Setting Sail For The Razor Coast

Recently the Swords & Wizardry bug has bit me. I've looked at various books and things and decided that I had to get Razor Coast. Well as luck would have it, I found a really cheap copies of the main book and the Freebooter's Guide on Ebay. Both hardcovers only set me back 60 or so dollars. 

I've started talking with some folks back home and I think I'm going to run this every other Friday. I'm definitely allowing all of the race options from the Freebooter's Guide as well as the Witchfinder. In addition, I might sprinkle in some of the spells from Space-Age Sorcery. I'm still recruiting players, but I'm pretty pumped. My only problem is I'm trying to decide if I should just have players create level 5 characters (since that's the starting point of Razor Coast) or if I want to come up with other nautical adventures to get them to level 5. What do you folks think?

Decisions, decisions...

This will probably be my first D&D game with guns. We'll see how that turns out.
I'm going to take a look at Hack! Firearms! to potentially supplement the firearms presented in the Freebooter's Guide.

Harthagoa looks terrifying!

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 31

Day 31 - What is the best piece of advice you were ever given for your game of choice?

That's the best gaming advice I've ever recieved. It seems so simple and obvious, but it's easy to get caught up in things and forget to have fun. Gaming shouldn't be a chore. It shouldn't be an obligation. It should be escapist fun.

Literary Magic Items - Samson Agonistes

Kobold Press has delighted the literature student in me once again. Previously I've discussed mentioned their items from Dante's Inferno. In Milton & Magic: Mythical Items from English Literature the folks give us a few barbarian items inspired by Samson Agonistes. The article gives us two magic items.

The first is the Sword of Bone (aka the jaw bone of an ass that Samson slew an army of Philistines with). It's a great club that deals massive damage and makes its wielder (understandably more intimidating). The second is the Lock of Hair. This wondrous item contains some of Samson's might and enhanced the wielders barbaric abilities.

I really enjoyed both of these items and hope Kobold Press continues with this literary trend. Who knows, perhaps I could even get in on it and stat some literary items and monsters. Any suggestions?

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 30

Day 30 - Describe the ideal game room if your budget were unlimited.

My ideal game room would look like a the kind of tavern that every classic D&D adventure starts in. So basically something like this:

Also I would want a fireplace that looks like the classic gem-eyed demon statue, as seen here:

Superhero Extravaganza

Villains and Vigilantes is back with a new edition and a new name: Mighty Protectors. Creators, Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, are set to release the third edition of the game which will include a more detailed look their setting. You can check out the Kickstarter here. I've never played it and Mutants and Masterminds is my go-to supers game, but I'm going to back it and give it a shot. There are some nice freebie pdfs depending on the level you back, and one of the add-ons sounds like it has roller girl mooks.

I really liked this movie (though I watched the Ultimate Edition, not the theatrical cut). I know critics hated it, but I enjoyed it. I don't think it was perfect, but I still wasn't disappointed. The Trinity were all well represented. I already liked Cavill as Supes, Batfleck is da bomb (though I don't like his Frank Miller-esque tendencies), and I believe Gal Gadot is an actual goddess. Jeremy Irons is the perfect Alfred. I would watch a movie just about Alfred, if it starred Irons. The infamous Martha seen wasn't as bad as everyone says. I will say that I couldn't stand Jesse Eisenberg's Alexander Luthor. He just annoyed the Hell out of me. Had he been the Riddler or Calculator, I would have been fine. Also, screw you Snyder for what you did to Jimmy.

Once again, I disagree with the critics. I might have really liked BvS, but I LOVED Suicide Squad even more. They're one of my favorite teams (next to the Teen Titans and Justice League). I think the squad was on point. Amanda Waller was phenomenal (though I always picture her as CCH Pounder). Flagg was my favorite character. Deadshot and Harley had the most screen time, but when you pay for Will Smith and have Margot Robbie wearing that outfit, I'm not surprised. The other villains get their time to shine though. I would have loved to seen more of Diablo and Croc, but when they act, they're great. My only real complaint with the film is that Harley and Joker's relationship, while abusive, still seemed loving on both ends. Joker actually seemed to care for her. This doesn't fit with Joker and Harley. I've read that the relationship was originally depicted as more abusive and one-sided and that's how it should have stayed. Make sure you stay and watch the mid-credits scene.

Wonder Woman is going to be amazing! Gal Gadot is a baddass goddess and Chris Pine is fun. Judging by the trailer, the movie is going to have a nice sense of humor. I think this is the right step away from Snyder-bleakness.

This trailer gave me goosebumps. It's a great use of Icky Thump and there's a nice sense of humor. Bruce's line at the end had me laughing out loud.

If you were wondering what Thor was doing during Captain America: Civil War, wonder no more...

I've been excited about Guardians for a few years. The concept are was great and the early clips seemed cool. The full trailer (just released last week), looks absolutely amazing. You want a fun Russian Avengers-eqsue film this is for you. If you don't, I'm not sure we can be friends.

The Right Hand of Doom Meets The Witcher

I love seeing Mike Mignola artwork that isn't Hellboy related (though I do love seeing that too). Check out this illustration he did of Geralt of Rivia.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 29

Day 29- If you could host a game anywhere on Earth, where would that be?

If I could game anywhere, I think I'd go with the Trinity College Dublin Library in Dublin, Ireland. Being a librarian, I'd love to game in a beautiful library and I have a soft spot for Ireland.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 28

Day 28 - What film or novel would you be most surprised that a friend had not seen or read?

If we're talking about D&D friends, I'd say The 13th Warrior. I realize this movie was a box office failure, but it's still loved by most of the gamers I know. Every time I watch it, I get an itch that can only be scratched by rolling dice.

Succubus Sunday - Chantinelle (NSFW)

I've posted about Chantinelle before.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 27

Day 27 - Describe the most unusual circumstance or location in which you've gamed.

When I was in my late teens and early 20's we used to game constantly. While we didn't do it with D&D, there were several times that Josh, Chad, Wirty, and I would play our Dragon Ball Z homebrew rpg while driving around. The game was rp heavy and we didn't need always need a full set of dice.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 26

Day 26 - What hobbies go well with rpgs?

I think most table top games go well with rpgs. Pretty much all of my D&D pals, also play board and card games. In addition, several of them play miniatures games, like Hordes and Iron Kingdoms. While there's some stigma with some grognards I've met, I think video game players and rpg players have a lot in common and are often one in the same. Well let me rephrase that, not a lot of video game players play rpg's, but most rpg players I know play video games.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 25

Day 25 - What makes for a good character?

Good characters happen when players let themselves have fun and get into character. Good characters are memorable. A good character meshes with the group (even if that's providing an interesting foil to another player). Good characters have their day in the sun, but also let other characters shine.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 24

Day 24 - What is the game you are most likely to give to others as a gift?

It depends on the person, but I think if I was going to gift an rpg to friends I would go with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or another Cinematic Unisystem game. They are just great, story heavy, rules lite games.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 23

Day 23 - Share one of your best 'Worst Luck' stories.

My Buffy character, Kyle, had the worst luck. He got hit with a magical beam that created an evil doppleganger, "Darth Kyle." The doppleganger hurt his already poor social standing. His love interest was mind controlled and knocked him out. He then got kidnapped, his throat cut, and watched her kill her watcher (while still mind controlled). He then had to fight his evil doppleganger to save said comatose slayer.

Kyle (as portrayed by Gerard Way) went through quite a bit in a few sessions of play.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 22

Day 22 - What are some random events in your games that keep happening?

Again, I don't really have anything for this, so I'm going to use an alternate.

Day 22 (alternate) - How does your group like to start a session?

My regular group starts every game night with dinner and a hour catch-up b/s session. It's just what we do. It's right after I get off work, so I'm hungry. We also don't get to see each other as much as we'd like, so we use the time to catch up and shoot the shit.

Succubus Sunday - Swords & Wizardry

This is the succubus as she appears in Swords & Wizardry Complete.

Personally, I'm a fan.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 21

Day 21 - What was the funniest misinterpretation of a game rule in your group?

I don't have anything for this, so I'm going to use an alternate question from the BrigadeCon page.

Day 21 (alternate) - What are good ways for the group to support the host on game night?

This is really simple: contribute to food and clean up after yourself. Whether it be bringing snacks or picking up the hosts portion of pizza money. Also, there's nothing more frustrating than finding a bunch of empty pop cans and wrappers after your players have left. Pitch in and clean up, it's a simple concept.

Castle and Crusades

Castle and Crusades... It's a game I have several books for (including the core), but have never played. This is my collection.

PHB and Assorted Tomes

Adventures

Monster Books

This is my challenge to those of you that are fond of the system. Tell me why I should play it. I know I have several books, so that's not a good enough reason. Sell the game to me.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 20

August 20: What is the most challenging but rewarding system you have learned?

I don't know that I've ever really found any system that hard to learn. Most games that I've felt were challenging to learn, weren't all that fun in the end.

For the sake of answering the questions I would say any edition of D&D from 2nd on. D&D can be complex, but it's a blast.

1000th Post Contest Winner!

Did you win? Watch the video and find out.

Congratulations to the winner and thanks everybody for the support.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 19

Day 19 - Best Way to Learn a New Game?

In my opinion there's only one way to learn a new game. You have to play it. You can read the rules all you want, but until you play it, you're probably not going to totally get it. I believe in learning by trial by fire. Sure you may not get the rules right the first time, but you'll learn.

The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil is the Deal of the Day

+Kevin Watson's The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil is the DriveThruRPG Deal of the Day. As I've mentioned before, I really enjoyed this adventure.

Part 2 of Kevin's Haunting of Hastur Series, The Buried Zikurat is now on Kickstarter. You should definitely back it.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 18

Day 18 - What innovation could RPG groups gain the most benefit from?

I guess I'm not innovative enough so I'm going to pass on this one.

Day 18 (alternate) - If you could relive your gaming years so far, what would you want to do more of?

I'd love to relive my late teens and early 20's. Those were the years that I did the most "hardcore" of my gaming. Wirty, Josh, Chad, and I (and the later editions to our group), played D&D all the time. In addition, those were the years that we modified the World of Darkness rules (as we understood them) and made several homebrew games, including Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, and Marvel Supers. Many of my favorite characters: Ulic, Dracos, Bloodhound, and Benji come from those years. We weren't afraid to try new things and make games of our own.

Hollow Earth Expedition PDF Free for 24 Hours!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hollow Earth Expedition, Exile Game Studio has made the pdf free for 24 hours. Just click this link to get your copy.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 17

Day 17 - What fictional character would best fit in your group? Why?

Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter would be an excellent edition to my current D&D group. Adrick, Simon, and Victor are already the Fearless Vampire Killers seeking to stop Strahd von Zarovich and his minions. He's an excellent fighter that's experienced in fighting the undead menace. Kronos also has excellent sense of style that makes me think he'd fit in well with the gents in my group.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 16

Day 16 - What historical character would you like in your group? For what game?

I'm going to cheat and pick two historical figures.

Tom Riley as Leonardo DaVinci in (Starz Davinci's Demons)

Leonard Da Vinci would be an excellent pc or supporting npc in a Savage Worlds, Cinematic Uniystem, or Dungeons and Dragons game. In an intrigue style game, he could even be your Q.

Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan (Netflix Marco Polo)

Kublai Khan would be an interesting patron for an Oriental Adventures-style D&D game.

Lilith (Immaculate and Complete)

Marian, Bound to Pain
WOTC Dreamblade Baxar's War

For the past several Succubus Sundays I've been working on turning Lilith (as presented in Cradle of Filth's Lilith Immaculate) into a Dungeon Crawl Classics Patron. Now that I'm done I've decided to collect the links and put them in one spot.

Overview and Invoke Patron Chart
Patron Taint
Spellburn

Patron Spells
Delectable Reaper
Envy's Spite
Lilith Immaculate

Related Stats
Succubus
Scabbed Wing Angel

And bonus stats just because I love it
Succubot

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Also. it a different take on her, but I also did Lilith stats for Swords & Wizardry. You can find them here.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 15

Day 15 - What types or sources of inspiration do you turn to most often for RPGs?

I often take ides from movies and tv, but honestly I think my biggest inspiration for rpg's is music. I often create playlists for different games and projects. Here are a few.

Port's Maw - Port's Maw is my working title for a sand-box release I'm wanting to do. The Chained Coffin has shown me that Appalachian D&D can work. It's inspired by my hometown of Portsmouth and will be a creepy mining/swamp community and the surrounding area.



The D(&D) - Music that makes me want to play Dungeons and Dragons



Changeling: The Lost - Fae-themed inspiration



A-Z Inspiration - Booze themed music to get me in the mood for this year's A-Z challenge.



I have several others, but these are my favorites.

Fantasy Inspiration - Skyrim Live Action Trailer

I don't know about you, but sometimes I like to browse Youtube for tabletop inspiration. Here's a throwback to 2011 that's still awesome today. I know it's for a video game, but it makes me want to roll dice.

Succubus Sunday - Lilith as a DCC Patron (Part VII)

The final patron spell for Lilith is named after the song that inspired this series of posts.

Lilith Immaculate

Level: 3 (Lilith) Range: varies Duration: permanent Activation Time: 1 day Saving Throw: none

General: Lilith is a vain mistress and desires the world to be beautiful (or at least her version of beautiful).  This spell grants the caster the ability to remove corruption from themselves and others. However, this come at a cost, as the beneficiary must purge this corruption via birthing a succubus.

Manifestation The target and caster sweat blood during this 1 day ritual.

1 Lost, failure, and patron taint.

2-11 Lost. Failure.

12-13 The caster removes one minor corruption from a willing target (other than the caster).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

14-17  The caster removes one minor or major corruption from a willing target (other than the caster).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

18-19  The caster removes one minor, major, or greater corruption from a willing target (other than the caster).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

20-23  The caster removes 1d4 corruptions (of any type) from a willing target (other than the caster).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to 1d4 succubi in 1d3 days. The succubi matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubi are unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

24-27 The caster removes one minor corruption from a willing target (even herself).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

28-29 The caster removes one minor or major corruption from a willing target (even herself).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

30-31 The caster removes one minor, major, or greater corruption from a willing target (even herself).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a succubus in 1d3 days. The succubus matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubus is unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

32+ The caster removes 1d4 corruptions (of any type) from a willing target (even herself).  The target become pregnant (temporarily changing their anatomy if necessary). They give birth to a 1d4 succubi in 1d3 days. The succubi matures quickly, growing to a full grown adult in a week. If the succubi are unable to reach maturity, the target regains the lost corruption.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 14

August 14: Who would be on your dream team of people you use to game with?

I would play these lords and ladies all day every day. They're my gamers and my fam. Don't get me wrong I have some other gaming fam I'd let join up at a moment's notice too: Josh, Dave, Meggles, Eric, Corey, Ber, Hancock, David, Remy, and Adam. I've love to get my original group of three (Chad, Wirty, and Josh) back together for a regular game. That can't happen for a while and even then we can get an occasional one shot at best, but it's a nice thought.

Sci-Fi Inspiration - Stryka

Need a good laugh? Want to watch a fun sci-fi short? Sure you do. Check out Emily Carmichael's Stryka. 

Here's a brief synopsis:

Stryka is an awesome reptile woman from another planet who does heists and odd jobs with her (literal) partner in crime, Callen. But she has a secret, she's been stealing with somebody else.

Inked with Blood From Beyond: An Interview with David Coppoletti

I decided to interview a new artist in the OSR scene +David Coppoletti. Dave's is an old gaming buddy of mine. You can win a custom sketch from Dave by entering my 1000th post contest. 

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Me: Alright sir, for readers who don't know you, who is David Coppoletti?

Dave: He's me! I grew up in Iowa and started getting into tabletop gaming when I was maybe 10 years old. Drawing and gaming are my hobbies and I'm starting to dip my toes in the OSR arena, hoping to self publish some things eventually.

Me: What was your first rpg?

Dave: TSR's marvel super heroes RPG, the yellow box set. I bought it at a church lot sale for a quarter when I was real young. It was a new concept to me. Until then I had only seen rpg ads in the comic books.

Me: Very cool. I honestly expected a version of AD&D or Basic to be your answer.

Dave: D&D was my third love. First was marvel super heroes, which was honestly a little beyond my ability to grasp that early. Second was MERP/Rolemaster, which resonated with me a lot. That was a little later on in life, maybe age 15. D&D came a little while later, and my first game was 2e (I was a halfling thief of course).

Vampire Spawn Warrior

Me: I like to be inclusive and think all versions have their merits, but where do you fall in the great edition wars?

Dave:  Every version has its own merits, you're right about that. My feelings about fourth are pretty strong - I just don't like the way it plays and the art direction never interested me. Earlier editions intrigue me, but 3e is what I have the most excellent gaming memories of.

Me: Alright, you've mentioned you're starting to dip your toes in the OSR. What have you and/or are you working on? 

Dave:  Well first I tried entering a couple OSR-related contests. That was pretty fun. Recently I started doing some artwork for the DCC community-built zine called the Gonfarmer's Almanac. The 2016 version will be available at Gen Con. There is an adventure in there that I wrote that I am kind of proud of.

Reid San Filippo makes a DCC zine called Crawling Under a Broken Moon. His psionics rulebook, Mind Games, has a picture of mine in it, and I did another piece for issue 15 of his zine.

But I'm probably most excited about doing illustrations for Gavin Norman in his revised Theorems & Thaumaturgy spellbook for Labyrinth Lord. It's going to be a really amazing book.

Me:  I really like the preview you gave me, which can be found here. So do you have any projects of your own in the works?

Dave:  Yeah I do! I'm working on an adventure module called "Blood from Beyond." The story focuses on a small isolated village that was built near a vault of dead elder gods. Seepage from the vault has caused the wildlife and people to experience changes and they need help learning how to deal with what's happening.

That's where the PCs come in. It's inspired by a lot of scifi movies pertaining to body horror. My major hurdle is organizing my notes and drawings into something cohesive that other gamers can use at their own table. I've been working on this thing since 2013 and I'm hoping to get it released sometime in 2017.

Me: Would this be the Dungeon Crawl Classics piece I created the bat creatures for?

Dave:  Yes. Those bat critters are an example of some of the mutated weirdos created by the elder god seepage. Byproducts of the alien presence causes a lot of evolutionary stutters and wrinkles.

Me:  The maps and sketches you showed me look awesome. I can't wait to see the final product. Do have a favourite OSR game? 

Incineration Imps

Dave: I have two favorites. For mechanics and character creation and adventures I prefer Dungeon Crawl Classics. It twists all the right knobs for me. For campaign setting and overall feel, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerors of Hyperborea hits the sweet spot for me. It's right in the epicenter of science fantasy, dark swords & sorcery, and weirdness. That's a winning combo for me.

Me: Any current games?

Dave: I'm currently playing in a Shadowrun game, and that's really fun. My character is basically Jackie Chan but with cybernetic implants. I'm running DCC for some friends, as well as some 5e in a multi-DM game, and I'm also running a solo Rolemaster game for my neighbor.

Me: That all sounds like a lot of fun. So let's switch gears and talk more about your art. Do you find a certain style or medium that dominates your work?

Dave: Cartoon illustration techniques always work their way into my drawings even when I'm going for something very realistic or mundane. More often than not I find myself experimenting with different mediums and surfaces. Right now I'm using illustration pens and that's new for me. It's usually straight up pencil.

Me: Are your Theorems and Thaumaturgy illustrations done with illustration pen?

Dave: Yes. I've been sketching compositions out and then inking over them. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out so far. By the way, Russ Nicholson is totally going to have an illustration in there. ☺

Me: Oh, that's very exciting. Roughly how many sketches have you contributed?

Dave: At my last count I've finished 13 illustrations, and I should have 25 or so more to go.

Me: That's an impressive number. Kudos. Who are some of your favorite artists? 

Thanks. Hmmm...let's see. On the graphic novel end I really really really love Geoff Darrow, James Stokoe, and Moebius (and Jack Kirby, but that goes without saying). As for RPG artists, my favorites are Jennell Jaquays, Russ Nicholson, Erol Otus, and Peter Mullen.

Me: A lot of people remember adventures by their cover. Whether you've played it or not, what's your favorite rpg adventure based on cover art alone?

Dave: Damn. That's a hard one. I actually remember really terrible covers much better than the good ones. Pretty much all the DCC adventure covers are great.

Dwarfbuster Coat of Arms

Me: Ok, worst adventure based on cover. And it doesn't mean the art is bad necessarily, but perhaps it's wtf material.

Dave: Role Aids released some adventure modules that had really cheesy covers, there was one called Crystal Barrier. Classic beefcake barbarian buttcheek shot. It looks like Boris Vallejo did it, and maybe he did, I dunno. The adventure itself is really insane. Definite wtf material.

Me: Just looked it up... Yup, I think it's Vallejo.

Dave: His distinctive beefcake mode.

Me: Do you have anything you'd like to share beyond what we've discussed?

Dave: I'd encourage people to check out Mutant Crawl Classics when it comes out. That game is serious fun. I know it's a little late for the kickstarter but there are some previews and adventures available right now that people can check out if they're curious. You mentioned it before on your blog I think.

Me: I did. The post can be found here. You got to play the game with the writer correct?

Dave: YES. Jim Wampler is awesome. Me and my son, Logan, got to play with him for Free RPG Day. It was the first rpg we've officially played together as PCs (we play a lot of 5e but I always DM for Logan). He rolled the first nat 20 and won a leather DCC dicebag. I'm jealous.

Me: Aww, that's a great story. I can't wait to roll dice with my little dude. Thanks for doing this. I think you're a great new artist in the scene and I want others to get used to hearing your name and seeing your work.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 13

Day 13 - What makes a successful campaign?

To have a successful campaign you have to have the same elements you have for an ideal game. You need a good group of friends, that get into character, and show up on time for sessions. You also have to be able to recognize when you need a break. Sometimes skipping a regular session to play board games keeps everyone interested and happy.

Worlds Finest Spoof 2 by KyleLatino

Curse of Strahd - Session 7 and 8

For some reason I did do these posts the week after the sessions so instead of a narrative I'm just going to to a bullet point update.

The Party 
Victor Luna (CG human Oath of Vengeance Paladin) - The de facto leader of the group, Victor is a ceaseless hunter and protector of the innocent.

Adrick Balgart (CG human Light cleric) - Cleric of Lathander, branded a heretic, he seeks redemption and revenge against the creatures of the night

Simon Barhorn (CN half-elf bard) - Self-serving, yet charismatic, Simon is the party's spokesperson.

Sessions 7 and 8

• The party arrived at the Vistani camp and had their fortunes read by Madam Eva. The results were dire. The obtained the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind from the camp. Adrick and Victor bargained with one of the Vistani for a magical blade, Fickle Fate. The rapier has a black cat motif. It's provides a +1 to hit and damage. In addition every time a 13 is rolled the sword gains a charge. When a natural 20 is rolled on an attack the sword deals extra damage equal to the number of charges. If a natural 1 is rolled the sword does the same damage, but to the wielder. The charges are reset when the wielder rolls a 1 or 20. This sword was inspired by The Sword Which is Uncertain from Tales of the Scarecrow.
• The party retrieved Ireena and her brother. While in Vallaki they met members of the Keepers of the Blackfeathers.
• They traveled to Krezk with Ireena, but their entrance was barred. They tasked with getting the overdue wine shipment from the Wizard of Wines Winery.
• At the Winery they met more wereravens who explained that the vineyard had been overtaken. The party defeated the horde of blighted plant creatures and evil druids.
• They discovered the Tome of Strahd in the winery's glassworks. 
• Upon arriving to Krezk, they learned that the Abby of St. Markovia would not be an appropriate place for Ireena, as an immortal servant of Strahd dwells there.
• Using knowledge gained the party heads to Argynvostholt in hopes of find equipment to help them better face the Devil Strahd.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 12

Day 12 - What game is your group most likely to play next? Why?

This was actually a recent discussion I had with my gaming group. Once we finish Curse of Strahd, they'd like to try a game other than D&D.  This is what we decided to go with.

Why? I have all three books and we love Star Wars. My only experience running the game was with the Edge of the Empire Beginner's Game. I had a lot of fun with it. I also have the Age of Rebellion Beginner's Game. I want to pick up the Force and Destiny and Force Awakens Beginner's Games too. I know I have the core books, but they are well put together and a lot of fun. Seriously, I'm ready to go...

I've written a bit about Star Wars (including the Fantasy Flight system). If you're curious about the posts here they are:

Death Troopers - zombies from the Expanded Universe novel Death Troopers
PROXY - lightsaber wielding holodroid and companion of Darth Vader's secret apprentice
Blitz - my favorite personal Star Wars character, updated from Star Wars Saga Edition to the Fantasy Flight game

Space-Age Sorcery Revisited

Space-Age Sorcery  is an amazing weird fantasy magic supplement for your OSR game. I remember seeing this a few years back, but at the time I wasn't as into weird fantasy and I played mainly Pathfinder and 4th Edition D&D. Now that I'm a bit older and wiser, I really appreciate the thought and work that went into this labour of twisted love. It contains over 100 spells, a chart detailing how this magic can corrupt a "normal" caster, 1d6 spell-based scenario-seeds, 1d6 random magic items, and 1d6 encounters. Seriously, this pdf and it's spells are insane. They'd fit perfectly into a game featuring the Islands of Purple Haunted Putrescence. I think they'd also fight nicely into an Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea game. I would love to get a Swords and Wizardry game going soon and if I do, I'll drop some of this material into the game.

#RPGaDay 2016 - Day 11

Day 11 - Which gamer that you have played with has most affected the way that you play?

While I'm not sure I can explain exactly how he's affected me, my best friend (and non-blood brother), Wirty, has had the most influence on me and my gaming style. Dude and I have spent many hours rolling dice. My characters are definitely more practical, worldly, and rogue-like because of playing with him.

The best part of our friendship? I can message him with something like "Quick, I need you to send me a sexy selfie" and I'll get something like this in less than five minutes.