Ramon’s Guide to The Chant of Sigil

Well met, primers!  Oh, I mean, friends.  When in Sigil, do as the Cagers do.  You’ll have to forgive such tone, being a long time resident, myself.  I’ll spare you little in The Cant, the strange dialect of the city.  But please, blame me not if a bit of it leaks into my mannerisms and speech.  You see, Sigil is a place unlike many others.  The anomalous city hovers inside of a ring-like formation that floats just above the peak of the Outlands Spire.  While the spire is quiet dangerous, especially to forces of the supernatural; these threats don’t necessarily affect those who make it here.  But, these are replaced by a trove of new potential dangers.  After all, this is the meeting place of the multiverse.  So, let us take our journey into that wondrous center of countless realities.  I speak of none other than Sigil, the City of Doors.

It has been far too long since I’ve actively returned home.  Too much has happened, including the scrambling of reality itself!  Thanks to that strange man in the machine cart, I’m here now though.  With any luck, that fading city found its peace too.  In the meantime, I’ve found mine.  Of course, both dangers and delights line the streets, so one must always stay aware of their surroundings.  And if you are from the Prime, do your best to not look too lost.  Too many prey on “The Clueless”, whether through scams or more direct means.

Author’s Note: Good old City of Doors!  Few things have inspired me more within the realm of D&D than Planescape.  That setting has affected me when I tinker with other systems too!  And by all means, Sigil is a center of that.  So, here are a number of ideas that have come up either through various games or just ideas of my own.  And, it was from said games that the Gamma World/Planescape crossover ideas spawned.  Also, please pardon the fact that a tropical storm knocked out my power for a few days.  My data wouldn’t even let me use my phone to edit things.  Time to save up for a generator, right?

Time Marches On: Blog Carnival Wrap-Up

Thanks for marching along with me, as we traverse the endless streams of time!  While I was hoping for a few more, I’m glad all of you took the time to see how time marched on in your games.

Here is the list of contributors:

• Brynvalk – Racial Feats: Faith of Brynvalk ponders making racial feats for D&D 5th Edition revolving around time and age.
• Cannibal Halfling Gaming – So You Want To Write An Alternate History: Aaron of CHG looks at alternate history, which is not so much time marching on as it is marching to the beat of its own drum.
• Codex Anathema – Analects of War: Gonzalo analyzes the effects of the Last War on his campaign world and the 100 years that leads up to it.
• Daemons & Deathrays – A Timeline in Richardsport: Looking at the advancing time frames in a home setting over the course of many small campaigns… albeit, through my usual desire to ramble.
• Daemons & Deathrays – Bizarre Bazaar – The Spark of Innovation: Zam’dul the Traveler is currently unavailable, his sentient robotic friend is more than happy to help!  Part 2 can be found here!
• Knights of the North – Cillamar City, Then and Now: Ari-Matti of Knights of the North looks back at the city of Cillamar as time from it’s beginnings till now.
• Loot the Room – Chronomancy: Chris from Loot the Room discusses Chronomancy, the AD&D Chronomancer sourcebook and a look at adding elements from it into D&D 5th Edition.
• Nuketown – Of Prequels and Legacies: Kenneth from Nuketown looks at two campaigns based off of a previous Greyhawk game.  In this case, one set 70 years before the events of the Obsidian Bay, while the other one is 50 years after the main game.

Stay tuned for next month’s theme “Gamemaster’s Cut” from Codex Anathema!  If you wish to know more about the RPG Blog Carnival, please go here!

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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.

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