Mini Review: Broodmother Skyfortress

Author: Jeff Rients
Publisher: Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Buy: PDF // Book + PDF Combo

TL;DR: 

*Buy this if you like your fantasy à la Jack Vance weirdness and like lots of tables and GM advice.

*Do not buy this if elephant/shark combos are too weird for your boring elves & dwarves setting.

Overview:

Basically a big, floating, cloudy fortress that was created by some gods/other insanely powerful beings but is now inhabited by dumb Shark/Elephant monstaz who wreak havoc on your campaign world; they're powerful and will probably kill everyone, but why not visit anyway?

The latter half is dedicated to reproducing 'best of's from Jeff's blog. These are mainly random tables and GM advice, which in sum is solid. 

Thoughts:

I had a bit of publisher credit on DrivethruRPG so I bought this because I liked the look of it and was not immune to the G+ hypemachine (though I have been strangely ambivalent lately). I've been playing a lot recently (OD&D, Warriors of the Red Planet/Numenera, Tombstone, Savage Worlds Fallout), but not writing a lot on here, mainly because I haven't been that inspired and also because I have a shit-ton of academic writing to complete; but this book forced me from my blogging-hibernation.

Serendipitously, this 'adventure' – while excellent in its own right – may be one of the very best Game Master how-to introductions on the market. It is very simply presented, is immensely user-friendly and conversational, even funny at times, and is filled with encouraging exhortations for the new Game Master. You won't find arduous theoretical pontifications on the three conceptual pillars of role-playing adventure, or platitudinous advice for 'storytellers' here. Instead, there is simple (sometimes single sentence) advice that is not only concrete but practical. This part of the work is stellar.

There are also plenty of interesting adventure options. One dubiousness I felt before reading through it was whether the shark/elephant thing was just being weird for the sake of it – as in 'hey, wouldn't it be cool if like, there were these shark-headed elephant giant dudes, and whoa, wouldn't that be super creative and original?' – and therefore a bit kitsch (not in a good way). The answer to that is 'no: it is not kitsch'. The whole conceit of the background has been well integrated and is logical albeit bizarre (in a good way). It kind of reminds me of Jack Vance weirdness. Fucking strange to the point of being comical, but weirdly makes sense. Besides, Rients offers advice to re-skin the monsters, presenting some interesting counter-ideas. By the end of it, however, I was pretty enthralled with the original premise and would definitely run it that way if I ever get the chance.

I like that it would fit pretty well with the flavour/weirdness of my OD&D campaign. The other thing I like about it is it goes beyond the rote 'this-is-how-to-run-my-adventure' thing that a lot of products do and encourages the reader to get their hands dirty and make the thing work for them. While this is not at all anomalous of OSR products generally, I find that sometimes the sparseness or ambiguity of certain products breeds equal frustration as to being overwhelmed with a wall of text: what do I do with this? Thankfully, Broodmother Skyfortress takes a very pleasing middle-ground. The prose does not get bogged down in minutia, but instead relates all the pertinent facts and even additional options, then gets out of the way. The artwork and layout cannot be faulted: I really dig it.

Conclusion:
All in all, this is one of the better adventure/supplements on the RPG market currently. Publisher James Raggi's sales blurb claims:

"Since the invention of the adventure module, there have only been five adventures that were rated the most awesome...Broodmother Sky Fortress leaves them all behind.Your game won’t suck anymore! Broodmother SkyFortress: Buying any other adventure is just throwing your money away."

Although obviously being cheeky, I don't actually think he is too far off the mark: (1) Broodmother Skyfortress is very awesome; (2) Your game will certainly improve if you use Rient's advice; (3) if we are making comparisons here, buying other adventures opens the door to the very real possibility of being disappointed – it is that good.

This is probably my first review where I don't have any critiques. What's more is that I want to run this thing immediately, pretty much as written: that is always my internal barometer of whether a product is any good. Many plant seeds of ideas, but few inspire me to follow them more or less as written: this is both due to the time it takes to digest someone else's work and the often potentiality, though not the execution, of interesting ideas that could be taken further. This adventure – let's just call it a supplement – surpasses all those caveats. Have I said it is good? 

Review: Rogues in Remballo (Swords & Wizardry)

Rogues in Remballo: An Adventure for Swords & Wizardry

Author: Matt Finch
Character Levels: 1st
System: Swords & Wizardry (or similar)
PDF: Free!
Print: Kickstarter

When +Matt Finch asked for reviews of this adventure I put my hand up. I had recently acquired the hardcover of Swords & Wizardry Complete (which I really like) so I was eager to see what a city adventure may look like within this system.

I had every intention of writing/posting this earlier, but I have been kind of slack. Now that I've finally read through the adventure and given it some thought, here we are. Before I begin I want to mention two things. Firstly, this adventure is available as a free PDF from the Frog God Games website (link above). Secondly, there is an in-progress Kickstarter where one may acquire this adventure in print form as part of the larger "Borderlands" project. If this review stokes your interest I would recommend downloading the free copy first. It has been produced in black & white, making it printer-friendly. If you absolutely love it, and like the look of the Kickstarter (link above) you may wish to back the Kickstarter and get a print version.

Anyway, let's begin. Rogues in Remballo (hereafter referred to as "Rogues") is a city-based adventure of political intrigue. Finch suggests this adventure is suited for experienced groups, and I can see the logic behind this suggestion. While less experienced groups could probably handle the intricacy and relative open-endedness of the adventure, the skill required on the part of the players (and certainly the Ref) is better suited for gamers with a number of adventures/campaigns under their belt. Having said that, one of the first adventures I ran was The Speaker In Dreams which contains a similar level of nuance. Regardless, there is soundness in Finch's suggestion. In the unlikely event that you are reading this and have never run a game of Dungeons & Dragons or Swords & Wizardry, I would be inclined to echo Finch's advice. Pick something simpler. For true beginners, the 5th Edition Starter Set is not a bad way to go. But I digress.

Rogues is set within the Borderland Provinces of the "Lost Lands" setting. At times there were references to setting specific elements not explained within the adventure, but largely the adventure site would be easy enough to transplant to any setting. From the outset the reader is provided with some clear and functional maps of Remballo, keyed with particular sites of interest. This city could be placed in most generic fantasy settings, or with a bit of tweaking, would fit nicely in more eclectic realms. The setting does assume a relative level of technological sophistication (such as banking systems/letters of credit), so these aspects may need modification if your setting is more primitive.

The main contention of the adventure revolves around two powerful forces within the city: The House of Borgandy (who have had one of their own disappear) and the local Thieves Guild. Additionally there are some other major forces at work, particularly the Thieves Guild of Manas and the City Watch. This adventure is largely non-linear, though there is a logical progression between beginning and end which is likely to coalesce in a number of possible outcomes: beginning within the walls of the city, progressing to an area called "The Four Corners", and reaching climax beneath the city itself. What happens in between is largely up to the detective work of the players/characters, and without skilful implementation by the Ref, this adventure could quickly become directionless or somewhat vague. At times this adventure appeared to be an exercise in door-knocking: "Hello sir, could I bother you for a second? Oh, you don't know anything about this event? Okay, well good day." As some of the NPCs were described as grumpy, this may deter players, appearing to be a dead-end approach to discovering the required information. I suspect that the adventure could have been signposted a little better. There are, however, a number of compelling motivations to get the participants interested in the adventure — including the classic incentive of gold payable from the coffers of The House of Borgandy and the local Thieves Guild. Smart or lucky players will be able to double dip and capitalise on the rewards of both. There is room for deviancy too, particularly towards the end where certain...goods...can be "acquired" from certain (probably dead) individuals. Finch provides a satisfying level of detail regarding the political factions within and without the city. This inclusion creates a satisfying and believable backdrop from which to hinge the whole affair. At this point I won't give too much away, lest I spoil the adventure if you wish to play/run it.

The setup and presentation of Rogues is clear with a satisfying balance between sparseness and depth. The Ref is at substantial liberty to flesh out various places, people, or events. The adventure often paints broad brushstrokes, and while this is largely appreciated there were times where multiple entries became prosaic. For instance, let's look at area #19:

This entry is fairly mundane, and I would ask whether it's even needed? There were a handful of similar entries, which became dull to read. At this point I don't really feel the need to know Jarn's name; who is he? Instead, I thought these types of entries could have been tidily subsumed into a random table rather than afforded separate entries of their own. The Ref could roll on the table if he/she needed to know the occupant of the building. If Isarn Jarn were a more interesting character I probably wouldn't have minded. For example, maybe his leg is injured, and when asked about the goings on in the city he becomes cagey (inferring he's hiding something), maybe he has a block of cheese on his belt, offering slices to visitors, or maybe his eyes constantly shift to a part of the room the characters can't see. More detail would have been good, or a more compelling reason why Jarn warrants his own entry. The latter part of the text was more eventful and pertinent to the adventure. I enjoyed the inclusion of the opium den, and the notion that violence and thuggery was associated with this undercurrent of the city. Again though, I felt this could have been developed a bit further. I mean, an opium den should be rife with atmosphere. Maybe a well-known local figure is either funding or frequenting the joint, and happens to be there when the characters turn up. How does the den look, smell, or feel? Similarly, the thieves guild felt a little too familiar or friendly. There was one mention of guild members getting executed if they committed a certain offence, but otherwise I would have liked a more ominous or menacing guild for players to interact with.

Despite the flatter 2D aspects of this adventure, I still felt like it was a good effort. There is plenty of intrigue, and for parties who enjoy investigative scenarios this makes for a very viable adventure. While generic fantasy, I did not see this as a negative thing. I felt oddly excited reading parts of Rogues. Again, I return to The Speaker In Dreams, because I have fond memories of that adventure. Both adventures have a similar feel (I'm not sure why), providing the Ref with the framework for a broader campaign. There were many events, situations, or conflicts that I felt could be readily developed. Various things were implied or mentioned in passing which allows the Ref to build on Remballo as an interesting adventure location. I imagine this would be a very fun adventure with the right group. My players would certainly enjoy it.

My recommendation is to download a free copy. I enjoy Matt Finch's writing. It's clear, punchy, and to the point. At 26 pages it does not take long to read, and you will very quickly decide whether it is right for you. Of the free adventures floating around the Internet, this one is solid, so take a look. Overall it is very good, but the mentioned caveats reduced my estimations somewhat. 

Dungeon Lord Zine "The First Issue"

Free stuff is awesome. +Taylor Frank is quite the magnanimous character, sending me a copy of his Dungeon Lord Zine.

This thing is pretty awesome. I enjoy an abundance of colour; something you may have witnessed in my own offerings. The interior of this zine is printed on bright green paper, bearing an equally colourful (and pleasingly violent) cover. Although presented as being "compatible with DCC RPG", it is an ideal candidate for general idea-thievery. Okay yes, it's also suitable for DCC players too. The First Issue begins strongly — the interior cover has a one-page adventure.

The adventure is penned by Ron Yonks and is entitled Calcified Caves of the Slime Yeti. Mechanically it is very minimal — the sort of minimalism that endears me to the immediate possibilities. I'm totally going to throw this into my upcoming OD&D campaign as a side-jaunt. I'll change some things of course, but I could almost run it as written. 

The next page is the credits page. Mine came with a temporary tattoo (yes, you read correctly. I have some real ones, but the idea is still fun), and a hand-written note from Taylor. My copy is "damaged" and was thus free. It has some ink stains and a few rough edges. Taylor explains this, but elaborates that it is still a "good example of the issue". Yes it is Taylor, it's a very good example. I received a bunch of stuff from Stormlord Publishing this week, and comparatively they are very fastidious with their workmanship. However, I really appreciated the from-me-to-you aesthetic of Taylor's zine. It's homely, and I think that makes it inviting. If I spill coffee on it I won't really care, but that's how game materials should be used. I have a lot of stuff on my bookshelf that I'm overly careful with because it's effectively too "nice" to use. Dungeon Lord begs you to use it. I will.

The bulk of the zine is comprised of an adventure: "The Caves of the Sacred Seven". I can't be bothered explaining the plot, but it was a nice balance between "ecological" (or sensical) and gonzo. Again, I'll probably use some/all/bits of this in my OD&D campaign. It makes an interesting locale for adventure, with the possibility of finding some nice magic items. It has cavemen, reptilians, dinosaurs, transmuting corridors, "wild men", psychedelic spores, and a "hovel". My kind of adventure. Some bits are slightly silly or not quite my bent, but the basic structure is definitely pleasing. The Caves of the Sacred Seven is fairly basic in execution, providing enough detail to run, but not too much. The reader does not become bogged down when attempting to run it "correctly". It isn't long, and it isn't short. The remainder of the zine varies in usefulness: I didn't like The Tomb of Zarfulgar the Lost (another adventure), but I appreciated the simple (if slightly bland) blank dungeon on the back cover, the historical account of this zine's inception, and the "Random Dungeons Elevation" generator. One page of the zine was a poem, which I was decidedly ambivalent about. It wasn't horrible, more of a page filler. 

Conceptually, I want to discuss two things that particularly impressed me about this issue/zine. The first is the artwork. No one could accuse this zine of an enormous budget for commissioned art, but that is the beauty of it. It reminds me of Gygax and Arneson's earliest D&D efforts, and I mean that as a huge compliment. It is effortless, and is not pretentious. What you see is what you get. There are no gimmicks; nothing to hide behind. The content is either good, or it's shit. And like Gygax and Arneson's first efforts, it invites you to take part. This idea segues nicely into my second point, which is that Taylor actually explicitly asks you to take part. The zine's introduction attributes inspiration to "everyone who ever experienced the joy of fantasy role-playing in such a profound way that the urge to create overcame them." It asks the reader to, in turn, become inspired and "make something of your own."

The cynical reader may be laughing at me for my sentimentality (that's actually a word), but I like it. The DIY scene needs more inclusiveness and encouragement.Taylor seems to champion this idea. Most days, when I scroll down my G+ feed, there will be some kind of negativity about certain subcultural factions of the wider OSR community. That's a normal part of being human, but I find the positivity of this zine (and its creator) extremely refreshing.

Anyway, this thing has my vote. Seriously, in terms of page count and cost, Dungeon Lord punches far above its weight. I've paid $40 for supplements I've liked less, and with much larger budgets. Maybe the best things in life are free. 

Styro City Map (FREE DOWNLOAD).

Today, I've been thinking about cities, and doing them slightly differently in a fantasy game. I doodled the above map today. I like the idea of sci-fi meeting fantasy. The premise being a melding of ancient pyramidical and domed architecture, meeting modern conventions. Think elevator shafts, electronic "magic" equipment, etc. Clearly, there is a visible level above ground, and an undercity rife for exploration.

DOWNLOAD MAP

Points of Interest

Styro can be either an inhabited city, or a seemingly deserted locale. A large building can be located in the wilderness. Leading away from this building, and towards Styro are tall, stone-like creatures (of at least 20 feet in height). These creatures stand erect with arms straight against their sides. Fused to their either side of their heads are two silky cords which act to connect them all in a line extending miles, into the tip of Shaft II's antenna. The creatures do not speak, and may even appear as statues.

In actuality the creatures are psychic conductors. The two cords are known as psychic silk, which can be used to power buildings and technologies. Those endowed with psionic ability can tap into the "silk" and communicate with the connected buildings. 

Styro has a few large buildings, and the rest are fairly humble domiciles. Of note is the Ramid, Babel, the Silo, and the dual shafts.

The lower levels and monsters are not detailed. I may run my group through this adventure site (if they find it!), and do not wish to ruin any surprises. Depending on my ongoing enthusiasm I may release this as a proper adventure. Enjoy. 


1. Shaft I

• 120 feet deep, 6 feet wide.
• After 60 feet an entry into Gamma (Level 3) may be visible.
• A winch-wound shaft and basket enables descent.
• Service entries can be found on either side of shaft, for maintenance or surprising foes.
• The building housing the shaft has strange blinking lights within, and a perpetual rumbling noise.
• Opening the rumbling cages reveals sluggish creatures sitting in pits of putrid goo. The goo glows with a phosphorescence, and seems to power the infrastructure. 

2. Silo

• 40 feet high.
• Appears as an administration office — various abacus', merchants' scales, astronomical tools, and so forth can be found within.

3. Ramid (Temple)

• 80 feet high. Can be ascended by climbing its stepped sides.
• Has an unusual pole atop. 
• Inside is a catacomb of worship avenues, shrines, sacrificial altars, mission quarters, and channels of cut recesses within the floors. 
• The temple interior is divided into 3 levels, each 20 feet high.
• A crypt of monkey-sarcophagi.
• A shaft descends into Alpha (Level 1).

4. Shaft II

• 120 feet deep, 6 feet wide.
• At the bottom an entry into Zeta (Level 6) can be discovered, though the portal is locked. 
• Alternatively another descent into Shaft III can be discovered. Though descending this requires manipulation of an ensorcelled device. 

5. Babel

• A tower — 60 feet high at its pinnacle, 20 feet wide.
• Murals on most walls depicting a slave-people toiling to erect this structure. The exterior resembles the Empire State building somewhat. 
• The appointments within suggest a matriarchy society, led by Queen lineage. 

6. Domiciles

• Simple structures of varying sizes and shapes. Most are single or double-roomed, while others are rather palatial.
• Squarish or domed.
• A few will have treasure. 

7. Shaft III

• 70 feet deep, 6 feet wide.
• Getting up or down requires manipulation of an ensorcelled device (powered by the slugs or the Giant Rockdweller psychic silks). 

8. Alpha (Level 1)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

9. Beta (Level 2)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

10. Gamma (Level 3)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

11. Delta (Level 4)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

12. Epsilon (Level 5)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

13. Zeta (Level 6)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

14. Eta (Level 7)

• Vaulted ceilings 20 feet high. 

15. Theta (Level 8)

• This level is 60 feet high.

16. Iota (Level 9)

• This level is 40 feet high.

Hoard of Zĕmian Goodness - Hydra Cooperative

Not very long ago I wrote two reviews, appraising the work of +Chris Kutalik. The first was of the sprawling and chaotic Slumbering Ursine Dunes. The second review was of the excellent Fever-Dreaming Marlinko; a city supplement.

Since reviewing both works I have had the utmost pleasure of playing in one of Chris' "Misty Isles" playtests, as well as receiving an at-cost physical copy of both FDM and SUD.

Firstly, Chris' games are awesome. In the last year or so I have become quite bored of being a player. I get far more pleasure from creating and running games. The short game I had with Chris gave me faith in the simple pleasures of creating a character, and exploring crazy spheres. It was zany, it was imaginative, it was all the things I aspire to in my own games. Moreover, the experience gave me additional insights and contexts to Chris' works. On their own I initially found them to be disorientating at times — primarily due to a lack of geographic map within the work, and some in-jokes within the work itself. Since playing in one of this games, however, I understand the world and the references a lot more.

Likewise, I enjoyed the PDF copies of FDM and SUD, but having the physical products is another level. Both are around A5 size, with FDM being slightly bigger (as you can see in the photo above). They are attractively presented, and a joy to flick through. I have just started a city adventure with my current players, so I imagine FDM will be a constant at-the-table guide. In my opinion, the merits of this work are in its toolkit applicability rather than being a highly detailed and self-contained setting. It is the latter of course, but I find the work to be a great source of inspiration, rather a biblical dictum.

Do yourself a huge favour and pick up a copy of both. If I had to recommend only one, I would still go with Fever-Dreaming Marlinko. It is psychedelic and odd, but very versatile. And did I mention it was fun to flick through? 

Campaign Journal: The Anthropophagi of Xamboola (Session 10)

SPOILER ALERT: This journal is extracted from an unpublished and upcoming Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure I am currently completing. This account eventuates from the playtest. You have been warned!

Visitors to the desert-city of Xamboola beware! Demoniacal cachinnations and dull totemic drumbeats sound nocturnal from the outskirts of the city. Too, vile shrieks echo in response to the nightmarish noises, making even those of heroic aspect shudder in repulsion. Residents do not tarry to lock themselves in their homes at night, for something sinister lingers in the fringes of the black of night. Whisperings and warnings intimate that foreign guests residing at the inn of one Aramis D’athak oft disappear at night, never to be seen or heard from again. Where they disappear is not known, nor do the people of Xamboola speak of the hellish noises that darken their oasis city in the gloom of night.

Session 10: Carousing and the Daemon

The Party

Sint the Pict Ranger (Level 4)

Xechies the Kimmerian Warlock (Level 3)

Grimnir Hothgar the Viking Berserker (Level 4)
Sarrhan the Mongrel Cataphract (Level 3)
T'hen of the Flame the Ixian Cleric (Level 3; Hireling)

Part I: They Woke Up With A Hangover

After the attrition and insanity of the dungeon numbers needed to be bolstered. Grimnir spent most of the day in Xamboola attempting to find some muscle and someone priestly to join the ranks. A stern and moustached priest of Helios was hired. He appeared as an armoured warrior, and frankly discussed himself as a "champion". Grimnir hired him after some banter regarding the temple slaughter the party had enacted previously. The price T'hen of the flame (as he introduced himself) demanded was a "fair" donation to the temple.

In Saturn's Luck Sint met Sarrhan, a dirty-looking mongrel human. He was thickly muscled and somewhat quiet but seemed physically capable. That night Sint, Sarrhan and Xechies spent their money carousing. [Ref rolls on carousing table]. Sint emptied his bladder on the floor of Saturn's Luck, and exposed his...assets...to a notable politician within the city. After his insulting behaviour he was thrown in prison for the night. Sarrhan gambled away his entire savings, while Xechies won an eating competition, thereafter vomiting on himself and another patron.

Morning broke, and despite Grimnir's plans to get the hell out of Xamboola, he discovered much to his irritation that T'hen was the only capable and non-inebriated party member. Grimnir hauled Sint's sorry ass out of jail, and made the others leave town immediately. Though as the others walked, the fetid odour of vomit and human waste followed them.

They reached the dungeon.

Part II: Daemon Swine

Exploring the recesses and unknowns of the dungeon the delvers exhausted all possibilities after killing two spore-men in a musty library. Only one path remained: a cavernous exit. Sint shot an alighted arrow through a dark expanse, illumining the area. It seems vaguely lighted by phosphorescent mosses. Descending the sheer rocky path they reached the bottom. A creature, of vaguely humanoid suggestion appeared. It had elongated limbs, curved claws and a vile maw. It admitted to being the buyer of the loathsome wormy grubs with human faces - victims of its arcane depravities. Transforming into a tusked boar it attacked. It managed to gore and charm a few, deflecting the majick of Xechies. But the delvers prevailed. It eventually died with a bloodcurdling shriek.

Unfortunately the noise roused the attention of 5 more spore-men, gatekeepers of a spanning under-bridge. They attacked immediately. The wounded party took some significant hits, but luck appeared to be on their side (or perhaps the blessings of Helios) for they overcame the fiends. Opting to explore further into the darkness, rather than crossing the huge bridge, they chanced upon a cut in a cliff. It was a tunnel. Passing through the tunnel they emerged on a snake-men farm: two stone houses, two large pits, sinkholes, and fungus pastures. A dozen snake-men emerged from the houses, warning them to leave - and the delvers did - but the snake-men taunted them, and followed them back through the tunnel to ensure their genuine departure. The rapacious saurians then attacked, charging into the party. At times things appeared dire for the delvers, but at last the morale of the snake-men depleted, and they were routed and destroyed.

The takings from the houses were rich: a rich emerald and a chest filled with electrum pieces! However, jubilations were dashed. Gazing into the pits next to the houses the delvers spotted the loathsome pits filled with human-faced grubs, moaning, whining and cursing for their release...


Adventure Rewards

1500xp for defeating Daemon Swine
1120xp for defeating 7x Spore-men
1284xp for defeating 12x Snake-men
2000xp for treasure
1800xp for attendance and role-playing

1540xp each

Previous Post - Session #9 Death By Spore

Campaign Journal: AS&SH The Anthropophagi of Xamboola (Session 9)

SPOILER ALERT: This journal is extracted from an unpublished and upcoming Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure I am currently completing. This account eventuates from the playtest. You have been warned!

Visitors to the desert-city of Xamboola beware! Demoniacal cachinnations and dull totemic drumbeats sound nocturnal from the outskirts of the city. Too, vile shrieks echo in response to the nightmarish noises, making even those of heroic aspect shudder in repulsion. Residents do not tarry to lock themselves in their homes at night, for something sinister lingers in the fringes of the black of night. Whisperings and warnings intimate that foreign guests residing at the inn of one Aramis D’athak oft disappear at night, never to be seen or heard from again. Where they disappear is not known, nor do the people of Xamboola speak of the hellish noises that darken their oasis city in the gloom of night.

Session 9: Death By Spore

The Party

Sint the Pict Ranger (Level 3)

Heron the Kimmerian Druid (Level 3)

Xechies the Kimmerian Warlock (Level 2)

Grimnir Hothgar the Viking Berserker (Level 3)

Xjelko the Ixian Thief (Level 3; Hireling)

Part I: Beware of the Cloaks

Morning dawned and exploration resumed. Noticing Heron had adorned one of the black cloaks overnight Grimnir queried him:

"Why are you wearing that cloak?"
"Because I was cold."
"Hmph. Why don't you take it off?"
"I don't want to."
"Just take it off so I know it's not cursed."
"No. Why don't you take your armour off Viking?"

...and so the discussion continued. Sint grew bored of this banter. He noticed nothing unusual in Heron's disposition, and began exploring the chamber more thoroughly.

"Come over here Xjelko and help me see if we can find anything."

Within the chamber a concealed passageway was discovered. In the back of the auditorium (where the slithering slime had attacked Grimir) two additional passageways were located. The smaller doorway was opened first; Heron and Grimnir in the lead. As the small circular chamber was entered, two oozing slimes lunged at Grimnir and Heron. Both Grimnir and Heron were paralysed by the ghoulish creatures. Xjelko screamed in terror and ran from the room, despite curses and shouts of annoyance from his companions. Finally the loathsome creatures were destroyed, though not without injury - Heron appeared to be on death's door. 

Stooping to offer Heron restorative berries, Xechies and Sint noticed something strange: small, claw-like marks dug into Heron's neck from the cloak! Tearing the cloak from Heron's neck, Sint was suddenly engulfed by a hideous black creature, wrapping itself around him. Without the druid or the viking to help, and with the cowardly thief fleeing from the room it was up to Xechies and Sint to destroy this foul creature. Sint dropped his bow and attempted to wrest the underworld creature away from him. The creature let out a repulsive moan and tightened its grip on Sint, sinking a barbed tail into him, and smothering him with its wings. Sint began to suffocate.

Xechies hacked the creature from behind, injuring Sint in the process. Realising his blunder he sheathed his weapon and managed to pry the creature from Sint's body. Between the two they finally managed to destroy the stygian nightmare. 


Part II: Wormy Grubs of Human Essence

After recovering from their various wounds, the delvers decided to explore the recesses of the second doorway. Walking some 40 feet, noises could be discerned down the hallway.

"Shhhhhhthakkkk oooothhh yeeeeiiithhhaarrrrnnnaayyy!!"
"Thhhaannnntoooook"
"Sheeeekkeeeiiii"

The voices (if they could be called such) were a hybrid of snake and man. Xjelko (who had rejoined the party after being discovered whimpering and cowering in an adjacent room after the battle) was commanded to investigate. He refused.

"Who's there?" Grimnir angrily called.

The hissing voices stopped. Finally a lone silhouette emerged. Robed and tailed, this figure resembled a nightmarish amalgam of snake and man. It walked upright.

It spoke in a stilted common tongue:

"Interlopers, why have you come?" it asked.

Seeing no reason to enter a discourse, Sint let a nocked arrow fly. Its aim was true, and the creature hissed in pain. Grimnir plunged down the corridor towards what other creatures lay within. But the creatures were ready, rushing towards him: five other such "men" and two cobras. All hell broke loose, a cacophony of shrieks, hisses, steel and incantations. Again, the horror of warfare was too much for Xjelko who snuck to the back of the chamber, cowering in the corner. When the bloodletting was complete the room was searched. A few strange utensils were discovered whose purpose was completely foreign.

"You coward!" Grimnir bellowed at Xjelko. "How dare you run away? You're not even worthy to call yourself a man. Even the women and children in Erikssgard have more courage than you."
"What's wrong with you?!" Sint agreed, "This is what we hired you for. What did you expect -  a pleasant hole in the ground filled with treasure waiting to be plundered? We need someone who can pull their weight, not someone who runs when things get tough."
Preening his clothing and gazing sternly at the floor Xjelko retorted. 
"When I signed on, you told me you needed someone to find hidden doors and break into things. I've done that. You never mentioned I had to fight anything."
He also added "You only pay me 30 gold pieces a month, I've seen the hoards you capture. I think if my rewards were commensurate with the earnings..."
"Fool!" Grimnir thundered, "Leave us and begone!"
"Wait, you can't leave me down here! I'd never find my way back. You've seen what's down here."
Grimnir finally relented. 
"C'mon then you coward..."

Creeping further down the corridor, lest there be other snake-men, the delvers continued (though Xjelko filled with trepidation). The long corridor finally expired into a cavernous pit. The pit had an acerbic foetor, and an unwholesome miasmic quality. Inside the pit squirmed the most horrid things imaginable. Small worms secreting oozing white juices whined and moaned within the pit. Xjelko vomited violently as he comprehended what they were - human faces with maggot bodies! The faces were pinched and withered, as though animated in a semi-living space. Noticing the delvers standing above them the maggot-men began worming towards them, squabbling with each other and groaning. They were entirely incapable of scaling the sheer walls of the pit.

"Heeelllpppp us!"
"Please, release us!"
"FOOOOODD!!!!"
"GIMME, GIMME"
"ARGGHHHHH!!!"
"snipsnip"
"That morsel is mine!"
"You up there, give me your liver"
"Urghhh! I'm in so much pain"
"What time is it?"

Their voices merged in a repulsive clamour. They were entirely repugnant to behold. Discussion was held. Do we destroy them, or to somehow help them? But all present were too repulsed to remain. Discussion continued further down the tunnel, out of eyesight and earshot of the pit. Finally the consensus was to return at a later time, once the entire complex had been mapped.

Part III: Death and Rebirth

An adjacent corridor was explored in the original room where the delvers had slept. This corridor revealed another hallway. Down the hallway were two snake-men and another larger pit of men-maggots. Xechies recalled some forbidden lore he had once stumbled upon in a darkened sorcerer's lodge. He suspected these creatures were once human, now transformed for daemonic majick purposes - possibly for trade or sale in unholy ritual. The snake-men appeared to be to blame, and it was gleaned they were probably responsible for the brainwashing of the human cannibal slaves.

A northern corridor was thereafter pursued. The corridor forked into three directions. Unlocking one of the three doors, five creatures assailed Xjelko as he pushed the unlocked portal open. The creatures were covered in mouldering skin and breathed suffocating spores. The battle was ferocious. Xechies became infected by one of the creatures and began to act against the party's interests, attacking them instead. Grimnir entered an untameable fury. He hacked at the creatures - shrieking and invoking prayers and battle cries. He destroyed two spore-men, but the berserker suffered hit after hit. As the creatures pummelled him to death, he lay bleeding on the ground, each attempt to fight becoming increasingly futile. Finally he was welcomed into the gates of Valhalla. Comprehending his certain demise, Xjelko tried fleeing. One of the spore-men caught up with him, and stood over him. Xjelko loosed a few crossbow bolts from his shaking hands, and managed to disable one spore-men. Unfortunately his pursuer tore open Xjelko's back with its claws, raking him. Xjelko's body stiffened. His eyes remained open and staring, as death claimed him. Heron was surrounded, and although he killed one, he was torn to pieces by an ochre horror. His blood pooled on the ground, covering the spore-man's feet.

Cognisant of inevitable doom, Sint began retreating. All but one of the spore-men had been destroyed, but Sint was injured. He loosed two arrows, one striking true. It seemed to injure the spore-man. The spore-man and Xechies surrounded him wickedly, and darkness closed upon Sint.


[Referee's note: At this point it was a total party kill! To maintain campaign momentum it was decided that Sint, Grimnir and Xechies could be "revived". The penalty for death was suffering one permanent effect from the madness table. The following outcomes were determined:

Sint - Schizophrenia
Xechies - Homocidal 
Grimnir - Kleptomania (Grimnir also suffers the permanent effect of Hallucinations from a previous misadventure).]


Waking in the chamber of the seemingly-dead magus, Sint, Xechies and Grimnir awoke. They remembered the battle and mourned the loss of their friend Heron. Xechies pondered the philosophy of death:

"It really is a beautiful thing isn't it? The fact that I can offer this gift to people is surely ordained from the gods. When I return to Xamboola I feel like I should help someone on their journey"

He smiled at the thought.

Stealthily, the delvers returned to the previous corridor. Ensuring no spore-man remained, they reclaimed Heron's body before returning to town. Back in Xamboola the remaining party spent the night at Saturn's luck. Grimnir had the unshakeable desire to steal from the coffers while everyone slept and did so, pleased with his surreptitious endeavours. He also pocketed a handful of Sint's arrows. 

Xechies climbed out a window, and entered an alleyway. Hiding, he waited until someone entered. An older women hobbled home. Feelings of compassion overtook Xechies - he must help this lady towards the next step in her destiny. As she passed his hiding spot he grabbed her, putting his hand over her mouth to stop any screams. Xechies smiled at the delight she must be feeling - chosen to ascend to the next plane of existence - all at his hand!

The knife sheared her throat easily. Blood streamed down her front, and over Xechies' hands. He peered into her eyes as the spark of life faded. He saw gratitude in her eyes and knew he had done a good thing.

"You're so very welcome" he crooned. Laying her gently to the ground. He licked the blade in ecstasy. Xechies wandered into the wilderness, spending the remainder of the night listening to the whispering approval of the gods...


Adventure Rewards

460xp for defeating cloaker 
600xp for defeating 2x Slithering Slimes
749xp for defeating 7x Snake-men
86xp for defeating 2x Cobras
660xp for defeating 4x Spore-men
1600xp for treasure
1800xp for attendance and role-playing

1191xp each

Previous Post - Session #8 Corridors Of Unnerving

Campaign Journal: AS&SH The Anthropophagi of Xamboola (Session 8)

SPOILER ALERT: This journal is extracted from an unpublished and upcoming Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure I am currently completing. This account eventuates from the playtest. You have been warned!

Visitors to the desert-city of Xamboola beware! Demoniacal cachinnations and dull totemic drumbeats sound nocturnal from the outskirts of the city. Too, vile shrieks echo in response to the nightmarish noises, making even those of heroic aspect shudder in repulsion. Residents do not tarry to lock themselves in their homes at night, for something sinister lingers in the fringes of the black of night. Whisperings and warnings intimate that foreign guests residing at the inn of one Aramis D’athak oft disappear at night, never to be seen or heard from again. Where they disappear is not known, nor do the people of Xamboola speak of the hellish noises that darken their oasis city in the gloom of night.

Session 8: Corridors of Unnerving

The Party

Sint the Pict Ranger (Level 3)

Heron the Kimmerian Druid (Level 3)

Xechies the Kimmerian Warlock (Level 2)

Grimnear Hothgar the Viking Berserker (Level 3)

Xjelko the Ixian Thief (Level 3; Hireling)

Part I: Death of the Daemon Rat & the Satrap's Avarice

A huge nauseous rat, scuttled from the dark recesses of the dungeon, as a dozen of her children rushed into onslaught. The mother rat had red eyes and swollen nipples oozing putrid milk, onto which clung blind ratlings. Although the dungeon delvers dashed the crazed rats to pieces, Sint and Grimnear succumbed waves of nausea as the angry bites of the rats racked their bodies. The battle was fierce with some close calls, yet the delvers survived. As Sint and Grimnear dashed the monstrous she-rat to pieces, an explosion of blood and gore rained on the survivors as the large rat emulated. The remnant of the smaller rats died whining deaths.

Afterwards various treasures were recovered, along with the thankful platitudes and rewards offered by Xill - a pearl necklace and a serviceable shield. Returning to the daylight, and relative normalcy of Xamboola, the party began selling off their various plunders. Xechies and Heron nearly met their deaths as they requested an audience with the satrap. The satrap took advantage of their naivety and told them he would take the jewellery they offered, instead of their lives. The two hurriedly left his audience, avowing amongst themselves never to return to him.

At the bazaar a new hireling was located, a youngish tough named Xjelko who claimed his expertise with dungeoneering. For a small fee (30p/month) he agreed to join them as their "thief".

Part II: A Chasm & A Gem

Returning to the depths of the ruinous palace, pursuit of neglected treasure hoard was decided. Where squire sharptooth had met his demise, and where Grimnear had come close, a wealth of treasure had been located. Getting it was the problem. Grimnear knew from painful experience that the whole chasm was riddled with horrid moulds and fungi, yet the lure of untold wealth proved deleterious where common sense should have prevailed.

Experimenting with makeshift rope tricks, and finally hammering caltrops and hooks into the cavern walls, a descent was negotiated, which avoided the toxic billowing mould clouds. And what a hoard was discovered! Armour, an otherworldly dagger, an axe, and other various treasures were hurriedly bagged. Thanking whatever gods they appraised the delvers continued into the depths of the ruined undercity.

After retracing steps, moving cautiously, and encouraging Xjelko in his crafts, some headway was made into the eerie undercity. Various routes were discovered. Some rooms yielded treasures, but the whole place was uncanny and quiet. Too quiet. Navigating some perplexing corridors another iridescent gem was discovered. It appeared much like the one Grimnear had previously touched - thereafter transporting him into the gallery of the ancients, and almost to his doom. With these compunctions in mind, the group began to back away from this gem, avoiding any majick it may contain. Something strange overcame Grimnear and Sint, and they strove immediately for the gem. It would be theirs! Oh how it glowed! Greedily they grasped for it, and it became a physical struggle. Before bloodshed occurred Xechies covered the gem with a cloth, shaking Grimnear and Sint out of their strange state.

Part III: The Eerie Chambers Below

Thereafter an amphitheatre was discovered, capable of seating at least 100, though now empty. Behind a curtain at the front of the amphitheatre was another chamber. Walking confidently into this room, Grimnear tumbled through a trapdoor and into a circular pit. Immediately a gruesome, slithering oozy creature began to engulf him. The party assailed the ooze. Although Grimnear could feel it attempt to paralyse him, he shook off the feeling, pulverising it into jelly.

More creepy corridors were discovered - doors with odd runes, opening into passageways with seemingly no purpose; corridors which seemed to be used to steer people down, as one might steer cattle or sheep; altars with dried blood; other detestable spaces. 

Retracing their steps the delvers found a strange passageway with a one-way filmy peephole, in which an occupant could spy into another room. It appeared that the previous denizens had stood in this hallway and watched guests without the others' knowledge. Shivering slightly in repulsion, the group inevitably decided to bunk down for the night. Although creepy, this seemed the safest haven. In this area they found some cultic robes which Heron stuffed into his pack.

During the night, as the others slept, Xechies awoke to see that Heron had donned one of the strange black robes...


Adventure Rewards

162xp for defeating 18 Rats
700xp for defeating Daemon Rat
300xp for defeating Slithering Slime
2845xp for treasure
1000xp for using +2 leather armour
1000xp for using +2 laser dagger
600xp for using axe
300xp for using potion of diminutiveness
400xp for using potion of extra healing
4000xp for using wand
1000xp for using bracelet charm
1800xp for attendance and role-playing

2821xp each

Previous Post - Session #7 The Rats In The Walls

Review: The Manse on Murder Hill

Author: Joe Johnston 
Price: $1.99 (RPGNOW)
Format: PDF
Page count: 50
System: Taskboy Games (Labyrinth Lord)
Year: 2015

In an ideal world I would have published this review some time ago. Due to various intruding responsibilities I have literally pried the time from the clutches of the space/time continuum, and just generally said "damn you" to my generally incessant manic life.  +Joe Johnston messaged me on G+ and said: "I would like to send you a PDF copy of Manse on Murder Hill" Well, who am I to argue with him? Of course I said yes! The progeny of that encounter is the very review you now read.

The Manse on Murder Hill is a Labyrinth Lord adventure for levels 1-3. The adventure states 6-10 players can run through this adventure (big group!). The background of this module revolves around the town of Little Flanders - and pertains to a mansion atop Fairview Hill. 15 years ago a whole bunch of nasty stuff happened within the mansion, and the townsfolk have avoided speaking of the manse since. Recently children have gone missing, and the small village has begged the PCs to provide some aid - offering reward of course. 

Like Johnston's other adventures, the premise is laid out clearly and simply. For anyone seeking a quick adventure, and not have to worry about plots within plots, within sub-plots this is a useful convention, and I again laud Johnston for his clarity.

The Good
Like its recent brother Tranzar's Redoubt, The Manse on Murder Hill is attractively presented. In fact it is a re-presenation of an earlier work of Johnston's - receiving a retroactive polishing. Compared with the original, this is a much-needed improvement, and thematically it looks very elegant alongside Tranzar's. The illustrations are very reminiscent of a TSR module but not in a kitsch way. The cartography is clean and clear. My favourite "artistic" piece within the module however, had to be the Appendix E: Little Flanders map. It reminds me of the tiles in the game Carcassonne. The booklet also comes with five player handouts, dovetailing with the narrative of the module - a bounty notice, three letters and an "arcane scroll".

The various tables within The Manse are interesting. I particularly liked the menu. Rather than the standard fantasy fare of "mead" or "ale", differing descriptions were given, adding a bit of local flavour to the adventure. I do similar things in my own games, so call me biased. A common issue I experience in adventures is determining the level of assistance NPCs are willing to provide adventurers. Luckily Manse details this fairly explicitly with a table dedicated to the amount of clerical aid PCs can likely expect, and the prices associated with this help. I have a sneaking suspicion the illusions table (found within the mansion itself) borrow fairly liberally from Gygax's DMG appendices. I like this touch, and again, in my own adventure writing this is something I have been....er...known to do. The rooms are almost overflowing with monsters, but the odds attributed to the random encounter table took this into account, being balanced and reasonable. 

Another addition I found useful is the inclusion of training opportunities for players. If you're running a game where training is mandatory for levelling (I do), this is a welcome addition. I mean, duh, I could probably work out a few places where would-be levelees can train, but having it mentioned outright is both useful and respectful of this style of play - which is sometimes overlooked in other editions/games.

The intelligent use of monsters was certainly a welcome change from the mindless hoard mentality. The monsters in The Manse are not imbecilic automatons, but actually have a manifesto, and will stick to it. This creates a sense of verisimilitude, and becomes less of a computer game (clear the level), and more of a role-playing game. 

The Manse is an adventure that can be run with minimal prep. Running it on-the-fly might be a stretch - a good read is necessary first - but thereafter you could happily run four sessions at least with virtually no extra work. Overall the feel of the place has throwbacks to the haunted house in U1, and is definitely old school. Some traps were lethal, some illusory, but they were largely well executed (if you will excuse the pun). The odds of locating traps were reasonable, and when saving throws really mattered little bonuses were offered to avoid the most deleterious effects. I imagine these little mechanical tweaks cut down on the party attrition rate. 

Various mundane items within The Manse were novel. One item was a tome whose contents actually had some internal detailing, rather than the usual:

"Uhh...you find a book." 
"Awesome! What does it say?" 
"Uhhhh..."

This gives the LL/DM/Ref some good ideas to play with. The adventure concluded with a few further adventure hooks, which I thought was a nice finishing touch.


The Bad
Although I give this work a positive review, and overall I feel like it's a very solid effort, there were a few quibbles. I felt like the latter half of the mansion adventure was far more interesting than the first part. Initially it's a very tropological D&D adventure - small town, evil orcs, goblins and kobolds. If you love this about D&D you're probably prone to enjoy the entirety of the adventure, if not, you may find it a little prosaic. The latter part really shone in my opinion, and it seemed very much like an adventure site of two halves. 

One part of the text discusses pre-generated characters appearing in the index (pg. 5). For the life of me, I could not find these pre-gens! The game also assumes you are using Labyrinth Lord, and apparently omits some monster statistics - referring the reader to the LL rules. This is not really an issue for me, and I'm sure anyone buying this will be capable of converting it to whatever edition they're using, but I thought it worth mentioning in case it's a deal breaker for the reader. Another niggle was the d40 rumour table. I don't own a d40, and it is a little annoying to have to mentally work out how to make one. Fortunately there are instructions on how to use two dice to create a d40, but this is a little clunky. Probably not an issue for many, but it bears mentioning.

This adventure is well stocked, there is nearly something in every room. I like to have sparser dungeons, as I feel they make a bit more ecological sense, but I applaud Johnston's efforts at cramming this place full of baddies. At times however the dungeon ecology felt a little bizarre - undead and some goblinoids in adjacent rooms. Is the locked door really going to keep the undead out, especially if they're ravenous for the taste of flesh? But once again, a stylistic choice rather than any inherent flaw.

Final Thoughts
Should you buy The Manse On Murder Hill? Undoubtedly and unequivocally yes. It is a nice little adventure, self-contained and quaint. It has some delightful trimmings in places, that other authors either overlook or ignore. You can tell a lot of thought has been put into this module, and it is richer because of it. The quibbles I have are very subjective, and are stylistic more than anything. I liked Tranzar's Redoubt for the zany flavour, but I feel like The Manse is probably a more cohesive piece. If I had to choose between the two, and knowing the contents of both, I would probably choose this current work. The price is almost laughably cheap. What have you got to lose besides $1.99?

I really admire Joe's tenacity - this guy is an indie designer in the truest sense of the word. I know he works very hard to make these adventurers. For what is presumably a one-man operation he is doing a fine job indeed! Thanks for another adventure Joe.