Review: Hulks and Horrors

Hulks and Horrors, written by John S. Berry and released by his very own Bedroom Wall Press, is a neo-retro game, designed specifically to be a game of "dungeon crawling in space". Its mechanics are partly derived from B/X D&D and, as a result, compatible with most D&D-esque games to a great extent. It provides an exploration-based game structure focussing on crawling through abandoned hulks, space stations, and ruins found in uncharted sectors.

Alternate Clerics

When it comes to house rules that signal a particular flavour and reinforce atmosphere and genre conventions true of a setting, Clerics and the workings of divine magic are one of the most often reworked parts of D&D. In most first and second generation OSR rules sets, Clerics work almost exactly like Magic-Users, except they do not need spell books and their spells come from a higher power, which also implies the existence of gods (or at least creatures with godlike capabilities) who are willing to grant power to their followers.

In this post I talk about some alternative ways of handling Clerics and their magic. In no way it is intended to be a detailed analysis or comprehensive list of options; nevertheless, I appreciate links and others ideas posted in the comments, for this post is not about inventing something new but appreciating the richness of house rules people have shared.

Summary of the Year 2013

It has been a good year for me and great first year for my blog. As I now hit the Publish button, I have produced 42 blog posts, and the blog has received more than 12,000 total pageviews. I believe it is worth mentioning that the five most viewed posts were (1) Starting a Megadungeon Campaign, (2) Alternate Rule for Paralysis, (3) Rappan Atuk - Classes, (4) Vikings & Valkyries, Session 1, and (5) Rappan Athuk - Session Zero.

For fun, I did some text analyses. Based on my blog posts, Typealizer, for instance, proposed that I am of the ISTP type. Another analysis by urlai.com resulted in the following: "ynasmidgard.blogspot.com is probably written by a male somewhere between 66-100 years old. The writing style is academic and happy most of the time."; I may not be that old, but it was flattering to read that my blog "is the 326th most manly blog of 17,730 ranked".

What follows is a list of games I played or ran this year, other game-related things I did, some things I wanted to do but did not, and, finally, my game-related plans for the next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Review: Arcana Rising

Now that the final version of this game hit the electronic shelves, it is time I wrote a review of it. To be clear, I was a backer of the Kickstarter project, and I was paying much attention to the development of the game since the first beta; otherwise, I have no affiliations with the author whatsoever.

So, Arcana Rising is an urban fantasy role-playing game; it takes place in a contemporary setting to which magic has been recently brought back by Russian scientists' drilling down into Lake Vostok, apparently breaching the seal that warded the source of magic. From the first two and a half pages we get to know how the Atlanteans ruled thousands of years ago, how their kingdom fell, and how magic was locked away; then a few paragraphs about role-playing games, dice conventions, Rule No. 0, and then we get a summary of character creation.

Vikings & Valkyries - Session Five

Session 5 (October 26, 2013)

(Back to Session 1)

I am very much late with this play report, so let me just get through it quickly.

The current party of adventurers:

• Harald Greentooth (Viking 2), veteran javelin-thrower and spear-wielder
• Jormund (Sorcerer 2), cunning sorcerer
• Gottfried Flogasson (Prince 1), designated tank of the party, also of noble heritage
• Esya Valdensdottir (Huntress 1), a hunter living in the forest
• Freydís (Priestess of Freya 1), a priestess coming from a secluded community of Frey-worshippers

Rappan Athuk - Session Three

Session 3 (October 15, 2013)

(Back to Session 1)

This report should've been written two weeks ago. Now I don't remember every detail and my mind is occupied with other things. In fact, I only finished it because I didn't want it to be missing. I intend to continue with this, I'm just busy right now.

The party included the following characters:

• Azureus (Magic-User 1)
• The Baron (Fighter 1)
• Bolwír (Fighter 1)
• Starbucks (Fighter 1) and Starbucks Junior (light infantry)

The highlights of the session were the following:

• The party entered the dungeon through the Mouth of Doom and found themselves in a room of many doors, one of which (the one with the carving of a goat-face above it, claims one of the partying adventurers) turned out to be a false door with a pit trap in front of it.
• The eastern exit lead them to a couple of outlaws, hiding from the authorities. The party killed all of them but one; he joined the murderous company in hopes of staying alive.
• The party fought some skeletons and, after an intermezzo with the bandits, a mummy-like creature (fortunately, they managed to kill it before it could rise from its grave).
• They were surprised by a bunch of bandits, who led them to their base of operations within the dungeon. There they met their leader, found a girl (possibly Emily, daughter of Bernard), and received a quest which would require their descending to the second level.

Vikings & Valkyries: XP and Advancement

The following house rule suggestion was made with Vikings & Valkyries in mind (which means it also works as written with Mazes & Minotaurs), though I believe it would work with other iterations of The Classic Fantasy Game.

The default rules for advancement in Vikings & Valkyries (a little bit simplified) are as follows: Warriors, Magicians, and Specialists earn Glory, Wisdom, and Experience, respectively, through different actions (Glory by fighting monsters and doing heroic deeds, Wisdom by fighting magical beasts and experiencing the supernatural, Experience by using skills). This means the incentives are different for each character (and also quite similar to what Roger describes as "XP for means"), which I would like to avoid as much as possible. Furthermore, I would like my reward system to be more directly related to deeds of legend, even if that means less generic and more campaign specific rules.

Rappan Athuk - Session Two

Session 2 (October 10, 2013)

(Back to Session 1)

The present party:

• Azureus (Magic-User 1)
• Erik (Fighter 1)
• Ozborn (Cleric of the Sun God 1) and Milkiway (archer)
• Starbucks (Fighter 1), and Starbucks Junior (light infantry)

The major events were the following:

• The party returned to the mausoleum where they left an animate corpse wearing a ring. Long story short, said undead lost his ring and his head, as well.
• Entering the main mausoleum the party figured out the puzzle to enter Rappan Athuk; unfortunately, members of the adventuring party refused to share the secret. The only thing they mentioned was a fight with two skeletons black as coal.
• The party, due to sheer luck, successfully avoided a dangerous trap; they also marked its place with white chalk.
• They encountered a bunch of ratlings, who shared some useful information with the party: (1) the northern half of the first level, as the party suspected, is the territory of the infamous Dung Monster, (2) the western corridor leads to the second level, home to a group of ogres, and (3) the river supposedly leads to a temple of sorts.
• The ratlings also offered some vials of poison in exchange for eliminating Ambro, the leader of the ogres.
• The party encountered the Dung Monster; reasoning with it seemed to be less than fruitful (all it cared about was food), and eventually they had to run away.

It was a much less fruitful delve than the first one; the party only recovered 247gp worth of treasure (compared to 3170gp for the last time). Nevertheless, they have explored most of the first main level and have a rough idea what else is about to come. Furthermore, the rumours and quests also helped in certain situations, which is exactly why I devised them in the first place.

(Next session)

Rappan Athuk - Recruiting Henchmen

It may be wise for a party of adventurers to hire additional muscle; henchmen are zero-level NPCs who fight alongside the PCs. Their statistics are the following: HP (1d6), AC (determined by armour), and Morale (7 + employer's CHA modifier).

There is a limit of how many henchmen may follow one particular player character (the modifiers are cumulative):

• the base limit is 2
• +1 if CHA modifier is positive
• -1 if CHA modifier is negative
• +1 if 4th level or higher
• +1 if 8th level or higher

It is generally true that seeing luxury lures more brave and foolish people than poverty; the players are able to manipulate the number and quality of possible henchmen by spending gold between sessions as shown below (note, these amounts must be spent in addition to other purchases as they represent drinking festivals, victory feasts, luxurious wakes, and oh-my-god-we're-alive orgies).

• Zero GP: 3d6; each 5 is a light infantry and each 6 is a light archer
• 100 GP: 3d8; as above, plus each 7 is a heavy infantry and each 8 is a crossbowman
• 200 GP: 3d10; as above, plus each 9 is a barbarian and each 10 is a swordsman
• 500 GP: 3d12; as above, plus each 11-12 is a special henchmen rolled on an upcoming table

The number of dice rolled may also be increased by spending the initial cost multiple times or 50gp for the base option (for instance, for 400gp players may choose 4d10 or 6d8), but no more than 10 dice can be rolled.

Below you find the base statistics, equipment, and hiring cost of the different henchmen types:

• light infantry, 10 GP (leather, spear)
• archer, 15 GP (leather, short bow, 2 quivers, dagger)
• heavy infantry, 20 GP (chain, spear)
• crossbowman, 30 GP (chain, light crossbow, 2 quivers, dagger)
• barbarian, 40 GP (leather, great axe)
• swordsman, 50 GP (chain, shield, sword)

After surviving the first expedition, henchmen earn a name and the ability to advance as they survive further expeditions. After each session, their master has the option of paying them an extra 100 GP, for which one of the following bonuses may be chosen (each may only be taken once): (1) +1 to damage rolls, (2-3) increase HD by one, (4) improve AC by 1 point, and (5-6) increase morale by 1 point.

Underworld Lore - Magical Gems

The following magical gems were written for a community project of Gorgonmilk.

Amber Stones of Lahrissima

It is believed that upon defeating and imprisoning Lahrissima, the Mistress of Dormant Hatred and Familial Murder, the thirteen gemstones used to fuel her powers were extracted from her body and sold to anonymous collectors; no one knows, however, where they are now, and only a few would realise how immense power they are capable of holding.

Each of these gems grant an extra spell per day (without limiting of which level the spell must be) as long as they are in the possession of a Magic-User. If such a gem is surgically installed to the body of a female spell caster, she may choose a single spell of level 3 or less and gains the ability to cast that spell 3 times per day, in addition to memorised spells. The operation, however, is not without risks; a failed Save vs. Death results in the following (roll 1d4):

1. The caster's body starts to rot slowly; her STR, DEX, and CON scores are drained 1 point per week permanently, unless she regularly tastes the flesh of children.
2. The caster's skin, nails, and teeth become amber-coloured, her fingers grow unnaturally long, and her touch petrifies food and water.
3. The caster's menstrual blood, as if some strange ooze, escapes during the night and finds shelter somewhere away from the sunlight (abandoned well, sewers, dungeons, etc.), where it slowly grows into a Lesser Blood Elemental.
4. The caster dies; her body immediately rises as an Amber Wraith (it is also the standard outcome of the surgery with male patients).

Cyclamen Orb of Inhuman Voracity

Skeletons enhanced with such a gem are capable of detecting life forms from 120'; they also gain an extra bite attack, dealing 1d6 damage. A living creature carrying an Orb feels insatiable hunger all the time, which ultimately results in the consumption of completely inedible materials and objects (roll a Save vs. Spells to resist such a strong urge for 1d4 days). The upside is that the character also gains the extra bite attack and the ability to detect life within 120'.


Eye of Chaotic Power

One into whose eye socket this gem of swirling colours is implanted has access to a random ability, changing each time the creature makes a successful attack or suffers the effects of one (roll 1d6):

1. see invisible creatures and objects
2. petrifying gaze (saving throw negates)
3. darkvision (120')
4. mistake friends for enemies and vice versa
5. gain the ability to shoot heat rays from eyes that deal 2d6 fire damage (Save vs. Wands for half damage)
6. confusing gaze (Save vs. Wands or as per Confuse)

Seeds of the Eternal Forest

Skeletons enhanced with these brown oval seeds are very territorial in nature and furiously defend their surroundings (+2 to-hit and damage); it also appears that their bones are covered in brownish bark (AC improved by 2), which is very much like a living tree (double damage from axes and fire). When one of these seeds touches the ground, a Guardian of the Eternal Forest grows there within 1d3 exploration turns.

Rappan Athuk - Session One

Session 1 (October 3, 2013)

Due to sickness on my part, we could only start the campaign this week. Three players were present for the first session, during which they talked to dead guys, killed an undead knight, and looted some nifty items.

Workday Ramblings - Rules and Rulings in RPGs

This post is my long response to a comment on a blog post; I also thought about many things during writing it so it became somewhat incoherent and it does not have that nice structure I crave for. Nevertheless, I though it deserved its own post.

Over Monsters and Manuals, there is a post dealing with how different it is to enter the role-playing hobby to entering some sports game (i.e. to become familiar with the rules and how they are played). I am actually not that interested in the main discussion but in something Lucky said in the comments:

Where the analogy breaks down for me is that in sports, the devil is in the details. The rules are not an abstraction in sports the way they are in RPGs, where you're trying to collect a multitude of things into a smaller set of rules. In sports, those things ARE the game. The challenge and enjoyment of sports is in trying to accomplish a simple goal under a complex set of dos and don'ts. At least for me, RPGs are about trying to accomplish (sometimes) complex goals under a simple set of rules. In sports, it pays to know all the rules, because you're bound by them. In RPGs, both the DM and the players can hand wave to their hearts content.