OSR Commentary - FASERIPopedia Lost Empires Rpg Sourcebook By Johnathan Nolan & Ascendant Rpg Campaign update Report

 "CAMILLA!

Deathless Queen of a Lost Empire! Confused "jungle queen" in an Africa that seems scarcely to want her! Explore the extremely weird and at times cringe inducing world of Golden Age comics with this complete sourcebook on the public domain golden age character Camilla, a complete map of her strange world of the Lost Empire, FASERIPopedia statistics for all her friends and foes, rules to create your own Jungle Adventurers and White Devil evil-doers and a whole circus full of weird and wonderful new creatures! Stats for Viking War Galleys, Zebra Chariots, a German U-Boat, items, ancient languages -- this sourcebook has it all!" 
This picks up from here on the blog. 

So over the last twenty four hours, I've been going through some minor issues with one of our PC's. Within our group we've got the Daughter of Fantomah whose a stand in our Ascendant rpg for Wonder Woman. She's got a whole host of skills but her use of divine Egyptian magic comes in really handy. She's a strike first and ask questions later kinda of gal. The Daughter of Fantomah is a lower level Ascendant who makes up for it with divine magic. The Daughter of Fantomah is connected to the Lost Empire realm through the moongates. One of these connects to the Subterraea tunnels below Bludville. 

Linsey Warren was an ordinary 1980's teenager who along with her friends took a ride on the "Lost Empire Jungle Ride Rollercoaster". What happened to her friends is a mystery but Linsey didn't emerge from the tunnels below the ride until 2029! What happened to her friends isn't known. (Yes, this is a homage to the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon of the 1980's). Linsey's biggest question is what happened to her 1970's preducessor the last Daughter of Fantomah?! She's pieced together quite a bit of her origin after finding the Amulet of Horus. And taking the party into Subterraea. Bloodville was the sight of a major battle of the 1970's in the underworld tunnels where many of the heroes parished!

The Lost Empire became a major point of contension because of the pools of immortality. These pools are part of the Lazarus Pits of DC fame and offer far more then at first they seem. These pools are filled with the 'black blood of the Earth' and far rarer elements. 
These pools and others seem to form because of the planar radiations buffering against reality. These are in turn constantly being sought be despoilted and exploited by villainous goons. 
Here's where the FASERIPopedia Lost Empires Rpg Sourcebook shines (even though it's badly organized & such), we get scalable FASERIP rpg villains & goon rules. These are welcome additions because it allows the DM to push out some costumed villains for his campaign quickly and effortlessly. 

Enter The Manhunter - Ascendant Rpg - Session Report

 During tonight's Ascendant rpg game things got very complicated as the player's PC's came face to face with 'The Power Company' mercenary outfit. And it was glorious! This is the first time the player's PC's came up against mercenaries and capes with an edge and in this case Manhunter of the 'The Power Company' cleaned thier clocks! The party has been messing around with the gangs and cartels within Bluddville for months. Then they crossed a pretty series PC in tonight's game. 

Manhunter doesn't have a reputation persay and so when they came across him & his mercenaries raiding one of the local gang labs. Things got ugly fast in Bludville & then got worse. The PC's made the mistake of attacking Manhunter's men and then wounding Manhunter. That did not go over well with the PC's having two of thier own wounded next melee! The PC's withdrew to lick thier wounds.

One of the wounded was Lady Elizabeth & this took out our Camelot powered knight & melee specialist for tonight's game. She healed quickly but her pride took a hit in tonight's game. Manhunter was saved by Skyrocket. But the PC's were quick to withdrawn and get back to Dreadnaught Security only to find out that they've been assigned to act as liasons with Silver Sable's Wildpack who would be running interference against some of the big guns the cartels have brought into Bludville. This all echoes off from events from Capital City Casefiles #2: Served Cold

The cartels are getting tired of having thier teeth kicked in by Dreadnaught Security operatives. They've been bringing in hired assassins and hitmen to take out the freelance operatives. The build up has been happening for months now. What happens after that is coming up. 

Hostile Rpg Session - Hide & Seek - Session Report III

  At our next drop zone I started to think about upping the odds when it came to Tau Ceti. The situation with China being pushed out it's own interstellar colony world isn't going to stand. What would China actually do in a corporate controlled universe?! Answer? They'd park two large warships off Tau Ceti and then let nature take it's course. This game session picks right up where we left off here last session. 

Oh if you want to look at panic on a party's face. This was it. The USS Franklin a Harbringer starship was caught out in the open with her pants down. This was a crew with zero weaponry aboard and starring down two warships. The Franklin continued onto her next drop zone & supplied the farm equipment, ammo, and sundries to the next colony drop point. The U.S.S. Franklin had succeeded in her real mission. 

The Chinese wanted to seize control of the planetary colonies and were getting ready to do a full assault accept for the fact that the PC's had delivered nukes to a colony city on Tau Ceti. The Americans were willing to blew thier own city off of the face of the planet if the Chinese didn't back off. And they have a nuclear bomb in one of the Chinese cities. There is a stale mate for the moment. 
The Franklin's crew were unaware of the corporation doing this to them BTW. Is it any wonder the cyborg agent attacked them!? One of our other DM's in this case DM Peter is handling the Chinese and thier interests at the moment. This is where we ended in tonight's game. 

OSR Commentary - FASERIPopedia Camelot Rpg Sourcebook By Johnathan Nolan & Ascendant Rpg Campaign update Report

 Last night I was messing around with FASERIPopedia Camelot & noticed a very interesting comment by the publisher; "Depending on the original source, there were anywhere from 150 to over 1500 (FIFTEEN HUNDRED) Knights of the Round Table. Going back to the original history of south-west Wales and Maurice / Arthur II (the historical real King Arthur) there were close-knit warrior nobles numbering in the dozens so in a weird way even though the Camelot stuff is all myth, it echoes and resonates with the original genuine history. :)" 

There are over a hundred NPC knights of the round table within Camelot. Bare in mind that these are actually going into our Ascendant Rpg campaign. We've got one PC's whose got a deep and abiding Camelot connection. Our Camelot buts up against the Unofficial Marvel Canon's Otherworld location sourcebook material. 

Let's get back to Camelot and the fact that our player Bretta's PC happened to wander into king Arthur's kingdom right in the middle of the inner city of New York City. Camelot's Whirlwind then took the character and she was made a female knight after a series of adventures that our PC's got sucked into. 
Camelot isn't well organized but the amount of material within it could keep a campaign going for years. Lady Elizabeth has run afoul one of the turn coat 'knights of the Round table'. She unknowingly insulted one of the most violent and terrible knights who keeps sending assassins her way. Lady Elizabeth however was able to find a magic sword after an encounter with a lost Roman era undead. 
Elizabeth was made a knight of the round table after defeating a nasty Saxon assassin in King Arthur's court. She's enjoying her status among the court but has had to devide her time between Camelot and the real world. 
Since we use a lot of FASERIP/Marvel Super Heroes in our Ascendant rpg games I use Alexander Marcus's conversion; "Since someone is bound to ask, to convert from Marvel/FASERIP, do the following: MIG should be equal to lesser of STR or END AGI should be equal to AGIL VAL should be equal to FIGHTING RES should be equal to PSYCHE INS should be equal to REASON CHA should be equal to INTUITION Feeble = 1 SP Poor = 2 SP Typical = 3 SP Good = 4 SP Excellent = 5 SP Remarkable = 7 SP Incredible = 9 SP Amazing = 11 SP Monstrous = 13 SP Unearthly = 15 SP Shift X = 16 SP Shift Y = 17 SP Shift Z = 18 SP Class 1000 = 20 SP Class 3000 = 24 SP Class 5000 = 30 SP So Thor (https://classicmarvelforever.com/cms/thor.html) would be something like: MIG 15, AGI 9, VAL 15, RES 11, INS 3, CHA 5, with Physical Invulnerability 5, Cryogenic Corrosive Electrical Ionizing Thermal Toxic Resistance 15, Immortality 20, Weather Control 15, Boomerang Bludgeoning Strike 16*, Hovering Flight 20*, Protective Deflection 15*; with *Powers being subject to a Deprived of Device Vulnerable State."

OSR Review of Modern War: Crisis Creator By Martin Proctor, & Paul Elliott The Modern War Rpg & Cepheus Engine Rpg's.

 "Crisis Creator gives you the tools to create fictional countries set in the modern world, and then helps you plunge them into crisis. These small, fictional nations are the perfect backdrop for a Modern War campaign, free from the complications of Real World horrors and politics. Create your country, give it a security crisis, and then invite your players to form the squad of a Western power, invited in to support one side or another. "

"Caught up in this crisis, your players will have to face difficult choices and great danger as they try to complete the missions which have been set for them." 

 Crisis Creator is the type of supplement for  Modern War that you don't think you'd need as a DM. Then you get a copy & wonder where it's been all your life?! This book is the crisis point generator for Modern War and yet it has so many other uses as well. Clocking in at ninety three pages Crisis Creator can brew up hot spots, blow ups, and well crisises for your Modern War rpg and Cepheus Engine based Rpg campaigns.
Crisis Creator builds on many of the tools laid down in  Modern War & because of this Crisis Creator is an excellent tool set for the Hostile rpg. You can create your fictional country & the crisis that it's suffering from. And then map out the mission that your squad can take on. The editing, layout, and over all feel of Crisis Creator is up to the usual Zozer Games standard.

Crisis Creator also has rules for insurgancy counter war rules including aircraft and more. This allows all aspects of the crisises to be played out. There are also solo rules for using Crisis Creator as an abstract solo rpg. These rules can be used with any Modern rpg or supplement for Modern rpg. 
But is Crisis Creator any good and has it as an rpg supplement any ultility?! In a word oh yes! Crisis Creator is a perfect tool box to create your own fictional country, crisis, circumstances surrounding the crisis and missions. 
Crisis Creator is also incredibly useful for Hostile especially Hostile's Dirty Wars mercenary company supplement. Take Crisis Creator create your fictional country/colony, then crisis, followed up with your mercenary company coming in to mop up the colony issue. 

Crisis Creator is another excellent Zozer supplement that can bring the pain and rain to your Modern War or Hostile rpg campaign. The engines and systems within Crisis Creator far out weigh the material in question. 

Retro Review Rucker-class Merchant By Michael Johnson For The Clement Sector rpg Third Edition

 "Commonly called "Odd Job", the ship is renowned for its reliability and easy customization.  While the Rucker's most common role is being the favored vessel of independent merchants, the ship has been used for everything from a cargo hauler to a music stage to a system defense vessel.  All in a day's work for the "Odd Job"."

'Within these pages, you will find the standard Rucker as well as these popular variants:

Passenger Variant - A Rucker modified with comfort of passengers in mind.  Replacing cargo space with luxury!

Cargo Variant - Used by merchants who would rather sacrifice passenger space for more cargo.  No pesky transiters!

Casino Variant - An opulent modification allowing for a traveling gambling experience for high rollers!

System Defense - For the less wealthy system, the Rucker system defense variant can be the perfect answer.  Modified to be armed with a particle beam barbette, this ship can strike fear into marauders and pirates!

Missile Boat - Modified to hold a missile bay in the bow of the ship, this variant can pack a mighty punch against those who would attack shipping in your system!

The Model 12 - The most recent version of the Rucker updated with the most modern technology.

Rucker-class Merchant comes complete with beautiful views of the ship by expert starship artist, Ian Stead.  The Rucker is presented with full deckplans and statistics to make your use of our product simple, easy, and fun. In addition, the ship comes with a set of adventure hooks to get your characters right into the action as well as fiction written by Bradley Warnes."

 The Odd Job aka the Rucker-class Merchant By Michael Johnson has been updated for third edition Clement Sector Rpg. We get the iconic Rucker class which is a starship seen all over the Clement sector. It's important to keep in mind that the Clement sector has been cut off from Earth for a very long time. In that time the odd job has changed in many ways and has tons of variations & varieties of Ruckers out there. 
We get a very nice spread of these vessels & thier applications within the supplement along with history, background, breakdowns on weapons and more. This book goes into the deep end of the background because believe it or not the Rucker is an adventurer's ship. A spacer can serve his or her way across the Clement sector aboard Rucker's and still not have gotten through all of the roles that this iconic ship plays. The Rucker-class Merchant By Michael Johnson presents a very concisely done and well written supplement, this ship book has excellent deck plans and schematics that really cover this ship. The adventures found within the Rucker are centered around this classic starship. 
And this is an excellent supplement to add to the  Clement Sector Light Rpg & kick off a campaign in full! The Rucker serves so many star systems and so many roles. This puts the Rucker into the role of adventure center, base of opperations, and much more. 

The Rucker fits so many roles in the Clement Sector rpg that it's easy to forget that has been operating for a very long time. However she's gotten a modern upgrade and this also means that the Rucker has been manufactured for so long that there are thousands of models of the iconic ship scattered around. 
This means  that adventurers could theorically buy thier own Ruckers and begin operations in the Frontier. But is the Rucker class supplement worth it?! In a word yes! The Rucker is a starship that supplies dependability, reliability, and weight to Clement sector campaign. 

Commentary On The Fiend Folio For 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons For Your Old School Science Fantasy Campaigns

 When it comes to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition Fiend Folio there's something to remember about the monsters. These monsters have a completely different feel then thier American counterparts. This makes them ideal to use with Science Fantasy rpg's. Now I've talked extensively about the Fiend Folio on this blog. 

This is especially true of the OSR based games such as Stars Without Number where the creatures & monsters can easily be stand in's for alien creatures and monsters. 

Stars Without Numbers the number of systems that have been isolated by the Scream is numerous. We have no idea what or whom has been trapped. 
This makes perfect fodder for having the humanoid tribal  races that are in the Fiend Folio to the forgotten & fallen remains of alien empires. 

This goes back to something I said in my commentary on the Fiend Folio; "The Fiend Folio is the forgotten Monster Manual and the monsters are easily discounted and overlooked. This makes perfect fodder for the DM to use them and reintroduce his or her players to the terrors of them. " Stars Without Numbers has numerous space dungeons & ruins baked right into the campaign background. And this same principle applies to the undead of the Fiend Folio; "This book has some great undead in it and they are so great to add into post apocalyptic games such as Mutant Future and Gamma World as needed for alien planets and ruins. Yeah, there's a bit of science fantasy over flow with Fiend Folio and the gonzo factor is such an appeal here" 

Coming across a Vodyandi on a waterworld someplace in the interstellar back of beyond would cause quite a stir among players. The Fiend Folio has mostly been forgotten by today's fifth edition & Shadowdark crowd. This makes it a perfect suppliment to get a second life as a post apocalpytic or Science Fantasy supplement. 

Let's go back to our friend the Voyanoi here for a second. These alien horrors could have been bred by Interstellar Kua Toa and used as muscle, guardians, etc. The empire dies off and this leaves the ancient guards still going about thier duties. There's plenty of  life in the Fiend Folio as a supplement for OSR Science Fiction games. This brings up the encounter tables in the back of the Fiend Folio; "Fantastic encounter tables in the back of the book make dungeon and wildness setting design and monster placement a snap. This keeps things moving at the table during play. "

And this is doubly so for OSR Science Fiction games where a fast moving encounter can mean the difference between a successful game campaign and the loss of a player. 

OSR Commentary Marvel Super Heroes Module Rpg MH9 Gates Of What If By Roger E. Moore

 ""You have passed through of the Gates of What If - into a divergent universe, where things are almost the same, with a few changes. VICTOR has plans - and you're invited. GATES OF WHAT IF? is an adventure for use with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES role-playing game. You must have the MARVEL SUPER HEROES role-playing game to play this adventure. This package includes a 40-page adventure book and a full-color map of DOOMSTADT and other areas."" 

"You are in a world where Reed Richards did not live to become Mister Fantastic! Ben Grimm is the Thing, but he's not rocky and orange - he's wearing a power suit! And wait just one minute - you say that Victor Von Doom is a HERO?

Where are you?

You have passed through the Gates of What If - into a divergent universe, where things are almost the same, with a few changes. Victor has plans - and you're invited." 

 Marvel Super Heroes Module Rpg MH9 Gates Of What If By Roger E. Moore was the prelude module for us in 1987 to dive into the MX1 Nightmares of Future Past By Steve Winter. Let me explain why. We had just gotten roped into the lead in events of MH9. The module clocks in at about 40 pages in which the PC's are used by a heroic Victor von Doom to gain revenge against Mephisto. Our group had a blast with this module. 
The world was so very much like our regular Marvel Super Heroes campaign but there was something very 'off'' about it. According to the Gates of What if Wiki entry; " As Guide du Rôliste Galactique notes, "Much of the interest of the adventure comes from the confrontation between these characters and those of the parallel world. Some [of the superheroes in this parallel world] are dead, others have never been superheroes, or their costume is being used by someone else. The reactions of the public and the heroes of the parallel world therefore risk unsettling the characters.""
My uncle modified MH9 so that the module would work with our Marvel Advanced PC's. According to his notes Mephisto sends us sideways in time to MX1 and our own campaign's possible future! 

Victor is the one who eventually saves our party from the possible future of the events of MX1. Of course we had to go back to MX1 but we'll get to that. Roger E Moore's MH-9 is a tightly written and designed module. According to the Gates of What If wiki entry; "In Issue 4 of Adventurer, Ian Marsh called Gates of What-If? "a titanic adventure for Marvel Super Heroes which pits the Fantastic Four and Spidey against a formidable extra-dimensional opponent. Would you be surprised if Doctor Doom appeared too? Nope, nor would I."" And this review captures the feel of MH9. According to Kevin Derby's July 2016 Amazon review; "This is an interesting module for TSR’s classic Marvel RPG from the mid 1980s as the importance of Reed Richards is on display in this adventure. It’s an interesting twist on the Marvel Universe and GMs will have to be pretty well versed on it. This is one of the more comprehensive modules with plenty of character profiles and a few good maps. A solid choice though it does require quite a few heroes to beat it" My uncle's Marvel Super Heroes group had nine players at the time. Recently playing through with six PC's was a bit of a slog. Is MH-9 worth the download? Definitely because it highlights what can be done with the FASERIP Marveil rpg. 
After the events of MH-9 Mephisto became a regular thorn in our party's side. We had some runs ins with him & he cost us the life as well as the soul of one of our PC's but that's a blog entry for another time.