Under Siege

Need to Clean House!

2012-02-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have multitudes of shelves filled with books for a variety of different, pen and paper based, role playing games. I pretty much love them all for one reason or another. :)

But sometimes you come to realize the amount of gaming stuff you have, and how little of it you will actually use. I admit that I like a good deal and, because of when I started to game (back in the day), owning different systems to play many different genres or simply mechanical approaches was completely acceptable!

If I wanted to play a game in Middle Earth, it wasn't D&D that came to mind but rather MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing). Star Wars was Star Wars (ahem... there was only the West End Games d6 version), Shadowrun was Shadowrun, Traveller was Traveller, and Rifts was just messed up. You get the point. D&D (and forgive me if I lump all pre 3rd edition together here) was the game of choice as fantasy was my genre of choice. This was also before the 90's and TSR hadn't alienated me as a consumer yet. All I know was there were many games to be head all with their own systems and I had no qualms what-so-ever about checking them out and acuiring them if I happened to stumble upon them in a hobby shop.

Of course, the 90's kind of burnt me out on the whole D&D thing and while my interest was renewed with 3rd edition, aside from a small campaign I ran when it had just came out, I hadn't really touched it again till about 2005. In fact, I had hardly touched anything related to gaming in a period that lasted about a decade (between 1995 and 2005) and it was during this time where I parted with a couple of things. Unfortunately, when the interest got re-awakened again largely due to C&C and finally cementing a good gaming group, I came to regret a couple of these decisions and, in some cases, began tracking down things I had sold or given away as well as exploring other systems again.

To a degree, exploring other systems and older material in general became important to me for nothing else but because a lot of it was being 'washed away in a see of d20 OGL material'. At least this is what it certainly looked like when visiting my local hobby shop at the time.

I am older and a bit wiser now. It was initially an incident with my cat that shifted my decision to sell some of my gaming material a couple of years ago. And I did manage to sell a small chunk of the collection (which freed up about half a bookshelf). The money was welcome and helped with the bills but it felt oddly comforting to 'free myself' with material that I once loved but knew I wouldn't be using again. I've sold and traded a few things here and there, though nothing quite as substantial as the lot I sold then. For the curious: the lot was the majority of my TSR-era Forgotten Realms material (mostly 1st and early 2nd edition AD&D).

The unfortunate thing is that it can be a time consuming proposition to try and sell these online made more complicated when dealing with the realities of selling 'across borders' with the increased shipping rates it incurs. I have had about two crates of stuff ready to be sold for the better part of a year now and still a few items from a couple of years ago.

I also have a bunch of other stuff I haven't really thought much about and other stuff that I do have an attachment for but know in my mind, I won't touch. A few examples:

I enjoyed Shadowrun, and I have what I need to run a campaign (1st / 2nd edition). I have multiple rulebooks... 1 hardcover and a couple of softcovers as well as some key accessories for it.

I had a love for WEG's d6 Star Wars... I have a CRATE (30 or so books and around 10 of which are hardback) ready to go and that still leaves me with a bunch of that material to run Star Wars if Iwas so inclined.

I have a couple copies of Nephelim... a game which I thought was really cool but ultimately never took off.

I have the majority of the DCC run up to and including the Castle Whiterock. I am missing around 4 modules and considering which 4, it will likely remain incomplete. Even then... I love those products and I don't know if I can part with those.

As an example of some things I have parted with and then got again:

MERP... I had parted with the cool MERP box set I used to have with a few of the sourcebooks but, when Role Master Express was released, I got really nostaligic and just had to track down MERP once again. Fortunately in that case, I was able to get it without spending much money.

Anyway, the list can go on and on... Pendragon... Role Master... Rune Quest... Call of Cthulhu... Stormbringer... Twilight 2000... Twilight 2013... Traveller... Marvel Super Heroes... Rifts... TMNT... Tunnels & Trolls... etc etc etc

Add to that all that d20 material I have also collected in a short period of time and I think it's safe to say that my gaming collection is easily 5x larger than it once was and this was largely accomplished in the past 5 years.

I just need to break the collection down one piece at a time I guess. ;)

M

Kickstarters & Pre-Orders

2012-02-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

I think kickstarters and pre-order specials can be neat even if they aren't exactly the same.

Both serve to help fund the project though some of the things that go through Kickstarter usually rely upon a certain amount of funds being raised in order for the project to come to fruition. When we had started putting together Victorious, we had planned to do some sort of pre-order to help offset the costs of our initial print run -- John and I had worked out approximate costs for publication for a run of 'X' copies with the larger balance headed straight into retail stores. All that was needed was to sell 'Y' number of copies. Anything left over from the initial print run would have either come out of our pockets and the extra money would have gone to cover previous expenses that the project incurred.

Aside from what didn't end up happening... Arcana Creation never went the Kickstarter / Pre-order route. The most I could see happening is a pre-order for something once it was in it's last stages prior to a physical production of the product in question and ONLY when Arcana Creations is back on track and regularly producing material.

As a consumer, I don't mind Pre-Ordering a variety of things (sometimes for the benefits of exclusives and other times to ensure I get a copy). I have seen some awesome Kickstarter efforts as well. One of the best in recent memory was TLG's Kickstarter for their 'Classic Monsters' book. Now TLG had made it clear that it was just using Kickstarter as a vehicle to help track and organize the pre-order efforts but I think they set a very nice example given prices and breakdown. They had seven levels of pledges -- lowest being a $1 donation and the highest being $100. In the last days of this 'pre-order' window, I opted for the $100 package.

This is what I'm getting in that package:

- A limited edition copy (includes colour plates) of the Classic Monsters book in Hardcover
- Hardcover copies of the PHB, M&T, and CKG
- Digital copies of all these books
- An adventure module (my choice)
- T-Shirt featuring cover artwork ofthe Classics Monsters book
- And finally, a collection of 20 promotional coins with pouch.

Definite value for my dollar in my books. Of course, other options cost far less and you got less material consequently. Then again, if you already had the other stuff, why spend as much right?

In my case, I had 'most' of the stuff but I didn't have a physical copy of the CKG and am behind with a couple of the modules. Given the typical cost of shipping to Canada and the inclusion of a T-Shirt, I'm still doing quite well and it's a 'break-even' proposition at the very least. The extra PHB and M&T will not be going to waste either... they could easily become gifts or simply extra reference copies at the gaming table. From the sounds of it, this package should be shipping out to me within the next couple of weeks.

Now while I did love their efforts with this, I was less taken with another effort which opened up within a couple of weeks of the last one. It just ended a day or two ago and while I took advantage of it to expressly pre-order the book, I didn't care so much for the other packages being offered. This time, TLG decided to run it off their own page and prices ranged from $1 to $175. Don't get me wrong, the $100 and $175 packages were neat and some of the lower ones interesting as well. I ultimately settled of $25 which is basically a signed copy of the book (softcover) plus a digital copy with the printed maps. It also gives me 5 more of those coins and my name goes in the acknowledgements. For $10 more, I could have named 'something' (the book is largely setting oriented) whether it be an NPC, town, river, etc. Decided the $10 could be better used elsewhere.

At $175, you got the accessory in whatever format you wished ... be it hardcover or boxset with single softcover or 3 booklets and the maps, a hardcover copy of the Monsters & Treasurs of Aihrde, the Winter Dark Setting Folio, a wooden box containing the carved wooden tiles of the runes featured in the new accessory, and a personalized PHB which contains the new class and game system specific information introducedin the accessory.

Some interesting value and some people did go for it (I think there were 6 available at the start of this but I don't know if all 6 were taken) but I didn't find the value matching the value from their first Kickstarter effort. That said, it is still in line with some of the things I have seen on Kickstarter.

While I support these sorts of 'funding' events, I have to say that the frequency between the first and second one that TLG did was probably too soon -- especially coming out of the holidays. I know I wouldn't have gone much higher ($50 included the book in hardcover but also included the folio which I already owned) but it was still nice to see that there was a good spread to choose from if you were so inclined.

Of course, money is not abundant so I haven't exactly been keeping up with some of the other interesting kickstarter efforts (for gaming product) but given the state of the gaming hobby and industry, it seems to be a growing trend.

M

From 2011 to 2012 - Part 3

2012-01-26T06:33:00.001-08:00

Well now... Where does all of this leave me and why is it taking so long to be introspective?

Arcana Creations came to be largely because of my knowledge and love of roleplaying games. I was first approached by John (Brave Halfling Publishing) to head up the editing and technical proofreading for the first C&C module BHP published. This was the early digest version of the adventure entitled 'The Secret of Ronan Skerry'. When we decided to take the module into wider distribution, Arcana Creations was born. Shortly after, a C&C version of 'The Ruins of Ramat' was released in digest form followed by 'A Trick on the Tain'. Arcana Creations had been slowly growing even though sales had decreased overall. With this last module out, work had begun, stalled, restarted, and changed for Victorious. Despite the best of intentions we all had going into the project, unexpected challenges at the start of the project continued to plague it until the very end when the Agreement was dissolved. Personal and real life issues towards the last quarter of 2010 and the first couple months of 2011 only prolonged this nebulous period.

Things had started to turn around in 2011 as I realized a need to work on a few cool ideas I had floating in my head. I also began anew to reign in and sort out some lingering issues with Victorious. Of course being just one man, When I perceived that certain things with Victorious had begun to get back on track and resolved, my other efforts (namely Ballista) got shelved to ensure a Fall release of Victorious.

Things did not go to plan.

As elements of putting Victorious were coming together, other things did not. The details don't really matter but I was committed to having this released in the Fall. Ideally, it would have come out towards the end of November (before the new Holmes movie was released) and, if I was lucky, surprise some people with the first issue of Ballista. Managing the release of Victorious would have been a great success for Arcana Creations.

As it stands, 2011 was an abject failure for Arcana Creations. No single product was actually released last year. Even my own campaigns are on hold. But I choose to look on 2012 as opportunity.

Instead of just forging ahead and releasing what I had for Ballista since, Victorious was no longer on my plate, I decided to hold back the release of Ballista for a couple of reasons. One, I just needed a break and some time to think. Two, having suffered what I view was a significant setback, was beginning looking at releasing what I had envisioned for Ballista in different ways.

Working on Victorious had started as something I really wanted to do but towards the end, other concerns forced my hand and direction on that project. The reason I got into doing this in the first place was my love for the game and finely put together projects. Just looking at the first module we sent into distribution and then the second one (Skerry and then the Tain module), the quality in terms of layout, art use, maps, etc were significantly improved. That's not to say Skerry was bad -- in fact Skerry was AC's best selling project. But ultimately, I enjoyed doing these even if they each had their challenging moments in putting it together. The challenges I kept on coming up against with Victorious kept on taking away any pleasure I was getting from the endeavor. Now that I have a chance to think about it, I can honestly say what, while I was still giving it care and was doing my best to put out a product that *I* could be proud of, it certainly was something that was not giving me any more enjoyment.

Quite simply, I really need to have some fun with this again and still put out material I can be proud of. I need to put out my own projects as well as some stuff that others have submitted that, not only would I want to play, but I genuinely want a hand designing. I also want to go back to my roots a bit.

With WOTC reprinting AD&D and putting out 5th Edition, I decided to change how I'm putting out Ballista. I've decided to take the opportunity and compile that material intended to be a series of rules options and replacements meant to be compatible with a variety of games and put out a single 'Rules Companion'. The Ballista Rules Companion is just that, a companion book which can be used and adapted with your OSR game of choice (or the games that various OSR efforts derive from) or, used as it's own little system. It's not meant to 'compete' with the multitude of options that now exist but rather complement and to be used in conjunction with. Ballista was originally conceived as a periodical which included articles and adventures and perhaps this may happen still but will save to support the Ballista system as well as other compatible games.

However, with 5th Edition and the reprints coming out way, Ballista may also serve as a complement to these efforts as well. Or at least, one can only hope anyway. By the sounds of it, 5th Edition is looking kinda promising (though similar to other things we have seen published elsewhere).

I also will be doing some more C&C specific material -- I love the game and I love the fact that it can be readily used with other similar games. And who knows? Maybe I'll be able to wrap up my 'Zombie Siege' game since part of the design uses some of the concepts the Ballista system has in place.

Well... there we have it folks. I spent time figuring this out because part of me genuinely wanted to toss in the towel after 2011. I will be doing a lot of cleaning in my own personal collection and plan on getting rid of some of this stuff. Books I just don't use for games I don't really play anymore. I'm cleaning house and getting back to basics and it's probably about time.

Thanks for reading!

From 2011 to 2012 - Part 2

2012-01-12T10:38:00.001-08:00

Ok, let's try this again...

Why does a new edition of D&D matter?

Well, the answer comes down to brand and brand recognition. You see, when 4th Edition first came out, the game did pretty well. It was the way the new game that was designed that caused sales to dry up quickly. How they tried to address the problem with the Essentials line only served to frustrate and divde the existing 4th Edition customer/fan base.

Of course, a big thron in WOTC's side was it's previous edition which resulted in a very successful 'spinoff'. Pathfinder gained may of the fans/customers who left D&D behind as the the 'new' D&D proved to be largely incompatible to its predecessors. It wasn't an incorrect decision and, if the Pathfinder RPG had never been created, it could have worked. However, the OGL gave rise to many other alternatives as well. All of these, along with Pathfinder, have served to erode D&D's marktet share and Pathfinder now owns the larger market share in what happens to be a dwindling market.

Regardless of this, D&D is still the most recognizable brand when it comes to roleplaying games and generally the only one known to the uninitiated. The decline of D&D is also a symptom of what has been happening with the hobby and not only due to the poor reception of 4th Edition. Reasons for this are many and among these, Video Games and Computers are surely a factor. For this reason, it is perhaps more important that D&D carries on, if only to act as a banner for potential new gamers to flock to.

For the rest of us, there are other reasons why a new edition matters. While there are some of us involved in the hobby that don't care much beyond 2nd edition (if even that), we have been blessed with the OGL which gave rise to the style of games we might prefer. Some of us are also comfortable with borrowing ideas and concepts from other systems. There are even some that have borrowed from 4th Edition. A new edition with perhaps a few new twists is not necessarily unwelcome, even if we won't play that game itself. Like or not, it will be something that gamers will be taking a look at. Besides, with a new edition being readied, things are certainly different this time around, and WOTC can ill afford to 'screw it up' though. 4th Edition strayed away from previous editions considerably and with OGL games flourishing, WOTC can ill afford to do he same with 5th Edition.

D&D is a trendsetter for our hobby -- At best, success could mean a bit of growth in our hobby which hasn't been seen for a few years.

To be continued in Part 3...

From 2011 to 2012 - Part 1

2012-01-12T10:07:00.001-08:00

I had been meaning to get to this for a few days now and we find ourselves on the 12th day of the new year. The past few weeks since around mid-November has been a period of reflection as I considered successes, failures, and whIch routes took me there.

Despite the regular periods of silence from me the past 18 months or so, one thing I have always done is to keep myself informed of what's been happening in our hobby and the industry. Of course, the latest buzz is the announcement of 5th edition D&D. The thing that amazes me but doesn't completely surprise me is the responses from the gaming community. There are a lot of sentiments like "I have all the D&D I need and it's called X" or "D&D hasn't really existed since Y edition" or "D&D? Oh, you mean Pathfinder...". There are other sentiments where people are hoping the WOTC will simply recreate what they feel is classic D&D (for them) if not simply reprint and repackage older iterations of the game.

Here is my thought. In whatever form it takes, the hobby needs this to happen. Even if none of us ever play it, it DOES matter.

My time is up for now... More to follow when time permits.

M
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Cleaning & Sorting

2011-11-27T21:02:00.001-08:00

Well, this weekend has been a bit relaxing and probably the last one till sometime in the New Year since the countdown to the holidays have begun! Since my last blog entry, I had begun a general cleanup and sorting of various files on my computer. I had, for instance, a variety of files scattered across my hardrive and numerous emails concerning Victorious as well as an assortment of other files for other projects that have graced my desktop. After some sorting and purging, I spent a bit of time talking and cleaning up the Brave Halfling forums along with John Adams. BHP has underwent a few changes the past couple of years and various sections were just not relevent anymore. Actually the forums who is a very small community hasn't seen much activity of late and between blogging, tweeting, not much attention has been given to it. Hopefully we'll turn this around in the next couple of months. BHP is a bit tied down with the Delving Deeper release but seeing that it's just around the corner, plans are in motion for 2012.

I also have plans for the AC lineup in the months ahead and while I won't go into much detail yet, I will say that they include various issue of the Ballista I had mentioned months ago as well as a few digest adventure releases. I'll be securing a more finalized plan of action once I've discussed details with a couple of authors who had submitted material to AC and BHP in the past. The AC website has been ignored for months now and since I created the domain a couple of years ago, I don't think I've updated it more than a couple of times since the beginning of AC. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet bit I am considering rolling the blog up with the site. We'll see but I expect I'll sort it out over the holidays.

Between cleaning up the files on my desktop, I had also noticed a variety of posts of peoples blog about publishing and professional vs hobbiest considerations. I will weigh in a bit on this later in the week but in some cases, I find myself disagreeing with some of the sentiments being shared. There are some very good points being made though so it has been interesting reading. More later...

Changes...

2011-11-14T19:07:00.001-08:00

I know that the past few months have been relatively quiet and my last 'real' update was around four months ago. Best possible laid plans can often suffer changes resulting from unforseen complications. In certain instances, choices had to be made.

First of all, it is with regret that I announce the Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing will not be publishing Mike Stewart's "Victorious RPG". Since July, a fair bit of work had been accomplished on the project but it had also gone through a variety of changes. With some of these changes though, the vision of Publisher was no longer the same as Writer and while we all had the best intentions for the game, a mutual decision was made to dissolve the publishing agreement. I wish Michael all the best.

Secondly, while the Pathfinder conversions I had assigned are moving forward, the person I had working on C&C conversions has pulled from the project.

Where does all this leave us?

Well, the Ballista was put on hold earlier this year and the increased demands of Victorious the past couple months left the project completely unattended. This is one project I am anxious to sink my teeth back into and I have already begun to review some of this material. Besides that, at least one of the ealier modules we released needs to be reprinted and a few changes will need to see this and other modules back to layout. Since I have lost the additional support I initially had to assist with some of the C&C material, I will be tackling that bit of work myself once the Ballista is back on track.

It's been quite some time since I have made a release and the end of the year is fast approaching but it's not too late to see at least one release by then.

Recent Fantasy Doubleshot

2011-08-28T20:10:00.001-07:00

I finished running a two part fantasy story arc this weekend -- the first part of which was done a couple of weeks ago. I ran it for a group I am normally a player in. It was fun and was not connected to any existing campaign I ran but I ran the story around a basic premise: X-Files meets Fantasy. A very medieval setting... low magic... a demon conspiracy as opposed to the show's alien one. I kept it relevatively 'free-form' and allowed the characters to follow whatever avenues they saw fit to pursue while being mindful of what the various factions were doing in the background. Of course this led to multiple threads and even I was starting to have some difficulties in sorting everything from one session to the next. A special thanks goes to Todd Pote for acting as a soundboard as I was planning the second part.

The session ended with a partial victory -- the party (members of the guard tasked with this investigation) lived where as other player characters ended up killed / murdered in the pursuit of other agendas. The villian of the story (my equivalent of the 'smoking man') got what he was seeking with the player characters none the wiser for it. One threat was eliminated but a crucial piece of the puzzle was snatched away.

The players has fun ... the were able to excercise their roleplaying talents and I was able to share my story where they did not feel constricted in what they could or couldn't do and where they could go.

Now that I've been able to give myself a bit of creative fun -- I need to get back to work.

Long Delayed Updates

2011-07-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a while but Arcana Creations has NOT remained idle. Arcana Creations has always been largely a one-man operation but earlier this year I realized that I couldn't afford to continue working in this manner. Ironically, I've argued that I also couldn't afford to expand. A bit of an impass I suppose but I figured that certain projects couldn't advance without the 'man power' to keep the ball rolling -- a ball which has been rolling very slowly up to now. One of the things I have been doing is looking at ways to bring more people in with the goal to better allocate the work load so that things could get rolling again. With that in mind, I have spoken to a few people, made a few arrangments, and started bringing in the reinforcements.

I have someone who is going to be doing some work on the next C&C module release ... the majority of the work is already done for this project as it is actually a conversion of an adventure to the system. Once the technical conversion is done, I will need to worry about the layout and then we can rapidly release it thereafter. There is no firm ETA on this and, this person has asked to remain annonymous to see how the first project works out. If this trial run works, and I hope it does, this annonymous person will officially become part of the Arcana Creations / Brave Halfling Publishing family.

Speaking of conversions, I have another person I am in discussions with to convert existing material Arcana Creations has put out to Pathfinder. Now, I've never been big on Pathfinder but a lot of people are. It's a solid system and there have been recent rumblings that Pathfinder is now outselling the Dungeons & Dragons brand. I have friends who do run Pathfinder that have expressed at how much they would love to see something like 'A Trick on the Tain' for Pathfinder. The same could be said about 'The Secret of Ronan Skerry'. I would be a fool to ignore this and the fact of the matter is, these conversions could outsell the original C&C versions of the adventures. Much like the previous project, aside from the conversion, I'll need to concern myself with layout only.

So, right there -- two people doing some work for Arcana Creations. However these aren't what people have been waiting for. One large project has been a bit like a millstone around my neck. That is Victorious and aside from Mike Stewart (the writer), no one is more anxious to get this project out. However, there have been a few issues and unforeseen challenges in meeting some of the goals I initially set out. Aside from everybody having real life issues to sort out, the project got off to a rough start when it came to a bunch of the art we had for the project -- one of the principal artists pulled out and took all his art and design concepts with him. The other principal artist we had was happy to offer to step up but sometimes things don't always go according to plan. Art concerns isn't the only problem we had but it was one that hasn't been resolved. This necessitated certain changes on my approach with the project. Towards that end, I have decided to tackle a few issues head on. I have a new artist who is doing a couple of 'trial pieces' for the long delayed Quickstart (which was one of the things we were awaiting art for). Should all concerned parties be happy with these pieces, we will continue to use him for the rest (and as it turns out, the majority) of the work on the QS and the corulebook. Being a large project, I have arranged to get some back up to layout out the rulebook itself. Different people will the laying out different chapters based on a template I create and my direction as project manager. All in all, three people will be handling at finishing up the layout and all that stuff will be happening within the next couple of months. The longest delays will be the art of course but, what can you do? The point is that the project is moving once more and it might mean a 'staff artist' for Arcana Creations.

Finally there is the Ballista. Not forgotten though a big delayed due to concerns with Victorious and other projects, it is almost complete. The main delay has been with one article which I am finishing up. However, now that my immediate concerns with Victorious has been resolved, at least for now, I can focus on releasing issue one "guilt free". I know that BHP is doing a bit of reorganizing with John's move but once that process is done in the next week or two, I expect issue one will finally be released and available. Issue 1 is *still* the Sping issue and I do have some material for issue 2, our Summer issue as I get Ballista back on track.

Well, I hope this answers a few questions and I thank all of you that have been holding on and following our progress. Till next time!

For the Love of Technology...

2011-05-04T18:35:00.001-07:00

I love my gadgets. In fact, I am writing this on my latest gadget right now. My typing isn't as fast as a conventional keyboard but I'm still quick enough to meet my needs. I just got my hands on a tablet, and no, it's not an ipad. In this case, it's the Motorola Xoom -- an Android based tablet using the new Honeycomb OS.

But why do I need one considering I also recently acquired a decent little netbook? Well, the netbook is to do some writing when I am out and about, and I have already put it to great use. The tablet on the other hand is to game!!!

I never cared much for a laptop at my gaming table. I've tried it a few times but being required to plug it in is a nuissance. Even a smaller laptop ot even the netbook is a pain and takes up too much space. Besides, lugging it around along with some books and supplies becomes quite a burden when you are a GM on the move.

I remember when I was in highschool and gaming was plentiful. I ran an AD&D 2E campaign but never in my own home. I would load up my bag with dice, the PHB, DMG, Monstrous Compendium (that binder was always a pain to load up), and my own campaign binder filled with notes. This was often supplemented with another book or two as necessary. It wasn't really heavy but it was bulky and I got around on my bike back in the day.

I have always longed for lighter and portable -- especially during those 3rd Ed. days. Switching to C&C helped a lot but it wasn't quite perfect. Now, I could feasibly (and finally) rely on my tablet instead of carting around books. The tablet is quick enough to switch between various PDF's without having to wait on loadtimes and finding a particular page is extremely easy. When you also get 10 hours on a charge (to watch video), worrying about the battery isn't going to be a concern for me given that an average session is a little less than half that. ;)

My next game will include my tablet, my CK screen, my clipboard of notes with pencil and eraser, and some dice. This will be really handy when I run a demo or two this summer.

Taking a Break Tonight.

2011-04-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been busy. April is just a really busy month. During this month, I have moved furniture, worked more than I care to with my regular 9-5 (overtime), attended various gathering with family and friends (aka social obligations), ran a few sessions of C&C (players demanded it), and finally did some work on Victorious and a bunch more on issue one of the Ballista.

This past week alone has had me staying way too late in getting issue 1 done and to my satisfaction. Last night i spent more time working on the Ballista than my actual paying job earlier that day. In short tonight I am taking a break and goin to bed early.

I figured it was a good opportunity to blog a bit too as I have made a couple of decisions. First off, the Ballista is going to be a quarterly periodical. Working on this has been great and realtively stress free but still time consuming. Mind you, part of that also has to do with the size of the project. In the early stages of the project 4-6 weeks ago, the projected page count was about 20 pages. As of right now, it's grown to over 30. More content means more time but It is only days away from completion.

At over 30 pages, it might get a bit of a price bump but if it does, it'll probably be just 50 cents making the new total $2.00 instead of $1.50 but this isn't set in stone yet. I'll discuss this first with John (BHP) and see what he thinks.

The biggest snag is the time it would take to get the POD setup for it once we submit the PDF. This brings me to a few questions. Do we wait to release both togther which means the customer can possibly get a deal on both at the same time or just release the PDF version ASAP and release the POD option once it becomes available? Will people care about the dead tree version for this sort of product?

I know I want a print copy but that's just me.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have a lot of stuff to do before this week is done and none of it has to do with the Ballista. This means even more stuff is going to be juggled. ;)

M

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Updates

2011-04-13T11:37:00.001-07:00

Great progress is being made with the Ballista and the article which had given me a few issues last week is really flowing and coming together nicely. This article, which I won't reveal what it entails yet is what I hope others will perceive as the gem of the first issue. It still has to be fine tuned (in other words, edited) and put into layout. The layout will be quick enough with only a few tables to challenge me. :)

I have also come to realize that my recent $80 acquisition of a used netbook a real boon to the work I have been doing with Arcana Creations. It gives me a chance to do some editing and writing during my lunch hours. I have quickly come to realize how much more productive I have become as a result of this. Not because I have some extra time to work but because I find myself already in a groove to continue working despite a departure of the nature of the work when compared to my day job.

The April issue of the Ballista continues to be on track for a release sometime this month but there is a bit of a catch. I know some may be looking to get a physical copy but the process using the RPGNow POD service may mean that people wanting a deadtree copy may have to wait a little more (to the tune of a couple of weeks). I think I have an idea for those who want an electronic copy and a physical copy while ensuring fans don't pay for the material twice but I will have to check on that. It's not like we're breaking the back though but I appreciate what loyalty the fans are willing to provide and try to reciprocate whenever possible.

I'll try to get a few more answers toward the end of the week.

As to narrowing the release of issue one to a particular day, I am not quite ready to do so but will once the Ballista is ready for a final proofing. At that time, I will also post the table of contents of the first issue and article summaries.

M

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Pieces Continue to Fall in Place

2011-04-06T19:04:00.001-07:00

Well, another section has been completed for the Ballista. It's not something I wrote but a piece by John Adams. It is a short but nice forward he agreed to do for the first issue of the Ballista. I have to say, reading that made me feel good about the work I've been putting into it. I'm trying to finish off a couple of key things but things are starting to finally wrap up on various bits of it. What's kind of cool is I'm also starting to accumulate some material for the second issue (which, if things continue well enough would be the June issue).

M

Hitting the Wall

2011-04-04T18:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you work on resolving a few issues with some gaming design and mechanics. Working on a great piece for the Ballista but hit a small stumbling block in terms of the design. I start working the problem and then I fall into the trap of some circular logic. After a couple of hours of getting nowhere fast, I figure I need to get back to the Basics of what i was trying to accomplish and also put it aside fo a day or two and try and come back with a fresh perspective. Time ti switch gears and do a bit of work on a few other things that need finishing in the meantime.

;)

M

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Arcana Creations Presents...

2011-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Arcana Creations, in collaboration with Brave Halfling Publishing is pleased to announce the development of 'Ballista' -- a periodical geared to support and expand one's preferred Fantasy Role Playing Game.

Ballista is about providing both the basics and various options which can be applied or used with a variety of games which are, at the very least, inspired and derived by the original fantasy role playing game pioneered in 1974.

Despite the various versions and editions published since then, much of the core has remained the same. The game simply continues to be played and enjoyed. It is our hope to provide a gaming journal that will appeal to fans of this sort of RPG due to the high adaptability of the material we hope to introduce. With this in mind, Ballista will continue to support TLG's "Siege Mechanic" while still be completely adaptable to other rule sets such as BHP's upcoming "Delving Deeper".

The first issue will be the April 2011 issue and will be available exclusively through the Brave Halfling Publishing storefront at RPGNow! and DriveThruRPG (part of OneBookShelf.com) with each issue following every second month thereafter. Purchase options will include PDF and/or Print-on-Demand. Price has yet to be finalized but it looks like the PDF version will be making its debut at $1.50

On a personal note, I am very excited about this project. I was an early supporter with the fan community effort which put together the issues of the Domesday fanzine for C&C -- an effort which unfortunately never saw the release of the fifth and final issue. I have always believed that there was more in common with all the various game flavors we played than there were differences. I sincerely wished for the Domesday to reach a wider audience than it did but, being a community project, many different factors played against each other. With the Ballista, and Brave Halfling Publishing's support, I believe I can now successfully move forward with some of my ideas.

Here's hoping that many others will take the trip with Arcana Creations and myself!

M

Announcement Tomorrow

2011-03-22T09:25:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month, I alluded to a project that I hoped would be released this month and that I was likely to give details within a couple of days. I was waiting for something before I could go ahead with the announcement though and it ended up taking a bit more time than I expected.

My wait appears to be over and I'll finally be sharing the news tomorrow.

:)

M

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Assault on Blacktooth Ridge: REDUX

2011-03-18T22:15:00.001-07:00

Well, tonight saw the first session of my streamline run-through of TLG's A1 Module for C&C. I intended to run this module over the period of only 3 sessions though we didn't get as far as I would have liked. This didn't matter. The group had tons of fun and are anxious to play again soon.

This is what counts -- all of us having a good time. In a few weeks time when module comes to a close, I will gladly outline my changes to the scenario. I will detail why and how I shortened the scenario creating what I hope to be a much more action-filled campaign while allowing the story to continue in a seemingly fluid manner.

I can't wait to continue and it looks like the next game is only two weeks away. :)

M

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Testing... Testing...

2011-03-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd test the feasibility of blogging remotely on a smartphone with an app I'm trying out. Not too shabby. It helps that I have a physical Qwerty keypad on the phone.

Aside from that, more work continues as Arcana Creations inches closer to a couple of releases. Official announcement to come soon.

M
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Work Continues

2011-03-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

Work is still continuing on two things right now:

One is Victorious and admittedly isn't really news but things are still coming together on that front.

The other is something which hasn't been announced yet but with continued success, efforts, and a pinch of luck, will see production *THIS* month. An official announcement will be made hopefully in the next few days once I have a few things turned in to me. Suffice to say that I am excited, and I know John Adams from Brave Halfling Publishing is equally exited. We hope that fans of games such as Castles & Crusades and other games which are at least derived from earlier editions of D&D will be equally pleased by the prospect.

Of course, time will tell but that day is rapidly approaching.

A gentle remind to my readers -- I'm on twitter and check through my feeds a few times a day as opposed to the opportunity to blog which may be once or twice a week. You can follow my tweets @arcanacreations

M

That Blue Bird

2011-02-28T21:07:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note tonight folks...

In an attempt to have Arcana Creations and my work become a bit more prominent as far as an online presence is concerned, I have finally caved and signed up on Twitter. I figured it was something I would do when I got my new phone (smart phone making social networking a lot easier) and that was about a week and a half ago.

I still need to figure a couple of things out... Hell, I still need to change my avatar on Twitter to be something other than an egg. All in good time. As of today, I have started to tweet (twit?) and I think Twitter will be a good way to do quick announcements or post various gaming related links. There are a few things happening (all good) between Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing and Twitter will be a great way to spread the word when time for blogging isn't all that available.

People who are interested can follow my tweets @arcanacreations

M

Gaming Fun!

2011-02-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well, last night I ran and finished of the first part of my newest C&C campaign that I've started where we completed the 'Rising Knight' by TLG. This was an excellent starter for the campaign and I treated it much like a 'pilot' for a TV series. The audience in this case were the players themselves. Essentially I tried to pick up cues from the players in term of the type of game they were looking for. When I first started the adventure (it went on over a period of 4 sessions) I presented plenty of opportunities for roleplay as well as a lot of combat. As it turns out -- they like a good story (and who doesn't) but they seem to be a bit shy on the roleplaying. Now I want roleplaying and character development to happen but I've always found that this depends on the strength and confidence of the players. Sure, it helps if the GM goes all out and tries to develop memorable characters but in this case, as I soon learned, they had been trying to pick up cues from me. It's been a learning process for everyone concerned. That said, what they wound up getting was plenty of action -- maybe too much action as I proceeded to put the party through the grinder.

Everyone had fun though it was almost a TPK at the end. Now that the first part is done, I will begin to prepared the next adventure (I'm running the Umbrage Saga) and will be doing a few things. One... each subsequent part of the adventure will be reduced to 3 sessions which will constitute a module. Yes... it will mean that certain things will be cut but it will enable me to keep the pace very quick. At most, there may be a bridging session from one session to another to keep the flow relatively smooth. All in all, only core concepts and events will be kept ... there will be a bit more narrative to help fill in the blanks and tell the story... but I hope that the essence of what the adventure sage will be successfully distilled and enjoyed.

What I hope to do, once this is done is to post what / how this was done in case others wish to adopt some of my ideas. Suffice to say, last nights game was F-U-N.

On a related note, last night was also the night where I started to include a couple of ideas from the CKG. I figure there will be some material which will be adopted for the campaign going forth though I think there needs to be some work in terms of HOW we choose to integrate this new material. Since getting a physical copy of the CKG is a bit of a pain, I adopted to go for the PDF edition (despite it being a bit overpriced IMO). Shipping to Canada is a bit of a deal breaker so a dead-tree copy can wait (making the digital option strangely economical by comparison). There is some neat things about the book but I confess at being disappointed initially. I am warming up to it and while I am underwhelmed with a lot of the material in the first part of the book, I am enjoying other parts of the book. A review will be coming along once I finish digesting the material. At any rate, there are certain things I will be adopting and making available to my players for the rest of the campaign.

On a different note (but still in the fun category), I also scored these at the dollar store a couple of days ago:

12 crocs of different types ... all of a good scale in relation to the 25 mm used (aka 'Heroic Scale' such as what is used for the D&D minis) all for $1. I suspect there will be some swamps in the near future.

M

After the Siege ...

2011-02-22T19:58:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been more than five months since my last update. The Fall Season was a very rough one with work (9-5 job where overtime took on a new meaning) and generally a day to day stressful and taxing routine became the norm. Arcana Creations was the first to suffer with all this as various plans and ambitions fell to the wayside. Many things have continued to change in the gaming industry but things have started getting back on track and my online presence has been beginning to re-assert itself since the new year.

The nicest compliments I have received have been from people who remember the work I have started to do and there have been a couple of offers of encouragement along the way. As I predicted (though for different reasons) half a year ago, Arcana Creations is changing how it will go forward. Thankfully, I have the full support of my publishing partner as well people who have worked with me in the past on various things.

It's time to rebuild.

It's time to start outlining a couple of the ideas I have and get the ball rolling on some of these.

First of all, Victorious is still being done. Work had stalled largely last fall but I've been in communication with the author and things are still a go. I hope to have some exciting news on this front soon enough as various aspects of this are still getting sorted out. But I have a much clearer vision of what this should be and what it needs to be as it moves forward. The fuse has been lit on this...

Secondly, while my love for Castles & Crusades has not diminished, I have never been one to be in complete agreement with the way that TLG has been developing the game nor have I been satisfied at what has happened with the fanbased Society. I can't really change either of these but I can try and offer support in other ways. While I don't exactly think it is the 'Rosetta Stone' of Role Playing Games, it has at least indirectly helped fuel the creation of other similar games which draw inspiration from classic Dungeons & Dragons. With all this in mind, and the support of Brave Halfling Publishing, a small periodical will be produced which will support C&C (yet be compatible with others).

The idea of developing a periodical through Arcana Creations is hardly new and I have discussed this on and off shortly after the start of 2010. However, I realized that the scope of that project is much too large and resource intensive to even contemplate taking on. This periodical shall be short, inexpensive, and regular. More importantly, it is secondary to regular projects Arcana Creations is working on. I had a working title for it -- until I realized it was already a registered trademark of another periodical. I guess it will remain unnamed for now. :)

Aside from those two projects, Arcana Creations will be converting some of its material for the Pathfinder RPG. While it is not my game of choice, it would be foolish to ignore that many do play and buy Pathfinder products. Talks are being finalized with someone who will be doing the actual conversion work which will leave me be to focus on the more important objectives.

At this point, I would like to extend my thanks to the following people (in no particular order) who have encouraged me in these difficult times:

John Adams, Keith Hackwood, Bill De Franza, Mike Stewart, Todd Pote, and Robert Doyel

M

How Do You Recharge?

2010-08-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

Well, despite my 'full' schedule, I have to take a break now and then just like anybody. However, taking a bit of time away from whatever projects (or the job) doesn't necessarily 'fuel up the tanks' so to speak. When I'm not simply exhausted after a day's work or don't have my weekend entirely booked with other commitments, I try to pursue simple things. Sometimes it's just to take my mind off of things and other times it's with the hope to 'inspire' me. If I'm lucky, I manage to get both done.

One great way to take a break for someone like me is just to play a few games. These can sometimes be a boardgame amongst friends (usually 'eurogames' and other light strategy games or simply computer and video games. If I'm really lucky, I get to play in a good old pen-and-paper type RPG. Unfortunately, these for me are actually few and I'm currently playing in Supers-RPG a couple of times a month. Of course, I could always run my own game (once more) which is a rarity these days. However, I don't necessarily consider running a preparing a game exactly a break from the sort of projects I do with Arcana Creations -- sometimes it just feels like an extension of it. Playing is always a different matter. I do run stuff and it will be stuff that I am developing for publication and it's always nice to see player reaction to something we have just released or about to publish.

I think in a lot of cases, the key is play.

For me, playing a good deal of StarCraft II when it came out got me really charged up about Sci-Fi. Recently, I've been playing an RPG on the X-Box which is very 'Classical Greece' and it's gotten me thinking of actually running a mini-campaign in the Golden Age of Ancient Greece. Of course, reading great books and movies are also a great way to recharge but I feel that the time spent with those is proportional to the amount one will 'get back'.

Of course, the other way to keep you going is to work on different projects. Right now, I'm working on a couple of projects dealing with the Superhero genre. This is not my principal preferred genre but both are different enough (and one of the two is a short term project to help out). This certainly helps. Of course, if inspiration happens to strike with something else, by all means get some of that out of your system! It might have a great way to motivate you on your original projects and make you feel good about all the work that you are doing.

M

Which Way the Wind Blows?

2010-08-24T17:23:00.001-07:00

I've realized that it's been quite some time since the last update... a month in fact.

I noticed in part by the number of books I have read since my last update. :)

In all seriousness, things are progressing albeit slowly. I initially hoped to have the Victorious Quickstart out by the end of July but life threw me a few curves. Nothing bad... just been unusually busy. At this stage, as opposed to giving a hard date, I will say that it's coming soon and the same goes with the main rule book for the game. Despite the busy schedule, I am also helping ' Zenith Comics' with their first RPG product which is geared towards the Super Hero RPG genre. Thankfully it is a smaller role that the typical work I do for some of the Arcana Creations projects I have done in the past and it's not taking too much time away from Victorious!

As far as recent projects are concerned, a week ago I was pleased to see a review on the Grognardia blog for our release, 'A Trick on the Tain'. If you are interested in reading the review, it can be found HERE. My thanks to James on his great review of the product!

All this said, I feel Arcana Creations is at a bit of a crossroads as far as its future is concerned.

I love to game. I love reading about it, being involved with it, and discussing and designed material for it. It was the primary reason for the work and effort I have put in to Arcana Creations as I strive to create a product that I would be interested in buying as a consumer of gaming material. I think, with the few releases that I have realized for one of my games of choice, I have done a good job doing so. Each release has been better than the last and I was more than happy to put in the investment (both time and money) to turn some of these ideas into physical reality. Right now, Victorious is the 'big' project but I've got something planned which is a bit bigger. I've also noticed and have experienced the volatility of the market and despite the strong sales of our very first release, the sales of the other releases which have followed have not measured up well it and are in general decline.

It could be simple economics... interest in the type of material we have produced thus far... or even the system Arcana Creations chose to support. Whatever the reason, I have no choice but to take notice and adapt. Victorious is continuing and will not be affected by this. On the other hand, the 20-24 saddle-stitched material we have been producing are being relegated to the back-burner as our focus and format shifts.

As we advance further along with Victorious, a clearer picture of what's to come from Arcana Creations will be provided but nothing beyond Victorious is written in stone.

Thanks for your patience and keep them dice rolling!

M

Quick Updates...

2010-07-23T17:44:00.001-07:00

Nothing much to report... work is still progressing on the Victorious Quickstart which should be finished soon. As most of the work I do after my regular 9-5 job, it's a give and take in terms of the actual time available to me. I had hoped to have it ready for Troll Con which is this weekend but it won't be making that deadline after all. It will be done very soon and before Troll Con East which happens shortly before or after (can't remember which) GenCon. ;)

Aside from this project, I'm also looking over the material for the actual Victorious Rulebook. Little else for the moment but I've got tons of ideas for other projects which will be tackled once Victorious is done.

M

Why Stick With C&C?

2010-07-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

People who come to C&C do so for a variety of reasons. Often these are tied in to a sense of nostalgia and a great amount of compatibility with older AD&D and D&D material and, to a good degree, even the newer d20 material being derived from the SRD and OGL itself. While C&C might have been the first to essentially re-create or at least emulate an older ruleset or style of a game we were already familiar with, it wasn't the last.

Newer attempts were made to better capture the 'various flavors' and incorporate the little differences that made a particular edition of a game stand out. Other attempts were to simply improve upon an already existing model. As more options become available, people invariably come into the game only to find something similar but more suited to their tastes or fond memories.

Castles & Crusades is something of a gateway though. Just this weekend, I was visiting a neighboring city and happened to pop into the local game shop. Now, this store is something of an institution and has been there for at least 20 years. When TSR still reigned supreme, they carried their material as well of those of all the 'big names' and a few of the smaller outfits. In short, they have witnessed and have been part of the golden age of roleplaying games. The selection of material has certainly changed since I first visited the store about 17 years ago and a lot of this has to do with the current interests. There are certainly more card games since the advent of Magic: The Gathering and the past few years have also seen a drastic increase in board games. However, D&D is still a big seller and various brands by other companies do see shelf space. C&C is one of those products.

When I first got into C&C, a lot of the material I bought was from that store. Other friends also got their C&C material from that store and, as the demand was clear, more and more C&C releases found their way to their store shelves. Of course, the books still don't have prime shelf space but at least it's carried and restocked more frequently than it used to be. Part of that isn't just sales alone because a game store that tries to offer a selection will usually carry it. TLG has also produced other material besides C&C which might have been ordered at one point of another such as the earlier line of d20 products they used to do for D&D. In short, after ten years, TLG has gotten at least enough 'street cred' to be part of many a store's lineup.

The same cannot be said of the multitudes of other (what many people will call) 'OSR' games that are out there. With small publishers relying the internet as the principal means of sale and, more often then not, decide to operate on a POD model it might be harder for them to break into conventional retail distribution. Even then, it can take years of sustained releases before certain stores and their regular customers begin to take notice. It would be foolish to assume that all gamers get their information from the net first and there will always be those that chose to buy from a retail store as opposed to an online purchase.

I struck up a conversation with the owner of the store and one of the many things I inquired about was if they had or were bringing in any products from Brave Halfling Publishing. The person hadn't heard of them but automatically assumed it was another internet-based, POD operation. In response, that they had started putting material through retail distribution (and the distribution company that was representing then). That drifted to the owner asking what sort of stuff did BHP release and, when I mentioned that a couple of C&C modules had been put out, the perception already began to change.

In short, it was just a matter of time before they started stocking BHP material on the shelves. The reason for that was C&C.

From a business standpoint, it makes sense for Arcana Creations (with BHP) to support a game like C&C. By that rationale, it makes a whole lot more sense to do material for Pathfinder and 4th Edition D&D. But if I want to do material for the sort of game that I grew up playing (AD&D in this case), C&C is the closest 'success' for me to actually do this with.

I really like C&C but it isn't perfect. I have seen a lot of products that TLG have done which have disappointed me for one reason or another and others which have been absolutely fantastic! Despite flaws that some may perceive from it, the game is generally commercially available. The only other game of the sort that can make that claim right now is Labyrinth Lord (and naturally I'm referring to games that are like classic D&D and AD&D here). Others are just not 'there' yet and many will never be. However, as I've stated in the past, there is a lot more things in common with these games and others in the OSR movement than there are differences.

In the end, I stick with C&C as a publisher because there is genuine recognition of the brand which exists in the retail market. The fact that it also enables me to create material which can readily be used with a lot of other game systems makes me really happy as well. I'm pleased to see and hear that the products that Arcana Creations produces are already being used in this manner.

I think this is just an extension of houseruling and tweaking a game and this is the sort of thing that I've always done. As to C&C itself, it just happens to be close enough to the game I've always played anyway. This is why I've adopted as my game of choice in the first place.

M

Site Updates..

2010-07-12T20:19:00.001-07:00

The site itself has finally been updated. Mostly it involves a new look while keeping things relatively simple and clean. More downloads and links than before... and a couple of surprises among them as well.

I had optimized some of the load time for a few things but realized that a couple of my beloved fonts were getting 'nerfed'. I had to make them into graphics instead to preserve the look. At some point, I imagine I will go back to what I had before but use some common fonts instead. ;)

And the work continues...

M

Temporary Respite...

2010-07-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, absolutely no work was accomplished on anything that Arcana Creations is involved with. The heat wave hit Montreal rather hard and everything was put on hold. It's good that "A Trick on the Tain" is out and shipping though. Before the interruption, I was involved in a slight re-design of the Arcana Creations website. There are still a few things that need to be fixed before I upload the whole thing. Hopefully the newer look will prove to be pleasant to visit and navigate. Aside from that, I still got a few things to do for the Victorious Quickstart which I'm still planning to have available this month as a free PDF. That is assuming the respite from the heat holds a while longer -- just enough for me to get caught up and finish a few things...

M

Oh the Irony ...

2010-06-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

The Brave Halfling Publishing Storefront is down today ... upgrades and maintenance. The day that I finally get around to mentioning on my blog that the "Trick on the Tain" was available for purchase is the day the storefront is taken down. ;)

The good news is that a link will be immediately available upon purchase to download the PDF while you await the physical product to arrive.

M

Oh ... By The Way ...

2010-06-23T06:06:00.001-07:00

The most recent project completed by Arcana Creations, "The Trick on The Tain" is done and available for to order HERE. It was completed on June 14th (a week after my last post) and went on sale on June 19th. Initial comments have been positive. For those of you who rather support their local game store, in is only entering the Distribution network sometime in July -- probably mid-July at the very earliest. However, by ordering straight from BHP, you will beat the stores and also receive a complimentary PDF version of the module.

Now that this project is behind me, I can say that I've already am working in putting together the Victorious Quickstart which is now in layout and editing. This one looks like it will be a 'tight' 20 pages and, while it is intended to be a FREE pdf release, there will be a limited number of copies printed up. Details are still being worked out with how many and in what capacity the printed versions will become available but I will be sure to post this on my blog here.

Aside from that, I've been meaning to revamp the Arcana Creations website. This will likely be done sometime over the next couple of weeks. As it is right now, the site has been 'a forgotten stepchild' and left untouched for months. In fact, it hasn't been touched at all this year. It probably needs to be kept simple but be more integrated with my regular practices. I'll have to give it some more thought but it needs to get done by the start of July.

M

Progress ... Progress ... Progress !!

2010-06-07T19:52:00.001-07:00

A handful of people are 'in the loop' when it comes to some of my work and projects with Arcana Creations. I've decided to let those who read my blog in on my latest progress with Keith Hackwood's "A Trick on the Tain". The thing is done. Well... 99.5% done. I'm about to go through it once more to spot any of those little typos that might have escaped my attention and once I am satisfied, two other people (one being the author) will also be reviewing the document to make sure everything is as it should be. The information has been passed along our distributor and July is the official release as far as retail stores are concerned. However, friends of the Brave Halfling will be able to get their copies sooner. Aside from the final read through, the only piece of work that needs to be done is the quick reference table for the potential encounters in the module. Those who have seen the full sized version of the "Secret of Ronan Skerry" will be familiar with what this looks like. For those who haven't -- it's a one page sheet at the back of the module that gives a rundown of the encounters in a condensed format.

This all means that the material will be going to print in a matter of days. As soon as this project is delivered, pre-orders will open up. The regular price for this module is $9.95 but ordering it through Brave Halfling Publishing also means you get a PDF copy of the adventure as well as the hard copy. And, like other BHP releases, you pretty much get the PDF upon purchase. As soon as a link is available, I'll be posting it here. Of course, similar announcements will find their way onto the TLG boards, Dragonsfoot, and the BHP forums themselves.

You know, I had worked on other projects before this one and, for whatever reason, this one was the longest. Personal life took a few interesting twists... project was started on a different computer than the one I am using now. I also shifted from various pieces of software I'm using for my various publication efforts. Lastly, I had to replace my only monitor that chose to die on me a few days ago. There have been a lot of change and I'm sure there will be more. Hopefully, things will keep on rolling and various projects at Arcana Creations seem to have picked up a bit of speed of light.

Thanks for the support!

M

Innovation vs Reorganization.

2010-06-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

A recent thread on the TLG boards has irked me.

In short, it's a case where some people are in support of various retro-clones and those who are not. Reasons will naturally vary from person to person and no one was out right trashing a particular game. To me, some people just don't seem to get it.

FACT: With the lack of availability due to how a large company has decided to market the D&D brand, older iterations of the game are no longer available in any legal format. This decision results in two things... an increase in piracy of this older and out-of-print material as well as the these newer 'simulacrum games' that seek to emulate a classic form of D&D.

If WOTC / Hasbro decided to do a series of reprints and made them available (even in a limited fashion), interest in the retro-clones would diminish somewhat and it may even curb some of the various pirating efforts.

In no way would these stop though... just diminish somewhat. ;)

That said, there are games that will reorganize and present a set of rules to be as close as legally possible to a particular version of D&D and those that take a step more and try to introduce some sort of innovation to the game.

I don't care much for games which are pretty much clones of an existing ruleset. I think they are great as a reference document and have a valid place given the lack of any other option. However, given that there are so many of them now, it sometimes seems like the choice of one or the other might boil down to how well it is written and how nicely presented it comes off as being. I mean, there is so little difference between some of the games if you consider the system mechanics.

On the other side, a game that takes the familiar and adds or changes a few things to does a much better job at catching my eye.

Jason Vey's excellent "Spellcraft & Swordplay" is a great example. James Maliszewski (Grognardia) has an interesting review of the game and describes it aptly as a 'fascinating work of speculative game design' which effectively plays out as a 'what if' design scenario'.

Naturally, there is Castles & Crusades which is arguably the first OGL derivative of an older D&D style game. There was some innovation there too. Nothing big but the game retains the feel of an older frame work and adopts a few newer mechanics introduced in 3rd edition as well as the Siege mechanic. As such, it effectively bridges various editions of D&D.

There is also Basic Fantasy RPG which does an interesting job of 'mixing things up' but doesn't adhere to a particular incarnation of D&D. A fine system in it's own right and, like Spellcraft & Swordplay, often overshadowed by various retro-clones.

All three of these games utilized the d20 SRD to a degree and they are all OGL compliant. None of these are an attempt to emulate a specific game and I think they might even be stronger for it.

That is not to say there aren't some great retro-clones out there. I like the general direction that Labyrinth Lord has taken -- especially with the Companion.

In the end, all of these games exist because of our respective love for the games we play.

M

Mapping...

2010-05-31T18:20:00.001-07:00

One of the last things I tend to work on when it comes to a project such as an adventure are the maps. I love maps and I also love the 'old school' maps that TSR provided with so many of its adventures. I know I'm not alone in this regard. This is one of the reasons I try to give particular attention at how some of the maps are done. When I did the C&C conversion of the Ruins of Ramat (available NOW in digest format HERE), I took a look at the maps that a talented person who works closely with Brave Halfling Publishing did up and decided to take a stab at it. The result was stark black and white maps reminiscent of the old style present in many of TSR's iconic adventure modules and a style which was continued professionally in the various Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. The maps I did up seemed to do the trick and everyone seemed to be happy with them. They were nothing fancy... but then again, those style of maps were not intended to be fancy.

Well, now I'm finishing up Keith Hackwood's "A Trick on the Tain" which was a module (I'm sorry to admit) I thought would be going to print today. I guess it's still just a few days away as I'm still at the mercy of my overlords which have kept me busy at my regular 9-5 job. Don't get me wrong, I like getting a regular paycheck but sometimes I could use a bit more time off for my other projects. ;) At any rate, the maps in this module call for some overland work. Once again, having a fondness of an 'older yet functional style', I knew from the outset the sort of maps I would be using. I didn't bother getting an artist to do the maps since I already had pretty much what I needed. The author provided me the reference maps to use (nothing fancy but unsuitable for publication), I made sure I had all the various bits of software to achieve what I wanted, and some time. Well, time admittedly is the one thing I seem to never have enough of... but the job is done. Since I don't map on a regular basis (aside from quick sketches for my own games that I run), it took me longer than I thought it would. That said, I'm happy with the work I've put together and I hope the fans will be equally happy. The end result are a couple of 'old school' wilderness hex maps. One is a closeup of the area the adventure takes place in and the other is a much larger area which could be used as a springboard for other adventures and material -- some of which I imagine will be coming out of Arcana Creations.

As for the module itself... just a couple of more days before it REALLY hits the printers. ;)

M

General Thoughts on C&C

2010-05-28T20:20:00.001-07:00

This is largely inspired by Josh Sherrer's interesting posts over at the Grimmhaus the past couple of days. The posts I am referring to can be found HERE and HERE. I have been a solid supporter of the game and also come from an AD&D background that was largely influenced by TSR's 2nd Edition. I understand where Josh and other fans and critics of the game and company that produces it. I have my own thoughts on the issue and the direction where I would like to the see the game and company go.

The Player's Handbook

Josh believes that the PHB could be expanded and I agree. The fact that the 4th printing was expanded brings about a different issue which I will touch on again further on. I believe that explanations of the equipment listed would have been a great idea and a better explanation on the functionality of illusions for the game. I do not think that the inclusion of 'spell schools' or additional spells are necessary. What might have been great and almost a novel concept for this type of game is a guide to spell creation and balance. I'm not saying that schools are a bad idea... in fact, the spell creation system could even go as far as discuss schools and the relation of spells to those of an 'opposing school'.

Part of the philosophy of these sorts of games is the idea of making the game 'your own'. I say the game would be better served at providing us with some tools in order to better do this.

As far as the SIEGE mechanic is concerned... I think it's great. Does it handle absolutely everything? No... nor is it expected to. People seem to want to use it for every single instance that a roll could be done. If you look at the earliest editions of D&D, how were skills handled? What if you played OD&D and didn't use any of the supplements? How would you have your 'Fighting Man' climb a wall? I could be wrong, but I don't remember the 3 LBB's covering something like that. I'm sure people playing the game figured something out though. ;) Granted the Siege Engine is just not really well written and lacks a lot more guidance in the text. What it boils down to is this: It provides a system to handle task resolution without the need of a detailed skill system. It uses that same framework for saving throws. Two birds with one stone. However a lot of people I have seen play the game tend to rely more on that system than they should. Other approaches to how it could be effectively used should be suggested. If you really want to make the game your own but would rather have an itemized skill system, the Siege system for task resolution still becomes a valuable too that your NPC's or critters can use if you need to put something in the game on the fly.

Keep the Siege Engine... but it's strengths need to be explained clearly and suggests on how to get around some of the system's weak spots would be fantastic. As for the Save system... I briefly mentioned it and I think it can work. However, as opposed to just arbitrarily assigning 'old school' save categories to various attributes, a clearer explanation and logic needs to be applied. I 'get' why everything is assigned to the various stats and I like the fact that it helps eliminate the 'dump stat'. I think a low attribute could create an interesting circumstance where the player could assign that attribute to be a prime to help 'compensate'. Basically -- the character has actually worked to overcome his weakness. I think this is cool. However a better understanding of how the various attributes related to various parts of the game, the saves, and task-resolution is in need of a more detailed section. This would serve a new player very well. As an aside, the Charisma being assigned the Death saves is a hard one to explain. I tend to explain it away as the force of the personality and strength of character -- very much tied in to the concept of the 'Will to Live'. My players seem to have accepted this. ;)

As for the inclusion and exclusion of certain characters, I suppose one needs to remember that the classes are supposed to be archetypal. While an 'Assassin' is basically someone who is paid to kill a a specific target, there is also an archetype. The "Assassin's Creed" games are an interesting look at that archetype. Things like the Knight, the Monk, the Barbarian, and the Illusionist are just as valid. The question one needs to ask is whether the present classes supplied (there are 13 of them) accurately do or is it just that they followed the model as brought about with 1st edition. Personally, I didn't mind the class of the illusionist but the recent spell additions diminish the class and how one goes about in trying to define and differentiate it from the Wizard class.

As far as the book model is concerned... I think the 2 book model was a good one (mention of the CKG never should have come about). In truth, there is no real reason for a player to ever need anything that's in the M&T book and I think a lot of people like that idea. While I loved the D&D Cyclopedia and would love a Cyclopedia version of the C&C ruleset, I would much rather they 'tighten' up the material in the PHB and M&T. Once the material is 'satisfactory', I can see a special edition (collector's edition with faux leather) do well among some of the fans.

The Monster & Treasure Book

I think expanding the book slightly would have been nice. I don't want a 'zillion' critters but not including some basics like a Giant Centipede or Beetle seems shortsighted. A few more basic staples would have been great. That said, a few more utilitarian sections on the use and design of magic items and the creation of new critters might have been really handy to have. Choosing to omit such things like Demons to put in a more specialized work is perfectly acceptable as long as it gets down properly.

The Company

Well, I have to agree that the choices made in some cases are not my own. As a publishing partner to Brave Halfling Publishing, I can understand some of the delays and choices. There are also many others which are examples of lost opportunities in my opinion.

Aside from product issues (which I won't go into), the question of an SRD specifically for C&C is an interesting one. I do not believe it is needed since it is largely dderived from the d20 SRD already. If a publisher wants to develop material for the system, then they need to approach TLG and ask permission since, C&C and the Siege Engine are trademarked terms regardless if everything else is 'open' or not.

As for the support for the C&CS is concerned... well... they meant well but clearly dropped the ball. TLG's vision was a society of gamers and fans that would play and showcase the game. This was to start and things are still at a starting phase. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that things are just very slow. On the upside, they have put together a box set which can be gotten for free if you are holding an event or doing a demo. That's got to count for something right?

Now I'm not trying to over-simplify the issues but at the end of the day, TLG is just a very small company. Unless there is significant growth, it is likely to remain so. Such is the way with RPG publishers. If they can release material that people will like and buy, then more power to them. If they continue to have some mishaps, the company will simply stop to prosper and possibly fold.

I would have done things differently and the game would be different as well. But I think any passionate gamer would think the same right?

My thanks to Josh for a thought provoking set of posts.

M

Zenith Comics Presents!

2010-05-22T22:01:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine has been putting more and more effort into his project entitled 'Zenith Comics Presents!' For those who are interested in a 'Supers-type' RPG, you may want to check some of the stuff out.

First (and foremost), there is the main SITE. This is your portal to the Zenith Comics Presents universe. From there, I recommend checking out the BLOG. The blog follows the thoughts, work, and campaign as ran by Andrew Collas. A wonderful treat is the podcast which has just started up and worth a lesson. The first, and presently only episode, is really an interesting listen. The guest on the inaugural episode was Jeff Dee who may be best known for his artwork with TSR and his various gaming design efforts including Villains & Vigilantes and TWERPS. You can download this first episode of the podcast directly HERE.

If any of this happens to be your thing and you decide to check it out, I hope you enjoy!

M

Back in Black

2010-05-22T21:34:00.001-07:00

In the past month and a half, I've taken a step back while things have just gotten busier in my life. It just so happens that between my 9-5 gig, and regular commitments, as well as a bunch of unexpected ones, I wasn't left with time to take much of a breather these days. I did take a bit of time to celebrate my own birthday a couple of weeks ago and May has kicked off rather nicely in the sense that things have started to calm down and I have been able to think about getting back to business...

While I haven't been able to get much work done on current projects with Arcana Creations, I have been keeping tabs at some of the things that have been going on in the gaming community. I have also been taking a hard look at various trends and changes. I have also witnessed a local game store shutting down and noticed attitudes changing as the gaming landscape continues to evolve.

Depending whom you ask, you will get a variety of thoughts and opinions on why that is. Some will be quick to blame 4th Edition and others simply the slow Economy. It could be the growth of POD publishing efforts or it could be a general dissatisfaction of the current situation and what's actually available.

I'm not really sure if any of it matters too much.

The key is being able to evolve and respond. TLG has made a few shifts in terms of its own general business strategy -- the $5 module initiative is a primary example of this. Other companies are trying to different things and Arcana Creations will also be making certain adjustments. This may become more apparent as we get closer to 2011.

In the meantime, where is Arcana Creations at? A few people had been been asking and next up is still the C&C module entitled 'A Trick on the Tain' That project is very nearly ready for completion and *should* be going to print within the next couple of weeks. Following on the heals of this release will be the new Siege-based game entitled 'Victorious'. The release for this project will be two-fold. First we will release a free Quickstart as a free PDF which will be followed later this summer with the core rulebook for the game. I've had a chance to play around with it a bit and I'm eager to see it out in print. Hopefully people will embrace this Victorian-era based Super Hero RPG and enjoy the system approach. After the dust settles on that, we will follow with the release of the 'Foamy Tankard'; an accessory for C&C and other FRPG's.

Beyond that, I've decided to keep future projects under wraps for now. Things are in the works though and I expect to make an announcement as the Fall starts closing in.

This weekend is Victoria Day weekend here in Canada which means I will be able to play catch up and get a bunch of work wrapped up all going well. For those who follow the blog regularly or who have been asking for news, thank you so much for patiently waiting.

M

Speaking of Time...

2010-04-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

I might end up with an abundance of it. I've heard unfortunate rumors of a possible layoff -- mine. If I'm lucky, I'll be spared the axe. If not, then the good news is more blogging and more work on material and projects connected with Arcana Creations and BHP. As for the bad... well... I'm sure we all know what that could possibly entail.

On a completely different note, today is my spouse's birthday. Instead of dwelling on the bad, I'm trying to focus on the positive and tonight we are celebrating.

She is so wonderfully supportive and, despite the challenges we both have had to endure in the past few years, she has managed to keep focused and 'stay the course' so-to-speak. May the time between this birthday and the next see your wishes fulfilled.

M

The Limits of Time

2010-04-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I took for granted the sheer amount of free time I had. With a lot of this time (especially during my high school years), a lot of this time was devoted to gaming. As I got older, an increasing amount of responsibility and commitments meant less 'game time'. A few years ago, it meant next to no time spent on these sorts of pastimes.

As an adult who works a 40 hour workweek and who may have commitments which may include childcare or other necessary duties, it's easy to lose these little luxuries as other things become priorities. Add to that other friends who shared some of these hobbies who also have similar responsibilities or commitments and you may end up in a situation where games and game books collect dust on the shelves.

A few years ago, I managed to re-enter a hobby that I hadn't been a part of for a few years. Being a player is easy enough and the only requirement is devoting a bit of time on a regular basis. This could be once a week or even once every second week. However, the key here is to MAKE the time in order to get this to work. Sure, it won't always work and sometimes life will invariably demand your attention elsewhere. Gaming is a diversion but it shouldn't be used as a replacement. It's not hard to make a commitment and it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it.

If you think you are too busy to game, the first thing to do is to take a good look at your average week. See if there is a spot where you don't seem to do much or don't have something planned. If you do, how much time do you have to spare? Depending on what you do or play, you'll probably need 3 hours or so at a minimum. If you have more time available, then that's even better. However, it's better to game a solid 3 hours a week than none at all. If you can make that commitment on a regular basis, then you could be on your way to gaming regularly.

Aside from that, as a player, you don't necessarily have to worry about much else but participating. If something happens and you can't make a particular session, let your GM know as soon as you can. See what sort of requirements they need for an ongoing campaign? Do they have someone else play the character while you are absent or is the character taken out for play for that session.

If you can't do face to face, consider trying a game over the internet using Skype and other computer gaming aids. You can save a lot of time and get in and out of a game pretty quick if all you need to do is log into your computer. It is also a great way for friends to play over great distances and, even if everyone is local, is a way to avoid travel time.

Now, what if you are short on time but you want to actually run something yourself? This can be done as long as you keep a few things in mind. First keep it simple... play a game that is rules-light and don't get wrapped up in trying to design an enticing locales and NPC's before the fact. Consider published material for your adventures or take something you like and tweak it to suit your needs more. Do not create more work for yourself than what is needed.

When I stumbled upon C&C, this is the approach I took. I didn't worry about trying to create my own fantasy world or even overly develop my own adventures. I grabbed a handful of adventures which we played through and basically considered them as 'episodes'. Key things or questions which become a focus for the players and their characters in one adventure might create a hook or different angle for the new one. This will add to a more uniform feel to a series of adventures that were not originally linked as long as you allow it to develop naturally. Players have wonderful imaginations and all they need is a bit of inspiration for it to take off. In this way, the players help color the adventures you are putting them through and there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of that. Sometimes a great twist will be result of an action that a character makes or an idea that the player is trying to follow through on. Use it and enjoy gaming in the moment and it may go a long way to help reduce time to prepare for a gaming session.

Another idea is rotating the GM responsibilities if the group is generally limited when it comes to time. This doesn't work for everyone but some groups have had some success at sharing some of these responsibilities.

Of course, as I mentioned before, there are times when schedules conflict and nothing can be done to get out of certain plans. For me, April is proving to be a busy month. I'm currently involved in a BASH game that plays every two weeks and I was looking forward to playing a game of Victorious (currently in development) over Skype this Thursday. Circumstances have forced me to advise fellow players that I won't be participating in either game. That said, I have one C&C session I am running later this month but I will still try and get some general gaming here and there with a couple of friends between now and May.

It's important to make to make a bit of time and put in a bit of effort for the things you enjoy when you are able to. Seize the opportunity when you can and may your dice keep on rolling.

M

TLG's New Marketing Plans

2010-04-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of days since Steve over at TLG made a public announcement with regards to what will be happening soon with the company and one thing discussed was pricing. The post he made on the forums can be viewed HERE.

There was quite a bit of news for some fans to be excited about and while some may have mixed feeling whether or not the news about the CKG can be believed, others may have noticed the notion of the $5 module. This isn't the first time that a shorter or less expensive module was released into retail distribution. In fact, I believe the release of "Lure of Delusion" and "Dwarven Glory" modules was in effort to 'test' retailer perception and acceptance. You see, at a the price of $5, a retail store doesn't make much money on the sale at all. The reasoning is that a lower price point might generate a bump in sales and any 'loss per unit' might be made up by a greater number of units sold. It could also possibly increases the sales of material sold at the time of the purchase of the core books. These core books are also probably under priced when looking at other similar gaming products on the market.

There are a few issues with the strategy though. First off, by offering these books at a cheaper price, you may end up devaluing the line. Some customers who sees the average price of gaming books may view this as a bargain version of something 'better'. Cheaper doesn't always mean an increase in sales. However, assuming that sales are maintained and none are lost, what you end up with a much narrow profit margin. This means less money to develop larger projects which may not be a negative thing if they are altering their business model along with their marketing plans. It does mean that the company is restricting its own growth potential and could essentially starve itself out of business if the small releases are not regular enough.

One issue that I immediately found with this plan is how it effectively can screw with the possibility of third-party support for the game. Admittedly, there isn't much third party support currently but by selling certain products at cut-rate prices, a third-party company may be less inclined to even consider providing support for the game. If a third-party company can't afford to price an a product to be close to other items in the same line by TLG, the sales could suffer causing the product to be a loss.

All that said, some of the motivations behind this decision might be because of the new 'Old School' type of games hitting the market in retail distribution. Castles & Crusades had an advantage of being one of the only commercial options that was widely available. However, with WOTC re-considering its own strategy, Goodman Games doing its own thing, and interest generated by Dragon Age and the new Hackmaster, it may be trying to 'dig in' a bit better. This is probably the reason why the CKG is being pushed out as soon as it can.

If this book is released as suggested along with the other "Monsters of Aihrde" book, it could really help TLG out of a bad position if combined with the slashed pricing.

M

Last Minute Gaming...

2010-04-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

My plans yesterday evening were simple enough. Do a bit of work on the computer, watch an episode or two of Lost (I'm watching the series for the first time and I'm partway through Season 4 right now), and post my thoughts on Harvester on my blog (as I had committed to doing).

Just prior to the end of my workday at my 9-5, a friend asked if I would be willing to do some gaming. He was inviting a couple of other people over and providing the pizza. I decided to go for it. I should point out that 'gaming' in this case didn't involve any RPG but a variety of card and board games. This is cool for me... it's a great way to relax and chat while managing to have a bit of fun. I also like trying new games when the opportunity arises.

I was the last one to arrive and my friends were already in a game of the "Adventurer Card Game" (using both expansions). A great game to play to kill time, it is also easy to grab a hero and just join in. The main game we played that evening was "Small World". The game is one that is currently published through "Days of Wonder" who also produce "Shadows Over Camelot" and "Ticket to Ride". I had seen the game before but wasn't too interested from what I saw of it. I'm glad that I gave it a shot though as the game is simple to learn and play but hold enough of an interest for people who are frequent gamers. I came very close to winning and it is a game which I believe can get 'GF Approval'. By this I mean that my loving partner will likely enjoy the game and be willing to play it when the situation arises. After that game, we killed a bit more time by trying a very simple game called "Castle Panic". This is also an amusing game which involves a combination of luck and minor strategy. It is also a co-operative game where the goal is to beat off a hoard of invading monsters (notably Goblins, Orcs, and Trolls). A very fast paced game and one that can be enjoyed by younger gamers.

As the evening came to a close, one of the people there pulled out "Three-Dragon Ante". Now I have the card game and bought it about a year ago in the 'as-is' section in a local bookstore of a large chain for about $5. I considered myself fortunate since the contents were still in shrink despite the box was pretty much destroyed. That said, I had never tried to play the game or even sit down to read the rules of play. It was the last game of the night and it was already very late but I decided to give it a shot.

I was surprised at how fun this game turned out being. It's almost a shame that this game has the D&D name/logo associated with it since it is a stand-alone game and the only concept it really borrows from D&D are the color associations of the dragons. Pretty much this boils down to metallic dragons being good and the color dragons being evil. The game can best be described as a combination of elements of a few 'classic/traditional' card games (like Poker) with a couple of twists. Nothing overly complicated and it proved to be a great way to finish off the evening.

So... I didn't get to write about Harvesters... I got home really late and I'm on about 5 hours of sleep right now after a week that has already been quite tiring. I had fun though and it was well worth it.

M

A Question of Variety

2010-03-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well, with Garycon behind us, I've been hearing a few things about Goodman Games new 'Old School' game and I've also started hearing a bit more on the "Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea" game. These will represent just a few more RPG entries in a sub-set of a fantasy genre that is starting to get a bit too crowded. Now, I haven't seen these first hand and I do think there is a place for a certain number of these games. At least up to a point.

A game like the whitebox edition of "Swords & Wizardry" is a perfect example. It seeks to provide the basic ruleset (a 'clone') of the original D&D set which many fans and collectors will refer to the 3LBB's. I'm happy to see these efforts to keep older rulesets and editions continually available. That said, I find the many various clones that exist for the various permutations of D&D (or talks about doing one) disappointing. Let's face it: a lot of these games are largely the same and contain a handful of changes which could be best compared to a set of houserules in some cases. This goes for the 'clones' as well as game which is 'compatible' to certain games but with a few twists.

I'm also aware that Castles & Crusades could easily be lumped in with the rest of them save that it was one of the first. When C&C hit the market, there were no 'clones' and the 'OSR' hadn't even really started yet. The only other old-school 'throw back' was probably Hackmaster but I think it stood on its own well enough for what it was.

Personally, I love a variety of games but I'll be the first to admit that I tend to stick to a particular set of rules for a certain genre and style of play. Though I adopted C&C as my primary Fantasy based RPG, I own many other FRPG's including "Pendragon", "Stormbringer", "RuneQuest", and "RoleMaster". I 'bridged' to Stormbringer and RuneQuest from my exposure to Chaosium's "Call of Cthulhu". My exploration into RoleMaster (well, properly RoleMaster Express) resulted from my fondness of "MERP" (Middle-Earth Role Playing). Likewise, the only reason why I came to C&C in the first place was because of my history and love for the various permutations of D&D.

I don't mind that all these games are coming out but it seems like some of these are just not offering much of anything new. Instead of a new game showcasing a handful of rules and options, I would like to see better support for existing rule sets that have recently come out. A fine example of this is the approach that Labyrinth Lord seems to have taken. Their "Advanced Edition Companion" is just that... a rules book supplement to the core rule book is exactly the sort of thing I would like to see more of.

Speaking of Supplements... I have finished going through TLG's "Harvesters" but I still have to find some time to put my thoughts into a written form. This will likely happen tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

M

Picked Up a Couple of Things

2010-03-24T21:26:00.001-07:00

I recently heard that a LGS had got a few things in stock which are of some interest to me. This prompted a quick little detour on my way home from work to possibly pick up an item or two. Aside from the necessary hardware and software I've recently shelled out for, I've been trying to keep other expenditures to a minimum. Going to a hobby shop is REALLY low on my list of things I should be doing so, knowing myself all to well, I haven't been frequently them much at all.

That said, TLG doesn't have a heavy production schedule and it frequently is cheaper to buy locally that pay the steep shipping charges to send something from Little Rock in the States to Montreal up here in the Great White North. With the exchange rate being particularly close, I typically end up paying cover price these days anyway.

The two things I wanted to check out:

The Umbrage Sage box set and Harvesters.

What also caught my eye... a second hand copy of the Chill rulebook by Mayfair Games for $8. Invariably, the longer I stick around, the increased likelihood that I find other things of interest.

So... I cut my own trip short. As fascinating the Chill book was, I didn't need it and the book didn't look particularly inviting either. I admit that it was in nice shape and very sturdy -- something you don't see much of anymore. On the other hand, as I put it back, I did notice a copy of "Kobolds Ate My Baby" for $1. I picked it up and I ended up getting the Harvesters books as well. I didn't see a copy of the box set there though and I figure that it probably is in someone else's possession. Not much of a loss, I was more curious to see the box set than anything else as I already own the original modules that make up the set.

The trip to the store cost me just under $20 all in all.

I only have had a brief chance to flip through the Harvesters book which is a nicely put together little book. There were things I saw that I liked by other things which I was a bit disappointed with. In the next few days, I'll have a better chance to go through it and will happily share my thoughts on this blog.

M

Review: Star Siege

2010-03-22T19:16:00.001-07:00

Following the success of Castles & Crusades, Troll Lord Game made the decision to branch out in other directions. Star Siege: Event Horizon represents the first in a new line of 'Siege Engine Games' showcasing the versatility of core mechanic used in C&C. This new game offers to tackle a completely different genre than the one we are accustomed to seeing from TLG. We leave behind a realm of classic sword and sorcery to enter the many dimensions of science fiction. For many, 'sci-fi' represents a very broad genre that suits the tastes of many people. From Flash Gordon, to Star Trek, to things like Bladerunner, science fiction can be anything from an entertaining diversion to a complex commentary on the human condition. With the many popular movies and books exploring this genre, the decision to publish this game was an obvious one.

What makes this game a bit more unusual is the approach taken with this project. Star Siege is released as a boxed-set and everything you need to play is included in the one box. To be clear – this box set could easily fit the needs of a group that might just want to try something different. Included in the box set are 1 copy of the Operations Manual (the GM's guide), 4 copies of the Field Manual (the Player's guide), a sample setting called Victory 2442, and 4 double-sized reference sheets printed on laminated cardboard. These reference sheets are called 'broadsides' and contain some of the more common charts used for creating various things for the game. On top of all that, a couple of twenty-sided dice are thrown in the box for good measure.

Operations Manual

This book contains a lot of information to digest and, unfortunately does not include an index or table of contents. Though the organization of the book is well done, the best thing to do with the book is to read it cover to cover. Once done, don't put it to far away since you'll likely end up reading it again.

The Operations Manual begins with some preliminary material about running a game, the Siege Engine, and how to use it effectively. Like C&C, understanding this game mechanic is the key to playing this game and this is very clearly explained. Another nice feature about the rulebooks are the occasional boxed texts scattered throughout them. These are included to highlight a particular rule or provide certain explanations. New rules are also introduced in the game and some of these can even be adapted in other games if one was so inclined. There are other sections in the book that many would associate with science fiction and they cover such things such as mutations, psionic abilities, and cybernetics. However, the larger part of the book is rightly devoted to building and creating everything that you might need for the game such as equipment, aliens, and even planets. All of the material in the book is serviceable and there is little superfluous content. That said, a game master seeking to run an in-depth campaign using this rule set is best advised to carefully read this particular manual and try to build and create using the guidelines it contains.

Field Manual

When looking through this manual in particular, it becomes clear that Star Siege makes many departures from the formula established in Castles & Crusades. Where as C&C focuses on a class-based system based on various fantasy archetypes, Star Siege does not. Instead, it adopts more of a skill-based approach for character creation. You still have a variety of different races to choose from but the notion of character classes are gone. Instead of selecting a class, the player chooses from a list of skill bundles in order to achieve the character concept or profession desired. The system of traditional level-based advancement and the notion of hit points are also gone. Hit points are simply replaced by a Wound and a Stress Track. Naturally, Star Siege is not the first RPG to make use of some of these game concepts but the game manages to remain simple enough when it comes to generating a character. Because of this approach, you are left potentially with something of a looser framework which can be both a strength and a weakness. The book, though relatively short, adequately covers character creation and covers the basics of play keeping to a rules-light philosophy. A small selection of weapons and gear as well as a sampling of special abilities is provided at the end of the book.

Victory 2442

To help give Star Siege the sense that it is truly a complete package, the inclusion of this book provides a brief campaign setting to use. The book is the shortest in terms of page count when compared to the other two books in the set but it serves its purpose. With it, there is little to prevent those who wish to jump right in and start playing from actually doing so. The setting gives details on three factions (or species) and a history detailing the conflicts between them. Additional notes are also provided concerning technology, rule modifications, to running a campaign. A variety of star crafts used in the setting are found at the end of the book and these provide excellent models if you decide to build other vehicles and technologies. At the very least, Victory 2442 is an excellent example of a setting if one wishes to go about creating their own.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that Star Siege provides excellent value for your gaming dollar considering one set could easily accommodate a gaming group. It provides an excellent alternative to Castles & Crusades system but keeps the same streamlined mechanic for skill and task resolution. New rules are also supplied and these can be used with a minimum of fuss in either game. However, while the rulebooks are written in a very concise manner, some of the material may be a bit too concise. There are sections that could have easily been expanded upon with greater detail or more examples. Where as this might not be an issue with an experienced gamer, this could just as easily be a problem for a newcomer. For some, the lack of selection for equipment, abilities, or powers might also be an issue. Even the inclusion of a few templates to help build more complex equipment would have certainly made a difference. But is any of this really necessary or does the lack of these things diminish the value of the set? Not in the slightest! If you're looking for a science-fiction themed roleplaying game and you don't mind doing a bit of work to make this game your own, Star Siege is a good addition to your shelf.

[Originally written for Domesday - Vol.4. Star Siege was published by Troll Lord Games in 2008 and written by Josh Chewning.]

M

Arcana Creations... Up & Running!

2010-03-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, after being sidetracked and delayed with the new computer setup, I'm happy to say that things are pretty much running the way they should now.

Most of the work was finished up on the weekend and I'm glad that this is behind me now. May the next few years be a smooth ride as far as technology is concerned.

;)

M

Review: Engineering Dungeons (SG1)

2010-03-22T04:50:00.001-07:00

It is the weekend and you have the plot, characters, and the hook all ready. The first of the players will arrive in just a few hours but you still haven't had time to map out a dungeon with trappings and treasure. For those game masters who lack time or are running a bit short on creativity, TLG has released the first accessory of the Siege Gear line entitled “Engineering Dungeons”. Some time prior to the release of this work, I had the pleasure to play test what could best be called an early draft. In short, Engineering Dungeons provides a step by step process to help an enterprising game master design a dungeon or other complex of sorts for their game. Though written to be used with the Castles & Crusades game in mind, it is also a relatively simple task to adapt this for use with one's fantasy role-playing game of choice. What is even nicer about the accessory are some of the details and numerous little surprises packed within a mere 28 pages. This product is written by Robert Doyel and was released by Troll Lord Games in 2007.

Dungeon Basics:

Too often, the simplest details are overlooked when planning out a devious dungeon for your players to delve into. The first section covers the basics for the dungeon. With a few simple tables, you can quickly determine why the complex was built, who the builders were, and where this is situated. Each of these has appropriate sub-tables to provide a bit more depth. The section also covers size, entrances, age. Overall, this section is very self-explanatory and covers all the necessities and the tables are laid out clearly enough. In my own uses of these tables, I've slightly modified the Intelligent Races sub-table for the Builders to accommodate a few different entries more suited to my campaign... However, the tables as they stand right now are perfectly fine.

In order to help impose a limit to the size of the dungeon, a simple chart is used. Naturally, like all other tables in this work, this one can be used in the manner that one chooses. The elegance is revealed in its simplicity as the chart functions by determining a result for each axis – the depth or height (as in the number of levels), the width, and the length. I have seen a more than a few dungeon generators but none that quite helps limit the scope of the dungeon as simply as this one does.

Drawing the Map:

The next section deals with drawing the actual map. I found a few things I didn't completely expect when I was first exploring this section of the work. It starts off by offering a couple suggestions with regards to the placement of the main entrance and a brief explanation on how to progress in terms of the design of the dungeon-proper. Six templates are presented to use as a starting point. Each of these has openings where you determine if it opens up to a room, a hallway, or simply comes to a dead-end. A table for the passageways is provided to help determine the style, direction, and if it sloped or not. A different table is given to determine sizes and shapes of the various rooms and other respective exits from the room. All of this is pretty much standard and what one would expect with perhaps the exception of the provided designs for the hallways themselves. This isn't a bad thing mind you... just a bit different from what I have seen before but just as effective. I'm more used to the idea of a table providing all necessary variables for a hallway such as the length, width, and length. Then again, this sort of thing could potentially be more time consuming that what is provided here. That said, there is nothing stopping the designer from altering aspects of a hallway pattern.

A Few Words on the Features:

By far, the strongest elements in this accessory are the tables detailing various features to dress up the chambers in the complex. You want the dungeon to come alive? Look no further that this book and you'll find charts detailing things that draw on the senses – whether it be sight, sound, or smell. Doors, locks, traps, and treasure? Not a problem, there are tables for everything. The inclusion of a difficulty generator when factoring in things such as the locks or traps is a nice and often overlooked addition. But the real gem is the collection of monster tables set up for various encounter regions which fills a wonderful gap left open by the Monster & Treasure book. Suffice to say, there is a chart for most things you might looking for, including one for magical pools – a hallmark of classic dungeon crawls!

If that wasn't enough, as a bonus one will find a selection of maps ready to be populated and used for their own adventures. It would be a fair assessment to assume that these were designed using the system provided.

Final Thoughts:

Engineering Dungeons can easily inspire a game master to add more depth to other dungeons and adventures or be used to create some form of complex from scratch. The accessory does a great job to provide ample material which enterprising designers can use for years to come. It provides what is needed and functional and easy to use – plain and simple. Personal preferences aside, the only issue was a slight oversight when it came to the text and layout. This has to do with the header located on page 7 called 'Drawing the Map'. If this is meant to be viewed as a new section, and it should in my opinion, then this text needs to stand out more. The editing, art, and production values in the rest of the work are nicely done. This accessory is well worth the price and provides something for everyone – regardless of the game you play.

[Review originally written for Domesday - Vol.3. Engineering Dungeons was published by Troll Lord Games in 2007 and written by Robert Doyel.]

Slowly...

2010-03-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Things are very slowly coming together with the new system.

The hardware seems to be solid though part of me regrets an 'onboard' solution for my computer's sound. Windows 7 (I've got 64 bit Home Premium flavor) is taking me a bit longer to get used to and one of the scanning features from my network printer doesn't seem to want to talk to the computer -- despite the updated 64 bit drivers to permit me to do so. But hey... it's a printer and it printers just fine. Thankfully, the printer also has a USB port so if I'm eager to scan a stack of documents to PDF, I can do it by loading it on to a flash drive. A simple work around though I would prefer things to be one step closer. ;)

The OS itself is taking some getting used to. It's weird to say but Windows 7 (I skipped the whole Vista thing) seemed so counter-intuitive for me. Many people rave about the new version and some of those people are not computer-literate. Maybe that's the problem. I am so used to doing thing the 'old way' that I spent the first few hours cursing up a storm as I faced the surprises and horrors that Windows 7 had in store for me.

It's been a work in progress though one piece of software installation later forced me to resort to a System Restore Point as it inexplicably screwed my network settings to a point they couldn't just be 'undone' or reset to default. Sort of a one step forward to steps back I guess. ;)

That said, I have a lot to be thankful for and I am eager to do some proper work on this rig in the coming days ahead.

The dungeons and perils of editing await me!

Until such time I have something a bit more worthwhile to post (probably another few days), I will throw up a couple older reviews I had written up. Re-reading some of the material has me thinking that I really want to write a few more for the blog... Some new stuff naturally as well as some old classics that keep on getting mentioned.

Thanks for reading!

M

The Migration & Purge

2010-03-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wow...

A good part of this evening was spent sorting through file: music... pictures... videos... and documents. I have accumulated a crapload of stuff electronically and when I was in the process of gathering these all together to dump onto a portable hard drive, I was really surprised at the sheer number of files which I was going to be backing up. Thousands as it turns out... about 90 gigs worth. Sure, videos and music might take up quite a bit of space but as it turns out, it looks like only about a third is actually made up of this stuff.

As I think more about it, I guess it makes a bit of sense. Moving from computer to computer, it was always easier to back things up to migrate with the availability of media to fascilitate this. In the late 90s, I had access to a CD burner. This gave way to faster computers and faster ability to create discs. Then came the DVD burner and burn speeds also improved. Flash drive sizes began to grow and prices drop and even something like a portable hard drive makes backing this up quite easy. During all this time, the volume of information I keep and transfer from system to system also grows till one begins to realize how ludicrous this is all becoming.

While I am not inclined to spend all the time necessary to go through thousands of files in the next couple of days, I believe I will take the opportunity to move just the things I will actually be using (and little else) when the new computer is set up. That way, I hope to have a bit more order with my electronic filing -- even if the new hard drive is a terabyte...

;)

M

Review: Tainted Lands

2010-03-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2008, Troll Lord Games began branching out from the fantasy genre to other games and genres while utilizing the same underlying mechanic called the 'SIEGE Engine.' Star Siege was the first of this line of 'Siege Engine Box Sets' and was met with mixed reactions. It was a very different game if one considered the design but provided everything needed to play. However, it didn't provide the gaming experience that some were looking for and some people began to view it as more of a toolbox than a game itself. With the Tainted Lands box set, Troll Lord Games decided to concentrate on proven design and provide a game that could be played and enjoyed straight out of the box.

When looking through this box set, one will quickly realize how Tainted Lands was designed. The material is set up to use Castles & Crusades as a base. Amongst the contents of the box, a manual entitled the Castles & Crusades: Rules of Play is included. There are three other books in the box and these are titled, The Keeper's Tome, The Lollygag Inn, and the Player's Compendium. Also included are a set of dice and 4 character sheets. The overall presentation of the material is nice enough and all the softcover books are perfect bound which was a bit surprising considering that three of the four books were under 30 pages. Each of the books share the same cover art that the box does but the interior sport a variety of pieces throughout its pages.

Castles & Crusades: Rules of Play

The Rules of Play provides the framework and is the lynchpin for the rest of the Tainted Lands material. Since one of the principal aims is to provide an all-inclusive game, this books needs to be both complete and yet concise enough to provide all that is strictly needed. Can someone who doesn't have the Castles & Crusades books pick up and enjoy Tainted Lands? The book is only 26 pages and judging by the material, it is mostly derived from the C&C Quick Start. Most of the book is devoted to the creation of the character and it presents four basic character classes (the Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Cleric). Unlike the Quick Start, it expands the list of playable races to match the compliment found in the C&C Player's Handbook and provides 7 playable races. The book will guide a player through this process to the end of character creation. Explanations are also given with regards to how the game is run. The primer seems to present the basics of the game in a straightforward manner and anyone who has played a FRPG game before should have little problems with any of the material.

The book is not quite perfect and certainly isn't meant as a substitute to owning the Castles & Crusades books. Though complete in itself, there are several references to the Player's Handbook for C&C and some, such as the Turning reference, are unnecessary. In at least one of these circumstances, the page reference given wasn't even correct. I thought the inclusion of the 7 playable races an excellent choice but I was a bit disappointed to see the progression of the 4 classes stopped at 4th level. By that logic, there is no reason to have even included the 10th level Fighter ability of 'Extra Attack'. Even the included adventure, The Lollygag Inn, is designed for characters of at least 4th level. Illustrating a few more levels for the purposes of the primer would have made a significant difference in terms of value when comparing it to the C&C Quick Start.

Player's Compendium

The Player's Compendium is 28 pages in length and really is meant to serve as the first glimpse into the Tainted Lands. The book opens up with some notes from the Publisher, written by Stephen Chenault and an introduction by the author, James Ward. Both are great to read and help place the intent and mindset behind this project. The book introduces 2 new attributes to help bring about a flavor to the game as well as 4 new classes. While reading through this material, I found much of it inspiring and giving me plenty of ideas. Both the new attributes are somewhat linked – one is 'Supernatural' and the other is 'Psychic'. Each present a variety of powers and abilities as the character possessing them increases in level. These, like the regular character attributes, function as the others would for the purposes of the Siege mechanic. There are a couple of differences as a result of the new additions but the way the system works is generally the exact same. Of the four new classes, two are associated with each of the new attributes. These four new classes are the witch hunter, the metals master, the portal keeper, and the vampire. Each of these new classes are more powerful if compared to the base classes but offer interesting alternatives and twists to the archetypes we are already familiar with.

The text for some of this new material could stand a bit of clarification in a couple of instances but nothing presented causes a general problem save for a couple of instances. One thing which was a bit peculiar was with the Vampire class. The book states that a character may become a Vampire if they lie 'dead under the night sky'. Aside from a couple of indications and guidelines, there is little to guide a player or castle keeper on how to go about and 'changing' the character's class. We are simply informed that they retain former abilities but no longer advance in them and instead start advancing as a vampire. Another issue may be with the Portal Keeper. This class has all the abilities of a Wizard, far superior Hit Dice and Base to Hit progression, a few of the abilities of a Rogue with some bonus daily spells. Despite this, the class actually has an Experience Point Progression which is lower than a regular Wizard. Either the new class is worded in such a way that requires further clarification or the EPP might need to be adjusted.

The rest of the book gives details on equipment, both magic and mundane, as well as some of the gods that oversee the realm. Some people may not understand or agree with the organizational choices made and the inclusion of magical items and artifacts could be seen as a problem by a few. While these items were likely intended as being commonly available for barter or sale, there appears to be no mention of this in the player's book. As for the few pages devoted to the deities, I was thrilled to see that the format was in keeping with how the new 'Of Gods & Monsters' book is setup. Again, I'm not sure if the player's book was the best place for some of this information and the details given.

The Keeper's Tome

A total of 42 pages is given to The Keeper's Tome. A brief introduction on the nature of the Tainted Lands is given and the section that follows is dedicated to horror in a role playing game. This part is enjoyable but seems a bit short and I would have preferred a few more pages on the subject given the nature of the set. The suggestion given for hit points was excellent but more methods to instill some of the feelings and sentiments that the author was talking about would have made a good section even better. Other examples could have been provided which may, or may not, have included other game mechanics (sanity being one used in other games). This is followed by an examination of the two new attributes discussed in the previous book. Largely, this is simple repetition and brings some to question the arrangement of the material contained in the books. Unlike the “Player's Guide” though, the organization is a bit better in this book with the definition of the Supernatural attribute being given before the effects on the undead (the Player's Guide has this information in the reverse order).

The next section of the book deals with the Tainted Lands themselves. A brief glimpse is given for the various key locations on the map (the land mass looks like a skull). I was very please with this part of the book. The information is brief and supplies only basic information leaving the castle keeper to flesh it out as they need to. This approach makes it easy to use the Tainted Lands as a springboard. Brief information is given such as the seven Liches that appear to control the domain as well as they 'gypsy-like' people called the Ruse (whose stats are inexplicably given in the “Player's Guide” but not included here). Following this part is a section on the undead and various modifications which can be made to them. This in itself is a fantastic little utility and can give some variety to spring upon unsuspecting players as a way to add a bit of spice to certain encounters. You also have a complement of new undead to add to your arsenal. These are given along with shortened stat blocks of the undead found in the “Monsters & Treasure” for C&C.

The book ends with a selection of magical items which differ from those given in the “Player's Guide” and some new spells. The inclusion of the spells here is another example of something that might better belong in a different book. The spells are available to spell-casting characters which are native to the Tainted Lands but they are given in the “Keeper's Tome” instead. There are new spells for the Wizard, Illusionist, and Cleric. There are unfortunately none for the Druid but this appears to be in keeping with the setting.

The Lollygag Inn

This adventure is a great little scenario to kick start a campaign in the Tainted Lands. It puts into practice some of the concepts covered in the “Keeper's Tome” as the module effectively showcases 'horror elements' for various parts of the inn and serves as great examples of the sort of things that can be used elsewhere. If the “Keeper's Tome” was the 'theoretical' part of the box set, then this is the 'practical'. The notes at in the first couple of pages of the book will be instrumental to successfully running the scenario. In many ways, this scenario is the best feature of the set. It is simple but promises to be a lot of fun if even only a little care is done
to generate the sense of despair and horror that the set demands.

Final Thoughts

Though the Tainted Lands can provide for a fun and different experience from the standard fantasy game, it probably won't be for everyone. This is not a comment against the set itself, but rather a reminder to consider one's own preferences and tastes. There is nothing stopping anyone from just running Tainted Lands as another regular 'stock-fantasy' game but you risk losing too much of the flavor by doing so. Conversely, there is nothing to prevent one from just having a lot of these horrific elements in your regular game to begin with. If you do, what other appealing factors are there to consider with Tainted Lands? Thankfully there is enough new game-related material and the inclusion of the module can still make this box set a very nice accessory to own for Castles & Crusades.

[Originally written for Domeday - Vol.5]

M

Arcana Creations Gets An Upgrade!

2010-03-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

In the past few months, the sorry state and age of my computer hardware and peripherals was becoming all too apparent. The computer itself has a small degree of hardware failure impacting its performance and the work I do with random and sudden system reboots, program and system crashes, and I've suffered more instances of the blue screen of death in the past year than the previous decade with incarnations of Windows prior to XP.

Scanner was also well past its prime but all the hardware I've had gave me a few good years. For those who don't really know me, when I get a computer system, I tend to put the money to stretch the lifespan in terms of usability and usually a system replacement is necessitated by a lot of rigorous use and bits of hardware 'giving up'. Actually my last system died a bit prematurely which necessitated the use of my writing laptop for a few months till I could get a new one.

This time, it was me being at the end of my rope in terms of sheer frustration that pushed me to invest into something new which Arcana Creations would benefit from. Initially I was hoping to last till the Fall but, as crashes were becoming more frequent, I had to push ahead and get one with the aid of credit (paid over 36 months). Well, I just received notification that it has been shipped via Purolator and I should be receiving it any day now.

This bad boy features:

Intel I7-920 chipset (Quad Core @ 2.66 Ghz)
12 GB of DDR3 SDRAM
1 TB Serial ATA 2 Hard Drive (1 TB = 1000 GB approx.)
Nvidia Geforce GTS 240 (nothing fancy here but functional for work. It has 1 GB of Ram on card)
Dual Optical Drives (one Blueray one regular DVD ... both with burn capability)

Along with this, I got myself a new scanner which happened to be on sale ($100 instead of $150) and a monochrome laser printer with duplex capabilities that also has scan / fax functions with it. To be fair, these peripherals were made possible thanks for my supportive family who sees the potential in the work and projects I've been pursuing.

I'll be plenty happy to receive my rig and thanks to a large and handy portable harddrive... I'll be able to easily dump the contents of my old computer onto the new one. I don't think there will too much of a 'honeymoon phase' with the new system as I really need to push through with some work in the coming days and weeks ahead.

All of this is encouraging though.

M

Review: Of Gods & Monsters

2010-03-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Of Gods & Monsters is one of the key releases that was part of the 'Fourth Crusade' advertising campaign. The Fourth Crusade in this instance is a reference to the 4th printing of the Player's Handbook. There was a great deal of anticipation for this book considering the name attached to it. James Ward is no stranger to this sort of material and he was involved with the original D&D supplement, “Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes”. Fans of Castles & Crusades were equally curious at what Ward might do and how this would suit the game.

The book, presently only available in softcover format, spans 162 pages in total. Amongst its pages, 15 pantheons are examined and a host of new spells, magic items, and monsters are provided. The art is tastefully done but will differ in style from section to section. This is only natural given the amount of artists who have contributed to the project. In terms of the material itself, there is plenty to look through and digest. The book starts with a few words written by Steve Chenault and his thoughts on the project followed by the Preface written by the author.

The Introduction offers the first glimpse into the rest of the work and you are already presented with some interesting game material which expands on some from the Player's Handbook – notably the God-like Attributes. The Introduction also talks about avatars being used by the various deities and hints at the general motivations for them. This section closes off by a few words regarding the various granted abilities given to the followers of the respective gods. Now, while I like the approach used and the concept of avatars, some of the rationale given to why certain things are the way they are aren't particularly well developed. When briefly looking at an avatar's attributes or hit points, it is stated that they could be anything that the deity wished but they were limited in the fashion illustrated out of a sense of fairness. For someone who loves mythology, the notion of 'fairness' may not make a whole lot of sense when considering myths and legends. None of this takes anything away from the work and this is just a detail colored by opinion rather than technical merit. However, the question of editing does come to mind in a couple of instances – once of which is in the Introduction. In this instance, an explanation on the listed armor class of an avatar is given twice in the section.

The rest of the book is devoted to the various pantheons. Every pantheon opens up with an introductory paragraph on the given culture followed by various entries for that grouping. Each entry for a given deity gives the name of the god, any titles and symbols associated when them, the province (area of influence), and any ceremonies, taboos, and granted abilities for their followers. These abilities, as well as the ceremonies and taboos, can be seen as the 'spice' of the work. While there doesn't seem to be a strong inclination to provide hard and fast rules for the granting or denying of some these abilities, there isn't a need for those either. As with all things for Castles & Crusades, the decision on how to exactly implement this material will be in the hands of the person running the game. These concern the gods after all … and they can be a fickle bunch. All of these things can present fun opportunities for great role playing and storytelling. This material is followed by a brief blurb about the deity in question and lists any relevant artifacts and details the stat block on the avatar of the god. All in all, each section with its art and text gives a very basic impression of the culture behind it.

Looking at the various pantheons, I found that there remains an issue of consistency which some readers may observe when going through them. In the case of the Celtic Pantheon, this part actually has the header that reads Introduction when this is missing from other Pantheons. The American Indian pantheon actually has a few headers in the introductory portion which goes as far as defining portions which are common in each deity entry such as the Deity Province and Taboo. This sort of general explanation may have been better placed in the General Introduction of the book or, more likely, was supposed to have been removed and this section or chapter
served as a template for the other pantheons of the work.

Beyond this, the book also goes further to become more than just an accessory dealing with the gods. Many spells and monsters are provided to help bring to life the various sections that the book outlines. Nevertheless, when it comes to considering this book, it's hard not to compare it with similar works which the author himself has worked on with TSR. It is understandable that certain expectations that people held for this book were rather high. While there are significant differences that makes this an improvement on similar gaming books, this work doesn't quite go far enough to break out of this mold.

On the one hand, the book manages to surpass expectations given that it is not simply a book on gods and the stats for their earthly hosts. It contains many new creatures, spells, and items as well as providing ways to integrate divine magic, ritual, and religion into ones campaign from entry to entry. It is a book that will provide tons of ideas and see more use at the gaming table than other books of this type. It also provides sufficient mythologies to explore beyond those drawn from the various cultures of the earth and gives adequate support for a fantasy realm filled with beings other than human. Fans of TLG's own setting will be happy to know that a section is also devoted to the cosmology of Aihrde and some of those gods.

On the other hand, while expected, people may still be shocked to see that certain iconic deities were simply not included for one reason or the other. While it is excellent to see that Greek and Roman pantheons have been treated separately, only including 10 of the classical 12 Olympians for the Greek pantheon (as an example) was a very odd choice. Naturally, one cannot do a 'full' treatment given the scope of this book but the lack of certain deities may disappoint some – especially considering other books of this type. Anyone also hoping that this book may serve as some sort of mythological primer will also be disappointed as this is clearly not the intention of this work.

Final Thoughts

'Of Gods & Monsters' is a good book. It tries to be more than just a book of gods and goddesses for the game and succeeds in doing so at least partially. The inclusion of abilities as well as the ceremonies and taboos for the various deities and their followers is a welcome addition. These could give one's game a new level of detail and offer new venues for the players to explore. The book offers more monsters, more spells, and more magical items and artifacts compared to other books of its type. Finally, for someone who isn't interested in earth-inspired mythologies, the book also presents 6 fantasy mythologies to explore – a separate one for Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Humanoids as well as a section devoted to the cosmology of Aihrde.

For some, this book will simply be measured up against others and while it does try to be more than a gaming book focused on mythological beings, it remains the main focus of the work. It is intended to facilitate the involvement of the gods in the affairs of the people in your fantasy campaign. If you are not interested in a deeper sense of involved mythos in your campaign, then this book will simply not see as much use at the gaming table.

[Originally written for Domesday - vol.5]

M

Reviews

2010-03-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Shortly after delving into Castles & Crusades, I found the vibrant fan community over on the TLG forums. It didn't take long before it got me talking about various products nor was it long that I starting creating material myself. One of the community efforts I had been part of was the Domesday which was a fan-based ezine focused on C&C. I submitted some of my writing there and one things I regularly did were reviews for the various products that TLG was publishing. Sadly, two of those reviews written and submitted months ago still haven't been made available to the public to due a variety of issues and delays. I've decided that these, as well as other reviews should not go to waste. I also think I will continue doing them though they will be shorter in scope compared to the original review articles I've written. I won't release them all at once but rather I will present them gradually...

I hope these prove to be interesting to read.

M

AGP Fades Off Into The Sunset...

2010-03-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

It is with regret that I see that AGP is officially closing shop and James Mishler has decided to call it quits. You can read about the announcement HERE.

I think it is a real shame. The material that Mishler has put out was, in my view, top-notch but I think the setbacks it has undergone early on resulted in a fragile foundation to build upon. I like to think that AGP was finally moving ahead and was managing to get some momentum. Truth to tell, I haven't seen the last supplement he has put out (100 Street Vendors) he mentions in his blog... but I'm one of the subsrcibers waiting for a copy. I'm happy to say I own at least one copy of everything AGP has put out, with the exception of the continental map (which I am supposed to get with what now looks to be the last AGP release).

Now, I don't know all the ins and outs of some of the challenges and difficulties he has had to face but I can imagine full well what some of those could be as Arcana Creations is also exposed to some of these issues and concerns. Thankfully, being partnered up with Brave Halfling Publishing has been an extreme blessing and I've had a couple of lucky breaks here and there. So, while it is easy to speculate on what he could have done or should have done to avert this decision, it just isn't that simple.

It is my sincere hope that it won't be long before we see new material by James Mishler in the near future -- even if it isn't through Adventure Games Publishing. I know that I would be happy to help publish some Wilderlands material for C&C through Arcana Creations.

Best of luck James and I'm sorry you've had to make this decision.

M

Hitchcock vs Michael Bay

2010-03-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

No... I'm not talking about the attempt to do a remake of the Hitchcock classic 'The Birds' by Michael Bay's production company... I'm talking more about the style and feel of a classic Hitchcock movie and those brought to us by Michael Bay. More specifically, I was amused at some recent comments and comparisons made about my most recent C&C session a couple of weeks back.

As I commented about half-way through last month, I was preparing to run an interesting campaign session in the city of Freeport. The players wanted a shift in gears from the sort of adventures and material that we had been doing and, always one to listen to my players, I moved the campaign to better provide them a different sort of experience. Of course I didn't just 'drop' them into the city, the party gradually travelled there and the previous session served as the 'bridging' session getting the players to the new location.

The session was a complete success and I had woven in three adventures with elements overlapping each other and providing the seeds necessary for them to follow up on any one of them. To be fair, a bunch of the source material was published material but the integration, implementation, and additional twists were my own. I will often use portions of published material as a time saver but the final implementation always ends up being true to my own unique vision. The players took a while to catch on to what was going on but only because the style of game was a bit different to what they were accustomed to.

At the end of the session when I got their feedback, one of the things that surprised them was the pacing and nature of the adventure. As one player put it, my style of game was typically so much more 'Michael Bay' while this adventure was more 'Hitchcock'. At which point, the other players agreed but were quick to point out that this wasn't an insult. They felt that some of my previous games were more action-oriented and combat-heavy with a solid 'meat and potatoes' storyline. In other words a plot that was nice and basic and a lot of my sessions were focussed on just having some fun roleplaying and rolling some dice.

This last session I ran had a much more involved plot and required a lot of NPC interaction. They had to assemble an array of clues and were essentially piecing a puzzle together. A good city-based mystery. Another player thought it reminded her of CSI because of it. There were two battles in the entire adventure session (I guess it was an 8 hour session) and neither took a huge focus away from the story that I was trying to build. The players had fun but they didn't expect the sort of adventure I threw at them.

Then again, we had largely been doing a lot of dungeon-style exploration and the game had a lot to do with survival and sometimes odds which seemed a bit overwhelming. Everyone seemed to agree that shaking this up was probably a good thing.

I have found out that there are only two sessions left in the current campaign though. One of the players is moving to the States which means this 4 year campaign will need to be retired. Two sessions... two strong seeds that can be explored... and a bit more action. While, the players did like the last session, somehow our final session together will need a bit more of 'bang'.

I guess this also means I'll need to start up a new C&C campaign.

M

UPDATE - Arcana Creations

2010-03-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

In the past few months, I have set up the website for Arcana Creations, been managing this blog, occasionally post on a few forums, and I'm continually devoting time and energy to producing a variety of products. All this has led me to come to a conclusion:

I have too little time to devote to many little things which aren't all that pressing to begin with.

Of everything I have going related to Arcana Creations, the one thing that has suffered the most are updates to the website. This is unfortunate since I figured that the Arcana Creations website could be a portal for information which would tie directly to the studio I'm building up and products I am releasing.

Practicality is another matter. Since Arcana Creations is putting it's material out through Brave Halfling Publishing, I don't need my own online storefront and I don't need to be too concerned about showcasing the products available for purchase. Brave Halfling Publishing is already doing a good job of that.

I also need to post a bit more on the BHP forums with the occassional, albeit brief, update.

My last update on the Arcana Creations website was just before New Year's Eve (2009) and there have only been a couple before that.

The only thing that I have been consistant on in terms of communication is the blog. My blog is actually going somewhere. Better, yet -- people are following the blog and checking up on it. It only makes sense to me to captilize on this and take this opportunity to fine-tune the how I communicate news related to Arcana Creations.

At the same time, I don't want it to eclipse the rest of the blog itself.

What I have decided to do is completely retool the website. It will still be a portal of sorts but much simpler in scope. Instead of trying to lend updates via the website, a few forums, and hint at it in my blog, I will make necessary announcements and provide updates on the blog. In turn, I will phase out 'news' from the site altogether since the site links to my blog anyway. As for forum updates, I will be more selective of what gets posted though the forums will be the best way to get a conversation going or a variety of questions asked about a given product that is being developed through Arcana Creations.

I don't anticipate these updates to interupt the flow that I've started on with the blog and, in the odd instance there is a relevant update, the header of the post will match the one I used for today's entry so that it stands out.

M

TLG's Need to Seize the Day

2010-03-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Eldrad Wolfsbane made an interesting comment over at the Grimmhouse a few days ago:

My problem with C&C as a GM is very few monsters to work with. Like only 200 or so. The new Monsters and Treasures could have added many more monsters but they did not. Makes for boring megadungeons. Don't have time in life to write my own monsters. This IMHO is C&Cs biggest failure. AND the promise of but still not delivery of the CKG for MANY YEARS. C&C IMHO could have been the best of the best. It's starting momentum was incredible but it's owners for what ever reason squandered their chance. They could have been the top OSR/other game other than D&D but just did not take the reins or seize the day. Some of their earlier decisions alienated the OSR as well but I will not speak for those people. As cool as C&C is the lack of monsters makes me have to choose any other of the OSR games out there. OSRIC being on the top of the list.

While I have commented and observed at some of TLG's pitfalls, the game remains my favorite for a couple of reasons -- first of which is bridging the gap between an older style present in Dungeons & Dragons and what WOTC offered us with the d20 revelotution with D&D 3E. Many of us had more than a few problems with the approach taken with Third Edition and, once it was out the gate, it didn't take long for certain producers of d20 material to try and harken back to that older feel. Goodman Games with their "Dungeon Crawl Classics" line and Judge's Guild reprints as well as Necromancer Games with their whole '1st edition feel' mentality who also did a fantastic d20 treatment of the Wilderlands. During the first few years after the release of Third Edition, there were many companies and a lot of them aren't boldly throwing anything and everything they can to cash in on the d20 craze. Some of the third party companies that managed to weather the storm are still staying afloat in what has been a dwindling market.

Troll Lord Games was one such company. When they first released a couple of products in 2000 at Gencon, many wouldn't have thought they would be around a decade later. The majority of their initial products in the first few years was d20 based but the seeds of what was to become "Castles & Crusades" had already been sown. When the 'proof of concept' was releaded, many people loved it -- it was released as a digest-sized, white box set containing three booklets and dice (a tribute to the OD&D white box). Not everyone liked the approach that TLG took with the development of C&C and many other games followed that also sought to model themselves on aspects of the older Dungeons & Dragons game.

That said, I am force to agree (at least in part) with Eldrad's assessment.

While TLG is finally getting a new book focused on entirely on creatures and treasure and despite the fact that it will be out very soon, it has taken them a while for a project like this to come out. This book is the "Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde" and talk about it first began around three years ago. From what I understand, they have had a manuscript for a "Monsters & Treasure II" book which has also been turned in for at least a couple of years now. I have seen the proposed table of contents and I can tell you that, if it went to print with the proposed entries, the majority would be new and never-before-seen creatures for your arsenal. Naturally, a lot can happen with between the initial manuscript and the finished product but there has been no announcement given on this project.

As for the continued woes of the Castle Keeper's Guide -- well the way this was initially announced was the biggest issue and TLG is still paying for that error. When the news became public, it was little more than an idea at the time. Some of the fans have seen parts of this greater work and had 2009 been kinder to all of us, we may have had this sucker by Christmas last year. I do not doubt that we will be seeing it this year but the question remains: will it be ready for Gencon or only X-Mas? TLG has learned to play their cards much closer to their chest where some of these projects are concerned. I think they have learned (and continue to be TAUGHT some harsh lessons).

Why isn't that many fans of the game aren't as vocal about some of these issues? Well, many are veteran gamers who also have tons of information that TSR produced for AD&D and D&D. Many tend to source additional information from there. I'm not saying that it's acceptable but TLG's initial approach of getting the two core books done and out and just some adventures to jump in and play was a great approach in the early development of the game. It just isn't one that is as worth while maintaining if the company wants a continued growth in the market.

While I don't always agree with certain decisions that are made with what sort of products are released, the goal I hope to reach is to fill what I perceive are gaps in the line up as a solid third party supporting TLG's flagship title.

M

Periodical Problems - Part II

2010-02-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last entry the question of resources when it comes to the recent delays with the Crusader. TLG's video blog (can be found off Facebook) confirms that this is very much the case in 2010. Largely, projects like the Castle Keeper's Guide and a couple other large ones are the priority this year. It's not so much an economic issue but rather a 'resource' problem -- meaning to say too few people working on many projects.

This is something I can relate with all to well.

The Castles & Crusades Society's efforts with their own free periodical was constantly suffering with this and still does. While I'm no longer sure what will come of that, there are other ongoing efforts that might be of interest to some of the fans...

"Fight On!" and "Knockspell" are two periodicals which come to mind which some fans of Castles & Crusades may appreciate. Fight On! had it's start in the spring of 2008 around the same time that the first issue of the Domesday came out. I had written a simple review for the Domesday and wasn't even aware of Fight On! till mention of its availability began to appear on certain old-school gaming blogs. This is a magazine that has managed to keep more or less on schedule and has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of size. Knockspell on the other hand has only 3 issues to date and looks to have stalled a bit since last summer. Both had been using a POD such as Lulu though Blackblade Publishing is now taking care of various releases out of Mythmere Games. I expect the reason there isn't much more available in print is the cost that goes into publishing something like this. I expect that Fight On! would do well if it cut the cord with Lulu and invested in a print run but the money required to do so might be challenging to acquire. Once you get it out there, you also need to bank on the idea that sales will pay for the print run at the very least. Once you start factoring in paying for the talent (artists and writers) on top of production, it becomes a very narrow margin of profit.

Of course with all the various fine blogs out there dedicated to the Old School Renaissance, there is plenty to read for ideas and inspiration. Someone who isn't disposed to spend much money in a periodical like this can find lots of material to use without spending a dime.

However, there seems to be little support for SIEGE and C&C beyond what was first mentioned. The only *active* third party options that exist for C&C is "Adventure Games Publishing" and my own "Arcana Creations". AGP has had it's share of problems and AC is only really getting started. It would be nice to see more available.

I would also love to present an alternative periodical for the fans. Maybe after Victorious is released.

M

Periodical Problems - Part I

2010-02-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've been a subscriber to various magazines and journals over the years though, ironically enough, never Dragon or Dungeon. I still bought them and I mainly collected them in the late 80's through till the early 90's but I tended to buy them right off the rack. I enjoyed them for the most part and they hold some great articles that keep a dedicated gamer coming back to them years later. Up to a few years ago, most of my magazine subscriptions were dedicated to computers and video gaming. However, when I rekindled my interests in Dungeons & Dragons back in 2000 with 3rd Edition, I still didn't bother with the mags. Part of it was a cost issue I suppose... part of it was content. The content didn't seem to match the joy and mystery I had when reading through an older copy of Dragon or Dungeon.

Crusader Magazine changed this trend for the most part. At first I grabbed a couple of back-issues when I first got into Castles & Crusades about 4 years ago. I had picked up issues 2, 3, and 4. The first issue was no longer available. It was with these 3 issues that I decided to keep following the magazine. This was an easy task since TLG was anything but regular with the release of these magazines. It practically became an embarassment (or maybe a running joke) when a 6-issue subscription seemed to span a couple of years. The subscribers mostly didn't seem to mind because the content (despite being a short read) was good. You could also tell that they were still trying to work things out with the magazine and, while issue 4 is one of my favorites in terms of content and theme, it was also the most cheaply produced. The quality of covers and paper used differed was so much inferior to the issues 2 and 3.

Over the course of a couple of years, TLG went to great strides and effort to bring a better focus to the magazine and 2009 was the best year for the magazine. They had brought in Jim Ward as managing editor and had increased the page count. The price for the magazine remained immensely affordable too. More importantly, they got two-thirds of the magazines out (8 as opposed to 12). While that may not sound too good, this was stellar compared to previous years.

Some of the fans weren't simply idling awaiting for the next issue either. The Castles & Crusades Society had also been putting out a free e-zine of material. Deadlines and release schedules were no better but it was free and it was a very small group of people doing all the work on their spare time.

Things have begun to slip again though. The last issue of Crusader (number 22) was received by suscribers in early January and the previous issue was the October issue (received well after the month). As for the Domesday, it seems to be on hold. TLG has brought the Society closer to the fold and the idea was to release a final issue of the Domesday and then move on to a much shorter monthly newsletter format. Due to various challenges, the last issue of Domesday which should have been released back in October has yet to be released and there has been no start to the newsletter.

Instead, TLG has an email newsletter it now sends out to those who sign up for it and the 2nd one was sent out just a few days ago. March is just around the corner and there is no sign of the next issue of the Crusader though TLG does have a few products recently released and a few others that are just about to come out.

As for the Domesday / Newsletter ... I'm wondering if the "Troll's Tusk" (the title of TLG's newsletter) is in response to the inactivity from the Society on this front or simply coincidental. In any case, it doesn't look good for the Domesday and future periodicals from the Society. I doubt that TLG will be succeeding at releasing the Crusader on a monthly schedule anytime soon too. In terms of the Crusader, I suppose economics and resources are largely the issue here.

More later today...

M

When Old is New Again...

2010-02-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

There has been some talk recently about the OSR becoming overwhelmed with the continual flood of new retro-clones amongst those which are already available. There have also been some interesting developments with some of the larger publishers around. While it's obvious that nostalgia plays a part in wanting to re-experience and play older games, some of the appeal is also with simpler or just better streamlined game mechanics. Other times, it might be a desire not to be tied down by a complicated set of rules.

Smaller groups and hobby-publishers are putting out, largely due to he OGL, games that run like an older and out-of-print game or material to support such games (whether it be the original game or a clone of it). Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, and Swords & Wizardry are three of the more popular and well known ones. These three in particular have also managed to reach a greater share of the market place with material being written to support the system or getting the system itself into a larger distribution network. The White Box Edition of Swords & Wizardry is receiving the Brave Halfling Publishing treatment and a version of this will be entering retail distribution later this year.

I believe that various other publishers have taken notice though. The pen and pater adaptation of the Dragon Age RPG is being released as a series of box sets which is reminiscent to how the old D&D box sets were broken up. Information can be found HERE.

Before Dragon Age though, you had Kenzer & Company release HackMaster Basic which sports a rather nifty Erol Otus cover which harkens back to the cover pieces he did for the Moldvay B/X D&D sets. More information can be found HERE.

What is interesting is the recent move by Wizards of the Coast. With what many would consider mixed success and reception of 4th Edition D&D, WOTC has decided to release a line separate from their main 4th Edition line which they are calling the D&D Essentials line. This September, they will be releasing a new starter set for 4th edition which includes... you guessed it... the basics. You will be able to play one of the four basic classes (wizard, fighter, cleric, rogue) as either a human, elf, dwarf, or halfling. Since the game is still 4th edition, there are counters and power cards, a book for players, and a book for the GM, and of course some dice. Oh... and another thing -- it's red.

It's a spitting image of the Metzer D&D boxset and it looks like they have a whole line of these planned in terms of support material. Since 4th Edition is set up for three tiers of play, it also makes an easy task of creating other box sets for the line. More importantly, it looks like this might be a way to get this into a wider distribution base (think toy stores people thanks to Hasbro's reach). The price is also 'right'. Instead of dumping $60 - $100 on the three core books, you can buy a $20 box set. Sure, it won't contain everything and it will maintain compatibility with the main 4th edition line but this does change the picture a bit. Who knows? It might be more successful for them to go this route because you know that these would be potentially less expensive to produce than the hardcovers. It's a great idea and, while I briefly owned and then sold my 4th Edition PHB (after giving it a fair shake), I confess that I'm intrigued by this approach.

Beyond this move, I have heard other publishers thinking of similar moves as people are starting to pay attention to what the old-school community is doing. While this is not a bad thing, there is a continual influx of material aimed towards the same people in the hobby. The waters are starting to look a bit cloudy and those who have already made a stake in this (Troll Lord Games with Castles & Crusades) will need to step up their game. Otherwise, they risk being taken away and lost in the current.

M

Working for the Weekend...

2010-02-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

Well, as many no doubt did, this past weekend gave me a chance to spend a bit of quality time with my loving partner. Amidst my cooking and baking (yes... I cook and bake) on Sunday I found myself looking through a few notes for what's coming up this weekend.

Finally... after months of inactivity, my own Castles & Crusades campaign will be underway once again. Last we left the adventurers, they had finally arrived into Freeport. The players wanted a change of pace so I decided to do the new series of adventures planned to be a bit more grounded in urban civilization. Previously, the party had confrtonted the Witch Queen (using the 1E Saga of the Witch Queen compilation from Goodman Games) which entertained us all for many sessions. Before that, there was a whole series of adventures that led the party to the village of Hommlet which I adapted a new material to replace the expansive dungeon crawling evident in the Temple of Elemental Evil series.

Freeport is an interesting choice though. Part of the appeal is to try out and play around with some of the material supplied in the C&C Companion to Freeport put out by Green Ronin as a PDF. The city of Freeport has elements which has a 'Lovecraftian' vibe to it and the party (though small in size) is high enough level to start doing some really interesting things. Of course, one of the party members is an illusionist and I will be revisting the class with the player as we gear up for many more adventures this year.

This week, I will be polishing up the groundwork for the upcoming sessions as well as define a longterm series of plots. Besides this... work continues on the 'Trick on the Tain' and I'm delving more into the continued development of 'Victorious'.

More to come soon...

M

Deconstructing the Illusionist

2010-02-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I had been planning to tackle this topic for a while (as well as a few other tidbits from the new printing of the PHB for C&C). People have talked about it quite a bit and the sticky point seems to come down to some of the new spells. I have also weighed in on this but tried to leave my general opinions 'at the door' so to speak.

Really, the biggest change to the class is the inclusion of more spells. This really isn't that big of a deal but some of these new spells did challenge the definition of what an Illusionist is and what the class isn't. The biggest 'upset' in the lot of new spell additions was the decision to give Illusionists access to the Cure Wound / Heal spells. Even more interesting is how these spells work when cast by this class.

Primarily, a recipient of a cure / heal spell needs to make a saving throw. Failure indicates that the recipient is essentially fooled by the illusion and receives the benefits of the spell. Success would mean the person sees through the illusions and no effect happens. This ruffled some feathers. From a mechanics standpoint, the reason to give this class access to these spells is clear, it broadens the responsibility of party medic and gives the class tremendous versatility in the game.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with the class before either but it was one that was often overlooked too. The other new spells give the class a more 'defined' role and makes the Illusionist seem more accessible to a player that wouldn't have considered playing an Illusionist in the first place.

Personally, I feel that the Illusionist is one of the most powerful classes in the game when played correctly.

However, the healing aspect presents an interesting problem. Not so much with the party since a player can voluntarily fail a saving throw though a CK may only allow this sort of thing with an 'in-game' reason. It could be along the lines having a character voluntarily allow the effects only when they have experienced the benefits on one occasion (or in other words, failed their save in a previous attempt). But what about if the target recipient is unconscious?

If the spell is truly illusion and the effects of the spell are partially brought on by the power of the recipient's belief... then it simply would not work if they are unconscious.

On the other hand, if the spell is more than just the 'power of mind over body', then it could work would it not? But can you still call the class an Illusionist?

Another new spell, the Dragon Mount, allows the caster to create a mount of a dragon for him and his friends to ride and fly on. While the companions may fall for the illusion, wouldn't the caster automatically realize that it is an illusion? Would the mount actually work for him?

To be fair, the new PHB does explain and differentiate the magic of an Illusionist and that of a Wizard and essentially explains that the Illusionist doesn't merely create or facilitate a trick of the mind but is also able to bend reality. Some of the fans resist this notion. To those fans, I point out Minor and Major Creation. Material created which, although with a limited duration, are not actually illusion. These spells have been around before the newest printing of the PHB and serve to deepen the enigma.

When I look at the present Illusionist, part of me thinks back to the Rune Mark -- a d20 class introduced by TLG for the Erde campaign setting. This class could also create things from thin air and also 'shaped' reality. In truth, I find the Illusionist closer to the Runemark now than he was before. While I suspect that this may be only coincidental, it does make the class an easy jumping point towards a C&C version of the Rune Mark.

People handle the heal spells differently from campaign to campaign depending on who is running the game. I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to use them for my game though I will have to decide soon. My next C&C game (which has been on hiatus for months) resumes in a couple of weeks and one party member is an Illusionist.

Aside from the spell selection, there are no other changes to the class. To be honest, I think this is a bit of a problem. If you look at the EPP progression between the Illusionist and the Wizard, starting at level 12, the Illusionist requires less experience to advance than the Wizard. The Illusionist class also gets two class abilities (Sharp Senses and Disguise). The reason for this was largely due to the smaller spell selection that the Illusionist had in comparison to the Wizard. Both classes now have the same amount of spells -- not that this is much of an argument. It's an easy matter to introduce a number of new spells.

While it is true that no class is equal to another, the reason for differentiating EPP numbers is to compensate for various classes and how they match up with one another. I suppose things could stand to be tweaked. This could be done by equalizing the EPP after level 11 for the two classes (and acknowledge the Illusionist still gets short changed in terms of combat magic which is why they have a couple of sklls as well), by taking something the Illusionist has, or giving a little something extra to the Wizard. The easiest fix is the EPP fix but I'm really surprised that this wasn't in the new printing of the PHB.

Some of the new spells are good while others I do not care for. This is probably one of my least favorite changes in the PHB and is one that I could have done without.

M

Falling off the Blog Wagon

2010-02-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Wow... It feels like I've hit the ground running since the start of this year. Sure, I was able to find a bit of time here and there for the occasional post but it's been almost three weeks since my last post!!

I've had a few interesting ideas for some posts and there has certainly been stuff happening. However, between my 9-5 day job and the bit of time I squeeze in with projects to do with Arcana Creation, time comes at a premium. Of course, there's the whole social interaction with family and friends which helps take up that free time.

And then there's that blasted 'Dragon Age' game. ;)

I've been having some fun playing the game on my Xbox and the game console is a great way to try and chill and relax when I come home from work just before I start fixing up supper.

During the course of this, I am also diligently working through the 'Trick on the Tain' manuscript which is the next C&C release by Arcana Creations. There is still quite a bit of editing to do on it as well as a couple of minor additions to the scenario. The artwork is well on the way of being finalized and require a few tweaks on some of the pieces. It will be an interesting module.

As for tonight and tomorrow evening -- I will shake up my routine a bit to try and do a blog blitz and get into the habit again. ;)

M

Trends in Settings and Storylines

2010-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

The past few days, I have allowed myself to become immersed in the world of Dragon Age. Not the pen and paper RPG adaptation but the actual video game itself. I'm having quite a bit of fun with it too and while the story and setting makes for interesting backdrop, there is really nothing that takes me a back as I explore this realm of fantasy. The last time I had fun with a video game like this was when I was playing a lot of Guild Wars. I suppose there is something that draws us to a scenario or setting where doom looks certain but you are part of the few battling against a dark tide of evil. I mean, the Lord of The Rings is pretty much the same sort of thing isn't it?

Time and time again, we look to explore a darker and grimmer fantasy (or sci-fi) but always with a slim hope of driving the forces of darkness at bay. The trend I've noticed is that there seems to be more of a focus on a period in history coming to a close and the turmoil that either brings it about or simply is accompanying it. Or... in a world of darkness, there are points of light represented by small pockets of civilization in a sea of darkness. While some foolishly ascribe this to WOTC and their setting approach with 4th edition, it is hardly a new concept. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy can be very much be described in the same way. The only difference between these concepts and those presented in a game such as Dragon Age, is how unified that 'darkness' seems to be. Invariably, there is a tendency to steer some games towards the 'epic' storyline.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with that as a backdrop and once in a while, it's perfectly ok to save the world. Sometimes though, it's nice to allow the heroes to do something for themselves. Scrounge up some money to setup that inn or tavern they've always dreamed on having. Fighting to secure some land to set up a farm. Better yet, what might be some of the challenges they would face given once those goals are met and chaos ends up finding them? Owning an inn in a region that has become engulfed in war and turmoil? Imagine, a party of good friends scrounges up a living through adventuring as a sure way to get their dream up and going and retire from that life... only to have events around them suddenly change. Low levels adventuring to achieve some goals... mid-levels to fight for what they've worked so hard to gain... and possibly one big quest at the end of that character's career if there is a need for that campaign to end with a big finale.

M

A Few Words New Character Classes

2010-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

I follow a handful of blogs and one of the ones I happen to follow is Save vs Poison. Just the other day, I read a few comments on Dragon issue 109 (HERE) and I had completely forgotten about one of the feature articles on the magazine dealing with customizing/creating new character classes. I find this particularly interesting since I just received TLG's Dwellers in the Darkness. an accessory that expands upon the Haunted Highlands by Casey Christofferson. Now I am a great fan of Casey's work -- both with TLG as well as the work he did with Necromancer Games. The material he has been doing for the Haunted Highlands series is fantastic with little rules options scattered here and there amongst the scenarios and setting information he writes. This particular module is the sixth in the series and a third of the material is an assortment of new monsters, items, spells, a racial variant, and a new class.

The new class if the Conjurer and I think it is an interesting concept. In some ways, it will remind you of the Sorcerer class from D&D 3.x since it has a form of spontaneous casting. You still have to prepare a selection of spells but of those prepared, you can cast any number of them repeatedly up to the number of allotted spells the character has per day. In exchange for this increased versatility, the character has a lower spell progression than a regular illusionist and uses the same experience point progression. Seems reasonable doesn't it?

Unfortunately, the class gets a WHOLE LOT more.

Hitdice is a d6 instead of a d4... BtH is that of a cleric and the spell list used sources both from that of the wizard AND cleric. The character can wear some armor and has a better weapon selection compared to a regular arcane spellcaster.

As I said, it is an interesting concept -- the reason why the class has access to clerical spells is because of the conjuration magic and the entities (demonic or angelic) they work with. It looks like a fun and more importantly, a versatile class to play. However, the reason why the EPP between the classes are varied is a recognition that all classes are not created equal so why try? A rogue has a quick advancement rate compared to other classes for a reason. A rogue's survivability in the front line is questionable and unlike the wizard won't have their power increase exponentially as they advance in levels.

A well played thief is fun and a welcome addition to the party but a badly played one will end up being very dead very quickly. ;)

Now, while it is true that a game's balance lies largely within the hands of the gamemaster, someone just eyeballing the classes may realize that this new one doesn't sit right. When compared to a to the wizard or illusionist, this one should probably advance a bit more slowly. Fortunately, something like this isn't hard to fix. Bumping the numbers a bit would be a solution or placing greater restrictions on the class would be another. Restrictions can be easy to do if you decide to restrict access to the clerical spells which could a result of the limited powers of the entities the character deals with. Exacting certain things such as special favors before granting certain spells could be another easy way to do it and I would recommend a CK think about this before allowing players to use the class.

Of course, I won't fault the writer and he is certainly not the worst offender when it comes to official C&C material. In my view, that distinction goes to the Portal Keeper in the Tainted Lands. I don't think that any of these new classes would really cause many problems in C&C much like the multitude of classes that became available for AD&D over the years weren't an issue either.

What is unfortunate is that, while there are (or were) guidelines that were maintained with the creation of the existing classes in the Player's Handbook for C&C, no thought seems to be given to this when putting out new material to support the game. Some authors probably just take the EPP from the closest existing class. Guidelines for this was supposed to be published but a product that deals with this sort of thing is yet to materialize. In the meantime, it looks like we are left to our own devices. At least we have some multiclassing guidelines presented in the latest printing of the PHB.

What is truly a shame was that there did exist a system that was created by deconstructing the various existing classes and their features. It is no longer available. The author of that document removed it due to concerns involving a NDA he signed during the development of Castles & Crusades. I was fortunate to have looked through this system and, while it wasn't perfect, it is one of the best systems I have seen to create classes for C&C from scratch. There are parts of the article from Dragon issue 109 that remind me of it too.

M

Desktop Publishling

2010-01-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

I've touched upon the economics of Hobby Publishing in the past (see this ENTRY) and as I continue my quest to build up my fledgling studio, Arcana Creations, expenses do pop up and choices have to be made. In my case, it sometimes feels like I'm hemorrhaging money though that is more to do with my life in general as opposed to my studio-related costs.

The gaming industry has changed significantly for pen-and-paper based RPGs and with Hobby Publishing on the rise, I do think more people will try their hand at it. Interestingly enough, one of the seeds was planted back in the mid-80's. Desktop Publishing became a reality and helped shape how a lot of publishers do various print products today. What was once inaccessible became within the reach of a larger segment of people. Of course, back then in the mid-80's, a word-processor was relatively 'vanilla' and simple with what it could do. Desktop Publishing software helped shape the word processing suites we use today with rudimentary tools to facilitate the inclusion of tables, columns, and pictures. It also had an impact on web design and layout.

A few of these programs have been around for years and in a couple of cases, practically since the beginning in one form or another. Why does it have more of an impact now? Well, the OGL can be largely thanked since it gave third parties a way to largely support the world's most popular game or build up something from it. PDF-only products have also become more widely accepted since the start of the new millennium. People recognize the value of the information as opposed to the form that the information takes. Lastly, computers and software is now much more common and accessible than it has been all those years ago.

One of the leading packages available for layout is by Adobe... a program called Indesign. It is recognized as a standard among professionals along with many other Adobe programs. It is unfortunately largely inaccessible to many because of their pricing. A new computer that can do everything a typical user needs it to do is less expensive than some of these programs.

Well, for someone like me who is very cost conscious, a program like Indesign is a very nice thing to wish for but let's face it -- you can't always get what you want. You do the best with what you have and one of the key tools I do use is a good wordprocessing suite. I've become quite satisfied with OpenOffice (open source and FREE) and I've been using it to get a bunch of work done. While trying to layout a module in it is an exercise in frustration at times, Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing have managed to do well enough with the few tools at our disposal. 'The Secret of Ronan Skerry' and 'The Ruins of Ramat' were both done with it and everyone who I have spoken with were pleased with the results. Of course, you need more than just that -- I do use a combination of GIMP and PaintShop Pro for the covers and artwork and just import what I need in.

Of course, using a reliable and dedicated Desktop Publishing program for my layout would save me a lot of time and headaches. Besides, while what I use now may be more than adequate for for 20 - 24 page module / booklet, a 64 - 128 page project is a completely different beast. Scribus was one piece of software which was recommended to me a while back. It is an free and open source alternative to commercial offerings but I never got the 'swing' of it. Maybe I just wasn't patient enough or maybe it was a factor of not being used to using this sort of software to begin with and not knowing what to do. It was probably a little of both.

I knew I had to adapt to something better though than what I had been using and I also knew that John Adams of BHP was looking at the same thing. I had found an interesting program a little while back that seemed to be fraction of the cost of something like Indesign. While it did a lot and even offered features of an easy-to-use web design program, it seemed to have a little of everything and some of the innovations unique to it turned me off a bit. John found one called PagePlus by Serif. At first I was annoyed at the companies website -- apparently there was a free version one could download but it isn't readily available. Google proves to be your friend and key to getting the SE version to try out. I gave it a whirl and after stumbling around a bit and doing a brief tutorial (very brief) -- I start figuring out the software and using it. The price tag... $100 dollars is a bit steep for me these days but after registering the SE version (you basically need to provide some info to get the SE version), I receive an email with a SUBSTANTIAL discount. Better yet, the company sells older versions of the software (you will need to google this once again since you can't find it on their regular pages). Version 9 is actually available for only $10 !! Now, while I prefer many of the newer features in version X4 ... if you have a strict budget and don't like the open source alternative, it's hard to argue AGAINST a mere ten dollars. For those who might be interested, this offer can be found HERE (it is also where you can get the free SE version to mess around with).

Suffice to say that with either offer (the email offer I received was $50 off), considering the versatility of the program -- well worth the cost. Once again, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get the tools you need.

M

Happy New Year + Updates...

2010-01-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Well, 2010 is upon us and as is customary, we all wish that 2010 will be a better year than the last. 2009 was a hard year for many though the past decade was difficult for many. While I can admit that I thought last year was particularly troubling, there were a couple of highlights. Brave Halfling Publishing continued to grow despite the tough economy and my own design studio was created. Brave Halfling Publishing published its first Castles & Crusades module this past year and, we released it into regular distribution late in 2009. These were the necessary steps that were taken in order to grow and 2010 should be an exiting one for both Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing.

I continue to get some support with regards to my cat and while the healing process is longer than I would like, she continues to visibly improve. I finally have the first batch of the sale/fundraiser set up which you can find HERE. I tried to price them as fairly as I could based on market value and I think the prices are good. The one thing that some people might hesitate with is the shipping. Since everything would ship from Canada (and there is no flat-rate media shipping like the States), it'll be a few dollars more than shipping within the US. If you see something, email me, and I'll try and get a quote as fast as I can. The good news is that even surface shipping will take less than 2 weeks to get to its destination.

Anyway, these days I'm tying up a few loose ends and I'm trying to get ahead with a few of the upcoming publications due out in early 2010. These include a module entitled 'Trick on the Tain' as well as 'Victorious'.

Brave Halfling Publishing is also keeping busy and has announced a pre-order for the 'Swords & Wizardry Whitebox' -- this is looking VERY sharp and I encourage any of you who are interested to order a copy. From the sounds of it, I don't think there has been as much excitement for this sort of boxset since Troll Lord Games released their own C&C white box as a 'proof of concept'. Keep in mind that TLG did it before there was anything recognized as an 'Old School Renaissance' community. In short, if you like the notion of an older style of play that captures the original D&D material, or another great rules-lite game, you really can't go wrong with the treatment that BHP is giving this set. You can read about the announcement HERE.

Anyway, I have a bunch of work I need to get to on the first day of the new year. To all of you... I wish you a prosperous 2010!

M

Valiant Defenders of the Castles & Crusades Society

2009-12-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

The origins of the Castles & Crusades Society was formed by Gary Gygax back in 1968 as a chapter of the International Federation of Wargamers. The C&CS published a newsletter called the Domesday book which contained amongst other thing various rules. These formed the basis of 'Chainmail' which would form the basis of the original Dungeons & Dragons RPG.

In acknowledgment of these roots, Troll Lord Games named their flagship product after the society. The game, Castles & Crusades, was one that sought to keep the spirit of an older style of play alive and was inspired by the creations of Gygax and Arneson. The development of the game also had a lot of input from the gaming community. If you look at the player's handbook, you will find a list acknowledging and thanking many people. This community formed the basis of the new society which adopted the old name as well.

At first, there were numerous fansites devoted to C&C and there were proclamations and updates as well as a few initiatives to kick the society into high gear and spread the word. But somewhere along the way, the small crew at Troll Lord Games got busy and concerns for the society fell to the wayside.

After floundering for a couple of years, one member of the society (and co-author of the Monster's & Treasure book) stepped forward and breathed new life into the society. He tried to give it purpose and direction. A few stood by his side to try and make something more of it. They started putting out a fan-based electronic publication named the Domesday. The efforts to carry the burden seemed to be shared by few though and while there was an effort to even put a contest in place, support from the rest of the community seemed to be a bit sparse at times.

The torch to keep the society together passed onto another member and just a few months ago, Troll Lord Games pledged some support anew and a bit of life and direction was breathed into the Castles & Crusades Society once more.

Up to the announcement, there were four issues put together by members of the society, and the fifth is still being finalized. The few who have contributed have helped to keep the flame burning and their contributions are appreciated. In 2010, the Domesday returns in a format more fitting to a newsletter with a page count of no more than 10 pages per issue but much more numerous (and possibly monthly). Earl Seskis, the present High Squire of the Society, has been forming and finalizing the shape that the Domesday will take. The contest that was started to help bolster the society now has winners which appear below:

Grand Prize - Belinda Kelly (Storm Queen) for "Damek's Fujara"
Michael Spires (DangerDwarf) for both "Nastala's Lament" and "Grimslade's Grimoire"
Patrick Wong (Ssfsx17) for both "Crown of the Troll Lords" and "Rorzak's Pendulum"
John Wright (seskis281) for "Baetylus of Nindaral"
Chris Maler (thegreenman) for "Mixwell's Legendary Tube"
Daniel Corwin (Frost) for "Manistus the Scriviner"

The winner receives a copy the "Umbrage Box Set" from Troll Lord Games and every one of the finalists also receives a copy of "The Ruins of Ramat" from Arcana Creations. These entries will be published in the upcoming volume of the Domesday.

To sign up with the Society, view past issues and material created by them, or catch up on some news, please visit their site HERE.

M

Secret of Ronan Skerry Sale

2009-12-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

While plugging AGP's clearance sale, it would be maybe wise to plug the one that Brave Halfling Publishing and Arcana Creations is doing. ;)

You can visit the BHP site HERE to purchase.

M

AGP's Last Call?

2009-12-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, James Mishler of Adventurer Games Publishing made this announcement. Basically, four of their print products are being cleared out. These are the only full-sized products AGP has done since they've started doing business a back. They are 'XXXI', the '2008 Wilderlands Jam', 'Monsters & Treasures of the Wilderlands I', and the first (and sadly only) issue of the 'Adventure Games Journal'.

When he made this post, he included the numbers he had remaining but warns that any copies still left on hand would be destroyed when the sale end on January 4th. A few thoughts crossed my mind when I read about this clearance sale. One was naturally was 'why'? After discussing this with a couple of my peers, it was suggested it may have been for tax-related purposes. Now, I know that retail stores have to account for their store inventory at the beginning / end of year and that inventory is effectively taxed. Taken in that light, it makes sense.

I shudder to think of the alternative though. Personally I think AGP has a future despite the problems it has faced in the past couple of years. The last thing I would like to see is Mishler throwing in the towel. I don't think that's happening though I think AGP is continuing to change how they operate. The newer digests are an example and I would be surprised if he had many copies of the digest books printed in advance.

As it turns out, the other books which had a print run of sorts have proven to be the exception. Though I hope these four are not the last (I'm personally hopeful we'll eventurally see issue 2 of the journal), it may be a while before AGP's foundation is secure enough to try again. While I have no idea what the sizes of most of these print runs were like, I do know the size of the print run for the first.

'XXXI' was a print run of 310 copies. The obscure looking name is derived from the fact that the release coincided with the 31st anniversay of Judge's Guild. It was released for GenCon 2007 and, based on the post, has sold 236 copies since it was released (up to December 15th, 2009). Personally, I would rather see 310 copies sold before the deadline imposed (January 4th, 2010) and if there is only one thing you were considering buying from his sale, let it be this one.

It will not be reprinted... it will not be held back... it will simply be 'gone'.

I own a couple of copies myself and I own at least one copy of the other products. I heartily recommend all of them and, if my own finances were a bit better this season, I would glady buy more.

M

Time Really Flies...

2009-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

Especially when your days have looked something like this:

Get up at 7:00am to get ready for work (currently still on a contract)
Travel to work (time it takes varies on the day)
Work from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Try and get home for 6:00pm
Fix Supper for myself and my significant other.
Eat and try and relax until 7:15 - 7:30pm
Go to the Veterinary Hospital to visit my cat for 8:00pm
Stay till 9:00pm (visiting hours are one hour in the evenings)
Arrive home around 9:30 - 9:45pm
Catch up on a few emails and try and wind down.
Try and hit the sack around 11:00pm

This was pretty much repeated every day since we initially took her in. I'm really please to say that Medea *is* back home and we've had her back since Friday night. I still think there's not enough time in my days as it is but at least having her back will free up a bit of time and I can actually sleep easier.

Now, I spent a good chunk of my weekend getting caught up on a few things and one of the things I did do a lot of was going through some more gaming material. Basically, I'm pulling stuff from shelves and putting them aside, cataloging and pricing a chunk of it for that sale I alluded to a week and a half ago. For those waiting for this, I should finally have the first batch of stuff posted online in a couple of days. The majority of this batch are AD&D / D&D / d20 material.

On a different note, Brave Halfling Publishing and Arcana Creations is having a small sale to celebrate the release of "The Secret of Ronan Skerry" into stores. Details will be posted here tomorrow as well as the BHP site. A link will be provided as soon as it's set up.

Thanks for the support!

M

Kitty Update...

2009-12-08T12:16:00.001-08:00

A week after surgery, Medea is now out of intensive care. She still has a way to go but if all goes well, we may finally have her home by the weekend.

M

Sourcing from the "World's Most Popular FRPG"

2009-12-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

These days, I'm going through much of my gaming collection and while I've settled on Castles & Crusades a couple years ago as my fantasy RPG of choice, I am reminded of my tendency to use material from various editions of Dungeons & Dragons.

When I started AD&D, my first PHB and DMG were 2nd Edition books. I picked up 1st Edition material but it was all used within a 2nd Edition game and didn't really pick up the little differences since there was almost no work involved to use older material with my 2nd Edition game. While I loved AD&D, I got burnt out on it around the mid-90s. Little did I know then that TSR's days were numbered. It was with excitement that I picked up 3rd Edition when it was released in 2000 and I loved many features of the new game. The reliance on miniatures was a bit off-putting since I never really bothered with them in my AD&D games to begin with but overall, a lot of good stuff. As time wore on, I became increasingly dissatisfied with certain elements.

C&C gave me a couple of the refinements I liked from the newer edition of the games yet had it's design firmly set in the past. Because it seemed to bridge the editions as well as it did, I began to use material to supplement my C&C games from AD&D, classic D&D, and 3rd Edition. However, depending on what I used tended to indicate where I would look first.

For instance, I don't tend to bother looking for monsters in anything from 3rd Edition or afterward. I do appreciate certain books that have come out for 3.x that exist to create and modify creatures as well as the thought out concept of templates. I believe this is a reflection of a 'free form' sense of design versus a structured and systematic one that fans of the later editions demanded. The monsters seemed tougher in 3rd Edition than they were in previous editions and older versions seems to be a better match to a C&C campaign. That's not to say that they were impossible to use -- they were very easy to use if you simply ignored certain things like the detailed attributes and Feats.

Of course, when it came to adventures and campaign material, it didn't matter what edition it might have been written for. A good story remains a good story and the systems were all closely related enough to run them with very little effort. In my current C&C campaign, I have probably run more of the Dungeon Crawl Classics from Goodman Games written for 3.x than any other edition -- they were just that good and that much fun.

If I was looking for ideas for rules, options or variants, I found that I looked more towards 3rd Edition for guidance more than anything that predated it. Once again, this was probably because it seemed there was a more concentrated attempt to design and balance the mechanics in this edition more so than other previous ones.

When I look at what some others do, I know some that prefer sourcing from the Metzer D&D sets or 1st Edition AD&D to supplement their C&C games and others who know little of D&D before 3rd Edition and use what they are most familiar and comfortable with. In that way, some C&C games have Feats where as others adopted the old Weapon Mastery system. The great thing about all of this is that no one who plays C&C seems to mind what various people are doing with it. It's all done in an attempt to make the game their own -- even if it becomes reminiscent of just another edition of the "World's Most Popular Fantasy RPG".

The question you have to ask yourself is if this is a strength of Castles & Crusades or a weakness?

M

TLG's Annual Holiday Sale

2009-12-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of years, Troll Lord Games has had a '12 days of X-Mas Sale' which usually was a great way to get some of their product at fantastic prices. This year is no exception -- you can view details of the sale HERE.

While my own finances are quite tied up, I know others who would love to take advantage of this. Some of these would make excellent gifts for your fellow gamer or even yourself. The $10 'Christmas Cheer' is certainly good value for the dollar with three print modules/accessories and are a safe bet for the collector since these aren't out in stores yet. What's really impressive though is the 'Yuletide Gem' at $20. For $20 you get both the latest revisions of the PHB and M&T together in one 'flip book'. For someone looking for an inexpensive play copy to kick around or knows someone else who is looking to try C&C, you just can't go wrong with the value. Finally, the 'Crusading Noel' is a couple of perfect bound compilations that brings together the first 20 issues of Crusader Magazine -- a great way to get the early issues of the Crusader and keep them on the shelf.

There are a total of 12 different offers to look through and consider.

M

Some News...

2009-12-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

In the past few days, I've received some kind words of support from my readers and friends. For that I really do thank all of you for the time you've taken to pass on those words of encouragement. I've also had some requests for updates amongst some of those well wishes. Medea is still at the hospital and being cared for 24/7. She is still in intensive care and seems to be improving but there was a little 'blip' which had the veterinary doctors a bit concerned. That said, at this stage it's just a case of a 'wait and see' scenario. The nature of the hospital enables us to visit her everyday and we take advantage of that. While in our presence, we do see her force of character and will to live. This is perhaps the most encouraging thing for me right now.

As for myself, I feel lost without her around but I'm still able to do what needs to be done. I'm still trying to get that list compiled and thrown up for those interested in the sale and, all going well, I will at least have part of it up during the course of the week. I've been fighting a nasty cold since Friday so things have moved slower than I would have liked.

I remain hopeful and optimistic and I really hope that she'll be home with me soon...

M

Personal Update and Challenges...

2009-12-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well, for those who have been following regularly since I've started this blog, you may have noticed a genuine attempt to update it often enough. I haven't updated it as often as I would like in the past week and a half. A month ago, I had mentioned some of the problems we have been having at home with my cat and though we had what looked like a happy ending was actually an indication of other problems.

She fell ill once more this past weekend (Sunday morning to be exact) and it quickly went from bad to worse. By Tuesday (yesterday) morning, she was already taken in to the hospital to see a specialist. My cat... her name is Medea... was also jaundiced when she was taken in. I suppose the good news is that a clear determination was able to be made with the problem which was confirmed with a few more tests but was starting to look quite grim. She went into Surgery today and then a complication gave her a 50 / 50 chance at best but she made it out of surgery and though her blood pressure is quite low and her condition is still precarious, her heart is strong. Her status is being carefully monitored and will be over the next few days. Hopefully Medea will make a full recovery because I so miss her very much.

This all comes to a cost though... I've had to take a very hefty financial burden in order to cover all the costs incurred with this visit. While Canada has a great public healthcare system, my cat doesn't fall under that plan even if I consider her a member of my family. This debt I've accepted needs to be dealt with swiftly though and the sooner, the better.

In the next few weeks and months ahead, I've decided to have a bit of a 'fundraiser' of sorts. I had already though of doing one before any of this had happened. The difference is that, at the time, it was intended to solely fund future projects, software, and equipment for Arcana Creations. Now I have another purpose as well and this one is a bit closer to the heart. I have amassed an interesting array of gaming material over the past few years and I'm certain that other gamers will appreciate some of these more than I. I figure that these can help pay the bills or other things I either want or need.

This sale will be posted here (of course) and a couple of the forums I frequent. Probably all will lead to a page I'll set up with items... prices... and other pertinent details. Items that don't move will either have a price revision or wind up on ebay since different gamers and crowds focus on different things. The only other thing I'll add is that it won't all go up at the same time. Trying to part with a book is like pulling teeth. I expect I'll try and get this done in small batches.

Should I falter, I guess all I need to do is consider her to strengthen my resolve a bit:

News of the sale will be up when it's ready I guess. I'm not sure when this will be.

Now... in the next few days, I seriously owe my readers a couple of interesting posts. I will deliver these posts. Thanks for reading!

M

Updates...

2009-12-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

It's been confirmed. I've received word that the full sized edition of the 'Secret of Ronan Skerry' has been sent to the distributors a few days ago which means it's just a matter of time before it starts showing up on the shelves of reputable game stores.

Aside from that:

'DB6: Dwellers in the Darkness' is out and should soon be announced as available from TLG for C&C
'Of Gods & Monsters' has also been made available in PDF format at various electronic retailers such as RPGNow! Actually, it's been available for a week or two...
The next Dragons of Aihrde accessory should be out soon and I suspect will make it out before the end of the month and the next Dwarven Glory installment is also rumored to be coming out in the next little while.

I hope to have more news soon...

M

Sometimes Projects Take Lives Of Their Own

2009-11-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

With the release of the 'Ruins of Ramat', work has begun on the submitted manuscripts for 'Foamy Tankard' as well as 'The Trick on the Tain'. The Foamy Tankard is being designed to act primarily as an accessory for the Castles & Crusades game. It was originally intended to be a digest and we hoped to get it out sometime in December. At least that was the plan...

At the most, we are a small team of people working on a project but about three-quarters of the work usually rests in the hands of one person at a time. Not as much progressed on my end as I would have liked considering the other work on my plate but ideas were exchanged nonetheless. Next thing, you know the projected material for that project just doubled. I think the accessory will benefit from the changes though and, as I think about it -- I find that it is a book that I would want to own myself.

Energy is also being devoted to our big release for next year -- Victorious! For those who follow my blog as well as the one John Adams keeps (Confessions of a RPG Publisher), you may have noticed two interesting entries... One was entitled "A Gentleman's Opinion" and the other "A Gentleman's Rebuttal". Both of these pieces were written by the talented Mike Stewart, the author of the upcoming Victorious RPG and various releases by TLG such as Castellan's Guide to Arms & Armor, the Verdant Rage. and one of my favorites -- Shadows of Halfing Hall. More goodies will be coming down the pipe in the time leading up to the release of Victorious.

Of course, work does continue on some of the other projects and my current priority is the upcoming 'Trick on the Tain' module which is targeted for an early February release.

M

A Gentleman's Rebuttal

2009-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

In response to A Gentleman's Opinion
From the "Letters to the Editor"
London Times January 6, 1897

By Lord Peter Almscroft, O.G.D.

Dear Editorial Staff, London Times;

First let me compliment Master Devinchilde on his certitude of opinions. Not many persons can speak so absolutely of morality and propriety with such obvious knowledge and authority. We all could doubtlessly be better men by listening to his views.

I must, however, take issue with his comments upon the 'SuperMankind' and their various benefits to our city and country. I think that recent events must inevitably lead the objective reader to the inescapable conclusion that such persons are of great assistance to the forces of Law and Order within the environs of London and its subordinate communities. There are certainly those who abuse their supernatural powers and abilities, but for each nefarious villain and villainess there are stout hearted British men and women to bar them from their criminal schemes. For every Hooligan there is a Vigilante determined to say them 'Nay'!

While the use of masks and costumes are not a regular aspect of law enforcement to date, some small amount of reflection on the issues provide several simple reasons for their use. To wit;

First; unusual costumes ensure that they are not confused from those among the civilian population they wish to protect. Like the blue uniform of the Bobbies and Peelers (if I may use their Cockney nicknames) they provide an immediate source of recognition to bystanders and criminals alike.

Second; it is regrettable but inevitable that those among us with powers beyond those given to man by Nature, that those of evil mien will attempt to use those held dear by the Superior personage against them. We have already seen how loved ones are occasionally taken as hostages by criminal gangs to influence those within the Yard as well as judges. Does anyone feel that the acquaintances of the SuperMankind would be any less immune? Masks obscure their identity and therefore provide some surcease to their beloved friends and relations.

Third; it is true that those ladies who are counted among the SuperMankind do frequently wear apparel that is unusual when compared to the fashions considered 'appropriate' in today's society. I would remind Master Alexander that much of today's fashions would have been considered risqué less than a century ago. Indeed, Liberty Gowns and Bloomers led to arrests in public not thirty years ago! But times change, and I for one welcome such.

In addition to the above reason, another more practical rational is obvious. If one is engaged in bloody combat to preserve the life and liberty of innocents, corsets and petticoats are not good accoutrements to wear in such circumstances. I will not even consider such heroines as The Dancer or Angel performing their avocations in hoop skirts or high-heeled boots. Why, the idea is laughable!

To sum up an already over-long missive, I give an unqualified 'Hurrah!' to those in Great Britain, America and even the European Continent who decide to use their powerful talents for good. We could all learn a lesson from such persons and their willing sacrifices for the common weal.

Sincerely,

Peter Almscroft, Lord of Somersworth

Postscript: I will not deign to reply to the comment of the Peers being the natural leaders of the realm. Being among this exclusive company myself, I have full knowledge of just how prepared the scions of title and prosperity are to lead the people of Great Britain. Which is, for the majority, not much.

= = = = =

VICTORIOUS! Role Playing Game - Coming in 2010

Older Game Mechanics & d20

2009-11-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

I've had a couple interesting conversations lately on older game mechanics, older styles of play, and the newer trend that focuses on a streamlined and unified mechanic (the d20) to resolve most tasks. This is particularly important when one considers Castles & Crusades which is a blend of elements from the old and the new.

One of the chats I had was dealing with the notion of 'spot/search' checks. You see, the recent digest module Arcana Creations released was 'The Ruins of Ramat' which was a conversion of a scenario that was originally designed for Labyrinth Lord. As a conversion, I put in Challenge Levels to use with C&C. However, in the Labyrinth Lord version, there were none of these.

Before 3rd Edition, if there was a secret door... panel... or whatever, true to the style of game it emphasizes, you would find no 'target numbers' or 'challenge levels'. The GM could either hear the players out to see what their characters were doing to search the area. A roll on the d6 was often suggested to find secret doors with a 1 resulting in a non-elf finding it or a roll of a 1 or 2 for the elf. When D&D 3.x came about, characters could learn to hone their skills to spot or search for something and this was all done with a d20.

There are clearly advantages with both.

The classic method didn't usually become just another roll. It really demanded player interaction and could also become a puzzle in itself to solve. Successful players seemed more meticulous. However, depended on who's campaign you were playing in or simply who you were gaming with, it could rapidly become tedious if the group dynamic didn't mesh well.

The streamlining that the d20 system brought about made certain things easier -- which may be why certain designers felt the need to complicate other aspects of the game. ;) In all seriousness though, it provided for a way that characters 'could' improve as they became more experienced. This was great compared to the previous method since it wasn't necessarily dependent on the same odds on the die or the mere whim of a GM. However, the situation probably got worse instead of better. Picture an entire party controlled by players that all do a 'mandatory' roll per room and then moving on if nothing yielded a result. The focus of this game quickly became a quest for combat as opposed to an adventure in exploration.

What about C&C? Well, being that it adopted a d20 mechanic, the instinct for many might be to just make a roll. This is despite the fact that the game doesn't actually have an itemized skill system. However, Elves and Dwarves both get a bonus to find things merely by walking. They would use a d20 and the Seige mechanic along with it. This means that certain members of that race would be better than others -- especially if you consider the way Primary Attributes work. Does that mean that humans can just make a roll to try and locate a door? Well, not necessarily. However, various other modules and sets released by TLG do give Challenge Levels for things like Secret Doors. That means you need to roll right?

Wrong.

The heart of the issue here is that role play and logic should trump game mechanics and rules. Obviously C&C will appeal to different types of gamers though. Some players will come from an older edition of D&D perhaps and see a lot of C&C that they recognize and can relate to. I'm certain those gamers won't be rolling the dice as often for certain tasks that others would. By the same token, there will be those who come from 3.x and 4th Edition and are seeking something a bit lighter and different. They may not necessarily know anything before 3.x and will run there games in a manner consistent with how they are used to playing. Both are fine.

When Gygax worked on the Upper Works, there appears to be something of a compromise. The text give various Challenge Levels to find certain things but in the introductory section of the set, he suggests the classic d6 for finding some of these. He acknowledges that certain ones may be more difficult to find and further suggests using higher die types.

Since C&C does reach out to a diverse group of gamers, there will hardly ever be a perfect product released for it. There is but one thing I can suggest:

"The Rules are your Servant, Not your Master!"

If the material presented suits you, then great... feel free to use it but don't neglect the contribution the players can make or underestimate your own abilities. On the other hand, if you or your players don't need the 'safety blanket' of certain mechanics, continue doing what you've been doing for years... just ignore what doesn't work for ya and press on! ;)

M

OK... this is just COOL!

2009-11-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I heard it whispered that the print run for "The Secret of Ronan Skerry" was shipping out sometime this week and I even heard that a couple online retailers had started listing it. Poking around, I came across THIS.

I'm really excited and though the retailer got the title spelled incorrectly, I will happily let it slide given that they appear to be a German retailer!

Awesome!

If you know of other stores listing it online, please feel free to drop a note.

M

Adventure Games Publishing

2009-11-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I posted about the 'Economics of Hobby Publishing' and one of the things I tried to impart was the need for the hobby to support these tiny publishers. One of these publishers is AGP. There is no question that James Misher is a talented fellow who is passionate about the Wilderlands setting. Adventure Games Publishing was founded back in 2006 and was set to publish material set in the Wilderlands of High Adventure which was based on the classic Judges Guild campaign setting. These were to be done for Castles & Crusades.

When the formation of AGP was first announced, I have to confess that I knew next to nothing about the Wilderlands. My exposure to D&D came in the late 80s and I was living in Germany at the time which meant what I had access to was a bit more limited. Thankfully there was a steady stream of TSR material available from a small book store which included Dragon and Dungeon magazines. I only started looking at the Wilderlands because of the mention of a new company that was supporting the game that I was playing. I found a copy of the "Player's Guide to the Wilderlands" which Necromancer Games put out and started with that. I dug deeper into the setting and everything I read, I liked.

"XXXI" was AGP's first release and was limited to 310 copies and went on sale at GenCon 2007. Within a month, AGP announced Adventure Games Journal subscription which would have been a stunning achievement had it gone as planned. I ordered a copy of XXXI as soon as it was available and was blown away at the sheer detail of it. I was hooked and became subscriber #26. As I didn't have a lot of money at the time (I had just moved to Montreal and was in between jobs), I settled on a 3-issue subscription. Each 'issue' was a copy of the journal which in turn was accompanied by a gazetteer. Since I owned little Wilderlands, this seemed like a great way to start.

At first, there were a few delays but this was completely understandable. Eventually, the first issue of the Journal was released and I was happy. I was a lot more satisfied with how the Journal measured up to my expectations compared to the Crusader and I was thinking about running a campaign in the setting.

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. I never did a Wilderlands setting and AGP suffered what could be best called a few 'setbacks'. In the beginning of October, 2008... a second issue of the journal had yet to materialize and the first gazetteer was not completed. Subscribers received a detailed letter/email apologizing and offering refunds or a generous amount of page credit in lieu of their subscriptions. I was happy to stick by his side as a subscriber though and James kept on writing.

Along the way, he has put out some outstanding material. My favorite (aside from XXXI) is his "Monsters & Treasures of the Wilderlands" book. In late September of this year, AGP released a series of digest products. There are 11 in all and a lot of these had been released on PDF but never in a printed format. With the various changes and growing pains, AGP was trying a new direction. It was one that I gladly support.

I didn't get the digests at first -- I was hoping that demand for them might have been keeping Mishler busy but I recently decided to cash in a lot of my page credit to get them. They came in today and I've very pleased. The covers are very simple... no fancy artwork occupy the cover and most of the booklets just have text. They are well written but the pages themselves are nothing fancy. Even the covers come in a variety of colors. There's a certain 70s 'vibe' to the stuff but with a much better paper and print quality. Frankly, it adds to the charm of the booklets and I hope to see more of them down the line. Between these digests and the M&TW book before it, most of my credit is gone now and I'm a very satisfied customer and subscriber.

I can honestly say that James Mishler has done right by me. If I knew then, the challenges that AGP was to face when I was considering a subscription, I still would have done it. Mishler's material is just that good. And despite the Wilderlands 'name' associated with the products, the majority can be used in ANY campaign setting with little to NO modification. AGP is a perfect example of a small publisher that deserves a growing fanbase and the support that goes along with it. If you haven't picked up any of the AGP products yet but have thought about it... pick one or two and I don't believe anyone would regret it. If really unsure which product to pick up, consider "XXXI" which is AGP's first product.

James... if you read this, I do wish to thank you for your efforts. I eagerly await your future endeavors.

M

Updates...

2009-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

Not much has happened since the last round of updates but Crusader #21 has been making it into the hands of various subscribers. I'm happy to say the same about the print copies of the Ruins of Ramat.

This recent issue in the Crusader seems focused on the Tainted Lands and a few other things in 'theme' with October. I have a review of Tainted Lands in the upcoming issue of the Domesday, and my sources indicate that it should be out *very* soon!

M

Economics of Hobby Publishing

2009-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

I define a 'Hobby Publisher' is someone who publishes material more out of an interest of the material being developed an printed but isn't something that one can financially rely on. In this case, I suppose the word 'hobby' could also refer to the nature of the material -- in other words, gaming material.

Money has begun to leave my pockets as Arcana Creations is beginning to get things published. Thankfully, this is done in partnership with Brave Halfling Publishing which means the blow to the wallet is a bit lessened. However, I have been doing a lot more number crunching lately and these sort of calculations could affect how other projects are approached in the future. While I never had any illusions on the costs of producing material for RPGs, I can say that I do have an ever-growing respect for those Hobby Publishers that do.

Some of these seem to be more focused on using a POD (Print-On-Demand) service such as Lulu. I can certainly see the appeal of using a POD -- especially if you are also the principal writer. There is little to no worry about have printed stock just sitting around and little cash is really needed as an investment. Really, someone with a computer and some software (which all could be open source) may only have to worry about the writing and the art. If they are talented and do both, the only 'cost' it may come down to, is time.

The other route is truly doing it yourself. Arcana Creations and BHP has been progressing along this route... Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Adventure Games Publishing are also going at it their own way. Black Blade Publishing is doing official 1st edition conversions of Goodman Games' "Dungeon Crawl Classics" line and have recently announced that they are going to produce material from Mythmere Games. This is a welcome change since print material had previously been exclusively available from Lulu and hopefully, this will become the growing trend for Hobby Publishing

When looking at the numbers, and contemplating this sort of publishing, I couldn't help but think back at the various posts that James Raggi (LotFP) and James Mishler (AGP) had written about the subject. I especially recall a series of posts that ruffled a few feathers back in July. You can read one of them HERE. Now, I'm not going to say that I agree with everything Mishler talks about but the basics ARE there. If I was solely interested in Arcana Creations as a money-making proposition, doing just a bit of research would have lead me to the conclusion that there are better opportunities elsewhere. That said, I'm not looking to lose money either. It needs to pay for itself to continue and there needs to be some growth to allow for larger and better projects.

Is it worth it? Sure it is. It is a tremendous amount of work and the key motivating factor to doing it is because you love to do it. You need to love the material you are putting out and it tends to be the sort of material you would be interested in seeing. When Jim Raggi released his Random Esoteric Creature Generator (1st 'uncensored' printing), I don't think it had as much to do with money as it did with the importance of the content he was trying to release. It was cheaply produced and priced accordingly but I can't begin to tell you useful it's proven to be. The material contained in the booklet is simply fantastic.

If you like the sort of material being released by various micro-presses and hobby publishers, please let them know or simply help spread the word. Greater exposure is always nice -- especially when some are also contemplating at getting their books into distribution and stores.

Of course, the best paid compliment would be to simply buy one of their books.

M

Odds & Ends ...

2009-11-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I started work today at my former place of employment. It's a 4 week gig which could result in more work beyond this contract. The extra money is sure to come in handy as the holiday season begins to draw near. With a full time day-gig, I have to re-think and better plan out my work with Arcana Creations a bit more carefully. ;)

As I mentioned yesterday during what will become a weekly roundup of updates, the Secret of Ronan Skerry is going to print. The people at Troll Lord Games will be printing this module on the behalf of Brave Halfling Publishing and Arcana Creations. A slight adjustment had to be made to one of the pieces of artwork in the module and the artist was more than happy to oblige. For purposes of comparison, I include both pieces here:

Now, given the broader audience that TLG is trying to reach, I actually agree with the changes. I suspect my mother might have had some questions about Advanced Dungeons & Dragons if she saw some of the art in the books when I had started playing the game. While there is nothing offensive with the one on the left, it is no more revealing than the iconic piece as illustrated by Darlene in the back of the original Dungeon Master's Guide. Both versions are equally good and convey the same thing -- this is what's important.

The art for the Secret of Ronan Skerry is done by Andy Talor ... more samples of his work can be found HERE.

M

Updates...

2009-11-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Ruins of Ramat has shipped to those who have already ordered their copies. Each purchase of the physical copy of the module also gets you a complimentary copy of the PDF. A PDF-only option is also available now.
The full-sized version of the Secret of Ronan Skerry is on its way to the printers and will be in the distributor's hands soon enough. This should start appearing at various game stores in December.
Work has begun in earnest on the next two projects to be released through Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing. The next digest title is "The Foamy Tankard" and the next full-sized title is "The Trick on the Tain". Both are coming soon!

TLG's New Path

2009-11-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since I last posted. This weekend saw the AAR conference in Montreal and we were hosting a couple of guests since the evening of my last post. Our guests left yesterday evening and the restricted access to my computer (which is located in my study and serves as a guest bedroom) has been lifted.

:)

One of the things I've briefly saw over at Troll Lord Games was the announcement of the Pathfinder conversion of the older d20 "Book of Familiars" release. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? On the whole, it's probably good. TLG has a wealth of d20 material that isn't been touched right now since the d20 System Trademark License was revoked with the release of 4th Edition. The original plan was to eventually convert the lot of this d20 material for use with C&C but this process has been rather slow. The most recent conversion to C&C was the "Heart of Glass". Work to convert from d20 to Pathfinder material should be very minimal which means TLG could benefit at providing support to the Pathfinder game. The only worrisome thing here would be the thought of many other companies deciding to do the same.

The last thing we need is a surge of all this Pathfinder material in the way that there was an over abundance of d20 material in the early days of 3rd Edition. My hope is that there is an effort to convert these d20 titles to C&C as well as Pathfinder.

M

Development of Victorious! announced

2009-11-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

Arcana Creations in collaboration with Brave Halfling Publishing is pleased to announce the development of "Victorious: Heroic Adventure in the Age of Super-Mankind".

This is a new game built upon the SIEGE Engine from Troll Lord Games.

In recognition of November 5th and the inspiration that the works of Alan Moore, and many others, continue to provide ... we have put together this little ad:

http://arcanacreations.com/works/post.jpg

For more information, be sure to visit the Brave Halfling Publishing forums... a forum for Victorious! will be added later on today.

M

More Updates

2009-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I got a whole bunch of the stuff done that I actually planned for today. The articles need a good read through before I submit them which is fine. I'll do that when I get up tomorrow morning and after I've had a necessary dose of caffeine.

I got all the work that I needed to do for that announcement I mentioned. I won't spill the beans just yet but the announcement should be posted tomorrow. I'll be mentioning it here, on the TLG forums, and the BHP forums.

Lastly, I also want to thank those of you that have sent me encouragement and other kind words as I get this blog up and going and with the expressed concerns on the welfare of my beloved pet. I've had her for over nine years now and she has been ever at my side. :)

M

Deadlines for Me ... Changes for TLG

2009-11-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been recently involved in a couple of discussions and debates on C&C and the SIEGE Engine. I'll be commenting on this a bit later today. For now, I've got a couple looming deadlines for material I promised to submit. A couple are reviews for the upcoming, and last, issue of the Domesday as well as an article on Arcana Creations.

I also have to prepare something of an announcement for later in the week.

Both needs to get done today but thankfully I see the light at the end of that particular tunnel.

In the meantime... some food for thought:

Troll Lord Games has had its share of challenges since Trigree Enterprises pulled the Lejendary Adventures, Castle Zagyg, and Gygaxian Fantasy World licenses. Coupled with these changes, TLG has also had to adjust given the release of the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. When these things happened, TLG presented to the fans that this could be an opportunity to build on the C&C and SIEGE Engine brand. After a difficult year when everybody is facing troubled economic times, Steve Chenault expressed the concern that TLG was a 'One Pony Show' and that they were going to look to expanding the number of games they supported and published.

Now that we less than two months remaining, I'm forced to consider the releases that C&C has seen in the past year. This year saw the new printings of Monsters & Treasures and the Player's Handbook, the C&C conversion of the Heart of Glass, Black Libram of Nartarus, A5 and A6 as well as DB5, the Tainted Lands, and Of Gods & Monsters. There were also the character sheets and mapping sheets, the first tournament module for C&C, and a module for Star Siege.

Unfortunately, more than a couple of items listed have had issues attached to them. The M&T had a 'stat block' left out in the layout process, problems with the initial release of the Heart of Glass had to be rectified, and there remains concerns with the Tainted Lands box set (which I do discuss in my forthcoming review of the product). Problems outside of TLG's control caused an inordinate amount of delays with the new printing of the Player's Handbook which snowballed and derailed attempts for publishing Of Gods & Monsters in hardcover.

While I love the material that TLG produce and agree that expansion into other product lines is a good thing for the company, I can't help be a bit concerned considering the problems they had with their flagship line.

M

Personal Update

2009-11-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, my cat was taken to the veterinary hospital early yesterday. I am happy to say that she is back home now and has eaten some solids. This is the first time she has actually eaten any solid food (the vet's included) in the past five days. I imagine it will still take a bit of time to get her up and going again. The regiment of pills I have to give her during the course of the next couple weeks will certainly be a challenge but things are looking up.

I'll be able to better concentrate on a few things I was doing for Arcana Creations which I had been falling behind on. :)

M

Monsters & Villains

2009-10-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now well past midnight as I write this on Halloween and this year's holiday has not been a good one this year. On a personal note, I spent a good portion of the day at the Veterinary Hospital and my little siamese cat who is normally by my side when I do all matters of writing is in their care tonight. The evening was quite sedate as some of you can imagine.

My evening for the most part was spent in watching a few movies in the comfort of home. Being the time of year, there are no shortage of interesting films. Some are more gore... others with a hint of the fantastic and horrific... and then there are others which offer a nice dash of suspense. This year, I watched movies that I had seen many times before and, much to my better half's delight, we started off with "Interview with the Vampire". This was followed by the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and the evening closed off with the original "House on Haunted Hill". It was watching these movies that gave me the idea for this particular post.

What I would have liked to do, and others have probably done, was sit down around the table and do a bit of gaming. I'm sure some have chosen to pull out "Tainted Lands" and give that a whirl since that boxed set includes a scenario that's ready to go. Others will pull out some old favorites -- maybe revisit the original Ravenloft module or just have some sort of session with more undead... more gore.. and more atmosphere. I think that's pretty cool. It was watching the movies though that I was reminded what can make a good 'horror' scenario worth remembering.

You see it doesn't have to involve a lot of 'supernatural elements', the 'living dead', or anything demonic. If it does, it certainly doesn't have to be legions of them. Interview with the Vampire is a good tale but, how many vampires are there? For the most part we are dealing with 2-3 interesting characters. Rocky Horror certainly has an interesting character portrayed by Tim Curry but on the other hand, no character was really all that memorable in the House of Haunted Hill. Then again, Vincent Price is always fun and awesome to watch. A single vampire or interesting character... a single element of the bizarre... or a single twist can go a long way. Horror in your game doesn't have to resemble an 80's slasher flick. There is also no need to go on and on trying to establish a certain atmosphere for everything the players interact with. Finally, if you feel that some of these things are toned down too much, then a single but fun twist can make the whole experience come alive.

In other words, sometimes less is more.

One idea would be to have a 'monster hunt' which has the characters chasing down a single but unknown creature. Have the characters piece together clues to what this thing they need to eliminate might be. Keep these clues vague enough to have experienced players stumped or make incorrect assumptions. Make reliable witnesses difficult to find ... though maybe some remains of some could help with a more grisly feel to the game. Provide options and allow the players to follow up on these. When the chase comes down to what appears to be a natural conclusion, feel free to throw in another twist or an intriguing Villain.

Incidentally, a good C&C conversion of an older d20 module is available for free and does start off with a 'monster hunt'. For those who haven't tried it, the adventure titled Lion In The Ropes is worth checking out.

My own holiday gaming tribute will be a bit belated due to unfortunate circumstances but it will happen. In the meantime, allow me to wish all of you a happy Halloween!

M

What is this 'SIEGE Engine' anyway?

2009-10-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Some people who have heard about Castles & Crusades may not know much about it. Others may have read a reference about the 'SIEGE Engine' but not actually know what this is referring to. I'll be honest and admit that I haven't tried to systematically try to explain what it is very often and usually I explain the concepts to a new player during character creation. Most of it is quite intuitive and I haven't had a player who didn't understand the key concepts. However, a basic explanation and background might be beneficial to those who stumble upon this blog.

Basically, the SIEGE Engine is the underlying system and mechanic which the game is built up on. Now C&C has many similarities to what I refer to as 'classic D&D' and AD&D. It is a level-based game whereby you choose a character archetype to play and each character has six key attributes to help quantify their strengths and limitations.

With both D&D and AD&D, you had certain differences aside from one of them being referred to as 'Advanced'. The only reason I bring this up is that AD&D also led to the introduction of a proficiency based system. This was basically the introduction of a more complete skill system to the game. At first it was introduced as an option, but with the advent of AD&D 2nd Edition, it became recognized as a core concept. Classic D&D on the other hand didn't have this kind of itemized skill system. It kept things relatively simple but in no way was this inferior. Both games had their strengths and people preferred one over the other as more of a matter of taste. Both games also had certain classes with key skills (notably the Thief) and resolution for these special skills were built into the class. They both used a similar system of Saves -- a five category system to answer the needs of a Fantasy role playing game. However, the game also had different methods to resolve different sort of tasks. Some things required a high roll and the dice and others a low roll. Some used a d20 and others used percentile dice.

WOTC changed the shape of the game when they bought TSR and put out what they called 3rd Edition. No longer was there a differentiation between D&D and AD&D; it became one line which clearly progressed from AD&D 2nd Edition. They took the various ways to resolve saves, skills, and abilities, and unified the manner in which these were resolved. Only one die-type was needed -- the d20.

Now, what does all this have to do with Castles & Crusades? Well, 3rd Edition also introduced a new style of play and a level of book keeping that some just didn't like. Suffice to say that some gamers longed for an older style of play and something that was considered 'rules-light' to better achieve this. There was no doubt that key improvements had been made with the advent of 3rd Edition but there already existed some some great, foundational material.

Work on Castles & Crusades began and the SIEGE Engine quite simply was the attempt to reconcile certain features from the newer 'd20 based' system but be in keeping with the older style of games that came before it.

For skills, it adopts the philosophy found in Classic D&D -- there are no itemized skill lists though certain classes (like that Rogue again) had skill-like abilities built into the class. However, one key difference exists. This is the designation of certain abilities as 'Prime'. These Primes represent an additional advantage the character has with regards to those specific abilities for the purposes of task and skill resolution as well as saving throws. The designation of a Prime means that the associated ability need not be high score for the character to be competent at doing certain things. A fighter may naturally be strong because of his stats but may also be modeled as an intelligent or wise tactician because of which stats have been designated as Prime stats.

One way to perhaps illustrate this concept would be an example of a character who knows how to use a particular ability to their best advantage compared to someone who doesn't. In this way for example, someone who knows how to best use their strength to complete a task may end up doing better compared to another character who doesn't even if they happen to be the physically stronger of the two.

As briefly mentioned these primary attributes will also affect saving throws. C&C links different saving throws to each of the six main attributes which hadn't been the case. Though it means that there is no 'dump' stat for each character now, the selection of primes can make a significant difference and help offset a low ability score. The game rational is that the character has probably 'worked' to compensate for this shortfall.

Each attribute will have a modifier attached to it, which will also factor into these die rolls as will the actual level of the character. In this way, a 8th level character will be much better at accomplishing the sort of tasks or making his save compared to what he was like at 2nd level.

The inclusion of these Prime Attributes helps to provide an additional level of 'customization' than what Classic D&D offered but without adding the complexities that AD&D only began to introduce. Finally, it also uses the d20 to accomplish all these things but remains consistent in how it's done.

I guess that rounds off the basics on what the Siege mechanic represents for C&C. I'm just hoping I did an adequate job at trying to explain it.

M

Yet another Blog...

2009-10-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a little less than two months since I decided to focus my efforts and form up Arcana Creations -- a design studio of sorts with the purpose to help produce material for my favorite hobby. With the efforts made on 'The Secret of Ronan Skerry' about to go to print and into distribution, and with the recent release of a digest-sized conversion of 'The Ruins of Ramat' for the Castles & Crusades role playing game, my friend John from Brave Halfling Publishing had another idea.

'Why don't you start up a blog?'

Well, I gave it some thought. The idea on one that also dealt with C&C, the Siege Engine, and some of the things I'm doing didn't seem to be a bad one either. However, I realize that some of the regular bloggers do so successfully with dedication and effort. Since my focus would also gravitate towards C&C and the Siege Engine, I thought that 'Under Siege' might be an apt name for the blog.

Hopefully, this will prove to be a enjoyable experience -- both for the reader and the writer.

M