The Ghouls & The Black Market - A Wretched Darkness Rpg One Shot Mini Campaign Report

 

First of all gotta apologize to the Red Room, we've been dropping the ball on the Wretched Darkness rpg. Lately the big thing that has been keeping our Wretched Darkness campaign from happening has been work scheduling among players. The players are very excited about getting hip deep into a game.The PC's are all set and we've already got them rolled up. So let's get the advertisment out of the way first. 

 You can purchase Wretched Darkness from: Big Geek Emporium: https://biggeekemporium.com/product/w... Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/joe-coombs-... (paper back)

The group of players gets involved with a black market antiques seller who is far more then he seems. The antiques seller is actually a ghoul and has enlisted the PC's to recover these relics. Why?! Because these relics are actually the remains of relics used in lost Ghoul kingdoms long before the Flood of Noah. And they could spell the end of humanity. Why would monsters care?!

Because of the fact that even monsters don't want to live on a burnt out rock!

These relics will in point of fact summon the 'father of all ghouls'. And this is a bad thing because this monster god is known for his appetites and they are not kind to anyone who runs across it. The monster has been kept in the Beyond for eons. Should the Dark Forces come across these relics. Well things could hit the fan in our campaign fast! 
The player's PC's are all local monsters a mix of human, Children of the Night, and more. The stomping ground for this is New York City sans '69 Minutes into the Future'.
Note that this also crossses our Wretched Flesh Rpg campaign where the relics were fenced and made thier way to the U.S.. The PC's failed to recover the relics. And now they have to deal with the aftermath. 
The original Ghoul Kingdoms were a part of the Middle East but swept away by the Biblical Flood. 

The PC's first stop is going to be the Ghoul Market in New York City under the East Manhatten Bridge. The locals only think it's a massive homeless encampment the supernaturals know better. 

Gamma World 1st & 2nd Edition Thoughts With The Dragon Issue #19

 Lately we've been doing a ton of thinking about Gamma World first and second edition. And so back to the archives here at Casa De Fabiaschi.

Today was one of those days where one digs through the collection of The Dragon magazine & grabbed The Dragon issue 19 which was released in October 1978. Why?! Because this issue contains From The Sorcerer Scroll "More Excerpts from the Journals of Hald Sevrin" By Gary "Jake" Jaquet. And everything about this article is pretty interesting from the perspective of both a DM & a Gamma World player. Here we get some deeper insights into the Apocalpyse crytpic alliance who plunged Earth into the Hellscape that is Gamma Terra. By the co creator of Gamma World Gary "Jake" Jaquet and we get some pretty interesting insights into first edition Gamma Terra; "As further years took their course, the realization of man as his own enemy became more apparent, although the concept of “man” had to be altered (at least by most) to include inteligent mutants. Groups of beings tended to gravitate towards others of similar ideals and distrust all others, although all but the most outrageously foreign were tolerated to such a degree as was necessary for trade purposes — and also as most groups were too weak to display open hostility for fear of retribution. Substantial evidence indicates that various groups or tribes would unite for the purpose of destroying any that posed a violent threat to the uneasy peace that existed at the time. The correlation of actions between pre- and post-2322 man cannot be denied. This period of time, i.e., the gradual banding together of groups of beings towards their own common goods, is now usually earmarked as the Discovery Period of the Black Years and is (admittedly, somewhat arbitrarily) defined as the years between 2450 and 2511 [see time graph]. Prior to 2450, the survivors of the cataclysm of 2322 had not yet banded info groups large enough for sociological study (and indeed, records for study of the Black Years, as maintained by the Restorationists, one of the groups formed during the Discovery Period, go back only to 2443). 2511 is a convenient cut-off year, however, with the formation of the First Alliance by Gad the Provider"  The article goes into the fact that the Cryptic Alliances of the 'Shadow Years' are here to stay. 

The fact that many folks use Gamma World as a sorta of alien Lovecraftian Hellscape is fine.However most of the more successful Gamma World game campaigns that have been successful over the years have been the ones with an island or two stability. This is something that seems to be one of the more interesting aspects og Gamma World first and second edition. 

Dark Wizard Games Mail Call & Fantasy Folder Review

 Just got home to a brand new package that my wife had waiting for me. A kickstarter fufillment from Dark Wizard Games . The modules are solid & we've been looking to expand our range of PC's using the Dark Wizard modules in our Castles & Crusades campaign. 

So one thing about Dark Wizard Games  is that actually pack their materials right. A sturdy envelop with the words' Don't bend' is clearly written on the otherside. Mark Taormino does an excellent job with his Kickstarters. He gets his adventures & projects in on time. And the 'fantasy folders' actually came in on time. So far so good. The fantasy folders are solid construction & easy to use at the table top. 

And while this doesn't seem like a big deal for our group of players this is a very big deal. For our ongoing Castles & Crusades campaigns this is going to be a winner. Folders as presents for the player's character sheets so they don't forget thier PC's. 

Add to this paladin and wizards facing down a demon and you've got a winning recipe for a table top go too. 
The artwork is solid, good construction on quality cardboard, and easy to use with vivid old school eye catching designs. 
And this these are going to fit the table top very nicely. The back features more artwork of this scene. And the artist really nails the OSR fantasy asthetic in my humble opinion. 

The Girl, The Dungeon, and the Succubus - Original Dungeons & Dragons Eldritch Wizardry Supplement III And Castles & Crusades - Session Repor

 Last night's Castles & Crusades game run by my buddy Steve had a definitive Original Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III Elderitch Wizardry connection. I was playing a fighter who was send in with a team to save a small child. Little did we know what we were getting into. 

The baron's daughter had been playing down by the local river and had stumbled upon what she thought was a piece of jewelry. What it was was something far worse. This little innocent had stumbled upon a demon's amulet. And then the little child went missing. 
This is where we were called in. And things got very interesting very fast. Nearby the baron's manor house was a dungeon. It seems that the baron's relatives weren't exactly the mild upstanding sorts. 
The ancient line of Baron von Ruffles had been using some very unsavory tactics to gain wealth and fame. And now little Elsa was suffering for it. The dungeon location was actually an old cult headqaurters and we went straight into a place that had been a portal to the Abyss.
And little Elsa was waiting for us and we had to deal with two packs of demon possesed dire wolves and a bunch of demonic rats. 

But what really almost took us out was a rather innocent looking door that was actually a giant killer mimic! We battled that thing for a long while until we retreated and then used burning oil to take it out! We swore that there was a clock ticking someplace on this and busted into the former cult headquarters. Elsa wasn't home & instead we had a full blown succubus waiting for our party. We knew going in that that this wasn't going to be easy. And brought in two clerics high level clerics from the temple of light. Our group took some hits but we had wards preparred. And this was an uphill battle as we took down a pack of Vrocks. We had seven players and things got ugly as one of our fighters got taken to the Abyss! After over an hour of game play we knocked out Elsa and then things got bad. We had to hold back the forces of darkness and perform an exocism on the kid. She managed to take out two of our number with acidic vomit but we saved the kid. And gain back the amulet even as the demoness swore revenge on us. 

The amulet is now the problem & we've brought it too the to the temple of light. OD&D Supplement III Eldritch Wizardry is quite clear on the use of demonic amulets; "Demons' Amulets: Demon Princes maintain their vital essences in small containers — their souls, so to speak, are thus at once protected and yet vulnerable if some enterprising character should gain the amulet. Demons' amulets cannot be detected as such by any magical means, and they do not otherwise appear unusual in any way. The device need not be with the most powerful Princes, although the lesser demon lords typically need to carry theirs on or near their persons. Possession of an amulet gives the possessor power over the demon to whom it "belongs" for the space of, for example, one adventure, and never more than a day (24 hours). The amulet must then be returned to the demon — or it can be destroyed and thus condemn the Prince to abyssment for a year (and he may return thereafter only if summoned). Use of an amulet is very, very dangerous. Possession of one will double chances of calling the attention of another demon, and any demon not controlled by the device will immediately attack the person possessing such an amulet." 

So we're not taking this matter lightly at all. Our party is re equipping and meeting next week to deal with that dungeon. We saved the girl whose gained psionic abilities as a result of her brush with the dark forces. And we've got an NPC/cleric of light watching over her. We hired her, checked on her creditentials, spoke with fellow sisters of light at the temple. No DM Steve we know how you tick. 

There are several things bothering us as experienced players about Elsa and the Baron's family. How did this dungeon stay hidden for so long. Where are the caretakers of it & more importantly whose runnnig this demonic cult now?! We're going back to that dungeon & we want answers! I'm coming into this campaign blind and playing a fighter whose got an agenda. So why isn't DM Steve using the Tome of Corruption? The truth is that I don't think he owns it. And used a supplement from his own collection and to throw us off a bit. This is all fine but that dungeon is getting cleared and that cult will be exterminated! 

The Corruption of Europe in T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil By Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer - Looking At Lion & Dragon & Adventurer, Conqeuror, King's By This Axe

 So today has been a day where T1-4 Temple of Elmental Evil by Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer has been on my mind. We're gonna pick it up from here on the blog.  Over the last couple of days we've been going over original Dungeons & Dragons. However something remains on my mind as a DM would the rise in humanoid populations dramatically within the campaign?! Possibly especially given the fact that events would center near the line of ancient human fortresses on the Borderlands near the Black Forrests of Germany. 

Because to the Dwarven nations of  ACK's By This Axe I Rule  these fortresses are brand new lines of defenses. And they can't understand why the humans of B2 & T1 have let these defenses go soft after the fall of the Roman empire. 
Is an economic downturn really what the cult of Elemental Evil wants for Europe?! In a short answer. Yes! Fast breeding humanoid cultures fresh out of the generation pits would be a horror to anyone they run across. The cult is trying to whip up any dark energies that they can. 
And this is something we see time and again with the Caves of Chao! The rise of Chaos in ACK's based games is centered around humanoids. And this could easily apply to the Europe of Dark Albion's setting.  

And this predicates the fact that many of the horrors rising within Europe could indicate that the ancient monsters know as dragons could awaken across Europe. And be ready to blast the advancing humanoid armies to restore the balance. And this ties directly into Sword & Caravan 's commentaries. The boundry of the Silk Road is more then a mere economic life line of trade in Europe. It could well be an ancient route where history and myth meet. The Romans knew it and tried to keep the ancient Pagan forces predicated. 

The cult of elemental evil's cultists have been working hard to corrupt officials across Europe. They work behind the scenes of both peasant & king alike. They bribe, corrupt, and bring to heel those they can. 
Asassinations, distruption of infrastructure systems, etc. are all through them where and when they can. 

The other forces that are on the move are the more covert menaces. The monkey wreckers and mercenaries who are only to happy to take the elemental evil's coin. 

Little do the 'useful idiots' realize just how disposable that they are. And the 'Elvish' race has little rational of it's place in the scheme of events as some groups of cultists are from thier ranks. 

Amazing Adventures Mars One Off - Tombs of Warfare Session Report

 So I got involved in a totally different end of a fellow DM's game specifically his Amazing Adventures/Victorius rpg Mars game. This is a vastly different Mars game then my own camopaign and uses many of the conventions from earlier eras of  original Dungeons & Dragons. We were adventurers in the employ of a black wizard who was seeking rare ingrediants for lichdom. And of course this was based on Lenard Lakofka's "Blueprint For a Lich" from the Best of The Dragon Volume II. 

So we ended up in the middle of a warzone looking for a tomb & my PC is a red fighting man wearing Panthan armor. And the first random roll on the encounter chart I get is a calot and being in middle of the warzone this is a war dog! Needless to say I got into the fight of my life because this thing is the equivelant to dire wolf. This thing isn't Woola from 'A Princess of Mars' by ERB! Instead this thing is a full on beast being controlled by a handler whose straight outta of Grey Elf's OD&D resources and Doc's Warriors of Mars miniature rules found here! 

Michael Whalen artwork used without permission

So while this thing is trying to eat my face off the rest of the guys are dealing with the calots and the army around them. Needless to say this was pretty intense. And we could be killed any moment. 
Right about then we were in the middle of the warzone. And almost made it too our flier to get back to our employer. This was not a dress rehersial but I'm trying to play catch up with an ongoing campaign. 

On a lucky roll our large block head of a hand to hand specialist rolls lucky and finds the tomb. And we all scrambeled in while taking incoming fire! Our mad scientist rolled dex checks & a fate point to shove the bullets out the door so we didn't have exploding radium shells when we left this place. This tomb stretched far into the Martian underworld as we adjusted the radium bulbs of the place. And this means a slog through a mega dungeon before reaching the tomb of the ancient white Martian vampire. 

Corporate Wars, Hit Squads, and Corporate Cover Ups - Kosmo 68 & Hostile Rpg Crossover Game Campaign Commentary- Session Report Six

 Tonight's game picked right up from here on the blog.Back on Earth our group of street samurai go into full assault and started quietly doing corporate assassinations. They began to get justice against the underbosses who had orderred thier asssasinations. 

The party in tonight's game recovered many of thier files. The Tanaka corporation's data centers were raided by our 'heroes' & they took out the servers. 
Several lightning raids were made on the various safehouses throughout downtown Toyko. And at least two of our PC's were taken out by return gunfire. No matter the players had two other operatives waiting in the wings. 
And then the hammer came down as a corporate  Chinese hit squad came in. There was some serious fire power brought to bare as a mini cannon carved up one of the party's safe houses. 
What's at stake?! The plans for a brand new energy weapon that could unlock lost technologies from before the 1st Recession. And the rumors are that the party is now on the radar of at least four major corporations. And the Soviet technologies & failed colony locations are at the heart of it. This all gets traced back to Allard Electronics funneling food back to these 'failed colonies' being fostered by the Soviets. Allard Electronics is stepping into the big boys pond. Why?! Because of the facts about Xoldin & other failed colonies should remain buried by the mega corporations.

On the data that the party has intercepted is information about Steele Defiance and it's efforts. Information that the Soviet high command & it's corporate allies wants to remain hidden. 
The player's PC's have already been reported dead by the corporate media outlets and that serious charges were pending against them according to these same outlets. 
Can the players PC's hope to survive into the next several weeks?! Next time the Zhuri and the Allard Electronics sponsored explorers! 

The players PC 's have made contact with Kusma (Kusya) Konstantika Zorin: Leader of Steel Defiance

A Case of First & Second edition Gamma World & the Hand Drawn First Edition Gamma World rpg Campaign Map.

 

So let's pick it up from here the other day on the blog. Something has been bothering me about this map that Wayne's books posted on Gamma World first edition. First of all let's look into Wayne's Books Gamma World Resources here.  And the first edition campaign map that started all of this here. 

The truth is that this map bothers me on so many levels as a Gamma World player & DM. And that's because this map has more to do with the fact that much of this map seems erriely familar to me. 
And there's a reason for that. Sure the map is a first editon Gamma World map. And yes it's an artifact of play but what if there's more too it then that?! 
Look at the East Coast and the West Coast as well. These corrispond to the post apocalyptic locations of Gamma World first edition's The Dragon Magazine articles. Those early Dragon magazine articles really fleshed out the Cryptic Alliances and factions of Gamma World first edition. There were hints about all of this addition material within Gamma World second edition. There's more too it then meets the eye. Second Edition Gamma World's map bears a striking resemblance to all of this. 

Notice how everything lines up very nicely from our 'play through' first edition Gamma World Map and the second edition. My conclusion is that our prior owner of the first edition Gamma World set was actually charting not only the course of his players but incorporating details from both play & the optional articles from 'The Dragon' magazine into his or her campaign. 

How does this effect my own Gamma World campaign?! It effects it quite a bit because The Dragon magazine articles hit not only Gamma World but Metamorphis Alpha. There's a complete list here in PDF for download. 

Why is any of this important?! Because of the fact that the wilderness or wasteland plays such an important roll in both first & second edition Gamma World.. The wastelands are both the bane & boon to the future of Gamma Terra. And yes, I believe James Ward did this on purpose. Given the creative roots of Metamorphs Alpha and original Dungeons & Dragons back to the game's wargaming roots. There's a lot that plays across the fields of my mind. And it comes back to the fact that the original owner of the first edition Gamma World map put so much time & effort into it. 
The pink indicates rad zones and the yellow wastelands & deserts on this hand drawn map. Notice that it lines up with the 2nd edition map but not entirely. And this get's into the customization that happens with old school campaigning. 
This DM & thier players have gone about lovingly created thier own version of Gamma Terra. They've forged ahead & filled in tons of details and done adjustments as they needed them probably through actual play. 
Again this goes back into the wargaming aspect of original Dungeons & Dragons The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures By Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson. 

Review & Commentary A Fist of Blood & Dust by Olivar Tripas For the Wretched Country Rpg & Other Wild West OSR Games

 "The Indians are not yet completely pacified, the roads are still unsafe for pioneers and adventurers of all kinds, and the unexplored territories are full of gold…or bad encounters. In this realm of unknown and danger, a band of misfits – an alcoholic priest, an ancient cult witch, a bounty hunter, a former sheriff, and an Indian – unite to embark on a perilous journey that leads them from the Canadian border to the Rocky Mountains, from the ancestral Indian lands of the Crow people to the heart of frightening and unknown territories. By combining their strengths and knowledge, they attempt to thwart the designs of the one known as the Profaner, a supernatural entity awakened from a long sleep with only one desire: To plunge the Wild West into an era of unprecedented chaos and desolation."

A Fist of Blood & Dust is a a weird western spaghetti by Olivar Tripas (Tears of Belphegor) was the latest adventure to come my way straight outta of the Red Room's vaults.
And the first thing to understand about this module is that it's not a module this is a fully blown mini campaign unto itself. And in seventy five pages manages to cover the gamut of old Western weirdness & horror in spades. The artwork within A Fist of Blood & Dust is A.I. but it's well done A.I. artwork and it suits the weirdness of the adventure. As the player's Wretched Country PC's get thier necks up into a boat load of horror. With that being said I'm not going to spoilt the plot & horrors of A Fist of Blood & Dust. A Fist of Blood & Dust is a tightly written adventure that covers it's material & encounters well. The horror is both mundane & external. And the external is nasty & highly dangerous biting into local myth & legend with equal easy. 

A Fist of Blood & Dust really cements the OSR campaign Wild West horror feel as it takes the PC's into it's Italian horror depths. And through the whole of it's rich encounters, complex NPC's and depths of it's plot. There's a lot to deal with within A Fist of Blood & Dust & it's a great addition to the growing Wretch Country product line. Do I think you should pick it up?! Hell yes if your looking for a very different OSR Wild West themed horror adventure then A Fist of Blood & Dust is for you! 
A Fist of Blood & Dust is a highly stylized Italian horror adventure with a solid block of encounters, good writing, and more. 

Edgar Rice Burroughs 'The Master Mind of Mars', Original Dungeons & Dragons, and Our Warriors of the Red Planet/Hyperborea rpg

 Last night we stepped back from gaming because of conflicts with work schedules and whatnot. So instead we DM's got together for a beer. We got a chance to take a breather & discuss Edgar Rice Burroughs, Barsoom, and one of my favorite of the ERB's Mars books The Mastermind of Mars. And my all time favorite is the 1927 publication in Amazing Stories Annual of 'The Mastermind of Mars'. 

The Mastermind of  Mars concerns  Ulysses Paxton, & elderly mad scientist Ras Thavas, the "Master Mind" of the title, as Paxton comes into the household of the mad scienctist. Ras trains Paxton in a few levels of the mad science of Mars. 
And these operations were ground breaking for the 1920's as organ transplants and mind transplants were the stuff of Science Fiction. And this plays the central theme of the novels plot as the mad scientist transplants the brain of an evil queen into the body of a Martian princess. He does this for a fantastic fee of course.. 
There are more then a few things that are interesting about Mastermind of Mars. One is how Ulysses Paxton assembles his team of Martian adventurers. 
Ras Thavas has a wide selection of Martians on the slabs of his science center 'mostly dead' whom Paxton then selects to be his crew. And we get a really interesting White Ape who has the partial brain of a Red Martian. And we also get a swordsmen plus one of the first depictions of a Martian assassin. 

The second half of the book is the really interesting part because of the fact that we get a real deep dive into a Martian city. And  Ulysses Paxton as well as his crew go into the Martian city of an enemy city state. And we see full on the Martian life of the Red Martians from the bottom up so to speak. 

Yes lots of adventure & excitement including a look at the bogus religion of the Martians of  the city-state of Phundahl. One of the neglected areas that almost everyone seems to forget is the wilderness of  the city-state of Toonol. The swamps surrounding  the city-state of Toonol, are completely infested with every horror known to Martian including the four armed White Apes. And this goes straight back into the ideas for monster placement within original Dungeons & Dragons The Underworld & Dungeon Adventures book. 

Everyone seems to forget the scope of ERB's Mars and just how big of a planet that Mars is. Within our Hyperborea/ Warriors of the Red Planet rpg. This is something that we as both DM's and players have come across time and again. 

Not only is there more then enough room for all of the various classes of Hyperborea. There's plenty of room in society that many of the classes of characters that we find within Leigh Brackett's Mars could easily fit into one of Mars citystates without issue. 
What really plays the part here has been Night Owl Workshop's OSR Social Systems. These have allowed our heroes to go about thier business on Mars quite nicely. 

I believe that Paxton & crew are a part of an untouchable caste on Mars. This allows many of the Martians to go about thier business quite nicely. And it fits the strata of the huge number of examples of adventurers going about thier business in ERB. Why?! Because the Green, the barbarians, and other hordes are a part of the uncivilized caste on the sands of Mars. I'm not saying that you can go through the social strata of Mars far from it. There is however an ancient reminder that every Martian has in society of thier place think of fuedal Japan and the samurai as a possible example. 

Martians racially remember the fall of the society of the Ancients & they instinctively have the social strata system in place. This allows assassins & swordsmen to move freely and along with adventurers are looked at with quiet distain by polite society.. Even while the citystates go to war there is still quite a bit of day to day society going on. And within the shadows of society the adventurers skulk and change the course of destiny of a civilization. 

Exploring Original Dungeons & Dragons & Gamma World First Edition Rpg - Some Observations

 Tonight I've been examing Wayne's Books entries on Gamma World first & 2nd edition here. And as a long time player of Gamma World in almost every edition. There's something about first & second that makes either edition favorites along with the fourth edition as well. 

Gamma World first edition is unqiue among the various incarnations & editions of the Gamma World rpg for several reasons. First of all it's capability with original Dungeons & Dragons. 
The second is the fact that the first edition has a completely different feel then second edition & it's almost coheriant within it's origin for the Apocalypse that takes the world of Gamma Terra. And third is the complete view of the Cryptic Alliances & thier motives. Cryptic Alliances can be enemies, rivals, friends or anything inbetween. 
There's far and away a far more feeling of exploration and rebuilding civilization then is a part of other editions of Gamma World. Gamma World First edition is also some of the most pure of James Ward's GW rules, and writing. The man doesn't get half of the credit he deserves. 

One of the unique things about Gamma World first edition is the fact that it's so cross compatible with original Dungeons & Dragons. And its this fact that has me back reading through Original Dungeons and dragons - Book 3 - The underworld & Wilderness Adventures by Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson.

Keep wondering if the Original Dungeons and Dragons - Book 3 - The underworld & Wilderness Adventures by Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson could be used to fill in some of the underworld & dungeons of Gamma World? The short answer to this is I believe so. The various OD&D races existing along with the mutants of Gamma World isn't out of the question if we look at Ralph Bakshi's movie Wizards.  Cue Thundarr the Barbarian theme music here. Gamma World first edition has the origin of Gamma Terra.The machinations of the Apocalyse organization whom was responsible for the creation of Gamma Terra has never been settled. 

In all of the years of playing Gamma World first and second edition play  we only once ran across one of the Apocalyse's bases. And it was one of the deadliest ruins we ran into. The base was populated by robots, was almost entirely automated run by a homicidal bio computer. We barely escaped with our lives from that facility. Over the years I've compared this facility to Gygax's Tomb of Horror module. 
What I find odd is the fact that a particular marked out  Gamma World first edition USA map has the location of this facility on it as shown by Wayne's Books. 

I don't think that this was deliberate but simply an artifact of similar play. The fact is that Gamma World first edition Gamma Terra  bares a striking resemblance to many of the ideas mentioned in . And its this fact that has me back reading through Original Dungeons and dragons - Book 3 - The underworld & Wilderness Adventures by Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson. To paraphrase Wayne's Books; "

And so began TSR's Gamma World game in 1978: A rich post-holocaust science fantasy setting.

• Finding relics in long-deserted cities of the Ancients...
• Encountering bizarre mutated animals...
• Thinning foliage that fights back...

And yet within original Dungeons & Dragons your looking for loot of lost civilazations. Encountering monsters, and horrors. And thinning back the wilderness. 

Review & Commentary On GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require By John Watts, Wendy Watts, Michael Johnson, and "Big" Dan Callahan From Independence Games For The Earth & Clement Sector Rpg's

 "The stuff you need!

"GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require brings you a wide assortment of gear for you to personalize your Clement Sector or Earth Sector character.  If your character is shopping in a Tudo's, a Lucky's, or any department store in Clement Sector or Earth Sector, this is the sort of thing you will find!"

"Do you need survival gear?  It's here!  Do you need armor?  It's here!  Need a new vacc suit?  We've got it!  Need a better rifle? We've got it!  Need a tarpaulin?  We've got you covered!"

"While this book may not have EVERYTHING, it's got quite a bit. We've got everything from a MedBed to toothpicks, from a rapier to detcord, from laser drills to sporting gear."

"GEAR!  You need it! "

Several days ago I knew that "GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require"  was coming out & it was going to be in my que anyway. Yeah that's right this book has been on my 'to buy' list for awhile now. Why?! Well this gets to the heart of the Earth sector & Clement sector rpg's. And this is the fact that both of these interstellar locations are full on interstellar frontiers. There are times when I really don't think that players actually understand the interstellar distances involved in the blackness of these to independence games. This is your party in a tin can in the middle of a vast ocean of blackness & nothingness in the middle of space. The only thing you have to rely on is something manufactured back home by folks that you've never met. And "GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require"  almost everything that adventurers are going to need to survive in the blackness.  
And this is a part of that reality. The stars may be the new frontier but mankind has not changed. The vast blackness of the Earth sector & the Clement sector reminds me of the pre & post American Civil War period back on Earth. A powder keg of explosive situtations & unexplored vastness on an unimaginable scale.

What does this have to do with GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require"  ?! A bit of everything as the players have to rely on the equipment & gear that this book provides. GEAR provides everything from general equipment to new survival equipment. And GEAR does it in style for the adventurer. Here you can find new & highly dangerous tools, and equipment all perfectly suited to out fit your soldiers, adventuters, travellers, etc. And it's all at your finger tips in an easy to use one hundred & twenty eight page book. GEAR has been set up to be user friendly. 
And it does so with both the Clement sector & Earth sector rpg's in mind. what I mean by this is that Gear is specifically set up for the explorer, pioneer, or spacer in mind whose out on the edges of the map. This is a very common theme in the Earth & Clement sector. Can Gear be used with other 2d6 games?! Absolutely it can & should be. 

 "GEAR: General Equipment Adventurers Require" is lightweight and easy to use book with just thr right amount of equipment & weaponry that won't overwhelm to DM with useless information. Instead in GEAR we get a concise package that is easy to digest & process within both the Clement & Earth sector games easily. GEAR's usefulness is solid for other 2d6 old school Science Fiction games & Cepheus Engine products as well. GEAR provides just the right amount of adjustment for those wishing to really get down to brass tacks when it comes to equipment. GEAR is a solid addition to both the Clement & Earth Sector lines. GEAR is a great book for both the DM & the player alike providing new & interesting equipment,weapons, gear, and more. 

Review & Commentary On Wretched Role-Playing Game By Miguel Ribeiro

 "You will notice a few changes, but the revised rules are entirely compatible with the first iteration of The Red Room’s Wretchedverse, and this book is easily adaptable to earlier editions of the most famous role-playing game."

"To get wretched, you need nothing else but this book and a few dice, though you can find several titles already published for the Wretchedverse. For fans of 1980s Conan rip-offs, Wretched Bastards offers a dark fantasy world to explore. If you prefer spaghetti westerns, Wretched Country allows you to ride off into the sunset as a gunslinging anti-hero. For a more historically accurate setting, Wretched Époque immerses players in a world of horror in 19th-century Paris. Fans of exploitation movies from the late 1960s to the 1990s can indulge in their favourite genre with Wretchploitation. Those who enjoy future noir will love Wretched New Flesh, where you can explore a dystopian Moroccan city inspired by the works of William S. Burroughs, William Gibson, and David Cronenberg. Wretched Space and Wretched Apocalypse offer exciting sci-fi adventures in a sleazy space opera game world and a post-apocalyptic fiction game, respectively. Finally, Wretched Darkness delves into the darker side of human nature with its horror/urban fantasy setting."

"These are the ones already available, but other settings are planned, such as Wretched Vigilantes, a street-level super-heroes game world. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the OSR, Wretched has something to offer everyone"

So there's a lot to unpack here in the Wretched Role-Playing Game By Miguel Ribeiro & I'd say that this is really the anti hero rpg. The Wretched Role-Playing Game is a two hundred & ninety page monster of an rpg that covers everything from the Dark Ages right through modern street level horror rpg games plus everything in between. The Wretched Role-Playing Game has a twist in which your PC's are the anti heroes not necessarily straight up 'evil' but twisted in an entertaining sorta of way. WRP is written by the entire Red Room crew and it's a pretty entertaining read through but be warned this isn't a politically correct rpg even in the slightest. WRP is completely cross compitable with other Wretchedverse games that came before it. 
And WRP is designed to work with other OSR games as well and we get this straight from the introduction:"While these are generic rules, they do not apply to all genres. High fantasy, super-heroes and dashing space adventurers are outside the scope of our spaghettipunk Wretchedverse. And remember: Nothing is written in stone! These rules are merely a tool box.With Wretched Role-Playing, you can mix and match what you like with your favourite RPGs. "
So the Wretched Role-Playing Game By Miguel Ribeiro is more of a Wretched tool box of OSR role playing goodness.And the Red Room delivers on it's promise in spades. We get new variations on the 13 deadly sins PC creation and the random PC generation has some slight variations on it. There's new background, life events, PC history and more all with the Red Room spin on them. The Wretched Role-Playing Game By Miguel Ribeiro does three things right. One WRP provides a solid OSR rpg tool kit for not only the Wretchedverse line of products. But it also provides a very gamable back beat rpg system for those who want to do thier own Wretchedverse campaigns. WRP gives more then enough of a system to foster DM's who want to add twists & turns to thier already existing OSR campaign. 

On it's own WRP might not seem impressive at first glance but like the 'nerd girl in the glasses in class' this one has it where it counts. She can play anything from Science Fiction to Gallo Horror with no problem at all.  
WRP brings several things to the table top. The ability to bring Wretchedverse elements to classic adventures is appealing to me. The ability for the DM to bring PC's from any setting over into thier games with a Wretched twist has it for me in spades. Easy to grasp OSR rpg elements is another factor of play for me with WRP. And the ability for me  as a DM to sit down & go straight into a game makes the Wretched  Role playing Game a solid choice at the OSR table top. 

Original Dungeons & Dragons Blackmoor, Gamma World First Edition & the Temple of the Frog

Yesterday was an extremely busy day but there was time enough to look deeper into 1975's Blackmoor supplement. While product designation TSR 2004 is usually known for temple of the Frog. Actually original Dungeons & Dragon Blackmoor actually has several other uses. 
Deep within Blackmoor according to the wiki entry is an entire section on underwater adventures;"The supplement introduced rules for underwater adventures, such as rules and guidelines for swimming, equipment weight restrictions when fighting underwater, and the effects of underwater combat on weapons and spells. Blackmoor also includes numerous new water-dwelling monsters and equipment useful for underwater adventures. A number of these underwater monsters and magic items were the creations of Steve Marsh" 
And while this does complement Blackmoor's Temple of the Frog it also comes in incredibly handy for those who want to run first edition Gamma World's GW1 Legion of Gold's underwater adventure section on the Legion itself. 

Blackmoor also hits the high notes for Gamma World first edition by providing the rules framework for further underworld adventures. This is a fact that has not been lost upon me. 

Speaking with my players yesterday there was talk about the fact that Temple of the Frog itself could be switched over to Gamma Terra & no one would be the wiser. The Froggies, the advanced technologies, and more are all reflective of the dangers present within the radioactive wasteslands of Gamma World. And what about an NPC assassin straight out of the bowels of Blackmoor that could well be a Red Death operative or agent. Stepthen The Rock could easily be slipped into Gamma Terra and few if anyone would be the wiser that the Temple of the Frog fits easily into the wastelands of Gamma World.