EMPIRE OF THE DEAD

Looking for an atmospheric Victorian Steam Punk game? Set in the dank, smog filled streets of Victorian London, Empire of the Dead is a new skirmish game inspired by gothic horror literature, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to tales of The Wolf Man, Jack the Ripper and even Sherlocke Holmes.

Skirmishing through the rain slick cobblestone backstreets of the city, bands of gentlemen heroes pit their wits against vampires, werewolves, zombies and the church to obtain an illusive mineral called Infernium – a fuel which drives the revolution of industry.

The only question if whether you will command the creatures that lurk in the shadows or crusade to cleanse them with the light of flaming torches, science and gunfire?

Vist West Wind Productions to learn more about the Empire of the Dead game. Also, download their Quick Start rules for free!

THE RESURRECTION MACHINE

Resurrection is an interesting topic for discussion in AD&D, and D&D. Depending on your view and use, it alters and defines your campaign. I believe that a Gamemaster or Dungeon Master should put some thought into exactly what purpose it should serve in the campaign.

Will the playing characters have to go on a massive quest to seek out an artifact or deity? Will they have to gather up a gazillion gold coins to pay Pope Hat Bob to resurrect a fallen friend? Do they simply have to drag their buddy down to ‘Resurrections R Us’ to have a priest say a few words? Or is it really Resurrection In A Bottle where the characters buy a few Resurrection potions at the Quickie Mart before an adventure and start downing them like Red Bull?

It’s up to you.

Recently I stumbled across the following articles dealing with Resurrection. The first is from StupidRanger.com and discusses both the good and bad of raising characters from the dead. And the second is from Runecarver discussing mainly the downside of Resurrection. Give both a read if you wish, and then also take some time looking here, too.

In my campaign, I believe that Resurrection should beused, but sparingly. It is a tool for the Dungeon Master to deploy in extreme circumstances as a plot device, quest for the playing characters, or divine intervention. So anyway, damn the torpedos … let’s discuss quickly.

1. PLOT DEVICE:  “A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot.” So an example of this would be the story of Lazarus of Bethany. The resurrection in and of itself is used to make the story and the campaign stronger. Perhaps the party goes on a quest to resurrection one of their own fallen recently in combat. Or maybe they are going to turn a nice bit of coin by setting into a dungeon looking for an artifact that will bring the Baron’s daughter back to life. Or maybe a divine being grants the party a favor due to some massive deed, and they wish for their buddy the halfling to return to life after being pincushioned by a million arrows. Either way, it’s all about making the campaign stronger because the resurrection takes some blood, sweat, and tears. Just don’t overdo it.
2. HOOK: “A narrative hook (or hook) is a literary technique in the opening of a story that “hooks” the reader’s attention so that he or she will keep on reading.” Again, this is used by the Dungeon Master to make the story and campaign better. Maybe the characters are looking for the Fountain of Youth, or a Red Bull of Resurrection. If it gets the ball rolling and the players are interested, then it’s not a bad idea. Again, don’t overdo it.
3. QUEST: Fighting your way through Hell to kill a bunch of devils is cool. Fighting a bunch of devils to get a cool magical item that brings your buddy back to life is even cooler. Making the resurrection an active quest allows it to become a part of the story. It’s not just the knee jerk reaction of a DM who is responding to a player who does nothing but whine about his character dying. “But but but … he was my FAVORITE first level fighter!”
4. DIVINE INTERVENTION: A higher power takes interest in the playing character, and restores her/him to life. I think now of a Dragonlance campaign from my high school years. A major character decided to take on Kitiara Uth Matar and was promptly killed by her Blue Dragon’s breath weapon. The remaining characters watched as the Elf’s smoldering body fell from the walls of the castle, and lay smoking in the courtyard. They gathered his body up and took it to the priests. However, Paladine was the being who granted resurrection, claiming that it was a miracle for the True Gods. Another good example would be the return of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings. He was “sent back to complete his mission.”

So there you have it … my thoughts on the Resurrection Machine. I’d like to hear how you handle this topic within your own campaign. And remember … not only the good guys get Resurrected. Sometimes even Bargle can come back for a little fun thanks to a handy resurrection spell.

 

Unhallowed Metropolis!

Win A Copy of Unhallowed Metropolis

Are you a fan of Steampunk? Zombies?

Interested in the finest gas mask chic Neo-Victorian horror the RPGverse has to offer?

Maybe you’d just like to try something new?

You need to check out Unhallowed Metropolis!

Getting a copy for free is even better, right? Entering for your chance to win one of 3 copies is easy, all you have to do is look at this awesome map of London 2105 AD and tell Obsidian Portal where you’d like to adventure the most.

Full contest details are on the Obsidian Portal blog but hurry, the contest ends September 22nd, 11:59 CST!

GUN MAGE CAPTAIN ADEPT

Finally finished this guy off for my Arcane Tempest Army Lists.

Gun Mage Captain Adept - ready for the assassination run!

Shadowrun Diary

So we (Murphy, Bazinga, and Glitch) head off to the Neebo concert with back stage passes. The main idea is to scope the place out and maybe find some information on the data disc we are looking for, and hopefully steal Neebo’s comm-link so we can recover the original email offering it for sale. The concert is packed and full of mainly Orks, Trolls, and Humans. So the three of us being small, well we had to fight our way through the crowd.

We made it backstage and showed our passes to the first security officer. Murphy lied and said he was supposed to meet with Jager, the head of security. Glitch sweetened the deal by flashing his Novacoke collection. The security officer waved us in and Murphy eyed someone who seemed to be Jager right away. However, plans changed slightly when it became obvious that the only place that Neebo’s dressing room might be was up a flight of scaffolding stairs and in a set of offices.

We made our way that direction, and Glitch flashed his Novacoke to the sleepy looking drugged up security officer sitting on the steps. He directed us towards an office were there was a “party” going on. It seemed like this was Neebo’s dressing room and maybe where he would have left his Comm-link while he was on stage.

Long story short, Bazinga and Glitch managed to steal the Comm-Link but only after giving Novacoke to the folks partying in the dressing room. Glitch had to do a hit with the one guy in order to gain his trust, and was tweaking for most of the rest of this part of the Run. We were leaving the room when we heard gunfire, and the concert quickly turned into a riot.

But that is another story …

CYGNAR PAINT LIST

So I went through my Battlefoam and Sabol bags and wrote down all the Cygnar models I need to paint.

• Storm Gunner
• Stormsmith x3
• Epic Caine
• Lt. Caine (newest one)
• Darius
• Sentinel
• Grenadier x2
• Charger x2
• Kraye
• Cyclone x2
• Maxwell Finn
• Jonas Murdoch ( plus a max unit of Ogrun Gun Corps)
• Haley (alt)
• Stryker (alt)
• Nemo
• Trencher Officer and Sniper
• Sword Knights (max unit)
• Professor Pendrake
• Master Gunner
• Strangewyas
• Trencher Commandos (max unit)
• Scattergunner x3
• Long Gunners x6
• Thorn
• Centurion
• Chaingun crew x2
• Trencher Cannon Crew
• Triumph

 

UnderCity Game Fair

Image via Wikipedia

Undercity Game Fair 2011 Sept 17th.

It’s mid september, the sun is finally starting to become forgiving from the dog days of August, the hint of fall is in the air, and the sound of dice and cards are echoing from below the city streets. The Undercity Game Fair is calling! Come join us for a day of gaming and adventure on saturday September 17th, 2011 from 10am till 9pm.

Under All American Comics and Cards
161 W. Market St.
Warren, Ohio 44481

SHADOWRUN DIARY

I started playing Shadowrun again tonight. It’s been a long time, I believe since 1993.

Some things have changed, but the core of the game remains the same. I’m sure I will get up to speed soon.

I am playing a Dwarf Face with a Sneak package. He’s basically a con man and smooth talker. He operates on the fringe between legal and illegal. He goes by many different names, but his main street name is Murphy. I am running him based loosely on Gimli from Lord of the Rings in attitude and mannerisms.

¥¥¥

Tonight our session was simple. Murphy gets a call from a contact named Smiley. He’s told to show up at Club Penumbra at a certain time and place to meet a new crew for a job. Apparently these guys got caught in the middle of a shoot out at a Stuffer Shack and attracted some attention. All Murphy knows is they are a motley bunch that lives in an RV. Not exactly his kind of folk, but if they’re the ones he has to work with … so be it.

The Crew was rough and tumble. There’s The Kid. He owns a RV that could easily pass for a Tank. Just a teenager with an attitude that might not allow him to get past puberty. Then there was the Asian and the Scotsman. They looked like they might have stepped right out of one of those animated action cartoons from the old days. (Samurai Jack, to be exact.) And then there’s the Hacker. He seems pleasant enough but is usually talking about Sprites and Commlinks. Not my thing. But they’ll do for now. Every Face needs a crew, even a motley one like this.

Smiley explains that he’s a retired Shadowrunner and helps the new guys get jobs. Basically he recruits rookies for a finders fee for jobs. He offers 10,000 credits (half up front) to the crew. We are to meet a Mr. Johnson at Infinity at Seattle Center to get the job offer and details.

Getting to Infinity was easy, but getting the crew in was a little work. Getting them outfitted in decent attire was the first step, and convincing the Kid not to show up in his RV at a trendy club was the second. Murphy managed to knock enough dust off the crew to let them pass for the usual clientele.

We made contact with an female Elf bartender who directed us to the Blue Room where we’d meet Mr. Johnson. He was a skinny Troll who had recently lost some property due to a smash-and-grab. The job was simple enough: find an antique music disc and return it to the Johnson.

Done and done. Murphy kicked his feet up and smoked a pipe while the crew did their searching through the Matrix. Found some chatter about the data disc, and apparently linked it all to some up and coming musician named Nebo playing a concert in Redmond at a warehouse. Fine.

One of the crew scored back stage tickets and they made for the concert. The crew had to wait in line forever, and the Kid almost messed things up getting caught with his weapon by the security. I smoothed things out with a like sweet talk, and the kid greased the rent-a-cop’s fingers with some cash. All the fuss allowed me to get in with my Predator stashed in my coat. Almost like we planned it that way.

So now we’re in the concert … now we got to find this Nebo and see about this data disc. Easier said than done.

" I'm fine. That was deliberate! Deliberate!"

SMALL TREES

Do you follow the crowd, or form your own opinion?

We live in a time dominated by all kinds of public opinion polls. Decisions are being driven by the crowd, and sometimes this is a good thing. Surveys can inform us about people’s experiences with products helping us make wiser purchases. Opinion polls can tell elected officials of how their policies have been received by the public. And when information is gleaned on a personal level, it can help us in making decisions in a variety situations.

The same can be said about the scenery and terrain pieces we use with our little toy soldiers. Blogs, podcasts, and videos reveal the good, bad, and ugly about all the choices of terrain that we have out there. Before buying, most people will do a little research in order to find out if the piece is made well, transports easily, and holds up decently to the use and abuse of miniature gaming. However, in the end, personal opinion wins out.

Some people like homemade terrain, and others hate it. Some people only buy their terrain, and would never waste their time making something that they would view as “ugly” and “unattractive.” Others just want something that works and is inexpensive to put on the table. Heck, some people just use whatever is laying around like books, plates, soda cans, and pie pans.

There’s nothing like playing “King of the Hill” from WARMACHINE using a big fat pie pan.

Anyway, it really comes down to the reality of what you want in quality. Do you want to spend some hard earned cash to have beautiful stuff to put on the table, or do you need to use “upcycled” stuff from around the house and “found items” to make your terrain? It’s really up to you.

If you’re into inexpensive items that you can have fun making into terrain, then this is another idea for “Terrain on the Cheap” for you!

As I discussed last year, you can make simple, functional trees using Moss Rocks and Dowel Rods. You can likely find both items in a local craft store or dollar store. Here in town you can buy them for $1 each at the Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, JoAnn Fabrics, and other stores of that kind.

You simply need to cut the dowel rods to your desired length, and paint them to your desired color. After they are dry, carefully push one end pf the dowel rod into the foam “rock” to make a tree. You can also do this using toothpicks if you choose. Additional detail can be added easily by using Green Stuff on the dowel rods to bulk them up, and carve in details to resemble tree bark. In the end, you’ll probably want to attach them to some kind of base depending on what game you play. I recommend at least a 40mm base for WARMACHINE.

And ta-dah, you have trees for your favorite miniature wargame!

Also, go over to WWPD and check out this awesome article about making flocked felt tree templates. Not a bad idea.

ELVEN TEASE

Elven Set Teaser

Dwarven Forge has released a sneak peek of their upcoming Elven Set with this small teaser. Click on the image to see the picture on their website.