tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29796193140394323702024-03-26T21:05:48.296-04:00Clerics Wear RingmailAdventures, reviews, and old school gamingCWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-21306391511307854272024-03-03T13:30:00.001-05:002024-03-03T13:43:37.352-05:00Old Maps: Ehrn<p>
In January, I found and posted
<a
href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2024/01/some-old-maps.html"
target="_blank"
>some old, analog maps</a
>
from a campaign I ran many, many years ago. A handful of folks expressed
interest in seeing the notes - so I figured I'd type them up for you. The
article here to follow is a set of things I for which I have concrete memory
about the game meshed with what's written down on the discovered notes. A
proper scan, itself, you can find
<a
href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x442eE6nm0hZdHpwINoeos0EuaMIh3qi/view"
target="_blank"
>here</a
>
- as well - for anyone interested.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIVGdfhPn-GecVG1X6SI3EyDDbUqcZIY3UEMwFgCDAxVEDi34_x30_PyiuRjubQr-QiJxea9R3fVkByZl2CLnSuFtUMWET8P-yTAhzp6DDjCFpMRe36vn4gdZAAX-Nybm_DXKZhpjfSHZyHIi30KWV-jGQWz8nUcEVuWDSbXJc1UoGFitI9Xi-C46govS/s977/Ehrn.png"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="792"
data-original-width="977"
height="466"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIVGdfhPn-GecVG1X6SI3EyDDbUqcZIY3UEMwFgCDAxVEDi34_x30_PyiuRjubQr-QiJxea9R3fVkByZl2CLnSuFtUMWET8P-yTAhzp6DDjCFpMRe36vn4gdZAAX-Nybm_DXKZhpjfSHZyHIi30KWV-jGQWz8nUcEVuWDSbXJc1UoGFitI9Xi-C46govS/w640-h518/Ehrn.png"
width="576"
/></a>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Ehrn - Dominion of Horse and Stone<br /></h2>
<p>
Its population, concentrated along a rich central plane - mountains to the
north and allies in trade to the west, the relative scarcity of wood long
encouraged a pastoral culture. With the coming of the lizard warlocks to the
south in the marshes, new enemies necessitate prudence, new bonds by necessity
forged with the Dwarves of the mountains and relationships deepened with the
wealthy Amanians to the east. Architecture is driven by necessity: turf
roofing with brick or masonry supporting the walls. Many long houses are
stables with a family or clan living in the upper chamber alongside the
hayloft. Children are trained from a young age to ride and to shoot, but
foremost: an allegiance is impressed upon them to kith and kin.
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
To the north - the mountain Dwarves; to the south - the lizard warlocks (and
residual Elves) of Marsh Haven. <br />
</li>
<li>
To the west and south, Azrah: a desert nation of traders - from whom wonders
from far off lands are drawn.
</li>
<li>
To the west and north, Hurshan: a fellow equestrian people, but one less
settled - with hawk-like features, few permanent structures, and
indiscernible demeanor.
</li>
<li>
To the east, Amana: the center of civilization... according to the Amanians.
</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJFEBe-7BbPgin_eGA5w4DVXoTbncGVnToAhSwJsXdizrzSya-qGzpUEImZlx5vQQj3Y_cHCyWLAxu_iShYN2WieA2Obe782sBguwVbMi49y8K2l5mMel5b5clGCXzqOKFbcUeCChR9LTM5JV8X0mmHbmBwomuy2WJr1sIu0y9HMFvFwoOMTXYmNwmGN2/s1187/MountOlympus-cropped.ThomasAllom.OBI.jpg"
><img
alt="Mount Olympus; Thomas Allom"
border="0"
data-original-height="675"
data-original-width="1187"
height="328"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJFEBe-7BbPgin_eGA5w4DVXoTbncGVnToAhSwJsXdizrzSya-qGzpUEImZlx5vQQj3Y_cHCyWLAxu_iShYN2WieA2Obe782sBguwVbMi49y8K2l5mMel5b5clGCXzqOKFbcUeCChR9LTM5JV8X0mmHbmBwomuy2WJr1sIu0y9HMFvFwoOMTXYmNwmGN2/w640-h364/MountOlympus-cropped.ThomasAllom.OBI.jpg"
title="Mount Olympus; Thomas Allom"
width="576"
/></a>
</div>
<br />
<center>
<table style="width: 95%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 0.5em; width: 50%;" valign="top">
<h3>Cities and Towns</h3>
<ul>
<li>Lordholme (33,056)</li>
<li>Northway (26,445)<br /></li>
<li>Riverbend (18,512)<br /></li>
<li>Easthelm (15,736)<br /></li>
<li>Oln (11,802)<br /></li>
<li>Ghard (8,262)<br /></li>
<li>Benthel (5,784)<br /></li>
<li>Hune (4,628)<br /></li>
<li>Varhorn (3,009)<br /></li>
<li>Gelphenhaus (2,558)<br /></li>
<li>Thorn (1,919)<br /></li>
<li>Vane (1,248)<br /></li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="padding-left: 0.5em; width: 50%;" valign="top">
<h3>Points of Defense or Interest</h3>
<ul>
<li><u>Net Area</u>: 89,797 square miles</li>
<li><u>Population</u>: 6,465,384 <br /></li>
<li><i>Standing Guard</i>: 21,552</li>
<li><i>Callable Population</i>: 1,293,077<br /> </li>
<li>130 castles and fortifications</li>
<ul>
<li>97 interior or manor <br /></li>
<li>33 border guard<br /></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Ruins, Dungeons, and Points of Adventurea</h3>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<i>Break Island</i> Two large rivers come together at this junction: and at
the conjoining, a silt island has formed, on which a pack of beast men have
built a stronghold.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Aquifer Cavern</i> A large underground complex: completely filled with
water in most places. Bandits conspire with mer-folk, to use it to hide
their treasures.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Gray Orc City</i> A tribe of desert orcs has isolated themselves here
after being pushed back by Ehrnish expansion. Now, they raid the lands they
once called home for sustenance.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>The Henge</i> This ruined complex is thought to be of human origin, but
it's architecture is not known to any who have seen it. Magic in this place
is amplified.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i
><span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6bL-FSHPbxi-F8gWWlD4eypzKuLTaS-t1rcs9vRaaPGf6JjqLN_XnFaGpPxSa3fIVO1NQ3g4jPcD2O61z8uiD1fYV9ARuJM_BKHI-t_-65uDOen_mVGidzHbg8nprWRwU6pB6Qh2t2dQmNRjTPozb7dMas5tX5kPE456Dp-PSxIWdXcbTviAqsakFnqT/s538/SwearToMe-Desaturated.ArthurRackham.OBI.jpg"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"
><img
alt="Swear To Me; Arthur Rackham"
border="0"
data-original-height="538"
data-original-width="470"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6bL-FSHPbxi-F8gWWlD4eypzKuLTaS-t1rcs9vRaaPGf6JjqLN_XnFaGpPxSa3fIVO1NQ3g4jPcD2O61z8uiD1fYV9ARuJM_BKHI-t_-65uDOen_mVGidzHbg8nprWRwU6pB6Qh2t2dQmNRjTPozb7dMas5tX5kPE456Dp-PSxIWdXcbTviAqsakFnqT/w280-h320/SwearToMe-Desaturated.ArthurRackham.OBI.jpg"
title="Swear To Me; Arthur Rackham"
width="280"
/></a>
</span>
Einherjar Rubbish Heap</i
>
Some of the fortresses of the Einherjar landed intact, disgorging the
betrayer warriors unto the plain. This one did not. Large chunks of a
celestial city are strewn about this site: each a labyrinth in its own
right<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Look Out Rock</i> A ruined, limestone fortress peeking above the spring
and source of the long river. now watched by one of the border fortresses,
the rock, and the semi natural caverns beneath it, draw adventure from
across the plane.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>North Tribe</i> Another group of gray orcs live here. They are bitter
enemies of the first, but still despise the Ehrnish.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Hanging Rocks</i> This cave formation impossibly leans over a ledge into
a shallow gorge. It appears to have been hollowed out by a forgotten people
– but it's purpose and that people are long gone<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Goblin Camp</i> A tribe of goblins man a wooden fortress built atop a
stone complex of Dwarfish origin. The goblins have made it their own<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>The Windy Crag</i> This half cave / half valley houses carnivorous dire
bats. It is said that the wind proceeding, singing from the crag is
unnatural - the result of the beat of many thousands of wings.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Insane Dwarves</i> A citadel of Dwarves driven mad - incoherent, violent
cannibals. Those which have been extracted from the citadel are oddly marred
- organs out of place, features mutated - though the source of this
contagion is unknown: presumably buried deep, deep in the ground.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Sundered Mountain</i> A mountain cleft in twain – with an abandoned
Ddwarf citadel half-revealed by the break. Unnatural dangers lurk close to
the surface, their home - normally deep underground - rudely exposed to the
bright of the outside.<br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Deep Drink Well</i> A natural cistern so deep that, despite the crystal
clear water, one cannot see the bottom. Stories say it connects to a deep
crag in Amana - providing a conduit of hazards and wild things into its
depths - but whenever one looks into it, one only sees the clear, cool
water.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<p>Campaign on, readers!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>Public domain artwork retrieved from
<a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com" target="_blank"
>OldBookIllustrations.com</a
>
and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.</span
><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-27953337851848659322024-02-17T04:30:00.335-05:002024-02-17T04:30:00.132-05:00Guerrilla (Miniature) Warfare<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;" valign="top">
<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Play-Cast Name: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GuerrillaMiniatureGames" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Guerrilla Miniature Games</span></a><br />
</div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GuerrillaMiniatureGames" target="_blank"><br /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Play-List Name: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzrPO7KIAtwUF_xxGMSDjOIB7ShSKvalX" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Throwback Thursday: Mordheim</span></a>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<br />System: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3565/mordheim-city-damned" target="_blank">Mordheim</a>
(<a href="https://www.warhammer.com" target="_blank">Games Workshop</a>)</span><br />
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 50%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDzbcTugqOe_xPivVRKcLvNBp2YWk2fYZpsbHNdqiPvTNrFw8vLgLy_O3J5Q32pAI-K21mcDlLfLCdpgoaS0pp-HfvDfEFLLmQKPN0ES12T9Pi08MBRkq9DH7X52zAUBpFssZjY1c1n4EEE43180na8abpEWIqzwmUaKVgZ3XrkzrKYUMYfdxrpxwhGOk/s100/Rating-GloriousGambeson.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="80" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDzbcTugqOe_xPivVRKcLvNBp2YWk2fYZpsbHNdqiPvTNrFw8vLgLy_O3J5Q32pAI-K21mcDlLfLCdpgoaS0pp-HfvDfEFLLmQKPN0ES12T9Pi08MBRkq9DH7X52zAUBpFssZjY1c1n4EEE43180na8abpEWIqzwmUaKVgZ3XrkzrKYUMYfdxrpxwhGOk/w160-h200/Rating-GloriousGambeson.png" style="background: rgb(51, 51, 51); border: medium; box-shadow: none;" width="160" /></a>
</div>
<i>Gambeson<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Glorious Rainbow Gambeson<br /></span></i>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2><i>Thoughts and Review</i></h2>
<p>
Guerrilla Miniature Games is a gaming entertainment conglomerate devoted to
the play and exposition of miniature war and skirmish games. Operated by
Canadian game designer
<a href="https://twitter.com/GMGAshBarker" target="_blank">Ash Barker</a>, the
channel is awash with miniature wargaming: including playlists and scheduled
content around reviews, actual plays, and hobby - painting, collecting, and
related media: games, books, films, and so on - updated on what seems to be a
daily cadence.
</p>
<p>
I found out about Guerrilla Miniature Games when searching on a whim for
actual play videos of Games Workshop's <i>Mordheim</i>: a discontinued
skirmish campaign game wherein you take on the role of adventurers hiring a
crew of mercenaries and delving into the heart of a ruined city for fame,
glory, and most importantly - treasure! This theme should resonate with any
classic OSR/TSR gamer - and may likewise with many others - though there is a
shortage of actual play content for these old systems. Reviews abound, but
play remains elusive.
</p>
<p>
So, in authoring this review, I wanted to bring to light Guerrilla Miniature
Games' Mordheim series - a great playlist with over 70 videos as of this
writing to vicariously experience a classic game.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESjq1F6sX74_cGfONMmYPtS2ktKAh98rHhB4xxKwneoHIFjs07D5LEjjWTXGb6t1oF3LMNdqCCfXdbuM_dhogxMtJtEuei5-2NZdyCHWNHTRX7fqQij52APVgdlRJq3F1ssVwmXtHprwnWtepkQvldXUl-7n6mXnybn-vyWdUcsOvUUfIOmauBTz2Ye5e/s882/MordheimCover.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="882" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESjq1F6sX74_cGfONMmYPtS2ktKAh98rHhB4xxKwneoHIFjs07D5LEjjWTXGb6t1oF3LMNdqCCfXdbuM_dhogxMtJtEuei5-2NZdyCHWNHTRX7fqQij52APVgdlRJq3F1ssVwmXtHprwnWtepkQvldXUl-7n6mXnybn-vyWdUcsOvUUfIOmauBTz2Ye5e/w400-h272/MordheimCover.webp" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">What I Like</h3>
<p>
When watching wargame replays - the first thing that I <i>don't</i> notice is
the terrain. Or, I don't <i>want</i> to notice. I want to think of the terrain
as a compliment to the game - an element contributing to individual strategies
employed by the participants. You want terrain on the table - but you
<i>don't</i> want the artisanship of the terrain to overshadow the game,
itself.
</p>
<p>Guerrilla Miniature Games finds the perfect balance.</p>
<p>
The terrain used on the channel is appropriate and pretty - but likewise, not
so elaborate or over-done such that I could expect the terrain I see at their
table to appear at a given hobby shop. It works for the game, it works for the
table, and it makes me think back to the days when I was playing the same
game, four other tables around me working through their own league
confrontations, and answering the occasional question from a young kid who may
or may not have mistakenly moved one of my rat-men. And those are good
memories to remember.<br />
</p>
<p>
<i>So, you have... rocks and ruins. Now try me a reason to actually care</i>.
Glad you asked! When watching these kind of programs - I look for two things:
one, entertainment value (which, to be fair, is subjective); and two,
educational value (which largely is not). While I cannot vouch for other
playlists - as my interests led me to Mordheim - in the Mordheim playlist,
Guerrilla Miniature Games does a <i>phenomenal</i> job in teaching the game.
They follow a format - in the first episode of the series, they talk a bit
about the rules: and before each match, they talk a bit about the different
army lists in use. Further, they expose the rules - highlighting which one
they are doing and how it works, if there is any nuance to it, during
play.
</p>
<p>
Parry - for example - comes to mind: where a character armed with a sword may
attempt to thwart an inbound hit.
</p>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNficnRca6X-Fw9FwO6_GSkoUmAy7W2SVk5BVmVeaWCjsvxPUzQnxUt5-L58f_NMgLx7eQeZOmQfPbznjzJJUkBps-7grK5mIMHNtBNu-97AyAd1zELqYTMhzEx_2H-cV0S8abMiphl-HhPpphxfWr0H_2yqNrElI-UDXX7jBDRKV-_IK34HirTgIiotoV/s450/OrcsVsReikland.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: -1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="450" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNficnRca6X-Fw9FwO6_GSkoUmAy7W2SVk5BVmVeaWCjsvxPUzQnxUt5-L58f_NMgLx7eQeZOmQfPbznjzJJUkBps-7grK5mIMHNtBNu-97AyAd1zELqYTMhzEx_2H-cV0S8abMiphl-HhPpphxfWr0H_2yqNrElI-UDXX7jBDRKV-_IK34HirTgIiotoV/s320/OrcsVsReikland.png" width="320" /></a>
</span>
<p>
Orkish animosity comes to mind likewise: where a specific condition applied to
and otherwise overpowered (in my humblest of opinions) army list and impacts
play, introducing an element of spice to the list.
</p>
<p>
So if you are aiming to learn the game while still keeping a fast pace at the
table, seeing the armies move, how they interact, and how the game operates -
this channel is for you.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">What Are the Hold-Ups<br /></h3>
<p>
The strength, however, of the playlist ties in to the weakness of the same
playlist for my usual audience. This blog - and its corresponding YouTube and
Podcast and other social media - focuses on the OSR: games and gaming which
emulate or recreate the experience of the first ten years of D&D: the Gary
Epoch - where fantasy adventure meets tabletop wargaming and crashes into
personal role-play. In order to truly <i>be</i> OSR, a product must conform to
TSR Dungeons & Dragons - and while Games Workshop, the company behind
Mordheim, did build wide acclaim as the importer and distributor for Dungeons
& Dragons during the Gary Epoch in the United Kingdom, the Mordheim and
Warhammer systems are not built to be compatible with the D&D game -
representing instead the company's own foray into fantasy: initially in the
form of rank-and-flank battles.
</p>
<p>
With that in mind - Mordheim (and thus the Guerilla Miniatures Games playlist
on Mordheim) is not OSR: but I would argue that it carries some elements that
translate over. Mordheim brings several elements to the table which will
resonate with an OSR RPG campaign:
</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>A core of heroes who represent the main protagonist.</li>
<li>A squad of henchmen which must be managed.<br /></li>
<li>A focus on gold at the end of the adventure.<br /></li>
</ol>
<p>
For the third point - Mordheim does, by memory, award experience for Wyrdstone
(a precious resource sold for gold and the primary reason for warbands to be
in the city) acquired: whether that is scenario specific or core, I would have
to look up - but at the core of it, gold is how you keep your warband moving.
The logistics aspect is abstracted - that is, when playing a campaign, you
don't need to feed your troops (where in an OSR game, you would) - but you
will need to equip them, replace casualties, upgrade equipment, and perform
other administrative concerns tantamount to resource management. What Mordheim
can teach you in this regard is a skirmish game mindset - which is how TSR
D&D operates.
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
The core of heroes - your stable and your player characters - represent the
main protagonist.
</li>
<li>
Your hirelings and henchmen - bought, paid for, and managed - represent the
warband.
</li>
<li>
Gold-provisioned XP focuses on treasure at the end of the adventure.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<p>
So - in that sense - Mordheim can get you into the right mindset: where the
battlefield on the screen might be a ruined city, the battlefield in your
campaign may be a cramped tunnel in a dungeon. But - if you enjoy (or are
curious about) the domain aspect, this game might be a good spark for your
interest.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XFk9c1jRelrQvFVnOybS3eNms8lsvS10kI4Urg2IxAl5wydh1qYEFKFBnWLW_8Ug5wUtjfRX-X29L4H49qUSaR1J-CPOQiWBTyA0MHgdBTiom0aq3e0CZI0IprVpjnGXiQk5NCmvrraosJp2AL2J3yMKs-BuI20dKRsMMnuaXB6JfKl21TYj12dKkpeb/s480/MordheimCityOfTheDamned.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XFk9c1jRelrQvFVnOybS3eNms8lsvS10kI4Urg2IxAl5wydh1qYEFKFBnWLW_8Ug5wUtjfRX-X29L4H49qUSaR1J-CPOQiWBTyA0MHgdBTiom0aq3e0CZI0IprVpjnGXiQk5NCmvrraosJp2AL2J3yMKs-BuI20dKRsMMnuaXB6JfKl21TYj12dKkpeb/w400-h225/MordheimCityOfTheDamned.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
Lastly - speaking to my own experience of Mordheim - the story is what you
make of it. Some players would simply do the upkeep/advancement aspect and
keep playing, others would keep campaign journals where they detailed the
intents and opinions of the warband chieftains. In this sense - the Guerilla
Miniatures Games channel, while it does follow the campaign rules - players
come back, warbands make repeat appearances, grow, shrink, win, and lose: some
coming back for rematches against one another - it does not weave a
<i>story</i> with it. With essentially all OSR actual play channels, there is
a central story - either forced by a mediocre DM or emerging from the
experiences of an active player base - with this playlist: you need to be here
for the game, expressly.
</p>
<p>
And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Like I mentioned, some players are
there for the game. And if that is the case - if you're looking for a story -
you will want to look elsewhere. It's right there in the name: Guerilla
Miniatures Gaming is about... guerilla miniatures gaming. <br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Further Consideration</h3>
<p>
In terms of the game, itself, Mordheim has sadly been discontinued (though GW
appears to have kept
<a href="https://www.warhammer.com/en-US/shop/other-games/blood-bowl" target="_blank">Blood Bowl</a>, which is nice) - however, miniatures from any fantasy range can be used
(including Age of Sigmar or upcoming Old World miniatures from Games Workshop
/ Citadel) and a quick
<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mordheim+rules+pdf" target="_blank">internet search</a>
can easily uncover PDF versions of the old rules.
</p>
<p>
In terms of Guerilla Miniatures Gaming - if you enjoy his style and content,
there is a plethora of other, similar content available on the over-arching
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GuerrillaMiniatureGames" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>. In addition, they can be found on social media - including a WordPress
<a href="https://guerrillaminiaturegames.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, on
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/outofthebasementintothestreets/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, and on
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/guerrillaminiaturegames/" target="_blank">Instragram</a>
- as well as operating a
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/guerrillaminiaturegames" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, which - while I am not a member - does have a free tier and does put out
content regularly.
</p>
<p>
Lastly, for folks curious about Mordheim but who do not want to shell out for
a dozen miniatures and a hobby shop at which to play, a video game version -
<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordheim:_City_of_the_Damned" target="_blank">Mordheim: City of the Damned</a></i>
- has been released for Windows and console, available on multiple platforms.
I have not played the video game version, so I cannot speak to its quality or
fidelity, but it did look neat when I watched the preview.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">In Conclusion</h3>
<p>
To conclude, does Mordheim <i>really</i> belong on an OSR review column?
Probably not. But as mentioned above - the game has some OSR-compatible
elements and brings to the table a real mindset that can get you into the mood
for the domain tier of the game. For that reason, I've rated it
<i>Gambeson</i>: Glorious Rainbow Gambeson - for the wonderful paint schemes
that I remember classic Empire armies having back in the day when I first
learned about tabletop wargaming... and for the widely utilized armor that
somehow didn't make it into (or, at least not by name in) TSR D&D.
</p>
<p>
I enjoy Guerilla Miniatures Gaming - and if you enjoy tabletop battles - I
think you will too.
</p>
<p>Delve on, readers!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mordheim cover art sourced from
<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1527462/mordheim-city-damned" target="_blank">BoardGameGeek.com</a> but is property of Games Workshop. Still of Orks vs Reikland taken from Guerilla Miniatures Gaming YouTube,
Throwback Thursday: Mordheim playlist, episode 12 (<a href="https://youtu.be/UrRfBTkq8FA" target="_blank">link</a>) and is property of Guerilla Miniatures Gaming. Cover art for <i>Mordheim: City of the Damned - Complete Edition</i> retrieved from the <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/mordheim-city-of-the-damned-complete-edition/C2KP3VP1FMWG" target="_blank">Microsoft Store</a> and is property of Microsoft, Focus Home Interactive, and Games Workshop. All images included and all trademarks referenced are included as under Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 107 as
non-commercial review and remain property of their respective owners - Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership
nor to rights over them.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-77993794338976962062024-02-03T04:30:00.066-05:002024-02-03T04:30:00.155-05:00Meet GREG<p> Meet GREG: the <a href="https://taylorlearnstocode.github.io/guided-random-encounter-generator/" target="_blank">Guided Random Encounter Generator</a>.</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://taylorlearnstocode.github.io/guided-random-encounter-generator/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="499" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjF0vFdbAWhvQQGyOL6FfC-7tyJNalJaX2OXjU0bd6aOqg7qJ530yPxN66akyIeDApQjLk3w-i1PP1GQL_6H14u98D8w9xTqNiR8prH9rx3tUbBmIG1X4SxoGMyWpUNNDUUlmH8K1NNaNxi-ymWmBYpbEooizaa14E1ehVzXAJ27MZNGODpozYS5sH07M9/w570-h640/GREG.LandingPage.jpg" width="513" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>GREG is a project I started in 2020 but kicked back into gear last spring with a friend designed to do two things: to keep up to speed on the changes in a web framework I wasn't getting to use enough at work to remain competitive on my resume with but also to provide an avenue to generate random encounters, dungeons, and lairs using data provided, configured, or provided by the user.</p><p>Got custom monsters? Got a custom encounter list - or modified treasure types for your home game? In the past, having all of the above, I had never been able to do it automatically. And friends - I have friends who have made tools like this customized to do exactly this: but it's always hard coded - so when something changes, they go back into the java script... or the python... or the whatever the framework of the week was to make those changes, hoping the thing stays together. So - not having that resource, or not knowing about it at the time - this was my way to try to create an easy-to-use, easy-to-configure, will-always-work local or hosted mechanism to do exactly that.</p><p>Like I mentioned, I had been working on it last spring - and I had some folks testing it with me last summer. And I was using it to help generate Ash Coast dungeon restocking quickly! But knowing that, there are a few problems currently with it. As of this writing:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>There is an issue with some of the "men" entries - Berserkers, in particular, will not generate super-normals (heroes, superheroes) as they should based on the size of the group: data issue.</li><li>It claims it supports B/X - technically, it only supports B: again, data issue.</li><li>Some accompanying units - evil Wizards for Bandits, etc. - may generate too frequently: that is, I did not code flexibly enough to handle some of OD&D's unique randomization rules.</li><li>There is literally nothing in terms of a "help" button or user manual.<br /></li></ul><p>I do have deviations or issues documented in GitHub - and folks who are savvy enough to care about GitHub will likely be able to find the source - as of this writing, it's public, as I had originally intended to open-source the code before realizing I was going to be <i>entirely</i> too painful to work with as a repo owner (I wouldn't subject you, kind readers, to me in that regard!) - and I do intend to take this back up and keep working on the fixes, changes, and updates necessary to address them.</p><p>So keep an eye out - try it out: see how it handles, if you're interested - and I will make a point to post updates to the blog (and a permalink, for folks interested, to the app from the blog) when fixes or improvements are applied.</p><p>Delve on, readers! Thank you for reading.<br /></p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-48778083425350270742024-01-20T04:30:00.176-05:002024-03-03T13:54:19.245-05:00Some Old Maps<p>
In a recent podcast, I had talked about finding older maps from long dead
campaigns in the garage - while re-organizing my desk, I had found some more
and thought it might be fun to share. It's not the dagger world I mentioned -
but instead it's a middle map - one which represents both amazing amounts of
prep but also actually did make it to the table - both in the form of players
and of fiction prose.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4avzuIfU84NWXj32_CrWIaKrKMEXHfKk6icSbsnEoXngiJWf4m5N4mI3S8iVh8SY9EbxTqPRUsc_2edSSBkGWkH7BBXwvsQD8zCSXLpmi4oEMzsND4egiF7jjdDFzAV-0IwoYQK2fCQH5D1wcgQ5EWGaaYrv27FjZqnMaMjjC4L4LKsQCsc189skUI8wr/s874/PangeaProxima.WithColors.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="874" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4avzuIfU84NWXj32_CrWIaKrKMEXHfKk6icSbsnEoXngiJWf4m5N4mI3S8iVh8SY9EbxTqPRUsc_2edSSBkGWkH7BBXwvsQD8zCSXLpmi4oEMzsND4egiF7jjdDFzAV-0IwoYQK2fCQH5D1wcgQ5EWGaaYrv27FjZqnMaMjjC4L4LKsQCsc189skUI8wr/w400-h384/PangeaProxima.WithColors.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
I found this map deep in the back of a notebook I'm trying to repurpose for
analog gaming going into 2024. The first thing I noticed was the label -
"Middensphere" - which is a total lie: the original "Middensphere" looked more
like a flooded North America: but the name was cool, and whenever you have a
cool idea - take it with you to the next game! That said, I recognized the map
immediately from the shape. Taken from a trace that I had made when coming
across the concept of
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea_Proxima" target="_blank">Pangaea Proxima</a>
for the first time (then Pangaea Ultima), it was an Earth-to-come, an
Earth-after, and a really interesting map. Central ocean, mountain patterns,
island chains, detached island continent - plenty to work with thinking about
how to game with it.
</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7T8GQQ5XI0bh_x_Sot49bD_7Jau1NYLnbymakfq42Y8QYyi5pNX2U3_5r6N3Ij09Le3B6jhpyp35psu2HJtyW7n4VXIHUMTUK2xYYnLhAgmproI0ESppDn2hb1d55RnzfiM8Fp1bPpZet2AKxfUrxg5YDQuOrTYFAZhiVaRn79ZohYeIajBCwch-nj18/s3300/PangeaProxima.WithLatitudes.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3300" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7T8GQQ5XI0bh_x_Sot49bD_7Jau1NYLnbymakfq42Y8QYyi5pNX2U3_5r6N3Ij09Le3B6jhpyp35psu2HJtyW7n4VXIHUMTUK2xYYnLhAgmproI0ESppDn2hb1d55RnzfiM8Fp1bPpZet2AKxfUrxg5YDQuOrTYFAZhiVaRn79ZohYeIajBCwch-nj18/w640-h494/PangeaProxima.WithLatitudes.jpg" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p><i>"But what are those colors?"</i> you ask. </p>
<p>Well, see above.</p>
<p>
After having traced it and flipped it (can't have it too recognizable by the
players), I set to work defining where bands of latitude were. Knowing that,
you can then think about where ocean currents flow - taking warm water into
cold regions and cold water into warm ones - and identify climate bands.
</p>
<p>
On the interiors, in the shadow of massive mountains lining where the tectonic
plates connected, deserts form - as well as in certain places where the
current would take moisture <i>away from</i> the coast rather than inland from
it.
</p>
<p>
Looking at it now - I kind of want to run a game in the southern reaches: the
island to the south (the conglomeration of Antarctica and Australia in a far
flung future) with its sea-capability, its multiple proximitous environments,
and its obvious trade routes. But was that where I actually went, way back
whenever this map was made?
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWngetsog-TPC3fYqUFWBwmDjYp3MmtxCLZ_K2uS604cMrW-nHNg8Wim6KdAf6B4y53fz6vQ2DpcFlBMt22Wpb2X1G9eyQO9URWwGW74EQyRiUFR1yihqpiPz-37nM4uJVrEXd-O4URXBLjG3iNrQ0pZZk599fnJbep-_9sTRWaKyWDUzztl6RNd-vaUl/s1750/CampaignMap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="1750" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWngetsog-TPC3fYqUFWBwmDjYp3MmtxCLZ_K2uS604cMrW-nHNg8Wim6KdAf6B4y53fz6vQ2DpcFlBMt22Wpb2X1G9eyQO9URWwGW74EQyRiUFR1yihqpiPz-37nM4uJVrEXd-O4URXBLjG3iNrQ0pZZk599fnJbep-_9sTRWaKyWDUzztl6RNd-vaUl/w400-h309/CampaignMap.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>Of course not.</p>
<p>
You'll recognize this region from the North-East of the flipped supercontinent
- an extrapolation of where bits of the US and Canada would have ended up,
smashing into each other as the molten mantle conveyed them along an
inexorable collision course.
</p>
<p>
Zooming in - I can see a dozen kingdoms: four of which are done in incredible
detail. A long forgotten code of "x"s, dots, stars, and hatching coupled with
colors and labels denote the wild lands and the settled, the adventure sites
and the safehouses, and where cultures mixed or met.
</p>
<p>
In particular, my mind is drawn to "Alara" - a nation named after
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaric_I" target="_blank">Alaric I</a>,
barbarian bane of Rome in its early decline - and the home of the tall,
strong, warrior race that all fantasy settings seem to invariably crave.
That's a name that has made its way into several campaign maps during my
college period where I couldn't seem to settle on one world to just play games
using.
</p>
<p>And then to the north - some Aztec names. </p>
<p>
Arctic Aztec ancients, if I remember correctly, was the plan - though the
campaign never went that far: so those lands, back in 200X through to the
publication of this post - remain shrouded in unwritten mystery and half
concepts, waiting for a party long graduated, diaspora from the old comic shop
in new and allopatric hobby dens.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYDL1Wk9jhLokZfelHlE8GLa0F2Pa_WT-OuDrh3jsekeWZq0HW7oZfdB_07WHDKbKEm3QUma8n-cA-pEAHbrdf1-6VeLlJ6Gm3XkwkdkcDzOhosl2YEw7k1fwOPIFcoN1JstOuw_i0lY7Vim-hjb0fTkQSNLuplTNgpL76HuXeeZKjL9VlUyBLePyABw0/s1782/CampaignNotes.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1782" data-original-width="1692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYDL1Wk9jhLokZfelHlE8GLa0F2Pa_WT-OuDrh3jsekeWZq0HW7oZfdB_07WHDKbKEm3QUma8n-cA-pEAHbrdf1-6VeLlJ6Gm3XkwkdkcDzOhosl2YEw7k1fwOPIFcoN1JstOuw_i0lY7Vim-hjb0fTkQSNLuplTNgpL76HuXeeZKjL9VlUyBLePyABw0/s320/CampaignNotes.jpg" width="304" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
This map would go on to be forgotten as a young me put two and two together,
noting that, in order for this continent to form, the pattern of separation
across the Atlantic would have to cease and reverse - something that didn't
sit quite right for me: going on to discover
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novopangaea" target="_blank">Novopangaea</a>
- which sat much better. But regardless of the eventual fate of the map, part
of the reason I wanted to share: this one, I found along with page after page
after page of hand written formatted notes identifying all the places marked
on the map. It represented a veritable treasure trove of campaign material:
easily enough to write a novel in - and obviously enough to have been
influenced by a continual progression of play.
</p>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid rgb(180, 95, 6); margin: 1em; padding: 1em; width: 90%;">
<p style="color: #b45f06; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>-- Update --</b></span></p>
<p>
Some folks have expressed interest in the content of the old notes I pictured: which...
admittedly, in retrospect does seem somewhat of a tease. So I've started the work of
digitizing those pages into readable web format and posting them to the blog in
a separate series of notes. The WIP list of posts that provide for this is here:
</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2024/03/old-maps-ehrn.html" target="_blank">Ehrn: the Domain of Horse and Stone</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>
I'm not sure I would want to run a game <i>exactly</i> in this world again -
the hexes are entirely too large, noted at 30 miles each on the key - but it
has been a lot of fun looking through these notes: each page of which contains
the name of the peoples, the populations, the distribution of that population
among varied towns, the military capability of each area, striated across the
breadth of settled space, and a list of ruins and adventure sites: calculated
based on the length of the "castled age," but then detailed individually to
drop into a living campaign.
</p>
<p>
I will attach a scan of the original trace - which I appear to have
photocopied, over and over, onto hex paper when making nested maps - in case
of someone else thinking this was a fun map, likewise.
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFAQKYOX5QS8NE8Cg_1UTkyw7zTijWrVxcAIijg8K1eAx4CzJ2Ni-YNhUyheZ4wyqcf62EGsVfOuE5W5-5tuVyO-VFeT-ZvSTrorshDkIJzpkztIup8DPIfZNIerV5njC6UEYdByTBDaD1l1oaZNvBUExG5b7DxGMazz7FWwkLmCT0dGqTrCzRJo4chzt/s3300/PangeaProximaTrace.Hugegantic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="3300" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFAQKYOX5QS8NE8Cg_1UTkyw7zTijWrVxcAIijg8K1eAx4CzJ2Ni-YNhUyheZ4wyqcf62EGsVfOuE5W5-5tuVyO-VFeT-ZvSTrorshDkIJzpkztIup8DPIfZNIerV5njC6UEYdByTBDaD1l1oaZNvBUExG5b7DxGMazz7FWwkLmCT0dGqTrCzRJo4chzt/w400-h309/PangeaProximaTrace.Hugegantic.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>I hope this has been as interesting to you - the reader - at least in passing as it has been to me, rediscovering this material hidden next to some floppy disks and mechanical pencils. In chatting about it on Discord or in other forums, I'd gotten some feedback and interest on the material - so I'll try to glean out the interesting and useful parts to post as the weeks roll on and time permits.</p><p>Either way - in the meantime - delve on!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Y_euaGCDTrEv8LeHmemTp_jomRUNCqqj4vKcYdB8hH2CQr2BtLsalLzW7zBNfC8pvA_nAi6CBnKiioSdfd-PgRBNnfj9rIZD5zC797S578rRm5hNR9b4gFoVsyPbVRwsxrKlUoGixsIE_QMBTi1TiDCQIqkx7HT48XJT0T0ZtAd5J7cgr32xSzqBU2h/s438/FreeFight-adapted2.AlbertRobida.OldBookIllustrations.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Free Fight; Albert Robida" border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="416" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4Y_euaGCDTrEv8LeHmemTp_jomRUNCqqj4vKcYdB8hH2CQr2BtLsalLzW7zBNfC8pvA_nAi6CBnKiioSdfd-PgRBNnfj9rIZD5zC797S578rRm5hNR9b4gFoVsyPbVRwsxrKlUoGixsIE_QMBTi1TiDCQIqkx7HT48XJT0T0ZtAd5J7cgr32xSzqBU2h/w380-h400/FreeFight-adapted2.AlbertRobida.OldBookIllustrations.png" title="Free Fight; Albert Robida" width="380" /></a></div>CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-55260843550107954002024-01-06T04:30:00.075-05:002024-01-06T04:30:00.142-05:000e Reference Sheets<p>
Happy New Year, readers! And as a New Year's present for you, I figured I
could share a ready-ref folio I'd been working on to supplement my
LBB+Chainmail gaming experience. Link related below:
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gZI9qOuL42kwj5mlFQiGHUhaf0wu2Vm1/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Desperate Curses; John Tenniel" border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFT8kdLFpAhyphenhyphenZ_dgrjjUlnxI_eFkLUWSaA6H6fuo9VVAHH0H2VQCJEavol4OVBo67QWoXKR2FYlkw-6a04BwNgz73Euk5BwXaGDA-xw76fwhhgm-duC0N7vY15hCqsyvxm7AYsCZB-3lmPGut7dB4nnNGAvJKLhuX1QqCZK8HqfAU248zW3Z-Sdr0Cw9v/w330-h400/DesperateCurses.JohnTenniel.OBI.jpg" title="Desperate Curses; John Tenniel" width="330" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gZI9qOuL42kwj5mlFQiGHUhaf0wu2Vm1/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">LBB & Chainmail Reference Folio</a></span><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
As you might note from the file name - this was originally intended to be a DM
screen. The idea that I had - and the end goal of the folio - is to fit into a
spiral-type apparatus: where you might be able to put them, page by page, into
three or four panels of spiral-ready screen holder, such that the relevant
sections of each area of play would be covered on adjacent panels: if your
party was in the dungeon, you'd pop out the dungeoneering and combat panels;
if your party was in the wilderness, you'd pop out the hexploration and mass
battle pages; and so on. Something like this:
</p>
<center>
<table style="width: 90%;">
<tbody><tr>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0OP9ihXeN_nBqiKsY7cJRqUKcflaGg2y5a1swdK15cwsGy8nSeFTXV57kFrkM4QMfXPepw5X_U4a0IPYqxTE_3Dx1fkHcLEStGEiHq4LhyNXJOFKpJhx1Hfmxhw8e09chhl0yus1lbfNNeqGA2F98W61bGlu3BzeifL9vBgx1mDqEWD0pc1NhoqwGnll/s316/First-scaled.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="316" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0OP9ihXeN_nBqiKsY7cJRqUKcflaGg2y5a1swdK15cwsGy8nSeFTXV57kFrkM4QMfXPepw5X_U4a0IPYqxTE_3Dx1fkHcLEStGEiHq4LhyNXJOFKpJhx1Hfmxhw8e09chhl0yus1lbfNNeqGA2F98W61bGlu3BzeifL9vBgx1mDqEWD0pc1NhoqwGnll/s1600/First-scaled.jpg" width="316" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiZyhVMJqjCT8gWFZ3onrj4dVtnpu9MZfjmEmdtXTM_FRxOUGUkvQJqkIwQdflSvbOMeMBnoSokUWxvvLNbwDEd87V3xKluN-PCK_ksFalRHecWgPGhMUOxiWYQR4ufeIWHs7c9uE6RjNk4eirjhual-qMP41g87NkeruN9UEsZpoaXM6MI1TWKJoIYVV/s251/Second-scaled.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="251" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiZyhVMJqjCT8gWFZ3onrj4dVtnpu9MZfjmEmdtXTM_FRxOUGUkvQJqkIwQdflSvbOMeMBnoSokUWxvvLNbwDEd87V3xKluN-PCK_ksFalRHecWgPGhMUOxiWYQR4ufeIWHs7c9uE6RjNk4eirjhual-qMP41g87NkeruN9UEsZpoaXM6MI1TWKJoIYVV/s1600/Second-scaled.jpg" width="251" /></a>
</span>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</center>
<p>
Currently artless - you'll note that right away - but once I'm happy with the
colocation of rules and have gotten the order figured out to make the
flippy-screen idea work, it might be cool likewise to have other-side artwork
that equally corresponds to tone: so, say, if you have the fantasy combat
rules up on your side, the player facing side would have an epic
Gandalf-V-Balrog type picture: or if you have the generic equipment and "town"
panel up, it would have the marketplace of Zamora. But we'll see when we get
there.<br />
</p>
<p>
As for content, it's got reference pages for combat, exploration, and mass
battles - including naval or aerial engagements - as defined in the LBB rules
or as extrapolated on in my pet project,
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/10/ode-to-74.html" target="_blank">Ode to '74</a>. It does have a very Chainmail flavor - the alternative combat system is not
present - however outside that, it can be useful playing any 0e or 0e-adjacent
game. </p><p>See something missing? Let me know! And happy delving!<br /></p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-18683434935193310102023-11-11T04:00:00.400-05:002023-11-11T04:00:00.136-05:00Dungeon Doors on 3d8<h2 style="text-align: left;">TL;DR</h2>
<p>
For usability purposes, a summation of the beyond is provided here succinctly.
For each door - roll three 8-sided dice, one for each column in the chart as
follows, to randomly determine mechanical characteristics of the door, with
something special happening on the extremes:
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;" width="10%">d8</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;" width="30%">State</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;" width="30%">Concealment</th>
<th width="30%">Protection</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Locked</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
Hidden<br />
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">Trapped</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Stuck</td>
<td rowspan="3" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
Not Concealed
</td>
<td rowspan="3" style="text-align: center;">Unprotected</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">3-6</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Closed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Stuck</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Ajar!</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">Secret</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">Trick!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>For a more detailed explanation of the above, read on!<br /></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Dungeon Doors on 3d8</h2>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPztX7uYFfM83bFIfgXlEUJ0pQkIfAtfHx5S_kA3m00NAGSmo3x1jOoL3DTnA28vALFrnaBVf4tuHxLmnea0pKu3TOlUnH8gxcimKgOnDw9BLUZQBrRvvepnq2fRwv_s1cbcK8fgaGajqUNY3uDBJt49NAPXUoMxoy-dxe4Y-bXLDok94_MLKifVEmEK5h/s600/StMaryRedcliffe-WindowsAndDoors.GeorgeShepherd.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="St. Mary Redcliffe - Windows and Doors; George Shepherd" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="444" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPztX7uYFfM83bFIfgXlEUJ0pQkIfAtfHx5S_kA3m00NAGSmo3x1jOoL3DTnA28vALFrnaBVf4tuHxLmnea0pKu3TOlUnH8gxcimKgOnDw9BLUZQBrRvvepnq2fRwv_s1cbcK8fgaGajqUNY3uDBJt49NAPXUoMxoy-dxe4Y-bXLDok94_MLKifVEmEK5h/w296-h400/StMaryRedcliffe-WindowsAndDoors.GeorgeShepherd.png" title="St. Mary Redcliffe - Windows and Doors; George Shepherd" width="296" /></a>
</div>
<p>
Procedures exist in every edition of the game and every respectable clone or
inspired system to assist in the placement of traps, treasure, and monsters -
as well as intriguing room and map elements to both help in making dungeons
come to life for the table and also to create in a randomized manner: allowing
for unique and undreamed, unpremeditated adventures and ease of cognitive
burden on the running referee. Among these tools are countless special room
generators, special monster customization, and dressing tables to make the
corridors and chambers breathe... but lacking among these tools - by
comparative dearth to abundance - the exploration of the simple door.
</p>
<p>
Doors are essential to the dungeon experience - providing barriers, choke
points, intrigue, or entry and egress to and from dungeon rooms: but
surprisingly little thought goes into them. Some generators will color them
for you - tell you the make, model, and defining characteristics; some
generators will tell you how many to place or what's on the other side - but
generally, the system assumes that locks, traps, and so on will be at the
discretion of the referee: peripheral to the story being told by the
floor-plan rather than a driving factor herein.<br />
</p>
<p>
So - in an effort to help contribute to that emergent dungeon building: to
allow the doors to help explain the construction rather than to be tacked onto
it - I wanted to share a mechanism to make doors interesting: dungeon doors on
3d8.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Procedure</h3>
<p>
For each door - placed or generated using other mapping mechanisms - roll 3d8:
each to determine or inform a quality of the door, divided between the doors
<i> State</i>, <i>Concealment</i>, and <i>Protection</i>.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">State</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The <i>State</i> of a door is a representation of how it will pose a challenge
(or not) to the party based on its present nature. It's somewhat of an
abstract term - but the meaning becomes clear, considering the options for
results in the table:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: left;">
<i>Locked:</i> The door is locked and must be opened - either by the wiles
of a Thief or with a key.<br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">
<i>Stuck:</i> The door - swollen with moisture, hindered by rust, or perhaps
possessed of an inanimate malevolence imbued by the mythic underworld,
seeking to expel the party as an immune system for the dungeon - does not
open easily and requires a Stuck Doors check to open.<br /><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">
<i>Closed: </i>The default state of a door, the door is simply closed.
Visibility is prevented and sound is muffled, but the party may pass through
at their leisure.<br /><br />
</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">
<i>Ajar! </i>The door has been left open (or at least partially so!)
Visibility or audibility are not hindered: surprise is mitigated for (and
by) potential inhabitants - and other implications might arise appropriate
to the door having been left swinging on its hinges.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">
For games like 0e - where <i>all</i> doors are presumed "Stuck" and must be
forced - the author suggests exchanging the two: that the party might be
treated a quarter of the time or so by cooperative portals.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl9mYgJH5JJ48FYopBWavI3kwesuJM7zl9J1eNMOkmIOZyKkIXnFHeTpylJ2mm2LOygzBAyfslELf4z_4p9XVePvmQmLGlIZkGrQRVgXUFC63BHjWGyGWHPZPi7716GNuBz7pGfmyLK4Vt_F89iHFmsZFyuZisWe7x1DIPc2jJaugy4iU6tvbnRsJERH9/s461/WalkedInHurriedly-cropped.EmileBayard.OBI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Walked In Hurriedly; Emile Bayard" border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="461" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl9mYgJH5JJ48FYopBWavI3kwesuJM7zl9J1eNMOkmIOZyKkIXnFHeTpylJ2mm2LOygzBAyfslELf4z_4p9XVePvmQmLGlIZkGrQRVgXUFC63BHjWGyGWHPZPi7716GNuBz7pGfmyLK4Vt_F89iHFmsZFyuZisWe7x1DIPc2jJaugy4iU6tvbnRsJERH9/w400-h316/WalkedInHurriedly-cropped.EmileBayard.OBI.jpg" title="Walked In Hurriedly; Emile Bayard" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Concealment</h3>
<p>
The <i>Concealment</i> of a door is how (or if) the door is hidden from
detection by those outside the know. The most effective way to prevent entry
is to provide no entrance, is it not?
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
A door <i>Not Concealed</i> will have no concealment whatsoever. A character
walking into the space should be informed "there is a door in the wall at X
point" as part of the exposition and mapping routine. These will represent
the majority of doors.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
A <i>Secret</i> door is one which is hidden in plain sight. A book case
which turns when a candle is removed; a false wall which will push back when
a latch in the floor is pulled - these are <i>Secret</i> doors.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
Lastly, a <i>Concealed</i> door - one which is hidden, but hidden only. A
door which is hidden behind a tapestry; a trapdoor hidden under a rug; a
portal which has been obscured using illusion magic to seem like part of the
wall - these are <i>Concealed</i> doors.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
<i>What is the difference between Secret and Concealed</i>? In a pinch - a
<i>Secret</i> door may require a roll or the expenditure of a locating
resource to find: by comparison, a <i>Concealed</i> door generally would not:
and is uncovered through clever player actions.
</p>
<p>
<i>Couldn't a skillful player who knows where to look figure out a secret door
through clever application of player skill?</i>
Perhaps - and if the party, having done their homework, knows exactly where to
look, a proud referee may allow it. However, consider that this is a
brainstorming tool - not a rules-as-law prescribed process; consider what's in
the room, what it's being used for by the dungeon denizens (or what it was
used for by its builders) - and let the difference between a
<i>Concealed</i> door and a <i>Secret</i> one fuel your imagination: not limit
it to simply answer "Does the Elf get the free roll when passing it by or
not?"
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr56F4kDs_02KJ74M2M9zUU5rWLUGKzXzV7XgbtDCCDKXfVovZ2_qOrrleg2R4nvKkSIYXalGo82Ad77VzCtd-jVQ8G37fSr_PRnWszHPwXJZ5WwT7OdFbeU3yDj40XG8Z1f52ktszUYQRF68simplwi5nuEjAFWS0h9JtC7xxcz-1_GZ8J4E4U-JAMVy3/s592/LichfieldCathedral-WesternDoorway-adapted.FrederickMackenzie.OBI.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lichfield Cathedral - Western Doorway; Frederick Mackenzie" border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr56F4kDs_02KJ74M2M9zUU5rWLUGKzXzV7XgbtDCCDKXfVovZ2_qOrrleg2R4nvKkSIYXalGo82Ad77VzCtd-jVQ8G37fSr_PRnWszHPwXJZ5WwT7OdFbeU3yDj40XG8Z1f52ktszUYQRF68simplwi5nuEjAFWS0h9JtC7xxcz-1_GZ8J4E4U-JAMVy3/w293-h400/LichfieldCathedral-WesternDoorway-adapted.FrederickMackenzie.OBI.png" title="Lichfield Cathedral - Western Doorway; Frederick Mackenzie" width="293" /></a>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Protection</h3>
<p>
The <i>Protection</i> of the door is a second layer of security added by the
dungeon architect or the denizens since having moved in and adapted the space
to their purposes. Protection serves as a mean to discourage or prevent
passage by those who are not in the know - or to confound the utility of the
portal to those same interlopers.<i><br /></i>
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<i>Trapped:</i> a dangerous if not lethal trap has been placed on the door!
Either apply your personal favorite, or for inspiration, potentially follow
up on a
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/06/tricks-traps-on-3d8.html" target="_blank">3d8 trap idea generator</a>.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
An <i>Unprotected</i> door is much like the door to your home or to a normal
room. It has no particular qualities about it to prevent ingress or egress -
instead serving the simple purpose of separating the space.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Trick!</i> A <i>Trick</i> door has something clever about it - a ruse or
an arbitrary quality, intentional or perhaps incidental to its use, which
makes the door stand out. When a <i>Trick</i> is encountered, roll a
follow-up d8 on the <i>State</i> table - applying both: or being creative
when a duplicate or contradictory roll arises.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Ideas for necessarily creative <i>Tricks</i>, based on rolled results, might
be as follow: <br />
</p>
<center>
<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding-right: 0.3em; width: 50%;" valign="top">
<b>Locked + Locked</b> <br />• Penalty to pick locks<br />• Requires
key found in dungeon<br />• Magic lock: opens only for the polite<br /><br /><br />
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xzL2mFrKNRXSI0y0a52f8RRhq2VT9yvvjEP-PArm6UjKRoLZKeWpkSxIasyKAQ-9V8cT-i5LqaWKXdNGxsem0KuUommlMnU2Q_f1BuvpLtWwbibzDvEeLPufXN3nFov0LKYxuZwOmthB4WDXF01RKmVYzdXSRlg_X9USVAKnteK5ZNUJajwYgoNrxFdX/s380/Wrought%20and%20Cast%20Iron%20Gate.Al%20Curry.fading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wrought and Cast Iron Gate; Al Curry" border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="227" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xzL2mFrKNRXSI0y0a52f8RRhq2VT9yvvjEP-PArm6UjKRoLZKeWpkSxIasyKAQ-9V8cT-i5LqaWKXdNGxsem0KuUommlMnU2Q_f1BuvpLtWwbibzDvEeLPufXN3nFov0LKYxuZwOmthB4WDXF01RKmVYzdXSRlg_X9USVAKnteK5ZNUJajwYgoNrxFdX/w191-h320/Wrought%20and%20Cast%20Iron%20Gate.Al%20Curry.fading.png" title="Wrought and Cast Iron Gate; Al Curry" width="191" /></a>
</span>
<br /><br /><b>Locked + Ajar</b><br />• Open, but will lock behind if
closed<br />• Deadbolt is out - <i>preventing</i> closure<br />•
Locked... but with a glass pane<br />
</td>
<td style="padding-left: 0.3em; width: 50%;" valign="top">
<b>Locked + Closed</b><br />• Can only be unlocked from one side<br />•
Keyhole is concealed and must be located<br />• Not pick-able: opened
by a puzzle or dial<br /><b><br />Stuck + Closed</b><br />• Opens
partly, restricting who can use it<br />• Opens partly, restricting
<i>how many</i> can use it<br />• Requires force one way, but not the
other<br /><br /><b>Stuck + Stuck</b><br />• Requires force to close
after opening<br />• Requires force to close, but not to open<br />•
Barred: multiple Stuck Doors checks required<br /><br /><b>Stuck + Ajar</b><br />• Door stuck, but has a pet-door in it which isn't<br />•
Swollen or damaged, pops open on its own<br />• Portcullis style - and
off-kilter, won't close fully<br /><br /><b>Closed + Ajar</b><br />•
Closed, but a hole has been cut in it<br />• One-way door: will not
open from one side<br />• Has been spiked open<br /><br /><b>Ajar + Ajar</b><br />• Burst asunder: door on the floor!<br />• Automatic door:
opens as you approach<br />• Re-opens after 1d4 Turns if closed<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"><b>Closed + Closed</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
• False door: opens to blank wall<br />• Double door: another door is
directly behind
</td>
<td>
• Access panel: the door is hard to get to<br />• Heavy: negates
surprise or stops quick retreat
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
Not all combinations are provided with suggestions above - some, perhaps
"locked & stuck" for example, simply speak for themselves - but more
importantly: this is intended as a creative prompt, not a definitive list -
something to spur your imagination, challenge your players, and reinforce the
theme and tone of your dungeon. Alternatively, if nothing comes to mind -
you're more than able to treat a <i>Trick!</i> result as a <i>Trap - </i>or
simply apply all conditions to the same door at once.
</p>
<p>
<i>Isn't Concealment a form of Protection - even by your definition as
provided previously?</i>
Yes - but the rolls should be separate. This is intentional - not because of
any arbitrary grouping of qualities, but to promote the possibility that
multiple characteristics of a door may turn it into a more challenging (and
thus more memorable) experience - one likewise more open to player ingenuity
and exploit.
</p>
<p>And stop being a pedant.<br /></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Let's Try It Out</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w48Sn_Z1aZ1-J606k6JUJ_tukEiupks7pV8RtOkm0kgojPSrc7WrUpzsc7OCUgPrzT81F14LottWh7FWFIFZq_0kV-NsBY-B3gPrCska3UJ2oslF7oEqTLpGtm3q963Vp-AZCXWChxkNbt_ZppDz9o7Q1UYk1wejsmP1tkntVUhfFfoOmoES6ufPGUx8/s408/5-4-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="408" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w48Sn_Z1aZ1-J606k6JUJ_tukEiupks7pV8RtOkm0kgojPSrc7WrUpzsc7OCUgPrzT81F14LottWh7FWFIFZq_0kV-NsBY-B3gPrCska3UJ2oslF7oEqTLpGtm3q963Vp-AZCXWChxkNbt_ZppDz9o7Q1UYk1wejsmP1tkntVUhfFfoOmoES6ufPGUx8/w400-h261/5-4-2.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>5, 4, 2: Closed, Not Concealed, Unprotected.</p>
<p>Well, that's anti-climactic.<br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2jVLUSljKBg9dWiFwERsB8devqa9kX3WM9VlRfaabSK1RbzNISIH9ab-q0r7hIVvB5jtKd5Bqr44Cci8bbQuihVRR92Cdu3hzI0HnTzpP7fv08MOQxzXUZ8gzXFI6kYVn-PkAp1V_CzZqBuFTH8s6AJrYT-6OrYG6VfRcjdb_M8eFhO8eqjp9d5GpMKt/s573/3-2-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="573" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2jVLUSljKBg9dWiFwERsB8devqa9kX3WM9VlRfaabSK1RbzNISIH9ab-q0r7hIVvB5jtKd5Bqr44Cci8bbQuihVRR92Cdu3hzI0HnTzpP7fv08MOQxzXUZ8gzXFI6kYVn-PkAp1V_CzZqBuFTH8s6AJrYT-6OrYG6VfRcjdb_M8eFhO8eqjp9d5GpMKt/w400-h289/3-2-3.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>3, 2, 3: Closed, Not Concealed, Unprotected.</p>
<p>
Again, anti-climactic. But that makes sense, I guess: as you're going to have
a lot more doors in the dungeon than anything else - potentially only eclipsed
by corridors - and as such, you would want to have a majority of them be
pretty bog-standard.<br />
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqMMipOmZAuKYm8N70K_WDE1bt8sG50p05MXUn1G9xNSjvwXaYAgkC37NxUdmY_AM3Kxs1pIzNRT0va-lsPIJF7fBQbJ3GlJu6_qLPtwIVZiFQixcPcO88-MqDRgIdZUVmxtv_yXrnjtNJnImPgwgXThTkhLhyphenhyphencEMR61orDm4gyM5Ir-n9OMzvhT6tWYx/s396/7-7-8-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="396" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqMMipOmZAuKYm8N70K_WDE1bt8sG50p05MXUn1G9xNSjvwXaYAgkC37NxUdmY_AM3Kxs1pIzNRT0va-lsPIJF7fBQbJ3GlJu6_qLPtwIVZiFQixcPcO88-MqDRgIdZUVmxtv_yXrnjtNJnImPgwgXThTkhLhyphenhyphencEMR61orDm4gyM5Ir-n9OMzvhT6tWYx/w400-h255/7-7-8-5.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>7, 7, 8 (5): Stuck, Not Concealed, Trick! (Closed)</p>
<p>
I will admit, this is my fourth outcome - I had a third which I discarded, as
it was yet again a normal door - but I am pleased with having rolled an 8 for
protection: as I was worried I was going to have to cheat to see how it feels.
</p>
<p>
The door is Stuck, firstly, but also Closed. Consulting our examples above -
we have "opens partly" (restricting either some figures from using it or a
number of figures from using it at one time) and "force one way, open the
other." Keeping things fresh, say... this door is a Dutch door - with one atop
the other. The bottom side (because 5 is odd, why not) is stuck: but the top
side will open with normal effort. The party - in exploration - may simply
find an annoyance climbing over and through: but in the chance that - on the
other side of the door - they find some cave Ogres: they may find their
retreat somewhat hampered (or - who knows? - if they can surprise them, maybe
a vantage point for cover to make missile attacks!). <br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">And Them's My Two Coppers</h2>
<p>
In short, the majority of doors will be quite mundane - mathematically, one in
eight will be trapped (compared to one in six rooms, if using the B/X rules,
which will contain a trap) and one in four doors will be concealed or secret -
keeping the party on their toes and keeping the mystique of the dungeon
fresh.<br />
</p>
<p>Delve on, readers!</p>
<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8TOSmFfgQBpRcbpN3mpNQT0VEXMSPyJfggOM42is7tWUl-7jNfsiEdDa1Wp2JU6epRu0Zux4D0CeNuWt4d2fG-CW22ZSsCD7ANnN6YOI6RyYhiswrwBFPM6yvmVk91Edc-IUHuDUBOZbo71xJfVKZipddlttK2undXNyG0rZ8g76uqzJbVVd8NKlz2oz/s599/AtTheWitchsDoor.JohnWilliamHennessy-adapted.OBI.png" imageanchor="1"><img alt="At the Witch's Door; John William Hennessy" border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="423" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8TOSmFfgQBpRcbpN3mpNQT0VEXMSPyJfggOM42is7tWUl-7jNfsiEdDa1Wp2JU6epRu0Zux4D0CeNuWt4d2fG-CW22ZSsCD7ANnN6YOI6RyYhiswrwBFPM6yvmVk91Edc-IUHuDUBOZbo71xJfVKZipddlttK2undXNyG0rZ8g76uqzJbVVd8NKlz2oz/w452-h640/AtTheWitchsDoor.JohnWilliamHennessy-adapted.OBI.png" title="At the Witch's Door; John William Hennessy" width="452" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
Public domain artwork retrieved from the
<a href="https://www.nga.gov/" target="_blank">National Gallery of Art</a>
and from
<a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank">OldBookIllustrations.com</a>
and adapted for theme and tone. Attribution in alt text.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-87765777139135618652023-10-29T05:00:00.027-04:002023-10-29T05:00:00.146-04:00Ringmail: Medieval Battles<p>Presented for posterity and the benefit of the hobby - a love letter to 1971.<br /></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-WnsLdOMLCHNZrU80WYuJcWFpEvchFoK/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Scotch Soldiers; Lancelot Speed" border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="403" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPewyz41mTvy-1uAY1KFZKvY-JTcT4jtyGOVYCQS3_5geHdsBHA-o7ZDUkdfqVkgw-7EG9s3izg5awB5IJ8HgSGTBtnsFzctqQo8LdXmGm5paF3dAKa4fArSckWoRX9pT5tyXZjUGocRj7/w311-h400/ScotchSoldiers-Cropped.LancelotSpeed.OldBookIllustrations.jpg" title="Scotch Soldiers; Lancelot Speed" width="311" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-WnsLdOMLCHNZrU80WYuJcWFpEvchFoK/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><i>Ringmail</i><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rules for Fantasy and Medieval Engagements</i></span></a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>While I had announced this project in <a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/06/old-game-new-project-introducing.html" target="_blank">2021</a>, it occurred to me in recent vintage that I have never given the Ringmail project its own post - it was always in a shared announcement and, whenever sharing the project, I would have to say, "Look down at the bottom" or "It's this Drive link directly." But from here, for those who are interested in a particular 1971 wargame which might have become a precursor for the world's first fantasy adventure role playing game, now it has a direct post, a specific link, and a life of its own: a retelling of the classic, with inputs from community and playtest to break through the jargon and difficult wording, and with inclusions from other games and from cultural conventions common to wargaming which would have been omitted by an author assuming a familiar audience.<br /></p><p>Announcing it now, too, as it is complete - rules-wise. </p><p>Still need to look for more artwork, still need to finish up the layout, and hey - wouldn't hurt to play a handful of games to make sure everything works together - but if you wanted to use this game in conjunction with old school role playing? If you wanted to play a quick, quirky yet elegant battle system? You can.</p><p>Delve on - readers... or maybe, generals?<br /></p>CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-69020110423377428792023-10-14T05:00:00.125-04:002023-10-14T05:00:00.145-04:00Ode to '74<p>
There has been a bit of hubbub - and thus, presumably, a bit of interest - in
the social spheres through which I find myself floating in recent vintage
regarding the original edition and its wargame roots. As such, I'm pressured a
bit to share a pet project I'd been working on - one that I'd hoped would get
me back to the table - that presents just that: an integration of 0e and
Chainmail mechanics, presented together and seamless, as RAW as possible -
allowing for clarifications that I'd run into at the table to date.
</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr width="100%">
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uxTLo4KxyAtG3IT5pw2nIvl3e78jpx2P/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIXZEM1PCpb1vPK5rT_g3lqxbcAuT7uE4lyPdf_-YiKmR8UD0J_KtR3XjEZ6g-kDdrroKPHf7WCXOeE8S-ZIXo94Z0SN43qkmVG2SY37hJKCxOMfc2WADIJr8xhEUol0S2yLXLjuLUALQs0KcRfaQY0YnEJHW5DtyvOGYpkUu2b1-hhC9VArwvuVPcRJn/w255-h400/ASharpLookout.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg" width="255" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uxTLo4KxyAtG3IT5pw2nIvl3e78jpx2P/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Player's Reference</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom" width="50%">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cisiliCLpq2Dd80kwLBOV3fFNQFOdcYq/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuRH8w-pRyqt7qkXdaB9dBHbk9hLRihxhVubtux5x1F6-sE1ap30JtVsIB6q3AHto8ZuLjTU5-x70xPFOcfGRdFtWPnY4VxyURryXl4dPdMlyAuFsn5eN6eziuAyKU6ZDOA5j5Q8BYkLXeTxwOYWsozv8Pt1V3dCYxvXC3f1CrxajK5TF7d5LTuWWijab/w291-h320/ASharpLookout_StillIsSitting.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg" width="291" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cisiliCLpq2Dd80kwLBOV3fFNQFOdcYq/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Referee's Folio</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
The books are not finished. They are a jumble of rules, written legibly, but
wrought with typos induced by the use of voice to text in the generation of
descriptive paragraphs. However they are usable - and they present the spirit
of the original rules <i>in their entirety</i> (including rules for griffon
riders darting around dragons hundreds of feet in the air; including rules for
catapult fire, mounted atop the aft-castle of naval war galleons; and for, of
course, delving deeply into the mystic underneath below) as they would have
been on original release.
</p>
<p>
<i>But about WW&W?</i> As returning readers will know, I had been working
on my own twist of the original edition -
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/08/weapons-wits-and-wizardry-adventurers.html" target="_blank"><i>Weapons, Wits, & Wizardry</i></a>
- which I had been working towards as an
<a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwLV78FITa3q4NxH9bSYy7GNIHRembjxj&si=NNGCXER6WcX6OV5w" target="_blank">actual play</a>
last year. I will continue to work on WW&W - it is after all my own
complete-genius heartbreaker - but in play, I found that my own preconceptions
from future editions were polluting my judgements. I was integrating 1e
elements, B/X elements, on the fly - I was instinctively incorporating
mechanics from other games in the same genre to fit into niches while also
experimenting with other resolution practices - e.g. "<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2022/11/proficiency-dice-for-0e.html" target="_blank">proficiency dice</a>" - with wanton abandon.
</p>
<p>
This project was an attempt to, realizing the accidental inclusions
(specifically stocking: stocking dungeon treasure is
<i>totally different</i> in B/X than 0e!), understand the rules of their own
accord, to enter into them with a clean slate, and to assimilate the spirit of
the game - as it was in its first incarnation. Once I understood the
foundation - only then would I be safe to build upon it and recapture the
zeitgeist.
</p>
<p>So here it is.</p>
<p>
These are the rules I'm going to spin the Ash Coast game back up with - tweak,
as needed - and ideally, re-release with art, readable layout, and a fancy
license. I hope they help - if nothing else, showing off exactly how much was
packed into those four booklets - three brown, one blue and spiral bound. </p><p>And now the only question is... <i>what do I call it? </i><br /></p>
<p>Delve on, readers!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_41KyrNPrJIlLgWQzpu0_Gvs-2iLl5zw-dnDJbUpP12_1z4eNNuaiPTMhzIZSxNrwk0TxfryvhQBfrvoyENbSd5IVOxZRtIkC_JnbuxMlxiq6JXNNQtG8EcOGuEfvx32sIKkYOoV3SnuM-druec-2DURTiXWo7Bn1zXJ71GnDvtzhdFAv5spLuyPvN7d/s479/ABlowOnTheHead-adapted2.AlbertRobida.OBI.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Blow on the Head; Albert Robida" border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="439" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_41KyrNPrJIlLgWQzpu0_Gvs-2iLl5zw-dnDJbUpP12_1z4eNNuaiPTMhzIZSxNrwk0TxfryvhQBfrvoyENbSd5IVOxZRtIkC_JnbuxMlxiq6JXNNQtG8EcOGuEfvx32sIKkYOoV3SnuM-druec-2DURTiXWo7Bn1zXJ71GnDvtzhdFAv5spLuyPvN7d/w366-h400/ABlowOnTheHead-adapted2.AlbertRobida.OBI.png" title="A Blow on the Head; Albert Robida" width="366" /></a>
</div>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-9299159559260543722023-09-23T04:00:00.348-04:002023-09-23T04:00:00.139-04:00The Golden Voyage of Sinbad<p>It is 1991 - 2 AM on a warm summer night.</p>
<p>
Flipping through channels - refusing to go to sleep - suddenly the
infomercials and the offline messages part as AMC is playing its discount back
catalog. Claymation monsters leap from the screen, heroic adventurers sail the
sea and do battle with evil sorcerers! 2 AM is the time for adventure - high
adventure! - and classics of folklore and literature are told half-truthfully
to form through the aging celluloid broadcast over the airwaves.
</p>
<p>
Many such films have been made - many such films have engrossed the
imaginations of young boys, going on to write and run campaigns and voyages of
the mind about them - with the added enhancements of polyhedral dice. One such
film - one which holds its value, speaking both to the target reader of the
Basic and the Advanced sets - is Gordon Hessler's
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>.<br />
</p>
<center>
<h1>N-Spiration: <br /><i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i></h1>
</center>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUjiZBtFlBOiEbDOgexnmQ39XKxiYEn3RDZBADDVVaT42EfrB0kd_w8YboTmlhKnYq8E7fNM_2AySyzIioQeTToVsbE3h3zZdhINJzG1s6bEvp8PT-FQttG-9UqRgcklqR4wv2-7YVx0gsQ1ne9kegBG3dM0ilMv6bZjBWzhPuRU_8HIt9baNTIPXoiMI/s305/GoldenVoyageOfSinbad.jpg"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="305"
data-original-width="206"
height="640"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUjiZBtFlBOiEbDOgexnmQ39XKxiYEn3RDZBADDVVaT42EfrB0kd_w8YboTmlhKnYq8E7fNM_2AySyzIioQeTToVsbE3h3zZdhINJzG1s6bEvp8PT-FQttG-9UqRgcklqR4wv2-7YVx0gsQ1ne9kegBG3dM0ilMv6bZjBWzhPuRU_8HIt9baNTIPXoiMI/w432-h640/GoldenVoyageOfSinbad.jpg"
width="432"
/></a>
</div>
</center>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About the Film</h2>
<p>
Released in the United States on April 5, 1974 - following a December release
the prior year in the United Kingdom - putting its development and release in
parallel to if not just barely before the original publication of the Dungeons
& Dragons game. It has a
<a
href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/golden_voyage_of_sinbad"
target="_blank"
>Rotten Tomatoes</a
>
rating of 75%, accompanied by an audience score of 64%, and was a commercial
success at the time: starring
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492342/" target="_blank"
>John Phillip Law</a
>
in the title role of Sinbad: whom discerning viewers may or may not
immediately recognize from his more shaven role as Pygar in the 1968 classic
<i
><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062711/" target="_blank"
>Barbarella</a
></i
>. The film pits Law against the wiles of <strike>Doctor Who</strike>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048982/" target="_blank">Tom Baker</a>
in the role of Prince Koura: an evil sorcerer in pursuit of power, wealth, and
youth.
</p>
<p>
However - the most magical name that appears in the credits of
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i> is that of producer and stop-motion special
effects legend,
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCenxVH8gS9uak_zSok1yel139JToWIVhhPI_JEHcWdjXhZ9hoFgU67vvFgklqQ1dWkzJXtabnOuyGmkCagm5mnYRmCa_cy9MWKhWm35Pg0RzoC8dwHRfrICeMQAtuvMoSeQV997UXcfjnxgoiuRYoFH6ynNcWBaGg2cJ5RtXDBSNaOq0x1mT91KipyZS/s877/harryhausen.jpg"
style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="576"
data-original-width="877"
height="210"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCenxVH8gS9uak_zSok1yel139JToWIVhhPI_JEHcWdjXhZ9hoFgU67vvFgklqQ1dWkzJXtabnOuyGmkCagm5mnYRmCa_cy9MWKhWm35Pg0RzoC8dwHRfrICeMQAtuvMoSeQV997UXcfjnxgoiuRYoFH6ynNcWBaGg2cJ5RtXDBSNaOq0x1mT91KipyZS/s320/harryhausen.jpg"
width="320"
/></a>
</span>
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366063/" target="_blank"
>Ray Harryhausen</a
>. Harryhausen was a staple in the world of cinematic special effects for
decades: one whose signature films -
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051337/" target="_blank"
><i>The 7th Voyage of Sinbad</i></a
>,
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057197/" target="_blank"
><i>Jason and the Argonauts</i></a
>,
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060782/" target="_blank"
><i>One Million Years B.C.</i></a
>, ... have formed staples of the imagination of countless young watchers -
this watcher included. The hallmark of a Harryhausen is stop motion animation,
which per his biography, he fell in love with after seeing <i>King Kong</i> in
theaters. Stop motion, thus, is expected and delivered in
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>: with monsters and minions large and small
being nimbly manipulated and meshed in shot with live action sequences -
forming the final product on the screen. These - combined with practical
effects and on-location sets produce an immersive experience (albeit dated,
tinted with nostalgia) which is consistent unto itself.
</p>
<p>
Fleshing out the film's surprisingly all-star cast are Hammer Horror veteran
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0613098/" target="_blank"
>Caroline Munro</a
>, who would go on to star opposite Roger Moore in
<i
><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076752/" target="_blank"
>The Spy Who Loved Me</a
></i
>, and
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932811/" target="_blank"
>Douglas Wilmer</a
>: who would likewise appear with Roger Moore in a Bond project -
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932811/" target="_blank"
><i>Octopussy</i></a
>
- but whose face might be more familiar to the reader in present context by
his appearance in Harrythausen's 1963 <i>Jason and the Argonauts</i>: in which
he played Pelias.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">What's to Like</h2>
<p>
First and foremost, while the claymation effects provide - for me - a modicum
of nostalgia above their presentation of verisimilitude, they provide an
opportunity for the film to present multiple mythical or magical beings -
great or small - in a manner interactive with the characters directly. That
is, unlike - say - <i>Godzilla</i> - where the prop interacts with other props
of the city and cut-aways to actors and military scenes imply their
interaction, in <i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>, the effect creatures are
injected into the scene, interacting with the actors directly, in a manner
consistent with how the magical creatures of a fantasy adventure game might
interact: a first in film, if the
<a href="https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/67592" target="_blank"
>American Film Institute</a
>
is to be believed. You don't <i>see</i> the wood golem - you <i>fight</i> the
wood golem. The wizard's familiar moves and thinks and does - and can be
killed if the wizard isn't careful with it. The action in the movie proceeds
like that of a fantasy adventure game - your workaday OSR expedition: dungeon
and wilderness exploration, both included in the bargain.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4jpD3Q6JCVjq4UhW0b5QA4_OoLKVlv3ry7LJIQ2eOeop2cFw-gm07aRrsisNRWoHE9SEVpi5udo4-LgFThu86MowtuwR29LGzNw_fPzEZXHTcK9QaUNzF2CPfGgO9HvqwpafMdVZ8Ex1SEIChjYGRmMD3nnFENDqGizDir06tu1w3Y6g7pHqejbpDh5X/s933/WizardAndHomonculus.jpg"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="576"
data-original-width="933"
height="248"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4jpD3Q6JCVjq4UhW0b5QA4_OoLKVlv3ry7LJIQ2eOeop2cFw-gm07aRrsisNRWoHE9SEVpi5udo4-LgFThu86MowtuwR29LGzNw_fPzEZXHTcK9QaUNzF2CPfGgO9HvqwpafMdVZ8Ex1SEIChjYGRmMD3nnFENDqGizDir06tu1w3Y6g7pHqejbpDh5X/w400-h248/WizardAndHomonculus.jpg"
width="400"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
To build on the above - the practical effects being limited (there are no
scenes where nothing but clay puppets and props take the stage) means that
they tend to be in use only in a few places: the things that they represent
are truly fantastic - and they tend to present unique challenges to the
protagonists. Herein, we see player skill - demonstrated in the form of
character ingenuity. When battling with a magical creation made from wood,
Sinbad calls his men to attack it with fire. When fighting against a construct
of bronze, Sinbad and his men have to figure out how to use the environment
against it, as swords are largely useless - as well as flame, it would seem!
So you see both successful ideas and unsuccessful ideas being attempted by
various members of the group as the environment challenges them with enemies
and foes alien to their expectations.
</p>
<p>
Which leads into the last main point that can be drawn from this film - it's a
fantasy adventure film.
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeELsI1-wUa0ibDZdmVqxdn9Xn8gDMPXb37lS94B_dZOoZX3KmnZ8jVtn5HEhclKOPVY12RRYkIx1lRa7BsUtCWhXWrdmcpNr4DhKEXACN4NvNKBcKIeYrXkBQt4IfB65DCDrXWpf9ub96Tb94fBHADt4gvQAEjBeBU2kKscBmkFqrO1WIsrBYZV7WZdpc/s933/GolemBattle-01.jpg"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="576"
data-original-width="933"
height="198"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeELsI1-wUa0ibDZdmVqxdn9Xn8gDMPXb37lS94B_dZOoZX3KmnZ8jVtn5HEhclKOPVY12RRYkIx1lRa7BsUtCWhXWrdmcpNr4DhKEXACN4NvNKBcKIeYrXkBQt4IfB65DCDrXWpf9ub96Tb94fBHADt4gvQAEjBeBU2kKscBmkFqrO1WIsrBYZV7WZdpc/s320/GolemBattle-01.jpg"
width="320"
/></a>
</div>
It does not linger on elements that don't advance the adventure; it does not put
on airs about its literary references; and it allows the characters to build
themselves through action rather than through exposition or implication. The
protagonists do battle with evil wizards; the party treks through foreign lands,
mapping as they go; and Sinbad has to think on his feet to figure out how to
deal with the different challenges that stand between him and their goal.
<p></p>
<p>
How do you fight a man, invisible? Stand in the water where his footfalls will
be visible!
</p>
<p>
There are even puzzles to be had - verbal riddles provided by ancient beings
to guide the party's next steps or visual clues hidden in treasure (treasure
maps require Read Languages to decipher, maybe? Or perhaps a high level Thief
to figure out?) to figure out the way to reach new and forgotten soils. In
short - <i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i> has all of the elements of an OSR
D&D game: packaged and presented through the lens of the classic
<i>Arabian Nights</i> ensemble.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Where to Watch</h2>
<p>
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i> - in addition to being available
<a
href="https://www.google.com/search?q=the+golden+voyage+of+sinbad&tbm=shop"
target="_blank"
>on DVD and Blu-Ray</a
>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i
><a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG-HOR7auQzm3pjwFmQjBzPUZXzwv_-qF9qUeByk7YWNsFJn7918ErQcjqrpUtXm8EPe_Quwc0iayjdrhho74Bm7grk__X1goDk7MsosDzQUSmEIgX8MFCJkxm-UmgmR4Hdj9e4-gAsRvANlRRksJsVCgCUKplYtaZ98doB_KPPOU32qz0nM2x-ws0U5-/s933/Centaur.jpg"
style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="576"
data-original-width="933"
height="198"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG-HOR7auQzm3pjwFmQjBzPUZXzwv_-qF9qUeByk7YWNsFJn7918ErQcjqrpUtXm8EPe_Quwc0iayjdrhho74Bm7grk__X1goDk7MsosDzQUSmEIgX8MFCJkxm-UmgmR4Hdj9e4-gAsRvANlRRksJsVCgCUKplYtaZ98doB_KPPOU32qz0nM2x-ws0U5-/w320-h198/Centaur.jpg"
width="320" /></a
></i>
</span>
- is available to stream on
<a
href="https://www.google.com/search?q=watch+the+glolden+voyage+of+sinbad"
target="_blank"
>your streaming service of choice</a
>
- including Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV - as well as
on YouTube.
</p>
<p>
For further gaming, a referee intrigued by this and similar films may be wise
to consider the system
<a
href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/224895/SEVEN-VOYAGES-of-ZYLARTHEN-Electronic-Edition"
target="_blank"
><i>Seven Voyages of Zylarthen</i></a
>, as well. Although not a direct reference to the seven voyages of Sinbad, it
draws intentionally from some of the same folklore as would have inspired
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i> and similar media.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">In Conclusion</h2>
<p>
While <i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i> was produced too late to be a true
influence within Appendix N - the people involved in it were certainly known
to the creators of the game: and without doubt, it fits into the genre as well
as if not better than most of the Appendix N literature - presenting a
protagonist getting by on skill and cunning, presenting evil sorcerers and
wild locations, and featuring dungeons, caverns, mythical beings, puzzles, and
hex-crawling. Not literal hex-crawling, of course, but voyages into the
unknown: sailing to new and rumored places following what is effectively a
treasure map and then trekking through unknown and rugged territory. For that
reason, <i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>, it is fair to say, is
<b
><span style="font-size: large;">1</span>:
<span style="font-size: medium;">Entirely OSR</span></b
>.<br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrExW0QOsGMGdNzIQJecIG_X0I1z5vWdoL8uUFQfL9-_JgHkjDTrU2eeqOqofoj_f_EblJN5Uow6KeotR5k6QX1ERiBOcR-cx9OjUdmT6LKyyZRB1Lx97W0tvnS53GgG_Kmhf-6iwbsE-kO8GGJEhfC3ht5ngNNZpM-xFAcHjUzKa1LkugHfoTZknUfEG0/s1044/Garimeter%20Sinbad.png"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="570"
data-original-width="1044"
height="315"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrExW0QOsGMGdNzIQJecIG_X0I1z5vWdoL8uUFQfL9-_JgHkjDTrU2eeqOqofoj_f_EblJN5Uow6KeotR5k6QX1ERiBOcR-cx9OjUdmT6LKyyZRB1Lx97W0tvnS53GgG_Kmhf-6iwbsE-kO8GGJEhfC3ht5ngNNZpM-xFAcHjUzKa1LkugHfoTZknUfEG0/w640-h350/Garimeter%20Sinbad.png"
width="576"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
This film - and others like it - are kindling for the flame of the
imagination. Though they have no connection to the game, as written, that
gives them the distinct advantage of having been developed in its absence:
<i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>, like other material truly Appendix N that
predates the release and rise of D&D as a game, is unshackled by the
conventions of the role-playing genre: liberated to tell a story and for that
story to take you across to the ends of the earth.
</p>
<p>
May your campaigns have half the breadth of the journeys of Sinbad - because
even halfway, you'll have years of sessions to spare. Thank you for reading -
delve on!
</p>
<br />
<br />
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
><i>The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</i>, distributed by Columbia Pictures,
produced by Moningside Productions, and written by Brian Clemens. All
imagery related thereto is property of the owning studio. Portrait of Ray
Harryhausen with several of his creations retrieved from and presumably
owned by
<a
href="https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3529649/unused-ray-harryhausen-monster-designs-will-used-brand-new-film-force-trojans/"
target="_blank"
>bloody-disgusting.com</a
>. <i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i
>and all imagery or references thereto related are property of Wizards of
the Coast.</span
>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span
><span style="font-size: x-small;"
>purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span
><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span
><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-82379866056127598072023-09-09T04:30:00.002-04:002023-09-09T04:30:00.167-04:00Cult Catacomb<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1SwseYE8e7khK1Wi-jm0oACWEinr2Halc-eQfbcAOFEgvQZcbdlF907Zy_jQQ49un31uPCyWiMp8BPYZnWFy01pW25NO0OMbd9eQ1k70qjrX5T07dl39f4SWpmSwWb01G7nAqzwXHj3fLSJSQUOVjpagtkN26isuqcLR1xLYtVQ7Cs2pgyKakHC52U81/s1500/CultCatacomb.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1SwseYE8e7khK1Wi-jm0oACWEinr2Halc-eQfbcAOFEgvQZcbdlF907Zy_jQQ49un31uPCyWiMp8BPYZnWFy01pW25NO0OMbd9eQ1k70qjrX5T07dl39f4SWpmSwWb01G7nAqzwXHj3fLSJSQUOVjpagtkN26isuqcLR1xLYtVQ7Cs2pgyKakHC52U81/w640-h640/CultCatacomb.png" width="576" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Scale: 10 ft.<br />Click
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l2B3crAdE2dx3wBKqVHriqwFCSWXEpzw/view" target="_blank">HERE</a>
for a PDF version of this adventure!</span><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<p><i>Suitable for 2nd to 3rd level.</i></p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHnjewUuHKva-fqEDwc1NdZa4l_M_DFL6KYduNBMA8i9cQzVhH1ke-B01YbTEClbo7UDORJkLcF1GsxfLKo8O4OGOg0DTHQJoWoCm3puw9qh3VFx_rPb6-emkbmwxg_kx0zOC1TdmhwuFJJh_IaKS1V5lDVEXSBPrImbUupbcvd4qnTZNtGBsXE5tvIKc/s98/Locked.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHnjewUuHKva-fqEDwc1NdZa4l_M_DFL6KYduNBMA8i9cQzVhH1ke-B01YbTEClbo7UDORJkLcF1GsxfLKo8O4OGOg0DTHQJoWoCm3puw9qh3VFx_rPb6-emkbmwxg_kx0zOC1TdmhwuFJJh_IaKS1V5lDVEXSBPrImbUupbcvd4qnTZNtGBsXE5tvIKc/s1600/Locked.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little keyhole icon in a door means the door is locked.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzRPVE0HnAryCHHYXALaiO52Ea2J7LJaKNSrIA8P1m_o7E1K4E0IbeJVJhtu8cNcpr9NW8ghUJhMaH6-GyndHKjToo2Om1anwcwqJ40gmLXGZz9JzSdMvnQgS363T8e3tX8uAHh8SGhPTDVA2-zVifjM4DI0WWL855VExVHGUL8hCC4qd4ZY2n5MRe8t3/s98/Secret.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzRPVE0HnAryCHHYXALaiO52Ea2J7LJaKNSrIA8P1m_o7E1K4E0IbeJVJhtu8cNcpr9NW8ghUJhMaH6-GyndHKjToo2Om1anwcwqJ40gmLXGZz9JzSdMvnQgS363T8e3tX8uAHh8SGhPTDVA2-zVifjM4DI0WWL855VExVHGUL8hCC4qd4ZY2n5MRe8t3/s1600/Secret.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little "S" through a door means the door is secret.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkLa5-gI93TerVxDEotsZnUbpbzXxZXAvASGh2K5hHJa2S60mUXz5qjLd_4w_iyn1_LrKlx-i-mmHZf5F3LeUefjNyO1JogrZ2xi7mpzFUOoXAGUQya5qB1dvV7DEjWmwq5472sqhC0UuyUXLnZnQwdvE8TqPVn_5PnEJLBxSwmrcaAsvZKN1nXSJnrsp/s98/Jammed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkLa5-gI93TerVxDEotsZnUbpbzXxZXAvASGh2K5hHJa2S60mUXz5qjLd_4w_iyn1_LrKlx-i-mmHZf5F3LeUefjNyO1JogrZ2xi7mpzFUOoXAGUQya5qB1dvV7DEjWmwq5472sqhC0UuyUXLnZnQwdvE8TqPVn_5PnEJLBxSwmrcaAsvZKN1nXSJnrsp/s1600/Jammed.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>
A little "J" through a door means the door is jammed (stuck) and must be
forced open.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>Art generated on
<a href="https://www.craiyon.com/" target="_blank">Craiyon.com</a>; for
expedience.
</i>
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Wandering Monsters</h2>
<p>
Wandering monsters, if encountered, should be rolled on the following table.
</p>
<p>
Note, if a 6 is rolled, the Evil Acolytes thus encountered will have with them
a key: roll 1d4 to determine the number of the lock on the map which their key
will open. <br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Cult Catacomb</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R1 - Dark Altar</h3>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B1YxZYxd-zNMOzJAaA9tEXxnhdvOcUJGEj07Z261smWMs9PvGCjgD3NDFrAJCMDQ5BIn9ts53cOpm0BFXonZ6gOa1j2ynMKMDP3l-5LWXxGDZJrh1knIzju4ald7HE0qDAm3SlWdBcVz-k6CmJVYG4fotYw5DnojnXo15oHzOGB2WJQBenb--wm7Ir4W/s1006/Statue.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B1YxZYxd-zNMOzJAaA9tEXxnhdvOcUJGEj07Z261smWMs9PvGCjgD3NDFrAJCMDQ5BIn9ts53cOpm0BFXonZ6gOa1j2ynMKMDP3l-5LWXxGDZJrh1knIzju4ald7HE0qDAm3SlWdBcVz-k6CmJVYG4fotYw5DnojnXo15oHzOGB2WJQBenb--wm7Ir4W/s320/Statue.png" style="background: rgb(51, 51, 51); border: medium; box-shadow: none;" width="262" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
Five men - four Acolytes (B30) and 1 chaotic Vicar (4th level) burn incense
before the statue of a man - part bird - standing on a pedestal in the western
half of a room. One of the statue's hand is aloft, the other by its side: both
hold a potion. One of these is a potion of Growth - the other, poison (Save vs
Death) which resembles the first. Apportioned about the feet of the statue are
6,000 copper coins as well as 2,000 electrum pieces. Sitting atop this hoard
is a shield - magic, +1 - turned upside down, like a saucer, in which
gemstones have been piled:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>6 carnelians (10 Gold Pieces each)</li>
<li>5 jasper (50 Gold Pieces each)</li>
<li>2 tourmalines (100 Gold Pieces each)</li>
<li>1 sizable peach moonstone (500 Gold Pieces)</li>
<li>1 teardrop-cut ruby (1,000 Gold Pieces)</li>
</ul>
<p>
The Vicar knows which potion is which; but the acolytes do not. He will use
the shield and/or the potion if attacked and pressed.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R2 - Control Room</h3>
<p>
Wicker barrels - 40 gallon sized - line the rear wall. Between the two doors
(which are obvious from inside the room) is a panel with two prominent knobs
and a lever. When the party enters the room, a buzzing sound can be heard
emanating from the panel.
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
One of the knobs and one of the levers are straight-forward: the first knob
- which is "off" to start - will lock in place the tree marked at H3
(although two concurrent "stuck door" checks will break the lock and
re-engage the swivel).
</li>
<li>
The lever, currently "up", enables or disables the magnet trap in marked at
H1.
</li>
<li>
The second knob, however, is a timer. It slowly turns downward and - after 1
turn, if allowed to persist - will touch the bottom: setting off a loud
alarm: alerting the Clerics in R1 to the presence of an intruder.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
The whicker barrels are largely empty - except one: which has a lockbox with
1,100 silver in it. In addition, underneath this lockbox is hidden a key:
rolling randomly on 1+1d3 to determine which lock in the dungeon it will open.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R3 - West Tomb</h3>
<p>
Four pits carved into the floor house three Ghouls (B35) - held in this room
after having been enthralled by the Vicar in R1. The effect has since worn off
- but a successful Turn check on his part will re-establish it.
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdt6zlmdZV6n8f7zzt9kZD_dNfcTyCMCZUvijMOQuUq8rT2QMYTOc_Hl9MbgD1WfUfIKRvVj0LrmclgXQ4A6EUw9PDVhcxJ7GoOzoZsY_UXF_E760-AnewSIHVHKPNiYDjmE8-LqCE9rMY9VEhy0KhqYHxrw_JFjv51gaNUkqODbmA4-C2RgkFSox1DzT/s959/spider.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdt6zlmdZV6n8f7zzt9kZD_dNfcTyCMCZUvijMOQuUq8rT2QMYTOc_Hl9MbgD1WfUfIKRvVj0LrmclgXQ4A6EUw9PDVhcxJ7GoOzoZsY_UXF_E760-AnewSIHVHKPNiYDjmE8-LqCE9rMY9VEhy0KhqYHxrw_JFjv51gaNUkqODbmA4-C2RgkFSox1DzT/s320/spider.png" width="270" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
In the fourth, unoccupied hole is a corpse - strangely preserved. Under this
corpse can be found a hollow in which 400 gold pieces and two prize garnets
(200 gold pieces each) are hidden.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R4 - East Tomb</h3>
<p>
Four graves mark the space - three of which are covered by stone slabs. The
room is entirely covered in spider webs. Hidden overhead are two Black Widow
(B43).
</p>
<p>
Inside the last grave is a fresh corpse wearing the garb of a cultist. He
carries 200 silver pieces and a decorated skull-dagger worth 40 gold pieces to
a jeweler or other collector.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R5 - Old Armory</h3>
<p>
Three racks designed for holding armor are positioned around this room.
Further, a wooden table and stool - decayed to the point of being unusable -
are propped near the secret door.
</p>
<p>
The locked door marked with #3 can be unlocked from inside the room without a
key.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R6 - Master's Grave</h3>
<p>
A single sarcophagus - stone - is raised in the northern portion of this room.
The floor around it is tiled with black marble. The sarcophagus is remarkably
difficult to open - but could be, by a determined party. Inside is a skeletal
corpse wearing a necklace (400 gold pieces) and carrying a mirror and pouch
with 200 silver pieces in it.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R7 - Room of Bowing</h3>
<p>
This room is richly carpeted - with tapestries of dark-clad men hanging on the
wall: none of which have faces except that on the south wall - which looks
down towards the door menacingly. If the party enters the space, there is a
chance they will activate a poison gas trap (Save vs Death): spraying from
behind the hanging pieces and begin disseminated around them: affecting all
persons in the room.
</p>
<p>
The gas is lighter than air - and as such, clears somewhat rapidly - and any
character which crawls on hands and knees can avoid it entirely. Halflings and
Dwarves may be granted a bonus on their saving throws by a generous referee as
a result of their stature.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R8 - Mess</h3>
<p>
Two heavy wooden tables flanked by three heavy wooden benches run north to
south, occupying most of the room. Torch sconces on the wall are present, but
empty.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R9 - Pantry</h3>
<p>
A party of Mediums (B39) - four in number: apprentices led by a Conjuror (3rd
level), who is seeking alchemical secrets. They are resting among some
discarded iron implements in the hidden hall: having by chance discovered the
secret way in from the hall. There is a 50% chance they have a key in their
possession: rolling 1+1d3 to determine which door in the dungeon it will open.
</p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2kHO00AZzVZ2OiNzou-sqn5-f_RX1wr0w3jeGyYqooNFUF7Zbu2T4zjHKpUi8wtYLIWY3MQGD5_2dKHXE2c6M-gTs0trO-ioWziI4h7ySzLfcximM3Smm7sre80F4AVG0zW2Gq9B4x49TI9gd8EP5xFoiH3YctWYRc78hXWvV87ZJY2i9dhUka72riGR/s1024/alchemyLab.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2kHO00AZzVZ2OiNzou-sqn5-f_RX1wr0w3jeGyYqooNFUF7Zbu2T4zjHKpUi8wtYLIWY3MQGD5_2dKHXE2c6M-gTs0trO-ioWziI4h7ySzLfcximM3Smm7sre80F4AVG0zW2Gq9B4x49TI9gd8EP5xFoiH3YctWYRc78hXWvV87ZJY2i9dhUka72riGR/s320/alchemyLab.png" width="320" /></a></div>The locked door to this room leading to R8 can be un-locked without a key from
inside the room.
<p></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">R10 - Laboratory</h3>
<p>
Tapestries hang on the north and south wall of the space - on the north side,
obscuring the secret door. In the center of the room is an alchemical lab -
antique, but looking used in the somewhat recent past. There is a 25% chance
that a key has been left on the table: rolling 1+1d3 to determine which lock
in the dungeon it will open.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Hall Hazards</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">H1 - Magnet Trap </h3>
<p>
The floor and walls of this space harbor wide metallic strips. A character
which passes through and wears ferrous armor or which carries a fair amount of
ferrous gear - say, 100 coin weight worth - may activate a mechanism. A loud
humming is heard and a powerful magnetic field causes the affected character
to stick to the walls or ceiling. Doffing the gear or armor which has been
attracted by the magnet is necessary to escape - and the effect will persist
until the hazard is disarmed via the lever in room R2.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">H2 - Foreshadowed Blade</h3>
<p>
The corpse of an adventurer - Dwarfish - is hunched against the wall in a pool
of blood. He carries some basic equipment alongside 800 silver pieces. He had
fallen victim to a hidden swinging pendulum trap - which any character moving
through the space at this point (or interacting with his corpse) may likewise
trigger. The trap rolls to hit with a THAC0 of 18 and deals 1d8 damage on
hit.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">H3 - Tree on the Dais</h3>
<p>
A circular pedestal - 15 feet across - takes up most of the space of this
junction. In the center is the likeness of a dead tree, sculpted from shale,
with branches disappearing into a circle inlaid in the ceiling, mirroring the
dais on the floor. There is a hollow in the tree, inside which a red gemstone
can be seen. If one grasps the gemstone, it cannot be removed, but will
rotate: which will cause the platform on which the tree sits. Based on the
direction the gem is oriented - north, south, east, west, and the non-cardinal
directions between - stone walls rise and fall, changing access points in the
dungeon. These are labeled A, B, C, and D and marked by dotted lines on the
map.
</p>
<p>
Walls are retracted and thus passable or closed and thus impassable as
follows, based on the tree-gem's orientation.
</p>
<p>
The referee is encouraged to roll 1d8 randomly to determine the initial angle
of the tree.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">H4 - Pit Trap</h3>
<p>
Here can be found a pit trap with spikes. A character which falls into the pit
suffers 1d6 damage from the fall plus a further 1d6 damage from the spikes.<br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-20160533443468344482023-08-26T04:00:00.001-04:002023-08-26T04:00:00.184-04:00Disappointment in Lankhmar<p>
Fog rolls in from the marshlands, up the river, and into the city - mixing
with the smoke and soot from innumerable houses and forges: spread across the
sprawling city. Block after block forming a veritable dungeon - rooftops, a
maze over which the adept might bound and leap - the color of the town being
gray out of necessity as much as decision. Thieves, cut-purses, and
sell-swords lurk in the murk: and a thousand eyes watch from a thousand faces,
looking away as necessary... or looking on, as it suits them.
</p>
<p>
This half-ruin, half-metropolis is Lankhmar: and the birthplace of Sword &
Sorcery.<br />
</p>
<center>
<h1>N-Spiration: <i>Swords and Deviltry</i></h1>
</center>
<center>
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</div>
</center>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About <i>Swords and Deviltry</i></h2>
<p>
<i>Swords and Deviltry</i> is a collection of stories - three stories, plus an
introductory piece titled <i>Induction</i> - authored by Appendix N great
Fritz Leiber and originally published in 1970. The stories within, <i>Induction</i>
included, were written between 1957 and 1970 and some published in <i>Fantastic</i>
magazine prior to their inclusion in the compellation. As such, while it is
not the first story to have been authored about its main protagonists, Fafhrd
and the Gray Mouser, it is the first chronologically, in universe: providing
an origin story for each of the characters and also an origin story to explain
their collaboration. The characters, themselves, first appeared in print in a
1947 issue of <i>Unknown</i> magazine in another tale, <i>Adept's Gambit</i>,
which would go on to be included in the published collection
<i>Swords in the Mist</i> in 1968. More to the point, however, is the author of the collection - the esteemed
Fritz Leiber: the father of Sword & Sorcery.
</p>
<p>Literally.</p>
<p>
In 1961, Leiber would describe his work and the work of like authors Michael
Moorcock and Robert E. Howard as "sword & sorcery" in a letter to
<i>Ancalagon - </i>coining the term, inventing the label, and giving us, if
Wikipedia is to be believed, a term which "<i>accurately describes the points of culture-level and supernatural element
and also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-and-sword (historical
adventure) story</i>."</p><p>Born in Illinois in 1910 to a married couple of Shakespearean actors, Leiber was active in authorship until his death in 1992. He is one of the last of the original pulp writers - post-dating the Weird Tales period, but being encouraged by H. P. Lovecraft in pursuit of his art - and among the most prolific: though among those tales, none are known better among the OSR and RPG community than those he authored of Fafhrd the Barbarian and the Gray Mouser.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>The Snow Women</i></h3>
<p>
<i>The Snow Women</i>, the first true story presented in this collection, is
awful.
</p>
<p>
Now that I've gotten that off my chest - <i>The Snow Women</i> is an origin
story for Fafhrd: a tall, red-haired barbarian swordsman from the north.
Fafhrd fills a warrior-outsider archetype and presents a classic Fighting Man
in the context of OSR gaming:
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span>
both in the presentation of his skills and also in the depictions of his
characteristics.
<i> </i>
</p>
<p>
<i>Referees</i> - how many barbarian northmen have you seen in your games who
are excessively tall (Fafhrd is said to be almost if not 7 feet in height;
compared by this reviewer to Conan's 6 feet), who hail from places cold and
remote, and who have at least one dead parent? Fafhrd and this origin story
present these tropes to a T.
</p>
<p>
In basic synopsis - Fafhrd travels south with his clan to an annual trading
meet - after having gone a-viking with a crew of pirates a season before. He
rescues a damsel in distress - twice - before fleeing south with her to the
city: while at the same time (in a show of humanity: of conflicting desires
and ambiguity both in morals and fidelity) abandoning several
responsibilities: some he has inherited as a result of lineage and cultural
expectation, some he has earned through his own actions, and some he has
accepted and championed as his own prerogative. But in so painting the Fafhrd
character - where the expression might be that an artist paints with a wide
brush, Leiber paints with a roller. The dialog is very clunky, with exchanges
feeling more like shower arguments than believable conversation.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
In particular, the presentation of dialog in a fade-to-black (or,
fade-to-white, in this case) scene elicits more cringing than excitement.
</summary>
<center>
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</div>
</center>
</details>
<p>
Similarly, the action is stilted: as though the author is trying to subvert
not the expectations of a classic hero, but the physical realities of what the
hero might entail. Fafhrd is excessively tall - 7 feet, as mentioned above -
and thin: "<i>but he's super strong. This traveling merchant pushes him? And he Doesn't.
Budge.</i>" - while paradoxically speaks in the voice of a tenor (<i>"Because he practiced it that way! It's intentional as part of his tribal
customs!"</i>). Frankly, it reads like the fiction of an adolescent bluffing through his
insecurities - cracking voice, gangly growth, romantic frustration... -
billing them as intentional, virtuous, or covert strengths.<br />
</p>
<p>
A great deal of world-building is accomplished in this tale. We learn a great
deal about the people of the north, about their customs and their
interactions, information which will explain behaviors and consequences in
other places in the Leiber lexographies, in a manner consistent with the
story: it does not constitute a long lore-dump: instead, providing information
appropriate to the narrative at the moment and moving the story forward. While
it does, however, provide these elements of background expertly, the lore is
... dumb. The women rule in the Cold Wastes - and the mechanism they use to
implement their violent control is.... snowballs. (<i>But they're more made of ice than snow so it really hurts, guys!</i>) I could go on - but the point is made. It's known that the characters -
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - are a nod to (if not a character model of) the
author, Leiber, and his friend
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Otto_Fischer" target="_blank">Harry Fischer</a>: a fellow writer of science fiction. Perhaps these are inside jokes between
them? They certainly carry the air of humor - such as in film when a scene of
particular intensity is offset with a joke; or when a moment of gravity, with
intent to transition to the next scene, is broken with a laugh. Perhaps. But
in my lonely opinion, the joke fell on the deaf.<br />
</p>
<p>As such - if you read this book, skip <i>The Snow Women</i>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>The Unholy Grail</i></h3>
<p><i>The Unholy Grail</i> is much more enjoyable.</p>
<p>
The reader may correctly surmise from <i>The Snow Women</i> playing origin
story to Fafhrd that <i>The Unholy Grail</i> serves as an origin story for the
Gray Mouser. It is an older story - published originally in October of 1962 -
and displays more skill in terms of nabbing the imagination of the reader. The
tone is much darker (which I personally tend to attribute to the more
down-to-earth nature of sword and sorcery in comparison to high fantasy
literature), the first paragraph grips the reader and doesn't let go - and the
yarn contains swordplay, sorcery - both foul and fair - and embraces the same
gray morality - painting its characters as flawed: neither good nor evil in
totality.
</p>
<p>
This is a theme through Leiber's work - that no one individual is wholly good
- and at the same time, while some characters do appear to be wholly bad, the
possibility is left open that this is in appearance only, in some cases, or in
other cases, is the result of circumstances outside the view of the
protagonists in the spotlight.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
The character Duke Janarrl, father to our female lead Ivrian, comes to mind:
</summary>
<p>
...who is unwholesome in all regards presented until it becomes evident at
the end that it's a coping mechanism for the repression of other
experiences, other memories: thereby exploring the concept of generational
abuse.
</p>
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</div>
</center>
</details>
<p>
Further, regarding the technical execution of the story - Ivrian, responsible
for both death of the white wizard, Glavas Rho, and for the capture of the
Mouser - benefits from both a redemption arc in the role she plays in the
story's climax against the Duke, to the quality of depth to her character, but
also is included earlier in a foreshadowing event during a scene hunting a
boar: wherein initial failure is, under duress, overturned by necessity of
action.<br />
</p>
<p>
Despite these indicators of technical talent and of thematic depth, however,
the work is not without flaws. The dialog is somewhat stilted and many
characters - the Mouser included - feeling one dimensional. In brief synopsis
- the Gray Mouser (at this point in his career called, simply, Mouse) is an
apprentice to a white wizard: one who falls victim to the prejudices Duke
Janarrl against all magic. The Mouser takes his vengeance on the Duke through
dark magic - initially, a voodoo doll; and then after, through an unexplained
black magic poured out abstractly through the Duke's own fears and
vulnerabilities. The Mouser presents the most one dimensional character of the
lot - despite being a primary protagonist of the series to which this story
belongs: his character is consumed with anger and with revenge: his words, his
emotions, and his actions are entirely centered around that one goal.
</p>
<p>
All in all - <i>The Unholy Grail</i> inspired me to keep reading where
<i>The Snow Women</i> made me want to put the book down: that said, it
contains swords, sorcery, dungeons, and damsels: what more could you ask for
in an Appendix N novella? <br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Ill Met in Lankhmar</i></h3>
<p>
Lastly among the tales within <i>Swords and Deviltry</i> one finds
<i>Ill Met in Lankhmar</i>.
</p>
<details>
<summary>The story opens with a heist:</summary>
<p>
...two thieves we have never met before have broken into and konked a
jeweler: the lesser of whose wares they purloin, so as to "encourage him" to
do better business for them to steal next time. On their return to the guild
with their gains, they are ambushed by our heroes, Fafhrd and the Gray
Mouser: who have inadvertently chosen to ambush the thieves for fun and
profit on their return trip at the same time.
</p>
<p>
Quickly coming to terms with each other as allies, the pair make quick work
of the thieves and of some roughs from the guild of fighters, the Slayers'
Brotherhood, hired as protection from just such an assault. After, the two
slink into the night - celebrating their ill-gotten gains with their
respective romantic counterparts.<br />
</p>
</details>
<p>
Like <i>The Snow Women</i>, this yarn - <i>Ill Met in Lankhmar</i> was written
in 1970: in the same year, it would go on to win the Nebula Award for "Best
Novella" and, in the following, the Hugo Award for the same. It is very
obvious that it was written after the fact - that is, after the characters and
the work of the author was widely known: something that is evidenced best by a
short exchange between the Gray Mouser and Farfhd when they initially meet
regarding the pronunciation and spelling of Farfhd's name:
</p>
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</div>
</center>
<p>
You <i>know</i> that from the opening of the Lankhmar saga in 1957 thirteen
years prior to the publication of the story that readers had been
<i>incessantly</i> writing to Leiber or to his publishers asking this exact
question. After rolling ones eyes or eliciting a chuckle at this realization -
the reader is obliged to note that this kind of humor perforates the text.
Through their interactions - somewhat flippant despite the gravity of some of
their actions - the sense of humor that the author seeks to imbue into the
text makes recurrent intrusions onto the page: which leads us to the primary
question the reader of this article may be asking to this point -
<i>isn't this supposed to be a review of the book's influence on my game
table?</i>
</p>
<p>Yes, it is <i>- </i>and yes, it does!</p>
<p>
While the story is on par (perhaps just a tad less) enjoyable than
<i>The Unholy Grail</i>, regardless of that quality, the story IS a D&D
game half a decade before the game came out.
</p>
<p>
The aforementioned tonal shifts between flippancy and seriousness? This occurs
at the table as well as in the story. Scenes of mindless total bloodshed
followed by childish jests and bar-hopping? Happens in the story. Similarly -
world building: there is a place called Whore Street, where one of the
thieves' guild representatives goes on vacation! This is straight out of an
OSR campaign world and speaks monuments to the tone of the movement and the
expectations of a referee to the game.
</p>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwO0YhoC9-aa0RLXAdq-wYRM1bt6X7ojRA4Hm1LsZuEhWN715HmcDlDGF7AMj-mvj-ryhPfk5UtgKNiYUs2tYLa2fTtHkxg0ziMMToL6jsfbeC5OOugroXSNtuEftce50zq3Jl72tD7_7ctf4x5lVJ6MpGD8eDgdIZc1vDmTEVw9z6SZiw23zhmKGMqK9/s500/FF&GM.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwO0YhoC9-aa0RLXAdq-wYRM1bt6X7ojRA4Hm1LsZuEhWN715HmcDlDGF7AMj-mvj-ryhPfk5UtgKNiYUs2tYLa2fTtHkxg0ziMMToL6jsfbeC5OOugroXSNtuEftce50zq3Jl72tD7_7ctf4x5lVJ6MpGD8eDgdIZc1vDmTEVw9z6SZiw23zhmKGMqK9/w280-h400/FF&GM.jpg" width="280" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Swords and Deviltry, Slip-Cover<br />Centipede Press, 2017</span></i><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p>
Secondly, to speak to the rules itself - I mentioned in the above two guilds:
one, a brotherhood of Fighting Men; the other, a brotherhood of Thieves. If
you have ever played Advanced D&D and wondered at the origins of the
Training rules - why do I have to seek out a mentor to get better at the thing
I've been practicing on my delves - this is why. To focus on the Thieves'
Guild specifically: there is a scene wherein the protagonists infiltrate the
guild - seeing trainers working with apprentice thieves: showing them how to
pick locks, instructing them (and testing them) on picking pockets. Without
doubt - this is what Gary had in mind when he came up with the training rules:
having these stories at hand, scribing down the various things that a Thief
should be able to do. While - as Ringmail-enjoyers will know already - I have
already made my opinions clear on
<a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/episodes/Why-Guilds-will-Ruin-your-Game-e1q6r4l" target="_blank">what I think of guilds in your game</a>: part of the implied setting - part of the world building of TSR D&D as
produced by the rules, themselves - is evidenced in Lankhmar in the existence
and the operations of the guilds referenced in this story. This, why thieves
carry knives, hide in shadows, make abysmal fighters, and other influences on
the D&D game - especially the AD&D game - become evident in this tale
to the discerning reader.
</p>
<p>
The story takes a dark turn - ending on somewhat of a low note: reflecting the
vulnerability of the protagonists that the author intended to set them (and
these stories) apart from more larger-than-life characters like Howard's Conan
or Moorcock's Elric - but it does end on a powerful note: and leaves the
reader wanting more - whether that "more" could come from more Farfhd and the
Gray Mouser or whether that "more" could come from the table is to be
determined in said reader's own experience.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Further Reading</h2>
<p>
If the unique blend of low-adventure mixed with humor and horror that makes
the hallmark of Fritz Leiber speaks to you - he was a prolific writer, with an
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Leiber_bibliography" target="_blank">extensive bibliography</a>. His most known works are the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series - which, in
omnibus form, comprises seven separate collections published between 1970 and
1988: all of which are available
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fritz+leiber+fafhrd+and+the+gray+mouser&sprefix=fritz+lei%2Caps%2C122" target="_blank">in print and electronically</a>.
<a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=fritz%20leiber" target="_blank">Used copies abound</a>
- for those looking for an authentic experience - and for those without a
Sword & Sorcery bent (I'm not sure, if you <i>don't</i> enjoy Sword &
Sorcery, how you found this article: but welcome, without regard), his work is
not limited to the genre whose name he coined, but also extends into the
realms of science fiction and of horror.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h2>
<p>
Fritz Leiber - specifically, his creations Farfhd and the Gray Mouser - are
called out, as Jack Vance and his
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/01/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-1.html" target="_blank">Dying</a>
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/03/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-2.html" target="_blank">Earth</a>
- in the AD&D 1st Edition Appendix N. As such, I am legally required to
say that they are entirely OSR. <i>Swords and Deviltry</i> is not art. The
characters are not believably spoken; the stories do not contain a consistency
of tone nor nod to particular verisimilitude; but they are stories of
adventure. They are stories of passion and of desire. Of the three stories
presented in <i>Swords and Deviltry</i>, one - I personally enjoyed; one - I
was unable to force myself to finish; and one - I recognized the game I loved
being played out from its pages. For that reason, I begrudgingly rate
<i>Swords and Deviltry</i>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2</span>:
<span style="font-size: medium;">Mostly OSR</span></b>.<br />
</p>
<center>
<div class="separator">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh374aJvN9BmpZGZAPFCdkPC6cCfo-Ezlkd168i1hk5Ll1xg6O7R3TU8iGBls17ocm_bDDgyUJ2eYUEq9wZAHhWT9WjmU1l1xRI6G7mrLzXerTXAGtYYEWN93MaOSju1Ccv7DrLdn6Jkt2kV9NvOXSDPWuUigUUzYpgWSkRp524_PaVwdDtcJNcc4yGKjKC/s1044/GarimeterScale.SwordsAndDeviltry.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1044" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh374aJvN9BmpZGZAPFCdkPC6cCfo-Ezlkd168i1hk5Ll1xg6O7R3TU8iGBls17ocm_bDDgyUJ2eYUEq9wZAHhWT9WjmU1l1xRI6G7mrLzXerTXAGtYYEWN93MaOSju1Ccv7DrLdn6Jkt2kV9NvOXSDPWuUigUUzYpgWSkRp524_PaVwdDtcJNcc4yGKjKC/s320/GarimeterScale.SwordsAndDeviltry.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>
<i>What? How could you do Gary like that?</i> I apologize - I apologize to
Gary's ghost and to his legacy. However Leiber is no Howard; nor is Fafhrd a
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broken_Sword" target="_blank">Skafloc</a>
nor the Gray Mouser a
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eyes_of_the_Overworld" target="_blank">Cugel</a>. The stories were - on the whole - enjoyable. I intend to give Leiber
another go: potentially skipping ahead to <i>Swords in the Mist</i>: looking
to some of the older works - written to tell the tale rather than later works,
perhaps written with catering to the characters and a captive audience in
mind.
</p>
<p>But it does no good to speculate.</p>
<p>
I do recommend <i>Swords and Deviltry</i> - though I may find, looking further
afield in the library of Leiber, that I recommend some of his works above it.
In either case - keep gaming, thank you for reading, and delve on!<br />
</p>
<p> <br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Swords and Deviltry</i>, published by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc<i>, </i>of New York, NY, and all stories therein authored by Fritz Leiber and
copyright to the Estate of Fritz Leiber.<i> The Snow Women</i>, cover art
of<i> Fantastic</i> magazine, April 1970, illustrated by Jeff Jones. Cover
of <i>Fantastic</i> magazine, October 1962, illustrated by Ed Emshwiller.
Both images retrieved from
<a href="http://www.philsp.com/mags/fantastic.html" target="_blank">Galactic Central Publications</a>
web, curated by Phil Stephensen-Payne. Slip cover for
<i>Swords and Deviltry,</i> Centipede Press, by Tom Kidd - retrieved from
<a href="https://www.abebooks.com/9781613471753/Swords-Deviltry-Chronicles-Fafhrd-Gray-1613471750/plp" target="_blank">Abe Books</a>. <i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i>and all imagery or references thereto related are property of Wizards of
the Coast.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-13942114963507253142023-08-05T04:30:00.001-04:002023-08-05T04:30:00.138-04:00Shrew Excision Expedition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgiBujM2TgCKxpXod5vnY1exLvzKR1V21VQ33qC1zudrin6AJmH8Q8bLTWjpx6teSwxw92atreXwJwkPutuNMPwoL5VGFook-zxV41nxcsEZH2DAjC4eyReZn8lav_35KdTmlvHJHpiOxihKPjdEAhr2XhTJ0FNynYHPOQP18TLfpXvwCoJJ24_t8hyZP/s1500/SmallDungeonX.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgiBujM2TgCKxpXod5vnY1exLvzKR1V21VQ33qC1zudrin6AJmH8Q8bLTWjpx6teSwxw92atreXwJwkPutuNMPwoL5VGFook-zxV41nxcsEZH2DAjC4eyReZn8lav_35KdTmlvHJHpiOxihKPjdEAhr2XhTJ0FNynYHPOQP18TLfpXvwCoJJ24_t8hyZP/w640-h640/SmallDungeonX.png" width="576" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Scale: 10ft.<br />Click
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ag7zdlH7jQCoKZ06chPuCFoD3r6rAsP_/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>
for a PDF version of this adventure!</span><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<p><i>Suitable for 2nd level.</i></p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHnjewUuHKva-fqEDwc1NdZa4l_M_DFL6KYduNBMA8i9cQzVhH1ke-B01YbTEClbo7UDORJkLcF1GsxfLKo8O4OGOg0DTHQJoWoCm3puw9qh3VFx_rPb6-emkbmwxg_kx0zOC1TdmhwuFJJh_IaKS1V5lDVEXSBPrImbUupbcvd4qnTZNtGBsXE5tvIKc/s98/Locked.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHnjewUuHKva-fqEDwc1NdZa4l_M_DFL6KYduNBMA8i9cQzVhH1ke-B01YbTEClbo7UDORJkLcF1GsxfLKo8O4OGOg0DTHQJoWoCm3puw9qh3VFx_rPb6-emkbmwxg_kx0zOC1TdmhwuFJJh_IaKS1V5lDVEXSBPrImbUupbcvd4qnTZNtGBsXE5tvIKc/s1600/Locked.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little keyhole icon in a door means the door is locked.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzRPVE0HnAryCHHYXALaiO52Ea2J7LJaKNSrIA8P1m_o7E1K4E0IbeJVJhtu8cNcpr9NW8ghUJhMaH6-GyndHKjToo2Om1anwcwqJ40gmLXGZz9JzSdMvnQgS363T8e3tX8uAHh8SGhPTDVA2-zVifjM4DI0WWL855VExVHGUL8hCC4qd4ZY2n5MRe8t3/s98/Secret.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzRPVE0HnAryCHHYXALaiO52Ea2J7LJaKNSrIA8P1m_o7E1K4E0IbeJVJhtu8cNcpr9NW8ghUJhMaH6-GyndHKjToo2Om1anwcwqJ40gmLXGZz9JzSdMvnQgS363T8e3tX8uAHh8SGhPTDVA2-zVifjM4DI0WWL855VExVHGUL8hCC4qd4ZY2n5MRe8t3/s1600/Secret.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little "S" through a door means the door is secret.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkLa5-gI93TerVxDEotsZnUbpbzXxZXAvASGh2K5hHJa2S60mUXz5qjLd_4w_iyn1_LrKlx-i-mmHZf5F3LeUefjNyO1JogrZ2xi7mpzFUOoXAGUQya5qB1dvV7DEjWmwq5472sqhC0UuyUXLnZnQwdvE8TqPVn_5PnEJLBxSwmrcaAsvZKN1nXSJnrsp/s98/Jammed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="98" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkLa5-gI93TerVxDEotsZnUbpbzXxZXAvASGh2K5hHJa2S60mUXz5qjLd_4w_iyn1_LrKlx-i-mmHZf5F3LeUefjNyO1JogrZ2xi7mpzFUOoXAGUQya5qB1dvV7DEjWmwq5472sqhC0UuyUXLnZnQwdvE8TqPVn_5PnEJLBxSwmrcaAsvZKN1nXSJnrsp/s1600/Jammed.png" width="49" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>
A little "J" through a door means the door is jammed (stuck) and must be
forced open.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>Art generated on
<a href="https://www.craiyon.com/" target="_blank">Craiyon.com</a>; for
expedience.
</i>
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">X - Entry</h2>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAlJH_Anv7OZvgKQ_y7p1_sT42s7bfgG5g_jkW7buQvGHjC6ieho5JCJVjFlI1WScllhdxIn4_YzLLmGbU_f1Amk9Vep2B4R6vEVka1WmWKzDLrXP7ihOY4kATw7z4SpZIFjvnvJzzW-8R4gi0m7_x9mzL8OImTC-ZKOplQZClckD8mn01Fb5UBWM9XH5/s420/stairs-down-small.craiyon.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAlJH_Anv7OZvgKQ_y7p1_sT42s7bfgG5g_jkW7buQvGHjC6ieho5JCJVjFlI1WScllhdxIn4_YzLLmGbU_f1Amk9Vep2B4R6vEVka1WmWKzDLrXP7ihOY4kATw7z4SpZIFjvnvJzzW-8R4gi0m7_x9mzL8OImTC-ZKOplQZClckD8mn01Fb5UBWM9XH5/w168-h200/stairs-down-small.craiyon.png" width="168" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
The circular room is walled by a slate geometric pattern – multiple tile
shapes in use, each coming together in a larger picture, such that all space
is bricked and mortared in a colorless mosaic. The floor is black tile – both
motifs continue through the rest of the structure.
</p>
<p>
The room is empty – excepting natural cob webs hanging gently on the
north-east portion of the stairwell.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">N - North</h2>
<p>
<i><b>N1)</b> </i>A statue of a stately gnome – six feet in height, four feet
in width – dominates the center of this space. It is illusory, however, and
characters may pass through it (or hide within, being able to see out as
though within a cell of one-way glass) at leisure.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><b></b></i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wCZ0F70RZNKutmTq6pghlfhUwpHgncgN5mF71o8BptI9KKQZkOFKPdKb8qniikk4lkhLQ23_yCTSh_Yh_M6DMtxAWzbNZlzGtcut2SfgyrrLlb9yXrR8QvPgC1o0FY7q9Pttzg0wP9h2H1f2CxTksQ0KYiYGcjtAVVjxooixNmwG4TXqrmsE5RovI7oQ/s1200/N.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1200" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wCZ0F70RZNKutmTq6pghlfhUwpHgncgN5mF71o8BptI9KKQZkOFKPdKb8qniikk4lkhLQ23_yCTSh_Yh_M6DMtxAWzbNZlzGtcut2SfgyrrLlb9yXrR8QvPgC1o0FY7q9Pttzg0wP9h2H1f2CxTksQ0KYiYGcjtAVVjxooixNmwG4TXqrmsE5RovI7oQ/w400-h216/N.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
<i><b>N2) </b></i>Upon opening either door to this space, a thick smoke, knee
to waist height, begins to billow out. It has a caustic aroma – but no harmful
effects. Against the far wall are six periapts – empty, but worth 10 gp each
as trinkets – hung at interval along the north wall. In addition, a pouch with
50 gold pieces and a garnet worth 100 gold pieces further can be found hidden
beneath the opaque mist – lying discarded in the south-center of the room.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>N3) </b></i>Wedged into a nook in the wall is a shrine to the god of the
gnomes. It has been neglected and no votives nor offerings sit nearby.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>N4) </b></i>One Giant Shrew (B42) sniffs about a pack, thrown to the
ground. Inside can be found three days rations (which have drawn the shrew’s
attention) in addition to 200 silver pieces.
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_1qI6R9ixFKV0-82ClBQPEy4uH_kYBadBCl6WiiDrpSewO0FPKD4By6-7Zyz-k98qRIbSvW_hLK44U9zKECfFQb0DX9VWEEzMLOEhoB25WsnpyMdLZgH6LFxFVeLE7UV-PTBJOGIVgzVotg4mdQhbKrvYIYGOxgCQOEkp-qKQGEmp0laZJwx3zY3IgNB/s512/dwarf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_1qI6R9ixFKV0-82ClBQPEy4uH_kYBadBCl6WiiDrpSewO0FPKD4By6-7Zyz-k98qRIbSvW_hLK44U9zKECfFQb0DX9VWEEzMLOEhoB25WsnpyMdLZgH6LFxFVeLE7UV-PTBJOGIVgzVotg4mdQhbKrvYIYGOxgCQOEkp-qKQGEmp0laZJwx3zY3IgNB/w200-h200/dwarf.png" width="200" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
<i><b>N5) </b></i>A wayward Dwarf (B35) has locked himself in this space.
Lightly wounded, he will react positively to adventurers – having been driven
here by the shrew in N4. The pack is his – which he will remember after the
exuberance of liberation (if the shrew has been dealt with) has worn off.
</p>
<p>
The purpose of the room is a crypt – two sealed sarcophagi, parallel to one
another, taking up most of the space.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>N6) </b></i>Central to this room is a grave slab – running north to
south and flush with the floor – on the other side of which is a small table,
knee high. On the table is placed 100 silver coins and a skull coated in
mother of pearl – itself worth 300 gold pieces.
</p>
<p>
The grave slab is unstable and, if party members walk across, there is a
chance it will cave in – dumping the unfortunate into a 30 foot pit beneath.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>N7) </b></i>A single sarcophagus sits empty, broken into, with the lid
smashed on the floor to the south. The small skeleton has been rummaged
through unceremoniously.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">W - West</h2>
<p>
<i><b></b></i>
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4p7Z7iSKZKnttAdj73e2w3BsOU7f0N9tEIpVVHsjtZoRWDQ84YBV7IyhysOQyNhjn5n2_ELoj3OtKe8dWomYQn0FsRpHx5R7kDO0zYnuu6GFAEpiyVP4CFc0LkviEP1I4-riMSfOW1lO8BBiDiZU3-HhEVwO1HEa2U5CSOdq88l9crxdu7hftQbwBX7V/s1150/W.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="601" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4p7Z7iSKZKnttAdj73e2w3BsOU7f0N9tEIpVVHsjtZoRWDQ84YBV7IyhysOQyNhjn5n2_ELoj3OtKe8dWomYQn0FsRpHx5R7kDO0zYnuu6GFAEpiyVP4CFc0LkviEP1I4-riMSfOW1lO8BBiDiZU3-HhEVwO1HEa2U5CSOdq88l9crxdu7hftQbwBX7V/w209-h400/W.png" width="209" /></a></b></i>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
<i><b>W1) </b></i>An octagonal rug of woven metal fibers is tethered to the
floor in the center of this space. There is a slight charnel scent about it –
and any character which steps into it may set off a trap wherein the rug winds
up on itself, crushing whomever is inside before re-opening and resetting
automatically after 1 turn has elapsed.
</p>
<ul>
<li>If one character is caught in this mechanism, 1d3 damage is suffered.</li>
<li>If two characters are caught, the damage inflicted increases to 1d6.</li>
</ul>
<p>
Characters of dwarf or halfling stature are counted as half a character for
the purposes of the crushing rug. A Save may be granted to dodge the effect,
eluding capture.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>W2) </b></i>At the far end of the north hall, two spectral hammers float
facing the door, casting light as though torches, flanking the entrance to the
larger space. They are magical, but have forgotten their purpose as guards. If
left unmolested, they will do nothing but cast light – if a character attempts
to disturb them, they will attack in unison, fighting each as 2 HD monsters,
dealing 1d6 damage on a hit, which cannot be hit by normal weapons. The goal
of any such attack is to drive the target from the room out the door to the
north – after doing which, the hammers will resume their mindless vigil.
</p>
<p>In the south of the room, a hoard has been secreted as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>A locked chest containing 4,000ep</li>
<li>
<div>
A spell scroll containing five Magic User spells:
<br />
<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 35%;">
<ul>
<li>Cloudkill</li>
<li>Read Magic (x2)</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li>Fireball</li>
<li>Protection from Evil (10' Radius)</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</li>
<li>One Wand of Illusion (X49-50)</li>
</ul>
<p>
<i><b>W3)</b></i> Mining equipment has been stowed and neatly battened in the
south and south-west of the room. It has gathered dust – having not been used
for a time – but is in functioning condition.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>W4)</b></i> Eight gnomes argue amongst themselves in this space – two
appearing to be the leaders: each who have maximum hit points for their hit
die. They are following an antiquated map of the space and have entered
through the secret door – of which they are aware – but seek the treasure room
in W2: hoping to find artifacts therein to allow them to rid the area of
shrews.
</p>
<p>Between them, the gnomes carry 200 silver and 10 gold pieces.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-OLqdR115-p7aCFT_uPBJdnhJ66m1DDKhRxJg5ABJ1BEa74WywB4XD3_Lyj6UgNqO5rV0LtDCuAqoZo3l3izGSMw27TKVq6J_m8TZaB8_imMCxwC6VGRGAZ2RZJ1PQ6TKteXLlyO7uZGIOAjdgt3g6Ra_9M5-j36aBlev9t9lfTcp4cw7HozKlFbMhSJ/s512/arguing-gnomes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="512" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-OLqdR115-p7aCFT_uPBJdnhJ66m1DDKhRxJg5ABJ1BEa74WywB4XD3_Lyj6UgNqO5rV0LtDCuAqoZo3l3izGSMw27TKVq6J_m8TZaB8_imMCxwC6VGRGAZ2RZJ1PQ6TKteXLlyO7uZGIOAjdgt3g6Ra_9M5-j36aBlev9t9lfTcp4cw7HozKlFbMhSJ/s320/arguing-gnomes.png" style="background: rgb(51, 51, 51); border: medium none; box-shadow: none;" width="320" /></a>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">E - East</h2>
<p>
<i><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtZGDsvTOprG0TcrT4V12h2o0v36Ww-h72Tmujz_I9t8j0jqUxP7FjNSTrf4LBp1Rj5waa_s72p4VvGXvhm2n-XWolqIg6GJBAmKFXfKyvA8xVjTeNm2b2KcnejCUqLCuBF2HgfKtZe3NixzuGtldIbEhiD-8CgLttLZRNKl7v3YKcplpcsfanoaNaQVC/s900/E.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtZGDsvTOprG0TcrT4V12h2o0v36Ww-h72Tmujz_I9t8j0jqUxP7FjNSTrf4LBp1Rj5waa_s72p4VvGXvhm2n-XWolqIg6GJBAmKFXfKyvA8xVjTeNm2b2KcnejCUqLCuBF2HgfKtZe3NixzuGtldIbEhiD-8CgLttLZRNKl7v3YKcplpcsfanoaNaQVC/s320/E.png" width="302" /></a></b></i></div><p></p><p><i><b>E1) </b></i>The eastern portion of the room is painted, small figures in
robes surrounding a central figure with a golden hat. However, the space
appears longer than it is and a party which seeks to walk towards the eastern
wall from the west will inexplicably make very little headway. In fact, only a
blind character – or one whose eyes are closed or covered – can make it to the
far wall: where they will find the stone mundane.
</p>
<p>
A party seeking to return westward is not affected, departing as readily as
they entered.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>E2) </b></i>Alcoves on each wall house the statue of a gnome-like
figure; the features of the statues have been obscured with age.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>E3) </b></i>Three Giant Shrew (B42) are feeding upon two dead gnomes. On
the gnomes’ persons can be found a potion of Cure Light Wounds.
</p>
<p>
A set of amphora adorn the west wall; in which 600 silver pieces can be found.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>E4) </b></i>The floor is patterned in a red and blue mosaic – depicting
an abstract canvas. Along the walls are hung multiple tabards – each woven of
metal fiber. They are serviceable – albeit uncomfortable – for small
characters (those of dwarf or halfling size): but provide a base armor class
of 6 when worn and encumber as chainmail.
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-33949259698762722082023-07-23T04:30:00.009-04:002023-07-23T16:09:16.579-04:00N-Spiration - Zothique: The Final Cycle<center>
<p>
<i><span style="font-size: medium;">He who has trod the shadows of Zothique<br />And looked upon the
coal-red sun oblique,<br />Henceforth returns to no anterior land,<br />But
haunts the latter coast<br />Where cities crumble in the black
sea-sand<br />And dead Gods drink the brine.</span></i>
</p>
</center>
<p style="padding-right: 4em; text-align: right;">
<i> - Clark Ashton Smith, Zothique</i>
</p>
<br />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Zothique: The Final Cycle</h1>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL22xaBVSYpE0OfPIwhkgplfwRPsaBrms8InSXwA311EWrpBh_e_rHovOxNcRqhHC1qIvWpagMAaOLnuyNQRVLNGrpaN6E0JnHt0FZLgGXeEkRYhG06_4QiuM_CuYksEjAyVk0i685ayerSEo2IPuw29PaKm0MO5u4ZrWtoiYCKFV9uEDhMOm0pngYcUb2/s602/Cover-Zothique.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="600" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL22xaBVSYpE0OfPIwhkgplfwRPsaBrms8InSXwA311EWrpBh_e_rHovOxNcRqhHC1qIvWpagMAaOLnuyNQRVLNGrpaN6E0JnHt0FZLgGXeEkRYhG06_4QiuM_CuYksEjAyVk0i685ayerSEo2IPuw29PaKm0MO5u4ZrWtoiYCKFV9uEDhMOm0pngYcUb2/w638-h640/Cover-Zothique.png" width="575" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About Zothique</h2>
<p>
<i>Zothique</i> is not a singular story nor plotline - but instead represents
a collection of mixed genre works including stage play and metered rhyme: all
of which illustrate and inhabit a particular world - <i>Zothique</i> - the
last continent of Earth, formed when the sun is bloated, red, and dim in
decrepitude. Like the sun, but dissimilar to the
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/01/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-1.html" target="_blank">Dying Earth</a>
of
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/03/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-2.html" target="_blank">Vance</a>, there is little jocularity in it. Decay, death, and darkness run a
consistent theme through the works - which, themselves, are almost
<i>memento mori</i> for an ineluctable perishing of the world, itself. The
stage is set for bronze-age savagery and for black sorcery, necromancy - in
particular - taking a central role in almost all spell-casting. Control over
death, yet another furtive struggle in a world bound for the endless dark,
caters to the theme and tone of the works - joined together in their
references, maps, and insinuated meaning - forcing the reader to contend with
that which is apperceptive about its higher neurological function in addition
to that which is base: that which is primal and inexpressible through cogent
language.
</p>
<p>
Indeed, the author displays an incredible combination of restraint and
artistry in his presentation of the obscene - able to draw carnal imagery in
the mind of the reader totally without the use of vulgarities or the excessive
description of gore. What is dwelt upon in modern vintage, Smith mentions but
in passing or by implication only: the impact of which is made magnified by
it. The urges and the instincts surrounding life and the clawing, clinging
thereto by all metabolizing things feel drawn into sharp focus while perusing
the great majority of the <i>Zothique</i> epistles.<br />
</p>
<p>
The book pictured and recommended, which graces my shelves and now my
imagination, contains 25 individual pieces of varied length - some, novellas
in and of themselves, others poems that might fit on a single page. Published
in various places - books and serials alike - across a span of many years
(ranging from 1932's <i>The Empire of the Necromancers</i> to 1956's
<i>The Dead will Cuckold You</i>), <i>Zothique</i> is a land of wastes and
deserts: inspired in no small part by classic folk tales of the Arabian
Nights. Edited by Ronald Hilger,
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zothique-Final-Clark-Ashton-Smith/dp/1614983763" target="_blank">Zothique: The Final Cycle</a></i>
is a new collection of the old works: its copyright dated to 2022.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About the Author<br /></h2>
<p>
The author of the work is Clark Ashton Smith. If you have not heard that name
and read nothing further of this short biopic, in attempt to sufficiently
introduce him: know that his introduction to the world of weird fiction would
come from a 1922 letter from H. P. Lovecraft... who was a fan of Smith's dark
and strange poetry.
</p>
<p>
Smith is a character whose name arises frequently in discussions of Appendix N
fantasy: typically to recommend him in apology for the original text, having
insulted both the genre and wounded the imagination of the reader by his 1979
omission.
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lyFlz7TioC2kwO6U7zOB5JD_UMX5gNX2IXoYreeRKWorjUDiL2VRGWmNZtFa-3HpRak3OWvxEp23G5ZBvs9FVeKKJwR4SWQiq1klnua6T_Elu9C5U0Liqt6tDAm3PQ9Kz30Bv2Q0o_nxXKO6D0sBtdY8kXgLg9LB9xANnIMWKEBpBSpyXa5Ftx8Wfm1K/s575/Clark-Ashton-Smith-Portrait.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lyFlz7TioC2kwO6U7zOB5JD_UMX5gNX2IXoYreeRKWorjUDiL2VRGWmNZtFa-3HpRak3OWvxEp23G5ZBvs9FVeKKJwR4SWQiq1klnua6T_Elu9C5U0Liqt6tDAm3PQ9Kz30Bv2Q0o_nxXKO6D0sBtdY8kXgLg9LB9xANnIMWKEBpBSpyXa5Ftx8Wfm1K/s320/Clark-Ashton-Smith-Portrait.png" width="257" /></a>
</span>
Hailed as the last of the authors of <i>Weird Tales</i>' golden era, Smith was
born in 1893, he was a
<a href="http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/" target="_blank">visual artist</a>
and poet who lived in the small California community of Long Valley for the
duration of his professional career. Indeed, poetry was his primary calling -
being self-educated and self-inundated in the like of
<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe" target="_blank">Poe</a>
and
<a href="https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/oldsite/authors/daulnoy.html" target="_blank">d'Aulnoy</a>
- and was said to be of remarkable intellect and memory: teaching himself
multiple languages so as to work on translations of literary works in them.
Using the nightmares he suffered during bouts of ill health, Smith produced
the bulk of his prose fiction - over one hundred short stories - during the
American Great Depression, with publications between 1929 and 1934. His
fiction writing would cease - as it would seem, by result of preference -
following a string of personal tragedies: the deaths of his mother in 1935,
Robert E. Howard (with whom he was a fan and had been in correspondence prior)
in 1936, and both his father and long-time friend H. P. Lovecraft in 1937.
Though while the macabre of life would blunt his desire to write fiction and
divert him back into the visual arts and sculpture, the macabre of his fiction
would live on for decades to come: primarily through the intentional and
occasionally unprofitable republications championed by August Derleth.<br />
</p>
<p>
He was a single man most of his days - marrying only after suffering a heart
attack at the age of 61: moving to establish his household in Pacific Grove,
California with his new wife and her children. Shortly thereafter - almost as
if in closing this chapter of history - the home he had been born into, where
his intellect had been fostered, his works authored, and his life spent -
burned to the ground in 1957: by Smith's account, an act of arson. It would
seem then anapestic that Smith, on his death in 1961 from a series of strokes,
was cremated - his ashes interred alongside the ashes of that Long Valley
cabin.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Why Zothique?</h2>
<p>
There are numerous elements of <i>Zothique</i> that have verifiably made their
way into the popular mythoi surrounding tabletop gaming - let alone the OSR
alone. Tsathoggua - for example - an entity in the Cthulu cosmology and made
most famous in the H. P. Lovecraft yarn, <i>The Whisperer in Darkness</i>, is
actually a Clark Ashton Smith creation - having been invented in 1929 in a
short story, <i>The Tale of Satampra Zeiros</i>: where Lovecraft and Smith
were known to borrow one another's respective milieu and re-use what was
borrowed in agapic homage. Similarly - any familiar with
<a href="https://www.hyperborea.tv/" target="_blank">Hyperborea</a> will be
familiar with a flat world, the edge of which one might sail off of - falling
with the ever-flowing waters into an abyss of space: this, too, is found in
<i>Zothique</i> - at the end of the Black River from
<i>Necromancy in Naat</i> (<i>Weird Tales</i>, 1936) an ocean current which
pours like a waterfall into the void, after having dashed itself first against
the jagged rocks of the island Naat, home to necromancers plying their carnal
trade and cannibals, brutal and savage, cowering in fear of them.
</p>
<p>
While these two notable examples are ones I here cite, they are but the first
two of countless references you'll find as you explore the last continent to
rise from the teeming sea. Authors of products you have bought, played, or
purchased will have read <i>Zothique</i> - one or all of the stories therein -
and themes, spells or locales, and figures will become more clearly defined,
their motives and machinations elucidated, by a shared experience in the
stories.
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm-AuX2tZrxweYqfEXzfK2cg2RTHC9IiHrp9IDFJMD5qG0WPoDsNv5YWJh0ylhwRNi0VD8Hja1UTYH2IFeXUthuHW8BeFNvtpSDzXu4aTSOKOitNaIZ92HuPGPdGlQcJ2FdhGf4TLn_Dfe-LlTtYLmIjzAMJfjHiAIvBUJKekpNUuksBDkhewHb9GxCSy/s444/UntitledWatercolor.ClarkAshtonSmith.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="444" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm-AuX2tZrxweYqfEXzfK2cg2RTHC9IiHrp9IDFJMD5qG0WPoDsNv5YWJh0ylhwRNi0VD8Hja1UTYH2IFeXUthuHW8BeFNvtpSDzXu4aTSOKOitNaIZ92HuPGPdGlQcJ2FdhGf4TLn_Dfe-LlTtYLmIjzAMJfjHiAIvBUJKekpNUuksBDkhewHb9GxCSy/w400-h395/UntitledWatercolor.ClarkAshtonSmith.png" width="400" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Untitled Watercolor, Clark Ashton Smith: 1926<br />Sourced:
<a href="http://www.eldritchdark.com/galleries/by-cas/all/a/10" target="_blank">EldritchDark.com</a></span><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<p>
<i>Zothique</i> being Smith's seeming ode to mortality itself, he has a
penchant for the inhuman. Ghouls and cannibalism, long-sleeping ancient powers
passing as gods, and demons which offer Monkey's Paw pacts and bargains with
those wanting or foolish enough to take them abound. Indeed, Smith offers a
new perspective on the Monkey's Paw pact - classically, the pact-maker seeks
to undo the pact-recipient as quickly as possible, turning the wish against
the wisher to illustrate their own hubris: however, Smith's demons will keep
to their bargain, fulfilling what was promised to the spirit - not the letter
- instead allowing the basic foibles of Man to do the undoing for them.
Smith's portrayal of infernal entities in this regard is one of the few places
where - in D&D, the differentiation between a Devil and a Demon is in
their service to Law or to Chaos: Smith is able to portray Lawful Evil in a
manner which is left wanting in other re-tellings. These beings are immortal
after all - they can wait! Expect - after reading this book - that you may be
drawn to undeath: and that your players may, a few characters from now,
inexplicably be drawn to a greater contingent of Clerics.
</p>
<p>
In addition - other monsters are handled well in the book. Some are smaller
enemies - frightening, but within the realm of reason: that many would assail
at once: peer to men of similar statue. Some are greater enemies - immune to
attack except for that which has been blessed or ensorcelled against them.
This divide portrays both - through the lens and vocabulary of the same author
- two ends of the spectrum of creatures one might throw at a party: the
man-like, the swarm, the flesh and blood horror - but also the supernatural:
the crypt-bound or otherwise contained evil which cannot be conquered, only
escaped. Within the works of Smith can be found inspiration for both.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ostM_N3vePnzFbO79lg8zLG72uTFF6DKbigZIxmQYx1tukMMyd7CHZchUPWErz8tc1Sb4VRQ3C0y2mJv9TBk3XRd6qsx_BujXiU1HJk-GpzC18T86Fb4W-rXPTYO8ulwQxlNsZsjA3Z5OD9ItWVC_cCr4IIqhHTRKAw3ws0g8z8a0js0bYm8PnyK3vz1/s629/Clark_Ashton_Smith_Younger.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="470" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ostM_N3vePnzFbO79lg8zLG72uTFF6DKbigZIxmQYx1tukMMyd7CHZchUPWErz8tc1Sb4VRQ3C0y2mJv9TBk3XRd6qsx_BujXiU1HJk-GpzC18T86Fb4W-rXPTYO8ulwQxlNsZsjA3Z5OD9ItWVC_cCr4IIqhHTRKAw3ws0g8z8a0js0bYm8PnyK3vz1/w299-h400/Clark_Ashton_Smith_Younger.png" width="299" /></a>
</div>
<p>
Lastly, to argue for <i>Zothique</i> as inspiration in gaming, the continent
is absolutely rife with crypts, tombs, and fallen civilizations. Cities which
have crumbled into dust, leaving behind only the sarcophagi of their ancestors
dot the landscape and feature prominently in the prose. In particular, <i>The Weaver in the Vault</i>
(1934) expressly presents itself as a treasure delve. Three characters -
Yanur, Grotara (the youngest), and Thirlain Ludoch - are sent into the bowels
of a cursed crypt, broken into almost maze-dom by time and seismic movements,
in search of a magical treasure for the witch-wife of their sovereign
employer.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
While I will not spoil their exploits - the point of their adventure almost
perfectly parallels the exploits of three Fighting Men who might descend
into a tomb for luck and treasure...
</summary>
...only to find an unexpected curse - an alien intelligence of an uncaring,
unhuman scavenger - in its place.
</details>
<p>
An adventure writer, or a referee aspiring to both draw in his players while
dooming their characters, would be well served by
<i>The Weaver in the Vault</i> - as likewise would they be served by most of
the works contained within the tome.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">To Note before Reading<br /></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">
As mentioned in the initial biopic - the author was born in the 19th century
and was educated on material from his time. His vocabulary is extensive - and
his diction is evocative: a trait which a budding referee would be well served
to emulate and learn - however his mannerisms and some of the ideas presented
can come across as dated. Some authors are able to speak through the ages -
their works being timeless either in presentation or in their appeal to the
human condition: Smith achieves this in some places, but in others, it becomes
very obvious that the stories can be as old as a century.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Similarly, some themes in the book - such as the open use of race - may catch
the reader off-guard: especially one sensitive to the subjects broached. In
particular, <i>Zothique</i> concerns itself heavily with life and with
death... and with that which lies between or beyond. The necromancy which
features prominently in the tales often crosses the lines between these two
extremes - birth and death - where the carnal desires of necromancers or
witches (and at times, normal folk, themselves!) are satiated using mindless
or compulsory involvement of reanimated productions.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Note - it is entirely plausible (and, as I type it, likely) that these
broaches of the taboo are specifically intentional, necrophiles in particular
being the last brink of corporeal drive and a fundamental breach and violation
of the natural order: a choice by the author to shock and disgust while
drawing in the reader artfully, without a hint of pornographic intent. Indeed,
the author is able to edge the erotic without engaging it - something that, in
and of itself, might not be welcome to a sensitive reader, let alone at a
gaming table.<br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
So, being thus informed, the reader may decide whether or not to continue into
the far future of the world's last continent.
</p>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid rgb(180, 95, 6); float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0.25em; width: 40%;">
For further reading - or for initial reading as well - it has been brought up in
the comments that the full fiction of Clark Ashton Smith may be available online
freely on <a href="http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/" target="_blank">Eldritch Dark</a>.
Thank you very much, Tamás!
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Further Reading</h2>
<p>
As mentioned, Clark Ashton Smith - the author - passed in 1961: 62 years prior
to this writing. A great deal of his works being published in the 1920s, a
great deal of his works are now publicly available under the Public Domain.
Project Gutenberg - the free online print product distribution project - has
two works of poetry by the author
<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39447" target="_blank">available freely for download</a>. Free Speculative Fiction Online, which provides access to free literature
under Creative Commons,
<a href="https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Clark%20Ashton_Smith.html" target="_blank">has several short stories posted</a>
by Clark Ashton Smith. In that sense, there is a fair amount of material
freely available that will allow you to - without risk - assess whether Clark
Ashton Smith is right for you; whether his style of writing and the material
he produces will be inspirational for you and your home campaign. However, be
advised - as likewise mentioned, Smith was not a one-genre artist. Not all of
his works will be (as would be evidenced by the reading of the plethora
mentioned) of the same tone.
</p>
<p>
Another book in my own collection, I thought a good starting point for Smith,
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Door-Saturn-Collected-Fantasies-Ashton/dp/1597808377" target="_blank"><i>The Door to Saturn: T Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith: Volume
2</i></a>, is - to my own perspective - a mixed bag.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
It opens strongly with the title story, <i>The Door to Saturn</i>, which
centers around...
</summary>
...a vindictive priest and a fugitive sorcerer: the latter of whom flees
through a mysterious "door" given to him by a passing super-terrestrial
creature, a one way ticket to safety. It reads as a travelogue through an
alien landscape through unfamiliar peoples - an unsurprisingly one-way journey
with a humorous (and fortunate) conclusion for the protagonists.
</details>
<p>
It betrays, however, one of the weaknesses of the author - which was rejected
from <i>Weird Tails </i>magazine for being too wistful, too fanciful - his
vocabulary, while erudite and extensive, is likewise antiquated. Reading the
piece, you can <i>feel</i> it was written 100 years ago: unlike some other
authors - such as
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Howard" target="_blank">Howard</a>
or
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poul_Anderson" target="_blank">Anderson</a>
- who transcend time: writing to you as though they were flesh and blood,
breathing the yarn into your face with their hot, living breath.
</p>
<p>
And this trend continues in the book - it is not exclusively fantasy: but
instead encompasses science fiction (dated, the concept of a computer not
having been conceived yet) - the theme oscillating and making some stories
more akin to my tastes (and more or less appropriate for OSR gaming) than
others.
</p>
<p>
With that in mind - the buyer may beware: but your risk is as well informed,
in that sense, as might be feasible for a risky book buyer to be.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h2>
<p>
<i>Zothique</i> is, without question, a work of art. Additionally, Clark
Ashton Smith - it's author - had profound impacts on other Appendix N writers
- including Fritz Lieber of <i>Swords & Deviltry</i> fame, in addition to
those already mentioned - as well as on the writers of many modern OSR
supplements and settings. For this reason - for his tonal conformity to our
movement in gaming (or, perhaps, due to our tonal conformity to him, knowing
his writing precedes almost all of our births, let alone the beginnings of the
OSR as a movement) - I rate it as <span style="font-size: large;">1</span><span style="font-size: medium;">: Very OSR</span>.<br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0r4XN14KHurYrAYkErjA_S7c8UGgZW8z9p-A0HNPooGe-rOvc5M2jfmV3w3u2aee5CA_HXWDPmolnPh79Iab_ZQ3KvvVvspqGTDdu8mi-yU4NKX2z-BnEZOEiqPAxh5NNZbppjYHFrK6vd_G9tmLi2nVFUVFu1jp4owfXyfNyeZ_RLWKkZqn70Zd7zpY/s1070/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20Zothique.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0r4XN14KHurYrAYkErjA_S7c8UGgZW8z9p-A0HNPooGe-rOvc5M2jfmV3w3u2aee5CA_HXWDPmolnPh79Iab_ZQ3KvvVvspqGTDdu8mi-yU4NKX2z-BnEZOEiqPAxh5NNZbppjYHFrK6vd_G9tmLi2nVFUVFu1jp4owfXyfNyeZ_RLWKkZqn70Zd7zpY/w640-h342/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20Zothique.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
<p>
Simply put, Clark Ashton Smith - whose name was affectionately transliterated
by Lovecraft to create Klarkash-Ton, Atlantean Priest, of
<i>The Battle that Ended the Century</i> - is the appendix that was removed.
Clark Ashton Smith, as his fans among the gaming community will tell you,
deserves a place among the cannon of the OSR literary background and - be it
through picking up tricks in the telling of stories or in the depictions of
the strange, foreign, or horrific for your players or be it through the
classic feel of the works in <i>Zothique</i> in particular - any referee,
tenured or tyro, would be well served in his or her game to brush up on Clark
Ashton Smith's final continent in the cycle of the Earth.<br />
</p>
<p>Thank you for reading; delve on!<br /></p>
<p> <br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Zothique: The Final Cycle</i>, written by Clark Ashton Smith and edited
by Ronald S. Hilger, is copyright 2022 Hippocampus Press of New York, NY,
and copyright 2022 Ronald S. Hilger. Cover art for
<i>Zothique: The Final Cycle</i> by Jason Van Hollander, copyright 2022 to
the same. Applicable copyrights to original Clark Ashton Smith materials
held by Arkham House of Sauk City, WI. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i>and all imagery thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Portrait of the author, older, sourced from
<a href="https://thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2022/11/21/clark-ashton-smith/" target="_blank">ThePulp.net</a>; portrait of the author, younger, sourced from
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith#/media/File:Clark_Ashton_Smith_1912.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-32463225389997793072023-06-10T04:30:00.656-04:002023-06-10T04:30:00.136-04:00Tricks & Traps on 3d8<h2 style="text-align: left;">TL;DR</h2>
<p>
For usability, tables provided at the top. Roll 3d8 and consult the tables, in
order.
</p>
<center style="column-gap: 1em; display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Target</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
1
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Whole Room / Whole Party<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">(gas cloud, closing walls...)<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
2-4
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Small Area / Sub-Party<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">(spike pits, quicksand...)<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
5-7
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Single Target<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(pendulum blade, poison needle...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Trick!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Defense</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">No defense<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">2<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Death or Poison<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">3<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Wands<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">4<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">5<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Dragon's Breath<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">6<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Spells<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">7<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Roll vs Armor Class<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
Ability Check<br />(Further 1d6 to see which)<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<br />
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Severity</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
1-2
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Annoyance<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
3-6
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Drain</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
7-8
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Loss<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>For an explanation of what these mean - read on! </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBf2_0hwtllOTp-FAXPKE2ixV8e1Et1eOOqcLSXRJ2MRL5eSlDisDGqIW-AXHcG-FdVDlSEl1HWM5QDrfm5MS0tCT4P6QhkSwC1MnoNhZ7vVIH98a35sstLsqOtHKBT23ULyo09HvguNQqJhPYugewSawEIq7lw333VrIIqifgfGvCVEWx3RfirdE7A/s550/Clockwork1-adapted.Unknown.OBI.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img alt="Clockwork (1); Unknown Artist" border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBf2_0hwtllOTp-FAXPKE2ixV8e1Et1eOOqcLSXRJ2MRL5eSlDisDGqIW-AXHcG-FdVDlSEl1HWM5QDrfm5MS0tCT4P6QhkSwC1MnoNhZ7vVIH98a35sstLsqOtHKBT23ULyo09HvguNQqJhPYugewSawEIq7lw333VrIIqifgfGvCVEWx3RfirdE7A/w291-h320/Clockwork1-adapted.Unknown.OBI.png" title="Clockwork (1); Unknown Artist" width="291" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Tricks & Traps on 3d8</h2>
<p>An essential element of the dungeon experience - from the original inspiration in pulp magazines through the numerous iterations of the game, from 1974 through to present day - is the trick or the trap: the inanimate but malicious hindrance set before the party to stop them from passing or from achieving the riches on the far side. There are dozens of products which are designed with traps in mind - and dozens more blog articles, generators, and lists with numerous ingenious traps (<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/search/label/traps" target="_blank">this blog included</a>) - to line the halls and inlay to treasure chests, much to the chagrin of the players.</p><p>But how do you come up with a trap that will stand out? </p><p>How do you come up with a trap, keeping the experience fresh, without over-telegraphing or repetition that makes the party think, "Ok, we'll do Room Search: Pattern Gamma for this hall, then split for Delta between the two spaces ahead" as they meander through the darkened underworld?</p><p>In recent vintage, I'd had some success with 3d6 generators - for <a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2022/07/3d6-quest-hooks-for-geas-and-quest.html" target="_blank">quests and geas</a> as well as for <a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2022/06/special-rooms-on-3d6-or-maybe-4.html" target="_blank">stocking special rooms</a>: so why not try the same for traps, tricks, and hazards. Presented below, a brainstorming tool, an inspirational generator, designed to get your mind out of the box and into the dungeon with the assistance of three eight-sided dice: Tricks & Traps on 3d8.<br /></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Whom does it Target?</h4>
<p>
First - a trap may target a single character (the thief failing to spot a
hidden needle; a strongman falling victim to a spear thrusting downwards
against the lifting of a portcullis; hidden crossbows attached to
touch-plates; ...) or many any once (henchmen being exposed to a cloud of
acid, breaking into a tomb; a whole party locked in a space with a sinking
ceiling; a swarm of stinging hornets bursting from a hidden compartment; ...).
The first die rolled determines who - and how many - of the party are
impacted.<br />
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Target</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
1
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Whole Room / Whole Party<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">(gas cloud, closing walls...)<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
2-4
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Small Area / Sub-Party<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">(spike pits, quicksand...)<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
5-7
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Single Target<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(pendulum blade, poison needle...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Trick!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<i>I see "Trick" in there - what does that mean?</i> In the original editions
of the game - a trap doesn't necessarily do harm to the intruders: which sort
of makes sense, in that its purpose is to deter access to an item or place. A
Trick might be an illusion, a false (but obvious) trigger mechanism, or other
device intended to make the players <i>think</i> they are in danger when they
are not (or perhaps think they are not in danger when they are!)
</p>
<p>
Including "Trick" in the options reminds the stocking referee to keep it in
mind, once in a while, and may introduce some interesting interactions between
party and dungeon environment.<br />
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">How does one Defend Against it?</h4>
<p>
Next - a character needs to know how to defend against it. While some traps
may not entail a defense whatsoever (say, a room fills with water and the
doors are held fast by it: you can't Save vs Drowning to breathe under water),
it's generally more common that a defense of some kind could protect a hardy
or fortunate character from the effect of the trap. The second die indicates
how the character might benefit from this evasion.<br />
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Defense</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">No defense<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">2<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Death or Poison<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">3<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Wands<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">4<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">5<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Dragon's Breath<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">6<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Save vs Spells<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">7<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Roll vs Armor Class<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8<br /></td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
Ability Check<br />(Further 1d6 to see which)<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
"Roll vs Armor Class" - the easiest response is to - of course - make an
attack roll against the target or targets. THAC0 should be considered
according to dungeon level, importance of what's being protected, and referee
discretion. Alternatively, however, consider 1d10 roll-over Armor Class
(similar to the swimming house rule documented
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2020/09/swimming-in-rulings.html" target="_blank">here</a>, albeit potentially modified by Dexterity). This puts the onus on the player
and evenly distributes risk: thus, a Plate-armored fighter will always have a
3-in-10 chance that the effect will find purchase.<br />
</p>
<p>
Similarly, where "Ability Check" is indicated, roll 1d6 and pick, in order. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7c_jIOKkV_Es3F4K71qmzl49Jx_-LQE-OGLN5zQlUGmVuoCueMNfU3lBno8nOQWue1h2SvxSw6aAwqwU-oe2c1giMNkebC769t0TYpAKCn2lGVxmrVl0uoTVQmUh2GK5USb7Fuy2yjecrCET_E4qFfFTO31WC603tb9k8VXrDlh_NtL7sUax6yYRtg/s314/BarLockAndKeys-adapted.AlexanderAnderson.NGA.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Bar Lock and Keys; Alexander Anderson" border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7c_jIOKkV_Es3F4K71qmzl49Jx_-LQE-OGLN5zQlUGmVuoCueMNfU3lBno8nOQWue1h2SvxSw6aAwqwU-oe2c1giMNkebC769t0TYpAKCn2lGVxmrVl0uoTVQmUh2GK5USb7Fuy2yjecrCET_E4qFfFTO31WC603tb9k8VXrDlh_NtL7sUax6yYRtg/s16000/BarLockAndKeys-adapted.AlexanderAnderson.NGA.jpg" title="Bar Lock and Keys; Alexander Anderson" /></a></div><p></p>
<p>
<i>Why isn't "mitigating circumstances" on the list?</i> Mitigating
circumstances - such as, say, bashing a door down instead of touching the
contact-poison laced handle - are intrinsically reliant on the specifics of
the trap or trick: as such, those should be considered as part of the
brainstorming <i>after</i>: not necessarily as part of the prompt - which is
what this tool intends to provide.
</p>
<p>
<i>Have I heard of using Ability checks to escape danger before?</i> You may
have! I have written about it before
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/11/dice-pool-roll-under.html" target="_blank">as a mechanism to resolve non-role-playable actions without a skill
system</a>, however - in the present context - the earliest instance of checking
Ability scores to avoid a hazard could be in
<i>The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun</i> - provided
<a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2022/10/on-d6-ability-checks.html" target="_blank">Delta is to be believed</a>
- where rolling 4d6 under Dexterity is used to avoid a trap. Consider - then -
in your traps: should the victim roll 1d20, as B/X suggests, or should they
use a dice pool?<br />
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">What is the Severity?</h4>
<p>
Last - severity: how badly will the trap hinder or hurt the party. Not every
trap should cause instant death - but likewise, instant death should not be
out of possibility. This may account for faulty mechanisms, lax attention on
the part of the trap-setter, or perhaps imply that the "trap" is in fact an
environmental hazard or other thematic element functioning mechanically
<i>as</i> a trap.<br />
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; width: 3em;">Roll</th>
<th>Severity</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
1-2
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Annoyance<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
3-6
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Drain</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
7-8
</td>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">Loss<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0px 0.5em;">
(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<i>Does "Severity" apply to Tricks?</i> Absolutely. Simply use the Severity
result to inform how dangerous the Trick appears to be - or maybe how
dangerous it is!<br />
</p>
<p><i>Oh. Cool.</i><br /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Let's Compare Notes</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>How does the provided measure up to the example Tricks & Traps provided
in B/X?</i>
The Basic booklet breaks Tricks & Traps into two categories: Room Traps
and Treasure Traps. Let's pick a few of each and see what the corresponding
prompt might have been:<br />
</p>
<section style="column-gap: 0.5em; display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Poison gas: Save vs. Poison or die"
</p>
</div>
<p>
This trap is fairly straightforward. Listed as a Room trap, this implies
the
<i>room</i> fills with the gas: not just a blast to the face - so the
whole of the party would be impacted. Similarly, it's save or die - so the
save to use and the consequence for failure is obvious. <br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 1-2-7<br /></p>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Pit: 1d6 points of damage per 10' fallen"
</p>
</div>
<p>
Pit trap. Classic. Unlikely to hit the whole of the party - assuming it's
10 feet across - and dealing a set amount of damage. Subset of party, no
defense (you fell into a pit), and it drains your hit points (or your
zero-level hirelings!) <br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 2-1-3<br /></p>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Fog: Looks like Poison gas, but harmless"
</p>
</div>
<p>
Included this one not-really randomly: as this might be the trap
suggestion that specifically inspired the "Trick" result on the generator
being detailed. There is no mechanism to avoid it - as there really is
nothing to avoid: it's just mist - and as for Severity - we can only
guess: as really, this is area-denial: a spell, tools, or blind luck might
get the party through it so perhaps a mere annoyance?<br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 8-1-2?<br /></p>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Chute: No damage, but slide to the next level down"
</p>
</div>
<p>
Like the pit trap - I make the assumption this will be unlikely to hit the
whole of the party at once, assuming a standard marching order and B/X
party size. Also like a pit trap, I assume there is no save - however, as
a generous referee, you might allow a Save vs Paralysis to grab the
sides.<br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 2-1 (or 4?)-1</p>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 0.5em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Spring-fired darts: 1-6 darts hit for 1-4 points of damage each"
</p>
</div>
<p>
Listed under the Treasure Traps section - this would seem to only impact
the Thief or other character opening the treasure. I've said it's "No
Defense" below because it does not specify a to-hit roll, instead relying
on the 1d6 to tell you how many strike home. I would - personally - allow
for the 1d10 Armor Class variant presented before: but I'm a softie like
that.<br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 5-1 (or 7?)-3</p>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: #292929; border: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">
<p style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
"Spray: Be sprayed with an unknown liquid that attracts Wandering
Monsters; double chances for 1d6 hours"
</p>
</div>
<p>
Again, listed under the Treasure Traps, I assume it to affect only the
treasure-grabber. Again, no defense: but this makes sense, as its
literally a mist - <i>Chanel No B5</i> - which coats (and marks) the
target. A generous referee might allow a Save vs Breath - but the end
result is still the same: a change to the game, but one which will
primarily affect resources: namely, the rate at which your resources are
challenged as more and more monsters wander into you seeking the alluring
(or appalling?) smell.<br />
</p>
<p><b>Result:</b> 5-1 (or 5?)-3</p>
</div>
</section>
<p>
So, it's not perfect - that is, it doesn't line up as well as the Special Room
Generator does - but the goal is to inspire new and novel traps, and the only
way to verify that is to give it a whirl.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Let's Try it Out</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; padding: 0.5em 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgX21SXHZEiyJJ4AxN-6vs2XudcKdeG5TwcupDWRp0tcI5kfVaK4Q8LZqpaFbW-aiLAr6uGqgLrbT14n2B50OcRjt7SnxhYLXpIGjGuDnw1f1DeoOYmu45xvo4yxWl4VOUnfQaSZLa0O5WH_uagqGrE_Y1-E_eW8zRRuiWv-us5GWZgyhTMqJtEladA/s500/01.8-3-7-adapted.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="500" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgX21SXHZEiyJJ4AxN-6vs2XudcKdeG5TwcupDWRp0tcI5kfVaK4Q8LZqpaFbW-aiLAr6uGqgLrbT14n2B50OcRjt7SnxhYLXpIGjGuDnw1f1DeoOYmu45xvo4yxWl4VOUnfQaSZLa0O5WH_uagqGrE_Y1-E_eW8zRRuiWv-us5GWZgyhTMqJtEladA/w400-h209/01.8-3-7-adapted.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
First throw - 8, 3, 7: or, a trick, Save vs Wands, for extensive loss. There
are a couple different directions you could go, made curious by the
extreme severity (and made difficult to think of by the Save vs Wands!):
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Withering Hall</i> Across a 40' hallway, a four distinct sets of beams of light move across the floor and walls, coming from glass domes extending from the corners of the ceiling. To move past without being hit, a Save vs Wands is required - for each failure, the failing character appears to age 2d8 years: with hair graying, skin sagging, and joints beginning to pop. <br /><br />Key - "appears to." Upon leaving the way they came, any affected characters will return to normal - one year per dungeon turn. Upon leaving the far side into the protected space - having gone through the tunnel, wholly - all illusionary years dissipate after one.<br /><br /></li><li><i>Translocation Disintegrator</i> Black jets of smoke pulse at interval, blocking the entrance to an alcove. A Save vs Wands will allow a character to pass through without touching them, but if touched, the character is visibly disintegrated, starting from the place where the smoke touched, their dust becoming one with the pulsing smoke.<br /><br />But just visibly. In reality, the character is teleported to a matching alcove on the other side of the level: exact replica of the alcove and its contents - but nothing inside of value. They will be surprised, of course, when they find that they are no longer surrounded by colleagues - and potentially in the dark, as well.<br /> <br /></li><li><i>Pressurized Scarabs</i> A spray of what appear to be crawling, biting insects erupts from the trapped object - the bugs burrowing into and under the skin of the affected character. A warmth and rumbling begins working its way to the chest of the character in question - at which point, after 1d4 rounds - the character falls unconscious, as though a Sleep spell had been cast. Save vs Wands to avoid - after evading, the bugs disappear into corners - a thoughtful player might note the illusion, seeing that there are no cracks or crevices into which the bugs might have retreated.<br /></li></ul>
<p>Let's try another:<br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; padding: 0.5em 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D81yqPN9EMbuRkISbGYZ-_RkGXngQAaRwvon1tyP0nLJR9xUXhDq0pGYNoY9uTdD7mCpuj4m-HgwCRLJnrPyxT_FwQ_czRN80aDL9guqmykEUu7nVhMplLtMongcgtqDhGj88Wi7NqB0SEwTbbFLX91_LLSyUWynbWl__mRsryrz0E3EIMBURpDnWQ/s500/02.4-8-4-adapted.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="500" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D81yqPN9EMbuRkISbGYZ-_RkGXngQAaRwvon1tyP0nLJR9xUXhDq0pGYNoY9uTdD7mCpuj4m-HgwCRLJnrPyxT_FwQ_czRN80aDL9guqmykEUu7nVhMplLtMongcgtqDhGj88Wi7NqB0SEwTbbFLX91_LLSyUWynbWl__mRsryrz0E3EIMBURpDnWQ/w400-h394/02.4-8-4-adapted.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
An ability score defense! Adding in a second-thrown d6 for ability, we get 4,
8 (6), 4 - or, a trap which affects a small area or subset of the party, roll
vs. Charisma to save, with a draining effect:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><i>The Hecklers</i> Two statues hang from a portico in the wall. When a party enters, they begin to judge and heckle: picking 1d4 party members as their primary points of derision. Their jibes are hypnotic - and only by rolling against Charisma might one of these targets duel back, returning a jest which impresses the statues, who laugh and then freeze from view. Failure to do so results in a supernatural questioning of confidence - causing the character a -1 penalty on all d20 rolls and a -1 penalty to Armor Class until they have had a full night's sleep to wear it off.<br /><br /></li>
<li><i>Narcissus' Mirror</i> Hidden behind a sheet is a magic mirror which portrays, to those who look into it, an idealized version of themselves, one which they would long to be, if given to such thinking. Any character which can see him or herself in the mirror - which is oval, three by two feet - must roll <i>over</i> his or her Charisma stat - failing to do so, the character will loll, gander, and ponder for 1d3 dungeon turns; at the end of which, they may attempt the Charisma roll again. A generous referee may allow a bonus if multiple cumulative rolls are, in this manner, failed.<br /><br /></li>
<li><i>Posey Pocket </i>A spring load in an otherwise nondescript pouch launches a fair smelling incense into the air, affecting any character within 2d4 feet. For the next 2d6 turns, the character is considered perfumed - which will impose a +2 bonus on Reaction rolls to intelligent monsters during the onset of encounters ... however, if this would take the roll to 12 or above, the monster will fall horribly enamored of the character or characters, seeking without regard for health nor morale to kidnap the character and abscond to its lair therewith. <br />(Not strictly a roll against Charisma, but touching Reactions, which are modified by Charisma!)<br /></li>
</ul>
<p>Decent luck so far - so we'll throw one more set:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; padding: 0.5em 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQVG4b8nv1B6B1dJu5YcdtRa9d82V5gQPhH7lp7_C4lOLX20uHBIzblzzdYaKWDcw_xqQhvipJ4M1WmtPjPBz3DYXKdsG9eE7Ys36U9IAcgKHPGFYd45pq6_CpzpEyivCDIns-XF3Zi7SO8LkgFJKl6kti19FZNKoCmIJQb3O_SL1USohVOLe90nUmg/s500/03.7-1-8-adapted.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="500" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQVG4b8nv1B6B1dJu5YcdtRa9d82V5gQPhH7lp7_C4lOLX20uHBIzblzzdYaKWDcw_xqQhvipJ4M1WmtPjPBz3DYXKdsG9eE7Ys36U9IAcgKHPGFYd45pq6_CpzpEyivCDIns-XF3Zi7SO8LkgFJKl6kti19FZNKoCmIJQb3O_SL1USohVOLe90nUmg/w400-h250/03.7-1-8-adapted.png" width="400" /></a>
</div><p>
A result of 7, 1, 8 - or, single-target, no save, instant death. Well, substantial loss - but this trap, according to the dice, should be a doozy:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Thousand Foot Pit</i> Not particularly well named, as surely it can't be 1,000 feet deep, can it? This shaft once served as a conduit between many levels of the complex: now, however, the carriage has been lost and all that lies beneath a camouflaged tarp, supported by bowing wooden crossbeams with a manhole-sized gap in the center, is a gap too deep to see the bottom.<br /><br /></li><li><i>The Lock from Chaon Gacca </i>The abandoned capitol of Tasuun is said to be cursed: a place of shadow where the darkness itself, contacting human flesh, will wither and rot instantly at a touch. Some of that shade has been kidnapped - locked away into a false hatch atop a precious cargo. Anyone opening the box without the proper safeguard - administered by a second key through a hidden keyhole in the bottom of the bronze-trimmed trunk - will free the shadow, which will pass over their working hands. Rolling 1d8, on an even number, the right hand melts before your eyes; flesh sloughing off as a leper, shriveling to dust as in reverse of papers thrown into a flame, arcing into the chimney, disappearing with no mark left on the floor to guide them. On an odd number, the left hand suffers this fate. Or, on a 1 or an 8, specifically, both hands are affected.<br /><br /></li><li><i>Monodirectional Teleporter</i> In ages past, this teleportation pad was connected to a deep station - leagues distant through solid rock: a quick mechanism to transport a single commander through to a hidden keep. However, in the intervening years, the destination has collapsed, leaving only damp, dark holes the size of a child. Any character - or any object - which steps into the teleporter will be translocated to this dark damp - with no way out and nothing but stone for a mile in any direction.<br /></li></ul><p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">And Them's My Two Coppers</h2><p>What do you think? Would this procedural inspiration technique help pique your creativity? Or did we just collectively waste half an hour or so of your time, piecing through this article? The examples herein presented a sizable challenge for me, at least - trying to fit to the theme, without deviating, changing one die for another to fit an inspiration that bounced up from the plastic hitting the tile...</p><p>But who says you can't deviate from the dice? </p><p>If they give you a good idea - bank it! Use it! I'd love to read about your creations - and I'd love to hear about the groans of your players as they walk face first into them!<br /></p><p>As with other generators, the intention of this piece was inspiration, not instruction: this is not a list of predetermined cool traps, this is not a prescription designed to supplant the creativity of the dungeon architect, but a mechanism by which I hope you can unlock your brain and churn out horrors at which Grimtooth himself would balk. <br /></p><p>In either case - make sure to don your Ring of Resistance... and delve on.</p><p>Thank you for reading!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFd3w0sl7_VjIdDtB_KTldsCVflmlpNumB_2LjXPogO_7F-A0VQR4q__hZWlQxF0Errk1m4uLMg79NMm8M2aEMqbJDeGHpwCH4Vf1TZOO0c3pnr0-8b5DVE_LQVTksOJ34HICnjWGaCUdnGlVY6C9goACYQiCSyg8zY6drdsd-TljIX_3ror8hTTdbA/s460/SeizureOfEbba-Adapted2.HablotKnightBrowne.OldBookIllustrations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Seizure of Ebba; Hablot Knight Browne" border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="460" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFd3w0sl7_VjIdDtB_KTldsCVflmlpNumB_2LjXPogO_7F-A0VQR4q__hZWlQxF0Errk1m4uLMg79NMm8M2aEMqbJDeGHpwCH4Vf1TZOO0c3pnr0-8b5DVE_LQVTksOJ34HICnjWGaCUdnGlVY6C9goACYQiCSyg8zY6drdsd-TljIX_3ror8hTTdbA/w400-h236/SeizureOfEbba-Adapted2.HablotKnightBrowne.OldBookIllustrations.jpg" title="Seizure of Ebba; Hablot Knight Browne" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Public domain artwork retrieved from the <a href="https://www.nga.gov" target="_blank">National Gallery of Art</a> or <a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank">OldBookIllustrations.com</a>. Attribution in alt text.</span><br /></p>CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-85117626378871891042023-05-20T04:00:00.135-04:002023-05-20T04:00:00.139-04:00Thoul Tunnels<center>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGxoNocZv_D0kbYTfh3qLsmaNA3hF7RUer73i6gnY_n2uOBk9RvOQka6eJ65pPZdHBr6o5un6QC1G4HyPRX5f9iS8_Ec9nALcfYV0elO0P5LKaPGzmbPj71z7Mzf-Uda28rZoPn4E2ZGfovqHbo3amzrNVcvqR61WLucCE68PopgBvapUTKSDsdINiw/s1850/Small%20Dungeon%2026.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1850" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGxoNocZv_D0kbYTfh3qLsmaNA3hF7RUer73i6gnY_n2uOBk9RvOQka6eJ65pPZdHBr6o5un6QC1G4HyPRX5f9iS8_Ec9nALcfYV0elO0P5LKaPGzmbPj71z7Mzf-Uda28rZoPn4E2ZGfovqHbo3amzrNVcvqR61WLucCE68PopgBvapUTKSDsdINiw/w640-h484/Small%20Dungeon%2026.png" width="576" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Scale: 10 ft.<br />Click
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhWghG_4pyCazm5bFA62KcRKsCITg1gg/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>
for a PDF version of this adventure!</span><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
</center>
<p>Suitable for 2nd level.<br /></p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4zG7u72jwrXvQotNmVT6EM94ncp1S5O13wg0VqFhfB4HMfYHb4getbueULfwpB9paviNGdaB6b0lyCNYISpjdXgZGxCCug-hIxC5yWH3N4d0QdSGN4b6-LMAawOx0UZT_82nyV12PN50RfMOo4fazR3GH3GUDxCFKUAPGJsmo3z5gokoqOAE0U9j4IA=s40" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="28" data-original-width="40" height="28" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4zG7u72jwrXvQotNmVT6EM94ncp1S5O13wg0VqFhfB4HMfYHb4getbueULfwpB9paviNGdaB6b0lyCNYISpjdXgZGxCCug-hIxC5yWH3N4d0QdSGN4b6-LMAawOx0UZT_82nyV12PN50RfMOo4fazR3GH3GUDxCFKUAPGJsmo3z5gokoqOAE0U9j4IA" width="40" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little keyhole icon in a door means the door is locked.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mBY32WoYgnXTavwhpTgdtjrnRBxpsN0NwsDvJAwGP-48ytOcJO7PkzRDhhqGmFGFe24bDNMx2-HvKSxRnwtUDm7fVzevBblopwO4jBMu8EVOmm2v4OEH3UvVLGIbg6EzB2fIulpfrhQ9Nip37E7rQmvtWumoGGaE8eXR54biaYAclSKQWnIYfAopBA=s33" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="27" data-original-width="33" height="27" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mBY32WoYgnXTavwhpTgdtjrnRBxpsN0NwsDvJAwGP-48ytOcJO7PkzRDhhqGmFGFe24bDNMx2-HvKSxRnwtUDm7fVzevBblopwO4jBMu8EVOmm2v4OEH3UvVLGIbg6EzB2fIulpfrhQ9Nip37E7rQmvtWumoGGaE8eXR54biaYAclSKQWnIYfAopBA" width="33" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little "S" through a door means the door is secret.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVH8_2a2fuCS4xw2EJzfUQ6wj-No9NIQN-fvw1Rhpthlwj-teBOuVK2Mkv2Pl_oDzfIO87CaXFv7iZ2h-kFZAP48BSNxy-ZkJMI4D7I_ovG26Sf8CamBps6lXqFGUlQFpFwSf1erbO7qudUqnP5DUtRWrCxq7VlC96WkkWfQ9rYdtHax_CmkqKzzEiKQ=s37" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="32" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVH8_2a2fuCS4xw2EJzfUQ6wj-No9NIQN-fvw1Rhpthlwj-teBOuVK2Mkv2Pl_oDzfIO87CaXFv7iZ2h-kFZAP48BSNxy-ZkJMI4D7I_ovG26Sf8CamBps6lXqFGUlQFpFwSf1erbO7qudUqnP5DUtRWrCxq7VlC96WkkWfQ9rYdtHax_CmkqKzzEiKQ" width="32" /></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>
The other icon on a door - which is supposed to look like a muscly arm -
indicates a door is stuck and must be forced open.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Image work generated on
<a href="https://www.craiyon.com/" target="_blank">Craiyon.com</a>; just to try it out.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">X - Entry</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Six statues stand in this room - slightly larger than life size: four facing
inwards from the walls in the non-cardinal directions; two more in the center
of the room, facing one another: north and south. The statues in the center
portray life-like adventurers - one in heavy armor, one in light - while those
on the walls are all armored, albeit in an archaic style, with a thinness to
them, a pall almost as though carved in the likeness of a corpse.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The four corpse statues each bear a silver candle holder - 50 gp value each -
and between the two statues facing one another, a crimson buckeye hangs
suspended in the air. If taken from its position, it cannot be "put back" and
will fall to the floor. The buckeye is worth 140 gp.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N - North</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<p></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">N1 - North Atrium </h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The floor is inlaid with a mosaic of long-bones, forming a rectangular
"carpet" leading to the East door. The walls are lined with thousands of
skulls, stacked. Coins have been placed in most of the eye sockets - a total
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYkyLSRCxYrrA0BFtlIu6IdM4cTLgWITVQ3NDhrJ3KdUmg2_Kzy4g2XMxSdy7hb_uL7db80XvOdb2Q1rOI9CGmWMiKaZuun_26qUTGWgRCr2ogDb9e2LudC7H_b6GQ6A9kQiU3iM3Unah6IhlwzazMa_Frlr_HOWqZbxbmOMS_me0cBwhERRhxim_hw/s256/Snake%20Altar.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="256" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYkyLSRCxYrrA0BFtlIu6IdM4cTLgWITVQ3NDhrJ3KdUmg2_Kzy4g2XMxSdy7hb_uL7db80XvOdb2Q1rOI9CGmWMiKaZuun_26qUTGWgRCr2ogDb9e2LudC7H_b6GQ6A9kQiU3iM3Unah6IhlwzazMa_Frlr_HOWqZbxbmOMS_me0cBwhERRhxim_hw/s1600/Snake%20Altar.png" style="background: rgb(51, 51, 51); border: medium none; box-shadow: none;" width="256" /></a>
</span>
of 3,000 gp, 2,000 ep, and 10,000 sp can be harvested by a party willing to
invest the time. Four Ghouls (B35) guard the space.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">N2 - Snake Altar</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The floor to this space steps down - two feet over four stairs which ring the
perimeter of the room. In the center of the room is an altar with a red
tabard, triangular at each end, draped over it. A Pit Viper (B42) is curled on
the floor behind the altar.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">N3 - Nephilim's Tomb<br /></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
An iron cage housing an oversize skeleton is propped up, about 60 degrees,
facing the door. It wears a crown of mithril and several teeth are likewise.
Before the cage is a case with 200 gold pieces; on the four corners of the
case are garnets - each of 10 gp value.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">E - East</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
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</div>
</h3>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E1 - Staff Storage </h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
To the north and south of the dead-ending hall are two statues, relief on the
wall, in the shape of muscular, faceless humanoids with robes. In the nook to
the East, a Staff of Commanding (X49) is wedged in a masonry stand on the
floor. Five Thoul (B43) are talking among themselves about how to retrieve the
staff without damaging it. One of the Thoul carries a quiver of 14 magical
arrows (+1).
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E2 - Canopic Hall</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
On each of the non-cardinal walls to this room, a nook has been carved into
the wall, each containing a large urn, almost an amphora, with an animal head
stopper: two cats, one dog, and one falcon. Inside the cats are 500 and 600 sp
respectively; the dog and falcon contain only ash. A light spiral has been
traced on the floor in the dust.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E3 - Cage</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In the floor is a depressed rectangle - eight feet deep, four feet across. It
is covered by an iron mesh - six inches to the gap - allowing an unhurried
party to easily traverse it as floor without interruption. At the bottom of
the pit, coins can be seen - these amount to 300 silver and 500 gold pieces.
Clay braziers - three total - are stowed in one corner of the room.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E4 - Thoul Storage</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
To the north and south, ceramic amphora store long-dried incenses and spices.
Collected, the incense is worth 500 gold pieces; the spices have gone stale.
Four Thoul (B43) play cards in the room - at stake, 5,000 cp. The leader wears
a diamond earring worth 800 gp.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E5 - Beetle Collapse</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
A rent in the ceiling has dumped rubble onto the floor of this space, allowing
4 Tiger Beetles (B31) to enter and mull about a small trove. A locked wooden
chest in the space - partially buried - contains 300 sp, 600 gp, two
aquamarines worth 10 gp each, and a garnet worth 100 gp. Two candle holders,
five feet in height, have been knocked over and lean against the wall.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">E6 - Turning Pool</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In the floor is a circular depression, four feet deep, filled with an
ectoplasmic imitation of water - incorporeal yet tangible: mildly electrifying
to the touch. On the north wall is emblazoned a skull within a whirlwind.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
If a living being steps into the depression, the ectoplasm will start to turn:
if the being remains, it will accelerate and the skull on the north wall will
start to glow.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQtrwPlgnS_80FJgudE2XrTMmu_1KJd8XNWBh6XvpKSu91vmBL06xcBaGAd4Flws0vYU6PIHT2pIT3Ol05a3G8oTdPg2hBz59kjtw8M0hSv1EH9FL97_ORr2IXyHCzuK_MpysiRT27jB4WzNI3uABDcIs41Rj2HHNfLxA0wCwuKrPK_B9aZ7grZQeIg/s256/WallSkull.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.6em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="256" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQtrwPlgnS_80FJgudE2XrTMmu_1KJd8XNWBh6XvpKSu91vmBL06xcBaGAd4Flws0vYU6PIHT2pIT3Ol05a3G8oTdPg2hBz59kjtw8M0hSv1EH9FL97_ORr2IXyHCzuK_MpysiRT27jB4WzNI3uABDcIs41Rj2HHNfLxA0wCwuKrPK_B9aZ7grZQeIg/s1600/WallSkull.png" width="256" /></a>
</span>
After a number of rounds equal to the hit dice of the being in the pool, there
is a sudden bass thrum and the ectoplasm disappears. The being must Save vs
Death or be imbued with an essence of morbidity - their skin going sallow,
their flesh growing more gaunt. The affected creature or player will no longer
require sleep and will have infravision out to 30' (or improve existing
infravision by 15', if applicable), but become subject to a -1 penalty to all
rolls while in full sunlight, may not cast spells in full sunlight, and must
eat fresh foods - nothing preserved, e.g. Iron Rations. If Lawful, the
alignment of the character shifts to Neutral immediately and may not return:
but may be changed at a later time to Chaos. If killed, the creature will rise
as a Ghoul after 1+1d6 days.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
This effect can be "cured" with a Remove Curse spell or equivalent magic if
administered within 7 days.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W - West</h3>
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</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">W1 - Halfdan's Horde</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Above the locked door, from the view of the hallway, eldritch sigils hang on
the stone. They are untranslatable except by magical means - reading simply,
"<i>Halfdan the Wise visited this vault</i>". Inside, a wide stone trough is
filled with grave goods - which include some archaic weapons, a torque worth
800 gp, a scepter a rubied pommel worth 1,200 gp, a sicle with an emerald
handle worth 1,400 gp, and 500 sp and 300 sp in coin.<br />
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">W2 - Co-Explorers</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Internal to the room, six clay pots contain a mixture of spices and oils. Two
Nobles (B39) attended by a squire, each (as Veteran), guide 7 soldiers (also
as Veteran). They are aware of the trap in W3 and are seeking treasure they
believe to be in the catacomb: having bypassed W1, not having a way past the
lock.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">W3 - Iron Net</h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Four skeletons in various states of disassembly hang from chains in the
ceiling over a steel grate floor. In each of the corners of the room are clay
braziers - those furthest East are lit, smelling of burning oil. If characters
move through the skeletons, disturbing the chains, there is a chance of
activating a trap: further chains drop from the roof, forcing any character
affected to Save vs Paralysis or become entangled. It will take 1d4-1 turns to
extricate oneself from the mess - but the clamor involved will trigger a
wandering monster check for each turn spent.
</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05PxW72Ib8ueTjoRowzuejJkmAW0Ycfjl8JY8_V4jMuP-4VdagnU8CyNcqjJALepRwRQBPgsogKdl5BwdEp0bkc_SoXATHBay4D_0wGgGWVEbLRAqTaJBWMOLaZvQk-Ca4lnBfnynEAja4bgPLGCPEbzqLPdNlHf3oo0LlCQ7uRzbpW1lwBX1AJLgeg/s256/ChainedSkeletons.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="256" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05PxW72Ib8ueTjoRowzuejJkmAW0Ycfjl8JY8_V4jMuP-4VdagnU8CyNcqjJALepRwRQBPgsogKdl5BwdEp0bkc_SoXATHBay4D_0wGgGWVEbLRAqTaJBWMOLaZvQk-Ca4lnBfnynEAja4bgPLGCPEbzqLPdNlHf3oo0LlCQ7uRzbpW1lwBX1AJLgeg/s1600/ChainedSkeletons.png" width="256" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-84200207759773283092023-05-06T06:45:00.001-04:002023-05-06T06:45:00.128-04:00Cimmerians in Cinema - Part I<p>
<i><span class="character"> </span>
Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of
Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear
the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his
chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days
of high adventure!
</i>
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">N-Spiration: Conan the Barbarian (1982)</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49XqHMdukjwKQgwEaB-eMDzeOyQdFWUSjfIIEz4y4X40rLljm30W_ZVoD9EEd83AaTrK-AplSVL9tiKLbjVY65cfJjg1aUVYuvHG7G56VONtfrf_X6UnJpVCAUG8aWVuFKBe6ACInyPQU1gEVD15b2hJQwW3hFfXymC15IK85x-hYnHou5AbpFPTfog/s1000/Poster2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="738" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49XqHMdukjwKQgwEaB-eMDzeOyQdFWUSjfIIEz4y4X40rLljm30W_ZVoD9EEd83AaTrK-AplSVL9tiKLbjVY65cfJjg1aUVYuvHG7G56VONtfrf_X6UnJpVCAUG8aWVuFKBe6ACInyPQU1gEVD15b2hJQwW3hFfXymC15IK85x-hYnHou5AbpFPTfog/w472-h640/Poster2.jpg" width="472" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">About the Film</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
While there have been many iterations of Robert E. Howard's Conan in visual
media, as might be inferred from the title, this film - starring James Earl
Jones, Sandahl Bergman, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the title character, and many
others. The project was a full decade in the making - having to overcome
lawsuits over who owned the rights to the Conan character (not yet in the
public domain, Howard's death having been only 40 years prior) as well as a
relocation of the entire filming production from Yugoslavia to Spain due to
the instability following the death of communist revolutionary turned
legendary dictator, Tito. However - these investments would pay off in both
the box office, where the film would earn almost quadruple its $20 million
budget, and in cinematic history: inspiring a sequel, spin offs, and
emboldening other, similar epics over the coming decade. And while criticism
of the film was mixed on and following its release, it will be self evident to
any OSR player or referee as to why.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhr2DKifkh1owLra4xuC2_YXSLg5GecKFu5tTOmkoQLNxVLLEsG3khMzgoxHY0Ob0EWKAgiT2lTvuMheZmjdzcH_ef1jW9x8rlodKI-D8zANh8k8S16ouDT9nd99BF4MHcFK31wvHf6QFYuxphZiOblH77X_8x1pBx_fkb6Y7kRpE8KWyzoWh_njWeZA/s478/SnakePit-cropped.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="478" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhr2DKifkh1owLra4xuC2_YXSLg5GecKFu5tTOmkoQLNxVLLEsG3khMzgoxHY0Ob0EWKAgiT2lTvuMheZmjdzcH_ef1jW9x8rlodKI-D8zANh8k8S16ouDT9nd99BF4MHcFK31wvHf6QFYuxphZiOblH77X_8x1pBx_fkb6Y7kRpE8KWyzoWh_njWeZA/s320/SnakePit-cropped.png" width="320" /></a>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">The film is beautiful. Literally.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
With production headquartered just outside of Madrid, the film was shot in a
myriad of locations around Spain (coincidentally the inspiration for Howard's
Zingara) - making great use of extensive sets and practical effects to create
a combined perspective both historical and fantastic. In particular, the
Temple of Set where our primary antagonist, Thulsa Doom, resides represented a
$350,000 investment (around $1.2 million in 2023 currency): standing as a 70+
foot tall monument to the dedication of the film makers. Pooled blood for post
battle sequences was sourced from local slaughterhouses. Further - while
agencies were contacted for optical effects - including George Lucas'
Industrial Light & Magic - the use of optical effects was limited
(director John Milius wanting to emphasize the rugged self-reliance of the
primary characters, a spirit akin to Howard's Conan in regards to the Hyborean
gods). To showcase, in a scene where Doom transforms himself into a serpent -
unquestionably a supernatural, fantasy element - a contrast to the grit
aforementioned as the director's preference - was filmed and combined through
four separate sequences: the actor, Jones, sitting; a prosthetic rubber face
distending via a snake-shaped puppet pressing from behind, a man-sized
mechanical snake slithering out from a cast of Doom's robes, and finally
a miniature scale model of the throne set where a live snake matching its
mechanized counterpart. The inclusion of practical effects, the refusal to
accept painted backdrops in lieu of outdoor sets, and the attention to detail
in props and mechanisms creates a truly surreal experience: one in which the
near past might be realized - as though the story of Hyborea might truly
slither its own way, as a priest of Set, into the annals of history.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_FmOIE_8yeUF5aftFgQzA9lIi_Ylv3APK6aeE9uvdrAbWf1XEQ7zE9hiQVAXAjz93Nv3Q5UvAwxoMPQEMM8LxE6v78QnVv8sAJd4oVcxmKv9OkEB-hOsoDBXG7Nsvgmj3c9J7B1yBbZEwGsSe1MHpqfhEVK8Fi8dH32RtTgvnrXpeDMTP4I8q93F8w/s656/Zamora.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="656" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_FmOIE_8yeUF5aftFgQzA9lIi_Ylv3APK6aeE9uvdrAbWf1XEQ7zE9hiQVAXAjz93Nv3Q5UvAwxoMPQEMM8LxE6v78QnVv8sAJd4oVcxmKv9OkEB-hOsoDBXG7Nsvgmj3c9J7B1yBbZEwGsSe1MHpqfhEVK8Fi8dH32RtTgvnrXpeDMTP4I8q93F8w/w640-h272/Zamora.png" width="576" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shot on location in
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcazaba_of_Almer%C3%ADa" target="_blank">Alcazaba of Almería</a></span>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
To compliment the compelling visual esthetic, an amazing musical score
accompanies the film, with its composer, Basil Poledouris, allegedly treating
the film as an opera - where the music and the atmosphere it helped create
played an equal or perhaps greater role than the dialog - working closely with
the director throughout production to ensure that the sound, with its raw
brass and relentless percussion, inspired a sense of energy, of power:
bringing the primal emotions of the viewer into the primal world of Hyborea
long past. While the film was shunned by institutional accolades and awards -
if it deserved one at all, it would have been for the masterful integration of
sight, sound, and rhythm.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Why Conan the Barbarian? <br /></h3>
<p>
As C.S. Lewis said in <i>On Science Fiction</i>, "To tell how odd things
struck odd people is to have an oddity too much." 1982's
<i>Conan the Barbarian</i> strikes this balance perfectly. In his effort to
portray a world where people get by on their own strength, Milius eschewed
excessive magic - and while there is magic, it does not eclipse the need for
and use of mundane processes or people.
</p>
<p>
<i>How is that OSR?</i> It is correct to say that magic is intrinsically
everywhere in an OSR game - because you can roll up a level 1 MU or accompany
a level 2 Cleric essentially at the drop of a hat, this implies there is a
deal of wonder to the game world. However - consider the resources available
to a level 1 MU or a level 2 Cleric: by the book, in most OSR and original
systems, that MU is going to have one spell at his disposal; that Cleric, one
miracle granted by his divine patron. Akiro, wizard of the mounds (played by
Mako) is able to convince the spirits to resurrect a dead Conan: an act anyone
would deem supernatural - however that is essentially the only magic you see
him doing in the film.
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span>
Thulsa Doom is able to transform into a snake - as described earlier - and is
able to command obeisance and compliance in a manner akin to hypnosis: but
even he is able to use his powers only so many times, relying on the sword
where magic might have offered the solution in a more high-fantasy picture.
Thus - by allowing for magic (aforementioned magic, trinkets in the bazaar,
the witch in the woods...) - but by balancing it with focus elsewhere,
<i>Conan the Barbarian</i> presents a very OSR picture of the world: where
magic can be a solution - and when it occurs, it is frequently an "I Win"
button - however it is a limited resource: and steel is never obsolete.
</p>
<p>
Further - <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> presents multiple dungeon crawls: reliant
on strength of arms, subterfuge, as well as diplomacy to achieve successful
ends. To illustrate the point while maintaining a semblance of restraint as to
word count, we can examine the raid on the Tower of Set outside Zamora. During
this dungeon crawl alone we see several key tenants of the OSR experience:
</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Conan and Subotai meet Valeria outside the tower - where she likewise plans
to burgle. This can serve two purposes: if she is an NPC wandering monster,
this represents a favorable reaction roll: one resulting in collaboration
with the monster; alternatively, if she is a PC, her player may have missed
the first few sessions - the witch, the tomb of the Atlantean sword, ... -
and is being introduced mid-adventure.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
In penetrating the tower, Valeria obtains a disguise, posing as one of the
acolytes of Set. This is an example of subterfuge - of non-combat player
solutions - to get closer to the prize. Valeria knows she is outnumbered by
the guards and may be outmatched by the axe-wielding temple priest, Rexor.
She chooses not to test herself, avoiding confrontation through subterfuge:
a classic player tactic.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
In the bowels of the temple, Conan and Subotai, in search for the prize of
the temple - a large gemstone we come to know as the Eye of the Serpent -
encounter a colossal snake: a full yard in girth and dozens of feet long,
coiling around the gem's resting place. Awakening it by accident and doing
battle with it - we see several concepts in motion: did Conan fail his
<i>Move Silently</i> roll? Did the snake roll a Surprise check and pass,
despite its slumber? Chaos ensues and the battle is won - but then a falling
sacrifice from above alerts others in the temple to the event! This
illustrates - one - that the temple is multi-level: some more dangerous than
others, some containing treasure and others bereft - as well as
demonstrating verticality: shafts, stairs, and other mechanisms to
interconnect and allow for interaction between these levels.<br />
</li>
</ol>
<p>
In a sense, the scene in the Tower of Set is almost a perfect picture of an
OSR dungeon crawl: the only thing missing is a fortunate Magic User dropping
the Sleep spell as a mechanism to escape!
</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5Jrp0OMtCpJkEDZOVO9r1WU9TZDpwjnfAndm9YmNyuf1nTrccXVNOS-20aIFsRVAYhVWLn66Ax9BXsbzJjp0Il_hkxIn1uhTblCLWvBDjkU9Mi4vcK4MmXbDVVBIZUGllnlE0TQXD7QyeV2UgIrVPM5expJ_fiFk6vNzgbu4Hj3q8_iHqGhXW0667A/s845/EyeOfTheSerpent.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="845" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5Jrp0OMtCpJkEDZOVO9r1WU9TZDpwjnfAndm9YmNyuf1nTrccXVNOS-20aIFsRVAYhVWLn66Ax9BXsbzJjp0Il_hkxIn1uhTblCLWvBDjkU9Mi4vcK4MmXbDVVBIZUGllnlE0TQXD7QyeV2UgIrVPM5expJ_fiFk6vNzgbu4Hj3q8_iHqGhXW0667A/w640-h270/EyeOfTheSerpent.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>
Other dungeon crawl elements can be identified - for example, Conan's
acquisition of the Atlantean Sword from a barrow tomb - but the final point I
will highlight as to why <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> will do your game good:
the vincibility of characters. As mentioned above - there is a point at which
Conan dies. As not yet mentioned, there is likewise a point where Valeria
dies. Casualties are a part of a rogues' life - something Valeria alludes to,
as though it is common knowledge among reavers and thieves: a merry life, but
short, when attempting to convince Conan to give up his quest for revenge.
This is something both referenced by the characters and illustrated by the
film: mirroring the experience a low level party (or a higher level party with
appropriate challenges) might likewise expect to encounter.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">But is it Conan?</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
There is always an elephant in the room (or its tower, perhaps, based on
context) whenever talking about <i>Conan the Barbarian</i>: and that is the
question of its fidelity to the source material. In the Howard stories,
Conan has black hair, cropped; in the Milius film, he has flowing brown.
Howard's Conan is described as both intelligent and clever; many complain that
Milius' Conan fails to demonstrate this quickness fairly. While some of these
differences are more superficial than others, undeniably - they arise:
influencing the authenticity of the film.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>Conan the Barbarian</i> is not a Conan film, but it is a Howard film.
Tributes to Howard and to Hyborea are made throughout - subtle and unsubtle -
to reinforce its alternative fantasy history. Conan's first opponent when
fighting in the pits of the gladiators is a man whose teeth have been filed to
points: a reference to the cannibal inhabitants of
<i>Shadows in Zamboula</i> (VERIFY). Conan's crucifixion after having been
captured by Thulsa Doom? Homage to Conan's crucifixion following his capture
by Constantius the Koth in <i>A Witch Shall Be Born</i>. Yet... Conan's
comrade and paramour in the film - Valeria - while named after a warrior woman
after whom Conan lusts in <i>Red Nails</i>, behaves more akin to Bêlit from
<i>Queen of the Black Coast</i>: namely, in her romantic arc with Conan, her
death and cremation-style funeral, as well as her brief return from death to
fight by Conan's side in an hour of need.
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZO7kkUCIwGKv_-B1nksIMvHlOnp47_MgrPTdtny5b_WPukneWkHGOujz5qyvEtGuw2Vna6xeN_Bp8mDeqsyNuf-T_KiywB7TaZyBTKmqfLW-CyQAUikT1dpnafH1SC2RRvBH0RXHdMh-RXESVjH1UAfFfJHNIlV6-N5Ne3zX7V-uWUv_oQT5Huw1Hg/s333/Conan.MarkSchultz.ComingOfConanTheCimmerian.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.7em;"><img alt="The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Mark Schultz" border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZO7kkUCIwGKv_-B1nksIMvHlOnp47_MgrPTdtny5b_WPukneWkHGOujz5qyvEtGuw2Vna6xeN_Bp8mDeqsyNuf-T_KiywB7TaZyBTKmqfLW-CyQAUikT1dpnafH1SC2RRvBH0RXHdMh-RXESVjH1UAfFfJHNIlV6-N5Ne3zX7V-uWUv_oQT5Huw1Hg/w211-h320/Conan.MarkSchultz.ComingOfConanTheCimmerian.png" title="The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Mark Schultz" width="211" /></a>
</span> Further Bêlit contribution to the
film - in Milius' Conan, an ally - Subotai (whose name has no Howard parallel,
but whose character and culture may be based from the Hyrkanians of
<i>Iron Shadows</i> and <i>The Devil in Iron</i>) discuss religion: in
<i>Queen of the Black Coast,</i> this is Bêlit's honor.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Similarly - the primary antagonist of the film, Thulsa Doom - from where does
he hail? Are not the main sorcerous adversaries to Conan Xaltotun (<i>The Hour of the Dragon</i>) or perhaps Thoth Amon (<i>The Phoenix on the Sword</i>)? Thulsa Doom hails
from a posthumous Howard publication - <i>The Cat and the Skull</i> -
originally presented in the <i>King Kull</i> compilation by Lancer Books. Kull
- as a character - is similar to Conan: an outsider, a barbarian, who takes a
throne by force and skill - an earlier character which did not catch on as did
Conan. These would not be the only contributions Kull made to Milius'
<i>Conan</i> <i>the Barbarian</i> - Howard's Conan has no tragic background,
where Howard's Kull is from a tribe destroyed when he was a child: Milius'
Conan, post orphaning, becomes a slave whose physical labors cause him to
develop great strength; Howard's Kull is captured and enslaved as a youth by
Lemurian pirates, where he builds great strength as a galley slave. Milius'
Conan learns to fight in the gladiatorial arena; Howard's Kull - though having
been a pirate and warrior before - is captured in Valusia and fights in the
gladiatorial arena.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Is Milius' <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> then a retelling of Kull? Aptly - the
original script for 1997's <i>Kull the Conqueror</i> starring Kevin Sorbo was
originally intended to be a Conan film to follow 1984's
<i>Conan the Destroyer</i>, but had gotten hung up in developmental snags.
That said - I would argue no. While no Howard scholar, but a Howard fan,
<i>Conan the Barbarian</i> appears to have been written by a Howard fan - one
who took Howardian elements from across the board, tossed them into a mixer,
and added some of his own spices to the recipe: producing an adaptation, an
interpretation of the work and of the character that was his own. Whether that
is fair or not? A moot point - posthumously, more Conan has been written than
ever was written by the original author. Whether it is faithful or not?
Subjective - to the taste of the viewer. Someone who is passionate about
Howard may find the liberties <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> takes to be
distressing - though someone who has no experience with Howard prior may find
it a gateway: rediscovering the pulp classics for themselves after having been
snared by the allure of the film's powerful character and story.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The latter example is my own story - I find Howard's original works
refreshing, electric: but for those memories, for that introduction - perhaps
- I still have a soft spot for the 1982 cinematic adaptation. Whether or not
that spot is soft, hard, or spiny for you will have to wait to be determined
until you see it.<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h3>
<p>
<i>Conan the Barbarian </i>may not be a perfect film - nor can any film truly
encapsulate the experience of adventure around the table when playing your
choice of fantasy adventure game - however Conan is, for the latter purpose,
one of the gleaming examples of how close it can truly come. Not, perhaps, as
inspirational as reading the original Howard texts - enshrined boldly and
proudly in ubiquity in Gary's 1979 Appendix N - but doubtless and verily a
resource in its own right: to inspire your games, to inspire your players, and
to inspire your game. In honor of this, the Garimeter reading for
<i>Conan the Barbarian</i>, 1982, plants itself loosely on the
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1</span></b>.<br />
</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv83NMFlBa0Ex6NqntvXvWtSljl7qLyF94J9GHB-ZM6yOqdMLkAWvFb5S12QMYA7i7J_3ktQCaBldIBLtAX2Niw9l8HDrUJ9kKmULmaqffVJmOyGhiprlU9t_7EWvzqHb8vc4bhkXRMmNCHLzhJ4EBgiOdC6kOpnHmcmD9AyISZnlyVlwwGGUu1gBIw/s1044/Garimeter%20Scale-Conan1982.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1044" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv83NMFlBa0Ex6NqntvXvWtSljl7qLyF94J9GHB-ZM6yOqdMLkAWvFb5S12QMYA7i7J_3ktQCaBldIBLtAX2Niw9l8HDrUJ9kKmULmaqffVJmOyGhiprlU9t_7EWvzqHb8vc4bhkXRMmNCHLzhJ4EBgiOdC6kOpnHmcmD9AyISZnlyVlwwGGUu1gBIw/w640-h350/Garimeter%20Scale-Conan1982.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>
Howard's Conan, this film is not - but taken in context of its own merits,
watched free from inhibitions of the genre, it stands head and shoulders above
other similar films of the era: with its memorable characters, its amazing
production, and the resonating impression it continues to make through to this
day on home campaigns all over.
</p>
<p>Thank you for reading. Delve on!<br /></p>
<p> <br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Conan the Barbarian</i> (1982) is copyright Universal Pictures<i>. </i>Illustration of Conan from <i>The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian </i>by Mark Schultz, published by Del Ray Books and copyright Conan Properties International, LLC.<i> Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i>and all imagery thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast.<i> </i>All rights reserved to and by the respective owner parties.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-79739446098214921942023-04-19T05:00:00.012-04:002023-04-19T05:00:00.166-04:00Quick Update<p>Going to shake things up on the podcast a bit. Won't be posting show notes here any more and I've taken down all the podcast posts that don't have comments on them. The blog, I think, is better suited for long form, persistent content: while the podcast is almost social media, ephemeral conversation. And more so, I don't like how, when I have several episodes in a row, the podcast can drown out blog-form content: which totally defeats the aforementioned purpose - sharing persistent posts with perennial utility.<br /></p><p>Show notes will still be available on the podcast, itself, and I will continue doing a YouTube video with each. The feeds shouldn't be changing. But I didn't realize when I started it how the podcast was going to block out everything else - SEO, blog entries, and so on.</p><p>So for folks who came to read - not to listen - apologies: I should have that fixed now.</p><p>And for folks who like the podcast - listen on! I think you'll be happy with where we're going. </p><p>Delve on, everyone.<br /></p>CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-32304401437817413982023-04-15T05:00:00.003-04:002023-04-15T05:00:00.192-04:00Alternative Alternative Combat: 2d6 on 1d20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNA3qoZyGwLQ7pdpV-86lpTNOEYbUBW3lLCwpeYhSezAB06-vplD3RFqf07tE4-Yl-zXm_1w1YHv1aPTSd8lOUVVRcma72NwZt4WElPkbBXNlOVasSkFM4OomKTYmpqWHqjzWJ95ZVJ1UYsoWShDUB2D18yFjV7ZtEzttXqpggJk0nUR4uF50q97Rog/s640/Armor%20Gauntlet%20Sword%20Knight-adapted.StarGladeVintage%20Colleen.Pixabay.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Armor Gauntlet Sword Knight; Pixabay user StarGladeVintage Colleen" border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNA3qoZyGwLQ7pdpV-86lpTNOEYbUBW3lLCwpeYhSezAB06-vplD3RFqf07tE4-Yl-zXm_1w1YHv1aPTSd8lOUVVRcma72NwZt4WElPkbBXNlOVasSkFM4OomKTYmpqWHqjzWJ95ZVJ1UYsoWShDUB2D18yFjV7ZtEzttXqpggJk0nUR4uF50q97Rog/w320-h160/Armor%20Gauntlet%20Sword%20Knight-adapted.StarGladeVintage%20Colleen.Pixabay.png" title="Armor Gauntlet Sword Knight; Pixabay user StarGladeVintage Colleen" width="320" /></a>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In considering how to integrate Chainmail combat into an OSR campaign, two
prevailing theories presented themselves: first, the most common, was the use
of the d6-driven dice pool from troop combat in lieu of d20 rolls; second was
the use of the 2d6 man-to-man table in lieu of the d20 roll: retaining attack
progression and damage dice of the preferred edition. But - if attempting to
engage with a concurrent mechanism - as detailed in the Hero entry - why not
both?
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
So I took an afternoon to compare the probability curve of 2d6 target values
and translate them over to 1d20 - rounding for closeness - including an
easy-reference calculation for bonuses and penalties: what +1 on 2d6 meant for
the 1d20 target, retaining the same curve. Originally included as almost an
appendix in
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/08/weapons-wits-and-wizardry-adventurers.html" target="_blank">the WW&W Players' Guide alpha</a>, I present it below for easy access for anyone interested:<br />
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">2d6 on 1d20</h3>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%;">
<colgroup>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
<col width="12.5%"></col>
</colgroup>
<thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="3" style="border-right: 1px solid;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">With Penalty</span>
</th>
<th colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="border-left: 1px solid; border-right: 1px solid;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Original Target</span>
</th>
<th colspan="3" style="border-left: 1px solid;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">With Bonus</span>
</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-3</i></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-2</i></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-1</i></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">+1</span></i>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">+2</span></i>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">+3</span></i>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2*<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
2<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(1)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
3<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(2*)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
4<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(3)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2*<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
5<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(4)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2*</span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
6<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(7)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2*</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
7<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(9)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">19</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
8<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(13)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">20^</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">19<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
9<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(15)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">20^</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">19<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
10<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(18)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted;">
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~</span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">20^</span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
11<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(19)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px solid; padding-right: 1em; text-align: right;">
12
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding-left: 1em;">(20^)</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">19<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18<br /></span>
</td>
<td style="border-left: 1px dotted; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15<br /></span>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In order to more closely (albeit not perfectly) align with the probability of
success on 2d6:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Target numbers marked with an asterisk (*) allow, on failure, a follow up
re-roll against a target number of 9. If the roll against 9 succeeds, the
roll succeeds.
</li>
<li>
Target numbers marked with a carat (^) require, on success, a follow up
confirmation roll against a target number of 9. If the roll against 9 fails,
the roll fails.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">
To arrive at these numbers, I did a simple tabulation for the probability of
success to meet or beat a number on 2d6 for each of the possible results: 2
through 12. For example, in order to hit an 8 or higher - the requirement to
hit a man with a shield when using a sword - there are 15 different
combinations of dice: 15 out of 36 total results in a 41.6% chance of success
- rounding to 40%, this lines up with a 13 or better on 1d20: rinse, wash,
repeat. The 2 and the 12 - specifically - have a follow up roll, representing
the 2.7%, 1-in-36 chance of not rounding "fairly" to either 0 or 5%.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
The original intent of the matrix was to provide quick reference and allow for
dice-pooling the d20 in tandem with a 0e character's fighting capability: so,
a Hero who fights as 4 men would roll 4d20, comparing their chance of success
against the success chance defined above rather than against the Alternative
Combat System matrix. This made weapon choice much more significant,
mathematically - a Hero on Hero action in troop combat, "Armored" versus
"Armored", could be reduced from an almost impossible 1-in-1,296 chance to
roll four simultaneous sixes to a rare, but possible 9% chance, rolling four
9s or better on 4d20 with a two-handed sword. Still a far cry from the 41.6%
chance - a roll in excess of 7 (so, 8 or above - coincidentally the same as
our sword against shield example) on 2d6 - presented for a Hero to defeat a
Hero on the Fantasy Combat table - but still feasible.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Having delved deeper into the game and come to understand Fantasy Combat, I
had not proceeded with the d20-dice-pool solution by default: however the math
here remains - and hopefully it can find a use in your home brewing.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Delve on!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAZanYc1UFlkCgp2nCEVj57tgtNvR-YIn96vYfZ5DKSHsDoNN57A2O2zB7_8pKFh-hx_F7QZlUrGroEYKCWAM5uE5cqUb3szLpY2eOmo-WIgroflcbFYk4OF083casACzsxFbSK_LzFlqj86UiK32IsEhUxtj-wsCBPwsZWfXQ3zBYnlAbtDNsxGmHw/s689/WalkedInHurriedly-adapted.EmileBayard.OBI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Walked In Hurriedly; Emile Bayard" border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAZanYc1UFlkCgp2nCEVj57tgtNvR-YIn96vYfZ5DKSHsDoNN57A2O2zB7_8pKFh-hx_F7QZlUrGroEYKCWAM5uE5cqUb3szLpY2eOmo-WIgroflcbFYk4OF083casACzsxFbSK_LzFlqj86UiK32IsEhUxtj-wsCBPwsZWfXQ3zBYnlAbtDNsxGmHw/w440-h640/WalkedInHurriedly-adapted.EmileBayard.OBI.png" title="Walked In Hurriedly; Emile Bayard" width="440" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Open license artwork taken from <a href="https://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a>. Public domain art taken from <a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank">OldBookIllustrations.com</a>. Attribution in alt text.</span><br /></p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-91229654900030539862023-03-18T05:00:00.001-04:002023-03-18T05:00:00.173-04:00N-Spiration: Tales of the Dying Earth, Pt 2 - Vance's Rogues<p>
Horrors wait in the shadows - asleep in the daylight, waiting for the red,
wheezing star overhead to slip beneath the horizon or to blink out of
existence entirely that they may wander forth, preying upon unwary travelers.
Caravans brave the byways - dozens of armed men keeping the night at bay; lone
travelers chance refuges and safe-houses, the owners or proprietors of which
may be just as much the predators as the alien and chthonic creatures from
which their guests are hiding.
</p>
<p>
And so it is - league upon league across a dying world - as societies and
civilizations forget one the existence of one another as history slowly begins
to foresee the passing of humanity into memory - Jack Vance's Dying Earth.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
N-Spiration:<br /><i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> and <i>Cugel's Saga</i>
</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ2Z07h30n7p1AY_N6YUuSqFgDaT_e88STHmeTlNbYbSqonviGCWuRew0C0n5LPLrAKGeEaV7WmZ4wAt6DxaEdE_eElxrHI4u2EHPVtmAmWxAnKgO8t8BDckQvEJZEKrMMaVxdeDeUYu8jI9Wttzu8_ptqn45eGcMz0x6ent8Dee47v1ZmE117Ej8fg/s2048/my-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ2Z07h30n7p1AY_N6YUuSqFgDaT_e88STHmeTlNbYbSqonviGCWuRew0C0n5LPLrAKGeEaV7WmZ4wAt6DxaEdE_eElxrHI4u2EHPVtmAmWxAnKgO8t8BDckQvEJZEKrMMaVxdeDeUYu8jI9Wttzu8_ptqn45eGcMz0x6ent8Dee47v1ZmE117Ej8fg/w480-h640/my-copy.jpg" width="480" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> was published in 1966 - officially - 16 years
after its predecessor in Vance's far future world, <i>The Dying Earth</i>. I
say "officially" published in 1966 as, like its predecessor,
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> was initially published in serial as a
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fix-up" target="_blank">fix-up</a>
beginning in December of 1965, published, and then subsequently the second
chapter, <i>Cil</i> - wherein Cugel, having achieved an initial acquisition of
his objective, pursues its delivery through a kingdom cursed by a ghoulish
creature preying on unprotected citizenry - was published standing alone in
1969 within an unrelated collection. It would later go on to be re-titled,
<i>Cugel the Clever</i>, in reprint in 2005 - however, I mention these
disparate mechanisms to support a commentary to its style: each story is
interconnected, much more so than those in <i>The Dying Earth</i> before it,
however each still stands alone - with more or less context - as a
self-contained story, representing a stage of the journey Cugel is under: with
one or two primary themes tying them together - namely, Cugel's curse to quest
for and unrelenting desire for revenge upon the Laughing Magician.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gN_NhG_Mxlj_26V-ibUPgKDG0nNfBwlxz9667QSty8CPGihKhQG5Iwu_LK_drGD1P-h8Wzc-SkMjc1LAPH3W3Z62L148AdefWINuUX27UQC-uCABKtQ3f98uo86NLO_f2mkQlrXNLftBunYgDguwmH0MOvepQ9yxOKUoTyyyt8WOQ5vN_tgJpIs_pg/s394/TheEyesOfTheOverworld.Jack%20Gaughan.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="256" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gN_NhG_Mxlj_26V-ibUPgKDG0nNfBwlxz9667QSty8CPGihKhQG5Iwu_LK_drGD1P-h8Wzc-SkMjc1LAPH3W3Z62L148AdefWINuUX27UQC-uCABKtQ3f98uo86NLO_f2mkQlrXNLftBunYgDguwmH0MOvepQ9yxOKUoTyyyt8WOQ5vN_tgJpIs_pg/w260-h400/TheEyesOfTheOverworld.Jack%20Gaughan.jpg" width="260" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But I get ahead of myself.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> introduces Cugel - our aforementioned
protagonist - as a wily anti-hero: a self-serving and self-aggrandizing
character, one who both survives by his keen wit and quick thinking but also
who provides his own downfall through a certain hubris. The author - in
addition to presenting the world tilted in the perspective of the Cugel
character despite still dictating in the third person - uses Cugel as an
instrument of drama and humor: mixing the thrill of adventure, the curiosity
of exposition and mystery, with comedic moments - situational or jibes from
other characters - with a dark undertone of variable intensity. His
juxtaposition against other characters - gullible or guileful characters,
noble or ignoble, each presenting an opportunity to have or be had - is used
to paint a cynical world: one that provides a stark commentary about the
nature of societal interactions - the relationship between the commoner and
the vagabond; the worker and the employer. In particular - spoiler contained
within the following collapsible tag - during Cugel's interactions with the
sorcerer, Pharesm:<br />
</p>
<details>
<summary>
Cugel, between the mountains and the forest, halfway in his journey home...
</summary>
<p>
...to return the purloined Eye of the Overworld spectacle to the Laughing
Magician Iucounu, comes across a perplexing series of stone monoliths
arranged in an intentional pattern. He comes to learn this was the work of
teams employed by a sorcerer - the lead of the workman team singing the
praises of the employer, Pharesm. Pharesm, meeting Cugel, rejects him as an
employee due to lack of experience and offers no hospitality whatsoever:
which the workman lead also praises, displaying an almost toadying devotion
and zealousness for the work to be performed. Thus - both of them are
content to see Cugel (admittedly a stranger) go hungry off into the wastes -
both of them are then disappointed when Cugel, alleviating the hunger they
chose to ignore, devours the very being that the monoliths and centuries of
research were designed to lure to Pharesm's study!
</p>
<p>
Pharesm goes on to attempt to conscript Cugel to recover the creature out of
the past - which is thwarted by Cugel's own lecherousness and ignorance -
but the message remains: if basic humanity, basic hospitality and
understanding, had prevailed instead of raw self-interest (on the part of
both parties), <i>everyone</i> would have been off for the better.
</p>
</details>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Like his other works within <i>Tales of the Dying Earth</i>, the chapters of
each story are long: though some of them do have break points for those with
bookmarks looking for an opportunity to rest their eyes. This is - also like
most of the other work in the collection - due to the serialized publication
strategy. Because each of them was, itself, a self-contained novelette, each
of them would be of sufficient length to accommodate the trappings of a story
arc and to draw value for the attention of a magazine or collection reader.
However - due to the occasional breaks and due to Vance's evocative diction
over imaginative vistas; our own world presented alien in the far future where
the sun ages into decrepitude; and the intermix of humor as integral to the
experience - I, myself, did not find the length to be bothersome. Each chapter
logically leads into the next - and each satisfied enough to keep me turning
the pages.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About <i>Cugel's Saga</i></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> picks up where <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> left off:
its first sentence, the first moment following the final events in
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> immediately. Published in 1983 - 17 years
after its predecessor - it bears many of the same themes and tone, but is its
own work: being significantly longer and written singularly (according to the
author) rather than serially. Marketed as a novel, it still has a sense of
episodic progression - and each of the chapters can be read independently -
however the continuity between them is stronger and the context they provide
next to each other is greater, contributing more heavily to the sense of
events within the work as interpreted by the reader.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp3smA989taZfvknUTF5KEnQHQ7lMSylxGu7iBJdAqTVO1NQBuOb9MLRbK2g7VI8IXvIGmhSg4_xYR9UXauOIBLk9RGH9cUQBx4VeX6yc4ptWx8yk7n-5YtjaKYAUWH8Ci0OmeTbGxJM31fUvf_XkAAZ-6EkcbYhFNcW5u-VsrFOO1k7vPn9zdXhKYg/s389/CugelsSaga.KevinEugeneJohnson.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp3smA989taZfvknUTF5KEnQHQ7lMSylxGu7iBJdAqTVO1NQBuOb9MLRbK2g7VI8IXvIGmhSg4_xYR9UXauOIBLk9RGH9cUQBx4VeX6yc4ptWx8yk7n-5YtjaKYAUWH8Ci0OmeTbGxJM31fUvf_XkAAZ-6EkcbYhFNcW5u-VsrFOO1k7vPn9zdXhKYg/w263-h400/CugelsSaga.KevinEugeneJohnson.jpg" width="263" /></a>
</div>
The premise of this work is a duplicate of the previous: Cugel sees himself the
victim and seeks to return in order to have revenge on Iucounu, whom he sees as
responsible for his current plight. Additionally, the process for accomplishing
this end is the same as the prior - the presentation is that of a travelogue,
each chapter (or section, depending on what you consider a "chapter") being
titled according to the geographic: for example, his journey between the mud
flats of Tustvold to the port city of Perdusz is contained in "<i>From Tustvold to Port Perdusz</i>." However - unique to this volume is the happenstances along the way - though
the beginning and the destination remain consistent, the places, people, and
story elements along the way are entirely new and their own: presenting an
entirely new story within the context of the old.
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
On the subject of theme, <i>Cugel's Saga</i> embraces the same direction but
displays a renewed intensity. In <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i>, where
cheating or larceny is common, <i>Cugel's Saga</i> contains blatant murder.
True - <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> is rife with examples of active malice
(and does contain characters killing one another) it seems amplified in
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> - example in his aforementioned journey between Tustvold
and Port Perdusz:
</p>
<details>
<summary>
Coming across ominous warnings against a wizard, Faucelme...
</summary>
<p style="text-align: left;">
...Cugel encounters a group of farmers whose wheel is off the wagon. In
exchange - perhaps - for safety over night (recall, the world is full of
man-eating horrors in the dark) he uses a magical item to help them get the
wagon moving: holding it partly aloft against the force of gravity. Instead,
they muscle him out of his money - the cost of the wheel, they say, because
they lost it while he was about - and set him on his way.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Continuing - Cugel takes shelter in the manse of Faucelme - who seems an
absolute gentleman. Cugel ties him up, mistakenly using a magical rope over
which Faucelme has total control and can escape at will, but instead of
hostility, Faucelme offers Cugel entertainment, sup, and shelter... until he
sees an artifact which Cugel carries. After which, Cugel not being willing
to part with it Faucelme attempts murder by four separate mechanisms: poison
at dinner and three separate trapped bedrooms: one of unknown hazard - but
bearing no windows; a crushing mechanism on an iron framed bed; and finally
a mysterious burst of presumably fatal gas in an otherwise nondescript room
- all to obtain the artifact: a shining scale called Spatterlight.
</p>
<p>
Which is better, perhaps, than what could have happened - as the draft
animals (intelligent enough to speak) for the farmers prior reveal that the
farmers in bullying for cash did better than they did to previous travelers
- whom they would offer shelter only to murder in their sleep: a habit which
they stopped only because of the bother to bury the evidence!
</p>
<p>
These animals, Faucelme describes as drunkards - so they are not without
their own vices - but truly: they are the least odious of the whole bunch!
</p>
</details>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Further, the theme of workman versus employer continues in
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> - with Cugel having to out-scheme both a purveyor of
antiquities who, through deceptive advertising, entraps workers with debt to
the company (something that did happen in industrial America through the
industrial revolution - and arguably happens to this day in the form of
various avenues of credit... though that's another conversation peripheral to
the review) to dig through cold mud pits, and then a second time - a merchant
- who seeks to maroon Cugel and replace him: despite Cugel having
uncharacteristically actually performed his role aboard ship faithfully.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Faithfulness and trust are rewarded with abuse and betrayal - throughout - and
the crafty regularly come out on top: including both Cugel in moments of
clarity and those around Cugel in moments where his own ignorance or naivety
bites him. To my own reading - the ever-presence of this theme, the never
ending predictability of every character to do the absolute worst thing
possible in the service of their own goals came off as monotone: Vance's use
of egocentric, Machiavellian characters draws a parallel to the more modern G.
R. R. Martin's use of character morbidity: where, in the earlier works, the
theme and tone serve an end and stand in juxtaposition to how the bulk of
literature tends to turn - in later works, it grows sour: the inversion of the
trope becomes the trope itself: becomes a gimmick - and the reader (or, this
reader) grows weary of the pony performing its one trick. While I am not
disappointed to have read <i>Cugel's Saga</i>, I will say that by the end of
it, I was excited to have made it to <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i>.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
But that said - mood lightening commentary in spoiler below:<br />
</p>
<details>
<summary>Cugel, in his maritime adventures...</summary>
<p style="text-align: left;">
...takes on the role of "worminger." He takes it on not knowing a thing
about it, lying a bit saying he simply has been out of the game for a while
and would need to knock the rust off.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In a curious parallel - the author, Vance, was disqualified from military
service during World War II because of his poor eyesight: not wanting to
leave the sea, Vance would then go on to obtain and memorize an
optometrist's exam chart - reading the lines from memory rather than sight -
in order to join the Merchant Marine! He would go on to a successful career
on the water until establishing himself as a full-time writer 30 years later
- again, in parallel to Cugel, who learns the worminger trade (tending and
goading a giant sea worm strapped to the boat and providing a mean of
propulsion) and excels at it, better than the paired junior worminger who
had served previously.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
It's interesting to note - by the 1980s when <i>Cugel's Saga</i> was
written, Vance was still an avid sailor, having left the Merchant Marine,
but having lived on a house boat (with Frank Herbert and family - actually -
<i>SUCH AN INTERESTING LIFE VANCE LED</i>) and having bought, rigged and
operated multiple personal watercraft up to 45 feet in length - and that so
much of <i>Cugel's Saga</i> takes place on the open ocean.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Habits and loves of the author injecting themselves into the work.<br />
</p>
</details>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">What's to Like?</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cugel is the archetypal thief. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Whether he is hiding in the shadows, striking from behind, or experimenting
with (and making errors in) casting spells from written material - Cugel is,
at least from the 1966 tome, quite an obvious influence on Greyhawk's Thief
class. In that sense, there is value in this book for both player and referee
in the portrayal and running of Thief-esque characters.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
First, Cugel - he is not a fighter. He can fight, but he recognizes his own
limitations (or seeks to avoid discomfort, at a minimum) in relation to
creatures of the wild or to skilled or numerous adversaries. As such - the
wilds being a dangerous place - Cugel finds himself constantly thinking
outside the box to address situations he's in: negotiating with (or taking
advantage of) other characters he meets, taking on roles or proverbial
side-quests to gain access to what he needs for the next phase of his journey,
or pitting others against one another in order to achieve his ends. The most
memorable of these (to me, at least) being,
</p>
<details>
<summary>when approaching the Mountains of Magnatz...</summary>
<p style="text-align: left;">
...Cugel is followed by a
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dying_Earth#Creatures_of_the_Dying_Earth" target="_blank">deodand</a>. Knowing he does not stand a chance in open combat, Cugel hides and
attacks with a stone from above - a back-stab, so to speak: albeit with a
bludgeon - wherein he cripples the creature. The deodand then goes on to
bargain for its life - offering to guide Cugel across the mountains safely
if he does not slay it.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Of course, being an evil thing, it goes on to lead him to three of its
fellows - who in turn are fortunately killed by rangers Cugel encounters:
who, in a technicality, as Cugel said <i>he</i> would not kill the crippled
deodand, Cugel encourages to kill the crippled deodand, its purpose and use
fulfilled - but this is a perfect example of doing business with a Chaotic
creature - one which players and referees alike can draw inspiration out
of.<br />
</p>
</details>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Cugel's propensity for betrayal makes sense as to why a party might be wary of
a Thief - or why Thieves as specialists often cannot be employed by a Lawful
party for long.<br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Lastly, consider the spell
<i><a href="https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Geas_(Remove_Geas)" target="_blank">Geas</a></i>. In the original edition of the game - wandering magic users, Wizards in
particular, were a hazardous encounter, as where a name-level Fighting Man
will demand a joust or a name-level Cleric will demand a tithe, a Wizard will
demand a quest, a favor, and will do so at the threat of a slowly worsening
curse until such time as the geas is fulfilled.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
Although <i>Rhialto</i> would - 17 years later - illustrate this quite
literally...
</summary>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnHQYc11reUcdMUTmyDmLqCQQTXTbaZxDpVZnaIUHxKciOiSc-DB2zb64yAlJ_Jf9IlD4MvmIul5y2agYUFHodZISVuUgM0Oeq1pAjjvgV8pSatzKbwU_3Dfj7w4S0WSPpTHCrUK99L5UiNJIoeXJnPpsZyjsCNOrA3XRBQLj5sSYT5meM_okRF443w/s520/Geas-Part1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="520" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnHQYc11reUcdMUTmyDmLqCQQTXTbaZxDpVZnaIUHxKciOiSc-DB2zb64yAlJ_Jf9IlD4MvmIul5y2agYUFHodZISVuUgM0Oeq1pAjjvgV8pSatzKbwU_3Dfj7w4S0WSPpTHCrUK99L5UiNJIoeXJnPpsZyjsCNOrA3XRBQLj5sSYT5meM_okRF443w/w400-h153/Geas-Part1.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VjCqAIdevWney2T4tPf9lb-mrpd8FcgTL39SLkB9hYxEcY3KoAnyAi2k5N3-se8qKT_IWZ84Brl8eIiJidUwTNMABvmTk8JChCa2jGDCrSeQ8hH8YLed6gujl8q4aSf3QxcKoMbeG452YG88AHdPsXkgUA1d2DFik0gjK-HEK4ldj6KThFNsLZxQcA/s567/Geas-Part2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="567" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VjCqAIdevWney2T4tPf9lb-mrpd8FcgTL39SLkB9hYxEcY3KoAnyAi2k5N3-se8qKT_IWZ84Brl8eIiJidUwTNMABvmTk8JChCa2jGDCrSeQ8hH8YLed6gujl8q4aSf3QxcKoMbeG452YG88AHdPsXkgUA1d2DFik0gjK-HEK4ldj6KThFNsLZxQcA/w400-h297/Geas-Part2.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
</details>
<p style="text-align: left;">
...in <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> and <i>Cugel's Saga</i> both, this
theme is iterated: at least twice, magic users take advantage of the common
man (and of Cugel, specifically) leveraging compulsive magic:
</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Iucouno, compelling Cugel to seek the eyes on pain of being tormented by
Firx, an alien barb attached to his liver.
</li>
<li>
Pharesm, sending Cugel into the past with an amulet which will only return
him to the present when its purpose is fulfilled. <br />
</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: left;">
As a plot device, it's convenient - arguably lazy - but as an OSR trope?
Priceless.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">What's to Toss?</h2>
<p>
In reviewing the
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/01/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-1.html" target="_blank">magician-themed Dying Earth tales</a>, I warned the reader that the oldest of the stories were written over 80
years ago and as such, language and themes would not match up to what you
might expect from fantasy fiction written today. While this holds true for
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld </i>and <i>Cugel's Saga</i> - the newest of which
was published around the time my median reader was born - what stands out more
so in the Cugel stories is the severity and darkness of their themes. While
bandits and a nihilism brought on by pending heat-death in darkness is surely
grim in both cases, in the Cugel stories, it becomes ubiquitous - there is no
good in humanity: under the fading red sun, kindness is repaid exclusively
with predation.
</p>
<details>
<summary>
Further - consider the following; spoilered in collapsible panel, as with
the other in-text examples:
</summary>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hUECFl9raGR0u_kZmSA9onMDa54PnRtuRVAHVGuGznLtvIrZqvwUBlo7Ww6hSog-bdP8zeLcmWVAf53Csxp9hYzCXrmho4z66AcE6fDjnB1zRtj8ZWlOhHhkqqzvwojyICmhczv1ddCJBIxefN_jN9QFGPkCqFiDFhuh3XO9LQxcNMCATkkVC4WeXg/s595/CugelKillsABarnacle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="595" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hUECFl9raGR0u_kZmSA9onMDa54PnRtuRVAHVGuGznLtvIrZqvwUBlo7Ww6hSog-bdP8zeLcmWVAf53Csxp9hYzCXrmho4z66AcE6fDjnB1zRtj8ZWlOhHhkqqzvwojyICmhczv1ddCJBIxefN_jN9QFGPkCqFiDFhuh3XO9LQxcNMCATkkVC4WeXg/w400-h379/CugelKillsABarnacle.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
In this sequence, Cugel is subjected to a prank by several barnacle elves, as
I was considering them. They are sedentary sea life - fey, by the seeming of
it, and their mastery of the strange liquid gossamer referenced. In response
to
<i>being wet</i> - imagine having a child throw a water balloon at you from a
tree fort - Cugel reacts by
<i>pulling the creature out of its shell and spilling its entrails on the
beach</i>.
<p></p>
<p>
A hyperbolic overreaction intentionally, sure, for humor's sake - and the
reaction and commentary thereafter is used for humorous effect - but Cugel
is totally remorseless and indeed self-justifies the act, moving on as
though nothing had happened, incident remembered only to try to
short-circuit the barnacle child's dying curse laid upon him, once his
jerkin dries out.
</p>
</details>
<p>
Arguably, this is not a human. It is a fictional creature whose species is
never heard of again in Vance's writings. Similarly, this is a work of total
fiction: am I not over-reacting to this?
</p>
<details>
<summary>Perhaps. But then, further along in the very next chapter:</summary>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5gtSptG3tym_2rd7Yngr2-NFZpIRMY0pM98SY_n22tO_FXxxvvhnCsZTxBz0NROWe5JdXNYy0RbluE7GtTp6HFV1QPLNon_zGij1bKXn2fvfmExa0LIgF_H3c36JGmBuND3btZzJbbIog9lwJvf9GwQjAgTV4XYMaa-YjO89Dm7vseIkF5BLdyd5fg/s600/CugelHumanTrafficing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5gtSptG3tym_2rd7Yngr2-NFZpIRMY0pM98SY_n22tO_FXxxvvhnCsZTxBz0NROWe5JdXNYy0RbluE7GtTp6HFV1QPLNon_zGij1bKXn2fvfmExa0LIgF_H3c36JGmBuND3btZzJbbIog9lwJvf9GwQjAgTV4XYMaa-YjO89Dm7vseIkF5BLdyd5fg/w400-h271/CugelHumanTrafficing.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
Having escaped the well-incurred wrath of a demon-mastering heir to the
kingdom of Cil, Cugel and a companion continue in trekking back towards
Almery, where the magician Iucounu resides. Encountering a group of ruffians
who inform the travelers that a glade they seek to cross is in truth haunted
by fey and that they would need guidance across. In exchange - they demand
payment: the involuntary servitude of Cugel's newly acquired female
companion, Derwe.
</p>
<p>Cugel convinces her to to trust him - that he has a plan.</p>
<p>
Along the way, they bind her in shackles, they move through the forest
outnumbering him, and in the end, you're unsure of whether or not he needed
them at all - but through the whole ordeal, the reader is considering, "What
is this plan? How will Cugel get through this one?"
</p>
<p>And then... he sells her.</p>
<p>That was the plan all along.</p>
<p>
In reading this - I actually (and I expect many others would have)
experienced a rising suspicion, an enjoyment in realization, as the tension
built. The reader may see what's happening, may understand what the endpoint
is going to be - and for me, at least, I drew great pleasure from the
build-up and reveal: chuckling audibly to myself when it finally happened.
However, that said, the fundamental joke here is <i>human trafficking</i>: a
very real and very serious thing that persists into the modern day.
</p>
</details>
<br />
<details>
<summary>Then, in the Mountains of Magnatz...</summary>
<p>
...after having been fooled into taking to a watch tower from which there is
no returning, Cugel escapes and kidnaps a woman, Marlinka of Vull - to whom
he had been ceremonially wed as part of the fooling, an inducement to take
the role of watchman.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4sSXIHvsNxWh8LkR3KtMgtDzflkkukfH3t1q2a88EjOgy2VsDSjlezmIEUyKCeTrox1-I7yjrpmqa9JmSaZOal7pSo9uuzqRn_ZRa840JGhXtlLjRhrm7ghkYTh9463kqyOX4LUTry6Nub6b2YJrt-U4yZ3uZ6BkbL3AcoBFvlZ6E3oYa6-vPRjG2g/s498/CugelAndMarlinka.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="498" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4sSXIHvsNxWh8LkR3KtMgtDzflkkukfH3t1q2a88EjOgy2VsDSjlezmIEUyKCeTrox1-I7yjrpmqa9JmSaZOal7pSo9uuzqRn_ZRa840JGhXtlLjRhrm7ghkYTh9463kqyOX4LUTry6Nub6b2YJrt-U4yZ3uZ6BkbL3AcoBFvlZ6E3oYa6-vPRjG2g/w400-h376/CugelAndMarlinka.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<p>
In his own words, Cugel is simply taking what is his due: behaving in the
manner expected of himself. However, in reading this chapter, I had to read
this twice - the first time through, having thought "Is this a fade-to-black
rape?"<br />
</p>
<p>
On the second reading - no - no it was not: and I hesitated to post this
comment in the review as the subject material is serious: it does not bear
diminishing. But be advised, potential reader, this kind of language occurs
at least once, as referenced above - and is something to have in the back of
the mind.<br />
</p>
</details>
<p>
Again - in context - these are fictional people, fictional characters,
introduced to tell an amusing story: and knowing that is the grain of salt to
take when reading - but the presence of truly dark themes embedded sometimes
as humor and other times in earnest is at times - or, was for me at times -
intense.<br />
</p>
<p>
On a more editorial note - regarding <i>Cugel's Saga</i>: reading Cugel's Saga
can feel like I'm watching <i>Airplane 2</i>. Old jokes get repeated in new
contexts, the same plot - and conclusion - gets rehashed. While
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> does have great merit to it - in the story-telling, in the
world-building, in the humor - by the end of the book, I had grown bored and
at a few points, recall having had to force my way through it.
</p>
<p>
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> is stronger than <i>Cugel's Saga</i> - and
<i>The Dying Earth </i>and <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i>, to my reading, are
stronger as well. <i>The Dying Earth</i> in particular is the strongest of the
four: for its mystery, for its novelty, and for the manner in which it
explodes the world around you: the reader isn't drawn in - instead, the world
is forced out: a V.R. set without the goggles projected directly and suddenly
into your mind.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Further Reading</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/01/n-spiration-tales-of-dying-earth-pt-1.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a>
regarding <i>The Dying Earth</i> and <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i>, I
mentioned the prolific nature of
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance_bibliography" target="_blank">the Jack Vance library</a>. This remains true - though I add little to the conversation by restating
it. Instead, for those interested in Cugel directly, I have come across
another book -
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/102805.A_Quest_for_Simbilis" target="_blank"><i>A Quest for Simbilis</i></a>
- written by Michael Shea.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE2FJELJmgJ1wVbCkqVaIIfM2UtwDdW5Z4ARq7DcENGebZ9L8olTFrLcNDYMD2_SD8PTo9gRDTNOykxxllObBLiRLgzFnbPUCkSwgtnvCc6ADWebH4kuVnuae3oIL5xUKstXQXePHOlRo9Y7fzPP0rUtQUIzwejvfjIybT1FwXWtfqbB43TFQyxJ96Q/s405/AQuestForSimbilis.GeorgeBarr.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Quest for Simbilis, First Edition Cover: George Barr" border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE2FJELJmgJ1wVbCkqVaIIfM2UtwDdW5Z4ARq7DcENGebZ9L8olTFrLcNDYMD2_SD8PTo9gRDTNOykxxllObBLiRLgzFnbPUCkSwgtnvCc6ADWebH4kuVnuae3oIL5xUKstXQXePHOlRo9Y7fzPP0rUtQUIzwejvfjIybT1FwXWtfqbB43TFQyxJ96Q/w191-h320/AQuestForSimbilis.GeorgeBarr.jpg" title="A Quest for Simbilis, First Edition Cover: George Barr" width="191" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Shea - author of the series
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/113223-nifft-the-lean" target="_blank"><i>Nifft the Lean</i></a>
and multiple-winner of the World Fantasy Award for his own works as well as
for his contributions to the mythos of both Vance and Lovecraft - wrote the
piece, interestingly enough, in 1974 with the blessing of Vance, himself, with
whom Shea was friends. It is a sequel to <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i>,
picking up Cugel's adventure where <i>Eyes of the Overworld</i> leaves off and
following through on a quest for vengeance in much the same plot driver as
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> but following a totally different narrative: presenting
different stories, different adventures, and different outcomes for our
antiheroic protagonist.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
While I have not read <i>A Quest for Simbilis</i>, it is curious to note that
- having been written in between 1966's <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> and
1983's <i>Cugel's Saga</i>, it stood alone as the official course of events
for 9 years before Vance, the original author, orphaned it with his own
rendition of post-<i>Eyes</i> events. This in and of itself makes me curious
to see what's in it, on top of other reviewers agreeing: if you like the Cugel
stories, you may like <i>Simbilis</i>. So - if you're willing to roll the dice
on future reading, the dice for <i>A Quest for Simbilis</i> might be loaded:
and Michael Shea may find his way in months to come into the Clerics Wear
Ringmail N-Spiration series.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion</h2>
<p>
As with the other books contained within my purchased anthology,
<i>Tales of the Dying Earth</i>, Vance's works are specifically called out in
the 1e DMG's Appendix N - and as such, are by default seminal to the ongoing
development of the D&D game at TSR and foundational to a fledgling
referee's engineering of a tonally faithful campaign.
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i>, having preceded even the original edition,
would have been in Gary and Dave's minds - and I have no doubts that when
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> came out years later, they would have binge-read on it, as
well.
</p>
<p>
For that reason, <i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> and <i>Cugel's Saga</i> has
to be a <b><span style="font-size: medium;">1: Very OSR</span></b>.
</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fj9va2uq70Mz6_ErwPyCR_q1Ce9EP1nnVtL11UqmgTpNrKNtkeypVwSsF7xlafVsr4AT5S4Z8VtTLcVk1wcsoBe5K8kgPvXkaZ2a4TvMEABDko1caD351sk4GR3O0n1RHE4twemvlxbaO33ATfYNe21cTBlPcySnWsEEtl9A5tb6wV5FFQ0pe28LBQ/s1044/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20Cugel.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1044" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fj9va2uq70Mz6_ErwPyCR_q1Ce9EP1nnVtL11UqmgTpNrKNtkeypVwSsF7xlafVsr4AT5S4Z8VtTLcVk1wcsoBe5K8kgPvXkaZ2a4TvMEABDko1caD351sk4GR3O0n1RHE4twemvlxbaO33ATfYNe21cTBlPcySnWsEEtl9A5tb6wV5FFQ0pe28LBQ/w640-h350/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20Cugel.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>
Cugel is our prototypical Thief - and Cugel's story - or stories - is and are
emblematic of the prototypical OSR campaign. While there are some rough edges
and some moments where the seriousness and the silliness intermingle, do those
qualifications not also apply to most home games?
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld</i> and <i>Cugel's Saga</i> both make for a fine
addition to your Appendix N library and a fine inspiration for the games a
budding referee is yet to run.<br />
</p>
<p>Thank you for reading - delve on!<br /></p>
<p> <br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tales of the Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld,</i> and
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> are copyrighted Jack Vance and to the affiliated
publishers of their respective distributions. First edition
<i>The Eyes of the Overworld </i>cover art is by Jack Gaughan; first edition
<i>Cugel's Saga</i> cover art is by Kevin Eugene Johnson.
<i>A Quest for Simbilis</i> is copyright Michael Shea and DAW Books; the
first edition cover art therefor being accredited to George Barr.<i> </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i>and all imagery thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast.<i> </i></span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-8573105919377473042023-02-11T17:00:00.115-05:002023-02-11T17:00:00.172-05:00Obsidian Vault<p>
<i
>Stairs lead into a blackened space – floors with the texture and
temperature of slate: walls ringed with molding of obsidian rising one-third
of the way up to the ceiling, 15 feet distant. Darkness hangs in the air –
almost detectable as particulate against timid and flickering
torchlight. </i
>
</p>
<p>
<i>Suitable for characters of 2nd or 3rd level</i>.<i> <br /></i>
</p>
<center>
<table
align="center"
cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0"
class="tr-caption-container"
style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-J0I8R-kfTSnjE9OYhbgfWdK9kjtwRlwBjMD-xP2iIlss7neoxlmv6lU6Czhpnm34qV1MfV6O4INpcFdpaAY4rJ5-I0lqDq-A_vfQlULEzbwl2lFB9-zgHWGi1MaPhBdfvEIx43gNVP04vNd_Mbvi0bezRd48wr2sRagQf3oF6SyaWVntdeiULxiHA/s1900/SmallDungeon25.png"
style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="900"
data-original-width="1900"
height="274"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-J0I8R-kfTSnjE9OYhbgfWdK9kjtwRlwBjMD-xP2iIlss7neoxlmv6lU6Czhpnm34qV1MfV6O4INpcFdpaAY4rJ5-I0lqDq-A_vfQlULEzbwl2lFB9-zgHWGi1MaPhBdfvEIx43gNVP04vNd_Mbvi0bezRd48wr2sRagQf3oF6SyaWVntdeiULxiHA/w640-h304/SmallDungeon25.png"
width="576" /><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span
></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>Scale: 10 ft.<br />Click
<a
href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VIGhmy8le8MijhBZWgofr9of9YNq2tgj/view"
target="_blank"
>HERE</a
>
for a PDF version of this adventure!</span
><br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
</center>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4zG7u72jwrXvQotNmVT6EM94ncp1S5O13wg0VqFhfB4HMfYHb4getbueULfwpB9paviNGdaB6b0lyCNYISpjdXgZGxCCug-hIxC5yWH3N4d0QdSGN4b6-LMAawOx0UZT_82nyV12PN50RfMOo4fazR3GH3GUDxCFKUAPGJsmo3z5gokoqOAE0U9j4IA=s40"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="28"
data-original-width="40"
height="28"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4zG7u72jwrXvQotNmVT6EM94ncp1S5O13wg0VqFhfB4HMfYHb4getbueULfwpB9paviNGdaB6b0lyCNYISpjdXgZGxCCug-hIxC5yWH3N4d0QdSGN4b6-LMAawOx0UZT_82nyV12PN50RfMOo4fazR3GH3GUDxCFKUAPGJsmo3z5gokoqOAE0U9j4IA"
width="40"
/></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little keyhole icon in a door means the door is locked.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mBY32WoYgnXTavwhpTgdtjrnRBxpsN0NwsDvJAwGP-48ytOcJO7PkzRDhhqGmFGFe24bDNMx2-HvKSxRnwtUDm7fVzevBblopwO4jBMu8EVOmm2v4OEH3UvVLGIbg6EzB2fIulpfrhQ9Nip37E7rQmvtWumoGGaE8eXR54biaYAclSKQWnIYfAopBA=s33"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="27"
data-original-width="33"
height="27"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9mBY32WoYgnXTavwhpTgdtjrnRBxpsN0NwsDvJAwGP-48ytOcJO7PkzRDhhqGmFGFe24bDNMx2-HvKSxRnwtUDm7fVzevBblopwO4jBMu8EVOmm2v4OEH3UvVLGIbg6EzB2fIulpfrhQ9Nip37E7rQmvtWumoGGaE8eXR54biaYAclSKQWnIYfAopBA"
width="33"
/></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>A little "S" through a door means the door is secret.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>•</td>
<td>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVH8_2a2fuCS4xw2EJzfUQ6wj-No9NIQN-fvw1Rhpthlwj-teBOuVK2Mkv2Pl_oDzfIO87CaXFv7iZ2h-kFZAP48BSNxy-ZkJMI4D7I_ovG26Sf8CamBps6lXqFGUlQFpFwSf1erbO7qudUqnP5DUtRWrCxq7VlC96WkkWfQ9rYdtHax_CmkqKzzEiKQ=s37"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
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width="32"
/></a>
</span>
</td>
<td>
The other icon on a door - which is supposed to look like a muscly arm -
indicates a door is stuck and must be forced open.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">W - West Chambers</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxJEC3J01nMz1qhjWZTNCpAIb39kq5ga-SIg21ykob3GEbviZnryb6EJLLrIvnrjXEKP1afkaIZxUp7-Zv0zax0bz0TvT_jNF81OGLBPUxn2l_l3nRScuv3JUV6HN9eYvwiHji5o38rQsDTFZZEZ5kQZvLpscVdMRGtzQVTokWvcHhu5fCjOmh_7hEw/s1920/StairsStonePathDownRuin-adapted.PixabayUserdife88.jpg"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"
><img
alt="Stairs Stone Path Down Ruin; Pixabay user dife88"
border="0"
data-original-height="1280"
data-original-width="1920"
height="213"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxJEC3J01nMz1qhjWZTNCpAIb39kq5ga-SIg21ykob3GEbviZnryb6EJLLrIvnrjXEKP1afkaIZxUp7-Zv0zax0bz0TvT_jNF81OGLBPUxn2l_l3nRScuv3JUV6HN9eYvwiHji5o38rQsDTFZZEZ5kQZvLpscVdMRGtzQVTokWvcHhu5fCjOmh_7hEw/w320-h213/StairsStonePathDownRuin-adapted.PixabayUserdife88.jpg"
title="Stairs Stone Path Down Ruin; Pixabay user dife88"
width="320"
/></a>
</div>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W1 - Entrance</h3>
<p>
A wide spiral stair leads down into the space. Along the circular walls are
pedestals housing statues made of pumice; eyes hollowed out. Upon entry, there
is a 50% chance (75% with a light source) that the Driver Ants in W4 take
notice of the party.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W2 - Access Control</h3>
<p>
On the south wall is a lever rising from the floor, trimmed with brass. It is
in a center position. If engaged to the left, it will activate area W4; if
engaged to the right, it will activate E3 - in both cases, a light will shine
faintly down from the illusory ceiling. If left - or replaced - to the center,
both areas remain inactive.
</p>
<p>
Against the west wall is a wooden pedestal - taller (north to south) than it
is wide - flanked by urns and draped with a purple and silver cloth. In the
urns are glass rods - 8 in total - inlaid with seams of gold and silver. The
rods are worth 100 gp each. If the drape is removed, a hidden clasp is
revealed: opening to a small hoard of 5,000 silver.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W3 - Gazing Chamber</h3>
<p>
In the center of the room is a circular, concave depression - large enough for
a person to stand or kneel in. Piled around it are six evenly spaced stacks of
60 gold pieces each. On the walls, east and west, hang delicate silver chains
- six in total, worth 60 gold pieces each, likewise - interwoven to connect
three empty wrought iron sconces on each side.
</p>
<p>
Along the north wall are three onyx busts facing the central depression, domes
of pumice covering the eyes, held on three pumice pedestals. If a character
does not disturb the gold stacks (or replaces them where disturbed) and
instead enters the circle, the pumice eyes of the busts will cast a low orange
glow into the depression, illuminating the character. If the character does
not immediately retract themselves - they will be blessed with a strange sight
where all non-magical traps will, to their eyes, glow in the same orange tone:
standing out from their surroundings.
</p>
<p>
This effect persists until the character sees in daylight. The effect can be
artificially prolonged, as such, by moving at night and covering ones eyes or
remaining in closed or underground spaces while the sun is up.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">W4 - West Ascent</h3>
<p>
An otherwise nondescript ceramic alcove is occupied by seven Driver Ants
(B34). The ants are scurrying about as though trying (and failing) to climb
the walls - climbing upward, but then leaning back too far and falling flat.
</p>
<p>
There is a hole in the ceiling, hidden by illusion. From the ground, it looks
just like the surrounding material - but if prodded, the prod will go through.
Additionally, if the space is activated (see W2), there will be a slight
yellow glow, gently flickering, coming down from the hole. The illusion will
still be in place, but a glow will emerge from it like a spotlight.
</p>
<p>
Regardless of active or inactive, the party will have to be creative to access
the space.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">E - East Chambers</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">E1 - Upper Hall</h3>
<p>
In the hall above the door is an effigy of a pan flute. The flute has been
plugged with cloth. Characters, as they approach, can hear muffled music.
</p>
<p>
If the cloth is removed, the music grows louder, though still soft, and can be
heard eerily anywhere on the map. The music is soothing, if repetitive - any
reaction rolls made by or for the players against monsters on this level while
the music is playing in this fashion will be treated as one category better
than they normally would - or, a "neutral" reaction would translate to
"favorable," and so on.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">E2 - Lower Hall</h3>
<p>
A chandelier of wrought iron hangs from the ceiling. It has space for six
candles - but none are filled.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">E3 - East Ascent</h3>
<p>
In the center of the room is a circular convex protrusion. Placed at interval
around the circular walls are pedestals - onyx - on three of which are pumice
statues. The eyes of the statues are all missing except for one - which has
onyx domes, one of which is cracked: as though it had been struck with a
crowbar or hammer. Any character which interacts with this bust is struck with
a flare of intense heat: Save vs Breath or take 1d8 damage.
</p>
<p>
There is a hole in the ceiling hidden by illusion. From the ground, it looks
just like the surrounding material - but if prodded, the prod will go through.
Further, if the space is active (see W2), a yellow glow will radiate from it
like a spotlight. Any character touched by the glow will feel lighter - able
to jump twice as high, climb twice as reliably and twice as quickly - while in
direct contact with the glow.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">E4 - Treasure at Rest</h3>
<p>
Lining the north and south walls are three shields, each, with crossed spears
behind them. These are antique and in poor repair. Against the west wall is
propped a casket, sealed. Inside is a skeleton with a sword bedecked with a
ruby in the pommel and crossguard - each gem is worth 100 gp.
</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXFRWlJB-SBg0vDJpF-joy4hkHcZUhURErPz_XjHxMWNtdqBtR8pUpKgNCi5H5PTh6tRTzOpYf6YVgpfCYVslU3a_U8ZeXsEbDm0RAbA4Fgc_sKyJmgmTNHBBILl1072LQD8N-DoNTGu0Tp1pb-R_SxSPD58uJlJObz5Bt1oTPFxmmE1xiRPsdubumA/s422/SwordMirror-Adapted2.BrittonLaRoche.WC.png"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="Sword Mirror; Britton LaRoche"
border="0"
data-original-height="207"
data-original-width="422"
height="196"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXFRWlJB-SBg0vDJpF-joy4hkHcZUhURErPz_XjHxMWNtdqBtR8pUpKgNCi5H5PTh6tRTzOpYf6YVgpfCYVslU3a_U8ZeXsEbDm0RAbA4Fgc_sKyJmgmTNHBBILl1072LQD8N-DoNTGu0Tp1pb-R_SxSPD58uJlJObz5Bt1oTPFxmmE1xiRPsdubumA/w400-h196/SwordMirror-Adapted2.BrittonLaRoche.WC.png"
title="Sword Mirror; Britton LaRoche"
width="400"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
In the center of the room before the casket is a chest containing 500 gold
pieces, a tourmaline (10 gp) and three oval-cut diamonds (500 gp each). Strewn
on the floor as though spilled are a further 1,000 silver pieces.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">N - Upper Chambers</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N1 - East Entry</h3>
<p>
A man-sized hole is visible from this space, opening into W4. On each of the
four corners of the room is a large urn: one of which has tipped over,
spilling 600 gold pieces onto the floor near the hole. One of the other urns
contains a further 200 gold pieces; one is empty; and the last contains dusty
bones, the origin of which is unclear.
</p>
<p>
The double door to the north is trapped. If opened without disarming, a
circular blade ascends along a groove sunken into the door's threshold,
dealing 2d8 damage to any character in the door: rolling to hit with a THAC0
of 15.
</p>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZT5hyuVsO8Z6xHgJ5g-I2JoUuLshoxyFV8lAPnuwKsFKR6EPFQsRW0K-qys4Yjm4Jg5QKrm0szhzmFleizwWTG1-CN2X-ePxR4j30cLRV6eb-IaB-Bv-cRDM5pkEidKK07Q_Xr3mJ8B4OkXm7PYICwwpVrWvWHJj4h7SXHZl7WHv4b3jHHwD1AstUlQ/s721/KnightArmorMiddleAgesIsolated-adaptedFaceRight.GerhardJanson.Pixabay.png"
style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="Knight Armor Middle Ages Isolated; Gerhard Janson"
border="0"
data-original-height="721"
data-original-width="282"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZT5hyuVsO8Z6xHgJ5g-I2JoUuLshoxyFV8lAPnuwKsFKR6EPFQsRW0K-qys4Yjm4Jg5QKrm0szhzmFleizwWTG1-CN2X-ePxR4j30cLRV6eb-IaB-Bv-cRDM5pkEidKK07Q_Xr3mJ8B4OkXm7PYICwwpVrWvWHJj4h7SXHZl7WHv4b3jHHwD1AstUlQ/w125-h320/KnightArmorMiddleAgesIsolated-adaptedFaceRight.GerhardJanson.Pixabay.png"
title="Knight Armor Middle Ages Isolated; Gerhard Janson"
width="125"
/></a>
</span>
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvkF5ooBx9eNawi2GQQKPcLk6fv7b2nhKwp1RIKElCvWiKirf5Ipasj0zK46-Jmc1i7nKIxKtB5RqmRrLL83woPu3kBmPOEU31Zd99ksZU3T9j9bu66hi7JM8_gAFwPa18-kCcIOYNU5LvMqwKRLhVr8gFAbvg2VBDonUxi5-JKh_aV1gbpg7n3cQFA/s721/KnightArmorMiddleAgesIsolated-adaptedFaceLeft.GerhardJanson.Pixabay.png"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"
><img
alt="Knight Armor Middle Ages Isolated; Gerhard Janson"
border="0"
data-original-height="721"
data-original-width="282"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvkF5ooBx9eNawi2GQQKPcLk6fv7b2nhKwp1RIKElCvWiKirf5Ipasj0zK46-Jmc1i7nKIxKtB5RqmRrLL83woPu3kBmPOEU31Zd99ksZU3T9j9bu66hi7JM8_gAFwPa18-kCcIOYNU5LvMqwKRLhVr8gFAbvg2VBDonUxi5-JKh_aV1gbpg7n3cQFA/w125-h320/KnightArmorMiddleAgesIsolated-adaptedFaceLeft.GerhardJanson.Pixabay.png"
title="Knight Armor Middle Ages Isolated; Gerhard Janson"
width="125"
/></a>
</span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N2 - Guard Hall</h3>
<p>
Along all walls except the north face, frescoes depict armored constructs in
march. Two Crystal Living Statue (B37) guard the space. If defeated, there is
a 50% chance each of them will have a key to either N3 or N4 embedded in their
torso.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N3 - Marble Playpen</h3>
<p>
A space three feet by four is enclosed by white marble walls three feet high.
To the south-west is a raised brazier. The enclosed space is empty - its
floor, black like the rest of the map.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N4 - Dentist's Coffer</h3>
<p>
On the floor, irregular chunks of marble - six to eight inches high, each -
have been arranged as a border creating a crescent oriented east to west, with
the ends pointing south and the curve north. The space inside of this crescent
has been inlaid with specie: 9,000 silver and 200 gold pieces. Underneath, the
floor is inexplicably black and textureless - but the very center reflects
light ever so slightly if a light source is held nearby.
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N5 - Vault</h3>
<p>
A skeleton in studded leather lies face down on the floor near the entrance,
facing south-east. Beyond it are five barrels, stuffed with 1,000 silver
pieces each, and a small box on the floor (locked and trapped with a poison
needle) which houses a velvet sack. Five gemstones can be found in the sack -
a tourmaline (10 gp), two black pearls (50gp each), and two circle-cut rubies
(100 gp each).
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">N6 - West Entry</h3>
<p>
Six urns line the space: two to a wall, placed at 10 foot increments. Several
have been overturned or damaged as six Tiger Beetle (B31) rummage through
them. There is a hole in the floor, visible from this side, to the south-west
which leads to E3.
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>Public domain and open license artwork retrieved from
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank"
>Wikimedia Commons</a
>
and <a href="https://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a>,
respectively. Attribution provided in alt text.</span
>
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-4275404820069769872023-01-21T05:00:00.001-05:002023-01-21T05:00:00.171-05:00N-Spiration: Tales of the Dying Earth, Pt 1 - Vance's Magic<p>
The sun hangs red in the sky - older than the ages, breaking the millionth
dawn since its youth departed, limping into view as it ever wanes towards
perpetual dark. Drawn by the mysteries of wonders past, of people and of magic
beyond the comprehension of modern man but not only dreamed, but built, by
glorious ancestors - wizards, rogues, and scavengers abound: eeking out a
living, dredging for orphaned treasure, or ever questing for deeper forgotten
knowledge buried in the past.
</p>
<p>
So is framed Jack Vance's unmistakable Dying Earth: required reading for game
masters, old and new school alike.<br />
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>But didn't you say you were going to use this n-spiration label to talk
about new inspiration material, not stuff you found literally in the back
of the 1e DMG?</i>
Hush, you.</span>
<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
N-Spiration:<br /><i>The Dying Earth</i> and <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i>
</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ2Z07h30n7p1AY_N6YUuSqFgDaT_e88STHmeTlNbYbSqonviGCWuRew0C0n5LPLrAKGeEaV7WmZ4wAt6DxaEdE_eElxrHI4u2EHPVtmAmWxAnKgO8t8BDckQvEJZEKrMMaVxdeDeUYu8jI9Wttzu8_ptqn45eGcMz0x6ent8Dee47v1ZmE117Ej8fg/s2048/my-copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ2Z07h30n7p1AY_N6YUuSqFgDaT_e88STHmeTlNbYbSqonviGCWuRew0C0n5LPLrAKGeEaV7WmZ4wAt6DxaEdE_eElxrHI4u2EHPVtmAmWxAnKgO8t8BDckQvEJZEKrMMaVxdeDeUYu8jI9Wttzu8_ptqn45eGcMz0x6ent8Dee47v1ZmE117Ej8fg/w480-h640/my-copy.jpg" width="480" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About <i>The Dying Earth</i></h2>
<p>
What we call - in this collection - <i>The Dying Earth</i> is a collection of
half a dozen shared-world short stories published in 1950 by since defunct
Hillman Periodicals. It represents among the earliest of Vance's published
writings - with disagreement in online sources between whether this was their
first appearance at all or whether they had been published independently as
short stories in the 1940s while the author served in the merchant marine. In
either case - however - they represent a blend of science fiction and fantasy,
once common but now almost taboo, and follow the exploits and adventures of a
loosely connected cast, seeking their desires and whims while the sun slowly
dies, hanging idly in a red sky.
</p>
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</div>
<p>
The series - in addition to blending scientific and fantasy elements -
likewise blends elements of whimsy and fairy tale with elements of cynical
horror. On the one hand, there exist a race of almost pixie people - the Twk
Men - who are of scale small enough to ride the dragonflies and keep watch on
the wood: from whom information or favors can be bought with simple things
like vials of flower oils or parcels of salt; on the other, there exist the
hideous Deodands - muscular humanoids with lusterless skin and slits for eyes,
described such that I personally pictured a hairless chimpanzee with the
erudition of a connoisseur of literature, who hunt and eat humans caught out
at night. There are places of beauty - olive orchards swaying in the wind
against the backdrop of sunset across a bay - while at the same time, ruins
house horrible sorcerers and apparitions against whom villagers bar their
doors at night as a matter of simple habit: lest the ghouls and vagabonds
enter, steal, and devour.
</p>
<p>
To even explore the first story - and spoilers may follow, so those sensitive
to them should skip to the next heading - the author immediately displays an
ability to blend human emotion while at the same time separating the magic
user from modern morality. Turjan both observes beauty in the world, finds
love in human companionship, but likewise with zero remorse apart from
disappointment of failure watches a living thing, a mockery of a human, formed
from a vat by his experimentation collapse in death from its own deformities.
His treatment of this scene is akin to a writer who realizes he has misspelled
a word and will have to go back and correct it with white out. Disconnection -
contrasted against connection - inhumanity with humanity.<br />
</p>
<p>
From a gamist perspective, several things jump out at the viewer as having
been lifted for the original edition of the game - the spell, Excellent
Prismatic Spray, comes to mind - and similarly, a curiosity with the one story
regarding a character <i>not</i> a user of magic: Liane the Wayfarer. Liane is
a traveling adventurer - and seems to embody the modern notion (not OSR) of a
Bard. He is skilled, arrogant, handsome, lecherous, deviant, and self-serving
- he experiments with magic items when he finds them to identify their uses
(an action referenced in B/X examples of play to determine the function and
nature of magic items) - but curiously, he seems to die twice: first, to the
blade of another character, T'sais - a swordswoman: who does not know magic,
but who is protected by it in artifacts - and second, when encountering Chun
the Unavoidable (which is my favorite antagonist, and the first true delve
into horror, of the series).
</p>
<p>
Did Liane miraculously survive the first, to succumb to the second? Did Liane
have a charm about him, or a trick, that could protect him from death? Or did
Liane's player simply like the concept and re-roll the same character when his
first went down? I was hoping to find out - to see whether he made another
appearance - but to date, it is not to be.
</p>
<p>
In any case - the six stories in <i>The Dying Earth </i>are, without question,
old school adventures: ones which serve as templates for adventures yet to be
written and played. <br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i></h2>
<p>
Firstly, spell-check is telling me that I need to spell "Marvelous" with one L
- as demonstrated. However, Vance clearly and intentionally appears to spell
it with two. Perhaps there is significance - perhaps not: however I am aware
of the red squiggles.
</p>
<p>
Where <i>The Dying Earth</i> represents some of the author's very earliest
works, <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> is among his latest - having been
published in 1984 by Brandywyne Books (defunct, subsequently
<a href="https://www.baen.com/" target="_blank">Baen Books</a>): four decades
after the initial stories in its shared setting were penned. Like its
predecessor, it consists of several shared-universe stories, connected only by
the characters and the setting, some of which had appeared in print
previously, others of which were original for this tome.
<i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> continues to blend science and magic - however,
in focusing on a cabal of magicians, far less mechanism, far less forgotten
technology, makes its way into the stories in favor of esoteric and recherché
fictional artifacts.
</p>
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</div>
<p>
When reading <i>The Dying Earth</i>, the sense of scale is limited. That is,
one particularly powerful wizard in <i>The Dying Earth</i> - Mazirian the
Magician - is quite inflated with himself that he can commit to memory
<i>five</i> <i>or six</i> spells at a time. In an OSR sense - this places him
at around fifth level. This is an achievement in the Basic line, but
represents only the beginning of a character if compared to the Advanced. The
magicians in <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> represent the Advanced half of the
game. They represent the wizard after the wizard has graduated beyond the
dungeon and instead - with a head full of spells and a kit full of magical
artifacts - walks across the stars and the fabric of time, itself, to deal
with entities beyond the comprehension of mortals. As such, in reading
<i>Rhialto</i>, consider that it informs the expected experience - and
arguably expected power level - of an N-teenth level Magic User.
</p>
<p>
Also - it informs GP for XP: each of the wizards lives in a massive manse and
has troves of treasure accumulated over the years. Suddenly the "literal tons
of gold" argument against GP for XP and the coin-weight encumbrance system
seems to reveal its inspiration.<br />
</p>
<p>
Similarly, of almost immediate observation in reading <i>Rhialto</i> - the
tone of the stories has changed. Where <i>The Dying Earth</i> was about
exploration, greed, curiosity, adventure: classic pulp - <i>Rhialto</i> reads
almost like a dark comedy. Picaresque, to be certain - in (to make a
contemporary reference) a Martin-esque fashion, the reader may be expected to
enjoy, reading the stories, the practice of divining events to come by trying
to ascertain the most unfavorable motive, the most unfavorable outcome, or the
most dishonest interpretation of a promise that the characters might
reasonably - the character you're "supposed to" like tends to come out on top:
but he does so through a comedy of errors. In <i>The Murthe</i>, for example
(spoilers for the remainder of this paragraph), only two of the magicians'
order seem to notice that they have been ensorcelled and that their biological
sex has been reversed. Similarly, in <i>Fader's Waft</i> and
<i>Morreion</i> both, the main crux of the conflict could have been avoided if
the magicians had simply thought about it. Should we convict Rhialto of crimes
he is not here to defend himself for, even when more than half of us have
knowledge, kept secret, which implies his innocence? Our colleague, we sent on
a recon mission alone - how long should we expect him to be gone before we ask
questions? Or should we simply assume we can pursue our own affairs - despite
the obvious intrinsic value to his task? As a result - characters fall prey to
circumstances that, their lives having been measured in aeons and their
proficiency with magic being unmatched in the known universe, they should not
have: and a reader begins to wonder how they survived as long as they did with
the wits that they display. Thus, the humor of the stories - designed and
successful at producing enjoyment for the reader - likewise somewhat works
against the verisimilitude.
</p>
<p>
Of further note - regarding science and magic - the nature of spells is
clarified. Magic remains magic, but there is science to it in that magic works
according to established patterns which a magician might learn and observe
with experience. In <i>Mazirian the Magician</i>, of <i>The Dying Earth</i>,
Mazirian speculates that Phandaal - a legendary magician who personally penned
over 100 spells - had demons whispering to him when he wrote. In the foreword
to <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i>, this is essentially confirmed - where spells
are stated to codes which are heard by living things (some intelligent, some
not) which are able to effect the spell's instructions on the world. A
hierarchy is given - with easy (read: low level) spells being attributed to
frail elementals or sandestins (genie-like spirits compelled to do the will of
the magician) and difficult (read: high level) spells being attributed to
daihak (intelligent, motivated spirit beings akin to demons or deities). The
mysterious nature is not lost - in my opinion - with this revelation: instead,
it provides a basis for spell level in a Vancian magical system. Why is this
spell level 1 while this other spell level 2? Obviously, it's because the
spirit who will carry out your instructions is a different creature - one
whose willpower is greater than that of the former.<br />
</p>
<p>
Regarding the characters - all of them, almost without fail, are self-serving.
This departs from the blend of personality that was present in
<i>The Dying Earth</i>, where both good and evil - altruism and egotism -
might exist in the same individual, producing a deeper personality. This is
sacrificed in <i>Rhialto</i> in part to serve the humor, but also - from the
perspective of an OSR game - illustrate the departure that a magician might
have, the separation between the high level hero and the low level servant or
peon, that would be necessary to play the game as a wargame. Your lieutenants
may have names - but they may not; your foot soldiers most certainly don't:
or, at least, your character is unlikely to care what those names are. When
walking the planes or conquering kingdoms - these things become less relevant,
less pertinent to the goals of the player and the player character. Also like
a player, the characters are overt about it - in <i>Morreion</i> (spoiler),
the party states - officially - that their mission to the end of the universe
is to rescue their long lost comrade, however consistently and constantly, the
wizards - especially Gilgad - ask and inquire and persist about IOUN stones:
articles of power which have been, to this point, highly coveted: but the
utility of which - why are they valuable apart from their scarcity - is not
disclosed. The blatant effect of this, we - the readers - and the magicians,
without admitting it - know that the reason they are going is to discover the
secret of the IOUN stone: not to rescue a colleague lost to them thousands of
years in the past.
</p>
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</div>
<p>
Last spoiler of the review - side note - this is where D&D gets IOUN
stones.
</p>
<p>
Though the capitalization, if I remember right, does not follow Vance's
pattern (which I use here) - their function is revealed slowly through
<i>Morreion</i> as the stones orbiting the title character, Morreion, are
expended, exerting their influence - artfully, having piqued the reader's
interest and then fed it to said reader slowly thereafter to allow piecing
together of the picture - something which a veteran of D&D will know
already. Similarly, the mechanism of their creation? <i>RAW AWESOME.</i> I
will not spoil it here. Read <i>Morreion</i>.<i> </i><br />
</p>
<p>
<i>Would you pick Dying Earth over Rhialto?</i> In terms of pure enjoyment,
yes - however in terms of importance to the hobby and to the genre, no. The
two collections and the dozen or so stories serve different purposes, inspire
different facets, of the Magic User experience: both of which are enjoyable to
read - don't get me wrong - and both of which inform the curious referee or
the aspiring player. <br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Why either? (Or both?)</h2>
<p>
Mentioned above, villagers bar their doors at night and travelers dare not
sleep on the road. Of the implied setting of the original D&D game,
commentators on the OSR style have long referenced that the world, itself,
should be seen as a series of points of light embedded and scattered amongst
chaos, which reigns in the wilderness.
</p>
<p>Reading these books will change how you look at "Points of Light." </p>
<p>
Likewise mentioned above, large cities of grand persons and exquisite
architecture thrive in decadence among neighborhoods of larger, fallen cities
built by grander people and greater architects in ages past and epochs lost.
Stepping outside the boundaries of these neighborhoods as pass for cities, the
ruin is immediately evident: the treasures of the past are available to be
uncovered by the daring. This aspect of the stories illustrates two things:<br />
</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>
First, reading these stories will change how you understand the "starting
dungeon."
</li>
<li>
Second, reading these stories will change how you consider the
implementation of treasure tables.<br />
</li>
</ol>
<p>
Wealth exists beyond measure, built and earned by forgotten ancestors and
waiting to be squandered by their sticky-fingered successors: and what of
their lost trinkets and articles? How many of these things were common before,
perhaps magical - perhaps mechanical: the secret lost with time? The "dungeon"
is a window into the past - and is available freely to start, as civilization
clings to it as its only connection to its history. What stands between you
and all this? Understanding? Courage?
</p>
<center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENth-OmRUKEb4P7Y8WMH_JFVvRy15AZiIAwtUFUEb5S_u4eN0Yy07ja5qjfdbcC1ME5L8DGrf2TjJU_EG4a5nzht9f9kxttRc_z_dUOIO1aInSnOTXIRCzpsxnZvRoAzSwcy3vv7Z6h5TVODfN9oTyjMqiS0UvKE6XtLYmE36sjY4_pwNreRPgOZ_9g/s1568/DyingEarth.GeorgeBarr.jpg"><img alt="The Dying Earth (Special Hardcover); George Barr" border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1568" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENth-OmRUKEb4P7Y8WMH_JFVvRy15AZiIAwtUFUEb5S_u4eN0Yy07ja5qjfdbcC1ME5L8DGrf2TjJU_EG4a5nzht9f9kxttRc_z_dUOIO1aInSnOTXIRCzpsxnZvRoAzSwcy3vv7Z6h5TVODfN9oTyjMqiS0UvKE6XtLYmE36sjY4_pwNreRPgOZ_9g/w640-h402/DyingEarth.GeorgeBarr.jpg" title="The Dying Earth (Special Hardcover); George Barr" width="576" /></a>
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<p>
Lastly, there comes a point where wealth loses meaning. By high levels,
wizards live into the eons, and they have had time to acquire all that there
is to have - eventually having to adventure far and wide, across the Earth,
through time, and around the stars to further sate their desires. This
illustrates that a Magic User will supplement the spell allowances of level
and class with items, magic items, which - in OSR editions - do not convey
experience. Their utility is in their collection and their deployment - and
it's OK to Christmas Tree characters (this is not intrinsically a new school
idea), however its also not to be necessarily expected of them. No two high
level characters are going to be the same - their wanderings and their
expeditions will have uncovered different miraculous items, their spell
research and their forging of artifacts, different tools. This explains why
OSR editions don't give XP for magic items, nor do they assume them of the
characters - instead, OSR editions assume magic items will be simply tools, no
different than ammunition or rations, to be used inventively and to be
discarded when their utility is spent. Worried about too many magic items in
the game? Don't - their abundance (and maybe reading these stories) will
encourage the players to expend them. Easy come, easy go.<br />
</p>
<p>
Do these points mean that you <i>have</i> to change your game to match? Of
course not. However, to expose yourself to them is to immerse yourself into
the universe from which the original authors of the game derived their concept
of a magician - and through the lens of which the original designers for the
game envisioned the world in which the game would be played. A dozen lessons
and more - inspiration and sudden understanding - spring to mind: all of
which, or some, or none (at your discretion): free to inspire your game, and
your appreciation for the game, for the better.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Be Aware</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">
When I am reading - be it a story or novel - I like to come to stopping
points. Either I need a break in the text - a horizontal rule, a chapter
heading, a breaking space: something to let me know that the current train of
thought has ended and another is about to begin - or I need to finish the
story: otherwise, my brain rebels and will on occasion need to re-read or
binge in until it finds the closure it desires. This closure can be absent in
some of these stories. The short stories are longer than many I have read, and
most of them - especially the early ones - do not have breaks. This isn't
necessarily a bad thing if you have the time to devote to it - or if you are a
faster reader than I am - but be advised: once you sit down with one of these
stories, you're in it for the haul.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Similarly - as with many Appendix N titles - Vance's works were written in
another time for another audience. Some of the themes can be rough, some
of the expectations derived from another zeitgeist than a modern reader will
have been raised in. Personally - I have no problems with this. Most readers,
I think, will have no problems with this. The concepts in the game match the
concepts in the books - and thus offer counter-illumination - and the writing
is fluid, engaging, and intriguing. But from time to time - and this applies
to Cugel (see, my forthcoming "part 2" review) more frequently than to the two
Magic User collections - subjects broached and actions taken may shock or
offend, part of the world-building for a decadent and dying world.
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
Lastly - and in my opinion - most worth noting: Vance is the source of classic
D&D's High Gygaxian prose. People describe Gary as well-read and of
extensive vocabulary - true, and his style of communication being on occasion
dense or a challenge to divine: this is, I argue, in homage to Vance. Vance
was widely read and has a penchant for using one word, a precise word, where a
dozen or so would be necessary in "common English" - for that reason, the
reader may find himself reaching for a dictionary during the experience. I
personally found myself looking words up fairly frequently near the end of the
stories - not to laud nor denigrate my own vocabulary - in half for obscure or
antique terms, words which have meaning but that Merriam Webster says "Sorry,
I don't have this in my online format because no one ever asks for this any
more!" and in half for terms that Vance made up. Part of the world building is
to invent these places, these things, these concepts - but because of the
presentation: be advised - I recommend internet-searching the word and seeing
if it comes up in a "Words Vance Made Up" blog post before thumbing through
your lexicon.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Further Reading</h2>
<p>
During his life, Vance was highly prolific - and a list of those highly
prolific publications is fairly easy to find:
</p>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance_bibliography" target="_blank">Link</a><br />
</li>
</ul>
<p>
He was more prolific in the realm of Science Fiction than he was in the realm
of Fantasy - so, if you enjoy Science Fiction and enjoy the style Vance
writes, you're in luck. Or, might be.
</p>
<p>
Regardless of genre - some of the pieces, especially the collections, are
still in print: others are not and may require a trip to
<a href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=jack+vance&_sacat=0" target="_blank">eBay</a>
or a well-stocked used book store. This is likely the result of their niche
market - Vance is not a household name as, say, Frank Herbert might be (whom I
use as an example as Herbert and Vance were friends in life) and the books
were written a long time ago. The collection that I read -
<i>Tales of the Dying Earth</i> - is in print and available on
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jack+vance&crid=1GVES6GBQ8M65&sprefix=jack+vance%2Caps%2C123&ref=nb_sb_noss_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>: so, at a minimum, the content of this review can be found freely.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusions?</h2>
<p>
Jack Vance, as an author, and <i>The Dying Earth</i> specifically, are called
out by Gygax in Appendix N as being inspirational to the game. Surely,
<i>Rhialto</i> <i>the Marvellous</i> would have been called out as well - but
the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide came out in 1979 - five years prior to
<i>Rhialto</i>'s publication! With that in mind, it's obligatory - an
obligation, mind you, with which I heartily agree - to rate
<i>The Dying Earth</i> and <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> - half of the
<i>Tales of the Dying Earth</i> compilation - as <b>1</b>: <span style="font-size: medium;">Very OSR</span>.
</p>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjKLE6jdjCF6QEBzsgFYIWZ7Ddl8_TUqsdTQW2sNZmrhQsaG7fkZ5lMM4GbGBAwc7OWL_PaG4HG56IDV7qxozLp7mgQuEzgR7MNa4pOYJiHGw5mJ_ZCblMk-gtutN4wNzBfvMdUau0Y4tfHXz-1xUPqTSmW5RFQkJdHxndCZ6OmNLP_3MVgFvXxw7kw/s1044/Garimeter-DyingEarthAndRhialto.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1044" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjKLE6jdjCF6QEBzsgFYIWZ7Ddl8_TUqsdTQW2sNZmrhQsaG7fkZ5lMM4GbGBAwc7OWL_PaG4HG56IDV7qxozLp7mgQuEzgR7MNa4pOYJiHGw5mJ_ZCblMk-gtutN4wNzBfvMdUau0Y4tfHXz-1xUPqTSmW5RFQkJdHxndCZ6OmNLP_3MVgFvXxw7kw/w640-h350/Garimeter-DyingEarthAndRhialto.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
</center>
<p><i>The Dying Earth </i>is a matchless influence on the evolution of the D&D game - and a priceless inspiration as to how an adventure can both run and make sense. <i>Rhialto the Marvellous </i>is likewise indispensable - serving to elucidate how higher level games might play out and how the influence of power changes a character, isolates them from the mortal section of humankind. I highly recommend both.</p><p>Delve on, readers.<br /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Tales of the Dying Earth, The Dying Earth,</i> and
<i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> are copyrighted Jack Vance and to the
affiliated publishers of their respective distributions. Cover art for
<i>Tales of the Dying Earth</i> by John Berkey. Cover art pieces for
<i>The Dying Earth</i> by George Barr and by the Hildebrandt brothers. Cover
art pieces for <i>Rhialto the Marvellous</i> by Stephen E Fabian and by </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Geoff Taylor</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.<i> The Wizard's Shotgun,</i> retrieved from
<a href="https://gunshowcomic.com/30" target="_blank">GunShowComic.com</a>,
is copyright K. C. Green. <i></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, </i>and<i>
D&D </i>and all imagery thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the
aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for
review </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-58427589774922206732022-12-10T04:00:00.532-05:002022-12-10T04:00:00.185-05:00Mazes in the Mountains: Hex Exploration as a Dungeon<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAt9t_7J2vzGaWkIZtBzDj-QBe5uflZ6vEx9BYTWshLZhY0JUQFootVO20uBr5uo3M7C9Syntf_m-_m7_aWYllQ7wu6_JxqOl0JZk0w-KIMNkb5sQN-G7lvINPGstksD6Wwzgl3cOvx3-5A98bVjsdhW0Fa4wd4E-PzNKfX3VCBc_nENinaUSMyYRQQ/s400/AmericaeSeptentrionalio-adapted.JustusDanckerts.NGA.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Americae Septentrionalio; Justus Danckerts" border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="400" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAt9t_7J2vzGaWkIZtBzDj-QBe5uflZ6vEx9BYTWshLZhY0JUQFootVO20uBr5uo3M7C9Syntf_m-_m7_aWYllQ7wu6_JxqOl0JZk0w-KIMNkb5sQN-G7lvINPGstksD6Wwzgl3cOvx3-5A98bVjsdhW0Fa4wd4E-PzNKfX3VCBc_nENinaUSMyYRQQ/w320-h270/AmericaeSeptentrionalio-adapted.JustusDanckerts.NGA.png" title="Americae Septentrionalio; Justus Danckerts" width="320" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>Map campaigns.</p>
<p>
Anyone who is familiar with war-band level skirmish gaming (<i>Mordheim</i>,
<i>Frostgrave</i>, ...), legion level tactical campaigning (<i>Risk</i>,
<i>Small World</i>, ...), or even some board gaming as familiar as
<i>Catan</i> or <i>Archipelago</i> will be familiar with the movement of
resources around a map. <i>Dungeons & Dragons,</i> in modern iterations,
has left this concept largely behind - and even in OSR circles, sometimes map
campaigns fall victim to the predations of "point-crawling" - the abstraction
of travel and exploration to simple "point A to point B" such that the game
focuses on the destination over the journey.
</p>
<p>Why is that? <br /></p>
<p>
Dungeons - viewed as maps - are mazes. Challenges. They invite the players to
draw maps of their own to see how well they are able to navigate the hazards
and labyrinthine corridors within. It's focused, enticing: an open
solicitation for players to find secrets, to chart looping routes to
destinations within, and to claim the underground as their own.
</p>
<p>
But isn't this the point behind the wilderness? To explore, to discover, and
to claim?
</p>
<p>
The problem - then - may be rooted in the perceived purpose of the map in a
map-driven RPG campaign: a mechanism to separate singular points of interest.
When wargaming, the map is essential: terrain determines speeds of movement
and changes the dynamic of armies interactions based on composition of force.
But for an adventuring party - one which can be as small as 4 to 8 characters,
including retainers, at lower level - this concern is ... not.
</p>
<p>
Why not, then, treat the wilderness as a dungeon? That all - treasures, traps,
deadfalls, locations, factions, everything - that all the elements making a
dungeon fun to explore should also be included in the wilderness:
<i>including map considerations</i> - jaquaysing, alternate entrances and
exits, secrets and "specials"? By bringing the elements of the dungeon -
within the realm of believably - into the map campaign, could the attention of
those players, the interest of habitual dungeon crawlers, be piqued?<br />
</p>
<p>So here's what I did.<br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmurs-Ujt2brekoPpefJlu2lRECZlgjd5Zq0ijHHAan5foVvwiJT-zV8LKq9rK9mD0sBQqpWeQrBtcz6hsBFpJdiFm5erfqHuIJdgINQSZCpB8ZuraFP8_l0gITwv8m_XY7pPN_G0iqZGcAP9fau1Jyqfl8Gfbjd_prkRqyn3wDmRLBkje06SD_A9qWg/s845/North%20Bit.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="845" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmurs-Ujt2brekoPpefJlu2lRECZlgjd5Zq0ijHHAan5foVvwiJT-zV8LKq9rK9mD0sBQqpWeQrBtcz6hsBFpJdiFm5erfqHuIJdgINQSZCpB8ZuraFP8_l0gITwv8m_XY7pPN_G0iqZGcAP9fau1Jyqfl8Gfbjd_prkRqyn3wDmRLBkje06SD_A9qWg/w640-h334/North%20Bit.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
<p>
The above is a region in a part of my home setting labeled in my map folder as
"The Land Beyond the Sunset." In an older incarnation of the world map, it was
a place far to the west, where the sun literally set by sinking into a massive
caldera near the center of a mountain range - the land beyond which never saw
sunlight - except in dim twilight for the minutes of the day wherein the sun
completed its daily round and went to rest in the center of the earth. Since
then, the map has changed - but the concept, I kept, because the wonder and
weirdness was too fun for me in contemplation to truly discard - so I kept
this map too. I'd been spending some time - here and there - detailing the map
of this sunset continent just for fun: and styling the geography as a
challenge for the player party.
</p>
<p>
For this section - a north-west portion of the map, there is a rugged, wooded
area modeled in part off of Zhangjiajie Forest in south-central China. Jagged,
vertical pillars and ridges rise from the floor, creating a maze of
nigh-impassable climbs. Between these ridges are gentle lowlands, forested
heavily (in the Land Beyond the Sunset, to clarify) with great aged conifers.
Everything is green - as everything is trees - however the demarcations as
"broken ground" represent these crags; and the areas marked as forest show
flatlands between.
</p>
<center>
<table style="width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtTSp87JTlM-yCIv4Q6O7BoZjYkMFe_T50fXS1krnrwFfgWuTiUeERJdUYX0q6b9pzoxZ8XAKxI1y_GMehJtdM322ToF6FKeEJ2OVafxhZ5Cw_TZdtNLipyGthSJsRKjjbHqZNa-fPXjwUVebA-ZRHoNmrYBOZpLZaQbODGLlsB8PZ9L4WiKDBQWkkQ/s46/Crags.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="42" data-original-width="46" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtTSp87JTlM-yCIv4Q6O7BoZjYkMFe_T50fXS1krnrwFfgWuTiUeERJdUYX0q6b9pzoxZ8XAKxI1y_GMehJtdM322ToF6FKeEJ2OVafxhZ5Cw_TZdtNLipyGthSJsRKjjbHqZNa-fPXjwUVebA-ZRHoNmrYBOZpLZaQbODGLlsB8PZ9L4WiKDBQWkkQ/w200-h183/Crags.png" width="100" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Mountainous, Rocky</div>
</td>
<td style="width: 50%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBWf1ER8P_Z6Kyj7AF-Ml1TRXIGnEsMiDGGx1WIoNmQ-TmcTDvDvDbFLSA4PyAtvNSBheMAhsTFO4EPAmCCnaNyDTqyKLHH6W_omNAfC-2EYG_rDzmy6Ua-1JMrIYTJfTCVHq6Pb6Ua_5zyB-LAMr_CX22Zd21S-XvpJHo9GoLH90WDd6m2r9kb3TpQ/s46/HeavyWood.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="42" data-original-width="46" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBWf1ER8P_Z6Kyj7AF-Ml1TRXIGnEsMiDGGx1WIoNmQ-TmcTDvDvDbFLSA4PyAtvNSBheMAhsTFO4EPAmCCnaNyDTqyKLHH6W_omNAfC-2EYG_rDzmy6Ua-1JMrIYTJfTCVHq6Pb6Ua_5zyB-LAMr_CX22Zd21S-XvpJHo9GoLH90WDd6m2r9kb3TpQ/w200-h183/HeavyWood.png" width="100" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Wooded, Flat</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<i>But how does this translate into a maze akin to a dungeon layout?</i> Well.
Consider - a party can only move so many hexes in a day (in the original LBBs,
this was three five mile hexes on foot) though I tend to base it, personally,
on a more generous B/X interpretation - where your capacity is based on your
movement speed, as modified by armor and encumbrance. Then - as we further
recall from both original and basic editions - movement is slowed based on the
nature of terrain encountered. Thus, one could incur a "miles per mile" rate,
moving through different types of terrain. In addition, you could then incur
different hazards - diseases in swamps, vehicular limitations in rocky ground,
water concerns in deserts, and so on - to taste: each challenge posing a
different choice for the players and each solution offering a different cost.
Regarding B/X:
</p>
<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50%;" valign="top">
A party's daily mileage, as assumed from the movement rate of the
slowest member, is as follows (abridged for brevity):<br /><br />
</td>
<td style="width: 50%;" valign="top">
<br />Then, accounting for terrain type, guidance is given to
<i>reduce</i> that rate by a fraction.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 90%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; border-right: 1px solid; width: 15%;">
Movement
</th>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; width: 15%;">Mileage</th>
<th style="width: 7%;"> </th>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; border-right: 1px solid; width: 17%;">
Plains, Trails
</th>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; border-right: 1px solid; width: 17%;">
Forests, Hills
</th>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; border-right: 1px solid; width: 17%;">
Mountains
</th>
<th style="border-bottom: 1px solid; width: 17%;">Roads</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">60'</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">12 miles<br /></td>
<td> </td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
12 miles<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">8 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">6 miles</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">18 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">90'</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">18 miles</td>
<td> </td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">18 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">12 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">9 miles</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">27 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">120'</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">24 miles</td>
<td> </td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">24 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">16 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">12 miles</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">36 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">240'</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">48 miles</td>
<td> </td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">48 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">32 miles</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">24 miles</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">72 miles</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
The general guidance is that - if you have sufficient miles remaining to enter
a hex, you may. Otherwise, you end your adventuring day in the hex you're in.
This is well and good when moving through homogeneous terrain, but breaks down
a tad when considering different terrains. That said - you can infer the
mileage cost to enter a hex based on the assumed number of hexes you'd go
through in that terrain, which - assuming a six mile hex - breaks down
somewhat simply as follows:<br />
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 80%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="4">Mile Cost to Enter</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="width: 20%;">Plains, Trails</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Forests, Hills</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Mountains</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Roads</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">12</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
So, a party with a movement rate of 18 miles per day would be able to move
into three six-mile hexes of plains, two hexes of forests, four hexes of
roads, or one hex of mountains over the course of a single normal travel
day.<br />
</p>
<p>
To expand, let's apply this (with some embellishment) to our Zhangjiajie
homage region:
</p>
<center>
<table style="width: 90%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Wooded <br />Flat Lands<br />
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 9<br />Chance of getting lost: 2-in-6<br />Vehicles
slowed.<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Wooded Mountains<br />
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 16<br />Chance of getting lost: 3-in-6<br />Cavalry,
vehicles, and beasts of burden slowed.<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Wooded High Mountains<br />
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost as Wooded Mountains along the ridge (moving from one high
mountains into another high mountains); Entry Cost 24 to cross (moving
into high mountains from another terrain).<br />Chance of getting
lost: 2-in-6<br />Cavalry, vehicles, and beasts of burden may not
enter.<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Wooded Crags<br />
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 12<br />Chance of Getting Lost: 3-in-6<br />Vehicles
slowed.<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Hilly Grassland
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 6<br />Chance of getting lost: 1-in-6<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Wooded Grassland
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 12<br />Chance of getting lost: 1-in-6<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 5%;" valign="middle">•</td>
<td style="text-align: left; width: 20%;" valign="middle">
Open Water
</td>
<td style="width: 75%;" valign="top">
Entry Cost: 6<br />Chance of getting lost: 2-in-6<br />Requires
watercraft.<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
Parties moving more slowly than the cost of entry would, of course, simply
enter the hex on a subsequent day - so, a hex requiring 24 miles of movement
to enter (a large hex, or particularly inhospitable) would - for a party
moving at a 90' or 60' clip - permit entry on the second day of movement
rather than the first.<br />
</p>
<p>
Now, zooming in on the region, consider the cost of moving across the
peninsula. Perhaps a town on the northern side is booming, but slowly starving
and in need of reliable contact with agriculturalists who set up shop on the
interior. Or - more akin to our Sword & Sorcery theme: perhaps hidden
gemstones of impressive value can be found along the crags of the inner bay -
but savage ape men guard the woods, heaving boulders from the mountaintops,
and hungry squid capable of capsizing a schooner prowl the waters just as they
gain depth, rounding the horn. Hundreds of avenues appear, moving between one
side of the map and the other - but which one is the best one, minimizing
costs and risks during the voyage?
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXPj8N26ivOsCABHkxMNL8EBsvfp9xWDiYYoyyc-yg2fhm5kPgZ0q3_2HW3v5XKyk4KUvSgFtLZ43caCleuPqNQhcFIdCxFtCea28nOSe_InIa7X0TnOdcg5XU-3MMSgM9h2GAytenIvcV2C3uCzuvHqKgta5PilNG7d14DxivW_OkuHpqZSSb-Z69A/s875/NumberedPaths.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="875" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXPj8N26ivOsCABHkxMNL8EBsvfp9xWDiYYoyyc-yg2fhm5kPgZ0q3_2HW3v5XKyk4KUvSgFtLZ43caCleuPqNQhcFIdCxFtCea28nOSe_InIa7X0TnOdcg5XU-3MMSgM9h2GAytenIvcV2C3uCzuvHqKgta5PilNG7d14DxivW_OkuHpqZSSb-Z69A/w640-h506/NumberedPaths.png" width="576" /></a>
</div>
<p>
A major difference - immediately evident - is that there are few "walls" in
the wilderness. In a dungeon, you have defined rooms and corridors - where in
the wild, perhaps a crag or body of deep water will hem you in, but those are
few and far between: granting a larger sense of freedom on the over-map. How
is mapping different - how is exploration different - when the players have
the ability to climb over the "walls"? It adds an automatic degree of
verticality - it adds another layer of consideration for resources to manage
in terms of how long it takes to get where. It makes a game of exploration
into a game of trailblazing.<br />
</p>
<p>
This is something the players will discover - and, if they don't know what's
on the interior, it's something they will have to map along the way! Mapping
as they explore, creating a representation of the wilderness, and then poring
over their own creations to weigh the distances, terrain, and hazards in order
to capitalize on that information.
</p>
<p>
Domain players? They may seek to become cartels themselves, owning the routes
directly, keeping the darkness at bay, and holding a toll.
</p>
<p>
Explorers and delvers who prefer to retire at name level? They can sell the
maps they make to the highest bidder!
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrs1I0ToUbWSPBisFRcV4c4NYW6DHzYosxXiJFZBlt6ioly6v8mRSAjIdXii1gV2fvLOdZn7LGMr14t1cwIh4XSXRT2HexHvqoy8xa6zrQddx9ITmOnoCbtni2AynAO6XQWdfnSIVL7SMF8Eyt6-LnOqhJfbVN7VPcroirYljaSXrQSU6yNSiMHeuTg/s680/MountHekla-adapted2.Unknown.OBI.png"><img alt="Mount Hekla; Unknown" border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="680" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrs1I0ToUbWSPBisFRcV4c4NYW6DHzYosxXiJFZBlt6ioly6v8mRSAjIdXii1gV2fvLOdZn7LGMr14t1cwIh4XSXRT2HexHvqoy8xa6zrQddx9ITmOnoCbtni2AynAO6XQWdfnSIVL7SMF8Eyt6-LnOqhJfbVN7VPcroirYljaSXrQSU6yNSiMHeuTg/w400-h269/MountHekla-adapted2.Unknown.OBI.png" title="Mount Hekla; Unknown" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Them's My Two Coppers</h3>
<p>
So that's what I've been thinking about these last couple weeks - and
something I'm fiddling with in terms of fleshing out the larger hex map of the
Ash Coast region: so the players have something waiting once they get to the
point where they are more able to foray into the interior. Seems like a
curious idea - and I'll be curious to run it.
</p>
<p>
Have you done this kind of thing before? Have you thought about it and needed
a nudge to attempt the execution? Would you be interested to play in something
like this? Let me know! I have a dozen ways to hit me up - and I'm keen to
hear your story.
</p>
<p>Thanks - in the meantime - for reading, everyone: and delve on!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Public domain art retrieved from
<a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank">OldBookIllustrations.com</a> and the <a href="https://www.nga.gov/" target="_blank">National Gallery of Art</a>
and adapted for thematic use.</span>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hex map and hex tiles derived using Worldographer Pro.</span><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-71078760026297191702022-11-26T05:00:00.572-05:002023-04-15T08:56:27.754-04:00Proficiency Dice for 0e?<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LjDyttNgOvkiBlhhfEgn3NK_acNwyrW5v_MrIPmfylO7shAgzmfP_AoCGGnG_SupEn1VqgQL_JtpQopV4zlvvM8wuSDo7UvOOq1sHWW8DpvpurWrgvRFLin0o-u6VSJMxYbwkWYfmP008lGYD8ttF-JRl6s4wvlnnPWgUJogBeLeaWcvaYpflXAJPw/s753/LadyShowedUpWithoutFail-adapted.AlbertRobida.OBI.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lady Showed Up Without Fail; Albert Robida" border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LjDyttNgOvkiBlhhfEgn3NK_acNwyrW5v_MrIPmfylO7shAgzmfP_AoCGGnG_SupEn1VqgQL_JtpQopV4zlvvM8wuSDo7UvOOq1sHWW8DpvpurWrgvRFLin0o-u6VSJMxYbwkWYfmP008lGYD8ttF-JRl6s4wvlnnPWgUJogBeLeaWcvaYpflXAJPw/w206-h320/LadyShowedUpWithoutFail-adapted.AlbertRobida.OBI.png" title="Lady Showed Up Without Fail; Albert Robida" width="206" /></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
When running any OSR system, especially one which is based on (or is) the
original edition, it comes to head fairly quickly -
<i>how do you resolve situations that can't be role-played?</i> Climbing a
wall, for example: it's impractical to ask your players to demonstrate on your
backyard fence or cliff overhang wall climbing in order to justify the
character action. If one of you out there does run a table like that - I would
like to participate at least once just to see - but that's beside the point.
For Thief specialties, it's easy: there is a chart provided in Greyhawk or
usually included by default in your system of choice. For other actions,
precedent exists - the rules for kicking a door open, for example are X in 6,
as are the rules for Surprise. Logically, it can follow that other things can
be done X in 6.
</p>
<p>
That's is the approach I had taken in <i>Weapons, Wits, & Wizardry</i> to
start. I changed the six-sider to an eight-sider to allow for different growth
rates and to facilitate modifying those chances by ability scores - a more
agile character is more likely to walk a tightrope, etc. - but having written
a post about
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/11/dice-pool-roll-under.html" target="_blank">dice pool resolution</a>, and later having been edified that
<a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2022/10/on-d6-ability-checks.html" target="_blank">there's actually TSR precedent in
<i>The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun</i></a>
for ability-based dice pool resolution, I started thinking - could dice pools
rolling under abilities serve in the place of skills?
</p>
<p>
Here is the system that I have in mind and have bounced off my unfortunately
sporadic home game:
</p>
<div style="background-color: #292929; margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; padding: 0.5em 1em;">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Proficiency Dice</h3>
<p></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<p style="text-align: left;">
<i>When advancing a character</i>, the player should have an option to
invest experience points into improving their capabilities in a given
skill or task, defined as an action which is not role-playable nor
directly derivative of another class or character feature, in the form of
<b>Proficiency Dice</b>: at increasing cost for each successive as
follows:
</p>
</div>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
Die No.
</th>
<th style="padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">XP Cost</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">1st</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">600<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
2nd<br />
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">1,800<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
3rd<br />
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">5,500<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
4th<br />
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">16,500<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; text-align: center;">
5th<br />
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50,000<br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
<i>Note,</i> these are <i>per die, per proficiency.</i> So a character
investing in two dice total - a first in, say, Hiding in Shadows and another
first in, say, Climbing Sheer Surfaces, would pay 1,200 XP total - or two
times 600: not 1,800.
</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<p style="text-align: left;">
When investing in dice,
<i>the current XP pool of the character is reduced by the amount invested </i>- thus, a character with 5,800 XP which takes a second die in, for
example, disabling traps would reduce this XP total from 5,800 to 4,000
and mark the Proficiency Die on its character sheet accordingly.
</p>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<p style="text-align: left;">
At the discretion of the referee,
<i>a character may not de-level in this manner</i> - that is, a level
three character may not invest experience sufficient to fall to level two
- in order to advance a particularly expensive proficiency.
</p>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Task Resolution<br /></h4>
<p>
Confluent with
<a href="https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2021/11/dice-pool-roll-under.html" target="_blank">dice pool resolution</a>, when executing a task in which the character has proficiency, the normal
dice as prescribed by the referee are rolled.
<i>In addition, a number of D6 equal to the characters proficiency dice are
likewise rolled.</i>
Of the net pool, only the lowest are retained.
</p>
<p>
Thus, a character attempting to perform a task rated at 3d6 which has a 2
proficiency dice relevant to the task would roll 5d6 total, summing the
lowest 3 in the pool, and comparing that result to the relevant Ability
score:
</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
If the result is equal or under the relevant Ability score, the task
succeeds.
</li>
<li>
If the result exceeds the relevant Ability score, the task fails.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxrP_PwqeRcR6KD-HNrWFUNThu2oNDw0X55dV88Ml0wSTne9HMkZFCf7qGH0oawashskSj15Fb19v69qgWePlVtno1ZTE52mbFv1ZeK0ofRBr2qxzrBF6xdedgIyfDkIEUZCJseeFBB0b_Hua84qeU-EC6TVo_7jKRNS35hcDsARpxNcsxgiggKSRnw/s484/Rainforest-adapted.EmileBayard.OBI.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rainforest; Emile Bayard" border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="484" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxrP_PwqeRcR6KD-HNrWFUNThu2oNDw0X55dV88Ml0wSTne9HMkZFCf7qGH0oawashskSj15Fb19v69qgWePlVtno1ZTE52mbFv1ZeK0ofRBr2qxzrBF6xdedgIyfDkIEUZCJseeFBB0b_Hua84qeU-EC6TVo_7jKRNS35hcDsARpxNcsxgiggKSRnw/w400-h365/Rainforest-adapted.EmileBayard.OBI.png" title="Rainforest; Emile Bayard" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<br />
</div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">In Practice <br /></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">
In practice, it works. Or, at my table, no one has complained.<br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
However, this assigns more value to the attributes than they typically have in
classic editions - understandably, some will be turned off by the idea.
Regardless, for the sake of having tried it in play and liked how it felt,
ability scores on 3d6 being fairly tightly in the middle, it felt worthwhile
to explore the mathematics behind it and see how it balances against the
traditional Thief.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Why buy dice?</i></h4>
<p>
Buying Proficiency Dice allows a degree of customization on the part of the
character without compromising two big benefits of a nominally class based
system. This could be a blog post all its own (maybe a podcast episode?) but
such will have to be another entry.
</p>
<p>
<i><b>First, </b></i>one of the key elements of OSR gaming - defining "OSR
gaming" as a romanticized emulation of the experience of the first 10 years of
D&D's existence - is the dispensability of characters. You play multiple
in a stable - sometimes multiple at a time, if your player group is too small
- you generate them quickly and swap them out according to the adventure (or
when one of them dies), and you can port them table to table: presuming that
the campaigns are running compatible systems. This is why Thief skills in OSR
games typically are not modified by anything apart from level. Level needs to
be the important deciding factor - among the reasons for which is the
interoperability of characters in a campaign.
</p>
<p>Sandboxes are essential to the movement.<br /></p>
<p>
Open tables, west marches: these styles of play have taken a forefront in
public games. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6095gVb9pmSwFbi9LcSO8oYTLTK0FWwFNN2xql_kmtXTQMZzDCWAWIJ9YRmxb5wxekySMIVzgqE0ZAm04cCFF3vs8LkmB-Uv8o293yGaYKoXqLaFHugJOV6ufOVGxM4s5lbjYsWA3yubBYVPEnVGLui3LBWFCIhf8QTGd293nJGFD-aeiFc94q5XYwg/s637/PencroffUntiedHisArms-adapted.JulesFerat.OBI.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pencroff Untied His Arms; Jules Ferat" border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="466" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6095gVb9pmSwFbi9LcSO8oYTLTK0FWwFNN2xql_kmtXTQMZzDCWAWIJ9YRmxb5wxekySMIVzgqE0ZAm04cCFF3vs8LkmB-Uv8o293yGaYKoXqLaFHugJOV6ufOVGxM4s5lbjYsWA3yubBYVPEnVGLui3LBWFCIhf8QTGd293nJGFD-aeiFc94q5XYwg/w234-h320/PencroffUntiedHisArms-adapted.JulesFerat.OBI.jpg" title="Pencroff Untied His Arms; Jules Ferat" width="234" /></a></div><p></p>
<p> With skill dice purchased with XP - you still have the same character on the
same track with the same basic abilities - you just have an added bonus in
very specific circumstances. Very easy to adjudicate. </p>
<p>
<b><i>Second,</i></b> having an increasing cost associated with purchasing
Proficiency Dice means that you continue to be bound within the level and
fighting capability aspect. If I spend 600 XP on a die, it means I can do that
thing better, but I sacrifice the rapidity with which I advance in my primary
role. Fighting Men who are specialized in dungeoneering activities will fight
less effectively than their brethren because they advance less quickly. The
difference isn't necessarily that pronounced with the smaller dice, however to
become a true specialist, the costs add up and the character noticeably slows
down in terms of their contributions to the combats.
</p>
<p>
Similarly, this prevents the acquisition of too much skill for your level
range. I physically can't afford a third Proficiency Die if I have not
sufficiently leveled up that the bandwidth between now and next level is
sufficient to cover it. In the same way that a level 1 Fighting Man is not
going to be able to stand their ground against an Ogre with six hit dice, you
know that a level one Thief character equivalent is not going to be picking
the pockets of a passing name level Arch Wizard.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>But how do I know my chances?</i></h4>
<p>
This is a fair criticism. Unless you are an avid statistician, you probably
won't know precisely. However, for the sake of compatibility and intellectual
honesty, I did a little math to figure out the answer. As follows are the
chances of success at mid-range tasks at varying levels of skill as defined by
proficiency dice pool:
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="2"> </th>
<th colspan="6">Proficiency Dice Added</th>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th colspan="2"> </th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;">0</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;">1</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;">2</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;">3</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid;">4</th>
<th>5</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b>Pool: 3</b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
7:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
16%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
36%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
53%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
66%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
76%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">83%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
10:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
50%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
73%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
86%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
93%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
96%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">98%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
13:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
84%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
94%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
98%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
99%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
99%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">99%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b>Pool: 4</b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
7:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
3%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
9%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
17%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
26%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">45%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
10:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
16%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
34%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
51%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
65%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
75%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">83%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
13:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
44%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
67%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
81%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
89%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
94%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">96%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b>Pool: 5</b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
7:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
1%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
1%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
3%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
6%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
9%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">49%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
10:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
3%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
10%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
19%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
29%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
40%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">81%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><b> </b></td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
13:
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
5%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
32%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
48%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
62%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">
73%
</td>
<td style="padding: 0em 0.25em; text-align: center;">96%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<p>
Truthfully, <i>I</i> did not do a lot of math -
<a href="https://anydice.com/" target="_blank">anydice.com</a> did a lot of
math - but that is beside the point. Please note, also, that the numbers are
approximate and decimals are rounded according to how I was feeling at the
moment.
</p>
<p>
For comparison, here are the Thief percentages as presented in Greyhawk - the
initial implementation, compatibility with which I would be most concerned
about when running an original edition game:
</p>
<center>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="border-bottom: 1px solid;">
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thief Level</span>
</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Open Locks</span>
</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Remove Traps</span>
</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pick Pocket</span>
</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Move Silently</span>
</th>
<th style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hide in Shadows</span>
</th>
<th style="padding: 0em 0.5em;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hear Noise*</span>
</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
1
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
15%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
10%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
20%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
20%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
10%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">33%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
2<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
20%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
15%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
25%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
25%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
15%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">33%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
3<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
25%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
20%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
30%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
30%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
20%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
4<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
30%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
25%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
5<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
40%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
45%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
45%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
35%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
6<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
45%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
40%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
55%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
55%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
45%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">50%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
7<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
55%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
50%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
60%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
60%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
50%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">66%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
8<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
65%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
60%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
65%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
65%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
55%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">66%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
9<br />
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
75%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
70%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
75%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
75%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
65%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">66%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
10
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
85%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
80%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
85%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
85%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
75%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">66%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
11
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
95%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
90%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
95%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
95%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
85%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">83%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
12
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
95%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
90%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">83%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
13
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
100%
</td>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid; padding: 0em 0.5em; text-align: center;">
95%
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">100%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Hear Noise is a chance in six - but a percentile is provided to
approximate: e.g. 33% in lieu of 2-in-6.
</span>
</div>
<p>
At first glance, comparing the table, it immediately becomes evident that the
dice pool strategy results in much more rapid advancement - in terms of
success rates. With a pool of four dice, it looks parallel to start - assuming
an ability score of 10, the 16% success rate mirrors the Apprentice (level 1)
- however a first proficiency die brings the character in line with a Burglar
(level 4)! Additionally, to think on it, a zero proficiency character does not
imply Apprentice. Zero proficiency implies that you have not been trained, you
have no experience in it, that you are going on instinct. Thus, comparing one
Proficiency Die to the Apprentice rank would be more apt. Comparing thusly, 4
dice is entirely too generous, breaking adventures written with TSR numbers in
mind by making those challenges far too likely to bypass.
</p>
<p>
Moving up to a pool of 5 dice, the prospects are bleak for a character with a
ability score of 10. While the first Proficiency Die delivers a probability
that is under the Apprentice - one third the likelihood for traps and locks,
half for picking pockets and moving silently - the second Proficiency Die
brings you into Footpad territory, a third into Robber, and the 4th into
Cutpurse - giving Burglar a miss. That's not too bad: against a target of 10,
five dice delivers - accounting for Proficiency Dice being added to the pool
over time, percentage success chances increase proportionally to what would be
expected by an 0e adventure.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<i>But - how many Thieves have a Dexterity of 10? </i>
</h4>
<p>
The classic Thief archetype implies agility. This is addressed in OSR games as
a prime requisite bonus- the character will level faster as a Thief if they
have a high dexterity.
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTe4NatulvHTWZHnDEIbItr9UcGC22xoPAiR_-fP5lbCKn_420BdlqZPYzyjq6SiLTHW-KI7gZJAH0VEkXakkXK-ukt5FzQEpqWxE3NPzPR7HCjf1Znn4joMeSN4xf6tlrEfeKiU2FNwvNoHQ2wuv87OyApnTqOI-cJgIdyF-K2q6ivAPuXa4nKoD1oQ/s732/ReachedOver-adapted.LouisRhead.OBI.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img alt="Reached Over; Louis Rhead" border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTe4NatulvHTWZHnDEIbItr9UcGC22xoPAiR_-fP5lbCKn_420BdlqZPYzyjq6SiLTHW-KI7gZJAH0VEkXakkXK-ukt5FzQEpqWxE3NPzPR7HCjf1Znn4joMeSN4xf6tlrEfeKiU2FNwvNoHQ2wuv87OyApnTqOI-cJgIdyF-K2q6ivAPuXa4nKoD1oQ/w219-h320/ReachedOver-adapted.LouisRhead.OBI.png" title="Reached Over; Louis Rhead" width="219" /></a>
</span>
Thus, we should bump ourselves to the success chances
at the Ability target of 13: more in line with what we're likely to see at the
table. The compatibility here is a bit bleaker - the first Proficiency
Die grants a whopping 32% - in line with a Burglar (again, fourth level
Thief). The second Proficiency Die jumps to about a Sharper, the third to a
Master Pilfer, on average. So, a character with a 13 Dexterity is going to
advance more quickly with Proficiency Dice than a Thief would with a 13
Dexterity.
</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<i>Come to think of it - though - who said that they have to be one to one?</i>
</h4>
<p>
The point of rescue for this system becomes in the experience balancing. How
much experience does a Thief have to have in the original edition to hit those
percentages? In all of them - the Thief advances more rapidly than other
classes. Where a Fighting Man might require 2,500 XP to hit Level 2, at the
same 2500 xp, a Thief has hit Level 3. This continues through the course of
their advancement track. Thieves will have low chances to succeed, will have
the smallest hit die, but will also hit the higher chances quickly and gain
hit dice more rapidly than other party members - allowing them to "catch up"
in terms of effectiveness. Hence comes the pricing model prescribed to the
dice.<br />
</p>
<p>
Each Proficiency Die, in invested experience, is adjusted assuming a target 13
Ability score to roll under with 5 dice. Yes, it starts off as a Burglar - but
isn't a common complaint for the Thief class that they start off useless?
Bumping them to one-in-three is hardly a game breaker and will make the
character <i> feel </i>more useful, mechanically - and, as the player will be
investing in multiple dice across the board in order to keep up with all of
the functions (assuming the player is building a Thief to a T) the XP
invested, sacrificed away from fighting capability and/or hit dice, will be
proportional to a 4th level Thief: a net zero in terms of total difference.<br />
</p>
<p>
After the first, each die purchased advances the skill Chance by about two
levels - so, a character with a 13 Dexterity that invests in Proficiency Dice
going forward will - to achieve the same percentile success rate - again, be
parallel in terms of how much XP is needed to the classic Thief.
</p>
<p>Balance preserved</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<i>
But what is to stop a character from maxing out? From investing entirely in
one skill/ proficiency and thereby breaking that part of the adventure?
</i>
</h4>
<p>
As mentioned above, the referee is encouraged to disallow de-leveling -
thereby preventing too much investment in one place without first advancing in
level to appropriately higher position. Will it eliminate all disparity? Will
characters intentionally try to be better and one thing versus another? It's
possible. But if the goal is to maintain compatibility - allow you to run an
0e, Thief-less game in an adventure that assumes a Thief's existence, this
helps. It enables that end while also allowing a modicum of customization:
which, for <i>Weapons, Wits, & Wizardry</i>, was a design objective all
along.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">To Conclude</h3>
<p>I presently like where these numbers sit. </p>
<p>
I intend to present this to my players and allow them to try it - hammering
out the kinks as we go. The numbers may change, I may or may not update this
post, but you can bet that the final version will be in the
<i>Weapons, Wits, & Wizardry</i> booklets - assuming it scales as well as
it plays at low level.
</p>
<p>
There are disparities for higher abilities - I understand that - looking at
the 16 target range, one Proficiency Die on a pool 5 task has a
<i>90% chance </i>to succeed - but I'm going to wait to see if that's actually
a problem before I try to solve it. Though I get that other people who play
the original edition enjoy that the Abilities offer very little to the
character. That makes sense to me, too. If you desire, try this system out
while retaining a static Target of 13 with 5 dice - call it the Lucky 13 rule
- that way everyone will remember it. And the character having progressed, the
equivalent of leveling up, as a Thief, will be preserved.
</p>
<p>
So - like it? Hate it? Would love to hear your thoughts- readers and players
alike.
</p>
<p>In any case, delve on! </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o7OsvdxYnfVkYMkV14LC5BAcCmqH-vteNp7VyLSEWSL3hjarf86hBjayUWAUqL9lPOVnCf2y6qORpalhZMwrwo1_F6ojOKyG9Nj7WLcot1wMvPCQG8N16Nx4VQqKbpyzrhX5uy28n6ZUAnCLGBz00G8c347wknmlaMiiOenHTq5Dz90afMOhCCSe-Q/s550/ASharpLookout;StillIsSitting.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Sharp Lookout and Still Is Sitting; Albert Robida" border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o7OsvdxYnfVkYMkV14LC5BAcCmqH-vteNp7VyLSEWSL3hjarf86hBjayUWAUqL9lPOVnCf2y6qORpalhZMwrwo1_F6ojOKyG9Nj7WLcot1wMvPCQG8N16Nx4VQqKbpyzrhX5uy28n6ZUAnCLGBz00G8c347wknmlaMiiOenHTq5Dz90afMOhCCSe-Q/w364-h400/ASharpLookout;StillIsSitting.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg" title="A Sharp Lookout and Still Is Sitting; Albert Robida" width="364" /></a></div>
<p> </p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Public domain artwork retrieved from
<a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank">OldBookIllustrations.com</a>. Attributions in alt text.</span>
<br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-44360650373305442852022-11-05T05:00:00.259-04:002022-11-05T05:00:00.168-04:00N-Spiration: The Mercenary<p>
Paid by the mission, a hired killer - special operations for sale - comes
across a secret brotherhood: one which serves order. Where will this charge
lead, as he rides dragons across strange but familiar continents - uncovers
ancient and forgotten wonders: knowledge of both the material and of the
beyond?
</p>
<p>Presented to you - direct from Spain - <i>The Mercenary.</i><br /></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">N-Spiration: The Mercenary</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8KE5-ZTPqzG_fQXthsLtrBXXcsCc06zbP97Y3KYgbwRqDctVa5_-XmBZHMxQ2sNh9Y27G_EEfosRi-fhCyLdUEu0soaTHqPaW-K14Qw177Ohz4FSoqvBXNE8hPY6cSkC9L2IdZAAr5RYbbfLEHPhPGGD4ajOFlBlV-fLulD1LXZsSOc2vA-V3J-j0w/s599/TheCultOfTheSacredFire.png"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="(cover) - The Cult of the Sacred Flame; and The Formula"
border="0"
data-original-height="599"
data-original-width="440"
height="640"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8KE5-ZTPqzG_fQXthsLtrBXXcsCc06zbP97Y3KYgbwRqDctVa5_-XmBZHMxQ2sNh9Y27G_EEfosRi-fhCyLdUEu0soaTHqPaW-K14Qw177Ohz4FSoqvBXNE8hPY6cSkC9L2IdZAAr5RYbbfLEHPhPGGD4ajOFlBlV-fLulD1LXZsSOc2vA-V3J-j0w/w470-h640/TheCultOfTheSacredFire.png"
title="(cover) - The Cult of the Sacred Flame; and The Formula"
width="470"
/></a>
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">About the Book(s)</h2>
<p>
<i>The Mercenary</i> started as a serialized science fiction and fantasy
series in Spanish periodical <i>Cimoc</i>, making its first appearance in
1980. Thereafter, between 1982 and 2003, the character, universe, and
semi-episodic story has expanded into 13 volumes, graphic novels, translated
into multiple languages and distributed widely outside its native nation.
</p>
<p>
Of these works, many can be found second hand in physical copy on
<a
href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2322090.m570.l1313&_nkw=the+mercenary+vicente+segrelles&_sacat=0"
target="_blank"
>Ebay</a
>,
<a
href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+mercenary+vicente+segrelles&i=stripbooks&sprefix=the+mercenary+vicen%2Cstripbooks%2C104&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_19"
target="_blank"
>Amazon</a
>
or as Kindle editions, in addition to on antique or out-of-print sources like
<a
href="https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/vicente-segrelles/"
target="_blank"
>Abe Books</a
>. Notably - perhaps as a result of the out-of-print nature of most of these
editions - most of the English translations are also available freely online
in sites where one might read comics online: however, while they are not
particularly hard to find, the legality of them being in question, I am
reluctant to provide an avenue here. The ethics (and legality) of that, I
leave to the judgement of the reader.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Why The Mercenary?</h2>
<p>
First and foremost - why should you read at least one of
<i>The Mercenary </i>stories?
</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Because they <i>ooze pulp adventure</i>.</p>
If the hallmark of Appendix N is its addiction to the fantastic - to
adventurers, to treasure-hunters, to all of the classic elements of sword and
sorcery:
<span class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiQzw-nOXsNpgnM3sYEnkfSDfClh6QKdVVrFEMihIaJXrgyxWhd4tjSMbCAm1jz8sRpZjCdlM2jw8Qv5x3PXRdL9Usz8q0wOD9LP6BCGtf85mQD51LeO8BCLJvPWmxPdLD37kfPjIOQImNq1aSk-qc7He0qhhYxX5bhniuXGzoibuL3aLElLovaXPzQ/s750/EatShitGiantSpider.TheVoyage.png"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"
><img
alt="from: The Voyage"
border="0"
data-original-height="600"
data-original-width="750"
height="256"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiQzw-nOXsNpgnM3sYEnkfSDfClh6QKdVVrFEMihIaJXrgyxWhd4tjSMbCAm1jz8sRpZjCdlM2jw8Qv5x3PXRdL9Usz8q0wOD9LP6BCGtf85mQD51LeO8BCLJvPWmxPdLD37kfPjIOQImNq1aSk-qc7He0qhhYxX5bhniuXGzoibuL3aLElLovaXPzQ/w320-h256/EatShitGiantSpider.TheVoyage.png"
title="from: The Voyage"
width="320"
/></a>
</span>
<i>The Mercenary</i> comes out in spades. Every issue is an action-packed
adventure - twists, turns, romance, mystery, and wonder. Rescuing the young wife
of a porcine noble, only to have her betray you because she doesn't want to
return? Bingo! Trudging through snow and torch-light in secret underground
hallways to recover a radioactive laser weapon? Got it. Punching an evil wizard
in the face after having been tipped off by a buxom harem captive set on her
liberation? Seek no further.
<p>
The Mercenary is the wet-dream of an aspiring fantasy adventure referee. If
you read through even one of the comic novels - I dare you to resist running
an LBB frenzy thereafter.<br />
</p>
<p>
A further quality of <i>The Mercenary</i> that I find appealing - it's artful
mix of magic and science. There is not an Ebberon-esque integration of magic
into technological application - nor is magic all simply ignorant earthlings
misinterpreting super-science from ages past. The series mixes and matches -
spoiler for the rest of the paragraph - by making it seem, initially, like
super-science <i>is</i> what the land perceives as magic: but then, as issues
drive on, magicians emerge - magic becomes more evident and distinct in its
own right. Magicians and alchemists <i>use</i> both magic and science - which
is refreshing and very in-character for Appendix-N: as it shows a three
dimensional character who is willing and able to pursue multiple avenues to
the same end.
</p>
<p>
The fantastic is immediately evident - the protagonist rides dragons and
fights monsters, after all - but the fantastic is mixed between the mystical
(some obvious, some implied) and the <i>perceived </i>as mystical: such that
the reader, a 20th century mind (or 21st these days) will recognize scientific
references while the characters muddle through them - sometimes, a sort of
suspense occurs unbeknownst to the protagonists: unaware of the hazards of
their situation, the reader leafs through the pages wondering whether their
incidental decisions or instinct reactions will guide them to safety or to
ruin. The implementation is never ham-fisted and the effect is always artful:
something that can be a challenge for authors aiming to mix these themes - or
for a referee trying to run a more gonzo setting.<br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7j-FlBzv3AoXWYGtZd8X2iZJHWJWRbXpt1BZZd8nkLYu5vGqWec07Aefs0ihHzoFLwX4b63HHHorW5xP0-5tWhXMy2kV4hamsfjvm2bLhYydIr2B-dT_XcoDd1HWcRGz_07BUb4XHx1i/s902/StrangerAndStranger.TheBlackGlobe.png"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="from: The Black Globe"
border="0"
data-original-height="569"
data-original-width="902"
height="253"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7j-FlBzv3AoXWYGtZd8X2iZJHWJWRbXpt1BZZd8nkLYu5vGqWec07Aefs0ihHzoFLwX4b63HHHorW5xP0-5tWhXMy2kV4hamsfjvm2bLhYydIr2B-dT_XcoDd1HWcRGz_07BUb4XHx1i/w400-h253/StrangerAndStranger.TheBlackGlobe.png"
title="from: The Black Globe"
width="400"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
A final point to sell you on <i>The Mercenary</i> - you may have noticed
already with the images presented: the books are <i>gorgeous</i>. Every single
panel is a work of art - oil painting on canvas - transcribed into a comic
format after: a technique that held true until 1998, when the artist began
using a computer to touch up or tweak his traditional artwork.
<i>The Mercenary</i>, thus, has a very distinct, very timeless appearance to
it - which, combined with evocative subjects and dynamic action, serves as a
spur to the emotion and imagination.
</p>
<p>
Vicente Segrelles has a very Frazetta-like vibe to him: the paintings hearken
back to very Renaissance sense of scale and of color, while leveraging
unapologetic appeal of characters as beautiful as the setting around them.
Segrelles is a master of lighting and motion - something that is an incredible
benefit in the kindling the fire under the table for your workaday adventure
gamer.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Any Cons?</h2>
<p>Nope - none.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYREjgz3Ywj2hDIk65x_qbsBYm2x1jr83YtKeX7O3raNgRNL14jhfClpM5_lsEH_4Dwg7ETAzVTiQ5CPiNEIpIFVOTxLco59eUVQdzn3801g-ku9QjjCnC-DSCJhoqwynzaboC9We_8UDjbq4wp7hMAmYCqBZnMjp7c60LK7i28JQiEnKIeb4FMnOvQ/s1160/SnakeRidersYall.TheTrials.jpg"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="from: The Trials"
border="0"
data-original-height="1160"
data-original-width="840"
height="640"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYREjgz3Ywj2hDIk65x_qbsBYm2x1jr83YtKeX7O3raNgRNL14jhfClpM5_lsEH_4Dwg7ETAzVTiQ5CPiNEIpIFVOTxLco59eUVQdzn3801g-ku9QjjCnC-DSCJhoqwynzaboC9We_8UDjbq4wp7hMAmYCqBZnMjp7c60LK7i28JQiEnKIeb4FMnOvQ/w464-h640/SnakeRidersYall.TheTrials.jpg"
title="from: The Trials"
width="464"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
More seriously - to speak to considerations for the reader - an interesting
couple elements to be aware of: the series is "low fantasy" in a literary
sense: that is, it introduces elements of the fantastic into the actual world.
In places, globes are shown portraying Earth - or references are made to
cultural elements and folk tales that exist in real cultures seated in real
regions.
</p>
<p>One book is set in nondescript middle-ages Spain.</p>
<p>
One book is has reference to Aladdin's lamp of
<span><i>The Book of One Thousand and One Nights</i>.</span>
</p>
<p><span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExZ0XBMxbd8bYGqjO2bWDRd1ZwJi6M3E8eOfTYPYMXSbxrcUImmFiCI3O6uCdmzC7N9nBP_AFqMyT0A8jDHkpbTRN8ziBqyiOuMxPsZGn9OXSMqn6-o2Nsq70Zx_FBkW6x8CrV6aLHM_2MjZPLtm2QyEfM5gZlrR-LwdwKu-jpwegPzuKtTXIfk3YkA/s598/TheMercenaryAndTheLamp.Giants.png"
style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="from: Giants"
border="0"
data-original-height="598"
data-original-width="459"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExZ0XBMxbd8bYGqjO2bWDRd1ZwJi6M3E8eOfTYPYMXSbxrcUImmFiCI3O6uCdmzC7N9nBP_AFqMyT0A8jDHkpbTRN8ziBqyiOuMxPsZGn9OXSMqn6-o2Nsq70Zx_FBkW6x8CrV6aLHM_2MjZPLtm2QyEfM5gZlrR-LwdwKu-jpwegPzuKtTXIfk3YkA/w246-h320/TheMercenaryAndTheLamp.Giants.png"
title="from: Giants"
width="246"
/></a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
<span
>For the casual reader, this can be fun. It's not intended to be a
historical epic, nor is it intended to be necessarily chronologically
consistent: it's not clear if it's alternative Earth, or if it's
forgotten-history or hidden-history Earth, or if the author simply didn't
care and wanted to create a fun story to tell using his characters and
perspective. In either case, while some places <i>The Mercenary</i> goes
would logically not be correlated - if this bothers you, you may find
yourself skipping a couple of the books. However, <i>internally</i> the
tomes are consistent. Each tale moves through large swaths of space and
covers a full range of story - but that range, those spaces, they are within
reason, within cinematic verisimilitude, and create a believable
atmosphere.</span
>
</p>
<p>
<span
>Or, if not <i>believable</i>, one that feels within the realm of reason for
a fantasy epic. </span
>
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Further Reading</h2>
<p>
The best part about the work of Vicente Segrelles is that he is mostly still
at it! His home page -
<a href="http://www.segrelles.com/" target="_blank"
>http://www.segrelles.com/</a
>
- last updated 2021 - contains references to his work, biography and contact
information, and a series of advice articles about art based in his
experience.
</p>
<p>
Segrelles - as an artist - was widely prolific in the 70s through the 90s:
leaving
<a
href="https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Vicente_Segrelles"
target="_blank"
>a significant trail of credits as an artist and illustrator</a
>
for those who like his style. Due to the age of much of the material - and due
to its Eurocentric distribution compared to my linguistically stunted English
- I cannot personally vouch for the content of the stories illustrated: but in
the compilation of visual splendor, especially pieces made prior to the advent
of computer illustration, it may serve as a deep portfolio.<br />
</p>
<p>
A further
<a href="http://www.segrelles.com/info/info_e01.htm" target="_blank"
>bibliographical listing is provided on his home page</a
>
- however I was unable to find links to direct prints or similar: so reader,
you are on your own to track them down by title.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">In Conclusion</h2>
<p>
I owe a debt of gratitude to the Discord friend who posted some random images
from this tome and inadvertently led me to it. Skimming through it again in
order to post this review, my desire re-kindles, my gaming ambitions arise,
and new ideas spring into my head for more powerful, more challenging
adventures. The Garimeter reading - or, at least, this Garimeter reading - for
<i>The Mercenary</i> is a solid 1: OSR out the wazoo.<br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJD0ood43_v3zYimquToOwlglOaJct5OskDioTkALLdGWHYRfqKmS7uY5yXEetxuP1SFe9zzwuGvTy8b8DDCTu555ILVWwysoPQZ9S7ecPMeV7dOtGD2OBQ9C0YAddxTAcDWzvboq23K_41eeFG88zjve7iWaxW9Gni5daYvNuGusPkyzdSht8RBuLA/s1044/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20The%20Mercenary.png"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="570"
data-original-width="1044"
height="315"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJD0ood43_v3zYimquToOwlglOaJct5OskDioTkALLdGWHYRfqKmS7uY5yXEetxuP1SFe9zzwuGvTy8b8DDCTu555ILVWwysoPQZ9S7ecPMeV7dOtGD2OBQ9C0YAddxTAcDWzvboq23K_41eeFG88zjve7iWaxW9Gni5daYvNuGusPkyzdSht8RBuLA/w640-h350/Garimeter%20Scale%20-%20The%20Mercenary.png"
width="576"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
<i>The Mercenary</i> is epic, beautiful, and brimming with adventure. It would
make a stunning addition to any coffee table or bookshelf - and its contents
would inspire a stunning addition to any OSR home campaign.
</p>
<p>Delve on, readers!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
><i>The Mercenary </i>and all imagery thereof is property of Vicente
Segrelles with English translation copyrighted under Nantier Beall
Minoustchine of New York, NY. Images included in this article are included
for review purposes under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107 - Clerics Wear
Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort.</span
><br />
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
><i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons </i>and all imagery related to
<i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons</i> is property of Wizards of the Coast
and is likewise referenced and used under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107 as a
combination of review and parody.</span
>
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.</span
><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2979619314039432370.post-13424041827549737812022-10-22T05:00:00.174-04:002022-10-22T05:00:00.177-04:00The Rule of Thirds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEI_7I0ruxNDGCWIJG45C242T4e0kiTUvecCDXBscoG5FTnBD5x1DJBWTD_tYTNE7Vm8HYtZtj4U5_qc2ZIPzsHMe0q_acyOq5RsAHircM_MH1cpZw0StkOmNZUjv-gXM5tlkJTu2AnxEoS4ipRL9OEtvJjds2GDnUofPDmfwOMaXTdD4uRrrbF2Uvg/s652/ChateauDeMehunSurYevre-adapted.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg"
style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="Chateau de Mehun Sur Yevre; Albert Robida"
border="0"
data-original-height="652"
data-original-width="467"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEI_7I0ruxNDGCWIJG45C242T4e0kiTUvecCDXBscoG5FTnBD5x1DJBWTD_tYTNE7Vm8HYtZtj4U5_qc2ZIPzsHMe0q_acyOq5RsAHircM_MH1cpZw0StkOmNZUjv-gXM5tlkJTu2AnxEoS4ipRL9OEtvJjds2GDnUofPDmfwOMaXTdD4uRrrbF2Uvg/w229-h320/ChateauDeMehunSurYevre-adapted.AlbertRobida.OBI.jpg"
title="Chateau de Mehun Sur Yevre; Albert Robida"
width="229"
/></a>
</div>
<p>Plot hooks. Mysterious locations. Old maps.</p>
<p>
A sandbox style game is not - as a physical sandbox - simply a blank slate on
which players mold the world to their liking. Instead, there are adventure
sites, factions, towns, landmarks, and wilderness for the party to experience
and explore. The sand, so to speak, has been formed - it has an existing state
- which the party can expect to discover at the table. Whether they re-form it
or not will depend on how successful they are over the campaign - but in order
to kick-start the adventure, in order to inspire the group to move out of the
tavern and into the adventure, hints - incentives - have to drop.
</p>
<p>
One doesn't give the players a blank sheet, 3d6 down the line, and ask them
where they are going: instead, they have to have leads - they have to have
ideas which may guide them into the unknown.
</p>
<p>
And this article talks about one of my favorite aspects of doing just that.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">An Unreliable Narrator</h2>
<p>
Acne during pregnancy does not indicate a female child - though that doesn't
stop certain relatives from telling you as much. Consider - not all rumors are
true; not all maps are accurate. If that is true in real life, why wouldn't it
be true in your campaign world as well? Some of the things that your party
hears - be it carousing at the tavern, be it scrawled on the wall of a shallow
crypt - will be valid information: but some of it will not.
</p>
<p>Key word some.</p>
<p>
What you <i>don't</i> want to do is to destroy the trust, to instill an
instinct of unbelief, in your players whenever they come across information.
If the bartender is always evil - the party will never trust the bartender; if
the map is always inaccurate, the party will leave it where they found it in
the hidden library. As such - you want to have <i>some</i> of the rumors and
hooks lead true - bring the party where the party expects them to go - while
other rumors and hooks do not. Of the hooks that do not lead where they say
they will, it's also important to ground them: some of them will be total
hogwash - perhaps intentionally perpetuated by other adventurers to throw off
rival parties from the trail of a find; perhaps seeded by malign NPCs (living
or long passed) who were seeking a particular end - but some of them will be
based on truth. Some of them will have a hint at what was found before, only
to have been lost in a game of telephone, ear to ear and embellishment to
embellishment as the tale is passed around varied campfires.
</p>
<p>
And it's up to you - the referee - to determine which is which so that the
party can thereafter root out what's what.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGVztLwLU8pinXNXwQJXRjg1hY-SxrhpLgQ2dJF0KnB-sgy8SxPlEUAakcI9RV2FsGZyu-KV-443pw1vkI8zFGgdaSWfS47zYummPVasHMQFB-6PiPYKBm8is8zfhr0ekXCf2cnQlM_Xmhm0CDgvLkE3ALETYAr2sKgBc8KOVhK0-8Tm-WLH2B6LYFQ/s639/ElCastilloAtChichenItza-adapted.FrederickCatherwood.jpg"
style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"
><img
alt="El Castillo at Chichen Itza; Frederick Catherwood"
border="0"
data-original-height="406"
data-original-width="639"
height="254"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGVztLwLU8pinXNXwQJXRjg1hY-SxrhpLgQ2dJF0KnB-sgy8SxPlEUAakcI9RV2FsGZyu-KV-443pw1vkI8zFGgdaSWfS47zYummPVasHMQFB-6PiPYKBm8is8zfhr0ekXCf2cnQlM_Xmhm0CDgvLkE3ALETYAr2sKgBc8KOVhK0-8Tm-WLH2B6LYFQ/w400-h254/ElCastilloAtChichenItza-adapted.FrederickCatherwood.jpg"
title="El Castillo at Chichen Itza; Frederick Catherwood"
width="400"
/></a>
</div>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">One Third / One Third / One Third</h2>
<p>
When preparing rumors and hooks, I like to break out a table - typically 1d12
- to contain and randomize which ones the party finds or hears. These are
divided into three, even in number, among the degree of their veracity:
</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<i>True</i> - True rumors are hooks which are correct. The map says it goes
through a cavern of scorpions and terminates in a well, at the bottom of
which is a magic sword - and the party, following the map, finds a cavern,
scorpions, and beyond that, a well containing a magic sword. Simple, easy,
for a ref.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
<i>Partially True </i>- The partially true rumor is the tale inspired by a
seed of fact germinating into a sprig of maybe. Fishermen tell tales of a
cave visible at low tide where pirates and outlaws once stowed their gold -
but upon arrival, the party may find a cave: but instead of pirate gold, a
skeletal guard keeps watch over an ancient weapons cache from a fallen and
advanced civilization (a dead pirate near the entrance, perhaps, as they may
have not gotten as far as the fishermen thought). <br /><br />These can be
the most fun to come up with, as they will throw the party a curve ball:
test their skill at the game both from a resource planning and execution
perspective but also from an adaptation perspective: or they can be used to
introduce other elements of campaign lore or lead to more adventure.<br /><br />
</li>
<li>
<i>False</i> - Lastly, a false rumor is one which has no basis on fact. The
drunken veteran claims you should expect a pyramid on the far side of the
vine-choked hills - but no pyramid looms. The sages say that a race of white
apes inhabits the low pass but can be appeased with spiced fruits: but their
tomes and records are old and the apes have been hunted to extinction by an
insect species whose tastes have developed a fondness for flesh. There is an
adventure to be had - surely - however it will not be the adventure that the
party expects!<br />
</li>
</ol>
<p>
<i>Why a 1d12 table?</i> For me - it's easy to roll on the table and provide
quickly what the party encounters without allowing myself a bias. If it's up
to the dice, it's not going to be influenced by how pressed I am for time this
month and want to get the adventure moving; it's not going to be changed
because I happened to watch <i>The 13th Warrior </i>this week and feel the
need to plagiarize the Horns of Power twist. Similarly - when I remove a false
rumor, I can replace it with another false one for next time; or when I remove
a true rumor, I can replace it with another true. This will keep it varied and
- by law of averages - prevent a pattern from developing. Over time, the group
will encounter a mix, they will not mistrust the rumors (or trust them
blindly) because of me - the delivering ref - and thus, the group will see
more role play. They will spend time investigating - they will interact with
more elements of the world to help them figure out the likelihood of whether
it's true, false, or somewhere in between. And then, planning accordingly,
they can set off with the best possible odds their skill can stack.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLF8eSuLzZlLbCnY-kdaWcIfKTJfZ6SzR4eZJ9j8HOwoZwUrpHAbeRebiDtc27aNweHHVgTkp6xtv42mZGqFQ2ougkKtcsbGpXrRuBB38yvSfKbDn3-jal57fl1qlx3hs7javIfrvraWrSMZC8HTqT1HOEP3RIJ_wIuc4mkDsh5QBC67IFeRVllJMtw/s353/ManWithAScrollGiovanniBenedettoCastiglione-adapted2.NGA.png"
imageanchor="1"
style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: -1em;"
><img
alt="Man With a Scroll; Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione"
border="0"
data-original-height="353"
data-original-width="270"
height="320"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLF8eSuLzZlLbCnY-kdaWcIfKTJfZ6SzR4eZJ9j8HOwoZwUrpHAbeRebiDtc27aNweHHVgTkp6xtv42mZGqFQ2ougkKtcsbGpXrRuBB38yvSfKbDn3-jal57fl1qlx3hs7javIfrvraWrSMZC8HTqT1HOEP3RIJ_wIuc4mkDsh5QBC67IFeRVllJMtw/w245-h320/ManWithAScrollGiovanniBenedettoCastiglione-adapted2.NGA.png"
title="Man With a Scroll; Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione"
width="245"
/></a>
</div>
<p>
<i>Can I have my players roll on the table?</i> Absolutely. Players love
rolling dice. In so doing, however, it's important to change things up. You
don't want them to see a 3 and think, "Well, this hook is going to be a lie -
I keep carousing for another." Change up the numbers - maybe structure the
table a bit differently - or maybe have three tables and you, the ref,
determine which one is true/false/mixed in secret. It's good to have the
players roll - when the players roll, they tend to own the result a lot more
readily than if the result is "assigned" to them by the referee - however it's
also important to reject the pattern: don't allow them to figure out the
mechanism, the nature of the rumor, from the dice result: only give them the
information that they receive. It will be up to them to pry for more in
character.<br />
</p>
<p>
<i>What not to do: </i>Regardless of rumor, regardless of hook - and I've been
saying "rumor", but this same principle can be applied to anything you tell
the players, any information that they find - regardless of the nature of the
rumor encountered, it should <i>always lead to adventure</i>. A false rumor
should never dump your players in a desert only to feel the fool for having
followed a lead that led them astray. The point of the game <i>is</i> the
adventure - and having lost one will leave a sour taste in the mouths of
everyone at the table - you, the ref, included. No one benefits from a bad
session. Thus - it's important to remember, all roads lead to adventure: it's
simply the <i>expectations</i> of the party that are up in the air. A false
rumor may take longer to reach, a false rumor may end up entangling the party
in a web they did not intend, or a false rumor may end up empty: providing
nothing more than a seed to another adventure - but whatever it does: it
should do so with style: it should do so with encounters, maps, problems, and
exploration. It should reinforce the experience the game is designed to
produce, even if it expressly doesn't provide what the players were
expecting.<br />
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">And Them's My Two Coppers</h2>
<p>Thank you for reading - and I hope it finds application to your game.</p>
<p>Delve on!</p>
<center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kmgP2ELtM_qQHHsq12Vr5iVl_3v3R09TmzIn8jwqFuOPcO0qowZR9RvSR6two_AEa35HxULf28dc6-WCmD7qK_xsaUoLAnS7Ttd3OjYcoDPr7H2vMqaOMRTDG46XB7UMDR4K5MUwXYNOD3iMQnixbgEG258sAlC10NhpyDCr5uILXqvxxzfVO-uiDA/s700/LongArmGlided-cropped.AlphonseDeNeuville.OBI.jpg"
style="clear: right; margin-left: 1em;"
><img
alt="Long Arm Glided; Alphonse de Neuville"
border="0"
data-original-height="700"
data-original-width="475"
height="400"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kmgP2ELtM_qQHHsq12Vr5iVl_3v3R09TmzIn8jwqFuOPcO0qowZR9RvSR6two_AEa35HxULf28dc6-WCmD7qK_xsaUoLAnS7Ttd3OjYcoDPr7H2vMqaOMRTDG46XB7UMDR4K5MUwXYNOD3iMQnixbgEG258sAlC10NhpyDCr5uILXqvxxzfVO-uiDA/w271-h400/LongArmGlided-cropped.AlphonseDeNeuville.OBI.jpg"
title="Long Arm Glided; Alphonse de Neuville"
width="271"
/></a>
</div>
</center>
<p>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"
>Public domain art retrieved from
<a href="https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/" target="_blank"
>OldBookIllustrations.com</a
>
and the
<a href="https://www.nga.gov/open-access-images.html" target="_blank"
>National Gallery of Art</a
>
and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.</span
><br />
</p>
CWRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18182983381291953980noreply@blogger.com4