Greenville, USA. Home of the Burn

One of the things that I have been wrestling with is where to set the game from the start. Picking a place to be the center of a Post Apocalyptic resurrection can maddening (like nuclear fall-out ghoulification maddening). I wanted something that was not a major metropolitan site (those are bad) and I had some ideas on how to incorporate locations into the game-master's local game. But I wanted to use a setting that was generic to most people across the nation.

Then while I was getting ready for bed, I thought "What about Springfield?", that's a reasonably generic town name. I wanted to be sure so how do I determine if it is a viable solution? Let Google choose (to be fair, bing came up with the same answer). So I posed this question to the all-know G+:

what is the most common name for a town in the us?

And the answer turns out to be Greenville. There is a Greenville in every state except Hawaii and Washington. Springfield turned out to be in 29 of the states.

So my game is going to be based out of a small town called Greenville. What state that lies in is totally up to you.

Out of Style Role-playing

I keep seeing this OSR logo on many sites across the internet. Being the curious bloke that I am, I filed it in the back of my mind of things to read more on. Well, I made some time to research what this is really about. Many of you may know that OSR stands for 'Old School Revival'; it is a quasi-movement to return the gaming style of the golden days of RPGs, which is apparently from 1977-1884. This is also a floating date value depending on who you ask.

It appears that this amorphous effort was created due to dissension among the grognards at the new rule set (at the time it was 3rd edition) coupled by the fact that D&D gave these grognards the means to re-create the rule set of older editions, the Open Gaming License (OGL) and the System Reference Document (SRD).

Outstanding!!!

So now we have a plethora of OD&D knock-offs. Now mind you, the ones that I found are free, so it is great credit to their creators. Unfortunately, I do not think it is for me. I liked 3rd edition and did not look for these references for the old D&D style. I believe that gaming with these systems will fall short of the original games I had back in my younger days. Why? One of the main reasons is that I am older now. I have been desensitized by my time on this planet and do not hold the world in wonder as I once did. A mad grasp at my childhood gaming would probably be an exercise in futility. Not that I would not be willing to try to game a little game with thee, but I just think old school gaming is not any better than any other gaming. As I always say, the best GM can make any game fun, and I have found the most fun is with games where we discover the rules.

So what's my point? Why rehash a bunch of information that others have already explained more thoughtfully and thoroughly than I have? Well, I discovered one small tidbit of information that I had not realized in the past. Some of you may have read my post on immersion versus mechanization called I Search the Dungeon for Anything. In it, I lamented how players interacted more with the world than in newer editions of the game, which seemed more to be a generalized attempt and allowing the rules to dictate the outcome of the actions. Looking at the revival rules it hit me... They don't have skills. This had been one of the driving points of character immersion. Players did not have a mechanic to gauge their own success at a given task; they were required to interact with their surroundings to determine if they would be successful at something.

So the question is, should we take skills out of the game, go back to 'proficiencies', or use something else entirely, like Collectible Card Abilities (groan)? I think that is something best discussed at a later date. I am curious as to what other people think: skills, class abilities, or just OSR in general

Further Reading

• A History of the Old School Revival

Undead, Undead, Undead

Watching the 'Walking Dead' yesterday got me thinking of a post-apocalyptic fantasy game where the living has become hordes of undead minions, the power of the faithful is waning, and those that believe in good are making one last stab at the heart of darkness that has spread across the land.

I think the idea would work in almost any fantasy related game; Shadowrun, for one, could be used to base this horrific reality. Using sources like 'All Flesh Must Be Eaten' or Dungeons & Dragons' 'Elder Evils' could provide some nice insight into running your own zombie game. I imagine that the start would be some plague/pox/sickness that spreads through the land as a pandemic, slowly changed the serene landscape into an overwhelming horde of macabre neophytes. Just exactly how to stop this could be the quest of long running campaign. Perhaps the ultimate goal is a very alive typhoid mary that must be purged by the Ankh of Ra.

How ever you plan to run this Festival of Blood (infamous shout) all I can say is 'C'mon get down with the sickness.'

Who Goes There?

*****Warning: Spoiler Alert if you want to watch 'The Thing'*****

I rarely go out and watch movies on opening week-end, but one of my all time favorite movies is "John Carpenter's The Thing". When I heard that they were making a prequel to the movie, I was very excited. I was ecstatic that Marc Abraham and Eric Newman chose to do a prequel instead of a remake because the original movie was too good of a classic to ruin.

I went with a like minded friend who felt the same way about the original and was surprised to find similar opinions of the movie. While the movie was not as 'scary' as the original, I found many of the scenes very tense and, even though some of the surprises were cliche, they still startled me. Of our opinion, we found that many of the scenes were copied from the original movie, from the creature's initial escape, to the the burning of one of the camp members that was slowly being absorbed after a big fight. While it still works for the movie, it was a little disappointing to those who have seen the original. We agreed that that the movie falling to 'the blood test' would have ruined any originality the story might had brought to the table, but we were pleasantly surprised when they presented a different way to determine who may have been the alien. One thing that struck me as odd, was a particular scene when the lead character confronted the alien in human guise, knowing full well it was an alien before turning the torch on it. I do not know why, knowing it was the alien, she would not have tried to talk to an obviously advanced species. That is of course, other than the fact that it may ruin the plot of the second movie.

I would like to say the special effects were exceptional, and I will admit that that the special effects were coequality for what I have seen in the movies these days. But, the original movie's effects entranced me to the point of believability. The original movie was done so well in my opinion, that watching it nigh thirty years later has not lessened the movie the way others that have not withstood the test of time. One of my particular favorite parts of the new movie was the arm-centipedes. Where the arms came of one of the 'infected', sprouted legs, and attacked the Norwegian carrying the man. Here is a shot of him fighting it off.

One of the things that really impressed me was the care taken to make portions of the new movie fit into the original scenes of the original movie. I found that this movie answered any burning questions about the Norwegian camp those many years ago. This was a quote from Heisserer, the movies writer:

“It’s a really fascinating way to construct a story because we're doing it by autopsy, by examining very, very closely everything we know about the Norwegian camp and about the events that happened there from photos and video footage that’s recovered, from a visit to the base, the director, producer and I have gone through it countless times marking, you know, there’s a fire axe in the door, we have to account for that…we're having to reverse engineer it, so those details all matter to us ‘cause it all has to make sense.”

— Eric Heisserer describing the process of creating a script

I found the movie quite enjoyable and would recommend any Sci-fi/Horror fan to go see it. I think the creator's attention to detail and respect for the original, outweigh any misgivings to fans of the original. The 'only' thing left to ask, is the rare cut scene of the sled dog running away from the human camp at the end of the first movie. This scene was only on some of the released for TV versions of the movie and I have found that I am one of the few people I know that have seen it. This leads to an interesting 'Will they do a Sequel?' question.

Further information:

• Read 'Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr.
• Watch the new 'The Thing' in theatres.
• Watch the original 'The Thing' from Netflicks.

Note: The pic of the thing is from Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials as discribed in the original Novella, of which you will not see in either movie.

Books on Tablets

A while ago I posted on the useful apps for the ipad. Since then I have started purchasing my gaming book digitally. Not only is it cheaper than buying a physical book, but I am able to carry multiple books, essentially, in the space of a single book. I do prefer reading a hardback book. Years of practice have made me adept at finger bookmarking for quick reference, but the e-book is slowly taking root in my being.

While perusing the internet, I came across an entry for the 'Song of Ice and Fire' RPG. This listing was for the tablet version of the game. It appears to be a PDF so I'm not sure how the "tablet version" handles better than a normal PDF. I'm normally against laptops, but I high recommend (flat adverb intended) using PDFs and tablets at games.

Further Reading:

• A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Tablet Edition

Realistic Prices for Magical Items

I came up with the following price list for magical items. This is only a portion of the complete list, but please feel free to use it if so inclined:

Table: Medium Wondrous Items
d% Item Market Price
1 Boots of levitation Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
2 Harp of charming Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
3 Amulet of natural armor +2 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
4 "Golem manual, flesh" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
5 Hand of glory Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
6 "Ioun stone, deep red sphere" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
7 "Ioun stone, incandescent blue sphere" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
8 "Ioun stone, pale blue rhomboid" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
9 "Ioun stone, pink and green sphere" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
10 "Ioun stone, pink rhomboid" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
11 "Ioun stone, scarlet and blue sphere" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
12 Deck of illusions Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
13 Necklace of fireballs type VI Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
14 Candle of invocation Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
15 Bracers of armor +3 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
16 Cloak of resistance +3 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
17 Decanter of endless water Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
18 Necklace of adaptation Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
19 "Pearl of power, 3rd-level spell" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
20 Talisman of the sphere Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
21 "Figurine of wondrous power, serpentine owl" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
22 Necklace of fireballs type VII Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
23 "Strand of prayer beads, lesser" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
24 Bag of holding type IV Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
25 "Figurine of wondrous power, bronze griffon" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
26 "Figurine of wondrous power, ebony fly" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
27 Glove of storing Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
28 "Ioun stone, dark blue rhomboid" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
29 "Stone horse, courser" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
30 Cape of the mountebank Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
31 Phylactery of undead turning Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
32 Gauntlet of rust Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
33 Boots of speed Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
34 Goggles of night Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
35 "Golem manual, clay" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
36 Medallion of thoughts Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
37 Pipes of pain Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
38 Blessed book Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
39 "Belt, monk’s" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
40 Gem of brightness Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
41 Lyre of building Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
42 Cloak of arachnida Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
43 "Stone horse, destrier" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
44 Belt of dwarvenkind Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
45 Periapt of wound closure Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
46 Horn of the tritons Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
47 Pearl of the sirines Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
48 "Figurine of wondrous power, onyx dog" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
49 Amulet of health +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
50 Belt of giant Strength +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
51 "Boots, winged" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
52 Bracers of armor +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
53 Cloak of Charisma +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
54 Cloak of resistance +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
55 Gloves of Dexterity +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
56 Headband of intellect +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
57 "Pearl of power, 4th-level spell" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
58 Periapt of Wisdom +4 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
59 Scabbard of keen edges Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
60 "Figurine of wondrous power, golden lions" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
61 Chime of interruption Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
62 Broom of flying Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
63 "Figurine of wondrous power, marble elephant" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
64 Amulet of natural armor +3 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
65 "Ioun stone, iridescent spindle" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
66 Bracelet of friends Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
67 "Carpet of flying, 5 ft. by 5 ft." Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
68 Horn of blasting Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
69 "Ioun stone, pale lavender ellipsoid" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
70 "Ioun stone, pearly white spindle" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
71 Portable hole Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
72 Stone of good luck (luckstone) Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
73 "Figurine of wondrous power, ivory goats" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
74 Rope of entanglement Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
75 "Golem manual, stone" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
76 Mask of the skull Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
77 Mattock of the titans Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
78 "Circlet of blasting, major" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
79 Amulet of mighty fists +2 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
80 "Cloak of displacement, minor" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
81 Helm of underwater action Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
82 "Bracers of archery, greater" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
83 Bracers of armor +5 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
84 Cloak of resistance +5 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
85 Eyes of doom Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
86 "Pearl of power, 5th-level spell" Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
87 Maul of the titans Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
88 Strand of prayer beads Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
89 Cloak of the bat Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
90 Iron bands of binding Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
91 Cube of frost resistance Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
92 Helm of telepathy Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
93 Periapt of proof against poison Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
94 Robe of scintillating colors Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
95 Manual of bodily health +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
96 Manual of gainful exercise +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
97 Manual of quickness in action +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
98 Tome of clear thought +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
99 Tome of leadership and influence +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp
100 Tome of understanding +1 Insufficient Funds but willing to offer 50gp

Interview with RA Salvatore

Obsidian Portal recently had an interview with one of my favorite authors, R. A. Salvatore. I normally don't listen to interviews, but I decided to check it out on a whim. The interview was about Salvatore's Neverwinter books and the game of the same name. I must admit, I have fallen out of the Drizzt series, so I have no plans on picking up the book. It was interesting to hear Salvatore's Boston accent, and the interchange more informative than I would have guessed.

One of the items I found interesting was his explanation of trying to write a fight scene based in 4th editon, in a word "brutal". Salvatore states that it was a challenge for him to write a scene that followed the 4th edition rule set. 4th edition has so much 'crunch' and focuses more on effect that on action.

I have always enjoyed the freedom of action in a role-playing game. My characters tend to have a lot of panache and I prefer to to have a GM make an arbitrary call on my character's action. As a friend once commented, I like to play my characters like an action star of a John Woo film. I like my games to allow me to do so.

As always, your travels may vary, take what you like and leave the rest for the next traveller.

Further Reading/Listening

Salvatore Interview

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