OSR Review & Commentary On The White Box Compendium [Swords & Wizardry] By James M. Spahn For Your Old School Campaigns

 

"White Box Compendium compiles resources previously published in White Box Companion II, White Box Demihumans, White Box Options, and White Box Chivalry into a single product, and adds several new options previously unreleased!

• Fifteen Classes: Black Widow Elves, River Halflings, Sprites, and the new Tomb Robber!
• Psychic Talents: Tap into the power of your character's psyche with these fast and simple rules!
• Accolades and Honor: Knighthood isn't just for fighters anymore! Rules that allow any character to earn the prestige of chivlary, if they're willing to bear the responsibility!
• Halfling Past Times: Halflings are known for their love of pints and pipes, but these uncanny gardeners have more than just a green thumb!

Inside these fifty pages you'll find new resources to help spice up your White Box campaign, all while keeping it fast and fun!"

The White Box Compendium [Swords & Wizardry] By James M. Spahn was gifted to me a couple of Christmas's ago. And DM Steve suggested that I retake a look again because of some of the upcoming adventure events we've got going on. 
And the reason was very simple there are boat load of new PC classes, and many of these tie directly into the demi human races of old Dungeons & Dragons style games. These are well thought out and are very much tied back into  James M. Spahn previous efforts. The psychic talents are well thought out & James M. Spahn has an easy writing style that goes down easy when your trying to write out an adventure outline for a Saturday night game. Accolades and Honor has a bunch of options thought out for a knightly character even if that PC isn't a fighter type. But this comes with a buch of concessions of character. 
And finally there's a section on Halflings and it adds in brand new section on the PC idea and concepts for Halflings in OSR style games. 

White Box Compendium expands upon many of the ideas that we've seen in Swords & Wizardry for a while now. What James M. Spahn does is a sly flourish to take his guidelines & rules then refine them into a useful & concise way of handling the OSR rpg material of White Box Compendium. We've got a wonderful selection of classes in this book that reflect some solid OSR Swords & Wizardry PC classes such as:

Acrobat
Barbarian
Black Widow Elf
Cavalier
Dagonite
Deepstone Dwarves
Duelist
Goblin
Greenleaf Elves
Jester
River Halfling
Sidhe
Sprite
Tomb Robber

I highly recommend the White Box Compendium [Swords & Wizardry] By James M. Spahn because it brings a solid feeling of  OSR flavor & more S&W goodness without a ton of game fluff to bog down your OSR or old school campaigns. 

The White Box Compendium [Swords & Wizardry] By James M. Spahn Is Available Here. 

OSR Lovecraftian Commentary - Flying Buffalo's Citybook Series & And The Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead By Joseph Mohr From Old School Role Playing

" As the adventurers arrive at a sleepy little sea side town not all is as it seems. The town is under attack by pirates. But these are no ordinary pirates. These pirates are undead and their nightmare ship is just off shore waiting for the plunder to be brought aboard. This adventure allows the players to explore the mystery of these undead buccaneers and find out why they still sail the seas."

This blog entry picks right up from here. So DM Paul challenged me to find a beginning OSR adventure with a nautical feel & yet had the backing for an expanded mini Lovecraftian campaign. Enter Josephe Mohr's 'And The Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead' a pay what you want OSR adventure for OSRIC . This adventure could easily be set on the outskirts of Saltmarsh's other towns. With Saltmarsh being the larger town  a few years before the events of the 'U' series. This gives the PC's familiarity with the Saltmarsh region & also gives the small town of Seaside a Lovecraftian underbelly. Seaside itself is a party to a Lovecraftan legacy;"Zanzia is a country in my gaming world but you are free to place Sea Side in a suitable location in yours. The town has a secret history which will become apparent soon after the players begin investigating these undead pirates that are plaguing the town. The players will discover, in time, that Sea Side is not so innocent in this affair. The undead do not rest because of things that the townspeople have done." This could easily be reworked into the Cult of Mother Hydra & Father Dagon ala  Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box By Raven God Games.  Why?! Because the pirates were looking at another juicy offer ala the Slavers from  A0- A4 'Against The Slave Lords'.

This easily ties back into the  the Freakshow section of the urban landscape with the lord of the underworld of Freakshow a party to the curse of Seaside. The situation is very unstable & almost dreamlike. And its this instability that allows the DM to play a bit. The waking world & the real world crossover with dreams of vengence. 

These dreams of vengence cross into the real world & the dreams of a cabal with its ties to City Book's Port 'O call in Lamentations of the Flame Princess's 'The Squid, The Old Man, & the Cabal'.  The lodge & the events surrounding it all tie into the Cult of Dagon & undead pirates. But there's more even this going on! 

OSR Lovecraftian Commentary - Flying Buffalo's Citybook Series & The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Series by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull.

 "With 22 businesses and services for seaport cities, mariners of every sort can
find excitement and adventure. Establishments are complete with detailed maps,
fully developed NPC personalities, and over 60 suggested scenarios.  Includes scenarios written by Dave Arneson, Michael Stackpole, Bear Peters, and Charles de Lint."

This blog entry picks right up from this blog entry here. So its been one of those incredibly busy days that we've had here in Connecticut. So its been one of those days where we've had to turn back to the OSR &  old school once again. And in this case it's Steve Crampton's Facebook post that reminded me of an underultiized old school resource. And un thus case its Citybook Port 'o Call. And Citybook Port O'Call goes all of the way back to '84. While the entire Eighties moved at light speed. We slowed the fast forward with a mixing of D&D with a bit of H.P. Lovecraft's Dream cycle by placing Citybook Port 'o Call.  within the Dream realms. Flash forward to June 1st 2021. And we need an OSR  flash mini campaign?!  Now this all goes back to  Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box By Raven God Games. 

If  Citybook Port 'o Call ties in the U1 series of Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Series by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. Then it stands to reason that the Alchemist is the key to the first part of this. 

Then now would be the perfect time to add in the lord of the underworld  from Citybook Freakshow. The cult of Dagon & the Deep Ones are leaning on the lord of the underworld because of the competition from Alchemist & his smugglers from the Sea Witch. The lord has his assassins knock off the alchemist. And then he's brought back by a Lovecraftian necromancer from the cult again & again to reveal the routes into the harbor. The Deep Ones don't like the competiton. 

The Deep Ones have three things their interested in humanity, breeding, & expanding their operations under the cloak of the Freakshow section of the urban landscape. The alchemist & his crew are a part of a rival outfit. That's namely the Slavers organization from A0- A4 'Against The Slave Lords'. The Deep Ones & the Cult of Dagon are making a move on the port. And the Slavers represent an obstacle. Why?! 
We'll get into that coming up! 

OSR Lovecraftian Commentary - Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing & Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Series by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull.

 So while we've been very busy lately, I've had a chance to catch up on some downtime stuff. Now most folks think somehow that I've, 'abandoned the OSR' or some other such nonsense. Why?! Because well really because we've been expanding & speaking about other game systems & other adventures. Case in point digging through my Call of Cthulhu rpg collection and reworking it for the  Cepheus Engine rpg . And this brings thing around again to the OSR. And in particular Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box By Raven God Games.  
And how to quickly get started on a mini campaign. 

Now it doesn't take a genius to see that its pretty easy to take any number of the Frog God Game modules & adventures or Swords & Wizardry's adventures. Strip them down & use them in a modernish campaign setting. It doesn't take a genius DM to take an adventure like 'The Black Spot' by Gary McBride & use it with Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box By Raven God Games; 

"The first mate drew his blade and formed up what was left of the crew. They steeled their courage and waited for whatever nightmare gave birth to the horrid noises below deck to emerge topside. When the creatures finally ventured into the moonlight, the men’s courage broke. They had never seen such otherworldly monstrosities.

The creatures ripped into their faltering ranks and slaughter reigned.

A young but literate sailor named Titus was clever enough to flee…"

The PC's catch up with Titus & things kick off from there! They get drawn into the tightening web of Weird Tales inspired danger & weirdness. 

But if you really want to up the Lovecraftian OSR  factor?! Then my suggestion is to tie back into the U1 series of Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Series by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. Why?! Because it ties the dealings of the Alchemist into the horrors of Gary McBride's adventures horrors. 

The alchemist isn't a cover but he's been reduced back down to his essential salts by someone or something that rivals him. There's far more going on aboard the 'Sea Ghost' then at first glance. And the Deep Ones have a vested interest in the goings on within that 'haunted house' then at first it seems. These adventures could easily be converted over into the 19th Century & most if not all of the adventures elements can go from here. Cut way back on the magic items ala what's said here & go from there! But we've got more coming up soon. 

1d5 Trans Cosmic Treasures of the Void For Your Old School Campaigns

"To shake off the maddening and wearying limitations of time and space and natural law—to be linked with the vast outside—to come close to the nighted and abysmal secrets of the infinite and the ultimate—surely such a thing was worth the risk of one’s life, soul, and sanity!"
HP Lovecraft The Whisperer in Darkness September 1930



The treasures & relics of the vastness of space are not something that the greedy trans cosmic space ways readily give up within the realm of the nine planets. These places are guarded by horrors drawn to the scent of occult power & the promise of the flesh of our planes. Relics & bits of ancient civilizations & rare occult artifacts of power still lie in the remote vastness of space & our own solar system. 


Many of these treasures & relics were lost when the wars broke out between our universe & those from beyond who hungered at the gateway for that which they could not have. These treasures often bare the taint of those early wars with strange &  weird  curses of occult & supernatural power. These powers often manifest within 1d6 days & can cause chaos or Lovecraftian mutations of a most dire type. There is a 5% chance that prolonged exposure to these relics can cause a 'living cancer' to manifest within 1d6 months of owning one of these treasures. Powerful super science treatments costing thousands of credits may haul the progress of occult diseases created by the owning of these objects. Only a remove curse or cure light wounds spell may relieve the symptoms of these mutations. But even this does not dissuade relic hunters, pirates, & adventurers from the hunt for these valuables.  Many of these objects also contain valuable information or other weird occult abilities that outweigh the risks to life & sanity.


1d10 Trans Cosmic Treasures of the
Void For Your Old School Campaigns 

1. Jeweled Head of The Mi Go Queen - This valuable treasure is worth a cool 10000 gold pieces or 20,000 credits to any occultist or mad scientist. This is the fossilized head of the 8th cycle queen of the Mi Go queen of Saturn. This head can cast 1d6 1st,2nd, & even 3rd level black magic spells once per day. The head will also telepathically answer any question put it by its owner but it often lies with sanity shattering answers. Writ all across the head are numerous sanity blasting formula & void shattering runes. These are powerful invocations that contain strange fundamental understandings of the planes. There is a 5 % chance that a scientist or wizard may make an occult or mad science break through reading these thing. There is a 1% chance of a random demon appearing when they are read aloud. 
2. Satan's Nose Ring - This strange red & green artifact was found at the heart of a dead star. The thing enables its owner to gain entry into a strange trans planar gateway dimension. The owner may gain forbidden knowledge of other alternative versions of themselves gaining 1 new PC level. But they will begin to be hunted by the hounds of time & a very jealous version of themselves that is actually a soul devouring life form given their abilities & powers. These will not manifest for 1d4 months of game time. The ring is a fist sized ruby of pure clarity worth 100000 gold pieces or 10000 credits but there is also an alien cult that wants it back. 
3. The Globe of Val Droon - This strange globe is made from the concentrated occult energies of the corpse of an 'Outer One' & it allows its owner to make a flawless teleportation 5 times per day. The dead mind of the Outer One interfaces with the owner & violently wracks out the incredible alien mathematics for these teleports. The owner is not aware that a tiny portion of their own mind is added to the undead state of this god thing & eventually it will manifest. There is 20% chance that the owner will gain 1d6 random chaos mutations should an emergency teleportation be needed. The owner will not be aware that they be taking on the minor characteristics in their own personality of the god as well for the Globe is like a drug. A save vs wands must be made every two weeks to avoid these effects. Still the globe is highly prized for it allows its owner to remove any parasites or foreign alien hosts or diseases by surgical teleportation once every week. The god thing only demands a murder for this wonderful ability. The globe is priceless & many will want to posses it. 
4. Eyes of The Witch Lord - This incredible pair of cybernetic alien eyes were lost during the height of the war with the Great Race of Yith. They allow one to see deep into the gathering gloom of time & to once per week alter the destiny of a minor event. The eyes can stare into the soul of a target & allow one to take a bit of the target's life force doing 1d6 points of damage without any visible violence. The target must save vs wands or be shaken to their core as the sanity shattering rend of space & time becomes visible to their minds. The eyes also have 1d4 other hidden powers & the Mi Go will seek the return of these devices for they are a trophy from their throne world. They are worth 10000 gold pieces or 4000 credits for these things are rumored to be cursed because of the murders & 'accidents' associated with them. 
5. Hand of The Hound Thing - This jeweled hand allows its owner to reach into the ether between universes & strum the mad music of the Outer Ones. The owner's life force joins with the spawn of the Outer Ones for 1d6 turns allowing one to do 1d8 points of damage to everyone within a 20 foot radius. The owner's mind joins with the mindless beyond the Pale. They will gain 1d4 trans cosmic & insane  theoretic insights but there is a 10% chance that they may awaken one of the bigger spawn demon things that guard these forbidden places. The owner is also subjected to 1d6 minor temporary insanities using this device. The device is often found encrusted with the remains of its previous owners as it has a tendency to absorb them as a sacrifice to the Outer Ones. The thing is worth a cool 20000 gold pieces to any mad wizard associated with the Outer Gods. Few adventurers are crazy enough to buy this thing but there are collectors who will pay  this thing but its worth 6000 to 10000 credits within the right market.