no worries, not dead

http://davemahanart.blogspot.com/2011/11/nosferatu-print.html

I had a couple private emails asking me "hey what's up? No posts lately? Iis the game dead or what?"

The answer is a resounding "No!"  Heroes & Other Worlds is very much alive, and despite my real job's best efforts to bury me this year, I remain fighting fit although quite weary.

 It's been a whirlwind of activity in the real world on the job in terms of travel and time commitment, and on the family front a number of bad news illnesses and surprises this year that have taken most of my personal time outside of work.  All in all,  it's really taken its toll this year.  Even so, all's well that ends well, and health concerns on the family front are blessedly on the mend and the majority of heavy lifting this year on the job front is complete, now its time to see if all the hard work pays off as we hope.

Yada, yada, yada...everyone's got problems Jack, so what about the game? Well glad you asked.

The HOW version of Lee Reynoldson's Raedwald  is still on track to be done and out this year. This is my one true goal to finish out lucky year 2013.  Beyond that, I do have two other projects already done and in the hopper for next year.  So more releases are coming for sure, no worries and thanks for your support!

I will have to ask for your further patience though, I do have ideas and a plan for 2014--but need to focus on completing Raedwald and getting that to you first, before saying more.  Stay tuned heroes...there is most assuredly more to come!

  

Alfred the Great, me not so much

I think I mentioned it before but two of my favorite reads are Ancient Warfare magazine and Medieval warfare magazine.

I subscribed to both and get PDF issues, then loot them for all sorts of great ideas.  So tonight they emailed and I downloaded the latest Medieval Warfare magazine.  This issue is perfect for those of you who dig a gritty and more Dark Ages style game.
Check it out for yourself here.

Now for the not so great part of the post.  I have more ideas than time in my life right now to do everything I want to get done.  Between work, travel, and other obligations, I am burning myself down.  So I had to make a hard choice, but I think its the right one...Cauldron #2 will have to wait as I focus my limited availble time on finishing the conversion of Lee Reynoldson's Raedwald.

Cauldron #2 will still come out, I just can't guarantee when, and Lee's Raedwald is so great, it's the one I would want to have first as a player too.

Thanks for your support and patience!

Where I am at

Work has me swamped so my posting and responses are not as quick as normal.  That being said I wanted to give you a quick update on where I am at on some projects:

Cauldron 2, about 75% done-this is planned to be out in Late October.

Lee Reynoldson's Raedwald- Also about 75% done this is planned to be out in December.

In addition I have two completed projects I have not mentioned before. I am saving these for release next year. My hope is those two will give me "cover" as I work on Blades & Black Magic. By cover I mean there will be continued releases as I grind away on Blades & Black Magic.

Thanks for your patience and your continued support!

Hit location test

 
Clint Staples has provided the following as a test for humanoid hit locations and effects.  Give it a spin and let me know what you think!

Hit Locations - Humanoids

Melee [D66]	Hit Location
60 - 66	Head
51 – 59	Left Arm
41 - 50	Right Arm
28 - 40	Torso
20 - 28	Left Leg
11 - 19	Right Leg

ARmor Value	Hit Location
	Head
	Left Arm
	Right Arm
	Torso
	Left leg
	Right Leg

Ranged [D66]	Hit Location
64 - 66	Head
58 - 63	Left Arm
52 - 57	Right Arm
25 - 51	Torso
18 - 24	Left Leg
11 - 17	Right Leg

Minor Hit - Effects: Location hit but less that ½ ST – Next turn only.

• Head – dizzy and confused, -2 DX and Move, 3/ Alertness or IQ to notice or act.
  
• Arm – Lose the use of that arm, item carried [Weapon, torch, etc] is retained.
  
• Torso – sickened and winded, -2 ST.
  
• Leg – stumble, 1/2 Move.
  

Major Hit - Effects: Location hit for ½ ST or more – Effect continues until Healed or Physicked.

• Head – as above; roll 3/ EN to remain conscious.
  
• Arm – Lose use of that arm, drop anything carried.
  
• Torso – as above; roll 3/ ST to stay standing.
  
• Leg – drop to knees, fight from there, Move = 2.
  

If a location, previously wounded, is damaged again, the effect automatically becomes a Major Hit.

Briarmoors

Here is a sneak peek of the Briarmoors which is the mini-hexcrawl going into the Halloween book.  Still have not decided if it will be a one shot book or official Cauldron #2, but I still have time to figure that out!

In addition here is one of the new critters showing up in the Briarmoors...

The Bog Rotter (Territorial)

Image Source

#1d6+1 ST6 DX9 IQ7 MV3 Walk /7 Hop
AR-1, DM1d6 bite/claw SP:Rot TR: Lairx2 (in lair)

Bog Rotters are pale froglike humanoids known to inhabit swamps, moors, and other unpleasant areas. They tend to live in tribe like groups and fiercely protect their breeding grounds.  Their eyes give off a pale red luminescence which is often mistaken as lamp or torch lights in the gloom or fog.  The Bog Rotters often use this to lure unsuspecting groups into marshes to get them stuck, into fog to get them lost or worse into ambushes so their young can feed on the victims warm living flesh.

SP: Rot
The touch coveys a rotting corruption to cloth, leather or even scratched skin. Cloth will rot to useless rags in 1d3 days, Leather in 1d6 days and skin touched becomes diseased. The touched suffers -1 ST per day for 1d6 days or until the wound is cleaned thoroughly with soap and hot water or is doused liberally with a high alcohol content liquid.   

Choices

Image source

As I work on a spooky themed Cauldron #2 It's really fleshing out into its own book of sorts.

Currently a spooky mini hex crawl, a slew of spooky strange spells and two mini adventures comprise the contents.

I am considering making this whole thing a one time a year only, Halloween, purchase.

And part of me is even considering making it a one time only purchase on Halloween 2013--physical copies only.

Not sure yet where it will net out, but as I work away on it that's where I am.

By the way if you know Latin can you tell me which might be correct?

Ater Vade Mecum or
Vade Mecum Ater?

Thanks

Revised hit location

I woke up at 2am thinking about this so I dashed off the revision below.  Nothing major really, just a good (IMHO) refinement.

This chart uses a d66 roll. This is best done with two different colored 6 sided dice . One d6 is read as increments of tens (1=10,2=20,3=30, etc) and the other is read as ones (1,2,3 etc.)  As an example, I have a red d6 read as tens and a blue d6 read as ones. I roll both and the red die is a 2, the blue die is a 4, so my result is 24.

In addition to further simplify hit location, I combined abdomen and chest into one simple Torso location. Where I am "stuck" now is in hit location results.  I envision two different charts.

The first is a simple list of modifiers like
If you are hit in the leg, suffer X movement loss during your next turn. 
If you are hit in the arm add +2 DRM to any DX action in your next action

Then a secondary list of critical results by location that each have a random roll.

The "stuck" part is how to determine when to switch between the two.  In my mind this can be either or maybe both:
1) the result of rolling a critical result (a natural 3 or 4) roll for a critical
2) or can be based on weapon damage delivered: (if 6 or more points of damage are taken,after AR deduction, by a human sized or smaller sized opponent in one attack, roll for a critical.

Thoughts or opinions?

Project reports

Just a quick update on what's happening behind the scenes:

Working on some materials for Cauldron #2

Working on the HOW versions of Redwald.

Working on translating 2 great OGL adventures to HOW.

The work continues

Inquiring Minds

So I had an interesting set of questions come up.

Just in case you had similar thoughts or questions I have posted it here:

Q: If a character has Dagger+2 (allows one extra attack per turn), and Two Weapon Combat +1, does this result in three attacks per turn or four?

What if the character Berserk Attacks?

What was your intent here?

A: Good questions. This situation never came up in any play testing situation, I never had any players try stacking skills or ask about doing it.

I'd rule it as pick which one skill you want to use in combat, either dagger or two weapon attack.

As to Berserk? This seems to be causing much more confusion than I ever thought possible. It's my fault for assuming the word and notion of Berserk was clear on its own.

So the definition of the word Berserk is

1. Destructively or frenetically violent: a berserk worker who started smashing all the windows.

2. Mentally or emotionally upset; deranged: berserk with grief.

3. Informal Unrestrained, as with enthusiasm or appetite; wild: berserk over chocolates.

In no way does the notion of Berserk imply a cautious or carefully skilled maneuvering.  Going berserk is the antithesis of a skilled attack as it is raw fury. In my own games only starting characters or low ranking foes used berserk as once they got some skill it was not necessary as a manuever. Most players saw going Berserk as making you too vulnerable, especially if archers or slingers were around.

So all of that to say, a player trying to combine their skilled attacks with a Berserk action is misunderstanding what berserk means as a word and why those two things do not go together.

Clearly that's may fault for assuming the term and idea of berserk would be clear.

Thanks for the questions.