Following on from the role-playing games I have and haven't played, here are the games I've played but would very much like to play again before my body fails and my essence returns to the cosmos.
Or something.
13th Age - Probably my favourite version of "advanced" D&D. I think we still have much to explore with this game, not least a big old dungeon.
Barbarians of Lemuria - I enjoyed the last time I played this, only 13 years ago (!). I liked a few of the system mechanics and I also liked how the game captured the feel of pulp fantasy.
Cold City - Great fun. I would love to play this or its cousin Hot War again.
Dragonlance: The Fifth Age - The system is quite unlike anything else but I've only played it in short bursts; I'd like to give it a try for a longer term campaign to see how it goes.
Feng Shui - I'm not fully on board with the rules of the game, as I think they sort of get in the way of what they are trying to do, but I love the concept and setting, and I'd like to give it another try one day. Maybe with different rules?
Mutant Year Zero - It's a solid ruleset -- a descendant of which we played recently -- and I like the blend of base building and wilderness exploration, and how each feed into the other. I think my mistake when running it was in making things feel aimless and giving the impression that everything was randomly generated; if I ran it again I'd make more effort to highlight interesting locations and even perhaps create actual "missions" to give some added focus.
Pendragon - Just because it's Pendragon, and it's great, although I prefer a sort of loose picaresque wander about Mythic England as opposed to the Allegedly Great Pendragon Campaign, which really doesn't do much for me.
Rogue Trader - The ruleset is not the best but the setting has a great deal of potential; my previous attempt was more focussed on plot and story, and I wonder how a more freeform "space crawl" approach would go down.
Star Wars - The D6 variant. I played a fair bit of this in my teens and it was good fun, even if I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan. The expansion of the franchise in recent years has broadened the type of stories told on screen, and reminds me of the sort of off-piste adventures we had in the setting back in the dim and distant 1990s.
(Please! Where is Call of Cthulhu? Well, it gets played about once a year by my group so I don't feel the need to add it to the list. Just assume that I always want to play Call of Cthulhu Iä, fhtaghn, etc.)
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Alien 1999
Well, not exactly.
I played a couple of sessions of the Space: 1999 role-playing game.
Well, not exactly.
What in fact happened was Stuart ran a Space: 1999 adventure using the Alien system, and it was good fun. I've always enjoyed the late-period Gerry Anderson series -- although I think UFO is better -- so it was fun to play around in that setting, just before the Moonbase Alpha accident that kicks the series off. The Alien ruleset -- derived from one of my favourites, Mutant Year Zero -- is quite good too, and worked well for the relatively low-tech world of 70s UK science fiction TV. It does tend towards horror and stress -- as you'd expect -- so it created a bit of a different tone for Space: 1999, perhaps the sort of thing you'd get if the series had been made in 1985 rather than 1975.
I'm not sure I have any interest in Alien itself as a game setting, but the system seems flexible and applicable for all sorts of things. I wonder how it would handle the Cthulhu Mythos?
Hmm...
Stuart's summary of the first session is here, and the second here.
Friday, February 07, 2025
Monday, February 03, 2025
Mission: Danger Zone!
Here's another untested and probably insanely unbalanced Stargrave scenario.
Sector Periculosum is a terrible place. Some say it's full of toxins from the Last War. Some say it's been reclaimed by a hostile biosphere. Some even say it's haunted by vengeful ghosts. Almost no one comes back from their alive. But those that do come back, come back rich.
SET-UP
Divide the table into 16 equal parts, making sure that the boundaries between each section are clear to all players. Each section should be numbered, although not necessarily on the table itself; a diagram is fine, as long as all players can see it.
Place terrain and select board edges as normal. There is no central loot token in this scenario, but each player should place three loot tokens, generating the third token's type as normal. You should try to avoid putting loot tokens on section boundaries.
There is no Target Point for this scenario.
SPECIAL RULES
Danger! Each turn after the first, before rolling for initiative, roll 1d20; the number rolled is the table section that will become a Danger Zone at the end of this turn, after the Creature Phase. Rolls of 17-20, or that correspond to a section that is already a Danger Zone, have no effect.
At the end of the current turn, that section becomes inaccessible for the rest of the game and all figures within it are treated as being killed. Loot tokens in that section are destroyed.
If a figure is on the boundary between a Danger Zone and a safe section use common sense; if over half of the model is in a safe area then they are safe. If in any doubt, roll a dice to decide.
Danger Zones ignore terrain; being inside a building is no safer than being in the open!
Figures can be pushed, teleported, or otherwise manipulated into Danger Zones.
Abilities or effects that protect a figure from being killed work against Danger Zones. In these cases, move the figure to the nearest safe edge, rolling for a random edge if there is any doubt.
Danger Zones do not block line of sight and can be travelled through by means of teleportation or similar abilities, but cannot be flown or jumped over (usually; see Option 1, below).
Option 1 - Role-playing? For the sake of simplicity the Danger Zones are just big killer squares of generic sci-fi death, but you may decide that they are flooded with water, in which case they are treated like normal areas of water, after the initial fatal flooding. Or they are filled with thick gas, in which case they cannot be seen through. Or they are clouds of murderous nanotech, blocking line of sight and flight. Whatever you decide, make sure all players agree to any exceptions before you start.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member starts a turn in an imminent Danger Zone and escapes (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member extracts a loot token from an imminent Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is killed by a Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
Experience awards stack, for example if a crew member escapes a Danger Zone with a loot token.
DANGER ZONE!
Sector Periculosum is a terrible place. Some say it's full of toxins from the Last War. Some say it's been reclaimed by a hostile biosphere. Some even say it's haunted by vengeful ghosts. Almost no one comes back from their alive. But those that do come back, come back rich.
SET-UP
Divide the table into 16 equal parts, making sure that the boundaries between each section are clear to all players. Each section should be numbered, although not necessarily on the table itself; a diagram is fine, as long as all players can see it.
Place terrain and select board edges as normal. There is no central loot token in this scenario, but each player should place three loot tokens, generating the third token's type as normal. You should try to avoid putting loot tokens on section boundaries.
There is no Target Point for this scenario.
SPECIAL RULES
Danger! Each turn after the first, before rolling for initiative, roll 1d20; the number rolled is the table section that will become a Danger Zone at the end of this turn, after the Creature Phase. Rolls of 17-20, or that correspond to a section that is already a Danger Zone, have no effect.
At the end of the current turn, that section becomes inaccessible for the rest of the game and all figures within it are treated as being killed. Loot tokens in that section are destroyed.
If a figure is on the boundary between a Danger Zone and a safe section use common sense; if over half of the model is in a safe area then they are safe. If in any doubt, roll a dice to decide.
Danger Zones ignore terrain; being inside a building is no safer than being in the open!
Figures can be pushed, teleported, or otherwise manipulated into Danger Zones.
Abilities or effects that protect a figure from being killed work against Danger Zones. In these cases, move the figure to the nearest safe edge, rolling for a random edge if there is any doubt.
Danger Zones do not block line of sight and can be travelled through by means of teleportation or similar abilities, but cannot be flown or jumped over (usually; see Option 1, below).
Option 1 - Role-playing? For the sake of simplicity the Danger Zones are just big killer squares of generic sci-fi death, but you may decide that they are flooded with water, in which case they are treated like normal areas of water, after the initial fatal flooding. Or they are filled with thick gas, in which case they cannot be seen through. Or they are clouds of murderous nanotech, blocking line of sight and flight. Whatever you decide, make sure all players agree to any exceptions before you start.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member starts a turn in an imminent Danger Zone and escapes (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member extracts a loot token from an imminent Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is killed by a Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
Experience awards stack, for example if a crew member escapes a Danger Zone with a loot token.
Friday, January 17, 2025
Mission: The Hermit
Here's another Stargrave scenario, completely untested, as per usual.
Pagurus Titanicus is known for grabbing bits of debris to build itself a tough outer shell, and there's plenty of debris among the dead stars. There's loot too, and rumour has it this monster is carrying treasure on its back.
SET-UP
Place terrain as normal. Multi-level terrain is handy for jumping down on the Hermit in dramatic action movie style.
Each player places one loot token according to the normal rules, rolling for type as usual.
Place a large crab-like monster in the dead centre of the table. This is the Hermit, and it has the third loot token on its back. Determine whether this is data or physical loot as normal.
SPECIAL RULES
The Hermit: The Hermit starts in the centre of the table and makes a single random move in the Creature Phase. It is so large and strong that it can never be pinned in combat.
If an attack beats the Hermit's Armour, or if it is the target of a successful psychic power, it panics, and immediately -- yes, out of sequence -- makes two moves in random directions.
If the Hermit's move would take it off the table edge, it moves along the edge instead.
The Hermit never attacks but if it panics and moves through a figure then that figure suffers a normal Fight attack as the Hermit tramples over it. If that figure wins the "combat" they take no damage but also do no damage in return.
If the Hermit is killed leave the model where it is; crew must still climb its corpse to get at the loot.
Climbing the Hermit: To access the loot token a figure must climb up -- half movement -- or jump to it as per the normal movement rules.
When the Hermit moves any figure "riding" the beast should roll 1d20; if the result is higher than the inches moved by the Hermit then the figure has held on. Otherwise they fall -- at the end of the move -- and take damage as per the normal falling rules.
The loot token is embedded in the Hermit's shell and never falls.
(If may be safer to mark which figures are on the Hermit's back rather than try to balance figures, especially when it starts moving. Perhaps you can use counters, or even have a little off-table "map" of the creature's back on which you place the figures. I leave it up to you.)
Option 1 - Interested Parties: Each crew should -- secretly -- roll a dice to determine if they have been employed by:
Odd: Friends of the Planets: 100Cr if the Hermit survives the scenario.
Even: Galactic Hunting Club: 100Cr if the Hermit is killed.
Option 2 - Seeing Double: Place two Hermits! It is impossible to know which of the beasts has the loot token until a crew member is on top. Roll a dice: if even the loot token is on this Hermit, on an odd result it's on the other.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member falls off the Hermit (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is trampled by a panicked Hermit (up to 30xp).
+30xp for killing the Hermit (unless Option 1 is in play).
The Hermit loot token is worth two rolls on the relevant table.
THE HERMIT
Pagurus Titanicus is known for grabbing bits of debris to build itself a tough outer shell, and there's plenty of debris among the dead stars. There's loot too, and rumour has it this monster is carrying treasure on its back.
SET-UP
Place terrain as normal. Multi-level terrain is handy for jumping down on the Hermit in dramatic action movie style.
Each player places one loot token according to the normal rules, rolling for type as usual.
Place a large crab-like monster in the dead centre of the table. This is the Hermit, and it has the third loot token on its back. Determine whether this is data or physical loot as normal.
SPECIAL RULES
The Hermit: The Hermit starts in the centre of the table and makes a single random move in the Creature Phase. It is so large and strong that it can never be pinned in combat.
If an attack beats the Hermit's Armour, or if it is the target of a successful psychic power, it panics, and immediately -- yes, out of sequence -- makes two moves in random directions.
If the Hermit's move would take it off the table edge, it moves along the edge instead.
The Hermit never attacks but if it panics and moves through a figure then that figure suffers a normal Fight attack as the Hermit tramples over it. If that figure wins the "combat" they take no damage but also do no damage in return.
If the Hermit is killed leave the model where it is; crew must still climb its corpse to get at the loot.
Climbing the Hermit: To access the loot token a figure must climb up -- half movement -- or jump to it as per the normal movement rules.
When the Hermit moves any figure "riding" the beast should roll 1d20; if the result is higher than the inches moved by the Hermit then the figure has held on. Otherwise they fall -- at the end of the move -- and take damage as per the normal falling rules.
The loot token is embedded in the Hermit's shell and never falls.
(If may be safer to mark which figures are on the Hermit's back rather than try to balance figures, especially when it starts moving. Perhaps you can use counters, or even have a little off-table "map" of the creature's back on which you place the figures. I leave it up to you.)
Option 1 - Interested Parties: Each crew should -- secretly -- roll a dice to determine if they have been employed by:
Odd: Friends of the Planets: 100Cr if the Hermit survives the scenario.
Even: Galactic Hunting Club: 100Cr if the Hermit is killed.
Option 2 - Seeing Double: Place two Hermits! It is impossible to know which of the beasts has the loot token until a crew member is on top. Roll a dice: if even the loot token is on this Hermit, on an odd result it's on the other.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member falls off the Hermit (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is trampled by a panicked Hermit (up to 30xp).
+30xp for killing the Hermit (unless Option 1 is in play).
The Hermit loot token is worth two rolls on the relevant table.
| THE HERMIT | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MV | FT | SH | AR | WL | HL | Notes |
| 6 | +4 | +0 | 14 | +1 | 16 | Amphibious, Animal, Immune to Control Animal (sorry!), Large, Strong |
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
"Playing Games Turns Me Into a Person Who Makes Sense"
This is a lovely Grauniad piece about autism and board games. These parts resonated in particular:
and:
I've written about this before. I don't think I'm on the autism spectrum; I've done a number of tests -- which I know aren't definitive -- and have never scored enough to be classified as autistic. I am a bit odd, no doubt, but that's more social awkwardness and crippling anxiety, and games provide a sort of social focus that help me ignore and overcome those issues, for the most part.
Anyway, it's an interesting piece, and if you have any interest in games or neurodivergence, it's well worth a read.
Growing up, board games were my refuge from a baffling, often hostile world.
and:
Games gave me quiet, structured time with family and friends. If I didn’t know what to say, the game filled the silence.
I've written about this before. I don't think I'm on the autism spectrum; I've done a number of tests -- which I know aren't definitive -- and have never scored enough to be classified as autistic. I am a bit odd, no doubt, but that's more social awkwardness and crippling anxiety, and games provide a sort of social focus that help me ignore and overcome those issues, for the most part.
Anyway, it's an interesting piece, and if you have any interest in games or neurodivergence, it's well worth a read.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
No 2024 Survives Contact With the Enemy
So here we are, about to shuffle 2024 off into the euthanasia booth (for its own good), and how did I get on with my goals for the year? And those projects I was trying to finish?
Er...
Let's do the projects first:
I'm not going to make any real solid goals for 2025, but:
Happy new year everyone! I hope 2025 is better!
Er...
Let's do the projects first:
- Maps for [REDACTED]: well, this didn't go well. [REDACTED] is out, my maps are not in it, and the whole situation has been a bit of a confusing mess that I would prefer to forget.
- The Gargantuan Ovum of Sir William Hatcher: I completely lost confidence in this with about 50% done. I'm just not sure it's any good. Maybe I will revisit it.
- Untitled Adventure for Lamentations of the Flame Princess: I don't even remember what this is, which suggests I didn't start writing it.
- WAR 16XX: Indeed not the final title. This one is almost done. I've decided to chuck an adventure in the book, even though it doesn't really need one, so that's added some development time. This one's coming out in 2025, whatever happens.
- Griffin Hill: This bubbles away in the background. I may end up publishing this myself, piece by piece, then go looking for a publisher for the final product. Maybe.
- Stargrave: Stuart and I got a couple of games in before the end of the year, but only just! I think we've got a taste for it again, so I'm confident we'll play more.
- The DOOMED: I played one game and enjoyed it, but I don't know if Stuart and I have enough headspacetime for another skirmish wargame. It does have solo rules, so maybe I'll try a few games in that mode.
- Legions Imperialis: Still in the box, unassembled and unpainted, under my desk. So much for my love of epic scale warfare.
- My gaming group and the unplayed rpg list: I didn't make a full return, but I ran a couple of sessions of Lady Blackbird and played in Stuart's Night of the Hogmen game, both in-person, and also playtested Stuart's 1941 Call of Cthulhu scenario over Discord/Roll20. I played in some of Ben's Delta Green game, and I also dropped into some board games with the gang.
- The 40K Project: It wasn't on my goals list, but Stuart and I finally kicked off our plan to play every single edition of Warhammer 40,000 in order and we had good fun. We're painting up some final units for second edition, and hope we can get that played in the first few weeks of 2025.
I'm not going to make any real solid goals for 2025, but:
- I should be able to get WAR 16XX (not the final title) finished. I plan to do the art myself, which does mean regaining confidence in my drawing...
- I think I have at least one more LotFP adventure in me, so I'll see if I can get one done.
- More 40K, The DOOMED, and Stargrave.
- Legions Imperialis? Maybe?
- Let's try to tick another one off the unplayed rpg list. Why not?
Happy new year everyone! I hope 2025 is better!
Sunday, December 22, 2024
A Return to the Stars
After a veeeeerrrryyyy long, and mostly unplanned, hiatus, Stuart and I got together to play more Stargrave in recent days. It was good!
It was also a bit of a challenge trying to remember how to play the game after such a long absence, as you will see.
First up, on the 13th, was the Data Vault mission, which Stuart set up using black dominoes for a nice 2001 type feel.
This mission turned out to be a bit of a disaster for Stuart's crew, for a number of key reasons:
1) I was rolling 20s all over the place and Stuart barely rolled above a 4 all game, prompting numerous excommunications of Traitor Dice to the Box of Shame™.
2) We decided to use the "Unwanted Attention" rule for a bit of added drama, except all the drama happened on Stuart's side of the table, and the Space Cops and Space Bounty Hunters between them massacred his crew.
3) In the intervening 23 months we had both forgotten that Stargrave crews are limited to 10 members, and I seemed to have 11...
You can read Stuart's summary of the mission here.
A few days later, on the 19th, we met again to play(test) my homebrew mission Starfall. In the intervening time my squad had discovered that an alien shapechanger had infiltrated the crew, and the offending extra trooper had been encouraged to "walk the airlock".
Ahem.
Now, Stuart won the game (spoiler) as he got away with the loot and most of the xp, but he may not consider it a total victory, as you will see.
With only a rough idea of where the satellite could crash-land, the two crews fanned out to cover as much of the table as possible.
On the third turn it became clear where the landing point would be, and there followed a mad scramble. Alas, I had fanned out a bit too much, and the crew on my left never really got involved. Stuart's crew got to the satellite first, and managed to unlock the precious data, so I decided to hold back and blast away while they were exposed.
New -- and expensive! -- recruit Arnold the Power Armoured Bastard (Retired) got involved and managed to get away with the data, before two of my robots pounced and gang-stomped him into the dirt.
Stuart had better luck this game -- only one d20 was banished! -- and I'd used most of my 20s last time, although I'm not sure he'd agree, as I did manage to take out all of his crew aside from one lonely drone, but crucially, the drone had the data. My crew was too far away to catch or shoot the drone and my only hope was a lone wandering monster that saw the shiny thing and loped after it, but couldn't quite catch the mechanoid, so it zoomed off into the distance with the loot... and victory!
The scenario went quite well and we both liked how the pace and tone changed between the before-crash and after-crash phases. I had some worries about a couple of minor details of the mechanics, but Stuart assured me they weren't issues, so I've made no changes, beyond beefing up the xp award for "catching" the satellite. If you have a go at Starfall, please let me know how you get on!
(You can read Stuart's summary here.)
We've both caught the Stargrave bug again and as long as real life doesn't intrude too much we are keen to play more in the new year. I've also had another idea for a custom mission...
It was also a bit of a challenge trying to remember how to play the game after such a long absence, as you will see.
First up, on the 13th, was the Data Vault mission, which Stuart set up using black dominoes for a nice 2001 type feel.
This mission turned out to be a bit of a disaster for Stuart's crew, for a number of key reasons:
1) I was rolling 20s all over the place and Stuart barely rolled above a 4 all game, prompting numerous excommunications of Traitor Dice to the Box of Shame™.
 |
| This happened (to me) quite a lot. |
2) We decided to use the "Unwanted Attention" rule for a bit of added drama, except all the drama happened on Stuart's side of the table, and the Space Cops and Space Bounty Hunters between them massacred his crew.
3) In the intervening 23 months we had both forgotten that Stargrave crews are limited to 10 members, and I seemed to have 11...
 |
| One of those two troopers toward the bottom of the picture shouldn't be there. |
You can read Stuart's summary of the mission here.
A few days later, on the 19th, we met again to play(test) my homebrew mission Starfall. In the intervening time my squad had discovered that an alien shapechanger had infiltrated the crew, and the offending extra trooper had been encouraged to "walk the airlock".
Ahem.
Now, Stuart won the game (spoiler) as he got away with the loot and most of the xp, but he may not consider it a total victory, as you will see.
With only a rough idea of where the satellite could crash-land, the two crews fanned out to cover as much of the table as possible.
On the third turn it became clear where the landing point would be, and there followed a mad scramble. Alas, I had fanned out a bit too much, and the crew on my left never really got involved. Stuart's crew got to the satellite first, and managed to unlock the precious data, so I decided to hold back and blast away while they were exposed.
New -- and expensive! -- recruit Arnold the Power Armoured Bastard (Retired) got involved and managed to get away with the data, before two of my robots pounced and gang-stomped him into the dirt.
 |
| "Get to da (space) choppah!" |
Stuart had better luck this game -- only one d20 was banished! -- and I'd used most of my 20s last time, although I'm not sure he'd agree, as I did manage to take out all of his crew aside from one lonely drone, but crucially, the drone had the data. My crew was too far away to catch or shoot the drone and my only hope was a lone wandering monster that saw the shiny thing and loped after it, but couldn't quite catch the mechanoid, so it zoomed off into the distance with the loot... and victory!
The scenario went quite well and we both liked how the pace and tone changed between the before-crash and after-crash phases. I had some worries about a couple of minor details of the mechanics, but Stuart assured me they weren't issues, so I've made no changes, beyond beefing up the xp award for "catching" the satellite. If you have a go at Starfall, please let me know how you get on!
(You can read Stuart's summary here.)
We've both caught the Stargrave bug again and as long as real life doesn't intrude too much we are keen to play more in the new year. I've also had another idea for a custom mission...
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Mince Pie Fest 2024: Non-Cornish Cornish Pasty Lemon Mince Pie
Special #MincePieFest2024 special feature special day four! I've had the lemon flavour before and it's been a firm favourite, but how will it fare in 2024?
Alas, there's only a dash of lemon curd in this one, so it's basically just the normal one with a hint of lemon. So still very good, but not as lemony as I'd like.
But at least there are no huge chunks of cherry. 3.5 out of 5. #MincePieADay
Alas, there's only a dash of lemon curd in this one, so it's basically just the normal one with a hint of lemon. So still very good, but not as lemony as I'd like.
But at least there are no huge chunks of cherry. 3.5 out of 5. #MincePieADay
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