10 RPG Books Bandwagon - Zombie Apocalypse Edition

Tough! Real, real tough!

I'll pretty much jettison any Collector considerations. If I'm stuck on a desert island, or in a Zombie-Apocalypse proof underground shelter, I don't think I'll be worrying about my Collection. Just what I want to game with. Hopefully, I'll have someone(s) other than Zombies to play with.

10 RPG books I would fight and dodge Zombies for, to take with me into exile.

1. The AD&D DMG. Gary's Masterpiece! No way I'm leaving that for the Zombies.

2. OSRIC - Black Blade Pub. HC. I can only pick ten, so I'll make a sacrifice and kill two birds with one stone. I'll take OSRIC and leave behind the AD&D PH & MM. It hurts, but it's efficient.

3. World of Greyhawk Folio - Just found a copy on ebay, the cover of which, isn't totally ragged out! It's currently in the hands of the USPS, but for purposes of this list I'll assume that the zombie-virus thingie won't hit the general population for a few more days. Otherwise it's the 83 Boxed Set.

4. Matt Finch's Tome of Adventure Design. Maybe, the most generally useful RPG book I own.

5. DCC RPG. For when I want to shake things up a bit. Also, fantastic art and tons of swipeable content.

6. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy.

7. City State of the Invincible Overlord. These last two because, well, they're fucking awesome! The Zombies shall not have them!

8. Fight On! HC Compendium 1, comprising issues 1-4.

9. Fight On! HC Compendium 2, comprising issues 5-8. These last two give me the most bang for my buck, for awesome gaming and reading material.

10. The First Fantasy Campaign. Fascinating. Historically important. One of my favorites.

Ok. Maybe collecting considerations influenced my list, just a little.

I was going to grab my S&W HC, the printing with the cool, white, metal logo. But, I have to be practical. Zombies and all that. Combined with my own memory and ideas, I can Tailor OSRIC to whatever I want.

D&D Inspiration Cinema: The Warriors - With Bonus Random Table

For those who haven't seen it, here's the set-up for Walter Hill's 1979 cult classic The Warriors.

The leader of the most powerful gang in New York, Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs, calls a summit and invites most of the gangs operating in the city to attend. Cyrus wants everyone to unite and take on The Man. Cyrus has a lot of Charisma, if not Wisdom and when he intones "Can you dig it?" the majority of the assembled gang-bangers respond enthusiastically.

The Warriors are skeptical. But, they're not the only ones who aren't "Digging it." Luther, leader of the Rogues, decides to shake things up. Why?

"No Reason. I just like doing things like that."

So, being Chaotic Evil, he whips out a handgun and decisively ends the Summit. One of the Warriors sees what went down. The cops show up and in the ensuing chaos, Luther points and shouts, "The Warriors did it!" He then rushes Cleon, the Warriors' leader. Cleon takes him down, but just as Luther intended, other gang dudes join in and Cleon is overwhelmed. Word spreads. The Warriors killed Cyrus!

Far from their own "turf," the Warriors spend the rest of the movie trying to get back to Coney Island. While hundreds of colorfully dressed gang dudes, intent on vengeance, try to kill them all!

Wikipedia tells me that the movie is based on Sol Yurick's 1965 novel of the same name. Which, was based on Anabasis by Xenophon. The Warriors has since spawned two video games, toys and comic books.

So. Place Cyrus in a D&D type setting. Mid or high fantasy, with plenty of adventuring groups and mercenary companies. Maybe add some demonic backing and you've got a potentially campaign changing event.

Following the film more closely, we can set it in a major city and have some asshole like Luther kill the new messiah. Maybe a Disintegrate spell, or Sphere of Annihilation. Of course, the PC's get framed for it and now have hundreds of adventuring type dudes, henchmen and hirelings, chasing them through the city and out for blood!

Bringing us to:

Twelve Reasons the Rival Adventuring Party is Trying to Kill You All!

1. They want to kill you and take your stuff!
2. They do side work for the authorities, who think the PC's have gotten too big for their britches.
3. A PC bedded a Barmaid, who previously caught the eye of some other bad-ass adventurer.
4. "That Dungeon is Ours!"
5. Trying to make a name for themselves.
6. "No Reason. I just like doing things like that."
7. God/Devil/Space Alien told them to do it!
8. Hired by any one of no doubt numerous people, that the PC's have managed to piss off!
9. "Join us or Die!"
10. A PC looked at one of them "the wrong way."
11. Revenge. Possibly a Frame-Up.
12. "Let's you and him fight," orchestrated by a shadowy entity, seeking to remove potential threats.

Now, we'll see if I can manage to turn this into a series.

In which I Dust off the Blog, Pay Homage to the Iron Crown and Unduly Alarm Myself

Let's See if I can Get Back Into this Blogging Thing

I haven't gamed in months! Haven't really worked on anything game related either, though I've got a campaign idea, kicking around in the back of my head. More on that, anon. Bought some stuff, though.

I.C.E., I.C.E., Baby!

Rolemaster! It's not just an RPG...

It's The Law!

Boxed set, with the three main 2nd edition books, a setting module and a little something extra, the Creature & Treasure book.

Brisco: "Can we play it?"

Me: "Yeah, but I'd rather start you out with D&D."

Brisco: "Why? Is this more complicated?"

Me: "Yeah, you can say that..."

Brisco: "Well, I don't really have to know the rules, anyway."

True dat!

Oh, No!!!

So, I open up the box and start inspecting my new, used Rolemaster books. Part of said inspection being sticking my nose into the middle of the books and giving them the sniff test, just to make sure that...

"WTF?"

It was fairly faint. Undetectable, unless you stuck your nose right up to the pages. But there was the unmistakable odor of... something. Something that smelled too damn similar to mildew, for my comfort level.

Fuck!

It wasn't damp, or musty, though. Real pungent. Faint enough that my olfactory apparatus quickly filtered the odor. I couldn't quite get a handle on it. The books themselves, looked fine! No moisture damage, or staining.

Still, mold can be invisible and on your RPG items, isn't something to take lightly. That shit can spread to adjacent items! 

Oh, the Horror!!!!!

I couldn't release the Rolemaster stuff into my general collection, until I was sure it wasn't some sort of moldy growth! So, with no other option, I sought an outside opinion.

Everyone has at least one Superpower

My ex-wife has a super-sniffer. Something that's caused me no small amount of consternation, over the years. So, I consulted her and her nose.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What?" An ex-wife can imbue a staggering amount of wariness, into that one, simple sentence.

"Smell this and tell me if it smells like mildew. I don't think it is, but..."

So, she smells it. And makes the kind of face that someone with super-olfactory powers might make, after sticking their nose into a litter box. She sniffs it again.

"Cheap ink. And a little bit of tobacco smoke."

"Cheap ink?"

"Yeah. I used to be a typesetter, remember? That's cheap ink. Very, cheap ink."

Huh. Cheap ink I can live with. My own nose completely failed to detect the cig smoke.

Le Sigh

So. I now have Rolemaster. This means, there's no reason to put off my long-planned campaign, to collect the I.C.E. Middle-Earth supplements. 

"Ka-fucking-ching!"

Except, I plan on finishing Judges Guild, first. I'm getting closer. :)