Denizens of the Blood Sands

 

     This is a fairly recent Kickstarter I backed, by Jeffrey Jones (he also does the Gary's Appendix books). I just got the final? PDF for it yesterday and I have to say I am blown away! It reminds me of the OLD Planet Algol blog, in a great way, I want to run/play this now. This is exactly what I have been looking for!  It uses Old School Essentials for its chassis (one of my FAVORITE OSR editions), had the art, all done by the same artist (NO AI), it fantastic!  I love Post Apocalyptic stuff AND Fantasy! Original Gamma World was my jam! And this delivers in gold!  This is the first product in what is supposed to be more.  Its a bestiary, and what a cool bestiary it is! Not just stat blocks but stuff a DM can use to inspire creative encounters. My only complaint is I want MORE NOW!! LOL

     I just ended a 5E campaign, which will be my last 5E campaign, at least for the immediate future. I also backed Kevin Crawford's Ashes Without Number, its more gritty, less fantasy than this, but I can see using the monsters from Blood Sands in Ashes or using the tables in Ashes to supplement this, at least until more content for Blood Sands is released.  

     If you like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, mixed Gamma World with AD&D back in the day, and love Science Fantasy! You need to pick this up when it is available to the general public!  

Good Gaming -B.B. 

EZD6 Wasted World

 

     Wasted World, the Post-Apocalyptic expansion for the EZD6 TTRPG just released, my book arrived a few days ago. I haven't had time to dig into it just yet, but the artwork looks great, and it has a classic Gamma World feel to it.  

     Those who are long time followers of my blog, know that Post Apocalyptic RPG's (like Gamma World, Mutant Future etc) have a special place in my gamer heart.  The older I get the more I am drawn to quasi-gonzo PA settings.  I think given the state the current world is in; I don't want my gaming time to be about overly dark and depressing stuff. So, my PA style is more Gonzo Gamma World and not The Road type stuff (what a depressing movie that was).

     EZD6 looks to be loads of fun, rules lite and with a Gamma World vibe to it.  I only have the EZD6 Core book in PDF format, so looks like I will need to pick up the book form for that as well.  I know digital is all the rage, but I prefer real books at my table. Just an old grognard I guess. 

     I'll be posting more content for EZD6 Wasted World as time permits, now to convince my friends and players to give it a try.  Most folks I know are still heavy in to 5E, but P.A.gaming! That's my jam! 

     Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and get some gaming in! Life is short, enjoy friends and family while you can!  

SURVIVE THIS!! War for the Wasteland

 Happy Sunday everyone!  Hope you all are all doing well.  We've had a series of bad storms here that have made life a bit hectic (loss of power, internet, even water at times), but we are good.  I just wanted to do a quick post about a product I literally just picked up this morning.  It is from Bloat Games.  It is the Ashcan version of Survive This!! War for the Wasteland. I've only just skimmed it so far, but wow I love it!  This is the Ashcan version, and even though it is not complete, it is loaded with cool stuff.  If the Ashcan version gets enough support, Bloat Games will do a full version with new art etc.  I wanted to post about it here to share the love! With the Christmas in July Sale, its just a few bucks, and in my opinion well worth it.  I love Post Apocalyptic gaming and have always been a big fan of the Rifts setting, and this reminds me a lot of Rifts, but in a much more playable OSR way.  I'll be posting more about this one soon. Hoping I can get my group to try it out, been running alot of 5E Fantasy and I have a hankerin' to get back to my Post Apoclyptic roots!  

The Monkey Militia

      It's been awhile, but long time followers of my blog will know that I am an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego).  In particular I love the minifigs. Pictured above is the results of a rather long term project of picking up any of the Lego Chima Gorilla minifigures that I could find, while outfitting them with appropriate weapons and gear. Combat knives, Assault Rifles and Tactical Vests.  Not sure about the leader with the Katana and Owl, but we shall see.  Anyways, I present to you The Monkey Militia.  I should have waited till Saturday to post this, for a Simian Saturday post, but here it is early.  I'm hoping to work these into some Skirmish gaming soon. Maybe as a rival gang for Five Parsecs from Home, Space Weirdos, or something else?  Do any of you use lego Minifigs for your tabletop games? 

P.A./Sci-Fi Random Inspiration Generator

    I Love random generators. As a GM I have found over the years that making use of various generators can really take my imagination and my games into some fun directions that I wouldn't have otherwise gone in.  Over the holidays I was reading a a gaming blog post (sorry I honestly don't remember which one) about suggesting going through your Sci Fi book collection and randomly opening to a page, taking the first word that jumps out at you on that page and jot it down.  Then after you have a nice list to work with voila a Random Inspiration Generator is born!  

     So I did just that I grabbed a stack of my Sci-Fi (many P.A. related) books and the below list was created. Unfortunately in a cleaning binge, I put the books back up on the shelves before I wrote down which ones I used. * Doh*, I know I used Hiero's Journey, a random Deathlands book, Ensign Flandry and several others. I think it was 6-7 books in all.  Some of the words may initially seem bland, but don't be surprised they can spark some unexpected creativity when you are stuck for an adventure theme, or suggestion for an NPC or contents of a vault chamber!    

P.A./Sci-Fi Random Inspiration Generator

 1 Wrinkled

2 Other

3 Tangled

4 Monsters

5 Starless

6 Rust

7 Rustling

8 Run

9 Corroded

10 Survivors

11 Ruined

12 Howl

13 Cache

14 Map

15 Scorching'

16 Fury

17 Boss

18 Outpost

19 Empty

20 Family

21 Artifact

22 Engine

23 Dark

24 Underground

25 Vanish

26 Poison

27 Traitors

28 Cautious

29 Worn

30 Flicker

31 Sand

32 Abandoned

33 Attack

34 Shunted

35 Deep

36 Scent

37 Stolen

38 Strange

39 Watching

40 Violent

41 Power

42 Love

43 Blessing

44 Silent

45 Lured

46 Desert

47 Brute

48 Distant

49 Death

50 Harm

51 Shredded

52 Old

53 Bones

54 Acid

55 Attack

56 Resupply

57 Kick-Ass

58 Awesome

59 Road

60 Traders

61 Hollow

62 Repair

63 Ally

64 Tomorrow

65 Painful

66 Smoke

67 Beacon

68 Sun

69 Irradiated

70 Mutation

71 Secure

72 Claws

73 Teeth

74 Terrors

75 Blaze

76 Glass

77 Carnivores

78 Slime

79 Concealed

80 Feared

81 Books

82 Guards

83 Pipe

84 Wounded

85 Dissolve

86 Strike

87 Marauder

88 Frozen

89 Metal

90 Screech

91 Cover

92 Vanished

93 Masks

94 Territory

95 Profane

96 Stuck

97 Deathtrap

98 Rocks

99 Charts

100 Exterminate

     

 So lets see if this idea generator works...

Testing it out, I have no preconceived notions...  First question how many rolls on the table do I make?

I'll roll a d6 to determine that... I get a "6" ...so six rolls.

First I roll "84 - Wounded" - so someone or something is wounded...interesting..

Roll 2 is " 87 - Marauder" - seems we are dealing with a wounded marauder encounter...

Roll 3 is "8 - Run" - A wounded marauder on the run? wonder why they are on the run?  Are the local authorities after them??  Lets keep rolling...

Roll 4 is " 42- Love" - Ok now we are definitely getting a theme here, a wounded marauder on the run, and love is involved? They fall in love with the wrong person?...lets do our next roll...

Roll 5 is "27-Traitors" - So I'm starting to see a Romeo and Juliet type of scenario here. A Marauder falls in love with someone from outside their group, this person is maybe part of a group that the marauders prey upon or is their beloved part of the local Establishment/Authority?, are viewed as Traitors by both sides perhaps?  One last roll to go...

Roll 6 is "93 - Masks"- At this point I'm thinking we are dealing with a couple of lovers on the run, one is wounded, one is a Marauder and the other is not, they are considered traitors by both sides and while on the run are hiding out under some sort of covert/masked means.  Maybe pretending to be someone other than who they really are...

     Lets take these ideas just a bit further... Starting with the Marauder....who are they?  

For me a great resource for additional ideas is Pinterest.. I have several collections of different images I have saved over the years, filed under different boards.   Looking around I quickly find one that jumps out at me!

I know this is a cosplay image of Jack from Mass Effect (image by Sabi Noir) but it really inspires me with some ideas.. So I'm thinking the Marauder is a female.  Now I need a name.... how about Jax or Jaxs? I like the sound of that...My google fu finds a few more cosplay images of this character..

This is the cosplay actress Anna Moleva

     Great I like this, so what about her beloved?  I think this person will be a member of the "Authorities" Going through my Pinterest boards, I find the below image.  He looks like he has been through some rough times, ragged uniform, some possible injuries and a cornered look in his eyes. So lets tweak the above narrative a bit, the Marauder isn't the one that is injured, instead it is this guy. Maybe he is some sort of scout or pilot? He could have crashed on the planet and/or been captured by the Marauders. Jaxs and he are on the run and he is injured. Maybe she helped him escape? Due to his injuries, he can't travel far without frequents rests?

     I could keep going with this, work on his background some more, he needs a good name, but I think the list has proved it can work with some imagination.  When used with a campaign, I'd plug in my campaign factions and regions to flesh things out more.  This took a bit more of a Sci Fi direction than gritty P.A., but with some tweaks the above could readily work in P.A. Campaign. For a Gamma World Type Campaign Jaxs could be a member of the Knights of Genetic Purity or Red Death, her lover could be from a Hi Tech Enclave of Restorationists or Maybe he is a member of the KGP and she is a member of the Friends of Entropy. Lots of options.  

     Working this into a campaign the party could stumble upon these two hiding out in some ruin or under disguise in a village or town, or the party could be hired by rival factions/Cryptic Alliances to hunt down and kill/capture these two...lots of possibilities. Maybe he has valuable information on secret vaults or tech? I may have to revisit these concepts again in another post.

Have a great weekend!

Good Gaming-B.B.

 

Vaults of Vaarn #2

 My second blog post regarding the Vaults of Vaarn zine. My first post can be found HERE

Here is the official blurb about issue #2

"When a traveller is adrift in the blue dunes of Vaarn’s desert, he dreams of a city. When the camel’s hump sways beneath him, he dreams of a cushioned alcove in a tavern, with learned conversation and hookah smoke coiling languidly in the air; when Vaarn’s red sun beats upon his head he dreams of cool avenues shaded by demure and welcoming lemon trees. Oppressed by his loneliness, the traveller dreams of a city where the crowds embrace him and strangers greet him as brother; when he swills the last dregs of water around blistered gums he dreams of a a fountain in a public courtyard, where the daughters of the neighbourhood arrive to draw water and eye a handsome stranger.

Gnomon, the city of shaded markets, at first appears to be this dream made solid. There are taverns with cushioned alcoves, as the traveller sought; also he will find learned conversation and hookah smoke, wide avenues flanked by lemon trees, public fountains and smiling maidens and strangers who greet him as brother. There are many sights in Gnomon, sights beyond the traveller’s dreams: glittering mezzanine gardens and parades of masked hierophants, guild halls where cone-hatted clerks ponder their ledgers of debt, babbling souks where the merchants mutter their bargains like mantras and even memories may be bought for the right price. Truly this was what he sought in a city. 

So bewitched is our traveller, he scarcely notices that the merchants’ smiles do not reach their eyes, that the women who wave from passion-house windows have faces brittle as porcelain, that each stranger calling him brother has an accomplice reaching into his pocket. It is only as he leaves under cover of darkness, with a head ringing from cheap wine and a purse empty as his stomach, that the traveller begins to curse Gnomon, the undreamed-of city, the gilded trap."

     If you want to run your game in or around Gnomon, then this zine is right up your alley (pun intended)! It has a nice assortment of random tables to help you flesh out the city on the fly. My players are always going off in a different direction than what I had expected and having some random tables to determine what they bump into is most helpful. This issue has tables for such things as street hassles, mercenaries, merchants, trade cartels (Gnomon is a trade hub), urban shrines (all kinds of strange religions exist in Vaarn), pit fighters, gangs, taverns and more! 

Here's the link for the pay what you want version of Issue #2

 

Vaults of Vaarn

     For me personally the roots of RPG gaming are firmly in the realm of Post Apocalyptic (P.A.) RPGs.  Specifically Gamma World, my online handle "Brutorz Bill" is named after my first Gamma World character.  I've been a fan of P.A. Gaming ever since I found first edition Gamma World at the Mall (remember those?) back in 1979! While we played a ton of D&D, we always came back to Gamma World. Always enjoyed GMing Gamma World and many of the P.A. RPGs that followed.  The early days of this blog were heavily focused on the OSR game Mutant Future, had a blast running that one, with friends and even at a few local Cons. I have a stack of P.A. RPG's.  Gamma World (many editions), Mutant Future, The Mutant Epoch, Rifts (Original Rifts was more P.A. than in later supplements), Other Dust and a whole hoard of independent P.A. RPG's.  Even my recent Hyperborea RPG interests have a bit of P.A. in them.  Whew, I'm rambling...so what's the point of this blog post?

I want to talk about a fun RPG that I have discovered called Vaults of Vaarn!

Here is a blurb about it,

"The sun is dying and the wreckage of countless eons litters the parched wastes of Vaarn, the desolate country that common folk call the blue ruin. It is said that these sky-coloured sands hide the graves of the Autarchs; have swallowed the buried arcologies in which the true seed of humankind was preserved through the Great Collapse; conceal forgotten crypts of memory, decaying crystalline lattices of ancient ego-engines upon which the dusk-blue dunes encroach without pity. From the New Hegemony to the south come drifters and dreamers, desecraters of the tech-tombs that lie sunken beneath the azure wastes. Light-years overhead, aurum-hulled craft ply their tender routes between the spheres, and miles below a pilgrim’s feet, strange wombs are kindled once more with life undreamed of.

These are the hinterlands, where humanity’s great works have fallen to everlasting decay, where machine and animal and fungus think to crown themselves our equal. The phthalo-sands, where newbeasts hunt proudly with boots upon their hind paws and chromepriests chant unending binary devotions to their nameless synthetic god. Only the desperate or the mad would seek to make a life here, to roam the blue desert in search of the secret VAULTS OF VAARN."

Very cool setting, that evokes Dune (we just got the new movie on DVD, but still love the 80's film), Gamma World, a bit of Numenera with a Mobius vibe to tie it all up in an amazing package. 

Currently Vaults of Vaarn consists of three zine sized books.  More are in the works per the author.

Issue #1 Includes: 

• Full rules for play, based on the light, easy-to-learn Knave system.
• Five player ancestries with detailed character generation tables. Play as a haughty true-kin, a mutated cacogen, a mechanical synth, a feral newbeast, or a fungal mycomorph.
• Twisted mutations, psychic gifts, and cybernetic implants to further augment your character.
• 120 Exotica, the strange and valuable far-future relics that can be discovered in the vaults beneath Vaarn.
• A bestiary of 28 ferocious science-fantasy monsters that lurk in the blue wastes.
• Nine pages of content generation tables that allow a referee to spark ideas for their own vision of Vaarn. Generate desert ruins, NPCs, trading caravans, nomadic clans, arcology domes, esoteric drugs, forgotten gods, and more.
  

You can get the PDF for free HERE and it is pay what you want!!! What a deal!

The creator's blog is HERE with more about the setting, game and session logs from his home games. 

I'll be posting more about this one!

Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland

 

Taking a break from my Hyperborea posts to mention a new book for my collection. The just arrived Kickstarter I backed; Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland!  Gonzo Wahoo Post Apocalyptic Gaming!

Can't wait to run this one!! Anyone who knows me knows that Gamma World is what got me into RPG's, sure D&D is cool, but I love me some PA Mutant Madness!  Will be posting more about this one, so stay tuned!! 

More Minis for the Collection!

 Of late I find myself getting back into miniatures, ok, to be honest I never really left. I have a good sized collection of painted fantasy minis (and a TON of unpainted). However, my Sci Fi and P.A. mini collection could use some work.  That's the rationale I'm going with anyways.  A buddy of mine recently told me about Arcane Scenery & Models out of the UK. In particular there is a line of minis by Trent Miniatures, that have some cool looking 28mm Sci Fi Desert Raiderish figures (Synguree Desert Fighters).  Even though the minis are from the U.K. shipping was FREE!  and the overall price for them was very reasonable. They arrived after just a few weeks and look great. Pictured below.  

 

The dice were a separate purchase from a local shop, gotta have more dice right?

I will need to get these painted up (painted example above is from their website). I can see them being used for a variety of games, Sci Fi, P.A., tabletop skirmish etc...   Looks like I will be placing another order sooner rather than later!

Varanid Empire

Recently I read the "new" Turok : Blood Hunt Comic series by Chuck Wendig. This is a different setting/storyline from the regular Turok comic. Blood Hunt is set in a Post Apocalyptic setting that has a slight Rifts vibe to it. One of the main villainous factions is the Varanid Empire. The Varanid Empire is made up of a race of Fascist humanoid dinosaurs! 

 Reading the comic, I immediately thought these would be great in Troll Lord Games Amazing Adventures line.  For AA stats just use the Saurians as a basis for the Varanids give them WW II era German weapons instead of hi tech weapons. Amazing Adventures even has stats for the German era weapons used by the Varanid Empire. You can use stats for Velociraptors from the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters to represent the riding beasts used by the Varanids and presto you have a cool vicious Faction to unleash on your players.

The Varanid Empire could also be used in other settings from Barbarians of the Ruined Earth, to Gamma World, Mutant Crawl Classics, and more.

The Six-Pointed Star used as their symbol could strike terror in many a campaign! 

T-Rex Stats for this big fella!

Barbarians of the Ruined Earth

Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't posted much in awhile. I work in healthcare and things as you know have been hectic.  My face to face gaming is on hold, have done a bit of online play, but I much prefer face to face gaming.
I did recently pick up a cool Sci-Fantasy Post Apocalyptic RPG. Barbarians of the Ruined Earth.

     Barbarians of the Ruined Earth (BotRE) uses Back Hack (first edition) as the mechanical basis for the game, you don't need a copy of those rules to play. BotRE presents a fun, rules-lite gonzo P.A. game. Inspiration comes from Thundarr the Barbarian (yes I am old enough to remember watching it on T.V. when it first came out), Pirates of Darkwater and some Mad Max thrown in for good measure.  As a fan of Gamma World going way back I had to grab this one. Keep in mind it has more of a wahoo Thundarr vibe, than a grim and gritty vibe, so if the concept of weaponized critters (Exploding Hedgehogs) would ruin your immersion, this may not be for you.  But, if like me you need some wahoo, gonzo, crazy fun in the midst of all the world's current problems this may be worth your while.  Not sure when I will get to run it, but hopefully soon, even if it is just an online pickup game.  I may try to use it with Christian's Wasteland of Gath mini-scenarios?
     Good Gaming and Be Safe Everyone!
and speaking as a Nurse out there on the lines, PLEASE wash your hands, wear a mask and social distance, this shit is real.

Red Shirt Rangers a group for Gamma World 4th Edition

The Crimson Cadre (Red Shirt Rangers)

     Travel across the wastelands is a dangerous endeavor. Isolated enclaves and communities struggle to survive on their own, which is why what little trade exists between them is so vital for their ongoing survival. A few brave caravans and merchants brave the wastes to bring trade goods, supplies and information to these separated communities.  Good coin can be made for those willing to take up the job of caravan guard, although few are willing to do it, given the short life span such work brings. That's where the Crimson Cadre, more commonly known by others as the Red Shirt Rangers come in.  Everyone knows they are clones, everyone except perhaps the Red Shirts themselves. They all look alike, sound alike, act alike and for the most part die alike. 

Equipped with dark red leather tunics (+2 to AC),  Daggers (1d4 damage) and single-shot bolt pistols (2d8 damage). They can be "rented" for guard duty across the wastes. Payment is made up front to a mysterious entity/organization known as "The Network".  Payment is nonrefundable, and killed cadre member's weapons and gear are to be returned to The Network, in order to get your gear deposit back.

  

Red Shirt Ranger

Number: Varies depending on the job (1d8 average)

Percept: 10

Stealth/R.U.: 0

AC: 12 (10)

MD: 10 

Health: 10 

Speed:12 

Level: 1 

Hit Dice:  4 (14) 

THAC: +1 

Attacks: 1 (pistol 2d8 or dagger 1d4) 

Int: Average  

Morale: 12 

Size: M 

XP: 20 

 *above stats are for Gamma World 4th edition, but could be used with Mutant Future, or adjusted for Other Dust or other games.