tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53806577627885784452024-03-29T03:29:48.182+00:00Alone in the Labyrinth...notes from a DM in exile.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685436746460917538noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-8397386741716201162024-01-23T19:03:00.002+00:002024-01-23T19:03:21.700+00:00Planned Hiatus<p>Since reviving this blog in 2019 my output has not been as consistent in both quality and quantity as I would like. Setting the issue of quality aside for a moment, there have been occasions where carving out time to post has been challenging. Sometimes these occasions stretch from weeks and into months.</p><p>Instead of reactively acknowledging that this has occurred with a tedious "sorry for falling out of the universe" introductory line to whatever post springs up next, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare you (the reader) for a 19 week/ 4-and-a-bit month interruption to your regular broadcast... with some exceptions, described below. </p><p>I'm still planning to keep up the <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game" target="_blank">weekly Pariah 1-hour sandbox games</a>, when sessions actually occur. No sessions have taken place yet this year, though I am hopeful we can get a game in this week. However, I won't be able to run a session at all during February, so following a post concerning this Friday's game (if it takes place), please don't expect anything on this blog until March at the earliest.</p><p>Due to the fact that have paid subscribers I will continue to put out a monthly newsletter on substack—<i>Latest from the Labyrinth</i>— which you can subscribe to for free here: <br /></p><p><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/</a></p><p>I anticipate that until June, this will mostly consist of the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Links to play reports for the 1 hour sandbox, as and when games appear</li><li>Images of my progress with <a href="https://bastionland.substack.com/p/a-galaxy-in-a-year" target="_blank">Galaxy 24 </a> </li><li>Collated media i.e. other stuff I've read/listened to</li></ul><div>The Galaxy 24 stuff will also be shared on my Instagram:<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aloneinthelabyrinth/">https://www.instagram.com/aloneinthelabyrinth/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Writing this down sort of feels like I'm abandoning the blog and switching to other platforms: an example of action contradicting intent, perhaps, as this is my favourite place: I just can't give it the attention it serves right now.</div><div><br /></div><div>If this a statement of intent, that intent is to focus on my day job at the expense of my leisure as living costs continue to spiral and job security continues to erode. Apologies for being negative, but it's very difficult to justify the time this blog tells me it deserves.</div><div><br /></div><div>See you on the other side.</div><p></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-22655840375237578652024-01-09T16:54:00.001+00:002024-01-09T16:55:24.855+00:00Everything, everywhere—but not necessarily all at once<p>It's a New Year and (apparently) it's time for a new Universal Resolution Mechanic! At least that's the challenge set by <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/new-years-resolution-mechanic " target="_blank">Prismatic Wasteland</a>. My favourite so far is over at friend-of-the-blog Semiurge's <i>Archons March On </i>who proposes a method definitely not suitable for serious practitioners of <a href="https://archonsmarchon.blogspot.com/2024/01/drinkin-game-away-or-new-years.html" target="_blank">one of the world's largest religions</a>. </p><p>Never one to let a bandwagon sail by without sneering uncharitably before making a half-arsed effort to hitch a ride, I too have come up with my own mechanic: I call this Copenhagen Positioning aka Schrödinger's resolution mechanic...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WpEGNAkkpiD1GjsUqSktpdXMx8oBhe_qYQWAf0o4dSrzdAUt2hr_NwhLrR3RH-26Oe3seu40ve5OmQL1MMUOxv_JS3VsaXx0VMe2kU5KQAtvhpNsFQR3ikerDHMI4Bot9JLQ8OXpPGmjl-xiXaeAUmznz2fRvRdyWQnYffNfhfhAznj5SODsMkMI2K5X/s800/everything.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WpEGNAkkpiD1GjsUqSktpdXMx8oBhe_qYQWAf0o4dSrzdAUt2hr_NwhLrR3RH-26Oe3seu40ve5OmQL1MMUOxv_JS3VsaXx0VMe2kU5KQAtvhpNsFQR3ikerDHMI4Bot9JLQ8OXpPGmjl-xiXaeAUmznz2fRvRdyWQnYffNfhfhAznj5SODsMkMI2K5X/w640-h480/everything.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We have quantum ogres and quantum inventory: isn't it time for a quantum twist on <i>everything</i>?</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h3 style="text-align: left;">Pea-brained milquetoast softboy mode</h3><p>You and your friends are sat around a table pretending to be elves or whatever (the PCs), except one of you is pretending to be the <i>Rest of Reality</i> (RoR). The Rest of Reality describes the scene, and the others describe what their imaginary half-orc ninjas do in response. Based on their own understanding of the shared fiction, life experience and the hours and hours they've spent watching <i>Mythbusters</i>, the RoR then describes the outcome of the actions.</p><p>So far so "randomless group storytelling", right?<br /><br />BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!</p><p>Any—and I mean <i>any—</i>person at the table may DISPUTE this resolution! Players then spend as long as the RoR deems reasonable to debate the outcome. When everyone's patience is worn paper thin, the RoR assesses how many possible outcomes remain on the table, assigns each one a number and rolls a die to determine which one occurs in the fictive world.</p><p>and that's it, really, a democratization of—<br /><br />BUT WAIT! THERE'S STILL MORE!</p><p>While the world progresses along this established timeline, the next time the <b>waveform collapses </b>(any disagreement between players about the outcome of an action) and player may rewind play to the previous scene of disagreement, and follow that timeline along!</p><p>It is the RoR's job to manage all possible timelines for all possible outcomes in all possible worlds, and also to ensure games are scheduled in a way that appeals to everyone else except them.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ultra-Megabrained Multiple Simultaneous Paradigm (aka. "hard") Mode</h3><div>You already know where this is going, don't you?</div><div><br /></div><div>In hard mode, players agree to play out every possible outcome from every disputed action simultaneously: in short, at every point where some tedious 20th century analogue RPG would have you roll a die or dice, you character sheet (and that of every other PC) splits into multiple versions of itself. This is why we don't have character sheets in Copenhagen Positioning.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can confirm that I have fully playtested both versions of this game with other members of the Invisible College, drinking a fine tokay and twirling our preposterous moustaches aboard my dirigible, cruising at least 100 feet above the burning wreckage of civilisation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy fucking New Year.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><p>The Blog Challenge<br /><a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/new-years-resolution-mechanic " target="_blank">https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/new-years-resolution-mechanic </a></p><p>Semiurge<br /><a href="https://archonsmarchon.blogspot.com/2024/01/drinkin-game-away-or-new-years.html">https://archonsmarchon.blogspot.com/2024/01/drinkin-game-away-or-new-years.html</a></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-38412561265488175052024-01-05T11:41:00.003+00:002024-01-05T11:41:33.274+00:00The One Hour Pariah Sandbox: City of Ghosts Session 3 Play Report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbqd8Xl95Za5rlhOiFqfA9Mq72banKLGr0LAF2n7vY560V4ZyHbjH_Yh_slnFfElRUfBpWdG9SDg_yI3ZgcStp_01D6B-4rF6tcd5b6h7Qp3EBDK3XUFJAmoFkBrNliWB_QjbDLLCW6S3y_Tu-fr17KkrLZTjO3EKy8CBbnje6IVTkuGAea4gVk_ZX7pR/s1832/Late%20Mesolithic%20Man%20by%20Tom%20Bj%C3%B6rklund%20.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1832" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbqd8Xl95Za5rlhOiFqfA9Mq72banKLGr0LAF2n7vY560V4ZyHbjH_Yh_slnFfElRUfBpWdG9SDg_yI3ZgcStp_01D6B-4rF6tcd5b6h7Qp3EBDK3XUFJAmoFkBrNliWB_QjbDLLCW6S3y_Tu-fr17KkrLZTjO3EKy8CBbnje6IVTkuGAea4gVk_ZX7pR/w640-h350/Late%20Mesolithic%20Man%20by%20Tom%20Bj%C3%B6rklund%20.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of late (Finnish?) Mesolithic man by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tombjorklundart/" target="_blank">Tom Björklund</a>, <br />used as character art for <i>Wren-in-the-Sedge</i> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Due to time constraints and inspired by <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/" target="_blank">Luke Gearing</a>'s one-hour megadungeon sessions, I'm running a weekly PARIAH sandbox during my Friday lunch break. This is the third play report. </p><p><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of.html" target="_blank">Session 1 is here</a></p><p><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html" target="_blank">Session 2 is here</a></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h3 style="text-align: left;">The PCs</h3><ul><li><b>Nimble Goat </b>the spirit-touched victim of a blood feud (played by <b>C</b>)</li><li><b>Rotten Antelope</b>, exiled for thieving (played by <b>J1</b>) </li><li><b>Wandering Jackal</b>, the strong girl with double-headed axe, an aurochs and dog (played by <b>C</b>)</li><li><b>Wren-in-the-Sedge</b> a keen hunter. Wears a jerkin of deer bone and leather, and a straw hat lined with wren feathers. Was exiled for angering the spirits (played by <b>O</b>)</li></ul><span></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>PCs vaguely present and supporting NPCs</b></h3><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"><b>Brave Hyena:</b> a lanky young woman outcast for being outed as a thief. She is often bouncing around and enjoys climbing on things. She was a potter and herder in her tribe.</span></li><li><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">One of 4 of feral dog</span>s brought by Brave Hyena to see whether it can be trained</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">A pariah youth called </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"><b>Terrible Lake</b>, who felt scared and is now hiding in a raft not far from the pariahs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">A number of "quantum pariahs" (including <b>Toothless Eel</b>) representing the potential for other players to on the game in the future, assumed to be camped out on the other side of the river</span></li><li>Another youth and 2 elders representing NPC members of the band</li></ul></div><p></p><p></p><ul style="background-color: rgba(2, 2, 2, 0.06); border: 0px; color: #dbdee1; font-family: "gg sans", "Noto Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; margin: 4px 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"></ul><p></p><h3>Over the wall...</h3><p>We pick up in the aftermath of <i>first contact</i> with the people lurking behind the wall. They have learned the following:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>There are multiple dwellings within the walled "garden", and also signs of small-scale vegetable cultivation</li><li>There is at least one adult and one child</li><li>The adult is female-presenting, wears a pain (linen?) tunic and has chin-length, straight black hair shaved in the centre (like a reverse mohawk hairstyle)</li></ul><div>The party waited outside the walled garden, deciding to knock on the wooden "door" (a series of heavy wooden planks lashed together, boarding up an intentional opening in the wall..</div><blockquote><div>NOTE: this session was mostly talking to NPCs. After making an initial, turn-based encounter roll (result: ambience) I switched to making encounter rolls every ten minutes of real time. </div></blockquote><p>The "door" swung open inwards, a hatch "hinged" at the to, revealing the woman from earlier and a taller, similar looking woman wielding a spear. Not feeling threatened (and reacting well) the two women invited the party inside.</p><p>The last person in spotted a small, feral cat trotting idly by as the hatch shut behind them.</p><p>The pariahs learned from the two women:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The shorter, tunic wearer is named Gibbon Chatter (ironically, given her relative speechlessness)</li><li>The second woman goes by Knife Rope (on account of the stone knife hanging from a rope lashed to her waist)</li><li>They enjoyed vegetable stew in the furthest hut with other adults and the children</li><li>The group is composed of pariahs, and like them they were drawn to the settlement by the promising weather system hovering over the city</li><li>The city, therefore, predated its inhabitants</li><li>They have a leader, who would be arriving soon</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">Lions and Trees</h3><div>The leader, <i>Ash-and-How,</i> arrived shortly: a gaunt, chalky-complexioned man of advancing years though still fully able. He was neither surprised nor concerned by the pariahs' arrival, possibly ascertaining their potential utility to his band.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pariahs learned that the group worshipped some kind of supernatural <b>Lion</b>. It emerged that initially this creature had been picking off members of the band, one at a time, until Ash-and-How was able to win its trust and worship it as spirit. He claims that it now protects his people.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, the group was divided over this, with one side refusing to worship the predator. Instead, they believed that the spirits of the many ancient trees would provide them protection. The two groups had come to blows in the past, though apparently a truce had been agreed recently.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second group were known as <b><i>tree-speakers</i> </b>or <i><b>tree-seeker</b>s</i> and occupied some of the walled gardens around the central avenue leading up to the <b>heptagonal pyramid</b>. The first group or <i>Lion Children</i> was split between the site the pariahs were at the time visiting and another series of gardens in the west. They were told that some of the gardens were unoccupied or were just avoided by the two human groups.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of those present, only Ash-and-How and Gibbon chatter had seen the Demon Lion: Ash-and-How was able to interact with the entity and survive, earning its patronage. Gibbon Chatter doesn't like to talk about it. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Ghost Market</b></h3><div>The Lion Children described an uncanny occurrence, once every quarter of the moon, along the central avenue. Before dawn, boats would arrive at the main jetty (opposite where the rest of the pariahs were camped) from both directions. These various groups would bring tribute to leave at the sealed gates to the heptagonal pyramid.</div><div><br /></div><div>More unsettling, apparitions would materialise at either side of the avenue, apparently peddling wares to the visiting outsiders. Both human groups stay within the walls of their respective "gardens" while this is occurring. None of the local pariahs of either group (shall we call them <i>gardeners</i>?) had been in direct contact with any of the ghostly traders, but it was rumoured that a Tree-Seeker had been involved in an altercation with one of the visiting outlanders.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Safety of the Pariah Camp</h3><div>The pariahs wanted to know how safe their current camp was: Ash-and-How confessed he had never been there, but even the Tree Seekers preferred to remain in the city due to its shelter and resources, even though they were not favoured by the Lion! Knife-Rope recounted that on multiple occasions she had seen flying lizards with 40ft wingspan soaring overhead, but that they never landed in the city, presumably because of the lion. Some members of the group had been over there before, but were wary of other predators and didn't remain for long.</div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Joining the Children of the Lion</h3><div>Ash-and-How was sanguine about the prospect of more mouths to feed, but indicated that the pariahs would need the approval of their sister community on the other side of the city (and through the territory of the Tree-Seekers). This was even after the pariahs "came clean", revealing that there were several more members of the group across the river.</div><div><br /></div><div>When quizzed about whether they would have the option to leave in the future, Ash-and-How seemed genuinely confused: "Why would you <i>want</i> to leave? WE have food, fresh water, and the protection of the lion!".</div><div><br /></div><div>To win the other group's approval, they would need to meet with them and to present some form of gift. Alongside this gift they needed to provide Ash-and-How's token, to demonstrate his approval of their prospective band membership. This token—a bundle of flight feathers from a bird of prey—was given to the pariahs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ash-and-How bid them adieu.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Encounters</h3><blockquote><div>The exchange occupied the majority of the session: during this time I rolled for encounters every ten minutes of real time as described above. Nearly all of these were ambient effects, invisible to pariahs as they were indoors! One effect that emerged was a <i>whisper</i>: similar to <i>Atop the Wailing Dunes</i>, built into the encounter table is the option of a rumour or secret being disclosed to a random pariah via the voice of an ancestral (or other) spirit. I gave each character a number and rolled a D4: the result was <b>Rotten Antelope</b> </div></blockquote><p><b>Rotten Antelope</b> heard a voice tell him: <i>The Ghosts Have a Chief...</i> the voice was comforting and familiar but not identifiable, like a forgotten aunt or uncle from early childhood.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Action</h3><p>The pariahs set themselves up for the next session by using the mission to the other community of Children of the Lion to have an explore of some of the other gardens. As far as a gift was concerned, they assume that they would be able to pick up some kind of game on the way... although the only animals they've seen so far are parakeets and cats...</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><p></p><p>Before I list links referred to above, I want to make you aware that my successfully crowdfunded adventure, <i>Atop the Wailing Dunes</i>, is currently available on DTRPG:<br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458091/Atop-the-Wailing-Dunes">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/458091/Atop-the-Wailing-Dunes</a></p><p>Also available is the bestiary I wrote with Louis Jenner of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@somuchgame6048" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">So Much Game</a>, featuring illustrations by Edd0, Fergus Channon and uhh... me....</p><p><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463621/Spirits-of-the-Here--Now" target="_blank">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463621/Spirits-of-the-Here--Now</a></p><p>Ben Lawrence talks megadungeons with Luke Gearing:<br /><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709</a></p><p>All one-hour game posts<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game" target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game</a></p><p>Tom Björklund instagram<br />https://www.instagram.com/tombjorklundart/</p><p>City of Ghosts Pariah Generator<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-pariah-generator-city-of-ghosts.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-pariah-generator-city-of-ghosts.html<br /></a><br />PARIAH Free Edition<br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah-art-free">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah-art-free</a><br /><br />Sandbox Core Principles:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html" target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html</a></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-63026504861382212712023-12-30T13:21:00.001+00:002023-12-30T13:21:52.226+00:00POKEMON ANALOGUE SANDBOX FOR A 5-YEAR OLD KID<p> My 5yo child caught sight of this in my feed (on some platform or other): </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGtXMExYHws8N4BgjvRyqJY0fx-pDk3KTityHARm23eKB1lxuV2_UF3t1_-Ir1e576VIlMnqE3IbBa384wR65Tqmvphnx223poH3JHCun3gUpS07TCfEyb1rhk_qKnjxJdwXY_3x5XqNQsARrEQfua80JrEmis3OW87colK4JK5jmphfNte-v2RzTBABL/s1542/Animon%20Cover.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1542" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGtXMExYHws8N4BgjvRyqJY0fx-pDk3KTityHARm23eKB1lxuV2_UF3t1_-Ir1e576VIlMnqE3IbBa384wR65Tqmvphnx223poH3JHCun3gUpS07TCfEyb1rhk_qKnjxJdwXY_3x5XqNQsARrEQfua80JrEmis3OW87colK4JK5jmphfNte-v2RzTBABL/w640-h360/Animon%20Cover.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ANIMON STORY</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>...and of course they were immediately curious! They're just getting to that age where they're moving on from Paw Patrol and taking an interest in more varied worlds with higher stakes for the characters: <i>Pokémon </i>and <i>Star Wars </i>being the two franchises most appealing to them at the moment.<div><br /></div><div>The game <i>Animon Stor</i>y was crowdfunded to great success last year and was recently nominated for Dicebreaker's Best Roleplaying Game' category (the winner was <i>Women are Werewolves</i>, in case you were desperate to know who won). It is currently <a href="https://animon.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders" target="_blank">available at this link</a>, but I would recommend taking a look at the <a href="https://zak-barouh.itch.io/animon-playkit" target="_blank">free playtest available on itch.io</a> before committing the tanks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Having looked at the playtest, I was impressed by the bold artwork and simple, double-spread layout (example page below). I printed out the entire playtest on photographic paper and they immediately felt to be of "retail quality", if that makes sense. My kid was suitably impressed.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjG0L5s9PYO9BUhQHCcEzoOFg5NjLfGyy9xhu8DlQIaJ0EZJKDlFduN_f7NhwGxXXx4TZ8POCd-vwXQssF3RIctUatmg2FBrFEkFt813KVOxoNoh4yIFzqwsik-CwLuHS1TJV6hUdDovJAbHW4SX8PY7WNdu6s1TP-Sb7D3ynh953Z7noHPHL0gzmL6Ck/s1276/Animon%20Story.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1276" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjG0L5s9PYO9BUhQHCcEzoOFg5NjLfGyy9xhu8DlQIaJ0EZJKDlFduN_f7NhwGxXXx4TZ8POCd-vwXQssF3RIctUatmg2FBrFEkFt813KVOxoNoh4yIFzqwsik-CwLuHS1TJV6hUdDovJAbHW4SX8PY7WNdu6s1TP-Sb7D3ynh953Z7noHPHL0gzmL6Ck/w640-h450/Animon%20Story.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Animon Story Playtest page, text available from the linked free playtest</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />However, I felt for the purpose of (gently) introducing my young child to RPGs it was a little too crunchy. To be clear, this is not a critique, just a statement of how my personal preferences didn't align with the game's design intent, and also the fact that "five year old kid" is probably not the game's target audience. I'm also aware that your child might enjoy this level of crunch: in which case, you consider ordering the full version of the game. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to try something different: as it happens, <i>Animon Story</i> was an excellent catalyst for a few ideas that my child and I are going to explore further.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Before we continue it's 100% necessary for me to reference Max Cantor's blog <i>Weird and Wonderful Worlds</i>, as <i>Pokémon </i>has been referenced multiple times on his blog as a springboard into all kinds of interesting game concepts, perhaps most significantly the 3rd edition of <i>Maximum Recursion Depth and—hold the phone, this is the first time I realised Max has managed to get his name into his own game how have I missed this for so long!</i>—so I'm going to do you all a favour and link you to this list of posts mentioning Pokémon, ordered by relevance:<br /><br /><a href="https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false" target="_blank">https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false</a></div><div> </div><h3>Sandbox</h3><div>For me, the most interesting thing about Pokémon (and similar games) is exploration: the player is pushed into new environments int their ongoing quest to collect more monster allies. We can play chicken/egg with the collection/discovery pairing but the fact remains that the game makes new environments exciting to explore due to the creatures that populate them. A new territory represents the promise of novel creatures to catalogue.</div><div><br /></div><div>[Sidebar: Max mentions the <a href="https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/2022/04/worldbuilding-with-pokemon.html" target="_blank">ethics of collecting and battling wild animals or nature spirits in this post</a>, and introduces an interesting justification for it. If we consider that Pokémon are indeed supernatural creatures, then might not the collecting and battling be a form of reverence or worship? The less charitable view would be to view the Pokémon collector as a Victorian colonialist, invading exotic locations and abducting native specimens to add to their collection. This then of course raises the question of how a similar gameplay loop could be deployed without any of the ethical issues. In the monster hunting genre creators typically circumvent this issue by having the protagonists shoot the local fauna with cameras instead of hunting rifles, and an interesting extension of this would be the exploration of an alien world where something like a powerful magnetic field prevents the use of robotic probes, and instead its down to a team of scientist to catalogue the flora and fauna of a biodiverse environment. I suppose they would also need to use film cameras to accomplish this, dirigibles and mechanical transport... hmmm... sidebar over!]</div><div><br /></div><div>My ideal Pokémon inspired TTRPG would consist of an ever-expanding map of diverse biomes (featuring diverse, random encounters with Pokémon) interspersed with towns (with more predictable, static encounters), much like the original Pokémon red and blue games... but also much like an old school hexcrawl. The map is also something that my child and I can create together, with the "wandering monster" element ensuring that the experience still contains plenty of surprises.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Roll to Move</h3><div>I recently read a <a href="https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/outdated-game-mechanisms" target="_blank">post about redundant board game mechanisms</a> and chuckled to see Roll to Move/Roll and Move on the list. I'm not a big board gamer but I'd actually dropped a randomised movement mechanic into my entry for the 200 word RPG competition in 2020. Applied in the same way it's used in Snakes and Ladders or Monopoly and yeah, sure, it compromises player agency... but there's more than one way to skin a cat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider this scenario: in a hexcrawl, we can determine if a random encounter occurs by rolling D6 each time the player enters a hex, with an encounter occurring if a "1" is rolled. This means that on average there will be an encounter once every six hexes, though of course the distributed randomly in pockets and clumps as is the want of the die gods.</div><div><br /></div><div>We can flip that around, because kids like rolling dice and moving counters around a board. You've probably worked it out already but...</div><div><br /></div><div>...what if the player rolls a die, and the result is how many hexes they move until an encounter occurs?</div><div><br /></div><div>I get that this will increase the number of encounters to 2 in 7 (unless I have completely misunderstood how probability works) but this could be circumvented by using a D12, assuming you wanted to keep almost the same probability. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for issues of player agency, there is no restriction on the direction, and players are free to "finish" their move early if they're aiming for a particular location (a town, for example).</div><div><br /></div><div>Please let me know if this has been done before because I feel weirdly proud of this one! It also strikes me as a means by which I could trick my non-RPGing friends into hexcrawling: by making them think they're playing a board game!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wandering Monster Tableau</h3><div>While assembling materials to help populate our Pokémon hexcrawl, I came up with another (possibly original) idea. It started with the book <i>Where's Pikachu</i>, yuletide gift my child received this year in a similar vein to <i>Where's Waldo/Wally</i>. Here's an image of a typical spread:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswk0H7vuonGWz2ypfPXa5GPat_F25_HJKCrmDAEXwQyIBOU3kgqKUw1NtUcQu6BsXFxk37Eu0MqQKH52kGudwrS-lrefu7Yt-LbHvzPfpA6SCIVCc_i7OSBj4vPLRlJHy3cTpggHj3bapqWX5U7CJBMPHLB91Vt6hmRnMJp_B_LirCPZwJZ6BkdIgQ1O4/s894/WheresPikachuSinnoh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="894" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswk0H7vuonGWz2ypfPXa5GPat_F25_HJKCrmDAEXwQyIBOU3kgqKUw1NtUcQu6BsXFxk37Eu0MqQKH52kGudwrS-lrefu7Yt-LbHvzPfpA6SCIVCc_i7OSBj4vPLRlJHy3cTpggHj3bapqWX5U7CJBMPHLB91Vt6hmRnMJp_B_LirCPZwJZ6BkdIgQ1O4/w640-h444/WheresPikachuSinnoh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double page spread from <i>Where's Pikachu?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />What's nice about this book is that it takes the reader on their own journey through the various territories of the Pokémon world, and while doing so showcases the different Pokémon to be found there. The brainwave occurred when I realised this could save me a lot of time populating wandering monster tables... for example...<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72Zp08BPbF7UNAbUAf-xbjkaPaGby32JXURvasWIuSOYINvGVlhQJg0KqWqHkoit9LLH7FAy68pfO346MSt70IsgMIX1ii533-bi5JQG03PMKrQ6uOJnHSgDlrX7UPjry6fW61IdXOoNocPvBDtC4VD-UiQKo0zeJDIJ588AI3mlWWIa6qFUwwzrlz-SU/s4961/POKEMON%20TABLEAU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="4961" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72Zp08BPbF7UNAbUAf-xbjkaPaGby32JXURvasWIuSOYINvGVlhQJg0KqWqHkoit9LLH7FAy68pfO346MSt70IsgMIX1ii533-bi5JQG03PMKrQ6uOJnHSgDlrX7UPjry6fW61IdXOoNocPvBDtC4VD-UiQKo0zeJDIJ588AI3mlWWIa6qFUwwzrlz-SU/w640-h452/POKEMON%20TABLEAU.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater scene from the Spanish language version of <i>Where is Pikachu?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>If you look closely you will see that I have numbered six of the Pokémon on display. With more time I could pick out all of the Pokémon with numbers or number ranges, and thus turn the picture into a random generator by finding a dice suitable for the number of Pokémon highlighted. In the above example, I can roll a a D6 every time an encounter is generated underwater. The visual display allows the player to see an image of the encounter in context, as well as giving an impression of the environment they are traversing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The "encounter tableau" can be weighted by annotating with dice ranges or bonuses, and then being selective about how those annotating are made. Probably about as much work as making a table, but the output is possibly more satisfying.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Conclusions</h3><div>I'll come back at some point with how the game actually goes down, and how it develops through play but wanted to share these two simple ideas right now as I think they're fun and easily applied to all sorts of other games.</div><div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><div>Animon Story: Playtest by Zak Barouh</div><div><a href="https://zak-barouh.itch.io/animon-playkit" target="_blank">https://zak-barouh.itch.io/animon-playkit</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pre-order Animon Story<br /><a href="https://animon.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders" target="_blank">https://animon.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pokemon at Weird & Wonderful worlds</div><div><a href="https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false">https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Mention of ethics of monster collecting<br /><a href="https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false">https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/search?q=pokemon&max-results=20&by-date=false</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Redundant board game mechanisms by Exeunt Press<br /><a href="https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/outdated-game-mechanisms" target="_blank">https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/outdated-game-mechanism</a></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-81460675453495788572023-12-27T23:55:00.001+00:002023-12-27T23:55:48.115+00:00ULTIMATE ANIMIST MECHANIC: EVERYTHING IS A REACTION<p> * TAKES DEEP BREATH * <br /><br />...all actions are resolved by a 2d6 reaction roll- and specifically a reaction roll: this is god/the spirits/the fates/the forces of the universe responding to your actions based on how much they "like" you.<br /><br />(or, more specifically, how much they react in your favour)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj4Rnh8aC6fmCU2YZzhbzxu4gyGX4WhvEiaEd9YHEdNu9ZO_x8QjdfAPuhRzgIG9xieY9ddJSlU-Lqfx84nIw6oVTobvnsUE2W-NgYZ2BXzBd-6pW1ofaEaQadK8rVVGLJSxDQZKxuDP6gBa3pvNjd5KHM-uNe7Osukpq5UjOUPKuNBfgWe63LLcWriYH/s283/DiceChart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="283" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmj4Rnh8aC6fmCU2YZzhbzxu4gyGX4WhvEiaEd9YHEdNu9ZO_x8QjdfAPuhRzgIG9xieY9ddJSlU-Lqfx84nIw6oVTobvnsUE2W-NgYZ2BXzBd-6pW1ofaEaQadK8rVVGLJSxDQZKxuDP6gBa3pvNjd5KHM-uNe7Osukpq5UjOUPKuNBfgWe63LLcWriYH/w640-h638/DiceChart.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Support AnyDice's efforts to modernise through Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/catlikecoding</div><div><br /></div>This emerged from the ongoing GENIUS LOCI project:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/07/atop-wailing-dunes-pariah-adventure-for.html" target="_blank">Atop the Wailing Dunes</a></li><li><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html" target="_blank">MOSAIC strict Genius Loci</a><br /></li><li><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/07/genius-loci-linking-encounters-hazards.html" target="_blank">Initial Genius Loci post</a></li><li><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/11/spirit-of-wilderness-second-look-at.html" target="_blank">Refined Genius Loci post</a></li></ul><p>...being that, beyond animals and plants being treated the same way we treat NPCs... isn't time to start thinking of the terrain and weather in the same way?</p><p>This idea also occurred as a result of <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html" target="_blank">how we're resolving skill/ ability checks in CITY OF GHOSTS </a>at the moment, which I'll elaborate on towards the end of this post.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h3 style="text-align: left;">Bargaining with the Spirits</h3><div>This mechanic is simple, and arises from the following core concepts:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pariahs live in an animate world: the environment itself is not only alive but conscious</li><li>Pariah actions represent an expression of their will, intent or preference within that environment</li><li>The success of their actions depends on their ability to convince the environment that it is in its best interests to let that happen</li></ul>When entities encounter one another for the first time, the GM rolls 2d6 and consults a reaction table. I've lifted this one from Kevin (I always want to write Arnold then have to double check) Crawford's <i>Worlds Without Number:</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J18M2e9LleMp-hS9CG9qC-q3PclwZPfJBhTIq0qUxw-FiS3mUGmVvIkRN0kljWCuDUogzmu8NyHrCC7fQwBOcSL6iH_h7qbV3_BVAbDSrKUHOzgOX1dJXNJh6NhZgImcmf1JDOCbVlq1pks9yX5UWOnX4u45vmCLwF6mLE77VyIqQpN6fHYjkOJqqlCW/s1325/WWN_Reaction%20table.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="2d6 NPC Reaction table 2- As aggressively hostile as the situation allows 3–5 More unfriendly and hostile than they’d be expected to be in the given situation 6–8 As predictably hostile or friendly as they’d usually be in this situation 9–11 More friendly and benign than you’d expect them to be, given the circumstances 12+ As friendly and helpful as their nature and the situation permits them to be" border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1325" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J18M2e9LleMp-hS9CG9qC-q3PclwZPfJBhTIq0qUxw-FiS3mUGmVvIkRN0kljWCuDUogzmu8NyHrCC7fQwBOcSL6iH_h7qbV3_BVAbDSrKUHOzgOX1dJXNJh6NhZgImcmf1JDOCbVlq1pks9yX5UWOnX4u45vmCLwF6mLE77VyIqQpN6fHYjkOJqqlCW/w640-h414/WWN_Reaction%20table.png" title="Kevin Crawford's reaction roll table: hover for alt-text" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Crawford's reaction roll table: hover for alt-text</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This reaction roll might be modified by the lead PC's charisma, or indeed by the<a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/01/reaction-rolls-and-reputation.html" target="_blank"> party's reputation</a>. On the NPC side, I prefer to make the roll favoured (roll 3d6, keep 2 highest) or unfavoured (roll 3d6, keep 2 lowest) to represent other contextual elements of the encounter, though this is perhaps not necessary given how Kevin's table is worded.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far so familiar: how could this apply to making a skill check? Consider the occurrence of a crevasse at a mountain pass. The distance is enough to give the pariah's pause (10 feet?): the environment decrees that it only the mightiest may hurry past it at this point. Those less worthy should show due respect and ritual (even if this merely means taking a respectful run-up).</div><div><br /></div><div>The pariah doesn't have much time: they take the leap, rolling 2d6...</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider the outcome against the <i>Worlds Without Number </i>NPC Reaction table:</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>2: As aggressively hostile as the situation allows</b></div><div>Pariah fails the jump, falling to their death, no save</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3–5: More unfriendly and hostile than they’d be expected to be in the given situation</b></div><div>The pariah thought they were going to make it: they thought wrong. Allow a save to avoid death/instead receive massive damage/half falling damage etc.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>6–8 As predictably hostile or friendly as they’d usually be in this situation</b></div><div>The prediction was that the crevasse would take its toll: perhaps a "No, but..." situation, in that the Pariah appears to fail but has a chance to save and get a hand on a ledge etc, unless they are happy to expend HP and nudge the roll…</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>9–11 More friendly and benign than you’d expect them to be, given the circumstances</b></div><div>They just make the jump<b>!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>12+ As friendly and helpful as their nature and the situation permits them to be</b></div></div><div>It's a jump, the made it- what more could you possibly want? Maybe the crevasse whispers some words of encouragement such as "good lad"...</div><div><br /></div><div>...now: already this looks to be another emulation of <a href="https://johnharper.itch.io/world-of-dungeons" target="_blank"><i>World of Dungeons</i></a>, and in many respects it is: this is replacing a binary success/fail with something more granular. However, consider the following:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ritual and preparation needn't be pragmatic: before committing to an action, pariahs might offer sacrifices, ritual worship or promises of service in return for success</li><li>...this can also be addressed on an ad hoc basis, though the price might be higher: bumping the result up a whole step in return for the promise of carrying out some task or quest (or even something simple, like promising to come back and through something down the crevasse at a later date)</li><li>Alternatively, Pariahs can simply expend HP to improve the result of any die roll: the outcome is negotiable!</li></ul><div>This is perhaps where I want to express, very clearly, where PARIAH might differ from an OSR game: there are a millions of ways pariahs can stack the odds in their favour as they navigate the dangerous primeval animist wilderness, but ultimately this is an accumulation of debt. Adventures generated for <i>Into the Odd</i> begin with a debt they go on adventures to clear: in PARIAH the characters start with nothing, but quickly find themselves in debit to multiple patrons (spirits of the <i>Here & Now</i>, settled folk, other pariahs) as they attempt to survive.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Something to develop further? It also presents a possible motivator for embarking on psychedelic trips: to clear the balance of accumulated spiritual debt.</div><div><br /></div><div>(write that last one down, it might be important)</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Streamlining skills checks</h3><p>Just to circle back from this fledgling idea, I wanted to take a look at how I'm (sort of) dealing with skill checks in the present campaign.<br /><br />I didn't like how the outcome of how ability scores and skills interacted with one another in PARIAH, for the following reasons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Required the GM to set a DC/TN </li><li>Required ad hoc mathematics</li><li>Felt clunky and awkward: I was almost embarrassed to describe what a player had to roll and why...</li></ul><div>I'd considered jettisoning skills entirely and focusing on either ability checks or saves, but realised that in a classless system they gave characters an element of distinction that most players enjoyed. Players also seemed to appreciate how they scaled (D6 being unskilled, D8 being trained etc.), drawing parallels with Jason Tocci's 24XX system (in fact this <a href="https://rodoflordlymight.blogspot.com/2009/03/skills-middle-road.html" target="_blank">scale was inspired by this vintage OSR post</a>), I did consider dropping ability scores but... well, I guess I want PARIAH to mostly feel like Old School D&D.</div><div><br /></div><div>With that in mind, I decided to make ability score modifiers less generous, opting for the bands listed in Swords & Wizardry:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3-5: -1</li><li>6-15: -</li><li>16-17: +1</li><li>18: +2</li></ul><p></p><p>For the most part, ability scores confer no penalties or bonuses: however, at chargen the character's strongest attribute skews the selection of skills with which the character starts. Note that being skilled confers only a slight edge over an untrained person:<br /><br />D6= untrained</p><p>D8=skilled/proficient</p><p>D10=expert</p><p>D12=master</p><p>Not only is this advantage only marginal, it's also swingy, especially when difficulty is factored in. When it is necessary to make skill checks, <u>the check is against the GMs roll on an opposed die.</u><br /></p><p>The player needs to beat the GM's roll to to succeed: the GM cranks up the size of the die they roll based on the context: D6 for something challenging for the untrained, D8 for a task even a skilled person would find challenging etc.</p><p>So: an untrained person doing a "challenging" task has about a 42% chance of success. There's also a 16.67% chance of the two rolls being equal: this grants players the opportunity to accept a "no, but..." result or sacrifice a hit point to improve the roll (success at cost).</p><p>Taking a look at the "1d6-1d6" distribution versus 2d6 distribution helped push me towards the mechanic outlined at the beginning of the post:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOxO3zz-1GgnZKFX2T3IM1NZKcOOOLIk_hLBKEN5u4IEpWhDgTkkDCy5KLulr_0IQ14Uj7_HiVKeOotkWzw5y98e4VK3npOCdqTsGt0s9ZClxizCKgvLgA_apOK0t0KAcWy90PfQWoKG45ANFr_6wbbRuD_WPLkizZvjVhDy2tQ9P9GR-7wwb6_IJ9ZrI/s447/1d6-1d6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="394" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOxO3zz-1GgnZKFX2T3IM1NZKcOOOLIk_hLBKEN5u4IEpWhDgTkkDCy5KLulr_0IQ14Uj7_HiVKeOotkWzw5y98e4VK3npOCdqTsGt0s9ZClxizCKgvLgA_apOK0t0KAcWy90PfQWoKG45ANFr_6wbbRuD_WPLkizZvjVhDy2tQ9P9GR-7wwb6_IJ9ZrI/w564-h640/1d6-1d6.png" width="564" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1d6 - 1d6 has the same graph as 2d6, just knocked down 7 steps, obviously!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Reaction Rolls</h3><div>Most OSR GMs don't bother with social skills.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hey! Wait! Come back! I didn't mean it <i>that way</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>I meant in terms of <i> PC abilities e.g. bluffing, diplomacy, deception etc.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>However, what is commonly recommended is that players describe their character's actions then the GM makes a<i> reaction roll</i>, modified by context (and possibly by the PC's charisma bonus, if any). </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I've allowed for social skills to exist, following the D8/D10/D12 progression described above: however, the skill die is rolled along with the other D6 instead of carrying out an ordinary reaction roll e.g. Howling Wolf is especially good at intimidation (D10). His player describes to the GM how he sets about scaring the shit out of a group of farm labourers, and 1d6+1d8 is rolled to determine how they respond:<br /><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX8hPWN1Qo_--9KgHRBNwbGhkJH293GMgHL2GWTPK80xKvD2fWk1CAvyrNdrzhL8dHKjaZ3qXMxysaMhayFYdX7FtncUJOPPbk3nGiyLQqDLMfj7NLU_svt4FulXikpMPi3hxxawgyA3CE9vuxc7U82bnbhyIe9KU8XAUAfIwIs1nXXBCfnW195i3ZgebQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="252" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX8hPWN1Qo_--9KgHRBNwbGhkJH293GMgHL2GWTPK80xKvD2fWk1CAvyrNdrzhL8dHKjaZ3qXMxysaMhayFYdX7FtncUJOPPbk3nGiyLQqDLMfj7NLU_svt4FulXikpMPi3hxxawgyA3CE9vuxc7U82bnbhyIe9KU8XAUAfIwIs1nXXBCfnW195i3ZgebQ=w312-h640" width="312" /></a></div><br /></i>This same arrangement can be used for bluffs, bargains, persuasion etc., all tempered by existing relationships of the pariah with the "mark". </div><div><br />Must go now, still have a few post labels to attach to remaining Kickstarter deliveries!</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><p>Atop the Wailing Dunes: proto-Neolithic sandbox<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/07/atop-wailing-dunes-pariah-adventure-for.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/07/atop-wailing-dunes-pariah-adventure-for.html</a></p><p>MOSAIC Strict Genius Loci<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html</a><br /><br />Initial Genius Loci post:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/07/genius-loci-linking-encounters-hazards.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/07/genius-loci-linking-encounters-hazards.html</a></p><p>Refining the concept:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/11/spirit-of-wilderness-second-look-at.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/11/spirit-of-wilderness-second-look-at.html</a></p><p>City of Ghosts Play Report<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html</a></p><p>Rod of Lordly Might: skills<br /><a href="https://rodoflordlymight.blogspot.com/2009/03/skills-middle-road.html">https://rodoflordlymight.blogspot.com/2009/03/skills-middle-road.html</a></p><p>Reaction Rolls and Reputation<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/01/reaction-rolls-and-reputation.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/01/reaction-rolls-and-reputation.html</a></p><p>World of Dungeons<br /><a href="https://johnharper.itch.io/world-of-dungeons">https://johnharper.itch.io/world-of-dungeons</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-12102850095635631522023-12-26T23:49:00.006+00:002023-12-26T23:51:34.151+00:00The One Hour Pariah Sandbox: City of Ghosts Session 2 Play Report<p>Due to time constraints and inspired by <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/" target="_blank">Luke Gearing</a>'s one-hour megadungeon sessions, I'm running a weekly PARIAH sandbox during my Friday lunch break. This is the second play report: track down all related <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game" target="_blank">posts at this link </a></p><p>Between sessions, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/18kdjvm/running_very_short_online_voicebased_sandbox/" target="_blank">I posted on the r/osr subreddit</a> (and also <a href="https://discourse.rpgcauldron.com/t/running-very-short-online-voice-based-sandbox-sessions/1413/1" target="_blank">on the NSR Cauldron</a>), seeking advice regarding this undertaking. There were some valuable responses which I'll summarise below, before getting into what happened in session 2...</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h3 style="text-align: left;">Summary of One Hour Sandbox r/OSR Advice Thread</h3><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Use a simple system to expidite task resolution, noting Luke's use of <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/inhuman-violence-2" target="_blank">Inhuman Violence</a> for combat [NB: I'm not sure if this is what Luke uses for his OD&D campaign, think it's for Delta Green but who knows] <b>u/OffenderDefender</b></li><li>Ensure player buy-in by diving into the action quickly, in turn encouraging the party to resolve tasks quickly is key. <b>u/OffenderDefender</b></li><li>Brevity over granularity, abstract things like returning to previously visited locales (knock off x turns, maybe make an encounter roll) <b>u/OffenderDefender</b></li><li>Inclusion over realism, especially with regard to character death <b>u/OffenderDefender</b>. This was espoused by Gearing in the Megadungeon podcast with Ben L.</li><li>Use a sandbox with discrete locations i.e. dungeon rooms, hexes, points on a point crawl <b>u/OffenderDefender</b> OP actually said "modular spaces" but I think discrete is more accurate. To add: OP also mentioned <u>3 rooms in a one hour session as being a reasonable metric</u></li><li>Host notes online. OP suggests a “character keeper” Google Sheets file, accessible to all players with character sheets and important notes from the session (NPCs, locations, etc). <b>u/OffenderDefender</b> </li><li>5 minutes at the start and end to reiterate what was done in the last session, what was achieved in the session and then plan an "actionable goal" for next session. OP suggested "make a plan for how we're going to eventually infiltrate the castle" or "find a master weapon smith to make us a greatsword" as examples. <b>u/plutonium743</b></li><li>Circa 2 hour session GM: can work very well, exemplifies how old modules were designed for much, much longer sessions!<b> u/spiderqueengm </b>- see also <a href="https://spiderqueengaming.blogspot.com/2023/09/old-school-campaigns-and-time-richness.html">their blog post on time-rich mid 70s Americans!</a></li><li>"Running without dungeon restocking leads to the '15minute workday' problem" <b>u/spiderqueengm</b></li><li>"Running with strict dungeon restocking can be punitive, as the players clear a small area, finish for the evening, and come back next week to find their progress erased." <b>u/spiderqueengm</b></li><li>"Pausing the action and resuming next session puts pressure on the drop in/open table aspect of it. I’ve found a way to deal with this is a mix of flexibility on the gm’s part, and demanding a certain amount of focus from your players, eg getting them to come up with a plan ahead of the session if possible." <b>u/spiderqueengm</b></li><li>"1hr sounds a bit ambitious tbh, but best of luck with it" <b>u/spiderqueengm</b></li><li>Don't prep what you improvise well doing. Prep the stuff you're bad at [improvising] <b>u/ericvulgaris</b></li><li>The aforementioned EricVulgaris previously played in Luke Gearing's megadungeon, and added: "I always felt like Luke never felt responsible for making the game punchy or nothing. There was never any pressure if that makes sense. It felt entirely like it was on the players to do shit in an hour. Not him." <b>u/ericvulgaris</b></li></ol><h3 style="text-align: left;">Exploring the City</h3><p>Picking up where we left off, it was decided that Ugly Evening would remain by the raft with Terrible Lake while Nimble Goat, Wandering Jackal and Wandering Jackal's dog continued to explore. They were joined by Brave Hyena, a former potter and herder who "is often bouncing around and enjoys climbing on things". She decided to bring one of the feral dogs with her, to see if it might be at least partially tamed. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd45PCQk7EDI4uUORyTuOcp9W5k3rDKbyc0WCZYeUBzHPiAZgb0MJOhsZmZap2WN2vlIq_BEtUehwcFFB2r2eim-__vR9qcZl3ZT3fWHaC4A1aWRY071FG9Uv5JfUeIMjq-T92ZCZs18nX3OeOtXJJk_t-tFgnCQrxlfTEODsJDBntGfoN6FDQ4TjDz16x/s560/image.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="560" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd45PCQk7EDI4uUORyTuOcp9W5k3rDKbyc0WCZYeUBzHPiAZgb0MJOhsZmZap2WN2vlIq_BEtUehwcFFB2r2eim-__vR9qcZl3ZT3fWHaC4A1aWRY071FG9Uv5JfUeIMjq-T92ZCZs18nX3OeOtXJJk_t-tFgnCQrxlfTEODsJDBntGfoN6FDQ4TjDz16x/w640-h632/image.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The area of the site espied last week, with further elaboration. Pariahs appeared on the left by the arch. One square = 10 feet</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The Pariahs noted a "street", paved with terracotta tiles, flanked on the right side by an area of dense undergrowth, including trees, and two the left by a raised platform containing two statues. The street split upon arriving at a much lower [than the 30' perimeter] wall of about 10', made in brick. A gap in the wall was boarded up (or could be a door). Four 10' tall cylinders, glinting in the sunlight, were scattered between the entry point and the door.</p><p>The raised platform was surrounded by a couple of steps, with a short, shallow ramp in the centre. Overall, the tiles were mostly in good shape, only occasional cracks and patches of moss suggesting it wasn't being maintained.</p><p>Statue 1 was about 7-8' in height, sandstone, humanoid. The figure held a set of drafting tools the pariahs would not recognise, but to expedite description would be recognisable to the players as a large pair of compasses and a square-edge. The statue was clearly used as an altar, as a ceramic dish had been left out containing some rotten food and a wilted flower (suggesting the offering was made relatively recently).</p><p>Statue 2 was much larger, and slightly scarier. At nearly 18' in height, including a similar plinth, the humanoid figure was less well-proportioned, being excessively long-limbed and slender. It was described to the players as "demonic", but precise details were elusive. The face held an air of judgement and disdain, and initially seemed to shift and look away, but further examination revealed this to be a trick of the light. Also carved from vernacular sandstone, the figure had a mane of tightly cooled hair that cascade over its shoulders. Its posture was as though it was stretching to its fullest, as though in a yoga pose or a ballet movement (again, not concepts the pariahs would be familiar with but employed to grant the players the opportunity to visualise it).</p><p>Like the first statue, a similar votive offering had been left at the second statue's feet: "Like a god..." Wandering Jackal said aloud.</p><p>Brave Hyena elected to climb up the statue while the other two stood guard. Brave Hyena's player, J2, asked for further information regarding the viability of hooking a rope around the neck and Brave Hyena hoisting herself up. While a course of action was discussed, I made an encounter check and a crawling insect swarm was generated at a relatively close distance, so I had them emerge from the undergrowth while Brave Hyena began her ascent.</p><p>Ability score modifiers have been greatly reduced, and I'm working on an opposed roll method of checking: players roll a D6 (or a larger die if they have a relevant skill), adding any modifiers. I roll a die based on perceived difficulty (starting at D4). If the player rolls higher, they get to do what they want. If the rolls are equal, there's either some success at cost or a <i>no, but...</i> scenario, depending on context. Pariahs can also expend HP to modify this if desired, or if the roll fails (if they don't roll higher than the GM). </p><p>In this case Brave Hyena had climbing (D8) based on her DEX (+1) and the challenge (D6) was overcome: however, Nimble Goat had already spotted a terrifying mass of army ants emerging as previously described and head towards them. Nonetheless, Brave Hyena was granted a pretty impressive view of the site, and understood that the city was mostly comprised of what appeared to be octagonal walled gardens.</p><p>Brave Hyena's rapid descent necessitated another check, but no problems arose and the pariahs retreated to the first statue in time to witness the offering overcome by the ant-swarm: a line broke away and began to head towards them, they retreated as a second swarm began to swell u around the first statue's altar, eventually forming a continuous loop back to the undergrowth.<br /><br />Note: I based this behaviour on a reaction roll of "4" and the pariahs retreating in all instances to points with meagre food scraps between them and the swarm.</p><p>First Contact </p><p>Hurrying along to the first "walled garden", the pariahs initially deliberated over whether to noisily knock through the crude "door" or give Brave Hyena a "boost" up the brick wall. They went for the later, here's what she saw:<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hl_6r4XVkKs-Qj-Pn5YQ-kNR3ifN6Ry1aHDRCDxmugOXTllWqV8pjWO1JyKeADKQYIRmW7pNF3m2gzP8ZnUToMjppcKjx7FBmXtfYQX5T_Snjk6dvT2U76eWDvxeoUuzGwJkOchWRx61bV_oPCEXBeuBfIqQ5Y5s7mb-PZGy1pnN1X1yNmhv6iy4OR0q/s462/image%20(1).png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="460" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hl_6r4XVkKs-Qj-Pn5YQ-kNR3ifN6Ry1aHDRCDxmugOXTllWqV8pjWO1JyKeADKQYIRmW7pNF3m2gzP8ZnUToMjppcKjx7FBmXtfYQX5T_Snjk6dvT2U76eWDvxeoUuzGwJkOchWRx61bV_oPCEXBeuBfIqQ5Y5s7mb-PZGy1pnN1X1yNmhv6iy4OR0q/w638-h640/image%20(1).png" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rough layout of first "garden", trees not pictured</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Brave Hyena described a collection of between 6 and 14 interconnected dwellings, with a statue lined avenue bisecting the "garden". A small child disappeared into the dwelling furthest from them. After sharing this knowledge with the group, Brave Hyena received approval from Nimble Goat and Wandering Jackal to call out a greeting.</p><p>"Hello..?"</p><p>There was a lengthy pause, before a woman emerged from the building, gave Brave Hyena an quizzical look before responding:</p><p>"Hi....?"</p><p>And there the session ended!</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Behind the Screen </h3><p>This might seem as though not a lot was really achieved, even for a one hour session and this.... this would probably be a fair assessment. Responsibility for that rests with me, the GM, for the following reasons:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>It took a good 10 mins for me to resolve an audio issue with discord. This was really frustrating as we were already online and ready to go at 1300 UTC sharp, and it wasn't the first time it's happened. In the end it was resolved by rebooting, changing the audio settings, then changing them back to what they had been previously...</li><li>So, shoe on the wrong foot, grateful that my players were able to make idle chit-chat for a period of time, it then took another ten minutes for me to apologise/recap/say hello....</li><li>....once we got going, it was probably twenty minutes in. However, I further slowed things down but not having all the browser tabs and PDFs open as I had before I rebooted the laptop!</li><li>Furthermore, there were a few occasions where I ground play to a halt while I randomly generated a few features, which probably could have been done in advance</li></ol><div>So, some lessons there:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Discord audio I'll just have to chance it, but I at least think I can reboot the settings without rebooting the laptop, so that should save time if it happens again. </li><li>Five minutes at the beginning is all that is needed!</li><li>Save browser tab group to speed-up re-opening, keep all necessary PDFs in same folder so can be opened all at once.</li><li>Generate as many random components ahead of time as possible</li></ol><div>Otherwise, this felt really good: there was a good amount of interrogation of the environment, and while nothing very dramatic there was a suggestion of threat and also confirmation that the city is in fact inhabited. No more strange roars though.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Player wise, we had C from last week and a new (to this particular campaign, at least) player in J2, with J1 otherwise disposed. Should be no problem bringing their character back into play given their proximity.</div><div><br /></div><div>Really looking forward to next Friday's session!</div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><p>Luke Gearing's blog:<br /><a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/">https://lukegearing.blot.im/</a><br /><br />All posts labelled "one-hour sandbox":<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game</a><br /><br />The r/osr thread:<br /><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/18kdjvm/running_very_short_online_voicebased_sandbox/">https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/18kdjvm/running_very_short_online_voicebased_sandbox/</a><br />...and The RPG Cauldron discourse<br /><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/18kdjvm/running_very_short_online_voicebased_sandbox/">https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/18kdjvm/running_very_short_online_voicebased_sandbox/</a></p><p>Old-School Campaigns and the Assumption of Time Richness<br /><a href="https://spiderqueengaming.blogspot.com/2023/09/old-school-campaigns-and-time-richness.html">https://spiderqueengaming.blogspot.com/2023/09/old-school-campaigns-and-time-richness.html</a> </p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-388558518487614002023-12-25T15:57:00.000+00:002023-12-27T22:50:25.268+00:00THE MOON<p style="text-align: center;"></p><blockquote></blockquote><i>Clear the table. <br /><br />Place the map of the moon (as big as you can print) in the centre. <br /><br />Light a candle. <br /><br />Play Dawn of Worlds on the lunar map until the candle burns out, <br /><br />at which point the pariahs return to their bodies with memories of being gods and creating civilisations.<br /></i><p style="text-align: right;">- Pariah Volume 1, page 49</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEjaZszZ0yPPRbWXABe3Q8HWQVlwSQHnjC5Qhyr2wbJjjIGysqXzCOGHBZzBggzOP_3G8Al3aZPedws368KwLo0EaR9nYtxq4j-ArBXZr0tEZxXd1vVPRFDX4j3Rvl7dj9quvvOqdViwF6FWNVcNIDa2swqZvY_w6i0cac4UnQP_lM22kvn9YCutwGNiM/s1600/MoonMap.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEjaZszZ0yPPRbWXABe3Q8HWQVlwSQHnjC5Qhyr2wbJjjIGysqXzCOGHBZzBggzOP_3G8Al3aZPedws368KwLo0EaR9nYtxq4j-ArBXZr0tEZxXd1vVPRFDX4j3Rvl7dj9quvvOqdViwF6FWNVcNIDa2swqZvY_w6i0cac4UnQP_lM22kvn9YCutwGNiM/w640-h640/MoonMap.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Please print the moon map above.<br /><br />Next, download <i>Dawn of Worlds</i>:<br /><a href="http://www.clanwebsite.org/games/rpg/Dawn_of_Worlds_game_1_0Final.pdf">http://www.clanwebsite.org/games/rpg/Dawn_of_Worlds_game_1_0Final.pdf</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Never let it be said I never give you anything!<br /><br />Please subscribe to my substack...</div><p></p><p></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-39270046990257916032023-12-17T08:33:00.001+00:002024-01-04T16:57:51.467+00:00The One Hour Pariah Sandbox: City of Ghosts Session 1 Play Report<p>Due to time constraints and inspired by <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709" target="_blank">Luke Gearing's one-hour megadungeon session</a>s, I'm hoping to run a weekly PARIAH sandbox during my Friday lunch break. This is the first play report: <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html" target="_blank">track down all related posts at this link </a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJe_lkc6DKM9avJtrKZXMZQjGCnGULAsxcYEMDN4585v6QCha5NYdL1aoXCk3fSgQazMSzAFrN06HmDC5SxU-eppzwxq3e2skTde_ShCUPvYOWZvLXbkWPUEHI8hW2udBpWVEhXvhct9vnQ0OeaPR5TmUjz03vXJWg3cASIcu2SAyHVLPH1eM2CNv6HyXS" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="1135" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJe_lkc6DKM9avJtrKZXMZQjGCnGULAsxcYEMDN4585v6QCha5NYdL1aoXCk3fSgQazMSzAFrN06HmDC5SxU-eppzwxq3e2skTde_ShCUPvYOWZvLXbkWPUEHI8hW2udBpWVEhXvhct9vnQ0OeaPR5TmUjz03vXJWg3cASIcu2SAyHVLPH1eM2CNv6HyXS" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Draft cross-section of the valley</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><h3>The PCs</h3><ul><li><b>Ugly Evening</b>, exiled for forbidden sorcery and <b>Rotten Antelope</b>, exiled for thieving (both played by <b>J</b>). Ugly evening has a pet, "probably a dog"</li><li><b>Nimble Goat </b>the spirit-touched victim of a blood feud and <b>Wandering Jackal</b>, the strong girl with double-headed axe, an aurochs and dog (both played by <b>C</b>)</li><li>An assumed "quantum cast" of as-yet unidentified pariahs, on standby for when other players drop in and out of the game</li></ul><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><b>The NPC Pariah Band</b></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">2 youths aged 13 and 10 (one is later revealed to be called </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"><b>Terrible Lake</b>)</span></li><li>2 elders<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">. One is skilled in singing</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, drinking</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, disguise and horticulture</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">. The other knows singing</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, a musical instrument</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">, mimicry and animal handling</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">.</span></li><li><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;">4 feral dog</span>s, an auroch, a falcon and a crow in addition to the animals already mentioned </li></ul></div><p></p><p></p><ul style="background-color: rgba(2, 2, 2, 0.06); border: 0px; color: #dbdee1; font-family: "gg sans", "Noto Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; margin: 4px 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: break-spaces;"></ul><p></p><h3>The Set-Up</h3><p>The following is presumed to have occurred before the campaign begins:</p><p>After wandering for an undefined period through an arid upland, the band spied clouds gathering to the north. Following the promise of rain they were led to a (400 foot) deep ravine running west to east with a mighty river flowing steadily through it. </p><p>As the uncannily low cloud cover cleared, the pariahs became aware of a vast structure on the opposite (north) side of the river. Surrounded y 30' walls, multiple weird buildings appeared to emerge, including a sandstone pyramid and a glistening, glass-like structure in front of it.</p><p>Following a trail down to the south bank of the river, the pariahs made a camp on an area of reclaimed land criss-crossed with artificial canals. Possibly once agricultural land, it was now covered in scrub.</p><p>The pariahs had, for the time being, found a more hospitable home than their wanderings through the desert... but for how long? Was the enormous, stone village inhabited? After a night without any event, one of the youths reported seeing a person leave in a small vessel in the early hours of the morning, heading downriver (to the east), from what appeared to be a wooden dock.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sUa9UWSFBwtaYtoXub8rUKC6aNPAJyKbzZTmo_EZ9QBm6M4qmFLg5N5nsvSw900u51_qYyxP5yDzttl3egnEemiZpFwHqUKbGRTfY5_XbKrdOe9q7FvuPZHLR1MotrkhDD-cf8oYuB53QL36ZA4yF1flRJ5_sgtu0XAdHx_leeo-2ZUMpvc52T7skd1m/s854/CoGmap.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="854" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sUa9UWSFBwtaYtoXub8rUKC6aNPAJyKbzZTmo_EZ9QBm6M4qmFLg5N5nsvSw900u51_qYyxP5yDzttl3egnEemiZpFwHqUKbGRTfY5_XbKrdOe9q7FvuPZHLR1MotrkhDD-cf8oYuB53QL36ZA4yF1flRJ5_sgtu0XAdHx_leeo-2ZUMpvc52T7skd1m/w640-h608/CoGmap.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick player facing map, lots more maps to follow!</td></tr></tbody></table><h3>The Game</h3><p>The session begins with the pariahs locating a convenient raft on the south bank, but then deciding to stay hidden in the scrub on the south bank and spy on the stone village opposite for signs of activity. Aside from the person spotted in the morning, there had been no activity witnessed overnight, including signs of fire etc.</p><div>During four hours of spying, the following occurred:</div><div><ul><li>A colourful flock of birds flow upriver (east-west)</li><li>A peculiar and somewhat unsettling roar was heard from within the city, following a short period of eerie silence</li><li>General ambience of light breeze, rusting leaves and insect chirps: the pariahs also noted that the interior of the city seemed to have very dense tree cover</li><li>The sudden, piercing cry of a very young infant, but then quietened as though comforted by a carer</li></ul><div>There was some speculation as to what the baby’s cry signified, but the possibility that the city was inhabited by a similar group of pariahs was considered (among other things). It was agreed that a) they would need to know what was occurring in the city for their own security and b) it would be best to approach with clear intentions: no skulking around or stealth, and they would take a child with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>A party was formed consisting of <b>Rotten Antelope, </b><b>Nimble Goat</b> and <b>Wandering Jackal </b>as well as the youth <b>Terrible Lake.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i>The youth’s name was randomly generated during play: we didn’t establish whether it was the younger or older of the two kids, rather that they were “the most innocent looking”. </i></div></div><p>To reach the southeast dock the pariahs first passed by the extensive quay in front of the main walls, acknowledging the impressive state of repair and the us head of tree cover emerging above them… but also the quietness. Not silence, just quiet. The depth of the river was not ascertained, but was deeper than a 10’ pole: the party paddled the raft, not punted.</p><p>Alighting at the empty dock in mooring with the he pen rope that had tethered the raft to the other side previously, the quiet was disturbed by the steady sound of rhythmic drumming from somewhere within. Shortly, those sounds were joined by a low chorus of (human?) voices chanting in an unfamiliar language.</p><p>Dauntless, they continued. An arch opened the walls twenty feet wide and high. They spied a paved street inside, terracotta tiles laid neatly and in good repair, the joints occasionally interrupted by moss. The street terminated at a brick wall, some 100’ off, maybe 10’ high. A small cat walked along the top before disappearing from view.</p><p>There the session ended.</p><h3>Behind the screen (DISCORD stuff)</h3><div>The game takes place on discord, using the voice channel facility on the <i>Atelier Hwei</i> server. I've advertised in various places around the internet and a few people have joined the server specifically to participate in the game, but most of the interest has come from people already on the server. That said, C & J are both new to Atelier Hwei, though I already knew C from local face-to-face games previously. </div><div><br /></div><div>Players prepare a pariah (or two) in advance, using a <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-pariah-generator-city-of-ghosts.html" target="_blank">random generator</a> or the <a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah-art-free" target="_blank">free game materials</a>. I shared some information about the game prior (namely the game's <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html" target="_blank">core principles </a> but I wanted to avoid overloading players with two much information. Neither do I want the campaign to feel like a big investment, and I would like to keep the barriers to entry relatively low.<br /><br />Prior to posting I shared the following conclusions with the players: </div><div><ul><li>“Housekeeping” and introductory chat took about fifteen minutes, and then “setting the scene” took about another ten minutes</li><li>Overall this left about 35 minutes where the players were driving the session: the goal is to get this portion as close to 60 mins as possible, and I’ll be keeping a record of this as the campaign progresses</li><li>The whole arrangement other use felt really good, my only personal misgiving was having to terminate the session so abruptly! It’s nice to have a bit of post-play decompression before leaping back to workaday life, especially when playing online</li><li>Really looking forward to session 2, which begins in media res…</li></ul><div>Rather helpfully, I received some immediate feedback from J:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li></li><li>Suggested ending the session at the landing of the boat, to establish a cliff hanger moment</li><li>Keep house-keeping outside of gaming hour: dedicate separate channels for both character and player introductions </li><li>Direct quote: "<i>There's not much room in there to socialize AND explain our characters AND explore the City of Ghosts, but it might improve the experience of the latter if we had access to the two former elements in a more leisurely manner."</i></li></ul>This was really great and inspired me to set up the discord as follows:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPH9G5ao2rFOUpQFP6l4LLVEZHtcBZgBUvg-Deucp2Lz6itZO2dgQD5Uw00Wj9vsOFJ3OjlfCBNfQr13rPcYeaaa-DAlvTtpFNGGsTCaDFw8aEivsuN0UiIBYx1DI2I2WHLD_XS_OHb7EYUvC3TrWzlwiOWlmzMaNUS-8zzfD_UefHm8DSF_lSX2S6e1we" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPH9G5ao2rFOUpQFP6l4LLVEZHtcBZgBUvg-Deucp2Lz6itZO2dgQD5Uw00Wj9vsOFJ3OjlfCBNfQr13rPcYeaaa-DAlvTtpFNGGsTCaDFw8aEivsuN0UiIBYx1DI2I2WHLD_XS_OHb7EYUvC3TrWzlwiOWlmzMaNUS-8zzfD_UefHm8DSF_lSX2S6e1we" width="168" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Essentially, there are multiple dedicated text channels all sitting together in one category for navigation ease, as follows:<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Start here</b> provides an overview of how the category is organised and links to materials related to the game.</li><li><b>New player introductions </b>allows players to say a little about themselves as there's little time for this during the session.</li><li><b>Game chat</b> is the text channel used during the game, but also to share any other specifically game related stuff. We're not at there yet but it may also turn out to be the channel where players organise downtime activities and plan out future expeditions/delves. We'll see!</li><li><b>Maps & references</b> is where I pin any useful images previously shared in the game channel</li><li><b>Meta-chat</b> is the the off-topic channel for players to get to know each other better</li><li><b>thecogpariahband</b> is for sharing characters (<b>the</b>_<b>c</b>ity<b>_o</b>f_<b>g</b>hosts_<b>pariah</b>_<b>band</b>). A few sessions in (as the band grows) I'll pin a roster .</li></ol><div>As the campaign progresses I'll keep tabs on how this side of things develops, in addition to what's happening within the game world. </div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Read the session 2 report here:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-one-hour-pariah-sandbox-city-of_26.html</a> </div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links</h3><p></p><p>Ben Lawrence talks megadungeons with Luke Gearing:<br /><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709</a></p><p>All one-hour game posts<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game" target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20hour%20game</a></p><p>City of Ghosts Pariah Generator<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-pariah-generator-city-of-ghosts.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-pariah-generator-city-of-ghosts.html<br /></a><br />PARIAH Free Edition<br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah-art-free">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah-art-free</a><br /><br />Sandbox Core Principles:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html" target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html</a></p></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-3571565317118735552023-12-16T08:37:00.002+00:002023-12-16T08:44:00.136+00:00Anthropology and Archaeology: The RPG Blog Carnival<p>This is essentially a<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slush_pile" target="_blank"> slush-pile post</a>: last September, user Rook of <a href="https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Beneath Foreign Planets</a> on the Weird and Wonderful Worlds discord server hosted the RPG Blog Carnival with the theme <i>Anthropology and Archaeology</i>. The complete list of posts is at this link is a veritable treasure trove.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMpjXWGp6XCpoi7Sm8tmQ3_NvS4PG-Tc6g2lHyw3nPeJrKQ5KYfwALyaN7WhZs0WSIHJGbdFM4FMkAEITXOw2UWpDX_DddUm9CTESvltIb4pMAI3Pct0dfPyE_ik3GETxbH4toWJ-S0mFEj3FNVA0i6OO8wzMRtYpb5DFR9xEm3RvRGUO60NNYdk3-Ai_/s2500/2-47.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2269" data-original-width="2500" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMpjXWGp6XCpoi7Sm8tmQ3_NvS4PG-Tc6g2lHyw3nPeJrKQ5KYfwALyaN7WhZs0WSIHJGbdFM4FMkAEITXOw2UWpDX_DddUm9CTESvltIb4pMAI3Pct0dfPyE_ik3GETxbH4toWJ-S0mFEj3FNVA0i6OO8wzMRtYpb5DFR9xEm3RvRGUO60NNYdk3-Ai_/w640-h580/2-47.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Neolithic figurines, Gozo Museum of Archaeology, Malta</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>My first (and I should add, incomplete) degree was in anthropology and it's a discipline I would dearly like to return to one day, possibly when (if?) I (get to?) retire. Consequently I had a few ideas but never, had a chance to expand on any of them. The following is a list of posts I’m likely never going to write out in full: I hope they might inspire someone to make something more of them. In no particular order...</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;">Archaeology and the Delve</h2><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTCQ_LWeH8ePpWZVGPehI0UL2Jz3vvqrC2r9dNyL3lt422HP6TGQj_4ebgiEnN1WsknTXPZU1lbtth6oijCEVfdWnCSyJJHSjfhWpSAYcKqFAfXH4cM_bPw_w_KwKkSSkpAEeLAZ4xyE963hDfkTx2FROP6g2_cEsF7zkmxVO_LXFjUU81ih3p3yYgEqz/s911/Tropes.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTCQ_LWeH8ePpWZVGPehI0UL2Jz3vvqrC2r9dNyL3lt422HP6TGQj_4ebgiEnN1WsknTXPZU1lbtth6oijCEVfdWnCSyJJHSjfhWpSAYcKqFAfXH4cM_bPw_w_KwKkSSkpAEeLAZ4xyE963hDfkTx2FROP6g2_cEsF7zkmxVO_LXFjUU81ih3p3yYgEqz/w430-h640/Tropes.png" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This meme is itself an archaeological relic</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Like archaeologists, dungeon delvers unearth relics of the past and return them to the surface. Obviously there exists a world of difference between the two occupations in terms of care, professional liability and interest in truth (as opposed to getting the shiny-shiny) but the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdventurerArchaeologist" target="_blank">trope of the adventurer-archaeologist</a> has a number of strong precedents, from Indiana Jones to Alien: Covenant (and more about the other tropes in that movie below).</div><p>Archaeology as in in-game activity presents a rich seam of inspiration for the RPG world, and I toyed with how best to manifest this concept in-game. Ultimately <a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/09/25/rpg-blog-carnival-archaeology-of-the-sea-of-stars/" target="_blank">Sea of Stars did a grand job </a>of developing this idea.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Ancient Aliens & the Ancient Apocalypse</h2><p>This was going to be hard enough to summarise in a blogpost, so my brain-splurge here is probably not going to help explain what my intention would have been... the topic is quite divisive, and understandably so, so please enjoy this bulleted list with an open (ish?) mind....</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The level of scholarship in the TV show Ancient Aliens is non-existent. The show (and related media) is great fun, if viewed as a piece of speculative however, except for…</li><li>…the horrible disservice this does to the cultures of the past that (probably) created them, and the contemporary cultures that have inherited their legacy.</li><li>On top of that, all of the monumental architecture that attracts the attention of this show is located in countries that are emerging from a history of colonial exploitation. The [racist] subtext apparent to the people of those nations being: <i>"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)" target="_blank">these people </a></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)" target="_blank">(tm)</a> <i>were primitive until Europeans brought civilisation to them: how could they possibly have achieved this without the assistance of a more "advanced" culture than their own?"</i></li><li>By no small coincidence this is the most egregious criticism that can be levelled against the parallel trope of the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdvancedAncientHumans" rel="nofollow">Advanced Ancient Humans</a> , more recently epitomised by Graham Hancock's Netflix series <i>Ancient Apocalypse </i>however...</li><li>...Hancock does use the "civilising hero" myth prevalent in a vast range of human cultures (from Quetzacoatl to Prometheus) as a general launch point into his investigations and...</li><li>...his dismay at the ruin wrought by colonialism, particularly in mesoamerica, appears genuine but...</li><li>...he is definitely, definitely an individual who enjoys whipping up controversy and false dichotomies in order to continue to grow sales of his multiple books...</li><li>...nonetheless I'd love to sit down and have a long talk with him and...</li><li>...the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis <i>is </i>compelling, and the volume of evidence supporting the so-called “Clovis comet” is growing, even if it is not yet convincing.<br /><br />That said, this archaeologist probably analyses everything wrong with Hancock's hypothesis better than I can (video courtesy Janet of <a href="https://thestygianseas.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sailing the Stygian Seas</a> : <a href="https://discord.com/channels/621283674624622603/700140980472512552/1142630454353215498">https://discord.com/channels/621283674624622603/700140980472512552/1142630454353215498</a></li></ol><div>Ultimately, the reason why the fantasy trope of the precursor culture remains so pervasive is because a) it’s fun and b) it’s an ingrained element of the human psyche. While hard-working archaeologists and historians point at the absence of any real evidence, it remains popular because it paints a picture of humanity that is somehow more fantastic yet also more simplistic.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Anthropology of RPG Creators </h2><p>A bit meta, but wouldn’t this make for an interesting ethnography? </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Gaming as experimental archaeology I</h2><p>This post concept arose from the work of Barney Dicker of the (currently mothballed) Loco Ludos podcast. Barney’s Mesolithic RPG The Alluvial Plains was used as means by which to imagine and explore life in Doggerland. I think this is especially relevant to the study of prehistory, where there the absence of written records exacts a heavy burden on the objects archaeologists recover and the contexts in which they are found.</p><p>Sidebar: how useful would a crunchier <i>Dialect</i> be to linguistic anthropologists in reconstructing cultures around dead languages? Probably a bit too hard Sapir–Whorf hypothesis?</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">PARIAH Appendix N</h2><p>There’s a fair few anthropological texts in the list (and one or two surprises) but this needs a thorough treatment. A post idea that might make it out the other side.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Gaming as Experimental Archaeology II</h2><p>There’s one or two RPGs about playing RPGs… what about an RPG about archaeologists playing an RPG as part of their work? Alternatively, a game within a game: characters reconstruct an ancient mystery by acting it out.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Storytelling as in-game worldbuilding device</h2><p>Say around a campfire at the end of a tiring day, the party recount the folk tales of their various cultures to one another. Players can use this to introduce monsters, artefacts and locations into the game world.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Storytelling magic </h2><div>Alternative to the above and drawn from multiple indigenous cultures, a magic system based around folk tales that are recited to inflict curses or to inspire.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alternatively: instead of rumours, “dreaming tracks”: the aboriginal tradition of tying a story to the landscape. PCs hear the tale of an ancient spirit or else god, and retrace that journey in hopes of finding wisdom/treasure/stories. Again, one I might reasonably work on at a later date.</div><p>~</p><p>I've never done a slush-pile post before (I think?) though maybe <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/%23deadbirds" target="_blank">these might count</a>. My understanding of its use in the world of RPG blogging comes from (predictably) <a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-be-creative-also-blobbins.html" target="_blank">Arnold K</a> and I think <a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2015/01/tales-from-slush-pile.html" target="_blank">this post is an early example of a public-facing slush pile</a>. The king of the slush pile, however, sits on a <a href="https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/search/label/slush%20pile" target="_blank">Throne of Salt. This man's trash is our treasure.</a></p><p>Much as I'm happy to contribute to this blogging event 3months late and with a pile of undeveloped ideas, there's some guilt at play given the quality of what was shared. A personal highlight was the <a href="https://homicidallyinclinedpersonsofnofixedaddress.com/2023/04/28/gift-economies/" target="_blank">Gift Economy post by Homicidally Inclined Person </a>.Thanks to Rook for putting this cool event together.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2>Publishing Slush Pile<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slush_pile">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slush_pile</a><p>Rook's blog<br /><a href="https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com" target="_blank">https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com</a></p><p>Weird and Wonderful Worlds blog<br /><a href="https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">https://weirdwonderfulworlds.blogspot.com/</a></p><p>RPG BLOG CARNIVAL MEGAPOST<br /><a href="https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/10/archaeology-and-anthropology-blog.html">https://foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/10/archaeology-and-anthropology-blog.html</a></p><p>Adventurer Archaeologist Trope<br /><a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdventurerArchaeologist">https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdventurerArchaeologist</a></p><p>In-game archaeology<br /><a href="https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/09/25/rpg-blog-carnival-archaeology-of-the-sea-of-stars/">https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/09/25/rpg-blog-carnival-archaeology-of-the-sea-of-stars/</a></p><p>Othering<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_(philosophy)</a></p><p>Advanced ancient civilisation trope:<br /><a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdvancedAncientHumans">https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AdvancedAncientHuman</a></p><p>Dead Birds<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/%23deadbirds">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/search/label/%23deadbirds</a></p><p>Goblin Punch: How to Be Creative<br /><a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-be-creative-also-blobbins.html">https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-be-creative-also-blobbins.html</a></p><p>Tales From the Slush Pile<br /><a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2015/01/tales-from-slush-pile.html">https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2015/01/tales-from-slush-pile.html</a><br /><br />Throne of Salt's posts labelled as <i>slush</i><br /><a href="https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/search/label/slush%20pile" target="_blank">https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/search/label/slush%20pile</a></p><p>Gift Economy <br /><a href="https://homicidallyinclinedpersonsofnofixedaddress.com/2023/04/28/gift-economies/">https://homicidallyinclinedpersonsofnofixedaddress.com/2023/04/28/gift-economies/</a></p></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-47864230836113632292023-12-14T05:08:00.005+00:002023-12-17T07:57:34.034+00:00New Pariah Generator: CITY OF GHOSTS campaign<p>Ahead of Friday's inaugural "lunchbox" it became clear that a new generator was needed! Excellent, a chance to tear my hair out over Javascript... here's a post explaining what I mean by "lunchbox" first:<br /></p><p><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html"><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="c2" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-city-of-ghosts-sandbox-playtest.html</span></span></span> </a></p><p></p><p>...here's the latest character generator:
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe src="https://null.perchance.org/cityofghostschargen2" style="border: none; height: 800px; width: 100%;"></iframe>
<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>* * *</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>If you want to play with the code the link for the generator is here: </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://perchance.org/cityofghostschargen2">https://perchance.org/cityofghostschargen2</a><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>Use the following code to embed this generator (or any other, just change the link) into your html:<br /><br /><iframe src="https://null.perchance.org/cityofghostschargen2" style="border: none; height: 600px; width: 100%;"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><div>Initial PARIAH/City of Ghosts post:<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2019/10/city-of-ghosts-new-project.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2019/10/city-of-ghosts-new-project.html</a><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><div>There is an <i>Alone in the Labyrinth</i> Substack, also home to the occasional podcast. Please subscribe:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/</a></div><div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div><div>PARIAH is available from the following online vendors:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/pariah</a></div>
<div><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311826/PARIAH-Volume-1">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311826/PARIAH-Volume-1</a></div><p></p><div><br /></div> Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-25436896640200774882023-12-11T04:30:01.138+00:002023-12-12T14:06:29.483+00:00Weapons & proficiency <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw this beautiful image of an opalite spearhead on a discord server (the image is a screengrab from this video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bffz6HjrF0w">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bffz6HjrF0w</a>, thank you, Krisnan) and it set me to thinking about weapons: specifically, proficiency and enchantment.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi3XetpPDMsqqTljTdH5OZqnkvG9K4dnhHI43noCOa_hmmdk1zw0Rs2yf-cBDa39Y0G0eCEFdlkHqxoq8UWf2-4IvDRjTXSosZtcBVHjlkf42Kjyg7_qplncpBVG960LyseNQhx3zaKrWHKqy3oKuK_ALQgF20SgsbrH9ONFfMNcJ9Ha78F8qCtLDiqMh/s581/opaliteSpearhead.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="497" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi3XetpPDMsqqTljTdH5OZqnkvG9K4dnhHI43noCOa_hmmdk1zw0Rs2yf-cBDa39Y0G0eCEFdlkHqxoq8UWf2-4IvDRjTXSosZtcBVHjlkf42Kjyg7_qplncpBVG960LyseNQhx3zaKrWHKqy3oKuK_ALQgF20SgsbrH9ONFfMNcJ9Ha78F8qCtLDiqMh/w548-h640/opaliteSpearhead.png" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image showing an opalite spearhead being held up to the sun.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Additional big shout out to <a href="https://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/" target="_blank">ANCIENT CRAFT</a> for their ongoing posting of Neolithic and late palaeolithic tool making videos.<div><br /></div><div>This is the nerdiest post I've made in a while and I'm proud of that. Disc-horsers prepare to be bored stiff... you may want to <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/12/weapons-proficiency.html#cool">skip to the part marked LEGENDARY WEAPONS</a> as that's probably more fun.<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;">BASIC WEAPON STUFF</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">Hit roll</h3><div>The standard convention of rolling to hit with a D20 is followed:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>STR modifiers alter melee attack rolls</li><li>DEX modifiers alter ranged attack rolls</li></ul><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Base damage</h3></div><p>PARIAH is a classless, level-less RPG adapted from Spwack's <a href="https://meanderingbanter.blogspot.com/2019/02/die-trying-v1.html" target="_blank">"GLOGalike nightmare" DIE TRYING </a>, though varying from that game in its use of hit dice as almost a "proto class", with (among other things) the pariah's hit die determining how much damage they do with an ordinary weapon attack. A D4 HD Pariah would normally inflict D4 damage with a spear; the same weapon in the hands of a D6 HD pariah would be more deadly, inflicting D6 damage.</p><p>There are a few variations to this rule:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Light Weapons (knives, small clubs, slings) roll two dice and choose the lower result; heavy weapons (great club, double axe, two-handed bonesword) roll two dice and choose the higher result</li><li>Bows and other mechanical weapons have a fixed damage die (e.g. bows = D6)</li><li>Metal weapons are more damaging (see materials)</li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></span>Additionally:<br /><br /><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><li aria-level="1" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Melee Damage is adjusted by a pariah’s STR modifier (STR also modifies the to-hit roll)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ranged Damage is adjusted by a pariah’s DEX modifier (DEX also modifies the to-hot roll)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Critical Hits do double total damage</span></p></li></ul><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Materials</span></h3><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">PARIAH is a game set in a fantasy late stone age and the majority of weapons are made from stone, bone or wood. However, metal is available...how can metal weapons be represented in the game?</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Already I've established that metal weapons are not always treated as "mundane" with regards to certain spirits or monsters: in other words, some creatures which are entirely immune to bone or stone weapons are harmed by metal, reflecting its origins in an other-worldly meteorite or the veins of the earth itself.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, I'm really enjoying the idea that metal weapons also inflict damage one die step higher than the bone or stone equivalent: metal arrowheads do D8 damage instead of D6, for example.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The opalite spearhead made by @lavabladez also made me think of high different materials might attract different spirits in the process of enchantment, and this is partially explored below.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Other properties</span></h3><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Weapons are listed as being piercing, slashing or bludgeoning (or combinations of the above): in general this is only important with regard to the immunities and resistances of certain creatures (e.g. giant snails in their shell ignore slashing damage), but also contributes to flavour in combat description.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">WEAPON PROFICIENCY</span></h2><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">PARIAH mentions proficiency in passing, but it’s never fully explored. While it is assumed pariahs are able to use any of the weapons listed, they can again additional proficiency during chargen… so what does that look like? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><div style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Unlock special weapon features</b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">When a pariah becomes proficient with a particular weapon type they are able to use it in new or surprising ways or overcome restrictions ordinarily associated with untrained use of the weapon:</span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Stone/Bone Knife:</b> if proficient, make two attacks a round against the same opponent, scoring a critical on a 19 or 20</span></li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Sling</b>: use the loaded sling as a light melee weapon</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Small Club:</b> </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">proficient</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> wielders may make two attacks a round with this light weapon</span></span></li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Blowpipe:</b> increase the normal range of the weapon to 50' (max is still 100')</span></li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Hand Axe</b>: No special features from proficiency</span></li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Spear:</b> proficient wielders may attack over opponents even if their comrades (or other enemies) are between them and their target, without penalty. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bow:</b> </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">proficient</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> wielders of the bow may move and loose an arrow in the same round</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Staff:</b> proficient wielders can an additional +1 to their defence while using the staff</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bonesword:</b> proficient wielders can an additional +1 to their defence while using the bonesword, and crits on a 19-20... boneswords have other special features, described below</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Double Axe:</b> a proficient wielder crits on a 19-20</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Great Club:</b> proficient wielders gain no special advantages</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Two-Handed Bonesword:</b> proficient wielders crit on a 19-20 (see further notes on boneswords, below)</span></span></li></ol></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Unlock bonuses from other attributes</b></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If proficient with a weapon, pariahs may have options to use additional stat bonuses in lieu of the traditional STR for melee and DEX for ranged. The idea here is that pariahs might overcome their shortcomings in combat by finding the right weapon:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><ol><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Stone/Bone Knife:</b> proficient wielders may modify both ranged and melee knife attack & damage rolls with DEX or INT</span> if either are higher than the conventional modifiers</li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Sling</b>: </span>proficient wielders may modify both ranged and melee sling attack<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> & damage roll</span>s with DEX or STR, if either are higher than the conventional modifiers</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Small Club: </b></span></span>proficient wielders may choose to modify melee attack<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> & damage roll</span>s with DEX instead of STR if this offers a better advantage</li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Blowpipe:</b> </span>proficient wielders may modify ranged blowpipe attack<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> & damage roll</span>s with CON or WIS, if either are higher than the conventional modifiers</li><li style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Hand Axe</b>: </span>proficient wielders may modify both ranged and melee hand axe attack<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> & damage roll</span>s with DEX or STR, if either are higher than the conventional modifiers</li><li><b style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Spear:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> proficient wielders may modify a thrown spear attack and damage roll with STR if it is higher than the </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">modify</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> they would usually receive from DEX</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bow:</b> </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">proficient</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> wielders of the bow may modify attack and damage rolls with INT or WIS, if either of those offer a better advantage than DEX</span></span></li><li><b style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Staff:</b><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> proficient wielders may modify attack and damage rolls with DEX, </span>if it offers a better advantage than STR</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bonesword:</b> </span></span>proficient wielders may modify attack and damage rolls with DEX, if it offers a better advantage than STR</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Double Axe:</b> a proficient wielder may m</span></span>odify attack and damage rolls with CON, if it offers a better advantage than STR</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Great Club:</b> </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">a proficient wielder may m</span>odify attack and damage rolls with CON, if it offers a better advantage than STR</li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Two-Handed Bonesword:</b> </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">a proficient wielder may m</span>odify attack and damage rolls with CON, if it offers a better advantage than STR</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Daily features:</b></span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Inspired by an <a href="https://flowiconoclastic.blogspot.com/2022/10/blades-with-brains.html" target="_blank">earlier post I made about magic weapon</a>s, I thought it would be fun if someone </span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">proficient</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> with weapons actually gained some more narrative abilities rather than (or in addition to) variations on the applied mechanical +/-.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">At its most simple, this would take the form of a proficient wielder being able to perform one of the abilities on the list below once per day:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Automatically hit an enemy OR</li><li>Inflict maximum damage OR</li><li>Make an extra attack in a round</li><li>"Call" a non-lethal shot i.e. cut a rope, disarm an opponent, knock someone out with a bludgeoning weapon etc.</li></ul><div>...just a few mundane but relatively powerful options that make a warrior truly feel skilled with their chosen weapon. </div><div><br /></div><div>As with everything in PARIAH, proficiency can be improved by the placement of an "x" against that skill. Traditionally, once three Xs are placed that skill improves. In the case of weapon proficiency, that might mean that the weapon wielder has the option to use one of the above abilities twice a day, then thrice and so-on. Players are then presented with the choice of either increasing their pariah's base attack bonus with all weapons or their proficiency with a particular weapon type as they progress.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;" id = "cool">LEGENDARY WEAPONS</h2><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECCxnbauFvRZTMpWigu0E9R15FeCwL__vXxiKFtd8MBnPjUNrSBvPAVb17-pcpvigB2eQe0L95Fvha_2-ALH1tdnZER1I5sPI50hSXJVeTU1q0QeC1c5L0KhKTgXqdX6pqUrU1dIwulLRn2pRHzeGauIuUDXyL5Y3oJFudZ9FdBrke1CYi6X4zqnBpxE1/s1306/AncientCraft.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1306" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECCxnbauFvRZTMpWigu0E9R15FeCwL__vXxiKFtd8MBnPjUNrSBvPAVb17-pcpvigB2eQe0L95Fvha_2-ALH1tdnZER1I5sPI50hSXJVeTU1q0QeC1c5L0KhKTgXqdX6pqUrU1dIwulLRn2pRHzeGauIuUDXyL5Y3oJFudZ9FdBrke1CYi6X4zqnBpxE1/s320/AncientCraft.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flint... spearhead? Knapped by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C0KKWDftU7s/?hl=en" target="_blank">Ancient Craft</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Instead of putting an X against heir proficiency, they can improve weapon itself. PARIAH is a game within an animist setting, and a hitherto unexplored aspect is the notion of human-made objects taking on some of their creator's (and wielder's) characteristics, eventually gaining a personality of their own.</div><div><br /></div><div>As with proficiency, players may choose to "place an x" against an individual weapon to improve its characteristics. Every three Xs, it gains a special feature described below, effectively "levelling up":</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Name</b>: after its first three Xs, the weapon becomes legendary and rightfully earns its own name. The pariah must name the weapon if they haven't already: it is now known to the spirits. Once per encounter they pariah may wield this weapon in an intimidating manner and automatically trigger a morale check in an individual enemy or group of enemies. The weapon is not yet considered magical for the purposes of attacking certain enchanted creatures, however.</li><li><b>Enchantment: </b>a further 3 Xs really ramps up the weapon's magic, adding an additional +1 to hit and damage rolls for anyone wielding it. It is now considered an <i>enchanted</i> weapon for the purposes of attacking certain magical spirits and entities.</li><li><b>Weapon specific magic:</b> Gains a magical weapon- specific feature, as listed below. These can be chosen or randomly rolled, and if the weapon continues to evolve it will have the chance to gain an additional magical power in the future.</li><li><b>Weapon is sapient: </b>anyone holding the weapon is aware that it has personality and character of its own, though it does this voicelessly. It starts to only respond favourably to its regular wielder. Make a reaction roll when a stranger picks it up to see how well the weapon responds to unfamiliar hands...</li><li><b>+2 weapon: </b>the weapon now confers an additional +2 to hit and damage rolls, on top of all other modifiers enjoyed by the wielder.</li><li><b>Weapon specific magic 2: </b>Gains a second magical specific feature (below)</li><li><b>Deadliest of Weapons:</b> Once a day may automatically kill any one mundane opponent <u>it successfully strikes, no save</u>. When used against non-mundane spirits this power inflicts triple maximum damage. </li><li><b>Weapon can speak audibly: </b>The weapon's sapience manifests in a voice audible to all within earshot, though usually it communicates telepathically with its wielder. It expresses a preference for certain kinds of violence, and may actively disobey its wielder if its desires aren't fulfilled. It cannot be wielded by anyone else while its original wielder yet lives: if they are killed, the weapon drops back to item 3 on this list. Refer to the <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/09/becmi-intelligent-swords.html" target="_blank">BECMI intelligent sword rules if desired</a></li><li><b>+3 weapon </b>to hit and damage rolls with this weapon, on top of all other bonuses. This weapon may now harm Greater Spirits & <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2019/12/more-animal-spirits-continued.html" rel="nofollow">Demons</a>. If the current wielder is killed the weapon drops down to item 5 on this list. </li><li><b>Mythic Weapon:</b> Pick a legendary foe, preferably one with which the weapon and its wielder have some previous beef. The weapon believes its destiny is to eradicate this foe, and will not rest until this goal is achieved. If the wielder is slain before this goal is achieved the weapon waits for a wielder who can complete this quest: it cannot be used in combat by someone not committed to this goal. Prospective wielders may need to prove their worth to the weapon.</li></ol></div><p></p><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Weapon specific magic</h3></div><div>Choose a special magical feature specific to the weapon type as the legendary weapon gains power.</div><div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Knife </b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><ol><li><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cuts through bound spell spirits, releasing them from bondage. Alternatively the knife can be used to attack spell-spirits bound to people or objects directly without harming the person or object.</span></li><li>Cuts through reality and create portals to other realms which the wielder may pass through, returning up to an hour later. </li><li>Cuts through the bindings of soul to flesh: victim must save vs devices or find their non-corporeal soul is 2d100 feet from its usual host body. </li><li>Gains a bound spell-spirit appropriate to the material from which it is fashioned i.e. bone = death, opalite = sun etc.</li><li>Illuminates 10’ radius on command. </li><li>Returns to hand when thrown, on a miss only.</li></ol><div></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Sling</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Any stone missing its target transforms into a wolf, attacking its intended target on the following round.</span></li><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">If struck, opponent must <i>save vs. devices</i> or immediately flee in terror. </span></li><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Spending a round swirling the sling builds up its power: when released on the following round, the pellet automatically hits and inflicts double damage.</span></li><li>Transforms any appropriately sized object into a pellet (eggs, mice, handfuls of dirt) once placed in the sling, reverting to original form after being slung.</li></ol><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Small Club</b></span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anyone struck by the magical club must save vs devices or be stunned for D4 rounds.</span></li><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">When held aloft, the club allows the wielder to fly.</span></li><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">If wielded by a proficient user making two attacks successfully, they may then make two further attacks against the same or another opponent.</span></li><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Authority: the wielder of the club increases the morale of allies by one; additionally, once a day they may rally allies who fail morale checks, ignoring the negative result.</span></li></ol><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Blowpipe</b></span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Darts fired from the gun can transform into birds with a telepathic link to the wielder, acting as spies for the next 24 hours.</li><li>Darts fired from the gun can transform into D4 adders, a swarm of bees or a plague of frogs to harass their opponent before disappearing into the wilderness. </li><li>If the blowgun is sucked, it can steal any item from its target. No attack roll is made, but they can make a save vs. devices to resist. The item is magically stored in the wielder’s belly and can be reproduced from their mouth at any time. It does not have to be small enough to fit, but cannot be larger than the wielder. This power can also be used to steal abstract things like skills, memories, laughter etc.</li><li>Improbably accurate: the blowgun can be used up to its maximum range (100’) with no penalty.</li><li>Petrifying darts: ordinary darts are imbued with the power to turn their victims to stone (save vs paralysis) when fired from this blowgun.</li><li>The blowgun can be used as a snorkel, appearing as a tall reed, sedge or bamboo shoot above the surface, concealing the wielder below water.</li></ol></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Hand Axe </b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After throwing the wielder can command the axe to transform into a falcon obeying their instructions; it remains in avian form until commanded or “slain”.</span></li><li>If twirled above the wielder’s head the axe allows the wielder to levitate upwards at 20’/round; the same technique can control free fall at the same rate.</li><li>The hand axe acts as a warding amulet against magic, and may absorb up to three spell-spirits for discharge at a later time.</li><li>When thrown, the hand axe always returns to its wielder after a miss. On a hit, the hand axe may make independent melee attacks (as wielder) while the wielder stays at range, returning to the wielder’s hand if it misses an attack. </li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Spear </b></span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>After being thrown the spear transforms into a giant boar allied to the wielder until commanded to return to weapon form.</li><li>Anyone struck from range by the magical spear must <i>save vs. Devices</i> or be magically pinned to the ground for 3d4 rounds.</li><li>Deadly throw: the spear is launched in a straight line not striking the ground until it attains maximum range, piercing all those within its trajectory. They each receive maximum spear damage, though may save vs. Device to halve</li><li>On command the spear can float by the wielder’s side, launching itself at an opponent within range whenever the wielder desires.</li><li>The spear always returns to the wielder’s hand if it misses its target. If it strikes its target after being thrown it cannot be removed by conventional means and slows them to quarter speed.</li><li>When stabbed into the ground the spear conjures a water, rock or fire elemental loyal to the wielder. This power is useable once a day and the elemental disappears in one hour.</li></ol></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bow </b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ol><li>Arrow of time: the bow sends an arrow 1d8 rounds into the future. Play continues until D8 rounds have passed, at which point the wielder may choose to accept this fate or “restart” at any point e firing the arrow. </li><li>Arrows fired from this bow are transformed into venomous serpents upon striking their opponent, attacking them until cowed or killed.</li><li>The bow can transform any arrow-sized object (snake, stick, strand of human hair) into an arrow, reverting to or map form after striking its target</li><li>The bow ignites arrows on command.</li><li>The bow may fire two arrows simultaneously: if the first one strikes its target, the second will strike automatically or may roll to hit an alternate target; if the first arrow misses, the second arrow must roll to hit the same target.</li><li>The string of the bow can be played by the wielder as though it were an enchanting lyre or djembe, causing all who hear it to save vs. devices or immediately be charmed. Re-roll reactions of charmed entities with favour (3d6, keep highest).</li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Staff </b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Anyone mortal struck by the staff must save vs. devices or immediately be transformed into a peacock</li><li>On command the staff can be transformed into 2d4 adders or 1d2 pythons, obeying the wielder's instructions.</li><li>The staff attracts 1d6 spell-spirits of the sun and heavens, each one returning by to the Sun Lord after invocation. The staff can be recharged by placing it in the open during a thunderstorm</li><li>The staff can be shrunk to the size of a twig and hidden behind the ear at will</li><li>The staff can, if the wielder desires, age those it strikes by ten years if they fail a save vs devices</li><li>The staff is unbreakable</li><li>Using the staff as a vaulting pole enables the wielder to leap quadruple the normal length or height, landing unharmed.</li><li>While the wielder spends one round twirling their staff any weapons thrown or missile weapons loosed against them are deflected back against the aggressor.</li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bonesword </b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Any opponent slain by the sword may be invoked once as a spell-spirit of <i>death.</i></li><li>If the wielder desires, they may fall on their own sword, immediately slaying their body but sending their spirit towards the nearest enemy, whom they may immediately attempt to possess as though a ghost-walker.</li><li>Make a single attack roll: as the wielder pirouettes on the spot, any enemy within 5’ receives maximum damage if the attack roll is equal to or better than their defence. The wielder may not make any other moves or attacks that round, regardless of their magical abilities or proficiencies.</li><li>The single-handed bonesword does not shatter on a natural 1, unless the wielded wants to instead cause the failed attack (or defence roll) to succeed. Shattered weapons can be regrown (see below).</li><li>The wielder makes an attack against time. By day this cut opens a portal to the moon realm, conjuring a moon spirit in the form of either a bat swarm or D4 owls. By night, this conjures spirit of the Sun and Heavens in the form of a fiery eagle. The elemental spirit returns through the portal to its proper space and time after 2d4 rounds.</li><li>While twirling the blade for one round missile and thrown weapons are deflected back at their launcher for full damage.</li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Double Axe </b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ol><li>Furious strike: after slaying an opponent the axe drives the soul from its body with such force that enemies in a 30’ cone receive 2d10 damage (save vs device for half that)</li><li>Once a day for up to one hour the axe can transform into a cave bear.</li><li>The axe can fell a tree in a single strike, using the falling trees as lethal weapons.</li><li>The axe can cleave through any opponent that it fells, inflicting the same amount of damage to a subsequent opponent adjacent to the wielder. If that opponent is also slain, the cleaving arc continues until their are no adjacent opponents<b>.</b></li><li>The double-headed stone axe can insight NPC allies into a battle rage, giving them a morale of 12 for as long as they are actively engaged in melee it’s an enemy.</li><li>Whirlwind: by spending one round swinging the axe in a circular motion above their head, the wielded can summon a wind spirit that fights alongside the wielder for 1d4 rounds.</li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Great </b></span><b>Club </b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>At the start of combat, all enemies witnessing the terrifying club must make a morale check or flee.</li><li>Inspirational: all NPC allies fight as though their morale is 11 while in sight of the club</li><li>Transform: this Great Club can transform into a Griffin once a day for up to one hour</li><li>Tremor: when struck against the ground, the club causes the ground to shake in a 30’ radius; <i>save vs paralysis</i> or fall to the ground, stunned</li></ol></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Two-Handed Bonesword</b></span></div><div><ol><li><b>Animate slain opponent:</b> after killing an enemy, the wielder may release a previously imprisoned spirit (see below) into the corpse, enabling it to fight as an animated corpse for 3d4 rounds, after which point the spirit is liberated and returns to the Realm of the Dead. Note that the corpse's soul remains imprisoned in the blade, so this is a kind of soul-swap. </li><li><b>Decapitate: </b>a critical hit with this mighty weapon against a human-sized opponent leads to automatic decapitation. Alternatively, the wielded may choose a limb or other appendage to be removed. Against larger opponents it inflicts triple maximum damage instead, or whatever is agreed to be narratively appropriate.</li><li><b>Shatterproof: </b>As the single-handed bonesword, above.</li><li><b>Uncanny precision:</b> the sword can slice or cleave through allies or bystanders alike without harming them, striking at enemies otherwise shielded from view. This magical ability does not extend to slicing through inanimate materials.</li></ol><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A note about BONESWORDS...</span></h2><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Boneswords of both varieties are supposed to be a) rare and b) fragile (they shatter in critical failure). This would ordinarily make it very unlikely that a bonesword would become enchanted through regular use using the rules described above.</span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However (and this is worthy of a longer post): as well as being rare and fragile boneswords are inherently magical. They are not of human origin, and are usually sacred relics passed down through families with mysterious legends attached to them.</span></div><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div>Most importantly, shattered boneswords can repair themselves. The ritual is simple: reassemble the shattered pieces on a length of bloodied muslin, wrap the pieces up around the blade with the hilt protruding, then bury the blade upright to the hilt in the earth… come back in one week et voila! The sword is as good as new.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Soul blades</h3><div>Boneswords collect the souls of those they slay. Even if this blade is not “legendary” (see above), the wielder is aware of the consciousness(es) trapped within their weapon, and they may communicate with them if desired. These spirits are under no obligation to be helpful, though they cannot say anything they know to be untrue and are likely to cooperate in order to ensure their release.</div><div><br /></div><div>Certain bonesword powers rely on these dead souls, and utilising them leads to that spirit’s release: please see above.</div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Enchantment rituals</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A very large number of enemies encountered in PARIAH are resistant to mundane weapons, and this can prove challenging if PARIAHS don’t have any (or many) enchanted weapons. As an alternative, most wise-ones (perhaps even one of the pariahs) are aware of a ritual which can temporarily enchant a weapon until it has defeated a particular foe. This ritual could also be revealed to the pariahs following a psychedelic trip to another realm.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">This ritual enchants an existing weapon so that it can be used against a particular spirit or type of spirit currently plaguing them or their community. Three items are required:</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A weapon that has not yet drawn blood</li><li>Something precious or related to the spirit (a lock of hair, some ectoplasm, a chitinous claw etc.)</li><li>A relic of the spirit’s victim (blood, bone etc.)</li></ul><div>Following a night-ritual, the weapon is enchanted (treat as +1 and gain a weapon specific power) until the spirit or group of spirits are slain.</div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Until next time,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">- <i>Sofinho</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Links</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Opalite Spearhead manufacture</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bffz6HjrF0w">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bffz6HjrF0w</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">Ancient Craft UK</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/">https://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">DIE TRYING<br /><a href="https://meanderingbanter.blogspot.com/2019/02/die-trying-v1.html">https://meanderingbanter.blogspot.com/2019/02/die-trying-v1.html</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">Blades with Brains</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://flowiconoclastic.blogspot.com/2022/10/blades-with-brains.html">https://flowiconoclastic.blogspot.com/2022/10/blades-with-brains.html</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;">BECMI Intelligent swords</p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/09/becmi-intelligent-swords.html" target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/09/becmi-intelligent-swords.html</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-19323223757588898272023-12-08T17:38:00.003+00:002023-12-09T08:44:51.510+00:00THE CITY OF GHOSTS: SANDBOX & PLAYTESTA recent trip to <b>Dragonmeet </b>involving actual, face-to-face communication and the rolling of dice instilled a deep longing to get back to the gaming table. Sadly, sitting down with my partner to plan out the next few months it dawned on both of us that our lives are not going to be our own for a very long time. This is the price of having children in a declining former superpower, far from the embrace of a supportive extended family—an arrangement we entered voluntarily and could (in theory) escape at any time, so please don't send your sympathies. Nonetheless the reality remains fixed: no nights off for elf-games.<div><br /></div><div>(Foot note: need an alternative semi-humorous shorthand for the RPGs I play: "elf-games" has the whiff of vanilla fantasy... one that springs to mind was "spirit-games" but that sounds like a Victorian parlour game) </div><div><br /></div><div>There's also the matter of this cover image, first shared in this post back in May last year: <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/05/pariah-volume-2-city-of-ghosts.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/05/pariah-volume-2-city-of-ghosts.html</a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszyaBhSKwFEwSd5cUb86HftT6Dl4P7xztAoQttukJR66jj33Ey1Rjyogy_RnS1wvVzvU-HFtMOpwLhejmI-G_zmUnsnOQB0svHNI9XafSCeRujOBjmUBNoPBsRIf6x6GW4Y0yMinsQJf1jcymZyVvuoSZFYFnEdsP6WwKSshYvMPmyZ3ShiiiAO6U5nXc/s3496/Cover.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3496" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszyaBhSKwFEwSd5cUb86HftT6Dl4P7xztAoQttukJR66jj33Ey1Rjyogy_RnS1wvVzvU-HFtMOpwLhejmI-G_zmUnsnOQB0svHNI9XafSCeRujOBjmUBNoPBsRIf6x6GW4Y0yMinsQJf1jcymZyVvuoSZFYFnEdsP6WwKSshYvMPmyZ3ShiiiAO6U5nXc/w640-h454/Cover.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>City of Ghosts</i> cover image by Jef Cox</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In short, I have a lot of material ready to go but I want to explore it at the table before releasing it to the world. Fortunately, inspiration was at hand in the form of Ben Lawrence's <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709">megadungeon podcast, in which Luke Gearing was interviewed</a>. Turns out that Luke's only gone and been running a weekly online game in his one hour lunch break. Having said that, special mention must go to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/mountainfoot/posts">Pat Eyler aka Foot of the Mountain</a> who has previously shared details of his (face-to-face) lunchtime campaign on his Patreon, which undoubtedly sowed the seed for this latest venture...</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Core Principles</h2><div><br /></div><div>I think it's good to start with some over-arching structure concerning how the game's going to operate. Sort of meta to this is the process of these principles being shared, embellished and elaborated on the blog parallel to campaign reports, so consider this a work in progress:</div><div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-10d3a5da-7fff-a2a7-fd5a-00a662e8dafa"><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The game is about exploration and interaction with a fictional world </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">that emerges in the shared imagination of its players: while maps, character sheets and other audio-visual cues all contribute to the construction of this world, </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">the “core mechanic” is dialogue</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mostly this dialogue occurs between the GM and the other players, but OOC (out of character) discussion between players is actively encouraged. </span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Dramatic role play is appreciated but is not essentia</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">l to play the game: </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">3rd person description is equally valid</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">To paraphrase Frank Menzer: </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Pariah is a game that is FUN</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">! However </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">player safety is paramount </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">and we will work together to establish the </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">lines and veils</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> defining the boundaries to that fun</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">This does not absolve character(s) from consequence!</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is assumed that a big part of the fun is witnessing the consequences of character actions play out in the game world, both positive and negative</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The weekly, one hour voice chat games focus on exploration of the apparently abandoned Neolithic *City of Ghosts*, an </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">expedition </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">and will aim to return to camp by the end of the session, though sometimes the party will be unable to do so…</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in the latter case, the following session will pick up where the last left off, with changes to the PC roster handwaved…</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">If PCs return to camp at the end of the session it is assumed “</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">in-world” time between expeditions passes at the same rate as real world time between sessions</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Players can have pariahs carry out </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">downtime activities between expeditions</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">: this will be done </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">in text chat between sessi<span style="font-family: inherit;">ons</span></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, if desired</span></span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Player-facing mechanics are taken from pariah vol 1 with some mo</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">difications, as outlined below</span></span></p></li></ul></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span>Lines & Veils</span></h2><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the past I’ve stated that I prefer to run a PG-13 game: while running a game of </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Heart: The City Beneath </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I reflected on that statement, and think it’s probably truer to say that my games have a “15” certificate in that there is likely to be strong language, risky behaviour, violence (though not extreme injury detail) and strong themes of threat & horror</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Within that context, I offer the following lines and veils as starting points and invite players to add to this. I encourage players to do this via private message if anonymity is preferred.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">LINE: sexual assault </span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">VEIL: violence against children (not expected to be a feature of the game)</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">VEIL: extreme injury detail (horrible injuries might occur, but we need not dwell on it)</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">VEIL: sex “scenes” will fade to black, if they occur (not expected to be a feature of the game, this is basically a dungeon crawl but who knows)</span></span></p></li></ul><div><span><br /></span></div></span><span><h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;">Player facing rules</h1><h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Players generate characters using <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311826/PARIAH-Volume-1" target="_blank">PARIAH volume 1</a>, with the following amendments:</span></span></div></h1><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Attribute modifiers are reduced as follows:</span></span></p></li><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="2" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: circle; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">3-5: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="text-wrap: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">-1</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="2" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: circle; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">6-15: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="text-wrap: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">-</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="2" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: circle; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16-17: +1</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="2" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: circle; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">18: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="text-wrap: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">+2</span></span></p></li></ul><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">The previous DC/target number system for skill/attribute checks is jettisoned: I’ll probably start off flitting between D20 saving throws and a </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">World of Dungeons</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">-esque 2d6 #</span></span></p></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Outside of the voice sessions the downtime/community building aspect can be explored in text chat: this area represents a WIP and I’m interested in what the players want to contribute to this. </span></span></p></span></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Player Quorum</h2>I’m happy to play games 1-1, especially if the player is running multiple characters, but I think it’s important to allow players to opt out of this without any consequences if they’d prefer not to be the only one running a PC.<br /><br />Regarding maximum number of players… I’m not sure. I’ve run fairly large face-to-face games before but I’m not so happy to do this online, as the inter-player conversation really suffers: it can turn into a host of players communicating with each other through the GM. But for now I’m not setting a top limit on it, I’m just keen to get as many people on board as possible!<div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Miscellany </h2>First session is next Friday (15th December), I'll aim to get a report up before the following session. I'm quite keen to discuss the meta-elements of running the game in this series of posts: this is a first for me in a number of ways and I'm looking forward to sharing the discoveries made along the way.<br /><h2><br /></h2><h2>Links</h2><div>City of Ghosts cover image</div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/05/pariah-volume-2-city-of-ghosts.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/05/pariah-volume-2-city-of-ghosts.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Into the Megadungeon podcast with Luke Gearing</div><div><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-malignant-presence/id1698032870?i=1000631581709</a><br /><br />Pat Eyler's Patreon<br /><a href="https://www.patreon.com/mountainfoot/posts">https://www.patreon.com/mountainfoot/posts</a></div><div><br /></div><div>PARIAH Volume 1</div><div><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311826/PARIAH-Volume-1">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311826/PARIAH-Volume-1</a></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-66011813050610724172023-10-20T03:17:00.002+00:002023-10-20T08:13:28.821+00:00Atop the Wailing Dunes: the Artefact<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb9eGze3K4d15QDGLrnmyMytpU6h15PbkSN4b_F1ut0aeh55Tq1C9vqhc0vFJJi94Fkyu9w1Kfag-IuFk6rY6bBusMPwn62HtLy5FitohxkJRO96VMI7Gxg-1DGVjXT2Lpn4op3kQ4jTdKk95TVsysfrz9AtECcdFVw8xc9V9pJK9fFdMm4f2fWXfYsB2/s3496/AHPA01_ATOP%20THE%20WAILING%20DUNES.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3496" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb9eGze3K4d15QDGLrnmyMytpU6h15PbkSN4b_F1ut0aeh55Tq1C9vqhc0vFJJi94Fkyu9w1Kfag-IuFk6rY6bBusMPwn62HtLy5FitohxkJRO96VMI7Gxg-1DGVjXT2Lpn4op3kQ4jTdKk95TVsysfrz9AtECcdFVw8xc9V9pJK9fFdMm4f2fWXfYsB2/w640-h454/AHPA01_ATOP%20THE%20WAILING%20DUNES.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centre spread of <i>Atop the Wailing Dunes: illustration by </i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/snailedlyndenbell/?hl=en" target="_blank">Edd0</a> text transcribed below</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">THE ARTEFACT</h2><p><b>Form of the Artefact</b></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>3D realisation of Mandelbrot set, to be worn as a mask by its wielder</li><li>Incandescent floating ovoid, size of an ostrich egg</li><li>Plumed helmet as the <i>Blighted One’s</i>, though fits a human head</li><li>Set of animated, concentric golden rings, levitating</li></ol><p></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Tales of an ancient magical object—a gift from the gods or spirits, now lost within the Wailing Dunes—are told by every human culture in the region. This object—the <i>Artefact</i>—represents a lost golden age of great abundance, supplanted by great tumult. While these legends serve as a cautionary tales or myth, the <i>Artefact </i>is very much a conscious agent in the <i>Here & Now</i>...<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What is the Artefact’s provenance?</b></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>A creation of the ancient giants: the sole survivor of that civilisation—The Blighted One—now stalks the dunes in search of it...</li><li>It fell to earth: a shooting star gifted to humanity from the Spirits of Beyond, now lying buried in the sand... waiting to be rediscovered by a true hero...</li><li>Plucked from the eye of a sleeping goddess: the Dawn Queen cursed the thieves that humanity might never benefit from The <i>Artefact’s </i>true power...</li><li>A creation of The Others to blight humanity: in revenge for destroying their ancient civilisation, the terrifying beings known as The Others created the <i>Artefact </i>to tempt, entice and confuse the human tribes...</li></ol><p></p><p></p><div>It longs for the touch of a human hand, to be wielded by and at once welded to a new master. It whispers on the breeze, but the Blighted One’s magic ensures that none born in these lands can grasp the whispers’ meaning nor their precise place of origin...</div><p>...but those born outside these lands understand these whispers clearly: their heart knows the precise location of the <i>Artefact</i>, and longs to be united with it...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Whispers of the Artefact</b></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Allow me to embolden you: your enemies shall tremble before your might. </li><li>By seeing into the hearts of those who would deceive you I can keep you safe</li><li>Come to me, fulfil your heart’s deepest desires: I long for your touch.</li><li>Do you miss those that you have lost? I can bring them back to you...</li><li>Gold and riches hitherto unimagined can be yours... let me show you how...</li><li>Heal your hurts and the wounds of your friends with my magic, come!</li><li>I can show you what lies beyond the stars, the true mysteries of The Beyond</li><li>Slake your thirst: be it for water, wine or blood... I yearn to sate your longing.</li><li>With my help, even the great spirits of the land will bow down to you as a god.</li><li>You need never experience hunger again, I can nourish your body & soul...</li></ol><p></p><div>The <i>Artefact </i>is utterly loyal to its master and cannot be wielded by another while the master yet lives; correspondingly, the master cannot suffer being more than ten feet from the <i>Artefact </i>at any time. They share a deep bond, and are aware when one another experiences emotional or physical distress.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>The <i>Artefact </i>can only be destroyed by casting it into the Spirit Mountain’s crater (Hex B). If thrown into the sea it will be returned to a random coastal hex.</div><div><br /></div><div>Randomly determine the <i>Artefact’s </i>power each day. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Daily Powers</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Command spirits: set Genius Loci dice as desired, lesser spirits are charmed </li><li>Compel all within earshot to listen to wielder’s speech; hostiles may save vs. spells</li><li>Conjure 1 ton of livestock, 1 lb of star metal or 1 oz of gold every hour</li><li>Heal sick or injured to full health, equivalent of 6HD per hour all day</li><li>Improve or worsen weather one step on appropriate hex-flower each hour</li><li>Petrifying ray: emit once/round, 1 ton of biomass to stone (sentients may save)</li><li>Psychic power: enjoy the benefits of telepathy, clairaudience and clairvoyance</li><li>Return 1 corpse to life regardless of state of decay OR animate 2d6 corpses</li><li>Teleport to a previously visited location—immediately and at will—once/day</li><li>Visit a previously visited alternative realm OR summon entity from that realm</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>The master may utilise a previously utilised power even if another power is active, but for a price: roll on the cursed table below.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Curse of abusing the Artefact's powers:</b></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Annihilation: all within 30’ sphere centred at master annihilated (except master & <i>Artefact</i>)</li><li>Bifurcation: the wielder separates into 2 identical clones, becoming arch enemies</li><li>Exsanguination: the wielder is drained of all blood; gains the curse of thirst</li><li>Mutation: over the course of one night’s sleep, the wielder develops a mutation (see AHPS1)</li><li>Obliviation: the wielder is immediately forgotten by everyone who as ever met them</li><li>Transportation: the wielder is immediately teleported D6 hexes away; the <i>Artefact </i>is not</li></ol><div><i>Atop the Wailing Dunes</i> is an adventure for PARIAH currently being delivered to all its patient and loyal backers. It will available to the wider public at some point before the end of the year.</div></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-1249273377195252752023-08-07T07:58:00.002+00:002023-08-07T10:22:54.940+00:00THE WEEKLY R/OSR BLOGROLL<p> This post was <a href="https://substack.com/profile/7205586-sofinho-joey-o-donovan/note/c-21982784" target="_blank">originally a note on substack</a>.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">THE WEEKLY OSR BLOGROLL</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nmPvgrUIJ_qgaVqgP0GBIWuguUDp-SvHIECcTvtw78Q94ZPnin6pELc9AC2AM-3P4YfKtg0R5wnOGNB_c-me5h0rEpScP523GvTc5Z5giHgYrKaUvjeUcqCRcmbB5hTODCOXjUSEw74TxrPP24ZUDP9yqr3bkb9KjjC3joUHWzz7E7sm4ryHhI0R5lPh/s256/communityIcon_rdfsgetdgmu41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="256" height="615" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nmPvgrUIJ_qgaVqgP0GBIWuguUDp-SvHIECcTvtw78Q94ZPnin6pELc9AC2AM-3P4YfKtg0R5wnOGNB_c-me5h0rEpScP523GvTc5Z5giHgYrKaUvjeUcqCRcmbB5hTODCOXjUSEw74TxrPP24ZUDP9yqr3bkb9KjjC3joUHWzz7E7sm4ryHhI0R5lPh/w640-h615/communityIcon_rdfsgetdgmu41.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p>If you have a podcasts, mailing list or blog related to old school (or old school adjacent) TTRPGs please post on the r/osr blogroll linked below, and have a look at other links shared as comments on that post:</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/15jgtd7/weekly_osr_vlogblogroll_round_up/">https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/15jgtd7/weekly_osr_vlogblogroll_round_up/</a></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Back in December 2019 I shared a post to r/osr in an attempt to give OSR blogs a regular home following the demise of Google Plus. I tried to post it every week, but I started to slack off… fortunately the mantle was taken up by <a href="https://shutteredroom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shuttered Room</a> and later <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Xaosseed</a>.</p><p>My goal would be that this would become an official, regular feature of the sub and would be regular meeting point for OSR bloggers far and wide. That dream was partially fulfilled when the mods at the sub set it up as an automated post every week. However, that decision was not well received, and many regular posters objected, leading to some debate concerning its purpose. </p><p>I’m not really interested in that discussion, but I have seen the blogroll fall in popularity. So: I’d like to take up some of the responsibility for promoting this cool community resource again. </p><p>The death of google plus and the curious state of Twitter tells us that TTRPGs need a more complex, more connected ecology of platforms rather than discrete, molecular outposts. I’m interested to hear what platforms you are most comfortable in (outside of this one) and to think how we can look at strengthening those connections. In the meantime, please share far and wide; post your blogs, newsletters and podcasts and lets help this niche sector of the hobby thrive!</p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-75187497412242916752023-08-05T14:34:00.000+00:002023-08-05T14:34:36.840+00:00THE DAWN REALM: Further thoughts on psychedelia and animism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The recent <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-beyond-cthulhu-dark.html"><i>Cthulhu Dark</i> post</a> served as a reminder of the long, long to do list that Pariah created. It also revived my interest in the structure of player-character-world interface through the prism of psychedelia. Given the obtuse twists and turns of both a) the aforementioned post and b) the preceding sentence I have set myself the task of keeping the prose clean, clear and concise….</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5dS5PO9le5ZclFHQ47mV8LMbRnBENjPetojEwVykm3JBsxkrFzfIbWoaUkzD6R2wEH3YekHc1RQPofYEAkBaCejwVwuTPQVknIAdAYdkt7By9ZP3owgRuc86FVdFrIYHfA8fORORaZa4QO_6mKuucTj_EsxKgND0YHr4whmvlXa5UIwLDtHQHr7M1xyo/s4032/Dawn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5dS5PO9le5ZclFHQ47mV8LMbRnBENjPetojEwVykm3JBsxkrFzfIbWoaUkzD6R2wEH3YekHc1RQPofYEAkBaCejwVwuTPQVknIAdAYdkt7By9ZP3owgRuc86FVdFrIYHfA8fORORaZa4QO_6mKuucTj_EsxKgND0YHr4whmvlXa5UIwLDtHQHr7M1xyo/w640-h480/Dawn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>…but first, my friends, a scruffy, ill-thought-out felt-pen sketch of how psychedelics can transform hexes... drawn and written so it is indecipherable.<span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Draft Concept</h2><div>My intention with this post is to begin sketching the in-game effects of ingesting psychedelics and to establish a precedent or model of procedures that can be applied to old-school games. The intention is not to simulate an authentic psychedelic experience. However, part of this re-design is to draw more strongly on my personal experiences with psychedelics to create a more interesting and immersive play experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I attempt to formulate some bridge between the in-world concepts at work an the ludic devices that best express them, it strikes me that the best way to express the ideas is to describe how I see this working as a play experience. This will flit between character and player perspectives.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Decision</h3><div>The player/character has decided to venture into the <i>Dawn Realm</i>: this might out of PC curiosity, or it might be driven by an in-world reason (seeking knowledge, removing a curse, locating an entity, communicating with a spirit etc.).</div><div><br /></div><div>Dawn is accessed through the character ingesting an entheogen or partaking an in-game ritual. For the purposes of this exploration we will imagine a pariah, <i>Rides-the-Grave</i> has prepared a soup using multiple giant mushrooms and has ingested <i>all of it</i>. He is inside a large tent he usually shares with other pariahs, who are currently away hunting. A small fire burns and he is surrounded by the emagre possessions he has collected during his time in exile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rides has The GM explains Rides' initial discomfort, but there are no other immediate effects: the GM will check in each turn to update the player on the effects of the mushrooms and to ascertain what the player wishes to do. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHoDhWJ6lthZwFQ7CISGQfN8cDdf9Z0cUTIXmwKbNFeWAch8G7fDPpz6T1-UGB5m8xQBEByY_CLz7g3Pun2N8vtyvKZMn3ZwajWlhSErS0HBR8o1i42vvJRnjE2iNUgpab3H9lGRQbWLugYQbcf7UBs7vvENbK5SnYWroePY9Q0rOhUYPCIHKdXRRaEMu/s5583/stinkhorn%20v2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5583" data-original-width="3928" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHoDhWJ6lthZwFQ7CISGQfN8cDdf9Z0cUTIXmwKbNFeWAch8G7fDPpz6T1-UGB5m8xQBEByY_CLz7g3Pun2N8vtyvKZMn3ZwajWlhSErS0HBR8o1i42vvJRnjE2iNUgpab3H9lGRQbWLugYQbcf7UBs7vvENbK5SnYWroePY9Q0rOhUYPCIHKdXRRaEMu/w450-h640/stinkhorn%20v2.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dawn Mushroom</i> by Abigail Lingford; from PARIAH volume 1</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><h3>The second turn</h3><div>After ten minutes... nothing has happened/changed. Maybe the pariah's stomach has settled? This acts as an incentive for the pariah to take... more...</div></div><div><br /></div><div>On this occasion, the player decides not to prepare any more magic mushroom soup and alleviates character boredom by carrying out a crafting activity: let's say they want to experiment with bamboo arrows, and settle down with some nice flint tools to start making them.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The third turn-emergence</h3><div>GM describes how much progress Rides has made with their arrow making (let's say they've managed to cut a few lengths of bamboo into multiple proto-arrows) and Rides is now thinking about how best to straighten out the natural kinks... when his attention becomes completely absorbed by the intricacies of the bamboo. The GM describes how instinctively he comes to recognise that this was an appendage of a living thing: it was once part of an organism that experience a storied life replete with challenges, setbacks and triumphs.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a prompt to the player (if they haven't experienced this before) that they might be granted the opportunity to interact with other living beings in a manner not open to their character previously. As a further nudge, the player is alerted to a small beetle scurrying across the floor, which stops and seems to stare at Rides. Rides reaches a hand down and the beetle crawls upon it: they regard one another for a moment. Rides' player states that the two of them leave the tent. Rides is holding a small flint cutting tool in his right hand, and an iridescent beetle sits upon his left.</div><div> </div><div><h3>Fourth turn</h3><div>Having abandoned the arrow cutting, the GM describes the outside world. The pariah camp is in a large jungle clearing, with two further tents pitched facing a large fire pit, still smouldering from the night before. This reminds the player that they left the fire burning in Rides' tent, they go back and put it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>As they do so, the GM explains to the player how slow and heavy Rides is feeling, and the immense effort it seems to take for Rides to put out the fire and then <i>go back outside again</i>: when they do so, the bright light from the sun is momentarily dazzling, and their vision does not really fully adjust.</div><div><br /></div><div>The GM describes how the forest fringing the camp's periphery is vibrating- or perhaps more precisely, <i>breathing</i>. The tree trunks seem to sell up and then deflate, as vines and foliage twist and writhe. Rides places a hand upon one of the trunks, and the GM alerts the player to the sensations Rides experiences.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most notably, layers and layers of <i>sound</i>, sensed through the medium of touch: he can hear the tree and the million or other creatures inhabiting it talking to one another. The player has Rides focus on the tree itself, and learns a little about its age (not that old by tree standards) its fears (the forest whispers of the unchecked growth of the city state to the south) and hopes (that its myriad children will emerge from the earth and feast on its corpse at the end of a long and glorious life.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Fifth turn—threshold</h3><div>The visual effects intensify: trailbacks, fractal geometry, distortion... as Rides begins to feel increasingly heavy. The GM describes the difficulty Rides is experiencing in keeping his eyes open: not for tiredness, but the sheer sensory overload as sounds and colours intertwine with one another. Rides' player is presented with a choice: attempt to stay standing and navigate the world of the <i>Here & Now</i> through this distorted lens... or embrace the inevitable, find somewhere safe and leave the <i>Here & Now </i>behind.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Rides asks the beetle—still perched on his hand—what to do:</div><div><br /></div><div>"I think you should just go with it, what's the worst that can happen?"</div><div><br /></div><div>The player acquiesces, and elects for Rides to slump at the foot of the tree rather than stagger to the tent. Closing his eyes, Rides experiences an interior landscape similar to the one before him externally, yet somehow more coherent. it's as though the peculiar visual distortions have coalesced into something entire, not one at odds with an exterior reality. The jungle has grown immensely high. The foliage shimmers in a range of iridescent colours, the call of wild animals emerge as distortions in the magenta sky above the towering treetops. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Rides is able to bring his attention to bear on myriad elements within this landscape and interact with them, as though he were a disembodied spirit: what's that tree thinking? How does the sky taste? What's happening beneath the ground? He feels the presence of the beetle alongside him, a glowing orb acting as both interlocutor and interpreter as he navigates the animist landscape.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4AAnz0gP7D8L13IwssWHtnxh927PKtrb6fXCEGTo7uWPQDjS0KSICtiLe4WxPhjv1o77CW32FGQCakuBCQitoznZ47NzEjx-suysA23ia4vLIwu2j0waUzOzgdJH7-0QWImqKVC8Bm-4ZX70rdDW6mc-oyESdDusxHlnyBOWPlp0hPEGzZPDKyE6PYW8/s791/Dawn%20Realm.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="521" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4AAnz0gP7D8L13IwssWHtnxh927PKtrb6fXCEGTo7uWPQDjS0KSICtiLe4WxPhjv1o77CW32FGQCakuBCQitoznZ47NzEjx-suysA23ia4vLIwu2j0waUzOzgdJH7-0QWImqKVC8Bm-4ZX70rdDW6mc-oyESdDusxHlnyBOWPlp0hPEGzZPDKyE6PYW8/w422-h640/Dawn%20Realm.png" width="422" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dawn Realm</i> by Jef Cox</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Sixth turn—immersion</h3><div>So far Rides has experienced this world as a human would: he's seen the individual parts and approached them as separate entities. But consciousness (in this realm, at least) is a two-way street: and the environment is becoming aware of him.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Pariah</i> pre-supposes the existence of "hex-level" spirits known as <i>Genius Loci</i> embodying the environments the pariahs explore. As Rides approaches an hour since ingesting a ridiculous quantity of mushrooms, it is this spirit that is now aware of his presence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rides witnesses the gentle collapse of his constructed landscape into a singular point. The GM again presents the player with 3 options: </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>embrace his own dissolution</b> and become one with the <i>genius loci</i></li><li><b>flee from this collapsing reality</b> and enter another one. </li><li>attempt to <b>halt the disintegration of the immediate environment through will power alone </b>and continue to explore the "threshold" level</li></ol><div>Options 2 & 3 represent some degree of "resisting" the current or trajectory of the experience, and this is perhaps the route that requires some kind of test or mechanic (like a save, skill check or ability test etc.). "Failure" of such a check could also be bypassed by making a sacrifice of some kind, for instance: </div></div><div><br /></div><div>The player believes Rides would fear apparent annihilation, and would respond by attempting to flee the collapsing reality. The GM decides opposed dice would be the fairest way to settle this, with the player's die representing Rides' will power or experience in psychedelic realms, and the GM's die representing the intensity of the trip. The GM rolls a D12: Rides ingested a <b>ridiculous</b> quantity of mushrooms, there's no denying the trip's potency! Rides' player argues that as they're playing a skill-based game the die he rolls should correspond to his "entheogen" skill (die D8).<br /><br />The GM agrees but wins the roll: however, they give Rides the opportunity to receive some kind of bane in return for having the roll go his way. The player weighs that option up, instead accepting Rides' obliteration by the <i>Genius Loci.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h3>7th turn—dissolution</h3></div><div>Rides disincorporates along with the rest of the landscape, which then reassembles itself in the form of the Genius Loci: an emerald jaguar. Initially Rides feels himself to feel as though <i>he</i> is the jaguar... but then...</div><div><br /></div><div>This moment presents the GM with an opportunity to drop-in the other players. An issue that arises out of these psychedelic trips is that they can be intensely focused on one character, which can be boring for the other players (if there are any). One method to navigate that is to drop the characters into a shared experience through a collective ritual. The alternative (which I'm positing here) is that as the trip intensifies the character's ego fragments into different aspects of the character, picked up.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this imaginary scenario, let's consider two further players whose characters are currently elsewhere. So collectively, all three players will represent differing aspects of Rides' character. three splits proposed:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>id, ego, superego</li><li>mind, body, spirit</li><li>Dorian, Henry, Basil (Superhans, Jeremy, Mark)</li></ul></div><div>The party settle for mind, body & spirit, but divided along the six attributes (Player 1 is Rides' con & str, player 2 his dex & int, player 3 his wis &cha). This is mainly because they can't think of how to embody the other two options.</div><div><br /></div><div>So these three aspects are riding a giant emerald jaguar through an infinite azure sea: within the crystalline fur of the spirit they encounter the beetle spirit (now a floating orb) and other entities: the additional characters allow multiple interactions to occur simultaneously. One player interrogates the genius, another speaks to the beetle and a third scans the horizons to see the respective embodiments of neighbouring territories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because Rides has ingested a ridiculous dose of mushrooms, however, this experience already begins to collapse in on itself: the eyes of the jaguar glaze over and begins a rapid ascent into higher planes. The players discuss what they think they should do: one raises the notion that since this is an embodiment of the territory's spirit, they can use this experience to "explore" neighbouring territories remotely. One of the players suggests they take a closer look at the city that the tree spirit mentioned earlier. The player who was investigating the other spirts on the horizon describes having witnessed a great elephant, tethered by man-made ropes and vines. Collectively they decide to leap free of the emerald jaguar and investigate the tethered elephant.</div><div><br /></div><div>As before, the GM decides this is an opposed roll scenario as a player describes rapidly knotting together emerald jaguar hair and launching it towards the elephant spirit. The roll fails, and again the decision to make a sacrifice in order to avoid that failure is presented, though the decision must rest ultimately with Rides' player. The player concedes and his character will incur some form of bane following the conclusion of this trip: however, right now, the triple aspects of Rides' disembodied spirit have leapt successfully from an emerald jaguar on to the back of a tethered elephant. </div><div><h3>8th turn</h3><div>Note: the "pull" of the trip is a consequence of the volume of entheogens ingested: it would be at the <i>genius loci</i> "level" that the bulk of the trip would play out if Rides had consumed a little less. The experience will continue to tug at the character(s) until they reach that "destination", but as they resist that pull the "location" of that ultimate destination shifts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The elephant is weary and beaten, and tied up in ropes made of magical flame. While on aspect attempts to break them with brute force, and another attempts to untie them, a third engages the ancient spirit in conversation. It describes how the priesthood of the <i>Sun & Heavens </i>have steadily placed greater and greater demands upon the environment until it was utterly subsumed by the authority of the city. The spirit explains as the needs of the city grow, its reach extends deeper into the surrounding territories, and soon those spirits will find themselves likewise bound by the magical rites of the priesthood.</div><div><br /></div><div>The aspects of Rides attempting to liberate the elephant notice a glowing flock of firebirds appearing on the horizon, who at incredible speed swoop towards them, divebombing and hindering their efforts to liberate the spirit. A narrative-based combat ensues, with the players becoming increasingly aware that their characters are outnumbered. But once again, the irresistible pull of <i>whatever-it-is</i> starts to destroy the scene around them, and the players are faced with the choice of fight, flight or <i>flow</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>The party decide they will fight but are unable to "out-roll" the force, and this time Rides' player decides to not take on an additional bane. However, as reality crumbles around them, he promises the elephant that he will do what he can to liberate his territory from the city. The elephant marks him in some way, before Rides feels himself plunge into a river of deep-red blood.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">9th turn</h3>The GM notes that the tri-aspects of Rides have disintegrated, and asks how the party want to reconfigure themselves. One player asks if the beetle/orb spirit is still floating around and, if so, can they roleplay that character? The GM agrees and the remaining players decide to divide the character of Rides along the traditional gender binary, and Rides manifests in female and male forms.</div><div><br /></div><div>The GM describes an environment of deep, blood-red flesh: a meastscape of slowly beating heart-tissue and plasma. Multiple exits branch away from this chamber, each seemingly leading into blackness, though from the faint sound of a woman singing can be heard. While they inspect the rest of the chamber, the beetle-orb hovers over a protrusion from the soft tissue comprising a kind of "floor". The GM explains that this is some kind of biomechanical device. The orb player asks how they might be able to extract it, and this is facilitated by the GM describing the tissue sloughing off and revealing something akin to an ivory puzzle bull, the layers rotating around one another, criss-crossed with arteries and veins, levitating.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A3_E_OmqEazoQQjUURKaJYg02N0s2fLLdcL1vW2zvLRsXGag7gikHIRwy2FdAW-OKx5GJ3IlzeiaR2oAm_UkO3WuTidz2FGW0ke6aO5z-Eb9PsCA33COXP75V_dd0Emh0g7TMSJmT_3CSuJM3as5XuQaTHydUZN3RRdkuRx26MT72jAPrUQqn2Tv5MzL/s863/A%20chinese%20puzzle%20ball.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="863" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2A3_E_OmqEazoQQjUURKaJYg02N0s2fLLdcL1vW2zvLRsXGag7gikHIRwy2FdAW-OKx5GJ3IlzeiaR2oAm_UkO3WuTidz2FGW0ke6aO5z-Eb9PsCA33COXP75V_dd0Emh0g7TMSJmT_3CSuJM3as5XuQaTHydUZN3RRdkuRx26MT72jAPrUQqn2Tv5MzL/w640-h590/A%20chinese%20puzzle%20ball.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Early 20th century ivory puzzle ball, China. Like this but moving (and with veins?)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The GM invites the orb player to describe it's purpose with the prompt: "inter-planar terraforming", and to encourage the description to be as complex as possible. The other players roleplay Rides' lack of comprehension of the explanation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The party ask for more information regarding the other exits from the chamber: approaching each one in turn:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Soft, musty, mildly rotten- like a forest after rainfall. Sounds of cicada thrumming.</li><li>Dark, scary, smell of vomit. No sound.</li><li>Music, like strings of a harp being plucked at irregular intervals. No perceivable melody. </li><li>An orange glow, warmth: bird song</li><li>A shaking, chittering sound, iridescent colouring to a smooth cave wall. No scent.</li><li>Melodious singing, automatically comforting, a lullaby. Warm, inviting- faint scent of slightly sour milk</li></ol><div>They choose "4", carrying the puzzle ball with them. It hovers just below the beetle-orb.</div></div><h3>10th turn</h3><h3><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">They emerge from a cave to stand on a clifftop, high above a seemingly infinite forest. An enormous red sun sits half-sunk at the horizon, blazing aggressively. The forest is coming alive, but the dawn chorus is sharp, abrasive: <i>hostile</i>.</span></h3><h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: small;">They are given the impression that they shouldn't be here. This impression is confirmed by the awareness of the sun's heat upon them: they are sensitive to its fluctuations, it is communicating through a thermal morse code. Likewise biting and stinging insects drifting up from the canopy below are asking:<br /><br />W H A T I S I T T H A T Y O U W A N T ? </span></span></h3><div>This is now an encounter with <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-stat-goddess.html" target="_blank">THE QUEEN OF DAWN,</a> perhaps not quite as described in that link, but something similar.<br /><br />In any case, they are on the clock now, and this encounter will fade...</div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><h3>11th turn</h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Queen of Dawn asks a series of potentially reality altering questions, but this dialogue terminates and the players are asked if they want to attempt to cling to this encounter or let themselves free-fall back down to the lower tiers of reality. They choose the latter, and at no cost to themselves watch the sun freezes into a ball of ice before melting into a heavy rain, that washes the landscape away into a great green river. The river takes the form of a sleek </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">polished emerald jaguar, as female-Rides joins with male-Rides. Briefly his whole self, Rides-the Grave becomes <i>Rides-the-Jaguar</i>, as the party steer the Genius on a whistle-stop tour of the hex, gaining some insights into unexplored areas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The emerald jaguar shatters into 1000 shards, each one reflecting a different facet of Rides and his band mates: the GM again gives the option to re-assemble them into a tripartite entity and explore another adjacent hex, or simply go with the flow and return to sanity. They opt for the latter.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3>12th-18th turn</h3><div>Rides-the-Grave returns to the semi-present threshold for several turns, but his player elects to sit that episode out, barring any physical encounters in the <i>Here & Now</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A birth mark has appeared on his arm, resembling an elephant (boon from the genius loci)</li><li>He is covered in mosquito bites</li><li>The beetle is still stuck to his hand, but a geometric shape akin to a flattened version of the weird puzzle-sphere has appeared on its carapace</li></ul></div><div>The players discuss how to make sense of the information, and agree to "hand-wave" the imparting of Rides' experience to the other pariahs rather than RP the whole experience again. As it's a drop-in/west marches game they share some of the more useful findings into a collective knowledge document used by players in the campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>The GM adds that while Rides is imparting his experience to his fellow pariahs, the beetle spreads its wings and flies over to a seemingly random pariah, perching on their hand. The pariah is a character belonging to the player who briefly assumed the beetle's identity during the trip.</div><div> </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3>19th-30th turn</h3><div>The GM keeps half an eye on the remaining time of Rides' trip, as he still benefits from the effects of a mild dose of shrooms during this time period (favoured reaction rolls with non-human animals and plant-based creatures)</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">But why</h2></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The trip is a procedurally generated experience, differing somewhat from other procedures in the OSR. The character is being launched into space that cannot be accessed by conventional means, but there's a timetable to their experience. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-NZ4fbh8xtX8uKvPQYgsxsEbAK46As_Nv-eW6i6-bazSpbMHV5GMsK54fXuDOPcCDIvi0v0a7IvLV_FmBE23WzlVK_QcP7C23_TO_uMk2rsQwdEjFdTTMxbE_ET3nPUESI5lk64KJLgz5zwYURZfePSzfHF2gNVdncAX6I61GdvxJbLR2GO0AyQK8bQZ/s4032/IMG_1684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-NZ4fbh8xtX8uKvPQYgsxsEbAK46As_Nv-eW6i6-bazSpbMHV5GMsK54fXuDOPcCDIvi0v0a7IvLV_FmBE23WzlVK_QcP7C23_TO_uMk2rsQwdEjFdTTMxbE_ET3nPUESI5lk64KJLgz5zwYURZfePSzfHF2gNVdncAX6I61GdvxJbLR2GO0AyQK8bQZ/w480-h640/IMG_1684.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Gravity's rainbow</b></h3><div style="text-align: left;">So it has a fixed beginning and an end: countdown, blast-off! Ascent. Apex. Descent. Landing.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Does that make it a railroad? Maybe. but you can move up and down the train, hang out the window, interact with different passengers. You could try jumping off, too, but it's not recommended.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">...and unlike a railroad, that trajectory can be steered.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The challenge in gamifying these experiences is to simulate, to some degree, that abnegation of control, but tempered by a different kind of agency. One of the most boring things about D&D is travelling to the Elemental Plane of Fire, doing all the necessary magical prep to survive the journey and finding... it's just like a hexcrawl... but on fire.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not saying that's not necessarily fun, but other planes, other realms, need to feel truly alien. And that requires a bit more than "exotic" environments and intelligences. They way the experience unfolds needs to be a part of that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Levels</b></h3><div style="text-align: left;">The experience traverses multiple levels, which operate outside of the player's suite of choices: they will get thrown up and sucked down... though they can delay these things happening.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lower level (threshold) maps onto the space immediate to the character. At medium levels the character is able to explore an abstraction of a space much larger than themselves (this might be an attraction of psychedelics to players, as they will be able to engage in a distorted form of "remote viewing"). At higher levels the experience is divorced entirely from the <i>Here & Now</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Intelligences</b></h3><div style="text-align: left;">Key to all of this is the notion of interacting with intelligences. The <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html" target="_blank">Genius Loci procedure </a> blurs the boundary between landscape and intelligence, embodying the hex in a nature spirit capable of forging relationships with characters. Venturing into the Dawn Realm is a safer way to explore and develop these relationships.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, there are other beings to be encountered within this realm—including other psychonauts and, ultimately, the <i>Queen of Dawn</i> herself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Objects</b></h3><div>An animist element I've not fully explored but am starting to think about introducing is other-worldly <i>objects</i> as entities that can be interacted with, corresponding to the testimony of DMT users and the devices of the <i>machine elves</i>. It's fun to think how these things might manifest on the way back.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Blurred lines and the butterfly effect</b></h3></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the end of the trip the PC finds themselves in the same place they started: two hours have passed but what else has changed? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At times, in attempting to resist the flow of the experience, they will have made some kind of sacrifice. This manifests as a bane or curse.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Likewise, apparently minor interactions might leave a physical mark upon their return: burns, scars, blemishes and tattoos that weren't there before.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Interacting with a high level intelligence such as The Queen of Dawn might shift elements of reality around, akin to this <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-butterfly-effect.html" target="_blank">Ray Bradbury-inspired post <i>The Butterfly Effect</i></a>. In fact, in <i>stating a goddess</i> the character was asked as series of questions: the Queen of Dawn would always contradict their answer, and they had to save vs spells in order for their truth to remain! The significance of the questions corresponded to how pissed off she felt with the PC. I liked that. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another fun thought is that of sorcerers and witches encountered on other planes manifesting in the <i>Here & Now</i>, with memories of encountering the pariah in their dreams or rituals.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Next steps</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Squeeze this onto two sides of A4</li><li>export to PDF</li><li>upload to the internet and sell approximately five copies a year on <a href="http://itch.io">itch.io</a> </li><li>Retire.</li><li>Die. </li></ul></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2></div></div><div><div><i>Cthulhu Dark post</i></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-beyond-cthulhu-dark.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-beyond-cthulhu-dark.html</a><br /><br /><i>How to Stat a Goddess</i><br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-stat-goddess.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-stat-goddess.html</a><br /><br /></div><div><i>Genius Loci</i><br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2022/06/genius-loci-and-foothills-of-teeth.html</a><br /><br /><i>The Butterfly effect</i></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-butterfly-effect.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-butterfly-effect.html</a><br /><br /><i>Atelier Hwei on Itch:</i><br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/</a></div><p></p></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-52957460599084850822023-07-29T23:19:00.002+00:002023-07-29T23:19:56.743+00:00Estelle: Novelist<p><i>This is published in response to recent posts by </i><a href="https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/06/5-forgotten-fictional-fantasy-novels.html" target="_blank">Throne of Salt</a><i>, </i><a href="https://majesticflywhisk.blogspot.com/2023/07/five-weird-almost-real-books-from-africa.html" target="_blank">A Most Majestic Fly Whisk</a> <i>and </i><a href="https://furtivegoblingaming.blogspot.com/2023/07/10-unpublished-manuscripts-for-your.html" target="_blank">The Furtive Goblin's Burrow</a>. <i>Unlike those posts, this is not a collection of fictional books, but is instead a silly short story about an imaginary novelist that I wrote many years ago. Gameable content is low in this one, so I'll draw a line right now for those casually browsing.</i></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><h2 style="text-align: left;">Estelle: Novelist</h2><p></p><p><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">It was sunset and Estelle was perched upon a chez longue a lackey had dragged out to the veranda. In her silk dressing gown and smoking a pungent cigarillo in ebony holder, Estelle's apparent air of louche disinterest was in fact as meticulously constructed as her entire oeuvre. "It takes a lot of effort for things to appear effortless," is a quote oft attributed to her, but in fact had been stolen from her mother. <br /><br />Forgivable, maybe, for thoughts to to return to that long-dead woman on this day, it being Estelle's birthday, but they did not. Instead her attention rested on the black column descending upon her estate: her own children, each to present their annual tribute, as had become customary.</span></p><p><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Son number one... a nameless no-one. Conceived in a youthful passion—all innocence and unguardedness—he was not remembered fondly. In his big, dead grey eyes </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle perceived</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">the same naivety that had led to his creation. He was a magic mirror, staring back at her with her own silly young visage, a continual source of embarrassment. She had loved him once, but as she hardened with age that love turned to hate him and he never adjusted well. Simple, unsophisticated and ignored by all but Estelle's most fervent followers, son-number-one was the family joke.</span></span></p><p><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Son number two—Maurice—was confident and assured and used to the kind of life son number one would never know. He offered his mother his hand by way of greeting. First, that hand was slapped. Then his face. He cried like a baby to his entourage: they made a show of their anger, shouting and cursing and shaking fists in the air... but ultimately allowed Estelle's handlers to push them aside while Maurice continued to sob.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle was sick of the sight of hm. When he was a baby, everyone had told her how perfect he was. Swollen with pride, her belly swollen with child, and out popped a third, Vincent. Though still held in high regard, he was never regarded with quite the same reverence as Maurice, though Estelle had loved him just as much.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Look what happens to them..." she said, throwing the single rose her son proffered back at him. He allowed a slow smirk to spread as he regarded the red blood on Estelle's hand, drawn by its thorns. He'd turned out to be a clever bastard.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">As a young woman with two sons attracting high praise, it was only natural that Estelle should want to try for a girl. She felt ready, but contemporaries discouraged her: "For why? when you have such fine sons!" Heedlessly she proceeded.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">The pregnancy was... tricky. Cramps and nausea and anxious moments, but some carried for sufficient duration... the birth was unpleasant. First, the midwife was called. Then the physician. Then the surgeon: they had to cut the baby out. Lightweight and gasping for air, she nearly didn't make it. Behind mother's back, as the infant stumbled through her early years, there were many whispers that it may have been better if she hadn't.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Happily hopping forward, wretched little Macey laid a few lilies, a chicken kebab and some copper coins at her feet.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Happy birthday, mother."</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle spat in her face. The invalid smiled: it was more than she could have hoped for.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Then came Bruno. Heavy set and good-natured, he was born a number of years after the daughter. </span></p><p><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">After that trauma of her daughter, it was a long time before Estelle went back to the bedroom with anything but sleep on her mind, and people whispered her fire might have gone out. But time passed and, eventually she met a kind man ( sensible, money-minded) and he managed to coax that desire back out of her. Bruno was the result of that prosiac union: not in any way the equal of his elder brothers, he was still held up as a perfectly decent figure of manhood. </span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">With alarming regularity he was joined by a homogeneous sequence of younger brothers. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">One by one they marched up to kiss their mother and offer her their precious tokens. Each one produced a bag of gold coins, though of steadily decreasing size. She could not remember their names.</span></p><p><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">The presentation complete, she turned to address her eldest sons once more.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">""What do you bring me, eldest son"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Some weeds."</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"And you, second born?"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Maurice was still smarting from the slap and did not meet her eye as he handed over the deeds to the villa in Andalusia, the chalet in the alps, the cottage by Loch Lomond and the flat in Knightsbridge.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"My third-born. What do you have for me?"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Vincent protested that he'd paid all the servants and the legal bills and the gambling debts in Monte Carlo. Estelle sneered. With an angry wave of her right hand, the servants swiftly descended upon her brood, and they were led off the grounds. </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">As she watched them trudge towards the gates and the setting sun beyond, Estelle felt a sudden pang of guilt: did she not owe her offspring her love? She was swift to forgive herself: she had given them everything, life itself! No matter what they gave to her, she would never regain the youth they had taken.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle sighed before pulling herself together. She knocked back a tumbler of </span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pastis</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;"> and rang the bell for service.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Bring me my baby!"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle's maid curtsied and scurried from the veranda like a little grey mouse. She sighed again. </span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">The moors were beautiful at sunset, especially with </span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pastis</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;"> and fine cigars and piles of gold coins. After her last husband died—that sensible, money-minded man—there were no Brunos left in her. She fled into the comforting embrace of obscurity. Estelle withdrew from society. Her old friends and colleagues conversed with her only through her children, and they never had anything new to say.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle had always longed for a daughter. Doctors and midwives and physicians warned her she was too old, that she didn't have it in her.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Besides!" they would explain, "you have a daughter- Macey! Okay, she's... different... but she's yours! And remember her birth- would you really want to go through all </span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">that</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;"> again?"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle had been firm:</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"I know what I did wrong last time."</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">A little grey mouse pushed a silver cross into the red glare before scuttling back into the shadows, all frantic and anxious. Estelle embraced her newborn, wrapped in Egyptian cotton, regarding her face:</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"You won't get old. You're as well as can be. You're brothers and sister came out fully formed. Why should you be any different?"</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">Estelle's heart melted when her child's wooden lips mouthed "mama!" and- brushing the wire wool back from the little one's scalp- she drew the child to her breast.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-size: 14px;">"Mama!" It yelped, excitedly, before suckling at Estelle's wrinkled teat. Estelle watched her child proudly. So much had gone into her creation. Every single detail was perfect. Her critics might remark at how contrived she was, fashioned from teak not flesh. They might sneer that only a mother could love her. But as Estelle stared into the fine-set emeralds surrounding her baby's pupils, Estelle felt that love, truly, and for the first time. The gloaming light was fading, the stars were out, the other children were long gone and no-one stirred.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">"I'm not going to share you with anyone else."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;">~</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;">This was first posted on myspace, 11th April 2008. The archived version was posted 23rd July 2011, and can be viewed at this link:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://psychocartography.blogspot.com/2011/07/estelle-novelist.html">https://psychocartography.blogspot.com/2011/07/estelle-novelist.html</a></span></span></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-66462790955888433942023-07-26T23:27:00.001+00:002023-07-30T21:24:30.996+00:00The Beyond & Cthulhu Dark<p><i>The entities of The Beyond are infinitely varied, but draw on the traditionally nightmarish: eldritch horrors, demonic beings, tentacled monstrosities, horrifically assembled flesh golems, spectral maidens with bleeding eye sockets, faceless statues, the greys…</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUYV8zwXHlfHOwpLaE5iHvfW0JFOq_uvYWCugx1mcLTm7NUTluFlZK-uwitqIU8KIvbfkhATdkTUaFXS2eAX8Nth42mucLhmyTWtxpXgL_unmhnfWQQwHjb97y8ICNP5jZcHpU_3qpSEZKLDvLjNkoSG-LVZFTEtT4StAk_0Mhm-lvhL0LwsguZZWY_e6/s698/CthulhuDark.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of rules-light eldritch horror game, Cthulhu Dark" border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="293" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUYV8zwXHlfHOwpLaE5iHvfW0JFOq_uvYWCugx1mcLTm7NUTluFlZK-uwitqIU8KIvbfkhATdkTUaFXS2eAX8Nth42mucLhmyTWtxpXgL_unmhnfWQQwHjb97y8ICNP5jZcHpU_3qpSEZKLDvLjNkoSG-LVZFTEtT4StAk_0Mhm-lvhL0LwsguZZWY_e6/w268-h640/CthulhuDark.png" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b><i>THE UPSIDE-DOWN:</i></b></p><p><i>Make it weird by turning the lights out and switching to </i>Cthulhu Dark...<br /></p><div style="text-align: right;"><b>- Pariah Volume 1, Page 50</b></div><p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;">Synchronicity<br /><br /></h2><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>Is there any more dangerous seduction than to renounce one's faith in the gods of Epicurus, those carefree and unknown ones, and to believe instead in some petty deity who is full of worries and personally knows every little hair on our heads and finds nothing nauseating in the most miserable small service? Well—I mean in spite of it all!—we should leave the gods alone as well as the genies at our service and be content with the assumption that our own practical and theoretical skill in interpreting and arranging events has now reached its apex. Nor should we think too highly of this dexterity of our wisdom when at times the wonderful harmony created by the playing of our instrument surprises us all too much— a harmony that sounds too good for us to dare to give credit to ourselves. Indeed, now and then someone plays with us - good old chance; occasionally chance guides our hand, and the wisest providence could not invent music more beautiful than what our foolish hand then produces.</i></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><b>- Nietzche, The Gay Science (Book IV: St Januarius )</b></p><div>Recently, some aspect of my imaginative attention has resided in <i>The Beyond</i>. I've wandered around, touched and tasted it, in two manifestations: the salt-ice plains of <i>Polaris</i>... and the sweet-sour ichor of the mutagenic hive swarm... and I will return to those places, but there's so much more to explore! </div><div><br /></div><div>If there is a central theme to Pariah, it is "turtles all the way down", and my own perverse fantasy of a nested series of "campaigns", dreams-within-dreams, like a recursive psychedelic fractal spiralling up or down or through the 7th dimension infinitely. One door opens, three more appear. Reality is a dungeon crawl.</div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, the mind alights upon eldritch horrors creeping liminal betwixt parallel planes and in doing so perches in places where unlikely connections are made. Good old confirmation bias kicks in: open a barely-used social network app and get a message about a three-year-old non-Euclidean dungeon; log on elsewhere and again and again see... Cthulhu Dark?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Games-within-games</h2><div>Pariah vol. 1, in each of the 7 entries on the "realms", suggests an “upside down”. Reader’s will recall this cute though already outmoded 2019 <i>Stranger Things </i>reference pertains to actions the GM can perform to instil a sense of “otherness” in the extra-planar environment the pariahs explore. The act of dislocation —or perhaps even some Joycean <i>dislocution</i> (there's an aphasia to psychedelia, right?)—embodied by a changing of codes.<br /><br />I tend to think of the character as a puppet for the player, at least when I play. maybe something more sinister, like a skin-suit. Let's dial that back... a mech? It's a drone that you pilot around another world: you look out onto that world with your eyes and have your thoughts, but the world responds to the flesh-puppet you're piloting, not to you directly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take off your skin... and dance around in your bones.</div><div><br /></div><div>The mechanics are the mecha, strip the armour away and feel the world rub up against the flesh. Sometimes this can be thematic: in a play-by-post game, the <i>Realm of Sun and Heavens</i> stripped the characters down to a name, an item and an ability score. In the <i>Realm of the Dead</i> they were left with their constitution and charisma only. </div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>[aside: <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/our-big-show-of-worth.html" target="_blank">I made a post last week</a> where I ran through <i>Our Big Show of Worth</i> as a pre-amble to an upcoming post about exploring the <i>Sun and Heavens</i>, but don't expect that any time soon!]</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Your portal into the world of <i>Cthulhu Dark </i>is represented by three dice. That's not true, of course: the conversation you have with the GM and (if playing something like a Cthulhu mystery) your own genre-awareness are the window <i>and </i>the world. But maybe those three dice are the helm that steers the conversation when it reaches awkward or uncertain points. They work like a pool, though: you only use the highest one, and you don't get to use all three every time.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 is the worst possible outcome, 6 is the best</li><li>Roll one die if it's humanly possible (the "human die")</li><li>Roll another die if it's within your expertise (the "occupation die")</li><li>Roll a die if you will "risk your mind to succeed" ("insight" die: "insanity" in earlier editions)</li></ul></div><div>The highest result is always used. If the insight die comes up highest, then the player must test their character's insight: if they roll higher than their current insight, they add one to that score, dropping out the game when it reaches 6. <br /><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>When your Insight reaches 6, you understand the full horror behind the Universe and leave everyday life behind. To the outside world, you appear insane. This is a special moment: everyone focusses </i><i>on your Investigator’s last moments of lucidity. Go out however you want: fight, scream, run, collapse or go eerily silent. Afterwards, either make a new Investigator or continue playing, but retire your old Investigator as soon as you can. </i></div></blockquote><p>Not everyone likes "insanity" rules and I full understand, however at their heart there's an acknowledgment that this character-vehicle picks up all sorts of dinks as it pootles along the nightmare highway: the player makes choices about the extent to which the character engages with the environment, and at some point point the character breaks and the player loses their ability to traverse the world. There is of course an issue with how mental illness is depicted in these silly little games, and this is usually overcome at least by replacing insanity with "stress" or "pressure" (or in this instance, "insight"). We don't challenge this when thinking in terms of physical trauma and hit points, so keeping track of psychological HP has some justification, especially when navigating a literal dimension of nightmares</p><p>On the subject of physical trauma, characters ("investigators") in <i>Cthulhu Dark </i>automatically fail when they attempt to fight Eldritch Entities: there are no combat rules, <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-stat-goddess.html" target="_blank">you cannot punch Cthulhu on the nose</a>. This seems entirely appropriate for the <i>Realm of the Beyond</i>.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Despair</h2><div>The character sheets are removed and the world is reduced to one that can be interacted with through a single D6... but characters aren't investigators in 1920s Arkham of 1890s Whitechapel: they're exiled psychonauts from a fantasy proto-neolithic. The broad goals of PARIAH are re-stated: survival, exploration...and a third one, because that's how chords work and I've watched enough <i>Bastionland </i>videos to know the power of three bullet points. The third one is of course <i>drugs </i>but for the sake of my little tiny children I'm going to lie and say it's something like <i>edification</i> or <i>evolution.</i><br /><br />In any case, we don't like hiding things behind dice rolls, do we? Certainly not things like clues and investigations: we're puppeteers, not actors! But the dice are useful for tension, randomness and.. <i>fairness</i> (?), and we are going to call the extra-special third one "<b>despair</b>".<br /><br />Because if one is navigating a nightmarish hellscape, and everything is dependent on a roll of the dice, then it really is a case of <i>pinning one's hopes</i> on the outcome. And when despair sets in, when all hope is lost, that's when we cut the strings and leave the little creepy marionette in this nightmare world.<br /><br />Plus I mentioned Joyce before and if I learned anything from <i>Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man</i>, it is that despair is the only unforgiveable sin.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Realms of Beyond</h2><div>In <i><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html" target="_blank">Sketches for My Sweetheart, The Beyond</a> </i>I list seven different experiences of the <i>Beyond</i>, each a crude inversion of one of the other six realms:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The <i>Not Here Never</i></li><li>The <i>Indigo Depths</i></li><li>The <i>Hive Swarm</i></li><li>The <i>Phantom Watchers</i></li><li>The <i>Yellow Moon of Beyond</i></li><li><i>Polaris</i></li><li>...and the <i>Beyond Beyond Beyond</i>, or sometimes <i>Death Beyond Death</i>, or possibly just the crushing cosmic void...</li></ol><div>I've recently shared a mini-game of <i><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm" target="_blank">Mutagenic Hive Swarm</a> </i>which provides a framework for navigating and exploring that place (<a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/play-report-mutagenic-hive-swarm.html" target="_blank">we've also played around in that space a little bit</a>), and also have plans for <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/09/nightmare-fruit.html" target="_blank"><i>Polaris</i> </a>to work almost as an OD&D style hexcrawl, in the style of <i><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-beyond-polaris-revisited-via.html" target="_blank">Carcosa</a></i>. Both of these will have free/pwyw zini editions and I have plans to work those up into full length adventure/mini-settings. The <i>Indigo Depths</i> exists as a sketch depth-crawl and I'm setting aside uh... <i>gamifying </i>the uhh... <i>void beyond all reality </i>until I have greater insight into what that feels like (one for the next life, I expect). </div></div><div><br /></div><div>So where does this Cthulhu Dark stuff stick? We're left with the following, in easily digestible three bullets, with a film/video reference after: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Not Here Never</i> (<i>Hellraiser</i>)</li><li><i>Yellow Moon of Beyond </i>(David Bowie's <i>Black Star</i> video, but also <i>The Yellow King</i>)</li><li>The <i>Phantom Watchers (Dark Skies </i>but also nightmare Fey, the Sidhe, incubus/succubus from folk tales and legends<i>)</i></li></ul>This last one I've tentatively begun to explore with Oisin over on the Atelier Hwei discord, but have plenty of weird ideas as to how/where that might play out. One thing I'm continually drawn back to is this idea of circular narratives, and how that might be expressed in an open-ended sandbox (rather than a merry-go-round). There's something in the idea of non-euclidean geometry (like Patrick Stuart's dice dungeon), the time-loop tales of fey creatures and the inter-dimensionality of extra-terrestrials.</div><div><br /></div><div>I especially like the idea of these far-out concepts being explored by characters with a strong resistance to sedentary living.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's late, I'm going to sleep... hopefully not to dream about any of this.</div><div><i></i></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><div><br /></div><div>Our Big Show of Worth, quick solo play-through</div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/our-big-show-of-worth.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/our-big-show-of-worth.html<br /></a><br />Cthulhu Dark at DTRPG<br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341997/Cthulhu-Dark">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/341997/Cthulhu-Dark</a><br /><br /><i>Sketches for My Sweetheart, The Beyond:</i><br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html</a></div><div><br />MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM: pwyw zini game:<br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm<br /></a><br />Play report: MUTANGENI HIVE SWARM</div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/play-report-mutagenic-hive-swarm.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/07/play-report-mutagenic-hive-swarm.html<br /></a><br />POLARIS</div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/09/nightmare-fruit.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/09/nightmare-fruit.html</a></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-beyond-polaris-revisited-via.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-beyond-polaris-revisited-via.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-47221115711537280682023-07-23T18:15:00.003+00:002023-07-23T18:15:50.171+00:00I WANT TO SEE THINGS THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE: Interview with an ECO MOFO, David Blandy<p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Portrait of the Artist as an Eco Mofo....</h2>David Blandy is an artist, RPG designer maker, and one half of Copy/Paste Co-Op with Daniel Locke. <br /><a href="https://substack.com/@copypastecoop">https://substack.com/@copypastecoop</a><br /><div><a href="https://twitter.com/davidblandyrpgs">https://twitter.com/davidblandyrpgs</a><br /><br />David also has the dubious honour of introducing me to the world of livestream actual plays, during a 2020 run-through of his game-within-an-art-project, <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295419/The-World-After" target="_blank">The World After</a></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Currently crowdfunding the runaway success story <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daniellocke/eco-mofos" target="_blank"><b><i>ECO MOFOS!!</i></b> over on Kickstarter alongside Dan</a>, David very kindly agreed to have take to give me nearly two hours of his time in a discord voice call while he went out to buy bread in the Brighton's labyrinths.</div><div><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZidsX_Ar7LKbJimbkr_ycyjoBVUXF00cOyukUBjH8JJPS36XoeKq7X8mLIAyjfA3cNG_ieGVj1o5HDq2JQIG9biX0wY9cSR179uGMLMuieojfburi0ajOFBavU0pupP74YjlEnlG_T24wsPi0T_JOBwQ9HpK6R2YpgUG7Y2PpH4VtbHH9Dv7jBveMr4GL/s963/EcoMOFO!!.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZidsX_Ar7LKbJimbkr_ycyjoBVUXF00cOyukUBjH8JJPS36XoeKq7X8mLIAyjfA3cNG_ieGVj1o5HDq2JQIG9biX0wY9cSR179uGMLMuieojfburi0ajOFBavU0pupP74YjlEnlG_T24wsPi0T_JOBwQ9HpK6R2YpgUG7Y2PpH4VtbHH9Dv7jBveMr4GL/w452-h640/EcoMOFO!!.png" width="452" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><h2>Hello? Can you hear me?</h2><p>This was a long and rambling chat which I've hacked away at to make it more digestible, but I think David shares some really interesting insight into the creative process and where some of his inspiration comes from. It was really enjoyable, despite being done over discord chat: hopefully we'll reconvene again, next time in the same room, and record our next conversation to broadcast quality!</p><h2>Eco Mofos!!</h2><p><i>How did your partnership with Daniel Locke emerge?</i></p><p><br />I know him as Dan, but his professional name is Daniel. We've been friends for 20 years: we met at art school in London and we have actually worked together on other projects. We made a graphic novel together called <a href="http://www.daniellocke.com/out-of-nothing" target="_blank">Out of Nothing</a>... and yeah, recently he was a big part of me getting back into tabletop role playing. Actually, it was him who dug out the Red Box when I mentioned how interested I was in getting back into gaming. This was around 2014/15, and it was that moment where I saw some of those illustrations from the red box, the cleric and the dwarf and stuff, and just had this real rush of.... wow! These images! It's not just nostalgia: there's something quite powerful about the way that these images work. Why have these become seared in my brain, on my retina? And it was Dan who persuaded me to run a little session for him, a one-on-one D&D session in a pub as his birthday present... and he died at the end of it!</p><div>We were playing 5E: I'd been running fifth edition for my kids for a little while as I'd wanted something to do with my kids that wasn't screen based and it seemed like a fun thing to do. They both got really into it, though they're not playing so much these days, but they're showing a lot of interest in <b><i>ECO MOFOS!!</i></b> I may try and spring that on them this summer...</div><p>Then, I was working on <i><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/lone-eons" target="_blank">Lone Eons</a></i> [the solo version of<i><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/lost-eons" target="_blank"> Lost Eons</a></i> ] and had a version I was quite happy with, generally, for the writing. But I had a thought that I wanted some new images to go with it, because I didn't want to just regurgitate everything that I did in Lost Eons. And so I did a little Itch funder, basically: I put it up on itch.io with all the proceeds going towards paying Dan to do some art. That went ok: it was during zine month and I managed to do well enough to get him to do some drawings. Dan's a professional illustrator, he needs to be paid for his time, which is as it should be! It's just that thing of justifying using his time for doing something silly like role playing games rather than earning his crust making new graphic novels and things. </p><p>So we had that experience of working together a bit, and then I started on this new project, <b><i>ECO MOFOS!!</i></b> and he was interested, kind of like a friend is: like "oh, that's a cool thing you're doing"! Then about six months ago or something he actually got around to reading it [while ill in bed with covid or something similar] and I suddenly got this flurry of discord messages like: "David, this is really good! I really like this!" and then he started making some things for the <a href="https://itch.io/jam/eco-mofos-jam/entries" target="_blank">ecomofo jam</a>, to create adventures. Lots of people got involved and some really great adventures came out of it. But Dan made a couple of pamphlets for that, drawing his own stuff for this world.... and it was like: "Dan, we could do something together properly! You don't have to just make these little adventures! We could transform this book and make it our thing, rather than my thing". We've formed a co-op, effectively, meaning everything that happens with <b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b> is going to be split 50/50, once we take off the costs. </p><p>It's a very straightforward arrangement. I guess it disrupts that idea of the artist and the writer being separate entities in a way, and I think it just reflects how we actually work together, which is very collaborative. Dan will come up with an image, I'll write a thing for it, he'll be inspired by the text... then it's more of a back-and-forth thing than just me giving a few notes and him illustrating from those words, because I don't think he really likes to work like that anyway. So it suits both of us for it to be more of an artistic process, more organic. That's how we came to put the Co-Op together. </p><p>I've been interested in doing a Kickstarter for a little while, but I've never quite known how to handle it. I don't know what to focus on. It's a very anxious-making thing as well: what if it doesn't fund? Or what if you put it into the public arena—and it's a different sort of public arena in that place than when it's on itch or whatever—and not knowing how it's going to go down. Dan really wanted to do one, and I kind of followed that impulse. So we tried to make it the best we could, really. It's one of those funny things where you learn from the process. Maybe we should have had a completely finished thing before we started... that often it seems to be kind of quite a successful strategy for that particular space, but I guess we took it on its premise, which is that you're crowdfunding an idea of something based on the fact that there's something that exists, which is the text and this layout, that wants to become a more considered thing. But now with this funding, we're going to be able to actually turn it into quite a different text and quite a different book. Maybe that'll help for the future. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7a4ZK1H4BRMhiaAaBBW7DpAfy_3XyxvlwEIaYF406YcQDozO8nvrTtfM9Yvpth2M1qpYIx6tkQGseINJV1OAkkkPY4VTlXBv0b5tIvPTVxtoOmpP-4JGcJc2K-J5zJnv1Ebtohym3d3KV1-sr0F22kcIds5n3lwKFmoAmKOdfPYcEYvzzrMdkVNcL7gw/s951/ECO%20MOFO-WEIRD-HOPE-PUNK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7a4ZK1H4BRMhiaAaBBW7DpAfy_3XyxvlwEIaYF406YcQDozO8nvrTtfM9Yvpth2M1qpYIx6tkQGseINJV1OAkkkPY4VTlXBv0b5tIvPTVxtoOmpP-4JGcJc2K-J5zJnv1Ebtohym3d3KV1-sr0F22kcIds5n3lwKFmoAmKOdfPYcEYvzzrMdkVNcL7gw/w458-h640/ECO%20MOFO-WEIRD-HOPE-PUNK.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Eco-Mofo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i>Could you elaborate on how crowdfunding has transformed/will transform </i><b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b><i>?</i></p><p><br />Primarily it’ll be the integration of art and text. Dan's talking about there being sequential images in it: not as in ten panels to a page, but maybe the same characters recurring... [it's become a] journey through a book, through a landscape... with that journey being integral to the "thing". </p><p>The process has also heightened my attention to detail, and changed my idea of who the audience might be. <b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b> was effectively an<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/games/into-the-odd/" target="_blank"> Into the Odd</a>/<a href="https://cairnrpg.com/" target="_blank">Cairn</a> hack: I knew the people that I was showing it to, or it was being played by, were people that were very aware of that system or style of gameplay. I took the liberty of getting rid of sections like the <i>Principles</i> for <b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b> because I wanted people to get straight into the game. </p><p>In the beta version, there's three paragraphs of very basic rules, followed by character creation, a bit more about the rules... and then all the kind of chunky stuff, the things that are more unusual about the game. The 36 different adaptations. The procedural adventure bits. Different kinds of terrains and different locations, each of the procedural tables that can help you to create an interesting adventure on the fly so you don't have to prepare too much. That was the basis of what I wanted to create through the tables and flavour text: to capture all of the lore from my previous games like <i><b>Lost Eons </b></i>and <b><i>Lone Eons</i></b> rather than dumpling lots of explanatory text about where everything comes from. So the lore seeps into the things that you find [in the game] and the people that are there [in the game's environment]: it becomes more experiential. </p><p>I suppose now, with the crowdfunding, I'm thinking about the people who don't have that prior experience of this different approach to gameplay, where it's not all about rolling for every single action you do. Play becomes more about thinking about a situation; is anything at risk? There’s also a kind of mutual trust that exists in that sort of game. So I started thinking: I better put the principles [from Cairn] back into this game, because this is just going to land on a doormat in Albuquerque and this person might not have ever even heard of these other games, or FKR or any other role play system apart from maybe D&D. And I think it's important that this play-style is set out clearly: Cairn does that so well, it makes it really a powerful document. It sets out the principles for everyone playing: principles for the warden [the GM in that game] and then the principles for the players... you can just show everyone that first page and then show the players just that second page. I've taken that structure and I've given it my spin: I've pared it down and made it very digestible and filled it with the <b><i>Eco Mofo!! </i></b>spirit, I hope.</p><p>So that's one thing I’m changing: and now I'm just thinking about the magic system. At the moment, it functions, it's good. Basically it's <b><i>Cairn </i></b>magic and it has all of the open source spells that Yochai Gal's put out there. But now I want to actually get into that, generate my own list of spells, because I think I could put a tweak into the universe and again, use it as a way of shaping that space. Now that I've played the game quite a number of times, I have a feel for which things are more on the edge of what you want to be part of the experience. </p><p>I've already made a D66 list of NPCs which are going to be dropped in as just people that populate the world. It might not be enough: I might have to make some more, but each one contains a little hook or kind of a quirk. And they're very light... but tight. I'm quite pleased with that small bit of writing.</p><p>But all of that is inspired by the fact of doing this Kickstarter. Because without feeling like there's that pressure of that audience who's put faith in you, I wouldn't have been probably motivated to keep developing it, because I do get easily distracted, and I probably would have just gone onto the next thing and put my energy into some other thing. In a way, it's a bit of a gift that this has happened: I can really try and put in even more of what I've been thinking about since I got into the indie sphere, which is about three or four years ago, and really started discovering blogs and discovering your work (thank you!) and Chris McDowell and the whole FKR discord. It just really changed my ideas about what was possible: games like <b><i><a href="https://www.allrolledup.co.uk/product/cthulhu-dark/" target="_blank">Cthulhu Dark</a></i></b>, really stripping things down to almost nothing and seeing what's left. And I just find that it's amazing how much you can do with just so little, so few words, really. It's what's so inspiring about someone like <a href="https://zedecksiew.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Zedeck Siew</a>: with one sentence, one character, you can create a scene, a world. And it’s such an incredible feeling that he agreed to do an adventure for Eco Mofos.</p><p><i>I was really impressed that you'd persuaded him to get involved and think, I haven't checked your total, but I guess you must be on course or you've hit that stretch goal now or not hit it just yet?</i><br /><br />I think we're about 1000 and something away [Update: they've sailed past this total] What was it? Each of our stretch goals is a stupid number: I don't know whether our American friends realise, but all the pound amounts are silly numbers: they all have sixty-nine or four-twenties and stuff in them. That'll be a relief, to be honest: in an ideal world we wouldn't have even had any stretch goals. We would have done the sort of thing that Chris McDowall did with Into the Odd: this is the book, buy the book; you have everything in advance. You can show people what the amazing layout is going to be and all the art is there... and it's just an advertising and distribution system, and I think it works really well. But we were in that middle space where we just couldn't just take a month off normal work to make enough art for us to make the book that we imagined. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXi1Km6q5o_Znk_SxLX4UuKc8CC-XTr2KbzvjFndRDWzRbaQLOcOkRuo-EkcUTi-d7LkX4FZYcG9HJwetkdmNO8iD6I7HR9kyOj8_c4TRsZ6MGy43OACoDil9VA7eU_dfSrxBLTgAlhsrSqW0RUSHVv2XkSr9Ge1toXTL5rsGIaut8ZiMaAZcWB6pM19a/s3024/F015XmtXgAIHd0f.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXi1Km6q5o_Znk_SxLX4UuKc8CC-XTr2KbzvjFndRDWzRbaQLOcOkRuo-EkcUTi-d7LkX4FZYcG9HJwetkdmNO8iD6I7HR9kyOj8_c4TRsZ6MGy43OACoDil9VA7eU_dfSrxBLTgAlhsrSqW0RUSHVv2XkSr9Ge1toXTL5rsGIaut8ZiMaAZcWB6pM19a/w640-h640/F015XmtXgAIHd0f.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image description at <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielULocke/status/1679131885572616193">https://twitter.com/DanielULocke/status/1679131885572616193</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i>With regard to that strategy, it's obviously the best, but like you say, it's not practical for most people who are working: you need to have capital to pay people up front or commit the time yourself to do that upfront...</i></p><p> Exactly. It's a luxury to be able to work in that way. Chris has worked really hard to get to that point, so I do not begrudge him having such a fine book!</p><p>It feels like a really strange moment for me right now. The thing is ridiculously funded. Our funding goal was basically to make it viable. We put the calculations into Mixam; What's the least that we could do in order to pay the people that we have to pay? Because we were paying all of the collaborators upfront, half of their fee, and then we'll pay them the other half if their stretch goal happens. So that's all happening. So they put in a precis of what it was going to be, a title and a little synopsis. And each of them... I just can't wait to play them, actually. They really take the game in really different directions. So, yeah, they're going to be fun. Somewhere between old school fantasy and science fiction, I guess, literally that's what science fantasy is really, isn't it? Having that sense of fantasy, but also the weirdness of science fiction adding into it. I think the post-climate apocalypse, the idea of New Hope as things are rebuilding has filtered through into quite a few of them. There's a sense of wonder, but also a moral sense. It feels like this moral quandary has been central to quite a few of them, which I think is key to the game and space.<br /></p><p>So yeah, so we just had all of that as our costs. And then how much would it cost to print up the books to raise that amount, and then paying ourselves a very small amount for just our time from that point. We’re just seeing all the time that Dan and I have put into everything so far, we've spent that time. We're not getting that back. No, it's ever the way now, it's like a viable thing where it's like I can say, right, I don't need to fundraise for the art I'm making. I'll do this thing for a little bit because I've earned this time to do it. It's kind of exciting to be able to concentrate on it and take it seriously in a way. I mean, it's not like I don't take it seriously while I'm doing it, but it's more like it's my fun hobby job, rather than my "job" job.</p><p><i>What can you relate about the experiences you've had running games of </i><b>Eco Mofos!!</b> <i>a in terms of what's fed back into the design process, but also what's just been just really fun?</i> </p><p>The thing that's really surprised me is that some of my design tactics have worked! It's always quite gratifying. You have some kind of silly ideas about if you put this mechanic in, it will have this sort of effect on the play space. Here’s an example that's actually in the beta, the next iteration. When you're creating a character while you're rolling up the character, all with d6s, every time you roll a one, you note that down, rolling an extra item at the end. Recently, one of the characters rolled up a USB stick as one of these extra items, and on the USB stick, which is, again, randomised, was an AI that wanted to be implanted into a Droid. And that became an obsession of this player, to try and find a Droid to put this AI into. And he found one and yeah, gave me a moment to create a very silly NPC, which was fun. But just the fact that that little mechanic led to that moment in the game was really quite satisfying and interesting. </p><p>I've also got this mechanic, Burdens, which is something that Chris McDowall created for <i>Mythic Bastionland</i> (and has since removed). Sometimes you gain these burdens, emotional effects which take up spots on your inventory. So your inventory is only ten slots, and it's a bit annoying to have one occupied by sadness or something... but in order to get rid of this thing, there's two conditions [that have to be met/addressed such as]: you divulge a deep secret or you indulge in a secret vice. It's one of these choices. But what I've found is that people use that as almost an indicator of their overall character. I hadn't thought that it would have that effect in character creation, I just thought it was an annoying thing for people, an impetus to play, basically: How do I interact with the world in order to get rid of this?</p><p>One of the other things I like about this mechanic is that you can be drawn into playing these sorts of games in a very safe way. You try to always play optimally and solve the puzzles in a very logical way. I think that's great, and it's about playing the situation and using the tools at your disposal. But the burdens put a little bit of a spanner in those works, and give you an impetus to do something a bit stupid or maybe disadvantageous. And it can be those moments that create the fun stories. So that was partly why I decided to not only keep them in, but double down on the idea and make [burdens] essential to the game. They mark the game out significantly from some of the other hacks [of <i>Cairn</i> and <i>Into the Odd</i>], I think.</p><p><i>These small elements (burdens and additional items) can have such a massive impact in rules-light games, can't they?</i></p><p>Yeah, especially in lighter games, every single little mechanic that you put in there becomes super highlighted, really integral to play. So they have to be thought about really carefully, how they're written. In fact, the phrasing of everything has such a profound effect on how they're received. It's such an interesting form of writing, really, tabletop role play. It's writing as a proposition, creating a space for someone else to take hold of and turn into something that they believe in, in a way that evokes a setting they want to be a part of in some way. </p><p><i>It's a very weird space: I think the only thing I've ever really been able to compare it to in terms of you have a text and then someone goes away and does something with it is like I don't know, like a recipe... but it's not like that because the elements aren't always as prescriptive as they might be in a recipe and players certainly have more room to mess around with it...I don't know... </i></p><p>Absolutely. It's not a script for a play: it's so far away from that. It's more like maybe some scene directions. This is kind of how you set up the stage and this might be the sort of story that you could tell, but feel free to disregard all this and just do your own thing! But then it's giving enough that it's not just, like, kind of loosey-goosey, you can do anything in this world... because that doesn't get anyone playing. It has to have a kernel of something to be an impetus to sit down and actually arrange for four people to be around a table and do it. It's a really interesting kind of puzzle as a maker, to give enough, but not to overburden.</p><p>That's one thing that took me away from traditional D&D and trad games, just the sheer volume of things that you were expected to read and take on just to sit down and play. The anxiety of playing Forgotten Realms with a player that might know more of the lore than I would, and then start correcting you on dates or names of people that slew something. And that side of things just got me so anxious: and if you're anxious, you don't want to play. It's always slightly stressful taking a game to the table, because you want it to be a space of exploration and discovery rather than... doing a job! That's how I fell into all of this stuff, really.</p><p>I think another game that really shook up my ideas of what games could be was probably <a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400" target="_blank">Jason Tocci's <i>2400</i></a>, which is just so tight. Two pages of A4, and it's got everything. It's got a whole world there. It took me so long to realise quite how much was contained inside. At first, it was like, wow, they managed to fit the system in this little space. But actually, it's not just a system. It's a whole adventuring environment. He's a really great designer. I love all of his Into the Odd hacks well. I think if there's one game that I probably show people and say, you can make your own space in this, it probably would be <i><a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/24xx" target="_blank">24XX </a>SRD </i>because it suddenly makes game making feel very possible; By just writing a list of ten things, suddenly a world is starting to emerge and that's really incredible.</p><p><i>I's a really good design exercise as well, just to take an existing game and try and "</i>24XX<i>".I've tried with my own game, </i>PARIAH <i>but also with Rowan, Rook and Decard's </i><a href="https://rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/" rel="nofollow">Spire</a><i>, too. <a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/fleche" target="_blank">It was a good exercise to do, trying to reduce a game to a world to its fundaments...</a> because I think once you do that then Jason's kind of already taken care of the rest! </i></p><p>I've learned so much going through those hacking processes: in a way I've just made one setting and then I've tried to hack it into all these different systems! I made the World After which was basically a traditional setting, because I wanted it to be like an artifact like you'd find in an Oxfam [UK charity for global poverty relief managing a chain of second-hand shops]. It's like, I like the idea of someone coming across it and wondering, what is this game? And it kind of functions as a pseudo-artifact, but the system is so clunky. I love it for what it is. When I started thinking about the indie game space, I just thought, these games are so amazing, could I make the World After but using 24XX and it's like, yeah, okay, let's try that. Then I tried to add some innovations of my own: a second dice to give it more of a bell curve and stuff and lots of stats, like nine stats, which I think in retrospect is probably too many, but I was trying to make it feel more like a skill set from 5E, so it became like a crossover from a kind of 5e space to an approximation of the FKR space, like an on-ramp for a more FKR way of playing for people that are used to a more skills-based system. </p><p>I became dissatisfied with the fact that the Lone Eons system wasn't compatible with any of the modules that I was quite interested in, from old modules through to kind of new stuff, it just felt like it was just a completely different universe from that. And that's where I started getting interested in doing something a bit more OSR, and thinking about working with Into the Odd and Cairn. And that was the genesis of <i><b>Eco Mofos!! </b></i>It was a mashup of <i>Into the Odd<b> </b></i>with <i><a href="https://spearwitch.com/collections/bastards" target="_blank">Bastards</a> </i>by Micah Anderson.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Eco Mofos!!</b> <i>grew out of Solar Bastards, that was it's provisional title, right?</i></p><p>That's right, that was the provisional name, and then as it progressed I realised that with that name you'd think that it was actually something closer to the Bastard system and it would be basically a bit of miss-selling. So I thought, yeah, I can't call it that. Then it became a thesaurus-fest of scum punks or Eco warriors or all of these things until it became… <b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b>. I liked how it looked on the page, and I liked the irreverence to it, but it also has this self-censorship, which is something a bit cute about it, weird and funny. </p><p>I liked all of those things because it's also got a slight Studio Ghibli flavour, like one of the more feisty characters in Princess Mononoke or something: she may have a mouth covered in blood, but she's still cute! There's that kind of weird in-between land that seems to exist quite a lot in Japanese cultural products. It's one of the things I love so much about Japanese computer role playing games, where they accidentally slip into really serious territory. Or not so accidentally, but it just feels there's always this thin line between slapstick humour and deep philosophy. I love all that kind of movement between genres or expectations. I find it a really exciting mix. Things like Akira just blew my head off when I was young. It's coming from that sort of space, which is why I call <b><i>Eco Mofos!!</i></b> <i>Mad Max</i> meets <i>Nausica</i>. It's that kind of meeting point.</p><p><i>Regarding </i>Mad Max<i> and satirical futurology you've also mentioned </i>2000 AD<i> as an influence on </i><b>Eco Mofos!! </b><i>and </i><i>also Rogue Trader, which obviously took a lot from </i>2000 AD<i>, too...</i></p><p>As a British guy growing up in London, those were both an escape, but also my satire on the world that I was living in, i.e. Thatcherite London! Things like Marshal Law, which was a spin-off thing which took the mickey out of all the Marvel characters and Judge Dredd and put them in a weird, fucked-up space, basically. It's in that sort of vein that <b><i>Eco Mofos!! </i></b>lives. It's in that lineage. I had a subscription to 2000 AD, I've still got huge piles of them in my parents attic... and one of my favourites was Nemesis the Warlock, which again, has a vein of satire inside it. There's a fascistic interplanetary government, I seem to remember, being ordered about from this great dictator. "Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave!" It's something about that kind of media that looks like it's innocent, but actually it's really trying to tell stories that disrupt the status quo, I suppose. It's a way of sneaking people into these worlds and these ways of thinking about stuff. That's my tactic as an artist: it's my tactic as a tabletop RPG maker as well!<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNjScirPyIK98ZiHrie_bWct1P7X1gpvUeTOEPkt6llp18xO2ZuSx5Y7xfhUlWCl9qZTR2P7s1k4yj8elkKT97WRdD-z7NJaGc1iU2RyU0_7ZnX0T_YTSzTUwlKGpLfkihG-JD3mLbG7FUuTjsRjBrN0ZSadLB_pshR3iDkwokac9NuiBFm2faWCd8vN3/s550/SatiricalFuture.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="550" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNjScirPyIK98ZiHrie_bWct1P7X1gpvUeTOEPkt6llp18xO2ZuSx5Y7xfhUlWCl9qZTR2P7s1k4yj8elkKT97WRdD-z7NJaGc1iU2RyU0_7ZnX0T_YTSzTUwlKGpLfkihG-JD3mLbG7FUuTjsRjBrN0ZSadLB_pshR3iDkwokac9NuiBFm2faWCd8vN3/w640-h516/SatiricalFuture.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of original art from WH40K: Rogue Trader... get to the wall, Weird-Hope Punk!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Satire and Moribund Intellectual Property</h2><p><i>It's two pronged, like, that kind of satire, isn't it? Because there's one element which is to tell a message subtly, which one part of your audience is going to slowly get their head round and the other part is getting a nod and a wink... did you read <a href="https://www.timcolwill.com/40K.html" target="_blank">Tim Cowill's</a> essay on </i>Warhammer<i>, recently shared by <a href="https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/microblog/satire-without-purpose-will-wander-in-dark-places/" target="_blank">Save vs.TPK</a>? </i></p><p>It's one of those funny things with satire, isn't it? It's like Judge Dredd. It's like they start as pure satire and this guy is the bad guy and he's Clint Eastwood and a total asshole, and of course, he becomes the hero and he's the one that everyone's looking to emulate and becomes the poster boy for 2000 AD and it stops being a critique of fascism and becomes... This is the way... and we've just created a fascist character. It's a weird, slippery kind of space that you have to negotiate, and when it gets mixed up with the hardcore capitalism of something like Games Workshop... this is not a tiny organisation! This is a worldwide corporation that makes plastic crack! If there is any satire left in it right now, it's barely lip service, really. And that's just well, it's sad, really. </p><p>I think I was really disappointed when Games Workshop stopped selling anything else by anyone else. Basically, it was a games hobby shop and it became: this is our brand now! They're even called Warhammer shops. It makes sense "for the brand", sure....</p><p><i>As well as not selling other people's stuff, their own stuff has just become so focused on a couple of products, whereas they used to bring out random games all the time. They did board games and card games and just crazy miniature games..... I get that's not how you operate a business, but it was a lot more fun!</i></p><p>Some of the games that I played growing up, like Chainsaw Warrior. It was a solo game it's very, very cool... and also terrible. Basically Duke Nuke 'Em, but you have a chainsaw and you're going through a kind of a zombie space, but there's a set of rules for when you lose your hit points and all this stuff. But yeah, explore this kind of space. I'll have to dig it out again. I think it's probably terrible, but I have very fond memories of it as a game. And some of them are having a renaissance, like Space Hulk, like Blood Bowl. Yeah. But there's a whole load of other kind of weird things.</p><p>[There follows an extended partly nostalgic ramble about <i>Marienburg</i>, <i>Dark Future</i>, <i>Bolt Thrower</i>, <i>Brian May</i>,]</p><p><i>We've focused a lot on </i><b>Eco Mof<i>os!!</i></b><i> because the Kickstarter is running right now, and it's really exciting, I think, for everybody who knows you and works with you to see that it's doing really well! </i></p><p><i>But also I wanted to bring up...</i></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Palace of the Silver Princess </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsEqqoptVcPc10jDkOeVBVyqSXudjAz1KNa0rSyB4asnM_IgHYrwcEWG9nXXUHNv8JIq5jqvLSEaPj21RqpbvGlBXneKAFcjNn9mwmTgvma4e0Xv8iV8ic2l0Mw-hVRlikUC_HBXcH98oqwfr1pRX1dJfJVi8VSPqzQ_VuKmXduc6S7wRli5SUkalvil_/s696/PalaceOfTheSilverPrincess.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="696" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsEqqoptVcPc10jDkOeVBVyqSXudjAz1KNa0rSyB4asnM_IgHYrwcEWG9nXXUHNv8JIq5jqvLSEaPj21RqpbvGlBXneKAFcjNn9mwmTgvma4e0Xv8iV8ic2l0Mw-hVRlikUC_HBXcH98oqwfr1pRX1dJfJVi8VSPqzQ_VuKmXduc6S7wRli5SUkalvil_/w640-h628/PalaceOfTheSilverPrincess.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p><i>...because we've chatted previously about that, and I happened to listen to the Between Two Cairns episode about it recently... on your recommendation, actually. </i></p><p>Indeed.<br /></p></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/b3-palace-of-82405351?l=de"><i>Listen to </i>Between 2 Cairns<i> here...</i></a></p></div><div><p><i>..and after hearing that episode it reminded me that you'd been doing some work on it and you've shared some stuff as well, and... without delving into the storied history of Palace of the Silver Princess, which I think we're all very familiar with now... </i></p><p>Whole blog-post of its own! <br /><br /><i>Yeah, sure! What's your objective with what you're doing at the moment? Because what I read, it looked like you were taking the green cover version, but going with some of the world that was suggested in the orange cover version, if I've got that the right way round..</i></p><p>Correct, I think yes. The orange version is the one that Jean had more control over, and then Moldvay came and did his thing. But I also wanted to take on some of the thoughts of Brad and Yochai as well, what this adventure is missing. I put a Doom Clock in it basically, so you roll for encounters, if you get a three or something, then you roll again... and if it's a six, then the Doom Clock ascends and there's more and more effects that start happening and eventually the evil dude arrives. But it also works to give the adventure a bit of impetus, because it's such a big dungeon. </p><p>When I started on it, I was inspired by that podcast. I thought it sounds really interesting and it's a module I hadn't really come across, maybe because I'm British. Those early D&D modules weren't part of my experience of D&D until I came back into the hobby, because for me it was all about Games Workshop and Fighting Fantasy and the British side of stuff. I really liked this interesting cultural feedback that was happening with the idea that the first modules that went to Japan were Keep on the Borderlands and Silver Princess, and it was those that inspired a lot of the early Japanese role playing games and, quite evidently, Zelda. It was an exercise in seeing how I could work with that lineage and feed it back on itself. It's like you're playing through a D&D adventure but then there's also this feeling of "zeldariness" to it, which felt quite interesting.</p><p>But it was also an experiment in negotiating with kind of proper old school text, and trying to parse out from the ridiculously overwritten—if you don't mind me saying—text for this adventure. What is actually going on in this space? How can I express this in a very straightforward and table-friendly way? I guess I was taking methods on from things like old school essentials and stuff, looking at that kind of bullet point style. But then trying to build in a little bit more flavour than that [model]. </p><p>I had a lot of fun making the hexmap for it, and love the simplified dungeon map that was made by Peter Eijk, who made <a href="https://jimmyshelter.itch.io/a-visit-to-san-sibilia" target="_blank">A Visit to San Sibilia</a>. I think there was a lot of excitement around the module after that podcast, and there was someone doing a conversion on the Cairn Discord, Richard Markert, and I asked to team up, and see if we could make something together. He wrote that flavour text that's at the beginning and then we had plans to make it more Zelda-ish. </p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Hey! Listen! You kids are the Princess’ only hope! An ages old enemy is rising to power, and has kidnapped the Princess Argenta for his nefarious schemes! No adults can see or hear me, so you’ll be on your own! The castle and valley beyond these woods are in ruin! Turmoil is spreading across the lands! Find your courage, seek out the Tinker, and brave the ruins of the palace of the silver princess and rescue her!</i></p><p><i>Oh! And one more thing!</i></p><p><i>Beware of Travis</i></p></blockquote><p><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/palace-of-the-silver-princess-cairn-edition" target="_blank"></a></p><blockquote><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/palace-of-the-silver-princess-cairn-edition" target="_blank">https://davidblandy.itch.io/palace-of-the-silver-princess-cairn-edition </a></blockquote><p></p><p><i></i></p><p>But Richard's been really busy with his job so he hasn't had much time to do much stuff on it. So we just put out an unfinished version, but it's playable. All the rooms are in it. It's got a loose surrounding environment. There's all the villages around the area from that original orange version. And I think it's a fun little space, and I was trying to use the factions through encounters. </p><p>There's various factions that are implied more by the orange version than the green version and just getting those to meander through as you come across them, almost like rival adventuring parties. There's a really weird character who reminds me a lot of Lady Eboshi in <i>Princess Mononoke, you</i> know, the lady who runs the kind of metal smelting— </p><p><i>I do! I know the film so well... it's one of my favourites and totally informed everything I've done with Pariah! Yeah, it's a brilliant source of inspiration..</i></p><p>Yeah, and I think it is brilliant because they're so complex, all of those characters. It's like you fear her and also really respect her and... kind of think she's evil, maybe, but at the same time she's kind of incredible. Anyway, there's a character like that called Lady D’hmis in <i>The Silver Princess</i> that runs one of the towns with an iron fist, and is very matriarchal. All the men have to cower indoors unless they're escorted by women or something, which I thought was quite a funny thing for Jean to put in, as the first published female author for D&D. And the Lady is sending spies out to try and reclaim the jewel. So they're running about inside the Palace along with these notorious couple of thieves that exist in the adventure... but they were very trope-y. I just tried to take out all the "trope-iness". In Moldvay's version, these two ladies who are actually secretly thieves will try to befriend or seduce the party and then steal their stuff, in a typical early 80s standard misogynistic sort of way. </p><p>Likewise, I wasn't going to put orcs in there. They're more like pig men, like you have in Zelda. They're these strange large, monstrous humanoids... which is kind of what orcs are, but orcs come with so much baggage, racist baggage, that I didn't want, so I made some editorial choices. I took the conversion on as an exercise in understanding the old D&D space more, and understanding the kind of construction of adventures, but also trying to understand that period of time. But it became such an epic job because it's 66 rooms and it's practically a mega dungeon, basically. And yeah, it's not a light undertaking... and then adding on the hexes around it....</p><p>There's still more to do, but it's out there and it's had a nice reception, so I'm really pleased about that.</p><p><i>The flavour text that Richard Markert wrote really did capture the Zelda-ness!</i></p><p>Yeah, it's totally like Navi speaking to Link in <i>Ocarina of Time</i>!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Creative Endeavours as Play</h2><p>[I rambled on a bit about the unkeyed dungeon in the Redbox, and my half-un-played adolescent attempt at filling it]<br /><br /><i>...and no-one wanted to play my dungeon!</i></p><p>Yeah. It's always the difficult moment at that age. It's that different impetus of what to do with your time, I guess the number of miniatures I painted - probably a few hundred miniatures, I'd say. But I probably played about two or three battles! Just organising things with people who actually were interested in it or had their own stuff. It was just pre-Internet days. It felt impossible.</p><p><i>I don't think I ever played any Warhammer... I had quite a few Dark Angels and Tyranids... but I know I never got to play that. Hours and hours painting and 0 hours playing... I think that was probably for the best, actually, because that was probably more fun!</i></p><p>Yeah, that's the irony of that, really. I'm sure there is a fun mini skirmish game, but I haven't played one yet. </p><p><i>It would be easy to make one, I think... and I think Chris McDowall's skirmish game looks pretty good.</i></p><p>Yeah, it does look good.</p><p><i>Grant Howitt's done one called Plastic Bastards or something like that. Which is just like you get like three even just whatever, and then just go, like, what are these guys about? And then just set up a game with a load of old toys, which is kind of fun I think...</i></p><p><i>...but to finish, as I know you need to get on with your life, and your missions around Brighton, I wanted to expand upon what we've just talked about regarding the hours writing or painting or preparing or doing stuff and... then not having as much time to actually do the game.. but there's an element which is... that's part of it, isn't it? That the design and the painting, it's just another form of play. It's a kind of solo play...</i></p><p><i>...but yeah, to expand on that, I was going to ask your thoughts on, collaboration, because you're someone who—in both in your RPG work and in your art, and here the two cross over—collaboration seems to be a very strong element, a thread running thread through it. I wondered how much you saw that as a form of play. And I mean collaboration outside of the conventional play space, in the design space... although I guess there's crossover....</i></p><p><i>Is collaboration a kind of play?</i></p><p>Or definitely. Of course it is. Absolutely. I think any creative endeavour is a form of play because you're mucking around with ideas and trying to think of things that they're... I don't know, more fit for the purpose you want them to be than the thing that exists already. Maybe. How do I make an image that says this? And no one's really said that particular thing, or certainly not at this time. And in this way being creative is always playing. And I think most of my visual artwork comes through play with other people, just bouncing around ideas. </p><p>I think I just like having other voices to bounce off. I find my own brain too known. Even when I'm writing by myself, I'm always thinking of the reader in some sort of way, and that becomes a type of collaboration, because you're trying to communicate a certain thing to this space. It's not like a pure novelistic writing thing where it becomes about telling a particular story in a particular way. It becomes about creating a world together. You're trying to craft a tool for that space. I think that's immensely obvious when trying to write something for a solo play space; that you've got to set out enough for there to be a structure of play. Because you don't have the safety net of the GM or the person running the session. So it becomes much more prescriptive, in some ways, but then it's also still giving enough space so that it feels like the player has agency and is actually causing an effect in that space. Yeah, that's another form of collaboration. But I think yeah, in general...</p><p><br /><i>Glad to hear it! My favourite collaborator is myself, too! <br /></i><br /></p><p>In general, I just find it so much more fulfilling and exciting to work with other people. Yeah. Because it gives a sense of a shared vision. I was in a band for years and years. In my teen years. We played gigs and stuff around London. I think that mode of music-making where you're not the songwriter, you make things collaboratively through jamming and then codifying that jam into a song, and that’s pretty much how I approach all my artistic stuff. It's like I make a bunch of things and then someone else comes in with different ideas, mix them together and see where it goes. I want to see things that I haven't seen before, really. That's often one of my impetuses. And to do that, you have to be open to the mistakes or the weirdnesses or trying something that's probably going to fail: having a compatriot in that journey can give you a different energy which I think can be really important.</p><p>I want to see things that I haven't seen before. Fantastic! But also... music, because I knew you played music—I saw you working on a score for some of your work once at the studio when I visited—but I didn't know you played in bands. I used to play some music as well... and definitely that experience of jamming and working through something organically and just free-form improvising is an experience that I am yet to kind of match in any other milieu... so that's interesting...</p><p>I haven't really thought about it in that context, but in many ways procedural adventure-making is quite like that. It's sort of like giving a set of riffs that then can combine in different ways. It gives you a kind of back line, a beat and a bass line or something that then lets you create this melody on top. </p><p><i>Or even to stretch the analogy, again, you can say, like the different elements of your procedural generator can be discordant or they can harmonise, as a counterpoint between those elements: and that's where the exciting stuff happens, in that space. </i></p><p>No, totally: it's often when they don't fit, the fun happens.</p><p><i>Some... <b>discord</b>! Wow... there you go. Well, that's fantastic. I'm going to have to go, and I think I need to let you go as well. So thank you so much for your time, David.</i></p><p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daniellocke/eco-mofos" target="_blank">ECO MOFOS!! HAS SMASHED ITS FUNDING GOALS AND STRETCH GOALS, BUT ONLY HAS THREE DAYS LEFT! GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT! </a></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><p>Copy/Paste Co-Op substack:<br /><a href="https://substack.com/@copypastecoop">https://substack.com/@copypastecoop</a></p><p>David's twitter:<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/davidblandyrpgs">https://twitter.com/davidblandyrpgs</a><br /><br /></p><p>The World After on DTRPG<br /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295419/The-World-After" target="_blank">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295419/The-World-After</a></p>ECO MOFOS!! Kickstarter:<br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daniellocke/eco-mofos">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daniellocke/eco-mofos</a><br /><br />Lone Eons<br /><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/lone-eons">https://davidblandy.itch.io/lone-eons</a><br /><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/lost-eons">https://davidblandy.itch.io/lost-eons</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Out of Nothing, collaboration with Daniel Locke:</div><div><a href="http://www.daniellocke.com/out-of-nothing">http://www.daniellocke.com/out-of-nothing</a><br /><br />Itch.io eco-mofo jam:<br /><a href="https://itch.io/jam/eco-mofos-jam/entries" target="_blank">https://itch.io/jam/eco-mofos-jam/entries</a><br /><br />Into the Odd<br /><a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/games/into-the-odd/" target="_blank">https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/games/into-the-odd/</a><br /><br />Cairn RPG<br /><a href="https://cairnrpg.com/" target="_blank">https://cairnrpg.com/</a></div><div><p>Cthulhu Dark:<br /><a href="https://www.allrolledup.co.uk/product/cthulhu-dark/" target="_blank">https://www.allrolledup.co.uk/product/cthulhu-dark/</a></p><p>Zedeck Siew's blog:<br /><a href="https://zedecksiew.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">https://zedecksiew.tumblr.com/</a><br /><br />2400 ultra-light RPG<br /><a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400" target="_blank">https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400<br /></a><br /></p><p>24XX- make your own ultra-light RPG!<br /><a href="https://jasontocci.itch.io/24xx" target="_blank">https://jasontocci.itch.io/24xx</a><br /><br />Spire RPG:<br /><a href="https://rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/" target="_blank">https://rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/<br /></a><br />My version of SPIRE 24XX<br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/fleche" target="_blank">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/fleche<br /></a><br />Bastards! by Micah Anderson<br /><a href="https://spearwitch.com/collections/bastards" target="_blank">https://spearwitch.com/collections/bastards<br /></a><br />Tim Colwill's Warhammer essay:<br /><a href="https://www.timcolwill.com/40K.html" target="_blank">https://www.timcolwill.com/40K.html</a><br /><br />Save vs TPK on Tim Colwill's essay:<br /><a href="https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/microblog/satire-without-purpose-will-wander-in-dark-places/" target="_blank">https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/microblog/satire-without-purpose-will-wander-in-dark-places/<br /></a><br />Between 2 Cairns podcast (on Patreon):<br /><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/b3-palace-of-82405351?l=de" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/posts/b3-palace-of-82405351?l=de<br /></a><br />Jimmy Shelter's San Sibilia:<br /><a href="https://jimmyshelter.itch.io/a-visit-to-san-sibilia" target="_blank">https://jimmyshelter.itch.io/a-visit-to-san-sibilia<br /></a><br />Palace of the Silver Princess, Cairn Edition:<br /><a href="https://davidblandy.itch.io/palace-of-the-silver-princess-cairn-edition" target="_blank">https://davidblandy.itch.io/palace-of-the-silver-princess-cairn-edition</a></p></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-43655625632211850422023-07-12T09:17:00.001+00:002023-07-12T09:17:18.816+00:00300th Post: Index UpdateLast time I did this (June 2022) I was fairly confident of hitting 300 before Christmas.<br /><br />Took me another seven months on top of that... but here we are!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THREE HUNDRED POSTS! </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> The blog index offers an alternative to searching by labels (at the bottom of the post) or trawling through the archive (on the left, underneath the shameless self promotion). <br /><br />It now lives on its own page rather than buried beneath other posts:<br /><br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/p/site-index.html</a><br /><br />The button at the top of the site also links to that page:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aANEaiZQN_tIikgJ9QCbGeBPP9x95HxrEH9t4Q-wLtQK0yrdOrl-6HuVa5x7jUEMZ3jJyqUGJLb4FevT8GiLyerZqQfVW7eUsb4BxtgBOR11ZWj3jFGtdkx0YqEXQ6AvFLLYkpo64PRrX-Z3TkgoMQhViiyOB2TfObJAd1iuacDFJAKP3H8H5yQlpI3o/s1360/Inception.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1360" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aANEaiZQN_tIikgJ9QCbGeBPP9x95HxrEH9t4Q-wLtQK0yrdOrl-6HuVa5x7jUEMZ3jJyqUGJLb4FevT8GiLyerZqQfVW7eUsb4BxtgBOR11ZWj3jFGtdkx0YqEXQ6AvFLLYkpo64PRrX-Z3TkgoMQhViiyOB2TfObJAd1iuacDFJAKP3H8H5yQlpI3o/w640-h436/Inception.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br />See you next time!<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK</a></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-87970058280844449462023-07-12T00:49:00.367+00:002023-07-12T06:44:54.315+00:00Our Big Show of Worth<p>This is a write-up of a solo run-through of what is actually a game for two players! <i>Our Big Show of Worth</i> is a micro game by Vian Nguyen available for purchase from the following link:</p><p><a href="https://jubnuggets.itch.io/big-show-of-worth">https://jubnuggets.itch.io/big-show-of-worth</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg1ZD7NrECRmV0kWKcbBSBeC_ViCytuT-TbWuqFI66bMPvCJ7_dTurDiSc-O5wlKMeW6KMgG6Q_0jAOdgiQD5NGy8SL1LZKHib5v1K2AEpvI1iDfTPKxL5Hm25m76OzpAeGNqfnPHN8fNW7rKg68Wt0-yVpoD9VBydEd2O-NIW0JqV4HzIiCXDzKgnkRL/s641/CF3CC1E0-8429-4F59-B928-1A5A74F2CCE4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image for game: yellow border with turquoise trim frames a white background with black text. Black text reads: "Our Big Show of Worth", and is accompanied by the four suit-symbols from a standard deck of cards. The suit symbols are all black, even the hearts." border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="641" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg1ZD7NrECRmV0kWKcbBSBeC_ViCytuT-TbWuqFI66bMPvCJ7_dTurDiSc-O5wlKMeW6KMgG6Q_0jAOdgiQD5NGy8SL1LZKHib5v1K2AEpvI1iDfTPKxL5Hm25m76OzpAeGNqfnPHN8fNW7rKg68Wt0-yVpoD9VBydEd2O-NIW0JqV4HzIiCXDzKgnkRL/w640-h524/CF3CC1E0-8429-4F59-B928-1A5A74F2CCE4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><span><div><span><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><i>An unknown deity challenges the existence of the world you call home. </i></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><i>It’s up to you, the most acclaimed theater group of your town to represent the worth of your existence through your dramatic performance.</i></blockquote></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div>This is a proof of concept prompted by PARIAH: VOLUME, wherein it is suggested that this game be introduced following a pariah imbibing a heroic dose of <i>Desert Rue. </i><br /><a name='more'></a></span><p>The game utilises a deck of standard playing cards, with the court cards separated from the number cards.</p><p>For the purpose of this game aces are counted as court cards.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Set Up</h2><p><i>Separate all the face cards (K, Q, J, A) from the rest of a 52 card deck.</i></p><p><i>Draw a random card from the deck of only face cards. Use the chart below to determine your role in the performance:</i></p><p><i>K Supporting Role</i></p><p><i>Q Love Interest</i></p><p><i>J Villain</i></p><p><i>A Rising Star</i></p><p><i>Domain of motion and♠ kinetic movement</i></p><p><i>Domain of life that draws♥ power from the earth</i></p><p><i>Domain of beings with a♦ beating heart (why is this not hearts?)</i></p><p><i>Domain of earth’s non-living♣ creations</i></p><p>Note:</p><p>I'd previously played this with one other person a few years back, but had sort of imagined it could work for a larger group, as the opening scene-setter describes the characters as belonging to <i>"the most acclaimed theater group of your town". </i>Doesn't seem the card mechanism could support a larger group.... but straight away I'm imagining being stuck repeating different scenes between the same two characters. Would it not make sense for the players to switch roles (or their characters to do so?)</p><p>Regardless, I draw:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Q♠ love interest kinetic movement</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">J♥ villain, power from the earth</p></blockquote><p>Remaining face cards form health pile- sort of stops them being used as characters again. We'll see.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Health Points</h2><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Once players have drawn their character cards, draw 5 cards from the same stack, face down for each player. </i></li><li><i>These will represent their <b>Health Point</b>s.</i></li><li><i>The remaining face cards are placed face up beside the numbered card pile. </i></li><li><i>This face up pile is the <b>communal Health Pile</b>.</i></li></ul></div></div><div><p>This means both players have 5 health points each, and there's a community health pool of four points. Not sure why some cards are face up or down as their suit and type doesn't seem to have any bearing on their value.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Show</h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Each player draws 5 numbered cards into their hand from the draw pile.</i></li><li><i>The player who most recently was on a stage starts the round. </i></li><li><i>The starting player of a round alternates.<br /><br /></i></li><li><i><b>Red Cards</b> are defensive cards: describe a protective spell you cast on yourself.</i></li><li><i><b>Black Card</b>s are offensive cards: describe an attack you inflict on the other player.</i></li><li><i><b>#</b> on the card represents is level of effectiveness.</i></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">The performance, then, is a gladiatorial one: we may be the best theatrical troupe in town, but we are showing our worth by murdering one another</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Winning Battles</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>The higher number value per round wins.</i></li><li><i>If a black card wins, the losing player takes the difference as damage to their health and returns that number of Health Points to the communal Health Pile.</i></li><li><i>If a red card wins, the winning player takes the difference as Health Points from the </i><i>communal Health Pile.</i></li></ul><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"></ul><p></p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Round 1</h2><div>Emilia is playing the love interest. Emerging from the domain of kinetic movement, she uses her training in dance to bewitch and entrance the audience. Whether the audience will read it that way is anyone's guess.</div><div><br /></div><div>She is joined on stage by the sombre figure of Merrywell. They usually play the comic relief and would bring that element even to a villainous role, but in the existential threat imposed by the unknown deity is overwhelming them, so instead they are pouring some of that energy into their performance.</div><div><br /></div><div>[I'm going to toss a coin to see who goes first as I'm on my own. If it's heads it's going to go to Emilia, tails Merrywell... it's tails! Never fails...]</div><div><br />...but does it matter who starts? My assumption would be that the player who "attacks" is obliged to play an attacking card, but this is not stated anywhere in the text.<br /><br />Let's go with that... though we have already hit a snag because- due to the random draw- Emilia has nearly all attack cards...</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, how about this house rule:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Player who "opens" the round must play a black/attacking card if<u> they have any in their hand</u></li><li>Player who goes second must play a red/defensive card <u>if they have any in their hand</u></li></ul></div><div>This isn't the only option of course, we could:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Keep it as a free choice (the "attacking player" dictates the "tone")</li><li>Just do a random draw</li></ul><div>As it's just me the free choice option is a bit dull, so I'm going to enforce some constraints on myself in order to randomise proceedings in a more structure way than just a "blind draw".</div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>I draw a <b>10 of club</b>s for Merrywell, a powerful piece of rock magic. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>The villain spies the <i>love interest</i> beside the mountain stream and decides to crack the ground beneath the feet, allowing water to seep in from the stream and destabilise her footing. She gasps.<br /><br /><i>I draw a 6 of hearts for Emilia</i><br /><br /></div><div>Our heroine counteracts the cracking rock by calling upon the roots of the ancient yew beside her: the roots erupt like tendrils from the ground and encase her.... but it is in vain, the villain's magic is too powerful and the stream swallows the ground and sweeps the heroine downriver.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>10 beats 6, Emilia loses 4 of her 5 heart points. I remove four cards and place them on the communal health pile with the two "combat/performance" cards from this round.<br /><br /></i><h2>Round 2</h2><div><br /></div><i>It's Emilia's go next. She is obliged to play an attacking card: I pick her most powerful, the eight of clubs.</i></div><p>As the current sweeps the heroine downstream she releases a foul curse, turning the villain's rock magic against them, and the precipice upon which they overlooked her peril itself begins to crack and crumble.<br /><br /><i>Merrywell plays the 9 of diamonds, their second most powerful defensive card.</i></p><p>As the ground beneath them crumbles, the villain invokes the spirit of a mighty beast, and a pterosaur swoops from the sky and safely grips them in its talons. They continue to pursue the heroine downstream.<br /><br /><i>The difference is 1 but, as it was a defensive card which won, this damage is dealt to the communal pile, of which 3 cards now remain. That card goes to Merrywell's HP pile</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><h2>Round 3</h2><div><i>It's the villain's attack again, and they only have one black card left, the 4</i>♣. </div><div><br /></div><div>Carried by the pterosaur, the villain gestures to their faithful rock-spirit patron and an enormous stalagmite rises from the rapids beneath the heroine...</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Emilia plays the 7♠: she has no red cards left</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The heroine- like the woman portraying her, Emilia- is buoyed by the forces of "kinetic movement", and flips, twists and somersaults deftly beyond the stalagmite's reach, landing safely on the shore. The sunlight bounces off her chestnut eyes and she snarls at the villain: <i>"This ends now!"</i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>A difference of 3, black victor. Merrywell takes 3 cars from their health pile, 2 remaining...</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>Round 4</h2><div><i>Galvanised by her impressive turn and cautious regarding her one remaining health-point, Emilia looks to end things on a high note and deploys the 6 </i><i>♠. </i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The heroine leaps, then pirouettes, gradually building momentum until encompassed by a whirlwind, extending from her and catching up the villain in its skirt. <br /><br /><i>Merrywell is fighting for their life, they play a 10 of hearts</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The villain can do nothing but plead with the living forces beneath their friend the rocks to protect them from this dynamic vortex. The grasses and roots envelope the villain as the maelstrom gathers about them, their eyes glowering, fixed on the heroine, who begins to slowly advance.<br /><br /><i>Victory to red, 4 points. 4 communal cards to the Merrywell.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h2>Round 5</h2><div><i>Though it is Merrywell's attack, they are out of black cards, and are forced to play their final card: two of hearts.</i></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Surrounded by the protective plant cage, the villain implores the earth-mother to transform her nurturing energies into a vile attack. She denies them that request, and feebly reinforces the plant-cage surrounding them, in the hope of defending the villain against the heroine's wrathful onslaught.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Emilia's last card is the three of clubs.</i></div><div><br /></div><div> With a single word the heroine dismisses the whirlwind and piles a landslide against the villain in its stead, but the earth-mother's blessing proves sufficient to prevent worse harm. The villain emerges from the rock-pile battered and bruised, facing down the woman they so ruthlessly sought to vanquish: at last, the two foes face one another, energies spent....</div><div><br /></div><div>They embrace.<br /><br /><br />...then <i>bow<br /></i><br />-SCENE-<br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Verdict</h2></div><div>Depending on the performance the players put on, they can try to prove their worth to the unknown deity.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The Deity will be pleased</b> if your performance totals an accumulative round difference of greater than 10.</li><li><b>The Deity will be displeased</b> if either: </li><ul><li>A player dies/loses all their health points</li><li>Players’ total round difference is less than 10</li></ul></ul><div>So, the good news:</div></div><div><br /></div><div>No one died!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now lets look at the round totals:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">ROUND 1 = 4</div><div>ROUND 2 = 1</div><div>ROUND 3 = 3</div><div>ROUND 4 = 4</div><div>ROUND 5 = 1</div><div><br /></div><div>...which I make to be 13, which is greater than 10! We saved the world with our epic battle-ritual, thanks for not killing us, unknown deity!</div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685436746460917538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-10804568325829481712023-07-09T22:00:00.004+00:002023-08-01T17:40:08.762+00:00THE LEGO PATAPHOR<p><i>UPDATED 10th July for greater clarity, thanks to feedback from <a href="https://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dan of Thrown of Salt</a><br /></i> <br />You might be familiar with the Lego analogy used for the design of roleplaying games.</p><div><br /></div>There's memes and everything.<br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohoQKaHxsZhvBYliVaaKqNaqxBTgRBVIatrdK3UZqiEdrr2UwbuBgJ7hZJHJmgLRJDn1IM-5pVEskRpVdw3QLx4PRcSx67m3Prj19-xC24OnGmoAb2X9rO7piFmdnPm8NUdy-XhUOCA0LMY6yrJsSJ3bY2HOkL3RQAOPdzcpZv1LV6BqffIqAMyxg_tUf/s993/Lego.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image of ive lego figures from the earliest incarnation of the castkle range. They carry swords, shields, spears and polearms, and carry a cart behind them. The history of this lego is set is very disturbing, but I'm not going into it here, this is an easter egg for you to investigate yourself" border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="993" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohoQKaHxsZhvBYliVaaKqNaqxBTgRBVIatrdK3UZqiEdrr2UwbuBgJ7hZJHJmgLRJDn1IM-5pVEskRpVdw3QLx4PRcSx67m3Prj19-xC24OnGmoAb2X9rO7piFmdnPm8NUdy-XhUOCA0LMY6yrJsSJ3bY2HOkL3RQAOPdzcpZv1LV6BqffIqAMyxg_tUf/w640-h416/Lego.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designers do some subtly disturbing shit with LEGO</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>..but I came across it thanks<a href="https://monkeyspawgames.com/" target="_blank"> to Monkeys Paw Games</a>:<br /><br /><div></div><blockquote><div>if you buy a lego set that has a castle on the front of the box and use the lego inside to build a spaceship are you playing lego "wrong?" are you told "no, idiot, you should have bought the spaceship lego, instead!"</div><div><br /></div><div>interesting interesting</div></blockquote><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/monkeyspawgames/status/1432440582790684677"></a><a href="https://twitter.com/monkeyspawgames/status/1432440582790684677">https://twitter.com/monkeyspawgames/status/1432440582790684677</a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>As soon as the toy is in the hands of the child design intent goes out the window. No doubt the shiny picture on the box is what drew the child to the set in the first place, but the ultimate fate of all Lego is to join all the other bricks in the Big Box (the sandbox?) to make... to make whatever it is the child wants at a later date. In my experience—as a child and later a parent—the flashy box and instruction booklet end up lost or abandoned, surviving only as a vague impression in the child's mind, if at all.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I thought the Lego analogy was an interesting starting point to explore how RPGs work, remembering Luka Rejec's post concerning toys and sandboxes. Like Lego's design team, the makers of RPG material are really only providing inspiration, and what ends up happening at the table is completely beyond their control. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then I saw this stretching of the metaphor, and some fairly unimpressive acrobatics to attempt to shoehorn :<br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdH7TVGpeTM6ZMEDgdf2NBQtJ8k77uK4312ImuH3RPtBf7O2u5QOcrQmlyq0Wj5I7hnMDvMQ8Pz61UhOuUWAaiCuc1eKWVQQPll3-lb-wov9Gk_G-H06buqX0D9ocOKrUDrGoXcRqfAIcTDVxKpXb1rnjOi0-T0xaYbIA_azM3_mjeA25D3kJHRPc_vrD/s1988/LEgoActionFigureDichotomy.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Are your game mechanics LEGOS or ACTION FIGURES? left-hand chart has a picture of a pile of yellow and black Legos. - pieces aren't that interesting on their own - fun comes from how many small pieces combine together - requires effort and creativity to use their full extent - a few different building blocks can produce countless results Right-hand side has a picture of a transformer action figure - fully assembled out of the box and immediately fun - can do a couple of things really well - A full, cohesive design on its own - Not much they can do beyond what their designer intended (Alt-text by Monkeys Paw Games)" border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="1988" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdH7TVGpeTM6ZMEDgdf2NBQtJ8k77uK4312ImuH3RPtBf7O2u5QOcrQmlyq0Wj5I7hnMDvMQ8Pz61UhOuUWAaiCuc1eKWVQQPll3-lb-wov9Gk_G-H06buqX0D9ocOKrUDrGoXcRqfAIcTDVxKpXb1rnjOi0-T0xaYbIA_azM3_mjeA25D3kJHRPc_vrD/w640-h470/LEgoActionFigureDichotomy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A false dichotomy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>As Monkey's Paw says, this image <a href="https://twitter.com/monkeyspawgames/status/1627678642082877444" rel="nofollow"><b><i><u>"fundamentally misrepresents both action figures and legos [sic]</u></i></b>"</a><br /><br />To be clear:<br /><div></div><blockquote><div><a href="assigning "designer intent" to action figures is one of the funniest things I've ever read, -11 million/10. right now my child is playing with a mars attack action figure and a duplo train on "tracks" made from jenga blocks. He's not yet two." target="_blank">Assigning "designer intent" to action figures is one of the funniest things I've ever read, -11 million/10.</a></div><div><a href="assigning "designer intent" to action figures is one of the funniest things I've ever read, -11 million/10. right now my child is playing with a mars attack action figure and a duplo train on "tracks" made from jenga blocks. He's not yet two." target="_blank"><br /></a></div><div><a href="assigning "designer intent" to action figures is one of the funniest things I've ever read, -11 million/10. right now my child is playing with a mars attack action figure and a duplo train on "tracks" made from jenga blocks. He's not yet two." target="_blank">right now my child is playing with a mars attack action figure and a duplo train on "tracks" made from jenga blocks. He's not yet two.</a></div></blockquote><div></div>...and furthermore, who says Lego pieces aren't interesting on their own? <br /><br />Now, an intermission<br /><h2>A Pataphor</h2><div>A <i>pataphor</i> is an extended metaphor that develops its own context:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>"Put another way, a pataphor is that which occurs when a lizard’s tail has grown so long it breaks off and grows a new lizard."</blockquote></div><div>You see, words are bricks, too: we can take your crumby analogy and "instructions" and repurpose, <i>detourner</i> to our hearts content. Were we to apply a pataphysical transformation to the Lego analogy, here's what we'd get for an introduction to an RPG:</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div><i>This book is like a Lego set, with instructions.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>You can follow them... or you can attempt to assemble the model by looking at the pictures on the box.<br /><br /></i><div><i>Or can ignore the instructions entirely and assemble the pieces in whichever way you and your group feel is amenable.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Or you can grind the bricks down into a powder and snort the dust and compose spontaneous ignu high poetry. </i></div></div></blockquote><p>..and that's all I have to say on the subject. </p><div><div></div></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><div>Monkey's Paw Games</div><div><a href="https://monkeyspawgames.com/" target="_blank">https://monkeyspawgames.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>Final note</h2><div>Subscribe to the monthly <i>Latest from the Labyrinth </i>to keep up with<i> Atelier Hwei/ Alone in the Labyrinth </i>across multiple platforms</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685436746460917538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-56288084078754246332023-07-08T00:00:00.001+00:002023-07-08T00:00:00.136+00:00MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM: ZINI EDITION<p> Earlier in the week I posted a play report of a PARIAH mini-game-within-a-game I finally got to the table, <i>Mutagenic Hive Swarm</i>. Players take on the role of pariahs undergoing an intense and terrifying psychedelic experience: re-manifesting inside a bio-mechanical reptilian hive swarm ship in another dimension... as <i>bugs</i>.</p><p>I've put a first draft of the "zini" edition up on itch.io. They'll be a few more updates, with the ultimate goal of this transforming into a zine-length mini-setting/adventure/sandbox.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UokvhgcEHPp49kLi1EnbwXsuLO5MM361zvceKvYp_ghfvHnKMofQBTK77zRRPh99iAQ9A97zoXVgpZ0yRwhf0TshBu9JfIfZ3_6pS1Vph2J848zIHjiHqZdLs6fSkbL-0f25O0fSdoUjUCbM9q-J80aLHqoz1iwy_WgS9yLr3hic7L_8Qqzk3D7BvDH_/s423/itchCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Slightly blurry white, capitalised text against a macro lens photograph of an iridescent sea-shell. the text (which is all capitalised) reads "muta (hyphen, new line) genic (new line) hive (new line) swarm"" border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="423" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UokvhgcEHPp49kLi1EnbwXsuLO5MM361zvceKvYp_ghfvHnKMofQBTK77zRRPh99iAQ9A97zoXVgpZ0yRwhf0TshBu9JfIfZ3_6pS1Vph2J848zIHjiHqZdLs6fSkbL-0f25O0fSdoUjUCbM9q-J80aLHqoz1iwy_WgS9yLr3hic7L_8Qqzk3D7BvDH_/w640-h508/itchCover.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm" target="_blank">MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM: OUT[BREAK OF HIVES] NOW!</a></td></tr></tbody></table></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br />The zin is designed to be printed on two-sides of an A4 sheet and folded in the middle to make a mini-zine (that's what a zini is, right?). The individual pages look like this:</span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NwciVME9wG-WmAKDbHjp1L7KS_3GCs0JojqKaacuCu2NIgR9a8EBvz6ETkV0H82pSahNHHlqY4tswff91L89R0_dJ7QjYN2d884O5VRfdb8XqD01DZve4gMAAo6YUJJWnra7ZNPYS28I-C689b2P3uq88xxXayR3XfGhzORrcrkfMFORyr7etPkWaLU3/s1654/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="***MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM*** Old-school roleplaying In THE NIGHTMARE world BEYOND - ZINI EDITION **BEGINNINGS** You are a stone age psychonaut apparently occupying the body of a Transdimensional Insectoid Reptile, a bug. But who you were is less important than where you are: you must navigate the bloody, alien meatscape of the MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM and find a way back to the Here & Now... before memories of who or what you fade completely Roll 1d12 to determine your initial form: Slayer-Seeker Dog-sized, 6-limbed lizard HD D4 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps15 hands; parasite gun; 2 further mutations 2-3 Ripper-Tearer Scythe-armed bipedal xenomorph HD D6 | ST A12 F13 M13 Ph15 Ps16 carapace; maw; scythes; 4-8 Horror-Watcher Four-armed, bug-eyed psyker HD D8 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph14 Ps13 claws; hands; psionics 9-11 Terror-Stalker Giant bipedal dinosaur spider HD D10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14 claws; hands OR tentacle; parasite cannon: 12 Killer-Screamer Huge scythe-armed nightmare HD D12 | ST A11 F11 M12 Ph15 Ps14 horror-scream; maw; scythes; scythes Roll your HD to determine starting HP Note number of limbs you have and what they do: you get one attack for each pair. NB: you only have hands if it says so **PROCEDURES** Each turn you and the other bug players roleplay the exploration of the MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM, as generated by another player known as the Hivemaster (HM). This evolves into a dialogue: bug players describing the actions of the characters and the HM describing what happens, or asking what YOU think happens. Sometimes there is a risk of those actions going wrong: in such cases, a saving throw (ST) is made. *SAVING THROW (ST)* Roll 1d20: meet or beat the number next to the appropriate save type: ACID (A) resist corrosive fluids and ichor FORCE (F) all other physical trauma MUTATION (M) avoid or instigate change PHEROMONE (Ph) ignore external hormones PSIONICS (Ps) avoid psychic manipulation FAILURE Failing a save results in damage to HP (see below), loss of time or other narrative effect. Failed saves can be ignored by making a sacrifice of greater value than the cost of failure, if it makes narrative sense (i.e. taking a bullet on another character’s behalf). Additionally, success can be purchased with humanity. This isn’t a “codified” attribute or ability score, but each time humanity is sacrificed (or lost through inhuman activities, see overleaf) the player narrates a lost memory such as....: Performing a magical ritual to conjure or invoke a spirit (loss of a magical power) Playing an instrument at a mass tribal gathering (loss of a real world skill) Spending time with a friend with a lover (loss of an emotional connection)" border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NwciVME9wG-WmAKDbHjp1L7KS_3GCs0JojqKaacuCu2NIgR9a8EBvz6ETkV0H82pSahNHHlqY4tswff91L89R0_dJ7QjYN2d884O5VRfdb8XqD01DZve4gMAAo6YUJJWnra7ZNPYS28I-C689b2P3uq88xxXayR3XfGhzORrcrkfMFORyr7etPkWaLU3/w450-h640/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First page showing character types and essential play procedures</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0YNT5n811z16mKGmBNhwEfkkS0ir4WJIRYTDCSDxmNEHl9sDZnVHtcxT1Cy_uaTWm3Mxpa-Uvnk5mVPTM6udq6nzCsF-UX1Iqi_-K3g8_W2a84Tt8iAeyaHirihbIf-V4P_IEhQt1ljt1IQjSak2G5PLhWABTbgrrlF-W_YGzhsC1NWXk30Y3pfBZhDu/s1654/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="**ENCOUNTERS** Roll 2d6 to determine the reaction of any brood members encountered: 2 Hostile and /or afraid 3-5 Wary 6-8 Neutral/ambivalent/disinterested 9-11 Mildly curious 12 Friendly/attracted You can’t communicate verbally with brood numbers (bugs can only “talk” to each other). Combatants act in random order (popcorn initiative). *ATTACKING* targeted creature makes ST If save fails, attacker rolls damage Damage is usually the attacker’s HD. At 0 HP all entities roll 1d6 on the WOUND CHART *WOUNDS* 1 Gain a cool scar- otherwise, no additional effect 2 Stunned: miss next round 3 Lose hand/claw/eye-stalk can be re-attached later 4 Lose limb or tail, possible to re-attach later 5 Decapitation: STvM to continue previous actions/round 6 Explode into multiple smaller entities/arthropod swarm 7 Collapse into sentient ooze-puddle 8 Obliterated out of existence Further damage at 0 HP is added to next wound roll. *HEALING* Bugs may spend an exploration turn eating deceased enemies to heal 1HD of HP. If HP already full roll STvM: success = MUTATION EATING ENEMIES IS AN INHUMAN ACTIVITY **MUTATIONS** 1 ANTENNAE extra-sensory organs growing from head - Improve STvPh and STvPs by 1 each. - Evolve: continuing improving saves, antennae grow 2 BUD miniature clone budding from shoulder - Evolve: bud becomes Slayer-Seeker but still attached - Evolve again: Slayer-Seeker detaches, loyal follower 3 CARAPACE chitinous armour covers body - Re-roll any STvF(force) OR STvA (acid) once per round - Evolve: improve force and acid saves by 1 each (stacks) 4 CLAWS one pair of limbs terminates in talons - Claws do HD damage, limited fine motor skills - Evolve: venomous claws; save vs. acid or paralyse 5 EYE-STALK eyes on stalks. - No mechanical benefit, but stacks with each re-roll. 6 FORM form evolves to next step in ladder - e.g. Slayer-Seeker to ripper-tearer, but retaining all mutations - Increase HD: roll it and add to HP total 7 GLANDS slime-secreting glands appear in visible place - +1 STvA; allies lick to heal your HD no. of HP - Evolve: silk glands excrete 10’ rope/round/HP +1 StvA 8 ICHOR-SPIT make a ranged saliva attack at an enemy - Ichor does no damage but entangles and slows opponent - Evolve: save vs acid or receive HD damage - Evolve 2: melt opponents to 0 HP, re-absorb in 1 round 9 HANDS one pair of limbs terminates in humanoid hands - Full motor control, hand punch/slap inflicts 1 HP damage - Evolve: hands detach from limbs at will, remote operation 10 LIMBS a new pair of limbs appears, terminating in hooves - Kick inflicts die damage below HD (i.e. 1d6 HD = 1d4 dmg) - Can accommodate future claw/hand/scythe mutations 11 MAW grotesquely enlarged jaw and sabre-like teeth - Auto bite when grappling, 1 die down from HD (no save) - Evolve: damage done increases by one die 12 OVIPOSTOR grow an egg-laying, tube-like organ - 1 egg sac/3 turns; HD no. insect swarms hatch in 2 turns - Evolve: with tongue, implant eggs into enemies - STvM to avoid implanted eggs hatching for 2d12 damage 13 SCYTHES pair of limbs terminates in curved bone-blades - Damage 1 die higher than HD; no fine motor skills - Evolve: die improves 1 step; also roll 2 dice pick highest 14 PARASITE GUN-> bio-firearm launches parasite larva - STvF to avoid hit (HD damage), then STvM each round to avoid additional damage as the parasite burrows - Evolve: to parasite cannon, increase damage1 die 15 PHEROMONES influence behaviour with hormones - +1 STvPh; +1 reaction rolls with all other brood creatures - Evolve: +1 STvPh; all reaction rolls with favour (3d6 drop lowest); all friendly reactions become followers 16 PSIONICS psionic cortex enlarges, unlocking power - +1 STvPs; communicate telepathically with brood creatures - Evolve: +1 STvPs; induce fear/confusion in targets Evolve 2: +1 STvPs; possess/control targets 17 SCREAM release a shrill, targeted sonic blast - target STvPs or else stunned 1 round - Evolve 1: HORROR SCREAM as above + HD HP damage - Evolve 2: STARSCREAM as above + all within 10’ of target 18 TENTACLE a squid-like tentacle or whip-like tail - prehensile; sensitive; too weak to attack - Evolve: Gain 1d4 tentacles. Att for 1 HP damage each 19 TONGUE tongue enlarges to five feet - prehensile; sensitive; too weak to attack, as tentacle - Evolve: gains razor-edge or mini-mouth, HD damage - auto-hits grappled opponents, stacks with maw 20 WINGS dragonfly or pterosaur-esque flying appendages - Mostly useless, but you are protected from fall damage - Evolve: fly for short bursts at walking speed, rest after flying" border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0YNT5n811z16mKGmBNhwEfkkS0ir4WJIRYTDCSDxmNEHl9sDZnVHtcxT1Cy_uaTWm3Mxpa-Uvnk5mVPTM6udq6nzCsF-UX1Iqi_-K3g8_W2a84Tt8iAeyaHirihbIf-V4P_IEhQt1ljt1IQjSak2G5PLhWABTbgrrlF-W_YGzhsC1NWXk30Y3pfBZhDu/w450-h640/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM2.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second page describe encounters, combat, healing and mutation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigwjledKQ62BlLNPsa85ZMGQO0FAIR_JxtYioEvmLRVcsXosuNApPrB10-EpGLAYkcqL7H0dhoyeOzlKQ9CFoOVFZ-XAeAHsNNNmfgQTPMHaTfm4YRQq4PyOeLPD_BtSHUBD3gArRevysxCuE26olSlazMtfJZ7UF3qN1HDvOn1iBi26wGRlv7Ka4GuUF/s1654/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="HIVE GENERATION: Bugs start with 0 PROGRESS at DEPTH 0 in a fleshy CELL with 1d6 exits. Roll 1d6 + depth to generate TISSUE, FEATURES and BROOD. Depth = no. cells distance from 1st cell MAP your bugs’ progress on a 25MM hex grid, with each hex representing a cell. Draw across hex edges to indicate passages between cells. Keep track of progress score (below) on map.. TISSUE 1 Crimson, luminescent fleshy polyps separated by fibrous pith: the inside of a pomegranate. Exits translucent wet. Citrus odour. Tasty and sweet. 2 Damp, old compost odour. Slimy, muscular, like the inside of a grub. Beige, white and orange, lit dimly. Exits are sphincteral, lined with tiny spikes. Bitter and acrid. 3 Ribbed red flesh, throaty, lined with teeth. Patches of brown/green slime. High, domed ceiling. Exits (some above floor level) flesh-curtains, not easily spotted. 4 Spongy, ochre-beige, mildly acidic: the inside of a stomach. Puddles of bile scattered here-and-there. Sphincteral exits. 5 Rancid and wet-full of rotting shit, a rubbery intestinal tube. Scattered bones in amongst flesh piles. Damp, hypoxic decay. 6 Sharp bone spikes erupting from scaly skin-flaps. Air is dry and warm. Spikes can be removed. Doors like pits on reptile skin with thin membrane 7 Smooth, hard and warm xylem, oozing sweet sap. A tree stripped of its bark, but alive and warm like animal tissue. Doors creak like old boats. 8 Iridescent dust-flakes, a butterfly’s wing. Translucent windows into chambers beyond must be hacked through, they heal in 1d4 turns. 9 Every surface is a bright blue compound eyes separated by black hairs. Usually reflective, sometimes showing glimpses of other possible worlds. Red-eyed doors. 10 Iridescent chitinous shells, smooth and slimy beneath. Smell of salt like the sea. Impossibly hard. 11 Muscular, violet-and-pink tentacles, a cephalapod. Doors are unyielding pink sphincters that must be squeezed through at great effort. 12 A warm salty ocean full of coral, a kind of amniotic sac. Fluid refills the room from a large central gland whenever the kale like curtains are parted. 13 Dense baleen plates full of tiny parasites, each one part of a complex and elaborate culture, each one looking for a new host. Looser plates form exits. 14 Phosphorescent fungus forest: psychedelic mushrooms, the closest to the Dawn Realm this place gets. Floor is wet leaf mould, exits are worm-burrows. 15 Hot, wet ,bloody beating heart: veins pulse along the walls, blood spurts if they are cut (thought they are hard to cut) 16 Gravity free black void, no apparent exits other than where the bugs entered. Only light emanates from them. Somehow... FEATURE 1 Intermittent droning, like a long low note, resonating from the walls of the cell. 2 1d6 small screens recessed into cell wall, display video footage of life in the Here & Now, +1 progress ea player description 3 Slime farm: delicious edible slime; healing incurs no cost to humanity; 2d4 portions, regenerate in 2d4 turns 4 Digestion pit: contains a sentient slime at the bottom of a deep, mucus-covered shaft. Good trap 5 Hibernation chamber: brood encountered are hanging from the ceiling, 1-in-3 chance of waking each turn spent here. 6 Teleportation stream: one exit is a portal into the hyper neural network. Bug dissolves on entry, reconfigured in previously visited cell (2/3) or random new cell (1/3) 7 Egg chamber: 3d4 eggs, hatch if touched, roll 1d4+1 to determine brood type. Gain 1d6 progress if eggs don’t hatch or are all eaten. 8 One exit is a portal to the realm of Dawn: bugs see a psychedelic forest lit by flitting globes. Pass through to reincarnate in the Dawn Realm. 9 Cocoon walls: various creatures, including humans, are cocooned in the wall-slime and undergoing mutation. Will be recognisable: +2 progress for ea player description. 10 One exit is a portal to the realm of Dusk: gateway to a sandstone labyrinth lit by phosphorescent insect-lanterns, alternating warm and cool draughts, chanting. 11 Incubation chamber: 2d4 eggs, hatch if touched, roll 1d10+2 to determine brood type. Gain 1d8 progress if eggs don’t hatch or are all eaten. 12 One exit is a portal to the realm of Beyond realm of Polaris; bugs can see a red sky and a white sun. Passing through results in reincarnation in a vat. 13 1d8 small screens recessed into cell wall, display video footage of alternative timelines, locales and cultures in the Here & Now, +2 progress ea player description 14 An exit is a portal to the Beyond realm of The Nightmare Watchers: familiar yet something is out of place. Pass through to begin another nightmare... 15 Brood chamber: as incubation chamber but contains sleeping Hive Queen, roll no other brood encounters here. 16 One exit is a portal back to the Here & Now: the bugs see themselves in human form, unconscious. Appears automatically AT progress 18" border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigwjledKQ62BlLNPsa85ZMGQO0FAIR_JxtYioEvmLRVcsXosuNApPrB10-EpGLAYkcqL7H0dhoyeOzlKQ9CFoOVFZ-XAeAHsNNNmfgQTPMHaTfm4YRQq4PyOeLPD_BtSHUBD3gArRevysxCuE26olSlazMtfJZ7UF3qN1HDvOn1iBi26wGRlv7Ka4GuUF/w450-h640/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM3.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third page explains and outlines the procedural generation method<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R4sKADl5iQUpLwfIOeAL4QMESqfusiX_egEaLCLBzNzzBzv70VRMb5YZIBuOYL8XTUZRc_LIWxTjGlwWRpJJav_7j8iRyE2BqWc42YxIem26wRrUDRiOuzaX3J9OwRaPqgM7CqYXLC9MHl2qR65T7hSfYnTLtcVW0wZw-9Qkwpimh400b3ISreFz4fcl/s1654/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="2D4 RANDOM EVENTS (ROLL 2d4 each turn) 2 Whisper from Here & Now, +2 progress 3 Brood cries out in human voice. +1 progress 4 Nothing happens 5 Roll a brood encounter 6 Re-roll cell tissue as chamber mutates 7 Roll two brood encounters 8 Space dwarfs/marines/elves arrive with lasers BROOD & OTHER ENTITIES Sentient slime pool 10’ radius, immobile HD 2d12 | ST A8 F6 M6 Ph15 Ps15 | ML - | STvsA or 2d12 acid damage; slippery; god-like intelligence; only communicate with psionic bugs Arthropod Swarm 5’ radius, slow HD 3d8 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps13 ML 11 | Crawling mass, 1d8 damage no save on contact 1d6 Acid-grabbers Lobster-sized spiders HD 3d8 | ST A12 F15 M14 Ph16 Ps13 ML 7 | Dog-sized crustacean, hungry. Obeys ripper-tearers Exploding jellyfish Float 5 ft from ground, slow HP 1 | ST A11 F16 M13 Ph16 Ps15 | ML 12 Suicide bombers, 2d10 acid damage 30’ radius if damaged. Heads towards bugs if curious, friendly or hostile. Only makes physical contact if hostile. 1d6 Slayer-Seekers Dog-sized, 6-limbed lizard HD 1d4 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps15 | ML 7 hands; parasite gun; 2 further mutations 1d4 Ripper-Tearer Scythe-armed bipedal xeno HD D6 | ST A12 F13 M13 Ph15 Ps1 | ML 9 carapace; maw; scythes; 1d4 Horror-Watcher Four-armed, bug-eyed psyker HD 3d8 | ST A13 F14 M15 Ph16 Ps13 claws; hands; psionics 2d6 slayer-seekers and 1d8 exploding jellyfish Human sorcerer Neolithic magical psychonaut HD 1d8 | ST A17 F13 M17 Ph5 Ps13 Uses magic and psionics. Out of their depth. 1d4 Terror-Stalker Giant bipedal dinosaur spider HD 4d10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14 claws; hands OR tentacle; parasite cannon: Human sorcerer, 2 mutations + roll 1d6 for brood Killer-Screamers Huge scythe-armed nightmare HD 5d12 | ST A11 F11 M12 Ph15 Ps14 horror-scream; maw; scythes; scythes 2d4 Horror-Watchers and 2d6 human thralls 2d4 Terror-stalkers + roll 2d6 twice for brood 2d8 Insectoid Monks from the realm of Dusk OR 2d4 spirits from the Dawn realm Hive Queen, roll 2d8 twice for brood HD 6d10 | ST A8 F8 M9 Ph5 Ps8 glands (Ev); maw; ovipostor; pheromones (Ev); psionics (Ev2)scythes; tentacles; tongue (Ev); Increase morale of other brood member by one. Wants to lay more eggs. Looking for friends. Secretly more intelligent than you. MORALE Each encounter has a morale (“ML”) score Test with 2d6 before its turn in combat if it’s suffered any damage (or its close allies have) ...rolls higher than ML result in the entity fleeing SORCERERS Usually Neolithic but also other realities/timelines Sorcerers can make one low-powered, free-form magical effect in lieu of a combat action etc. Additionally, use psionics (Ev2) PROGRESS HM award progress to you as indicated in features and for other interesting discoveries Bugs keep track of score for the whole group Reaching 18 means the next new cell will contain the portal back to the Here & Now RETURN Loss of humanity is carried into Here & Now Option: this manifests as retained mutations Offspring (from ovipostor etc.)remain as bound spirit, to be agreed with GM DEATH Reincarnate as slayer-seekers in one turn... ...lose a human memory... ...soul cannot return to Here & Now" border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R4sKADl5iQUpLwfIOeAL4QMESqfusiX_egEaLCLBzNzzBzv70VRMb5YZIBuOYL8XTUZRc_LIWxTjGlwWRpJJav_7j8iRyE2BqWc42YxIem26wRrUDRiOuzaX3J9OwRaPqgM7CqYXLC9MHl2qR65T7hSfYnTLtcVW0wZw-9Qkwpimh400b3ISreFz4fcl/w450-h640/AHPZ06_MUTAGENIC%20HIVE%20SWARM4.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final page detailing brood encounters, random events and outcomes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>All of the images above have their text attached as alt-text, but if you would like a plain-ish text version of the game I'm going to paste it here:</div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">***MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM***</h2><div><br /></div><div>Old-school roleplaying In THE NIGHTMARE world BEYOND - ZINI EDITION</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**BEGINNINGS**</h3><div><br /></div><div>You are a stone age psychonaut apparently occupying the body of a Transdimensional Insectoid Reptile, a bug.</div><div><br /></div><div>But who you were is less important than where you are: you must navigate the bloody, alien meatscape of the MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM and find a way back to the Here & Now... before memories of who or what you fade completely</div><div><br /></div><div>Roll 1d12 to determine your initial form:</div><div><br /></div><div>Slayer-Seeker </div><div>Dog-sized, 6-limbed lizard </div><div>HD D4 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps15 </div><div>hands; parasite gun; 2 further mutations</div><div><br /></div><div>2-3 Ripper-Tearer</div><div>Scythe-armed bipedal xenomorph</div><div>HD D6 | ST A12 F13 M13 Ph15 Ps16</div><div>carapace; maw; scythes; </div><div><br /></div><div>4-8 Horror-Watcher </div><div>Four-armed, bug-eyed psyker</div><div>HD D8 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph14 Ps13</div><div>claws; hands; psionics</div><div><br /></div><div>9-11 Terror-Stalker</div><div>Giant bipedal dinosaur spider</div><div>HD D10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14</div><div>claws; hands OR tentacle; parasite cannon: </div><div><br /></div><div>12 Killer-Screamer</div><div>Huge scythe-armed nightmare</div><div>HD D12 | ST A11 F11 M12 Ph15 Ps14</div><div>horror-scream; maw; scythes; scythes</div><div><br /></div><div>Roll your HD to determine starting HP</div><div>Note number of limbs you have and what they do: you get one attack for each pair. </div><div><br /></div><div>NB: you only have hands if it says so</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**PROCEDURES**</h3><div>Each turn you and the other bug players roleplay the exploration of the MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM, as generated by another player known as the Hivemaster (HM). This evolves into a dialogue: bug players describing the actions of the characters and the HM describing what happens, or asking what YOU think happens.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes there is a risk of those actions going wrong: in such cases, a saving throw (ST) is made.</div><div><br /></div><div>*SAVING THROW (ST)*</div><div>Roll 1d20: meet or beat the number next to the appropriate save type:</div><div><br /></div><div>ACID (A) resist corrosive fluids and ichor</div><div>FORCE (F) all other physical trauma</div><div>MUTATION (M) avoid or instigate change</div><div>PHEROMONE (Ph) ignore external hormones</div><div>PSIONICS (Ps) avoid psychic manipulation</div><div>FAILURE</div><div>Failing a save results in damage to HP (see below), loss of time or other narrative effect.</div><div><br /></div><div>Failed saves can be ignored by making a sacrifice of greater value than the cost of failure, if it makes narrative sense (i.e. taking a bullet on another character’s behalf).</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, success can be purchased with humanity. This isn’t a “codified” attribute or ability score, but each time humanity is sacrificed (or lost through inhuman activities, see overleaf) the player narrates a lost memory such as....:</div><div><br /></div><div>Performing a magical ritual to conjure or invoke a spirit (loss of a magical power)</div><div>Playing an instrument at a mass tribal gathering (loss of a real world skill)</div><div>Spending time with a friend with a lover (loss of an emotional connection)</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**ENCOUNTERS**</h3><div><br /></div><div>Roll 2d6 to determine the reaction of any brood members encountered:</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hostile and /or afraid</div><div>3-5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wary</div><div>6-8 <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Neutral/ambivalent/disinterested</div><div>9-11<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mildly curious</div><div>12<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Friendly/attracted</div><div><br /></div><div>You can’t communicate verbally with brood numbers (bugs can only “talk” to each other). </div><div><br /></div><div>Combatants act in random order (popcorn initiative).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>*ATTACKING*</b></div><div><br /></div><div>targeted creature makes ST</div><div>If save fails, attacker rolls damage</div><div>Damage is usually the attacker’s HD.</div><div><br /></div><div>At 0 HP all entities roll 1d6 on the WOUND CHART</div><div><br /></div><div><b>*WOUNDS*</b></div><div><br /></div><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gain a cool scar- otherwise, no additional effect</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stunned: miss next round</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lose hand/claw/eye-stalk can be re-attached later </div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lose limb or tail, possible to re-attach later</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Decapitation: STvM to continue previous actions/round</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Explode into multiple smaller entities/arthropod swarm</div><div>7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Collapse into sentient ooze-puddle</div><div>8<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Obliterated out of existence</div><div><br /></div><div>Further damage at 0 HP is added to next wound roll.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>*HEALING*</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Bugs may spend an exploration turn eating deceased enemies to heal 1HD of HP. </div><div>If HP already full roll STvM: success = MUTATION</div><div><br /></div><div>EATING ENEMIES IS AN INHUMAN ACTIVITY</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**MUTATIONS**</h3><div><br /></div><div>1 ANTENNAE extra-sensory organs growing from head</div><div>- Improve STvPh and STvPs by 1 each. </div><div>- Evolve: continuing improving saves, antennae grow</div><div><br /></div><div>2 BUD miniature clone budding from shoulder </div><div>- Evolve: bud becomes Slayer-Seeker but still attached</div><div>- Evolve again: Slayer-Seeker detaches, loyal follower</div><div><br /></div><div>3 CARAPACE chitinous armour covers body</div><div>- Re-roll any STvF(force) OR STvA (acid) once per round</div><div>- Evolve: improve force and acid saves by 1 each (stacks)</div><div><br /></div><div>4 CLAWS one pair of limbs terminates in talons</div><div>- Claws do HD damage, limited fine motor skills</div><div>- Evolve: venomous claws; save vs. acid or paralyse</div><div><br /></div><div>5 EYE-STALK eyes on stalks. </div><div>- No mechanical benefit, but stacks with each re-roll.</div><div><br /></div><div>6 FORM form evolves to next step in ladder</div><div>- e.g. Slayer-Seeker to ripper-tearer, but retaining all mutations</div><div>- Increase HD: roll it and add to HP total</div><div><br /></div><div>7 GLANDS slime-secreting glands appear in visible place</div><div>- +1 STvA; allies lick to heal your HD no. of HP</div><div>- Evolve: silk glands excrete 10’ rope/round/HP +1 StvA</div><div><br /></div><div>8 ICHOR-SPIT make a ranged saliva attack at an enemy</div><div>- Ichor does no damage but entangles and slows opponent </div><div>- Evolve: save vs acid or receive HD damage</div><div>- Evolve 2: melt opponents to 0 HP, re-absorb in 1 round </div><div><br /></div><div>9 HANDS one pair of limbs terminates in humanoid hands</div><div>- Full motor control, hand punch/slap inflicts 1 HP damage</div><div>- Evolve: hands detach from limbs at will, remote operation</div><div><br /></div><div>10 LIMBS a new pair of limbs appears, terminating in hooves</div><div>- Kick inflicts die damage below HD (i.e. 1d6 HD = 1d4 dmg)</div><div>- Can accommodate future claw/hand/scythe mutations</div><div><br /></div><div>11 MAW grotesquely enlarged jaw and sabre-like teeth</div><div>- Auto bite when grappling, 1 die down from HD (no save)</div><div>- Evolve: damage done increases by one die </div><div><br /></div><div>12 OVIPOSTOR grow an egg-laying, tube-like organ</div><div>- 1 egg sac/3 turns; HD no. insect swarms hatch in 2 turns</div><div>- Evolve: with tongue, implant eggs into enemies</div><div>- STvM to avoid implanted eggs hatching for 2d12 damage</div><div><br /></div><div>13 SCYTHES pair of limbs terminates in curved bone-blades</div><div>- Damage 1 die higher than HD; no fine motor skills</div><div>- Evolve: die improves 1 step; also roll 2 dice pick highest</div><div><br /></div><div>14 PARASITE GUN-> bio-firearm launches parasite larva</div><div>- STvF to avoid hit (HD damage), then STvM each round to avoid additional damage as the parasite burrows</div><div>- Evolve: to parasite cannon, increase damage1 die</div><div><br /></div><div>15 PHEROMONES influence behaviour with hormones</div><div>- +1 STvPh; +1 reaction rolls with all other brood creatures</div><div>- Evolve: +1 STvPh; all reaction rolls with favour (3d6 drop lowest); all friendly reactions become followers</div><div><br /></div><div>16 PSIONICS psionic cortex enlarges, unlocking power</div><div>- +1 STvPs; communicate telepathically with brood creatures</div><div>- Evolve: +1 STvPs; induce fear/confusion in targets</div><div>Evolve 2: +1 STvPs; possess/control targets</div><div><br /></div><div>17 SCREAM release a shrill, targeted sonic blast</div><div>- target STvPs or else stunned 1 round</div><div>- Evolve 1: HORROR SCREAM as above + HD HP damage</div><div>- Evolve 2: STARSCREAM as above + all within 10’ of target</div><div><br /></div><div>18 TENTACLE a squid-like tentacle or whip-like tail</div><div>- prehensile; sensitive; too weak to attack</div><div>- Evolve: Gain 1d4 tentacles. Att for 1 HP damage each</div><div><br /></div><div>19 TONGUE tongue enlarges to five feet</div><div>- prehensile; sensitive; too weak to attack, as tentacle</div><div>- Evolve: gains razor-edge or mini-mouth, HD damage</div><div>- auto-hits grappled opponents, stacks with maw </div><div><br /></div><div>20 WINGS dragonfly or pterosaur-esque flying appendages</div><div>- Mostly useless, but you are protected from fall damage</div><div>- Evolve: fly for short bursts at walking speed, rest after flying</div><div><br /></div><div><b>HIVE GENERATION:</b> Bugs start with 0 PROGRESS at DEPTH 0 in a fleshy CELL with 1d6 exits. Roll 1d6 + depth to generate TISSUE, FEATURES and BROOD. Depth = no. cells distance from 1st cell</div><div><br /></div><div><b>MAP </b>your bugs’ progress on a 25MM hex grid, with each hex representing a cell. Draw across hex edges to indicate passages between cells. Keep track of progress score (below) on map..</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**TISSUE**</h3><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Crimson, luminescent fleshy polyps separated by fibrous pith: the inside of a pomegranate. Exits translucent wet. Citrus odour. Tasty and sweet.</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Damp, old compost odour. Slimy, muscular, like the inside of a grub. Beige, white and orange, lit dimly. Exits are sphincteral, lined with tiny spikes. Bitter and acrid.</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ribbed red flesh, throaty, lined with teeth. Patches of brown/green slime. High, domed ceiling. Exits (some above floor level) flesh-curtains, not easily spotted.</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Spongy, ochre-beige, mildly acidic: the inside of a stomach. Puddles of bile scattered here-and-there. Sphincteral exits.</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rancid and wet-full of rotting shit, a rubbery intestinal tube. Scattered bones in amongst flesh piles. Damp, hypoxic decay.</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sharp bone spikes erupting from scaly skin-flaps. Air is dry and warm. Spikes can be removed. Doors like pits on reptile skin with thin membrane</div><div>7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Smooth, hard and warm xylem, oozing sweet sap. A tree stripped of its bark, but alive and warm like animal tissue. Doors creak like old boats.</div><div>8<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Iridescent dust-flakes, a butterfly’s wing. Translucent windows into chambers beyond must be hacked through, they heal in 1d4 turns.</div><div>9<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Every surface is a bright blue compound eyes separated by black hairs. Usually reflective, sometimes showing glimpses of other possible worlds. Red-eyed doors.</div><div>10<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Iridescent chitinous shells, smooth and slimy beneath. Smell of salt like the sea. Impossibly hard.</div><div>11<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Muscular, violet-and-pink tentacles, a cephalapod. Doors are unyielding pink sphincters that must be squeezed through at great effort.</div><div>12<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A warm salty ocean full of coral, a kind of amniotic sac. Fluid refills the room from a large central gland whenever the kale like curtains are parted.</div><div>13<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Dense baleen plates full of tiny parasites, each one part of a complex and elaborate culture, each one looking for a new host. Looser plates form exits.</div><div>14<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Phosphorescent fungus forest: psychedelic mushrooms, the closest to the Dawn Realm this place gets. Floor is wet leaf mould, exits are worm-burrows.</div><div>15<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hot, wet ,bloody beating heart: veins pulse along the walls, blood spurts if they are cut (thought they are hard to cut)</div><div>16<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gravity free black void, no apparent exits other than where the bugs entered. Only light emanates from them. Somehow...</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**FEATURE**</h3><div>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Intermittent droning, like a long low note, resonating from the walls of the cell.</div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1d6 small screens recessed into cell wall, display video footage of life in the Here & Now, +1 progress ea player description</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Slime farm: delicious edible slime; healing incurs no cost to humanity; 2d4 portions, regenerate in 2d4 turns</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Digestion pit: contains a sentient slime at the bottom of a deep, mucus-covered shaft. Good trap</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hibernation chamber: brood encountered are hanging from the ceiling, 1-in-3 chance of waking each turn spent here.</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Teleportation stream: one exit is a portal into the hyper neural network. Bug dissolves on entry, reconfigured in previously visited cell (2/3) or random new cell (1/3)</div><div>7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Egg chamber: 3d4 eggs, hatch if touched, roll 1d4+1 to determine brood type. Gain 1d6 progress if eggs don’t hatch or are all eaten.</div><div>8<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One exit is a portal to the realm of Dawn: bugs see a psychedelic forest lit by flitting globes. Pass through to reincarnate in the Dawn Realm. </div><div>9<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cocoon walls: various creatures, including humans, are cocooned in the wall-slime and undergoing mutation. Will be recognisable: +2 progress for ea player description.</div><div>10<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One exit is a portal to the realm of Dusk: gateway to a sandstone labyrinth lit by phosphorescent insect-lanterns, alternating warm and cool draughts, chanting.</div><div>11<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Incubation chamber: 2d4 eggs, hatch if touched, roll 1d10+2 to determine brood type. Gain 1d8 progress if eggs don’t hatch or are all eaten.</div><div>12<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One exit is a portal to the realm of Beyond realm of Polaris; bugs can see a red sky and a white sun. Passing through results in reincarnation in a vat.</div><div>13<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1d8 small screens recessed into cell wall, display video footage of alternative timelines, locales and cultures in the Here & Now, +2 progress ea player description</div><div>14<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>An exit is a portal to the Beyond realm of The Nightmare Watchers: familiar yet something is out of place. Pass through to begin another nightmare...</div><div>15<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Brood chamber: as incubation chamber but contains sleeping Hive Queen, roll no other brood encounters here.</div><div>16<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>One exit is a portal back to the Here & Now: the bugs see themselves in human form, unconscious. </div><div><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Appears automatically AT progress 18</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>2D4 RANDOM EVENTS (ROLL 2d4 each turn)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Whisper from Here & Now, +2 progress</div><div>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Brood cries out in human voice. +1 progress</div><div>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Nothing happens</div><div>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roll a brood encounter</div><div>6<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Re-roll cell tissue as chamber mutates</div><div>7<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Roll two brood encounters</div><div>8<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Space dwarfs/marines/elves arrive with lasers</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">**BROOD & OTHER ENTITIES**</h3><div><br /></div><div>Sentient slime pool 10’ radius, immobile</div><div>HD 2d12 | ST A8 F6 M6 Ph15 Ps15 | ML - |</div><div>STvsA or 2d12 acid damage; slippery; god-like intelligence; only communicate with psionic bugs</div><div><br /></div><div>Arthropod Swarm 5’ radius, slow</div><div>HD 3d8 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps13 ML 11 |</div><div>Crawling mass, 1d8 damage no save on contact</div><div><br /></div><div>1d6 Acid-grabbers Lobster-sized spiders</div><div>HD 3d8 | ST A12 F15 M14 Ph16 Ps13 ML 7 |</div><div>Dog-sized crustacean, hungry. Obeys ripper-tearers </div><div><br /></div><div>Exploding jellyfish Float 5 ft from ground, slow</div><div>HP 1 | ST A11 F16 M13 Ph16 Ps15 | ML 12</div><div>Suicide bombers, 2d10 acid damage 30’ radius if damaged. Heads towards bugs if curious, friendly or hostile. Only makes physical contact if hostile.</div><div><br /></div><div>1d6 Slayer-Seekers Dog-sized, 6-limbed lizard </div><div>HD 1d4 | ST A13 F14 M13 Ph16 Ps15 | ML 7</div><div>hands; parasite gun; 2 further mutations </div><div><br /></div><div>1d4 Ripper-Tearer Scythe-armed bipedal xeno</div><div>HD D6 | ST A12 F13 M13 Ph15 Ps1 | ML 9</div><div>carapace; maw; scythes;</div><div><br /></div><div>1d4 Horror-Watcher Four-armed, bug-eyed psyker</div><div>HD 3d8 | ST A13 F14 M15 Ph16 Ps13</div><div>claws; hands; psionics</div><div><br /></div><div>2d6 slayer-seekers and 1d8 exploding jellyfish</div><div><br /></div><div>Human sorcerer Neolithic magical psychonaut</div><div>HD 1d8 | ST A17 F13 M17 Ph5 Ps13</div><div>Uses magic and psionics. Out of their depth.</div><div><br /></div><div>1d4 Terror-Stalker Giant bipedal dinosaur spider</div><div>HD 4d10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14</div><div>claws; hands OR tentacle; parasite cannon: </div><div><br /></div><div>Human sorcerer, 2 mutations + roll 1d6 for brood</div><div><br /></div><div>Killer-Screamers Huge scythe-armed nightmare</div><div>HD 5d12 | ST A11 F11 M12 Ph15 Ps14</div><div>horror-scream; maw; scythes; scythes</div><div><br /></div><div>2d4 Horror-Watchers and 2d6 human thralls </div><div><br /></div><div>2d4 Terror-stalkers + roll 2d6 twice for brood</div><div><br /></div><div>2d8 Insectoid Monks from the realm of Dusk OR 2d4 spirits from the Dawn realm</div><div><br /></div><div>Hive Queen, roll 2d8 twice for brood</div><div>HD 6d10 | ST A8 F8 M9 Ph5 Ps8</div><div>glands (Ev); maw; ovipostor; pheromones (Ev); psionics (Ev2)scythes; tentacles; tongue (Ev); </div><div>Increase morale of other brood member by one. Wants to lay more eggs. Looking for friends. Secretly more intelligent than you.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>MORALE</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Each encounter has a morale (“ML”) score</div><div>Test with 2d6 before its turn in combat if it’s suffered any damage (or its close allies have)</div><div>...rolls higher than ML result in the entity fleeing</div><div><br /></div><div><b>SORCERERS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Usually Neolithic but also other realities/timelines</div><div>Sorcerers can make one low-powered, free-form magical effect in lieu of a combat action etc.</div><div>Additionally, use psionics (Ev2)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>PROGRESS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>HM award progress to you as indicated in features and for other interesting discoveries</div><div>Bugs keep track of score for the whole group</div><div>Reaching 18 means the next new cell will contain the portal back to the Here & Now</div><div><br /></div><div><b>RETURN</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Loss of humanity is carried into Here & Now</div><div>Option: this manifests as retained mutations</div><div>Offspring (from ovipostor etc.)remain as bound spirit, to be agreed with GM </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>DEATH</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Reincarnate as slayer-seekers in one turn...</div><div>...lose a human memory...</div><div>...soul cannot return to Here & Now</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Download the PDF from itch.io now!<br /><br />(if you want)<br /><br /><a href="https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm">https://atelier-hwei.itch.io/mutagenic-hive-swarm</a><br /><br />Also, I've just migrated the Atelier Hwei/Alone in the Labyrinth newsletter to substack and I'm really enjoying that site at the moment, please subscribe and, if youhave a presence there, say hello!<br /><br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com</a></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-45995799203845805252023-07-06T15:48:00.005+00:002023-07-06T16:31:09.878+00:00HAMLET: A ONE LETTER RPG<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-style: italic; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">…totus mundus agit histrionem</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c28fb509-7fff-6df7-d013-2e732604446e"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">- Petronius</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sometimes it takes a while for me to catch on, and so it was with </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hamlet: a One Letter RPG </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">by W.H. Arthur. Regular readers may recall my interview with </span><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/01/interview-with-wh-arthur-rpg.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arthur back in 2021</span></a><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, but if not please follow the link or have a glance over his </span><a href="https://aryl-ether.itch.io/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">itch.io page</span></a><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: he has built up an excellent catalogue of games and material during the two years that have passed since he kindly agreed to be interviewed.</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This post very specifically examines one game in particular: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hamlet: A one-letter RPG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, inspired by the </span><a href="https://itch.io/jam/business-card-jam" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Business Card RPG Jam</span></a><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><a href="https://riverhousegames.itch.io/we-are-but-worms-a-one-word-rpg" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We Are But Worms</span></a><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. You can download the game here:</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><a href="https://aryl-ether.itch.io/hamlet" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://aryl-ether.itch.io/hamlet</span></a></span></span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W5J1GUPbTihd9JsSlfoZahw1CWmscwEuKMseUOlkuMkc30ubBqmtu8-IFzDHrkbesFwI997vvNkCJd0bpN8155NfCjVZoOk2N8b4fqUssTkn34R-WDyyC6_XxsCqPC0pHhR-u66PO4R4EzKh8lxnZakiTLPlk4DLe09gfgrku4z5cMHrjkTw4ysHszVt/s2048/9rW1jg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photograph of wood-veneered tabletop, upon which are two teal-green and gold business cards, arranged so that each displays the opposite side of the other. The card on the has a decorative, leafy gold edge to the left and right sides (but not the top and bottom); in its centre sits a large lettter B encircled by a gold ring. The card on the right has an identical margin, but the text in the centre reads as follows HAMLET (first line); A one-letter RPG (second line); W.H. Arthur (3rd line); Twitter: @Aryl-ether (fourth line): itch.aryl-ether.itch.io (last line)" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W5J1GUPbTihd9JsSlfoZahw1CWmscwEuKMseUOlkuMkc30ubBqmtu8-IFzDHrkbesFwI997vvNkCJd0bpN8155NfCjVZoOk2N8b4fqUssTkn34R-WDyyC6_XxsCqPC0pHhR-u66PO4R4EzKh8lxnZakiTLPlk4DLe09gfgrku4z5cMHrjkTw4ysHszVt/w640-h480/9rW1jg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot: a business card RPG, <i>Hamlet</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><span><a name='more'></a></span>If you can see the image (or can read the ALT-text) you will already have got the joke: the single letter comprising the whole one-letter game of Hamlet is “B”... as in “to be”... as in the opposite of “not to be”...<br /><br />But there’s more to this which sailed right over my head the first time.<br /><br />What do we expect from a game’s text?<br /><br />Guidance for how to play the game. <br /><br />Of course, this is telling you to be, and in the context of Hamlet this is pretty funny (as well as providing an answer to the question).<br /><br />But isn't this the rule for all roleplaying?<br /><br />Be...<br /><br />....and aren't we always playing this same game? And aren't we going to caught up in observations made by other Shakespeare characters?<br /><br />An alternative is that we're always playing a game...and this was something I alluded to in a twitter shitpost I made a while back:<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxVQLmjZEi2LmKRR0oNq9KLRglRUJovujgj47oyb4tblCIjwviH1nwiqLu_P_Vw5O3FNd6lPTqz0JH0Ia16GSNWfnvbODbFJsIaXAYxUl6rUjLGy-ApTIcdwt_hvbB8Z5P7EFU9Q-KwHuj-1Cv4tWX9oX78T0HBTT7U-X2fVrYMpDDmFz_HTH1Fq92KQw/s680/MEmeDiceGame.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="485" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxVQLmjZEi2LmKRR0oNq9KLRglRUJovujgj47oyb4tblCIjwviH1nwiqLu_P_Vw5O3FNd6lPTqz0JH0Ia16GSNWfnvbODbFJsIaXAYxUl6rUjLGy-ApTIcdwt_hvbB8Z5P7EFU9Q-KwHuj-1Cv4tWX9oX78T0HBTT7U-X2fVrYMpDDmFz_HTH1Fq92KQw/w456-h640/MEmeDiceGame.jpeg" width="456" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>I don't hear enough talk about the game (which you just lost, in case that wasn't clear) among other game designers, possibly because they are trying not to think about it. There's always the chance they <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)" target="_blank">didn't realise they were playing it...</a></div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Edit: Further Reading</h2><br /></div><div>After posting, Arthur drew my attention to an article he wrote about minimalist RPGs, including some of the design decisions that went into <i>Hamlet</i>. It's here!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.geeknative.com/150315/on-game-jam-culture-and-minimalist-rpgs/">https://www.geeknative.com/150315/on-game-jam-culture-and-minimalist-rpgs/</a></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><div><i>Hamlet</i>, the one-letter RPG</div><div><a href="https://aryl-ether.itch.io/hamlet">https://aryl-ether.itch.io/hamlet</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Arthur's itch page:<br /><a href="https://aryl-ether.itch.io/">https://aryl-ether.itch.io/</a><br /><br /></div><div>The Business Card game jam:</div><div><a href="https://itch.io/jam/business-card-jam">https://itch.io/jam/business-card-jam</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Game</i>, according to wikipedia...<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)</a></div></div></div>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-35821870250997837132023-07-04T15:26:00.008+00:002023-07-04T16:30:32.848+00:00PLAY REPORT: MUTAGENIC HIVE SWARM<p>This is a play report of a PARIAH sub-game that takes place in the Hive Swarm aspect of <i>The Beyond</i><br /><br />However, in truth it is my homage<i> </i>to the now-nerfed forces of <i>Hive Fleet Kraken</i> and my brief, intense love affair with them back in 1998. I miss you x</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbJSw2tZuw-qTia0toui2L-YA0sznFVvvCE-aRk9woo3FiZh8ZdAbQMylteMmr5lNwoJ01VLAORY7fqOcv8bJnD6Non_XGgE67K0_NKIGCjfkYfEbdsSexzv8jec2QvSD4EvktthakZw1Wbp-Z6y99a0Hl98Y8svoFhKooImI7JNnt8F9oE_1KdbRHxpy/s782/Kraken.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="782" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbJSw2tZuw-qTia0toui2L-YA0sznFVvvCE-aRk9woo3FiZh8ZdAbQMylteMmr5lNwoJ01VLAORY7fqOcv8bJnD6Non_XGgE67K0_NKIGCjfkYfEbdsSexzv8jec2QvSD4EvktthakZw1Wbp-Z6y99a0Hl98Y8svoFhKooImI7JNnt8F9oE_1KdbRHxpy/w640-h524/Kraken.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer to GW: <i>please don't sue me for using this image, nor what you are about to read...</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>From <i><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html">Sketches for My Sweetheart, The Beyond:</a></i></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Wisewomen speak of the chaotic immediacy of <i>Dawn </i>in contrast with the rarefied reptilian intelligence of <i>Dusk</i>: within the <i>Beyond</i>, these two realms have conflated. </p><p>The plague swarm is a complex, technologically advanced culture of monstrous insectoid reptiles driven by the insatiable hunger of <i>Dawn</i> to replenish and reproduce. Biomechanical monsters driven by the desire to assimilate all life and reform it in their own image</p><p>The civilisation spans millions of worlds and represents the amalgamation of trillions upon trillions of species, dreaming of a reality in which no single element exists outside of their domain, working in unison towards their goal of multiversal omni immortality</p></blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Players</h2><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Edd0 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/snailedlyndenbell/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/snailedlyndenbell/?hl=en</a></li><li>Eugene</li><li>Oisín <a href="https://tirnanoggames.blogspot.com/">https://tirnanoggames.blogspot.com/</a><br /></li><li>Sofinho (the "hivemaster")</li></ul></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Characters</h2><div>Players were told to they were welcome to bring a pre-existing character to the table, but no game stats would be used: only a name would be required for identification purposes:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sunfish</li><li><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/07/pariah-actual-play-discord-session-05-06.html" target="_blank">Quiet One</a></li><li>Cuckoo</li></ul></div><div>Whether through design or misadventure, the pariahs transcended the<i> Here and Now </i>and emerged in a new environment.<br /><br /><i>Roll 1d12 to discern starting form:</i></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Sunfish</b>, <i>Giant bipedal dinosaur </i></li><ul><li>HD D10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14</li><li><i>claws; tentacles; parasite cannon:</i></li></ul><li><b>Quiet One</b>:<i>Giant bipedal dinosaur</i></li><ul><li>HD D10 | ST A12 F12 M13 Ph14 Ps14</li><li><i>claws; hands; parasite cannon:;</i></li></ul><li><b>Cukoo</b>: <i>Scythe-armed bipedal xenomorph</i></li><ul><li>HD D6 | ST A12 F13 M13 Ph15 Ps16</li><li><i>carapace; maw; scythes;</i></li></ul></ul><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF1nEptIbCxnJXrTXwrT4a78PMwkmOoWUfUCCgD9nMRcR-BuxNn_N16GrGJtvaJWPsVKMShx9p9pipl27kDmxAkgMi-VY8u9U5KkuXc2g8UL3oeEtUoskEQpupgSTCGS6SPHfbvfjIheHWAn3qM8Kje7xtAoiM7GqzxSxwndE-S43Wx4g2mNjRdSipmLP/s2448/IMG_4756.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Quick sketch of three tyranid-esque PCs" border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="2448" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEF1nEptIbCxnJXrTXwrT4a78PMwkmOoWUfUCCgD9nMRcR-BuxNn_N16GrGJtvaJWPsVKMShx9p9pipl27kDmxAkgMi-VY8u9U5KkuXc2g8UL3oeEtUoskEQpupgSTCGS6SPHfbvfjIheHWAn3qM8Kje7xtAoiM7GqzxSxwndE-S43Wx4g2mNjRdSipmLP/w640-h398/IMG_4756.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch by Edd0</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>Turn 1</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Tissue:</b></div><div><i>The cell comprises walls of ribbed red flesh: somewhat similar to the interior of a whale (at least as envisaged by Walt Disney). Patches of brown/green slime. High, domed ceiling. Exits (some above floor level) flesh-curtains, not easily spotted. </i></div></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>Feature:</b><br /><i>The cell constant droning, like a long low note, resonating from the walls of the cell.</i><br /><br /><b>Event:</b><br /><i>None rolled first turn</i></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_C5sJI7zloMG7aS8h0srKmrRYewZmyFJjHbV8lWhxDcD9GkR5latYn_BpEzhgftPqns9fO6nbW0KIZ8gMNhytbY7arW4k1ZNS9cq4jX8D8lC869mU4j3kKzVdKzBJoO4cpOfaj0ur0MCZbBZ1zsMznCG4r5otE8fIftSOmFNXYCVAN3P5sEgbE6BOHC8/s1316/IMG_4757.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Biro sketch by Edd0 showing the interior of an organic, ribbed, domed chamber" border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1316" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_C5sJI7zloMG7aS8h0srKmrRYewZmyFJjHbV8lWhxDcD9GkR5latYn_BpEzhgftPqns9fO6nbW0KIZ8gMNhytbY7arW4k1ZNS9cq4jX8D8lC869mU4j3kKzVdKzBJoO4cpOfaj0ur0MCZbBZ1zsMznCG4r5otE8fIftSOmFNXYCVAN3P5sEgbE6BOHC8/w640-h294/IMG_4757.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch by Edd0</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div>The party attempt to come to terms with their new form, and the fact they are unable to speak... but soon find they share a telepathic connection which they use to communicate. <br /><br />Sunfish asked for an explanation of the light source, to which I replied it wasn't entirely clear: the environment appeared to radiate its own luminance <br /><br />Quiet One aims his "bagpipes" (parasite cannon) at a wall, launching a stream of bile and a vile parasite shaped like a human hand, which burrows into the wall.<br /><br /><blockquote><b>HIVEMASTER NOTE 1: </b></blockquote><blockquote>Initially the PARASITE was described as "about the size of a human hand" but Eugene misheard me and thought it was shaped like a human hand... I went with that because he then came up with a reverse-engineered method of estimating his own size based on the emerging human hand.. also, creepier and weirder for it to be a human hand, somehow</blockquote><p>The <b>bugs </b>discover there are 5 exits to the chamber:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sds4oaWECF7vkMjgN8-GRGttsNevlROBCWG7pjsTnamUvGabQ9jNg-9WAvVqZ3OCCHbaB5VXNfriWYzITya_uPtXfNtO65FHb9_BGwMushif36eVktN6PoXiblHG_XseZJuV9pXqtUOq810iBRK0HAtOl86ai3J9cgQaDqNDsoras2cvPguAw1zHKvaD/s771/Map.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="771" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sds4oaWECF7vkMjgN8-GRGttsNevlROBCWG7pjsTnamUvGabQ9jNg-9WAvVqZ3OCCHbaB5VXNfriWYzITya_uPtXfNtO65FHb9_BGwMushif36eVktN6PoXiblHG_XseZJuV9pXqtUOq810iBRK0HAtOl86ai3J9cgQaDqNDsoras2cvPguAw1zHKvaD/w400-h358/Map.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Turn 2</h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Tissue:</b></div><div><i>As previous</i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Feature:</b><br /><i>The cell constant droning, like a long low note, resonating from the walls of the cell.</i><br /><br /><b>Event:</b><br /><i>Brood encounter: "Jellyfish"</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A "valve" opens and 3 (1d4) jellyfish drift in, their bells floating 5' from ground. The party split, after some attempts at communication and note that the 3 jellyfish seem to be homing in on each party member. </div></div><blockquote><b>HIVEMASTER NOTE 2:</b></blockquote><blockquote>Reaction roll: 10, "curious"... the jellyfish would just follow at a safe(ish) distance if left to their own devices, but the party were understandably wary (and have no way of knowing the motive of the brood members they meet... yet</blockquote><p>Quiet One attempts to coax "his" jellyfish toward the northern valve, while Sunfish and Cuckoo conspired to have their jellyfish follow a trajectory toward one another, ultimately by standing at opposite sides of the chamber<br /><br />I explained that there was an interminable period while the slow moving jellyfish advanced towards their respective targets, during which time they were able to pick up on fluctuations in the droning sound corresponded to subtle variation in the jellyfish's colour.</p><p>Eventually, I present Quiet One with a game of chicken: his jellyfish is within one foot of him and the valve/door has not yet opened... Quiet One scrapes a bit of flesh off the wall with his claws and is preparing to toss it at the jellyfish</p><blockquote><b>HIVEMASTER NOTE 3:</b></blockquote><blockquote>The core mechanic in the game is the saving throw: bugs have 5 saves (ACID, FORCE, MUTATION, PHEREMONE,PSIONICS), all of which are 1d20, roll high. Something similar to <i><a href="https://dreamingdragonslayer.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/advantage-and-impact/" target="_blank">Dreaming Dragon Slayer's</a></i> synthesis of <i>Maze Rats</i> and <i>Into the Od</i>d is at play here:</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I give him the chance to witness the outcome of jellyfish collision before asking if he wants to toss the flesh-ball: when the other two jellies bash into one another they immediately burst in a shower of acid, necessitating saving throws from the pariahs: they were all were far enough away that damage would have been a mere hit point, but they all succeeded. <br /><br /></div><div>This did make it clear to Quiet-One what would happen if the jellyfish touched <i>him</i>, and instead of tossing his flesh-ball, he elected to duck out early, knowing that I will probably make him roll a save if he leaves it until the last minute.<p></p></div><div><blockquote><br /></blockquote><p> </p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsXs00M20WvT16BcKd86LXfsh2l9Jq-JTpFdrbnKwuEVRfIEN2VWaHIQHNcGGzqQW-gvmARAMB5RmdNZXj9MV0ggMwT3ZMFfZ8YU8Eb_WAIt_P-pln_2kpTyuCcM8EfrM7NozYpxbZry4piZwZLbAMxHJ5lHHyXT2zSeIG87aPNZQO51c6CQxmDbmV7Gj/s833/Advantage-DreamingDragonSlayer.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="A complicated diagram for providing mixed success/success at cost in a binary success/fail mechanic. Essentially it is a flow chart." border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="833" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsXs00M20WvT16BcKd86LXfsh2l9Jq-JTpFdrbnKwuEVRfIEN2VWaHIQHNcGGzqQW-gvmARAMB5RmdNZXj9MV0ggMwT3ZMFfZ8YU8Eb_WAIt_P-pln_2kpTyuCcM8EfrM7NozYpxbZry4piZwZLbAMxHJ5lHHyXT2zSeIG87aPNZQO51c6CQxmDbmV7Gj/w640-h210/Advantage-DreamingDragonSlayer.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram via Dreaming Dragonslayer</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Turn 3</h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div>I'm a little hazy as to how this precisely worked out, but I'm sure it began with Sunfish opening the northeastern valve and peering into the chamber beyond:<br /><br /><b>Tissue (depth 1 +1d6)</b></div><div><i>Damp, old compost odour. Slimy, muscular, like the inside of a grub. Beige, white and orange, lit dimly. Exits are sphinctoral, lined with tiny spikes. Bitter and acrid.<br /><br /></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Feature:</b><br /><i>Rolled but not immediately obvious to Sunfish from the doorway </i>(they didn't check it out but they might in a future session, so I've left blank)<br /><br /><b>Event:</b><br /><i>None generated<br /></i><div><div><br />Perturbed by the smell of rot, Sunfish suggested looking through another valve/door, so Quiet One and Cuckoo inspected the southwest portal, with the jellyfish slowly drifting after Quiet One,<br /><br /><b>Tissue (depth 1 +1d6)</b></div><div><i>Smooth, hard and warm xylem, oozing sweet sap<br /><br /></i></div></div><div><b>Feature:</b><br /><i>3d4 eggs, hatch if touched, roll 1d4+1 to determine brood type.</i><br /><br /><b>Event:</b><br /><i>None generated</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ--TOUX6nk1FzOEx-fsP-c_3RwweLa_refbAvTfQ3cQbu5NulWg15hdZd8Z1_Wu3ep16fCiBao3Pau2evEpHx0CgYiwjSY85faic24dr-MeZuTUtAVPXpqd7R4eySsmWPhkespruCU02y2eCS4KAJ3y4zfHPQTNmDC1asJbVJwoAhvXkB-Xt4YD_TOS3/s801/Map2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="801" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ--TOUX6nk1FzOEx-fsP-c_3RwweLa_refbAvTfQ3cQbu5NulWg15hdZd8Z1_Wu3ep16fCiBao3Pau2evEpHx0CgYiwjSY85faic24dr-MeZuTUtAVPXpqd7R4eySsmWPhkespruCU02y2eCS4KAJ3y4zfHPQTNmDC1asJbVJwoAhvXkB-Xt4YD_TOS3/w640-h576/Map2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EGWfEzJ5kcx_8ZNsD9_LqAQNzJzd63tWt-NiN7--3xVjAGOfqr5pPpd8qlEifkCcEOCKzxSK0AWjIgEF5fc8Qy4WsnmmWgfLv2nRRtkPu4hK13bV0_BYYpCIOaJeIZlpLL7mjVnJIvAriUBjRDMrv9UGN2jhWnctid7byLY5tr3g6ZFxK7I1CYPW_dA_/s1837/IMG_4758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1837" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EGWfEzJ5kcx_8ZNsD9_LqAQNzJzd63tWt-NiN7--3xVjAGOfqr5pPpd8qlEifkCcEOCKzxSK0AWjIgEF5fc8Qy4WsnmmWgfLv2nRRtkPu4hK13bV0_BYYpCIOaJeIZlpLL7mjVnJIvAriUBjRDMrv9UGN2jhWnctid7byLY5tr3g6ZFxK7I1CYPW_dA_/w640-h438/IMG_4758.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Quiet One pushed a claw into the wall, cracking the xylem open and receiving a steady, sticky spray of viscous sap. Cuckoo tasted some, and was reminde dof hunger and the pleasure of eating: it was sweet and nutritious. Quiet One forewent the pleasure Sunfish watched from outside, conscious that there were no apparent exits to the chamber.</div><div><br /></div><div>Quiet One positioned himself so that the remianing jellyfish would approach him, while trailing its tentacles over the tap of one of the colourful, semi-tranluscent globes. Great pains were taken to ensure everyone was as far as possible from the potentially exploding jellyfish.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Turn 4</h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Event:</b><br /><div><i>Brood encounter 1d6+depth (1) "acid grabber"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>As the jellyfish eventually arrived at the first globe and its tendrils made contact, an aperture appeared in the southern wall of the chamber, accompanied by a <i>creeeeeak</i> as the woody material prised itself apart. Unperturbed, the jellyfish burst, raining acid down on most of the eggs.<br /><br />A dog-sized arthropod, somewhere between an arctic crab and a tarantula, scuttled into the room, glanced at the three bugs with eyestalk, before making its way over to the acid-wrecked egg (reaction roll: ambivalent.<br /><br />A creature similar to the arthropod emerged from the egg, though evidently mortally wounded by the acid-splash. It heaved a sigh and died, at which point the first creature began to eat it.<br /><br />I informed Cuckoo's player that the sight made them salivate. Though under no mechanical compulsion to eat, Cuckoo ventured over and began to tuck in, much to Sunfish's disgust.</div><div><br /></div><div>The large figure of Quiet One stomped over and aimed a kick with one of its scaly hooves...<br /><br /><blockquote><b>HIVEMASTER NOTE 5:</b></blockquote><blockquote>Volent actions are simple: PCs roll a die to see how much damage they do, targets make a save to avoid or mitigate damage if appropriate. On this occasion, the target was successful</blockquote><p>The creature scuttled out of the way, but continued to eat the egg-mess from the floor.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9D4AiiJpMhB2AVysI0_un__diweY8eDi5wtDMYn5Ca3oVN85cLhjPn0q5Om042SRRAeYsYTmJhVOUaUUPK23d3_r4QDQn1ZnT4NRYJLh5CVllVra9Slyce63HyWSC96Ul6dhXiFfjB2dqhPRFR-VpuHKle4MeQGy0dfEiNyoF9vNzRT2HFjZlIgyRfYw/s1216/IMG_4759.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Sketch containing multiple images: the far left shows a sizzling, smoking arthropod unable to full escape its decearing egg-world. Next, its arthropod sibling, looking decidedly spider/snow crab-like. There's also an image of an exploding octopus on the far right.a" border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1216" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9D4AiiJpMhB2AVysI0_un__diweY8eDi5wtDMYn5Ca3oVN85cLhjPn0q5Om042SRRAeYsYTmJhVOUaUUPK23d3_r4QDQn1ZnT4NRYJLh5CVllVra9Slyce63HyWSC96Ul6dhXiFfjB2dqhPRFR-VpuHKle4MeQGy0dfEiNyoF9vNzRT2HFjZlIgyRfYw/w640-h318/IMG_4759.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketch by Edd0</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Cuckoo was informed that the biomass they were ingesting felt nourishing and empowering, and I gave the option to continue to eat their fill if desired. By spending the remainder of the turn eating, Cuckoo would be able to heal any wounds or afflictions currently suffered. As they had a clean bill of health, the act of eating had another effect: mutation...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R_rBzytLCVE9GY8cyB231P8IAoLWyKIwZYbWACiqCrg9WjQq0d8dCkJc9zNwfj-B1KuG5-8BoRIoRVNBTNxJSotL5VFOY4ee_R2xWfI8XWQUVOvvzUBumVthXswkA-t9aKn62OZL1-FwAGVFxw_eqijtK7LBlmqGXwW5FAR84NpyXt_t3bhViQZkrZez/s2340/IMG_4760.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image of a scythe-armed xenomorph with a tail and enlarged head, apparently spitting out some egg?" border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="2340" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R_rBzytLCVE9GY8cyB231P8IAoLWyKIwZYbWACiqCrg9WjQq0d8dCkJc9zNwfj-B1KuG5-8BoRIoRVNBTNxJSotL5VFOY4ee_R2xWfI8XWQUVOvvzUBumVthXswkA-t9aKn62OZL1-FwAGVFxw_eqijtK7LBlmqGXwW5FAR84NpyXt_t3bhViQZkrZez/w640-h584/IMG_4760.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Cuckoo-Eats-the-Egg"... a curiously germane name for a xenomorphic pariah</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>HIVEMASTER NOTE 6:</b></p><p></p></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">Ordinarily, when attacked by mutagenic effects, bugs have to make a save vs. mutation to avoid or mitigate that effect. Conversely, when eating biomass to transform themselves, they have to make a save to gain the benefits of a mutation. However, in this instance I removed the necessity of a roll to illustrate two of the games core elements: transformation and loss of humanity.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><p>The second element, loss of humanity, is mainly just for narrative flavour: the act of eating raw flesh while wearing the form of a transdimensional insectoid alien dehumanises their soul. This manifests by the player recounting a memory the human version of their character might have been fond of, and accepting that this memory s now lost. This could also manifest as a loss of a s kill or ability if we wanted to get mechanical about it. </p></blockquote><p></p><p></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Oisín recounted his best recollection of an incident from a <a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2021/01/pariah-etau-campaign-session-25-save.html">previous campaign featuring that character</a>. There was some poignancy there, in that the incident now forgotten had been integral to Cuckoo retaining their humanity!</div><div><br /></div><div>As for mutation.. a roll of the die resulted in:<br /><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>PSIONICS</b><i> psionic cortex enlarges, unlocking latent power...</i></li><ul><li><span> </span> <b>+1 STvPs</b>; communicate telepathically with brood creatures</li></ul></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>While Sunfish was especially put off by this, Quiet One reached down and easily crushed the arthropod feeding on the flesh of its brethren. Curiously, mutation had been a key feature of Quiet One's banishment back on the Here & Now, and here he was embracing it...<br /><br /><br />Quiet One's memory was of taking the blame for an act of theft that his friend had committed: it was the act leading to his exile, knowing that life within the tribe without his friend would be unbearable. Quiet One was already an "outcast" and a "freak", but he should great humanity in shouldering the blame.<br /><br />Humanity now lost...</div><div><br /></div><div>...but at least he got to grow a tentacle!<br /><br />Sunfish shook his head...<br /><br /> <i>To be continued?</i></div></div></div><div><h2>Additional notes</h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Depth is calculated as distance from the first cell</li><li>There is an abstract progress score: when it hits "16" a portal materialises in an adjoining chamber, possibly leading back to their sleeping bodies in the <i>Here & Now</i> </li><li>Working on an option just to run this as a dungeon crawl, but really like the psychedelic aspects (especially as this can mean as humans pop up)</li><li>Trying to keep a set of procedures and rules on to two sides of A4 (a zini) without dependence on other products or systems (though of course it is implied that this takes place in the <i>Pariah </i>multiverse </li></ul><p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><p>The Beyond!<br /><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html " target="_blank">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/12/sketches-for-my-sweetheart-beyond.html </a></p><p>Skerples' tyranid army (would love to read more about this)<br /><a href="https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/search/label/tyranid" target="_blank">https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/search/label/tyranid</a><br /><br />Advantage and Impact, Dreaming Dragon Slayer:<br /><a href="https://dreamingdragonslayer.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/advantage-and-impact/" target="_blank">https://dreamingdragonslayer.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/advantage-and-impact/</a></p><h2><br /></h2><h2>Final note</h2><h2><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://pjamesstuart.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">Following False Machine's lead</a>, I have established a new mailing list on substack. Please subscribe!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/">https://aloneinthelabyrinth.substack.com/</a></span></span></h2><p><br /></p><p></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5380657762788578445.post-4244513252554114132023-06-23T08:31:00.004+00:002023-12-08T20:14:05.534+00:00LONG LIVE THE BLOGOSPHERE!<p><b>TL/DR: bookmark this blog, use my sidebar to keep up-to-date on other interesting blogs</b></p><p>I received a message from Reddit yesterday, congratulating me on my "7th cake day".</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEnDEuwt2pjSVE2N7qKmoWAgIe5TLo29V5FAOKCfoh9nz99kI_0Yj-Dzco4yRkruG7MBtJKpLPvhVNhDE25nkpZafWu1fu4ggAmPxFFOASzjn1qBrC3v4rFb9T2T-h9UgSNP8Jbjv_gSwNeBEPSYNQeqjd0pDL1-R0DAK1x_JiN0TuO67y_8I1I3eQRyL/s1280/HappyBirthdaytoTheGround.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A birthday cake thrown to the ground, a hilarious reference to SNL's Lonely Island" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEnDEuwt2pjSVE2N7qKmoWAgIe5TLo29V5FAOKCfoh9nz99kI_0Yj-Dzco4yRkruG7MBtJKpLPvhVNhDE25nkpZafWu1fu4ggAmPxFFOASzjn1qBrC3v4rFb9T2T-h9UgSNP8Jbjv_gSwNeBEPSYNQeqjd0pDL1-R0DAK1x_JiN0TuO67y_8I1I3eQRyL/w640-h360/HappyBirthdaytoTheGround.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy Birthday to the Ground</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>It comes at a time when the platform is making changes to its API with potentially huge consequences for the platform. You may be aware of the shutdown/blackout/general strike of many subs, and of John Oliver getting sexy in protest... if you're not, please use your search engine of choice to find out more.</p><p>Anyway, as a consequence of this "shutdown" I ended up accidentally scrolling through the <i>other</i> OSR subreddit (the one that says "no drama! no politics!" but should probably read "no subredditors! No interesting posts!") because that had elected not to shut down, and within seconds found out that the sub owner had quit reddit, leading to much hand-wringing that ultimately spilled over into the proper <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/" target="_blank">r/osr</a> sub.</p><p>I'm under no illusions that this is in anyway comparable to the eradication of Google+, though for some <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/14awznz/meta_sub_blackout_would_be_more_detrimental_to/" rel="nofollow">people it's far worse</a>. For those of you who weren't there (or those like me, who tried to be at the party but were just stood wandering around empty suburbs knocking on doors of the houses where we could hear banging music but not getting in) it's hard to fully grok how catastrophic that was (though we will listen patiently while you go glassy-eyed and regale us with your war-stories, grognard). </p><p>Despair not! Twitter may be turning into Ayn Rand's playground and Reddit may yet became overrun wth porn-bots, but I have good news!</p><p>The blogosphere is still here, as is <a href="https://www.bastionland.com/" rel="nofollow">Chris McDowall</a> ... and he is here to show you how it works:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGR-XKFhZ5g&t=2790s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGR-XKFhZ5g&t=2790s</a></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Links</h2><p>The "good" OSR subreddit:<br /><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/">https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/</a></p><p>Possible satire?<br /><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/14awznz/meta_sub_blackout_would_be_more_detrimental_to/">https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/14awznz/meta_sub_blackout_would_be_more_detrimental_to/</a></p><p>How blogs work: a tutorial video<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGR-XKFhZ5g&t=2790s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGR-XKFhZ5g&t=2790s</a></p>Sofinho - Alone in the Labyrinthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13483910003385026924noreply@blogger.com4