The OSR News at Dreams of Mythic Fantasy

The OSR News at Dreams of Mythic Fantasy.

The OSR News at Dreams of Mythic Fantasy

Please update any links, etc., to my new blog Dreams of Mythic Fantasy. The Underdark Gazette will be closing on Jan. 2, 2012.


The OSR News - Monday, December 5, 2011

Quick Question for Encounter Critical Gurus

I recently became aware of and found a link to the Opponent Opuscule.


I don't know much about the provenance of this document and wanted to make sure it was kosher to link it in the News.

Because it's one of the most awesome Monster Manuals I've ever seen! :)



The Underdark Gazette is Moving!

The Underdark Gazette is Moving!

http://dreamsofmythicfantasy.blogspot.com/

Actually, the Underdark Gazette is closing. The OSR News and everything else I post, is moving.

When I first started this blog, I didn't think that WotC might have trademarked the word Underdark. In fact, I've seen other game companies use the word, even in titles. Not long afterwards, I did discover that this was, indeed, the case, but wasn't too concerned, mainly because I never envisioned the blog lasting so long, or that it would become so successful.

So. What with the direction intellectual property law is moving in this country, as well as other sorts of overall restraints the current situation creates, I will be closing The Underdark Gazette on January 2, 2012.

Until then, posts will appear on both blogs, save for the News, which will have a pointer link from the Gazette.

The Underdark Gazette will be locked, but will escape nuking, for a while. Any posts I think, or am told are particularly useful will migrate over. The News posts, will be archived in PDF form and made available for download, as I occasionally find them useful for research purposes and others may likewise benefit.

The new blog is Dreams of Mythic Fantasy.

On the bright side, moving everything over occasioned a long overdue link house-cleaning.

Everyone's blog is on the new roll, save for a few that haven't been updated in forever. If your OSR blog is missing, was never there in the first place, or is one of the abandoned blogs, but you're about to start posting again, let me know and I'll add you.

And here is where I need a favor from all of you guys. If you would update your links and blogrolls with the new Blog, Dreams of Mythic Fantasy, that would be fantastic.

If you would also follow the new blog, that would be awesome. And really brighten my day. :)

Thanks to everyone who's read, followed, linked, talked about, commented and spread the word about The Underdark Gazette. I'm aiming to make the new blog even better, in every way I can!

Bryce is doing a Module Auction and ERP has a Sorcery & Super Science Sale!

Bryce Lynch of tenfootpole.org has been doing a ton of reviews! Now, he's auctioning off a bunch of print copies, to raise funds for his next round. Highlights include the complete run of Expeditious Retreat Press' Advanced Adventures Line. Bidding on that one starts at $50. Buncha other stuff, most with starting bids of $2.

And speaking of ERP, Joseph Browning has put the entire Sorcery & Super Science PDF line on sale for $1 each! This is a one day sale, in honor of his birthday. Happy Birthday, Joseph!

"If I Roll a 1, I think it should hit the kid!"

Many years ago, not too far from the end of the Kastmaria Campaign.

Sascha the Archmage, Queen of Korocia was in her private study, attempting to unlock the mysteries of The Orb of Ithquaris. The Orb, an Artifact created by the god of magic himself, was a highly dangerous little toy. Intelligent, holding a potentially limitless power to Alter Reality and designed to eventually, permanently merge its own consciousness, with that of its wielder, the Orb could possibly, totally subsume Sascha's personality.

Sascha was holding her infant in her arms as she went about her studies.

Suddenly, Balston the Usurper, Dwarven King of Korocia, burst into his human queen's study, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords in hand. He then proceeds to demand that his wife give up the highly unstable Orb.

Which, considering what the Axe was doing to him, was more than a little hypocritical. And considering that his wife was the most powerful Archmage in the world, it was also more than a little futile.

But, since his Int was all of a 7...

When married couples argue it can get messy. When both husband and wife are powerful personages, in a fantasy world, it can get dangerous. When this power couple is actually a pair of AD&D PC's, it can also get hilarious!

Sascha told her husband to go to hell!

Player/Balston to DM: "I throw the Axe at her!"

Player/Sascha: "I'm holding the baby!"

Player/Balston, smiling to DM: "If I Roll a 1, I think it should hit the kid!"

Me/DM: "Ok. Sounds good!"

The DM and all five players at the table, think this idea is funny as hell.

Me/DM: "Roll initiative!"

Balston wins, hurls the Axe and...

Rolls a bloody 1!

How perfect was that!

The Axe bites into the skull of the infant, killing it instantly. Sascha teleports out, as the Axe returns to the King.

Everyone laughs their asses off!

Sascha gets her son resurrected. There being a 20+ level PC Cleric in the party, whose god was the same as Balston's and had specific schemes in mind, regarding the young prince, made this a virtual fait accompli. 

It is, perhaps, worthy of note that there was never any question of the party bouncing back from this incident, even if Balston had killed Sascha, or vice versa. No one was trying to permanently remove anyone else's PC, from the game.

Hurling the Axe at his wife, was certainly something the Deranged King might do.

But Joey, who ran Balston, was far too excellent a player, to want to permanently remove a PC, which Rachel had invested some 4,000+ hours into running.

He would never have let "what my character would do," interfere with what we actual people were doing. He ran his PC, not the other way around. 

Help Bail Out the Warden and Jeremy will Hook You Up with OSRIC

http://peoplethemwithmonsters.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-bail-out-warden.html

Jeremy Deram of People them with Monsters is giving away a brand new Black Blade OSRIC HC, to the first person who matches his donation of $100, to help out Jim Ward. Click the link above for details. It's a great cause. And the BB OSRIC HC is very, very Nice!

Chaosium's Thieves World Box Set!

"Oh, OK. I'll be polite here. TSR in those days was largely run by the Blums, a rather ruthless and careless administration."

"They published the first edition of the book (wasn't it called Gods, Demigods and Heroes?) with both Moorcock's Elric and Lovecraft's Cthulhu materials in it. Well, Chaosium owned the licence to both of those works at the time, and so I wrote to TSR and brought it to their attention.

"At that time I was doing the first multi-game supplement, Thieves' World. I wanted to capure all the existing games at that time, figuring it would be of curiosity interest in the future for people to compare the original systems. Of course, I wanted to have all the games in it, but TSR was famously reluctant to let anyone use their TM.

"Well, since they had violated my TM, I offered to let them keep using it if I, in turn, could use D&D and AD&D in TW. They agreed, we had contracts drawn up, etc. 

"Then their next edition cut it all out! I was curious about it, and called their PR department (without giving my name.) They said they didn't want those in their books because they wanted to avoid any hint of satanic stuff (which was hot at the time.)

"That's what I was told at the time. You can ask me in private if I beleive it."

"I had met Robert at a game of SF convention. He told me how his TW project had come about because he had played roleplaying games. One day he and a bunch of writers were complaining how difficult it is to make up a new fantasy setting every time they wanted to write a story, and he suggested the series, with him as the co-ordinator (GM) and everyone could contribute, as long as they followed the rule (i.e.- no killing each others main characters, etc.)

"Well, I thought, “Hey, let’s turn it back into an RPG then!” I worked with Bob and Lynn and got the license. I wanted to keep the whole spirit of cooperation, and I knew it could be a fantastic example of the “early days” of RPG if I did it right. I wanted it to have all the major systems extant at the time, so later folks could compare them and write a master’s thesis or something, after RPG gaming took over the world entertainment. 

"The industry was small in those days. I knew everyone involved, and set to to get licenses from everyone. I got ahold of almost all the original authors of the products to contribute. But I nearly had a breakdown with all the hassles, though. Seven companies, nine games, nine game authors, five fiction writers, a bunch of artists, and just about 300 egos. I’ve related above how I managed to get the then-impossible TSR to let me use their license.

"Thieves World is one of my proudest achievements from the early days. It was the first multi-game product, and encompassed just about everyone, and a pretty nice product."

---- Greg Stafford from a thread at The Acaeum

Thieves World

I was blessed with a father who voraciously collected fantasy, horror and science fiction novels. Also, Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated and The Savage Sword of Conan magazines, as well as comic books and other interesting media. He was never reticent to share this bounty with his son and well before I discovered D&D, my imagination was being fired by a rather respectable collection of swords & sorcery, high adventure, weirdness and titillating fantasy illustrations, published during the 60's, 70's and early 80's.

So, while most of my contemporaries in the south, were learning how to rebuild automobile engines and hunt wild animals, I was in my father's room, listening to his KISS, CCR, and Black Sabbath records and reading Vampirella, Ace Conan's, etc., and on one occasion, noticing a book with a rather evocative title: Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn ed. by Robert Lynn Asprin.

A title bound to catch the attention of a 14 year old, for sure.

I quickly ascertained that this was the 2nd book in the series and found Thieves World right beside it on the shelf. "Who's the dude with the Pentagram? He looks tough as all Hell!"

Thieves World was created in 1978 by Robert Lynn. Asprin, who enlisted several popular author's of the time, including such notables as Poul Anderson, Andrew J. Offut, David Drake, Steven Brust, Janet Morris, Philip Jose Farmer, John Brunner, A. E. van Vogt, Lynn Abbey, Diana Paxson and C. J. Cherryh, to write stories in the newly created shared universe.

The original series ran to 12 anthologies, with several spin-off novels, as well. In 2002 a new Thieves World novel was published, followed by two more anthologies. Graphic Novels of the original stories, have also been published and even a board game.

The action takes place in Sanctuary, a once important and prosperous city, now, thanks to the vagaries of history and the fortunes of war, the kind of gritty shit-hole which provides ample opportunities for adventure, strife and intrigue.

Authors created, then shared characters with their fellows. Like Shadowspawn, Master Thief. And Enos Yorl, a Hazard Class Mage under a curse, which causes his physical form to change and shift at irregular intervals, never experiencing the same manifestation twice. And Tempus, an immortal warrior and commander of the Sacred Band, in service to Vashanka, the Ranken god of war.

Way back when, I only read the first three or four of the series. In recent years, I've begun collecting Thieves World books and have the four SFBC omnibus editions, collecting the original 12 anthologies and picked up several of the TW related novels, as well. I'm planning a grand reading marathon and while I've heard that the latter installments in the series weren't too hot, I'm hoping for a few gems, at the very least.

Hobby Lobby

When I was growing up, the bookstores in Mobile's two malls, had the best collection of gaming material. But, there was a little store named Hobby Lobby, which, unlike everyone else, carried Chaosium titles.

Included in their Chaosium offerings, was the Thieves World: Complete Sanctuary Adventure Pack boxed set.  I was utterly enthralled and speculated upon what wonders that box might hold. In later years, I determined to obtain a copy and it became one of my grail items.

Ebay, baby!

I've taken to checking the New RPG Listings on ebay, in the mornings. A few months ago, someone posted a Buy It Now for the TW box set. $15.50 and $10 Priority Shipping. I Bought It Now! :)

Fortunately, it was as advertised. The contents look utterly unused. Even the staples are still shiny! One split corner on the box, but I think I can live with that. The printing history on this item seems to be a little convoluted and for those interested in such things, the folks at the Acaeum, have done some work on sorting it out. My copy looks to be somewhere in the middle of the printing history. It's comprised of three books with slick card covers, three maps, a single What's in the Box sheet of paper and a Chaosium reply card.

What's in the Box?

Good shit, that's what!

The box cover proclaims the supplement as the winner of several awards and lists the names of several gaming luminaries, involved with the project. Steve Perrin, Dave Arneson, and Ken St. Andre, among many others.

The contributors list reads like a Who's Who of early 80's game designers!

Several Thieves World authors, like Lynn Abbey and Poul Anderson were also involved in the production.

The set itself, is based upon material from the first two Thieves World anthologies.

The Player's Guide to Sanctuary is 16 pages, plus the covers, which aside from the very front is as packed with info as the rest of the book. The inside cover features an introduction by Robert Asprin, which is followed by the title page and forward. An essay by Poul Anderson, Thud and Blunder, about avoiding common pitfalls in writing fantasy fiction and reprinted from Swords Against Darkness, follows.

Then, The City and Its People by Greg Stafford, Mary Beth Miller and Steve Perrin. A double page map of Sanctuary is this booklet's centerpiece. A bit by Robert Asprin on Hakiem and the Hell Hounds follows, along with Mary Beth Miller's chronology. Mary then supplies us with a glossary and the inside back cover is dedicated to Shalpa Saves: The Gods of Thieves World by Andrew J. Offutt. The back cover is a map of the known world.

The Player's Guide is meant to be read by those running PC's, though it gives away a bit more information, than I would want players to start out knowing.

The Game Master's Guide for Sanctuary is 64 pages, plus the covers and was designed with a GM's actual needs, in mind!

After the title and contents pages, an essay by Greg Stafford, How to Use this Book is followed by Palm-Greasing at the Palace and Getting Busted in Sanctuary by Lynn Abbey. Then, we get A Letter from Petrule by Steve Perrin and The Gods of Sanctuary by Steve Marsh.

A page introducing Midkemia Press, the folks responsible for much of the next 50 pages (maybe all, it's unclear,) comes next, then we get the Encounters chapter, 16 pages of which is comprised of random tables!

The Encounter Tables are very well done! Gritty, Swords & Sorcery stuff, with mad prophets, drug dealers, prostitutes, dueling magicians, slaves, urchins, as well as more mundane citizenry, of course. General tables, tables for specific areas, special tables, columns for day, evening and night, lots and lots of sub-tables (is that drug-dealer really selling krrf, or is it counterfeit?), etc. The tables and the maps would be worth the price of admission, alone, doing an admirable job of depicting the milieu of Sanctuary, with Hell-Hounds, Priests of Vashanka, etc., doing the sorts of things you would expect of Hell-Hounds and Priests of Vashanka.

Damn good tables. Not Matt Finch, or Zak Sabbath good, but damn good, nonetheless!

The centerpiece is a two-page Sanctuary Cut-Away by Yurik Chodak, showing the architecture of typical buildings.

The Populating Sanctuary chapter provides more random tables, consisting of a page for generating locations by neighborhood and then another for the businesses sub-table.

From there, we get the Places & Plans chapter, which gives a short overview of the different neighborhoods of the city and provides a sample snapshot of streets and city-blocks for the same, along with a few details from the books.

This whole section contains some immediately useful information, but is representative, not comprehensive by any means. The locations and NPC's in this chapter are taken from the books and focuses on the more "mundane" citizenry of the city. But, if you've read the anthologies, you know that some of the stories are about the "common" citizens of Sanctuary, pointing out, as James Joyce so masterfully did before, that there are no "average people."

Well known places like the Vulgar Unicorn and the more famous brothels on The Street of Red Lanterns, have NPC info and floorplans, provided.

Basically, this section sets out to give the GM a handy starting point.  The vast majority of the city is left to the GM to flesh out, with aid from the Populating Sanctuary tables, mentioned above.

The back cover has a short piece and map by Steve Perrin, on The Sewers of Sanctuary.

Personalities of Sanctuary is the last book in the set, which also runs 64 pages. An opening essay by Greg Stafford is followed by a table of contents, then a general thumbnail sketch of all the NPC's to come, by Steve Perrin, Mary Beth Miller and Midkemia Press.

Adaptation info and stats for major NPC's, are then given for 9 different game systems, though the lists are not uniform. Monsters, gods, magic items and other system tidbits are given, though again, the authors don't slavishly copy one another. It's a mini-adaptation by the authors to their respective systems, handled a little differently in each case, focusing mostly on NPC's. It was left to the individual authors, to decide which NPC's and what other material, to include in their sections. All of which, adds to both the value and the enjoyment of this third book of the set! A uniform approach would have quickly become tedious. Instead, we get to see the point of view of the individual authors/game designers, making for a richer, varied reading experience. I doubt I'll ever play Traveller and if I did, I probably wouldn't use this supplement, but the Traveller adaption was not only a fun read, it gave me a few cool ideas.

General info on using Sanctuary with the systems under discussion are given by the authors, with items like random tables popping up, as the designers saw fit, in writing the sections for their games.

AD&D is handled by Lawrence Schick. Dave Arneson and Richard Snider then give us the details for Adventures in Fantasy. Wes Ives handles Chivalry & Sorcery. Eric Goldberg tackles DragonQuest. Steve Marsh writes the D&D section, followed by The Fantasy Trip by Rudy Kraft. Steve Perrin tackles the Runequest chapter, Marc and Mary Beth Miller take on Traveller and Ken St. Andre does T&T.

The book wraps up with a Personality Record Sheet, Scenario Ideas, a list of characters by story, Time & Strategy by Eric Goldberg, a section on the contributors and finally, the back cover provides an index for all three books.

Three Maps, accompany the set: A map of Sanctuary, a map of The Maze neighborhood, which is a highly dangerous, "stay out unless you're a bad-ass" area and a map of The Maze Underground, the tunnels and sewers in the Maze area.

The maps are rather understated affairs, but, the city map in particular, manages to come off as charming and the aesthetic fits the set and the City of Sanctuary. They're somewhat reminiscent of the sort of fronts-piece maps, often found in older fantasy novels, though better executed and more detailed. I suspect this was more or less what the designers were going for here and it works.

The illustrations for the Set are done by Victoria Poyser and I found them to be quite enjoyable. I'm unsure as to who worked on the cartography.

Amongst Other Things

Chaosium put out a Thieves World Companion, which updated the info and Random Tables, to match the later events in the fiction series. This book only offered material on a few different systems and while I don't own a copy, I did have the opportunity to examine it, once, cursorily. It didn't seem to have the magic of the original set and I'm not too concerned with hunting down a copy. FASA published some Thieves World modules way back when. Again, I wasn't impressed with the one FASA module I've seen. I don't recall how many there are, but they all have the same cover and the one I saw, was very, very short.

Green Ronin published several d20 Thieves World rpg books. I picked up the Player's Manual, which was the first release in the line, when it was published. I like Green Ronin's stuff in general and there's things in this book I can use, but it isn't nearly as cool as the Chaosium Boxed set.

Green Ronin's first book in their series only has two random tables. One of which is interesting.

If Prestige Classes, etc., is your thing, though...

If you're looking for a copy of Chaosium's Thieves World

This used to be a fairly hot item, but the price has dropped recently and you should be able to snag a copy off of ebay for around $30 or less. Like I said, I got mine for about $26, shipping and all. Occasionally, someone will post a set and ask an arm and a leg for it, but, in the current market, I would suggest flat out ignoring anything over $35, unless you're really impatient.

In Closing

Setting books and sets, all too often turn out to be bad fiction, disguised as an rpg supplement. A setting based on a published franchise, is particularly open to being turned into something of little practical use. Chaosium's Thieves World avoided this trap, by remembering that the Game's the Thing, focusing, for the most part, on designing material that's useful for actually running Sanctuary.

And when they utilized fiction to help present the setting, they wisely chose to let actual fiction writers, who've been published by someone other than a game company, take care of that end of things!

I'd easily put the Chaosium Thieves World: Complete Sanctuary Adventure Pack, on my shortlist of best city supplements! If you're a fan of the books, you'll definitely love it, but even if you've never read Thieves World, there's plenty of groovy stuff, you can use and adapt to your campaign world.

Thanks...

Thanks to the Acaeum, for help in researching this article and for the Q&A thread with Greg Stafford.

And Now, We Join a D&D Session, In Progress...

So, What D&D Character Am I?

You Are A:

Neutral Good Human Sorcerer/Rogue (3rd/2nd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength- 12
Dexterity- 11
Constitution- 11
Intelligence- 17
Wisdom- 15
Charisma- 14



Alignment:
Neutral Good- A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Sorcerers- Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

Secondary Class:
Rogues- Rogues have little in common with each other. While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, and simple thugs. Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get. While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage. Rogues also seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding danger. Experienced rogues develop nearly magical powers and skills as they master the arts of stealth, evasion, and sneak attacks. In addition, while not capable of casting spells on their own, a rogue can sometimes 'fake it' well enough to cast spells from scrolls, activate wands, and use just about any other magic item.

Huh.


But, I don't play 3e. And my Dex. sucks. I'm apparently going for some artsy-fartsy role-playing thing. 


http://www.easydamus.com/character.html

Need a Favor: Serious Question for all you DM's Out There

I'm doing some market research.

If you've got the time, could you give me a quick list of your top 10 favorite OSR products? Not counting rule-sets? For pay or free.

It's ok to list less than 10, if you would prefer.

Either a blog post, or leaving info in the comments here would be fine, though I would appreciate it if you dropped a quick comment to let me know you're making a post of it. Just to make sure I don't miss anything.

Thanks a million!

May the Gaming Gods Help me, I'm Working on a Monk Class

From Wikimedia Commons. Publicity Still
in the PD, if you need an illo of a Monk

Master of the Deadly Vibration*: 

At 13th level, the Monk achieves mastery of his Martial Art and the secrets of Ki, earning the power of The Deadly Vibration.

To use this ability, he makes a series of special attacks, aimed at three specific Pressure Point within a single victim. He must hit all three Points in the span of three rounds.**

The attacks themselves will do no damage. When all three Pressure Points have been hit, then a disharmonious vibration will be set into motion, resulting in the victim's death in 1d3 rounds. The victim's body will try to right itself and he will receive a Saving Throw vs. Death. If successful, the Monk may not try to use this ability on the same opponent again, for a period of one day.

A lesser form of the Deadly Vibration may also be used, which will, if the victim fails his Save, merely result in Paralysis. The paralysis will take effect immediately and last 2d6 Turns.

Neither form of the power may be used on undead, or creatures which may only be hit by magical weapons. The Deadly Vibration may be used at the Monk's discretion.

*I was going for a more or less generic sounding name for this ability, as I'm not tying the class to a specific setting and have no particular Monkish Flavor in mind, beyond that suggested by the picture above.

**At 13th Level, this Monk makes two attacks per round.

I love the idea of the Monk. Really dislike the AD&D & AEC implementation. 

OSR News from the Underdark Gazette - Thursday, November 10, 2011

Pre-orders! 

Crypts & Things by Newt Newport. D101 Games. Pre-order.

There's 22 days left to get in on the Pre-order. The Goal has already been met! Woo-hoo and congratulations Mr. Newport!

Crypts & Things is a Swords and Sorcery game based upon the class/level based Old School roleplaying game rules from the late 1970s, with the rules modified to emphasise the genre in play.

Its a game where the players play Barbarians, Fighters, Magicians, and Thieves struggling to survive in the dying world of Zarth. Looting long dead cities, tombs and battling Serpent Men and their demonic allies. It is a world where action and exotic adventure is the name of the game.

It takes its inspiration form the works of Clark Ashton Smith, HP Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard and the gaming material of the early British role-playing publications of the 70s-80s.

It is 150 pages long and is copiously illustrated with black and white pictures.

Right now, $10 will get you the PDF. $30 will get you a Softcover and PDF. $40 will get you a Hardcover and PDF. There's some higher tiers, with additional goodies! And those prices include shipping! The first module, Blood of the Dragon will be sent out if the Pre-order exceeds its goal (and it has.) See the page for further details.

I'm getting this! S&W based? Check! Uses Akrasia's Houserules? Check! Gets rid of the Cleric? Check! Not that I'm Anti-Cleric, but I really like the idea of having a more Swords & Sorcery oriented version of the game, all prepped up and ready to run! The Hyborian Age calls, as always. Maybe I'll finally get around to writing that Conan supplement/hack that's been on my mind for a while. Or, at the very least get some use out of my Mongoose Road of Kings book.

See the video flip-thru will provide some more info. And here's a PDF preview. 

Delving Deeper RPG Boxed Set pre-orders! $39.95 ($49.95 after November 15, 2011.) The sets will be shipping the week of November 20th.

Delving Deeper RPG closely emulates the rules of the earliest version of the world’s most popular roleplaying game. Go back to a time when every weapon did d6 damage, clerics could cast no spell at first level, only fighters could use magic swords, and if you wanted a locked door opened you had to bash the thing in! It is difficult to imagine in a world where multiple, weighty tomes comprise the rules; but this single, small book contains all you need to build a campaign that can span decades of real time! If you’re tired of trying to find the rule for determining whether your fighter is left-handed and is able to swim and just want to kill some goblins, have we got a game for you!

This Boxed Set Contains everything you need to play:

• Volume One: Forging a Hero
• Volume Two: Codex of the Divine and the Arcane
• Volume Three: Index of the Fiendish and Malign
• Volume Four: Vault of Treasures
• Volume Five: Delving Deeper and Blazing New Trails
• Robert Conley’s, Blackmarsh Campaign Setting
• Alchemical Synergy: A S&W:Whitebox Player’s Guide for Delving Deer RPG
• A set of nine dice (3d6, 2d10, 1d20, 1d12, 1d8, 1d4)
• A pad of 25 digest character sheets.

Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch. Frog God Games. The Hardcover is available for Pre-Order for $42 and comes with the PDF, which you can download immediately. The PDF alone is $21.Here's some words from Matt on the subject (follow this link for directions to a free preview PDF:

At long last, my Tome of Adventure Design (originally the Adventure Design Deskbooks) is up and ready for sale at Frog God Games. It's a quarter century worth of tables and a couple of places where I fleshed out some "Notes to Self" that were in the 3-ring binders along with the tables. People who have seen Deskbooks 1 and 2 know how it's presented -- the Tome of Adventure Design (ToAD) contains books 3 and 4 as well. The tables are what I think of as "deep design" rather than being short and weighted toward normal results as you have to do in a book of tables designed for rapid use during an adventure. This book is for when you're working ahead of time. There are a couple of exceptions - the first internal "book" can be used to generate the general concept of an adventure pretty quickly, either based on location, mission, or a villain's objective.

It's system neutral (for the D&D family, anyway, some of it uses concepts that were abandoned in 4e). So it's totally usable with AD&D, OSRIC, Original D&D, 2e, all the retro-clones, etc., etc.

The pdf is available immediately, and if you are pre-ordering the book you get the pdf right away.

It's 300 pages of tables and 7 pages of index (I worked hard to get a really good index).

 Matt also mentioned that the binding is Sewn in 16 page signatures. The last word I have on the cut-off date for pre-orders is that FGG is taking them through Thanksgiving.

I mentioned Tome of Adventure Design a few weeks ago, but thought I'd include it again, with the latest round-up of pre-orders.

Adventurer Conqueror King by Alexander Macris, Greg Tito, Ryan Browning, and Tavis Allison - Autarch. Hardcover Pre-Order $39.99. Softcover Pre-Order $29.99. Pre-order PDF for $14.99.

Adventurer Conqueror King is a complete tabletop RPG that supports all the goals characters in our campaigns have set for themselves. Whether it's dungeon crawling, guiding a caravan through the wilderness in search of profit, or commanding a nation-state, this system satisfies our needs better than any other game we know (and that's quite a few).

The latest news on a release date I could find, was this quote by Tavis from a forum post, made about a month ago:

We expect a release date in December, and should have done a better job saying so! Kickstarter now requires you to say when the project will ship, which I think is a good idea.

According to the Kickstarter page, they're less than $400 away from meeting their third bonus goal, the initial goal having long since been met!

And the Next Pair of Major Releases from Lamentations of the Flame Princess Goes to Print!

Aside from this link and this link, I'm going to Let the Pictures do the Talking.

Both Isle of the Unknown and Carcosa are expected to go on sale in early December. Here's a quote from Mr. Raggi, on prices:

Assuming no "surprise, this cost more than planned!" from the printer, Carcosa will be 32,11€ and Isle of the Unknown 22,94€ (+ VAT or shipping depending on your territory).

Well, now. This News post is just getting started and already my gaming budget for the rest of the year has been spoken for, if not exceeded!

Go to Hell!

Nod #11 by John Stater has been released! The PDF is available for $3.50. Print is forthcoming.

Just in time for Halloween, NOD 11 arrives with the beginning of a five part hex crawl set in the scariest place in creation - HELL! Also, four new races for your underground adventures, a sinister new class - the demonologist, four new demon lords to bedevil your players and some tips on sprucing up the most under appreciated mega-monsters in gaming, the titans. 140 pages

She's a Witch!

Darker Paths 2: The Witch by Joseph Bloch. BRW Games. Available in PDF for $5.00. 20 pages.

This witch is not a sexy nature-worshipper. Nor is she a misunderstood and unjustly persecuted healer and herbalist. This is the witch of the Brothers Grimm, the Malleus Maleficarum, and Medieval folklore. It features approximately fifty new spells such as Hand of Glory, Blight Field, Candle Magic, and Masse Noire, plus full descriptions of spells that are shared with other classes, so players will have everything they need at their fingertips. Cover art and an interior character illustration is by veteran OSR artist Jason Sholtis.

The witch can be used as either an optional player-character class or an NPC class in any campaign that uses rules compatible with the basic or advanced versions of the world's most popular role-playing game.

Take your campaign down a darker path with the witch!

And, While We're Visiting Joe...

ADD Bestiary V1.1 by Joseph Bloch. BRW Games. Available in PDF for FREE. 237 pages.

"What if?"

Some of the most intriguing works of fiction have stemmed from those two simple words. What if Hitler had won World War 2? What if the Roman Empire had never fallen? What if John F. Kennedy had never been assassinated?

This work represents just such a "what if" scenario, if perhaps one with less weighty historical consequences. What if Gary Gygax had not left TSR in 1985, and had been allowed to continue developing the world's most famous fantasy role-playing game?

We will, unfortunately, never know the answer to that question, because he did leave TSR in that year, and others took over the job of designing the second (and subsequent) versions of the game. After that unfortunate episode, he was understandably reluctant to give any advice on how he would have carried the game forward.

However, he did leave behind hints as to the direction he would have taken the game. New character classes. Streamlined combat. New spells and magic items. Consolidated and re-worked monsters. We don't have many specifics, but we do have a fair number of "big picture" ideas. All of these have been taken as inspiration for ADVENTURES DARK AND DEEP™.

Bear in mind that the author has no special insight into Gygax's mind on this subject other than what he himself wrote publicly, and certainly the game should not be taken as having any sort of official stamp, either from his estate or the corporations that have taken the game in new directions. All that has been done is to collect the hints he did leave, use them as inspiration, and take off in a wholly different direction than that which happened "officially."

ADVENTURES DARK AND DEEP™ is not a "retro-clone." It does not set out to re-create a particular set of rules from decades past, as do some other games (not that there's anything amiss in doing so!). Rather, it is a new creation, unique unto itself, and does not attempt to recreate any set of rules that has gone before. The game and its materials are compatible with other games that are based on the original and Advanced versions of the world's most popular role-playing game.

The Bestiary gives game masters full descriptions of more than 800 creatures to use in your game. All creatures are broken down by broad categories to make finding a creature "on the fly" a snap; wilderness/dungeon, waterborne, prehistoric, and extra-planar.

NOTE: This is a free pdf version, and the rules are not in a final state. The game is currently in an open playtest, and your comments and input are more than welcome at http://www.adventuresdarkanddeep.com.

All three volumes of Adventures Dark and Deep are now updated to V1.1 and all three Open Playtest versions are available for Free Download.

More From Robert Pinnell

Fate of the Forgotten Keep by R. C. Pinnell. Available in Print for $8.00 and in PDF for $3.00. 28 pages.

Designed for characters of levels 4 to 8. It can be used with either Advanced or Classic rules with some modification. Long forgotten by order of the Queen, a map to the keep on the southern border suddenly appears one day, tempting the characters to go there and find out why the Queen of long ago ordered it closed.

A New Release from DwD

Maidens of Moordoth by Bill Logan. DwD Games. Available in PDF for .50 cents. 3 pages.

Maidens of Moordoth is a low-level 1-sheet adventure designed for Labyrinth LordTM but easily usable in any old school fantasy role-playing game. It provides all you'll need for a full night or two of play.

The elders of the village of Moordoth are the keepers of a grim secret. They vowed to take it to their graves, but a pack of ghouls and the wailing haunts of six lost maidens seem to command otherwise. The characters are hired by the town elders to put a stop to this madness. The characters will soon learn that all is not what it seems as they unravel the secret of the Maidens of Moordoth.

Zine = Old School

Loviatar #4 by Christian Walker. Available in Print for $3.00. 24 pages.

When the humans' colony ship was intercepted by the enigmatic Masters, the robots in the cargo hold were put to use by the aliens. The Masters had already failed miserably with their intelligent, talking wolves so perhaps the humans' robots could be turned into effective spies. The humans quickly discovered the deception and now an uneasy relationship has emerged. This GURPS article presents more background on the human zoo, as well as detailed descriptions of two robots.

Abel Artone, recently deceased, has had his nap interrupted by the lovely Mora, a bariaur Indep. Mercykillers are prowling the area, so Mora leads a wary Abel to a kip shared by herself and two other faction members. The kip - located inside a petrified giant - provides scant protection against a determined Segreant Gev and his Red Death bashers. This is an article for Planescape, with plenty of maps and stat blocks to help you get your extra-planar freak on.

Finally, we have some X-plorers on tap. Micah is a cold, barren planet orbiting a dim, tired star. The planet would be deserted were in not for a university that attracts a variety of scholars and off-world clients. The planet - with its mostly intellectual population - is at risk of being undone by a rising tide of criminals and corporate agents. An intrepid team of X-plorers would find their skills in great demand. This article offers a detailed planetary description, as well as a map and special rules for characters hailing from Micah.

Loviatar No. 4 is a 24 page digest. It has a cardstock cover and is printed in black and white. This issue offers fan support for GURPS, AD&D 2e and X-plorers.

And How About Some Stars Without Number?

Darkness Visible: Espionage Campaigns for Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford. Sine Nomine Publishing. Available in Print/PDF Combo for $19.99 and in PDF for $9.99. 96 pages.

Discover Sights of Woe 

Rain-slick streets beneath an alien sky. Untraceable mail on a private terminal. A man in a shabby coat who is always watching. Poison in a glistening needle. From the distant ages of humanity's dawn to the far end of the Silence, espionage changes only its tools. A useful lie is eternal.

With this book, GMs and players are equipped with everything they need to run campaigns of interstellar intrigue and covert action. New backgrounds, training packages and equipment options will kit out your starfaring spies, and the history and context of interstellar espionage will help you plan your adventures in a cosmos in dire need of your help.

GMs are given special help in assembling an espionage campaign, with tools for the cooperative creation of enigmatic intelligence agencies and long-hidden Perimeter outposts. You'll also find concrete, step-by-step techniques for building complex spy adventures and sinister plots, complete with detailed support material to keep your focus on the fun.

Look inside to find...

• The history of interstellar spying in the Stars Without Number universe.
• Details of the hideous maltech cults that threaten the very future of humanity.
• A system for cooperatively creating intelligence agencies for your campaign and handling exploits against their nefarious rivals.
• 36 new tags for flavoring your cults, all of which can be used as world tags as well.
• Over 200 new adventure seeds, each one keyed to a different aspect of an espionage agency.
• NPC, scheme, and method tables for fleshing out conspiracies and dark plots.

Ooh! Mutant Future!

Creatures of the Tropical Wastes by Chris “Outlander” Van Deelen. Skirmisher Publishing. Available in PDF for $5.99. 62 pages.

Do you need more monsters and mutations for your postapocalyptic, sci-fi, or fantasy game? If so, Creatures of the Tropical Wastes is what you are looking for!

Fully compatible with Mutant Future - as well as Labyrinth Lord and other games that use the familiar and easy-to-use "Basic" role-playing game rules introduced in the 1970s - this collection includes:

• A Foreword by Derek Holland, author of several licensed Mutant Future sourcebooks.
• 50 new creatures, including the mysterious Ahas Folk, the insidious Egret Puppeteer, and the fearsome War Baboy.
• 30 new mutations, including numerous Plant mutations.
• Official Mutant Future Poison and Radiation Tables for convenience of reference.
• Original illustrations by fantasy artist Sharon Daugherty

The Latest From Knightvision Games


Winter's Herald by Jim Baney. Knightvision Games. Available in Print/PDF combo for $6.00 and in PDF only for $1.99. 24 pages.

Labyrinth Lord Adventure Module for 4-6 5th Level adventurers Icemoor is a land beset by winter at the top of the world. For years at a time snow blankets the tundra, ice grips the trees, and storms batter the coast. A pale sun shines weakly on the peoples battling for survival against their foes and the very elements. An ancient menace has reared its ugly head once more and threatens the entire world with its icy grip. Can the heroes survive in a frozen landscape where villains and monsters use the extreme cold as their weapons?

Spellcraft & Swordplay Now Available in Print

Spellcraft & Swordplay Basic Game by Jason Vey. Elf Lair Games. Available in PDF for Free and in Print for $7.00

Since Spellcraft & Swordplay was released on Lulu in 2008, almost 800 copies have been sold. Now, we present a free PDF introductory "Basic Set," akin to those games in the legacy which S&S honors. Containing a streamlined (but complete) version of the rules and character progression to level 3, this 48-page book is a perfect introduction to the new class of old school, ideal for introducing new players to the game, or for just having an extra set of rules at the table!

Spellcraft & Swordplay Core Rules by Jason Vey. Available in Print/PDF combo for $30.00 and in PDF for $6.50.

Join the new class of old school!

Hordes of slavering orcs close in. You're tired, battered and bruised, but far from beaten. You grip your heavy sword tightly, and blink at the sweat in yoru eyes. You're all that stands between the goodly folk of the village, and a curtain of eternal night. And going quietly isn't your style. 

Between these covers lies everything you need to begin grand adventures of dark and gritty fantasy, high epic fantasy, or even fairy tale fantasy. All you need is some imagination and a few friends, and you're off! Inspired by the very earliest days of the hobby, Spellcraft & Swordplay uses a rules-light system that allows play in a fast, loose and cinematic style. It evokes the spirit of the old school, while providing some character customization not always present in other old school games.

Explore ancient ruins, rescue captive princesses, slay dragons, and build your own legacy of adventure and excitement with SPELLCRAFT & SWORDPLAY! 

Spellcraft & Swordplay Monstrous Mayhem by Jason Vey. Available in Print/PDF combo for $15.00 and in PDF for $5.00.

The New Class Strikes Again!

 After awhile, goblins cease to be frightening, gold loses its luster, and underground dungeons, ruined cities and ancient temples ceace to be an attraction. Your players want new sights, new adventures, and new threats to challenge their skill, might and wits.

Fear not! For those Referees who need to give their game that spark of something new, we present MONSTROUS MAYHEM, the first sourcebook for Spellcraft & Swordplay! Within these pages you will find a new Elite Path, rules for hedge magic and legerdemain, mass combat, underwater adventures, thug rules, a host of new monsters, and more! With all of these additions, Monstrous Mayhem is sure to become an invaluable resource for players and referees alike!

There's a Dungeon Bastard in All of Us

Have you met Bill Cavalier, yet? Here's a taste:

More Stars Without Number

Infinite Stars #2 ed. in chief Omer Golan-Joel. Available for Free Download. 18 pages.

An OSRIC Adventure

Orcs' Nest by Matthew James Stanham of Silver Blade Adventures. Available as a Free PDF Download. 20 pages.

I Want a Whole Book of These

One of your maskier cities... from Zak S. at Playing D&D With Porn Stars.

So. Need Some Hexcrawling Help?

How about 58 pages of Judges Guild style Random Hex Generator Tables? Wilderness Hexploration Document. From Jedo of the New York Redbox site, available as a free PDF download. 

Look What Brendan of Untimately Done Gone and Did!

Why, it's an OSR Search Engine! Complete with Cool Embedding Code, that you can see over on one of my left-hand columns! Works splendidly! And you know what's super-cool? When I type AD&D into the search engine, Google doesn't automatically change it to D&D!!!!!

Something I Missed, During the Hiatus

Small But Vicious Dog by Chris Hogan. 36 page PDF available as a Free Download. Available in the Small But Vicious Sidebar at Chris' Blog.

Remember that ill-advised B/X-WFRP hack I wurbled about a couple of months back? Done (apart from the last few magic item and monster descriptions).

All the other WFRP-ish goodness - drugs, diseases, insanity, mutation, gunpowder, chaotic magic, dorfs with mohawks, hot pies, giant angry puffins and so forth - is in there. Heck, I've even included rules to model that special WFRP "gods hate you; failure is law!" atmosphere.

Pocket-Mods

Pocket Full of Peril D1, D2 & D3 - Dyson's Delve Levels One Through Nine edited by Fenway5. Available as Free PDF Downloads.

Noble Knight is Having a Sale!


Everything is at least 10% off! At Least!

The LotFP Grindhouse Edition is 28% off! $35.96 + shipping. And if you buy the print edition from Noble Knight, you get the PDF as well!

So, I bought it, very early this morning! Been meaning to for a while. But, I've been under a Geas.


Noble Knight, being the swell guys they are, have already shipped my physical copy! And they've also emailed me the PDF, which I've spent the morning investigating.

I highly recommend this game!

Which means...

What I'm Pimping This Week

Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role Playing : Grindhouse Edition by James Edward Raggi IV. LotFP Publishing.

Mystery and Imagination, Adventure and Death

Beyond the borders of civilization, beyond the influence of manipulating politicians, greedy merchants, iron-handed clergy, and the broken masses that toil for their benefit, the ruins of ancient civilizations call to those bold enough, and desperate enough, to escape the oppression of mundane life. Treasure and glory await those courageous enough to wrest it from the darkness. But the danger is great, for lurking in the forgotten shadows are forces far more corrupt than even civilization. The price for freedom might be paid in souls.

LotFP: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing presents a sinister and horrific twist on traditional fantasy gaming and provides you with all the tools needed to create and run a long-lasting campaign tailored to your specific vision. Simple enough for a beginner – with material intended for those that have never before played a role-playing game – yet meaty enough for the veteran, this is a complete game in one box. Included in this box:

The Grindhouse Edition includes never-before-seen spells, magic items, and introductory adventure, as well as a revised layout and over 100 new pieces of fantastic art that will transport you into the nightmare world of LotFP: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing!
(order 5 or more copies, a group discount applies - each box will cost just 24,37€)
(Warning: Explicit Imagery! Recommended for ages 18+)

Contents:

• Tutorial Book (96 pages) Introducing the Basics of Role-Playing
• Rules and Magic Book (168 pages) A comprehensive reference for playing the game
• Referee Book (96 pages) Tools for campaigns and adventure
• 7-piece Dice Set
• Character Sheets

Artwork by:
Rowena Aitken
Aeron Alfrey
Tomas Arfert
Dan Berger
Johnathan Bingham
Nicole Cardiff
Christina Casperson
Ernie Chan
Dean Clayton
Ramsey Dow
Laura Jalo
Daniel Lapham
Vincent Locke
Eric Lofgren
Rich Longmore
Peter Mullen
Russ Nicholson
Jason Rainville
Cynthia Sheppard
Book Back Cover Background
Amos Orion Sterns
Filip Stojak

About The News

Unless otherwise noted, all links to products and files are to the individual authors sites, pertinent posts, or sales pages. I don’t link directly to files, unless that is the only link available. The OSR News is produced as a service to the community and is entirely a non-commercial endeavor on my part. I have received no remuneration for advertising or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Occasionally, the News might feature an item, which the author has sent me a complimentary copy of, for purposes of writing a review.

As always, the What I’m Pimping This Week section of the OSR News and its accompanying blog widget, feature products which I have purchased (or items which are available for free download) and wish to support. At times, the item I'm pimping may be one which I received a complimentary review copy of, from the author or publisher. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.

Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.

Attention: An Open Letter to OSR Publishers

I will never again order a Hardcover product you've published, if it's coming from Lulu. Period.

I am sick and disgusted by yet again, really looking forward to enjoying an item, only to have it arrived fucked up, bent and with an utterly shitty glue/binding job.

If a bookseller at a physical location tried to sell me an item like the one I received today I would laugh my ass off and tell him to go to hell!

Now, I get to deal with the utterly tedious process, that is Lulu Support. The last time, my replacement item was every bit as fucked up as the original and I just gave up.

This is the fifth such book, that those bastards have had the temerity to mail to my address!

I've got three more, with merely piss-poor, loose binding jobs. I was willing to deal with those, though, I bloody damn well shouldn't have been willing to do anything of the sort! But, binding that's just shoddy, is typical enough in RPG books, nowadays. Bloody, fucking hell!

There's three other times, where Lulu has gotten it right enough, that I didn't feel like I was being taken advantage of.

Three times out of eleven I was pleased. Three times, I was willing to settle for what I got. Five times, Lulu's service was totally, completely, unacceptable.

I certainly don't expect perfection from POD. And very, very few publishers of any sort, go to the trouble of crafting a decent book anymore. But this repeated, egregiously slipshod quality control from Lulu is one bit of bullshit, I refuse to put up with, any longer. They have, to my mind, proven themselves unwilling to go to the trouble of producing even an acceptable low-quality hardcover with anything, anywhere near consistency.

I am not blaming anyone but Lulu here, but I would urge you to look into other options, when it comes to POD. Lulu is just not making the cut and it will factor into my decisions, about where I spend my money.

Because enough is fucking enough.

An Introduction to Game-Mastering an Old School FRPG

This piece was originally written for a planned Brave Halfling publication, geared toward younger gamers. Alas, that project fell through. 

When John gave me the go-ahead, as he had dibs, I revised it for another intro type game, that was being planned out on the OD&D Boards. That project took a different turn and looks stalled out now, as well! My recent post, asking if the article was still wanted, went unanswered.

So, I've made another, rather extensive revision and I'm posting it here, for archival and easy retrieval. Any criticism is most welcome.

An Introduction to Game-Mastering an Old School Fantasy Role-Playing Game 

by James A. Smith

I

Imagine you're the designer and caretaker of a magical place. A fantastic world, built in your imagination.

You’ll have a lot of fun creating this world, entertaining your friends and yourself with challenges, thrills and adventure! Your friends will be making their own contributions, as well, but as chief builder and host of this realm, you'll have to own a lot of the responsibility for bringing it to life.

You can name your world, whatever you want. A French word, Milieu, meaning "setting" or "environment," is often used when referring to RPG settings in general. You may guide your friends through a single adventure, or instead, run a series of adventures, set in in the same milieu and incorporating its own fictional continuity. This latter mode of play is called a Campaign and may last for a few sessions, or many years! 

The use of the terms "Campaign" and "Milieu," comes from the Miniature Wargaming hobby, from which the first Fantasy Role-Playing Game, arose. If you've read The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, then you're already familiar with these ideas, as they appear in the form of a novel.

Middle-Earth, with all its history, features and lore, is the Milieu. The  action, which creates and unfolds the story, is the Campaign. The Fellowship, of course, is the Adventuring Party, which will be comprised of your players’ characters.

Through playing in your game, your players will build the Milieu in their imaginations as well. Their actions during play will drive, shape and flesh-out the campaign. Allowing them to contribute ideas to the Milieu itself is a good idea. If a player creates a Fighting-Man and thinks of a cultural, or historical background for his character, which he finds enjoyable, consider incorporating those ideas. Another player might take the role of a Cleric and have an idea for his character's god and religion, which excites his imagination and fits his conception of what he wants to play, closer than the material you've already selected for inclusion. 

There are times when this sort of player input can clash with your vision of the Milieu and there are valid reasons for wanting to establish limits on this kind of thing. If you're going for an Arthurian mood, a la Sir Thomas Malory, then you don't want Monty Python and the Holy Grail thrown into the mix. But, allowing room for the imagination of your players is always a good idea. For your first campaign, I would suggest a loose framework and generous allowance for player input, as the experienced gained from that approach will prove useful in future endeavors. 

Pre-existing Milieus, or Campaign Settings, may be purchased, or downloaded for free. If you're going this route, I would recommend picking up one of the smaller settings of this sort, as it will allow you plenty of elbow room and facilitate your making the setting your own. Pre-made worlds make for a good set of training wheels, but you might also consider consulting them for instruction and inspiration, instead, then going ahead with a creation of your own.

Some GM's prefer pre-fabricated Milieu's. It can be quite a bit of fun, playing around with someone else's world and there are several such creations, which have developed a strong and loyal following.

II

During the game the players will describe their actions, to you and each other. They can do anything they can imagine, within the boundaries set by the established reality of the milieu. In most fantasy game world's, they can walk to the next town, for instance, but can't fly there without magical aid. If there is a chance that their chosen action may fail, or a question regarding their degree of success, a random die roll is used to determine the outcome.

The GM (Game-Master) describes the actions of everything else in the Milieu, which the characters interact with and perceive. When it comes to conversation, the players and GM may "speak in character," like actors in a play, though some groups prefer to describe what is being said, as opposed to "speaking in character" and often a mixture of those two approaches is used.

As the GM, it's your responsibility to create the various people, places, things and events, which provide opportunities for adventure. Perhaps there's an ancient ruin, near the village where the Characters live. A place containing several underground levels, wherein live dangerous monsters, guarding fabulous treasures.

An underground complex, containing monsters, traps, treasure and wondrous things, is called a "Dungeon." Adventures also take place aboveground and "Wilderness,” or “City" adventures, can come into play.

But, a Dungeon, Wilderness, or City, isn't a place with monsters and Non-Player Characters, NPC's, for short, just standing around, waiting to be killed. It's a living, breathing environment. The intelligent inhabitants have their own goals, doings, friends, pets, enemies, etc. Non-intelligent creatures have drives, instincts, habits, predators, prey and so forth. Think of a large Dungeon like it's a weird, underground city, filled with monsters instead of civilized inhabitants.  

As opposed to a statue in the town square, merchants running shops and townsfolk, going about their business, you may find the following:

A magical talking statue, worshiped by lizard-men who jealously guard it's secrets, while a goblin shaman plots to acquire the lizard-men's treasure for his own monstrous tribe. Meanwhile, an imp has made contact with the goblin shaman, planning to use the tribe of humanoids for his own ends, which involve events two dungeon levels down.

A small group of ogre's have recently taken up residence in an out of the way corner of the dungeon level and are building a cooking-pit, because they find BBQ goblin to be tasty. Within their newly established lair, a secret door awaits discovery, hiding an ancient evil, which has lain dormant for centuries.

Giant rats lair in many of the chambers, not in use by the other inhabitants. Groups of goblins hunt the rats for food, keeping a wary eye out for the lizard-men and ogres. The lizard-men, who recently became aware of the ogre incursion, have decided they must drive them out, before the ogres kill or enslave all the inhabitants of the level.

And everyone avoids the door at the southeastern corner of the level. The one made of black oak, banded in Iron, into which has been etched blasphemous sigils and the names of dark gods. Ghastly screams are sometimes heard, emanating from the corridor which houses that door. And one of the less cautious goblins, recently saw the door opened, as inky black tentacles dragged a lizard-man, his struggling as futile as his cries for help, into the darkness of the room beyond.

Ok, in a fantasy world, a similar situation might be found in a more "conventional" city as well. Or, in a wilderness setting. Perhaps there's three statues! One in the dungeon, one in the city and another, somewhere in the wilderness and all three are magical and connected somehow, with one another! The situations surrounding each statue should be varied, of course, though the nature of the statues themselves, may dictate certain commonalities. 

III

During the course of play, characters will meet all sorts of people, creatures, animals, etc. Some of these will become friends. Some may be business contacts, such as shop owner's. Some may become allies. Some will be enemies. It's your job to bring all these Non-Player Characters (NPC's) to life! Give them personality, goals, plans, secrets. Often, these will be bit-players, with only a few thoughts necessary for their portrayal. Other times, they will be more important and you’ll want to create more detail.

NPC's have their own goals and motivations. Here, the opportunity for conflict may arise, bringing into play one of the most important aspects of your role. Challenging the party. Your aim is to entertain and challenge your friends, not kill their characters. That's easy. You can kill a character with just a thought and a word. As a GM, you're running the game for your friends as well as yourself. The GM is pro-player and pro-campaign. Ultimately, you're on their side. Ultimately. But, to provide them with the experience they’re looking for, you need to challenge them. In short, you're going to try to kill their characters, but you'll be doing so, within boundaries designed to give them a decent chance at survival.

While playing out a battle against the PC's is fun, the GM's actions should reflect neutrality, whenever the player's are dealing with persons, places, or things, aside from themselves. Combat, haggling over prices at the market, dealing with local rulers, etc. NPC's and Monsters will do what's best for themselves. A friendly NPC may go out of his way to help the characters. A hostile monster may try to kill, cheat, or otherwise harm them.

IV

As the game progresses, you'll create more opportunities for adventure. Your world moves along, independently of, as well as in interaction with, the Characters. Obviously, you can't plan out EVERYTHING. Stay a few steps ahead of the players, while working on a few longer ranged ideas. You'll soon find your own way of handling things.

A good idea is to give the players more than one "adventure hook," or lead on where to find the next Treasure Hoard! They’ll start setting their own goals, giving you plenty of ideas. Always let the players choose their own coarse of action! This doesn't mean, that they won't occasionally find themselves boxed into a corner, or left with unpalatable choices. No one ever said, that adventuring was easy! This can be difficult on a new GM, especially when players go off in an unexpected direction. Experience and practice will come to your aid.

After your campaign is under way and you have a bit of experience, invite your players over for an unplanned, spontaneous gaming session. A one-shot game. Roll-up some pre-generated characters, or let them roll their own. Then, GM an adventure completely on the fly. Make everything up right there, at the table. Use Random Encounter Tables to spontaneously discover whatever is inhabiting dungeon rooms, or wilderness hexes!

Some GM's let this idea freak them out. Don't! By this point, you'll probably have already discovered that you can be just as creative while GM'ing, as you can while doing prep work. And unless your players have gone out of their way to be very solicitous, you've probably already had to do a bit of serious "winging-it."

Your players will give you all sorts of wonderful ideas. Not verbatim, usually. It's like using a random table. Their conversations, speculations and plans, spark off all kinds of useful ideas, when your creative juices are flowing.

Once you feel comfortable with the process, try going into a few gaming sessions, with the plan of running them "on the fly." Some GM's prefer this style, or a mixture of prepared encounters, combined with spontaneous happenings. The DM's best friend, the Random Table, will serve as a secret weapon, generating ideas and spurring your creativity, whenever you need a helping hand. Once you're comfortable flying without a net, you’ll be ready to deal with whatever your players throw at you!