Review: Those Dark Places

 

Hot on the heels of the release of Free League's Alien RPG, my review of said Alien RPG, and my experience in Chariot of the Gods has created a lot of buzz online and personal discussions regarding space horror/Industrial Science games. One of the games that got a lot of buzz was Those Dark Places by Jonathan Hicks. I ended up buying a physical copy least year and it is on the top of my list of backlog games to review. 

The official description of this game is as follows:

A science fiction roleplaying game of exploration, isolation, and survival in a dark and dangerous universe.

Space is a hell of a thing but you need to be sure that this is what you want. Like, what you really want. The idea of space exploration to further the frontiers of mankind is noble, but let's not kid ourselves--it's really all about furthering the profit margins. There's money to be made and out there is the place to make it, but you hear all kinds of stories… equipment malfunctions, strange discoveries, crew members going insane... You'll be out there in the reaches, alone, for months or years, breathing recycled air and drinking recycled water, with nothing but a few feet of metal and shielding between you and certain death.

Are you sure this is what you want?

– From the Crew Orientation Briefing

****
Those Dark Places is a rules-light, story-focused roleplaying game about the darker side of space exploration and the people who travel the stars in claustrophobic, dangerous conditions. Starships, stations, and outposts aren't havens of safety with clean, brightly lit corridors--they're potential deathtraps, funded by budget-conscious corporate interests and running on stale, recycled air and water. The stars may be the future of humanity, but they are also home to horrors and terror the human mind cannot comprehend.

****

Presentation: The book comes tightly packed in 127 pages encased in a black, white, and red hardcover. Within the cover you will find single column formatted pages with headers, full page artwork, and some tables (with character sheets) in the back. The art is a thematic black and white style that has color splashed in on strategic areas to increase the impact and catch the eye. 

The book starts with an introduction where the author talks about how he saw Alien in 1982 and other movies/games that gave the author inspiration. This introduction then bleeds into advice directly from the author about being what the game is, being a Game Master, being a player, and the rule book.

After that, there are the Players Section that includes character creation, resolution systems, combat rules, hyper sleep information, and stat ship information. The players section is then followed by the General Monitor's section (the Game Master stuff) that includes all the how to run the game information, interpreting die rolls, conflict, using pressure, episodes, simulations, and linking episodes and lingering effects from those episodes together. Then there is an intro adventure, reference tables, and character sheets in the back. 

I am going to mention this again later in the review but the Players Section does something that I do not see very often (or at all). It is mostly written "in game". This means that the fiction is talking to the reader like the reader is signing up to work for some shady corporation to settle some debt and go on some possibly dangerous jobs in space.

Character Creation: Character creation is straight forward and opens with a discussion about how character concept is important and that should be the first thing a player focuses on. After that, the rest of character creation follows these steps:

1. Place the scores of 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the attributes Charisma, Agility, Strength, and Education. The higher number being better. 
2. Choose a primary and secondary Crew Position. The Crew Positions are Helm Officer, Navigation Officer, Science Officer, Security Officer, Liaison Officer, Engineering Officer, and Medical Officer. It is important to note that all crews are REQUIRED to have a Helm Officer and a Navigation Officer. 
3. All characters begin with an ID Chip and a Comm Unit that has surface to Orbit range. All other equipment are on the ship, in the settlement, or on the space station as need. This includes tools, limited access to weapons, food, water, clothes, and so on. 

There is also an explanation/rules about Synthetic Automation (The SAM series) that are functionally androids similar to what is found in the Alien Franchise and other science fiction movies. They do not need to eat, breathe, sleep, etc. In addition, they do not suffer the effects of Pressure (Stress) and players are able to play one if they so choose with the GM's permission. The only caveat to the SAM series is they make decisions out of reason and lack the human component - so of it means to seal of a part of the ship to save the rest of the ship even if their are other crew mates in it, the SAM series will do it.

Resolution: Those Dark Places possesses a straight forward resolution mechanic that is used for most things in the game. The player rolls a single d6 + Attribute + Crew Position (if applicable) + Tool Bonus (if applicable) vs. a target number of 7. The GM can make a task easier with a Target Number of 6 or make task harder with a Target Number of 8.

If the result is less then the target number, the task fails. If the result is higher then the target number, the task fails. If the result is equal to the target number the result becomes a fail forward - an "YES, BUT..." information from the GM.  

Then there are opposed rolls - both sides roll and whoever has the highest result wins. If there is a tie, no one wins or no progress is made.

A fact regarding Charisma rolls was discussed multiple times throughout the book that basically states a PC or NPC cannot take away player agency using a Charisma roll.

There are a couple of sub systems that are important to note. 

• Conflict: When major issues happen, initiative is settled by making a d6 + Agility roll and the highest goes first, then the second, and so on. If there is a tie - the two that tied roll off to see who goes first. Initiative stays the same for each round. Hand to Hand Combat is resolved by contested Strength rolls and Security Officer's get to add their crew bonus to these rolls as well. The winner deals the allotted damage. Ranged combat is handed by an Agility roll vs. a target number of 7 (again, Security Officers get to add their Crew bonus to this roll). If the target is within close range, the Target Number becomes 6 and if the target is far away, the target number becomes 8. The PC or NPC being shot at can declare a dodge which increased the Target Number by 1 but must be declared before the attack roll is made and the PC/NPC dodging sacrifices their opportunity to act for the rest of the round. A PC/NPC who has already acted in the round cannot Dodge. In ranged combat, once again damage is dealt it the attack is successful. Some weapons or modes deliver a set amount of damage while others deliver variable amounts of damage that is decided by a single d6 roll. 
• Damage/Healing: Damage is removed from the Targets Strength score, -1/-2 the target is unconscious and dying, and beyond -2 death is met. Medical attention restores 1 point of strength per hour and medical packs can restore 1 point of Strength - though is this gets the character to zero - the character is still unconscious and needs help. 
• Pressure: This is Those Dark Places Stress mechanic. All characters have a Pressure Bonus equal to the total of their Strength + Education score. When the GM calls for a pressure roll after something really stressful and messed up happens to you the player will roll a d6 + Pressure Bonus vs. a Target Number of 10. If the roll passes, the character is able to work through the stress without incident but if the roll fails, the pressure level increases by +1 (its on a scale of 0-6). At 1, there is a little stress but everyone gets stressed, right? Every time the characters pressure level goes up over 1, roll a d6 and if the result is lower then the pressure score the character suffers an episode - a mental break. These episodes effect the character mentally and psychically that come with in game penalties that is decided by a d6 roll and consulting s table - though it is important to note a character cannot suffer a result on the table that is higher then their pressure score. The only way to reduce stress is time in a non stressful environment - a few days back on Earth or sometime in a Long Sleep Chamber. 

Final Thoughts: The game does an amazing job with setting the tone, expectations, and explaining what life is like out there in there in the black. This is in addition to solidifying what Industrial Science Fiction is. A lot of this is done by having the book mostly written in universe and the players section reads like you are actually going through the interview process for some big corporation. The motivation is that the characters are essentially signing a 25 year contract and the contract pays enough where the characters can retire to a life a luxury after they fulfill their contract. This theme is reinforced by the process of the mission from take off, Long Sleep, etc.

This is in addition to how it described technology. Everything is basically dialog - buttons and levers and nobs. Other planets are not suitable for humans and require space suits. Everything is bulky, durable, and can be repaired or maintained by a skeleton crew if needed. For inspiration/theme/mood media listed includes Alien, Outland, and Blade Runner. Video games listed for the same purpose include Dead Space and Alien: Isolation. 

Those Dark Places also reinforce the theme by talking about in different locations is psychology effects of being out in the black as well as combat should be a last resort. Bullets flying around a space ship/station is dangerous in itself regardless of actually being hit with a projectile. This is reinforced by how each crew is issues two Dazers Mark III (tasers that fire an electrified dart) that can be carried by crew members but if the crew enters another station or ship this needs to be declared to the other crew leaders. Then, in a weapons locker the crew has access to two security pistols and a single shotgun. That is it. 

I am also impressed by smoothness of the mechanics - the rules do not get in the way of the story, the characters, and other personalities. This is especially true for the Pressure mechanic. This mechanic can cause extremely detrimental penalties for the characters and the GM's section of the book stresses about how to not use this mechanic arbitrary and only where it makes sense. If the characters are searching for a body and find it, that should not call for a pressure roll. The GM chapter goes on to explain that the GM should create or plan for one or two pressure points per story arc - not per mission. 

Now, with all of that being said the only issue I can see coming up is how Strength is basically a power stat. It governs health (and the death spiral - which makes the game even deadlier then it needs to be), hand to hand combat, brute strength, and the pressure bonus. To negate this and reduce other issues that come along with having a power stat would be to include either some type of meta currency or a separate health track. I am also surprised that the author did not list 2001: A Space Odyssey or The Black Hole (Fun fact, is technically a Disney Movie) as a point of inspiration.

My final "wish the game had x.,," would be more NPC's, maybe alien ideas, and other challenges. Though the system is simple enough that would not take much on the mechanical front - but I want to see these examples more for the story/them angle.

You can find Those Dark Places here:

• Osprey Publishing
• Drivethrurpg 
• If you want to throw daddy Bezos some schillings
• Barnes and Noble 
  

 

Legacies of Exera: Session 6

 

The party awakens late in the morning after the night of the Kobold attack and decide to take their leisurely time getting ready, eating first and second breakfast, and decide to continue on their journey to the Dwarven City of Sirabolter. 

The party travels on the main road and most of the day proves calm as there was little to no travelers on the road. Sometime after midday, the party hears what sounds like a woman screaming off in the distance somewhere in the woods. The Party takes off in the direction of the screaming with little deliberation and as everyone is trekking through the woods as fast as possible Harl notices two figures keeping pace with them but staying out of sight. Harl warns the rest of the party to expect trouble. 

The Party busts into a clearing where they see some camp supplies and a women tied to a pole in the center of the clearing. The woman is wearing a torn dress and some dried blood on her face and dirty limbs. As soon as the woman notices the party she quickly starts begging for help and states she is from Nemore and a group of people took her as she was out clearing brush on the edge of town. Gareth heads over to the woman to assess the rest of the situation and notices that the woman does not appear to possess any recent injuries. The woman seems to notice Gareth's hesitation and how he glances over his shoulder and quickly explains that she has been a prisoner for almost a week and she thinks they are planning to sell her to some slave trade. Just as Gareth reaches for the ropes to free the woman, there is movement in the bushes and Gareth jumps back as a crossbow bolt whizzes by his head. In reaction, Gareth quickly jaunts a group of trees to a different location leaving a couple very confused bandits without cover. 

The rest of the party quickly comes to Gareth's aid and create a defensive semi circle around the captured woman as Claren, Harl, and Enama dive into the bush to flush out the rest of the Bandits. Helena summons dancing lights to help illuminate the woods and chaos erupts with the sound of crossbows being fired, swords hitting steel, and the screams of wounded men. Additional bandits run into the clearing followed by a rather brutal looking orc and the party realizes that this was a trap all along as Gareth notices the woman start to wiggle free. The party fights desperately on and Helena gets a moment of clarity to cast a spell to put the rest of the bandits still standing asleep. 

The party ties up the surviving members of the camping after stripping them of any weapons and armor. The party ties them together and follows the road through the woods until they make camp for the night. Watches are set up and the bandits are given food and water. On Harl's watch, he attempts to have a conversation with the woman as she is the only member of the crew that seems to have anything to say, even though most of the words that have left the woman 's lips have been obscenities. Harl ends up promising the woman that he will make sure everyone gets turned over to the authorities and how Harl will put in a good word the officers that the woman was helpful. After this promise, the woman explains how she got mixed up with the bandits, the paths they use to travel, and where the home camp is. 

The next morning, the party and their prisoners are up early for a light breakfast and they make the town of Nemore by noon. Harl, true to his word hands over the prisoners to the captain of the town guard and shares all of the information the woman gave to Harl about the bandits. The guard captain thanks Harl for the information, the capture of surviving bandits, and explains that the guard captain will share the same information with the city council when the bandits go on trail. 

Harl finds the rest of the party at the local tavern enjoying room and board on the house due to how they put an end to the "bandit menace" that has been plaguing these parts for over a year.  

During the night, Harl feels a tap on his shoulder and awakens to the ghost of Gladriel (his fiance ) standing over him. Gladriel whispers, "follow me" and gracefully starts to move towards the door. As Harl quickly throws on some clothes, he notices that the skull on the spear is glowing and picks up the spear along with the shield. As Harl exits the Tavern, Gareth is awoken by the commotion and yells at Harl, "Whats going on?" Harl does not turn his head, but yells back, "its the ghost of her..I have to follow." Gareth quickly ducks back inside of the tavern room, throws on some clothes, and bangs on the doors of everyone else yelling incoherently about Harl and some ghosts. 

At the end of town, Gareth is on Harl's heels and Harl reaches out to touch Gladriel but right before the fingertips touch the ghostly substance two shadowy figured appear next to Gladriel and take off with her. Harl screams in frustration and charges after them with Garth close behind. 

Harl and Gareth follow Gladriel and the shadowy figured into the swamp and they come across four glowing balls of light and the spear glows brightly in the gloom of the swamp. Harl can hear the voices of his friends in the distance as Gareth starts to ask "what the hell", the glowing orbs begin to move and shoot lightning from their spherical bodies...

The Blind Bats and the Elephant

 

A metaphor for Subjective Reality...

 

"Once upon a Time, there were seven blind bats. Or 13 . . . I forget. Anyway, they were a bit hungry for fresh blood, because they were Vampire Blind Bats, so they looked around for something to bite. Except they couldn’t look around, as they were blind, which you should have

realized already. But their unerringly keen senses of smell led them to a plump, juicy, blood-filled elephant - which in this story stands for all of reality. Got it?

The Gangrel bat bumped into the tail and said, Aha! This elephant is really a twitching animal! That is what I shall become.

The Brujah broke his fangs trying to bite the hoof and said, Aha! The elephant is like a hard, stony, insensate pestle that crushes all beneath it with pitiless abandon! That is what I shall become!

The Nosferatu flew into the elephant’s butt and said, Aha! The elephant is really a wrinkled, stinky, puckered, desiccated mass that lives in a dank cave! That is what I

shall become!

The Tremere bit the head and said, Aha! The elephant is really a puny little brain struggling to control a vast and powerful body! That is what I shall become!

The Ventrue felt the legs and said Aha! The elephant is really a powerful, upstanding pillar that can bear all weight with strength, but with very little suppleness or resilience! That is what I shall become!

The Toreador felt the trunk and mouth and said, Aha! The elephant is really a great, firm shaft or a warm, moist hole! That is what I shall become!

And the Malkavian bat, blinder than all the rest, swooped down and managed to miss the entire elephant. Aha! said the benighted Malkavian, as it flapped past.

The others are making a huge fuss over an elephant that is really a big lot of nothing! Well, that is what I shall become!

And so, I say unto you, flap on!"

Legacies of Exera: Session 5

 

After the party collects themselves, divides the treasure found after the defeat of the Warlock, and finds their way safety out of the mountain stronghold the party comes across odd tracks in the ground. After a quick discussion, the party decides to follow the tracks as the tracks were leading down the mountain anyway. After sometime, the party realizes that the woods of crown silent and the party notices that there are strange looking animal statues and some humanoid statues around that all appear to be carved with faces of fear.

As the party was discussing what this could mean, they are ambushed by a large multi-legged reptilian creature. During the ensuing battle, Helenista and Claren feel their limbs start to stiffen after meeting the creature's gaze but are able to resist whatever magics was going on. The fight started to drag on longer the party anticipated and some of the members were fighting gravely wounded as it became impossible to tell who's blood was whose and how much of it belonged to the creature. In an act of desperation, Gareth using all of his focus to grab the creature by an unseen force and fling it straight up in the air. The party took cover by the nearby tries as the flailing creature came back down and landing on the ground with a sickening crunch. After making making sure the creature was dead, the party knew that did not want to be in the woods after dark and limped back to the village they stayed in before their journey to Firetop Mountain.

When the party returned to the village, they are greeted as heroes and are given supplies, food, and drink for their efforts. The party enjoys the words of praise and free food well into the night as Harl and Shaleera make their way upstairs to celebrate the victory properly. Sometime later, Gareth goes outside to go to make water and notices a small cloaked figure outside who takes off running when the figure notices that the figure has been seen  by Gareth. Gareth quickly takes chase and ends up capturing the figure which turns out to be a Kobold and after some aggressive negotiation, the Kobold admits that they are all doomed. Gareth knocks out the Kobold and runs back to the tavern to warn everyone that there might be an attack coming as Gareth thinks he caught the forward scout of an attack party. 

The commotion rouses Harl and Harl assists rallying the townsfolk to defensive positions as the village is swarmed by Kobolds. Harl helped direct the village folk to put out fires the Kobolds started as the rest of the party helped with the physical defenses. At the break of dawn, the party was able drive off the few remaining Kobolds which scattered in the woods. In the aftermath, there was only handful of injured villagers and a couple of charred 1/4 burnt buildings. In the hemorning light and during cleanup, the party decided to stay in the village for a couple of days to help the village clean up and to make sure the Kobolds do not come back.

The party found no more traces of the remaining Kobolds in the woods and premised that they are long long. It was also discussed and the party came to the conclusion along with the village that Kobolds attacked the village in some type of revenge plot because of the death of the Warlock. 

________________________________________________________________________________

PLAYER'S NOTES: I have no notes as I was not at the session due to other obligations. I was given the information of what happened during the session second hand by other players and the DM.

Vampire: The Masquerade Timeline

 

Below is the timeline for Vampire: The Masquerade that has been updated into the Modern Nights, This is part of my attempt in keeping a lot of the relevant information in one place. 

1022

• Tremere and his inner circle become Vampires

1204

• The Crusaders sack the city of Constantinople, starting a fire that burns for eight days. During the sack, the Inconnu destroy Gregorius Dimities. Michael lets Peter the Humble lead Mary the Black to him, where he is finally diablerized. The Byzantine Empire is torn asunder and divided among the Crusaders.
  

14th Century

• The First Anarch Revolt was spurred on during the days of the Inquisition. Vampire neonates were appalled by their clan elders who were eagerly sacrificing their young to the Inquisitors. The neonates were perishing at alarming rates during this period. A voice on the Ventrue council was the Brujah named Patricia who expressed to Hardestadt and the elders that they must stand up and fight against the mortal humans. However, Hardestadt and the fellow elders rejected her notions. They felt it was better to hide, create a masquerade, and form rules that would later be known as Camarilla. Disgusted with inaction, Patricia left the council and sided with rebellious neonates. To drive her point across to the elders as to what she felt was best for vampire society, she donned the name Tyler, formed a resistance of Brujah, and marched right into Castle Hardestadt. A huge battle ensued. Though she suffered heavy losses, she successfully committed Amaranth on Hardestadt.

1493

• The Convention of Thorns was a peace agreement between leaders of the Camarilla, the Anarchs and the Assamite clan made on October 23, 1493. It marked the end of open conflict between the three groups, and more specifically an end to the first Anarch Revolt.

1944

• Despite the formation of the Camarilla and the Sabbat, self-proclaimed anarchs would continue in isolated groups. During the French Revolution, prominent anarchs used the opportunity to fight the traditional claim of the Toreador to France. Despite intentions to take the fight to the rest of Europe, the mortal revolution soon fell apart, allowing the Camarilla to move in and restore order.

  Afterwards, many of the remaining anarchs made their way to the United States and from there to the West Coast. As Los Angeles quickly increased in prominence, the Camarilla established Don Sebastian as prince with the hope that he would curb the growing number of anarchs in the region. He largely ignored their presence, however, and over the next few decades, several famous anarchs made their way to the city. Finally, in 1944, Don Sebastian realized the full extent of the discontent in his city and ordered the savage beating of one such luminary, Jeremy MacNeil. Instead of instantly rebelling, MacNeil lead the anarchs in locating and studying the havens of the local Elders over a period of six weeks, and on December 21, 1944, the Second Anarch Revolt began.

  The prince was killed and those Elders that were not destroyed fled the city, making it a strong victory for the anarch movement. Soon thereafter the anarchs moved south to San Diego and then attempted to liberate San Francisco. They were repelled by the then-current Prince of San Francisco, Vannevar Thomas, but in those three months they had claimed everything from the border of Mexico to San Jose. This region would come to be called the Anarch Free State, ruled under a set of principles entitled the Perfect State.

  Despite such ideals, the Anarch Free State soon became little more than a region dominated by roving gangs that were often at each other's throats. Whatever the reasons for the inability to create their perfect society, the invasion of the Cathayans and their efforts to turn the anarchs against one another resulted in several anarchs eventually joining the New Promise Mandarinate, with little remaining of the Free State by the year 2000.

1999

• Kindred debate when exactly the Week of Nightmares fell, with some claiming it landed just prior to the turn of the millennium, while others conflate it with the supposed commencement of Gehenna. In truth, the “Week” of Nightmares sprawled across years, sweeping up several thousand vampires in its wave. During the Week, an impossibly ancient vampire arose and purged its own clan: the Ravnos. Thin-blooded vampires emerged with omens and portents as the Red Star, Anthelios, blazed in the night sky. The Ravnos Antediluvian met Final Death in July 1999 at the hands of parties unknown, armed with advanced weaponry and the power of the sun. Before he died, he drained vitae from all his clan, driving them to frenzy and cannibalism in his death throes. Thick, sentient ropes of his vitae stained the ground in Bangladesh where he fell. The noonday sun did not destroy it all and some can own a small vial containing the Blood of the Ravnos Antediluvian.

2002

• Admiral John Poindexter takes control of the Information Awareness Office. He greenlights a number of DARPA initiatives intended to help expose and combat supernatural threats.

2003

• Felicity Price of the C.I.A. heads up project FIRSTLIGHT.

• The Camarilla feeds information about the Sabbat to government agencies, using them to help burn out the Camarilla's rival sect.

2004

• The NSA discovers and penetrates SchreckNET.

• The Eighth Direction in Russia joins what will come to be called the Second Inquisition. Members include the Newburgh Group from England, BOES in Brazil, and the Society of St. Leopold.

• The Red Question releases the first version of their manifesto.

• Some time after the Ankaran Sarcophagus crisis in Los Angeles, Isaac Abrams, "Nines" Rodriguez, and Therese Voerman each recognize the other as baron over the respective domains of Hollywood, Downtown, and Santa Monica, agreeing to work together as a council to resolidify Anarch sovereignty over the city.

2005

• F.B.I. Special Affairs Division is resurrected due to the work of FIRSTLIGHT. Retired members of Project Twilight are brought in out of retirement to advise.

[Conjecture - the Sabbat begin the slow migration to the middle east that will be known as the Gehenna Crusade. The year was chosen to coincide with Gehenna from the Revised edition and from contextual clues. Sabbat cities slowly empty out over the span of the next decade]

2006

• Anarchs Unbound is officially banned by the Camarilla, and dire warnings are issued about sect members mingling with the Red Question.

• British anti-terror unit SO13 begins the sterilization of London. This will continue for the next seven years.

• Camarilla elders begin to feed information about Anarch holdings as well Sabbat in an attempt to deflect attention from their own domains.

2007

• The Red Question deal directly with Camarilla Justicars; the next day, the 2007-08 financial collapse begins.

• Marcus Questor becomes the agent in charge of the Special Affairs Division, and his ties to the IAO aid in securing intelligence of the blank body phenomenon.

2008

• A joint SOCOM task force destroys the Tremere Prime Chantry, decapitating the Tremere pyramid and purging Vienna of Kindred.

• Carna begins her flight across the United States, spreading word of what she has learned from The Book of the Grave War to her followers.

• Anarchs take the opportunity to conquer several weak Camarilla domains.

2010

• Video leaks to vampire websites showing a member of the Red Question poisoning a Tremere rival in 2001. It is the last highly publicized act of the Red Question.

• The Camarilla of Milwaukee fend off a Sabbat invasion from the north.

• Rafael Obrero, a medical examiner from Minneapolis, loses his wife Maria after a "Jane Doe" they were dissecting turns out to be a torpored vampire. Driven by revenge, Obrero goes on to form the Mortician's Army.

2011

• Meeting of the Camarilla Inner Council chooses a new slate of Justicars, elevating Lucinde to Ventrue Justicar for Unlife.

2012

• Simultaneous conclaves are held in Chicago and Prague. Theo Bell assassinates Hardestadt (and possibly Jan Pieterzoon) at the Prague Conclave. The Brujah formally leave the Camarilla.

• Juggler surreptitiously produces a Hollywood zombie movie filmed in Gary, Indiana. The film is heavily coded with pro-Anarch messages. The Anarchs of Hollywood recognize his handiwork, and back his claim to become the Baron of Gary.
  
• A group of Kindred led by an infiltrator compromise Second Inquisition operations in the Midwest across three states, disrupting a city-clearing operation in Detroit.

2013

• Queen Ann is decapitated in London, effectively concluding the sterilization of the city.

• The Camarilla meets with the Banu Haqim and the Setite Ministry on the same night to weigh the merits of admission into the Camarilla. The Ministry meeting ends prematurely when a bomb levels the hotel where the dignitaries are convening. The preferential optics of the Banu Haqim selecting a discreet, small-town kitchen in Denmark as their venue likely results in their admittance to the sect. Facing rejection, the Ministry instead moves to align themselves with the Anarchs.

• The Camarilla takes Mexico City.

2014

• Modius is deposed as Prince of Gary, Indiana after a ghoul lets slip that it is he who is responsible for the deaths of numerous Kindred in the city after sending Sullivan Dane a box full of intelligence. With the blessing of Annabelle Triabell, Modius is placed under arrest by the Anarchs.

2016

• A progressive mayor is elected in Gary, Indiana.
• The Sub-Ministerial Level Consultation Program to Address Stochastic Crisis Events (SMLCPASCE), an operation of the Second Inquisition, is formed.

2017

• Massive slaughter in Berlin stretches the Masquerade to the breaking point. Berlin becomes an Anarch domain after the Prince is destroyed in the street.

2018 

• The initial jumping-off point of the timeline, as of the publication of the V5 Corebook.
• Vannevar Thomas claims praxis over Los Angeles. The city's Anarch barons quickly negotiate a truce with the Camarilla in order to avoid an immediate, highly destructive war.
• Antwerp, Belgium is taken over by the Anarchs after centuries of Camarilla rule. Storming Elysium at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts under cover of the city's ongoing gilets jaunes protests and riots, the rebels crush in the skull of Toreador Prince Delphine Gaël, who was trapped in a trance. He meets Final Death being stuffed into a barrel and burned next to a police barricade.

2019

• Clan Lasombra is granted formal membership in the Camarilla after a vote in Chicago, following a diplomatic campaign by the Amici Noctis. The ritual sacrifice of Malenkov and other high-ranking Sabbat members are among the notable concessions rendered. Most other cities accepting of them begin following the general rule of thumb that one Lasombra must be sacrificed for every one who is to join the sect.
• The domains of Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut merge into one under the praxis of Hazel Iversen.
• The torpored body of Zelios is discovered in a labyrinth hidden deep within the sewers beneath Griffith Park in Los Angeles. He was eventually recovered and awakened by Maximillian Strauss.
• Baron Isaac Abrams of Hollywood leaves Los Angeles to answer the Beckoning.
• The M. F. Sumtsov Historical Museum in Kharkiv, Ukraine hosts an exhibition on Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including among other items an intact enameled sculpture of Set that dates back to at least the 15th century BCE.

2020

• A devastating Second Inquisition offensive, spearheaded by the Society of Leopold, roils the vampiric population of Los Angeles. The Camarilla, finding the situation untenable, withdraws from the city once more as Prince Vannevar Thomas and his court abandon the city. The L.A. Anarchs quickly regroup and attack the Society, decapitating their leadership and crippling their operations in the city. Victorious in the moment, they redeclare the sovereignty of the Anarch Free State and pronounce the Camarilla persona non grata.
• New York Anarch baron Douglas Callihan is unexpectedly found dead in his office. Prince Hellene Panhard sends Lasombra clan representative Julia Sowinski to investigate on behalf of the Camarilla.

2021

• Prince Arundel of Ottawa goes missing, leaving Seneschal Eden Corliss in charge of affairs.
• In the wake of a bloody assault by the Mortician's Army, Cecily Bain becomes Prince of the Twin Cities.

Unknown/Indeterminate/Ongoing

• Augustus Giovanni is murdered, staked, or otherwise driven into involuntary torpor. His personal menagerie of wraiths and spectres are unleashed from captivity.

• Clan Hecata is founded at the Family Reunion, reconciling Clan Giovanni with the Cappadocians and their cousin bloodlines the Samedi, Harbingers of Skulls, and the Lamiae. A contingent of displaced Nagaraja is also brought into the fold.

 

A Great Campaign Experience

 

Over the weekend I was looking through one of my gaming bookshelves to see if my physical copy of Engine Hearts. Sad to say, it looks like my copies of that game did not survive the great purge of 2018. But I digress, during this search I came across my copy of GURPS Riverworld and seeing that book triggered memories of one of my favorite role playing experiences I have ever had. GURPS Riverworld is based on the book series by Phillip Jose Farmer. For those of you that are interested in playing in campaign and do not want anything spoiled, do not click on the previous link about the books or read any of the books.

So, this campaign happened about twenty years ago and the group and I were in-between World of Darkness games. One of the usual Storytellers of the group called up myself and a few other players and pitched an idea for a campaign. The only direction we were given was that we are going to use the Storyteller system from World of Darkness and we needed to create mortal characters. Our characters could be from any time in history and they could have any background we wanted (royalty, secret agents, ninjas, knights, pirates, etc.). I was not aware of what the other players created but I created a modern day over the top secret agent and our storyteller ran solo sessions for for each of us where our characters ended up dying at the end of the session (which we had no idea that was the goal). My secret agent survived a lot of near death experiences throughout the session to only meet his untimely end as the church the secret agent was hiding in roof collapsed. It was kind of a deus ex machina moment of "rocks fall and everyone dies" situation but it was fine.

Our Storyteller scheduled a game where everyone was going to be there and thus, the campaign begun. All of our characters woke up naked, in a grassy field, a bucket with a lid attached to the the wrist by a string, and the characters could travel south and come across a giant river or north and run into a dense forest. There a gigantic stone stable with holes in the legs off in the distance as well. This information was not presented to us up front as our characters had to explore to find out about the obvious landmarks. 

Our characters also explored the food and other items inside of our buckets, the mysterious stone tables, the dangers in the forest, the dangers in the river, and the interactions of the other people who were resurrected (the societies they created). Some of the people our characters ran into were famous people from history. It was also interesting to learn how the rules of death were different in River World. 

Yes, I am being vague on purpose and why? Because I do not want to spoil it for anyone who may end up as a player in this world. If you are interested enough, then grab the book or watch the miniseries - though full disclaimer I have not seen the miniseries and I cannot vouch for its quality or accuracy. 

Anyway, I am getting lost in the weeds. There was countless reasons why this campaign was such a great experience and something out of the norm that I have not experienced since or I think a lot of people do not experience. I will try to codify a handful of them.

• The entire premise of the campaign and the source material was kept completely secret. The Storyteller even had brown butcher paper folded over the cover of the book so we could not see it. 
• The players created characters from any era with any background in a vacuum. The other players did not know who the other characters were until the characters met in game. If I remember correct we had my secret agent, a Samurai, a cowboy, a person from the future, and a teenager form the 80s. We all got to know each other characters and about them in game and it was glorious. 
• It was sandbox to the max and it was truly up to us to explore, figure out our surroundings, interact with people, and watch the various societies grow and change. 
• Due to the lack of character and player knowledge, the setting and the world became real as the characters explored it and we actually drew maps/kept notes. 
• It was honestly surprising to learn how death and time worked in River World. 
• Our characters had to learn just about everything from trial and error and sometimes those errors were huge. 
• When we uncovered secrets of the world, it was awe inspiring. 
• It was fun as the players would talk between sessions and think of all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories and try to make all kinds of outlandish connections. The campaign just inspired so much talk outside of the table which I think is just rad. 

I think those are all the important points anyway. I feel lucky that I got to experience such a campaign and I hope to do so again. 

 

Legacies of Exera: Session 4

 

When we last left our heroes they were being charged by a gaunt figure who ends up bottle necking them into the hallway. Harl is able to spear the creature a few times and being able to narrowly shake of the paralyzing chill that almost froze Harl's bones in their place. Gareth and Helenista were able to squeeze into the room and Gareth sliced the gaunt figure from the back as Helenista was able to set the creature ablaze with a firebolt which finally put at end to the creatures existence. 

After the creature was dispatched, Gareth opens the chest that was on the table and finds some gold in it. The party then continues through a roughly carved tunnel and passes a door on their left as they continue on to find themselves where the tunnel ends in a door. Harl opens the door and finds a handuf a skeletons that are working on building some boats. The skeletons notice them and start to head towards the party as they armed themselves with various tools. Harl tries to reason with the encroaching skeletons but they just chatter their jaw bones and do not stop. Harl quickly shuts the door and after a few tense moments it sounds like the skeletons return to work. The party back tracks and discover a storage room full of rotting food and the continue on following the sound of tools working and a humming of a song. As the party follows the noise they come across a sign that stated "Work in Progress" and as they rounded the corner they come across countless mining tools working by themselves to expand the labyrinth on seemingly on their own free will and accord. 

The party then backtracks through the maze of tunnels and finally decides to transcends the stairs where the intense stench of rot is coming from. After every member of the party takes one last breath of fresh air as they march onward. After sometime on a tight winding staircase the party find themselves in a wide open chamber with a couple of bodies laying on the floor. As Claren takes lead and enters the chamber, the bodies start to move and they party makes quick work of them before the bodies even have a chance to stand up. Once the party makes sure more more bodies littered around the floor are going to decide to rise the party continues on to the staircase leading up on the other side of the room. When the party reaches the top of the stairs they come across a giant stone archway with two thick stone doors set wide open and as soon as A'nari (who is the last member to cross the threshold) steps across the threshold the giant stone doors slam shut and throws the party into darkness. Enama activates the light from her belt and a few other party members light up some lanterns. 

Harl takes lead and they party winds themselves through various twists and turns until they come across what appears to be a rather well made door with iron banding. Harl opens the door and finds a group of four Dwarves drinking, smoking, and gambling at a rather large table. One of the Dwarves stands up and lets out a stream of obscenities and that Dwarf eventually stammers out "What are you doing here? Doesn't anyone have any manners and can't even knock." Harl attempts to engage the Dwarves in conversation and to try to get any useful information about the labyrinth from the dwarves. Most of the conversation leaves the party rolling their eyes as the Dwarves spend a lot of time arguing among themselves about which way is the right direction through the maze and one of the Dwarves mention that the pet drake is a cute little fellow that likes scratches behind the ears. The dwarves then try to convince the party to bring them back more ale and eventaully Harl realizes that any more conversation is going to be pointless and with a shrug and a defeated look to Harl's companions, the party wishes the Dwarves well and closes their door. 

 

 

The party continues to explore the maze of hallways and eventually comes across a large wide open cavern with stalagmites. Before the party can even gain their bearings, they notice some movement in  the shadows an instance before a gout of fire lights up the cavern as a red scaled dragon like creature come into view an instance before it charges towards the party. 

 

Enama reacts first and grabs one of Gareth's enchanted stones, moves forward, and throws it at the dragon-like creature. As Harl moves forward and blasts the creature with a bolt of crackling black and purple energy. A'nari connects with a bolt from Shadowgrumble as Helenista steps forward with her hands raise as a deep frost grows over the creatures scales. The creature responds to these attacks by breathing more fire which catches Enama in it and as the fire scorches her flesh, she screams out "bad drake!" Claren's crossbolt flies wide and Gareth's stone throw suffers the same fate. Enama then charges the creature at full speed and slaps it with both hands which causes the creature to pause in surprise as Harl charges and leaps in the air and with both hands, drives his spear directly between the creatures shoulder blades, pinning it to the ground, and slaying it at the same time. Enama laments about how she did not want to kill it and make it her pet as Enama scratches the dead creature behind its ears. Enama continues on about how she is going to make this supposed Warlock to fix it or teach Enama how to make on. 

After a short rest and finding nothing else of note in the cavern, the party discovered a narrow passage where Harl takes lead and after what feels like an eternity comes across a ornate door that is left ajar. As Harl peers through, he sees a very ornate decorating and well lit room with an old harmless looking man sitting at a desk playing cards. As Harl gathers his thoughts to converse with the old man Enama forces her way through the line of the party members dragging the drakes dead body and drops it in front of the old man's desk as Enama demands "Fix it or teach me how to make a new one." 

The old man stands up and in a flash of light transforms into a well dressed young man and in a booming voice, "You killed me beloved pet and then make demands of me? You will never leave this mountain alive!" The party charges into the room as Harl tries to flank the Warlock and landing his spear point in the Warlocks thigh as Helenista misty steps into the room. The warlock then unleashes a deadly explosion of fire the drops Helenista and Claren. The remaining party members attempt to surround the warlock to prevent any escape in desperation as the Warlock yet again, sets off an additional explosion of fire that badly scorches the surviving party members before the Warlock succumbs to additional attacks as the Warlock attempts to escape. 

After the fall of the Warlock, the remaining party members quickly searches the room for any more dangerous as Harl heals Claren and Helenista, bringing back from the brink of death. The party finds a door on the far end of the room which leads into a large storage area filled with supplies, some treasures, and a large chest with multiple padlocks on it. The party is able to solve the puzzle using various keys and some brute strength to discover an impressive cache of resources. Eventually, after taking what they needed and searching the body of the Warlock, the party finds a hidden passage that leads them out into fresh air and daylight...

______________________________________________________________________________

PLAYER NOTES: This was the last session of the "belly of the beast" adventure and I found it highly entertaining. There was a lot of things that we encountered that I was not expecting. One of these being basically finding the back door to the boat house of where the skeletons were building doors. It is to bad they did not take to kindly of being interrupted but it was quickly decided to leave them where they be. Then there was the interactions with the drunk Dwarves and after they calmed down for being interrupted, it was like talking to the doors in the scene from the movie The Labyrinth and was almost maddening. A few other character's threw in their two cents into the conversation as Harl tried to get help or any other useful information out of them. I was entertained about this whole interaction but after a lot longer in real world time dealing with this situation then probably should have passed (but there was a lot of fun that was had), we left them alone and moved on. 

The Guard Drake combat was fun and I am surprised it was dealt with in such a quick manner even though Enama had an instance bound with the guard drake and wanted to try to knock it out to attempt to tame it. The slapping of the drake did not knock it before the guard drake met its end. 

When we finally met up with the Warlock, I think some of us were hoping for some diplomatic interaction before combat broke out but Enama had different ideas and wanted the guard drake revived or to learn how to create one. This obviously did not end well, as the Warlock was pissed off and attacked the party. This combat had more worried as the first fireball took out two of the characters and the second fireball left a lot of the other characters under 10 HP! I think Harl was at 6. I was worried about a TPK or death of at least a few of the characters but the Dice Gods had other plans and I think we won the combat by the skin of our teeth. 

After the session, I had a conversation with the DM and he used a conversion of the first Fighting Fantasy Book, Warlock of Firetop Mountain. I have to say, this is one of the funnest dungeons that I have ever got to play through. The dungeon had a lot of personality and there were some many unique encounters that had nothing to do with combat that was a lot of fun. I really liked the interaction with the merchant and the dwarves. I am bummed we did not do more exploration and I am curious how the interaction with the werewolf would have went. 

The end of these session gave everyone enough experience to reach Level 3! In addition to the level ups, all of the characters items of power increased in effectiveness. 

____________________________________________________________________________

ITEMS OF POWER UPDATE (3rd Level):

• Garvangr (Harl's Spear) - Gained +1 enhancement bonus.
• Goujian (Prince Claren's Sword) - +1 enhancement bonus.
  
• Bag of Three (Gareth's Belt) - Bag of Holding Qualities
  
• Shadowgrumble (A'nari's Crossbow) - Enhanced Critical Hit: On a critical, this eapon deals an additional 2d6 piercing damage. 
  
• Pia's Belt (Enama's Belt) - +1 to saving throws & DC's to Ki abilities. In addition, a bonus action can be utilized to regain Ki points equal to the roll of the Martial Arts die, this feature cannot be used again until the next dawn.
  
• Feyshadow Boots (Helenista's Boots) - The footsteps of the wearer make no sound and the wearer gains advantage on Stealth Checks that rely on moving silently.
  

Review: Mydwandr

 

Mydwandr is the most recent release by Olde House Rules and it sits firmly in the FKR realm with a dash for OSR/NSR for a little extra flavor. This build up to this release was pretty silent except for a handful of comments that something is in the works from the author. Then this game dropped and it took off - it did not take long to hit Copper on Drivethrurpg and it has already spurred some fan projects. This game came off of the heels of Gaming Primitive and the release of PP IV: The Divine Spark. So, lets take a deep dive and see what Mydwandr is all about. 

Presentation: Mydwandr clocks in at 60 pages of single spaced words that are cleanly laid out which captures the DIY feel of the 70's and 80's. The layout is supported by a full color cover, 14 full page black and white woodcut style images with some spot illustrations for support. The art and layout makes it feel like a manuscript from the Middle Ages.

Character Creation: Character creation follows a simple flow that provides some key choices. Though, I feel like it is important to post a quote from the book under the header "Characters" as it just provides foundational vibes for the rest of Mydwandr:

"Campaigns matter; but they need characters to occupy their spaces. These are the heroes of the story, and adventures, however enthralling, are just a thought experiment without the brave souls who undertake them. But character creation is likewise important to a campaign’s referee, who may be tasked with crafting their cast of non-player characters; for enemy humans remain the deadliest of all, even in a world of dragons, giants, and dark demons from the pits of Hell."

With that being said, character creation provides some important choices:

1. Choose a Kindred (Dwarves, Elves, and Humans)
2. Choose Abilities (Non-humans choose one while Humans choose two)
3. Record Hit Points (Non-humans start with 10 while Humans start with 15)
4. Note movement - Unarmored movement is 50' and armored movement is 30
5. All characters start with a 100 Silver (SP) to buy gear and supplies

Resolution: When the dice need to hit the table for any reason, roll 2d6 and if the dice show 8+ it is considered a success (skills, saves, etc.). If an Ability or fictional situation provides advantage, the roll 3d6 and choose the two highest. 

Abilities come in two types: Common (CN) and Special (SL). Common (CN) Abilities provide extraordinary skill to things everyone can do which translates into Advantage using that Ability (for example: Footman, Mighty). Special (SL) abilities are unique abilities that require training to even attempt the skill. Special Abilities allow the attempt with throwing 2d6 (for example: Exorcist, Backstabber). 

Combat uses the core mechanic with a few nuances and it is important top note that all characters can wear armor and use any weapons. Before combat breaks out initiative is decided by both sides throwing doubles and whoever has the highest total goes first and the initiative is kept  the combat (ties favor the enemy unless fiction dictates differently and elves act on their own initiative due to their ability). There is advice where the Referee can forego initial initiative if one side or the other has a clever plan or ambush. 

Combat is divided in 30 second rounds where each participant gets to move and attack/cast a spell/etc. When it is a characters turn the player rolls doubles usually (unless advantage is acquired) and consult the totals for damage:

2-7: Miss/No Damage 

8-9: 1

10-11: 2

12: 3

Two handed weapons add +2 to damage but shield use is impossible and crossbows add +1 damage but takes a round to reload. 

When a character is reduced to 0 Hit Points, the character dies unless the character is wearing armor. Armor allows a death save and if it is successful, the character is revived to 5 Hit Points but the armor is broken and needs to be repaired or replaced. Carrying a shield provides an Armor Save as well. If a character has both armor and shield they can save verse death twice. 

Finally, Magic in Mydwandr takes on a free form approach.  Magic is covered by the Abilities Healer (heals a set amount of Hit Points per level per day) and Spellbinder (Enter the ye old Magic User - charms can be cast one per level per day. These charms can only be used against one target within 60' either scoring hits or manifesting a different effect with a duration of 3d6 rounds. Characters also cannot cast in armor or with shield as magic takes some serious movement). Outside of these parameters magic is free from and players create their own spells and effects. It is also important to note that magic is powerful and their is no "to hit" rolls or "saving dice" allowed - the charm just takes effect.

Final Thoughts: The reading of this book has more of a unique flow akin to a novel compared to the standard player handbooks that are out in the wild. In addition to the vibe of this book from cover to cover sets a tone of the type of game it wants to run from movement rules (Outdoor/Overland movement is 12 miles per day while underground movement is 500' per game play hour), how all characters can use weapons/wear armor, low focus on treasure and money, to how it is inspired by Hawk the Slayer,  Chronicles of Prydain, Dragon Slayer and Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings Animated Film. 

(Not in the Book but from Olde House Rules Social Media)

Other aspects of the game to give the game structure and assist the Referee are as follows (some of these reference the vibe or style of Mydwandr):

• Money and Gear: Mydwandr provides a basic list of items that include weapons, armor, and basic traveling supplies. Prices for everything else are created by the referee with the guidelines of small/basic items cost a roll of a single die, medium items cost 2d6 x 10, large items cost 3d6 x 100, and extravagant items such as an entire ship could cost tens of thousands silver. 
• Encumbrance: Characters can wear armor, carry a shield, bear a single favored weapon, and carry 25 items that can feasibly fit in a backpack or hang from a belt. 
• Languages: Non-Humans speak their native language and the common tongue. 
• Advancement: Experienced is gained from completing major quests, engaging hostilities, and recovering valuable treasure. More experience is given for the quests and valuable treasure the engaging with hostilities. Every 15 experience points gained, the character acquires a new level and will gain additional hits and abilities. 
• Hazards: This is a section that lumps together monsters, NPC's, traps, ans environmental situations as "Hazards." Each of these hazards uses the same stat line so it is seamless for the Referee to run any hazard the characters come across. One of the numbers on the line is Level which when appropriate, translates as hit total as the Referee times the level by 1, 2, or 3 depending on how difficult the encounter is.
  
• Darksight: Nothing that the PC's have access to have Darksight, not even Dwarves! 
• Miniatures: Quick advice if the group wants to make use of miniatures - every inch squares 5' of movement. This removes the need for grids/hexes. 
• Treasure: Formula for determining treasure based on treasure type in the stat line and chance for magical items. There are lists of magic item, 
• Enchanting: Items are created by none player characters only and a PC that posses the required Abilities can write their own scrolls.
• Towns/Wilderness/Dungeons: Advice, random encounters, and prices for services found in most towns are listed. 

Mydwandr also has approximately 8 pages of setting information regarding the lands, people, and history of Mydwandr. The entire game has a smooth flow and even though it reinforces a certain vibe for a campaign it is nowhere near locked into that idea. There is unlimited flexibility but enough structure to make the Referee's job easy and gives enough setting prompts that a Referee should be able to build off of that or drop adventure's inside the known world without much trouble. 

My favorite aspects of the game are how light sources are important as even Dwarves do not possess darksight, money is spent and acquired in low quantities (with XP only being awards for major treasure or artifact level discoveries), the take on elves, and how initiative is paramount in combat situations. 

With that being said, I wish there was more information or explanation regarding Balance as the paragraph under that section could be interpreted various ways such as all encounters need to be balanced but I do not think that is the intention of the design. I would have also liked to see a play example outside of the included combat example and the inclusion of 4-6 regenerated characters for a group to hit the ground running.

In all Honesty, I hope Olde House Rules rules writes an entire setting book for Mydwandr. Maybe it should be called the Chronicles of Mydwandr?

You cam find Olde House Rules and Mydwandr here:

• Olde House Rules Website
• PDF on Drivethrurpg 
• Character Record on Drivethrurpg 
• Alternate Character Sheet by MSJX 
• Hardcover via Lulu 
• Mydwandr Group on MeWe
• #Mydwandr on Mastodon