Wednesday 30 October 2019

Reviews: Highfell and Raiders of R'lyeh



So since sept ive done a bit of shopping. Still on mostly only patreon and paid rpg gigs and no income to live off but life improved mostly. Both these items on pricey side without free pdf but post to Australia was very affordable and worth 6 week wait. Highfell had a few lines where print rollers messed up but 99% good. Raiders pretty flawless and huge 2.2kg 480 pages and fatter than the pic above looks. While Im here I recommend the Castles & Crusades codex series i got as PDF's in bundle and will get hardcovers some day.

Highfell The Drifting Dungeon, the latest from Greg Gillespie confirming his place as best oldschool sandbox dungeon creator. I got first two second hand at a good price and was gobsmacked. The three books of Greg: Barrowmaze Complete, Forbidden Chasms of Archaia and Highfell are overall favorite dnd-ish adventures. Dripping with oldschool vibes, art direction reminding me of mid 80s White Dwarf. I am reminded of Homlet and Temple of Elemental Evil in structure but these are better.

Each book features local religions, a wilderness area to explore and a base village described in detail with rumours and interesting locals. This volume is in a cold wind and salt blasted northern wilderness. All three books feature starting mini dungeons before coming to the big dungeons. Each book has a monster section featuring classic and new creatures used, each illustrated. Frankly they are presented better than most and I would buy a Greg monster manual if he did one. Each book features a type of magic item found locally and in this volume it is books, spells and spell components.  The series format works. You set up a home base, explore wilds, find rumours then start baby dungeons before the megadungeon proper. Its a good setup and I hope it continues. The books overlap in religions and monsters a bit and the setting is the same. Highfell refers to things in other volumes but still enjoyable. Each has illustration section like the better pre Dragonlance TSR modules did. The art is great and as I said has the gritty feel of 80s uk pre warhammer vibe I try to emulate in my settings. I like pathfinder but it and dnd5 art turns me off (not my fantasy).

A ruined magic school brought adventurers for years to area but now its flying about. Adventurers need means to get there. Then explore some wizard towers before a ziggurat and a bigger dungeon. The undead dragon cult is behind various problems and needs to be stopped. I have not read it all yet but im pretty impressed and like previous ones should last a long time. I might ad stuff from
Realms of Crawling Chaos (Labyrinth Lord) to spice it up. The books are fun in every hoard of loot and i could pad it out with my own book lists and magic school stuff. For some reason Highfell inspires me to add more strange stuff. Not from a deficiency but more from inspiration. Getting books to civilisation might be a adventure too. There are 20 towers concluding in the Ziggurat where the major plot is revealed. Like most fantasy ziggurats it is not really historic but gonzo magic floating land mass not history gaming. Then there are 19 other dungeons. Like other volumes you could steal locations to drop in other games if you need a tower or dungeon. I rate all theses highly despite price. I would like pdf's one day. Extra map books and stuff available might be a cheaper option or I could print huge.

Raiders of R'lyeh Gamemaster guide and complete rules, a d100 cthulhu clone 480 pages and has had price drop. It is a fat 2.2kg. I will use to enhance my Call of Cthulhu games and not run as is. Much like I use CoC7 while im still playing 2nd ed. Layout is mostly basic with black and white history photos like other fan mad products/ Some illustrations are quite adequate but mostly text. Being black and white i find it easier to read than the 7th ed cthulhu books.

I got it despite i dislike the book consultant who personally abused me many times and defends Milo Yianopolis. I have 3 of his books, occasional we had reasonable discussions but not with politics and fandom. Im possibly gonna get smeared with that accusation of affiliation soon but for record he is one of my 5 most hated humans alive. Im hoping not to be called a nazi or have death threats but more on that later. For record Im a long time anarchist punk humanist who was a elected paid unionist for 3 years and ran a union paper for three years and mostly worked helping unfortunates.


Set pre ww1. Fantastic detail in setting info history. Great timelines, travel info, stuff on cars and things I wish CoC had done before. You could run this game for 1910 into and into WW1 well or bridge Gaslight era to the jazz age. I will compare this to Call of Cthulhu (CoC) lots here. In many ways it is a CoC/BRP varient but so is COC7 vs all previous versions. CoC7 and Raiders is more complex than CoC1-6.

Character gen uses open game licence d100 BRP with variations of course. Like 7th ed CoC it introduces derived mechanics i would rather not. No Education attribute or credit rating skill. Rationality rather than SAN. Different take on social standing, class, culture and occupations. Some interesting skill ideas. Connections and contacts and family are a thing. My prob with too much detail in characters is I have had 4 characters die in a session and if each took me hours I would be pissed and might quit. I feel like in CoC7 as a keeper i might fear killing a character more than older versions. CoC7 is pulpier than CoC2 without pulp sourcebook. My players are borderline gangster-terrorists and dont need CoC7 Pulpbook advantages or luck systems. Some interesting tables like fam,ily secrets could enhance any mythos gaming if you like detailed characters.

Has good research and investigating rules with tables detailing time. A foreign exchange table for cash very handy. Repairing and inventing stuff. Detailed vehicle collisions for chases and fatigue. Fires, explosions, exploring areas, real poison, radiation and disease effects, lots of good physics type world stuff. Sanity stuff different to but interesting. Reasonably detailed combat with options.Great takes on mythos magic, spirits, spells, study of the occult. Good mishap tables and lots of spells have tables for extra effects. Game uses Essence points not magic points. Magic to turn others into monsters and strange magical gifts, pacts and more. Monsters feel less written in stone. Greater entities have wildly different cults and rumoured attributes giving you lots of option. Could be refreshing takes for players who know too much CoC lore. Random creatures and spirits because more monsters should be unique and strange. Lots of special and random powers for monsters too. Magic can taint you physically not just mentally.

Later sections have more history, npcs to use, earthly beasts, organisations, cults, responses from cults your fighting against. Tables of inventions, Miskatonic uni staff, notes on European noble titles, travels, city populations, recent war and exploration chronology, oddly there is a entry for rail times with insmouth crossed out crudely I guess is deliberate.

Great mythos flavour source book with lots of ideas and world info usable for your CoC games. A slow kick starter, pricey at first and possibly rpg pundits consulting roll may have harmed the books success with some ppl over him forever by then. If it was timely and beat CoC7 out it might have done better. Id still like to see some of the other KS stuff.

Raiders KS
353 backers pledged $28,221
digital eds were estimated due dec 2013
ppl still waiting as of 6 days ago for books
i did hear a creator was losing eyesight which sounds bad
some upset was for sale of drivethrough before they got copies
the project was very ambitious in scope and to outdo a existing product

CoC7 KS

3,668 backers pledged $561,836
digital eds were estimated due oct 2013 but arrived 2014 books out 2016
some cancelled extras effort made to compensate backers
Was very ambitious and timed with huge orient express box i was too poor for

I guess its a interesting study of KS struggles.

DND is not best game ever but it is so common it is a common language for gamers. Esperanto might be great but Im not going to quit English. In some ways releasing a cthulhu rpg possibly like the older version might have worked as CoC7 departs in many ways from all previous eds in design and rules. Im not a fan of all new rules or slower character gen but if I wanna run con games or try and build local scene because companies wont run demos in my current city I might have to learn CoC7. 7th ed p[roducts have been very good unlike late 6th ed ones. I can't see me using Raiders but it is inspiring, has great info and possible variant rules for my home game. I like major mythos powers have more info yet more nebulous and inconsistent. Some of the spell stuff is great. Raiders reads well and looks ok and one of fattest rpg books I have. It is a interesting curiosity, a valuable sourcebook and might surprise your cthulhu players and open scenario possibilities. Heck I prefer it to most other Cthulhu RPGs out there today.


Wednesday 23 October 2019

Broken Hill Ruin Events




























So im trying to come up with stuff for ruins to not just be encounter tables. This is something you could roll for a sort of theme for the day major event for the ruins. Couls provide some distant sound effects, weather, roaming bands of combatants and more. Somedays you might have to hide.

d10 Quick Types of Events
01 Animals amok
02 Wild weather
03 Hazardous life
04 Faction wars
05 Disaster 
06 Cybernetics amok
07 Vehicles amok
08 Settlers and Refugees
09 Markets & Merchants
10 Holidays & Festivities

d100 
Broken Hill Ruin Events
01 Herds of grazing animals pass through in hundreds d4 1=kangaroos 2=emus 3=camels 4=goats
02 Stampede of herd animals driven by d4 1=tribal hunters 2=farmers 3=predators 4=robots
03 Huge pack of dingos hunting over area howling and taking on rival predators
04 Mating season  makes a breed of dangerous animal more common and territorial
05 Migrating flying creatures arrive and common briefly d4 1=ibis 2=bats 3=pterodactyls 4=colony of ravens sharing single mind
06 Gigantic lizards wage war and roars are heard all over ruins
07 Livestock raiding breaks out as settlers steal and lose herds and fight each other
08 Settlers fight over grazing rights become territorial often conflicting with croppers
09 Raiders rustling livestock trying to hide of get out of area, bounties offered by local farmers for dead rustlers
10 A new mutant animal type has become common this season causes problems and challenges to current ecology and survivors, locals unprepared
11 Pleasant day flowers bloom and animals breeding
12 Sudden chill and snow falls briefly before normal weather reumes
13 Clouds of orange and red dust fill sky makes everything look like on mars
14 Thunderstorm sweeps over area with some lightning strikes and brief showers
15 Thunderstorm chokes area, sky dark, aquatic animals including eels, crocs, frogs, yabbies and turtles swarm, wetland encounters everywhere, some areas flooded
16 Heatwave with over 40 degrees C, hot dry wind everyone needs cover and more water
17 Auroras in sky, at night are spectacularly lit up with incredible lights
18 Light drizzling rain fills creeks and makes farmers happy, reduces visibility
19 Contaminated rain d4 1=radioactive 2=diseased 3=acid 4=narcotic
20 Weather control machinery creates crazy weather d4 1=machine in city experimented on by faction 2=orbital AI god being a jerk 3=temporary bug lasts only a day 4=gang test firing rockets into sky they uncovered
21 Locust swarms devour everything and in turn provide a feast
22 Swarms of mutant cockroaches cover some streets like a river
23 Rabbits everywhere over grazing but providing plenty of free food
24 Rats swarming out of drains and subways fleeing some hazard
25 Spores in air cause many to caught and splutter, new fungus type begins to grow in area d6 1=exploding toadstools 2=puffballs 3=giant mushrooms 4=delicious manna fungus 5=choking mould patches 6=ambulant killer fungus
26 Ants swarming become aggressive and queens take to air to start new colonies, locals try to stamp out most nightmarish varieties
27 Blowflies darken skies, get in eyes and mouth and food, some animals enjoy feast, some catch in nets and make bug burger patties
28 Mobile killer plants bloom and move about making familiar places dangerous
29 Aggressive weed grows rampant blocking areas and causing problems d6 1=strangle vines 2=flammable 3=narcotic pollen 4=stinging touch 5=razor sharp grass 6=thorn mazes
30 Dangerous plant bears seasonal fruits d4 1=hurls explosive fruit 2=mutation berries 3=radioactive flowers 4=fruit causes narcotic effects making animals annoying or violent drunks 5=addictive fruits get eater high then turn aggressive when fruit gone 6=aggressive insect swarms attracted to flowers and fruits
31 Mutant hunters on warpath seek to cleanse (murder) any mutants they can and to recruit more biggots
32 Animen, uplifted animals and mutant animals unite to punish humans and establish animal faction (yet again)
33 Tribal and anti tech factions on rampage to destroy technology and are wary of adventurers looting devil devices of the immoral ancients
34 Canetoad folk advanced scout force moves into city to establish a base and conflict with locals as they search ruins for stronghold to bring in more troops
35 Warlords forces fight desert raider scum on the streets with pitched battles and skirmishes
36 Factions battle over gathering artefacts to worship as holy relics or to study and use for benefit of all
37 Bunker troops on surface fighting d4 1=another bunker 2=local warlords troops 3=wasteland gangs 4=androids
38 Settlers united with rangers to purge ruins of gangs, cannibals, bandits and other scum
39 A major faction having a civil war d4 1=drawing in other groups to conflict 2=purging a sub faction of heretics 3=propaganda battle with graffiti and leaflets 4=faction members struggling over new leadership via election or armed struggle depending of faction style
40 Amazons on the rampage killing and castrating slavers, pimps and any who disrespect or bully their sisters
41 Fire burning, smoke in air d4 1=burning ruins 2=burning settlement 3=grass fires everywhere 4=sky dark orange red, air bad 
42 Minor tremor shifts some rubble and ruins and spooks animals
43 Shooting stars visible as things fall from space d4 1=meteors 2=space junk 3=escape pods 4=space craft or orbital fragments
44 Aircraft crashes d4 1=trader airship 2=Orung empire fighter 3=crude propeller aircraft full of feral refugees 4=escapees from a distant isolated bunker or far off place
45 Food shortage from crop failure, animals desperate and cannibal raiders
46 Water shortage caused by drought or contamination with d4 1=radioactive 2=disease 3=chemicals 4=parasites, good water increases in trade value
47 Massive explosion from atomic power cell going off or war era munition is disturbed
48 Disease outbreak spreads rapidly around city killing many and incapacitating more temporarily which some factions take advantage of
49 Building collapses creating massive dust cloud over ruins
50 Subterranean structure collapses creating sinkhole or pit and huge dust cloud possibly revealing some complex or subway
51 AI generated holograms in ruins trying to compete to recruit cultists
52 Swarms of drones spying on everyone
53 Recycling drones scavenging and murdering for raw materials for som AI or faction 
54 Robots fighting in streets d4 1=rival AI controllers 2=virused vs free willed 3=anti human vs pro human 4=controlled by factions or bunker 
55 Androids on warpath d4 1=virused vs free willed 2=AI vs AI 3=eliminate humans 4=fighting robots
56 Cyborgs from a hidden bunker waging war on surface dwellers d4 1=raiding for parts 2=kidnapping victims to cyborg 3=fight rival bunker 4=murdering anyone not linked to them
57 Warborg, robot tank or worse patrolling city killing anyone it can find with heavy weapons
58 Nanite colony of goo recycling ancient ruins into new unlooted ruins
59 Exterminator robots disguised as humans on murder sprees for some evil AI 
60 Orbital AI beams down missionaries to preach faith of new god
61 Jet aircraft flies overhead scouting from the Orangutan Empire to the far north 1in6 get shot down by some local force
62 Savage road gangs running amok across city plundering and murdering
63 Sounds of functioning subway train heard around city
64 Someone setting of chain reactions of atomic fuel cells in ground cars
65 Ultralight scouts observing city for some wasteland faction
66 Airship flies overhead d4 1=traders from far off land visiting silver city markets 2=adventurers come to ruins 3=pilgrims serving a AI 4=troop transport from some faction come to bring in more combatants
67 Raiders mounted on flying mutant monsters invade
68 Desert nomads riding exotic mutant mounts pour into ruins causing troubles
69 Road nomad convoy arrives to make a camp upset local factions
70 Automated ground cars driving about on own
71 Starving refugees from wars in east arrive desperate and hungry, most died on the way and are unwelcome or quickly exploited by factions or slavers
72 Escaped slaves revolted from another territory come here for a new life search for place to settle
73 Secret hidden bunker inhabitants forced to surface seek new lives d4 1=life support collapsed 2=faction fued 3=over populated 4=fresh clones unprepared for surface life
74 Nomad tribal groups gather for great ceremony, many hunt in ruins for food for a feast 
75 Feral tribe of hippies gather for a huge bush doof rave party bringing in huge amounts of drugs
76 A "new" warlord called in wasteland gangs to join them to battle the current warlord for supremacy d4 1=assassinated sending gangs wild 2=ambushed by current warlord and massacre survivors scatter 3=ancient weapon of mass destruction deployed killing the leader and followers 4=gangs cant agree and war breaks out as they exterminate each other
77 Spacecraft arrives with hideous once human cyborgs returned from the stars. Plan to terraform region with a machine they erect. Local life rounded up to be broken down into food and fuel
78 Spacecraft from orbital colony land from desperation as their home habitat in decline. Naive and weak by comparison to locals
79 Settlers arrive en mass to start new faction bases throughout ruins
80 A major type of mutant or animal abhumans arrive to settle unseen in area before
81 Caravans from far and wide coming to Silver city to trade
82 Cheap drugs on the streets with paddlers everywhere possibly serving a faction
83 Sly grog shops pop up everywhere selling beer and spirits. Often from tents or shacks, most avoiding factions and warlord to not pay "tax"
84 Influx of weapons sold in streets with some surprising users rampaging about city ruins d4 1=black powder muskets 2=plastic printed one use guns 3=cartridge based ammo 20th C firearms 4=explosives
85 Slavers in area kidnapping new stock and selling at low low prices
86 Someone selling robots or androids on the street d41=all set to be virused into human killers on certain time and date 2=all cobbled from scrap and damaged 3=all have damaged brains and range from quirky to insane 4=all basic service models and not dangerous
87 Someone selling working scrap built vehicles to ruin dwellers causing various conflicts
88 Everyone growing new miracle crop plant sold by mysterious merchant
89 Trader selling cheap long life ration packs new from some secret factory, becomes commonplace overnight
90 New domestic animal being sold and everybody wants them d4 1=adorable lab grown biopet 2=unusual new herd animal 3=savage but trainable guard beast 4=riding beast 
91 Race day! d4 1=vehicle races 2=camel race 3=horse race 4=emu race, gambling and drinking everywhere as travellers from far away come to compete 
92 Arts festival where culture fans make strange performances, reenact ancient videos, paint murals, build sculptures, erect totem poles and other activities.Celebrity artists compete and celebrated publicly with factions competing through art
93 Apocalypse day when everyone mourns the old world and birth of the new, the exact day a bit hazy. Day ends with feast after fasting all day
94 Patriot day when factions have parades with bands, marching, hold memorial services and leaders rattle sabres vs rival groups
95 Holy day where religions factions try to commune with AI gods and their ancestors, usually sombre in mornings with feasts and celebrations by night
96 Exodus Day celebrating when a significant faction came out of bunker to live on the surface after the apocalypse. Many dress in bunker jumpsuits and reflect on life underground, secret hidden bunker agents use to walk freely on surface
97 Victory Day, everyone celebrates repulsing three major canetoad folk invasions,burning frog effigies common with fireworks
98 Purge Day, a ancient custom where locals lynch and execute some poor victims for being a burden, poor, loners, suspicious acting, mutants or any excuse. Some communities brawl in public or murder strangers
99 Rabbit Day, when tribes of rabbit folk hide landmines and grenade trip lines and most people try to kill them. They often leave out traps disguised as colourful treats which especially trick children
100 Giftmas day, when all gather to give thanks and exchange presents. Even the city AI join in with festive holograms, street decorations put up by robots and gangs of biker raiders give gifts to poor mutant children. Santa robots roam spreading good cheer but some seek to spoil the day with theft or violent attacks

Tuesday 22 October 2019

Broken Hill Ruin Hazards





So encounters and loot are handy but these are made to fill in ruin crawls to make them more thrilling. So these are hazards and things to find on streets to break up encounters and offer divergent adventures.

01 Contamination
02 Booby traps
03 Accidents
04 Lifeform
05 Ambush
06 Finds
07 Ruins
08 Synthetics
09 Propaganda
10 Inhabitants

d100 
Broken Hill Ruin Hazards

01 The area has mild radiation CON save or lose one HP each turn in area
02 The area has light radiation CON save or lose d3 each turn in area
03 The area has heavy radiation CON save or lose one HP each round in area
04 Area has toxic contamination CON save each hour in the area 
05 Area diseased CON save or each day make a new save or lose a random stat point per day until resisted finally. Zero attribute equals death
06 Mutagens once per day CON save or develop a minor mutation
07 Make a CON save or infected with necrovirus. Fail save equals zombification in a hour, success will arise as zombie after being dead 24 hours even if it takes years
08 Psycho Gas, CON save or enter collective fantasy often unites all in a mob or group defence force
09 Non lethal Psychotronic Weapon, WIS or character confused and unstable possibly d4 1=attack allies out of paranoia 2=fleeing from fear 3=enter elaborate hallucinatory dream world 4=sel
10 Hostile Psychotronic Weapon, WIS save or mind influenced every turn d4 1=become invading combatant serving long dead foreign enemy 2=become passive and await orders from authoriries 3=desire to commit act of sabotage or distruction
11 Landmines buried in area d4 1=robotic self burrowing 2=proximity sensing 3=remote controlled 4=mines jump in air then explode 3d6 DEX saves for half
12 Pit trap with spikes for hunting large animals DEX save or fall in 2d6
13 Leg snare if set off dangles victim in air by leg DEX save
14 Leg trap DEX save or damaged and held, need STR save or assistance to escape 
15 Incendiary trap as a burning molotov 2d4 plus save or extra d3 for d4 rounds
16 Trip line with grenade or claymore mine 3d6 DEX saves for half
17 Trip line or pressure set of swinging scythe or spiked club DEX save or 2d6 
18 Net trap DEX save or swept up in net and suspended in the air
19 Dead fall causes toppling rubble DEX save or 3d6, pinned if damage over STR
20 Trip line sets off weapon d4 1=crossbow 2=poison dart 3=sawn off shotgun 4=disposable one shot laser DEX save to avoid, often in choke point to effect multiple targets 
21 Someone in group fires a shot or makes a loud noise or glints a blade so get a random encounter
22 Wall collapses DEX save or hit by a d4 x d6 rolls damage, if damage more than STR pinned by rubble
23 Ground collapses into sewer or subway DEX save or 2d6
24 Fire breaks out! three DEX saves to avoid a d6, INT save to avoid confusion in smoke 
25 Rock falls DEX save or d4 damage
26 Unexploded ancient bomb or missile still sensitive and ready to blow d4 1=gas shell 2=incendiary 3=AI will chat and might be convinced not to explode 4=starts ticking
27 Area covered highly flammable, possible with leaked chemicals or gas, easy to start inferno with fire arm discharge
28 Ground is boggy half movement, STR save each round you run or get stuck and fall in
29 Minor tremor, DEX save or slip over
30 Bulding collapses limiting d4 directions you can travel
31 Poppy fields release gas CON save or go to sleep and probably be devoured by animals
32 Field of explosive tiadstools DEX save or 2d4 damage per round in area
33 Snare vines try to grab DEX or held by vines
34 Gamma flowers open bloom as approach, CON Save or 3d6 rad damage and second save or gain a lesser mutation
35 Telikinetic giant eye macrobes growing in rubble hurl d6 rocks for a d4 each round in area
36 Swarm of insects controls area d4 1=huge ants CON save or d5 poison 2=stinging blow flies 3=horrible pale worms from ground 4=huge mosquitoes CON save or diseased bite
37 Masses of cobwebs in area d4 1=swarm of tiny spiders 2=single giant spider 3=2 d6 huge spiders 4=giant mutant cyborg intelligent spider
38 Area knee deep in water d4 1=swarm of horrible aquatic bugs 2=d4 giant leeches 3= swarm of biting fish or eels 4=mutant water constrictor snake
39 Large stagnant pool with reeds blocks area d4 1=d4 giant frogs 2=giant mutant dragonfly 3=giant snapping turtle 4=huge mutant fish
40 Mould releases spores if touched CON save to resist d4 1=choke to death in d4 rounds without aid or being moved out 2=hallucinations 3=save or develop symptoms of zombification rot 4=start to grow fungus on body lose INT point and 1 move a week unless treated
41 Large pack of wild dogs surround part and attack
42 Large solitary mutant predator like a sabre cat pounces at a straggler attempting to kill and drag away quickly by ambush
43 Giant bird or bad or bug swoops down from above trying to grab smallest person
44 Mutant animal abhuman tribe hunting and protecting territory strike from ambush d8 1=rat folk 2=cantoads folk 3=goanna folk 4=snake folk 5=cat folk 6=dog folk 7=rabbit folk 8=raven folk. Aim is to d4 1=drive you away 2=eat you 3=demand tribute payment or food 4=take slaves 
45 Outlaw punk gang d4 1=seek slaves 2=hold up for loot 3=starving cannibals 4=murder for fun. d4 1=missiles from cover and height 2=hidden under dirt 3=block d4 directions 4=have a large angry mutant pet 
46 Mutant gang swarm out of ruins and holes gibbering and starving
47 Cult gang in robes seek sacrifices and to keep non believers away from ritual place
48 Undead burst from ground and under rubble grasping hungrily
49 Mutant creature in a pit uses illusions of some one attractive in trouble to lure close
50 Tentacled horror drops down tentacles from above or underground 
51 Partially buried ground car in good condition 1=creature lair 2=someones home 3=has a depleted atomic fuel cell 4=has baggage and skeletons inside
52 Opening or manhole cover to underground subway or sewers
53 Dead bodies swarming with flies d4 1=have loot but flies are a dangerous swarm 2=loot but corpses are diseased CON save 3=undead in ambush 4=land mine trap goes off if body disturbed
54 Carcass of large creature d4 1=tribal hunters are butchering it 2=several dangerous animals eating it hostile to intruders 3=swarm of tiny creatures devouring it 4=its mate nearby protecting it angrily
55 Sniper with good vantage point and escape routes d4 1=crazy lone survivalist 2=faction agent 3=gang member, shot alerts them to approach 4=android with energy weapon
56 Dropped weapon d4 1=spear 2=axe 3=empty musket 4=revolver with d6 bullets
57 Dropped backpack d4 1=food 2=lots of rope 3=looted scrap and junk 4=drugs and beer 
58 Pristine stall or shack d4 1=icecream served by robot 2=magazines and newspapers now nest of creature 3=scrap dealer set up shop 4=pies or stew or beer sold by a mutant
59 Partly buried robot d4 1=valuable scrap 2=trapped but hostile 3=grateful for any aid 4=repairable condition or flat batteries
60 Huge contaminated pit strewn with junk d4 1=mutants worshipping drums of waste 2=large mutant bugs or worms 3=gang members searching rubble 4=huge creatures lair
61 Intact vending machine d4 1=operating 2=with coins and goods 3=chatty AI tries to sell you stuff or gamble 4=guarded by cultists as a sacred relic
62 Intact shop with loot and ancient goods
63 Scrap fortified building abandoned by settlers or gang in a hurry with some loot and parts
64 Crashed aircraft d4 1=pilot corpse with flight suit and survival pack 2=undead and baggage inside 3=mutant creature lair 4=skeletons and baggage inside and scrap
65 Truck with container d4 1=gang hideout 2=monster lair 3= full of crates of goods 4=remains of someones improvised home
66 Cultists chanting preparing a sacrifice with guards, pet beasts and fanatic suicide fighters
67 Recently collapsed wall reveals pristine ruin d6 1=gang exploring it 2=creature moved in 3=robot security 4=morlock's eating inhabitants 5=undead inside 6=sealed survivors separated from outside for generations
68 Huge mound of loose rubble difficult to climb without it collapsing with bits of scrap amongst trash
69 Street strewn with garbage with some useful scrap laying about
70 Upper stories of building sealed by collapsed lower ones look more intact
71 Androids d4 1=4 workers and a soldier on the move avoid trouble 2=3 soldiers on hunt  to exterminate humans 3=6 workers, 2 soldiers and a brain seeking local androids to join
72 Security or police robot wants to know why you've broken curfew?
73 Drone follows party is spying for a faction or local boss
74 Robot vehicle d4 1=damaged but AI talks 2=crazy likes to run over people 3=has d4 police bots on patrol for armed troublemakers
75 Military robots d41=infantry bots sweeping area 2=damaged tank with AI and mostly out of ammo except for energy weapons 3=sniper bot killing dirty meatbags 4=infantry guard bots block street warn civilians area is nogo 
76 One armed bandit robot d4 1=now a highwayman demanding coins 2=harasses you with offers of fun and cash 3=offers you drugs and vice 4=offers to take you to casino
77 Automated machine gun nest blocks passage in street
78 Servant robot trying to clean the street
79 Cyborgs offer you food and medicine if you come back to their bunker
80 Hologram of AI projected from a armoured turret d4 1=has a laser and is maintaining martial law 2=is lonely and offers to talk 3=will initiate trade for secret bunker dwellers 4=looking for helpers to deal with a problem
81 Are full of faction graffiti warning strangers from turf, older faction signs mostly covered or scratched out
82 Airburst from a propaganda mortar, brochures against some faction in the apocalypse war of the ancients d4 1=communists 2=gov anti propaganda warnings 3=martian independence 4=AI rights group FREE THE MACHINES NOW!
83 Idol of cult d8 1=mutant statue 2=demon idol 3=human purists 4=beast cult 5=AI space god 6=great old one 7=grey alien 8=machine cult
84 Skirmish between factions making area war zone
85 Missionaries from a faction here to convert the savable and exterminate the rest
86 Mutant animals rounding up humans, plan a kangaroo court to sentence kill and eat them
87 Holographic image in loop d4 1=news report from end times 2=warning to stay indoors 3=warning to deactivate your robots and androids 4=warning to take your anti necrovirus meds and to place dead bodies in bags for collection outside home
88 Corpses left as a sign to a factions enemies d6 1=Severed head on spikes 2=impaled bodies 3=crucified bodies 4=flailed human skin nailed to wall 5=blood and gore splatted from messy butchering 6=piles of charred human bones 7=remains of cannibals cooking a feast 8=severed hands, ear necklaces, collections of teeth or other body parts
89 Flags or banners of faction with guards protecting them and holding the road
90 Battlsuit infantry with unusual marking from a bunker watches street from a rooftop to protect secret entrance, will rain death on anyone poking near concealed secret entrance or might try to draw them away with some fire using jump jets to move away
91 Slave drivers using slaves to pick over ruins at gunpoint
92 Farming settlers tending crops, some on guard and alert for trouble
93 Gang of armed ferals having a party with music, beer and BBQ
94 Tribal camp with hunters cooking game and alert for trouble
95 Old prospectors digging in rubble, will scatter and take cover when notice strangers to protect their claim
96 Ground car and or several cycles operated by gang or faction on a murder spree patrol
97 Silver City Ranger patrol hunting a viscous gang welcome help
98 Morlocks desperately moving on surface in daylight with cattle (slave humans or eldren) and sacks of scrap, some have push carts
99 Warlord armed patrol hunting for gangs and checking [prospectors licences and claims
100 Adventurers d6 1=fresh but might try to rob wounded rival party 2=have some loot and might trade or be willing to cooperate 3=abusive rivals insist they have claims all round here 4=hostile and assume rivals are enemies

Saturday 19 October 2019

New light on Australian Aboriginal Civilisation



































Labelling Aboriginal communities as 'nomadic' allowed early settlers to justify the takeover of traditional lands claiming that they were not inhabited by permanent residents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_architecture


Quotes from review of this book below
https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/history/The-Biggest-Estate-on-Earth-Bill-Gammage-9781743311325

"The Aborigines farmed as an activity rather than a lifestyle. They grew crops of tubers such as yams, grain such as native millet, macadamia nuts, fruits and berries. People reared dingoes, possums, emus and cassowaries, moved caterpillars to new breeding areas and carried fish stock across country.

They knew that kangaroos preferred short grass, native bees preferred desert bloodwood, koalas tall eucalyptus and rock wallabies thick growth. The Aborigines set templates to suit land, plants and animals. Explorers such as Eyre, Mitchell and Leichhardt noted how indigenous Australians fired grass to bring on short green pick to attract kangaroos and other animals. To do this they had to make sure the grass was nutritious and to provide shelter so that the kangaroos would not feel vulnerable.

There is no such thing as pristine wilderness in Australia. More trees grow in areas now known as national parks than did in 1788."

"The Aborigines of 1788 could not have survived recent bushfires that killed dozens of Australians and destroyed houses, flora and fauna. Uncontrolled fire could wipe out Aboriginal food. People had to prevent it or die. They worked hard to make fire work for them. They burnt off in patches, knowing the sensitivities of different plant species and that timing was crucial. Evidence strongly suggests that no devastating fires occurred"

Evidence of widespread tilled soil and cropping

lots of research on pre white agriculture in Australia pdf
https://www.abc.net.au/.../rethinking-indigenous.../5452454

this book is a big deal - have reeased a kids education version too
https://www.foreground.com.au/environment/decolonising-agriculture-bruce-pascoes-dark-emu/
Evidence of architecturescale agriculture, stone foundations, fish and eel traps, stone circles
plenty of pictures online and description from first explorers if you look onlinestyles vary regionally
good document from state of Victoria of fish traps, circles and housing
https://w.www.vic.gov.au/.../Stone-Structures-in...

Wednesday 16 October 2019

Silver City Uncommon Trade Goods





















d100 Silver City Uncommon Trade Goods
01 Surly slave, ex gang member fit for labour
02 Duralloy knife, cuts most weaker metals
03 Hotplate powered by chem cells
04 Ghettoblaster
05 Tattoo gun (scrap built), needles and ink
06 Rad detector
07 Molotov cocktails 2d4
08 Space blanket
09 Bottle of good whiskey or wine
10 Laser range finder
11 Camping fridge
12 Water heater 
13 Hookah and block of hash
14 Guitar (1in6 require power cell)
15 Synth keyboard 
16 Robot childs pet toy
17 Food analyser
18 Bomb sniffer
19 Gas detector
20 Ruin maps
21 Basic ID Card
22 Medical diagnostic scanner
23 Magic mushrooms
24 Sonic stunner pistol
25 Robotics diagnostic scanner
26 Vibro dagger
27 Fresh fruit
28 Cyborg dog
29 Small electronics repair kit
30 Automobile tool kit
31 Slaver pacifier collar
32 Attractive slave
33 Bounty contracts
34 Copper ingots
35 Comic books
36 Tracker implants and scanner (used by slavers)
37 Personal assistant robot (battered but works)
38 Labourer android (guaranteed not virused or mad)
39 Power gauntlet
40 First aid automed (mostly depleted)
41 Expert slave (often older 1in6 disabled
42 Personal servant android (probably safe)
43 Flare pistol and d6 flares
44 Box of cable ties
45 Box of glowsticks
46 Emergency services ID card
47 Vibro dagger fitted on spear shaft
48 Duralloy sword or axe
49 Mono filament garrotte
50 Sex android (probably not a killer)
51 Spinarette wand with 3d100m of web fluid in cartridge left
52 Match with 2d6 filaments (used to light fires or melt through lock needs microcell)
53 Box of 2d4 micropower cells and battery tester
54 Military binoculars or gun sight (low light and range finder)
55 Video camera with broadcast and recording capacity with d6 datacubes
56 Butler robot can dispense cocktails
57 Addictive gamer console and vr headset
58 Goggles with heads up display and wireless link
59 Robot guard dog
60 Jetpack and d3 fuel pods
61 Civilian laser pistol
62 Bioscanner
63 Energy scanner
64 Pilot flight suit
65 Military ID card
66 Portable ground radar scanner (good for guarding camps)
67 Flamethrower with full fuel pack
68 Stun grenades d6
69 Chem grenades d4
70 Incendiary grenaides d4
71 Military laser pistol d10 shots in hydrogen cell left
72 Filtration canteen
73 Psychotronic shield helmet with goggles (possibly works)
74 Holographic Chamo cloak uses hydrogen fuel cell
75 Android child companion
76 Security robot
77 Disposable one shot rocket launcher
78 Scrap built power armour
79 Medical robot
80 Classified ID Card
81 Landmines in a box d6
82 Demolitions charge
83 Functioning motorbike (battery or biofuel models)
84 Functional ground car (battery or biofuel models)
85 Ultra light aircraft (battery or biofuel models)
86 ABC Hazard Suit (atomic biological chemical)
87 Web riot gun d6 shots
88 Sonic riot cannon no powercells
89 Food analyser
90 Portable radar oven
91 Intact cryonics pod with someone (something) inside
92 Space suit
93 Satelite uplink com system in carry case with folding dish
94 Fancy looking toy rayun with no power cells (often sold by con men)
95 Cloud seeding disposable rocket makes clouds rain
96 Electronic lockpick tools
97 Hackers combat computer deck in bulletproof case
98 Holographic projector on tripod with 3d4 data cubes
99 Laser tattoo gun
100 Psychotronic hypnosis ray, no power cells, possibly works, d3 data cubes of conditioning (d4 1=interrogation 2=slave 3=memory edit 4=propaganda) 

Tuesday 15 October 2019

Silver City Common Trade Goods
















So running my recent gamma oz as planet psychon worked well so here is bunch of goods for sale in a market. Higher the number the more valuable and rare. Will do some more....

d100 Silver City Trade Goods
01 Filthy or contaminated water
02 Past its time food stuff
03 Filthy bandages
04 Flints and steel for igniting fire
05 Candles and torches
06 Rope woven from hair 12+d12m
07 Battered knife or short club
08 Tattered clothing 
09 Crude scrap shield
10 Semiprecious stone or coral
11 Clean water
12 Hot bath
13 Dried food (grain or meat)
14 Lantern
15 Prybar
16 Bucket
17 Carry bag
18 Bag of salt
19 Hardhat
20 Soap
21 Honey or sugar
22 Beer or milk
23 Tinned food 
24 Alcohol spirits (first aid, fuel or drinking)
25 Marijuana or tobbacco cigarettes
26 Silver trade bars
27 Goggles
28 Torch
29 Megaphone
30 Binoculars
31 Good knife
32 Hatchet
33 Meat
34 Cheese
35 Car parts
36 Basic hand tool (non powered)
37 Scrap built chem batteries
38 Cooking pot
39 Large water drum
40 Small live animals in cage
41 Scrap built or leather light armour
42 Machete
43 Bow and arrows
44 Firecrackers
45 Watch
46 Cooked meals
47 Compass
48 Boots
49 Heavy clothing
50 Attractive clothing
51 Flintlock musket or pistol
52 Straps and belts
53 Polymer cord 30+d100m
54 Pulley
55 Length of chain 10m
56 Elaborate mask
57 Uniform in good condition
58 Fancy hat
59 Gasmask
60 Addictive pocket videogame
61 Opium or cocaine
62 Anti radiation drugs
63 Anti zombie virus drugs
64 Robot parts
65 Headphones and music player
66 Mixed ammo for black powder and cartridge guns
67 Chem cells in good condition
68 Microcell batteries for hand tools
69 Handcuffs
70 Power tool
71 Bicycle
72 Hydrogen fuel cell
73 Medium scrap armour or chain
74 Basic first aid kit
75 Wrist communicator (1km range without network)
76 Tablet with basic software
77 Broken camera drone 
78 Low light goggles
79 Cutting torch plus d4 fuel packs
80 Radioactives in sealed container
81 Riding animals
82 Large farm animals
83 Trolley
84 Powered scooter
85 Heavy scrap or plate armour
86 Broken motorcycle
87 Laptop computer
88 Solar batteries and folding panels 
89 Jerry can of alcohol or bio fuel 
90 Riot armour with gasmask and comunicator 
91 Broken dune buggy
92 Atomic fuel cell, depleted
93 Atomic fuel cell replacement core
94 Powercell recharger (hydrogen, micro or chem cells)
95 Revolver and 2d6 bullets
96 Sawn off shotgun and 2d4 shells
97 Advanced wonder drug, one dose
98 Shock truncheon no batteries
99 Long life survival nutrient paste
100 Cast iron grenades with fuse