Earthdawn: Adventure Log 37 - Something Old, Something New

This is the thirty-seventh Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 037 Something Old, Something New

Written By: Bogani Kreskas

Date:  11 Riag - 18 Riag, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster
Uriel the Illusionist

(1)The letters we found in the antlion's stomach are intriguing - they speak of a doomed expedition seeking the disappearing city. What a find! Our first task is to track down these mysterious adepts - Forest Fire, Tamlin, Jesser, Krassa, Jenneth, and the unnamed author of the letter.

Ting discovered, by careful questioning, that Krassa, the ork Swordmaster, was found dead in an alley. We discovered the name of the last member was Lyra, the sad contents of the antlion's stomach. Forest Fire died in the Badlands from the poison of a terrible beast. That leaves Tamlin, Jesser, and Jenneth possibly still alive, but if they are they are likely still in the Badlands. That is not an encouraging state of affairs! Perhaps we should ask some equipment merchants to find out if the Ancient Blades stocked up for their fated journey.

While working in the forge, Honeysuckle was approached by a violet-haired elf with something to sell. How mysterious(2)! She asked him to visit us that evening at our inn, the Gilded Toad.

He is a pleasant, purple-haired elf, a well-appointed man. Honeysuckle was able to read the coin's history, but the specifics of its bloody history(3). We made arrangements to research the object the next day. Perhaps it will illuminate this mystery!

During the night, a mysterious visitor carved a cryptic symbol(4) into the wall above his bed. I was able to determine that the carver used a blade not suited to the purpose, but I could find no evidence of how the artist managed to make his mark without disturbing the elf(5).

Elmod attempted to find a lead on our mysterious coin, progress was slow. Uriel, however, was able to find Shilpi the Dwarf(6), a collector of rare antiquities. His shop was pile high with doodads and knickknacks of all varieties. Uriel took the lead, proving his worth by making friends with the collector(7). he told a tale of a forgotten empire from before the Scourge, hidden from the world(8). The dwarfs knew of the way to return the empire to this world, but they are understandably secretive. Shilpi mentioned Kaelgrose, the clan of Baere, as well as Kussin. Baere is in the northwest of the Badlands - mines containing true earth and rich farmlands. The Ancient Blades often returned to Kratas, as one member was a blood elf(9).

Shilpi was very helpful, and eventually we returned to the Gilded Toad to discuss our next move. Elmod requests that we watch over him in the night. Uriel offered to guard him with his magic, while I listened from the next room.

In the midst of the night, a creature crawled into Elmod's window. Uriel watched it with his astral sight, finding the pattern unlike anything he had seen before(10). How strange! The creature became spooked and dashed from the room, but we will surely meet him again.

Honeysuckle spoke to her people and found that Forest Fire was a windling trickster Thief that had a weakness for arson(11). Honeysuckle had an enjoyable time while Elmod returned to the library, but alas made no additional progress. Where are the remaining Ancient Blades? Where are the keys?(12) The disappearing city eludes me, but I feel compelled to find it. In that way it has a sort of power over me.

We set a trap for Elmod's nightly visitor. Uriel cloaked the others in shadow as I waited outside in the street. Alas, the creature did not appear. We prepared for our journey to the Badlands, but in the process discovered that the clever Lyra had hidden a gem, some sort of spell pattern(13), in the bottle with her notes! A wonderful find!

Alas, we discovered that Shilpi had been murdered! Uriel was able to avoid the guards and enter the shop, but the authorities were in the process of investigating the crime. He took a jungle t'skrang mask to remember him by, then investigated the body. How unfortunate that I was not there to uncover the mystery.

We quickly went to see our friend on the Travar Council, who we brought up to speed.

And then we ventured into the Badlands. We do not have a lot to go on, but it might be enough for me to find the glorious dragon city. On the third day of our trip, we find a crisis in the desert - 12 desert espagra devour what is left of a poor woman. We leap into action!

We reached the poor woman, too late, but not too late. The wretch turned out to be Jenneth, who has been surviving (barely) for days. She spoke of a terrible black mantis with a poisonous bite. She spoke of a Horror-domain, a land of darkness and madness. She is hurt and disoriented, so we return to deliver her to safety.

Then she gave us a magic sword(14)!(15)

*     *     *

(1) This log got lost, then misfiled during the submission process. It was recovered when a junior librarian attempted to file it, became confused and disoriented, then Zamrica was kind enough to direct the junior librarian to me.
(2) This seems like an understatement. Only this group would react so nonchalantly to this information.
(3) I take whatever was done to the back half of this sentence as a personal affront. What about the specifics of its bloody history? What is bloody about its history? This is important information that needs to be preserved because adepts always die with this rattling around in their head and not written down! We are also treated to a rendering of the coin. It features a dragon on one side, and a marketplace (?) on the other.
(4) In a bizarre twist, this symbol was actually drawn on the log. At least, what is claimed to be the symbol. It is to parallel, vertical lines with space between them. Seven lines are array from the top at increasing angles and five similarly from the bottom. It looks a little like a stylized tree.
(5) I have read enough of these to know it's probably not a notable accomplishment to escape the notice of that elf. Especially if he's sleeping. Also, my guess is magic. It was probably magic. Because it's always magic.
(6) Shilpi was actually somewhat famous. Also, no one ever called him "the Dwarf" as a title. No one.
(7) I was hoping this log would provide some clue as to where this guy came from. No, he just suddenly shows up one sentence. Did he use an illusion to make them think he had always been traveling with them?
(8) I have read a lot of logs about this topic. They always end up with the adepts either dead or insane. There is definitely something out there, but I don't know if it is actually a disappearing city. It seems more like an elaborate lure for a Horror.
(9) Based on the Ancient Blades logs, that would be Tamlin. This is by process of elimination because virtually nothing is written about her.
(10) Details!
(11) I guess that technically counts as a trick.
(12) Now you know my pain.
(13) What sort of spell pattern? By my count, every major spellcasting discipline is represented. Someone should be able to give me more information!
(14) Of course she did.

(15) Received and edited by Ela Pono

Confession time: I lost this adventure log for a while, to the point where I thought it didn't exist. There was also an extremely long gap between sessions in real time.

Most of this session was continuing the thread of the lost city the group has decided to find. Building up the mystery, providing some hints and leads, also evidence something exists out there. The other parts were to introduce some new plots in the background and have call outs to previous events. One of the latter is the black mantis. There were quite a few more details that did not get recorded, but immediately after it was discussed, everyone at the table immediately knew where from where it came. The culprit is still taunted about there part in introducing that particular black mantis into the world.

This session would have benefited a great deal from having the subsequent session follow much sooner. Much, much sooner. There was over half a year between them. Just way too long. I think I'm honestly pretty lucky my players are still interested with such a large gap. Many games have perished over less.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 41 - Will You Walk into My Parlor?

This is the forty-first Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 041 Will You Walk into My Parlor?

Written By: Uriel

Date:  23 Teayu - 02 Borrum, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster
Uriel the Illusionist

After our battle with the spider hordes, we retreated to Sanctuary. The citizens did not appreciate my new fashion designs, and so required me to stay in their purification hut. While it wasn't the treatment I'm used to, it did allow me solitude to study and refine my Illusionism. After a day of consideration, they realized their mistake and recognized my brilliance(1).

After a few days of resting, we headed back to the kaer to counter-ambush the spiders(2). The entrance has been covered by spider webs, so we found a secluded area and the others built a bonfire for some pre-battle ritual. Once everyone was ready, I made everyone unnoticeable before we headed in.(3)

The spiderwebs concealed metal threads which sand and most likely alerted the spiders we were entering. The marks which previously showed the correct path were defaced, but Bongani still knew the way. There are tiny spiders everywhere. Maybe we shouldn't have stayed away so long.

We decided to go back out and let Elmod throw balls of fire into the webs(4). It smells, but at least there aren't a ton of little spiders anymore. The inner doors were shut. Bongani set to work disabling traps, and Elmod dispelled the runes around the door. And by dispel, I mean set off an explosion in his face(5). The rest of us were safely around the corner. Bongani has better luck with the spears, pits, and rock traps.

Past that, more damn spiderwebs. Bongani crept inside to scout ahead. He came back and launched these fire arrows into the webs. Doors closed. Wait fifteen minutes. Enjoyed pie.

Okay, way fewer webs. Still more webs after a break. I'm beginning to hate spiders(6).

We found the spidertaurs. They seem to be focusing on Ting first. Elmod managed to ice chain their spellcaster and Honeysuckle laid into him. Thing left away from her attackers to slaughter the sorcerer.

Unfortunately, their warrior chased after her and gutted her. She fell with a fatal looking wound. Honeysuckle and I stepped up to avenge her.

This made me the new target of their wrath. Luckily, an arrow from Bongani felled the spidertaur warrior. I knocked the beastmaster down and Honeysuckle beheaded her.

Elmod knocked down the archer with his magic spear. However, the vile assassin struck me with a poisoned arrow, and I was rendered senseless for the remainder of the battle(7).(8)

*     *     *

(1) It's what I like most about this group. The humility. 
(2) I've been reading the exploits of this adventuring group long enough to know this sentence has all the makings of, "Well, that didn't go as planned."
(3) Where is the creepy little Horror thing? Did it wander off? Do they no longer notice it? Is this the new normal for them? I feel like this warrants some mention.
(4) And there it is.
(5) I laughed.
(6) I hate them right now.
(7) Someone needs to work on their craft.
(8) Received and edited by Ela Pono

Unfortunately, this session ended somewhat abruptly due to timing. What normally would be the payoff for the fight will instead be the beginning of the next session.

In all, it was a difficult fight, but one they could win. It marked a definite shift in tactics and provided opponents who adapted to the previous encounter instead of just being surprised when the adepts returned. Many talents and abilities that had never seen use previously were utilized - in short, it forced the group to bring their A game and there were more than a few moments when they didn't think they were going to make it out alive.

Especially the moment when Ting went down. She has typically been the biggest damage dealer and knocked the warrior unconscious during the previous encounter. The opposition forces weren't taking any chances with her. There was this moment of silence at the table when she died. Her damage is often the linchpin to many encounters, with the other adepts being more defensive.

Nonetheless, there where moments of excitement and elation. A sense of uncertainty and the unadulterated joy of beating the odds. There were some very lucky moments, such as when an Earth Spear, against all odds, actually knocked one of them down. Once I publish the knockdown values, this will make sense - all ones on a Step 18 test. Wow.

In all, it was a good session in how involved people got. Well, except for Ting. I do feel bad when a player effectively gets to sit out for much of the session, waiting to find out if they live or die. That was, in and of itself, tense. There was a lot of damage to heal and not many rounds to cast Last Chance - including a debate as to whether or not to raw cast it, or risk the time of potentially failing reattuning on the fly.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 40 - Welcome to Sanctuary

This is the fortieth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 040 Welcome to Sanctuary

Written By: Bogani Kreskas

Date:  03 Teayu - 22 Teayu, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster
Uriel the Illusionist

After a brief discussion, we decide to investigate the crashed airship (the one half-buried in the desert sands). Although the promise of riches is enticing, the threat of the brown espagra encourage us to take a long path around. Progress is limited at first, but we push on at a cautious pace. For five days we travel, searching for the site of the strange obelisk, but the Badlands confounds my senses. Uriel makes good use of the time, tying threads to our Pattern, making himself a greater spellcaster. What a useful fellow. At the site of the obelisk, we decide to go due west in an attempt to find the hills on our borrowed map.

Six days later, we reach a valley between two mountain ranges. The cliffs in our map must be very close now! In the mountains, we find a smooth, sheer cliff, with life-sized carvings of man-shaped figures. A peculiar landmark, to say the least. Elmod and I find holes that seem to fit us precisely... We feel drawn to the niches, as if they were made for us(1). I must... must see what is within! However, my armor does not easily come off, so I reconsider. Luckily, Honeysuckle checks on of the other niches and discovers some concerning things(2). The team suggests that we head south, and I reluctantly agree.

We head south, trying to find the river. There is more life to be found in the mountains, but the espagra clearly mark their territory, which makes them easier to avoid. At least we reach the river, which cuts through the mountain valley. We follow the river east, seeking the kaer at its terminus. The river is unhealthy, but alive, with strange creatures breaching the surface. After a few days, we find crops. Actual agriculture, with stuffed effigies to scare away espagra. At last we find the outskirts of a town(3). Ting instructs Wendel to remain out of sight while I scout out the area. I find a town square, a well, a statue... and many people of various Namegivers. We decide to approach.

As we stride into town, we are stopped by the town guard, who are rightly suspicious. Luckily, Uriel is a quite effective diplomat! After the Greeting Ritual, they introduce their town as "Sanctuary" and invite us into their community. We meet with their wise woman, a hooded figure by the well. She sounds young, though her face is hidden. They worship a combined version of Jaspree and Lochost they call "The White Lady". The name clearly means something to Elmod, but he says nothing(4). 80 years ago, kaer "Ular" was opened, and this community was founded. She gives us directions to the kaer, several days to the east. We offer to help them with any tasks that are beyond them. Elmod notes purity and the color white are prominent in their culture, which is odd, but not concerning. The statue is of a motherly woman, robed and hooded, with her arms outstretched and her head tilted back. The village itself is astrally clear, in start contrast to the corrupted Badlands around us(5).

The tavern keeper is very friendly, but laments he cannot accept coin. Instead, we offer a trade of services. Honeysuckle words in the forge, while the rest of us pitch in for our supper. At night, the villagers come to the tavern, where the men find they are quite popular. The food is bland, but filling, and the beer is fine. The company is excellent. We dance and sing and drink long into the night. It is nice to sleep in a real bed!

In the morning we have a filling breakfast and leave town, heading east to find their forgotten kaer. The wise woman warns use of the danger of the place. We are concerned about her implications of the "will" required to maintain this place, but we do not push the issue(6). Perhaps the kaer will make things more clear. We find a well-trod area, as well as a pair of runed pillars. They look new and are marked with runes dedicated to the Passions Jaspree and Lochost. Before us, the entry to a kaer stands open. The door swivels on a pivot, and lays open before us. It is dark within, so we light our way and enter.

The traps sit unsprung, unused, as if the Horrors have never tread here. I am reminded of stories of kaers that survived the Scourge completely untouched thanks to the special attention of a Passion. Perhaps Jaspree and Lochost indeed look after these people(7). We notice an immense amount of spiderwebs. Carved into the walls are arrows guiding the way down(8). Deeper and deeper we go, for hours. Trying to find the ancient shelter. The arrows lead us to another pivoting door. Propped open by iron spikes. The webs are thick here, so we begin our search for the beasts that made them.

Creepy, alien eyes set in groups of eight watch use from the shadows. They cluster up in groups, much unlike spiders I have seen in the past. Each creature is the size of Harka, though not nearly as cute(9). Ting charges into battle, thrusting us into a furious melee.

As we venture towards a marble gallery with softly glowing light, four creatures drop from the ceiling. Part spider and part man, they have an alabaster beauty that mitigates their terrible forms in no way. The monsters descend upon us in a flurry of claws, mandibles, and twisted ivory flesh(10). The ambush survived, we run from the kaer and return to Sanctuary.(11)

*     *     *

(1) Because none of this is incredibly creepy and it doesn't scream "A Horror did this!" at all. This isn't the first we have heard about carvings in a cliff in the Badlands, but it is some of the most detail. 
(2) What concerning things?!? Details! I swear they do things like this just to irritate me.
(3) This is new.
(4) These people really need to work on their sharing. This not saying anything isn't helping anyone. Especially not me.
(5) This is huge. Why haven't we heard anything at all about this before? Part of me says this is all a trap and something is horribly wrong with the village, but I really want it to be real.
(6) Push the damn issue! What does that mean?
(7) I have to be a skeptic, but part of me really wants to believe.
(8) Helpful or ominous?
(9) I hate spiders. At least they're not jehuthra.
(10) Worse than jehuthra.
(11) Received and edited by Ela Pono

In many ways, this session was something of a curve ball for the group by defying many of their expectations to date. It played with wants versus fears and generally increased the weirdness of the Badlands. The final battle was designed to be very difficult and possibly marks the first time Mismatched Steel has retreated. After it is resolved, I will post the stat blocks of what they fought. 

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 39 - Smells Like Victory

This is the thirty-ninth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 039 Smells Like Vicotry

Written By: Ting V'strimmon of Urupa

Date:  25 Riag - 02 Teayu, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster
Uriel the Illusionist

After going over the stolen map and notes(1), we make our way back into the Badlands(2). The notes are very vague. I don't understand why they won't make a map without making clear notes on it? We've decided to start by going back to the research cube (or where it was) to orient ourselves, as it shows on the map. Probably why there's no treasure inside.

Oh for fucking, fuck's sake, Wendel is back(3). On the plus side, he's covering his brain(4). With a pot. And seems more coherent. On the super bad side, he's wearing a rotting meat suit covered in maggots. It smells atrocious. So, so bad(5). I actually spent time talking to him to try and convince him to take it off so I wouldn't have to touch him to get it off. I know there is no getting rid of him. But since that didn't work, I had to hold him down while we stripped him and burned that shit.

So an odd shaped airship sped overhead. Bongani said it was Thera's Sword(6). A while later three smaller wooden airships came by following the same-ish path, way slow though. After a day or so, they passed overhead and got eaten by a giant tentacle beast. So that exists. One got away. I wanted to check out the wreckage, but was overruled. My party members have no vision sometimes. We ended up giving it a wide berth.

Even still, we ran into some survivors just as they were walking into an espagra nest. We fought off the monsters, but the survivors were still devastated. Of the 40-some folks we first saw, there was maybe a dozen. We spent some days salvaging one of the crashed ships for supplies so that we could send these folks on their way. We made them water skins, gave them one of our mules, and pointed the way out.(7)

*     *     *

(1) Based on the dates of this log, two weeks have gone unrecorded. Based on this statement, I am forced to wonder if this omission wasn't deliberate. If they're saying up front they stole things - what did they deliberately leave out? Also, there seems to be a new member of their group? What happened to Coriolis, he was pretty easy to look at?
(2) That didn't take long. Most people make it a point to never, ever go back to the Badlands once they have been there. I am one of those people. Based on this, it seems they didn't leave Travar, or at least didn't go far. There was quite an event during that time, which corroborates the earlier theft. A local antiquities dealer (aka hoarder) was murdered. His estate was put up for auction and contained a lot of stuff, but his offspring were upset about how it was being divided. Family drama. While being cataloged and held for the auction, a lot of adepts got the idea to steal things, rather than buy them during the auction like chumps. Apparently they pulled it off. I can only assume the new addition had a significant role to play in this because a) Illusionist and b) I have read all of their adventure logs - this is not their wheelhouse. Or they jumped someone who did steal it or purchased it. That would be in their wheelhouse. What I'm saying here is they aren't a whole lot better than thugs. Definitely better, just not a lot.
(3) This is somewhere in the middle of the Venn diagram of horrifying, fascinating, and adorable.
(4) Now more horrifying and less everything else. Why was this not mentioned previously? That seems like a detail which should have come up previously.
(5) Now just horrifying.
(6) We've been collecting reports of Thera's Sword's movements across Barsaive. Admiral Lokrun isn't just patrolling our skies. He seems to be looking for something. This needs to get passed along to the Eye.
(7) Received and edited by Ela Pono

It wasn't specifically mentioned, but this continues their long search for a potential lost citadel within the Badlands. The previous two sessions had some intrigue within Travar that built up to venturing out once more. Also, one of the players moved and was replaced by a somewhat similar character (Uriel). His introduction has changed the dynamic of how the group approaches problems since they don't just have a hammer anymore.

Like so very often, this had some foreshadowing. There was a lot of foreshadowing. 

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 36 - Message in a Bottle

This is the thirty-sixth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

Adventure Log – 036 Message in a Bottle

Written By: Elmod from the Other Side of the Well of Glenwood Deep

Date:  21 Sollus - 10 Riag, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Coriolis the Swordmaster
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster

What a lovely, horrid place we have wandered into. The strange Horror construct defeated; the gestalt Horror construct body made of obsidiman parts defeated. We don't feel rested when trying to inside the labyrinthine Horror obelisk(1).

We find a path outside and rest. Bongani makes a perimeter of the obelisk and brings back Wendel. We rest, heat food, and sleep.

Entering the obelisk again, we look for the useful things and I befriend the crystal orbs that sprout spindly legs(2). they collect sacks of alchemical materials and lovely things in the labs. We also find 10 sarcophagi made out of living crystal(3). I convince the crystal orbs to reassemble a few and we lug them outside. Spoils of war.

Then suddenly the whole place starts having gravity issues and we decide to leave immediately(4). I fall horribly and the orbs I had collected help me to get out on a spidery throne of living crystal(5).

Then the obelisk disappears completely. Wonder what happened to make it collapse?

Looks like enough living crystal to make a set of full plate.

We travel through the Badlands.

We were surprised by the sudden attack of a spider-tentacled beast hiding below the surface. I am summarily crushed by a tentacle, Honeysuckle nearly too. Bongani takes out several tentacles and Ting finally deals the fatal blow, eviscerating it, exposing many partially digested beings.

Ting and Bongani have a bonding moment over looking through the debris. They find some silvers and pocket change. I made a little camp and slumber party it up with Air Mattress and warm food. We feed the mules well too. Bongani decides it is a rare badlands antlion(6). I nurse my wounds.

We take another three weeks to return to Travar with limited incident(7).

In Travar, we spend time storing and increasing our talents. I research a few of Ting's items and find little. Honeysuckle gets up in the Haggle and looks for living crystal buyers.

We find a wealthy politician of Travar who buys it from us(8).

We train up and stay in Travar, spending lots of money to do so.(9)

*     *     *

(1) My internal research shows this place was not constructed by Horrors. This log is getting buried.
(2) I have heard of these things, but never actually seen one. They seem to be assistants for some of the dwarfs over in R&D.
(3) The statement is rather nonchalant. Am I the only one who feels like this is incredibly ominous? Just me?
(4) Internal research shows this is only going to happen if someone destroys part of the "crystal warding matrix" which maintains the "illusion of an extra-dimensional space". Look, I'm pretty damn smart and this quickly got beyond my ability to even write it down in a way that had all the right parts of speech. The gist: one of these yahoos was probably screwing around, looking for "spoils of war" and broke something important. It was probably pretty, and shining, and glowing, and looked expensive. This is why we can't have nice things!
(5) I'm more worried about the little crystal guys at this point. I hope they all made it out okay.
(6) These things are no joke bad news. They don't generally have anything of interest because they can digest nearly anything, including metal. Just glass will collect in there over time.
(7) With this crew, this could actually mean nothing happens, or they burned something large and important to the ground. I'm half serious. I wish I was less serious.
(8) Names! There are only a few merchants likely to have the resources and interest to make this purchase. Unless they let it go for a song. Which could happen. Unfortunately, all of the council members make this list. Which complicates things.

(9) Received and edited by Ela Pono

This was the denouement of this particular adventure, though also a significant setup for the next leg in their larger goal. Despite being comparatively quiet, there was still some action and a lot of questions. I was fully prepared for them to come back to this place, but they managed to break it.

There were some significant details which were omitted in this log. They were regarding the nature of the obelisk and what was inside of it, some items found (the session title gives a big clue here), and people and events back in Travar. These will all likely be showing back up very soon.

Kickstarter: Part 16 - New Projects!

This is the sixteenth part in an ongoing series about crowdfunding. Overview and Index.

It has been a very long time since I have done one of these posts - over two years - but there may be more interest in these now than there was back then. If this is or is not something you would like to continue seeing the future, let me know in the comments. 

New Projects

Masks: A New Generation

Closes: 25Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

This is a super heroes game with a focus on young characters and their stories, such as you would find in Teen Titans, Young Avengers, and Young Justice. It uses the Powered by the Apocalypse system and incorporates many of the innovations which have been developed over the years by games such as Monsterhearts and Urban Shadows. Playbooks (an archetype system) are used as a template for your character, while layered on top of this are Labels (Danger, Freak, Mundane, Savoir, and Superior) which define how you view yourself. True to the medium which this emulates, your self-perception can change over time and your ratings in the labels will change with it.

Masks' default setting is one where PCs are the fourth generation of heroes and just coming into their own, having yet to define who they are going to be. The previous generations line up with the equivalent comic book ages and how they are presented: gold, silver, and bronze. Halcyon City is the primary locale and has been fleshed out considerably through various stretch goals.

The people of +Magpie Games always do fine work and I expect this to be no exception. If nothing else, a draft of the game is available to download right now.

Protocol Primer: A Complete Guide to GMless Games

Closes: 29Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

The Protocol games by +postworldgames jim pinto are perhaps my favorite GMless games out there. There are a lot of them (over 50 as of right now) and all I have been exposed to have at least been quite good, with some varying to excellent. One of the reasons they work so well for me is how they handle scene framing and get directly to the game, which is particularly helpful when introducing gamers to the concept of a GMless game.

This is about creating a guide to help with this entire process and offer some advice, including pulling back the curtain and showing why things are put together the way they are. There is also at least one unique game offered only through this project. No matter what, you are also going to get at least one game - even at basic $6 pledge, you are walking away with a random protocol in addition to the primer.

Wild Skies: Europa Tempest

Closes: 31Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

Okay, stick with me for this: Wild Skies is a dieselpunk game of sky pirates over 1930's Europe featuring anthropomorphic animals. This should either get very close to selling your right away, or send you running for the hills.

The mechanical heart of the game is the Moral Compass, which allows you to define what is most important to your character by choosing four matched pairs from a list of eight. Each matched pair represents a continuum from opposite poles and your experience is marked by moving along these tracks. There are some nuances to it which indicate it will be interesting at the very least and worth investigating further.


Pulsars

Closes: 01Nov2015
Funded: No

You are a member of the Pulsar Corps in this sci-fi game. An exceptional soldier who is further enhanced by possession of a powerful suit. This rare piece of technology amplify the traits of their wearer and giving them amazing abilities. Those of the Pulsar Corps have many different roles, from investigator to medic and warrior. They stand against the tide in a losing war struggle as this grinding conflict wears at them, represented by Strain.

There are interesting things going on here and the mechanics appear to be derived from the Wager system first introduced in Houses of the Blooded, then refined in World of Dew. Which makes me even more interested.

Part of the premise of this campaign is each backer will receive a fragment of a larger piece of fiction which can then be put back together by intrepid backers who decide to share. Since I'm somewhere between incredibly busy and a reclusive shut in, I have not participated in this endeavor. This seems as good a point as any to rectify the situation. Here is the fragment which was provided to me:

The sector was under the sway of the Baronies, a loose confederation of systems that barely held on as a Great Power compared to the Stellar Republic and the Universal Kollective.

We were in free space, but even then we had not seen any of their patrol ships for weeks and the last one we saw was guzzling fuel at a frightening rate. There was almost no way they could have sent a ship out this far.

It was as we were gearing up for our next stardive that my chief science officer, Lieutenant Sao Sejano, brought something to my attention.

“Captain, I don’t know if we should make the stardive as planned.”

“Lieutenant, I understand we are running our engines a little hot but the chief engineer has signed off on this jump-“


The Ninja Crusade 2nd Edition

Closes: 05Nov2015
Funded: No

I have been excited about this project ever since it was first teased months ago. This is a game of mystical ninja which can vary between high action, political intrigue between the factions, and stealthy missions. The mechanics have been tightened up and refine the first edition considerably, complete with lessons learned from the other +Third Eye Games titles, particularly the skill combo system which has worked very well in games like AMP: Year One. I know I like to have plenty of mechanical toys into which I can sink my teeth, and this game does not disappoint. Nothing complicated, but from +Eloy's recent work the depth and potential interactions should be excellent.

In the setting, the ninja clans are at war with the empire, with a tenuous peace between the clans. Which leads to them occasionally being at war with each other, as they continue to exploit any advantage to gain position over their rivals. The setting is easy to grasp the basic concepts and dive right in, but there is quite a bit of depth for those who are interested to further explore the complex relationships between the factions.

The uniformly excellent quality of the art which has been previewed thus far is also notable. It is evocative of the game and conveys a feeling of action.


Aquelarre

Closes: 16Nov2015
Funded: No

Ever since I first found out about this game decades ago, I wanted it. Now I finally have my chance. This is a dark and moody Spanish game which is gorgeous to behold. The premise is characters are in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, a very dark and supernatural version of the Middle Ages. Angels, demons, and fairy tales are all a part of the setting, though probably not in a good way.

This isn't a game for everyone and despite how I covet it, I know there are mechanics which are not for me. The basic system uses percentile dice and there are also hit locations - neither of these are for me. However, it is indicated there will be an adaptation to the D6xD6 system, so perhaps this will work out.

Despite my personal issues with these elements, this promises to be a beautiful book and an amazing setting.


Awaken

Closes: 20Nov2015
Funded: No

The first thing which attracted me to this project was the art - it is amazing. It is beautiful and makes me want to explore their world. From there, it may not come as a surprise to know I have this thing for dark fantasy games and this particular game looks like it will scratch the itch nicely. The premise of the setting is one of political machinations in a war-ravaged world. Behind the intrigues of the nobles, the guardians are dying and the ancient adversaries of myth are returning. Some humans Awaken to potentially great powers and possess the ability to lead their fellow man and turn the tide. Though people being people, not all of them are pre-disposed to helping anyone with their new found power.

While nothing here may be ground breaking in concept, all together it is a dark take on a classic formula in a lovely package. The heavy influence Slavic myths play on the whole is something which is an uncommon twist, and a particular selling point as something to set the game apart.

Amp: Year One

AMP: Year One, by +Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games, is a lower-powered supers game which evokes many of the best parts of the X-Men and Aberrant.

The world of AMP is our own world, next Sunday. Those with powers, called AMPs (Accelerated Mutant Potential), have only started to emerge and characters are on the ground floor of this brave new world, for better or worse. This is rather novel, since the vast majority of supers games with settings present an established world, full of heroes and villains already. It serves to emphasize the street-level feeling which permeates the book - everyone is still trying to figure things out.

A backstory as to the why and how of AMPs is clearly laid out in the text, but shrouded in secrecy to the populace at large. It involves a secret multi-national project to create super soldiers. Which is fairly pedestrian, however it has some twists which set it apart and is quite effectively told in general. Without giving any of the secrets away, things go catastrophically wrong and the project is ultimately labeled a failure. The subjects are set loose back in the wild, but the scientists involved quietly keep tabs on them. Fast forward a few generations and it turns out the project was more successful than anyone could have hoped. The variety of powers and possible combinations (and limits therein) are due to the various ways the serums were combined.

A timeline of 2015 is presented in AMP as the primary setting material. In Year One it has the introduction of AMPs and the various reactions to their appearance, and closes out the timeline with a bang at the beginning of 2016. Here, it draws heavy inspiration from X-Men and Aberrant (as mentioned above) with the mixed opinions on their existence and what they represent. It contains a variety of events from around the world which showcase the gradual emergence and acknowledgment of AMPs in the world. They range from mysterious hints of why is potentially yet to come, particularly the "conspiracy" sidebars, to major events which significantly shape public opinion. One of these events even appears as a playable scenario in AMP Adventures, "Attack of the Buzz". Even at their most ostentatious (the Battle of Reno comes to mind), the events presented are a much more restrained take than the inspirations, as befitting the personal and low-key scope of the game. 

The supplement, Year Two, takes the timeline further and it gets quite dark. Without giving too much away, the final events presented in Year One have a significant impact on what transpires in 2016, which is also referred to as the year of fear. With good reason. It also includes more setting information, such as how the world as a whole is dealing with the emergence of AMPs and some more details on the ramifications on various events in the timeline.

AMP has some small nods to comic books, such as the trade size and "Law of Attraction" which causes many AMPs to fight when they first meet (see pretty much any cross-over, ever), but on the whole it has a self-awareness of the tropes and meets them in a way entirely consistent with how you would expect people to react. There is a criminal organization, but the leadership is quite secretive and their long-term goals seem to be about securing a place for AMPs in the world at any cost. As well, there is a school for the "gifted", which many parents use as a place to dump the children which they can no longer understand.

The mechanics serve to reinforce the personal nature of the game by asking: what is important to you? This is done by giving some points to assign to various loyalties, each of which provides a small, but meaningful bonus. There is even the loyalty of "perfection" for those who are really in it for the power. As well, each character can have an affiliation to a particular group. Each group provides a bonus which reflects the nature of the group. For example, the Seekers of Enlightenment (they run the school) get a bonus to resist the Law of Attraction.

For any supers game, powers and how they are handed is probably the biggest deal. Good news: AMP handles them quite well for the power level at which it is operating.

The basic system for AMP uses a D20 and adds two skills to the result based on what you are accomplishing. When using a power, it is one of the two skills. This gives a simple, unified resolution mechanic with a surprising amount of nuance by modifying the typical attribute + skill. To be perfectly honest, over the past 15 years, using a single D20 for resolution has become almost groan-worthy; I fully admit I may very well be alone in this. However, this is one of the few games to which it doesn't bother me at all. It could be the simple addition of gaining Juice on a 1 or 20 makes it interesting, though the frequent additional effects for every 5 over the difficulty certainly doesn't hurt.

Which brings me to the beginning of powers in AMP - they are not things which can generally be used all of the time. They cost Juice, of which you have a small supply, but is really gained when your adrenaline starts pumping. In those dangerous, high stress times is when you start to have a ready supply. Even then, it can be quite draining to just cut loose. There is some resource management to the usage of powers, which again reinforces the lower power and street level natures of the game.

Powers are separated into groups called Strains, which are mostly relevant when it comes time to spend XP. Each character can have up to three powers; a primary, secondary, and tertiary. Your strain is determined by your primary power. The other two can come from any strain, but are cheaper to improve if they come from the same strain as you. Each power has a basic function, but allows for various modifiers to be purchased which start to significantly enhance what your power can do. Each power has a limit to how high it can be improved - primary up to 10, secondary to 7, and tertiary to 4.

This can make for some difficult decisions, especially since there are so many great powers available; it is like visiting a candy store. There is a wide variety of powers available and nearly all of them are interesting and can do awesome things - those omitted by the "nearly" are powers I'm not inclined to like in the first place, such as plant powers, but I know people who would strongly disagree with me on this point. Which is to say the problem is with me, not the power. An example is the Darkness power from the Shaper strain. One of the things you can learn to do is form a blade of darkness. Which was exactly the first thing I wanted to know if I could do when I read the name.

It is worth mentioning Year Two brings some new mechanics to the table. This includes some new affiliations which appeared over the year, Saps as characters (non-AMPs), and new powers. The most notable of the powers is Gadgeteer, which is available to anyone, including Saps. AMP Adventures also introduces a number of new extras for existing powers, in addition to having some solid adventures for a genre which is notoriously difficult.

These details in powers tie into the backstory of how powers came to be. Each AMP is the result of a particular serum cocktail, with primary and potentially secondary and tertiary effects. While not particularly important in the grand scheme of things, it does lend itself to the feeling of a coherent vision for the setting and how the various parts fit together.

In the end, AMP: Year One is easily one of my favorite supers games out there for both the new take on a familiar and comfortable setting, and the elegant simplicity of the mechanics. There are numbers to play with and crunch, but they are simple and straight forward - there is nothing daunting about the mechanics of the powers or how they interact. If you are interested in playing street-level supers, this is, imho, the best game on the market for such an endeavor even if you don't use the metaplot. Though the metaplot is interesting and unobtrusive enough to make it worth using for most games.