Zaibatsu/ Hostile Rpg Campaign -The Highwayman Murder! Session Report

 "There is a world, just beyond now, where reality runs a razor-thin seam between fact and possibility; where the laws of the present collide with the crimes of tomorrow. Patrolling these vast outlands is a new breed of lawman, guarding the fringes of society’s frontiers, they are known simply as ‘Highwaymen’... and this is their story.."
The party is on route to 'Dust Bowl Arizona' on thier way under a contract to help Dwayne Desmond a Highwayman whose investigation comes from a cargo from Cyclops. 
  The radioactive cargo has sickened two different towns Desmond went missing. Because the United States Police Force has been so stretched thin. They've called in the PC's 'the September Group'. 

'Dust Bowl' has a corporate cop shop handling it's security & small town infrastructure. The Dust Bowl police have impounded Dwayne's truck & have been holding him in a specially designed jail cell set up originally by a minor corporation that pulled out. 'Dust Bowl' police are blaming Dwayne for the deaths. 

The Highwaymen are the last gasp of the federal marshal program which has been absorbed by the United States Police force. The Highwaymen organization has been updated with corporate weaponry,equipment, and special vehicles. They operate as federal agents, inspectors, agents, and special cargo specialists. 
We got to Dust Bowl & ran smack into 'The Devil's Forsaken' gang who were convinced that Dwayne was a clone! 

We were allowed to see Dwayne & busted him out of the special cell only to have him turn on our party! He managed to kill two of our number before the 'Devil's Forsaken agents took him out! Dwayne actually was a renagade clone who had murdered the real Dwayne two months ago! A code read of the clone's pupils proved it!
We went to the secondary objective which was the truck and the cargo. 'Dust Bowl's police wanted to keep it. Our Federal contract had the vehicle as the secondary objective. We checked the cargo and it was not radioactive! However there was radioactive generator that had been placed aboard! 
Before shooting commenced we satdown with the corporate cops and showed them our contract. Truck & cargo secured! We headed out! We're a hundred miles outside of Dust Bowl and then we get attacked by two Rhinos! 
This is where we ended on a cliff hanger by DM Paul!  
Notes - This entire game was based on Eighties cultclassic NBC tv show 'The Highwayman' & we took the entire concept and dropped it into our Zabibatsu/Hostile rpg campaign. 

Everything In World War Two & Your Mother - The Free Marvel Super Heroes rpg Netbook Adventure 'In The Shadows of Evil'- Middle East Madness Session Report 2

 So if you've been following our World War II campaign 'In The Shadows of Evil' which is a free netbook adventure. We really dug in as we took a hook flight to Egypt aboard a very nosey passenger plane that had been hauling troops only a few hours earlier. The flight smelled of cigs, desperation, and uncertainty of very young soldiers. We accompanied by Dr. Henry Jones & events were moving fast. We just met with the Invaders a day ago. And tangled with Baron Blood only a few days before that! 

'In The Shadows of Evil' Compiled, Written and Designed by Christopher P. Tyne moves at a very quick pace with it's encounters and we needed to slow things down a bit. We needed to get our bearings and then meet with the General Happy Sam Sawyer. We knew Sawyer by reputation as our outfit had close ties with Army Intelligence. 
We got settled on base and went into our civilian outfits. We had a story cover for our being in Egypt. And then we bumped into Lois Lane of the Daily Bugle. And she was the last person that we wanted to see. The endless questions plus the drama with her boy scout was what we wanted to avoid. Besides we  knew that Superman was in Japan on a sabotage mission. 
We ditched Lois Lane with a couple of rolls and ducked down several alleys and then made our way too the establishment where we were meeting the General. 
The Thieves quarter certainly lived up to it's name and our meeting with our contacts. We got the location  of the Shrine El Shaur just outside of Cairo and after a bit of an encounter with thieves. Our transport arrangements were by camel and the trip was pretty easy. 
This had us on edge and the shrine looked like a paradise on Earth compared to the desert. The shrine had been cataloged but not opened. This screamed traps and whatnot to us as we sought  the Jewel of Ozymandias. Dr.Jones disarmed traps and we did a bit of dungeon crawling. Then it was confrontation time with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the guardian Ozymandias. The fight was not going well so we parleyed with the guardian. Speaking with a living stone monument was interesting. 

We were eventually given the jewel after a very lengthy discussion with the guardian.  The guardian explained that the jewel was merely a tool but we should fear what was coming afterward. Now it was time to move on to England for the next item of power. 
The guardian's last words were a bit chilling, 'Can one come so close to darkness and power while not being changed'. 

Review & Commentary On Rogue World By Perry Brulotte For The Clement & Earth Sector Rpg's

 "A rogue planet is hurtling through Hub Subsector and a scientist wants your crew to take him to the planet to study it. Will such a mission even be possible? Will it end it failure? Or will your characters fall victim to the dangers on the Rogue World?"

"Rogue World is a short adventure by Perry Brulotte which is designed to take your characters (or the included pre-generated characters) to a world which left its star long ago and is traveling through open space. It is an adventure fraught with perils once they arrive on this rogue planet. The adventure is perfect for a convention game, to be added into an existing campaign, or be the starting point for a new campaign in Clement Sector." Rogue World By Perry Brulotte is coming out on July 11 in the Independence Games store and Drivethrurpg. The guys over at Independence Games were kind enough to send me an advanced copy for review. Boy, I'm glad they did! Clocking at forty six pages this adventure takes prime advantage of both the Earth and Clement sector. Rogue World provides the DM with a solid 2d6 exo and exploration module that will both challenge and intrigue the PC's. This adventure is a fully formed exploration drop in adventure for both the Clement & Earth Sector rpg.

And Rogue World could provide the bed rock for a 2d6 campaign easily. How? There are three ways. Solidly done NPC's for the DM to pull from. Well thought out encounters, and a highly effecctive series of adventure encounters. The whole cloth leg of a campaign highlights the ancient aspect of the Earth or Clement sector.

Meaning that the Earth or Clement sector have humans as the latest tenants in a very large roster. Rogue World is well written adventure, nicely edited, & solidly done cartography. What does Rogue World provide the player's PC's?! Well plenty of adventure opportunities, NPC conflict and interactions, 2d6 action, and lots of problem solving. Rogue World also gets the PC's deeply involved in local affairs of the NPC's. Alien lifeforms in Rogue World can deeply and suddenly become very real in both the Clement & Earth sector rpg campaigns. Rogue World does all of the above in forty six pages of well thought out Clement sector weirdness. Because this adventure fits the Science Fiction Western frontier astethic in spades. Where does Rogue World fit in the larger picture of the Clement and Earth sector?! It can easily fit anywhere that the DM wants it too because this adventure fits whole cloth into a DM's campaign setting. Rogue World is a solid Clement or Earth sector adventure especially if you as DM want to slide into a campaign!

Marvel Super Heroes Rpg Thoughts on Marvel Comics Crystar The Crystal Warrior Saga

 So last year I covered  & reviewed The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Sourebook of Crystar Crystal Warrior .The warriors of Crystallium have certainly gotten airplay on our table top recently. And I'm thinking of dumping the Chaos mercenaries of Moltar & the wizard Zardeth into both our Marvel Super Heroes &  Ascendant rpg campaigns. Crystallium is a violatile Chaos/Order world in spades as the Demon Lord's forces were in retreat. You can find out more about The Marvel Super Heroes Rpg The Crystar The Crystal Warrior Sourcebook here.  

The violent elemental forces of Crystallium are perfect to be sandwiched into the Marvel Celtic Otherworld. This is especially true when Moltar and his lava warriors were allied with Morgan Le Fay. So could Morgan Le Fay make another push for the Marvel 616 universe or one of it's numerous variants?! 

There have been interactions between Crystar & members of the Marvel 616 universe notably Dr.Strange and Alpha Flight. My question becomes would Crystallium remain within the pocket universe of the Otherworld?! Somehow down deep I doubt it. 
During the Eighties within my uncle's Marvel Super Heroes rpg campaign Moltar and co clashed with the Avengers and our own group of heroes numerous time. Crystallium became the origin point for our own homegrown hero Amber who passed through the crystal portal of the wizard Argos. Argos is an almagam of both Order & Chaos. He was instrumental in the creation of the hero Amber, she was a homegrown hero who was created after being saved by Argos from certain death. 

Amber has remained on Crystallium since the Nineties and it might be time to mount a mission to save her. Her powers were elemental in nature and being able to turn back the tide of Chaos. She's kinda been on the back burner after Hanna her player went off to college. 
However one of my players and DM Paul made reference to her over last weekend. Orginally we left her in the care of Argos on Crystallium. 




 

Review & Commentary On The Darker Rpg By The Red Room

 DARKER RPG - RELEASED

"Darker is a contemporary mature horror RPG, OSR-compatible, challenging you to confront themes of faith, morality, and the human condition amidst escalating supernatural peril. Face the true nature of Good and Evil, moral erosion, and humanity’s decline, investigate modern-day horrors hidden behind a façade of normalcy and tackle contemporary issues like corporate power, ideological grooming, and the erosion of traditional values."

Darker is a full on infernal rpg with huge occult overview with the Creator dead. Hellblazer or Spawn could easily be done with Darker as a whole cloth campaign. Darker clocks in a five hundred pages & bridges both Wretched Rpg & other Red Room rpg. This is a mature game & not for kids! 
Darker plays into the Eighties & Nineties classic horror movies  & films. Darker hits the Biblical & the Revelation rpg vibe hard. The Darker Biblical feels like a bold mixture of supernatural & infernal elements in spades. Darker plugs into these elements with gusto. What works is the classless vs the rpg skill system as a whole cloth rpg. Darker rpg takes the Biblical/Revelation's feel to the limit. 
The infernal of Darker is brought into the spotlight! Strap in as Darker takes the PC's for a ride. Because it takes over our comtempory reality & brings it hard into Darker's Biblical reality.
The world is already on the fifth ring of Hell with a clockwork Heaven and an absentee God who happens to be dead. The PC's are there to hold the line against the infernal. This doesn't mean that your PC's are good guys.Can Darker work with the Expanded Wretched Rpg? In a word, the  Darker can work with the Expanded Wretched Rpg system. 

So at it's core Darker is easily adapted into the Expanded Wretched and other OSR rpg systems quite easily even though it doesn't use a level class system or an all encompassing skill system. At it's core it works on two levels. Which means that Darker is a solid Biblical Horror OSR game in spades. 
Darker is a game that bridges the gap between horror & Biblical weirdness quite well. 

OSR Commentary & Ascendant Rpg Session Report Five - Capital City Casefiles #2: Served Cold By Karl Gustav- Evolutionary's Revolution

 "“It may have taken a slide down the evolutionary ladder to enable me to slough off my madness, but I am lucid once more. Furthermore, my perspective on both the Human race and my life’s work has been profoundly altered by the experience. I have been to both ends of Human evolution. I have known first-hand the humble origins of life on this sphere, as well as the ultimate genetic destiny of the Earth’s highest lifeform, Man."
During last week's game by DM Paul The High Evolutiionary showed up! And this wasn't a guest spot. But a reveal! We had to think fast or  we would be on the end of a Marvel heavy hitter!  Note that DM Paul is using the High Evolutionary profle from Write Ups. org.  & his origin ties into our Ascendant Marvel/DC comics campaign. We were found out! 

We dug into our collective comic book lore and addressed the High Evolutionary citing the fact that wiping out the entire drug scene of could damage the genetic potential of the gene pool of our city by eliminating the random elements that mutation needed. Note that there was no way our party was going to take the High Evolutionary. This guy has gone toe to toe with the Hulk and Galactus. And survived! Jason Kilpatrick the Cybernetisit rolled really well 
He pondered this for a moment as his fanatics in power armor surrounded us. The High Evolutionary is a shadowy figure in DM Paul's campaign that runs a cult for the betterment of mankind and it's glorious destiny of evolution. He's mostly seen running ads in the back of New Age magazines.  
Then suddenly he says that he has to consider the data more carefully and then get back to us. He will with draw from the city for the moment. Bludville is safe for the moment but he would have to draw samples of our genetic material for further consideration. No problem with that. The High Evolutionary & his forces  would be leaving the city by the next day. 

We then had to report into Dreadnaught Security about these developments and then move on to our next assignment. 

Rise of Moltar -Hyperborea Rpg From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line -Session Report

 During tonight's Hyperborea Rpg session our party was supposed to save an Ixian merchant and his daughter from the clutches of bandits. Little did we realize exactly what were getting ourselves into! We made ourway into the belly of an extinct volcano & ran smack into Lavamen! We made our way into what we thought was an extinct volcano but all around were ruined suits of lava covered armor twice the size of our adventurers. And then we came to a pool of lava. From out of the depths came the face of evil & Chaos incarnate! Moltar and his warriors arose! 

In DM Paul's version of Hyperborea the time of Ragnork attracted the forces of Chaos and this included the armies of Moltar The Ruthless!  And apparently the bastard servant of Chaos has been there ever since. For some reason he has awokened now! We did not stick around to find out why. And simply saved the merchant and his daughter then left! 

We made our way back to a local village to drop off the merchant & saw swaths of destruction left by Moltar and co. This included wrecked cottages, burnt farms, and cleared out temples. We were in no shape to tangle with any horrors at this time. So we hid and camped for the night. 

OSR Review & Commenary On Wretched World By The Red Room For The Revised Wretched Role Playing Game

 "Looking for a freaky theme park to add to your game? Wretched World is here to deliver! This supplement offers everything you need to create a spine-chilling, psychedelic theme park. Dive into a wealth of information, non-player characters, plot hooks and random tables to enhance your game session. Wretched World expands on the quirky 1970s relic theme park featured in Vice: Sandcove Under Fire. Best of all, it’s free for those who purchased that setting."

Wretched World is exactly the right mix of 1970's kitch & absolute menace mixed with mob influences through out. Oh did I mention the supernatural that's lurking just outside of the background. Wretched World is a slightly rundown 70's them park with animatronic characters which has been taken over by Cuban style drug dealers as a way of laundring thier drug earnings. 
We get a complete tour of Wretched World in thirty three pages, the cartography is well done, the editing is solid, and the layout is easy on the eyes. 
Wretched World has a luandry list of NPC's running Wretched World & being as sleazy as possible. They are not putting much money into maintaining the place just enough to let the theme park function. However there is an undercurrent throughout the park of supernatural menace and horror. Horror that is just waiting waiting for PC's to stumble across it. 
Here's where Wretched World gets interesting. Because Wretched World makes an excellent location for Wretched Vigilantes or Wretched Darkness! A few missing children and off you go with your player's PC's! 

Wretched World is primed for a prime evil that could have a gateway into the Beyond. The primary attractions could each have a gateway deep into the heart of the Beyond. 
Or there could be a gateway into the disciplines of pain's lair in the Beyond. Either way the encounters and weirdness of Wretched World is primed to bring into your OSR games! 

We can remember It For You Whole Sale - With Zozer Games Hostile & Zaibatsu rpg's

 Let's pick up the Zaibatsu rpg with our last blog entry here . If memory implants & personality implants could shift a person't entire life and reality?! Could you trust that who you are is really who you are? This is the question that my players are wrestling with. 
What if the a crack clone & replicant hunting group of NPC's called the Devil's Forsaken are not at all what they seem?! 

After introducing Zozer Games's  the HOSTILE Situation Report 012 - The Mine .I've got the players questioning if thier characters are actually themselves or clones who have been mind raped into thinking that thier the genuine article. This happened after the party stumbled into a genetics labatory that they weren't meant to see. 
And then the Devil's Forsaken went after them as clones! And this could be the reality as the PC's are under this assumption that the party is from another universe and they've taken over this universe's Semptember Group. Or is this actually all an elaborate charade by thier cruel corporate overlords!? 

Or is it really the Devil's Forsaken who are the not ex ganger but instead cheap clones who have been given complete mind make overs?! With the clones being used to test and improve the latest batches of combat androids?! The players are pissed but I've got them wrapped up in this false reality or is it?! 
Are the ganger's pasts merely VR simulations and false memories of a Toyako that no longer exists?! 
This is no longer street and corporate conspiracy theory to the player's PC's but reality. A false reality where there are shape shifting androids monitoring the progress of thier products?! 

OSR Review & Commentary On Oh My Lost Darklords By Kabuki Kaiser For Old School Essentials & B/X D&D style OSR Game Systems

 "This is the 1980s, not Hellfire Club, but close enough. C. plays Sadric, his avenger modelled after Elric, the one who wields Blackrazor since we went under a certain white-crested mountain and Y. plays his unstoppable Duellist. I am going with Kurtys Flameblade, my Fighter/Assassin, long before That Time He Was Reincarnated as an Ogre Mage.

A Collection of Thirteen Infamous Classes

for Amoral, Chaotic, and Evil Player Characters"

What is Oh My Lost Darklords? According to the deep introduction into the book; "This manual is a collection of longgone infamous character classes meant for chaotic campaigns where the player characters feature as anti-heroes and even villains rather than guardians. Out of the thirteen classes presented here, a grand total of five allow for neutral characters, and none of them for Lawful ones bar rare exceptions allowed at the referee’s discretion"  And it plugs into the classic versions of B/X versions of the world's most popular fantasy game.  Oh My Lost Darklords  highlights the evil optional PC's. 'Oh My Lost Darklords' plugs right into the original OSE rpg & OSE Advanced  rpg system. 
We get new player characters such as the Avenger, Cultist,Bandit,Bounty Hunter, Dark Mage, Death Knight, Demonist, Witch, Houri, Jester, Red Wizard,  Duelist, & Dark Creeper!  And   Oh My Lost Darklords  is well laid out, solid artwork throughout and brings the hotness for B/X. 

B/X gets the perfect upgrade in the form of  'Oh My Lost Darklords' & hits on several levels. We get variations on the familar PC's and hits the optional villain NPC classes button.  Veteran readers of old Dragon magazine issues will recognize these PC classes but they've been updated for OSE essentially. 
These classes also give the players options for a wide range of PC options at the table top levels.   Oh My Lost Darklords works as a fantastic supplement for OSE. It breaks down these classes & is a solid ulitity piece for B/X! 

OSR Campaign Commentary - Night Owl Workshop's Gunslinger rpg.

 "Saddle up, partner, and prepare to embark on an unbridled journey through a science-fantasy adventure, inspired by the yarns of classic western lore and the pulp fiction sagas of the early 20th-century. Gunslinger, the thrilling roleplaying game, is here to send you on a white-knuckle escapade, galloping through the untamed frontiers of the Arizona territory in the era of the Wild West."

One of my all time favorite OSR games to come out that doesn't get nearly enough press Night Owl Workshop's Gunslinger rpg. The game was originally put out with a major kickstarter and 20.00 dollar rpg pdf on Drivethrurpg. Well Gunslinger has had a major update with lots of B/W artwork and it's been well worth the wait! 
Night Owl Workshop's Gunslinger rpg is a complete game unto itself and it's perfect for weird Wild West OSR action. This includes adventure construction, campaign encounters, major battles, and more. And because it's wholly compatible with other Night Owl Workshop games & other  OSR games this makes a campaign easy to construct. Just add in players. 
Clocking in at 128 pages long Gunslinger is as much tool kit as role playing game complete with campaign city and Old West campaign world. The supernatural and weird science aspect is baked in heavily while the new artwork is solidly done! 
PC's in Gunslinger are going to have a ton to do! There's adventure aplenty in the Old West and add to that the layers of weird science and it's match made in Hellstone!

Gunslinger certainly seems to be worth the ticket price for the ride. And it's really well done and full on Old Wild West action with an unhealthy dash of Weird Science & Supernatural weirdness about the OSR rpg. 

Everything In World War Two & Your Mother - The Free Marvel Super Heroes rpg Netbook Adventure 'In The Shadows of Evil' Compiled, Written and Designed by Christopher P. Tyne

 Ages ago back in 2020 we dealt with a World War II campaign using Marvel Super Heroes rpg on this blog here. Our heroes were in New York City doing a warbond tour for the war effort & ran directly into Baron Blood!  He was on a mission to assassinate a German scientist who had defected to the Allies! 

Baron Blood by John Byrne used without permission. 

The Baron was also  leading a group of Nazi vampires on a sabotage mission! We handled the situation with our first game in a long while! Fortunately we had the help of Batman & Robin to mop up the vampires!  This series of adventures served as prelude to the Marvel Super Heroes rpg Netbook Adventure  'In The Shadows of Evil' Compiled, Written and Designed by Christopher P. Tyne. 

We had to report into the Invaders and Captain America about Blood and co. The whole mission had a very WWII prelude mission feel about it. As the Invaders were in town under the warbonds telethon feel. Meeting us was Adam's PC's Doctor Henry Jones 

Doctor Jones was there to escort us to the Middle East & a meeting with another group of capes. And then another clandestine meeting with a general about some artifacts. Jones had the details but wasn't saying a word because this mission was way above our paygrade. Note that this isn't the first time I've run  'In The Shadows of Evil' Compiled, Written and Designed by Christopher P. Tyne. But playing the adventure is a whole other ball game. 
This is a really dangerous adventure! 

OSR Campaign Commentary - Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea, The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan, The (1932), & The Hyperborea rpg

 "Give, give, O magnanimous and liberal lord of the poor," cried the beggar.

Avoosl Wuthoqquan, the richest and most avaricious money-lender in all Commoriom, and, by that token, in the whole of Hyperborea, was startled from his train of reverie by the sharp, eerie, cicada-like voice. He eyed the supplicant with acidulous disfavor. His meditations, as he walked homeward that evening, had been splendidly replete with the shining of costly metals, with coins and ingots and gold-work and argentry, and the flaming or sparkling of many-tinted gems in rills, rivers and cascades, all flowing toward the coffers of Avoosl Wuthoqquan. Now the vision had flown; and this untimely and obstreporous voice was imploring for alms.

"I have nothing for you." His tones were like the grating of a shut clasp.

"Only two pazoors, O generous one, and I will prophesy."

• Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan, The (1932) By Clark Aston Smith 
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   Today on the blog I wanted to revisit Clark Aston Smith's Hyperborean cycle. Which we covered back in May 27,23 on this blog. And one of Clark's best tales Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan, The (1932) & how it could relate to the Hyperborea rpg. The implication in the tale is that the doomed money lender is very much a part of the cycle of destruction of Hyperborea that the rest of the tale's cycle covers. We get a guided tour of the hot volcanic & humid jungles of Hyperborea. And the implication is that fool's doom is sealed outside of the borders of Commorium. 
  Hyperborea is the seat of far older species then humans and this of course is the realm of the Great Old One Tsathoggua. Because this is exactly the sort of entity that Avoosl Wuthoqquanruns into and meets his doom with. 
  And it begs the question, did the Hyperboreans who settled within the borders of Hyperborea during the Miocene times on purpose? Simply take over a rich & fertile  area that had been the home of elder entities that was now at the end of it's cycle? Or did the gods plan Hyperborea as a part of a grander cosmic cycle?And where does this leave adventurers if the Hyperboreans fled thier old world of Hyperborea?
  Is the gateway of Sarnath actually a gate back to the frozen waste lands of Hyperborea now guarded by demons of  the Great Old One Tsathoggua & far worse entities? The frozen wastes could hold incredible riches that are claimed by the frozen monsters and horrors that hold them. 
  And this is the realm of the White Worm and it's pethora of horrors. These places could hold occult secrets and spells from the heyday of Hyperborea. This is a place rife with adventure possibilities. 

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  The Hyperborean wastland corrisponds to the ancient map of Hyperborea. Where ancient cities's ruins lay waiting for fools to venture in. 
  And then there's the fact that the gods or demons will seek back thier former offerings as our Avoosl Wuthoqquanruns found out. 
  The lure of adventure however along with the riches could prove far to much of a temptation. 
  And there there is the possibility of time travel with the spice of magic where the adventurers travel back in time to the heyday of Hyperborea. This could also prove diasterous as the doom of Hyperborea will not be denied. So thier own doom may come sooner then later. So the  Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan, The (1932) could act as a primer in the doom of those adventurers who seek the shores of Hyperborea. 

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OSR Commentary On TWO BRAND NEW FIRST EDITION modules Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One and Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich

 Congratulations on my buddy Mark Taormino for snagging  legendary AD&D artist Erol Otus for his latest kickstarter TWO BRAND NEW FIRST EDITION modules Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One and Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich! 
Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One is for PC's levels 3-6 which means that it's going to be both challenging and deadly; "
Deep inside a hidden mountain exists a peaceful, magical world of underground caverns filled with colorful oozing slimes, living plants, and a vast array of enchanted creatures. This subterranean paradise was recently corrupted by a mysterious evil creature named Discordia, who appeared from a crack in the depths of the realm, turning the land and its inhabitants into horrible abominations. One lone survivor, an eccentric outcast wyrm named Huffenpuff, managed to escape to the upper level. In a chance encounter with your stalwart group, he explained that his world needs your help. You must retrieve three powerful artifacts; and, if successful, he will gain the courage and power needed to aid you in the final battle against the wicked one. Together, you and this unlikely hero will restore peace and save his mysterious land by undertaking the Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One!"

It sounds like the first edition Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One module would be perfect for a fairy tail style Castles & Crusades or AD&D first edition campaign with a Fey bent to it. The whimsy and horror of it oozes from the pours of the module. Personally I'd place this module deep within the confines of a Castles & Crusades Greyhawk. It has the feel of an adventure that James Ward or Gary Gygax would do. 

Yes Virgina there is a log floom  ride in MMD#10 art by Jacob Blackmon

The second module Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich has my interest. This module has a bit of everything of the classic Dark Wizard modules and that's deep adventure plot, diobolical tricks & traps, and deadly dungeons. All of this is reflected in the  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich's adventure plot; "A recent earthquake has unearthed the hidden tomb of the long-forgotten Pharaoh Ankhen-Hotep. Deep inside the ruins, a dark cult has taken over the site, worshipping the mummy. With his new followers, the lich has awakened from sleep and is now raising an undead army to march on the living, seeking to use his evil magic to dominate the region. A fearless band of heroes is needed to infiltrate the dungeon, navigate the deadly traps and monsters, thwart the cult's wicked plans, and destroy the undead Pharaoh before his dark reign begins anew. Fortune and glory await the brave souls who can survive and escape from the Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich!"

 The  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich's adventure has a bit of everything for the DM on the move. You've got an uncovered dungeon, an underground cult, powerful monsters, and a baked in NPC vile villain. MM#11 is perfect adventure to add into the world of the Hyperborea rpg. Take  the  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich & add it into the Dimond Desert. The Diamond Desert is perfect as a blank slate for the DM to add in the Tomb of the Lich King as both history and kingdom. Add in the cult and things get very 'Sword of Conan' like very quickly. 
The Lich king had a giant kingdom in the ancient history of Hyperborea. This means that the Tomb of the Lich King can act as a touch stone for both this dungeon and other massive mega dungeon locations. At the center of it is the lich king himself who could act as a massive NPC villain just waiting to burst into the lives the PC's! 
You can support  Mark Taormino's Kickstarter right here. 

Clone Hunting and Android Genocide - With Zozer Games Hostile & Zaibatsu rpg's

 Zaibatsu Rpg is one of my go to urban 2d6 games to cover city encounters & night missions. This game covers urban sprawl quite nicely. And I've been working on a crack clone & replicant hunting group of NPC's called the Devil's Forsaken. A veteran gang turned clone & bounty hunters who may or may not be what they seem. 

Who gives a crap right?! Well, I do after reading through the HOSTILE Situation Report 012 - The Mine. Which is exactly the sort of an outworld mission that such clone hunters were designed for; "The wealthy owner of Thalon corporation is desperate to find his missing daughter, Miri. He calls you in for help; a Thalon rep on the mining colony of Telluride thinks he spotted a clone worker that closely resembles Miri. What's going on? Get out there incognito - and find out...

But there are forces on Telluride who will stop at nothing to prevent the investigators finding out the truth. Be careful who you trust. "

I'm going to introduce these guys in Tokyo as android and clone hunters using the Zaibatsu rules & weaponry.  The Devil's Forsaken are going to be antagonists and a major pain in my player's PC's behinds. There were hints going back to a mission that the players completed with Zozer Games Earth book. 

Earth has a problem with the fact that Hostile relies on android & clone workers to act as special biological combat & super soldiers. And it depends on the craziness of the hunters to go after the biggest game. 
Seldom talked about is the type of biological arms race that would result as soon as bioroid and clones came into being. 
We get the barest hint of this in the original Bladerunner film. The Nexus Six replicants are only the latest batch of combat androids. 
We know that the Bladerunners are those who hunt down such androids. What of the independant contractors and mercenaries. And this is where I loop around to Zaibatsu because only ex gansters and gangers are going to be crazy enough to go after the money that corporate is paying to go after androids, clones, and replicants. 

Here's a thought though. What if the corporations are forstering the type of an atmosphere where clone bounty hunting is legal. Why? To product test thier latest combat androids and replicants.
Of course in the world of Hostile and Zaibatsu this is all merely street & corporate conspiracy theory even though there are those in the know who have proved it!  

Ecology Of The Bloody Arduin's Kill Kitten For Your Old School Campaigns

 "Sire, Master Lane is here from the university's Monsters & Curiosities department again" 
" Your excellence we need to speak about the recent incursion of the invasive species known as the Kill Kittens" 
"Are you serious?!"
"These creatures are legend and myth!" 
"No sire the Kill Kittens are not a legend or a myth but a deadly reality" 

Portrait of a gang of kill kittens sizing up it's prey. 

Kill Kittens are some of the most dark & dangerous species of mimic animals that has made it's way from Arduin's dimensional shores. The kill kittens are an ancient form of biological weapons system that has reproduced thousands of times over. The originators of this species of vicious mimic animal are lost to history. 
The kill kitten has two very advanced tactics in it's arsenal of tricks & traps behaviors. The animal is a dedicated pack hunter who prays on human sized prey with advanced nerotoxin cocktails as a part of the glands that surround it's fangs & claws. Secondly, the 'kill kittens' are fantastic mimics who imitate normal cats and kittens hijinks and behaviors. 
These monsters are incredibly cunning and resourceful hunters with common packs of five to sixteen easily taking down a full grown human male in less then 2 minutes. The neurotoxin cocktail is designed to cause insanity and beserk rages as the prey experiences extreme pain as the poison ravages thier nervous system. The prey is driven into a beserk rage for 1d4 days making the prey vulnerable to further attack. 
 

("Kill Kittens" art by Greg Espinoza used without permission. 

The rumor is that kill kittens were designed by the Elves during the Human/Elven wars thousands of years ago. These creatures bare the hallmarks of occult and magical tampering on a biological level. The Elven nations  deny any such wrong doing but there are the hallmarks of Elven biological chimeral weaponization techiques. These characteristics include the incredibly cute mimic behavior that marks these incredibly dangerous pack hunters. 
Other hallmarks includes the line of sight teleportation that these monsters use to pounce on thier prey seemingly from nowhere. This magically fueled hunting trick is especially good for taking nice juicy hobbits a favorite of the little monsters. These monsters have been found as far away as Barsoom however. 

The nature of kill kittens is completely artificial with thier poison glands in thier mouth and claws able to pump neotoxins deeply into prey after taking it down. This ensures the death of the prey. The kill kittens also have a highly advanced cunning minds akin to lions or tigers. Packs of kill kittens use advanced scouts as decoys which often mimic acting hurt or injured behaviors to attract kind hearted fools who become prey for the entire pack. The kill can feed a pack for almost a month making thier murderous behavior hard to detect. 
The claws of a kill kitten are almost iron hard made of a hollow chiten that regrows over time with use as they shed the outer sheath. The muscle structure of a kill kitten is more akin to a lion or dire cat species. They have bite force ten times that of a lion relative to thier size. 

The kill kitten is sentient but not intelligent in the usual sense. Thier minds are cruel and centered on hunting, torture, reproduction, and expansion of the species. These creatures are unnatural hunters with minds twisted to evil and cruelty. Again there is the fact that many consider that these tendencies are because of an artificial biological weapon origin. 
The kill kitten has come to be regarded as a monster of legend but this has allowed the monsters to expand dimensional beyond the shores of Arduin. And over the last  two hundred years thier numbers have increased to become a menace of horror & violence. 

Wolf in The Fold - Wretched Darkness Session Report With 'The Pundit Files Invisible College: the 1930's Campaign'.

 My crew & I have travelled back in time to the Thirties after investigating  the Acolytes of Pain cult who were opening doors into the past using an occult ritual!  You can read about that last session of Wretched weirdness here. This week's session picks right up with the last off. 
The PC's are now in the desert foot hills of Cailifornia being given new covers and lives by two very young members of the Invisible College. The year is 1934 and things are about to get very interesting for a small town in California. 

The PC's are down two comrades and have been spent part of the morning digging graves and planning thier next move. The graves are for two of thier own who were hit by stray gun fire last session after the occult ritual went off. 
Thier next move is a small rural cemetary outside of the Hollywood stunt  ranch where thier staying. The cemetary houses the remians of one of thier own. Arthur Rowen was a World War I soldier who was killed during the closing days of World War I by the Germans. Arthur is also a werewolf which means that he's one of the damned whose soul will never know rest. 6 shovels and two pick axes later we're heading to the small out of the way Great Rest cemetary. 
We find the crypt just as we left it in 1914. 

We slowly dig the hard packed red clay from the secret door and then put the key in. The tomb is just as we left it. With the sarcophagus's lid wrapped in silver chains and a very sturdy lock. The next key goes in the chain as well as lock tumble to the floor and the sarcophagus's heavy stone lid cast aside. Within rests the body of Arthur wrapped in a pile of wolf's bane. 
We quickly get ready with a set of manicles as the moon hits Arthur returning him to life! The beast is loose but we quickly subdue it with the silvered manicles. It's going to take days for the lunacy to work itself from Arthur's mind. We quickly get the beast to the truck & replace everything back the way it was. 
And we catch sight of a group of wispy ghosts like figures following Arthur back to the truck. The ghosts of Arthur's past victims have arisen to follow him from the Grey Limbo of the Beyond! We drive quickly back to the L-O Ranch and our shaman prepares to go into battle with these ghosts. They have no intention of letting Arthur roam the Earth to add to thier count. 
We are in desparate need of supernatural muscle however and our shaman Paulo goes to meet with them on the Astral. And this is where things get weird as the usual protections don't work and the entire party is drawn into the dream like astral world of World War I Europe. We experience Arthur's life from his victim's perspective. And we meet the ghosts of his victims on thier home turf. His victims are mostly German soldiers however and the party quickly gets the upper hand because it's soon going to be war again. 
The ghosts are put too rest with the asurance that Arthur will be put back into the grave as soon as the mission of war is over with. And there's the lingering smell of blood in the air. Arthur is a gibbering mess as the ghosts get in one last moment of torture within the poor fool's mind. 

OSR Commentary & Ascendant Rpg Session Report Five - Capital City Casefiles #2: Served Cold By Karl Gustav- Evolution's Edge

 "So this session picks right up with the PC's meeting the Everyman in the center of Bluddville's meat packing  district in a small park. ' The Everyman' taunted the player's PC's with some raher unsavory details of thier last meeting. And included some information including the fact that his drug operations have been affected by the inclusion of poisoned product to some of his users. And over the last several months he has been unable to track down the source. 'The Everyman' 's alliance with  the group's old villain Poker Face is fragile as he suspects his mentor's interference with his profits to both the vile mob and the villain himself'. Why is unknown. "  'The Everyman's suggestion was to investigate a warehouse down in the 'Bowels' the lowest neighborhood within Bluddville' 

The party went to grab 'The Everyman' but merely got an innocent person who had no idea how he got to the park from his house?! After a questioning of the poor slob the party decided to check out this warehouse.  After a drive through several ever worsinging neighborhood. The PC's came to a brand new & very out of place warehouse. The warehouse was guarded by several guys in white power armor & very high tech weaponry.  The heroes are thrown because they were expecting a gang of mob henchmen & drug dealers. Behind the warehouse a single strange hovercraft approaches & proceeds to land. The PC's sneak behind the warehouse to see a strange group of differently clad men take off a floating coffin deep into the warehouse.  The PC's decided that decresion is the better part of valor and sneak in back of the warehouse making rolls to avoid security cameras, security alarms, and more.  The warehouse is wired for sound!  Inside the huge warehouse the PC's spot a strange massive figure in red armor - The High Evolutionary! 

Too say that the player's are not happy to see this development is an understatement. In DM Paul's campaign the High Evolutionary is shadowy figure of a crackpot cult whose been sewing the seeds of humanity's 'glorious destiny at the head of godhood and evolution's end'.  This is where we ended! Note that DM Paul is using the High Evolutionary profle from Write Ups. org.  & his origin ties into our Ascendant Marvel/DC comics campaign. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Cepheus Engine Journal issue #16 For All 2d6 Cepheus Engine Rpg Powered Games

 According to the Cepheus Engine Journal Website Cepheus Engine Journal issue #16 contains the following; " We have a good assortment of mainly sci-fi articles in this issue, so let’s dig in.

Once again Jo Jaquinta has given us a few articles, which we are always thankful for. First up is an article looking at micro gravatics and how to use it in your game. He also has an article on a criminal organisation called the Silver Panthers and how you can work with them, and instalment ten of The Raider’s Lament.

From the pen of Ricardo Emilio we get an article on how space ships work in his universe, an article on some tech called Solid Air Generator and the Atomic joiner for use in your games.

Steve Attwood from Alegis Downport has given us an interesting take on how to use science fiction themes in conjunction with Independence Games Rider. A wonderful example of just how flexible Cepheus Engine compatible products really are.

Finally, from our own Brett, is a couple of articles, part two of my Into The Night fiction created from a game I ran a few years back, and an article on an aggressive creature called Scale-back Dragons, perfect for slotting into your Cepheus or Hostile game. Just hope you don’t run into a pack of them!" 

Cepheus Engine Journal issue #16 has come up on the racks this week! Cepheus Engine Journal is one of the most unsung supplement for the CE Rpg. And this isssue covers the gamit for our favorite 2d6 Science Fiction rpg! The From the Editors is a peek into this issue's contents and then it's a jump straight into the deep end. Ricardo Emilio gives a great article called 'How Space Ships Work' & it gets straight into the nitty gritty of star ships within his own campaigns. It's some solid reading actually. And Ricardo Emilio also gives us 'The Solid Air Generator' which can act as a sort of force field for your valuables and much more. 
 Jo Jaquinta gives us 'The Raider's Lament part 10'  & we get more indepth on the world & themes setting of 'Raider's' this chapter. 
Steve Attwood from Alegis Downport gives us 'Science Fiction In Rider' which is a really solid article on using Independence Games Rider with your favorite 2d6 Science Fiction rpg. And one of the break out articles in Cepheus Engine Journal issue #16. 
Jo Jaquinta's 'Microgravitics' has some applications and really cool technologies thrown in. Again really good article to throw into a 2d6 campaign on the fly. And  Jo Jaquinta also gives us the 'Silver Panthers' criminal organization that would fit at home right into an Indepedence Games Earth sector or Clement sector game. We get everything from origins to current practices of the 'Silver Panthers' so the organization can be used whole cloth within your campaigns. 
Ricardo Emilio gives us the 'Atomic Joiner' a nifty little device that can be used as a tech level fifteen device or artifact in your campaigns. 
Brett Cruger gives a rather nasty little alien creature in the form of the Scale Back Dragons. And 'Into The Night' by Brett also a strange part two of the story started in issue 15 of the CE Journal. 

The Cepheus Engine Journal  acts as a free CE Rpg supplement & it's perfect to add to an existing campaign. 2d6 rpg games work on several levels. 2d6 works as an adventure rpg, works well as a fantasy rpg & fits the rpg path very well. And CE Journal can act as a touch stone or campaign fulcrum because it  provides a professionally done  free supplement. And this issue is no exception.