Thursday, October 31, 2013

Five Magic Items of Potent and Horrific Circumstances for Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea On The Dark Corner Blog

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Five weird and strange magic items for AS&SH On The Dark Corner Blog.
Items ruled by a sense of destiny and glory about them.
Your path to adventure and glory awaits right over
HERE

Free Old School Horror Role Playing Game Magazine - Protodimension Magazine Issue #17 On The Dark Corner Blog

Download Protodimension Magazine #17 Fall 2013
 Another free fantastic issue of  the Old School Horror rpg mag
Protodimension magazine available for free download right over on the Dark Corner Blog !
HERE!!

Messiah of Evil 1973 As Halloween Adventure Location For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg On The Dark Corner Blog



The gates to Dune Point are open once again and the blood moon rises!
The sacrifices must be made and in this 1973 movie the dead stalk the streets!
Can your adventurers survive the horrors and wrestle the dread secrets of the
Messiah of Evil  for
Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea! 

Boreas Snows Ancient And Deep ~ A Sword & Sorcery Adventure Setting For Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea ~History Part Two & Encounter Set Up On The Dark Corner Blog

Remorhaz.JPG
 Just in time for Halloween is the final part of the Boreas Snows Ancient And Deep Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea mini campaign!
The keys and the gates have been opened!
Dare you step through into adventure and glory?
Right Over
HERE

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Reconciling Xmen III and The Days of Future Past Trailer For Your Old School Super Heroes Campaign

Trying to deal with the various X movies, Wolverine, and the 80's comic books are going to give you a headache. Forget it and forge your own campaigns in the cracks of the various alternative worlds of classic Marvel Super Heroes. 
Everything in the Days of Future Past story line stems back to Project Wide Awake all the way back to March of 1983. 
The events stir the pot for Days of Future past to come about.

According to Wiki : 


Project: Wideawake is a fictional United States government program in the Marvel Comics universe. Its purpose is detecting and capturing mutants employing the robots known as Sentinels.




Back in 1987 these adds ran in various comics and they had far reaching implications for the various Marvel mutates and mutants of the Marvel universe. 

Everything Starts With Project Wide Awake
According to Wiki :
The U.S. Government had been studying the mutant problem for years. Federal Judge Chambers headed up the Federal Council on Mutant Activities, which concluded with a 5-year study that was interpreted to show mutants were a menace to mankind. Meanwhile, Senator Robert Kelly was also conducting a study on the mutant situation. He, too, did not trust mutants, but his aspirations toward the presidency prompted him to be much more vocal about the "mutant menace."
Mystique, and her Second Brotherhood of Mutants, sought to show people that mutants could not be pushed around and attempted to assassinate Kelly. They were stopped in the nick of time by the X-Men. Instead of defusing the situation, Mystique had only made it worse. Despite the fact that he was saved by mutants, Kelly clung to his radical mutant deterrent theories and helped press the White House for more action.
In response to all these pressures, the President secretly instructed the National Security Council to create a covert, illegal commission to deal with the problems posed by the increasing numbers of mutants in America. Codenamed Project: Wideawake, the commission is headed by the National Security Advisor, Judge Petrie, and includes Frank Lowell of the C.I.A., Raven Darkholme of the Defense Department, Dr. Valerie Cooper, Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor, plus many other currently unknown members of the U.S. intelligence community. Henry Peter Gyrich, a top agent for the National Security Council, was chosen to be head of operations for Project: Wideawake.
Right from the start the commission had troubles, mainly because they had not completely defined their course of action for handling the American mutant population explosion. Because mutants were beginning to pop up all over the world, some members of the administration decided that America should start enlisting the aid of friendly mutants into the ranks of government agencies (under careful control, of course) for America's protection. Other members of the administration felt that the mutants should be rounded up and used as a resource, but their methods denied mutants even their most basic civil rights. Still other bureaucrats believe that all mutants should be destroyed. Project: Wideawake has evolved more towards the second way of thinking (mutants as a resource) under the direction of Petrie and Gyrich.
Realizing that they would have a fight on their hands against mutant teams, such as the X-Men, the government enlisted the aid of various private firms and interests to develop methods and equipment which would strengthen their position. Strangely enough, some of the most efficient items and fighters were recruited from the mutants themselves, whether knowingly or unknowingly. The mutant named Forge developed many items for the various defense departments, including a gun that would strip a mutant's powers away from them for an indeterminate period of time. This item was to be used against Rogue, but when Storm intervened, it stripped her powers away instead. While all known models of the device have been destroyed, and Forge made sure the plans were eliminated, he still continues to blindly work for the U.S. defense agencies. Recently, Mystique and her Second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants struck a deal with the U.S. government to become a mutant deterrent force answerable only to the Oval Office through a Special Presidential Liaison, Dr. Valerie Cooper. Thus Freedom Force was born, a mutant team designed to fight mutants. But it was the involvement of Sebastian Shaw, the Black King of the Hellfire Club, and himself secretly a mutant, that turned out to be the greatest threat to American mutants. As head of Shaw Industries, a major U.S. defense contractor, Shaw provided the Department of Defense with new versions of the mutant-hunting Sentinels.
Basically your crew of super heroes who operated in 1987 -89 were going to get into a bit of a dust up with a mutant hating public and protesters along with douche bag government agents. 
Don't ever get me started on Department H and The Hell Fire club as well. 
Encounters tended to be razor sharp lines in the sand with PC's really walking the moral line. 

Get Everything I'm About To Talk About

HERE

The Marvels Super Heroes added the Project very early all the basic game with the apply named : 

Project: Wideawake (MHAC5) 

"They are the children of the atom, the next step in human evolution. They are mutants, hated and feared by mere humans. Some, like the X-Men and the New Mutants, are protectors of humanity. Others, such as the Hellfire Club and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, want to be the masters of humanity.
Now, the major Marvel mutants, well-meaning and malign, are collected in one book. More than 50 heroes, villains, and interested parties ... are described inside, along with notes on the X-Men's mansion, important non-mutants, and the fearsome Sentinels -- mutant-hunting robots created by the United States government to deal with the mutant menace."

1985 ... Jeff Grubb ... 32 pages ... TSR 6861 ... ISBN 0880381930

Basically in thirty two pages you got everything you needed to foreshadow the events to come in Days of Future Past. With Kitty Pride taking center stage in the next X men movie and her abilities now tied into the time travel angle. The realms of alternative worlds are blown wide open! 
If your using this material for a basic Marvel Super Heroes game there are two books that your going to need for it.
See Marvel Super Heroes like Marvel Comics is New York City  based and New York is the Marvel centerpiece.
The following supplements suddenly become incredibly useful. 

New York, New York (MHAC6)



"There are a million stories in the teeming urban center of New York City: Gang Wars between criminal rivals. Rampages by wild-eyed mutants. Superpowered bad guys carrying grudges. It's a tough place to survive, even if you have the proportional strength of a spider.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK is several products in one. Inside you'll find a handy combat wheel and random adventure generator. There's also a collection of short adventures to help you set up an urban campaign or to add spice to a published adventure. In addition, NEW YORK, NEW YORK expands the original campaign MARVEL SUPER HEROES map all the way to the river. Finally, we've included a rogues' gallery of the powerful villains and heroes that make the mighty metropolis of the Marvel Universe so challenging.
If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere.
This game supplement is designed for use with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES role-playing game. It contains an easily assembled Combat Wheel, 16-page adventure book, 16-page character book, and 21.5" x 33" city expansion map."

1985 ... Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb ... 16 + 16 pages + map + wheel (the second cover folder, intended for cut-out) ... TSR 6863 ... ISBN 088038199X

Concrete Jungle (MHAC7) 

Concrete Jungle has 12 different heroes and 42 different villains, plus 12 supporting characters, and maps of the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker and Matt Murdock's apartments.

-Wayne

"It's called the city, but it's really a concrete jungle filled with dangerous predators like SCORPION and HOBGOBLIN, masterminds like KINGPIN and HAMMERHEAD, and world-beaters like the RED SKULL and TITANIUM MAN. It is also the home of such heroes as SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL, and MOON KNIGHT, plus numerous shadowy figures such as the PUNISHER and CLOAK and DAGGER.
Gathered here in one place are the foes you love to hate and the heroes who patrol the urban wasteland. Miss it at your own risk!
This game supplement is designed for use with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES role-playing game. This package contains a 32-page book describing the villains that threaten the city, and the heroes that protect it."

1985 ... Jeff Grubb ... 32 pages ... TSR 6865 ... ISBN 0880382260
These two supplements give the DM NPC heroes to kill, kidnap, and play with without actually injuring your PC's at all. Centering things in New York allows you quick access to the New York State Xmen school as well.
When we switch up the game to the Advanced version well things move up a few notches. Children of the Atom is a one stop shop book.

Children of the Atom (MA1) 

"Blessed and cursed with super-human abilities, the ranks of mutantkind are constantly growing, constantly expanding. An apprehensive world holds them at arms' length, wary and suspicious of the unknown. An uncomfortable air of mistrust clouds their dealings with normal men, and an even more sinister air of hatred hangs over the dark places in men's hearts.

Only through understanding can humanity pierce this murky veil that separates men from mutants. Knowledge drives away the fear of the unknown. And so, TSR proudly presents Children of the Atom, the complete, up-to-date guidebook to homo sapiens superior.
From Acanti to Wolverine, from the Alliance of Evil to the X-Men, every significant mutant and mutant group known is described in detail. A bonus short adventure, Dreamchild, is also included.
The most far-reaching revolution in history is taking place in our genes. To survive, we must understand the children of the atom.
Children of the Atom consists of a 96-page roster book and a 10 1/2" x 15" pull-out map. This game accessory is designed for use with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES™ Advanced Set."

1986 ... Kim Eastland ... 96 pages + detachable map ... TSR 6872 ... ISBN 0880382929
This one has a bit of everything mutant related including the various teams, mutants that have been killed off and the start of some of the Wide Awake and Days of Future Past elements but there are many potent spoilers in there as well. This reference is way,way, out of date or is it? This was never our world at all. It may seem like it at times with strange and twisted distortions but this is a world of madmen, mutants, and the beginnings of a brutal robotic run police state. 

Prelude To Wide Awake

There is one module that springs to mind as the entire prelude to the events that happen in both Days of Future Past and Project Wide Awake ! 
Mutating Mutants (MLBA1) 

""Being a mutant is tough. Being a New Mutant is even tougher. I think I'll pay those kids a friendly visit. Y'know, I may be Wolverine, but I don't have many friends who aren't out to use me. These kids haven't gotten hardbitten and cynical like this old warrior. Yep, time for a drop-in ..." 

Later ...
"Somebody is after these kids. Trying to hurt them, and hurt 'em bad. Somebody just made a big mistake, and I intend to see that they find out just HOW big. Somebody's gonna pay for what they've done to the kids ..."
Wolverine watches as the New Mutants slither, crawl, and hop toward their goal. He knows they'll never be the same again. What's worse, he also knows HE'll never be the same again..."

1990 ... Bruce Nesmith ... 32 pages ... TSR 6893 ... ISBN 0880388412
This sucker has it all including the greedy hearted bastard Sebastian Shaw at its black heart!
Its like a mini slice of the events to come. I run this one time and again for various groups and the loathing for both Shaw and the elements of Wide Awake are built right into this one! 




Get all of the basic game modules right over
HERE

Mutating Mutants Adventure  And the Children of the Atom Book 

HERE

Finally if you really want to round out your Xmen collection get the Advanced Xmen Box set as well HERE

While your working download the Fold up figures as well.
HERE


What If
X men III Is An Alternative Marvel Movie X World?
The poster shows Wolverine's claws unsheathed in front of a big X representing "X3". At the middle is the title while at the bottom is the production credits and rating.

With the plot of X men Last Stand going something like this : 
Twenty years before the movie's current events, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr meet a young Jean Grey at her parents' house to make her aware of her powers. Ten years later, a young Warren Worthington III tries to cut off his wings, before his father discovers he is a mutant.
The next scene opens with the X-Men in battle against a giant robot in the Danger Room.Kitty Pryde and Colossus have joined the team, although Cyclops is absent. Storminsists on working as a team, but Wolverine has Colossus throw him as he cuts the giant robot's head off. Storm is upset with Wolverine for not working as part of a team.
Sometime afterward, the pharmaceutical company Worthington Labs announces it has developed an inoculation to suppress the X-gene that gives mutants their abilities and makes them different from other humans, offering the "cure" to any mutant who wants it. While some mutants are interested in the cure, including the X-Men's Rogue, many others are horrified by the announcement. In response to the news, the X-Men's adversary, Lensherr, now known as Magneto, raises an army, led by him, Pyro,JuggernautArclightMultiple Man, and Callisto, warning his followers that the "cure" will be forcefully used to exterminate the mutant race.
Cyclops, still emotionally distraught about the loss of Jean, returns to Alkali Lake. Jean appears to Cyclops, but as the two romantically kiss, Jean takes on a fearsome appearance. Psychically sensing trouble, Professor X sends Wolverine and Storm to investigate. When they arrive, the two X-Men encounter telekinetically floating rocks, Cyclops' glasses, and an unconscious Jean. Cyclops himself is nowhere to be found. Xavier explains that when Jean sacrificed herself, she unleashed the powerful alternate personality she calls "Phoenix". Wolverine is disgusted to learn that Xavier has kept Jean in check telepathically, but when Jean awakens, he realizes she is not the Jean Grey he knew. Jean pleads with Wolverine to kill her, but when he refuses, the Phoenix surfaces and knocks out Wolverine, before escaping to her childhood home.
Magneto, alerted by Callisto to the presence of an immeasurably strong and powerful mutant, realizes that it must be Jean Grey. Magneto and his allies are already at Jean's childhood home when Xavier and his X-Men arrive. The two men vie for Jean's loyalty until the Phoenix resurfaces. She destroys her family's house, disintegrates Xavier, and leaves with Magneto.
The X-Men regroup to confront Magneto's army, despite being significantly outnumbered. Magneto has diverted the Golden Gate Bridgeto provide access to Alcatraz Island, the location of Worthington Labs facility. The military troops defending the facility are armed with plastic "cure weapons" able to neutralize the attacking mutants, and non-metallic to counter Magneto's powers. Magneto lets the lesser-powered mutants charge ahead, with heavy initial losses, but then they rapidly begin to overwhelm the troops. The X-Men's Wolverine, Storm, BeastIceman, Colossus and Kitty Pryde arrive to battle Magneto and his troops.
During the fight, Beast injects Magneto with the cure, nullifying his powers. Meanwhile, Kitty has entered the facility to find Jimmy, who is the source of the cure and saves him from the murderous Juggernaut. They escape as Army reinforcements arrive, only to be obliterated by Phoenix, lashing out with her power and destroying everything around her including the lab itself. Wolverine realizes that due to his self-healing power, he is the only one who can approach her. He tells Storm to evacuate everyone and faces Phoenix alone, his power barely neutralizing the destructive nature of her disintegration attack. Jean, momentarily gaining control, begs Wolverine to save her. Telling Jean he loves her, Wolverine forces himself to stab her, killing her, and, in her dying moments, Jean turns back to normal, smiles at him, and dies. Wolverine weeps over her dead body in his arms in the middle of the devastated island.
The school continues without Xavier, with Storm now as headmistress and Logan as a teacher. The US president appoints Beast as ambassador to the United Nations, Rogue returns, telling Iceman she has taken the cure and the two hold hands skin-to-skin.
In the epilogue, Magneto sits alone at a chessboard in a San Francisco park. He gestures forlornly towards the queen, causing it to tilt slightly.
In a post-credits scene, Dr. Moira MacTaggert checks on a comatose patient who greets her with Xavier's voice. Startled, she replies, "Charles?"

The door is now open with Days Of Future Past to suddenly allow the franchise to recon the entire movie or to show this one as an alternative Earth.
What does this mean for your PCs? With the power to move between the various Earths suddenly the world of the X movies becomes open for the possibilities of adventurers coming into the various time lines.
 This opens the field up for William Bill Stryker to make an appearance. 
Stryker has had appearances in Xmen God Loves,Man Kills, The Ultimates universe, And even Age of Apocalypse.
You can find out more about him right
HERE 
Danny Houston summed up Stryker quite well in an interview.
Wiki speaks about it thus : 
"This is a younger version of Stryker. Huston liked the complex Stryker, who "both loves and hates mutants because his son was a mutant and drove his wife to suicide. So he understands what they're going through, but despises their [destructive] force." He compared the character to a racehorse breeder, who rears his mutant experiments like children but abandons them when something goes wrong. " 

You can bet that William Stryker will be playing a major role in the new Days of Future Past and the formation of the Sentinels.
He might also act as the bedrock of evil  for many different worlds as the fulcrum that allows the Days Of Future Past Alternative Timeline to come about.
 
Could Stryker actually be the deciding blip that changes it all? Could the evil wrought in X three disappear as a dream?
Well it just might in your campaign world! 

Boreas Snows Ancient And Deep ~ A Sword & Sorcery Adventure Setting For Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea ~History Part One On The Dark Corner Blog

File:Smilodon Knight.jpg

"Come with me my boy were the snows are deep and weird as I explains the secrets of this world and what you must know to survive right over "
HERE

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Review and Commentary On The X Men Days Of Future Past Trailer For Your Old School Super Heroes Campaign





Its 11:53 and I've just rewatched the pilot for Agents of Shield so you don't have to. Instead, to the trailer for Xmen Days of Future Past was released and we've seen a hell of a lot of speculation, arguments, and internet blab, blab. 
Bottom line we've got a new X men movie on the way and it ties directly into the backbone of Xmen First Class as well as renaming itself after the classic 1981's iconic Xmen comic series.
File:X-Men v1 141.jpg

According to wiki : 
The storyline alternates between present day of 1980, in which the X-Men fight Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a future timeline, taking place in 2013, caused by the X-Men's failure to prevent the Brotherhood from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. In this future universe, Sentinels rule the United States, and mutants live in internment camps. The present-day X-Men are forewarned of the possible future by a future version of their teammate Kitty Pryde, whose mind traveled back in time and possessed her younger self to warn the X-Men. She succeeds in her mission and returns to the future, but despite her success, the future timeline still exists as an alternative timeline rather than as the actual future.

The Marvel Movie tie in seems to tie directly into the end of  Xmen First Class and bobbles and weaves through time to redefine some of the weirdness that X men II & III caused.
Here Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman is sent back in time to guide a young Professor Xavier whose beginning to form the second wave of the X men. I t looks to me like this one is going to go back and forth with time.
Major Spoiler Warning ahead.
According to wiki : 
"The upcoming sequel to The Last Stand and First Class is titled X-Men: Days of Future Past. Several actors from the past of the franchise are confirmed to return, including Hugh JackmanHalle BerryIan McKellenPatrick StewartAnna PaquinShawn AshmoreEllen PageDaniel CudmoreMichael FassbenderNicholas HoultJennifer Lawrence, and James McAvoy. Newcomers Peter DinklageOmar SyFan BingbingBooboo Stewart and Evan Peters have been announced to play Bolivar TraskBishop,BlinkWarpath and Quicksilver, respectively. Although the trailer reveals that Wolverine will be the one to actually return to his "younger" body, director Bryan Singer described Pryde as the prime facilitator and that Pryde's phasing ability enables time-travel to happen" 

I've seen tonight a whole bunch of my friends this evening looking at the trailer going 
"Crap I'm in on this one!" 
So the fans are divided on this one. 
The trailer looks fantastic but we've been deceived before and so I have my usual let's wait and see with this one!

Using The 

The X Men Days Of Future Past Trailer For Your Old School Super Hero Campaign 


File:Sentinels.PNG

Get The Entire Series
MX Modules right Over
HERE
The trailer has certainly stirred up the fans but this isn't the first time that Days of Future Past has gotten the pulse of Marvel fans racing.
Back when the Marvel Super Heroes game was in full swing the Days of Future Past Modules came out. 
MX1: Nightmares of Futures Past was a big deal and a direct tie in with your Marvel campaigns.
Nightmares of Futures Past is the first of a series of four Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) adventures inspired by the classic X-Men story "Days of Futures Past" (X-Men, issues 141 and 142), that continues with The X-Potential and Reap the Whirlwind before concluding inFlames of Doom. The PCs are heroes in a dark future ruled by the giant robot Sentinels, where mutants are being herded into death camps and most of the established Marvel Universe characters were killed long ago. 

This heavily diverges from the normal MSH setting, so the module spends the first 20 pages laying out the history and providing variant rules, game stats for the most common adversaries, and equipment used by the mutant underground. The next two sections detail a mutant interment camp and specific NPCs. The last section is the meat of the scenario, and uses the Search Flow Chart (included on the inside cover) to simulate the the PCs being hunted by the Sentinels (masking, spoofing and jamming their "mutant signatures" are very important). Various events occur, mostly non-combat related, which introduce the PCs to elements of the setting (like meeting an internment camp escapee, running into children calling them "dirty muties", or the government issues new IDs forcing characters to get new ones). The events will eventually lead to their incarceration in a mutant interment center, where a different set of events can occur before the PCs have a chance to escape

These modules where very cool because they put the PCs center stage for the action of the Nightmares of Future Past Timeline right in their home towns and a virtual police state run by the Sentinels.
These modules were advertised right in the back of various Marvel comics and allowed the players a direct line into a time line that their various favorite characters had died.
 The adventures were deadly in a sense with an over all sense of foreboding that seemed to go throughout the entire series and they were hard and hence the 'advanced' level to them.
I've used these over and over again as different incarnations of the Future Past timeline has turned up in cartoons, the Ultimates universe, and even when the Sentinel  head popped up in X men II as part of a danger room simulation.
 You can find more information about the Days of Future Past timeline and its various branches HERE

After completing the modules back in the 90's I was able to take some pretty heavy duty mutants and throw them into the deep end of the gene pool. I had them land in the North America of the 'Age of Apocalypse'.

That campaign kept my players going for many months in their home town until things lit. Just in case you'd like to do a bit of exploring in that direction.
You can find much more information on wiki which has a very nice little breakdown of  Earth 5701.
 Right over HERE
 I think the trailer looks grand.I will be seeing the movie with some trepidation. 
I miss the days when Marvel didn't belong to Disney and the company took risks.
This movie might inspire some OSR super hero  stories for your players! 

Review And Commentary On Issue One Of Underworld Lore From Gorgon Milk and Co.


 Get It Right Over
HERE 

Just in time for Halloween comes the first issue of Underworld Lore!
This issue is jam packed with everything you need to get your dungeons in high gear.Gorgon and crew did a fantastic job of breaking down some great D30 tables, weird fungus, undead options and more all in 25 pages of tomb rattling fun!
The tables can also be used to add some spice to your space dwelling dungeons aboard space wrecks and so much more.
There's even old fashion adds for AD&D and D&D products of yore!
Much of the material is focused in such a way to be as widely adaptable as possible which is a huge plus in my book. Most if not all of issue one can easily be adapted into space based or science fantasy games quite easily.

Get this one while you can! Issue two will focus on magic disease and pathogens while Issue three will be the Cimmerian one! 
Fun stuff and my highest recommendation! Seriously, I'd love to contribute to the next issue. 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Reconciling Agents of Shield And Captain America The Winter Soldier Trailer For Your Old School Super Heroes campaign



By now trailer adds for Captain America Winter Soldier have hit the airwaves hard and its interesting to see some of the elements. 

  • Multiple Hele carriers in the sky like out of some Orwellian nightmare 
  • Lots of threats to American and world wide soil in the movie Marvel universe 
  • Oodles of weird high tech/alien Shield hybrid technology 

    Flashes of the Red Falcon, Black Widow, and of course the Winter Soldier himself. 

  • So where in the world do we have the 'Agents of Shield in all of this?



  • We have them hopefully out of the way because they're likely to be killed unless BC ups the game more. I spy was pretty interesting and edgy but didn't hit the fan as fast as it needs to.
    This is the Marvel universe and here the fantastic has always stood side by side with the  mundane.
     So let's wait and see who and what will be left standing at the end when Winter Soldier makes his appearance.
    Could we be seeing the foreshadowing of the organization that contracts or hires the Winter soldier along with perhaps the forces gathering within the Agents Of Shield show?
    I'd like to think so. Many of the things that we've seen have been jabs, shadowboxing, and not complete reveals at all.
    Basically in an rpg campaign we're getting some heavy duty foreshadowing of things to come! 
    Much of the technology and weaponry we've seen has been displayed many  times in the Marvel movie universe has been around for decades.
    One book in particular has been helpful in this regard for allowing players to get in on the action.
    Here

    Get It Right Over
    HERE

    All of the gadgets, gear, and everything else you need are there. Agents of Shield has been a show about trickle down super heroics. Technology emerging into society and society not exactly taking it well. 
    This book has served me for decades and you can use it today for free.
    Enjoy! 

Boreas Snows Ancient And Deep ~ A Sword & Sorcery Adventure Setting For Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Upon The Dark Corners Blog

File:Wooly rhinoceros.jpg
Your journey begins
HERE


 Something ancient and evil stalks the lands once again! 
Caught beyond edge of the world of Hyperborea is an the ancient world of Venseclav.
A world of cold, horror, and ancient adventure!
An ancient evil stalks the land once again from the time of my father's father and his father!
We need heroes!
Right here and Right now! 

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Five Free Resources That No DM Should Be Without For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg On The Dark Corner Blog


 There are times when every DM needs that little extra push for a campaign
And here are five forbidden free pdfs that will have you in a Hyperborea
state of mind!
Right over
HERE

They are free and can be used with any other OSR retroclone! 

Review & Commentery On The OSR Free Resource - Player's Guide to Lesserton From Faster Monkey Games For Your Old School Horror Campaigns On The Dark Corner Blog



Over on The Dark Corner Blog
HERE
 Sometimes adventurers need a place where everyone knows their name!
A base of tranquility and happiness to sell treasure, go to the local brothel,
and get into more trouble.
This isn't that place! This is an adventure location steeped in urban exploration and David Lynch style NPC's along with weird dungeon crawls! 

Friday, October 25, 2013

The Aunturgirurg -The Spirits Of Lost Spacers For Stars Without Numbers

File:Der Alte Matrose b 17.jpg

The Aunturgirurg -The Spirits Of Lost Spacers
No appearing : 1d6
Armor Class : 6 
Hit Dice : 3 
Attack Bonus : +6/+6 
Damage : 1d6 /1d6 Spiritual Nano Tendrils 
Saving Throw : 14 + 
Movement: 20' fly 
Morale : 10 

The Aunturgirurg are created by certain unholy alien necro para science rites. These horrid creatures are not undead per say but the imprinted life forces of lost spacers reduced to their barest essence and created upon a nano drift wind construct.
These things while appearing to be undead and conforming to some of the characteristics of the damned are actually nano constructs acting upon alien hungers and whims. These things often plague ancient ruins, space wrecks, and areas where the necro priest/scientists send them. 
The mad bastard half life things feed upon the living by creating Spiritual Nano Tendrils which strike for twice per round for 1d6 points of damage. Within ten to twenty minutes they can reduce a man to a corpse and feed on both the vital essences and spiritual energies. For 1d10 rounds they retain the prey/s memories and often use these to lure former ship mates and crew mates to their demise.
Only certain blue green laser wavelengths and certain psychic powers may drive these mad necro parasitic life forms away.
Those who do survive encounters with these horrors from beyond the pale often require complete blood as well bodily fluid replacement. There is a 40% chance of being infected with the nano plague that created these things in the first place. Those who contract 'The Aunturgirurg plague' will die unless the proper saves are made only to rise up as one of these terrifying nano undead things! Those who become The Aunturgirurg are drive almost programmed to make more of these things! 

Review and Commentary On The Free Dragon Foot OSR Adventure -.Horror of Spider Point On The Dark Corner Blog



Weird happenings upon the seas of fate, strange and monstrous encounters, high seas adventure and the Horrors of Spider Point
Right over
HERE

Thursday, October 24, 2013

A 70's Sci fi Inspired Beta Max Black Stars Without Number Campaign - A Deadly Cargo From A Ghost Ship Actual Play






 Previously in the Talon Sector
HERE


Tonight's Stars Without Number game was a deadly race aboard a ghost ship as the crew tried to salvage a deadly cargo left behind by a mad A.I. of an old enemy.
It was a race against against time as dice were rolled and the clock was ticking!

As each cargo unit was disarmed they were shipped back to the party's ship!
 Yet it was a race against time as soldier bots clanked their way across the hull of the ship on mag lock foot at a time. Each was activated by a last command of the mad A.I. the heroes faced two weeks ago.

 


Yet they were determined to turn a profit from their efforts and salvage.
 I wasn't going to make it easy as weird cargoes cropped up now and then. An energy rifle discharge gave every one a start and the Soldier bots  regrouped and upgraded their programming.
Just when all seemed lost thing got really interesting as a Spike drive signature entered the system.
A vulture fleet entered system and would arrive within two hours. They had things to do and to get done with things in a hurry! Did I mention the Martian trade dowery that was aboard the former pirate ship whist all this was going on that they still had to recover? 



 The mecha, combat space suits, and their hacker each went into over time as the party walked on the skin of the haunted space wreck to do battle with still more soldier bots to recover the dowery. The fate of two worlds rested in their hands as the laser flew and one of the party was almost critically injured. But who was heading the vulture fleet and why were they after the party? 



The former space wreck turned itself into an antimatter bomb and boiled itself away into space.
The party left system engaged the Spike drive and left as quickly as they could!
Meanwhile an old enemy pondered quietly to himself over the view screen. 

'

Praxis Class Infantry Warbot
Number Appearing 1d8 

Armor Class 4  
Hit Dice 2 (10) 
Attack Bonus +5 
Damage 1d8 +2 Maser Rifle 
Saving throw 14+
Morale 12 
Skill bonus +2 
These pretech mass produced soldier bots were used extensively throughout the Talon system and facilities for their manufacture are still available in some systems. They are swift, concise, and without mercy making them the perfect soldiers who will follow orders to the letter. These units are deployed when violence and killing need the cold calcuating aspect of a computer mind to work its utterly ruthless evil. 

The New Captain America Winter Soldier UK Trailer!





Nerdasm! 
Watch and get excited about a Marvel movie again! 

According to Wiki : 
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote Captain America: The First Avenger, stated before that film's release that they were working on a sequel, and in June 2012, Anthony and Joe Russo entered negotiations to direct. The following month, casting of the supporting roles began with the additions of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. Principal photography commenced in April 2013 in Los Angeles, California before moving to Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is scheduled to be released on April 4, 2014, in 2D and 3D.

File:Captain America The Winter Soldier.jpg

More info right over
HERE

The official Movie Website Right Over
HERE

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Review and Commentary On" Taken from Dunwich" HYPERBOREA ADVENTURE #2 For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg On The Dark Corner Blog



Something very nasty and weird has happened in Dunwich and its up to your PC's to find out what in this review for the Astonishing Swordsmen and Scorcers of Hyperborea rpg!
Right over
HERE

A Deeper Look Into The Free Stars Without Number Resource - :"Mandate Archive: Scavenger Fleets" From Sine Nomine Publishing

Mandate Archive: Scavenger Fleets
Get It Right Over
HERE

According to the Drivethrurpg Description: 

They forge a path between forgotten worlds, bringing the treasures of foreign suns in exchange for the prices that only earthdwellers can pay. Open this free supplement for the equally free Stars Without Number RPG to learn of the Scavenger Fleets and their age-old trade between the far-flung worlds of humanity. The ruthless heirs of the Scream's shattered fleets, these ships will go anywhere and do anything to turn the profit they need to keep flying.
You'll find a history of the Scavenger Fleets in the Stars Without Number world, along with example fleets, tables for generating your own bands of nomadic scavenger-merchants, and a selection of new hulls and ship fittings to tantalize your players.
("But where," you demand, "are my tools for mercantile campaigns and star-faring traders?" To this, I can only counsel continued vigilance. Your needs are not forgotten, and even now strange things brew for your future delectation.)

Ever since I took a look at Suns of Gold I've been wanting to revisit this particular ten page Mandate Archive.
This one packs into ten pages some very useful information about the Scavenger Fleets. The book packs all kinds of useful bits in it about these roving traders to the stars, bits and pieces about life aboard these fleets, and some but not all the information needed to modify some of the existing information about generating PCs from these incredible factions. 

Thought you might not need it I'd recommend using this set of rules for gaming with the Scavenger Fleets. Why? Because it contains the complete rules needed to slice deep into this ten page overview.
 
The rules for the creation of  - 
  • Society creation guidelines and generation tables to help GMs flesh out their worlds with vibrant, living cultures and their ages-old conflicts. Every culture comes with built-in struggles to fuel adventures on that world and give GMs a quick and easy hook for pulling in the players.
    Come in really handy when utilizing the rules found in Scavenger Fleets. While not completely necessary they make some of the guess work a lot easier.
  • While Suns of Cold fills in many of the gaps found in Scavenger Fleets not all of them are filled in alas. There are certain things that the  DM will have to do himself.

  •  The Rules for buying and selling cargo between the far-flung planets from Suns of Gold come into play when using the Scavenger Fleets as per encounters and the holdings of said fleets can become all kinds of jump off points for drama during adventures. 
  • Guidelines for building interstellar business empires and planetary holdings act as an excellent bench mark when dealing with many of the situations that Scavenger Fleets create when they appear!
  • Scavenger Fleets while not essential to an SWN campaign adds much more to the take away value of campaigns set using interstellar trade and salvage as part of its backbone.
    Suns of Gold also adds even more enjoyment and you can get that right over
    HERE