quick review: The Hive

I recently picked this up (twice actually, oops) and I wanted to give a quick review on this as this is exactly the sort of thing I, as a GM, look for.

Priced at just $2 (right now it is on sale for the GM Day so it is a real steal for just $1.40) this is a quick adventure designed for use with Swords & Wizardry and written by Dustin Clark.

Coming it about ten pages of content after we discount the cover, title page, OGL and all that jazz. There is a little artwork scattered throughout the booklet (William McAusland and Frank Turfler), both look great and fit the work. This is a pet peeve of mine, I dislike when the art detracts from the work but here they are suitable and add to the overall feel of the piece.

The adventure aptly deals with an infestation of the giant kind and will provide a good challenge for a party. The adventure makes sense and is clear in purpose and direction, do not expect something epic or mind shattering here but any gamer will easily understand the goal and motivation behind the adventure. And heck, it's bugs, we all hate bug, right? A small map is included in the booklet. Random treasure tables, Suggestions for expanding the adventure are included as well.

I think this is a great little adventure that any GM could quickly pick up and run at their table. It will take at a minimum of one session to complete this adventure, but my guess would be likely two sessions given the set up prior to the actual mapped area. The expansion ideas could easily lend this to another adventure or two.

You can pick up the adventure here:
d20PFSRD Link
RPGNOW Link

The Howling Cavern

Having broken from my normal maps for a bit, I now venture back into the more common, and I think likely, more popular dungeon/cavern maps. I wanted to create something that would be a nightmare to map and understand as a player with twisting turns, passages that overlap and trapdoors that allow passage between levels. I think I accomplished that.

The Howling Cavern Once used as a hideout for local bandits that raid the King's Highway. Once the Kingdom fell chaos swiftly swept the land and the creatures of darkness moved in with a ferocity not seen since the Second Era. Goblins first appeared and took made the cavern their home. Their reign was short lived however as shortly thereafter a tribe of gnolls led by a particularly vicious but sly warrior named Zvarnik. He is devious and cruel, enslaving the surviving goblins and use them as servants most often. Occasionally when food becomes scarce, they may also become dinner.

The gnolls have been raiding up and down the road and have amassed a good quantity of riches and treasure. This is especially troubling as this has caused additional gnolls to their cause and it seems daily their numbers swell. Zvarnik has had trouble controlling the creatures and has been able to control them with promises of additional wealth as well as sending them out on raiding parties (during which a few gnolls will be lost and thin the ranks slightly), but they are becoming more rowdy and boisterous as the days go by.

It is said the Horn of Deslevatory was lost in transport along the Highway and was lost to a gnoll raid. It is presumed to still reside within the cavern. The Arch Bishop of Hothspine has offered a great reward for its return to the chapel.

Speaking of gnolls, check this excellent take on a gnoll I found on Deviant Art's website by lestatbishop. You can visit his/her page here:
http://lestatbishop.deviantart.com/art/Gnoll-149281206

If you enjoy the maps I post on this blog, please consider becoming a patron of the maps I produce by visiting my Patreon page and signing up today!

Quick review: Sword Song

Its been a while but I was finally able to sit down and knock out the last 100 pages of Sword Song. The delay was not due to the any fault of the book, instead just life got in the way. Which is sad because Uhtred is quickly becoming one of my favorite literary characters.

In this novel, Mr Cornwell veers pretty substantially from the historical record. Well, the known record. Much of what he describes in the book could happen, we just lack the written record to back it up. Some may saw that this detraction is a negative thing but really I think it just adds to the mythic legend that Uhtred is becoming. Some will also say that Uhtred is just beyond belief, and he is, but damn it all of this is not beyond the possibility of what could happen. Maybe unlikely, but still within the realm of possible.

Many of the characters from the previous books slip into this book as well. And it is through these that the story of Uhtred grows and he as a character grows. He is certainly a force in battle to be reckoned with, but even of the battlefield he has a commanding presence and a sly wit that can be used in situations to greater effect than any single sword swinger could hope to command. Cornwell's grasp of the history and those who lived in these times is simply masterful.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Norse culture, Saxon culture and basic early history of England. It is an easy read, filled with action but also filled little insights in to how people of the day might have actually thought and acted. It also provides a good level of detail about the times and the people that lived during this time without becoming a bogged down history book.

I would give this a 4 out 5 to general readers and a 5 out of 5 to fans of Cornwell's books.

Delmarde Crossing - second floor

Delmarde Crossing is the second of a planned series covering an area of a large town that will eventually flesh out a thieves guild.

Continuing my Delmarde Crossing series, this time covering the second story of the buildings on the street presented in the first map here. On this level are many secret room with inner doors that present thieves and agents of the guild to pass unnoticed between buildings, some buildings have hidden doors (displayed as doors with a handle only on the inside and thus hidden from the outside) that allow access to the building without going through a ground level door.

Notes:  I have taken the advice of some folks over on G+ regarding how better to show the walls, doors and windows. I think I have settled on this style as I like it the best. Doors are hollow now with handles. Windows are thick panes rather than the single line (I think they stand out better). Doors that are hidden have no handles on the hidden side, I like to think that the guild members know these doors and how to open them.

If you enjoy the maps I post on this blog, please consider becoming a patron of the maps I produce by visiting my Patreon page and signing up today!

Oath of the Dead: review

I picked this up yesterday evening. I love short fiction as I have a very busy life, and I can usually squeeze in a little reading here and there. Long complicated stories that take forever to get into just never seem to click with me and I never finish them. Plus Keranak Kingdoms, a great little setting released by DWD Studios for the BareBones RPG (another great system I have talked about on the blog before). I have liked everything from DWD Studios so I figured I would give this one a shot.

This is a quick little story that drops us right into the action. Author +Eric Johnson does a great job giving us just enough information to grab hold of our interest without bogging us down in needless details. The story is fast paced, includes a bit of mystery and tension and gives us a few details of the Keranak Kingdoms without becoming a lexicon. Of the few characters that are introduced, the old knight is excellently written and I finished the story wanting to know more about the character. The main female lead is interesting as well, but in something this short there is just not enough room to give us much more.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and wish there was more. For the price ($1.99), this is a great diversion for someone that likes fantasy and enjoys reading. Eric is clear, well written and easy to digest.

I would recommend this story and look forward to reading more.

Get your copy here: http://goo.gl/PQB7pZ

In the works

I have a long weekend and besides a convention for my daughter's Living Literature Sunday and Monday I have some time to work on a couple of projects. I thought I would tease everyone a little. :-)

First thing I have been doing is working on a cool little OSR inspired system I am using to run two pretty active Play by Post games on G+ with +Bryan Meadows and +Robert Miller. Both are on their second characters, first two died in battle. This system I am calling Little Warriors  as a nod to the original inspiration for all our games called Little Wars. I have been playtesting this for about three weeks now and tweaking it here and there but I am seriously enjoying this one. Hoping to release this in March or April, we will see.

Second, I have started work on a little project I have been wanting to do for a while now. I am calling it SideTreks and the idea is a series of short locations based on one of my maps. These locations would be fairly inexpensive and fleshed out enough to provide a GM with a ready-to-use tool to drop into his Old School game (or any game really). These should also be fleshed out enough to provide inspiration and immediately play ability, but leave enough whitespace for the able-minded GM to add his own artistic touch to the location. Coming soon, I swear! I even have a real editor lined up to make sure I sound smart. ;-)

I did up a cover for the first volume and man, I really like this one. ;-)

Third, I am also working on a really cool map for a commission. I am using the Wieliczka Salt Mine is the inspiration. A very cool place! I am really hoping this one turns out sweet. I can show you the quick pencil study I did for the map.

Delmarde Crossing

Delmarde Crossing is the first of a planned series covering an area of a large town that will eventually cover a large thieves guild.

Delmarde Crossing is an intersection of two well traveled roads in a large city. This particular intersection is important because the area is governed by the local thieves guild and almost all the businesses are fronts. The main levels of these buildings are pretty straight forward and many of multiple entrances to ensure quick get aways for any members who might be cornered by the law.

One might notice that this map has only a few stairs leading to upper levels, which would be odd considering almost every building here is at least a two story building! The thieves of this guild have taken the stance of using primarily retractable stairs (much like those found in some attics) or drop ladders that can be completely, and quickly, pulled up into the room above. Not only does this ensure a level of protection against the law, it also reduces the chance that a random person could wander into the guild's area.

Future maps will cover the upper levels and the lower dungeons the guild uses to cover their tracks and conduct business in private.

If you enjoy the maps I post on this blog, please consider becoming a patron of the maps I produce by visiting my Patreon page and signing up today!

Testing the mapping waters - The Drunken Dragoon

Last night I knocked out a quick map for a game I am running and the idea came to me that I am not absolutely happy with the particular style I was using for my above ground buildings. I have been using a hatching style much like my dungeon hatching but sometimes I personally have a problem easily identifying the doors. I think if I drew them at a little larger perspective I could keep my walls a little more consistent, it might help as well. That said, I think it would still be somewhat difficult to clearly and easily differentiate wall and door. Thus, I thought I would try something different, I thought perhaps a solid black might be better than the hatching. See the two options below.

I like the solid better but it almost gives me too modern of a feel for the map where as the hatching looks clearly hand drawn and gives that old school vibe I much prefer. .  Being that I use my own maps more for inspiration than actually dropping minis on them and dancing about, the feel or inspiration is important to me but I am curious to know what you think as well.

Which do you prefer, 1 or 2? Why is that?

Moleskin Maps vol 5 released!

Hot off the presses, just dropped onto RPGNow (and its brother sites), this fifth volume contains thirteen maps for you to use in your games. Each map is included as a single page, a GM prep page and also the large png files for you to drop into your favorite VTT. We are releasing these on a PWYW format so you can download and sample the file before paying....though we do ask that if you enjoy the product you do come back and throw us a few bones.

Grabs your here (or click the image above):
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/126705/Moleskin-Maps-05

If you are finding that you are missing any of the volumes, you can now view all of them on RPGnow by clicking the image below:

As always, we thank you for supporting us and my habit (addiction) of map making. 

Thoughts on towns and the passing of time

This weekend I took my daughter and a friend out to a few local parks to take photos and to generally get out of the house and explore on one of the first nice days of the year. Here is one of my favorite from the day.

One of the areas we went to is an area called Port Royal. This town was established in the late 1700s and from most accounts was a major hub of travel due to the river crossing at this point. Even the Trail of Tears went through this town. However, at around the end of the Civil War railroads began to change the landscape and travel diminished in the area.

Looking at this map and looking at the area around me as I read this I was a bit startled. There is but a single building standing and the foundations of a building (the one in the lower right)...nothing else of the town remains. Look at the image below I took of the sign. It shows a plot layout which shows a pretty good sized town and it is noted there and elsewhere I have found that the place had numerous coach houses, inns, general stores, even a school to teach agriculture.

click image to embiggee

One striking thing occurred to while I was walking about the site: Almost nothing remained. And this was merely 140 years ago, and even then, much less time has actually passed because the town was still in existence in the early 1900s. Our modern society has probably done some clean up so that can explain some of the absence of evidence of the town's past location, but beyond the remains of the two bridges, the one building and a road bed, there is nothing. Foundations, side roads, any stone work....all gone. Instead, what remains of the area of the town? A forest. I did note that the trees were all relatively young in this area, so likely this an area occupied by homes and businesses.

This really has me wondering about the ruins we tend to explore. Compared to this town, many or the ruins we explore in our games are usually stone and have stood empty for hundreds of years. Stone would clearly last longer but I wonder about the growth of nature and how fast it would reclaim the land from humans.

How many of our ruins would be in a much more terrible state than we typically present them? If someone was not doing the upkeep of the dungeons, what shape would they be in? Would cave ins be more common? Would large portions of dungeons be lost forever due to the natural reclamation of land?

One serious consideration in this particular case is flooding. If you take a look at this image (I believe was taken in 2006) and compare it with these images I took:

The southern pier of the bridge, the tallest that remains and the one in the best state. It is said the stones on the bottom portion are from the original mill that was built in the area around 1800. Looking at the stone you can still see the rough chisel and hammer marks the stone cutters used to shape these stones. This looks roughly across the path the bridge would have taken.

In this photo you can see the middle pier, almost nothing remains, about four feet of the stone still remains. This area is prone to flooding and there is a high likelihood that the town (south east of this spot) would flood as well and could easily have been washed away.

The gamer in me could not help but imagine this area during the height of the occupation by humans and what has transpired since then. Anyway, it made me wonder and I thought I would mention it. :-)

A PDF on the State Park showing the locations of various details of the park:
TN State Park Site