lawrence.whitaker

Our latest setting for Mythras is Worlds United, John Snead's view of a 1950s where the Martian invasions described in HG Wells' seminal novel, and Orson Wells' radio play, truly happened.The invasions brought destruction, certainly; but they also brought new technology, and opened up the Solar System for expansion. While the Cold War simmers on Earth, Mars and Venus are now colonies, and humankind is turning its eyes towards new worlds for exploration. Characters in Worlds United are adventurers, heroes and explorers, with campaign power levels ranging from the mundane, through the pulp heroics of Science Fiction's Golden Age, to the superhuman levels of heroes such as Doc Savage or the Lensmen. Players can choose from Earth, Martian or Venusian humans, or something more exotic, such as the Ophidians or Lizardmen of Venus. Professions too, range from the expected to the unique - such as Venusian Dinosaur Wranglers, or psychic investigators. And, despite having been vanquished, the malevolence of the octopoid Martians, with their fearsome war tripods, are not far away. Can the United Worlds crystal weaponry and gravity-nullifying machinery take on the war engines of the octopoids in a third battle for the Solar System? Will political tensions on all three worlds threaten the peace first? Worlds United is a setting book, and requires either the Mythras rules, or Mythras Imperative for optimum use. Despite being self contained, it is fully compatible with Luther Arkwright (the multiverse-spanning campaign setting based on the graphic novels of Bryan Talbot), and contains notes on how to slot the period into an Arkwright Parallel. The book contains comprehensive character creation, new backgrounds, powers, rules for Ophidian science, crystal weapons, a range of creatures native to Mars and Venus, and much more. Featuring art by Dan Barker (The Guide to Glorantha, Tales of the Reaching Moon, The Road To Hell), and cartography by Colin Driver (Mythic Britain, Monster Island, The Guide to Glorantha, Paladin), Worlds United is a welcome addition to the Mythras line. At 128 pages, Worlds United is available in both hardcover, softcover, and PDF via DrivethruRPG and friendly local game stores. The book is printed on premium paper, and contains colour elements throughout. Hardcover: $39.99 (includes free PDF) - Note, hardcover is only available via DrivethruRPG Softcover: $34.99 (includes free PDF) PDF: $15.99 TDM Webstore: http://thedesignmechanism.com/store.php#!/Worlds-United/p/133842505/category=5186110 DrivethruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/264521/Worlds-United

As others have mentioned, Mythras is a viable proposition. To address some of the OP's requirements: -I want cult membership to be a resource for the PCs, but not the all-encompassing subculture that it can become in Glorantha Mythras has a chapter dedicated to Cults and Brotherhoods, but they're designed to be usable across many settings and eras, and so aren't as pervasive (or as detailed) as the Gloranthan cults. Nevertheless, the advice on using them and creating your own, is comprehensive. Further supplements, such as Mythic Rome and Mythic Constantinople, build on these basics considerably, offering historical interpretations for GMs to integrate into their campaigns. --I want to keep magic reasonably simple but leave room for the fireball-throwing secular wizard type if that's what a PC wants Mythras has 5 magic systems. Folk Magic are everyday, low-level cantrips that are simple in function, but can be delightfully creative. Theism channels the power of gods; Sorcery manipulates the fabric of reality; Animism handles spirits in a comprehensive and unique way; Mysticism allows for individuals to unlock inner potential to superhuman levels. --I'm probably going to throw some definite 'you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy' elements [for example, no horses or cows, but substitutes they've domesticated since their arrival] Our supplement 'Monster Island' has a plethora of 'Not In Kansas' elements to bring to a campaign; from some truly grotesque monsters, through to detailed cultures not out of place in a Clarke Ashton Smith story. Mythras is essentially setting agnostic, so you don't need to strip anything out, although you will want to build carefully using the tools the rules provide. Our Mythics range offer a huge amount of background detail, especially concerning Rome and medieval Constantinople (including dozens of cults, religions, organisations and factions) that should assist in your goals. Couple all this with a fun, innovative combat system and lots of GM advice, and you should have everything you need. Classic Fantasy, as mentioned, may help in convincing D&D players of the merits of the system as it presents a neat way of replicating class, levels, and D&D style magic (including fireballs), tailored to the Mythras rules. Lots for you to ponder.

We've got lots of goodies at discount prices in the GM's Day Sale over at DrivethruRPG. So now's the time to pick up GM essentials such as the hit 'Breaking the Habit' combat training module, or our popular Mythras GM screen, or one of many scenario and settings books! Go on... make your players happy... https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4057/Design-Mechanism

No, it doesn't use the heavier paper because that is better suited for colour, and adds to the cost. The quality of the DTRPG POD is very good. We've tested two proof copies and been very happy with the results.

There should, of course, be far more Rush-inspired material for Mythras...

There are really two elements to whole 'punk' bit of 'cyberpunk'. The first is the deliberate stylistic approach taken by William Gibson, Walter John Williams, and Bruce Sterling to subverting the conventions of early 1980s SF. They peppered their stories with street slang, brand names, and took distinct liberties with language and plotting that gave their work a freshness that was lacking at the time. Cyberpunk was the 1980s equivalent of the New Wave spearheaded by New Worlds, Moorcock, Ballard, and others in the 1960s. Second is the characterisation demonstrated by the main protagonists of some of the books: street hustlers, junkies, con-artists... characters like Case, Molly, Count Zero and others were underdogs who exploited the availability of technology either for kicks or to make a fast buck. They weren't necessarily 'punks' in the sense of the Punk Rock movement, but represented the other meanings of the word 'punk': run-down and burned out, or tricky and deceiving. I think that the actual use of Punk Rock imagery in the Cyberpunk genre came after the creation of term; I don't think it was necessarily what created it (although there were definitely such imagery present in Neuromancer).

Inwils has really grasped how to both use and present the rules clearly and understandably. He's doing a great job.

No, but that doesn't mean the Aztecs book will be released first. Work on Greece progresses. Slowly perhaps, but it's still going to happen.

I don't believe we have said that Aztecs will released ahead of Mythic Greece.

For those who haven't seen it, Inwils hosts regular Mythras play sessions and walkthroughs of the rules. He's doing a fantastic job, and TDM is very pleased to sponsor and support Ian and his team in their bid to bring Mythras to a wider world. You can do you bit by subscribing to the channel, sharing the link, and spreading the word! https://www.youtube.com/user/inwils

I sincerely hope so...

12th February 2019 The Design Mechanism (TDM) is thrilled to announce that Ken St.Andre, one of the Founding Fathers of the Fantasy Roleplaying Game hobby, will be writing a Mythic Aztecs supplement for TDM’s popular and acclaimed Mythras roleplaying system. Ken is the legendary creator of Tunnels & Trolls, the second roleplaying game ever published, and is a pioneer of the hobby, bringing solo play at a time when roleplaying games were in their infancy. Among many gaming achievements, Ken also wrote the first ever Science Fiction RPG, Starfaring, and the superb Stormbringer game for Chaosium. In 2018, he was inducted into The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame, and just this year, has published his latest game, Fours (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/265645/Fours-2d-Augmented-Printing?), which presents a simple, innovative game system described in just four pages. A prolific designer and writer, the Mesoamerican period is of great interest to Ken, and the Mythic Aztecs project is one that he has harboured for a long time. TDM Director Lawrence Whitaker has a special reason for welcoming Ken to the Mythras team: “Stormbringer was my favourite game for many years, and writing for it brought me into the professional side of the industry. As I’ve told Ken several times, this is all His Fault. It is, of course, an honour and privilege to have the Trollgodfather write a supplement for Mythras – and one that we know will be very popular with fans of mythic history and historical fantasy. We are looking forward to working closely with Ken on this exciting project.” Mythic Aztecs is planned to follow a similar style to TDM’s other critically acclaimed Mythics supplements: Mythic Britain, Mythic Rome, and Mythic Constantinople. Other planned releases for the Mythics range include Mythic Babylon and Mythic Polynesia. Mythic Aztecs is anticipated to be a 2020/21 release.

Trapped in a narrow alley, four fugitives must break the shield wall of the highly trained city militia to escape. Their opponents are well armed and well armoured. To get to the city gate and freedom, they need to focus on bypassing the shields and swords, which means breaking old habits... Mythras Combat Modules provide a self-contained encounter designed to highlight and explore different parts of the Mythras combat system. The module suggests how new tactics and certain Special Effects can be used together to achieve a specific result. The modules aim to encourage creative use of the combat rules that will translate into standard game play. Breaking the Habit focuses on situations where Choose Location>Head may not be the best default choice, and where the use of weapon length, height, and other Special Effects will be of much more use. The module is ideal for introducing new players to the nuances of the Mythras combat engine. The module contains full advice on combat tactics, guidance on how each side fights during the melee, specially designed NPCs (with full stat cards), and full colour floor plans and character tokens that can be printed out for personal use, or imported to the Roll20 engine. Note that you need either the Mythras core rules, or Mythras Imperative to make best use of this module. 12 pages | PDF | $2.99 DrivethruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/265648/Breaking-the-Habit-Mythras-Combat-Module TDM Web Store: http://thedesignmechanism.com/store.php#!/Combat-Module-Breaking-the-Habit/p/130210162/category=33346297

Thank you!

Are these giants in the traditional sense: ie, substantially bigger and stronger than humans? If so, the STR and SIZ stats need adjusting. If they're just meant to be taller (but not significantly so) than humans, then these ranges probably work. Some more context would help.

Dunno, but Vic Reeves definitely said that 89.4% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

It lapsed a very long time ago.

Worlds United is alternate 1950s Pulp SF/Planetary Romance. John Carter, Doc Savage, Clarke Ashton Smith, Jack Vance, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, When Worlds Collide, both HG Wells and George Pal War of the Worlds, and much, much more.

are a million to one," he said. Worlds United

You can find the DTRPG edition here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/191475/Mythras?manufacturers_id=4057

Sure, I get that; I was just making the opposed/differential separation clear because there are some people who have mistaken one for the other. How you choose to have the effects work should reflect your play style. And thank you for buying lots of copies of Mythras!

Just to clarify, Mythras/RQ6 combat doesn't use Opposed Rolls for deciding combat outcomes and Special Effects. It uses Differential Rolls, which measure levels of success. Opposed Rolls don't have any Special Effects involved: effects are reserved for physical and spirit combat only. For true opposed rolls, such as Perception vs Stealth, or Willpower resisting a spell, Opposed Roll resolution uses the 'Roll High But Within' method to determine the winner, with a Critical result trumping a success, and a higher Critical (ie, roll high within one's critical range) result trumping an opposing crit. Mythras also reduces participants who have >100 to 100, with opponents being reduced by a number of points equal to the excess. This applies to both Opposed Roll and Differential Roll situations. In Mythras, skills don't tend to climb very far beyond 100%, and it would be exceedingly rare to find someone with 200%+.

I appreciate your frustration. I'll double check the criteria for Lonely Lighthouse, but usually we're happy for DTRPG's algorithms to handle our participation in site-wide sales such as their Black Friday sale. They usually refrain from including relatively recent products, or products that have been discounted in a recent promotion. We don't go through and check the eligibility of each title simply because we're a small company with only so much time available; but I'll investigate. It's possible it's been auto-excluded for an innocuous reason.

Drivethru Sales are auto-managed by Drivethru themselves, and usually exclude titles that have been made available relatively recently.

Get 33% off digital downloads of selected titles! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4057/Design-Mechanism Hurry, before it's too late!