Let's Play Dungeons and Dragons - Wednesday Night Home Game #1

My Monk just tanked a Draco-lich

It’s been a while since I’ve played in a pick-up game of Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve never played one with fifth edition. It used to be easy enough to just jump in a game of third with a character you had pre-made, ready and waiting – of exactly the right level – to just game hardcore. Fifth has me a bit confused some times, but generally speaking it seems to be pretty easy to make characters and build to a standard that the DM is enforcing. Last night, I was invited to a local game of Dungeons and Dragons by a guy I recently met at my Friendly Local Game Store. He’s a DM for a few games here in the Inland Empire, but he mentioned that he played in a Wednesday game and that they were missing people – he wanted to know if I’d like to come – like to? Please. I’m all over that shit.

Using Google+ Circles for Play by Post Style Game

There have been a lot of people talking about using Google+ functions as a means to run a roleplaying game.  Up until now, the most popular method, that I have heard of, has to be using the hangout ability to run a video-chat style game.  This kind of works like running Skype video chat, but with Google+.  I haven't had a chance to use the hangout ability of Google+ yet, but I hope to try it out soon.

However, I have started up a game of L5R with a few people from Twitter and a few from Google+.  We are experimenting with a game using the Circle functionality to try and run a pure PbP style game.  We'll see how it works out, but right now, here is basically how we are working it, and also what we are hoping to see with Google+ in the future that would make it work perfectly.

Each of the players in the group has set up an L5R Campaign Group Circle.  When I want a post to go out that is only relevant to the people in that game, I post it to that circle.  People who aren't playing in the game don't see these game related posts.  Easy enough.  Right?

Also, with the Google+ alert function, I can see when players have responded to a game post very easily.  If I'm on Gmail or using my reader, then things are very simple to just slide up to the G+ toolbar and respond to game posts quickly and easily.

The problem with this style of game using G+ right now is that when I want to browse my L5R Campaign Circle posts, then unfortunately, I also have to browse through all the non-game related posts by the members of the game (unless those other players are not sharing anything with me that is not game related).  The Circle function does not yet have a tag function, which would allow me to only view posts in that circle which are relevant to our game.

What we basically want is a way to tag all of our posts with #L5R; then, we want the ability, when we make our Circle, to only view posts from X people who make posts tagged with #L5R.  This essentially works like a reverse sharing function.  If that were installed, this PbP would be sooooooooo easy and very, very awesome.  As it stands right now, I still like it a lot.

C is for Choices, too many of them...

Today, I had a hard time thinning things down to one topic.  There were simply too many choices for a blog entry that started with the letter "C", so I wanted to actually talk about 3!  WOW!! So, here we go.

Cartography

I would be amiss to forget the fact that this month, Dyson Logos, of A Character for Every Game, is hosting the RPG Blog Carnival.  This month's topic is, as you guest it, about Circuses... jk.  It's about Cartography, i.e. Map Making.  I'm way amateur at it, but Dyson is a pro! If you haven't used/seen his geomorphs yet, you're doing the internet wrong!!!

I really like his blog, and he's always kind of enough to drop me a comment once in a while.  I had promised to do an adventure, or an encounter, or something with some of his Geomorphs and I think that this month, I am finally going to get around to it, given that Cartography is our Topic of choice this month.

If you are looking for some cool maps for your game, or some tips on how to make maps, I definitely recommend you checking out the Cartographer's Guild.  I'm a member on their forums and they have some great tips for improving your mapping skills, especially the digital ones.  I troll that forum more than I post there, but it is definitely a great resource for GM's.


Common Sense
Considering my goal for this month of providing information relevant to improving your adventures, I think one of the most important things to always consider, when playing any RPG is the idea of "Common Sense" and what that actually entails.

I particularly like this motivational poster.  There are so many people that complain about how their campaigns get ruined by stupid people that act in ridiculous ways just because they are playing a RPG.  I think a lot of GM's maybe approach this the wrong way; sure, some players might be persistent, but in every game that I have every played, whenever a player comes up and spits out some line about how he is going to stab NPC X and take all of his stuff, I, as a GM, quickly use my "Common Sense" assume this fool is simply screwing about, and then /ignore him in real life.  Said players actions in the game are quickly ignored and passed over as he/she is quickly considered to be disrespectful and daft git in the real world.  Nobody likes playing with that guy.  What is also pretty nice is that if you use your common sense as a GM when dealing with these jerks, they will quickly tire of being ignored (since all they were trying to do in the first place is get attention) and then use their common sense in the game.  They will cease to be disruptive and you can move on with the bloody adventure.  OK.  Rant over.  Common sense rules people.  Use it.

Can and Cannot

This ties, to some extent, in with the above, Common Sense, advice.  There are some things that you can do in the game and there are some things that you cannot do in the game.   As a DM, running an adventure, really become familiar with what your personal guidelines for Can and Cannot is.

If you aren't interested in reading the following i.e. TLDR - If it's fun = Can ; If it's not fun = Cannot.

Ok.  Explanation.

If something adds fun to the game for everyone at the table, including you as the GM, that to me is an automatic can.  You should go and give your players everything they want, in game one, of course, but for example, if all the players came to me and said that they wanted to start with one additional feet at level 1, when we were playing D&D 4e, I would have no problem with that.  Everyone is on the same playing field and I can up the difficulty level of the opponents accordingly.  Everyone has a right old fun time.

Another example.  If someone says that they want to re-skin (change the thematic elements) X of a race/class/power/etc. in order to make their character into Y, but aren't really interested in changing anything mechanical, I will almost always say "YES!" to that.  This kind of thematic change shows that a player is taking special interest in the story and flavor of his character and is dedicated to making the game lost lasting.  These are the kind of players you really want to have.

However, on the flip side of the last example, if a different player said he or she wanted to change Rule Z so that he was an ever-living bad mother $%&$%&#R than I would almost definitely tell that person that he or she cannot do that because it would spoil everybody's sense of fairness and fun.  Thematically, virtually anything can be explained through the use of good story telling, but you can't explain away the feeling a group of players get when they have just had their adventure ruined by some jerk who insisted on playing a Beholder, got the permission of the GM, and then death rayed all the enemies without the rest of the group getting to have any fun.

I hope that my 3 C's today have proved interesting.  Go, Game and Prosper!!

Beastfolk - Tora (Tiger-folk) Statblock and Fluff

Easily enraged, The Tiger-folk represent a serious threat on the battlefield. They're GREAT!... in combat.

Tora (Tiger-folk)

Average Height: 5’’10”-6’6”
Average Weight: 200 – 250 lbs

Ability Scores: +2 Strength and +2 Dexterity or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6
Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Tora
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Perception
Versatile Weapon Masters: Whenever a Tora takes the Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Focus or Weapon Expertise feats, they may choose an additional weapon and gain the benefits of the feat for both weapons.
Blood Sense: A Tora can sense any bloodied enemy within 5 squares of it as though it had blind sight.
Natural Weapons: Tora can use their Bite or their Claws as a natural weapon in combat. These weapons have a +2 Weapon Proficiency Bonus and deal 1d8 damage.
Tiger Strong: Tora have a +2 Bonus to Reflex defense and Fortitude defense
Tiger Rage: Tora have the Tiger Rage racial power.

Play a Tora if you want …
To be a fierce natural hunter and warrior
To be a member of a culture which espouses honor in battle and never giving up
To be a member of a race that favors the Rogue, Ranger, or the Fighter.

Physical Qualities
Tora are immensely powerful in terms of their bodily structure. They are incredibly muscular, but their bulk does not in any way malign their speed. Most Tora have orange colored fur with black stripes, however, other, less common Tora tribes may have other fur color variations. Some of these lesser known tribes have white fur, or white fur with black stripes. Although these Tora tribes represent a slight variation in their social structure, they still remain largely very similar in terms of of their physical qualities.

Tora have immense moths and very large hands and feet. These limbs all make for powerful weapons in combat. Their sharp fangs make for deadly weapons; some Tora even make these natural weapons even more deadly through the use of applied poison or other enhancements.

Tora, not to be confused with their wicked, twisted cousins, the Rakshasa, the Tora’s hands and limbs move and appear the same as humans.

Playing a Tora
Tora are a somewhat perplexing race when compared to their other beastfolk brethren. They are a race marked by their own internal opposites. Though any single Tora may be intensely focused and deadly in combat, he or she may also be a poet or exquisitely kind lover outside of battle. The two traits that mark all Tora in common are their general inability to dedicate themselves to a single path in life and their incredibly high regard for honor, camaraderie, and loyalty.

First of all, Tora tend to dislike choosing a single path in life, even on a day to day, or situation to situation basis. Many Tora can be very patient to a point, but once their trigger has been pulled, they are incredibly intense passionate and short-tempered. Many are very free spirits, taking to writing poetry or waxing on about philosophy, but at the same time, they are extremely devoted to their culture, and their nation. They are renowned as being lone wolves who are rarely left alone to themselves.

Tora are also incredibly well respected combat leaders, but they dislike being in that position. Many Tora eschew choosing a leadership role for themselves, preferring to be at the front with their comrades, fighting with pride; however, their undying loyalty and love for their friends and allies, in addition to their nearly unmatched prowess at anything to which they dedicate themselves, usually puts them into a position of leadership when in groups with other beastfolk or humanoid races. Tora do not distinguish racially. Although they would rather protect a fellow Tora than a human, this stems from a sense of racial closeness and fellowship rather than racism. This is a distinction that many of the Beastfolk cannot claim to.

More Shadowrun Campaign Art by Obidancer

Well, I couldn't resist.  I had to post some of the other awesome character artwork that our guy Obidancer has done for our ongoing Play-by-Post Shadowrun campaign.  They just keep getting better and better.  Very cool stuff.  I feel like I'm practically doing an ad campaign for Obidancer at this point, but I'm not getting paid anything.  I'm just becoming a big fan.  I believe that he does actually do commission work, so if you are looking for somebody to do art for your campaign, or your game, or whatever, you should definitely contact this guy.  Check out his RPG Table Talk Profile for his contact info. I'd post his e-mail up here, but I don't want him getting all spammed.

Here are a couple of full body shots of two of the characters in this game.  Very cool.

But, that isn't all our guy Obidancer has thrown together.  He has also put together some images for the various known contacts of our players.  These NPC portraits are also full of win.

Shadowrun Play by Post Art by Obidancer - The New Guy

Awesome.  He looks a bit like my character from way back when I used to play EVE Online.  Those were some fun times.  As you can see, our player Obidancer continues to put out top class artwork for our Shadowrun PbP.  Feel free to contact him if you have commission work that needs doing.  Check out his profile on the RPG Table Talk forums for his e-mail and contact info.

Letters from Artorius VI - Re. New Voidling Species Discovered

To the Legatus Legionis:



My lord, have made a very important discovery here on Kimyona. When we were here last, 100 years ago, these creatures did not exist on this plane, but now, the world is literally swarming with a previously undiscovered type of Voidling – the Modum.


You are very familiar with the Voidling, we have had numerous run-ins with them in the past as we travel across the multiverse. Most of these encounters have been bloody and tragic, resulting in great losses to our people. The Voidling are a formidable enemy and always appear in areas which have been influenced by Azatar.

This new species of Voidling however is very puzzling. They are totally unlike any other species which we have yet encountered. Our Hypothesers believe that they are part plant, but also have features similar to many Cephalapods. The people of this plane have dubbed these creatures as the Modum.


The Modum seem to be almost totally incapable of prosecuting any form of combat. Our soldiers, when they first encountered one, attempted to slay it, but were incapable. The creature didn’t fight back, but we were simply unable to lay a hand on it. These Modum hover along the earth, moving at a slugs pace, but will occasionally show extreme boosts of speed accelerating into a lightning fast form of teleportion. Any act of violence attempted against them results in an innate defensive reaction which causes them to simply teleport away. Our fights with them are practically over before they start. We have not yet been able to subdue a single one of them.

Although we have not been able to kill one yet, we have been able to study them very, very closely. Though they respond reflexively to violence, they have no qualms about making contact with other living species. We have been able to hold them, look them over, and generally observe their anatomy, but their danger-sense, which border on precognition, is so powerful that we have not been able to cut one open yet and see what is inside.

From what we can tell, the world is literally filled with these things. They are everywhere. From what we can tell, they don’t eat, they don’t sleep, and they leave nothing behind. They simply exist, floating about the world as pollen which has fallen from a tree; that in fact may be exactly what they are – pollen from the Tree of Azatar. The Seed may have taken such a firm root on this world that we may see it come into full growth.


The Modum have several very important qualities which I will need to discuss at length later, but I am being summoned now to make another foray into Kimyona to investigate these beasts further. I will provide more information to you about them following this investigation with the Hypothesers.

Your ever faithful servant,

Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Letters from Artorius V - Re. Industry & Technology Pt.1

To the Legatus Legionis:


My lord, it has come to my attention that I have been terribly remiss in writing to you with regard to the technology which we have found here on Kimyona. I dare say that found is perhaps the wrong word; cultivated might be a bit better way to describe this plane’s level of development on this front.


As you remember, we found this world 100 years ago and made first contact. We planted our own seed at that time – they people of Kimyona witnessed our technology and our power and realized that we were a mighty force to be reckoned with. We met with little resistance as we waved our white flag coming in peace and commerce to commune with this world’s leaders. But, our first coming was still much too soon. We saw the state of the world then and left with the same degree of freedom in which we came.

However, our first contact was a monumental event for the people of this plane. Although we thought we were observing them, they were in fact observing us. These “humans” and their like were able to reverse engineer our Void Technology. Although at first this technology was powered through very simple means, such as steam, over this last century, they have evolved and have been able to develop their own version of our Void technology. Though they do not possess the purity of the true void to draw upon, as we do, they have found in their own world a source of power which is almost as mighty – The Seed. They have tapped the Seed of Azatar and are drawing on the power of the Void inside it in order to fuel their void engines.

However, this clone technology is still very much in its infancy. They still rely very much on steam power, fueled by resources dug up from within the earth mother. Industry now in Kimyona is widespread. Many huge cities belch out filth into the atmosphere and churn out countless engines of destruction in order to fuel the great war machine which is brewing. Though politically all the current nations of the civilized world fall under the dominion of the Emperor, they fight on small scales almost continuously. What’s more is that they all foresee the coming darkness. The land is growing dark my lord, this dying world’s days are numbered, but the people of this plane do not intend to go out without a fight.


Your ever faithful servant,

Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Awesome Shadowrun Character Art Continues

I have some more awesome pics by Obidancer to show off today, this time of our techie Nazira.  Here she is in both her formal day to day where on the left, and her Shadowrunning techie gear on the right (the camo is more of a fashion statement, when it comes time for the running though, Nazira is all business).

Aren't these just awesome.  I will have to, at some point, ask him to teach me how he does it.  I dig this very, very much. 

Some more new art from my PbP Shadowrun game

Not much to tell here.  This artwork comes from the same guy that did our earlier artwork.  It just keeps getting better and better.  Loving it.  Hope you all do to.

Letters from Artorius IV - Re. The Dying World

To the Legatus Legionis:


My lord, today I write to you in hopes that I might elaborate on what I referred to earlier as a dying world. Some of the information which follows has been collected from legends that are spread among the people and some of it comes from actual hard facts that we have collected in our research of Kimyona and the Seed.


The legends say that 10,000 years ago, when the Seed of Azatar impacted with this world, the world, Chikyu began to die. The general people of the world had very little understanding of the nature of the seed, but what they did know is that it struck the plane in the most heavily defended and fortified empire in the world – the literal heart of Kimyona. This death blow destroyed a vast empire and caused a great shift in the world’s topography and geography.

The great Kampeki, Perfect of the earth was said to be mortally wounded by that blow from the heavens. Though legends held by druids and the primal worshippers of the Elder Kami hold that for these last 10,000 years Chikyu has been letting out her last breath and dying in the arms of her lover the sky. They claim that is the cause for all the rain. The sky is crying over the loss of its one, true love and mate. However, the earth herself is not dead yet, these same legends say, but will die complete and totally soon. They even go so far as to say that the wound that was inflicted was poison and that poison will be the thing that kills her…. I think you may believe that argument has some weight. We both know what the Seed will do to this plane. They are not mistaken when they claim it is poison.


But, these are all just legends; other legends also prophesize that when the earth Perfect finally dies, the Sky, Father of all, will lash out and destroy all of creation. The Sky will finally break and when it does, the world will end. We know this world is ending, or else we would not be there, but I must say I doubt that end will come from the Sky above. That end is already taking root in the very fabric of the plane itself.

As to the evidence of this world’s death which I spoke of earlier, our research has shown that on this plane, the people have begun exploiting the earth for its vast resources. Massive mines extend deep beneath the earth’s skin and from those depths all manner of minerals and power are being dug up. However, our Hypothesers believe that the more this process continues, the faster the Seed begins to germinate and accelerate in growth. In other words, as the world is exploited, it continues to die; in the end, through their industry and their stupidity, the people of this plane are speeding towards their own downfall. With such little life force to support it, the Earth Perfect has no ability to replenish the stores inside itself and cannot continue to support the growth taking place all across the surface world.

I have mentioned the weather on this plane, I don’t think that necessitates further explanation, but our Hypothesers point to that as well as a sure sign that this world is rapidly increasing in instability.

I have also received reports from my men, who have had more dealings with the people than I, that there are a great number of mutated races which have begun to pop up over the last millennia. The first of these mutated races, something akin to the Orcs in our distant past, are said to have dug deep enough into the Earth Perfect as to actually draw up her blood. That blood has given them great and terrible strength, but it has also led to terrible mutation and genetic corruption. They use this blood of the Earth Perfect in order to fuel massive war machines and grant their soldiers greater power in battle.

I will look into this “blood” more in the future and have our top Hypothesers extrapolate on what it could be and how it could be harnessed without risking gene mutation.

Your ever faithful servant,


Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Shadowrun: Cyberpunk F/X

You may recall that some time ago I was recruiting for a new Shadowrun game that I had started up as a Play by Post game on the RPG Table talk forums. Well, it looks like this blog post, and some posts on twitter were very successful. I now have 5 players all eager to dive into the net and work their way around a wonderfully cyberpunk world.


This experience has been a very fun one. I haven’t looked at my Corporate Enclaves book in a long time, so It has been collecting a lot of dust, but I opened it up after we decided that the game was going to be taking place in LA. What a fun time this is going to be. I don’t know if they are prepared to swim or not, but they will most likely have to ford some rivers *ahem* freeways in their upcoming adventure.

The premise of the group right now is that they are a group of Special F/X guys working in Hollywood. They have a little studio which they used to make movies the old fashioned way, not on the net. There is still a small following for this kind of entertainment in LA, since it is definitely old-school and everything that was once popular in Hollywood becomes popular again.

I don’t want to give away too much about their adventures, but I will say that it bodes to be a very, very fun time. We have a new page on Obsidian Portal for the campaign which I will post up under the Shadowrun link in the navigation bar at the top. Feel free to give it a look see and comment on people’s adventures.

This Play by Post is being held on the RPG Table Talk forum. If you time it right, there is a link that comes around at the top of this page as well. I like it that way. Go give it a look see. There are a few play by post games running there now and most of them are either being run, or have players, who you might know from the RPG Bloggers Network. I have a new Gamma World game which I am going to start trying to run there as well. Give it a look see. If you want to play, we are still welcoming new people for that, but the Shadowrun game has officially closed. IC will begin soon.

Shadowrun Play by Post Art by Obidancer

Apparently one of the players in my Play by Post Shadowrun game, Obidancer, is an artist (not as a job, but as a hobby) He did some fantastic Character portraits for all of the players in our game as well as an awesome banner image for the campaign. We will be using these extensively on Obsidian Portal. Here they are below.

Beastfolk - Tori (Chicken-folk) Statblock and Fluff

Experimenting with a new way of doing these, so here is the Statblock, with a description of the race included...

Quick and flittery, the Tori are natural healers that prove being scared is often the key to survival.

Tori (Chicken-folk)

Average Height: 3’6’”-4’6”
Average Weight: 100 – 150 lbs
Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom and +2 Dexterity or Charisma
Size: Small
Speed: 6
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Tori
Skill Bonuses: +2 Heal, +2 Perception
Chick-Protector: Whenever a Tori uses a healing surge, or uses a power or effect that grants a healing surge to an ally, increase the value of the damage healed by 1.
Fluttering Jump: Tori gain a +5 bonus to any athletics check made to Jump and can make jumps standing still as though they had a running start.
Natural Weapons: Tori can use their talons or their beak as a natural weapon in combat. These weapons have a +2 Weapon Proficiency Bonus and deal 1d6 damage.
Avoiders of Death: Tori have a +2 Bonus to Reflex defense and gain a +1 Bonus to death saves.
Flittering Flight: Tori have the Flittering Flight racial power.



Flittering Flight    Tori Racial Power
The Tori prove that running away is an art form mastered by true chickens and the chicken-hearted.

Encounter
Immediate Interrupt * Shift
Whenever an opponent moves or shifts into a square adjacent to you, you may shift your speed, or fly at half your speed in a direction away from your opponent.

The Tori live by being constantly aware and wary of their surroundings. Tribes of Tori in the wild, build their homes inside of trees or in small underground passages, but always leave numerous escape routes. City Tori, or domestic Tori, are almost an entirely different species all together.



Play a Tori if you want …

to be a small, flightless humanoid bird.

to be a natural healer and protector of your allies.

to be a member of a race that favors the Druid, Avenger, and Cleric classes.



Physical Qualities

Tori stand not much taller than a Halfling and can very exceedingly in weight. They have a standard humanoid figure, though they are always appear to be slightly hunched forward. All Tori have a beaks and wing-like arms which end in a scaly, rough hand, which has three claw like fingers and a thumb. Usually, male Tori have a long tail feathers, and a tall red crest, or comb.

Tori hatch from eggs and grow very quickly. Unlike humans, Tori have a slightly shorter lifespan, but they can reproduce very quickly, often giving birth to 4 or 5 children at a time. After hatching, it is not uncommon for a Tori to reach its full size within 13 years. This speed of growth has often lead to characterizing the Tori as not being particularly mindful of the world, or knowledgeable about it, given that they grow and die so very quickly. The standard life expectancy for a Tori is at the most, about 50-60 years. Most Tori die before they get that far though.

Though they do have skin, like most humans, Tori are covered from head to feet in feathers of various colors. Tori plumage varies by clan, with some possessing pure white feathers and other possessing blacks and browns. Sometimes, mixing of clans will lead to new plumage variations among the Tori, marking those Tori as mixed. Though some clans discriminate against mixed Tori, most are fairly accepting. Only a few pure bloodline Tori clans still exist. These clans have only one primary feather color and have little plumage variance. These tribes value pure-breeding more than others.

Playing a Tori

Tori are highly cautious and ever perceptive. They live their lives, every wary of the many dangers that exist in the world, and they do their best to avoid whatever danger they can. Tori do not relish battle; among the Beast-folk, the Tori are one of the very few who would be considered pacifists by nature. Tori values put the family first, before the clan, or even the Tori race as a whole. To a Tori, there is nothing more important than protecting one’s kin.

There are essentially two different types of Tori in the world, though they do share many similar characteristics. Wild Tori, live in the forests and jungles in small hollows inside the roots of trees. Most Tori “Nests” as they are called, house between one and three families; they live together as a unit in order to protect each other from the many threats that occur naturally in the wilderness. These family units are usually blood bound, but occasionally, an outsider family will be permitted to join in as well. The second type of Tori, the Domestic Tori, is at home in the cities of the world. These Tori enjoy the status that comes with being of a bestial blood. Domestic Tori, as well as the Buta, or Pig-Folk, are considered to be some of the more well-known merchants races in the world. Tori tend to be cautious about business deals, and will usually run small family operations which are passed down through generations. Because Tori live such short lives, it is not uncommon for Tori to be running the same store, in a large city, for 10 generations or more, maintaining the same clientele for many, many years.

Tori enjoy simple pleasures such, such as reading or knitting. They do not take to drinking easily, nor are they very exciting. They do however, very much like being social, which brings them some large degree of power. They are horrible gossipers, and often discover knowledge that wasn’t meant for their ears. Some Tori take advantage of their blood line and exert its power to gain status in social circles, then, after discovering some useful gossip, use that gossip to gain even further power through blackmail or simple exploitation. Because of this, Tori tend to be very close-beaked about personal matters. They know their kind and fear having their own problems get out into the world.

Tori do not readily take to adventuring, but they are not particularly rare either. In the Wilderness, Wild Tori usually send out their first born to go on some sort of a quest to prove that they can defend and support the Tori family unit after the previous generation eventually passes. It is not uncommon for Tori to be found searching for companions on these type of activities, hoping for strength in numbers. It is also very common for Tori families to adventure together, with several generations all joining together in order to conquer some foe or obtain some object of power.

Letters from Artorius III - Re. Creation Mythology

To the Legatus Legionis:

My lord, I write to you today with further news in our inquest into the very nature of this world. While we have been seeking knowledge regarding the nature of the Seed and its effect on this plane, we have also, at your behest, been researching how this plane came to be. As we have seen before, the planes have a vary greatly in terms of apotheosis; this one is highly unique. You will be pleased with the mythos that we have uncovered.

Legends record that this plane was created by three powerful entities, which go far beyond even what we would conceive of as gods, and are referred to by their collective name as the Kanpeki, a word which in our tongue translates to something akin to “perfection”. From these three Kanpeki, all other life on the world was formed.

The first, most powerful of the Kanpeki, Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, looks down, ever watching, but never interfering; she is a goddess of life and passion and continuously gives her life to all those that inhabit Kimyona, including the other two Kanpeki. The second Kanpeki, the god of the Sky, Hirosora, is said to be the eternal protector that encompasses and protects the people of Kimyona. The third and final Kanpeki, the goddess of the Earth, Chikyu, is said to be the birthing mother of all creation.

Legends tell that the first to inhabit Kimyona were the Great Beasts, 12 in total, which towered high above the surface of the world. The may have even been larger than some of the largest cities we had on Praetor. I do not doubt that to have walked the world during the time of these Great Beasts would have been a dangerous life indeed. However, the legends also tell that these Great Beasts were a creation that went unloved by their creators. They were mindless and incapable of communion. So, the Kanpeki sealed the Great Beasts away deep inside of the earth, inside of Chikyu herself; they called this act the unbirth.

The next creations to inhabit the world were the Elder Kami, what we would call gods. I spoke to you of their sacrifice in our previous letter. These Elder Kami represented all that is extraordinary in this world, from the greatest tree, to the most unassuming speck of sand. It may be confusing to think of them in this way, I apologize. I will have to elaborate on the Elder Kami more in a future letter. However, to state it briefly, these Kami possessed a fantastic spiritual essence to which the Kanpeki felt a great connection; they were allowed to exist through all time.

Millennia passed before the Kanpeki again decided to create again. This time, they birthed a vast variety of creatures, all of which were based off of the visual representation of the essence belonging to the Kami themselves. Though we have yet to see these Kami with our eyes, it would seem that all the races of this world were made in their image. A fascinating prospect really. The Dragons of Praetor would find it so at least, were they still with us.

What happened from there is contained within the history books of this land. I will elaborate on that more later, once we have had more time to peruse through these texts. May your lordship find this information useful in our quest for understanding.

Your ever faithful servant,

Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Letters from Artorius II - Re. The Seed of Azatar

To the Legatus Legionis:

Our investigation of this world continues. This world is surely dying; we have found the seed of Azatar and it was right in front of our eyes all this time. I am sure that you have seen its shell, the great glowing pink shield was seen from our fleet as we past Kimyona. I believe that you may in fact be gazing down upon it as you read this. All you need do is look out the window of your cruiser and you will notice the giant orb far below, breaking through the sea of endless clouds.

I regret so say that I do not currently know how far along the seed has come in its gestation, though I will say, the signs of its growth are everywhere. In my previous letter, I wrote to you regarding the weather patterns that continuously ravage this world. I cannot help but think that the seed is, the, root cause of it all.

As you have commanded, my brethren and I have made contact with many of the people of Kimyona, the diverse and varied lot that they are, and have been able to ascertain several facets of knowledge about the coming of Azatar’s Seed. I will say that speaking to so many in so many different tongues has left me quite exhausted. I will write to you more about them in the future. Through this interaction, we learned much about “The Legend” of the Seed of Azatar.

The people of Kimyona believe that the Seed impacted their plane approximately ten thousand years ago. It is truly remarkable that the impact of the Seed did not destroy the plane itself, as it has done in so many times about the planes. The people of this world tell of a great host of Kami, what we would call Gods on our world; these Kami so loved this world that they gave up the vast majority of their great power in order to save this plane. They encased the Seed in a great magical barrier. The barrier contained the majority of the Seed’s impact, though they could contain it all. It split the land around the point of impact destroying a massive empire. Though their sacrifice preserved the majority of life on Kimyona, the destruction of this empire, and the aftermath of the impact, caused a great deal of chaos on this plane. What followed is still unclear, but it relates to the coming of a man, a member of what is called here humankind; this man, known as the Kotei, or emperor in our language, put an end to the chaos and united the peoples of Kimyona.

We will continue our search for knowledge and I will inform you with all haste whatever we find out about the Seed and this Kotei. For now, this is all.

Your ever faithful servant,

Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Letters from Artorius I - Re. The Rain That Never Ceases

To the Legatus Legionis:

My Lord, it has been too long since we last met in person. Our endeavors here on Kimyona are going swimmingly. Given your position in high orbit, I thought it relevant to report on our findings here. I hope you will find this information most fascinating.

This world is a strange one indeed, but ecologically speaking, not so dissimilar to our old world. From orbit, I am sure you have seen the massive clouds that cover most of this world’s face. From here, you would know just how far those clouds spread. The world is covered in a constant rain, which opens only in tiny pockets to let in beams of sun. However, vegetation seems to be unaffected, as though this rain were literally giving life to everything below. We have begun to conduct studies on the moisture here, but so far, tests fail to produce anything conclusive. However, these tests have yet to indicate anything out of the ordinary.

Contrary to the rain, which is constant and ever changing, the weather here varies significantly by region. Many areas of the world experience extreme heat, turning rain to steam almost as soon as these droplets hit the ground. Other areas, feature extreme cold, rain turning to ice before it even hits the ground. Other areas of the world have vast winds which have been known to even knock our Praetorians off of their feet unless anchored firmly to the ground.

Despite all of these strangeness in temperament, the people of this world go on as though it were the norm. It appears as though they have simply learned to live with these changes in their plane without ever thinking about the cause or origin of the shift. I fear they may not understand these signs and portents. Their world is assuredly dying my lord. It is as we expected. Perhaps this world will prove useful in our studies after all. I truly believe that our efforts on Kimyona will serve most fruitful.

Your ever faithful servant,
Justus Artorius, Primus Pilus, Centurion of the First

Genesis Journal #18 - Describing Worlds, 1st Person FTW

So, I have been rethinking how I want to describe my new setting. Let's just say that I really like writing letters, which is a bit of a problem in this day and age, when we never really write letters that much anymore.

One of the interesting points in my setting, which I may not have pointed out before, is the nature of the foreigners, the outsiders, that come to the world and have a part to play in the world. Given the fact that that the setting is taking a very, very Japanese style the farther into setting development that I get, I thought that the best way to develop this, outsider, is by modeling them after another well known human empire, the Romans.

I wouldn't call this race of interplanar visitors as being necessarily good, or evil, or even human, but I like the way the Roman Empire offers up images of Order and Power, two things that I want this outsider race to bring along with them to the world of the Mad Lands.

Getting back to the point of this post, I think that describing this world in the 1st person sounds like an interesting prospect, especially when you describe it from the point of view of that outsider, who is just as foreign to the world as the reader is; I think that gives them a way to connect. The reason I say all of this is because I will be posting these letters up on the blog from now on. They will be going on Obsidian Portal as well, for good measure, but I want to put them up here too in order to get feedback from all of my readers. Comments are always appreciated.

RPG Blog Carnival - Spirits of the 7th Sea Pt. 1

One of the new games that I want to talk about for this month’s RPG Blogger’s carnival is Spirits of the 7th Sea, a game designed around the Spirits of the Century Fate system which is used in the Dresden Files RPG. Right now, I am participating in a Play by Post game of Spirits of the 7th Sea at the RPG Table Talk forums, hosted by RPG Circus http://www.rpgtabletalk.com/.

So far, we haven’t gotten much further than character generation, but all those involved are having a great time already. The use of Aspects, while a bit confusing, seems like a really interesting mechanic which I am looking forward to getting to know a lot better in the days to come. One of the other things that I really like so far is the ease of character creation. The simplicity of the skill system is a really nice change from what I get most of the time in D&D. Essentially, Skills in SotC combine the core statistics of a character, combat skills, and utility skills all into one. Flushing out my character this way was really fun.

The other fun element of character creation in SotC are the stunts. From what I have seen so far, comparing SotC to D&D 4e, Stunts are something like Feats and Powers melded together. You can buy Stunts during by spending refresh at the beginning of the game. For every Stunt you buy, you recrease the amount of refresh you get by a single point. Refresh serves as a method for gaining FATE, one of the most important parts of the SotC system. Using FATE points to get bonuses is kind of what the whole system is all about (thus, the FATE system). Stunts hinge off of skills and encompass things like Brawling in hand to hand, to Swordsman Schools, and giving your character magical powers through Sorcery.

I have really only just started playing in this game, but I am sold. It seems like a great change from what I usually play; next time, I’ll post my character up here for all to see. Look forward to it and go check out a game that uses FATE. You’ll be glad that you did.

Domain Game - The Empire of Trobosk

I happen to be another one of those lucky guys playing in the Domain game over at Hill Cantons. I don't want to give away too much about my nation (because a lot of it hasn't even been developed yet), but here is some background for my Nation, Trobosk.

Overview

The Barbarian Clans of Trobosk once roamed the lands, unhindered for centuries. Throughout their history they moved freely through the mountains, valleys and the forests, making a living for themselves as best they could. They abided the coming dwarves, who, centuries ago set up their mines in the heart of a great valley, at the center of the lands Trobosk called their own. They watched as the Dwarf operation grew and grew, but they would not make war against them. The Dwarves had their goals, they wanted the Mithral. Trobosk would settle for that. They believed that coexistence was possible.

But, the Dwarves did not remain forever, and after several hundred years, new invaders came to the land. These enemies, Elves and Orcs, had greater ambitions and spread like a wildfire through their forests. Goblins came too and built their empires in the now vacant mines of the Dwarves – at least the Goblins did not encroach upon Trobosk. If they wanted to occupy the lands that were lost, the Barbarians had little to say about that, but the Elves….they wanted the forests for themselves and they had the longevity and the power to take it. The Orcs were also a problem. Trobosk could not compete with them on a level playing field. Their numbers were simply too great, and their power too strong.

Now, the many Barbarian Clans of Trobosk are a nation in blood and bond, but have been uprooted from the lands they once called their own. They must find new lands to lay claim to. They must go where the world is free and open and hopefully take a piece of that world for themselves.

Culture and Government

Trobosk is a nation without any current lands to call their own. What used to be the lands of their nation has now been taken away by Orcs, Elves, and to some extent Goblins. However, Trobosk is a nation of people united by a common culture and ancestral history.

Trobosk is governed by a council of Witch Doctors. Each of the clans is led by three individuals; the Witch Doctor, the Shaman, and the Warlord. The Shaman tends to the spiritual needs of the people, communicating with the gods and blessing warriors, the Warlord leads the warriors of Trobosk in Battle against Orcs, Elves, and whatever other enemies the clans may face, and the Witch Doctor is the keeper of knowledge and ultimately the leading voice of the Clan. Each of the clans shares a similar blood, so a Witch Doctor may be chosen from anywhere within the clan. The main deciding factor in this choice is who presents an aptitude with Magic. It is said that from within each clan, only one will be born each generation who possesses any skill in arcana. This individual will become the new Witch Doctor when he or she has come of age.

Brom Wolf’s Maw

Brom is the new Witch Doctor to the Wolf Clan, one of the stronger, more respected clans of Trobosk. Although his clan is marked for their physical strength, Brom is not. At birth, he was considered to be very much the runt of the clan. He was physically weak and could never lay a very hard punch. However, around the age of 5, the Clan Witch Doctor witnessed Brom, unknowingly, perform a bit of magic. From that time, his initiation as a Wtich Doctor began. He was taught to read and write the script of the Barbarians. From that he gained the respect destined to members of his line.

Brom, the once small member of the clan, now stands about 6’5”. He is very tall, even for the Wolf Clan. He is somewhat muscular, but he lacks the physical presence of the rest of the Wolf Clan. Brom has lightish brown skin, a long black braided beard, and long black hair. He is heavily tattooed from neck to foot, and has numerous piercings in his ears, nose, and lips.