Prismatic Wasteland

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://www.rssboard.org/media-rss" version="2.0"><channel><title>Prismatic Wasteland</title><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/</link><lastBuildDate>Fri, 29 Nov 2024 13:46:15 +0000</lastBuildDate><language>en-US</language><generator>Site-Server v@build.version@ (http://www.squarespace.com)</generator><description><![CDATA[]]></description><item><title>It’s the Barter Economy, Stupid</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 29 Nov 2024 13:46:14 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/its-the-barter-economy-stupid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:673f9e9cefcf8c6ce22a699f</guid><description><![CDATA[Rules for abstract wealth, abstract supply, reputation, bartering, carousing, starvation, and random treasure in dungeons, and how all of these rules come together to form a cohesive whole.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1375x1600" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="1375" height="1600" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/11da0777-66bd-4705-97ef-9f9cc93747e1/11barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> My contribution of Blog Friday, a bunch of posts across the blogosphere related to buying, selling, and economic junk:In the post-post-apocalyptic pseudo-fantasy system of Prismatic Wasteland, there is no currency established enough that prices for goods would be pegged to this coin or that doubloon. Even the Caesar Permanente, overlord of the metropolis of Stateon, imposes no coinage standards on the settlements he’s conquered. Particularly because the setting is quasi-medieval, most exchange occurs through localized methods of debt and credit rather than gold or silver. I have a lot to get to and don’t want to belabor this point (particularly because it was the introduction to <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/bury-your-gold-on-abstract-wealth" target="_blank">my earlier attempt to scratch out an abstract wealth system</a>). Instead, I direct you to <a href="https://www.playthepast.org/?p=2850" target="_blank">Historical Hit Points 2: Simulating Medieval Economics in Tabletop RPGs</a> over at Play the Past, <a href="https://www.blogofholding.com/?p=7182" target="_blank">d&d is anti-medieva</a>l by Blog of Holding, <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2022/02/alternative-economics-part-1-money.html" target="_blank">Alternative Economics (Part 1: Money)</a> over at A Knight at the Opera, and Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. So let’s take the barter economy as a given and get around to detailing how it all works in Prismatic Wasteland. Because there are a lot of interconnected, moving gears, there is a bit for us to get through.<blockquote>If these rules pique your interest, the full Prismatic Wasteland rules will likely be released in beta form in 2025, so if you want to see those for free when they drop, you should sign up for my <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/mailing-lists" target="_blank">mailing list</a>. If you want to see early drafts right now (along with lots of other stuff, including early drafts of blogposts, including this one), you should sign up for my <a href="http://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" target="_blank">Patreon</a> for as low as one dollar a month. Also, if all this talk of bartering makes you want to spend coins (the barter economy doesn’t translate well to e-commerce), everything on <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop" target="_blank">my webstore is</a> now discounted 10 to 50% until December 4.</blockquote><h2>Owe My Soul to the Company’s Storage</h2> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png" data-image-dimensions="2400x1628" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=1000w" width="2400" height="1628" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a425226e-7745-439e-a5ed-a39584086b0c/money_19551.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> A core part of Prismatic Wasteland’s conceit is that the player characters are driving around in a van solving mysteries with their cowardly dog live in a large, shared vehicle. This vehicle (the “Rig”), together with all the player characters and their followers, mounts, and pets comprise the Company, a sort of collective character. The Rig as the game’s central focus is both for in-universe reasons (the game is about traveling the wasteland), inspirational reasons (I think traveling in a big rig is a core post-apocalyptic trapping due in part to the influence of Mad Max), but most importantly for game practicality reasons: to make scheduling easier it allows players to come in and out of the action; if they aren’t there that week, it’s assumed that they are just hanging out back at the Rig. Previously, the Company had stats representing the party’s Wealth, Supply and Clout. I’ve scrapped that. Instead, the Rig has a limited amount of storage, which houses the Company’s wealth and supplies. The Rig starts with a cargo hold and a freezer, which can carry up to 12 Item Slots of the Company’s Treasure and 8 Item Slots of their Supply, respectively. These storage units can be modified over the course of play, but that is a topic for another time. The Company also has a system for tracking their reputation, but this is obviously not something that can be bundled up and stored on the Rig. We will discuss each of these no-longer-stats and how they work in turn.<h2>Wealth Abstracted </h2>As often happens with blogs, I wrote something that inspired another blogger to write something but what they wrote has now inspired me to write something new. Blogging is a virus but instead of getting sick, we all just get sick (positive) ideas! In this instance, my colleague, Marcia of the Traverse Fantasy blog, <a href="https://traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2023/07/treasure-dice-for-experience-dice.html" target="_blank">fixed up a wonky system</a> I concocted for generating treasure values. As a part of her process, she also hit upon an application of using the treasure die to simulate bartering. This was such a cool idea that it made me reëvaluate my whole economy.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png" data-image-dimensions="2400x1455" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=1000w" width="2400" height="1455" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/71c2b43e-5910-4250-85b5-e5df312d05db/coin_19008.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> When the players find treasure in a dungeon, the referee determines two things: how cumbersome is it and how valuable is it. Its degree of cumber is represented by a number of Item Slots. As a rule of thumb, an item takes up one slot for every foot (0.3 m) in length or every stone (14 lbs, 6.35 kg) in weight, whichever is lesser. Coins always take up one slot, which assumes they are carried in a sack or similar container. This system does not track individual coins. That is for accountants (derogatory).Each asset is given a “Treasure Die” to represent how much it is worth when bartering. The below framework is a handy guideline, but for any treasures that don’t fit neatly, grade the treasure on a scale between one and 10 and then give the nearest Treasure Die (e.g., if it’s a 7/10, give it 1d8). If it is just a 1 or 2 out of 10, consider if it is valuable enough to merchants to even warrant carrying it out of the dungeon. Junk and other assorted trinkets don’t have any associated Treasure Die. If you try to barter using those, some merchants will assume that you must be joking while others will openly scoff. Magic items also don’t have a Treasure Die, but only because merchants don’t trade in them—their potential for danger or attracting unwanted attention is too great and the customer base for magic items is too scarce.  <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Treasure Die</th> <th>Artwork</th> <th>Coins</th> <th>Furnishings and Clothing</th> <th>Gems and Jewelry</th> <th>Trade Goods</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1d4</td> <td>Flop</td> <td>Copper</td> <td>Shabby</td> <td>Baubles</td> <td>Animal Products</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1d6</td> <td>Amateurish</td> <td>Silver</td> <td>Pedestrian</td> <td>Ornaments</td> <td>Construction Materials</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1d8</td> <td>Excellent</td> <td>Gold</td> <td>Trendy</td> <td>Gems</td> <td>Luxury Goods</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1d10</td> <td>Masterpiece</td> <td>Platinum</td> <td>Statement</td> <td>Jewels</td> <td>Arcane Resources</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Large Treasure: If any single piece of Treasure is so large that it takes up 5 or more slots, it has an extra Treasure Die per 5 slots. For instance, if the marble statue is amateurish but is 17 feet tall, it is worth 3d6 Treasure Dice instead of just 1d6. Nonetheless, good luck carrying that out of the dungeon. Enterprising adventurers may choose instead to hack out its rubied eyes (1 slot, 1d8 Treasure Die) instead.Special Rule for Coins: When non-copper coins are used to barter, carouse, replenish, or for any other reason, after rolling the Treasure Die, the Company retains an item slot worth of coins, but the coins are downgraded to the next-lowest type of coins. For instance, after using a slot of gold coins, the player characters get back a slot of silver coins as their “change.” <blockquote><h4>SIDEBAR: “Why does it only go up to 1d10?”</h4>Two reasons: the first is universal, and the second is system-specific. The universal reason is because grading things on a scale from 1 to 10 is more ingrained in arabic-numeral-using cultures than, for instance, a scale from 1 to 12 or 1 to 20. This more familiar heuristic makes it easier for the referee to reason, for instance, “Hmm, this marble statue was sculpted by a famous renaissance goblin and depicts an event of minor historical significance. It’s at least an 7/10 treasure, so 1d8 feels appropriate.” They could of course do the same on a 20-point scale, but it is a bit more alien to most people. Eyeballing it is much better than doing math, but if you absolutely must do math conversions, you could convert gold piece prices to Value by taking the Valueth root of 3 (so ranges from 3 gold pieces for Value 1 to about 60,000 gold for Value 10) and convert 2024 United States Dollar prices to Value by taking the Valueth root of 4 (from about $4 for Value 1 [a fast cheeseburger] to $1 million dollars for Value 10). That’s right, I bet you don’t want to do that math in your head, do you? The system-specific reason is because Treasure can be spent carousing in Prismatic Wasteland, which causes the Treasure spent to be added to the <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-xp-bowl-and-xp-bubbles" target="_blank">XP Bowl</a>. XP Dice in the XP Bowl are capped at 1d10 because characters in Prismatic Wasteland can only level up to 10 (characters progress to the next level when an XP Die rolls above or equal to their current level, so the 1d10 cap functions as a level cap).</blockquote><h3>Petty Cash</h3> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2109x1533" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=1000w" width="2109" height="1533" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d2b4a658-e109-4774-b8c5-b2cd1ebfb2f6/merchant_16141.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Not every tiddlywink transaction needs to be tracked. Didn’t I already say we aren’t accountants here? When player characters need to rent a room off the Rig, pay for a meal, or afford any other minor convenience of life, it is assumed that they have enough petty cash lying around to do so without tracking anything trading hands. The quality of what they can afford, however, depends on how many slots in the Rig are filled with Treasure, as shown in the following table. They can obtain higher quality accommodations but will have to do some bartering. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Slots of Treasure</th> <th>Can Afford without Tracking</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>0-2</td> <td>Wretched. You’re lucky to even be let into the saloon</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3-4</td> <td>Squalid. Moldy bread and itchy bed, and you may have to share both</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5-6</td> <td>Modest.* A simple meal, a drink, and a clean bed in a common room</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7-8</td> <td>Comfortable. A home cooked meal, a few drinks, and a room to your own</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9-10</td> <td>Luxurious. Appetizers and dessert with your meal, fancy cocktails, and a furnished suite</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11+</td> <td>Decadent. A fourteen course meal, top shelf drinks, and a penthouse suite with live-in staff</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h3>Great Value</h3>Goods don’t have prices. This is Prismatic Wasteland, not Prismatic Walmart. Instead, they have values. Values range from 1 to 10. The following list of prices is a pretty good guideline for the referee to use when establishing how valuable an unlisted good or service is: <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Value</th> <th>Example Goods/Services</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>A dagger, a synthchicken sandwich, toothpicks</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>A blowgun, an animaltronic goat, lockpicks</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>A glaive, a day of unskilled labor, a animaltronic bloodhound</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>A composite bow, a kevlar poncho, a day of skilled labor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>A laser scalpel, a chainsaw, an animaltronic horse</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>A plasma grenade, a day of streetrat mercenaries, a fancy sectional sofa</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>A power gauntlet, installing a cybernetic limb, an animaltronic psychic war elephant</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>A gravity bow, spectral chain main, a replacement Rig</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>A rocket lance, a dilapidated warehouse, a dedicated research fellowship</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>A disintegrator, a war machine suit, an unfurnished palace*, cure for a deadly curse</td> </tr> </tbody></table> *Particularly large items, like a palace, are broken into smaller components. A palace with four wings would have a value of 10 for each wing. Furniture and staff sold separately. That can add up fast. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1500x1324" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="1500" height="1324" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e467c3cc-0418-41c9-ba8b-7d432f44f91e/13barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> However, not everything can be found everywhere. Each settlement has a Value cap and can only offer goods and services that are below that cap. The referee determines the Value cap for a settlement by rolling as shown below depending on the size of the settlement. The same limits apply to itinerant merchants but with greater variability. Some merchants only sell junk while others have offerings that rival even some cities. Each time a settlement changes in size, the referee should increase or decrease its Value cap by 1 depending on whether it grew or shrank, respectively. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Settlement Type</th> <th>Value Cap</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Hamlet</td> <td>1d4+1</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Village</td> <td>1d4+2</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Town</td> <td>1d4+3</td> </tr> <tr> <td>City</td> <td>1d4+4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Metropolis</td> <td>1d6+4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Itinerant Merchant</td> <td>1d8</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h3>Bartertown</h3>When the Company wants to buy equipment, they follow the procedure below: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png" data-image-dimensions="1400x2000" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=1000w" width="1400" height="2000" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/207bddf9-d562-409e-99ff-1ce7b33eb3b2/barter15.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ol data-rte-list="default"><li>The Company totals up the Value for all the goods and services they want to buy.</li><li>If in a settlement, the Company makes a Reputation Roll (described below). If the result is positive, decrease the Value of the goods and services by the result. If the result is negative, increase the Value of the goods and services by the result.</li><li>The Company decides which Treasures they want to exchange for the goods and services and rolls the Treasure Dice for all such Treasure. </li><li>If the amount rolled on the Treasure Dice is equal to or exceeds the total Value, the Company removes the Treasure and obtains the goods and services. If it is just off by 1, one player character can choose to spend 1d6 Charisma to modify the result of the Treasure Dice by 1. Otherwise, the Company will have to abandon the purchase or offer more Treasure, rolling its Treasure Die and adding it to the result until it exceeds the total Value of the goods and services being acquired.</li></ol>Merchants aren’t typically in the business of buying goods from adventurers. It’s always used, often broken, and frankly has a high chance of being either stolen or pulled off a corpse. When adventurers want to get rid of their old sword to make room for their new one, they simply toss it. Maybe that’s why the wasteland is so littered with weapons.<h3>Carousing</h3>Partying is how adventurers convert tangible treasure into intangible experience. When the Company arrives in a settlement, they can spend a downtime turn carousing. To do this, they remove the Treasure from the Company’s inventory, add an XP Die equal to its Treasure Die to the XP Bowl, and roll the Treasure Die on the carousing table. Each settlement has its own carousing results table, in order to more accurately detail the complications that may arise from the hard partying, but the following shows generic results. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Treasure Die</th> <th>Generic Carousing Results</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>You seriously fucked up and something big got destroyed or someone died. Add this as a negative result to the Reputation Table for this settlement and a nearby settlement where they’ve now heard of your misdeeds.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>A drinking companion offered a once-in-a-life business opportunity! The next morning they are nowhere to be found, and no one has a clue of their whereabouts. Remove the Company’s most valuable Treasure.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>You insulted someone important. Add this as a negative result to the Reputation Table. That person’s disposition is now unfriendly toward the Company.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>The Company wakes up, hungover, in a random adjacent hex with no memory of what happened last night. One of the party members has a new tattoo.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>A random player character has contracted a disease, infection or parasite.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>A random player character is now betrothed to a previously unknown NPC. The player character has one Bond with the NPC, but breaking off the wedding will incur the scorned NPC’s fury and add a negative result to the Reputation Table for this settlement.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>Someone lets slip an interesting rumor, either a quest hook or amusing or compromising information about a known NPC.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>A random player character did something amazing and is the talk of the town. Their player describes what they did to impress everyone. Add this as a positive result to the Reputation Table.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>The Company gets a windfall in the form of a slot of gold coins (1d8 Treasure Die). Maybe you won it in a bet? You’re not sure but you probably didn’t steal it.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>Congratulations, you’ve revitalized the local economy! Add this as a positive result to the Reputation Table for this settlement and a nearby settlement where news of your generosity has spread. The settlement has decided to name a building after one of a random player character.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1252x1258" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="1252" height="1258" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aca42d76-2693-461a-9a81-b282690bc1d1/7barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h2>High on My Own Supply</h2>Supply is an abstracted representation of the Company’s provisions for exploration, including not just food but also fuel, crafting materials and any other comforts necessary for itinerant adventurers. Each Supply is represented by a Supply Die that is 1d6 and takes up one slot in the Company’s inventory. <h3>Schrödinger's Gear</h3>Any player character can spend a Supply to add any piece of mundane adventuring gear or a cooking ingredient to their inventory as if it had always been there. To do so, they roll the Supply Die and must roll equal to or above the Value of the requested item. Most adventuring gear has a Value of 2, so that means just don’t roll a 1 or that Supply Die is wasted. Supply is also used when cooking, crafting, or repairing. These have their own rules, but all of that deserves their own post(s). This post is already overstuffed as it is. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="716x463" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="716" height="463" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9e3fcf1b-efa3-4d7d-a82b-06bb7a65eb18/3barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Starvation</h3>At the end of every downtime turn (or any other time a week has passed), the Company must spend Supply to ensure all the members of the Company are being properly provided for. This represents not just feeding the characters but fueling the Rig, stocking bandages and medicines, ensuring the Rig doesn’t run out of toilet paper, and otherwise providing for the needs of the Company. The total amount rolled by the Supply Dice must equal or exceed the number of characters (including their pets and mounts). The Company may roll the Supply Dice one at a time until they reach the threshold.If the Company is unable to match the Company’s number with their Supply, everyone in the Company begins to starve. They each take the difference between the number of characters in the Company and the result of the Supply Dice as damage to all of their Attributes, bypassing any Grit. This may well kill party members, so it’s best to never be caught undersupplied. For a smart or even competent party, this rule will never come into play, but as my colleague, Jay of Possum Creek Games, <a href="https://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beadded" target="_blank">points out</a>: mechanics can shape the way a game is played even when they are never actually used. My other colleague, Ram of Save vs Total Party Kill, makes a <a href="https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/blog/negative-space-reprise/" target="_blank">similar observation</a> that OSR rules are often about engaging with the negative space created in between the rules that are focused on modeling failstates.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="723x473" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="723" height="473" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bc7118c-c1ca-4826-90c1-96bb884f7725/3barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Replenish </h3>When the Company restocks at a settlement or a trading caravan, they choose a Treasure to spend and rolls its Treasure Die. If the Company wants to exchange multiple Treasures for Supply, they roll separately for each Treasure. The results are as follows: <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Treasure Die</th> <th>Result</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1-3</td> <td>+1 Supply Die</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4-5</td> <td>+2 Supply Dice</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6-7</td> <td>+3 Supply Dice</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8-9</td> <td>+4 Supply Dice</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>+5 Supply Dice</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png" data-image-dimensions="800x550" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=1000w" width="800" height="550" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c9176199-0e16-4a95-9b3a-c5fa4d286ced/1barter.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h2>Give a Damn 'bout Your Reputation</h2>Luke Gearing must be stopped, frankly. He keeps having good ideas and needs to leave at least a few for the rest of us! Lesser creatures must content themselves with remixing his ideas, which is exactly what I am doing with his <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/reputation-tables" target="_blank">reputation tables</a> concept. The implementation is simple. For every settlement where the Company has accomplished a noteworthy deed, for woe or weal, the Company gains a Reputation Table for that settlement. The size of the Reputation Table depends on the size of the settlement. This is because it is easier to make a name for yourself in a small town than a larger one.   <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Settlement Type</th> <th>Reputation Table Size</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Hamlet</td> <td>1d4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Village</td> <td>1d6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Town</td> <td>1d8</td> </tr> <tr> <td>City</td> <td>1d10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Metropolis</td> <td>1d12</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1132x1232" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=1000w" width="1132" height="1232" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a1a6232c-e52e-4d0d-900e-63e736a62dac/12barter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Each Reputation Table starts empty but begins to fill up. Starting with the lowest value, each time the Company does something of note that impresses or depresses the populace, write that action down for that numbered result. Each entry should be noted as either positive (i.e., doing something heroic) or negative (i.e., everyone hated that). Empty results are neutral. One way to add entries is to make a promise to an authority figure of the settlement. This promise must concern something that is actually important to the settlement, like ridding them of the nearby monstrous threat. If the Company makes good on their promise, it is added as a positive result. If they fail to accomplish it, it is added as a negative result.When a Reputation Roll is called for, roll on the Reputation Table for the applicable settlement. If it rolls a positive result, the outcome is favorable. If it rolls a negative result, the outcome is unfavorable. If it rolls an empty result, the result is neutral. The relative position of the results sometimes also matters, such as when bargaining. <h2>I NEED Loot, Goku</h2>It is the inevitable fate of the blogger to look back at something you wrote just 3 or 4 years ago and realize you now do it completely differently. Such is the case for the system for dungeon exploration I outlined in “<a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/exploding-the-encounter-die" target="_blank">Exploding the Encounter Die</a>”, my first post to really make it big. While the goal is still the same (i.e., a push-your-luck system that causes the dungeon to become more hostile but with a greater chance for treasure as you blast your way through its rooms), the exact method for accomplishing that goal has changed, largely due to a <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/overloading-the-random-encounter-table" target="_blank">eureka about random encounter tables</a> I had earlier this year (almost 3 years to the day from the earlier post. March must be dungeon encounter month for me). Here is how it works now. I promise this relates back to treasure.Every dungeon exploration turn, the referee rolls the Risk Dice. The Risk Dice start at 3d6, but if the dungeon denizens are alerted to the player characters, they are 4d6. If the dungeon denizens are not just alerted but alarmed, the Risk Dice are 5d6.The dungeon denizens become alert (or if already alert, alarmed) when the player characters do any of the following:<ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Activate machines or pressing buttons</li><li>Solve problems with violence</li><li>Enter a new level of the dungeon</li><li>Raise the stakes in some other meaningful way</li></ul>The Risk Dice will revert back to 3d6 if the player characters leave the dungeon. If they rest in the dungeon (a dangerous proposition), an alarmed dungeon will become just alert and an alert dungeon will revert back to its default state.The result of the Risk Dice determines whether there is a random encounter, an omen (e.g., tracks, spoor, a trail of blood) of a random encounter, and if the random encounter includes Treasure. See, I told you this detour tied back to the start. There is a random encounter if the three highest Risk Dice rolls a 13 or higher and any of the three highest Risk Dice match. If the three highest Risk Dice rolls a 13 or higher but there are no matches among the three highest Risk Dice, it means there is just an omen of a random encounter. The random encounter or omen is indicated on the random encounter table based on the total rolled on the 3 highest Risk Dice. Each dungeon level likely has its own random encounter table. What is nifty about this method is that it’s all crammed into a single dice roll. No more rolling to see if there is a random encounter and then separately rolling on a random encounter table. If you would indulge me in listening to dice probabilities for a moment: by default (3d6) there is a ~25% chance of either a random encounter or omen, which increases to ~50% when the dungeon is alert (4d6-drop-lowest), and ~66% when the dungeon is alarmed (5d6-drop-highest). A very satisfying progression: a quarter, a half, and two-thirds. Because random encounters are arrayed with tougher, more hostile encounters on the higher results, it also means an increased likelihood of such encounters as the dungeon reacts to the intrusion.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1200x675" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=1000w" width="1200" height="675" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06899688-04bb-42aa-b056-269fede6ca3e/slime.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Here is a sample random encounter table. We can use the dice combinations to further determine what a given random encounter is doing. I also used the sum of the two lowest dice to determine the number appearing, but if you want the number appearing to range from 3 to 6 instead of from 6 to 12, use the sum of the median die.  <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Three Highest Risk Die</th> <th>Encounter or Omen</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1-12</td> <td>Nothing happens</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13 [4/4/5]</td> <td>8 orc warriors are grumbling about their ogre of a boss</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13 [3/3/5]</td> <td>6 orc warriors are taking turns boasting over their martial accomplishments</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13 [1/6/6]</td> <td>7 orc warriors carry a wounded ally and the treasure they intend to bury them with</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13 [3/4/6]</td> <td>OMEN: The sound of a orcish sports chant can be heard faintly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13 [2/5/6]</td> <td>OMEN: A trail of muddy footprints are accented by drops of blood</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14 [4/4/6]</td> <td>An orc shaman looking for someone who can teach her a new spell</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14 [4/5/5]</td> <td>An orc shaman looking for a worthy puppet to overthrow her former ogre-puppet who has become unruly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14 [2/6/6]</td> <td>An orc shaman who is carrying treasure to put into a stew</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14 [3/5/6]</td> <td>OMEN: The smell of a boiling stew wafts through the air</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15 [5/5/5]</td> <td>A pile of bones knitting together to form 10 animated skeletons of orc warriors</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15 [3/6/6]</td> <td>9 animated orc skeletons, guarding over the treasures they claimed in battle against dwarves</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15 [4/5/6]</td> <td>OMEN: A skeletal hand crawling slowing in a single direction</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16 [5/5/6]</td> <td>A giant worm-beast whose face peels open like a banana to reveal sharp pincers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16 [5/6/6]</td> <td>A giant worm-beast that has recently swallowed an adventurer and the treasure they carried</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17 [5/6/6]</td> <td>A young black dragon carrying back treasure to its hoard</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18 [6/6/6]</td> <td>A demon that wants to possess the body of an innocent looking outsider so it can escape into the surface world and wreak havoc in a populated haven. It is guarding treasure</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png" data-image-dimensions="2400x2426" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=1000w" width="2400" height="2426" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/06224229-4f2b-4759-91c9-3d8ef9fa4023/dime_19018.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> When the three highest Risk Dice result in two or more 6s, it means the random encounter possesses or is guarding Treasure. Thanks to dice math, every random encounter (13-18) has a chance of having Treasure (and 17 and 18 always have treasure). Surely, you will have to roll again to determine what the Treasure is though, right? You can’t keep cramming so much meaning into a single die roll, you whine. You’d be wrong! For the treasure, we look to the total of the Risk Dice, not just the 3 highest Risk Dice. These are the same when the dungeon is in its default state, but move out of sync once the dungeon wakes up. Because the Treasure is more valuable as the result increases, it means the player characters are incentivized to raise the dungeon’s defenses. This incentive is, of course, tempered by the higher chance of tougher enemies. This is also in addition to any treasure that is already keyed in the dungeon, FYI. That wasn’t clear in my original dungeon exploration post and led to a small amount of confusion. The Treasure Table may be tailored to the dungeon or even to a single level of the dungeon, but below is a generic version that can be used for any dungeon in the Prismatic Wasteland: <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Risk Die</th> <th>Treasure</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1-12</td> <td>No treasure</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>Copper Coins (1d4 Treasure)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>Laser Scalpel</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>Revolving Handwand</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>Wizard’s skull containing 1 random spell</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>Spectral Leather Armor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18</td> <td>Silver Coins (1d6 Treasure)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td>Stun Morningstar</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td>Gravity Bow</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td> <td>Map of the current level of the dungeon</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td>Plasteel Exoskeleton Armor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td>Gold Coins (1d8 Treasure)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24</td> <td>Rocket Lance</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>Antimatter Longwand</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26</td> <td>Wizard’s skull containing 1d6 random spells</td> </tr> <tr> <td>27</td> <td>War Machine Armor</td> </tr> <tr> <td>28</td> <td>Platinum Coins (1d10 Treasure)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>29</td> <td>Vorpal Sword</td> </tr> <tr> <td>30</td> <td>Disintegrator</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h2>It’s the Barter Economy, Stupid</h2>Taken together, these systems form the basic dungeonomics of Prismatic Wasteland. The player characters need Supply to live. The player characters spend Treasure to barter for Supply. The player characters go into the dungeon to get Treasure. With the Treasure they get, they can spend it on other things like bartering for new goods or services or carousing to level up. The player characters will always need Supply and will always want for Treasure, so into dungeons they must go. <hr /> My blog posts are shared early as a reward to all of my Patreon supporters. If you want to support my blog, games, and get early access to all such endeavors, then get thee hence to my <a href="http://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. You can also support my efforts by buying any of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop" target="_blank">my games</a> from my shop. <a href="http://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" class="sqs-block-button-element--medium sqs-button-element--primary sqs-block-button-element" target="_blank" > My Patreon </a> Sign up with your email address to receive an email for new blog posts. <form method="POST" novalidate data-form-id="673fa3ffddfb1b556a9f6068" autocomplete="on" onsubmit="return (function (form) { Y.use('squarespace-form-submit', 'node', function usingFormSubmit(Y) { (new Y.Squarespace.FormSubmit(form)).submit({ formId: '673fa3ffddfb1b556a9f6068', collectionId: '5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4', objectName: 'item-673f9e9cefcf8c6ce22a699f' }); }); return false; })(this);" class="newsletter-form"> <header class="newsletter-form-header"> <h2 class="newsletter-form-header-title">Subscribe</h2> Sign up with your email address to receive an email of new blogposts. </header> <label for="email-yui_3_17_2_1_1732222621318_188159-field" class="newsletter-form-field-label title">Email Address</label> <input autocomplete="email" spellcheck="false" name="email" id="email-yui_3_17_2_1_1732222621318_188159-field" placeholder="Email Address" type="email" class="newsletter-form-field-element field-element" x-autocompletetype="email" /> <button class=" newsletter-form-button sqs-system-button sqs-editable-button-layout sqs-editable-button-style sqs-editable-button-shape sqs-button-element--primary " type="submit" value="Sign Up" > Sign Up </button> Thank you! </form>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1732224471183-HVVX3I6ACQFWO1EUJLNF/6barter.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1227" height="1227"><media:title type="plain">It’s the Barter Economy, Stupid</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>D20 Tabletop Roleplaying Game Gift Ideas that Aren’t Just More TTRPGs (or Dice)</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:46:27 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/d20-tabletop-roleplaying-game-gift-ideas-that-arent-just-more-ttrpgs-or-dice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:673bebd285a388379c4b4ed2</guid><description><![CDATA[When you are shopping for a tabletop roleplaying game obsessive, most of the recommendations are for more TTRPG books or more dice, when they probably already have plenty. Here are 20 gift ideas that aren’t just more TTRPG books or dice!]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[All too often, you want to buy a gift for someone who is deep, deep into this or that hobby but you aren’t yourself super well versed in it. Googling what to get a person based on that hobby is absolutely rational, but the results are typically stuff that a committed hobbyist either already has or is fully aware of and pointedly doesn’t have for a reason. In the specific case of looking for TTRPG-related gifts, all gift guides basically point you to one of two things: very popular (typically WotC-produced) TTRPG books or dice. What’s the problem with this? If your recipient is deep in the world of TTRPGs, they are likely either a WotC D&D superfan who already has Tales from the Yawning Portal OR they are a WotC D&D superhater who thinks people who exclusively play 5th edition D&D are some variety of scum. As for dice, they probably have more than they could ever roll. God, I know I do. The dilemma is essentially, how do I know what to get a TTRPG meganerd without having to become a TTRPG meganerd myself? This post is an attempt to alleviate that, as it is written by a self-admitted TTRPG obsessive whose bookshelves burst with TTRPG books and who seemingly mostly drinks Crown Royal for the free dice bags just so he has someplace to house all those dice. My promise? None of these recommendations are TTRPG books or dice. Enough is enough!This post is intended more for the loved ones of people obsessed with TTRPGs enough to read TTRPG blogs than the blog readers themselves. This means that those blog readers (yes, I mean you) will just need to either leave this post open on your device and conspicuously leave it where they’ll see it or be mature and send it to said loved one with the 👀 emoji or something like “wow some pretty neat ideas in this post!” Or maybe you are the loved one who isn’t really into TTRPGs or D&D and found this on your own through intrepid googling. If so, well done! I won’t waste any more of your time and will get into it.DISCLAIMER I: None of these recommendations have affiliate links, mostly because I can’t be arsed to fool with that nonsense just to earn what, a dollar? That is for the birds, frankly. Most links are to Amazon just because that’s just the way our world is these days, but many of these things can be found elsewhere, although not usually at the same competition-annihilatingly low prices. DISCLAIMER II: Also, all prices are as of time of writing (roughly November 12, 2024). I’ve ordered the list from cheapest to most expensive. However, it is also a numbered list from 1 to 20, which means you could simply roll a 20-sided die and let the d20 pick your next holiday gift.<h4>1. For the Bibliophile Who Has Read All Popular Fantasy Books:</h4>Hiero’s Journey - $7.28<a href="https://a.co/d/6DWE1Vu" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/6DWE1Vu</a>  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/6DWE1Vu " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1125x1050" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=1000w" width="1125" height="1050" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1bdcb424-8ca0-4c32-97ec-09e2d62a009a/1.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> Just how many times are you going to let Josh re-read Lord of the Rings? There are other books, Josh! Of course, any book that is on Gary Gygax’s Appendix N (D&D’s original reading list) is played out, but this weird post-apocalyptic science fantasy novel is one that mostly flies under the radar. SF Masterworks is coming out with a new paperback print run of this and its sequel next year, but I would get a used copy of the old paperback instead, mostly because of the amazing cover of a telepathic bear waving to a far-future Canadian warrior-priest and his saddled moose mount. You don’t need a blurb on the dust jacket; the image alone is enough to make your recipient ask, “Wait what exactly is going on here?” It is iconic. By comparison, the proposed new covers look bland and don’t at all represent the 1970s zaniness that is within. (There are some aspects of this book, by the way, that were very progressive in 1970 but read as really weird by today’s standards, but that is sometimes par for the course of these old books.) If you also want to sprinkle in some fun facts when you give this, you can inform them that this book is where D&D got the idea for psionics and even the concept of leveling up!Of course, there is really no limit to how many fiction books you could recommend. Although I’m limiting myself to one here, you could also check out my friend Anne’s blog, the <a href="https://lunarflaneur.blogspot.com/">Lunar Flaneur</a>, where she reviews over a hundred books a year. On the theme of books with “[protagonist]’s Journey” titles, here is <a href="https://lunarflaneur.blogspot.com/2024/07/shunas-journey.html">her review of Shuna’s Journey</a> by Hayao Miyazaki. Yes, that Miyazaki. The review convinced me to put this on my own holiday wish list. <h4>2. For the Player Who Takes Fastidious Notes:</h4> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/9VV333R" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg" data-image-dimensions="959x1498" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=1000w" width="959" height="1498" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7bb5f767-393a-444e-a9c8-e44ed4e17c64/2.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> Plastic Clipboard with Storage and Side Opening - $8.23<a href="https://a.co/d/9VV333R" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/9VV333R</a>The best TTRPG players take notes. Not just on their character sheet but also details about the campaign, new NPCs they’ve met, quest hooks, and anything else they don’t want to forget. And, if they’re like me as a player, those notes are also covered with doodles from the session as well. This gift is ideal for a notetaking player because it gives them something to bear down on, whether they are writing notes or updating their character sheet, and storage to put all their old notes. When the other players ask, “Wait, where did that old wizard dude want us to go with this magic ring again?”, your recipient will be ready to flip through their old notes for the answer. However, many people use digital character sheets and digital tools these days, so this is a gift for the person who is more tactile and likes to keep their character sheet and notes in physical format. <h4>3. For the Game Master Whose Real Hobby is Worldbuilding:</h4>Hexagonal Graph Paper Notebook: 1/2 Inch (0.5") Hexagons - $12.01 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/8Ln8cOa " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg" data-image-dimensions="386x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=1000w" width="386" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/090e9886-026f-4361-933b-15683bb62017/3.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/8Ln8cOa" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/8Ln8cOa</a> I unscientifically estimate that 99% of people who prefer to always be the game master than the player do so because of the immense joy of world building. World building is fun and, on an even smaller level, even just drawing a fantasy map and imagining the world it represents is a good way to spend an afternoon. These notebooks, which are probably intended for people studying organic chemistry, are perfect for that since the hex map is the undisputed champion for DIY fantasy mapping because of how gameable hexagons are when you bring it to the gaming table. If you want to impress your recipient with just how knowledgeable you are about their hobby all of a sudden, you could pair this gift with suggestions of two free resources: the <a href="https://plundergrounds.itch.io/gygax75" target="_blank">Gygax 75 Challenge</a>, a week-by-week guide to making a world for D&D, and my own award-winning (not exaggerating) <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/hexcrawl-checklist-part-one" target="_blank">Hexcrawl Checklist</a>, which has all the tips they need for turning the empty notebook into a campaign that can last years. <h4>4. For the Game Master with Loud Players:</h4>Gavel and Sound Block Set Gift for Lawyer - $12.88<a href="https://a.co/d/6QuUe24" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/6QuUe24</a>  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/6QuUe24 " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1024x1024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=1000w" width="1024" height="1024" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0fa73a49-970d-4cb6-8e08-f9f6444f8544/4.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> This gift is the cheapest way for the game master to get more gaming done in their regular, in-person sessions. It says it is “Gift for Lawyer” but legally you can buy this for anyone; they can’t stop you. Doesn’t seem innately D&D related? That’s where you are wrong. I started using a gavel when running games in person back in 2017 and haven’t looked back. Essentially when your players get loud and off topic or two players are chatting, and you want them to all shut up for a second because you’re about to say something important and you just know that Brian is going to be like, “Wait what is going on?”, in 5 minutes if he doesn’t pipe down, you simply tap the gavel on the sound block and get their attention. The sound block is important to get with the gavel so that you don’t bang up any furniture using it.<h4>5. For the Dungeons & Dragons Historian:</h4>Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons - $13.99 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/fjMiBfh" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg" data-image-dimensions="998x1500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=1000w" width="998" height="1500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5c9af1f4-1c4c-4651-99ca-573459e54277/5.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/fjMiBfh" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/fjMiBfh</a>Does your loved one have opinions about Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson? Or do they just like to watch internecine corporate battles like from Succession but much lower stakes and involving nerds? The foremost historian of D&D, Jon Peterson, wrote up a write-up of the personal and legal battles between the founders of the hobby that is just a really enjoyable read. Don’t be fooled by the fact it is published by MIT Press–this book is academic only in its quality, not in its style. If you want to seem especially in the loop, you could also mention to your recipient to check out the podcast <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7pcZ1tc0riPb1IarAXnIqS" target="_blank">When We Were Wizards</a>, which tells many of the same stories but from other perspectives plus interviews with people involved at the time and their family members. Reading the book and listening to the podcast together is a great experience. <h4>6. For the Player Who Thinks D&D Is Insufficiently Occult:</h4>The Rider Tarot Deck - $15.32 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/3FVwkFv" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg" data-image-dimensions="930x1404" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=1000w" width="930" height="1404" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/aa568509-32e1-4b71-9541-d9cbd5303428/6.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/3FVwkFv" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/3FVwkFv</a>A tarot deck is a perfect gift because you aren’t supposed to buy your own tarot deck, per the superstition of some. Tarot card merchants say otherwise, of course. This gift is especially perfect if your loved one’s latest TTRPG obsession is the hit new system, <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/his-majesty-the-worm" target="_blank">His Majesty the Worm</a>, which uses tarot cards instead of dice, but this is nifty even if they play regular ole vanilla D&D because it can be used as the <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/rating-the-deck-of-many-things" target="_blank">Deck of Many Things</a> or just to be an oracle to inspire his prep. You could, for instance, share <a href="https://riseupcomus.itch.io/dungeon-seeds" target="_blank">this downloadable game aid</a> with your recipient to show them how they can use the tarot cards to randomly generate a whole-ass megadungeon. Note: The deck I recommended above is the most common tarot deck, the cards you think of when you think of tarot, but there is truly no end to the types of tarot decks out there. So, for instance, if your recipient is really into the Cuphead video game or just loves Betty Boop, they may prefer the Mystical Medleys Tarot Deck: A Vintage Cartoon Tarot Deck ($20.25,  <a href="https://a.co/d/9C2Yi5h" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/9C2Yi5h</a>).<h4>7. For the Person Playing in a 5e Game that Doesn’t Care for DnDBeyond:</h4>5E Gaming Journals - Character 2-Pack - $18.95 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg" data-image-dimensions="633x992" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=1000w" width="633" height="992" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/804a998f-602f-4e69-8b94-77e2410d2f6f/7.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals" target="_blank">https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals</a> My outsider’s understanding is that most 5e players these days use the official digital tools to keep their character details. However, if your loved one is old-fashioned or just likes to stunt on their friends (valid), this journal gives them a place to track their character details that looks cool and easy to use. The typical way to track character details is with a collection of loose papers, which often looks like you are doing your taxes by hand. With this, you can keep track of character details and all your session notes in style in a single booklet. However, this is only useful if your recipient plays 5th edition D&D. If they play any other system(s), a better alternative is on this list under the heading “For the Player Who Takes Fastidious Notes”.<h4>8. For the Player Who Won’t Shut Up About Their Character:</h4>Commissioned Character Art - $20+ <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/p/art-commissions.html" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png" data-image-dimensions="960x1198" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=1000w" width="960" height="1198" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/eee218d7-622b-4baf-9728-391fa6f09be6/8.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/p/art-commissions.html" target="_blank">https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/p/art-commissions.html</a>Part of the joy of TTRPGs is playing a character, and people have a tendency to feel a connection to those characters they play for a long time. If your loved one likes playing a persistent character (as opposed to playing in the kind of games I often like where characters die with upsetting frequency), you can commission art of that character as a very thoughtful gift. The above link and price is for my colleague, Dwiz of the A Knight at the Opera blog, who moonlights as a talented artist, but there are thousands upon thousands of character artists out there, illustrating in every style imaginable. The trickier part is how to know what to tell the artist. If your loved one doesn’t care as much about the surprise aspect of gift giving, you could just ask them for a description. But if you do want it to be a surprise, you could either ask them about their character, casually, and listen to them talk about them, jotting down mental notes. A more effective method, however, which is only available if you independently know their game master or fellow players, is to tell them about your covert gift operation and ask for their descriptions. If your artist sends a sketch first before finalizing the piece, you could also present the sketch as the “surprise” part of the gift, then let your loved one give feedback to make sure it is more to their liking. Commissioning art can be really fun, so bringing them in on the process could be part of the gift. For some helpful tips on commissioning (although this is directed more toward game designers than people getting character art), my colleague Luka, a talented illustrator, has a <a href="https://www.lukarejec.com/2019/how-to-commission-art-the-long-version/" target="_blank">guide to commissioning art</a>. <h4>9. For the World Builder Who Has Writer’s Block:</h4>Masterpieces of Fantasy Art - $23.48 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/amLCaz8" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1115x1500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=1000w" width="1115" height="1500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f22148f1-c55b-45ff-beb0-4fdaf479580b/9.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/amLCaz8" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/amLCaz8</a>Even if they don't necessarily have writer’s block, anyone who is doing some world building (which includes any game master, even those running a pre-written adventure) could benefit from extra inspiration. I find that art is one of the quickest and most consistent sources of inspiration, and you can do no better than a big, curated book of art. Especially these days when you can’t just browse google or elsewhere without being inundated with AI art slop the goops up the creative mind. Get them a book of fantasy art to fuel their own imagination. If they are more into science fiction, you could instead get <a href="https://a.co/d/aIQoqT9" target="_blank">this art book</a> ($24.49), which I can vouch for is a very nice collection of art.<h4>10. For the D&D Fanatic with Cold Feet:</h4>Monsters 3 Pair Pack (Socks) - $24 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png" data-image-dimensions="1400x1400" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=1000w" width="1400" height="1400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d7d89beb-64a2-4e3d-b36a-2035d4e94f64/download.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <a href="https://heroesvillains.com/collections/d-d-accessories/products/dungeons-dragons-monsters-3-pair-pac" target="_blank">https://heroesvillains.com/collections/d-d-accessories/products/dungeons-dragons-monsters-3-pair-pac</a> I’m talking literal cold feet here, not prenuptial jitters. I don’t think any of these gifts would address that issue. While this gift list is mostly free of officially licensed D&D stuff (that is already all over most other gift guides you’ll find), I just liked these too much to not include. They are 3 pairs of socks with 2 classic D&D monsters on them and also a third one with the merrow (this is just me throwing shade at an evil mermaid monster for no reason). The owlbear in particular is an <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/no-one-owns-these-monsters" target="_blank">iconic monster</a>, and I love it. Whimsical socks with really busy designs are simply fun, and I’m tired of pretending they’re not.<h4>11. For the Game Master with Indecisive Players:</h4>mooas Dodecagon Desk Productivity Timer - $24.90 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/a6jWjpO " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1500x1500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=1000w" width="1500" height="1500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d53cd425-19de-4804-8745-0bffd99924c1/11.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/a6jWjpO" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/a6jWjpO</a> “Hey, I thought you said no dice!” This just looks like a twelve-sided die. It is, in fact, a handy timer. While the ad copy says it is useful for working out, studying, cooking, or existing with ADHD, there is a much more niche use case: gaming. Sometimes a game master wants to add a time limit to players’ decision making (goodness knows they can sit on their hands and debate for hours without coming to a decision), and this is a fancy way of setting an hourglass in front of the players to motivate them to decide quickly. A crafty dungeon master could also decide to use real time to track when torches go out (I believe that is what the Ennie-darling Shadowdark does), and this would make that easy. You could also use it to determine when the dragon’s fire breath recharges. Or use it to help the dragon cook while having ADHD. The possibilities are endless. <h4>12. For the Aspiring TTRPG Designer:</h4> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/el8GMOY " target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1300x1500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=1000w" width="1300" height="1500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6cfbbf1e-d075-42b5-9bc5-0f20d63fe0eb/12.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing - $27<a href="https://a.co/d/el8GMOY" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/el8GMOY</a> One of the most neat things for a creative (of anything) is seeing the process other creatives go through to birth their art. There is probably no better guide to the variety of creative processes, directly from a bunch of novelists, filmmakers, playwrights, and artists of all varieties, that might also look nice atop a coffee table. Unfortunately it doesn’t, to the best of my knowledge, include any perspectives from tabletop RPG designers. You could be extra thoughtful and supplement it by printing out (or just sending a link to) <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/writing-wages" target="_blank">this post</a> from my colleague, Luke Gearing of his eponymous blog, which describes his process for being one of the most prolific designers in the TTRPG biz.  <h4>13. For the Tabletop Gamer Who Is Also a Video Gamer:</h4>Caves of Qud - $29.99<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/</a> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1920x1080" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=1000w" width="1920" height="1080" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5e124f17-3883-4a6a-aa23-0e3b81d13373/13.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> This is one of my favorite video games of all time, and based on conversations with other TTRPG fans, that is a common opinion. I think that is not only because of the beaucoup roleplaying elements or the truly spectacular worldbuilding on display. I think it is because it exhibits the same <a href="https://rolltop-indigo.blogspot.com/2018/12/five-elements-of-commercial-appeal-in.html" target="_blank">tactical infinity</a> that you can typically only get in a tabletop roleplaying game. Your options aren’t limited to a preset number of solutions thought up by the developers. Instead, the world has lots of physics that interact in ways that allow players to come up with unpredictable solutions to the problems they get themselves into. As a warning, avoid fungus in the game. One of my characters got so encrusted in fungus that they could no longer move.<h4>14. For the Player Who Sketches Their Game:</h4> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/aVkv5KH" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1462x1500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=1000w" width="1462" height="1500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6a0d7525-8762-499c-9fc9-3c4858dbd33e/14.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> Blackwing Palomino 602-12 Count Pencils - $32<a href="https://a.co/d/aVkv5KH" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/aVkv5KH</a>These are “just pencils”, but if your recipient loves to draw in pencil, these are top of the line. As NYTimes’ <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-pencils/" target="_blank">Wirecutter</a> said, it is “pretty much unsurpassed in quality” as far as pencils go, with a replaceable eraser with a rectangular eraser to allow for more detailed erasing. I even <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/zedecksiew.bsky.social/post/3laqk6ksses2b" target="_blank">saw on Bluesky</a> (btw if you want to follow me, I am <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/prismaticwasteland.com" target="_blank">@prismaticwasteland.com</a> on there) that the legendary TTRPG designer, Zedeck Siew, who is also an excellent illustrator in his own right, uses this very pencil when doing his character sketches. If your loved one comes home from their gaming sessions with a notebook full of sketches or if they are a gamemaster that likes to draw out their dungeons, they will appreciate these high quality pencils. <h4>15. For the Game Master that Likes to Switch up Their Systems:</h4>The Worlds Greatest Screen - $33.89 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/56U3Jyb" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1000x798" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=1000w" width="1000" height="798" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a9fba4-2117-4d87-a633-92994993ea49/15.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/56U3Jyb" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/56U3Jyb</a>If you only ever play one system (like just D&D), you only ever need one GM screen. Well, technically you don’t need one, but many find them nice to have. But if you are constantly trying out new systems, it may be a pain to have that many GM screens. This gift is ideal for being able to replace what is on the inside with whatever you are running at the time, customizing it for the new system you are trying or even for each session with your latest prep notes. Not everyone uses GM screens though, so you’ll want to make sure that is a tool your recipient finds useful before picking this up for them.<h4>16. For the D&D Fan with a Room Full of Stuffed Animals:</h4>Owlbear Plush - $35 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png" data-image-dimensions="1024x1024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=1000w" width="1024" height="1024" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f5f0a49-6aea-4e66-a73b-d0bd341ac44e/download+%282%29.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <a href="https://metalweavegames.com/collections/baby-bestiary/products/owlbear-plush-usa" target="_blank">https://metalweavegames.com/collections/baby-bestiary/products/owlbear-plush-usa</a> This is one of the products which you can just see its exact merits without having to read a blogger wax poetically about it. It’s a cute, soft stuffed animal. If you’ve come here unawares, the owlbear is a much beloved D&D creation, and this is the owlbear version of a teddy bear. If your loved one likes stuffed animals and also D&D, this should be a hit. My aforementioned friend Anne purchased one as a gift for my infant child, and while he is currently not interested in anything but milk, sleep, and bodily functions, I’m sure he will enjoy it soon. This does present another good use case for the gift: indoctrinating any young loved ones into fondness for your own beloved D&D.  <h4>17. For the Game Master Who Runs Their Games by the Book:</h4>Deluxe Original Cookbook Holder - $44.99 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://a.co/d/6TfVkkM" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1466x1478" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=1000w" width="1466" height="1478" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/277ad3f9-54d9-4b30-842c-2e0b2c091e25/17.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://a.co/d/6TfVkkM" target="_blank">https://a.co/d/6TfVkkM</a>TTRPG books have less in common with than your standard, run-of-the-mill bound volumes on your bookshelves than they do those collections of recipes we call the cookbook. That is because both aren’t meant to be read, they are meant to be used. Sure, you can just get a TTRPG book to read it, but its truest purpose is to be used at the table when running the game. Just as this book stand was designed to help chefs use a cookbook in their kitchen, it can be repurposed to help a game master run an adventure or new ruleset by allowing them to keep the book open and in plain view as they run. Forget GM screens with information that may be useful–this allows you to always have the book open to the page that is definitely useful.<h4> 18. For the Game Master Who Keeps Strict Time Records:</h4>Perpetual calendar - $53.36 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1671348024/perpetual-calendar-made-of-brass-desk" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png" data-image-dimensions="1588x1148" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=1000w" width="1588" height="1148" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/556fc0c3-d5af-45e9-ab8a-b4234584a395/18.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1671348024/perpetual-calendar-made-of-brass-desk" target="_blank">https://www.etsy.com/listing/1671348024/perpetual-calendar-made-of-brass-desk</a> (there are others on Etsy/eBay too but you’ll want to make sure it includes both pegs! The cheaper ones tend not to)Gary Gygax once said “You cannot have a meaningful campaign if strict time records are not kept,” and as far as Gygaxisms go, this is one of the more true ones. A game master who tracks how much fictional time has passed during their campaign will deliver a more satisfying experience. This tool is a simple way to track time by moving the pegs around. The neat thing about this (other than the cool, mystical vibe it gives off) is that it doesn’t use the names of months or days of the week, which allows your recipient to peg it more closely to the fantasy calendar of their world. So if their campaign setting doesn’t use “December” or “August” but rather “Deepwinter” and “Summertide” and “Selday” and “Tyrday” instead of “Sunday” and “Tuesday”, this tool gives you the ability to let your worldbuilding freak flag fly. However, this is a bit expensive because it typically requires finding a vintage version. You could probably make a version out of wood that works similarly (I’m imagining something like the peg game you’d find at your local Cracker Barrel), so if you are crafty, this could be a good template for a DIY gift for your nerdy loved one.<h4>19. For the Player Who Also Loves Wargames</h4>Divine Right - $95<a href="https://www.worthingtonpublishing.com/collection/divine-right-pre-order-will-ship-later-in-2024" target="_blank">https://www.worthingtonpublishing.com/collection/divine-right</a> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1024x763" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=1000w" width="1024" height="763" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f3f13977-7432-44be-aa07-b0da18ff789f/19.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This is a classic board war game published a few years after the original D&D by the same original publisher, but now with a really high quality reprint. It pitches itself as “a work of fantasy literature” that is fully playable, and that pitch isn’t wrong. There is a ton to sink your teeth into with this game. The production quality is quite high and the board game itself seems very intricate. I need some time to round up some war gamers to give it a whirl and report back on how fun it actually is to play. What is cool for a TTRPG enjoyer specifically, however, is that this can double as a campaign setting for your game, with a gorgeous hex map to use at the table. That’s exactly what Sean McCoy, designer of Mothership, did (as described in <a href="https://www.failuretolerated.com/divine-right-minaria-as-a-dandd-setting" target="_blank">this blog post</a>). He also had high praise for the setting, calling Divine Right’s board “the best hexmap ever made”. <h4>20. For the Player Who Brings the Game with Them Wherever They Go:</h4>D&D Ready To Roll Backpack - $130 <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://heroesvillains.com/products/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-builtup-backpack" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png" data-image-dimensions="1400x1400" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=1000w" width="1400" height="1400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e39de2a3-a700-4e04-b591-e8ec57a8481c/download+%283%29.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> <a href="https://heroesvillains.com/products/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-builtup-backpack" target="_blank">https://heroesvillains.com/products/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-builtup-backpack</a>This is another very D&D-branded product, so is best for someone who loves D&D specifically and not just TTRPGs in general. I was reluctant to add this because I was trying to keep this list as system-neutral as possible, but there just is no backpack as well-tailored to TTRPGs. Why? It is because, in addition to being a sturdy-looking backpack, it has a padded area with adjustable dividers for miniatures and a snap out dice tray. In addition, one commenter professes that it has room for 15 D&D books. That’s a whole-ass gaming library. The use case for this product is somewhat niche–someone who travels to play their games and also brings a lot of stuff to play it–but if that sounds like your recipient, they may love this one. For instance, if they are going hiking and want to play D&D at the top of the mountain, this could be great for that. The price tag, however, is quite high. If they are just needing to lug a lot of stuff for game night but doesn’t need miniatures storage or a built-in dice tray, you may be better off with a premium <a href="https://www.allplay.com/board-game-bags/premium/" target="_blank">board game bag</a> ($59) which can fit up to 7 large board games (so probably at least 15 D&D books) and can be carried easily a variety of ways. Also, this is NOT an official part of my gift guide, but if you are looking for physical adventures to stuff in a stocking (I don’t recommend that as a form factor for giving print adventures), look no further than the two new adventures recently added to my store. <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza" target="_blank">Wonky Willie’s Authentic Interactive Extravaganza</a> is a collaboration by many of your favorite bloggers (yours truly, Rise Up Comus, Mindstorm, Knight at the Opera, Idle Cartulary, Traverse Fantasy, and many more!) with art from the every-talented Mr. Hodag RPG. <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/trouble-in-paradisa" target="_blank">Trouble in Paradisa</a> is a system-neutral murder mystery inspired by a 1990s LEGO beach theme and written for DIY & Dragons’ LEGO Jam earlier this summer. <div class="product-block clear" data-product-type="1" data-current-context='{"id": "672cf27d38aff40f02bdae3e","title": "Wonky Willie's Authentic Interactive Extravaganza","productType": "1"}'> <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza"> <img class="sqs-product-block-main-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54b8f71c-efeb-4b72-ac2d-74d04a02352e/WW-Store-1.png" data-image-dimensions="2284x1507" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Wonky Willie's Authentic Interactive Extravaganza" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-product" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54b8f71c-efeb-4b72-ac2d-74d04a02352e/WW-Store-1.png?format=1000w" /> sale </a> <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza" class="product-title">Wonky Willie's Authentic Interactive Extravaganza</a> Sale Price:$8.00 Original Price:$10.00 <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/trouble-in-paradisa"> <img class="sqs-product-block-main-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/066fe3c7-efde-4c9e-a62b-1e1d5c32019f/Paradisa-Store-1.png" data-image-dimensions="2284x1714" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Trouble in Paradisa" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-product" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/066fe3c7-efde-4c9e-a62b-1e1d5c32019f/Paradisa-Store-1.png?format=1000w" /> sale </a> <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/trouble-in-paradisa" class="product-title">Trouble in Paradisa</a> Sale Price:$2.00 Original Price:$5.00 <hr /> My blog posts are shared early as a reward to all of my Patreon supporters. If you want to support my blog, games, and get early access to all such endeavors, then get thee hence to my <a href="http://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. You can also support my efforts by buying any of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop" target="_blank">my games</a> from my shop. <a href="http://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" class="sqs-block-button-element--medium sqs-button-element--primary sqs-block-button-element" target="_blank" > My Patreon </a> Sign up with your email address to receive an email for new blog posts. <form method="POST" novalidate data-form-id="673c8aabe183f00547b0abed" autocomplete="on" onsubmit="return (function (form) { Y.use('squarespace-form-submit', 'node', function usingFormSubmit(Y) { (new Y.Squarespace.FormSubmit(form)).submit({ formId: '673c8aabe183f00547b0abed', collectionId: '5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4', objectName: 'item-673bebd285a388379c4b4ed2' }); }); return false; })(this);" class="newsletter-form"> <header class="newsletter-form-header"> <h2 class="newsletter-form-header-title">Subscribe</h2> Sign up with your email address to receive blog post updates. </header> <label for="email-yui_3_17_2_1_1732020837542_32674-field" class="newsletter-form-field-label title">Email Address</label> <input autocomplete="email" spellcheck="false" name="email" id="email-yui_3_17_2_1_1732020837542_32674-field" placeholder="Email Address" type="email" class="newsletter-form-field-element field-element" x-autocompletetype="email" /> <button class=" newsletter-form-button sqs-system-button sqs-editable-button-layout sqs-editable-button-style sqs-editable-button-shape sqs-button-element--primary " type="submit" value="Sign Up" > Sign Up </button> Thank you! </form> </div>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1731985563324-QP3QVSYITVP7I6R9I9H6/11.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="1500"><media:title type="plain">D20 Tabletop Roleplaying Game Gift Ideas that Aren’t Just More TTRPGs (or Dice)</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>They’re Eating the Blogs</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 13:31:21 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/theyre-eating-the-blogs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:67327a0990952d64c34fc1cc</guid><description><![CDATA[I am adding a new way for more people to read my posts, but they’ll take my blog over my dead body! I muse about the state of blogging and give some encouragement and advice for people looking to start their own.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[First up, <a href="https://prismaticweekly.substack.com/" target="_blank">I have a substack now</a>. This blog isn’t going anywhere (if I ever stop posting, you must assume I have died), but now there are two places you can read me. Hopefully you are a fan of blogs, because this is a bit of blogging inside baseball. In the modern era of simultaneously centralized yet balkanized social media, you must be everywhere. One can, of course, just start a blog and hope people find it, but I am skeptical at how much success you’d find. The pro strat is to hurry about the internet scattering links to your posts like Johnny Bloggingseed. On Twitter (now X), on Bluesky, on Reddit, on ten thousand discord servers of varying size and relevance to your post. It is a bit of a pain in the ass but worth it if you are a nasty little freak who gets a sick kick out of people reading your gaming ideas. Unfortunately, I am that freak. And I want real readers! People who engage with what I write, not just a <a href="https://www.runnerspace.com/profile.php?member_id=393054&do=blogs&blog_id=24195">perennial blog commenter(s)</a> who wants the world, or at least all the bloggers of the world, to know about the priest who used magic to bring back her straying husband. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1600x790" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=1000w" width="1600" height="790" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d8f03ffd-5d71-416c-8c16-1429d050d770/substack4.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> I want to be cool, and the cool kids these days seem to be operating substacks in addition to their blogs. Take, for instance, Ben L. of Ultan’s Door fame, who runs both his blog <a href="https://maziriansgarden.blogspot.com/">Mazirin’s Garden</a> and a substack called <a href="https://ultansdoor.substack.com/">Missives from Beyond the Veil of Sleep</a>, or Chris McDowall, father of Into the Odd and therefore grandfather of Cairn, runs the <a href="https://www.bastionland.com/">Bastionland blog</a> and its substack companion, the <a href="https://bastionland.substack.com/">Bastionland Presser</a>. And it would be impossible to not mention Ben Milton’s the Glatisant substack from <a href="https://questingbeast.substack.com/">Questing Beast</a>, which drives a lot of traffic to many a poor blog. These three offer three approaches to running an ancillary substack: for Ben L’s posts on his blog and substack seem to be identical, essentially offering two ways to follow his posts. Chris’ substack includes his blogpost, a snippet from a future blogpost (tune in next week!), and a mini-newsletter type feature where he highlights a few interesting posts from other blogs. Ben Milton’s substack is an entirely different beast from his YouTube channel (which is really like his video-blog now that his text-blog is mostly [<a href="https://questingblog.com/the-dungeon-of-the-black-cauldron/">but not entirely</a>] fallow since late 2020) and is totally a monthly newsletter with a billion links to adventures, reviews, videos, and blogposts. Between these approaches, the one I think I am most likely to emulate going forward is the McBastionland model. Maybe it’s blogger’s guilt, but the idea of using a substack rather than my posts being exclusively on my own blog is more amenable if I can at least use substack to drive more readers to other worthy blogs. One difference from the Bastionland model, however, is that I intend to re-post some of my older blogposts on the substack as well. This is similar to what my colleague Ian at the <a href="https://beast.blot.im/">Benign Brown Beast blog</a> is doing after migrating his blog to a new domain. Even though I started my blog in late 2020 (right around the time Ben Milton stopped text-blogging regularly), there are some posts that feel ancient to me because few people ever read them. When I first started, I was getting maybe half of 1% of my current eyeballs on my posts. This is an opportunity to give those posts, some of which I am quite fond of, a second chance at life! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1600x1004" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=1000w" width="1600" height="1004" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba9dbde2-1536-4cc1-a1cb-07b657645e12/substack2.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Other than the desire to be everywhere all at once, the imaginary reader must ask: why add this ancillary substack? It’s just where a lot of the readers are. As Chris advised on my discord server, he currently gets roughly 4x more views on his posts on substack than his blog. “Hot diggity dog,” exclaims the imaginary reader who is apparently from the 1920s. “Why not go all-in on substack with numbers like those?” First, there is the fact that while substack’s algorithm (or whatever method it uses) is very flashy, it is a flash in the pan. Chris added that his most popular blogposts of all time crush his most popular substacks in terms of views. More importantly, when I get eyeballs on my blogpost those eyeballs are mine, not Substack’s. When someone subscribes to my newsletter, it directly helps my efforts to publish more TTRPGs while any substack subscribers are ancillary helpful for me but more directly benefit substack. Because there is no guarantee that an Elon Musk-type figure won’t one day buy substack and make any such subscribers worthless by turning it into flaming garbage (e.g., X). If a billionaire somehow takes over prismaticwasteland.com, something truly terrible has happened or I have become a billionaire. Potentially both things at the same time. Blogs are like the <a href="https://playfulvoid.game.blog/2024/11/09/whats-an-osr-game/" target="_blank">OSR itself</a> because people are always claiming both are <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/posters-posers-and-posrs" target="_blank">dead</a>. But, at least in the small TTRPG corner of the internet, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just look at the prior two <a href="https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/microblog/bloggies-2024/">Bloggies awards</a> and all the great nominated posts. I’m sure this year’s crop will be just as fulsome. I’ve not done any rigorous analysis, but my anecdotal observation is that more people have started a blog this year than in any of the prior three years. This may be in part because what was once a pleasant-enough (compared to today) microblogging, Twitter, has become such a greasy dungheap that it is frankly impossible to use for anything other than grifting or harassment. But they can never stop you from microblogging on your own blog!  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1599x897" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=1000w" width="1599" height="897" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/51e069a5-f4c7-4f54-8faa-1e9004c703af/substack.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> The interest in blogging is so great that it has become a frequent question on the Prismatic Wasteland discord of what blogging platform people should start with. Based on the discussions we have had, the suggestions of platform included neocities (delightfully appealing in its clunkiness), bearblog (recently quite popular and easy to use), blot.im (be more like <a href="https://www.mindstormpress.com/">Mindstorm</a>, if you know how), blogger/blogspot (the basic bitch [positive connotation] option), wordpress (not recommended), and squarespace (only if, as the podcast advertisements say, you are looking to build a business because it’s not exactly cheap). With that plus the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2021/09/happy-birthday-knight-at-opera-blog.html">16 points of advice</a> on how to succeed in blogging from my colleague Dwiz of A Knight at the Opera blog, you are all set to join the blob of TTRPG bloggers. With the increasingly grim social media landscape threatening to swallow up all of human interaction and creativity, we few active blogs stand as points of light against an enveloping darkness. Won’t you stand with us?Oh, and while I’m doing calls to action, go ahead and subscribe (and like and comment? Is that just YouTube?) to <a href="https://prismaticweekly.substack.com/" target="_blank">my substack</a> (<a href="https://prismaticweekly.substack.com/)">https://prismaticweekly.substack.com/)</a>. I’m sure most of you have an account to get The Glatisant in your inboxes already. Though if you really want to be a mensch, you’d sign up for <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/mailing-lists">my own mailing lists</a> (one is just rarely used for new RPG projects and the other sends out my blogs not unlike a substack.) The difference is that I own these newsletters, not Substack. I’m not just some faceless social media startup. I have a face. The face of a pink ostrich type creature.  ]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1731361903157-BB5E602Q49XACF7515BJ/IMG_2821.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="888" height="888"><media:title type="plain">They’re Eating the Blogs</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>You Got Democracy in My Medieval Fantasy!</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:39:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/you-got-democracy-in-my-medieval-fantasy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:67263972e303984b017be2f6</guid><description><![CDATA[Too many fantasy settings feature the political systems of the real world middle ages, but there isn’t a good reason for this prevalence. I make the case for using democracies in you setting from the perspective of increasing player agency and engagement in the factions in your campaign.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[All prudent role-players know that Dungeons & Dragons (which I usex to encompass all pretend-elf games derived from the 1974 original) in no way reflects a medieval fantasy setting, pseudo-European or otherwise. If you haven’t yet come to this conclusion, do yourself a favor and read the seminal “<a href="https://www.blogofholding.com/?p=7182">d&d is anti-medieval</a>” post from my colleague at the Blog of Holding. If you are one of those for whom a 2016 blogpost isn’t a sufficient appeal to authority, note also that Gary Gygax said in Dragon Magazine #25 that the important factor in making D&D a “fantastic medieval game” is “medieval technology, not necessarily feudalism with primogeniture, entail, and a Salic Law.” (However, I am not sure even this distinction holds up given that firearms <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Firearm#History_on_Toril">apparently</a> have been widely available through the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-differences-in-mystara-greyhawk-and.html">Forgotten Realms</a> for hundreds of fictional years and were introduced to AD&D in Dragon Magazine #60 just a few years after Gygax made this claim).  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png" data-image-dimensions="719x573" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=1000w" width="719" height="573" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba276b9e-630d-4513-98b3-3135bb88b90b/democracy.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Any discussion of what systems of government should be present in a setting is typically framed by what real world time and place in our world is most closely analogous to the time and place of the setting. If your setting is more Ancient Rome than Ancient England, you are more likely to have a republic of elites rather than a monarchy by divine right. And because most elf-game settings tend to hew toward mythical feudal Europe (although my colleague at Against the Wicked City makes <a href="https://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2015/07/on-romantic-fantasy-and-osr-d.html">a good point </a>that at least the <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/posters-posers-and-posrs">P/OSR </a>version of D&D is better suited to sword-and-sorcery fantasy-horror or gonzo science fantasy settings), we get variations on the political systems of feudal Europe as an assumed part of play. If your setting has kings, queens, princesses, <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/being-a-vampire-doesnt-suck">barons von</a> such and such, and dukes so and so, it goes largely without much fanfare. It is only when you deviate from this norm that it is given particular focus. Our vaguely medieval fantasy setting isn’t like other girls. There are, of course, more modern settings that would almost require a democracy (although maybe a shambolic one). Take, for instance, the near-modern high-weird setting of <a href="https://bastionlandpress.com/products/electric-bastionland-hardback-book">Electric Bastionland</a>. While Chris McDowall’s latest project, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bastionland/mythic-bastionland-rpg-before-into-the-odd/">Mythic Bastionland</a>, seems to demand an old fashioned pseudo-King Arthur or the equivalent, Electric Bastionland is a better fit for politics that more closely resemble our own. So much so that, in 2020 when Electric Bastionland was still shiny and new (it still remains ever-golden), I considered writing a hack called “Electoral Ballot Land”. The pitch: “You have a Flailing Candidate. They have a polling deficit. Talking to voters is your only hope.” Maybe Chris will stoop to this level after he tackles the stars with Intergalactic Bastionland.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg" data-image-dimensions="341x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=1000w" width="341" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dcf8cfbe-896e-4b87-bf42-55e920395664/5148f63a2b547.image.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> NYT: A ‘Bagged’ Candidate Wins Campus Election (April 23, 1978) </figcaption> </figure> What is not often a consideration when adding this type of setting detail is what system of government is most gameable. To clarify this question, I mean which system of government (1) gives the players readily obtainable information about who is in charge in the setting, (2) allows the players leeway in impacting who is in charge in the setting, and (3) makes it important to the setting who is in charge. If who is pulling the strings is a complete mystery (e.g., if the city is ruled by a council of anonymous masked lords whose identities are actually secret [so not like Waterdeep where <a href="https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lords_of_Waterdeep#Anonymity">IYKYK</a>]), it doesn’t really matter who is in charge. If players have no ability to change who is in power (e.g., the invincible overlord is actually invincible no matter how much power the players accumulate), it doesn’t really matter who is in charge. If whoever is in charge isn’t really in charge (e.g., there is a monarch, but their role is largely ceremonial and everything is actually controlled at an extreme local level by random minor nobles of little importance who don’t give a rat’s arse what the monarch has to say), it doesn’t really matter who is in charge. This is just applying the <a href="https://www.bastionland.com/2018/09/the-ici-doctrine-information-choice.html">Information Choice Impact</a> doctrine to forms of government to see which promotes player agency, which in turn makes for the most engaging gameplay. You should include democracy in your games for the sole reason of gameability. While any form of government can possibly meet this criteria (a monarch with open rivals that the players could ally with or against if they choose would be a classic), a government that is a democracy is almost certain to hit the mark. A democracy, as defined by noted government-knower Gary Gygax, is “Government by the people, i.e. the established body of citizens, whether direct or through elected representatives.” This definition elides a lot of the trickier questions about what is and is not a democracy that I’ll leave to the political mad scientists.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png" data-image-dimensions="1024x830" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=1000w" width="1024" height="830" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1a03f1e4-bc6f-4742-9290-c8d831b88c44/congressional-brawl-1858.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Under this definition, even a monarchy can be a democracy if every time a monarch dies all of the minor nobility (in this case, the established body of citizens) get together and vote on which of them will be the new monarch. If your setting has a democracy, the players know who is in charge (the relevant electorate), the players can more easily influence the outcome of who is in charge (more on this in the next sentence), and who is in charge presumably matters. If the electorate is massive, say in the hundreds of millions, it is difficult for the players to impact the government, so smaller scale democracies are ideal from a gaming perspective. The player characters can then go about influencing the outcome of the elections either through legitimate means (campaigning [not the typical kind adventurers do] and attempting to persuade the electorate) or the more fun underhanding methods (bribes, blackmail, threats, misinformation). There is so much on the table when there is an election happening in your fantasy setting that isn’t typically the case with a mostly stable monarchy. A democracy is essentially a perpetually unstable monarchy and from the perspective of the players, that is a good thing. The monarch probably isn’t going to die every couple of years, try as they might.In <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/barkeep-bundle">Barkeep on the Borderlands</a>, the monarch is dying but that wasn’t enough. Because a dying monarch is an impending power vacuum, I included all sorts of factions that were hankering to fill it. One such faction was itself going through turmoil: the quasi-parliament, which was holding an election for prime minister at the same time. If the dying monarch was a hole in a donut, the potential ouster of the incumbent prime minister was a further hole in the donut hole. The goal was to give players as many bites at the apple to influence the world as possible. Save the monarch’s life or not, influence the election or not, all of these choices have consequences. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png" data-image-dimensions="2480x1000" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=1000w" width="2480" height="1000" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3f76a7e0-79ee-4bea-a713-4f43a9fc5b6f/fighting+lawyers.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> Art for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/barkeep-on-the-borderlands">Barkeep on the Borderlands</a> by <a href="https://torthevic.itch.io/">TorTheVic</a> </figcaption> </figure> But how do you mechanically simulate an election? If you ask this question on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/wjxfml/how_would_you_mechanically_run_a_political/">reddit</a>, you’ll get something like “Performance checks on campaign speeches would be the core of how I would do it, with advantage if they pass a persuasion check.” This is, frankly, really bad advice. This method means that it isn’t important what the persuasion is or what is said in the campaign speech, it is just a total random chance influenced by two charisma-based skills. Not to mention how disconnected this is with how elections work. Have you ever changed your vote because of a candidate’s campaign speech? This is basically how you should handle an election if you don’t care about it and wish your players would stop with this nonsense so let’s just get this over with. So what if you actually care about the results and you want player actions to matter (but not be totally determinative, because that subverts <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-secret-to-realism-in-games">realism</a>)?First, set a baseline for how the election plays out if the player characters do nothing. Doing nothing is a choice the players can make and there should be some consequence if they don’t intervene. In Barkeep, the Incumbent was favored but not guaranteed to win even absent player action. The referee was instructed to model the Incumbent’s percentage share of the vote by rolling 6d20 and totalling the highest 4 dice. This creates a very round bell curve hovering around 56% of the vote–a very close margin. In more binary terms, it means the Incumbent would lose 34% of the time. Ye Olde Nate Silver would have a field day with this, I’m sure. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png" data-image-dimensions="2470x1296" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1000w" width="2470" height="1296" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/8a9537b4-0f4b-4849-bb5e-43ad235b0639/Screenshot+2024-10-30+at+9.56.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> The uncertainty of the election (with a tilt due to one candidate being favored) is important because it means if the players are invested in the outcome, they will need to roll up their sleeves either way. If the favored candidate was guaranteed to win, then the players could just sit back and watch if that was also the candidate they wanted to win. But with this method of generating the default results, it isn’t a sure thing that the Incumbent will stay the Incumbent. The players aligning themselves with the Incumbent may be savvy, but they will also want to help their new ally or else they’ll find themselves with an enemy in power if the Incumbent loses.After setting the election’s baseline, you need to consider the ways that the players can influence the election. Because only parliamentarians (a fairly common faction in Barkeep) could vote in the election, it meant a small electorate where changing the mind of a single member has a meaningful impact on the result. This is where a democracy gives players the most agency. To reflect this, I outlined that if any specific Reform-aligned parliamentarian is rendered unable to vote (sinister phrasing), it reduces the Incumbent’s odds by 1% and vice versa for Royalist-aligned parliamentarians. If the jolly crew casts ballots (either illicitly or by becoming parliamentarians themselves [the adventure includes a few avenues for this to happen]), each vote influences the election by 1%. And rousing speeches do have an impact, although they aren’t determinative like reddit seems to suspect: rousing speeches sway the result by 1d6%. I leave it up to the referee to determine whether a speech is rousing.Because the election is set to be swayed by as few as 5% on average, changing even a few votes can be determinative for who wins the election. This means that players can absolutely be the deciding factor for the election if they make that one of their goals over the course of the adventure. Even a single very rousing speech could swing a close election. After you provide avenues for player influence over the election, you need to set the consequences for the various outcomes. If the result is space aliens take over the world no matter who wins, you really needn’t have gone through all that trouble. So the candidates should be materially different in how they would govern.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1024x485" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1024" height="485" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/dfaced72-439d-4fbb-89e9-452bf36f6cec/2yc0tnf6zmfc1.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Taking Barkeep again as an example, a victory for the Incumbent maintains the status quo, while their opponent will act to empower the monarchy and punish anti-royalist sentiment with draconian methods. I also added a third possible outcome: a blowout victory. While the status quo is maintained if the Incumbent squeaks out a victory, if they win 70% or more of the vote (an unlikely outcome at slightly more than a 1-in-20 chance; literally a critical hit for the Incumbent), they are empowered to enact their agenda. To quote directly from the adventure: <blockquote>“In the statistically unlikely event that the Incumbent wins over 70% of the vote, they grow a spine for the first time in their life and will instigate the overthrow of the monarchy, working with Academy students to form the world's first democratic magocracy. In one year’s time, the Keep is thoroughly transformed.” </blockquote>This is basically a backdoor way to end the monarchy, whether the Heir succeeds at saving their royal parent or if they take the throne themselves. And, because this is an outcome that would delight the revolutionary students of the Academy, it gives the players an opportunity to form an alliance between two factions to stomp out a third. How will the Monarchy-aligned Church of Chaos respond to such an alliance though? Or the anti-Monarch but also anti-Keep faction of goblins? It is the possibility of players getting caught in this web of factions that makes a social adventure like Barkeep on the Borderlands really come alive at the gaming table. And nothing riles up competing factions quite like an election. If you are in America, remember to go vote today if you haven’t already. Don’t vote for the fascist. ]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1730559131365-ZBQENWBUTK7AOEOXOL8O/Cicero_Denounces_Catiline_in_the_Roman_Senate_by_Cesare_Maccari.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="977"><media:title type="plain">You Got Democracy in My Medieval Fantasy!</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Horror Prologue Gameplay</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:42:17 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/horror-prologue-gameplay</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:672130cf7e2f7957b835316b</guid><description><![CDATA[Vecna Lives! has a famously poorly designed prologue but with the bold idea of showcasing the villain by killing off a bunch of high-level characters, as if it were the prologue to a horror film. I present a way to accomplish this in a way that doesn’t diminish player agency and which can be used for other monster-centric horror adventures.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[So you want to run a TTRPG adventure that evokes the feeling of a horror movie. The easiest aspect to add are stock characters–the psycho killer (e.g., Michael Myers from Halloween), the entity (Pennywise from It) or the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl">final girl</a> (e.g., Sidney Prescott from Scream). What is more difficult are the structures that don’t translate well from a passive, linear medium like movies to an active and radically non-linear medium like roleplaying adventure games. Too often, adventures that explicitly aim to ape the horror movie end up foisting a railroad onto players which inevitably feels less like exploring a haunted mansion and more like buckling up and riding the one in Disneyland. The goal should be to preserve what makes horror movies thrilling but adapting it to be gameable. You’re playing your characters, not just watching them. When you think, “Don’t go in there!”, you are able to make it so. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1080x1386" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=1000w" width="1080" height="1386" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/411d2e82-96de-4f6d-ad2b-cef105288278/il_1080xN.5780873665_6b7e.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> One module that infamously and explicitly “attempts to evoke an atmosphere of suspense and tension” “like a horror movie” is Vecna Lives!, the first adventure to prominently feature the famous lich. Vecna Lives! is a 1990 module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition by David “Zeb” Cook designed for player characters of 12th to 15th level but best played using the highly integrated pre-generated characters included in the adventure. Before the adventure is sketched out, the module takes pains (and a few spreads) to advise the prospective referee in how to run the adventure like it is a horror movie, claiming that the referee is like the director of a movie and that “[e]ncounters can be edited just like scenes in a movie.”  More than just pacing and mood, it also claims to be a deadly adventure, warning the referee from the beginning that “this adventure is meant to kill characters” and claims the emphasis on player character death is to make Vecna Lives! a “nerve-wracking, even terrifying adventure.” This stands in contrast to the reason that death often looms large as a possibility in P/OSR-style adventures. For the P/OSR, the possibility of death promotes player agency by providing meaningful consequences to player choices. For Vecna Lives!, the certainty of death (more on this when I discuss the prologue), is just to set the mood. There is little concern with player agency to be found here. This is on purpose as the adventure goes to pains to stress that, because “[e]ach encounter is like a movie scene”, the exact sequence of the encounters is necessary to set the mood of the adventure, leading the overall experience to lean too far into a movie in game form than a game with cinematic elements.  As full disclosure, I ran (or attempted to run) a few sessions of Vecna Lives!, but fell off it as my players, to their immense credit, increasingly steered away from the railroad the 95 pages of adventure laid out for them. Importantly, I played the adventure’s prologue very by-the-book. It was during the first few chapters of investigation that we begun to spin our own yarn. If you are interested in our experience with the module in play report form, those have been posted to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-101857642">my</a> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-were-off-103183481">Patreon</a> back when I ran those sessions. Even from the start, the obviousness of the railroad wasn’t lost on my players. As my colleague, Marcia of the Traverse Fantasy blog (a player in the session featuring the prologue), <a href="https://traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2024/05/fmc-booklets-end-of-era.html">reports</a>, it “was a boring adventure on rails until someone polymorphed a spider into a human woman,” helping to jerk it off the proscribed track.<h3>The Prologue Problem</h3>What makes Vecna Lives! infamous is its most daring break from adventure writing techniques of the time: its prologue. You start the game by playing as the storied Circle of Eight wizards. Even if you think you don’t know who these NPCs are or if you couldn’t tell your <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-differences-in-mystara-greyhawk-and_2.html">Greyhawk</a> from a bottle of Grey Goose, you know these wizards’ names if you’ve played any of the official editions of D&D: Bigby, Drawmij, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, Rary and Tenser. Each has a handful (and in the case of Bigby, I use “handful” quite literally) of spells with their names attached. And in this adventure, not only do you play as them, you die as them. Vecna Lives! doesn’t give the players a sporting chance to live. It advises that the referee will give out the powerful wizard pre-generated characters and “almost as quickly, kill off the entire party”. The lead-in for the prologue section admits that “this seems extreme and unfair” but that it accomplishes two unique goals for the module: first, the “prologue sets the mood and tone for the rest of this adventure” and, secondly, it makes “a very clear point to your players–this module is dangerous!”I agree that it sets a mood for the module, but I’m not sure it sets the right mood. Does Vecna seem scary when he kills all of the wizards, or does it just seem like GM fiat? Especially when that is exactly what it is. The module’s guidance makes it clear that the players must lose. It isn’t enough that Vecna’s game statistics be overpowered, the referee is told to fudge dice if they must to not spoil the linear narrative of the prologue: “It is strongly recommended that you secretly roll the dice and then announce the attack [by the player characters] had no effect.” <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1600x903" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=1000w" width="1600" height="903" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/630fd962-80d0-47eb-8855-a79861ac089a/vecnaface-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Because of the unsportsmanlike manner of the prologue, it doesn’t signal the adventure is necessarily deadly either. It just signals that we are on rails from the very start, so you are going to die when the module’s text tells you to die and you’re going to like it, damn it! My players and I aren’t alone in being let down by Vecna Lives!’s prologue. Not only does the adventure suggest that “players are likely to be in shock over the swift, ruthless nature of their party’s demise,” and that the referee should “blame the designer of this adventure if they must.” Matt Colville has similarly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BZAjzUBYmU" target="_blank">remarked</a> on the prologue:<blockquote>“It’s awful. It’s a great idea, terribly executed because essentially the dungeon master railroads all your characters into dying purely by DM fiat.”</blockquote>So is there a way to accomplish something like the prologue to Vecna Lives! that accomplishes all of the stated goals of the prologue but in a way that takes advantage of the medium of tabletop roleplaying games? Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this. If Vecna Lives! is drawing on the tropes from horror movies, it is worth looking at how some of the best horror movies execute on a similar concept. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1400x700" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=1000w" width="1400" height="700" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/15a7e934-1086-43a3-bc8f-fb262b5ad7a5/casey-drew-barrymore-scream-1996.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Vecna Screams!</h3>My critique of Vecna Lives! is totally unfair because it came out six years prior to the movie that would provide a blueprint for the most effective horror movie prologue in cinema history: Scream. This isn’t a movie blog, so I will let <a href="https://collider.com/scream-opening-scene-drew-barrymore/">Collider</a> elucidate how effective the opening scene of Scream was:<blockquote>“In 1996, when online movie spoilers weren't yet a constant string of potholes to be avoided, it was a shock to a lot of filmgoers. At the time, Barrymore may have been the most famous person in the cast. The actress says it was her idea to play Casey, and there’s no question the gambit worked. By killing off one of its biggest stars in the first 13 minutes, Scream immediately sent out a warning to the audience: Any one of these characters can die at any time.”</blockquote>Killing off Barrymore to start the movie was a bold move. In moviestar terms, Drew Barrymore is the equivalent of a Drawmij or a Bigby. By using audience expectations, it set the tone Vecna Lives! attempted to set with its prologue: it sets the tone (horror) and previews how deadly the villain is.Movies have different sets of tools around perspective than TTRPGs. Scream’s prologue is largely in Casey’s perspective as she speaks on the phone with Ghostface. However, the way the camera follows her, almost as if she is being stalked, puts the viewer just as much in the perspective of the killer. It is only in the very last moments of her life, as she has been stabbed and is looking voicelessly at her returning parents, that the frame is truly from Casey’s perspective. Then, as her body is being dragged away, we are in the perspective of Ghostface, just slightly off screen. This type of blending of perspective would be difficult to do in a TTRPG where the normal mode of play is for each player to embody a particular character in the world. However, there are some games (typically in the more story game sphere) like Microscope, where the players all zoom out of any particular character and act more like writers in a writers’ room for the events unfolding as part of the game. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1400x700" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=1000w" width="1400" height="700" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c32c2146-a9a6-4489-ac2b-e535565eab1f/screen-shot-2023-11-17-at-10-21-47-am.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>An Effective Prologue Method</h3>In a horror movie, it is typically the monster and not the victims who are in the driver’s seat and who have all the agency. In roleplaying games, the player characters are similarly in the agent position–this is why they are the ones entering the dungeon and not typically the characters defending a dungeon from intruders. Being the intruder inherently involves more agency. In this way, player characters are typically somewhat of monsters (there is perhaps a reason they are called murder hobos), and the NPCs are the victims of their various schemes. In an effective horror adventure, this is flipped. The player characters are no longer necessarily the hunters; they are being hunted.My solution to the horror prologue conundrum: let the players play the monster. At least for the prologue, perhaps just a single combat encounter to open the session. This way, instead of having to fudge dice to keep players from succeeding, the referee can just get out of the way and let the players play. The more they “succeed” as the villain, the more deadly the result is, and perhaps the bigger mess their characters will eventually have to clean up.That is a quick solution, but it presents two immediately obvious problems: the multiplayer problem and the spoiler problem. These have a number of solutions. I have my preference of which are best for the kinds of games that I run but will walk through all of them because I know the way I run games (with more emphasis on collaborative creation between the referee and players) is not everyone’s cup of tea. <h4>The Multiplayer Problem and Possible Solutions</h4> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg" data-image-dimensions="903x1200" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=1000w" width="903" height="1200" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/09327a86-0280-496c-8505-321cc142f610/handeye.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> The multiplayer problem arises for this method when there are multiple players but only one villain for them to play as in the prologue. Typically, each player plays their own separate player so may not be used to having to share. There are a few potential solutions, and the one you gravitate to depends largely on your gaming preferences. (1) You could take a writers’ room approach and let all the players deliberate on each of the villain’s actions and decide collectively what it does each round, (2) you could keep the one player-one character expectation and let one player play the main villain and others play its minions or allies, (3) you could divide the monster into different aspects and have each player play a different aspect, or (4) you could <a href="https://rtwolf.github.io/Everyone-is-John/">Everyone is John</a> it.Applying these approaches to the Vecna Lives! example, option 1 would just involve having a discussion of how Vecna goes about defeating the powerful wizards round by round. Option 2 is also fairly easy to imagine since the adventure already gives Vecna a number of gargoyle minions for the showdown with the wizards. Option 3 is trickier, but one idea would be to let one player play Vecna but not any of the powers associated with the Eye or Hand of Vecna, another would be in command of the Eye of Vecna derived powers, another in charge of the Hand of Vecna, and any remaining players are the gargoyles. For option 4, you simply play Everyone is Vecna, using the rules from the aforementioned (very silly) RPG. In each instance, the referee runs the wizards.Option 1 is by far the easiest option and likely the approach I would use, but it relies on players who are more open to playing more collaboratively, which doesn’t work for every table. For tables that want to each have their own buttons to press and don’t want to have to share and deliberate, options 2 and 3 are possible. The drawback to these, particularly option 2, is that there is a huge disparity between being the player that gets to be Vecna and the ones who are just his gargoyles. That’s like if D&D involved one player getting to run a character using a typical character class and all the other players playing as their various animal companions. Option 4 is my least favorite unless you are going for something very silly, since Everyone is John is an inherently silly game, which might undermine the entire point of setting the tone for a horror adventure.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1400x700" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=1000w" width="1400" height="700" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7a26c883-8df7-43f2-8460-22de43acd281/scream-5-ghostface-new-photo-header.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h4>The Spoiler Problem and Possible Solutions </h4>The Spoiler Problem is simply that letting the players see the stat block for the adventure’s villain spoils the mystery of the villain and also poses the risk of undue metagaming. After all, wasn’t the shark in Jaws so effective because of how sparingly it was used? There are two primary solutions to this issue: (1) give the players a redacted or otherwise incomplete stat block, (2) the players describe what they want the villain to do but the referee then decides how it is mechanically accomplished. In the first option, how much information would need to be redacted depends on the villain and the exact situation, but at the very least any of the villain’s weaknesses or resistances would need to be hidden. For instance, if the villain is a <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/being-a-vampire-doesnt-suck">vampire</a>, you would need to cover up how devastating sunlight is or you’ll reveal a reliable vampire killing method to the players without the player characters having earned it. Although the example of the vampire maybe shows that this problem isn’t as big of a deal as it might seem at first blush; many people go into Castle Ravenloft knowing what weaknesses vampires have just from familiarity with folklore or movie vampires. The difficult part is actually finding a way to defeat the castle’s vampire, not in learning that he hates garlic. For the second option, the referee would generally describe the capabilities of the villain to the players (e.g., “Vecna is a powerful lich with access to many wizard spells, including some that can alter reality, and the ability to paralyze others with his touch”). Then each round the players tell the referee what they would like the villain to do and the referee interprets their desires generously and does their best to accomplish that using the villain’s stat block. The referee will still call for the players to roll for the villain, but the referee will add any relevant modifiers and determine whether the actions succeed on their own, narrating only the non-mechanical aspects to the players. This keeps the players in control of the villain’s actions without opening the hood too much so that they know what buttons to press when they are fighting the villain instead of running it. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1397x1800" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=1000w" width="1397" height="1800" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f2a3b1bc-5ca7-473b-9590-0ff9eca6ad08/contents.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> If Vecna Lives! started out by having the players run Vecna and kill the famous wizards, it would be just as iconic as having the players run the famous wizards being killed by Vecna. Either way sets the tone that anyone could die in this adventure. However, letting them play as Vecna would be far less frustrating and would actually make it feel like Vecna himself killed the wizards and not simply the module’s author. Of course, just as all horror movies don’t open with prologues, not all horror adventures need to either. For instance, Ty Pitre’s <a href="https://mindstormpress.itch.io/swineheart-motel" target="_blank">Swineheart Motel</a> drops the players immediately into the spooky roadside hotel (with some potential adventure <a href="https://lukegearing.blot.im/you-dont-need-hooks-you-have-been-lied-to" target="_blank">hooks</a>) without the need for a throat-clearing prologue. And even those that do may open with something different than Lichface stabbing to death Drawmij Bigbymore. For instance, Luka Rejec’s <a href="https://www.wizardthieffighter.com/2021/let-us-in-a-one-shot-horror/">Let Us In</a> (which I have also run) opens with a very short vignette as each character has flashbacks to strange things they’ve seen on their road trip to the adventure location. This type of opening would be more appropriate for a moodier and less big-bad-evil-guy focused horror adventure. In its opening pages, Vecna Lives! claims that a referee who is doing their job as a pseudo horror director “should be exhausted at the end of each gaming session.” I certainly think one could be exhausted after reading or running Vecna Lives!, but there is no reason it should be. Instead, considering how to translate horror tropes in a way that respects player agency can make running a horror game as easy as running any other type of adventure. Let the players be the monster, so they understand why they should be scared.  ]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1730230379054-L28YEOO1QHOCJ7QF54BO/248c0117-68f9-4ae4-9e63-b591bfe2e7cc-scr603066rv2b-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="1001"><media:title type="plain">Horror Prologue Gameplay</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Being a Vampire Doesn't Suck</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 26 Oct 2024 13:05:39 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/being-a-vampire-doesnt-suck</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:671be43a462a9f1e564c89cc</guid><description><![CDATA[The world is a vampire, set to drai-ai-ai-ain, and now so can your player character! A complete guide to playing a vampire, including unique vampire powers and weaknesses and a random table of vampire-hunters.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some people want to kill a vampire, some people want to fuck a vampire, but some want to be the vampire. But what do you do when a player wants to be a vampire (or contracts vampirism from a night spent carousing in the wrong pubs)? For some, the answer is that you don’t let them. For instance, D&D’s first true vampire, Sir Fang, the Baron of Blackmoor, was turned into a vampire because his player, <a href="https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2018/10/meet-baron-of-blackmoor.html">David Fant</a>, was working too much to play, so Dave Arneson (everyone was named Dave at this time) turned him into a vampire NPC, thereby inspiring the <a href="https://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/2011/01/bishop-carr-first-d-cleric.html">original D&D Cleric</a>, a vampire-hunter. This was only after the 1975 Minnesota Renaissance Fair, Arneson frustrated player Duane Jenkins (Duane must be a variant spelling of “Dave”) who wished to be a child of the night. In Dave’s <a href="https://koboldpress.com/interview-with-dave-arneson/">telling</a>: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg" data-image-dimensions="866x473" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=1000w" width="866" height="473" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/206fa912-fae1-408f-a10e-86b4cac2cf78/Dracula_1958_c.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <blockquote>Arneson: “One player wanted to be a Vampire. To the point of desperation. The other players went out of their way to kill the vampires. Finally, they were put in a situation where a wish spell was cast. (Generally, I discourage those kinds of spells.) The spell was cast and the player wished to be a vampire. They were passing through a garden in the depths of Blackmoor castle at the time. So he turned into a vampire rose bush. He couldn’t move very fast but often a new player character would stop to check out the bush and prick his finger.”</blockquote>However, unless there is a good reason against it, I often err on letting the players play as whatever the hell they want. You want to play as a sentient cloud of smoke that eats bad dreams? Alright, we can figure that out. You want to play as the dungeon itself? That sounds fun. Playing as a vampire is honestly not much of a stretch of the imagination if they’re already pretending to be elves and warlocks.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png" data-image-dimensions="300x1017" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=1000w" width="300" height="1017" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6bf57bc9-dd00-4b5d-af84-bb44be575f65/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_2.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Vampires are powerful by default. When I ran Vampire Cruise using Into the Odd rules, I had a quick and dirty method for determining whether any of the player characters were vampires and, if so, what their powers were. If the character started with an arcana (a magic item in Into the Odd parlance), instead that meant they were a vampire, and the arcana they rolled was their vampiric power. We only had one vampire whose power was to be able to turn into mist at will, which felt sufficiently vampiric to me.However, being a vampire shouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. Especially the sunshine part. Unless you are explicitly playing an adventure set in a relaxing vacation setting for vampires specifically (surely <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/pedantic-wasteland-vampire-cruise" target="_blank">Vampire Cruise</a> is the only one but perhaps there is a wider genre I am ignorant of), being a vampire shouldn’t be a walk in the park (perhaps someone should write an adventure tilted “A Walk in Vampire Park”). For instance, when I was a wee lad playing Oblivion, I contracted vampirism (there called “Porphyric Hemophilia”), and while I was at first excited by the substantial boosts to my attributes, skills, and weapon resistance, I soon learned that I had to fear for my life in the sun if I hadn’t fed that day. Especially cruel was the fact that you couldn’t fast travel when taking sunlight damage, so if you fast traveled to a location and the sun rose between you leaving and arriving, you basically were condemned to death upon arrival. But that was great because it made being a vampire a real lifestyle choice. I had to plan the rest of my game around it, either feeding frequently when I knew I had to be above ground or else staying in the shadows as much as I could. Being a vampire wasn’t just a boon, it was a curse too.My own dear mother always intoned to me that vampirism is like a box of chocolates in that it is impossible to predict with certainty what you will receive. No two vampires should have precisely the same set of powers and drawbacks (or at least there should be enough variety that such is exceedingly rare). For that reason, in addition to the powers and weaknesses standard to all vampires, each vampire should have a special power and weakness particular only to that vampire. The bite from a vampire is not sufficient to contract vampirism. Instead, the vampire must bite you and kill you entirely. After this occurs, your body rises from the dead in 4d6 hours. You arise as a vampire. Congratulations on your new unlife!All vampires have a set of default powers and weaknesses outlined below. These are in addition to all of the vampire’s abilities it had in life (unlike when a player character becomes a <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/playing-as-a-ghost">ghost</a>). Additionally, each vampire has a unique power and weakness, each of which is determined by rolling on the applicable tables below.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg" data-image-dimensions="887x650" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=1000w" width="887" height="650" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/587909af-ebb5-443f-9884-78f241f848f3/Bela_Lugosi_as_Dracula.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Default Vampirism Powers</h3>A vampire grows in power the more frequently they drink the blood of the living.If you haven’t fed in the prior 7 nights, you have the following powers: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1200x837" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=1000w" width="1200" height="837" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/148304c7-40ce-44a3-af0e-104ec41fd917/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_1.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Ageless. You forever appear to be the same age as you were when you contracted this curse. You look as you did in life but with paler skin and haunting red eyes.</li><li>Drink Blood. You can only eat by drinking blood. You do not need other food, water or oxygen. Ordinary food or drink gives you no sustenance, only the bitter reminder of your cursed existence, and it tastes extremely unpleasant to your newly refined senses. Your bite deals 1d6 damage. When you bite a living person, you heal yourself for half the damage dealt.</li><li>Shapechange. You can transform into a swarm of rats once per night. </li><li>Uncanny Senses. You have advantage on all Wisdom saves and tests.</li><li>Hunter’s Sight. You can see in the dark. Living creatures give off a faint glow to you from up to 10 feet away. At this distance, you can see the shape of them even if they are otherwise invisible.</li><li>Vampiric Rest. For every hour spent inside a coffin or buried in unhallowed ground, you regenerate 1d6 hp.</li></ul>If you have fed at least once in the prior 7 nights, you have the following powers, in addition to those above:<ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Drink Blood. The damage from your bite increases to 2d6 damage.</li><li>Shapechange. You can transform into a giant bat once per night.</li><li>Children of the Night. Once per night, you can summon and command up to 4d6 rats.</li><li>Uncanny Charm. You have advantage on all Charisma saves and tests. </li><li>Vampire’s Seduction. Once per night, you can enthrall a non-hostile person. They will obey your commands and cannot harm you. The effect ends at sunrise (or your death), upon which the victim loses all memory of what happened that night.</li></ul>If you have fed a number of times equal to half your level or more in the prior 7 nights, you have the following powers, in addition to those above: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1083x1361" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=1000w" width="1083" height="1361" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/544a3c39-d277-4dbe-81ca-a344290c3569/tumblr_ac73984c032f68b28704efa938be10d2_572f0d5d_1280.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Drink Blood. The damage from your bite increases to 3d6 damage.</li><li>Shapechange. You can transform into a dire wolf once per night.</li><li>Children of the Night. Once per night, you can summon and command up to 3d6 bats.</li><li>Uncanny Reflexes. You have advantage on all Dexterity saves and tests.</li><li>Reign of Terror. Sentient creatures must succeed on a saving throw versus fear to attack you in melee or to cast a spell within your reach. On a failure, they are compelled to flee from you in fear.</li></ul>If you have fed a number of times equal to your level or more in the prior 7 nights, you have the following powers, in addition to those above:<ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Drink Blood. The damage from your bite increases to 4d6 damage.</li><li>Shapechange. You can transform into a mist once per night.</li><li>Children of the Night. Once per night, you can summon and command up to 2d6 wolves.</li><li>Uncanny Brawn. You have advantage on all Strength saves and tests. You can crawl on sheer surfaces like a lizard.</li><li>Embrace of Shadows. Once per night, you may cast Invisibility on yourself, as the spell. </li></ul> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg" data-image-dimensions="757x425" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=1000w" width="757" height="425" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1ca8ee24-0d85-4b92-9d2e-d91240964a5c/Nosferatu_poster_%28Albin_Grau%2C_1922%29_3.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Default Vampirism Weaknesses</h3>No matter how often you feed, a vampire has all sorts of ailments and weaknesses. With great power comes whatever this collection of superstitious limitations is: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png" data-image-dimensions="712x510" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=1000w" width="712" height="510" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/137aae07-0a69-4163-ad64-9b723041aaf9/Dracula1931BelaLugosiColor.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Undead. You are undead. Any effects that target undead (such as a cleric’s ability to turn undead) work on you as well. However, you are also immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g., poison). </li><li>Vile Sunlight. While in natural sunlight, you lose all access to your vampiric powers (including the Ageless power, causing you to look withered by your years of unlife, but you cannot die of old age even in sunlight) and suffer disadvantage on all saves and tests. Every turn you remain exposed to sunlight, you take 2d6 damage for each time you’ve fed in the prior 7 days. All damaging effects against you are doubled while you are exposed to sunlight. </li><li>Aversion to Flames. You take triple damage from fire.</li><li>Bad Blood. If you drink the blood of a dead or undead person, you will die in 4d6 hours unless you feed on a living person. </li><li>Power of Cross Compels You. You will not flee from the holy symbol of the cross but are merely compelled to position yourself such that it is not in between you and your intended prey. You cannot willingly move within 10 feet of a holy symbol.</li><li>Garlic Allergy. You are repelled by the odor of garlic, and the sight of garlic disgusts you. Each turn that garlic is offending your senses, you must succeed on a save against poison or be unable to take any action other than flee from the garlic on that turn. </li><li>House Arrest. You cannot enter the home of a living being without their invitation. If they rescind the invitation, you must succeed on a saving throw against spells or be compelled to flee the home as quickly as possible.</li><li>Soulless. You do not have a reflection except on the surface in pools of blood. Your shadow acts independently of your body, and its movements often match your intentions rather than your movements.</li><li>Running Water. You cannot cross running water in any form except by bridge (must be made of wood) or a coffin. If you are submerged in running water, you must save versus death or die permanently.  </li><li>Wooden Stake. If an opponent drives a wooden stake (ideally white oak, but ash or hawthorn are also trendy among vampire-hunters) through your heart or mouth, you are permanently killed. No save.</li></ul> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1994x1580" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=1000w" width="1994" height="1580" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7c7a4b84-df7b-4d81-8bba-68415525fde5/Shadow-September-1st-1941.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Unique Vampire Power</h3>Every vampire has a special power that sets them apart from others. Roll on the below table for your special power. This power is available as long as you have fed at least once in the prior 7 nights. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>1d20</th> <th>Unique Vampire Power</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>You can transform into a snake once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>You can transform into a butterfly once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>You can transform into a white horse once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>You can transform into a large taloned bird once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>You can transform into a black unicorn with red eyes once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>You can summon and command up to 4d6 ravens once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>You can summon and command up to 3d6 foxes once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>You can summon and command up to 2d6 leopards once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>You can cast the Sleep spell at will.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>You can cast the Ventriloquism spell at will.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>You can cast the Control Weather spell once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>You can cast the Move Earth spell once per night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>You can read the mind of living beings when they look into your eyes.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>You automatically succeed on tests to deceive when the target is looking into your eyes.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>Anyone who looks at you must succeed on a saving throw against petrification or be turned to stone. They can attempt to avert their eyes from you but incur disadvantage to hit you and you gain advantage to hit them with attacks if they do so. If you see your own reflection (only possible in pools of blood), you must save or be petrified.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>You can unlock any door as long as no living creature is sleeping on the other side.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>Once per night, you can let loose a shriek that deafens all within earshot unless they succeed on saving throw.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18</td> <td>Once per night, you can spit boiling blood at opponents, which has the same effectiveness as a young dragon’s firebreath.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td>Once per night, you can spit blood into the mouth of a willing living creature and heal them 3d6 hit points, but they must obey your commands for the next hour.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td>You do not take damage in sunlight and lose your vampiric appearance but instead lose any memory that you are a vampire while the sun shines on you. Your only memories while this occurs is that you are an apprentice bookkeeper named Reginald with a fondness for honey.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg" data-image-dimensions="600x477" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=1000w" width="600" height="477" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ffba54f-00fa-4c31-9e63-ff2903a2c8b3/49971189127-regency-suspense-novel-corinth-101-1965-robert-bonfils-600x941.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Unique Vampire Weakness</h3>Every vampire also has one weakness unique to them. Amateur vampire-hunters may mistakenly assume all vampires, for instance, have an aversion to sour cream and meet their death ill-equipped.   <table> <thead> <tr> <th>1d20</th> <th>Unique Vampire Weakness</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>Any light reflected from a mirror deals damage to you as if it were sunlight.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>You cannot enter a room where candles are lit.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>You cannot transform into any of your other forms if you are currently inhaling smoke.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>You cannot refuse pipeweed if offered, but smoking pipeweed causes you to lose your Hunter’s Sight power until next sunset.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>You are not able to walk on consecrated ground. If you unintentionally step on consecrated ground, your feet burst into flames which deals 2d6 damage to you per turn.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>If a funeral service, which must include the presence of at least one living relative, is performed for you in your presence, you must save versus death or die permanently.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>You must always carry a vial of vinegar on your person. If you are without a vial of vinegar, your every action must be directed to obtaining one. If you don’t obtain replacement vinegar by nightfall, you must save versus death or die (but may be revived if vinegar is poured in your mouth).</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>You have the same aversion to lemons that you do to garlic, and lemons have the same impact on you as does garlic.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>You have the same aversion to peaches that you do to garlic, and peaches have the same impact on you as does garlic.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>You cannot cross over lines made of rice grains. If you are encircled by rice, you must obey a single command by whomever poured the rice.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>You have the same aversion to wild rose branches as you do to holy symbols. If you are offered a red rose, you must accept and cannot attack the person who offered it until next sunset.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>You cannot harm anyone who has eaten bread baked with your blood mixed into the flour in the prior day.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>You cannot harm anyone who has eaten soil from a grave in the prior day.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>If someone asks you for a glass of wine, you must give them a glass. You cannot attack them or target them with any of your spells or abilities until you have furnished them with a glass, whether or not they drink it.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>You cannot tell lies to a cleric. If a cleric asks you a question, you must answer.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>You must be the last person to leave a social gathering. If you are forced to leave early, you must save versus death or be cured of vampirism.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>Any living being who is actively holding their breath is invisible to you until they take their next breath.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18</td> <td>If a bag of coins is dropped within your eyesight, you must stop and count the coins. If the coins are silver, you must attempt to return them to whomever dropped them.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19</td> <td>You melt when exposed to salt water. You take 2d6 damage per turn for every foot of salt water you are submerged in. A splash of salt water doesn’t deal damage but is uncomfortable.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20</td> <td>A sword made of wood acts as a +1 sword when used against you. If a wooden sword strikes the blow against you that drops you to 0 hit points, you die permanently.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1780x1068" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=1000w" width="1780" height="1068" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bfc90aae-6ace-487d-b0ef-9c75f238602e/Brides_of_Dracula_%281960%29_trailer_-_Peter_Cushing.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Who Is Hunting You?</h3>If you are a vampire, someone always wants you dead. Often many people want you dead. It is probably the general consensus. But there is at least one person who will hunt you to the end of the earth to ensure you are dead, not just undead. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>1d12</th> <th>Your Vampire-Hunter</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>Cyborg Van Helsing. A doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and metaphysician with a chainsaw for an arm has killed every vampire in the far future and is now traveling through time to kill the few he missed. You’re next on his list.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2</td> <td>Big-Game Hunter. The most dangerous animal of all to kill isn’t man; it’s a vampire. This eccentric aristocrat has given you a sporting head-start but now will pursue you to the end of the earth until your staked, taxidermied corpse adorns his opulent chateau.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>The Law. The powers that be have decreed vampirism a crime, not just against nature but by law. Wanted posters festoon every city street, and guards know all your aliases. It is only a matter of time until you are brought to justice.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>Meddlesome Priest. Your very existence is an affront to the gods. A singular priest has taken it upon himself to send you to hell where you belong. They have no shortage of holy symbols or holy water.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>Kids on Bikes. None of the adults believe them, but these kids are onto you. They know just what you are and they seek to expose you and even kill you if they can. These meddling kids, and their dog, won’t let you keep getting away with it.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>Necromancer. This wizard doesn’t want to kill you. It’s much worse–they want to control you and turn you into another one of their undead weapons that they can sicc upon the rest of the world. If they have their way, you will be their thrall, not the other way around.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>Investigative Journalist. Some things just weren’t adding up and this dogooder is seeking the truth. But to get to the truth, they have to go through you. They know what you are and they have figured out how to defeat you. But no one believes them, at least not yet.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>Estranged Relative. Perhaps your sibling, your parent, your child, or just a distant cousin, but whoever they are, they see your mere existence as an embarrassment to the family. They may try to cure your vampirism but won’t balk at killing you instead if a cure isn’t feasible.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>School Cheerleader. Although not yet graduated from their schooling, they were born with a preternatural ability to combat the undead, particularly vampires. You are just another monster of the week standing in the way of them and fulfilling their destiny.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>Mad Scientist. Obsessed with conquering death, they have set their imagination on you as the potential answer to their empirical questions about the nature of life and unlife. And they don’t want to just sit you down and ask you questions. They want to chain you up in their garlic-filled laboratory where they can dissect you and watch how your flesh regenerates itself.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>Werewolf. Werewolves and vampires are natural enemies. Like witches and vampires. Or dhampirs and vampires. Or vampires and other vampires. Damn vampires, they ruined Transylvania! But seriously, werewolves are an ancient enemy to all vampirekind and can’t fight their instinct to hunt you down and kill you.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>Rival Vampire. Perhaps they are the vampire that made you. Or you are the vampire that made them. Or you two just plain don’t like each other. Whatever the cause, you two have bad blood, and they know your every weakness–after all, they have the same ones. Who will stake whom first?</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1128x588" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=1000w" width="1128" height="588" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6863b762-c937-4349-97c0-e0a3742855a9/ChristopherLeeDracula004.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1729884115506-132H77O4EIAF673U47HW/artphh-art-of-pulp-horror-book_5.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="400" height="400"><media:title type="plain">Being a Vampire Doesn't Suck</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Playing as a Ghost</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:34:33 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/playing-as-a-ghost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:671117a633bf6e491ef501bb</guid><description><![CDATA[Rules for and commentary on playing as a temporary ghost character after a player character meets their bitter end in the dungeon.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Oops, you died. Don’t worry about it too much, pal, these dungeons can be real death traps. Happens to the best of us! But because this is a game, and not one of those games where if you die in the game you die in real life, you now have the problem of everyone else’s characters still trekking through the dungeon while yours is decomposing on the dungeon floor, likely stripped of your best gear while your human body, the one whose eyes are even now reading this post, has to just sit at the gaming table, gnawing on the bowl of community cheetos not because you’re hungry but because you’re bored. There has to be a better way! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1396x1139" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1396" height="1139" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf3108bc-c3e6-40e0-813c-0a01af268f09/train-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> It is good for a game to be deadly. Games are more fun with stakes, and life and death make for pretty compelling stakes. However, it is not fun to just be out of the game when you hit this fail state. That is one aspect of Monopoly (of many, frankly) that makes it such an unfun game to play. So for a game to offer life and death stakes, it should also offer avenues to quickly get back in the game. These methods should also put the player in a meaningfully different position than they were before their character died–sure you can just immediately say that Tim the Fighter’s brother, Jim the Fighter, who has identical stats and equipment, happens to show up when Jim dies, but at that point, death isn’t truly on the table if we are being honest with ourselves. There are many options to quickly generate a new player character when a character dies and thus get the player back in the game pronto (and I have <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/a-better-approach-to-deadly-games">written about</a> several previously), but one of the most whimsical is also the most in keeping with our current spooky season: you come back as a ghost. SpoOoOoky! But how does this work, in practical terms?<h2>A Handbook for the Recently Deceased in Dungeons</h2>When you die in the mythic underground while your companions are still delving into the dungeon, your soul cannot be at rest. Instead, you become a ghost. The ghost appears as you appeared at your death (including any mortal wounds), but pale and slightly translucent. You also hover one foot from the ground and can walk through walls.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png" data-image-dimensions="1125x1119" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=1000w" width="1125" height="1119" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/91243684-a148-42bb-8e8a-f258d97a6a18/0hokcevorid41.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Spectral Statistics</h3>Ghastly Visage. You appear as you did at your death (including any mortal wounds), but pale, glowing faintly (but not enough to give off light like a torch) and slightly translucent. You also hover one foot from the ground. You fall at half the speed of a body ordinarily affected by gravity and are immune to falling damage.As in Life, so in Death. As a ghost, your attribute scores and number of hit points remain the same as they were in life. However, you lose access to any special abilities, spells, or skills you had. You also cannot use any of your corporeal equipment although you appear wearing the equipment you wore at the time of your demise. Might as well encourage your friends to loot your body. You can’t take it with you.Dead Men Tell No Tales. You know any languages you spoke in life. However, you can only speak with those who knew you (even if only in passing) in life or to other undead creatures (but only if they know they are undead). To all others, your speech sounds like unintelligible wails and moans unless they use magic to speak to you.Undead as a Doornail. You are considered undead. Any effects that target undead (such as a cleric’s ability to turn undead) works on you as well.<h3>Phantasmic Powers</h3>No Need for Doors. You are incorporeal and can no longer pick up or carry objects, wear equipment, eat, or drink. You may pass through non-magical objects by spending 1d6 hit points per foot of object being passed through (e.g., passing through a 3-foot wall deals 3d6 damage to you). If you end your turn inside a solid object, you take further 2d6 damage regardless of its size. You cannot use this ability if the solid object has any silver components (such as a silver doorknob).  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1061x1480" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1061" height="1480" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/fd62a06f-c1b2-42e6-a662-57a686c844a3/misty-outline-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> No Body to Harm. Unless you are possessing a creature (see Worldly Possessions below), you are immune to poison, disease, petrification, being grappled or otherwise restrained, sleep, or mind control. You are immune to attacks from weapons unless they are magical, made of silver, or doused in salt (the salt must be re-applied with each successful attack against you). However, you cannot regain hit points, either by resting or from spells or potions that ordinarily restore hit points. The Wail of the Banshee. Once per day, you can unleash a mournful wail. All living creatures within earshot of you must immediately succeed on a morale test or else flee. Any creature that knew you when you were alive is immune to this effect.Worldly Possessions. You can enter the body of a living creature and influence their actions. To enter their body, the target makes a saving throw versus death. If they fail, you can control their body until either of you fall to 0 hit points.  Every turn, (i) you take 1 hit point of damage per hit dice the creature has, and (ii) they can make another saving throw to force you out of them. If they succeed on this saving throw while you are possessing them, you take 2d6 damage. You may also end the possession early on your own accord, and their allies may end it with a spell that dispels evil spirits. While possessing them, you can cause the target to do anything they are capable of doing themselves. If they take any damage, you and the target each take half the total damage. If holy water is applied to the target, you take the entirety of the damage from the holy water.They See Dead People. You can spend 1d6 hit points to become invisible for up to 1 hour. However, children, non-sapient, non-magical animals, and other undead creatures (but only if they know they are undead) can still see you. <h3>Haunted Hindrances</h3>The Ringing of the Bell. When you hear a bell ring, you must immediately move as far as you can from the source of the ringing for as long as it persists or else take 1d6 damage per turn. This damage is increased to 2d6 if the bell is made of silver.Taken with a Grain of Salt. You cannot cross over lines made of salt or over bodies of saltwater. Feeding salt to a creature you are possessing causes the possession to end and for you to take 3d6 damage.Ouija Boarded. You may be compelled to make yourself visible and communicate with anyone performing a séance in your vicinity. During a séance, you must answer all questions honestly. Each question they ask, you may make a save versus spells to end the séance. Unfinished Business. When your adventuring companions leave the dungeon or all die in the dungeon, your soul can finally rest and you move on to the afterlife.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1571x1092" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1571" height="1092" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6f5d3edb-eac2-4c92-ac6c-726335679638/many-ghosts-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>What Happens When Ghosts Die?</h3> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1084x1550" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1084" height="1550" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b5c6b17a-987c-4b1a-9649-6cf521d0cb9b/brushed-sankchinni-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> There are two ways for a ghostly adventurer to “die”. The first, and most likely result, is when their adventuring companions leave the dungeon. This causes their spirit to be at peace enough to enter the afterlife. This is the ideal way for the ghost to “die” and gives the player time to roll up their new character without interrupting the adventure during which their character died.However, ghosts have hit points like other characters (this is to provide some limit to the power of a ghost), which begs the question of what happens if those run out. If a ghost is reduced to zero hit points, their soul is consigned to eternal torment in hell. Such a damned soul is incapable of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/we-live-again">being brought back to life by magic</a> short of a Wish spell. This is a bad way to go, and ghost adventurers should seek to avoid it. However, if they do die twice, they can perhaps play an available hireling that is traveling with the party or you can decide that they already used up their freebie ghost experience. A bit harsh, but perhaps you abide by that old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, 'Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again.’”If you wanted to be a real dungeon bastard, you could rule that a ghost adventurer that loses its hit points loses its memories from life and becomes a non-player monster that will attack the other player characters. This will give the other players a bit of an incentive to keep their ghost pal from burning through his hit points.<h2>Ghosts of Homebrews Past</h2>I am not the first to suggest this idea as a mode of keeping a deceased character’s player in the game. For instance, <a href="https://beast.blot.im/death-in-the-catacombs">here is another take</a> on this concept from my colleague, Ian of the Benign Brown Beast blog. Whitehack famously allows deceased player characters to enter into a “ghost form” whereby the character “retains all her abilities and full hit points, but she can’t affect anything directly in the world of the living unless she pays HP for it” similar to spending HP to cast spells in the Whitehack’s rules. These ghosts cannot pass through walls and are only hurt by things that hurt the undead like exorcism or incorporeal attacks. The ghost form ability lasts as long as the player character still has hit points to spend, allowing high level characters to remain in ghost form for longer. This is very similar to my idea but frankly doesn’t go far enough into ghostiness. The player is essentially playing the same character with an HP tax on actually doing anything meaningful. They have their old abilities and don’t have access to classic ghost abilities, which the rules state are “advanced abilit[ies] available to monster ghosts only”. My preference is for <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2024/03/g-monsters-at-opera-part-1.html">monster ghosts</a> and player ghosts to not be too dissimilar. Give the players a taste, if only for a short while, of being a monster! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1187x1540" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1187" height="1540" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/66add6f1-a32b-4b52-9dcc-21ceb653ed98/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> On the other side of the spectral spectrum is to make the ghost a character class in and of itself. That is precisely what <a href="https://hedgemazepress.itch.io/bx-ghost">Hedgemaze Press</a> did for B/X (basic expert set D&D) a couple of Halloweens ago. This solves my gripe with the Whitehack ghost form mechanic in that it certainly gives the player all the hallmarks of being a ghost, but it doesn’t actually solve what I came here for–providing a short term solution to character death, with the understanding that the player can make their new character between sessions. It even creates new problems–what happens if the ghost dies in the middle of the dungeon? My proposal above is an attempt to thread the needle. To provide a short-term character option that still feels like you are playing a ghostly apparition of your now-dead character. A fear referees might have in introducing this option is that being a ghost is too fun or that its abilities solve some of the obstacles of the dungeon. I would posit that if constantly killing one’s character is more tantalizing than watching that character grow and achieve its ambitions in the game world, there are deeper problems with the campaign. As for the power of ghosts, I would lean in. It’s okay if it’s a little fun to die. Happy haunting!]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1729173955599-Q00SV17G1A510FU1QO8S/surveyor-pue-hawthorne-1600.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1168" height="1168"><media:title type="plain">Playing as a Ghost</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 12:56:49 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/familiars-a-witchs-best-friend</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:670b510a97be345d3a08529d</guid><description><![CDATA[Rules for familiars when a magical black cat simply isn't weird enough for you.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[A familiar must be more than a mere house-cat. Magic should be weird, and there is nothing weird about owning a pet. A witch is more than a cat lady. Here is how I would rule a player character obtaining a familiar. Do I fall into the trap of old school referees who “at best might homebrew some … procedure to feel better about” <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2023/08/samwell-tarly-slayer-vs-ghost-good-doggo.html">players obtaining a pet</a>? Maybe, but this procedure is cool, so it’s worth it, I swear. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1031x1546" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1031" height="1546" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/38864d86-c5e2-4684-b489-06a544b47425/cat-witch-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> First, I would remove the “Find Familiar” spell entirely. There is no need to impose a spell tax just to get a familiar. Instead, you must complete a ritual. Witchcraft, as opposed to more humdrum magic, is better with a ritualistic aspect, not just some spell components you can handwave (perhaps literally in the case of somatic components). In this case, the ritual is inspired by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu_(poison)">Gu</a>, a folkloric poison-magic associated with the ancient kingdom of Nanyue. Only a person capable of casting magic spells can begin a ritual to obtain a familiar. Preferably a member of a coven of magic users, but wizards are known to have familiars as well. To obtain a familiar, you must capture two animals that are small enough to fit together in a caldron, preferably made of brass. Add a drop of your own blood to the caldron to bind the familiar to you. Then seal the creatures together in the caldron and light a fire underneath the caldron using charcoal, herbs, incense, and fat. Wait 1d6 x 10 minutes (or 2d6 dungeon turns if in a dungeon) then open the lid. If performed under the light of a full moon or on the fifth day of the fifth month, the time for this ritual is halved. At the end of the ritual, one of the animals will have killed the other. You may flip a coin to determine which prevailed.The victorious creature shall emerge from the caldron as your familiar, although it is altered in body, mind, and spirit. Most obviously, it appears as the victorious animal with one aspect of the animal that perished in the caldron. For instance, it may be a black cat with the tail of a scorpion, a hawk with the eyes of a toad, a lizard with the wings of a bat, a weasel with the tentacle of an octopus, etc. If you aren’t sure what aspect from the deceased creature should be incorporated into your familiar, get suggestions from the rest of the players at the table and pick. The ultimate combination of body parts is up to the player whose character performs the ritual.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1130x1560" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1130" height="1560" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f2c7b1f-a5ed-4601-bde4-c5cbddff11d6/slander-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Legend has it that the first <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/no-one-owns-these-monsters" target="_blank">owlbear</a> was created by a powerful wizard engaged in this ritual, but the resulting creature proved too powerful to bind to their service and thus killed the spellcaster. It is for this reason that familiars are typically no larger than a dog. That and the impracticality of finding a caldron large enough to fit a bear.Your familiar behaves as if permanently under your charm and will perform any task you assign it to the best of its ability. The familiar has the intelligence of a bright child, can understand language, and can even carry on conversations if normally capable of speech (such as parrots) or sign language (such as monkeys). Some practitioners have been known to place the severed head of a recently deceased humanoid in the cauldron, which causes the familiar to be able to speak in a roughly human voice, but has the side effect of a 4-in-6 chance of giving the familiar humanoid features (e.g., the face of a human on a cat, the ears of a human on a raven, or the hands of human on a spider). Your familiar has its own personality but is always bound by the laws of magic to serve you at any cost.Additionally, you and your familiar are linked telepathically, allowing telepathic communication so long as you are on the same <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/wizards-playing-telephone">plane of existence</a>. When you close your eyes, you can choose to see what your familiar sees. You still smell and hear what is around yourself. You can always sense what direction your familiar is from you even if you cannot see it, so long as you are on the same plane of existence and the familiar isn’t protected by any anti-divination magic. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1120x1566" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1120" height="1566" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/34ba99a6-dea3-4176-8446-8b39fe5f136d/up-chimney-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Familiars have a number of mechanical benefits and a few drawbacks. When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell, so long as the familiar is within your line of vision. The familiar shares the magic user’s pool of hit points. If the magic user’s hit points fall to zero, in addition to the impact this has on the magic user, this causes the familiar to disappear in a burst of fire. A familiar that has disappeared for this reason may be resummoned from hell by expending 1 spell slot and burning incense and a vial of your tears in a cauldron for 1 hour. Each time you perform this ritual, your appearance changes slightly in line with the appearance of your familiar. For instance if your familiar is a black cat with the tail of a scorpion, your hair may turn black as night the first time you resummon your familiar, you may gain cat eyes the second time, cat ears the third time, etc. Each change is purely cosmetic and at the discretion of the magic user’s player. A magic user may only ever have one familiar, so performing the ritual to gain a new familiar means you can no longer resummon a lost prior familiar, condemning them to an eternity in hell. If ever a magic user dies, their familiar dies with them. The connectivity between a magic user and their familiar has been taken advantage of by unsavory witch-hunters. For instance, a witch-hunter who captures a magic user’s familiar can torment the magic user from afar by harming its familiar.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1117x572" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1117" height="572" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5655c61a-7cce-4dc4-b567-937571c93696/sits-moodily-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Based on the primary form of your familiar, the magic user gains access to one spell. You can cast this spell innately without the need for a spellbook so long as your familiar is within your line of sight. Some of these spells are from Cairn’s base spells or <a href="https://cairnrpg.com/resources/more-spellbooks/">Cairn’s list of d666 spells</a>. A couple were made up wholecloth. If you have a familiar of some other type, browse the list and select a spell that fits the character of the creature. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>d66</th> <th>Animal</th> <th>Spell</th> <th>Spell Description</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>11</td> <td>Bat</td> <td>Darksight</td> <td>Target can see 60 ft. in total darkness.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>Butterfly</td> <td>Disguise</td> <td>You may alter the appearance of one character at will as long as they remain humanoid. Attempts to duplicate other characters will seem uncanny.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>Cat</td> <td>Catsense</td> <td>Target has heightened senses for the next hour, especially at night.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>Centipede</td> <td>Multiarm</td> <td>You temporarily gain an extra arm.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>Chicken</td> <td>Egg of Resilience</td> <td>An egg of force protects but traps one subject. DEX save to avoid.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>Crab</td> <td>Anti-Magic Shell</td> <td>A thin shell of magical protection surrounds a small area around the caster. For every additional minute the globe is active, they take one additional Fatigue.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td> <td>Dog</td> <td>Scry Object</td> <td>Indicates the precise location of an object, known or otherwise.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td>Firefly</td> <td>Lamp’s Hue</td> <td>Target object shines like a torch for one hour.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td>Fish</td> <td>Fish Lung</td> <td>A target can breathe underwater until they surface again.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24</td> <td>Fox</td> <td>Masquerade</td> <td>You assume the likeness of a similar creature you have seen.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>Goat</td> <td>Devil Horns</td> <td>You grow horns at the crown of your head (1d6 damage) for up to one hour.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26</td> <td>Goose</td> <td>Manic Fury</td> <td>A target’s attacks are enhanced. They must make a WIL save after a successful killing or lose control, attacking anyone in sight.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td>Hawk</td> <td>Gift of Flight</td> <td>Target can fly for a short while.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>32</td> <td>Hyena</td> <td>Devil’s Comedian</td> <td>WIL save or target laughs uncontrollably, unable to take any action.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>33</td> <td>Lemur</td> <td>Bound</td> <td>Target can make a single jump to any place they can see.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>34</td> <td>Lizard</td> <td>Adaptive Skin</td> <td>Target can exist comfortably in hot or cold environments.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>35</td> <td>Monkey</td> <td>Widget</td> <td>A primitive version of a drawn tool or item appears before you and disappears after a short time.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>36</td> <td>Octopus</td> <td>Kraken’s Curse</td> <td>Tentacles grapple all within 20 ft, STR save to break free.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>41</td> <td>Otter</td> <td>Upwell</td> <td>A spring of seawater appears.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>42</td> <td>Owl</td> <td>Arcane Epistle</td> <td>You write a letter that only its intended reader can understand.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>43</td> <td>Parrot</td> <td>Linguist</td> <td>For the next hour you can speak and understand any mundane language.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>44</td> <td>Pig</td> <td>Greed</td> <td>A creature develops the overwhelming urge to possess a visible item of your choice.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>45</td> <td>Rabbit</td> <td>Leap</td> <td>You jump up to 10ft high, once.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>46</td> <td>Raccoon</td> <td>Filch</td> <td>A visible item teleports to your hands.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>51</td> <td>Rat</td> <td>Vermin Plague</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>52</td> <td>Raven</td> <td>Ravenless Message</td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>53</td> <td>Scorpion</td> <td>Arcane Arrow</td> <td>Green energy bursts from your fingers, dealing 1d6 damage and ignoring mundane armor.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>54</td> <td>Snail</td> <td>Molasses Veins</td> <td>A single target moves at half speed.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>55</td> <td>Snake</td> <td>Sticks to Snakes</td> <td>You transform a non-magical stick or staff that is not being held or worn into a snake that is friendly to you and your companions.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>56</td> <td>Spider</td> <td>Web</td> <td>Your wrists shoot thick webbing.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>61</td> <td>Squirrel</td> <td>Conceal Object</td> <td>Masks an object against divination or scrying.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>62</td> <td>Sugar Glider</td> <td>Easy Descent</td> <td>Objects or creatures nearby fall very slowly.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>63</td> <td>Toad</td> <td>Hypnotize</td> <td>A creature enters a trance and will truthfully answer one yes or no question you ask it.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>64</td> <td>Turtle</td> <td>Fortify</td> <td>Damage from heat, ice, acid or electricity are impaired against a target for the next hour.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>65</td> <td>Weasel</td> <td>Expeditious Escape</td> <td>You can retreat without requiring a successful DEX save and cannot be grappled or restrained.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>66</td> <td>Worm</td> <td>Miniaturize</td> <td>An object shrinks to one tenth its size.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1071x1250" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1071" height="1250" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/41d66f53-ae37-4491-8a48-6313ecc98574/old-woman-dwells-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Several other bloggers have tackled this topic before me. If my familiar thoughts have only roused your imagination without properly bedding it down, you may want to check out:<a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2014/06/youre-doing-familiars-all-wrong.html">You’re Doing Familiars All Wrong</a>, GOBLIN PUNCH<a href="https://mojobob.blogspot.com/2014/11/find-familiar-rewrite.html">Find Familiar - rewrite</a>, SHOUTING INTO THE VOID<a href="https://fractalbat.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/a-familiar-problem/">A Familiar Problem</a>, FRACTALBAT<a href="https://totmv2.blogspot.com/2019/05/familiar-binding-redux.html">Familiar Binding, Redux</a>, TOMB OF THE WANDERING MILLENNIAL <a href="https://blog.d4caltrops.com/2021/07/d100-familiar-features.html">D100 Familiar Features</a>, D4 CALTROPS<a href="https://tales-of-the-lunar-lands.blogspot.com/2022/10/im-not-familiar.html">I’m Not Familiar</a>, TALES OF THE LUNAR LANDS<a href="https://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/11/familiar.html">Familiars</a>, RISE UP COMUS]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1728796449894-T2RS4XHD24IP2PLEGUD4/witch-elders-1600.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1485" height="1600"><media:title type="plain">Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>So Many Free Taverns for Your Games: Barkeep Jam Retrospective</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:39:11 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/so-many-free-taverns-for-your-games-barkeep-jam-retrospective</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:67031f9c71dc6633287d579d</guid><description><![CDATA[Going through the 32 entries for the Barkeep Jam and summarizing the contents so you know which ones to pick up for your pubcrawl adventuring needs, with some commentary on adventure design sprinkled throughout.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mission Accomplished: The Barkeep Jam had 31 entries, for a total of a whooping 200+ pages of extra content for your own pubcrawl adventures. I wanted to briefly hype up all the entries, all of which are worthy of your perusal and even stealing for your own games. I’ve already started to use a few in my pick-up games I run on the ol’ <a href="https://discord.gg/ETpeGbTdDP">Prismatic Waystation discord server</a>.However, one thing I wanted to note for folks, especially those who were like “dang it, I missed the deadline!” is that the deadline isn’t real. The <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/18WMhIy4xTTr-4ooL4G_F80a8wqGY8gP-oaumuidu8hM/edit#heading=h.wrqfma1p4wyw">Barkeep License</a> isn’t going anywhere (I am not Wizards on the Coast) and is always there if you want to make a pub or a full-blown pubcrawl adventure, for your home game, for hawking on DriveThruRPG or elsewhere, or for a secret third thing. Without further ado, here is a speed-run (or maybe not so speedy, given how long I took in writing these up—life events intervened) through the various entries to the Barkeep Jam: <a href="https://arsnishida.itch.io/bar-in-a-bottle">Bar in a Bottle</a> (Pub)By: xmasowlThe Bar in a Bottle, or The Glass Menagerie, is, as it says on the tin, a dive bar located in a glass bottle that will occasionally pop up in and around other bars. One has to apply a magical grease that shrinks you in order to enter, but once inside there is a djinn bartender that serves drinks when you make wishes to them, and a number of strange bar patrons. An especially unique aspect of this pub is that it is written as a frame narrative where the bar entry itself is described as a missing entry from a Gnomish translation of Barkeep on the Borderlands (no such translation exists, but if any Gnomes are reading this, I am open to business inquiries), which was misplaced, discovered by a mouse, examined by the Keep’s Jewelers’ Guild before ultimately falling in the hands of Reginald Aristides Tablewriter, the senior editor of Gnomes Gnow Games Workshop. <a href="https://grapplerschool.itch.io/bar-in-the-belfry">Bar in the Belfry</a> (Pub)By: Aaron Phelps <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png" data-image-dimensions="600x368" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=1000w" width="600" height="368" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/37050061-af7c-4afc-9982-ae91d29e9894/mMZEUS.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This gothic bar is nestled in one of the Keep’s bell towers and specializes in blood siphoned from stirges that drained blood from drunks. It is a very squicky bar but absolutely your best bet if you are in the Keep and hankering for a bloody Mary. However, the entry includes tables for the side effects that may come from drinking the stirge-produced drinks or from being one of the donors to produce it. Subject matter notwithstanding, the whole thing maintains a light and humorous tone. There are also numerous references to The Hunchback of Notre Dame (including a hunchback bartender, a dancer with a pet goat, and a priest who mumbles something about hell fire). <a href="https://tabletopbookshelf.itch.io/the-barely-there-tap-inn">The Barely There Tap & Inn</a> (Pub)By: <a href="https://tabletopbookshelf.com/">Tabletop Bookshelf</a> (a fine purveyor of ttrpgs, including Barkeep actually)This is a good “roadside” tavern that would be at home in pretty much any fantasy game–we all could use more plug-and-play roadside taverns. But this is no ordinary tavern, as it is run by a clan of halfling werebears. Bear motifs are frequent but a running gag in the pub is that it is frequented by lycanthrope hunters that are so incompetent that they have no clue that lycanthropes are right under their nose. One of the halfling werebears is also a dealer of magical curios, so the entry includes a small table of the goods she has to offer. <a href="https://dungeoncrab.itch.io/bars-aplenty">Bars Aplenty</a> (Giant Barkeep Supplement [includes 21 Pubs])By: Dungeon Crab (Crab Dungeon)This entry is longer than Barkeep on the Borderlands itself! There are 21 new pubs for the Keep, with an expanded map of the Keep for using them all, a number of drinking games, and “New Rave Plus”, which expands the Raves of Chaos to a full 12 days instead of the original 6, as well as adding a new ingredient to the recipe for the antidote to compensate for the extra time. There is a lot of variety among the bars (obviously), but just to sell you on the few, there is a disco bar for werewolves, a rooftop bar run by a witch that requires you to get through a haunted house depthcrawl to make it to the roof, a casino in the Keep’s sewers, a “cottagecore board game cafe”, a fungal convenience store that keeps popping up all over the city, a court house turned dining theater experience with a full system for a cooking contest, and many more, way more than I can reasonably summarize in this blurb. One thing to highlight is that these bars flesh out on of the not-so-secret non-major factions in Barkeep on the Borderlands: the lizardfolk, who are just as unhappy with the Monarchy as many of the other anti-monarch factions.  <a href="https://tinithemini.itch.io/buried-base-of-the-boozed-barrel-burglars">Buried Base of the Boozed Barrel Burglars</a> (Dungeon)By: Teun Veekens (TiniTheMini)This is a small (7-room) dungeon crawl that is quite modular and which you can insert into nearly any of the pubs in the base adventure. The gang of gnomes in this dungeon is led by a wererat leader (gnomes and lycanthropes are definitely common themes thus far). This is probably a good size dungeon for a short session or half a session if you are running Barkeep on the Borderlands and need a dungeony reprieve from a largely social adventure<a href="https://bommyknocker-press.itch.io/ccs-dive-bar">CC’s Dive Bar</a> (Pub)By: Zak Hamer <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4f70ca7d-686d-471b-9eac-2f2ee47c60b3/%2BmZw_w.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This one is literally a dive bar–it is a sunken houseboat that is now a bar run by merfolk! There is an air-filled fishbowl for air-breathers, but this place caters to those with gills. There are a number of well-themed drinks (e.g., jellyfish jello shots, a blue lagoon fishbowl drink) served in watertight sealed containers. This one also introduces a fun, undersea faction: the Hell’s Angelfish, which are tattooed merfolk that frequent this pub. The eponymous “CC” is a water elemental that is bound to the bar by the diver who learned its true name.  <a href="https://wanderingfalcon.itch.io/chaotic-cocktails">Chaotic Cocktails</a> (Drinks)By: Peregrin Jones (Wandering Falcon) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/cf1c2057-d30d-49e5-9f4e-dd0b06adc70b/2mT7qT.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Make your own damn drink! Now you can, with a bunch of fictional ingredients (8 spirits, 8 mixers, 8 garnishes, and 4 serving styles) that have mechanical effects from the good (flamebelly hooch gives you a dragon’s fire breath when you belch), to the bad (add nepenthe to your drink to forget everything, potentially even you own name) to the ugly (satyr milk gives you the legs and hindquarters of a goat for an hour). I think this would be most fun to not tell players what the ingredients do and let them figure it out through trial and error. The menu at the back page would work perfectly as a handout to your players that doesn’t spoil any of the drink effects. The concept of making your own drink in a bar is very funny to me–so much so that I almost brought two preeminent RPG bloggers to a dive bar with that gimmick where you make your own drinks using liquor in ketchup squirt bottles. We went to a higher class place instead where the floors aren’t as (reportedly) sticky. <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-circular-spine-barkeep-jam.html">The Circular Spine</a> (Pub) By: xaosseed (Seed of Worlds)There were a lot of sea-themed pubs entered into the jam but this is the only one that is also a fighting pit among repurposed ship parts. I always love fishpeople (especially when they are above water for some reason–take note, <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2022/11/enough-dweeb-adventures.html">Spongebob Fans</a>). Something that is really fun about this entry is, based on the postscript, it is from a one-shot xaosseed ran, converted into the Barkeep pub format. As I said somewhere when shilling for the jam, I think most of us referees have a few pubs from our home games that sprang fully formed at the gaming table, so if the jam served as a motivator to etch any of those fleeting gameable pieces onto stone, then it was all well worth it.<a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/08/my-barkeep-jam-entry-cockatrice-tail.html">The Cockatrice Tail</a> (Pub)By: Anne Hunter (DIY & Dragons)Anne was the only contributor to the O.G. Barkeep on the Borderlands adventure who wrote a second pub, this time on her own time. But it was also, as she noted in her introduction, an opportunity to take advantage of the unlimited space of a blog post, versus the heavily edited entries in Barkeep itself (if you see a 2d4 table where you might otherwise expect 2d6, you can be assured that four excellent entries were cut for page-space concerns). The Cockatrice Tail, aside from immediately feeling at home in Barkeep on the Borderlands due to its punny name, this pub has connections with many of the major (and minor) factions in the the Keep (it’s the only pub other than the one Ben L. wrote that features the white swine from the Dreamlands). It also furthers Barkeep’s unintentional motif of marriages with the married chickens who want to matchmake a jolly crewmate with another pub patron and another bachelorette party (an underused source of random encounter in non-Barkeep adventures). This one is another fun pub with a lot of wit and set up perfectly for a raucous adventure. <a href="https://tinithemini.itch.io/dad-rock-cafe">Dad Rock Cafe</a> (Pub) By: Teun Veekens (TiniTheMini) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png" data-image-dimensions="3583x1250" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=1000w" width="3583" height="1250" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0dd7aab1-2846-467e-aa08-c14ebe3fa612/ADu2PB.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This pub has so many dad jokes and dad-rock music puns. Like, I figure that I am probably only grokking 20% of the total puns and references going on in here. There are arctic monkeys, giant beetles (4) taking the stage, a pumpkin smashing contest, a bard named Mac from the Woods of Fleet, a Mary who is Proud, and all that is just from a few of the situation entries. A special treat is the d20 table of “What’s Playing on the Jukebox” that has lots of dad-rock+D&D based puns that would make Brad Kerr weep. There is even a spotify playlist for this one, which you should definitely play for your table while running this. <a href="https://greenweald.itch.io/the-doom-shroom-saloon">The Doom Shroom Saloon</a> (Pub)By: A.R. BrewerThis fungal-themed pub sprouts in the sewers beneath the alchemy wing of a university (potentially the Academy from Barkeep on the Borderlands, but it is left generic enough to put below any school your players happen to happen upon). I love any adventures that take place in sewers (my first session I ever ran was in a homebrewed sewer dungeon), so I am surprised that something with a similar slimy aesthetic didn’t make its way into the final cut!<a href="https://ian-mcdougall.itch.io/the-escape">The Escape</a> (Pub)By: Ian McDougall (Benign Brown Beast) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png" data-image-dimensions="1211x1008" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=1000w" width="1211" height="1008" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/72b7dabb-d387-487c-8e3d-51838e420105/A03jGB.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This pub combines the tiki bar aesthetic with the classic you-got-sci-fi-in-my-fantasy trappings by having the crew of a crashed flying saucer operate a bar to not raise any suspicions. This is truly Gygaxian, recalling elements from both his classic Expedition to Barrier Peaks with his love of Tiki (as both aesthetic and attitude, as described in <a href="https://lurkerablog.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/tikid-1-garys-hawaiian-shirts/">this excellent post</a> from my colleague at Richard’s Dystopian Pokeverse). There are lots of nice touches of crossing the genre streams where the reader understands the sci-fi happening that is being described in a fantasy-coded way from the acid-spitting lizardling to the elf-eared crew member named Strik who has a poor bedside manner. Another nice little nod to Barrier Peaks can be found in the drink menu, which features a Froghemoth-themed drink. <a href="https://lemonade-sherbet.itch.io/extra-npcs-for-barkeep-on-the-borderlands">Extra NPCs for Barkeep on the Borderlands</a> (NPCs)By: Kathryn LindseyLike the Bar in the Bottle, this entry is written in-character, this time from the POV of a hereditary bartender who describes a sort of legendary non-player character type called Walkers, quasi-immortal but neutral beings. The entry is not only told by a narrator but specifically by an unreliable narrator who often crosses out certain sentences (or it may be that the sentences are being crossed out by a Walker since the narrator mentions, in a crossed out section, that their family’s history is being erased). What is presented within this framing device is 3 NPCs for use in any of the pubs (although they have pubs from Barkeep on the Borderlands that are noted as their favorites), along with their favorite food and drinks. This provides a good deal of flexibility to sprinkle an extra NPC or two in any pub your players happen upon, or even to include these Walkers as recurring NPCs. <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-flytrap-barkeep-jam.html">The Flytrap</a> (Pub)By: xaosseed (Seed of Worlds)Seed of Worlds is probably one of the most active blogs in the game these days so it should be unsurprising (although delightful) that they are on this list not once but twice. This pub is located in the repurposed stables of a potentially haunted castle and gets its name from the goblin-like fly-lings that frequent the pub, joined by rat-lings and raven-folk as well. Because the pub can be approached by two different routes (either from the front or via the tunnels beneath), the Sidetrack table is dynamic with some situations that are only ever encountered if the pub is approached via the tunnels. Doing so also gives the opportunity to eavesdrop on certain conversations going on in the tavern, also making use of the same random table, making the table a 3-for-1. <a href="https://rileyadammmson.itch.io/the-fungus-among-us">The Fungus Among Us</a> (Pub)By: Riley Adamson <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png" data-image-dimensions="1980x1320" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=1000w" width="1980" height="1320" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/696b13f9-6a0e-454c-a1e8-402bf7ff6572/91SmKT.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This is very cool in that this uses the Barkeep pub format to create a cantina for the science fantasy setting of the Vaults of Vaarn! I would love to see similar pubs for the implied settings in other systems–pubs set in the city of Troika or in Dolmenwood come to mind. In the pub at hand, the proprietor is a mushroom person who is also the brewmaster and brewing vessel, accepting payments in water or slime for his spore-filled drinks. In addition to the Mos Eisley Cantina-esque patrons, there is separately a chance of various demonic biker gangs showing up at the pub and making a ruckus, using a separate d6 table to generate what they are up to (including a sub-table if they are negotiating with another biker gang). <a href="https://rootdevil.itch.io/gatorbarge">Gatorbarge</a> (Pub)By: Franco A. Alvarado (Root Devil) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1500x2000" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=1000w" width="1500" height="2000" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e93f2f98-99da-4d0f-bb4a-3b8dce3e5d40/zspod_.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> A casino boat run by birdfolk inside the mouth of a giant alligator. Surely you are already sold on that premise alone, right? But it lives up to all the antics you imagine with such a description with a rich array of staff, sidetracks and situations, firmly planted in the setting of Barkeep on the Borderlands (which really missed out by not having a sailing bar in the first place). There are even factions unique to the bar–both sentient gators and the aforementioned birdfolk (some are parrot-folk, others manatee-folk, etc.). There is even a chance for the giant gator to wake up and plunge into the water. Finally, there is a simple, abstracted gambling mechanic and monster stats for use with Cairn. <a href="https://personable.itch.io/getting-sloshed-in-the-swamp">Getting Sloshed in the Swamp</a> (2 Pubs)By: Markus M <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1185x1681" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=1000w" width="1185" height="1681" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d593d091-491e-47af-b663-36ee887fac5a/EMiQMt.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This presents a location in the Barkeep on the Borderlands setting but just to the east of the Keep itself. Instead, two pubs are located in a nearby swamp–one is Le Crapaud dans le Trou, a traditional Froegue (a debonair sort of frog-folk) bistro that offers fancy food and drinks and the other is a norse tiki bar run by vikings that ran their ship around and decided to turn the longship into a bar, the Skal and Bones. You may get drunk and get a tattoo at the Skal and Bones (there is a d8 table and all give some supernatural powers or play in a variety of viking sports. Le Crapaud is thoroughly Frenchified in theme, not only in its drinks and cuisine but also in its 1d8 table for revolutions that the Froegues are prone to start. <a href="https://tylernicolson.itch.io/hair-of-the-wyrm">Hair of the Wyrm</a> (Large Supplement [Includes 4 Pubs])By: Tyler Nicolson <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png" data-image-dimensions="1856x1346" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=1000w" width="1856" height="1346" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b107e9e8-9b00-478a-ba0c-0dad6502cb05/MVcmxE.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This supplement includes very charming and cohesive art throughout and features four pubs: a jazz club ran by Lizardfolk, an apothecary turned into a bodega (which hosta a farmer’s market on the weekend), an underground horse racing gambling den, and a moving pub run by a retired gargoyle that pedals down the Keep’s streets. Similar to other gambling entries (there were several, which just goes to show that one vice [drinkin’] asks for the company of another [gamblin’], the Ogre’s Ante tavern includes rules for a horse racing mini-game. This supplement also features 3 NPCs to insert into any or multiple taverns during a pub crawl. I LOVE the art for these NPCs and I like the simple, system-neutral stats that are included for each of them, stats which focus on how one might socially interact with them rather than how hard or easy they might be to murder. But that’s not all–this supplement includes a gnoll merchant who sells a number of alcohol-themed magic items, including the eponymous Hair of the Wyrm. Most of these items interact with Barkeep’s drinking and sobriety rules in fun ways and would be great to plug into any Barkeep campaign. <a href="https://stievel.itch.io/hunt-for-the-swill-stolen-ax-of-illya-the-pale">Hunt for the Swill-Stolen Ax of Illya the Pale Sinner</a> (Stand-alone Adventure [includes 4 Pubs])By: RegularEvent <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png" data-image-dimensions="1498x838" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=1000w" width="1498" height="838" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/81f91d90-a060-48f8-bcc8-6104909c754f/4OK8TR.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This is a full pubcrawl adventure using the pubcrawl rules from Barkeep on the Borderlands as scaffolding but otherwise a completely separate scenario. In this one, you are a member of a band of mercenaries, and your leader has lost her prized battleax while on a bender in the lakeside town of Brayme. It is your job to find it before the band must depart for a new gig in the morning. Each tavern is as flavorful as you would expect in a pubcrawl adventure although on the whole more nautical in nature than what you saw in Barkeep. And yes, there is yet another gambling den here, this time at The Messy Mermaid. The adventure pairs two types of social adventures, mystery and pubcrawl, and provides a set of clues about where the battleax may be based on what pub they are visiting and who they ask. There are also multiple different locations the ax may be, which adds replayability. I was very excited to see a full scale adventure using the pubcrawl format! I hope to see more like it in the future as it is a good framework for a social adventure, just like a hexcrawl is a good framework for an exploration focused adventure and a dungeon crawl is well-suited for a combat heavy adventure. <a href="https://martinh22.itch.io/mindys-mines">Mindy’s Mines</a> (Pub)By: Haughty HomonculusI ran an entire session in this pub for some members of my discord server. We had a blast as they got into plenty of trouble without ever needing to go to a second bar (although they passed through a few others on their way back home after one of them got blackout drunk). This is a mining-themed bar but there is actually a secret pub within a pub. One of the Situations is the appearance of a galleon coming into the underground lake in the bar and setting anchor to operate as The Hole in the Hull pub. It was here that a lot of our action took place although they also rode in a mining cart full of punch, the most expensive drink at Mindy’s Mines (although frankly a great deal for just one gold!). <a href="https://fakegoatee.itch.io/a-night-at-the-chunker">A Night at the Chunker</a> (Pub)By: Chase WrennMy colleague Chris of the Loot the Room blog recently wrote how different systems require different information to run adventures. Truthfully, I am not sure that Barkeep does a great job at providing all of the scaffolding that a typical 5e referee might be used to when running an adventure (actually, I am certain of it). This tavern, a music hall with a garden in the back, is written with both OSR and 5e referees in mind and also breaks the pub down in terms of its various zones. Many of the zones contain various obstacles to get pass, making this almost a small dungeon combined with the pubcrawl structure. I think using this bar for a combat location would lead for a very dynamic encounter. However, the pub has an additional rule for determining when a character needs to use the restroom, which is located in the back of the pub, so it presents that as a reason to move through the various zones. <a href="https://wayspell.itch.io/one-more-round">One More Round</a> (Large Supplement [Includes 4 Pubs])By: Chris Sanford (Wayspell) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/92a84df4-c64b-4f32-abfd-2020b18ea81f/y8aRKT.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Another collection of pubs to supplement a campaign of Barkeep, which does a great job of matching the tone of the pubs in Barkeep on the Borderlands so you can seamlessly slot them in to replace existing pubs or add them in to spice up your pubcrawl. The pubs include a literal dump, a sewer-based pub (I’ve already gone on record in this post about how much I love pubs in sewers) run by a psychic ball of intertwined rats, a death-themed <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/do-the-monster-mashup">monster mash</a> type establishment operating out of a graveyard (very seasonal but only because this took me so long to write up), and a dormitory that has been taken over by an anarchist movement, the “Terrace Hall Anarchist Collective” and turned into a bar called THAC0 (get it?). Lots of tiny jokes in this supplement, like Barkeep itself, such that it is worth just reading through for the giggles. A few examples are the four turtlefolk and their wererat father in the Rat King pub or the sidetrack outside of THAC0 where goblins are attempting a Weekend at Bernie’s situation with a dummy of the Heir they constructed. <a href="https://giantrobottackler.itch.io/the-outer-reaches">The Outer Reaches</a> (Pub)By: giantrobotattacker (Elsewhere, Elsewhere) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png" data-image-dimensions="626x498" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=1000w" width="626" height="498" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/57f941af-0fe9-4fcd-b2fc-df148704102d/j4sWZA.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This pub is an underground (deeply underground) dive bar that is also multiversally connected to a shitty bar in every known universe. Like many of the entries, there is a lot of humor in the situations but there is also a note of foreboding and many strange happenings, befitting the multiversal concept. In addition to the standard inclusions from the Barkeep format, there is a d6 table to determine what musical act is playing that night and a table for determining what neighboring world is bleeding into the bar at any given moment. Finally there is a recipe for an actual drink (rum-based punch). I did not make it and try it as part of writing these blurbs but mostly because I have neither tea (sorry, British people) nor guava juice.<a href="https://generati0ns.itch.io/pie-in-the-sky">Pie in the Sky</a> (Pub)By: GenerationsBarkeep on the Borderlands, and many of its pubs, began their life as some type of wordplay and grew for there, and I suspect that this pub was born through a similar method. This pub is basically a gnomish flying saucer shaped like a pie that is a dessert bar. Naturally there is a list of signature desserts to pair with the pub’s signature drinks, and many foodie related situations in the bar. One secret (perhaps unintended) situation that you won’t find on the table is on the Staff & Regulars table–there is a 1-in-6 chance that the pilot of the pie-ship is not present at the pub when the players enter. Intended or not, I would absolutely lean into this with the jolly crew arriving while the pub is in crisis and the player characters will need to right the ship or risk disaster. <a href="https://worthytown.itch.io/the-pike-and-purl">The Pike and Purl</a> (Supplement [Includes a Pub])By: Sam Worthington <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png" data-image-dimensions="1008x1344" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=1000w" width="1008" height="1344" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e14072fd-72e6-4116-914a-dec08a8172c3/MXVQMR.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> First off, the use of public domain art throughout this supplement is exceptional. But beyond that, this entry has everything you could want in a pub and much more. While it is centered on the riverside club on a floating veranda, The Pike & Purl, it has a lot of extras that are tied in: it has a 1d6 list of additional starting backgrounds you can use to make your jolly crewmate a regular at the Pike & Purl. These are slightly more elaborate than the backgrounds in Barkeep but the two 1d6 tables for the pub’s staff and regulars are much more fleshed out, with an illustration and detailed description for each and a quote in their voice, which is always helpful for getting a referee in the headspace to run an NPC. There is a similar table for certain NPCs that make an appearance in the situations in the bar (a total of 18 NPCs). In addition, one of the NPCs sells treasures from the river and artifacts from the Keep’s museum, contingent on the goblin’s successful ransacking of the museum on day two of the Raves of Chaos. The whole thing ends with a list of 10 songs the bard in the bar might be playing. This is a lot more than your typical Barkeep bar, freed from the 2-page layout. <a href="https://totallylegitartists.itch.io/the-pub">The Pub</a> (Pub, duh)By: Alexander HaworthThis pub, The Pub, is Br*tish. Specifically, it is “every British” pub and the name changes every time someone refers to The Pub’s actual name (there is a 1d20 table of potential pub names). There is a surly landlady, The Lads, double-decker red buses and classic British cuisine: jellied eels, eels and mash, etc. There is also always a ball game being projected on the wall with a mechanic for determining what goes on in the game every few turns in The Pub and, more importantly, how The Lads react to the changes in the game. The ideal use of this pub is either for non-British people to play it and laugh at how silly the people on that island are, or for British people to play it and probably laugh harder and with greater frequency.  <a href="https://drcuriousvii.itch.io/the-rolling-bones">The Rolling Bones</a> (Pub)By: Dr. Curious VII (Half Again as Much) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png" data-image-dimensions="2000x2000" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=1000w" width="2000" height="2000" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6551aa2e-333c-4017-a9d5-5e7430e03bf3/9uSOxG.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> A recurring gimmick in Barkeep on the Borderlands pubs are shaped by the arcane and nonsensical laws made by the polity of the Keep. For instance the Off-Central Park is a failed conservation attempt while The Birdcage exists only because of the legal impossibility of shutting it down. There is a reason for this: obstreperous and incompetent laws increase the likelihood of player characters wanted to find some way to intervene in the Keep’s politics, either by the drama with the dying Monarch and their erstwhile Heir or through the ongoing parliamentary election that is going on during the Raves. This pub continues that theme by establishing a law that no land may be used for gambling. Thus necessitating the loophole filling paddleboat casino. A brilliant premise, and this pub executes on it well. Moreover, common advice when making something is to come up with a great premise then add one more tweak to spice it up. Another victory for this pub as it isn’t just a gambling barge, it is undead themed due to being run by an enterprising necromancer. Using a skeleton crew is a great way to skirt labor laws too. This pub also includes a d666 mechanic for playing a slot machine that I really like (and pairs well with other minigames from aforementioned entries–we basically have an entire Las Vegas going on with these entries!)<a href="https://nguyenconditions.itch.io/sherries-jubilee">Sherrie’s Jubilee</a> (Pub)By: Kevin Nguyen (Nguyen Conditions) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/bc6924d4-e4a1-41b8-a034-c11064ea67b9/fxcXdV.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> The first thing to note here is that there is a full page illustration that is the background for the entire pub which helps to run the thing, based on the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2023/01/picture-book-gameplay.html">Picture Book Gameplay</a> theory posited by my colleague, Dwiz of the Knight at the Opera blog. This pub is a 24-hour diner where you can also drink liquor. If I could’ve gotten bottomless mimosas at Waffle House in college, my GPA would’ve been a full point lower, not to mention if they had the rum flambe with chocolate ice cream that is the eponymous signature drink of this pub. There are a lot of fun situations in this pub but my favorites are the ones that lean into the 1950s vibe–the idea of pompadoured greasers fighting with knives in a medieval fantasy setting tickles me.  <a href="https://benjaminjb.itch.io/the-three-fine-gentlemen">The Three Fine Gentlemen</a> (Pub)By: Benjamin Blattberg (Blackbird Games)This pub is a former gentlemen’s club that has only gotten more debaucherous when infernal portals were opened, turning the establishment into the latest battle ground in the eternal war between devils and demons and all types of other extra planar monstrosities. This pub doesn’t have sidetracks, but you could use the sidetracks for the pub the jolly crew is coming from instead. I believe this is to make more room for its supercharged situations table, which uses a similar structure to Our Lady of the Sacred Speakeasy where you roll 2d6 and add the day of the Raves of Chaos, so some encounters only happen later during the Raves. In this instance, the final encounter, only possible on the final day, is that the law and chaos planes of evil come to claim the entire town. In addition, there is a 1d6 table to determine what the portal is spitting out at any given instant. My favorite result: a baby.<a href="https://christianserver.itch.io/the-tilted-purse">The Tilted Purse</a> (Pub) By: ChristianserverThis is an unassuming fantasy tavern run by a family of dwarves. It is located in a market district of town and has a definite commercial motif with many of the NPCs and encounters attempting to engage characters in commerce or schemes. In fact, one of the more unusual NPCs in the tavern is a halfling sporting a top hat named Piccadilly Tim who has opened up a store of overpriced goods in the corner of the tavern. One of the drinks on the signature drinks table is named for and apparently sponsored by this halfling, perhaps in an attempt to get customers in the right state of mind to pay his exorbitant prices. <a href="https://pellep.itch.io/ur-porter">Ur-porter</a> (Drinks)By: PelleP (former champion of the Scandinavian homebrew beer competition!) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6da34bcb-9649-49c1-981e-b2b4e4ed375a/RBzsgj.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This is an actual recipe for a dark smoky ale that you can make in the real world (although some of the steps include instructions like cooling the drink “to blood temperature” and “SCREAM like hell into the vessel to scare away demons and evil spirits.” This drink is served in-universe at the Brutal Legion pub from Barkeep and it absolutely matches the extreme tone of that pub. In addition to the drink recipe, there is a d6 table for additional inebriating effects the ur-porter has when a character drinks it in-universe, which interacts with Barkeep’s drinking rules by having different effects depending on if the affected character is Tipsy or Drunk.  <a href="https://bionic-castle.itch.io/the-woodstained-alley">The Wood Stained Alley</a> (Adventure [Includes 3 Pubs])By: Austin Smith (Sage of the Bionic Castle) <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png" data-image-dimensions="630x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=1000w" width="630" height="500" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1f2ab8bd-2571-4af4-aedf-62ee8669fec6/KiMHCQ.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> While this can be used in conjunction with Barkeep on the Borderlands, it offers its own adventure scenario in the Keep where a sinister friar is attempting to open a portal to a demonic fungal realm but to do so has to get rid of a meddling mouse wizard. The location of the mouse wizard is a mystery to be solved, with several opportunities to get clues from the NPCs in the pubs. The pubs include a monastery filled with monks who worship their ale, a 6-floor bar with different drinks depending on which floor of the tower you are at, and mouse-sized bar that has a portal turning all who enter into mice temporarily. I really like the last premise and, if I were running this scenario, I would switch to using Mausritter characters while in that bar. I love the idea of reflecting fundamental shifts in reality by changing systems, and there is no better way to reflect being a little mouse adventurer than playing the premiere little mouse adventure game.Thank you to everyone who entered the Jam! I hope writing your entries were as fun for you as reading them were for me.]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1728348580832-LT4XBB2TMH5Z1MXVA85N/cocks.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="1500"><media:title type="plain">So Many Free Taverns for Your Games: Barkeep Jam Retrospective</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Which Sacred Cow Doth I Kill?</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:14:02 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/which-sacred-cow-doth-i-kill</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:66c4862e4ddfea48b378eea7</guid><description><![CDATA[The worst part of the otherwise excellent "Roll Under" system is that rolling low on a d20, contrary to popular conceptions, is a good thing. Can we keep the bones of roll under while bringing it into conformity with mainstream worship of the natural 20?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[So many design ideas start with “Is this anything?” In the case at hand, I think there is something to this idea but also it feels distasteful to me. It just needs *something* more to make it click. This idea was inspired by a conversation with my friend Dwiz of the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Knight at the Opera</a> blog in which he observed, after years of considered research, that the typical 5e-head is obsessed with the 20=good, 1=bad schema. In his words, <blockquote>“Complete obsession with nat 1s and nat 20s, especially treating them as crits even just for ability checks, is indeed almost universal among new players I've met, regardless of their background or previous exposure to D&D content and culture. But also, ime that's been the case since 3E, like it's seemingly just intrinsic to the d20 core mechanic.”</blockquote>This, of course, is in direct conflict with the beloved (for good reason) roll-under mechanic of the <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/posters-posers-and-posrs" target="_blank">P/OSR</a>, in which rolling low is good and natural 20 is nearly always failure. (If you want more fleshed out thoughts on this subject, I wrote about the beauty of roll under and the even better “roll high, under” systems in <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/in-defense-of-ability-scores" target="_blank">my defense of ability scores</a>). Is there a way I can square the circle? Make it so that your players can hoot and holler over a 20 again without resorting to the icky d20+modifiers over target number system?The only way I see to save the 20=good sacred cow is to kill another sacred cow: high stats=good. For instance, if we instead generated character stats by rolling 2d6 with low being good and high being bad, we would have nearly a mirror of 3d6 stats, with a high score of 2 (equivalent 18) but the lowest being a 12 (equivalent of an 8). So it eliminates the dreadfully low (which I love) stats, but we can only save so many sacred cows at a time! Under this system, you succeed if you roll *above* your stat, so a 20 is once again good and a 1 is once again bad! Problem solved! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1200x565" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1200" height="565" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c3923a76-ebc2-4310-ad61-141df2118882/offered-cow-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> But a new problem emerges. Design is a game of whack a mole (it’s a good thing I know little about whack a mole or I’m sure I’d be trying to fix its purported game design flaws too). Now we have a Strength of 2 being better than a Strength of 10? That just feels wrong to my simple little monkey brain. Stats going from 3 to 18 isn’t as intuitive to the modern mind as they would be if they went from 1 to 10, but the idea that low=better presents the same problem conceptually as rolling a 20 on the d20 being bad. So like the lady that swallowed a fly, I have another solution to hopefully solve the problem from the solution to the other problem. What if we invert the stats? No longer do you have Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Charisma! Now you have Weakness, Clumsiness, Stupidity, and Awkwardness. The mood of the game changes entirely when you don’t have a Fighter with 18 strength and instead have some lout with 2 weakness. This may work better for a game where the players are a bunch of incompetent goblins rather than a group of brave heroes. There you have it—I solved one problem and created several others. The experiment was a mistake. Perhaps some circles can’t be squared. But I can’t help but keep trying and asking “is this anything?”By the way, Barkeep Jam has concluded and was a huge success with a ton of entries! I printed them out and they amounted to 240+ pages of extra pubcrawl gaming material. Most of the entries are listed on the <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam/entries">Jam’s itch page</a> for your perusal (although at least <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-flytrap-barkeep-jam.html">Seed</a> of <a href="https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-circular-spine-barkeep-jam.html">Worlds</a> and <a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/08/my-barkeep-jam-entry-cockatrice-tail.html">DIY & Dragons</a> jammed out on their respective blogs–there may be more, but I need to do further searching if so). It is going to take me a bit of time to get through them all and reach out to all the entrants with discount codes for my store and about potentially getting a few of these in print. But I wanted to assure you that it is on my radar, even if it isn’t at the top of my list at the moment (the demands of real life never cease to intrude).]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1724155757218-SQ8EBIVHR4G38W7E0UHU/output-onlinepngtools%2B%25281%2529.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="882"><media:title type="plain">Which Sacred Cow Doth I Kill?</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Is GenCon Worth It?</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:33:44 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/is-gencon-worth-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:66b4b281b7244e51861a698d</guid><description><![CDATA[I discuss whether GenCon is worth it to RPG designers, ordinary gamers, and how to make it even more worthwhile.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[I survived GenCon. Or I guess not yet accurate as I write these words–tragedy on the tarmac is still on the table–but assuming I have not only written this sentence (a safe assumption for me at this moment) but also that I have lived to post it, I feel confident that I can mark myself “safe” from GenCon 2024 [Editor’s Note: all good]. <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/gencon-this-is-my-first-rodeo">My previous post</a> detailed my first day at my first GenCon, as scheduled and attended by a bewildered novice.I will also answer questions posed by a couple of my online TTRPG creator buddies: Is GenCon valuable (a) as a convention itself (i.e., to your average con-attendee), and (b) for indie TTRPG creators. I will also talk about what I would have done differently. The hope is that this post is helpful for anyone considering going to a future GenCon as well as people who have been before but are looking to maximize their enjoyment.Additionally, I wrote a full blow-by-blow of a blowhard’s three days of gaming, but because the real meat of this post is answering the aforementioned questions (and because said write-up turned out to be quite long, tripling the length of this post), I have<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/is-gencon-worth-109611590?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_fan&utm_content=web_share"> posted that to my Patreon</a>, for patrons of any stripe. However, as a very, very brief summary, I attended more seminars, met up with a bunch of other RPG creators that I hitherto hadn’t yet met (but unfortunately didn’t get to meet with everyone–hopefully I’ll see you all next time!), and played the following games (not including those detailed in my last post): Arcs (board game) [5/5], various finger-based time-killing games that Yochai Gal knows [you have to guess how many fingers I’m holding up/5], Old School Essentials (<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/487721/The-Dream-Shrine">The Dream Shrine</a>, which is out now!) [5/5], Slugblaster: Kickflip Over a Quantum Centipede [5/5], Wanderhome [5/5], Mutant Crawl Classics (Offal Mongers of the Atrophic Hill) [3/5], and Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast [5/5].  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4284x5712" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=1000w" width="4284" height="5712" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a117bb5f-6df2-443f-b66b-f351981d7d6d/IMG_5533.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1284x1632" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=1000w" width="1284" height="1632" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7dac0c7-37ae-42a5-8bcd-36653787c0e1/IMG_1272.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Is GenCon Fun?</h3>Yeah. I mean, for me. I am sure it would have sucked if you hate TTRPGs, board games, card games, war games, shopping, and the state of Indiana. But I love TTRPGs and board games. Lukewarm to cold on the rest. Consider this your warning, state of Indiana!<h4>Subpart: Okay, you prick, but what was so fun about it?</h4>I would say that tops for me was hanging out with people who either I’ve been interacting with via the online (Discord, Twitter, etc.) for the past 4 years I’ve been blogging or people who I am mostly just a fanboy of. Meeting people was by far the highlight for me, from fellow creators to normal people who were somehow both aware of me and had a positive impression of me (my pollsters were shocked) to just people who I have no play culture based overlap with but with whom I had the pleasure of chatting. It can be undervalued in a world where we have nearly unabated access to each other no matter how far just how nice it is to actually see a person face to face, to eat some food or drink with them. Conventions served that purpose back when game designers were mostly corresponding via letters and zine publications, but their role hasn’t truly been displaced by technology. I love meeting other bloggers, and when I know I’m headed somewhere where a colleague is, I like to make an effort to meet up (and have been fortunate enough to have met at least one handful of bloggers even before I attended GenCon).The primary source of fun, especially for those you aren’t just looking to mingle with the designer of FishBlade RPG, are the games themselves. Yochai Gal spoke truth when he said that the move was to mostly do unscheduled, impromptu games, but for me, who didn’t have the luxury of not one but two dedicated sidekicks, having a few games on the docket each day gave me something to anchor all my plans around. It also allowed me to play a bunch of games I may have never otherwise. Now, I know that Slugblaster absolutely rules, and that the Cypher System is the one system that absolutely doesn’t matter. Actually playing games recharges me, and I feel supercharged after so much back-to-back roleplaying.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4284x5712" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=1000w" width="4284" height="5712" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3e28066b-ae3f-4457-b91b-b5f64b976e25/IMG_5540.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4284x5712" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=1000w" width="4284" height="5712" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f132b819-4c0c-46a9-b9e7-1431f4b4c683/IMG_5535.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Is GenCon Worth It?</h3>First, I must do math, which will give me the semblance of objectivity to what is ultimately a totally subjective determination. The cost of the 4-day badge was $143, the flight was about $400, the hotel was about $850 for the 4 nights (breakfast sold separately), I spent some modest amount of money on paid ticketed games and buying a few books from the exhibit hall, I also incurred a frustratingly high amount in Uber costs, and I’m sure spent marginally more (but honestly, not too much more) on food and drinks than I ordinarily do. So if Prismatic Wasteland had a CFO who wasn’t also the CEO (these aren’t actually extant titles), the question the CFO would ask is how much did we take in from the trip? Literally no money–maybe there is an economic value to getting to rub elbows with the movers and shakers in our little industry, but nothing that can be quantified and plugged into a spreadsheet. The point is, going to GenCon (solo) is just plain expensive! I could’ve reduced these costs by driving up to the convention instead of flying and figuring out a way to split room and board costs (efforts were made, but didn’t pan out this time), but even then, it is just a splurge if you are going mostly as a con attendee, as I did, and not working a booth or taking actual business meetings.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1284x1463" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=1000w" width="1284" height="1463" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/172483ea-cbe4-472a-89d5-04d8e8d7cb27/IMG_1267.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> The “she rolled an important check and it landed on a 6 (critical success) but landed in her water cup” is one of those “you had to be there” kind of gaming moments… </figcaption> </figure> A metric that I often use to justify my splurging (and also to point to TTRPGs, when bought to be played and not just read, and say “wow, what a swell deal!”) is comparing things to movie tickets. Movie tickets where I’m from are about $17 for 2 hours of entertainment. I spent a total of roughly 50 hours doing GenCon or GenCon-adjacent activities (which likely isn’t representative–at every moment it was possible to be doing something, I was doing something. My hotel was too far to take breaks and I am both an early bird and a night owl). If, instead, I spent 50 hours over 4 days watching the new Deadpool movie over and over and over, it would cost roughly $850 (and likely also my sanity). For some things, the value-over-movie was exponential: spending an hour playing a TTRPG I’ve never played before with people who are passionate enough about the medium to drop, at a minimum, hundreds of dollars just to be there, is so much better than just watching Twisters. It’s more akin to watching Twisters in 4DX where the chairs shake you, punch you, and spit on you as you watch the movie (I have not experienced this first hand, but have to assume it must rule because why else would you pay twenty five smackers just to get smacked around?). Other things are maybe closer to seeing a mediocre movie. I enjoyed just wandering around, but I won’t pretend it is Twisters 4DX-level (the new standard) of engaging. My verdict is that the experience of going alone to GenCon is probably worth about $800-1,000, all in, if you are willing to say yes to every experience that is offered to you (for me; it’s subjective, and all this rationalization is pure hokum). So for me, this year’s trip was about 60-70% worth it. If you aren’t looking to cram as much into every moment of GenCon because of your crippling fear of death and instead want to take it easy and be more choosy about what you do, maybe it is closer to a value of $500-800 (remember, these numbers are made up). Because it is totally feasible to get the costs down to that about level (mostly by going halfsies or quartersies on accommodations and driving or doing some real extreme hitchhiking), I’d encourage fence sitters to consider it. Or maybe go to your local gaming convention first?<h3>How Would I Do GenCon Differently Next Time?</h3>My goal would be to go from 70% “worth it” to at least 100%, and the only ways to do that is some combination of making it cheaper and packing in a higher proportion of the activities I enjoyed the most. This would involve, for instance, (A) perhaps arriving on Thursday morning instead of Wednesday night to cut out one night from the hotel (GenCon really starts heating up each day after about 10am, so the 8-10am hours are a bit more superfluous), (B) driving instead of flying, which would entail a trade off of time for money, but if I could get anyone to carpool with me, might feel worth it—a few local friends are considering going up with me next time since it’s only an 8 hour drive one way, which is doable, (C) splitting lodging costs with one or more people [this is the most high impact option], (D) booking a hotel closer to the convention center, which wouldn’t reduce costs but would increase my ability to sleep–I was getting up around 5 A.M. each day to get some of my IRL job’s work done before heading to the convention, (E) booking an Airbnb instead of what is described in the preceding sentence. If I were to get an Airbnb with friends, it would also potentially a good way to play even more games with people, (F) play more games, which would be difficult without staying longer, but I could manage, and (G) run my own games. I am a forever-GM by choice, not by circumstance, because I enjoy it more than playing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy playing too, but refereeing is sublime. And although I am no <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2023/07/this-ones-for-all-aspiring-matt-mercers.html">aspiring Matt Mercer</a>, I am pretty good at it. The games I would be interested in running are first and foremost a session of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop/p/barkeep-bundle">Barkeep on the Borderlands</a> for the latest time slot I can get where myself and whichever players desireth so can follow up the game with going out to the bars for an IRL pubcrawl in Indianapolis. If you’re local, give me your downtown Indy bar recommendations. I’d also like to run some playtests for my next adventure, and GenCon seems like an ideal place to do that. I also want to just play more games with people I know from my past four years trapped in the walls of the internet. Getting GenCon to be 100% worth it, for me, seems doable. I enjoyed this year’s convention, but I am an advancementpilled improvementcel, always twirling, twirling, twirling toward freedom.As a final word, you have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC_q9KPczAg">ONE WEEK</a> left to submit your entry for <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam">Barkeep Jam</a>! This weekend is the perfect weekend to cram for the jam and get out something. I’ll be highlighting my favorite entries on this blog once the jam concludes. Jam on.<a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam">https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam</a>  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1284x1249" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=1000w" width="1284" height="1249" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/67da31bd-0feb-4b5b-8c0a-c08df2e2fa77/IMG_1266.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> This was gone when I went back to this booth on the last day. Did someone actually buy it?! </figcaption> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1723119867005-PN3ZL8K75C51C6TXUW8O/IMG_5545.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="2000"><media:title type="plain">Is GenCon Worth It?</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>GenCon: This IS My First Rodeo</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2024 13:00:42 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/gencon-this-is-my-first-rodeo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:66acd627b5366e09786d8198</guid><description><![CDATA[Your intrepid reporter in the field presents the latest on-the-ground news from the first day of GenCon.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[When a hoity toity magazine sends a novelist of varying levels of both Avant and Garde to a cruise ship to write an experimental article, the hook is the fish-out-of-water aspect. How will this representative of high culture react when dropped amidst the sheer, Lovecraftian horror of being elbow to elbow with the American hoi polloi? It’s a solid gimmick. I am going to GenCon this year (or rather am nearly there as of this writing and have already been here at least a day as of your reading this). My first con of the sort (I’ve gone to conferences about boring work stuff where I’ve had to wear a suit, smile, shake hands, pass around business cards), my first experience waist-deep in nerd culture, even despite my ordinary proximity to DragonCon, which I’ve been assured is a perfectly cromulent con. I’d like to, therefore, pretend I’m adopting the same aforementioned novelist-on-a-boat gimmick. However, I cannot do so in good faith. As evidenced by the fact that I’m writing this on a blog dedicated to TTRPGs, I’m not the normie among abnormies; I’m the king freak, here at least to don my crown and meet my people. I’ve always wondered what one of these is like but never like “drop money on a ticket” level wondered. Even last year when I was campaigning for an Ennie, I was like nah, not for little, ol’ me. Though that was likely because I learned of my nomination so late in the game. But I figure many, perhaps most, of you are in the same boat I’ve only recently disembarked. So this series is a travelogue about attending GenCon, alone and confused. I didn’t do much preparation for this other than signing up for events and getting nearly half of the ones I tried to get (not getting a slot in Yochai’s Cairn game was a particular bummer). I didn’t go with a coterie of homies, although I knew (via the online medium) a few people who were also going. Was I going to have a good time? Would I fit in? I packed my backpack and headed out like a child heading to kindergarten. <h4>The Dawn of the Con</h4>I won’t dwell on boring logistical challenges, assuming that the real juice in this post is what it’s like at the GenCon itself. But a word to the wise (but which only the foolish wouldn’t already know): try to stay closer to the convention center. I am the fool. Despite my best efforts, I didn’t have much on the official docket for the first morning of GenCon. I attended the opening ceremony, which I regret to inform my readership didn’t live up to the same standard set by the opening ceremony for a competing event, the Olympics. The McElroys (¾ of them, at least) were the headliners of the ceremony, and boy howdy did they have the audience hooting and hollering with glee. I’m immune to their myriad charms because I am simply too effete. But it’s always good to get started by seeing some celebrities. It really makes you feel “I am somewhere, damn it!”For the next many hours, I haunted the convention halls like a ghost, if a ghost had to waddle slowly through crowds. I knew that GenCon was going to be an absolute barrel of people, but I failed to anticipate the sheer number of people. When I would tell people this is my first convention (not an infrequent occurrence–it is a more lowkey icebreaker that the people of GenCon care about than introducing myself by brand and product), they inevitably say something to the effect of “you picked a hell of a one to start with.” I was told by many of my chance conversation partners that this year’s convention was even more packed than years past and that the exhibit halls were especially full of gamer hordes (and, perhaps, game hoarders). At times, the crowd moves at the pace of molasses, and the air has a definite musk to it, like a bag of honey BBQ Frito twists. However, the atmosphere is above all fun–about 10-20% of the attendees are in some level of costume or near-costume attire, which is the right level to not make you feel out of place for not being in costume, but enough that you feel a little like you are in the Mos Eisley Cantina. These are also all nerds, so no one is giving you a hard shoulder or getting aggressive through the crowd. There isn’t the luxury to respect other people’s personal space, but you get the definite sense that these are people who would really like to not to be bumping and grinding against you if they could help it.Inside the main booth area (I’m sure it has a more official name), it is a bit like a theme park. Up above, the big spenders have floating signage directing you to their booth from afar. So as you journey from, say, the Goodman Games booth (booth is an understatement, they have a whole open air market going on), to the eBay booth (again, a misnomer–they have some crazy set up that appears to involve the taping of live eBay-based programming?), you are all the while feasting your eyes (and wallet, just as likely) on all the smaller booths that lie betwixt. It reminds me of the theme park in how the largest booths act as “weenies”, drawing the participant throughout the length and width of the space. Of course, that all reminds me most of all of good practices for exploration-based gameplay, as my colleague recently wrote about in <a href="https://sachagoat.blot.im/re-inventing-the-wilderness-part-6-landmarks">Part 6</a> of their Bloggie-winning Re-inventing the Wilderness series. As I was killing time before my scheduled games for the day began, I decided to check out the miniature museum on the “50 Years of D&D History” that had been set up on the 2nd floor of the convention, away from the primary hustle and bustle of the con proper. While I pursued, luck would have it that along came Jon Peterson (eminent D&D historian, author of The Elusive Shift, Game Wizards, among others) and Peter Atkinson (former Wizards of the Coast CEO who acquired TSR and got WotC acquired by Hasbro, and current owner of GenCon). Apparently they had (temporarily, I later learned) run out of programs and Jon asked Peter to procure him one. Jon mentioned (good naturedly and potentially even in jest) that he was signed up to speak for some events he didn’t even know he was scheduled to speak at, which Peter joked that sometimes they just throw people on panels and hope they show. I think all this was in jest, but Peter, if you are reading this and need panelists for tomorrow, let me know. I’ll clear my schedule. Peter left to attend to running the con, and as Jon waited for a GenCon runner to return with a program, he gave an impromptu tour to a group of gray-headed grognards (and me, who was neither) for a good 15-20 minutes or so. It’s a cool collection, mostly from Peter’s own extensive stache. The grognards actually weren’t sure who Jon was (when they asked, he clarified that he was the one who set up the mini-museum in which they stood). I remarked that he wrote Elusive Shift, just to tip my power level a bit. As Jon was leaving, I gave him a copy of Barkeep on the Borderlands—I’m sure he was internally like “great, some TTRPG detritus, free shovelware”, but because I didn’t have any of his books on hand for him to sign (which, let this be a lesson to you kids: carry every book you own with you at all times just in case you run into its author), it seemed like the next best thing. At least Barkeep can collect dust among his ample store of artifacts! I doubt it will find its way into any mini-museums in the near future. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1284x1522" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=1000w" width="1284" height="1522" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/a028285e-0a19-4fe9-9f7c-a0acdcb16577/IMG_1164.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> These pieces from the exhibit are Gary Gygax (ever heard of him?)’s handwritten notes to early playtest material from the 3rd edition. </figcaption> </figure> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1284x1485" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=1000w" width="1284" height="1485" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c5a4ee6b-91f7-486b-a269-0b5939114701/IMG_1163.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> “VERY GOOD” writes Gary, acting like he is perhaps a high school English teacher for a student who just needs a little encouragement. </figcaption> </figure> <h4>A Gaming Convention, After All</h4>After all that (and a tour of the food trucks), it was time for some actual gaming. I am not going to give a blow by blow of my sessions, nor will I review the modules (as I haven’t even read them), but am rather going for an overall vibe. The first was Mothership, specifically the module “<a href="https://www.slowquest.com/products/aurora-mothership">Aurora</a>”. I got there a tad early, and the referee did a bit of a double take when he saw my Ennie. Yes, I wore my medal. I earned it, damn it! If I can’t wear it at GenCon, where can I? My hope is that I can win more so I can look properly ridiculous with multiple junks of faux gold clanking together on my chest. But, at GenCon, it is more of a conversation starter, a ploy for me to get to say who I am (Prismatic Wasteland), and what I do (Barkeep on the Borderlands), since that doesn’t just naturally come up, and I look very ordinary at a gaming convention, indistinguishable from the sea of bearded nerds. The referee (who is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@inclinedeclinegaming2541/videos">YouTuber</a>) had a real professional setup, with one of those TVs that lies flat for displaying the map, but which he controlled with his iPad, and even a whole backup battery thing to power it all. He had the pencils, papers, spare dice that one probably expects. But more than just the technical aspects, it was refreshing to have a referee that clearly abided by the <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/posters-posers-and-posrs">P/OSR</a> style of play. When you had a good solution, or the right tool for a job, there was no rolling. All the players were fully on board too–looking for answers in the game world and rarely on their sheets. Another neat aspect of the game (which I don’t know is original to the module or an adaptation from the referee) was two tension devices: there was a real-life ticking clock at a certain point when we realized that the ship’s life support system only had a limited time remaining, which was reflected by a countdown timer he displayed for us; there was also a rule whereby we gained one stress for each new room we entered, justified by the fact that it was scorching hot in the ship, and it was stressing everyone out. This meant no time for dilly-dallying, we had to get our ship back on course and no longer hurling toward the sun. As my colleague, Dwiz of the Knight at the Opera blog, points out in <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2024/08/mothership-engine-malfunction.html" target="_blank">his Mothership review</a>, this scenario “fixes” a few issues he has with Mothership, the system, as a whole. In the end, I saved one character’s life when fighting a grotesque monster, then saved the rest of the crew’s life by sacrificing myself. The AI-pilot was behind the route to the sun, in an effort to destroy the monster that formed inside the ship. We needed at least one hand from the crew (the monster was an amalgamation of body parts from the crew, that turned into an indestructible abomination) to override but also this monster kept getting back up no matter what we threw at it. So I ended up telling my friends that I would lure it into the airlock, and to blast the monster, and me, into space. So that’s how it happened, my friends setting a new course for themselves, as my body likely burned to a crisp in space (because of hurtling toward the sun, obviously). But what use is a one-shot game if you can’t be the one to make a noble and memorable sacrifice?The next game of the day was a session of Numenera. I have long been a fan (although not wholeheartedly) of the setting but had never actually played the game, of the Cypher system, itself. My verdict of the system isn’t positive–I found it rather clunky and inelegant. As to the event itself, the Monte Cook Games room was large and had about 14 tables all playing one Monte Cook game or another. As a result, it was a bit too loud for our referee to easily project over, and he had to repeat himself often, which broke up the flow that might have otherwise developed. The adventure itself appeared to be a new one, written for the convention itself and was largely dungeon crawly but without any of the lessons about good dungeon design practice espoused so readily on P/OSR blogs–there was no meaningful looping or decision points, it was instead more uterine in shape. It was plodding, with several players (not me, I am far too polite) asking “wait, why don’t we just leave again?” (the answer to which was, well someone stole all your magic items [which your character had but you as a player never experienced having so didn’t really get the impact of their loss], doncha want them back?) We overcame the villain at the end of the dungeon, got back our gear, and wrapped up without too much trouble. My character, in fact, never had to spend even the “1 action” rest to regain points. After my games wrapped up, I headed to a nearby hotel lobby where the good folks of Possum Creek Games were hosting a pizza mixer. Jay Dragon was taken aback by my entry, expecting a pink cartoon ostrich instead of the flesh, blood and beard form that I more often assume–she wasn’t alone in this, several people suggested I wear shirts or buttons with my profile picture so as to be recognizable amidst the deluge of people who might as well be my identical twin. I spent an hour or two shooting the shit with fellow creators and publishers, which is quite refreshing. I did not adjourn to the bars, as I am too green and not integrated enough to know who is who and what is what to get invited to the good parties. Perhaps next year I will have to organize my own late night activities. Perhaps a session of Barkeep on the Borderlands that adjourns to an after-game bar crawl? The bars here, temptingly, are open until 3am, or so I was told by my talkative Uber driver, who is a former strip club DJ, on the way back to my hotel.]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1722603403489-EB05CBM9QH1JNROZERBS/IMG_1155.JPG?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="844"><media:title type="plain">GenCon: This IS My First Rodeo</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>A LEGO Jam Retrospective: Trouble in Paradisa</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:07:03 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/trouble-in-paradisa-retrospective</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:66834cc41046b96dd03944d9</guid><description><![CDATA[In which I talk about how to write an adventure in a weekend and a method for connecting NPCs in a web of relationships.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>When I was a child, I played as a child</h3> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg" data-image-dimensions="690x492" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=1000w" width="690" height="492" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/6fe28127-5e4b-4f56-b033-8a450497c50e/7140-1.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> When I was a wee lad, I was a fiend for the little, stubbed bricks of plastic that interlocked with each other, or as they are more commonly known, Legos. In 1999, when Lego first began manufacturing sets based on Star Wars, a popular science fiction motion picture series of the time, I was 5 years old and the ideal mark for the new line (so obsessed was I with the impending release of The Phantom Menace that my pre-literate self produced a “machine”, a box full of loose wires from broken toys and drawings of Darth Maul and other characters from the promotional onslaught, in hopes that said machine would allow me to watch the movie early). My first set, as I recall, was 7110 (Luke’s Landspeeder), but of the 1999 Star Wars sets, I had 7101 (Lightsaber Duel), 7130 (Snowspeeder), and 7140 (X-wing Fighter, by far my favorite). I, of course, didn’t limit myself to one intellectual property. Such would be pure folly on the level of only ever playing one tabletop roleplaying game and claiming that it can cover any type of game! Surely, no one would do such a thing. No, I was equally enamored with the Lego Ninja subtheme of Lego Castle and the Lego Adventurers set (a clear “homage” to Indiana Jones). Not to mention my uncle, who grew up in the 1980s heyday of both D&D and classic Lego <a href="https://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2024/05/legojam-castle-hexcrawl.html">Castles</a> & Space themes), had left many of his Legos behind at my grandparents’ house for my perusal. When Akira Toriyama died earlier this year, it spurred me to <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/toybox-creativity-the-genius-of-dragon-ball">examine what I found so enchanting</a> within some of his best work. One aspect I identified in that piece was how he didn’t hew to the adult (derogatory) drive toward taxonomical separation: spaceships and dinosaurs existed side-by-side. True to form, as a child I did not see Star Wars sets, Castle sets, and City sets as all existing in separate worlds. They were all part of a weird kitchen-sink Legoworld type setting. That is how the overalls-clad pizza delivery boy from 10036 (Pizza To Go) became a lightsaber-wielding villain that also delivered pizza. There was simply no contradiction to delivering pizza and delivering fatal blows with a laser sword. (I’m not alone here—right before publishing this, my colleague, Ian of the Benign Brown Beast blog, posted his own <a href="https://beast.blot.im/the-bootleg-lego-star-wars-of-my-youth" target="_blank">bootleg version of Star Wars</a> from his childhood as his submission to the Lego Jam). <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg" data-image-dimensions="894x691" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=1000w" width="894" height="691" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9470b78a-131c-4207-a82f-80b6cfd6a2ec/pizza10036.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Paradisa Lost</h3>I do not know how I came upon Paradisa sets. This sub-theme of City, which was marketed toward girls, focused primarily on beach scenes and horseback riding and I came into possession of a few of the sets as a youngin. Namely, 6402 (Sidewalk Cafe), 6411 (Sand Dollar Cafe), and 6416 (Poolside Paradise). Somewhere between moving houses, we must have lost the baseplate to 6416, but I remember recreating it using the identical (except color) base plate from 5978 (Sphinx Secret Surprise), expanding it and even submitting our larger beach scene to the Lego magazine of the day (which regularly featured fan creations).When my colleague, Anne of the DIY & Dragons blog, issued her call to action for the <a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-lego-rpg-setting-jam.html">Summer LEGO RPG Setting Jam</a>, Paradisa quickly came to mind. This was because themes like Castle, Space and Pirate all felt too immediately gameable. Who is to say that the Space Lego Theme isn’t already a Mothership setting? It sure feels like it might be. I wanted something that challenged me to make something that didn’t feel like a typical TTRPG into one. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png" data-image-dimensions="620x446" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=1000w" width="620" height="446" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/93425b43-561f-4cb6-8f45-a605ae8becd9/PoolsideParadise.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> And I immediately cheated. My submission for the jam, <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/trouble-in-paradisa">Trouble in Paradisa</a>, adds a twist not present in the sets: there has been a murder! Murder mysteries are a tried-and-true formula for tabletop gaming. Just look at the success of something like<a href="https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/brindlewood-bay.html"> Brindlewood Bay</a> or the musing of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/how-to-run-a-mystery-in-ttrpgs">my own old post</a> on the subject. But there is no indication of murder in the sets themselves. Nary a single gun in the sets (although the absence of violence is shared with the classic Space sets). If I were to approach Paradisa with perfect fealty, something more akin to <a href="https://possumcreekgames.com/pages/yazebas-bed-breakfast">Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast</a> (I eagerly await my copy landing on my doorstep, any moment now, as I write this) would be more appropriate–not focused on anything to solve so much as on characters, their relationships with each other and their relationship with the place they are in Paradisa. In Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, it is always September 15. In Paradisa, it is always the first day of summer break, your whole vacation stretching out as far as the ocean horizon. However, my take on the Paradisa theme is more in keeping with how I played with them as a child. I had plenty of lego firearms and swords and lightsabers, and my Lego citizens were always in the midst of dealing violence to each other or threatening to do so. Murderhobos long before I ever laid eyes on a d20. The same was true of other purportedly nonviolent themes like Space. You can bet that I gave the monkey from the Paradisa 4 lightsabers to hold at once–why else have 4 hands?! So I didn’t feel I was violating the sacred peace of Paradisa by introducing one extra piece: a handgun, which has gone missing after a mysterious death.Now my Paradisa was more akin to a season of White Lotus than to the peaceful vacation promised by the promotional text for Paradisa in the pages of Lego magazines (which promotional text I reused on the cover of the pamphlet adventure, with only minor modifications). But what was my process? <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png" data-image-dimensions="626x428" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=1000w" width="626" height="428" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7cda1b4f-2b72-433e-ab52-c97f6f373ee9/CabanaBeach.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>This Side of Paradisa (the inside)</h3>The first step after you have your idea and the possibilities are endless and your imagination is running absolutely hogwild, is to add some constraints. I have always found that some constraints help me focus and promote within me a level of additional creativity. It is why I like to write in “mock-layout”, which bears only a passing resemblance to the final layout of my work. It is to grease the wheels on my train of thought, not merely to assist my gracious layout artist (my wife [read this in the voice, you know the one]). Luckily, Anne already provided one constraint in her challenge: “I encourage you to think small, to be expressive and concise, and to write a setting that will fit on 1-2 pages of 8½ × 11 paper when printed out.” (However, Anne has clarified that this is only a suggestion and not an ironclad rule–in fact, one of the <a href="https://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2024/05/legojam-castle-hexcrawl.html">best submissions</a> so far from my colleague Josh of the Rise Up Comus blog could probably fill a full-sized zine.) I took up Anne’s limitation and adding one of my own: I would limit myself to four sets from the theme.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png" data-image-dimensions="690x690" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=1000w" width="690" height="690" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/33404def-bdcc-4638-a7bb-41db6fbe04f4/DolphinPoint.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> My centerpiece was the aforementioned Poolside Paradise. Not only was it the Paradisa set I remembered best from childhood, but it also perfectly reflected my vision of a White Lotus-esque setting, a luxury hotel in a beautiful resort. However, such a resort would need more than just a hotel, so I enlisted 6410 (Cabana Beach) as the resort’s private beachfront, 6411 (Sand Dollar Cafe) as the hotel’s associated restaurant (likely not owned by the same private equity firm that owns the Poolside Paradise, but Lego doesn’t yet make a real estate attorney set to hash out the complex lease structure between the hotel and restaurant), and 6414 (Dolphin Point), which is also beach-themed but by virtue of being an island, is far enough from the rest of the resort to allow a bit more intrigue. Also, it makes the characters need to use boats to fully explore the full set of locations detailed in the adventure. Two other sets are implied to exist in the text of the adventure: 6418 (Country Club) and 6419 (Rolling Acres Ranch). This is not only as part of the conflict (Maria owns Rolling Acres Ranch and is trying to get Bree, the city planner, to approve the addition of the Country Club) but also to imply that all of the other Paradisa sets, and perhaps all of the rest of the City sets, exist within this world. Referees don’t need the permission of the adventure to expand it in any way they see fit, but with such a small space, I at least wanted to gesture in a direction they could expand it if they choose.After I had my sets picked up, I needed my dramatis personae. I simply looked at the four sets and cataloged each minifigure that was included. Where a sufficiently identical looking minifigure was included in more than one set, I decided that was simply the same person (although, as my wife noted when reading the incredibly soap-opera-esque connections between the characters, all that is missing is an identical twin subplot). I then picked one character, at random, to be the murderer, picked a few that seemed to be working at the locations (in a theme all about leisure, it seems it was impossible for the Lego designers to obliviate any hints of work, the enemy of leisure), and decided that all the remaining characters were guests at the resort when the murder went down. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg" data-image-dimensions="657x657" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=1000w" width="657" height="657" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/54e7f857-8cac-4075-8229-a83c34fd75e6/circle.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> I added flesh to my plastic Lego characters using a 14-pointed star. This is similar to the “faction pentagram” method I described in the portion of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/hexcrawl-checklist-part-two">Part Two of my Hexcrawl Checklist</a> devoted to adding competing factions to an area. I placed the murder victim, the staff (including the monkey) and resort guests in a 14-pointed star formation and drew a circle around the point of the star. Now each character had 4 connections, 2 which were negative (the star) and 2 which were positive (the circle). It was then my job to start to explain why there were these connections. The tool told me only if two characters liked or disliked each other, but I had to supply the reasons, the history. As I completed the prompts, characters started emerging from the glossy yellow faces splayed before me. Tanner is an absolute jerk and truthfully a bit of a loser. Lorenzo is a work-obsessed control freak. Summer is lowkey abusive. Dario is a bit of a playboy with a jealous streak. Once I had these connections, they led me to my conclusions about who was involved in the murder and why. After the 14-pointed star method, this felt like riding downhill–it was clear who might want Joan dead and why, I merely had to pen down how and when. Of course, there were others who make sense as the murderer, but I didn’t consciously place these characters as red herrings; they merely emerged as such. I won’t say who is who, but there are at least four characters who are plausible as the murderer. It is up to the characters who suss out which one did it. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png" data-image-dimensions="619x430" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=1000w" width="619" height="430" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/3a2cbba9-ee4c-400b-8b85-e725f0e0474c/SandDollarCafe.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Once I had the murder down, I needed to describe the impact those events had on the locations. Where is the gun, and who knows (or doesn’t know) where it is? Did blood get on anything? Where was the victim last seen, with whom, and what was she doing? Just like the character connections made writing the murder a simple exercise, once the murder was penned, it was relatively simple to supply these answers. Now that the text was final, I handed it to my expert layout artist. K.T. Nguyen is a veteran layout artist, and you likely know her work from the award-winning Barkeep on the Borderlands. She took quickly to this assignment because the Paradisa sets, with their vibrant hues, were already so vibey. She merely followed those vibes and built upon them. The first spread, with the sets, looks like an advertisement that a 1990s Lego executive would have likely killed for (as long as they were likely to get away with it). An especially nice touch was the Trouble in Paradisa logo, a subtle reworking of the logo for the original theme. The use of the Legos themselves are essential for making Trouble in Paradisa playable using such little space. A third of the space is devoted to the space themselves and, importantly, they are on the outside of the pamphlet. The idea here is that you could use the pamphlet as a GM screen–everything on the exterior is helpful to show the players. They can look at the sets and decide where to investigate next or which characters they would like to question. This is very much in keeping in the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2023/01/picture-book-gameplay.html">“Picture Book Gameplay” theory</a> posited by my colleague, Dwiz of the A Knight at the Opera blog. The outside page might as well be an in-universe travel brochure for the resort.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="3000x1926" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=1000w" width="3000" height="1926" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/03f74ad7-263b-4afb-84c8-d9e8240090da/waldo.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> This image is gameable. </figcaption> </figure> The inside panels are for the referee's eyes only, as it contains all the sordid secrets of the murder. There are two graphical nuances to the interior: the first is similar to the inclusion of the sets on the exterior: K.T. used the headshots for each character alongside their description. If the players tell the referee that they want to interrogate the guy in a white shirt, blue hat and no mustache, the referee can look at the images and realize “Oh, that’s Connor.” (Although Dario and Tanner are only differentiated by their different shades of hair, but otherwise dressed identically–I hope that causes some groups to think perhaps some eye-witness accounts involved mistaken identity, or allows for other shenanigans.) The other graphical trick is simple. The backdrop for each of the sections on the interior are shaped like file folders. This is just subtle messaging that the role of the players is as investigators. Of course, the adventure can’t prescribe its use–you could easily take this and roleplay as one of the pre-established characters. But the last paragraph of the intro text is the only other indication that the intended use is that the players are investigating a crime. With such little space, we had to think of ways to communicate this fact efficiently. I think the file folders do the trick.  The adventure is system-neutral (and, indeed, is system-agnostic) not only because adding vestiges of system would only interfere with our limited space, but because mysteries as a TTRPG genre don’t have the same baggage that fantasy does. When writing anything in fantasy, people are conditioned to want to know the vital statistics of all potential enemies in case they come to blows with it. This is deeply embedded in the genre from its D&D roots. I have written before on <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/universal-system-neutral-stats">system-neutral solutions</a> to this issue, but there was no need to employ them here as there was for something more fantasy-forward like Barkeep on the Borderlands. In Trouble in Paradisa, the players might come to blows with a character, but it isn’t on the table as much as it is when you play characters with swords and shields and wands of fireball. There is, of course, the implication of violence since I placed a gun into the scene. But I would simply rule that, if the players get shot at with the gun, they die, and if they shoot at someone else with the gun, they die. Make the decision to pull the trigger really matter, and let the dice fall where they may, without the need to roll any dice. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="2444x860" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=1000w" width="2444" height="860" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/0bb1398e-793e-44ba-9db8-1c2317dfa802/paradisa-all.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Housekeeping</h3> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png" data-image-dimensions="1484x2295" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=1000w" width="1484" height="2295" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ce3da741-8420-4c24-ae74-ba8414c72565/BarkeepJam_FullHeader.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> Now it is time for you to participate in the Lego Jam! The scope is entirely up to you–take your favorite theme from your childhood or just one particularly memorable set and build something gameable around it. For me, it was an enjoyable exercise, but I also enjoy reading all the other entries people have put out thus far.That isn’t your only jam assignment for the summer. You, yes you, can join the Mount Rushmore that is Barkeep on the Borderlands Contributors (Luka Rejec, Zedeck Siew, Ben L., Gus L., and the list goes on) by making your own pub and submitting it to the <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam">Barkeep Jam</a>, which is running from now until August 14. Get to jammin. Speaking of cool stuff people are making for Barkeep, check out <a href="https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/downloads">these coaster printouts</a> that my colleague over at the Technical Grimoire made. Coasters on one side, and drink menus for the other. Perfect handouts to your players as they come across a new pub in the adventure. And on the topic of cool riffs on my work I’ve seen in the wild, Carpengizmat has a neat (and really well produced) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Aw_mEOSePA">video</a> discussing my recent <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-ttrpg-cooking-minigame">cooking rules</a>. ]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1719881027524-QWOM7Y3OEFMJN774WQCC/TroubleinParadisa-ItchSquare.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="630" height="630"><media:title type="plain">A LEGO Jam Retrospective: Trouble in Paradisa</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Endangered in Dungeons</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2024 11:15:44 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/endangered-in-dungeons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:6674a3118ed4bf6b29769031</guid><description><![CDATA[Oops, you hunted the random encounter to extinction. What comes next?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Adventurers are part of the <a href="https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/09/gygaxian-naturalism.html">ecosystem</a>. They eat (see, for instance, my prior post on <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-ttrpg-cooking-minigame">cooking what they eat</a>) and are eaten (see, for instance, a hungry dragon). But do they feel like they impact the ecosystem? <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1000x592" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=1000w" width="1000" height="592" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2493a80b-6fe0-417e-9916-4cb616440c4d/forest.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> Did anyone else play this in school? I recall it fucking ruling. </figcaption> </figure> In reality, a single party of adventurers are unlikely to drastically alter the ecosystem unless they are taking foraging in the wilderness or hunting in the dungeon to the extreme. But, similarly, a band of misfits are also unlikely to alter the dynamics between powerful factions. Best practice is to err slightly less hard in the direction of <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-secret-to-realism-in-games" target="_blank">realism</a> (which, in games, is primarily a useful guide to the extent it <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/how-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-proves-me-right" target="_blank">promotes agency</a>) and towards increased impact for player action, thereby making the choices they make, whether to hunt or to overhunt, matter more. Initially, I was going to have the referee track every time the party hunts in a region or how many of a creature type have been killed. These are still a valid way of accomplishing my goal (and is used in this post at the Hill Cantons about<a href="http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2015/10/building-dynamic-sandboxes-part-1.html"> dynamic sandboxes</a>) but a tad fiddly for my tastes. When I’m running a game, unless counting the numbers of goblins massacred thus far is central to the campaign, I’d like to skip as much direct bookkeeping as possible.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="820x461" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="820" height="461" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ccb6706-01cb-4802-9249-ad88e969533f/fowling-piece-shoulder-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> There are numerous ways to structure a random encounter table. In a post earlier this year, I posited a method for <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/overloading-the-random-encounter-table" target="_blank">a fairly structured encounter table system</a> that would devise multiple aspects, such as surprise and number appearing, from a single toss of the dice. For the ecological purposes of this post, however, we must employ another method. Create a random encounter table that reflects the ecosystem of the region or dungeon. The more populous, well-established or well-adapted a specific encounter type is, the lower their position on the table. More rare creatures, especially endangered creatures, place higher, with the last result typically being a singular creature, the only one of its kind in an area. I am assuming a 2d6 encounter table, but we are less concerned here with any specific statistical formulation rather than the general idea.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1521x970" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1521" height="970" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2382846d-cf54-42c7-8507-d9adaf73cd78/early-jurassic-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> After players kill a creature in the adventure site that is listed on the random encounter table (even if not encountered randomly), roll 1d12 (for a 2d6 table, but if your table is 2d4, roll 1d8; if 3d6, roll 1d20, etc., season to taste). If the result is below the creature’s place on the table, they have killed the last of that type of creature in the area, other than any that remain in a keyed area of the area. Remove their result and replace it (I provide some guidance for this below). If the result is above the creature’s position, there is no appreciable change in the creature’s prevalence. If the die result matches exactly the encounter’s position, creatures of that type begin some type of defensive measures against extinction—perhaps they become immediately hostile to the player-characters and other adventurers, perhaps they seek out reinforcements, or perhaps they begin actively hunting the party in response. For any creature that was singular in the dungeon, it is replaced by a similarly deadly predator, looking to fill the now-empty niche. There is always a bigger fish. For each result on your encounter table, determine if it is more predator or prey. Typically prey are lower (as a number, but not in top-to-bottom positioning…the way tables are structured make it difficult to say “lower”) on the table and predators are higher, but that may not always hold true.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1600x1075" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="1600" height="1075" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/9f50ecb6-b5c0-45b8-a181-dd60adb1e48d/iguanodon-megalosorus-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> When prey is eliminated as a result of the above-described method, move another creature on the table that preyed upon it most often higher in the table by one, swapping it with whatever was in its place. Move any other prey creatures that it competed with for resources and were above it on the table to be lower in the table by one. In the resulting empty space, put a new prey that fills a similar ecological niche as the one that was just removed. When a predator is eliminated as a result of this method, move another predator on the table that it competed for resources with most often lower by one, swapping it with whatever was in its place. Move any creatures it preyed upon and that were higher than it in the table, if any, to be lower by one. In the resulting empty space, put a new predator that desires the same resources previously consumed by the one that was just removed. This can be relatively simple in practice and can be done between sessions as part of your ordinary restocking procedures. Take, for instance, the below random encounter table.  <table> <thead> <tr> <th>2d6</th> <th>Encounter</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>2</td> <td>2d6 White-tailed Deer</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>2d6 Wild Turkey</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4</td> <td>2d6 Feral Hogs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5</td> <td>2d6 Gray Wolves</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6</td> <td>1d6 Mountain Elk</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td> <td>1d6 Black Bears</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8</td> <td>1d6 Gray Foxes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9</td> <td>1d4 Wood Bison</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td>1d4 Wolverines</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11</td> <td>1 Owlbear</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>1 Unicorn</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg" data-image-dimensions="977x1533" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=1000w" width="977" height="1533" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/224adaef-34ee-42fd-b7bf-6d1ca2afc06f/swordfish-brehm-1600.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Let’s say that, using the above table, the party encounters a few gray wolves and kills them. After killing the wolves, the referee rolls 1d12 which comes up as a 4, indicating that these were the last of their kind in the area. So the referee removes that result from the table. Because gray wolves are predators, the referee will move the wolverines, which likely competed with the gray wolves for resources lower by one, swapping it with the wood bison. The mountain elk are prey that the gray wolves may have hunted that are also higher than the wolves in the results, so the referee will move it to be lower by one to the space previously occupied by the gray wolves. The absence of the gray wolves causes a new species of carnivore to enter the area, so the referee will fill in the empty space with mountain lions coming from the neighboring region. Simple as. As a reminder, the <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank">Barkeep Jam</a> is LIVE and running until August 14! So go forth and make your own pub and pub accessories for the pubcrawl pointcrawl, or just go and check out what has been made so far. The first submission, <a href="https://tinithemini.itch.io/buried-base-of-the-boozed-barrel-burglars" target="_blank">Buried Base of the Boozed Barrel Burglars</a>, is a small dungeon crawl that you can insert into nearly any of the pubs in the base adventure. An excellent dungeony reprieve from a largely social adventure. Also, the my friend Anne’s LEGO RPG Setting Jam is still running for the next few weeks. Check out my own submission, Trouble in Paradisa, a Lego murder mystery, which is on <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/485100/trouble-in-paradisa" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a> and <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/trouble-in-paradisa" target="_blank">Itch</a> (PWYW on both, but due to the vagaries of Itch, it is free there via the 2,000 community copies I included).]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1718920956203-1ISMSV67QTUSOFAUZ8TY/jaguar-tapir-1600.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="980"><media:title type="plain">Endangered in Dungeons</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>The TTRPG Cooking Minigame</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 12:05:17 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-ttrpg-cooking-minigame</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:6654da4f3d64a040db1aff71</guid><description><![CDATA[A simple minigame for cooking, monsters or otherwise.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dinner is finally ready. When I started this blog in the waning days of 2020, my <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/uvg-parenthood-in-the-porcelain-palace">third post</a> ended with the bold claim that “my next post with be a cooking subsystem and other bits and bobs to add to your UVG (or similar) game”. Are you finally ready to smell what the blog’s been cooking? <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1000x563" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1000" height="563" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/75d3a82f-4b25-4156-ba57-abaf343342fe/pie.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Every game, with the exception of games inexplicably already about fishing, can be improved by a fishing minigame. However, I am not much of a fisherman, and fishing has never come up in one of my games, despite ample opportunities (perhaps my players are too stocked up on rations to see the rivers they pass as opportunities). Additionally, there are already two excellent fishing minigames in circulation: <a href="https://traversefantasy.itch.io/fishing-minigame">The Fishing Game</a>, from Marcia of the Traverse Fantasy blog, and <a href="https://torthevic.itch.io/riverbend-fishing-adventures">Riverbend</a>, from Torthevic and Gustavo Tertoleone. So I looked a bit downstream of fishing: cooking. Every time my players reach a kitchen when exploring a dungeon, they want to cook. And every time I must develop an ad hoc cooking minigame (which is, for what it’s worth, the best way to do minigames. But the second best way is to use some weird blog post you found online).A minigame should eschew the core mechanic used everywhere else in the game. That is what makes it feel like a minigame and not just an extension of the maxigame. Calling for a Dexterity test for chopping potatoes lacks a certain allure; it just blends into the rest of the game, forgettable, boring. <blockquote>Blogger’s Note: This, and almost every tabletop cooking minigame I have come across, fails to fully replicate the fun and chaos of cooking. There is obviously a tradeoff between speed of play and accuracy of simulation. We can’t fully replicate cooking, we can’t do it. Now, what we might be able to do is re-create cooking. Re-create cooking in the aggregate. One area that the minigame below misses is the joy of a video game like Overcooked, in which the chaos and collaboration of cooking are on full display. Another is measuring the types of nutrition in a meal and creative uses of monster parts, of which Dungeon Meshi (or Delicious in Dungeon) is the shining example. </blockquote>When the player-characters are at camp or in a safe place in the dungeon, have access to adequate cooking equipment, and at least two ingredients, they can attempt to cook a succulent meal. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1500x1125" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=1000w" width="1500" height="1125" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4399be5a-c01e-4ba3-b7fe-2aaa6ae47826/bacon.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Ingredients</h3>Ingredients come in 5 varieties. Every ingredient, whether bought at a farmer’s market or extracted from the corpse of a monster, falls into one of these types. Each type has an associated Ingredient Die, which will come into play when cooking begins.  <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Ingredient Types</th> <th>Examples</th> <th>Ingredient Die</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Oils, Herbs, Sweets and Spices</td> <td>Olive oil, salt, honey</td> <td>d4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Grains, Starches and Nuts</td> <td>Rice, bread, beans, walnuts</td> <td>d6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Produce and Preserves</td> <td>Onions, potatoes, lemons, jams</td> <td>d8</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Dairy</td> <td>Eggs, butter, cheeses, milk</td> <td>d10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Meat</td> <td>Pork, beef, chicken, fish</td> <td>d12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Monster Parts</td> <td>Gelatinous cube, cockatrice,</td> <td>d20</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1920x1080" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1920" height="1080" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/4b0dca21-c7dd-46df-9b03-a585509838e5/chicken.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Cooking</h3>To cook a meal, the cooking player-character selects at least two but not more than five ingredients they have on hand. No one type of ingredient can be used more than once. The player describes what type of meal their character is attempting to make. The referee may ask further questions about the meal.The player then rolls the ingredient die for each ingredient used. For each of the following that is true, the player can reroll one die:<ul data-rte-list="default"><li>The player-character is a trained chef </li><li>The player-character is using cookware</li><li>The player-character is following a recipe or cookbook</li><li>The player-character is being assisted by at least one other competent character</li><li>The meal the player describes sounds delicious or is a novel and inventive use of a strange combination of ingredients, as decided by the referee</li></ul>The effect of the meal is based on the result of the ingredient dice, after any and all rerolls. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1000x563" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1000" height="563" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/39cfe3f4-13d1-41eb-9b5e-8639fbba87e8/soup.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Meals</h3>Each meal produces a number of rations equal to the median die result of the dice rolled. However, each ration may have an additional effect based on the combination of all dice rolled.That’s right, I’m doing <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/shopping-in-dnd-is-garbage-and-how-to-fix-it">Yahtzee again</a>. If multiple meal types could apply to a combination of dice, the cooking player must choose one. If only one meal type applies, it has that effect. Consuming a meal takes at least one hour. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png" data-image-dimensions="228x195" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=1000w" width="228" height="195" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/7d14503f-5c88-49a9-b3eb-fe7a661f26ef/Dubious_Food_-_TotK_icon.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Inedible Meal (No Matches). These rations deal 1d6 damage.</li><li>Fetid Meal (2 of a Kind). Each day these rations are consumed, the chance of random encounters doubles. </li><li>Simple Meal (3 of a Kind). Normal rations.</li><li>Buffet (4 of a Kind). Produces rations equal to the total rolled.</li><li>Comfort Food (Full House [2 of a Kind & 3 of a Kind]). Reduces fatigue or exhaustion.</li><li>Hearty Meal (Small Straight [Sequence of 4]). These rations provide 1d6 temporary hit points.</li><li>Feast (Large Straight [Sequence of 5]). Cures all disease, poison, and mind-altering spells. </li><li>Banquet (Yahtzee [5 of a Kind]). Increase one ability score of your choice by 1.</li><li>Dungeon Meshi (Nat 20). Exact effect depends on the monster that was incorporated into the meal. Choose one ability or feature of the monster. When you consume these rations, you gain that ability or feature but it is single use. So one use of a dragon’s fire breath, or a medusa’s petrifying gaze, or a lich’s magic resistance (i.e., the first time you benefit from the magic resistance, it goes away).</li></ul> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1024x576" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1024" height="576" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d5970b26-0e0f-4dde-bac2-2356993dd7a1/bite.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h3>Dessert </h3>If this blog post only whetted your appetite for more cooking mechanics, I must recommend <a href="https://prey-species.itch.io/yes-chef">Yes Chef!</a>, a cooking supplement for <a href="https://killjestergames.itch.io/errant" target="_blank">Errant</a> (but generally adaptable to pretty much any fantasy TTRPG). While maintaining elegant rules, Yes Chef! is a more detailed set of rules for cooking than what I present and also has a really inventive use of playing cards. I got one of the physical copy (zine format) and definitely recommend it for those with a defining TTRPG palette.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://prey-species.itch.io/yes-chef" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png" data-image-dimensions="960x400" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=1000w" width="960" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/562e04d5-8dba-46e5-a6bc-f8470f5e7234/yes.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> While I am talking food and TTRPGs (oddly, a recurring theme for me, as evidenced by <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/">the games I’ve released to date</a>, which are all either about candy or drinks), my colleague, Ty Pitre of the <a href="https://www.mindstormpress.com/" target="_blank">Mindstorm Press</a> blog, and Barkeep interior artist, Norn, is working on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindstormpress/cant-take-the-heat">Can’t Take The Heat</a>, a paranormal romance RPG where your monster-characters work together in a restaurant’s kitchen, which will be on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindstormpress/cant-take-the-heat">Kickstarter</a> later this year. I playtested it and can also attest to it being fun. It reminds me of the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175324/fog-of-love">Fog of Love</a> board game, but you get to be a Frankenstein or a Vampire, so it’s therefore better. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindstormpress/cant-take-the-heat" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png" data-image-dimensions="2654x1490" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1000w" width="2654" height="1490" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/87919b79-e58b-4856-8608-bda157c073b6/Screenshot+2024-05-30+at+8.02.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1717070734164-65ZIBO50E2YDPWPRYPTD/chicken.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="844"><media:title type="plain">The TTRPG Cooking Minigame</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Between Two Jams</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2024 12:01:14 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/between-two-jams</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:664290bd18b7a210a60fb4e4</guid><description><![CDATA[In which I implore your participation in two game jams this summer: the Lego RPG Setting Jam and the Barkeep Jam. I extol their virtues and cajole all creators to join in the fun.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h4>TL;DR:</h4><ol data-rte-list="default"><li><a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-lego-rpg-setting-jam.html" target="_blank">Summer LEGO RPG Setting Jam</a> (now to July 8): <a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-lego-rpg-setting-jam.html">https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-lego-rpg-setting-jam.html</a> </li><li><a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank">Barkeep Jam</a> (June 14 to August 14): <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam">https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland" target="_blank">Prismatic Wasteland Patreon</a> (early blogposts, ~250 pages of WIP TTRPG writing): <a href="https://www.patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland">https://www.patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland</a> </li><li><a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza" target="_blank">Wonky Willie’s Authentic Interactive Extravaganza</a> (FREE, silly Adventure from me and 11 other RPG bloggers): <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza">https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza</a> </li></ol> <hr /> Remember Game Jams? They’re back, in a big way! Actually, they never left. According to reporting from my colleague at the <a href="https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/ten-years-of-game-jams">Skeleton Code Machine blog</a>, there was a 115% increase in game jams in 2020 (huh, wonder why. Probably nothing unusual about that year, and it definitely didn’t coincide with me starting this very blog), and have remained fairly popular ever since. For the uninitiated, a game jam is where lots of people work on the same theme or concept over a short period of time. It is a low stakes excuse to get creative in a communal way. It is a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2197977">collective ritual</a> you engage in to feel closer to your fellow humans. They’re, in fact, cool. Another colleague, snow, on her YouTube channel agrees that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2oWJbAQaiw">game jams are cool</a> (especially of the TTRPG variety) and goes into greater depth on that subject. I need you to go ahead and take her and my words on the matter because I want to go ahead to talk about the other cool stuff for which you should be getting well and duly hyped. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg" data-image-dimensions="894x691" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=1000w" width="894" height="691" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/c08d447a-ff76-4994-bb3b-e55623bf874d/pizza.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> The first is a game jam I have already started work on: the Summer LEGO RPG Setting Jam! It is being hosted by my colleague, Anne of the DIY & Dragons blog, and runs until July 8, 2024. The <a href="https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2024/05/summer-lego-rpg-setting-jam.html">full details</a> are hosted over at her blog, but the brief summary is to create a small game setting based on a few Lego sets. For all of you participating, I encourage you to tap into your <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/toybox-creativity-the-genius-of-dragon-ball">toybox creativity</a> mindset and combine things in unintuitive ways to great effect. The second game jam is my own, the long-hinted-at, <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank">Barkeep Jam</a>, wherein you are encouraged to create your own fantasy tavern or even your own complete pubcrawl adventure. You’ve heard of “system reference documents”, but I have put together an <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/18WMhIy4xTTr-4ooL4G_F80a8wqGY8gP-oaumuidu8hM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">“adventure reference document”</a> where you can use the full text (if you want; it isn’t necessary) of Barkeep on the Borderlands’ pubcrawl and drinking rules, along with the general format for the pubs, pursuant to a third party license. Full details on the jam, such as how to submit, are on <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank">this itch page</a>, where you can also find all the submissions. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1325x1624" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=1000w" width="1325" height="1624" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/31ae8a8d-9e62-452f-9be3-3e5cd91bfa4b/take2.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure> The <a href="https://itch.io/jam/barkeep-jam" target="_blank">Barkeep Jam</a> will run from June 14 (the anniversary of copies of Barkeep on the Borderlands being shipped around the world) to August 14 (which just so happens to be my birthday). Please go make something for it! As a birthday present for me, one of your top 20 most favorite TTRPG bloggers. You wouldn’t want me to not have plenty of jam entries to look at on my birthday would you? But, if manipulative moral suasion doesn’t do it for you, all participants will get shoutouts on this very blog and a promo code from my <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop" target="_blank">webstore</a> (oh boy, savings!), with my most favorites getting some level of highlighting and praise dripped all over them. I may even (assuming enough participation) reach out to the handful with the best pub concepts and see if the authors would like to get spiffed up (i.e., edited) and published in a compilation, with compensation, of course. It was exciting enough to see what ten of my favorite bloggers would come up with when putting together Barkeep itself, but now I get to see what unhinged (or maybe perfectly hinged; no judgment) concepts the rest of y’all put forth. I anxiously await the opening of the submission deadline.And, while I am in full carnival barker mode, I would like to recommend to you <a href="https://patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland">my Patreon</a>. I know you are familiar with the whole Patreon game, and the way mine works isn’t dissimilar. If you throw one dollar per month my way, you get unleashed into the patron-exclusive portion of my discord server, where I post works-in-progress, solicit feedback about art I’m commissioning, and plot the downfall of the western world. You also get to see draft blog posts in advance and, occasionally, some exclusive blog posts just for the patrons. At the five dollar tier, you get access to a trove of my works-in-progress, some old versions of completed projects, and other game stuff I’ve made that is on my backburner. This totals out to 250 pages of PDFs (and growing), including over a hundred pages of a 2021 draft of my science fantasy heartbreaker, Prismatic Wasteland (and a smaller amount of the current working draft). And if you are really fiending for Prismatic Wasteland content, at the ten dollar tier, you get to boss me around by commanding a topic about which I will muse on this very blog. Such responsibility is too powerful for most, and so far no one has taken me up on it. With 2 game jams to start working on immediately and 250 pages of ashcan TTRPG musings to read, your summer is booked. Go ahead and tell your family you won’t make it to the beach this year, inform the local fire department that they’ll need someone else to volunteer on the 4th of July, and post the “no lifeguard on duty” sign out on your luxurious backyard pool. This summer, we are staying inside, reading, writing and playing tabletop games. Finally, from now and until the duration of the Barkeep Jam, PDFs of Barkeep on the Borderlands both on <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop" target="_blank">my own webstore</a> and on <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/" target="_blank">my itch page</a> will be 50% off. If you haven’t picked it up yet, but you’ve been curious, now is as good a time as any.While I am mindlessly promoting things, <a href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza" target="_blank">an adventure I wrote with a few blogger friends</a> also happened to go live yesterday. It was written in the weeks following the Glasgow AI-generated “Wonka experience” as both a horrific dungeon and also an avenue to mock artificial intelligence and its low-quality output. Go check it out for free on itch. Even if you don’t run it, I am almost positive it will elicit some laughs. It is also FREE. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <a class=" sqs-block-image-link " href="https://prismatic-wasteland.itch.io/wonky-willies-authentic-interactive-extravaganza" target="_blank" > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png" data-image-dimensions="1575x1250" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=1000w" width="1575" height="1250" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b378178a-4843-4dd6-b2d6-f50d12d5502f/Wonky+Cover.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </a> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1715639313692-946E93ZDNHDCRR0P4NPQ/take2.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1325" height="1325"><media:title type="plain">Between Two Jams</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Wizard Diss Tracks</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 12:07:14 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/wizard-diss-tracks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:663b654804746e198d8e0920</guid><description><![CDATA[Wizards are petty creatures, prone to getting into arcane beefs with their fellows. I present rules for wizards researching diss spells to further their beefs along with a d66 random table for origins of the beefs between wizards.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Everyone knows Bigby and Rary, both members of the legendary group, the Circle of Eight. But hardly anyone remembers their legendary beef. Bigby was an accomplished wizard, known for getting a bit handsy, while Rary became infamous for murdering renowned floating disk-jockey, Tenser. It was Rary’s fratricide of Tenser and Otiluke, both also members of the Circle of Eight, that spawned the beef. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG" data-image-dimensions="1024x573" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=1000w" width="1024" height="573" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/90255979-5d67-4a9b-810a-4a8929caf66e/IMG_9972.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Bigby didn’t take Rary’s betrayal lightly, quickly dropping Bigby’s Telepathic Band, which caused the same ballad to be played on repeat in the mind of the target. Morning, day, and night, Rary knew no peace, hearing songs in the artificial voices of the fallen archmages, Tenser and Otiluke. Of course, it was pure illusion.In less than a fortnight, Rary struck back with Rary’s Irreversible Shrinking Hands. Rary had known Bigby for a considerable amount of time (after all, it was a young Rary who brought along Bigby on his first multiversal tour), so naturally knew Bigby to have some sensitivity regarding the size of his prodigious digits. Rary’s Irreversible Shrinking Hands shrinks the target’s hands, almost imperceptibly. However, the sinister aspect is that it causes all spells cast to enlarge the hands to fail, instead shrinking the hands further. To the consternation of clever casters, it does not have any impact on spells that would shrink hands, allowing those spells to maintain their original effect. As a result, if you, for instance, polymorph yourself into a squirrel, the hands don’t return to human size when the polymorph ends.  A series of further spells followed these, until the wizards grew bored or embarrassed or just plain busy. Some say Bigby, sensing he was losing, asked Mordenkainen to intercede on his behalf and patch together a peaceful accord behind the scenes. But such occurrences between wizards of prominence are in no sense uncommon. This wasn’t even the only instance of such settling of beefs by diss spells (not to be confused with “dispel” magic) among the Circle of Eight (Otto vs Tenser, Mordenkainen vs Bigby, Mordenkainen vs Evard, etc.). <h3>Rules for Wizard Diss Spell Creation</h3><blockquote>Blogger’s Note: The following rules are compatible with the rules for “Creating a New Spell” contained in the absolutely must-have supplement,<a href="https://ben-laurence.itch.io/downtime-in-zyan"> Downtime in Zyan</a>, from my colleague Ben of the Mazirian’s Garden blog. An earlier version of these particular rules appeared in<a href="https://maziriansgarden.blogspot.com/2020/04/downtime-activities-magical-research.html"> a post</a> on the aforementioned blog.</blockquote>When a wizard hates another wizard, they can use that hatred to fuel their magic. Such a wizard, if the referee is truly satisfied that the wizard is primarily developing the spell to thwart or annoy a rival with whom the wizard has beef, gains a +1 situational modifier to their rolls to develop the spell. If the rival wizard has previously developed a spell directed at hindering the researching wizard, the number of steps to develop the new spell is reduced by one step for each such diss spell that has been produced by the rival wizard (by no less than one). Any spell produced by this method will bear the name of the wizard who developed it.Based on the above, wizard beefs can ramp up quite quickly once they begin. Wizards can start developing incredibly niche and aggravating spells in mere days rather than the ordinary process of months. This is why beefs and diss spells are both so dangerous and so tempting at the same time. Wizards who go at each other in such a way can quickly develop notoriety in the wizarding community but often to the dismay of those closest to them, who may suffer collateral damage from the diss spell arms race. <h3>Wizard Beefs</h3>Wizards are petty creatures. It is why they are so often solitary, alone in their tower. When they congregate, they don’t remain amicable for long. When you are creating a wizard NPC, there is a 50% chance that they have another wizard they loathe entirely. If any of the player-characters are wizards, there is also a further 1-in-36 chance that they are the hated wizard. When the dice indicate there is a beef between two wizards, you may use the table below to generate a backstory behind the beef: <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG" data-image-dimensions="840x654" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=1000w" width="840" height="654" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/5af86c6f-29ec-4a5d-9f18-dc9c35ca7b28/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> Art from my colleague, Hodag of the <a href="https://nofoesnotraps.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">No Foes No Traps</a> blog. </figcaption> </figure> <h4>d66 Wizard Beefs</h4> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>d66</th> <th>Arcane Beef Origin</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>11</td> <td>They were best buds at wizard boarding school and even partners in wizard tennis, but their close friendship was shattered by a messy love triangle.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12</td> <td>A spat caused by one wizard calling the other wizard a grifter for trying to monetize his spell scroll business rather than doing it for the love of the game.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13</td> <td>One wizard moved in next door to the other wizard and kept him up all night with his constant, outrageous magical experiments. After the first wizard tried snitching to the local lord, it was all over.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14</td> <td>A respected elder wizard ignored a popular young mage in town, publicly dismissing him for “mimicking my whole style. Everyone knows I started stars and moons,” and alleging him to be using all of his signature cantrips.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15</td> <td>A proud wizard dropped his first new grimoire in years expecting to earn great acclaim among his magical peers, only for his work to be largely ignored in favor of a new scroll of metamagic feats by the wealthier and better connected royal court mage.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16</td> <td>One wizard would frequently, obnoxiously brag at court and among his peers about how successful and powerful he is despite none of his spells inflicting direct damage, finally causing a feared battle mage to research a new spell with the unique property of specifically and exclusively dealing damage to the first wizard.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td> <td>One wizard stole the other wizard’s apprentice with promises of power and prestige. They then failed to deliver. The apprentice returned to the original wizard and continued to learn nothing.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22</td> <td>After defeating a local (innocent) dragon together, one wizard claimed the entirety of the credit (and reward) much to the chagrin of the other.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23</td> <td>One wizard had convinced the king that they were a “really great guy.” The second wizard arrived and, with a bonk of their staff, dispelled the mind-control spell. The king went from haggard to hot.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24</td> <td>An old wizard, one of the greatest of all time, took great offense to the young hot shot up-and-coming kid wizard for dating their daughter.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>One wizard cast a spell that completely removed an entire day from the calendar. It’s just gone. Forever. It was the other wizard’s birthday.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26</td> <td>The Möbius beef: one doesn't even think of the other most days. But to acknowledge that the one has been sustaining this combat without animosity to fuel it would destroy the other's pride.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td>The one got Magic Missile into every curriculum in the land, relegating the other's (2nd-level, but conceptually pure) Magic Arrow to footnote status.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>32</td> <td>The one made the other travel to their tower to read a rare tome, and didn't allow the other to borrow it.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>33</td> <td>The one didn't do any work in a group project with the other at the wizard boarding school.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>34</td> <td>The one built their tower upstream of an important leyline in the other's tower.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>35</td> <td>The one directed a mob of angry villagers to the other's tower. So offended were the villagers near the other's tower at this invasion that they returned fire (and pitchforks). This was decades ago, now it's more like a bitter sports rivalry.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>36</td> <td>The one had only told lies and the other had only told the truth, until some wise-ass adventurer confused the shit out of the other and they gave up the whole game.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>41</td> <td>Disagreement over whether “please” actually counts as a magic word.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>42</td> <td>They broke each other’s wands (all their spells are now wonky).</td> </tr> <tr> <td>43</td> <td>One started dating the other’s homunculi.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>44</td> <td>Each is convinced the other stole their invisible familiar.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>45</td> <td>They both wanted to use the same abandoned wizard tower once held by a master wizard.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>46</td> <td>No actual beef–they’re just doing this for increased attention.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>51</td> <td>There weren’t enough spots in the semi-centennial wizard orgy for both of them and only one got to go.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>52</td> <td>Once is convinced the other is not a wizard at all but a thief with some clever tricks. The accused is being championed by one of their wizard friends–not because they can’t cast spells or anything.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>53</td> <td>Scholastic split over (a) whether Illusionists belong at the High Academy of Magic, and (b) whether the meeting at which the Illusionists vowed to open their own school actually happened.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>54</td> <td>An argument that came to blows over how Phantasmal Force works and what illusions even are.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>55</td> <td>One wizard had a dream in which his rival was a dickless puddle of slime. Unfortunately as wizard dreams often do it became real in the form of an alternate universe. The original and alternate versions of the rival are now taking the dreamer to wizard court for (checks notes) “demi-slander”.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>56</td> <td>Longstanding dispute over a division of treasure back when they were 2nd-level characters in the same adventuring party.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>61</td> <td>They collaborated on a spell, but after publishing the tome detailing the spell together, there were creative disagreements leading one wizard to make the spell legally distinct enough to avoid paying royalties to their collaborator.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>62</td> <td>Both wizards are nearly identical and were created by a duplication spell. Neither can agree who is the original.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>63</td> <td>Disagreement as to whether or not tomatoes count as vegetables or fruits when brewing potions.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>64</td> <td>One wizard is convinced the other is their best friend and really gets them, the other can't stand the first wizard's presence, opinions or habits and frequently plots revenge or tries to get out of any situation involving them.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>65</td> <td>Messy break-up between the two of them. They still live in the same tower though because neither can afford to move out. They probably still sleep together now and then.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>66</td> <td>They changed the damage type on their rival’s signature spell and renamed it for themselves.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> The bulk of these entries were contributed by my colleagues at other blogs. Go check them out, read their posts, start arcane beefs with them. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG" data-image-dimensions="600x503" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=1000w" width="600" height="503" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2ed8b5a4-68e3-441f-ae36-066c800b0f01/IMG_9969.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Entries 11-12: Yours truly of the this here blog </li><li>Entries 13-16: Dwiz of the <a href="https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/">A Knight at the Opera</a> blog</li><li>Entries 21-25: Ty of the <a href="https://www.mindstormpress.com/">Mindstorm</a> blog</li><li>Entries 26-36: Ian of the <a href="https://beast.blot.im/">Benign Brown Beast</a> blog</li><li>Entries 41-52: Tuck of the no blog (yet?!)</li><li>Entries 53-55: Alex of the <a href="https://todistantlands.github.io/">To Distant Lands</a> blog</li><li>Entry 56: Humza of the <a href="https://lotbieth.blogspot.com/">Legacy of Bieth</a> blog</li><li>Entry 61: Lino of the <a href="https://www.magnolienne.com/pinkspace/">Pinkspace</a> blog</li><li>Entries 62-65: Sandro of the <a href="https://failforwardblog.blogspot.com/">Fail Forward</a> blog</li><li>Entry 66: Dan of the <a href="https://gemroomgames.com/blog">Gem Room Games</a> blog</li></ul>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1715169789026-WYATZICY4S2RZ53JK9BR/Screenshot_20240507_112938_Gallery.JPG?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="840" height="654"><media:title type="plain">Wizard Diss Tracks</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>We Live Again</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 12:34:26 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/we-live-again</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:66232fb3e451ac10b5632fc7</guid><description><![CDATA[Rules for resurrection, soul transference, reincarnation, and cloning (in roleplaying games. If I knew how in real life, would I really be spending my time pretending to be an elf?)]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[Resurrection is a common trope in fantasy. It even plays a major part in one of the best-selling books of all time, The Bible, where the protagonist (a self-insert, Virgin Mary Sue protagonist for the author, God) wakes up 1d6 days after his death by horrible torture. Countless other examples exist in media. With this trope flooding our respective Appedices N, it is only natural that the possibility exists in many a fantasy game. If I were a wise blogger, maybe I’d have timed this post for Easter, the resurrection holiday. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1153x1507" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=1000w" width="1153" height="1507" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/ba20e617-9a4a-4444-aeea-89d49641d5c0/1613656349.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> However, resurrection has many drawbacks, from both gameplay and worldbuilding perspectives. Don’t take my word for it; my colleague at the Tabletop Curiosity Cabinet already <a href="https://tabletopcuriositycabinet.blogspot.com/2024/04/resurrection-having-my-cake-and-eating.html">outlined the many flaws in typical resurrection</a> and had a neat idea I’m about to steal to boot! Another issue is just that it isn’t as quick as just rolling up a new character for the game (and as I <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/a-better-approach-to-deadly-games">previously outlined</a>, the most important aspect of running a “deadly” game is to be able to get replacement characters in quickly). However, sometimes players get attached to their dead characters and will go to pretty extreme lengths to bring them back. When that is the case, you can drive them to do some fun and zany adventures to get access to the requisite magic.There are four ways to revive a character, in various degrees, the least of which is resurrection itself. The opposite of resurrection is soul-trapping, which requires a shell. Next is reincarnation, which is slow but easier, and then cloning which is quicker but requires preparation. I will describe each in turn.Resurrection is the least like bringing your character back. That is because, stealing the idea from the aforementioned Tabletop Curiosity Cabinet post, true resurrection is impossible. What is possible is inviting a demon to live in the dead character’s body. This method, what most call resurrection, is possible–reanimating a corpse but not as an undead. This requires a recently deceased and mostly intact body, a miracle-level spell, and at least 4 XP Dice currently in the XP Bowl (which <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-xp-bowl-and-xp-bubbles">I described previously</a>). To represent your semi-new character, you roll and add 2 of the XP Dice (of any type and combination in the XP Bowl) for each of your mental stats (Intelligence and Charisma), to determine your new ability score totals. If you have more than 4 XP Dice in the XP Bowl, you can also roll additional dice for generating these stats but must add the highest 2 dice to generate your stat. You are the same level as the deceased character and have the prior character’s spells, languages, skills, feats, etc., but have no memories from your previous character and are, in fact, a demon who desires only power so that you might conquer the planet for your people. Have fun with that. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1097x858" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=1000w" width="1097" height="858" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/f7fa5c4a-eea7-43a8-ae22-fc2fe9063209/metropolis10.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Soul-trapping is relatively easier in that it only requires major magic, not a miracle. More importantly, you at least have the soul of your prior character, although only faint traces of their memories. Similarly, it requires a recently deceased (although the body isn’t necessary), a roughly human-shaped golem, and at least 4 XP Dice. To represent your character’s new body, you roll the XP Dice the same way as described above except for the physical stats (Strength and Dexterity). You can roll multiple dice, as described above and have the same feats of your original character, except any feat relating to their ancestry is replaced with the “Dungeonborn” feat. They are the same level as the deceased character.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1076x1319" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=1000w" width="1076" height="1319" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/2751300d-6a8a-4a37-843f-05bf0e36e18d/zsi7s9udbtib1.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> Reincarnation allows you to have the same body and mind as your former character but requires patience. When reincarnation, also a miracle level magical effect, occurs, a baby somewhere is born that is the character but reincarnated. They may have a different ancestry, and also they are a baby, but are otherwise the dead character.  Reduce all of the character’s stats by a number equal to 1 fewer than their lowest stat. The child is born with stats at those value. Each year, on the child’s birthday, they increase all of their stats by 1 until their stats are identical to the original characters were at their death, at which point the child is ready to become a player character (or a follower) and begin increasing their stats only as would a player character. The reincarnated child does not start with any languages, skills, feats, etc. from the prior character and begins at level 1 when they reach adventuring age. You can also create a clone if you have the resources. This requires a miracle level spell cast before you are dead, which is the main drawback. It is more of an insurance policy than a method of resurrecting a recently fallen comrade. It requires a cloning vat, capable of holding at least 250 gallons of water, expensive alchemical reagents which must be sourced and obtained, a body part (at least the size of a big toe) of the target, one year of time, and a peaceful place for the clone to grow. If the clone is disturbed in its vat before it awakens (either in the initial year or while waiting for the original subject to die), it dies. If the clone is grown to term, whenever you die, it will immediately awaken and crawl from the vat. It has your stats, languages, skills, feats, etc. at the time you severed the body part to grow it. If you are impatient to meet your clone after it matures in its vat, you can cast another spell (even minor magic will do) to awaken it early, but doing so ensures that it has only one goal that it will pursue with single-minded devotion: kill you and take your place in the world, or else die trying. We all have to die sometime, and some of us even get to live first.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1280x720" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=1000w" width="1280" height="720" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/01811023-d548-46ba-99ea-5c4961f7fc3f/tumblr_inline_nr59tshZew1t2bdn9_1280.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1713582840588-8BAG0R37VKGDZLRCIARF/13949984616_7d5c45720f_o.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="558" height="558"><media:title type="plain">We Live Again</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Do Fear the Reaper</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:42:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/do-fear-the-reaper</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:6623057e899f503770027a13</guid><description><![CDATA[Rules for your character’s starting age and natural death.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[ In my preferred playstyle, where player choices have real consequences, death is on the table. This is a well-trod subject in the OSR and adjacent communities, and the “deadliness” is somewhat overblown. All it really means is that the referee, whose job is to play the world, doesn’t pull punches. If the players choose to eat the deadly mushroom, death naturally follows. (Although I always eat the mushroom, baby.) <blockquote>Me, eating unidentified dungeon objects: Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!!  Me, dying of dysentery: Well this fucking sucks. What the fuck.</blockquote>However, not all death is so linear between cause and effect. Death comes for us all, except that one lich-ass billionaire who takes 100+ pills a day to keep his body youthful (and, inshallah, him too). An adventurer who is lucky enough to not die of mushrooms or dragons or falling rocks may live to die peacefully, surrounded by hirelings looking to inherit their stuff. But is there a way to determine when a player character’s time to shuffle off the mortal coil is upon them, other than player- or referee-fiat? There is now. Frankly, this is a stunning oversight from Mr. Gygax, an early figure in the hobby, who worked as an actuary, the profession most likely to ask “how should we price this half-elf’s life insurance based on their mortality statistics?”  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1023x602" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=1000w" width="1023" height="602" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/b403703b-d94b-45f8-9c27-25772c34671f/7928643056_d25fff171d_b.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> <h2>We Live</h2>First, how old are you? I know it is never polite to ask an adventurer their age, but it is necessary if you want to insert the looming threat of natural death into your campaign. There are a few systems that concern themselves with your starting age, primarily for aesthetic reasons.  In the Cloud Empress setting, those old enough to no longer have their wisdom teeth can’t use magic; there are no old magicians (as an aside, my mouth is actually big enough that my wisdom teeth grew in, no problem. I would rule the world in that setting; put me in, coach). For me, death is largely aesthetic, but I think it makes sense to correspond somewhat with character ability. A way I’ve seen this done that I’m not overly fond of is modifiers based on age. Old characters reduce their Strength by 2 and increase their Wisdom by 2, or something of the like. It just feels clunky to me (besides being overly simplistic, but that complaint isn’t as concerning since ability scores are, by their very nature, highly simplistic abstractions). And for those systems, do you choose your character’s age or do you roll separately for it? A lot of work is going into something that is mostly just aesthetic! What if, instead, your ability scores, which you are already rolling for, also determine your age. Prismatic Wasteland uses 4 ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Charisma. The scores start somewhere between 3 to 18, with a bell curve distribution (<a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/in-defense-of-3d6">iykyk</a>). Below is how characters of each ancestry (the list below reflects the common ancestries of Prismatic Wasteland that broadly falls into 4 buckets) calculate their starting age based on their starting ability scores.<h4>Prismatic Wasteland Starting Ages:</h4> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Ancestry</th> <th>Starting Age</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Humans (and Orcs and Kobolds)</td> <td>Intelligence + 6 (Average of 16.5 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Halflings (and Lizardfolk)</td> <td>Intelligence + Charisma (Average of 21 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Dwarves (and Dryads)</td> <td>Intelligence + Charisma + Strength (Average of 31.5 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Elves (and Dungeonborn and Hellions)</td> <td>Intelligence + Charisma + Strength + Dexterity (Average of 42 years old)</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1068x713" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=1000w" width="1068" height="713" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/368958ca-6b5f-4a0c-88f2-654d99ba3fa6/i-wish-i-knew-this-about-paddling.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This is quick, in that you are just adding numbers you already have to roll, but also makes some sense conceptually. For instance, if you roll a 6 Intelligence as a human and are thus playing a 12 year old, your low intelligence can be attributed to your youth. But I also wanted to see if this lined up generally with expectations others had. Helpfully, Errant, a system that tends to have a little rule for most things you might wonder about, also divides ancestry types into 4 categories and has you roll to determine your starting age. As pure happenstance, these lined up nearly to a tee, as shown below. <h4>Errant Starting Ages:</h4> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Ancestry</th> <th>Starting Age</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Adaptable Ancestries (e.g., humans)</td> <td>1d10+10 (Average of 15.5 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Cunning Ancestries (e.g., halflings)</td> <td>1d20+10 (Average of 20.5 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Tough Ancestries (e.g., dwarves)</td> <td>2d20+10 (Average of 31 years old)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Arcane Ancestries (e.g., elves)</td> <td>3d20+10 (Average of 41.5 years old)</td> </tr> </tbody></table> I was actually taken aback by the similarity. The difference, of course, is the curve. Errant elves may start anywhere between 13 and 70 years of age, whereas while it is theoretically possible for a 12- or 72- year old elf in Prismatic Wasteland, it is a practical impossibility (but please, tell me about your character that started with all 18 stats in the comments). Taking only odds that have at least a 1% chance, the ranges are more like 25 to 58 for Errant and 31 to 53 for Prismatic Wasteland. A slight but meaningful difference. But I digress. Where were we? I’m getting forgetful in my old age of 30 (too old to be a starting adventurer in Errant or Prismatic Wasteland). Perhaps I shall die soon. Oh right, I was talking about death. <h2>We Die</h2> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg" data-image-dimensions="966x1190" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=1000w" width="966" height="1190" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/e8c01339-8ab6-42cf-85be-5c14785d89ac/%5BCatacombes_de_Paris%5D___%5Bfac%CC%A7ade_%5B...%5DNadar_%281820-1910%29_btv1b10539909h_1.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> To clarify at the start, this is not necessarily a system of dying of old age per se. It is a system for dying of natural causes. Technically the same killer that can cause a person to die “of old age” so to speak, can be the culprit in the death of a much younger person, although such instances are more rare. Save versus gum disease. Every player-character has a death tracker, their mortal coil. The mortal coil has three (3) little bubbles that they fill in. When the 3rd bubble is filled in (3 strikes and you’re out), it is that character’s time to go. It may not happen immediately, but it must happen within the next year of in-game time. The player should confer with the referee on how they would like to see their character pass beyond to the next life.Every player character has a birthday. They pick a date on the fictional, in-world calendar that is their birthday. (This is a great practice in general–you would be surprised how much more invested players become in the tracking and passage of time when their character has a birthday to look forward to.) On their birthday, in addition to any celebrating (or sulking that no one is celebrating), the player picks one of the character’s ability scores and rolls dice. They roll 2d10 for a short-lived ancestries (e.g., humans), 2d12 for middling-lived ancestries (e.g., halflings), 2d20 for long-lived ancestries (e.g., dwarves), or 3d12 for undying ancestries (e.g., elves). If the player rolls below the chosen ability score, that score increases by 1. However, they must also fill in one bubble on their mortal coil. If they roll equal to or above the ability score, they “bubble” the ability score, which is one step toward increasing it (for an explanation of this, see <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/failure-diegesis-ability-score-increases">my previous post about my method for ability score increases</a>). Either way, they get another year older. This pairs well with the above-described system for determining starting age. A character with a lower starting age is more likely to have lower ability scores, and a character with lower ability scores will be less likely on future birthdays to fill in a bubble on their mortal coil. A perceptive reader may worry “wait, so my character could die of natural causes in just 3 calendar years”? Potentially (if you are unlucky), but because the player gets the choice of which ability score to roll under, they also have control over how quickly their character shuffles along their mortal coil. If they consistently pick their lowest score, the odds of filling in those bubbles is low. If they consistently pick their highest score, the odds are higher. But it is also a bit of a risk reward–in Prismatic Wasteland, it is typically harder to increase higher ability scores than lower ones, so this presents a rare opportunity where the opposite is true. But at a cost. Even then, what are the odds of filling in a bubble of the mortal coil? Below are the odds for each ancestry type based on average (11), low (6) and high (16) scores. As you can see, the player has a great deal of control over how fast they trend toward their untimely death based on whether they roll under their highest ability score or their lowest. <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Ancestry</th> <th>Low Score</th> <th>Average Score</th> <th>High Score</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>Human-type</td> <td>10%</td> <td>45%</td> <td>85%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Halfling-type</td> <td>6.94%</td> <td>31.25%</td> <td>68.75%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Dwarf-type</td> <td>2.5%</td> <td>11.25%</td> <td>26.25%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Elf-type</td> <td>0.58%</td> <td>6.94%</td> <td>26.16%</td> </tr> </tbody></table> I am not an actuary nor am I at all proficient at statistics, but I think I can predict when you will die. Not you the flesh and blood person reading this, but you the paper and ink character using the system I outlined above. Assuming each ancestry-type selects their lowest score each year and starts at the average starting ages above (and assuming I’m even doing this back-of-a-napkin math half-right), a human will die at 46.5, a halfling will die at 64, a dwarf will die at 151, and an elf will die at the ripe old age of 559. Gary Gygax himself would be proud of these statistics. The don’t represent the full potential of these species lifespans (the all-mighty search engine tells me humans can expect to live to be 73, halflings 150, dwarfs 250, and elves 750). Instead, these are rules for the player-characters, adventurers on the road living hardscrabble lives. Adventuring takes a toll on the body. Although I do note that, given the near-medieval level of technology in Prismatic Wasteland (and most D&Ds), the 46.5 year lifespan isn’t far off the mark, accounting for those who survive infancy (Wikipedia tells me that life expectancy for the late medieval English peerage for those who reached age ten was 42 and a whopping 48 if they reached 25). But adventurers are more likely to roll under higher scores when tempted to get a boost to that ability, representing the hazards to one’s health of adventuring, dying even sooner as a result.There are two reasons it may be fun to implement this mechanic into your games. The first is simply that it can generate interesting situations for characters. Maybe without even trying you fill in the first two bubbles of the mortal coil in your first two years of adventuring, with just a single bubble remaining. Suddenly you realize, oh my character must have some terminal disease. They may be aware they are at death’s door and have to make their final few years (or less) count. This is reminiscent [Warning: Red Dead Redemption (2018) Spoilers. Skip the remainder of this paragraph if you wish to avoid spoilers for a 6-year old game] of the fate of the protagonist, Arthur Morgan. In the back half of the game, Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis. It isn’t the end of his adventuring, but it does bring things into perspective as he is forced to confront his mortality and maybe make things right during his remaining time on this earth. Dying slowly (in a game) can be fun! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4086x5638" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=1000w" width="4086" height="5638" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/d6dd6701-7a74-400a-aabd-71018a7328ee/11811477.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> This method also emphasizes time, that most precious of resources. It literally introduces a (very, very long) countdown for players, and nothing makes decisions feel more visceral than having to make them while sand suddenly drains from your hourglass. But more importantly, it incentivizes the tracking of time. Although time tracking is typically a chore for the referee, the easily way to unburden the already overtaxed mind of the referee is to have players track it instead. But why does the referee usually track time? Because players don’t want to.If players desire the passage of time, they are more likely to give a damn about tracking it, and if they are more likely to thus give a damn, they are more likely to assist the referee in doing so. This follows from an excellent post from my colleague at the Trilemma Adventures blog, where the author states a few maxims: (1) The player who needs to use a quantity should be the one tracking it; (2) The player who desires the outcome of a mechanic should be responsible for invoking it; and (2.b) Mechanics which produce only negative or positive outcomes are especially important to give to the proper player. The reason the referee typically tracks time is because it is usually a constraint (negative) for the players. But this turns it into more of a positive.As I said in my first post about <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/calendars-not-just-maps">the importance of calendars in games</a>, an easy way to get players invested in the fictional calendar is to let them pick a birthday for their character and put it on that calendar. Historicity of birthday celebrations be damned. But this is only amped up if there is something for them to do (other than celebrate with fiction [or, even better, non-fictional] cake) when that date does arrive on the calendar, especially if it is something positive. That is why birthdays come with either an ability score increase or at least some improvement (originally there was no upside if you didn’t roll above your ability score. Now there is a little treat no matter what). Just as the character looks forward to their birthday, so too does the player.We all must be born, grow up, and die, players and characters alike. We might as well have some fun and roll some dice while we’re at it.]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1713581741156-60H9YPI0L6UW2NVS8ZBZ/7dbb513c1f15afe055a4a84d445ac6bb.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1280" height="1011"><media:title type="plain">Do Fear the Reaper</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Rehabilitating the To-Hit Roll</title><dc:creator>W. F. Smith</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:55:20 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/rehabilitating-the-to-hit-roll</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c:5fc449cf7acac6192a4958a4:6617cc61e8348e7122d1f3af</guid><description><![CDATA[Musings on removing the damage roll and replacing it with the to-hit roll for use in games that are heavy on looting enemies.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[A running theme on this blog is that I don’t want to roll dice twice to do one thing. However, I refuse to sacrifice the sweet mechanical crunch you can more easily get with two or three rolls! This forces me to do little dice math puzzles that make my neurons buzz and blink like a cell phone going off. The ur-example is the multiple rolls for an attack. There is getting rid of D&D’s to-hit roll, which was <a href="http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2010/05/radically-faster-combat-auto-hits.html">introduced by B/X Blackrazor</a>, <a href="https://www.bastionland.com/2015/03/describing-auto-hit-in-into-odd.html">popularized by Into the Odd</a>, <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/overloading-the-damage-die">debatably perfected (it’s working well for me so far) by me</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnGdoicrfms">“re-discovered” by Matt Colville</a>, but there is also the multi-roll nonsense of gunfights in <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/quicker-combat-for-boot-hill">Boothill, which I also solved</a>. But I’m not done setting straight the world of all its major problems.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2023x1281" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=1000w" width="2023" height="1281" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/844c12b0-1761-4573-81c5-df03fbd8824d/Schwerttypen.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </figure> What if instead of getting rid of the to-hit roll, we get rid of the damage roll? My colleague, Marcia of Traverse Fantasy, proposes in <a href="https://traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2024/04/randomly-generated-constant-damage.html">a recent post</a> that we give weapons a set but variable damage. This means that if swords deal 1d8 damage, you roll 1d8 when you first obtain the sword, and the result is how much damage it always deals. This is incredibly tempting. It also opens up opportunities to add weapon degradation (perhaps when the weapon is attacked by a rust monster or similar misfortune) and to spend downtime to repair or improve a weapon if you have tools and training, which would be represented by rerolling its damage die and taking the higher result. Looting bodies would also be given an extra boost, since every goblin’s sword may be an especially sharp blade. No longer do you just toss them all on the pile since you already have a sword–we are looking for those special 8 damage swords!However, we must add back the to-hit roll. I talked so much shit on the to-hit roll! But here I am. Because you’re no longer rolling damage each time you attack, adding a to-hit roll is the only way to have some variation for attacks and not just have auto-hit and auto-damage every time you swing your blade (but honestly, there is nothing innately wrong with that–I just enjoy rolling dice and living by their results). For reintroducing the to-hit roll, I would just use the blackjack method (<a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/in-defense-of-ability-scores">discussed more here</a>), testing either Strength or Dexterity to determine whether an attack hits. The attacker would need to roll below their score, but above the enemies’ armor for a full success. Partial credit if they just roll under their score. One thing I like with this over the just-roll-damage method is that it reintegrates the ability scores into attacks. Now, a strong fighter will be more deadly with a sword than a weak fighter with the same sword. Because blackjack resolution allows variable success, you can allow weapons to do a gradient of damage based on that roll as well. So you could have the weapon do damage minus the defender’s armor on a partial success (representing the attack connecting but being blunted by the armor), no damage on a failure (representing an actual miss), do max damage (i.e., the maximum damage possible for the platonic ideal of a weapon of that type, rather than that specific weapon) on a critical hit, and will trigger an enemy’s counter attack on a critical miss.While this is an interesting thought experiment and potentially perfect for some games (especially games that emphasize looting enemies or repairing and improving weapons), I ultimately am not going to adopt it for Prismatic Wasteland. I am just too enamored with what I am currently using, largely because it allows for weapons to have a push and pull of advantages. Under this system, a “8” sword will always be better than any dagger (although some daggers will be better than some swords). But in my <a href="https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/overloading-the-damage-die">system of Whacks and Whiffs</a>, the dagger can be a useful tool for stabbing a defensive enemy in the weak point of their armor. Additionally, I’m not keen to bring back the null result happening so often. But I never get tired of thinking how a new system of combat would work (peep <a href="https://traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2023/12/kubular-other-attack-methods.html">another post on Traverse Fantasy</a> for the Kubular attack method). I do, however, have to restrain myself from the urge to design another whole new game around it. Maybe one of you will do that instead.Update: My colleague, V.V. of the OneZero blog, has taken this concept and started to develop a <a href="https://onezerogames.blogspot.com/2024/05/i-started-writing-my-own-fantasy.html" target="_blank">whole-ass fantasy heartbreaker</a> from it. ]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fc42d3b9955c744b550776c/1712836825460-H34FZ3GNEL8944RW0LRJ/Ancient_Hebrew_swords_%281878%29_%2814577376830%29.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="1065"><media:title type="plain">Rehabilitating the To-Hit Roll</media:title></media:content></item></channel></rss>

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