O is for Oriental Adventures (S&W Appreciation Day!)

 

My initial plan for this post was to talk about Oriental Adventures. However, I'm taking a slight detour to participate in S&W Appreciation Day. So, instead of justifying NWPs or the existance of monks and martial arts, I'm reviewing Ruins and Ronin by Mike Davison. It is available from Lulu at a nominal cost of $1 as a pdf and $11.25 as a softcover. Lulu pdf listing

 

 

 

Ruins and Ronin (hereafter R&R) is designed as a S&W Whitebox product. Therefore, it has a very old school feel as to mechanics: very smooth and easy-to-run without  much detail. There are no super samurai. The fighting-man, man of magic, and cleric are all recognizable with name changes; nothing overly different here. Armor Class, however, is treated in a fashion similar to the 1E Oriental Adventures book. The o-yoroi, that is, the complete suit of "samurai" armor, is the ultimate form of armor and is a work of art itself. However, the individual pieces can be bought separately and increase the overall AC value by a factor of 1-2 points. The o-yoroi's AC is better by 1 than the sum of the individual pieces.

 

 

 

The monster section has a few specifically oriental monsters for flavor. But as, far as setting goes, there is nothing. There is also no two page spread of weapons and armor as in the 1E Oriental Adventures. Now, this is in keeping with old school design aesthetics, and it is not 1974, so I won't belabor this point. There are plenty of oriental-themed games to steal ideas and settings from these days: Bushido, Oriental Adventures, Legend of the Five Rings, etc.

 

Overall, I give this product 4 of 5 polar bears with the caveat that it is not a beginner's game due to the lack of background and setting information. More artwork, notwithstanding old school aesthetics, would have pushed it to 5. The price point is excellent as well. And allow me to add the fact that I purchased the print version.

 

There are a couple of free resources for R&R at the S&W page. First off, Davison himself put out a pdf titled 100 Bujin. It is a list of 100 bujin and their stats and equipment for use in random encounters or the like. Sean Wills has a 1 page pdf  for randomly generating a scenario start using all of the polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20).

E is for Editions

Well, I shall attempt to be brief, but that's going to be hard with today's topic, gentle readers. There are, at last count, 6 editions of D&D (more depending on how you count!) and numerous clones and licensed properties that use the D&D "engine." I also will not mention Chainmail as that is not D&D per se. If I miss some, please chalk it up to a headache I have today!

First up is the edition that started it all: Dungeons and Dragons, also called variously 0e(dition), O(riginal)e(dition), and the LBB (Little Brown Books). The core classes and races as well as statistics are there: Clerics, Men of Magic, Fighting Men (Thieves were added in the Greyhawk Supplement); elves, dwarves, Hobb...er, Halflings; experience points; etc.  Some things are noticeably different from later editions, such as d6 damage for all weapons. This version is not "new player friendly;" it assumes a previous experience with wargaming. One of things to like about this edition is the lack of defined rules. Imagination was key. There were also no hard limits: science and sorcery were mixed in Castle Greyhawk as well as in Blackmoor.

 

 

On a sidenote, the impact of D&D was felt in other games. Traveller when it came out, arrived in a LBB (Little Black Book) Edition with a similar division of books: Characters and Combat, Starships, and Worlds mirroring Men and Magic, Creatures and Treasure, and Underworld and Wilderness Adventures.

 

 

 

I'll talk about the next two together. It was quickly apparent as D&D sold rapidly across the country that a hit was on their hands. The deficiency about a lack of instruction was noted. As AD&D was prepared Holmes D&D, a primer on roleplaying that took eh character to 3rd level was introduced as a stopgap measure. Alignments went from three (L, C, N) to 5 (LG, CG, LE, CE, N). Holmes was never intended to be a truly stand alone game but more of a "gateway" game to introduce the game to potential players.  After AD&D was published, D&D Basic and Expert  (B/X or Moldvey/Cook D&D) was introduced. My impression is that D&D was supposed to become the home game that one could tinker with to one's content. AD&D was the framework for the "international" and tournament game, a framework that would allow for greater precision in competition. This is to some extent conjecture, but is the feeling I have. I also like to point put that the blurb on the back of the Basic Book touts it as "family entertainment."  Way different from being a  smelly neckbeard basement-dweller game. There are some important things in B/X: race as class, a return to the 3 alignments, and a less technically precise combat. It is, in many ways, divorced from its wargaming roots; not so AD&D.

 

 

 

I'm using a pic of the current reprints because they are so sweet! For me, this is AD&D. As much as people deride 3.0/3e for becoming a minis game, it is still an important component of first edition as well. All of those fiddly numbers: weapon speed, armor modifiers, the confusing initiative. It is apparent that Gary never really left his wargaming roots. He's the lead author here. B/X and the later BECMI had different leads and therefore way different feels. Here we gain the 9 alignments (LG, NG, CG, LN, NT, CN, LE, NE, CE); more races (gnomes, half orcs and a plethora of elves and dwarves); more classes (assassin, monks, cavaliers, etc.). It can be argued that, like minis, 3e's fascination with "a class for anyone" can be laid at Gygax's feet. And what are the bard and thief-acrobat if not proto-prestige classes. The introductions of skills as "nonweapon proficiencies begins here as well in Oriental Adventures. We also gain most of the campaign worlds: Greyhawk, Toril, Kyrnn, and Ravenloft (as a module, true; it is in 2e that it would become a world).

 

 

Basic had a facelift in the mid 1980s. It was truly its own game and a very playable one as well and is termed BECMI (Basic-Expert-Companion-Master-Immortal) by fans. BECMI's lead author was Frank Mentzer. The game took  characters from 1st to 36th level and then beyond to Immortal levels. The expanded game setting of the Known World (to become Mystara in 2e) had its own line of gazetteers. No other D&D campaign world has really had this level of attention to detail.

 

 

With the ouster of Gary from TSR, the company continued on. In 1989, second edition hit the scene. Love it or hate it, it is still the longest in print version. And, boy, were they prolific! Splat books for the classes and the addition of kits to customize classes. Humanoids as viable PC races (The Complete Humanoid). Even Psionics was revamped into an arguably workable system (although it works best where magic is not present). Planescape, Ravenloft, Mystara/Red Steel, Dark Sun for new campaign worlds as well as revamps of Toril, Oerth and Kyrnn. There was much crying over the loss of many of the core classes like moinks and assassins. However, it was a return to those core four classes (Warrior/Mage/Priest/Rogue) seen in 0e. The other problem players had was with the  "unbalancing" kits. I believe that's due to a poor DM, but opinions vary. I don't play this edition enough. It is a complete system, still readily available with reprints of the core books arriving in May. And it is well integrated and planned out.

 

 

In the mid 1990s, we got the Player's Option books or 2.5. It did not supplant or replace 2e, but it allowed for point buy character creation, spell point systems and the like. It was really more of a D&D "toolbox" that had "official" ways to change the rules. I never knew anyone to play this; I did own it and wanted to run or play it. The idea of a creating a wizard who could use a sword or have thieving abilities was novel.

 

Enter the 21st century and the acquisition of the brand by Wizards of the Coast and Monte Cook. Third edition. D20. There has been much written about this over the years. This version focuses more on the mins and the tactical nature of combat. One could argue that was true of 1e as well; it was really B/X and BECMI that were roleplaying focused without the need for minis. I won't go into the mechanics of 3.0/3.5. Suffice to say, though, that it is still recognizably D&D. The strength and weakness of d20 are the same in my opinion: the OGL. The Open Game License allowed third party publishers to use the engine to create games and supplements. That is good in that we got some really outstanding games such as Mutants and Masterminds and Castles and Crusades. The flip side is that there is A LOT of material for players and especially DMs to wade through, some of which is sub-par and mediocre.

 

Fourth edition....bored yet? This is the version that receives the most vitriol these days. It is arguably not D&D but a MMO with dice and minis. Some of the ideas make sense to some extent: magic-missile as an "at-will power" makes mages more survivable, but also makes it like hitting the 1 button in a video game. Alignment was simplified and the concept of "unaligned" was brought into play. There is a dearth of roleplaying material; 1e was guilty of that as well, but did have material on hirelings, sages, creation of the campaign world. This was a poor attempt to change the brand to appeal to young computer gamers and a mistake that I believe WotC has realized.

 

And so, on the horizon, is "D&D Next." From what I have seen of the playtest materials, this edition is going to attempt to become "all things for all people." That might work for a Roman Catholic saint, but I have my doubts as to its viability for a RPG. It would appear that it will be a stripped-down version very similar to D&D basic, but without race as class. There will be a plethora of options so one can ramp it up to something akin to 3.5 or anything in between. We'll see how that works. I am cautiously optimistic.

 

And, now, bring on the clones!

 

 

 

I want to mention first off M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal. The world of Tekumel first published by TSR in 1975 and using an adaptation of the 0e ruleset. Tekumel is a non-western fantasy world and is much beloved of its fans. If you're looking for something not derived from Tolkien and Howard, this is the game for you! A reprint is available at: Tita's House of Games

 

The Basic Fantasy RPG was probably the first fan reaction to 3.0, if my internal timeline is correct. This is a wonderful product and I can't recommend it enough. It is essentially a B/X clone that is completely free; print copies are sold on Lulu at cost. There are a lot of add-ons for the game that are fan-produced and available for download in pdf and Open Office formats. Please check them out at: Basic Fantasy Roleplaying

 

 

 

One of the first professional responses to 3.0 was Castles and Crusades by Troll Lord Games. Using the OGL the Trolls created a stripped down fantasy game reminiscent of first edition and it is a great game in its own right. Ascending AC and a version of BAB is used. This game plays like D&D lite. I also enjoy that weapons have abilities reminiscent of the AC modifiers tables of 1e but with out a huge chart. For instance, a bec de corbin "receives a +2 when used against chain, plate and scale armors." Another thing that struck me was that the original printings were the same size as the 1e PHB. They also have the distinction of working with Gary Gygax in an attempt to get Castle Greyhawk (as Castle Zagyg) published before Gary died. Check them out at: Troll Lord Games

 

 

 

Kenzer Company's Hackmaster (fourth edition!) was an officially licensed game that used the 1e/2e core system. It was, in many respects, 1e with some 2e things (kits, wild magic, splat books) tacked on. There was even an inkling of 2.5 with their STP (Skills-Talents-Proficiencies) system that allowed some characterization of classes. As a result of the licensing agreement with WotC, KCo had to use a lot of parody in their language. Ignore that, though, and the core system is sound. WotC did not renew the license prior to the release of 4e. Hackmaster lives on in its fifth (actually 2nd) edition but the core mechanics are drastically different. However, it is worth checking out and they are offering the stripped down "basic" book as a FREE pdf (download here). They can be found at: Kenzer Company

 

 

Goblinoid Games offers the Labyrinth Lord game, another company that used the OGL to produce an older-style RPG. This is essentially a B/X emulator and is available in print at Lulu and also as a free pdf download (sans artwork). They offer the Advanced Edition Companion to make the game a bit more like AD&D. They also offer Mutant Future (a Gamma World clone) and own the licenses to Timemaster and Starships and Spacemen (in print again!). Their web site is: Goblinoid Games

 

Swords and Wizardry is another B/X style game and is currenty published by Frog God Games. These are the guys that produced Rappan Athuk and it is another great game. The Whitebox edition takes it back down to 0e if that's your thing. Their web site is: Frog God Games

 

Dark Dungeons is a another retro-clone, but this one uses BECMI as its reference point. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the horrid Jack T. Chick religious diatribe, Dark Dungeons. In fact, the exanple character that is used throughout the work is Black Leaf, the character who dies in the first panel of the tract. It's always good to have a sense of humor about these things. It is available in pdf form for free and in print for a nominal fee from Lulu. The web site is: Gratis Games

Johnathan Becker's B/X Companion is not a true clone; rather, it is an extension of the B/X game. The public was promised a Companion book to take characters past 14th level when B/X was published, but the rebranding to BECMI meant that the world would never see it...until now. Becker extrapolated what might have been and this is a nice addition for you if prefer the Moldvey/Cook rules. the cover is obviously a homage to the original Erol Otus covers. It is no longer available in print but is available as a pdf at RPGNow. Becker recently released the B/X Adventurer that adds some new classes and magic to the game most notably gnomes, centaurs, and witches (among others). Running Beagle Games is found at: B/X Blackrazor

 

 

Finally, we come to the end....and OSRIC. I give these guys a lot of grief, I admit that readily. However, unlike some of the other clones that stay true to their source, this version is not what it purports to be. True, it is AD&D  as it was played in the 1980s; but just because we didn't play with weapon factors, psionics, monks, etc., doesn't mean they're not a part of AD&D. Even Goblinoid Game's Advanced Edition Companion adds the caveat "as it was played." That said, this is a well done work. Even if I disagree with Stuart Marshall's choices, this is a outstanding product. Everything one needs to play something close to AD&D (yes, yes, I can't let it go!) in one beautiful tome with art from James Halloway. It's only $26, so if the $100+ pricetag of the 1e reprints is too much, go here. The web site is: Black Blade Publishing

 

And that's it! Woo-hoo, finally through. Break out the Faygo! Tomorrow, gentle readers, I shall examine some of my favorite forums!

 

 

Ah, Free Time Abounds

Well, seeing as how I'm going to be unemployed by the end of the week, I should have some free time opening up. I've been thinking about what to do with some of that free time. Part of it will be spent working on my expanded Hommlet campaign and getting it up and running again. And, yes, some time will be spent looking for a job, but that won't start until June; thank you, Rick Perry, for screwing up education in this state. Until the legislature figures out the education budget, all ISDs and state universities and colleges are on a hiring freeze.

Anyway, I'm thinking about making Isungr Games a reality. Maybe working up some OSR modules for Swords and Wizardry, seeing if I can pull off some POD/PDF sales on Lulu. It's not like I'll make a mint or anything, but it's something I can do. And I have a resident artist these days as well. I have an idea for a fane. Now, where did I put those notes?

Z is for Zombie!

It was a long Saturday, so I'm running a little late on my blog...go figure. But we made it! The final post has arrived.

Zombies. Everybody loves zombies, right? If the series The Walking Dead is any indication, I think that's a resounding "Yes!" Maybe it'll finally do something about the lame-ass vampire craze that's going on. Sparkling vampires...indeed!

I find it someone ironic because the vampires of medieval myth were more like zombies and not suave, urbane aristocrats like the one portrayed in Bram Stoker's Dracula. They did return to their graves, yes, but they also gorged themselves on Blood AND Flesh, in some sort of profane, satanic mockery of Holy Communion. When found, they were undecayed, but they were also described in monstrous terms..."bloated like a tick" is the phrase that springs to mind, even if it's not a direct quote. They were creatures that frequented charnel houses and abattoirs, not Victorian parlors or 1980's discos. Remember this fellow? Not a medieval vampire at all.

Some literary historians point put that the "medieval" vampire (zombie?) is a symbol of the fear of death by disease that was so prevalent. They go on to say that vampires in the Victorian era were symbolic of repressed sexuality and the fear of conditions like syphilis or unmarried pregnancy. Since we're no longer all that afraid of those things (due to abortions, birth control, and antibiotics), we're reverting to something more primal in our fears...death.

Who knows? I'm just a regular historian. I do know that zombies should cause a bit more consternation among players and not just ones with 1st and 2nd level characters who don't have the benefit of a cleric, either. And so, I submit my final monster for the A-to-Z Challenge. Enjoy!

Zombie, Juju

AC: 6 [13]                                   Special: Immune to sleep, charm

HD: 3+12                                    Move: 9

Attacks: Punch or weapon           HDE/XP: 5/240

No one is exactly sure from whence these souless husks come, but they are definitely stronger than the normal zombie. Like standard zombies, they are immune to the effects of sleep, charm, and other mind control spells, They are immune to effects of magic missiles, electricity, and cold; fire only does 1/2 of normal damage (save for 0 damage). Acid and holy water have full effect. They have great strength and whether they use fists or weapons, they cause 2d6 damage per attack; they also attack as 6 HD creatures. They are agile and intelligent enough to hurl javelins or to load and use crossbows. They can climb sheer surfaces easily and are not hampered underwater, either. Only magical weapons (+1 or greater) can affect a juju zombie and even then piercing and crushing weapons have difficulty getting through their tough skin and only do half normal damage (cleaving weapons cause full damage). Finally, juju zombies turn as spectres.

Y is for Yeti!

A short one today. Lots of work up at the Uni as the semester winds down...more like free lunch for this starving professor! So, enjoy the yeti statted up for Swords and Wizardry Whitebox.

Yeti

AC: 6 [13]                                   Special: Surprise, immune to cold, squeeze

HD: 4+4                                      Move: 15

Attacks: Claws (2)                       HDE/XP: 5/240

Arctic cousins of the lowland Sasquatch, the yeti is almost impossible to spot in the frozen North due to its stealth and natural camouflage. A character has a 5% chance of spotting the yeti for each level of experience above the 1st; thus, a 4th level character has a 15% chance of noticing the yeti before it attacks. If the yeti does manage to surprise the characters, they each must save or be paralyzed for 3 combat rounds as they meet its fearsome gaze. A paralyzed character is automatically struck by the claws and squeeze attack. If the yeti scores a natural 20 on either of its claw attack, it has managed to grapple with the character and automatically does an additional 2d6+4 damage.

X is for Xenophobia and Xorn!

Well, I noticed that several other bloggers are using xenophobia today; however, there are only so many "x-words" and I had decided that this last night, so here we go!

As a historian, xenophobia has a special significance for me, although the phrase used in the literature is usually "the fear of the Other." All cultures exhibit this fear; "Humans destroy what they fear" is an old saying and frequently reused in literature and cinema such as X-Men. This is not merely confined to European cultures, either. For example, the name that each american Indian tribe used for itself translate as "the People." Other tribes were not really "People." This allowed for fighting between neighbors.

Part of the fear is instinctive; humans are actually fairly conservative creatures fearing change. Also, our minds work in loops that start with observation and move to contemplation. A decision is made and implemented. Confronted with something that was experienced previously (or at least similar to something known), this operation is practically instinctive. Faced with something odd or unique or radically different, fear and indecision set in as we try to cope with new input. The easiest solution is to destroy.

This explains propaganda in warfare. The enemy must appear "unhuman" to effectively convince the populace to kill. It taps into that fear of the other; confront with something different, it is easier, best, safest to kill it.

"What does this have to do with gaming?" you ask. Good question, and I don't really have an answer. I've wracked my brain looking for a connection, maybe something about how parties seem to slaughter orc children all the time or argue about whether it's a LG chore or not. But if one's brain is hardwired to work in this way (and remember that our instincts frequently short circuit and bypass our reason), is it even a moral issue?

Xorn

AC: -2 [21]                                  Special: Surprise, immune to fire/cold

HD: 7+7                                      Move: 9

Attacks: Claws (3), bite                HDE/XP: 9/1100

Xorns are a race that is native to the Elemental Plane of Earth, but they occasionally travel to the deep places of the Prime Material Plane to search for the precious metals that they enjoy as snacks. A xorn is able to adjust its molecules and pass through solid stone as if it were air; it can also do this to attack by surprise (5-in-6) from underneath or out of a solid wall. Its claws do 1d6 damage, but its powerful bite does 4d6 damage! A xorn is also completely immune to fire- or cold-based attacks and takes no more than half damage from electrical attacks (if it saves against an electrical attack, the damage is 0). 

A xorn does have special weakness to some spells. Move earth stuns the xorn for 1 round, in addition to knocking it back 30 feet. Transform stone-flesh or transform rock-mud drops the xorn's AC to 8 for 1 round round and effectively stuns it (losing its next attack) since the xorn must readjust its molecules. A passwall spell causes 11-20 damage.

Fortunately for most adventurers, xorn are relatively peaceful. They will merely demand a "tribute" of precious metals (copper, silver, gold, etc.) from any groups they encounter and will then allow the party to pass on without incident. Note that they can smell precious metals from 20 feet away, so the party can't lie about what metals they have.

W is for "Woot!" and Water Weird

Woot! 

"Woot!" is the "Hoody hoo!" heard at my gaming tables. As both a player and a DM, I LOVE woot-moments. For us they usually occur whenever we pull off a great moment. You know the one. You have this elaborate, by-the-numbers "Dirty Dozen" scheme all planned out. It's not quite working. Every one is on the edge of their seats and then...it happens! The scheme is pulled off and everyone makes it out alive and richer than Croesus. And someone, sometimes everyone, lets out a raucous "WOOT!!!"

A perfect example of a "Woot" game: Father Jupiter Smiles On Us Pt. I

      Father Jupiter Smiles On Us Pt. II

Or an example with my kids:  And Second Session

especially with the fight that begins at:

"Once again they slaughtered the little horrors. They opened the doors to go down the corridor and, at the next intersection, a goblin patrol!" 

It's these "woot" moments that make the game better than a computer game, even an MMO. It's that human element where everyone connects emotionally and in person at a real table, face-to-face. For me, this is gaming and this is why I continue gaming even after 30 years. Once again, I have to say, thank you, Gary, Dave, and Bob.

Water Weird

AC: 4 [15]                                   Special: 1 pt. from sharp, 1/2 or 0 from fire

HD: 3+3                                      Move: 12

Attacks: Drowning                       HDE/XP: 5/240

These is a strange lifeform from the Elemental Plane of Water that occasionally hides in fountains or pools; in general, they cannot be destroyed and loss of all hit points merely disrupts their forms and they re-form with full hit points in two rounds. Sharp weapons do a mere 1 point of damage; blunt weapons do full damage. Fire spells automatically do 1/2 damage or 0 if the water weird saves. A purify food and drink spell destroys it immediately. It attacks as a 6 HD creature and a struck target will be dragged into the water and begin to take drowning damage on the next round and every round thereafter (1d6/round). Water weirds have a 3-in-6 chance of successfully controlling a water elemental.

V is for Victim and Volt

Victim. That's one thing that characters should never be. They're supposed to be heroes by God, not a meal for a rodent with nasty, sharp, pointy teeth!

Just saying....

Volt

AC: 3 [16]                                   Special: Immune to electricity

HD: 2+1                                      Move: 6

Attacks: Bite and tail                    HDE/XP: 3/60

A volt is a weird, floating, bug-like creature that latches onto the neck of its target (d6-1 damage). Once it hits, the volt is attached until either itself or the victim is dead; it will continue to do d6-1 damage per round automatically by sucking blood. Its tail has to roll to hit but gains a +4 to hit; if it does connect, it does 2d6 electrical damage. The volt is completely immune to all electrical attacks.

U is for Uniformity and Umber Hulk

Uniformity. In the Dungeon Masters Guide (p. 7), Gary states, "Dictums are given for the sake of the game only, for if ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is to survive and grow, it must have some degree of uniformity, a familiarity of method and procedure from campaign to campaign within the whole." In my opinion that's part of the problem with the OSR movement. Everybody seems to want to come out with their version ("vision") of the old rulesets. If  Labyrinth Lord  is adequate, what need is there for Swords and Wizardry, Complete, Whitebox or other?  If B/X Companion rounds off Moldvey, why even bother with  Dark Dungeons (yes, I know, DD is a BECMI emulator)? Or, ultimately, with so many copies of the original rules on Ebay or even pdfs (mostly pirated, admittedly) why even bother with "clones" at all?

This is not to disparage any of the "clones." It is clear that the authors all have an excellent grasp of the system and the material. But they're all slightly different and not ~exactly~ compatible. As Gary goes on to say on the same page, "ADVANCED D&D is more than a framework around which individual DMs construct their respective milieux, it is above all a set of boundaries for all of the 'worlds' devised by referees everywhere. These boundaries are broad and spacious, and there are numerous areas where they are so vague and amorphous as to make them nearly nonexistent, but they are there nonetheless."

I probably worry for nothing, but I am concerned that the movement will  subdivide into a group of mutually antagonist people. Feel free to prove me wrong.

Umber Hulk

AC: 2 [17]                                   Special: Confusion

HD: 8+8                                      Move: 6/1-6 (when burrowing)

Attacks: Claws, bite                   HDE/XP: 9/1100

Despite their lumbering, beetle-like appearance, Umber Hulks are actually an intelligent subterranean race that culls ankhegs, cave fishers, hook horrors, young purple worms, and the like for food. Their exoskeleton protects them better than plate armor and their large mandibles can cut through armor for 2d6 damage. Anyone who meets the gaze of the Umber Hulk must save or become confused for 2d6 melee rounds.

T is for Tekumel and Two-Headed Troll

Ah, Tekumel. One of the earliest campaign worlds. And one of the most detailed. And also, one of the few that's not Tolkien- or European-derived. I must confess, I've only, in 30 years of gaming, only played in Tekumel once, using the old EPT rules. But I have devoured everything I can about this world.

Imagine a world where metal is a scarce item. So, all weapons, armor, etc., are made from chlen-hide. Imagine a beast like a giant buffalo that can be "sheared" periodically of its hide. There are no horses or other beasts of burden, and chlen are too slow to be used as such. Porters travel on a triple-tiered highway system.

The land is ruled by a strict caste system that is also part of a clan system. There are 12 gods each with a "cohort," a minor deity or demigod in its service. So, 24 immortals essentially. Half are gods of order, half are gods of chaos. They are not good or evil per se. There is merely correct and incorrect behavior.

This is an alien world, settled in the far future by humans after recovery from a nuclear war. The world, however, eventually feel through a wormhole into a pocket dimension, cut off from the rest of reality. Aliens allies and enemies were also trapped on the planet as well. And the native life is high inimical to human life. The climate is a very hot tropical, and further changed human society..

There have been 4 different "official" rulesets for Tekumel, none currently in print, plus a host of fan-created ones for GURPS, Hero, etc.

The best primer on Tekumel is at the offical site: http://www.tekumel.com I could ramble on forever, but check it out. It's worth your time.

Troll, Giant Two-Headed

AC: 4 [15]                                   Special: Regeneration

HD: 10                                        Move: 12

Attacks: Claws, bites                   HDE/XP: 12/2000

Some deranged wizard caused an unholy union between an ettin and a troll, resulted in these two-headed monstrosity that combines elements of the two. The two-Headed troll can attack up to four targets in a round: 2 separate claw attacks (1d6+1 each) and two bite attacks (2d6 each). They are only surprised on 1-in-6 chance and regenerate as trolls (q.v.) but only at a rate of 1 h.p. per round.

S is for Sandbox and Sandman

Note: This is the first of two posts for today, because I "fasted" from the Internetz for Good Friday.

Sandbox. The term gets thrown around a lot in the OSR, but what exactly is sandbox play? Well, simply put, sandbox play is less centered around modules and more about allowing the players to go and explore whatever they want to. This is not to say that the DM cannot prepare ahead of time, but he doesn't railroad the players into one adventure by starting with "Ok, you say show up at the entrance to the dungeon. What do you do?" Instead, the DM presents a series of hooks for the players to examine.

For example, in the classic T1 Village of Hommlett, the DM could place hooks like these (all taken or inspired from the ToEE video game):

1. One of the farmers has a daughter who has disappeared. He thinks she might be at a Deklo grove that's rumored to be the lair of some giant spiders.

2. Ostler has a problem. Furnok of Fyrd, a professional "treasure-hunter" has set up a gambling table and is fleecing the patrons for a lot of coin. No one has caught him cheating. Can the PCs help?

3. The local wainwraight's wife was travelleing to visit her sister in another town and is overdue in returning from her trip. Where could she be?

Etc., etc. 

Now this only helps in a single regional area. Suppose your players decide instead that they would rather leave Hommlett and head off for Greyhawk (the city)? Well, you're either going to have to adapt some hooks on the fly or be a really good improviser. Of course, maybe you have a file folder with adventure seeds and ideas in it for just such an emergency.  

However, let's say you've prepared 5 or 6 hooks in detail and the players still want to go to Greyhawk. But it's been a long week at work and you're not on your A-game. You can run something prepared, but improvise? Not today, no way. There's nothing wrong with stepping out of the game for a second and telling your players something along the lines of, "Guys, I really don't have anything set up for Greyhawk today. I'm not trying to railroad y'all, but could you try to do something in Hommlett tonight. If, after tonight, you still want to head off for the City, I can get something for you for next week." I think most players would be like, "Hey, no problem. Let's rescue that farmer's teenage daughter. Maybe she's cute!" ;)

Another good idea in sandbox play is to allow the players to assist you in creating the world; this takes some of the burden off of your shoulders. Let's say a player wants to play a barbarian, but you haven't really given much thought to what the barbarians are like in your world. I mean, you know where they're from and you know their culture is similar to that of the Frost, Ice, and Snow Barbarians of Greyhawk (ref., Unearthed Arcana, p. 20).

Ok, so you let the player create the bare outlines of what his tribe or clan is like, why he left his homeland, etc. Maybe his tribe was wiped out by slavers when he was a child and he was raised in captivity and trained to be a gladiator. Or something like that.

Or, back to Hommlett, maybe the player's are trying to get in to see Burne and Rufus and are rebuffed by the guards who don't want their masters disturbed. One of the players pipes up with "Hey, I'm a fighter, right? And even a 1st level fighter is considered a 'vet,' right? Maybe I know one of the door guards from a campaign or something...." Don't let this one get out of hand, but it can enhance the game and help the player out. Plus, it can make the world seem alive. For those who find it implausible, I ran into someone from high school when I was in the Army on the other side of the world. I didn't even know she had joined the Army! Later when I was out of the Army I ran into a guy I served with, who was California, not Texas, in my hometown. He was going to a local college. So, it is possible. :)

So, that's a few thoughts to keep in mind when working up a sandbox campaign. 

Sandman

AC: 3 [16]                                   Special: Sleep

HD: 4                                          Move: 9

Attacks: Touch                            HDE/XP: 5/240

Weird, extraplanar creatures that are made out of flowing sand granules, sandmen have some unknowable purpose in the world; they do attack humans on sight, however. A creature of any level that comes within 20 feet of a sandman must save or fall asleep. If the sandman touches someone, they need to save again (using a weapon against one does not count as a touch).

But not this guy...

or this one.