Green Skeleton Gaming Guild

Loviatar Zine Goodness!!

2012-01-31T19:42:00.001-06:00

Just got Issue #7 of Loviatar in the mail. Another great issue from Christian. I really feel like Christian is hitting his stride with this series. They have all been great, but his run on the Hexcrawl/Sandbox series is spot on! Anyways if you haven't checked this out yet I encourage you to do so. Good Stuff!

Castles & Crusades Sunday!

2012-01-29T12:44:00.001-06:00

Off to play Castles & Crusades in a bit! This will be our third session. The players have done very well so far. Although Thunk Thunk the Half-Orc Barbarian came very close to death last time, only the timely use of a healing potion kept him from dying. Actually I believe he came close to death twice. heh heh heh.
I'm using the Labyrinth Lord Module: Larm with some of my own twists and turns thrown in..

Good Gaming!

Simian Saturday : If I could play Labyrinth Critical! oh wait I can!!!

2012-01-28T10:52:00.000-06:00

Thought the above picture (70's era Cher with Planetary Apes!!) was quite appropriate for this Simian Saturday post.
Arcadian over at the No Signal blog has been working on some Labyrinth Lord write ups for Encounter Critical! He is calling it Labyrinth Critical! Now why didn't I think of that?! I can't wait to play a Planetary Ape!

Kirby Coolness!

2012-01-24T20:03:00.000-06:00

Love that classic Kirby Style! Think I may work up Toxl; The World Killer as a diety in my next campaign!

HELLCOW! ; an undead beastie for your OSR Games!

2012-01-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

The wife and I went to see Underworld today, which got me thinking about vampires in games which gave me a crazy idea!!!

HELLCOW

AKA: Bessie, Blood-Beast, Cowled Cow, Farm Killer, Recreant Ruminant
No. Enc.: 1 (believed to be unique)
Alignment: Chaotic
AC: 3 (16)
HD: 7
Attacks: Bite (1d8 + level Drain), Butt 1d8
Saving Throw: F9
Morale: 10
Move: 240' (80') Fly: 180' (60')
X.P.: 2,8000
     Whispered legends tell of a dark night when the Lord of Vampires was unable to find a human victim to feed upon, one farmer had failed to lock up his favorite cow; Bessie, the Lord of Vampires took his fill from the poor beast, and it wasn't milk he was after! The farmer finding his beloved cow dead the next day couldn't bear to eat her so he buried her. Three nights later, Bessie Returned!!
     Bessie doesn't have quite the powers of a regular vampire, but for a cow she is one tough cookie, the fact that it was the Lord of Vampires himself that created her has given her some unusual abilities. First and foremost it wasn't believed that regular cattle could become vampiric, she proves this wrong. Her vampiric state has increased her intellect, though still below the average human in intelligence she is smarter than a regular cow (can set up ambushes; seek out specific targets etc…)

     Hellcow is immune to charm, hold and sleep spells. Electricity and cold does only half damage, she is unaffected by normal weapons, and regenerates 2 hit points per round. Like regular vampires she must take refuge from the sun during daylight hours and once in awhile she must sleep in an old barn to maintain her powers' vitality. Like other vampires she can assume gaseous form at will and can grow large bat-like wings enabling her to fly. Bessie can feed upon humans and cattle, but prefers to feed upon farmers, possibly due to some resentment towards her former owner who left her out that cold night so long ago. It is believed that Bessie cannot create more of her own kind. Bessie can summon 1d10x10 bats when underground, although she seldom goes underground. If she can summon wolves, she has never done so; perhaps being a cow in her previous life makes her uncomfortable around them. Bessie has on rare occasions exhibited the Charming Gaze of a vampire but those attempting to resist it get a +2 bonus to their roll, because..well she's a cow! Bessie has the other abilities and weaknesses of vampires with the addition that a weapon forged from a milk pail will strike her as though it were a magic weapon!
     Legend has it that Bessie's vampiric blood-infused milk has various restorative properties to those who drink it. It can purportedly Cure Diseases and even Restore energy levels lost from the attacks of other undead creatures (possibly even Bessie's own attacks) although its full effects are unknown.
Bessie has a distinctive laugh,"hahahamoooo!"

Based on the Hellcow character from Marvel Comics, no copyright infringement is intended!

Got My DCC Poster! DIG IT!

2012-01-21T22:54:00.001-06:00

For a limited time you can get the DCC RPG Poster (Dungeon Crawl Classics) sent to you for FREE!
Got mine in the mail today. Now to find a place for it! For some reason my lovely wife won't let me hang it in den? Weird I know...

I haven't played the Beta of the DCC rules yet ( I think the game has been pushed back to April), but I think I'm going to try out the Critical & Fumble tables from the Beta version in our next C&C game.
"Dig It!"

Simian Saturday

2012-01-21T10:33:00.001-06:00

Special Thanks to Trey for bringing this cool picture to my attention!
"She who must be Obeyed!" and I are going shopping today. Maybe I can work up a concept behind these guys while I'm out and about. Their canes and coats give them an air of importance or self-importance... The Lords of Simian City or some such? Hmmmm... something to ponder!
I hope everyone has a Great Simian Saturday!
Thanks again Trey!

Castles & Crusades Sunday!

2012-01-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

Yaay!
Finally got to get some gaming in after an unscheduled break.
We played Session 2 of our Castles & Crusades game today.

I've adapted the great Labyrinth Lord Module; The Village of Larm for my C&C game.
Really not much adapting needed. C&C is great for me, because everything in my gaming Library will work with it fairly easily, well 4E takes a bit more work....oh wait, I don't have ANY 4E products in my Gaming Library..that's right. heh heh heh. Anyways, Larm is alot of fun, I encourage anyone looking for a basic but fun starting point for first level characters to check it out. Course now my folk's characters have made mortal Enemies out of the Guido Brothers! Never a good thing!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully you got to get some gaming in!
Have a great week!

Simian Saturday : The Hadozee!

2012-01-14T18:02:00.000-06:00

For me, one of the many cool things about Star Frontiers was the Yazirians. TSR brought them back as the Hadozee for SpellJammer and WotC brought them back yet again in the 3.5 book Stormwrack book as sailors on the high seas!!

For those without access to StormWrack here are the 3.5 stats :
HADOZEE RACIAL TRAITS

• +2 Dexterity, –2 Charisma.
• Hadozee base land speed is 30 feet.
• Gliding: Hadozee can use their arm-flaps to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing
them to travel 20 feet horizontally for every 5 feet of descent. A hadozee glides at a speed of 40 feet
(average maneuverability).
• +4 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks: Hadozee are natural climbers and have no fear of narrow pathways.
A hadozee does not lose her Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing and can climb unimpeded while
holding something in one hand.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Hadozee. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Elven, Halfling.
• Favored Class: Rogue.

Thanks Eli for reminding me of this cool race!! : )

Lots Of Goodies Now On LuLu

2012-01-14T09:32:00.004-06:00

Lot's of cool stuff has recently been made available via Lulu!
The way cool Terminal Space, a new Space Based OSR product Seeded Space, and on the Fantasy Front
Sorcery & Super Science has released a plethora of their Advanced Adventures line via Lulu! This is great news for folks like me that prefer book in hand as to PDF.
And don't forget about the other great products that continue to be released! Too many to list here, which is awesome for an OSR guy like me! Woo Hoo! And no I'm not here to talk about 5E.
*Edit* Can't believe I forgot to mention Trey's Uber Cool! Weird Adventures now available in Hardback or Softcover!! (I know its on RPGNow and not Lulu).

West Wind Crow War Dogs

2012-01-08T20:13:00.000-06:00

A while back I posted about the Scout comic series. Well West Wind has come out with some awesome native americans with machine guns and flak jackets in 28mm check them out!

Perfect for use as Scout or other Post Apocalyptic coolness!

Simian Saturday: Monkey Miniature Roundup!

2012-01-07T18:58:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd post about some recent 28mm Simian Miniatures that I had found, you can always use more monkey minis in your games right! ; )

Up first some new offerings from Reaper, specifically for the Pathfinder RPG, but can be used for whatever fantasy monkey mayhem you desire!

If your wanting something a little more sci fi, a la Mutant Future or somesuch check out these from Sgt. Major Miniatures Get Some! line.

And wrapping up todays post some new Monkeys from Ramshackle Games

Ain't they cute!!

Pathfinder Gamma World!

2011-12-31T13:35:00.000-06:00

Sadly doesn't seem like the Warlords of the Apocalypse will ever see the light of day... I had preordered it but after countless delays I asked for and got my money back on it. If it ever does come out I'll pick it up, since I'm a sucker for P.A. RPG's. Meanwhile I did find a homebrew Gamma World (4th edition, NOT 4E) Pathfinder compatible conversion here. Looks pretty darn detailed! And for free how can you argue!
If anyone tries it out let me know how it goes!
Have a great New Year's Eve!

My favorite edition of Gamma World to date, the 4th edition, NOT 4E. LOL

Simian Saturday: Grendel vs. Gorilla

2011-12-31T10:32:00.000-06:00

Anyone know anything about this series? I read on-line the War Child story-arc was very Rifts-like, I gotta admit that definately intrigued me. Rifts game mechanics drive me nuts but I love the setting!

Classic Gamma World Cover

2011-12-29T18:05:00.002-06:00

" I thought you said this place was lightly guarded?!!"

More Mutant Epoch coolness from Realms of Chirak

2011-12-26T19:00:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, we sure did.
Realms of Chirak recently did a great post about character generation for The Mutant Epoch RPG.
If you've been curious about this game, I encourage you to read his step by step description of character generation.

Merry Christmas from Planet-X

2011-12-25T09:16:00.000-06:00

Whatever your holiday traditions may be, I hope you all have a great time with family and friends!

Happy Simian Santa-Day!

2011-12-24T09:30:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Star Trek/Legion of Super Heroes #3

2011-12-18T21:15:00.002-06:00

Picked this one up today!

Its the third issue in this series. Things are finally rolling along. I'm really hungry to learn more about this merged universe! This issue features an awesome version of The Fatal Five! I must admit I had a nerdgasm when I saw what they had done to the Mugato!! And the Emerald Empress, well she is Green! ; )
I can really see having a fun RPG Campaign with this new yet familiar universe!

Stars Without Number: Mandate Archives now in Print!

2011-12-18T18:29:00.000-06:00

For those of you that prefer print versions of your gaming goodies, I've just learned that Sine Nomine Publishing has made its Mandate Archive PDF's available in print! Woo Hoo!

This even has some never before seen bonus material about The Judicators including details on their unique psionic discipline!

Stars Without Number : Krugreppeans

2011-12-17T20:38:00.004-06:00

Krugreppeans
Lenses: Superstitious
Government: Tribal
Technology Level: 4
Motivation: Vengeance

Krugreppeans are a tall (average 7'), humanoid race covered in thick hair, and have light brown skin with no visible nasal structures.

Krugreppeans were originally a happy and peaceful people. This all changed when a deranged alien psychic unleashed a Maltech device in an attempt to harness the power of their homeworld's star. The alien was unable to control the ancient device, and instead, their sun was destroyed as was the bulk of their civilization and people. They used their starships to flee the destruction of their homeworld; however, they only possessed a limited number of spike drive capable starships, nowhere near enough to save the bulk of their people, the remaining Krugreppeans died on their homeworld. Since that time they have spread out in their starships across the stars, hunting for the rogue psychic that destroyed their civilization. Now most Krugreppeans are trained as warriors, favoring both energy and bladed weapons. In spite of their advanced technology they have always been a superstitious people, the destruction of their society has only made them even more so. One oddity, they like to use the word "Hoopla" as an exclamation of some sort, its meaning has yet to be determined.
Krugreppeans as PC's
Roll 3d6 for attributes as per the normal rules; however, Krugreppeans have at least a 14 strength attribute.
Hairy – They are covered in a thick hairy hide, providing them with a +1 bonus on saves to resist the effects of cold. This thick hair also gives them a base AC of 8.
No known Krugreppeans are psychic.

Based on the alien race from Marvel Comics, Defenders #150, no copyright infringement is intended.

Simian Saturday: Donkey Kong 40,000!

2011-12-17T09:21:00.001-06:00

This one was sent to me by my buddy Joe.

More Praise for The Mutant Epoch!

2011-12-16T16:36:00.000-06:00

Realms of Chirak agrees that The Mutant Epoch RPG rocks! I haven't posted enough about this great Post Apocalyptic RPG!

Simian Saturday

2011-12-10T18:23:00.000-06:00

Cover of Marvel PotA Magazine issue #17

Jurassic Strike Force 5

2011-12-06T19:29:00.000-06:00

Just stumbled across this comic ad on-line, gonna have to go to the local comic shop tomorrow to see if they have it! : )

"For over 165 million years dinosaurs ruled the earth....until the alien overlord Zalex discovered the planet 100 million years ago. In search of an army to conquer the universe Zalex finds the perfect candidates to mutate into his ultimate soldiers in earth's Jurassic reptiles. With his new army nothing can stop Zalex from ruling the galaxy and the universe beyond it.....nothing but a team of mutated dinosaur heroes..."

Simian Saturday : Ape-okolips Now!

2011-12-03T18:16:00.001-06:00

How's this for an ape-eriffic mix and match up! Marvel Zombies vs. Marvel Apes!!

Atomic Highway : PDF for FREE!

2011-11-27T15:22:00.000-06:00

That's right this Road Warrioresque RPG is now available for FREE!!!

Simian Saturday: Space Yeti (part II)

2011-11-26T15:16:00.001-06:00

A short while back I posted about the Space Yeti. Thought I'd go ahead and stat the beastie up for the X-plorers RPG, seemed to fit that set of rules nicely. I borrowed some mechanics from the D20 Future RPG, namely the Space Template with some tweaking, with a healthy dose of AD&D M.M. thrown in. I gotta say I like how this critter turned out, I've got a definate adventure idea in mind for this creature!

Space Yeti

AC 14, HD 4d6 (+4 if you are feeling extra mean), THB +4, ATT 2 claw 1d6/claw 1d6, ST 15+, MV 6/6, XP 540, No. Appearing: 1 (rarely 1-6)
Special Abilities: Optional Movement: can move at normal movement rate in zero-g environments, Dark vision (20m), Immunity to Cold, Radiation Resistance (+8 to save vs. any kind of radiation poisoning), Fire Resistance (ignores first 10 points of fire damage taken per rd.), Paralyzing Gaze (if surprises foe, a Presence save is required, if failed means victim has looked into the Space Yeti's eyes and is rigid with fright for 1d3 rds.), Vacuum Survival: can exist in zero atmosphere environments.

These 8' tall, 300+ lb. beasts are true terrors to the space ways, considered to be a cantina legend, those who have come across the victims of a Space Yeti attack know all too well the frightening truth!

Simian Satuday: Gorillas in Spaaace!

2011-11-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving; Simian Style

2011-11-24T17:25:00.000-06:00

I know it's not Simian Saturday but it is Thanksgiving so I figured this would be appropriate!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, I had a great day with my family, miss my son who is away serving in the Marines, but I got to talk to him today! I am truly thankful for all the great things in my life, including my Blog Buddies! You know who you are!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Alien Legion

2011-11-20T17:22:00.000-06:00

It's been a wet dreary weekend around here. One of my favorite local bookstores is going out of business, really a shame I guess internet sales and the economy were just too much for them. I went in today to see what they had for sale. Found a couple of trade paperbacks of Alien Legion for a good price.

Great series, perfect for inspiration for a Stars Without Number or X-plorers Campaign. I once converted the main characters to the Alternity RPG back in the day, sadly those notes are long gone.
Hope some of you got some gaming in this weekend!

Simian Saturday

2011-11-19T11:10:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone has a great Simian Saturday!!

X-plorers Boxed Set Available Again!

2011-11-18T19:07:00.000-06:00

The limited edition X-plorers boxed set has been made available again!
You can get them at the official site while supplies last. I picked up one when they were first made available and have to say I am quite glad I did. X-plorers is a great Sci Fi RPG, and having it in a neat old school boxed format is very cool!

Stars Without Number : Astrans

2011-11-17T21:02:00.002-06:00

Astrans

Lenses: Faith, Artistry (three quarters of Astrans are either priests or artists)
Government: Theocracy
Technology Level: 4 (but general populace/production capability TL is closer to 3, although they can produce Spike Drive Starships in limited numbers)
Motivation: Religious Pursuits

The Astrans are a humanoid race averaging 5'6" tall with yellow skin. They are hairless, and have spatulate (toeless) feet. They have four lungs and special excretory glands in their stomachs (this additional lung capacity and system allows them to go without air for 8 + Con modifier minutes before being at risk for suffering ill effects from lack of air). They have a rigid theocratic society of priests and artists, although a rare few have risen to become powerful villains amongst not only their own people, but the galaxy at large. Psychics are not unheard of among the Astran race, although there are very few true academies present on Astra to teach a budding young psychic how to harness and control their powers. Astran society is quite rigid with little tolerance for any form of deviation. Any Astrans exhibiting such powers are carefully monitored by the religious authorities. Those Astrans that do have such powers can become quite powerful, but some have shown a predisposition to megalomania and can become a threat to themselves and those around them. The worst of these are driven into exile, often times off planet, in the hopes to purge the Astrans of their stain. Some Astran psychics have exhibited an ability dubbed Magnetokinesis: the ability to psionically manipulate metallic substances, shaping them into various forms and also includes the ability to telekinetically move metal substances from one location to another at various velocities and with varying degrees of force. These Magnetokinetics are often quite talented artists, creating some of the most beautiful metallic sculptures known, however, others have rebelled against their theocratic and controlling rulers and gone on to become would be conquerors and villains!

Astran PC's

Few Astrans leave their homeworld, most being too dedicated to their artistry or religious pursuits. They tend to be uncomfortable interacting with other races (nonbelievers) although an exiled Astran could turn up in all sorts of places. Game mechanic-wise their attributes are the same range as humans, with the addition of their ability to resist suffocation effects longer and a chance to have the powers of Magnetokinesis.

Copyright Marvel Comics, no copyright infringement is intended.

Stars Without Number : Ba-Bani

2011-11-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

Ba-Bani

Lenses: Combative (Not Xenophobic, but have distinct regional hatreds that regularly descend into all out war)
Government: Local militaristic dictatorships
Technology Level: 3 (but personal weapons and body armor are TL: 4 in many cases)
Motivation: Domination (rival clans and groups strive to dominate other Ba-Bani groups through warfare).

The Ba-Bani are an alien race of humanoids very similar to humans, with yellow skin and orange to yellow hair. They are the same general height as humans, although they are leaner and more muscular, out of shape Ba-Bani are not acceptable members of their society. Some human scientists have theorized they are descended from genetically engineered human stock, tailored to be soldiers for some ancient forgotten group. Indeed the races proclivity to divide into groups and wage war on one another, yet having no additional animosity towards other races does give this some merit. However, if an outsider identifies himself as a member/ally of one of the opposed groups he is fair game. The Ba-Bani hotly deny this theory saying they are an independently evolved race, that is they deny it if you can get them to stop fighting one another long enough to comment. Many pirates and slavers have learned the hard way to leave the Ba-Bani alone, there have been reports of pirates attempting to take advantage of the Ba-Bani during one of their many wars, thinking that the Ba-Bani with their "lower" tech level and "weakened state" due to war would be easy pickings, the Ba-Bani when attacked like this quickly stop fighting each other and go full out attack against the invader, after the invader etc. is repelled they resume their conlict with one another.

Recently a powerful human psychic called the Goddess of Peace by the Ba-Bani has come to their world and for the first time in centuries an extended period of peace has ensued. While there are still some isolated rebels and rogue clans fighting, for the most part the world is at peace, all thanks to their goddess; Moondragon. Many Ba-Bani do indeed worship her as a true goddess.

Adventure Seeds

The party is approached at a Starport by a Ba-Bani, he says his people have been enslaved by a crazed psychic that dominates his leaders through the power of her mind, he begs for their help.

The party is approached by a robed alien (race determined by needs of GM), he tries to hire them to kidnap a rogue psychic hiding out in a temple on the planet Ba-Banis who is wanted for crimes against his people. He is actually an agent for the Deonists and is trying to get the party to do his dirty work.

A weapons dealer (smuggler) seeks to hire the party to transport a shipment of weapons to the Ba-Bani, they are always in the market for better ways to fight each other, although they tend to shy away from weapons of a massive destructive scale.

A desperate Ba-Bani female approaches the group and states that her people's goddess of peace, the Moondragon has been kidnapped by alien slavers and her people are desperate for her return! Slavers are taking her to the Deonists who seek her psychic essence to power their dying world!

Ba-Bani are copyright Marvel Comics, no copyright infringement is intended!

First Appearance: Avengers I#219 (May, 1982)

Star Trek /Legion of Super Heroes!

2011-11-13T17:32:00.002-06:00

I recently posted about a new limited series Star Trek/Legion of Super Heroes Mash up. I picked up the second issue today.

I love the little tidbits they drop about this new Universe, just want to know more about it than what has been revealed so far. : )
Check out the Controllers negotiating with the Organians or the Klingons vs. the Khunds, or Tyrraz; homeworld of the Borg!

Good stuff!
Now thrown in my recent Marvel Aliens write ups for Stars Without Number and that is one wild Campaign Setting!....ok I'll go sit down now.

Stars Without Number : Levians

2011-11-12T21:18:00.004-06:00

Levians

Lenses: Indolent, Irresponsible
Government: Democratic Republic lead by a "First Citizen"

Technology Level: 4 (but declining, no Spike Drive technology)

Motivation: Hedonistic, Decadent

Levians are a humanoid race, very similar to humans in appearance and body structures save for their blue skin and different range of hair colors. Levians are the epitome of hedonists, being perhaps one of the most indolent races in the galaxy. After depleting their planet of magma and resources, the Levians sent a fraction of their population aboard a starship to survive their world's imminent destruction. The survivors continued their wasteful ways and now live out their lives aboard their crippled, drifting worldship; The Levianon, served by robot minions that they no longer know how to repair.

Player Character Levians should only be allowed by the GM under very special circumstances. The Levian homeworld is uninhabitable and the only remaining Levians, an estimated 5 million, are on the Worldship Levianon. Stats will be the same as normal humans. Few Levians bother to actually engage themselves enough to attain a class of expert or warrior and no Levian Psychics are known to exist, they just don't have the discipline to learn how to properly use/control their abilities.

Levians are protected by robot guardians they refer to as The Securitrons; these robot guardians are assigned to provide security aboard the Levianon. When not in use, they rest inside of Servo-Pods, emerging during a state of emergency. Over the years, the Levians have forgotten how to repair the Securitrons, resulting in their numbers slowly dwindling. The Securitrons are equipped with powerful laser rifles (1d10 damage but no burst fire), but some of these rifles are malfunctioning and no longer work. Treat the Securitrons as Infantry Warbots per pg. 167 of the SWN Mongoose Edition rulebook (GM's option; only 1 in 6 has a functioning laser rifle).

Levians are copyright Marvel Comics, no copyright infringement intended!

Simian Saturday: Space Yeti

2011-11-12T10:17:00.000-06:00

"The Soviet Space Program has something hairy to hide"....

Here's one from the "SyFy Channel Lost Scripts",

"Aboard a Soviet Space Shuttle, two cosmonauts hear a rumble and a thump, thump. That’s not engine trouble. They’ve accidentally picked up an intergalactic hitchhiker. Bring in Space Yeti. Lightning fast. Nine-feet tall with enough hair to survive the subzero Siberian climate and the so-frigid-it-doesn’t-even-register outer galaxy."...

Other beastie ideas can be found on the site, some (Man-eating Mustangs!) would be great for Mutant Future or other games!
Have a great weekend!

Space Station Experiment

2011-11-08T22:01:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd play around using Zak's Dungeon Mapping technique for a Sci Fi map. Since I've been on a Stars Without Number kick lately figured I'd grab a Space Station map/picture off the internet and see what happened. You never know when players will need to make a stop somewhere and a Space Station can be plopped into a random spot a bit easier than a whole new planet.
This is a work in progress, but I'm quite pleased with the how this really got my creativity going. I've actually worked up who all these NPC's are in my mind, just from looking at the pictures and what I envisioned them being about.
Need transport out of the system fast with no questions asked? Mustang Sally is at your service!
Need to pick up some "special" weaponry that might not be quite legal? Ibrahim Mansoor will be happy to arrange a trade while sipping on his tea.
Looking for a little companionship? Head over to the Coilhouse, there are some very "nice" ladies along that corridor.
Just don't get on the wrong side of Arioch the Gengineered (Bat DNA) Chief of Station Security.
And then there's Mother One the A.I. that keeps "her" eyes on everything while making sure the station runs smoothly and efficiently in spite of its age.

Simian Saturday: POTA

2011-11-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

Here's one sent to me by Tetsubo, well done classic POTA painting by artist Jason Edmiston.

Stars Without Number (Mongoose Edition)

2011-11-02T21:41:00.001-05:00

I got a package in the mail today, still being on a Sci Fi kick, I recently ordered the Mongoose Publishing hard back edition of the awesome Stars Without Number RPG. This has everything from the original edition, plus rules for A.I. player characters, additional Society tables and tags, and Mechs!

Some have balked at the $40 price, but I picked it up on Amazon with Free Shipping so that helped. I'm happy to have this as part of my collection. Hoping to run some Sci Fi games when my group wraps up our Castles & Crusades Campaign. Darn Gamer ADD! ; )

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:07:00.003-05:00

Simian Saturday: Marvel Apes

2011-10-29T10:43:00.001-05:00

Here's one I had in my files for awhile now, great inspiration for Mutant Future!
Iron Mandrill, Charles Xapier, Nicole Furry, Cleook Sorceress Supreme, Silverback Surfer! and more!

Darkness Visible; new supplement for Stars Without Number RPG

2011-10-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

Sine Nomine Publishing has released a new supplement for their awesome Stars Without Number RPG.

Espionage Campaigns for Stars Without Number!

Here's some info about this particular product;
"Look inside to find...

The history of interstellar spying in the Stars Without Number universe.
Details of the hideous maltech cults that threaten the very future of humanity.
A system for cooperatively creating intelligence agencies for your campaign and handling exploits against their nefarious rivals.
36 new tags for flavoring your cults, all of which can be used as world tags as well.
Over 200 new adventure seeds, each one keyed to a different aspect of an espionage agency.
NPC, scheme, and method tables for fleshing out conspiracies and dark plots."

Awhile back I scored the Mongoose Traveller RPG Book #5 Agent for a great price, I'm betting these two supplements will complement each other nicely!

I'll definately be picking up Darkness Visible. I love the SWN RPG. Now to wait on pay day... *sigh* : )

Loviatar #4! Good Stuff!!

2011-10-28T18:51:00.000-05:00

Another great issue!!

If you haven't checked out Christian's Loviatar zine yet what on Earth are you waiting for??
This issue even has an article for the X-plorers RPG!
Thanks Christian!!

Gaming, Comics and stuff

2011-10-23T14:01:00.000-05:00

My back is finally doing better, getting old is no fun. Went by the Friendly Local Comic/Gaming Shop yesterday, figured I could pick up some reading material while I continue to mend. Found a ton of stuff! I hadn't been there in awhile, the Pathfinder shelves were packed! I think they had some new 4E D&D items, but I don't even look at those anymore. I resisted picking up more Pathfinder product, don't get me wrong Paizo puts out awesome stuff, I was just looking for something different. Right before I got hurt I ran a session of Castles & Crusades which was a blast, I'll try to post about it soon, probably gonna play it some more, but I was looking for something different to read and get inspired by...
I found it on the Comic Book aisle!
DC has relaunched some of their titles, I won't get into that, I know some folks aren't happy about it but I was always more of a Marvel guy so it didn't bug me, + after they kept going up in price I quit buying them so much...anyways I spotted a couple of titles on the shelf that looked interesting to me. First up:
Frankenstein Agent of Shade

This is pretty sweet! It features Frankenstein with Guns! and even has some from the old Creature Commandos line that I loved back in the day. This has some great inspiration for gaming, heck I ran something similar with this for D20 Modern many years ago...and if you wanted to lose the guns I can see it working with D&D as well. Heck with Pathfinder having the Gunslinger class you wouldn't even have to lose the guns really... I'm gonna have to follow this series for sure...
But what really sparked my interest was what I found next! Those who follow my blog will know I've been on a bit of a Sci Fi kick of late, well with my Gamer ADD I'm all over the place...anyways, I spied something that really got my attention...check out the cover!

Two Awesome things Combined; Star Trek with Legion of Super Heroes! Yeah, I know I said I was more into Marvel, but the Legion were always cool, I enjoy Cosmic Super Heroes and the Legion has always sparked my interest. This is a six issue mini-series, where an alternate universe is created and a team of Legionairres and a Star Trek away team have to set things right. Instead of the Federation we have the Imperial Planets of Terra, which is a mixture of Star Trek and Legion of Super Heroes!!! I was always a fan of the Star Trek Mirror Universe also so this makes it even cooler to me! Here's another teaser...

Awhile back I did several alien races from Marvel Comics for the Stars Without Number RPG even worked up The Dreamer race directly from the Legion of Super Heroes for the game! I'm going to be following this mini-series for sure, I think this will be the perfect background for a great SWN Campaign, instead of the Terran Mandate mentioned in the SWN Rules, the Imperial Planets of Terra can be slipped right in there, using familiar things yet with very different twists. Will probably still have The Scream occur, but can work in Star Trek races and Legion races in a new setting! Woo Hoo!
Could also use this with X-plorers, but for some reason I'm seeing this work better with the SWN rules...
Hmmmm things to ponder.. Feel free to comment, would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
Anyways I guess I've rambled on enough! Hope everyone has a safe and awesome Sunday!

Simian Saturday: Moon Apes

2011-10-22T17:04:00.000-05:00

I've missed some Simian Saturday posts due to health issues (darn back), thought I'd better rectify that.
Here is a beastie based on a critter I saw in a Space Ghost Cartoon over on the Exonauts Blog.

Moon Ape

AC 16, HD 4d6, THB +4, ATT 3 claw 2d6/claw 2d6/bite 2d6, ST 15+, MV 6, XP 240
Special Abilities: Acute Sense: Smell, Optional Movement: Climb as regular movement, Scaly hide.
(The above stats are for a typical specimen, much larger and tougher ones have been reported, raise stats accordingly).
Moon Apes are fearsome beasts found on isolated worlds scattered throughout The Reaches. They are large ape-like beasts with certain reptilian characteristics. One theory among scientists is that they were possibly a creation of a forgotten advanced alien race and originally used as slave labor or some such, others say they were spread around by the mysterious Greys. What is known is that they are quite territorial and can be quite aggressive when encountered. X-plorer teams initially called them Moon Apes, and the name has stuck. One particularly frightening thing about them is that apparently if they have ample food and territory they can continue to grow to enormous sizes. Although there are no reports of encountering more than one beast of such great size at once, apparently the dominant ape kills or drives away any other apes that could be a threat to his dominance.

Worked this up for the cool X-plorers RPG but they can be used with all sorts of Old School games.
Creature is inspired by a beast seen in the Space Ghost Cartoon, no copyright infringement is intended.

Crypts & Things

2011-10-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

The Barbaric Weekend Continues with a sneak peek at a new Swords & Wizardry derived game due out soon!
Crypts & Things.
Check out the video about it posted by the author. The references to Classic White Dwarf really sparked my interest.

Have a Barbaric Weekend!

2011-10-21T19:43:00.001-05:00

Rogers Class Land Rover

2011-10-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

Updates will be intermittent for awhile. I have been bedridden with a back injury of late so postings will be sporadic. Here's a quick one I wrote up before I got hurt. Just a fun little vehicle that I used to have fun with as a kid. Seemed to fit the vibe of X-plorers nicely.
Enjoy!

Rogers Class Land Rover

This Land Rover was initially developed for use in the irradiated zones of Earth, but has since found growing use and popularity with X-plorers team across the galaxy. Similar in design to the Explorer (pg. 23 Player's Guide Boxed Set), it has several upgrades and additional features not found in the basic Explorer ATV.
Like the Explorer, it is completely enclosed with an airtight, radiation shielded, armored hull. The Rogers Land Rover can offer full life support for a crew of 4 for 72 hours. This tracked vehicle can travel over all but the roughest of terrain and can even travel under water.
AC: 16 (Armored Hull) or 17 (when Force Screen is activated, although constant, prolonged use of the Force Screen will drain the vehicles battery and impair overall performance).
Other Features: Dual Turret light laser Cannon. 3-5d6. Ramge 200. cam cpver 180', with a 45' angle.
Built in Full sensor array (equivalent of Sensor/Survey Kit (as per pg. 19 Player's Guide Boxed Set).
In a pinch the entire outer hull can be electrificed doing 4d6 electrical damage to anything touching or on the outside of the vehicle. However, this will cause the entire vehicle to shut down and reboot taking 1d6 minutes to reboot.

Based on the Land Rover featured in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Movie Pilot.

X-plorers Meets Justifiers equals Awesome!

2011-10-02T09:55:00.001-05:00

Sorry for my limited posts of late. Real life has kept me busy, but I have gotten a bit of gaming in! Woo Hoo!
In other news, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my X-plorers Limited Edition Boxed set, in the meantime I went through my gaming collection for ideas/resources to use with X-plorers.
I've had a moment of inspiration I do believe...
Take This:

Add This:

and you get :

Any questions??

GOR; King of the Terrons!

2011-09-26T21:05:00.001-05:00

Here's another toy err.. I mean Action Figure based villain for the X-plorers RPG!
I present from the SuperJoe files; GOR!

GOR; King of the Terrons
AC 17, HD 5d6, THB +5, ATT claw 1d6/claw 1d6/bite 1d6 or Destructo Ray 2d6, ST 14+, MV 6, XP 600
Special Abilities: Thick Scaly hide, Destructo Ray (cone attack, range 6 m, 2m wide, agility save or all in cone suffer 2d6 damage; must recharge after use i.e. Gor must roll a 6 on a d6 to use this attack again in the same encounter), Regeneration (1d3 every turn), Dark Vision
Weaknesses: Glass Jaw; if his opponent is skilled in martial arts and rolls an 18-20 via an unarmed attack Gor has been hit in the jaw and is knocked out for 1d6 rounds.

Gor, this savage reptilian alien is a terror to all he encounters! Nearly three meters tall, covered in thick green scales, he loves to unleash his Destructo Ray on the unwary! Gor will initiate an attack using his Destructo Ray, trying to catch as many of his foes as possible with this attack then he will charge into melee using a vicious claw/claw/bite attack, relying on his regenerative abilities to keep him in the fight, as soon as possible he will unleash another blast of his Destructo Ray. While savage and cruel he is no fool, if he is seriously injured and/or losing the fight he will retreat only to heal up, charge up and start the fight again, sooner rather than later.

I wrote him up for X-plorers but he can be used with all sorts of Old School games, for Mutant Future I'd up his hit points to allow for that systems higher HD ratio. Good Gaming -B.

Tanco : Villain for X-plorers RPG

2011-09-25T22:24:00.004-05:00

Digging through some old toys I found inspiration for some characters/aliens for the cool X-plorers RPG.
Tonite I present Tanco Creed.

Tanco

AGI 16 +1 saves; AC bonus, To Hit ranged wpns.
Class: Scout     Race: Neurian
INT 15 +1 Int based saves Level: 7
PHY 13 +1 Saves; To Hit/Dmg melee/unarmed; hp
PRE 17 +2 Presence based saves
Basic Hit Bonus +2
Saving Throw 9+
Hit Points: 30
Armor Class: 16
Racial Abilities: Due to the enhanced mental capacity of his race he adds an additional +2 to all Int based saves.
Areas of Expertise
Skills
Pilot 9+
Security 9+
Sleight of Hand 8+
Stealth 7+
Equipment:
Heavy Laser Pistol, Reflec Armor, Com Unit, Force Screen
     Tanco Creed grew up amongst the rough and tumble renegade bands of Star Raiders out on the Fringes of civilized space, he supposedly killed his first foe at age 11 on the frontier world of Tomland. A highly skilled pilot, he could have earned a respectable position with an X-plorer team, but instead chose a darker path. He found he readily took to the life of a raider and through cunning, guile, and force of personality worked himself into position as leader of his own band of Star Raiders. Tanco formed this band; Dagon's Claw, out of two smaller bands. Under his leadership The Dagon's Claw Raiders have grown to be quite infamous!

And for a more "realistic looking" version of Tanco...

If there is interest I'll see about working up some more of these. Action figures from the Tomland toys line from back in the day. : )

Simian Saturday: Simian Stars is now available!

2011-09-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Simian Stars an expansion for the Rogue Space RPG is now available.
Check it out here

Have a great Simian Saturday!!

Simian Saturday: Gorilla Commandos

2011-09-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

For those on a minis-budget I found these cool looking pics that are perfect to use for figure flats.

I got these from this site, lots more stuff there perfect for your Sci Fi/Mutant Campaigns!!

X-plorers Boxed Set!

2011-09-20T19:05:00.000-05:00

I've talked about the X-plorers RPG in the past, really fun game! I recently saw where there is a Limited Edition Boxed set out for it, gotta say this looks sweet! Even though I have the original (Grey Area Games) version of the game I couldn't resist picking this up, so I ordered it. Less than 25 copies left now.
Here is the video about the Boxed Set from Brave Halfling Publishing.

I think I'm gonna write-up some of the Marvel Alien races for this, looks like alot of fun. Also I hear Christian from Destination Unknown is going to do some X-plorers entries for his awesome Loviatar zine.

Mutant Future NPC: Bird-Brain

2011-09-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

A friend wrote me that I haven't done a "real" Mutant Future post in quite awhile, since this blog was initially mostly Mutant Future posts, I thought I'd do one for ya, he asked for a write-up of an NPC that could be used as an ally for a party of Wasteland explorers. I went into my Comics collection for inspiration and found this guy! Be careful what you wish for! LOL

Bird-Brain
Str: 16        Mutant Avian
Con: 13      Alignment : Neutral
Will: 10      AC: 6 (3 when in flight) Hit Points : 44
Dex: 18      Level : 2
Int: 5
Cha: 10

Mutations : Complete Wing Development, Talons (1d4 damage), Increased Vision, Increased Caloric Needs (D), Heightened Flight Speed (flight speed is normally 150' but may fly in Hyper Bursts up to 220' for 6 rounds, then must rest an hour before being able to do another hyper flight burst), Enhanced Swallowing (may swallow larger than expected objects whole, example an entire fish etc.)
Special Abilities : Highly maneuverable in flight (-3 to his AC when in full flight)
Weapons & Gear : None
     Raised in captivity along with other mutant animals under the "care" of a deranged scientist, who was supposed to be working for the Knights of Genetic Purity to seek a "cure" for the "mutant problem", he was actually seeking to create a race of enhanced hybrid warriors to do his bidding. Bird-Brain managed to escape and fled into the wild, only his enhanced flying abilities kept him from winding up as food on a predator's dinner menu. Due to his treatment he is initially mistrusting of humans, but if treated well and more importantly fed regularly he can become a loyal if dim-witted and always hungry companion (better keep the party's rations well hidden!).

Write-up is loosely based on the Marvel Comics New Mutants Character Bird-Brain, no copyright infringement is intended.

Simian Saturday: Gorillitaur!

2011-09-17T18:33:00.001-05:00

Check out this mini available through Impact! Miniatures.

The Gorillitaur!

Loviatar #3

2011-09-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

Got a nice item in my mailbox this week, always great to get something other than bills.

The #3 issue of Loviatar, I'm really enjoying this zine that Christian is putting out. If your not getting it, what are you waiting for? I can tell each issue is a labor of love on his part. This one even featured a brief Planescape entry! Good Stuff!

Excavator Monthly Issue #2 released!

2011-09-16T20:01:00.000-05:00

I've been remiss in my Post Apocalyptic posts of late, darn real world and Gamer ADD!
Just wanted to announce that the second issue of Excavator Monthly has been released!

While this is designed for The Mutant Epoch RPG, it is useful for other PA RPG Systems as well!

Apocalyptica : Hall of the Mountain King

2011-09-12T20:48:00.002-05:00

Cellos! Oh yeah!

Skull Tower Part Deux!

2011-09-11T20:26:00.001-05:00

I turned my back and that dastardly Necromancer Darbin the Deadly has done some major expansions to his Tower, would seem he has somehow raised a plateau to look out upon his domain!

Wonder what this vile Necromancer will do next??!!

Skull Tower!

2011-09-10T18:50:00.005-05:00

Went with my wife today to some Estate Sales and picked up this wicked cool tower piece for my games for only a few bucks. I think it is some kinda candle holder but I'm not telling Darbin the Deadly! I had barely sat it down on my game table when the vile Necromancer had seized it for use as his dark tower of evil magikery! (is that a word?), as you can see from these shots he has brought in his loyal (charmed?) Albino Henchape Mugato Joe and has the entry guarded by a vicious armored Warwolf!

Warwolf Guardian

Darbin looks out over the Blighted Barrens, master of his domain! (the trees in the background were also an Estate Sale find, part of a Christmas scene, I got them for 3 bucks just flocked them with some tan flocking I had and voila, Bone Birch Trees). How's that for an awesome Saturday, I get brownie points for going shopping with the wife and some cool terrain to boot! Woo Hoo!!!
-Good Gaming! -B.

Simian Saturday: Emirikol & Winged Apes!

2011-09-10T16:25:00.001-05:00

Found this over on the Goodman Games website its a teaser picture for an upcoming module in the new DCC RPG. It's by Michael Curtis of Stonehell Dungeon and Dungeon Alphabet fame, so you know it should be good!

Howdy Neighbor!

2011-09-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Crypts & Things!

2011-09-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

For my fantasy gaming, I've been more of a Labyrinth Lord/AEC, Castles & Crusades kinda guy, with a bit of Pathfinder from time to time. I knew about Swords & Wizardry and have a few resources that were done up for it, but I admittedly never picked up the core rules, other than the free pdf version. I recently learned about an upcoming new release for it called Crypts & Things. Check out the cover!

This is a Swords & Wizardry RPG Variant being put out by D101 Games. Check out more about it here! I gotta tell ya this sounds like sooo many kinds of awesome! I even found a reference to Battle Apes that will be in it! This can't come out soon enough for me!

Tome of Monsters : for the Pathfinder RPG

2011-09-04T18:57:00.002-05:00

I recently stopped at my FLGS and was surprised to find a new release on the shelf that I had no idea was even coming out for the Pathfinder RPG. The Tome of Monsters by 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming.

The official blurb,"The Tome of Monsters details 123 different monsters and animals, and includes information for creating another 29 variants of some of those creatures. Among the creatures are several templates and four playable races, and most of the animals include stats for using that creature as an animal companion or a familiar..."

My FLGS does new releases at 20% off and it was payday so of course I had to pick it up. : )
I'm glad I did, it has some interesting beasties that I will definately be using for my games. We are currently in Castles & Crusades mode, but it's easy to adapt stuff to that system with minimal to zero effort. + I'm sure at some point we will be playing Pathfinder again so there ya go. : )
I'm also still naively hoping that Warlords of the Apocalypse for Pathfinder will see the light of day..*sigh* has it been a year already since it was announced and I first posted about it?? Well I'll save that for another post for another day. Anyways, if your looking for a Pathfinder Beastie book, you might want to check this one out.
Good Gaming -B.

Simian Saturday: Jaws Vs. Ape!

2011-09-03T17:19:00.003-05:00

Here's one the Sy Fy channel or however they spell it now needs to do!

Jaws vs. Ape!!

Holy Diver!

2011-08-29T20:24:00.002-05:00

Just because it's been a hectic week already felt like a little Dio was in order!

Perfect inspiration for your Fantasy RPGing!

Simian Saturday: Simian Races for Pathfinder!

2011-08-27T18:20:00.001-05:00

For only a buck you can add three new Simian Races to your Pathfinder Campaigns!

The races included are:
The Mangani: a powerful race of gorilla-like warriors.
The Shift: an eldritch race of cunning ape-men who can take on human appearance.
The Wukong: a race of sentient, sapient monkeys with the power of speech and hands capable of fine manipulation.

These are definately going into my campaign!
Good Gaming! -B

Simian Saturday: The Trunk Monkey!

2011-08-27T15:23:00.001-05:00

Ape Chauffeurs by 2020!

2011-08-21T18:36:00.001-05:00

Here's a bonus Simian Saturday post, guess that makes this Simian Sunday!

1960s futurists predicted we'd have super-intelligent ape chauffeurs by 2020!
Intelligent Apes Become Chauffeurs

For housewives of the 21st century who prefer animate rather than mechanical domestic servants, there may be a choice other than the robot. About two years ago, the RAND Corporation came out with a Report on a Long Range Forescasting Study (by T. Gordon and Olaf Helmer) which forecasts future developments in a number of important areas. The RAND panel mentioned that by the year 2020 it may be possible to breed intelligent species of animals, such as apes, that will be capable of performing manual labor. During the 21st century, those houses that don't have a robot in the broom closet could have a live-in ape to do the cleaning and gardening chores. Also, the use of well-trained apes as family chauffeurs might decrease the number of automobile accidents.
Here's the link for more info on the article.

Thanks to Needles for making me aware of this!

Castles & Crusades Sale!

2011-08-21T11:52:00.001-05:00

Still plugging along on getting ready for my Castles & Crusades Campaign, work has caused me to delay its start, but soon...soon!
Anyways, its a great time to pick up the C&C core rules for anyone that has been fence sitting!
The Troll Lords are currently running a great sale, you can currently get the Players Handbook and Monsters & Treasure in Hardback for $20 + shipping!! I couldn't resist this deal, I was still using the old Monsters & Treasure book and I can always use an extra copy of the Players Handbook at my gametable.

Edit: Forgot to mention you also get the adventure module Shadows of the Halfling Hall!

Simian Saturday

2011-08-20T18:58:00.001-05:00

Been a hectic week around these parts. Hope everyone is doing well and having a great Simian Saturday!

Tusken Raider Unmasked!

2011-08-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

This painting was submitted to Lucasfilm in 1993 for the Star Wars Galaxy trading card series and was subsequently rejected since Lucas did not want the Tusken Raider to be unmasked. So, Bradstreet added tattoos on the Tusken Raider's face and small details to the clothes. Also the slung Gaffi Stick was replaced with a rifle. With these changes, the unmasked Tusken Raider became the deadly bounty hunter Taggor Bren and Lucasfilm approved it for the trading card series. More information can be found here.

Just thought this was pretty cool so I thought I'd share. I think I'll use the first picture as inspiration for a Mutant Bounty Hunter for my Mutant Epoch Campaign!

Excavator Monthly

2011-08-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

The first issue of Excavator Monthly a magazine resource for The Mutant Epoch RPG is now available!
Even if you don't play The Mutant Epoch RPG, should be some great material for you to use in your Post Apocalyptic RPG's!

Loviatar Coolness!

2011-08-16T21:38:00.000-05:00

Had a treat in my mailbox today!
The second issue of the Loviatar fanzine has arrived!

Christian has knocked another one out of the ball park! This one is even better than the first issue. I really like the growing city campaign that he is working up, has a very cool urban gritty feel to it.

Armored Saint : March of the Saint

2011-08-14T17:31:00.000-05:00

For me 80's Heavy Metal and D&D went hand in hand, as a DM I would often go through my collection of cassettes (CD's weren't out yet) to look for gaming inspiration for my Gamma World and D&D Campaigns. One album in particular led to a fairly epic Campaign battle. Armored Saint : March of the Saint. I used the intro to this song as a lead in to the party (high level by this time) to March out in battle formation to fight the big bad evil guy! Great Memories!

Simian Saturday

2011-08-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I've been quite busy with real life of late, but things are going great. My new blog buddy Nemo235 sent me this picture he drew. With all the recent Conan Movie Hype I think it is particularly timely and very appropriate for Simian Saturday! Check out his Mutants and Magic blog and tell him Brutorz Bill sent ya!

Pathfinder Sunday!

2011-08-08T20:09:00.001-05:00

This is actually from several Sunday's ago, but I've just now had time to upload the pictures.
Clint the DM of our regular Pathfinder Campaign wanted to shake things up a bit for the Campaign and went all out for this session as you will be able to see from the pictures.

Our characters found themselves passengers upon a ship sailing the Astral Plane!

Getting dropped on a strange alien world!! A world of Savage Dinosaurs and...GUMMI BEARS!!!

Off to the Gummi Bear Lair!!

All in all a great game! Thanks Clint!

Pars Fortuna

2011-07-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

Hopefully my C&C Campaign will be able to start up late August, in the meantime I'm getting caught up on some OSR Fantasy Coolness that I hadn't picked up yet. One I've had my eye on for a bit is Pars Fortuna.

I just recently received my copy of Pars Fortuna and I must say it is a really cool Fantasy RPG, wherein the author worked up races and monsters (including there names) based on random rolls on some on-line generators. How cool is that? The artwork is top notch, reminds me of Jeff Dee (from Classic AD&D days) and that is a good thing, I've always been a fan of Jeff's work, particularly on the Deities & Demigods tome. Anyways, you can pick up the Basic Pars Fortuna rules for free. I was quite intrigued by what was presented in the basic rules so I ordered the print version of the Complete Rules. After reading them I have to say I'm quite pleased I did. Some of the races and alot of the Monsters in it are going straight into my upcoming C&C Campaign, my players won't know what hit 'em!
Good Gaming -B.

Disgenesia

2011-07-31T16:31:00.000-05:00

Found this freebie rpg download thanks to a post over on The Mutant Epoch Forums.
Disgenesia

How about a Cyberpunk Setting wherein mutations and genetic engineering have replaced cybernetic implants! An interesting idea. Check it out, it's free! : )

Simian Saturday: Guerilla Gorillas!

2011-07-30T18:37:00.000-05:00

by BonnySaintAndrew

Wilderness Alphabet

2011-07-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

My Gamer ADD has caused me to drift back into the Realms of Fantasy. Looks like my plans for a Castles & Crusades Campaign will happen! I've got five players interested, including my lovely wife. More on that as things develop. Soo in preparation, I'm getting caught up on some OSR goodies that I had failed to pick up. One item I kept meaning to get was The Wilderness Alphabet by Jim Pacek.

I recently ordered this, and am happy to have it as part of my OSR Gaming Library. Jim has done a great job on this, I will definately be using it for my games. I particularly liked his little notes on how he used something from his tables in his own campaign. Also while the art is public domain for the most part, I can tell he put in alot of man hours to find just the right picture to capture what he was looking for. Nicely done!
So if your looking for a little something to help you fill in some of the gaps in your Campaign's Wilderness, I think The Wilderness Alphabet may be just what your looking for!
Good Gaming -B

Thanks Christian!

2011-07-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

Went to my mailbox expecting bills, and was instead treated to this!

course there were some bills, but I'll worry about those later! Got some reading to do!!

Simian Saturday

2011-07-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great Simian Saturday, stay cool! The Heat Index should reach 110+ degrees around here today! Yikes!
Speaking of "Hot"! I've gotta give a shout out to the A Field Guide to Doomsday blog, Justin is a mutant beastie creating Mad Man! And I mean that in a good way! If you need some mutant monsters for your Mutant Future games, check out his blog, he's got some great ones!
And his latest post is just in time for Simian Saturday! The Apephibian!

In other Ape news I recently posted about some potential POTA minis I'd found. Well my order finally came in, I'm sad to say I'm disappointed in the quality of the minis. Scale is a bit too large for my 28mm collection, even factoring in that they are apes, and the sculpts just have a chunky, lacking finesse quality about them. I don't see myself ordering more. Oh well the search continues!
Have a Great Weekend! Stay Cool and I hope you get some gaming in!

Crazy Busy!

2011-07-21T21:06:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or is everyone crazy busy also? The summer has flown by, and I'm swamped with work, family, house and stuff. Sorry my posts have been a bit sporadic of late. Real life stuff has kept me busy. Nothing wrong, just a lot going on. I'm still around, so don't think you've gotten rid of me yet! : )
Our Pathfinder game kinda got put on hiatus due to some "other" issues, which led to some of the players quitting the group. Heck I didn't even have anything to do with the drama (this time).
I'm possibly going to be able to start up a Castles & Crusades Campaign hopefully sometime in August. I'm getting excited about that. The Missus is even wanting to play! Along with some old friends of ours. If we can get schedules to match up it will happen. I had fun running C&C a few years back, so I'm anxious to give it another spin. Heck I even hear the Castle Keeper Guide has finally come out! Woo Hoo!
In other news I got a couple of new acquisitions from Lulu.
I picked up the Anomalous Subsurface Environment adventure and mini-campaign setting for Labyrinth Lord.

It's a great module, reminds me a bit of Thundarr the Barbarian. I highly recommend it!
I also finally picked up a print version of Jeff's awesome Miscellaneum of Cinder.

Great little book, definately happy to have it as part of my gaming library. Guess I'd better run, I'm sure one of my teenagers has to be taken to some event or another!
-Good Gaming!
B.

Mall of Doom

2011-07-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

The Mall of Doom adventure for The Mutant Epoch RPG is now available! Off to go order my copy!

Simian Saturday; Won't you be my Simian?

2011-07-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

Stars Without Number : Naltorians

2011-07-08T19:46:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd shake things up a bit and show D.C. Comics some "love" and work up a non-Marvel Alien race for your enjoyment.

Believe it or not I first worked up this race for a Rifts Phase World Campaign many years ago, Rifts...great setting, insane mechanics...anyways without further ado I present the Naltorians:

Naltorians

The Dreamers
Lenses: Joy, Pacifism
Government: Monarchic (Matriarchy) - The High Seer of Naltor
Technology Level: 4 with specialties (Bio-Science)
Motivation: Passion

     Naltorians are an alien race that in all likelihood has a common ancestry with humans, they look very much like humans (Naltorians would say humans look like them, just to a "lesser degree"), except Naltorians tend to be more physically attractive than the average human and have white to platinum blonde hair and pale Caucasian features. Human Scientists claim the heightened attractiveness of Naltorians is due to their advances in Bio-Science and "tampering" with their genome to achieve this "higher" beauty. Naltorians deny this and find it to be insulting, some saying the humans are just jealous of their species' overall attractiveness. Almost all Naltorians are Psychic Precogs, with only a very small minority having no psychic ability at all. Those Naltorians without any psychic precog ability are called "future blind" and face a great deal of discrimination in their society and are often outcasts. Many of these "future blinds" leave their people and homeworld behind and seek acceptance elsewhere.

     Due to Naltor's population having the ability to see glimpses into the future, the Naltorians are one of the more prosperous and technologically advanced races in their Sector. Prior to The Scream their people were extremely talented at "playing the intergalactic stock market" finding it easier than most others to successfully "play" the markets, also innovation is far easier to them when they can see the future outcomes of developing technologies. All of these factors enabled Naltor to become a quite wealthy and technologically advanced society in the time before The Scream. However, The Scream shook the Naltorians like most others throughout the galaxy. In spite of their precognitive abilities they did not see the coming of the Scream, this in and of itself greatly shook their confidence in themselves and their society. Prior to this event, many Naltorians, especially the nobility, considered their people to be "better" than everyone else. They were humbled by this experience as they were thrown into chaos like the other "lesser" races. However, not all of them died or went mad like most psychics of other races did, many managed to hold onto their sanity, and entered sleep-like trances, some eventually recovered. But their world and way of life was forever shaken. It has taken the centuries since that dark time for them to recover, and full recovery is quite a ways off still, in particular they still have not achieved the level of technological advancement that they once had, but given their precognitive abilities they have recovered better than many other races have. They also have some of the few remaining Psionic Academies in existence; unfortunately the psychic training techniques used are not effective for most humans, although many have tried…

     Their society is virtually crime and violence free, and they are for the most part pacifists. However, this does not make them easy marks for the other hostile races in their region of space. Raiders and Pirates have attempted to attack Naltor only to find well-equipped mercenary forces in place and ready to repel them. The Deonists in particular have funded several slaver expeditions to gather up Naltorians for their psychic talents, even making at least one attempt to kidnap the High Seer herself! They were not successful. Going up against a planet of precogs makes it hard to catch them by surprise.

Of particular note, is the Naltorians innate ability to get glimpses of the future, sometimes as much as a year away, in their sleep. This ability is what has earned them the nickname; The Dreamers. Higher level Naltorian psychics have clearer dream visions and are more skilled at interpreting what they see, but it is not an exact science and many errors and misinterpretations can and do occur.

PC's
Attributes are rolled for as normal, except Charisma is 2d6 + 6.
Psychic Precogs – 96% of Naltorians are Psychic Precogs, with a rare few having some other Psychic Discipline or the ultimate horror for Naltorian parents, NO Psychic ability at all.
DreamVisions – Naltorians have the racial ability of experiencing precognitive dreams, they have no control over these visions, and most don't have a clear understanding of what they saw, however, higher level Psychics (7th level or higher) can use this like the Foretelling ability except it can be up to a year in advance. A Dream vision costs no psi points. This can be an excellent tool for the GM to plant plot details and campaign hooks into the game; it is not a "know everything" ability for the player to abuse and avoid trouble.

Adapted with some modification to fit the Stars Without Number Campaign Setting from the D.C. Comics race and in particular the character Dream Girl, member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. No copyright infringement is intended.

Stars Without Number: Tribunals

2011-07-06T20:48:00.001-05:00

Tribunals

Lenses: Subtlety, Sagacity
Government: Inapplicable
Technology Level: None
Motivation: Enigmatic

     The Tribunals are believed to be powerful alien beings composed of sentient energy. They can take on the outer shape and physical form of those they interact with, i.e. when they appear to humans, they take on a human-like appearance, although it will be mystical and somewhat nebulous seeming in form, for other species they have been reported to do the same.
     Many races believe the Tribunals to be nothing more than a wild space myth, a fanciful tale concocted by bored space travellers and scoff at talk of powerful psychic energy beings that occasionally meddle in the affairs of "lesser mortals". The Deonists apparently aren't willing to miss out on the chance to "worship" such a powerful psychic creature and have put an enormous bounty on the capture and delivery of a live Tribunal specimen to their world. There are others that seek out the Tribunals as well, for it is said they possess psionic talents and abilities that have long been lost and forgotten by the rest of the galaxy. It is said that those rare few whom the Tribunals deem worthy are gifted with a brief taste of this forgotten knowledge and power, although there is always a cost. Some come away with powerful new abilities, others come away powerful but maddened by the experience, while others are never seen again.
     If they existed prior to The Scream there are no reports of it, but so much data is lost from the previous era, nothing is conclusive in that regard. Some races claim the Tribunals somehow caused The Scream, but there is no proof of this.

     The Tribunals are obviously not appropriate for player characters. They can be used in various ways in your Campaign, some examples are; as a GM Plot Device, perhaps they could be meddling do gooders or villains or somewhere in between….Maybe a PC Psychic is on a quest to learn some new Psionic ability that can only be obtained from The Tribunals.

I very loosely based these on the alien race featured in Defenders #124, no copyright infringement is intended.

Creatures of the Tropical Wastes

2011-07-06T19:04:00.000-05:00

Look what I just downloaded!! Brand spankin' new Mutant Future Mutant Beastie book by my good buddy Outlander! Courtesy of Skirmisher Publishing. Creatures of the Tropical Wastes! I haven't had time to digest it er.. I mean read it fully but its got a bunch of new critters for Mutant Future, including several new mutations. Spielmeister I'm thinking this will be perfect for your SouthEast Asian Mutant Future Campaign!
Well I gotta go got some reading to do!

Stars Without Number : A-Chiltarians

2011-07-05T20:12:00.002-05:00

A-Chiltarians
Lenses: Domination, Tribalism
Government: Tribal
Technology Level: 3
Motivation: Conquering
A-Chiltarians hail from the planet A-Chiltar. They are a short (5'5") humanoid species, with four fingers and three toes and are covered in purple-grey fur. Of particular note are their large multi-faceted eyes, permitting them to see in many directions at once. The planet A-Chiltar has a methane based atmosphere, and the A-Chiltarians being methane breathers require special breathing apparatus (such as those pictured above) in order to breathe in oxygen based atmospheres.
A-Chiltarians are a tribal species; it is this tribalism that has kept them from reaching a higher tech-level, and becoming a true threat to the systems surrounding them. Over the centuries, especially since the time of The Scream they have made numerous attempts to dominate and stage invasions of systems near their homeworld, some of these plans have been quite involved and elaborate, but to date none of these efforts have proven to be successful. But the A-Chiltarians keep trying undeterred by their previous failures.

A-Chiltarians as PC's
Roll 3d6 for attributes as per the normal rules.
Multi-Faceted Eyes- The eyes of A-Chiltarians are much like those of an insect making them difficult to surprise and grants them a +1 on their initiative rolls, as long as their vision can come into play, i.e. in complete darkness they would have no such advantage.
Furred – The planet A-Chiltar is a cool temperate world, their light fur provides them with a +1 bonus on saves to resist the effects of cold.
Methane Breathers- A-Chiltarians are Methane breathers and require special breathing apparatus to survive on Earth-like atmosphere worlds.

A-Chiltarians are based on the alien race from Marvel Comics; Tales to Astonish #46, no copyright infringement is intended.

Stars Without Number: Deonists

2011-07-04T14:36:00.003-05:00

Deonists a.k.a. Soul-Survivors
Lenses: Despair, Faith
Government: Theocratic
Technology Level: 5 (in decline)
Motivation: Declining (simply trying to hold off the inevitable)
Deonists are a humanoid alien race, of pale white skin, dark reddish hair, yellow eyes and of a spindly and gaunt form. In ages past the Deonists' homeworld; Deo was known as "Templeworld" and was the religious center of a confederation of planets. "Templeworld" was not only the center of the confederation but it was the location of their greatest treasures. According to Deonists Doctrine their greatest treasure was "The One Above All" an extremely powerful being of vast psychic power. They apparently worshipped him as their god and in exchange he supplied them with the psychic energy needed to maintain their planets delicate biosphere and their powerplants. The Scream changed all of that, The Deonists' relied heavily on Psi-Tech to not only maintain their planet's biosphere and technology but to travel to the stars. The confederation collapsed, most Deonists went mad, or were killed in the Scream's aftermath, a few managed to survive on their homeworld, using their powerful technology to hold back the darkness. It is at some point during this time that "The One Above All" sacrificed itself to shield the remaining Deonists from the chaos engulfing the galaxy. The Deonists survived off of this beings energy for quite some time, but eventually the entity's energies were depleted. They now seek to find powerful psychics to fuel their dying (75% of the planet is desert wasteland) planet's energy. No psychic found today has come even remotely close to matching "The Once Above All's" power, so they require a steady stream of victims, just to survive. It is for this reason that the world of Deo is now known as "The Doomsday Star". Deonists use their remaining hi-tech to recruit raiders and others to kidnap and bring to their world powerful psychics, dubbed "gods" by the Deonists, that are then used (against their will) as fuel for their dying society. In the centuries since The Scream, the Deonists could have worked to change their technology to run on different energies, but that would be contrary to their beliefs and society. While still advanced by other races standards, the Deonists have made no new technological strides since ages before The Scream. It is believed that there are now only 200 or so Deonists left on their homeworld, they have dubbed themselves the Soul-Survivors, with a select few scouring the stars for new "gods" to feed their essence to maintain their world's dwindling energies.

Deonists roll 2d6+3 for Strength and Constitution, 2d6+6 for Intelligence and Wisdom, Charisma and Dexterity are rolled normally.
Detached: Deonists XP requirements to increase in level are 10% greater than normal.
At GM discretion may start with some TL: 5 weapons and gear.

Adapted from Marvel Comics, no copyright infringement is intended. First Appearance: Thor #261.

Stars Without Number: Aakon

2011-07-04T10:25:00.004-05:00

I know some folks don't care for their space aliens to be basically just humans with weird skin colors, or humans in rubber suits. I guess I'm different in that I'm cool with that. I'm sure growing up on Star Trek TOS had something to do with that and for me the Star Wars Cantina scene was enough to give me a Nerdgasm! Anyways, many of you know that I'm a big fan of the Stars Without Number RPG, one thing I'd like to see done for the setting/rules is more aliens. As time permits I'll try to post some on my blog for your amusement and use. I've done a couple already the Centaurians and the Woogatu. If you use any of these please let me know, would love to hear how they do in play.

Aakon

Lenses: Domination, Pride
Government: Oligarchic: Ruled by a council of elders made up of retired generals.
Technology Level: 4
Motivation: Militaristic

The Aakon are a humanoid alien race. They are large (average 6') heavily muscled and stout (coming from a world with higher gravity than Earth). They have lemon yellow skin, dark hair (varies from dark blue, black and a few with a dark green tint), slits for a nose, and white pupil-less eyes. In most other respects they are quite similar to humans, although the two species are not able to interbreed with one another. Also of note is the low birth rate amongst the Aakon species, this and their militaristic tendencies have kept their population relatively low especially when compared to other similarly technologically advanced species.
Originally hailing from the planet Oorga, the Aakon arrogantly considered themselves to be the dominant life form in the galaxy. They carved out a "Dominion" in the systems surrounding their homeworld. Then they encountered the Terrans. The human's mastery of psychic abilities and Psitech was completely beyond the capabilities of the Aakon who possessed no psychic talent, and were thus no match for the humans. While the Aakon's considered themselves to be "at War" with the Terran Mandate, in truth they were nothing more than a nuisance to this much larger more advanced civilization. The Terran Mandate casually swatted the Aakon aside like an annoying gnat. The Aakon's war with the humans served only to reduce their own population's numbers. Human colonists spread across the Aakon Dominion, and the Aakon were driven back to their home system, that the Terrans either didn't want or couldn't be bothered with. Then came The Scream, the Terran Mandate was brought to its knees. The Aakon however, were not so heavily impacted by this event, having no psychics amongst their species, and relying on their up and coming Spike Drive technology (much of it stolen and reverse engineered from captured human colony ships). They were left mostly unscathed by this otherwise disastrous event. The Aakon slowly began to make their move to dominate the Galaxy! Battling other aliens, the frontier world humans, pirates, as well as, each other, the Aakon have used the time since The Scream to advance their technology, increase their drastically diminished numbers and slowly spread their area of influence, it took them some time to realize the Scream had even occurred, at least on the massive scale that it had. Many of their scientists and leaders still don't accept the fact that it affected the entire Terran Mandate, but they are now on the move, They have slowly retaken many of their worlds previously lost to the humans (retaken meaning in most cases having only a small fortified outpost on said planet) and being a prideful race are still resentful of the way the Terran Mandate "humiliated" them in the distant past, they see all humans today as the same and their pride demands these humans make amends for the past. Aakon scouts scour worlds and systems looking for lost tech that they hope to reverse engineer, signs of the Terran Mandate, and suitable worlds to dominate, they have learned caution and stealth have their place in warfare, and are even believed to have ties with the Shadow Consortium.
Aakon PC's
Aakon roll 2d6+6 for Strength and Constitution and 3d6 for all other stats
Aakon have no known Psychic ability, PC Aakon cannot choose the Psychic class.

Adapted from Marvel Comics, I tweaked them slightly to fit in with the Stars Without Number Campaign Setting. The Aakon first appeared in Captain Marvel Vol. 1 #8. No copyright infringement is intended.

Stars Without Number: New Edition Coming in September!

2011-07-03T18:11:00.002-05:00

Here is the new cover of the new edition of Stars Without Number RPG that will be released by Mongoose Publishing this September. According to the author this version will have 40 pages of new content, rules for Robot PC's will be in this edition! The lack of robots was one element that I felt was missing from the current edition of the rules, so their inclusion is a welcome addition to an already great game! The current version is still FREE in pdf! And apparently will remain free after this new version is published. If your into Sci Fi, and a fan of the Basic D&D mechanic with a healthy dose of Traveller thrown in, I highly recommend you check it out!
Good Gaming - B.

Happy 4th of July! ; Simian Saturday Style!

2011-07-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone has a Great 4th of July weekend!

The Dyn; A race of Femme Fatales for your Labyrinth Lord Campaigns

2011-06-29T19:10:00.002-05:00

After reading the recent review on Grognardia about the Anomalous Subsurface Environment Megadungeon/mini-setting for Labyrinth Lord, I of course had to order it along with Jeff Rients Miscellaneum of Cinder (the two seemed like a great match), I dug out my Labyrinth Lord books and on a whim stat'd up this race. Bear in mind I'm not a race as class kinda guy, I'm following the LL AEC process with races.
So without further ado I present...
The Dyn

Dyn

Requirements: DEX 9, CHA 9
Ability Modifiers: STR-1, DEX +1
Dyn are an attractive all female race of humanoids, with chalk white skin, jet black hair and red eyes. Some sages claim they are related to elves, but more likely they are a sub-race of humans. To reproduce they seek mates amongst humans, elves, and half-elves the offspring of such unions are always Dyn. Upon reaching their 11th birthday all Dyn join The Sisterhood a mysterious organization that indoctrinates these women into the arts of battle and seduction. The Sisterhood produces the world's most notorious femme fatales. It is during this time that they are also trained in the use of the Shivring the traditional weapon of The Sisterhood.
Special Abilities: Seduction- Dyn are trained extensively in the arts of seduction, when engaged in combat with a member of the opposite sex (or female of an alternate persuasion) her opponent may be distracted. If the Dyn has at least a full round of interaction (verbal interplay, striking provocative poses etc.) her foe must save versus spell or be at -2 to attack rolls while combating these vixens.

Shivring : damage: 1d6+1, can also be used as a ranged/thrown weapon, if the Dyn forgoes her attack for that round and opts instead to use the Shivring to parry, her AC is improved by -2 as long as she is parrying with her Shivring. Often the Dyn will parry with her opponent during initial combat round while distracting him with her feminine wiles, and then when he is suitably distracted she moves in for the kill. The Shivring is a difficult weapon to master, each Dyn feels a special attachment to her Shivring and if it is ever lost or stolen she is at -1 to all attacks until it is recovered or replaced.

A Dyn with her Shivring at ready, art is by Ringo

Adapted from the Tellos Comic Series

Simian Saturday: Rise of the Planet of the Apes trailer 2

2011-06-25T20:24:00.000-05:00

Several of you have emailed me about the new trailer being out for Rise of the Planet of the Apes! Thanks! : )
For those of you that haven't seen it yet here it is.

Prime Directive Traveller!

2011-06-23T20:10:00.001-05:00

I just recently read where the Prime Directive RPG will be adapted to the Mongoose Traveller System. I think this is awesome news! This makes the Gamer Geek in me all giddy, much like the Crew in the photo above. I can see mixing all kinds of things; Andorian Commandos battling Vargr Corsairs, while a Strontium Dog hunts down a rogue Vulcan Psion in the ruins of The Cursed Earth... Oh my! : )
The recent Klingon Gorillas post I did featured the cover of the d20 Modern version of a supplement from the Prime Directive game.
Good Gaming - B.