Taking the Final Frontier to the Virtual Frontier

Now that the uncertainty regarding Nuke-Con 2020 is out of the way, I can actually start making headway in planning and prepping for my October and November events. After a lot of gamer ADHD and anxiety, I've come to the conclusion that Cyberpunk 2020 hits too close to home with current events the way they are.

As such, I'm going to be running the Icon system edition of the Star Trek RPG. While Modiphius' 2D20 system is the current incarnation of Star Trek roleplaying in the hobby, Last Unicorn's edition is my version of choice. This post will be the central locus for information on my events.

First off, let's get the skinny on the two conventions in question. Nuke-Con is set for October 2-4, 2020. Virtual GameHole Con is scheduled for November 5-8 go here to register for the con. Essentially, I'm going to be running the same events for both conventions, so if you miss a certain event at Nuke-Con's virtual convention, you can always try to catch it at Virtual GameHole Con. All that being said, let's move ahead to the 24th century...

The Series Premise

The year is 2377 - only two years since the Dominion War ended. The Alpha Quadrant's long healing process is far from over. The Cardassian Union and Klingon Empire quietly rebuild from their devastating losses. Meanwhile, the Federation and Romulan Star Empire have resumed their cold war. In the shadows, predators and scavengers lurk, watching for any sign of weakness they can take advantage of.

Capt. Malcom Harrison. Yes, I went there.

Into this uneasy peace comes both a new ship and a new generation of Starfleet cadets. Cadet Training Squadron 42 - Delta Squad - find themselves assigned to the USS Odyssey, NCC-71832-A. One of many ships constructed under Starfleet's Rapid Reconstruction Initiative, the Odyssey is built from a number of refurbished, salvaged, repurposed, and new components. Despite being thrown into the deep end of this chaotic situation, Captain Malcom Harrison and his crew are determined to keep the flame of Starfleet and the Federation's ideals burning.

Canon and Apocrypha

While these are convention games, I feel it's important to remind some players that this game adheres mainly to the canon as presented in the TV series (excluding Discovery) and movies (excluding the J.J. Abrams films and despite my dislike of Generations, First Contact, and Nemesis).  Material presented in the novels, comics, and electronic games is considered apocryphal unless I introduce it into the game. 

The Icon System (Condensed)

 For those of you who don't own a copy of Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek: The Next Generation RPG, I've provided a condensed version minus the Renown rules. Why did I leave out the Renown rules? Mainly because I find them pointless, but also because they serve no purpose in these scenarios.

• Rules Handout (with Master Trait List)
• Rules Handout (no Master Trait List)
  

 

The Adventures of the Odyssey and Delta Squad

The following adventures represent the events of Delta Squad's extended cadet cruise. Event information for each convention will be added as details become available. Discord links will be provided here once they have been assigned by the respective conventions.

The Kobayashi Maru - Members of Delta Squad take part in the Kobayashi Maru simulation, but a cadet's secret agenda risks everyone's future.

 

GM's Note: Players whose cadet characters receive a promotion to Ensign in "The Kobayashi Maru" may bring those characters back to participate in the subsequent adventures below.

Shakedown Cruise - The unexpected arrival of Delta Squad and a mysterious subspace signal complicate the USS Odyssey's maiden voyage.

Bioadversity - A survey mission turns deadly when an ancient bioweapon is released and an old enemy of the Federation returns seeking revenge.

A Hungry Season - A mission of mercy is derailed when raiders hijack a convoy carrying medical aid.

USS Odyssey NCC-71832-A

• Icon System stat sheet for USS Odyssey NCC-71832-A
• Icon System starship record sheet
• USS Odyssey stat sheet and starship record sheet

Please note, the starship record sheet is not form-fillable.

Dramatis Personae

Here are the heroes of our adventures - the cadets of Delta Squad and the crew of the Odyssey. The character sheets are forthcoming.

 

Cadet Training Squadron 42 (Delta Squad)

• Tactical Cadet Mark Decker - Male Human
• Medical Cadet Kheris - Female Human-Klingon hybrid
• Engineering Cadet Hiromi Sulu - Female Human
• Biosciences Cadet Sharan Alea - Female Bajoran
• Command Cadet Sural - Male Vulcan
• Command Cadet Thraxana - Female Denobulan
• Operations Cadet Deron Val - Male Trill (unjoined)

 

Crew of the USS Odyssey NCC-71832-A

• Cmdr. M'rynn - Executive Officer - Female Caitian
• Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Hennings - Second Officer - Female Human
• Lt. Cmdr. Ghent - Chief Engineer - Male Tellarite
• Lt. Debrin - Assistant Engineer - Male Tiburonian
  
• Lt. Cmdr. D'vor - Tactical/Security - Male Andorian
• Lt. Cmdr. Teldar - Operations - Male Bolian
• Lt. Cmdr. Kohana - Chief Science Office - Female Andorian
• Lt. T'kel - Assistant Science Officer - Male Vulcan
  
• Lt. Cmdr./Dr. Melara Tebryn, MD - Chief Medical Officer - Female Centauran
  
• Lt./Dr. Chel Beran, MD - Second Medical Officer - Female Betazoid
• Lt. j.g. Michael Peretti - Conn/Ops - Male Human
  

Character sheets by Patrick M. Murphy, aka "The Mad Irishman".

Bonus: Wonder what the theme song would be like? I think Nick Phoenix's "Starfleet" fits the bill.

Project Jasper: Hope for Carrie Edition

So, today my wife went out with a friend to see Star Wars: Rogue One while I spent the day studying the backs of my eyelids (I work the overnight shift at an emergency shelter for troubled youth, for the record, so I had to take one for the team). While I was sleeping, 2016 decided it wanted to continue being a dick and I awoke to the troubling news about actress Carrie Fisher. Having already remarked on how nasty the year has been, I had thought about giving this post an especially nasty title. Fortunately, the more rational parts of my mind and heart teamed up and beat down my inner cynic.

As a continuation of my remembrance of Benoist Poire's canine friend Jasper, my latest entry combines my love for dogs and Star Wars with hope and prayers for Carrie Fisher's full recovery. Here I present Jhaspar Gnarr.

Jhaspar Gnarr, Jedi Padawan (22 BBY)

Artwork from The New Essential Guide To Alien Species; Del Rey; 2006

Male Shistavanen

DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster 3D+1
Lightsaber 4D
Melee 4D
Melee Parry 4D

KNOWLEDGE 2D
Survival 3D

MECHANICAL 2D
Astrogation 2D+1
Starfighter Piloting 2D+1
Starship Gunnery 2D+1

PERCEPTION 3D

STRENGTH 3D
Stamina 3D+2

TECHNICAL 2D
Lightsaber Repair 3D

Move 10/13

Special Abilities
Night Vision: Shistavanens have excellent night vision and can see in darkness with no penalty

Force Skills
       Control 2D
       Sense 1D

Powers: Remain Conscious (C), Lightsaber Combat (C/S)

Force Points: 2, Character Points: 5, Dark Side Points: 0

Equipment: Two lightsabers (5D dmg. ea.), Jedi battle armor, Jedi robes, commlink, blaster pistol (4D dmg)

A Quote: "Squad Aurek will move around the hills to the southwest. Squad Besh will flank from the east. Master Taresh and I will lead the charge down the center with squads Cresh and Dorn. Hopefully we can convince General Sanguinus of the error of her ways."

SAD UPDATE: This morning (12/27/16) I read with a heavy heart the news that Carrie Fisher passed away. My heart goes out to my fellow fans as well as the rest of the Star Wars cast for the loss of everybody's princess. This post is still a work-in-progress, and I will post a background and Rebellion Era stats for Jhaspar after an appropriate bit of time.

 

In the Beginning...

"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”

― Douglas Adams, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

I have just spent the better part of my Thursday overnight shift breathing life into a series bible for Project Frying Pan. If there's one thing I have learned thus far in the process, it's this: Creating a universe from scratch is a lot of hard work, even if it's been percolating in the back of your brain for over a year. The sheer act of organizing, clarifying, defining, and just plain expressing it is daunting, exhilarating, and exhausting all at the same time. I have drawn upon my favorite aspects of various authors' universes as well as some of my own unpublished writing to find interesting bits to add.

No worries! I'm not dead yet!

While I will be taking a brief rest from the Project Frying Pan creative process this weekend, it is far from over. While the series bible (Did I forget to mention Project Frying Pan is the first in a series?) stands at an ephemeral eight pages in length, there is more to come and more to develop. The Frying Pan-verse (there will be a better name for it, I promise you), is in its infancy not only in the present, but also in its past and future.

Research will continue apace as I delve into the worlds of astronomy and con artistry. Project Frying Pan may be a science fiction book, but it's still got to have some basis in reality, after all. Of course, that's just a small part of the bigger picture. Historical research as well as some further reading in the genre is needed as well, all of which I look forward to.

Another part of the process is going to be resolving how to set parameters for the development of characters, technology, and all that other fun stuff. Being a tabletop gamer, I've got what I consider a number of useful tools at my disposal for defining things. The big decision is what system (and edition) to use. No system is perfect and part of my brain is itching to pair Project Frying Pan with another ongoing project on this blog.

What's ironic is that this fits Douglas Adams' opening quote to "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" perfectly. I have no doubt that someone, somewhere is now foaming at the mouth, fingers feverishly poking at their keyboard in an effort to "educate" me on how "wrong" I am to use an RPG as a tool to define my characters and the universe they live in. In fact, that subsection of my aspiring authorial peers is doubtlessly a speck compared to the massive hipster horde pounding away at their keyboards about how whatever system I choose is wrong and how my use of tropes and aspects of other authors' universes is so "derivative" and "unimaginative".

As a writer, I readily acknowledge that there's nothing new under the sun - it's just a matter of what you do with it. That's where the real challenge lies. While I look forward to that challenge, I realize that failure is a possibility, and at the same time, it's a learning experience. No plan survives first contact with reality, let alone "the enemy". A slight change has already been made to one character and I'm sure more changes will be made to Project Frying Pan before all is said and done. The main thing to remember above all is this: "Don't panic!"

Kenny Baker: The Most Metal Star Wars Actor Of All

Gorramit, 2016! Quit kicking me in the feels! And stop stomping on my childhood!

The most metal man in the Star Wars movies. Rest in peace, Kenny.

In case you didn't know, Kenny Baker, the man who put the heart in R2-D2, died yesterday at the age of 81. While I never had the honor, let alone the opportunity, to meet Mr. Baker at any kind of science fiction convention, I have to say I admire the dedication he had to his craft despite the bad deal he physically got from life.

I honestly believe that he was perhaps the most metal of all the Star Wars actors. While Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels had to contend with the heat and sweat of their costumes, Kenny had to deal with dwarfism and its associated ills on top of it all. What's more, Kenny's late wife Eileen - who was also afflicted with dwarfism - played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, so she understood and shared her husband's struggle. In the heat, cold, muck, and bugs, Kenny Baker was more than just a little person in a metal shell. He was the personality and heart of R2-D2. He was metal.

Thank you, Kenny, for the happiness you brought me and millions of other fans. Rest in peace.

The Rules of the House

Okay, bad pun in the title aside, I've found that despite my difficulties with advanced math (including probabilities), I do enjoy doing a little tinkering with the rules of the games I run. Sometimes it's because something doesn't fit the flavor of the game and other times I do it to see what the existing game can do with a little more tweaking. Beyond the Wall (BtW) is one of those rare cases where the Rules As Written are darn near perfect, but there are some bells and whistles on similar games that fit so nicely with it. Here are my proposed tweaks that I plan to use (in addition to my previous musings on skills) when running BtW in the future. (EDIT: I do apologize for the wall of text. When formatting this entry, I tried breaking things up with the covers, but it fouled up the spacing.)

From first edition AD&D, D&D 3.5, and Pathfinder: Interpreting Hit Points

A lot of players and gamemasters misinterpret hit points to indicate the amount of physical wounds and damage a character can take. In the first edition Player's Handbook (p.34), Gary Gygax states:

"Each character has a varying number of hit points, just as monsters do. These hit points represent how much damage (actual or potential) the character can withstand before being killed. A certain amount of these hit points represent the actual physical punishment which can be sustained. The remainder, a significant portion of hit points at higher levels, stands for skill, luck, and/or magical factors. A typical man-at-arms can take about 5 hit points of damage before being killed. Let us suppose a 10th level fighter has 55 hit points, plus a bonus of 30 hit points for his constitution, for a total of 85 hit points. This is the equivalent of about 18 hit dice for creatures, about what it would take to kill four huge warhorses. It is ridiculous to assume that even a fantastic fighter can take that much punishment. The same holds true to a lesser extent for clerics, thieves, and the other classes. Thus, the majority of hit points are symbolic of combat skill, luck (bestowed by supernatural powers), and magical forces."

Beyond the Wall echoes this interpretation:

“Hit points are an abstract measurement of how tough the character is, as well as how good at resisting and avoiding harm in combat. At every level, a character gains a number of hit points by rolling the die type indicated by his class’ hit dice. For instance, a Rogue has a hit die of d8, and so a character with the Rogue class rolls 1d8 and gains that many hit points every level. This number is modified by a character’s Constitution bonus every time it is rolled. Additionally, all PCs gain the maximum number of hit points possible for a roll on their hit dice at first level; the above mentioned rogue would begin at first level with a full 8 hit points plus any extra hit points from his Constitution bonus.”

In the third edition version of Unearthed Arcana, this is taken literally, making the character's “Wound Points” equal to their CON score and their added hit points “Vitality Points”. I will be using this added interpretation to indicate how much the character has yet to “grow into” their role as a hero. Once a character hits their CON score maximum, any hit points gained after that point are just as described – a measure of skill, luck (or divine intervention), and magical forces.

(6/29/16 EDIT: As an addendum, the 3.5 SRD rules on Wound Points are here. The Pathfinder version can be found here.)

From 13th Age: One Unique Thing

This is the prime rule which caught my eye when I heard about Pelgrane's 13th Age RPG – not because it adds to the power of a character, but because it adds depth to their story. Essentially, the purpose of this rule isn't to create new combat powers, skills, or special abilities, but to add a detail to the hero that sets them apart from other characters. This detail should be something that both the player and GM can take advantage of in the course of the game. It should give clues as to how the character interacts with the world and people around them and vice versa. From the standpoint of the gamemaster, it should provide the opportunity for one or more story hooks or the promise of a mystery to be unraveled later in the story. Some interesting discussions regarding this rule can be found here, here, and here on RPGNet.

From The Hero's Journey and Moldvay B/X D&D: Table Roles

James Spahn's The Hero's Journey RPG (THJ) brings back table roles in the form of an optional rule, but in a slightly different format. THJ has the roles of Treasure Keeper and Initiative Tracker, but not Mapper (or Caller, for that matter). The Treasure Keeper notates what treasure is acquired by the party and once a total is inventory is taken, leads the discussion about how it is to be divided - but they are not necessarily the one whose character is packing all the treasure around. The Initiative Tracker rolls group initiative or otherwise has the necessary information (such as each party member's initiative bonuses and the initiative order) assembled for the referee during combat. Of course, to do Old School style right, we have to include the Mapper from the Moldvay edition of Basic Dungeons & Dragons. As for the Caller, that's optional.

More Rules from The Hero's Journey

Non-Combat XP (p.67)

• Player accurately roleplays their character’s race and class: +100 XP
• Player character attempts a potentially life-threatening act of heroism: +250 XP
• Player character performs a surprising/clever deed that helps the party or an ally: +150 XP
• Player encourages other players to get involved, roleplay, and contribute to the game: +100 XP
• Making everyone at the table laugh out loud: +75 XP
• Player takes the role of Treasure Keeper (optional): +50 XP
• Player takes the role of Initiative Tracker (optional): +50 XP
• Player takes the role of Mapper (optional): +50 XP
• Player takes the role of the Caller (optional): +50 XP

Death's Door (p.73)
Having started with Basic D&D (where zero hit points equals death) I'm not a big fan of the "Death's Door" rule, but THJ seems to take the streamlining a bit further than BtW. As such, I'm more apt to use this optional ruling than the simple “10 count” or Pathfinder's rule (negative CON = Death). THJ's rule on death's door balances out the  book-keeping with increased character frailty.

In this case, “...The character is not dead until they reach negative hit points equal to their level (EDIT: Emphasis mine). Thus a first-level character is dead at −1 hit points, while a seventh level character would be able to survive until reaching −7. However, a character with zero or fewer hit points is unconscious and cannot move or act in any fashion until healed.”

The only thing I might add to that is making -10 hp the maximum for level-based toughness, meaning even a mighty warrior king isn't utterly immune to Death's cold grasp.

Heroic Damage and Critical Hits (pgs. 68 and 71)
With "Heroic Damage", the character adds all or part of their level to the damage they deal based on their class. Warriors add their full level, Rogues add 1/2 their level (rounded up), and Mages add 1/3 their level (rounded up). With multi-classed characters, use the class from which the character draws their attack bonus.

Additionally, a character can inflict Heroic Damage by burning a Fortune Point at a dramatically appropriate moment. Finally, whenever a natural 20 is rolled, the maximum damage of the weapon or the character's Heroic Damage are dealt (whichever is higher); a natural 1 is simply a miss.

From Trollsmyth's Blog: Shields

To add a bit more spice to combat, I'm thnking about using the following shield rules from Trollsmyth's blog:

• Shields still provide their regular AC bonus, but if the player so chooses, they can declare that their shield absorbed the damage from the blow and was splintered or sundered. This destroys the shield, but protects the character from damage. In the case of a critical hit, it halves the damage unless a Fortune Point is also burned.
• A shield can also be sacrificed against spells that deal damage, offering the character an automatic save for half damage.
• For every +1 bonus a magic shield gives in addition to its regular AC bonus, the shield has a +10% chance of surviving a blow when sacrificed in combat. As such, a +5 shield would have a 50% chance of surviving a sundering blow.

Further Thoughts On Fortune Points (Further Afield, p.71)

• If a character burns a Fortune Point and the second roll is a failure, they take the higher of the two rolls.
• According to Further Afield, "Fortune Points normally only refresh after a full rest, such as between adventures..." However, I am willing to "allow a character to regain a Fortune Point for a particularly heroic or noble act during the middle of a game." This bonus is not given lightly; it is "for when the characters are truly acting like the good guys."
• A character who is on the verge of collapse (0 hp) can burn a Fortune Point to make one last ditch action against a foe or to otherwise aid a fellow hero before collapsing. This can be done instead of burning the Fortune Point to stabilize at 0 hp, not in conjunction with spending another Fortune Point to stabilize at 0 hp
• Likewise, a spellcaster who does not have the Ultimate Enchantment trait (Heroes Young and Old, p.10) can also burn a Fortune Point to cast one last spell if they have exhausted all their other spells. However, unlike Ultimate Enchantment, this use of a Fortune Point inflicts a number of hit points in damage equal to the spell's level (cantrips inflict only one hit point of damage). With this ruling, there is the chance a character's hit points could drop to negative levels, killing them. This can be done with rituals only if the GM and player agree it is dramatically appropriate.

Pathfinder Official and Third Party Options

Back in late May, I posed a question to the designers of BtW about the traits introduced in Further Afield and continued in Heroes Young and Old:

"I've got a design question for John and Peter - when you designed the traits found in "Further Afield" and "Heroes Young and Old", did you look strictly at the traits as presented in the 3.5 SRD and Pathfinder PRD or did you look at feats as well. The reason I ask this is because Rogue Genius Games has several supplements for young, old, and venerable characters as well as comedic options (like "Please Stop Helping", which allows a character to still gain the aid ally bonus when an ally fails their roll to help) which might be interesting as traits..."

Peter Williams wrote in response:

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember looking at traits or feats in the SRD at all while designing BtW Traits. That doesn't mean that I didn't, just that I don't recall doing so and it certainly wasn't the main source of inspiration.

"The initial goal with Traits was to have a way to model other old school classes while still keeping a simple, three class structure for the game. That's why you'll find a lay-on-hands ability, a ranger-ish favored enemy ability, and so forth. After getting those basics down, I mostly then just had fun coming up with interesting mechanical widgets and fun, in-genre things.

"Having said all of that, I'll try to take a look at the Rogue Genius stuff. That sounds neat."

The official Pathfinder options for traits, story feats, and the like - as well as options produced by Rogue Genius Games under the Four Horsemen and Everyman Gaming imprints - have some interesting possibilities. While I haven't fully explored the ramifications of modifying these rules to work with BtW, I'll link them here for reference for the time being.

(6/29/16 EDIT: Boy, am I a yutz. I forgot to put the links in...)

From the Pathfinder Rules Document:

• Advanced Players Guide - Traits 
• Ultimate Campaign - Background
• Early Life
• Adolescence
• Adulthood
• Background Generator 
• Traits
• Story Feats

Free download from Paizo - Character Traits PDF
Some of the later Adventure Path Players Guides have specific traits listed as well.

From Rogue Genius Games:

• Comedic Character Options
• Young Character Options
• Mature Character Options
• Venerable Character Options
• Ultimate Options: Story Feats
• Childhood Adventures

Of course, all of these are trumped by Rule Zero...

...the best writeup of which I've found on Bruce Gulke's Mythosa site:

"Every feat, race, spell, prestige class, variant rule, etc. is subject to change or removal at the discretion of the DM. Even if a game element is initially permitted, if it is later deemed incompatible with the campaign, it will be modified or removed. Any characters (PC or NPC) that use that element may be required to adjust to the change (in other words, grandfathering is not guaranteed). The DM will attempt to keep this sort of thing to a minimum (if at all), but sometimes this may happen in the process of keeping the rules appropriate to the campaign setting."

Now all that remains is the road test. I'll keep you all apprised as to how that works out.

Appendix B (for Beyond the Wall) - Part 1

A lot of gamers the past few years have either been praising or condemning the idea of "Appendix N" as it appears in the first edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. What is "Appendix N"? It's the appendix in the DMG that lists "inspirational and educational reading" for Dungeon Masters and players alike. When some people mention the Old School Renaissance in one breath, their next breath contains the words "Appendix N".

While I have no problems with drawing inspiration from authors such as Lloyd Alexander, Andre Norton, or J.R.R. Tolkien, or doing research in the library, I thought it would be nice to present some old school articles I have found of interest and possible use to players and gamemasters of Beyond the Wall. Rather than running through all 300+ issues of Dragon Magazine, I'm going to pull this off the top of my head and pick out the articles I remember most as things progress. While this may make it slightly disorganized and absolutely not an exhaustive appendix, I hope you find it of some interest and use.

Though the bulk of the articles in this appendix are drawn from out of print issues of Dragon Magazine, there will be others cropping up here and there from such publications as Shadis when I have time to dig those issues out of the attic, as well as other online resources, blogs and whatnot. I have made an effort to stay away from articles that are heavy in game mechanics, instead focusing on those with practical advice, background, or a minimum of mechanics allowing them to be used in BtW.

Appendix B, Part One's featured references

Dragon #58 (February 1982)

"The Dwarven Point of View" by Roger E. Moore: Kicking off a series regarding demihuman cultures, Roger E. Moore (once and future editor of Dragon Magazine), takes a look under the mountainside at dwarven culture and whether or not they're really as grumpy as the elves say they are. Despite being rooted in AD&D (and Greyhawk) lore, this is a purely fluff/background piece, as are all others in this series.

Dragon #59 (March 1982) 

"The Halfling Point of View" by Roger E. Moore: Continuing his series, Moore next turns his attention to the halflings and reveals that halflings aren't as naive and foolish as some believe and their life really isn't one big party.

Dragon #60 (April 1982)

"The Elven Point of View" and "The Half-Elven Point of View" by Roger E. Moore: Moore looks at the longest-lived of the demihumans and those of their kin caught between two worlds. Unlike BtW elves, with their strong ties to the faerie court, these articles are rooted in Greyhawk and AD&D lore. Despite the difference there are a number cultural gems in the articles with which to better flesh out elves.

Dragon #61 (May 1982)

"The Gnomish Point of View" by Roger E. Moore: Gnomes are Moore's next focus in his second-to-last article on demihumans, explaining how the rarest of the demihumans has much in common with both elves and dwarves while having a distinct culture all their own.

Dragon #63 (July 1982)

"The Humanoids" by Roger E. Moore: Not wanting to slight the ornery orcs, Moore concludes his series on non-human cultures in AD&D with a general look at the cultures of orcs, kobolds, gnolls, bugbears, goblins, and hobgoblins. The article, like all the others, is rooted in AD&D lore and includes a number of humanoid deities not featured in AD&D's Unearthed Arcana.

Dragon #109 (May 1986)

"Worth Its Weight In Gold" by John Olson: An article detailing the cultural significance of the dwarf's beard, it also takes on the issue of whether or not female dwarves have beards or not.

Dragon #119 (March 1987)
"The Uldra" by Callie Lindstrand: A new demihuman race, the uldra are closer to the Scandinavian idea of elves. This article might provide a new fantastic race for gamemasters and players or a suitable version of the elf for BtW games rooted in Scandinavian folklore.

Dragon #129 (January 1988)
"Children of the Spider Goddess" by Eric Oppen: A look at dark elven culture through the lens of Greyhawk and AD&D. Despite this grounding, there are still cultural and philosophical points in the article that can be used to flesh out the elves of the Unseelie Court.

Dragon #131 (March 1988)

"The Folk of the Underworld" by Eric Oppen: Oppen expands upon Moore's series, giving us a look at the culture and lives of the surface gnomes deep cousins, the svirfneblin.

Dragon #152 (December 1989)

"Servants of the Jewelled Dagger" by Eric Oppen: Delving into the shadows, Eric Oppen gives us a look at the culture of the dwarves' dark cousins, the duergar.

Dragon #155 (March 1990)

"Wild in the Woods" by Eric Oppen: Again expanding upon Moore's series, Oppen details the culture and outlook of the wood elves, also known as the grugach.

"In the Frost and the Snow" by David S. Reimer: If you're in need of something different for elves, there's always the snow elves. While there are mechanics for AD&D in this article, they can easily be converted over.

 

The Greatest Adventure...

What lies ahead for these and other adventurers? Cover art ©2016 Jon Hodgson, used with permission.

Just a brief update to those of you interested in what I talked about in my previous post concerning Beyond the Wall. The cover above is what is going to be gracing the PDF for my starter book for BtW. Yes, that is indeed a Jon Hodgson cover. Years ago when I started building my first company I bought the one-time use rights for it from Illodeli, a publishing resource company Hodgson was part of. Years passed and Illodeli folded, but I've kept in touch with Jon and he assures me the agreement holds.

I'm sure those of you who keep a close eye on the module numbers are wondering why this is showing as "BW3" when I previously showed the Dragon's End project cover bearing the same module number. The reason this book will be BW3 is because I suddenly realized that Dragon's End is going to take a lot more writing and work than this one. Additionally, the cover design and title for Dragon's End are still not solidified.

So what happens with the revision of the GM screen? It continues at a slow pace thanks to a number of real life issues (work, broken AC, and vehicle woes). I just wanted to get the cover done because it's part of what stimulates me to work on this stuff. For the record, despite the color cover, the interior will be greyscale because the character art I'm choosing for the character sheets will be greyscale. And yes, the title is a riff on the lyrics from "The Greatest Adventure" by Glenn Yarbrough, which is the theme song to Rankin & Bass' animated version of "The Hobbit".

I look forward to posting more updates about these projects, but it's back to the salt mines for me, folks!

EDIT: There were some concerns raised on the BtW Google+ community regarding the provenance of the artwork I'm using and the fact that two other publications use the same art. To be honest, there's no worry about trade dress issues or confusion of products as the covers are significantly different from one another. as shown here:

My cover, again; artwork ©2016 Jon Hodgson, used with permission.

The cover for OpenQuest by D101 Games. Note that the halfling is now a duck as a nod to the system's roots in RuneQuest and Glorantha.

MaquiEdicion's World of Monsters cover.

Here is another licensed use of the artwork I found online.

So, as you can see, given the differences in cover designs, there's absolutely no way to confuse these products.

Also, here is the exact language of the license, courtesy of the Internet Archive:

By purchasing a download from illodeli.com you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. 

Artwork is sold on the basis of a single use, non-exclusive license.

In plain English this means:
You may use the piece of artwork once in a single publication. The exceptions to this are filler/spot illustrations which may be used as many times as you desire within one publication.

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Worth The Wait

Product: Joyride #2
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Writer(s): Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Artist(s): Marcus To
Colorist: Irma Kniivila
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Price: $3.99 (US)
Page Count: 30, including ads and front and back inside covers

Welcome back travellers. Joyride #2 is out and in it we get to learn a lot more about our protagonists and the universe they're exploring. This issue starts in media res as Dewydd's parents get an awkward, semi-unwelcome visit from a government official about their son's new status as an Aberrant. The scene quickly flashes over to Dewydd, Catrin and Uma, who are up to their necks in trouble on an alien space station, thanks to Uma's sticky fingers.

To throw the pursuing security guards off, the trio splits up with Uma using a dive bar as her bolt hole and Catrin and Dewydd taking shelter in an alien fashion emporium. Uma quickly finds herself under the protective wing of an alien thief calling himself Kolstak the Wander (That name sounds familiar, doesn't it? ;) and we learn that humankind's reputation is pretty bad in the universe's eyes - in fact, it's much worse than the pathos-evoking reputation we get in Titan AE. Flashing back to Catrin and Dewydd, Catrin learns a valuable lesson about herself after being confronted by an alien with an alluring offer. We also see the questionable results of Dewydd's alien makeover and learn he has a skeleton in his closet beyond his familial ties to the government.

Back at the bar, Uma engages in some creative mayhem to bust out of the security cordon with Kolstak in tow, sacrificing her recently acquired loot in the process. The group meets up, beats a hasty retreat to the ship and engages in more creative mayhem in an effort to shake off pursuing starfighters. Unfortunately, their efforts have an unintended side effect, leaving them stranded in a dangerous part of space. The issue ends on a cliffhanger as we see Special Interceptors - special agents of the World Government Alliance - preparing to hunt down our heroes, and we learn just how far up the food chain Catrin's parents really are.

Overall, Joyride #2 is an excellent follow-up to the debut issue. The pace slows a bit in jumping between scenes, but picks up again toward the end before leaving us hanging on the cliff's edge. In case you hadn't heard the news or didn't notice the change in numbering on the cover, Joyride is now going to be an ongoing series. This is really good news, as four issues is really not enough to cover a joyride through an entire galaxy (as compared to Spanner's Galaxy, a six-issue limited series which left off with Polaris Spanner getting ready to pursue the man who harassed him throughout the series).

This series is definitely hitting all the right buttons for me as well as the big green nostalgia button in me. If you're looking for a series to jump into this summer, Joyride is definitely it - just get a hold of the first two issues, put your feet up and enjoy the ride.

WRITER'S NOTE: As it stands, I haven't decided if I'm going to continue reviewing the series beyond the first four issues. Why? Because while I love the series, I have a lot of projects and other things to write about in the future. Additionally, my previous review didn't generate as much interest as my gaming material, but we'll see what the future holds...

Lists, lists, and more lists

As I've said before, Beyond the Wall is a great, flexible, RPG that hearkens back to D&D's earlier glory days in the 1980s. One of the things that makes it so flexible is that it isn't bogged down with a massive, concretely defined skill list. At the same time, that list has a bit of... overlap.

In working to update the information in Silent Sage's GM screen and reference set, I compiled a listing of all the skills in the existing material along with a list of the traits found in Further Afield and Heroes Young and Old. I have attempted to maintain the flexibility of the system by not assigning skills to just one attribute. Instead, I took a note from fourth edition Traveller and allowed for some skills to modify different ability scores in different situations.

For example, a character with the Cooking skill would use it with Wisdom when making a batch of Mother Grimgoose's Famous Mutton Stew from memory. Alternately, if they were to concoct their own famous (or infamous) recipe, they would use Intelligence with the skill to (hopefully) make a new delicacy. For those of you who aren't already part of the excellent G+ community for Beyond the Wall, you can download the file here.

With regard to the overlap, it isn't always obvious. The most obvious example I can give is the skills Forgotten Lore, Forbidden Knowledge, Forgotten Secrets, and Forbidden Secrets. You can easily roll these into one or two skills. The easiest would be to roll them into Forgotten Lore - after all, Forbidden Lore is often (and best left) forgotten. Alternately, you can just have Forgotten Lore and Forbidden Knowledge, simply distinguishing between the two. My preference is to have Forgotten Lore cover all four skills.

Before I go on, please keep in mind that I'm not telling the folks at Flatland Games to "clean things up". In fact, I would prefer they just leave it alone and preserve the flexibility for groups who have their own way of handling it. In fact, I'll review my own in-house solution to the problem at the end of this entry. With regard to any products from Silent Sage Publishing, you'll see that the skills will NOT be unified as I do for my own personal games. Again, that's to preserve the game's flexibility and avoid overstepping the bounds of the license offered by Flatland Games.

Back to the subject at hand. Other overlaps are a bit messier. The Animal Lore and Animal Ken skills are a prime example of how definitions get a bit fiddly. Here are the definitions as provided by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

Definition of ken - noun

1a: the range of vision b :  sight, view <'tis double death to drown in ken of shore — Shakespeare>

2: the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge <abstract words that are beyond the ken of young children — Lois M. Rettie>

Definition of lore - noun

1 archaic: something that is taught :  lesson

2: something that is learned: a :  knowledge gained through study or experience b :  traditional knowledge or belief

3: a particular body of knowledge or tradition

On the surface, the overlap seems obvious - everything should be rolled into one or the other. Once you get under the hood and see how each word is defined and used, it's obvious they are really two different things. Animal Lore is concerned with knowledge about animals - healing their illnesses, training, and so forth. Animal Ken, on the other hand, is the ability to speak with the animals.

In a nutshell, here are the other overlaps I found in the list:

Strategy and Tactics - Another deceptively simple issue as both skills involve maneuvering military or political forces, but Strategy focuses on long term goals as opposed to Tactics' focus on short term goals. Strategy could also apply, oddly enough, to Estate Management. To cut down on the confusion, I would roll Strategy and Tactics together under Strategy and define it as a combat-related skill for either long or short term goals in battle.

Deceit and Subterfuge - Looking at the M-W Online Dictionary, this one is too close to call. You could define Deceit as a skill for fooling people and Subterfuge as a skill for tricks and traps used to obtain something or achieve a goal through deception. My vote is for rolling these together into Deceit and then letting the pairing of skill + ability be determined by the usage. For example, INT would be paired Deceit when plotting a ruse while CHA would be paired with Deceit for telling a convincing lie. Additionally, WIS or INT might be paired with this skill to see through another's lie.

Etiquette, Gossip, and Socialize - This is another fiddly definition. Gossip is a form of socialization, but not all socialization is gossip. In this case I would define Gossip as to include the fine art of roguish eavesdropping and information gathering. Socialize would be a bit more sophisticated, relating to hobnobbing with others outside of a character's social class. You could certainly wrap Etiquette in with Socialize, but could also say Etiquette is even more of a refined cultural skill, letting a character know when to use the fish fork and not the soup spoon. My take is to leave Gossip alone and package Etiquette and Socialize together under Socialize.

Boasting and Storytelling - Again, a bit too close in definition. I would go with rolling these together as Storytelling, as a boast isn't always true.

Monster Lore and Mythical Beast Lore - Another fiddly definition. You could easily argue that monsters are known creatures while mythical beasts are considered just that - myths - until proven otherwise. As with the whole Forbidden Knowledge/Forgotten Secrets bit, it's kind of a toss-up as to how people want to handle it. I personally merge the two under Monster Lore.

In the spirit of keeping things simple in my personal games, here's my round-up on handling any overlaps: 

• Animal Ken (CHA, INT, or WIS) - A skill that allows characters to speak the language of animals.
• Animal Lore (INT or WIS) - Knowledge about raising, healing, and training of animals.
• Deceit (CHA, INT, or WIS) - Combines Deceit with Subterfuge.
• Forgotten Lore (WIS) - Combines Forgotten Lore, Forbidden Knowledge, Forgotten Secrets, and Forbidden Secrets.
• Gossip (CHA, INT or WIS) - The fine art of roguish eavesdropping and information gathering.
• Monster Lore (WIS) - Combines Mythical Beast Lore with Monster Lore.
• Socialize (CHA, INT, or WIS) - A skill relating to hobnobbing with others outside of a character's social class or native culture/species. This skill absorbs the Etiquette skill. 
• Storytelling (CHA or WIS) - Combines Boasting with Storytelling. 
• Strategy (INT or WIS) - Combines Strategy and Tactics with regard to long or short term goals in battle.

Again, by writing this blog post, I am NOT in any way asking or telling Flatland Games to tighten things up. How you handle the overlaps and duplications in your game is up to you and for some it's part of the fun of playing an RPG. Always remember rule zero - if it doesn't work for you and your group, change it so it does. After all, the point of playing a role-playing game is fun, isn't it?

An Alternate View of Gnomes

Whilst I'm on a nostalgia kick, here's my take on gnomes, which I wrote up before Heroes Young and Old was released. As before, I can't vouch for "balance" and constructive feedback is welcome...

Artwork © 2016 Wayward Rogue Stockart

Gnomish Vision - Like elves and dwarves, gnomes can see in any level of light except pitch darkness.

Small Stature - Because they are small, gnomes cannot have a STR score higher than 10.

True Name - Like dwarves, every gnome has a true name which he or she keeps secret. A character using this true name against a gnome receives a +5 bonus to all actions taken against the gnome and a +5 bonus to any save against the gnome's magic.

Inherent Magic - Being members of the faerie court, gnomes are naturally skilled with magic. Gnomes who choose to be a mage gain a bonus spell at each level. However, their magic is limited to phantasms and harmless illusions.

Inherent Luck - Gnomes who choose to be rogues or warriors gain one extra Fortune Point.

Gnomes who multiclass as a warrior-mage or rogue-mage must choose either Inherent Magic or Inherent Luck; they do not receive both. Gnomes who multiclass as warrior-rogues still only receive one extra Fortune Point, not two.

An Exercise in Nostalgia

While Beyond the Wall has quite a bit of flexibility with regard to character creation and multi-classing, I have to confess that I've wanted to model some of the AD&D/D&D classes and sub-classes in terms of multi-classing. Not all of the classes are represented in this writing, however. AD&D classes like the barbarian and druid are easily covered with the warrior and mage classes, respectively. Classes from Oriental Adventures like the kensai, sohei, shukenja, and wu-jen (and even the OA versions of the barbarian and monk) may take some additional fine tuning with regard to cultural differences.

The archetypes below are modeled more on the first edition AD&D and BECMI D&D classes than their counterparts in Pathfinder and newer editions of D&D. Despite the fact that the old BECMI D&D and first edition AD&D classes had alignment and race restrictions (rangers being non-evil, bards being humans or half-elves, etc.), I have not included those restrictions here. Overall, I've tried to follow both the spirit and word of the BtW multi-classing rules; hit dice, saving throws, armor, special abilities and the like were prioritized in the order the classes are presented in the combinations.

In most of the archetypes there's some flexibility with regard to special abilities. A character's special abilities will either be split between the two base classes or centered in one class. You'll also note that two of the archetypes – namely the monk archetype and the warden sub-archetype for rangers – are actually triple-classed archetypes. Again, I've tried to hold to both the spirit and word of the multi-classing rules.

As this a first draft (and an exercise in nostalgia, to boot), I cannot vouch for “balance” in any of these archetypes. Oftentimes, I've found that one person's concept of balance is another person's idea of munchkinization. Feedback is welcome on these archetypes and tinkering will surely ensue. 

Assassin

Classes: Rogue/Warrior 
Base Attack: As warrior 
Hit Dice: As rogue 
Saving Throws: As warrior 
Armor: As rogue 
Initiative: As rogue 
XP: As warrior 
Special Abilities: Player chooses one special ability from each class or both abilities from one class.

Bard 
Classes: Rogue/Mage

Base Attack: As mage
Hit Dice: As mage
Saving Throws: As rogue
Armor: As rogue
Initiative: As rogue
XP: As mage
Special Abilities: Spellcasting, Highly Skilled. 

Cleric
Classes: Mage/Warrior
Base Attack: As warrior
Hit Dice: As mage
Saving Throws: As mage
Armor: As warrior
Initiative: As warrior
XP: As mage
Special Abilities: Spellcasting, Sense Magic. 

Notes: Clerics are a subjective situation. Some play them as priestly healers, others more as combat-oriented crusaders. In this case, I've opted to portray them as crusaders, firmly double-classing the cleric as a mage/warrior. Priests, the cloistered cousins of clerics, are better defined as mages. In earlier editions of D&D and AD&D, clerics were only able to use blunt weapons. This restriction may apply at the discretion of the player and the GM based on the setting and the character's religion. 

Monk
Classes: Mage/Warrior/Rogue
Base Attack: As warrior
Hit Dice: As mage
Saving Throws: As warrior
Armor: As mage
Initiative: As rogue
XP: As mage
Special Abilities: For a combat-oriented monk, the player chooses one special ability from the warrior class and the other from the rogue class or both abilities from one class. For a more mystic archetype, the character receives the mage's Sense Magic ability and the remaining special ability is chosen from either the warrior or the rogue class. 

Notes: I've included monks in this post to cover all the bases; normally, I don't include monks in my games unless they're of the Oriental Adventures variety. At any rate, the monk is a tricky balancing act. Mind you, this is my own concept of the monk. It may not fit everybody's ideal, and I'm certainly open to changing it if absolutely necessary. 

Paladin
Classes: Warrior/Mage
Base Attack: As warrior
Hit Dice: As warrior
Saving Throws: As warrior
Armor: As warrior
Initiative: As warrior
XP: As mage

Special Abilities: Player chooses one special ability from each class or both from one class. 

Notes: Like clerics, paladins are another one of those subjective archetypes. Traditionally, they've been divinely-empowered warriors in AD&D, but in holding true to the spirit of BtW, the player has a decision to make with regard to how their character's abilities are defined. The tenets of the character's religion may also have something to do with how their abilities are defined. For example, a paladin devoted to a saint or deity opposed to spellcasting may be granted the ability to sense magic, but barred from casting spells. As such, the character's second ability would have to be drawn from the warrior class. 

Rangers

The ranger is one of those classes that is split between the image of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, and the image of the spell-casting warrior-sage in D&D. As such, I've endeavored to define each type, just as some third party companies have done with “spell-less” rangers for Pathfinder and D&D. 

Ranger, Scout 

Classes: Rogue/Warrior 

Base Attack: As rogue 

Hit Dice: As rogue 

Saving Throws: As warrior 

Armor: As rogue 

Initiative: As rogue 

XP: As warrior

Special Abilities: Player chooses one special ability from each class or chooses both from one class. 

Ranger, Green Warden 
Classes: Rogue/Warrior/Mage 

Base Attack: As warrior 

Hit Dice: As rogue 

Saving Throws: As warrior 

Armor: As rogue 

Initiative: As rogue 

XP: As mage 

Special Abilities and Restrictions: Spellcasting and one other special ability from either the warrior or rogue class.