Updates

So, it's been a bit slow around here role playing-wise.  I think I mentioned that my son was really liking the rules for Hollow Earth Expedition and wanted to play.  I liked the idea but with our limited time and my even more limited prep time I didn't feel I could run it successfully.  There are only two games I feel comfortable running with little-to-no preparation.  The first is Basis D&D and its not suitable for what we wanted to play.  The second is Barbarians of Lemuria.  And that is much more appropriate when you use the Dicey Tales #1 for pulp goodness.  So I finally convinced him to make create a character.  I did this by promising a campaign based on not only HEX but also on the television program Primeval all of which will be infused with a certain amount of Cthulhu influence. 

He took to this right away.  When he created his character he made him a former soldier who had lied about his age in order to join the army when the U.S.A entered WWI.  My son has a tendency to choose the insanity flaw when creating BoL characters.  This time he came of with what I thought was a really cool explanation.  During a German trench raid the character saw his best friend enveloped in darkness and disappear.  Everyone else assumed the friend had been captured but the character knows differently.  His insanity is an intense paranoia based around the idea that monsters are real.

However, I am going to start the campaign in a very HEX way.  The character's last career is hobo.  This is due to the instability caused by the incident during the Great War.  Needing money, he accepts

a position with an eccentric professor as a guard/porter on an airship bound for a secret location near the North Pole.  Something goes horribly wrong and he awakens in a jungle with no memory of the accident.  Welcome to the Hollow Earth!

I think we're going to have fun!

Ghosts in the Moon-Tower

I am so behind on my game related reading that it isn't even funny.  It's amazing how much time a job and family can take up.  Sheesh!!!

Anyway, I've had Dicey Tales #2 in my possession for quite some time and haven't had a chance to read it. Well, I grabbed it last night and gave it a quick look through.  I read only one article thoroughly.  That was "Ghosts in the Moon-Tower" by Garnett Elliott, a.k.a. G-Man.

"Ghosts in the Moon-Tower" is set in Lemuria amongst the Besharoon Mountains.  It is a compact adventure that involves some mysterious ruins of a lost civilization.  It is an imaginative adventure that I would enjoy running.  Only one question niggles at me about it:  Where do the villagers get milk in a lizard dominated world?

I think "Ghosts..." is a great addition to G-Man's series of BoL adventures.  I also think it is pretty cool that it's been published.  His adventures are much more valuable than free.  Hey, I like free but he deserves the recognition.

There are a couple of other adventures in the issue that look promising, as well as a nice bestiary of both regular animals and fantastic creatures.  Another feature I like about this issue is that it is inclusive of other members of the BoL family.  For example, one of the adventures uses the pulp rules laid out in the first edition of the magazine while the other is for the Legends of Steel world.

Good stuff all around.

Dicey Tales #2 Part 2

I downloaded Dicey Tales #2 this morning.  Since I am at work I have only been able to glance at it. It contains a G-Man adventure set in Lemuria!  Another reason to be excited about this issue.

Dicey Tales #2 is (Finally) Out!

Dicey Tales #2 is out!  I'm so excited.  For those of you who don't know, Dicey Tales is a periodical that supplements and expands Barbarians of Lemuria.  Issue #1 gave guidelines and rules on how to use BoL for pulp games set in the '20s and '30s.  This will definitely be my next gaming purchase.  I was considering QAGS or Barebones Fantasy but they've now been bumped down the list.

You can get more info about Dicey Tales at The Evil DM's blog HERE.

You can purchase Dicey Tales #2 HERE.

Dicey Cowboy

Abe Smith was born in 1870 in Ohio but moved West as a child. He experienced much of the tumult of that era. He knew gunfighters and warriors, settlers and sawbones. He also saw the closing of the frontier and the death of the Wild West. He worked many jobs in his youth: Cowboy, soldier in the Spanish American War, roughneck, prospector and even did some railroad work. Now in his sixties he is still a leathery tough and likes to play up his connection to the Old West through his mannerism and speech patterns and he certainly never turns away a whiskey. As a result he’s managed to get himself a job as a wrangler and sometimes technical advisor for a movie company that produces B grade cowboy shoot-’em up motion pictures. He has even had a few bit parts in the films as an extra. But that’s coming to an end soon. The movie company has fallen on hard times and he has received his layoff notice. What adventures are ahead of him?

Abe Smith

“Yep, I knew both Wyatt Earp and John Wesley Hardin!”

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 2
Mind 0
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 2
Melee 0
Ranged 2
Defense 0

Careers
Cowboy 2
Soldier 1
Laborer 1
Prospector 1

Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 5

Boons
Cast Iron Guts
Fearless
Fist Fighter

Flaw
Drunkard

Languages
English
Spanish
Sioux

Equipment
Six Shooter
Cowboy Hat
Fancy Cowboy Boots

Dicey Characters

I have long planned to write a comprehensive, witty and incisive review of Dicey Tales. Due to my busy schedule and and general laziness when not busy, this hasn't happened. I have had to finally admit to myself that it is not going to happen. So, instead, here is a quick overview of the first issue of Dicey Tales and a couple of characters I created using its guidelines.

Dicey Tales is a periodical written and published by the Evil DM himself, Jeff Mejia. It is dedicated to supplementary materials for my favorite game Barbarians of Lemuria. The first issue covers 1930's pulp adventure and adventurers. It gives modified or new careers and boons for characters as well rules for firearms. It also covers magic and psychic abilities appropriate to the genre. The 85 page PDF (now available in hard copy as well) concludes with two nifty adventures heavy in pulp atmosphere so you can jump right into the action. It is my understanding that Future issues will cover different pulp genres such as science fiction and have other writers in addition to Mr. Mejia. It is also my understanding that this project has the blessing of Simon Washbourne, the creator of BoL. I really like this issue of Dicey Tales and am looking forward eagerly to future copies.

So, now the characters:

Carter Creek was a petty criminal in his youth. But not a very skilled one. Caught one too many times, the judge gave him a choice between prison or the military. Carter chose the military. Being a tough kid he managed to wrangle his way into the Marines. He became an excellent Marine and served with distinction in the Banana Wars of the ‘20s. It was during his service in Central America that he first heard rumors of lost cities and ancient treasures. When he mustered out eight years later he worked various manual labor jobs but quickly became dissatisfied with his lot. Using money he had saved during his military service, supplemented by his day job, he began to get an education. He was still captivated by the tales he had heard in the Marines and chose to study history. After years of study, he finally received his degree. Since then Carter has spent every possible moment scouring the jungles and hillsides of Central America, searching for treasure and always finding adventure.

Carter Creek

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 1
Mind 2
Appeal 0

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 0
Ranged 2
Defence 1

Careers
Criminal 0
Soldier 2
Laborer 1
Scholar 1

Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 5

Boons
Crack Shot (Rifle)
Just the Thing

Languages
English
Spanish
Mayan

Equipment
Rifle
Pistol
Various equipment related to jungle expeditions.


Patrick Kelly grew up in a family of cops. His father is a cop, his uncles on both sides are cops, his brothers are cops. He never wanted to be anything but a cop. He didn’t even cross his mind that he could be anything else. It was a proud day for him when, surrounded by family, he became a cop. It wasn’t until then that the trouble began. You see, he believed the pious mouthing of his family. The words he had heard since he was a child: Honesty, Integrity, Service. He believed in those things. He was incorruptible and became quickly disillusioned. He saw the petty criminal activities of his fellow officers and became disgusted. It caused friction when he wouldn’t partake of the kickbacks and petty briberies that was the lifeblood and spending money of the rank and file.. He refused to take his share of the larger paydays that sometimes trickled down from the captains and lieutenants. It was rough but he stood steadfast. That is until his father came to talk to him about the trouble he was causing. It was in this way that he discovered his father and the rest of his family participated in the corruption. This broke him. He resigned, disavowed his family and began drinking heavily. He wandered and worked odd jobs, eventually becoming part of the crew of a tramp freighter. But he had copper in his blood. He eventually went back to the corrupt city of his youth, partially reconciled with his family and became a private detective. He hoped that he could do at least a little good in that capacity.

Patrick Kelly

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 1
Mind 1
Appeal 1

Combat
Brawl 1
Melee 1
Ranged 1
Defence 1

Careers
Police Officer 1
Laborer 1
Sailor 1
Private Detective 1

Lifeblood 11
Hero Points 5

Boons
Cast Iron Gut
Serious Backup (His family and by extention, the police)

Languages
English
French
Chinese

Equipment
Revolver
Suit
Flask