I Hear You: Logo + Booklet Title-

I have read the eight comments on the previous post after having tweaked this and another booklet's cover. Here is a second go, although nothing is dead-final:



As to the nearness of release, I cannot speak from any certainty, and as others have said, it is best to deliver on promises --therefore no promised release dates. In short: It'll be released when it is meets my compromise between perfection and reality of what a first print, first edition product can be.

I will tell you that the product is not (in all likelihood) what you think it will be, and I look forward to reading the strong opinions about it when it is released.

Work on the final draft of the Referee's Manual will begin soon after the main release, and the cover artwork for that book is stunningly beautiful. It is difficult to contain my excitement. :D


I'd like to take this time to clarify something:

My 'devil's advocate' stance in the OS discussions should never be construed as one of antagonism towards the authors themselves. Like most of you, I have strong opinions, and when I am not with the stated majority, I imagine I am more of a grain of sand in the OS oyster than its shiny pearl. Yet, that's from whence pearls originate: an irritating grain of sand chafing at the soft underbelly of the creature. ;)

If I don't care for you, like Florida weather, wait a few minutes, as it'll often pass. If not, you'll know.
--If you don't like me, may I suggest you use your energy more effectively by doing your own thing more strongly to offset my Annoyance Factor. That'd be like producing a pearl out of a pesky grain of sand. :D


:: Best to all of you out there in Gaming Land

An Updated Look-

At the suggestion of scottsz, I have incorporated the Logo with the Mullen Cover:

New Logo-

It is a transparent background, that is why the text appears 'so dark'.
--It would be sharper against a white background.

Click it to see.

More DnD Luv-

NPC Damage-dealt Table-

20-12 - 1d8 (5)
11-10 - 1d6 (4)
09-01 - 1d4 (3)


Quick NPC-Kill Table-

20-12 - Dead
11-10 - Dies after action of next Round
09-01 - Still Alive

DM adds the PC's Fighting Man Level to the d20 roll


After First Hit NPC Reaction Table-

20-12 - Remains on-task
11-10 - Fighting Withdrawl (-1 to hit/+1 to AC)
09-01 - Drops heavy gear and flees

DM adds the NPC's HD to the d20 roll

Micro Campaign Design Tables-

Roll d20 for the tables below, unless otherwise directed:

TABLE I: The General Place-

20-12 - A Trippy Place (Tesseract, Rubik's Cube, Giant Ball of Lint in intergalactic space, etc.)
11-10 - A multitude of advanced subterranean complexes with occasional 'bolt-holes' leading out into the mysterious unknown.
09-01 - A world, possibly a planet, possibly a Realm (trapezoid with edges one can sail off, etc.)

TABLE II: Life-

20-12 - Vibrant, rich, full of unimaginable diversity of life forms
11-10 - As varied as Earth's heyday of megafauna (Irish Deer, Giant Sloths, Mamoths, etc.)
09-01 - Sparsely populated, or with very little diversity (Axebeaks, Cacti, Joshua Trees, Orcs, and Firenewts, for example)

TABLE III: Distant Past-

20-12 - The Gods Made The World Yesterday, and the Races, Today; Hello!
11-10 - The Ancients Destroyed Themselves in a One Day War, at least 1,000 years ago
09-01 - The past is an uncountable long chain of disasters and empires of super-science and sorcery

TABLE IV: Middlin' Past-

20-12 - A Dark Lord held Sway throughout the Land until Slain by a Hero
11-10 - Petty kingdoms battled for 2d6+3 centuries, plagues killed 1d4-5ths of the population, trade mushroomed afterwards
09-01 - Savage Warlords vie for semi-nomadic fiefdoms from 3d6 centuries ago until now; skip TABLE V, goto VI

TABLE V: Recently-

20-12 - Lesser Minions of a/the Dark Lord are gaining strength and numbers in the (1. North, 2. East, 3. South, 4. West)
11-10 - Trade disputes are currently (1-3.) heading towards war, or (4-6.) just now ending
09-01 - Monstrous armies erupt from the wilds and surge against Humanity

TABLE VI: Number of Big Players-

20-12 - 1d3, each with hundreds of thousands or millions of troops
11-10 - 1d6+2, each with tens or hundreds of thousands of troops, and great navies or war machines
09-01 - 2d12 Tribes, 1d4 Races, and Demonic Noble Houses at war with each other, using the Races as mercenaries

TABLE VII: Newest Stuff-

20-12 - Great Alchemical Wonders (magical war machines, wish magics, etc.)
11-10 - Stainless Steel and Steam Engines
09-01 - Iron and Silk

d20 Combat Advantage Critical Table-

For the D&Ders:

When a PC generates a Critical Hit (by whatever means one does in your game), (have the Player) roll on the following table:

20-11 Double Maximum Damage, Gain a Free Strike, and a Free Move
10-01 +1d4 Damage, and Gain a Free Move

If the DM desires, perhaps modify the d20 roll by Fighting Man Level and/or Hit Dice.

Which Non-RPG Games Do You Dig?

Back in Jacksonville, the guys I hung about with were designing dice games like, Stomp the Roach, where a handful of d6s were rolled and some results Stomped, and others Hatched new roaches. It was an amusing game, especially while I was under the influence of Hornsby's or Woodchuck Hard Cider.

I'm not known to play many board games, and fewer card games (Aquarius, and Guillotine being two notable exceptions), but I have been taken to task by a minis wargamer that games like AMBUSH! or SHELL SHOCK! are, in fact, board games, and I've played plenty of those.

I'm curious which non-RPGs readers of this blog are fans of, and which features of them are best liked, and why.
--Too much to ask of you folks? I hope not. :)


On a mildly-related topic, I Refereed a friendly BLOCKMEN v. LEGOS scenario last night, with the dice favouring the invaders (after losses) of a base, and an alien saucer as the prize. Simple d6 pools of varying sizes compared to other d6 pools, with the higher roll winning, and the difference taken as hits in an attack action.
--The young player asked if this counted as 'wargaming' and after a moment's thought, I replied, 'yes.', thinking of Wells' Little Wars basic conceit of a War Game.


Have fun. :)