Phasic 5!

Yeah, yeah, I finally finished editing issue 5 of phasic, the Encounter Critical fanzine. This issue actually had five contributors, many thanks to these guys. There are a few scraps remaining, which I forgot to include, that I could use to start issue 6. That may be a project for next year? I've got an unfinished adventure design, or two, I want to work on before I start another issue of phasic.  Of course, if someone else would like to take up the editorially banner and produce a subsequent issue that would dandy too.

I posted the file, a pdf, on Google Drive and left it open for public viewing. It's here: phasic # 5

Dungeons & Dirigibles

 I know this has been done, but leave it to my DIY nature to reinvent the wheel, I think that's much the nature of the OSR, is reinventing the RPG wheel. While reading Frankenstein I began imagining what D&D, I mean original D&D, would be if Appendix N where composed of Shelley's Frankenstein, Stoker's Dracula, the Jules Verne catalogue and 1001 Arabian Nights.

First, the list of classes would be slightly different. There would be the traditional Fighters but they might be renamed Soldiers and magic users would be heavily focused on alchemy . All clerics would be Christian, Masonic, Muslim or Egyptian. (Gotta throw in the Masonic and Egyptology hooks.) Since Frankenstein is based on a scientist that recreates life, there would have to be a class called Professor, Surgeon or Scientist. (I like Surgeon.) There would have to be a rouge, scoundrel or beggar class and a specialist class that all classes could adopt, we'll call it Adventurer. The Adventurer subclass would allow characters to focus on weapon specialization, fine tuning their profession and/or exploration.

The weapons list would be different too, focusing mainly on cutlasses, rapiers, flint lock firearms, torches and pitchforks.

 Since Frankenstein was the source of these ideas I'll focus a bit more on the Surgeon class. In Shelley's tale, Frankenstein's creation was the central problem or obstacle of the plot. Within the scope of an RPG, the nature or personality of the creation, or Flesh Golems, could be variable.  V. Frankenstein struggled with the moral nature and responsibility of his creation and this wouldn't be the case with all, if any, player characters. The player character surgeons could, possibly, create any number of socially functioning Flesh Golems.

Now I'm thinking that this idea, which I'll call Dangers & Dirigibles, is most likely to become a set of rules for Encounter Critical. Which brings me to the obvious point that I'm way past any reasonable deadline for producing Phasic issue 5.  To be continued...

Frankenstein!

That's, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I thought I'd dip into this classic. I have vague memories of reading it in college, now that I'm revisiting it, I hope no one has to suffer through this monstrosity to get an education these days.

It is just all too wordy for me. While I think the style of Frankenstein is just tedious Victorian romance, I can see the obvious influence on the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. In fact, the style reminds me of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Both are written as a series of letters which convey the action and plot to the reader. For example:

"This expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years. I have read with ardour the accounts of the various vouyages with have been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean through the seas which surround the pole. You may remember that a history of all the vouyages made for purposes of discovery composed the whole of our good uncle Thomas's library."

Shelley or Verne, I ask you? And, if it's Shelly, what's the North Pacific Ocean have to do with the tale of Frankenstein?

The influence of Mrs. Shelley's tale on subsequent literature, as well as society, are obvious and my complaints are as miniscule dust particles in the endless measure of the Milky Way. I've read one third of the book. We'll see if my intellectual appetite  can contain the remainder of this verbal flesh golem.

More Game Geek Eye Candy

I've been spending a bit of spare time down at the comic book shop. They don't know my rep. as an old school game geek but I think they are beginning to get the picture. (Maybe I'm just one of the quieter geeks?) I found a copy of Atari Force #1 on the 2 for $1 table and this photo is the ad from the back cover.

I don't recall the Power Lords toys. I was a high school student in the Atari Force days and more interested in reading the comics and playing some Basketball or Gamma World than acquiring the toys which co-responded with the comics.

Now that I'm an old school game geek, these Power Lords look like they'd fit right into an Encounter Critical game! I'll keep ya posted.

Look a' this!

I'm still lurking about and am, of course, grossly behind schedule on any projects I should be completing. The Adventure Capitalist have been roaming the halls of the Temple of Elemental Evil for about a month now and had a near TPK a couple of weeks ago. (We play each Tuesday evening, usually.) Funny, no mater how long we play frpgs, we seem to make the same silly mistakes over and over.

My main point here is, I just wanted to post this lovely illustration as a bit of gonzo gaming inspiration. I found this via Tumblr/Goddess of Smut. It's apparently by Chris Achilleos.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess: July Grand Adventure Campaign wrap up

The LotFP July Grand Adventure Campaign has ended at Indigogo and you probably don't need to get your news or information on this topic from me. Perhaps we should just file this post under; Note to Self.

You can read the official wrap up at the LotFP blog, and probably have. Four of the nineteen campaigns funded, each was project had a funding goal of $6000. Yes, I contributed to each of these four projects. I didn't expect two of them to fund. I also contributed to one of the projects which did not fund.

I will be happy to be receiving prints of three new adventures some time in the near future and a pdf of a fourth adventure. Will I use them for Encounter Critical or Labyrinth Lord, only time will tell?

Besides the perks of these funding campaigns, my reward from this experience is; words and imagination are valuable. Of course, I have known this fact a long time but, perhaps now I'm reaching a point where I can use this knowledge. If I should ever attempt a crowd funding campaign, I believe I'd set my goal at $350. Would $350. pay for my time to write a "professional" adventure? No, but it would be a starting point and if I did a second crowd funding campaign I could set the goal at $650.

On the other hand, this is all just crazy talk and speculation.

Aquatic Trutle Rat stat block

Here's your stat block for the Aquatic Turtle Rat. I followed the Labyrinth Lord stat format:

Size: medium
No. Enc. 1d8
Align. Chaotic
Move. 120’
AC. 5
HD. 2
Att. 1 or 2 (claw, bite)
Damage: 1d6, 1d6
Save. F4
Morale. 8
HC. V or VI