A Review of Quann'Ra-Tioll Moorchlyne's Most Excellent Compilation of all the realms known Ioun stones. A Free Old School Download

 

This compilation contains more than 600 Ioun stones to brighten up your campaign. This is a great catalog  of Ioun stones for your campaign & so much more . Weighing in at 104 pages this is a nice overview of the stone as a whole, their origins, their use, & those entities that control them. Matthew Hargenrader does a very well thought out job with this OGL material. The layout of the pdf is crisp & to the point. There isn't a metric ton of BS throughout.
The pdf includes an index which is ideal for the DM during play & allows one to deal with necessary treasure on the fly.
I've seen Ioun stone books before during the D20 glut of yesteryear this is much nicer. A better written pdf you will not find. Go Here

Ioun Stones For Space Opera? 

Ioun Stones are the creation of Jack Vance & this pdf places credit where credit is due. There are some old school nods in just the right direction with this. I don't really  associate Ioun stones with Jack  Vance but instead with the Incal books.
The stones were a part of an AD&D game that a friend ran & the stones were being used by the various factions of this universe. I have no idea if it was to save time or simply something caught his eye but there you go.
I think as a weird fantasy or science fantasy  element ioun stones present a host of opportunities.

1. These things make great alien artifact with unpredictable powers & they're not easily associated with science fiction or even science fantasy 
2. They can pop up anywhere or any when. They're perfect for a post apocalyptic universe when you need something alien to convey an invasion or possible source of your Apocalypse
3. The fact that these can be your gate way drug to powers from beyond doesn't need to be said. Elemental or pseudo elemental entities are right on the menu as soon as these appear
4. Nothing says don't screw with the alien or alien princess quite like stones zipping around someone's head or heads. 
5. Given Goblinoid Games various systems or any retroclones this supplement is a fine edition to anyone's library. These would readily work for Terminal space hell even X plorers 
6. Its got the right price tag at free 

Memories & Commentary On The Classic Shogun Warriors Toy line & Seventies Marvel Comic Book For Your Old School Campaign

Its been a long while since the Shogun Warriors crossed my desk. But speaking with various friends over the weekend let me to redress some of the elements of the campaign elements of my Lamentations of the Flame Princess Carcosa/Marvel Super Heroes rpg game campaign. 
First a quick bit of background on the Marvel comics Seventies comic book series from the wiki entry;"The Shogun Warriors series (composed of 20 issues) was published from February 1979 to September 1980.^[2] In the comic book series, the Shogun Warriors were created by a mysterious group called the Followers of the Light^[3] and human operators were chosen from all around the world to operate the massive robots in order to battle evil."


Many of the resources for this campaign came straight from the Palaid Stallions website after asking those wonderful folks for permission to use some of their material for this blog. The toyline was incredible! They remain very high on the list of many toy collectors. 
 

In fact its the comic book series that really has the in for using the Shogun Warriors in an old school campaign;"The series took a dramatic turn with Shogun Warriors #16 (May 1980), as the Shogun Warriors' mentors were destroyed by the Primal One and his followers.^[8] This alien force decided that Earth's technology had outpaced its morality, making it their duty to destroy the Shogun Warriors as well as other powerful humans. Declining sales, as well as Moench's commitment to writing the Moon Knight comic book series that had just been started, led Marvel to cancel the Shogun Warriors comic book series" 

And here's where things get really interesting looking back over the Shogun Warriors comic series today it becomes apparent that Earth's Shoguns might not have been the only Warriors in existence. The Shogun Warriors have been hinted at being build on other planets & planes of existence by Followers of Light in their never ending struggle in the Chaos war. Godzilla & Rodan were hinted at existing right along side Red Ronin in the Seventies Marvel universe; "Between February 1979 and July 1979, Marvel had the comic book rights to both Godzilla and the Shogun Warriors. While the characters never crossed paths in their respective comics, Trimpe (who did the artwork for both series) drew a variation of Godzilla and Rodan alongside Daimos, Great Mazinger, Raydeen and Gaiking on the top page of a comic book advertisement soliciting the Shogun Warrior toys.^[5] Mattel simultaneously had a license to produce Shogun Warriors toys (at the time) and a license to produce toys based on Godzilla^[6] and Rodan.^[7] Though never appearing in the comic series, Red Ronin of Marvel's Godzilla, King of the Monsters comic book series was mentioned occasionally and was frequently written about in the letters pages. Shogun Warriors #15 (April 1980) was a fill-in written by Steven Grant with art by Mike Vosburg."

The alignments of Chaos,Law, & Neutrality on Carcosa & Cha'alt for that matter make it very possible for the Chaos War depicted being carried out by the 'Followers of Light' to continue on this Lovecraftian planet. Alien gladiatorial battles with Megabug Gladiators Mecha  are events that I eluded to taking place within this campaign. 

These battles could be taking place for the amusement of the royals of Venger Satanis's Torth who come to this campaign to observe the spectacle of semi religious gladiatorial mecha combat. 

In point of fact a quest for hidden giant mecha could well be the point of a weird old school campaign! Giant Tarrasque guardians protecting  the dungeon temples of the 'Followers of Light' where one or two of these semi sacred mecha are hidden  could be the focus of a campaign. Cha'alt is rife with giant dinosaurs & mutants the perfect fodder for Shogun Warrior battles. 

Artisan Guild Tarasque - Legendary Devourer miniature available here on Etsy. 

• Each 'Shogun Warrior' mecha has several weapon systems for your favorite OSR system. 
• These warrior units are powered by a drive system that enables the mecha to be active & in stasis for thousands or millions of years. 
• Some units can regenerate as trolls 
• Shogun warriors are often equipped with a unique weapon system similar to an artifact or other relic. 
• Many of the suggestions that various friends have proposed is that a version of the City of the Gods might exist on this Carcosa hybrid campaign. 

Dave Arneson (Author), David Richie (Author)'s DA3 setting might be the perfect location for this forbidden technology of the gods to exist. 

Free Random Tavern Generator From Skirmisher Publishing For Your Old School Campaigns On The Dark Corner Blog

   Need a tavern or bar for your party to stumble into and deal with or perhaps a back alley dive in that fantasy city that you've designed but your forgot to fill it in? Have no fear the boys from Skirmisher Publishing are here with a random generator for taverns that fits seamlessly into your old school campaign.

 We've got your party covered right over HERE

Free OSR Resource From Dragon's Foot - Footprints Issue #22 For Your Old School Campaigns On The Dark Corner Blog

Footprints Issue #22 is out and its a killer, we've got a review of this free downloadable magazine on the Dark Corner Blog today. A look behind the curtain of mystery and adventure with this Old School Dragonfoot production.
This issue features solid old school content, adventures, and more.
And its free.
Go 

Right Over 

HERE

Adapting The Free OSR Adventure Resource The Stone Alignments of Kor Nak By E.Gygax & B.Poire To The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg System On The Dark Corner

Today on the Dark Corner Blog we look into adapting The Stone Alignments of Kor Nak By E.Gygax & B.Poire To The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg System. The Stone Alignments of Kor Nak has been released as a free old school adventure pdf in one lovely package.

Go take a look right over HERE

Five Post Apocalypse Appendix N Modern Ruins Resources For Your Old School Campaigns

Even though I hate the new interface over at Io9.  The authors VINCZE MIKLÓS & LAUREN DAVIS do an excellent job of bringing some very cool modern ruins to life for your post apocalyptic gaming 

Here are Five of the most useful that have appeared in my PA games recently.  Clink on the titles and read the articles. Wiki has maps of many of these places making them perfect for your Post Apoclapytic Mutants and adventurers to explore ! 

1. 8 Abandoned Antarctic Whaling Stations and Bases that are Still Amazing
2. 9 of the Most Fascinating Abandoned Mansions from Around the World
3. The Fading Grandeur of Abandoned Soviet Space Facilities
4. A bizarre igloo-shaped hotel lies unfinished and abandoned in Alaska
5. King Neptune still reigns over Western Australia's abandoned marine park

Old School FASA Star Trek Rpg Resources For Use With Stars Without Number

"Black Fleet"

"And though I had slain a thousand foes less one,

The thousandth knife found my liver;

The thousandth enemy said to me,

'Now you shall die,

Now none shall know.'

And the fool, looking down, believed this,

Not seeing, above his shoulders, the naked stars,

Each one remembering.
"


There are times when a SWN DM needs to fill in the gaps in his games. I've been watching my buddy Bill over at Green Skeleton Gaming guild talking about  Thundercloud Galaxy  books. He's come up with some exciting stuff  you can read about it right over Here

For myself there are two possible resources I love to use repeatedly. Star Trek especially Fasa Trek is tied in my mind with everything OSR about early 70s & 80s science fiction film wise. 
Why prey tell is Fasa Trek my Trek drug of choose? Because its easy to convert, very fast, & the ships make excellent dungeons in space. 
The thing is that there is a metric ton of alternative Trek stuff out there. For example a good solid chunk of resources can be found over at Xon Gaming. Right over Here

The FASA Trek Canon is weird & keeps players guessing! Read the wiki entry :

FASA Trek vs. "canon" Trek

FASA designed their Star Trek game universe nearly five years before Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) (1987-1994) was first broadcast. The game's designers built their "game universe" when there was no official canon, and they borrowed heavily from ideas in the Star Trek original series, the Star Trek animated series, fan fiction, and the works of the late Star Trek novelist John M. Ford.

Game elements which either were never introduced into what later became canon Star Trek, or which differ significantly from how canon Star Trek presents them

There weird loop hole ships that appear no where else enabling a DM to insert their own "phantom ships"
For example this little beauty 


Using Star Trek with SWN enables a DM to create instant brand recognition with new players! The Stars Without Numbers game allows the player to almost throw any race as PC with little muss or fuss as well 


For more of these beauties visit the Morena_Shipyards



There are so many eras that you can retro fit your own time line & given the amount of fan fiction out there, plus official & unofficial stuff a  DM could loot, pillage, & still come back for more. 
But how does one know what to loot or pillage? 
Go right over To find all of the FASA titles & what they were.
The Triangle was the very heart of scum & villainy. A DM could learn a lot from reading through about this sector of space. This place is a magnetic with all of the major of the races of Star Trek in evidence.
 

The Combat Simulator was perhaps one of the best pieces of gaming design for ship to ship combat & you can find that right Here

The differences between official Trek & Fasa canon can be found summarized quite well in the wiki article Here

Finally one of the best resources for early Trek is this one! The hard work & dedication for this site is incredible! 

See the whole thing right Here

A Review of Quann'Ra-Tioll Moorchlyne's Most Excellent Compilation of all the realms known Ioun stones. A Free Old School Download

This compilation contains more than 600 Ioun stones to brighten up your campaign. This is a great catalog  of Ioun stones for your campaign & so much more . Weighing in at 104 pages this is a nice overview of the stone as a whole, their origins, their use, & those entities that control them. Matthew Hargenrader does a very well thought out job with this OGL material. The layout of the pdf is crisp & to the point. There isn't a metric ton of BS throughout.
The pdf includes an index which is ideal for the DM during play & allows one to deal with necessary treasure on the fly.
I've seen Ioun stone books before during the D20 glut of yesteryear this is much nicer. A better written pdf you will not find. Go Here

Ioun Stones For Space Opera? 

Ioun Stones are the creation of Jack Vance & this pdf places credit where credit is due. There are some old school nods in just the right direction with this. I don't really  associate Ioun stones with Jack  Vance but instead with the Incal books.
The stones were a part of an AD&D game that a friend ran & the stones were being used by the various factions of this universe. I have no idea if it was to save time or simply something caught his eye but there you go.
I think as a weird fantasy or science fantasy  element ioun stones present a host of opportunities.

1. These things make great alien artifact with unpredictable powers & they're not easily associated with science fiction or even science fantasy 
2. They can pop up anywhere or any when. They're perfect for a post apocalyptic universe when you need something alien to convey an invasion or possible source of your Apocalypse
3. The fact that these can be your gate way drug to powers from beyond doesn't need to be said. Elemental or pseudo elemental entities are right on the menu as soon as these appear
4. Nothing says don't screw with the alien or alien princess quite like stones zipping around someone's head or heads. 
5. Given Goblinoid Games various systems or any retroclones this supplement is a fine edition to anyone's library. These would readily work for Terminal space hell even X plorers 
6. Its got the right price tag at free 

Seven Old School Science Fiction Resources For Your Old School Campaigns

Back when I was younger I used rummage through the stacks at my local library looking for reference works that could be used for my gaming. Dragon magazine provided a window into a much larger world then what was available.
Sure there were decent book stores around but in the pages of  Dragon, Starlog, & Fango there were hints that there scads of places through out Europe & beyond. It would be years before I visited some of those places. The authors of some of these reference works were able to transport me light years beyond anything that was available in my little town.
Lets start with Jeff  Rovin's works. The man is a machine of pop culture. He churns out book after fantastic book about the themes & ideas near & dear to role players, science fiction fans, & comic book fanatics hearts. I can't tell you the number of monsters I've converted from his works 

1. The Encyclopedia of Super Heroes - They're all there from A to Z this book has some really old school supers & not simply the traditional ones. This book takes from literature to comics plus everything in between including advertising! This is a must have for any role player interested in Superhero gaming. The nice part of many of these books is the price. I've beat the holy hell out of my copy & was able to snag a great copy at Goodwill for 2.00.
2. The Encyclopedia of Super Villains ~ Another companion for the Super Hero Encyclopedia & now a bit dated but still very useful when it comes to referencing some of the really obscure caped criminals. As some one who loves thirties pulps & comics this is another great book. It goes into a bit of science fiction as well. Also on the cheap. Another Jeff Rovin 
3. The Dinosaur Scrap Book By Donald F. Glut - This work is a great overview of dinosaurs from movies through literature. It includes dinosaurs from the works of Willis O'Brian to Edgar Rice Burroughs. This book has a metric ton of old school pictures & will satisfy any old school movie freak or gamer 
4. The Star Trek Concordance  BJO Trimble- Old School Trek at its finest this is one of the best reference works around & a real gem in any collection of the Star Trek Role player. Every plot, working, cartoon, etc. its all here in black & white as well as easy reference
    Simply a must for old school trekers 
5. The Encyclopedia of Aliens, Robots, & Space Ships Jeff Rovin - Looking for a clue to that weird late night alien you saw & need to know what it is? This is the book to go. There are lots of stuff seldom seen in other science fiction works. This book goes into even more detail about the golden age B.E.Ms & everything inbetween. Seriously solid.
6. The Encyclopedia of Monsters By Jeff Rovin - This is the late, late, show bible every creepy crawly from Cthulhu to the Parkland Mutate is here. This is a great horror fan bible of the greats & no so. The problem with many of Rovin's works is that its out of date & out of luck with newer works. That aside this is one for the shelves when you need something interesting, fast, & different. 
7. The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places Brian Stableford - This is one of the best works on the locations of science fiction ever. This book came out in the 90s & there are metric ton of places for use. The book is written like a travelogue & allows the fan to almost visit these places in their mind's eye. Solid quick & easy this is a great book in the tradition of the Dictionary of Imaginary Places (another entry itself). This book has a ton of maps that can be used for locations & whatnot. Very handy & nice for the gaming table.
   
   None of these reference works are going to break your bank account. Amazon has a metric ton of these. They're great references for your old school game. Many of these are available at the local library & you should check them out before buying them to make sure they're right for you. More coming up 

Coming up next a few from the stacks ! 

Five Old School Science Fiction Resources For Your Old School Campaigns

When I was growing up I loved & still do trips to book stores. Loved looking through the various large science fiction art books & whatnot. Especially what could be used to furnish the various games that I was running.
Here are five old school resources that can be used with a huge variety of games:

1. Di Fate's Catalog Of Science Fiction Hardware ~ Lavishly illustrated by the maestro of science fictional illustration this is one hell of a heart stopper that came out back in the '70s. Its all here from Captain Nemo's sub to the armor of  Star Ship Troopers
   
   
   If you get no other book then get this one it includes everything to run a complete science fiction camapaign in one place. Awesome book & one incredible illustrator
   

2. Tomorrow and Beyond : Masterpieces of Science Fiction Art by Ian Summers 

   
   

This is a great collection of Science Fictional & fantasy illustrations that appeared in the 70s when the golden age of science fantasy artwork was at its height. There's enough material here to inspire 13 campaigns alone.

The book is divided in sections like "Aliens", "Fantasy", "Barbarians", "Spacecraft", "Other Worlds", etc. The artwork is top notch with some of the artists from the seventies in evidence. Great book whose credit isn't recognized these days 

3. Tour Of The Universe Malcom Edwards 

What can I say about this book? This one came out back in the 80s & its filled with a cool over the top future science fiction feel that you just don't get today. The book has a story that we've through a couple winning a lottery & then shifts to a thin cold war style galactic tour of a universe filled with time /space mishaps & incredible visuals that go with the book's story. Just a simply great book for the science fiction gamer! 

4. Galactic Tours By Bob Shaw 

 They don't get any better then this one!
From alien races, weird holidays, complete tours, baby sitting services, aliens did I mention aliens & much more .There are enough things here to keep a game going for years. This is one top notch book filled to the brime with incredibly cool illustrations. Very well done! This book could keep a campaign going for years! Perfect book for a game looking to happen! 

5. Alien World: The Complete Illustrated Guide by Steven Eisler

Got 15 minutes before your players show up but you need an alien race fast? Look no further. This is a fantastic resource. Another one of those '70s science fiction eye feasts this is one that actually has a very detailed galactic history & backdrop to plunder & use for interesting back stories.  Details a whole intergalactic universe rich in history. 

The Bottomline of the Books 

Many of the books that were just featured are available used for way under $10 & as the cheap bastard I'm that's one of the sticking points for this post.  Steven Eisler was a machine when it came to these books during the 70s.. Time after time the man was putting out one fantastic book with Chris Foss or another science fiction illustrator. The work that he did was killer & his books are now only starting to be recognized for their contribution to the illustration & publishing of the time. 

Gaming wise bottom line is that these are great resources & any DM running a science fiction or fantasy campaign can pull a ton of material from them. 

I've avoided using the Terran Trade Authority books because they're well known & I wanted to feature some of the lesser works that don't seem to ever get mentioned on Rpg Blogs. 

Happy Gaming