Robert E. Howard's Hyborian age uses a lazy man's nation building: take historic cultures in stereotype, apply an archaic name, and viola fantasy world.
Okay, maybe not quite that lazy but not far off either and certainly a D&D tradition. The hard part is finding the archaic names.
Enter Wikipedia.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Old Charts: Jump Lines
Something it seems most people don't realize about the LBB of Traveller is they were revised at least once. I have both the early and later versions and there are two differences that jump out at you.
1. The layout is better. Some headings and spacers are added and charts are gathered together.
2. The various forms from the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society have been added.
However, I have one difference that I honestly thought I imagined until I got my old books from my parent's home last month.
The original LBB had a a table for determining jump routes. You compared the starport types of two worlds to their jump distance and the result was a number to roll or exceed on a D6 for their to be a jump route.
Some points to note. The table is not linear on either access and only goes to jump-4 despite the tech including up to jump-6. This implies an assumed tech level that allows at least some jump-4 ships. B drives provide jump-4 on a 100 ton ship and H drives do for 400 ton ships. Drives up to H appear at tech level 10.
The chart emphasizes the importance of type A starports which automatically connect via established jump routes to adjacent starports of type-D or better and to those of type-E 83% of the time. Only C or better starports will establish jump-2 routes and even then at most half the time.
I don't know why this was dropped from the revised LBB but I'm glad to have it back. Like any random table it might create odd results. Still, figuring out why there is a jump-1 route running a series of D and E ports for five parsecs from an A port which doesn't even connect to an A port two parsecs away is just the creativity you want to spark.
1. The layout is better. Some headings and spacers are added and charts are gathered together.
2. The various forms from the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society have been added.
However, I have one difference that I honestly thought I imagined until I got my old books from my parent's home last month.
The original LBB had a a table for determining jump routes. You compared the starport types of two worlds to their jump distance and the result was a number to roll or exceed on a D6 for their to be a jump route.
| JUMP ROUTES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Pair | ----Jump Distance---- | |||
| Jump-1 | Jump-2 | Jump-3 | Jump-4 | |
| A-A | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| A-B | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| A-C | 1 | 4 | 6 | - |
| A-D | 1 | 5 | - | - |
| A-E | 2 | - | - | - |
| B-B | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| B-C | 2 | 4 | 6 | - |
| B-D | 3 | 6 | - | - |
| B-E | 4 | - | - | - |
| C-C | 3 | 6 | - | - |
| C-D | 4 | - | - | - |
| C-E | 4 | - | - | - |
| D-D | 4 | - | - | - |
| D-E | 5 | - | - | - |
| E-E | 6 | - | - | - |
Some points to note. The table is not linear on either access and only goes to jump-4 despite the tech including up to jump-6. This implies an assumed tech level that allows at least some jump-4 ships. B drives provide jump-4 on a 100 ton ship and H drives do for 400 ton ships. Drives up to H appear at tech level 10.
The chart emphasizes the importance of type A starports which automatically connect via established jump routes to adjacent starports of type-D or better and to those of type-E 83% of the time. Only C or better starports will establish jump-2 routes and even then at most half the time.
I don't know why this was dropped from the revised LBB but I'm glad to have it back. Like any random table it might create odd results. Still, figuring out why there is a jump-1 route running a series of D and E ports for five parsecs from an A port which doesn't even connect to an A port two parsecs away is just the creativity you want to spark.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Now to fit in Dracula...
So, on and I'm off I've been trying to figure out how to turn Jeff Reint's description of D&D: "You play Conan, I play Gandalf. We team up to fight Dracula" into a setting.
First, you can cheat a little and substitute Merlin for Gandalf. Second, we know Cimmeria was north of Pictland.
So, Merlin, Picts, decadent empires, and a struggle for a better world...
This screams a setting resembling northern England circa 475-500 with the last druids resurgent as Rome and the Christian Empire retreat and great barbarian warriors carve their own kingdoms out of the chaos.
If I could only fit Dracula into it.
First, you can cheat a little and substitute Merlin for Gandalf. Second, we know Cimmeria was north of Pictland.
So, Merlin, Picts, decadent empires, and a struggle for a better world...
This screams a setting resembling northern England circa 475-500 with the last druids resurgent as Rome and the Christian Empire retreat and great barbarian warriors carve their own kingdoms out of the chaos.
If I could only fit Dracula into it.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Quest for Monday Pointers: July 12, 2010
D4:Old School Gaming in the Digital Underground
Chgowiz (you did know he was back, right) find the heart of the OSR in The Humpty Dance. Who says we're a niche.
D6:Getting Metal in Your Game
Meanwhile the OSR's official Metalhead lays down his formula for making D&D metal. I'm looking to make the Friday of my fall of insanity a D&D Essentials game that I wanted to be metal. I'll be adopting some of Jim's idea with the struggle for heroes to be not to fall to that fate but instead become the fallen heroes of the next generation's legends. If I make it to level 21 doomed Epic destinies only.
D8:Shakespeare Was Willing to Kill PCs
Meanwhile Zak goes all high art with a post about how character death is good. In fact, it's a plot hook to top all other plot hooks.
Chgowiz (you did know he was back, right) find the heart of the OSR in The Humpty Dance. Who says we're a niche.
D6:Getting Metal in Your Game
Meanwhile the OSR's official Metalhead lays down his formula for making D&D metal. I'm looking to make the Friday of my fall of insanity a D&D Essentials game that I wanted to be metal. I'll be adopting some of Jim's idea with the struggle for heroes to be not to fall to that fate but instead become the fallen heroes of the next generation's legends. If I make it to level 21 doomed Epic destinies only.
D8:Shakespeare Was Willing to Kill PCs
Meanwhile Zak goes all high art with a post about how character death is good. In fact, it's a plot hook to top all other plot hooks.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Oddity of Blog Readers
Last week I published a brief post about seeing games prominently displayed in Hastings. I went on to speculate that maybe this was a sign we have become an adult hobby like hex and chit wargaming was in its day.
I had my single highest number of visits ever. Even more than the day my manners post was made.
The biggest day ever had two posts, one a Shatner picture and the other was linked to by James at Grognardia.
In fact, the post last Friday is already my third most viewed post, behind the Ken Kelly art post and the above mentioned manners one.
Even at that it is at roughly 2/3 the views of the much older (and liked by Playing D&D with Porn Stars for crying out loud) manners post.
Yet that huge traffic generated exactly one comment.
I'll admit that boggles my imagination.
I had my single highest number of visits ever. Even more than the day my manners post was made.
The biggest day ever had two posts, one a Shatner picture and the other was linked to by James at Grognardia.
In fact, the post last Friday is already my third most viewed post, behind the Ken Kelly art post and the above mentioned manners one.
Even at that it is at roughly 2/3 the views of the much older (and liked by Playing D&D with Porn Stars for crying out loud) manners post.
Yet that huge traffic generated exactly one comment.
I'll admit that boggles my imagination.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Metal Fantasy: A Reading List
If I said I wanted to read metal fantasy novels or stories, what pops into your mind first and foremost.
Remember, I said read, not watch.
Remember, I said read, not watch.
An Aside...
Monday Pointers returns next week and I was adding my entries. No surprise, but one is from Zak S.'s blog.
Thus, a brief aside about Zak is in order. When I first started reading his blog I was jealous because he was, well, playing D&D with porn stars. I'm male and over 40 so I came of age when D&D was for guys who didn't get dates, even with ugly and/or frigid girls so I was insanely jealous. I'm still jealous of him but I'm more jealous of his players because his game is that good.
Anyone can play D&D with porn stars, but a good DM is a thing to treasure.
Thus, a brief aside about Zak is in order. When I first started reading his blog I was jealous because he was, well, playing D&D with porn stars. I'm male and over 40 so I came of age when D&D was for guys who didn't get dates, even with ugly and/or frigid girls so I was insanely jealous. I'm still jealous of him but I'm more jealous of his players because his game is that good.
Anyone can play D&D with porn stars, but a good DM is a thing to treasure.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Insanity...
Games here tend to be tied to the school year (College Station...gee, wonder what the main industry is)...
I always have more things I want to run than I do...
So, I'm wonder.
Weekly games, as DM, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Insanity or bliss?
I always have more things I want to run than I do...
So, I'm wonder.
Weekly games, as DM, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Insanity or bliss?
Catching Up Reading
I let the "what I'm reading" section get out of date. Below are books finished but never noted and the books are current.
For those wondering, yes I am anticipating a new RPG showing up (Wednesday the 7th according to UPS).
For those wondering, yes I am anticipating a new RPG showing up (Wednesday the 7th according to UPS).
An Adult Hobby Now?
I noticed something unusual at my local Hastings stores.
RPGs are front and center in a feature display this month.
Two things struck me about this display:
1. It wasn't just D&D, but Pathfinder, CoC, and some White Wolf.
2. It was surrounded by adult displays, not next to the Twilight or HP stuff.
The display also had a variety of other gamer games such as Settlers.
Barnes and Noble now carries the complete Settlers line, most of Munchkin, and even more gamer type games.
I've long said this era is our second chance to become not the teen fad of the 80s (I don't want that back) but the stable, adult hobby hex and chit wargaming was from the early 60s through the mid-80s.
While Avalon Hill games in that era were not the end all/be all of wargaming (SPI was much more the grognard's choice) they were the public end of the game. Regular toy stores and Hallmark stores carried a variety of their games. Hobby stores generally had them and, depending on emphasis, a sprinkling to a vast selection of alternatives. Most people bought an AH game or two, played them, and that was that. A small handful became serious AH players and expanded into the hobby.
The ongoing presence of D&D in major book sellers could easily supply the AH phase and the occasional CoC or WW game being present (also, Hastings has Dragon Age, but not up front) as well as internet searches could provide that sprinkling that shows the handful who want to move deeper what is there.
In this context I have high hopes for the new Essentials line. With a bit of luck and hiding the crazy aunts and uncles in the attic, WotC is giving us an opening to do the early 80s not the way they happened but the way they could have.
RPGs are front and center in a feature display this month.
Two things struck me about this display:
1. It wasn't just D&D, but Pathfinder, CoC, and some White Wolf.
2. It was surrounded by adult displays, not next to the Twilight or HP stuff.
The display also had a variety of other gamer games such as Settlers.
Barnes and Noble now carries the complete Settlers line, most of Munchkin, and even more gamer type games.
I've long said this era is our second chance to become not the teen fad of the 80s (I don't want that back) but the stable, adult hobby hex and chit wargaming was from the early 60s through the mid-80s.
While Avalon Hill games in that era were not the end all/be all of wargaming (SPI was much more the grognard's choice) they were the public end of the game. Regular toy stores and Hallmark stores carried a variety of their games. Hobby stores generally had them and, depending on emphasis, a sprinkling to a vast selection of alternatives. Most people bought an AH game or two, played them, and that was that. A small handful became serious AH players and expanded into the hobby.
The ongoing presence of D&D in major book sellers could easily supply the AH phase and the occasional CoC or WW game being present (also, Hastings has Dragon Age, but not up front) as well as internet searches could provide that sprinkling that shows the handful who want to move deeper what is there.
In this context I have high hopes for the new Essentials line. With a bit of luck and hiding the crazy aunts and uncles in the attic, WotC is giving us an opening to do the early 80s not the way they happened but the way they could have.
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