Return to a Realm of the Strange and Gothic

I love gothic fiction, gaslamp fantasy and weird westerns, as has been known through various posts throughout the blog.  Plus, pages like Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque remain both awesome to visit and truly inspiring!

So, for the next month or so at least, I’m going to try to keep a wide variety of gaslamp, pulpy and gothic flair.  This can be anything from more expansion of Tomb of Annihilation or Curse of Strahd to more content inspired by Eberron to more Victorian and Wild West inspired fantasy and horror content.  And while I’m at it?  Good old Ravenloft, as in the Demiplane of Dread (instead of the module)!  I’ve been pondering making a small adventure in one of the domains… possibly Dementlieu, Richemulot, Nosos or Lamordia.  I might put it up on DM’s Guild while I’m at it!  Of course, this is all pondering based on whether or not I’ll get around to it.

 

IMAGE SOURCE: Vampire Victorian Age: London by Night – White Wolf Games

February 2018 Blog Carnival: Time Marches On

The mad mage trying to become immortal to cheat death, an incredible laboratory invention allows a group of scientists to travel time, alien colonists are finally granted citizen status within Earth Settlement Station 08 after years of fighting for their rights, a fight with explosive jelly inspires an artificer to forge the prototype for “Firing Arms”, prisoners of past cyber-jacking crimes are freed after new sanctions expand definitions of virtual reality and exploration of realistic digital spaces, etc.  These are stories affected by the movement of time, creating their own landmarks upon it.  Changes, creations and other things that are all milestones remembered in time.  Soon, they will be mere memories and pages of tomes…  But, for now?  They are the makings of legends!

It is that time, once again!  In the past, I tackled themes like “science fantasy” and “dark fiction”.  This time, rather than a whole genre or encompassing mood, I’ll try something a little different.  More or less, the passing of time and its effect on a game world.  The theme “Time Marches On” was what I had in mind.  It has its share of potential meanings revolving around time itself.  And at the end of the month, I’ll collect all contributions and showcase them in a finale post.  Now, what does this mean?  Lemme explain with a few examples of my own!

• Societal/social progress: How does your world experience change?  Do old structures give way to new ideals?  Does a new autocratic rule take hold where old monarchies ruled?  Are rights granted to beings considered monsters in the past?
• Technological innovation: What has sparked a big invention boom?  How has the world progressed in terms of scientific (or magical) creation?  Has explosive jelly resulted in fantasy firearms?  How did Kevlar style armor lead to power armor?
• Time Skips: It’s always fun to do a follow-up game that’s a ways after the previous game.  What was the PC’s legacy?  Perhaps a former adventurer from a previous game has taken up the mantle again, maybe even mentoring one of the current PCs?
• Countdowns: Whether to a celebration or to Looking Glass (to sample from a classic Cold War doomsday thriller), it’s always fun to put things on the timer.  Force the players to really move it or lose it.  Plus, that overhanging dread of having time as an adversary is always a strong tool.
• Reflections:  Many of us have been gaming over the years.  Some things change, some things don’t, time keeps moving.  So, here’s to a look back and forward at those many adventures and many great moments!
• The Flow of Time: Does it go naturally?  Is time a line, a loop, a big bowl of wibbly wobbly?  How exactly does the concept of time function in your world?  And yes, time travel falls under this…  So, for those of you itching to write about it, have at it!  Doc commands it, from the FUUUUTTTUUUURRREEE!!!

By all means, these are just ideas.  So, how does time march on for your games?  Please, comment below!  Also, learn more about the RPG Blog Carnival here.

IMAGE CREDIT: RPG Blog Carnival Logo

Doomsdays & Dystopias Wrap-Up

While I got a fair bit more last year, I still enjoyed this theme quite a bit!  The GRIMDARK theme might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, perhaps less than science-fantasy.  But, oh well, this was a theme I wanted to do for a long time.  None the less, this has been a learning experience.  All the same, some of the bloggers who participated last year weren’t able to join in for this year.  But, to those who were able to join in?  You have my thanks!  Thanks for making this celebration of the dark and dreadful a truly fun one!   That said, onward to other things.  But in the meantime, here are this month’s contributors for my theme!  Please, check out what they have to offer!  And as always, give the RPG Carnival a try yourself!  It’s tons of fun and well worth the effort!

Anyway, enough babbling out of me!  Here are the contributors for “Doomsdays & Dystopias”:

• Daemons and Deathrays
  • Doomsdays & Dystopias RPG Blog Carnival – The post to kick things off, in which I discuss why GRIMDARK stuff is cool!
  • Conflict in Dark Worlds and Genres – I take a look at the role of conflict in dark settings and themes, plus supply some anecdotes on games I’ve been in.
  • Post-Apocalyptic Rules Revised – I update some rules for corroded equipment, radiation, decrepit buildings and anomalies.
  • Mutant Monsters – Here’s an assortment of all sorts of hellish and horrifying things spawned by toxic chemical, radiation, strange powers and more!
  • Murder Machines and Killer Cars! – A Brutal Game Show from the GRIMDARK Future!
• Pitfalls and Pixies – The Iaraan Faur – Faith of Pitfalls creates a sylvan race blighted and mutated by pollutants and radiation, turning them into grim and hateful creatures.
• Bound-Incubus – All the spooky worlds – Tony talks about what the World of Darkness universe means to him in terms of gaming, sub-culture and more.
• Sea of Stars – Doomsdays and Dystopias of Sea of Stars – Sean of Sea of Stars tells us about the darker side of his setting, examining catastrophes and harsh societies within his world.
• The Wandering Alchemist – Angels and Demons – John of Wandering Alchemist discusses how a proxy war between fiends and celestials have left his world battered and scarred, especially against the forces fo chaos!
• Tales of a GM – Grimdark Interludes – Phil from Tales of a GM takes a look at games with elements of “GRIMDARK” and his own experiences with it.
• Teylen’s RPG Corner – [Actual Play] The Last Night – 1st V5 Pre-Alpha Playtest – Teylen gives a run down of a Vampire the Masquerade V5 playtest, set in the ever stark World of Darkness universe.
• Stories and Other Such Distractions – How I create characters for Cyberpunk 2020 – Phillip of Stories and Other Distractions gives the run down on character building for one of the most famous cyberpunk games out there, 2020!

Stay tuned for Kobold Press and their theme of “Magic” for August 2017!  You can find out more here!  Again, a big thanks for everyone who was interested in the darker side of gaming fiction!  Till next time, gamers!

IMAGE CREDIT: Wasteland 2 Promotional Image – Obsidian Entertainment

 

July 2017 Blog Carnival – Conflicts in Dark Worlds and Genres

Welcome back, gamers!  I usually homebrew stuff and this is a complete change of pace for me.  That said, I’ve been meaning to write pieces examining things within games in addition to homebrew.  As it is, I’ve branched out with gaming recaps and those seem to reach some sort of audience, so I’ll continue to experiment.  That said, homebrewing is still my prime focus.

Back on topic, last time I opened up the carnival by looking at why I think people like darker genres and topics in their games!  Today’s post is deeper focus on dark settings in regards to conflict; whether it’s problems from society, the self, the environment or even forces beyond our control.  One can’t have a darker story without extreme conflict, to the point it’s usually quite oppressive, or repressive in some cases.  Sure, there are more examples than what I’m talking about, but I could go on and on about that.  Also, I like rambling some anecdotes about old games I’ve played it, because I really love sharing gaming stories with everyone when I get the chance!

Author’s Note: I know, it’s a change of pace.  Like I said, I’m not abandoning homebrewing.  I promise.  Also, this one is a little more mature oriented than other posts, touching upon rougher subjects.

July 2017 RPG Blog Carnival: Doomsdays & Dystopias (Dark Genres and Settings)

While I enjoy tons of heroic settings with noble characters ensuring good in the world, I’ve always loved truly grim and dour settings.  I speak of worlds that fit the “GRIMDARK” moniker that’s been affectionately used.  For those who don’t get the reference, it refers to Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40K tagline, which states that “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war!”  I’m speaking of places blighted by impossible evils, dystopias where any sort of righteousness and passion is repressed, a sinister universe that is out to destroy you, nuked out wastelands where the remains of society struggle to continue or scrap the last bits of the old ones… but you get the point.

So, why is my theme essentially “dark settings and dark themes”?  Sounds depressing, I know.  After all, spending too much time in an overly dark and oppressive world can wear one down, right?  Not exactly!  There are many reasons why dark settings are truly fascinating.  Before I turn the carnival over to you, let’s take a look at why starker settings can be awesome.  (Or if you prefer, skip down to the bold text.)

Tidings of Grim Darkness Ahead!

Because of my work schedule being crazy (8 shifts bouncing between night and day) in a row, I just can’t find energy or time to do something for this week.  So, I’m consolidating effort to get ready for the RPG Blog Carnival theme that I’ll be doing for the month of July!  The theme?  “Doomsdays & Dystopias” or rather, dark genres of fiction and dark settings.  WH40K RPG/Wargaming stories, examining bleak subject matter and grim things in gaming, dying quickly in the desert world of Athas, dying even faster in Ravenloft, stark and seemingly hopeless worlds, etc.  All that stuff is good!  Till next time, friends!  Don’t you dare go hollow.

Image Credit: Fallout Tales #2 – Black Isles Studios/Obsidian Entertainment/Bethesda Software

Super-Science and Sorcery Roundup

For starters, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute to this month’s theme.  While many themes have come and gone through carnival history, I’m not too sure many have really tackled this idea in depth.  Perhaps it’s due to the fact the genre hybrid of science-fantasy isn’t as popular as it once was.  Perhaps people just wanted to tackle something else that tickles their fancy.  Both are very fine reasons.

At first, I was hesitant to make the theme about science fantasy.  The reason was that it’s very much a niche flavor within a niche hobby.  I love it, but I figured not too many other people shared that same love.  None the less, plenty of fans came out of the wood work to support a pretty cool concept, if I do say so myself!  Mages and dragons meets techno-crafters and giant robots!  I mean, come on!  That’s pretty darn cool!  Also yes, RIFTS was one of my favorite settings way back when… how did you guess?

Anyway, I’m gonna stop prattling here and get to showcasing this month’s RPG Blog Carnival posts.  Here are the posts for the August 2016 theme, “Science Science and Sorcery!”

EDIT: Added missing links

 

 

6d6RPG: The Monster in the Machine – jfoster merges machinery with the strange and supernatural to create some fascinating and unsettling new monster ideas!

Anarcarnivàle: Any technology sufficiently advanced… – Clark proposes ideas on fusing magic and technology together with the help of historical scenarios.

Brynvalk: Cold Iron Corruptor – Faith from Brynvalk mashes classical fantasy creatures of the Fae with Sci-Fi elements such as cyborgs and mutants.

Crossplanes: F@NE For Savage RIFTS – Mark from Crossplanes creates a creature for the science-fantasy world of RIFTS, now compatible with Savage Worlds.

Daemons & Deathrays: Expedition to Barrier Peaks – Brian (Me) of Daemons & Deathrays has devoted the month to converting a classic module to D&D 5th Edition.  These posts consist of:

• Part One – Robots
• Part Two – Plants/Fungi
• Part Three – Monstrosities/Mutants
• Part Four – Other Monsters
• Part Five –  Module/Odds ‘n’ Ends

Forgotmydice: Astounding Tales of Science Fantasy – Grynning examines Clarke’s Third Law in its relation to the Sword and Planet genre, as well as figuring out how to run such games in D&D.

Forgotmydice: Warlock Patron of Interest – Griss makes a pact with a new warlock patron, The Machine.

Forgotmydice: ‘Tis New to Thee – Trevor transports people from a Modern world into the realm of Fantasy thanks to a new background!

Forgotmydice: From the Red Hills of Mars – Robert channels John Carter in the blog’s August 2016 finale by creating Green Martian stats.

Forgot my dice: Allons-y! – Trevor makes an intellectual and scientific sub class for the Ranger.

Mythus Mage: Are You Sure? – Alan dissects genre and treats magic as a science.

Notes of the Wandering Alchemist: Science-Fantasy Trinket Table – Based on the PHB, John has made a table of random trinkets you can incorporate into your games.

Rollcall: Reskinning to Maximize a System’s Range – Rollcall shows how simple it is to reflavor fantasy RPGs into science fiction.

Tales of a GM: Serpentfall in Heroquest – Phil takes from “The Day After Ragnarok” setting to build an epic interlude with a helping of science-fantasy!

Temple of Ravens: Super-Science and Sorcery – Anthony of Temple of Ravens ponders Sci-Fi series like Star Trek and how to run them within the realms of D&D and beyond.

 

If you would like to participate in an upcoming  RPG Blog Carnival event or host your own event, please check out this page to learn more.

Expedition to Barrier Peaks – D&D 5th Edition Conversion (PART 5) – Technological Artifacts, Exploration, Odds ‘n’ Ends

“I want to go somewhere nicer, like The Tomb of Horrors…”

There is much more to the Barrier Peaks than a romp against alien monsters.  The mechanics and workings of the downed ship are far more complex.  Access cards, radioactive hallways, infested hives, among other things await our heroes as they make an… Expedition to Barrier Peaks!

Author’s Note:  This is probably the longest post in this series.  It’s a bunch of notes on running the module itself, as well as the technological artifacts you’ll find.  The cards are in the first part, as they don’t really have much mechanical depth aside from a McGuffin.

Curse of Undeath – A Dark Souls-inspired mechanic

EDIT April 2018:

Check out my updated take on this alongside some neat ways to change up Tomb of Annihilation (again) here!

“Yooou who reeeekindle the Flaaaame, embraaaaccceee deeaatttthhhh!”

Sometimes, the sweet embrace of death is all but impossible for countless damned souls.  They are forced to continue to walk a dark path.  For them, they seek to regain an essence of life and restore their shattered minds, lest they be lost to an abyss of emptiness and madness.  Such a curse can be from a variety of sources; an exploitation of a life source at a deific level, exposure to/using evil magics for too long, a hex brought upon by a powerful caster or even a destructive force bent on draining life from all reality.

The Curse of Undeath is a vile magical power that breaks the soul and leaves the body as little more than a husk.  These drained husks share little with their once living counterparts.  They are merely corpses controlled and warped by dread energy.  Any remnants of mind left in these creatures are stretched to madness and driven to violence.  While many of them retain enough knowledge to fight as though could in life, it is impossible for them to engage in rational dialogue let alone interact peacefully.

Author’s Note:  Dark Souls III is out and I love it!  With that, here’s an optional rule for handling a curse similar to the Undead of the Dark Souls universe.  If you don’t want to literally be running Dark Souls, it shouldn’t be too hard to reflavor this into a different dread curse of sorts.  If you’ve ever played Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, Anthony’s chapter certainly comes to mind.  One last disclaimer, these are mostly random ideas in my head, in an attempt to make a Dark Souls inspired mechanic.  As such, it’s more than likely that this idea is a bit clunky.  It will probably receive a revision in the future, if reader interest is there.

An Affliction of Body, Mind and Soul

As the last of life’s flames extinguish, you become less and less human.  For every time you die, a piece of you is lost when you’re brought back.  Only through restoring your humanity can you truly become whole.  Even before the curse has truly taken hold of you, its dark power has tainted you indefinitely.  You may currently look like one of the living, but heinous power seeks to transform you into one of many mindless and angry dead.

The source of the curse can be from one of several horrible events.  Perhaps the Gods attempted to prolong the life of themselves and their followers by draining life essence from the planes.  Perhaps an entire area was desecrated by overuse of necromancy.  No matter the cause, the results will turn apocalyptic in the long run as people without souls begin to wither into deranged husks.  Even before before truly becoming one of the Undead, the cursed already suffer greatly.  Upon being afflicted by the Curse of Undeath, you automatically fail death saving throws when brought to 0 HP.  You must still roll a Death save.  Upon failure, you receive two failed saves instead.  Getting a natural 1 causes three failed saves instead of two.

Image Source: Revenant – oevrlord

Based off of Dark Souls, which belongs to From Software.  Made by Doctor Necrotic, for Doctor Necrotic Media.

The Eladrin (NOW ON DM’S GUILD)

UPDATE 2018 MAY: Not a fan of what Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes had to offer?  Check out my take with “Defenders of Arborea” today!