Thursday, 31 December 2020

Post Good Book Lag... Lightstone Series Book review

 Everyone who reads feels this at some point in their reading life, usually a lot more than once. This for me though is the worst I have possibly ever had it and it's definitely lasting longer than normal as well. 

The Lightstone by David Zindell
The First in the Lightstone Series of Books by David Zindell

The books I am suffering withdrawal symptoms from are the Lightstone Series by David Zindell, (/the link to the first of the series is HERE). I first came across the author David Zindell when I was 15 and I read his science fiction book Neverness, which was the first real hard science sci-fi book I had ever read, it was also full of philosophy and concepts that quite literally altered the way I chose to live. To say it had a massive effect on me is an understatement. So, when I saw he had written some fantasy books I was hugely interested as that was really the genre I was interested in back then.

I read the first one when it came out in 2001 and read it and loved it, then I read the second book in the series that came out and loved that, but then I got confused. The second book that came out is the second part of Book 1, I then must have gotten the wrong book and got lost and put them to one side and forgotten about them until recently. The gaps in publication and life at the time meant I just got lost and confused with what I had or hadn't read. I was also a massive bibliophile and had hundreds of books to read (now sadly lost)

Fate landed me in a position where I have a lot of free time on my hands and I had recently been in contact with the author and it had sparked my enthusiasm to read the books properly and in the correct order. So I got the kindle version and sat down to read it. And it was as good as I remember. 

I am not going to go into detail with the plot, that's up to you to discover! Suffice to say it's a series set around a good old set of quests and an age long struggle between good and evil, as a lot of fantasy books are. The difference I got from these is that the struggle is really boomin difficult and the evil is truly nasty and has consequences not just to the world, but the whole universe if it succeeds. There is a real feeling of peril and risk in the books. 

David has also managed to work in themes and hints of mythology from our own world and past, leaving you wondering about the placing of the books. Are they in our past, in our far future, or are they just in a parallel universe that has close mirrors to our own. I have tried to ask him and he has been evasive in his answers!

The one thing I did find with these books is that I got so involved with the characters and plot that I genuinely felt I was living it with them. I even started dreaming about it, which has happened so rarely in my rather long reading life that it is quite important for me. This Is why I am suffering such an immense feeling of loss now I have finished the series. I wake up wanting to know how Maram is doing and missing the fact I have no epic struggle to read and enjoy during the day. Finishing these books has left a huge void. 

The books are not an easy read, there are long periods of quite intense dialogue and when it gets bleak it gets REALLY bleak to the point I felt quite lost. David has a deep interest in philosophy and like his science fiction works, these philosophical themes are worked through in the books, this can lead to some of the heavy dialogue, but bear with it, it's worth it!

They are nearly twenty years old now, but they definitely stand the time test and have not aged at all. Please give them a go. 

Rich 2020

Get your Sh*t together

 On the eve of a new year, after an absolutely rubbish year some of us are starting to think about how it can possibly get any worse. It's worth remembering that Mad Max was set in 2021 and Cyberpunk was 2020.

So with that in mind it's time to crack out a classic game and get into the spirit of chaos and catastrophe and play Aftermath! 

Aftermath TTRPG
Aftermath, failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

I played it ages ago and it was a good game, I can't remember anything about the system, sorry, it kind of felt a little bit like Traveller but more dirty and simplified. What I can remember about it though is it did make me think about what would happen in this situation and I did start making plans and lists on things I needed to sort out in the even of the end of civilisation as we know it. They used to say roleplaying, especially Dungeons and Dragons was a gateway into demon worship and Satanism, well, all it did with me was get me interested in a survivalism a bit and learned quite a few handy skills.

Us old gits are hard to kill.
If you see an old-un in a post apocalypse setting, they are alive for a reason, they are tough!

Anyway, Aftermath is well worth hunting down and giving it ago. 


Wednesday, 23 December 2020

First ever time...

 The year is 1988, I was just about to turn 15 and I was just starting to get more into roleplaying. I had experienced Warhammer Fantasy Battle and I was already used to buying and painting miniatures, but I kept hearing about roleplaying games, and I wanted to find out more. 

Now, I have absolutely no idea how I found out about it, there was no social media then, it may even have been an advert in a local advertiser paper come to think about it, but anyhow, I got a telephone number for a man that was part of a roleplaying club in a slightly bigger village near where I lived. The club met on Sunday's and I was more than welcome to go along.

My dad, bless his cotton socks, was happy to take me over there on a Sunday, drop me off and then pick me up at four in the afternoon. Thus was arranged my first ever trip to a roleplaying club, with actual adults.

It met in a village hall and they had a large table ready set out with books, dice and polystyrene cups of coffee and hot chocolate. I was warmly welcomed and introduced to the rest of the group. They were playing GURPS and I was helped and guided through the really confusing process of getting a character together. I had no idea what was going on AT ALL! I just did what they told me. 

Gurps screen
GURPS DM Screen. I had no idea what was going on...


I was massively impressed, one of the chaps there had an actual chain mail pencil case. It was Awesome!

I only went a few times, I embarrassed myself badly by laughing at a totally inappropriate joke and spitting hot-chocolate over all the books and maps over the table, and I felt I could never return after that.

I moved from the area not long after anyway and found a small group called Myrddins Circle (Merlin's Circle) in the little coastal town where I now live. And that was where I truly found my roleplaying feet. I started going every Sunday to the University club at the student Uni where I my friend and other old Git the Armoured Wizard who I have stayed in contact with now for over thirty years.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that I have never come across a more social hobby than this, the only other one that has come close was climbing which is super friendly. Roleplaying has given me confidence and some really strong long term friends, who I cherish and always will. My one regret from that period of my life is that I have no photographs of us all. 

I will have a 10" Spicy mexican Pizza and a pint of strawberry milk tonight in memory of the many happy hours spent at the Student Union Roleplaying Club. 



Monday, 21 December 2020

Gaming music

 This one goes out in memory of Wargaming Dave. He may or may not still be alive, but given his predilection for substance abuse and general poor state of health, and the fact I last saw him well over twenty five years ago, chances are slim. 

Dave was an ex bomb disposal officer, he was slightly deaf  FROM TOO MANY BLASTS, he then joined the fire brigade and then got pensioned off with an injury. Dave spent most of his free time abusing substances and wargaming. He had an excellent set up for Warhammer and a decent amount of miniatures and we spent hours at Dave's playing a really basic version of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, with very little magic, only magic items and weapons and no spells or wizards. It worked well for us. 

Anyway, Dave was a bit of a character, he had a Battle Axe I used to drool over and we used to listen to very cool music at Dave's and listen to stories of the Hawkwind concerts he had been to. The one musician he did introduce me too was Bo Hanson, a Swedish musician who used to play keyboards for Jimi Hendrix, but had a good solo career as well. He would rent an island in the middle of a fjord with some friends and make music. 

One album he did was music inspired by Lord of the Rings and this is what Dave used to play a lot, and it was perfect for us, the atmosphere, the games, the whole situation. Dave said when it came out you either tripped out to Dark Side of the Moon or Bo Hanson's Lord of the Rings. 

It's stayed one of my all time favourite albums ever since, and one I play a lot when painting or gaming, or just chilling out and remembering the good old days in the early nineties. 

Anyway, enjoy....




Saturday, 19 December 2020

The Weapon that games forgot.

 The Poleaxe

Poleaxe
The Poleaxe... Awesome!


These things rock and are missed out of AD&D 2nd Edition (The one and true edition). They were the most common weapon of nobility in later medieval Europe and they are totally underrated. 

It's characteristics are thus. They are about five to six feet long, have a large spike at the end and a shorter spike at the butt of the pole. They have a hammer one side and an axe or bill on the other. In combat you would use them to hook, smash, stab and generally batter. Armoured men on foot would smash at their opponents armour until the sliding rivets stopped working, the plates got bent and the man in the armour essentially seized up, then they would get them onto the floor to finish them off. 

Of course they could get lucky and land a sound head shot that would crush the skull inside the helmet or just render them totally senseless. 

Against lightly armoured people they are amazing. You can keep adversaries away due to the length of the weapon, and hammers in general are nasty! They do a lot of damage. The Poleaxe was like the swiss-army knife of medieval weapons, but whereas a Swiss army knife is a bit crap at anything because they try to do too much, the poleaxe was just brilliant. 



In terms of AD&D 2nd Edition, the Lucern Hammer is the closest, I guess but the Lucern hammer is not really the correct term, Poleaxe is the correct, generic name and covers all the variants. I don't think the stats do them justice, but you have to work within the limitations of the game, everyone would have one if it was too perfect, in the middle ages though, most people did have them, They were that good. 


Thursday, 17 December 2020

Historical Accuracy

 Now this is a controversial topic for a blog that is dedicated to fantasy (and some sci-fi) roleplaying. What is the point of historical accuracy in RPG and should we even consider it?

I feel first I need to start with a bit of background for where this is coming from. I used to do a lot of living history of various periods, mostly medieval and Viking. I am friends with some of the finest practitioners of the historical displays, research and craft and have been very lucky to handle and used a lot of different types of weaponry and armour.

So this essay will discuss predominantly some of the issues with historical accuracy in arms and armour. 

A lot of what RPG combat is based on is supposition and from watching films... Sad to say, a lot of it is just plain rubbish. Swords worn on your back? Nope, you can't draw them easily. Two swords? Nope, it's a nightmare, believe me, I have tried (two short swords possibly). Being winched onto a horse in plate armour? Nope, a person in armour needs to be as agile and speedy as they can, it totally defeats the object if you can't move in it. I have seen men in very fine plate armour, run, roll on the ground and then stand up quickly and vault onto a horses back. All perfectly possible. 

The most common armour in the middle ages was cloth, it is comfortable, easy and cheap to make, plentiful and surprisingly very effective in battle. A padded jack can protect against blows and slashes, and with the addition of a mail shirt, very good against thrusts and stabs too. It's just not very sexy and does not look like armour.

padded jack armour
A padded Jack

I would rather a padded jack or gambeson over plate any day of the week. They are warm in cold weather, and counter-intuitively not too hot in summer. They are very comfortable to wear and just darn practical. In RPG's they tend to be ignored sadly. They are ignored in favour of leather. You wear a leather jacket and get hit by a hammer and then try the same thing wearing a jack and tell me which does more.

I used to get so fed up in LARP that people would wear leather trousers, thin leather and expect it to be classed as armour, which it often would be. Leather clothing does NOTHING to protect you. I stopped allowing it to be classed as armour in the games I was running.

Mail is excellent, but on it's own is a bit pants. It's good at stopping glancing blows and poor thrusts, but hard blows and thrusts will do significant damage. Most heavily armoured people fought with hammers and maces, the intention being to smash the armour up so it made it harder to move, then get your opponent on the floor and then poke them with something sharp and thin into the visor, or armpit or groin. You hit someone squarely in the head with a warhammer, even if they are wearing a nice helmet, they are going down. 

This is the main point really of armour, it's to deflect the bad shots, and to help a bit with the good shots. This is one thing that the crit, the natural 20 is good at representing. A really good shot will kill regardless of the armour that is over the top, especially if you hit them in the head. An extra dice roll to determine location of the critical blow is a good way to decide this. 

I try to use common sense and a bit of historical knowledge when I am gaming, I don't want to destroy peoples fantasies, but there is an ultimate point of armour and that is to protect. Mail bikinis do nothing, they may look good but please don't try to claim it's armour!

My advice is, use a hammer, wear cloth armour and smack the crap out of everything that moves.  

We would really be interested to hear your thoughts on this and how you go about putting in a bit of history into your FRPG.

Old Git Rich 2020
 


ADVENTURE... What Lurks Within.

 This is an adventure that although it is intended for AD&D 2nd Edition, it is easily convertible for any system. It is VERY basic, it was written to help introduce young players to AD&D and to table-top roleplaying and intended for a small party of first level players. It's a very simple dungeon crawl with a couple of traps and some very simple and easy to kill monsters. Feel free to download it and use it as you see fit and we hope you enjoy it! 


The brave adventurers find themselves at the entrance to an old temple that local legend tells is haunted and that no one who ventures near it ever returns. The forest surrounding the hill where the cave opens up is dark and silent, no animals have been seen on the approach and no birds can be heard in the trees.

The hill can be seen rising up out of the forest and becomes clearer as the trees thin closer to the hill. It’s a barren and rocky outcrop that rises a hundred feet or more above the tree tops and can be seen for many miles around.

As you approach the sheer face of the hill you see a dark opening in the rock face, it is a natural cave entrance, but you can only see in a few feet before it becomes too dark. The floor is dry but covered in bones and the smell coming from inside is foul. A short but twisting passageway ends in a solid oak door.

 

AD&D Map What Lurks Within



1.       The door is unlocked and well maintained door. Behind it there is a short corridor leading into a square room. The room is unlit and about twenty feet square. In the torchlight you can see an entrance leading out midway on the western wall. There is a short passage ending in another door.

2.       Trap… Players to take intelligence test, if failed by both whoever walks down first steps on a pressure plate and the person immediately behind them must save against dexterity or take 1D4 damage as a sharp metal rod is thrust into their legs at hip height from a small hole in the wall.

3.       There is light coming from underneath the door. The door into this room is not locked but will need forcing. Strength test, there is room for more than one person to push at the door. If they decide to listen quietly they can hear sounds of movement coming from the room behind the door.  The room itself is large, and slightly “L” shaped there two exits, one in the south wall and one in the west wall. Inside the room there are three Goblins, with associated treasure. There is nothing else of interest, just furs on the floor, scraps of their food and belongings.

4.       Short corridor opens up into another twenty foot roughly square room.  It’s dark in hear and messy. There are broken boxes and chests scattered all around. If the party search it, they will find a small wooden box, that feels heavy. It is buried under piles of rubbish so is easily missed, an intelligence test is needed to spot it. Hidden inside are a few coins, D20 CP, D12 GP and D4 PP. There is a passageway that leads out to the south. The foul smell gets stronger closer to the door that is the exit. The door is hidden behind piles of rubbish that look as though they have been put there deliberately. The door is locked and very strong. There is a keyhole and nothing the party can do will open it. It resists lock picking and any magic used to try to unlock it.

5.       This is a long corridor that heads south from room 3, it is dark and damp, water is dripping from the ceiling and the floor underfoot is wet and slick. About thirty feet down the passageway the party can either turn to the east or carry on heading south.

6.       The passageway south is dark, and damp. There are alcoves off either side of the passageway every ten feet, but there is a passageway leading off to the east after forty feet down the passageway, it is opposite another alcove.

7.       Alcove has a small statue in it, it is trapped, if moved it releases a cloud of gas that inflicts d6 poison damage unless they can save against it. Underneath the statue is hidden a small bronze key.

8.       Room, twenty feet wide and about thirty feet long. There are plinths every few feet down each side of the room. The room has nothing is empty except for bones and scraps of cloth and leather etc. There are three Carrion crawlers are hidden in the shadows behind the statues in the furthest corners of the room and they will attack when approached.

9.       A short corridor leads east, there is a faint light coming from the room ahead.

10.   A rectangular room twenty by forty feet. There is an opening in the south wall. The room is lit by a few torches on the walls, it is very smoky and the air is bad in here. If the party is quiet on entering they are able to take the lone goblin in here by surprise. If the goblin is disturbed he runs off down the stairs out of the room to the south.

11.   A small circular room that is reached by going down a flight of stairs. It is also lit by torches but it is small and contains three goblins. The room itself has a small alter and a small and grotesque statue on it to the Goblin deity. It is roughly made out of bronze. If searched the alter has a secret panel behind it and inside is a small chest which can be unlocked with the small key found in room 7. Inside the chest is a much larger and older iron key and a small handful of coins and gems. D20+10 CP. D12+4 GP. D6+1 PP. D4 worth D20 GP.

12.   The passageway winds its way a long to room 13. It is dark and no sounds can be heard coming from further along.

13.   A dark and large room, nearly thirty feet square. There is evidence the goblins use this room as their main dwelling. There are furs on the ground, chests with food and barrels of oil and goblin ale. There is a passage out leading south from the south wall. There is nothing of any value in this room.

14.   The room is reached by a long passage. On turning the corner to the room, the party will see a door with light coming from underneath it. Inside is the chief of the small goblin tribe that uses this old temple as it’s base. He is much bigger and tougher than the other goblins and keeps the spoils of their raids in this room.

 

THAC0 17 AC 4 HP 8 Damage D6+1

 

Treasure in the room is D100 +10 CP. D20+20 GP . D20 PP

D6 Gems worth D20 GP each.

A +1 Dagger and a +1 Longbow are also stashed in the room.

Two healing positions that restore D10 HP

There are sleeping furs and food in the room but little else when searched thoroughly.

15.   When the party finds the key and manages to open the door, it is pitch black inside and the smell is hideous. The room is circular, about twenty feet across and is strewn with bones and rags. A search finds D6 CP. D6 GP and old rusty weapons of no value. There is an doorway to the south.

16.   A long passageway leads to a cross where the party can go South, east or west. Very dark.

17.   Dead end, a hidden section in the wall has nothing inside it. Intelligence test to find it.

18.   Passage ends in a door to room 20.

19.   Large room, covered in bones and rubbish. There is nothing in this room of value. Secret door to room 21. There is a passageway that leads off to room 20.

20.   Square room, appears empty but has a rust monster lurking inside.

21.   A natural passageway leads to this natural cavern, inside we find why the room that led here was kept locked by the goblins, inside the cavern is the source of the foul smell. There are many bones littering the floor and the smell is really strong. The goblins would capture people from outside and bring them here to feed to the Ghoul that dwells here and has done for many centuries, it is the reason the abandoned temple has such a dark history and reputation.

Old Git Rich 2020 

 

 




Wednesday, 16 December 2020

New art old school

The interwebs are a wonderful thing. We have been on Twitter meeting new and old gamers and came across this chap @fersalvaterra, he does really and I mean, REALLY nice artwork for maps etc. It's proper old school in the way it looks and feels and we are really digging it. 

old school maps
Awesome old school maps



So we are going to help the chap and get it more spread if we can as it really deserves a look. His art can be purchased HERE and please, go and spend some of your hard earned as it really looks worth it. 

old school maps
Fine Old School Maps



You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but can you teach an old Git new tricks?

Dice
The Dice Gods are getting lonely


We have heard the jokes here at OG&D HQ that Zoom meetings are modern day seances, "Can you hear us Gladys? I can see you but can't her you... Move something if you can hear us..." and in this time of plague and pestilence, it befalls on us to be more imaginative in order to safely game.

But...

Does it work? Is it the same sort of feeling when you sit down behind your computer screen to start playing? Personally I have not tried it, and I am thinking about it more and more, the more I miss the rattle of dice and the groans of anguished players. 

What we really need is a comprehensive list of ways to make virtual Teams / Zoom games more fulfilling and enjoyable. So, I am putting this out to you, what tools are out there (bearing in mind the Od Gits are OLD and need help with modern technology at times) to make online games with real people more entertaining and comfortable. 

Please help an old Git that is desperate to game and is finding the realm of virtual, scary, in a Temple of Elemental Evil kind of way. 

Rich 2020

PS... Invites to join virtual games also welcome. 

AD&D Linking generations.



 I came across THIS  just, it's really touching. Makes me wonder how many of us can relate to this. I know I lot of my old gaming friends have grown up, had kids who have now also grown up and are gaming ages themselves. Kids from gamer families tend, in my experience, to be well rounded and friendly individuals who are open and generally intelligent and well read.

It would be interesting to hear of your experiences of gaming with your offspring. I am planning a taster game for my step-kids and hope to pass on the fun of gaming. My nephew I know has gotten well into gaming and borrowed (and wrote in*) my beloved AD&D 2nd Edition players handbook. 


The Book of Dreams
The Book of Dreams



*I have since forgiven him.


Fear and Loathing in Forgotten Realms

 I can remember it vividly, the feeling at opening the poster sized maps of the most epic and huge dungeon crawl ever.... Undermountain. I got it second hand and the paper had a slight musty smell (fear... It smelled of fear) and was already had grease spots from fallen Wotsits and Pringles.   

Oh how I cackled when I thought of the punishments I was going to meet out to my party (why do DM's always refer to the party they game with as theirs?*). They were going to work! Hours of torment and mapping on paper and arguments and sheer joy. 

This THIS is what gaming is all about. Undermountain is, for me, one of the purest AD&D games ever, it's got all I ever looked for in a game setting. Endless dungeons, loads of scope for adding on bits, changing the traps, working it into any story and any setting you can think of. 

The maps as, an aside are a work of art, I can stare and plan over a map, any map for hours. There is something beautiful in a well drawn map.

It's been a few years since I have played now, lots of moving house, job changes, country changes even... I am back in my old home town so I am going to dig it out of whatever box it's ended up in and start drawing up new plans, new evil, for whatever gamers I can gather together into a party. 

Long live Undermountain!

Undermountain maps
Undermountain Map... The stuff dreams (nightmares) are made of


*This is a philosophical question that possibly deserves further discussion on both sides of the DM screen. Please feel free to send in comments on if as a DM you feel like you own your party, or as a player you feel either owned, or more anarchically free? 



Rich 2020

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Memories of lead...

 There is something that comes to mind about my early days of roleplaying and wargaming, and that is the feeling of excitement when walking into a gaming shop in the late 80's and seeing rack upon rack of blister packs of miniatures, rows of paints, display cabinets with dice in and shelves of books of rules for games I had never even heard of at that time. 

I myself was just getting into Warhammer Fantasy Battle. I had gotten a load of things to get me started, but periodically, I would venture over to my nearest big town with a shop, with my other gaming friend, and we would spend an hour or so in the shop looking at packs of miniatures. I used to look mostly at the Citadel miniature packs, but I was always drawn to the Ral Partha figures to one side of the shop. They always seemed slightly exotic, made for games I new nothing about. They had solid cast metal bases, and a fine and crisp detail that looked less cartoonlike than the citadel miniatures. 

I didn't get any for years as I was so obsessed with Games Workshop and Citadel miniatures, but when I was older and got into AD&D (2nd Edition) I returned to Ral Partha as a source of some miniatures for my adventures. 

It's been years since I painted and I kind of assumed that Ral Partha had long since ceased to be, so I was overjoyed to see they are still going! I just spent a very pleasant wee while perusing their range and I know I am going to be spending some more time and money there in the very near future. 

That thrill I felt at walking into the shop aged 14 has come back, over thirty years later.... I need to get my paints out. 


Ral Partha Trolls U18-4004 Trolls
Ral Partha Trolls... I need them.




Rich December 2020 OG&D

Friday, 11 December 2020

Welcome travellers... Rest your weary feet.

 Hello there.

This has been an idea a few of us have been mulling about for some time now. A lot of us gamers are getting on a bit, we have been playing table-top roleplaying games for as long time and, let's face it, things aren't as good as they were in the old days!

Call us curmudgeonly old gits if you like, but we have fond memories of quests gone by, tall tales of dungeons crawled and ales quaffed. 

We know we are not alone and we feel that there should be a home for folk like us to gather, meet up, exchange ideas and reminisce about times gone by.

If you would like to be part of the OGnD get in touch and lets see what we can do with this! All ideas and experience welcome.


Contact us here at oldgitsanddragons@gmail.com