I was hoping to play the rest of Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast tonight, but non-gaming things kept me a bit occupied.
The fully tactical aspect of the upcoming combat is a bit of an issue, too - I have to draw up a copy of the map or use minis and a real hex map, and I'm short on room for that. I should have everything prepped to do it early next week, though - Felltower this weekend is also taking a little time.
But never fear, I'll be back to trying to milk all I can out of the ancient city soon.
Showing posts with label conan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conan. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Thursday, November 3, 2022
GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast playthrough - Session 4
Another possibly short session of QotBC. Session 3 is here.
Crew Morale 3
Plot Word: GUARDED
Current Time: Morning
Roll-and-4-tick boxes entry. I roll 2d and get a 9. Page flip.
We plunge deep into the jungle but don't find water. We can return or try again. Let's try again. Back to 170, down to 3 boxes remaining. I roll 2d again. 5. A large black log blocks us . . . IQ-2 vision roll. For Conan that's a 14. I roll a 5. That's no log, it's abattlestation creature! We choose to attack it with missile fire.
It's a giant lizard. We're 10 hexes away, and I have N'Gora, 10 spearmen, and Conan with a throwing spear. It's a jungle lizard, which has HT17/20-25. So, how many HP? It doesn't say. I'll give it 25, the maximum. It will attempt to flee if it loses equal to or more than half its HP.
Conan throws first, skill 16 + 2 Acc + 3 aim, -3 for vitals, and I roll a 13. It had PD 1 and Dodge 6 for a 7. I roll a 9 and it's hit for 1d+5 impaling. I roll a 6! That's 11 damage, -2 DR, so 9 x 3 = 27. It's already at -2 HP.
I'll skip the rest. 11 more spears mean it's likely to die, and if not, it'll run away. Either way we win.
We end up not finding water. Back to try again. 2 boxes left. I roll 2d. 6.
Hearing roll required - +1 for Danger Sense and +1 for Combat Reflexes (really?) For Conan this an 18. I roll a 13 and make it. A large hyena - astounding in size - rushes us. Each crewman has to make an IQ+Morale roll to avoid being mentally stunned.
N'Gora: 14. 13, made it.
Crewman #1: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #2: 12. 10, made it.
Crewman #3: 12. 6, made it.
Crewman #4: 12. 16, missed it. Mentally stunned.
Crewman #5: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #6: 12. 8, made it.
Crewman #7: 12. 13, missed it. Mentally stunned.
Crewman #8: 12. 11, made it.
Crewman #9: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #10: 12. 13, missed it. Mentally stunned.
So 8 out of the 11 are okay. Page flip!
It's us vs. a hell hyena. It's not far from the lead, where Conan is.
I'll have to resolve the fight tomorrow, it's late. I'm at Entry 86.
Notes:
- There are some odd rolling choices in this adventure. That said, I like how most combats and traps and issues have a roll attached - if you have poor senses or make poor preperation choices, you are more likely to be at a disadvantage. Want to explore with your sword out? You might drop it when you fall and need to grab a ledge. Don't make an IQ roll? You don't think of protecting the water supply.
- I also like how player actions determine crew morale, which affects later rolls. It gives a real feeling of influence. I made need to do that for NPCs in the future - roll their Morale, and then have player actions directly affect Morale and force a roll with it when it matters.
- I pretty much had to try to make this hard. This isn't the first time I had to fight my way out in the adventure, but multiple times I've just looted a lot of loot and then left, happy with Belit and loaded. It seems like it should be a little more difficult to convince Belit, who has Greed and Overconfidence, and difficult for Conan, who has Impulsiveness and Fanaticism (Love for Belit) to even try to leave without ekeing out the most loot.
- I've used Hell Hyenas and the giant lizard and giant snake stats many, many times. In 3e, they were tough.
Crew Morale 3
Plot Word: GUARDED
Current Time: Morning
Roll-and-4-tick boxes entry. I roll 2d and get a 9. Page flip.
We plunge deep into the jungle but don't find water. We can return or try again. Let's try again. Back to 170, down to 3 boxes remaining. I roll 2d again. 5. A large black log blocks us . . . IQ-2 vision roll. For Conan that's a 14. I roll a 5. That's no log, it's a
It's a giant lizard. We're 10 hexes away, and I have N'Gora, 10 spearmen, and Conan with a throwing spear. It's a jungle lizard, which has HT17/20-25. So, how many HP? It doesn't say. I'll give it 25, the maximum. It will attempt to flee if it loses equal to or more than half its HP.
Conan throws first, skill 16 + 2 Acc + 3 aim, -3 for vitals, and I roll a 13. It had PD 1 and Dodge 6 for a 7. I roll a 9 and it's hit for 1d+5 impaling. I roll a 6! That's 11 damage, -2 DR, so 9 x 3 = 27. It's already at -2 HP.
I'll skip the rest. 11 more spears mean it's likely to die, and if not, it'll run away. Either way we win.
We end up not finding water. Back to try again. 2 boxes left. I roll 2d. 6.
Hearing roll required - +1 for Danger Sense and +1 for Combat Reflexes (really?) For Conan this an 18. I roll a 13 and make it. A large hyena - astounding in size - rushes us. Each crewman has to make an IQ+Morale roll to avoid being mentally stunned.
N'Gora: 14. 13, made it.
Crewman #1: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #2: 12. 10, made it.
Crewman #3: 12. 6, made it.
Crewman #4: 12. 16, missed it. Mentally stunned.
Crewman #5: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #6: 12. 8, made it.
Crewman #7: 12. 13, missed it. Mentally stunned.
Crewman #8: 12. 11, made it.
Crewman #9: 12. 9, made it.
Crewman #10: 12. 13, missed it. Mentally stunned.
So 8 out of the 11 are okay. Page flip!
It's us vs. a hell hyena. It's not far from the lead, where Conan is.
I'll have to resolve the fight tomorrow, it's late. I'm at Entry 86.
Notes:
- There are some odd rolling choices in this adventure. That said, I like how most combats and traps and issues have a roll attached - if you have poor senses or make poor preperation choices, you are more likely to be at a disadvantage. Want to explore with your sword out? You might drop it when you fall and need to grab a ledge. Don't make an IQ roll? You don't think of protecting the water supply.
- I also like how player actions determine crew morale, which affects later rolls. It gives a real feeling of influence. I made need to do that for NPCs in the future - roll their Morale, and then have player actions directly affect Morale and force a roll with it when it matters.
- I pretty much had to try to make this hard. This isn't the first time I had to fight my way out in the adventure, but multiple times I've just looted a lot of loot and then left, happy with Belit and loaded. It seems like it should be a little more difficult to convince Belit, who has Greed and Overconfidence, and difficult for Conan, who has Impulsiveness and Fanaticism (Love for Belit) to even try to leave without ekeing out the most loot.
- I've used Hell Hyenas and the giant lizard and giant snake stats many, many times. In 3e, they were tough.
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast playthrough - Session 3
Session 3 tonight . . . again, only a short play window. Here is Session 2 from Tuesday.
Current Time: Morning
Crew Morale: 0
Conan gets a +1 reaction from the crew.
We're in the city . . . it's gloomy, silent, and deserted. Belit laughs this off. Time for an IQ roll. Conan has a 13 . . . and I roll a 14. Oh well.
Belit sends me off with a picked team - up to 10 (with restrictions.) I take eight plus two subchiefs. It's unclear if I can take any of the named crewmen . . . so I don't in case one of them has some plot-related events.
We have four places to explore - the pyramid, one of the towers, the buildings, and the dockside area. I choose to start at the dockside area.
We find nothing . . . but Belit calls us over to examine what she thinks must have been the temple. More choices - examine the tower, pillars, slab, argue against disturbing it. I go with the slab.
It shows the marks of evil ancient rites. Conan needs to make an IQ+Alertness roll. I roll a 5 vs. 16. We find handholds that are "oddly ill-suited" to human hands. IQ roll for Belit; she has a 12. I roll a 6 for her. She calls Conan over to kill a snake in the grass. The others lift the slab and it shifts and the tower falls on them. (How many die here? No idea. All 10 guys I took? Two? Four? It simply doesn't say.)
Belit feared a trap. We clear the stones and bodies away, and find a cache of loot. How much? A pit "filled with jewels" - a "god's ransom." Belit jumps into the pit and swims around and comes out with a necklace of gold and rubies. It's estimated as being worth $5,000,000 or more. Crew Morale becomes 3.
After that, we can either search more or leave. I happen to know from a prior playthrough that you can literally just leave - no rolls, no nothing, sail off with $5,000,000. But Belit has Greed and it's fun to explore more, so let's explore more and risk horrible death!
We can explore more. This time I go for the pyramid. Conan climbs it with ease and looks for a way in. It's an odd roll - 2d, +1 if you have Alertness at all (regardless of level.) I roll 9, +1 for Alertness, equals 10. I flip to the "10 or more" entry and it reveals a door. I inspect it for traps . . . which defaults to IQ-5, so an 8 (Conan lacks the skill). I roll an 11. I try to force the door open and succeed.
It's narrow but I go in, at a crouch. It slants down. After a bit I get to roll agaonst IQ thanks to Danger Sense. 14. Oops.
I fall through a paper mache floor! Conan needs to make a DX roll, at -4 if he's carrying a weapon out (he probably is). So DX 15 - 4 = 11. I roll an 8 and catch on and haul myself out.
Inside I find a cache of $750,000 worth of gold bars. There is a plot word based page flip but I still have no plot words.
Back to searching. This time, the buildings. I go through one at random (it's roll-based) and find nothing. Last area - the towers.
Conan literally dices with N'Gora to pick a tower to search. 1d. I roll a 2.
We search and I made a roll vs. a 10. Made it by 1. We find a broadsword in a case and take it.
A plot word flip ensues. We see a winged shape fly off . . . and we hadn't left any guards on the Tigress (that was an easier blown IQ roll.) The thing smashed all of the water casks, so we don't have enough to sail off (Note: we're finally getting somewhere besides finding loot.) I can wait for the creature to come back, return to Belit, or leave my men behind to watch and return to Belit alone. I'll do that. I get the Plot Word GUARDED.
I can advise Belit to abandon the expedition, or not. Not. (Again, another easy chance to leave with loot.) N'Gora and 10 spearmen and Conan will go fill up waterskins.
It's time for a bunch of die-rolls and a tick-box entry to get through. I need to pause here, at entry 97.
Current Time: Morning
Crew Morale: 0
Conan gets a +1 reaction from the crew.
We're in the city . . . it's gloomy, silent, and deserted. Belit laughs this off. Time for an IQ roll. Conan has a 13 . . . and I roll a 14. Oh well.
Belit sends me off with a picked team - up to 10 (with restrictions.) I take eight plus two subchiefs. It's unclear if I can take any of the named crewmen . . . so I don't in case one of them has some plot-related events.
We have four places to explore - the pyramid, one of the towers, the buildings, and the dockside area. I choose to start at the dockside area.
We find nothing . . . but Belit calls us over to examine what she thinks must have been the temple. More choices - examine the tower, pillars, slab, argue against disturbing it. I go with the slab.
It shows the marks of evil ancient rites. Conan needs to make an IQ+Alertness roll. I roll a 5 vs. 16. We find handholds that are "oddly ill-suited" to human hands. IQ roll for Belit; she has a 12. I roll a 6 for her. She calls Conan over to kill a snake in the grass. The others lift the slab and it shifts and the tower falls on them. (How many die here? No idea. All 10 guys I took? Two? Four? It simply doesn't say.)
Belit feared a trap. We clear the stones and bodies away, and find a cache of loot. How much? A pit "filled with jewels" - a "god's ransom." Belit jumps into the pit and swims around and comes out with a necklace of gold and rubies. It's estimated as being worth $5,000,000 or more. Crew Morale becomes 3.
After that, we can either search more or leave. I happen to know from a prior playthrough that you can literally just leave - no rolls, no nothing, sail off with $5,000,000. But Belit has Greed and it's fun to explore more, so let's explore more and risk horrible death!
We can explore more. This time I go for the pyramid. Conan climbs it with ease and looks for a way in. It's an odd roll - 2d, +1 if you have Alertness at all (regardless of level.) I roll 9, +1 for Alertness, equals 10. I flip to the "10 or more" entry and it reveals a door. I inspect it for traps . . . which defaults to IQ-5, so an 8 (Conan lacks the skill). I roll an 11. I try to force the door open and succeed.
It's narrow but I go in, at a crouch. It slants down. After a bit I get to roll agaonst IQ thanks to Danger Sense. 14. Oops.
I fall through a paper mache floor! Conan needs to make a DX roll, at -4 if he's carrying a weapon out (he probably is). So DX 15 - 4 = 11. I roll an 8 and catch on and haul myself out.
Inside I find a cache of $750,000 worth of gold bars. There is a plot word based page flip but I still have no plot words.
Back to searching. This time, the buildings. I go through one at random (it's roll-based) and find nothing. Last area - the towers.
Conan literally dices with N'Gora to pick a tower to search. 1d. I roll a 2.
We search and I made a roll vs. a 10. Made it by 1. We find a broadsword in a case and take it.
A plot word flip ensues. We see a winged shape fly off . . . and we hadn't left any guards on the Tigress (that was an easier blown IQ roll.) The thing smashed all of the water casks, so we don't have enough to sail off (Note: we're finally getting somewhere besides finding loot.) I can wait for the creature to come back, return to Belit, or leave my men behind to watch and return to Belit alone. I'll do that. I get the Plot Word GUARDED.
I can advise Belit to abandon the expedition, or not. Not. (Again, another easy chance to leave with loot.) N'Gora and 10 spearmen and Conan will go fill up waterskins.
It's time for a bunch of die-rolls and a tick-box entry to get through. I need to pause here, at entry 97.
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast playthrough - Session 2
I have a very short time to play tonight. So I'll get in a little more QotBC. Session 1 is here.
Current Time: Night
Crew Morale: 0
Conan gets a +1 reaction from the crew.
The moon rises, "blood-red and oddly menacing." Queue players asking if they can roll anything to know what that means and wouldn't my guy etc. etc. etc. Young love-stricken Conan does not do such things!
Howls and cries erupt . . . Hearing Roll at -3, +3 if I have Absolute Direction. If I succeed, I have a page flip. If I fail, the crew morale drops by 1 and I have a different page flip. Conan has IQ 13, Alertness +3, and Absolute Direction. 13 +3 +3 -3 = 16. I roll a 5. Conan sneers at the crew's concerns and points out the cries are inland, not on the river. The crew listens.
Time advances to Morning. Again, a morale-and-time dependent page flip.
We reach the city. Belit calls for the crew to arm and make ready, and crew morale is +1 (Current Morale 1.)
As we pull towards the wharves, it's time for a Vision roll - again, IQ 13 and Alertness +3 is a 16, I roll a 7 and make it. I see a winged thing fly off one of the columns in the city. N'Yaga the shaman calls it a winged ape and accursed. Belit "scoffs" and we tie up on a wharf.
I'm at entry 20 and need to stop (see, I told you it was a very short time.)
Current Time: Night
Crew Morale: 0
Conan gets a +1 reaction from the crew.
The moon rises, "blood-red and oddly menacing." Queue players asking if they can roll anything to know what that means and wouldn't my guy etc. etc. etc. Young love-stricken Conan does not do such things!
Howls and cries erupt . . . Hearing Roll at -3, +3 if I have Absolute Direction. If I succeed, I have a page flip. If I fail, the crew morale drops by 1 and I have a different page flip. Conan has IQ 13, Alertness +3, and Absolute Direction. 13 +3 +3 -3 = 16. I roll a 5. Conan sneers at the crew's concerns and points out the cries are inland, not on the river. The crew listens.
Time advances to Morning. Again, a morale-and-time dependent page flip.
We reach the city. Belit calls for the crew to arm and make ready, and crew morale is +1 (Current Morale 1.)
As we pull towards the wharves, it's time for a Vision roll - again, IQ 13 and Alertness +3 is a 16, I roll a 7 and make it. I see a winged thing fly off one of the columns in the city. N'Yaga the shaman calls it a winged ape and accursed. Belit "scoffs" and we tie up on a wharf.
I'm at entry 20 and need to stop (see, I told you it was a very short time.)
Monday, October 31, 2022
GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast playthrough - Session 1
I finally had a bit of time to play GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast. Here is my session 0 post.
Crew Stats:
N'Gora
N'Yaga
Gwythar
5 Subchiefs
80 Crew
Crew Morale Rating 0
No Plot Words yet
Current Time: Afternoon
We start out on the Tigress, sailing around, with some backstory in case you haven't read the original story.
Just like in the books, the Tigress is badly depleted and laden with loot, yet Belit wants more and wants to sack a lost cursed city of the Ancients. My first choice is wether to protest the depleted nature of the crew, or endore Belit's idea. Young Conans in love don't question, they follow. I endorse her idea fully!
The jungle river is spooky and silent. The current time is now Afternoon . . . which is where it started.
I have to do a couple time-and-morale dependent page flips. The I need to roll 1d. 2. Flip to entry 7.
I'm on lookout duty. I have Danger Sense so I get an IQ roll. I roll an 8, and make it. Not critically, so I flip to 153.
I turn just as a giant river serpent looms over the bow! Time to break out a combat map of the ship. The serpent will try to grab a crewman and eat him. The adventure doesn't give any suggestions or rulings on where the other 89 people are - just Conan. I'm actually better off just making it fight Conan one on one but that's not the description, so I'll put a subchief (I need one for each group) and a half-dozen crewman near the serpent and fight it out from there.
Turn 1: Conan Moves up to the edge of the boat; this is two hexes away.
The serpent is tied with the warriors, so it moves to the edge of the boat and attacks one. It has DX 13 and I roll a 10 - a hit! The crewman has to try to Dodge. They have Dodge 5 and have Shields, but nothing says what kind of shield (seriously - they have a table entry but no equipment list). Conan has a large shield, so it seems reasonable that they do, too. So PD 4. I roll an 8, so the serpent hits the shield but its 1d damage won't penetrate.
The crewman can fight back with his Spear-12. I roll an 11. The serpent can Dodge with 6, +1 for PD . . . and I roll a 6!
Turn 2: Conan attacks the serpent with his sword (which is listed as doing 1+3 cutting, 3+1 impaling, and yet hasn't been errata'd. Tsk, tsk.) Conan has Broadsword-18 and so I aim at theSkull Brain (-7) for an 11. I roll a 5 and hit. The serpent rolls a 16 fails to Dodge. Damage is 11+1 = 12 cutting. The serpent has 0 DR, 2 for skull, so 12 - 2 = 10 x 4 = 40. It had HT 20 and goes to -20 HP and is knocked out automatically (3e rules.)
Having beaten the snake with no casualties, we get a +2 Morale (Crew Morale now 2) and Conan gets a +1 to reactions from the crew.
The time advances to Evening.
More time-and-morale based page flips, and a die roll - a 6.
We see some large glowing eyes of a sickly purplish hue. I can laugh it off, shoot at it, ignore the eyes, or bring the ship in closer. I attack!
I have a -12. Okay, that's a lot. I can aim, shoot without aiming, or decide not to shoot. I have a 17 skill, so that's a 5, 7 with aim, 10 if I take the max time. May as well aim. I do, and I shoot, rolling an 8. A hit and a page flip.
The weird thing turns out to be a wolf-like thing, which screams and falls dead into the river from a vitals hit. I have to roll 1d. On a 1-2, +1 to Crew Morale. 5. Oh well. Hard guys to impress. Anyway it falls into the river and tentacles seize it and rip it "asunder." -2 to morale! Easy come, easy go.
Crew Morale is 0 again.
Current time becomes Night.
More morale and time page flips, and a die roll. A 6. But I need to stop now, at entry 175. I'll pick it up from there tomorrow (if I have time.)
***
Fun so far. I'm not sure why there are no stats for the spearmen. I hope I'm not missing an insert.
Crew Stats:
N'Gora
N'Yaga
Gwythar
5 Subchiefs
80 Crew
Crew Morale Rating 0
No Plot Words yet
Current Time: Afternoon
We start out on the Tigress, sailing around, with some backstory in case you haven't read the original story.
Just like in the books, the Tigress is badly depleted and laden with loot, yet Belit wants more and wants to sack a lost cursed city of the Ancients. My first choice is wether to protest the depleted nature of the crew, or endore Belit's idea. Young Conans in love don't question, they follow. I endorse her idea fully!
The jungle river is spooky and silent. The current time is now Afternoon . . . which is where it started.
I have to do a couple time-and-morale dependent page flips. The I need to roll 1d. 2. Flip to entry 7.
I'm on lookout duty. I have Danger Sense so I get an IQ roll. I roll an 8, and make it. Not critically, so I flip to 153.
I turn just as a giant river serpent looms over the bow! Time to break out a combat map of the ship. The serpent will try to grab a crewman and eat him. The adventure doesn't give any suggestions or rulings on where the other 89 people are - just Conan. I'm actually better off just making it fight Conan one on one but that's not the description, so I'll put a subchief (I need one for each group) and a half-dozen crewman near the serpent and fight it out from there.
Turn 1: Conan Moves up to the edge of the boat; this is two hexes away.
The serpent is tied with the warriors, so it moves to the edge of the boat and attacks one. It has DX 13 and I roll a 10 - a hit! The crewman has to try to Dodge. They have Dodge 5 and have Shields, but nothing says what kind of shield (seriously - they have a table entry but no equipment list). Conan has a large shield, so it seems reasonable that they do, too. So PD 4. I roll an 8, so the serpent hits the shield but its 1d damage won't penetrate.
The crewman can fight back with his Spear-12. I roll an 11. The serpent can Dodge with 6, +1 for PD . . . and I roll a 6!
Turn 2: Conan attacks the serpent with his sword (which is listed as doing 1+3 cutting, 3+1 impaling, and yet hasn't been errata'd. Tsk, tsk.) Conan has Broadsword-18 and so I aim at the
Having beaten the snake with no casualties, we get a +2 Morale (Crew Morale now 2) and Conan gets a +1 to reactions from the crew.
The time advances to Evening.
More time-and-morale based page flips, and a die roll - a 6.
We see some large glowing eyes of a sickly purplish hue. I can laugh it off, shoot at it, ignore the eyes, or bring the ship in closer. I attack!
I have a -12. Okay, that's a lot. I can aim, shoot without aiming, or decide not to shoot. I have a 17 skill, so that's a 5, 7 with aim, 10 if I take the max time. May as well aim. I do, and I shoot, rolling an 8. A hit and a page flip.
The weird thing turns out to be a wolf-like thing, which screams and falls dead into the river from a vitals hit. I have to roll 1d. On a 1-2, +1 to Crew Morale. 5. Oh well. Hard guys to impress. Anyway it falls into the river and tentacles seize it and rip it "asunder." -2 to morale! Easy come, easy go.
Crew Morale is 0 again.
Current time becomes Night.
More morale and time page flips, and a die roll. A 6. But I need to stop now, at entry 175. I'll pick it up from there tomorrow (if I have time.)
***
Fun so far. I'm not sure why there are no stats for the spearmen. I hope I'm not missing an insert.
Friday, October 7, 2022
Links & Thoughts for 10/7/2022
- I finished reading the original story behind Queen of the Black Coast. It has been a while since I read it. It's good . . . but not great. It shows its age and time. It's got good gaming potential but it was a bit of a chore to finish, unlike some other of REH's work. I'll get on playing this weekend if I have time.
- I've queued up Blackbirds as my nighttime reading. Hurrah!
- Since we're actually playing Felltower again, I've spent a lot of time writing and reading about gaming. I need to play to stay connected these days - the more I play, the more I have to write and think about.
- I haven't told my players what happened to their captured guys yet. I'll get to that this weekend. I won't lie - I got distracted by some non-gaming stuff this week, both work and fun (aka, martial arts and ice hockey.) I did do my preliminary notes and I need to just fill in the details.
- I always liked Ogremoch. This version is very alien to me, but still, it's Ogremoch.
- I saw a preliminary version of Shields Up! - It's good. If you like shields and want more options for them, get this.
- I've queued up Blackbirds as my nighttime reading. Hurrah!
- Since we're actually playing Felltower again, I've spent a lot of time writing and reading about gaming. I need to play to stay connected these days - the more I play, the more I have to write and think about.
- I haven't told my players what happened to their captured guys yet. I'll get to that this weekend. I won't lie - I got distracted by some non-gaming stuff this week, both work and fun (aka, martial arts and ice hockey.) I did do my preliminary notes and I need to just fill in the details.
- I always liked Ogremoch. This version is very alien to me, but still, it's Ogremoch.
- I saw a preliminary version of Shields Up! - It's good. If you like shields and want more options for them, get this.
Thursday, September 29, 2022
GURPS Conan - Queen of the Black Coast playthrough - Session 0 setup
I'll be doing a playthrough of GURPS Conan Queen of the Black Coast using the rules of the time - which should be GURPS 3e as the module came out in 1989.
I'll be running Conan, who is a 500 point character in this rules set. He's not as strong or skilled as his 40-year old self in Beyond Thunder River. He also has a boatload of additional disadvantages which bring his point total down.
For example, he has Sense of Duty to Belit, to all woman, and to comrades, for -5, -10, and -5 respectively. He also has Fanaticism: Love of Belit, which is a great way to depict an unquestioning love. He's also Struggling, but has plenty of valuable gear and this wealth issue never comes up. It's a bit of a muddle.
Belit is a mere 235 points, but she's still formidable. We'll see if she's plot-killed if I make the wrong choices!
I've got everything set up - including a small copy of the combat map I can mark up with pencils since I don't have space for the very large combat maps, and a crew roster for the Tigress.
I'll be away tomorrow so I'll start play Saturday or next Monday. This should be fun . . . although I remember this is a hard one to "win."
I'll be running Conan, who is a 500 point character in this rules set. He's not as strong or skilled as his 40-year old self in Beyond Thunder River. He also has a boatload of additional disadvantages which bring his point total down.
For example, he has Sense of Duty to Belit, to all woman, and to comrades, for -5, -10, and -5 respectively. He also has Fanaticism: Love of Belit, which is a great way to depict an unquestioning love. He's also Struggling, but has plenty of valuable gear and this wealth issue never comes up. It's a bit of a muddle.
Belit is a mere 235 points, but she's still formidable. We'll see if she's plot-killed if I make the wrong choices!
I've got everything set up - including a small copy of the combat map I can mark up with pencils since I don't have space for the very large combat maps, and a crew roster for the Tigress.
I'll be away tomorrow so I'll start play Saturday or next Monday. This should be fun . . . although I remember this is a hard one to "win."
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Hyborean War - Arrived
So, Reality Simulations Inc. is still running.
The other day I received a packet containing:
- Info sheet and setup page and map for Hyborean War
- Info sheet and setup page for Forgotten Realms (yes, that Forgotten Realms)
- Info sheet and setup page for Duel 2
It looks good.
Honestly, though, I have to wonder - are the turn costs really $7, $9, and $11 for Hyborean War? That might have been what they were back in the day, too.
All in all it looks good. I'm not up to play right now, but I'm keep to keep an eye on it.
The other day I received a packet containing:
- Info sheet and setup page and map for Hyborean War
- Info sheet and setup page for Forgotten Realms (yes, that Forgotten Realms)
- Info sheet and setup page for Duel 2
It looks good.
Honestly, though, I have to wonder - are the turn costs really $7, $9, and $11 for Hyborean War? That might have been what they were back in the day, too.
All in all it looks good. I'm not up to play right now, but I'm keep to keep an eye on it.
Friday, September 23, 2022
Random Links for 9/23/2022
Fun stuff for Friday!
Warning: Your fun may vary.
- An analysis of AD&D attribute generation methods and the character classes.
Compleat Character Creation Catalog: AD&D
- News flash! Fun is fun. Fun and Challenges
- Next solo game will be Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast. I think I need a brief break from the Picts - especially since I'd like to try my divergent path in Beyond Thunder River, as well.
- My Blackbirds RPG stuff shipped. Or got a shipping label, either way.
Warning: Your fun may vary.
- An analysis of AD&D attribute generation methods and the character classes.
Compleat Character Creation Catalog: AD&D
- News flash! Fun is fun. Fun and Challenges
- Next solo game will be Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast. I think I need a brief break from the Picts - especially since I'd like to try my divergent path in Beyond Thunder River, as well.
- My Blackbirds RPG stuff shipped. Or got a shipping label, either way.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River playthrough session 4
I will play through GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River in short sessions until I've completed it. Again, here is another 30-odd minute block of gaming. It's not that long, but there is a lot of page flipping if you haven't copied any stats or maps ahead of time.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I pick up where I finished - we'd just killed three Turtle clan Pict braves. Having won the fight, I can decide if I want to return to the fort, or continue the scouting mission. I choose the latter.
We've determined the Picts are massing to take out the fort . . . and so I can either go back to the fort immediately, risking a daytime crossing, or wait until dusk (630 pm).
HMM.
Two issues here - one, it's around midnight already on Thursday, so immediately isn't a daylight crossing. Two, we didn't even take a crack at Zogar Sog and I'm not allowed to do so. Sigh. Make it three - we need to swim. Didn't we conceal boats like, I dunno, in this same hex?
The only option that actually makes sense here is "Wait until dusk" and use those parameters for the crossing. So I do that - we swim (actually, it doesn't say anything about "we" - maybe this series of numbers assumes I'd lost my scouts . . . and the errata says nothing on this.
Swimming is at +3 (intentionally entered the water) and minus twice encumbrance (Conan's is Light, so -1 x 2 = -2). Net roll is 15. 11, made it by 4. The scouts have a 14, +3, and no encumbrance. So six rolls turn up as 10, 12, 11, 6, 5, 10. We all make it. We add +1 hour to the current time, making it 1 am.
Ironically, the next decision point will let me swim the river back and try for Gwawela village and Zogar Sog. I'll put a pin in this . . . might be a fun "alternate ending" attempt. But I start for the fort.
Lots of page flips later, it's 3 am and I need to roll for a random encounter. 6 or higher gets it, -2 for plot for Valorous, so I literally can't have an encounter. I roll a 4-2 = 2.
Another travel entry - now it's 5 am and we're adjacent to the fort, with no encounter (1 -2 = -1, encounter on a 6+). We enter.
The entry is a "if you're written your letter home, and blah blah blah put your clothes on the lower peg" one. It's 5 am Friday morning and I have no relevant plot words. I'm conducted to Valannus, the fort commander. He asks if Zogar Sog is alive. I say yes, because for some reason I didn't take a shot at him because "continue the mission" wasn't on the list. Valannus concludes Zogar Sog's magic is too powerful, the fort is doomed. I need to make an IQ roll. Conan has a 12, and I roll a 10.
. . . and proceed to explain to Valannus stuff I saw in Gwawela, including a traitor!
EXCEPT I didn't even get there, because the entries didn't let me. So that's kind of b.s.
I make an executive decision to go with the "failed" IQ roll entry because the success assumes I did something I did not.
Valannus offers me a chance to leave the fort and take word to Velitrium. I reject it and stay to fight, because I'm playing Conan the Cimmerian, not Harry Flashman.* I get put in charge of the blockhouse and reserve troops. The Picts come at sundown, and get repelled . . . at least initially. One of my plot words dictates the name entry.
I'm confident we'll win . . . but is Julian alive? I don't know, so I flip to the appropriate page. The east wall collapses, and Picts rush in!
I lead the counterattack, and have to roll Tactics, with a -2 due to one of my plot words. Conan has a 13, -2, for an 11. I roll an 11.
We retake the lost positions, but more Picts surge in and manage to kill Valannus, who dies "beneath a torrent of Picts." That's not good. I can launch another attack, or flee the fort. Conan is no dummy - time to flee the fort. Especially because the entry for "launch another attack" is the same as failing that Tactics roll . . . so why choose to have failed the previous roll, effectively?
I bust out from the Picts easily, since they're too busy killing the wounded and burning the fort. I roll and escape with 9 Gundermen and 1 Bossonian archer. Each is down 1d HT (but none will be below 1/2 HT.) I'll make those 10 rolls if it matters. It's 8 pm.
We hurry down the road, cross Scalp Creek, and start to warn everyone the Picts are coming. The Picts burn farms as they advance, spreading the warning of their own advance.
The Picts make it to Velitrium, but they're repelled in hard fighting. Canojohara is lost. Conan gets to make the "whim of circumstance" speech.
I get XP:
I never reached Gwawela, so I get 1 xp. Seems like that's it. Conan got 4 xp in the original story.
Notes:
* Not for nothing, but playing this with a Flashman like character would be pretty funny, especially if you deliberately made the cowardly choices but steered your guy to maximum danger each time. Ol' Flashy would need a decision path that leads to fighting a companion who discovers his cowardice, and get to seduce a fierce and beautiful Pictish woman!
Had I failed that Tactics roll, Conan would die in a fruitless counterattack against the Picts, no further rolls. Success lets you win enough to escape. Save or die, right there from back in '88!
I'm disappointed at the issues with the options - being literally unable to get to Gwawela due to a random encounter, and then being able to reveal a traitor I didn't know about, is a problem. I've played this before and didn't have that occur. This is actually the first time I've lost the fort in any playthrough - it's about time!
I'm well set up for Moon of Blood, which I believe is the battle of Velitrium. But I think I will do that "alternate ending" and just skip to the map-maneuvering section and go to Gwawela. It feels like a big miss, never seeing the Pict fort or Zogar Sog. So that before Moon of Blood.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I pick up where I finished - we'd just killed three Turtle clan Pict braves. Having won the fight, I can decide if I want to return to the fort, or continue the scouting mission. I choose the latter.
We've determined the Picts are massing to take out the fort . . . and so I can either go back to the fort immediately, risking a daytime crossing, or wait until dusk (630 pm).
HMM.
Two issues here - one, it's around midnight already on Thursday, so immediately isn't a daylight crossing. Two, we didn't even take a crack at Zogar Sog and I'm not allowed to do so. Sigh. Make it three - we need to swim. Didn't we conceal boats like, I dunno, in this same hex?
The only option that actually makes sense here is "Wait until dusk" and use those parameters for the crossing. So I do that - we swim (actually, it doesn't say anything about "we" - maybe this series of numbers assumes I'd lost my scouts . . . and the errata says nothing on this.
Swimming is at +3 (intentionally entered the water) and minus twice encumbrance (Conan's is Light, so -1 x 2 = -2). Net roll is 15. 11, made it by 4. The scouts have a 14, +3, and no encumbrance. So six rolls turn up as 10, 12, 11, 6, 5, 10. We all make it. We add +1 hour to the current time, making it 1 am.
Ironically, the next decision point will let me swim the river back and try for Gwawela village and Zogar Sog. I'll put a pin in this . . . might be a fun "alternate ending" attempt. But I start for the fort.
Lots of page flips later, it's 3 am and I need to roll for a random encounter. 6 or higher gets it, -2 for plot for Valorous, so I literally can't have an encounter. I roll a 4-2 = 2.
Another travel entry - now it's 5 am and we're adjacent to the fort, with no encounter (1 -2 = -1, encounter on a 6+). We enter.
The entry is a "if you're written your letter home, and blah blah blah put your clothes on the lower peg" one. It's 5 am Friday morning and I have no relevant plot words. I'm conducted to Valannus, the fort commander. He asks if Zogar Sog is alive. I say yes, because for some reason I didn't take a shot at him because "continue the mission" wasn't on the list. Valannus concludes Zogar Sog's magic is too powerful, the fort is doomed. I need to make an IQ roll. Conan has a 12, and I roll a 10.
. . . and proceed to explain to Valannus stuff I saw in Gwawela, including a traitor!
EXCEPT I didn't even get there, because the entries didn't let me. So that's kind of b.s.
I make an executive decision to go with the "failed" IQ roll entry because the success assumes I did something I did not.
Valannus offers me a chance to leave the fort and take word to Velitrium. I reject it and stay to fight, because I'm playing Conan the Cimmerian, not Harry Flashman.* I get put in charge of the blockhouse and reserve troops. The Picts come at sundown, and get repelled . . . at least initially. One of my plot words dictates the name entry.
I'm confident we'll win . . . but is Julian alive? I don't know, so I flip to the appropriate page. The east wall collapses, and Picts rush in!
I lead the counterattack, and have to roll Tactics, with a -2 due to one of my plot words. Conan has a 13, -2, for an 11. I roll an 11.
We retake the lost positions, but more Picts surge in and manage to kill Valannus, who dies "beneath a torrent of Picts." That's not good. I can launch another attack, or flee the fort. Conan is no dummy - time to flee the fort. Especially because the entry for "launch another attack" is the same as failing that Tactics roll . . . so why choose to have failed the previous roll, effectively?
I bust out from the Picts easily, since they're too busy killing the wounded and burning the fort. I roll and escape with 9 Gundermen and 1 Bossonian archer. Each is down 1d HT (but none will be below 1/2 HT.) I'll make those 10 rolls if it matters. It's 8 pm.
We hurry down the road, cross Scalp Creek, and start to warn everyone the Picts are coming. The Picts burn farms as they advance, spreading the warning of their own advance.
The Picts make it to Velitrium, but they're repelled in hard fighting. Canojohara is lost. Conan gets to make the "whim of circumstance" speech.
I get XP:
I never reached Gwawela, so I get 1 xp. Seems like that's it. Conan got 4 xp in the original story.
Notes:
* Not for nothing, but playing this with a Flashman like character would be pretty funny, especially if you deliberately made the cowardly choices but steered your guy to maximum danger each time. Ol' Flashy would need a decision path that leads to fighting a companion who discovers his cowardice, and get to seduce a fierce and beautiful Pictish woman!
Had I failed that Tactics roll, Conan would die in a fruitless counterattack against the Picts, no further rolls. Success lets you win enough to escape. Save or die, right there from back in '88!
I'm disappointed at the issues with the options - being literally unable to get to Gwawela due to a random encounter, and then being able to reveal a traitor I didn't know about, is a problem. I've played this before and didn't have that occur. This is actually the first time I've lost the fort in any playthrough - it's about time!
I'm well set up for Moon of Blood, which I believe is the battle of Velitrium. But I think I will do that "alternate ending" and just skip to the map-maneuvering section and go to Gwawela. It feels like a big miss, never seeing the Pict fort or Zogar Sog. So that before Moon of Blood.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River playthrough session 3
I will play through GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River in short sessions until I've completed it. I did this one last night, but set it to post in the morning. I may do a double if I have time to play later.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1
Session 2
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I lead my 6 scouts out of the fort to find and kill Zogar Sog. My current time is set to 10 pm Thursday - it was 9 pm last time I was asked to advance time.
There is an outdoor map, and I will follow along with it to get to the village.
We row south, with the current. We advance one hex, time is now 10:30 pm, and I have to roll 1d: 6, which sends me to a different entry.
Picts! Quick Contest of Skills, my Stealth-16 vs. a hostile Stealth-14. For every person with Boating (Canoe)-12 or better, I add 1 (max +4). Everyone in my group has a 13, so that's 20 vs. 14. I roll a 10, so made it by 10. The Picts(?) made it exactly. A canoe crammed full of Pict braves in war paint slides by as we hide in the shadows in the shallows.
We continue south, making the time 11 pm. I roll a 1, no encounter.
Again south, making it 11:30 pm. I roll a 5, no encounter.
We disembark on the Pict side and tie off the boat and head in . . . and unluckily encounter three Picts. e can try to escape, flee along the river bank, out-stalk them, or boldly attack them. We try the stalk. They know someone is around, but not where we are exactly. I roll their tribe and it is 2, Turtle. It's my Stealth-16 vs. Stealth-11, hoping to win by 4+. I roll a 13, making it by 3. The Turtles make it by 2. Uh-oh. They spot us!
It's a tabletop battle, Conan and six scouts vs. three Turtle braves. We're quite spread out, actually, and have some bushes and trees on the map.
Turn order will be: Conan, scouts, Picts, based on Speed.
Turn 1
I throw my axe at the Pict to my left, over the bushes. He's 4 hexes away, my axe has PB 2, Inc 2 and is -1 for one range increment. I have a 14 and aim for the body. 10, a hit. The Pict will Dodge and Retreat with an 8. He rolls a 13 and is hit. Damage is 3d+3 for 12 +3 = 15 cutting, so 22 cutting, and he drops, automatically unconscious. I Fast-Draw my sword with a 12 and succeed.
The scouts go. I'm assuming half of them have bows drawn and half have melee weapons, and put them behind Conan in a loose line. Scout A, C, and E have bows, B, D, F have Axes.
Scout A steps and looses his bow at the Pict ahead. The short bow has PB 5, Inc ST/2 (so, 6). He's 5 away, so it's Point Blank for a +4 to hit and +1 damage. He has Bow-15, +4 = 19, -3 to aim for the vitals for a net 16. I roll a 9 and hit! The Pict has Dodge 8 with Retreat, and rolls an 11. He's hit for 1d-1, +1 = 1d impaling. 6, tripled to 18! He's down.
Scout B moves up to the Pict on the right and slightly past, to keep an open lane for archery.
Scout C steps and looses his bow at the Pict on the right. Range is 8, so that's one Inc for a -1, giving him a 14. I roll a 4. The dice dislike the Picts tonight. He hits the body for 6, -1, = 5 impaling, doubles to 10. The Pict goes from HT 11 to 1, and has to roll for knockdown and stunning. He has an 11, and rolls a 10. He's still standing, but automatically Stunned.
Scout D moves offline. Scout E looses an arrow at the stunned Pict. Range is 10, still one Inc past PB, for a 14. He rolls a 10 and hits. The Pict had Dodge 5, -4 for stunning. He rolls a 9 and fails. The arrow hits body and does 1, -1 = 0, min 1, impaling. The Pict takes 1 x 2 = 2 damage, goes to -1 HT, and drops unconscious automatically.
Fight is over. The Picts didn't even make it a whole second!
I end it here as it's getting late.
Notes:
Oddly, the scouts have Shortsword skill, and in the short story I believe they carried, basically, falchions, but they don't have them here. Oh well.
I did Conan's ranged attack wrong before - I forget to count Increments after Point Blank. I counted them including Point Blank, which is wrong.
I'm unsure if you can attempt to Fast-Draw at the end of your turn. I have to look that up and check.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1
Session 2
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I lead my 6 scouts out of the fort to find and kill Zogar Sog. My current time is set to 10 pm Thursday - it was 9 pm last time I was asked to advance time.
There is an outdoor map, and I will follow along with it to get to the village.
We row south, with the current. We advance one hex, time is now 10:30 pm, and I have to roll 1d: 6, which sends me to a different entry.
Picts! Quick Contest of Skills, my Stealth-16 vs. a hostile Stealth-14. For every person with Boating (Canoe)-12 or better, I add 1 (max +4). Everyone in my group has a 13, so that's 20 vs. 14. I roll a 10, so made it by 10. The Picts(?) made it exactly. A canoe crammed full of Pict braves in war paint slides by as we hide in the shadows in the shallows.
We continue south, making the time 11 pm. I roll a 1, no encounter.
Again south, making it 11:30 pm. I roll a 5, no encounter.
We disembark on the Pict side and tie off the boat and head in . . . and unluckily encounter three Picts. e can try to escape, flee along the river bank, out-stalk them, or boldly attack them. We try the stalk. They know someone is around, but not where we are exactly. I roll their tribe and it is 2, Turtle. It's my Stealth-16 vs. Stealth-11, hoping to win by 4+. I roll a 13, making it by 3. The Turtles make it by 2. Uh-oh. They spot us!
It's a tabletop battle, Conan and six scouts vs. three Turtle braves. We're quite spread out, actually, and have some bushes and trees on the map.
Turn order will be: Conan, scouts, Picts, based on Speed.
Turn 1
I throw my axe at the Pict to my left, over the bushes. He's 4 hexes away, my axe has PB 2, Inc 2 and is -1 for one range increment. I have a 14 and aim for the body. 10, a hit. The Pict will Dodge and Retreat with an 8. He rolls a 13 and is hit. Damage is 3d+3 for 12 +3 = 15 cutting, so 22 cutting, and he drops, automatically unconscious. I Fast-Draw my sword with a 12 and succeed.
The scouts go. I'm assuming half of them have bows drawn and half have melee weapons, and put them behind Conan in a loose line. Scout A, C, and E have bows, B, D, F have Axes.
Scout A steps and looses his bow at the Pict ahead. The short bow has PB 5, Inc ST/2 (so, 6). He's 5 away, so it's Point Blank for a +4 to hit and +1 damage. He has Bow-15, +4 = 19, -3 to aim for the vitals for a net 16. I roll a 9 and hit! The Pict has Dodge 8 with Retreat, and rolls an 11. He's hit for 1d-1, +1 = 1d impaling. 6, tripled to 18! He's down.
Scout B moves up to the Pict on the right and slightly past, to keep an open lane for archery.
Scout C steps and looses his bow at the Pict on the right. Range is 8, so that's one Inc for a -1, giving him a 14. I roll a 4. The dice dislike the Picts tonight. He hits the body for 6, -1, = 5 impaling, doubles to 10. The Pict goes from HT 11 to 1, and has to roll for knockdown and stunning. He has an 11, and rolls a 10. He's still standing, but automatically Stunned.
Scout D moves offline. Scout E looses an arrow at the stunned Pict. Range is 10, still one Inc past PB, for a 14. He rolls a 10 and hits. The Pict had Dodge 5, -4 for stunning. He rolls a 9 and fails. The arrow hits body and does 1, -1 = 0, min 1, impaling. The Pict takes 1 x 2 = 2 damage, goes to -1 HT, and drops unconscious automatically.
Fight is over. The Picts didn't even make it a whole second!
I end it here as it's getting late.
Notes:
Oddly, the scouts have Shortsword skill, and in the short story I believe they carried, basically, falchions, but they don't have them here. Oh well.
I did Conan's ranged attack wrong before - I forget to count Increments after Point Blank. I counted them including Point Blank, which is wrong.
I'm unsure if you can attempt to Fast-Draw at the end of your turn. I have to look that up and check.
Monday, September 19, 2022
Hyborean War
Way back in the day, I played a lot of PBM games. Among them were Supernova II, Legends, Feudal Lords, Midgard, and others with names I've forgotten. I paid a good bit of money on turns and rules and printouts and even more on long-distance phone calls to fellow players. One I wanted to play, but never actually took the plunge, was Hyborian War.
I loved the map for Hyborian War. I found it more attactive than the maps in the Conan books - especially those that superimposed the outlines of Europe over it - and in the GURPS Conan book. I decided to see if anyone had it up online, because somehow I'd lost my copy.
Wikipedia says it's still going. There are webpages talking about it . . . but the publisher's website looks like a late-90s Geocities site. It had a contact section and I asked to have a rulebook mailed to me. What the heck. I have my doubts this is still a thing, because I can't really find very recent posts. Plus people are still doing mailed-in PBMs?
But maybe it is.
We'll see if anything ever arrives.
But I can still find the map here:
And this nifty fan map, too.
I loved the map for Hyborian War. I found it more attactive than the maps in the Conan books - especially those that superimposed the outlines of Europe over it - and in the GURPS Conan book. I decided to see if anyone had it up online, because somehow I'd lost my copy.
Wikipedia says it's still going. There are webpages talking about it . . . but the publisher's website looks like a late-90s Geocities site. It had a contact section and I asked to have a rulebook mailed to me. What the heck. I have my doubts this is still a thing, because I can't really find very recent posts. Plus people are still doing mailed-in PBMs?
But maybe it is.
We'll see if anything ever arrives.
But I can still find the map here:
And this nifty fan map, too.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River playthrough session 2
I will play through GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River in short sessions until I've completed it.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1 can be found here.
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I left the ruins of the farm with Owen and Slasher. A few entry flips later I was unavoidably at the fort - so Slasher left. Pity. Owen, my new companion, presumably continues to come with me. Nothing says he always will, but equally nothing says I can ditch him. So he comes along.
Current Time is 6 pm. If it's 8 pm or later I need to flip to a specific entry.
I immediately leave the fort to scout around. I decide to circle the fort to check its defenses. I run into a officer of the Gundarmen named Julian. I "wouldn't trust him to command a latrine-digging squad." I need to make an IQ roll. I have a 12, and roll an 11. I've heard rumors about his Pict-looking mistress, his gambling habits, and his sword skills.
He talks badly about the fort, its leader, and its outcome. So I disagree with him. He gives the line from BtBR about barbarianism always triumphing. He talks of the Pict wizards being too powerful and the need to pull back from the current border. He wants to talk tomorrow.
Long story short, I roll 1d to add to the current time. 1. Current time is now 7 pm.
Back at the fort, I choose to talk to the Gatehouse guards. I overhear them talking about Zogar Sog, the Pict sorcerer, and how he got back Socratus, who wronged him. I can eavesdrop or walk in. Bah! Conan does not evesdrop. I go inside.
They talk about the men being lured out, so I ask about that. They call the lure "the loon" that only the doomed hear.
I ask if anything odd happened on shift, but they deny it. Roll 1d to add to the current time. 2. Current time is 9 pm.
Aha, nothing . . . "except for that fat fool" - Tiberias, the merchant. I grab a Gunderman gaurd and bring him with me (so no Owen) and rush out after Tiberias. Checking his stats, he could have a variety of weapons, so I choose randomly - 1-2 Pike, 3-4 Axe, 5-6 Halberd. I roll a 4, so Axe. Current time is 10 pm.
We hear a wild scream, and roll! 5. It's only a few minutes away. I can avoid the scream or run there. So I run there. I have a -3 to my rolls because of my previous roll. Ouch.
I roll 1d and add my Move, with a -3. I roll a 1, +8, -3 = 6. I have to roll for my companion, who gets a 1, as well, -3, Move 5 = 3. We're slow and blunder into a corpse.
It's Tiberius, killed by a forest devil according to me. I have the Plot Word TRIUMPHANT, which dictates my next page flip. I point out he was gashed by a claw and find a three-toed bird-like footprint. I can hide the body, or bring it with me. I bring it along. We make a litter and bring him.
Again, Plot Word dependent flips ensue.
A blinding flash erupts! IQ roll. I roll an 8 and succeed.
A forest devil has jumped us, but I can parry! Hurrah. (You'd think Danger Sense would have given a re-roll if I'd failed.) Oddly, it's a Quick Contest of my weapon skill vs. its DX. So, 19 vs. 16. I roll a 10 and make it by 9. It rolls a 13 and makes it by 3. My success and Plot Words dictate another flip.
It wasn't trying to attack me, but Tiberias's body. I dump the corpse and face off with the monster. My companion and I have to fight the swamp devil. If I come into physical contact with it, I have to do a page flip. I'm not sure if it means hitting it with my weapon . . . I'm assuming not, but I will have to check that entry to be sure. (Annoying, but it seems they mean touching it directly.)
Turn 1: It has Speed 12. It goes first, and does a Step and Attack. It has a 16 to hit . . . and I roll a 17! Whew. Lucky.
I swing at it with my broadsword, aiming for the head as usual. 19 -5 = 14. I roll a 13. It has PD 2 and Dodge 8, and can Retreat for a +3, for a 13. I roll an 8 and it Dodges. Gunderman moves up to the forest devil side, leaving a yard in between.
Turn 2: Forest devil. It does a Step and Attack and hits. Location is 2d = 8, body. I have PD 3 (1) for mail and Parry 9 or Dodge 8. I go with Dodge for the +3 and have an 8 + 3 + 3 = 14. I roll a 4! Hurrah! He goes to the Critical Miss Table; I roll a 10. Dropped weapon - unarmed means he takes 1d-3 damage to the claw. I roll a 1, and he has DR 1. No effect.
I swing at the head again, with a 14. I roll a 6 and hit. He Dodges with a 13 exactly. I step forward to follow.
My companion steps into range.
Turn 3: Forest devil steps and attacks me. A 13 hits, to the right leg. No PD there, so I have an 11 Dodge with Retreat. I roll a 10.
I attack again. I skip going for the head just because I'm annoyed, and swing for the body, and roll a 6 - this time it's a critical hit with my 19 skill. I roll 12 + 3 = 15 damage. It has DR 1, so it takes 14 cutting for 21 damage. It goes to -11 HP. It falls unconcious automatically at -1 HP, and rolls a 9 to not die.
Turn 4: It's out, so Conan and the Gunderman finish it off.
It bursts into flame and burns up.
We return to the fort, bearing the corpse of Tiberias.
I go talk to Valannus, the fort commander, after dumping the body with the gate guards.
I tell Valannus about Tiberias's death. He asks me to take a troop of men to go kill Zogar Sog. I turn him down . . . no, of course I don't. He probably orders you to do it if you do. I agree. I can take at most 8 people including me. Owen isn't a special option to bring, so he doesn't come. I can take Gunderman, Bossonian archers, or Scouts, or some of each. I go for the Scouts first.
I get to roll 2d-2 to see how many scouts would come. I get a +1. So 2d-1. I roll a 7, so 6 will come. That's 7 people including me. I check the stats of Bossonians and Gunderman and figure it's not worth taking one, because their Move and Stealth are lower. So I go with 7 of us.
That's where I'll end today. Too much to do besides game.
Notes:
- I can't seem to find any rules for injuring an unarmed strike with a weapon parry. That might not be in 1st edition. I'll dig further.
- I forgot how fragile fighters are - stun is automatic on certain damage, lots of very easy to reach unconsciousness thresholds, and low defenses.
- Lots and lots and lots of page flips. Different plot words can potentially change this a lot, as do rolls - one option at the fort was coming back with Tiberias alive, for example.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Session 1 can be found here.
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
I left the ruins of the farm with Owen and Slasher. A few entry flips later I was unavoidably at the fort - so Slasher left. Pity. Owen, my new companion, presumably continues to come with me. Nothing says he always will, but equally nothing says I can ditch him. So he comes along.
Current Time is 6 pm. If it's 8 pm or later I need to flip to a specific entry.
I immediately leave the fort to scout around. I decide to circle the fort to check its defenses. I run into a officer of the Gundarmen named Julian. I "wouldn't trust him to command a latrine-digging squad." I need to make an IQ roll. I have a 12, and roll an 11. I've heard rumors about his Pict-looking mistress, his gambling habits, and his sword skills.
He talks badly about the fort, its leader, and its outcome. So I disagree with him. He gives the line from BtBR about barbarianism always triumphing. He talks of the Pict wizards being too powerful and the need to pull back from the current border. He wants to talk tomorrow.
Long story short, I roll 1d to add to the current time. 1. Current time is now 7 pm.
Back at the fort, I choose to talk to the Gatehouse guards. I overhear them talking about Zogar Sog, the Pict sorcerer, and how he got back Socratus, who wronged him. I can eavesdrop or walk in. Bah! Conan does not evesdrop. I go inside.
They talk about the men being lured out, so I ask about that. They call the lure "the loon" that only the doomed hear.
I ask if anything odd happened on shift, but they deny it. Roll 1d to add to the current time. 2. Current time is 9 pm.
Aha, nothing . . . "except for that fat fool" - Tiberias, the merchant. I grab a Gunderman gaurd and bring him with me (so no Owen) and rush out after Tiberias. Checking his stats, he could have a variety of weapons, so I choose randomly - 1-2 Pike, 3-4 Axe, 5-6 Halberd. I roll a 4, so Axe. Current time is 10 pm.
We hear a wild scream, and roll! 5. It's only a few minutes away. I can avoid the scream or run there. So I run there. I have a -3 to my rolls because of my previous roll. Ouch.
I roll 1d and add my Move, with a -3. I roll a 1, +8, -3 = 6. I have to roll for my companion, who gets a 1, as well, -3, Move 5 = 3. We're slow and blunder into a corpse.
It's Tiberius, killed by a forest devil according to me. I have the Plot Word TRIUMPHANT, which dictates my next page flip. I point out he was gashed by a claw and find a three-toed bird-like footprint. I can hide the body, or bring it with me. I bring it along. We make a litter and bring him.
Again, Plot Word dependent flips ensue.
A blinding flash erupts! IQ roll. I roll an 8 and succeed.
A forest devil has jumped us, but I can parry! Hurrah. (You'd think Danger Sense would have given a re-roll if I'd failed.) Oddly, it's a Quick Contest of my weapon skill vs. its DX. So, 19 vs. 16. I roll a 10 and make it by 9. It rolls a 13 and makes it by 3. My success and Plot Words dictate another flip.
It wasn't trying to attack me, but Tiberias's body. I dump the corpse and face off with the monster. My companion and I have to fight the swamp devil. If I come into physical contact with it, I have to do a page flip. I'm not sure if it means hitting it with my weapon . . . I'm assuming not, but I will have to check that entry to be sure. (Annoying, but it seems they mean touching it directly.)
Turn 1: It has Speed 12. It goes first, and does a Step and Attack. It has a 16 to hit . . . and I roll a 17! Whew. Lucky.
I swing at it with my broadsword, aiming for the head as usual. 19 -5 = 14. I roll a 13. It has PD 2 and Dodge 8, and can Retreat for a +3, for a 13. I roll an 8 and it Dodges. Gunderman moves up to the forest devil side, leaving a yard in between.
Turn 2: Forest devil. It does a Step and Attack and hits. Location is 2d = 8, body. I have PD 3 (1) for mail and Parry 9 or Dodge 8. I go with Dodge for the +3 and have an 8 + 3 + 3 = 14. I roll a 4! Hurrah! He goes to the Critical Miss Table; I roll a 10. Dropped weapon - unarmed means he takes 1d-3 damage to the claw. I roll a 1, and he has DR 1. No effect.
I swing at the head again, with a 14. I roll a 6 and hit. He Dodges with a 13 exactly. I step forward to follow.
My companion steps into range.
Turn 3: Forest devil steps and attacks me. A 13 hits, to the right leg. No PD there, so I have an 11 Dodge with Retreat. I roll a 10.
I attack again. I skip going for the head just because I'm annoyed, and swing for the body, and roll a 6 - this time it's a critical hit with my 19 skill. I roll 12 + 3 = 15 damage. It has DR 1, so it takes 14 cutting for 21 damage. It goes to -11 HP. It falls unconcious automatically at -1 HP, and rolls a 9 to not die.
Turn 4: It's out, so Conan and the Gunderman finish it off.
It bursts into flame and burns up.
We return to the fort, bearing the corpse of Tiberias.
I go talk to Valannus, the fort commander, after dumping the body with the gate guards.
I tell Valannus about Tiberias's death. He asks me to take a troop of men to go kill Zogar Sog. I turn him down . . . no, of course I don't. He probably orders you to do it if you do. I agree. I can take at most 8 people including me. Owen isn't a special option to bring, so he doesn't come. I can take Gunderman, Bossonian archers, or Scouts, or some of each. I go for the Scouts first.
I get to roll 2d-2 to see how many scouts would come. I get a +1. So 2d-1. I roll a 7, so 6 will come. That's 7 people including me. I check the stats of Bossonians and Gunderman and figure it's not worth taking one, because their Move and Stealth are lower. So I go with 7 of us.
That's where I'll end today. Too much to do besides game.
Notes:
- I can't seem to find any rules for injuring an unarmed strike with a weapon parry. That might not be in 1st edition. I'll dig further.
- I forgot how fragile fighters are - stun is automatic on certain damage, lots of very easy to reach unconsciousness thresholds, and low defenses.
- Lots and lots and lots of page flips. Different plot words can potentially change this a lot, as do rolls - one option at the fort was coming back with Tiberias alive, for example.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River playthrough session 1
I will play through GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River in short sessions until I've completed it. I have about 40 minutes today, right now, so I'll begin play and log it as I go.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
Entry 1 lets me sleep in or wake early; I wake early. Conan isn't lazy. Current time: 6 am
I wake and go talk to Purenius the quartermaster and learn about Ligureans and Atlanteans and then he sends me on my way. Current time 8 am.
I go talk to the scouts I command and reassure them the fort is defensible, even though I read "Beyond the Black River" befoe this. +1 reaction from my scouts. Add 1d6 to time, +2 hours, so 10 am.
I leave the fort to scout around. I scout the woodlands this side of the river. I smell smoke and head toward it - and then choose to rush in at full bore to catch any potential Pict raiders before they go. I see them and rush into their midst. They are Mentally Stunned. I roll a die and they're from the Otter tribe, one of the backwoods tribes.
It's Conan vs. 3 Pict raiders, who are attempting to tie a settler woman to a stake for nefarious purposes. I'm essentially in the middle, with two to my right and one to my left. (The book says I'm at location J, but the map only shows A-I. So I ruled I'm at I.)
Turn 1: I throw my axe at the solitary Pict at E. He's 6 hexes away, and my axe has INC 2 so that's a -3 to hit; I aim at his Body (-0). Throwing-15 gives me a 12. I roll a 10. He has Dodge 5 and -4 for being stunned. He rols a 7 and gets hit. 3d+3 cutting, roll 12 = 15 damage. He takes 15 x 1.5 = 22 damage and has HT 9, putting him to -13 HP. He fails his HT roll and dies.
The Picts roll IQ to recover from mental stun. They have IQ 8, but roll a 6 and a 7 and are no longer mentally stunned.
Per the encounter description, I roll 2d but don't hit the numbers needed for a page flip. I downed one Pict, so they might run - I roll a 3 and they stay and fight. Good.
Turn 2: I try to Fast-Draw my sword and then rush them. Made it, and I run 5 yards into one and slam him. I roll a 6 and hit, he fails to Dodge and we roll a Quick Contest of ST, 19 vs. 11. I made it by 11, he failed by 3. He is knocked down.
The knocked down Pict gets to kneeling. The other steps and attacks. He has a 15 and rolls an 8, a hit. I try to Parry with my sword for a 9, location is Body and I had PD 3 there for a 12. A 9 does it. I roll 2d and get a 12. I flip to page 315, and Slasher the Dog jumps out of the woods! He'll stick with me until I hit the river, fort, or Velitrium. Nice.
Turn 3: I hit the kneeling Pict, aiming for the Head (-5), for a net 14 skill. I roll a 13 and hit. His Dodge is 5 and his Parry is a 7, he can't Retreat while keeling, and he rolls a 10. Whack. 3d+3, double damage. I roll 15 +3 = 18 damage -1 for skull DR, doubled to 34, and he has HT 9 and goes to nearly -3xHP in one blow. He automatically knocked out and actually is dead anyway (I rolled a 12 on his HT roll.)
Slasher charges inte Close Combat with the Pict.
Standing Pict has a hatchet and spend his turn readying his weapon and steps back.
Turn 4: I step and hit the standing Pict, aiming for the Head (-5) on this one, too, and roll an 8. He has Dodge 5, +3 for Retreat, for an 8. He rolls an 8.
Slasher bites the Pict in close combat, and hits with a 12. The Pict can't Retreat again and has a 5. He fails (12) and takes 1d-1 = 1 cutting damage to his body. Slasher holds on.
The Pict can't use his weapon in Close Combat so he tries to break free, rolling ST vs. ST. He fails and Slasher makes it. He's stuck.
Turn 5: I hit the standing Pict in the Head again, roll a 10, and hit. The Pict can't Retreat or Parry, so he has a 5 Dodge. He fails. I roll an anemic 6 +3 = 9 damage, just winging him, but that's still 9 - 1 = 8, x2 = 16 damage, for an automatic knock out. He drops.
Fight's over. Let's see what happened with this woman.
Oops, she's not a woman, but a young man in disguise. Plot twist! His name is Owen. He's unarmed, so let's give him a bow and pair of hatchets from these Picts. I recovery my axe and a hatchet.
Current Time is now 2 pm.
That's all the real-world time I had tonight. Lots of page flipping because I couldn't be bothered to photocopy pages or take serious notes. Also, I couldn't find my Basic Set for a few minutes. Luckily I could remember almost all of the rules . . . we really did play a lot of 1st edition GURPS.
Notes:
The solo version of Danger Sense is pretty nice. Whenever you fail a Vision or Hearing roll, you can roll Danger Sense. If you make it, you treat it as a success on the sense roll. I kind of like that - it's a permanent one-reroll Luck for sense checks.
I honestly like the low defenses . . . hits mean something more often. These Picts in 4e would have 8-9 Dodge and roll an 11-12 every time, and I'd need to give up a lot of attack skill to drive it down with Deceptive Attack. Conan's 19 in Broadsword is overpoweringly high, just like it appears in the stories, because there isn't much defense to be had here.
Fun stuff. If any rules seem odd, remember to reference 1e, not 2e or 3e or 4e, before you tell me just how wrong I am. I'm going for the full "Me playing this through in 1988" effect here.
I will run Conan of Cimmeria as written up in that supplement, as a 40-year old, 521-point character. I am using the 1st edition GURPS rules from my original boxed set, as written.
Plot Words:
Triumphant
Intrepid
Valorous
Entry 1 lets me sleep in or wake early; I wake early. Conan isn't lazy. Current time: 6 am
I wake and go talk to Purenius the quartermaster and learn about Ligureans and Atlanteans and then he sends me on my way. Current time 8 am.
I go talk to the scouts I command and reassure them the fort is defensible, even though I read "Beyond the Black River" befoe this. +1 reaction from my scouts. Add 1d6 to time, +2 hours, so 10 am.
I leave the fort to scout around. I scout the woodlands this side of the river. I smell smoke and head toward it - and then choose to rush in at full bore to catch any potential Pict raiders before they go. I see them and rush into their midst. They are Mentally Stunned. I roll a die and they're from the Otter tribe, one of the backwoods tribes.
It's Conan vs. 3 Pict raiders, who are attempting to tie a settler woman to a stake for nefarious purposes. I'm essentially in the middle, with two to my right and one to my left. (The book says I'm at location J, but the map only shows A-I. So I ruled I'm at I.)
Turn 1: I throw my axe at the solitary Pict at E. He's 6 hexes away, and my axe has INC 2 so that's a -3 to hit; I aim at his Body (-0). Throwing-15 gives me a 12. I roll a 10. He has Dodge 5 and -4 for being stunned. He rols a 7 and gets hit. 3d+3 cutting, roll 12 = 15 damage. He takes 15 x 1.5 = 22 damage and has HT 9, putting him to -13 HP. He fails his HT roll and dies.
The Picts roll IQ to recover from mental stun. They have IQ 8, but roll a 6 and a 7 and are no longer mentally stunned.
Per the encounter description, I roll 2d but don't hit the numbers needed for a page flip. I downed one Pict, so they might run - I roll a 3 and they stay and fight. Good.
Turn 2: I try to Fast-Draw my sword and then rush them. Made it, and I run 5 yards into one and slam him. I roll a 6 and hit, he fails to Dodge and we roll a Quick Contest of ST, 19 vs. 11. I made it by 11, he failed by 3. He is knocked down.
The knocked down Pict gets to kneeling. The other steps and attacks. He has a 15 and rolls an 8, a hit. I try to Parry with my sword for a 9, location is Body and I had PD 3 there for a 12. A 9 does it. I roll 2d and get a 12. I flip to page 315, and Slasher the Dog jumps out of the woods! He'll stick with me until I hit the river, fort, or Velitrium. Nice.
Turn 3: I hit the kneeling Pict, aiming for the Head (-5), for a net 14 skill. I roll a 13 and hit. His Dodge is 5 and his Parry is a 7, he can't Retreat while keeling, and he rolls a 10. Whack. 3d+3, double damage. I roll 15 +3 = 18 damage -1 for skull DR, doubled to 34, and he has HT 9 and goes to nearly -3xHP in one blow. He automatically knocked out and actually is dead anyway (I rolled a 12 on his HT roll.)
Slasher charges inte Close Combat with the Pict.
Standing Pict has a hatchet and spend his turn readying his weapon and steps back.
Turn 4: I step and hit the standing Pict, aiming for the Head (-5) on this one, too, and roll an 8. He has Dodge 5, +3 for Retreat, for an 8. He rolls an 8.
Slasher bites the Pict in close combat, and hits with a 12. The Pict can't Retreat again and has a 5. He fails (12) and takes 1d-1 = 1 cutting damage to his body. Slasher holds on.
The Pict can't use his weapon in Close Combat so he tries to break free, rolling ST vs. ST. He fails and Slasher makes it. He's stuck.
Turn 5: I hit the standing Pict in the Head again, roll a 10, and hit. The Pict can't Retreat or Parry, so he has a 5 Dodge. He fails. I roll an anemic 6 +3 = 9 damage, just winging him, but that's still 9 - 1 = 8, x2 = 16 damage, for an automatic knock out. He drops.
Fight's over. Let's see what happened with this woman.
Oops, she's not a woman, but a young man in disguise. Plot twist! His name is Owen. He's unarmed, so let's give him a bow and pair of hatchets from these Picts. I recovery my axe and a hatchet.
Current Time is now 2 pm.
That's all the real-world time I had tonight. Lots of page flipping because I couldn't be bothered to photocopy pages or take serious notes. Also, I couldn't find my Basic Set for a few minutes. Luckily I could remember almost all of the rules . . . we really did play a lot of 1st edition GURPS.
Notes:
The solo version of Danger Sense is pretty nice. Whenever you fail a Vision or Hearing roll, you can roll Danger Sense. If you make it, you treat it as a success on the sense roll. I kind of like that - it's a permanent one-reroll Luck for sense checks.
I honestly like the low defenses . . . hits mean something more often. These Picts in 4e would have 8-9 Dodge and roll an 11-12 every time, and I'd need to give up a lot of attack skill to drive it down with Deceptive Attack. Conan's 19 in Broadsword is overpoweringly high, just like it appears in the stories, because there isn't much defense to be had here.
Fun stuff. If any rules seem odd, remember to reference 1e, not 2e or 3e or 4e, before you tell me just how wrong I am. I'm going for the full "Me playing this through in 1988" effect here.
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Next GURPS Solo Play: Conan Beyond Thunder River
It's been a while, but after reading some Conan recently, I've busted this back out and intend to play through it myself next week:
I'm debating converting it on the fly to 4th edition . . . or just playing it as-is.
It's a fun adventure . . . it's quite possible to do better than Conan did, or worse, or the same. I've done all three.
This was such an eye-opener when I got it. We'd been playing with 100-point 1st edition GURPS guys, and then here is Conan with ST 19 (150 points!) and HT 17 (100) and 32 points in each of Brawling and Broadsword. 521 incredible points . . . so, so fun to run him.
I can't wait. (And the SJG web page is wrong, I think - this is the PDF on W23.)
I'm debating converting it on the fly to 4th edition . . . or just playing it as-is.
It's a fun adventure . . . it's quite possible to do better than Conan did, or worse, or the same. I've done all three.
This was such an eye-opener when I got it. We'd been playing with 100-point 1st edition GURPS guys, and then here is Conan with ST 19 (150 points!) and HT 17 (100) and 32 points in each of Brawling and Broadsword. 521 incredible points . . . so, so fun to run him.
I can't wait. (And the SJG web page is wrong, I think - this is the PDF on W23.)
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Russ Nicholson Conan
I'd never seen this image of Conan:
I'm a big Russ Nicholson fan . . . and coincidentally a couple days ago I grabbed one of my Conan books ("The Conquering Sword of Conan") off the shelf and have been re-reading a few of my favorite stories which happen to be in that one.
So yeah, Russ! Conan!
I'm a big Russ Nicholson fan . . . and coincidentally a couple days ago I grabbed one of my Conan books ("The Conquering Sword of Conan") off the shelf and have been re-reading a few of my favorite stories which happen to be in that one.
So yeah, Russ! Conan!
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Conan the RPG from TSR on sale for $295
Back in the day, I didn't buy this because I had stopped buying random TSR boxed sets . . . and I didn't see why I needed another game to play Conan, given having AD&D Conan modules. Well, one at least.
But maybe I should have.
It's going for $295 without the dice. So not exactly common and cheap . . .
Pretty cool, though. I've read stuff for the game, but I don't know if it's worth it. Conan runs well enough in GURPS. Or at least he did in 3e, and probably in 4e, too, I suspect.
But maybe I should have.
It's going for $295 without the dice. So not exactly common and cheap . . .
Pretty cool, though. I've read stuff for the game, but I don't know if it's worth it. Conan runs well enough in GURPS. Or at least he did in 3e, and probably in 4e, too, I suspect.
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Conan: The Cimmerian - Completed
I finished Conan: The Cimmerian tonight.
The ending was a little frustrating. The game kept crashing in some fights or as I crossed into certain rooms.
So I would finish a fight, leave the final location, save, and then come back in. Eventually, I was able to get through everything.
The end was just a big rush - run into Toth Amon, run away because I can't kill him, run back, try to get past him . . . and eventually I did so, after this crash:
This one didn't crash:
In his chamber was a still-beating heart in a jar. A few strikes and it was done.
Toth Amon turned into a skeleton and then into a pile of graphics error, and then the screen went to the ending screen:
And then it just went to the C:\>. And that was that.
It was fun enough. I can mark that one off as complete, on my list of old games I played but didn't finish. I'll get back to Ultima IV soon, I think - I want to finish it before I go onto Ultima V. IV will just require a day off with nothing else to do, since I can't save in the final dungeon and it's pretty long. Like, hours of play long from what I can tell.
All in all, Conan was fun. It's worth a go through. Knowing what I know now, I could have really gotten through it in half the time, using a few teleport scrolls to pick up what I needed and just move on quickly to the next quest. I'm glad I went back to playing it.
The ending was a little frustrating. The game kept crashing in some fights or as I crossed into certain rooms.
So I would finish a fight, leave the final location, save, and then come back in. Eventually, I was able to get through everything.
The end was just a big rush - run into Toth Amon, run away because I can't kill him, run back, try to get past him . . . and eventually I did so, after this crash:
This one didn't crash:
In his chamber was a still-beating heart in a jar. A few strikes and it was done.
Toth Amon turned into a skeleton and then into a pile of graphics error, and then the screen went to the ending screen:
And then it just went to the C:\>. And that was that.
It was fun enough. I can mark that one off as complete, on my list of old games I played but didn't finish. I'll get back to Ultima IV soon, I think - I want to finish it before I go onto Ultima V. IV will just require a day off with nothing else to do, since I can't save in the final dungeon and it's pretty long. Like, hours of play long from what I can tell.
All in all, Conan was fun. It's worth a go through. Knowing what I know now, I could have really gotten through it in half the time, using a few teleport scrolls to pick up what I needed and just move on quickly to the next quest. I'm glad I went back to playing it.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Conan the Cimmerian - Tell, Don't Show
I'm trying to finish off Conan: The Cimmerian.
I'm mostly done, but I need a specific magic item to get past an obstacle, and I can't afford it. So I'm trying to go back and see if I can pick up enough treasure missed earlier to pay for it. But once I have that, I should be able to finish off the evil Toth Amon.
But to get to him, I have to get past his army. No worries, the quests I'd done earlier had allowed me to recruit one. How does that work out in play?
Like so:
And so:
In other words, they just tell you about the army, the mighty battles, the terrible ambush, etc. You see nothing. Not even a cut scene like at the beginning of the game. Hah.
Remember folks, tell, don't show. The players want to listen to it, they don't want to actively engage with it in any way.
I'm mostly done, but I need a specific magic item to get past an obstacle, and I can't afford it. So I'm trying to go back and see if I can pick up enough treasure missed earlier to pay for it. But once I have that, I should be able to finish off the evil Toth Amon.
But to get to him, I have to get past his army. No worries, the quests I'd done earlier had allowed me to recruit one. How does that work out in play?
Like so:
And so:
In other words, they just tell you about the army, the mighty battles, the terrible ambush, etc. You see nothing. Not even a cut scene like at the beginning of the game. Hah.
Remember folks, tell, don't show. The players want to listen to it, they don't want to actively engage with it in any way.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Prepped minis - Iron Hills Dwarf and Conan
Okay, not actually Conan - but I bought a three-pack of barbarians just for this one guy because I think he looks like Conan.
They're prepped and mounted as is typical for me:
- inverted slotted base with the slot carved out with an x-acto knife just enough to wedge in the mini.
- super-glued down, then the base is filled with white glue and let dry.
- slot is filled with Golden Coarse Pumice Gel.
- Once glue dries the base is covered with Golden Coarse Pumice Gel to a uniform depth.
The dwarf on the left is from Iron Hills Dwarves II, and the barbarian on the right is from Elite Barbarian Raiders II
The axe on the barbarian is pretty thick - more than I like - but it's sturdy. I was considering up-arming the dwarf, but the sculpt is pretty tight so it's hard to find a good place to hand a crossbow, box of bolts, and a backup weapon, but he seems like that sort - "Yes, I have a two-handed weapon and a shield. And a sword. And a knife. And a crossbow. And if that doesn't work, check out these stompin' boots!" Oh well. As is he's battlefield ready. His shield is a Reaper Weapon Pack shield that I thought just looked nicer than the one he came with.
They're prepped and mounted as is typical for me:
- inverted slotted base with the slot carved out with an x-acto knife just enough to wedge in the mini.
- super-glued down, then the base is filled with white glue and let dry.
- slot is filled with Golden Coarse Pumice Gel.
- Once glue dries the base is covered with Golden Coarse Pumice Gel to a uniform depth.
The dwarf on the left is from Iron Hills Dwarves II, and the barbarian on the right is from Elite Barbarian Raiders II
The axe on the barbarian is pretty thick - more than I like - but it's sturdy. I was considering up-arming the dwarf, but the sculpt is pretty tight so it's hard to find a good place to hand a crossbow, box of bolts, and a backup weapon, but he seems like that sort - "Yes, I have a two-handed weapon and a shield. And a sword. And a knife. And a crossbow. And if that doesn't work, check out these stompin' boots!" Oh well. As is he's battlefield ready. His shield is a Reaper Weapon Pack shield that I thought just looked nicer than the one he came with.
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