What's In The Drawer or On The Desktop?

It has been some time since my last post but I was just overloaded with work commitments and other things. Things seem to have slowed down and I took an extended break due to burnout. I was brainstorming about posts and one of them generated a quick and steady flow of ideas. I am sure that other bloggers have done this before but here is a list of items found on a desk top or in a desk drawer during an adventure.


1. Small stack of blank parchment.
2. Quill and a bottle of ink.
3. Unmarked key.
4. Loose coins.
5. Map.
6. Crumpled piece of parchment.
7. Page ripped from a book.
8. Sealing wax and a stamp.
9. Letter opener.
10. Reading glasses.
11. Magnifying glass.
12. Candle.


I'm quite certain that's just the tip of the iceberg. What would you add to the list?

Mucker's Guide

We are pleased to announce the launch of the SteamCraft Mucker’s Guide (Player’s Guide). https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/666449184/steamcraft-rpg-players-guide

Funding ends May 24th 11:59 PDT.




About the Mucker’s Guide

Faster character creation rules
New edges/Flaws
New items and equipment
New steampunk gadgets
New spells
Introduce the societies mechanic to aid in character creation and development. PCs will have the option to join overt or secret societies at the beginning of the game. These societies will grant benefits to PCs but the societies will also require service from the characters. Societies is optional, but the goal of the mechanic is to help players understand how their characters fit into the world and give players and gamemasters ways to focus and structure play. Societies will provide agendas and personal goals for the characters that help develop your character’s story and the overall metaplot of your campaigns that goes beyond your character being a Mucker.

and much much more!

About SteamCraft

In the spirit of Gibson and Sterling's The Difference Engine, SteamCraft takes you to an alternate, dystopian world where gears, goggles, and airships dominate life. The Industrial Age is joined by an early Information Age, combining into a gritty world where corporations use technological advances to amass hordes of wealth and power at the expense of the working class.  Meanwhile, technomages' ability to create by mixing magic with machine lurches ahead of their wisdom to control their creations and where scientific exploration is best done in coal powered airships venturing beyond the charted world maps.

Just as Shadowrun mixes cyberpunk and fantasy, SteamCraft mixes steampunk and fantasy. The scientific wonders of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells mix with fantasy elements like dwarves and elves.  The result is a world filled with ancient horrors as well as man-made beasts such as Clockwork Beholders.

SteamCraft uses a d100/percentile system that is simple and intuitive to understand and easily modifiable to fit your game’s needs.

Characters are skill-based enabling players to create and customize their team roles and individualize their characters as they prefer.

About the Writers

Monica Valentinelli is a writer, editor, and game developer. Her portfolio includes stories, games, comics, essays, and pop culture books. She is the Line Developer for the Firefly RPG. Additional gaming credits include Vampire: the Masquerade, Hunter: the Vigil, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Philip A Lee is a writer, editor, and game developer. In addition to his previous work on SteamCraft, he is most known in gaming circles for his work on BattleTech and Shadowrun.

Chad Bowser is a game designer living in Kernersville, NC. He has done work for various gaming companies. His credits include co-writer and designer of Cthulhu Invictus and writer for Victoriana.

You can learn more and back us at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/666449184/steamcraft-rpg-players-guide

[mobile post] Current Events

This is just a quick post to recap what has been going on around here. Most of this stuff is relevant to gaming or this blog directly; some of it is related in a secondary manner.






Computer
Simply put, I need a new computer because the desktop I currently own is passing 15 years of use. It has served me well but it definitely not up to snuff anymore. That is why so many of my recent posts have "mobile post" as part of the title. I am not quite sure what I am going to get but I am not worried about playing video games or anything like that; I need something for reading (forums and general web surfing) and writing (blogs, hobby stuff, and other personal writing). I am considering some sort of chromebook for those purposes. Does anybody reading this know enough to give an informed opinion? Can I work on documents offline? Can I install Open Office or Libre Office?






Fanzine
I am a big fan of the games put out by Perilous Journeys Publishing so I want to help spread the word and support Perilous Journeys (fantasy), SteamCraft (steampunk), and new games they release in the future. I figured the best way to do that would be through a fan periodical. I am finishing up on the first issue and it will be released soon.







Reading
I have been on a Brandon Sanderson kick lately. I have read the first two Mistborn novels and I am currently reading Words of Radiance with the last Mistborn novel of the original trilogy and Elantris up next. I borrowed the Numenera rulebook and it is pretty cool; reminds me of running across Talislanta for the first time. I have also begun to really take an interest in the FUDGE rules.




Writing
I am still working on projects in the background. The main ones are currently a game "highly inspired by Adventures in Fantasy", an alternate bio-tech disaster setting book for a zombie apocalypse game, and updating my Toldara campaign world for one or more games.


The holidays are over and I am back to work tomorrow night. More later..

[mobile post] Sci-Fi Invasion

I am not just a fan of retro-games but I also enjoy B-movies. I have seen those mega movie DVD sets from Mill Creek Entertainment. There are several of these 50 movie sets available ranging from horror to mystery to science fiction. I have always wanted to check one out because the titles remind me of the old Saturday night creature features that would play on the local Fox channel back in the 1980s. My wife explained that she still found it difficult to buy Christmas presents for me so I told her to pick one of those up and she did. I have only watched one or two movies but I did notice that the 50 movies are split up among 12 DVDs with several movies on each. Once a month for the next year I will be viewing and posting about these "classic" movie selections. Disc 1 is coming in January...

[mobile post] Merry Christmas!

I am just keeping it simple with a MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of readers out there!!!

[mobile post] Fanzine Contents?

I am assembling ideas for a pdf fanzine devoted to the Perilous Journeys fantasy role-playing game and the SteamCraft role-playing game. I plan on starting off either quarterly or bi-monthly until the ball gets rolling good. It will be highly inspired by the GURPS minimagazine Roleplayer. Obviously, fanzines typically include stuff like new character races, professions, flaws, edges, spells, monsters, items, etc. and stuff like ideas for contacts and adventure seeds just to name a few more. Is there anything I am missing or suggestions for ideas that would make it stand out.

[mobile post] Coming Out of Cryosleep

2015 got kind of crazy for a bit and one of the things that had to be put on the backburner was the old blog. It just did not seem that important with the real world issues going on. The doctors finally figured out my wife has something causing her a significant iron deficiency but after months of adjustments it looks like everything is headed in the right direction. I am just thankful it was not cancer as originally speculated.


I am going to get the blog back up and running in 2016. So, what exactly does that mean? Read on to find out...


Frequency
I think a once a week posting commitment should probably do the trick. Any more than that can be considered a bonus.


Content
You can expect the same sort of posts that have always been made here. There will be new features, of course, but it will still be the same familiar place.


That's it for now. Have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in 2016.

Deal of the Day - SteamCraft Core Rules $4.50

*Shameless Plug*

The SteamCraft Core Rules have been selected as DriveThruRPGs Deal of the Day.  That makes the PDF 70% its regular price.  You can order it from here: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/100695/SteamCraft?src=DotD

Putting the Punk into SteamPunk!

In the spirit of Gibson and Sterling's The Difference Engine, SteamCraft takes you to an alternate, dystopian world where gears, goggles, and airships dominate life. The Industrial Age is joined by an early Information Age, combining into a gritty world where corporations use technological advances to amass hordes of wealth and power at the expense of the working class.  Meanwhile, technomages' ability to create by mixing magic with machine lurches ahead of their wisdom to control their creations and where scientific exploration is best done in coal powered airships venturing beyond the charted world maps.
It is a time when society threatens to plunge into either a dystopian future controlled by corporations and authoritarian governments, or one where heroic individuals manipulate information and technology to bring about a better future.  Intrigue, insidious evil, and the opportunity for both unlimited power, and unlimited beneficence await those that would explore this world.  The clever and the bold will shape that which it is to become.

With a Fantasy Edge

Just as Shadowrun mixes cyberpunk and fantasy, SteamCraft mixes steampunk and fantasy. The scientific wonders of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells mix with fantasy elements like dwarves and elves. The result is a world filled with ancient horrors as well as man-made beasts such as Clockwork Beholders.

[Perilous Journeys RPG] The Minotaur, Take One

The following monster entry is my first attempt at presenting the Minotaur using the Perilous Journeys RPG game stats.

Minotaur

H: 60-70  A: 36–45  S: 40  AF: 6
Attack: weapon +4/1d8/1d6

Encountered: 1-4

Description: Minotaurs appear to be large humanoid creatures with the head of a bull.  They are typically around 7 feet tall with a thick, rugged build.  Rumors speak of Minotaurs living on a diet consisting of humans and other smaller humanoid races.  Minotaurs are somewhat intelligent and may use tools and weapons.

Comat: Minotaurs tend to charge their opponents in an attempt to gore them for 1d8 damage; when closed to grappling distance a Minotaur may bite for 1d6 damage.  Some Minotaurs prefer to use weapons such as spears, clubs, or axes and get a +4 bonus to damage when doing so.  Minotaurs tend to attack things smaller than their size.  Minotaurs may be wearing a ragtag mix of garments for armor in addition to their tough hide and have an effective armor factor of 6 points.

Treasure: C

(mobile post) Entering Cryosleep

It's obvious that I haven't met my posting goals so far this year. This has been a hectic ride so far and continues to be time consuming in areas that prevent me from posting regularly. I am not closing this blog down but I am entering a deliberate period of little to no posting. I may pop up now and then with a post but it will definitely be sporadic instead of scheduled. Any of you readers that are anticipating any follow up posts on my various projects please stand by abut realize it will most likely be later rather than sooner. No worries - I will return...