#RPGaDAY2015 Day 31: Favorite Non-RPG Thing to Come Out of RPGing

Day 31: Favorite Non-RPG Thing to Come Out of RPGing

The final day.  The final day and I got nothing.  Nothing, nada, zilch.  The big goose-egg.

Talk about ending with a whimper.

Sigh.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 30: Favorite RPG Playing Celebrity

Day 30: Favorite RPG Playing Celebrity

Tough one.  I'm not much of a celebrity follower and thus don't really have a favorite celebrity gamer.  I guess I will go with Wil Wheaton.  I've enjoyed the things I've seen him in, particularly the Big Bang Theory, and I like the way he's been representing gaming.



#RPGaDAY2015

300

Not a REAL Spartan*

That last post happened to be my 300th.  The RPGaDAY posts put me over the top.











*I only picked this photo for the number.  I have never and probably will never see this travesty of history.  Gosh.

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 29: Favorite RPG Website/Blog

Day 29: Favorite RPG Website/Blog
Another toughie for me.  I like several. 

I like reading the forums and the reviews on RPG.net.

I like the blog Strange Stones by the Venomous Pao.  Cool Barbarians of Lemuria posts and the G-Man BoL adventures keep me going back.  Also nice Mini Six and Labyrinth Lord stuff.

I enjoy The Most Unread Blog on the Internet.  Ever. Tommy Brownell writes really good reviews on a wide variety of games and its one of my first stops when I am looking information I trust.

Then there's Vargold:  The Wolf-Time by the Good Professor, Rob Barrett.  He likes several games that I like (BoL)and teaches college level courses on fantasy literature.  Which I think is extremely cool.  I also like the blogs subtitle:  Barbaric Yawps on Comics, Role-Playing, and Spec-Fic.

Heroes & Other Worlds blog by C.R. Brandon.  All about the wonder of his game.  Mr. Brandon also writes the Sword & Shield blog.

And a new blog for me.  die heart by Sophia Brandt.  I have found myself reading her blog more and more often.  Not only does she write helpful reviews but she is a Linux user also.  (I am writing this on Lubuntu running off of a flash drive.)


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 28: Favorite Game You No Longer Play

Day 28: Favorite Game You No Longer Play

The two games I play most in olden days were Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Melee/Wizard.  I had the black box Traveller but spent more time fooling around with it than I did actually playing it.  Since I still pull out Melee and its successor Heroes & Other Worlds, I guess by default this catagory goes to AD&D.  But it's not like I miss it.  I mentioned recently that I wish I would've gotten ahold of Moldvay Basic instead of getting into AD&D.  I really liked it at the time but there are too many rules.  Maybe this is just me looking back through my current rules-lite loving filter, but hey, I can't speak for my teenaged-self anymore.

I just discoverd while googling for an image that AD&D also stands for Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance.  Come to think of it, many D&D characters could use an AD&D policy.



#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 27: Favorite Idea for Merging Two Games into One

Day 27:  Favorite Idea for Merging Two Games into One

Sorry.  I can't really think of anything.  I do like the idea Weird Wars Rome.  Historical gaming with horror thrown in.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 26: Favorite Inspiration for Your Game

Day 26:  Favorite Inspiration for Your Game

 Conan of Cimmeria.  The original Howard version as well as representations by later writers and artists and the comics (particularly Savage Sword of Conan).  All of the adventures and illustrations have something to steal, borrow or disguise for games.  The stories are what inform and color my view of Sword & Sorcery and feed my desire for games and gaming.


#RPGaDAY2015

 

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic

Day 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic

Ummm... Well...  Ummmm.  Polyhedral dice?

I play essentially traditional type games.  I guess.




#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 24: Favorite House Rule

Day 24: Favorite House Rule

Ya know, I don't really house rule.  The closest I came to house ruling was with Basic D&D.  when my boys were younger I would allow them to roll 4d6 for stats and place them where they wanted.  That way they could play the character type they wanted to.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 23: Perfect Game for You

Day 23: Perfect Game for You

Really!?!  That's both difficult and easy.


I am now being horribly repetitive but I'm going to have to go with Barbarians of Lemuria again.

Here's why:

• Sword & Sorcery is a genre I enjoy.  Human-centric and a bit grim and dark at times
  with the right amount of mysterious magic that can seriously bite you in the butt.
• It captures the genre very well for me.
• It is rules-lite.  I don't have the time or energy anymore to memorize large volumes of rules anymore.
• It is adaptable.  It captures the feel of S&S really well but it can also be adapted it to any action oriented genre.  And it has.  And with a little work of your own you can adapt it too.

#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 22: Perfect Gaming Environment

Day 22: Perfect Gaming Environment

Anywhere where I am comfortable.

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 21: Favorite RPG Setting

Day 21:  Favorite RPG Setting

Another hard one for me.  Though I like Lemuria of BoL, it's not my favorite.  I like the setting for Lankhmar, Heroes of Hellas (Ancient Greece, of course) and Legends of Steel.  I think my favorite though is the Servants of Gaius.  I'm going to combine it Weird Wars Rome and just run with it.

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 20: Favorite Horror RPG

Day 20:  Favorite Horror RPG

First, let me wish H.P. Lovecraft a happy birthday!  125th if I'm correct.  I hope he's resting in peace....

Ya know, I haven't really played any horror RPGs.  Some games have had horrific elements but I've never played a specifically horror centered game.  Maybe, in honor of the day I should pull out the Call of Cthulhu quick-start and try it out on my H.P. Lovecraft loving son.  I also just received The Outer Presence, a short horror game that I'm looking forward to reading.  Oh.  I also have the Horror Companion for Savage Worlds.  Hmmm.  Going to have to get my horror on one way or another.

Question for those of you who run horror games.  How do you set the atmosphere to get maximum effect?

#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDay2015 Day 19: Favorite Supers RPG

Day 19:  Favorite Supers RPG

This one is simple.  My favorite supers RPG is Supers! by Simon Washbourne.  I have the original version.  I hope to get the revised edition at somepoint.  I hear good things about it.  Til then, the original version will work fine.

#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 18: Favorite SF RPG

Day 18:  Favorite SF RPG

Have to go with Traveller.  Played it a lot, mostly solo, back when.  Loved the mini-games of character creation and system creation.  I enjoyed the starship construction and the other little bits and pieces.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 17: Favorite Fantasy RPG

Day 17:  Favorite Fantasy RPG

You'd think this would be an easy one for me.  (Bol, BoL, BoL!!!)  But it's not.  I love Barbarians of Lemuria.  I've probably refered to it as my favorite game.  But...I have an abiding love for Melee/Wizard/Heroes & Other Worlds.  Early loves are hard to shake and Heroes & Other Worlds just increased that love.  And it's not one I want to shake.  And then there's my new love, Basic D&D of the Moldvay variety.  I did not play it back then.  I went from Holmes to AD&D.  I wish I had played Moldvay back then.  Simple and straightforward.  As many others have said, we didn't play AD&D with all of the rules.  Not even close.  So when I finally did read Moldvay it was closer to what we were playing anyway.

So, a very hard decision that I don't feel like making now.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 16: Longest Game Session Played

Day:  Longest Game Session Played

Not us.  I wasn't this cool looking.

Once again I must go back to my Middle School days.  Imagine it is a hot summer day.  Say 90 degrees.  The second floor of a two story house without air-conditioning.  A small room on the second floor with one window.  Then imagine two 12 or 13 year olds playing AD&D for 14 hours with only brief breaks for sustenance.  Wiping our sweaty brows as he guided me through whatever dungeon I was fighting through.  We must've smelled LOVELY after that.


#RPGaDAY2015

Grit the Barbarian (Barbarians of Lemuria)

Grit son of Gritus of the Sandstone Clan was born in the wilds of Valgard.  The Sandstone Clan was a small, poor clan that was often the target of raids and often came up short in conflicts over hunting grounds.  Grit grew up to be a doughty fighter but even he could not help the clan in its plight.  Shortly after Grit passed his 17th birthday the final disaster happened.  A combination of other Valgardian clans combined and broke the Sandstone Clan and expelled them from their traditional homeland.  Though Grit survived, his family was killed and the remnant of his clan scattered.  To top it off, girl he was matched to marry decided to marry a warrior from a victorious clan and live amongst them.  With nothing left tying him to Valgard he we south over the mountains to seek his fortune and bury his pain.

Grit's naivete and ignorance of the Southern Lands soon displayed itself.  He fell in with a band of travellers who drugged him, trussed him and sold him into slavery.  Grit's strong arms and broad back gained his captors a tidy sum of money.  Grit ended up on a large latifundia as a field slave.  It quickly became apparent to his new masters that Grit was completely unsuitable to be a field slave.  Grit was to stubborn and proud to bend to his new masters no matter what punishments they inflicted upon him.  Given the choice between killing him or selling him, they recouped their investment by selling him to a lanista.

Grit quickly proved his fighting skills and soon became a top gladiator.  After a near miraculous victory in which he single-handedly defeated two raging deodargs, Grit was granted his freedom.  He has since wandered the land serving and distinguishing himself as a mercenary for various companies and cities.

Grit is tall, blonde and well built.  He is just starting to regrow the traditional long braid that the warriors of the Sandstone clan wore that was cut off when he became a slave.  He tends towards brooding but can be humorous and enjoy life when he breaks free of the darkness that envelopes him.

Grim son of Gritus

Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 1, Mind 0, Appeal 0
Combat Abilities:  Initiative 1, Melee 2, Ranged 0, Defense 1
Careers:  Barbarian 2, Slave 0, Gladiator 1, Mercenary  1
Boons:  Marked by the Gods, Trademark Weapon (Valgardian Blade)

Flaws:  Country Bumpkin
Lifeblood: 13  Hero Points: 6
Languages:  Valgardian, Lemurian
Weapons:  Sword (Valgardian) d6+3, Axe d6+3

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 15: Longest Campaign Played

Day 15:  Longest Campaign Played

I believe the longest campaign I played in was a two year AD&D campaign I played in middle school.  That was the height of my actual role-playing.  I played a cleric who reached, I think, the 7th level.  I have his stats and such written in a book packed away somewhere.  I'll have to dig him up and post him here.

I don't have my AD&D books anymore.  They were well used and got fairly ruined in storage years ago.  (Thanks, Mom.  That old chicken coop was a great place to store my RPG books.)  I thought I was done with role-playing after college so I got rid of them.  Then I rediscovered the joy of role-playing and now I kick myself.  I did the same thing with the red Basic D&D set.  Fool I am.



#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDay2015 Day 14: Favorite RPG Accessory

Day 14:  Favorite RPG Accessory

My imagination?  These days I really don't have accessories.  I have dice, a writing implement, the rules and maybe a binder as a screen.  Not much else.


#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 13: Favorite RPG Podcast

Day 13:  Favorite RPG Podcast

Gotta take a pass on this one.  I don't listen to any.

#RPGaDAY2015

#RPGaDAY2015 Day 12: Favorite RPG Illustration

Day 12:  Favorite RPG Illustration

I'm going to have to cheat a little bit again.  My favorite RPG illustration is that of Arak-Aree from Barbarians of Lemuria:  Mythic Edition.  I really enjoy Peter Frain's artistry and unique style.  He really brought the character to life for me in a way I wasn't quite expecting.  I'd like to post the picture but I don't know if I'm allowed to.

Edited to add image.


#RPGaDay2015

#RPGaDay2015 Day 11: Favorite RPG Writer Part 2

Ok.  That's what I get for posting tired and unfocused.  There is a second RPG writer that I wanted to mention but didn't.  My other favorite RPG writer is C.R. Brandon, the author of Heroes & Other Worlds, Rogue Space and the upcoming Blades & Black Magic amongst others.

There are two things in particular I like about about Mr. Brandon's writing and another two things I like in general.  So, the first thing I like about his writing is that he writes in the same playground I play in.  What I mean by that is he writes rules-lite games, some of which are based on Melee/Wizard/TFT.  Heroes & Other Worlds is and so is his newest free item Swords & Spells.  (Which by the way is a nifty one-booklet combination of Melee and Wizard which will give my poor, battered 35 year old copies of those games a break.)  The second thing I like about his writing is that he seems to write specifically for me (which I know isn't true, but I like to say it anyway).  I think we think along similar lines when it comes to games and I really like that.

The two things that I like in general is, first, he puts out a lot of free games and supplements.  The above mentioned Swords & Spells is one example.  Free is always nice particularly when it is good quality free.  Second, he is always open to input when he is creating games.  He's taken suggestions from the comment sections of his various blogs and worked them into his games.  That's nice.

Oh, a third thing I like is that his wife does some of the cool art for his games.

#RPGaDay2015 Day 11: Favorite RPG Writer

Day 11:  Favorite RPG Writer

Another difficult one for me.  But, at the risk of sounding like a skipping record, I'll go with Simon Washbourne, author of Barbarians of Lemuria and Crimson Lords.  BoL caught my imagination from the beginning.  The character creation system naturally builds the character's backstory in a way that really fits the sword and sorcery vibe.  That's why I choose Simon.

#RPGaDay2015

#RPGaDay2015 Day 10: Favorite RPG Publisher

Day 10:  Favorite RPG Publisher

This one is tough for me also.  I don't necessarily think of RPGs by publisher, I think of them by games.  So, if we go that way my favorite game publisher is probably Beyond Belief Games because of Barbarians of Lemuria.  Honorable mention would go to Pinnacle for the cool Savage World stuff they have.

#RPGaDay Day 9: Favorite Media You Wish Was an RGP

Day 9:  Favorite Media You Wish Was an RPG

I've been thinking and thinking about this and can't come up with one at this time.  If I can think of one later I'll post it.

#RPGaDay2015

Grit the Barbarian (Far Away Land)

I was going to create a character for Far Away Land when it struck me:  Why don't I create the same character for multiple systems just for kicks.  Since each system has a different tone I would adjust the character to match the tone.  Since Far Away Land has a humorous tone to me, I would make the character humorous (hence the name Grit.)  Barbarians of Lemuria has a more heroic feeling to me with a dark undertone, I will match the character to that.

So, without further ado, here is Grit for Far Away Land.

Grit the Barbarian

Barbarian from the far hills.  Never met an ale he didn't like or a shirt he did.

BRT 3  DEX 2  WIT 1  HP 13
ACT 5  LUCK 2  LVL 1  XP 0
AC 0

Boons:  Athletics 1  Melee 1  Punk 1  Scuffle 1
Flaws:  Gullible, Obnoxious
Gear:  Two-Handed Sword (1d6+1), Fur Diaper

Grit is a large blonde barbarian with a large mustache and long braid that he is inordinately fond of.  He is new to civilized lands and has yet to learn its ways.  Thus many take his behavior to be obnoxious and he is easily taken advantage of by slick city-folk.  Don't make him mad though.  He will tear a building down with his bare hands in order to get at the target of his ire.

#RPGaDay Day 8: Favorite Appearance of RPGs in the Media

Day 8: Favorite Appearance of RPGs in the Media

I am a fan of the t.v. show The Big Bang Theory so I would have to say my favorite would be the times D&D has appeared on the show.  There is even an episode when the female characters join they guys and play.  And seemingly enjoy it.

#RPGaDAY2015






Edit:  I ran across this after I posted.  It made me chuckle.

#RPGaDay Day 7: Favorite Free RPG

Day 7:  Favorite Free RPG

This is a tough one.  So I'm going to have to split it.

The first of the two:  Mini Six.  Light, flexible, uses only six-siders.  Comes with a bunch of mini-settings.  Love it.









The second of two:  Mazes & Minotaurs.  Faux Ancient Greece. Hoplites, Amazons, haughty nobles, Olympian gods, mythological creatures and other sword and sandal goodness.  Basic  D&D type game with some cool innovations.  Oh, and a random island adventure generator for your own Odyssey like experience.

New Savage Worlds Test Drive

I was poking around on the Pinnacle website looking at the products available for Lankhmar and, lo and behold, I noticed that there is a new Test Drive.  Set in Lankhmar!  I was surprised.  I apologize if this is common knowledge and I just missed it but I think it's pretty cool.  You can find it here.

#RPGaDay Day 6: Most Recent RPG Played

Day 6:  Most Recent RPG Played

I had big plans for the summer playing with games with my boys.  Big plans.  But they didn't come to fruition.  Damn computers.  (As I type on a computer.)  The last RPG I played was Heroes & Other Worlds.  I was running my youngest solo through Death Test.

It's been to long.  Must...play....

On the other hand, I finally got Munchkin and we've played that several times.  It works as advertised.  It brings out the worst in my boys.  Scheming little villains!

#RPGaDay2015

#RPGaDay Day 5: Most Recent RPG Purchase

Day 5:  Most Recent RPG Purchase

Far Away Land: Core Rules

I bought this after reading the free Quick Start Rules.  I like the Adventure Time like vibe and the rules lite nature of the game.  Oh, and all of the free adventures.  Love free adventures.  You can actually get a good sense of how the game plays with the the Quick Start and the adventure in it.

#RPGaDay2015

#RPGaDay Day 4: Most Surprising Game

Day 4:  Most Surprising Game

The game that most surprised me is Servants of Gaius by Bedrock Games.  The mechanical aspects didn't surprise me, the theme did.  The characters are in a secret organization in the service of the Roman emperor Gaius, aka Caligula, fighting a conspiracy against the Empire.  Having studied history a bit I had trouble with Caligula being portrayed as a good guy.  His historical reputation stemmed from a negative propaganda campaign by the conspirators.

So, I love the ancient world for gaming, particularly Rome and Greece.  What really sold me though was a review by Tommy Brownell and then the conversation I had with Tommy and the game's creator in the comments section.  You can read the review and the conversation here.  The last thing that really hooked me after I read the rules was that the book doesn't define what the conspirasy actually is.  It could be purely man-made or of a supernatural nuture.  It's up the the GM.  So, now the setting really fires my imagination and is really cool to me.  Surprise!

#RPGaDay Day 3: Favorite New Game of the Last 12 Months

Day 3:  Favorite New Game of the Last 12 Months

This is a tough one.  It's tough because I have been diagnosed with a case of clinical Gamer ADD.  I am constantly seeking the "perfect" system that contains the right balance of light mechanics but evocative game play.  Even though I am entirely happy with three systems that I think cover my needs.  With one or two auxiliary systems for variety.

So, I'm going to cheat a little.  I'm going to pick 1 1/2 new games.

The first game is one that really intrigues me though I haven't played it yet.  And that is Far Away Land.  It is rules-lite but with an interesting die mechanic that I've never used before.  It is also kind of a riff on Adventure Time and its twisted setting.  I've been known to watch an episode or three with my boys, who love the show.  It has 7 or so free adventures which is always nice.  I only wish I could afford the Tome of Awesome which incorporates the core rules, the bestiary and the other supplements into one book.  Oh, I'd like it in hardback as well as pdf.  Not, that I want much.

My half choice is such because it is actually a setting for Savage Worlds.  It is Lankhmar: City of Thieves.  Once again a sword & sorcery choice.  Lankhmar, and by extension Newhon is one of the iconic s&s settings up there with the Hyborian Age and the Melnibone and the New Kingdoms.










#RPGaDay2015

#RPGaDAY Day 2: Kickstarted Game Most Pleased You Backed

Day 2:  Kickstarted Game Most Pleased You Backed

As I commented on a +Tommy Brownell post, the game I am most pleased that I backed is Barbarians of Lemuria Mythic Edition.  I like BoL so much that his is the third edition I've purchased.  I usually don't do things like that.

I love this game.

#RPGaDay Day 1: Forthcoming Game You're Most Looking Forward To

Not the real cover but really cool looking

I've never tried one of these post-a-day for a month challenges before.  But I'm going to try this one.  And of course I start a little late.

Day 1:  Forthcoming Game You're Most Looking Forward To

For me, right now, the game I am most looking forward to is Blades and Black Magic by C.R. Brandon.  This is a sword & sorcery iteration of his Heroes and Other Worlds.  This game brings together two of my loves: sword & sorcery and Melee/Wizard.  I discovered Conan the Barbarian about the same time as I got into RPGs.  Melee and Wizard were among the first RPGs that I got so the barbarian and these games go together perfectly in my mind.  So, to have Melee/Wizard tailored to that type of game is just awesome in my mind.