21 Reviews of Advanced Adventures

We've gotten a massive string of reviews of our Advanced Adventures line from Bryce over at tenfootpole We're always looking for review links and please feel free to send them to josephbrowning@gmail.com and I'll put them up at our website. He did them in reverse order (starting with #21 and ending with #1).

AA1: The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=353

AA2: The Red Mausoleum
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=350

AA3: The Curse of the Witch Head
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=347

AA4: The Prison of Meneptah
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=344

AA5: The Flaming Footprints of Jilanth
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=341

AA6: The Chasm of the Damned
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=338

AA7: The Sarcophagus Legion
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=331

AA8: The Seven Shrines of Nav’k-Qar
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=328

AA9: The Lost Pyramid of Imhotep
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=167

AA10: The Lost Keys of Solitude
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=323

AA11: The Conqueror Worm
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=315

AA12: The Barrow Mound of Gravemoor
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=312

AA13: White Dragon Run
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=304

AA14: The Verdant Vault of Malakum
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=301

AA15: Stonesky Delve
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=298

AA16: Under Shattered Mountain
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=204

AA17: The Frozen Wave Satsuma
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=202

AA18: The Forsaken Sepulcher
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=200

AA19: Secret of the Callair Hills
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=161

AA20: The Riddle of Anadi
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=198

AA21: The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates
http://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=196

Sunday Un-seriousness

Advanced Adventures Hardback Compendiums

Yep, you heard right! We've got two hardback compendiums (Number 1 compiling AA1-10, Number 2 compiling 11-20) up for sale now at Lulu for $50 each. That's about 40% of what you'd pay to purchase them individually.

I just got my copies in and they look happy on my shelves. :)

Advanced Adventures Hardback Compendium One
Advanced Adventures Hardback Compendium Two

Hot Elf Chicks Eating Scrambled Eggs on a Flying Alpaca

See here, for understanding. :)

Sometimes You're Spackler, Sometimes You're the Gopher

One More Time, With Feeling...

I got the cover ready for Meet the New Boss and I just have to share. I think it looks hilariously cool.

Meet the New Boss

So I got the art in for Meet the New Boss, our forthcoming scenario for One Shot, our forthcoming game for one-shot rpging. We've got a lot forthcoming, I guess. :) Meet the New Boss is about 5 mafia bosses sitting down to talk out their problems. The art is by Joan Guardiet.

Filth Rat

Another critter below the shattered moon...

Filth Rat
Mutated Rat (Basic)
C0 A4 S1 F4 R0 I3 W1: Ego 16: Health 18: Fortune 13
Movement 7/62

Description & Information: Filth rats are most commonly found in the ruins of the ancients. They live in small packs of less than a dozen and are very territorial. They are around 4 feet in length (including tail) and weigh up to 50 pounds. Although they are capable of delivering a rather nasty bite, they prefer to attack from a distance, earning their name by throwing their excrement with their tail to a range of 50 feet. A filth rat colony is lead by the elder matriarch and composed mainly of male rats vying for her attention. Other females are ostracized from the colony once breeding age is achieved.

Intrinsic Powers
• Filth rats are wiry and tough creatures and reduce all physical damage received by 1 point per hit.
• Filth rats may attack with a bite, dealing +3 piercing damage and a +4/ rank 4 combat condition, but they rarely do so unless cornered.

Limited Use Powers
• Filth rats can throw their newly excreted feces at targets up to 50 feet away. This deals no damage, but forces hit targets to succeed on a rank 10 Fortitude conflict or spend the next two turns retching, capable only of self-defense. Additionally, if the conflict fails by more than 4 points, the target is diseased.

Dwarves - Worlds Apart

I'm still plugging away at World's Apart - my take on a fantasy Traveller (the Mongoose OGL Version). One of the things I'm trying to do differently with World's Apart is I'm trying to remain faithful to the nature and focus of the Traveller rules on exploration, trade, and ships while bringing in the fantasy element, as opposed to simply using the Traveller rules to make a more generic fantasy game. I'm not interested in "playing D&D" with different rules. I want to play Traveller in a different environment.

So with that, here's the first non-human race - Dwarves. You notice that non-humans in Worlds Apart are significantly tougher than humans. This is for two reasons. One, they're all optional as I expect the players to be all human and two, they have to be tougher to actually make the mythical races mythical. Balance shmalanch, I'm interested in options.

Dwarves

Dwarves are a hardy and artistic race, quick to love, laugh and brawl. They love a good little fight and quickly well up with deep emotion at the drop of a hat. They are an intrinsically non-magical race with a preternatural understanding of mechanical works. Their love of wealth is well-known and true and is matched only by their love of drink.

Characteristics: Dwarves add a +1 to Strength and Endurance. Dwarves have a maximum of 17 in those two abilities.

Special Effects: Every time a dwarf is directly and personally subjected to some magical effect, there is a slight chance (throw 12+ without modifiers of any sort) that it simply does not work. This does not work on magic that affect an area, only upon magic that targets the dwarf specifically. Surprisingly, dwarves have no difficulties using magic items.

Background Skills: A dwarf gains background skills as does a human. However, all dwarves gain Mechanic 0 as an additional background skill.

Careers: A dwarf character must go through two terms as a dwarf before other careers (except drifter) are allowed. Of course, a dwarf may choose to remain in the dwarf career. Dwarves do not count their required two dwarf terms when determining their number of previous careers for qualification purposes. Unlike humans who begin rolling on the aging table at the end of their 5^th term, dwarves do not start rolling on the aging table until at the end of their 10^th term. A dwarf may never learn to use magic: if such is indicated, ignore the result.

Qualification: End 5+

–1 DM for every previous career.

Assignments: Choose one of the following:

•              Brawler: You love a good fight and are always ready for another. Death in combat is your destiny.

•              Bawler: All those who die need remembrance. You remind your people of those who have gone before.

•              Bastard: You realize that between the battle and the tears, there’s money to be made.

Career Progress

Assignment	Survival	Advancement
Brawler	End 6+	Edu 6+
Bawler	Soc 5+	Edu 6+
Bastard	Edu 4+	Int 6+

Mustering-Out

Roll	Cash	Benefits
1	2,000 sp	Magic Item (weapon)
2	3,000 sp	+1 End
3	4,000 sp	Voyager Ship Share
4	5,000 sp	+1 Str
5	6,000 sp	Magic Item (any)
6	7,000 sp	+1 End
7	8,000 sp	+2 Soc, +1 End, +1 Str

Skills and Training

Roll	Personal Development	Service Skills	Advanced Education (Minimum Edu 8)
1	+1 Str	Art (any)	Leadership
2	+1 Soc	Athletics (any)	Medic
3	+1 End	Broker	Missile or Melee Combat (any)
4	+1 Edu	Mechanic	Social Science (history)
5	Gambling	Melee Combat (any)	Streewise
6	Melee Combat (unarmed)	Melee Combat (unarmed)	Tactics (military)

Roll	Assignment: Brawler	Assignment: Bawler	Assignment: Bastard
1	Athletics (any)	Art (any)	Admin
2	Carouse	Carouse	Advocate
3	Melee Combat (any)	Melee Combat (any)	Broker
4	Missile Combat (any)	Persuade	Jack of All Trades
5	Recon	Stealth	Melee Combat (any)
6	Streetwise	Streetwise	Streetwise

Ranks and Skills

Rank	Title
0	Dwarf	Carouse 1
1	Jackjaw	Melee Combat (any) 1 or Missile Combat (any) 1
2	Stonefist	Streetwise 1
3	Ironhand	Leadership 1 or  Persuade 1
4
5	Master Dwarf	Tactics (military) 1 or Leadership 1
6

Mishaps

1d6	Mishap
1	Severely injured by a case of a smart mouth at the wrong time. (This is the same as a result of 2 on the Injury table.)
2	Not everyone appreciates a singing drunk. Roll Melee Combat 8+ to avoid injury. Roll on the Injury table treating a 1 result as a 6.
3	Magic fails you at an important time, leaving you wounded. Reduce a randomly determined characteristic by 1 point.
4	You make a shady deal that comes back to bite you in the rear end. Leave your career and suffer a -1 to your mustering out throw. If you have not completed two terms as a dwarf you become a drifter for your next career.
5	You drink much more than you should, even for a dwarf. You must make at least one cash Mustering-Out roll and that roll is reduced by 4 points.
6	Injured. Roll on the Injury table.

Events

2d6	Events
2	Disaster! Roll on the mishap table, but you are not ejected from this career.
3	A renowned weapon master takes interest in you, trading his knowledge for your abilities. Gain Missile Combat 1 (any).
4	The lure of the city calls you. Gain one of Streetwise 1, Carouse 1, Gambling 1 or Language (any) 1
5	A rich patron finds you very useful. Gain +2 DM to one Cash Mustering-Out roll.
6	You somehow end up in a library and find yourself interested in the sciences. Gain 0 in two different Any Sciences (any)
7	Life Event. Roll on the Life Events table.
8	You act as a go-between between two parties whom wish none to know of their contact. Gain one of Diplomat 1, Melee Combat (any) 1, Missile Combat (any) 1, or Stealth 1.
9	You make a big score and fund some education outside your normal scope. Gain one of Diplomat 1, Pilot 1 (any), or Tactics (naval) 1.
10	You perform a valuable service to your people. Gain +1 Social Standing.
11	You end up teaching others your craft and expand your normal repertoire of abilities through interacting with the local nobility in a different field. Either gain Advocate 1 or a +4 DM to your next Advancement roll.
12	You show great courage and valor in combat. You are automatically promoted.

Art by John Bingham

John Bingham and I have worked together a lot in the Advanced Adventure line. I think he has a great style and perfectly fits with the tone. Here's his most recent for us for The Mouth of the Shadowvein (AA #24) in which a group of adventurers has just entered part of an underground tunnel covered with carvings on the walls and floors.

1e Game Update

We played the first session on Friday and much fun was had by all, and several surprises. I've decided to go very random in terms of encounters and treasure and try to figure out the story of what's going on based upon that creative force. Highlights of the 1st session:

- The elf F/T/MU got the drop on an ogre that was sitting in the road eating a mite and managed to roll maximum damage on a backstab. The other players were surprised to see an ogre's head rolling down the hill after watching the elf sneak off.

- A magic pool that had a 4-in-6 chance of resulting in something good when drinking actually resulted in something bad for 3 of the 4 players. Losing 1 hp really hurts at 1st level, especially when one's a magic user.

- The players came near death several times, but managed to pull it off. The smart use of hirelings saved their bacon when 11 zombies rushed up the stairs. All three hirelings went down, but the party survived. The hirelings did as well, but they're in bad shape and still unconscious.

- The party found the big randomly-generated treasure. It was behind two secret doors, but the elf was just on fire for the game and found secret doors like a fat kid finds candy. I was a fat kid, so I know of what I speak. :)

- Holy crap it was a big treasure! Much larger than I would have done without randomness, but that's what Fate has decided was there, so we'll see how it plays out.

- The mites that tried to cleverly trap the PCs in a flaming barn failed to consider the effects that fire has upon the oxygen levels in their lair beneath the barn. The PCs finally broke in from another direction and found them all suffocated. Opps!

Cover for Miss Adelaide's Soiled Doves

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Suzi's been working on a One Shot adventure called Miss Adelaide's Soiled Doves. We got the art in for it today and I think it's got a great vibe. Art by Joan Guardiet.

Sully Nor Feltothraxis Have Your Best Interests At Heart

Everyone walks through the dungeon thinking turn right or turn left, but Friends, there's another way: the middle road. This path is the one most-traveled, but least represented. It is composed of right-minded and sensible dungeon dwellers. It is the road for the gibbering and greedy majority, the dangerous and thoughtful masses. And where does this third road lead?

To the lair of Ullduthindor! Ullduthindor is the only rational choice between two paths that most of us avoid. Vote for Ullduthindor and you'll see that with your support and hard work, we can move forward and focus on turning your copper into silver, your silver into gold, and your gold into platinum! Ullduthindor for prosperity! Vote Ullduthindor for your Dragon's Name!

So go out today, Friends, and show that neither Sully nor Feltothraxis are the proper dragons to represent your interests!

Meet the New Boss

I've just started work on a competitive storytelling game using One Shot. The players take the roles of dons from different mob families that are at war with each other who have come together in a secluded location to discuss ending the war. So far, I'm pleased with it and hope to get a lot more done today.

Sunday Un-seriousness?

So it's not Sunday. Sue me. :)

More PDFs Uploaded to Lulu

I've spent this morning in a haze, but managed to get the most recent 4 Advanced Adventure PDFs uploaded at Lulu. Now, on to other things! :)