Feeding Frenzy - A Post Apocalyptic Encounter For The Mutant Future Rpg Or Any Old School Post Apocalyptic Rpg Campaign

 The waters around post apocalyptical Pensacola Beach  in  Florida have been quiet. Beyond too quiet!  But things have been getting very dangerous as mutants, adventurers, & travelers have been going missing around the old ruins! 

There are legends of old mutant sharks that were released by some outfit ages back called the Hammerheads. The ruins of Pensacola Beach may seem like an unlikely spot for one of the most dangerous mutant strains around but the Floridian waters are home to Hammerheads. A strain of sharkoid that is very dangerous and very valuable.

The blue green clear waters are home to this bloodthirsty breed and after the Final Wars the Hammer head population exploded. Hammer heads are found in both the waters around the former state and occasionally hunting along the beaches. No humanoid is safe from these blood thirsty  mutants. They will track, scare, and hunt prey for days picking off parties of adventurers at their leisure. They kill for both sport and to get a high from the fear of their prey. But this has become a two edged sword for these creatures. Parties of 'shark hunters' are forming around the beaches. But the Hammerheads know of this through a network of cultists who make their home among the Pensacola ruins. These cultists take a superscience drug called Riptide. This drug is made from a neurochemical the Hammerheads create naturally due to their mutations. 

The hammerheads are actually the ones fueling the 'hunting parties' who actually being set up to be murdered by the mutants. The hammerheads are having a bit of a food shortage & so they've decided to subsidize their season with some adventurers.
The 'mutant underground' has gotten wind of this situation & so they contact the characters to head off the situation. The 'mutant underground' is aware of another interested party in the form of the A.I. lead  super science cult Apex! Apex has awoken from a deep intense slumber after its last encounter with adventurers several years ago details here.  Apex at its base/lair has 1d20 cybernetically controlled hammerheads that it plans on unleashing on the local fishing villages as revenge for being stopped the last time! The rest of the tribes of the local tribes of Hammerheads will look upon this as prime feeding frenzy time & will simply dive in! 
The PC's must head off any hammerheads they can before Apex unleashes it horrors and or find the local Apex base to raid or blow it up! There will be 1d100 cultists to deal with as well! 

Hammerheads 

No. Enc: 1d6
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
                    180’ (60’) Swim
AC: 4
HD: 15
Attacks: 3 (1 bite and 2 claws)
Damage: 3d6 / 2d4+1d3 / 2d4+1d3
Save: L15
Morale: 6
Hoard Class: VII, XVI
Mutations: Aberrant form (amphibious lungs, natural weapons, xenomorphism: chimera), asexual, dietary requirement change (living flesh), increased senses (smell), natural armor.
Source: Hammerhead (2005)

Hammerhead stats by  Chris Van Deelen from 
Creatures of the Tropical Wastes (Mutant Future)

All the Time in The World ~ A Review & Commentary On George Pal's Time Machine DVD For Your Old School Time Travel Campaign

 George Pal's 'The Time Machine' is for me a film that is both timeless & a source of so much inspiration. Its beyond iconic for me as a fan of science fiction or at this point science fantasy. The original blog post was from 2013 & my finance shares my passion for this film. It was her that grabbed me this DVD copy. There's now an extensive bluray that's since come out and its the definitive version. I'll review that coming up but here's the original blog entry from December 1st 2013 with some additional annotations.   

Tempus Fugit, times flies and don't I know it. This past Thanksgiving holiday I was blessed to spend a week with my fiance. She brought me a gift in the form of a copy of one of the my most beloved movies, George Pal's Time Machine. As I write these words she's back in London and I'm sitting here writing about this film.

Here's some basic information on the film from Wiki : 

A 1960 science fiction film based on the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells in which a man from Victorian England constructs a time-travelling machine which he uses to travel to the future. The film stars Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux and Alan Young.

George Pal's  "The Time Machine" came out in 1960 to theaters but I saw it in 1980 on Channel 11 out of New York on the Million Dollar movie over my grand parents house on cable and became fascinated with time travel, H.G. Wells and all things George Pal. It was also the movie that got me to read the paper back that my father had given me back in 1975 when I was five years old.

This a used DVD from Warner Brother that comes with a digitally remastered copy of the Time Machine as well as the Dolby remixed stereo sound, and with the

comes with the 1993 behind the scenes documentary "The Time Machine The Journey Back" which made this package worth the price of admission right there.  This behind the scenes film stars Rod Tailor, Alan Young, Whit Bissell and many others.

 

 According to the Wiki Entry on The Time Machine The Journey Back: 

It was hosted by Rod Taylorand produced and directed by Clyde Lucas. The film was made about the Time Machine prop, not the movie, but during filming, Bob Burns surprised director Clyde Lucas by having Gene Warren, Sr. drop by. Warren, the award winning effects creator for the original movie, consented to an on-air in which he discussed creating the special effects for the film. This led to an with one of Warren's partners, Wah Chang, in Northern California. Chang and Warren shared more details about creating the effects and how the little Time Machine prop was made.

Lucas contacted the original screenwriter, David Duncan, who agreed to write a mini-sequel to George Pal's film. The mini-sequel reunited George (Rod Taylor) with Filby (Alan Young). Lucas first filmed Whit Bissell for the opening, recreating his role as Walter. It would be Bissell's last acting performance.

The film won a Saturn Award and a Telly Award. It was included as a "special feature" on the DVD for George Pal's film The Time Machine, released by Warner Bros. and was featured in Starlog Magazine.

You can find out more right at the series official site

HERE

The packaging is kitsch and garishly coloured as those wonderful 60's movie posters. The book sitting next to the DVD is featured in the documentary on the movie. I haven't seen the movie in over a year and I do confess that there were scenes in it that I had not remember seeing. 

The artifact rings featured in the movie are one of them. Another was 

 The Atomic wars of 1966 places the film in an alternative universe timeline and there is so much of the magic in the movie it really takes me back. The restored version is much crisper to the versions I've seen on VHS over the years. Pal really seems to hit the highlights of the Wells novel but definitely puts his own stamp on the cocepts. All in All I was quite pleased with the menus and the behind the scenes documentary. Its a really lovely package and if you haven't got it I recommend picking it up. 

One thing that I did notice was the attention to detail that Warner Brothers put into this one. You see its almost as if the graphics department 'got it' on this one!

The interior of the DVD features some great artwork as well. 

One part that I didn't remember were the 'Talking Rings'artifacts. These things would make a great inclusion in post apocalyptic campaign or a D&D science fantasy campaign

Using HG Wells Time Machine For Your Old School

Campaigns

Artwork Saunders 1946 

You can download HG Wells The Time Machine 

HERE

 

For me George Pal's Time Machine and HG Wells have always been interwoven. The Morlocks have been a part of my gaming since I first started OD&D back in 1977. The Eloi and Morlock dynamic of technology cannibalism has also smacked of post apocalyptic gaming as well. 

 The film places itself squarely in an alternative universe with the on set of the Atomic Wars of the 1960's. These were a series of protracted wars stemming from a failed economic and political recover after 1945 as it spun into the post war years of the 50's and 60's. 

 There are many retroclone games which use the Morlocks these days. Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord have profiles on the beasts. 

The Morlocks have always smacked of Lovecraftian degeneration and weirdness. They've appeared in Call of Cthulhu and various Mythos related products as well. I've always felt that the  Timer Machine by Wells was a great sequel to the Nightlands by William Hope Hodgeson. Hodgeson's book has always seemed to be the future of the Morlocks and Eloi. A place where the Great Old Ones have risen and man's evolution has been tainted by the inheritance of the Outer Gods. The doorway was opened by the Morlocks and hell on Earth has resulted as the entire human race becomes one degenerate evolutionary nightmare as madness and mutation run wild.

 The trappings here are almost in the realm of the Gothic novel rather then the science fiction romances of Wells.  A rather useful article called TIME MACHINES GO BOTH WAYS available right HERE.

Many of these ideas were incorporated into a meta campaign using elements from many of the retroclones and Hodgeson's Nightlands. Much of the material also incorporated some of the elements from the Mutant Future Wiki articles on the Eloi.

Here

The Eloi have always bothered me in a way. They almost appear to be the too perfect product. Prepacked, pretty, and generally the perfect stock animal.This indicated genetic or artificial evolution.  When the Mutant Future article on The Morlocks hit it became clear both races did not evolve but were rather made.Read HERE

 So who created them and why is this biological dynamic in play? I've had PC's encounter isolated Eloi & Morlock subterranean domes ala Logan's Run. The PC's were surprised to find them worshiping the Great Old Ones.

The Morlocks have also appeared as enemies of the Derro from "I Remember Lemuria" competing for Eloi food stocks and human villages. The PC's were trying to recover artifacts from both races while avoid being killed at the same time.

Many of the buildings, ruins, and land marks are easily adaptable to any number of retroclones and once again remind me of the Last Redoubt from The Night Lands.

George Pal's wonderful film remains an incredible achievement and he always wanted to direct a squeal but died before it could be completed. 'The Time Machine The Journey Back' remains about as close as we're going to get.

Get the DVD if its not already in your collection.

This blog post is dedicated to my fiancee who not only encourages my hobby but continues to inspire me every day. 

Review & Commentary On Nuclear Sunset:The Southwest & Pacific Northwest (Mutant Future) From Vigilance Press For Your Old School Campaigns

During the endless parade of titles there are several that seem to always get lost in the shuffle. Nuclear Sunset is one such OSR setting title and its a damn shame. This is one of the better post apocalyptic settings for Mutant Future and I happen to know the author on social media. Basically Nuclear Sunset: The Southwest  is the region around the panhandle of Vegas and beyond with a post apocalyptic Western feel. This is a weird western setting with a modern twist. Sure all of the familiar Westerns sites are there but things have changed a bit. Its a mix between Mad Max & Fallout New Vegas with a twist of Hollywood Westerns burned over a campfire stove of weirdness.


Grab Nuclear Sunset
The Southwest Here
Nuclear Sunset: The Southwest gives the DM a whole bunch of weirdness to play with from factions such as  The Marshalls  who are the law bringers of the wastelands and on the wane to their nemesis Hell's Heart a biker gang on steroids. Add into the mix The Cartel who are wasteland corporate types we've seen a million Eighties and Nineties VHS post apocalyptic films and you can slot in the 88th the former remains of a military platoon and base. Then there's a boat load of ruins and locations that can be dropped into your campaigns. All of this for two dollars and it can easily be used with your favorite OSR game because the whole affair is stat free so you can adapt it as you like. This setting came out in 2011 & its a great example of what can be done with a post apocalyptic region adventure setting. Right so now flash forward to 2016 and we get  Nuclear Sunset: Pacific Northwest along with a  ton more content. Thanks to one of my background patrons I was able to legally get a copy and take a quick look at four A.M. this morning.



 Grab Nuclear Sunset
The Pacific Northwest Here

The Pacific Northwest supplement presents a very different region for a post apocalyptic campaign with similar conceits but vastly different factions and adventure goals. Its a mix of rural woodland adventure mixed in with mutant frogs,tons of factions, and a setting that is as deadly as it is weird. Pacific Northwest adds expanded territories, brand new adventure locations, a ton of factions, and a boat load of new adventure opportunities for post apocalyptic adventurers for Mutant Future or any OSR rpg system including Labyrinth Lord and other retroclone systems. 

Weird factions such as the Samurai Legion, the the Silicon Syndicate, and even more create an established order and setting dynamic within the bounds of the regions here your party are strangers in an even stranger mutated land. Basically adventure and NPC elements are already in play regardless of the PC's presence. This surrounds some very rich ruins and death lands adventure wasteland locations. This is going to keep the pace of adventures moving and keep the players on their toes.
Another aspect of this product is that there are lots & lots of mutant monsters with adventure hooks peppered throughout. This is a campaign setting with an  over time campaign expansion element worked in meaning that adventurers over the long campaign haul can make a real difference for long term play. This also gives the Nuclear Sunset setting an extra in on the wasteland domain level of play something that other OSR products might want to get in on.  This means that there are real campaign gains and benefits for PC's and this gives players a real time stake in play within the setting.  Is it worth it? The books are very well done and generic enough to fit into and slip into the back door of most post apocalpytic old school campaigns.


  Grab Legacy of Ruin Here

Still need more setting and information the Nuclear Sunset setting? Vigilance Press put out a novel set within the same setting called Legacy Of Ruin. The plot is like something out of a Nineties late night movie;"Naomi Oliviera lives in a world shaped by the cruelty of the past. Radiation-warped creatures haunt the sun-blasted wastes that once sheltered the promise of a better tomorrow. She lives day to day by scavenging technology from the ruins of the world that was, until her brother is kidnapped and she finds herself thrust into events much larger than her own personal survival. Naomi must challenge her own limitations and discover how far she is able to go for the one person she's willing to die for.

From an arena of death to a city of murderous machines, Naomi's adventure takes her across the Pacific Northwest on a tour of the post-apocalyptic nightmare. She won't be alone on her trek, but trust is a hard currency to come by in this place and she will spend it sparingly. Through the maze of shifting loyalties and conflicting motives she discovers her foe is no ordinary kidnapper.

For someone has awakened with knowledge born before the great war, a man with a legacy that could reshape the world. His quest could unleash death the likes of which haven't been seen since the bombs fell, since the world was transformed into a living hell. His mission is not simply to awaken an ancient technology.

He seeks to reclaim a legacy of ruin."

1d20 Random Deep Wasteland Lovecraftian Alien Life Form Encounter Table For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

Deep within the wastelands where the remains of ancient alien races still dwell, adventurers & outlaws might stumble upon all kinds of degenerate and weird survivals; strange races from across the spectrum of worlds and other dimensional locations.
Many of these creatures pose some real danger to adventurers and their companions,often times legends and myths speak of these terrors. Failed colony worlds, ruins, and weird locations can also offer rich pickings for the enterprising freebooter and adventurer for relics and various ancient treasures.





1d20 Random Deep Wasteland Lovecraftian
Alien Life Form  Encounter Table

1. 1d8 alien mutant cultists with nothing to lose & sporting 1d4 mutations and cybernetic systems. There is a 30% chance of them sporting cybernetic alterations. 
2. A shape shifting proto shaggothian life form that will seem to appear out of no where and wants to absorb PC's to add their lives to its existence. 
3. A half demonic cultist whose gotten to close to a demonic rite and is effectively half demon. He's very pissed off. 
4. A shantak carrion bird creature capable of ripping a man in half is serving a black wizard who wishes to use this twisted creature in his mad machinations, 
5. 'A dark and sinister cloud creature wants human souls to consume so it convert them into soul energy for a launch back into deep space.  
6. Lovecraftian horror of tendrils and razor like appendages capable of ripping a man in half but its after magic items and certain to be able to recharge its other dimensional door opening abilities. 
7. A strange hooded priest of Hastur whose collecting the spleens of his victim to gain materials to summon its master. 
8. An other worldly cultist has been merged with an other dimensional horror, this new hybrid has its own motives and is a free agent. 
9. Mutant Jale cavemen with a minor demon whose trapped them into a weird symbolic relationship for their very soul. 
10. Spawn of the Old Ones whose recently hatched but this thing has been trapped inside the protoplasmic master now it wants out and a single pact will allow it to do just that. 
11. Small dreamlands style wizard known as the Black Monk is stalking the party. He wants an item recently recovered. 
12. Elder Thing bio creation is seeking out a wizard to eat to capture his magic and reality warping abilities. It wants to crack reality and bring back slaves for its demonic overlord master. 
13.  1d20 Morlock cultists seek to evolve into higher demonic lifeforms by killing and murdering any adventurers they run across. They have minor relic which has been attracting all kinds of attention in the wastes. 
14. A party of Great Race time travelers is due in and the locals want to sacrifice adventurers in exchange for relics and minor treasures. 
15. A group of time travelers from a slide line future is interested in possibly summoning a minor demon to kill and eat the party. They want to bargain for a major treasure for adventurers souls. 
16. An ancient cult of ghouls sends for the party. They wish to discuss the lack of edict in dealing with the forces from outside and they have minor golden dish of summoning to prove the magicakal foes with target. 
17. A giant mutated being is looting some nearby ruins and wishes to dine on the PC's and his patron wants to bargain for or simply  murder someone.
18.  Mutated cybernetic organism looking for adventurers to lay eggs in. This being wants to suck the knowledge of reality from any wizards.
19. 1d10 minor demonic spawn are looking to get into mayhem.  
20.  A 1d20  small cult of Cthulhu is looking for sacrifices and well the party is handy. They are armed with more modern energy weapons. They are looking for relics and slaves as well as any magick they can uses.

1d20 Random Deep Wasteland Demonic Encounter Table For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

Photo by  Christoph Wagener



The deep post apocalyptic wastelands of  Accursed Atlantis are no man's lands where so much death and destruction have occurred that they  are like spiritual beacons across the astral planes, lower heavens, and the pits of deep spiritual hells. Because of the mind shattering energies that have been unleashed these areas are bastion points and stepping stone points for unholy hordes of demonic and horrid things that just lurk outside of our existence. Here is a short encounter table  of demonic horrors that your adventurers may encounter.

1. Drchan - A barbwire draped angelic thing in a robe with a gas mask for a face seeking souls for its ancient and depraved master. This thing is armed with a razor sharp blood drenched short sword. AC 7 Hit points 8 Damage by weapon or 1d4 points from claws
2. Egogllaetharna - A gibbering mound of rotting flesh and offal that slowly burbles its away across the wastes, crying for attention and souls. The horror will lash out with a septic laced tongue for 1d6 points of damage, the AC 8, and it bites for 1d8 points of shrapnel like teeth.
3. Falugor - This sizzling black cloud of negativity and horror hovers across the wastes and ancient battle field looking for any prey it can. The twisting cloud of sewer gas, rotting flesh, and Lovcraftian god essence is looking for a host for its foulness. It will try to possess anyone it runs across and corrupt them from within.
4. Fammen- This ancient succubus god thing seeks out a likely stooge that can shelter it from witch hunters who are pursuing it across the wastes. The thing will drain dry anyone it comes across, it conforms to the Monster Manual first edition AD&D stats for its type.
5. Hangonthilk - This ancient bag of organs and puss is held together in strange matrix of foulness and depravity. The thing will attempt to eat anyone it comes across to drink in their life essence by tearing off chunks of flesh. AC 6 Hit Dice 6 Attacks 1d8 +1 from the ridges of bone and flesh that pass for the thing's foul teeth.
6. Hetura - This dog headed ancient god thing has been tortured to pieces but continues to bleed and rot. The thing will attempt to slay anyone it comes across to replace its decaying flesh. There is a 20% chance that this will not work sending this thing into a massive rage. AC 5 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d8 from claws. Will fly into a rage at the drop of a hat.
7. Iakaen- This ancient crow thing is actually the soul of a foul demon lord now on the wing to escape the 1d8 demonic mercenaries it is trying to out run. The mercs will stop at nothing to recover it. They work for an ancient foul wizard who want's its blood and organs for his immortality formula. The thing will shape shift into a 4th level fighter armed with a great sword of slaying. 
8. Laugun - This ancient demonic god thing takes the shape of an old man and insists on torturing anyone it runs across with foul stories of the most twisted kind. This foul thing has the shape of an eight  year old man but is actually a pit fiend who wishes to antagonize and anger this demon thing. It will taunt and insult anyone it runs across so that it may flee this mortal form when it is attacked. 
9. Aungorcav - This free wheeling anti Christ like figure is actually an agent of some lost and miserable demonic lord with foul overtones of some ancient Lovecraftian horror. The thing is seeking a map to its soul and will stop at nothing to obtain this document. The map is concealed within the chest cavity of the ancient horror that it seeks out twelve blocks from its present location. The thing has a 10% chance of having a treasure item that will get rid of you sooner. 
10.  Weguroronangu - A shambling mass of weird geometric organs & guts capable of rearranging itself into a strange humanoid shape that loves to hurt and maim wasteland adventurers and travelers. This being seeks to obtain a pact of Hell and hell spawned betrayal and passion between the sheets of fate and history. This thing conforms to the bodies of certain Type IV demonic horrors, it uses a very dangerous magical sword. 
11. Baurororthetu - That who sits and waits, this horror has come from the depths of the wastelands to break backs and take back what it feels it is owed. This weird crystalline horror is part demon and part something else and it lusts after the blood of the living. I can cast a shower of these horrors. 
12. Rirmmalr The Silent Threat - This being is made from partly living soul essence and the weird flowing crystaline being seeks to slay any wasteland it runs across for trespassing on its domain. It uses razor sharp tendrils to seek out and slice its pray. 
13. Shirirgld is a shape shifting demonoid of fury and horror that seeks to exploit the souls of its victims. The horror is made from burning crap, shrapnel,and horror. The thing will cut anyone it comes across for +2 damage and it may take a shine to certain PC's especially if wearing a star of the wastelands symbol. 
14. Faintugrgo is a wasteland angel with a stitched on gasmak and is a demon of high Lovecraftian status that seeks a key to the lower hells. It has all of the powers of a succubus and the fury of a pit fiend. The thing haunts the lonely places in search of dark wasteland super science treasures. It often uses a +2 sword and blaster pistol. 
15. Urdurgorgotut is the spawn of a lesser Shaggoth and demonic presence, the demon seeks the life essence and souls of wastelanders for its master's collection of survivors. The thing uses its shape shifting abilities to indicate when and where it will strike in the wastelands. This demon loves ruins and dungeons from which to plan and ambush parties. A very dangerous and weird demon. 
16. Sababael The Demonic Babbler - This demon is part babbler and humanoid using its unique abilities to hunt down the souls of an ancient cult that it seeks to eliminate. The cult knows this demon's intent and they are trying to murder it. The demonic hell thing is losing ground but is also using super science artifacts to find its prey. 
17. Eguthaugugrgo is part demon and partially a weird humanoid with a snake like torso. This demon hates the wastelands and goes out of its way to murder adventurers in lonely places. It also collects relics and uses them to decorate its lair often dining on the prey's souls 
18. Etugugwe - A flaming mess of a demon who haunts the dreams of small children but this demon loves to possess adults who try to help the kids. This thing has a special sweet tooth for priests of law and order which it will seek to murder and collect any treasure or relics that they have. The thing is combination of flaming plasma and black magick doing 1d8 +2 point of damage to bare flesh and bone. 
19. Kothungod The Terrible One haunts lonely places in the form of an unstable poisonous  gas cloud. This humanoid cloud can gas anyone it runs across often murdering good wizards and sorcerers. This demonic spirit is quiet except around young children whom this thing hates with a passion. This thing has the abilities of a cloud giant under the light of the new moon. It has a terrible temper and will lash out at victims. 
20. Camathurgotu Spawn of Cthulhu - This thing is a dark star spawn of Cthulhu who was possessed by a minor demon. The result of this was  hybrid creature that telepathically hunts and kills its victims often because they are scholars of ancient and forbidden technologies that can exploit or hurt its kind. This demonic thing keeps many caches of super science across the planes.
    
    

Review & Commentary on 100 Oddities for a Graveyard From Skirmisher Publishing For Your Old School Campaigns

 100 Oddities for a Graveyard From Skirmisher Publishing is a great ten page pdf of adventure location and adventure setting dressing for your adventures. This book is system agnostic and will fit just about any game system and this is a good pdf to acquire for both modern and old school systems. But is it actually useful for the gaming table? Well let's dive into this book
GRAB IT RIGHT OVER HERE

Basically 100 Oddities for a Graveyard is a series of random d100 charts that can add interesting game adventure elements to an adventure location. This enables with a toss of the dice a DM to add in a whole evening's encounters for a game.


Graveyards have always been the domain of horror films and survival horror adventures, but this book gives a ton of interesting side bits to sneak into an adventure. This includes the exploding dice principle rule -
One final thing: Oddities for a Graveyard employs a dice rolling sub-system often referred to as “Exploding
Dice.” In this sub-system, a die that rolls the maximum value possible [i.e. a 6 on a d6] is rolled again, and the new value is added to the previous total. This continues until a value other than the maximum is rolled. So, you might roll a d8 and get 8, then roll again, get another 8, and then, on a third roll, get a 3. You would then stop and total the results, in this case a 19 [8+8+3].
When we are referring to an exploding die roll, you will see a lower case “x” after the die notation, as in
“d10x.”
With some of the encounters this adds an element of weirdness and some horror to some of the results. But on the whole the book provides a whole host of adventure elements that can change up a rather mundane romp through a grave yard location. An example of what you'll find in this book includes the following:
"An arch of stone creating a portal over the head of a grave. Directly over the top of the arch,
the stones frame a circular hole. Local legend recounts varying tales of what happens when someone stands on the grave and gazes upon the moon or sun through the hole over the arch; stories of mystical portals, visitors from other realms, glimpses of the future or the past, or a departed love one are but a few."
The graveyard isn't usually the first adventure location that leaps to a DM's mind but this book basically provides all of the weirdness that you want to be inserted right into the back end of their campaigns with little issue. For a dollar this is a pretty solid investment for any new or old school gaming system. William Thresher's artwork adds a sense of whimsy and weirdness to the book.  Don't let my comment fool you there's enough here to keep even a group of Call of Cthulhu investigators guessing at least for a night or two.

Is this the beginning to an opportunity to adventure or your PC's demise?

This is one of the places that this book excels at keeping adventure encounters moving so that you can get to the heart and soul of your grave yard adventure location. There are other places that 100 Oddities for a Graveyard could be used.
Personally, I'd use this book with a mix of post apocalyptic and straight up dark  fantasy, many of the encounters and ideas in 100 Oddities for a Graveyard lend themselves to a mix of games. For me this would be a mix of Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord Advanced. The PC's stumbling onto a post apocalyptic graveyard adventure location could easily support the material in this ten page pdf. With a toss of the dice a DM could dress different parts of an adventure location quite easily. This book can add a sense of the epic and weird to a simple romp through a grave yard. Seriously there's some great encounters to unleash on players and their PC's. Do I think that its worth the download price? Yes I do indeed! Many of the encounters sound like they'd be perfect to add into a Phantasm movie like campaign.The idea of outdoor crawling among the grave stones is pretty appealing for a post apocalyptic or more modern survival horror style of game.  A sprinkling of undead, ghosts, or your favorite post apocalyptic horrors and your ready to go.


There's more then enough of an adventure construction and encounter kit to outfit a gang of adventurer's with a mini campaign or two. The adventure elements are well done in such a way that you can take this book as a simple stepping stone or a fully realized night of dungeon crawling through a cemetery.

Review & Commentary On Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #51: Mutated Animal/Plant Genotypes From Skirmisher Publishing For Your Old School Campaigns

So the red headed step child of post apocalyptic old school games has always been mutant animals and plants. The fact is that I keep expecting mutant turtles, raccoon,hamsters,etc. Some folks swear by them and can play them well. Others have a very hard time with them,especially in Mutant Future, well fear no more Skirmisher Publishing has come to the rescue with its newly expanded 'Wisdom From The Wasteland' issue fifty one.  This issue clocks in at around twenty nine pages of mutated animals and plant goodness; this issue includes a boat load of new animal arch types and guidelines for playing them in Mutant Future.
Grab It Right HERE


Here's an example of the the arch-typical animal base your PC could be drawn from :
Alligator
Types of Animals: Alligator, Crocodile.
Size Comparison: Humanoid to huge.
Natural Attacks: Saurian bite, tail slap.
Special Attacks: None.
Reaction Modifier: +2.
Stat Modification: +2 (for humanoid), +4 (for large),
+6 for Huge to Strength, +2 to Constitution, -4 Intelligence,
-2 to Dexterity, +2 Willpower.
Advantages: Breath control, increased senses (hearing,
smell, taste), natural armor, natural camouflage, rapid strike,
thermal vision.
Disadvantages: No fine manipulators, no speech
capability, susceptible to cold, water dependent.
 There is more to this issue of Wisdom From The Wasteland then simply playing mutant animal characters.
If the player wants to play an animal or mutant type not available in the Mutant Future rule book you can do the following :if the player wishes to create an entirely new
type of mutated animal race, the following rules apply: First, as normal, roll the number of physical and mental mutations the animal will get. Next, decide how many “humanoid-like” traits the
mutant is to possess.To gain manipulators such as hands, speech capability or being able to walk upright, or vaguely human shape (in order to be able to wear non artifact armor) they must give up 1 mutation for each type of modification (either physical or mental).
For a dungeon master this is pretty much a really nice way of setting up their own monster or mutant animal races from this issue of Wisdom from The Wasteland making this a must have book in my opinion. This is a win/win in my book. This issue of WoW is actually a mutant animal tool box for creating some solid hits for both Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord. This is makes this a really book to cheat with to create fast and viable races for your OSR games. The guild lines for mutant animals enable a DM to whip out a virtual assembly line of unique and nastily  dangerous races of monsters for their old school campaigns. Something that dungeon masters have been doing with Gamma World first and second edition for years.  A practice that was in wide spread use for second edition and games such as the Buck Rogers and the Twenty Fifth Century line of products. The practice could come back into vogue with this latest issue of Wow. But is it good? Well the truth is that this book is trying to cover a whole range of territory and is trying to do it in twenty five pages.
The real star of this book isn't the artwork which is drawn from public domain sources and then run through a filter or two. The budget here is on useful gaming goodness and solid systems which this pdf has some really nice material for a post apocalyptic gamer  and Labyrinth Lord dungeon master. Your basically getting about twelve pages of guidelines, rules, and archetypes for use with Mutant Future which isn't bad at all considering the amount of post apocalyptic wasteland that  Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #51: Mutated Animal/Plant Genotypes is trying to cover. And it covers it really well.

Here's one thing that the second section of this book really does well for those players who want to play mutant plants. It insists that they have the mobility mutation! I can't tell you how annoying it is for a DM in Mutant Future to look over a PC's sheet and point this out to a gamer. Here's how this book takes this mutation and spells it out
Characters wishing to play a mutated plant follow the same basic rules set down for playing a mutant animal. As with mutated animals, each type of plant has different advantages and disadvantages that the character will need to take. One thing that every mutant plant must have is mobility, as playing a plant that was rooted to the ground would be pretty dull, especially if it forced someone in the party to carry it around. The player does not have to give up a mutation roll to take mobility; it is assumed that the plant already
possesses this.
When it comes to mutant plants they sometimes seem to be taken for granted by post apocalyptic players; I'd like to point out the fact that plants and fungus are one of the most alien and underratedly deadly monsters in the wastes. Well this issue has fungus right smack into the back bone of this section and gives the usual archtypes for this creature :
Mold
Size Comparison: Small to Humanoid.
Natural Attacks: None.
Special Attacks: Poisonous Spores.
Reaction Modifier: +2.
Stat Modification: +2 to Constitution, +4 to Willpower,
-4 Charisma.
Advantages: Natural camouflage, no vitals, regenerative
capability, spread out.
Disadvantages: No fine manipulators, no speech
capability, reduced speed, susceptible to heat/cold.
Note: The Mutant Lord may allow the plant character
to take a toxic weapon in place of a mutation roll, but it must
be in the form of a poisonous spore cloud.

There are several reasons why I mention this and make a big deal about it. Gamma World 1st, second edition , and Metamorphosis Alpha first edition had some of the most vicious and deadly fungal monsters this side of the wastelands. These monsters are deadly and very dangerous for a reason, fungus is one of the most flexible monsters that can translate between old school post apocalyptic games and Dungeons & Dragons settings easily. It gives a player a grasp on the universality of the fungal horror that is offing his PC in the wasteland or the dungeon.
The advantages and disadvantages plus the mutations make this book worth having for the price of admission alone. Besides these there are even more optional rules allowing a MF dungeon master to increase and customize the range of his monsters, NPC's and PC's in equal measure. They've also imported in the Rules Option: Negative Hit Points Rather than dying when reaching 0 hit points, a character is instead near death and continues to lose one hit point per round until reaching a negative value equal to his Constitution, at which point he is irrevocably dead (unless brought back by certain artifacts). Given the inclusion and uptick  of certain science fantasy OSR games this makes perfect sense. So is this issue worth getting and adding into your Mutant Future collection? Yes given three facts; one with a three dollar price tag this really is a bargain, two the inclusion of the plant and animal rules and the way their presented makes perfect sense against the back drop of the post apocalyptic wasteland and finally the flexibility of the whole package. You really get your money's worth with this issue four out of five for this issue.

Commentary On  Wisdom from the Wastelands
Issue #51: Mutated Animal/Plant Genotypes
And Using It With Your Old School Campaigns
When it comes to mutant animals many folks seem to gravitate toward playing them and they're very passionate about doing so in post apocalyptic games. I've seen systems dropped because they're weren't enough options to keep players satisfied with such games.  Basically this issue of Wisdom From the Wastelands fills that hole and then bridges the gap between mutant monsters and player characters. Clever DM's can exploit this bridge gap in spades. For example this issue puts a spin on an opportunity. By using mutant animals the DM can bring in adventure elements into the backstory of PC's. The mutant tribe of squirrels who harbor a secret of the ancients or a mysterious cure for a pre disaster plague held by certain mutant animals for the survivors of the wastelands. This issue puts the power of the mutant animal in the DM's hands and there's more.  Entire mutant animal eco systems could be build using these guidelines and they don't necessarily have to stick with what's in the realm of normal possibility. After Man by Dugal Dixon offers a myriad of options and evolutionary branches life might take.


Plants offer even more possibilities with the Ancients having build all kinds of weird or elaborate alien life forms into the world of Mutant Future. Plants offer unique and very complex role playing opportunities in the post apocalyptic wastelands but they offer even more monster and horror bits to the dungeon master. Sentient plants are really even more alien then artificial intelligence and D&D has a fair number of plant monsters that could work as templates for completely weird and compelling mutants. A good starting place is here and here.

Review & Commentary On The OSR Adventure - No Escape from New York From Kort'thalis Publishing For Your Old School Campaigns

No Escape From New York is one part sourcebook, three parts adventure, and one part Crimson Dragon Slayer rpg goodness.The plot line is one warped by the events of Crimson Dragon line; You'll be adventuring in a parallel world of New York City, circa 1983. After a short but calamitous global thermal nuclear war, the urban landscape became a burned-out wasteland of ruin and mutation. Survivors congregate in the city that never sleeps, making it their nightmarish playground… a shi*hole of degeneracy and wickedness.

So the other night I get home to find a copy of No Escape From New York from the slime covered pen of Venger Satanis. Venger basically wrote a love letter of an adventure to The Warriors, Escape From New York and every urban twisted Italian post apocalyptic movies that came out in the 80's.  This adventure clocks in at twenty four pages and features some very nice artwork. I was listening to the Warriors soundtrack and downing a beer at four am trying to compile what I like about No Escape From New York. Is it the four dollar price tag for what is essentially a source book that can be used independently of any other post apocalpytic or D&D style game or add it to the on going gonzoness that is the awesomeness of Crimson Dragon Slayer. The game features one of the most iconic cities in pop culture Eighties. But is the damage adventure playable? Yes it is and features a plot line straight out of an LSD nightmare fueled with lots of nasitiness for your adventurers to content with;The adventurers begin on their home-world of Thule.
Eventually finding themselves in a parallel universe of New York City, the characters must contend with
street gangs, vampires, serpent-men, and much,much, more to contend with. Sure that's all there in twenty four square pages of Crimson powered adventure but its more then simply that. This is a source book as well with lots of opportunities to take your PC's into the darkness and depravity of Thule along with a version of the city that never sleeps that will challenge PC's from across space and time.
Your going to have PC's and NPC's at each others throats with swords at the ready at every turn. Sure the gonzo factor is up to eleven in this adventure but this is a New York City with one part Eighties Saturday morning cartoon, three parts of a moldy VHS three A.M. movie coming in over cable, all filtered through the lens of Venger Satanis's imagination with lots of opportunities for PC's to get themselves in trouble.
Sure this adventure can add in plenty of room for your standard fantasy adventure types of classic D&D PC's but its more then just that. You see this is a New York of foulness and science fantasy weirdness.
New  York has always been a blender and melting pot but add in mutation, lots of depravity, and glatorial combat and you've partially got what this adventure is about. This is the place that has been featured in a ton of late night action films. In fact its always night and there are reasons for this given in the adventure; 'Interestingly, this New York is always night. Occasionally,
there will be a few minutes of dawn or dusk at odd intervals, but mostly it's constantly nocturnal -
just the way they like it. If any of the players ask, tell them it's because of The Torth Effect'. And this is only the start of it, given the gonzo background of CDS. This is the sort of an adventure setting that PC's from Mutant Future, Labyrinth Lord, etc. or your favorite retroclone would be at home in. In point of fact No Escape From New York City could be used to act as a bridge gap into the world of Thule for your favorite OD&D or retroclone PC's. This is another reason why the adventure works because even though its gonzo and quite over the top with some adult themes it works. And it works well, this adventure doesn't punish the adventurers for being in its funhouse pop culture world. It exploits them at every turn with weird, wild, and strange stuff straight out Satanis's imagination. Not only are going to meet this guy but he's going to turn your PC's into a Popsicle if your A. not careful and B. take a wrong turn. Make no mistake just because this a glorious gonzo cheese fest of a setting its not deadly. It's quite deadly with lots of monsters, horrors, and demons waiting for your PC. But in point of fact its a gloriously playable cheese fest just waiting for PC's to enter in.


Right I should mention that this is a Venger Satanis book and there's lots and lots of adult themes, tables, etc. things such as the random prostitute's encounter chart on page ten. Extra dice and cash for obscene acts with bonuses and like all of the other Venger titles this one is so outrageous and over the top that none of this to be taken seriously at all. Demon zombies are another hazard along with a ton of vampires. The place is crawling with em. This is  New York just waiting to exploit the hell out of your PC's and its perfectly suited for what it does. I can actually see this setting being perfect to exploit the hell out of your Dungeon Crawl Classics party. The sheer weirdness factor alone makes this a must buy for the DCC crowd, it should be an easy conversion for a dungeon master with some time on their hands. The influences in this product fly fast, fun, and hard. There are so many send ups and Easter Eggs that make this one fun. Can't even begin to tell you which one was my favorite. Dungeon master this one well and this adventure could be used as fodder for years and years to come. There's so much potential with this adventure that its so much fun to think of the possibilities. Do I think that this adventure could and should be used for Crimson Dragon Slayer? I think so in spades but I also think that this adventure has a huge use as a way of exploiting the hell out of a D&D or retroclone party of adventurers to have a blast with the CDS New York setting. If you have a twisted and weird sense of humor that goes to eleven. Bojan Sucevic's art in this suits the product as well and presents a theme that works very, very well. Do I want a copy of this as a physical book? You bet I do. Four out of five for this adventure and a really nice addition to the Crimson Dragon Slayer line.

Commentary On Matthew Schmeer's Magic Ring Die Drop Table pdf A Free OSR Resource

Matthew Schmeer of Rendered Press has been making Dice Drop tables based on old vintage comic book adds and these have been two things, 1. free  & 2. Very,very, useful for post modern OSR games. These tables include his Wasteland Emporium & Wonderama Die Drop Table  & the Miracles of the Gnome Workshop Die Drop Table.

But his latest efforts are one of my favorites of his, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for weird adds in comic book pages. Those classics that were the comic book equivalent of the gum ball machines in the middle of comic books. The ones that had to break up the action in order to pay for the adds, surely there couldn't be a dice drop room random monster encounter table based on these old classic adds? What's In the Room? Die Drop Table  does this in spades and then some.  But his latest one is a scream and its based on those old vintage rings from the 40's and 50's. These rings are perfect for a pulpy game of D&D such as what would be found in Trey's Weird Adventures's  City setting. But Mathew's latest one on these magic rings? this is classic stuff, and its free.
He's done some touch up and some new lay out stuff and spiffed it up a bit and well its pure vintage pulptastic magic!
This thing is like the Old Johnson Smith catalog on acid with rings with some really cool properties.
You can find the Magic Ring Die Drop pdf right over here 

Do yourself a favor and grab the pdf, the details are easier to read the design elements pop like a Christmas tree. 

I can some magical sweat shop in the middle of the worst urban fantasy setting imaginable turning these little beauties out and some 6th or 7th level black wizard with two hands full of these magic bastards using em Mandarin style. Personally I can see these bad boys being used in the wast lands of some post apocalyptic game as a cool diversion or minor loot table. The rings are very interesting and the side effects make these rings non campaign derailing. There's lots of potential with this and I think these are well worth your time and effort to download this material! And best of all its free.

Review and Commentary On Vampires of the Olden Lands From James Mishler Games For Your Old School Campaigns

I'm still reeling with the passing of Sir Christopher Lee, no seriously this death along with a bunch seemed to come out of no place and pull the  rug out from under me. So I'm thinking about vampires and decided to play catch up with an old friend of mine's work. James Mishler and Jodi Moran-Mishler's Vampires of the Olden Lands is a pay what you'd like title Available right over HERE  . This pdf book comes from James Mishler's home campaign the Chronicles of Mhoriedh.

Oh sure, sure, you've seen vampire books before but this one is very different. It comes two very distinct direction to the issue of vampires. On the one hand these undead fiends are looked at from a distinctly sword and sorcery style direction. All the books in this series are dual stated with Labyrinth Lord and Castles & Crusades write ups. And everything is laid out with the dungeon master in mind, there is a one of the best approaches to the PC Dhampir in this book but the entire thing is laid out with the DM in mind. There's plenty of the usual mythology and legendary material here but this book presents vampires that have a distinctly edgy and completely dangerous aspect to them. Make no mistake these are the monsters of Hammer, horror, and myth. The blurb from Rpgnow lays everything out nicely:

Bhabaphirs – Soul-sucking child-slaying vampiric wise-women of the mountain villages that truck with night hags and liches;

Ekimmu – The Vampire Lords, founders of all the vampiric lines, masters of the High Vales of the Mountains of Blood, immortal spirits born of Chaos and Evil;

Lhamiras – Mothers of Monsters, the Vampire-Witches of the South who hunt men for sport and for game, dams of dhamphirs and lamias;

Lhamphirs – The Plague Bearers, the rotting husks of men and women who died of plague and now haunt the families and friends who abandoned them;

Mhoroiphirs – The Living Vampires, men and women who seek to continue to live their lives though they are undead, the classic blood-suckers of myth and legend;

Strighoiphirs – The Dead Vampires, mhoroiphirs who have moved on and fully embraced their undead existence and retreated from the world of living men to seek solitude;

Szalbaphirs – The Vampire Gamins, sad creatures born of horror, children transformed into blood-sucking monsters who seek an end to their undead existence even as they gather around them more of their kind that they create seeking solace and safety with siblings;

Vhukodlakhs – Vampire-Men, created as servants by the ekimmu in ages long passed, they now haunt the mountains and highlands of the Olden Lands, serving vampires and other dread lords as they prey upon man and beast alike.
 

We get an overview of these creatures with guidelines from one of the veterans of the old school hobby's pen's and it show. The organization here is one of handcrafting, the material is adapted to the author's campaign world but its done in such a way as to make it fresh, useful, and totally horrid to PC's health on a number of levels.
There's an element of old school horror and gravitas in this pdf that almost seems to have the author daring the DM to use these monsters in their own games and taunt's them to come back for more.
The author lays everything out in forty eight pages of sold work with elements of horror, a bit of humor and lots of style. Vampires of the Olden Lands knows exactly what it is and what its intended audience plans to do with these creatures and that's where the excitement of looking into the Dhamphirs comes from. The author knows his subject and knows that these monsters who are part man are intended as PC's and this version of the famous monsters are actually playable. This is one of the best versions of these horrors. And I intend to use them.
Could Vampires of the Olden Lands be used for other adventures and retroclones besides Labyrinth Lord? After looking into Vampires of the Olden Lands I can honestly say yes! I can see using some of this material for a game of your favorite space based old school campaign fun or even in a science fantasy setting as well. Such as the horrors of the sinking of Atlantis or something more akin to the Marvel vampire menace or something out of folklore and legend.
If one was running say an advanced Mutants And Mazes variation of Mutant Future I would turn to Vampires of the Olden Lands for fleshing out my wasteland vampires. Or since there is an element of almost comic book style madness lurking in the back of this book. I might tack this book on to the sweeping vampiric horrors of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. Do I think that Vampires of the Olden Lands is worth the download. Yes I do and then some. Serious this one of the best vampire books I've read in a very long time. Its well done, smart, savy, doesn't talk down to its audience and has a sweeping style that you will find very useful at your table time and again. Grab this one! 

Random Deep Wasteland Demonic Encounter Table For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

The deep post apocalyptic wastelands are no man's lands where so much death and destruction have occurred  are like spiritual beacons across the astral planes, lower heavens, and the pits of deep spiritual hells. Because of the mind shattering energies that have been unleashed these areas are bastion points and stepping stone points for unholy hordes of demonic and horrid things that just lurk outside of our existence. Here is a short encounter table  of demonic horrors that your adventurers may encounter.

1d10 Random Deep Wasteland Demonic Encounter Table

1. A barbwire draped angelic thing in a robe with a gas mask for a face seeking souls for its ancient and depraved master. This thing is armed with a razor sharp blood drenched short sword. AC 7 Hit points 8 Damage by weapon or 1d4 points from claws 
2. A gibbering mound of rotting flesh and offal that slowly burbles its away across the wastes, crying for attention and souls. The horror will lash out with a septic laced tongue for 1d6 points of damage, the AC 8, and it bites for 1d8 points of shrapnel like teeth. 
3. This sizzling black cloud of negativity and horror hovers across the wastes and ancient battle field looking for any prey it can. The twisting cloud of sewer gas, rotting flesh, and Lovcraftian god essence is looking for a host for its foulness. It will try to possess anyone it runs across and corrupt them from within. 
4. This ancient succubus god thing seeks out a likely stooge that can shelter it from witch hunters who are pursuing it across the wastes. The thing will drain dry anyone it comes across, it conforms to the Monster Manual first edition AD&D stats for its type. 
5. This ancient bag of organs and puss is held together in strange matrix of foulness and depravity. The thing will attempt to eat anyone it comes across to drink in their life essence by tearing off chunks of flesh. AC 6 Hit Dice 6 Attacks 1d8 +1 from the ridges of bone and flesh that pass for the thing's foul teeth. 
6. This dog headed ancient god thing has been tortured to pieces but continues to bleed and rot. The thing will attempt to slay anyone it comes across to replace its decaying flesh. There is a 20% chance that this will not work sending this thing into a massive rage. AC 5 Hit Dice 3 Damage 1d8 from claws. Will fly into a rage at the drop of a hat. 
7. This ancient crow thing is actually the soul of a foul demon lord now on the wing to escape the 1d8 demonic mercenaries it is trying to out run. The mercs will stop at nothing to recover it. They work for an ancient foul wizard who want's its blood and organs for his immortality formula. The thing will shape shift into a 4th level fighter armed with a great sword of slaying.  
8. This ancient demonic god thing takes the shape of an old man and insists on torturing anyone it runs across with foul stories of the most twisted kind. This foul thing has the shape of an eight  year old man but is actually a pit fiend who wishes to antagonize and anger this demon thing. It will taunt and insult anyone it runs across so that it may flee this mortal form when it is attacked. 
9. This insect horror is aligned with forces of chaos and horror. It will eat anyone's head off because it considers it a right after a neighbor refused it a demonic pact. The thing conforms to the stats on a giant grass hopper with immunity to fire and electrical based attacks. 
10. This free wheeling anti Christ like figure is actually an agent of some lost and miserable demonic lord with foul overtones of some ancient Lovecraftian horror. The thing is seeking a map to its soul and will stop at nothing to obtain this document. The map is concealed within the chest cavity of the ancient horror that it seeks out twelve blocks from its present location. The thing has a 10% chance of having a treasure item that will get rid of you sooner.