Review: The Old God's Return

The Old God's Returned is a little booklet that manages to pack a rather surprising amount of adventure into its 19 pages.

From the back cover:
A shivering plague.
Knives glinting in the moonlight.
A frigid mountain drifting in the sky.
These ominous events attend the return of an evil long forgotten by Man. On the night of the winter solstice, when the world is balanced on a knife’s edge in the battle between fire and ice, a slumbering deity awakes. Now, only those heroes chosen as the champions of the Lord of Flickering Flames can end this growing threat before it reclaims its former malevolence and reminds the world why the old forests are places to be feared…

The basic premise is the awakening of an old forgotten god has caused a plague to strike a village's children. The PCs are tasked to find out the cause of the plague and stop it. While not exactly an original premise, Michael Curtis makes it work by giving it the usual DCC-style twist by placing the adventure in a non-standard setting. I mean, how often do you come across frozen ziggurat encased in a flying iceberg?

Actually, given my readership, it's probably not all that rare...

Getting to the ziggurat isn't without challenge, but the real fun is within. And the final confrontation with the old god? A wonderful take on Krampus! And that isn't the end of the adventure either...

Aside from a flying iceberg, the adventure boasts 4 new monsters, an limited fire-based ability to help combat the blistering cold, and a nice tie-in to another DCC adventure. Also, while unlikely, there is the possibility that more chaotically inclined PC's might decide to turn the adventure on it's head. While not covered in the adventure, it wouldn't be too hard to see how that might go.

Overall I really like the adventure. I wish it wasn't priced the same as the standard DCC adventures, given that it's shorter in length (19 pages), and physically half the size of the usual 8.5 x 11. On the other hand, they really went for a higher quality paper for this adventure, though I'm not sure why. Personally I'd rather have seen the usual interior paper and a price closer to $6 or $7.

Sunday Inspirational Image: Temple at the End of the World

Temple at the End of the World by Stas Lobachev

Secret Santicore 2015

On the off chance you're unaware, the beast of giving is back! What are your most secret (gaming) desires? And what desires are you willing to fulfil?

From the Santicore Blog:

TL;DR: Ask for a piece of game content, write a piece back in return. Link is below. Read the rules first, you impatient millenial.

Every year around this time, precious little gamemasters of all ages from around the world write Santicore asking for a piece of gameable content. But because Santicore is a busy abomination, he orders his minions to mix up all those wishes and send them all back. 

Little DM Bobby and Judge Susie must write or draw their very best response to the wish in their stocking or Santicore will come eat them up. You would think this discourages anyone from writing Santicore, but every year the mailbag is bigger! All the entries are then published in a free, non-commercial PDF for all to use! FAH-WHO-LO-RAY!

Please read the instructions below so that your expectations are clearly set and you do not end up as gristle between the teeth of the Santicore.

How it works

Everybody who wants in should click on the link at the bottom of this post and fill out the request form. Ask for one specific brand new piece of campaign material--a new race, a location, a one-shot adventure outline, a random table, whatever you want from fantasy, sci-fi, horror or other genre of role playing game.

Santicore will mix all the requests up and send them back out to the people who entered. Each participant will get an assigned request around November 16-18 from a Wrangler Hellf. Everyone then has until December 1st, 2015 to craft an answer to that request. That December 1st deadline is firm. So firm. Do not test the Santicore.

After the angelic and unimpeachable proofreaders have corrected the two or three mistakes that will be found amongst the many entries, a team of Paindeer will collect the entries all into a full PDF document. Because we are starting later than usual this year, the presents may not make it out until early 2016.

The Details

Dates

Saturday 14 November: You must fill out the form by this date or you're a spectator this year.
Monday 16 November - Tuesday 1 December: Write, draw, map and proofread.
Late 2015 - Early 2016: The pdfs are posted.

Requests

• Don't post your request in the comments below or email it to ANYONE. Use the form (link below) or you will feel the spiny poisonous caress of Santicore's ball stinger.
• By asking for something you are also committing to contributing something. Be sure you can follow through on that within the two weeks allotted. If you don't have time, ask your little cousin or your grandma to do it.
• One request per person. Santicore likes the taste of people who break this rules.
• Be as specific, but don't strangle the creator's freedom. That said, if you need something that's safe for work/kids, be sure to mention that up front.
• Proofread your request as you fill out the form. Or you could end up with stats for a new lemon dord.
• System neutral is preferred but not required. Some OSR games are almost interchangeable so unless you need something specifically for your game's quirky magic system or something ask for "generic OSR fantasy." That said, we will try to honor system specific requests.
• Don't get greedy. Asking for a game location or small dungeon is is cool, but you won't get a whole mega-dungeon. Santicore doesn't care how bad you've been. Requests for tables might come back as a d12, d20 or d100 but we will leave this up to the respondent according to his or her ability to fulfill. If you just want art or a map, go ahead and ask. We know a few people.
• It's not just about elf games! While Secret Santicore sprang from the loins of the OSR DIY movement, there's zero reason you can't request something for your sci-fi/supers/horror/whatever-game. You don't have to request fantasy or D&D-specific stuff. I bet anybody could handle a sci-fi or super request--but just be aware that the pool of people responding to your request will be the pool of people who read Playing D&D with Pornstars.
• Each requester's name and e-mail address will be in the final pdf next to the entry unless the requester specifically asks otherwise. We will use what you put in the form, as your name but be sure to put in your real email address even if you don't want it published

Submissions

• Proofread and correct your entry before submitting. You'll loose respect if you're writing isn't quiet up too there expectations.
• By asking for something you are also committing to contributing something. If you commit to something - a request, or helping out behind the scenes - then find you can't come through with the goods that's perfectly okay, life happens, as long as you let us know as soon as you know. CONTACT YOUR WRANGLER HELLF.
• All human undertakings involving interactions between strangers involve a capacity for misunderstanding and idiocy. Secret Santicore is a gift horse. DO NOT LOOK IT IN THE MOUTH. No bad-mouthing people for what they ask for or provide. Serious and simulatory requests may get gonzo answers, gonzo requests may get serious answers, c'est la vie. If you're worried, try to be specific in your request so you get something you can really use.
• None of this stuff should get used commercially unless the person who wrote it gets paid.
• This is Open Content.
• We reserve the right to completely fuck this up, but will try very hard not to. If we get swamped with requests, it might be Saint Penanggalantine's Day before we publish. We'll do our very best.

Still got questions? Contact Chris Weller via Google+ post or email chrisweller at the good old gmail dawtkham. OR you can contact Christopher Wood via Google+ or email him at Grinnock at that same "Gee, male!"

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And back to me. CLICK HERE to go to the blog, and tell Santicore what you're willing to do, and what you'd like.

Classic Horror Movies

In spite of my love of Halloween and weird horrifying monsters (but especially vampires), I've never really been into horror movies, and haven't seen very many of them. I don't generally enjoy stomach turning gore, violence for shock's sake, and that spine chilling sense of anticip-

But at the same time, I recognize that this has created something of a gap in my exposure to things that helped shape the hobby. Akin to not reading things from Appendix N, really. Especially older horror movies from the late 60's and early 70's. So the week of Halloween, while working on various terrain things, I checked out what was available online (Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon), and found a wealth of options.

I started with the Hammer Horror movie Twins of Evil, starring Peter Cushing, with Damien Thomas and the real-life twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson. Peter Cushing is a puritanical witch hunter who's recently orphaned nieces come to live with him from Venice. One is wild, the other not. The wild one falls for the decadent Count Karnstein, who in his ennui over the banality of the devil worshipers he meets, sells his soul and becomes a vampire, and promptly turns the wild sister into one too. The good sister falls for the local school teacher/boar hunter who happens to know all about hunting vampires. It was delightfully campy, and checking the wiki page on it, I learned that it was the 3rd of the The Karnstein Trilogy. So off to find the first one...

The Vampire Lovers starring Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt as the vampire Mircalla Karnstien, who likes hanging out with rich families that have young beautiful daughters. Equally as campy, though it was kind of fun seeing Peter Cushing as a different character from the Twins of Evil...

Lastly I watched The House that Dripped Blood. Not a Hammer Horror, but in the same vein. This one was a series of 4 short vignettes that all take place in the same house, and staring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. In some ways, it kind of reminded me of Four Rooms... I actually liked this one most. I think the short story format worked better, and linking it all together around the one house created a nice framework.

-pation.

Review DCC's Lankhmar: Through Ningauble's Cave

So not too long ago, Dungeon Crawl Classics acquired the rights to Lankhmar. Now, I have to admit, I've not read a single page of Fritz Leiber. Not due to any lack of desire, but more just a simple case of I haven't gotten around to it yet. It's on my list, and somewhere upstairs I've got Ill Met in Lankhmar, but it just hasn't percolated up to the top yet.

In spite of this, I picked up Through Ningauble's Cave by Michael Curtis, mainly because I've been pleased with just about everything Michael Curtis has done up to this point... we'll see if that holds true once I get Stonehell 2 in my hands, but so far, he's a proven adventure author for me.

Unlike most releases this isn't an adventure. It's more a patron supplement and introduction to the setting of the world of Nehwon. The first 7 pages are devoted to introducing Ningauble, explaining how he makes use of those who call on him, and the cave itself as a setting, plus 2 pages of cavern geomorphs for DM's to use. The cavern system isn't just the locations, it's also the inhabitants. And while Ningauble itself is the primary inhabitant, he isn't alone. Numerous servants, other adventurers, and random travelers wander the dark and ever twisting passages.

After the cave, 6 pages focus on 5 different locations that the cave exits to on Nehwon itself. Each of these exit locations includes adventure ideas, and a sample encounter. Each of these places seem interesting enough for more than one adventure

Of note, the cave exists as a link between numerous worlds, not just Nehwon. This includes (as the DM wishes) Earth, The Purple Planet, The Shudder Mountains, and even post-apocalyptic worlds, and other strange locations. The Warden from Metamorphosis Alpha maybe? Or a Red and Pleasant Land? Or anywhere else that you want to toss the players.

Ningauble himself (itself?) as a Patron is described over the last 3 pages, including the expected Invoke Patron, Patron Taint, and Spellburn charts. As Ningauble is a gossip-monger, he is happy to be patron to those who will bring it new lore. It loves information, especially secrets, and will happily take any and every tidbit that visitors are willing to give him.

While not being familiar with the source material, I can much more easily see how Ningauble would make an excellent patron, if a somewhat demanding one for DCC characters.

As usual, the art is up to the usual excellent standards that DCC consistently sets. If you're a fan of Lankhmar, or need a new Patron for your players, this is definitely worth picking up. Ignoring the last 3 pages, it's pretty system neutral, and so could work for just about any fantasy RPG.

On the off chance that you're interested in DCC, but haven't gotten the rule book yet, Goodman Games is running a kickstarter for the 4th printing. $40 gets you a hardcover and PDF of the rulebook, plus a whole bunch of other stuff including 4 free adventures (which would cost you $40 by themselves).

#6MMRPC October Wrap Up

Ok, so this catches us up with weeks 19-21...

Mostly it's been a terrain heavy couple of weeks, as I've been neck deep in foam, and spending hours scribing rock and brick shapes into it. So what does this progress look like?

Kind of like that. I've also started working on the Dragons Don't Share terrain.

Decided to wash it in the dishwasher. Seems to have worked out just fine! 

Dark grey basecoat

Cleaning mold lines

Blue on grey. I'm planning on theming this set for Frostgrave. 

Overall I'm pretty pleased with my progress. Looking at what I actually need...

• Square Mausoleum Building, 6" per side with a door in each wall. Design Complete
• Ruined Wizards Tower - at least 10" high with three floors. This tower must have a building either side of it with a bridge or ladder allowing access to the upper stories.
• 6 Statues in a 12" square ruin. Ruin in progress.
• Haunted Houses - Six small stone monks huts with no roof. Cut out, scribed. 1 built.
• A Well or Fountain. Design Complete
• Four 2" diameter discs to act as teleport points. 3/4 ready to be painted
• 6 Columns or ruined columns.
• Underground Library- The table must be covered in multiple decaying book shelves and rubble. There should be a door or entrance point on each of the four sides of the table. Printed shelves printed. Testing ways to mount them
• Plus enough scatter terrain to cover the board 2 pieces made. 

November Plans

I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo, or any of the other similar things for November, but to those that are, best of success!

My plans for November are to finish up the $25 Terrain Challenge, and get some decent work in on the Dragons Don't Share set from Reaper. Giving myself much more than that seems... counter-productive. Like everyone, I have only limited time... And on the off chance I finish all that, I'll figure out what I want to do for December and get an early start on it!

Oh, yeah, and I'll still be posting here! Stay tuned for a status update on my Frostgrave terrain project...