I’m getting the nice ltd edition sown pages version as a reward sent to me soon, but I cashed in my at-cost pod voucher to get this beauty.
As Old School as it gets, Swords and Wizardry Complete Revised with the Erol Otus cover by Matt Finch and Mythmere Games.
I’m currently working on the last scenario of the Under Dark Spires adventure collection for Crypts and Things. It’s deliberately a crypt-based adventure (with things) that ties in several plot lines and themes into what should be an epic ending for the character’s adventures in the Dark Spires.
Here’s a peek from the Player’s Introduction.
The Obsidian Pyramid lies in the heart of the Bone Fields and can be seen for miles. Close up, the locals claim, it gives out an eerie hum that drives animals crazy. Treasure hunters periodically turn up in Fort Boneguard and declare their intent to make their fortune by robbing the crypt, which obviously holds the lost treasure of the Hu-Pi kings, who it is said built the pyramid. They party and drunkenly loaf about town. Bragging about how rich they are going to be. When they find out no one will give them a line of credit to extend their bar tab, they leave town in a sulk in the direction of the pyramid, never to be seen again.
All this gives the pyramid a fearsome reputation and a sense of unease that it’s only a half-day’s ride away from the Fort.
On a personal note its reignited my passion for writing the special blend of weird fantasy and horror that Crypts and Things brings out in me, which I don’t always find comfortable. The Obsidian Pyramid lives up to its name and is a dark place, filled with horrors unleashed by dark pacts in antiquity and maintained by insane cultists who worship the crypt’s blood-stained past. It’s a good place for even the most reluctant hero to make their stand against a madness that threatens to push the already dying world over the edge into screaming oblivion.
This is my much delayed, 90% written, mostly illustrated (by Dan Barker, no less), adventure/setting book for Crypts and Things. I’m in the “get this damn thing done” phase of things.
This update over on the Crypts and Things Remastered Kickstarter gives the overall state ot play.
This month, I’ve taken a bit of a step back to get a climactic adventure into the line-up.
These monthly updates will continue until the book, a collection of five adventures and setting information, is finished and out the door. I’ll also post more about the book’s content as I get close to release here. So if you are looking for a mini-campaign for C&T and other OSR games, this is your book!
Here’s Dan Barker’s cover.
Only me! On Kickstarter again with a fantastic little game called Lost Fools of Atlantis. It’s err like a Fantasy game (honest), in that it has fantastic elements and stars the player characters as survivors of the Fall of Atlantis navigating a world riddled with conspiracies of their own making in the modern day. If you are familiar with Robert Anton Wilson’s and Robert Shea’s Illuminatus Trilogy, that’s one (of many) inspirations for the game. And that’s officially a Science-Fantasy book. Right?
“But my players only like D&D”. Don’t worry I’ve got you covered. This short article explains how you can get them to enjoy the silky narrative cool of Lost Fools in the cosy familiar environment of Dungeons with Dragons.
Also, the Early Bird period ends at midnight tonight. All backers who have backed in the first five days get a special gift of a supplement called … 5 Days! So what are you waiting for, run not walk and go back Lost Fools of Atlantis.
Coming for 5th Ed/OSR games soon (eta approx June), Paul Mitchener’s Fires From the Deep, a Tale from the Sorcerer Under the Mountain about a Demon who has escaped from Hell and the adventurers (that’s your players) who are hunting it.
More information about the adventure here
Fires from Below, cover by Jon Hodgson
From the Beyond Dread Portals Kickstarter
It is with great regret that I’m cancelling the Beyond Dread Portals Kickstarter.
Since launch, its become clear to me that the campaign will not fund.
So I’m gracefully ending this current campaign at this point.
Your support has been overwhelming, as has the commitment of the production crew.
So I will regroup, replan and relaunch in the Autumn or early next year with a lower goal so the campaign funds quickly and attracts the attention that Dr Mitch’s game deserves.
When I relaunch the campaign, you’ll be notified via Kickstarter email, but also keep an eye out via my social media outlets (Facebook/Twitter and Discord channel, the link to which is on d101games.com).
Thank you for backing this campaign.
We shall be back.
So I was a complete @chaosium_inc fanboy yesterday and downloaded the new version of the Basic Roleplaying Universal Game Engine. This is my impressions from a quick skim read. Bear in mind that I’ve got a long history with the previous version of the book, 2008 Big Gold Book (BGB), so I’ll be comparing it to that.
On the one hand, it is a tidied-up version of the BGB, so as an old hand (who was in the playtest) there’s a lot of familiar content. But there are also new bits that bring it into the modern age. The book’s author Jason Durall gives a breakdown of what’s different over at Basic Roleplaying Central.
The main big thing for me is the presentation, which is now clean full-colour art. Probably less art overall than the BGB, which was full-on black and white, almost in the style of a 90s book, but more impactful. Certainly, it brings it up on par with the recent full-colour editions of Savage Worlds.
The devil is in the details, and only a full read will see if the new version really makes it a streamlined generic system that you can put together a new game out of. BGB was more like a reference book of BRP’s greatest hits and a bit dry with it for my tastes.
One thing as a publisher that is exciting is that the WHOLE of the book, sans product identity (trademarks etc) is released as open content under the emerging Open Roleplaying game. Even the draft version of the ORC license, this is a much more generous license than the previous BRP-OGL.
The nerves of this old BRP fan are set afire since tomorrow a new version of Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying, or Basic Roleplaying Universal Engine as they are billing this version, will be released in pdf form tomorrow, with print to follow later in the year.
So many questions that demand answers?
What will be the differences between this and the previous version, 2008s Big Gold Book (which was on sale for $1 back in January)?
What form and terms will its release under the new ORC license be?
What support will Chaosium give it? Or is it expected to come from Third Party publishers?
I’m going to have difficulty sleeping tonight 🙂
Day 3 of the Kickstarter, and all backers now get a companion volume, The Tourist’s Guide to the Six Worlds, as a free pdf.
I’ve added four high-tier Dragon Reward levels to help fund the project quickly and grow the Guide.
Read about it here
This is Paul’s take on fantasy D20 Class/Level gaming, streamlined rules with narrative elements, set in the baroque worlds controlled by the Empire of Ys.
If you want more info, there’s a video of Paul and me talking about the game, an interview with the Smart Party Podcast and us, and a 92-page preview pdf (rules up to 5th Level includes an adventure) linked to on the Kickstarter page.
It went live today, and until Tuesday, 4th May, all backers get an early bird backer gift of “The Traveller’s Guide to Polydrones” written by Paul and myself.
