The past several weeks has been a real humdinger that reminded me again and again of human frailty. It left me with this notion: Now that I and my family, friends, and gaming buddies are aging how many more campaigns do we have in us? Family and work can prove to make gaming tricky for the mature gamer but health and mortality oh they are much more decisive factors.
GM's are famous for working on the next great campaign while running one or two other campaigns but do we ever plan on one being our last great campaign? We only have so many years left where our eyes, ears, hands, and even our minds will support our playing RPGs. Should we plan each campaign as if it is our last? How should The Last Great Campaign be structured? Should the Last Great Campaign be structured to end in a bang or should it be set up to to last until the bitter end?
My best campaigns have run from 4 to 8 years in length. They did so by adapting to my gadfly choices and the slowly revolving group of players. While I never really planned for any of those campaigns to run for so long they just did. Now as I age and some of my friends and fellow players have died or been limited by illness so much they can't play I have to wonder is there ever going to be another long campaign and is there going to be more than one?
Is it my duty to prepare for the Last Great Campaign? Should it be structured as a place to walk off into the twilight from, to swim in seas of nostalgia, or maybe just maybe it could be a shinning example to pass on to a future generation?
Heavy stuff. Lot's of questions and no answers just yet.
Showing posts with label blather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blather. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Hello, back at the old blog
Hello everyone. After an absence I'm going to be back to game related posts here on this good old blog. I'm starting up a campaign with way too many houserules that I'll be sharing here. A lot of the old posts will of course still be part of the body that makes things what they are. The "Undercity of Mog" is getting moved to a new world and renamed the ever so different "Undercity of Maug" for vague linguistic reasons no one is ever going to care about. Still going to be a mash-up of oldschool meets d20 so there should still be posts that appeal to a number of readers. I also hope to get more illustrations and maps up here on the blog. So thanks for reading this and yes indeed there is more to come.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Where have I been?
Hello gentle reader I noticed I've gone some time now in failing to update this blog I have regretfully been busy getting involved with local and state politics. I am currently running for the position of State Representative of Rockingham 4 here in New Hampshire.
The state of politics nationwide and here in New Hampshire has motivated me to run as a Libertarian. This is the first year in many a third party has gained access as a major party here in New Hampshire and I wish to support the option for voters to have a choice outside of the two parties that have dominated our politics for far too long. There are many fine Republicans and Democrats in this country in office and among the general population that are not being well served by the parties they have supported and I feel fighting to open and maintain options is essential.
So I'm taking the opportunity presented by the upcoming special election to be held on September 25th to run as a State Representative for Rockingham 4 as a Libertarian. When I win I'll be joining members of three political parties who each serve approximately 3300 citizens in their local district. Helping represent my fellow citizens while also contributing to the future shape of politics in this state and the country at large is an opportunity I relish.
My campaign page:
https://jdsivraj.wixsite.com/jarvisrockingham4
My campaign facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1097156713761775/
This blog isn't going to get overrun with political posts, this could be the last mention I make of it here prior to the election. I felt motivated to share this with the many people who have read this blog so they know I have not given up on gaming or on communicating with them.
The state of politics nationwide and here in New Hampshire has motivated me to run as a Libertarian. This is the first year in many a third party has gained access as a major party here in New Hampshire and I wish to support the option for voters to have a choice outside of the two parties that have dominated our politics for far too long. There are many fine Republicans and Democrats in this country in office and among the general population that are not being well served by the parties they have supported and I feel fighting to open and maintain options is essential.
So I'm taking the opportunity presented by the upcoming special election to be held on September 25th to run as a State Representative for Rockingham 4 as a Libertarian. When I win I'll be joining members of three political parties who each serve approximately 3300 citizens in their local district. Helping represent my fellow citizens while also contributing to the future shape of politics in this state and the country at large is an opportunity I relish.
My campaign page:
https://jdsivraj.wixsite.com/jarvisrockingham4
My campaign facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1097156713761775/
This blog isn't going to get overrun with political posts, this could be the last mention I make of it here prior to the election. I felt motivated to share this with the many people who have read this blog so they know I have not given up on gaming or on communicating with them.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Well darn, that needs more work.
Posting a part I when you haven't finished a part II of post is always a risky business. My last post was a part I. I had an annoying health issue to deal with that got a lot of my attention so I didn't post or work on game stuff much. After a break ofa few days I reviewed my notes and the draft of part II of the post and thought "Well darn, that needs more work. What the hell was i thinking?". I should no better after blogging for years but i got cocky and used to being able to do a part II or II after I posted part I...instead of before hand. Part II of Xor Cults is coming and will hopefully be better than it almost was.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Working away
I'm working away on a few projects, one is the ink formulas I posted previews of earlier another is my next campaign as I don't have one active right now. I'm considering seriously embracing the whole murder-hobo thing with campaign rules geared more to that, enough expecting heroic play from tomb robbing scoundrels. Also got some paper soldiers/miniatures in the brew.
Likely Classes for the "embracing murder-hoboism"
Marauder: kicks in doors, kills stuff in way and loots. The straightforward melee masters of the game.
Rake: doesn't just steal coffers of coins also steal the hearts and trust of the gullible, these swashbuckling bravos are a tad less direct than marauders but still nonetheless they are action oriented.
Pilferer: Breaks in and takes off with loot.
Footpad/Thug: Sneaks up on folks and does the whole backstabby take their stuff thing. Either going to use a kosh or be the unarmed combat master of the campaign.
Bushwacker: sneaks around outside and shoots people in the back.
Montebank: racketeer charlatans that discover magic comes to those who talk about it too much and they learn how to use it to steal stuff.
Idolater: In the hidden corners of the world there are relics, artifacts, altars, and icons of the forgotten gods by trickery and appeasement little specks of their power can be made use of.
Defiler: The dead hold no secrets to those that know how to loosen their tongues. Low class necromancers that spend more time talkign with the dead than they do animating them (not that that is off the table).
Pyromancer: why learn to work magic if you don't bother learning how to use create and manipulate fire? If it needs burning down, these are the guys that will do it.
Sarker: fighter/magic-users of sort who draw raw power from the skins of beasts they slay.
Not the good guys. Maybe not the worst guys, but certainly not pretending to be the good guys. PCs of this sort might just discover themselves the targets of the sort that consider themselves the good guys.
Likely Classes for the "embracing murder-hoboism"
Marauder: kicks in doors, kills stuff in way and loots. The straightforward melee masters of the game.
Rake: doesn't just steal coffers of coins also steal the hearts and trust of the gullible, these swashbuckling bravos are a tad less direct than marauders but still nonetheless they are action oriented.
Pilferer: Breaks in and takes off with loot.
Footpad/Thug: Sneaks up on folks and does the whole backstabby take their stuff thing. Either going to use a kosh or be the unarmed combat master of the campaign.
Bushwacker: sneaks around outside and shoots people in the back.
Montebank: racketeer charlatans that discover magic comes to those who talk about it too much and they learn how to use it to steal stuff.
Idolater: In the hidden corners of the world there are relics, artifacts, altars, and icons of the forgotten gods by trickery and appeasement little specks of their power can be made use of.
Defiler: The dead hold no secrets to those that know how to loosen their tongues. Low class necromancers that spend more time talkign with the dead than they do animating them (not that that is off the table).
Pyromancer: why learn to work magic if you don't bother learning how to use create and manipulate fire? If it needs burning down, these are the guys that will do it.
Sarker: fighter/magic-users of sort who draw raw power from the skins of beasts they slay.
Not the good guys. Maybe not the worst guys, but certainly not pretending to be the good guys. PCs of this sort might just discover themselves the targets of the sort that consider themselves the good guys.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Elementals Are Boring
This post here http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2016/10/temple-of-elemental-bickering.html discuss how elementals are boring, and they are. So are lot's of other monsters that have no consequence to the campaign, the link mentions a cool way to make sure there is a consequence even a brief one, when using a tool to upset the fabric of reality.
What are elementals anyway beyond a fragment of reality, just an incomplete sliver of what is and can be. All the genuine responses of an elemental should be rooted in their elementalness. A fire elemental is all about fire just like gravity is all about gravity, no one ever seems to spend much time wondering about the goals of gravity but it's always there, it's a building block of reality. Elementals are an embodiment of a predictable and known force. What is ultimately important and interesting about elementals is how they are used by DM's and players.
All monsters and NPCs are no better than what is put into them by the people playing the game. I'm a fan of monsters but the place of each should be considered if one wants to have a complex and involved campaign.
That fire elemental is pretty boring, if it is going to have a conversation at all it's likely (almost certainly) going to be about fire. Setting you on fire isn't good or bad to a fire elemental, it's all about fire. The consequences of the presence of the fire elemental is the interesting part.
---
I should have gotten more of this into my reply over at the blog in question but I didn't want to be rude and double post.
What are elementals anyway beyond a fragment of reality, just an incomplete sliver of what is and can be. All the genuine responses of an elemental should be rooted in their elementalness. A fire elemental is all about fire just like gravity is all about gravity, no one ever seems to spend much time wondering about the goals of gravity but it's always there, it's a building block of reality. Elementals are an embodiment of a predictable and known force. What is ultimately important and interesting about elementals is how they are used by DM's and players.
All monsters and NPCs are no better than what is put into them by the people playing the game. I'm a fan of monsters but the place of each should be considered if one wants to have a complex and involved campaign.
That fire elemental is pretty boring, if it is going to have a conversation at all it's likely (almost certainly) going to be about fire. Setting you on fire isn't good or bad to a fire elemental, it's all about fire. The consequences of the presence of the fire elemental is the interesting part.
---
I should have gotten more of this into my reply over at the blog in question but I didn't want to be rude and double post.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Impending Clown'pocalypse
It started as rumors and internet stories, soon there were 911 calls and school closings, and right from the beginning you knew this was different.
Because it was happening in small towns, north and south. It was in the newspapers and on television.
And then it wasn't just online or the TV any more. They were in the street outside.
They were coming in through the through your windows.
It was a virus, an infection.
No one needed a doctor to tell say it was the grease paint
There was something in the make-up.
By the time they tried to evacuate the cities, it was already too late.
The infection was everywhere, confetti littered the streets,
The army blockades were overrun and puddles of seltzer were everywhere.
People started to flee, but there were little cars full of them roaming the streets.
The day before broadcasting stopped, there were reports of Infection in Paris and New York.
We didn't hear anything more after that besides the horrible laughter.
---
Growing clown hysteria here in the United States is just a harbinger of the end times... the Clown'pocalypse is coming.
Because it was happening in small towns, north and south. It was in the newspapers and on television.
And then it wasn't just online or the TV any more. They were in the street outside.
They were coming in through the through your windows.
It was a virus, an infection.
No one needed a doctor to tell say it was the grease paint
There was something in the make-up.
By the time they tried to evacuate the cities, it was already too late.
The infection was everywhere, confetti littered the streets,
The army blockades were overrun and puddles of seltzer were everywhere.
People started to flee, but there were little cars full of them roaming the streets.
The day before broadcasting stopped, there were reports of Infection in Paris and New York.
We didn't hear anything more after that besides the horrible laughter.
---
Growing clown hysteria here in the United States is just a harbinger of the end times... the Clown'pocalypse is coming.
That's a lot of Humanoids
Yesterday I was working on a list of humanoid (and folk some are centaurs) from my notes, classic D&D sources, and current OSR sources. I might make a more useful version of this list some day but here for now are the names. I'm sure I have omitted many and may have effectively duplicated the same one with different names in different versions of game books. I ended up with 200 humanoids that could have their own civilizations or be part of another with jobs and occupations, a few faeries were bumped as were a few tougher solo monsters that aren't really part of a society.
That's a heap of humanoids/folk and it could surely grow more so by straying into the elemental and outer planes and d20/3e era monster books. Most of the top of the list is from my notes including stuff "borrowed" from elfmaids&octopi and renamed, classic D&D humanoids, Fiend Folio, Blood & Treasure Monster book (1st edition), The Complete Tome of Horrors, and others.
I just have to wonder: why so many? Is it because the role of humanoids has changed over the years, the need to provide some new eye candy ? They are all essentially someone else with a club that has stuff you can use and possibly talk to before you take said stuff by force or trickery.
I myself can't stop creating them and know of a few more OSR sources that would likely allow me to add in even more. Why do we need so many goblins, wildmen, and trolls scampering in the darkness?
Humanoid
|
|
1
|
Snorf
|
2
|
Tibbit
|
3
|
Dwaddle
|
4
|
Mip
|
5
|
Yapper
|
6
|
Irk
|
7
|
Headless
|
8
|
Crawlman
|
9
|
Lopjack
|
10
|
Lank
|
11
|
Gump
|
12
|
Slather
|
13
|
Lurk
|
14
|
Pale
|
15
|
Cruel
|
16
|
Daro
|
17
|
Ur-Man
|
18
|
Eldren
|
19
|
Dvark
|
20
|
Hammer Goat
|
21
|
Whark
|
22
|
Octon
|
23
|
Fachan
|
24
|
Knockers
|
25
|
Drakyle
|
26
|
Kaboldi
|
27
|
Sootling
|
28
|
Fryst
|
29
|
Salamin
|
30
|
Prynac
|
31
|
Boglin
|
32
|
Squeak
|
33
|
Brin
|
34
|
Blood Cap
|
35
|
Skimp
|
36
|
Veem
|
37
|
Crunde
|
38
|
HausHob
|
39
|
Rackle
|
40
|
Trollkin
|
41
|
Molemen
|
42
|
Mousefolk
|
43
|
Beaver Brother
|
44
|
Brumble
|
45
|
Knurle
|
46
|
Moggles
|
47
|
Hulder
|
48
|
Badgerman
|
49
|
Gravel Gremlin
|
50
|
Metal Mite
|
51
|
Pebble Gnome
|
52
|
Fungus Faerie
|
53
|
Ice Gnome
|
54
|
Faun
|
55
|
Brownie
|
56
|
Hobwyn
|
57
|
Hobbart
|
58
|
Svarty Hobar
|
59
|
Higglewyn
|
60
|
Goblin
|
61
|
Snarga Orc
|
62
|
Orc
|
63
|
Arak (Black orc)
|
64
|
Orgog (Bog Orc)
|
65
|
Hobgoblin
|
66
|
Norker
|
67
|
Gnoll
|
68
|
Thoul
|
69
|
Bugbear
|
70
|
Boggle
|
71
|
Minotaur
|
72
|
Centaur
|
73
|
Pygmy
|
74
|
Cyclopsian
|
75
|
Amazon
|
76
|
Valan
|
77
|
Apeman
|
78
|
Hillman
|
79
|
Morlock
|
80
|
Ogre
|
81
|
Troll
|
82
|
Trow
|
83
|
Trolde
|
84
|
Many-headed Troll
|
85
|
Spelte Vaetter
|
86
|
Drauth
|
87
|
Trelf
|
88
|
Drolde
|
89
|
Traelf
|
90
|
Rotwood Elf
|
91
|
Moon Elf
|
92
|
Wood Elf
|
93
|
Ael (High Elf)
|
94
|
Elfin
|
95
|
Bullywug
|
96
|
Lizardman
|
97
|
Troglodyte
|
98
|
Dark Elf
|
99
|
Skulk
|
100
|
Gibberling
|
101
|
Qualn
|
102
|
Quaggoth
|
103
|
Flind
|
104
|
Xvart
|
105
|
Ice Troll
|
106
|
Fire Newt
|
107
|
Ogrillon
|
108
|
Aakockra
|
109
|
Pixie
|
110
|
Arivel
|
111
|
Hyperborean
|
112
|
Batfolk
|
113
|
Vulcher
|
114
|
Mossie
|
115
|
Skullman
|
116
|
Troglozak
|
117
|
Goblinman
|
118
|
Half-Orc
|
119
|
Vygon
|
120
|
Wendle
|
121
|
Mant
|
122
|
Buggane
|
123
|
Gark
|
124
|
Hoglin
|
125
|
Bugaboar
|
126
|
Squit
|
127
|
Scorboon
|
128
|
Hoon
|
129
|
Goom
|
130
|
Trid
|
131
|
Jackolin
|
132
|
Hindor
|
133
|
Shroot
|
134
|
Dwelf
|
135
|
Hoblock
|
136
|
Lagonuck
|
137
|
Ranite
|
138
|
Selenite
|
139
|
Calytaut
|
140
|
Centaur, Cyprian
|
141
|
Cyclorc
|
142
|
Dunter
|
143
|
Dwarf, Black
|
144
|
Dwarf, Red
|
145
|
Octoman
|
146
|
Orling
|
147
|
Skinkmen
|
148
|
Whitewinder
|
149
|
Atomie
|
150
|
Buckawn
|
151
|
Dakon
|
152
|
Dark Creeper
|
153
|
Dire Corby
|
154
|
Frost Man
|
155
|
Gremlin
|
156
|
Grippli
|
157
|
Half-Ogre
|
158
|
Kech
|
159
|
Mite
|
160
|
Pestie
|
161
|
Mongrelman
|
162
|
Nilbog
|
163
|
Ogren
|
164
|
Orc, Blood
|
165
|
Orc, Ghost-faced
|
166
|
Orc, Greenskin
|
167
|
Quickling
|
168
|
Silid
|
169
|
Spriggan
|
170
|
Sprite
|
171
|
Tabaxi
|
172
|
Troblin
|
173
|
Troll, Cave
|
174
|
Tsathar
|
175
|
Ubue
|
176
|
Nokker
|
177
|
Amazon, Yellow
|
178
|
Bird Man
|
179
|
Centaur, Eland
|
180
|
Centaur, Giraffe
|
181
|
Centaur, Zebra
|
182
|
Drakkar
|
183
|
Draken
|
184
|
Dwarf-Barbegazi
|
185
|
Eloko
|
186
|
Fly Man
|
187
|
Insectaur
|
188
|
Invisible Folk
|
189
|
Jabberling
|
190
|
Lout
|
191
|
Monkey Folk
|
192
|
Noroob
|
193
|
Reaper Goblin
|
194
|
Rotter
|
195
|
Shamshir
|
196
|
Squid-Man (hiigh tech)
|
197
|
Svart
|
198
|
Varj
|
199
|
Wildman
|
200
|
Lionmen
|
That's a heap of humanoids/folk and it could surely grow more so by straying into the elemental and outer planes and d20/3e era monster books. Most of the top of the list is from my notes including stuff "borrowed" from elfmaids&octopi and renamed, classic D&D humanoids, Fiend Folio, Blood & Treasure Monster book (1st edition), The Complete Tome of Horrors, and others.
I just have to wonder: why so many? Is it because the role of humanoids has changed over the years, the need to provide some new eye candy ? They are all essentially someone else with a club that has stuff you can use and possibly talk to before you take said stuff by force or trickery.
I myself can't stop creating them and know of a few more OSR sources that would likely allow me to add in even more. Why do we need so many goblins, wildmen, and trolls scampering in the darkness?
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