Happy New Year...let's go exploring!

I wanted to wish you a very Happy New Year and to say thank you for your support and for playing Heroes & Other Worlds!

To say thanks, and in case you are thinking of starting your own campaign in the new year, I uploaded a new free adventure! It is a Heroes & Other Worlds edition of the OGL intro adventure The Vile Worm.

For 2014, I have another two BIG projects on the table for Heroes & Other Worlds: The Tome of Terrors (the monster book for Heroes & Other Worlds) and Blades & Black Magic, an assortment of more game options, Wilderness/Hexploration stuff and some new spells. 

In addition there are two adventure books done already so my hope is to have a quarterly releases this year. In addition I want to get Cauldron #2 out and maybe #3 out as well.  Oh the ambition is there, but I am unsure if the time will be!

One other note, my Sci-Fi game, Rogue Space, is getting a refresh and should be availble this weekend for purchase on Lulu.  It is a completely different system than H&OW, but adheres to the simple to pick up and play philosophy I strive for in all my games.

Thanks again for a great 2013 and cheers to you and yours for a very happy 2014!

Discovered in Briarmoor

I hope you have a chance to get some gaming in over the holidays! In my own home game, Briarmoor,  the players ventured into the tombs below the ruins of Shadowhall.

Sealed and partially sunken in brackish black water was moss covered tomb.  When pried open a wight burst forth wielding a shimmering black and gold spiked mace.  Mad with blood lust the wight savaged the party before finally being set afire and decapitated.

Into the brackish water the mace sank and the players argued over who should get it. Eventually the rogue won the debate and is quite excited by his new prize, but as with so many things in Briarmoor, what may seem a blessing, might actually become a curse. 

I believe LULU is still running the 40% off promo code (LULUEMP2013) so there may still be time left to get Raedwald, Magi Carta, or the core Heroes & Other Worlds rulebook at a massive discount--don't delay!

Good gaming to you!

JOURNEY TO RAEDWALD!

Well on a cold Winter's Solstice...the shortest day of the year...RAEDWALD releases!  Lee has written a fantastic grim and gritty Saxon setting!  This is not your high fantasy skipping elves and all powerful wizards...this is mud, blood, backstabbing and brutal deeds by characters with nothing to lose.  The Heroes & Other Worlds system matches up nicely with Lee's work as combat is deadly and they system supports grim fantasy well. Remember, RAEDWALD requires the HEROES & OTHER WORLDS rulebook to play!

I want to than Lee for letting me publish RAEDWALD and appreciate all the time, effort, and inspiration he poured into RAEDWALD.  I'd like to thank Doug Anderson for the fantastic RAEDWALD cartography bringing Lee's land to life!  I'd also like to thank Luigi Castellani for his art contributions...and last but certainly not least, my lovely wife for her patience and support as I worked at times when she would rather I was doing something else.

You can purchase RAEDWALD now and if you use promo code LULUEMP2013 you can get 40% off!  I used the code a few minutes ago to order hard copies for Lee and I...so I know it works, but I do not know for how long nor can I guarantee it works in every country, sorry.

Now Christmas is here and the New Year too!  I am going to spend time with family and friends, and I hope you get to as well!  THANK YOU for all your support this year and for playing Heroes & Other Worlds.  From my wife and I, all the best to you and yours this holiday season!

Armour up!

I cannot believe...I got home...opened the mail...and the print test copies of Raedwall were here ALREADY!

Damn I am excited!

The cover is very dark so that needs tweaking to give it a little more pop!

Then there are some additional issues that will get fixed...but I think this will be ready to purchase on SUNDAY!

AND...just in time as Lulu is offering a 40% off sale!!

They have a current promo code LULUEMP2013 ...BUT YOU CAN ONLY USE THE CODE ONCE!  So I will work Saturday to get it already so you can order Sunday!

Thanks for your patience and support, Lee's Saxon scum gaming goodness is about to be unleashed!

Confirmation leads to waiting

The Saxon Thegn

Lulu confirmed the print tests are done and are now in the mail...the waiting continues...

Nearly there

I had spent all day yesterday working away on layout and editing, 90% done.  Stopped for dinner, comeback, and somehow the file corrupted when the computer went to sleep.  The saved copy also corrupted.  So I spent a late night working to redo bloody everything I had already done.

I am happy to say despite some colorful language here and there last night, the work is "done" and a print test is ordered for a final review.  Now its off to work I go...good lord do I need some sleep...

Kismet? Mini Campaign

I stumbled across a series of recent posts at Aeons & Augauries regarding mini-campaigns.  This process works up and populates 60 hexes. 

This is an interesting primer and should give you an idea of what the Pack Full of Peril project could generate and turn into.

Keep your ideas, concerns and suggestions coming!

A Pack Full of Peril

A few years ago I did a series of mini adventures using great geomporphs published on the web by A.J. at Stonewerks blog and Dyson Logos.

The idea was they were mini adventures with simple set-up for each room and it could all be put on an index card...creating a Pocket full of Peril!

This is the way I still do a lot of my adventures...but rather then just stumbling on a hole in the ground, these sorts of adventures need a place to be and stuff that happens before you get there.  Thus Hexploration or sandbox environments are a perfect way to create a setting for your adventure! May times, the journey can actually become the adventure!

I love the hexcrawl concept and game play style, but my time is limited and populating 300+ hexes feels more like a chore than a joy.  Populating a handful of hexes though with a neat idea or concept though when the idea strikes is a a lot of fun! 

So with your help, here is my concept for a crowd sourced Pack Full of Peril!

I'll put together an overview setting theme/idea for the setting.

 Then each participant uses a 7 hex template and an open source hex map iconography to "draw their map".

Next you populate 7 hexes, and there should be only one major encounter (adventure locale, city, village, town, ruin, or unique hook) in your 7 hexes. Every hex should have a description of terrain and any points of interest, challenges, or other strangeness that might be encountered. 

Then any referee could cobble the 7 hex treasures into their own larger, unique and very detailed sandbox setting map! This would be a creative commons effort and made availble freely after completion.

This is just a basic idea outline, and I will need to work on better detail of the project and better directions, but this would be a unique resource for your Heroes & Other Worlds game!

Interested?

Choose your own adventurer...

http://www.deviantart.com/art/my-adventure-party-75071665

I have some extra time off coming up this weekend so I am on track to finish Raedwald layout/editing and then a print test!

So a recent post on Jeffro's blog regarding H&OW lamented that his son found it difficult to make a new character because of all the choices (skills/spells).  Part of what is going into Blades & Black magic are Archetypes for each class (adventurer/wizard).  There are going to be quite a few but the idea is to give Players a hook for their character, and for the referee to use the same info to build NPC's if they'd like to.  Below is a rough idea of how it works:

For Adventurers
Archetype  (this is something like Ranger, Town Cryer, Mason, Sailor, etc.)

Skills-this will list 6 skills common to this archetype, (a player can pick or randomly roll 1d6)

Starting Equipment-this will list the starting/common gear for this archetype.

For Wizards
Archetype (Summoner, Pyromancer, Witch Hunter, etc.)

Skills (list of 6 player should choose 1 or roll for 1)

Spells (list of 6 player should roll or choose)

The one issue for wizards is they should probably all come from the core rules spells list, but obviously ownership of the Magi Carta vastly expands the potential/specialization.

In addition I am consider an optional "background" chart. This can be used to determine if your character comes from a village, town, or city and only certain archetypes come from each location.

Anyway, its a work in progress, I just wanted you to know the work is ongoing and there is more stuff to come!