Runeblade

R.U.N.E.B.L.A.D.E

Following on from earlier where I described a bit about Runeblade, I thought I'd put down the story that we as players managed to come up with in an evening.

Just as a reminder, Runeblade works on the Diceconomy system. Players begin with a set pool of coloured dice, each player then commits dice to an action in a scene, and if your dice colour succeed you then get to add a narrative to that scene. The player who has gathered the most of their own coloured dice at the end of a scene then narrates the denouement for that scene, and once the first player reaches ten of their own coloured dice, they evoke the endgame and narrate a conclusion to the overall story.

Each player get a chance to open a scene describing the opening action, the other players then take it in turns to control that scene. I have therefore broke the story up into Scenes (1, 2 and 3) and Parts (1, 2, and 3).

I didn't make a note who began each scene, or who narrated the denouement for that scene, or even what order we took turns within each scene, but Jake opened the story, and The Book evoked the endgame and story conclusion. The entire story took place over a single session in one evening over about 3 hours of play.

As Runeblade is narrative in nature and the players in the game move the story forward with their descriptions, I thought it would be good to keep a note of the story. Looking back to my notes I can attest it is a (very) rough transcript of what took place and could easily be described as “a few scribbled notes”.

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JAKE RAVEN AND THE BOOK

Characters:
The Wielder – Jake Raven

Jake Raven is a light fingered street kid who like all street kids in the Big City has had it tough. He isn't a bad kid at heart and wants to grow personally through helping others. Jake “found” The Book in an abandoned house.

The Blade* – The Book

The Book looks like an old faded tome that has been passed from person to person for longer than people can remember. Godlike beings created The Book to seek out those worthy of transformation. The Book does not know or care about their fate of those it seeks, it's goal is only to seek them out and prepare them for the coming of it's creators. The Book was hidden in a dusty cellar until being uncovered by Jake Raven. The Book has helped guide and influence Jake over the past while and believes that he be worthy of greatness. Only The Book's creators can truly decide Jakes ultimate fate.

*Although the game describes this character as a weapon of power, it could easily be anything and the player decided it would be a book instead.

The Nemesis – Simon Blackheart

Hailing from a different city, Simon is a man of influence and status. He has a business venture in the Big City which undertakes research into tracking down mystical powers that exist in the world so they can be used for his own gain. Through his research he has learned of the existence of The Book and knows that it is currently in the possession of a street kid in the Big City. Simon's agents are hot on the trail of Jake.

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Scene 1, Part 1 – It is night-time by the docks of the Big City. Standing on the stairs in an empty warehouse is Jake, giving an oration of a short passage from The Book to a bedraggled gang of youths.

Jake is listing the virtues of looking out for themselves and for each other, using passages from the The Book to reinforce his words, and that the youths of the Big City need to begin to look out for themselves or be forgotten forever in the city's underbelly. The power of The Book fills Jakes words and overcomes the youths so much that they take to the streets in a mini demonstration, aimlessly wandering from the docks towards the merchants quarter, as it moves out from the docks it turn into a riot, before fizzling out as city guards descend on the area.

Simon has hunters out on the streets looking for Jake. The demonstration impedes their search allowing Jake to make good his escape to another part of the city. Simon has already lost two hunters looking for the boy, and looks like he has lost two more in this riot. With The Book being so tantalisingly close, and the hunters being mostly ineffective, Simon has relocated to the Big City.

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Scene 1, Part 2 – Following along in the wake of the demonstration, but trying not to become involved, Jake wanders through the night-time maze like alleys of an area of the Big City Jake has never been to before feeling lost and worried. The Book sensing Jakes dismay generates a little blue flame which hovers in front of Jake. Jake feels an urge to follow the flame as the flames meanders through the streets. The flame stops by the door of a plain building, before disappearing underneath the door.

Jake follows the flame into the house and is met by an old archivist. The archivist looks up from his work seeing Jake in the doorway, chuckles and ushers him inside, stating that he had been expecting him.

The archivist has collected many old books and records on the legendary 'super beings' who shaped this world. The archivist tells Jake of the values of the 'super beings' and what they look for in mankind. The archivist also tells Jake he knows he has The Book and asks to show him something. The archivist points to several paragraphs that when read as one allows Jake to understand The Book more.

Jake now understands part of the value The Book provides. The Book is a tool of balance. Oppression is currently rife in the world and The Books current purpose is to redress this and bring back balance.

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Scene 1, Part 3 – On the other side of the Big City, Simon has descended on the docks with a handful of bruisers, and finding Jake and The Book gone, heads out following the rabble of youth. He uses some of his own powers to look down on the city and sees the little blue flame working its way through the streets. Simon knows of the archivist and sends the squad of bruisers ahead of him to the archivists location.

The bruisers arrive at the archivists house kicking in the door. Jake and the archivist rush and hide in a back room as the bruisers enter the house demanding the boy and The Book be handed over.

The Book on sensing Jakes fear causes pain in the heads of the bruisers when they approach Jake and The Book. The archivist tells Jake that he must hurry and escape, and that he will hold the bruisers off. The archivist, a secret mage of talent, casts a spell at the bruisers which disorients them  with shrieks in their ears allowing Jake to make good his escape.

Jake climbs up through the building to a skylight and flees across the rooftops. It is a full moon and Jake can clearly see the spires and roof-lights of the City Hall. He has a feeling he should head this direction and as he makes his way across the roof tops he calls out for those youths below to follow him, and with the power of The Book filling his words the youths obey.

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Scene 2, Part 1 – Jake stands atop the roof of City Hall with a sizeable gang of youths. Passers-by in the street below have not noticed Jake and his gang. Jake wonders aloud that he hopes they have an easy way of getting into the building. On hearing this The Book unlocks all the windows and doors of City Hall. Jake and the gang enter through a skylight and Jake is compelled to head to the central library. The sense of corruption and wrong fills Jake as he approaches the central library. The central library of City Hall is where meetings take place to debate and formulate new laws, and where all the laws of the land are kept. The central library is massive and is filled with tomes upon tomes of books.

On entering the the central library Jake and his gang find the library is empty. They find a memo on the front desk indicating the Lords of the Realm will met here this evening to discuss a new law. They will be here within the hour. Jake organises the gang to look through the law books to find specific laws relating to indentured servants and zero-hour contracts, and with the power provided by The Book the gang sets about their task.

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Scene 2, Part 2 – Jake and the gang uncover prolific legal precedent allowing indentured servitude, token payments for work undertaken, and general meanness to the the workforce. The gang has actually uncovered evidence that is has been Simon Blackheart who has been proposing and pushing all these new laws. A look-out on the roof of City Hall has spotted the Lords of the Realm approaching the building and has called down to Jake and the gang.

Simon has met the Lords of the Realm on the way to City Hall and now leads the Lords as they mount the steps to City Hall. The look-outs from Jakes gang now have a good description of Simon Blackheart and the Lords of the Realm.

As the Lords of the Realm make their way into City Hall, Jake and his gang escape through a skylight with their evidence.

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Scene 2, Part 3 – Jake relocates to the Speaking Stones just outside the city walls. Once there Jake his gang to make their way to various Councillors, Guild Masters and Community Leaders of the Big City and surrounding towns and beseech them to make their way to the Speaking Stones so Jake can talk to them. The power of The Book compels those leaders that the youth meet to come to the Speaking Stones.

Jake awaits at the Speaking Stones with a few of his gang, as various leaders from the Big City and surrounding towns begin to make their way to hear what Jake has to say. Jake orates and once again reads passages from The Book. After several days listening to Jake and with the power of The Book the various leaders understand the corruption that lies in the heart of their Big City and decide to take action against the Lords of the Realm.

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Scene 3, Part 1 – The Lords of the Realm and Simon Blackheart gather in the law making room. Simon has convinced them that they need to take control of their people with force, and that a show of strength is what is needed. He outlines a new law should be passed allowing each Lord to raise a private army to 'take back control'. Simon uses one of his powers to get each Lord to agree to his 'demands'.

After a few days, private armies can be seen gathering outside the gates of each Lords manors. Simon has his own private army, and can be seen smiling as he rides at the head of his army into the Big City.

With the troops gathering, various common-folk have been coming to the Speaking Stones, to look for guidance. Jake has decided to stay and speak with the common-folk and read to them from The Book. Spies from several of the Lords private armies have reported back that Jake and the various leaders have been gathering at the Speaking Stones. The Lords decide to coordinate and march their private armies on the Speaking Stones, with each Lord riding at the head. This will be their first 'show of strength'.

Jake's gang easily spots the private armies making their way to the Speaking Stones. The Book has foretold of this event. Jake has read the passages in The Book and been preparing the various leaders and their followers using the power of The Book for the events to come.

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Scene 3 , Part 2 – With Jake and his gang at the Speaking Stones along with various common-folk and some leaders there is concern as to what to do as the private armies are now converging on the Speaking Stones. The Book changes the weather gathering a storm with the eye over the Speaking Stones to slow down and hold back the private armies. The Book then compels Jake to what looks like a fox-hole behind one of the stones. This is actually a tunnel which leads from the speaking stones out into the countryside. Everyone at the Speaking Stones follows Jake and makes clear their escape as the private armies break through the storm to the Speaking Stones.

The various leaders make their way back to their towns and cities, including Jake and his gang, and imbued with the power of The Book and with a new distaste and distrust of their Lords, the leaders and common-folk begin to build a Peoples Army. The Peoples Army builds in the Big City and rivals any of the single private armies the Lords have built. Fighting in the streets begins as the Peoples Army takes over critical areas of the city. The power of The Book imbues the Peoples Army with balance and redress rather than oppression, and so most of the Lords and their private armies are gathered up and ousted from the city. The Peoples Army now control the gates to the Big City.

Simon Blackheart is seen circling the city on a large winged beast. A Hippogriff.

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Scene 3, Part 3 - Simon has summoned a thick fog to act as a screen which creeps into the city. Simon uses the fog to infiltrate the city with a small force. Even though Jake cannot see through the fog, the power from The Book allows him to sense an ally or an enemy.

Word is passed around the city that a force has infiltrated the city and is converging on the square outside the City Hall. Jake, already aware of the enemies in the city, has already a plan in motion for this and has prepared fortification on the ground outside City Hall. Simon has managed to gather a larger force than Jake had predicted, and so Jake sends bands of youths to the rooftops around the square in front of City Hall with missile weapons. Hopefully Simon's forces will be trapped between the barricades and the youths hidden around the edge of the square.

As Jake is commanding troops he realises he has command over the fog with his hand actions, a power gifted to him by The Book. Jake moves about through the prepared fortifications moving fog to allow his troops opportunity to take out Simon's army. Simon is swooping above the square on his Hippogriff attacking Jake's army where he can either in the square or on the rooftops. Although the fog also obscures Simon's vision, the Hippogriff can see through the fog.

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Endgame – With a huge fight in the centre of the city both sides are gaining and losing ground with no clear winner. Simon Blackheart is circling above the town square when he suddenly goes deaf. All of a sudden, a sound like a ringing bell sounds in his hear rising to a crescendo before silence again. The sound of a Man and Woman's voice in unison can be heard “You have been judged and you have been found unworthy”.

As the voice ceases, a stray sling bullet from Jake's army strikes Simon between the eyes, knocking him out. Simon's limp body tumbles from the Hippogriff and seemingly tumbles through the air in slow motion. Simon's limp body drops and is impaled on the iron railing outside City Hall killing him instantly. As Simon dies, the fog lifts, the fighting stops, and those close to Simon's corpse start relaying through the crowd that he is dead.

As Simon's body strikes the iron railing, Jake also goes deaf. He also hears the sound like a ringing bell rising to a crescendo before silencing and then the voice of a Man and Woman. “We have looked into your heart and you have been judged worthy. Until your natural death you will have the power of The Book to aid you to return balance to the world”. With that the sound of the world returns and Jake can hear cheering.

END

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I really do wish I had taken better notes. Better notes detailing the action would have been real nice, but even just simple things like who's turn it was, who had the denouement etc would have been a start.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this short story that arose from the game and I look forward to playing the next one.

J

Runeblade

R.U.N.E.B.L.A.D.E

A game for three roleplayers
A Parenthesis Press game, Written by Neal Stidham
A small rules light narrative game for three players that can be played over one or more sessions.

I like simple games, and I like narrative games. I am not averse to wading through tomes of complex rules crunch, nor am I averse to rolling bags of dice for combat based dungeon crawls, but sometimes you just want to roll a few dice, and tell an interesting story, and not think to heavily about things.

I came across Runeblade several years ago and managed to get myself a copy of the two page rules.

The game runs on an interesting concept, as the author calls it, Diceconomy. You gain and lose dice across the run of the game, and the ultimate goal is to gather 10 dice of a particular colour, thus allowing you to narrate the closing scene of the game. The ebb and flow the game works by “winning” dice rolls allowing you to add narrative points to the story.

I did a quick solo test to get used to the rules (there are about 10 in total) and become familiar with the flow of the game. The creator, Neal Stidham, put up a post on his blog about the game and how the diceconomy system works which really helped with learning the game.

 https://parenthesispress.com/2011/07/11/how-the-diceconomy-system-works/

 I did try (very hard, honest) to get people to play it, but as it turns out because it was quite different from most other games and I found it hard to sell the concept. Come lock-down however, I saw my opportunity to get a game of Runeblade in action. I decided to get Runeblade set up on Roll20 (and the heartache I went through for this I will keep for another blog!) so that given even the slightest opportunity I could grab a couple of players and spend an evening doing something different.

I made a nifty cover page for the Roll20 game using some stock photos and an evening with GIMP.

Fast forward to early 2021 and our regular GM was out of action for a few weeks with work commitments and so I suggested I'd run a game of Runeblade. I got two willing volunteers to play and we ran my first full game. Notwithstanding the glitches I encountered with Roll20, we all had a good time and told a good story (I will get this written up for Part 2). Post game I managed to sort out (most of) the glitches on Roll20 so hopefully next time I want to play this online it will be easier.

Having now play-tested at home and run the game online, due to the moving of dice back and forth between players, I can say that this is definitely a game that would be better suited to face to face play (unless someone out there wants to build an all singing all dancing script for this!!).

On a side note, Runeblade is one of a set of three games based on the Diceconomy system that Neal Stidham has created. The other two are Vector, a sci-fi version, and Double-cross, a cold war espionage version. I haven't played either of these other versions yet.

J

Baglioni's Legal Advice

An NPC Lawyer for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition

As I'm a huge fan of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay I joined the Rat Catcher's Guild on Discord. They recently put out a call for articles for the Spring issue of their fanzine with the theme "Big Cities, Small Towns". In the 1990's when I was running WFRP 1st Edition my players often got themselves into trouble with the law, or needed some deed notorised, so I created a shady laywer for my players to interact with. I hadn't forgotton about my NPC lawyer but I hadn't done much with him apart from try and type up my scribbled GM notes about a decade ago.

The fanzine theme "Big Cities, Small Towns" was definitely something I felt I could contribute to so I dusted off my old GM notes, loaded up what I had typed up and got to work putting together a new big city lawyer for people to use. I have had to flesh out more than I had written originally, including changing some names and details to make this a useable NPC by other people, as most of my scribbled notes were prompts for me as the GM running the campaign which had information and details relevant to the players at the time, but which would make no sense to someone who wasn't involved back then. Whether or not my NPC Lawyer makes the final fanzine publication doesn't really bother me as I had fun creating him and playing him, and this final NPC Lawyer gives me something I can throw at my players in the future. With that all being said, I give you Enzo Baglioni, Lawyer. Enjoy!

Baglioni's Legal Advice

Note: Baglioni's Legal Advice has been designed to be situated in Altdorf, more specifically on the edge of the university district in Altdorf. You can relocate Baglioni's Legal Advice to another location that fits in with your game.

Just a few streets ways from the main administrative buildings of Altdorf University lies Baglioni's Legal Advice, a modest two storey house with it's own small but well tended front garden. There is a small sign attached to the iron railing that shows an image of a pair of scales in the upper left corner, and an image of a spear and shield in the upper right corner. The writing underneath the images reads:

Enzo Baglioni ~ Lawyer

All kinds of Legal Advice

- Enquire within

On knocking the stout wooden front door a tall, thin, smartly dressed balding man opens the door. Although his dark grey outfit looks of fine quality, you can tell from it's slightly faded and worn appearance it has seen better days. He looks you up and down before stating in a flat matter of fact manner 'You are here to see Enzo Baglioni. Please come in'. You are shown into a modestly decorated and furnished lobby where you are asked to take a seat and wait. After a few minutes a doors opens and a short bald well dressed man appears 'Gooda daya my friends! Youre'a here to see Enzo no? Come'a Come'a, tell me what'a troubles you'

Common Knowledge

• 'Baglioni? Never heard of him!'
• 'Baglioni, the Lawyer? Yeah I've heard of him, if you can call him a lawyer! He runs that 'legal surgery' if you can call it that from his house near the University.'
• 'Baglioni? Yeah, he'll help you alright, but you need to be desperate if you are going to Baglioni!'
• 'My friend was in a real tight spot and Baglioni sorted it out quick he did. After Baglioni got him off his charge, my friend says he'll never break the law again! That Baglioni fellow must be real good yeah?'

ENZO BAGLIONI - HUMAN LAWYER (SILVER 3)

Enzo is short, middle-aged and smartly dressed in the latest in city fashion, although in reserved colours. He has dark brown hair which has receded to the top of his head, and he sports a neatly trimmed beard. His dark brown eyes appraise you as he shakes your hand, and his heavy accent and dark skin tone give away his foreign origin.

Enzo leads you into his office and sits you in front of a heavy dark wooden desk., behind which stands a tall bookcase filled with books. After sitting you down and offering you a drink of 'da finest Tilean wine' he sits opposite you and begins 'so you come to Enzo eh? What can I'a do'a for you today?'

Enzo is very charming and will talk for hours to his clients to get the most detail and background from them, often writing down seemingly inconsequential details in his notebook. Enzo seemingly takes on all cases, no matter what the issue at hand, from trivial things like fines for drunk and disorderly conduct, to substantial work like title deeds for a house purchase, to more involved work like serious criminal offences.

Enzo is an up and coming lawyer in Altdorf, supported by his long suffering business partner and scribe Franklin. Originally from Verezzo in Tilea, Enzo moved to Altdorf to study law. Enzo comes from a merchant family in Verezzo, and he wears his purple family colours with pride. Through his families business back in Verezzo, Enzo also has connections with The Black Guild, a notorious Verezzo guild of bodyguards and assassins. It is through all these connections that Enzo not only has contacts in Altdorf's ruling merchant families, but contacts in the Altdorf underworld as well. Enzo manages to succeed in his legal work, not because he is a good lawyer, but because he knows exactly who to talk to, and when talking doesn't work, a word in the ear of the right underworld contact often makes things happen.

Whilst Enzo will generally ask for straight payment for his legal work, often asks his clients to 'do'a little job for'a me'a' as payment or part payment for his legal work. Most of the work he gets his clients to undertake for him are part of shady dealings for his underworld contacts in order to keep himself at arms length of such things 'you'a just'a deliver dis'a box, an den'a de nice man, he give you'a note'a. You bring'a me da note'a and that'sa it'a. See'a it'sa dat'a easy!'

FRANKLIN BASCH – HUMAN SCRIBE (SILVER 2)

Skills: Art (Writing 32), Consume Alcohol 38, Cool 50, Entertain (Storytelling) 35, Evaluate 55, Gamble 55, Gossip 35, Haggle 35, Intuition 39, Language (Bretonian 53, Classical 55, Estalian 55 Wastelander 53), Lore (Heraldry 55, Law 55, Reikland 55), Melee (Basic 28), Perception 39, Research 55, Trade (Scribe 32)

Talents: Doomed, Etiquette (Scholars 1), Linguistics 1, Perfect Pitch 1, Read/Write, Savvy, Super Numerate 2

Traits: Weapon (Sword) +7

Trappings: Book and ledger, framed degree, writing kit

Franklin is tall, thin, bald and although he looks quite aged he still has a suppleness about him when he walks. He is dressed in a smart dark grey outfit which although of fine quality has definitely seen better days. His pale grey-blue eyes seem to stare through you before he speaks in a flat matter of fact manner.

Franklin is Enzo's business partner, and works behind the scenes to make sure all the legal papers are filled out and filed properly. Franklin wasn't always Enzo's business partner, but when Franklin managed to bet the house bequeathed to him by his parents and lose it all one night at the gambling tables, he didn't know what to do. He knew Enzo was a foreign lawyer and someone without local ties, so he thought  this was his best option to rectify events. Enzo not only helped Franklin recover the house, but now owns the property and has set-up his up and coming 'legal advise' business from the front room and installed Franklin as his business partner. Although Franklin is chagrined that he is in Enzo's debt, he is thankful he hasn't been kicked out of the family home and both Enzo and Franklin get along together with regards their business. Franklin still gambles in the vain hope that he will strike it rich and be able to buy back the house that is rightfully his. Franklin lives on the premises and has a private room upstairs.

Visiting Baglioni's Legal Advice

Enzo will speak with anyone about all types of legal matters, and will take on their case if he thinks he can get something out of them in return. Should someone infer he has contacts with the underworld he will do a very good imitation of an honest businessman 'whadd'ya sayin? I'a don know'a whadd'ya talkin about! You'a accuse'a me of dis you'a get'a outta mi'a house!' until he can properly size them up. Enzo is not easily intimidated, not only can he worm his was out of most situations by legal means, he also has The Black Guild he can call upon.

The bookshelf behind Enzo's desk is a mixture of a collection of books on law, a large collection of books on various Empire city states, a small collection of books on Tilean city states, as well as a number of handwritten ledgers and similar notebooks to that he currently writes in. Most of the ledgers are just business accounts and the notebooks have names and vague details from Enzo's clients. Should the PCs specifically decide to search through the ledgers and notebooks, something useful or relevant to the PCs will be found on a Very Hard (-30) Perception Test.

Behind the bookshelf is a secret wooden compartment housing a simple but sturdy locked metal safe, the false panel hiding the compartment can be found after moving some books out of the way. Should the PCs specifically search the bookshelf they can find the secret compartment on a Difficult (-10) Perception Test. The key to the safe is kept locked in another metal box stored in the large wooden desk. Opening the safe requires a Hard (-20) Pick Lock Test (SL5). The key to the metal box Enzo keeps on his person at all times. Opening the metal box requires a Difficult (-10) Pick Lock Test (3SL). Within the safe are all manner of illegal documents, forged Imperial stamps, and ledgers and notebooks with details and names of various underworld groups, and also explicit details about members of the noble households.

Making contact

The PCs might find Franklin at the one of the cities gambling establishment , and if he is not there he might be drowning his sorrows at the Quill and Ink inn. If they are open and friendly to him, he might offer, for a fee, to read or translate documents for the PCs. All Franklin wants is enough coin to buy the house back from Enzo so anything the PCs could offer to either put coin in Franklin's hand, or to make this a reality will help with relations between Franklin and the party. A successful Gossip in the city might indicate Franklin as someone who would, for a fee, translate documents, or read documents for the party.

The PCs might find themselves at court and be introduced to Enzo, or have Enzo mentioned in conversation as an up and coming lawyer. Should the PCs find themselves on the wrong side of the law, Enzo might make a visit to the cells and offer his services. A successful Gossip in the city might indicate Enzo as someone who could take on a legal case for them. Should the PCs have links with the cities underworld, a successful Gossip here might indicate Enzo as someone who can help them as he 'helps' then with their business.

Useful acquaintances

Enzo and Franklin could be very useful to a group of adventurers. Enzo has contacts in the legal courts, the royal courts and the underworld, and with a successful Haggle could be persuaded to provide the correct introductions, as long as Enzo gets something out of the deal. If the party keep running foul of the law, Enzo could also be their 'legal team' who helps them out when they get in hot water, obviously for something more lucrative than coin. Franklin can be persuaded, for a fee, to help the party with their documents, especially where none of the party have the Read/Write skill.

Both Enzo and Franklin could be used as a lead-in to an adventure. Maybe an item needs to be recovered and the owner has contacted Enzo to help retrieve it. Rather than use his local underworld contacts Enzo contacts the party to recover the item. What is the item? Who is the item for? Who has the item now and what do they want it for? Maybe Franklin has come across a document that could change the fate of the city and doesn't want to tell Enzo as he will only use it for his own gain and so confides in you the party. What is the document? Where did he obtain it? Who knows about it?

I hope that you enjoyed Enzo and you will have fun using him in your games.

J

Inspiration 2

With 2020 coming to a close, and it having been quite a difficult year for a lot of folk out there, I thought I'd revisit the topic of inspiration. I've said it before and I'll say it again, inspiration comes in many forms. If you want to see what has already inspired me head back to the previous inspiration mentions Welcome to 2018!

Everything I listed previously is still important to me, but I wanted to pick out and name a few new different places on the internet I have found myself hanging out over the past few years.

Honourable Mentions from the Internet

Graeme Davis's Blog is a catalogue of interesting articles and is a must for finding inspiration. It covers such a diverse range of topics it is always worth checking out.

Royal Road is where up and coming authors can post their works. Like I said in my last inspiration piece, sometimes a story can provide you with the spark of inspiration you need. If you don't get inspiration from Royal Road, at least you will enjoy the stories.

Black Magic Craft is a youtube channel centred on making terrain for all sorts of games. I like both Jeremy's style and also his approach to crafting. I'd highly recommend you check him out.

Miniac is a youtube channel centred on everything around painting miniatures. I'm nowhere in the same league of Scott when it comes to painting miniatures, but if you want some down to earth, tell it like it is miniature painting you can't get better than The Miniature Maniac.

Old World Podcast is a website and podcast focusing on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition). This is my new favourite podcast for all things Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

GM Word of the Week is a website and podcast all about words. Words for your games, what more could you want? A fantastic resource and well worth taking a look.

It's funny that even though 2020 has been a terrible year, and we are not venturing out as much (I miss visiting my gaming club) I really really haven't been on social media as much I have been in previous years. I don't believe that social media is as social as it's made out to be and the cynic in me will tell you it's all marketing and advertising rather than anything to do with community, but the one place I have found myself lurking about these days is on Discord. Most games and groups have a dedicated Discord server and on the whole I like these (a little bit more) than other social media platforms and social media sites. I originally joined Discord so I could keep up with news and information on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but since joining that initial server, I have joined and contributed to quite a few others. I now have a regular gaming night on Discord every two weeks.

Take what inspires you and run with it!

J

Playing Call of Cthulhu 7th edition

I am currently playing Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and I am liking it, a lot. I have played Call of Cthulhu before, and the last time I ventured into the realms of this horror fiction was sometime in the mid to late 1990's (which should make it Call of Cthulhu 5th edition). I have also played Call of Cthulhu before that, and if I recall correctly we played using a battered copy of the 2nd edition rules sometime back in the early 1990s. I like the Cthulhu mythos, and have read various works by H.P. Lovecraft who's writing the game is based on so playing Call of Cthulhu wasn't a step too far off the beaten track.

The reason Call of Cthulhu came about is one of the GMs from my local gaming group wanted to play Delta Green, a modern version of Call of Cthulhu. I played a couple of games of this and as feedback I attested that Delta Green was not for me; I just didn't feel comfortable in the game, especially as I felt with my background in science and engineering. Delta Green wasn't far enough displaced from my own life (where strange things do actually happen in my own world of science and engineering but which have nothing to do with horrors lurking in the background) and so I was reluctant to continue playing Delta Green. The GM then suggested playing Call of Cthulhu (1920's version) and this I jumped at.

The big difference for me between 1920's Call of Cthulhu and Modern Call of Cthulhu (such as Delta Green) is that I can believe my character might not have as deep a grasp of science and engineering and default to more superstition with regards to strange goings on. In today's modern world, especially with information at our fingertips it is easy for everyone to have some passing knowledge about things, and I feel this along with my own science and engineering background was my problem when we played Delta Green.

Free rules?

Chaosium the publishers of Call of Cthulhu have a set of quickstart rules, some character sheets and introductory adventures all for free and this is a great way to start in Call of Cthulhu. I picked up the quickstart rules and made a character off the cuff; I actually making my character the hour before we played our first game!!. For those more dedicated groups there is also the Starter Set for purchase from Chaosium. The introductory rules in the starter set fill in some of the gaps in the quickstart rules (like the list of skills and their descriptions).

Beyond the Starter Set

So far we have played Crimson Letters, a scenario based in Arkham and set in and around the Miskatonic University. This was the first scenario I have played using 7th edition rules, and although I was not very prepared (I rolled up my character using the Quickstart rules about an hour before the first session) this game was great. We didn't win, but we didn't lose our minds or die, so that was nice.

The next scenario we played was Blackwater Creek, set in a village of the same name. As our characters didn't die in the previous scenario, we brought them forward to this one and I tweaked the character using the proper rules (after getting my hands on the Investigator's Handbook). This scenario was more frustrating than anything else, as throughout the adventure you did feel like there was no way out (unless you decided to just get up and leave Blackwater Creek itself). That being said we, as a group, made good progress and managed to thwart the existential horror lurking in the hills, just before we all died; in a spectacular fashion; and just as we thought we had won. Absolutely amazing!

The most recent game we are playing now is the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign. We are playing the revised edition and have just completed the seed adventure which brings the party together. New characters were put together for this and having a couple of adventures under my belt I am really enjoying playing Call of Cthulhu again. Maybe our characters will die, maybe they will go mad before the end of the campaign, either way it should be fun!

J

The Pflugzeit Hare and Éostre, Goddess of the Spring

I am a massive fan of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and so it makes sense, in my mind at least, that the things I do tend to revolve around WFRP; and so it was one chocolate fuelled Easter Sunday evening I decided to compile a very quick creature for WFRP 4th Edition to capture the essence of the Easter Bunny, The Pflugzeit Hare. The following year, after another chocolate fuelled Easter, I revisited this work editing where necessary. When I was revising The Pflugzeit Hare, I couldn't just leave it out there on it's own as there had to be a reason for the Hare to be about in the Spring, so I created a new god for WFRP, Éostre, Goddess of the Spring to tie in to the Spring festival.

For those of you who are curious as to how I came up with Éostre the following basic research put me on the correct path - Easter is the English form of Éostre. Éostre is derived from the Proto-Germanic goddess of the Dawn, Austró. Éostre has recently found a new lease of life in Neo-Paganism with the veneration of Ostara at the Spring Equinox. There is more detail in the research and if I ever update either of these in the future I will list it all here.

The Pflugzeit Hare

Stories of the Pflugzeit Hare are common across the Empire. Everyone has heard the stories of the springtime spirit who rewards good children on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (9th Pflugzeit). When children leave out brightly coloured and decorated hats or baskets on the night of the full moon, the Pflugzeit Hare, fills the hats and baskets with eggs of those children who have been good.

Few have seen the Pflugzeit Hare, but those that have seen it have described it as a monstrously large hare, who walks on its hind legs standing about 7ft tall, with mottled grey fur and yellow eyes. Some say it also glows with a magical light, although no-one has been brave enough to hang about long enough to confirm any of these details.

Traits: Bite (2), Bounce, Clever, Dark Vision, Fast, Fear (2), Magical, Size (Enormous), Tough,
Ward (9+)
Optional: Arboreal, Stride, Hardy, Magic Resistance (2)

Éostre – A Provincial God

Whilst the goddess Éostre may not be actively worshipped, and indeed may be long forgotten by name, she is still well known in most rural areas across the Old World through her sphere of influence. She is said to be the goddess of the Spring and of the Dawn. Éostra may be a remnant or an aspect of the Old Faith which has been handed down across generations. When Éostre is said to travel the world, she is accompanied with her companion or familiar, the Pflugzeit Hare.

Notes: There is no formal cult nor any shrines to Éostre, although she is praised by those who believe in her giving their thanks for the dawn.

Éostre's Feast

The night of first full moon after the Spring Equinox (9th Pflugzeit) is known as Éostre's feast. Although the use of the name may have slipped out of fashion in the last century or so, bonfires are still lit all over the countryside, and folk gather to feast, make merry and worship the goddess of the Spring. It is during this feast, when Éostre is being venerated, that her companion stalks the land.

I have used the following material to help me generate Éostre and her festival: Imperial Calendar by Dave Graffam, In Search of the Old Faith by Alfred Nunez Jr, Carnivals and Festivals by Jackdays, Realm of Divine Magic by Ken Rolston, WFRP 1st Edition Rulebook, WFRP 2nd Edition Rulebook, WFRP 3rd Edition Tome of Blessings, WFRP 4th Edition Rulebook.

I may decide to update both of these again in the future (probably on another chocolate fuelled Easter weekend!)

J

Solo Gaming ...or Playing With Yourself

Stuck indoors? Can't go out? Gaming club shut? Can't bring friends over? Why not play with yourself instead?

Whilst the social aspect of gaming has been hit hard in these current times (insert here your apocalypse of choice - today it's COVID-19) most of us in the gaming and crafting communities are looking for things to do. Whether it is to work through the pile of shame, to complete those previously incomplete projects, to begin a new project, to join an online community, to play games over the internet, or as in my case end up sitting in the house and playing with myself [*giggle* sorry, I just couldn't resist that pun!].

Knowing that a lock-down was coming, I had a few days to prepare so I looked for some games I could play solo. Thanks to one of the members in the Causeway Giants Gaming Group they shared a link to some pay what you want (PWYW) games were on DriveThru RPG (DTRPG). Having a quick look I decided to grab some of these and print them out.

I downloaded some of the Micro RPG games by Noah Patterson, https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/9707/Micro-RPG The main games I downloaded were two of the Micro Chapbook RPGs and the first set of One Page Dungeons.

The one thing I will say about these games is, if you like rolling dice a lot, you will love these games.

One Page Dungeon -

Don't let the title fool you. Whilst the game page is indeed one single sheet, there are several pages of rules and background included with these.

These use D6 dice pools and the success mechanic is rolling 4 or higher. Blood points are the currency won and lost throughout the game, and levelling up is a case of spending gold. The dungeons are generated randomly through dice rolls, as are the monsters, traps and items that populate the dungeon. Once you generate your character, and memorise the sequence of play, the game page is pretty much all you need. The game finishes once you defeat the Boss Monster.

There are several games in this series and they are loosely linked together so you can play them in sequence to get a sense of a campaign. As the games progress, there are additional rules to keep things fresh. They are re-playable as I have played a few of these multiple times.

A few points to note:

1. If you like rolling dice, these games are for you. You roll dice for everything.

2. As you roll dice for everything in these games, the inherent randomness means you are as likely to succeed as you are to fail.

3. Once you succeed a couple of games and level up to improve your character things get a little bit easier, but there are still lots of dice to roll.

I really enjoyed playing these. The one page thing is great, the basic game mechanic was pretty straight forward once you played a few times, but with the different variants across the games, having to have the rules close at hand detracted from the one page playability somewhat. All in all this has kept me entertained for a good few days.

Even though there are lots of dice to roll, it isn't so bad once you get the hang of things with regards the mechanics as you can quickly read the outcome of your roll, then it's just a matter to pick up the next lot of dice to roll the next step on the game sequence. The only thing that slows this down is on the Boss Monster fights where their attack keeps changing every round.

Chapbook RPG -

This is a little self contained game book. The entire thing fits on one double sided page (and this is more of a One Page game that the self titled One Page Dungeon by the same author).

These use D6 dice and the success is to roll equal to or under your score on 1D6. Proficiency adds 1D6 to the roll. Levelling up is a case of spending gold. The dungeons, monsters, and items are all generated randomly through dice rolls.

You will need the Chapbook for gameplay, as most of the randomly generated monsters and items, have a random value attached to them (heal points, attack damage, etc.) and all this has to be looked up in the tables in the Chapbook as some of them are D3 and not D6. The game finishes when you defeat the Boss Monster.

There are several games in this series and they are loosely linked together so you can play them in sequence to get a sense of a campaign. As the games progress, there are additional rules to keep things fresh. They are re-playable as I have played a few of these multiple times.

A few points to note:

1. If you like rolling dice, these games are for you. You roll dice for everything.

2. As you roll dice for everything in these games, the inherent randomness means you are as likely to succeed as you are to fail.

3. These are almost impossible unless the Dice Gods favour you, you have increased your character, or you have better equipment and items.

I didn't enjoy playing these. There is more dice rolling than before, and looking up who does what to determine the dice rolls for this game, especially when it's 1D3+1 for the value. They are almost impossible to finish without a bit of luck on your side. With the roll equal to or under under your score on (more often) only 1D6, it can be difficult to succeed in a hurry, and in a fight this can go wrong so very quickly.

I had four attempts at this and died every time. It may seem you are doing well but then after a tough fight with bad rolls on your part, you can generate in the next room the max number of skeleton warriors (the monster below the Big Boss), which will definitely finish you off (as happened to me on four occasions).

I love the concept of solo rpgs, simple rpgs and one page rpgs. Whilst I didn't enjoy the Chapbook RPG due to its overly elaborate dice rolling detail, and the fact you are doomed from the start based on the dice rolls, I liked the concept behind this and this is something which if reworked could easily be more fun.

The One Page Dungeon's were much better. Yes there is a lot of dice rolling in this game, although as I have said, once you get a handle on the rules and memorise the general sequence of things you can quite easily determine the outcome of your dice roll, then just pick up the next lot of dice and keep rolling. Based on this I will pick up the “Season 2” One Page Dungeon “Frostmire” and see if this will keep me entertained for another few days.

J

A Cardboard Dragon for your tabletop game

As part of the regular DnD 5e game I play in we encountered a Dragon! I play a Druid, Erik Bathmoss, and we are working through Storm King's Thunder. I wrote a bit about that here. Anyway, the GM left the game on a cliffhanger with the appearance of a blue dragon, and from the cryptic clues to the description we assumed it was an Ancient Blue Dragon, one we had been told about in a previous session.

We had a long break from 5e, and this blue dragon was always sitting in the back of my mind. It was during this break I was watching some crafting videos and came across Bard's Craft on youtube. I watched a couple of videos where he crafted dragons form cardboard and a sudden thought struck me, why didn't I make a dragon for our next session! Give or take a few more weeks of indecision as to how to start, I came across a really nice blue acrylic craft paint and thought this would be a the perfect colour for my cardboard dragon. This was my impetus to actually knuckle down and begin crafting. So I got to crafting, using a combination of the templates from Bard's Craft to get my dragon shape. I enlarged the templates on my copier in work cause this was meant to be an Ancient Dragon!

The basic dragon shape all went together relatively quickly, and I had a body out of foam and cardboard, cardboard wings and cardboard head. I decided to add the legs and the feet at this point although I did come to regret adding the feet at this ponit in time as they kept catching on my fingers and falling off later on in the build. I decided to add some basic details before adding the scales, and although I don't regret the decision, with the delicate nature of card and glue at times, I was worried about handling the dragon when adding the scales. I would have been better adding all the detail after adding the scales, but that is a lesson for next time.

The next step was adding the dragon scales. Wow, such a long and tedious task to cut all those scales and place them individually! I had thought about giving up at various points but I persevered and I am glad I did cause it was great in the end. To build the body and add some basic detail took me about half a day, and to cut and place all those scales took the most of two full days, although some of this was drying time as I was using white glue. Once all the scales were on and had dried for a couple hours, I added final details to the dragon before allowing to dry fully overnight before painting.

As painting was up next I looked at some photos of blue dragons (especially DnD dragons) and found them to be a blue and yellow scheme. I wasn't really fussed by this so want for dark blue / light blue scheme. It might not have been the best paint job, but I am pleased with the results. It might not come out on the photos, but I found some pearlescent white craft paint and gave the dragon a final drybrush with this.

Turning up to our next DnD session I was a bundle of excitement with the dragon in a box to maintain the surprise, and I couldn't wait to once again describe the dragon to the party, as I revealed the dragon on the table. The reveal went down well and was a welcome surprise to everyone. after the session, I left the dragon in the capable hands of our GM. You never know when he might need it again.

J

The Virus - A short story

On the other side of the world, reports are coming in of the outbreak of a new strain of virus. From the initial news reports it seems to spread rapidly, affecting mainly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. The death toll is low for this particular virus, but the speed of it's transmission hasn't been seen before. The country at the centre of the outbreak locks down the country in an attempt to control the situation. The reaction from the rest of the world is slow, politics coming to the forefront as it is a case of us versus them. We don't want to get involved with their problems, and we also believe that this will not affect us in any way whatsoever. We continue on with our lives as normal, no precautions, no forethought.

A few days later, reports now come in of the same virus in other countries around the world. Some of these countries are our global allies, some of them are our neighbours. The reaction again is slow, again politics taking control. Those newly infected governments play down the virus so as not to panic the populous, telling them they have things under control.

A few days later the first of our neighbouring countries goes into complete lock-down, closing schools and shops, banning mass gatherings, and telling people to stay in their homes. People begin to panic buy, shops are stripped of food, medicine and toiletries.

The first case of the virus is now reported locally. The government decides to wait and see how things develop. Cases multiply rapidly, and the dead are now being counted on the news, with each bulletin bringing in ever increasing amounts of new cases and an ever increasing death toll.

Panic finally arrives to us all. Some have looked to what our neighbours are doing, and isolating themselves for the duration, only venturing out when necessary and stocking up on supplies when they do. Others just laugh in the face of this adversity telling their friends and neighbours that they are overreacting, remaining at large and singularly ignoring the advice issued in other countries on how to curb the spread of the virus.

Things go from bad to worse and the ensuing outcry from the public finally pushes the government into action, closing schools, banning mass gatherings, and telling people to stay in their homes. The few who ignored advice still say everything is a overreaction, and continue to ignore the advice given to them. The government are now forced to legislate, bringing in new powers to fine and arrest people who are at large on the streets. Even those who have been prudent and were self-isolated long before any official advice are being stopped and quizzed by the police on their way to buy essential groceries or medicines.

Initial reports state that the virus, and lock-down procedures will last 3 to 4 months. The latest reports now state this may last for over a year, coming in waves.

This is no work of fiction, this is reality. Novel Coronavirus is here.

You may have seen in the News that novel coronavirus, Covid-19, is affecting daily life, and with sweeping lock-downs across many countries, many of us are now forced to stay at home. The social aspect of tabletop gaming is taking a battering with gaming clubs closed and people told to maintain social distancing. However, having enforced time to ourselves allows us more time to paint those unfinished minis, craft that scenery for your table, and refine those home-brew rules you've been talking over with your gaming friends. With new online services people can still get together to meet, share and discuss their hobby, as well as take part in online tabletop games. Some of us might even have time to update our blogs.

Myself and my family are all well, although I am still working (for the time being). Look after yourselves and remember:

Stay at home
Wash your hands
Maintain your Social Distance
Protect your Health System

Welcome to 2020

...and welcome to the League of Omicron

A lot has been happening since my last post. I've been crafting, playing 40k, playing DnD, playing Delta Green, and playing boardgames.

40k (Warhammer 40 000) has been my sci-fi wargame of choice since I started gaming, and if you have read some of the other blogs, you will know I love Space Marines. I'm really an old school fan, and have been collecting and playing 40k since the mid 1990s. I was never a fan of taking a chapter from the rulebook, and even back when I started I had been designing my own chapter. I didn't want to stray too far into uncharted territory with my chapter and so I opted for a chapter based off of the Ultramarines Chapter. This made it easy (in terms or describing to others) who my Chapter was.

All I needed now was a name, a colour scheme and a logo and I was good to go, and so was born the League of Omicron. I took the Ultramarines vibe and ran with it having a uniform colour for my chapter, the League of Omicron being purple, and the logo was the Ultramarines log turned upside-down with the tails cut off. This way I hoped to be able to use the Ultramarines transfers to make my life easy.

For a long number of years, my love for 40k waxed and waned, as it seemed to be a non-stop race between new rulebooks and new army lists, and god forbid if you wanted to play someone and you weren't using the most up to date rules or army list. My biggest loss of love for 40k, and one of the reasons I stopped playing for a long time, came about somewhere starting around 4th Edition of the rules when Games Workshop retconned some of my beloved Space Marine units. Yes I could play in friendly games, and yes I could modify rules to allow my units to be on the field or even place proxy units, but it didn't just feel the same. My Army Standard Bearer, and my Apothecary on a Bike were sadly no more. With this the League of Omicron died and I didn't do much with the chapter since then.

When 8th edition (the current edition as of writing this) came out and my friends were enthusiastic for the new rules and new army lists, once again I was nonplussed. Yes, I would eventually field some minis for a game, and learn the new rules, but I cannot say I was as enthusiastic for the game as my friends were. All that changed when I saw what Games Workshop were doing, and boy was I pleased. No only did they release a free primer for the rules (basic rules to allow anyone to play the game), but they also released a couple of army list books listing all the old units which they had previously released minis for over the years. This got me hooked, and I borrowed the Index Imperium book from a friend to see if my beloved Space Marines were listed - they were!

With this the League of Omicron was reborn! I have had quite a few games with the new rules, and I like them, especially since I can use my older minis which are no only out of production, but where they haven't had rules for a many number of years. I really want to do the League of Omicron justice and complete them as a Chapter, with background and heroes. Over the many games I have played I have built up the potential for such background and heroes, I just need to commit them to paper now. Stay tuned and follow the League of Omicron.

J