Sunday 30 August 2020

Artists Working Away Now - Blogger Future





















G'day all

So I've leased some art and commissioned about 5 pieces
Will see what happens when it gets in but will get some more a few thoughts

Mostly character art of mutant animals, get some punks, robots and undead yet.

So artists that got to me with rates immediately got first gigs.
Some time lag problems but a mostly good process. 

Meeting a local guy and renegotiating previous deal a bit and getting more spot illustrations instead as fewer issues with perfectionism, but its what makes Michal Dutkiewicz the best in Australia.

Winter melancholic funk over and spring elation here.
Out of the house, walking till feet bleeding, and planning next quarter.
Wanting to do art again myself and some other stuff.
I guess quitting my nihilist groups helped a bit. 
So concerned less with cosmic annihilation and universal health death and more about ppl around me which makes me look after myself better.

Maybe that caveman sim Dawn of Man game got me back into brick building achievements again. Finishing the book has been good.

Had surprise contract in email for some pre-existing work which is good.
Also, red bubble sales so will add more stuff there like the mask.

Will profile some artists here and probably the role of this blog now if as support or back up of Patreon rather than other way around. As I'm on the cusp of going semi-pro will try and use mostly my own art or friends with permission now or use old art. Partly from ppl interesting crap out of me, if I'm being pro should avoid plundering living artists more. And I'm not starving nomad anymore either. Lots of what I'm doing this year aimed at Patreon & Kickstarter stuff and this blog will be documenting that plus where I write spot and fill in text on things I'm doing.

Cheers for the support
luv yous all

Killeroo comic artist Darren Zen Close 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/killeroo/killeroo-the-4horesmen-crossover-comic


Dan Smith deviant art page
https://www.deviantart.com/smifink/gallery?fbclid=IwAR1pqOHYC9BGau0PmcrxQcBdeTyQ_P3ycHh2Vr8Il4kwXDSvUYtlAWyQfw8


Michal Dutkiewicz mostly on face book
Possibly stopped accepting male friends due to harassment
and ppl who miss the point of his art 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michal_Dutkiewicz






Friday 28 August 2020

Artist brief for book cover







So i recently contacted a few artists looking for a cover artist for broken hill. 

I have some art jobs on the go which have locked up my cash for months and I dont want that again. Some artists had some pre existing work i liked which helps me see their style. I dont want anything i could draw that's the point. I worked in a comic studio for 20 years in a English realism school mode so I like a spark of originality and confidant line work and plausible understanding of anatomy despite the topic. 

Off Topic: Blogger Bugs
Blogger freezing quite a bit today, might be grammerly
nope blogger not letting me resize pix and lag with gramerly so not encouraging
Pic vanished when tried to justify it to Left, another time moved all pics on page
Changing font without my choice, putting in huge blank spaces im posts.

Project:
Broken Hill game TTRPG supplement

Distribution:
Currently a PDF and Print on demand work id say under a thousand copies (more like 100 if im lucky)

Ownership:
Im happy to consider leasing existing in theme art for this one edition, If I can find the right artist I would like to comision A B&W line art illustration that I can own and reuse and colour and use on promotional items lioke shirts and stickers. I may colourise the work. If the project is a runaway success I might want a more resolved colour version later. This project might be attactched to a bigger kickstarter later aimed at raising money to mostly pay artists and commission more art. 

Payment:
I have zero income but im willing to commission a cover piece, my offer to lease pre existing work even if used before is genuine but I dont want to own the work. Seeing such pre existant work is the best way you can show me what you have done before and might have me confidant for the cover commission. If you use traditional media you can keep or sell the original I want digital rights version only. Obviously Id expect to pay less for pre existant/uded art for limited use. I will use Paypal. I can pay leased items quickly and I can pay half for commission but need a definite time frame (I've already out of pocket waiting for). 30 days seems reasonable, id prefer someone who could confidently just do it than deliberate or worry. If I like your work and commission a cover I dont need more than a progress proof sketch. 

I will make a simple contract for lease or commissioned work

Themes & References:
Norman Lindsey especially magic pudding art above (id like a bit more scrappy with guns)
Dorathy Wall who did Blinky Bill (a bit 20s cartoon style but has lots of good basics)
MAD MAX film series (salvaged scrap armour, battered weapons, punk leather and hair)
2000AD especially gritty grimdark punk of 80s Judge Dredd

I like these pre ww2 artists for lots of reasons. The depression era clothing is actually ok in some ways, not everyone in world a punk. Though Im citing childrens book this is not a furry related setting. While the children's illustrators are more cartoon style, id like final work to be grittier.

Id like to see anything post apocalypse but my cover needs at least a few mutant animals. Gas masks, street sign shields, severed heads, smoking, guns other post apoc tropes welcome.

 I like to promote the work as Australian so references to Mad Max and Australian children's classics is deliberate. I might get some media in Australia, I will put some copies in a few national collections.

I don't want:
Absolutely no nazis and no southern cross or Eureka flag
(in my state Eureka flag used by 4 registered fascist parties)
I don't want to see trademarked fan art it doesn't tell me anything
If you dislike immigrants or aboriginals, probably best we don't work together

Commisioned Cover:
3 figures standing together like they are getting a picture taken before a trip to explore a ruin

A mutated human with horrible rotting face/melting flesh smiling holding a Ned Kelly helmet under arm with cobbled together pipe gun or crude musket

Koala in stockman or frovers outfit, flannel check shirt and laser gun or cavalry carbine, some kind of hat, not a cowboy hat, possibly the Bush Tucker Man's hat

Another animal (wombat or platypus or gonna or kookaburra) in punk leathers a mohawk, a few piercings, a street sign shield and a machete (possibly a gasmask around neck)

It would be best if I could separate the figures so I can use them or stat them up in text

No background needed
B&W comic line work fine
Ideterminate gender on animals or mutant is fine

Interested?
Contact Chris Tamm
I prefer to message in FB Tudor Cook Beal
Gmail too but I am less often there konsumterrs@gmail.com
300dpi JPG or Tiff A4 or A3

I you can offer me some pre existant samples, especially with a lease option llet me know

A rate card or prices appreciated for proposed cover and lease offers

If you want to provide a 50-100w bio and a pic or even an ad I can include in book

Im happy to send you a link to draft copy of book for you to check out the setting vibe

Good chance I use your work I will want more.
Once KS done I can fund more.

If you have conditions or questions let me know so we can avoid goal post moving after the order is taken. Yes I get the final aproval, nobody else involved.





Almost done... Broken Hill

 
I made a proof copy of current book now at 224 pages.
Overal its the nicest most usable book i have made.

Still needs 
-one font replacement for bullets
-several photos i used cut out filter in photoshop on, i regret as photos look nicer
-some maps need a white hairline over text, some text moved
-map names need a nudges and fixed (as silver city/silverton confused)
-redraw 2 maps, resist urge to tree up other maps
-black hairline around all maps
-i left half a page in case
-replace holder map numbers with final ones
-some more proofing
-pdf it and crunch size down more
-if i have to go further will feature psychotronic weapons and fancy ammo 

Later 
-get art cover done
-current back cover good
-current front will be splash page
-put book on lulu.com

Some surprises
-was 2/3 done art and text before i started
-about 6 weeks work like a job massaging it
-things i did will effect my other projects
-10pt and more space makes it very readable vs some of my other books
-took more spot writing than normal
-i want to crank out some more and revise some others more like this
-my years of ruin/graff photos turned out to be useful
-monster and guns sections came out better than i expected
-recent invention of 2-part encounters is great, will do more
-lots of building maps recycled from 3folds and modules
-editing stuff from 3 tables into one is harder than writing a new ones
-what am i doing and why do i do this>

Im doing one more session to "finish" and will be on patreon
Ive been updating bit by bit from 17 pages to current

Next Projects
-finish EMO rulebook (my bx-ish mongrel edition), rewrite all the spells sigh
-start the planet psychon players book for dec kickstarter (goal is lots will be done)
-revise some older books like my murder hobo manual, stone age sorcery and more
-i will blog a bit my the love is gone, more an open sewer of thoughts and development

-trying to get a free art studio letting me graff the joint but its been tricky meeting
-giving up nihilism as i dont want to be a worse influence on certain ppl id rather help
- next patreon book is my megadungeon about half done
-might do a broken hill sewer&mines adventure and possible forest and a hidden base
-write artist briefs

Longer Term (5 years)
-Hell book 
-Mutant Book fix and an abhuman book
-book of extra magic - elemental, necromancy and carnomancy
-Xor Book
-Murder Highway...possibly as licenced BRP/Coc item
-Cthulhu book...possibly 
-get every table i want to keeping a comp
-Comp some of the 50+adventures Ive done
-Exilon Book

Whats This KS thing?
-planet Psychon Players book
-80 page digest EMO rulebook
-Planet Psychon GM Book
-EMO monster book
-adventures
-i want some core stuff finished ready to go and some unlockable stuff ready








Thursday 27 August 2020

2-Part Ruin Encounters


 












This is an idea ive had for a while but seems best suited for exploring ruins. Each encounter has a hook and a conclusion. Usually, you see the first part and might not react much at the time. Later you see the second part.... Players could get involved obviously or make a connection with a person in the event. it also enforces the idea that stuff happens in the world when camera is watching the players characters. These can act as hooks for mysteries too.

Broken Hill book update on Patreon 118 pages now.
Just a few maps and art replacements and it is done.
Will be on lulu a bit later...cos I want one

The first draft of this vanished...No3 and others based on dads wartime kid stories 

d10 Quick Types
01 Rubble people
02 Wildlife troubles
03 Rampant growth
04 Urban war zone
05 Contamination
06 Horrors of ruins
07 Monster trouble
08 Synthetics
09 Cult Freaks
10 Infestation

d100 2-Part Ruin Encounters
01 Several friendly old drunken prospectors are drinking beer in a ruined shopfront
Later they have all been killed, blood everywhere
02 Children are playing in the ruins chasing giant rats with sticks for fun
Later parents are searching the area for them
03 Children are poking something in a drain with sticks and wires
Later unexploded bomb goes off injuring children
04 Charity serving gruel to wretched poor and mutants
Some maniac shot at them so now hiding undercover, soup pot and food left in open
05 Adventurers digging what they thing is a bunker door
Later door open and adventurers gone inside
06 Some battered old swagmen preparing BBQ pit in a pothole
Later they are cooking a raider corpse on a spit waiting hungrily 
07 Settlers selling fruit and vegetables want ammo
Later a gang are threatening them with force to hand over food
08 Old kindly tinkerer collecting scrap with a donkey loaded up
Later donkey being eaten by a gang who have tinkerer tied up
09 Kids playing talking about strange singing in the drains
One child left crying that they were too scared to follow others missing for hours
10 Some locals with buckets pulling up water from a sinkhole
Later buckets and water containers and rope left in street and locals gone
11 Lots of herd animals in area grazing
Later a tribal band of hunters are cooking a meal
12 A wounded mercenary left a trail of blood dragging self into a car wreck
Later several huge feral sabretooth mutant cats circling the car  

13 A mutant morlock demands you answer a riddle and give him food
Later if ignored he returns laughing and sets a pack of dingos on party
14 Huge magpies follow squawking for food
Later if fed magpies warn you of war hogs attempting an ambush on party
15 An old swagman setting up camp under a coolabah tree
Later just a patch of blood and his pack left, drop bears in trees
16 Hear distant thunder
Later storm breaks and areas flooded, water encounters everywhere
17 Herd of grazing animals in area warily, some aggressive males protect the herd
Later some hunters shoot at them causing a stampede
18 Hear dogs howling around city
Later a huge pack of feral dogs control streets attacking anyone they can reach
19 Ferals dancing to bongos smoking weed
Later drums and drugs left, plus earthen mounds and burrows everywhere
20 Old woman with a trolly of cat food tins being harrassed by a cowardly gang
Later giant feral cats eating gang members while she makes sa pot of tea
21 Setlers are herding some thri-frond plants to pens 
Later a few wild plants joined the herd and blinded the farmers and led farmed plants away
22 Adorable gumnut babies being chased by a huge goanna 
Later tiny remains of their clothes and sap left in area
23 Beggars found some strange huge seed pods they try to open for food
Later beggars have been infected and turned into wicked banksia men
24 Strange luminous fog over area
Later lots of locals mysteriously pregnant with odd psionic children with a group mind
25 Cloud of spores settle over the area where prospectors digging
Later giant rapidly growing shrooms, fungi and puffballs sprung up and growing fast
26 Prospectors camping near overgrown building having drink, some hacking at plants
Later replaced by pod plants with plant human simulacra, act eerie
27 Settlers planting seeds they bought from a robot
Later area overgrown with viscous blood-drinking vines
28 Settlers looking pleased by new super crop seeds growing fast
Later huge mantrap plants thriving in the area and no settlers
29 Settlers testing flamer on some plants hope to clear out plants in ruin
Later vegetal eyeless dog-like creatures terrorising settlers trying to escape 
30 Scavengers trying to open crashed ecobot pod in the rubble
Later area overgrown in stinging grass and scavengers now living compost monstrosities
31 
Anti mutant supremacist preacher on a crate with armed followers
Later the preacher is shot and followers sweeping area killing mutants
32 Gang members taunting each other from barricades
Later shooting and killing each other in a warzone
33 Anti mutant supremacists photographing each other with kills
Later mutant mob have the hunters bailed up in a building and setting ruin alight
34 Warlord's enforcers questioning drunks about gang activity
Later enforcers in battle with a gang in the street
35 Prospectors following a spy drone they have been trailing for days
Later are all pinned down by a sniper agent from a secretive bunker
36 Loud rival prospectors arguing over a ruin
Later the gangs having a street battle in the rubble
37 A gang are repairing a damaged vehicle, wary of anyone watching
Later the gang is fighting a rival gang after the vehicle
38 Hippy feral preaching brotherly love has a small crowd
Later a vicious gang warzone and the preacher in hiding in a hole sobbing
39 Slavers selling a tribal child while a crowd looks on  
Later tribe has killed most slavers and onlookers, last slavers holed up in a ruin
40 Two men argue offer a broken robot, one seeks to repair, the other says its holy
Later two cults fighting over robot, one pro-tech the other only worship tech 

41 
Robed mutants with smelly brazier chanting while local abuse them
Later same locals come down with the plague, the robed cultists are rat abhumans
42 Scavengers taking turns to hit a metallic pod with a biohazard symbol
Later pod broken open and scavengers are undead ghouls
43 Scavengers trying to open armoured cargo containers
Later container open and full of leaking glowing drums, scavengers became screamers
44 Scavengers found a crate of purified water very pleased
Later have become formless spawn, water left by androids scientists
45 Trader selling filthy tainted water to beggars
Later beggars developing minor mutations, trader a secret mutant preacher
46 Prospectors smashing hole in a building
Later
, green light comes out of hole and prospectors bleeding and lost hair
47 Gang having killed some ferals, about to enjoy street drugs they have stolen
Later, gang screaming insane berserks fighting each other but will turn on strangers
48 Sick beggars asking for medicine for an unconscious friend
Later parasitic worms crawling from exploded corpse and beggars trying to fight off
49 Men have found some fancy helmets with radios & gasmasks
Later those wearing helmets now cyborgs killing former friends
50 Prospectors examining a metal canister
Later all unconscious from nerve gas with memory loss
51 
Scavenger looking for missing dogs in the area
Later several Formless spawn hounds are standing over his corpse merging with it 
52 Gang laughing at prospector being absorbed by a tentacled horror
Later the horror has grown and gangs faces on its skin screaming
53 Gang drinking and laughing around a fire
Later their heads are severed and a headless horror lumbers out of the ruins 
54 Hear distant screaming and see flashes of green light
Screamers walking the streets hunting for victims
55 Prospectors exited to find disease control centre truck or vehicle possibly with drugs
Later streets roaming with revived hungry undead
56 Hunters have caught something in pit trap
Later the thing has escaped leaving bloody trails and hunter corpses
57 Beggars eating cured meat and sausages they found on some mutants in sewers
Later they have dragged up blue morlock corpses from sewers, meat is human
58 Settlers setting up a camp and building walls and defences
Later all missing with warm stew pot and dinner plates left out, morlocks took them
59 Prospectors found a vault sealed on the inside, trying to trick timed lock
All are dead and bloodless, awakened a sleeping vampire
60 Mutant has zombies pulling a cart using meat on a stick to steer them
Mutant corpse on street and undead are free now
61 
Man selling manticore urine a repellant versus monsters he claims
Later several manticores battling settlers, the trader is dead in the street
62 
Settlers preparing to hunt a monster in area
Later wounded survivors recovering, some family members sobbing
63 Wealthy merchants with a gang on monster safari
Dismembered bodies of unters in the street, most missing organs
64 Raider gang with fast zombies in a cage they plan to misuse for a trap
Raiders are dead, cage open. Bodies twitch and arise as undead when party close
65 Settlers found huge dead mutant creature in a rubble mound
Later it awakens killing everyone
66 Beggars found huge egg sac, they are getting a fire going
Later street covered in webs and hundreds of coconut size spiders loose, beggars dead
67 Prospectors strapping bomb vest to zombie for some stupid plan vs a monster
Later, after bomb went off, fools and the monster undead from breathing vapourised zombie 
68 Prospectors find crashed orbital shuttle wreck
Later slime zombie astronaughts have killed them and await corpses to awake as undead
69 Mechnts have found crate of catfood tins of fish and preparing a feast
Later all dead and giant mutant goanna eating the fish
70 Purists on a mutant hunt
Later aggressive cassawarriors eating their corpses
71 
Raiders with sex android getting drunk 
Later she has murdered them all, covered in blood and smiling with a knife
72 
Settlers trying to revive muscular man they found in ruins
Later the man now half flesh missing is an exterminator killing settlers
73 Some techies repairing a robot they found
Later the robot and techies fighting androids
74 Prospectors uncovering a robot from rubble excitedly
Later robot has killed prospectors and grinding them up for it's biofuel plant
75 Scavengers have killed some androids and looting their strange cases
Later scavengers skeletonised and a swarm of nanobots attack any in street
76 Tinkerers working on a radio pleased at the progress
Later all dead and a killdrone is perched on the roof watching the street
77 Scavengers smashing up an android for fun
Later squad of androids finishing off scavengers and will target any newcomers
78  Gang beating a service robot for fun
Later someone killed the gang with lasers and robot gone
79 Prospectors found a wrecked military bot and fixed antenna
Later see a flying defence borg flies over area killing the prospectors and taking the robot
80 A replicant android looks human begging for help from enemies
Later androids have shot everyone and carrying replicant away for reprogramming
81 
Gang giving beer to beggars with friendly smiles, beer is drugged
Later gang of cannibals eating beggars and cleaning skulls for their collections
82
 Settlers in ruin preparing defences, seen a gang scouting them
Later most settlers have gone but many skinless corpses hanging from the ruin
83 Cult in robes driving slaves to build something
Later a shrine to some wasteland demon cult is here with crucified slaves around it
84 Find a bloody altar and cult graffiti 
Later cult returned with fresh sacrificial victims
85 Two different cults argue over an unwilling new member they both want
Cults waging open battle in the street and the "new" member has been cut in half
86 A cult preacher warns settlers they must join or be judged
Cultists are rounding up the settlers and driving them into an underground passage
87 Cultists are tinkering with a sophisticated device
Later they repaired the psychotronic weapon, all in area confused, some killing
88 Cultists giving away drugs to beggers
Later the beggars are all high and gullible, following cultists to their lair
89 Mutant cultists baptising beggars into a barrel of mutagenic ooze
Later mutant beggars here aggressive to non mutants
90 Cultist offering beggars eternal life
Later undead beggars hungrily roam the streets
91 Old man has some kind of chem burn on arm needs help
Later man has become a meat slime horror hungry for flesh, more in area 
92 Locals ask if strange twittering sounds heard in area?
Later giant ants infest an area and carrying of survivors into the burrow
93 Lots of 20cm locusts hopping about and some prospectors catching them to eat
Later a swarm comes through leaving prospectors skeletons and a few bugs 
94 Some settlers gathering bricks in a cart eating a meal on a break
Later area covered in a swarm of sewer roaches eating their remains
95 
Scavenger fishing in a drain 
Later has been taken by brain parasite worm, walks odd, tries to get close to the party
96 Huge colourful moths swarming locals gathering and cooking
Later locals radiation poisoning and radioactive moth dust everywhere 
97 Hundreds of seagulls in the streets and sky, locals eating some
Later dead seagulls with parasitic worms crawling from burst open bodies 
98 Rat catchers with a wagon load of dead rats
Later rats and catchers have gone leaving the cart and an open manhole cover
99 Scavengers cooking a giant ant, smacking their lips, seem pleased
Later giant ants roaming streets, some dragging away scavengers 
100 Local campers scratching and complain of fleas
Later naked screaming survivors trying to burn off fleas swarming everywhere

Monday 24 August 2020

Reviewing Umerica & New ed of Babylon RPG




So I reviewed some of these prior from other versions and PDFs earlier and the print copies cames. 

Babylon On Which Fame and Jubilation Are Bestowed (BOBWFAB for short) 
 
A very attractive a5ish book 308 pages. The cover and is nice and is explained within. The serif font on the cover has legibility problems but i was pleasantly surprised. I have PDF and map from a previous LuLu version. The older version is a dnd retro clone mentioning non human races and interesting dnd spell lists based on gods. It is a very detailed old-school rule set I quite liked. This version is cut away those complex mechanics and is stripped of dnd tropes like elves. It is less magical or non magical historic rpg quite simple. It is one of the best history RPGs for historic detail. I know the setting well and ran perhaps 15 years over 6 campaigns of running RuneQuest3 as Babylonia. I'veI also more recently ran a more dnd-ish fantasy setting based on the stuff. I have about 40 ish books on the topic. This is probably one of the only games which I learn from as it has far more authentic language use than I could ever do. I hope both versions survive and are available and I kinda want to get the older one from LuLu in print too as it has many charming things in its own right. I do like the victorian illustrations and paintings and the introduction on this is a good thing. If I run any Babylonian RPG again I will keep this on hand with my 4 inches thick folder of photocopies from uni libraries on history. 
(

Umerica Series
So I now have my lovely hardback of the Umerican Road Atlas, Softback of The Umerican Survival Guide and four of the modules. Will get monster book soon....all on Drivethrough.

So this is a post apoc setting for Dungeon Crawl Classics. Not only is it better than Mutant Crawl Classics it is more gonzo. When later Gammaworld brought in the wacky broken reality thing (an anime did it in 70s) instead of the war in earlier versions I was kinda a bit ugh. It seemed more a way to say anything goes and be lazy. This setting the moon has been broken and the reality is broken and the apocalyptic mutant stuff is pretty punkrock. More 2000AD grime than early Gammaworld. I could slap lots of this content in my several post apoc settings. This includes magical stuff also and patron gods but they are briefer and stranger and more interesting than MCC rpg ones. I like weird but I like to pretend its serious and present gritty post apoc parodies of the modern world like Judge Dredd comics would. The humour and pop parodies in these are thick. The art aesthetic also reminds me of 2000AD comics - lots of punky grime and dirty details.

The Umerican Survival Guide is the main setting book. It has lots of rules I want use but still readable and entertaining a read like mutations and even repair tables. It has lots of ruin search tables any genre game would benefit from. It describes some setting features, goes straight into basics of survival. Character classes and new combat tables, scrap built vehicles and more. Some interesting locations to slot into lots of post apoc settings. Very enjoyable rpg book. 


The Umerican Road Atlas hardback is nice and a non-gamer friend thought it was pretty. Very matt paper I like very much. Great art and a great expansion to the above book. Pretty good stand alone. Has lots of good spot locations and generates more interesting locations to visit. I'm reminded of childhood family road trips on school holidays where you pass desperate tourist traps and this book is full of those. Dense with art and content a great buy. Themepark strangeness vibe of setting rife here. 


Previously I mentioned the modules The Children of the Sun (I rate as 
) one of the better adventures/settings I've read in years. Covers a mutant Aztec civilisation in Mexico. Slave Drones of The Fantastiplex  (✫) is basically an alternate start very much like a Paranoia Alpha Complex. As I know Paranoia very well and it influenced all my SF and horror gaming (i could adlib a freeform rpg at any moment of it). So personally this one didn't offer me lots. I did get some ideas and liked the alternate jargon but not as awesome as Children of the sun. Still has an adventure here and ideas even though I feel it well-trod territory for me. Damn Tasty (is an infiltration mission into a food complex to learn their secrets. It's weird and I will get ideas from it and good art. Burger wars  ( is about rival fast-food chains and their minions in a ruined town and have lots of strange locations. 

Need the monster book and Killer of Giants next. Mutant Epoch monster book probably good to get too. Got more Darwins world too. 

I slip these into my Planet Psychon setting without much change, My Broken Hill setting could fit in lots even though it downplays or ignores magic or broken reality. Even my more straight BRP mad max Murder Highway game will get some snippets from this. 

Sunday 23 August 2020

Cave Heroes Smush Elder Gods

 

Stone age sorcery game had cave heroes flying recon using magic and animal form and mutations has explored a region. In an area based on Strange Aeons 2 for Call of Cthulhu. So I'm minimising spoilers from products. Possibly the no money in setting and oaths and community of tribe has minimised Stoneage murder hobos stuff. I made this throw up pic from a sandcastle in a few minutes. 

Heroes saw missing villagers and other tribes controlled by ghosts and the heroes killed the unwitting cult leader, his followers and a minion of the toad god Tsath-Og-Tha. The battle destroyed a ziggurat and used wizardry triggered floods and stampedes ruin the heretic ghost cult dwellings. Drove them away from the prehistoric empire's ghosts. 

Decided to put off fighting the Frost Giants and went home to check on village. Elf had elf followers he wanted to gather and the giant had pet dogs left in his magic cave in Red Ape Valley (Dysons 2nd Map book on LuLu). Helped the refugees home befriending the Elk tribe and convinced some more Snake trike to join the Four-Law tribe. The tribe now has a sky-solar law cult, a darkness ogre goddess, a spider goddess and a snake cult plus some leave out offerings for elves and gnomes. Elf who now has mutant translucent bug wings and a sprite hero sidekick has been stalking lone griffons charming them and bringing them back home to tame and got a pair for him and their warrior ally.

Three months later Elf and the Giant plus followers went into Red Ape Valley and battled shoggoths and had the complex buried to seal a pulsating chaos gate that monsters from three corrupted planes to come here for the food. So killed everything and roasted all the cult gore pits and battled undead trogs a such which kept gating in for food that was ash. Got village occupants to burry the hill as the gate thing was a problem.

Experimented with magical buff relics and the chaos elf flipped a coin and wondered if use use followers to try the random chaos effects as the ods were one or two would get only benefits. After days of the study concluded elves would just use the + to encounter mods as that had best odds. Killed lots of monsters but ended up just sealing the gate room and leaving a boulder on the entrance.

Still, a cave and a ziggurat to search and the party levelled up. Elf gained teleport spell and went off on camping trip a days ride by griffon for a day then learned the spots as teleport spots for the future. So later could hop through known spots and fly over huge areas. The giant is 8 foot 9 inches now but has become a warrior to avoid more growth. Has convinced party he can help them seize a giant sky castle they can fly about in or move the village into the sky forever.

Last HD for most party name level next. I've been hothousing them to test rules at higher levels and break the system a bit. 

The giant learned to speak griffon. A warrior might learn to ride griffon. I love griffons a bit too much I'm wary I will show them too much mercy. Sprite and griffon follower for elf has been cool. Giant has had no1 dog grown to pony size like a boss warg other like a huge wolf hunting dogs Giant has introduced shield use to everyone too. Elf and giant squabbling over law vs chaos and primordial history has been good. The humans scaping ghosts have been influenced by dreams of ancient civilisation adding to the influence over tundra the party have made.

Saturday 22 August 2020

Broken Hill Setting in Progress

Patreaon right now has 77 page preview of my current book on Broken Hill for post Apoc games like Darwins World, Gama World, Mutant Epoch, After the Bomb etc. Might be finished this month...

So here is a piece I'm writing here as I have now text editing software on machine and Grammarly better than word or open office. Watching MadMax2 as I work. Using lots of my ruin photography Id forgotten about.

Bothering to build a new site really low priority so will do a few things here like reviews and finish some old stuff but I'm unlikely to go back to daily posts ever. Rest of this year mostly making comps on my Patraeon the rest of the year. I do value your feedback and it does encourage me to do more stuff otherwise i feel I'm in a creative vacuum. It would be nice If I could do a KS campaign for Psychon around xmas. Must release my Post apoc RPG before actual apocalypse...

Broken Hill Missions
When you get to the great sprawling ruins it can be bewildering but in Silver City, the occupied trade town of the Warlord there are plenty of job offers. Public noticeboards for jobs are by every gate offering jobs and rewards.

Most of these say how to contact the paying party of the poster.
Some give general info on what is wanted others more secretive.
Pay varies but silver in ounces is typical.
The better the pay the less job info provided.
You could also get these missions if you have a job.

d10 Quick Mission Types
01 Bounties - paid to capture a wanted person
02 Wanted - a reward for proof of death (head is best)
03 Search & Destroy - locate and destroy something
04 Seize goods - take goods from someone
05 Find goods - locate something someone needs
06 Gather info - intelligence on some group required
07 Negotiate - trade or bargain with a faction
08 Wetwork - kill a target, no questions 
09 Hunting - kill mutant animals causing problems
10  Warlord's request - missions from the Warlord

d100 Missions in Silver City
01 Slavers offering rewards for escaped slaves and those helping them
02 Merchants want a debtor returned so they can pay debts for reward
03 Bunker dwellers living in secret ancient splendour always wanted alive  
04 Missing robot tech vanished with crew in ruins wanted back in the market by traders
05 Senior of Warlord's chosen proved traitor working for Silverton gang spies wanted alive
06 Drug dealer producing toxic potions wanted alive by survivors and families
07 Contractor in water filtration plant is a missing reward for safe return (and for breach of contract)
08 Gang leader want a man who was betrothed to a daughter who fled returned alive for reward
09 Bail jumper, paid for limited release from warlords prison camp then fled into ruins wanted alive
10 Child kidnapped by a gang in the ruins, family want them returned alive
11 Bandit leader from the rubble, merchants offer price on head
12 Sniper in ruins harassing the Warlord's patrols wanted dead (actually there are lots of these)
13 Mutant cultist caught contaminating water supplies with mutagen wanted dead
14 Gang or raider leader wanted dead (a d12 of these up any time)
15 Whole gang is wanted for various crimes, the price for any dead in gang colours 
16 Wanted dead, head mechanic of the ultralights in the gang compounds of Silverton
17 Wanted dead, Mortis chief of the Silverton gangs and priest of the Satanic church there
18 Wanted dead, spy possibly from a bunker, was in Warlord's employ till exposed 
19 Wanted dead, beast abhuman tribal leader has been eating travellers
20 Wanted cyborg, an agent of an unknown hostile power, the whole corpse wanted with head intact
21 Android base in ruins offers to destroy it for reward
22 Wasteland raider gang have secret supply depot in ruins, destroy it for reward
23 Secretive cult claim to have an ancient weapon, kill them, destroy temple, bonus for recovery of weapon a micro "clean" suitcase nuke or mutagenic warhead 
24 A robot gang have a supply depot using it to repair and supply, without it, the gang skirmish tactics will not be effective, destroy it
25 Locate a desert raider camp and destroy it and anybody in it
26 Cane toad abhumans commandoes from far north have secret firebase in ruins from the war 30 years ago, find it and destroy them 
27 Cannibal clan ate someone and merchant family want the clan found and killed
28 Children are being taken by something in the sewer system, rescue children if possible and destroy whatever responsible
29 Some intelligent force is dwelling in secret in mines and old tube tunnels, find and destroy
30 Someone or something is planting monstrous plant seeds in ruins and settlers farms, find them and destroy them
31 Bandits took a merchant shipment, recover the goods from their mine lair
32 Steal a vehicle from a road gang, bonus for spare parts  
33 A gang in ruins has repaired a battlesuit with scrap, steal it
34 Some subterranean group has been stealing supplies through tunnels and drains, find them and steal supplies back 
35 Anti ageing drugs were stolen from a merchant offering money to get them back before some idiot uses them 
36 A mutagenic warhead was found in ruins and a cult stole it, get it back at any costs
37 Cyborg parts wanted, an area in the city has hostile cyborgs possibly defending a bunker who will have plenty
38 Android food wanted but android food processor better, most likely in an android supply depot or bunker
39 A cache of ancient drugs was dug up and stolen by a gang, a rich addict will pay for the lot 
40 A gang have been digging out a subway and found something the gang is keeping quiet. An investor wants it whatever it was 
41 A secret untouched bunker in the ruins full of treasure, report to warlord for a reward
42 Someone stole a battlesuit from the warlord and fled to the ruins, kill them and recover the suit
43 Any information leading to teleporter terminal said to be lost in area
44 Clone vat or parts wanted, especially control terminal and data files
45 Functional or close too aircraft or aircraft parts wanted by Cockburn airfield
46  Supplies and parts for 3d metal printers wanted
47 Ancient medical supplies wanted no questions asked, automated parts especially
48 Non-functioning robot scrap and wreckage always wanted
49 Atomic power cell cores wanted, frequently in vehicles, no cracked or leaking ones wanted
50 Car parts are required by scrapyard mechanics, wanted part list available
51 How many vehicles do the road gangs in Silverton 

52 Where do all the new huge mutant creatures come from?
53 A few have claimed secret AIs communicate in the ruins, what do they want?
54 Stories of some hidden underground faction are common, how true are they?
55 Raider gang spies infiltrate market area to learn traders movements, find out who
56 A suicide bomber was caught trying to blow up a gate of Silver City 
57 Infiltrate the raiders of Silverton at race time and investigate which gangs are where around town and try to get names of leaders
58 A bunch of demons worshipping cultists in the ruins have been trading with Mortis the ruler of Silverton what is the link and how extensive is the gang
59 Someone has a missing sister they believe is kept in a private harem, confirm if the woman is there and note any means of rescue or escape
60 A gang has uncovered some codes and ID cards from a secure underground space research facility in the wastes and some scholars want the data
61 The locals seek to trade and hire tribals of the waste but mostly they shun any with technology, try and make a deal with them, arrange an exchange of experts
62 A local radio station needs fresh beats and tracks. Trade with some other stations in the ruins and wasteland or some of the feral rave DJ crews
63 An AI has occasionally has traded some goods at an impregnable bunker doorway. Try and see if a regular trade deal can be established
64 A merchant had some goods taken and wants to have someone try and buy a certain trunk back from them without it being damaged
65 A merchant wants someone to help broker a deal to establish a monopoly over booze in the city but none involved how other distillers among ferals tribes will fit into the scheme
66 A clan of squatters in the ruins want to settle inside the walls of Silver City but in the past they angered the Warlord who controls it. They want to broker a deal they can live with. They have knowledge of using certain mutant plants and maps of the ruins near their current home
67 A trader has been swapping coal for new steel machine parts, blades and axe heads. A rival knows a sewer outlet the trader goes down and wants someone to make a deal with whoever is down there
68 A merchant has a secure laser com link to negotiate dropping some goods from the heavens. The com centre is dangerous to access
69 The warlord wants to recruit a road gang to his service and needs negotiators to visit them
70 A savage slaver clan captured someone and a merchant wants to buy them back but needs muscle to back them up
71 Kill Mortis leader of the raiders of Silverton but make everyone blame one of the gangs in his service

72 An ex-slave has done well and now wants a former master killed
73 Someone wants one of the Warlord's chosen killed from some old grudge from old days in a raider gang
74 A graffiti ganger wants a rival artist in ruins who capped their tags to be killed secretly
75 The warlord keeps a panel of advisers in various fields and a rival wants a current one killed so they get the job 
76 Someone had a relative killed in a bar fight and the law did nothing so they want private justice delivered
77 A trouble-making farmer leader is coordinating growers to raise food prices, a merchant wants them dead
78 A party of prospectors murdered a relative of a client who wants them all to vanish in the ruins
79 A sleazy prospector keeps recruiting urchins to explore dangerous ruins and parent of a missing ones wants the scavenger dead
80 A tech worshipping cult hoarding relics to worship, devoutly follow a leader who a scholar wants the leader killed and evidence left on them to make the cult lose faith
81 Killer plants have infested an area farmers were preparing for crops, find some poison or flamers in the ruins to help destroy them
82 A huge mutant monster has made a lair in the ruins that prospectors want dead
83 There is a wooded area within the walls of Silverton where creatures have been snatching people. Destroy them and farmers offer food and scrap
84 Locusts came and ate lots of crops and when farmers went to eat ones they killed found they had chipped brains. Find who controls them and the farmers will reward heroes
85 Something in the sewers is singing and some kids vanished looking for it, locals posted a reward to solve the mystery
86 Lots of mutant rats come from a sewer and take food. Locals pooled in for exterminators. One warns a rat bigger than a dog had a tool belt
87 A creature has covered itself in junk and lurks in rubble ambushing locals. Survivors want it killed 
88 Some mutant creatures look human enough but is killing and eating people in the market area
89 A whole gang was wiped out by some brutal abhuman mutants. Locals fearing they might next want them dead.
90 Some kind of parisite is infecting people and using them as thralls to spread in populated areas. A number of healers want them found and eliminated without a panic
91 The Warlord needs someone to destroy the fuel refinery in Silverton to cripple their vehicles
92 The Warlord wants someone to destroy the functional ultralight aircraft operating in Silverton supporting the gangs there

93 The Warlord suspects there are deeper levels hidden in a long emptied bunker, kill any gangs living there and find the secret levels
94 The Warlord wants a cyborg gang in the ruins wiped out and who controls them destroyed
95 The Warlord wants someone to bury land mines on roads used by a road gang 

96 The Warlord wants a gang hiding in the ruins wiped out and leave a spectacle so everybody knows the Warlord did it
97 The Warlord wants some tech someone refused to sell them and needs someone to give them a final offer they cannot refuse
98 Women escaped the Warlord's harem and he wants them returned and anyone helping them killed. None of the women are to be harmed
99 The Warlord has had reports of old tunnel under the sound and wants the passages searched for threats or loot
100 The Warlord wants the gangs fighting in the mine ruins to be beaten back so hard they think twice before coming back. He can't commit any help but offers ammo and a few vehicles

Saturday 15 August 2020

Reviews Again


Possibly I wrote lots of game stuff out of being cheapskate unwilling to spend money. 

Mostly working on 2 books offline while watching excellent Tripods S1 and S2
Im updating my Current Patreon Project today to 30 pages on my Broken Hill book
Im sourcing a artist for a mock up cover art fro a Norman Linsey meets Mad Max meets 2000AD grunge vibe.

A few Interesting pics today....

The Lost City
vol 4 of goodman games reimagined classics hardbacks.
One of my fave adventures I have never run. This book is the best out of the four so far (followed by 2 then 1 then 3). Lots of art and one item of pole dancing goblins probably one of the biggest surprises in a book I've ever had. Only one reprint of the adventure which is a help. It totally ignores the amazing fan-made companion which goes into the Alexander the Great themes and one web page had awesome addictive drugs for a setting like addictive cheap healing potions better than the "Fantasy" drug in this book. Other than those issues it is the best yet with lots of new dungeon areas like a huge goblin complex and the city detailed and lots of other good extras with great maps. It doesn't feel like a BX 1-3 level adventure anymore in the 5th ed revision but it is pretty nice. One beef I have with this series is new monsters lack any lore or text just stat blocks which I find sad as almost everyone has space and someone could have done this in a few hours. I'm pretty happy with is and hope more like this. Vol one had 2 modules reprinted twice but expanded the wilderness nicely. Vol 2 added extra encounters and really nice Willian McAustland art which I enjoy and vol 4 repeats it. Vol 3 improved the story a bit then ads expanded campaign predicated on new monsters with no illustrations and more monster stat blocks lacking inspiration but i guess S3 was flawed even if fun once. Interestingly I ran S3 last after ASE 1-2-3 and the gonzo genre-bending didn't stand up. Looking forward to vol 5

Bug Hunters TSR 1993 by Lester Smith
This has the gold TSR logo lozenge of the 90s, a time I gave up TSR and DND for being lame. Poorer art, pay per word, people younger and dumber than me writing stuff (complete necromancers guide was the product that made me quit TSR). So this is for the Amazing engine. It Is a marine-based SF game where you are lab-grown troops hunting aliens. The map is great Hard SF sphere around earth as good as the 2300 map but more manageable area. Starship troopers and Aliens is the vibe. Some good points are the modular ship blueprints, some ok equipment that still seems relevant decades later and the best part is the background. It is pretty cheap second hand and some ways the alien back story might fit in with Eclipse Phase or could be used in other SF campaigns. Two ancient races fought a war one used biotech (blobs and the thing and nasty critters) vs the tech race that build robots, replicants, killer drones. I like you could end humanity by shooting new aliens first which can start wars and prevent humans getting allies. The ancients are mostly gone but left traps and monster bioweapons around. Some ex thrall races exist also which could be friend or foe. It does set my imagination off so I commend it for that. Not a lot of art and workman like layouts of this era TSR.

Bug Hunts - Mark Latham Osprey Books 2015
This is more recent and builds a setting very aliens/starship troopers based and sets up a bunch of horrible colony destroying monster species to fight. If your bored with Alien this will give well resolved alternate critters. Would work well with the old TSR Bughunters book. Like all Osprey books the art is very good. Check out cthulhu wars and cthulhu rome books too. I am tempted to get the (non rpg) Alien Marine handbook full of good tech art. The species in here could be in lots of space RPGs. As I said a mash of this and the TSR one would work fine.

High Adventure Cliff Hangers Buck Rogers War Against The Hun
Ive seen a novel of Buck Rogers with warnings for dodginess I cant imagine has got better. Which is pretty fair. I like decopunk SF but this is a real oddity (and was cheap). I might grab the main box if i see around but it seems to be let's try and save our Buck Rogers IP without any advertising or interest from fans so we can own it 75 years more or something. Paper is really thin and the books feel like comics almost. The Mike Pondsmith Buck Rogers IP was a good game with imaginative Ideas that influence me still. The big flaw like lots of TSR things in this time was the interior illustrations seemed workmanlike and not very exiting vs 80s content. So beautiful covers an approximate average inside. This book has like Bughunters has a mostly workmanlike layout and even though they used original Buck comic art was a bit thin. The portrayal of Asians is like pantomime Chinese from 1900 AliBaba plays. The second book in the box has a better layout and has colour printed spot colour on page edges. I hope this was when spot colour was cheaper cos if it was full-colour printing I would be upset. Some of the chapter layouts and presentation of info inboxes is better designed. Well, I did learn more about the setting but I will put this product under the oddities collection. Sadly TSR/SI would have made a good SF or Pulp Game - the Agent 13 book is a superior product