A Life Full of Adventure

My PC Maximillian Morningglory , Halfling Vampire Hunter Magnus  the Pony My companions Udrin Sor-Valdir  - High Elf Wizard Ludovic Hasselhoff  - Human Entertainer Durak Braksson - Dwarf NPCs Tegort  - Ogre bodyguard Sir Ortolf Eiche ("Ike") - Magister and Wizard Lord of the Azyr Wind Abelhardt Mullberger  - Journeyman Apprentice Oswin Pellensteiner - Conscripted Boatman ( Previous update ) The barge was hastily rechristened " Bianca " after Ludovic's recent amore from Stimmigen. He, Tegort, Udrin, and Oswin were left to get the ship ready for sailing. Maximillian went after the absentminded wizards. The tavern was on fire. The funeral pyre to burn dark elves and other chaos spawn had spread. It was heading from the pyre to the tavern, in the direction of Ike's room. Maximillian and Mullberger rushed to find the magister. Ike was found and hurried out of harm's way. Passing back through the tavern gate, Maximillian found the prie...

Now that summer break is here and my schedule is less hectic, I'd like to start a new weekly post...a round-up, if you will, of different interesting things I have read through the week. I hope you find these enjoyable...and helpful as well. Entertainment Chivalry - It Isn't Good Manners  by Rick Stump (Article) Chivalry vs courtesy vs stupidity. Your game may be more fun of you play appropriately. Revised Magic Book Name Generator by David Brawley (Article) Who doesn't like a good random name generator? This one is for that special tome you want to talk about or share with the players. Get your d30 dusted off! Negadungeon by Jack Mack (Article) I like the idea that there is a dungeon you know you don't want to enter. All the signs, hints, and rumors confirm you don't want to, but you must. Your honor/quest/race's survival depends on it. I also like the, tangential, idea that there are things you can release during your adventures tha...

The theme of PortCon Maine 2014 was "All the Cute." Because of this, my friend Ian ran a Star Wars game...with only Wookie, Ewok, and Squib characters. Our characters started out as slaves on a Trandoshan mining outpost, spending all of their day laboring. Things progressed from there: My character was a female ewok named Teek. She was skilled with a blaster (once she got her hands on one), was small (but everyone else was slow), was a pilot, and was NOT the brightest bulb. The game had some mechanics for playing that out, but I decided to roleplay it. When we freed ourselves from the oppressive lizards, we needed a way to get our control collars off. Teek's first thought was to shoot them off. When someone else found keys, she decided that might be a better way. The party needed a route of escape. Teek thought the most clever way out was through the ore processing smelter. Nobody else was willing to brave the fiery inferno of the smelter. At least Teek had wante...

Lirapto are a predatory species originating from a different world. They are extremely violent and self-interested. Lirapto reproduce asexually, and before coming to this planet a hundred years ago would leave their young to fend for themselves after only a few weeks.  Those that survive are tough and emotionally jaded. Even now, the young are still abandoned by individuals and cared for by the community as a whole. Their culture has no concept of pair bonding, sexual relationships, or marriage. Ideas like love and affection are weak and rarely expressed. Lirapto society is completely hierarchical and merit-based. They are highly cognizant of any hierarchical difference between themselves and those around them. They will not even speak to certain individuals if the difference between their social status is large. Because their ways are so alien in general, Lirapto receive -3 to all reaction rolls. The Lirapto believe that their monothei...

My PC Maximillian Morningglory , Halfling Vampire Hunter Magnus  the Pony My companions Udrin Sor-Valdir  - High Elf Wizard (Player absent) Ludovic Hasselhoff  - Human Entertainer NPCs Tegort  - Ogre bodyguard Sir Ortolf Eiche - Magister and Wizard Lord of the Azyr Wind Abelhardt Mullberger  - Journeyman Apprentice ( Previous update ) Brother Dieter went through his preparations (and a few drinks) but had no luck speaking to the dead dark elf. He retreated to an empty room in dismay. The other priests confided to Maximillian that there was the possibility Dieter may be delusional. When pressed, they backtracked, saying he may just be misinterpreting his dreams. Later, Maximillian and Ludovic sat down with Dieter and talked him back into his faith. Because elves do not follow Morr, the Morrian should not have expected to be able to contact the dead elf. The priest brightened and went off to confer with the others. The party spoke to...

Now that summer break is here and my schedule is less hectic, I'd like to start a new weekly post...a round-up, if you will, of different interesting things I have read through the week. I hope you find these enjoyable...and helpful as well. I'm at PortConMaine 2014 this weekend, so this was assembled early. This week was a busy one, so I didn't get through much. Entertainment The Song of Middenheim by Marc Torley If you've ever wanted to run a game in a city (which I have) but feel overwhelmed at all the prep work you'd have to do (which I am), this blog is for you. The only caveat is the posts are extremely long, though filled with value. Welcome to The Song of Middenheim, an online Guide to the City State of Middenheim in the Old World of the Warhammer universe. Events PortCon Maine 2014  (Anime/Gaming Convention) From what I can tell by looking at the schedule, I can play D&D most of the weekend and hit every edition besides 3rd (becau...

The other day I shared some advice I gave to someone asking me for advice on running Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Other people chimed in on Google+. I thought I'd share what they said: Timothy Stone from Another Caffeinated Day : I would add that going into WFRP 1E and 2E the social contract should be set out that your PC may go insane, be humiliated, maimed, or killed. And these thing tell the character's story and most certainly do not ruin the character.... All of this is a balancing act for the GM or the game can become a serial one-shot. Case in point: Morrslieb's Shadows has some great character development with the characters slowly going insane and touching the Aethyer on occasion. The goal nears and a great campaign can be told in the character stories at the end. Maybe grand failure will result, but maybe the world will be spared by the misfit collection of heroes. Goals . WFRP shouldn't just be about barely skilled schulbs scratching through the v...

Someone on Google+ mentioned that he doesn't really know how to roleplay a woman. He usually just sticks with describing her appearance, and then isn't sure how to proceed from there to differentiate his female character from his male characters. I don't shy away from roleplaying female characters. In a list of past characters, 6/26 are female. That doesn't mean I played them well, but I at least tried my best. The poster's final question was this: What techniques can I employ to make female NPC's actually feel like real women without resorting to douchy sexist stereotypes?  What really made the follow-up conversation interesting to me is that it wasn't a talk about male and female stereotypes or gender roles (topics I abhor). There were some handy tips for his question. So I ask here, do you have any tips for this gamer?

My PC Maximillian Morningglory , Halfling Vampire Hunter Magnus  the Pony My companions Udrin Sor-Valdir  - High Elf Wizard Ludovic Hasselhoff  - Human Entertainer NPCs Tegort  - Ogre bodyguard Sir Ortolf Eiche - Magister and Wizard Lord of the Azyr Wind Abelhardt Mullberger  - Journeyman Apprentice Italics indicate prose by the GM: ( Previous update ) A quiet mood hangs over the tavern known as Delb's Ferry. Attacked by a Druchii in the late evening, the morning brings the survivor's task of cleaning up the mess. A pyre is prepared for bodies of the Druchii and a mutant, while a cell of Morrian Dreamwalkers give last rites to the rest: a fallen Roadwarden, the inn keep, the inn's ferryman and guards and the party's brutally murdered river hires. Suderberg is days away over land on the thinly patrolled River Delb wagon trail and the party contemplates their travel plans. The kindling is dry, but the sodden bodies of the mutant...

Now that summer break is here and my schedule is less hectic, I'd like to start a new weekly post...a round-up, if you will, of different interesting things I have read through the week. I hope you find these enjoyable...and helpful as well. Entertainment Why Encumbrance Matters To Me by Rick Stump (Article) Encumbrance adds another dimension to the game. It is wonderful for realism, verisimilitude, immersion, or whatever other buzzword you want to use. We all add realism to our fantasy games. I like using this. Events PortCon Maine 2014  (Anime/Gaming Convention) From what I can tell by looking at the schedule, I can play D&D most of the weekend and hit every edition besides 3rd (because the 3e time slots are too long). Huzzah! Products Self Sufficient Contest by Random Wizard (PWYW) Random Wizard's goal is to make the One Page Dungeon Contest self-sufficient. This means that, while prizes provided from the community are always welcome, the con...

The other night, I was asked to give some advice to a new Warhammer GM. I'm not really good with general questions, but here's what I had to share: Warhammer is grim and perilous. Kill people and destroy things.  Don't be shy about killing PCs, if that's where the decisions and the dice roll lead you. Heck, there are Fate Points for them to use. What I really mean is kill NPCs.  Do the PCs have family? Find a way to kill them (off camera, naturally). Better yet, find a way to kill them that gets the players involved with the current adventure (a mysterious group of mutants rolled through the land, killing everyone in their path...which happened to include the ratcatcher's parents who lived on a farm outside of town. Someone needs to hunt the pack down and destroy them or report back to the town council). Let the PCs make friends with the weaponsmith, the armorer, the innkeeper, whoever, and then kill them.  Make it bloody. Make it gruesome. Make the characte...

Vaervenshyael is an elf who has a lot of talent with a sword and a bad outlook on the world. She is tired of evil, injustice, and prejudice. She doesn't wait for established law to stick up for her or what she believe in. She would rather rely on the justice of her blade. Age : 69   Weight: 155 Height : 5'9" Sex : F Hair : Dark Brown  Eyes : Grey/Blue  Level : 1 Alignment:  G/CG Description : Earring Star Sign: The Dancer Below are stats for WFRP 1e, WFRP 2e, and D&D 2e S&P. Attributed to Howard Lyon http://www.howardlyon.com/ WFRP 1e   Protagonist M 4 WS 50  BS 32  S 4 T 3 W 4 I 61  A 2 Dex 41 Ld 37  Int 49  Cl 49  WP 42  Fel 47 IP 0 FP 1 Skills: Dance, Disarm, Dodge Blow, Excellent Vision, Night Vision, Ride Horse, Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun Hand Weapons: Sword, Knife Missile Weapons: None Armor: Mail shirt, Shield Trapp...

My PC Bo - Dwarf Rogue (Artificer) My Companions Donovan - Half-Elf Bard/Mage Lyra - Half-Elf Bard/Psionicist Yamtwit - Goblin Merchant Priest Frantiska - Elf Mage/Paladin Hrud - Human Barbarian Winona - Human Priest of Tyr Teldicia - Tiefling Mage (NPC) Brother Rant - Human Priest of Tyr (NPC) Sister Rye - Halfling Priest of Tyr (NPC) From Bo's Journal My personal quest to recover old engineering plans lost in the human city of Phlan was slowly progressing. On the way from Shadowdale I found a suit of magical, padded armor. Unfortunately, the armor gets in the way when I'm trying to work on projects. I have it stored in my backpack to sell or trade. The bluderbuss project literally blew up in my face, scorching my hair and beard. I have decided to leave that project until I can research more about gunsmithing. It was only a distraction, anyway, and will not impede my quest. My schematic is rolled up in the scroll tube to examine lat a later date to...

Now that summer break is here and my schedule is less hectic, I'd like to start a new weekly post...a round-up, if you will, of different interesting things I have read through the week. I hope you find these enjoyable...and helpful as well. Entertainment Flip the Table, Episode 55: Pokemon Master Trainer (Podcast) Happy 2nd BANCE-iversary to Flip the Table! We're kicking off our 3rd year with one of the biggest IPs in the world of gaming as we take on Pokemon...but not the good kind like you want...is it enough to take down Team Rocket in the end, or will you be left crying like a kid with a prematurely unplugged link cable? Plus, in the Battle of Wits, the panel struggles to name a single Pokemon correctly. When the World Was Young  by Kenton Kilgore (Article) His memories of D&D sound fun, indeed. And he says it helped him craft a novel. I like these kind of stories. Includes insights on how to craft a story to an audience, how to create interestin...

My PC Maximillian Morningglory , Halfling Vampire Hunter Magnus  the Pony My companions Udrin Sor-Valdir  - High Elf Wizard Ludovic Hasselhoff  - Human Entertainer NPCs Tegort  - Ogre bodyguard Sir Ortolf Eiche - Magister and Wizard Lord of the Azyr Wind Abelhardt Mullberger  - Journeyman Apprentice ( Previous update ) Maximillian used all of his bravado to insist that the roadwardens allow him to kill the creature in the pit: "I am an agent of Sigmar, trained by the witch hunter Wolfgang Ostman. Allow me to cleanse the creature's soul and have my bodyguard dispatch it." The roadwardens stifled a laugh and insisted on taking care of the creature themselves once the storm let up.  Maximillian threatened to not lend a hand if the creature escaped before then. In the opposite corner of the inn, the Morrians had caught Ludovic's attention, asking him about the determined halfling. The leader, Brother Dieter, required an intr...

My PC Maximillian Morningglory , Halfling Vampire Hunter Magnus  the Pony My companions Udrin Sor-Valdir  - High Elf Wizard Ludovic Hasselhoff  - Human Entertainer NPCs Tegort - Ogre bodyguard Sir Ortolf Eiche - Magister and Wizard Lord of the Azyr Wind Abelhardt Mullberger - Journeyman Apprentice Italics indicate prose by the GM: ( Previous update ) To call the craft a barge would be both dishonest to anyone that saw it and an insult to the captain, the barge owner and your host. With an 80ft keel, the single masted craft is almost a floating inn. A decent kitchen that seems to have been sized for a Halfling and quarters for everyone to pair, save Tegort. But even Tegort, in his last adventure with you is afforded cover from rain and sun by the canvased deck. Maximilian spends the day cooking/prepping another meal for the crew (and Tegort). A meal is never passed without a bellow and a compliment from Tegort on deck as he checks his...

Now that summer break is here and my schedule is less hectic, I'd like to start a new weekly post...a round-up, if you will, of different interesting things I have read through the week. I hope you find these enjoyable...and helpful as well. Entertainment What Makes a Great Title for an Adventure?  by Carl Bussler (Article) Great adventures contain devious villains, wondrous locations, horrific monsters and of course, a memorable title. But what makes a great title? Megadungeon Practices by John Arendt (Article) This article is an interesting read in-and-of itself, which discussion of topics like Use a Stocking Algorithm, Gold as Experience, and Pacing Advancement. However, some of the topic summaries lead to other, longer blog posts (Deeper Levels = Greater Danger, Progressive Elaboration, and Flow of Information [an article that I was going to link in this review before he included it in the larger Practices write-up]). I really should have posted this yesterd...