Trollish Delver

USR is available from Lulu FREE! {USR}

2012-01-28T11:43:00.002Z

My first RPG system, USR (Unbelievably Simple Role-playing) is now available to download for free. I intended on getting it out in February, but because I'll be moving into my sexy new apartment it probably wouldn't launch until late February/ early March, so here it is now!

USR is a really easy-to-play generic role-playing system that will be used as the basis of my future games. With USR you can play any genre you want using simple, character-driven rules that can be read in 15 minutes, meaning you can spend more time playing and less time looking up rules.

Character creation is fast and easy and level advancement relies on character development rather than min/maxing. There are rules for weapons that allow for anything from a wooden club to a gamma ray blaster and combat is quick and easy but can be changed to a higher level of complexity if the players prefer.

The whole system is flexible and modular, so feel free to change rules to whatever suits you. What matters is that you have great adventures and a fun time with your friends.

Two new solos released this week {T&T}

2012-01-28T10:54:00.002Z

I've said it before, but I think that the T&T fanbase is one of the most creative and hard-working fanbases in RPG-dom. This week, two new solitaire adventures were released: Dragon's Blood and Temple of the Fool God.

Yup, T&T players are being spoiled this week with two great-looking adventures. First off, Dragon's Blood by Ken St Andre hit DriveThruRPG at the beginning of the week. This was published by Flying Buffalo and is an unusually higher-level adventure for levels 4+, so I reckon it's going to be a fairly difficult one to complete. I'll have a review up in February.

The other solo launched today and I reckon this is going to be a real treat. Temple of the Fool God is by fellow blogger-in-arms Stuart Lloyd or Lloyd of Gamebooks fame. Remember the guy who wrote the virtual handbook on gamebook writing? Yeah, that's Stuart, so I doubt this 190 paragraph romp will disappoint. The plot follows the delver attempting to retrieve priceless treasure from the belly of a mad god while avoiding tricks, traps and all that great stuff that just wants you dead. Again, I'll be putting a review of this up next week.

New info on classes in D&D Next {D&D}

2012-01-27T19:06:00.002Z

Today Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell and Robert Schwalb talked about classes in the latest D&D Next seminar held on the WoTC site.

Here, the guys talked about their experiences with designing each class, giving us an insight into what we can expect from our favourite classes. Here's a summary of what we found out about the next edition:

Vancian magic is here to stay
It seems that Monte Cook has a soft spot for this sometimes-maligned system. Monte said: "I know it's a bit contreversial, but I think Vancian magic is a core element of D&D. Maybe it's not the only option for magic, but it's definitely an iconic and flavorful one that I would like to retain. It's also an interesting way to handle game balance. For example wizards have magical feats that are basically at will abilities. Balancing them with vancian magic which are essentially daily abilities is an interesting way to go, especially when comparing to the fighter and rogue who have more of an at-will style play. It offers a very different playstyle than those other classes, but those different playstyles are something we want to embrace." So it looks like we'll see a mixture of 4th edition "unlimited magic missile" type spells and more old-school vancian shiz.

Classes will be categorised by rarity
This is a weird one that people will probably have mixed feelings about. There will be common, uncommon and rare classes (or categories of that nature), which basically show the player what the easiest and the more complex classes are to play. Monte said: "Going along those lines we seperated things along the lines of what's common or uncommon. So for example fighters, clerics, wizards and clerics might be commmon while warlocks fall into uncommon and something like the assassin might be rare. This helps DMs determine what options they want to run in there games as well."

Magic items will be separate from character advancement
4e introduced the notion of treasure parcels, whereas each character received a cool magic item every level. Because they were tied so close to character development, magic items became compulsory and almost mundane. D&D Next will bring back mysterious and quest-focused magic items. Monte said: "We're running with the idea that magic items are special and not bound to character progression, though things could change through playtesting. But we want it to be something that the DM plans, or something that a player/character wants to go on a quest to get that magic item they've heard of or need to accomplish there goals."

Power sources will (probably) no longer be keywords

The most recent edition contained a hell of a lot of keywords tied to powers, even if it didn't seem logical. The new edition will seek to get rid of the jargon and make iconic classes that are archetypes of their power sources. Rob said: "We're not going to be using the power sources as keywords or anything any more (probably). You'll still have psionic characters and primal characters for example, but we won't be using those words or jargon to separate things."

There will be fewer status effects

While it wasn't a big deal in low-level play, status effects tend to rule combat in Paragon and Epic, which if not managed properly can be a massive headache for the DM. Status effects will be re-thought in the next version in light of this annoyance. Rob said: "So talking about things like stun, daze, and immobilzed right? Currently we're in the area that the effect should be relevant to the spell or power. For example there might be a power word stun spell that explains what stun in and goes from there. But we're probably not going to have too many abilities or spells that would do something like that."

Classes can be as complex as you want them to be

This will go some way to getting rid of the power bloat that plagued 4th edition. While it's great to have an array of options, having 4 pages of powers can hold a game up and stop the flow of combat. The new edition will allow players to make their classes as complex as they like, swapping out default attack bonuses for cool moves. Monte said: "If your fighter goes up a level and would normally get some bonus damage or a bonus to hit, or something simple, then maybe instead you could choose to replace that with an option or options that allow you to do some cool moves that allow you to push people around, or protect your allies a bit more, or control the battlefield a little more."

Rob added: "Even in the core you varying levels of complexity within each class. Even the wizard has a base starting point that is less complex than what you can get into if you opt into some of the options."

Balance will be important, but not crucial

It looks like classes will have a good degree of balance, but they will also come into their own elements. Bruce said: "We definitely want the classes to be balanced, though having things exactly mathematically balanced isn't always the goal. Different classes or different play styles will shine at different moments, though of course we want everyone to be able to contribute in the common situations like combat."

Rituals will be "awesome"

I really like the idea of rituals, but they seemed to be pretty underused in 4e. Monte Cook really wants to make rituals as cool as possible that probably won't do mundane stuff like create campsite of animal messenger. Rob said: "Monte started running with the ball and wanted to make rituals there for the really big spells that are super awesome, but might take a bit longer to cast. I ran with that and really wanted to make them all very interesting and complex, and really invest the player/character in what they're doing." Moreover, magic will be mysterious again, rather than being second nature to every person and their mothers. Monte said: "Magic is taking a broader turn than just spells. In the past we got to the point where everything you encountered in the game had some kind of spell attached to it or that replecated the effect. I really want to go back to the idea that magic is mysterious and wierd and not always entirely definable. I think it's good for the story of the game when the DM can use it to help to define and area or maybe a unique magic item. Things like rituals help us accomplish that - makes things more open ended and more interesting and also takes away some of the focus from the wizard and puts it on other things in the world."

These were the main points brought up in the discussion. Now you're full of information, how do you feel about the new edition now we're finding out a bit more about it?

What we learnt from the first D&D Next seminar {D&D}

2012-01-26T19:32:00.000Z

Today Mike Mearls, Monte Cook and Jeremy Crawford shed a little more light on what we can expect from the new edition of D&D in a live chat on the WotC site.

The theme of today's seminar was character advancement and how levelling will work in D&D Next. We gleaned some great information that got people in the room excited. The three WotC giants fielded questions and gave us some insight into what to expect.

Iconic monsters will remain threats at higher levels

This is something that has always bugged me about the game and it looks like it's finally being rectified. Iconic D&D monsters like goblins and orcs will be just as capable of challenging a party at 1st level as they will be at 8th level. Monte Cook said: "I think it offers a better play experience that the orc/ogre can remain in the campaign, and people can know how the monster would work from a previous experience, but they remain a challenge for longer." Instead of having a level 1, level 5, and level 8 orc, there will just be the quintessential 'orc' creature that easily scales.

Levelling won't be all about big bonuses
To keep low-level monsters relevant as above, bonuses will be handled differently. Instead of a fighter gaining a constant stream of attack bonuses, he will gain a "modest" amount spread throughout the level spectrum. Instead of bonuses, characters will receive more options "to do stuff". This should allow for more roleplay-oriented gameplay.

Flexibility will be key to gameplay
It's clear that the designers want to make the game as flexible as possible to suit every play style. Jeremy said: "I would want to have the flexibility to swing back and forth between mass battles and normal sized encounters, and for the rules to cover those kinds of things." Customising combat to suit personal preferences is a great idea and allows for epic 4th edition battles along with smaller 1e skirmishes.

More advice will be given to DM's on how to run games
One major complaint about 4e is that initially there was no real advice given to DM's about how to run a game in the new edition. This resulting in them going in with the same mindset as 3.5 and then realising that they're not having as much fun as they should be. In D&D Next, there will be a big focus on aiding the DM with tools and tips. Monte said: "We're going to give the DM a lot of tools to address players actions as well as rules discussions. We want to keep play moving quickly. The same goes for the player with too many options - we're planning on DM and player help to address as much of that as possible."

Old-school randomness will make a comeback
For those of you who mourned over a severe lack of random tables in the most recent rule-sets then prepare to rejoice. There will be random tables for DM's who prefer that kind of playstyle. Mike said: "I think D&D needs to have elements of chaos in it. Sometimes that can be funny, or weird or off the wall. I think that's one of the places where the randomness fo the d20 can come into play. I think that some of the recent history of the game has the designer buttoning down and eliminating some of that chaos, and we want to get away from that. It's the interactions between the DM, the players and the game that make it was it is, so we shouldn't stifle that."

Characters will feel like individuals
D&D Next will get rid of the 'copy and paste' model of 4e, where some powers were often mechanically the same but used by different classes. They're definitely trying to let players have it their own way, choosing what kind of wizard or fighter they want to be and having full reign over how they play it. Players will be able to make their characters as complex or simple as they like and this will (hopefully) work in group situations. Monte said: "Running a few playtests, I had at one long term table a guy who hadn't played since 1st editon, a guy who was more 3rd edtion and a guy who was recently in to 4th. The guy who hadn't played in 1st edition didn't want a lot of options. This solidified in my mind, along with the other evidence we've seen, that there are a lot of players who want to have very few options on their character sheet. As a game goes on, that guy might see some of the cool things that other classes are doing and might want to add some of those modular abilities. This is something that is easy to do and change as the character progresses - he can pick up some of those more modular options if he wants after that point."

The art will be harken back to the good old days
This is a great change and something that I can really get behind. While the recent art has been really good, it just hasn't really captured the gritty dungeon-delving lifestyle of heroes. Jeremy said: "In our recent art we've added a more diverse, modular approach - you've got people that look vastly different. You'll have the halfling who's a bit overweight with some food stains on his clothes along side the more heroic look dashing sort."

So it was a fantastic session where we learnt quite a bit about the new edition. Playtesting will begin in Spring, so look out for that special email in your inbox.

Sherlock Holmes in USR {USR}

2012-01-25T22:59:00.000Z

Early February will see the release of my first roleplaying system, USR, which I'm really excited about. This is the beginning of a series of posts looking at characters in USR, starting with one of my favourite literary heroes of all time - Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes
Level 13
Consulting Detective

Action: d8
Wits: d10
Ego: d6
Hits: 73

Specialisms
Wits - Observant (+5), Chemistry (+4), Deduction (+5), Geography (+2)
Action -Handgun (+3), Fencing (+2), Boxing (+2)

Sherlock Holmes is a renowned consulting detective from London, England. He is well known for his baffling powers of deduction and superior investigative skills. He knows much about the minutiae of seemingly random topics, such as cigar ash and varieties of mud, but this vast knowledge serves him well in his investigations. Although a loner, he does have one companion: Mr John Watson, who accompanies him on his many adventures.

So what do these stats tell use about Mr Homes? Having a high Wit score means that he is a very intelligent man who is perceptive and cunning. He also knows how to handle himself in a brawl, so hit Action is his secondary stat. His lowest attribute is Ego, which is due to Holmes' irritability, loner lifestyle and apparent rudeness towards others.

His specialisms sum up his life experience and what he has learnt through his countless cases. He is incredibly observant and well-versed in chemistry. The bonuses you see are added to their respective rolls when Holmes wants to use a specialism. For instance, if he were to use his Chemistry specialism, he would roll 1d10 + 4, the result ranging from a respectable 5 to a mind-boggling 14.

As you can see, characters in USR are very easy to make and advance. Attributes don't increase because they are very broad and someone can't automatically get better at everything within a given attribute. Instead, characters either level up a current specialism or add a new one that they have a logical reason for acquiring. This means that characters will gain experience through good roleplay and advance according to their character.

Announcing the Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying system (USR) {Trollish Delver Games}

2012-01-23T21:16:00.002Z

Lately I've been having a lot of different ideas for RPGs and I want to be able to do them all. The trouble is that they're all different, from the gamebook series DemonLord, the RPG of pulp heroes Derring-Do, and the time-travelling alien invasion game Dwellers. I have written a bare bones of rules for each of these games, but I'm not entirely happy with them. So instead I've created my own generic roleplaying system called USR (Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying), which I will be releasing in early February.

USR is a very simple (hence the name) system that can be used for any genre. I will be putting the system up for sale on Lulu and possibly DriveThruRPG/RPGNow for a small fee, likely $1 or even for nothing. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out and USR will serve as the basis for all future Trollish Delver Games RPGs, including:

DemonLord - a gamebook adventure book set in a dark and twisted world where the legions of hell walk the earth. Genre: low fantasy
Derring-Do - a game of two-fisted pulp adventure where players take on the roles of 1950s heroes out to fight for freedom and justice. Genre: pulp heroes
Dwellers - aliens have invaded Earth, but not in a way you would think. They have spread themselves throughout the timestream, from ancient Greece to the far-flung future. Players take on the role of 'Hoppers', who are tasked with tracking down and killing these Dwellers.

Get your face in a T&T adventure {T&T}

2012-01-22T10:07:00.000Z

I don't mean pick up a copy of Arena of Khazan and start rubbing it against your cheeks. Liz Danforth, master artist who has done work for Magic: The Gathering and Tunnels & Trolls is giving you the chance to be drawn into the new French version of classic adventure Buffalo Castle.

Liz is letting people bid on having their face stuck on one of four characters in the book, with a closing date of February 5th. If you fancy being part of roleplaying history, then her blog has all the details you need.

For those unfamiliar with Buffalo Castle, it was the first solitaire adventure for Tunnels & Trolls and the first ever gamebook of its kind. You might have thought The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was the first gamebook, but that was actually released six years after Buffalo Castle.

While Buffalo Castle is a rather generic dungeon crawl that lacks a lot of the imagination that went into subsequent books, it still stands as the classic solitaire adventure and is often used as a gauntlet for freshly rolled characters by T&T fans. Author Rick Loomis has stated that the main purpose of the solo is to get folks interested into the game, which I think it does pretty well. You have your wandering monsters, traps and phat lewt: the basis of every good T&T adventure.

Flying Buffalo has kindly put the whole solo up online if you want to give it a shot.

Shipman continues to pirate T&T material {T&T}

2012-01-21T09:53:00.000Z

James Shipman is infamous within the Tunnels & Trolls community for a history of ultra-dodgy dealings, from flogging a facsimile copy of 1st edition as genuine to flat out stealing artwork for a vast number of talented and hard-working artists, including some of my friends.

Unfortunately the little cretin continues his baffling digital kleptomania by putting new solos and adventures on his site for free, even though many of them aren't available freely from the publishers. His latest additions have been the brand new Dwarf World and Formication by Ken St. Andre and Sid Orpin respectively.

Please, please, PLEASE! If you come across Shipman's site and you see the list of pirated adventures - don't get them, or if you do make sure you try and find the real version and actually purchase it. Not only will you be helping out the small press RPG community that T&T relies on, you will also be receiving a much better quality copy of the adventure since Shipman just copies the text into a Word document and puts it online.

In similar news, I have a hunch that Shipman is behind the recent one-star reviews of T&T material on RPGNow. A certain reviewer called Chip Suel has been posting negative scores for adventures and Trollszine offering, in my eyes, one-sided criticism. The thing that makes me think it's Shipman is because of the references to Hobbit Hole being still available and saying the artwork in Trollszine has been taken from Hobbit Hole. The reviewer says:

"Overall TrollsZine #1 was just okay, even if most of the artwork from this issue has been used before in The Hobbit Hole. Shouldn’t that be credited to it? I’ve since heard that TrollsZine has stalled at issue #3, but that seems very ironic seeing how TrollsZine said The Hobbit Hole was dead, yet it still lives. Wanting something to die doesn't make it true. Keep up the good quality, but leave out the nasty Trollhalla politics."

He also references Dungeoneer's Digest, which is another Shipman publication, so either this is an overly-critical T&T fan that's blind to Shipman's bullshit, or it's the slimy hobbit himself.

Livingstone writing new Fighting Fantasy book {Fighting Fantasy}

2012-01-15T09:14:00.000Z

Good news everyone! Fighting Fantasy/ Games Workshop/ Eidos god Ian Livingstone has announced that he is hard at work penning a new Fighting Fantasy book to coincide with the 30th anniversary of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

This will be Livingstone's first original FF gamebook since Eye of the Dragon in 2005, but he has of yet to come up with a title. He said that it's possible that he may give the fans a choice of two and have them vote on it.

@ian_livingstoneIan Livingstone

Today I've spent 12 hours working on my new Fighting Fantasy book. Writing branching narrative is hard work. I'm getting too old for this!

The new book will be released in August, but until then Livingstone is giving fans updates via Twitter, including live tweeting brief passages.

@ian_livingstoneIan Livingstone

Live: 277 If you want to carry on running towards the ladder, turn to 134. If you want to retreat back through the double doors, turn to 249

When I got in touch with him for some clarification, he told me that he's currently not thinking of another book after this one. But we'll see how it goes, eh?

@ian_livingstoneIan Livingstone

@scottmalt Actually I am adding some new twists to a couple of sections of the 30th anniversary book. Not thinking of another one yet!

The digital adventurer -an interview with Tin Man Games {Interviews}

2012-01-11T21:40:00.001Z

He recently stated that 2012 will be the year of the gamebook and it looks like he's right. Neil Rennison is the Creative Director of Tin Man Games, the studio behind the highly popular Gamebook Adventures series on iOS and the upcoming Judge Dredd gamebook app. I managed to snag Neil for an interview where he told me about the origin of Tin Man and what we can expect from the gamebook renaissance.

What was your first experience with a gamebook?

An easy first question! That would be the Fighting Fantasy book, Deathtrap Dungeon. I was on a family trip to the south coast in the UK and we couldn't go on the beach as the weather was terrible (what's new eh?) so I wandered down to a small bookshop at the end of the beach car park. There before me was the disgusting bloodbeast that adorns the cover and as kid who loved monsters and gore, I presuaded my mum to buy it for me. That moment was so important to me and catapulted me not only into the world of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks but also in the whole RPG genre.

How did Tin Man Games come about?

I was running a UK based games art outsourcing company called Fraction Studios for a number of years. We worked on a lot of ports of titles like Need For Speed and Tiger Woods for handheld consoles and mobile phones. While I really enjoyed working in that space, I was very keen to create my own games. Both my wife and I had planned to move to Australia so it seemed like the perfect time to start an independent games developer, especially as I had made a bit of money from Fraction Studios to get things up and running. After we moved to Melbourne in 2008 I founded TMG in October of that year. Ben Britten Smith joined me later in 2009 and Gamebook Adventures well and truly kicked off!

Did you think it was going to be as successful as it has been?

I always knew we had a good chance to build the Gamebook Adventures brand as we were at the forefront of a new technology in the form of smart phones and tablets. E-books were becoming popular and it made sense to bring back the interactive storybook genre to these devices. What surprised me was how quickly Gamebook Adventures became a brand. While it was our intention to get GA out there as a digital only series and be seen as a new take on interactive gamebooks, it very quickly got compared to Fighting Fantasy and Choose Your Own Adventure and in many examples held up alongside those famous titles - something we are very proud of achieving.

Fighting Fantasy veteran Jonathan Green is one of the writers for Gamebook Adventures. How much input do you have in the story when he's writing?

Actually not that much! Jon is a very creative fantasy and science-fiction writer and we didn't want to burden him too much. Not only that but he's written more gamebooks than we have during his career, so we knew we could learn from him too - his knowledge of gamebook design is second-to-none! The only time where we did discuss narrative elements were in relation to our fantasy world and even then, Jon was the one asking the majority of the questions and probing us on the best way to fit his story elements into our world and continuity.

What's the most difficult thing about making Gamebook Adventures?

The most difficult thing about making GA is keeping the financial train on the track - a boring answer, but sadly very true of most independent game developers. It costs a lot of money to develop an app and has cost a lot of money to develop our gamebook engine and software tools. Even though we have secured bit of funding from bodies like Film Victoria and Multimedia Victoria, much of the last couple of years we have developed on a shoestring, which has sometimes meant that both Ben and myself (as well as some of the other GA contributors) get very little financial reward, if any, at times. This can be tough when you have mortgages or rent to pay. Our business model hasn't never been about a quick pay off however and we're well aware of that - it's all a long-term plan. Ben and myself have a motto: "Slow Burn Baby!".

Late last year you managed to acquire the rights to Judge Dredd. What thought processes go into making a gamebook for such a huge licence?

The key to Judge Dredd was getting the right people on board to work with us. Our current writer and illustrator know the Dredd universe inside out which is invaluable with such a complex license where the devil is all in the details. Our aim for Dredd is to provide a gamebook experience for the fans whilst at the same time bring Judge Dredd to new audiences. It's a delicate tightrope to walk, but one I believe we are achieving at the moment.

Do you envision a series of Dredd books?

That would be great! At the moment we're going to see how this gamebook goes down and take it from there with Rebellion. If I had my way we'd have at least a trilogy and perhaps look at other 2000 AD characters. I get a lot of people asking me for Rogue Trooper or Slaine gamebooks - so you never know.

If you could get any licence, what would it be?

Now this is a difficult question! This is mainly because we're starting a process of actively seeking out existing licenses and saying anything at all in relation to those at this stage could damage the process. I will say this though, that I believe we could bring interactive fiction to any number of novel, comic, movie, TV or video game characters and worlds! Apologies for being so vague.

You recently said on your blog that 2012 will be "the year of the gamebook" and gave your reasons. Do you think there will be a resurgence in interest in the genre?

I already think there is and has been for a year or so! 2010/2011 certainly laid the foundations of a renaissance and I really think 2012 will be the year where we'll see lots of really cool gamebook projects appearing especially in the digital domain. Many of the "old school" gamebook writers and illustrators have come to the fore again and I know many who are working on exciting projects - a lot of them with us thankfully!

Can you give us a clue as to what we might be expecting from you guys further into 2012?

More of the same and lots of different! Our key this year is going multi-platform and getting GA out to as many people as possible. While iOS has been fantastic for us, we're well aware that Android is a huge market. We also think that we can make GA work on desktop platforms so expect PC and Mac versions later in 2012. As for the gamebooks themselves, expect to see more set in our fantasy setting of Orlandes, with a couple of sequels to An Assassin in Orlandes and Slaves of Rema. We have our first Sci-Fi gamebook out in February called Infinite Universe, which we're going to experiement as free to download and offer the reader the option for paying for chapters. We also have a series called Gun Dogs later in the year which is illustrated by Gary Chalk of Lone Wolf fame. As well as lots of other things we can't discuss, we also have a crack team of U.S based writers creating a brand new gamebook series which we're aiming more towards a female demographic - a little less testosterone flying around.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Turn to page 400.

Thanks to Neil for the interview. Trollish Delver wishes Tin Man Games all the best in 2012 and I'll be reporting on all the cool new stuff that's released from this awesome company.

Atomic Robo RPG promises action, science and robots {News}

2012-01-10T18:48:00.002Z

Evil Hat Productions announced today that they will be publishing the Atomic Robo roleplaying game based on the Eisner-nominated comic book series, of which I'm a huge fan.

Atomic Robo writer Brian Clevinger and Strange Fate creator Mike Olson, are working on the rules for the upcoming book.

“I’m such a big fan of the world Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener create in every page of Atomic Robo,” said Fred Hicks of Evil Hat. “When I found out they were fans of role-playing games—including Evil Hat’s own Spirit of the Century—it was clear we had a giant-sized opportunity that had to be pursued.”

The RPG will begin development in February and we may be looking at a 2012/13 release, as the folks at Evil Hat "want to take [their] time to make sure we serve the license and the fans well."

With Atomic Robo's pulp style, the publishers of Spirit of the Century are a great pick to release the RPG, promising to deliver fast-paced gameplay and "high-weirdness" that will do the licence justice.

If you've never picked up an Atomic Robo volume before then I highly recommend it. This is possibly the most fun comic out there at the moment and a real treat for the science fans among us. The story follows the adventures of Atomic Robo, the titular character invented by Nikolai Tesla. Each volume features a standalone story, from Second World War adventure to Lovecraftian pulp horror. This is one of the funniest and creative comics around and I can't wait to play the RPG.

Cheers, Evil Hat!

What you need to know about D&D '5th edition' {D&D}

2012-01-09T20:48:00.001Z

Earlier today, Wizards of the Coast officially announced the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, an event that has now been covered in major media outlets like CNN, Forbes and The New York Times. Ever since Monte Cook hopped aboard the WoTC train, we've all been waiting for this reveal and it's a pretty interesting one. Here's what you need to know about the next edition of D&D.

It will encompass all editions
We know that D&D 5th edition, or D&D Next as some twitter users are saying, is going to try its best to please everyone, from the grognards to the new guard. The game will be modular, beginning with a basic game and allowing the players to build on it depending on their own play style. That's right, we're not getting the MMO many of us were worried about, but tailored experience. Mike Mearls said: “We hope to create a system that allows players to use much of their existing content, regardless of the edition. Our goal is to make sure we are on course for a game that hits the broad spectrum of D&D.” The question remains that with this new modular take on the game, will WoTC be putting out endless supplements? Very possibly.

It will have open playtesting
One very encouraging tid-bit from the news is that the new edition will utilise open playtesting, which will allow the players to shape the game before its release. Wizards has been criticised in the past for not quite being in touch with the player-base and it's clear they're trying to rectify this. If you're interested in taking part then you can register here.

Forgotten Realms will be the first setting
Wizards has stated that Forgotten Realms will be the setting that will supported from the get-go. There's no doubt that others will follow, but from the sounds of it they're going to go all out with Forgotten Realms by releasing material for its entire history. Expect this to be massive.

GenCon 2012 will reveal the first draft
Mearls has stated that this year's GenCon will show off the first draft of the game and people will get to have a gander to see what's what. Whether there will be any demo games remains to be seen, but I imagine that they will be saving these for 2013.

Prep an adventure in the time it takes to boil an egg {GM Secrets}

2012-01-08T11:26:00.001Z

We've all been there. It's the night of your regular campaign and you gather around the table eager to roll some dice. Except, only two people have shown up because the others bailed last minute because of illness or work. The adventure you've worked on won't work even if you scale it down for two players, but fortunately you have a bunch of back-up games. But how do you prep when you're about to start?

Use Toys of the Sandbox
When you have no time to come up with a location, NPCs and an adventure hook then Toys of the Sandbox can help. Containing all the aforementioned information along with maps and encounters, having a copy of this tool with you at every game night will mean that you'll be prepared for a change in game. Right now Toys of the Sandbox only caters for fantasy systems, but a clever GM could re-skin it for other genres like sci-fi and steam punk.

Generate a random adventure
If you game with your laptop, then head over to the Donjon random adventure generator which gives you a smorgasbord of ideas for your game. With a framework containing things like story hooks, themes, villains and even red herrings, it'll take you about 5 minutes to sketch down your ideas and hey presto! you have an adventure. The site also has random dungeon generators and a bunch of cool generators for sci-fi games too. If you're running 4e then the good folks at Dungeons Master have even created a pre-made character library you can quickly pull from.

Run a co-operative story RPG
There's a tonne of pressure on the GM when coming up with an adventure, so why not alleviate some of that pressure by running a co-operative game. 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars is one of my personal favourites, as it requires about 4 minutes of prep time and the rest is up to the GM and the players to unravel the story as they go. Other such games are Polaris, Capes and While the World Ends, and the great thing is that they're relatively inexpensive.

Use Mythic GM emulator
I've yammered on about Mythic in the past when talking about solo RPGs, but one of the other uses for the engine is group play. The best thing about Mythic is that you need almost no prep: the GM and players come up with a premise and then the random dice rolls do the rest of the work for you. I recommend using rules-lite games with Mythic so you don't get bogged down with dice rolls and rules. Risus, Tunnels & Trolls and Swords & Wizardry work really well, I've found.

How to wargame on the cheap {Wargaming}

2012-01-08T10:08:00.000Z

Wargaming can be a hugely expensive hobby, especially if you're creating a huge army one soldier at a time. From paints and flock to the miniatures themselves, wargaming is a hobby that can quickly leave you out of pocket. But worry not, fair armchair general, because it doesn't have to be like that. You can enjoy wargaming without worrying about your bank balance with this handy guide.

Use paper minis
Believe it or not, you can build an entire army for free. Well, as long as you have a printer with ink in it. There are a few sites that offer free paper minis like One Monk, and you can even get 3D terrain pieces for free too! While this is the cheapest way to get an army together, the spectacle of a huge miniature army is diminished by the fact that all your soldiers can easily fall over with a breeze. If you want a quick army for free, then use paper minis, but if you want something a bit meatier then there are other ways to save money and get great armies.

Shop around
We all know that Games Workshop has the monopoly on fantasy and science fiction wargaming and it's often the first place a beginner will go for their first army. While the miniatures are of good quality (though definitely not the best) they are getting increasingly pricey, especially if you're buying your paints and terrain from their stores. Instead of going straight for the mainstream minis, shop around online. There are loads of sites selling quality minis at much lower prices, even as little as £7 for 50 men and there are various art outlets that will sell the appropriate paints for half as much as Games Workshop.

Scale your game
Arguably the most popular model size is 28mm because of how easy they are to paint and how awesome an entire 28mm army looks on the tabletop. Of course, the bigger they are, the harder you'll pay so scaling your models to 15mm or even 6mm will save you a lot of money and still look impressive on the battlefield. Hell, my preferred mass war size is a mere 2mm, which actually looks great and costs next to nothing. The only problem is that small minis are more difficult to paint, so you'll need a steady hand.

Change your format from mass combat to skirmish
Wargaming isn't all about huge battles, and although they might look cool, you can have just as much fun (or more!) with skirmish games. These types of games give the players control of small warbands of typically 5-15 minis with a focus on personalities and special abilities. Obviously buying a handful of miniatures costs far less than forking out for 100 and it also means you can afford the high quality ranges. Personally I think Song of Blades and Heroes is one of the best fantasy skirmish games out there and well worth a buy.

5 free RPGs you can download right now {Free Stuff}

2012-01-07T19:23:00.001Z

Everyone likes free things, so here are five RPGs you can get your hands on right now for no money whatsoever:

Renaissance
Cubicle 7 is one of the great British RPG powerhouses and most of the games I've read are high quality and well-written. Renaissance is a d100 system for historical and fantasy gaming containing gunpowdery explosive goodness. The game uses OpenQuest rules, so if you're familiar with Runequest or Legend you can easily get to grips with Renaissance.

Download here.

Atomic Highway
If post-apocalyptic Mad Max style adventure is what you're looking for, then 2010 Ennie nominee Atomic Highway has a high probability of floating your boat. The system is built on the V6 Engine, which promises action-packed cinematic style gameplay. While you have all your usual stock post-apocalyptic tropes like mutants and salvageable items, the book also details how to create your own unique setting, which I think is pretty damned cool.

Download here.

Kapow!
Over the past few years there have been some great superhero roleplaying games released, such as Icons and Wild Talents 2nd Edition, but in my mind there's always room for more. Kapow! is built with the SFX! System which keeps the game flowing, allowing the players to really feel like heroes. It may not look like much from the cover, but this little game has it where it counts.

Download here.

Novarium
With a positive review from Trollish Delver friend Tenkar's Tavern, you know Novarium is going to be good. While it's set in a fantasy realm, the premise is actually really original. An angel visited the land of Vaena and endowed ever female with magic, turning the tables of what was a patriarchal society into one where women have risen into power. Each player has a primary and secondary character, where the secondary tends to things like research and care for their land while the primary is off on quests. Oh, and the art is smashing!

Download here.

The Age of Shadow: Roleplaying Game
If you want good honest fantasy fun, then you might want to give The Age of Shadows a bash. This is another one based on OpenQuest and has a gritty, deadly feel, where combats are quick and brutal. While not a lot has been changed from the original system, there are a few modifications and for the price of breathing, you'd be silly not to get it.

Download here.

Where's the House of Hell post? {Fighting Fantasy}

2012-01-07T17:55:00.001Z

Well, after I tweeted about the latest developments in the House of Hell movie I was contacted by the studio asking me to delete them. Apparently the information given was not for public consumption. It's probably my fault for not explicitly stating I ran a blog, though I did include the address in the email. The last thing I want to do is piss the people off that are making a Fighting Fantasy film. So I deleted the tweets and the original blog post.

Apologies to the guys at Superteam Studios, but be sure that I'll be contacting you down the road for an official interview.

Turn your workplace into a living RPG (and increase productivity) {Gamification}

2012-01-05T07:59:00.000Z

Work and play generally don't go together unless you're a sports person and your whole career is a game. Our hobby is separate from our day jobs, but what if you could blend the two together and create a game that's not only fun, it actually encourages you to work better?

Gamification is a philosophy in which game conventions are applied to non-game situations. Processes that were once mundane are now goal-oriented and more fun. People are more productive when they think they're taking part in a game because of the consistent gratification games bring and the clear tasks they're given. Using gamification, we can begin to see how this method can be applied to the workplace in order to enhance enjoyment of fulfilling tasks and increasing productivity.

Create a quest list and start levelling up
The to-do list is the backbone of most people's workday, so this is the easiest aspect of work to transform into a roleplaying game. Your to-dos become your quests and each quest grants experience points upon completion. The number of points directly reflects on the difficulty of the task in hand, meaning you will gain more experience points for more difficult and time-consuming tasks. Take this table as a guide:

5xp - send an email/ call someone
5xp - arrange a meeting
5xp - clear desk of clutter
10xp - take notes in a meeting
20xp - complete an important report
+5xp for every day you are under deadline
-5xp for every day you are over deadline

Experience points are tallied up at the end of the week and kept in a spreadsheet. Every 1000xp you increase a level and every time you level up you can treat yourself in some way, whether it's to a big dessert or a new DVD - whatever makes you happy - you've earned it.

Get Epic Win for iOS
If you don't feel like manually tracking all your experience points then there's an app that can do it for you as well as a bunch of other cool stuff. Epic Win allows you to collect xp and gold for tasks as well as battle evil monsters and level up your stats. You get a quest map which you move along for every quest you fulfil and each new location contains a cool new over-the-top sounding item.

Roll random office encounters
One of the best parts of any RPG are the bloody fights we get into (in character). There's no reason why you can't have a dice battle or two during your regular work day though. Draw up a list of 12 monsters you can battle so you can roll 2d6 to fight one Write them out on a spreadsheet, but codify them so it still looks like work. For example, an Orc could just be 'O' and a Balrog, 'BG'. Give each monster a number from 0-3. After you complete a tasks with a total of 40xp you can roll for a wandering monster using a web-based roller. When one comes up you must fight it, first rolling a d6 for the monster and adding the number you have associated with it. Then roll your die plus your level. Whoever has the highest number wins the battle. A win is worth 5xp. Note that every time you increase in level, move the monsters' number threshold up by one, so if you're level 2 then monsters will be +1 to 4 and so on.

How to choose a new game for a new year {RPGs}

2012-01-04T21:25:00.002Z

The new year gives us a chance to shake off those old 2011 cobwebs and have a fresh start. While many of you, like myself, will still be in the middle of a campaign or perhaps rounding one off, why not use the 2012 as a springboard to play some fresh new games?

Everyone and their mothers have played Dungeons & Dragons, and while it tickles the sweet roleplaying spot, so many games fall by the wayside. This year, crawl out of your comfort zone a bit and be adventurous instead of falling back on the most popular games on the shelves. You never know: you might find the RPG of your dreams hidden away in your local hobby store or deep in the pages of RPGNow.

So how do you go about choosing a new game? First off you need to figure out whether you want to have a massive three-year-long campaign or a series of one-shots that wrap up in 6 months. In my own group we're going to start playing GURPS on the last Thursday of every month in between our 4e campaign, which will be coming to an end mid-year. After that we will either turn GURPS into a full-time thing or keep the format and get something new.

Follow your curiosity
It's good to select games by taste, but sometimes it pays to get something that you wouldn't at first glance want to buy or a game that piques your curiosity. For example, I bought Tales from the Wood, a game about anthropomorphasised woodland creatures, because I was interested in the setting and how the author might make it work. Although I was apprehensive at the game being complete garbage, I actually really enjoyed it. Sure, it could be that you play something that's catastrophically bad, but at least you've tried it and you can now move on to something else.

Alter your setting
If you've spent the last two years roaming around a fantasy realm then there's little point in going back to another fantasy game unless your group is desperate to play a certain game. Try and steer as far away as possible from your last setting. If you played space opera, go historical. If you indulged in horror, go for a more light-hearted, comical game. Shifting from one setting to a completely different one will also serve to shake up the players, who will have carved out their own roles in your previous game so now they're dunked into unusual territory they'll have to think about their new role.

Play publisher roulette
Rather than sticking to the big publishers, pull up a list of every publisher you can find and randomly select one. You can do this by simply going to your favourite RPG download site like DrivethruRPG and using the publisher drop down menu. Once you've got your publisher, check out what they're selling and get whatever system gets you curious. I just tried this method and pulled up Psypher 2430, a sci-fi RPG I have never heard of, plus it's super cheap.

Of course, these are just some suggestions of what you could do to find a new game. However, if you want to hop from D&D to Pathfinder then by all means do it. If you're happy with what you know and love then that's awesome, but a little RPG experimentation could go a long way to broadening your horizons and finding a game you love even more.

Cons I want to attend this year {Conventions}

2012-01-03T04:12:00.001Z

Right now it's almost 4am and I'm feeling absolutely lousy, so I've made myself a cup of hot milk and sat myself in the living room. Fun times.

Being up has given me some time to think about what conventions I want to attend this year. Being based in England, big cons like Gen-Con are non-existent, but from the looks of it there are a few that look pretty good.

Kapow!
Me and my buddies attended the inaugural Kapow! Comic-con last year and had a blast. This is really the UK's answer to SDCC and although there were numerous teething problems, I can see huge potential in the coming years.

Thought Bubble
Another comic convention, but one that's probably the most established in the country. Showcasing the hottest talent around, TB is a great place to check out some great indie comics alongside huge names like John Romita Jr and Kev Walker.

UK Games Expo
I imagine this is the closest to Gen-Con that we have in this country, so it would be great to try to make it this year. Although there's a heavy focus on wargaming and boardgames, there should be a fair amount of roleplaying to be head as well as Living Munchkin.

Con-Quest
Although much smaller than UKGEX, Con-Quest is much more roleplaying and CCG oriented from the looks of things and this is likely where I'll run my first ever con game (probably T&T, but we'll see).

Dragonmeet
Probably the biggest con in the UK as far as flat-out roleplay is concerned and somewhere that I've always wanted to attend. Hopefully I'll rub shoulders with industry giants and some of my favourite fantasy authors.

Beer & Pretzels Games Weekend
I badly wanted to attend this year but real life got in the way. Another small one, but an event that's been growing since its inception. I know that some of my fellow T&T fans attend, so hopefully I can get there and run a game this year.

If you're attending any of the above events then do let me know - I'd love to meet with TD readers!

Dwarf World {Reviews}

2012-01-02T10:00:00.001Z

It's a rare pleasure when Ken St. Andre releases a GM adventure rather than a new solo. Don't get me wrong, I love solo adventures like Rupert Murdoch loves money, but it's nice to see established writers come out with a multiplayer scenario every once in a while.

Dwarf World is not your conventional by-the-numbers adventure. Rather, it gives a GM the ingredients she needs to run a game (or five) in a subterranean setting. It's more of a mini campaign setting, presenting the locations, monsters and dwarvern attitudes that players will come up against. For this reason, I don't recommend this adventure for new GMs or even intermediates. To really create a cohesive narrative, the GM will need to be a good improviser with a hefty amount of experience under her belt.

Herein lies the blessing and the curse of Dwarf World. The meat of the book lies in random tables that throw up bad guys, mines, cities, NPC encounters and all that good stuff. Playing it straight 'out of the box' is nigh impossible unless you're a really good GM. Ken does a great job describing this underground universe with its endless mines and its city structures. There are loads of nice little adventure hooks weaved throughout the random tables that a good GM will pick up and roll with.

David Ullery's artwork is outstanding as usual with a wonderfully evocative cover depicting a mass dwarf- goblin battle. T&T is lucky to have such dedicated artists like Ullery, Jeff Freels and Simon Tranter, who I think capture the essence of the game beautifully.

Dwarf World is whatever you make of it. On the one hand, as it's not a traditional adventure it might be hard for a novice to wrap their heads around, but on the other, experienced GMs should have no problem extracting multiple sessions of play in this rich setting.

Plans for 2012 {Trollish Delver Games}

2011-12-31T13:03:00.000Z

It's been a great year for the blog and I want 2012 to be even better. 2011 saw my first products being released through Trollish Delver Games, which was a big step in what I hope will turn into a much larger side-business.

In 2011 Trollish Delver released the following adventures:

Depths of the Devilmancer (solo adventure for Tunnels & Trolls)
Forest of the Treelords (GM adventure for T&T)
Fast Food (GM adventure for T&T published in Elder Tunnels Summer)
Cabin in the Woods IV: The Stabbening (GM adventure for T&T published in Elder Tunnels Fall)
It Came from Beyond the Stars! (GM adventure for T&T published by Peryton Publishing)

2011 also saw Trollish Delver team up with Peryton Publishing to produce a line of T&T adventures, the first of which launched earlier this month.

So what's in store for 2012?

Continuing the TDG/Peryton T&T line
Release Book One of the DemonLord gamebook series
Release A Delver's Guide to Peakvale
Release new T&T mega-solo
Continue with blogging goodness

None of what I've done this year could have been done without the support of my readers and friends, so a massive thanks to you all for making this the best year yet for Trollish Delver. Next year promises to be bigger, better and nerdier than ever.

Adventures in Fabled Lands {Gamebooks}

2011-12-29T14:18:00.003Z

Yesterday I picked up Fabled Lands again to have another go after my previous two characters were killed (one in a shipwreck and the other by a falling boulder). I created a rogue this time around and decided to dedicate her role to thievery and assassination.

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Fabled Lands is a range of gamebooks that, instead of being contained stories, offer a sandbox world to play in. While the characters aren't as memorable as those in say Fighting Fantasy, it's a trade-off for a massive world where you can do pretty much anything.

My rogue, Marana, began in Marlock City, the capital of Sokara. With only 16 shards (cash) to my name I decided try mu hand at gambling. I emerged with 0 shards to my name. Being destitute, I needed a job to get money. I travelled to Yellowport and was given the opportunity to go and assassinate the exiled king who was hiding in the mountains like a sissy. With an offer of 500 shards, of course I took the job.

I killed the king, got my money and was now on my way to success. I started doing jobs here and there, finding thievery work where I could in Sokara and Golnir (the country in the second book, Cities of Gold and Glory) which included stealing a priceless gem from some sailors and doing some sword-for-hire work. I finally had enough for a medium-sized boat, so I bought one and called it The Kraken. I hired the best crew money could by and began trading cargo between Sokara and Golnir, making some nice profit. I even invested money in the merchant's guild in hope of gaining mass interest later in the game.

I eventually decided to take my toughest assassination job yet and travel to the far north (The Plains of Howling Darkness), sneak into the enemy camp and kill the ex-commander-in-chief of the previous regime who were battling in the Steppes. I managed to pull this off and was handsomely rewarded by General Marlock, the new ruler of Sokara. I was feeling confident, so I bought some textiles as cargo and set sail for the south. This, as it turns out, was a mistake.

You see, boys and girls, in the south there are pirates galore and you'll be spending a lot of time in the ocean. I was looking for a place to sell textiles when one night my helmsman went mad and ran the ship aground. The helm split in two and the ship was destroyed. I was the sole survivor as I drifted for days on a bit of wood, eventually washing ashore on Copper Island, which is where I currently am.

Injured and without a ship, what will happen next in the adventures of Marana? Will she brave the seas once more for gold and glory? Or will she return to Golnir to find more work as a master thief? Tune in next time...

Let's play: Fangs of Fury {Fighting Fantasy}

2011-12-28T16:23:00.000Z

In this series, I delve into one of the many bazillion Fighting Fantasy books out there in a romp that will likely claim my life.

OK, so Fangs of Fury. I have to admit, this isn't one that I'd heard of when I picked it up last year at a convention. The cover depicts a two-headed snake and an orc carrying a flaming sword and an axe, so he's probably overcompensating for something. Anyway, let's dive in and roll up my character.

Punchfist Deathknocker
SKILL: 12
STAMINA: 16
LUCK: 7
WALLS: 5

While I lucked out on my SKILL, my other attributes sucked ganjee balls. Punchfist will live up to his name and try and solve all his problems through knocking ten bells out of everything. He's awesome.

The basic concept of the adventure is that the puny kingdom of Zamarra is under siege by the forces of Ostragoth the Grim. They seek to breach the walls and kill the 12 wizards within take over Souther Khul. Punchfist has volunteered to activate the six dragon sentinels to reign fire on the enemy and burn them like armour-clad marshmallows. Oh yeah, and Punchfist is fitted with a bracelet that will kill him in the 14th citadel wall is breached. And there I was thinking I could swan off to some elven forest and live the life of Riley. Damn.

Punchfist heads underground and emerges by a group of goblins with a battering ram. The leader asks for his regiment. There's no option to kill things, so he'll try and bullshit them instead. "Yeah, err, I'm with the Bonecrushers. I just thought I'd come and help you guys out because you're so short-"
"Silence!" Interrupts the leader, "The Bonecrusher Battalion hasn't landed yet. I think we have ourselves another spy. Cease him!" He thumbs through a book about Zamarra to try and figure out whether Punchfist is anyone important. He's not. "Kill him"
"Woah, woah. I'm sorry but I think you misheard me," Punchfist says, "I want to join the Bonecrushers. Yup, it's always been a dream of mine."
"No, you're going to join the Knuclers Irregulars," says the leader. He calls over Sprikk, a goblin soldier, who swiftly marches Punchfist to the trenches. He meets with some fat guy who demands cash to join the regiment. Punchfist refuses, being a miser, and so the fat guy orders two solders to attack. Excellent! Punchfist makes short work of the two thugs, throwing them in a bloody pile without receiving a scratch himself. He rests his foot on one of the bodies and laughs defiantly. "Seriously dude, a skill 5 and 6 versus a 12?" The captain agrees to let him into the ranks. We soon see why they're called 'Irregulars' as they're no more than a rag-tag band of thugs who are used as a shield for the orcs. Punchfist sees a knight, someone that he knows, fall to the ground, a goblin looming over him with a blade. Helping him could arouse suspicion, so Punchfist decides to take off with his horse instead. Everything goes downhill from here. He takes the horse but gets shot with an arrow in the process. He tries to ride out of the battle but is chased down by orcs. Apparently they want my horse, so I say "Feck off," and one whistles, sending the animal into a frenzy. He's thrown onto the ground and the orcs leave with the horse. "Bugger!"

Just then a cart draws near. A lone rider hands the cart driver a map in exchange for a chest. Weird. PF follows the cart and jumps in the back for lols. He alerts the driver, who attacks. However, his technique is sloppy so PF has no trouble caving his skull in with the side of the wagon. He finds a parchment from the King's new knight, who is apparently a traitor because he says that the 'torchbearer' has departed for the north. Alas, a goddamn Grypvulture snags the parchment and takes off with it.

PF continues to the coast where he spots a woman in peril. She's been harassed by an octopus, so he cuts off its tentacles and follows the woman. She doesn't say a whole lot, but draws a tent in the sand. Fun cryptic times had by all. Funnily enough, he later finds a tent and meets with a spy. The spy gives him some bitchin' armour and he leaves. He's soon followed by a group of soldiers who clearly think he's a captain or something. He sends most of them away and manages to outrun his apparent bodyguard. He sees that the river is running north, which is where he's supposed to be heading, so he decides to follow it. He meets with two cheery dwarves who let him hire a boat to go the rest of the way. At 1gp it's a bargain.

The boat ride is going so nicely until the vessel is smashed to bits by a giant. PF stabs the big bastard in the hand only to be held under the water and partially drowned. He's then put in a sack and taken to the giant's lair. The giant seems to be a mental case by letting PF help himself to gold, but it looks like he's re-enacting some sick murder ritual. PF takes a handful of coins and runs through a fire and out of the cave. He makes his was across the plains and ends up in a small village where he helps a girl who has spilled her rice and crying because she's late for school. The dick of a teacher starts to cane her when she turns up late, so PF, being the gallant dude he is, marches in, "Enough of this, you knob!" He cries, "Pick on someone your own size!"
"Very well," shouts the teacher, who attacks with his cane. This is all getting a bit surreal. Just an hour ago I was escaping from a giant and now I'm getting spanked in a classroom. PF cuts the cane in half and threatens the teacher. Suddenly a horn sounds and PF rushes outside to see what the commotion is about. Two drunk orcs are ransacking the village and an old man offers 20 gold coins to sort them out. PF would have done it for free, but he'll take the money, suckah! He marches up to the orcs and decapitates them both. He is made of awesome.

He leaves across the plain and heads down a well-known trade road. He's suddenly caught in a trap and a couple of rogues ask for all his money. "Not likely, mate," he spits. He hacks his way out of the trap just narrowly escaping being hit by an orc-driven chariot. He then heads into a forest where he finds a warrior being attacked by a horde of Garks. PF helps her out by slaying three of the blighters and in return the warrior guides him to the Wazzari Bastion, that has been devastated by war. PF's shown a map and told he has to traverse a maze and put some cubes in the right order. What came next was about an hour of my time wasted wandering around the maze before I realised the solution to the puzzle. Once PF leaves the maze he can smell the endgame. He fights a mage, who is pretty tough and passes through a bunch of rooms that chucks lots of fire at him, burning out all his black cubes he used for fire protection. He enters a room where the evil mage Jaxartes stands. PF takes a bit of a beating, but he shows resolve and fights until the little magic bitch runs away. He eventually comes to the core room where the so-called 'fangs of fury' are. Jaxartes is there hurling some abuse, but he grows like 15ft tall and starts hurling fireballs. No fair! But a huge cube appears with 49 keyholes in it. PF knows which one to choose because of a clue back in the maze and unlocks it. The fangs of fury ignite, Jaxartes screams and dies and the six dragon sentinels reign hell upon the evil forces.

So PF gets back, is promoted to mega-ultra general of the world and lives happily ever after.

All-in-all, Fangs of Fury wasn't a bad book but there was nothing that really stood out as memorable. The characters were fairly bland and the puzzles were so-so, especially the maze which was kind of annoying. I liked the use of new mechanics, like pursuit and jumping, and the fights seemed fairly balanced.I quite liked the fact that there was time limit, as the 12 walls were constantly falling (I finished with 5 intact). Not a great adventure, but satisfying nonetheless.

Though I never did find that orc on the cover.

DemonLord: Book One ideas {Trollish Delver Games}

2011-12-26T22:43:00.001Z

I hope you all had a great Christmas! Inbetween scoffing mince pies and turkey, I've been sketching some ideas for the first book in the DemonLord series.

The first thing that I realised was how unoriginal I am. The ideas I have are taken from various existing gamebooks, mainly because they work really well and provide a great solo roleplaying experience. Here are some of the ideas I'm implementing:

Factions
The world of DemonLord is split into four factions: The Swordhand, The Brotherhood of Light, The Flametouched and the Nightstars. Each has their own background and way of working, such as the Swordhand being crusading warriors and the Flametouched having harnessed demonic power. Each faction can be joined (one at a time) and each offers a unique trait for your character. In addition, the inter-faction tensions allow for new paths and opportunities in the game.

Lairs
While there is a main story, each book will feature randomly generated dungeons called Lairs. Each lair has a difficulty rating and an end boss, but each will be different every time you enter one. What I'm aiming for here is to allow for endgame content, where the player has finished the main quest but can still explore the more difficult lairs that weren't possible earlier in the game.

Quests
There will be a number of sub-quests to undertake, from killing a certain Lair Boss to transporting cargo to a new town. I envision there being 5-10 different quests per book and even book-spanning quests.

Collectable Cards
Each book will have its own set of cards to collect that tells the player more about the world. Collect them all for a special prize!

Vikings & Valkyries {Reviews}

2011-12-24T10:24:00.001Z

Sword and sandal epics like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans are some of my favourite genres of film and when I stumbled across Legendary Game Studio's Mazes and Minotaurs a couple of years back I was over the moon.

Mazes and Minotaurs is, and I use this term loosely, a 'retro-clone' designed to feel like the RPGs of old but set in a version of ancient Greece called Mythica. It's not a direct copy of OD&D, but definitely shows its influences and it works really well.

In January the first in LGS' range of World of Adventure series was released called Vikings and Valkyries, unsurprisingly offering a Norse mythological setting for the original game. The supplement isn't a stand-alone product, but can be found for free like all the Mazes and Minotaurs books on the LGS website. Instead it offers a new background, classes, weapons, magic and combat options for a Norse setting.

The writer's tongue-in-cheek style is still oozing from the pages and the books still retains the same easy-to-digest format from the main game. At only 51 pages, you'll get through it pretty quickly, which means you can get playing as soon as possible.

Like the revised M&M rules, the supplement offer 12 classes to choose from, under the three familiar categories of warriors, magicians and specialists. Warriors now include the likes of half-giants and berserkers while Skalds, Elves Hunters and Thieves fall into the other classes.
Part of the time, V&V feels like an acetate overlay for M&M, treating most of the new classes as exact copies of their Greek counterparts but with a few new traits thrown in. For example, the Skald is exactly the same as the Lyrist but instead of having Orphan's Voice, they have Skaldic Gift. This is great if you want to get the game off to a quick start, since you already know the classes, but if you're looking for brand-spanking new characters you're not going to find them here.

However, there is a lot of new stuff to play with and it's all really good. Take the new combat options that give characters and major NPCs the ability to main their opponents by cutting off a hand, skewering an eye or even flat out decapitating them. This blood 'n' guts approach captures the feel of classic Viking literature and movies and makes for fun, visceral fights.

When players are not hacking each other to bits, they can now take part in a range of Viking games like arm wrestling, braid cutting and shield running, all of which are given rules. Drinking contests are even included, with rules for intoxication. Awesome.

There's a hefty amount of setting information, from gods to geography, which will help anyone unfamiliar with Norse mythology and Viking life. This also includes new monsters such as troll and giant varieties, but many creatures can be taken straight from the M&M Creature Companion and given a lick of paint.

Vikings and Valkyries is a great addition to the Mazes and Minotaurs game system, including everything you need to start playing in a Norse setting. While it would have been nice to see brand new classes rather than carbon copies of old ones, it's a very minor gripe.

The hill giants of Peakvale {Campaign Settings}

2011-12-19T23:04:00.001Z

In It Came From Beyond the Stars! I established some of the creatures that inhabit Peakvale, specifically the wilderness between Thornguard and Willowmoss as well as the Greyshades.

Those who follow the relatively safe roads are only likely to come across either bandits or wayward urooks, but there are more sinister dangers, especially at night, such as giant eagles or the bane of merchants - Hill Giants.

There is one particular giant family who lives in the foothills of the Dhezereth Mountains, close to Willowmoss, who sometimes venture out onto trade routes in the hope of finding some dinner in the form of horses and people. Those who survive these harrowing ambushes tell tales of 16ft tall brutes carrying crudely-made spears and clubs, who are able to rip a horse apart like a person tears paper. It's said that the hills where the giants make their home is full of riches that they have stolen from merchants.

Hill giants generally have a monster rating of 90, but larger ones can go as high as 120. They aren't intelligent in the traditional sense of the word, but have created close-knit societies and look out for one another.

Hill Giant
Level 6
ST: 45, DX: 19, LK: 10, CN: 61, INT: 5, SPD: 17, CHR: 50
Personal adds: + 45
Weapons: Giant Spear (10d6), Sling (4d6)
Spite: 1/1
Equipment: Giant clothing, giant sack, giant boots

In appearance, hill giants resemble humans with short tusks jutting from their lower jaw. Their hair is often tied back into a ponytail, secured by rope. Typical names include Hram, Hron, Brot and Dreg for males and Vran, Freg, Vross and Krin for females. On the last day of the year, giants from around Peakvale meet to bring in the new year, celebrating with food, a roaring fire and stolen alcohol. They exchange gifts with one another and dance until the sun rises. The new year's celebrations take place at Black Rock, in the Dhezereth foothills and travellers have been warned that venturing there at this sacred time will almost always result in their bloody demise.

The future of DemonLord {Trollish Delver Games}

2011-12-18T23:10:00.001Z

I've been quiet recently on the subject of DemonLord. That doesn't mean that it hasn't been on my mind, far from it. I've been thinking about how to best deliver DemonLord as a game that people will want to play and in its current form I don't think it holds up.

There are people out there making games far better than my original vision for DemonLord. I've been thinking about the merits of releasing a completely new system that feels a lot like other RPGs already on the market. What's the advantage of that? Am I really delivering an experience that people want?

So I've decided that rather than scrapping the project, I'm refining it. I stated from the beginning that DemonLord was going to be compatible for solo play and now I want this to be the sole focus of the game. Instead of releasing a core rulebook, instead there will be a series of standalone solo adventures that incorporate the rules. What's more, each adventure will act like an expansion, adding new rules as they go.

I feel that there are very few systems out there targeting solo play and I think I can create a more innovative gaming experience in this format.

Fight On #13 - T&T edition is out

2011-12-18T17:38:00.002Z

Online OSR periodical Fight On has just launched its new edition dedicated to Ken St. Andre, creator of Tunnels & Trolls.

Fight On #13 delivers all the usual D&D oriented goodness with a splash of T&T, including an article on Variant Kindreds and Top Tips for Tunnels & Trolls. I haven't picked up a copy yet but I'll be reporting back on the awesomeness that no doubt lies inside.

Wizards given up on Gamma World {Publishers}

2011-12-18T09:23:00.001Z

It probably seems obvious by now, but the latest iteration of Gamma World emerged with a bang and left with a solemn whisper.

With three product releases: Gamma World, Legion of Gold and Famine in Far-Go as well as the booster packs, the game has seen minimal support from Wizards of the Coast and their future products list is devoid of mutants.

Initially there was a flurry of good articles on the WotC site and fans hoped they would keep up the trend for such a well-received game. While 4e divided people, Gamma World was almost universally accepted as a great RPG, with its 4e-lite mechanics and random elements.

Granted that I haven't played the game for some time now, but I would like to know that WotC didn't put it out to make a quick buck and dump it. But it sure seems that way.

So it looks like it's up to the fanbase to keep the game alive. Folks like David Flor have done a great job coming up with new adventures (David specifically writing 'Gammacore') which is great to see, but on the whole there's a dearth of material for the system, which is a huge shame.

While WotC may have given up on a fantastic game, that doesn't mean that we should. I plan on writing up an adventure for a free release. Watch this space, mutant.

The Dhezereth Dwarves of Peakvale {Campaign Setting}

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000Z

In the Peakvale campaign setting I want to shake up the common conceptions of kindred and give them a fresh new look. This includes turning battle-hardened dwarves into more gentle and caring creatures. Don't get me wrong, these guys were born warriors, but they have a soft side to them too.

The dwarves of the Dhezereth Mountains form the major dwarvern community in Peakvale and create the backbone of the kingdom's coal and ore trade. The middle-class of the capital of Peakvale, Thornguard, tend to look down on the dwarves as they march into the city every week to deliver their commodities. The general view is that dwarves are filthy creatures who love to wallow in dirt and hit each other with blunt weapons. The dwarf traders, also called 'Rock Merchants' by Thornguardians, are often humiliated as they enter the city and actively try to avoid making the journey there.

However, Dhezereth and the city within (of the same name), is a society build on trust and kindness. The city is ruled over by Councillor Ghazamm Rrockcracker, who is known for his loyalty to his people and his caring disposition. Although a member of the Peakvale Council and therefore answerable directly to the king, Ghazamm leads a double life - one with his people and one in the halls of government where he must appease the king.

Ghazamm has a great secret that has been kept from the king and other councillors since the great banishment. He has given asylum to many urooks who were cast out of Thornguard and other places in Peakvale, offering them a safe haven from the king's Storm Soldiers who would see them dead. This deed has earned the councillor the utmost respect among urooks, even in the Greyshades. Many urook shamans even predict that Ghazamm will become the rightful ruler of all of Peakvale and a new age of peace and prosperity shall fall on the kingdom.

More about the Dhezereth Dwarves will be found in the upcoming book 'A Delver's Guide to Peakvale'.

Bonefiend {Steal This Monster}

2011-12-14T21:46:00.001Z

Lurking in some forgotten tomb amongst the detritus is the Bonefiend, a spectral humanoid who covers itself in the bones of the long dead. The creature lures its prey by casting an illusion of a room full of priceless treasure before pouncing.

Bonefiend
Level 3
ST: 18, DX: 30, LK: 12, CN: 50, INT 6, CH: -6, WIZ: 20, SP: 16
Personal adds: +28
Weapons: Claws (4d6)
Spite: 1/1
Special Abilities: Spooky Touch - If Bonefiend does damage with his claws, the target makes a L3-SR on CON. If target fails, she cannot move for 1d6 rounds but can attack as normal.
Spells Known: Mirage

A dungeon can change a guy {Gaming Philosophy}

2011-12-11T22:58:00.001Z

Dungeons are arguably at the heart of any fantasy roleplaying game. They are generally the hub of action and adventure, where the most fearsome foes lurk and the most valuable treasures are unearthed.

But dungeons should be seen as much more than places where monsters live and traps are built. They are opportunities to build narrative and develop characters. Players should emerge from a dungeon having learnt valuable lessons and obtained new goals. Dungeons are powerful tools in a game and you should use them to your advantage.

Dungeons should change characters
Say a group of delvers has to go and rid the Waterdeep mines of an undead scourge. They might expect a couple of fights with zombies and skeletons, a few puzzles, a boss and some treasure. This is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't sound all that memorable. If they emerge 1000gp richer and that's it then they're exactly the same as they are when they went in, but with a bit more cash and more experience points. I argue that every dungeon should have an impact on the party. Perhaps one of the delvers is cursed to feed on the flesh of the living every full moon as a result of a trap, or one is impregnated with a demon child that will burst out in a matter of days. In these examples, characters will emerge from a dungeon different from when they went in and so the game has taken a step forward and evolved beyond just having more money or xp.

Complications create opportunities
It's likely that the reason the delvers went into the dungeon in the first place was because there was an overarching quest they were trying to complete. A change that creates complications, like the cursed player, forms a new opportunity for adventure and offers a less railroaded narrative. Now it comes down to whether they complete the quest now, or whether they venture into the Ironstorm Foothills to search for a cure. This can end up having a chain effect where the complication is removed by venturing into another dungeon, but another one or two are added when they emerge. What began as a set adventure has now turned into one that is spontaneous but that the GM can plan for. After all, she's the one making the complications.

Dungeons can develop character
Delvers don't necessarily have to emerge from dungeons with new personal quests. Their personalities should be tested and sometimes altered throughout the dungeon through puzzles, encounters and traps. Obviously it's not a good idea to go around completely changing characters, because that would be no fun, but including parts where it's optional for a character to tweak their personality will serve to create great roleplaying opportunities. For example, in my current campaign the party has recently found a gauntlet that can turn the wearer evil for a limited amount of time. It's optional whether they use it or not, but if someone did then it would not only change them, it would present a new roleplaying opportunity and a chance to expand that person's character.

So don't think of dungeons as just a series of rooms full of monsters and traps. They are tools that can develop the adventure, give the players some free will and alter the characters in a meaningful way.

Plans for 'A Delver's Guide to Peakvale' {Campaign Settings}

2011-12-11T09:07:00.000Z

It Came From Beyond the Stars kicks off a series of adventures set in the kingdom of Peakvale, a campaign setting contained in Ken St. Andre's Trollworld.

There's a severe lack of settings for T&T and I want Peakvale to be familiar but at the same time unique (whether it will be the latter remains to be seen). I've given a short introduction to Peakvale in the new adventure through the story rather than a bunch of exposition.

In essence, Peakvale boils down to a satirical look at current British politics and attitudes. The hobb king, Hobbletoe, is loved by the rich hobbs and humans of the land for his dismissal of the urooks from the 'fair' lands and the privatisation of many services, including the healing house. Different towns and villages in the kingdom have differing attitudes towards the king's rule. The capital, Thornguard, is the most divided, with 'uncommon' kindred inhabiting the slum district while hobbs and humans live it large in the King's Ward. Willowmoss and Lowhollow are very much royalists, agreeing with the King's sentiments for getting rid of the urooks, sometimes to the extreme.

While you have all these politics going on, there is some strange stuff happening at Lake Bloodmoon and the town of Redmarsh. The lake and town are located on the site of a fracture in reality where strange creatures sometimes emerge, but Hobbletoe has dismissed these strange occurrences as a result of vapours from the lake. Others in the kingdom have come to call this location 'The Wyrd' and it's said that beneath the lake is a network of tunnels spanning many miles harbouring the strange things that emerge through the Wyrd.

So that's a very quick primer to Peakvale. I will be producing a campaign guide with the working title 'A Delver's Guide to Peakvale' to accompany the adventures and allow you to create your own adventures in what should be a rich setting.

It Came from Beyond the Stars! out now! {Trollish Delver Games}

2011-12-10T09:34:00.000Z

My latest GM adventure for Tunnels and Trolls, It Came From Beyond the Stars!, has launched. You can get it from either DriveThru RPG or RPGNow, whatever your preference.

The adventure, published by Peryton Publishing with awesome artwork by Jeff Freels and Simon Lee Tranter (see the new Trollish Delver logo), is set in Trollish Delver Games' campaign setting, Peakvale, and involves mysterious Lovecraft-tinged adventure.

Urooks are shunned by the ruler of Peakvale, King Hobbletoe, and have been exiled into the Greyshades, a dangerous and forbidden land. When a mysterious object falls from the sky and lands in the Greyshades the king seeks assistance from local delvers to enter urook country and retrieve. But the adventurers will come to find a nightmare unravelling as they venture deeper into the forbidden land.

The adventure is for delvers levels 1-3 and should cover one or two sessions.

Thanks to Tom K Loney, Mari Volmar, Jeff Freels and Simon Lee Tranter for bringing the first in the Trollish Delver Games series to life.

Turn your wizard into a Lifekeeper {T&T}

2011-12-09T21:41:00.000Z

Some wizards are born to destroy, others to create and some to preserve life. Lifekeepers are experts in the latter, using their powers to heal and prevent others from harm. Lifekeepers are also bloody useful people.

Keeping away from the front lines and casting spells on their allies, Lifekeepers are a rare breed of philanthropist, who spend her money on potions and spell books in order to help others. A party of delvers who happen upon a Lifekeeper would do well to hire her because she might mean the difference between emerging from the castle with piles of treasure and getting crushed by several trolls.

The Lifekeeper is very much based on intelligence, but a little charisma can go a long way too (call it bedside manner).

Past first level, Lifekeepers will choose to learn mostly spells that will benefit others, such as healing and redirecting damage. The following spells are ideal for this kind of wizard:

Level 2: Poor Baby, Hidey Hole
Level 3: Healing Feeling, Shield Me
Level 4: Protective Pentagram
Level 5: Resist Magic
Level 6: Blue Shirt of Life
Level 7: Invisible Wall
Level 8: Zapparmor
Level 8: Pygmalion
Level 13: Born Again

As well as spells, the Lifekeeper must know a thing or two about preserving life manually. Here are a few ideas for talents:

Medical Marvel (INT), Herbs are my Forte (INT), Potion Brewing (INT), Bedside Manner (CHA).

In terms of equipment, the usual staff and light armour will do. Make sure the Lifekeeper has a good stash of healing potions as well as any ingredients to make potions. A scalpel and foldable stretcher may also come in handy for those battlefield wounds. Oh, and don't forget the bandages!

Turn your warrior into a Godsword {T&T}

2011-12-08T21:32:00.000Z

Tunnels and Trolls has always lacked a cleric-type character like in many other popular fantasy games. To be honest, this makes complete sense because Trollworld technically doesn't have deities. Instead it has the God-Wizards of ancient times who were beings with such immense magic that they were, for all intents and purposes, gods.

But that isn't to say that people in Trollworld don't worship and pray to higher powers. The sea-faring Cyruks are obedient to their god and ruler Zweetz, the serpent wizard and of course Gristlegrim is the creator of the dwarves. It's only natural that different cultures will worship whichever god-wizard brought them into being.

I have always thought clerics and paladins to be in the realm of D&D, so I think a better term for them in T&T would be 'Godswords'. Why? Well, mostly because it sounds way cooler than cleric but also because it follows the simplistic aesthetic of the T&T universe. These guys worship and hack.

So what does it take to turn your default warrior into a steel-toting preacher (how bad-ass is that)? Godswords are people who don't back down from a fight and will battle to the death for their cause, so armour would be a good place to start. Full suits, helms and shields will aid Godswords in their struggle against the unholy terrors that plague Trollworld. It's not uncommon for a single Godsword to take on many enemies at once, so she needs to be clad to the teeth in steel.

Weapon-wise Godswords prefer to fight valiantly in close quarters with the wretched enemy, so a sword or hafted weapon that delivers as much damage as possible is a must.

So far, you could have made a generic kitted out warrior, but now let's get to the meat of the Godsword. Preferred stats are strength, constitution and charisma, as they have to be both handy in battle but able to persuade others to join their ways. Make sure you carry at least enough healing potions for each of your party members, as Godswords are sworn to heal as well as smite. Likewise, make sure you have spare rations for the needy you made come across on your adventures.

Recommended talents are as follows:

Medical Knowledge (INT), Preach the Word (CHA), Can Take a Beating (CON), Everyone Trusts a Priest (CHA), Calming Demeanour (CHA), I Know Evil When I See It (INT).

As you can see, Godswords are very charisma-based warriors, relying on both their might and words to win the day.

Let me know what you think of the Godsword and whether you will give one a shot.

Turn your warrior into an assassin {T&T}

2011-12-06T21:09:00.000Z

We all love the reliable warrior but let's face it, he's a bit boring. Sure you can add whatever creative fluff to his back story in order to make him stand out from the thousands of warrior clones out there, but sometimes you need some extra mechanics to make him extra special. Here's how to create your very own assassin.

Fantasy assassins typically stick to the shadows and attack without warning, often using poisons to dispatch their targets. Because of this, assassin warriors will generally have higher than average dexterity. Swift blades and ranged weapons are their forte, so don't equip them with anything too cumbersome. Wielding dual katars only requires 16 dex and has comes with that badass Assassin's Creed aesthetic as a bonus. 4d6 + 8 at a relatively cheap price of 36 gp is a thrifty purchase that packs a punch and feels very 'assassiny'. Similarly, ranged weapons should be light and easy to carry, so a hand crossbow is a good one to go for.

Obviously an assassin doesn't want to be weighed down by plate mail and fortunately warriors' double armour means that they can wear relatively light armour and still take the hits. Consider not going for a full suit and instead patching different pieces of armour together. This will be more expensive, but it will offer maximum protection without the weight.

Of course, weapons and armour can only get you so far, so you'll need to throw some assassin talents in with the mix. As a starting talent, I recommend taking something like Sneak, based on dexterity. Later on you could go for the following:

Poison Making (INT), Knowledge of the Streets (INT), Balancing Act (DEX), Acrobat (DEX), Stone Calmness (INT), Blend in with the Crowd (CHA), Intimidation (CHA)

So there you have it, a quick guide for turning a mundane warrior into a death dealer from the shadows. Hope you enjoy!

Peryton Fantasy Role-Playing Game review {Reviews}

2011-12-04T21:33:00.000Z

Recently Paizo released its Q2 sales figures, which showed that Pathfinder was beating Dungeons and Dragons 4e in sales, which is a pretty big deal. More people are being drawn to the new old hotness and for good reason: it's a streamlined, well designed game that ironed out most of the problems inherent in 3.5. While 3rd edition still splits opinion, there's no doubt that Pathfinder rekindled people's love for the system. Enter the Peryton Fantasy Role-Playing Game, a creation by Peryton Publishing that seeks to take 3rd edition and trim the fat. Is the game a valiant champion or just another adventurer who's just run into a Gelatinous Cube?

The first thing that becomes apparent with PFRPG is that it's not just a carbon copy of 3.5. While the core OGL system that we know and sometimes love is there, there is a variety of creative differences. Classes have been cut down considerably to: Berserker, Fighter, Rogue, Mystic, Wizard and Templar. Sure there are a few familiar faces, but what about the new guys in the hood? The Berserker is a Barbarian for all intents and purposes and the Templar is a Paladin-Cleric cross breed. The most interesting is the Mystic, who is like a non-martial Monk with a thirst for knowledge. These guys shun armour in favour of dexterous combat and mind powers, becoming immune to all sorts of effects at higher levels.

Another change and a more 'indie' addition to the system are 'knacks', which are a more evolutionary version of skills. Instead of presenting you with pages of skills and feats, PFRPG has the knack system, where successful checks in the game can lead to new skills applied when levelling. Say your character had done a good few days research in the library and succeeded in finding the whereabouts of an ancient treasure, the DM would note down these checks and come up with a new knack for the player, such as 'Gather Information'. This freeform skills system works well, but it does require more book-keeping for the GM, which could be a pain. However, it makes the game quicker to get into and provides a more logical method of acquiring new skills.

The usual class abilities are present here, as well as all the spells a growing wizard could ever need. In addition, PFRPG has a cool alchemy system that lets players brew their own potions in a unique way. Alchemical mixtures are made from essence, oil and salt, of which the first two need to be harvested from plants and minerals. For instance, Black Moss contains Oil of Wisdom and Essence of Intelligence as well as a mundane salt. Using a solvent will extract one required aspect and render the other useless in the process. Putting an essence and an oil of the same type together will create a potion that gives a limited attribute bonus, but certain salts allow different oils and essences to be matched to create something completely new. It's a great little system that doesn't need pages of rules and lets players and the GM let their imaginations run wild with new concoctions.

Of course, the game wouldn't go anywhere if the rules weren't clear and fortunately the system is well-presented and easy to understand. The book contains everything needed to play, including a GM section, monsters and a run down on how to create adventures. Illustrations, although infrequent, are generally of high quality but there are some the stand out as fairly amateur.

Combat rules are kept relatively simple, tossing out much of the tactical crunch found in the original game in lieu of letting the GM decide what's best in a certain situation. Those who prefer a more tactical miniatures game may be put off by this, but if combat is sped up as a result of a) not having to flick through the book or, b) incessant rules-lawyers, then this more rules-lite approach can only be a good thing.

If you're looking for that 3rd edition vibe without most of the fiddly rules and a dose of indie inspiration then PFRPG is well worth picking up. It doesn't take huge leaps with the system, but the streamlined rules and versatile skills system make this a game that's easy to pick up and play.

It Came from Beyond the Stars! update {Trollish Delver Games}

2011-12-04T11:34:00.001Z

I've just sent off the final revision of It Came from Beyond the Stars!, a low-level adventure for Tunnels & Trolls. I also received an email the other day from Simon Tranter, an awesome fantasy and sci-fi artist, with a very cool design for the Trollish Delver logo that will appear in the book.

It Came from Beyond the Stars is the first of hopefully many professionally produced products from Trollish Delver Games and Peryton Publishing. I think we're really close to the finishing line with this, so watch this space.

Character types: Musicians {T&T}

2011-12-03T08:42:00.000Z

From the smoke-filled corner of a dingy inn to the festive halls of the King's court, musicians are at the heart of entertainment in Trollworld. They sing tales of heroic feats, great battles and lost love, captivating all who stop to listen.

Musicians come in all shapes and sizes, from the pipe-playing elves of the Sinderwoods to the urook drummers of the Grey Mountains. However, none are as legendary as Fenrick Waterborn from Gull. Fenrick was a human who, at an early age, decided that he wanted to see the world, so he packed his bags and left home taking his famous harp 'Alelia' with him. Over the years he collected stories that he put into songs, such as the time he was almost trampled on by a family of rock trolls and that time when a bear challenged him to a drinking contest. Now thousands follow in his footsteps, journeying through Trollworld to discover the best songs inspired by adventure.

Character type: Musician
Prerequisites: 13+ CHA
Prime Attributes: CHA/DEX/INT/LK
Recommended Talents: Musical (CHA), Storyteller (CHA), Live to tell the tale (LK), Improvisation (INT)
Special Abilities: Song of Inspiration - Once a day you may sing a song to inspire your allies. Each ally gains +5 to their next SR.

Tuck in! Magic food in 4th edition {4e}

2011-11-28T21:35:00.002Z

Food glorious food. If you run a campaign anything like I do, you're undeniably lazy when it comes to the micromanagement of PCs' dietary requirements, so you just chucked a hamper full of unlimited rations at them mid-heroic tier and assumed they ate on the way to whatever hell-hole they were valiantly relieving of its inhabitants.

But here's some news for your eyes: food can be fun! Well, magic food that is. Throwing some mystical noms into your game will not only make dinnertime a joy to roleplay, it could create an adventure in itself.

Genderswitch Apple
Level 8 Uncommon
Pink on one side and blue on the other.
Wondrous Item 50gp
Power (Consumable): Minor action. You become the opposite gender for 2d8 hours.

Firecatch Berry
Level 4+ Uncommon
These devilish red berries pulse heat through your body, allowing you to lash fire at your foes.
Wondrous Item
Lvl 4 +1 20gp
Lvl 8 +2 90gp
Lvl 14 +3 200gp
Lvl 18 +4 460gp
Power (Consumable): Minor action. You inflict 1d6 extra fire damage per plus until the end of the encounter.

Mead of Angelic Favour
Level 18 Rare
You take a swig and drain the rest on the ground as an offering to the angels above.
Wondrous Item 1,000gp
Power (Consumable): Minor action. 1 creature with the angel keyword (your level +1) appear in spaces adjacent to you. After your turn it make a Move and a Standard action. The angel does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The angel disappear at the end of your next turn.

Cursed Wine of Hazzan
Drinking a flask of the Wine of Hazzan is said to give you extraordinary strength, but at a price.
Level 15 Uncommon
Wondrous Item 1,000gp
Power (Consumable- Necrotic): Minor action. Gain +6d8 necrotic damage to your damage rolls until the end of your next turn. At the end of your next turn you are dazed, immobilized and blinded (save ends all).

Stew of Giant's Growth
Large pieces of goat meat float in this thick brown stew.
Level 10 Uncommon
Wondrous Item 600gp
Power (Consumable): You become a large creature for 1d4 hours. You gain +2 intimidate and strength checks and +4 to melee attacks.

Guild mechanics in 4th edition {4e}

2011-11-27T19:45:00.000Z

Grognardling has done a great job outlining some rules for guilds in a recent post and it's inspired me to find some way of incorporating guilds into 4th edition using its inherent modular mechanics.

Guilds are likely something that will come into play in PCs' downtime, but there's no reason they can't play a part during the adventure. I think treating guilds like items is a good way to go in 4th edition, as they can be as simple or complex as you like. The stat block gives the bare bones of the idea, which can be fleshed out through roleplay.

Thieves' Guild
Con artists, pick-pockets and burglars walk the halls of the Thieves Guild, swapping tips and receiving training from the Guild Master.
Entry Cost: 5,000gp
Prerequisites: You must be a Rogue of at least level 5.
Advantage: You gain a +2 to Thievery checks.
Power (Encounter): Gain a +2 to Stealth checks until the end of your next turn.
Power (Daily): Free action. Gain a +20 to Thievery checks until the end of your next turn.

Merchants' Guild
Traders from around the kingdom join together in the exclusive Merchants' Guild to teach each other about this noble profession.
Entry Cost: 7,000gp
Prerequisites: You must be at least level 5.
Advantage: You gain a +2 to Diplomacy checks.
Power (Daily): Free action. You automatically get 50% off the value of one bought item. Alternatively, you persuade the buyer to purchase one item for 25% more than the market price.

Sailors' Guild
Veteran ocean travellers come together to trade stories and gain access to vessels.
Entry Cost: 10,000gp
Prerequisites: You must be at least level 11.
Advantage: You gain +2 to any check related to sailing.
Power (Daily): Free action. When at a port, you gain access to a small 6 person vessel for free for 2d6 days.

3 slottable sigils {4e}

2011-11-27T11:04:00.000Z

You know how it is. Sometimes you're not sure whether to get rid of your awesome current armour and go with this new hotness you've wrenched from a fireball-trapped chest; after all, it has some nice powers but it might not suit your character as well as the current one. Well, why not just take powers that you like from other armour and slap them on your own using slottable sigils?

Sigils are usually carved into small stone tablets and applied to armour or weapons. Once slotted they're in there permanently unless a Sigil Removal ritual is performed (see below). Sigils augment your items in different ways, giving them new and interesting abilities and upping their resale value.

Sigil of Inferno
Level 8 Common
This sigil glows red in the shape of a roaring fire and feels hot to the touch.
Wondrous Item 1000gp

Requirement: You must apply to armour. Imbuing the armour with the sigil is permanent.
Property: You gain resist 5 to fire damage.

Sigil of Soul Reaping
Level 13+ Uncommon
Your weapon is encased in a swirling black mist where agonised faces melt in a out of existence.
Wondrous Item
Lvl 13 +1 5,000gp
Lvl 18 +2 9,300gp
Lvl 23 +3 20,000gp
Lvl 28 +4 40,300gp

Requirement: You must apply to a weapon. Imbuing the weapon with the sigil is permanent
Property: Gain +2 Fortitude
Power (Daily-Necrotic): Minor action. Your weapon devours souls of dead enemies per plus. For each plus regain a healing surge.

Sigil of Frost
Level 10 Common
Your shield frosts over, freezing all who hit it.
Wondrous Item 3,000gp

Requirement: You must apply to a shield. Imbuing the shield with the sigil is permanent.
Property: Gain resist 5 cold damage.
Power (Daily-Cold): Immediate reaction. When an enemy attack against you misses, the enemy becomes immobilised (save ends).

Sigil Removal

Level 15 Component Cost: 700gp
Category: Arcane Market Price: 1,400gp
Time: 5 minutes Key Skill: Arcana

You remove a sigil from an item. The item loses all the sigil's properties and powers. If you have a stone tablet you may transfer the sigil to it, which returns the sigil to its original form.

Hardcore D&D items {4e}

2011-11-26T12:02:00.001Z

I can't believe I'm so late to the game. There's something that's been floating in my periphery for some time now and it's only just recently occurred to me to check it out. What the hell am I talking about? Well, Fourthcore, of course.

Most of you reading this will have more than likely heard of Fourthcore, the 'revamp'of 4e that ups the challenge of the game in true AD&D form. Puzzles are frequent, traps deadly and encounters sophisticated. Personally, I fell in love with it as soon I started reading Save Versus Death.

One of the aspects of Fourthcore that really inspired me was the items. Gone are the days of +1 Magic Bow (yawn), as we now live in the Fourthcore age, a time when items have multiple powers that now only change the encounter, but can change the course of a narrative as well. In my eyes, these items are far more interesting than one that just allows you to regain a healing surge, or lets you teleport 5 squares. So, using that inspiration, I've had a go at creating a few of my own items in this style.

Mask of the Eight Moons
Level 17 Rare
This ornate bone mask is imbued with the magic of the Eight Moons of Anthara, allowing the wearer to see their opponent's strengths and weaknesses and use them to her advantage.

Item Slot: Head 30,000gp
Property: You know the immunities and vulnerabilities of any creature within line of sight.
Power (Daily - Psychic): Minor Action. All damage you deal this encounter is the damage type equivalent to the vulnerabilities of every enemy in the encounter. For 1d4 hours after the encounter you gain these vulnerabilities.

Tome of Demon Pact
Level 15 Rare
The pages within this flesh-bound book whisper of a demonic entity that can be summoned into battle.

Wondrous Item 19,000gp
Power (Daily-Arcane): Standard Action. You make a summoning pact with a demon creature (party level + 5) who appears in an adjacent square. The demon fights for you and is considered an ally in battle. At the end of the encounter any PC that was bloodied in the encounter must make a saving throw. If failed, the demon will return to claim their soul in 1d6 weeks, killing the PC.

Potion of Necrotic Sight
Level 8+ Uncommon
The hollowed out bone vial contains a swirling green liquid that gives the power to sense the presence of undead creatures.

Potion

Lvl 8 +1 120gp
Lvl 13 +2 390gp
Lvl 18 +3 1,600gp
Lvl 23 +4 3,200gp
Power (Consumable): Minor Action. You can see any creatures with the undead keyword within 10 squares per plus. When not in line of sight, the creatures appear as green silhouettes of their size and shape.

Pendant of Bear Form
Level 14 Rare
The golden pendant is carved with the figure of a Dire Bear. A low hum emits from the carving.

Item Slot: Neck 30,000gp
Power (Daily): Minor Action. You become a Dire Bear until the end of your next turn. You may not use any powers. Gain Bear Rage (Aura 2) - Any enemy within the aura takes 2d10 + 5 damage and is knocked prone. Once you have regained your normal form you must eat at least 1lb of meat per hour for 1d4 hours. If you miss one hour or more then you are considered an enemy in combat for 1d4 days.

Some cool armour for T&T {Items}

2011-11-20T13:53:00.000Z

Darkwarp Helm
This steel helm is imbued with an ancient magic that allows the wearer to teleport to any location they have previously been to.
Worth: 9000 gold pieces
Hits: 3
Wiz cost: 10
Effect: If the wearer spends 10 wiz, they may teleport to any location they have visited in the last year.

Trollskin Bracers
These bracers were expertly crafted from the hide of Hill Trolls.
Worth: 1000 gold pieces
Hits: 3 per bracer

Frostbite Jerkin
Enchanted by the Ice Wizards of the Ka'Zzagh Mountains, this jerkin has the power to freeze those who attack its wearer.
Worth: 2000 gold pieces
Hits: 5
Effect: If attacked in melee, there is a 2/6 chance the attacker will freeze for 1d6 rounds. When frozen, the attacker cannot make any actions.

Lighteningblast Gloves
Imbued with the power of lightening by the God-wizard Grundora
Worth: 800 gold pieces
Hits: 2 per glove
Effect: When in hand-to-hand combat, the wearer has a 5/6 chance to electrocute the opponent, doing an extra 1d6 CON damage and paralyzing them for one round. When paralyzed, the target cannot make any actions.

4 ways to play roleplaying games on the cheap {Frugal RPGs}

2011-11-20T09:21:00.000Z

These are hard times we're living through and many of us are having to watch the pennies,so I thought I'd list a few ways that you can save money but still have all that lovely gaming fun we all crave.

1. Quick start rules

Never underestimate the humble quick start rules for a system. There are tonnes of them out there and they're all free. If you're looking for a one-shot or even a few sessions, or you don't quite want to commit to a game without trying it first, then quick starts are for you. From Shadowrun to Vampire to Dungeons and Dragons, most creators will have some form of quick start rules to serve as a bare-bones tutorial to new players.

2. Free independent RPGs

There are plenty of full systems out there that you can get your nerdy paws on for absolutely gratis. In fact, I already listed a top 10 free RPGs earlier in the year, so check it out. There's likely something there for everyone's tastes.

Image source: www.geekadlephia.com

3. Play at your local gaming store

Often gaming stores run their own campaigns or allow you to set up your own game to play. Usually this costs a small fee since, well, they're stores after all, but these games are a great way to play on the cheap and meet some new friends along the way.

4. Create your own

You have to be really creative with this one, but if you have the know-how you can create your own system, simple of complex, and run it with your friends. The best part of this is that you make absolutely everything, so you won't have to buy pointless splatbooks and such. Of course, this may take some time and a hell of a lot of creativity, so good luck!

Setting or no setting? {RPGs}

2011-11-14T22:59:00.000Z

Up until recently I've been a big fan of setting-less games, such as Dungeons and Dragons and Tunnels and Trolls. I know there's a bunch of campaign books for the former and a loose historical and geographical setting for the latter, but by default both of these games are bare bones systems that you can weave your own world around. I love the creativity inherent in these games, allowing you to come up with whatever world you want, its societies, history and notable people.

The trouble is, while I think I'm quite creative, there's only so much I can come up with. Sure, I can constantly build on the mythology of my setting as the campaign continues, but things can get a little uneven and continuity can get a little screwed up. If you have a campaign world all packaged up for you with a nice nerdy bow on top then at least there's consistency in your game.

My sudden change of heart came from reading Shadowrun 4th Edition, which I picked up the other day. I drank up the setting like a cool cola on a hot day and loved every part of it. As I read I was constantly coming up with ideas for adventures, from the exclusive VR clubs you have to hack into to thwarting gangs of astral ninjas. Maybe it says more about Shadowrun as a game than it dos about general settings, but it definitely made me want to write a full on setting for Tunnels & Trolls.

So what do you guys like? Setting or no setting?

5 tips to make you a better GM {GMs}

2011-11-06T10:06:00.000Z

It's tough being a GM. You're expected to do a whole bunch of downright scary things each time you play, including adjudicating rules, keeping the flow of the game and building a world and all characters therein. But like any skill, game mastering can be improved with practise. Here are 5 ways to help you become a better GM:

Image source: Marvel Comics

1. Be flexible with your campaign

As a GM, you have a vision as to how you see the campaign progressing and sometimes it can be difficult to stray from that foreseen ending. The thing is, the players usually have no idea where the adventure will eventually take them (unless it's very 'by the numbers') and may have different ideas. You have to remember that players want free will in their games, so you must accommodate. If instead of going straight for the quest they want to explore a nearby town for new leads or perhaps more quest opportunities, let them. You can't be prepared for every eventuality so you can either improvise if you're good at that, or make a list of places in your world and notable NPCs to make a skeleton that you can flesh out if the players choose to go astray.

2. Take a notebook everywhere

GM's have to be creative and sometimes a great idea pops into your head but later, when it comes to actually putting pen to paper, you've completely forgotten what the fantastic idea was. Therefore, always carry a pen and notepad around with you so you can jot down your ideas. Inspiration for adventures, NPCs or events within your game can come from anywhere, so you must be prepared. This way, you will always have a new idea for your campaign.

3. Recognise when you're wrong

You may play a bunch of different games and so have to learn a hell of a lot of rules. Often we can't remember all the little details and we make a mistake, which is pointed out by the group or a player who does remember the rule. Just because you don't know or don't remember doesn't mean they are wrong. There's nothing worse than a game devolving into an argument when the GM is trying to save face, so recognise when you're wrong or don't know something.

Image source: Merinid-de (Deviant art)

4. Accommodate for different types of players

Very rarely does every member of a group enjoy the same aspects of an RPG. Some will prefer combat over social interaction, others will relish the thought of trying to get a king onto their side of a war and still others will be in their element with puzzles. It's important that you gauge what each of your players likes and make ample room for their preferences in your game. If you have a group who loves combat, then make a combat-heavy game, but if one person in the group gets bored in a fight, include other things they can do during combat, such as negotiate with a bad guy or research the totem for any source of magic that could sway the tide of battle. This way, nobody will get bored when it comes to combat.

5. Read lots of roleplaying blogs

There is a bazillion blogs out there about roleplaying and most of them offer really good advice on GMing. Read as much as possible, see how others GM their games and find your preferred style. Note GM horror stories and accomplishments so you have avoid the same mistakes and emulate the same successes in your own game. Reading blogs will definitely help you grow as a GM. If you need help finding any, here's a pretty good place to start.

It Came from Beyond the Stars! submitted {T&T}

2011-11-01T16:08:00.000Z

Phew! I've just submitted my first Trollish Delver Games T&T adventure to the publisher. It's called It Came from Beyond the Stars and it's designed to be played in one evening session.

The story is that a strange object has fallen out of the sky into a forbidden part of the Kingdom where the urooks make their home. Sensing that the object may be worth something, the King orders a group of guards to go and retrieve the object from the forbidden Greyshades. When they don't return, the King puts an advert out for delvers to go and find out what happened to the guards and to fulfil their initial mission.

What happened to the guards? Why are the animals near the impact crater acting strangely?

De Profundis - an overview {Cthulhu}

2011-10-31T20:47:00.000Z

Right, it's no secret that I love H.P Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos, so when I came across Cubicle 7's De Profundis at my local game store I knew I had to buy it. Not only do I like collecting Lovecraftiana, I was also incredibly intrigued by the premise of the game.

In essence, this is a game of letter writing. Yes, that thing we used to do before email. It forces you to actually become a character in a Lovecraftian story, writing to other players in order to uncover some sort of mystery. While the rules are badly laid out and written in needlessly convoluted prose, when you get to the nuts and bolts it's a hugely immersive experience.

You have the option of setting the story in the 20s or present day. You're also encouraged to send parcels, photos and journals as props in order to create an authentic atmosphere. Another aspect that attracted me to the game was that it's possible to play it solo. You can create a journal and use dice and tables as well as logical questions in order to progress the story.

A really interesting part of the game is that it's part LARP. The author encourages you to go out and experience things instead of just sitting and writing whatever comes to your head. If you want to go and explore a dark ruin, actually go and do it - experience it. This will allow for a much better account in your writing - or so it's claimed.

I really want to get a game of De Profundis going. I've signed up to the official Yahoo Group, but it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of activity on there. I have posted a scenario idea to see if there are any takers, but I figure I'll open it up to you guys too, so let me know if you fancy playing and we can sort something out. Here it is:

The Horror in the Trenches

Convention: Weird Fiction/ Historical

Time and Place: Europe 1918 and 1920-1921

Plot: The Great War seems like a horrific nightmare for a group of ex-soldiers who fought in it, but the horror is only just rising to the surface. One member of the group receives a letter and a journal from the wife of his friend Jonathan Cook, a friend who served in the same platoon and has suddenly died. While the wife does not know the significance of Jonathan's journal, he had always told her that if something happened to it, he was to send it on to his friend.

The journal contains odd entries regarding the war, especially in 1918 during the battle of Amiens. Jonathan makes suggestions that high ranking officers were up to something and he had recorded evidence of it in his journal - particularly of the strange markings he found around the trenches and the blasphemous artefacts he came across after much prying.

The game will seek to uncover what exactly Jonathan found in the trenches and how he came to die so suddenly at the age of 28. His journal from 1918 will be referenced in letters by his friend, who will seek help from the men he served with in the war. Preferably the ex-soldiers will consist of a journalist and academic researchers - but occupations can be fairly loose.

I wouldn't mind taking on the mantle of the friend who receives the journal from Jonathan. Just let me know if you're interested because I'm looking to get this kicked off soon.

The Whisperer in Darkness at Leeds International Film Festival {Lovecraft}

2011-10-27T19:28:00.000+01:00

It's coming up to that time of year again when my home-town becomes a buzzing hive of celluloid activity with the Leeds International Film Festival.

In 2006 the HP Lovecraft Historical Society screened their debut feature film The Call of Cthulhu and this time they're back with their 'talkie' adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness, which will be screening in the Hyde Park Picture House on 14th November. I'm totally hauling my arse over there.

Check out the trailer.

Here, have some random horrors {T&T}

2011-10-26T19:15:00.001+01:00

Shrieking Zombie
MR 26
Special: 1/1
Abilities: Cry from the Crypt - If the Shrieking Zombie wins combat the targets must make a L2-SR on LK or take 1d6 INT damage.
Stats: ST 14, INT 2, CHA 1, DEX 5, WIZ 9, SPD 4, CON 26
Treasure: 1d6 gold pieces

Shadow Vampire
MR 38
Special: 1/1
Abilities: Blood Drain - If the Shadow Vampire wins combat, the targets must make a L3-SR on ST or have their ST and CON reduced by 1d6.
Stats: ST 21, INT 16, CHA 17, DEX 11, WIZ 10, SPD 9, CON 38
Treasure: 3d6 gold pieces

Hulking Ghoul
MR 45
Special: 2/1
Abilities: Head Crusher - If the Hulking Ghoul wins combat, the targets must make a L4-SR on ST or take 2d6 CON damage and reduce their combat adds by half next round.
Stats: ST 32, INT 8, CHA 4, DEX 16, WIZ 7, SPD 15, CON 45
Treasure: 4d6 gold pieces, or 1d6 gems worth 10gp each

Let's Play: House of Hell {Fighting Fantasy}

2011-10-23T14:29:00.001+01:00

It's almost Halloween and to celebrate this most chilling of days all week I'm going to be writing about spooky stuff. So let's kick off Halloween Week on Trollish Delver with House of Hell.

Steve Jackson released House of Hell in 1984 as the first modern horror addition to the Fighting Fantasy series. Rather than starting out as a semi-proficient warrior with weapons and armour, your character is a regular schmoe with nothing. Also, you have to avoid being frightened to death by trying not to rack up a fear score as high as your fear attribute. It's sort of a sanity mechanic similar to The Call of Cthulhu but much simpler.

At the start of the book you're driving through torrential rain while pondering whether the sinister old man who gave you directions actually told you the right way to go. Suddenly a figure appears in the road and you veer the car into a ditch, Fearing you just gave someone the old Audi smackdown, you rush out to find there's no body. However, you remember the face of the figure - the face of the old man who gave you directions. What's even more of a buggeration is that your car won't start. You see a bedroom light flick on in and old house and decide to go there to get help. Good move.

So let's roll up my character:

Joshua Delaney
Skill: 8
Stamina: 19
Luck: 12
Fear: 7

Ah crap. I rolled a 1 for fear, making this guy a complete chicken. Good job he's lucky though.

Ok, so I make my way to the door. I'm pretty concerned about waking anyone up since it's 5 minutes to midnight and I have the option of rapping on the door, ringing a bell or checking out the light at the left side of the house. The bell will probably wake everyone up and I don't really want to be peeking into someone's room, so I'll go for the rapping.

Some gaunt dude in old-timey attire answers. I ask if I can go in and he obliges, saying that his master has been expecting me. Creepy. Maybe he saw me crash into the ditch. I hope they have pop-tarts in there. While Jeeves is off to get his master, I decide to check out some interesting paintings on the wall. Ah, great - their eyes move. He's looking at a door as if he wants me to open in. Um, no thanks mate - I'll just stay put for the time being.

After a while, the master, Lord Kelnor comes downstairs and introduces himself. He's rocking the High Hefner look so I hope there are some playmates around. Maybe they can warm me up, nudge nudge, wink wink. He says he'll help me and sends Franklins, the butler, to get the cook to make me some grub. He then comes back with a brandy each. I decide not to drink it because, y'know, I could be driving later, but Kelnor doesn't seem happy about how nervous I seem. He smiles at me in an eerie way and BOOM, that's 1 fear point on my tally.

FEAR COUNT: 1 - Unnerved

Funny, I thought that PAINTINGS WHOSE EYES MOVED would scare me more than a smirk, but hey - I'm a chicken. I'm taken into a luxurious dining room and offered either red or white wine. Red is always blood, so let's go for white. Brandy and wine within like 5 minutes of each other? I bet in half an hour we'll be doing jager shots. My wine arrives, I drink it...and I'm out cold. Yup, the bastard drugged my wine with asprin.

I wake up in an empty room, bound at my hands and feet. Dammit, I've seen Hostel and I know what comes next. I guess I'm not going to see any playmates after all. I decide to break a window and use the shards to cut my bonds. After a positive Luck test I manage to cut myself free.

LUCK - 11

Fortunately the door's open and I head out onto the landing. Here's where I get annoyed, because I'm faced with a 'left or right' situation. I hate these because my choice is entirely random. I grumble and go left along the landing where there are 2 doors - one with the name Balthus. Wait - wasn't Bathus an artist who essentially painted porn? I guess it's someone's room and I don't fancy creeping into it. He might be an axe murderer, or worse: a politician. I go for the unmarked door which opens into a hall that ends in a window. There's another door here that reads Diabolus. Well, 'Diabolus in Musica' was a pretty poor Slayer album, so I'll give that door a miss. Also Balthus Dire from Citadel of Chaos wasn't exactly a nice chap. However, that window may be a way of escape! Ah crap, it's heavily barred - but what's this? A message in condensation reading "Mordana in Abaddon". That could be useful apparently - so I must remember to turn to paragraph 88 when the time comes. of course, Abaddon means 'place of destruction', so maybe I have to find Mordana in a place of destruction. Fun.

I leave the hall and go downstairs. I get the choice of left door, right door or front door. I'm going to try front door. I open it and AH CHRIST! There's a bloody goat man with blood dripping from his mouth here.

FEAR COUNT 4 - Cacking my pants

I slam the door and decide to try another one. I choose left and enter a drawing room where I get to choose between exploring the room, leaving through another door or getting wasted on brandy. I decide to look at the ornaments and AHA! a dagger that gives me a +2 to SKILL rolls.

EQUIPMENT - a groovy dagger

I leave the room and enter a study. There's a piece of paper on the desk with writing appearing on it "Find Shekou". Scary stuff.

FEAR COUNT: 5 - laughing madly

I decide to look over the books to see if there's anything that might be able to help me. Oooh, a book aobut hypnotism - sweet. Except the cover has some weird eye on it and...oh great, I'm hearing agonising screams and seeing hideous things in my mind.

FEAR COUNT: 7 - Rip my own eyes out

Well that's it, I've been frightened to death. I didn't spend a long time in the house and didn't get to fight anything. Damn my rubbish FEAR result. Anyway, that was House of Hell - a spooky adventure that tries its best to get you drunk.

Why Dungeons and Dragons was the BEST movie ever {Movies}

2011-10-22T21:43:00.000+01:00

In 2000, a film emerged that would change the movie landscape forever. The film was so beyond its time, so well-acted and had such an intricate plot, I'm quite comfortable in calling it the greatest film of all time. What is this monumental celluloid achievement?

Dungeons and Dragons, my friends.

I know what you're thinking: Scott, you're on acid. Maybe, maybe not. However I'm here to defend this masterpiece to the death. So let's get started.

The main protagonist is Ridley Freeborn, played by Justin Whalin, well known for popular movie Serial Mom. He is a thief and along with his best friend Snails, decide to break into the magic school to steal whatever they can get their hands on. Right off the bat we get a likeable sidekick in the form of Snails, whose charm shines through the entire movie. There they meet a beautiful librarian mage called Marina and get into a heated but comical exchange. The dialogue is as sharp as any Kevin Smith film and it just goes to show that fantasy can be oscar material. Of course, the three must make a quick escape when Damodar, the henchman
of main antagonist Profian, played by Jeremy Irons, comes in and tries to get a wizard to tell him where a map with the location of a magic artefact is. The artefact in question is a red rod that can control red dragons - which is an interesting and well thought out plot device.

Irons plays a subtle and intelligent villain

Irons is an incredible villain and plays Profian with subtlety and panache. He can portray an emotion with the tiniest facial expression and his annunciation is impeccable. Bruce Payne as Damodar is amazing too, with his intimidating demeanour. Some people were confused by his blue lipstick, but it's obviously supposed to represent coldness.

Ridley and Marina get sucked into the magical map and when they emerge they realise they must work together to find the Eye of the Dragon, a ruby that opens the tomb where the red sceptre is kept. The special effects are stunning, especially when the two are being sucked into the map. Ridley has to then navigate a maze in a den of thieves, which is full of traditional D&D traps.

"A special effects extravaganza"

Marina is captured by Damodar and tortured in a grotesque and gritty scene. Ridley and Snails meet an elf called Norda who is loyal to the good Empress Savina (Thora Birch). Thora makes a stunning performance and at one point she made me shed a tear.

A harrowing interrogation scene

Then comes an intense scene where Ridley and Snails break Marina out of her prison. SPOILER ALERT: Snails is callously murdered by Damodar in one of the most emotionally intense death scenes I have seen in any film. I never cry at films but by now I was bawling my eyes out, curled up on the floor and reaching towards the TV in desperation. Snails was gone and I couldn't take it.

I still weep to this day

Ridley and Marina fall in love in a heart warming scene before finding the red sceptre but having it stolen by Damodar. They chase him to the Empress's castle where Profion uses the sceptre to summon an army of dragons to do his bidding. What follows is perhaps the best battle in any film, where dragons fly around the skyscape and Ridley and Profion battle in the castle. My heart was pounding so hard and I was phyiscally rooting to Ridley to take Profion down. Eventually SPOILER ALERT a gold dragon eats Profion and the world becomes peaceful once more.

Memorable characters

I won't give away the ending, but it does leave it open to my favourite character, Snails, to stay alive. I really hope they make another movie where Snails is the main character. He may be the best actor of our generation.

In summary, Dungeons and Dragons was a triumph of film-making and belongs in the same category as classic such as Casablanca and The Godfather. Incredible acting, special effects and script. You MUST see this film.

3 common misconceptions about RPG gamers {Community}

2011-10-22T11:27:00.001+01:00

There are few geekier past-times than getting together with some buddies and imagining you're a face-crushing barbarian called Konanz. But the hobby has always had negative connotations in the mainstream, although it's becoming a little easier to be a nerd nowadays. At least we're no longer called devil-worshippers (I worship the great Cthulhu) by a hefty number of nitwits. Misconceptions are still rife though and I want to dive face-first into them.

1. Gamers have no social life

This one is probably the most common and possibly the most absurd. Think of more mainstream hobbies such as crafts and scrapbooking. There are so many hobbies that are solitary but aren't picked on the same way gaming is. Roleplaying games are social games. You get together with a group of friends and spend a good 3-6 hours talking to each other. In fact, RPGs are a great tool to build social skills for the more socially awkward. Besides, we have huge meetings with hundreds and hundreds of like-minded individuals called conventions. Try telling me that's not social.

2. Gamers can't get women/men

This one is ridiculous. I don't know of a single roleplayer who isn't currently in a relationship or hasn't had a bunch in the past. In fact, most gamers who add me to Google Plus are married. This misconception is repeated time and again in TV and film - somehow we can't cope around the opposite (or same) sex and all we can talk about is our level 20 elven druid. Also the typical representation of a geek is usually fat and ugly, and while I don't think of myself as handsome, I definitely wouldn't call myself ugly and I'm certainly not fat.

3. Gaming is their life

How many times have you seen a TV show or film where the token geek is wearing a cape (like all GMs, of course) and relates everything back to Dungeons and Dragons? Yeah, pretty much all the time. Kids, this just doesn't happen. Like all hobbies, we take part in our spare time. Sure, gaming is more absorbing than many other past times - hence why so may of us write about it and get involved more professionally, but we won't just randomly bring it up in conversation.

I think in the past few years us self-certified geeks have gained a little bit more respect, mostly due to mainstream shows like The Big Bang Theory and films like Role Models, which, although they have stereotypes, they also show that being a gamer is pretty cool.

3 ways to make T&T combat more awesome {T&T}

2011-10-17T21:02:00.000+01:00

I've always thought that if you play Tunnels and Trolls combat by just rolling two lots of dice and finding the difference, you're doing it wrong.

So here are some tips to make your fights that bit more entertaining and challenging.

Get creative with saving rolls

Much of the time delvers will be against the odds when it comes to fights. If they were to do a straight fight, that is to say they roll both lots of dice and find the difference, they will eventually be whittled down to corpses - and that's no fun. Saving rolls during combat allow for creativity and to gain an advantage over opponents. The hobb warrior could open his purse and throw gold on the ground to distract a goblin or a particularly dexterous elf could perform a spinning kick to the urook's face to try and stun him. The GM sets a level for the saving roll, usually the level of the enemy or the MR divided by 10, or whatever they want to use. The GM can then decide what advantage the delver gains. If the enemy is knocked to the ground then perhaps they aren't able to contribute any of their dice or adds for 1d3 rounds. Disarming could halve the adds of the monster.
However, to avoid the temptation for the players to keep repeating the same move to disarm or floor an enemy, increase the saving roll by one level. This simulates the fact that the enemy is learning the players' tactics and it means they will find other ways to use their saving rolls.

Allow players to use set-pieces to their advantage

It can be difficult for players to continuously come up with new ideas for saving rolls, so give them a hand by creating interactive environments. Big, sprawling scenes shouldn't just be reserved for 4th edition D&D - they can work a treat in T&T too. Ropes, torches, loose ornaments and magical artefacts all come together to create a veritable playground for players during fights. They could cut down a curtain that lands on the enemy's head, rendering them blind for a turn, or they could torch the oil on the floor and push a creature into it. Put lots of stuff that could be used on their own or in conjunction with each other. I guarantee this will spice up your fights and even the odds.

Add a secondary objective

I mentioned this in my post on creating better 4th edition encounters, but it bears mentioning here. A fight is all well and good, but adding an objective other than killing the monsters can create tense and exciting battles. Perhaps the princess is gradually being lowered into a magma pit and the players have 5 turns to release her, or the demon is using a staff that created dimensional gates that let more demons into the battlefield, so the players must destroy the staff to close the portals. When the stakes are upped then the players will have a better time.

Why nerf the specialist ranger? {T&T}

2011-10-17T20:33:00.000+01:00

I love the idea of specialist types like the badass combat mage and the even more badass paragon. However I've always found the ranger to be too powerful, with its ability to roll a first level saving roll no matter how far away the target is.

This means that she can basically hang back and reign hell on all and sundry while everyone else is fighting for their lives in the fray. It removes the challenge faced by missile-users, essentially making the ranger a constant hitter.

I propose that specialists rangers keep their awesomeness but in a fairer way. Instead of everything being a level 1 SR, the ranger gets to roll one level lower than the specified roll. So if she is supposed to roll a level 3 SR, she instead rolls a level 2. Easy. It means there's still a challenge but also the ranger is far superior in ranged combat than anyone else.

Elder Tunnels Halloween 2011 is out! {T&T}

2011-10-17T18:15:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again when the ghouls come out to play. Peryton's new Elder Tunnels Halloween edition is packed to the brim with awesomeness, including my very own Evil Dead parody.

This edition is the biggest one yet and you can go buy it at DrivethruRPG for a bargain price!

The book contains the following:

Bats in the Belfry, a solo adventure by David R. Crowell
Cabin in the Woods IV: The Stabbening, a GM adventure by Scott Malthouse
Wallas's Tree, flash fiction and a monster by Katje Romanov
The Persistent Drifter, a BEAN! solo by Jeff Freels
Dead on the Run, a GM adventure by Mike Larsen
The Wendigo, a monster by Tom K. Loney
Unhallowed Ground, a short story by Neil Riebe
Woodsman, Don't Spare that Tree, a GM adventure by Ken St. Andre

Alternate rules for Talents {T&T}

2011-10-16T11:36:00.000+01:00

Talents are a great little mechanic in 7.x Tunnels and Trolls that allow for interesting skills and roleplaying scenarios. However, with the delver gaining one automatically every level there is a chance that the new talent is either at odds with the character or it seems illogical to have it. An illiterate dwarf warrior probably wouldn't suit a talent in 'eloquent social engagement' and it would make no sense for a 'lucky gambler' talent to be gained by hobb ranger who keeps fumbling on luck elsewhere.

An alternative to automatically gaining a new talent each level is that the GM weaves it into a quest as part of the character development. Does the combat mage want to learn the history of Khosht? Make provision within the campaign for her to go and spend some time studying it. Perhaps have them find a book about Khosht in a dungeon.

This method makes gaining talents more logical and more involving for the players.

A Guide to Uruks {T&T}

2011-10-14T08:58:00.001+01:00

No doubt Ken St Andre had in mind Tolkien's Uruk-Hai when he came up with the Uruk race. Having similar features and origin, the Uruks (sometimes referred to as Urooks) are essentially the Orcs of Trollworld. They are ugly, tough and live in small tribes, usually hidden away in mountain ranges.

It's true that the Uruks have probably had the biggest impact on Trollworld, even more so that the elf wizard Khazan. They were created by an elven wizard known as Loopo the Mad Mage, who bred his new race from magically mutated elves. This was during the world-spanning Wizard Wars, which saw hundreds of powerful 'God Wizards' battle it out for supremacy. Loopo took his army of Uruks and marched against the other wizards and spread the creatures throughout Trollworld.

Not much is known about Loopo. It is said that his birth name was Loo-polierol-Loo, which is a name that uses typical elven naming conventions. He was eventually banished from Trollworld by the mighty elven wizard Nin-durjiel-Nin at the battle of T'Shanshinarr. The Uruk forces were decimated and from then became little more than wandering tribes with no power to unite them like Loopo once did.

While Loopo was still around, Zweetz, the alien-bird serpent wizard, kidnapped thousands of Uruks and took them to a desert island where he shaped them for a millennia into a new race: the Cyurks.

Many thousands of years after the Uruks became nomads, there was a sudden explosion in their population and tribes, led by powerful Uruk shamans, began to raid the human lands. This became a time of great fear for humans as attacks from tribes were frequent and devastating. One of the worst atrocities came from the razing of the city of Herome by Uruk and Ogre allies. Nine-tenths of the population was murdered and the rest were saved by the dwarves, who took them into their citadel - Thrindol.

After many more attacks, including one on a newly rebuild Herome, the 'good kindred' of dwarves, elves and humans decide to form an alliance to take down the Uruk threat once and for all. Led by the wizard prodigy Khazan, the Uruk Wars begin, lasting 62 years.

The Uruks and their monster allies are eventually defeated by Khazan's forces and driven underground, where most of them currently live.

Uruk/Urook characters have the following stats: STx1.25, CONx1.25, DEXx1, INTx0.75, LKx0.75, CHAx1, WIZx1, HTx1, WTx1.25

As monsters, they have the following ratings:

Uruk Lvl 1: MR 40 (5d6+20)
Uruk Lvl 2: MR 60 (7d6+30)
Uruk Lvl 3: MR 80 (9d6+40)
Uruk Lvl 4: MR 100 (11d6+50)

Warriors generally carry a small shield and a crude weapon such as a scimitar or a spear. At low level armour will be negligible, but more powerful Uruk wear scale or ring-jointed plate. Shamans will generally be unarmoured at all levels, but are able to use spells at their level or below. Because of the brutal nature of the race, shamans are more likely to use combat spells such as Blasting Power and Freeze Please.

Uruks typically name their tribes after vicious animals, such as the Black Wolf and Frost-Bear. Due to their history with the good kindred, the Uruk do not take kindly to mainly humans, dwarves and elves, but some have integrated into society and can be particularly found in more 'liberal' cities like Khazan, whose current ruler is the part Elf, part Uruk Death Goddess.

Why Tunnels & Trolls would make a great wargame {T&T}

2011-10-10T20:41:00.000+01:00

Recently I re-read A Fragmentary History of Trollworld, a short tome that outlines this history of T&T's default campaign setting.

While T&T is often looked at as a comedy game, it actually has a rich and rather serious back story, full of notable heroes, villains and epic wars. From the massive Wizard Wars spanning thousands of years, through the Uruk Wars where monsters rise against 'good' kindred, and the siege of Khazan; there's loads to go on, which leads me to think that T&T would make a great basis for a wargame.

The rules are loose enough that they could possibly be incorporated into the wargame. Each unit could have its own Unit Rating, similar to a Monster Rating, which could derive its abilities. However, it would probably be best to create entirely new, but simple, rules for this new type of game. In fact, using a system like Hordes of Things or the like could be just the trick. For smaller skirmishes Songs of Blades and Heroes would be a great ruleset.

Here are just some of the ideas I've had for scenarios:

The Elven-Trollish Wars - The Attack on Kharg

In ancient times, the elves and trolls raged a fierce war with one another. The war lasted for thousands of years, eventually culminating in the elven attack on the trollish city of Kharg. This could either be a massive game where the elves must breach the city walls and capture the capital building while the trolls try to stop them.

The Dwarven-Elven Wars

In A Fragmentary History it is said that the elves and dwarves found in small skirmishes rather than huge battles. You could do a million things with this, including having the dwarves' objective be to capture an elfin emissary or get an elf mage into the right position to cause an earthquake to raze a dwarven stronghold.

The Monster Wars - The Jungle of the Naga Realm

The great wizard Khazan united all good kindred in a huge war against monster-kind. Part of this war consisted of a crusade into the jungle realms of the Naga snake people. In the history, the attackers are overwhelmed by Naga magic and almost completely eradicated, but this scenario could easily be balanced for a more fair fight.

There are plenty of other notable battles and skirmishes in Trollworld's history and I think it would be a waste if somebody didn't play some of them out as a wargame.

Dammit! {T&T}

2011-10-09T20:47:00.001+01:00

I've just been reading Ken St. Andre's latest blog post about T&T Dwarves and this part made me kick myself: "Seeing a Medusa does not turn a Dwarf to stone."

Buggar! If only I knew that when I was running through Halls of the Gorgon. I'm assuming Ken's 'Medusas' and Holmes's 'Gorgons'are the same thing.

The quest sandwich {Campaigns}

2011-10-09T09:24:00.000+01:00

From reading various bits and pieces on the internet, I can see that different people go about structuring their D&D campaigns in a variety of ways.

Some will go for a more 'adventure of the week' approach where the PCs work their way through individual scenarios that are loosely tied together. Others will have one massive arc spanning from level 1 to 30. There are even those brave few who run sandbox campaigns where the PCs are free to roam and find their own adventures.

Then again, I'm sure others do exactly what I do: the quest sandwich. From the outset I established a few enemies who were tied to an even bigger bad with some world-conquering scheme. Seventeen levels in and the PCs are still following the same arc - but that isn't to say I don't throw the 'adventure of the week' in too.

Essentially, the quest sandwich model is where you have a large over-arching quest (i.e. to stop an evil person from waging war on the world), smaller important quests that are tied to this one (i.e. getting favour from border kings to send their troops against the big bad), and then even smaller quests that serve as an 'adventure of the week' that aren't necessarily tied to the main quest (i.e. to gain favour, the king asks the. PCs to rid local caves of a rogue sorcerer). Of course, when we've zoomed into this tertiary quest, we can assign secondary quests, such as having to bring the sorcerer's stolen magic books back to the university.

I find this interwoven quest method to be more interesting than having a loosely tied adventure of the week, as it offers lots of fuel for further adventures. The DM is able to spark off every one of those tiers, right down to the secondary quests, to give the PCs something more to do.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my campaign model with you and I'd be interested to hear how you guys run a campaign.

Micro-solo 2: The Mine of the Wretch King {T&T}

2011-10-08T10:34:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the second Trollish Delver micro-solo: The Mine of the Wretch King. Since you'll be flung straight into the adventure, take sometime before to spend some gold and stock up using the equipment tables in the rulebook (whichever you may be using). Enjoy!

The Mine of the Wretch King

1

You are listening intently to the conversation two dwarves are having next to you in the pub.
"Did you hear about Folli? He went into that damned mine looking for Heglock's gold and never came
back. What a fool!" The other rolls his eyes and glugs his mead.
"Not the smartest, that Folli," he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, "But I don't blame
him. Heglock's Mine is said to be filled with riches."
The thought of all this potential money interests you, so you proceed to ask them there whereabouts
of the mine. They reluctantly tell you after pestering them and before long you're on your way.
When you reach the mouth of the mine you see there are two tunnels, both very dark. Go down the left tunnel (go to 6)
or go down the right tunnel (go to 8)

2

You enter a small cavern. The decomposing body of a white-bearded dwarf lies here. It looks
like all valuables have been taken from him except a jewelled dagger that he grasps in his hand.
Do you take the dagger? (go to 7) or keep going? (go to 5)

3

You quickly duck behind a large rock and watch as three little grey creatures walk by, each
carrying crude weapons and wearing ripped cloth armour. When they are out of sight, you
emerge from your hiding place and continue into the mine (go to 2).

4

The cart contains a badly beaten helmet (4 hits). Go to 2.

5

After meandering through a complex labyrinth of tunnels, you reach the main mine. It's a massive
cavern consisting of multiple levels and large chasms. At the far end of the cavern a large
three-eyed green creature sits on a stone throne. It has a mane like that of a lion and the
tongue of a snake, which darts in an out. You recognise it as a Dredgeclaw - a monster
that's frequently referenced in bedtime stories. The Dredgeclaw is surrounded by a handful of
Mine Wretches, who clearly worship the creature. Next to the throne is a pile of glittering gold.
You quietly move closer to the gold, but soon you're spotted by one of the Wretches, who cries
out and draws its blade. You're now surrounded by four of the creatures and must fight your way
out. They each have MR7. Once you have defeated them, go to 10.

6

If you don't have a light source then make a L1SR on LUCK. If you fail, you trip and smash your face
on a rock. Take 2 CON damage and continue.
After walking for some time, you start hearing scrabbling sounds up ahead. Suddenly you're
hearing voices and they're coming your way! Do you hide behind a rock? (go to 3), stand your ground?
(go to 9) or flee to the entrance? (go to 1)

7

Roll a L2SR on INT. If you succeed, you realise that the dagger has been placed there as a marker
to indicate the corpse is infested with a Shreiking Parasite, so you avoid it and keep going
(go to 5). If you fail, as soon as you remove the dagger you hear a shrill cry coming from
within the corpse. Suddenly, a worm shoots out of the torse and tears at your flesh. Take 1d6 CON
damage. You now carry the Minerot disease, which saps 1d6 strength at the start of every paragraph
from now. However, you also have a damaged jewelled dagger (2+3) worth 30gp. If you're still alive
you continue onwards (go to 5)

8

If you don't have a light source then make a L1SR on LUCK. If you fail, you trip and smash your face
on a rock. Take 2 CON damage and continue. You walk down further into the musty belly of the mine
and arrive in a wide, cavernous room. You see a badly damaged mine cart on its side and an exit
to the north. Do you check the cart? (go to 4) or continue north into the mine? (go to 2).

9

Three squat creatures with pinprick red eyes scuttle around the corner into plain view. They have
grey, bumpy skin and long, beak-like noses. They wear crude cloth armour and carry badly-crafted
swords and maces. The creatures spot you and with a cry they charge. You must face three
Mine Wretches, which have MR7 each. If you defeat them, you can take any of the following:
Crude Blade (2+2), 3gp and a Bone Necklace worth 20gp.
You continue through the mine (go to 2).

10

As the last one falls, the Dredgeclaw, who was watching the whole time, stands up and roars. He
picks up a massive hammer that was leaning against the throne and stomps towards you.
The monster swings wildly at you. Make a L1SR on DEX to avoid the blow or take 1d6 CON damage
ignoring armour. Now it's time to fight.

Dredgeclaw
MR 40
Special Damage: 1/1
Special Abilities: Hammer Swing - Every round the player must make a L1SR on DEX or take 1d6 CON
damage.

If you win, the mine begins to rumble and shake. It looks like the Dredgeclaw enchanted itself
so that when it dies, its fortune goes with it. You grab a sack that's lying around and shovel as much
gold in as possible (800gp). You also find a Windforge Mace (5+5). You sprint through the crumbling tunnels towards the dim light of the outside world. The mouth of the mine collapses as you dive onto the soft grass outside and breathe a sigh of relief. Your adventure is over, well done. Take 1000AP for your valiant efforts in the mine of the Wretch King.

T&T character type: Starwatcher {T&T}

2011-10-03T18:57:00.000+01:00

The universe is a vast and confusing place. There are few in Trollworld who have managed to even start the intellectual voyage into the unknown depths of space, but those who have dared to do so have discovered the ancient secrets of the cosmos.

Starwatchers are students of the universe who usually spend their whole lives researching the things that are beyond the sky. There are very few Starwatchers, mostly due to the fact that their studies are likely to send them mad when they come upon the power of the cosmos. Those who don't turn into lunatics learn how to wield the power of the stars as wizards use the powers of magic. However, the cosmic power is still created from kremm and therefore follows the same rules.

Prerequisites: 13+ WIZ, 14+ INT

Prime Attributes: WIZ/INT/CHA/LK

Recommended Talents: Star Navigation (INT), Cosmic Knowledge (INT), The Universe is With Me!* (LK)

*Starwatchers are pretty lucky as it seems that the universe is watching out for them.

Special Abilities:

Cosmic Scrying: Once a day the Starwatcher can look to the universe for guidance. The GM can give a clue to help her in some way.

Micro-solo 1: The Creeper in the Temple {T&T}

2011-09-24T12:42:00.000+01:00

Introducing Trollish Delver's micro solos for Tunnels and Trolls. Once a month, I'll put up a new solitaire adventure on the blog that is around 10 paragraphs long. The idea is to create a string of adventures that will constitute a solo campaign that you can run through with your own character. All adventures are 5th and 7.x edition friendly, but each will range in difficulty. All you have to do is roll up a new character, or use the pre-made one below and get playing.

Level 1 Human Warrior
Height: 5'1", Weight: 160 lbs.
ST:    11,   IQ:     8,   LK:    10
CON:   11,   DEX:   18,   CHR:    8
SPD:   12,   WIZ:   15
Adds: 6

Total Armour: 6
Wt. Possible: 1100
Languages: Common Tongue 
Gold: 50 gp

Sax, Dice+Adds: 2+5

Buckler, Hits Taken: 3

The Creeper in the Temple

The Creeper in the Temple is designed for a single 1st level character. You have been travelling for a few days seeking adventure and fortune. You arrive in the city of Yabberesh after a long trek across the Starlip Plains. Your adventure has finally begun...

You arrive at the gates of Yabberesh and see fairies and leprechauns wandering in and out. If you are either
of these kindred, you get in free. If not, pay 1 silver piece towards the maintenance of the city.
Once you enter you can go to the Wishing Well Pub (go to 4) or the temple of Sinders (go to 9).

You carefully open the cupboard. Inside you find a bound and gagged fairy who's struggling to speak.
You remove her from her bonds and she thanks you. "The Antodile took my money and threw me in here.
Here, take this anti-poison salve. It will help if you haven't already killed the thing."
You can either go back to the t-junction (go to 6) or leave up the stairs into the temple (go to 5).

You agree to help Laddy in exchange for a price. He offers you 100gp to kill the creature.
You may try to haggle and make a L1-SR on CHA. If you succeed, he offers 150gp. You then venture
into the temple and down the trap door. Go to 6.

The Wishing Well Pub is bustling with activity. Leprechauns and fairies dance to music played
by a bard with a lute and a lovely fairy serving lady is flying around with trays of wine.
You can either play a game with the patrons (go to 7) or go to the temple of Sinders (go to 9).

You leave up the stairs and return to the temple where Laddy is waiting. If you killed the
creature then he gives you your reward. If not then he grumbles and tells you to get back down
there (go to 6). If you haven't been to the tavern, go to 4. If you have then you leave
the city and take 50AP.

After descending down a flight of stone stairs, you arrive at a t-junction. To the left you can
smell the sweet aroma of wine and to the right you can hear a muffled sound. Turn left? (go to 8) or turn right?
(go to 10).

You sit with a group of leprechauns who are playing cards and ask if you can join them.
They say they're playing 5-card Spit, which is a game well-known in these parts. If you would like
to play, bet an amount, roll 1d6 and consult the table below:

1- lose triple the amount bet
2- lose double the amount bet
3- Lose the amount bet
4- win back the amount bet
5- win double the amount bet
6- win triple the amount bet

Once you're finished, you can leave and go to the temple of Sinders (go to 9) or if you have already been
there, you can leave the city and gain 50AP.

You enter a small room full of prayer books. In the corner is a large cupboard where a muffled
voice can be heard. Do you open the cupboard? (go to 2) go back to the t-junction and turn right (go to 10)
or go back to the temple (go to 5).

You enter a small temple dedicated to the fairy goddess, Sinders. Fairies sit on tiny benches praying
to the large fairy statue on the north wall. A fairy priest welcomes you and introduces himself
as Laddy. He wonders if you might be able to help him with something. Last night, just as he was locking the
temple door, he heard a thud coming from within. He went back in and saw a hideous creaturer run across
the room and dive down the trap door into the basement. It had the head of an ant and the body of
a bipedal crocodile. If you want to help go to 3. If not, you can go to the tavern (go to 4). If you
have already been to the Wishing Well Pub you can leave the city and gain 20AP.

You enter a large wine cellar. The walls are lined with racks of wine and there are open caskets
of the stuff on the ground. There is also a sack of money on the ground near the wine rack. Suddenly,
a creature pops up from behind the barrels, the same one that was described by Laddy, with an
ant's head and a crocodile's body, except bipedal. It creeps towards you, hissing. The Antodile has
MR30 and every comabat round you must make a L1SR on LUCK or take 1 poison damage unless you have an
anti-poison salve. If you kill it you find 100gp in the sack and a bottle of vintage wine worth 90gp. You can either leave to
the temple (go to 5) or return to the t-junction and go left (go to 8).

Roleplaying games as art {RPG Philosophy}

2011-09-24T10:37:00.000+01:00

The roleplaying game is a strange beast. Right from the get-go we usually have the author of the rulebook describe to us what exactly a roleplaying game is, and it's often along the lines of, 'It's part storytelling, part dice-rolling, where YOU are the hero of the story'. Clearly, the act of weaving a narrative is a traditional art form that dates back to the dawn of humanity; so there's no disparity there. However, a game is not thought of as an art form. You cannot say that basketball or tennis is art, yet there is probably an art to certain aspects of those sports. So are roleplaying games, as part-storytelling, part game, art?

Firstly, we need to determine the term 'art'. Really, it's an expression of arrangement that evokes emotion and thought. A film constitutes various aspects, such as actors, camera people and the director, arranged in such a way as to present the audience with a product which elicits one or multiple responses. Similarly, a painter arranges her paint of different colours, thicknesses and styles in order to create her painting. The term 'art' has leaked out from these more traditional outlets recently into the digital realm of video games, where the question I'm posing for roleplaying games rages on.

Which bring us to the crux of the matter. If video games can widely be considered an art form, can roleplaying games? After all, they are essentially the same product, just with different modes of interactivity and presentation. A video game is created by a developer who usually creates a story, a character for the audience to control, and interactive elements. Clearly, the main point of the medium is to be a game, like basketball or tennis, but what sets a video game apart from these are the narrative and stylistic aspects.

Roleplaying games are the same. The GM creates a narrative, NPCs and a world. While there is art style in terms of paintings in sourcebooks, most of it comes from the GM and the players' descriptions of the roleplaying universe they inhabit. Can these games elicit emotion? Of course they can. A player can become sad if a trusted NPC dies, or happy when they finally solve the puzzle. Of course, all good art carries some kind of message, which is something that usually doesn't come into RPG adventures other than 'good is better than evil', unless the game has an integrated setting that is awash with allegory and metaphor.

So yes, the roleplaying game is an art form for all the reasons stated above, but what does this actually mean? To be honest, it doesn't mean much. The reason why the question is such a big one in the video games world is because it's such a massive industry and there are still people who don't see what use it has in comparison to cinema. The artistic integrity of the roleplaying gaming industry is never brought up in the mainstream and really there is no need for it to be. It's just an interesting question where the answer can define how we look at the hobby.

What will D&D 5th edition look like? {D&D}

2011-09-18T12:44:00.000+01:00

We're getting to that point in time now when we know that something's cooking in the Wizards of the Coast offices. From book cancellations, the new skirmish game and Mike Mearls' column; it's clear that the company is getting primed for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.

The comment feed on JoeTheLawyer's latest blog post has sparked some cynical conversation about the future of the game, most notably concerning Hasbro's influence on WotC. One commenter recognises that sales can be enhanced by collectable elements, which we can see has happened with Fortune Cards to some extent. However, in my mind Wizards is going to go one of two ways.

The 'Traditional' RPG

Earlier this year Pathfinder surpassed 4e in sales. Now, to be honest this isn't too surprising considering 4e has been out longer, but it's still food for though for WotC. It's R&D department must be taking notes on what has been happening in the roleplaying community over the last year or so, with the emergence of the OSR movement and the emigration from 4e to Pathfinder. If they haven't been analysing these trends, then they have a lot to worry about.

The smart thing for Wizards to do would be to try to appease the players they've lost by going back to a more traditional game, but keeping elements that make 4e a good game. If they begin to focus more on roleplaying and storytelling than dice roll checks, but still keep the dynamic monsters, I think they would reclaim some of their 'lost souls', as it were. Perhaps dial down the emphasis on powers, so the characters have a small but focused group of At-Will, Encounter powers etc, like the recent iteration of Gamma World. Furthermore, they need to make it easy to write characters up by hand or at least type them. Not everyone is going to want a DDI subscription and having to flick back and forth through the Players' Handbook can get tiresome.

The 'Board Game' RPG

Fans are critical of WotC because of their allegiance with Hasbro, which has obvious influences on the way games are made. 5th edition could introduce more collectable elements to the game, such as card expansions to go along with campaign books. While Fortune Cards are currently entirely optional, it's entirely possible that the next edition could go down the Gamma World route and make them compulsory. Now, I don't mind the card elements in Gamma World because they add a great feature that fits in well with the gameplay style, but D&D is fine as it is without them.

A further emphasis on DDI could also emerge with 5th edition, with a deck creator and online tabletop (finally?) to create a more digitally integrated experience. Even boxed expansions could become commonplace, containing minis, cards and the adventure, along with a code for DDI to unlock hidden extras in the scenario.

In the end, WotC is a business and like any other business it needs to make money. Clearly there is more money to be made at face value with the latter approach, but winning back fans could potentially make them more.

What I want to see in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons

I've sort of outline my feelings above, but here they are in a more concise format:

Less emphasis on roll playing and more on DM/ PC imagination in the mechanics
Keep powers but trim the fat. Go for the Gamma World approach
Character sheets players can write by hand without taking half a day
Official adventures with less of a focus on encounters
Sets of miniatures dedicated to sourcebooks

Of course, these are my opinions and I don't expect everyone to share them. I know plenty of people who love encounters and others who despise them. 5th edition won't please everyone, but the question is: will it please most?

Want a good encounter? Get tough on your players {4e}

2011-09-17T18:19:00.000+01:00

In my last 4e session I had what I think was the best encounter I've ever run. There are multiple reasons for this, including random events (a skiff falling into a building during the fight), a strong reason for the encounter and player co-operation. However, I do think a main factor in the success of the encounter was that it was a bitch.

It's been repeated before throughout the community and I've echoed it here on numerous occasions - it's hard to kill players in 4e. This isn't because we're 'doing it wrong', but because the mechanics are fashioned in such a way that the PCs get distinct advantages over their enemies. Matching levels in an encounter can produce some good results in Heroic, but mid-Paragon upwards things start to get stale.

So last session I threw in a fight that included a monster over 4 levels above the PCs, with other monsters being a couple higher. I did have to dial it down a notch due to the party's tank being otherwise engaged, but it still worked out in the end. It wasn't just the enemy difficulty that I upped though. The PCs had to also deal with re-enforcements appearing and helping innocents to boot. The whole experience brought out the tactical best in my group, who are all intelligent guys with a good degree of strategic know-how, and it was great to see them discuss which powers they need to save and how their abilities can compliment each other.

The next encounter is going to be tougher still, so I expect to see them pull out all the stops to take down their foes and handle everything else I throw at them.

As a side note, I've finally finished my latest Tunnels & Trolls adventure for Elder Tunnels Halloween 2011, which is why I've not been posting this week. It's pretty much a love-letter to Evil Dead 2 and I hope you guys pick it up when it's out and let me know what you think.

Some exciting announcements {News}

2011-09-12T22:28:00.000+01:00

It's been awfully busy in the troll cave, I can tell you. I've been typing away, scribbling and often sleeping, but now I can make a couple of groovy announcements to you, my good friends.

Firstly, a scenario I am currently putting the finishing touches to will be included in the next edition of Elder Tunnels - the Halloween issue. The adventure is based on the Evil Dead movies, which are my favourite films of all time. I wanted to bring something different to the table this time around, so this one is a little special. I just hope you enjoy it.

Secondly, I have joined forces with the amazing folks at Peryton Publishing to release a regular series of Tunnels and Trolls adventures starting at the end of the year. I don't want to give too many details away, but I'm massively excited to work with such a fine publisher and I look forward to sharing more with you nearer to Christmas time.

Lastly, because of my workload in the last few months I haven't been working on my DemonLord RPG, which I really wanted to release earlier this year. However, I am getting back on track with it and I'll have a beta release pretty soon. Watch this space.

Phew, that's a lot of announcements. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some words to make.

True Heroes {Heroes}

2011-09-11T15:23:00.000+01:00

Most people who read this blog have an interest in escapism and most of the time when we escape we are heroes; whether that be a noble paladin, a Jedi Knight or a super hero.

Ten years ago one of the worst possible things happened. If it were a roleplaying game I'm sure the disaster could have been averted with some die rolls; but we all know that life isn't a game and most of us aren't heroes.

But there were those brave few who selflessly risked their lives for people they had never even met, and some died doing it. These are the true heroes in this world and we owe them our full respect and admiration for what they did ten years ago.

The folklore of trolls

2011-09-10T18:51:00.000+01:00

Note: cross-posted from Midnight Folklore

Troll-fever is set to grip Hollywood as Harry Potter director Chris Columbus announced that he intends to remake The Troll Hunter, an independent Norwegian film that recently hit theatres in the UK.

The film is a mockumentary that follows a group of film students who set out to film real-life trolls in the wild. Blood and gore ensues as they run foul of these 50ft beasts and have to fight for their lives.

It sounds all kinds of hilarious and I'm glad we're seeing some folklore on the big screen. Check out the trailer:

It's theorised that the modern term 'troll' is descended from Jotun, a race famed in Norse mythology for being the enemy of the gods. In these stories the original Jotun was Ymir, who lived in the Ginnungagap, which was a chaotic void. From Ymir's body came other Jotnar who then went on to create a race of frost giants. Odin, Vili and Ve eventually slew Ymir, whose blood drowned all but two of the giants, a husband and wife, who went on to repopulate their species.

Scandinavian folklore evolved the troll from the giants of old Norwegian texts to the more recognisable creatures we know today. It's unclear where the overlap began between the jotnar and trolls, but mythologist Lotte Motz theorised that there were originally four kinds of giants: jotun, troll, risi and purs, and this is where we can see the split in species. Motz's reasoning for this is because these are the four words that referenced to the jotnar in historical texts. She attributes different characteristics to each of these 'species', however her theory has been criticised due to a lack of textual evidence.

It can be agreed, though, that later texts portray trolls as supernatural beings with immense strength and hideous features who often made their homes in the hills and mountains of Scandinavia. Some were said to have multiple heads, no doubt a reference to Ymir's original six-headed son, and would turn to stone if exposed to sunlight.

During the Christianization of Scandinavia, priests would tell tales of trolls who fled when they heard the sounds of church bells and their hatred for Christian blood. The latter is likely where we get the giant's "Fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of a Christian.' Telling tales like this was a common tactic in conversion, which led to the integration of ideas into folklore.

Trolls are now immortalised across the Scandinavian landscape as rock formation, where they are meant to have been turned to stone by the sun. Some examples of such formations include Reynisdrangar and Trold-Tindterne (Troll Peaks).

Weekly wrap-up 8/9/11 {Wrap-up}

2011-09-09T21:28:00.000+01:00

This week I've got back into full swing with the blog, so here are the topics I've covered this week:

Crib your adventures from music - what music to use as inspiration for your game
Dwarsome - amazing T&T art by Russ Nicholson
Kalessian Deadlands - a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting
Elder Sign is the solo game you don't want to miss - video of the upcoming Fantasy Flight game
5 ways to create meaningful and dynamic encounters - a guide to making great encounters
4 reasons why Marvel heroes RPG will be awesome - why I'm so excited about the Marvel Heroes RPG

4 reasons why Marvel Heroes will be an amazing RPG {Comics}

2011-09-08T23:16:00.002+01:00

At this year's GenCon Margaret Weis Productions announced that it has acquired the rights to one of the biggest properties at the moment - Marvel Comics. MWP has always been at the forefront of licensed games, but Marvel is definitely its biggest and most important to date and I for one cannot wait to sink my teeth into it.

Here are 4 reasons why I'm so psyched about the new Marvel Heroes RPG:

1. Cross-over events
Currently Marvel's big cross-over is Fear Itself, where Odin's nemesis, the Serpent, is released by the Red Skull's daughter, Sin, and takes control of both heroes and villains with magical hammers similar to Thor's Mjolnir. It's a cool idea and I'd love to see it in roleplaying form, but like rival DC, Marvel has a massive library of cross-overs that would make amazing campaigns - from Secret Invasion to Civil War to character centric stories like the current Spider-Island or the Clone Saga.

2. Weekly inspiration
I'm one of those people who buys comics every week, so I have a constant flow of inspiration for a super hero game. There is a massive catalogue of ideas in the Marvel Universe and there are news ones cropping up each week, along with new characters, that make fertile ground for the imagination. If I like an aspect of the current Captain America run, there's nothing stopping me from putting it into my campaign. You could even watch the campaign unfold as the comic does (just make sure none of your players are reading the same one).

3. Playing as my favourite hero
Ok, it's an obvious one, but as a big fan of Marvel characters I think I could get a really big kick out of playing as characters I know inside out. From the almighty power of Thor, to the insane strength of the Hulk and the tough wit of Luke Cage, I know that I can pick a hero and already know tonnes about them, allowing me to roleplay more effectively.

4. Creating dream teams
We may have a large assortment of Avengers to choose from nowadays (Avengers, New Avengers, Secret Avengers and Avengers Academy) but you don't have to go with the tried and tested teams. You can go crazy and make a group consisting of Ms Marvel, Deadpool, Captain America, Sasquatch and Black Panther if you wanted. Or maybe you think that a certain person doesn't deserve to be in one team or that one person really, really does. I can see this being a really fun thing to do, even if it's not implemented into the game.

What about you? Are you excited for the release of Marvel Heroes or couldn't you care less? Let me know in the comments or @scottmalt.

5 ways to create meaningful and dynamic encounters {4e}

2011-09-08T18:44:00.001+01:00

We all know that 4th edition D&D has ultimately changed attitudes towards the combat encounter. Whereas once it was the norm to enter a 4x4 room and clear the hellhound or goblin chefs within, the current incarnation favours large, sprawling set-pieces over the humble 50 room temple.

The focus on grand Hollywood encounters makes combat a different beast compared to earlier editions, making it imperative for the players to not only have to defeat the enemy, but also overcome one or multiple goals in the process, otherwise the 1 hour+ fight scene tends to drag.

To put it another way, the combat encounter is a vehicle within the story; something that can either have a positive or negative effect. In order to keep the fight fresh, there are some things that you should keep in mind.

Don't kill the PCs without a very good reason
Controversial, I know, but let's face it - the game has changed. It's no longer just about surviving in the Temple of Elemental Evil, it's about an epic story unfolding and giving your players the satisfaction of reaching level 30 and fulfilling their epic destiny, while the DM can look back on a huge campaign that they themselves crafted. Alright, perhaps if it suits the narrative and the player has consented, a PC could be killed off or the resurrection of a PC would be ridiculous in the circumstance. However, that doesn't mean the players can't fail the encounter. In fact, I find death to be a pretty boring aspect of the narrative. Instead, have something negative happen to the PCs if they lose an encounter, but something they will be able to get out of and feel all the better for it.

Layer on the threats
Rarely should the soul aim of an encounter be to slay the opponents. This kind of combat will only become long and drawn out and more importantly not very memorable. You need to be adding threats left right and centre, and I don't mean just traps. Within 3 rounds that Passion Devil will summon a big nasty demon using a summoning stone unless the PCs kill him or destroy the stone. That sounds simple enough and gives the players another focus, however throw in the fact that there are innocents who are about to have their souls harvested by the other demons puts the players under more pressure. Do they focus their fire on the Passion Devil or the soul-sucking demons? Now you've got yourself an encounter.

Change the battlefield
Usually the arena in which battles take place is a static location. There are walls here, stars there and perhaps some magma pits scattered around. What if there were a 1 in 6 chance of those pits overflowing and covering a wide area, leaving the PCs on a narrow strip of ground? Maybe there's a war in the city streets and a Skiff falls out of the sky and into a building in the 3rd round, creating new cover and destroying old ones. As the battlefield evolves, so do the players' tactics. This is guaranteed to keep them on their toes.

Create a status table
Encounters should have random elements that are entirely our of the players'control, both positive and negative. Draw up a small 1d6 table with some random status effects that could happen. These are similar to what WotC tweets, such as "You hear the Angels Warrior blast his horn, filling you with confidence: gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude for the next round." You can roll the status die at the end of each round, or every other round if you want. You could even use this table to determine events as discussed in the point above.

Give a reason for the encounter
Fourth edition has taken a lot of the fun out of random encounters, at least for me, because combat is now more complex than it once was. Now you should have a clear reason for the encounter you want to run. If there are going to be no repercussions then it's probably not worth doing. Ask yourself 'Do I need to do this?' 'What will this encounter achieve?' If the answer is that it's just to pad out the session, then you need to scrap it or change it so it does have those repercussions.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments. Also you can catch me on Twitter @scottmalt

Elder Sign is a solo game you don't want to miss {Cthulhu}

2011-09-08T11:37:00.003+01:00

Fantasy Flight continually pull it out of the bag when it comes to solo play and their upcoming Elder Sign is no exception. Check out the video below for a rundown of the rules and gameplay.

The Kalessian Deadland {Steal this Setting}

2011-09-06T19:03:00.001+01:00

This used to be a vibrant and beautiful place, home to thousands of elves and humans who lived in peace in a lush land. Not any more.

Kalessia lies in ruin. The forests are charred black and the plains are naught but dried grass and dust. The elders of the surrounding lands have come to call this place the Deadland, for nothing grows here. However, that does not mean it is entirely devoid of life, or what passes for it in this wasteland.

After the cataclysm, when a psychotic elven wizard got his hands on an archaic and powerful spell book and summoned a great black fire on the land, few things survived. Some of the people who happened to be in some kind of shelter, down a mine or in a tunnel somewhere were not burnt up like the rest of the population, but were mutated into the hulking Dreadmasks, so named because of their terrifying new visage.

Dreadmask
MR 40
Special Damage: 1/3
Ability: Dread Visage - Anyone who looks at a Dreadmask must make a L2SR on INT or run 10 feet away instead of attacking.

The black fire may have brought destruction, but it also created a new source of magic: Fyrestone. Kalessia is the only place in the know world where this material exists and it fetches a hefty price on the market. The reason it is so sought after is due to its properties of Kremm resistance. Just holding a piece of Fyrestone will make the user resistant to magic equal to twice her current WIZ.

What used to be great mines beneath the mountains of Kalessia are now home to strange and alien beings who hunt wayward travellers and occasionally Dreadmasks. These creatures are the Kyuss, leather-skinned lizard-like people with four legs and two arms.

Kyuss Warrior
MR 60
Special Attack: 1/1
Ability: Pack Mentality - If three or more Kyuss Warriors are attacking +2d6 to their HPT.

The Kalessian Deadland is also prone to spontaneous geological combustion. Due to the instability of the land caused by the black fire, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the ground will ignite in a 8 metre radius under the delvers, both overland and under it. This explosion causes 1d6 damage unless a L3SR on DEX is made.

Dwarsome {Art}

2011-09-05T21:51:00.000+01:00

I love this image that Russ Nicholson has posted on his blog. I didn't even know he did T&T art!

Crib your adventures from music {Ideas}

2011-09-05T21:20:00.000+01:00

Most of us crib our adventure ideas from some place, whether it be books or film, but I bet few of us look to music for inspiration.

As I've said before, I'm a huge metal fan - a genre that's rife with fantasy/sci-fi/speculative fiction. You only have to peek into the power metal section of any music store to see that most of these bands are utter nerds like us.

Throughout my own D&D 4e campaign I've made allusions to certain bands that I love; the Forest of the Blind Guardian for instance. Band names are great to use as names of people or places. One of my bad guys was called Marduk, for example - the name of a black metal band.

But if you look in the right places, names aren't the only things you can steal from bands. Take a look at Rhapsody of Fire, an epic symphonic hollywood power metal group known for their bombastic sounds and albums woven around a fantasy narrative. Hell, they even have Christopher Lee on a few of their albums! These guys sing songs concerning the Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse and Akron, the tyrant. Just listening to one of their albums can give you a wealth of cool ideas. Few bands have such a strong fantasy theme, which makes Rhapsody of Fire a great go-to repository for ideas.

So next time you're stuck for an NPC or city name, look to music, or more specifically, metal, for some inspiration. After all, The White Towers of Gehenna or Khold or the Blacklands do sound pretty damned cool.

25 RPG Twitter accounts you need to follow

2011-09-02T20:33:00.001+01:00

Twitter is definitely my social media of choice. Why? Because it's the best way to engage with RPG fans and industry individuals in a meaningful way. That's why I have created this list of RPG players and creators that you really should follow:

@newbiedm - aside from having a great blog, Newbie DM is very active in the twitterverse, offering insights and tips mostly for D&D players.

@DnDPrincessAria - this woman is obsessed with RPGs. She seems to play them all day every day! Really friendly and very interesting.

@chattydm - How could anyone forget Chatty? One of the kings of the RPG blogosphere, Chatty is certainly made of grade A awesome.

@Trollgodfather - The creator of Tunnels and Trolls. 'Nuff said.

@MonteJCook - Legendary RPG writer. Creator of Ptolus and Arcana Evolved. Nice chap.

@slloyd14 - Lover of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and RPGs. Author of Lloyd of Gamebooks.

@tw33t_rpg - Runs an excellent twitter-based RPG where players vote for the course of action. Innovative and fun.

@d20Blonde - Incredibly friendly and highly engaging, Lizzy created the hashtag #RPGChat

@saveversusdeath - Fourthcore maestro and fantastic blogger.

@GeekyLyndsay - creator of Dragon Chow Dice Bags and D&D 3.5 lover.

@muskrat_john - John Kovalic, creator of Dork Tower, Munchkin, Apples to Apples and a host of other neat things.

@Barrok - local gent (lives in my city) and avid D&D/ Pathfinder fan.

@mana_junkie - curator of the Mana Junkie Daily ePaper and all round lovely GM.

@ThadeousC - 4Geeks4e podcaster and cool dude.

@destiny_quest - Creator of the Destiny Quest gamebook, one of the most innovative solo RPGs of all time.

@paulbaalham - D&D enthusiast and recent Lair Assault player.

@blindgeekuk - Geeky gamer dad from my neck of the woods - runs Lair Assault.

@symatt - fantastic artist, gamer and tea lover.

@DaddyDM - one of the nicest guys ever. He regularly tweets huge follow friday lists and the odds are you'll be on it.

@geeksdreamgirl - a matchmaker for us geeks and wonderful blogger.

@Trollitc - The Troll in the Corner himself. A bearded god of gaming.

@DaveTheGame - Editor-in-Chief of the almighty Critical-Hits, one of the biggest RPG sites around.

@ChrisSSims - An editor for Critical-Hits who has worked for Wizards of the Coast on various high-profile projects.

@SarahDarkmagic - 4E blogger and recent Ennie award nominee.

@jonathangreen - author of Fighting Fantasy books as well as Black Library series' and Pax Britannia.

Let us know any other Twitterers that deserve our attention in the comments.

Elder Tunnels Summer/Fall is out {T&T}

2011-09-01T21:01:00.001+01:00

I finally have the internet back! Oh it feels good. Now I can get back to doing what I love- shilling stuff I've done!

Elder Tunnels, Peryton Publishing's quarterly Tunnels and Trolls adventure collection, has returned with its summer/fall edition. The new book contains three adventures, two GM and one solo scenario, by Tom K. Loney, Trevor Hudgins and myself.

My own contribution is a GM adventure called Fast Food, which tells the tale of a burger joint that isn't everything it seems - trust me.

If you want to buy the latest Elder Tunnels you can find it at DrivethruRPG for a rather small price.

Sorry, no 8th edition T&T says Trollgod

2011-08-29T08:52:00.001+01:00

Sorry folks, but I received an email from Ken stating that, although the rules are written, there are no plans to release an 8th edition. Here's what he said:

"The latest post on the Trollish Delver may be a little premature. Although I have talked with Jason Kempton at Fiery Dragon about doing an 8th edition, and although most of the rules for such an edition have been written, that does not mean it will happen. Flying Buffalo really doesn't want to see an 8th edition. My idea for an 8th edition may be transmogrified into something else entirely. Don't go jumping the gun, folks, and be making assumptions that have not been verified. I've talked about the 8th edition before, but it hasn't happened yet. And probably won't."

I did think I was justified in thinking there would be a new edition of the game due to the fact that Ken had mentioned writing it on both Trollhalla and his Twitter, but I clearly misunderstood. So apologies to Ken and you guys for that.

8th edition Tunnels and Trolls announced {T&T}

2011-08-28T09:03:00.002+01:00

Ken St. Andre has announced that the 8th Edition of Tunnels and Trolls is in production.

The so-called 'Chaotic 8th Edition' will be published by Fiery Dragon, who also published the 7 and 7.5 editions.

There is no word yet on release date but it's safe to say that fans are eagerly awaiting the newest instalment of the second oldest roleplaying game.

As soon as I have more information, I'll let you know.

The Situation (not Jersey Shore)

2011-08-26T04:22:00.001+01:00

Oh how I miss you, gentle reader. I'm currently writing this on my Blackberry because I still don't have the internet in my new place. The dude came to activate the phone line on Tuesday but I have to wait until next Tuesday for the internet to start working. So this is just a quick update to let you know that, all being well, I will be back to posting regularly on Tuesday and I can't bloody wait.

An Ode to the Humble Skeleton {T&T}

2011-08-11T22:14:00.001+01:00

Before Stormtroopers became the most expendable beings in the universe, skeletons held this rank proudly. There's something quite cool about a skeleton brandishing a scimitar and holding a round shield as they so often do. They are literal shells of humanity that are popularly portrayed in many forms; from the lowly henchman to the all-powerful lich to death incarnate, skeletons are a versatile kindred with great roleplaying potential. First, let's see the stats:

STR 1, DEX 1, CON 1, INT 1, CHA 1.25, WIZ 1, LK 1

As you can see, skeletons are average aside from the baffling increases charisma. I think the following stats are a better reflection of this kindred:

STR 1, DEX 0.5, CON 1.5, INT 1, CHA 0.75, WIZ 1.33, LK 1

I believe these modifiers better represent the skeleton's innate abilities and drawbacks. I can't see a skeleton leaping all over the place, but they can withstand a beating (no flesh wounds) and being animated bones they do have a higher than average magical presence.

Skeletons aren't going to be the most popular people in society, what with the lack of skin and vital organs, so will often be shunned by major towns and cities. This means they will have to disguise themselves if they're going to function like a normal citizen. In which case, giving a skeleton character a starting talent of Disguise (INT) may be a good idea.

Being hardy enough to withstand close combat and also intrinsically magical makes skeletons able to take on most roles - so perhaps the rogue would be a good choice.

So there you have it, a little tweak to the skeleton to make it a more playable kindred. I imagine there are some great roleplaying opportunities to be had with the skeleton and I'd love to hear if you use or have ever used one before in your game - no matter what the system.

What is your favourite RPG race to play? {Characters}

2011-08-10T21:51:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I spilled my love for Rat people, but today I want to know what is your favourite race out of any RPG and why. Do you like the typical fantasy races or do you prefer to play something more exotic? If you play sci-fi games do you love being a weird alien or a human?

My love for rat people {Characters}

2011-08-09T22:36:00.001+01:00

I've never liked being a human. I mean in gaming terms, I don't get anything out of playing a human character when there are often so many other species to choose from. Part of escapism is to be someone that you could never be in real life and I find race/kindred plays a big role in that 'escapist' persona.

I'm a fan of Dwarves, which is weird because in most game settings they're just hardier, squatter versions of humans. In Tunnels and Trolls I play Dwarves often out of necessity as a Dwarf Warrior is the most bad-ass common character you can create. They can take a hell of a knocking and can deal out a nice amount of pain (I opt for the 'traditional' Dwarf weapons like hammers and axes) making them ideal for solo runs. In fact, my highest level solo character, Mogwrath, was a Dwarf, and a fine one at that.

Out of tabletop and into CRPGs I like playing evil or evil-looking characters - the undead being high on my list. But if there's the option I will always pick the Rat person.

Rat people, Ratlings, Skaven or whatever you want to call them, are intrinsically cool to me. They're dark, sinister creatures who suit assassin characters well. In many games they lick their blades in a coat of venom so even if their victim doesn't die from the fight, they will probably die of infection. I like the thought of a big rat army on the tabletop in a fantasy wargame due to their mass numbers and weird contraptions. Skaven warpstone is a particularly cool idea that could be implemented into other games.

Image -http://slappingpaint.net/ramon_skaven.html

I wish more games allowed you to play as Rat people but often they are portrayed as evil beings who seek to corrupt and murder. While I do like being a maniacal bastard every now and again, maybe it's time that we look at this race in a different light. Can't Rat guys be good? Can they not enjoy an ale in the pub with the other adventurers? I think it's time for the rat to rise and become a member of the party.

Tunnels and Trolls does have Ratling as a rare kindred. Unfortunately, they are incredibly weak, having no advantages in any area, only disadvantages in strength, luck and charisma. Here's a Ratling I rolled up:

Nimrata

Level 1 Male Ratling Warrior



ST:    8,       IQ:    11,        LK:    8

CON:   14,  DEX:   13,   CHR:   6

SPD:   14,   WIZ :   9



Persona Adds: +1



Wt. Possible: 800, Wt. Carried: 50.0

Languages:

Common Tongue (native language)



Gold: 50 gp

I think the Ratling needs some tweaking. For instance, I would think that they are quite dexterous and not as weak as they're made out to be. I'll make DEX x2 and ST x1. I'm fine with them not having great luck and they're certainly not the most charismatic creatures, so those negatives can stay. Now let's take a look at the new Ratling:

Nimrata

Level 1 Male Ratling Warrior



ST:    16,       IQ:    11,        LK:    8

CON:   14,  DEX:   26,   CHR:   6

SPD:   14,   WIZ :   9



Persona Adds: +19



Wt. Possible: 1600, Wt. Carried: 50.0

Languages:

Common Tongue (native language)



Gold: 50 gp

The Trollgod does GenCon {GenCon 2011}

2011-08-09T21:25:00.000+01:00

Another year, another GenCon goes by. I hope everyone who attended had a fantastic time and played lots of games and made some new friends. Ken St Andre went along to champion Tunnels and Trolls and met up with some fellow Trollhallans and friends of mine. Check out his website for some great photos of the events.

Let me know your experiences in the comments.

The results are in, Paizo wins the day {ENnies}

2011-08-06T20:19:00.000+01:00

The results are in. Here is the full list of winners for 2011's ENnie Awards:

Best Website
GOLD: Obsidian Portal (www.obsidianportal.com)
SILVER: d20pfsrd.com (d20pfsrd.com)

Best Podcast
GOLD: Yog-Sothoth (www.yog-sothoth.com)
SILVER: Chronicles: The Pathfinder Podcast
(www.pathfinder-podcast.com)

Best Blog
GOLD: Critical Hits (www.critical-hits.com)
SILVER: Gnome Stew (www.gnomestew.com)

Best Art, Cover
GOLD: A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide (Green
Ronin)
SILVER: Shadowrun: Attitude (Catalyst Game Labs)
Best Art, Interior
GOLD: Pathfinder: The Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: DC Adventures (Green Ronin)

Best Cartography
GOLD: Pathfinder: Inner Sea Poster Map Folio (Paizo)
SILVER: Bookhounds of London (Pelgrane Press)

Best Production Values
GOLD: Pathfinder: Bestiary 2 (Paizo)
SILVER: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)

Best Writing
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream
Publishing/Pagan Publishing)

Best Rules
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: D&D Rules Compendium (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Free Product
GOLD: Old School Hack—Basic Game (Kirin Robinson)
SILVER: A Time of War: BattleTech RPG Quick Start Rules
(Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Electronic Book
GOLD: Continuity (Posthuman Studios)
SILVER: Shanghai Vampocalypse (Savage Mojo)

Best Aid or Accessory
GOLD: Hero Lab (Lone Wolf Development)
SILVER: D&D Essentials: Dungeon Tiles Master Set—The
Dungeon (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Miniatures Product
GOLD: Mousling Heroes (Reaper Miniatures)
SILVER: BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed
Set (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best RPG Related Product
GOLD: Castle Ravenloft Boardgame (Wizards of the
Coast)
SILVER: BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed
Set (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Adventure
GOLD: Pathfinder AP #43: The Haunting of
Harrowstone (Paizo)
SILVER: Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream
Publishing/Pagan Publishing)

Best Monster/Adversary
GOLD: Pathfinder: Bestiary 2 (Paizo)
SILVER: Monster Vault (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Setting
GOLD: Pathfinder: Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Wizards of the
Coast)

Best Supplement
GOLD: Pathfinder: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: Space 1889: Red Sands (Pinnacle Entertainment
Group)

Best New Game
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: The Laundry (Cubicle 7)

Best Game
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: Mutants and Masterminds Hero’s Handbook
(Green Ronin)

Product of the Year
GOLD: Pathfinder: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)

Fans’ Choice, Best Publisher
GOLD: Paizo Publishing
SILVER: Wizards of the Coast
www.ennie-awards.com

Best Website
GOLD: Obsidian Portal (www.obsidianportal.com)
SILVER: d20pfsrd.com (d20pfsrd.com)

Best Podcast
GOLD: Yog-Sothoth (www.yog-sothoth.com)
SILVER: Chronicles: The Pathfinder Podcast
(www.pathfinder-podcast.com)

Best Blog
GOLD: Critical Hits (www.critical-hits.com)
SILVER: Gnome Stew (www.gnomestew.com)

Best Art, Cover
GOLD: A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide (Green
Ronin)
SILVER: Shadowrun: Attitude (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Art, Interior
GOLD: Pathfinder: The Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: DC Adventures (Green Ronin)

Best Cartography
GOLD: Pathfinder: Inner Sea Poster Map Folio (Paizo)
SILVER: Bookhounds of London (Pelgrane Press)

Best Production Values
GOLD: Pathfinder: Bestiary 2 (Paizo)
SILVER: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)

Best Writing
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream
Publishing/Pagan Publishing)

Best Rules
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: D&D Rules Compendium (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Free Product
GOLD: Old School Hack—Basic Game (Kirin Robinson)
SILVER: A Time of War: BattleTech RPG Quick Start Rules
(Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Electronic Book
GOLD: Continuity (Posthuman Studios)
SILVER: Shanghai Vampocalypse (Savage Mojo)

Best Aid or Accessory
GOLD: Hero Lab (Lone Wolf Development)
SILVER: D&D Essentials: Dungeon Tiles Master Set—The
Dungeon (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Miniatures Product
GOLD: Mousling Heroes (Reaper Miniatures)
SILVER: BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed
Set (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best RPG Related Product
GOLD: Castle Ravenloft Boardgame (Wizards of the
Coast)
SILVER: BattleTech 25th Anniversary Introductory Boxed
Set (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Adventure
GOLD: Pathfinder AP #43: The Haunting of
Harrowstone (Paizo)
SILVER: Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (Arc Dream
Publishing/Pagan Publishing)

Best Monster/Adversary
GOLD: Pathfinder: Bestiary 2 (Paizo)
SILVER: Monster Vault (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Setting
GOLD: Pathfinder: Inner Sea World Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Wizards of the
Coast)

Best Supplement
GOLD: Pathfinder: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: Space 1889: Red Sands (Pinnacle Entertainment
Group)

Best New Game
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: The Laundry (Cubicle 7)

Best Game
GOLD: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
SILVER: Mutants and Masterminds Hero’s Handbook
(Green Ronin)

Product of the Year
GOLD: Pathfinder: Advanced Player’s Guide (Paizo)
SILVER: The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)

Fans’ Choice, Best Publisher
GOLD: Paizo Publishing
SILVER: Wizards of the Coast

Margaret Weis Productions gains Marvel license {News}

2011-08-06T09:34:00.002+01:00

Roleplaying game company Margaret Weis Productions yesterday announced it has acquired the license to Marvel Comics.

After hinting at a big announcement at this year's GenCon, the company revealed the news at their panel on Friday while donning Marvel t-shirts.

The company plans on releasing 16 products within 15 months, including a basic game and event tie-ins, including the famous Civil War where heroes clashed with one another over legislation to make revealing secret identities to the government compulsory.

The game will use the Cortex + system, which focuses on relationships and storytelling over combat.

Christian Lindke of Cinerati, who was at the panel, shares his views: "A Marvel game based in interactions and relationships harkens to what is great in comic book storytelling - remember the Claremont/Byrne era of the X-men? It has some epic battles, but it also has engaging tales of relationships.

"The (Cortex +) mechanic ensures that players interactions with nemesis characters matter, and the mechanics aid players and GMs in the creation of exciting and engaging narratives."

Margaret Weis Productions' previous games include Smallville, Serenity and Supernatural - but Marvel could be the most ambitious license the company has taken on to-date.

Feara - The Gamebook

2011-08-04T21:55:00.001+01:00

After writing a good chunk of Feara's first chapter I've been thinking how much I want to make it into a gamebook rather than a straightforward novel. This doesn't require that I lose the themes that I want to evoke in the story and it doesn't mean that the main character i.e. the player, should be any less interesting.

Interactive fiction allows for a new way to look at a tale. Integral decisions take precedent over actions and I think this would be an interesting dynamic for Feara. Asryth, the protagonist, shouldn't lose any of her independence and her sense of humour, but having the reader play the part of the author and decide what decisions she should make creates a fresh way to take in a story. In the novel Asryth may head into a cave to hide from the oncoming Blackswords, but in the gamebook she could choose to hide in the forest, confront the Blackswords or go into the cave.

I much prefer this idea. A gamebook can be more than rolling dice and collecting cool things. Sure, I love these types of solo adventure (I myself write them!) but I think the genre should evolve and mature. Perhaps this is what I should do with Feara. Let's wait and see.

Speaking of gamebooks, Lloyd of Gamebooks is currently doing a fantastic in-depth series about how to write your own. I'm definitely pulling some tips from him.

Feara: Prologue

2011-08-04T18:18:00.000+01:00

The west of Alestra had bore the brunt of the biting winter that passed its icy white hand over the land. Treebrook was shin deep in snow the night they came. Three men standing gaunt atop their sinewy steeds scanned the small town from a hill, their breath drifting in cloudy wisps into the air. The man at the front dismounted and the two others quickly followed suit, landing with a gentle crunch in the crystalline snow. The front man pointed to a house close to a small frozen lake: “That is the one,” he spoke in a hushed, gravelly pitch. “We will wait for you, Tobias. Should anything go awry we will come.” The slender man to the left nodded and made his way down the hill and into the town proper.

As it was after midnight, Treebook was silent in its slumber. A baby lay in its crib, its mother and father close by in their low bed. Nobody heard the door unlock and nor did they hear the figure enter the house and creep into the baby's room. They were in too deep a sleep to react when the intruder slowly lifted the child from its bed, careful not to wake it, and carried it out into the winter night.

I'm going to be away for a bit

2011-08-04T07:08:00.000+01:00

No, not at GenCon, no matter how much I wish it. On Monday I'm moving into a new place and I won't have any internets there, so it may take a week or so to get back online.

Until then, I'll be posting. Someone has to keep the RPG blogosphere in order while everyone's gaming their brains out at GenCon.

Introducing Feara - a blog novel

2011-08-02T21:56:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I find a bit of time to knock out a few paragraphs of what I'm hoping will be an eventual novel that is currently called Feara. I have decided that, to keep myself motivated to write, I will publish the first draft of the book as a series of blog posts so I can tell what people are interested in, what they don't like so much, and how they see the story going.

My next post will be the prologue to Feara, but in the meantime here is a little blurb:

A king falls in the dead of the night. His brother, Casteen, rises to the throne of Alestra and vows to destroy the ones who killed his sibling - the Feara.

The Feara are the greatest warriors in the world but they are unable to stop their ultimate destruction by Casteen.

Asryth is a young girl orphaned by Casteen's knights. She discovers that she is the last Feara. Hunted by the King and an even darker enemy, Asryth must travel the kingdom in search of her true identity.

Along the way she will meet new allies and discover secrets that should have remained buried in the past.

Google Hangouts T&T

2011-08-01T17:44:00.000+01:00

I am considering holding a game of Tunnels and Trolls on Google Plus using its Hangouts feature that allows up to 10 people to talk at once.

I would run the GM adventure I wrote called Forest of the Treelords and probably allow up to 5 players to join, since it may get a little out of hand with 10.

Deciding on a date will be the next thing, since I'll likely be moving out next week, so it will have to be late August.

Anyway, please let me know if you would like to be involved.

Happy birthday, big guy

2011-07-27T22:47:00.000+01:00

To Ernest Gary Gygax.

Happy birthday.

And thank you.

What Wizards' 'My Characters' means for character creation

2011-07-26T21:14:00.000+01:00

Wizards of the Coast has now implemented a feature on their site where users can add their characters to their profiles.

The company said in a recent broadcast: "We've set up a new software option that's available on your profile page. The “My Characters” module lets you display mini-profiles of your D&D characters in your Wizards Community profile, for others to browse, critique, and admire. You can import details directly from the D&D Character Builder or manually type them into a form."

In roleplaying there's an unwritten rule that you don't talk about your characters, but it looks like Wizards is trying to change that - but how will this affect play?

It's interesting that they have used the word 'critique' in there, insinuating that people will be offering advice on how to make someone's character better or explaining what is wrong (or right) with it. In my opinion, people should play the characters they want to play, not the character who is most optimised for combat - but I can see min/max-ers getting some use out of this feature.

What worries me is that players may be forced to rethink their perfectly good character just because other people say it's not the best it can be, which could change not only the dynamic of that PC and the overall dynamic of the game.

I'm not saying that everyone is going to ditch their characters, but I can see this new feature as a catalyst for some to revamp their characters. Sure, this could be ok - after all, I have always stood by the principal of making sure the players are enjoying themselves, and if that means changing some powers or even a whole character then I'm ok with it.

However, in an effort to impress online onlookers, it could be a temptation to optimise every character and not do anything just for 'character' or 'flavour'. Some people like to add powers that enhance their character's roleplaying opportunities rather than picking the best min/max power, which is a factor that can make a campaign incredibly interesting. 'My Characters' could do away with that mindset for some players.

I'm not going to rail against the feature completely, but maybe it's something that we should be aware of. I will be interested to see how it goes and to hear your thoughts on the matter. Drop me a comment below or a tweet @scottmalt.

Normal service will resume shortly

2011-07-26T07:53:00.002+01:00

Been up to my eyeballs in it recently, but Trollish Delver will continue very shortly.

Vote for the Ennie Awards 2011

2011-07-15T18:35:00.002+01:00

Go and place your vote!

Exploring Titan: The world of Fighting Fantasy (Part 2)

2011-07-14T21:24:00.000+01:00

Over the Western Ocean we come to The Old World, where we port in the rich land of Femphray, a green and happy place full of beauty and majesty.

Following the Chalanna River we eventually arrive at the glorious Crystal City, a place built of crystals from the enigmatic Crystal Lake. It is known that the hot springs beneath the water heat up the crystals so much that sometimes the lake can boil.

Read more after the jump.

However, while Femphray is a rich and successful land, neighbouring Lendleland is completely the opposite. Pollua is the capital city where its superstitious populous fish in bare waters and leaving the city walls is a depressing affair as you look over miles of infertile plains.

The eastern hills of Lendleland is populated by unruly barbarians who often raid Analand, a neighbouring country. Because of this, the Great Wall of Analand was erected to prevent the barbarians from attacking. However, the country became bankrupt as a result of such a massive undertaking and its king was deposed, so there are still gaps where barbarians can enter through.

Analand is renowned for its hard working citizens and the strange plants that are cultivated to the south. Arkleton is the capital city of Analand, which lies on the bank of the Goldflow River that flows from Goldwater Lake, a place rich with metal ores including gold.

So far The Old World hasn't been so bad, but journeying to Kakhabad reveals a whole different side to the continent. This place is tainted by Chaos and where wild magic run riot. Thieves and outcasts gravitate here because of the widespread lawlessness that is inherent in the region. At the centre of Kakhabad is Khare, the Cityport of Traps.

Like Port Blacksand, Khare is a place of utmost villainy. At one time the upstanding citizens of the city decided enough was enough and they were to make a stand against the muggers and creeps that infested the place. They placed traps everywhere to protect themselves, but this plan ultimately backfired because people were so distrustful of each other that they refused to tell each other where the traps were. So now heading down a strange alley could end your life!

Going north you will pass High Xamen, home to a demonic Archmage and deadly creatures such as the Bird Men and Life-Stealers. Heading further you will arrive at the Northern Plains and Ruddlestone, a place infamous for its theocratic military regime - a result of constant war with neighbouring country Brice.

To the west is Gallantaria, which has shaken off its war-like past to become a relatively peaceful nation. However straying too far north toward the Witchtooth Line can be dangerous due to the abundance of strange creatures and weird sects that make their home there.

And that's The Old World in a nutshell. Join me next time when we'll be going overseas to our final destination: the Dark Continent of Khul.