Free OSR Sword and Sorcery OSR Resource - Slave Girl Comics Issue #1 For Your Old School Campaigns

 Today I'm going to be examining one of my favorite pre code Nineteen Forty Nine sword and sorcery obscure titles Slave Girl Comics. Slave Girl Comics has had a rather infamous and not well deserved reputation among comic book aficionados. According to Wiki Slave Girl comics  was a series published by Avon Publications that lasted for two issues. It detailed the adventures of Malu, the titular slave girl.

GRAB IT RIGHT OVER  HERE  Or From Wiki Source HERE

Avon Publications was a paperback book and comic book publisher. It today exists only as an imprint of HarperCollins.

Avon Books was founded in 1941 by the American News Corporation to create a rival to Pocket Books. They hired Joseph and Edna Meyers to establish the company. They bought out J.S. Ogilvie Publications, a pulp magazine publisher, and renamed it “Avon Publications.” They also got into comic books.

From at least 1945 through the mid-1950s, Avon published comic books. Its titles included horror fiction, science fiction, Westerns, romance comics, war comics and funny-animal comics.

So what does this have to do with old school campaigning? A lot actually in the fact that this title is a public domain resource for sword and sorcery gaming that allows a DM to use this title in very interesting ways.

If your expecting mature or risky themes from this public domain comic book forgot it straight up you'll get more mature and BDSM themes in an early Wonder Woman comic book issue. Instead this is a straight up low level magick sword and sorcery setting. We've got wall to wall good girl artwork and its pretty tame by today's standards really. What you get are the adventures of SandraWorth  

& her soon to be boy friend archaeologist Geoffrey Garth. Mr. Garth has been searching for the mystic ring of Zubran and the Worth family have been passing it down through the family lines for generations.

They go back to Sandra's place and with a mystic invocation provided by Geoffrey the paths into the mystic past are revealed by the guardian spirits of the kingdom of Ormuz. Sandra is in psychic rapture with her ancestor and the mystic past of this forgotten age is revealed in the adventures of Malu a slave girl held with in the kingdom of  Tarko. Note that Malu isn't alone and has a very potent protector in the form of Garth a former city watchman and warrior. They met in capital of Tarko and escape after being almost eaten by lions one of the very interesting things about this series is the fact that the various kingdoms,exotic locals, and settings all have a strange Hollywood sort of Roman Empire level of technology throughout right down to Garth's stolen armors that he wears. Another fact is that Garth actually get's better at fighting I'd say that in the beginning of the series Garth is a 2nd level fighter with some skills at tactician but by the end of the second issue he's about 5th or so. His skills and subterfuge at tactics are pretty impressive by the second issue. But what about Malu herself? She's a perfect example of a Houri in action in this series of comics. She can actually take care of herself in various parlous situations and saves Garth her "protector" more then once.

Another interesting aspect about this series is the lost kingdom and politics of Ormuz which is actually driving this series. Malu is actually princess and not unlike Dejah Thoris there's a lot of political intrigue driving these two characters on. Malu reminds me of Annora and Saffron from the Firefly TV series. Her abilities grow as these two characters go about wrecking a number of kingdoms. They remind me of PC's in various games I've run. Malu herself is a forth or so level Houri by the time of the second issue's end. She's capable and more then slightly dangerous if provoked. She also seems quite sure of herself by the second issue. Something will get into in a future entry.

The Ring of Zubran  is a great plot device that connects both 1949 and the lost era of Malu and co. The ring is central to both the plot and ties the romance of Malu & Garth as well as Sandra Worth & Geoffrey Garth together. The magical artifact is  a great gimmick for dealing with tying two desperate campaign world settings  or eras together something that was used to great effect in the Keep Adventure from Mayfair games.

Thuz is another petty dictator they run into this issue who rules in the stead of a boy king of twelve. Of course he wants Malu for his own and a slave revolt later their on their way out of the kingdom. There's a two page page breaker story with a vile villain getting his just deserts which might actually be used as a hook for a modern side adventure but its nothing compared with the second part of Malu's continuing journey. When Malu The Slave Girl encounters The Bandits of Tal Azmut!

Malu gets kidnapped after Garth of course sticks his foot in it instead of tell her he loves her. Very typical stuff for this sort of story but what really shines through here is the mini dungeon of the bandits who kidnap Malu. Evil idols, secret passages, a band of 1st level bandits to beat on,etc. That's one of the other things I really love about these books, so much to mine for OD&D, Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea or other retroclone games.

There's a  ton going on here as the bandits of Tal Azmut's lair! Weird cult activities, slaving, and much more all this going on right under the golden Bovian idol. The ruins are the bandits headquarters with an array of rooms, a small dungeon and a stable. 

I've used these thieves, slavers, and kidnappers a couple of times and each time players go nuts to kill as many as these guys as they can. Tal Azmut is the leader of these desert NPC's. Tal Azmut is a forth level thief, his men are about 1st level fighters with maybe a smattering of 2nd levels as gang leaders

The Devil Bovine of The Desert Cult

Name - Brearu'i, God of Desert Thieves, Slavers, and Kidnappers

Symbol: A double cross with circle at the bottom and a squiggled line through the circle

Alignment : Chaotic

Hit Dice Hit Points : 90 (20)

Attacks: Hand Slap, Gore, Eye Beams

Damage: 1d4 Claws and Hand Slap, Gore 1d8, Eye Beams 1d10

Save:F20

Morale 10

Hoard Class: XX In the Ancient Temple of Brearu'i

Brearu'i was an ancient god of a lost desert city kingdom near its rival Ormuz along with Rrari The Desert Parrot Hawk. Brearu'i was a mutated Minotaur/bovine  like humanoid of massive girth who originally was a god of planting and the harvest that mutated and grew twisted as its influence declined. Not content to return from the dust of mythology and legend.  Brearu'i attracted deep wasteland scum and thieves with promises of riches and fortune. The god attracted quite a following in the form of the desert scum and outlaws from Ormuz. Tal Azmut became the latest in a succession of mercenary priests for the bovine god. Travelers are robbed,kidnapped  and sacrificed to the life like humanoid idol at the heart of the bandits headquarters. The massive golden statue isn't a statue at all but a god that feeds off of its victims flesh and terror. Brearu'i is able to cast clerical spells at fifteenth level and attack with its massive clawed hands that it slaps victims with beating them to a bloody pulp.Often this being becomes so taken with its victims that it will gore them for 1d8 points of blood soaked damage. The alien god always seems to be almost sleeping but its massive alien crystal eyes can open and blast a victim with soul searing chaotic energies.  The alien bovine god has massive crystal eyes that see all and teach evil methods of thievery to its followers telepathically. It demands blood,treasure and sacrifices in equal for its favors. Most of the time it sleeps but stokes the fires against Ormuz in its followers hearts.

Tal Azmut priest of the Desert Bovine

The real reason the kidnappers wanted Malu and Garth was for the ring of Zubran . The ring is actually a mystical artifact of incredible potential in the hands of a member of the royal bloodline of Ormuz. When the ring is unlocked by its protective invocation it grants its owner wizard's eye three times per day. Has many of the minor characteristics of a crystal ball and has the power to send its owner's mind reeling into the past lives of the kings and queens of Ormuz. The owner may also call upon the spirits of these royal departed monarchs as per a speak with the dead spell.

We get our first real look at the kingdom of Ormuz and its capital city in this chapter;and the slave markets of Manoch. Here we get a glimpse of this issue's real baddie in the form of the Mighty Phao.



Once again our two star crossed lovers are separated Ormuz is revealed to be a kingdom rife with political intrigue and vast dungeons. Garth escapes and manages to get Malu at the auction but Phao is there to throw a monkey wrench into the works as Garth tries to get Malu on the throne and in her father the king's arms.

Phao is an eighth level thief but a dyed in the wool coward of the highest degree. He's a snake of the first order and could make PC's lives hell when visiting Ormuz or its ports.Brother of the King of Ormuz and heir to the thrown, if he can get rid of Malu.



Ormuz Jungle Kingdom
Population: 13,000 

Technology level: Roman Empire early period 

Exports: Wood products, trade goods, slaves, metal crafts 

Imports: textiles, luxury goods, draft animals 

Government : Monarchy 

Political Situation: Stable But With Intrigue  

Magical Traditions: The royal house hold retains vast mystical might despite a poor magical environment including the crown jewels, ring of Zubran , and sphere of Ormuz

There is some speculation that the kingdom of Ormuz and the surrounding lands were a part of the Atlantian colonies that existed shortly in the prehistory before the oceans drank Atlantis. There have been many legends surrounding these lands and their dangerous monsters. Ormuz was once a center of trade and learning but time has allowed it to slide into decline and decedence none the less it remains a vital kingdom along with its rival states that surround it. Ormuz and its lesser rivals are all dependent on a series of aquifers and water works that were set up by the Ancients. This has caused the kingdoms to exist in a state of cold war for centuries while the desert rabble and scum play off each kingdom against one another and wage proxy warfare for these kingdoms in the shadows. Thieves adventurers and bandits use these shadow wars as covert cover for their own activities carving out their own niches against the backdrop of kingdom intrigue.

Closing Commentary Slave Girl Comics Issue #1 is a resource that I've been using for years with minor kingdoms and political intrigue against a sword and sorcery backdrop. The magic here is minor but the political stakes are very high. Garth and Malu have appeared in a number of my campaigns and players have learned to leave town when their around. For Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea they're tailor made to throw a bit of a flare and chaos to a game. Certain PC's have ended up working for Garth a couple of times.
Ormuz and its rival states have been a part of my Accursed Atlantis campaign for the better part of two years now providing endless headaches for various PC's. As I said this is only the first issue.

Cosmic Calamity, Ultra Weird Violence, & The Return of the Gonzo OSR Dungeon

So I'm not sure when this happened exactly but apparently the stars aligned in a cosmic OSR display again as three things quietly happened at the same time this past week. The first of which is the fact that James Mishler has quietly been building his own gonzo campaign setting based on the Labyrinth Lord retro clone system; 

"This is the first in a series of posts dedicated to building a library of races, classes, spells, magic items, technological devices, and various charts and tables dedicated to building and exploring a new LABYRINTH LORD campaign setting – LEGENDARIA."

This isn't Mishler's first time dealing with these elements within his table top system but its the first time I'm seeing this

I'm no stranger to the gonzo  style of gaming as any reader of this blog knows. The fact is that there are other indications that this style of Gonzo dungeon crawling. Venger Satanis has his latest Kickstarter out which seems to be another gonzo post apocalpytic Dungeons & Dragons fusion setting;

"The world of Cha'alt started as a fairly typical medieval land with elves, dwarves, snake-men, clerics, and magic-users; steeped in superstition along with antediluvian traditions, before the Old Gods went mad.  

Three-thousand years passed. The surface dwellers split from the malevolent creatures who slithered below. Those who remained on the surface lost the understanding of magic, but their civilization became a highly developed, technological empire of domed cities welcoming interstellar travelers, their massive starships hovering high above in blue skies.

But in the deep crevasses of the world, a power older than time stirred from its deathless slumber. The Ancient Gods, long forgot, had not died but continued to dream... growing chaotic and full of darkness.  And those living underground hastened the Old Ones' rising because they yearned to reclaim Cha'alt for themselves.

When the Great Old Ones awakened, they were angered by the lack of worship, sacrifices, or even casual acknowledgement that they had fashioned the world and all life upon it. 

Soon enough, Cha'alt was all but destroyed by those vengeful Gods, jealous of their creations' achievements and bitter that they had been forgotten.  Civilization in ruins, the surface-dwellers of Cha'alt turned to barbarism as sorcery reappeared, dragons appeared in the now-magenta sky, and demons took hold once more.

Cha'alt is a mysterious world where you're likely to encounter mutant bikers with laser rifles, tentacled sandworms in the deep desert, tribal warfare as blood-splotched shamans ululate at the crimson rock, and alien pirates on anti-grav skiffs looking to steal relics of a bygone age."

The more I read about this adventure setting the more it reminds me of a trend that I've seen in the past & Venger's always been about bending & molding his campaign settings into his own. I totally get that & understand the 'hows' & 'whys' of the author's desires & gaming adventure goals.

But today has been one of those days when I was sitting down with two of my friends & speaking about the growing desire to get back to playing in this style of campaign play with traditional original Dungeons & Dragons adventurers. This isn't rocket science, you simply take a set of old school D&D or retroclone rules & go play. But the fact is that as a dungeon master there's an odd mis balance that has to be achieved with players. Its not simply enough to throw player's PC's on to some far flung corner of the planes.

For me the gonzo OSR dungeon goes all the way back to 2011 with the Black Ziggurat project from the Planet Algol blog. Man, I miss the Planet Algol blog there were so many cool OSR ideas that came from that blog & Blair's twisted mind. Even the Wyrmspittle setting had its own Black Ziggurat dungeon from the Hereticworks folks. 

Before my complete party wipe in my recent Mars 9889 setting I was planning on introducing my own version of the Ebonite Ziggurat which lies deep within the Martian badlands. The structure was part of the launching facility of the invaders to the Earth in 1898.  We don't know that much about the structure at all. The superstitious Red Martians avoid the structure  like the plague & there are rumors that strange lights have been seen at night when Phobos crosses the sky.

 If the rumors are to be believed then the structure may be related to the 'Originators' the insect race that terraformed  & engineered the original life forms of Mars. Transcosmic radiation has been detected on the areas surrounding the structure & many psychics as well as mentalists will black out when trying to penetrate the deeper aural levels of reality that surround the Ebonite Ziggurat. There is a vast sea of bones & shattered skulls that surround the red sands of the ziggurat all of which have varying degrees of violence about them. The ziggurat itself gives off strange sub etheric vibrations that cause any who sleep within a 3 mile radius of it terrible dreams.Main canal routes are very ancient around the structure & no modern ones connect with it. The local kilt wearing Red Martian tribes have many strange legends surround it but it is considered taboo by most right thinking people. The ziggurat borders the small human nation state of  Igarth & one of its Martian post colony neighbor nations. Both societies avoid any mention of the place but certain tribes of savage Green Martians use the lands surround it for 'rites of passage' for their young. There have been sparks of violence between Greys & the Green Martians over the ziggurat lands & court yards. Strange alien monsters have been seen destroying any interlopers who come to close to the buildings of the ziggurat & its structures. Few Martians will speak of the rumors of underground structures & the connections to the Martian invaders cities that surround the Ebonite Ziggurat. There are the remains of hundreds of different sky ships & space craft around the place some wreckage has been found from as  far away as Calidar. But once again these are merely rumors & could be considered the stuff of adventurers whose tongues wag from the strange strong Martian drink that they seem to consume in the space taverns of Igarth.

So not only have I began to notice gonzo dungeons entering back into the OSR consciousness but locally a friend is taking about running Faster Monkey Games Realm of the Technomancer. This is because lots of folks have gotten their copies of the combined Advanced Labyrinth Lord retroclone book which has been hitting shelves because of last year's kickstarter. Suddenly, interest in both Mutant Future & Labryth Lord have started again.  Faster Monkey Games Realm of the Technomancer is a 'pay what you want' adventure that combines the games just like the first edition Gamma World/Advance Dungeons & Dragons first edition into one campaign. This adventure makes a great intro for a campaign setting such as ASE1: Anomalous Subsurface Environment by Patrick Wetmore. 

Only time will tell if we continue to see this return to Gonzo dungeon crawling  trend continue in 2019. As for my own tastes in the realm of the OSR Gonzo adventuring or misadventuring only time will tell. The holidays are just starting to wind down now & so well see the where the gaming takes me over the course of the next year. 

Double Death In The Desert - OSR Play Session Report Two

" The Earth is striking a blow against the Martian invaders with the 1964 military expedition back to the launch point city  for the 1895 invasion of Earth. Strange radio transmissions & weird lights were seen on the Martian surface after the Atomic War of 1960. The Earth is united in its commitment to destroy any trace of the Invaders!'


In our last game the players have been attacked have by Grey saucers & they overcame these saucers but it cost them. Now this session they were meeting some of the local Red Martian tribesmen.But outside of the city they were attacked  the Grey's  Chupacabra guard dogs! 
Artist LeCire

After a lengthy battle the PC's were able to destroy the guard dogs & gain access to the wasteland tunnels beneath the old launch site city. They wandered through the countless tunnels & finally found a power crystal along with samples of growing Red Weed . The weed was of a slightly different variety then some the party's American patrons had on Earth. They also encountered two different Invader robots but these didn't pay them the slightest interest. But they made their way to the surface in an unexpected move?! Once they reached the surface they started to zig zag for a maintenance facility & I rolled up a Martian tripod for a random encounter! The party had been getting some help from a Red Martian scout from a Earth  sympathetic Martian tribe. 


As a dungeon master I figured that they'd run away. Martian tripods are nothing to trifle with!?! Instead they stood & fought the giant war machine & within ten minutes I knew that things were going to go very badly! The dice started to work against them & even with seven players the fate points started to be spent! Twenty minutes in & it was over with a heat ray blasting the party & vaporizing them! So yeah it was a total party kill tonight.


So yeah I grabbed this whole holiday from my bag of tricks. I used The Best of The Dragon Issue#1 & #2 especially the article  Deserted Cities of Mars By James M Ward . Then I grabbed HG Wells & Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars. The system we used was Amazing Adventures! rpg & the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters 

Review & Commentary On Wreckside District: A Post Apocalypse Setting From Fishwife Games For Your Old School Campaigns

Good morning I've had a lot of time to think about one of the biggest problems with post apocalyptic gaming regardless of old school & retroclone system. I've been playing a lot of Gamma World 1st & 2nd edition lately. But I've used a mutated ton of systems from Mutant Future to Mutant Epoch as well as several of my own creations in addition to enhancing them with Boot Hill & AD&D 1st edition style system. So I know a bit about post apocalptyic gaming and it always seems to come down to location.
Sure the players have crawled through the ruins of Pitzburke in Gamma World, done with the ruins of California in Mutant Epoch, etc. It really becomes a pain in the ass to keep doing research to some location that they've never heard of for scavenging & ruin creation. The internet has made it that much harder. So the other night I asked my friend Dave Woodrum for Wreckside District: A Post Apocalypse Setting From Fishwife Games

So unlike other Fishwife Games in the past this one has a lot of artwork & some really well done professional layout so its easy on the eyes. The gaming  potential here  for all kinds of havoc at the the table. This is a an urban, post apocalyptic setting that can be used as part loot zone & part city state whole hog & dropped into a campaign.
Its system genric & neutral so its a simple matter to drag & drop this right into a campaign even an on going one with a blank spot on the map like I did with my recent Gamma World/Carcosa game.

A City Of Wasted Potential…
Aria stood at the edge of the wasted city and peered off towards its most functioning, but violent, part... Wreckside. The crumbling district was given its name years ago for the salvage yard and multiple garages and towing services that sprung up in the area. Now its name is more fitting for the condition of the district and its desperate inhabitants.
"So why are we are going back to that place again?" Aria questioned her companion, Darius, as she stared at the dimly glowing lights of the distant buildings, proof that at least some of Wreckside's inhabitants enjoyed the rare treat of functioning electricity.
Darius took a swig from a metal flask as he walked away from the acrid smolder of the dying barrel fire. "Supplies. Some special stuff. Electronics and some old notes on building things. I'll know it when I see it."
Aria hated it when Darius wouldn't tell her exactly what they were looking for. Still, though, Darius was renowned by the outskirt settlers as a master scavenger and for keeping his mouth shut about what his employers wanted him to recover. The young woman has learned a lot since Darius took her under his wing a year ago, and the scavenger has always managed to keep her alive in the process.
"So its another one of those jobs, eh? Typical orders from Garrett, don't let the new kid in on the details...", Aria remarked with an obvious bit of disgust in her voice.
"Hey, don't be knocking on Garrett," Darius replied as he checked the contents of his backpack and finished loading rounds into his pistol clip. "The old man is a bit of a creeper, yeah, but he pays well. Plus, we're going to get a pretty big bonus this time if we get back with exactly what he's hoping we'll find."
"Big bonus? What he hopes we'll find?"
"You'll see. Now follow me... quietly. I've been told there's a safer route into the district."There are a couple of minor gripes with Wreckside District, the price measures out to about seven dollars and fifty cents for the pdf & I'd love to have seen a print option for these old eyes of mine. But trying to get a print pdf option for Drivethrrpg & Rpgnow is a huge pain in the arse. Artists also cost money & I was surprised at the amount of artwork in this title. Artists cost. Believe me I totally understand why. You've got a ton of NPC's, gangers, adventure locations, and more built into this. This means that this is a drag & drop product for a campaign. The other thing about Fish Wife Games is the fact that they're a company that seems to fade into the background of the OSR & table top hobby. This means that players are not aware of them as a potential resource for some really nasty post apocalyptic material.

Its a good resource for any of the PA games I mentioned & more. This could even be used for as Cyberpunk 2020 adventure location out in the badlands & no go zones.
The price is right up there with other pdfs so I would wait for a Drivethrurpg sale and possibly a code. But is it worth your time & efforts? Hmm with the district's map that contains over two hundred numbered locations which are each provided individual descriptions and details. This can be a resource to base an entire campaign around.
Now in lots of other reviews I mentioned Domain level play. What the hell is that? Well, when a PC gets to certain level in OD&D such as ninth or higher it was assumed that if they were a fighter they'd build a stronghold, a wizard a tower, a cleric establish a temple or church, etc. This is basically the PC's carving out their own pound of flesh or land in a campaign setting. For some players this is a huge pain in the arse but for old schoolers this was part & parcel of old school campaign settings. This started with OD&D & carried on in B/X with the Companion & Master rules sets.



But what does this have to old school DYI Retro Future campaigns such as Gamma World & the Wreckside District? Actually everything. Many old school post apocalyptic games such as Gamma World all the way to Mutant Epoch have factions or Cryptic Alliances or whatever name such groups are under. In a nut shell this is an extension of kill the mutants, take their stuff and then rule their kingdoms! You & your party are looking for food, shelter, safety for you as well as your community by this blaster you rule! So essentially the Wreckside District provides one more filled in space to explore, exploit, & take over or does it?
Not so fast kids this is a large area of a loot, and scavenging zone. Here's where the horror just might start. If your forces are spread too thin then you just might crash and burn at the end of a laser shot.
So here's ten reasons why Wreckside District is a perfect product of opportunity for your old school post apocalyptic games: 

1. This is a system neutral product so drag & drop it into your favorite old school or retroclone rpg systems. 
2. Exploit and expand the NPC's, adventure  hooks, etc. as you the DM see fit. 
3. Situate & expand on some of the adventure locations for later post apocalyptic adventures.  
4. Deal with the gangs that are in Wreckside in your own adventures to dove tail them back into bringing the PC's into the adventure location. 
5. Cut, spin, and multilate the Wreckside District as you need to. You are not going to break this one. 
6. Place artifacts and relics from your home campaign where you want them to hook the PC's into the campaign within Wreckside 
7. Kill off a few major NPC's to provide adventure opportunities and for expansion of the PC's as possible rulers 
8. Use Wreckside as a potential take over point for one of the campaign's major big bads 
9. Port over your D&D style adventurers or cowboys for even more weirdness 
10. Have your favorite Drive in film classic Atomic age monster threaten The Wreckside District. 

The Wreckside District
is available right over here but I'd wait till Drivethrurpg has a sale!

Price Drop Note -Dave had read the review and commentary so he dropped the price folks!
"I'm taking note about the price point and have decided to drop it- I actually struggled with that before I decided on the $7.50, and have kinda regretted it since. As such, I'm going to stick a sale price on it immediately and drop it back to around $5."

Revisiting The Free OSR Post Apocalyptic Comic Book Resource Atomic War! As Alternative Old School Campaigns Part I

Need an old school campaign setting that has that Fallout feel but takes a completely different course of events. A sand box setting where 'The Bomb' has created the perfect Fifties science fiction movie parameters for mutants, mutation, and all of the venues of Americana old school mayhem? We've got you covered with Ace comics from the Forties & Fifties. Ace according to Wiki was; "Ace Magazines^[1] was a comic-book and pulp-magazine publishing company headed by Aaron A. Wyn and his wife Rose Wyn. The Wyns had been publishing pulp fiction under the Periodical House and A. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers names since 1928, and published comics between 1940 and the end of 1956"
They published a really weird atomic bomb exploitation comic book called Atomic War!.

Atomic War! was published between (#1 Nov 1952 - #4 April 1953) - under Ace Periodicals / Junior Books imprint and it would scare the hell out of kids with post apocalyptic nightmares for years to come. Which means perfect fodder for your old school campaigns! 

Last year I did a series of posts about a free series of post apocalyptic comic books from the Fifties and today I was speaking with a friend if I had done anything with those books or the ideas I put down in the blog about them? Well the answer to that was of course no but lately I've been on a post apocalyptic streak of gaming again fading back into the backdrop of the OSR again.

Atomic War series was from 1951 through 1953, this series featured some damn striking cover artwork with the tagline " Only A Strong America Can Prevent  Atomic War " under the melting gaze of a A bomb mushroom cloud set under a melting New York City. This issue lives up to the cover in the first story with the horrors of  Sneak Attack detailing a surprise attack on New York and the use of strategic nuclear weapons to overcome the Communist forces

GRAB ISSUE ONE RIGHT HERE

There is a solid narrative story line of events in issue one with Berlin Powder Keg following closely or happens along side  to the events depicted in Sneak Attack. Operation Haystack dovetails into the events of this issue and then builds upon the next story called Counter Attack.  The next issue continues the Atomic warfare action with Operation Vengeance. The Icebox Invasion is what happens when the Russians attack Alaska. The whole thing isn't pretty and they're is plenty of room for dungeon master customization. The spy From Coney Island details a Communist spy on the fringes of society. While Mission Demolition depicts events in Europe. This issue features plenty of retro technology action.

You Can Download Issue Two Right Over HERE The retro future vibe of these comics is so strong that it hurts in places but these comics are from a different time period so there is very little BS politically correct stuff in these pages. If your offended remember this is 1952.  Issue Number three gets into some hard turf with Commando Cracker Jack where the events of the fall of London has happened and a crack team of soldiers is dealing with the events in Europe. There is some very cool retro tech in this story and there's a ton of background detail that can help to fill in an old school post apocalyptic campaign with little issue. Log of the Snorkel Pack depicts an America reeling under an attack from Russia and the ruins of New York. This is a prime place to let loose your old school mutants and adventurers from an alternative time track or Earth. This story depicts some alternative versions of battles up and down the East cost.
The Invaders features some very interesting material from another area of the Atomic battle front. This is a very limited nuclear war in some regards. Almost a mix of World War II and the echoes from the Korean war as it sets the stage for the next battle called Slash By The Iron Greyhounds. This story features warfare  on the battle fields of Europe  and some great all tank warfare as well as the usual mix themes that build upon themselves.

 You Can Download Issue Three Right Here



Issue Number four features a solid continuation of the Atomic war story line. The Artic Assault features some Fallout style jet planes and some weird bases too. The story is bloody and very violently grim stuff. Old Timers Die Hard continues the war as things move to the tropics. Operation Satellite depicts the stalemate around the globe at this point and the fact that the West's scientists haven't been able to develop a new super science weapon to break the back of the enemy. Here we've got a Russian style underground missile base worthy of a James Bond movie villain. A great location to set a dungeon wasteland crawl. Peril of Ploesti has submarines and weird war action in the middle of the series.


 GRAB ISSUE Four Right Here

 Using Atomic War! As An OSR Campaign Outline




There are three reasons why comic books like Atomic War are easy to use and are continually sought out by dungeon masters. Atomic War outlines events of its conflicts, battles, atomic war weirdness throughout its four issue run. This makes setting adventures around, during, and after those events quite easy.  The battles of Atomic War are on a smaller scale then the missile launching nightmares that we've come to see in entertainment, history, and Hollywood. This is a comic book reality and as such not subject to the bounds of logic or reason. This is a mix of the Korean conflict era & the twisted brand of Ace Magazines atomic age weirdness.



So what does all this have to do with the Lamentations book Lusus Naturae?Well,  plenty  actually.
Lusus Naturae is one of the better horror gaming aids I’ve ever seen and it depicts the violent weird nature of parasites, mutation, loss of control over personal space, having secrets wrested from you in the face of the cosmic. The very nature of what is happening in the setting of the Atomic War comics  almost seems to plug into the background of pseudo cosmic mythos of the
Lusus Naturae book. This is a world ripe for the gods, beings, and horrors of Lusus Naturae to make an appearance.

Or alternatively this could well be a world primed for the appearance of adventurers who might loot, exploit, and deal with the horrors that this world presents. The world setting of Atomic War might an alternative universe from the average post apocalyptic universe. A place where the horrors of mutation and mutants are just getting started. This is a place where the usual forces of Gamma World and Mutant Future cryptic alliances  are just about emerging into a a very different set of Shadow Years.
There is a ton of archaic retro tech just in the background of these issue waiting to be brought to the fore. The final issue's "Arctic Assault" from Atomic War! #4 has it just under the surface begging to be used. Soviet era snow going tanks with skies. 

So continuing the weird atomic age theme, the old Gamma World War blog brought this gem of a collection of artwork from the Pageant Magazine 1951 issue.  This was the same era that Atomic War! hit the shelves and its perfect for the events depicted in the four issue run of Atomic War!. Welcome to any city USA where the events have spiraled out of control and the whole thing runs like a continuation of the Korean war on steroids. The timeline in Atomic War! follows through pretty well making the chaos of the shadow years easily doable.


Print these out and use them as hand outs for your mutant adventurers and your ready to go. If I haven't mentioned this all of the material sited here is public domain and easily ported over for any number of old school gaming systems.
This illustration is perfect for depicting the ruins of a wasteland city and there are plenty of opportunities to drop in your favorite mutant monster or weird wasteland Fifties outlaw gangs right into there. You can almost smell the fallout.


I love the guys in the gas masks and Hazmat suits, they make perfect zombie or mutant forces fodder. The rubble choked stairs are a nice touch. So why I'm I not taking this seriously? Because this is a comic book era reality and the reality is so much worse. This is the same era that spawned Atomic monster movies and this material is ripe to use. As we'll see next installment there's plenty of material left to mine from the wastelands. I can almost see this issue of  Pageant Magazine 1951   blowing on the imaginary fallout laden wind on a newsstand in any city USA.

So what I'm planning on doing with all of this campaign potential laden material? This is going to become an Alternative wasteland 789 a world that might have been in the process of rebuilding or going to hell as wasteland campaign takes shape. See you next time on the time trails! 

Invasive Cargo - The Pyrrus Gambit - An Adventure Encounter For The Colonial Troopers Rpg or Your Old School Campaigns Includes Free Sci Fi Classic Download

 Introduction
The exoplanet ship The Slippery Slim has brought a deadly set of biological life forms to the out lying interstellar colony of Harrison and things go wrong from there. The ship was a part of the the Special Corps and actually is carrying valuable ore. Your party of mercenary adventurers has been hired to lens and cleanse the colony of these dangerous life forms. But not all is as it seems.

The Adventure Set Up

 A exoplanet survey space craft has come in from the Pyrrus system carrying valuable biological samples but they've gotten loose on a small low technology Bernal sphere colony world called Harrison. The authorities can't spare anyone to help out the colonists. Aboard the ore processing faculties is a small cargo of
radioactive ores from the planet Pyrrus itself. There have been numerous supernovae in its vicinity, meaning that planets in the area are rich in radioactive ore and there are potentially billions in galactic revenue.
The situation has the potential to devastate the delicate ecological systems of the colony's structure. There already have been fifteen to twenty deaths of colonists. The life forms are incredibly dangerous, a small cross section of cat sized mammals have neurotoxic venom that has caused the deaths. The real problem is the carnivorous plants that have worked their way into the colonies system. A mixed mercenary force of close in troops would most likely work here.


 Mission Details
There are five levels and seven  rooms each with some of the deadliest plants that PC's will face; the PC's will have twenty four hours to complete they're mission and a psychic character is a must. There will be 1d6 life forms that have infiltrated the colonies systems. There are additional wandering life forms in some rooms which will attack PC's and poison them. A 20 % chance exists for getting a PC's spaced if a weapon's damage exceeds the colony's defenses and the entire room could be blown into space. Players should be warned when choosing weapons and armor for this mission. Rewards might include a small percentage of the ore, experience points, and a one way mission to Pyrrus

Pyrrus Catoid
AC: 4 [16]
HD: 3
Atk:  2 claws
Dmg: 1d6 each
Save: F7
Move: 180
Those hit by these horrors must save vs death or be subject to a horrid death by neurotoxin. Because of the evolving biology of these horrors they will adapt to many humanoid types even during combat.

Pyrrus Plant Horrors
AC: 3 [17]
HD: 10+30
Atk: 4 tentacles, 1 bite [varies]
Dmg: 1d6 & grip, 2d8 [varies]
Save: M10
Move: Slither 50”
These life forms are the far more dangerous as they mutate and adapt to the colony's ecological systems, and the colonist's defenses.

There will be a war ship dispatched to destroy the colony unless the PC's can stop this invasive species. The DM can add or subtract rooms and levels as needed.

  Source Material And End Points
Deathworld is the name of a series of science fiction novels by Harry Harrison including the books Deathworld (first published 1960, serialized in Astounding Science Fiction). Since the book is public domain I've decided to use it as the basis for an off the cuff Colonial Troopers game adventure over the weekend. There are plenty of material that can be taken from  Deathworld by Harry Harrison and there are homages spread throughout the adventure encounter. This material could be used to work up a complete touch stone campaign set on Pyrrus. Dungeon masters looking to use this material should grab the free download right over here

So why use Death World? There are plenty of adventure opportunities in the interstellar stage of Death World and the factions are perfect for adapting to any number of old school games such as Gamma World and Mutant Future as well as more military oriented games such as Colonial Troopers. Many players haven't even heard of the Deathworld books let alone taken the time to have read them. This is an advantage that DM's should be quick to exploit for a full array of death filled fun. They really a good solid read and are chock full of ideas to adapt and play with for old school games. The opportunities for this sort adventure and campaign  are pretty much endless.

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 

Free OSR Sword and Sorcery OSR Resource - Slave Girl Princess Issue #2 For Your Old School Campaigns

First part of this blog series right over HERE


When we last left our sword & sorcery heroine she had been captured and dealt with her father's court intrigues and was sold off into bondage with her protector last issue. This issue picks up right from the get go bring us into the action with the modern descendants of Garth and Malu; Sandra Worth and Geoffrey Garth peering in on the happenings of ancient times before the oceans drank Atlantis. Garth on the cover of  this issue is looking very Tony Curtis & Malu flaming red tresses are almost but not quite blend into the cover itself. I love the melodramatic dialogue; the art is quite good and there's a fast pace and lots of action. I'm guessing the plan was to add in a canine companion but alas this was Garth and Malu's last issue.
GRAB IT RIGHT OVER HERE  Or From Wiki Source HERE



The pirates of Ambur are mostly a state sponsored combination thieves guild/pirate outfit working on undermining the enemies of the kingdom of Ormuz. Don't let the kindly king of Ormuz act fool you, he's one very cagey character whose probably been keeping his kingdom balanced with members of the thieves and pirate guilds filling his coffers for years. The King of Ormuz is a 12th level fighter with an in with the guilds.

The Pirates of Ambur

Ships - 300
Crews include 3rd level fighters, thieves, and pirates 
Organization - State Sponsored Pirate Guilds 
Typical example of a Pirate of Ambur 
2nd level thief;AC 9;HP10;MV150'(50');#AT1;DMG1d6 (spear) or short sword 
SVT2;ML7;ALC

Of course Garth and Malu escape and lead a successful revolt and in the middle of the action Phao himself is killed and hurled to his death. Needless to say this is not likely to be the death of Ormuz's piratical and thieving ventures.
The second feature of the comic book which is a break in the action of the adventures of Garth and Malu is the  Lost Princess. A Nineteen Forty Nine  archaeological venture which were quite common after the war when Americans too to exploring the Middle East on their veterans packages they received after World War Two if they were lucky.


Ted and Dick Kane are both treasure seekers and ametuer archaeologists who run across Princess Tais of the minor kingdom of Neptuna daughter of King Jerrod. Its an interesting little gem of a story and we get a sense of the Saturday morning matinee. Of Princess Tais is a zombie, the city of Neptuna is a ruin and this is a perfect bridge gap to throw your adventurers into the fray of a Dungeon Crawl Classics style modern day pulp location.
After this we jump right back into the action as Malu and Garth are swept out to see  and on to the course of the kingdom of Zankhara. A desert kingdom probably watered by the same artificial water resources as the Atlantians provided for their colonies. Zankhara has about a Arabian Empire during the Dark Ages via Hollywood.


The Princess Shala is a nasty piece of work and has her own cold war with the kingdom of Tirza. The Zankhara also has an ancient Atlantian structure in the form of the Tower of Indecision. A ritual sacrifice and rite chamber from an elder time.




So where's Malu all this time? Well she's being held prisoner in the dungeons of Shala and dealing with the politics of the kingdom. Garth has been romanced by the princess but all is not as it seems for the tower awaits both of our heroes! The tower itself has secrets and spins like Nero's legendary palace presenting the sacrifices three types of death. The tower is spun and our heroes are dizzily facing down their deaths.


What sort of a death are we going to see for Garth and Malu? Well death by Nemien giant boar! But door number two provides even more fun with a forest dragon!


We get a battle royal between these two beasts of legend and our two heroes escape onto their next adventure. Well kingdom Zankhara does fall eventually but who knows how long the tower of indecision was used for? Your PC's might stumble into its hey day and face down their own battles against who knows what sort of beasts your PC's might face.


Of course there is far more going on here then simply two feuding city states we see this actually a state brought on by the machinations of two royal families after the break up and death of the king of Zarkhara and Tiera. According to the Comic Vine website:
"The two climb down and meet Gaddo, the brother of the evil queen. He is also the brother of the rival good queen, Tirza. He helps the prisoners escape through an underground door.
In Tirza, the queen Tirza welcomes Garth and Malu. Garth offers to sneak back in to Zankhara to open the gates from the inside. Gaddo agrees to help and the queen prepares her people to attack. Inside the city, Gaddo creates a diversion and lures away the gate guards. Garth opens the gate and the Tizanian soldier flood Zarkhana. The battle is fierce.
Gaddo finds his evil sister Shala and takes her captive. The city falls and Tirza awards the rule to Garth. Shala, however, knows the secret passage ways and escape. She finds a fabled boulder atop a wall and pushes it down to crush Garth and Malu. She falls with it."


Surely this is not the end of our heroes? Well for some it might be but not all as we shall see in a moment.
Commentary on Slave Girl Princess Issue #2  For Your Old School Campaigns

There's a ton here to mine for old school gaming you've got a boat load of sword and sorcery kingdoms, feuding family rivalries, backstabbing, thieves guilds, pirate action and a series of dying empires not to mention great escapes, pagan gods, and lots more in the back setting of this series. Even clocking in at two issues the melodrama is thick and plot hooks are there to use.
I personally have used the kingdoms of Ormuz, Zarkhara, & Tirza for my own Accursed Atlantis campaign and Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea any number of times when I've wanted to set things up for outside intrigue and plenty of backstabbing action. Malu is the perfect balance of an adventurer waiting to happen. Now that Garth has his kingdom? Perhaps she might strike out on her own as an adventurer which is where a few of my PC's have run into her. A sixth level Houri and 4th level thief with a sense of honor whose very self reliant. She's come a very long way from her days with Garth and is now leading her own band of adventurers and cut throats. I always wanted to know more about Malu? Garth is settled into his own kingdom and he's got his own city state kingdom and internal clean up to deal with. Malu might strike out on her own and gather together a band of her own adventurers to go gain the throne of Ormuz! At least that's one of the adventures that has happened when Malu was acting as a patron for some of the PC's in my games.