THE GAUNTLET

The Gauntlet Blog

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Blog Table of Contents
  • Podcasts
    • The Gauntlet Podcast
    • Discern Realities
    • +1 Forward >
      • Belonging Outside Belonging Series
    • Fear of a Black Dragon
    • The Farrier's Bellows
    • Trophy Podcast
    • Pocket-Sized Play
    • We Hunt the Keepers!
    • Comic Strip AP
    • Podcast Indexes >
      • Gauntlet Podcast Index
      • Fear of a Black Dragon Index
      • +1 Forward Index
      • Discern Realities Index
      • Trophy Podcast Index
      • The Farrier's Bellows Index
      • Pocket-Sized Play Index
      • Comic Strip AP Index
      • We Hunt the Keepers! Index
  • Publications
    • Codex Magazine
    • Hearts of Wulin
    • Trophy RPG
    • Codex Volume 1 Book
  • Online Gaming
    • Playing Online with The Gauntlet
    • Gauntlet Calendar
    • Gauntlet Community Open Gaming
    • Online Gaming Resources
  • Community Resources
    • Community Code of Conduct
    • Gauntlet Gameway
    • Play Issues and Contact
    • Sign Up Best Practices
  • Trophy Gold Incursion Contest

3/31/2021

Age of Ravens: Coriolis Forces

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
In my previous post I looked at Tales from the Loop & Things from the Flood, part of a new pair of offers on the Bundle of Holding. Today I want to offer some ideas and resources for Coriolis. I have less to offer on this side, but I love the promise of the setting. It’s wonderful to see a science-fiction world which doesn’t just start from Western elements and tropes. It’s an oversimplification to say that it’s Fading Suns, but Middle Eastern rather than Medieval European trappings. It does feel a little like that, but the Coriolis setting is richer.

I think there are few current space sci-fi games out there as different, vibrant, and coherent. The Transhumanist future of Spacejammer’s great, for example, but it feels more like a toolkit. You don’t get the visuals and premise of the setting like you do with Coriolis. Then there’s something like Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells which has a great feel but doesn’t come across as a deep setting with a rich specific history to interact with. There’s something about the way Coriolis offers a new take while keeping the world grounded.
 
Coriolis also provides a ton of great story hooks right out of the gate. The Factions offer a ton of color and possibility immediately. Getting the characters hooked into those at the start really helps fuel things. The idea of the Icons as important and present forces in the world helps to color everything. I love that there’s an emphasis on art, design, and appearance over strictly functional, Spartan design. Enough of the building frame aesthetic of Firefly, instead ships and places reflect a culture and belief way.

The supplemental materials are great—each planetary blurb sparks new ideas for adventures. I’m less found of the adventures and campaigns. They’re locked in fairly tightly. But if you’re willing to tear the best bits out to make you own stories, you’ll find a lot there.
 
Incidentally here’s my Coriolis Pinterest board

That being said, I’m not a fan of Coriolis’ rules. I’ve run quite a bit of the Mutant Engine (Coriolis, Tales/Things, ALIENS, Forbidden Lands, and Mutant: Year Zero). I think this dice system works best when it plays into the risk and scarcity of the setting. So I honestly think MYZ’s the best implementation of that, with FL and ALIENS coming in close behind. Tales/Things gets away with it because you’re rolling more rarely and it’s more of a meditative games—plus the way to clear conditions is story-driven rather than just a mechanical process.

There’s a great post Paul Beakley wrote about closing down his Coriolis game after only a few sessions. It’s sadly lost in the great G+ Vanishing. (WRONG! Paul's longer and more cogent analysis of Coriolis can be found here). But he broke down the system’s problems and it made me rethink my approach to the game. I’d backed the base Kickstarter and the first campaign module. But in Coriolis missed the mark in its implementation. At first it didn’t bother me, but I’ve come to realize why the system worked OK for me: because I wasn’t running it. Instead I was forcibly tweaking it as we played.

Beakley provided a cogent analysis of the absurdity of the risk/reward for making interstellar jumps in the game. Over any serious distances they became prohibitively expensive and dangerous. If you looked at the raw mechanics, that’s what would occur. But the fiction and the described play didn’t match that. So I was changing things on the fly to try to fit with that.

If I were going to play Coriolis from the book again, I would make these changed.
  1. Increase the skill ranks. The game as it stands now has significantly weak starting characters. It doubles down on that by making different classes have different staring attributes and skills.
  2. Allow for rerolls, but remove the idea of each one being a “prayer.” If you’re paying any attention to the fiction, that looks goofy. It weirdly mechanizes faith on a constant basis. I like the idea of pushing your roll and the fates. That works for me. To include the Icons, each player may choose to pray to one at the start of a session. From that point forward they get +1d when they roll a skill associated with that Icon. If you want to be more liberal, give them +2d if they had a ship shrine.
  3. One success is enough to do anything. Extra successes get spent for results. There’s no success with cost for a single 6. All of that should come from the Darkness Point economy. Follow the lead established in MYZ and TftL.
  4. Completely rework the economy. It’s trashy right now and stupidly restrictive. I understand there’s a line of sci-fi thinking which comes from old Traveller about the character’s finances driving everything. And that’s a little OK with me, but it’s so granular here. It’s effing nuts. Instead take the whole thing out and rebuild it ala Blades, with a simple Coin economy that allows for easy tracking and spends. Take out stupid parts—like having to pay to go through jump gates and such.
  5. Add more and more interesting psychic and other talents.
  6. Simplify combat. It means ditching some of the talents and a bunch of the details. Stick with MYZ’s basic approach. We don’t need an action point economy. Ditch some of the fancy. Stupid stuff like the automatic weapons rules. I’m not going for realism or even verisimilitude. I’m going for fun at the table.
  7. Reconceive Darkness Points. Yes, the GM gets them for players taking rerolls. But other sources get eliminated, like jumping through gates and shit. I might even extend that to Psychic powers and talents, replacing that with a usage die or stress cost (especially since some of these are rolled). What do GMs use Darkness Points for then? Activating special abilities works—with a higher cost for more potent ones. Calling on flaws or problems with characters and the ship. These cost more than one point since they’re significant. Ditch NPC rerolls or bonuses, breaking items, etc. as stand-alone shit. Instead use DPs to do GM Hard and Soft Moves. I’m going to leave that deliberately vague for the moment.
​OR BE IMPULSIVE
Or there’s another option as well. In 2019 I ran a long series of Coriolis, but using an adaptation of Impulse Drive. ID’s probably my favorite sci-fi PbtA iteration. You can see the character keeper for that here. If you want to run this you’ll need the Coriolis materials (helpfully in the Bundle of Holding right now) and the Impulse Drive rules.

Here's an online character keeper for that. 

A few words about this hack. It works pretty well—I mean it holds up decently. However it has two colliding issues that would need another round of tweaks to fix. First, Impulse Drive is made for the long haul. The Calamities system adds really interesting choices for the players. These are playbook-unique storyhooks that you take when your stress builds up they’re a super interesting part of the game. If you’re not playing for a long time, these won’t come into play. The same thing with certain elements of the ship rules for maintenance and stress.

But on the other hand, if you do play a long game, you’ll hit up against one of the design issues in the game. A lot of the playbooks—both in the original and in my hacked form—have moves which let you do what you’re good at better or in another way. They have a fairly narrow focus in what they can do. Characters can take moves from other playbooks, but that feels a little like a cop out. If I ran this again, I'd spend some time tweaking this first. 

Share

0 Comments

3/29/2021

Age of Ravens: Loops & Floods

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
By Lowell Francis, Gauntlet Gaming Community Manager
There’s a new set of great offers up on the Bundle of Holding, featuring Tales from the Loop, Things from the Flood and Coriolis. Offer 1 and Offer 2. Having run and tinkered with all of these games, I thought I’d pull together a couple of posts which have some resources for online play, thoughts on running them, alternate mechanics, and even an adventure. Today I start with Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood. 
 
TALES FROM THE LOOP
I wrote a post with a mini-review and some thoughts about running the game back in 2017. You can see that here.
Since then I've run Tales another dozen times and I think it holds true but a couple of other points have stuck with me.
  • First, go simple with the mysteries. I know that seems obvious, but try to have a clear through-line for the plot. This might not be for the reason you think. You want to keep them simple because you want to give the players space to do those home, family, and school scenes. If everything revolves around the mystery and there’s tons of plot points to follow, then those entanglements draw away from the life of these characters.
  • Second, your kids’ hideout is one of the most important factors in the story. Take time to describe it and get the players to contribute how their kid makes this place their own. Location’s important here as well—ideally the hideout’s not far away from everyone. It should be accessible.
  • Third, make it clear early on that adults aren’t helpful. Yes, the characters may have connections to adults in their backstory, but even these NPCs are prone to misunderstanding, having other obligations, or foisting them off on someone else who they think might be better suited to helping them.
  • Fourth, you really want to take the time to build your own setting, your own locale for the Loop. Find an area you know, trace & rework an existing map, decide for yourself how far out things range. Write down the names of local places you recall. Re-write the Relationships to NPCs sections of the character templates. This last one is important. Just creating those will build a universe of stories and ideas. You’ll have a stronger sense of your setting.
  • Sidenote: it isn’t that the US or Norwegian settings are bad. They aren’t. But they’re very particular and I think hard to generalize. This is even more true in Things from the Flood, but it’s also in play here. Make your own 1980s. If that isn’t your era, then find a good film or series set in those days and use that.
  • Fifth, one of the biggest issues kids will have in these stories—unless you a) have great public transport or b) the town’s really small—is getting from one place to another. It’s worth hitting that once or twice, but don’t keep leaning into that factor. It’s a challenge when it pops up once or twice, but an irritant when it keeps recurring.
  • Sixth, have a list of media from the period—songs, movies, games, etc. Having each kid pick their favorite song is a really fun exercise—but some players won’t know the period and you don’t want to leave them out. Here’s a sample list
  • Seventh, some players will go to violence as an option. It makes sense as you have a couple of the Iconic items which could feasibly be used as weapons. But the system doesn’t really support that. Any move to violence—especially against other people should be costly. Make a kid mark a condition if they want to lash out like that, and give them the option to reframe it in terms of intimidation or something else. This is especially true if kids want to use violence against older kids or teens.
  • Eighth, it can be easy to forget that tales takes place in an alternate reality with some differences in tech. Remember to describe the airships, robots, and other weird devices which are completely mundane and ordinary. Especially in contrast to massive, bulky tech like VCRs and portable phones.
  • Ninth, if you’re comfortable with improvisation and play, just start the characters in the middle of a hot summer day and something weird happens. In my session, they found a big, buzzing frog with cicada wings. That kicked everything off.
  • Finally, here’s a link to a decent starter mystery I wrote for Tales from the Loop. I’ve run this online and at conventions.
Here's a revised set of the character archetypes from my campaign setting. 

THINGS FROM THE FLOOD
Things is a strange beast. Even more than Tales, is it baked into a really specific culture feeling and place. I talked a little bit about that on the Gauntlet Podcast here. The bottom line is that there is a huge difference between the early 1990s in Europe and the United States. Massive—and the Things from the Flood setting’s built on a certain cultural feeling of change, despair, and Economic anxiety, that just isn’t present in the US during those years. So you have to consider that if you set your Flood locale somewhere else.
  • You can see my “Things to Know About Things from the Flood” document here. It’s a mix of the book’s advice for players and my own taken on the cultural situation which tries to split the difference.
  • Here’s my maps for the Midwestern City I used before and after the Flood.
  • Sample list of music from the period
  • Adapted character archetypes for TftF
  • A combined online character keeper for Tales and Things

Thoughts on Things from the Flood
  • I cannot stress this enough. If you want a great Things from the Flood game, run a Tales game and then move the story forward. The book doesn’t offer much in the way of guidance for doing that—essentially it’s make a new character and give them the same name. But I will tell you having that experience together as younger kids and then figuring out what has happened in between the two campaigns just makes things rich and deeper. It’s really good.
  • The conditions from Tales from the Loop don’t fit for the teens in Things from the Flood. Teens have more complicated reactions and emotions. Instead we created a short list which players could pick from when they marked a condition (Anxious, Bruised, Confused, Exhausted, Frustrated, Isolated, Saddened, Shaken).
  • Things from the Flood focuses on teens—but what that means can vary wildly. Your safety definitions and tone discussions need to be robust.
  • I haven’t really talked about it, but I generally take a “mystery landscape” approach when I run Tales and Things. Where I use the scenarios and materials from the books, I tend to scrape out the pieces I want to use. Often the scenarios presented either feel overly elaborate or off tone. I think that’s even more true with Things where your characters are about living day to day and trying to survive in strangeness. Find the bits you like and just use those. 
  • I mentioned above the question of violence. In Things from the Flood, there more room for those kinds of actions and stories. But I still think you need to be cautious. Teens are not adults—they may think they can do things like intimidate 20 somethings or build a bomb, but that has to be put into the context of the character. It’s a tone discussion and you need to be willing to stop to negotiate that in play if someone takes actions which feel wildly off from the reality you’ve established.
  • Things from the Flood is about decay and the breakdown of the promise of technology. In some ways it’s about the betrayal of adults selling out the future of our teens. And wow that could be dark. But I don’t think it has to be. I think the stories are better when they’re about the teen’s growth and coming to terms with how they approach adulthood and responsibility.
I’ve put together a starter list of scenario hooks for Things from the Flood. You can see that here. Some of these are my own, some are drawn from published materials, and some reworked from online groups. When we played, I gave the players the list and had each of them pick one as a potential hook for a story, either now or in the future. That worked OK—but it did mean that we had some stories we were sitting on for several sessions.

TOMORROW: CORIOLIS

Share

0 Comments

3/26/2021

Gauntlet Video Roundup - March 26, 2021

0 Comments

Read Now
 
[Gauntlet Calendar: Online Tabletop RPG Play]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Calendar video roundup! Enjoy these recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Calendar and the Gauntlet RPG Community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play or watch more games like these, check out the links and information at the bottom of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Plutonian Shore (Session 3)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Keith Stetson, and Mark (they/them)
The crew of the Beldon Mite escape the clutches of a Sith and return to get paid, head off on a new job, and are rudely interrupted.

Hutt Cartel (Session 3 of 4)
Will H runs for Anders, Philip Rogers, Rich Rogers, and Steven Watkins
WAR! Black Sun is beset on all sides by enemies. CSF officer Crix Herron decides to take crime boss Jaldar Ko for all he's worth! Street thug Skara acquires some heavy weaponry to take the fight to the Cartel's thugs, but her gang pays a high price when they try to get something for nothing from the Tenwa Clan! And for Rebel Spy Etema everything is getting too hot, too fast when Ko's men assault a Cartel stronghold - and walk straight into an ambush!

Gauntlet Quarterly

Under Hollow Hills (Session 1 of 13)
Jesse A. runs for Dan Brown, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Marleigh, and Rich Rogers
In which the Circus rolls into a wedding, and not everybody is thrilled.

Under Hollow Hills (Session 2 of 13)
Jesse A. runs for Dan Brown, Jamila R. Nedjadi, and Rich Rogers
In which the Circus performs for a wedding, and a Beast stops flickering and starts shimmering.

Under Hollow Hills (Session 3 of 13)
Jesse A. runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Marleigh, and Rich Rogers
In which the Circus arrives at a military camp, recently at peace, and uncovers armies ill at ease.

Under Hollow Hills (Session 4 of 13)
Jesse A. runs for Dan Brown, Marleigh, and Rich Rogers
In which the Circus performs for the assembled armies and their leaders, a message is sent about war, and attitudes begin to thaw.

Gauntlet Calendar

Liminal: 1970 Oxford II
Blake Ryan runs for Bodhi, Mander, Mendel Schmiedekamp, and Puckett
Ancient Fey and Frisky Ghosts!

Raccoon Sky Pirates: Playtest
Chris Sellers runs for Aniket, Brandon Brylawski, Josh H, and Matthew Arcilla
The valiant crew of the Dumpster Fire snags some sweet Trash, dumps water on the neighbor’s house, and puts the family dog through a very long day.

Tales of Xadia: (Playtest) Lost Oasis (Session 2 of 2)
David Morrison runs for Donogh, Marc Majcher, Peter, and The Rolistes Podcast
As the island of Innean continues on a collision course with the mountains, Winda and Vinaya work to negotiate between Feathershawl and Nausics to avoid a similar collision between the two elves. Eljaal leads the villagers in their evacuation efforts, and Diyan risks everything to achieve their goal.

Delta Green: Working Group Phoenix (Session 3)
Dennis Matheson runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Horst Wurst, Puckett, and Will H
Anger - The Agents suddenly discover that they have a new Handler, and that they are now working under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security. And that their mission is now a matter of national security. They must hurry, because the clock is about to strike Midnight in the Garden of Order and Chaos.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Victor Sector (Session 4 of 4)
Donogh runs for Bryan, Jim Likes Games, Puckett, and Rich Rogers
Victory is in the air, a sector cleared and their protection against the Blue Crystal proven, but talk about the Brigadier has obviously fallen on powerful ears and a deadly mutiny hits them hard...

Night's Black Agents: Underworld Promises (Session 11 of 12)
Lowell Francis runs for Paul Rivers, Pawel S., and Will H
The monastery break-in may have raised an alert, but the information gathered is vital for the next stage-- a descent towards the Underworld itself and the return of an old foe.

The Veil: Inheritance: System Matters (Session 4)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Sherri, Steven Watkins, and Tyler Lominack
The crew trails a trio of targets to an illegal space race, but must deal with their own hidden pasts before they can take down their bounties.

Against the Dark Conspiracy (Session 2 of 3)
Alun R. runs for ABS, Jason Zanes, Jim Likes Games, and Matthew Arcilla
Debriefing Kat Hulier hints at mysterious activity on a private island in the Adriatic. After trying to add detail to the situation we cut to a hotel where the team establish some complicated history while seeking relief from the horror carried forward from the last Operation. Then they get to the island using a cover developed in earlier scenes and divide their effort between the 'inside men' and the 'intrusion women'. There's occult symbology and an ancient grotto beneath a war criminal's palatial villa where some of them enjoy an entertaining drinks party. Then...a surprise, a set-up, and a confrontation...and an explosion...

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced, or catch one of our Gauntlet Community Open Gaming online mini-conventions.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Calendar games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Calendar games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Share

0 Comments

3/22/2021

Arcana Innominata: Age of Ravens

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
This is the alpha-draft of a storygame about creating a set of fortune or divinatory cards, ala the tarot, for a fantasy setting. It's an idea I've had for a while-- dating back to creating a set for my ongoing fantasy setting and using that to generate NPCs. This version's inspired by Microscope and Before the Storm. It's rough, but we're going to try a play through of this next month. Thanks to Chris Newton for the name and to Sam Zimmerman for feedback. 
​
SET UP
This is a game about creating a unique tarot for a fantasy world, and using a group of companion’s journey to help illuminate the world and the cards.

This is a game for four players.

Palette
Each person should add things (if they wish) to two lists: Things We Don’t Want to See and Things We’d Like to See. These refer to elements of the fantasy setting, rather than Lines & Veils (which would have come before Set Up). So if you don’t dig Dragons, you can say “I don’t want to see Dragons.” Players can negotiate about these choices or ask for clarification.

Suits
Our tarot deck is set up like a conventional deck: four suits of face cards which run Ace through King, with Page and Knight as face cards (Note: might switch out the gendered names King/Queen), and a Major Arcana of unique cards which run 0 through 21.

Going around the table, each player will come up with a name for one of the suits (Nails, Scythes, Crowns, Hopes, Nothing, Roads, etc). They will then choose up to two themes which their suit revolves around. A list of suggestions will be available, or players can come up with their own.

Characters
Next, going around each player will name a character and give a brief description of who they are. They’ll also pick what that person wants. Again, there will be a list or players can choose their own.

These characters will be the comrades in our party. They’re not exclusive to a player and may get picked up to play by anyone later in the game.

We don’t have to delve too deep and it’s better to work in archetypes here.

Next, as a group, decide the purpose of the fellowship. What’s their big quest or journey? Again, list will be offered or they can make their own.
 
We should be all set for play.

PLAY
The game is played in two-three rounds, depending on the time you have. In a round we take four turns, one for each player. Over the course of a round, everyone will have the chance to play each of the roles.

Play begins with the FORTUNE role.
The Fortune gives a name to a card, either one of the suit they named or a Major Arcana. They describe a little of what the card looks like and what it means. If the player chooses to name a suit card in the first round, they must name a Major Arcana in the second. If there’s a third round, they can name whichever they choose.

Play then moves to the READER role.
The reader first describes a little more about what the card looks like. The can describe a detail or element which was unobvious on first glance. Then they can choose to DELVE or REVERSE.

If they DELVE they describe a little about what the card’s imagery means in this fantasy world. Do it reflect a real world object? It is commenting on a political situation? Is it saying something about what is present or lost in this world? Basically they have the chance to explain some of the symbolism.

If they REVERSE, they describe the inverse meaning of the card. Based on the meaning described by the FORTUNE, they describe an antithesis or a complement. This doesn’t have to be the negative of the original meaning, but it should be transformed.

Play then moves to the HISTORY role.
The History then describes a situation or event which happened to either one of the Comrades or the party as a whole. This should describe an obstacle, problem, choice, or challenge to their quest and/or their desires. The situation should reflect some element of the card named by the FORTUNE—in meaning or physical details. (i.e. if there’s a cat on the card, the scene could revolve around cats).

Play then moves to the QUEST role.
Here the player takes plays out a scene of a comrade (either the one named by the HISTORY or their choice if the HISTORY described the party in general or more than one companion). They say how they faced the problem presented by the HISTORY. They can choose to narrate the solution/decision or they can play out what happens in character. If they latter, then the HISTORY can add elements or answer questions the QUEST has. The FORTUNE, the READER, and the HISTORY can play other comrades or NPCs as desired here.
​
Ideally these scenes should be short, 5-10 minutes at most. When the scene feels finished, someone says, “We turn over the next card.” Play then shifts clockwise, with the QUEST becoming the FORTUNE, and so on.

Once everyone has played each role, we begin a second round. It’s a good time to take a break, comment, etc. to signal the restart. If time permits, you can play a third round (or more).

Once that finish the rounds, we move to the READING.

READING
We now do a kind of epilogue in which we build a short reading based on the cards we’ve created. You should let people volunteer for order, or if uncertain then follow the existing order shifting one position from the last scene of the previous round.

The First Reader: The True Challenge
This person reads the prompt: “While we know something of what faced the quest, the true challenge which faced them was this.”
They then announce an established card, telling us how it represents what really stood in the way of the companions: a force, an institution, bonds, history, distrust, etc. The player may choose to narrate the card’s upright or reversed meaning.

The Second Reader: The Final Leg
This person reads the prompt: “While we have heard about the travels and path the quest took them on, the final leg of the journey cost them this.” They then announce an established card, telling us what was lost, sacrificed, or stolen in the final steps. This could be something concrete, it could be a character, it could be a land which fell because they weren’t fast enough. The player may choose to narrate the card’s upright or reversed meaning.

The Third Reader: What Comes to Pass: Hope/Fears
This person reads the prompt: “While we know why they wanted to complete the quest, in the journey they realized something new about their desires which was this.” They then announce an established card, telling us what new hope or fear came upon the quest as they reached the end. This could be a revelation, a revealed cost, a new possibility, or the like. The player may choose to narrate the card’s upright or reversed meaning.

The Last Reader: The Outcome
This person reads the prompt: “But in the end this is what happened.” They then announce an established card, telling us what it means for how the quest ended. They can narrate a little or a lot. The player may choose to narrate the card’s upright or reversed meaning. This narration has the highest stakes, so the player should feel free to check in with the table.

Share

0 Comments

3/19/2021

Gauntlet Video Roundup - March 19, 2021

0 Comments

Read Now
 
[Gauntlet Calendar: Online Tabletop RPG Play]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Calendar video roundup! Enjoy these recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Calendar and the Gauntlet RPG Community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play or watch more games like these, check out the links and information at the bottom of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Hutt Cartel
Will H runs for Anders, Philip Rogers, Rich Rogers, and Steven Watkins
Jaldar Ko kills yet another friend, whilst Etema the spy makes a move on the last of his old crew and grabs the bantha by the horns. Crix Herron tries to smooth it all over but can't keep up with Ko's moves - or his madness. Meanwhile on the mean streets of 1313, Skara barely escapes the former owners of his shiny new swoop. All hangs on the edge of a vibroblade in Coruscant's underworld!

Plutonian Shore (Session 2)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Greg G., Keith Stetson, and Mark (they/them)
The crew of the Beldon Mite face down a Tactical Droid and it's Buzz droid swarm to save the miners of Prak, but who is the real enemy driving this confrontation?

Gauntlet Sunday

Academy of the Blade (Session 6)
Lowell Francis runs for Darold Ross, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Patrick Knowles, and Sherri
With the expulsion hearing behind them, the students look to figuring out their feeling only to have a snap election for Student Council Rep thrown things into turmoil.

Gauntlet Quarterly

Last Fleet (Session 1)
David Morrison runs for Alex, Anders, Gerwyn Walters, and Steven S.
We meet our cast of characters. Lodestar marine and maverick pilot Olympia "Jinx" Vega, engineer and black marketeer Jesper Lye, the Dauntless' driven and by-the-book wing commander Jade "Sunset" Bakunawa, and Fleet Liaison to the Executive Board Mrs. Burnside. The fleet exits its most recent jump to come into contact with a drifting freighter. Life signs are discovered and a rescue is mounted, but the hulk still holds some secrets...

Gauntlet Calendar

Hearts of Wulin: Academy of the Blade (Session 1 of 4)
David Schultz runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Jesse A., Jon Grim, and Sam Zimmerman
In our first session, our students are tasked with preparing the ultimate exhibition for the upcoming school cultural festival. Love triangles, bargains with devils, and the threat of all-out war between clubs shouldn't pose a problem, right?

Hearts of Wulin: Academy of the Blade (Session 2 of 4)
David Schultz runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Jesse A., Jon Grim, and Sam Zimmerman
Our students make shadowy bargains with a secret society, ruin a romantic(?) three-way date, brawl in the streets with the new gang in town, and fight a decisive duel to determine the superiority of one club over another. Another productive day at the Academy!

Liminal: 1970 Oxford
Blake Ryan runs for Bodhi, Mendel Schmiedekamp, and Puckett
Investigators of the Supernatural. Geomancy, Protection Rackets and Werebadgers!

Community Radio
Donogh runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Brandon Brylawski, and Darold Ross
Join Ryan Cole, radio host with WBLK as he comments on the strange goings-on in Bleakwood MA. A strange eternity Ring, a curious Clockwork, an interview with Dog, and a tragic incident at Face Mart round out this week's show.

Visigoths vs Mall Goths (Session 2 of 4)
Shane runs for Brandon Brylawski, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Joe A., and Mendel Schmiedekamp
Could this be love blooming between the mall's rival goth cliques? And can this budding romance survive the looming and bloody roller-ransom ceremony planned for tonight's Valentine's Day Skate?

Delta Green: Working Group Phoenix (Session 2)
Dennis Matheson runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Horst Wurst, Puckett, and Will H
The FBI agents and specialists have discovered that the murder of Sara Martin was more than a random killing. But, can they uncover the truth before it strikes Midnight in the Garden of Order and Chaos. [The recorded video of the first session was lost, but check out a written recap here!]

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Victor Sector (Session 3 of 4)
Donogh runs for Bryan, Jim Likes Games, and Puckett
Lavery - The Brigade's Special Studies Group has identified an alien life form with natural immunity to the effects of the Blue Crystals, so they're sent in to retrieve some samples from the giant wasps' volcanic underground hive on Lavery...

Against the Dark Conspiracy (Session 1 of 3)
Alun R. runs for ABS, Jason Zanes, Jim Likes Games, and Matthew Arcilla
We meet Christian Okafor (former MI6 Provocateur); Devereaux Sinclair (freelancing former CIA Scalp Hunter); Mick Cornwall (Aussie Five Eyes SIGINT Handler gone rogue); and Sophia Manzanares (retired US Secret Service Driver) as they get a lead from a confidential source known only as 'Madame Mina'. There's streets full of celebrating locals, a reception at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, and shady security inside and out. Then a chase through the museum, desperate efforts to scan a picture, glitching comms...and The Night Watch aflame...

Free from the Yoke: Firebird Suite (Session 7)
Lowell Francis runs for Bryan, David Jay, and Samuel
The houses maneuver for power and the undoing of the Arbiter's plans for war, but an expedition to a sunken city changes the course of everything.

Night's Black Agents: Underworld Promises (Session 10)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, Pawel S., and Will H
The team lands in Istanbul and two members receive dangerous calls, but their investigation leads them to flip a member of the Orphic Vampire conspiracy and get a clearer trail.

The Veil: Inheritance: System Matters (Session 3)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Sherri, Steven Watkins, and Tyler Lominack
The team collects their pay and contracts for a new job with the completely trustworthy and unimpeachable Frau Laurent who watches them carefully as they eat...

Hearts of Wulin: Academy of the Blade (Session 3 of 4)
David Schultz runs for David Morrison, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Jesse A., and Sam Zimmerman
The Black Widow Syndicate closes in on our students as they wrestle with a fellow student's disappearance, a (direct quote) "absolute bisexual meltdown," and the grand reveal of a sinister figure. @David Morrison guest stars as Naomi, wielding a literal guitar from hell. Cheers to everyone for a total barn burner of a session!

Brinkwood Legacy: Season 3 (Session 3)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Daniel H., Joel N., Jon Grim, Josh Hittie, and Sherri
In this session our brigands infiltrate Fell's Hollow, and discover Sister Red's desperate plans for more power! Bastian and Slick orchestrate a harmony of chaos, Dovella learns an unkind truth that creates more questions, Semira draws the attention of a queen, and Cornyx discovers he was created for a great hope in the face of true despair. We hurtle towards our stunning climax with Sister Red!

Déclin Oblige: Alpha Playtest (Session 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Lowell Francis, Patrick Knowles, and Sherri
Déclin Oblige (working title!) is a social game of political intrigue. Players are nobles who are a part of the last seven houses of a broken land. These nobles wield terrible and awesome magic, tied to the land, that has been cursed from invaders centuries ago. Nobles will scheme and plot, working towards fulfilling their own agendas, in a world of decadence, high magic, immense power, and hubris. As the Interlude comes to an end, our nobles seek each other out to see what truths rise to the surface. At the center of this web is Gideon, the Persistent of the House of Blood & Bone.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced, or catch one of our Gauntlet Community Open Gaming online mini-conventions.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Calendar games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Calendar games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Share

0 Comments

3/16/2021

Age of Ravens: Free from the Yoke Rokugan

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
​I’ve run Free from the Yoke a couple dozen times now. It’s a generational low-fantasy Slavic-mythology inspired game built on Legacy: Life Among the Ruins. That’s an rpg I’ve run and talked about at length on the podcast and the blog (you can see my guide to Legacy here). I think Free from the Yoke’s my favorite iteration of the Legacy mechanics for several reasons.

First, it’s a simple and clear version of Legacy. It has a more straightforward and obvious economy. Only one of the House playbooks has changes to the basic engine of the game. Second, it has a theme and a framework. Other Legacy games require intense player world building without scaffolding. FFTY has lots of building, but there’s a shared basis to work from. Third, FFTY has clearer objectives for the players. If you’re not sure what to do, you can engage with the Arbiter’s project. That provides a goalpost for competition and development.

Note: this hack requires some knowledge of Free from the Yoke or at least Legacy (and why aren’t you trying that out? I also toss around some of the L5R backstory without fully explaining it.
​

FFTY STRUCTURE
Stripped down to the bone, Free from the Yoke has a basic premise. There was a unified state (nation, country, empire, etc). A crisis occurred which disrupted that state for a long period of time (invasion, occupation, ongoing war). That crisis has ended in greater part due to a leadership figure and their associates (called the Arbiter). The Arbiter now rules and sets the agenda for the land. Players take up the role of factions of the original state. They want to have the land thrive, but also pursue their own agenda. At the same time they also have to obey the Arbiter (at the moment) because of the power they wield.

This simple structure’s adaptable to several existing settings. You could easily do an Arthurian or Great Pendragon Campaign, following Arthur’s claim on power. Alternately, Fading Suns could be good—and would require coming up with some cool space travel and management systems. If you’re into Runequest, there’s Dragon Pass after the rise or Argath or the various Lunar Territories after the defeat of Sheng Seleris. But the one I immediately began thinking about after my first FFTY campaign was Legend of the Five Rings.

ROKUGAN’S CHALLENGE
Rokugan appeals to me as someone who started with the card game, wrote a set of miniature rules to play out skirmishes (twice), worked through most of the editions of the rpg, and ran games set there but always with homebrews. I like the concept of a high fantasy game which borrows samurai-era tropes.

That’s not to say L5R isn’t problematic. It’s a mish-mash that ignores cultural and historical differences over a multiple ranges. It fetishizes aspects of the culture. It gets the details wrong in too many places (like the names). Asians Represent has done a great overview and read through of the most recent edition of L5R. See here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbQUmmaVBxqrHrVZFBiuGSHBYx-KlhmAU

My adaption then borrows the large scale, more high fantasy concepts—especially since I want folks not familiar with the source material to play. It will echo L5R but not simulate that. Within that, two elements were hugely important to me, especially because the gameplay moves between high level and character play.

1. Regardless of how the various groups, clans, and institutions present it, honor is a social construct and not concrete. It is not an absolute and has no existence outside of society. In fact it is a tool used to support the existing order and constrain challenges to it. The different clans value different things and use the idea of honor as a means of enforcing that. While many might claim to adhere to the codes, honor is a concept that changes to suit the whims of those in control. It is a weapon of social control and power.

Mechanically this means that being “dishonored” is purely a social status imposed on persons. It puts persons as a disadvantage for social interactions.

2. Likewise the “Celestial Order”-- with its system of castes and hierarchies-- offers another method of control. It is not an absolute thing. Even if we accept in the fiction that it came from the Kami themselves, that does not make it true. It makes it a mythology that the potent Kami established to gain and cement their role. Like honor, what the Celestial Order is depends on who is invoking it and what they need in that moment.

PREMISE
The hack is set following the Second Day of Thunder, a big event in the long timeline of Legend of the Five Rings. That’s the immediate aftermath of the very first CCG cycle from the mid-1990s. The Empire has finally thrown off the yoke of the Dark Emperor, Fu Leng who held the throne for several years. The Shadowlands and corrupted forces which overwhelmed the land have been thrown back.

A new Emperor, Toturi I, has taken the throne in the aftermath. He represents the start of a new Imperial Dynasty and oversees the process of rebuilding. There are eight major clans. We keep the general feel and theming of them but not the specifics. Some of that shapes the history questions for the clan playbooks. I reference specifics (like family names and places) sparingly. The full history of L5R doesn’t matter—instead players have a decent starting point and can build their clan as they like.

History questions revolve around customs (rule, others see us as, but we are); the Time of the Void (during the clan wars); and After the Day of Thunder (the recent aftermath)

MECHANICAL CHANGES
  • Several of the clan themes map fairly directly over to L5R. The Mantis are the sailor house; the Unicorn are the horse-riders; the Phoenix are the church. In some cases like the Crab, Crane, and Lion I had to make some major tweaks and swap moves around. In a few cases I modified moves from other Legacy games.
  • For the character playbooks I added a couple of new roles. The Shugenja and the Priest/Monk share elements of the Loremaster. The Magistrate and the Daimyo have the largest changes.
  • Gear remains largely the same with additions and changes to some of the tags. The same with the resources for Needs & Surpluses. The Ritual rules have been tweaked to make it clearer how one learns and uses rituals. I increased the number of sample rituals and gave the Shugenja an advantage in casting these. These are big, potent spells and not things you throw around idly.
  • The basic moves remain largely the same. I added a Duel move for use against NPCs and also a move for resolving PVP duels. This differs from the FFTY mechanics. I added a mechanic for Dishonor to make it clear it’s purely a social consequences. The basic House moves remain the same.
  • Because I didn’t want to do too much work, I only went with one form of the Arbiter (as opposed to the three from FFTY). The projects remain mostly the same and the Arbiter’s Agents are just renamed versions with a couple of tweaks.
  • You can see the character keeper with all of this here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18ok5krSHXzQVLqzUAwUBWGBIaSrx5K2u3Ex0U_zimHI/edit?usp=sharing    The Emperor Playbook here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qhnGVseSDfPTKUaDEx_roetnNGfvnK72oFnUVqaUtm4/edit?usp=sharing  The Emperor Project Playbooks here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14iHcAdSe4cbMDIkH1iRcUw0Alnjp1853PoctoxaaBzg/edit?usp=sharing  The Agents of the Emperor document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gT17qsdcMjMtEeWkvlXOidSnsAfO8Zv-5su42femapQ/edit?usp=sharing
PLAY
We did eight sessions as a first live trial of this hack. We had four players who chose the Crab, Crane, Phoenix, and Unicorn Clans. The other Clans, as well as Imperial Houses and minor clans, served as NPC factions. In eight sessions we got through two projects. For the first they chose a grand project of building a series of bridges. This had tensions about where they would be placed and what kind of access they would offer. The second project involved the bringing of greater numbers of folks into the ranks of the buke and samurai. That was interesting as it added an ethical dilemma about the existing hierarchies.

The players chose the Master of the Masterless as the Emperor’s form, which implied the existence of a large body of warriors demobilized following the victory against the Shadowlands. They chose the Emerald Magistrate as the Emperor’s Agent. Players played this Agent twice in the Zoom Ins we did.

Overall everyone ended up happy with the play and wanted to return to it. Three of the players had experience with the Legend of the Five Rings backstory. The player with the least experience played the Unicorn Clan and made it their own. It felt right—and we managed to only go down the rabbit hole of lore a couple of times.

You can see a playlist with the session videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUKV1MEOXoTVvsVp9Qvc4Ku8_iQ0tZQW0

FUTURE CHANGES
While I’m happy with the hack, there are some things which need fixing or tweaking.
  • More Arbiter types—to expand the choices the players have.
  • More Projects—this is actually more important to me than more Arbiter types. These are key to shaping play and I want more variety. I’ve done the same ones several times, because they’re easy to grasp (the construction one in particular).
  • More and clearer paths for gaining and using Influence. The current default influence gain move for the clans are decent, but often get forgotten. It would be nice to make that sub-system feel more important, especially for the clans which have more social power.
  • More options available for the Subterfuge move. Some additional consequence choices for the Claim by Force. One way, though it might be more complicated than its worth, would be to have clan unique costs and/or 12+ results.
  • We never really tested out the duel or PVP moves in any meaningful way. Need to do more of that—also need to test out the Open Battle move. Despite having run the game multiple times, I haven’t really seen it used by players.
  • Want to go through the Clan playbook moves and look for ones which are weaker, hard to trigger, or don’t come into play based on the way I run the game. We tweaked the “Know the True Nature of Your Partners” move for the Crane Clan in play. A few others felt like weaker choices. The “Trade Networks” move (Crab Clan) has the same problem that I’ve seen with it in the sessions of Free from the Yoke I’ve run—we tend to abstract things on the map, so this doesn’t feel appropriate.
  • Would like to create an event generator to add some additional threats and wrinkles. On a related note, I would need to do a GM guide to the kinds of hard moves and reactions which are appropriate.
OVERALL
This was great fun--- both to play and to write. Free from the Yoke’s one of my favorite games. It has the advantage of PbtA in that prep is really about just reviewing the situation and looking over player requests from the last session. But it’s one of the most intense GMing experiences I’ve ever had. You constantly juggling things as you run.

This hack could easily work as the basis for an expanded fantasy game, samurai or not. I think you could easily file of the serial numbers from what I’ve got here. There’s lots of other Legacy family games which could be inspiration for that. I probably will do another pass on this and run it again, but I’ll also be thinking about a Fading Suns or Dune-like version as well. 

Share

0 Comments

3/12/2021

Gauntlet Video Roundup - March 12, 2021

0 Comments

Read Now
 
[Gauntlet Calendar: Online Tabletop RPG Play]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Calendar video roundup! Enjoy these recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Calendar and the Gauntlet RPG Community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play or watch more games like these, check out the links and information at the bottom of the post.

Star Wars Saturday

Plutonian Shore (Session 1)
Rich Rogers runs for Alexi S., Greg G., Keith Stetson, and Mark (they/them)
The crew of the Beldon Mite race to stop a Clone Wars-era military droid from devastating a mining colony, and run right into bad memories.

Hutt Cartel (Session 1)
Will H runs for Anders, Philip Rogers, Rich Rogers, and Steven Watkins
AN UNDERWORLD AT WAR! Following the attack on the Hutt Cartel, BLACK SUN has seized control of the spice trade on Coruscant. On the streets and sub-levels of 1313, crime lord JALDAR KO dodges death and the Heat with the aid of ETEMA the rebel spy. Plucky street hawk SCARA loses her speeder bike to a fleeing traitor but CSF Officer CRIX HERROR helps clean up the mess.

Gauntlet Sunday

Academy of the Blade (Session 5)
Lowell Francis runs for Darold Ross, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Patrick Knowles, and Sherri
We begin the second arc of this series in which plots are revealed, a sister is confronted, and a surprise figure advocates for Takahiro at his expulsion hearing.

Gauntlet Quarterly

Last Fleet (Session Zero)
David Morrison runs for Alex, Anders, Gerwyn Walters, and Steven S.
In this Session Zero, we introduce the game, learn about the Battlecarrier Dauntless and their fleet of colony ships. Already fleeing a decaying Earth, they escaped before the final devastation of the planet by the mysterious Geists, alien beings who have the ability to possess machines but have never been seen in person by humanity. We discuss the characters who will be introduced fully next time.

Last Fleet (Session 6)
Jim Likes Games runs for Bethany H., Brandon Brylawski, Joe, Lowell Francis, and Patrick Buechner
The Fleet deals with the aftermath of the alien attack, uncovering crucial information that will allow them to go on the offensive...

Gauntlet Calendar

Brinkwood Legacy: Season 3 (Session 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Joel N., Jon Grim, Josh Hittie, and Sherri
In this session we return to the Brinkwood to start our third season of Brinkwood Legacy! Our characters help the Dryads reconnect to the forest and begin healing, and remind each other what they're fighting for.

Trophy Gold: The Soul Sword Forge (Sessions 3 and 4 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Daniel H., Jan, Jon Grim, and machinic
Castle Rex has lain abandoned these last 20 years. Since the Creator disappeared and the great war ended without resolution, no one has been able to retain control over the castle. Stories of ancient magics, terrific treasures, and a forge of creation itself have lured you into the castle depths. Will you make it out alive?

Quest: Spelljammer (Session 4)
David Walker runs for Chase Ordonis, David Morrison, Leandro Pondoc, and Robbie Boerth
The Spiritfarer and her crew land on Ginja and the hospitality of its Gnomish inhabitants. Deslas does the tourist thing, Varin finds out why you aren't supposed to go into the deep water whilst Harrow and Abraxas make mortal enemies of the Cartographers Guild.

Visigoths vs Mall Goths (Session 1 of 4)
Shane runs for Brandon Brylawski, Jamila R. Nedjadi, Joe A., and Mendel Schmeidekamp
The Visigoths have kidnapped Raven Goldberg and are holding him hostage. Can the Mall Goths find him before the Valentine's Day Skate, or will they have to leave the ground floor of the mall...forever?

Tales of Xadia: Lost Oasis (Playtest) (Session 1 of 2)
David Morrison runs for Donogh, Marc Majcher, Peter, and The Rolistes Podcast
We meet our party of adventurers - Vinaya a Durenian nobleman, her best friend Diyan the guardsmen, their companion Winda the scout, and the newest member of the band Eljaal, a Moonshadow elf who has turned their back on their training as an assassin. The meet their new employer, an enigmatic elven mystic Feathercloak, to retrieve an artifact from an abandoned flying city on a collision course with a mountain range. But when they reach their destination, they learn that not all is as it first seemed...

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Victor Sector - Le Brocquy (Session 2 of 4)
Donogh runs for Bryan, Jim Likes Games, Puckett, and Rich Rogers
The Brigade arrives at Le Brocquy station, to pick up newly tested munitions, but they are instantly attacked by a strange alien force of shadowy creatures and are in a fight for their lives.

Free from the Yoke: Firebird Suite (Session 6)
Lowell Francis runs for Bryan, David Jay, Sam Zimmerman, and Scot Ryder
Alliances are forged and minor factions have their day, as Samat travels to the Valley of the Mist and learns what must be sacrificed to defend the land.

Night's Black Agents: Underworld Promises (Session 9)
Lowell Francis runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, Pawel S., and Will H
Despite the looming threat in Istanbul, (most of) the group decides they need to eke out a victory in Barcelona leading to a kaleidoscope of sketchy plans and the sinking of a luxury yacht.

The Veil: Inheritance: System Matters (Session 2)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Sherri, Steven Watkins, and Tyler Lominack
The job of extracting their target becomes complicated by a wistful ship, well-armed passengers, an arrogant client, and a weirdly overlaid tale of romance and murder.

Brinkwood Legacy: Season 3 (Session 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Joel N., Jon Grim, Josh Hittie, and Sherri
In this session we meet Slick, a new brigand to join the rebellion. Our characters plan to finally make their move against Sister Red, who has grown desperate to find a new source of power.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced, or catch one of our Gauntlet Community Open Gaming online mini-conventions.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Calendar games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Calendar games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Share

0 Comments

3/10/2021

History of Licensed RPGs (Part VIII 2001-2002)

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
ADAPTING TO THE MARKET
The time of d20 adaptations is upon us in these lists. Six of the games on this list used the d20 SRD in one form or another. On the one hand, they could write their games as complete stand-alones, using the basics. This would allow them to offer a complete book without the need for the other products from WotC. In particular it would allow them to include certain kinds of character info, like the experience point/level tables. But that also necessitated repeating all of the basic rules like combat, equipment, and so on. For companies that’s a win in that it’s an easy page count. For buyers not so much as each game they buy has tons of repeated material. 

Or companies could opt in to the more restrictive license, making the system incomplete and requiring that buyers also have the D&D Players Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide. This allowed them better compatibility branding. It also meant they didn’t have to completely repeat the core rules systems. What’s surprising (not surprising) is how many companies went this route and still copy & pasted those sections to flesh things out. 

I’m being cynical here-- I don’t know what the market pressures for these products were. Did one sell better than another? Was one more likely to be carried by local stores? Did buyers actually care about this? I don’t know. It’s easy to look back and make a judgement, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Especially knowing that 2003 would bring version 3.5 to the table and really signal the start of the d20 bust. 
​

Picture
LICENSORS DICE
This list focuses on products which adapt novels, movies, video games, or comic books. I’ll generally restrict myself to official licenses. My comments offer a mix of context, commentary, description, and review. If you see something I’ve missed from 2001 to 2002, please tell me in the comments.

PREVIOUS LISTS
History of Licensed RPGs (Part I 1977-1983)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part II 1984-1985)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part III 1986-1989)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part IV 1990-1992)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part V 1993-1995)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VI 1996-1998)
History of Licensed RPGs (Part VII 1999-2000)
History of Universal RPGs
History of Post-Apocalyptic RPGs
History of Steampunk & Victoriana RPGs
History of Cyberpunk RPGs
History of Superhero RPGs
History of Horror RPGs
History of Wild West RPGs
Samurai RPGs

Corum (2001)
Darcsyde Productions, which may well be the most 1990’s name for an rpg company, produced this adaptation of Michael Moorcock’s work. It’s a supplement for Stormbringer (I’m assuming the later version of the system) using Basic-Roleplaying. Corum’s a solid sourcebook for those who dig this particular incarnation of the Eternal Champion. Darcsyde was also supposed to release a Hawkmoon supplement, but that ended up being put out as a Chaosium monograph.

Dragon Lords of Melniboné (2001)
Chaosium takes a bite at the d20 apple. And why not? The Elric novels were a key inspiration for early D&D and other fantasy rpgs. Chaosium takes the smart step of offering this as a setting sourcebook rather than doubling down on a big new d20 full-scale line with it. This allows them to offer some mechanical material while repurposing setting details from earlier products. They would release only one other item for the line, the adventure Slaves of Fate. BB Publishing, an Italian publisher, released an additional adventure Una Spada Chiamata Tentatrice in 2002.

The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game (2001)
I’ll quote from an earlier review I wrote: “The Dying Earth is my favorite rpg that my players never want to play again.” You can see my full write-up of that here.

Dying Earth’s striking and Pelgrane did a wonderful job of adapting the feel of Vance’s stories. However it falls into a middle group of games which seem to aim for rules-lightness and story-focus, but actually have a lot of moving parts and systems (see also HeroQuest, Headspace, Atomic Robo). This is a personal reaction OOH.

Pelgrane supported this line with a ton of great material, including the Kaiin Players Guide, one of the best city supplements ever written. Like seriously, I want to see more stuff like this.  In 2014 Pelgrane released The Dying Earth Revivification Folio. This would use the rules from Skullduggery to retune the Dying Earth and overcome many of the obstacles mentioned in my original review. I’ll admit I have not tried that out.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying (2001)
2001 saw the release of the most important fantasy film ever: The Fellowship of the Ring. Decipher, which had taken up the license after Iron Crown lost it, used their Star Trek CODA system as a basis. The first release, clearly intended to fit with Fellowship’s release timing, was a thin boxed set called The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Adventure Game. It features basic roleplay info, maps, counters, etc. Decipher released only a single add-on for this version, a boxed set of The Two Towers in 2002.

Decipher poured more energy into the large scale, full-color hardback iterations of their LotR license. This built on the CODA mechanics as well, but for a fuller game rather than a light intro. Despite its promise and big budget presentation only five real products came out for it: the core rules, a Fellowship sourcebook, the Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic bestiary, Helm’s Deep, and Isengard. Everything offered smaller, lighter materials like the Maps of Middle Earth set. Decipher’s last releases came in 2005 with the last lotR material published alongside the final two Star Trek sourcebooks. 
​

Picture
The Metabarons (2001)
After their West End Games’ collapse, Yeti Entertainment purchased them to form a new company. But Yeti was in turn owned by Humanoids Publishing, making it part of an even larger European comics publisher with Heavy Metal magazine in its portfolio. They hoped to expand into the American market. There was perhaps a time in the 1980s when a Heavy Metal rpg might have grabbed real attention, but that was past. Instead the publishers gambled on one of their most popular properties: Metabarons. 

Which would have been great-- it had amazing art, a strong backlog of material, and was written by filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. Not surprisingly, it had a Dune-like vibe. They released a striking corebook with gorgeous illustrations, a refined version of the d6 system, and contributions from veteran designer Aaron Allston. 
But no one really knew Metabarons in the US, outside comics collectors and those who followed avant-garde sci-fi. The lack of interest led to the publisher shutting everything down. A few French-language supplements supported the line, but it ultimately went nowhere. 

Guardians of Order
The prolific and problematic publisher GOO released three anime sourcebooks in this period: Serial Experiments Lain, Parallel Dual!, and Hellsing. All of these were compatible with GOO’s house system: Big Eyes, Small Mouth. While the first two came in single 112 page editions, GOO split the Hellsing supplement into two volumes. Like the other products in this line these leaned more towards being fan guides than gamable material. They had mechanics, but those very much took a backseat to providing setting background. 

While online fan sites for these series existed at this point, they hadn’t grown into the archives and phenomenon that they would in the decade to come. The GOO fanbooks offered one of the few good ways to find out more about these series. The publisher clearly hoped these products would expand their reach into bookstores and mass distribution, but they never reached that level. Throughout the late 200s and early 2010s you would find many of these sourcebooks in the bargain bins of shops at conventions. 

A reminder that that you should google the publisher, Mark C. MacKinnon, before buying or supporting the new edition of BESM.

The Legacy of Zorro (2001)

Zorro’s a series which has never gotten it’s due. Despite Disney TV series, comics, movies, and references in other media (like nods to it in Batman) it hasn’t lit a fire of excitement. It’s too bad as it open sup another angle to “Wild West” stories both in culture and heroism. 

Gold Rush Games released this short, stand-alone rpg using their Fuzion system. The book itself clocks in at only 32 pages and is clearly intended as a starting point rpg. It has complete rules, pre-gen characters, and cut-out figures. GRG only ever released this product, leaving Zorro on the shelf until 2020’s Zorro: The Roleplaying Game from Gallant Knight Games.  

Picture
Rune (2001)
Rune gets overlooked as an innovative and interesting game design. First, it’s a GM-full game, with players trading off responsibilities for creating scenes and setting up scenarios. Second, it’s a competitive rpg with characters scoring points for successes and victories. The former would become a mainstay of indie design in the 21st Century and while we can see something like the latter in the recent Agon. 

Keep in mind this would have been the same time we started to get some important indie designs (Sorcerer, De Profundis, Little Fears). But Rune came from an established company with a decent reach, Atlas Games. And it was a radical approach to take with a licensed product. 

A product, mind you, that you might have completely forgotten by this point. Rune was an action-adventure video game in the mold of Unreal or Heretic. It had a rich Viking-based mythology and a strong multi-player component. However it didn’t garner great reviews and only saw a single expansion pack and a bad port to the PS2. A sequel would come out almost two decades later which ended in a studio closure and legal wranglings.

I’m not saying Rune directly influenced future designers, but it is indicative of the new approaches starting in the new millennium. Atlas released two supplements, Enter the Viking and Crouching Wizard, Smashing Hammer, the latter being a short, booklet adventure. In 2003 they released Last Hero in Scandinavia, an adventure which has both d20 and Rune stats. Rune must have had a substantial print run as copies can still be found for a reasonable price.   

The Wheel of Time (2001)
On the one hand, I admire the optimism of putting out a Wheel of Time rpg in 2001. The hope that what would come later wouldn’t invalidate your material. On the other hand, by this time nine massive books would have been out and if that isn’t enough to draw on, I can’t imagine what would be.

WoT opts for the complete and stand-alone d20 adaptation approach. As I mentioned at the start, rather than requiring the PH and DMG, you could play just from this. But a lot of this book is spent representing the basic rules and systems of the d20 SRD. What’s added isn’t that revolutionary, instead tweaking and modifying existing d20 classes and concepts. Complaints about that repetition appears in several reviews. WotC only released one supplement for this line--Prophecies of the Dragon—which presented a large campaign adventure in a hardcover edition.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game (2002)
The arrival of Buffy's arguably one of the most important developments in popular horror. It added new tropes and refined others. It also managed to balance humor, drama, and horror pretty well. Buffy offered a contrast to Vampire which wasn't solely parody or snark. Instead it presented a way you could have horror combined with real concerns about life, struggles for identity, and questions of existence- without what many saw as the self-indulgence and posing of some VtM games and gamers. Eden smartly went with a lighter set of rules, Cinematic Unisystem. BtVS plays pretty well and the sourcebooks do an excellent job of offering game material and fan reference. 

Unfortunately the line ended before we could see products in the pipeline like Welcome to Sunnydale and The Initiative sourcebook. Eden followed up this success with the Angel Roleplaying Game in 2003. It’s a missed opportunity as this was a great line with really well-presented books. 

EverQuest Role-playing Game (2002)
Released from White Wolf’s Sorcery & Sorcery Studios, the Everquest RPG was an ambitious adaptation to a d20 system. The core book was a huge stand-alone book with all the classes, races, and spells from the original video game. The first three releases were a Player’s Handbook, a Game Master’s Guide, and a Monsters of Norrath bestiary. The company would support the line with several releases over the next couple of years. In 2005 they put out two books for Everquest II to work with the newly split MMORPG. That would be the end of the line, despite talk that future releases would feature stats for both versions. 

It’s interesting because this split and tapering off parallels the same one which happened with Everquest and Everquest II. That split the player base, with many opting to remain with the original game. And just as EQ bled players to other, shinier new mmos, d20 games would feel the pinch when D&D 3.5 and 4e collapsed the d20 bubble. 
​

Picture
Farscape Roleplaying Game (2002)
Was this game unfairly cut off like the series it came from? idk. Farscape chose the alternate route of not making a stand-alone core book, instead requiring the d20 Player’s handout for character creation and other core rules. It’s a good move that ought to have allowed them to focus more time and space on offering setting material. But it does tie them to the fate of d20 itself...which I keep mentioning and foreshadowing.

But Farscape didn’t escape from the rule-reprint factor that plagued d20 games of this era. While it requires a couple of elements found in the PH & DMG, allowing it to use the full d20 branding, it reproduces a lot of the core rules. These eat up a ton of the page count for the back half. On the other hand, the first hundred plus pages are a dynamite sourcebook for the series. It’s also one of the few licensed games from these lists you can still buy copies of. You can get this on DTRPG as a pdf. 


GURPS
Steve Jackson only released two licensed products for GURPS in this period, but they’re both kind of amazing. The first, GURPS Conspiracy X (2002), reworked Eden Studios’ game of modern conspiracy investigation. It’s one of the largest GURPS sourcebooks out there. The writers did a great job adapting the original. They also provided a ton of source material, background, and ideas. It’s super solid. In particular the material on the different strings PCs can pull depending on which agency they come from is dynamite. This is one of the best GURPS sourcebooks.  

The other release, GURPS Alpha Centauri (2002), is great in other ways. While it's the size of other sourcebooks, it’s also one of the few hardcover setting books for the line. It is also not for the faint of heart. All of the legendary GURPs crunch comes into play here combined with a hard sci-fi approach to presenting the background and materials. It disappointingly doesn’t provide much in the way of tools for a generational or long-term historical games. You can read my full review of it here.

​Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying (2002)
A really lovely little game and sourcebook I regret not picking up when it came out. I've knocked Steve Jackson Games in the past for odd licensing choices (GURPS Planet Krishna?). Hellboy's a dynamite choice. It combines action, horror, and strange powers. The game also came out a couple of years before the first film, so it had that combined with a successful comic book line. While Hellboy's both a sourcebook and an rpg, the book entangles the rules with the sourcebook material more than other similar products. That works against it more than a little. Readers looking for extensive background on the series may be put off by the stats and numbers everywhere. They have to read around the game.

GURPS Lite powers the rules. I don’t dig GURPS’ approach to Supers. I know some gamers generated great campaigns with it, but I disliked its clunkiness. Hellboy covers a much narrower set of powers and abilities. It has interesting options, including ritual paths and psychic powers. GURPS supplements and sub-systems work when they operate in a narrower and better defined range. Hellboy doesn't have to cover everything. I'm unsure how well it did for SJG. It arrived just before they transitioned to GURPS 4e which I expect drew attention away from it. You can still find copies online for a decent price.


Picture
The Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game (2002)
The second of the four (so far) Judge Dredd rpgs. Mongoose's first whack at the setting uses d20, and requires the Players Handbook to play. Players choose between Street Judges, Psi-Judges, and Citizens for class. The last choice seems to be on offer if a group wants to play a criminal game set in Mega-City One. If someone pitched me on a Dredd game where we didn't play judges, but instead the people who get killed by Judges I'm pretty sure I'd less-than-politely decline. As you can imagine there's a plethora of new feats, crunchy combat options, and lots of equipment from robots to guns. The line did well enough for Mongoose to publish many supplements, the majority in the Rookie's Guide series. They released the last books in the series in 2004; several years later they came back with a version based on Traveller.

Red Dwarf: The Roleplaying Game (2002)
Comedy is hard, but rpg designers keep making comedic rpgs. The Red Dwarf rpg has the advantage of being built on an existing and beloved franchise. It smartly avoids the fact that there are only really four characters in the universe by having the players make up alternate reality versions of the Red Dwarf crew. 

The production isn’t that great-- with black & white interiors and promo images. Surprisingly for this time, it isn’t a d20 game. Instead it builds on a simple 2d6 attribute+skill vs. difficulty test. It’s workable and simple and lets the focus be on the characters and absurd situation. 

Deep7Press only released three products for the line: the core book, a GM screen, and a series sourcebook going over every episode. 

Slaine: The Roleplaying Game of Celtic Heroes (2002)
Slaine’s a 2000 AD property I’d never heard of. Then husband and wife Pat Mills (Nemesis the Warlock, Marshall Law) and Angela Kincaid (The Butterfly Children) created and wrote the series. Slaine’s a barbarian fantasy series based on Celtic mythology with a distinct heavy metal and neo-pagan vibe to it. It’s a d20 game, requiring the use of the D&D PHB. 

Most reviews for it are pretty positive-- liking the game’s classes, new character elements, and general feel. This, alongside Judge Dredd mentioned above, was one of the first two rpgs produced by Mongoose though they’d been turning out d20 products for a while before this. They supported it with nine supplements over this and the following year-- with a strong focus on splat books covering the different tribes of the setting. 

The d20 Bust hit them in 2003 and they closed this line down along with several others. In 2007 they returned to Slaine, offering it as a setting book for their line of Runequest products produced under license from Issaries, Inc.   

Star Trek Roleplaying Game (2002)
The Star Trek license had been going great guns under Last Unicorn when they lost the license to Decipher. As mentioned on a previous list, the change came suddenly with many LUG titles cancelled despite being almost finished. This version took a combined approach—lumping all eras of play together into a single ruleset. Modiphius would follow this lead with Star Trek Adventures.

Decipher released eight core and sourcebooks, including ones for the Mirror Universe, Creatures, and Starships. The final releases came only three years later in 2005, though it wouldn’t be until 2007 that they gave any official notice of shutting down the line. ​

Share

0 Comments

3/8/2021

The Day Move and the Night Move in Brindlewood Bay

0 Comments

Read Now
 
By Jason Cordova
This is the second post in a series about running Brindlewood Bay. The first, “Revealing a Clue in Brindlewood Bay,” can be found here: 
https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/revealing-a-clue-in-brindlewood-bay

At first glance, the Day Move and the Night Move in Brindlewood Bay seem like standard Act Under Pressure/Defy Danger/catch-all type moves you might find in other Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games, but with the novelty that one is used during daytime scenes and one is used during nighttime scenes. However, these moves are extremely intentional in their design—they are meant to create a very specific type of experience at the table—and so they’re worth spending some time to understand. 

The text of the moves are below; this blog post assumes you otherwise understand the basics of Brindlewood Bay.
Picture
The Negotiation: Keeper Honesty and Player Agency
An important thing to keep in mind before we get into the details: follow the text of these moves closely. It’s easy to get a little loose with how you interpret PbtA moves at the table, or how you resolve them, but you can’t do that with the Day Move and the Night Move. These moves are a very precise, structured negotiation between Keeper and player, designed to evoke a certain type of play at the table, and if you don’t follow them closely, you’re going to get weird outcomes or players are going to feel cheated. 

There are two key ideas here: Keeper honesty and player agency. Keepers have to be honest with players about, say, how the player’s character is vulnerable on a Day Move 7-9, or how the outcomes are worse than the player feared on a Night Move. The Keeper can’t say one thing during the negotiation aspect of the roll and then do another thing when it comes time to narrate the fiction. This honesty is important because it has an effect on player agency. Players hold the right to back out at different times, depending on which move is being resolved, and they need all the relevant information from the Keeper in order to make that decision.

This all might seem unnecessarily complicated, but there’s an intention here: to create a play culture at the table wherein players have some authority over how things go in the story. It’s also important because Brindlewood Bay doesn’t have hit points or anything like that—when it comes to harm, characters are either injured or dead. You need a very structured negotiation on the die roll when you’re dealing with that kind of “swinginess” in the fiction.

One last note about player agency: sometimes Keepers tell me their players felt like they didn’t have a choice when it came to putting on a Crown—that, if the alternative to putting on a Crown was character death, of course they’re going to put on a Crown. My answer to that is twofold: 1) they did have a choice: Brindlewood Bay embraces an ethos that players have the ultimate control over when their character dies, and choosing to have them die rather than putting on a Crown is a valid choice if it’s dramatically interesting, and 2) their agency took place earlier in the Day/Night move, as discussed above—provided the group carefully followed the move text. 

The Fictional Trigger
So let’s breakdown the actual text of these moves, starting with the all-important triggers. In both cases, the trigger is when you “do something risky or face something you fear.” The first part of the trigger is easy, because it’s the sort of active move trigger we’re well accustomed to in PbtA games. Essentially, any action that’s dangerous or risky that isn’t also actively investigating a mystery is the Day Move or the Night Move, depending on what time of day it is in the fiction. If the action is part of an active attempt at gathering information, that’s The Meddling Move, regardless of how risky it is (although some Keepers might say you have to make a Day/Night Move to avoid the risk before you can get the Meddling Move roll, which is perfectly legit—I tend to wrap it all up in one Meddling Move, but it depends on the circumstances, and Keepers can certainly do whatever feels right in the moment). 

The second part of the trigger, “face something you fear,” is usually overlooked because it’s a passive trigger. Please, please, please do not overlook this part of the move—it’s so important to the game’s genre and tone. If a Maven has a gun pulled on her, if she sees something disturbing from a Void Clue, if the lights in the room suddenly go out, if she has to walk down a dark alleyway—the move is triggered. If you’re unsure whether the move should be triggered, ask the player, “How does your Maven feel right now?” If their answer even hints at fear, trigger the move. I know it feels unusual because we’re accustomed to active move triggers as opposed to passive ones, but the fiction that flows from when the move is triggered this way is very on-genre and leads to great storytelling—do not forget it. 

"Name What You’re Afraid Will Happen…"
This is the negotiation aspect of the Day/Night Move. It’s not a back-and-forth negotiation—it’s more structured than that—but it is nevertheless a negotiation, and important to figuring out how the move resolves. 

Let’s start with the Day Move. Initially, only the player gets to speak in the negotiation, by saying what they’re afraid will happen if they fail or lose their nerve. The Keeper doesn’t have to follow the player’s idea when narrating a miss, but the rules encourage them to do their best to honor what the player suggested, and in this way, the player has a lot of control over the outcome. In fact, the Keeper doesn’t get to make a fictional “counteroffer” unless a 7-9 is rolled, and even then, the player can reject it by backing down and trying a different way. In this way, the Day Move is “safe,” which is desirable, because scenes that take place in the day or in the light should be safer. 

The Night Move is much more dangerous. The player gets to speak first in the negotiation, as in the Day Move, but then the Keeper gets to make an immediate “counteroffer” that must, per the text of the move, raise the stakes by being “worse than the player feared.” The player then decides whether to reject the offer by trying a different approach or accept the offer by rolling the dice. If they roll the dice, they are totally at the mercy of those dice—there’s no backing out, as in the 7-9 result on the Day Move. 

A note about the Keeper “saying how it’s worse than [they] feared:” just go for it. If the player is trying to run away from a servant of the Midwives and they say they might fall down and injure themselves if they fail, feel free to say: “It’s worse than that—the servant catches up to you and tears your guts out, killing you.” After all, the players have total control over whether their character actually dies or not, so just go big when it comes to the stakes—it’s more fun that way. The tricky thing is if the player goes big themselves by putting death on the table when they say what they are afraid will happen if they fail or lose their nerve—what then? Well, the Keeper must still say how it’s worse than they feared, but in this case, “worse” might mean long-term effects after the character is dead, such as how it affects their surviving family members or how it impacts the Mavens’ investigation. If you’re unsure, ask the table for their input. 

Move results and narrative authority
If you’ve followed the text of the move closely and done the little procedures required of you, resolving the move results is fairly easy. The thing you need to be mindful of is who has narrative authority. On a 10+, only the player gets to narrate (though the Keeper might rein them in a bit if their narration starts to go outside the bounds of what was at stake). On a 12+, the Keeper gets to say what the bonus result is, but narrative authority still belongs to the player. On a 9 or lower, the Keeper has narrative authority; the Day Move gives the player a chance to back out, but the Keeper narrates if the player chooses to press forward. 

Here again, this is where the negotiation from earlier in the move is extremely helpful—and why you must follow the text closely—because what the player and Keeper have essentially done is create a prompt for the narration that happens after the dice hit the table, no matter who is actually narrating.

One last thought: What counts as day or night?  
Generally-speaking, if the scene is taking place during the day, you use the Day Move; if it takes place at night, you use the Night Move—easy stuff. Something you might consider, though, is changing what counts as “day” and “night,” based not on temporal considerations, but whether the scene is fundamentally more safe or more dangerous. The mystery called "The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soulless" has a cave location that is considered “night” for purposes of triggering the move, no matter what time of day it actually is, because the cave is 1) naturally dark and 2) the site of an occult ritual. It’s not in the rules, but you’re free to make decisions like this for your game. A poorly-lit warehouse in a bad part of town might be “night,” no matter the time of day, just as a well-lit nighttime gala might be “day,” especially on the ballroom floor, where there are likely dozens of people around. Just make sure the players understand if it’s “day” or “night” before they take any actions. 

You can purchase Brindlewood Bay and its supplement, Nephews in Peril, on DTRPG here.

Share

0 Comments

3/5/2021

Gauntlet Video Roundup - March 5, 2021

0 Comments

Read Now
 
[Gauntlet Calendar: Online Tabletop RPG Play]
Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Calendar video roundup! Enjoy these recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Calendar and the Gauntlet RPG Community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play or watch more games like these, check out the links and information at the bottom of the post.

Gauntlet Community Open Gaming

Monster of the Week: 1890 Cthulhu London
Blake Ryan runs for Brandon Brylawski, Mander, and Michael

Monster Squad
Rich Rogers runs for Darin, Mark, and Mike Ferdinando
Three middle-schoolers save Rola the spider monkey from evil scientists and a scary silverback gorilla.

Hit the Nazi - Retrieve the Ark
Alun R. runs for ABS, Dan Brown, Michael Mendoza, and Steven Watkins
Nelson (the Hustler/Gumshoe), Lucy (the Friend/Air Ace), and Irene (the Professor/Inventor) literally run in to Bruce (the Daredevil/Explorer) as they pursue the kidnappers of 'Gus' the world-famous boxing kangaroo through the rainy streets of New Gauntlet City. There's an FBI Special Agent, and a clue that takes them to Casablanca in search of Gus' mate. Then...mayhem at a secret Nazi desert base, an eccentric hollow-earther and his sister-in-law, and the biggest kangaroo you ever did see...

Hearts of Wulin: Tarkir - In the Shadow of Dragons (Session 1 of 2)
Alexi S. runs for David Schultz, Greg G., Jan, and Matthew Doughty
At a dragon-ruled mountaintop monastery, hearts are entangled and battles are fought. Scholarly Li Xiu is asked to fight an exhibition match with her fiery sister, as her gallivanting betrothed, Junyi, looks on. Perpetual student To, aka Little Bird, gives a tour of the monastery to Kirada, emissary of the barbaric Atarka clans. But what's this? Secret love notes, heretical techniques, and an attack led by a bear shaman! Who will prove worthy in the dragons' eyes, and who will fall broken from the mountain?

Character Keeper Panel
Gerrit Reininghaus facilitates for Bethany H., Donogh, and Michael G. Barford
Our Character Keeper panel is available online. Such a great discussion on the beauty of keepers and what we love about making keepers.

Hearts of Wulin: Academy of the Blade (Session 1 of 2)
David Schultz runs for Adrian, Bryan, and Danielle B.
In this variant of the core Hearts of Wulin game, we are transported to a shoujo anime boarding school--with duels! Our cast consists of beastly delinquent Wen, saboteur Lucia, and new girl Hana, as they are called upon by the shadowy student council disciplinary committee to assist in planning the first annual Kingfisher Ball. Whose hearts will be broken as students pair up to go to the ball--and just what is the dark fate that awaits the winner of the dance competition?

Hearts of Wulin: Academy of the Blade (Session 2 of 2)
David Schultz runs for Adrian, Bryan, and Danielle B.
Tensions boil over as Wen discovers the secret of the black rose that threatens to imprison a student sacrifice; Lucia is split between romance, clearing their name, and sabotaging the ball; and Hana finds herself relying on her deadly pair of chopsticks to defeat the keeper of the black rose once and for all!

Against the Dark Conspiracy: The Harker Intrusion
Alun R. runs for Blake Ryan, Mario C, Michael Pelletier, and Shane
Katerina (former GRU Provocateur), Stefano (ex-Cosa Nostra Scalp Hunter), Jasmin (former French DGSE Analyst), and Rasheed (ex-GCHQ Hacker) travel to Marrakesh to protect a journalist being pursued by the Conspiracy. Some of them blag their way into her hotel while the others try to draw the out of the shadows. Then there's a hyped-up brute and a shooting before they head to Romania and an archaeological dig funded by the British Council...that leads to a crypt, a surprise reunion, confused loyalties and the head-shot to end all head-shots...and revenge...

Hearts of Wulin: Tarkir - In the Shadow of Dragons (Session 2 of 2)
Alexi S. runs for David Schultz, Greg G., Jan, and Matthew Doughty
Under the eye of Dragonlord Ojutai, a drama of broken hearts, families in conflict, and forbidden techniques comes to a calamitous climax. Li Xiu makes a profound sacrifice for her beloved Na-Nu. Junyi sneaks off to a romantic meeting in a garden and gets entangled in a different way than he expected. To, aka Little Bird, fights battles beyond his scale and somehow triumphs. Kirada uncovers a treacherous magical conspiracy and makes a desperate mountaintop stand. Who will rise, who will fall, and will the monastery still be standing come tomorrow?

Escape From Dino Island
Mike Ferdinando runs for Bjorn, SalamanderJames, Trayvon, and Will H
Our survey team found far more than they bargained for while surveying an eccentric billionaire's newly-acquired private island. NOTE: This game ended up in two separate videos, so please see both Part 1 and Part 2; I haven't been successful trying to stich them into a single video.

Swords of the Serpentine: The Dripping Throne
Mike Ferdinando runs for Brianna, Chris, Francisco Olivera, and Simon
Our heroes were hired by a ghost to solve his own murder, and stumbled across a dark conspiracy involving a cult dedicated to a tentacled god.

Naked City Blues
Shane runs for Jamila R. Nedjadi, Jim Likes Games, Michael Pelletier, and Sabine V.
A group of private detectives are hired to dig up some dirt on a young actress who may be attracting the wrong kind of attention, in @Mike Ferdinando (he/him)'s game of hardboiled investigation, Naked City Blues.

Trophy Gold: The Godsmouth Heresy
Mike Ferdinando runs for Jennifer, Jon Grim, Marc Majcher, and Sam Zimmerman
In the cliffside city of Kaer Maga, the treasure-hunters were hired by the priests of Sister Pharasma, goddess of the Cycle of Life and Death. The priests manage the Godsmouth Ossuary, the most prestigious place for the dead to be interred. Someone has been stealing corpses, which is a great scandal, and the priests pay well for finding who or what is behind this and putting it to an end. The treasure-hunters then crawl a dungeon that was once a series of crypts and catacombs holy to the early church. This is a conversion of a module written by Rob McCreary for the Pathfinder RPG.

Vultures
Donogh runs for Kass Helfant, Mander, and Steven Watkins
A dangerous Mecha Pilot is pawning old licenses to allow other rebels to eschew Space Mom's loving embrace. Join the crew of the Papoose: Aurora the Holomancer, Sharron the Neon Believer & Edison the Ad Junkie along with their decrepit but well-meaning AI Boots as they track the rebels to a mech graveyard in the Fine Ster IV system.

Star Wars Saturday

MoonPunk (Session 4)
Rich Rogers runs for Dr. Jason Cox, Francisco Olivera, Steven Watkins, and Will H
The Punks experience a prison break, a riot, and an Imperial crackdown. This is where the fate of Wothe is decided!

Gauntlet Calendar

Return to Brindlewood Bay: Finale
Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Patrick Knowles, and Will H
Snowed in alongside a host of familiar suspects, the Mavens must try to unravel the final ceremony before more die at its hands.

Free from the Yoke: Firebird Suite (Session 5)
Lowell Francis runs for Bryan, David Jay, Puckett, and Sam Zimmerman
Ten years have passed and the Arbiter now looks to a war with the south, but the Kingdom of Drago turns aside the first attack with suspicious skill.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Victor Sector (Session 1 of 4)
Donogh runs for Bryan, Puckett, and Rich Rogers
A listening post on Yeats previously cleared of giant dirt worms has gone quiet. The company are sent to investigate, as they find Uplifted Apes wielding powerful weapons and able to hack their technology.

ALIEN: Ruin (Session 4 of 4)
Jason Zanes runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, and Will H
In the finale, our heroes must brave the Alien Hive and ancient Alien Temple. Bryant meets something even more manipulative than him, Baldy copes with his mother's death, and Noah holds the fate of human civilization in his hands.

The Veil: Inheritance: System Matters (Session 1)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Sherri, Steven Watkins, and Tyler Lominack
We establish characters and then I make them broke, forcing them to take a questionable job extracting a target from a disaster tourism cruise liner.

Gauntlet Book Club

Wolfsong/Bite Marks (Session 6 of 6)
David Morrison runs for Drew D., Jamila R. Nedjadi, Sabine V., and Steven S.
In our dramatic finale, Ghost's nightmarish encounter in the dreamlands leaves the pack reeling, Ivar and Jax demonstrate that sometimes it's the big bad wolf who comes to the rescue, and Cody fully takes on the role of Alpha as he leads the pack to stand up to their past.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced, or catch one of our Gauntlet Community Open Gaming free online mini-conventions!

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Calendar games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Calendar games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Share

0 Comments
<<Previous
Details

    Categories

    All
    Actual Play
    Adventure Starters
    Age Of Ravens
    Community Hacks
    Design Diaries
    Dungeon World
    Events
    FitD
    G+ Archives
    GMing Advice
    Monsterhearts
    PbtA
    Photo Galleries
    Podcast Transcripts
    Session Report
    Signal Boost
    Slack Chats
    Slack Spotlights
    Urban Shadows
    Video Roundup
    WoDu

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Blog Table of Contents
  • Podcasts
    • The Gauntlet Podcast
    • Discern Realities
    • +1 Forward >
      • Belonging Outside Belonging Series
    • Fear of a Black Dragon
    • The Farrier's Bellows
    • Trophy Podcast
    • Pocket-Sized Play
    • We Hunt the Keepers!
    • Comic Strip AP
    • Podcast Indexes >
      • Gauntlet Podcast Index
      • Fear of a Black Dragon Index
      • +1 Forward Index
      • Discern Realities Index
      • Trophy Podcast Index
      • The Farrier's Bellows Index
      • Pocket-Sized Play Index
      • Comic Strip AP Index
      • We Hunt the Keepers! Index
  • Publications
    • Codex Magazine
    • Hearts of Wulin
    • Trophy RPG
    • Codex Volume 1 Book
  • Online Gaming
    • Playing Online with The Gauntlet
    • Gauntlet Calendar
    • Gauntlet Community Open Gaming
    • Online Gaming Resources
  • Community Resources
    • Community Code of Conduct
    • Gauntlet Gameway
    • Play Issues and Contact
    • Sign Up Best Practices
  • Trophy Gold Incursion Contest