-cZ4W6Ld_/s1600/5e.jpg" /></a></div>
There's finally been enough time to get started reading the new edition.<br />
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Cover - I'm still undecided about the cover. It is quiet good fantasy art, but is it D&D? The fire giant on the cover is far too large unless they are going to radically increase the the size of giants in the new monstr manual. Fire giants have always been about 12' tall and this one is at least 30' tall. I know I'm nitpicking, but having seen far too many manga-esque drawings in which ordinary humans are shown using giant swords that would weigh more than they do, any exaggeration of size seems silly.<br />
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The text on the back cover is simple and enticing - no problems there. And the odd smooth to rough transition on the back cover is noticeable, but really unimportant.<br />
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Cost - $49.95 for 328 pages (counting covers and blank pages). Ouch! If anyone wonders why it's so difficult to recruit new players, the rather steep entry fee might be a factor. <br />
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Binding - Having had more than one game book fall apart after heavy reading, I've started to appreciate quality binding. Although only time will determine how well it lasts, this seems to be exceptionally well bound and unlikely to fall apart.<br />
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Preface - There's not too much to say about a preface, but with quotes like "collaborative creation," "create epic stories," and "strengthen friendships" in the text, it's clear the game is again on the right track. D&D isn't a video game; it's better than that, and should emphasize it.<br />
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Introduction - It's difficult to remember not knowing what a role-playing game is, so it's really impossible for me to judge how effective the introduction is at explaining this. It seems to good with one exception. The overused, and frankly insulting, comparison to "childhood games of make-believe" serves no positive purpose and gives outsiders a completely wrong idea of what gaming is. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson weren't outside playing a fantasy equivalent to "Cowboys and Indians" and decided to make some rules to see who fireballed who first. absurd. It is wargaming with elements of theatrical method acting and collaborative storytelling mixed in, the proportion of each of these varying from group to group. Still, despite that pet-peeve, the introduction seems pretty good overall.<br />
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Step-by-step characters - As the title notes, this small section gives an overview of the steps in creating a character. There's nothing unusual here and each step is covered in more detail later in the book.<br />
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Races - Here we start getting to the meat of the book. All the old races from 1e are here, although gnomes half-elves, and half-orcs are considered "uncommon." There are only two "new" races, and both have appeared before. Tieflings have been around so long that they are almost "old school." I don't really care much one way or another about them, though it is interesting that they made it into the core and aasimar didn't. And unfortunately, dragonborn did make it into the latest edition. This race has always seemed to be little more than munchkin bait for those who want a character who has a breath weapon. Although an exceptional role-player could turn one into an interesting character, far more if these will be played walking flame (or acid, lightning, ect.) throwers.<br />
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One thing I really like about the races is that there was clearly an effort made to make each race feel different through descriptions and rules. With different traits, as well as stat bonuses, each race is subtly different and has its own flavor.<br />
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While I do gave a few curmudgeonly complaints, so far this new edition is quite impressive and a vast improvement over the fourth edition.<br />
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Next time - Classes,Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-73863215171331145902014-09-22T14:46:00.000-07:002014-09-22T14:46:02.446-07:00Baba Smerta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KuBW85_AtOLLhS_I7rfBcTYb6pB-9aGHQ9hbAvaNMeVvFLY4kM1NkTLMyXRYIXH5pDH0YWmBISF-ufKc84hykDQjchiSkk0EgBewejJLxGLlmcfrsPdDYRtvxy-sir-DTh-oiPwr8i2X/s1600/137402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KuBW85_AtOLLhS_I7rfBcTYb6pB-9aGHQ9hbAvaNMeVvFLY4kM1NkTLMyXRYIXH5pDH0YWmBISF-ufKc84hykDQjchiSkk0EgBewejJLxGLlmcfrsPdDYRtvxy-sir-DTh-oiPwr8i2X/s1600/137402.jpg" /></a></div>
Now available at DriveThruRPG, "<b><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/137402/FM1-Baba-Smerta">FM-1: Baba Smerta</a></b>" This mini-adventure is a "pay what you want" product with a suggested price of only 50¢ but 0¢ is fine. It is also available at <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?x=0&y=0&author=Dave%20Tackett">RPGNow</a>.<br />
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"<i>As night falls on the marsh and the fog blankets the land, the people of the surrounding villages lock their doors and pray that they will be overlooked by the minions of Baba Smerta. For nearly three generations they have suffered her tortures and humiliations. When one of her raiding parties takes on the PCs, though, have they bitten off more than they can chew? Will this long reign of terror finally come to an end? </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>An OSR-compatible mini-module for any old school RPG or modern clone, designed for character levels 5-6, "<b>Baba Smerta</b>" is easily adaptable to other levels</i>"<br />
<br />
The informal review of the 5e Player's Handbook has been delayed slightly, but will start soon - I hope.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-36164944791215543372014-09-11T13:36:00.001-07:002014-09-11T13:36:40.095-07:00Misc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsKIg048rVRf2qPgzVqNxUyUYL-5vWDJlT6cOzcb0D0n6qXu7WsB6wzyiJFgsSbS1_k9TGCX5Oan1UfvWM9EuX9Je_pFHUFQ8OBH_gesSufqOnU5odFscutA24nw_vMOF_00Rioxth5kH/s1600/qdb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsKIg048rVRf2qPgzVqNxUyUYL-5vWDJlT6cOzcb0D0n6qXu7WsB6wzyiJFgsSbS1_k9TGCX5Oan1UfvWM9EuX9Je_pFHUFQ8OBH_gesSufqOnU5odFscutA24nw_vMOF_00Rioxth5kH/s1600/qdb3.jpg" height="58" width="320" /></a></div>
With all that's been going on, I've neglected to mention QuasarDragon Games' sister site <b><a href="http://freesciencefantasy.blogspot.com/">QuasarDragon</a></b>. QD is an on-again, off-again website that has been linking to free, legal fantasy, science fiction, and horror since 2007. It's from there that <b><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">QuasarDragon Games</a></b> gets its name, not the "Shooting Quasar Dragon" card from Yu-Gi-Oh!, which came later. If you like those genres (are there any gamers who don't like at least one of them?) feel free to check it out.<br />
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<b><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">QuasarDragon Games</a></b> third product should be out in the next week or so. This, as of yet unnamed OSR mini-module will be very inexpensive. And starting this weekend, I'll be posting an informal multi-part look at the Fifth Edition D&D Player's Handbook.<br />
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And QuasarDragon Games' first product, The Treatise of Twisted Terrors, has just been reviewed at <b><a href="http://osrnews.blogspot.com/2014/09/treatise-of-twisted-terrors-review.html">OSR News and Reviews</a></b> and I'm dancing such a happy jig that you'd have to save vs insanity if you could see me.<br />
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<br />Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-19135116049958154622014-09-04T16:51:00.004-07:002014-09-04T16:51:49.754-07:00The Stolen ChildTechnical difficulties and personal loss have slowed posts, but <a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">PO-1: The Stolen Child</a> is now available as a Pay What You Want download at <b><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">DriveThruRPG</a></b><br />
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The pleasant town of Sligo has its tranquility shattered when a young boy vanishes in the middle of the night. Investigating the disappearance, the characters discover lost ruins and an ancient plot for revenge and a long forgotten enemy of humanity. Will the characters be able to rescue the stolen child or will a cruel, wronged race be able to wreak vengeance on all humanity? An OSR compatible module for any old school RPG or modern clone, designed for character levels 7-9, <b>The Stolen Child</b> is easily adaptable to other levels.Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-27761516833348609742014-08-10T18:44:00.001-07:002014-08-10T18:44:20.382-07:00Sorry, no posts for a few days due to a death in the family.<br />
<br />
"<i>The roads I travel I must leave,<br />
For I've turned the final bend.<br />
Weep not empty tears, but grieve<br />
As the road comes to an end</i>."Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6731316209552263968.post-54503510286804134232014-08-02T08:05:00.000-07:002014-08-08T06:16:54.424-07:00Gumberoo<b> QuasarDragon Games</b> first OSR adventure,<b> PO-1: The Stolen Child</b>, should be available within a couple of weeks or so, barring unforeseen disaster. It will be available at <a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">DriveThruRPG</a> and <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=7039">RPGNow</a>, most likely as a pay what you want item. In the meantime, here's a rather silly monster for any OSR game systems.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bear, Gumberoo</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Frequency</b>: Very rare</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA8v0O5bK6CkMuYrfNaCEnvWImQYf3djRvA9AkVwkpy6jZffQIwgfsYKVQQwg9yzTeIBuZhJemULIBypQ33uIcH248bZJmbsbtxseoMDfEe7tsp4CNAEHosxndJ_3b0kmM67CAhmHW7TN/s1600/Gummibear2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA8v0O5bK6CkMuYrfNaCEnvWImQYf3djRvA9AkVwkpy6jZffQIwgfsYKVQQwg9yzTeIBuZhJemULIBypQ33uIcH248bZJmbsbtxseoMDfEe7tsp4CNAEHosxndJ_3b0kmM67CAhmHW7TN/s1600/Gummibear2.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>No. Encountered</b>: 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Size</b>: Medium</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Move</b>: 120 ft</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Armor Class</b>: 7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Hit Dice</b>: 3+3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Attacks</b>: 3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Damage</b>: 1d3/1d3/1d6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Special Attacks</b>: Hugs: 2d3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Special Defenses</b>: See below</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Magic Resistance</b>: Standard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Lair Probability</b>: 80%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Treasure</b>: None</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Intelligence</b>: Animal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Alignment</b>: Neutral</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Level/XP</b>: 4/215+3/hp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Source</b>: North American Folklore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"<i>What a strange creature it was. When I first saw it, I thought it my be a deformed bear, or one that was horribly scarred. That was soon disproved when poor Arteoss decided to chase it off with his slingshot; it seems unlikely that he'll ever regain use of that eye. Who'd have believed that the stone would bounce of the damned beast and rebound straight back at Arteoss</i>." - from The Journals of Eurylochos the Traveler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gumberoos are a strange species
of bear that inhabits coastal forests. They look much like an obese, mostly hairless
black bear, with bushy eyebrows and scraggly chin hairs. Aggressive beasts,
gumberoos will attack almost anything when it is away from its lair, not from
maliciousness but because it has an exceptional appetite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gumberoos are immune to all
non-magical weapons which bounce off its hide and invariably rebound toward the
attacker. This innate magical ability causes the attacker, such as a player
character, to effectively attack themselves. (Whatever number the player rolled
to attack the gumberoo is used on the attack against themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strength and other bonuses do apply.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For each attack, magical weapons have a 25%
chance of rebounding, as do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">magic
missiles</i> (roll for each missile). Because of this ability, gumberoos have
no fear and will charge anything that looks edible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This creature has one fatal
weakness, though it is often dangerous to exploit. If a gumberoo is damaged by
fire for more than one point, it explodes in a flaming inferno, exactly as if a
fireball cast at eighth level had detonated where it was standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gumberoos spend most of their
time sleeping at the base of burned out trees, typically cedar trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the time they are out hunting or
following other biological urges. They are voracious eaters and can eat prey larger than themselves, sometimes stretching to to ridiculous proportions to consume it all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Original art by Coert DuBois </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></div>
<i>All monster statistics are <a href="http://quasargames.blogspot.com/2014/07/ogl.html">Open Game Content</a>,
including, but not limited to, the stat block from “frequency” through
“source.” All references to spells, and other preexisting open game
content referred to in the text is Open Game Content. </i><br />
<br />Dave Tacketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09939802573223717177noreply@blogger.com0