This Is A Crossover I Didn't See Coming

Just randomly came across this Comedy Central promo for Scream VI and I had to share it.

I haven't watched Scream VI yet. Not that I think about it, I still need to watch Scream V. Are you a fan of the franchise?

Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell (1995/2012)

 

Plot

Shinji is a beefy Japanese body builder who's contacted by his photojournalist ex-girlfriend out of the blue. She wants his help with investigating a creepy house that belonged to Shinji's father. Before Shinji was born his father had killed a woman and buried her their and now her spirit lingers. Accompanied by a psychic, the pair go to the home and soon fight there's a ghost there that hold's quite a grudge.

Review

Also known as The Japanese Evil Dead, consider this a warm up post for A-Z. This has a bit of a story. The movie was originally filmed by Shinichi Fukazawa (who also wrote and stars in it as Shinji) back in 1995. However, it was finished/released until 2012. Despite being filmed in 1995, the film quality makes it look like it was filmed in 1981 along with the original Evil Dead. At just over an hour, the film should be a cult classic and is a loving Japanese take on the Evil Dead. The acting and effects are also similar to the original. There is a lot of splatter, a bit of eye gouging, and supernaturally strong pimp hand action. The film definitely is Japanese horror too. The spirit that haunts the home is very reminiscent of the ghosts from Ringu or The Grudge. Had the film not been shot when it was, I would have assumed it was copying them. 

If you're an Evil Dead fan, definitely give this one a go. It's only an hour and the gore is cheesy and over the top. In the States you can currently watch it on Shudder or free on Tubi.

In Your Game

I'm going to say in the Army of Darkness RPG setting Shinji is a Promised One. However, I'm also going to say he's just a hero and not an experienced hero (like Ash).

Shinji
Hero

Life Points: 98

Drama Points: 10

Attributes: 

Strength:  8

Dexterity:  6

Constitution: 8    

Intelligence:  2 

Perception:  2

Willpower: 4

Qualities: 

Attractiveness +2 (2)

Buff Guy (3)

Promised One (16)

Fast Reaction Time -

Nerves of Steel -

Hard to Kill 8 (6)

Drawbacks:

Adversary [Yokai and other Undead] - 

Love (2)

Reckless [Mild] (1)

Resources [Hurting] (4)

Skills:  

Acrobatics 2

Crime 1

Doctor 1

Driving/Riding 1

Getting Medieval 5

Gun Fu 2

Kung Fu 5

Notice 2

Sports 5

Maneuvers:          Bonus     Damage           Notes

Dumbell                  13             32               Bash 

Boomstick               8               20               Bullet; uses pistol ranges

Dodge                     13             None           Defense action

Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies Vol. 3 Review

Volume 3 of Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies has been released digitally and it's another bizarre good time. As you can tell by the cover, the zine features the same amateur art quality and crazy ideas as the previous two volumes. This isn't a bad thing. It's what makes the zine fun. The forward again discusses how DCC helped Judge Phil, but also discusses how it and this zine is creating community and brining folks together.

The zine starts out with a new class, the Were-raptor G-Person.  This one is just downright weird. Like the protagonist of Velocipastor, you can transform between human and raptor form. You're also some sort of agent. Class-wise they get secret agent-y stuff and can also shift into a raptor. Finally they get magic, though this mimics black-ops tech and such. It definitely doesn't fit into a typical DCC game, but then again, what is a typical DCC game. Like the deathmatch wrestler found in volume 1, I think this one is a fun addition to Bloat Game's True Vigilante or Bronx Beasts. I could also see them popping up in Umerica. 

New downtime activity rules are given next. There are tables and charts related to invest money in real estate and take a stab at Stand-Up Comedy. There's enough crunch and variety to these to make them a useful and fun addition to games. I think they both fit very well with the above mentioned DCC settings.

The final downtime activity/game add-on is the Armored Advertising Agency. This bit of sponsorship makes me think of the underrated classic, Mystery Men. I'm sure we'll see something official like this in the future with Xcrawl. 

There are two adventure sites presented. The first is Boulder Mine. The party try to get some owlbear eggs for a local monstrous pet dealer. This one can be done in a single session and has a few different foes and obstacles.

The second adventure is Horse Warranty Department. The Horse Warranty Department is a mysterious new company that sells horse insurance (though they don't ever provide coverage). Obviously this is a cover for vampires. Because.... obviously.

Like previous volumes, this is a fun and ridiculous zine that adds a bit of WTF to DCC. I definitely recommend it. 

Monstrous Compendium of Minecraft Creatures

I didn't expect this one, but to be honest, I don't hate it. Earlier today WotC and Mojang Studios announced that D&D will be crossing over with Minecraft. The paid content will bring beholders and the like to the world's most played video game. I think this is cool and gets the brand out to more folks (especially kids), though I know there are people that will complain. 

A new pdf Monstrous Compendium of Minecraft creatures was also released on D&D Beyond. The release has five monsters. They are:

• Blaze - elemental creatures tied to the Nether, an inhospitable dimension tied to the main Overworld 
• Creeper - iconic green menaces of Minecraft, these creatures sneak up on you, hiss, and explode
• Ender Dragon - power boss monster tied to the dark End dimension
• Enderman - bipedal aberrant tied to the End
• Wolf of the Overworld - wolves that roam the Overworld, statistically they are nearly identical to regular D&D wolves (lose keen senses, but have a higher Perception bonus)

The Ender Dragon is pretty cool and would make a worthy big bad for an adventure. The other stats have uses too. Just describe their physical appearance differently and they work in any game. My only complain about this one is hyperlinks over certain end/ender items that go to a broken link. Otherwise this is a cool free pdf.

Download the Minecraft x Fortnite Monstrous Compendium today.

Alex Ross X-Men #1

Here's another homage to X-Men #1, this time done by the legendary Alex Ross.

Previous depictions/homages:

Original, DCeased: War of the Undead Gods, Scorched, Power Rangers

Street Fighter II, Marvel Zombies, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel Legends Action Figures

Music Monday - Fighting Myself

Last week more new old Linkin Park music dropped. I'm really looking forward to the Meteora 20 release.  

Succubus Sunday - Lilith

The Diablo IV open beta concludes later tonight. I’ve really been enjoying it and am excited that Lilith plays such a large part in the story.

Super Sentai Saturday - Leairis Cosplay (NSFW)

I decided to kickoff the inaugural Super Sentai Saturday with a bang. 

Leairis is a cosplay, artist, and creator of spicy content. She has some great Power Ranger cosplay (both lewd and sfw) that's fantastic, like these shots taken by TRD Cosplay Photography.

This is a recently completed piece of Power Rangers art she created.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always

The trailer for the the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th anniversary special, Once & Always, dropped today. Even if I don't watch it regularly, I love Power Rangers, and MMPR is one my nostalgic jams. Check out the trailer:

Several cast members are returning for special. The Rangers appearing are:

Zach Taylor - original Black Ranger

Billy Cranston - original Blue Ranger

Rocky DeSantos - second Red Ranger

Katherine "Kat" Hillard - second Pink Ranger

Trini Kwan the original Yellow Ranger will appear in flashbacks. Charlie Kersh is being introduced as her daughter Minh Kwan and based on the synopsis will become the new Yellow Ranger in the special. It hasn't been disclosed who's playing the Green Ranger, but according to friends Jason David Frank wanted nothing to do with the special.

Other former Rangers will also appear in the special.

Adam Park - second Black Ranger

Aisha Campbell - second Yellow Ranger

Finally Alpha 5 and Rita Repulsa are back as well. Rita appears as a robot and I'll be interested in seeing if this is the actual Rita or something truly new (since Rita was purified and a force of good in later Power Rangers series). 

So yeah, I'm pretty excited for this one. It debuts April 19th on Netflix. I'll also take this time to mention a new semi normal feature I'm adding to the Halls, Super Sentai Saturday. These will just be random Power Ranger related posts (some gaming, some not).

The Bachwezi Review

The Bachwezi is another new DCC class created by Ashraf Braden and released through Sanctum Media. Remember this partnership is designed to help a young and up and coming creator. 

All Sanctum Media proceeds from this product go directly to the writer, Ashraf Braden. Ashraf is an aspiring game designer and author living near Kampala in Uganda. 

In the areas around Kampala, it is not uncommon for workers to make as little as $2/day. By purchasing this product, you are contributing to Ashraf’s ability to be able to continue to write and design games by allowing him the financial breathing room to do so. 

Your support of this, and future products of this sort, are greatly appreciated

According to folk lore, the Bachwezi are a race of invisible herders decended from the Batembuzi gods and the God-Kings of Chwezi. According to Ashraf they were said to steal souls and were sort of like abducting aliens. This racial class is pretty powerful, definitely more powerful than standard DCC classes. They use 4d6 to roll their stats, dropping the lowest for each attribute except Luck. Speaking of Luck they can spend it to become invisible and regain in when resting at night. They also have infravsion and can separate souls from bodies. They are telepathic. Their only real drawback is they are vulnerable when in sunlight. The class is given a starting occupation table.  There are also monster stats for a generic Bachwezi, as well as the Boer Goats and Sanga Cattle they herd. Like the last pdf, this one comes with a pronunciation guide and mp3's with pronunciations.

Ashraf has given us another fun bit of folklore to table goodness. Check it out and help support a new creator.

My Army of Darkness RPG Content

In preparation for this year's A-Z, this post is a compliation of (most) of my Evil Dead/Army of Darkness rpg posts. 

New Archetypes

Wolverine Scout - a young hero inspired by Evil Dead: Hail to the King

LARP Massacre Survivor - you survived a horrific massacre during a LARPing event and not fight evil

Geek Store Clerk - inspired by the Lady Killers short, maybe your geek lore will help save the day

Knightrider - a modern day knight, you've been called to fight against the Evil Dead, inspired by the Romero movie of the same name

Ready Made Characters

Bruce Campbell - sleazy actor as seen in My Name Is Bruce

Mia Allen - protagonist of Evil Dead 2013

Justin "Pun" Isaac - Evil Dead fanboy 

Sebastian Haff/Elvis Presly - the other King as seen in Bubba Ho-Tep

Rick Taylor - the protagonist of Splatterhouse

Ashley "Ash" Williams - gender-swapped Ash from the Lady Killers short

Juliet Starling - the protagonist of Lollipop Chainsaw, Juliet is a Promised One on her world

Stan Miller - retired sheriff of Willard's Miller and protagonist of Stan Against Evil

Evie Barrett - new sheriff of Willard's Miller, co-protagonist of Stan Against Evil

Allies and Foes

Deadite Ash -  possessed Jefe as seen in Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn

Deadite Jason Voorhees - the director of Jason Goes To Hell has proposed Jason is actually a deadite created by a ritual done by his mother.

Green Horror - inspired by a comic in Fantastic Fears #8, the Green Horror is the Watcher in the Woods "little brother"

Evil Eddie, the Bit Part Demon - that guy you see in every horror flick.... originally appearing in Evil Dead: The Musical

Little Lori - possessed doll from Ash vs Evil Dead Season 1

Sam - Ash's sidekick from Evil Dead: Regeneration

Krampus - protector of children from the Evil Dead 2 comics

Half-Deadite Berserker - horrific experiments created by Dr. Reinhardt of Evil Dead: Regeneration

Hellbillies -  strange hillfolk seem to be drawn to the Necromonicon, for good or ill, their name was coined in Evil Dead: Hail To The King

Qualities, Drawbacks, Items and other Rules

Survivalist - like Tremors Burt Gummer or Ash's crazy militia friend, you are a doomsday prepper and have what it needs to survive the apocalypse

Half-Deadite - a product of Dr. Reinhardt's experiments, you are no longer fully human

Simulacrum - you are a magical clone, created by dark magic, inspired by the Evil Dead 2 comics 

Old Coot - you might be a geezer, but there's still fight in you

Terror Mask - you are bonded to the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact with ties to the Dark Ones

Iron Man Gauntlet/ Bionic Commando Attachment - other attachments for characters with the Tool Man quality

Holiday Deadite Powers - new Yule powers to customize your deadites

Big Fucking Chainsaw - Too big to be a tool man attachment, this chainsaw appears in Hatchet 3

Music Monday- High School of the Dead

High School of the Dead is infamous for its fan service and physics defying boob jiggling. That being said I love it and it’s a really good zombie series. It’s definitely one of my all time top five favorites. It also has a killer opening theme performed by Kishida Kyodan and the Akeboshi Rockets. I’ve probably watched this live performance of it a hundred times. Check it out. Even if you don’t speak Japanese (which I definitely don’t) you can feel the emotion coming through. And that guitar solo towards the end… straight fire!

Why The Zombie Apocalypse Would Fail Quickly

This is pretty funny and makes some great points.

Succubus Sunday

Does this piece by Bradley K McDevitt make you horny? <snicker> If you so you can buy this stockart and use it in your games by snagging it here.

Blogging A to Z Theme Reveal: Evil Dead

Going to be honest, until I saw Tim's post on Wednesday, I hadn't give a thought to Blogging A-Z this year. Then it hit me... I haven't done anything with the Army of Darkness RPG in years and there's a new Evil Dead coming out next month. That had me definitely leaning in that direction. Earlier today I visited the Living Dead Museum, which has a room dedicated Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn. I was able to see some replica props and actual parts of the cabin and work shed used in the film. At the end of the tour I was purchased a small piece of the cabin for my horror collection. I don't have words to express how excited that makes me.

I might have missed out on the official theme reveal, but I can still share with y'all. I don't have all my posts planned out, but I plan on reaching out to all the films, games, shows, and comics for it. I might even draw some connections to other horror films like the director of Jason Goes To Hell. Oh and of course you can expect and Evil Dead Rise review later in the month.

Squirrel Girl Saturday

Source

 

Legend of the White Dragon Teaser Trailer

On November 19, 2022 Jason David Frank died. While I didn't always agree with his view points, I was a fan. JDF played Tommy Oliver int he Power Ranger franchise (in a few different series) and was a big part of my childhood. His final project, Legend of the White Dragon, is a gritty spin on the Power Rangers franchise. This is kind of ironic because Frank came out against the gritty fan film Power/Rangers because its adult centered content.

Though JDF has passed, the film will still be released. It's currently in post-production and is expected to release this year. 

Power/Rangers (2015 Fan Film)

Right now G.I. Joe is the only Essence20 game I have, but I definitely plan on picking up both Transformers and Power Rangers. I'm obsessing over media associated with the franchises. I shared the Joseph Kahn's gritty Power/Rangers fan film on here before, but the video I linked was taken down. Thought I'd repost it. 

While I don't plan on doing a super dark take on the Rangers like this, there are some ideas and things I really like about it. 

Enter The Collection Review

Enter the Collection was the 2021 Free RPG Day offering from Renegade Games Studios. The adventure uses their Essence20 system and was designed to be used for the Power Rangers, GI Joe, and Transformers RPGS. This is an interesting choice because this dropped in October 16, 2021 and the first of those games (Power Rangers) wasn't released until January 26th, 2022. That meant this adventure was basically useless for 3.5 months. 

The characters have a contact that ask them to look into a situation in the suburban community of Crystal Springs. A local professor has made a strange discovery and her colleague has gone missing. The culprits are a criminal organization called The Collection. They are dumping chemicals in the local lake and kidnapped the missing gentleman when he got too close.

Part I of the adventure is investigative.  The characters can search the missing man's house, avoiding nosy neighbors and potentially coming into conflict with suburban security guards and local police. They can then search the local lake. Day and night time search yield different results. During the night they can stumble across agents of The Collection. They can then engage these forces which may lead to Part II.

Part II is a late night chase. The different skill rolls needed are presented.

Party III of the adventure finds the characters coming up on abandoned airfield. They must make it past The Collection's guards The Keeper (commander of this group), a Vault (heavily armored soldier), pilot, and co-pilot await them. The Keeper then sets a bomb and seeks to escape. The players have a variety of tasks they can attempt: disarming the bomb, taking the hostage and running, stopping The Collection forces.

After the adventure the party have made enemies of The Collection, which can come back to bite them later. Additionally they've uncovered the truth of the chemical dumping and can a local politician to justice.

The adventure is generic enough that I can see how it is appropriate to all three settings. While primarily mundane, some of the foes do have access to an alien war drug, which add a sci-fi element. The adventure adds the following threats, which can be used in any of the games. They are:

• Longhall Homes Security Guard  - Threat Level 0
• Crystal Springs Police Officer  - Threat Level 1
• Collector Foot Soldier  - Threat Level 2
• Carry-All Halftrack (Land Vehicle)  - Threat Level 2
• Badger ATV (Land Vehicle)  - Threat Level 2
• Collection Stalker  - Threat Level 6
• Collection Keeper  - Threat Level 4
• Collection Vault  - Threat Level 6
• Sparrowhawk Stealth Jet (Air Vehicle) - Threat Level 3

In addition the Ajax Compound Inject and Camouflage Pop-Up are new pieces of equipment you can add to your game.

This seems like it a fun adventure and I will definitely use it when I finally get to run an Essence20 game. You can pick this one up on Ebay, Noble Knight, and other online retailers.

Olden Spice The Sacred Source of Eternal Swagger

 This is dumb product placement, but still made me laugh.

Happy Pi Day

Music Monday - Rap-Viper

Since I recently picked up the G.I. Joe Roleplaying Game I figured I'd share this amazing G.I. Joe inspired track by Wordburglar. If you are a Joe fan you need to watch this video and listen to the album it's from, Welcome to Cobra Island. It's one of my all-time favorites. 

After I get a good handle on the sytem, I'll give Rap-Viper stats.

Succubus Sunday

 

Source

Squirrel Girl Saturday

 Marino Saihara is a wrestler's who's gimmick is essentially Squirrel Girl. 

Is There Honor Among Thieves?

For (what I presume is a limited time) you can claim statblocks for the heroes and villains of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on D&D Beyond. 

You get seven stat blocks (the six characters pictured above and a 7th villainous Red Wizard of Thay). I know D&D Beyond and 5e has taken a major hit because of the OGL stuff, but I still thought this was cool. 

Fortnite Mega

The previous Fortnite season was medieval themed and the new one feels very cyberpunk. I’m down for that because this looks cool. Also looks like there is an Attack on Titan crossover, which is cool.

Monsters & Magic of Lankhmar Review

Monsters & Magic of Lankhmar is an officially licensed 5e product released by Goodman Games. It was written by their resident expert, Michael Curtis. The book begins with a forward about Nehwon and it's history (particularly with gaming). It's then followed by a curated bibliography. 

This is followed by Newhonian Nasties, part one of the stories. Monsters are presented in a two column format. The stat blocks and backgrounds are presented in a clean and easy to read manner. Some stat blocks have side bars and artwork, but not all. There's a great side bar that lists other MM monsters that are appropriate for Newhon. Here's what we get (with descriptions):

• Behemoth (Challenge 7) - elephant-like creatures with echolocation... could be elephants in the original source material
• Beloved of Tyaa (Challenge 1/8) - intelligent black birds that serve the goddess, Winged Tyaa
• Bleak Shore Executioner (Challenge 2) a weird mix of reptile, bird, and crustacean that's tied strange creature incased in an egg on Bleak Shore
• Dragon of Newhon (Challenge 7) - these sea serpents vary in temperament and appearance (there's a table to help you customize them)
• Fish-of-the-Air (Challenge 1/4) - large invisible and furred flying fish
• Ghost Hound (1/4) - these are undead are spiritual echoes of once-faithful dogs that died of neglect or starvation
• Gods of Lankmar (Challenge 15 ) - strange mummy creatures that dwell in a strange temple in Lankhmar, statistically they are Mummy Lords with an additional Black Staff attack.
• Ice Gnomes (1/4) - small brutish humanoids that live in clans in the frozen wastes
• Invisibles of Stardock (Challenge 1/8) - an ancient but dying race of evil invisible humanoids, duelist (Challenge 1/2) and Noble Wizard (2) variants are also presented
• Kleshite Ghoul (Challenge 1/4) - shovel-handed savage humanoids that dwell near jungle burial grounds
• Leviathan (Challenge 7) whale-like see creatures with razor sharp teeth, like behemoths these may simply be whales in the original fiction
• Newhon Ghouls (Challenge 1) - these humanoids have visible skeletons (and invisible everything else), they feel it is their sacred duty to end the opaque flesh. Raid Captain (Challenge 2) variant is also presented
• Rats of the Lankhmar Below - Rat-Sized (Challenge 1/8) and Man-Sized (Challenge 1/2) humanoid rat hybrids tied to the priest of Ilthmar's Rat God
• Simorgyans (Challenge 1/2) - an ancient race of wizards turned aquatic shapeshifters when their kingdom sank, a Noble (Challenge 1) variant is also presented
• Simorgyan Manta (Challenge 1) - monstrous mantas that can disguise themselves as cloaks
• Snow Serpent (Challenge 2) - 45 foot long furred serpents with poison breath
• Statue of the Devourers (Challenge 4) - statues are are either servants or shells of an invading race call the Devourers, they are magically cloaked to appear as common races
• War Cat (Challenge 2) - these intelligent fey are ascended cats that govern the others, there are always 13

The second part of the book includes spells and magic items of Nehwon.

Spells

• Elude (Ranger 1, Sorcerer 1, Wizard 1) - obscures scent and signs of passage
• Mouse's Contagion (Sorcerer 1, Warlock 1) - afflict a creature with 24 hours of sickness
• The Snow Woman's Icy Restraint (Sorcerer 2)  - blasts a 20-foot cube with ice that damages and restrains
• Mouse's Pain Transference (Warlock 2, Wizard 2) - caster endures pain and suffering and can unleash it on another
• Hristromilo's Strangling Fog (Sorceror 3, Wizard 3) - summons magical inky black smoke to restrain and damage targets
• Sheelba's of the Eyeless Face's Great Spell (Warlock 9, Wizard 9) - starting with lowest current HP, this spell outright slays 100 hit points of affected creatures with a 20 feet point

Magic Items

• Blindfold of True Seeing - Tied to Sheelba of the Eyeless Face this tattered strand of cloth allows the wearer to gain truesight 1d3 times
• Cloak of Invisibility - same as DMG
• Cuirass of Mingsward - can be worn under clothing, acts as breast plate and grants an additional +2 bonus to AC
• Darts of Emotion - hand thrown dart/crossbow ammunition that can charm those pierced by it
• Elixir of Ghosts - allows the imbiber's soul to leave their body
• Groin-Piece of Gortch - can be worn under clothing without being noticed and provides a +3 bonus to AC
• Hisvin's Potions - white potion is potion of growth, black potion is potion of diminish, act as presented in DMG
• Hristomilo's Ring - allows caster to expend spell slots to increase connection between caster and their familiar
• War Cat's Whistle - can summon War Cat (as mentioned above)

Finally the author discusses Scalpel, Cat's Claw, and Graywand: the weapons of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. He proposes that these items are non-magical and its their wielders that are responsible for the feats they've accomplished. That being said he does stat magical variants.

• Cat's Claw - dagger that grants +1 to attack and damage, one per day gain advantage on a single attack roll
• Graywand - longsword that grants +1 to attack and damage, when it scores a critical hit wielder can reroll one damage die and take the best result
• Scalpel - light longsword that acts as a finesse weapon and grants +1 to attack and damage

This is an inexpensive way for you to interject some classic swords and sorcery into their regular 5e games. Personally I think I might use it to add to the 5e Punjar game I eventually want to run. You can get the print and pdf combo from the Goodman Games store. Also if you want more monsters from Goodman Games, check out their current Kickstarter.

Marvel Legends - X-Men #1

I've shared my love of the iconic X-Men #1 cover before (here and here). Recently my friend Stew shared this amazing recreation using Marvel Legends action figures. 

You can get a better look here.

Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies #2 Review

Released by Meridian Games and written by DCC Judge Phil Padovani, Judge Phil's Zine of Goodness #2 is more thematically coherent than the first volume. This zine features a three floor culinary dungeon and connect patron. The art is similar to volume one, though the maps are all professionally done this time. The zine starts with a forward from Phil talking about how DCC changed his life and its nice to read positive stories like this. Also remember Remember Judge Phil has a Kickstarter for Volume 3 that is funded and still going strong. 

The Cuisine of Savorous is a level 3 adventure. An insane servant of the patron Savorous who believes that those that do not savor their food are disrespectful and parasitic. This servant, Cyril, has used twisted alchemy and magic to bring food items to life to kill the blasphemous that just consume. A rumor table is included and I always give props to adventure writers that still include these. The primary foes in the adventure are cultists and living food items. I thought it'd be fun to share the names of these monsters.

• Port of Slurping
• Herb-unculous
• Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Golden Evil-licious (Swarm)
• Buffet Golem

I think killer tomatoes were a missed opportunity but I understand the Golden Evil-licious filled a similar role. The adventure is a classic infiltrate the evil temple scenario with a wild food twist. It's well written and seems like it would be fun to run.

After the adventure this is a recipe for chocolate mug cake (which is featured in the adventure). The pdf ends with patron details for Savorous. He's given the full treatment. We're presented with background, Invoke Patron Check Results, Patron Taint,  Patron Spellburn, and three Patron Spells. The level one spell, Cuisine Summoning, animates cuisine to fight on behalf of the caster. The level to spell, Convection, creates a heated wind that can bake foes. Finally the level three spell, Nutritional Siphoning, siphons nutrients from the unworthy and grants them to those the caster deems worthy.

Like the first zine released, I loved this volume of Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies. It's a lot of fun and is full of creative mayhem. 

Agent Elvis

Debuting on Netflix March 17, Agent Elvis looks like a lot of fun. The animated series sees the King get recruited and becoming a secret agent. It's got some Archer vibes and I'm cool with that. The series also has an amazing voice cast.

Judge Phil's Zine of Goodies #1 Review

Released by Meridian Games and written by DCC Judge Phil Padovani, Judge Phil's Zine of Goodness #1 is a hodgepodge of DCC fun.  The first thing you'll  notice about the zine is the amateurish art and simple layout. That is 100% not a critique though. This zine embodies the true do it yourself nature of old school zines and I love it!  

There are three features in the inaugural issue.  The first thing we're presented with is a new class, the Amphibious Brain Slayer. These evolved oceanic creatures are psychic predators. They can use their huge craniums to cause others to be unable to see them or use psychic powers that are the equivalent of spells. They can use Psychic Burn (which is like Spellburn but only works with intelligence. They recover two points of Intelligence a day from its use. They also have  a Brain Slay attack that allows them to psychically assault their foes. They have the following new "spells:" Nerve Shutdown,  Nerve Control, and Mind Swap.  I don't see this class being used in every game but it's a fun change of pace from the normal DCC stuff. 

The second feature is another class. Honestly, the class is the whole reason I bought the zine. I needed a Deathmatch Wrestler class. It's not my favorite type of wrestling, but I am fascinated by it. The class can use a deed die to do classic wrestling-based Mighty Deeds. They can also do some crazy stuff with the Death Die. They can enhance their AC with combat adrenaline and do devastating last ditch moves. They can't wear typical armor or use traditional weapons, disdaining them as soft. The weapons are an odd part of this class. Several abilities are tied to light tubes (a deathmatch stable). These are the other deathmatch weapons cannot be used by non-deathmatch wrestlers and don't fit into the world of most DCC games. Honestly DCC is weird enough for these things to exist, but overall that's a small critique/issue I have.  You may want to reskin things a bit for traditional DCC, but this class is a perfect addition to Bloat Game's Gunzo: True Vigilante.

Finally there is a short adventure focused on deathmatch wrestling. The adventure isn't your typical. No the party is going to take part in Cage of Death V! This is a death match tournament that has rules included. I appreciated Judge Phil's tribute to the gonzo wrestling tradition and sport itself. Each encounter teaches wrestling terminology. A cool reward (in addition to the prestige and prize money) for this adventure is the players gain access to death match weaponry, even if they aren't DMW's.

This zine is full of wild ideas and heart. While the production values aren't the highest, that made me love this thing even more. You should definitely check it and the second volume out. My review for it will be up later this week. Finally, Judge Phil has a Kickstarter for Volume 3 that currently has 10 days left. It's fully funded, but you should check it out anyway.

Lukwata Review

The Lukwata is another new DCC monster created by Ashraf Braden and released through Sanctum Media. Again I'm going to share the information about this partnership and its purpose.

All Sanctum Media proceeds from this product go directly to the writer, Ashraf Braden. Ashraf is an aspiring game designer and author living near Kampala in Uganda. 

In the areas around Kampala, it is not uncommon for workers to make as little as $2/day. By purchasing this product, you are contributing to Ashraf’s ability to be able to continue to write and design games by allowing him the financial breathing room to do so. 

Your support of this, and future products of this sort, are greatly appreciated

The Lukwata is a cryptid native to Lake Victoria in East Africa. The pdf presents three pages of information about the area, creature, and encounters with it. This is followed by stats and like the previous pdf, new regional weapons. One of the weapons, the panga, also has a powerful Mighty Deed, Dismembering Attacks. Finally the pdf includes a pronunciation guide. The product also includes mp3's with pronunciations. 

Check it out and help support a new creator. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Teaser

I didn't know what to think when I saw Seth Rogan was doing a TMNT movie, but this looks fun as hell. Going to have to take another look at Teenage Mutant Dirtbags.

Succubus Sunday

 Marvel's Succubus

A LEWD Review

I remember laughing at these when I saw them on Kickstarter. However, my shop had them and I had to snag copies.

At it's core, the game is just a simplified version of D&D. The stat blocks are presented in a manner very similar to 5e. The character sheet is basic. you have your weapons and armor, inventory, unlimited spells, and limited spells. Unlimited can be cast over and over, while Limited can only be cast once per life. Characters can come back to life (more on that in a bit) and when they do their Limited spells recharge. Characters also have proficiencies but they use a d6, rather than a d20. Honestly, most things in the game use a d6. The game master is referred to as the Deity and the player(s) are the hero(es). You can play the game with sexy bits, as a drinking game, or as a traditional rpg. The rules are very simple and are toned down D&D rules. 

Certain encounters in the adventures include different options to proceed. The BASE option is classic roll and this is what happens. The DRINK option requires the hero and/or deity to drink booze IRL. This could be as simple as taking a shot or could be as complex as a mini drinking game. Finally the XXX option requires IRL sexual activity to occur. Think of this as an extremely nerdy take on sexual roleplay. As I mentioned earlier your hero can die. If this happens you can have sex with the deity to return to life. There's a chart to identify the type of sexual encounter. The final reason for six to happen in game is if the hero seduces and NPC. These sexual encounters sometimes have Optional Enhancements and Required Props (like a blindfold or ice cubes).

After the rules the core book has an adventure with several encounters, brothel/sex worker info, sex acts for hero deaths (and a tame base acts for hero deaths). Finally there are some magic items and spells. The spells and monsters are much goofier than the cover art would have you believe. For example, there is a monster called a horndog. It looks like a pornographic Adventure Time character. The spells have names like Bush Fire and Full Body Condom.

The Mage's Stolen Goods is an adventure (the call it a campaign) for LEWD Dungeon Adventures. It contains 5 connected mini-adventures that can be completed in a single session. It's more of the same from the core book. Though I will say it has a horrendous monster... the Ball of Purged Perversions that looks like a biblically accurate angel made of sex toys and genitalia. 

I'm not upset that I bought these. I will probably never use them in the intended sexual way (might as a drinking game). They are nerdy as fuck and while not for most couples, I could see folks having fun with them. All in all the books have a nice layout and commit to the idea thoroughly. I'm not going to say I recommend them, but if you and your partner roll dice and want to spice up sexy time, why not take a look. 

Bloody Appalachia Kickstarter

I'm excited to talk about a new Bloat Games project I'm working on called Bloody Appalachia. The game is a mature grindhouse rpg using BG's fantastic SURVIVE THIS!! rules set. It will be standalone game, but can combined with any other ST!! products.

"In the hollers of Appalachia Kentucky, the hills run red with blood. Folks around these parts don't take kindly to outsiders. Before you venture off the safety of the highway to stop for gas and a bite to eat, or rent a rural cabin in the woods, know and heed this warning:  You are not welcome here!"

The game seeks to emulate scenarios scene in flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Devil's Rejects, X, Pearl, and My Bloody Valentine. It's deadly and nasty. The game will include sensitive material, just like the low budget slashers that inspired it. Gore, violence, assault, mutilation, horror, nudity, cannibalism, and other genre specific themes ill be found in the game. It's not for the faint of heart, but not every game is for everyone.

Characters take on the role of outsiders trying to survive a backwoods-nightmare. The game will be great for one-shots and short campaigns. It's being written by the Bloat All-Stars (Josh Palmer and Eric Bloat)... along with myself. 

In the Kickstarter you can grab a copy from the initial print run or get an at-cost POD LULU code if you're outside the US. There will also be a supplement entitled Beware the Locals. Finally there's a dope logo t-shirt you can snag during the Kickstarter. 

I'm extremely excited about this one. While I love tasteful and respectful representations of my Appalachian heritage, I'm also down for a nasty exploitative grindhouse version of things. The game is set in the same state as J'Town (the primary setting of Dark Places & Demogorgons) and you can definitely pull the horrors from this game and add to that one if you want a more mature DP&D game. Personally I think there can be some amazing crossover work if you you use this one to come up with some rural adventures for a What Shadows Hide game. Mixing this one with Vigilante City could also be a lot of fun, particularly if you have a group of non-powered characters. 

If you're not squeamish and you like the source material, this is the game for you. Check out the Kickstarter and consider backing. You won't be disappointed. 

Another Update From The Halls

Today I started my new job as manager of library services for a regional Ohio library. While I'm still unpacking I'm getting settled in to my new apartment, I'm back. I am going to have regular access to a computer so I will start blogging again really soon.