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rsanford

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Posts posted by rsanford

    Character Creation

    in Delta Green

    Posted

    On 8/17/2021 at 4:37 AM, Scout said:

    This is true, but I would like to get it right in case the characters begin with too many skill points or even not enough. I'd like to make sure of that rule for game balance. 

    I am not an advanced Delta Green player. To date I have read the agents book and played maybe 20 games. With that background I would point out that there is zero balance in this game. In every fight with the mythos we have been in, it was all we could do to survive - not win. Even facing human adversaries there wasn’t much balance as it often comes down to who gets the drop on who and if automatic weapons are in play. Just though you might want to know.

    Gaslight Resources (and Release date)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    It's not in print anymore but the definitive guide on Victorian equipment is probably "... and a 10-foot Pole". It was written for Rolemaster but it's perfect for for CoC and many other RPGs. It is exceptionally useful. See https://smile.amazon.com/10-Foot-Pole-Rolemaster-Standard-System/dp/1558063706/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T2GINZPH7OI1&keywords=and+a+10-foot+pole&qid=1640163967&s=books&sprefix=and+a+10-foot+pole%2Cstripbooks%2C71&sr=1-1

     

    • Like 1

    Gaslight Resources (and Release date)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    17 hours ago, Grimmshade said:

    I ended up getting the Hudson & Brand book, plus The Spirits of London and The Thirteen, all in print. It's going to be like 8 weeks for the print versions to get here, but at least I've got the PDFs too.

    I think you will like ALL the Stygian Fox stuff, I know I have.

    • Like 1

    Slaves to fate - BRP adventure

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    29 minutes ago, g33k said:

    Not sure how people can judge that; one man's "deeply-satisfying traditional themes" are another man's "tired old cliche's," and "charmingly madcap adventures" are also a "senseless mashup of mismatched elements."

    For me, entirely not to my taste, as is recommends having one player actively working against the rest of the party -- "The Betrayer."   I don't mind a bit of inter-party bristling & rivalries & such; but I hate PvP-centered RPGing.
    (also, I notice what I think is a language-use error on one of the sample pages on DTRPG:  "The rest of the beastmen cow at its lash..." should be cower, or the sentence should read something like "It cows the rest of the beastmen with its lash..."
    It cows, they cower.
    So I find that unimpressive about the product, too.  (n.b. I have previously seen stuff from Earl of Fife I found more impressive))

    Thank you. It seemed strange to me that they would take this one scenario from a family of scenarios and publish just it for BRP but I was tempted because there are so few straight up BRP scenarios.

    Slaves to fate - BRP adventure

    in Basic Roleplaying

    Posted

    On 10/1/2021 at 5:35 PM, smiorgan said:

    Bought the PDF right now. It's a short (22 pages) fantasy adventure based on the BRP SRD.  It has a new spell in the format of BGB's Magic spells and several monster stat-blocks. Monster stats are pretty basic and seem to eschew BRP's optional rules. Hits locations are used, though, but only for armor determination. Using it with either the BGB or Magic World seems a trivial undertaking.

     

     

     

    How good is the plot? 

    Gaslight Resources (and Release date)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted · Edited by rsanford

    8 hours ago, Dr_Zarnak said:

    The 2012 Cthulhu by Gaslight book by Kevin Ross is the only indispensable item for a Gaslight campaign. There are useful supplements if you have cash to burn: besides the Stygian Fox books mentioned, there is also the Miskatonic Monograph Gaslight Equipment Catalogue, and two excellent adventure collections published by Chaosium in its heyday: Dark Designs and Sacraments of Evil. I'd also track down a copy of Pagan Publishing's The Golden Dawn, out of print and pricy, but worth it for the information on the premier Victorian occult society and several of its prominent members. I've used the society in my campaign to feed adventure seeds and as a resource for the players in their investigations. It's a nice alternative to Hudson & Brand. Also, The Golden Dawn comes with four cracking adventures by Scott Aniolowski, John Tynes and Steve Hatherley.

    As for when the new edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight is due, only Yog-Sothoth knows.

    The Golden Dawn is really a unique and incredible book and it was my favorite Gaslight book till H&B came out (now it’s probably a tie). The problem is that it’s getting more and more rare. I purchased a used copy three years ago and it still cost me three fingers and a pint of blood. Of all the books that need to be republished this one has to be at the top. Stephanie (Stygian Fox) you listening? You publish a new hard back version of The Golden Dawn and it will be an insta-buy for me.

    By the way there is a copy on EBay.com for $157 and $28 shipping. In contrast I paid $103 plus $10 shipping in 2018. But if your going to do much Gaslight it’s worth it… See ->https://www.ebay.com/itm/224651456246?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item344e452ef6:g:WksAAOSwGhhhbL2X&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACoPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSvtkx670Z0mbyfWqmxLFLYc%2Fi%2FgW2i%2FGA%2ByJgjF%2BLJeLnmM4WHk63WWJbCmgXh7243Pq4ru3yWndo00e2nbCcLXCYOwbmRpLX3RKroxSxGLuuLxaLjDLLN6kihB8hp6DUQnlIgo8fws9SFcWYQc0J47cGg%2FRIkMNFWoG5ubPdmby1b8R%2BNc7nJbariBoFyuVEmAwa5cFTHfOht2jNAUxVETWgNW3J85d0FJq0Bl5xmgGBHKSN6eAbkFjwvxYSHQtEdIzjFKPJ33Lnto%2BOMqBw8sqHneBowOoV6BESWVgcs16rC5%2BM10kGUPHucfKCIsyZJu7epARjsgk8eAANyRhD96ImMlYUZavcxFozHfUoxNPV2Yt1jjaVYVNEjPjNUohAl9MBeW%2BJGHRU4VoRFT8z3Kz6g11%2FHVAdlfB5GmkJG4i%2BkTh7R7rWibDRLfIvfms0VUCNVIlvcizw8uGOugXJ7U4HDp0emJEe5VYs6fEon6WiHKMwT71zydET%2FgunA9Yl%2FnqZp%2BbMrTJ2ECCk57o7%2F%2FL8iYrpJcVT3XvX2kiscxVtuitHswys%2B93LewjmgBKD9x1ay9OjYQ2lxZNaJGud42I43HfJITa6RzRAgtpAI7R6UNEmWWjxrUM02K6cTjp8RsXbS6cU2Ah9efyJPva8X%2BrIg8MW1rclIjTkHsrrvGEA3XQ%2BmBLb2dltngxmIC2cyltSnvv9Au5mftdJAm%2FgvAvYPwYQ4bNtK9qIiciETuHDL13FEzR5Mc%2BRc6cMXqh48h8Rf7ZQE6YsxCHYYF9OwCLHI6wTtrj03xkUQ2lG5nZCJDTEjWBONLGjrdRSBe7DMztAwMgJo%2Bzs%2Btf0g5jJJw%3D%3D|clp%3A2334524|tkp%3ABFBMuvqxybVf

     Reviews of The Golden Dawn can be found here -> https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/classic/rev_1282.phtml

    and

    here -> https://refereeingandreflection.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/golden-gaslight/amp/

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Like 1

    Gaslight Resources (and Release date)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Oldskoolrebel said:

    I'm hoping to run a Gaslight campaign towards the end of next year. I'm currently putting together resources, I've got the pdf of the 6th edition Gaslight sourcebook, I was wondering if there where any other must have resources?

    Also does anyone know if there has been information with regards to the release date for the new Gaslight Resources?

     

    Kind Regards

    Check out Stygian Fox’s Gaslight settings and scenarios chief of which is the setting book Hudson & Brand , Inquiry Agents of the Obscure. I think you will find Stygian Fox is now the leader in all things Gaslight (by a LONG, LONG shot) and that will be even more pronounced I bet when the next Hudson & Brand book comes out. Here’s a review of the first H&B book -> https://rollingboxcars.com/2018/05/23/gaslight-never-looked-so-good-hudson-and-brand-inquiry-agents-of-the-obscure/amp/

    • Like 5
    • Helpful 1

    Good Christmas/Holidays/Winter scenarios?

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, Joe Kenobi said:

    A few I'm aware of--most of which I haven't actually played:

    • "Christmas in Kingsport" from The Eldritch New England Holiday Collection -- It's third party published, but I've generally found Golden Goblin Press's work to be of high quality. Of note, the investigators play as preteen cousins.
    • Cold Warning -- Also Golden Goblin Press. Set in the dead of winter, with events in both Arkham and rural Maine.
    • Trail of Tsathogghua -- Classic Chaosium scenario published in the 1980s. Officially set in late spring/early summer, but with events in Greenland and Canada, so plenty snowy and wintry-feeling.
    • Beyond the Mountains of Madness -- Another classic scenario from the Eighties, set in Antarctica and written as a functional sequel to Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

    Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention I'm the coauthor of Prisoners' Dilemma, a Miskatonic Repository scenario set in the wintry wilderness of the Soviet Union circa January 1929, and inspired by the true life Dyatlov Pass Incident.

    My Russian wife is a go for all things Soviet. I will check out Prisoner’s Dilemma!

    • Like 1

    Adding a 'Magic' skill to Magic World

    in Magic World

    Posted · Edited by rsanford

    13 hours ago, Mugen said:

    I've been toying with the idea that magic can be done either by using your own MP reserves, or by harvesting it from the surroundings.

    Creating a spell using the second method is a 2 steps process :

    -First, you need to concentrate magic into a small space. You do this by rolling under a "harvest" skill. With each roll, the spell becomes bigger, but the harvest process also becomes harder.

    -Second, you need to form a spell from the "mana" you've gathered, which requires a second roll under a skill. Of course, the difficulty will depend on the MPs gathered.

    Each skill roll is a potential "Uh-oh" moment, with different possible problems. A simple failure can just mean you lose some of the MP you gathered, or worse.

    And, given the number of skill rolls, you don't need an equivalent to Specials to have a decent chance of failure.

    You know I have been looking for a way to do freeform magic WITHOUT the magicians becoming all powerful. Eliminating the automatic getting of MPs and replacing it with mechanics to harvest MPs seems to fix the problem. May I steal your idea for my freeform magic brp rules?

    Happy Holidays

    in Alastor's Skull Inn

    Posted

    17 hours ago, svensson said:

    As we approach the various winter holidays, please allow me to offer the respects and well-wishes of my wife and I.

    Travel safely, eat well, enjoy the company you're keeping, and may the gifts you give be well-received.

    Happy [insert appropriate holiday here]! 😁

    Thank you! Happy holidays to you and yours too!

    • Like 1

    Adding a 'Magic' skill to Magic World

    in Magic World

    Posted

    On 4/26/2021 at 5:25 PM, Simlasa said:

    In the past I ran a Magic World campaign where I used the 'Maleficar' rules from Logan Knight's 'Last Gasp' blog. They're cascading charts meant for Lamentations of the Flame Princes (B/X D&D) but easily tweaked.
    Basically, if the PC runs out of MP they can try to funnel raw magic through themselves... but it's risky. (roll on the 'Cast The Bones' chart for possible adverse effects)
    Also, if the PC wants to boost a spell somehow, there's a chart for that (Conduit Of The Cosmos)... and a suggestion that the roll be modified depending on how crazy the PC is trying to get with the spell.
    In use it wasn't much extra bother and only got used occasionally. Ex: I had a Player (fresh out of MP) who was trying to cure a girl who had been cursed on her wedding day... and the spell worked... but also sealed the poor girl's mouth shut... so they had to go looking for someone to fix that...).

    Here's a link to his downloads page... the one you want is 'Last Gasp Shitting-Looking Compendium' which has a bunch of his blog entries. The specific bit is in the House Rules portion, under '02: Do Not Take Me For Some Turner Of Cheap Tricks'.

    WARNING: The cover drawing is NSFW and Mr. Logan has some salty attitude and language (which I quite enjoy!)
     

    Okay that didn’t work on my phone. I will have to try it later on the computer.

    Children of Fear Chapter 2 fun anecdote (spoilers)

    in Call of Cthulhu

    Posted

    2 hours ago, klecser said:
    Reporting on a fun game last night (Children of Fear spoilers) @Lynne H
     
    Last night my players took the Silk Road from Sian to Tun-Huang and The Cave of a Thousand Buddhas. The initial interaction with Langdon Warner went well. His character description lists him as "brash," so I essentially played him as a J. Jonah Jameson derivative. They enjoyed it. It did really help in selling the mystery of the letter being vague and an "emergency," because they chalked it up to him being super conceited. They had come all the way from the States, so it seemed odd to them that Warner would invite them.
     
    I was getting ready to bring Wang Yuanlu into the mix when one of my players, who had observed Warner being wary of Wang finding out his aims, decided to take action. My players and their characters are not a fan of European pillaging of cultural treasures, so one of the players went to the nearby village where Wang lives and contacted him. He explained to Wang that he was suspicious of Warner attempting to break down a wall within a barrier and was not following the local laws. The players had already found the recess between the Buddha and Caravan at this point with Warner, and Warner had asked them to return in the evening. Wang said that he would come up in the evening to surprise Warner.
     
    At this point I had a moment of silence in which I was carefully reading the text of the Chapter to see if it said anything about the investigators turning Warner in to Wang. This is something I rarely do as a Keeper and my players noticed and said:
     
    "Crap, we broke the encounter." 🤣
     
    I laughed and said no, but decided that the only response to this would be the Tokabhaya killing Wang to prevent the investigators from not discovering Tenzin Kalsang.
    The player noticed Wang not coming as promised and immediately got concerned. They found him in his home, hand clutching his chest, with a terrible shocked look on his face, dead.
     
    And now they suspect that Warner did it, and knocked him out just as he opened up the first secret room. LOL. We ended the session with Tenzin Kalsang awakening.
    So, great night.
     
    They also took a really long time to enter the two hidden rooms because they were worrying about salt acid traps (one character is Egyptian, so totally in-character to worry about it). They actually looked at Kalsang's room from ABOVE before looking through the crack!
     
    Your players will never do what you expect and you gotta roll with it! 😃

    Well done on your part! Sounds like everyone is having a good time. I still need to pick this book up and spring it on my players!

    • Like 1

    Best Supplements

    in Stormbringer

    Posted

    2 hours ago, smiorgan said:

    Yes, it's a railroad. No doubts about that. But it's one of the best rollercoaster railroads I've ever seen. It's a railroad just like it's a railroad when Elric boards the Black Ship and sails on the seas of Fate.  It's a mystical hero-quest where the characters find themselves as the agents of Fate and of the Balance.

    Each episode is rich enough and provides hard battles, problem solving and memorable characters to interact with. And the player characters will be very busy just surviving. But going from an episode to another is rigid linear sequence.

    I don't think you can really fix it and give it more meaningful branching. 

    I'd rather embrace the railroad intradiegetically (within the fictional world 😁). It's not a railroad because the master is an asshole, it's a railroad because they are the Slaves of Fate. I think one can focus on how the PC develop their relationships with Maria and the other crew members of the Rogue Mistress as they all gradually realize that they are embroiled in a cosmic conflict. 

    I'd also work on the possibility of bringing people on the Rogue Mistress, from the various worlds as companion characters or secondary PCs. And bringing stuff onboard. And perhaps trading it in other worlds.       

     

    Great answer! Thanks!

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