Back in the Saddle Again

Hey, I'm back. I plan on posting regularly, albeit less frequently that before my absence from this blog. You might notice that the post is authored by "A Dragon Adept." It's still Ken H., I just combined my two Blogger accounts.

Gaming updates:

• I am currently playing Finkus S. Snotrags, a halfling, in Tim Shorts' BX Essentials campaign.
• I am working on a set of house rules for my Montporte megadungeon setting that combines Blood & Treasure, BX Essentials, and Crypts & Things. I will post some basic information about the house rules this blog, but I will avoid specifics. I am happy to promote the previously listed products but I do not want to "steal" their content. I plan on using the rules for our gaming group only, so no plans to publish.
• However, on the topic of publishing, I am slowly working on a Montporte monster book for publication. Some of the creatures have appeared on this blog, but many will be exclusive to the book. Tim Shorts has agreed to publish the Montporte monster book through his GM Games (Thanks, Tim!). I am thinking that I will use the Swords & Wizardry Core Rules as the basis. 

That's all for now. 

The Esoterrorists and GUMSHOE: After Three Sessions

I have now played three sessions of The Esoterrorists, with +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor) as GM. Tim wrote a blog post about our third session, so I am not going to attempt to recreate the session here.

I am really enjoying the game and the GUMSHOE system. Once the GUMSHOE premise clicked with me, the rules really faded into the background and it has felt like we are investigating paranormal activity. Tim has done a great job of mixing a very real small town, with some actual horrifying events, with a series of paranormal events. The system and style of play are well-matched with Tim's approach to GMing and his ability to weave open-ended narrative.

As I noted above, a key to this is accepting the premise of the GUMSHOE system. Wikipedia has a nice summary: The premise is that investigative games are not about finding clues, they are about interpreting the clues that are found. So, instead of searching for clues, we are trying to understand the importance of the clues we have and their relationships to each other. Even so, we have investigate and interrogate, in order to have the clues at our disposal. The system comes into play when we can use our skills to help us understand the importance of the clues we have found.

While we are getting close to discovering the most important clues (and thus making sense of the pages of color-coded notes I have taken), our last session ended in a bedroom with twenty or so Ouija boards madly carved into the floor. We look up at the closet door, only to see it slowly open...

Review: "Execution Corner"

Disclaimer: +Tim Shorts and I are in the same gaming group and I am sometimes involved in his RPG projects. However, I was not involved in this one so you can totally trust me on this one. Really and truly.

Product Stat Block
Title: Execution Corner
Author: +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor)
Publisher: GM Games
Format: PDF
Pages: 5
Cost: Pay What You Want
System: n.a. (neutral)

Description
Execution Corner is a small rural location that can be added to almost any fantasy or medieval RPG campaign. While the PDF product is runs five pages, the actual gaming material is contained in a one page map and one page description of the area.

The Map
The map is hand drawn, which I personally like. Unlike some more stylized maps, it can actually be used during a gaming session. I think it would work well on GameTable or Roll20.

The Location Description
The location description is simple, but effective. I get a sense of the area and can picture the location and the people in my mind quite easily. That is important to me in running a gaming session. There is an overview of each feature in the area, including the "No Tomorrow Tavern."

There are also four NPCs described: Gerald (a peddler); Ferren (a peddler); Willem (the executioner); and Max (owner of "No Tomorrow Tavern"). I believe that Tim is at his best when he is creating and describing NPCs. Rarely are they heroic or noble, rather they are a grim, hardscrabble lot. The NPC descriptions are short and evocative and they would be easy to roleplay.

Conclusion
You will not find an adventure, stats, loot, or such things in Execution Corner. You will be unhappy if you get this product with that expectation in mind. However, it is a simple and excellent product to use in spicing up a long overland journey or serving as a very simple location to start a session (assuming you are providing additional stuff). And, with Pay What You Want, you can get it for less than a song.

Stuff for the Next Issue of The Manor

+Tim Shorts asked me to contribute to the next issue of The Manor (#5). I am planning to submit three different items:

• A haiku (chosen especially for +matt jackson ).
• A short article on mapping stairs. It would basically be some simple plugin equations for figuring out the horizontal run for stairs, based on the vertical distance (and the reverse, as well) for steep, regular and shallow stairs.
• Three or four rooms with puzzles, traps or other interesting feature that can be dropped into a larger building or dungeon. This would go along with an article that Tim is planning on writing.

While I have little desire to publish gaming stuff (much to the dismay of +Rob Conley ), I do enjoy a much more limited role as contributor and proofreader. 

Manor #4 Is Now Out and About

Tim Short's (Gothridge Manor) The Manor #4 is now in print and ready to meet your gaming needs. While it might not lead you further along the path to enlightenment, The Manor #4 promises to entertain and will give you some fun goodies for your gaming table. You get another one of Tim's excellent adventures, plus monsters galore. And the art is nothing short of awesome.

This is Tim's best effort yet. Don't miss it!

Playtest Sessions Mini-Report (Swords & Wizardry Complete)

I have been part of Tim Short's playtest sessions of The Last Candle, a campaign starter created by Greg Christopher. We are using Swords & Wizardry Complete for our ruleset. We just finished our second session tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed it (Tim's notes from the first session are here; Bard also has a short report from session one here).

The best part about the two mid-week playtest sessions is that we have lured Bard into our regular Monday night group (mostly GURPS, with a bit of Blood & Treasure thrown in). For me, the best part about gaming is the people I game with. I am thrilled to add another person to that list.

OSR Mega Bundle Giveaway--Compliments of Tim at Gothridge Manor

Tim, of Gothridge Manor, is giving way lots of free--and very cool-- OSR gaming stuff in celebration of his 1000th blog post. First of all, congratulations to Tim. It is a very groovy accomplishment and proof that, with enough perseverance and lack of direction, we can reach the stars of our dreams while pondering sleestaks and pretending to be elves. Secondly, don't waste anymore time on my blog. Get to his blog, comment on his 1000th blog post, and consider yourself entered to win lots of great stuff.

Five For Friday 8: Five Questions for Tim Shorts

Hey, kids! Today we are thrilled to have Tim Shorts as part of the blog to answer us up on 5 questions. I get to game with Tim on a regular basis and, thanks to his invitation, I am part of a groovy Monday Night Game Group. You can find Tim at his blog, Gothridge Manor, and you can check out and purchase his gaming products at GM Games.

What was your weirdest gaming experience?
Weirdest?  I think gaming is a weird experience in itself.  I remember a game at a convention where a guy (I guess more kid) got so upset his character died he slammed his head on the table.  Hard.  He caught a 4-sider on the right side of his forehead.  It was stuck there.  It bled.  He cried.  I laughed.  What can I say, I thought it was funny.  Not sure if that's weird, but it's the first thing that came to mind.

Why in God’s name do you choose to publish adventures and The Manor? Isn’t life hard enough? (a two-fer)
 I've been writing since I was 17.  Mainly fiction of various genres.  I love the process.  Gaming is such a great way to flex your creativity.  The Manor and the adventures were a natural step from there.  I've always wanted to do my own magazine.  When Christian did Lovaitar I thought "Wow, it can be done."  I live in a literary wasteland.  I'd only heard a little about zines.  Ivy comes from Jersey and she ran with a group that printed their own horror zines.  And they were great.  And all this time all I really needed was a long armed stapler.  Life is hard enough without banging my head on the wall writing The Manor, but when its done and I get to look through it and all the great art Jason Sholtis, Johnathan Bingham, Dylan Hartwell, and my ginger haired wife, Ivy, have done to support my idea it is just cool.  Plus there has been a good response to The Manor.  The OSR crew are good folks.  I'm just here to have some fun with it.  So making the zine makes life a little better not harder.

If you were an orc, what would be the name of your tribe?
Sucking Chest Wound.  First thing off my head and I like it.  Cue it up for the next Manor and get Jason on the phone for me.

What are your three favorite gaming rules or systems? Why? (another two-fer)
I'm going to cheat.  I like all the retro clones, probably Swords & Wizardry and Blood & Treasure are my favorites.  Then I have to pick what really got me into gaming and that was AD&D.  Then GURPS.  I've played a ton of games in a ton of genres rolling 3d6s.  Some people think GURPS is too crunchy, but you doesn't have to be that way.  It's a tool, a Swiss Army knife of systems.  Just use the right tool for the right situation.  You don't use them all at once.

What was the name of your favorite player character (played by you)? Give us some details (not a two-fer…a question and a command, I guess)
I've had some fun ones, Stew 'the Spike' Nool who was a thief, but thought he was a magic-user.  Ronnable, a irritable Dwarf who bit stuff as much as axed it.  I played twin half elves, Tamelight and Wildfire who kicked the crap out of an order of monks and took their temple.  Ashling a semi-psychotic elf you had the pleasure of adventuring with.  Slice Handler, a dagger throwing fiend who took advantage of Unearth Arcana when it first came out.  But the best was Draco-Lindus.  His career lasted on and off over four years.  He started out as a slaver mercenary.  Became a mercenary captain.  Somewhere in there he kidnapped a duke and ransomed him off getting throw out of the lands of the City State of the Invisible Overlord.  Become a champion of a god.  Reclaim lost lands on a back of a dragon. Building a small kingdom.  Joining the Overlord who had kicked him out.  When the Overlord died, it was the reason civil war broke out and changed the landscape of the entire campaign.  That was pretty cool.

Thanks, again, Tim.