Mini-campaign idea: Dark Inheritance

I now am itching to run, at some point in the future, a "domain inheritance" game in ACKS. The PCs would be heirs to a haunted coastal castle and a dilapidated hamlet (Market VI, I'd say in ACKS terms). In its shadow there would be several lairs/mini-dungeons in the same 6-mile hex. There would be a "Kilodungeon" including the castle and several levels beneath it, probably culminating in a Lovecraftian monstrosity (Aboleth?) beneath sea level, not to mention nasty neighbors such as bandits. Could be a wonderful campaign. A mini-setting - so much to do in one hex and the neighboring hexes!

This will probably be an old Marquise's keep, now fallen to disrepair and haunted. PCs will end up with a potential high-value stronghold, which will need clearing of horrors - and expensive repairs.

To become full-scale lords, the players will need to conquer the castle from the eldritch horrors.

To gain the whole 6-mile hex the players will need to clear out several mini-dungeons.

My inclination is towards a combination of "Gothic" and Lovecraftian bestiary for that mini-campaign. No goblins, but possibly toad-men or fish-men, and a good amount of undead. And bandits, of course.

Potentially a vampire, but the problem with a vampire is that vampires are villains who tend to dominate a campaign, as in Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd, and I want to keep that role for the Aboleth (?).

My general idea is that in the distant past, the (now ruined) castle was home to a Chaos-worshiping Marquessa inspired by Elizabeth Báthory. After she was slain - by one of her intended victims, no less (now canonized as St. Lena of the Dagger) - her heirs continued the Chaotic tradition, albeit in other ways than bathing in the blood of virgins.

The PCs' ancestor conquered this keep, but eventually these ancestors also succumbed to Chaos worship, seeing the local Aboleth (?) as a "God".

Successful PCs will quickly get knighted by the local ruler who would be glad to have them deal with bandits (and worse) than requiring his limited military forces do so.

Of course, the Marquessa would have risen as a Ghast for the very least, it not a Vampire, in the crypts below. Now she has worshipers among the bandits and villagers, like the Aboleth has.

The idea is to make most permanent magic items unique in this adventure. Some are powerful - for example the Dagger of St. Lena which allows you to backstab undead (possibly even without having this as a class power).

What do you think?

Cepheus Light preview: Chase Rules

As you may know, we at Stellagama Publishing are hard at work on our rules-light version of the Cepheus Engine. It's name - logically enough - is Cepheus Light. The current draft is about one half, in term of word count, of the Cepheus Engine SRD. We strive to provide players and referees with a lightweight, fast-play, yet nuanced and varied, sci-fi rule-set.

Today I will present a preview of one area of rules we are very proud of: the chase rules. They should work very well with the Cepheus Engine SRD as well. This also serves as the conceptual framework for our space combat rules.

Chases 

The tactical combat rules represent action in small, more limited areas. For vehicles, this means "knife-fighting" ranges and relatively slow speeds. A fast-moving vehicle will easily pass through the entire tactical combat map in less than one combat round. This is unsuitable for chases and dog-fighting. Use these rules instead. 

Chase turns are an abstraction in combat and vary in length depending on circumstances, from mere seconds in high-speed aircraft pursuits to hours in long drawn-out submarine duels. 

There is no initiative throw in chases. Instead, at the start of each turn both participants throw 2D + the relevant vehicle skill + the vehicle's Agility. The pursuer wins on ties. The winner has Advantage and may attack using the regular vehicle attack and damage rules, with the following modifiers based on the vehicle throw's effect: 

Effect 0-2: DM-2 to hit

Effect 3+: DM+0 to hit

The loser of the Advantage throw cannot attack in that turn, unless their vehicle has a turret-mounted weapon. Turret attacks made without Advantage suffer DM-4 to hit. 

It is possible to have multiple parties engaged in a chase. Simply record the different Advantage results in descending order. The vehicles higher on the “ladder” may attack any vehicle below them. This can be used to great effect in a dogfight, below. 

Chases last five turns. At the end of the fifth turn, if the prey has not been stopped, disabled, or destroyed, the prey escapes and the chase ends. 

Dogfighting 

In a dogfight, two or more highly maneuverable vehicles, usually aircraft, try to outmaneuver and fight each other. A dogfight has no time limit, barring certain fuel considerations. The dogfight will end ends either when one participant is disabled or destroyed, or if one participant disengages. To disengage from a dogfight, a participant must have Advantage and use their action that turn to throw Vehicle Skill 10+, DM +vehicle agility. 

Foot Chases 

Chases on foot use similar rules. Each turn, each side throws Athletics + DEX DM. The pursuer wins on ties. The winner of this opposed throw may attack in melee or ranged combat, at the Referee's discretion, while the loser cannot attack in that turn. Foot chases end in the same way that other chases end.

Elysian Empire - updated map

I've updated the map for my Elysian Empire setting for ACKS. This is still a work in progress, but it does cover the western part of the Empire with their final geography. This still requires cities, though, and names for some of the rivers and mountains.

Regarding the western provinces...

Tamascyra - temperate-warm province which was civilized longer than any other province in the western part of the Empire. Currently partly Civilized and partially Borderlands. (cultural/naming inspiration: Greek).

Rayanes - temperate bread-basket. Currently Civilized in its southern part and Borderlands in its northern half, due to beastman invasion from Muspelheim (cultural/naming inspiration: Celtic).

Camalynn - temperate land, once part of the ancient Dwarven empire and later a rich human kingdom and finally Imperial province. Currently in turmoil following a Chaotic invasion from Outer Kvenland, which the remaining Imperial garrison, led by Ivar "the Dragon" (a young general whose star, people say, is rising), somehow repelled. Borderlands at best; Wilderness in its northern part. Isenvale March is located in Camalynn's central mountains (cultural/naming inspiration: mostly English, some Slavicand Norse inspirations as well).

Inner Kvenland - temperate land, the part of Kvenland conquered by the Elysian Empire centuries ago. Now a burned-out battlefield following Chaotic invasion from Outer Kvenland. Wilderness (cultural/naming inspiration: Norse).

Outer Kvenland - harsh and cold land known for its excellent seamen and warriors. Once, the Kvennish High King also ruled what is now Inner Kvenland and northern Leoneis, but the Elysian Empire conquered these lands. Its people were once proud Neutral pagans. Now, the land is in the claws of the popular Chaotic cults of Hróðvitnir the Wolf Lord and Blóðughadda the bloody-haired Sea Queen. These cults invaded neighboring lands, and so far met serious resistance only in Camalynn, from which it was repulsed at a great price. "Borderlands" Chaotic area for the most part, with some Wilderness as well (cultural/naming inspiration: Norse).

Leoneis - temperate-warm province, rich with grain but also beset by swamps. Most of Leoneis, apart from the hill country to its north, is lowland. Currently, northern Leoneis is a battlefield, invaded by Kvennish Chaos cults, and the south has a barely functioning remnant-Imperial government (cultural/naming inspiration: French).

Muspelheim - cold and hard mountainous land. Once the heart of the old Dwarven Empire, which has collapsed many centuries ago. Now beset by beastmen; only a few heavily-fortified Dwarven Vaults remain as  Borderlands, the rest being Wilderness (cultural/naming inspiration: Germanic/Slavic).

Valukarask - frigid land of the north. Typified by taiga forests and cold marches in its north and some farming in its southern parts. Land of fey and witchcraft, never truly tamed by the Elysian Empire. Now considered Borderlands (cultural/naming inspiration: Slavic).

Korovod - independent High ("True") Elven kingdom. Land of dark taiga forests, home to fey and to Elves. Staunchly Neutral (pagan) in faith. Part civilized, part borderlands (cultural/naming inspiration: Slavic, with focus on Slavic/Norse fey).

A review of Alien Breeds by Zozer Games

Product's Name: Alien Breeds

Ruleset: Cepheus Engine/OGL 2d6 Sci-Fi

Author: Paul Eliott

Artist: Ian Stead

Size: 51 pages

Publisher: Zozer Games

Price: $5.00

Grade: 5 out of 5

A few months ago, I reviewed Zozer Games' HOSTILE setting for the Cepheus Engine. As I said back then, HOSTILE is the "real deal" - the perfect Alien(s)/Bladerunner RPG setting. Not an official setting, but one with the serial numbers partially filed off. It does its job magnificently, better, in my humble opinion, than the official offerings in this field.

HOSTILE begs for Xenomorphs, Alien(s)-style. Alien Breeds delivers. Aliens, as in the films. Serial numbers filed off just enough to prevent copyright issues. With full Cepheus Engine stats (and thus Mongoose Traveller 1E - mostly compatible with Classic Traveller and Mongoose Traveller 2E as well). Ready for the Referee to unleash on unsuspecting players...

Wait. Unsuspecting? Not so easily. I'd bet that virtually every sci-fi enthusiast playing Traveller has seen the films. Some have read the numerous novels and comics as well, and played the video games. The moment a Facehugger shows up, or any other part of the Xenomorph's life cycle for that matter, the players are bound to know exactly what they're up against. This is a recurrent problem with using well-known settings ("IPs" in 2010's terminology): the player already knows the Big Secrets, unlike a first-time watcher of the films, or any of the characters in them. This removes a large part of the horror associated with these creatures. Fear of the unknown, of the alien - that's the heart of Alien (1979). But the alien is no longer unknown. You could even say that it's no longer truly alien. Its a fixture of modern culture.

Alien Breeds tackles this question by presenting no less than 18 subspecies of the Xenomorph - each with unexpected abilities. I won't list them here, to avoid spoiling the fun to any prospective players. But you should know that their capacities and capabilities exceed, by far, those shown in the films. They can do things to the unsuspecting - truly unsuspecting - player character that Ripley never had to face. Players will see a Facehugger's husk, or a Xenomoph egg, and think they know what they're dealing with. They're in for a surprise. Potentially several surprises. A few breeds are quite predictable variants, but many are not what you'd expect from a Xenomorph.

Aside from the breeds and a very well-written description of Xenomorph biology (both ordinary and variant, the book contains two additional parts. The first is a short description of Leyland Okuda's ("not"-Weyland Yutani) science division, along with its ordinary roles and secret agendas. It also details the secretive "Project Red Midas", studying alien lifeforms for military usage. The second is an adventure called, quite as you'd expect, "Outbreak".

The adventure goes back to the original Alien film from 1979 for inspiration. This is not an action-packed Bug Hunt by Colonial Marines. Rather, it pits a commercial space crew against an insidious mystery on a remote mining colony. Don't expect Smartguns and Pulse Rifles, but rather several mining lasers and two shotguns. The colony, like the original Nostromo, is initially "alive and well", with an almost full number of workers, rather than the dead Hadley's Hope of Aliens fame. Something is very wrong, and very deceptive, in this mining colony. The PCs come to refuel and unload supplies, but refueling will most likely require solving this mystery and dealing with some... err... wildlife.

The booklet describes the colony in great details and clarity Even if you don't intend to pit your characters against Xenomorphs, this is still a highly useful space colony which could be easily dropped, with minimal modifications, virtually into any interstellar sci-fi setting. The big gem here is a set of highly detailed colony maps and floor-plans, drawn by the talented Ian Stead. Very useful!

In short - if you like Alien(s), or simply want a detailed space colony for your sci-fi game, this is an instant buy.

In the works: Cauldrons & Casseroles: a gamer's cookbook!

Art by Hannah Saunders

We at Stellagama Publishing are now hard a work on... A gamer's cookbook! The writer is the very talented Hannah Saunders, an RPGer and superb cook, who brings to the table a wealth of recipes ready for easy consumption while gaming. From pies to spring rolls, it aims to put home-made refreshments on the gaming table

From Hannah's introduction to the book:

"For quite a while, I have believed, as a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast and a role-playing gamer in general, that our community deserves way better refreshment than the mere Mountain Dew or coke and cheese puffs while playing our beloved games.

Me myself being both an aficionada of role-playing games and a fantasy and science-fiction fan, I have decided to dedicate a whole book to recipes inspired by those universes (or, rather, multiverses): Cauldrons and Casseroles...

Aboleth Bites

The dishes themselves are also practically suited to the game as an activity, by being typically food items of the hand-held type and do not require any utensils or any other fiddly equipment, and therefore function as appropriate, casual snacks.

In addition, the dishes have been given highly-imaginative, playful and picturesque names in order to immerse the cook even more within the experience, and to complement the course of the adventure story taking place.

As role-playing games are becoming an increasingly popular pastime and hobby for many in our current culture for quite a while, I reckon that a tradition of gaming food and drinks should evolve accordingly. Since cocktail parties or sport events, for instance, have evolve their own food traditions, there is no reason role-playing games shouldn't either...

I hope this book will inspire all of you to sharpen your kitchen wizardry skills and make some gastronomic magic happen!"

Phoenix Breast Wraps

Stay tuned!

Uranium Fever

Stellagama Publishing is Proud to Present:

URANIUM FEVER

Mining is a time-honored practice, its roots going back to the Stone Age. When humanity reached space, it began mining the asteroid bodies and extraterrestrial planets in pursuit of metal and ice. The most desired and profitable of these minerals are rare earths and radioactives. With asteroid mining, the Belter was born – a profession, and then a culture, of space miners. The company miner, working for corporation or government, works long shifts on interplanetary rocks for a steady salary and employment benefits. The independent belter, on the other hand, strikes out into the belt, prospecting, and mining with his own ship. Usually, he scrapes by on base metals and the more abundant rare earths. However, what sustains the belter through hard work and the loneliness of space is the lust for hitting a "motherlode" – good radioactive ore worth a fortune. As the 20th century song goes, this Uranium Fever infects the miner's heart and propels them into the unknown.

This product explores the theme of interstellar mining. Its default setting is These Stars Are Ours! – Stellagama Publishing's space-opera setting. However, almost all material in this book will work perfectly well in any science fiction setting using the Cepheus Engine rules or any similar 2d6 OGL ruleset. The book begins with a discussion of belt mining in Terran space in the 23rd century, and then provides detailed rules for generating belter characters, generating asteroid belt characteristics in the Cepheus Engine, and mining asteroid belts. It also includes three belter spacecraft, and a collection of equipment serving in the interstellar mining industry.

So, fire up your fission reactor, calibrate your mining laser, and follow the calling of Uranium Fever to distant stars!

Get it HERE!

Dark Nebula: Accelera, Research Unit #72, and origin of the Dark Nebula

How did the Dark Nebula Event come into being? The answer is in the waning years of the Rule of Man, when paradoxically, science developed in a feverish, accelerated pace. This was the Accelerando - a blossoming of a hundred strange flowers of weird science while interstellar society crumbled around them.

This had several reasons. Chief among them was lax - often non-existent - government ethical oversight. Any kind of research was possible, including the most bizarre and inhuman experiments. Another was the rampant corruption and inefficiency of the late Rule of Man. Local officials - often junior naval officers in their origin - had unchecked power and little experience in politics. The well-connected or manipulative scientist could often convince the official (or "Noble") in charge to dedicate vast sums to research which will "save the Imperium". Simpler graft and embezzlement were also common. With little or no regulation and easy access to ill-gotten funding, science could take roads never thought of in the past. Cybernetics, machine intelligence, human gengineering, trans-dimensional travel, psionics - all were on the table.

One such group was Research Unit #72. In the early 28th century, they set up shop on the extreme Spinward frontier, near a young colony named Maadin. They chose five stars within a nebula as their abode, far from the prying eyes of whatever remaining Imperial authorities. There, they tried to develop technologies which will - so they claimed - save the ailing Rule of Man from its inevitable collapse - artificial intelligence, cybernetics, genetic engineering, and, especially, new technologies for interstellar travel and, theoretically speaking, communications.

The latter technology reached a place that even the great scientists of the much later 3rd Imperium were unable to replicate, but at a price. On November 3rd, 2747 AD (-1771 Imperial), The Event occurred. Experimental stationary jump-transmission coils on the world known today as N3 fired as part of a planned experiment. But they caused an unexpected effect. In an instant, all five star-systems of the Dark Nebula were torn from their place in the Space-Time Continuum, and hurled, through space and time. For a whole year, local time, these systems were in limbo - disconnected from our universe. But then they burst back into Real Space - 145 years later in Real Space dates after their disappearance. For that time, the Nebula was a dead zone - an area of space where no solid bodies could be seen, and where anomalies in the Space-Time Continuum endangered any ship entering that space.

In August 2892 AD (-1626 Imperial), suddenly the N4 star of the Dark Nebula appeared on the horizons of Taida Na, re-lighting the old cloud. By 2900 AD, these stars appeared in the skies of Osa, Salia, and Kov as well. Soon enough, rumors have reached both Solomani and Aslan ears that the worlds of the Nebula, hinted upon in legend, are back. And now, their technological treasures are ripe to the plucking, though still ripe with Space-Time Continuum anomalies, mutated animals, crazed survivors and a mad, mad AI.