tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45676319160322469642024-03-27T06:38:21.746+00:00Plastic PolyhedraA geek dad's gaming blog. I like characterful characters, rich plots, random generators, and minimal prep - and occasionally play wargames and boardgames.Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-84431067566544529412023-12-01T16:00:00.000+00:002023-12-01T16:00:00.156+00:00RPG Blog Carnival: Endings<p>Apologies for my lack of involvement over the last few months, real life gets in the way sometimes. I do have a post still in draft for <a href="https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/10/archaeology-and-anthropology-blog.html" target="_blank">the September Carnival theme</a>, <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/search/label/orktober">then Orktober took over</a>, and had I <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/05/rpg-blog-carnival-one-roll-festivals.html">previously posted something</a> on the theme for November and was struggling for ideas...</p><p>But on to <i>this</i> Carnival! To bookend <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/beginnings-january-2023-rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">Scot's January topic of "Beginnings"</a>, for December 2023 I've chosen an intentionally broad theme of "Endings" to close the year. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhues3BaK1pv-pPbdtNXLKT8yk6RHfGLUqWuULsaNzwtO_AjleC35Mo_A9u3c1vKlmBDV3aHQY2JEq34OsZJlUkPrisbqmrUsGmbmsTpb-KhkXWZZ-ocfs8fXiLR5jPXabs95M5IUf6Cdglj-rWk-6LqGcTYoAEdt-rxUXuzwerEJ0UQa-UKMWwaUE9Z-U/s900/the_farewell_ritual_by_nataliadrepina_dctdb5u-fullview.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhues3BaK1pv-pPbdtNXLKT8yk6RHfGLUqWuULsaNzwtO_AjleC35Mo_A9u3c1vKlmBDV3aHQY2JEq34OsZJlUkPrisbqmrUsGmbmsTpb-KhkXWZZ-ocfs8fXiLR5jPXabs95M5IUf6Cdglj-rWk-6LqGcTYoAEdt-rxUXuzwerEJ0UQa-UKMWwaUE9Z-U/s320/the_farewell_ritual_by_nataliadrepina_dctdb5u-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/nataliadrepina/art/The-farewell-ritual-774923970" target="_blank">NataliaDrepina</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some suggestions:</p><p><b>Campaign finales and closing plot arcs</b></p><p>(I'm particularly interested in this; <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/05/on-short-ttrpg-campaigns-3-act-story.html">as much a fan of shorter campaigns that I am</a>, I still struggle with endings - it's easier to just keep the story rolling on!)</p><p><b>Character death, retirement, and TPKs</b></p><p>(I've <a href="(When) is it OK to TPK?">talked briefly about the latter </a>before, but I still think it's an interesting topic)</p><p><b>2023 in review / retrospective</b></p><p>(I don't usually do this, but I like reading them; and I think I will this year as <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/01/beginnings-dungeon23-2023-in-gaming-and.html">I started the year off with hopes and dreams</a> - if you are too then please share here!)</p><p><b>But anything goes that fits the theme!</b></p><p>Drop a link to your themed post in the comments on this post, all welcome, and I'll post a wrap-up at the end of the month when the Carnival moves on.</p><p>After this month the 2023 RPG Blog Carnival is ending - <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">signups to host in 2024 are open at the hub on OfDiceAndDragons</a>, along with general info about getting involved (and why you should) and links to all the past Carnivals too.</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-34272766684995515862023-10-16T16:46:00.003+01:002023-11-26T20:48:29.018+00:00Gorkamorka mob building and loadouts<p>I've had a couple more games of GorkaMorka and started building my own minis to represent my mob (<a href="http://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/10/orktober-gorkamorka-shenanigans.html">as I borrowed them last time</a>). Rules-as-written there are a few things to consider when choosing gear for my Boyz</p><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Everyone gets knives/knuckles free, meaning there's no reason any boy can't have multiple melee weapons</li><li>The +1 Attacks bonus for having multiple melee weapons only applies to Boyz who don't have any two handed weapons</li><li>The Big Shoota is hands down the best weapon, no reason not to take one on each vehicle apart from cost!</li></ul><div>There's no advantage to having a pair of Choppas or a pair of Sluggas (apart from if one of them runs out of ammo) or a 'Uge Choppa and another melee weapon, so I've been reviewing my mob's loadouts.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RNJrRuGPBSCUmFHhBCQ5Eu9VtgnTKJWSOwRP5L1X_NczUXL1miJUhaYKE2SgI0NdWfT5loj0phY3V99A6bqqsb-1ux3-AQPGAEikVaaDXeur_l1BNqOxn9pKxhMcgxXMCF_99MCO4Oro7HK_6GPgySaioCVbn2d1FCVPdtEZVG3mDdJ7gaSFpwRMFo8/s4000/IMG_20231012_204202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gorkamorka actual play - gw orks" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RNJrRuGPBSCUmFHhBCQ5Eu9VtgnTKJWSOwRP5L1X_NczUXL1miJUhaYKE2SgI0NdWfT5loj0phY3V99A6bqqsb-1ux3-AQPGAEikVaaDXeur_l1BNqOxn9pKxhMcgxXMCF_99MCO4Oro7HK_6GPgySaioCVbn2d1FCVPdtEZVG3mDdJ7gaSFpwRMFo8/w240-h320/IMG_20231012_204202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boyz grabbing some loot</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>My Nob's switched out his Slugga for a Shoota as they cost the same and the Shoota is better at range at the cost of being two-handed - so he got no benefit from using the Slugga with his 'Uge Choppa. Not that that would have stopped him being taken out by one of Jim's grots (above, left) - oh the shame!</div><div><br /></div><div>Oddly, Slugga + Choppa is probably the best loadout for a Nob, despite the urge to beef them up. The game is definitely designed for boyz to go ranged OR melee, and I'm trying to make them all unique:</div><div><br /></div><div>Melee/CQ 3-teef loadouts:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Slugga + Choppa/Chain/Spear</li><li>6 Shoota + Choppa/Chain/Spear</li></ul><div>I might play around with them but the other melee weapons (spears etc.) just don't feel like they have as much utility as a good ol' Choppa. Happy to take advice!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Ranged 3-teef loadouts:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Kannon (worth trying out)</li><li>Shoota + Choppa (for the strength bonus?)</li><li>Shoota + Shield (cause I think it would look cool and might work?)</li></ul></div><div>Stuff I'm toying with:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>2x 6 Shootas (two rounds of firing before needing to reload) - 4 teef</li><li>Shoota + 'Uge Choppa - 4 teef</li><li>Frag stikkbombs (only? Nothing really adds much and they're already fairly expensive - but presumably fun) - 3 teef</li><li>Just a Slugga - for the drivers - 2 teef</li></ul></div><div>Going to try a few of these out. Thankfully I won a few bags of teef so I've put a Big Shoots on my second trukk too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Suggestions for fun loadouts accepted in the comments!</div><p></p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-11986469482859436782023-10-07T13:54:00.001+01:002023-10-07T14:49:08.478+01:00Orktober GorkaMorka shenanigans <p>It seems I've been drawn into a GorkaMorka campaign at <a href="https://www.mightylancergames.co.uk/?ref=vuuyqocamg" target="_blank">my FLGS</a>; I'd forgotten how much silly fun that game is. It was pretty cool that about half the players at the table had their original rulebooks however, and spirits were high.</p><p>With 100 teef in the budget and only five spare boys available to borrow for my mob I went for a couple of trukks (which were thankfully plentiful) to spend up:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Trukk (20)</li><li>Trukk (20)</li><li>Nob - six shoota + uge choppa (15)</li><li>Spanner - slugga + choppa (9)</li><li>Spanner - slugga + choppa (9)</li><li>Boy - 2x slugga (9)</li><li>Boy - 2x choppa (7)</li></ul><div>With a few teef left over I splashed out on a spear gun for one of the trukks and called it done.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaTjJwL-XMYbYhDlSZDB3H6ZjpOD9hvFmHSbCsKhg6CLx5k0TbzNlmwcnxs86SmAd7I7prVNcQRpeF7llb0TwfOH3K-YyqmXrPYYPe28m8BYW01A9dJHtBNdHhOpLykFZdQRf18cHHu2dV8XcAT8NE7q2WQ1P6LscW7Ygn6H_JlEQfoU3GQZPGfuxUhA/s4000/IMG_20231005_201013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gorkamorka Ork trukk race" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaTjJwL-XMYbYhDlSZDB3H6ZjpOD9hvFmHSbCsKhg6CLx5k0TbzNlmwcnxs86SmAd7I7prVNcQRpeF7llb0TwfOH3K-YyqmXrPYYPe28m8BYW01A9dJHtBNdHhOpLykFZdQRf18cHHu2dV8XcAT8NE7q2WQ1P6LscW7Ygn6H_JlEQfoU3GQZPGfuxUhA/w320-h240/IMG_20231005_201013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My borrowed mob, centre, ready to race...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We started with a race to help learn the vehicle rules, which I think was a good idea. Space on the starting grid was tight so it was perhaps inevitable that we weren't going to get very far... things soon degenerated into enjoyable chaos as trukks collided and span out, becoming obstacles.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bE0E7jGRtjqeRf3pBOAxFHeqwNrZNmWRZSSwBrPHRLdpBAgdau-I4NbR1A2dJe5AMSMiPAmphjDLdXePJStcj90HFKQfP0_bIihRUAV8CjXmELBCHSRDML9GhbjkGR4nwWvkgxvN2DevWTJHl3nOWfK05Hkd7oh07ZveQatDfM-xoTKEqtc_KeFrCNo/s4000/IMG_20231005_204048.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ork trukks gorka morka" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bE0E7jGRtjqeRf3pBOAxFHeqwNrZNmWRZSSwBrPHRLdpBAgdau-I4NbR1A2dJe5AMSMiPAmphjDLdXePJStcj90HFKQfP0_bIihRUAV8CjXmELBCHSRDML9GhbjkGR4nwWvkgxvN2DevWTJHl3nOWfK05Hkd7oh07ZveQatDfM-xoTKEqtc_KeFrCNo/w320-h240/IMG_20231005_204048.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrowly failing to slip through a gap</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is a game where vehicles can move and then boost forwards (risking rolling on a failure table for extra fun) so from the offset we were ramming each other with glee. Two turns in, the track was pretty much gridlocked - but that was a fine opportunity for a good ol' orky fight. Four turns in only one player had made it more than halfway round the track and some of us had to call it a night, but we'd all had fun.</p><p>Definitely a game that's better if you embrace your inner Ork, and despite not placing in the race my mob ended up with some xp and a bag of teef to spend. Looking forward to next time.</p><p>Happy Orktober, progress on <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/08/four-arms-good-two-arms-bad.html">my fledgeling Genestealer cult</a> is on hold now as I've just bought a box of Boyz and a trukk!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-40548569308440552102023-08-17T16:30:00.001+01:002023-08-17T16:30:00.152+01:00Four arms good, two arms bad<p>With the release of a new edition of 40k I've been tempted away from my usual love of skirmish games* and see what all the fuss is about - so I've picked up the Genestealer Cult combat patrol.</p><p>First thoughts looking at the sprues were that with the number of extra arms and heads it seemed like a great opportunity to do some kitbashing (I've always preferred building minis to painting minis)!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWN0vc_e59vvEdpvN3CpcoeaNWk-C1aAJRReqiWJKRQR0MpnXh2X630KeWA0B5Sk4tee3rmp15Ok7ochKHilB3CU2O80vJbrFCDnbUmwLprqDD4DxU94mTcTLpScyevM7u6SHGHujIIQMuhcVBEN65CudXVOaNJSzu4y7fWZUj8FjUGsN1Q-dmqeqj6A/s4000/IMG_20230722_141718.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kitbashing genestealer cults with anvil industry legs and torsos" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWN0vc_e59vvEdpvN3CpcoeaNWk-C1aAJRReqiWJKRQR0MpnXh2X630KeWA0B5Sk4tee3rmp15Ok7ochKHilB3CU2O80vJbrFCDnbUmwLprqDD4DxU94mTcTLpScyevM7u6SHGHujIIQMuhcVBEN65CudXVOaNJSzu4y7fWZUj8FjUGsN1Q-dmqeqj6A/w320-h240/IMG_20230722_141718.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GW Genestealer Cult + Anvil Industry bits</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'd wanted a rag-tag mix and match look but my second thought was how badly the GSC torsos and legs fit to these Anvil legs and torsos due to the angling of the joins - and in fact, the GW legs and torsos don't mix and match well <i>with each other</i>! Reading the assembly instructions it's clear that the torsos and legs are designed to be paired up exclusively which is disappointing.</p><p>Reading the instructions it also became clear that although "each mini" has two intended builds (very much like <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/04/test-minis-for-warcry.html">the monopose Warcry minis</a> that are my only other recent GW experience) and that many have a shared component in both, often a left arm, which I guess is going to be a factor in any potential kitbashes using the spare arms.</p><p>All that said, I'm excited for the possibilities. Playing around some more:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItMAivOcGwHnLu6uWwoP1H-o161Mf1RdHKlKeEkMuIeVzZbEIQJnfKrX4cFQfKHKfMhmE7khairUsxMfVWeHRcSTJwPpZ7jkAHBmxHb_AmLIIjfqLazmNKpmmNQTHMjbcEWte1hzkIWxgyeOqk-rlVSqlyjB7nabummiRD0YzQLpdEyh9sXV5Yrkj5F4/s4000/IMG_20230722_142225.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Genestealer cult kitbash with anvil industries torsos and legs" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItMAivOcGwHnLu6uWwoP1H-o161Mf1RdHKlKeEkMuIeVzZbEIQJnfKrX4cFQfKHKfMhmE7khairUsxMfVWeHRcSTJwPpZ7jkAHBmxHb_AmLIIjfqLazmNKpmmNQTHMjbcEWte1hzkIWxgyeOqk-rlVSqlyjB7nabummiRD0YzQLpdEyh9sXV5Yrkj5F4/w320-h240/IMG_20230722_142225.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those same Anvil and GW bodies, now unmixed</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Mlxs72apiLjRg0TShOkzigYH6wgXrB-bGNggW5ITmp_8rno_m3tO9tnSIZ-7-X42hp_GjwoVVlrvcQn6IbbMiayb9WmQ7UwpNHY9I8CYmhgGCFqBefdXA2FYZLPcxiyQxeRpOLT283ITY-Rv1Mgq0q-oX4yBPZo7k4ElUHdzlMDkZzXFQNvVVSzd1EI/s4000/IMG_20230722_114727.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Genestealer cult heads on stargrave and frostgrave bodies" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Mlxs72apiLjRg0TShOkzigYH6wgXrB-bGNggW5ITmp_8rno_m3tO9tnSIZ-7-X42hp_GjwoVVlrvcQn6IbbMiayb9WmQ7UwpNHY9I8CYmhgGCFqBefdXA2FYZLPcxiyQxeRpOLT283ITY-Rv1Mgq0q-oX4yBPZo7k4ElUHdzlMDkZzXFQNvVVSzd1EI/w320-h240/IMG_20230722_114727.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying GSC heads on Stargrave and Frostgrave bodies</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Of all these I really like the Frostgrave soldier body with the GSC head, ridiculous as it looks here, it's just a shame that they're so small in comparison to the GW bodies. If I could build up the torso/shoulder area it could work, as the head is actually about the right height, so I'm definitely filing that away for future consideration! Not sure about the fit of the others with the aesthetic however, but food for thought all the same.</p><p>Any suggestions for potential kitbashes, and your good or bad experiences, welcome in the comments!</p><p>* OK I'll admit the main reason I went for GSC was because I could use them in Necromunda and Kill Team too!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-25762808474674236472023-08-10T16:17:00.001+01:002023-08-10T18:31:32.157+01:00Mining the D&D Anti-Canon<p>This month <a href="https://codexanathema.com/2023/08/01/cabalas-y-congregaciones/" target="_blank">the RPG Blog Carnival is all about Cabals and Congregations</a> - which got me thinking about the organisations and factions we use (or rather <i>don't use</i>) in our games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEYvxFhYGrr83LT545PwJTfI-2xhJizvJCXdVqCCNIuY-D-y1THYHdGIRGSqgqo0aplkKtrgp3OSQzT8_Lw9k0jyiA2MRnYKM0CoOBuuhLRH_nvO4xcun49xgjD-rLVRJzdAROkYQq24I1gIJPEtMbi4Zv_PhZRw7ZI4P18pDrtWyXpApWpyu1tb76FU/s538/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEYvxFhYGrr83LT545PwJTfI-2xhJizvJCXdVqCCNIuY-D-y1THYHdGIRGSqgqo0aplkKtrgp3OSQzT8_Lw9k0jyiA2MRnYKM0CoOBuuhLRH_nvO4xcun49xgjD-rLVRJzdAROkYQq24I1gIJPEtMbi4Zv_PhZRw7ZI4P18pDrtWyXpApWpyu1tb76FU/s320/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><p>When I play D&D particularly, I get the feeling there's a whole load of built-in backstory that often gets ignored because it's not used going forward, especially in published adventures. I'm fully in agreement with <a href="https://www.wizardthieffighter.com/2019/anti-canon-worlds-and-the-uvg/" target="_blank">Luka Rejec on canon and anti-canon</a> and that I'd rather do this stuff at the table to make our own world than spend days reading and remembering details of someone else's world.</p><p>None of our PCs exist in a vacuum; <i>explicitly</i> Bards have Colleges, Druids have Circles, Rangers have favoured enemies, Sorcerers have Bloodlines - these are all potential factions to draw into our stories, and more are implied for all classes.</p><p>Since <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/05/on-dming-or-how-i-learned-to-let-go-and.html" target="_blank">Dungeon World and Stars Without Number* helped change my DM worldview</a> I've been keen to try to build the story round the PCs, not push the PCs into the story. </p><p>Here's some session zero thoughts to bring these background factions to the foreground, e.g:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Barbarian - who are your tribe? Who are their enemies and allies? Who else roams your lands?</li><li>Bard - where did you train? Are/were you part of a troupe? Who have you worked for?</li><li>Cleric (also Druid) - do you belong to an order? Who are the enemies of your god/religion? What are your holy gathering places?</li><li>Fighter - where did you train / who did you train under? Is there a local fighter's or mercenary's guild (and what's your relationship with them)?</li><li>Monk - where is your monastery and what are its rites and rituals? Who threatens or empowers your way of life?</li><li>Paladin - draw from Fighter and/or Cleric, but also: what organisations are aligned with / opposed to your Oath?</li><li>Ranger - who else lives outside of the points of light (and what is your relationship with them)? Who of your favoured enemy do you have history with / are currently active locally?</li><li>Sorcerer - who shares your bloodline and how do they live among other people? What organisations seek to regulate or exploit your magic?</li><li>Warlock - are you part of a cult to your patron? Who are the enemies (or allies) of your patron?</li><li>Wizard - where did you train/learn? Who is/are the largest/wisest holder(s) of arcane knowledge in the region?</li></ul><p></p><p>I've talked before about <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2020/11/creating-dynamic-plots-from-plot.html">how I like to use factions to help generate plot threads and story arcs</a> and (I think) making the movers and shakers relevant to the PCs helps to tie the characters to the world.</p><p>The above are version-independent ideas, but if 5e is your D&D flavour there's also backgrounds to mine (as well as them being bags of proficiencies)! </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Guild" backgrounds aside - Acolytes, Entertainers, Gladiators, Sages, Soldiers all probably belong to some sort of professional organisation</li><li>Charlatans, Criminals and Urchins surely must have had run-ins with (or been members of) underworld organisations</li><li>Folk Heros need a folk to be the hero of!</li><li>Sailors have crews, Knights have orders, Nobles have houses... Outlanders have people back home</li><li>Even Hermits have people, even if it's just the ones they are pointedly avoiding!</li></ul><div>These low hanging fruit are often overlooked, but I'll be making a point to try to remember them in my future games. How do you go about creating and using factions?</div><div><br /></div><div>For more information on the <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">RPG Blog Carnival</a>, or to check out the archive (going back more than a decade) make sure to check out the link - you can sign up to host here too. Thanks to Gonz for hosting this month!</div><p></p><p>* I'd forgotten, but <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/06/wip-playbooks-for-stars-without-number.html">I started working on something similar for SWN a few years back</a> too!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-24090745978021695672023-08-06T22:51:00.000+01:002023-08-07T07:51:46.657+01:00July 2023 RPG Blog Carnival wrap-up<p> Apologies for the lateness of this post, I've been AFK for the last week or so. Also Blogger seems to be marking comments as spam a few days after I approve them, which makes them disappear, so I had to work that out and bring them back...</p><p>Thanks for the contributions to the <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/07/rpg-blog-carnival-terrain-seasons.html">July 2023 RPG Blog Carnival topic of Terrain, Seasons, Weather</a>:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykvuX1y2KUz65kg0tMD-w_0R-wEOGCWfkCjrvuMUHGr74WOIBf-9gcrAULzh33saL2w_qIOm9NTYkRY_FZM34_K9OHmQ-Zcg1dNQEdIv2U_CmeKQPF5riMLpx3YzELM3otB7XcaOEJfimEdgqRWOos8NKnBv0CEzfY0VVMT_Ig9Kc6v0q5B71hU3UWX8/s1024/ocean_storm_by_skyscapeparadise_de0jxfc-fullview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykvuX1y2KUz65kg0tMD-w_0R-wEOGCWfkCjrvuMUHGr74WOIBf-9gcrAULzh33saL2w_qIOm9NTYkRY_FZM34_K9OHmQ-Zcg1dNQEdIv2U_CmeKQPF5riMLpx3YzELM3otB7XcaOEJfimEdgqRWOos8NKnBv0CEzfY0VVMT_Ig9Kc6v0q5B71hU3UWX8/s320/ocean_storm_by_skyscapeparadise_de0jxfc-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/skyscapeparadise/art/Ocean-Storm-847456248" target="_blank">skyscapeparadise</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/07/28/rpg-blog-carnival-weather-in-the-sea-of-stars" target="_blank">Sea of Stars RPG writes about unusual weathers and their use in our games</a>:</p><p><i>"Like all things, weather should be used to make the world more interesting. Bring it in when it heightens a scene or mood, and minimize it when it is not important to the action."</i></p><p><a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2023/07/strange-weather-from-magical-terrain.html" target="_blank">Seed of Worlds gives us a d8+d20 weird weather generator for weird terrains</a>:</p><p><i>"For this post we are looking at this from a 'wind off the plane of horrors' angle; roll this to see what kind of weird weather-related effect you are getting and then snap that together with known local weird locations in your campaign or go to the bottom table for some ideas of what those strange locations could be." </i></p><p><a href="https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/07/experimental-meta-weather-rules.html" target="_blank">Beneath Foreign Planets gives us a system for random weather</a> and some seasonal examples:</p><p><i>"I've wanted a weather system that possesses the following qualities: is simple enough to be memorable, allows for the weather to be naturally and randomly changeable AND stay the same for long stretches, to show weather patterns/trends within a season and most importantly allow for the weather to become 'weird' so that the players can experience wild or dramatic weather phenomena (but not too often) and to try to do all this with as little die rolling as possible."</i></p><p>And <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/07/rpg-book-review-visitors-guide-to-rainy.html">my own submission reviewing A Visitor's Guide to the Rainy City, here</a>.</p><p>The Carnival has moved on to Codex Anathema for August, where the theme is "<a href="https://codexanathema.com/2023/08/01/cabalas-y-congregaciones/" target="_blank">Cabals and Congregations</a>" - I hope to see you there.</p><p>For more information on the Carnival, or to check out the 15 year archive of Carnival posts, or if you want to host on your blog, then check out <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">the hub at Of Dice And Dragons</a>.</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-29289804441475747272023-07-20T14:50:00.003+01:002023-07-20T15:02:15.071+01:00RPG book review: A Visitor's Guide To The Rainy CityAs <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/07/rpg-blog-carnival-terrain-seasons.html">this month's RPG Blog Carnival topic relates to weather and seasons</a>, what better time to get round to reviewing one of my favourite setting books?<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP09MXqb3LdZf8i-ZonfcNTc5BP3rl_72s6ZUzEXEIA0MNawn9Umys5MntkwLNzVN5_FaHtAHNT0f86s3EEeAawfoTe5i3F3JN9vhvK3d5CvG3gIutbRyPKwikMdsakFTKdHNz_zqTcg4PoP-9QPcXLCPB4SFC4rp9Ynqv4hmyDbqskTR-Bc6oBiMJdr4/s4000/IMG_20230720_130611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A Visitor's Guide to the Rainy City by Beauregard Hardebard" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP09MXqb3LdZf8i-ZonfcNTc5BP3rl_72s6ZUzEXEIA0MNawn9Umys5MntkwLNzVN5_FaHtAHNT0f86s3EEeAawfoTe5i3F3JN9vhvK3d5CvG3gIutbRyPKwikMdsakFTKdHNz_zqTcg4PoP-9QPcXLCPB4SFC4rp9Ynqv4hmyDbqskTR-Bc6oBiMJdr4/w240-h320/IMG_20230720_130611.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo ironically taken on the only non-rainy day this week...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Who are the players and what do they do?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>PCs are denizens of, or visitors to, the Rainy City - an island city at the end of the world and enduring constant rain.</div><div><br /></div><div>Piracy, exploring, smuggling, protecting/exploiting the weak, guild work, diving (to explore the flooded ruins of a magical academy), starting a cult or a will-o-wisp business, founding parliaments, flaunting their riches, salvaging shipwrecks, serving wizards... There are no set adventures, but a huge number of seeds, ideas, and potential hooks here.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's the core mechanic?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>None - the book's all fluff and no crunch. What's great is that it's all written as prose, from the pen of Beauregard Hardebard of the Master and Four Wardens of the Fraternity of the Art and Mystery of Haberdashery and Millinery. The core mechanic I guess is settling down to read it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's good?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Each area of the city is sketched out over a couple of double-page spreads, each has its own feel, goings on, denizens, and weather.</div><div><br /></div><div>So much varied rain. The rain varies by location, be it stormy, misty, or - on the Headlands:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdDBas21grguov1vM_oOJlWAQWXbIDLUUlTjeODYBw_mDOkOGVPU3Vv3Ep0Wkt0vgvtgfhR2u3wKLzrBRbkhePB5mOgaljHPCo9SOHNKXv2ZyNe3l_RRWHMUfH0XGaqsi1XLMHUJMZ561jy_CqiHFtI8hPvh13PEs-ItZ9dcmLjbeFWt0TUkvq6T_qzE/s4000/IMG_20230720_142728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Visitor's Guide to the Rainy City, page 50" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdDBas21grguov1vM_oOJlWAQWXbIDLUUlTjeODYBw_mDOkOGVPU3Vv3Ep0Wkt0vgvtgfhR2u3wKLzrBRbkhePB5mOgaljHPCo9SOHNKXv2ZyNe3l_RRWHMUfH0XGaqsi1XLMHUJMZ561jy_CqiHFtI8hPvh13PEs-ItZ9dcmLjbeFWt0TUkvq6T_qzE/w240-h320/IMG_20230720_142728.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>The rain varies by season (Quiet, Firelight, Rainy, and Windy seasons) and creates interesting challenges (and solutions) for lighting, heating, and cooking. Hats are important.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every location is crammed with rich nuggets of interesting prose, characters, things, events ... Honestly there's so much going on you could run whole sandbox in each district. Nothing is wasted and all of it is enjoyable.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2021/06/blades-in-dark-review.html">If I ever run Blades in the Dark again</a>, I want to run it in the Rainy City.</div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly the best thing about this book is just how much fun it is to read. Close second best is how many ideas it conjures in your head; it's an OSR DM's dream!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's bad?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I guess some people would want some of the named locations to be mapped out, or more explicit adventures, or explicit "quest givers". I think it's a breath of fresh air and I love it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bottom line?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It's great. If you want somewhere to game that's more Ankh Morpork than Saltmarsh then this is the place.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even if you never play it, you'll enjoy reading it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please drop your thoughts in the comments if you've used this book - how was it for you?</div><div><br /></div>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-68363037782811385042023-07-01T10:11:00.000+01:002023-07-01T10:11:53.608+01:00RPG Blog Carnival: Terrain, Seasons, Weather (oh my)<p>And so the RPG Blog Carnival rolls into town once more, this month's topic is "Terrain, Seasons, Weather" - and how you use them in your games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdbb9np8jHg24CLKeEZHgdxcPiWAY6valJH0vcIG_AArV2A9GKiQqADdKLIt_QtuonUb2LFYOs_9YLWVAi4th5-MDP0vCCjW8LdbCUKOQfrLR03a-DUtsdvE08Zfr3HFvEIZWJ29hKlnEDkwq1rmztCbV4uVTobgp5fgvbR6_JuMxG0k7i2x1c66JSCI/s538/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdbb9np8jHg24CLKeEZHgdxcPiWAY6valJH0vcIG_AArV2A9GKiQqADdKLIt_QtuonUb2LFYOs_9YLWVAi4th5-MDP0vCCjW8LdbCUKOQfrLR03a-DUtsdvE08Zfr3HFvEIZWJ29hKlnEDkwq1rmztCbV4uVTobgp5fgvbR6_JuMxG0k7i2x1c66JSCI/s320/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><p>Inspired by <a href="https://theangrygm.com/my-world-has-a-sky/" target="_blank">a post I read about the impact of describing the sky in our GM narratives</a>, and an interesting <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/06/an-exploration-of-travelling-in-ttrpgs.html">comment on my last month's carnival submission</a> regarding the narrative and mechanical effects of terrain types, I'm interested in how people use terrain, weather, and the changing seasons in their games - narratively and mechanically.</p><p>To participate, simply write a blog post connected to the prompt and post a link to it in the comments of this post, for example:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>How you use weather and terrain in wilderness travel?</li><li>Games where the seasons are important to gameplay?</li><li>How you use the changing of the seasons, and the festivals that mark their turning?</li><li>Do you use something interesting like hex flowers to generate changes to the weather?</li><li>Reviews of relevant resources?</li><li>Anything else related to the topic!</li></ul><p></p><p>At the end of the month I'll do a wrap-up of all the submissions and the carnival will move on to somewhere else.</p><p>On that note: <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">the RPG Blog Carnival has been running since 2008 but now it needs more hosts for 2023 - if you'd like to host please check out more info on the carnival and fill in the sign-up form here</a>.</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-39474263889053160482023-06-23T15:47:00.005+01:002023-06-24T11:23:37.268+01:00DIY Blood Bowl Sevens pitch<p>I have a soft spot for Blood Bowl that goes back to the 90's (anyone remember the polystyrene "astrogranite" board?) and I've been keen to dust off my newer copy and <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/03/quick-and-dirty-slap-chop-tryout.html">get it all painted up</a>.</p><p>One of the best things I think that came out of Blood Bowl being OOP all those years was the Sevens format, 'cos let's face it GW games can be overlong and the idea of lunch break gaming has always appealed! So here's my take on a Sevens board:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6fm8-mkiViRLs2zyUJbnSmEPaooHC7OrsXpHQaFoCaSnNlYJhLE2Q7-jqjmsaFahzdKx77thXleFL4Dwfa-A6JFL-cuAQ97afnOIl_WrgIkozcAD9yELqmdvXVFhB5Qc2R6T2mZ2T2GtCQ47rS9DVyStw8khWrL2ye68TceT9SyaIjoKd-ghEB1MU_Q/s4000/IMG_20230622_230442.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My DIY Blood Bowl Sevens pitch" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6fm8-mkiViRLs2zyUJbnSmEPaooHC7OrsXpHQaFoCaSnNlYJhLE2Q7-jqjmsaFahzdKx77thXleFL4Dwfa-A6JFL-cuAQ97afnOIl_WrgIkozcAD9yELqmdvXVFhB5Qc2R6T2mZ2T2GtCQ47rS9DVyStw8khWrL2ye68TceT9SyaIjoKd-ghEB1MU_Q/w320-h240/IMG_20230622_230442.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Basically I just masked off the lines on one side of my regular Blood Bowl pitch and stippled some white primer in (to try to match the existing effect of the lines).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m8YRcR2XHKr0i-HHcTD2tUIsl_T7HfZayks_ev-AU8QSbwMLiwhb25wgBewJQH0EJoO7tNOUnUd9L8s8fu5kaXUL4T_6ldzOSR4bdBd_B4dX3H3zw5ynM-UMtI4aanM1mJGI2aTFN7bAB1FGE387vl5qpLofmYc8Wvyta2EgTOhgH-mZyf2GzwzMgXk/s4000/IMG_20230622_223808.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Masking off 11x6 square areas for a DIY Blood Bowl Sevens pitch" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m8YRcR2XHKr0i-HHcTD2tUIsl_T7HfZayks_ev-AU8QSbwMLiwhb25wgBewJQH0EJoO7tNOUnUd9L8s8fu5kaXUL4T_6ldzOSR4bdBd_B4dX3H3zw5ynM-UMtI4aanM1mJGI2aTFN7bAB1FGE387vl5qpLofmYc8Wvyta2EgTOhgH-mZyf2GzwzMgXk/w320-h240/IMG_20230622_223808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Blood Bowl Sevens pitches are 11 squares wide and split into three 6 square long areas between the end zones, each team has its own scrummage line. Note I didn't put the end zones on so my board is 18x11 not 20x11 but for the purposes of the rules it will work just fine.</p><p>It's not terrible, and more importantly it's not £30. Looking forward to playing some games on it...</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-58942874559919874792023-06-13T18:06:00.001+01:002023-08-10T18:31:32.157+01:00An exploration of travelling in TTRPGs<p>A new month rolls around already and June brings with it the topic of <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-rpg-blog-carnival-travels-by.html" target="_blank">"Travels, by Wave, Cloud, or Portal" from Seed of Worlds</a> for the RPG blog carnival.</p><p>Exploration is something I love about TTRPGs and something I want to play more of (and get better at) but I always found the rules for it lacking in modern D&D editions. The hexcrawl-traversal procedures of the old school I find too heavy - I'm more narrativist than simulationist I feel - although not as heavy as the time I played Barbarian Prince...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierv-OyZkg86WjyRJgFzMZ3m59SJRPamn6Mh9WxrOpcyYBWVEWLYGBrITXAYT1K5nAkfjUxSnOF3WMZzNNkWcTIrxAOi8-_6AcCVkCxlcXrEtbw8ct16nckk7YRjmvrqmbWFvpHOaupQVgEqL1VWfyyYaKv_mH5Gdnmzm1taMUEkOAKenOOryHTGGM/s1200/northern_territories_by_themefinland_dcfif6e-fullview.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1200" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierv-OyZkg86WjyRJgFzMZ3m59SJRPamn6Mh9WxrOpcyYBWVEWLYGBrITXAYT1K5nAkfjUxSnOF3WMZzNNkWcTIrxAOi8-_6AcCVkCxlcXrEtbw8ct16nckk7YRjmvrqmbWFvpHOaupQVgEqL1VWfyyYaKv_mH5Gdnmzm1taMUEkOAKenOOryHTGGM/s320/northern_territories_by_themefinland_dcfif6e-fullview.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/themefinland/art/Northern-territories-751647830" target="_blank">ThemeFinland</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So, between these poles of "nothing" and "too much" what is there? I decided to go through my RPG book collection with a lens on the theme of "travel"...</p><p>It's hard for me to think about travel-based games without mentioning the hot-mess science-fantasy-wagon-train pointcrawl that is Ultraviolet Grasslands. The places, people, and art are inspiring - but in a game that is ostensibly about travelling, how do we travel?</p><p>A destination is chosen, a known number of days away, and the caravan departs. There's a roll to see how ill fated the journey is, and one to see what is encountered. Time and resources are adjusted (there is caravan management and good-old OSR resource-management) and you've arrived. You could flesh the whole thing out into a multi-scene session, or a single montage.</p><p><a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/rpg-book-review-skycrawl.html">I talked a while back about Skycrawl/Downcrawl and how much I love the procedures therein</a>, it's literally a game (setting?) built around exploring and discovering new things (for the GM too with all the generation tables).</p><p>Travel in these games is heavily procedurised but pretty rules-light; the "difficulty" of the journey is set out in how-many-boxes-do-we-need-to-check-off style and the players go about checking off the boxes. Each day they can press on (checking the boxes), rest, or retreat - with opportunities to gain and spend a meta-currency called "Tack" which prevents them from getting lost.</p><p>There are moves for players to be able to expand the map or add detail to it, which I personally think is wonderful.</p><p>Side note: I keep meaning to talk about The Wildsea - which is another game I own which is pretty much about exploration. There needs to be more hours in the day, or perhaps just fewer working hours. Travelling the rustling waves feels conceptually similar to Downcrawl; </p><p>Wildsea travel similarly involves setting a track (boxes to tick off) and, <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/05/friday-freebie-stars-without-number.html">similar to the starship combat in Stars Without Number</a>, allocating the PCs to their stations. Rolls are made to see if the ship makes progress, the crew encounters anything notable, the cartographer maps the area/route, and so on. When the track is filled, the party arrives.</p><p>I <i>think</i> these are what I like. I'd like the journey from one place to the next to fit nicely into a session (sometimes) - but this is something I need to explore more. The journey forms the scenes of the narrative, which I like, but the number of scenes is unknown (due to different levels of success ticking different numbers of boxes) which isn't helpful in this context...</p><p>Interestingly, if you crossed these systems with the traditional hexcrawl you would probably get something like <a href="https://cairnrpg.com/wip/2e/wilderness-exploration/" target="_blank">Yochai Gal's wilderness rules for Cairn v2</a>...</p><p>On a very different tack, I purchased a bundle on itch.io purely out of curiosity about Wanderhome. It's not my usual cup of tea but it's about travelling, which I have mechanical interest in, and a while back I got hooked into <a href="http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/2020/05/soft-ass-d.html" target="_blank">Patrick Stuart's musings on "soft", Ghibli-esque D&D</a>. This is a much more narrativist game, with places along the road created and fleshed out in play by the players. It's pretty much all about the journey - but I can't say I fully understand, from reading it through, how it's supposed to be played.</p><p>I do like some of its ideas and especially on how to build places, essentially by combining templates, which is something to file away for inspiration... Of course, <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2021/11/indie-rpgs-saved-my-relationship-and.html" target="_blank">every game has something you can steal to make your other games better</a>. </p><p>So, what are your favourite travel mechanics or systems that I can steal from?</p><p>PSA: <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">The RPG Blog Carnival is looking for hosts for 2023, you can find out more and sign up here</a> (it's incredibly easy and actually quite fun). Thanks to Seed of Worlds for hosting this one!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-60183906341338398922023-05-11T22:46:00.001+01:002023-08-10T18:31:32.157+01:00Changing gears: on the beauty and realisation of short campaigns<p>When I, or my group(s), run a game there is a tendency to build each session on the previous ones, weaving a story based on what went before and where it feels like the characters are heading.</p><p>This ends one of two ways:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Everyone has a blast and the campaign finds a natural and memorable conclusion</li><li>More frequently people drift away, or burn out, or something else means we never get finished</li></ol><div><a href="https://lairofsecrets.com/blog/rpg-carnival-changing-gears/" target="_blank">This month's RPG Blog Carnival topic, changing gears</a>, has inspired me to post my thoughts on having more short snappy games - especially now life and work interfere more!</div><div><br /></div><div>I would totally recommend switching games every few months. Switch system, switch setting, switch DM, maybe mix up the player group slightly. Decades-long world defining campaigns with the same group are not the goal, and I feel getting less and less likely.</div><div><br /></div><div>Changing up games is more fun. We get to play more new games, we get to finish more campaigns, we get to switch out DMs which helps with burnout. As a player it feels more satisfying to finish a shortish 2-3 month arc than plough through a multi-year story. As a DM it's more satisfying to run that shiny new book and wrap it up ready to run the new-new book...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxDRbeNt5JbSGLxQHzK3S12mFgCq8bmdUv9NMBmiiLEaNIuIFUgcbRyclkZ5ejMO5LVwXNyJINqzRFuTjDZ7W6F-H087cP_MMWu6_Zttzoszlqqj2QkuxPb525y3weae0DxqLFl3-Bij6upaFutVfCi6USb_-IX2RfKXdkroKdgcZ2kNgdjZKnvch/s800/science_fantasy_pilot_by_paddy_one_dft29jv-fullview.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Science fantasy character art (creative commons)" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxDRbeNt5JbSGLxQHzK3S12mFgCq8bmdUv9NMBmiiLEaNIuIFUgcbRyclkZ5ejMO5LVwXNyJINqzRFuTjDZ7W6F-H087cP_MMWu6_Zttzoszlqqj2QkuxPb525y3weae0DxqLFl3-Bij6upaFutVfCi6USb_-IX2RfKXdkroKdgcZ2kNgdjZKnvch/w320-h320/science_fantasy_pilot_by_paddy_one_dft29jv-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why not try out a different genre? Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/paddy-one/art/Science-Fantasy-Pilot-955807195" target="_blank">Paddy-One</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Changing up games is less pressure. If we don't like a system or setting then it's only a few sessions. There's less fear of a campaign finale falling short. There's more chance of getting to that finale with the same group of players who started! If someone can't make it for a few weeks they can probably (hopefully) join the next game...</div><div><br /></div><div>If a game is a big hit, run a second season like a TV show. Axe it when it runs out of steam (like a TV show) - and bring it back for a reunion in 10 years with the original cast.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only problem I have with short campaigns is keeping them short. I like to meander, I like to find out what happens to the characters. I dislike prep (too much like the planning I have to do for work) and I don't plan ahead. Here's what I have learnt:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Work out what the main <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/04/on-creating-elements-for-setting.html">elements of your setting</a> are and how they are connected (I spent a fair bit of time <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/09/populating-rpg-planning-grid-or-filling.html">talking about my ideas about this </a>in the past) </li><li>Use those connections to plan out a series of plot points. These are stepping stones, anchors, the landmarks on your campaign road trip. Depending on how long you want to play for, and your tendencies, either plan more (and don't sweat about hitting them all) or less (and fill in the gaps when you feel inspired by events in play) than that number!</li><li>Build an adventure around each plot point. Don't force them. They don't have to sequential. The plot point can be the hook ("thieves guild want to steal the crown") or the twist ("find out the necromancer is the Duke's father") or background ("the goblins lay siege to the city") for the adventure, but it's better if the adventure isn't the plot point itself so the outcome isn't predetermined. No railroading.</li></ol><div>Let's say we want 2-3 months of weekly sessions, so let's go for 10 adventures. We can skip or add 2 and still be about right, let's not sweat it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>We know the things, NPCs, places and antagonists we want to work the story around and we know we want 10 adventures. The classic "3 act story" suggests there are (variations on) nine generic plot points:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Exposition - setting the scene and the status quo</li><li>Inciting Incident - something propels the protagonist(s) into the story</li><li>Turning point 1 - The Point Of No Return </li><li>Confrontation / Rising Action - tension builds, stakes are raised, obstacles emerge</li><li>Midpoint - gaining confidence, taking action</li><li>Turning Point 2 - everything is going so well ... then</li><li>The Dark Night - oh it's all gone wrong</li><li>Climax - but the protagonist (usually) pulls through and wins in the end</li><li>Denouement / Conclusion - what happens after? </li></ol></div><div>I dislike using the "3 act story" template (because I don't think it works for our medium) but I think some of the plot points are crucial: we need an Inciting Incident and a Climax, really, and I think it's good to start with some Exposition/Setup, so that's adventures 1 (setting the scene), 2 (the Inciting Incident that launches the campaign), and 10 (the Climax, plus often the Conclusion in montage). </div><div><br /></div><div>We need seven more plot points adventures... </div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps <a href="https://theangrygm.com/narrative-structure-for-morons-3/" target="_blank">better inspiration for plot points are found in the Hero's Journey which is analysed and explained very well by the AngryGM here</a>? </div><div><br /></div><div>Or <a href="https://gnomestew.com/run-your-campaign-like-a-romance-novel/" target="_blank">better aligned with our medium (but perhaps less deeply analysed in the Gnome Stew post that brought all this fresh into my mind) is the Heroine's Journey</a>?</div><div><br /></div><div>Find a structure that works, for you, but they're all basically:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Players get a feel for the world and some of the key players</li><li>Something kicks off that gives them a Quest</li><li>They explore, learn, find artefacts and information, make friends and enemies, win and lose</li><li>There is a final confrontation to end the Quest, and we see how the world is changed</li></ul><div>Let me know your preferred structures or go-to plot points in the comments?</div><div><br /></div><div>You'll get better each time, and if you keep changing gears there's always a next time. Thanks to Lair of Secrets for hosting, and thanks to <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">Of Dice & Dragons for maintaining the Carnival - check the archives or sign up to host here</a>.</div></div><p></p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-5389180904222717312023-04-26T17:00:00.014+01:002023-06-24T11:23:37.268+01:00Test minis for Warcry<p> A while back I got into Warcry, a light and fast skirmish game which is perfect for time-strapped modern life!</p><p>The previous Blood Bowl minis were a pre-test for these to try out Army Painter Speedpaints - although hopefully some Blood Bowl is on the cards sometime.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfcdrTYeXWC2rqMrKaVqi8Pau-XQAbk7rPOKg9DdVRimeXTiPhN22HMjY9ZBxP9F-5PRKGoqmrWtlETex2MlBhhUENctyZ6ZRmb2abboIBUN_sw-fzuaHMRBeFeItKT8D0rKYVQq1F6Ci7UwoxDcpdHIPedi1lhE3zmy67Jf8WCciW86rm6W8oEKY/s4000/IMG_20230322_223848.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Painted warcry skink and cultist minis" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfcdrTYeXWC2rqMrKaVqi8Pau-XQAbk7rPOKg9DdVRimeXTiPhN22HMjY9ZBxP9F-5PRKGoqmrWtlETex2MlBhhUENctyZ6ZRmb2abboIBUN_sw-fzuaHMRBeFeItKT8D0rKYVQq1F6Ci7UwoxDcpdHIPedi1lhE3zmy67Jf8WCciW86rm6W8oEKY/w320-h240/IMG_20230322_223848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huanchi skink and a Jade Obelisk cultist</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I wanted some nice contrasting colours and as I wasn't feeling restricted to a colour scheme (as I have been with Infinity) it was fun to experiment. I knew I wanted jade green for the cultists and went from there, and I really didn't want to go green for the slinks so I picked orange as a nice counter to the cultists' purple.</p><p>These are Army Painter Speedpaints from the starter set, I've seen people complaining about them "reactivating" (i.e. not drying) but I find that makes blending and mixing colours easier...</p><p>I'm liking it so far, and having fun finally, just need to get the rest done!</p><p>What's on your hobby table?</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-77687617207678803212023-04-24T23:46:00.005+01:002023-08-10T18:31:32.158+01:00On creating elements for a setting<p>When I saw this as the title for <a href="https://codexanathema.com/2023/04/01/creando-un-entorno/" target="_blank">the April RPG Blog Carnival</a> my mind started ticking over campaign and setting planning and how I want to go about it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUmPbd1ca9aGDgNdRtn2Z1vHU8JHA9Hc1ZYch22z9KyIiCpi7y-HSlyNiQUSpadNW9b6nbHqGgYPw-FZZz3Hv_Pd-Q5iY6PY2BiBU8Vs5i3yUc7QOj0oF8WIY76vC3B5ECU7JxtjpD5P5GZOjD_WobjJ2qyWnHJpDhXiGpaLkanJnyCmRi6nFbVzb/s800/surreal_world_by_cosmicgrooveart_dfoctcy-fullview.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUmPbd1ca9aGDgNdRtn2Z1vHU8JHA9Hc1ZYch22z9KyIiCpi7y-HSlyNiQUSpadNW9b6nbHqGgYPw-FZZz3Hv_Pd-Q5iY6PY2BiBU8Vs5i3yUc7QOj0oF8WIY76vC3B5ECU7JxtjpD5P5GZOjD_WobjJ2qyWnHJpDhXiGpaLkanJnyCmRi6nFbVzb/s320/surreal_world_by_cosmicgrooveart_dfoctcy-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/cosmicgrooveart/art/surreal-world-947901346" target="_blank">cosmicgrooveart</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It's easy to just start building things that will never get played and I think a solution is:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>to break prep into <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2019/07/campaign-planning-reusability-and.html">separate and reusable elements (I've talked about this before)</a></li><li>to only plan what you need</li></ul><div>So, leaping off from that into the void, what sort of elements and what does each need?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Places</b></div><div><br /></div><div>TTRPG games generally involve some exploration, and even if they don't the scenes have to be set somewhere. Places are everywhere from towns to rooms to dungeons to continents and planes!</div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion, Places are often containers but I think they need the following themselves:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flavour descriptions / scene setting (depending on scope and scale)</li><li>Rumours / things to interact with</li></ul><div>As well as being the basic things you need for a dungeon room, these settle nicely with the start of a "three act" story - Set the scene, call to action - so can often lead to setting up a sidequest nicely. Can we run the full mile and prep some of the rest too?</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rising action</li><li>A climax</li><li>How the place is left changed</li></ul><div>Oh - there's a location based adventure!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Antagonists</b></div><div><br /></div><div>TTRPGs are about conflict and resolution, and where would conflict be without antagonists to rub against our protagonists (the party) - these are the factions and moving parts!</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Antagonists can oppose each other as well as the PCs, I think they just need:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flavour descriptions</li><li>An agenda (most importantly)!</li></ul><div>And by their nature they can be containers; I'd generally define a few "monsters" for each in a combative game, and they likely contain NPCs...</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Drop two Antagonists into a Place and you have the basic bones of a sandbox or a starter for an adventure (or even a campaign).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NPCs</b></div><div><br /></div><div>NPC's are explicitly "people" and their roles are many, but they are a vital part of the "social" pillar of TTRPGs. Similar to Antagonists (only differing by scale?) I think they need:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flavour descriptions</li><li>Something they HAVE</li><li>Something they WANT</li></ul><div>Leverage is an often overlooked aspect in our games ("roll Persuasion" "I got 17" "The guard lets you in") but I think crucial in meaningful NPC interaction. You scratch my back I'll scratch yours?</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Things</b></div><div><br /></div><div>From Macguffins to clues to gear, Things are the NPCs of inanimate objects! Things are great because they mostly just need flavour text and imaginative players.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"[NPC] wants [Thing] but [NPC/Antagonist/Place] is stopping them"</i> is the basic quest format! Or is it a <b>Situation</b>?</div><div><br /></div><div>You can, of course, add as much weight and complexity as you like to any Thing, but a nice starter - along the lines of the Place - is any sort of simple narrative nudging:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flavour description</li><li>ASK or ANSWER a question ("What does this machine do?" or "Ah that explains the Count's unusual behaviour...")</li></ul></div><div>The thing I love about old school play is that we're often given interesting prompts and left to run with them; think about the best magic item or spell descriptors you've read and then imagine if that were an object...</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm intrigued by the concepts in "Beak, Feather, and Bone" which is a collaborative mapmaking game where buildings are defined by their Beak (what people say about them), Feather (what they look like) and Bone (what's going on inside) to the point where I'm wondering if these are all you really need as initial prep for ANY element we could use in a game?</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully I'll expand on some of this pondering and it's good to get some thoughts down "on paper" - feedback welcome in the comments as always!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to Gonz for the prompt and to <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">Scot for keeping the RPG Blog Carnival running - see this year's topics, the archive going back to 2008, or sign up to host here.</a></div><p></p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-82860244453540936242023-04-03T23:16:00.004+01:002023-04-03T23:16:42.415+01:00Blogging back for March, and thoughts on April and beyond<p>Sorry for not being more active, real life takes its toll once again.</p><p>I haven't really had any time to read around the blogosphere or to get anything written, but here's a whistle stop tour of the (active) blogs that sent me hits in March, as a thankyou!</p><p><a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/" target="_blank">of Dice and Dragons, of course, has been keeping the RPG Blog Carnival rolling</a> - please go show your support if you can, there are still some slots available to sign up to host in 2023 I believe!</p><p><a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Seed of Worlds has several very readable recent posts, and many better and more frequent blog link lists</a> than I do (or can)</p><p><a href="http://hobgoblinry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hobgoblinry showcases some Oathmark Orcs and some Mordheim Skaven and terrain</a></p><p><a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sea Of Stars has not only been hosting the March carnival but is also embarking on an A-Z blogging challenge for April</a> (good luck!)</p><p><a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">DIY & Dragons has a 2022 in review (not just gaming) in a smorgasbord of interesting things</a></p><p>and <a href="https://shutteredroom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shuttered Room has been cataloguing creatures, all the way to Z!</a> (more talent and tenacity than I)</p><p>I'm planning on getting back on this horse every month, as part of my bid to be a more sociable blogger, and trying to participate in the Carnival and just see what great stuff is going on.</p><p>Dungeon23 has burned me out but I'll hopefully be back on that as well ... I have a whole shelf of stuff I could review ... comments welcome on anything you'd particularly like to see more of!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-63799601624541023642023-03-26T23:19:00.004+01:002023-08-10T18:31:32.157+01:00Seedy Sci Fi / Cyberpunk bar generator<p>As I'm currently enjoying running Mothership as much as I used to enjoy running Stars Without Number, and <a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/03/01/beginning-this-months-rpg-blog-carnival-taverns-bars-and-places-to-meet/" target="_blank">this month's RPG Blog Carnival theme is "Taverns, Bars, and places to meet"</a>, I thought why not combine my old love of one-roll generators and my new love of spark tables into a bar generator for your favourite SF TTRPG?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjW4-qRC4K85J1iNLtpvdTnKEZIRNPcxh7a4_arVlgrVH9s1njHPlwoeIeCa3SKRVSnT9VbM3XeQ8J8hAJi3vj7PrI9_fBfLmT9g0Cl7eK9uHP1v6uXd9L7sVLYXm94nctFHlS7G5p3SqxAAgDhhbh96bShOMzRf9PpL96iTaB6deQfgwzpBwmeYq/s1095/cyberpunk_bar_overview_16_9_ratio__by_pazuah_dfefnok-pre.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1095" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjW4-qRC4K85J1iNLtpvdTnKEZIRNPcxh7a4_arVlgrVH9s1njHPlwoeIeCa3SKRVSnT9VbM3XeQ8J8hAJi3vj7PrI9_fBfLmT9g0Cl7eK9uHP1v6uXd9L7sVLYXm94nctFHlS7G5p3SqxAAgDhhbh96bShOMzRf9PpL96iTaB6deQfgwzpBwmeYq/s320/cyberpunk_bar_overview_16_9_ratio__by_pazuah_dfefnok-pre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/pazuah/art/Cyberpunk-Bar-Overview-16-9-Ratio-931237796" target="_blank">Pazuah on DeviantArt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So grab a fistful of polyhedrals and let's see where the party ends up:</p><p>This place is:</p>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<th>d10 tens</th>
<th>d10 units</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a backstreet or spaceport hotel bar</td>
<td>filled with noisy arcade machines</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a streetside kiosk in a shipping container</td>
<td>selling local moonshine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a laser-lit all-night club</td>
<td>rumoured to have a secret back room</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a trendy wine bar in a respectable 'hood</td>
<td>tended by an AI/robot/alien</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a high class cocktail lounge</td>
<td>with live music playing</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a trucker / hauler / biker bar</td>
<td>hosting an open mic contest</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a pop-up bar in someone's hab block</td>
<td>allegedly run by the mob</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a snug in the back of an ethnic restaurant</td>
<td>with the best bartender in town</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>rooms in a church, mission, or similar</td>
<td>with plenty of under-the-counter goods</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a motel bar in the middle of nowhere</td>
<td>with a priceless bottle under glass</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p></p><p>Current patrons (reroll each day / as needed):<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<th>d6</th>
<th>d12</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>bored youths</td>
<td>playing pool (etc.)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>shift workers</td>
<td>looking for trouble</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>long haul pilots</td>
<td>not wanting to be disturbed</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>a local sports team</td>
<td>gambling noisily</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>off duty cops</td>
<td>facing off with (roll d6 again)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>organised crime droogs</td>
<td>getting thrown out as PCs arrive</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>talking drunken philosophy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>looking for companionship</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>letting something secret slip</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>who "recognise" a PC</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>bragging about something</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>arguing about where to go next / to eat / etc.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p></p><p>Possible jobs (reroll each day / as needed):</p>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<th>d8</th>
<th>d4</th>
<th>d20</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>corporate goon</td>
<td>looking to buy</td>
<td>black market pharmaceuticals</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>wheeler dealer</td>
<td>trying to fence</td>
<td>illegal cybermods</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>society dilettante</td>
<td>planning to steal</td>
<td>a small spaceship</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>local kid</td>
<td>needing to transport</td>
<td>a large spaceship</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ace pilot</td>
<td></td>
<td>an unbraked AI</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>starship captain</td>
<td></td>
<td>court evidence tapes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>enhanced street samurai</td>
<td></td>
<td>2d6 cybernetic limbs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>synthetic human</td>
<td></td>
<td>a human heart (live)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>a human brain (live)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>reaped organs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>a weapons cache</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>valuable artworks</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>recreational software</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>hull breaching weapons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>a large quantity of e.g. ore</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>biometrics data</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>alien technology</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>overpriced local delicacies/art</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>insanely overpriced imported delicacies/art</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>live human slaves</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<p></p><p>All good stories start in the tavern, right?</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-83948316907544857032023-03-17T23:43:00.001+00:002023-06-24T11:23:37.268+01:00Quick and dirty slap chop tryout<p>I've been putting off painting my minis for a while now, mainly because I worry that the output doesn't justify the time invested.</p><p>So today I've decided to treat my as-yet-unpainted Blood Bowl minis as "just board game minis" and give them a super quick and dirty 3 colour slap chop paint job. Skin, cloth, armour. Let's just get stuff done - <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/01/beginnings-dungeon23-2023-in-gaming-and.html">starting is the important thing</a>, after all. If only I still had the 90s one with the polystyrene board...</p><p>I usually use a <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2021/12/speedish-painting-infinity-minis-with.html">rattle can zenithal base</a> but I thought - especially as I live in a cold, damp, windy climate - that I'd give slap chop drybrushing a go. Honestly, apart from the colour schemes I chose I'm happy with the results (in context) and each of these minis took less than an hour tops.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eMOmtbjs5I2MdM3GPcDmKrvqCVrgCDRMubEFccILq6bG47bLRfRocErsUWHllapniEFYN0o7AqCZQ-_cAhmiaboDkVNsl8xayXTXVCEcx3M8rNdKJYg1MjWIJUANvvQgZrrg6GqMioUrUmI2wVaZgd1OhE7nh5o3qtaUYIh6GO7YZ-ZhUuM2upjg/s4000/IMG_20230317_115159.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Trying out slap chop on blood bowl minis" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eMOmtbjs5I2MdM3GPcDmKrvqCVrgCDRMubEFccILq6bG47bLRfRocErsUWHllapniEFYN0o7AqCZQ-_cAhmiaboDkVNsl8xayXTXVCEcx3M8rNdKJYg1MjWIJUANvvQgZrrg6GqMioUrUmI2wVaZgd1OhE7nh5o3qtaUYIh6GO7YZ-ZhUuM2upjg/w320-h240/IMG_20230317_115159.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drybrush Threepwood</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In retrospect, I think I should have stuck to my guns and gone with my gut blue armour for the Ork (Deff Skulls til I die) and maybe a less clashy undersuit for the Human, like grey?</p><p>However, for the time invested - and the Just Getting Stuff Done factor - I'm happy. This is my first time working with SpeedPaints and they seem to be just fine. Poor pallette hygiene suggests they mix well, which is something to explore in future. Time to finish these (and the Infinity Nomads) and get through WarCry so I can buy more minis...</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-68833395843578126642023-03-05T16:00:00.008+00:002023-05-04T18:10:59.666+01:00#dungeon23, Level 3, gets a little weirdLeaving level 2 behind us the party descends the slime waterfall to level 3, which I rolled "Song" and "Edge" on the spark table for so I'm running with it, at least for now!<div><br /></div><div>Rolling<a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/03/february-blog-carnival-wrap-up-and.html"> a few sparks from the words I generated last time</a> got me the following:</div><div><br /></div><div>Denizens/monsters: Enchanting Diver & Cutting Siren</div><div><br /></div><div>Places: Poetic Ravine & Edgy Theatre</div><div><br /></div><div>Hazards: Melodic Blade & Steep Echoes</div><div><br /></div><div>Treasures: Musical Sword & Sharp Melody</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm filing half of these away for next week, I might roll some more and see what I can put together... Some of these spoke to me though, or at least seemed to fit together, so this is what I have come up with for this week:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoTxkjaltieZfLxsuNieuMtNg2fbxmqmy5oG_Fs_R-NvspIg85LBgggbM8Xg6nVdSv2Uk3IULQYHFVI_pH6hXTYEvZ_EkLTRJ_vh-c0PmctzSweqre8uHdXYCNoLdxNtZZto76KGIDAxFSiZ6i5xgI-YJyUuPJGbot5ZazDIEvtdpli7ZsCyblKAC/s1943/20230302-1544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dungeon23 notebook" border="0" data-original-height="1849" data-original-width="1943" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoTxkjaltieZfLxsuNieuMtNg2fbxmqmy5oG_Fs_R-NvspIg85LBgggbM8Xg6nVdSv2Uk3IULQYHFVI_pH6hXTYEvZ_EkLTRJ_vh-c0PmctzSweqre8uHdXYCNoLdxNtZZto76KGIDAxFSiZ6i5xgI-YJyUuPJGbot5ZazDIEvtdpli7ZsCyblKAC/w320-h305/20230302-1544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It's been an interesting adventure, I'm already pondering the "Edgy Theatre" and how that might fit... thoughts and comments always welcome!</div>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-25978732152761599292023-03-01T22:52:00.001+00:002023-03-01T22:52:34.378+00:00February Blog Carnival wrap-up, and #dungeon23 sparks for March<p>First things first, let's wrap up the February 2023 RPG Blog Carnival!</p><p><a href="https://alesmiter.blogspot.com/2023/02/forced-march-accelerating-cross-country.html" target="_blank">Alesmiter brings us procedures for speeding up wilderness travel</a> - <i>"Let's see how we can accelerate this if we stop asking the dice if an encounter has occurred and start asking them when the next encounter occurs."</i></p><p><a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/02/25/a-ship-arrives-at-port-petrichor-365/" target="_blank">Sea Of Stars brings us a procedure for generating ships coming into port</a> - <i>"Ships are arriving in Port Imperial all the time. So, for inspiration for such ships, we have another random table!"</i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHAqbz9v_dt6gO4Ni-Bv_ONZ0LAMJaDXGBlzby35fogk_NYMp5NuBPZzJelxyEf0ygskSkM3jwN39ai6W8HpUDCb5fu52ZoeS410GBJ9DZH-_60cesCtS4hpTm9cMmoHbiGDa84hAA0qF6-qAQyDwXjplV_We5ItmZyR0udukiSbz8O_jCwe4JutJ/s1600/harbour_of_marcuria_by_mcrassusart_dfo8wry-fullview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHAqbz9v_dt6gO4Ni-Bv_ONZ0LAMJaDXGBlzby35fogk_NYMp5NuBPZzJelxyEf0ygskSkM3jwN39ai6W8HpUDCb5fu52ZoeS410GBJ9DZH-_60cesCtS4hpTm9cMmoHbiGDa84hAA0qF6-qAQyDwXjplV_We5ItmZyR0udukiSbz8O_jCwe4JutJ/s320/harbour_of_marcuria_by_mcrassusart_dfo8wry-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/mcrassusart/art/Harbour-of-Marcuria-947719150" target="_blank">mcrassusart</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2023/02/procedure-overloaded-wilderness.html" target="_blank">S</a><a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2023/02/procedure-overloaded-wilderness.html" target="_blank">eed Of Worlds brings us procedures for generating encounters by rolling overloaded dice on unlockable encounter tables</a> - <i>"So together we get the below - a flat chance of it being the type of encounter from the d6 and the probability curve of it being whatever is out there wandering about."</i></p><p><a href="https://rpgwandering.wordpress.com/2023/02/26/rpg-blog-carnival-procedures/" target="_blank">RPG Wandering brings us hexflower-powered procedures for tracking any kind of progress</a> - <i>"The basic idea of a hexflower is a random table with a memory. The next encounter/location/treasure rolled depends on where you currently are on the grid. This appeals to me as a way to track the PCs progress on all sorts of long-term projects, from inventing magic items, to tracking down an old ruin in the wilderness, to investigating some long-forgotten lore."</i></p><p>I wrote up <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/rpg-book-review-skycrawl.html">a review of Skycrawl, an indie setting with a whole load of interesting procedures</a>, and have started working on a spark-table-of-spark-tables for procedurally generating dungeons - more on this below!</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>But first the Carnival packs up and moves on to Sea Of Stars blog where the topic is "Taverns, Bars, and Places to Meet" - <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">you can track the Carnival every month, and sign up to host a month, at the RPG Blog Carnival hub here</a>.<p></p><p>Second things second, this month marks the third level of my dungeon23 efforts ... So let's find out what it is!</p><p>I just rolled 28 and 46 on <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/01/d100-dungeon23-spark-table.html">my original spark table</a>, which is "Song Edge" ... OK crikey, let's see what spark tables I can make from this!</p><p><b>Song</b></p><p>Adjectives: singing, musical, lullaby, melodic, enchanting, lyrical, poetic, bardic</p><p>Denizens: mouth, siren, bard, songbird</p><p>Places: theatre, auditorium, choir, studio</p><p>Hazards: song, harmonics, echoes, enchantment</p><p>Treasures: harp, sheet music, warhorn, melody</p><p><b>Edge</b></p><p>Adjectives: sharp, linear, edgy (shrug), steep, precipitous, split, cutting, final</p><p>Denizens: slicer, pusher, diver, wall hugger</p><p>Places: cliff, ravine, shore, void</p><p>Hazards: precipice, dead end, pit, blade</p><p>Treasures: sword, filament, cut-off, fulcrum</p><p>Yeah not great ideas on my part but should be fun (I really should get round to that curated table!</p><p>While I ponder this ... what interesting sparks can you come up with (rolling a d8 on one set of adjectives and a d4 on one of the lists from the other set)??</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-27833853888587141452023-02-26T16:00:00.002+00:002023-02-26T16:00:00.159+00:00#dungeon23 - bringing loose ends together for February's level<p> Looking back to the other posts for February's "Fungal Wasteland" I've tried to tie everything together as the rooms draw to a close:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmRqxF55KabXn31VnplAuo1WbqX1yjT5aCxpEX1Pn2f6RTaQeTcwzaUuePrCdoWUByuThT-7wF2MmeYN72Gfw8YgJM0YFiUJaq-1nqe0IRQ4KYSZk7D9Ns5AEDf8l9ria0LongC0UnG-NwcKLFYCSXWA9yO6uPOxH0KedCdAtORZoKalXBkySmT7d/s1978/20230224-1025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1888" data-original-width="1978" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmRqxF55KabXn31VnplAuo1WbqX1yjT5aCxpEX1Pn2f6RTaQeTcwzaUuePrCdoWUByuThT-7wF2MmeYN72Gfw8YgJM0YFiUJaq-1nqe0IRQ4KYSZk7D9Ns5AEDf8l9ria0LongC0UnG-NwcKLFYCSXWA9yO6uPOxH0KedCdAtORZoKalXBkySmT7d/s320/20230224-1025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/dungeon23-and-chatgpt.html">The fungus-folk's prophecy from week 1 was a loose end, as was the giant ancient mother-shroom</a> so I had to tie those together in 26/2.</p><p>This also concretes the purpose of the machinery in 9/2 and should give players something interesting to unravel should they wish to.</p><p>Another slime waterfall joins the one from 5/2 as the exit down to level 3, and it made thematic sense to join these with a river.</p><p>This level felt like it was missing a "boss" encounter so the "feral harvester" spark added that, plus an extra conflict between it and the fungus-folk (to add to the uneasy peace between them and the goblins that the other rooms imply.</p><p>Overall I think <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/dungeon23-mega-meta-spark-table.html">the sparks from my meta-spark-table-of-spark-tables</a> have helped a lot in the process, there's definitely a lot I can riff off when I come to draft up the level proper and it feels like the "story" of the dungeon is emerging nicely.</p><p>I'm going to refine that spark tabling <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-rpg-blog-carnival.html">procedure</a> for March and see how things go ... what will Level 3 be??</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-39682157828690587172023-02-24T16:00:00.001+00:002023-06-24T11:23:37.268+01:00Can I grab some cheap Warcry warbands from Stormbringer magazine?<p>I found out what minis come with the first 10 issues of the Warhammer Stormbringer magazine and have been wondering what warbands I could put together for Warcry on the cheap ever since... here's my thoughts.</p><p>I haven't posted about it but I recently got into Warcry and it's great for a quick skirmish game, I'll try to post some more stuff if people like it!</p><p><b>Stormcasts</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSzXc7MMCkR2Crcwbepztcm1nzxhMLMoliWRgC3D2RzJSbbKvrcQM7f0wKgyrntzH6abRz2JhaMUqqFYS7I7hT_a9Pz0pUyA0DoCkF8kATUqPHwifRwQJnQeLacxJAmIrD-UjOM4B-JHz3t9ETnWcCT8vegWDMD9sNtiIFsA5OTDUu9YNi-ijYacn/s1032/stormcast_eternal_felix_jaeger_by_zliva_dfkkl4i-pre.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSzXc7MMCkR2Crcwbepztcm1nzxhMLMoliWRgC3D2RzJSbbKvrcQM7f0wKgyrntzH6abRz2JhaMUqqFYS7I7hT_a9Pz0pUyA0DoCkF8kATUqPHwifRwQJnQeLacxJAmIrD-UjOM4B-JHz3t9ETnWcCT8vegWDMD9sNtiIFsA5OTDUu9YNi-ijYacn/s320/stormcast_eternal_felix_jaeger_by_zliva_dfkkl4i-pre.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool fanart by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/zliva/art/Stormcast-Eternal-Felix-Jaeger-941545458" target="_blank">Zliva on deviantart</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Seemingly the following not-Space-Marines-honest units will come with the magazine:<p></p><p>Knight Arcanum (spellcaster) - 205 points</p><p>5x Vindictors (spearmen) - 135 or 170 points each</p><p>Praetor hero (halberdy bodyguard) - 160 or 215 points</p><p>Lord Imperatant + Gryph Hound - 240+115 = 355 points</p><p>Xandire's Truthseekers - now these are interesting! I can't use the bird but the others have a sword (Vanquisher?) a bow (Vigilor?) and a hammer (Annihilator or a Lord maybe?) so it will be fun to play with the options!</p><p><b>Kruleboyz</b></p><p>Who doesn't like orcs (or Orruks?)?</p><p>Killaboss + Stab Grot - 180+45 = 225 or 190+45 = 235 points</p><p>10x Gutrippas (orcs) - 75 or 140/145 points each</p><p>10x Hobgrot Slittas - 70 points each</p><p>Swampcalla Shaman + Pot Grot - 165+45 = 210 points </p><p>So, let's see what we can make from this lot...</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Fun though the Slittas sound, there's no combo of the other options that make 300 points to get me to 1000, so I'm discounting them for now.<p></p><p>Leader options are Killaboss, Swampcalla, or upgrade one of the Gutrippaz to a Boss (or proxy one as something else?)</p><p><b>Killaboss with flail + Stab Grot + 10 Gutrippas</b> = easy 985 points for around £10, that sounds like a bargain to me albeit for a very simple list!</p><p><b>Swampcalla + Pot Grot + 10 Gutrippas</b> clocks in at 960 which might work, sadly not enough points to squeeze something else in or upgrade a Boy to a Boss though.</p><p><b>Swampcalla + Gutrippa Boss + 9 Gutrippas</b> (losing the Pot Grot) clocks in at 980 or 985 points, worth considering as an alternative to #1 but costs £6 more, and...</p><p><b>Killaboss with shield + Gutrippa Boss with stikka + 9 Gutrippas</b> = 1000 points on the nose. Losing the Stab Grot takes some character out of the list, and it's low on tactical options, but it's dead cheap - and more likely to be able to be able to pull that quad off.</p><p>On the Stormcast side, if I get the Killaboss I'll get a Knight Arcanum free cos they are bundles together, so that's worth considering. As are some possible builds for the Xandire's minis (originally from the Warhammer Underworlds game):</p><p>Vigilor + Vanquisher + Annihilator = 450 with access to a spread of 3 abilities. Make one of those a Prime for:</p><p>Vigilor Prime + Vanquisher + Annihilator = 510</p><p>Vigilor + Vanquisher Prime + Annihilator = 495</p><p>Vigilor + Vanquisher + Annihilator Prime = 505</p><p>I quite like the idea of this, so will look for what else is around 500 points - the Vindictors would be out though!</p><p>Nothing obviously fills up the 325 points to make the Vindictors up to 1000 points though, so they might have to slide. Back to the three Underworlds minis:</p><p><b>Lord Imperatant + Gryph Hound + Knight Arcanum + Vigilor + Vanquisher + Annihilator</b> clocks in at 1010 which is frustrating!</p><p>Running the one with a hammer as a Lord could be a possibility? One to think on...</p><p>As there are no nice easy "teams" I suspect the best option might be to get the issues with:</p><p>Knight Arcanum + Killaboss</p><p>Gutrippas</p><p>Vindictors</p><p>Swampcalla</p><p>Xandire's </p><p>... That would give a few options, for around £30-35 which is half the price of a boxed warband.</p><p>Any suggestions for "teams" I might have missed would be appreciated though if you have them!</p><p><br /></p></div>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-37802713925403019642023-02-19T16:00:00.002+00:002023-02-19T16:00:00.174+00:00#dungeon23 - more mothership metroidvania <p>My plan for this dungeon23 sidequest is coming together now:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy9qqr8QjfhyUk1G0EQ8eD0AgmEmgfL7YHUzrS2q_1uMdY9Uev8Lpn0zhsMcF9PsaMeHB4EnfpFM8J6R0IrL-Rm2hz6ITkexYJ8mFWp7x4V6hom1UCYwElIf7PnCoDnfMpFXakRGCXHDLTt_Y3Pa6Ycc9PHdye4Xv7cJSiJGTDdmpo61M8JwW7ab-/s1925/IMG_20230210_132223.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1923" data-original-width="1925" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy9qqr8QjfhyUk1G0EQ8eD0AgmEmgfL7YHUzrS2q_1uMdY9Uev8Lpn0zhsMcF9PsaMeHB4EnfpFM8J6R0IrL-Rm2hz6ITkexYJ8mFWp7x4V6hom1UCYwElIf7PnCoDnfMpFXakRGCXHDLTt_Y3Pa6Ycc9PHdye4Xv7cJSiJGTDdmpo61M8JwW7ab-/s320/IMG_20230210_132223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mothership metroidvania, second area</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is the second area in section A, where restoring the power will open up routes to section B and (back) through section A to section D. </p><p>There's an area here, 15/2, that will change if the external door override is cut in section C so the landscape will be different if the PCs backtrack through to get to section D.</p><p>Restoring the power will also add some gribblies to the encounter table ('cos containing them was why it was shut off in the first place) which I'll come to in a separate post.</p><p>There's also a draft table of "what these crew have" and "what these crew need" for generating some roleplay scenarios, also to come in the future... Comments welcome!</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-55835381549060335172023-02-17T15:00:00.001+00:002023-05-04T18:11:38.103+01:00RPG Book Review: Skycrawl <p><b>Who are the players and what do they do?</b></p><p>Explorers of a "weird, whimsical, endless sky". The main focus is on exploration and travel.</p><p>This is a supplement (setting?) for any roleplaying system, packed with systems and procedures for journeying between mysterious lands floating in an endless azure sky, ship to ship combat, and more.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy-ggn9LQLvywyzblUkgq4dX1IcDbBlBSDpKpWOosAr_9_ODOgsJrH9lDiufKkDOhapQw34xTEBahhy_WyxRseA5zqQSLbeMPpNLVfHV6z5CgkTPZbI1BFjtUVSiACoofxVkLsUpLReL3b5RTCnIjoDbtdvqM47g64VPvG7HesNUPpnTQJXWRp7F5/s4000/IMG_20230209_111108.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Skycrawl ttrpg setting book POD" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy-ggn9LQLvywyzblUkgq4dX1IcDbBlBSDpKpWOosAr_9_ODOgsJrH9lDiufKkDOhapQw34xTEBahhy_WyxRseA5zqQSLbeMPpNLVfHV6z5CgkTPZbI1BFjtUVSiACoofxVkLsUpLReL3b5RTCnIjoDbtdvqM47g64VPvG7HesNUPpnTQJXWRp7F5/w240-h320/IMG_20230209_111108.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colours are better in real life!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>What's the core mechanic?</b></p><p>The book itself is systemless and provides guidance and examples for how to use it with d20, 2d6, percentile, or FATE mechanics, but could easily be used for dice pool games or other mechanics as well. The core procedures use standard terms such as "crit", "strong success", "success", "complication" which can be easily defined for any method of generating these outcomes.</p><p><b>What's good?</b></p><p>The procedures here are wonderful; there are systems for:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Procedurally generating Lands and the Folk who inhabit them, and the ships that move between them</li><li>Tracking the movement of those lands as they orbit in the sky</li><li>Researching, plotting, and executing journeys between these lands</li><li>Ship-to-ship combat</li><li>Orcery, which is an interesting alchemy system </li><li>Generating and resolving random encounters in the skies</li></ul><div>The systems used for play utilise "moves" which will feel familiar to anyone who has played a PBTA game, but these can easily be explained as player procedures at the table if not.</div><div><br /></div><div>I particularly like the systems for travel; PCs accrue and spend a meta-resource called "tack" to help with navigation and journeys are planned out and executed in several steps (be they days, weeks, or abstract measures of difficulty) which naturally resolve into scenes and encounters as the players spend their tack and decide how best to play out each step.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lands are mechanically easier to get to if the party have been there before, or if they have discovered three or more rumours about the place - which is something I love as a driver for exploring and interacting with the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>The main procedures are seemingly based on <a href="https://aaronareed.net/downcrawl-game/" target="_blank">the designer's other game Downcrawl, which you can get a good feel for in its free HTML version here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lore and art, that there is, is evocative and flavourful too. It's a great book!</div><p></p><p><b>What's bad?</b></p><p>Honestly, I'm struggling. Some people might find it a little wordy for their tastes maybe (I really don't) but that's just thinking of something - anything - to put in this section!</p><p><b>Bottom line?</b></p><p>Highly recommended. There's a lot here to mine from and adapt to other games (the systems shared with Downcrawl could just as easily be adapted for overland travel and traditional pointcrawls, and these rules could just as easily be applied to traditional sailing ships with a little tweaking) and it feels like it could be run straight from the book. Looking forward to doing so!</p><p>Fans of the depthcrawls generated by The Stygian Library or The Gardens of Ynn, traditional OSR hexcrawl mechanics, or the travel procedures in Ultraviolet Grasslands would probably find a lot to like in this little gem.</p><p>If you have any favourite procedure-based RPG resources then I'd love to hear of them, either in the comments or by submitting a link to one of your blog posts on <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-rpg-blog-carnival.html">this month's RPG Blog Carnival hub, where the theme is "procedures"</a>.</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-51977922052125271582023-02-12T16:00:00.047+00:002023-02-12T16:00:00.149+00:00A double dose of #dungeon23 (with a dash of chatGPT)<p>As I missed posting my progress last week due to diverting time to work on the meta-spark-table, here are that week's and this week's rooms:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xMAlykRV42Rm6mQOgLFnN4v58qG7EX0rqVMUBHmRnLQbu_dPQj4Sa-Ndh45yxYdcv6oZwHdEQGaRPqPwe9ubibdbVNUu-zXvikANvra3eOAxCFEmowrq2prhAd24sq0cdVYv3-mp4Pet3MTaTSIHhsjzX7RT84m5S6u4tpFBQIkuG6a9chbTeGsF/s1894/IMG_20230210_132326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="1894" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xMAlykRV42Rm6mQOgLFnN4v58qG7EX0rqVMUBHmRnLQbu_dPQj4Sa-Ndh45yxYdcv6oZwHdEQGaRPqPwe9ubibdbVNUu-zXvikANvra3eOAxCFEmowrq2prhAd24sq0cdVYv3-mp4Pet3MTaTSIHhsjzX7RT84m5S6u4tpFBQIkuG6a9chbTeGsF/s320/IMG_20230210_132326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvYBG6eF9XPdli5k2uYoag-E3krkwyzjRJu93Y8WkSCcDm6o2saCwMZ1NxRsuP3xj4hE-eNbKjTj--5ODLnvAcluBJqqGoVdr2IRYRkfFB38y307pzMl-YVaiiKr26az0OwsBvq15JVnJ8ebDFvZBhXE-2v_3nwokHiECzC5e7AVziiI1noKDpGGJ/s1961/IMG_20230210_132255.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1834" data-original-width="1961" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvYBG6eF9XPdli5k2uYoag-E3krkwyzjRJu93Y8WkSCcDm6o2saCwMZ1NxRsuP3xj4hE-eNbKjTj--5ODLnvAcluBJqqGoVdr2IRYRkfFB38y307pzMl-YVaiiKr26az0OwsBvq15JVnJ8ebDFvZBhXE-2v_3nwokHiECzC5e7AVziiI1noKDpGGJ/w320-h299/IMG_20230210_132255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I've tried to use a lot of <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/dungeon23-mega-meta-spark-table.html">the sparks I generated last week</a>, and some more that I generated this week, and I'm pleased with the results and how it made me approach this.<div><br /></div><div>I found that I was forcing myself to be more creative, I hope that's a good thing!</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I think I will do is make the tables more specifically focused on dungeon things - so keep Antagonists for encounters but make the others more focused towards e.g. treasure and special rooms... but I'm happy with the first draft.</div><div><br /></div><div>Out of curiosity, while writing this post after the fact, I also fed last week's spark results to chatGPT and it gave me this:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rotting survivors' chamber: A dimly lit room with decaying corpses of previous adventurers, their rusted weapons, and tattered armor scattered around.</li><li>Slime refuge: A small, damp room filled with glowing, bio-luminescent slime that provides refuge for various small creatures.</li><li>Infested prophecy: A chamber decorated with rotting vines, with a prophecy inscribed in the walls, warning of the impending doom of the dungeon.</li><li>Corrupted collapse: A partially caved-in chamber, filled with twisted metal and rock fragments, surrounded by clusters of rusted spores.</li><li>Scrap/junk farm: A makeshift farming room where a group of jury-rigged fungus-folk tends to a variety of plants grown on scrap metal and junk.</li><li>Rusted spores' chamber: A large, eerie chamber with rusted spores hanging from the ceiling, filling the air with a metallic scent and slowly corroding any metal objects left within the room.</li><li>Forgotten feast: An abandoned dining hall filled with festering food and rotting remains of long-dead creatures, with a decaying table at the center.</li></ul></div><div>I would be interested to know your thoughts.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have your own favourite dungeon generation procedures I would love to hear about them, either in the comments or by leaving a link to one of your blog posts on <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-rpg-blog-carnival.html">the February RPG Blog Carnival page here, which this month is all about "procedures"</a>.</div><div><p><br /></p></div>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-5204903911194520322023-02-05T16:00:00.046+00:002023-02-05T16:00:00.149+00:00Working on a #dungeon23 meta (mega?) spark-table-of-spark-tables<p>As you may know, <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-rpg-blog-carnival.html">this month I am very much thinking about procedure</a>. Being a fan of procedural generation generally, and spark tables specifically, I'm building up a mega meta-spark-table where each entry references another spark table (or set of spark tables).</p><p>For level 2 of my megadungeon I rolled "Fungal Wasteland" on <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/01/d100-dungeon23-spark-table.html">my original d100 spark table</a>, so for further inspiration I built some more quick spark tables, for "Fungal" and for "Wasteland" specifically:</p><p><b>Fungal</b></p><p>Adjectives: toadstool, spore, rotting, corrupted, infested, slime, mushroom, fermenting</p><p>Places: farm, forest, spore-field, giant cap</p><p>Antagonists: mycologists, fungusfolk, harvesters, cultists</p><p>(NPCs will come from the above)</p><p>Things: world-stool, spores, juice/extract, truffles</p><p>Situations: infestation, hallucination, feast, rot</p><p><b>Wasteland</b> </p><p>Adjectives: feral, forgotten, jury-rigged, wasted, disused, rusted, barren, scrap/junk</p><p>P: ruin, wastes, refuge, camp</p><p>A: raiders, survivors, prospectors, treasure hunters</p><p>T: artifact, cause (of the desolation), prophecy, scrap heap</p><p>S: collapse, ambush, awakening, restoration</p><p><b>Sparking</b></p><p>Rolling a few times on these (an Adjective from one + something from the other) gave me this little lot of potentially useful ideas:</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>"Rotting survivors"<p></p><p>"Slime refuge"</p><p>"Infested prophecy"</p><p>"Corrupted collapse" </p><p>"Scrap/junk farm"</p><p>"Jury-rigged fungus-folk"</p><p>"Rusted spores"</p><p>"Forgotten feast"</p><p>...etc</p><p>The idea being that these sub-spark-tables would combine differently if the initial spark was different. For example the lists for "Fungal" combined with e.g. "Labyrinth" would build a different set of spark tables for "Fungal Labyrinth", similarly for e.g. "Antimagic Wasteland" and so on...</p><p>I'm behind with my rooms but will try to get caught up next week, but what ideas do the tables give you?</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631916032246964.post-45475218226392932962023-02-01T16:00:00.049+00:002023-02-01T16:00:00.166+00:00February 2023 RPG Blog Carnival: Procedures<p>I've been thinking a lot about procedures, and reading a lot about OSR procedures, while working on dungeon23 (<a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/search/label/dungeon23">you can follow my progress here if you're interested</a>) and so the topic for this month's RPG Blog Carnival, hosted right here, is "Procedures"!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM86sSXm2c_FRa2D54tGWOAiW2mE9Zjfn1_duPekiO5hp3qYGK2j0sHmI3nucjhGa1VDGtmSbBl3o2IMsvdlv-r-v9AB9EBI8J7YqPpJgRGhRNo2goJjEVjDocp8VHFVJP_OkwSVrr1HRcEpxa11d8h6K39nAbF2_0tHG2O8QeWbRgFAwBzkVULMht/s538/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="408" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM86sSXm2c_FRa2D54tGWOAiW2mE9Zjfn1_duPekiO5hp3qYGK2j0sHmI3nucjhGa1VDGtmSbBl3o2IMsvdlv-r-v9AB9EBI8J7YqPpJgRGhRNo2goJjEVjDocp8VHFVJP_OkwSVrr1HRcEpxa11d8h6K39nAbF2_0tHG2O8QeWbRgFAwBzkVULMht/w152-h200/RPGBlogCarnivalLogo.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><p>The carnival is open to all RPG bloggers, all that is required is to write a post on the broad topic of procedures and post a link in this post's comments.</p><p>This could be about - but not limited to:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Procedural generation for dungeons or hexcrawls?</li><li>Procedures for dungeon crawling or wilderness exploration?</li><li>Character generation or world building procedures?</li><li>Procedures for adventure writing or campaign planning?</li><li>Procedures and social rituals at your game table?</li><li>Procedures for arbitrating certain situations or running certain types of scene or adventure (chases, social "combat", etc.)?</li></ul><p></p><p>At the end of February I'll write up a round-up post and the carnival will move on to another blog. If you'd like to host one month or find out more then please check out <a href="https://ofdiceanddragons.com/rpg-blog-carnival/" target="_blank">the home of the RPG Blog Carnival</a> for more info.</p><p>If you're working on dungeon23 too then you may also be interested in <a href="https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2021/09/go-build-dungeon.html">the contributions from last time I hosted the carnival, all about building dungeons</a>.</p>Tom Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00512219290892896310noreply@blogger.com12