Rise of the Lycans Meets D&D

Okay, so I just finished watching the film "Rise of the Lycans" on television in between handing out treats to the trick-or-treaters.  I've watched it before but it made for good casual viewing a second time.  I was struck again by how "elvish" the vampire armor looked.  I think it's a combination of the helm plumes and the long coat-tail look.  That got me thinking about a game where all the Elves live forever because they are vampires.  That seemed pretty cool, although I seem to recall that idea cropping up somewhere else, so perhaps it's not an original thought.  But then what about the Lycans?  And Humans?

So how about this:

• Elves = vampires; the dominant culture, civilized yet decadent with a streak of evil; they live either in fortresses in rural areas or citadels in cities; their nocturnal lifestyle means they are always out of sync with their Human serfs.
• Dwarves = lycans; the barbarians of the wilderness and deep places, but with quite a few in service to the Elves for historical reasons; the clans are stronger overall than the Elves but always fatally divided by feuding and pride
• Humans = slaves, serfs, chattel; a life of fear and servitude under the Elves; from time to time a hero arises to lead revolt
• Gnomes = reskinned as Goblins; sneaky, magicky, trying to survive in the cracks between and amongst the Elves and Dwarves; sometimes useful, always untrustworthy
• Half-Orc = a type of artificial life created by the Elves in an attempt to make a superior race of soldiers and overseers to keep the Humans under control and conquer the Dwarves; part Frankenstein's monster, part Uruk-Hai; they have no past and no future
• Dhampir = the inevitable outcome of Elves and Humans living in constant proximity; treated as second-class Elves; useful for dealing with the daylight races; stuck in a social-racial niche
• Wildlings = the shapechanger offspring of Dwarf and Human; tolerated by some Dwarf clans, driven out by others to form tribes or slink back into Human society--until the moon grows full.

My GM Merit Badges

Okay, so I came across the idea of GM Merit Badges over at the Strange Magic blog recently.  Elthos RPG put together a nice compilation of the badges with an interesting matrix. So, I thought I'd put up my badges; some of there here are my badges:


Story Aspect

My games will tell an interesting Story

My games focuses on Exploration & Mystery

My games are Gonzo and can include a lot of strangeness [in my Sci-Fi games]

My games are Safe and you don't need to worry about content or character death [character death could happen, but I'd rather provide a good dramatic experience than kill off a PC]



Mechanical Orientation

My game focuses on Player Skill rather than character abilities

I play By-The-Book and "rule-zero" is not being used to alter existing rules [well, mostly by-the-book]

Tactics are an important part of my games

Players in my game should be prepared to Run when the odds are against them

I will Mirror back player ideas I think are interesting in the game

My games use a pre-made Map and pre scripted content [sometimes]

Prepare to Enter "The World Between"

Okay, so Andrew Shields over at Fictive Fantasies has finished his long-awaited (by me, anyway) book entitled The World Between for Fictive Hack.  It is based on a setting designed by Jack Shear over at Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque and uses rules hacked from the original Old School Hack rules.  A quick look at the map for the game shows that it is a very rough analog of western Europe and north Africa and the various regions are also rough fantasy analogs (or stereotypical analogs) of those regions.  But there are major fantasy differences and twists--it's not an "alternate Earth" type setting.  I've been enjoying watching Andrew's work progress and I love the Old School Hack rules, so I'm excited to see what the final book will look like.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts I'm working on my own campaign world and still searching for the set of rules I'll eventually use.  Old School Hack is high on the list of rules sets and I've found The World Between to be fantastic food for thought in building my campaign world.  My Wednesday gaming group really enjoyed playing Old School Hack and I think I'll run at least a couple short games set in The World Between for them.

Carnival of Horror! (well, Blog Carnival of Horror actually)

Okay, so I'm finally getting down to actually writing my post for the RPG Blog Alliance Carnival.  No, seriously, I am.  I really mean it this time.  This month's topic, hosted by Troll in the Corner, is HORROR!  This is actually a somewhat tough topic for me because I actually don't like the horror genre.  The only horror fiction I've ever read is H.P. Lovecraft's works--which I highly recommend, by the way.  I don't watch horror films or TV unless it's a lesser feature of something else which is of interest.  The Alien series of films is a good example.  I watch them as science fiction with bits of horror thrown in to provide a unique feel.  When it comes to RPGs the only horror games I've run or played in have all been Call of Cthulhu ones, albeit set in differing time periods, etc.  Actually, I'm in one now, as you may have noted in my earlier postings here.  (Well, actually I did run an X-Files type campaign dubbed Neo Tokyo, using homebrew rules with borrowing from Palladium's Teenage Mutant Turtles, but that's a story for another day.)

But now may I direct your attention to the center ring, where the zombies are warming up.  I want to use this posting to share a few thoughts about zombie survival gaming.  When I think of zombie survival horror it usually involves:
running from zombies
finding gear and supplies
killing zombies
finding survivors (friendly or hostile)
running from zombies
finding gear and supplies
killing zombies
running from zombies
finding gear and supplies
killing zombies
running from zombies
finding gear and supplies
killing zombies
...and so it gets a bit repetitive after a while.  Yes you can vary what supplies are available, come up with interesting tactical situations for killing zombies, use variant zombie types, have gear/supplies get ruined, etc.  But you're mostly alternating between brainstorming  how to get gear/supplies and fighting off attacks.  It's a bit of a scavenger hunt.  Now in a computer/video game or movie the fighting bits are very exciting.  The Left 4 Dead series of games is a good example.  But on the table top combat often bogs down the action rather than speeding it up.  Yes, you can mix up the tactical situations with weird zombies, fast zombies, smart zombies, exploding zombies, etc.  But, again, it's more a set of military-style tactical situations.

Where's the horror?

In films/TV/games they throw in a lot of visually disturbing images, have things jump out suddenly to scare you, have sudden loud noises, etc.  They also use music and sound effects to build tension.  However those are tricky to replicate at the gaming table.  And anyway those are just cheap scare tactics.  It's not real HORROR.

So for a GM like myself who's not even into the genre, how would I run a game.  Since I started as a wargamer I'm good with tactical situations, and I'm pretty good with complicated plots so I can string stuff together from session to session.  But where's the spice?  Well I was thinking that a good way to add a dash of something extra to the mix is via character motivations.  The first modern zombie horror film was Night of the Living Dead.  What makes this story great is the personalities and motivations of the characters--it's not really about the zombies.

In a character-driven zombie survival game the zombies are almost an environmental hazard.  They provide the pressure that pushes the character's buttons.  It's how the characters react to the pressure and to how they react to the other characters' reactions that the story unfolds.  Of course the characters will need strong motivations and personality traits.  This part of character creation will be the most important.  Their attributes and skills will generally be of secondary importance.  The scarcity of equipment/supplies in the larger world will be less important than the scarcity and distribution within the group.  The characters' personalities can be done with a rules set which strongly features this type of play, by GM creation to ensure maximum tension and plenty of secrets which will come to the surface at just the worst moment, or via a collaborative creation process by the players.  This type of heavily character-driven game requires players who can embrace this style of play.  With the right group it would be awesome.

Why Haven't the Drow Killed Themselves Off Yet?

Okay, so I was enjoying a review of the D&D 4th Edition D&D Encounters season "Council of Spiders" over at Derek Myers' Dungeon's Master blog.  The concept behind the season was than all players would be Drow or a slave of another race.  I don't actively play 4E, but I like reading Derek's session write-ups and reviews of the Encounter series he's been running.  One of his points got me thinking: why didn't Drow society implode a long time ago?  And how could members of different Drow houses/factions cooperate, as they would have to if belonging to an adventuring party?

My first thought is that maybe the vicious blood-letting isn't really as rampant as the rumors suggest.  Renaissance Italy is infamous for the in-fighting, blood feuds, and treachery within and between city states.  But Italy didn't depopulate itself in a huge auto-genocidal bloodbath.  I would propose that Drow society would have far more political and social maneuvering going on than outright murder and warfare.  There is a lot of posturing, sabre-rattling, acts of brinkmanship, formal dueling, and so on.  Rumors on the surface would, of course, paint the situation in lurid colors.

Yes, there is the occasional secret ambush or assassination, but open murder and blatant acts of war are rare.  Being caught as a murderer of a house member gives rivals a convenient opportunity to band together to declare you traitor.  Traitors are executed or exiled, possibly with all immediate family members, and their holdings divided up as rewards to the the "loyal" family members.  Open warfare is rare as well.  Each house has its strongholds and armed forces, but also vulnerable supply lines, trading routes, slave villages, mining operations, etc. which cannot be recklessly hazarded on a whim.

Now, having a Drow adventuring party presents other difficulties.  If the members are from rival factions/houses then you need some plot devices to keep the party (mostly) outwardly focused.  One obvious plot device is the "Greater Evil".  The houses have formed a joint team (possibly one of a number of such teams) to counter something with threatens them all.  Some quick ideas for the Greater Evil are:

• A dragon clan has gathered an army and is carving out a new empire
• Githyanki forces are making devastating raids from the ethereal plane at will; all are vulnerable
• Conquering Duergar wield new steampunk technology giving them a decisive edge on the battlefield
• Drow society is infiltrated by Cthulhu-style Elder God cultists, with a major summoning rumored soon

Personally I like the idea of playing an all-Drow game, complete with the political/social maneuvering.  But then, I'm one of those huge Elf fans you've heard about.  However, the fact that all other races must be slaves would definitely put some people off.  But perhaps you could add in other races as representatives of non-Drow parties to the alliance against the Greater Evil--with the Drow holding a senior position in the alliance due to their intimate knowledge of the Everdark.

But I doubt I'll ever get to run it.

A First Deity: Lentarula, Goddess of the Isles

 Okay, so I've decided to push on through a bad cold and write up a first deity for my campaign world.  I'm starting small, with one of the independent, lesser ones, kind of as an intellectual warm-up exercise.  For now I'm approaching this as a Pathfinder/3.x style description, 

Lentarula

Titles: Goddess of the Isles, Lady of the Smoking Mountain
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Fire, Protection, Rune
Subdomains: Ash, Defense, Wards
Favored Weapon: shield

Lentarula reigns over an active volcanic island surrounded by a dozen or smaller islands located in the far southeast oceans.  During the War of Angels and Demons she belonged to a faction of Angels which was annihilated in a major battle in the south late in the war.  She and a few other surviving angels barely escaped the combat, fleeing with their mortal followers.  The demons harried their retreat, destroying all but Lentarula and a few hundred mortals.  Eventually they evaded their pursuers, found an isolated volcanic island, and settled.

Today the population of the isles is nearly 10,000, divided fairly evenly between humans, elves, half-elves, and fire drakkar (dragonborn).  The main town, named Port Lentar after the goddess, is on the large volcanic island of Wulu Nalur.  The community is ruled by a council of three called the  with one member each from the human, elvish, and drakkar.  The council members are often priests or priestesses of Lentarula.  The largest structure in Port Lentaru is the Temple of Fire, dedicated to Lentarula.  Originally the goddess was known for her knowledge, particularly of runic magic and the protective strength of her faith.  After settling on the island she gained elemental powers of fire, partly from the effects of the upwelling of elemental fire mana flowing up from the volcano and partly from the particular prayers of her fire drakkar followers.

The goddess stresses the protection of all life and also knowledge as revealed and applied via ancient arcane runes.  All her clerics learn the language of the goddess, Celestial, and all holy books, prayers, and rituals are conducted in it.  Her followers originally took silver as a color to be her sign, and frequently use the shape of a shield.  Since coming to the island some have begun using red, particularly the drakkar.  Some of the original followers oppose the use of red and insist that only the traditional silver be used.  Clerical vestments are typically white or light gray robes with short, wide sleeves.  Whenever possible they have silver embroidery and silver decorations, particularly shields on the back, chest and each shoulder.  Again, some use red as well but usually added at the cuffs, collar, and hems.

Although the goddess does not mandate any holy symbol, various shield shapes have been used as convenient reminders that she protects all under her care.  Devout followers sometimes draw a circle in the air representing a shield when they wish to ward off some real or potential evil.  Unlike some deities the clerics of the goddess do not favor use of a particular weapon but do equip themselves with a shield whenever possible.

In keeping with the Lady's focus on protection and arcane learning, temples to her are strongly built to serve as refuge or even fortress in time of peril.  The teaching of the ways of the goddess always include inspirational stories of her part in the War of Angels and Demons and how she brought her followers to safety.  Everyone is constantly reminded to be on guard lest the ancient enemies find them and return for a final assault.  The usually have a library and try to have books with knowledge of arcane defensive magic so that wizards of good character may increase their skills.

The church has two major festivals.  The first, called Founding Festival, is to commemorate the original arrival of the goddess and remaining followers to the island.  This is held in the fall, eight days after the autumnal equinox.  In more recent times the traditional fall harvest celebrations have start at the equinox and climax alongside the Founding Festival.  The second most important is usually held two weeks after the summer solstice.  It is called Ending of Light.  This is a somber remembrance of the fallen Angel companions of Lentarula.  Temples of Lentarula typically include icons or small statues of the Bright Companions.  These are usually brought out and taken through the community in a procession rather like that of a funeral.  The faithful wear funeral garb on that day and fasting is observed from dawn to dusk.

You Gotta Have Faith (and Pilgrimages)

Okay, so I just watched a slightly annoying but nonetheless interesting show called Departures on which the hosts toured a couple places in India.  This episode was called "India: Sacred Ground" and the bit which inspired me to jump into this post was where they visit the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi on the Ganges.  The city is chock full of heavy religious significance and observances.  And that's exactly what I want a lot of in the campaign world I'm building now.  Here are some examples from the city's Wikipedia entry of the sort of thing I want to create:

• Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, being one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus of all denominations and is one of seven most holy places for Hindus in India. 
• A Kṣetra is a sacred ground, a field of active power, a place where Moksha, final release can be obtained. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations.
• Hindus believe that Vishalakshi Temple stands on the spot where Goddess Sati's earrings fell. 
• Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the river Ganges itself as the Goddess Shakti. 
• Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism too, being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha himself. In the residential neighborhood of Varanasi lies Sarnath, the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. 

 Fantastic!  I want a game world where you can go visit the very spot (so they say) that goddess X or saint Y actually preached/wept/loved/died.  There must be places of pilgrimage, either as sole destinations or as part of a pilgrimage trail to be followed.  Each holy place should have a story behind it (usually embellished to some extent), but a story with actual divine substance to it.  There will be places to visit, particular rituals which can be performed, unique local worship festivals, personalities (priests, hermits, monks, zealots, etc.), and holy items to be purchased and brought home (e.g., sacred anointing oil, healing waters from the holy spring, an image of the saint blessed by the high priest right on the tomb of the saint, etc.).

I want to add these details because they accord with my view of the divine background to the world, add to the wonder of exploring and experiencing a new place, and provide endless plot elements to enhance play.