Happy (Very Belated) Thanksgiving!

Here is a link to last year's Thanksgiving Day post and probably the only Thanksgiving-related D&D adventure in existence:  The Feast of the Gobbler 

It's for 3.x, but if you're an OSR guy, you should be able to strip it down anyhow since it is 1.) by Casey Christofferson (the guy behind several great C&C products) and 2.) was released by Necromancer Gamers.

Oh, and this seems appropriate for the holiday:

Tome of Horrors Returns with a Vengence

Bill Webb of Frog God Games just announced that they are re-releasing their famous (well, Necromancer Games' famous) Tome of Horrors I, II, and III in one major tome to be called Tome of Horrors Complete: link  Perhaps the most interesting bit is that FGG is continuing its double-barrelled approach and releasing both a Pathfinder and a Swords & Wizardry version.

As a Castles & Crusades fan who owns the original 3.0/3.5 books, I'm not sure I'll have much need for these (I can as easily convert the 3.x stats as I could the S&W stats).  However, this is cool nonetheless.

X Marks the Spot! - The Locations of DriveThruRPG’s Treasure Chests

If you’re like me, you’re too lazy to find all these DriveThruRPG.com treasure chests on your own.  I found these at the Something Awful Forums (many thanks to demota!), except for Number 20, which was found by fellow Castles & Crusades Society member, Treebore (he posted it at ENWorld.org).  Get yer booty!
1. d∞ (“d-Infinity”) Volume #1: The Adventure Begin
2. Artesia: The Book of Dooms Volume 1
3. Waves of Blood
4. RuneQuest Pirates
5. 50 Fathom's Player's Guide
6. Fading Suns Players Companion
7. City of Secrets
8  7th Sea: Players' Guide
9. Wild Cards
10. Transylvania (I can’t get this one to work though)
11. Dork Covenant (You MUST have something in your Wishlist to make it appear!)
12. Obsidian Twilight Campaign Setting (PFRPG) (This like takes you to product page, where the price is $0.00)
13. Dead Man's Chest (free Necromancer Games goodness!)
14.  Apocalypse Prevention, Inc. 
15.  Heaven & Earth
16.  [PFRPG] The Genius Guide to Feats of Subterfuge
17.  E-Z DUNGEONS: Expansion Set 2
18.  Instant Antagonist: The Selfish Succubus
19.  Cortex System Role Playing Game
20. The Great Below

Frog God Games, the OSR, and a big ol' "Huh?"

Ok, so first off, I'm a hardcore Necromancer Games fanboy.  Without a doubt, they have

made some of my favorite RPG products.  So when Bill Webb (a.k.a. Tsathogga), an NG co-founder, announced its resurrection as Frog God Games, I was stoked.  I still am.  Bill had been more of the silent partner at NG (Clark Peterson, a.k.a. Orcus, being the more vocal spokesman), so it was interesting to see Bill grab the wheel.

Recently, FGG made some big news by announcing they'd be producing a new edition of OSR favorite, Swords & Wizardry. The OSR community rejoiced.

Then folks found some interesting text on FGG's About Us page and there has not been much rejoicing.  I have put the entire text so you, Gentle Reader, can see the whole context. I have underlined the shit-storm causing text, though:
----
 "Who We Are

We consist of old grognard gamers, including a brilliant layout guy, and a cartographer who was not even a gamer when we recruited him. We have more than a few writing credits to our name, and have decided after dealing with publishers, printers and middlemen to head off on our own and make some books. We have developed friendships with, and worked with the best and most famous writers in the industry. We are the real deal.

Who We Aren't

We are not the guys who are going to offer bargain basement junk for a quick buck. We won't sell you hand drawn maps and clip art laid out by amateurs and posted up on Lulu.com as a cheap book that you look at and discard.

We won't fill your players coffers with millions of gold pieces and powerful magic items either, at least not without great efforts. Our encounters won't be "balanced" to make sure no one dies, and a 3rd level monster may or may not have 50.2 gp (like its supposed to in certain rule books). Death will be frequent, but fair, and players who fail to use their heads will surely lose them.

After all, Tsathogga's special attack is "eats 1d6 adventurers per round". Adventurers taste like chicken....errrr, flies."
---

That text has been on the FGG site from day one. I know that because I read it then and thought it was odd. No one took notice in the OSR-o-sphere until the recent FGG/S&W announcement (understandably so, since FGG had only talked about Pathfinder products up to that point).

So what do I think of this? That text had me scratching my head when I first read it and does so now.  Bill Webb has stated on the NG forums that he plays 0e D&D via Swords & Wizardry (available, uhm, on Lulu: link). He has stated he has committed to articles for Knockspell, a well-known OSR magazine. 

I think the words were very poorly chosen, to say the least.  But Bill seems to have inadvertently lumped in the very game he plays.  That tells me this isn't simply "the OSR was crap until now!"  It will be interesting to hear his explanation. I get why fans are upset, but I want to hear his response.

If nothing else, I think James Raggi's response kicks ass: link

Garhelm - The Map

This is Garhelm:

If you want a better look, trying downloading the PDF: link

Yep, as you can tell from the scan, I banged it out on some old notebook paper.  I make no claims to be a cartographer, so I have no clue if such a landmass is even feasible.  I think it looks pretty cool, though, so I don't really care.  There is no scale as I wasn't really sure what I wanted it to be and figured I'd tackle that as needed.  I just wanted a rough idea of the campaign world so I could place important locations, namely cities and dungeons.  You'll note names from the standard Necromancer Games (NG) heavy hitters (the Stoneheart Mountains from Tomb of Abysthor, Fairhill from the Crucible of Freya, Bard's Gate, the Vault of Larin Karr, and, of course, Rappan Athuk) as well as The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth coming out of retirement. Yep, that is Green Ronin's Freeport way to the south. 

I had big plans for the campaign, but they weren't realized after the deaths in the Vault of Larin Karr.  My general plan was for a sandbox campaign once the party had finished up there. I planned to include a world map with the loot at some point and then let the players have at it. Since I had never shown the map before, I was hoping that would be kind of a neat surprise (i.e., the idea being that few people in Garhelm have much sense of what their world actually looked like). 

I started the face-to-face campaign in Fairhill, which is the setting of NG's The Crucible of Freya.  I don't own that module (although I did play it as a player under Sam's DMing), but I used the free maps from NG's site [link (you’ll need to scroll down a bit)] and added my own NPCs and descriptions.  That worked out quite well and allowed me to impart the flavor of Garhelm right from the start.  I might write those up if I have a chance (unfortunately, I don't have those as electronic files, so no easy cutting and pasting).  I don't think I used Fairhill for the online campaign, likely because Sam was playing as a character.

Anyhow, here is a key of sorts to help you decipher things (I left off anything I thought was self-explanatory):

• Barbegazi lands: Barbegazi are a neat, semi-evil race ice gnomes from the Tome of Horrors II (and, I just realized, actual Swiss mythology: link).  You can check them out in the ToH II free sample: link
• ToA: Tomb of Abysthor
• Volk: Vault of Larin Karr
• The Pass of Dulane-Far: An underground, underwater tunnel connecting the mainland to a severed peninsula. Tunnels also connected this island to other nearby islands.  I believe I envisioned this pass having been closed off to contain the horrors of the island and the tunnels, but I’m not sure.  I do think it is one of the cooler things on the map.

So, there you have it.  Garhlem.  Some time in the future, I’ll put up my version of Fairhill and perhaps some of the home brew adventures I had for this campaign.

Frog God Games Awakens

Bill "Tsathogga" Webb just announced on the Necromancer Games forums that Frog God Games is live.  You can't buy Slumbering Tsar yet, but they have a place-holder page up.

Ha, and I love this from the About Us page:

"We won't fill your players coffers with millions of gold and powerful magic items either, at least not without great efforts. Our encounters won't be "balanced" to make sure no one dies, and a 3rd level monster may or may not have 50.2 gp (like its supposed to in certain rule books). Death will be frequent, but fair, and players who fail to use their heads will surely lose them."

Necromancer Games is Back ... in Frog Form

It is official, Necromancer Games is back in the game, but now in Demon Frog God form.  Bill “Tsathogga” Webb has announced that the long delayed Slumber Tsar series will be released! The module will be released under the Pathfinder RPG rule set via a subscription basis.  Of the various Necro modules that were frozen in carbonite after the announcement of D&D 4th Edition, this is the one I've really wanted.  The author, Greg A. Vaughan, based it on the original Rappan Athuk back story.

What I find very interesting is that the release is being handled by a new entity, Frog God Games, rather than Necromancer Games itself.


Here is Bill's post on ENWorld:
OK guys--website will be live in a few days froggodgames.com. Greg and I are a go. A few details to still work out---but here is the plan. I have to make it a non-Necro release for various reasons..but Clark has passed me his infernal blessings, so here we go.

The Sleeper Awakes!
At last, after languishing in its crypt for an age, the secrets of the slumbering city of Tsar burst forth in all their macabre glory. Poured forth from the eldritch furnaces and crucibles of the Necromancer and Orcus himself comes Frog God Games bringing you at long last The Slumbering Tsar Saga™.

Something Stirs in the City of Evil
Over the distant northern hills, beyond The Camp, and past the Desolation stand the pitted walls of Tsar. A hundred armies have crushed themselves against this bulwark in futile attempts to breach the city. Even the combined might of the Heavens and Earth were unable to break through in the final battle of Tsar. So why was the city suddenly abandoned on the verge of victory, and what waits for those foolish enough to enter the Temple-City of Orcus?

The Black Gates Await
Only the bravest and most powerful of heroes dare the depths of the Desolation and live to tell of it. But what happens when they penetrate that blasted landscape and look upon the gates of the very center of evil on the earth. Can even heroes of such renown breach the Walls of Death and live?

The Slumbering Tsar Saga™ began its journey years ago as a single mega-adventure for the masters of Third Edition rules and First Edition feel, then became a trilogy of adventures, then a trilogy of mega-adventures, and now finally comes to you as a monthly series culminating in a massive book with over a half million words of pure First Edition-style adventure. Updated to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game to accommodate today’s audience of the classic fantasy roleplaying game, The Slumbering Tsar Saga™ brings you 14 chapters, released monthly in electronic format, each chapter the size of a full adventure in its own right (30-50 pages) . Then when the final chapter has been released, the whole will be available in a classic edition, hardcover adventure book.

The Slumbering Tsar Saga™ will begin its run with the release of its first chapter, Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 1 —The Edge of Oblivion. Then each month will follow a new chapter in the saga:
Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 2 —The Ghosts of Victory
Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 3—The Western Front
Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 1 —The Tower of Weeping Sores
Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 2 —The Lower City
Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 3 —The Harrow Lanes
Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 4 —The Crooked Tower
Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 5 —Foundations of Infamy
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 1 —At the Feet of Orcus
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 2 —Echoes of Despair
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 3 —The Throne of the Demon Prince
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 4 —In the Belly of the Beast
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 5 —The Mind of Chaos
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 6 —Caverns of the Barrier


COMING SOON
Coming May 15th to Frog God Games Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 1 —The Edge of Oblivion in pdf format for the introductory price of $2.00.


Each month following, the next chapter of The Slumbering Tsar Saga™ will be released for the low price of $9.99. A subscription option is available to ensure that you don’t miss a single installment. Upon the release of the final chapter, the whole will be available as a hardcover print adventure and is included as part of the purchase price for those how purchase all 14 installments of the series or for a one-time purchase price of $120.00 (includes hardcover). Non subscription hardcover books will be available for $150.00 (when we are all done) at Drive Through RPG (DriveThruRPG.com - The Largest RPG Download Store!) . As soon as Slumbering Tsar Saga™ is complete, look for our next release!


Don’t miss out

You have waited long enough for The Slumbering Tsar Saga™. Now it is waiting for you.

Troll Lord Games Annual Sale

  The annual $10 Sale (link) is going on now at Troll Lord Games.  The name is sort of a misnomer since not everything really is for $10 (some prices are higher and lower), but, regardless there are some good deals.  If you’re curious about Castles & Crusades, this a good time to pick up some books on the cheap.  I bought the majority of my C&C stuff via this sale in the past.  The 4th printings of the C&C Players Handbook & Monsters & Treasure (part of what TLG is calling “The 4th Crusade”) are included in the sale. 

A few items are really tempting me:

• Issues 5 and 6 of The Crusader magazine (these issues contain adventures by Bill Webb of Necromancer Games)
• The C&C Players Handbook/Monsters & Treasure flip book (one side of the book is the PH the other side is the M&T).  That seems like a handy tome and I don’t have the latest version of the M&T.
• The Harvesters RPG.  It is geared towards kids and players take on the role of anthropomorphic heroes defending their homeland.  It might be a great birthday gift for Chaos (she turns 6 soon).

What I would advise against would be the “leather” versions of the PH and M&T.  For one, they don’t have the latest version of the rules (i.e., they lack the revisions, expansions, and errata in the 4th printing books).  I also really wasn’t wowed by their overall appearance.  They are meant to look like leather and have gold embossed covers, but they look more like rebound library books to me.  Other C&C fans seem to love them, but I was disappointed in them (especially since I bought them as gifts). 

Anyhow, if you’ve been sitting on the fence about C&C, now is the time to pull the trigger.

"Rappan Athuk - The Rakshasa Encounter" or "How I Pulled Off a Complex Illusion-based Encounter"

[Updated with some context so this makes sense (I hope) to those without the RA material]

General Rappan Athuk Spoiler Warning

More than anything I posted, this gets a big spoiler-rific warning.  This is for Rappan Athuk DMs only.  Well, my players can read this too, since they already experienced this encounter.  It has some helpful information and should be useful to any DM running an illusion-based encounter.

I originally posted this at the Necromancer Games forums in the Rappan Athuk area under Scramge - Tips for Running this Great, but Tricky, Encounter, but I decided to post it here as well.

On a side note, DMs should really check out the RA forums. There is a ton of useful advice there. Read anything by Greg Ragland (a.k.a. Damien the Bloodfeaster).  He is the author of much of the material that was added to the Rappan Athuk Reloaded edition and is a freakin' Rappan Athuk scholar.  Actually, he is a freaking dungeon design scholar, period.  As for you players out there, do not read that thread unless you are a tool that wants to cheat.

The Scramge the Rakshasa encounter is a classic illusion-based scenario.  The party enters a room and is presented with a series of illusions designed to trick the players (and/or their characters) into believing they are saving someone in need, spotting a bunch of treasure, etc.  Of course, once the party lets down its guard, the rakshasa lays the smack down.  The Scramge encounter is particularly complex.  The key part of the encounter is the rakshasa casting an illusion that causes one party member to look like the enemy while the rakshasa cloaks himself to look like that party member.  For example, when I ran it, the party cleric was made to appear to be a demon, while the rakshasa made himself look like the cleric.  The general idea is that the party will kill one of its own before they discover the illusion.

Anyhow, here is how I ran the Scramge....

The Scramge encounter comes up frequently at the RA forum due to its complexity.  As promised, here is how I successfully ran the encounter:

• I didn’t worry about whether he was “legal” or not. As pointed out elsewhere, Scramge  is based upon earlier editions of D&D where rakshasa were much more powerful.
• At the beginning of the session, I told the players that this evening was going to be a bit different than the norm.  It would rely on some heavy role-playing to make the session a success.  Players that role-played well would be rewarded with XP bonuses.
• When the party entered the room with Scramge and he kicks into gear, I described the scene as stated in the module.
• I then gave EACH player a note and told them not to tell anyone what their note said and reminded them of the XP bonus (one die-hard player literally ate his note after reading it). 
• The note for the transported and illusion-covered PC stated:
• Instead of the description you just heard [i.e., the one I read to the group of players], this happens to you:
• Suddenly, you are across the room from the rest of the party: you are staring at them and them at you.  Where you stood is a person who looks exactly like you!  The jackal-men stand nearby you and advance on the party.  Try as you might, you can’t seem to communicate with party.  They seem not to understand what you are saying.  However, you can understand them and it appears they think you are the demon!  As you cannot communicate with them, say nothing of this to the group.  Furthermore, when it is your turn, move your miniature as if you were fighting the demon.  The miniature on the table represents the person who looks like you, and he is attacking the “demon”(you).  If your duplicate should die, act as if this has happened to your character.
• The notes for the rest of the group said “Blah, blah, blah, blah…”

• I then ran the combat as is.  I made all Will saves in secret and took aside players when needed.  I also occasionally took players aside when not needed just to mess with the group and keep up the confusion (players were told not to tell what they talked about with the DM).

The encounter went very smoothly.  The players really must contribute for it to do so.   Fortunately, I’m blessed with great players who “get it.”

The session was one of the best we had and everyone had a blast with the strangeness of it (e.g., the “Blah, blah,” notes, the code of silence about the notes and DM talks, etc.).

I hope this helps.

Here are links to other threads about it:

http://necromancergames.yuku.com/topic/4660

http://necromancergames.yuku.com/topic/4967

http://necromancergames.yuku.com/topic/4732

http://necromancergames.yuku.com/topic/5064

http://necromancergames.yuku.com/topic/5034

Motivational Posters

A few years back, I had a lot of fun with the Despair Parody Motivation Poster Generator.  I thought I'd dig these out of the archives and post them here.  You'll note a Necromancer Games theme (what can I say, I'm a fanboy).

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Many years ago, back in the heyday of the OGL and d20, Necromancer Games put out a free Thanksgiving Day-themed module. Yes, you read that correctly, a Turkey Day adventure! To add whip cream to this pumpkin pie, it's written by Casey Christofferson, one of my favorite gaming writers. He has had a hand in some of NG's best work, such as Bard's Gate and the City of Brass. These days he writes great stuff for Troll Lord Games, namely supplements for his piece-meal campaign setting, the Haunted Highlands.

Anyhow, I thought it was worth resurrecting this beast for the holiday. Behold! The Feast of the Gobbler!

My Campaign

As I’ve alluded to earlier, nearly all of my D&D 3.5 experience has revolved around Necromancer Games (NG) products. I have played in a few campaigns that didn’t involve NG products, but I typically DM rather than play. The only campaign I manage to play in currently makes use of NG’s Grey Citadel adventure.

I did run the first Freeport module, Death in Freeport (by Green Ronin), and that was great fun. However, while I was going through a rough spot in my life, my good buddy (and roommate at the time), gave me a fantastic pick me up gift: Rappan Athuk I and Rappan Athuk II . Why did he pick these ones out? Because of the NG slogan, proudly displayed on their products: “Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel.” My friend’s only stipulation with these gifts was that I must DM him through them. Oh, the poor fool… little did he know what he was getting into.

Rappan Athuk (RA) is known as a real meat grinder of a dungeon. Neither I nor my buddy knew that at the time though. The concepts of “level-appropriate” and “balanced” encounters hold no sway in RA. It is a dungeon for players with the testicular fortitude to watch their favorite PCs die a horrible, horrible death. Although, it was created in the vein of Gygax’s Tomb of Horrors, I think RA surpasses that hoary module not necessarily due to lethality, but rather due to its scope.

Why the hell would anyone want to play in such a campaign? Challenge and curiosity are the main motivations, I think. Every gamer worth his salt thinks he can beat the unbeatable. Plus, when a gamer hears about a dungeon with such a reputation, there is that morbid curiosity to see how tough it really is.

On a side note, I’ve seen a lot of benefits in playing a campaign as tough as this one. My players’ gaming skills have increased exponentially. It was a damn blood bath for a while, and they still have their set-backs, but damn if they don’t kick some serious tail these days. I like to think it’s because they’ve honed themselves in the fire of RA. I also believe running RA has made me a much better GM. It’s put me through the paces and I’ve had to run some very tough encounters and make some very tough calls. I’ve learned a lot.

My current campaign is my second attempt at running RA. I ran my first RA campaign in 2003-2004, shortly after getting the modules. This campaign was fun, but I lost focus. I’ll explain that campaign another time, but suffice it to say, it became more than an RA campaign. That campaign ended when I moved out of state for a job.

The start of the current RA campaign coincided with two things: 1.) my moving back to the Pittsburgh area and 2.) the release of Rappan Athuk Reloaded (RARE). This boxed set contains all the original materials, updated to D&D 3.5, plus additional material (some of it brand-spanking new, some of it having been formerly available as Web support downloads).

Once back in da Burgh, I rallied up the gaming troops and sent out this introduction:

“Certainty of death, small chance of success…. What are we waiting for?”

Let me take you back to ancient times. I was but a boy of 8 or so and my brother brought home this strange book with monsters on the cover… a red dragon in the air, a troll lurking underground, and something called a “roper“ flailing about its tentacles. Thereafter, every once and in a while, my brother would come home from the local drugstore with a new module. He’d “make some guys” for me and we dive into this new world of adventure, full of underground perils, new monsters, and magical loot. There was something almost magical about it.

Well, folks, I had that feeling again today: my order of "Rappan Athuk - Reloaded" arrived.

I invite you all to roll some dice, slay some monsters, lose some hit points, and have some fun.

Ok, enough of the holding hands and far away looks… cue the music…

<“Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor…”>

Let the blood bath begin. This is going to be as straight forward as they come. A straight up, beer and pretzels dungeon crawl. Over-arching plot line? Not here. Quest to save the world? Not here. What’s the plan? No, not nuke ‘em from orbit (you wish), the plan is: Enter the dungeon, kill and loot as much as you can, retreat to the city to heal (i.e., raise the dead), count your money, repeat. That is it. It’s you versus the dungeon.

There will be no house rules and no big campaign setting. There will be a city of some kind where the party will be able to restock and rest. All resources (within reason) will be available. For example, there will be a priest high enough level to raise your PCs (for a price), healing potions can be readily bought, supplies for crafting magic items will be available, henchmen to hire, etc. Rappan Athuk is hard enough without added difficulties, so we will be playing this stuff by the book.

Folks, this is Rappan Athuk. You know what you’re getting into. I think the dungeon is freakin’ great, but, as you know from experience, it’s tough as hell. If you sign up to play, please go in knowing that the body count on this is going to be high. On the other hand, when you kick arse, you know you *really* kicked arse.

The party will consist of 6th level PCs created by the point buy system (the highest allowed by the DMG) with equipment (including magic items) bought as per the DMG guidelines. In all seriousness, I’d advise you create a few characters (if one dies mid-session, I will work in your backup ASAP). Does anyone know of a good PC generator that allows for point-buy?

If you’d like to play, please let me know what time and days are good for you. Then we’ll figure out a schedule. If you can’t play regularly, you are still welcome to attend whenever you want. Your PC will be there only when you are there to play him.

Let me know if you have any questions.

My Internet Hang Outs

I have been frequenting online message boards for years.

These are the ones I haunt the most in order of frequency:

Troll Lord Games
Since the onset of 4e and the resulting dry up of 3.5 support, I grew more interested in Castles & Crusades and, as such, found a new home at the TLG forums. A real nice group of people posts here regularly. It's a small community, but a loyal one. C&C is obviously the focus, but they talk about gaming in general.

Necromancer Games
Most of my 3rd edition D&D experience has revolved around Necromancer Games products, particularly Rappan Athuk which was been my main source of campaign material for years. The forums aren't very active these days and most of the original crowd has moved on. However, with the recent release of a few back-logged 3.5 products, there has been more activity there as of late. It's nice to see Bill Webb posting again. He is the main author on most of my favorite NG products.

ENWorld.org
ENWorld is a great place to get general RPG news. The forums are extensive and, by and large, civil. I don't post there too much as the majority of the subjects never grab me. Perhaps it's because I'm more interested in discussing particular gaming products rather than gaming in general.