I have a couple of minis that need to be ghostly (including Slimer.) I've been trying to find a good written or video guide, but not with a lot of luck.
I've found a few, but the issues are:
- they assume you're using Citadel/GW paints, and refer to them only by name. That's tricky because I need to look up each and every one of them and hope I can color-match them to my craft paints. It's impossible when it's some very specific "Slaanesh Nostril Interior Pink Glaze" type of glaze or ink; or
- they require an airbrush; or
- they just amount to "oil-stain it green and drybrush it white and call it a ghost!"
I've done the last one. It's not bad, but it's not ghostly. And ghosts-are-green seems to be a thing, ever since the LOTR movies, but I'm actually angling for grey or blue if possible. I'll go green if necessary but I'd like options so they don't all look like Slimer.
Does anyone have a suggestion, especially one that doesn't require me to have an airbrush and a complete collection of GW paints? Worse comes to worst I'm just going to brush up from blue to grey to white and slap on some Ral Partha Will-O-Wisp glow-in-the-dark paint, but I am hoping for options beyond that.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Friday, January 6, 2017
New Release: Dungeon Fantasy Collection Pyramid
There was a new release yesterday for GURPS.
You can download a Preview here.
This is the collection of Dungeon Fantasy-related articles from all of the non-Dungeon Fantasy Pyramid issues. In other words, not articles from Dungeon Fantasy I, II, III, IV, or Welcome to Dungeon Fantasy but all of the rest.
I'm very pleased that I got cover credit. Top billing only because it's alphabetical order, but still. I'm flattered that I'm considered that big of a name in the small pond that is GURPS. If it was by sheer weight of articles it would have been Christopher Rice or Antoni Ten Monros. I only have two articles in the issue:
More Power to Dungeon Warriors! (co-authored with Sean Punch) from 3/61. A number of power-ups you will find in DFD: Barbarians and DFD: Swashbucklers originate here, plus there are a lot of power-ups for martial artists.
Horde Ninja from 3/70. This basically mashes up the ninja from DF12 with low-powered templates from DF15 and makes them into monsters. It also has "The Last Ninja" rule, which allows for monsters to get more powerful as you whittle them down. My own players will recognize the concept from the shadow creatures they fought in the last campaign. In context of the article, it shows how you can make fodder more than just a straight-up fight and make them increase in danger as you cut them down. Fans of Highlander and The One, rejoice!
This is a great deal if you're missing even two articles out of the pile, as each individual issue of Pyramid would be $7.99 and this is $15.99 for a lot of DF. It'll make my life easier as I can just keep this open when I'm making characters or using bits in adventurers.
You can download a Preview here.
This is the collection of Dungeon Fantasy-related articles from all of the non-Dungeon Fantasy Pyramid issues. In other words, not articles from Dungeon Fantasy I, II, III, IV, or Welcome to Dungeon Fantasy but all of the rest.
I'm very pleased that I got cover credit. Top billing only because it's alphabetical order, but still. I'm flattered that I'm considered that big of a name in the small pond that is GURPS. If it was by sheer weight of articles it would have been Christopher Rice or Antoni Ten Monros. I only have two articles in the issue:
More Power to Dungeon Warriors! (co-authored with Sean Punch) from 3/61. A number of power-ups you will find in DFD: Barbarians and DFD: Swashbucklers originate here, plus there are a lot of power-ups for martial artists.
Horde Ninja from 3/70. This basically mashes up the ninja from DF12 with low-powered templates from DF15 and makes them into monsters. It also has "The Last Ninja" rule, which allows for monsters to get more powerful as you whittle them down. My own players will recognize the concept from the shadow creatures they fought in the last campaign. In context of the article, it shows how you can make fodder more than just a straight-up fight and make them increase in danger as you cut them down. Fans of Highlander and The One, rejoice!
This is a great deal if you're missing even two articles out of the pile, as each individual issue of Pyramid would be $7.99 and this is $15.99 for a lot of DF. It'll make my life easier as I can just keep this open when I'm making characters or using bits in adventurers.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Our Random, Easily Overlooked GURPS Rules and Rulings
Here are some little rules and rulings I think my players overlook. Feel free to use these, but double check the rules yourself. It's been a while since I did one of these for my gamers - but they're always well-received. I have more time I can justify spending reading rulebooks and keeping track of rules that affect all characters and not just one or two, but my players mostly do not.
Skills
Intimidation skill is improved by displays of strength or violence (+1 to +4), but isn't based on ST, it's based on Will. Being big and strong can't hurt, but it's not automatically going to back people down. (p. B202)
Leadership hasn't had a ST default since 3rd edition. (p. B204)
Combat
Two Handed Grapples of the same target location is just a standard attack; you only need multiple attacks if you want to grab two different locations on the same turn or want to make two one-handed grapples. In fact you can use any number of your arms, and claim a bonus for each arm after the first. (Grappling p. B370)
Swarms don't have to roll to hit you, nor can you defend. They are animate area effects, basically. The only way to "dodge" a swarm is to get out of a hex it can reach. Armor usually protects in some fashion, but it depends on the swarm type. (Swarm Attacks, p. B461)
Swarms are vulnerable to shield bashes, stomps, area attacks, and normal weapons differently, depending on the swarm. (Swarm Attacks, p. B461)
Magic
Low Mana does affect skill for purposes of determining a spell's energy cost. (Energy Cost, Magic p. 8)
Spells resist countering spells based on the caster's effective skill when cast, not base skill. Don't cast that Scryguard or Magelock when you have 10 spells up! (Resisted Spells, Magic, p. 14)
Those are ones I've seen come up recently. I know at least one player at my table is aware of each one, but I'm not sure all of them are familiar with all of them.
Skills
Intimidation skill is improved by displays of strength or violence (+1 to +4), but isn't based on ST, it's based on Will. Being big and strong can't hurt, but it's not automatically going to back people down. (p. B202)
Leadership hasn't had a ST default since 3rd edition. (p. B204)
Combat
Two Handed Grapples of the same target location is just a standard attack; you only need multiple attacks if you want to grab two different locations on the same turn or want to make two one-handed grapples. In fact you can use any number of your arms, and claim a bonus for each arm after the first. (Grappling p. B370)
Swarms don't have to roll to hit you, nor can you defend. They are animate area effects, basically. The only way to "dodge" a swarm is to get out of a hex it can reach. Armor usually protects in some fashion, but it depends on the swarm type. (Swarm Attacks, p. B461)
Swarms are vulnerable to shield bashes, stomps, area attacks, and normal weapons differently, depending on the swarm. (Swarm Attacks, p. B461)
Magic
Low Mana does affect skill for purposes of determining a spell's energy cost. (Energy Cost, Magic p. 8)
Spells resist countering spells based on the caster's effective skill when cast, not base skill. Don't cast that Scryguard or Magelock when you have 10 spells up! (Resisted Spells, Magic, p. 14)
Those are ones I've seen come up recently. I know at least one player at my table is aware of each one, but I'm not sure all of them are familiar with all of them.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
What I like to see from Podcasts
I'm not a big consumer of podcasts in general. I listen to one regularly, and a few occasionally. The regular and most of the occasional ones are all strength training related, or I'll pop in when they have a strength training-related guest on. Gaming, I try, but I generally stop after one or two of them.
I realize it's a combination of things that drives me away. It's not just hating "Let me tell you about my character!" or stories where you had to be there for it to be funny. It's that they have some issues that make it hard on me the listener. Issues I think are easily solvable . . . that aren't solved.
I dislike complaining per se, so I'm trying to write this not as a rant but as helpful advice. It's what I'd like to hear or see done. I'm setting aside the technical basics - balanced mic levels for guests, sound quality in general, timely releases of the podcast, etc. This is just content and organization. Here are some things I think podcasters can do to make them more useful.
Look it up
One of the things that annoy me in a podcast is when people make references to things in books that aren't accurate.
Good example, I heard a podcast that covered some old AD&D modules. The module had an odd magic item, and the podcast host said basically, it's not even explained why it's there. Except that, yes, it's absolutely explained, they tell you who it belongs to - and from there, the why is totally clear. It's right in the room description of the module.
Another was talking about rules in the 1st edition DMG. Since I only ever played 1st edition AD&D until playing 5th edition AD&D, I knew right off the rules weren't there. I dug around and found the ones being discussed - in 2nd edition AD&D. A simple look-up would have solved this.
Still another had a case where the host basically said, "I think it's an (X) level spell, I'm not sure." Okay, why aren't you sure?
Recording a podcast isn't done out on the street with a microphone and a tape recorder. You're on your computer. You have a phone. There are PDFs and hard copies of everything around.
If you're talking about something and aren't sure, look it up. I'm going to when I listen (or after). Better, look it up before. Flip to it when you discuss it. Better accurate than not sure, and accuracy is pretty trivial. "I don't have my books with me" isn't that plausible now that books are usually searchable PDFs that fit scores-to-the-gig.
Not only that, but looking it up means your podcast is more accurate, more useful, and more likely to help the listening. "Today we're talking about the Long Weapons in Close Combat rules in GURPS, they're on page 117 of GURPS Martial Arts." Great! I can look them up and read along now or later, not flip around until I find them. That also means you won't be talking about rules by the telephone game method.
Have a Structure
Sometimes podcasts can kind of meander all around. Start with chatter, get to something interesting, wander off into a side discussion, sort-of come back, get more chatter, and then wrap up with an, "Oh yeah, what about the topic we said we'd discuss?" roundup. For me, this really discourages listening. It feels messy, disorganized, and like I'm just listening in on a random gaming discussion. That would be fine if I was participating, but as a passive listener, I tend to get bored.
Having a standard structure helps me a lot as a listener. For example:
- Basic Greetings
- Review of the Week
- Main Topic/Interview
- Q&A from previous podcasts
- Goodbyes
I find I'll digest the information a lot better if it's put into a basic structure. Even if you skip part of it - "So, no review this week, thanks to the fiery zeppelin crashing into my library" - it will be so much easier on me as a listener.
Time Stamps
Putting in the effort to put in time stamps on your website - so I can skip to just the parts I want to hear - is pure gold. Especially if you touch on a topic for 5 minutes somewhere in a 90 minute podcast, knowing it's at 47:52 helps. I can just go to that if I'm pressed for time or not interested in the other parts of the podcast - or if I'm coming back to it much later to review or link to someone. This is especially true if you bill that 90 minute podcast as being about that topic you only spent 5 minutes on.
Transcripts
This is a big ask, but if you have your podcast transcribed, the odds I'll consume it jump considerably. I'll read it when I have some downtime, put it on my device, use CTRL-F to see if you mention things I'm interested in . . . and then I'll listen to it. If you can't do this, it's fine - this costs time and money (usually both, not either/or) and I get that. I've turned away requests to do things on this blog because it would cost me time and money or make it into work.
Hopefully that didn't come across as a rant - it's really intended to be constructive criticism.
I realize it's a combination of things that drives me away. It's not just hating "Let me tell you about my character!" or stories where you had to be there for it to be funny. It's that they have some issues that make it hard on me the listener. Issues I think are easily solvable . . . that aren't solved.
I dislike complaining per se, so I'm trying to write this not as a rant but as helpful advice. It's what I'd like to hear or see done. I'm setting aside the technical basics - balanced mic levels for guests, sound quality in general, timely releases of the podcast, etc. This is just content and organization. Here are some things I think podcasters can do to make them more useful.
Look it up
One of the things that annoy me in a podcast is when people make references to things in books that aren't accurate.
Good example, I heard a podcast that covered some old AD&D modules. The module had an odd magic item, and the podcast host said basically, it's not even explained why it's there. Except that, yes, it's absolutely explained, they tell you who it belongs to - and from there, the why is totally clear. It's right in the room description of the module.
Another was talking about rules in the 1st edition DMG. Since I only ever played 1st edition AD&D until playing 5th edition AD&D, I knew right off the rules weren't there. I dug around and found the ones being discussed - in 2nd edition AD&D. A simple look-up would have solved this.
Still another had a case where the host basically said, "I think it's an (X) level spell, I'm not sure." Okay, why aren't you sure?
Recording a podcast isn't done out on the street with a microphone and a tape recorder. You're on your computer. You have a phone. There are PDFs and hard copies of everything around.
If you're talking about something and aren't sure, look it up. I'm going to when I listen (or after). Better, look it up before. Flip to it when you discuss it. Better accurate than not sure, and accuracy is pretty trivial. "I don't have my books with me" isn't that plausible now that books are usually searchable PDFs that fit scores-to-the-gig.
Not only that, but looking it up means your podcast is more accurate, more useful, and more likely to help the listening. "Today we're talking about the Long Weapons in Close Combat rules in GURPS, they're on page 117 of GURPS Martial Arts." Great! I can look them up and read along now or later, not flip around until I find them. That also means you won't be talking about rules by the telephone game method.
Have a Structure
Sometimes podcasts can kind of meander all around. Start with chatter, get to something interesting, wander off into a side discussion, sort-of come back, get more chatter, and then wrap up with an, "Oh yeah, what about the topic we said we'd discuss?" roundup. For me, this really discourages listening. It feels messy, disorganized, and like I'm just listening in on a random gaming discussion. That would be fine if I was participating, but as a passive listener, I tend to get bored.
Having a standard structure helps me a lot as a listener. For example:
- Basic Greetings
- Review of the Week
- Main Topic/Interview
- Q&A from previous podcasts
- Goodbyes
I find I'll digest the information a lot better if it's put into a basic structure. Even if you skip part of it - "So, no review this week, thanks to the fiery zeppelin crashing into my library" - it will be so much easier on me as a listener.
Time Stamps
Putting in the effort to put in time stamps on your website - so I can skip to just the parts I want to hear - is pure gold. Especially if you touch on a topic for 5 minutes somewhere in a 90 minute podcast, knowing it's at 47:52 helps. I can just go to that if I'm pressed for time or not interested in the other parts of the podcast - or if I'm coming back to it much later to review or link to someone. This is especially true if you bill that 90 minute podcast as being about that topic you only spent 5 minutes on.
Transcripts
This is a big ask, but if you have your podcast transcribed, the odds I'll consume it jump considerably. I'll read it when I have some downtime, put it on my device, use CTRL-F to see if you mention things I'm interested in . . . and then I'll listen to it. If you can't do this, it's fine - this costs time and money (usually both, not either/or) and I get that. I've turned away requests to do things on this blog because it would cost me time and money or make it into work.
Hopefully that didn't come across as a rant - it's really intended to be constructive criticism.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Good Stuff from Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Way back in 2015, one of my players gave me a copy of Hoard of the Dragon Queen.
I finally finished reading it cover-to-cover a couple of days ago. I just kept pushing it off for when I had more time, after I finished some work-related book, etc. etc.
So, first off, thanks again for the book Greg.
Second, I did get some useful things out of it.
- a good example of how to use dragons right away without annihilating the party or using a baby dragon. Or using it merely as a plot device.
- plenty of examples of uneasy allies, structured to either let the PCs take advantage - or not.
- an interesting magic item (which I probably won't convert to GURPS, but which I might use if I ever run D&D).
- good examples of using terrain, lighting, and situational modifiers to make a dungeon delver more interesting. Some I'd seen before but I appreciated the positive reinforcement.
- and a good swamp-based location I can throw into the Cold Fens.
So, thanks again - it was a useful read and I did get bits out of it I can use in my current campaign.
I finally finished reading it cover-to-cover a couple of days ago. I just kept pushing it off for when I had more time, after I finished some work-related book, etc. etc.
So, first off, thanks again for the book Greg.
Second, I did get some useful things out of it.
- a good example of how to use dragons right away without annihilating the party or using a baby dragon. Or using it merely as a plot device.
- plenty of examples of uneasy allies, structured to either let the PCs take advantage - or not.
- an interesting magic item (which I probably won't convert to GURPS, but which I might use if I ever run D&D).
- good examples of using terrain, lighting, and situational modifiers to make a dungeon delver more interesting. Some I'd seen before but I appreciated the positive reinforcement.
- and a good swamp-based location I can throw into the Cold Fens.
So, thanks again - it was a useful read and I did get bits out of it I can use in my current campaign.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Why so many monsters?
So I've used like 108 identified monsters in my game, plus some not yet identified.
Why so many?
Short version is I like monsters and the more the merrier. There are counter-arguments to using a lot of monsters. I've thought about them, and here is why I didn't go with them.
Using Too Many Monsters Diffuses Their Value
Pick a subset of monsters and stick with them. It gives you campaign a tighter theme, it makes the players value knowledge of monsters more, it gives your campaign a flavor that isn't just "everything in all of those Monster Manuals."
I agree with those statements.
But I rejected that idea for my campaign this time around. The is a game predicated on new, weird, dangerous challenges. A wide net cast across my minis collection, over a dozen monster books (at least), many games, all the Cardboard Heroes I've collected, things my players have mentioned dreading or liking, etc. I want a chance to use them all. All of them is the theme. All of them pulls it together. All of them makes the players work that much harder to know what the heck they're facing. And "surprise, it breathes acid and is immune to cutting weapons!" is the kind of fun this game is meant to have. I could do that with fewer monsters, but again, the goal is "as many as possible."
Unique monsters are scarier
Probably true. But it's more work. I need to make a lot of unique monsters that aren't weird for the sake of weird, something I disliked in Isle of the Unknown. Also, unique monsters are much cooler when there is buildup. You meet the Black Beast of Aaarrr, you all know about the dreaded Hydra, a quest to deal with Medusa means you have to get special help because you know how bad it'll be.
In a dungeon crawl, that's a lot of buildup. I think that fits mythic heroism and horror much better. Dracula is only defeatable if you know his weaknesses, the Hydra only slain(ish) when you know what to do about its stumps . . . and you aren't tough enough to beat it to a pulp and then guess until you get it right. In other games, knowing is half the battle. In my DF game, it's more 0-100%, depending on the monster.
Man is the Real Monster
I'm pretty sure I live in that world. So I don't need to have a game featuring literal monsters if I'm going to undercut it by having them be second fiddle at the only thing they do. You know, monst. I have really horrible humans in my game, but yeah, I also have monsters of pure evil.
So yeah, man is the real monster, unique is scarier, and fewer monsters is a tighter theme. But that's not the game I'm running.
Why so many?
Short version is I like monsters and the more the merrier. There are counter-arguments to using a lot of monsters. I've thought about them, and here is why I didn't go with them.
Using Too Many Monsters Diffuses Their Value
Pick a subset of monsters and stick with them. It gives you campaign a tighter theme, it makes the players value knowledge of monsters more, it gives your campaign a flavor that isn't just "everything in all of those Monster Manuals."
I agree with those statements.
But I rejected that idea for my campaign this time around. The is a game predicated on new, weird, dangerous challenges. A wide net cast across my minis collection, over a dozen monster books (at least), many games, all the Cardboard Heroes I've collected, things my players have mentioned dreading or liking, etc. I want a chance to use them all. All of them is the theme. All of them pulls it together. All of them makes the players work that much harder to know what the heck they're facing. And "surprise, it breathes acid and is immune to cutting weapons!" is the kind of fun this game is meant to have. I could do that with fewer monsters, but again, the goal is "as many as possible."
Unique monsters are scarier
Probably true. But it's more work. I need to make a lot of unique monsters that aren't weird for the sake of weird, something I disliked in Isle of the Unknown. Also, unique monsters are much cooler when there is buildup. You meet the Black Beast of Aaarrr, you all know about the dreaded Hydra, a quest to deal with Medusa means you have to get special help because you know how bad it'll be.
In a dungeon crawl, that's a lot of buildup. I think that fits mythic heroism and horror much better. Dracula is only defeatable if you know his weaknesses, the Hydra only slain(ish) when you know what to do about its stumps . . . and you aren't tough enough to beat it to a pulp and then guess until you get it right. In other games, knowing is half the battle. In my DF game, it's more 0-100%, depending on the monster.
Man is the Real Monster
I'm pretty sure I live in that world. So I don't need to have a game featuring literal monsters if I'm going to undercut it by having them be second fiddle at the only thing they do. You know, monst. I have really horrible humans in my game, but yeah, I also have monsters of pure evil.
So yeah, man is the real monster, unique is scarier, and fewer monsters is a tighter theme. But that's not the game I'm running.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Felltower in 11 Numbers - 2017 New Year Edition
A while back I wrote a "Felltower in 11 Numbers" post to sum up 25 sessions of gaming. I did another post about the meta-stats of the campaign.
How about now, after 84 sessions and 57 delves into Felltower? I've updated it.
You can find the main links here for my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy megadungeon game known as Felltower.
My megadungeon, in 11 numbers:
1 - most number of times any single PC was Resurrected (tie between Vryce, Dryst, Hjalmarr)
2 - number of gates found
3 - number of campaign areas explored (Cold Fens, Felltower, Lost City of D'Abo)
5 - deepest level plumbed so far and deepest level heard of by the PCs
9 - different levels or sub-levels visited (even if only briefly), including the surface ruins.
15 - total number of PCs killed (4 have been Resurrected once apiece)
32 - total number of allied NPCs (hirelings, henchmen, recruited monsters) killed; does not include zombies or summonable minions
48 - longest streak of consecutive sessions in Felltower (sessions 10 - 57)
108 - approximate number of different kinds of identified monsters encountered (by race or species)
235 - approximate number of encounter areas explored overall across all levels visited in Felltower
400 - approximate number of different rumors heard
Number of monsters slain and amount of loot retrieved? It was too hard to count, but plenty of monsters have been put down and enough loot has been garnered to keep them coming back.
And just for reading this far, here is a Felltower bonus - I guess this is the place that heals the PCs in town.
How about now, after 84 sessions and 57 delves into Felltower? I've updated it.
You can find the main links here for my GURPS Dungeon Fantasy megadungeon game known as Felltower.
My megadungeon, in 11 numbers:
1 - most number of times any single PC was Resurrected (tie between Vryce, Dryst, Hjalmarr)
2 - number of gates found
3 - number of campaign areas explored (Cold Fens, Felltower, Lost City of D'Abo)
5 - deepest level plumbed so far and deepest level heard of by the PCs
9 - different levels or sub-levels visited (even if only briefly), including the surface ruins.
15 - total number of PCs killed (4 have been Resurrected once apiece)
32 - total number of allied NPCs (hirelings, henchmen, recruited monsters) killed; does not include zombies or summonable minions
48 - longest streak of consecutive sessions in Felltower (sessions 10 - 57)
108 - approximate number of different kinds of identified monsters encountered (by race or species)
235 - approximate number of encounter areas explored overall across all levels visited in Felltower
400 - approximate number of different rumors heard
Number of monsters slain and amount of loot retrieved? It was too hard to count, but plenty of monsters have been put down and enough loot has been garnered to keep them coming back.
And just for reading this far, here is a Felltower bonus - I guess this is the place that heals the PCs in town.
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