Fruit of the Kickstarter: BX Advanced Bestiary

This rather nice book arrived this week.

Todd Leback, BX Advanced Bestiary: Vol 1 - Monsters A-D, Third Party Games (2022), 134pp, many illus.

A nicely produced hardback by Third Kingdom Games, the pdf of which is now available on DriveThruRPG.  It's a companion to their Populated Hexes series and Old School-Essentials.  This volume covers Ape, White (three variants) to Driver Ant* (six vari-ants).  

*Though I don't know why this isn't 'Ant, Driver'.

The stated aims are, firstly to take the monsters in the OSE Basic book and expand them with varients and options and, secondly to add some new ones with the same flavour.  Typically, an entry gives optional special qualities to add a little spice and then variations on the monster, each with their own stat-block and entries.  Perfect for those jaded parties who groan at meeting Wild Boar again!*  Because this is supplement to exisiting bestiaries, it doesn't give or repeat the stats or details of the Common or Standard Beast, meaning that you'd have to have both volumes open, so it's probably not best for running encounters on the spur of the moment.

*There are four variants of Boar, and special qualities like 'Hard to Kill' and 'Terrifying Charge'.

Kickstarter Watch: Carapace and In the Heart of Oz

It's Zinequest time, so Kickstarter is going to be full of interesting small RPG projects for a while.  

This post is just to point to one of them.  M Blake (otherwise known as Goblin's Henchman) is doing two zines, both based on his Hex Flower Game Engine.

The first is to Carapace, which "offers the horrors of procedurally exploring a labyrinthine giant ant colony in search of the giant ant Queen".  This I can personally recommend, as I've played a couple of games in which the DM has slotted an earlier version of it into a bigger campaign.  The second is "a gonzo sandbox setting, based in the Land of the Wizard of Oz".

Hex Flowers aren't everyone's cup of tea - they're abstract and procedural, so need a little work.  I didn't take to Carapace the first time we tried it, but it grew on me (so much that I had it prepped just in case the group I was running Errinsford for heading into the deep forrest).  I can certainly recommend Henchman's products (he also wrote the Grimbo Chrimbo that I've run a couple of times and which on both occasions were a great hit with players).

Kickstarter Watch: Gig Economy

I've just backed Gig Economy, a zine which provides 200 retainers and hirelings suitable for Old School RPGs.

It hits a lot of buttons for me,  Rather nicely, it runs from no-hopers to almost Level 1s - let's see which survive!  

It's very modestly priced (and is 2,800% funded with a week to go), but one of the things that appeals to me - a luddite who likes hard copies - is that the Canadian-based creators has arranged for printing and distribution from the UK as well as Canada. 

Kickstarter Watch: Medieval Marginalia

 

Link here.

On offer are 12 minis (for £38.00) from Andrew May of Meridian Miniatures and other projects  (with a strong Kickstarter track record), more or less directly copied from the marginal illustrations of medieval manuscripts (do follow the link and compare the minis to the source materials).  It was fully funded in half an hour, and unsurprisingly so.

Here's one of those tempting Kickstarter that's produced a delicious idea, but you wonder if you'll ever use.   I think the answer with this one is that if you had the figures, you'd damn well create a scenario to fit!

Idea: party of adventurers after a hazardous journey through the wilderness are glad to know that their next stop will be at the Abbey of San' Umberto, renowned for its hospitality to travellers (and, the more learned of your party point out, its magnificent library and scriptorium).  But when you arrive, the usual welcoming party isn't waiting...

Now, would you play that as a medieval fantasy (think Dolmenwood or The Midderlands) or a Cthuhlu Dark Ages?  And would you let you're players know which it was?

Fruits of the Kickstarter - Soviet Women of WW2

 

Today I got delivery of the first Kickstarter I've backed in ages (over two years?).  This one was Women of WW2: Soviet Russia from Bad Squiddo Games, which finished on 15 April and in true Bad Squiddo fashion is being fulfiled quickly and promptly.

The purple box of delights

WW2 isn't really my thing, so I did a very small pledge - a token of support really - chosing some items that would fit in with my Pulp theme.  As a result, I've got four figures, lovely sclupts by Alan Marsh, very crisply and cleanly cast.

Nightwitches

Sniper team

Kickstarter Watch - Terror of Octobernomicon

Terror of the Octobernomicon by Golden Goblin Press

The other day I reviewed William Adcock's Call of Cthulhu scenario 'Without Warning'.  Hard on that comes news of a new piece by him.  Regardless of this link though, I think I'd probably flag this Kickstarter from Golden Goblin Press.

On offer is a book containing six Call of Cthulhu scenarions from young and up-coming authors - two Americans, three Brits and a Pole (the KS page includes video interviews with each of them, which is a nice touch).  It's intended to be a showcase for new talent.  The settings are varied - one in Roman Arabia, one in the Old West, and four in the 1920s Golden Age (one each in Lovecraft County, a cruise on the Nile, Cornwall and Vienna).  Each sounds interesting.

All in all, I think I'd probably be interested in backing this.  But then we come to the old problem of shipping.  Without a UK or EU distributor, shipping across the Atlantic doubles the cost for a hard copy.  That itself isn't Golden Goblin's fault (lord knows we all suffered since Trump's ultimatum to the  International Postage Union!) but the decsion does cut them off from a large market.  The lack of a European distributor is even more surprising given that in one of the interviews the point is made that the UK, Poland and Germany have thriving Call of Cthulhu communitites.

Sadly, it's not just the Kickstarter: if GGP had an European distributor, there's a lot in their back-catalogue that I'd be interested in.

Nevertheless, I put it forward for your consideration...

Kickstarter Watch: Pig-Faced Goblins and Dog-Faced Kobolds

Now, as many of you will know, I'm old-fashioned (comfortably so - it's to do with my age).  I likes me Orcs to be pig-faced and Kobolds to be doggy rather than lizardly.

Those of a similar bent might like the Kickstarter by RBJ Game Co for Yippers and Squealers - pig-faced Goblins and dog-faced Kobolds*.  It's already well over target with a fortnight to go.

*They did pig-faced Orcs in a previous Kickstarter.

To be honest, the schnauzer-like Yippers are probably a little too cute to be successful Kobolds, but frankly they are such nice things, they're probably worth having on their own account.

International postage being what it is, I won't be backing this one.  Had it been based on this side of the Atlantic, I think I probably would have some of those doggos.

Kickstarter Watch: Hobgoblin Raiding Party by Midlam Games

 

Just a quick post to point to the latest Kickstarter from Midlam Games.  

This one is Hobgoblin Raiding Party, Vol II (I must have missed Vol I).  I'm intending to back it because a friend likes to pay half-orcs, I I think these will do.  I backed a few of Midlam's Kickstarters before and have always been pleased both with the KS fulfilment and the miniatures.  I'd have no qualms in recomending them.

As I write (the day before I'll publish), there are 13 days to go and they already have pledges of £3725 against a £600 goal.

Kickstarter Watch - Beowulf: Age of Heroes

Sadly, I'm not in a position to back Kickstarters at the moment.  If I was, one that I would be particlarly tempted would be Beowulf: Age of Heroes an RPG from Handiwork Games.  It runs until 30 Jun 2020.

• An interesting period/theme
• Dual-play (ie, one GM, one player) system
• A proven team behind it
• Nice production values
• Free full-length, indroductory adventure so you can see before you buy
• An interesting a statement about re-claiming 'Anglo-Saxon' from racists

Kickstarter Watch: Mudharbour

Recently I've been able to play in Dave Aldridge's on-line RPG sessions which he runs using the Black Hack.  Dave has created Melcher's Vale, a very enjoyable low- to mid-fantasy setting, which will suit many game systems.

The largest settlement (we've found so far) in the Vale is Mudharbour and this is the focus of Dave's Kickstarter.  He has decided to take part in Zine Quest, a co-ordinated effort by creators to publish RPG Zines funded by Kickstarters.

A hand-stitched 32 page [now 36, stretchgoals having been met] zine detailing a Kung Fu fantasy setting influenced by Shaw Brothers movies and martial arts videogames. Mudharbour is a cosmopolitan island city dominated by mystic temples and featuring warring gangsters, scheming bureaucrats, elemental automata and marauding pirates. 

I'm quite fond of Mudharbour as my character was introduced there and, as one of the first players there, I've contributed to its development.  The character, a thief was originally concieved as Billy the Dip; he quickly and seemlessly morphed into Bil Lee, a junior member of the Green Dragon Tong (as led by 'Uncle' Wang).  He's since met giant crabs, hungry ghosts, psychic jellyfish and exceptionally well-shod assassins.  Great fun!

The Kickstarter is now (on it's 4th of 14 days), 350% funded.  You can see details here.

Parcels!

I got a couple of parcels today!  Kay-Karoo!

First up was the fruit of another Kickstarter, this one The Baron's War by Paul Hicks and Andy Hobday (and Footsore Miniatures), which was to produce minis of C13th knights and men-at-arms.  I only signed up in a minor way.

And I'm very pleased with the results.  Everything was on time and communication throughout the KS was exemplary.  There's a fair bit of flash on the minis (oh, how we are spoiled these days!), but they are lovely sculpts and worth seeking out.

I think one of the aims of the KS was to test the market for a range of C13th figures.  It was a big success, and there should be more coming (and, I understand, a rule-set).

And, secondly...

The other parcel was a care packet from one of my sisters.  Bless!

Fruit of the Kickstarter: Old School Essentials

Regular readers may realise that my regular RPG group's system of choice is Old School Essentials (formerly B/X Essentials) by Necrotic Gnome.  OSE is a retro-clone and restatement of the 1981 Basic/Expert rules for D&D.  People who know better than I do have said that it's the best expression of B/X.

Our group were involved in the play-testing of various new bits of the rules-set (readers of my Butcher's Bill posts will appreciate I've had the chance to try out several of the Advanced Classes!) for an edition that went to Kickstarter back in April to great sucess: it funded withing two hours, and finally was over 1000% subscribed.  So this is more than just an unboxing review:  I'm fairly familiar with the contents, and am enthusiastic in my recommendation of them!

Well fulfilment is underway on schedule and my rewards arrived today.  In fact they would have arrived on Wednesday: instead I received the Red Card of Frustration.  The OSE group on Facebook has been full of tantalising photos from across the world while I've been twiddling my thumbs!

Up to now OSE has been published in module form: a series of softback books of 40-60 pages.   This is quite handy as it allows people to buy which bits they need, but not the others.  So for example, as we've been playing over the last year and a half, as a rule only the GM has have the booklets covering monster stats and allocation of treasures but there might have been three copies of the core rules and the character classes volumes at the table.  Another advantage is that the intention is to bring out additional modules covering additional genre rules or other specialisations (word on the street is that Post-Apoc is being planned).

In putting together the new issue, Gavin Norman has continued with this modular system (but now in hardback with new-and-better illustrations).  These are available in a Black Box version, with the five core volumes.

Having said all that, I chose to go for the Rules Tome option, in which these five core volumes are presented in one 296pp hardback volume.  As you'll see from the photos below, the volume has very high production values and great artwork.  From the cover options I chose the Peter Mullen varient, an image I love (and is expanded on the new GM's screen).

The front- and end-papers of all the volumes have quick reference table relevant to the contents.  The Rules Tome has a couple of ribbon markers, a nice touch.

Layout is a module of clarity and well thought-out artwork.  Where possible, Gavin has worked hard to have all the relevant info on a single double-spread - as can be seen with the decriptions of character classes.

And the art-work can speak for itself...  Over two-dozen artists are represented in the Rules Tome.

There were two modules in the Kickstarter aditional to the Core Set or Rules Tome:  Advance Fantasy Genre Rules and a list of Druid and Illusionist Spells.  The major part of the Advance Rules is that addition of another 15 character clases and the option of character races (because this is B/X of course, and the default is race-as-class).  Druid and Illusionist are two of the new classes, so they needed a spell list.   I've played from both these volumes in various drafts, and they work well.  

The small volumes have the same production values as the Tome (without the special colour spreads) and will work well on the table - we all know the problem of POD or other volumes that lose pages after very little use.

Finally, one of the stretch goals for the Kickstarter was the inclusing of an introductionary adventure: The Hole In the Oak.  This was described as "a classic (and quirky!) old-school adventure for 1st level characters, set in the Mythic Underworld that lies beyond the hole in an old oak tree. This odd realm will be mapped by the mycologically inclined Karl Stjernberg and illustrated by the phantasmagoric James West".

Unlike the other volumes in the Kickstarter, this is a softback (staple bound of 32 pages), but the same care has gone into the layout and choice of illustrations.

I'll be immersing myself in this module over the next week, as in an excess of enthusiasm I've offered to GM the module.  My first experience of GM-ing!  I'm going to do a dry run on some close friends and then break it out for the more discerning RPG group.

Necrotic Gnome's next project is a Kickstarter in 2020 for the production of a Campaign Book for the weird and wonderful Dolmonwood setting.  I've played in that setting, and I hope to be be able to sign up for that one too!

Old-School Essentials Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/necroticgnome/old-school-essentials

Readers of my recent posts on the RPG campaign I've been taking part in, will see that we've been using the B/X Essentials system (now renamed Old-School Essentials to make it less niche) produced by Necrotic Gnome - and indeed have been lucky enough to be involved in the play-testing of new material.

Well on Friday evening Necrotic Gnome (otherwise Gavin Norman) launched its Kickstarter for funding to produce the revised rules in high-quality hardback format (previously they were sold as print-on-demand).  And it was fully funded in the first two hours.

I owe four of the five current modules, but I've signed up to upgrade - these are lovely products and worth having.  The stretch-goals already reached include the  publication two more rules modules - Advanced Fantasy: Genre Rules and Druid and Illusionist Spells, both of which I've used in draft form and would also recommend.

The rest in the words of Necrotic Gnome...

Rewards
We'll be producing two things for this Kickstarter:

1. The Black Box: A luxury box set containing 5 slim hardcover rules modules covering all aspects of the game: Core Rules, Classic Fantasy Genre Rules (your classes, equipment, strongholds, etc), Cleric and Magic-User Spells, Classic Fantasy Monsters, Classic Fantasy Treasures.

1. The Rules Tome: All the Old-School Essentials rules in a single, fat hardcover. 

Details:

• Quality: All books will be produced as luxury, sewn-binding hardcovers.

• Covers: Book and box covers by Andrew Walter and Peter Mullen.

• Complete B/X clone: Both products form a complete retro-clone of the beloved Basic / Expert rules from 1981!

• Limited edition Rules Tome: A leatherette-bound, foil-stamped edition of the Rules Tome, only available in this Kickstarter!

• High-level rewards: Very limited rewards include your name in the credits on the title page of the books, and your face in an illustration!

"A Shouty Game of Finger-Pointing"

As I'd had a bad end to the week (more difficulties with the Post Office, which have swallowed up a week's profit) I decided at short notice to attend an evening of games testing at The Games Table hosted by ASH Games, who were bringing along two of their concepts that should be hitting Kickstarter sometime next year.

Pre-ASH Games

The ASH team (it's a family set-up of long-time gamers headed by Ash) were delayed by traffic, so those of who had turned up at 6.00pm had some time to fill.  Luckily, The games library at the shop has built up nicely since it opened in July.

Five of us took the chance to play Battle Sheep.  Despite the fact that three of us hadn't played it before and that the rules were being explained by a seven year-old, it only took a couple of moves to understand it.  It's a fast game that only takes 10-15 minutes to play.  We got three games in, and it became clear that some fun tactical punches can be pulled.  I am tempted to buy it for Sarah and myself.

'Burn the Witch'

When ASH turned up they had two games to test, a card game about witch burning and a minis game based on Star Wars pod racing.  Ash, who has a background in franchising, seems to think that he should be able to acquire a licence for the latter.

I went off into the group that played 'Burn the Witch'.  We did swap over later, but as it was almost 9.00pm I left at that point and thus didn't get to try the racing.

Put simply (there are various rules I'm omitting here), in 'Burn the Witch' the players take the role of an inhabitant of a medieval village caught up in a witch-hunt.  In each hand they are dealt a secret card giving the identity of another player or designating them the witch.  An accusation card is then drawn from a deck of 72 real-life examples ("X has a hairy lip"... "X has too many children").  After a period when we all accuse our favoured candidate a vote is taken.  The people who successfully nominate someone who is convicted score (regardless as to whether they were the witch or not - this is not a game about justice!).  The convicted witch can score by then identifying the true witch.  Each game consisted of 3-4 hands and took about 30 mins.

One of the things that the designers were wanting to determine was whether it was best as a murder-mystery type game of up to 16 people (though at one stage up to 30 people wandering around a room wearing their identities on lapel-badges were mentioned), or for 4-8 mates sitting around a table or on the sofa.   There were six of us playing (four of whom knew each other), and I think that worked better than a larger group would.  A some point the strap-line "A Shouty Game of Finger-Pointing" came up, and that's how I see it.  Throw in a couple of bottles of wine and you might even get fisticuffs!

There were various points discussed:- artwork; bespoke cards; ways of keeping score; whether there was too much/too little historical info; whether that info would be better on the cards or in a booklet; the kind of ancillary 'stuff' (token, etc) that would add value to the game; and Kickstarter stretch goals.

It was an enjoyable game and would be a good ice-breaker.  The process of game-testing was new to me and interesting.  All in all, a couple of hours well-spent.

I am a Character from an HP Lovecraft Story!

I'm sure that there is a genre of fiction (meta-fiction?) in which characters in a story realise that that's just what they are.  I'm equally sure that there is a psychological disorder (The Matrix syndrome?) in which people think that they and everything around them are fictional constructs.

As I've been lying in my bed (it's now 3am) I have come to the conclusion that heads this post, and which compels me to write (while I still can!).  Let me provide the evidence:

1. For many years I practised the profession of archivist.
2. During that time I worked in the archives of a (notorious) religious order; a university; a 300 year-old bank that had interests in the Caribbean and Africa; and the museum of a port town that contained the records of many seafarers and the artifacts they brought back from their travels.
3. Following a sudden collapse and almost three weeks in a coma, I withdrew from the profession and now trade in rare and hard-to-find books.

Madness and the void surely await me!

This line of thought was initiated by an interesting Kickstarter - 'Welcome to Miskatonic University', which sets out to publish an anthology of short stories inspired modern life in that ancient establishment.

One of the features backing is that one is invited to submit one's photo and up to three key details about oneself.  On the basis of this, the creators will have a pool for designing characters to populate their Arkham, incorporating the character into My Miskatonic, a guidebook to Arkham and the university.  

From such innocent requests can darkening realisation grow...

No Zomtober This Week - But Noggin!

I doubt very much whether I'll be posting anything for Zomtober this weekend. 

I have done any painting this week, and I'm feeling so awful at the moment I can see any being done over the weekend.

On the bright side, there is a rather nice Kickstarter going on, which may warm the cockles of the heart of anyone who was in the UK during the late 60s and 70s.

Yes, it's Noggin the Nog!

Sadly, given the above-stated 'feeling so awful' situation, my immediate thoughts were on the grumpy side of negative:

• There's no mention of the IP rights in the 'Risks' section.  Edit:  I've just re-read the preamble, and is says they've got a licence from the Postgate sons.  So - Yay!
• At £20.00 for a blister of four figures or £60.00 for all 16 figures, it is very expensive

If you aren''t as grumpy as I am, go and have a look at it here - a month left to run and already fully-funded.

Gary Gygax, JRR Tolkien and Sid James Walk Into a Bar...

Another week, another Kickstarter...

Philip Hynes, one of the most talented sculptors in 28mm, has  launched a Kickstarter to fund the manufacture of some of his miscellaneous minis.  As the blurb says, it's an eclectic mix - figures that Phil seems to have scultpted just for the fun of it.  Despite the lack of theme (don't worry, there are more Undead Spartans promised!), they are lovely pieces and the Kickstarter is already funded.

Gothic Horror SquidStarter

Annie over at Bad Squiddo Games has just launched (and fully-funded within three minutes) a Kickstarter for a range of 28mm Gothic Horror figures (mainly vampires and vampire-hunters, but I've got my eye on the Frankenstein's Monster and Wolfman promised as stretchgoals).

Not a proper Kickstarter, but really a pre-order scheme, the figures are ready to cast and will be dispatched this month.

The Kickstarter closes on 20 August, and can be seen here.

Kickstarter Watch - Medieval Demons

It's been far too long since I posted here.  Fortunately, I'm well and, as those of you who know me on Facebook or follow the Diplomatist Books blog know, still active.

Rather than go into a long "where have I been and what have I been up to..." I'm going to make that easiest of posts: the Kickstarter Watch.

The fine chaps at Antediluvian Miniatures have come up with the brilliant idea of casting some miniatures of demons found in Medieval MSS (and wall paintings, etc).

Some of you may remember the post where I asked why we always play with cultists based on the early C20th American imagination when Great Britain and Europe generally has thrown up some particicularly fine examples.* Antediluvian are obviously of the same mind.

*The answer is Lovecraft, obviously.  That post cost me a few followers from  among the fundemental wing of Christianity - they wouldn't like this one either.

As can be seen from the pictures above, there's lots of scope here.  The basic goal was to produce three sets of four demons, but that's already been surpassed and we now see variants with hand-gonnes and various stretch-goals (Black Terrence, anyone?), with more promised.

Although I might, for purely selfish reasons, prefer is Antediluvian concentrated on their Lost World ranges, I think that it's refreshing to see some fantasy figures that haven't sprung out of the pages of the AD&D Monster Manual or the Cthulhu Mythos for a change.

How would one use them?  Well, it wouldn't be the first time the Doctor has met up with Daemons or ventured into The Satan Pit...  They'd give a Summoner a run for his money in Frostgrave....  And it would be interesting to see what the American Investigators (or even those Darn Pesky Kids) would make of meeting some proper Olde Worlde villains for a change...

New Stuff

This week has been another poor one as far as the hobby mojo goes.  I have done absolutely no painting, so it looks as if I will miss this weekend's (and final) bonus round in the AHPC.  This is particularly annoying, as I had wanted to submit for each bonus round, I'd bought something specially with this one in mind, and that both my Curtgeld and my normal run of Dr Who figures would have fitted in with the theme (character of scene from a book, movie or tv).

I have some excuse though - I've pulled a muscle in my back (moving books, naturally) and thus spent a day in bed, and the rest of my time feeling extremely sorry for myself.

However, nice Mr Postman did bring some consolation.

Some of you may remember that back in November 2016 I backed the Midlam Miniatures' Cult of the Kraken Lord Kickstarter.  Well, like the previous Midlam Kickstarter I back, these were delivered spot on time.

The Shrine awaits

The Cult arrives..

Jolly nice artwork

I'm been given some thought to my lack of hobby mojo and have come to the conclusion that, much as I enjoy painting figures, it is quite disheartening that I so rarely get to play with them.  I'm going to therefore make a concerted effort to get some solo playing in ("I used to play with myself all the time!").

So I was looking for something simple, fairly self-contained that wasn't too expensive and which was suited to solo play.  Warlord Games let you download the rules of Project Z for free and they seem to meet the above criteria.  And at the moment if you buy the core box, you get an expansion pack for free (£45.00's worth of game for £30.00).  So I watched a couple of YouTube videost and decided it was a good deal.

When I came home this afternoon I found the Red Card of Frustration.  Fortunately, in our case it means that the parcel in in the woodpile, so here we are-

As you see, you get a fair bit in the core box, but for Solo play I reckon you need extra Zombies, so for my free box I chose them rather than more survivors.

Sadly, the core set that was sent to me contained the rules and cards in German.  I see that this has happened to other people and been resolved quickly, so have every confidence that Warlord will sort it out.  I've sent an e-mail and will update you on the results.

But don't worry, I've not sworn off Pulp and Classic Sci-Fi, so stay tuned!