The Desolation of Smaug

Tor is reading Appendix N

"In Advanced Readings in Dungeons & Dragons, Tor.com writers Tim Callahan and Mordicai Knode take a look at Gary Gygax's favorite authors and reread one per week, in an effort to explore the origins of Dungeons & Dragons..."

Tor's Advanced Readings in D&D

Starts off with my favorite Appendix N author Robert E. Howard. Interesting commentary. Nothing shockingly new for old grognards.  But, I'm happy just to see "press" about gaming and sci-fantasy.

Alea Tools Kickstarter

To finish out Trifecta of Kickstarters, I humbly present Alea Tools Color Boost Kickstarter. These colored, magnetic 1" and 2" inch are produced by Alea Tools. I have a bunch of there existing colors and related tools. The Kickstarter is for additional (or existing) colors. Primary meant to be used under minis to represent various conditions, etc. I've used them for that and much more.

In Hackmaster, one disk under mini, another of same color on initiative trac (which is continuous in Hackmaster), and for monsters a third on hitpoint trac.  Those tracs where on magnetic surface which the magnetic Alea disks work awesomely with.  BTW each disk comes with adhesive, magnetic circles to stick on bottom of mini to keep them stuck on Alea disks. I've also used them just by themselves as markers for monsters (when traveling light without minis).  To mark which characters are carrying torches, to indicate elevation.  On ammo, time, and other ad hoc tracks I draw on dry erase board as needed.  They, of course, work great on magnetic dry erase boards.

If you use minis and/or a game system with lots of conditions or other things to track, I heartly reccomend getting some Alea Tools. Either directly from Alea Tools' online store or via the ...

Alea Tools Color Boost Kickstarter

Dungeonstone Kickstarer

I contributed to Dungeonstone's kickstarter to get some caves to match recently the completed Dwarven Forge Kickstarter.

Dungeonstone (local Texas company)
Caves & Caverns Kickstarter

Cthulhu Wars Kickstarter

This past weekend at North Texas RPG Con I got to play a pre-production version of Cthulhu Wars with Sandy Petersen. It is a fun board game. Has all the GOO flavor one would expect. Each player controls a faction recruiting cultists, summoning monsters and Great Old Ones. What I really liked besides the huge number of really large and nicely sculpted minis was that each faction had distinct flavor, rules, strategy. Adding to the replay value was the clever map board. Two double sided sections which can be combined into four different arrangements. Neat!

I was dominating with Shub-Niggaroth, the Black Goat when had to call game for time. I liked it so much that I joined the Kickstarter.

Cthulhu Wars Kickstarter

Those are the minis for one faction.
FOUR factions are included in game with many more to come in expansions.

Jack Vance

Died recently. He will not be forgotten and his stories will still be enjoyed long after the Sun dims.

Jack Vance

The Intergral Archive

Game as Buried Treasure

What if after following treasure map through dangerous wilderness or after solving complex riddle the party is presented not with chests overfilled with gold and gems, but this...

A game, created and buried a thousand years ago.  Will they play it? What will the outcome mean? Is it valuable to a collector?  Or, perhaps priceless in that it is a clue to a greater mystery?

Idea from real life game designer Jason Rohrer who built and buried a game meant to be played 2000 years from now.

April Blogroll Additions

Sites added to my blog roll recently.

http://hereticwerks.blogspot.com/  Space Age Sorcery! and I'm a sucker for purple.

http://josephbrowning.blogspot.com/ Hello!!! Sorcery and Super Science. Like deep fried butter dipped in delicious butter sauce

http://daggerarts.blogspot.com/ Came for the S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the victuals.

http://castledragonscar.blogspot.com/  "Simulations & Dragons (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and do my own Fantasy Heartbreaker)" Preach it brother!

http://codexapocrypha.blogspot.com/ It's metal.

http://www.sycarion.com/ Came for S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the alternative magic systems

http://19thlevel.blogspot.com/   Came for S&W Appreciation Day, stayed for the reviews, which I dig muchly.

http://www.dizzysdungeon.com/ Hmmmm, probationary, looks promising.

http://appliedphantasticality.blogspot.com/ Mo magic system ideas.

25% off Swords & Wizardry

Frog God Games has discounted their entire line of Swords & Wizardry products for 1 day only in celebration of Swords & Wizardry appreciation day (April 17th 2013). The discount is good for 25% off S&W Products but you must use coupon* code SWApprDay on April 17th 2013 at check out.

http://www.talesofthefroggod.com/sword-wizardry.html

*The coupon excludes items less than $1, S&W Cards, Pre-Orders, and Subscriptions

Swords and Wizardry Appreciation Day

I am running a Swords & Wizardry game this very day at my local FLGS, Whose Turn is It? Austin, TX. 

Swords and Wizardry Appreciation Day. Represent!

One of the attractions of Swords and Wizardry for me is its shallow power curve. Which means less math, a much broader range of levels that can adventure together and increased serendipity (with a little luck and planning a gang can defeat an opponent well beyond their level). The following house rules attempt to carry on that tradition.

Combat Effects

[Really need a better name.] 

After rolling damage an attacker may offer the defender an option to take a "Combat Effect" in place of damage.  Combat Effects are whatever the player can come up with (and referee agrees to). Some ideas; disarm, entangle, keep away, push back, knock down, block, bypass, stun, cut suspenders/belt.

I visualize this as the defender can stand their ground, fight back and suffer the consequences (damage).  Or, they can give ground, let go of weapon when pressed, etc. It nicely and naturally incorporates attack success. Score a weak 1 point of damage, defender will take that 1pt of damage rather than be knocked down. Scoring 5, a very good hit, you are more likely to impose your will on opponent.

Some targets may get save or be immune to some effects.  E.g. everything probably gets save vs "stun" and you're not gonna be "knocking down" the 30' dragon.

Example time: Borg the Barbarian hits a cultist for 4 points and wanting to get past this fodder so he can stop the EHP from sacrificing the damsel, Borg offers "Knock Down or 4 points of damage".  Referee considers morale of cultist; just a bored farm kid? a blood boiling fanatic? will 4pts kill him? Cultist decides to "fall down" and play dead.  Next round Borg charges the EHP!

This goes two ways, of course.  Referee can use for capturing, pushing around, and causing complications for players with more "color" than binary "You die or We die" that most confrontations devolve into.  Possibly neutrals who just want to force their way past party. Local crime lord's minions sent to "beat up" characters (and not earn a murder rap). Town guards trying to capture rambunctious adventurers.  Most "lawful" types should be offering disarm/knock down rather than murdering outright.

A whole range of tactics that a more structured (and restrictive) rule set would spend gobs of pages on, we've codified with a few sentences and no additional dice rolls.  It This to me is essence of "good" S&W house rule. Concise and quick (no/few dice rolls, no/few modifiers, no/few exceptions). Provides choices / trade-offs, and does not escalate power.

Critical Hits

Any damage roll that is the maximum possible for that die (e.g. '6' with a d6) is a critical. In addition a natural '20' attack roll is a critical and automatically does maximum damage.

A critical hit enables an attacker to force defender to take a "combat effect" in place of the damage.  The defender no longer has the choice.  Giving up a maximum damage is big sacrifice but sometimes is game changer (pun, ugh).

Borg the Barbarian has been swinging and occasionally hitting the EHP offering to sunder the "McGuffin of Summing Thing the Players Would Rather not have Summoned" that the EHP is holding.  But the EHP is rather determined to use said McGuffin and has plenty of hit points.  The round before summoning is complete Borg scores a critical hit, Booyah! Summing foiled, TPK avoided, EHP flees, and victory seized.

Weapon Damage

I use the above two rules in my weekly game with a slight variation on "all weapons do d6 damage".  I'm unsure how well critical hit on max damage roll would work with variable damage.  It could be easily dropped. I simply wanted "forced" Combat Effects more common.

Normal weapons roll d6 for damage.  Two-handed weapons roll 2d6 taking the highest single die for damage.  This means those big axes, long spears, and huge claymores are more likely to get a "critical" and thus be able to force a Combat Effect on defender.  Besides feeling right it gives small advantage to two-handed weapons to compensate for loosing use of shield.