Ten Questions In Gaming With Eric Fabiaschi - Today's Interview Kevin Watson From Dark Naga Adventures

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Dark Naga Adventures is running a new Fifth Edition and OSR edition adventure Kickstarter ; called The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil. The premise is very promising  and could be used with a myriad of old school retroclones;" The small town of Boldon, and its surrounding villages, are afraid. Dozens of people are missing, some speculate lost to some nefarious purpose. Tales of an evil temple and the horrible things within circulate. The few who know the legends and history of the region are beginning to think the dark times have returned, not seen since the fall of the first age of man. People are beginning to feel the icy fingers of fear closing in. Upon arrival, the party encounters a broken man, a homeless drunkard prone to incessant rambling. This inspires an investigation into the stories of a lost temple. Has it been rediscovered by men seduced by its forgotten evil? The drunkard’s tale leads to others who might help the party discover more before they face The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil." 

We caught up with Kevin for 'Ten Questions In Gaming'

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us tonight and we’ve got ten questions for one of gaming’s guiding lights. So let’s get right to it shall we. 1. How did you get your start in the rpg hobby and how has it changed since then?

I started back in late 1980, playing with some school/Boy Scout friends. I was DM’ing in early 1982, probably at my birthday party. So many games have come and gone since then. The production values have skyrocketed, the new players in the market seem to double every few years. That’s as an end user.

As a writer, I have submitted probably 15 articles or adventures to magazines like Dragon. I think the last one was in 1992 or 1993. Usually no response, occasionally an encouraging rejection letter. No traction. So few outlets back then. Now, with crowdfunding, the OGL and other programs, the barriers to entry are pretty much gone, and people can share their voice and vision with the world.

2. Is table top role playing still one of your favorite past times? How often do you get together with players?

It is. Computer games just don’t have the same enjoyment for me that table top role playing does. I meet weekly, on Saturdays. Sometimes to playtest, sometimes to work on classics that I want to run again or always wanted to, but never did. Last year we played through the Volturnus series from Star Frontiers, and play tested “The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil” twice. Currently I am adapting T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil for 5e and seeing how well it holds up 35 years later.

3. I see that you’ve got a new adventure module Kickstarter happening. How is your Kickstarter different from those that players have seen in the past?

From a content perspective: I borrowed a concept from the Tactical Training world that they use in Force on Force classes. In those classes, you are run through a number of situations, some of which you should use lethal force to respond, some you should never even draw, and the balance have the outcome determined by the choices you make during the encounter. They can go either way. This is a critical tool in helping people learn to make the right choice quickly, particularly members of law enforcement.

I applied the idea to have some encounters favor combat, other favor role playing, and some able to go either way. All of them can be completed combat or RP. But the ones designed for RP are very tough combats and the ones designed for RP are very demanding on the RP side. My hope is that all playstyles will find enjoyment, and even try the other styles to complete the adventure.

From a project perspective: I launched the campaign with the adventure fully written and edited. Most of the art is delivered and the maps are in progress. It is more done than almost all of the projects I have backed. The goal was to remove the biggest issue I have seen over the years from the equation: the inability to write the content on a schedule. It seems to plague a lot of people, and upset a lot of backers. Things can still go wrong; not every risk can be mitigated. The single point of failure has been removed. The last thing I would want to do is miss a deadline for backers. The next to last thing I would want to do is replace an artist. As the only writer, I am a single point of failure. There are a lot of talented artists and cartographers that I could hire if some catastrophic even befell mine.

4. What systems are this adventure going to be for and what can players and dungeon masters expect from it?

It is written for 5e and the OSR compatible versions and dual stat’d. GM’s can convert it to any fantasy system. I think one of my backers mentioned interest in adapting for Call of Cthulhu as well. I’m looking forward to seeing how that one turns out.

5. How is this adventure going to stand out in today’s dynamic and changing table top rpg market?

It is non-linear. The intermediate quests are optional and can be done in any order. The art is great looking and plentiful. Alyssa Faden has always dazzled with her maps. Lovecraft themed adventures are the next big thing. Zombies are starting to get tired after 13 or so years. Everything I am seeing on the market has a single path A to B to C to D to Boss Fight. The hardest fight in the temple delve will surprise the players. Hint: it isn’t the BBEG at the end

6. What kinds of perks and levels are we going to see in your adventure and is there going to be continuing support for it after the Kickstarter ends?

In terms of stretch goals, adding to the art, adding player handouts and custom dice are planned.

In terms of support for the material, I am working on a website that will host a webstore, blog and a product catalog. It will also include forums to discuss adventures and a place for play testers to collaborate and discuss. There are sequels to this adventure planned.

7. Do you feel that as a writer and designer that Kickstarter has helped or hindered the table top rpg hobby in 2016?

I think it has helped more than it has hurt. It has given a lot of people a venue where they can get the capital needed to hire artist, cast miniatures, and put together some quality products with all the charm of something that wasn’t written by committee.

Personally, I think the failed projects have done the most harm to the independent gaming community. I know I have taken extra steps through Kickstarter and on my own to demonstrate the care I have taken to avoid ending as a failed project.

8. Where do as a designer fall in the spectrum of table top gaming? Are you an old school, new school, or some other facet of the hobby as a designer or writer of table top adventures?

I am mostly old school. I like the idea that the players may go too deep/far and get into an encounter that they may need to run from. I find the material from that era, take as a whole, better written and more fun. Every edition of the game has added something great to the game (even the editions I don’t like) and similarly every edition has changed how adventures are written. I think 5e is giving me the platform to publish the material I enjoy and am not seeing a lot of in the market without forcing players to be retro if they don’t care for retro gaming. This adventure has played well with B/X players and 5e players. I want all of them to do the same.

9. If this Kickstarter funds what other projects can we expect to see from you in the coming year? How does this define your expectations for this project?

I have 4 sequels to this one planned. I hope to run two more KS campaigns this year, and the balance next year. For the first project, my goal is to set myself apart from the pack by setting realistic goals, communicating like a champ and delivering on time. For the projects that follow, the goal will be to grow the audience while improving service, and schedules.

10. Where in 2017 would you like to see yourself and your place in the table top hobby?

I will finish the Hastur series of adventures and move into something larger in scale (14 parts). The next set of adventures includes 2-4 gazetteers and takes the party from level 1 to level 20. Dark Naga will be at GaryCon, NorthTexasRPGCon, andGenCon. However, I’m going, not as an Organized Play DM, but to promote Dark Naga.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today on Swords & Stitchery, this has been your host Eric Fabiachi.

Alright from where I'm sitting this adventure has the potent to be both useful and pretty damn slick. The Lovecraftian elements and old school vibe is there and it looks from here like Dark Naga Adventures has recruited some top talent for this. Will the Kickstarter come off? Well that's where you come in. Take a look and help to get this adventure off the ground and onto your gaming table.

Review and Commentary On The Release Of OD&D Supplement II: Blackmoor (0e) By Dave Arneson And DA2 Temple of the Frog By Dave L. Arneson and David J. Ritchie From From Wizards of the Coast

Welcome back dear readers, apparently while I was shoveling Hell apparently froze over again. To say that I was skeptical today when Wizards of the Coast released Blackmoor from 1975 by Dave Arneson is an understatement.Alright so there are now two different source books and modules for Blackmoor on Drivethrurpg. This basically means you've got almost a complete mini campaign set in the campaign right at your DM's finger tips. To say I've got history with Blackmoor is an understatement, Blackmoor has been my go to campaign for longer then I can remember. It connects with my earliest memories of gaming. My connection with Temple of the Frog started when I got a copy from a friend back in the early 90's. DA2 Temple of The Frog is an odd and very entertaining module on many levels containing some great D&D adventure elements mixed into an odd blend of science fantasy mayhem as part of its background DNA.


Blackmoor from 1975 is partially an OD&D source book and partly a snap shot into the early halcyon days of OD&D. According to Wiki;"The original Blackmoor product was published by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in 1975, as the second supplement to D&D (the first being Greyhawk). The booklet was named for the original role-playing campaign world by Dave Arneson, who also wrote this booklet.^[5] It added rules, monsters, treasure, and the first published role-playing game adventure, the "Temple of the Frog," a scenario from the Loch Gloomen section of the Blackmoor campaign.^[6] Other than the "Temple of the Frog," however, Blackmoor did not include any information on the Blackmoor setting itself."  This the book that was released today and it reflects a snap shot in time and one of the early incarnations of the Temple of the Frog. The infamous temple deep in the Dismal Swamp where deviltry awaits the PC's. The third incarnation of the Temple of the Frog comes in the form DA2. This is a module that combines science fantasy elements and D&D in dire and deadly ways. The temple in its incarnation as Supplement II contains scores of guards, incredibly dangerous forces and a whole lot of horror awaiting the PC's. DA2 represents a different set of challenges and some of the deadliest high level science fantasy action seen in a module.
"Green Death...

That's what old hands call the Great Dismal Swamp. For centuries, this tangled maze of sluggish watercourses, stagnant ponds, and festering marshes has defended Blackmoor's southwestern frontier. Large armies and smaller parties have disappeared altogether inside its vast, dripping, claustrophobic corridors.

Among those who have dropped from sigh in this arboral hell is young Rissa Aleford, one of Blackmoor's most important leaders. Carried off to the sinister City of the Fron, she is now being held by the eccentric Monks of the Swamp. By making the baroness captive, the deranged monks have serioulsy weakened Blackmoor at a time when enemies already threaten it from all sides.

Yet, even as the Froggies gloat, the king of Blackmoor dispatches a small band of bold adventures to the rescue. Deep into the Great Dismal Swamp they must go - far from sunlight and sanity - there to seek and save the swamp, there to find the Temple of the Frog."

The PC's must recauce a baroness from the Temple of the Frog deep within the dismal swamp. The action in this module is fast, deadly, and could easily be converted over to AD&D 1st edition or OSRIC with no issue at all. DA2 Temple of the Frog was published by TSR in 1986 as a 48-page booklet with an outer folder and is keyed for working with the Expert Rules set. There are certain science fantasy elements that are central to the background of all incarnations of the temple and the Blackmoor setting material. Blackmoor came from a far more woolly time in table top role playing and D&D. TSR later reigned this in a bit;"For various reasons, TSR published two different versions of their flagship game line. Over the course of several supplements, the Basic Dungeons & Dragons developed its own campaign setting, referred to at first simply as the Known World and later as Mystara. When the history of Mystara was codified, it was established that Arneson's Blackmoor had existed in the world's distant past, achieved a technologically advanced civilization, and then destroyed itself in a global catastrophe that shifted the planet's axis."
So where does DA2 Temple of the Frog fall within the publication time line of the campaign; "ts influence was now central to at least one of TSR's published worlds, but the actual setting of Blackmoor as Arneson described it had yet to be presented. This was finally remedied in the mid-1980s through the DA series of expansion modules, which carried a party of adventurers into Mystara's past to visit Blackmoor. The first of these, DA1 Adventures in Blackmoor, described in general the geography and politics of Blackmoor and the means by which the characters travel there. DA2 Temple of the Frog expanded the scenario that had appeared in the original Blackmoor supplement. DA3 City of the Gods explored the starship crashed near the Kingdom of Blackmoor, from which the setting's intentional anachronisms derived. DA4 The Duchy of Ten dealt with a horde of invading barbarians, but was the only work not derived from Dave Arneson's original campaign notes. A fifth installment, DA5 City of Blackmoor, was announced but was never written or published."

Supplement II: Blackmoor (0e) By Dave Arneson is a throw back to the early wargaming roots of original Dungeons and Dragons with its Chainmail numbers of monks, the temple's forces, the contents of the temple, etc. I still think its worth having for the reference material and the ideas it happens to present. Couple this with DA2 Temple of the Frog and you've got yourselves a mini campaign that could take months to take your PC's through. All in all I think that this was a good move on Wizards of the Coast but how it will play out will depend fully on sales over the next couple of months.



 All of this begs the question will we see the release of  more Blackmoor and Mystara  material? I think so as the Dungeon Master's Guild plays it's part for Wizard's of the Coast and how this chapter of  the latest's release of AD&D and OD&D pdf materials.

Retro - Review & Commentary On S2 White Plume Mountain By Lawrence Schick For Advanced Dungeons & Dragons And Your Old School Campaigns

 Well our adventurers have been contacted and contracted to bring back three notoriously dangerous magical artifacts. A trident, a war hammer and a sword, each possessing its own intelligence and incredibly dangerous in their own right. Do you have what it takes to complete the journey to White Plume Mountain?

Welcome back my dear readers, we've survived the latest arctic blast of snow and terrible weather here in Connecticut, an adventure has occupied my thoughts as of late. White Plume Mountain by Lawrence Schick has always been one of those modules and adventures that has both intimidated the hell out of me and has been a blast to run.Tonight I'm going to speak about White Plume Mountain. This module is devious, devilish, and twisted in its old school style for an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure.The adventure centers itself around a exploration of a vast mega dungeon according to Wiki"the adventure is a dungeon crawl where the players' characters are hired to retrieve three "notorious" magical weapons: a trident, a war hammer and a sword, each possessing its own intelligence.The weapons' former owners each received a copy of a taunting poem, instructing them that the weapons are located in White Plume Mountain. The poem is signed by the wizard Keraptis, who thirteen hundred years ago descended into the volcanic mountain with a company of gnomes and disappeared."

 Here's what a minor breakdown of the module looks like once again according to Wiki "The adventure is divided into 27 encounters across a 16-page module. Encounters are varied and each presents its own challenges. Encounter seven necessitates characters jumping from platform to platform above a sea of hot mud whilst evading erupting geysers; this in turn leads to encounter eight and a room of permanent darkness where a vampire guards Whelm. Encounter 17 occurs in a giant but fragile bubble located above a boiling lake, with the players needing to defeat a giant crab and retrieve Wave without damaging the bubble. Encounter 26 involves negotiating a magical ziggurat populated by various monsters (including sea lions, giant crayfish, giant scorpions, and manticores) before encounter 28, a battle against an ogre mage who possesses Blackrazor. A final challenge on departing is an encounter with two to four efreet if the characters have succeeded in taking two or three of the magical weapons."
This review and commentary concerns the original incarnation of the fun house dungeon to end all. This is a very well done module that will challenge even the most die hard AD&D or retroclone gamer. This is a challenging sword and sorcery module with a pretty nice little plot to back up its craziness and old school weirdness.

 One thing about White Plume Mountain it is only very lightly tied into Greyhawk, with a bit of work the environs of S2 could be transplanted over to your own campaign world or setting.But given its weird and strange nature I personally would move it over to Hyperborea in the volcanic regions of of that setting. Because of the nature of Keraptis and his weird obsessions in the module I could see him moving the entire mountain ala the Stormbringer novels across the planes where and when  he wills it. The entire purpose of this module is to keep Keraptis entertained and in that capacity it excels at it.

 There is something incredibly appealing about S2 and the way it handles its NPC and plot is rather brilliant. if you looking for a fun house dungeon. This is the ultimate expression of the dungeon as both s puzzle heavy dungeon and intimating monster encounters;. Make no mistake this is one hell of a deadly old school module with plenty of opportunities for players to make a series of bad rolls that could result in a total party wipe out if the DM isn't careful. Because the adventure is only lightly connect to Greyhawk. There's plenty for DYI AD&D customization on the DM's part. The DM shouldn't worry about the standard AD&D style monsters if he or she wishes to use these with their favorite sword and sorcery retroclone system. Wizards collect unique monsters and often times have very dangerous specimens especially wizard's of this module's level.

This is not so much a module as it is a mini campaign with lots of opportunities for expansion, plenty of sword and sorcery action, and it can easily be dropped right into your own campaigns with little problem. This one is a favorite of mine because the Great Swamp, White Plume Mountain, and Castle Mukos didn't match up with anything else within Greyhawk though the text of the adventure clearly places White Plume Mountain in the Shield Lands, near the Great Rift. It can easily be moved where the DM needs it go. I've even seen a customization or two place White Plume within a fantasy version of Iceland and Greenland for a game of Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I could also see using White Plume as a part of a very gritty and dangerous Dark Albion campaign.

Sometimes classic is classic for a reason and White Plume Mountain By Lawrence Schick  falls within this category. The module is iconic, dangerous, very deadly but gosh darn it if this isn't a fun module

1d20 Random Martian Super Science Finds & Relics Table For Warriors of the Red Planet Second Edition & Your Old School Campaigns

In the far and remote corners of Mars there are still ancient secrets and caches of mysterious relics that await your PC's. They're power borders on magick and world bending power, they drive men mad and deep into the Martian interior in search of the aura of power that surrounds such objects.



There is a twenty percent chance of these objects carrying a minor curse or weird magical effect upon them that has come down from the ancient ones.

1d20 Random Martian Super Science Finds & Relics Table

1. Azgbagororogli Bakong's Folly - This device was created by a minor Martian noble who was fused in a teleporation accident with his father. The resulting mad genius created a device that bends space and time allowing 1d8 temporal illusion of the owner to be created but there is a 30% chance each time this device is used that a temporal doppleganger will be left behind to try and murder the owner. The effect lasts for 2d6 rounds. The illusions can be commanded to do a wide variety of minor acts within 20 feet of the owner.
2. Fauroliaula's Sword - This sword was formed from the crystalline heart of an ancient warrior of Order, the sword hates a evil and chaos and will try to take over the owner. It acts a +2 weapon but there are those who think the thing is actually a part of an ancient war mechanism left over from a long forgotten Martian war.
3. Glarg Kabantul's Statue - This weird technological organic statue is a combination of advanced elemental technologies and sorcerous power. The statue holds the mental matrix of a long dead mentalist and has 1d6 random mentalist powers when found. But after 1d6 days of the owner using it, the evil spirit of the thing will try to possess the owner and return his evil to Mars.
4. Lirg Maurug's circlet - This piece of jewelry allows the owner to phase walls as per the ghostly power but it only works for 1d6 times and then the circlet will swallow the soul of its owner to power its next cycle of abilities.
5. Nglaurcala's crown - This crown allows the owner to see into 2d6 nearby dimensions and affect the inhabitants of those. Used in the past this crown could according to legend and myth open inter dimensional gateways allowing the horrors and weird things to attack Nglaurcala's enemies. He was a powerful sorcerer of the Black Gate.
6. Otutur's Device - Is a device of power capable of holding the powers of the Outer Darkness at bay. These things will not come within a twenty foot radius circle of the owner and will take 1d6 points of damage per round to their temporary being. But the device must be fed 1d8 pints of blood per day or it will cease operation and may even act as a lurer for these beings.
7. Rguing Saronimercher - Is a statue of a minor Martian noble whose father had him preserved as a guardian and warrior for all eternity in Mar's ancient past. This statue will create an electrical field capable of frying a small army of men within a sixty yard radius of its activation. The key word is written on the fore head of the statue which will do 1d8 +2 points of damage to all within its field of operation as it taps into the ancient Martian dimensional poles. The key word can be spoken from over a mile away and the statue will activate. Ancient scrolls say that the statue murders those of evil who use it for horrid acts.
8. Llotlot - This is a six legged ancient Martian animal preserved in the flesh and with weird cybernetic machinery within its hide. Upon activation this thing will seek out ancient treasures and relics from nearby vaults and hidden Martian lairs. This thing is much sought after by wizards and the like
9. Migol-hoteho's Dagger - This ancient key like device is used to activate certain forbidden technologies and ancient relics. These are detailed in the Hy Ra scrolls of power and mystery.
10. Naub's Horror - This is an ancient device used for assassination and terror by the Order of The Crimson Death. The horror upon activation flies to its target which has been telepathically programmed into the small mechanical looking insect life form & poisons the target. The target must save vs death or die immediately but that not the final insult. The device collects DNA, and other genetic information which the owner can use to grow a replacement of the target and under the owner's control.
11. Noat's Breath - This relic of war is used to create a cloud kill effect within a seven mile radius of its activation by remote telepathic command. It will have 1d8 charges within it when found.
12. Photatach's Reliquary- This ancient coffin like device is used to create exacting life like cybernetic parts and organs for its owner healing 1d20 points of damage. But there are those who say that the ancient god thing owns the minds, souls, and bodies of those who use this device. 
13. Sabo-bhaqusth- This ancient Martian device is actually a telepathic resonator and creates a sense of god like well being and false sense of religious like well being. It is said to have been a relic of war and those who worshiped this false idol were brought under the telepathic control of its owner. Details of its operation remain lost to history and legend at best. It can create a charm spell within a 3 mile radius of its operation.
14. Siq-arabot's Ray - This relic creates a ray that can both heal the mind, and soul of foul demonic energies but the owner's aura is vulnerable to the powers of darkness for 1d8 days after receiving treatment. Seven mentalists must be brought in to guard those being treated with this device.
15. Migol-hoteho's Worm - Is a relic of ancient times that swallows a victim and unless a save vs death is made the victim is turned into a cybernetic warrior of incredible destructive power. But rulers have thought at this device could be used to create armies of these warriors not so. The warrior created by the worm serves the device's twisted programming and hidden agenda. Warriors fight as 4th level fighting men and have radium weaponry built into hidden caches.
16. El'hactuteiqu's Wonderful Navigation Device - This relic allows one to teleport across incredible distances including 1d8 light years of interstellar distance but the device's minor abilities allow one to to peer into hidden nearby worlds and scry into hidden regions of Mars. There is a 20% chance each time this is done of activating the teleportation powers. These devices are sometimes hidden in remote caches of the Martian underworld.
17. Hathaigggh's Memory - This device is actually the stripped mind and soul of several ancient black wizards and allows one to access to remote and forbidden secrets of black magick that swims in the unknown soul places of the Martian underworld. There is a forty percent chance that when these wizards are consulted that a demonic life form or worse is summoned. They are a dangerous, evil, and fickle lot of murderous horrors at best in the memory. They can use 1d6 black gate spells per day and spread their corruption within a 20 foot radius.
18. Iqu-eit - This ancient robotic like device is actually a medical robot of incredible skill capable of healing wounds to both body and mind. These bots are sought after but very rare because of their abilities, they have the ability of a cure heavy wounds spell six times per day. Evil scientists are known to reprogram them for very dangerous purposes including the creation of certain forbidden cybernetic technologies.
19. Liquthotl - A remote flying sorcerous basket ball sized eye like devices used in summoning rites, the will blast targets for 1d8+1 points of damage and a wizard is only one who might be able to sooth them with a charm spell to telepathically reprogram them. They can under the right circumstances and rituals be used to summon a major demon or other outer worldly essence.
20. Zha-goth- Foul and dangerous relics of war capable of being used to open forbidden dimensions, these watch sized devices can open hidden Martian dimensional seals and gates four times per day. They are forbidden left overs from ancient times and many Martian cities will instantly slay those who have such devices.

Using The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Adventure EX1 Dungeonland By Gary Gygax With The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg

Tonight incoming snow forced my regular Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea game to get pushed from Tuesday back to today and I had to come up with something on the fly. So I had some notes being written for running an old school adventure in the Valley of Mists in Hyperborea. The players wanted to reach A Red and Pleasant Land but Voivodja doesn't conform to normal space time and instead the eight players in tonight's game wandered into the dangerous EX1 Dungeonland.



The PC's were a mix of two wizards backing up a mix mercenary company expedition trying to locate an artifact for a rich client. Dungeonland clocks in at thirty two pages of deadly little fun. The code Ex means extension and its meant to be inserted into an existing campaign and that's exactly what I did. According to the introduction;"When you insert this module into your campaign, do so
without alerting the players. That is, they will not see a white rabbit and a rabbit hole anywhere, nor will they discover a looking glass to pass through. I have tried these methods, and they put players on guard immediately. Conceal this module within the body of your game material. At a convenient point—
for you, not for the party—have them fall into a pit or have a passageway suddenly become a perpendicular shaft. Then have them descend, ever so slowly, into the “front door” of Dungeonland. If you’d rather have them enter from the other side, then some subterranean place might have a smoky wall through which the  players will barely be able to see. Naturally,they will detect a room beyond, and when you entice them  further, they’ll discover it is a mirror image of the place they just left, and to which they can no longer return.'
The players managed to get through the endless shaft and the hallway but they were not expecting the fact that this particular demi plane had been created by a sorcerer sometime in Hyperborea's ancient past. It exists as a relic a part of some highly evolved amusement park. The wizard  had gotten turned into a rabbit by the foul magicks.



The PC's made it as far as the Woods of Trees and Giant Fungi, there were several missteps and one death as one of the PC's stumbled into the Huge Blue Mushroom and took twenty points of damage. The PC's also ran across several of the vampire NPC's from a Red and Pleasant Land that I peppered throughout the demi plane. This was to prefece an upcoming game and highlight the incredible weirdness of the other dimensional qualities  of EX1.



After several near misses and an almost hair raising encounter with a giant hound the PC's managed to secure enough minor loot to make the excursion into this other dimensional location worth it. They were able to get an NPC to show them the way out but vowed to return to plunder more of the weird otherworldly place. They also ran into a visitor from one of the party's from a Red and Pleasant Land with whom they got into a riddling contest and barely won that little excursion.

 
A quick note or two on running EX1, while this is a decidedly complex Alice in Wonderland adventure certain aspects of it can be used to create some very weird scenes for a dreamlike atmosphere. It also plays very off beat for a sword and sorcery game such as AS&SH couple this with Lamentations of the Flame Princess's A Red and Pleasant Land; you've got the makings of a memorable evening's entertainment.

Review and Commentary On Gregorius21778: Looks & Details Of Post-Apocalyptic Marauders By Kai Pütz a.k.a Gregorius21778 For Your Old School Campaigns

During last night's post apocalyptic mash up game I used a gift product from Kai Pütz a.k.a Gregorius21778 to generate a few marauders with plenty of color,  flash, and PA style to them. Marauders are the go to quick encounter for post apocalyptic games. For a dollar eleven you get a main random table and eight sub tables for a quick series of mad bastards and gangs that can put your adventurers in your favorite games to the test. This is a system agnostic product and can easily be slipped in as a go to random marauder kit for any post apocalyptic system. It can be used with any retroclone systems or adventures.

GRAB IT HERE


According to the Rpg now blurb; "

Looks & Details of post-apocalyptic marauders includes a main table of 99 items as well as several sub tables with additional entries, offering different apparels, facial features or other characteristics a GM can utilize to individualize his descriptions of various NPCs. They are meant to add some “colour” to otherwise faceless groups (or hordes) who otherwise would just be nondescript guards or combatants to be overcome. The dice used are d100, d8 and d6."
Here's the real trick with any of these types of tables and OSR style products you have to use them before adventure & encounter prep time as the DM. Its all fine and dandy if your grabbing one of these products to use in your arsenals but its really about using these before a session of play begins. Gregorius21778: Looks & Details Of Post-Apocalyptic Marauders is meant for Mad Max/ Road Warrior post apocalyptic road combat rpgs and it shows. That's fine in my book and the product does a nice job of randomly rolling up the details and bits to add spice to gangs. I can see using this product more at the table for a great deal for anything from Twilight 2000 all the way through Gamma World or even Mutant Epoch. The fact is that its solidly done with a bit of art and lots utility with a bit of imagination. Do I think its worth the dollar eleven on Rpgnow? Yes there's even a little bit of artwork thrown in to get the road warrior style of feel.

Gamma World/Crawling Under A Broken Moon DCC Rpg Mash Up Actual Play Event - Using The Cleansing War of Garik Blackhand (Gamma World Adventure GW3) Written By Michael Price and Garry Spiegle

This is a crucial time in the wastelands as a peace accord between two tribes of mutants is almost at hand. Tribal warfare is just about at an end until the foul specter of an ancient enemy rears its head. The PC's in tonight's eight man game have just been dropped deep into the The Cleansing War of Garik Blackhand (Gamma World Adventure GW3).

"The fearsome Scarlet Knights of Genetic Purity have declared a campaign of terror against all mutants -- humanoids and mutated animals!! Your bitter enemies, the Gray Rock tribe, have accused your tribe, the White Feathers, of murder and treachery. Your tribe is now under sentence of death -- you and your party have been declared outlaws and traitors. The fate of your tribe lies in your hands. Pursued by an enraged mob of mutants, you must flee across the frozen Parklands of the Ancients [Yellowstone] to find proof of your innocence.

In tonight's adventure our party of intrepid 'Crawling Under A Broken Moon' mutant and otherwise  adventurers has run afoul of  old adversaries when their tribe the White Feathers has been accused of foul deeds by the Gray Rock tribe. The PC's have been chased and pursued by a mob of angry mutants into the frozen lands of the Yel'Stone Park area. They know that a faction of the Knights of Genetic Purity led by the  infamous leader Garik Blackhand is behind the Gray Rock's accusations. Yes that's right we're playing The Cleansing War of Garik Blackhand (Gamma World Adventure GW3).
This module has everything that Gamma World DM actually needs to straight up use as a campaign touch stone. Nasty vile villains, mutant NPC's, lots of relic and treasure opportunities, and a boat load of mini scenarios to launch the PC's into a fully realized campaign. This isn't an easy module to deal with there are lots of ins and outs of it. Complicating matters is the fact that two of the PC's in tonight's game are straight up DCC warriors and they have a wizard among them.

So far they party of heroes has managed to get into the Yel'Stone Park area after nearly getting their rears handed to them with a few random encounters and dying at the hands of the mutant riot squad that the Gray Rock Tribe has turned into. These guys loath this particular faction of the Scarlet Knights of Genetic Purity and during various other DCC/Crawling Under A Broken Moon games that they've played I've dropped in a vile NPC here or there as well as having them heard the name Garik Blackhand around the camp fire. Stories of this bastard have surfaced from time to time. As well the occasional burnt up mutant village and genocide purge by the Knights that they've come across. This is a whole different matter when they've been run out of town on a rail and the situation has gone from bad to worse.


See the knight on the on the big walker? Well that bastard is what the players thought of when they encountered their first knight. Instead of facing the bastard down they did the smart thing and ran tonight. They ran deep into the park and we had to call it a night a bit early because one of our players has to work in the morning.
More to come next week we meet again.



Notes On Running The Cleansing War of
Garik Blackhand (Gamma World Adventure GW3) With DCC And The  Crawling Under A  Broken Moon Fanzine

The very first thing I'm going to tell you is to make sure that you have your DCC rule book and Crawling Issue#1 handy for PC development. The next thing is that The Cleansing War of Garik Blackhand (Gamma World Adventure GW3) is only nine dollars on Amazon for a used copy. UX01: High Caliber Hijinks is a must straight up, the combination of black powder and energy weapons along with guns is crucial to making this conversion work. All of the issues related to vehicles and transportation is probably essential reading as well especially issue #6 and #7 respectively. Issues #2, #3, #4, #5 are also solid because of the backgrounds for religions and wasteland patrons but issue #10 and #11 also come in handy for the clerical and priest material in the wastes.
Dungeon masters should be prepared for lots of magical, mutational, and arcane action from their players with a bit of spell burning and high stakes encounters. DM's should handle the mini scenarios in this adventure on a one to one basis with regards to how the players handle the plot lines. This isn't an adventure that's played for yucks and instead its quite deadly and full of NPC machinations on a whole different set up and play level. Players could throw the DM for a loop if he's not paying attention and this adventure is very unforgiving when it comes to TPK in certain encounters. If the party plays it stupid then they're going to pay and pay hard. Make sure the players have a few spare character sheets. A further thought is to create a funnel from the beginning appearances and legends of the raids of the Knights of Genetic Purity. This creates an overall sense of unity among a party as the PC's villages and settlements are raided by the Knights. As for certain plot points in this adventure they can be changed to suit as need with all commercial adventures. The play is the thing with any of these adventures and DM's should be ready on the fly as necessary.

1d6 Random High End Wasteland Finds Table For Your Old Schoool Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

The wastelands of the post apocalyptic world can be a very unforgiving but occasionally it does yield some real gems of the ancient ones. Here is a table of random high end finds that can make or break a community out in the wastes



1d6 Random High End Wasteland Finds Table

1. 1d6 super science medicines and emergency devices worth a cool 400 gold pieces in trade goods or services. These items are still in packing and ready to use. 
2. 1d6 x 200 pounds of military sealed ammo for common post war time guns; worth about 500 gold pieces in trade goods or services. 
3. 1d8 X100 pounds of piping and plumbing items from a high end hardware company. 
4. 6 high end military weapons with clips ; worth about 700 gold pieces in trade goods or services the ammo is packed separately but these weapons are ready to go. 
5. 2 automobile engines sealed within super science packing worth 600 gold pieces each or in services. These engines need gas and their ready to go. 
6. 3 electric generators in packing with oil ready to go all they need is gas. Worth 800 gold pieces in trade goods or services 

Campaign Commentary On 'The OSR Go Fund Me Support Campaign Bundles For Ryan' For Your Old School Setting Development

I've been quietly following Ryan Denison (coauthor of Mutant Future)'s Go Fund Me Support for Ryan campaign by Dan Proctor. First of all thanks to everyone who gave but I've been considering reviving and dealing with a new Mutant Future/Labyrinth Lord mash up game for awhile now. Because this is for such a good cause and all, I started thinking about putting some commentary behind the high quality products being offered in this bundle.

You can show your support for Ryan right over here



Now this is a fantastic cause to help a fellow OSR author and designer as well as gamer some love but there are some other reasons to get involved as well. The two bundles are a complete campaign set up's waiting to happen. Seriously hear me out here. Take a look at the level one material here for a moment, you get the complete run of Goblinoid Games Product listing straight out the gate.
Goblinoid Games
Labyrinth Lord (PDF, soft and hard covers)
Advanced Edition Companion (PDF, soft and hard covers)
Original Edition Characters (PDF)
Realms of Crawling Chaos (PDF, soft cover)
Idol of the Orcs (PDF, staple bound)
Mutant Future (PDF, soft and hard covers)
Starships & Spacemen 2e (PDF and soft cover)
Wizards’ World (PDF)
One thing about Goblinoid games is the fact that their products dovetail and interact into one another with little issue. Labyrinth Lord & the Advanced Edition Companion helps to form a base fantasy system. Add in the Original Edition Characters then turn up the volume with The Realms of Crawling Chaos for that ever so sweet Lovecraftian vibe. Stir  with a heaping helping of post apocalyptic goodness with Mutant Future then start the campaign off with playing Idol of The Orcs in the wasteland. You can bring the game into space with Star Ships and Spacemen second edition or use Wizard's  World as an alternative fantasy setting. By unlocking the second tier of the bundle you get more campaign fodder.



I've run a ton of Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord back to back and it works very well as long as the dungeon master is familiar with the systems and knows how to mate them together. The second tier of this charity bundle gives even more options for the table.
Barrel Rider Games
Class Compendium (PDF)

Faster Monkey Games
The Gyre  (PDF)
Re-Energizers (PDF)
Realm of the Technomancer (PDF)

James Mishler Games
JMG First Three Years Bundle (all of their products) (PDF)

Lesser Gnome
Whisper & Venom (PDF)

The Savage AfterWorld
Deviant Database (PDF)
Deviant Database 2.0 (PDF)
One Year In The Savage AfterWorld (PDF)

The Knotty-Works
Going Postal - Tech Bites (Microbots) (PDF)
Going Postal - Tech Bites (Vehicles) (PDF)
Table Scraps Issue 1 (PDF)
Table Scraps Issue 2 (PDF)
Table Scraps Issue 3 (PDF)
Table Scraps Issue 4 (PDF)

Mithgarthr Entertainment
The Mines of Valdhum (for Labyrinth Lord) (PDF)
The Mines of Valdhum (for Fifth Edition) (PDF)
Campaigns in Cairnvarthi (campaign setting is system neutral, included adventure is for Fifth Edition) (PDF)

Taskboy Games
Manse on Murder Hill (PDF and soft cover)
Tranzar's Redoubt (PDF and soft cover)

Barrel Rider Games Class Compendium (PDF) is a must for any Labyrinth Lord dungeon masters by expanding the PC options and making more sense of the classes by giving a ton of new material and backing it up with a solid product. If you want to expand your wasteland material and give your players a hard time while having a ton of fun, The Gyre  (PDF),Re-Energizers (PDF) & The Realm of the Technomancer  from Faster Monkey games are going to help fill in lots of the loose ends of the campaign setting. James Mishler is a freaking genius when it comes to dealing with Goblinoid games and the  JMG First Three Years Bundle (all of their products) is a must! Seriously this set of products is worth the price of admission and adds a ton to the material.Lesser Gnome's Whisper and Venom doesn't get enough table time but I'm going to change that soon.
Bringing the awesome in the monsters and the adventure encounters is The Savage AfterWorld's lines with the Deviant Database (PDF), the Deviant Database 2.0 (PDF) and all of the possible encounters for your hexes with  One Year In The Savage AfterWorld (PDF). The Knotty-Works's  Going Postal - Tech Bites (Microbots) (PDF) &  Going Postal - Tech Bites (Vehicles) (PDF) is the perfect complement for the Savage Afterworld's Mutant Future goodness. I'm not kidding these are indispensable for rounding out your wasteland fun. But what your really going to want is to kick it up a notch with  Table Scraps Issue 1 (PDF) which  introduces the Radioactive Skeleton, the Rad Suit, the delicious and dangerous Fuzzwhat cactus, and a couple new weapons to boot.Table Scraps Issue 2 (PDF) fills in the gaps with new plants and a brand new faction by introducing  the Grim Fringers, a savage biker gang that lives in the wastelands. The weapons in this issue are perfect for complimenting these mad bastards.
Table Scraps Issue 3 (PDF) is the one that I want to get back to because it introduces new rules for black powder weapons, a comprehensive list of black powder weapons and bombards for your post apocalyptic pirate ships. This one that compliments 'The Savage Afterworld's Thundarr' material and one I've used many, many times.  Table Scraps Issue 4 (PDF) is another weapon issue and this time we've got  house rules and several new pre-apocalyptic weapons including sonic blasters and chain saws!
Finally Taskboy Games The Manse on Murder Hill (PDF and soft cover) and  Tranzar's Redoubt (PDF and soft cover) are easily converted over to certain strange and sinister parts of the wastelands! These are the perfect adventures to take a mixed party of mutants and adventurers through.

Commentary On Using Famine in Far-Go Gamma World module GW2 By Michael Price As Post Apocalyptic Science Fantasy Adventurer Funnel For Dungeon Crawl Classics Crawling Under A Broken Moon's Fanzine

 Famine in Far-Go is one of the first modules for the classic Gamma World game that I've ever owned and its a perfect vechile to weed out PC's for post apocalyptic gaming especially for a Dungeon Crawl Classics style of game. Here's the low down and some ideas for using GW2 as as a funnel and mini campaign.

I dusted off Famine In Far- Go at about three am and began to dig through my notes for this classic Gamma World module, I bought this module down in Toys- R- Us back in the early Eighties when they carried such wonderful products of the imagination. I started thinking about this module as a possible funnel system for Crawling Under A Broken Moon's fanzine. The first half of the module is a perfect funnel system with full advantages for monster placement and it plugs right into the post apocalyptic nostalgia sweet spot. The PC's are part of  the agricultural community of Far-Go, preparing to embark on the Rite of Adulthood. They must quest for the Forrest of Knowledge and experience the One Truth after eating certain sacred berries. Sounds a bit like a Dungeon Crawl Classics funnel to me.

The back cover blurb gives the overview of the first half of the module and a bit of the over arching tone of GW2.
"Far-Go is dying... the people are afraid... the animals are wasting away... the crops are withering in the fields. No one, even Arx Skystone, the high priest, knows what has caused Far-Go's misfortune. You are part of a group of young adventurers about to begin the sacred Rite of Adulthood. The last hope of survival for Far-Go rests with your party. On your journey to the Forest of Knowledge, you must search for clues to the origin of the mysterious plague. This quest may lead you into great danger... and great knowledge. As you travel through the savage wilderness, all you have are you companions, your wits, your strength... and your dreams!!"
Far-Go is the perfect adventurer location and strikes a nice tone as an adventurer base and community. Far more interesting is the fact that it allows a DM to put his party of adventurers smack dab into the middle of for a Crawling Under A Broken Moon campaign is the rich pickings of 'Merica or to shift it around into the heart land near Pitzburke.  I never really cleaved to the heart and soul of the rail road plot line of GW2 and instead focused on letting the players wander from one hex to another. This is quite deadly module in its own right, add to this the meteor that's fallen from the sky which I think gave the whole adventure a weird Lovecraftian quality ala the Colour Out of Space. Add to this the badders that worship their former football mascot now turned god and you've got the makings for one hell of a mini campaign. Badders are nothing to fool with as any GW player will tell you.



The wastelands of  the Famine in Far-Go adventure module are a mini snap shot and preview of things to come for both Legion of Gold which preceded it and the Ruins of Pitzburke. This doesn't even begin to over the encounters within the  La Prix Industries Automated Chicken Processing Factory and its army of mutated machine gun wielding chickenoids. This is a straight up mutant crawl with all of the trimmings including wacko robots, nasty androids, a whole host of new weapons, equipment, mutated NPC's and more. All of this is perfect fodder for the Crawling Under A Broken Moon 'Merican vibe and materials. Issue #3 of Crawling Under A Broken Moon is going to come in handy for two reasons while running Famine In Far Go. One it can be used easily to generate O level PC's quickly and second the The Mall Maul can serve as a side quest for the PC's before getting to the main dance of death in the chicken factory.



Famine In Far Go isn't actually that expensive to get a hold of a used copy on Amazon clocking in at nine dollars and a bit for shipping. The module remains a classic for a reason and easily adaptable to any number of old school post apocalyptic games.