Asmodeus: On the Nature of Lies

A Letter, sent by carrier Vrock , intercepted by three different spies, copied by two, the copies filed, the original arriving at its destination.

Lovely Glasya,

No doubt, the current weather in Minauros is to your tastes. The little fetch devils, scurrying about your divan. Your Lord Mammon, bedecking you in scintillating jewels and rare perfumes. And as the armies of Hell wet their teeth on the blood of angels, you dutifully set about the task I set before you, for the sake of which, you sought council from your wise Father, writing:

"How is it, that forbidding the Priests and Clerics to engage in sexual dalliances, while secretly encouraging them to do so, is supposed to further our end of forcing them to forsake emotional ties with their fellows, reserving instead, all loyalties for their church?"

Your lack of perception in this area is, in the main, due to your ignorance of the nuances of human emotion.

Yet, you also write:

"...that Lie of Love, which we devils entertain, but sparingly."

Which, is nothing more than the sort of romantic twaddle, you ostensibly disparage!

A Lie is nothing more than the creation and relating of an idea about Truth.

Now, Truth is what one accepts, pretends, or models to be Actual, from one or more perspectives. A Lie may be made to oneself, to others, or to all parties involved.

Facts are not Truth. Facts are verbs and are usually Expressions and Manifestations of a conceived Truth, subject to the perceptive field of any given consciousness. In short, Facts are Lies, or events which may only be perceived by way of Lies and are another form of relating Truth.

Any Fact can only be interpreted by way of a subject's Imagination and Ideations, both mental and emotional, some of which are biologically based. Thus, Facts are subject to manipulation by further Lies.

Now, Truth may only be related, or apprehended by a Lie. An idea about the Truth. This idea, which is merely a Lie, then masquerades as Truth in the consciousness of those who fail to separate conceptions from actuality.

Thus, so-called Truths are Lies, some of which are more useful and amusing than others.

Perhaps, it would help you to see "Love," as a verb, instead of a noun.

Your "Loving" Father in Nessus,

Asmodeus

Final Revision: Grimoires of the Pact Insidious

I started working on a final revision of this, several months ago, as it was in need of some tweaking and tightening. While being awake for most of the night, I decided to pull it out and finish. 

Grimoires of the Pact Insidious

Upon discovery, these will appear to be a very handsome set of blank Spellbooks, of the sort Magic-Users use to permanently record spells and research. 

Also known as The Key to Darkest Destiny, the set will number from 9 to 12 identical volumes. Each will have a locking clasp on the side, and the set will come with a matching Key. If some means of checking for magic is utilized, the set will evince Alteration, Divination, Conjuration, and Summoning. Possession, if used as a type of magic in the GM's milieu, will be present, but not detectable.

If an attempt to analyze the magic is made, the caster may discover that the Key, which is attached to a gold chain and intended to be worn as a necklace, will grant a +1 bonus to all of the MU's Saves and doubles his capacity to memorize 1st level spells. Also, that the Key's magic will not activate until the MU has inscribed at least one spell into the Grimoires. Nothing else may be discovered by the more usual magical means, as the Grimoires are a Cursed item. 

The Key, which is where the true power of the item resides, cannot be destroyed by anything short of a Wish.  

If the character opts to use the Grimoires, the next time he gains a level, any unused slots in his Maximum Number of Spells bank will be filled and the new spells will be inscribed into the Grimoires, independent of the MU’s actions or wishes. This will be for the slots up to and including those gained by his level increase. There will be no need to determine whether or not the MU is capable of learning these spells and so long as the Grimoires are in his possession, he will always have and be able to utilize the maximum number of spells, which his Intelligence allows. 

During the MU's initial experience with the Grimoires, the spells which begin to appear within (to be chosen by the DM) will be comprised of some of the more popular choices, some utility spells and one or two of a dark or evil nature. Furthermore, research entries will begin appearing, apparently written in the Character’s hand, which will include information on some of the darker aspects of the art.

The MU will also discover, that any spellbooks that were previously in his possession, as well as any obtained from this point onward, transform, so as to conform to the Grimoires in all respects. If any or all of the Grimoires are destroyed, the replacements will also transform and so long as the Key is intact, 70% -90% of any spells lost and nearly all of the research notes, will re-appear in the new book, as if he had set about to reconstruct the lost data.

At this time, the MU may be rid of the Grimoires, by availing himself of a Remove Curse. If he does so, it will be as if he never saw or attempted to inscribe, know, etc., any of the spells from the Grimoires, save for in the case of those spells which the MU memorized at least once. All other phenomenon associated with the books will cease. Otherwise…

When the MU again, gains a new level:

1. A higher percentage of evil spells will begin appearing. Necromancy, conjuration/summoning spells, bindings, etc. The strange research notes will take an even darker turn.

2. A weird Augury like experience will assail him up to once a day, wherein profitable, albeit unscrupulous opportunities will be made known. Such as, he might suddenly become aware that the local Lord's wife is adulterous and with whom she is cavorting. Or, the location of that Lord's hidden treasure vault, along with information on what's guarding his wealth.

3. The MU will begin sensing the presence of another consciousness while he is studying his spells. Once per week the MU may communicate with this entity. It will have the knowledge and experience of a 16th level MU. The Other Awareness will not answer any questions regarding its origin or identity, nor will it reveal anything about the Grimoires. It will promise a great destiny, wealth, power and proffer useful advice to this end. 

There is a 1% cumulative chance that instead of the usual communication, the MU will suddenly be assailed by a feeling of dread and a desire to destroy the Key. This impulse will seem to come from both himself and the Other Awareness, and the MU may make a Saving Throw at -3, with the penalty decreasing by one for each time the dreadful experience has previously occurred. If successful, he will instantly know the nature of both the Grimoires and the awareness with which he has been in communication. Otherwise, the chance for this occurring resets back to 1%

4. There is a 5% per day, that the MU will spontaneously recall a spell to memory that was cast within the past 24 hours. This will only happen once, but afterwards, one time per day, the MU may try to recall a spell of his choice, with a 10% chance of success.

5. If a Teacher is necessary for level advancement, then the information garnered from the Other Awareness will suffice. Much of this will begin occurring in the dream state, or as entries in the Grimoires. Also, any costs associated with level advancement will be halved.

Images and Dreams of attaining great wealth and power will assail the MU constantly and specific, usually wicked ways of attaining power will be revealed, via the Auguries and aforementioned communications, as well as other avenues. As the MU continues to gain levels, the following additional phenomenon will occur:

1. The new spells which appear will be of the sort a truly evil magician would prefer and choose. Disturbing spells of the GM’s creation or taken from appropriately themed RPG supplements are encouraged. The notes appearing in the Grimoires will feature such items as formulae for Lichdom, Devil's Talismans and True Names of demons.

2. Strange coincidences and synchronicities will bring potential henchman, followers, associates, lovers, etc., across the MU's path. These will, of course, be rather nasty people. Some will be fanatically loyal. Weird priests of obscure sects might try to cast the character as a figure of prominence in their prophetic scriptures, seeking to aid or destroy the MU. Powerful Wizards serving the cause of Good, Paladins, Priests, etc., will begin hunting the MU, claiming him to be a champion of evil forces.

If the MU still retains the Grimoires when he reaches 12th level, he will be stuck with the spells known, regardless of what he does with the key. His memories will begin to alter, accounting for the discovery of the spells within the book, the research, etc. The MU may make a Saving Throw, to notice this happening.

If the MU hasn’t figured things out yet, the DM should offer enough clues to insure that he does. The Other Awareness is an evil, probable variant of the Character, one possible version of the MU amongst many. This consciousness exists in the future, in a parallel dimension, in the realms of potentiality and within the timeless psyche of the MU (all of which are true, from differing perspectives.)

The Character has slowly been transforming into this future version of himself. By this point, the MU has no doubt started performing in a rather vile manner, considering that most of his spell options are rather unwholesome. The auguries will still be useful, if less frequent. The communications will provide little new information, as the MU now has much of the knowledge and experience his future self was sharing. 

The process will continue until the MU reaches 16th level, at which point it will cease, along with most of the other weirdness, as he will have attained his destiny and become that evil manifestation with which he has been communicating. The Key will still provide the +1 bonus to saves and the doubling of 1st level spells, but all of the other powers and phenomenon will end. Henceforth, the MU will learn spells as normal.

More notes for the GM:

At all times, the MU's powers of choice remain. Even if he decides to follow the path of evil, he may not choose to do so in precisely the way his future self is advocating.

At the end of the process, he will most likely not become the Exact variant version of himself, with which he was in communication with at the beginning. The character's choices will ultimately determine the self he becomes. The magic of the Grimoires is such that it will create a link with the vilest, most powerful variant possible, but a synergy is at work, as the MU's Will begins to influence the events. He may gravitate towards a different variant, or create changes in the future self, with which he is in contact. Since it is himself, both statements will be true from a certain perspective. As the process progresses and then nears its end, the GM should gradually bring the future self into alignment with where the MU seems to be taking the character. Instead of “Evil,”  mere “evil” may be called for, or variations, such as Law, Chaos and Neutrality.

Archive Thursday: My Fantasy Library - The Sleeping Dragon

There's a few posts I want to move over from the Gazette, so I've decided that Thursday is Archive Day. I don't want to overload you guys with reposts, though some of these will be old enough, that many of my current readers will be unfamiliar with them. Keeping it to one day a week, until I'm done, seems to be a decent solution. On occasion, I'll also update/tweak/revise some of these as well.

Recently, Joel Rosenberg passed away. His Guardians of the Flame series was smart, funny and action-packed. Violence in Mr. Rosenberg's series is scary, ugly and not glorious, at all. It's how these characters deal with that fact that makes them heroes.

My Fantasy Library: The Sleeping Dragon - Book 1 of The Guardians of the Flame Series

“So, let me get this straight. A group of college-aged gamers are transported to the fantasy world their GM has been running, transforming into their characters in the process?”

As old and jaded as I am today, I would probably give Joel Rosenberg’s The Guardians of the Flame series a pass. Fortunately, I was still a teenager when The Sleeping Dragon was published. When I read the review of the novel in Dragon Magazine, I thought the premise was cool as hell and picked up a copy on my next trip to the bookstore.

I’m glad I did. Mr. Rosenberg skillfully handles the difficulties inherent in the setup for his series and instead of the schlocky, juvenile story one might expect, we are treated to an intelligent and edgy fantasy adventure, with depth, humor and gritty violence.

I would imagine that most of us, at some time or another, has had a conversation with friends where someone said “Wouldn’t it be cool as hell, if we lived in a D&D world?”

When it actually happens to these gamers, they’re smart enough to know that they’re in deep shit! This point is quickly brought home, when one of the characters doesn’t even last the day, participating in their first full on “party vs. monsters” battle, where the fear and trauma of having others out for your blood and having to reciprocate the sentiment, slaps them square in the face.

The reality of mortal combat and how the protagonists cope with that challenge is an ever present theme in the series. There’s no glory, but there is heroism. Whether dealing with melee, magic swords, or wizardly combat, the action is always grounded in the chaos and blood of the battle-field. The characterization is excellent, throughout, but never more-so than when the author is presenting his character's choices, in the face of violence and its presence in their lives.

They learn, quickly, that they’re going to have to be very hardcore if they’re going to survive.

Back in the day, when my friends and I used to enjoy debating the particulars of alignment, questions like “Is it evil to kill a sleeping enemy?” would often arise. One of the main characters, Walter Slovotsky, would probably answer with one of his famous Slovotsky’s Laws. Something like:

“Slovotsky’s Law no. 123 – So long as he’s careless enough to let me sneak up on him, the bastard doesn’t have to be asleep. But it helps!”

That last was my attempt at writing a Law. Walter’s wisdom runs throughout the series, often during the character’s dialogue, sometimes as introductory quotes at the beginning of chapters. Walter’s quips provide wry humor, as well as insight into how the former college student copes with the fear and turmoil of a violent career in a dangerous world.

While still at the Student Union, Professor Deighton announces that he’s starting a new campaign, the “Quest for the Gate Between Worlds.” The player’s are each free to choose whichever character from their notebook they wish, as the new campaign is not intended for low-level play.

Walter Slovotsky starts off as a large, cocky, jock, but not stereotypically so. He’s smart, human, empathic and he games. 

I’m reminded of a friend, who played with us a few years ago. He would tell stories of how in high school, he was a jock and a “closet gamer,” never letting his jock friends know he played D&D. Not a problem for Walter, as he’s far too confident to be ashamed of his doings. Though Walter takes others’ feelings into account, he still has a problem with seeing himself as the center of universe. When he finds himself in the Eren Regions, as a Thief, still large, but with incredible dexterity and skills, the challenges he faces force him to reassess a few things.

Karl Cullinane, dilettante, unfocused, prone to lose things, is transformed into a mighty Warrior. Karl is forced to choose what kind of man and warrior he wants to be, learning to express both his will and passion. As the story progresses, he becomes a true and very human hero.

Doria Perlstein, in many ways the least equipped to deal with the situation these young men and women find themselves in, is immediately hit with a crisis that endangers the whole party. She’s the Cleric. Professor Deighton’s character levels start at “A” and run through the alphabet. At level “K,” Doria is the most powerful character in the party.

Jason Parker is the party’s second Thief, Einar Lightfingers. Alas, never choose a character who’s missing a hand, just in case…

Andrea Andropolous is the woman of Karl’s dreams. Interestingly enough, she finally agrees to accompany her would-be suitor to a game, on that particular night. Using d4’s, they roll her up a “C” level Wizard. Andrea, the person, has charisma and guts. Like the others, she has to find that which is most noble and human inside of herself, in order to meet the ordeals which lay ahead.

Lou Riccetti is an Engineering student and decides to play his character Aristobulus, a “J” level Wizard. He’s one of only two of the former gamers who actually want to stay in the world in which he finds himself. He learns soon enough that as a fairly advanced wizard, their new political environment will guarantee him a life of privilege and prestige. If, that is, he can solve one little problem.

Lastly, James Michael Finnegan plays the Dwarven Warrior, Ahira. He’s the other player who has no intention of going back. His reasons are every bit as selfish as Lou’s, but far, far more sympathetic. Not to mention, obvious. Before he and his fellow player’s cross over, he’s unanimously chosen to be the party leader.

Travelling across land, by sea, and through the desert, the party meets new friends, visits famous Pandathaway, learn secrets, encounter dangerous enemies and make tough decisions, some of momentous and far reaching importance. Ahira, as he chooses to call himself, vows to get the others home safely and ensure they find the “Gate Between Worlds.”

As the series progresses, the adventurers take on the task of changing their new world. They start a war. They also learn, that all is not as it seems and new information regarding Professor Deighton and his motivations comes to light. While much of import is going on behind the scenes, we get only tidbits and glimpses. Like the protagonists, we see things from the point of view of the trenches. Our heroes, in the theater of the campaign, are at ground zero, as it were, wading through blood and politics. We’re privy to very little of what the major Wizards, Priests and powerful, inhuman entities are really up-to. So far, after the nine books of the series I’ve read, very, very, little of what’s going on behind the scenes has been revealed.

Here and there, we get some interesting gaming tidbits. One thing the player’s never knew, until they crossed over, was that a Wizard has to “reign in,” and control the spells he has memorized. They constantly push at the back of the mind, insisting upon release. As a plot device, this is used to rather important effect, fairly early in the book. As interesting flavor for D&D games, it has some possibilities.

“He let his remaining spells cycle through his brain, making sure each one was ready and complete. Not that that was necessary; an incomplete spell wouldn’t make his mind pulse, wouldn’t push at him night and day to release it, as though it were some sort of huge sneeze, backed up in his nostrils. He could live with that, easily, in exchange for the power.”

There’s much in the series that will no doubt please old school gamers. The heroes are human, not super-heroes. The author is definitely an “Old School DM.” Even those who haven’t read the Guardians of the Flame, may have heard of Joel Rosenberg’s reputation for being willing to kill his characters. Even major ones!

As to the writing, Mr. Rosenberg’s prose is packed with style, humor and depth. I found it to be felicitous and quick.

The series runs to ten novels. If you’ve never read them, I heartily encourage you to do so. For entertaining, intelligent, violent fantasy, that’s an absolute joy to read, the Guardians of the Flame series is one of the best choices out there. It’s the first I would recommend to anyone wanting to read some D&D style fiction.

Template Woes, That Map in the Background and The Incomparable Dejah Thoris

Minor Irritants

I received several complements on the look of the new site. Alas, there was a problem. The Simple Template seems to have a bug and my Follower Widget kept freaking out. You guys were disappearing on a regular basis.

After researching, tinkering, hacking my HTML, etc., I switched the Template to Awesome, which seems to have fixed the problem.

Edit: NOPE. It's freaking out again!

The Black Mete

The map in the background is a low-res version of this one:

Click for an Expandable PNG

Available in PDF, from my widget on the right. I need to start map-making again. I still intend to make a color set of map Icons. And there's always the fight to improve my non-icon mountain-making skills, in GIMP.

Because You Demanded It!


More Dejah Thoris:

The OSR News - Monday, December 5, 2011

$1.35 will buy you some Awesome LotFP Stuff!

The LotFP sale is on through the 10th! Each PDF, including the Grindhouse Edition, Vornheim, Death Frost Doom and many more, can be had for $1.35 Each!

Happy Birthday James Raggi! Happy Anniversary to both you and your spouse! And Happy Independence Day to everyone in Finland!

While We're Visiting Mr. Raggi

PDF previews for Carcosa and Isle of the Unknown are up. If you've neglected the LotFP blog, you'll find several posts, detailing the contents of these two publications, along with various pics and other info. We are now, patiently waiting for Mr. Raggi and his printer to clear up a snag.

This provides a few more days, for the Dollar to gain a few pennies against the Euro.

I can dream, right?

And I've been quoted, in the PDF preview for Carcosa:

Whatever one may think of Carcosa, 

there’s no denying that it has proven itself 

to be a seminal work of the burgeoning 

Old School Renaissance.

—The Underdark Gazette

While some of my thoughts about Carcosa have changed, since that old essay was written, the sentence above remains as true now as it was then! Carcosa continues to prove its relevance. Continues to inspire and influence designers.  It is indeed, a seminal work of the OSR.

And it gave me occasion to use the word seminal.

Special Deal for Gardening Society Members

A quote from Mr. Raggi:

Oh, my store software won't let me apply the Gardening Society discount to the extras, so Gardening Society members will get 2€ off Carcosa and Isle of the Unknown, even if not ordering the extras. After the extras sell out, the discount will go back to the usual 1€ off.

That means if intend to buy both, you could sign up for the Gardening Society today for 10€ and be saving 4€ next week - and membership gives you 1€ off every print product in the store, always, so you could theoretically turn around and save more money than the cost of membership right away. And you get a kickass membership card!

Sounds like a good time to buy the hell out of some LotFP stuff!

$1! That's Legendary!

What? You want more cheap PDF's? Mongoose has put out their successor game to their Runequest II line.

Legend by Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash. Mongoose Pub. Available in PDF for $1.00. 242 pages.

Using the core rules from RuneQuest II, Legend is a new fantasy roleplaying game that serves as the basis for a multitude of settings and worlds. 100% compatible with all previous RuneQuest II books, including Elric of Melnibone, Deus Vult and Wraith Recon, Legend repackages the rules into a new digest-sized format.

I checked Mongoose's site and they list the book for £9.99  which I think is for a print copy, given the ISBN given. Amazon's page for that ISBN show's the book, but says it's out of print. (shrug.)

$1 Will Get You Started

Tim Shorts of GM Games and Gothridge Manor has put his module, Knowledge Illuminates on sale for the holidays. $1.

Grab your dice and hire some henchmen, you're going to need them. Knowledge Illuminates is a campaign starter adventure full of possibilities. Explore a dark fantasy world in search of an unending treasure. But within this adventure lurks a horror that will haunt the players for years. So buckle up that helmet, sharpen that sword, and bring an extra pair of iron spikes, this adventure is for the big boys.

The Labyrinth Lord Screen Kick-Starter

Is on for 6 more days! The goal has been met and $15 will get you a copy, while $21 will get you a signed copy!

With the Labyrinth Lord fantasy RPG having been available since 2007, the need for a referee screen has never been greater. Hunker down behind your Labyrinth Lord screen, rolling dice secretively and plotting the fate of your players!

Steve Zieser, artist for the covers of Labyrinth Lord and the Advanced Edition Companion returns to illustrate the cover of this three-panel portrait screen. The same old-school black and white style is used, so that the screen will look great with your copies of the rule books.

Each panel is approximately 8.5" x 11", with an outer illustration spanning all three panels. The screen is 14 pt card stock, with a UV gloss coating on the outside and an aqueous coating on the inside. The inside is filled with useful tables for reference during play, and the screen is equally usable whether you play with the core Labyrinth Lord rules alone or use the Advanced Edition Companion along with it.

A New Release from Mythmere

Demonspore: The Secret of the Shrooms by Matthew Finch. Mythmere Games. Available in Print for $16.99 and in PDF for $6.99. 84 pages.

Establishing themselves in the cyst left by their dead god, a zealot band of Shrooms, a race known for bizarre projects and subtle objectives, have now been working for decades on the strangest task in their strange history. They are growing themselves a new god. A Swords & Wizardry adventure (levels 3-6) also usable with OSRIC, 1e, Labyrinth Lord, and other old-school RPG rules.

More Cheap Gaming Stuff!

Trouble at Karam's Claim by Bill Logan. DwD Studios. Available in PDF for .50 cents. 3 pages.

When the miners at Karam's Claim depleted the hills, they set their sights on deeper wares. They dug too deep, and uncovered an unusual orc clan lead by an exiled ogre lord. The characters are in the right place at the right time, and must rescue the miners from the clutches of evil.

Trouble at Karam's Claim is a 1-sheet adventure designed for a party of four to six low-level Labyrinth LordTM characters, though it can be easily adapted to any old-school fantasy role-playing game. This adventure is combat-heavy. If the players lack sufficient front-line fighters, consider having miners they rescue take up swords from fallen orcs and fall in line with them.

What? You want more Cheap, Awesome Deals? Expeditious Retreat Press, Delivers!

Expeditious Retreat Press has just announced a 50% off sale, at Steve Jackson Games' e23 store!  Go snag some Advanced Adventures, or some other cool PDF's!

I'll recommend The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom by Matthew Finch!

Because it Rocks!

Because I wanted to include a picture, so Joseph's sale doesn't get lost in all the News Items and I needed to make some room to do so. I still need some room.

Because Matt Finch is my favorite living designer and boosting his profile might translate into him making me more cool gaming stuff!

This is Terrifically Gruesome!

Devestation Drive-In by Justin S. Davis. 57 page PDF available for Free Download at A Field Guide to Doomsday. 

A Spooky Celluloid Supplement for the Mutant Future Role-Playing Game.

If you look in the right-hand column of Justin's blog, you'll not only see the download link, but a few other Mutant PDF's, for your perusal.

Any supplement that stats up the baby from It's Alive, is worth checking out!

There's this Con. It's Constantly Going On!

Check out the Constantcon Blog, for a list of upcoming Google+ games and to add yours to the list! There's 17 entries for the month of December, so far. We can do much better than that!

LOVIATAR

LOVIATAR #5 December 2011 by Christian Walker. Available in print for $3.00.

Hex 001, an article for Basic D&D, gets things started. If you want to run a hex crawl/ sandbox style campaign you're going to need a place to start. Hex 001 provides that beginning. The article offers maps, illustrations, adventure hooks, planned encounters and suggestions for future play. With this article you will be able to get your campaign off to a great start.

Next up is a GURPS article that continues a series describing the bizarre world that the passengers of a colony ship now find themselves trapped on. In this installment, the enigmatic aliens referred to as the Masters have taken a bold step in controlling human reproduction. They have rendered their test subjects sterile and have begun placing genetically engineered babies with selected families. Adding to the horror is the fact that the aliens have experimented with gender, creating a third sex to live among the colonists.

Finally, zombies invade the pages of Loviatar! Inspired by AMC's hit show "The Walking Dead", a zombie for the World of Darkness is presented. It can be used as part of an encounter or as the feature enemy in a chronicle dealing with an undead outbreak.

Greyhawk Goodness!

Check out this interview with Joseph Bloch, from Mortellan's Greyhawkery!

Constantcon Utilities

Jez over at Giblet Blizzard has made the DungeonFu 1.0 Mapmaker for G+. It's cool! Check it out!

Bundle Price on BRW Games' Darker Paths

$8.00 for both The Necromancer and The Witch. And if you purchased the former, before the latter was released, Joe Bloch has you covered. He's also got a Cafe Press store, which you can get more info about, here. 

I Missed This

The Book of Elder Magic by D. H. Boggs. Available in Print for $10.00 and in PDF for $5.25. 77 pages.

The Book of Elder Magic is a handy reference designed for use at the gaming table. It contains all the spells found in the Original Edition of the worlds most popular fantasy adventure Role Playing Game, and all compatible spells developed for the Dragons at Dawn retro-tribute. A select number of spells from Dave Arneson's Open Game sources have also been adapted and added along with adaptations of other spells developed by members of the original Twin Cities gaming group. In all, there are 57 pages of spells for use with Classic, Original, and Retroclone rulesets of the worlds most popular RPG, including our own Champions of ZED. As if that is not enough, there is also another 10+ pages detailing the effects of magic addiction, a new magic wand, the Alchemist character class, the relationship of iron and magic, more comprehensive rules for the cost and time of creating magic items, and J. E. Holmes inspired rules for spell books.

Oubliette #7!!!

Oubliette #7 by Peter Regan. Art by The Marg. Available in PDF for Free, for a limited time only! 43 pages.

OUBLIETTE - A magazine for old school fantasy roleplayers.

FREE for a limited time only!

40 jam-packed pages!

Written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required.

Full Contents:

• Editorial
• Tales from Hell Cartoon
• Monster Club #11: The Naughty Step
• Miniatures Special: An Interview with Richard Scott of Otherworld Miniatures
• Monster Club #12: Dungeon Random Encounter Tables: Levels 4-6
• Newland Campaign Setting Part II: Raiders
• Monster Club #13: Newland Bestiary Part I
• Tomb of the Snake King: A Labyrinth Lord Adventure for 3rd to 5th Level Characters
• The 10-Foot Pole
• Found Familiar: The Toad
• Goblin Quest Cartoon
• What's in the Oubliette? Reviews
• Mouse Watch Cartoon
• The Song of Sithakk Part 7: A Dream of Blossoms

Warning! Oubliette may contain content that is suitable for adult audiences only. Persons 18+ only.

Oublieditor also put out a special issue, # 6.5, which you can find out about, here.  

Some More Freebies

Matthew of Rended Press and Greg of Gorgonmilk brings us Stuff You Might Find at a Goblin Market. A 34 page PDF available for Free Download.

Matt has also teamed up with the Old School Heretic, to bring you Old School Heretics Motivational Dysfunctions. A 7 page PDF available for Free Download.

the venemous pao and G-man Do it Again.

Bring you another Barbarians of Lemuria adventure, that is. The Homecoming of Count Inchiostro. A 16 page PDF available for Free Download. Set in the Hyborian Age!

In addition to the usual adventure-y goodness, G-Man has once again given us all some excellent new spells and some optional rules for a slightly crunchier approach to BoL combat. So really, why are you still reading my words when you should be downloading?

There May be Some Legal Wrangling...

But, you can get the first six pages of Bludgeons & Flagons, here. As Brad puts it:

As a teaser of great things to come, I am making the first six pages of BLUDGEONS & FLAGONS available to download and read FOR FREE! TODAY! Once you see these rules you will plead with me to preorder the published copy. Your gaming life has been made much brighter today, by me, for I provide the FUTURE IN FANTASY WARGAMING!

In fairness, the words of the alleged co-author will be of interest.

Hex Gear

Jed McClure of Albatross Press has a line of Hex & Graph & Dungeon Notebooks for all you harried DM's, in need of organization! Available in a variety of sizes, he's got ten different ones loaded up on Lulu, so follow the link above for more info!

News from Tekumel

Head over to Skein of Destiny, for some updated Tekumel News.


Time for Another Freebie!

Old School Hack by Kirin Robinson is now available on RPGNOW as a Free PDF Download.

A table-top roleplaying system that's a hack of a hack of the original Red Box version of a certain popular hack-and-slash fantasy game.

That's a lot of hacking.

Something for that Newfangled Kindle Thing

Paul Fini of The Warlock's Home Brew has put out a Kindle version of his pulp digest, Tales of High Adventure. Available at Amazon for $2.99.

Thrilling pulp adventure fantasy returns with Tales of High Adventure, a quarterly book of prose stories and illustrated tales as published in the pulp magazines of the 1930's and 1940's such as Weird Tales, Astounding Stories, Spicy Mystery Stories, Amazing Stories and Startling Stories!

 Akrasia Keeps us Up To Date

On the new Runequest 6! He posted the cover art for the upcoming release, from The Design Mechanism along with a blurb:

We're delighted to share with you the stunning cover art for RuneQuest Sixth Edition.

By Pascal Quidalt, the picture is, of course, an updated version of the iconic original RQ cover (originally painted by Luise Perrin). Pascal, who has done some outstanding covers for roleplaying games, has taken that original and created a beautiful and unique take on the imagery.

The artwork depicts Anathaym, a Meerish warrior of the Cult of Theera, under ambush by a cunning, predatory, Slargr (pronounced SLAR-guh) when she mistakenly wanders into its hunting territories. The hulking creature tears away her shield - a typical slargr tactic - leaving the shocked Anathaym to rely on her spear and its Bladesharp matrix.

Will she survive? The RuneQuest rules, using Anathaym as our example heroine, will give you the answer...

And Finally, The Advanced Adventures Compendiums

Advanced Adventures Compendium 1 and Advanced Adventures Compendium 2. Expeditious Retreat Press. 186 and 158 pages, respectively. $50. Each. Hardcover.

Compendium One contains (levels):

The Pod-Caverns of Sinister Shroom by Matthew Finch 2-4

The Red Mausoleum by James Boney 12-15

The Curse of the Witch Head by James Boney 6-10

The Prison of Meneptah by Alphonso Warden 8-10

The Flaming Footprints of Jilanth by Andrew Hind 3-5

The Chasm of the Damned by James Boney 6-10

The Sarcophagus Legion by Andrew Hind 2-4

The Seven Shrines of Nav’k-Qar by James Boney 8-12

The Lost Pyramid of Imhotep by Alphonso Warden 4-7

The Lost Keys of Solitude by Joseph Browning & Suzi Yee 6-10

Compendium Two contains (levels):

The Conqueror Worm by Alphonso Warden 10-14

The Barrow Mound of Gravemoor by Andrew Hind 5-7

White Dragon Run by James Boney 2-4

The Verdant Vault of Malakum by Alphonso Warden 8-10  

Stonesky Delve by Joseph Browning 4-7

Under Shattered Mountain by James Boney 9-12

The Frozen Wave Satsuma by Joseph Browning & Andrew Hind 3-5

The Forsaken Sepulcher by Alphonso Warden 10-14

The Secret of the Callair Hills by Geoff Gander 3-5

The Riddle of Anadi by James Boney 6-10

What I'm Pimping Right Now

Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch. Frog God Games. I'm not sure if pre-orders have been cut-off. There's reports of some folks receiving their copies. I still await patiently for my own hardcopy, but have the PDF in hand. Or hard drive.

Here's some words from Matt on the subject (follow this link for directions to a free preview PDF:

At long last, my Tome of Adventure Design (originally the Adventure Design Deskbooks) is up and ready for sale at Frog God Games. It's a quarter century worth of tables and a couple of places where I fleshed out some "Notes to Self" that were in the 3-ring binders along with the tables. People who have seen Deskbooks 1 and 2 know how it's presented -- the Tome of Adventure Design (ToAD) contains books 3 and 4 as well. The tables are what I think of as "deep design" rather than being short and weighted toward normal results as you have to do in a book of tables designed for rapid use during an adventure. This book is for when you're working ahead of time. There are a couple of exceptions - the first internal "book" can be used to generate the general concept of an adventure pretty quickly, either based on location, mission, or a villain's objective.

It's system neutral (for the D&D family, anyway, some of it uses concepts that were abandoned in 4e). So it's totally usable with AD&D, OSRIC, Original D&D, 2e, all the retro-clones, etc., etc.

The pdf is available immediately, and if you are pre-ordering the book you get the pdf right away.

It's 300 pages of tables and 7 pages of index (I worked hard to get a really good index).

About the News

Unless otherwise noted, all links to products and files are to the individual authors sites, pertinent posts, or sales pages. I don’t link directly to files, unless that is the only link available. The OSR News is produced as a service to the community and is entirely a non-commercial endeavor on my part. I have received no remuneration for advertising or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Occasionally, the News might feature an item, which the author has sent me a complimentary copy of, for purposes of writing a review.

As always, the What I’m Pimping This Week section of the OSR News and its accompanying blog widget, feature products which I have purchased (or items which are available for free download) and wish to support. At times, the item I'm pimping may be one which I received a complimentary review copy of, from the author or publisher. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.

Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.

Test 2 Another Hot Martian Chick

Quick Question for Encounter Critical Gurus

I recently became aware of and found a link to the Opponent Opuscule.


I don't know much about the provenance of this document and wanted to make sure it was kosher to link it in the News.

Because it's one of the most awesome Monster Manuals I've ever seen! :)