Contact Information:

jay@vanishingtowerpress.com

Saturday, April 27

Metal Earth has gone dark?

I am a fan of Aos' great sword and sorcery blog Metal Earth. I find all the free campaign content he has hosted fantastic. His last post mentioned he was bored with the site, and was done with it. What I found intriguing about the walk away was it seems the comment function was turned off.

While I appreciate, and respect an artists right to declare a piece of work finished I do wish Aos would leave the comment function open.

This would provide glowing fan boys such as myself to gush over the content provided.

Why would you not want to know years from now all the crazy ass adventures folks from around the world had used your stuff for?

So there you have it; AOs, please turn your comment function back on, please...?

Wednesday, April 24

Just Received Basic Fantasy...

And had a blast creating some old school PC's straight out of the book. I printed out some of the BFRPG 8"x10.5" Notebook Paper Character Sheets, and got to rolling ye olde 3d6's!

My initial character rolls left me with Strength, and Intelligence as my two highest stats sitting at 11. If I understood the rules on Combination Classes on page 6 correctly I decided to go with a Human Fighter/Magic User. This would mean "Daegan Fiend Seeker" would need a total of 4,500 XP's to achieve 2nd level, but would enter the game world fully armed, armored, and sporting the ability to Read Magic, and cast Protection From Evil (this spell was rolled randomly)! I chose race Human for the additional 10% XP bonus.

For my second character the ability scores were all 12 or above with Wisdom and Constitution as the highest at 14, and Charisma garnering a +1 bonus as well at 13. Can someone say Cleric! "Lamithe Vor'gund, servant of Balach" looks to be a perfect companion for Daegan, a learned warrior dedicated to crushing fiends of darkness.

So, yeah, I'm showing my role play upbringing  was solidly based in D&D Basic boxed set, but I feel I could take complete newbies to role play and easily help them create satisfying fantasy adventure heroes with Basic Fantasy.

If I happen to be so lucky to gather a game group somehow someway here in the wilderness of the High Rockies I wouldn't hesitate to use this rules set as an introduction to role playing games.

Friday, April 19

Playing Sci Fi with USR

Space Opera; Hard Sci Fi on my genre tree starts with Traveller. I've never played Traveller, but I have Gurps, and Hero Games sourcebooks, and would love to play some cliched sci fi tropes from "Behind the Claw"!

I would try to plunge in hoping to achieve an arena death match, star ship combat, fearsome space marine assaults, interstellar espionage, corporate sponsored wars, alien first contact, and lost civilizations. These type of grand adventures should be made available to your players  as their PC's take shape preparing for their first adventure.




2.3 Space Opera, Hard Sci Fi

2.3.1 Traveller Universe
 

Thursday, April 4

Genre Tree Spandex

Space Opera, Comic Books on the Genre Tree

The four color world of Superhero comics is provided for on my Genre Tree, and I would simply loot my Champions source books, and adventure books to create the initial sandbox. I describe my initial ideas for the campaign setting here.

You do not have to restrain your branch to the Champions Universe by Hero Games. The Comic Book world has thousands of pages, and almost any subject matter is touched upon. What they all have beating within its Krypton-vulnerable heart are characters thrust into struggles with shifting moral clarity. Anxiety wrought tension wraps every action with the cost of failure high. This is usually juxtaposed with the player's incredible powers and abilities.

Comic Books came into their own as a legitimate literary genre with their incorporation of modern psychological thought. Sarte, Jung, Einstein, all their philosophical constructs come bursting forth in spectacular eruptions of power in comic books.

This branch can be as long or short as you care to make it. Here is mine;


2.2 Space Opera, Comic Books

2.2.1 Champions Universe




Monday, April 1

Space Opera and the Apocalypse

My Space Opera branch for my Genre Tree covers a wide range of science fiction, and science adventure fare. 



From zombie plagues, and star troopers to the world of four color comics, this is why I intend to use the USR system when presenting this menu of choices to players. I'll need a completely flexible game system to follow the whim of player choices.

Space Opera Genre Tree;

2.1 Post Apocalypse              2.2 Comic Books      2.3 Hard Sci Fi


Space Opera, Post Apocalypse;

Post Apocalyptic story arcs never go out of style, and once again, your sources of inspiration to be found in film alone are immense. I for one am mashing up Aos' material from his fantastic blog Metal Earth with my love of Kamandi, the last boy on Earth DC comics series. This mash up would be my Space Opera, Post Apocalypse campaign setting. Though there are significantly more world settings to be had. The popularity of The Walking Dead television series not withstanding, different "collapse" scenarios are numerous, and all have particular story needs.

 
This branch of the Genre Tree should demand more background material be forth coming from the GM for the players to orient themselves in their game world. Even if it is a narrow band of non polluted ground, the players should have a handle on how they have survived in this hostile world. What has allowed them to live while others die.

Die hard Gamma World, and Mutant Future fans will find their favorite story lines here, and should be prepared for the shocking deaths their PC's will find. This does not preclude civilizations anchored on the long dead carcass of a past world to be flourishing, but the effect of some disruption is embedded in the culture.

2.1 Space Opera, Post Apocalypse;

2.1.1 Future Shock

2.1.2 Living Dead Dominion
  
2.1.3 Highway Holocaust


 

Friday, March 29

Six Shooters, Dynamite, and Cigars part 3

Western , Historical for the Genre Tree...



There is a wealth of historical western adventures in film, radio, and television from which to draw inspiration. It is a poor GM who cannot cobble these readily available sources into encounter opportunities for your eager players.

You would be crazy to pass up Eric Hotz's "Published Wild West Wargames" page if you are a Western RPG Gamer thirsting for inspiration.

Here is a short list of additional sources if you are scrambling for ideas; 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly stands out in every way as a classic western adventure story, let alone true grit for your historical western campaign.  

I've never read any Louis L'amour, but I bet my last silver dollar there is plots to be had. 

The radio adventures of The Lone Ranger and the TV series Bonanza, and Gunsmoke can provide countless story hooks.

You will also notice I do not have any issue with utilizing an adventure for more than one location on my Genre Tree. 

I have no problem using the Cthulhu published adventure "The Spawn" as one of the Western, Horror adventure choices, as well as in this "Historical" branch of the Western genre tree. I even intend to use this same adventure as an option for the Espionage, Hard Boiled branch of the Genre Tree. This all will have the net effect of reducing prep time while trying to present this large grouping of genres and adventures to the players.


Western, Historical;
1.3.1Cthulhu Mythos1.3.2.1Bank Robbers1.3.3.1Civil War



1.3.2.2Cattle Rustlers1.3.3.2
French & Indian War




1.3.2.3
Mysterious Stranger

Saturday, March 23

Six Shooters, Dynamite, and Cigars (character interlude)

Western Character Creation example for the Genre Tree...

Was as easy as rolling on the random Boot Hill Character Background table. Rolling an Eighty Eight I came up with "Artist". Utilizing Charlie at The Semi-Retired Gamer's USR Character Sheets I quickly wrote up Henry Shaw from St. Louis, MO.


When I mean quickly, I created this character in under three minutes.

First I assigned his Attributes. The d10 was assigned to Ego. If you are going to be a successful artist you better have attitude, and confidence. Especially if you will find yourself out in the American West circa 1866. Wits I assign the d8, and Action gets d6. Rolling for hits he gets lucky with a total of 9.

For his three Specialisms I decide on Whitlin' (Wits +2), Knife Fightin' (Action +2), and Talkin' Shit (Ego +2). No rhyme or reason, but it seems I have now defined this characters medium in the visual arts.

Filling in the characters starting gear helps me finish off this 1st level character to my satisfaction. These items being a set of carving knives to sculpt figurines, a traveling pack designed to carry tools. An illustrated book of North American ducks, and rain gear declare my character creation process done! I should have no problem integrating this character concept into the group and the genre which we have all decided on for this new Western campaign.