AVAILABLE NOW

Well a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours!  If your goal is to spend more quality time slaying the minions of evil? The you may need BLADES!  Available for order now @ $9.99 USD each!

There are two different covers to choose from! Why two different covers? Because who doesn't like choices! Be Aware: The book content is the same regardless of cover chosen. 

Thanks for your patience as this has taken far longer than anticipated, but I think it will be worth the wait! PDF version will come later, I do not have time to make it happen right now.

No Kickstarter needed, just hard work, patience and humble efforts from a fellow player like yourself. I hope that you will spread the word and share the news on your sites, blogs, tweets, facebook, carrier pigeons or wherever else you may roam.  Wherever you go, just make sure to pack BLADES along with you! Thanks for your support!

Table of Contents for BLADES

Ever closer...

Now doing layout for BLADES!

On track for 12/31 release!

...and in another (hopefully) good update--The Blades book (either pocket book cover version) will be made available for $9.99 USD each.

After the long wait you have had to endure, my hope is this special pricing will assuage some of the pain and get you to not only buy it, but to play it!

The work continues...

FROSTCRAWL

In addition to BLADES coming, I thought it would be nice to provide a free hexcrawl.

This could be used with HOW or BLADES.  BLADES will contain a mountain/snow adventure in it--so an enterprising Referee could include it as part of a set-up for FROSTCRAWL as a setting to roam about in.

For a HOW player there will be less "fantastic" creatures to fight, but certainly they can be added.

In any event, if you enjoy the hexploration through FROSTCRAWL then you could always enjoy another hexcrawl through BLACKMARSH.

BLADES is first and FROSTCRAWL should be a free download a week or two after that.

The work continues...

Merry Chrtistmas! I got you covers

Quick progress report, as everyone else at home is asleep in the beds! Cauldron 2 will not make the end of the year. Sorry!

BLADES is looking on track to make the end of the year. I am going to release both the Blades book and the forthcoming Black Magic book as pocket book sized and formatted texts.  There will be a Female and a Male version cover for each release, but the inside text is exactly the same!

Once both books are done, a deluxe hard back combined digest sized book (HOW size) will be made available.

Why? A few reasons.
1) I love the portability and friendly (non-threatening) aspect of rules in a small book format.
2) You can take this type of book with you anywhere and read it, like on a bus, a plane, a coffee shop or camping without a lot of fuss or the raising of eyebrows from those around you.
3) If you get a empty hard plastic VHS case (one with no hubs) you can put the book, 3x5 cards, pencils and some dice in it! Then you have a portable, hard carry case for your game!

I find as I grow older (probably 50/50 on wiser) I am just not a fan of the standard  8.5x11 college text book format of RPG's. That format really provides for great art and great layout but they do not fit a mobile and portable lifestyle. Digest size is the largest I am willing to make, but I really want to experiment with the pocket book sized format.

The work continues...

slow but sure

selfie

While progress is painfully slow and every plan I make seems to be torpedoed, you are not beaten if you do not quit.

So my current plan (heaven help me) is to publish both Cauldron #2 and Blades in December. The Black Magic and Alchemy book for Blades & Black Magic will likely be spring 2019.

MeWe group!

Hey all, roll your bones on over to the MeWe Site!

--here is the link to join the discussion over at MeWe!

G+ moving

Hello all--some moving is going on!


With Google+ going away, you can now chat online @ MeWe for all you HOW and BBM needs!

https://mewe.com/group/5bbe9a502ee15f54bda87b0d

See you on the new site!

Outlaw King, November

Very much looking forward to this, the trailer looks amazing and full of inspiration!

The work continues...

It's coming to a boil...

After simmering for quite some time, the second issue of Cauldron is coming together.

This issue is clocking in around 80+ pages including: Naval rules, an island sand box, sample of character backgrounds, Arms of the Ancients, additional alchemy and  I was given a range of new optional rules, skills and equipment by someone who wanted to submit as "anonymous".

So this should be a chunky concoction!

Kick it!

I am sure you all know (but just in case you did not) Steve Jackson Games is kickstarting a new edition of Melee, Wizard and the Fantasy Trip!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjgames/the-fantasy-trip-old-school-roleplaying

It will be well worth your money to get this as a boxed set that Steve originally envisioned way back about 1980!

As to my own efforts--despite the gaps in communication-- they do continue!  Life continues to throw curve balls, but I continue to foul them off looking for a fastball to hit.

Quick update--still plan to get a new issue of  Cauldron out and the Blades core book out as well.  The Black Magic (spells) book will be separate as I continue to write up spells.

Blades will have the core rules, equipment, standard beasts/foes, a few adventure ideas and a few quick region synopsis.

Black Magic will contain the spells and magic rules, supernatural creatures and magic items/ treasures.

Much like with Far Trek-- I will make a unique cover that will be a one time offer printing at launch.  A standard cover will always be available for order/purchase but for those who like unique bits, this will be an opportunity as a launch special.

Thanks for hanging in there, I can assure you the work continues!

Wandering

by Euphoria of Ape

Two weeks of business travel followed by picking up a cold have me beaten down currently but still tinkering away.  I'd say the downside of the action spending system is the analysis paralysis it can lead to. Combat slows down to the point where it can take almost 2x as long to fight.  While I enjoy a more tactical combat, I did not like the fact that it began to drag out a fight from an event to the main meal of the nght's adventure.

More tinkering and testing to do

Actions as resource

One of the concepts I am experimenting with is the idea of actions as a resource to manage in combat.  In concept the sum of your IQ + DX (adj) versus a table shows how many actions you get to use in a combat turn.  Those actions could be used to Attack, dodge, parry, move etc. as you wish during your turn--but for each action you spend 1 point. No points means no more actions to be taken this turn.  Note some skills if mastered add an extra action--but only to be used with that skill.  For example a Sword Master would get a bonus action--but it could only be used with the sword (additional attack or parry--not additional move or dodge).

Generally characters would have 2 to 3 actions, but master a skill (or high attributes) would add additional actions above the average...which kind of fits with the idea of the super agile, quick witted or highly skilled/ trained character/ opponent being more deadly/ creative/ hard to kill in combat.

The work continues...

CROM!

Conan from the Incomparable Cary Nord

 Should I dare hope they get this right? 

As the Conan comic license is heading back over to Marvel, do yourself a favor and pick up the Dark Horse run now being released in Omnibus form.  The series starts with "Kid Conan" and follows his growth into the barbarian all this kids go crazy for.  It really is fantastic background and character depth never done before. Combine great writing from Kurt Busiek with some of the best art ever in a Conan comic series and its winner winner Cimmerian dinner! 

For fun

Having collected and read comics for ages, I have always loved the Marvel Comics corner box art. They were such an iconic part of the cover and the comic experience for me I thought it would be fun to knock out a pair of draft images in this style using some counter art from Mark Hill to replicate the Marvel look and feel. How or will they be used? Not sure but I think it could be fun--maybe a compatibility mark? Hmmm....

Anyway, the work on BLADES continues. I have expanded armor and weapon lists, added flail as and am looking at adding a tinker or jerry-rig skill.

I am not adding a charisma stat, feeling that skills cover that sort of interaction need. Game will stay written for d6, but an appendix will be included should someone want to use d20 to resolve tests.

Two things to say

In running through some Blades play testing 2 things have come up as potential changes.

1) Adding a Charisma Attribute-There are skills and situations where using IQ is "okay" but a Charisma attribute might be better for character interaction/reaction tests and for some skills.

2) Brace yourself as this one is much more "heretical" --using d20's to resolve tests. As the Blades and Black Magic uses a 3 tiered skill system (Inexperienced/Trained/ Expert) it works well with the bell curve d6 system as written--but could also work with d20 as follows:

• Inexeprienced, roll 2d20, use the highest die roll
• Trained-roll 1d20
• Expert Roll 2d20, use lowest die roll

 The initial adventure played using d20's for tests/combat was well received--but this was by traditional Pathfinder players.

Yup I understand and do love the d6 bell curve, and have it as the core mechanic currently but its interesting to see what might be possible using the d20 mechanic.

I would not say this is a Richard Dreyfus "this means something"  moment, but I think it is important to look at different possibilities.

As always, appreciate your thoughts

Adventure Seeds

image by: lingy-0

As I have continued writing and editing I have crunched out some adventure seeds. I think they thematically give you a sense of gaming using Blades & Black Magic. I am thinking, maybe incorrectly, that a few combat scenarios plus about a dozen adventure seeds (like the one below)  may be enough to round out the Blades book. Your opinion is always appreciated.

Whispers of Chaos

The characters enter a village the day before it is holding a witch trial. The party is approached by three factions within the village for aid: The husband of the accused, the local priest who brought the woman up on charges, the local warband guard who work for the mayor who runs the town. The witch is accused of evil manipulation and of controlling of the mayor and corrupting others with demonic pacts.

• The priest wants help to save the townspeople from darkness and purge the village of evil.
• The Warband wants help to oust the mayor so their leader Sven can take over.
• The husband claims his wife is innocent, he wants help to free his wife so they can escape.

Reality is, yes the woman is a witch, her “husband” is her imp in disguise and they are corrupting the town to turn it into a foothold for the Coven of the Blood Circle.

BLADES progress update

Max Dunbar

So here is where  we I am at with Blades:

1) The rules are done including character creation, skills, combat, adventuring and equipment.

2) Need to add basic combat scenarios--or would an adventure be better to include?

3) Need to add common creature/ animal foe list.

4) Need to do art layout

Decision is made that setting specific, more detailed character creation (background, starting kit by homeland) will be reserved for the Zemya setting book.

After Blades comes out (End of January seems likely) then Cauldron 2 would be the next release followed by the Black Magic book and then the Zemya setting book.  It is an ambitious plan to get all 4 out this year--but I have it on good authority a man's reach should exceed his grasp.