#roleplaying
Time to start my magic with Over the Edge , start to put together the first session for Tuesday and write down the ideas for the running themes through the series as always little weird befitting the nature of the tabletop role-playing game.
Just to let everyone know there are still places on the Over the Edge Series for those who are brave enough to try something a little different. :)
Today I give those in the #TTRPG spaces who like to run urban fantasy games an NPC to possibly show up in your games. The Pretty Boy. https://youtube.com/shorts/yMhKGdGAg_o?feature=share
#roleplaying #WorldofDarkness #UnknownArmies #tabletop #urbanfantasy
the Electric State RPG is up on #kickstarter
#rpg #ttrpg #scifi #sciencefiction #roleplaying #game #gaming
https://churapereviews.com/2023/12/05/the-electric-state-rpg-kickstarter/
Today's offering for the #TTRPG community is aimed at those who run fantasy style games. I give to you The Throne of the False Monarch. https://youtube.com/shorts/bQKC-dHfpeM?feature=share
#fantasy #Dnd5e #Pathfinder #tabletop #roleplaying #NounMagicalObject
One of my last sketches, a goose that's,well, as chaotic as geese are!
#goose #geese #art #sketch #traditional #traditionalart #pen #avian #bird #duck #rogue #fantasy #dnd #pathfinder #roleplaying #rpg #rp #oc #characterdesign #character
The warm whispering of the Force called to her before she bolted; swarthy hands pushing and shoving anyone she could to try and get ahead. The voice called stronger still- beating with her now pounding heartbeat.
“Run.”
https://acrossthestars.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=1606&st=0&#entry12171
tags: #roleplaying #rpg #roleplayingaccount #oc #news #art #artist #mastodon #fandom #twitter #facebook #reddit #threads #ahsoka #disney #writing #writingcommunity #writer #writers #forum #digitalart
The warm whispering of the Force called to her before she bolted; swarthy hands pushing and shoving anyone she could to try and get ahead. The voice called stronger still- beating with her now pounding heartbeat.
“Run.”
https://acrossthestars.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=1606&st=0&#entry12171
tags: #roleplaying #rpg #roleplayingaccount #oc #news #art #artist #mastodon #fandom #twitter #facebook #reddit #threads #ahsoka #disney #writing #writingcommunity #writer #writers #forum #digitalart
Today on Character Class I take a little time to talk about how important it is for the stories you and your friends are telling together to actually have an ending. https://youtu.be/WTXiDhn7dbk
#roleplaying #tabletop #TTRPG #CharacterClass #DnD5e #Pathfinder #WorldofDarkness #UnknownArmies
Today I have something to offer the #TTRPG players who like to run games in urban fantasy settings. I present for your use, The Building That No One Lives In. https://youtube.com/shorts/NFAkPOHKjEc?feature=share
#roleplaying #urbanfantasy #WorldofDarkness #UnknownArmies #NounMagicalObject #tabletop #creepy
Today's Noun Magical Object is an idea for those who run a more fantasy style of campaign. Magical armor is an automatic choice for players, so why not give them this option. https://youtube.com/shorts/hb8CU6ZoZP4?feature=share
#roleplaying #ttrpg #tabletop #fantasy #NounMagicalObject #D&D5e #Pathfinder
"Feelin' cute, might cough up acidic plhegm later." #goblinselfie #gobs-are-cute #bikerlife #roleplaying
Heiler des alten Universums aus dem 14. Weltalter
Automagically #generated profession (probably best suited for #roleplaying characters) https://github.com/elbosso/generator-microservices
Today's offering of an idea is aimed at #TTRPG settings in an urban fantasy style. I offer up to you all The Pills. https://youtube.com/shorts/ud9dBfynaA8?feature=share
#roleplaying #tabeltop #urbanfantasy #WorldofDarkness #UnknownArmies #NounMagicalObject
For those in the #TTRPG community with more fantasy driven settings, perhaps you have a place in your games for a Draught of Revenge?
https://youtube.com/shorts/Dt5Sv9TlUFk?feature=share
#roleplaying #D&D5e #Pathfinder #fantasy #tabletop #NounMagicalObject
It's time for another Noun Magical Object for those in the #TTRPG community who run games in a modern day style of setting. Please enjoy my musings on Bodega Cats. https://youtube.com/shorts/bxBhFZaX8O4?feature=share
#roleplaying #tabletop #WorldofDarkness #UnknownArmies #NounMagicalObject
All my games are released for free (PWYW) Here's a list!
Hello dear fellow gamers!
I have over the years made a few games. I thought I'd share them with you, and instead of making one post per game, just make a list. My itch page can be found here: https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/
**Oceania 2084 - the Orwellian TTRPG**
https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084
This game is my newest game, published only like two weeks ago. The current version is the Austere Edition, which is a text-only pay-what-you-want PDF. It is 100 pages long. It has a lot of novel game mechanics and novel ideas but is thoroughly playtested with approximately 150 playtesters over the course of three years. It is heavily inspired by George Orwell's book 1984. It is a dark game, but it is ultimately about hope and connection.
**A one in a million chance at adventure**
https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/discworld-a-one-in-a-million-chance-at-adventure
An unofficial TTRPG system designed to suit roleplaying in the Discworld universe. It was released a couple of years back and has since then had about 10.000 downloads. It is a rules-light system that also has three supplements that expand on rules and one introductory adventure module. The three supplements are:
* Character build guides: https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/the-a-m-professions-character-build-guides
* Optional Auditing Rules (additional GM tools): https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/optional-auditing-rules
* The Creation of Belief (additional magic rules): https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/the-creation-of-belief
And the adventure module The Murder of Dommick Kolchak (murder mystery) can be found here: https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/the-murder-of-dommick-kolchak
A zine was also created by a few people during a game jam: https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/a-one-in-a-million-chance-at-a-zine
**Dreams of Fire From Void - a storytelling game**
https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/dreams-of-fire-from-void
The third and final TTRPG I've made is Dreams of Fire From Void. While this game is a bit more experimental and edges into the storytelling game territory I would still like to mention it as I have had pretty awesome roleplaying moments in it. It is a ritualized way of playing the roles of weavers of reality. Worldbuilding. Collective dreaming.
Besides this, I have made a few board games, party games, and card games. Not all of them has been published yet.
#freeGames #indieGame #ttrpg #ttrpgFamily #ttrpgCommunity #discworld #orwell #storyTelling #PWYW #itchIo #itch #tableTop #jocher #gameDesign #roleplaying
OSR News Roundup for November 27th is now live, featuring last week's releases in the OSR/indie rpg fields: https://www.thirdkingdomgames.com/post/osr-news-roundup-for-november-27th-2023 #ttrpg #dnd #osr #indiegames #roleplaying
I actually have not had much time this week for blogging, even reading my feeds was an issue. Which is sad because there was a rather juicy amount of stuff to be found in them. Here are the most interesting:
Random Tables
100 Fairy Peon Quests (Whose Measure God Could Not Take)
d100 Things I Had To Do Growing up a Dwarf (Elfmaids & Octopi)
d100 Halfling Hangups Growing Up (Elfmaids & Octopi)
100 Wonderous Trinkets (OSRVault)
100 Curses (OSRVault)
PAINT THE (VILLAGE) RED: A General Purpose Carousing Table (I cast light!)
Roll Your Own Kobold Tribe (Points of Inspiration)
Wilderness Encounter Details/Activities (Eldritch Fields)
Game Aids
Mist Rapier (Wombat’s Gaming Den of Iniquity)
What to do at High Level (What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse)
10 Fantasy curses and the ritual to break them (Dawnfist Games)
Branching Factions (Space Aces)
Advanced LaTeX features and LaTeX Images for TTRPGs (Vladar’s Blog)
A take on the Monastery of the Fire Opal, including the upper levels (Dyson’s Dodehecadron)
Thought
Gods are High Level PCs (Rise up Comus!)
Monsters
You’re Sleeping on Perytons (Tales of the Lunar Lands)
OSR: Oni (Remixes and Revelations)
RPG History
Game 497: Dragons (1978) (CRPG Addict)
No Longer a Challenge (Grognardia)
Other
Desecrated Tomb paper model (papermau)
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/a-monday-miscellany-of-links-pt-x/
2021 review of the "Magical Kitties Save The Day" RPG, reviewed by @TabletopBellhop: https://tabletopbellhop.com/game-reviews/magical-kitties-save-the-day/
"Overall there’s a ton to love in Magical Kitties Save the Day. This is a fantastic traditional RPG that is not only great for new players and for kids (at least on the player side if not the GM size) but that also features a number of modern RPG sensibilities that integrate very well into the system. If the concept of playing magical cats who work together to solve problems for their humans and help out their neighbourhood sounds fun to you, you really should pick up this game."
A bit late to the trend, but five TTRPGs to get to know me:
D&D 4ED: you always remember your first.
7th Sea 2Ed: Opened my eyes to an option economy instead of just to hit chances. Plus, my first official writing opportunity.
The Wretched: Opened my eyes to solo games.
Party First: First game of my own.
Warmer in the Winter: Sometimes games can be cheesy and heartfelt.
#rpg #ttrpg #ttrpgs #roleplaying #tabletoprpg #tabletop #tabletopgaming
Working on the background of the next Over the Edge tabletop series, Black is New White, including some of the wonderful personalities the player characters will meet and some of previous personalities they have met will be formally written up.
This includes their favourite talking dog with a thing for sausages who now has a name and traits so he is here to stay. :)
#theparadoxfactory #overtheedge #ttrpg #roleplaying #roleplay
So here is something, a cursed item for my game. I created it mostly as a joke, I was listening to a video on YouTube and saw a clip from the bizarre show Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the character Carl on a rant. Having spent many nights watching that show, I created this cursed item. The current owner of the orb just called it Karl.
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Forbithrahd_Orb
The Forbithrahd Orb stands as a cursed relic of immense power and a testament to the tragic tale of Karlheinz's failed quest for immortality. Crafted from an unbreakable sapphire, it pulsates with a deep purple glow, indicative of the malevolent spirit trapped within. The orb exudes an intense, bone-chilling cold and brings psychological torment through Karlheinz's spiteful voice, inflicting emotional turmoil and feelings of isolation. Its corruptive influence also extends to magical disruption. Karlheinz himself, once a wizard seeking immortality, becomes consumed by deep-seated bitterness and resentment. His failure transforms him into a being of extreme racism, sexism, and homophobia, symbolizing the destructive power of intense negative emotions and prejudices. These traits, along with his isolation within the orb, warp his psyche, making him a cautionary figure against the corrosive effects of hate and bigotry.
#FFRP #RPG #Roleplaying #Writing #WoirldBuilding #Magic #CursedItem #ATHF #AquaTeenHungerForce
Just created a new magical construct for my game, going to explore some of the ideas of AI under a magical context through narratives. Comparing creating these constructs to creating true general AI that thinks and feels.
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Eldritch_Doll
Eldritch Dolls are magical constructs with a range of abilities and behaviors, depending on their creation. Crafted from a glass vessel imbued with Aether and blood, these dolls can range from simple automatons to fully autonomous beings with a true will, especially if bound with a living soul. They possess abilities like shapeshifting, magical absorption, and elemental manipulation. Their lifespan is linked to the integrity of their glass body, which can self-regenerate. While capable of absorbing ambient magic to sustain themselves, a breached vessel can lead to their demise. These unique beings represent a blend of arcane craftsmanship and the ethereal essence of life, existing on a spectrum from servitude to independent consciousness.
#FFRP #RPG #Roleplaying #WorldBuilding #CreativeWriting #Writing #Fantasy #Magic
Created a new cursed item for my game... The Coin of Lilith...
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Coin_of_Lilith
The Coin of Lilith is a cursed artifact created in 2023 by the Djin Kit McDaniels, designed as a punishment for a compulsive gambler whose soul is now trapped within the coin. The artifact exerts a dual curse: it inflicts a string of bad luck on its possessor and manifests the soul of the woman as a seductive figure offering misleading gambling advice. This coin, which can only be passed on by deliberately losing it in a gamble, creates a powerful illusion of impending success, trapping its holder in a relentless cycle of "just one more bet."
#FFRP #RPG #Horror #CreativeWriting #Cursed #Magic #Roleplaying
So it starts the preparation for the next Over the Edge tabletop role-playing game Series, Black is the New White, which should start early in December and continue into the new year.
As always fun to run and fun for the players as unlike other games it is meant to be a weird romp through The Edge on Al Almarja. Sort of tabletop role-playing game where rules of running a game are screwed up and thrown out of the window.
#Secret #Weekday #Stream? It's more likely than you think...
That's right, we're back at it again today with some #BaldursGate3, so come stop by and hang out while we take care of some goblins holding a druid hostage.
https://twitch.tv/undead_zeratul
#Games #Gaming #VideoGames #VideoGaming #Streams #Streaming #BG3 #RPG #Githyanki #Monk #Roleplaying #RoleplayingGame #RoleplayingGames #RPGs #DnD #BaldursGate #Twitch #TwitchStream #TwitchStreams #TwitchStreamer #Streamer #SmallStreamer #Casual #Chill
Coming this week, the Tension Engine SRD. Enjoy gameplay of the 80s alt history pulp horror ttrpg, Party First?
Well look no further! You'll be able to build your own games on the same cinematic tension mechanics!
#ttrpg #roleplaying #rpg #rpgdesign #ttrpgdesign
The Adventure Time RPG is shelving The "yes and" rules system in favor of the D&D 5E rule-set.
The Original system used custom "Yes/no/and/but" dice, to keep a story moving forward in a narrative manner.
My personal opinion, D&D 5E is designed largely around dungeon crawling & combat, and seems almost the polar opposite of what they were trying to go for here. It's a strange choice to be sure
Right along with the stuff I've been making for a particular plot.. Here is the HQ of this mining company.
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/New_Terra_Station
New Terra Station, a Class G Space Station in the Crimson Horizon Sector and headquarters of Stellarian Ore Enterprises, was inaugurated in 2385, marking a significant phase in space mining. Beyond its core focus on mineral, metal, and gas extraction, the station played a pivotal role in interstellar trade and commerce, also serving as a critical hub for spacecraft repair and resupply. Reflecting the company's internal dynamics, it balanced aspirations for innovation with the practicalities of unregulated space operations, while subtle shifts in priorities began emphasizing corporate profits, especially in the years following 2388.
#FFRP #RPG #Roleplaying #Writing #CreativeWriting #WorldBuilding #MoltenAether #BlazingUmbra
Created this star system for my FFRP game.
The Epsilon Arcanum system, operated and administered by Stellarian Ore Enterprises, stands as a vivid testament to the complexities and potential of extraterrestrial resource extraction. At the heart of this operation is Arkonis, a terrestrial world with a thin but breathable atmosphere, home to the main administrative hub of the company's expansive operations. From here, the company oversees a diverse range of mining activities across various celestial bodies in the system, each presenting unique challenges and contributions. Notable among these are the gas giants Cryotis, Dromida, Glacium, and Heliora, each orbited by automated mining stations extracting vital gases like hydrogen and helium. Iciron and Jotune, with their extreme environments and high concentrations of radioactive materials. Frostara, a cold and barren world, stands out for its rich deposits of iron and nickel, mined under the watchful eye of Marcus Flint, the respected and formidable Operations Officer at Ironclad Bastion.
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Epsilon_Arcanum_Star_System
#FFRP #RPG #WorldBuilding #CreativeWriting #Roleplaying #Writing #ScienceFiction
"But a Race against Time? That was a match Jason was confident he could win. And running with all the Strength left in his body, augmented by as much Power as the Force could grant him still, the Padawan sped off and towards his destination."
https://acrossthestars.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=1551&st=0
tags: #roleplaying #rpg #roleplayingaccount #oc #news #art #artist #mastodon #fandom #twitter #facebook #reddit #threads #ahsoka #disney #writing #writingcommunity #writer #writers #forum #digitalart
RPG History
1983: Enterprise – Role Play Game in Star Trek (Reviews from R’Lyeh)
Game Aids
Recovered: Other Crews (Benign Brown Beast)
Bandits! Bandits! – an underrated low-level antagonist (Burn After Running)
The Frenchman’s Curse (Benign Brown Beast)
Forgotten Gems of the OSR – LL AEC Rogues Gallery (Smoldering Wizard)
Evoking Emotion in Classic Fantasy Adventure Games (Grumpy Wizard)
Weak Points in Time and Space (Remixes and Revelations)
Thought
Analog, Digital, Procedural (Roles, Rules, and Rolls)
Cargo Cult (Grognardia)
A blog post is a very long and complex search query to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox (Escaping Flatland)
Monster
Golden Shrieker (Scribblings or Something)
DIY
LaTeX tables: Basics (Vladar’s Blog)
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/20/a-miscellany-of-links-pt-ix/
(5/5) However, before the party had the chance to catch their breath, with resources running low and Skolis badly wounded, a skittering sound alerted them to something else approaching from deeper in the mine…
#DungeonsAndDragons #5e #DnD #DnD5e #TTRPG #RPG #RolePlaying #RolePlay #Gaming #TabletopRPG #DragonOfIcespirePeak
(4/5) Outnumbered by the lycanthropes – werebears, wereboars, and wererats – but knowing that the only hope for any surviving miners was the defeat them, the party attacked and, after a hard fought battle, managed a victory, largely thanks to Wylston the firbolg’s Spirit Guardians spell.
#DungeonsAndDragons #5e #DnD #DnD5e #TTRPG #RPG #RolePlaying #RolePlay #Gaming #TabletopRPG #DragonOfIcespirePeak
(3/5) Traveling into the evening, the party met with Don Jon Raskin then camped for the night before heading to the Mountain’s Toe Gold Mine. Skolis, the yuan-ti, with a little help from a Suggestion spell to get Don to play along, managed to convince the lycanthrope guards that they were new recruits – this deception quickly unraveled when they were brought to the werebear leader.
#DungeonsAndDragons #5e #DnD #DnD5e #TTRPG #RPG #RolePlaying #RolePlay #Gaming #TabletopRPG #DragonOfIcespirePeak
(2/5) Miala, their reluctant drow companion, refused and stayed behind to continue searching. Has Miala actually formed a bond with Bird or is this a thinly veiled attempt to finally get away from this group that she never wanted to join in the first place? Only time will tell.
#DungeonsAndDragons #5e #DnD #DnD5e #TTRPG #RPG #RolePlaying #RolePlay #Gaming #TabletopRPG #DragonOfIcespirePeak
(1/5) Our "Dragon of Icespire Peak" adventure continued last night! Joined by the wood elf, Lîf, from the land of Lo'Reign, the party searched as long as they could for Bird, their missing tabaxi friend who vanished in the same flash of lightning from which Lîf appeared, but finally had to call it off and continue their journey.
#DungeonsAndDragons #5e #DnD5e #TTRPG #RPG #RolePlaying #RolePlay #Gaming #TabletopRPG
Updated banner for the D&D Minus podcast, by the lovely Puzzle in a Thunderstorm crew. Welcome to the nine hells!
Check out podcast here:
https://mastodon.art/@piatpod@mastodon.world
#dnd #fantasy #roleplaying #fantasycharacters #podcast #puzzleinathunderstorm
Once again I am running an Over the Edge Series which will be another weird and wonderful romp through The Edge on Al Almarja this time with a Bacon twist. There is the possibility of 2 spaces for any intrepid tabletop role-players who want to join the game.
"It would be a waste of blood *not* to draw something in it"
Finally created an organization for my FFRP game to kind of bridge a storyline gap for characters to play. I have several characters playing in the game that don't want to be part of a formal military or police force but also don't like the feel of a private military firm. To this end I created something a little more based on an old-west kind of vibe. Rather old west meets Green Lantern Corps, with a heavy dose of Captain Malcom Reynolds from Firefly. Thus, I made the Astral Wardens. The idea being that the Wardens focus on frontier colonies outside of official territories.
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Astral_Wardens
The Astral Wardens, emerging from humanity's initial interstellar endeavors, are a distinguished organization dedicated to upholding justice and order in outer space. Known for their decentralized yet cohesive structure, they operate through a flexible framework, with members exploring the cosmos under the mentorship of seasoned guides. This mentorship system, a legacy of the Earth-Romulan War, strengthens trust and drives collective growth. The Wardens confront a range of challenges, from intricate diplomacy to frontier dangers, uniting under shared values to form a formidable force. Their role, transcending peacekeeping, commits them to bringing balance and justice to unexplored territories, a mission supported by the Sukkal Network, an informal subspace communication system for covert operations and emergency response.
#FFRP #RPG #WorldBuilding #MoltenAether #BlazingUmbra #CreativeWriting #Writing #Roleplaying
A few days ago I published my latest game: Oceania 2084 - the orwellian TTRPG. An unconventional roleplaying game heavily inspired by George Orwell's book "1984".
In gamer-lingo it is an assymetric, adversarial storytelling game with a heavy focus on social gameplay and stealth. The game is designed for 3-8 players. It is a game about resistance in spite of unimaginably bad odds and finding small glimmers of hope even when things seem impossibly bleak.
Get your Free (pay-what-you-want) copy at https://jocher-symbolic-systems.itch.io/oceania-2084
#orwell #nineteeneightyfour #ttrpg #ttrpgs #roleplaying #indie #dystopia
Dentro de la cueva se esconde una secta de nigromantes, sus líderes parecen muy poderosos así que me voy por patas 🏃🏻♂️💨
Aún parecer amistosos, al entrar a la cueva una nigromante me ha atacado. He salido airoso por los pelos pero he podido conseguir una daga 🗡️
#Skyrim #RolePlaying
It turns out “Gantlet” is an archaic form of “Gauntlet”, still technically in use, but I assume most people coming across this might not recognize this. Not even native speakers.
I got this module for free as a community copy, which puts me into a bit of a bind. Can I really review it unbiased? Complaining too much about it sounds a bit like beggars being choosers (although I didn’t really beg for it). Not reviewing it feels wrong as well. Andrew certainly put work into this, even though, at points, he might have put in a bit (or a lot) more.
I know, I know, this is supposed to be one of those punky releases that do away with artificial standards, and give you the proper gonzo experience with bad formatting and art. But the art is not even that bad, besides the maps that is, and in a lot of ways proper standards of formatting are there for a reason.
Now, I actually like this scenario. It is supposed to be an OD&D one, but I don’t quite see that. I think it might be great for a one-shot, maybe a challenge scenario you give to people multiple times. It’s a bit long for a proper tournament scenario, but is anyone really doing RPG tournaments still?
It’s not all that creative one though. The players are captured by a fire giant and his hobgoblin army. Now they are being made to run the gauntlet in his dungeon, with the giant pointing and laughing every once in a while via magic. It feels like I played this before. Or seen the movie. And the Saturday morning cartoon.
It’s been done before I mean to say.
But that might be cool as well. Everyone knows what this is about. Go through the dungeon, find the key, slay the monsters. Survive or look good trying. If you add some stuff from previous attempts every time someone tries this it might be a fun recurring scenario for different people to try.
It does have an alien mantis monk and a giant mouth on legs though, so there’s that.
Is this worth the 0 dollars I paid? Yeah, it has a some good stuff in there. Is it worth the 2.50 it normally costs? I would have to think about that. But the drivethrurpg link has the whole document as a preview, so you can check out the whole thing.
Can be found on drivethrurpg and itch.io
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/review-ud1-the-scorching-gantlet/
A friendly Loxodon priest! My latest gym sketch
#loxodon #elephant #dnd #roleplay #roleplaying #traditionalart #art #artwork #pen #sketch #furry #anthro #sfw #sfwart #sfwartwork #pachyderm #solo #design #oc #characterdesign #tusk #ornate #cleric #priest #fantasy
Thought
Loose Ends from Written Modules (Seed of Worlds)
Surprising Surprise rules (Cave of the Dice Chucker)
Hobgoblin Monks the Erasers of Afterlife Identity (I cast light!)
Be a Creator, Not a Consumer (Grognardia)
Dungeon Design
Doors on 3d8 (Clerics Wear Ringmail)
A Pattern to Arnesonian Dungeons? (Wanderer Bill’s New Journal)
Random Tables
100 Mundane Settlement Encounters (OSRVault)
d100 – Tells for the Impavid Potion Taster (d4 Caltrops)
Stuff
Star Wars – TIE- Fighter Paper Model (papermau)
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/13/a-miscellany-of-links-pt-viii/
Let’s go through Das Schwarze Auge adventure B13 Der Streuner Soll Sterben (The Vagrant Shall Die)
It has the secondary title Das Blutgericht von Thalusa (The Blood Court of Thalusa) which is one of the few times when both titles are equally evocative.
Ok, let me preface this: I utterly adore this scenario, even though it has it’s problems (dare I say it? some parts are quite racist). But I would say this is where Ulrich Kiesow shows real promise.
Now at this point MOST (but not all) of the DSA scenarios were written by him, or in cooperation with him. This included A1 which I really liked, and A2 which I found at least ok. But it also included the whole rest of the scenarios which contain some bad railroads, even if their premise might be good.
But this one is one where I really see what he is going for. This is intentionally pulpy, in the way that 19th ct. adventure stories were.
Unfortunately this includes some rather unfortunate tropes that come with such stories. For one the setting is quasi-oriental. And of course it involves arranged marriages, beheadings at the drop of a stone, and an evil looking coal black executioner.
On the other there really aren’t any really bad people involved. The executioner just happens to be coal black from a magical accident and is otherwise doing his job, and the one actual antagonist is coded as German, and even he has reasons to behave like he does.
Lots of bad decisions that come with the choice of setting and NPCs. I guess for the 80s it was fair for its day, but even in the 90s I remember this module as being discussed as “the racist one”.
But anyway, the plot concerns Prince Selo of Khunchom who had the really bad idea to have just a small peek at his fiancée Shenny of Thalusa. [that name tho…]
You see it’s tradition in their culture that enfianced people are not to see each other until the marriage rites are concluded. Which is all fine for Selo, except he HAS seen her parents and now fears his future wife might take after either of them.
So he makes the plan of… sneaking into the palace of Thalusa and having a look at her.
And if it’s really bad, can a life as a vagrant on the roads of Aventuria be quite so bad?
Yes, Prince Selo is an idiot.
In any case he even is successful in sneaking in, and quite enamored with Princess Shenny.
And Princess Shenny for her side is quite enamored with that handsome stranger she just encountered.
Unfortunately while they are both very enthusiastically consenting with each other (at least that discussion we don’t have to touch), he is captured by the guards and immediately sentenced to death by his prospective father in law.
Your mission now, if you choose to accept it…
Well, you should accept it, the Prince’s father promises you riches if you manage to make it to Thalusa in time with a document of his hand that can rescue his son.
Unfortunately Thalusa is about 300km away, easily a 10 day trip over land, and the execution is set for in 14 days.
And even if you get there on time with the document (which is not a given), and hand it to the wrong person, then you are back at square one. Well, square whatever Thalusa is in.
The heroes are given the choice of going by sea, which might shorten the journey to three days, but has a problem: it’s a the stormy season right now, and it might make things worse. A single ship is willing to make the passage on the off-chance of arriving in one part at their destination to make a killing selling hard liquor.
(I realized afterwards that I am not quite sure which season it is supposed to be, the text is talking about Frühjahr being a storm season in that part, so the early year. In our world this commonly would be spring. But in Aventuria the early year is autumn. But was this already established at that point? When does this actually take place?)
Despite Kiesow’s known fondness for railroads he does not actually go for them here. With a bit luck of the dice the PCs can indeed reach the halfway point, after which the storms become no problem anymore. It’s not likely, but it’s possible.
Then they are attacked by pirates though. Which also can be circumnavigated with proper care (the scenario contains a specifically designed boardgame here), and even if they board your ship they only will steal the document.
(they are not actually real pirates)
If luck is not with them, or if they decide to go there from the beginning, they end up having to go by land. But at least they might have gained a day or two.
This would be the place where a DnD scenario would pull out the hexmap. And we saw a hexmap in B8 already. Kiesow instead decides to use squares, for a squarecrawl, basically.
There are also no permanently keyed encounters, all the encounters are on random tables.
This includes meadows which have an encounter on a roll of 7 on a d6.
Oh yes, did you see! Did you see?! He made a joke!
What’s interesting about the encounters is how… stock medieval fantasy they all are. One would assume that with a setting where he uses all kinds of orientalist tropes he would do the same for the wilderness section. Instead it seems like he just took the monster descriptions from the rulebook: wolves, trolls, boars, a tatzelwurm. The closest to the Arabian Nights scenario you might be expecting is an Earth Spirit that can give you some healing.
(I guess no budget for illustrations…)
But it’s really the city adventure part where this scenario shines.
For one: there is an actual city adventure part with an actual map of Thalusa.
For the second: you are given free reign how to actually deal with the situation.
Now you were supposed to deliver a document, but you likely lost it either on the sea journey or over land.
If you didn’t you most likely handed it to the wrong person at the palace and he lost it for you instead.
in the meantime the prince is in his prison in the middle of the market square of Thalusa and the players are left free reign in how to deal with the situation.
Springing the prince might not be easy, but can be possible. Sneaking into the palace is possible (it’s worked out), but finding the right person there is difficult. Dealing with the executioner and his tools is also another option (the tools need to be in top order according to tradition).
Here is when the bog standard fantasy scenario all of a sudden turns into a heist. most likely the heroes will have to do something to save the prince, but what and how is their own choice. The scenario gives some valid ideas, but I bet some players would have more.
You could have an infiltration/dungeon crawl through the palace, but you don’t have to.
For what it’s worth if you are breaking into the palace you might encounter a scribe you can blackmail by threatening his favorite calligraphy.
And if you break into the executioners house you might encounter a Ulmenknecht, which seems to be a treant kind of being? I don’t think this being is still canon in DSA. It’s not the proper treant equivalent (that would be a Waldschrat), more like a wood golem?
And then there is Dolguruk, the executioner of Thalusa.
Who is black.
Coal black even.
Which is the result of a rather sinister human sacrifice he and a druid wanted to perform on a magician who managed to hit back with a transformation spell. Which caused him to turn completely black.
For some reason this story is the longest of all the NPC bios, despite being otherwise a rather incidental character.
And one who doesn’t actually do anything bad as such while the PCs are around.
I think Kiesow is very much going very much for the image of Der Schwarze Mann here, a “Kinderschreckfigur” (character to scare kids with? Man, we Germans have weird concepts sometimes) that is quite widespread. I still remember playing both the associated kids game and the card game based on it.
In a wider sense it was a depiction of (black) death and/or the devil.
But here it manages to keep all the bad connotations that made this game… inappropriate in polite society.
Dolguruk is I think still an active NPC in current DSA lore, he usurped Shenny’s father at one point and became ruler of Thalusa, and being an elf he also doesn’t seem to be easy to get rid of. He also had his backstory modified to have gained his look from a pact with a demon.
Not sure if that’s better or worse.
So…what do I think about it?
I don’t think Kiesow intended for this to come across as it does, but he nevertheless managed to write some really unfortunate implications in here.
Which might explain why this adventure never got the re-releases that other adventures from him got, despite being, from a design standpoint alone, one of his best so far.
There is considerable freedom of choice both in the wilderness and the city sections, and room for player creativity, all under time pressure. I really like this and I want to play this with people. I might need to prepare people that it was written 40 years ago.
Other languages
This gets into the times when the DSA adventures were no longer translated into many languages. The only translation I can find is the French one, in both the Schmidt and Gallimard version.
Still not sure why there were two versions. According to one commenter on dice.camp one was the Schmidt version, like in German, the other was the same format as the Gallimard gamebook translations and would have been sold in bookstores instead of toy stores.
In any case they used the secondary title for that, Le Bourreau de Thalussa. Not the worst choice.
Running Tally (by quality, from best to worst):
- A1 Die Verschwörung von Gareth
- B13 Der Streuner soll sterben
- B2 Wald ohne Wiederkehr
- A2 Die Göttin der Amazonen
- B6 Unter dem Nordlicht
- B9 Strom des Verderbens
- B1 Im Wirtshaus zum Schwarzen Keiler
- B8 Durch das Tor der Welten
- B10 In den Fängen des Dämons
- B12 Der Zug durch das Nebelmoor
- B3 Das Schiff der Verlorenen Seelen
- B4 Die Sieben Magischen Kelche
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/12/the-dark-eye-retrospective-b13-der-streuner-soll-sterben/
#dasSchwarzeAuge #dsa #retrospective #Roleplaying #rpg #ttrpg
A pocos pasos encuentro una cueva, parece que un grupo de nigromantes acampa aquí. #Skyrim #RolePlaying
Are you interested in concept art or very early drafts of our role-playing game stories from #Gramur and the #Skaáhurii ?
Playing with gpt-4-1106-preview and some more lengthy system messages ... and getting some real good "GM's assistant" vibes back.
Creating an NPC:
https://gist.github.com/jepler/b47036063c9117ff874293484a5a132c
Helping run a scene:
https://gist.github.com/jepler/378cbe1c6b4c0771c331d0612919bf33
I never had such a great opinion on NPC classes as they were published in supplementary material for Dungeons and Dragons. Chiefly magazines, but in 3rd edition at least they also managed to get into the Dungeon Master’s Guide and I found these to be just another level of complexity to shove onto unsuspecting DMs.
Over time I was reading a lot of them in various magazines, Dragon and White Dwarf mostly, and none of them really seemed convincing in the end. The OSR was the wild west of new character classes when I started getting into old school roleplaying, and my first version of my houserules had a ton of classes in there which were intended for players. Remarkably few of the older classes from various magazines though.
And the reason was simple, they just were either too simplistic (think the Sage) or too powerful (think the Witch). They just didn’t fit in with the other classes.
Now, I don’t think too many people were playing a Sage, but think about a Witch (which had three different versions) or a Necromancer, and that would be a different matter.
So I was reading them out of historical interest, but I never thought they’d be actually useful.
But the last few days a rather innocent comment by Lew Pulsipher on a review of his Necromancer class (he made it available on his website) made me rethink that opinion somewhat.
It’s a bit embarrassing to think it took me so long to get it, but a lot of them are exactly what it says on the tin: NPC classes. They should not be compared to player classes as much as they should be to monsters. Maybe it would be easier to see if we had them presented in a similar way to monsters instead of player characters. If we flip the whole frame of reference from “these are the goodies only the DM has access to” to “this is a monstrous individual and if we don’t defeat him now he’s gonna be a bigger problem later”.
And that necromancer class even gives you a reason to get into conflict, because it needs progressively more and more deranged sacrifices over time, causing a disturbance to local communities.
In fact even if you defeat Pulsipher’s necromancer for example, the character will curse you and then come back as an undead a week later. Oh I love it. It creates at least two more adventure hooks on its own.
Come to think of it, that’s a similar thing I just was writing about…
Which makes me think about ways to include this in my setting.
Well, ok, besides the necromancer already in The Halls of Tizun Thane…
The description of this necromancer is I think closer aligned to warlocks in later editions. They have to make a deal and keep paying for it as long as they want to keep their power, and even in death they are not free from that. They seem to have power, but they really are just some dark power’s plaything.
Which makes me think I also should look into other NPC classes that were published over time. The witch I mentioned might have some potential.
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This is the 2nd demon I created for my game the Adranergash…
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Adranergash
Adranergash stands as a sixty-foot colossus among demons, its broad shoulders and thick-set body a testament to its raw, destructive power. Towering over the battlefield, this behemoth is encased in a near-impenetrable hide, with massive claws and a bellow that shakes both the air and the morale of all who oppose it. Despite its lack of intellect and the absence of cunning strategies, Adranergash's animalistic instincts make it an unpredictable and terrifying force. It is a creature of primal chaos, acting as the vanguard of the Severed Realm's incursions, its very size and presence a harbinger of the greater devastation that follows in its wake. With each thunderous step and each swing of its colossal limbs, Adranergash embodies the relentless and unyielding nature of the infernal armies, a destroyer whose mere appearance foretells the ruin to come.
#FFRP #RPG #WorldBuilding #CreativeWriting #Writing #Roleplaying #Demons #Monsters
I created a demon today for my modern-horror game called the Namasgalu:
https://wiki.moltenaether.com/Namasgalu
Namasgalu, a demon of insatiable hunger and ancient power, can only be vanquished by banishment rituals or consumed by eldritch fire, the latter ablaze with arcane energies that unravel its very essence. As a spectral entity of chaos, it feeds on blood and magic, growing ever more potent with each soul it devours. Cunning in battle, it employs guile and the shadows to its advantage, striking when least expected. In the absence of such mystical fires or incantations, it remains an undying force of malevolence, ever hungering for the flesh and mana of the living.
#FFRP #RPG #WorldBuilding #CreativeWriting #Writing #Roleplaying #Demons #Monsters
You might have noticed that most of the links I put in those link posts are the ones I have come across during the week and posted on my dice.camp account. Here they are collected, and expanded with other things I come across.
Crafting
The Rohan House Paper Model (papermau)
Avast! Ye Lubbers: A Pirate Ship in 28mm [Part 1] and Arrr! A Buxom Beauty: A Pirate Ship in 28mm [Part 2] (Wargaming.info)
Cardboard Medieval Style House (papermau)
GM Advice
Skeleton With a Bow (Methods & Madness) is an interesting discussion of monsters used in non-standard ways
Recreation Time in the Hobby (Gnome Stew) says things about when our hobby is recreation and when it is work that sometimes needs to be said
Character Motivation is the Player’s Responsibility (Lich van Winkle) discusses that not everything is the DM’s task
Running Mysteries: The Two Types of Leads (The Alexandrian)
Starting a Sandbox Campaign part 1 and part 2 (Dungeon Master’s Handbook Podcast)
House Rules
Flexible Reaction Rolls (Blessings of the Dice Gods) modifies the reaction rolls. I always like tinkering with that
Stone Encumbrance: Detail & Example (Delta’s D&D Hotspot) is a classic that I am using in my own house rules
Minimalist encumbrance/slots (B/X) (Methods & Madness) has a few ideas I might want to add to my game
Monster
Draugr (The Other Side)
Random Tables
d100 Construction Delays for your Bastion or Stronghold (Elfmaids & Octopi)
Snowbound Hex Generator (The Ideocron of the Oracular Somnabulist)
Sargasso Sea Encounter Generator (The Ideocron of the Oracular Somnabulist)
Other
The minimalist beauty of D&D’s “Dragon Quest Game” (Methods & Madness) goes into an obscure introductory game for D&D, which made me think: maybe we should put together a print-out package of paper minis, dungeon tiles, and some simple rules to get people into the hobby?
objet trouve one-page dungeon (homicidally inclined persons of no fixed address) uses a bit of old propaganda for a dungeon
A Year Atop A Woolly Mammoth (Wyrd Fish) gives us this quote:
“This mix of slow, ponderous friendship and network building approach is perfect for how I want to exist and hobby online. I’m emotionally invested in seeing how other folks I’ve met through the Hobbyverse are getting on – both personally and with their hobby projects. There’s really nothing as satisfying as getting to know someone with a common interest, watching them think a project through out loud online, and then watch their journey through to the end point.”
Rate this:
https://gmkeros.wordpress.com/2023/11/06/a-miscellany-of-links-pt-vii/
#crafting #dnd #Links #monster #randomTables #Roleplaying #ttrpg
I just want to remind you, you can order many of my drawings on different products at @redbubble under --> https://leanderzeichnet.redbubble.com <-- Follow the link an find something for you, or friends. Christmas is coming ;) #leanderzeichnet #redbubble #merchandise #fantasy #pnp #dnd #rpg #folklore #art #drawing #mushrooms #ttrpg #fairytail #mythical #present #roleplaying #roleplayinggames
Oh yeah, this is my roleplay muselist btw https://minty-playhouse.dreamwidth.org/3034.html
I also have a small open musebox with random memes for random shenanigans if it interests you! https://1800musebox.dreamwidth.org/
I present to you:
Drowned in the Loch
A #tabletop #roleplaying #one-shot about #mystery, #ecology and monsters set in #Scotland at the end of the 19th century...
It's rules-free and can be played in a few hours with a small number of players, which makes it perfect for a game night! (For #Halloween 👀)
And it's also a #zine! It features the story, locations, characters, clues and resolution. It is inspired by the korean monster movie The Host but also a real legend...
Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Set on sale (regularly $150) for $109: https://amzn.to/48MRZpK
------
(Amazon referral link ^^^)
So my spouse and I had planned on seeing their fam this upcoming Sunday. What we hadn’t expected was getting a text today to the effect of “Hey can you and Ed bring D&D? We’d all like to try it out”.
So rather than explain that D&D needs way more planning than our usual board games, we’re in super crunch mode as I mass 3d print tabletop props and they (spouse) pulls a rabbit out of their ass to write and prepare a one shot from scratch. :thisisfine: 🙃
Hey fediverse, what are some great instances that focus on analog gaming? #warhammer, #boardgames, #magicthegathering, #roleplaying #miniaturepainting etc? Im thinking of building a relay to help expand our nerd corner and looking for good candidates - or does a relay like this already exist?
New #introduction now I've migrated from .social to .ie
I'm Peter. Originally from #NorthernIreland, now living in #Finland. Former tech-support bod, now full time student.
I'm into #tech, #Linux, #retrogaming, #sustainability, #minimalism, #fantasy #roleplaying, #cycling, #coffee / #kahvia and #stew
I'm an unapologetic #atheist, #tree-hugger and #lefty, recovering #cynic and former #goth
Thought I'd repost an #introduction as there's a vast new wave of people from Hellbird.
I've been exploring the Fediverse for a couple of years, wandering in search of a home.
After decades of burnout and confusion finally realised I was neurodivergent. Self dx #Autistic after traumatic experience of official hoops.
Passionate about #ClimateChange, #SocialJustice, #Sustainability and #Gardening.
Scottish Nerd Geek, obsessive #Roleplaying gamer (D&D, Pathfinder, etc), #Dinosaur and #Fantasy / Sci-fi enthusiast.
Vaguely hoping to live to see the entire neoliberal establishment drowned.
I enjoyed this video from The Alexandrian regarding how to let players drive the game's action rather than the GM/DM providing endless details to the players.
Hint: give them brief and necessary environment details AND more opportunity to react and role play the game's story rather than listen to you monologuing about the millennia-old glasswork in the sublime Elven-worked chandelier.
"Daughter of the White Wolf"
Roleplaying in #WorldOfWarcraft is what inspired me to become an artist from seeing all the amazing art people have for their OC's and the reason I fell in love with character design.
And one of the first characters I drew was my Gilnean Druid and I figured she deserved an update!
#MastoArt #MastoArtist #CharacterDesign #OriginalCharacter #Gilneas #Roleplaying #DigitalPortrait #ProcreateArtist #Procreate #ForTheAlliance #WorldOfWarcraft #WarcraftArt #FantasyArt
@tomlowenthal @donmelton What group have *you* been playing with that comes up with straightforward solutions to things?
📝 basics:
• I'm a Frontend Developer by day and Non-Fiction Writer by night;
• About 10 years developing in the field of #boardgames, #roleplaying games. I know a lot about #warhammer40k, #shadowrun, #malifaux;
👤 identity:
• having an interesting emotional experience, experiencing #derealization and #hyperthymesia as a consequence of #dissociativeidentitydisorder;
• made #obsidian a center for organizing the thoughts of two people in one body;
💖 likes:
#pkm #CSS #Philosophy
Starting the journey: worldbuilding https://decafbad.net/2023/05/16/starting-the-journey-worldbuilding/ #ADayInTheLife #RolePlaying #Ironsworn #ZenHabits #misc
Last night I woke from a nightmare in which I was underprepared for the D&D session I'm DMing tomorrow.
So I blogged about it:
https://danq.me/dnd-nightmare
#DungeonsAndDragons #DnD #roleplaying #RoleplayingGames #dream
This panel by @davidrevoy captures my ultimate #tabletop #RPG fantasy. I've had plenty of sessions online, but I would kill for a comfy weekend playing #PenAndPaper with a bunch of friends.
I don't care that I'm almost 31. I want this!
Read the webcomic here: https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/webcomic/ep13_The-Pyjama-Party.html
I added ~1000 items from chapt gpt to my random thing generator some items are a little math/physics/fantasy themed
https://codepen.io/fractalkitty/live/qBJmGZB/3847e4a8af12353ae9aed37698b10cb2
#mathart #creativecoding #random #thing #generator #rpg #dnd #roleplaying #stem #math